China's BYD sees first profit drop since 2021

HONG KONG (AP) – Chinese automaker BYD said Friday its annual sales rose to a record $116 billion, outpacing Tesla’s, but its profit fell for the first time since 2021 under pressure from cutthroat competition. BYD, the largest electric vehicle maker, has been expanding into global markets including Latin America and Europe.

Yahoo turns to AI engine Scout to lead it back it its roots in online search

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Internet trailblazer Yahoo is exploring technology’s next frontier with Scout, an answer engine powered by artificial intelligence. Scout seems insightful, based on its response to a question posed by The Associated Press about why one of Silicon Valley’s brightest stars faded away a decade ago.

Nestlé says 413,793 KitKat candy bars stolen en route from Italy to Poland

GENEVA (AP) – Swiss food giant Nestlé says about 12 tons, or 413,793 candy bars, of its KitKat chocolate brand were stolen after leaving its production site in Italy earlier this week for Poland. The company, based in Vevey, Switzerland, said in a statement Friday that “the vehicle and its load are still nowhere to be found.”

Editorials from The Washington Post, New York Times, The Guardian and others

Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad:

Austria plans to ban social media use for under-14s

VIENNA (AP) – Austria’s governing coalition on Friday announced plans to ban social media use for children under 14, joining a string of other countries in drawing up restrictions for young people. Alexander Pröll, the official in Chancellor Christian Stocker’s office responsible for digitization, said that draft legislation will be drawn up by the end of June.

China opens investigations into US trade practices in response to Trump tariff moves

BEIJING (AP) – China launched two investigations into U.S. trade practices on Friday, signaling its resolve to push back against President Donald Trump’s tariffs ahead of his visit in May. The Commerce Ministry said the new probes are a response to two investigations announced by Trump earlier this month against multiple countries, including China.

AI's arrival complicates Big Tech climate goals

Six years ago, Google was confident that by 2030 it would power all operations with electricity generated from clean sources, including wind and solar power. Today it calls those goals a “moonshot.” Microsoft says it’s still aiming to remove more carbon than it creates by 2030 but now describes the effort as “a marathon, not a sprint.”

Build America, Buy America law is causing construction delays

It has a catchy name – Build America, Buy America – and the lauded goal of bringing manufacturing jobs back to the United States. But the law has spurred a bottleneck for affordable housing. Nearly everything from HVACs and lighting to sink hooks and ceiling fans in affordable housing projects that get federal dollars must carry the Made in the USA label.

Iran is using insurgent tactics and holding world economy hostage

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – One month into their war with Iran, the United States and Israel find themselves confronting an opponent that fights more like an insurgency than a nation – using increasingly limited resources to inflict maximum pain.