Negotiations between U.S. and Ukrainian officials over continued American military aid in exchange for access to Ukraine's valuable mineral resources are gaining traction after a rocky start, something Kyiv hopes will help secure long-term support for its defense against Russia.

Ukraine has offered to strike a deal with President Donald Trump which would supply the U.S. with rare earth elements — critical for various technologies. Trump said that he wanted such a deal earlier this month, and it was initially proposed last fall by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as part of his plan to strengthen Kyiv's hand in future negotiations with Moscow.

The U.S. on Monday imposed sanctions on dozens of people and oil tankers across China, the United Arab Emirates, India and other jurisdictions for allegedly helping to finance Iran and its support for militant groups that launch attacks against the U.S. and its allies.

The U.S. Treasury and the U.S. State departments sanctioned more than 30 people and ships, including the heads of Iran's National Iranian Oil Co., and the Iranian Oil Terminals Co., for their role in brokering the sale and transportation of Iranian oil. The sanctioned ships move crude oil valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars, according to the Treasury.

President Donald Trump said Monday that his tariffs on Canada and Mexico are starting next month, ending a monthlong suspension on the planned import taxes that could potentially hurt economic growth and worsen inflation.

"We're on time with the tariffs, and it seems like that's moving along very rapidly," the U.S. president said at a White House news conference with French President Emmanuel Macron.

Order a Coke to wash down some hummus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank these days and chances are the waiter will shake his head disapprovingly — or worse, mutter "shame, shame" in Arabic — before suggesting the popular local alternative: a can of Chat Cola.

Chat Cola — its red tin and sweeping white script bearing remarkable resemblance to the iconic American soft drink's logo — has seen its products explode in popularity across the occupied West Bank in the past year as Palestinian consumers, angry at America's steadfast support for Israel in its war against Hamas in Gaza, protest with their pocketbooks.

A contentious Trump administration proposal to give the U.S. $500 billion worth of profits from Ukraine's rare earth minerals as compensation for its wartime assistance to Kyiv has been taken off the table, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday, indicating a more equitable deal is in the works.

Zelensky had earlier declined a U.S. draft agreement on exploitation of his country's valuable minerals such as lithium used in the aerospace, defense and nuclear industries because it did not contain security guarantees and came with the $500 billion price tag.

Starbucks plans to lay off 1,100 corporate employees globally as new Chairman and CEO Brian Niccol streamlines operations.

In a letter to employees released Monday, Niccol said the company will inform employees who are being laid off by mid-day Tuesday. Niccol said Starbucks is also eliminating several hundred open and unfilled positions.

U.S. stocks are recovering some of their sharp losses from last week. The S&P 500 rose 0.3% in early Monday trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 149 points, and the Nasdaq composite gained 0.3%. Berkshire Hathaway climbed after Warren Buffett's company reported a jumped in operating profits for the latest quarter. Big U.S. businesses have broadly been reporting better profits for the end of 2024 than analysts expected, providing solid support for the stock market. This upcoming week will feature a profit report from Nvidia, one of Wall Street's most influential stocks, as well as updates on consumer confidence and inflation.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP's earlier story follows below.

The European Union on Monday began easing energy and transport sanctions and banking restrictions against Syria, aiming to help breathe life into the conflict-torn country's economy if its new leaders work toward a peaceful future.

The EU started to impose asset freezes and travel bans on Syrian officials, banks, agencies and other organizations in 2011, in response to then-President Bashar Assad's crackdown on protesters, which festered into a civil war.

The low-cost carrier FlyDubai announced Monday it earned a record-breaking profit of $611 million in 2024, buoyed by higher passenger numbers and lower fuel costs.

FlyDubai had revenues of $3.5 billion through the year, as compared to $3 billion in 2023. Profits were $572 million in 2023.

Chinese e-commerce firm Alibaba Group Holding posted its fastest revenue growth in more than a year, beating analyst expectations as it capitalizes on the artificial intelligence boom in China.

Alibaba said Thursday that its revenue for the quarter ended December grew 8% to 280.2 billion yuan ($38.38 billion) compared to the same period last year.