Growth in the U.S. and global economies slowed in May as high inflation and rising interest rates dented demand, business surveys said Tuesday.

Business activity at services businesses in the U.S., eurozone, U.K. and Australia all grew more slowly in May amid rising prices, according to S&P Global surveys. The firm’s purchasing managers index surveys also reported Tuesday that factories in major global economies face supply-chain disruptions related to  and   as well as higher fuel costs and rising wages.

Separate U.S. figures on Monday pointed to slower growth in a segment of the housing market. The Commerce Department said purchases of newly built single-family homes declined in April for the fourth straight month, dropping 16.6% in April from the prior month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 591,000. That marked the slowest pace of sales since April 2020 at the start of the pandemic.

People are thinking twice before opening that ride-share app on their smartphones.

The practice isn’t going anywhere, but the slow pace at which ride volumes have recovered from their pandemic depths is the latest sign the industry might not become as pervasive as once hoped. As dreams of world domination fade and investors watch the bottom line, the cost of that ride might  be pushing some potential customers to more economical forms of transportation.

Lately, market leader Uber UBER +0.00% Technologies has moved beyond the service that made its name a verb. According to its 2022 investor day deck, Uber is in 72 countries. It added Eats to deliver food, and then expanded that to include convenience, alcohol, diapers and much more. It is now adding taxi partnerships and travel, among other things. Soon, you will be able to hail your own private party bus.

People are thinking twice before opening that ride-share app on their smartphones.

The practice isn’t going anywhere, but the slow pace at which ride volumes have recovered from their pandemic depths is the latest sign the industry might not become as pervasive as once hoped. As dreams of world domination fade and investors watch the bottom line, the cost of that ride might  be pushing some potential customers to more economical forms of transportation.

Lately, market leader Uber UBER +0.00% Technologies has moved beyond the service that made its name a verb. According to its 2022 investor day deck, Uber is in 72 countries. It added Eats to deliver food, and then expanded that to include convenience, alcohol, diapers and much more. It is now adding taxi partnerships and travel, among other things. Soon, you will be able to hail your own private party bus.

Old Navy set out to make clothes shopping more inclusive for women of all body types. It ended up with too many extra-small and extra-large items and too few of the rest, a mismatch that frustrated customers and contributed to falling sales and a management shake-up.

The stumbles at Old Navy are a problem for its parent, Gap Inc. GPS -2.32%▼ The chain accounts for the majority of the company’s sales and profits and helps prop up the weaker Gap and Banana Republic brands. It also shows the challenges of producing a wide range of sizes that have led some brands to stop carrying plus-sizes.

Old Navy set out to make clothes shopping more inclusive for women of all body types. It ended up with too many extra-small and extra-large items and too few of the rest, a mismatch that frustrated customers and contributed to falling sales and a management shake-up.

The stumbles at Old Navy are a problem for its parent, Gap Inc. GPS -2.32%▼ The chain accounts for the majority of the company’s sales and profits and helps prop up the weaker Gap and Banana Republic brands. It also shows the challenges of producing a wide range of sizes that have led some brands to stop carrying plus-sizes.

PITSEA, England—The great names of English soccer ring with the echoes of Britain’s industrial past—Liverpool’s docks, the railway works that gave birth to Manchester United, the foundries that built West Ham.

Then there’s Hashtag United.

The club sprang to life through a group of friends led by Spencer Owen, who played video soccer games and streamed them online. He built a large following on YouTube, and now Mr. Owen and his brother have turned their digital team into a real-life soccer team that’s climbing up through England’s semipro leagues—and slowly winning over rival fans who questioned their bona fides.

PITSEA, England—The great names of English soccer ring with the echoes of Britain’s industrial past—Liverpool’s docks, the railway works that gave birth to Manchester United, the foundries that built West Ham.

Then there’s Hashtag United.

The club sprang to life through a group of friends led by Spencer Owen, who played video soccer games and streamed them online. He built a large following on YouTube, and now Mr. Owen and his brother have turned their digital team into a real-life soccer team that’s climbing up through England’s semipro leagues—and slowly winning over rival fans who questioned their bona fides.

There are signs Elon Musk may be getting cold feet a few weeks after he agreed to buy Twitter Inc. for $44 billion.

The billionaire Tesla Inc. TSLA -7.13% chief executive recently tweeted that the deal is “on hold” until he gets more information about the portion of the social-media platform’s users that are spam accounts. Twitter TWTR -3.72% has for years said in filings that it estimates they represent less than 5% of its daily active users, though has cautioned the number could be higher.

This is all happening as technology shares—including those of Tesla, which Mr. Musk is relying on to fund the deal—have been under pressure. Twitter’s board, meanwhile, says it intends to enforce the agreement, which calls for him to pay $54.20 a share.

There are signs Elon Musk may be getting cold feet a few weeks after he agreed to buy Twitter Inc. for $44 billion.

The billionaire Tesla Inc. TSLA -7.13% chief executive recently tweeted that the deal is “on hold” until he gets more information about the portion of the social-media platform’s users that are spam accounts. Twitter TWTR -3.72% has for years said in filings that it estimates they represent less than 5% of its daily active users, though has cautioned the number could be higher.

This is all happening as technology shares—including those of Tesla, which Mr. Musk is relying on to fund the deal—have been under pressure. Twitter’s board, meanwhile, says it intends to enforce the agreement, which calls for him to pay $54.20 a share.

Happy the elephant will soon have her day in New York’s highest court.

The 51-year-old Asian elephant won’t attend–among other impediments, the 8,500-pound animal lives at the Bronx Zoo–but her lawyers have filed a writ of habeas corpus, arguing she is a legal person. If she had such status, her detention at the zoo would be unlawful and she could be sent to an elephant sanctuary, her lawyers argue.

“The elephant is being imprisoned against her will,” said lawyer Steven Wise, who represents Happy.  “For more than 40 years she has been kept as a prisoner.” 

Happy is in a small but growing company of animals and natural entities fighting for legal rights—with help from their self-appointed human lawyers–in U.S. courts. The lawsuits mark an effort by lawyers who argue that animals, nature and ecosystems deserve some of the same legal rights long held by people and corporations.