AP National Business

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) — California’s rooftop solar market is the largest in the nation but is poised for changes by state regulators who could lower financial benefits for homeowners who install solar panels. California Public Utilities Commission regulators are set to issue proposed reforms this week for a program called

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

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia and South Korea have signed a $720 million defense deal as South Korean President Moon Jae-in became the first foreign leader to visit Australia since the pandemic began. The deal will see South Korean defense company Hanwha provide Australia with artillery weapons, supply vehicles and radars. It’s the largest defense

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 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

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Prime Minister Boris Johnson says that Britain faces a “tidal wave” of infections from the omicron coronavirus variant and he has announced a huge increase in booster vaccinations to strengthen defenses against it. Johnson said in a televised statement Sunday that everyone age 18 and older will

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

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

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Heavy snowfall has covered Serbian capital Belgrade and much of the Balkans. The bad weather has hampered traffic and canceled flights from capital’s main airport and disrupted public transportation. Many areas across the country reported power cuts and damages to buildings on Sunday. The icy conditions saw trucks skidding across the

LONDON (AP) — The British government has raised the country’s official coronavirus threat level and warned the rapid spread of the omicron variant has pushed the U.K. into risky territory. The chief medical officers of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland said Sunday the emergence of the highly transmissible new strain “adds additional and rapidly

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

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Heavy snowfall has covered Belgrade and much of Serbia. The bad weather has hampered traffic and closed the capital’s main airport and disrupted public transportation. Many areas across the country reported power cuts and damages to buildings on Sunday. The icy conditions saw trucks skidding across the roads and getting stuck.

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