No more bambinos? Italian companies tackle birth crisis

CARTIGLIANO — Businesses in the sleepy Italian town of Cartigliano are so worried about its declining birth rate and lack of workers that they have begun paying families’ nursery school fees and childcare costs to spur them to have more babies.

Lufthansa pilots vote for industrial action over pay

BERLIN - Pilots at German flagship carrier Lufthansa voted on Sunday by a margin of 97.6% in favor of industrial action, threatening further disruption during the busy summer travel season. Strikes...

La Niña to worsen energy crisis with colder winter

A weather phenomenon that typically delivers harsher winters is on the way and expected to add to Asia’s energy crisis. The La Niña pattern, which...

Weinstein Co. inches toward bankruptcy

NEW YORK -- Disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein’s former studio appeared to inch closer toward bankruptcy on Monday over complaints that talks to buy...

Corporate business travel ‘carbon budgets’ loom for airlines 

SYDNEY/BOSTON — As major companies look at drastic ways to cut carbon emissions from corporate travel, airlines are bracing for a major hit to business-class travel, a key revenue driver, industry executives and experts say.  

China’s November factory growth picks up despite pollution crackdown

BEIJING -- Growth in China’s factory sector unexpectedly picked up in November, despite a crackdown on air pollution and a cooling property market that...

ZTE awaits judge’s ruling after U.S. probation hearing

By Bruce Tomaso and Karen Freifeld
An FBI agent testified on Monday that Chinese nationals brought to the United States under research visas went to work for ZTE Corp 000063.SZ...

UK must seize opportunities of AI to remain a tech capital – PM Sunak

Britain must act quickly to remain a tech capital, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will tell tech leaders on Monday, urging them to grasp the opportunities and challenges of artificial intelligence. Mr. Sunak, speaking at the...

China’s Q1 GDP growth tops forecasts on policy support

BEIJING - China's economy grew faster-than-expected in the first quarter, data showed on Tuesday, offering some relief to officials as they try to shore up growth...

After lockdown, Shanghai tries to mend fences with foreign firms

SHANGHAI — Shanghai officials are seeking to revive confidence among multinational companies bruised and frustrated by the city’s coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown by...

South Korea to suspend military agreement with North over trash balloons

SEOUL — South Korea plans to suspend a military agreement signed with North Korea in 2018 aimed at easing tensions, the presidential office said...

Brazil, Philippines due to get Pfizer shots from COVAX in Q2 

GENEVA - Some 14.1 million doses of the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine have been allocated to 47 countries and economies for delivery in the...