Merrill Lynch agrees to pay nearly $20 million to settle class action racial discrimination lawsuit
Merrill Lynch has agreed to pay nearly $20 million to settle a class-action lawsuit that accuses the Wall Street brokerage giant of racially discriminating against its Black financial advisers.
Mortgage rates snap three-week pullback, pushing average rate on a 30-year home loan back above 7%
The average rate on a 30-year mortgage moved back above 7% this week, a setback for home shoppers at a time when the U.S. housing market is already slowing under the strain of elevated home loan borrowing costs and rising prices.
Qatar's offer to build 3 power plants to ease Lebanon's electricity crisis is blocked
Lebanon's caretaker economy minister says the country's rulers, fuel companies and private electricity providers have blocked an offer by gas-rich Qatar to build three renewable energy power plants to ease the crisis-hit nation’s decades-old electricity crisis.
Best Buy extends streak of quarterly losses as Americans direct more money to essential purchases
Best Buy reported another quarterly drop in sales as the nation’s largest consumer electronics chain wrestles with cautious spending by Americans as they prioritize essential purchases and pay more for things like rent.
UN chief cites the promise and perils of dizzying new technology as 'AI for Good' conference opens
The U.N. telecommunications agency has kicked off its annual AI for Good conference in hopes of guiding business, consumers and governments on ways to tap the promise of the new technology but avoid its potential perils.
Less than 2% of philanthropic giving goes to women and girls. Can Melinda French Gates change that?
For years, less than 2% of philanthropic giving in the U.S. has gone to benefit women and girls, but that could change in part thanks to new resources that Melinda French Gates has pledged in recent weeks.
Mining giant BHP pledges to invest in South Africa economy as it seeks support for Anglo bid
Australian mining giant BHP Group has pledged to invest in South Africa's economy as it seeks support for a 38.6 billion pound ($49.3 billion) bid to acquire Anglo American, which was founded in the country more than a century ago and remains one of its biggest employers.
Inflation pressures lingering from pandemic are keeping Fed rate cuts on pause
Hopes for interest rate cuts this year by the Federal Reserve are steadily fading, with a stream of recent remarks by Fed officials underscoring their intention to keep borrowing costs high as long as needed to curb persistently elevated inflation.
More people make 'no-buy year' pledges as overspending or climate worries catch up with them
The self-imposed rules of a no-buy challenge are simple: participants pledge to stop buying non-essential items, be they unneeded shoes, additional beauty products or other impulse buys for a set amount of time, usually 12 months.
Melinda French Gates to donate $1B over next 2 years in support of women's rights
Melinda French Gates says she will be donating $1 billion over the next two years to individuals and organizations working on behalf of women and families globally, including on reproductive rights in the United States.
UN report says that education, social safety nets vital for Asia to grow rich, cope with aging
A report by the United Nations says that as economies in Asia and the Pacific slow and grow older, countries need to do more to ensure that workers get the education, training and social safety nets needed to raise incomes and ensure social equity.
As Atlantic hurricane season begins, Florida community foundations prepare permanent disaster funds
As climate change makes storms more frequent and intense, Florida community foundations are looking for new ways to make sure they have resources on hand to support the public before, during and after a disaster.
Nigeria is emerging as a critical mineral hub. The government is cracking down on illegal operations
Nigeria’s government is cracking down on illegal mining, making dozens of arrests of unlicensed miners since April for allegedly stealing the country’s lithium, a critical mineral used in batteries for electric vehicles, smartphones and power systems.
Bird flu virus detected in beef from an ill dairy cow, but USDA says meat remains safe
Bird flu has been detected in beef for the first time, but the U.S. Department of Agriculture says the meat from a single sickened dairy cow was not allowed to enter the nation's food supply and beef remains safe to eat.
Uvalde families sue Meta and 'Call of Duty' maker on 2nd anniversary of school attack
The families of a group of victims of the Uvalde school shooting have announced new lawsuits against Instagram parent company Meta Platforms, the maker of the video game “Call of Duty” and the gun company that made the assault rifle used in the shooting.
UN countries adopt treaty to better trace origins of genetic resources under global patent system
U.N. member countries have concluded a new treaty to help ensure that traditional knowledge about genetic resources — like medicines derived from exotic plants in the Andes mountains — is properly traced.
US pushes for Ukraine aid, united front against China's trade practices at G7 finance meeting
The U.S. is seeking to build support for squeezing more money for Ukraine out of frozen Russian assets as finance ministers from the Group of Seven rich democracies open a two-day meeting Another key topic pushed by U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will be building a united front against China’s subsidies for solar panels and electric cars.