BERLIN (AP) ― Germany and France agreed Monday to draw up proposals by the beginning of December to boost investment as they try to come up with a strategy that will help shore up the European economic recovery.Though the decision to come up with an investment plan shows the two countries trying to work together closely, the divide between Berlin and Paris on economic matters is wide.The German government has faced pressure from abroad to pump more money into the economy to help bolster both its

Russian consumer-safety regulators are conducting inspections at more than 200 McDonald’s Corp. restaurants around the country. Russian courts have temporarily closed nine restaurants, the Oak Brook, Illinois-based company said in a statement on its Russian corporate website. McDonald’s said it disagreed with the decisions and that it will appeal to a higher court. McDonald’s arrived in Soviet-era Russia in 1990 and was seen as a symbol of the nation’s rising prospects, helping open the communis

KOMAKI, Japan (AFP) ― The first passenger aircraft to be made in Japan in nearly four decades was unveiled Saturday as its manufacturer pushed into the booming regional jet sector with an eye to taking on industry giants Embraer and Bombardier.Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, a military contractor best known for its “Zero” World War II fighter, pulled back the curtain on its new Mitsubishi Regional Jet, a fuel-efficient, next-generation aircraft that claims to offer more passenger comfort with lower

WASHINGTON (AFP) ― Federal Reserve chief Janet Yellen warned Friday that the gap between the rich and poor in the United States is widening and is near the highest levels seen in 100 years.In a speech at a conference on inequality in Boston, Yellen did not mention monetary policy nor the current turmoil in financial markets. Instead, she focused on the widening wealth disparity and how that impacts economic opportunity. A sign next to a homeless man in New York. (Bloomberg)“By some estimates, in

PARIS (AFP) ― Protests in Hong Kong, an economic slowdown and anticorruption drive in China and a coup in Thailand: Asia is no longer a market of constant growth for luxury goods firms. LVMH, world No. 1 in the sector and owner of brands like Louis Vuitton, Givenchy and Dior, saw its sales drop by three percent in Asia, excluding Japan, in the third-quarter of 2014, a far cry from the halcyon days of 2010-2012.In every other market, LVMH’s sales increased, according to figures published last wee

CUPERTINO, California (AP) ― Apple unveiled a thinner iPad Thursday with a faster processor and a better camera as it tries to drive excitement for tablets amid slowing demand. The iPad Air 2, at 6.1 millimeters “thin,” also adds many of the features previously available on iPhones. That includes the ability to take burst shots and slow-motion video and the inclusion of a fingerprint ID sensor for use instead of a passcode. It also has an antireflective coating, a first for a tablet, which makes

DETROIT (AP) ― Volkswagen barely edged out General Motors for second place in the global auto sales race during the first three quarters of the year, but Toyota was expected to keep its lead to stay in first place.GM said Wednesday that is sold 7.372 million cars and trucks worldwide from January through September. VW said that its global light vehicle sales totaled 7.40 million for the period, but a spokesman in Germany would not provide a more precise figure.Toyota won’t release its numbers fo

Firm unveils Nexus 9 tablet, Nexus 6 phone and Android TV player

NEW YORK (AP) ― Free lunches, dry cleaning, massages ― frozen eggs? Silicon Valley’s biggest companies have long offered cushy perks to attract top talent and keep workers happy logging scores of hours on the job. But beyond day-to-day luxuries, Facebook and Apple will now give up to $20,000 in benefits to help employees pay for infertility treatments, sperm donors and even ova-freezing. The move comes amid stiff competition for skilled engineers, and as many of the biggest firms try to diversif

PARIS (AFP) ― Global demand for oil is still weighed heavily by weak economic growth, and this together with a supply glut is pushing down prices which may fall further, the IEA said on Tuesday.Cutting its forecasts for growth of oil demand for the third month in a row, the International Energy Agency said that this trend “may have touched bottom.”And set against this, supplies may soon begin to slow down.“Nevertheless, further oil price drops would likely be needed for supply to take a hit ― or