National Business - The Morning Sun

File - A graduating Boston College student speaks on a phone during commencement ceremonies on May 22, 2023, in Boston. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, has been available on and off for a few days now. While many have been able to take advantage of the new shorter application, many others have struggled to even open the application. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)

The new FAFSA is meant to make applying for college aid easier, but not everyone can access it yet

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A new online application designed to make applying for federal student aid easier went live this week, but not everyone has been able to access it. That’s led to worry and frustration for some … more

By ADRIANA MORGA | 1/5/24

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, second left, toasts with invited guests after delivering a speech at a reception for Commemoration of the 45th Anniversary of China-U.S. Diplomatic Relations at the Diaoyutai Guest House in Beijing, Friday, Jan. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, Pool)

US biotech company halts sales of DNA kits in Tibet, as lawmakers mull more export controls on China

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Thermo Fisher, an American biotech company, has halted sales of its DNA testing products in Tibet, amid concerns that its products might have assisted the Chinese government in a surveillance … more

By DIDI TANG | 1/5/24

President Joe Biden speaks during a meeting of the National Infrastructure Advisory Council in the Indian Treaty Room on the White House campus, Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

The Biden administration cuts $2M for student loan servicers after a bungled return to repayment

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The Biden administration is docking more than $2 million in payments to student loan servicers that failed to send billing statements on time after the end of a coronavirus pandemic payment freeze. … more

By COLLIN BINKLEY | 1/5/24

FILE - A sign for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is displayed outside their offices in Silver Spring, Md., Dec. 10, 2020. Drug Administration announced Friday, Jan. 5, 2024, that it will allow Florida to import some prescription drugs from Canada. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

Florida can import prescription drugs from Canada, US regulators say

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Federal officials have cleared the way for Florida to begin importing cheaper prescription drugs from Canada. It’s the first time any U.S. state has used the approach and follows years of … more

1/5/24

WIC helps moms and kids eat. But finding what you need isn't always easy

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More than 6 million people receive benefits through the nation’s food assistance program for women, infants and children, which is known as WIC. But it’s not always easy to get what you might … more

By KENYA HUNTER | 1/5/24

FILE - Freshly baked bread is displayed in Babushka Bakery in Budapest on Tuesday, April 11, 2023. Global prices for food commodities like grain and vegetable oil fell last year from record highs in 2022, when Russia’s war in Ukraine, drought and other factors helped worsen hunger worldwide, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said Friday, Jan. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos, File)

Global food prices declined from record highs in 2022, the UN says. Except for these two staples

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The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization says global prices for food commodities like grain and vegetable oil fell last year from record highs in 2022. The agency said Friday that the FAO Food … more

1/5/24

The headquarters of the right-wing television broadcaster TV Republika in Warsaw, Poland, on Friday Jan. 5, 2023. Commentators who joked during the station's on air programming that migrants should be sent to Auschwitz or be tattooed or microchipped like dogs have prompted widespread outrage, including an investigation by prosecutors and companies pulling ads from the broadcaster. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

Companies pull ads from TV station after comments on tattooing and sending migrants to Auschwitz

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Commentators who joked on a Polish right-wing television station that migrants should be sent to Auschwitz or be tattooed or microchipped like dogs are facing widespread condemnation. Prosecutors are … more

By VANESSA GERA | 1/5/24

FILE - Car leaves a Carrefour supermarket in Anglet, southwestern France, on Jan.23, 2018. Global supermarket chain Carrefour will stop selling PepsiCo products in its stores in France, Belgium, Spain and Italy over price increases for popular items like Lay's potato chips, Quaker Oats, Lipton tea and its namesake soda. (AP Photo/Bob Edme, File)

PepsiCo products are being pulled from some Carrefour grocery stores in Europe over price hikes

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Global supermarket chain Carrefour will stop selling PepsiCo products in its stores in France, Belgium, Spain and Italy over price increases for popular items like Lay’s potato chips, Quaker Oats, … more

1/5/24

FILE - People walk in the main shopping street 'Zeil' in central Frankfurt, Germany, on Aug. 5, 2023. Inflation plaguing Europe rose to 2.9% in December, rebounding after seven straight monthly declines. The rise in price levels cast doubt on predictions for speedy interest rate cuts from the European Central Bank. The figure released Friday Jan. 5, 2024 was up from the 2.4% annual inflation recorded in November — but is well down from the peak of 10.6% in October 2022. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, File)

Europe's inflation is up after months of decline. It could mean a longer wait for interest rate cuts

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Inflation is on the rebound in Europe. The European Union's statistics agency said Friday that consumer prices rose 2.9% on a yearly basis in December. It’s the first increase after seven straight … more

By DAVID McHUGH | 1/5/24

FILE - A Tesla charging station is seen, Sept. 28, 2023, in Woodstock, Ga. Tesla is recalling more than 1.6 million Model S, X, 3 and Y models in China for problems with their automatic assisted steering functions and door latch controls. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File)

Tesla recalls over 1.6 million imported vehicles for problems with automatic steering, door latches

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Tesla is recalling more than 1.6 million Model S, X, 3 and Y electric vehicles imported to China to fix problems with their automatic assisted steering functions and door latch controls. China's … more

1/5/24

A man on a boat fishes as a ferry sails by a containers vessel docked at a port shrouded by haze in Xiamen in southeast China's Fujian province on Dec. 26, 2023. The United Nations issued a somber global economic forecast for 2024 on Thursday, Jan. 4, 2024, pointing to challenges from escalating conflicts, sluggish global trade, persistently high interest rates and increasing climate disasters. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

UN economic forecast cites conflicts, sluggish trade, high interest and climate disasters

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The United Nations has issued a somber global economic forecast for 2024, pointing to challenges from escalating conflicts, sluggish global trade, persistently high interest rates and increasing … more

By EDITH M. LEDERER | 1/5/24

Workers walk among shipping containers at a BNSF intermodal terminal, Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024, in Edgerton, Kan. On Friday, the U.S. government issues its December jobs report. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Jobs report for December will likely conclude another solid year of hiring in 2023

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Bringing resurgent inflation down was never expected to be so relatively pain-free. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell warned of hard times ahead after the Fed began jacking up interest rates in … more

By PAUL WISEMAN | 1/5/24

FILE - A sign for Eli Lilly & Co. stands outside their corporate headquarters in Indianapolis on April 26, 2017. Eli Lilly has launched a unique website to connect U.S. patients seeking obesity treatment to doctors, dieticians and its new weight-loss drug, Zepbound. The drugmaker said Thursday, Jan 4, 2024, it will use the site, called LillyDirect, to pair visitors with third-party mail-order pharmacies for prescriptions and to care providers through a virtual medical weight-loss clinic. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File) (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)

Eli Lilly starts website to connect patients with new obesity treatment, Zepbound, other drugs

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Eli Lilly has launched a unique website to connect U.S. patients seeking obesity treatment to doctors, dieticians and its new weight-loss drug, Zepbound. The drugmaker said Thursday it will use the … more

By TOM MURPHY | 1/4/24

First responders work an active fire inside the Landmark Ranch Estates neighborhood on Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024, in Southwest Ranches, Fla. Fire rescue crews alongside the Broward Sheriff's Office worked to put out a two-alarm fire at a home belonging to Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill inside the private neighborhood. (Matias J. Ocner/Miami Herald via AP)

Fire at home of Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill started by child playing with cigarette lighter

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Fire officials say a child playing with a cigarette lighter started a fire at the $6.9 million home owned by Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill. Davie Fire Marshal Robert Taylor tells The Associated … more

By FREIDA FRISARO and ALANIS THAMES | 1/4/24

FILE - This undated photo provided by the U.S. Marshals Service shows Leonard Francis. Convicted defense contractor Leonard "Fat Leonard" Francis who led a daring escape weeks before he was scheduled to be sentenced in 2022 made his first appearance in federal court in San Diego on Thursday, Jan. 4, 2024, after being returned to U.S. custody as part of the Venezuelan prisoner swap. (U.S. Marshals Service via AP, File)

'Fat Leonard' seeks new attorneys ahead of sentencing in Navy bribery case, causing another delay

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Convicted Malaysian defense contractor Leonard Francis who led a daring escape weeks before he was scheduled to be sentenced in 2022 is seeking new defense attorneys now that he is back in U.S. … more

By JULIE WATSON | 1/4/24

SpaceX accused of unlawfully firing employees who were critical of Elon Musk

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A U.S. labor agency has accused SpaceX of unlawfully firing employees who penned an open letter critical of CEO Elon Musk and creating an impression that worker activities were under surveillance by … more

1/4/24

This photo provided by Astrobotic Technology shows the Peregrine lunar lander at the company's facility in Pittsburgh in October 2023. The expected launch date is Monday, Jan. 8, 2024. (Jordan K Reynolds/Astrobotic Technology via AP)

Two companies will attempt the first US moon landings since the Apollo missions a half-century ago

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Two private companies are aiming to get the U.S. back in the moon-landing business, more than five decades after the Apollo program ended. Since then China and India have successfully landed on the … more

By MARCIA DUNN | 1/4/24

Exploding toilet at a Dunkin' store in Florida left a customer filthy and injured, lawsuit claims

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A customer who claims he was injured by an exploding toilet at a Dunkin' store in central Florida has filed a negligence lawsuit against the coffee chain. Paul Kerouac filed the lawsuit seeking more … more

1/4/24

FILE - Kia's EV9 GT-line vehicle is unveiled during media day at the Seoul Mobility Show in Goyang, South Korea, Thursday, March 30, 2023. The Kia EV9 large electric SUV was selected as the 2024 North American Utility of the Year award, Thursday, Jan. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man, File)

Kia EV9, Toyota Prius and Ford Super Duty pickup win 2024 North American SUV, car and truck awards

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The Kia EV9 large electric SUV won the 2024 North American Utility of the Year award, while the Toyota Prius hybrid took the top car honors, and Ford’s Super Duty pickup won the truck award. The … more

1/4/24

A palm tree is reflected in the window of a Walgreens pharmacy in Los Angeles, Friday, March 10, 2023. Walgreens is chopping its dividend nearly in half as the drugstore chain looks to strengthen its balance sheet. The health care giant said Thursday, Jan. 4, 2024 that reducing its quarterly payout to shareholders to 25 cents per share will help free up capital to spend growing its pharmacy and health care businesses. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Drugstore chain Walgreens cuts quarterly dividend to get more cash to grow its business

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Walgreens is chopping its dividend nearly in half as the drugstore chain looks to strengthen its balance sheet. The health care giant said Thursday that reducing its quarterly payout to shareholders … more

By TOM MURPHY | 1/4/24