Commissions that oversee coastal lands and water pushed the Trump administration to leave California out of plans to expand offshore drilling, saying the state will throw up any barriers possible to prevent pumping and transportation of oil. The warning came weeks after Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said he wants to …

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday pitched Canadian globalism and the country’s new fast-track visa as reasons why Silicon Valley companies should consider Canada as a place to do business and spend money. Trudeau brought his charm offensive to the San Francisco Bay Area amid increasing unease over U.S. …

U.S. stocks tumbled again Thursday as investors continued to fret about the possibility of rising inflation and higher interest rates.  For the second time in four days, the Dow Jones industrial average sank more than 1,000 points, or 4.2 percent, to end Thursday day at 23,860. The Standard and Poor’s …

China’s export growth accelerated in January amid mounting trade tension with Washington while imports surged as factories stocked up ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday. Exports rose 11.1 percent compared with a year earlier to $200.5 billion, up from December’s 10.9 percent growth, trade data showed Thursday. Imports surged …

Dutch lender Rabobank’s California unit agreed Wednesday to pay $369 million to settle allegations that it lied to regulators investigating allegations of laundering money from Mexican drug sales and organized crime through branches in small towns on the Mexico border. The subsidiary, Rabobank National Association, said it doesn’t dispute that …

The rollercoaster ride continued in financial markets Tuesday, with sharp swings rocking major indexes from Asia, Europe and North America. The volatility intensified just a day after the steepest drop on Wall Street on Monday, after the Dow Jones Industrial index plunged nearly 1,200 points. But if the sharp sell-off came …

In the heartland of the tequila industry, in Mexico’s western state of Jalisco, a worsening shortage of agave caused by mounting demand for the liquor from New York to Tokyo has many producers worried. The price of Agave tequilana, the blue-tinged, spiky-leaved succulent used to make the alcoholic drink, has …

Peru’s trade minister defended China as a good trade partner on Tuesday, after U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned Latin American countries against excessive reliance on economic ties with the Asian powerhouse. Eduardo Ferreyros said Peru’s 2010 trade liberalization deal with China had allowed the Andean nation of about …

Among the countless Puerto Rico neighborhoods battered by Hurricane Maria is one named after another storm: Villa Hugo. The illegal shantytown emerged on a public wetland after 1989’s Hurricane Hugo left thousands homeless. About 6,000 squatters landed here, near the El Yunque National Forest, and built makeshift homes on 40 …

Shaken out of many months of calm, Wall Street braced for a higher level of volatility in the days ahead, after a roughly 2 percent rebound in U.S. stocks on Tuesday followed the biggest one-day selloff in more than six years. The question that vexed traders: were the wild swings …

Will Disney’s upcoming streaming services be the mouse that roared … or squeaked? Disney already owns enviable entertainment properties including Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars. Now, it’s looking to add Fox’s TV and movie studios as it prepares to launch two streaming services, one for sports and another focused on …

Latin American agriculture needs to become more technologically savvy and be rebranded as a source of jobs, in a bid to improve the lives of small-scale farmers and stop the drift toward cities, a senior agricultural official said. Combining smart technology with ancient methods may also help ease climate change effects, …

U.S. stock markets closed higher after a turbulent day of steep ups and downs. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 567 points, or 2.3 percent, on Tuesday, recouping nearly half of the 1,175-point plunge Monday. Standard & Poor’s 500 index rose 39 points, or 1.5 percent. Prices fluctuated wildly after …

The world’s largest conference on cities opens on Wednesday as policymakers and activists strive to drive forward an ambitious 20-year road map for sustainable urban development. More than 20,000 delegates are expected at the ninth World Urban Forum (WUF) in Kuala Lumpur, where Maimunah Mohd Sharif will make her first …

U.S. stock prices fluctuated wildly Tuesday after regaining ground following a sharply lower open on the heels of selloffs earlier in the day in Asia and Europe. The volatility continued unabated one day after The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed the most points in one day in its more than …

The U.S. trade deficit hit the highest level in nine years in 2017, defying President Donald Trump’s efforts to bring more balance to America’s trade relationships.   The Commerce Department said Tuesday that the trade gap in goods and services rose to $566 billion last year, the highest level since …

Mercedes-Benz issued an apology in China on Tuesday for quoting the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader who is reviled by Beijing, on social media abroad in a reflection of foreign companies’ heightened sensitivity to the Communist government’s possible reaction to their global activities. The apology follows official criticism last …

U.S. stocks opened sharply lower Tuesday on the heels of selloffs earlier in the day in Asia and Europe and one day after the Dow Jones Industrial Average shed the most points in one day in its more than 120-year history. The Dow fell 530 points at the market open …

As U.S. stocks plunged on Monday, President Donald Trump was speaking at an event in Ohio but noticeably not taking credit for the market despite doing so repeatedly when stocks were rising. The stark contrast was a sign that Trump may be absorbing a tough message, underscored by former White …

Federal officials will take another look at the historic Alaska community of Nome as a possible port serving ships heading for the Arctic.   The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced it has signed an agreement with the city of Nome to examine whether benefits justify costs of navigation improvements, …

European Central Bank head Mario Draghi said Monday that it’s too soon to declare victory over weak inflation – indicating it would be premature to set a definite end date for the bank’s money-printing stimulus despite a strengthening economy. Draghi’s statement to a session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, …

Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday signed an executive order aimed at boosting the local production of goods and create jobs in the west African country. Buhari, a 75-year-old former military ruler, has frequently spoken about ending the OPEC member’s dependence on oil exports while also creating jobs by boosting …

Families of six U.S. citizens who were kidnapped and killed by Colombia’s former leftist FARC guerrillas have settled with Chiquita Brands International, which they had accused of financially supporting the group, according to court filings on Monday. The out-of-court settlements were disclosed the day the families’ claims were scheduled to …

Venezuela’s central bank on Monday announced a devaluation of more than 99 percent of its official exchange rate with a new foreign exchange platform. The central bank said the first auction of its new DICOM system yielded an exchange rate of 30,987.5 bolivars per euro, equivalent to around 25,000 per …

U.S. President Donald Trump’s tax reform could bring almost $2 trillion back to the United States as U.S. firms repatriate cash piles from foreign affiliates, a U.N. report said Monday. Ending the incentive to hoard cash overseas could produce a stimulus effect in the United States, and Trump has credited …