Business News

Slack platform down as users report service outage

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Workplace communications platform Slack experienced an outage Wednesday morning as thousands of users reported they were unable to use the service. The tech company, based in San Francisco, said it was investigating reports of trouble connecting or loading Slack. On an update on the company’s website, Slack said it had “determined a variety of API endpoints, sending [and] receiving messages, and some threads loading” were impacted.

BP to slash spending on net zero ventures as it focuses on oil and gas again

LONDON (AP) — British energy company BP has confirmed it is to slash spending on green ventures and up its oil and gas production. It’s a change in direction it hopes will bolster its flagging share price but has been met with incredulity from climate action campaigners. The company said in a statement Wednesday that it will reduce its spending on net zero transition businesses by $5 billion a year to up to 2 billion. By contrast it said it will increase its investments in oil and gas production by about 20% to $10 billion. The update came before a major shareholder meeting in London later Wednesday. It’s clearly aimed at bolstering investor support in light of the company’s flagging share price.

Amazon’s new AI-powered Alexa promises to be your ‘best friend in a digital world’ for a monthly fee

NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon on Wednesday unveiled a generative-AI infused Alexa that it says will allow the popular voice assistant to have more personality, check a user’s tone and even plan romantic dates. Customers will have to pay Amazon a monthly fee of $19.99 for the revamped voice assistant, which it calls “Alexa+”. However, the generative-AI powered Alexa will be free for Prime members who pay the company a monthly or annual fee for different perks. The company says Alexa+ is able to have conversations with a more natural, humanlike flow. It says its also able to remember handwritten recipes, emails and other documents shared with it.

Keir Starmer heads to Washington with UK defense spending pledge to help sway Trump over Ukraine

LONDON (AP) — U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is flying to Washington on a trip aimed at persuading U.S. President Donald Trump to maintain military support for Ukraine. Ukraine and its European allies have been scrambling to respond after the Trump administration engaged directly with Moscow to quickly end the war in Ukraine. Starmer has announced a big boost in U.K. defense spending and offered to send British troops to Ukraine as part of a force to safeguard a ceasefire. He says an American “backstop” will be needed to ensure a lasting peace. Trump hasn’t committed to providing security guarantees for Ukraine. The trip comes after Washington and Kyiv struck an economic deal giving the U.S. a share of Ukraine’s lucrative rare earth mineral deposits.

The Trump administration sets the stage for large-scale federal worker layoffs in a new memo

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s administration says federal agencies should begin planning to eliminate employee positions. The process is known as a reduction in force. Agency leaders must submit their plans by March 13. Trump is setting the stage for what could become a dramatic realignment of the federal government. He’s already downsized the workforce by laying off probationary employees. Now the administration is turning its attention to career officials with civil service protection. 

Senate confirms Jamieson Greer to be Trump’s top trade negotiator as battles loom

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has confirmed Jamieson Greer to be America’s top trade negotiator. Green’s nomination cleared the Senate by a 56-43 vote on Wednesday. Greer is a veteran of President Donald Trump’s first-term economic battles with China, Mexico and Canada, As U.S. trade representative, Greer will work with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to oversee Trump’s aggressive trade agenda. Trump is an enthusiastic supporter of tariffs on foreign imports in an effort to protect U.S. industry, raise revenue for the Treasury and coerce other countries into making concessions on issues ranging from trade to tax policy to immigration.

The US is missing again as G20 finance chiefs meet in South Africa

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Finance ministers and central bank chiefs from the Group of 20 developed and developing nations have gathered in South Africa for a two-day meeting. But it’s missing U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and several other high-profile figures. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio skipped last week’s G20 foreign ministers meeting in South Africa as the Trump administration has been openly critical of the country and its G20 themes. South Africa holds the rotating presidency of the G20 this year — the first African nation to do so. It has pledged to put issues that especially affect poor countries like debt relief and climate change at the top of the agenda.

Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos says opinion pages will defend free market and ‘personal liberties’

The billionaire owner of The Washington Post is directing its opinion section to defend personal liberties and the free market in a shift that prompted the editor of that page to resign. Jeff Bezos, who also owns Amazon, said on X that “viewpoints opposing those pillars will be left to be published by others.” The move was seen by some as a rightward shift and the latest indication that Bezos is making decisions for the Post with an eye toward avoiding retaliation by President Donald Trump. But Bezos cast the change as a modernization from the days when newspapers offered opinions on a broad range of topics. Now, he said, “the internet does that job.”

Musk has inside track to take over contract to fix air traffic communications system

WASHINGTON (AP) — A satellite company owned by Elon Musk is on a possible fast track to take over a large federal contract to modernize the nation’s air traffic communications system. Equipment from Musk’s Starlink has been installed in Federal Aviation Administration facilities as a prelude to a possible takeover of a $2 billion contract held by Verizon, according to government employees, contractors and people familiar with the work.

Egg prices could jump another 41% this year

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration believes a renewed emphasis on biosecurity can help in the battle against bird flu and ease egg prices, but the Agriculture Department predicts the current record prices are going to get much worse this year. It’s also not clear how much more farmers can do to keep the virus out. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins offered the first new details about her bird flu plan Wednesday. But USDA predicted this week that egg prices will soar more than 41 percent this year on top of the record average price of $4.95 per dozen.