AP National Business

LONDON (AP) — Virgin Atlantic has received 400 million pounds ($530 million) of new funding from its shareholders to help the airline ride out the coronavirus pandemic. In a statement Monday, it said its shareholders, Richard Branson’s Virgin Group and Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines, will provide the money in line with their stakes. Virgin Group

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union has imposed sanctions on a group of private Russian military contractors it accuses of fomenting violence and committing human rights abuses in the Middle East, Africa and Ukraine. EU foreign ministers agreed to slap asset freezes and travel bans Monday on eight people involved with the Wagner Group, including

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has turned away a request by Johnson & Johnson to halt a Mississippi lawsuit over its talcum powder products. The case the justices turned away Monday dates to 2014, when Mississippi sued the New Brunswick, New Jersey-based company. Mississippi argues Johnson & Johnson violated state law by failing to

By HARRIET MORRIS and VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — A Japanese space tourist has rebuffed criticism from those who questioned his decision to pay a fortune for a trip to the International Space Station, saying the “amazing” experience was worth it. Speaking to The Associated Press in a live interview Monday from the

MADRID (AP) — More than 50 people have been evacuated from areas in northern Spain hit by record flooding following heavy rain and snowfall. Spanish authorities blamed the flooding for the deaths of at least two people since Friday. The regions of Navarra and Aragón remained under severe weather warnings. In Novillas, a village of

By JAMEY KEATEN Associated Press GENEVA (AP) — Geneva prosecutors have fined a Swiss bank for failing to alert money laundering authorities about millions in funds from Saudi Arabia that went to former Spanish King Juan Carlos and his ex-lover, but have dropped any charges against his associates in the case. The Geneva prosecutor’s office

MILAN (AP) — Milan menswear previews for fall/winter 2021-22 are returning to a mostly in-person format in January, with Zegna, Giorgio Armani, Fendi and Prada among the 22 brands staging live runway shows. The president of the Italian National Fashion Chamber said Monday that the success of the womenswear calendar in September, when there were

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Harley-Davidson will take its electric motorcycle division public through a blank-check company, valuing the enterprise that has been part of the Harley for 10 years at $1.77 billion. The news gave a jolt to long-suffering shares of Harley-Davidson, which are up 12% before the opening bell Monday. Under the agreement, the special

BERLIN (AP) — A German court has convicted eight people over their role in a data processing center installed at a former military bunker that hosted sites dealing in drugs and other illegal activities. The data center at the former NATO bunker in Traben-Trarbach, a picturesque town on the Mosel River in western Germany, was

By MATTHEW DALY Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has released a federal strategy to build 500,000 charging stations for electric vehicles across the country and ultimately transform the U.S. auto industry. Vice President Kamala Harris announced the strategy Monday at an event in suburban Maryland. The $1 trillion infrastructure law President Joe

By KEN SWEET AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The head of the nation’s second-largest bank said consumers are spending “at a faster rate” than he’s ever seen but he remains concerned about how inflation and supply-chain issues will influence the economy going into the winter. In an interview this month with The Associated

By LIZ WESTON of NerdWallet For people 50 and older, taking care of year-end financial tasks can help you make the most of your money. As 2021 draws to a close, begin your end-of-the-year financial to-do list with evaluating your retirement savings rate and considering making catch-up contributions to tax-advantaged accounts such as a 401(k)

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — The Turkish currency has dipped to an all-time low amid another anticipated interest rate cut later this week and after the S&P credit rating agency downgraded its outlook for Turkey. The Turkish lira plummeted to 14.75 against the U.S. dollar Monday, prompting Turkey’s Central Bank to intervene by selling off foreign

BERLIN (AP) — The German government has approved 60 billion euros in funding to be used for combating climate change and modernizing the country. The new finance minister on Monday described the move as a “booster” for Europe’s biggest economy. The supplementary budget approved by the Cabinet entails putting the money into a government fund

LONDON (AP) — British antitrust regulators are opening an investigation into Microsoft’s $16 billion acquisition of speech recognition company Nuance. It’s the latest sign they’re tightening up scrutiny of big technology deals. The Competition and Markets Authority said Monday that it’s looking into the purchase because of concerns that it could result in a “substantial

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris is announcing $1.2 billion in commitments from international businesses to support the economies and social infrastructure of Central American nations. Harris was tapped in March by President Joe Biden to work to counter the social, economic and political forces that drive migrants and asylum seekers to the U.S.

By JOSH BOAK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo has announced 60 finalists for $1 billion in economic development grants tied to the Biden administration’s coronavirus relief package. The grants are aimed at improving job training and regional industry partnerships. There were 529 applicants for the grants. The government ultimately will choose

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s new government says it is extending the country’s current incentive payments for buyers of electric and hybrid cars by a year. But the country’s economy and climate ministry said Monday that the government is planning tougher requirements for vehicles to qualify for the support. The ministry says it will only provide

The Associated Press The Federal Reserve delivers an economic and interest rate policy update Wednesday. The Commerce Department issues its November tally of newly started U.S. residential construction projects Thursday. Darden Restaurants, owner of Olive Garden and other chains, reports quarterly results Friday.

By KATHLEEN RONAYNE Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Californians who decide to install home solar panels and storage systems would get lower discounts on their energy bills under a proposal released by state regulators that would lengthen to a decade the time it takes to recoup the costs of installation. The proposal unveiled Monday

By DAMIAN J. TROISE and ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writers Stocks pulled back below their recent record levels on Wall Street Monday as the market’s momentum slowed down following its best week since February. The S&P 500 fell 0.9%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average also fell 0.9% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq gave up 1.4% Technology,

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — Asian stock markets have risen after Wall Street hit a new high and China promised aid to shore up economic growth. Shanghai, Tokyo, Hong and Sydney advanced ahead of a Federal Reserve policy meeting this week at which higher U.S. inflation might influence a decision on

BEIJING (AP) — The top U.S. diplomat in China says the countries had a very good year for collaboration on dealing with climate change, but Washington is still pushing Beijing to adopt more ambitious carbon reduction goals. David Meale, the American Embassy’s No. 2 official, said what China does on burning coal will be crucial

By DYLAN LOVAN and MATT O’BRIEN Associated Press MAYFIELD, Ky. (AP) — The Mayfield Consumer Products factory was the third-biggest employer in this corner of western Kentucky, an important economic engine that churned out candles that lined the shelves of malls around the U.S. But why its Friday night-shift workers kept making candles as a

By ANDREW MELDRUM Associated Press JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is receiving treatment for mild COVID-19 symptoms after testing positive for the disease. A statement from his office said that Ramaphosa started feeling unwell Sunday and a test confirmed COVID-19. The statement said he has mild symptoms, is self-isolating in Cape Town

By DEMETRIS NELLAS Associated Press ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece’s third-largest group in parliament has elected a European Parliament lawmaker as its new leader. Nikos Androulakis defeated former Prime Minister George Papandreou to lead socialist coalition Movement for Change. Partial results showed the 42-year-old Androulakis with 68.4% of the vote compared to 31.6% for the

PARIS (AP) — France’s interior minister says the country has opened 400 investigations into networks providing fake COVID-19 health passes. Virus-related hospitalizations are rising sharply across the country. The case of a woman with the virus who died in a Paris regional hospital after showing a false vaccine certificate has drawn attention in French media

By MONIKA SCISLOWSKA Associated Press WARSAW, Poland (AP) — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has stressed that Europe won’t tolerate attempts at undermining the territorial integrity of its nations and said that diplomatic tools like the Normandy Format should be used to de-escalate tensions after Russia massed troops near Ukraine’s border. Scholz was speaking Sunday alongside

By SOPHIA TAREEN Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — Search efforts at an Amazon facility in Illinois where at least six people were killed in a tornado are expected to take several days. But authorities don’t expect to find more survivors and the local coroner says there are no pending reports of missing people related to

By JAKE COYLE AP Film Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Despite critical acclaim and two years-worth of anticipation, Steven Spielberg’s lavish “West Side Story” revival made little noise at the box office. According to studio estimates on Sunday it debuted with $10.5 million in ticket sales. The muted reception for a $100 million song-and-dance spectacular

PRAGUE (AP) — Several thousand people have marched through the Czech capital to protest a vaccination mandate for certain groups including people age 60 and over. The participants didn’t wear face coverings or follow social distancing rules despite a request by police to do so on Sunday. One person was detained. The protesters chanted “Freedom!”

By JON GAMBRELL Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran appears to be preparing for a space launch as negotiations continue in Vienna over its tattered nuclear deal with world powers. That’s according to satellite images obtained Sunday by The Associated Press and an expert who analyzed the photos. The likely blast off

By CHARLOTTE ANTOINE-PERRON Associated Press NOUMEA, New Caledonia (AP) — Voters in the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia voted overwhelmingly Sunday to stay part of France in an independence referendum marred by a boycott from separatist forces. They had called for the vote to be delayed because of the pandemic and were angry over

By STAN CHOE and CATHY BUSSEWITZ AP Business Writers NEW YORK (AP) — Inflation is painfully high, but this hopefully is close to as bad as it gets. Many economists expect inflation to remain near its 40-year high level a few more months but to then moderate through 2022 for a variety of reasons. Supply-chain

VIENNA (AP) — Health officials in Germany say children from 5 to 11 years old will be eligible to begin receiving COVID-19 vaccine doses this week in Berlin. The German capital will join other German states in opening up appointments to younger children. The children in that age group will be able to get a

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — The Group of Seven economic powers have told Russia  to “de-escalate” its military buildup near the Ukrainian border, warning that an invasion would have “massive consequences” and inflict severe economic pain on Moscow. Russia’s military escalation has dominated talks among Group of Seven foreign ministers in

By SCOTT McFETRIDGE Associated Press ELLIOTT, Iowa (AP) — A coalition of California restaurants and grocery stores has filed a lawsuit to block implementation of a new farm animal welfare law. The move adds uncertainty about whether bacon and other fresh pork products will be much more expensive or in short supply in the state

MADRID (AP) — A volcanic eruption in Spain’s Canary Islands shows no sign of ending after 85 days. It became the island of La Palma’s longest eruption on record on Sunday. The eruption has surged and ebbed since it first began spewing lava on Sept. 19. It has since destroyed almost 3,000 local buildings and

By EMILY SCHULTHEIS Associated Press VIENNA (AP) — Austria has ended lockdown restrictions for vaccinated people across most of the country. Sunday’s relaxation of the strict rules comes three weeks after reimposing them to combat a rising wave of coronavirus infections. The measures vary by region within the country. They largely allow for the reopening

By SUMAN NAISHADHAM and SETH BORENSTEIN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Unusually warm temperatures and a storm system moving east linked to the La Nina weather pattern helped create the conditions necessary for the monstrous tornadoes and severe weather that tore through parts of the the Midwest and South. Tornadoes in December are unusual, but

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A judge has decided that the assistant director who handed Alec Baldwin a prop gun that killed a cinematographer on a New Mexico film set must make himself available for an interview with state workplace safety regulators. Local news outlets reported that a district judge on Friday granted the state

By OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ and JANIE HAR Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — In San Francisco, homeless tents, open drug use, home break-ins and dirty streets have proliferated during the pandemic. The quality of life crimes and a laissez-faire approach by officials to brazen drug dealing have given residents a sense the city is in

HELSINKI (AP) — A fire-ravaged German-owned cargo vessel has been towed to port in the western Swedish city of Goteborg after a week-long blaze that broke out on the North Sea when its timber cargo caught fire. The Swedish Coast Guard said that the Liberia-flagged Almirante Storni, built in 2012, was towed to the port

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Environmental protesters have blocked roads in Serbia for a third consecutive weekend to oppose plans for lithium mining. The protests took place on Saturday despite a bid by the country’s populist government to defuse the demonstrations by agreeing to the key demands of organizers. Several thousand people braved rain and cold

LONDON (AP) — British scientists are warning that the government may need to introduce tougher restrictions to slow the growth of the omicron coronavirus variant. U.K. health officials say omicron is spreading much more quickly than the delta strain and is likely to become the dominant variant in Britain within days. Concern about the new

ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has described social media as one of the main threats to democracy. Erdogan discussed the topic in a video message to a government-organized communications conference on Saturday. His government is pursuing legislation to criminalize fake news and disinformation online. Critics say the proposed changes would tighten restrictions

By RISHI LEKHI Associated Press NEW DELHI (AP) — Tens of thousands of Indian farmers are clearing protest sites along the capital’s fringes and returning home, marking an end to yearlong demonstrations against controversial farm laws. Farmers on Saturday began dismantling their makeshift accommodations at multiple sites and started to vacate highways ringing New Delhi

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Masayuki Uemura, a Japanese home computer game pioneer whose Nintendo consoles sold millions of units worldwide, has died, according to the university in Kyoto where he taught. He was 78. Uemura, the lead architect behind Nintendo Co.’s trailblazing home game consoles, died Monday, Ritsumeikan University said in

By GENE JOHNSON Associated Press SEATTLE (AP) — Two artists are facing federal charges that they faked Native American heritage to sell works at downtown Seattle galleries. Lewis Anthony Rath, of Maple Falls, and Jerry Chris Van Dyke, also known as Jerry Witten, of Seattle, have been charged separately with violating the Indian Arts and

The Associated Press A late wave of buying sent stocks to solid gains on Wall Street Friday, lifting the S&P 500 to another record high. The benchmark index rose 1% and closed out its best week since February. Technology stocks powered much of the gain. Business software maker Oracle surged 15.6% after reporting strong results

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks that traded heavily or had substantial price changes Friday: Oracle, Costco rise; Everbridge, Chewy fall

The Associated Press Closing prices for crude oil, gold and other commodities, and foreign exchange levels.

BUTTE, Mont. (AP) — A company that turned mining waste into roofing materials in Montana was fined and ordered to conduct medical monitoring after pleading guilty to exposing its employees to arsenic. Tinley Park, Illinois-based U.S. Minerals was sentenced to five years probation and ordered to pay a $393,200 fine during a Friday hearing before

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A court appearance is set for next week for a man accused of driving a limousine onto aircraft ramps at Las Vegas’ international airport, donning a clown mask and declaring he had a bomb before surrendering to authorities. No injuries were reported after Matthew Ray Hancock was arrested Wednesday near private

By TOM KRISHER and DAVID EGGERT Associated Press DETROIT (AP) — General Motors and a joint-venture partner plan to build an electric vehicle battery factory in Lansing, Michigan, their third such factory in the U.S. The companies’ plans were revealed in documents posted on the city’s website Friday. They say the plant would cost up

By TOM KRISHER AP Auto Writer DETROIT (AP) — Earlier this week, reports surfaced that Tesla allows drivers to play video games on dashboard touch screens while vehicles are moving. Now Mercedes-Benz has issued a U.S. recall for a simliar issue. The German automaker said in documents posted Friday by U.S. regulators that the issue

WASHINGTON (AP) — Amtrak passengers may be facing service cutbacks in January. The rail system’s president is blaming employees who haven’t gotten vaccinated. Stephen Gardner says about 95% of Amtrak workers are at least partially vaccinated. The rest face a Jan. 4 deadline set by the Biden administration. Amtrak’s president says if enough workers resist

By ALAN FRAM Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A new government report showing inflation rising at the fastest rate in nearly four decades is raising fresh questions about the fate of President Joe Biden’s social and environment legislation. Both sides are seeking clues on how the numbers may influence pivotal Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin. The

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO The Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The nation’s largest food and retail union is urging more than 60 retail and grocery chains to implement stronger measures to help protect hourly workers amid a surge of virus infections and the new variant omicron. The United Food and Commercial Workers Union, which has

By PAUL WISEMAN AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Inflation is starting to look like that unexpected — and unwanted — houseguest who just won’t leave. For months, many economists had sounded a reassuring message that a spike in consumer prices, something that had been missing in action in the U.S. for a generation, wouldn’t

BOSTON (AP) — Prosecutors say the owner of a warehousing company for the shipping industry who paid $75,000 to have someone correct his son’s answers on a college entrance exam has agreed to plead guilty in the nationwide college admissions bribery scandal. Federal prosecutors in Boston said Thursday that 67-year-old I-Hsin “Joey” Chen, of Newport

By MENELAOS HADJICOSTIS Associated Press NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — ExxonMobil and partner Qatar Energy have expanded their stake in potential oil and gas deposits off Cyprus. The companies signed a deal Friday with the east Mediterranean island nation for a second exploration license in waters that Turkey partly claims. Drilling off Cyprus has been a

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Detectives in Tampa are asking Uber to help solve a “grandparent scam” that conned $10,000 from a 75-year-old man who was told his granddaughter needed the money to get out of jail. Uber also is helping the Hillsborough Sheriff’s Office find suspects in a long-running con that scammed an 82-year-old woman

By JARI TANNER Associated Press HELSINKI (AP) — Finland has agreed to buy 64 Lockheed Martin fighter jets to replace its aging fleet of combat planes in an $11.3 billion deal that represents the Finnish military’s largest ever purchase. Finland picked the American company’s F-35A fighters from among five contenders, which also included the Boeing

By MARTIN CRUTSINGER and ANNE D’INNOCENZIO AP Business Writers WASHINGTON (AP) — A warehouse worker in Tennessee is running up against price increases that far exceed her modest pay raise. The owner of a pastry business in Massachusetts has had to reduce his product offerings and personally absorb higher costs. A grocery chain executive in

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — Chinese leaders have promised tax cuts and support for entrepreneurs to shore up slumping economic growth as the country grapples with a wave of bankruptcies and defaults among real estate developers caused by a campaign to rein in surging debt. A statement issued after a planning

By DANICA KIRKA Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Royal Dutch Shell has received approval from shareholders to simplify its archaic corporate structure that grew out of a merger more than a century ago of a British firm that once traded in exotic seashells and an oil company in the Netherlands. The changes will mean a

LONDON (AP) — The United Kingdom’s economy barely grew in October as construction activity slowed due to shortages of building materials and rising prices caused by shipping bottlenecks around the world. The Office for National Statistics said Friday that gross domestic product increased by 0.1% from the previous month, below the forecast of 0.4% from

By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. humanitarian chief is warning that Afghanistan’s economic collapse “is happening before our eyes” and urged the international community to take action to stop the freefall before it leads to more deaths. Martin Griffiths said in an AP interview that donor nations need to

BOSTON (AP) — A group of Christian, Hindu, Buddhist and Jewish leaders is urging luxury fashion house Louis Vuitton to stop using animal fur in its clothing and other products. In a joint statement, Orthodox Christian priest Stephen Karcher, Hindu activist Rajan Zed, Jewish rabbi ElizaBeth Webb Beyer and Buddhist priest Matthew Fisher say selling

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Companies are rethinking their plans to send workers back to the office as the new omicron variant adds another level of uncertainty. Google and Ford are among those once again delaying their return-to-office plans, while other businesses whose workers are already back to the office are

By ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writer A late wave of buying sent stocks to solid gains on Wall Street Friday, sending the S&P 500 to another record high. The benchmark index rose 1% and closed out its best week since February. Technology stocks powered much of the gain. Business software maker Oracle surged 15.6% after

By SARA CLINE Associated Press/Report for America PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — In Oregon, where a long-standing housing crisis has been exacerbated by the pandemic, tenants on the brink of eviction are losing safety nets that kept them housed. Despite an overwhelming need, the state halted acceptance of new rental assistance applications after all federal funds

By AMY BETH HANSON Associated Press HELENA, Mont. (AP) — This winter, more motorists may find themselves stuck on snowy highways or have their travel delayed due to a shortage of snowplow drivers. States from Washington to Pennsylvania and some in the Rocky Mountains are having trouble finding enough people willing to take the comparatively

Associated Press CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia’s military says it plans to ditch its fleet of European-designed Taipan helicopters and instead buy U.S. Black Hawks and Seahawks because the American machines are more reliable. The move comes less than three months after Australia canceled a deal to buy French submarines in favor of building nuclear-powered

DAISY NGUYEN Associated Press MARTINEZ, Calif. (AP) — A DNA match has helped detectives solve the killing of a San Francisco Bay Area waitress whose body was found in a basement bathroom 25 years ago. Authorities in Contra Costa County said Thursday that a prison inmate has been charged with murder in the killing of

By TOM KRISHER AP Auto Writer DETROIT (AP) — The CEO of General Motors says the automaker learned valuable lessons last year when it stepped in to boost emergency production of ventilators to treat severely ill COVID-19 patients. Mary Barra said the company was able to help a small West Coast ventilator maker start large-scale

WASHINGTON (AP) — Travelers love to hate airline fees, and several congressional Democrats say it’s time to regulate the extra charges for things like checking a bag. Several lawmakers announced Thursday that they will introduce legislation to require that airline fees are “reasonable” and relate to the airline’s cost of providing the service.  Airlines say

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks that traded heavily or had substantial price changes Thursday: CVS, Ciena rise; GameStop, Laboratory Corp. fall.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice has lost another costly court ruling over his coal companies’ environmental violations. A federal judge in Virginia has ruled Southern Coal Corp. and two dozen other companies must pay $2.5 million. That’s for in penalties at mine sites in Tennessee. A joint filing by the U.S.

By ADAM BEAM Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California truck drivers will soon have to worry about pollution tickets along with speeding tickets. The California Air Resources Board on Thursday approved a new smog check program for heavy duty trucks. Many newer trucks have computers on board that monitor emissions and send data to

By KEVIN FREKING Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has passed a fast-track plan for raising the debt limit. A key hurdle was cleared Thursday with the support of 14 Republicans and 50 Democrats, and that likely averts another last-minute rush to avoid a federal default. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer calls it the

The Associated Press Closing prices for crude oil, gold and other commodities, and foreign exchange levels.

By MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The Metropolitan Museum of Art is dropping the Sackler name from seven exhibition spaces amid growing outrage over the role the family may have played in the opioid crisis. The museum and the Sackler family jointly announced on Thursday that the institution and their once-deep

French President Emmanuel Macron has urged Britain to make it easier for people to apply for asylum and harder for people to work illegally to stem risky migration efforts across the English Channel after a recent deadly sinking. Macron also accused the British government of reneging on promises over fishing licenses and of betraying French-British

LONDON (AP) — Actor Sienna Miller has accepted “substantial” damages from the publisher of British tabloid newspaper The Sun which she accuses of hacking her phone and leaking news of her pregnancy. Miller joins a list of dozens of people who have received payments from News Group Newspapers over illegal eavesdropping. Most of the hacking

By ALAN SUDERMAN Associated Press RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A prominent political activist who pushed to end a ban on women driving in Saudi Arabia is suing three former U.S. intelligence and military officials she says helped hack her cellphone so a foreign government could spy on her before she was imprisoned and tortured. The

By BOBBY CAINA CALVAN and MAE ANDERSON Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A surprise year-end decree by Mayor Bill de Blasio ordering virtually all businesses to get workers vaccinated is forcing vaccine holdouts to choose between jabs or jobs. The mandate will take effect Dec. 27, with workers needing to provide proof they received