AP National Business

The Associated Press The National Association of Realtors reports its October tally of U.S. home sales Monday. Best Buy serves up its third-quarter results Tuesday. The Commerce Department issues its monthly snapshot of U.S. consumer spending Wednesday.

By NICK PERRY Associated Press WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Bars, restaurants and gyms can reopen in Auckland from early December but customers will be required to show proof they’ve been fully vaccinated. The New Zealand government announcement removes the last remnants of a lockdown that began in the nation’s largest city in August. It

By MATTHEW DALY Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A huge social and environmental policy bill passed by House Democrats includes a plan to impose a fee on emissions of methane. The powerful pollutant leaks from oil and gas wells and contributes to global warming. As the measure moves to the Senate, attention again will focus

VIENNA (AP) — Austria has gone into a nationwide lockdown in a desperate effort to contain skyrocketing coronavirus infections. The lockdown in the Alpine nation comes as average daily deaths have tripled in recent weeks and some hospitals have warned that their intensive care units are reaching capacity. The lockdown will last at least 10

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer Stocks are mixed in Asia after ending mostly lower on Wall Street Friday, despite the Nasdaq’s first close above 16,000. A resurgence of coronavirus outbreaks in the U.S., Europe and some other regions is weighing on investor sentiment. Comments by senior Chinese economic advisers about risks of “stagflation,” meanwhile,

BEIJING (AP) — China says five of its citizens have been kidnapped from a mining operation in eastern Congo. The Chinese Embassy in Kinshasa posted on its Chinese social media account that the five were abducted early Sunday from the site in South Kivu province that borders Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania. It urged all Chinese

By EMILY SCHULTHEIS Associated Press VIENNA (AP) — Austria has gone into a nationwide lockdown to combat skyrocketing coronavirus infections. The measures took effect early Monday and are expected to last for a maximum of 20 days. But they will be reevaluated after 10 days. The new restrictions require people to stay home apart from

LONDON (AP) — WhatsApp is adding more details to its privacy policy and flagging the information for European users. The update is to comply with a ruling from Irish regulators who slapped the chat service with a record fine for breaching strict EU data privacy rules. Starting Monday, WhatsApp’s privacy policy will be reorganized to

BY ELODIE SOUPAMA AND SYLVIE CORBET LE GOSIER, Guadeloupe (AP) — France is sending police special forces to its overseas Caribbean territory of Guadeloupe as protests over COVID-19 restrictions have erupted into rioting and looting for the third day in a row. Residents expressed their dismay after the violence. On Sunday, many road blockades by

By VESELIN TOSHKOV Associated Press SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Exit polls in Bulgaria suggest that incumbent Rumen Radev is the apparent winner in the country’s presidential runoff. Partial official results are expected later Sunday. Surveys by several polling groups give Radev, 58, about 65% of the vote. He is seeking a second five-year term in

CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) — The average U.S. price of regular-grade gasoline held steady over the past two weeks, at $3.49 per gallon. Industry analyst Trilby Lundberg of the Lundberg Survey says spiking ethanol costs prevented a drop in gas prices. The average price at the pump is $1.31 higher than it was one year ago.

By ISABEL DEBRE Associated Press ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Just over a week after some 200 nations struck an agreement aimed at intensifying global efforts to fight climate change, the finance minister of France has warned that the cost of the energy transition will be “much higher than expected.” Bruno Le Maire

BY ELODIE SOUPAMA AND SYLVIE CORBET LE GOSIER, Guadeloupe (AP) — France is sending police special forces to its overseas Caribbean territory of Guadeloupe as protests over COVID-19 restrictions have erupted into rioting and looting for the third day in a row. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin denounced the violence as “unacceptable”  in an interview Sunday.

By EMILY SCHULTHEIS Associated Press VIENNA (AP) — Austrians are enjoying a last day out in coffeehouses and at Christmas markets before the government imposes a nationwide lockdown to combat a fourth surge of coronavirus infections. The measures take effect early Monday and are expected to last for a maximum of 20 days. But they

By RAF CASERT Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — Tens of thousands of people have marched through Brussels to protest reinforced COVID-19 restrictions imposed by the Belgian government to counter the latest spike in coronavirus cases. Many among the 35,000 at the rally Sunday had already left for home when the demonstration descended into violence. Several

By DAVID BARRAZA Associated Press LA LIBERTAD, El Salvador (AP) — El Salvador President Nayib Bukele says his government will build an oceanside “Bitcoin City” at the base of a volcano. The announcement came in a rock concert-like atmosphere at a gathering gathering of Bitcoin enthusiasts Saturday night. Bukele says a bond offering in 2022

By SCOTT McFETRIDGE Associated Press DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Much of downtown Des Moines, Iowa, has been transformed in the past decade by new apartments, shops and restaurants, but a stench from animal processing plants still often lingers over all that shiny new development. Many other cities across the country are dealing with similar

PARIS (AP) — France’s minister of the sea has vowed to “continue the fight” in the country’s dispute with Britain over fishing rights. Annick Girardin met with fishermen in northern France on Sunday. She told reporters “we fight every day for these ships, for these licenses and we will not give up.” Girardin denounced the

BRUSSELS (AP) — Ten of thousands of people marched through central Brussels to protest against the reinforced COVID-19 measures that the government has imposed to counter the latest spike in coronavirus cases. Many in the huge demonstration that police estimated at 35,000 people also protested against the strong advice to get vaccinated and any moves