AP National Business

By KEN SWEET AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Capital One said Wednesday that will get rid of all overdraft fees, the latest bank to do so this year and one of the largest financial institutions to shy away from the long-hated practice. The Virginia-based bank said it will still allow customers to overdraft,

By MATT OTT AP Business Reporter SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) — U.S. manufacturing activity grew at a faster pace in November as companies continue to struggle to keep up with demand amid ongoing supply shortages and delays. The Institute for Supply Management, a trade group of purchasing managers, said Wednesday that its index of manufacturing

BRATISLAVA, SLovakia (AP) — Slovakia’s government has proposed a plan to give people 60 and older a 500-euro ($568) bonus if they get vaccinated against COVID-19. The measure should boost inoculations in the European Union country with one of the lowest vaccination rates in the bloc at only 46.1%. The bill will now go to

By LORNE COOK Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — Top European Union migration officials have offered to ease the asylum procedures for Poland, Lithuania and Latvia in response to what the EU has called a “hybrid attack” by Belarus to destabilize the bloc using migrants and refugees. The EU migration officials proposed allowing Poland, Lithuania and

NEW YORK (AP) — Peter Prengaman has been named climate and environmental editor of The Associated Press. This new position will lead the news agency’s expanding coverage of climate issues as part of a major global initiative. Prengaman is a multiformat journalist and newsroom leader who has led coverage of major stories around the world.

LONDON (AP) — British officials say about 30,000 people in the north of England and in Scotland have been without electricity for the better part of a week after a storm brought snow, ice and wind gusts of almost 100 miles per hour. Storm Arwen disrupted transportation, and caused residential power outages starting Friday. Officials

JEMISON, Ala. (AP) — Police say nearly two dozen FedEx packages have been found in woods along a rural Alabama road about 75 miles from a ravine where hundreds of undelivered FedEx parcels previously were discovered. Police in Jemison said in a statement Wednesday that about 20 packages bound for locations on nine different roads

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN AP Business Writer Exxon Mobil says it is boosting its spending on greenhouse gas emission-reduction projects to $15 billion over the next six years and anticipates meeting its 2025 greenhouse gas emission-reduction plans by the end of this year. The energy giant said the $15 billion will go toward projects focused at

By MICHELLE L. PRICE and MICHAEL R. SISAK Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — New York City’s troubled jail system is facing the suspension of hundreds of corrections officers for failing to meet a Tuesday deadline to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The city’s Department of Correction reported 77% of its uniformed staff had gotten at

By CHANELLE BESSETTE of NerdWallet Cash management accounts are offered by brokerages and provide many banking-like services, such as checking and savings. CMAs tend to have above-average interest rates, and they can make money management and investing easy. But interest rates aren’t as high as they used to be, and these accounts are usually online-only,

By DAVID KOENIG and YURI KAGEYAMA Associated Press Tourism businesses that were just finding their footing after nearly two years of devastation wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic are being rattled again as countries throw up new barriers to travel in an effort to contain the omicron variant. Meanwhile, travelers eager to get out there have

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin says that Moscow would seek Western guarantees that would preclude any further NATO expansion and the deployment of its weapons near Russia’s borders. Putin’s statement Wednesday came amid Ukrainian and Western worries about a Russian invasion of Ukraine. Russian diplomats have countered by

By JAMEY KEATEN Associated Press GENEVA (AP) — The U.N. migration agency says the coronavirus pandemic has “radically altered” mobility around the world, projecting in a new report that the growth in the number of international migrants is likely to remain weaker as long as travel and other restrictions remain. The International Organization for Migration

By ZEKE MILLER, OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ and MICHAEL BALSAMO Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The U.S. identified its first known case of the omicron variant Wednesday — in a vaccinated traveler returning to California from South Africa — as scientists around the world raced to establish whether the new, mutant version of the coronavirus

By RAF CASESRT Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — The chief of the European Union’s executive arm says EU nations should consider making COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory because too many people still refuse to get shots voluntarily. The EU-wide vaccination rate stands at 66%, and unexpectedly high case surges in much of the 27-nation bloc has led

By LORNE COOK and DAVID KEYTON Associated Press RIGA, Latvia (AP) — NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says the military organization was a victim of mission creep in Afghanistan as the international community went from fighting extremists to trying to rebuild the conflict-torn country. Stoltenberg addressed NATO’s role on Wednesday after foreign ministers debated a

BERLIN (AP) — Austria’s lockdown has officially been extended until Dec. 11 as planned amid signs that the measures are helping to bring down a sky-high coronavirus infection rate. A parliamentary committee signed off Tuesday on the extension of the country’s fourth national lockdown of the pandemic that started on Nov. 22. That was necessary

BEIJING (AP) — China is urging its citizens to leave three provinces in eastern Congo as violence intensifies in the mineral-rich region. A posting Wednesday from the Chinese Embassy in Kinshasa on the WeChat online messaging says a number of Chinese citizens had been attacked and kidnapped over the past month in the provinces of

By KEN SWEET AP Business Writer SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Fueled by several financial technology companies as well as an entry by the big credit card companies, Americans now have the option to “buy now, pay later” on everything from a $1,500 Peloton bicycle to a $60 floral bouquet. Retailers’ websites often come with an

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — Asian stock markets are mixed after a turbulent day on Wall Street as traders tried to forecast the impact of the coronavirus’s omicron variant. Shanghai and Tokyo fell while Hong Kong and Seoul advanced. Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 index ended down 1.2%. That was despite

By MARCY GORDON AP Business Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Ex-Facebook employee and whistleblower Frances Haugen implored lawmakers to avert the usual congressional stalemates as they weigh proposals to curb abuses on social media platforms by limiting the companies’ free-speech protections against legal liability. Still, Haugen urged caution in making changes to the 1996 law that

ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) — The parties of Algeria’s ruling majority dominated local and regional elections while Islamist parties saw their support diminish. The head of the election authority announced the results Tuesday evening. Saturday’s elections came amid widespread worry and frustration over rising prices for basic goods, housing and health care. The long-ruling FLN party

By FRANCESCO SPORTELLI and NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press ROME (AP) — A villa in the heart of Rome that features the only known ceiling mural painted by Caravaggio is being put up for auction by court order. The Casino dell’Aurora, also known as Villa Ludovisi, was built in 1570 and has been in the Ludovisi family

BEIJING (AP) — China is launching an aggressive campaign to promote Mandarin, saying 85% of its citizens will use the national language by 2025. The move appears to put threatened Chinese regional dialects such as Cantonese and Hokkien under even greater pressure, along with minority languages such as Tibetan, Mongolian and Uyghur. The order issued

By NICK PERRY Associated Press WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Fiji has welcomed back its first tourists in more than 600 days after pushing ahead with reopening plans despite the threat posed by the newly detected omicron variant of the coronavirus. The Pacific nation is famed for its idyllic white-sand beaches and relaxed, welcoming attitude.

By BRIAN MELLEY Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — A lawyer for the state of California defended the constitutionality of the nation’s first law requiring women on corporate boards as necessary to reverse a culture of discrimination that favors men. In opening statements Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, a deputy attorney general said the

By MICHAEL R. BLOOD Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — A proposed oil pipeline in California that could allow ExxonMobil to resume production at three offshore platforms is expected to enter a critical phase of its government review next year. The $300 million project by Houston-based Plains All American Pipeline would replace a line near

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Authorities say a police officer in Arizona has been fired after he was accused of fatally shooting a shoplifting suspect who was in a motorized wheelchair and armed with a knife. Police announced at a news conference Tuesday that Tucson Officer Ryan Remington was being terminated for excessive use of force

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A former Southwest Airlines employee is being sentenced to six months in prison after pleading guilty to possessing stolen guns. Federal prosecutors said Tuesday that Mark Hunter of St. Louis admitted to the thefts. After a passenger traveling through the St. Louis airport reported a pistol being stolen from his luggage,

By PAUL J. WEBER Associated Press AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Regulators of Texas’ oil and gas industry that buckled during February’s deadly freeze are moving to make operators better prepared for cold weather. But new rules passed Tuesday won’t come in time for winter as the nation’s power grid monitor warns the state is still

By DAVID BAUDER AP Media Writer NEW YORK (AP) — CNN says it is suspending anchor Chris Cuomo indefinitely pending a further review of documents revealing how he helped his brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, when he was facing charges of sexual harassment. The network said transcripts released by New York’s attorney general

By WAYNE PARRY Associated Press ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Eighty-six gamblers in New Jersey thought they’d found the Holy Grail of sports betting: being able to bet on a game that had already ended. But their bets and the $15,000 they collectively won betting on a British soccer game that was already over were

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE AP Technology Writer SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — One-time entrepreneur Elizabeth Holmes on Tuesday struggled to recall key events that led to her being charged with fraud as CEO of the failed blood-testing startup Theranos. The day’s questioning followed on the heels of Monday testimony in which Holmes shared painfully vivid memories

The Associated Press Wall Street’s losses deepened on Tuesday after the head of the Federal Reserve said it will consider shutting off its support for financial markets sooner than expected. Major indexes started the day lower amid amid worries that the omicron variant would hit the global economy. Losses accelerated after Fed Chair Jerome Powell

By BRIAN MELLEY Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — California’s first-in-the-nation law requiring women on corporate boards is being challenged in court this week on constitutional grounds. A trial begins Wednesday in a lawsuit filed by the conservative group Judicial Watch. The lawsuit claims that the law violates the equal protection clause of the California

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks that traded heavily or had substantial price changes Tuesday: R.R. Donnelley, Lithia Motors rise; Intuit, Moderna fall

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

By DON THOMPSON Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld California’s ban on high-capacity magazines in a split decision that may be headed for the U.S. Supreme Court. The San Francisco-based panel acted Tuesday after two appellate judges on the court last year ruled

By JOHN FLESHER AP Environmental Writer Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is abandoning a lawsuit aimed at shutting down an oil pipeline that runs through part of the Great Lakes. But she says the state will continue pursuing a separate case with the same goal. Michigan and Enbridge Energy sued each other last year over the

By DON THOMPSON Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California corrections officials have begun limiting medical parole only to inmates so ill they are on ventilators. They are citing a federal rule change as the reason inmates who are quadriplegic or have other severe permanent disabilities no longer can be placed in nursing homes. An

By GEOFF MULVIHILL Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Lawyers for a handful of states say members of the Sackler family who own OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma are abusing the bankruptcy process. They asked a federal judge Tuesday in New York to throw out a settlement between the company and thousands of other government entities

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A jury has convicted the former dean of Temple University’s business school on charges related to a scheme to falsely boost the school’s rankings. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports the jury deliberated for less than an hour Monday before deciding 74-year-old Moshe Porat was guilty of federal conspiracy and wire fraud charges. Porat

By EMILY HAYNES of The Chronicle of Philanthropy Chronicle of Philanthropy GivingTuesday, the annual fundraising blitz on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, turns 10 this year. What began as a social-media hashtag to counter aggressive consumer advertising campaigns with appeals for charitable giving has now grown into a juggernaut. Charities raised an estimated $2.47 billion from

By SYLVIA HUI Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Britain says it will offer all adults a booster dose of vaccine within two months to bolster the nation’s immunity as the new omicron variant of the coronavirus spreads. New measures to combat variant came into force in England on Tuesday, with face coverings again compulsory in

By CATHY BUSSEWITZ and MARTHA IRVINE Associated Press ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Next to a North Texas day care center is a site where Total Energies is pumping for natural gas. The French energy giant wants to drill three new wells on the property next to the center, which serves mainly Black and Latino children.

By JOSH BOAK Associated Press ROSEMOUNT, Minn. (AP) — President Joe Biden on Tuesday went to Minnesota to  pitch his completed infrastructure deal an a giant social spending bill that he’s still trying to get passed, but also found himself reassuring the nation he would fight the evolving COVID-19 threat without resorting to “shutdowns and

German investigators have searched offices of accountancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers and the homes of current and former employees in a probe of alleged tax evasion by tax advisers. Prosecutors said Tuesday that the investigation centers on an alleged scheme used between 2012 and 2017 by the suspects, ages 50 to 67, to inaccurately declare revenue from

By MARTIN CRUTSINGER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. consumer confidence fell to a nine-month low in November, held back by rising worries about inflation and lingering concerns about the coronavirus. The Conference Board reported Tuesday that its consumer confidence index dropped to a reading of 109.5, down from 111.6 in October. It was

By HALELUYA HADERO AP Business Writer As supply chain bottlenecks create shortages on many items, some charities are struggling to secure holiday gift wishes from kids in need. They’re reporting they can’t find enough items in stock, or are facing shipping delays both in receiving and distributing the gifts. The founder of the organization One

BERLIN (AP) — Automakers Mercedes-Benz and Stellantis have announced agreements with U.S. company Factorial Energy to help develop solid state battery technology. Mercedes-Benz, which is part of Daimler AG, said it is joining forces with Factorial to jointly develop batteries with the aim of testing prototype cells as early as next year. It said it

By SAMUEL PETREQUIN Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union will unveil a multibillion-euro plan aimed at bolstering the 27-nation bloc’s worldwide infrastructure and influence. The program to be revealed Wednesday is expected to mobilize up to 300 billion euros in public and private funds by 2027. Although the European Commission doesn’t present the

By MATTHEW PERRONE AP Health Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. health advisers have endorsed an antiviral drug from Merck to treat COVID-19. It sets the stage for an expected authorization of the first pill that Americans could take at home for the coronavirus. The Food and Drug Administration panel voted that the drug’s benefits in

By PAUL WISEMAN AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. home prices rose briskly in September, another sign that the housing market is booming in the aftermath of last year’s coronavirus recession.  The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller 20-city home price climbed 19.1% in September from a year earlier. The strong price gains marked a deceleration from

NEW DELHI (AP) — India has reported that its economy grew at an 8.4% annual pace in the July-September quarter in the latest sign of an economic recovery in Asia’s third-largest economy. India suffered one of the biggest setbacks among major economies this year with the pandemic. Growth in the April-June quarter jumped 20%, the

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece says residents over 60 will have to undergo mandatory vaccinations against COVID-19 or face monthly 100-euro ($114) fine beginning next year. The country’s first general inoculation mandate was announced Tuesday in response to a surge in cases and the emergence of the new omicron variant.  Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said

BERLIN (AP) — German investigators say 14 suspects have been arrested in an investigation of a gang accused of bringing nearly five metric tons (5.5 U.S. tons) of cocaine from South America to Germany. German police said the investigation that led to Tuesday’s arrest was triggered by the seizure in a shipping container in Santos,

By VANESSA GERA Associated Press WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland says consumer prices have risen 7.7% over the past year, the highest inflation rate in 20 years and a larger jump than economists had predicted. The November number released Tuesday is evidence that inflation is accelerating even faster than had been expected in the largest

MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — An Alabama woman who says she was falsely arrested for shoplifting at a Walmart and then threatened by the company after her case was dismissed has been awarded $2.1 million in damages. A Mobile County jury on Monday ruled in favor of Lesleigh Nurse of Semmes. AL.com reports her lawsuit said

By AMRITA JAYAKUMAR of NerdWallet If your finances are in better shape this giving season, you can be more strategic with your dollars. The same causes you felt strongly about last year may not be on your priority list now. Start by writing down the top two or three issues that matter most to you

MADRID (AP) — Spanish fashion giant Inditex says the founder’s daughter has been named as the next chairperson of the company that owns Zara, Massimo Dutti and other clothing chains. Inditex said Tuesday that its board of directors named Marta Ortega to replace Pablo Isla, who has led the company since founder Amancio Ortega stepped

By DÁNICA COTO Associated Press SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Barbados has stopped pledging allegiance to Queen Elizabeth II as it shed another vestige of its colonial past and became a republic for the first time in history. Several leaders, dignitaries and artists, including Prince Charles and Rihanna, attended a ceremony that stretched into

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The head of Britain’s foreign intelligence agency says China, Russia and Iran pose three of the biggest threats facing the U.K. in a fast-changing, unstable world. MI6 chief Richard Moore says the three countries and international terrorism make up the “big four” security issues confronting Britain’s spies.

COPENHAGEN, Denmark. (AP) — Sweden’s first female prime minister has presented her one-party center-left minority government with only a few changes compared to her previous Cabinet. Magdalena Andersson had been Sweden’s finance minister and she picked Mikael Damberg, the previous home affairs minister, to replace her in that role Tuesday. Andersson is the leader of

By KELVIN CHAN AP Business Writer LONDON (AP) — The United Kingdom’s antitrust watchdog has blocked Facebook’s acquisition of Giphy and ordered the social network to sell off the GIF-sharing platform. It said Tuesday that the deal hurts social media users and advertisers by stifling competition for animated images. The Competition and Markets Authority says

By PAN PYLAS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — British airline easyJet says it’s already seeing some impact on demand from the new omicron variant of the coronavirus in the days since it was first identified. The airline also revealed another full-year loss in excess of 1 billion pounds Tuesday. It says it’s seen signs that

By PAN PYLAS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Official figures show that consumer prices across the 19 countries that use the euro currency are rising at a record rate. The European Union’s statistics agency said Tuesday that the eurozone’s annual inflation rate hit 4.9% in November, largely as a result of a huge spike in

By GEIR MOULSON and FRANK JORDANS Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s next chancellor says he will back a proposal to mandate coronavirus vaccinations for everybody next year. But he said Tuesday that lawmakers should be free to vote according to their conscience on the issue. Center-left leader Olaf Scholz is expected to take office

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares are mixed amid nervous trading due to worries over the newest coronavirus variant. Japan’s benchmark gyrated after the opening and is higher in morning trading. Shares jumped in South Korea, while falling in Australia. Hong Kong shares rose, while those in Shanghai were little

By CATHY BUSSEWITZ and MARTHA IRVINE Associated Press ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Next to a North Texas day care center is a site where Total Energies is pumping for natural gas. The French energy giant wants to drill three new wells on the property next to the center, which serves mainly Black and Latino children.

By CATHY BUSSEWITZ and MARTHA IRVINE Associated Press ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Next to a North Texas day care center is a site where Total Energies is pumping for natural gas. The French energy giant wants to drill three new wells on the property next to the center, which serves mainly Black and Latino children.

BEIJING (AP) — A survey shows China’s manufacturing activity rebounded in November as orders improved and power shortages eased. An industry group and the national statistics agency said a monthly purchasing managers’ index rose to 50.1 from October’s 49.2 on a 100-point scale. The index spent the previous two months below 50, which shows activity

By CHRISTOPHER WEBER Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — Enforcement began in Los Angeles for one of the strictest vaccine mandates in the country. It’s a sweeping measure that requires proof of shots for everyone entering a wide variety of businesses from restaurants to theaters and gyms to nail and hair salons. While the latest

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE AP Technology Writer SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Disgraced entrepreneur Elizabeth Holmes on Monday cast herself as the abused puppet of her former lover and business partner Sunny Balwani during tearful testimony aimed at refuting accusations she lied about a flawed blood-testing technology that hailed as a major breakthrough. While founding Theranos

LONDON (AP) — The head of Britain’s foreign intelligence agency says U.K. spies must give up some of their deep-rooted secrecy and seek help from tech firms to combat fast-moving cyber threats. MI6 chief Richard Moore says the agency has to “become more open to stay secret” in a world of destabilizing technological change. Moore

By BARBARA ORTUTAY AP Technology Writer Newly named Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal (PUH-rag AH-gur-wahl) has emerged from behind the scenes to take over one of Silicon Valley’s highest-profile and politically volatile jobs. But his prior lack of name recognition coupled with a solid technical background appears to be what some big company backers were looking

By HALELUYA HADERO AP Business Writer In the past 10 years, charities have made splashy fundraising appeals and raked in billions in donations on GivingTuesday, which takes place the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving. Last year, American donors gave nearly $2.5 billion amid growing needs brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and the nation’s racial reckoning.

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell took a sharp and unexpected turn Tuesday toward tightening credit for consumers and businesses in the face of mounting concerns about high inflation. Powell signaled that the Fed will likely act more quickly to phase out its ultra-low-interest rate policies even

The Associated Press The stock market steadied itself Monday following a slide last week brought on by the newest coronavirus variant. Investors are waiting for more clues about just how much damage the new strain may do to the economy. The S&P 500 recovered more than half its drop from Friday. Bond yields and crude

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks that traded heavily or had substantial price changes Monday: Hertz, Lee Enterprises rise; Walmart, Peloton fall.

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO AP Retail Writer NEW YORK (AP) — A new union election for Amazon workers in Bessemer, Alabama, will be held based on objections to the first vote that took place in April. The move is a major blow to Amazon, which had spent about a year aggressively campaigning for warehouse workers in

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

By MIKE CORDER Associated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Dutch military police have arrested a husband and wife who left a hotel where they were being quarantined after testing positive for COVID-19 and boarded a plane bound for Spain. A spokeswoman for the local security region that covers Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport said Monday that

By ARITZ PARRA and HELENA ALVES Associated Press LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Portuguese health authorities have identified 13 cases of the omicron coronavirus variant among members of a top soccer club, and were investigating possible local transmission of the virus outside of southern Africa. The Ricardo Jorge National Health Institute said that one of those

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO AP Retail Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Americans are spending freely and going back to store shopping, knocking out some of the momentum in online sales from last year when Americans were making many of their purchases exclusively via the internet. Shopper traffic roared back on Black Friday, but it was still

By FRANK JORDANS Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — Chancellor Angela Merkel will hold talks with the governors of Germany’s 16 states amid growing concern about the steep rise in new coronavirus cases in the country. The video call between Merkel and the governors will take place Tuesday after Germany’s highest court rules on complaints filed

By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer PITTSBURGH (AP) — Fenway Sports Group has reached an agreement with the Pittsburgh Penguins that would give the conglomerate controlling interest in one of the NHL’s marquee franchises. The Penguins announced the two sides have come to terms on a deal, which will need to be approved by the

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Scotland’s leader says she will renew her push for independence from the United Kingdom next year with the aim of holding a referendum on secession in 2023. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Monday that the independence campaign “will resume in earnest” in spring 2022 “COVID permitting.” She

By BARBARA ORTUTAY, MICHELLE CHAPMAN and TALI ARBEL AP Business Writers Jack Dorsey is leaving his post as Twitter’s chief executive. It’s the second time in his career that he’s stepped down from the job. This time he says it’s by choice. Dorsey offered no specific reasons for his resignation Monday beyond an abstract argument

ISTANBUL (AP) — A powerful storm has pounded Istanbul and other parts of Turkey, killing at least four people and causing havoc in the city of 15 million people. The state-run Anadolu Agency reported that one of the victims was a woman who was killed after strong gusts tore off part of a roof which

By JAMEY KEATEN and MARIA CHENG Associated Press GENEVA (AP) — The World Health Organization says it could still take some time to get a full picture of the threat posed by omicron, a new variant of the coronavirus as scientists worldwide scramble to assess its multiple mutations. Stock markets swooned, some public gatherings got

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he plans to pay a return visit to the United Arab Emirates in February. The two countries are trying to put years of tense relations behind them. Erdogan made the comments late Sunday on his return from a trip to Turkmenistan. Abu Dhabi’s powerful

By LIZ WESTON of NerdWallet We’re living longer on average, but the number of years we’re healthy hasn’t kept up. The result is what actuaries call a “health span gap,” or years and sometimes decades spent living with disabilities. If you want to maximize the number of healthy years you have both before and after

BERLIN (AP) — About 3.5 million state-level employees and civil servants in Germany will receive a 2.8% raise and a tax-free COVID-19 bonus of about $1,470 next year. The agreement announced by two unions Monday also will see higher raises and hazard pay for workers in some medical and care professions and a tax-free bonus

MILAN (AP) — The carmaker Stellantis says it’s secured a five-year supply of battery-grade lithium hydroxide in Europe supporting its plans to convert to 98% electrified vehicles by 2025. The car company that combined PSA Peugeot and Fiat Chrysler said Monday that is signed a binding agreement with Vulcan Energy Resources Ltd. in Germany. It

By PAN PYLAS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Britain is extending its COVID-19 booster vaccine program to millions more people as part of efforts to tackle the spread of the new omicron variant, which is feared to be more contagious and vaccine resistant. The British government said Monday that it would accept in full the

LONDON (AP) — Dozens of customers who stopped for a drink at Britain’s highest pub are getting a longer stay than they bargained for after the building was cut off by a blizzard. Sixty-one people woke up Monday after their third night at the Tan Hill Inn in the Yorkshire Dales about 270 miles (435

By JAMEY KEATEN Associated Press GENEVA (AP) — The World Health Organization is pushing for an international accord to help prevent and fight future pandemics amid the emergence of a worrying new omicron COVID-19 variant. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also said Monday that many uncertainties remain about just how transmissible and severe infection by