HONG KONG (AP) – China’s technology giant Alibaba Group pledged on Thursday a goal of surpassing $100 billion in revenue from its artificial intelligence and cloud businesses over the next five years, which it said would be powered by the AI demand boom.

NEW YORK (AP) – Federal auto regulators have escalated a probe of Tesla after several of its cars crashed while using its self-driving feature, just as CEO Elon Musk prepares to roll out a new model with no steering wheel or pedals.

Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad:

American Airlines and Google said Thursday that they significantly reduced the climate impact of some of the airline’s flights using an AI-based forecasting tool to help prevent contrails. When airplanes fly through cold and humid areas, ice crystals can form around the soot particles emitted from the engine, creating clouds that trap heat and warm the planet.

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) – The European Central Bank left its key interest rates unchanged Thursday and warned that the Iran war would boost inflation in the short term through higher energy prices – but that the long-term impact on consumer prices and the economy was uncertain.

LONDON (AP) – The Bank of England held its main interest rate at 3.75% on Thursday as the sharp oil and gas price hikes following the start of the Iran war have stoked renewed concerns about inflation.

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump has for months wanted to remove Jerome Powell as chair of the Federal Reserve. But instead, an investigation by one of his own officials could end up extending Powell’s time at the top of the central bank even after his term formally ends May 15.

The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate climbed this week to its highest level in more than three months, a setback for prospective home shoppers this spring homebuying season. The benchmark 30-year fixed rate mortgage rate rose to 6.22% from 6.11% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. One year ago, the rate averaged 6.67%.