CHINESE FACTORIES FACE NEW THREAT: US ANTI-VIRUS CONTROLS

Factories in China, struggling to reopen after the coronavirus shut down the economy, face a new threat from U.S. anti-disease controls that might disrupt the flow of microchips and other components they need.

FRANCE FINES APPLE $1.2 BILLION FOR ANTI-COMPETITIVE ACTS

French regulators fined Apple 1.1 billion euros ($1.2 billion) on Monday for striking deals to keep prices high, in the biggest-ever such sanction by France’s Competition Authority.

BUILDING A SAVINGS CUSHION IN A TIME OF EMERGENCY

If you are going to stockpile anything these days, consider liquid savings.

Utah School Software Will Send Alerts About Student Accounts

A Utah school district adopted computer software that alerts administrators and parents to activity in student Google accounts that may raise concerns.

US Wholesale Prices Fall 0.6%, Biggest Decline In 5 Years

U.S. wholesale prices fell 0.6% in February, the biggest decline in five years, led by a sharp drop in energy costs.

United Is First To Cut US Flying Due To Virus Outbreak

United Airlines will reduce flights, freeze hiring and ask employees to volunteer for unpaid leave as the airline struggles with weak demand for travel because of the new virus outbreak.

Industry Group: Virus Outbreak Could Cost Airlines $113B

The International Air Transport Association says the virus outbreak that began in China could cost airlines as much as $113 billion in lost revenue due to the collapse of air travel.

Universities Cancel Study-Abroad Programs Amid Virus Fears

As concerns about China’s virus outbreak spread, universities all over the world are scrambling to assess the risks to their programs, and some are canceling study-abroad opportunities and prohibiting travel affecting hundreds of thousands of students.

Boeing Shares Suffer Worst One-Day Drop Since 1974

Boeing’s stock tumbled 18% on Wednesday, its biggest one-day percentage drop since 1974, and company leaders painted a sobering picture for the business in 2020.

Las Vegas Movie Exhibition CinemaCon Canceled Due to Virus

The annual movie exhibition and trade show CinemaCon has been canceled in Las Vegas due to coronavirus, scuttling one of Hollywood’s premier hype machines.

China Auto Sales Plunge In February Amid Virus Shutdown

China’s auto sales plunged 81.7% in February from a year ago after much of the economy was shut down to fight a virus outbreak, an industry group reported Thursday, adding to problems for automakers already struggling with shrinking demand.

Cluster Of Coronavirus Cases Is Tied To US Biotech Meeting

A biotech meeting at a hotel in downtown Boston appears to be the source of a cluster of the coronavirus in the U.S. — and a warning for employers who are still holding big gatherings as the outbreak spreads.

UK LAWMAKERS CHALLENGE GOVERNMENT OVER ‘HIGH RISK' HUAWEI

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative government narrowly defeated an attempt led by some of its own lawmakers to ban China’s Huawei from building part of the U.K.’s high-speed telecommunications network.

SAUDI ARAMCO TO BOOST CAPACITY; ABU DHABI TO INCREASE SUPPLY

Saudi Arabia steamed ahead with its new energy play by directing the kingdom’s oil company Aramco on Wednesday to increase its maximum production capacity, while Abu Dhabi’s oil and gas company ADNOC followed suit by saying it was boosting output by 25% to 4 million barrels per day.

Ex-Google Self-Driving Car Project Picks Up New Investors

Google’s former autonomous vehicle project is becoming a more autonomous business by bringing it in its first investors besides its corporate parent.

China's Factories Try To Shield Workers As Output Revives

To keep his 40 employees indoors and away from China’s virus outbreak, the manager of an electronics factory in Dongguan, near Hong Kong, says he hired a cook and arranged dormitories for them.

High-Profile Companies Pull Out Of SXSW Amid Virus Outbreak

A rising number of high-profile companies and speakers have withdrawn from the upcoming South by Southwest music and arts festival amid mounting concerns about the spread of the new coronavirus.

JAPAN SUSPENDS ANNUAL FUNDING FOR HAWAII TELESCOPE PROJECT

Japan suspended its yearly funding for a giant telescope project in Hawaii, citing an ongoing stalemate over its construction.

US PRODUCTIVITY INCREASES AT 1.2% RATE IN FOURTH QUARTER

U.S. productivity rebounded in the final three months of last year but by a smaller amount than initially reported, while labor costs increased at a slower pace than first thought.

DOCTORS TRY 1ST CRISPR EDITING IN THE BODY FOR BLINDNESS

Scientists say they have used the gene editing tool CRISPR inside someone’s body for the first time, a new frontier for efforts to operate on DNA, the chemical code of life, to treat diseases.

A MOVING TURN FROM BEN AFFLECK IN AN ORDINARY DRAMA

There is nothing particularly extraordinary about director Gavin O’Connor’s “The Way Back,” except perhaps for Ben Affleck’s performance.

Facebook Bans Ads With False Claims About New Virus

Facebook said Wednesday that it is banning ads that make false claims about products tied to the new coronavirus.

Buffett Says Wall Street Advice Usually Favors More Deals

Taking advice from Wall Street on deals is a bit like asking “the barber whether you need a haircut,” according to billionaire Warren Buffett.

Bloomberg's Online Campaign Tests Facebook, Twitter Rules

Mike Bloomberg’s stockpile of cash, swarm of employees and paid social media influencers are testing the abilities of online platforms -- and his Democratic challengers -- to keep up with an expensive internet campaign.

HERO OR CRIMINAL? COURT HEARS 2 VIEWS OF WIKILEAKS' ASSANGE

Truth-telling journalist or reckless criminal: A British judge was given two conflicting portraits of Julian Assange as the WikiLeaks founder’s long-awaited extradition hearing began Monday in a London court.

SATELLITE ALMOST ON EMPTY GETS NEW LIFE AFTER SPACE DOCKING

A communication satellite almost out of fuel has gotten a new life after the first space docking of its kind.

UK OPENS EU TRADE TALKS WITH THREAT TO WALK AWAY

Britain published its opening demands for trade talks with the European Union, delivering a blunt threat to walk away from the table if there is no progress within four months.

WELLS FARGO TO PAY $3B TO RESOLVE PROBES INTO FAKE ACCOUNTS

Wells Fargo agreed to pay $3 billion to settle criminal and civil investigations into a long-running practice whereby company employees opened millions of unauthorized bank accounts in order to meet unrealistic sales goals.

SHOULD I USE POINTS AND MILES TO BOOK WEDDING TRAVEL?

You have no excuses now that the holidays have ended: It’s time to book travel for the wedding(s) you agreed to attend in 2020.

SUSTAINABLE, VERSATILE, GLOBAL, DELICIOUS: HONEY'S GOT BUZZ

Honey isn’t just honey anymore. At farmers markets, grocery stores and restaurants, there’s a wide assortment of honeys in various colors and tastes, from far-away places and ones next door.