Business Briefs – April 29, 2018

U.S. Economic Growth Slowed To 2.3 Percent Pace in Q1

WASHINGTON (AP) – The U.S. economy slowed to a moderate 2.3 percent annual growth rate in the first quarter as consumer spending turned in the weakest performance in nearly five years. Still, the January-March increase came in better than expected. The Commerce Department reports that the gain in the gross domestic product, the economy’s total output of goods and services, followed a 2.9 percent rise in the fourth quarter.

EU Moves to Full Ban on Pesticides That Harm Bees

BRUSSELS (AP) – The European Union has made a key breakthrough to completely ban pesticides that harm bees and their crop pollination. The 28 member states got a large majority backing the ban on the three prevalent neonicotinoid pesticides which will take effect at the end of the year.