AP National Business

By CHRISTINA LARSON AP Science Writer The weekend oil leak along the Southern California coast happened not far from the site of the catastrophe more than a generation ago that helped give rise to the modern environmental movement itself: the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill. That still ranks in the top tier of human-caused disasters

By SARAH RANKIN Associated Press RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A medical glove manufacturing facility promising to employ nearly 2,500 people is coming to southwest Virginia. Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam made the announcement Monday, calling it a transformational, generational opportunity. Two companies have formed a joint venture that plans to invest $714 million to create a

By JENNIFER PELTZ Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A court has set a Dec. 23 deadline for former President Donald Trump to undergo questioning in a former “Apprentice” contestant’s defamation lawsuit over what he said in denying her sexual assault allegations. Lawyers for Summer Zervos and Trump discussed the case during a Manhattan court

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — The British government says all the country’s electricity will come from renewable sources by 2035,  a move that will help end the country’s reliance on imported fuel. Business and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said “the only way to strengthen Britain’s energy security is zero carbon power that is generated in this

By FRANK BAJAK and BARBARA ORTUTAY Associated Press Facebook and its Instagram and WhatsApp platforms are back online after a massive global outage plunged the services and the businesses and people who rely on them into chaos for hours. Facebook said late Monday that “the root cause of this outage was a faulty configuration change”

MADRID (AP) — Authorities on the Spanish island of La Palma say they are tightening their surveillance of an erupting volcano after part of the crater collapsed and unleashed a cascade of more liquid and faster-moving lava. One official said Monday that the crater was “like a dam.” Fiery molten rock poured out from a

By MICHAEL CASEY Associated Press The Treasury Department has announced plans to start reallocating rental assistance money in a bid to get more cash into the hands of families facing eviction. The details released Monday follows the slow pace of distribution in many parts of the country. A little more than 16.5% of the tens

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A powerful Philadelphia labor leader has gone on trial two years after a lengthy indictment put him at the center of a sweeping corruption case. The charges against Johnny Dougherty are being split into at least two trials. In the case starting Monday, the boss known as “Doc” is accused of keeping

AMSTERDAM (AP) — The European Union’s drug regulator has given its backing to booster shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for people 18 and older. The European Medicines Agency said the booster doses “may be considered at least 6 months after the second dose for people aged 18 years and older.” The agency also said

By KELVIN CHAN AP Business Writer LONDON (AP) — Swedish automaker Volvo plans to raise at least 25 billion kroner ($2.9 billion) by selling shares to fund its electric vehicle transformation strategy. Volvo said Monday that it applied with its parent company, Chinese carmaker Geely, to hold an initial public offering on the Nasdaq Stockholm.

By STEFANIE DAZIO and CHRISTOPHER WEBER Associated Press HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Officials investigating one of California’s largest oil spills are looking into whether a ship’s anchor may have struck a pipeline on the ocean floor, causing a major leak of crude. The head of the company that operates the pipeline said Monday that

By ALEKSANDAR FURTULA and FRANK JORDANS Associated Press WERLTE, Germany (AP) — German officials have unveiled what they say is the world’s first commercial plant for making synthetic kerosene as part of an effort to reduce the climate impact of flying. The facility near Germany’s northwestern border with the Netherlands will use water and electricity

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court says it will not get involved in a lawsuit over a disputed Pentagon cloud computing contract, a decision that follows the contract’s cancellation earlier this year. The case was one of hundreds the high court said it would not hear Monday. The Pentagon in July announced it was canceling

By DANICA KIRKA Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The U.K. says it will seek to regularly expand new international travel rules to more countries as a simplified travel regime took effect Monday. The U.K. has eased quarantine and testing requirements for fully vaccinated travelers from more than 50 countries. But the rules have sparked anger

By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN Associated Press COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — The estate of Henrietta Lacks sued a biotechnology company on Monday, saying it’s been selling her cervical cells without her knowledge or consent. The cells were taken by doctors at Johns Hopkins from the terminally ill Black woman in 1951, and grown in the lab

By DAVID BAUDER AP Media Writer NEW YORK (AP) — With an expansion and relaunch Monday, the Scripps Networks service Newsy is betting that consumers have an interest in more news and less political talk. Newsy has been primarily seen online and through streaming services but is debuting a free, over-the-air television service with the

DETROIT (AP) — U.S. automobile safety regulators have denied petition seeking an investigation into Tesla software updates, saying it’s unlikely a probe would show there’s a safety defect. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Monday denied the 2019 petition, which alleged that over-the-internet software updates cut battery range in response to battery fires across

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press MANCHESTER, England (AP) — British Treasury chief Rishi Sunak is promoising to deliver an economy based on “good work, better skills and higher wages.” He is shrugging off the U.K.’s economic turmoil as the growing pains of a thriving, self-reliant post-Brexit economy. Sunak touted the U.K.’s low unemployment rate of

By TALI ARBEL AP Technology Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Carlos Watson, the CEO of Ozy Media, says it was “premature” to shut down and that he wants to keep operating, despite a scandal-ridden week that exposed Ozy as a media company without much of an audience. The company emailed a statement Monday saying it

By MIKE CORDER Associated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A coalition of more than 20 environmental and climate activist groups has launched a campaign calling for a ban on fossil fuel advertising and sponsorship across the European Union, similar to bans on tobacco advertising. More than 80 Greenpeace activists blocked the entrance to Shell’s

By DAVID McHUGH and AAMER MADHANI Associated Press FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The world economy is thirsty for oil _ but OPEC is saying not so fast. The oil cartel and allied oil producing countries have stayed with their cautious approach to restoring oil production slashed during the pandemic, agreeing to add 400,000 barrels per

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece’s conservative government has revised its growth estimate upward for the second time in less than a month following signs of a faster than expected recovery. Growth is due to reach 6.1% in 2021 and 4.5% next year. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told a Cabinet meeting that would bring output

By MARK GILLISPIE Associated Press CLEVELAND (AP) — Jurors have heard opening statements in a federal court trial to determine whether retail pharmacy chains created a public nuisance in how they dispensed addictive painkillers in two Ohio counties. Lake and Trumbull counties outside Cleveland say the cost of abating the ongoing crisis is $1 billion

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Japan is focusing on its neighbors in Asia as it hopes to take a leadership role in the growing push to reduce emissions, having earmarked $10 billion to help the region speed up the move away from fossil fuels. The economy and industry ministry hosted the

LONDON (AP) — Police arrested at least 38 more environmental protesters for causing more traffic misery in London during Monday’s morning rush hour after blocking a string of major routes. The protesters, who are pressuring the British government to insulate all homes within a decade, have for weeks blocked roads in and around the capital.

By LIZ WESTON of NerdWallet Gratitude can increase feelings of joy, hope and connectedness, leading to better physic al and mental health. Focusing on the things we have — rather than the ones we wish we had — may also help reduce things like economic impatience and resentment. When it comes to handling money, research

By EDNA TARIGAN Associated Press JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia plans to reopen the airport in the resort island of Bali for international flights on Oct. 14, after closing it for more than a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The maritime affairs and investment minister says the airport will open to international flight as

LONDON (AP) — British military personnel have begun delivering fuel to gas stations after a shortage of truck drivers disrupted supplies for more than a week. The crisis has led to long lines at the pumps as anxious drivers scrambled to fill their tanks. The government said about 200 service personnel were deployed Monday to

By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis and dozens of religious leaders are making a joint appeal to governments to commit to ambitious targets at the upcoming U.N. climate conference. Francis is hosting a daylong conference Monday at the Vatican that climaxed with the signing and handover of the joint appeal to

By PAUL WISEMAN and MARCY GORDON AP Business Writers WASHINGTON (AP) — Calls are growing for an end to the financial secrecy and shell companies that have allowed many of the world’s richest and most powerful people to hide their wealth from tax collectors. The outcry came after a report published Sunday revealed the way

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Britain’s Brexit minister has threatened to trigger a contentious break clause in the U.K.’s divorce deal with the European Union. Such a move that would send the U.K.’s already chilly relations with its huge neighbor into a deep freeze. David Frost told a gathering of the

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer Shares have fallen in Asia after a broad slide on Wall Street led by technology companies. Tokyo’s Nikkei dropped 3%, while oil prices edged higher. China-U.S. tensions regained attention after U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said she plans frank conversations with officials in Beijing about an interim trade deal

By NICK PERRY Associated Press WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand’s government has acknowledged what most other countries did long ago: It can no longer completely get rid of the coronavirus. Since early in the pandemic, New Zealand had pursued an unusual zero-tolerance approach to the virus through strict lockdowns and aggressive contact tracing.

By LISA MASCARO AP Congressional Correspondent WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi likes to say the Democrats’ diversity is its strength and unity is its power. But the party’s diversity of opinions is pulling apart President Joe Biden’s expansive federal government overhaul. And it’s going to take full-scale party unity to get it over

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer Asian markets are mixed, with Hong Kong’s benchmark down more than 2% after troubled property developer China Evergrande’s shares were suspended from trading. The company’s filing did not say why, but a Chinese financial news service said another developer planned to acquire Evergrande’s property management unit. Wall Street rebounded

The Associated Press PepsiCo serves up its third-quarter results Tuesday. The Federal Reserve issues its latest monthly tally of U.S. consumer borrowing Thursday. The Labor Department reports its September snapshot of hiring by nonfarm employers Friday.

By ALICE FUNG and HUIZHONG WU Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — Shares in troubled real estate developer China Evergrande Group and its property management unit Evergrande Property Services have been suspended from trading in Hong Kong. Cailian, a Chinese online news service affiliated with the state-run newspaper Securities Times, said another developer plans to

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Newly elected Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida says he will dissolve the lower house next week in preparation for Oct. 31 elections as he seeks a fresh mandate to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, the sagging economy and security threats from China and North Korea. Kishida was

By DAVID BAUDER and MICHAEL LIEDTKE Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Facebook prematurely turned off safeguards designed to thwart misinformation and rabble rousing after Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump in last year’s elections in a moneymaking move that a company whistleblower alleges contributed to the deadly Jan. 6 invasion of the U.S. Capitol. The

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE and JONATHAN MATTISE Associated Press Hundreds of world leaders, powerful politicians, billionaires, celebrities, religious leaders and drug dealers have been hiding their investments in mansions, exclusive beachfront property, yachts and other assets for the past quarter-century. The findings are based on a review of nearly 12 million files obtained from 14 different

BERLIN (AP) — The Austrian government says it will introduce a new carbon tax from July 1, 2022, and will return that money to residents in the form of a “climate bonus.” Starting next year, Austrians will have to pay almost $35 per ton of CO2 — a cost that’s likely to be added to

By SAMUEL PETREQUIN and JEROME PUGMIRE AP Sports Writers PARIS (AP) — Bernard Tapie, the charismatic president of French soccer club Marseille during its glory era whose reign was marred by a match-fixing scandal, has died. He was 78. Marseille announced Tapie’s death on its Twitter page. Marseille “learned with a great sadness the passing

By DÁNICA COTO Associated Press SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Not a single hurricane has hit Puerto Rico this year, but hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. territory feel like they’re living in the aftermath of a major storm: Students do homework by the light of dying cellphones. People who depend on

By VANESSA GERA Associated Press WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Police in Poland have confiscated the computer equipment of a journalist working for a leading newspaper that has carried out investigations of the country’s right-wing government. The raid on Saturday comes as critics of the government accuse it of seeking to erode media freedom, with the

By WILL WEISSERT Associated Press BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) — Congressional Democrats are going bigger than ever on the environment, with a spending package they’re trying to muscle through. President Joe Biden has traveled the country sounding the alarm, blaming a warming planet for devastation from wildfire-ravaged California to hurricane-battered New York and warning of a

JERUSALEM (AP) — An EgyptAir jet has landed in Tel Aviv, making the first official direct flight by the Egyptian national carrier since the two countries signed an historic 1979 peace treaty. The plane landed at Ben Gurion International airport in Tel Aviv on Sunday. The airline’s affiliate, AirSinai, has for decades operated flights to

By JOE McDONALD and ZEN SOO AP Business Writers BEIJING (AP) — After flourishing for two decades with little regulation, China’s internet industries face a future of tighter control by the ruling Communist Party and pressure to pay for its tech ambitions, social welfare and propaganda. E-commerce platform Alibaba, games and social media operator Tencent

By FRANCES D’EMILIO Associated Press ROME (AP) — Millions of people are voting in Italy for new mayors including in the nation’s main cities. The balloting on Sunday and Monday is widely seen as a test of possibly shifting political alliances as leaders gear up for national elections. Ballots will be opened after voting ends

By ISABEL DEBRE Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Dubai’s Expo 2020 has acknowledged for the first time that three workers died from the coronavirus over the course of building the world’s fair during the pandemic, as the prestigious event draws scrutiny of labor conditions in the United Arab Emirates. When asked at

By RODNEY MUHUMUZA Associated Press GULU, Uganda (AP) — The remote Ugandan district of Gulu is currently a COVID-19 hot spot in the East African country. There are repeated and sudden power failures that plague the vaccine storage unit. That adds to the logistical challenges facing efforts to ramp up vaccination across the country. Officials

By MARK THIESSEN Associated Press ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska has activated emergency crisis protocols that allow 20 health care facilities to ration care if needed. Saturday’s declaration comes as the state has recorded the nation’s worst COVID-19 diagnosis rates in the U.S. in recent days, straining the state’s limited health care system. The declaration

Associated Press YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (AP) — A century-old building originally used as a laundry by Chinese workers at Yosemite’s iconic hotel has been restored and turned into a visitor’s attraction. The Chinese Laundry Building was unveiled Friday, recognizing Chinese Americans’ contributions to the early history of the national park. New exhibits inside tell

NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump wants a federal judge in Florida to force Twitter to restore his account, which the company suspended in January following the deadly storming of the U.S. Capitol.  Trump’s attorneys on Friday filed a motion in Miami federal court for a preliminary injunction against Twitter and its CEO

PALO ALTO, Calif. (AP) — Tesla says it delivered 241,300 electric vehicles in the third quarter even as it wrestled with a global shortage of computer chips that has hit the entire auto industry. The Palo Alto, California, company’s sales from July through September beat Wall Street estimates. Third-quarter sales rose 72% over the 140,000

By THOMAS ADAMSON AP Fashion Writer PARIS (AP) — As weary fashionistas made it to the final sprint of Paris Fashion Week’s 96 physical and digital spring-summer shows, Saturday’s runways provided the spark to keep the energy going despite the rain and gray skies. Some of the world’s top designers channeled humor, bright colors, innovative

By NATHAN HOWARD and GILLIAN FLACCUS Associated Press STEVENS VILLAGE, Alaska (AP) — Two salmon species have all but disappeared from Alaska’s Yukon River this year, prompting the state to shut down fishing in an effort to save them. The ban on salmon harvests has created desperation in tribal communities that stockpile the migratory fish

By PAN PYLAS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — An American private equity group has narrowly won the battle to buy British supermarket chain Morrisons following a dramatic auction for the company. Britain’s Takeover Panel said Saturday that New York-based Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R)  offered 287 pence for each Morrisons share, just a penny more

By MARK GILLISPIE Associated Press CLEVELAND (AP) — A bellwether trial is set to start Monday in federal court in Cleveland to determine whether retail pharmacy chains are liable for costs related to the opioid crisis in two Ohio counties. Lake and Trumbull counties have sued CVS, Walgreens, Walmart and Giant Eagle, claiming the companies

By KELLI KENNEDY Associated Press MIAMI (AP) — Miami Beach wants to turn down the volume in the city’s South Beach party neighborhood. Officials cite increasingly raucous crowds, public drinking and growing violence. But efforts to curb the carousing have raised complaints about racism, classism and business practices along one of the nation’s most glamorous

By PAN PYLAS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The British government has extended an emergency visa program for truck drivers as fuel shortages frustrate motorists lining up at empty pumps. The Conservative government said late Friday that temporary visas for nearly 5,000 foreign truck drivers it hoped to recruit would run into 2022 instead of

By ISABEL DEBRE Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Dubai’s Expo 2020 has offered conflicting figures for how many workers had been killed on site during construction of the massive world’s fair, first saying five and then later three. Expo refused for months to publicly provide any figures for construction-related casualties in the

By LISA MASCARO and ZEKE MILLER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is acknowledging frustrations as Democrats strain to rescue a scaled-back version of his $3.5 trillion government-overhaul plan and salvage a related public works bill. The president told reporters on Saturday, “Everybody is frustrated. That’s part of being in government.” Days of

By MEAD GRUVER Associated Press CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — Prosecutors in Wyoming are evaluating whether to file criminal charges against officials at a public library for stocking books some say are obscene in sections for children and teenagers. The five nonfiction books in the library in Gillette involve sex education and LGBTQ issues. Hugh and

SEATTLE (AP) — Alaska Air Group has told its 22,000 employees they will be required to get a COVID-19 vaccination. The Seattle Times reports there are some exceptions to the policy, which has shifted since last month. The Seattle-based company said in an email to all Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air employees that they will

By TALI ARBEL AP Technology Writer Ozy is shutting down less than a week after a New York Times column raised questions about the media organization’s claims of millions of viewers and readers, while also pointing out a potential case of securities fraud. The story triggered canceled shows, an internal investigation, investor concern and high-level

By SCOTT SONNER Associated Press RENO, Nev. (AP) — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing endangered species listing for a desert wildflower that’s only known to exist on a remote ridge in western Nevada where an Australian company plans a lithium mine at the center of a legal battle. The agency issued a

By DAVID KOENIG AP Airlines Writer American Airlines, Alaska Airlines and JetBlue will require employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19. That’s happening as the Biden administration steps up pressure on airlines to adopt vaccine mandates. A key White House adviser talked about the matter with the CEOs of American, Delta and Southwest, according to people

PAUL DAVENPORT CHANDLER, Ariz. (AP) — Officials in Arizona say two people are dead after their helicopter crashed following a mid-air collision with a single-engine plane outside a suburban Phoenix airport. Chandler police say the collision happened Friday morning near Chandler Municipal Airport. The plane was able to land safely, and the flight instructor and

By JANET McCONNAUGHEY Associated Press NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A synthetic rubber manufacturer in southwest Louisiana has agreed to pay $4 million and make numerous improvements to settle a long list of air pollution complaints. The consent decree with Firestone Polymers LLC, of Sulphur was made public Thursday. In April, nine companies including Firestone had

Stocks that traded heavily or had substantial price changes Friday: Merck, IFF rise; Lordstown Motors, PDC Energy fall

By TOM KRISHER AP Auto Writer DETROIT (AP) — U.S. new vehicle sales tumbled about 26% in September as a global shortage of computer chips worsened, shuttering factories and limiting the selection on dealer lots. Edmunds.com said automakers sold just over 1 million new vehicles last month. With strong demand, that has forced up prices,

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

By KAREN MATTHEWS and JENNIFER PELTZ Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — An environmental lawyer who waged a years-long campaign against Chevron over pollution in Ecuador has been sentenced to six months in jail for violating a federal judge’s orders. U.S. District Judge Loretta A. Preska said Friday that Steven Donziger’s commitment to his Ecuadorian

By KEN RITTER Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — People who are healing and some still struggling are gathering to remember those who died and were injured during the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history four years ago on the Las Vegas Strip. At a sunrise ceremony Friday, speaker Dee Ann Hyatt told several

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico wants to declare lithium a “strategic mineral” and reserve any future exploration and mining for the government. The changes are contained in a bill that President Andrés Manuel López Obrador sent to congress. The bill also changes the Constitution to give the government control over electricity production and distribution. The

By JUSTIN SPIKE Associated Press BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — A lack of answers from Hungary’s government about alleged spying on journalists, politicians and business figures has raised questions for a fact-finding committee of the European Union’s legislature. The head of the European Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs said Friday that her

By JOSEPH PISANI AP Retail Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon is settling with two former tech workers who accused the company of illegally firing them last year for speaking out against the company.  The former employees, Emily Cunningham and Maren Costa, publicly criticized the Seattle-based company and pushed Amazon to better protect warehouse workers

MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — An Alabama woman has filed suit claiming a hospital’s response to a cyberattack led to the death of her infant daughter. The lawsuit by Teiranni Kidd contends Springhill Medical Center in Mobile was deep in the midst of a ransomware attack when Nicko Silar was born on July 17, 2019. It

By DAVID McHUGH AP Business Writer FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Daimler’s truck and luxury car businesses are going their separate ways. Daimler AG shareholders made the decision at an extraordinary meeting on Friday. The move gives the separate businesses the freedom to pursue different technologies as the push toward zero emission vehicles transforms the industry.

By MARTIN CRUTSINGER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. manufacturing growth accelerated in September to the highest level since May despite supply chain problems. The Institute for Supply Management, a trade group of purchasing managers, said Friday that its index of manufacturing activity rose to a reading of 61.1 percent in September, 1.2 percentage

JIM GOMEZ Associated Press MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippine president says he will prohibit Cabinet officials from attending an ongoing Senate inquiry on suspected irregularities in massive government purchases of medical supplies in a brewing constitutional crisis. President Rodrigo Duterte accused critical senators of using the televised hearings to gain political mileage ahead of

By HALELUYA HADERO AP Business Writer Philanthropies are pouring millions into programs aimed at persuading Americans to get vaccinated for COVID-19. The money is being spent on community-based organizations, local social media influencers and other things aiming to dispel myths and misinformation. The Helmsley Charitable Trust, the charity established by the late hotel magnate Leona

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER and DAVID McHUGH AP Writers WASHINGTON (AP) — Inflation has reached new highs in the United States and Europe, as rising energy prices and supply bottlenecks have restrained the economic recoveries from the pandemic in both economies. In the U.S., a Commerce Department report Friday showed that prices rose 4.3% in August

A group of more than 20 current and former employees are accusing Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin spaceflight company of being a toxic work environment and not following proper safety protocols. The workers claim in an essay that there’s sexism at the company. The employees, led by former head of Blue Origin employee communications Alexandra Abrams,

By BASSEM MROUE Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — A Turkish company supplying electricity to Lebanon from two power barges off the coast of Beirut says it’s halted supplies after its contract with the Lebanese state electricity company expired. Lebanon is grappling with an economic meltdown that includes fuel and power shortages. Blackouts last up to

BERLIN (AP) — Environmentalists have chained themselves to giant excavators in an effort to halt the expansion of a vast open-pit coal mine in western Germany. More than 20 climate activists clambered onto the diggers in the Garzweiler lignite mine early Friday. Eight have since been removed, police said. Garzweiler has become a focus of

By LORNE COOK Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union’s chief prosecutor is accusing Slovenia of interfering in the EU’s justice system and fears the 27-nation bloc’s budget may not be protected from fraud or corruption. The European Public Prosecutor’s Office began work in June with the aim of independently investigating crimes against the

By CHINEDU ASADU Associated Press LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari says he has directed that the ban on Twitter’s use in Africa’s most populous country be lifted but only if the social network meets some conditions, including Twitter’s registration and positive use in Nigeria. The ban which took effect on April 5

By MATTHEW PERRONE AP Health Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Drugmaker Merck says its experimental COVID-19 pill reduced hospitalizations and deaths by half in people recently infected with the coronavirus. That is potentially a leap forward in the global fight against the pandemic. The company said Friday it will soon ask health officials in the U.S.

By ROD McGUIRK Associated Press CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia has outlined plans to lift its pandemic ban on its vaccinated citizens traveling overseas from November. But no date has yet been set for welcoming international tourists back. Prime Minister Scott Morrison says travel restrictions that have trapped most Australians and permanent residents at home

By DAVID McHUGH AP Business Writer FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The European Union’s statistics agency says sharply higher oil and gas prices have helped push annual inflation in the 19 countries that use the euro to its highest in more than a decade. Eurostat reported Friday that inflation came in at 3.4% for September, up

By SAMUEL PETREQUIN Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — A round of free trade talks between the European Union and Australia has been postponed by one month following a dispute over the Australian government’s decision to cancel a multibillion-euro French submarine deal. The EU commission spokesperson in charge of trade said Friday that the delay doesn’t

By STAN CHOE AP Business Writer Stocks rebounded on Wall Street Friday but still ended with their worst weekly decline since February. The S&P 500 added 1.1%, led by companies that would benefit the most from a healthier economy. Airlines, hotels and companies hurt by restrictions on travel and other activities had some of the

By AYA BATRAWY and ISABEL DEBRE Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The Middle East’s first world’s fair has opened in Dubai, after eight years of planning and billions of dollars spent. The emirate hopes the months-long extravaganza that opened to the public on Friday will draw both visitors and global attention, and