LABOR

Newton country club reaches tips settlement

The Charles River Country Club in Newton reached a tentative $120,000 settlement with a group of waitstaff who claimed the club illegally withheld tips. The waitstaff had sued the country club, alleging it did not share a 22 percent service charge added to diners’ restaurant tabs and catered events with them, as required by Massachusetts state law. Club members were told the charges were gratuities, the suit states. The settlement must be approved by a Norfolk Superior Court judge, and will be shared among 99 members of the waitstaff who worked there between March, 2012 and March, 2015.An attorney for the club, Brian Haney, said it never withheld tips from employees, either intentionally or unintentionally, but added it was “pleased to enter this agreement in order to allow this dispute to conclude without any further interruption to its employees’ lives or careers.’’ — KATIE JOHNSTON

APPS

Google Maps adds location monitoring

Google Maps users will soon be able to broadcast their movements to friends and family — the latest test of how much privacy people are willing to sacrifice in an era of rampant sharing. The location-monitoring feature will begin rolling out Wednesday in an update to the Google Maps mobile app, which is already installed on most of the world’s smartphones. It will also be available on personal computers. Google believes the new tool will be a more convenient way for people to let someone know where they are without having to text or call them. The Mountain View, Calif., company has set up the controls so individuals can decide with whom they want to share their whereabouts and for how long — anywhere from a few minutes to indefinitely. — ASSOCIATED PRESS

MERGERS

Dutch paint maker rejects a second PPG offer

Akzo Nobel, the Dutch paint and chemicals company that makes Dulux paint, said on Wednesday that it had rejected a second takeover bid from PPG Industries, turning away a $24 billion deal that would have created an industry behemoth. However, Elliot Management, an American hedge fund with a stake in Akzo Nobel, called on the company to engage with PPG and explore a sale at a higher price, and also suggested it would support efforts to replace the company’s board if it failed to do so. Akzo Nobel, which also produces Eka bleaching solutions and Interpon powder coatings, said that the second unsolicited offer from PPG still “substantially undervalues’’ it and is not in the best interests of shareholders. It also said there was a “significant culture gap’’ between the companies. The offer also came against a backdrop of increasing concern in the Netherlands about foreign buyers acquiring Dutch companies. — NEW YORK TIMES

HIRING

Starbucks to hire more veterans

Starbucks Corp., after facing a backlash for promising to hire refugees, plans to employ more US military veterans. The coffee retailer will hire 25,000 veterans and their spouses by 2025, it said on Wednesday. Starbucks already has brought on 10,000 of them, ahead of a previously set goal. As part of its global expansion, more than 240,000 new jobs will be created globally over the next five years. The chain drew boycott threats earlier this year after saying it would hire 10,000 refugees globally — a response to President Trump’s proposed ban on travelers from certain nations. It’s also facing a sales slowdown. In January, the company cut its annual revenue forecast for this year, citing a challenging environment amid a broader industry slump. — BLOOMBERG NEWS

INTERNET ADVERTISING

AT&T, Verizon pull ads from Google

AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. halted non-search advertising spending with Google, joining an expanding list of companies concerned about ads running beside offensive videos on YouTube. “We are deeply concerned that our ads may have appeared alongside YouTube content promoting terrorism and hate,’’ a spokeswoman for AT&T said in a statement Wednesday. “Until Google can ensure this won’t happen again, we are removing our ads from Google’s non-search platforms.’’ To shield its brand from negative impact, Verizon said it had to take the same action. The controversy erupted last week after the London-based Times newspaper reported that some ads were running with videos that promoted terrorism or anti-Semitism. The UK government and the Guardian newspaper took down ads from the video site, and Havas SA, the world’s sixth-largest advertising and marketing company, pulled its UK clients’ ads from Google and YouTube. Since then, a cascade of companies have pulled back, potentially costing Google and YouTube hundreds of millions of dollars in lost business. Google tried to head off the backlash this week, implementing new tools and policies. But many advertisers were waiting to see further details or results, before placing ads again. — BLOOMBERG NEWS

FOOD

A magic ice cream combination?

A Pennsylvania ice cream maker is courting Harry Potter fans with a new flavor based on Hogwarts’ favorite drink, ‘‘butterbeer.’’ Yuengling’s Ice Cream notes that J.K. Rowling once described butterbeer as tasting ‘‘a little bit like less sickly butterscotch.’’ With that in mind, Yuengling’s says the new butterbeer variety combines buttercream and butterscotch ice cream. Yuengling’s says ‘‘the result is magical decadence that will transport you to another place and time.’’ President David Yuengling says the company hopes it made Rowling proud with the flavor. Butterbeer may be a good fit for Yuengling's. The ice cream company began as an offshoot of the well-known Pennsylvania brewery during the prohibition years. It’s now a separate company — ASSOCIATED PRESS

BREXIT

EU warns UK on exit talks

The European Union’s chief Brexit negotiator warned Wednesday of ‘‘serious consequences for everyone’’ if Britain walks away without agreement from negotiations on leaving the 28-nation bloc. Outlining his plans in detail for the first time, Michel Barnier (right) told lawmakers in Brussels that there could be ‘‘total uncertainty’’ if no deal is clinched by March 2019. British Prime Minister Theresa May said she plans to officially trigger two years of negotiations on March 29. But the talks are only likely to get seriously underway in late May, and must conclude by October 2018 to leave time for any deal to be endorsed by the EU’s institutions and national parliaments. Barnier insisted he would negotiate in good faith to ensure that a mutually acceptable agreement is reached, and said that ‘‘this scenario of ‘no deal’ is not ours.’’ Some UK officials have said Britain could simply walk away if it’s not happy with the results. — ASSOCIATED PRESS