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Economy

Greece to tax cruise ships to protect popular islands from overtourism

Athens —  Greece plans to impose a 20-euro ($22) levy on cruise ship visitors to the islands of Santorini and Mykonos during the peak summer season, in a bid to avert overtourism, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Sunday. Greece relies…

As Volkswagen weighs its first closure of a German auto plant, workers aren’t the only ones worried

FRANKFURT, Germany —  Volkswagen is considering closing some factories in its home country for the first time in the German automaker’s 87-year history, saying it otherwise won’t meet the cost-cutting goals it needs to remain competitive. CEO Oliver Blume also…

Boeing Seattle workers reach tentative pay deal, avert strike

Boeing said on Sunday it had reached a pay agreement with the union representing its Seattle workers, bringing weeks of negotiations to a close and averting a strike threat. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) had been…

Drought forces Kenya’s Maasai, other cattle herders to consider fish, camels

KAJIADO, Kenya —  The blood, milk and meat of cattle have long been staple foods for Maasai pastoralists in Kenya, perhaps the country’s most recognizable community. But climate change is forcing the Maasai to contemplate a very different dish: fish….

China’s new pledges reflect concern over its competition in Africa

Johannesburg —  After pledging $51 billion in financial support for Africa over the next three years and positioning China as a fellow developing country in contrast to the West’s colonialist past, President Xi Jinping told dozens of African leaders gathered…

US IRS enforcement efforts recover $1.3 bln in unpaid taxes, Treasury says

Washington —  The U.S. Treasury and Internal Revenue Service said on Friday that they have recovered $1.3 billion in unpaid taxes from wealthy individuals under new enforcement initiatives funded by $60 billion in IRS modernization spending from the climate-focused Inflation…

US job growth misses expectations in August; unemployment rate slips to 4.2%

Washington —  U.S. employment increased less than expected in August, but a drop in the jobless rate to 4.2% suggested an orderly labor market slowdown continued and probably did not warrant a big interest rate cut from the Federal Reserve…

GM battery joint venture agrees to recognize UAW at Tennessee plant

The United Auto Workers said Wednesday a battery manufacturing joint venture between General Motors and LG Energy Solution has agreed to recognize the union at a Tennessee plant. The UAW said a majority of the workers at the Ultium Cells…

US trade deficit widens to two-year high on imports

WASHINGTON —  The U.S. trade deficit widened to the highest level in more than two years in July as businesses likely front-loaded imports in anticipation of higher tariffs on goods, suggesting trade could remain a drag on economic growth in…

UN: Workers see dramatic fall in share of global income

Geneva —  Workers have seen their slice of the global income pie shrink significantly over the past two decades, swelling inequality and depriving the combined labor force of trillions, the U.N. said Wednesday. The United Nations’ International Labor Organization said…