AP National Business

WASHINGTON (AP) — Average long-term mortgage rates declined this week, with the benchmark 30-year loan slipping back below 3%. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reports that the average rate for a 30-year mortgage eased to 2.99% from 3.01% last week. The rate for a 15-year loan, a popular option for homeowners refinancing their mortgages, fell to

By MARTIN CRUTSINGER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The head of the International Monetary Fund says a report alleging she had a role in data-rigging at the World Bank when she was a top official there was not an accurate representation of events. The statement came a day after IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva

By DAMIAN J. TROISE and ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writers Stocks closed higher on Wall Street Thursday as investors welcomed progress in Congress’ standoff over extending the federal debt ceiling. A temporary extension will give lawmakers more time to reach a permanent solution. The S&P 500 rose 0.8% and the Nasdaq Composite gained 1.1%. Pfizer

By MATTHEW BROWN, BRIAN MELLEY, and STEFANIE DAZIO Associated Press HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Video of the ruptured underwater pipeline that spilled tens of thousands of gallons of crude oil off Southern California shows a thin crack that could indicate a slow leak that was difficult to initially detect. Experts said Thursday that the

Stocks that traded heavily or had substantial price changes Thursday: Levi Strauss, Meredith rise; Lamb Weston, Kellogg fall.

By DAN PARKS of The Chronicle of Philanthropy Chronicle of Philanthropy Small arts organizations were among those hit the hardest by shrinking donations last year, according to a study by the Urban Institute. Small charities nationwide have faced significant losses in charitable giving as donors cut back during the COVID health and economic crisis: Four

By DAMIAN J. TROISE and ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writers Stocks are closing higher on Wall Street Thursday as investors welcomed progress in Congress’ standoff over extending the federal debt ceiling. A temporary extension will give lawmakers more time to reach a permanent resolution. The S&P 500 rose 0.8% and the Nasdaq Composite gained 1.1%.

By PAN PYLAS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The British government said it is to relax travel rules further next week, a move that will open up many long-distance holiday destinations to travelers for the first time since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic a year and half ago. In its most dramatic move, it

By JENNIFER McDERMOTT and LAURAN NEERGAARD Associated Press Pfizer is asking the U.S. government to allow use of its COVID-19 vaccine in children ages 5 to 11. If regulators agree, shots could begin within a matter of weeks. Pfizer already had announced that a lower dose of its vaccine worked and appeared safe in a

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s president says no lithium mining permits will be issued for anyone if legislators don’t approve a bill declaring it a “strategic mineral” and reserving any future exploration and mining for the government. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador took an all-or-nothing stance on Thursday when asked about the bill’s uphill fight.

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s daily coronavirus infections have soared to their highest level so far this year as authorities have struggled to control a surge in new cases amid a slow pace in vaccinations and few restrictions in place. The daily coronavirus death toll topped 900 for a second straight

By OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Counties in the San Francisco Bay Area will start easing their requirements for people to wear masks inside many public spaces. A group of eight counties in the region said Thursday that the rules will be dropped when overall vaccination rates are above 80% and

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s center-left Social Democratic Party and two smaller parties say they will deepen their talks next week on forming a new government. If the negotiations among the Social Democrats, the pro-business Free Democrats and and the environmentalist Greens are successful, it would push outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Union bloc into opposition after

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — When the U.S. government issues the September jobs report on Friday, the spotlight will fall not only on how many people were hired last month. A second question will command attention, too: Are more people finally starting to look for work? To an extent that has

By KEVIN FREKING, ALAN FRAM and ALEXANDRA JAFFE Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate leaders have announced an agreement to extend the government’s borrowing authority into December, temporarily averting an unprecedented default that experts say would have decimated the economy. The first crucial vote on the measure was cleared Thursday night. Senate Majority Leader Chuck

MOSCOW (AP) — A Moscow court has ruled to enforce the collection of fines from Facebook for breaching Russian laws on illegal content. Officials said Thursday that the Tagansky District Court ordered bailiffs to collect 26 million rubles (over $361,000) following Facebook’s failure to pay the fines. Russian state communications watchdog Roskomnadzor has asked Russian

By ROB HARRIS AP Global Soccer Writer LONDON (AP) — English Premier League club Newcastle has been sold to Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund after a protracted takeover and legal fight involving concerns about piracy and rights abuses in the kingdom. The takeover by the Saudi Public Investment Fund initially collapsed last year over concerns

By LAURAN NEERGAARD AP Medical Writer It could take U.S. regulators a few weeks to decide whether to clear COVID-19 vaccines for children ages 5 to 11. First, advisers to the Food and Drug Administration will publicly deliberate Pfizer’s evidence on Oct. 26. That sets the stage for the agency to declare if the shots

By ELENA BECATOROS and DEREK GATOPOULOS Associated Press ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece’s lawmakers have ratified a landmark defense deal with France that includes a mutual assistance clause in case of an armed attack against either — a pact that has irked fellow NATO member Turkey. The five-year agreement was announced in Paris last week

By STEPHEN McGRATH and JUSTIN SPIKE Associated Press BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Hungary has offered neighboring Romania help in caring for coronavirus patients as the country faces an alarming surge of COVID-19 cases and a shortage of intensive care beds. The situation is pushing its health care system to the brink of collapse. Hungary’s Foreign