AP National Business

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 YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares are mostly higher amid nervous trading due to worries over the newest coronavirus variant. Benchmarks rose in Japan, South Korea and China, but fell slightly in Australia. Wall Street’s losses deepened Tuesday after the head of the Federal Reserve said it will consider shutting

By MARCY GORDON AP Business Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. lawmakers are putting forward proposals to curb social media giants by limiting their free-speech protections against legal liability. Their efforts are coming after a former Facebook product manager presented a case that the company’s systems amplify online hate and extremism and fail to protect young

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) — When California’s former Gov. Jerry Brown signed the nation’s first law requiring women on boards of publicly traded companies three years ago, he suggested it might not survive legal challenges. On Wednesday a judge begins hearing evidence of whether the law violates the equal protection clause

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

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

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

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Authorities say a Tucson police officer 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 Officer Ryan Remington was being terminated for excessive use of force as the

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 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 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 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