Dozens killed by toxic fume in Nigeria’s oil-producing River state while trying to steal oil, advocacy group says

By The Associated Press
September 4, 2026 | 8:21 AM

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Dozens killed by toxic fume in Nigeria’s oil-producing River state while trying to steal oil, advocacy group says.

Pressure in China helps convince Volkswagen it’s time to change

By The Associated Press
September 4, 2026 | 10:02 AM

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Volkswagen's sweeping restructuring underlines the force of the China shock hitting Germany's economy as the world's biggest car market, short years ago a major profit center, rapidly becomes a major competitive challenge. The stiff headwinds from China facing Germany's largest carmaker helped break a logjam on the board of directors and convince employee, union and local government officials that Volkswagen needed rapid change. The plan announced Thursday will include the loss of 50,000 jobs and probably four German auto plants where manufacturing costs can no longer compete. Board members representing employees had rejected CEO Oliver Blume's plan in July, and Volkswagen’s worker-friendly structure, with employee representatives holding half the board seats and the local government of Lower Saxony two, had raised doubts about whether Blume could push through his plan. The board decision was a “much better than feared outcome,” wrote Deutsche Bank analysts on Friday. While it doesn’t solve VW’s challenges overnight, “it removes one of the biggest investor concerns: whether the company is still capable of making the difficult decisions required to address them.” Volkswagen shares rose 8% Friday on the news.

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