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Tesla Recalls More Vehicles as U.S. Agency Increases Scrutiny

Tesla is recalling nearly 579,000 vehicles in the U.S. because a "Boombox" function can play sounds over an external speaker and obscure audible warnings for pedestrians.

The recall is the fourth made public in the last two weeks as U.S. safety regulators increase scrutiny of the nation's largest electric vehicle maker. In two of the recalls, Tesla made decisions that violate federal motor vehicle safety standards, while the others are software errors.

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Czech Brewer Budvar Hits Record Output for 2nd Pandemic Year

Budvar, the Czech brewer that has been in a long legal dispute with U.S. company Anheuser-Busch over use of the "Budweiser" brand, has registered a record output for the second straight pandemic year.

Budejovicky Budvar NP, a 126-year-old state-owned brewery, said its output rose 4.6% to 1.8 million hectoliters (47.8 million gallons) in 2021, according to preliminary results released on Thursday.

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Australia, Lithuania to Unite in Countering China Pressures

The foreign ministers of Australia and Lithuania agreed Wednesday to step up cooperation on strategic challenges, in particular pressures from China.

Lithuania's Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis and his Australian counterpart Marise Payne met Wednesday at Parliament House.

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EU's Chip Production Plan Aims to Ease Dependency on Asia

The European Union announced a $48 billion plan Tuesday to become a major microchip producer to try to curb its dependency on Asian markets for the component that powers everything from cars to hospital ventilators and game consoles.

At a time when natural gas shortages and reliance on Russia for energy shows the political risks of economic dependency, the 27-nation bloc is moving to boost its economic independence in the critical semiconductor sector with its Chips Act.

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Thailand One Step Closer to Decriminalizing Marijuana

Thailand on Tuesday moved one step closer toward being the first Asian nation to decriminalize marijuana, after its health minister signed a measure officially dropping cannabis from a list of controlled drugs.

The delisting will mean all parts of cannabis, including flowers and seeds, are allowed to be used in Thailand. However, extracted content will remain illegal if it contains more than 0.2% of the psychoactive ingredient that produces a "high" — tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC.

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Vaccines Pushes Pfizer beyond Expectations in Final Quarter

COVID-19 vaccine sales boosted Pfizer earnings well past expectations in the fourth quarter, but the drugmaker is setting a lower-than-expected bar for 2022.

Pfizer debuted on Tuesday annual forecasts for both earnings and revenue that fell short of analyst expectations even as the drugmaker expects another robust year of sales from its vaccine, Comirnaty, and its new coronavirus treatment, Paxlovid.

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Japan's Nissan Swings Back to Profit Despite Chips Crunch

Japanese automaker Nissan swung back into the black for the quarter through December, despite shortages of computer chips that have hit the entire industry and many other manufacturers.

Nissan Motor Co., allied with Renault SA of France, reported Tuesday a 32.7 billion yen ($284 million) profit for the fiscal third quarter, a reversal from the 37.8 billion yen loss racked up a year ago.

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Biden Threatens No Gas Pipeline if Russia Invades Ukraine

In a flurry of diplomacy across two continents, President Joe Biden met with Germany's new leader and vowed the crucial Nord Stream 2 Russia-to-Germany gas pipeline will be blocked if Russia further invades Ukraine. Russia's Vladimir Putin retorted that the U.S. and its allies are the only ones talking invasion.

Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron met for more than five hours in Moscow at the same time Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke at the White House in efforts to defuse the crisis before armed conflict breaks out. Russia has massed thousands of troops at the Ukraine border, adding military might almost daily.

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Sweden's PriceRunner Sues Google for 2.1 Billion Euros

Swedish price comparison site PriceRunner said Monday it was suing tech giant Google for 2.1 billion euros ($2.4 billion) for promoting its own shopping comparisons in search results.

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Stocks Steady as Traders Mull Interest Rate Outlooks

Stock markets largely steadied Monday with sentiment dominated by the outlook for interest rate rises as inflation soars.

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