AP Business SummaryBrief at 11:43 p.m. EDT

By The Associated Press

New British Prime Minister Starmer seeks to improve on ‘botched’ trade deal with European Union

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said he would seek to improve the trade deal with the European Union as he began a two-day tour of the U.K. as part of an “immediate reset” with governments in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. Starmer said Sunday in Edinburgh, Scotland, that he thinks the U.K. can get a much better deal than the “botched” one negotiated by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Starmer said there were many discussions ahead to strengthen trading, research and defense ties with the EU. But he said those talks had already begun as his top diplomat met his counterparts in Europe.

With Argentina’s president skipping Mercosur, the future of the trade alliance looks doubtful

ASUNCIÓN, Paraguay (AP) — The most notable thing about the annual Mercosur summit kicking off in Paraguay is an absence — that of Argentine President Javier Milei. He became the first Argentine leader to skip the annual summit since his country’s 2001 financial catastrophe. With the Argentine populist starring at a right-wing rally in Brazil, the Mercosur presidential meeting Monday promised to be much quieter. But South America’s biggest trade bloc, politically divided, notoriously slow-moving and beset by backsliding, faces an uncertain future. Although libertarian President Milei advocates free trade, he has bashed Mercosur as “defective” and advocated pulling Argentina out of the agreement altogether.

Shelter-in-place order briefly issued at North Dakota derailment site, officials say

Officials at the remote site of a derailed train carrying hazardous materials that sparked a fire in North Dakota briefly issued a shelter-in-place notice early Sunday. County emergency management coordinator Andrew Kirking says the notice was issued as a precaution after air monitors detected low levels of anhydrous ammonia. That occurred after a rail car began venting during removal from the site. Exposure to high concentrations of ammonia in the air can burn the eyes, nose, throat and respiratory tract, and even result in death, Kirking says the flames from Friday derailment have been mostly extinguished. No injuries have been reported.

Scammers are swiping billions from Americans every year. Worse, most crooks are getting away with it

Sophisticated overseas criminals are stealing tens of billions of dollars from Americans every year, a crime wave projected to get worse as the U.S. population ages and technology makes it easier to successfully perpetrate fraud. Kathy Stokes of AARP’s Fraud Watch Network says internet and telephone scams have grown exponentially and relatively few perpetrators are caught. Police in Ohio are still looking for the scammer whose calls to an 81-year-old homeowner set in motion a chain of events that led to the shooting death of an Uber driver. Some say law enforcement and industry need to join forces to fight fraud more quickly and efficiently.

An Alaska tourist spot will vote whether to ban cruise ships on Saturdays to give locals a break

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Each year, a crush of tourists arrives in Alaska’s capital city on cruise ships to see wonders like the fast-diminishing Mendenhall Glacier. Now, long-simmering tensions over Juneau’s tourism boom are coming to a head over a new voter initiative aimed at giving residents a break. A measure to ban cruise ships with 250 or more passengers from docking in Juneau on Saturdays has qualified for the Oct. 1 municipal ballot. It sets the stage for a debate about how much tourism is too much in a city experiencing first-hand the impacts of climate change. The “ship-free Saturdays” initiative will go to voters unless the local Assembly enacts a similar measure by Aug. 15, which is seen as unlikely.

Kenya’s dramatic flooding sweeps away a central part of the economy: Its farms

MACHAKOS, Kenya (AP) — Kenyan farmers’ financial security and optimism have been shaken by recent flooding. The government calls it “a clear manifestation of the erratic weather patterns caused by climate change.” The rains that started in mid-March have killed nearly 300 people, left dams at historically high levels and led the government to order residents to evacuate flood-prone areas. Now a food security crisis lies ahead, along with even higher prices. It’s a challenge for a country whose president had sought to make agriculture an even greater engine of the economy.

North Dakota tribe goes back to its roots with a massive greenhouse operation

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A Native American tribe in North Dakota is planning a sprawling greenhouse complex on its reservation. The first of four planned phases of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation’s project is set to be completed next February. The complex will be among the largest greenhouses in the U.S. The greenhouse brings the tribe back to its agricultural roots from long ago, before a federal government dam flooded its fertile Missouri River land. Tribal Chairman Mark Fox says the greenhouse will provide food locally, as well as to tribes in neighboring states and to isolated and impoverished areas.

How an Oscar-winning filmmaker helped a small-town art theater in Ohio land a big grant

YELLOW SPRINGS, Ohio (AP) — When the Little Art Theatre set out to land a $100,000 grant to fund a stylish new marquee, the cozy arthouse theater had some talented help. Oscar-winning documentarian Steve Bognar lives in Yellow Springs, the Ohio town where the theater is a downtown fixture. The co-director of 2020’s “American Factory,” Bognar advocates for small independent theaters everywhere as they struggle to survive the transition to streaming. His eight-minute video landed the theater its grant. It used a series of classic movie titles flashed onto the theater’s marquee and interviews with locals to illustrate Little Art’s importance to the community and society.

Pongamia trees grow where citrus once flourished, offering renewable energy and plant-based protein

An ancient tree from India is now thriving in groves where citrus trees once flourished in Florida, and could help provide the nation with renewable energy. As large parts of the Sunshine State’s once-famous citrus industry have all but dried up over the past two decades because of fatal diseases such as greening and citrus canker, some farmers are turning to the pongamia tree. The climate-resilient tree has the potential to produce plant-based proteins and a sustainable biofuel. The trees grow well in drought or rain, and they don’t need fertilizer or pesticides. And thanks to a patented process, California-based Terviva has removed the bitterness from the pongamia’s bean, making it edible.

Parent company of Saks Fifth Avenue to buy Neiman Marcus for $2.65 billion

NEW YORK (AP) — The parent company of Saks Fifth Avenue has signed a deal to buy upscale rival Neiman Marcus Group, which owns Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman stores, for $2.65 billion, with online behemoth Amazon holding a minority stake. The new entity would be called Saks Global, which will comprise the Saks Fifth Avenue and Saks OFF 5TH brands, Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman, as well as the real estate assets of Neiman Marcus Group and HBC, a holding company that purchased Saks in 2013. The deal comes after months of rumors that the department store chains had been negotiating a deal. But the twist is Amazon’s minority stake, which adds “a bit of spice” to an otherwise anticipated pact, according to Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData, a research firm.