NYC ad agency titans Omnicom and Interpublic to form $30 billion marketing powerhouse

Omnicom is buying Interpublic Group in a stock-for-stock deal that will create the largest ad agency in the world with combined annual revenue of almost $26 billion. The names may be unfamiliar to many Americans, but some of their marketing campaigns are iconic. Those include “Got...

Power shortages in Ecuador are melting away the future of a small town’s ice-cream industry

SALCEDO, Ecuador (AP) — Ice-cream production in Salcedo, a quaint town in Ecuador's central highlands, began in the mid-20th century, born from the ingenuity of Franciscan nuns. Locals say the sisters would drink fruit shakes made with milk from the region’s dairy farms until one...

Thanks to peace, two unexpected words are echoing across Afghanistan's capital: Luxury housing

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — In a town that has been through it all and is clawing its way back, a man named Omidullah is looking to hit paydirt. The Kabul real estate agent is selling a nine-bedroom, nine-bath, white-and-gold villa in the Afghan capital. On the roof's gable,...

Intel CEO Gelsinger retires; Zinsner and Johnston Holthaus named interim co-CEOs

Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger has retired, the struggling chipmaker said Monday in a surprise announcement. Two company executives, David Zinsner and Michelle Johnston Holthaus, will act as interim co-CEOs while the company searches for a replacement for Gelsinger, who also stepped down...

Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger announces immediate retirement, company names 2 interim co-CEOs to lead the chipmaker

Volkswagen workers hold 2-hour strikes to push back against proposed pay cuts and plant closures

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Volkswagen workers launched rolling two-hour strikes Monday at nine plants across Germany to underscore their resistance to pay cuts and factory closures the company says are necessary to cope with a slack European auto market. The work stoppages included...

'Everything is expensive!' Bolivia faces a shocking economic collapse

EL ALTO, Bolivia (AP) — Fuel is rapidly becoming one of Bolivia’s scarcest commodities. Long lines of vehicles snake for several kilometers outside gas stations all over Bolivia, once South America’s second-largest producer of natural gas. Some of the queues don’t budge for...

Ransomware attack on software supplier disrupts operations for Starbucks and other retailers

NEW YORK (AP) — A ransomware attack that hit a major software provider last week caused disruptions for a handful of companies over recent days, from Starbucks to U.K. grocery giant Morrisons. Blue Yonder, which provides supply chain technology to a range of brands worldwide, said...

Trump's sharp tariff hikes could speed up China's shift to new markets and offshore factories

YIWU, China (AP) — Visitors who bought fridge magnets at Times Square or other tourist hotspots around New York in recent years most likely were purchasing the work of Du Jing or one of her fellow exporters in a small Chinese city that supplies the U.S. and the world with tons of small...

Bath & Body Works sees strong sales in Q3, raises full-year outlook

Bath & Body Works fiscal third-quarter performance topped analysts' estimates thanks to strong sales, and the retailer boosted its full-year outlook. The owner of Victoria’s Secret, Bath & Body Works and other chain stores earned $106 million, or 49 cents per share, for the...