HONG KONG — China’s economy grew faster than expected in the first quarter of the year with help from policies and stronger demand, though signs of weakness in the troubled housing market persisted. The world’s second-largest economy expanded at a 5.3% annual pace in January-March, beating analysts’ forecasts of about 4.8%, data released Tuesday showed. Compared to the previous quarter, the economy grew 1.6%. China’s…

DES MOINES, Iowa — Stung by paying billions of dollars for settlements and trials, chemical giant Bayer has been lobbying lawmakers in three states to pass bills providing it a legal shield from lawsuits that claim its popular weedkiller Roundup causes cancer. Nearly identical bills introduced in Iowa, Missouri and Idaho this year — with wording supplied by Bayer — would protect pesticide companies from…

Nissan says it expects to mass produce electric vehicles powered by advanced next-generation batteries by early 2029 ByYURI KAGEYAMA AP business writer YOKOHAMA, Japan — Nissan expects to mass produce electric vehicles powered by advanced next-generation batteries by early 2029, the company said Tuesday during a media tour of an unfinished pilot plant. Japan’s legacy automakers have fallen behind newer rivals like America’s Tesla and…

TOKYO — Asian shares were trading mixed Wednesday, as expectations resurfaced that U.S. interest rates may stay high for a while. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 dipped 0.6% in morning trading to 38,226.39. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 edged up 0.2% to 7,624.70. South Korea’s Kospi declined 0.3% to 2,603.22. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng added 0.2% to 16,283.91, while the Shanghai Composite gained 0.6% to 3,026.20. The mixed…

Asian shares advanced on Thursday even after sinking technology stocks sent Wall Street lower in the S&P 500’s worse losing streak since the start of the year. U.S. futures were lower, while oil prices gained. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 climbed 0.3% to 38,090.87 and the Hang Seng in Hong Kong gained 1.5% to 16,489.59. The Shanghai Composite index added 0.6% to 3,089.93. South Korea’s Kospi led…

JAKARTA, Indonesia — Apple CEO Tim Cook said the company will “look at” manufacturing in Indonesia as he met with Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Wednesday. “We talked about the president’s desire to see manufacturing in the country, and it’s something that we will look at,” Cook told reporters after the meeting. Widodo’s administration has worked for years to bring manufacturing to the country to…

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast — Dame Touré rushed to quickly gather what she could as bulldozers rolled into her neighborhood in Ivory Coast’s fast-growing economic hub of Abidjan. Her three children joined her, stuffing plastic bags with clothes and whatever other items they could grab, before their home was reduced to rubble as armed security forces looked on. The Touré home was among hundreds crushed in…

Inflation in the U.K. fell to its lowest level in two and a half years in March after a further easing in food prices ByPAN PYLAS Associated Press LONDON — Inflation in the U.K. fell to its lowest level in two and a half years in March after a further easing in food prices, official figures showed Wednesday, a development which could further pave the…

TORONTO — Police said nine people are facing charges in what authorities are calling the biggest gold theft in Canadian history from Toronto’s Pearson International airport a year ago. Peel Regional Police said Wednesday that 6,600 gold bars worth more than 20 million Canadian dollars ($14.5 million), and CA$2.5 million ($1.8 million) in foreign currencies were stolen. The gold was melted down and used to…

Strikes called by Greece’s largest labor union have halted ferries, disrupted public transport services and left some state-run hospitals running on emergency staffing levels in Athens and elsewhere ByDEREK GATOPOULOS Associated Press and COSTAS KANTOURIS Associated Press ATHENS, Greece — Strikes called by Greece’s largest labor union halted ferries, disrupted public transport services and left some state-run hospitals running on emergency staffing levels in Athens…