A worker puts hot peppers on a pizza in a Domino’s pizza franchise in New York. Daniel Acker | Bloomberg | Getty Images After a year of business closings, disruptions and unprecedented challenges, the franchise industry is poised to return to pre-pandemic levels by the end of the year, if Covid-19 is controlled, according to…

Consumers flocked to spend their stimulus checks in January, sending retail sales up 5.3% for a month in a blockbuster start through 2021, according to a government report on Wednesday. Economists polled by Dow Jones expected an increase of only 1.2%. Excluding cars, sales rose 5.9%, also well above the 1% estimate, driven by an…

Workers unload the cargo from a Hungarian Airbus 330 plane after transporting the first doses of the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine against the coronavirus (Covid-19) at Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport on February 16, 2021. ZOLTAN MATH | AFP | Getty Images LONDON – International diplomacy is likely to determine who gets access to coronavirus vaccines…

To quarantine or not to quarantine – that is the question. At least for countries that are thinking about dealing with international travelers. That changed last month, however, when Sri Lanka reopened its borders with a requirement unlike any country previously opened – one that neither allows travelers the freedom of the island nor places…

Imax broke its box office records over the weekend of the New Year celebrations in China and the results predict what will happen when more US theaters resume operations this summer, CEO Rich Gelfond told CNBC on Tuesday. The company, which produces immersive movie experiences, said it grossed $ 25 million between Friday and Sunday,…

JetBlue Airways planes are pictured at the departure gates of John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. Fred Prouser | Reuters JetBlue Airways exempts ticket exchange fees on most of its tickets, but travelers buying the cheapest fares should take light bags. The New York-based airline announced Tuesday that it will guarantee seats on…

The two burgeoning Ebola outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Guinea require swift action “to avoid catastrophic consequences,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday. It is the first official White House statement on the recurrence of Ebola in the two African countries. Psaki said President Joe Biden had been briefed…

Jeff Bezos, Founder and CEO of Amazon.com Inc., speaks at the National Press Club in Washington, DC on Thursday, September 19, 2019. Andrew Harrer | Bloomberg | Getty Images Amazon has bought Selz, a company that makes tools that businesses can use to open their own online stores. Amazon tacitly acquired the e-commerce platform on…

An artist rendering of the company’s space station in orbit. Axiom space Houston-based Axiom Space will fully expand production of private space stations while flying paying passengers into orbit while traveling. The company announced Tuesday that it had raised $ 130 million in a new round of funding. “In this round we can make an…

Pedestrians walk on an icy road on February 15, 2021 in East Austin, Texas. Winter storm Uri has historically brought cold weather to Texas, causing traffic delays and power outages, and storms hit 26 states with a mix of freezing temperatures and precipitation. Montinique Monroe | Getty Images Energy prices rose Tuesday as a freezer…