IKEA stops online Russian magazine due to gay propaganda law

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Ikea, the world's largest furniture retailer, says it is halting its online magazine in Russia out of fears it violates the country's law banning promotion of same-sex gay values to minors. The Swedish retailer says its magazine...

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Size isn’t everything for Bay Village unit

Curbed.com recently called Bay Village "Boston's Monaco: tiny, charming and pricey," and this $1.1 million condominium at 34 Melrose St. is a perfect example. Tucked in a quiet corner of the city's smallest neighborhood, it is one of two duplexes that...

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Suffolk Law School behind anti-discrimination effort

Suffolk Law School's use of sting operations to crack down on housing discrimination in the Boston area was hailed by a top HUD official yesterday. "They are very critical in the work they do to protect fair housing rights, help HUD advance our goals...

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3 Kansas hospital patients die of ice cream-related illness

DALLAS — The deaths of three people who developed a foodborne illness linked to some Blue Bell ice cream products have prompted the Texas icon's first product recall in its 108-year history. Five people, in all, developed listeriosis in Kansas after...

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Group pushes to update Massachusetts public records law

BOSTON — Groups pushing for easier access to government documents are pressing Massachusetts lawmakers to pass a bill they say would modernize the state's public records law. The Massachusetts Freedom of Information Alliance says the bill will eliminate...

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Kia to recall some Soul SUVs; gas pedals can bend or break

DETROIT — Kia is recalling nearly 209,000 Soul small SUVs because the gas pedals can bend or break. The recall covers certain Soul and Soul electric vehicles from the 2014 and 2015 model years. If the gas pedal bends or breaks, it can be hard to accelerate...

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Univision fires Rodner Figueroa for 'reprehensible' Michelle Obama comments

Univision has fired "El Gordo y la Flaca" co-host Rodner Figueroa for making "reprehensible" comments about First Lady Michelle Obama. The network released the following statement: Yesterday during our entertainment program 'El Gordo y La Flaca,'...

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Comcast rips critics of Time Warner Cable deal for 'warmed over' claims

Comcast is firing back against accusations by The "Stop Mega Comcast" Coalition about the effect of the company's Time Warner Cable deal. In a filing with the FCC late on Wednesday and a blog post on Thursday, Comcast called the group's...

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Tivo completes acquisition of Aereo trademarks, customer lists for $1 million

TiVo's purchase of certain assets from Aereo -- the Internet TV streaming startup that was forced to shut down last year after losing a copyright-infringement case brought by broadcasters -- for about $1 million has been approved by federal bankruptcy...

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All Def Digital and WorldStar HipHop announce exclusive development partnership

Russell Simmons' media company All Def Digital and website WorldStar Hip Hop have entered an exclusive development partnership, the companies announced Thursday. The two teams will work together on video content, starting with online videos and aspiring...

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Applications for US unemployment benefits fall sharply

WASHINGTON — The number of people seeking U.S. unemployment benefits fell sharply last week, a sign that strong hiring will likely continue. The Labor Department says weekly applications for unemployment aid dropped 36,000 to a seasonally adjusted 289,000....

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Boston-Cambridge biopharma ranked first in U.S.

The Boston-Cambridge biopharma cluster plays second fiddle to the San Francisco Bay area no more. In a reversal of fortunes, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News, or GEN, this week ranked Massachusetts' cluster first in the nation, above last...

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Health Connector scramble spikes calls

Calls from Bay Staters with problems enrolling in the Health Connector and MassHealth to an unrelated state health office have increased by 49 percent since December, according to independent state agency Health Policy Commission. Health and Human Services...

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MBTA tries to make amends with free day, May discount

The MBTA, desperate to win back the loyalty of straphangers and atone for winter's lost days, will let T riders through the gates for free for a day, and discount monthly passes by 15 percent for May. "We're trying to strike a balance between acknowledging...

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Baker fills 2 open seats on health connector board

BOSTON — Gov. Charlie Baker has named two new members to the board overseeing the state's health connector. Mark Gaunya (GON'-yah) and Rina Vertes (REE'-nah VEHR'-tes) took their seats at a board meeting Thursday. They fill two of the positions that...

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Bay State job growth hits fifth straight month

Massachusetts added 2,600 jobs in January, the fifth straight month the state has added more than 2,500 jobs — prompting optimism from economists. "Finally we've reached escape velocity from the recession," said Robert Nakosteen, an economist and professor...

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Study: Boston renter spending at $12.2 billion

Metro Boston's apartment industry has been a boon to the local economy, emerging as one of the strongest sectors to come out of the Great Recession, according to a new study. "In the darkest depths of the downturn in 2007-08, a lot of developers knew...

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European stocks rebound after Wall Street inspired sell-off

LONDON — European markets rebounded strongly Wednesday from a big sell-off when investors fretted over a looming U.S. interest rate hike. KEEPING SCORE: In Europe, Germany's DAX was up 1.7 percent at 11,697 while the CAC-40 in France rose 1.8 percent...

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3 workers killed in West Texas oil field rig explosion

RANKIN, Texas — An oil field rig has exploded in West Texas, killing three workers. Investigator Dusty Kilgore of the Upton County Sheriff's Office said the accident happened Tuesday morning at a well site near Rankin, about 40 miles south of Midland....

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Selfie stick bans go into effect at French, UK attractions

PARIS — "Selfie sticks" have now been banned at a French palace and a British museum, joining a growing list of global tourist attractions to take such measures. The devices are used to improve snapshots, but critics say they are obnoxious and potentially...

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State jobless rate falls to 5.1 percent in January

BOSTON — The Massachusetts unemployment rate dropped to its lowest level in more than six years in January as the state gained an estimated 2,600 jobs. The office of Labor and Workforce Development announced Tuesday that the January jobless rate of...

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Early Look: How does Apple Watch stack up vs rival watches?

SAN FRANCISCO — Apple made a strong case for how you can use its upcoming Apple Watch, and the device stacks up well against the competition. If you've waited for the Apple Watch to decide on a smartwatch, here are some things to consider in weighing...

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Lawsuit seeks strict limits on greenhouse gas emissions

BOSTON — Lawyers representing four teenagers and an environmental advocacy group are asking a judge to order Massachusetts regulators to begin adopting strict limits on the emissions of greenhouse gases. Lawyers for the Conservation Law Foundation and...

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Obama aims to clamp down on federal student loan servicers

WASHINGTON — More than 40 million Americans are in debt thanks to their education, and most of their loans come from Uncle Sam. So President Barack Obama is aiming to clamp down on the private companies that service federal student debt with a presidential...

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US job openings reach a 14-year high, and more workers quit

WASHINGTON — U.S. employers advertised the most jobs in 14 years in January, and more workers quit — both signs of a steadily strengthening job market. The Labor Department says job openings rose 2.5 percent to nearly 5 million, the most since January...

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Obama announcing effort to boost high-tech training, hiring

WASHINGTON — Targeting stagnant wages in an otherwise improving economy, President Barack Obama is calling on employers, educational institutions and local governments to ramp up training and hiring of high-technology in an effort to drive up higher-income...

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Czech state clears sale of military aircraft to Iraq

PRAGUE — The Czech Republic's government says it has approved a deal to deliver 15 Czech-made light combat planes to Iraq. Defense Minister Martin Stropnicky says the military will sell the subsonic L-159 planes for 750 million koruna ($30 million)...

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US stocks make small gains, steadying after big sell off

NEW YORK — U.S. stocks made slight gains on Monday as the market steadied after a big-sell off on Friday. Stocks slumped last week when a strong jobs report boosted expectations that the Federal Reserve would raise interest rates this summer. GM gained...

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Disputing credit report could get easier under new rules

NEW YORK — Disputing a mistake on your credit report could get easier and the effects of medical debt less severe under changes being made by the three largest credit-reporting agencies. The Monday announcement by the agencies — Equifax, Experian and...

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High court: Amtrak like gov't agency in helping set rules

WASHINGTON — A unanimous Supreme Court says Amtrak is more like a part of the government than a private corporation when it helps federal agencies craft rules to keep trains running on schedule. The justices ruled Monday that lower courts must consider...

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Ice bikes gain traction in bitterly cold Buffalo, New York

BUFFALO, N.Y. — If it were possible for anything to be hot in Buffalo this winter, it was the newfangled "ice bikes" that debuted at an outdoor skating rink. The bicycles on ice skates were an immediate hit when they glided onto the Ice at Canalside...

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Lawyers predict claims for ice falls will be hard to prove

Massachusetts personal injury lawyers say they expect to see an influx of slip-and-fall claims stemming from this winter's record snowfall and ice, both of which have been so extreme that they may make such cases harder to win. David White of Breakstone,...

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Wicked Good jars cupcake business

Something's cooking in Marshfield — good enough to get the attention of "Shark Tank" star Kevin O'Leary. The celebrity entrepreneur was in town for a promotional photo shoot with one of his most successful investments to date: Wicked Good Cupcakes,...

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Repair shops unable to find source of van’s ‘clunk’

I have a nice '93 GMC conversion van that has been stored winters since new. There is a clunking sound when moving forward or backward while turning left or right, and it's getting worse. It has been in two shops with no results. One shop removed brake...

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Merkel deputy: Flogging case strains Saudi-German relations

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Shortly before meeting with the Saudi king on Sunday, German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel criticized a court-ordered punishment against a Saudi blogger who was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes for insulting Islam...

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