7 OPEC+ countries agree to expand monthly oil production modestly

NEW YORK (AP) – A handful of countries in the OPEC+ oil-producing alliance plan to increase their outputs modestly next month, which would bring more oil online after fuel prices have fallen to levels not seen since before the U.S. and Israel’s war with Iran.

Canada to decide between German, South Korean submarine bids on Monday

TORONTO (AP) – Canada is expected Monday to choose between German and South Korean bids to build a fleet of 12 submarines in one of its biggest-ever military procurements.

Delta pilot reports a close encounter with a July Fourth firework before landing

NEW YORK (AP) – A Delta Air Lines flight and a high-flying firework reportedly came into contact in the sky above Chicago as the city celebrated the Fourth of July holiday.

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

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

Tesla sales jumped last quarter in a sign the worst is behind it

NEW YORK (AP) – Tesla car sales surged in the past three months in a possible sign damage from a customer revolt over Elon Musk and boycotts are mostly behind it. The electric vehicle maker run by Musk reported Thursday that it delivered 480,126 cars to customers, a jump of 25% over the 384,122 figure a year ago.

Top EU court dismisses Google appeal of $4.5 billion antitrust fine

BRUSSELS (AP) – Judges at the European Union’s top court dismissed an appeal by Google over a landmark, 4.1 billion euro ($4.5 billion) antitrust fine imposed for throttling competition and reducing consumer choice through the dominance of its mobile Android operating system.

South Korea disputes US report against Seattle-based Coupang

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – South Korea’s government on Thursday disputed a U.S. congressional report accusing Seoul of discriminating against Coupang, a U.S.-listed electronic commerce giant that was hit with a record 625 billion won ($403 million) fine in June over a massive data breach affecting millions of South Korean customers.

Beijing says China-EU trade talks set in the fall, to be held regularly each year

HONG KONG (AP) – China and the European Union will hold ministerial-level trade talks once or twice a year, China’s Commerce Ministry said Thursday, as the two sides work to increase and rebalance trade. The EU faces growing pressure to reduce its trade deficit with China, which widened to about 360 billion euros ($410 billion) last year, nearly 1 billion euros a day.

US employers still reluctant to add many jobs as hiring slows in June

WASHINGTON (AP) – U.S. employers slowed hiring last month and added only 57,000 jobs, less than half the previous month’s total and a sign companies still have a cautious economic outlook.