AP National Business

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel says it will ease commercial restrictions on the Gaza Strip and expand entry of goods to the Palestinian enclave following days of heightened tensions and the most intense clashes since a May war. Wednesday’s announcement came after hundreds of Palestinians demonstrated near the Israeli border, calling on Israel to ease a

By JACK JEFFERY Associated Press RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Few Palestinians in the occupied West Bank get to board an airplane these days. The territory has no civilian airport, and those who can afford a plane ticket must catch their flights in neighboring Jordan. But just outside the northern city of Nablus, a pair

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea will convene parliament next month to discuss efforts to salvage an economy strained by pandemic border closures after decades of mismanagement and U.S.-led sanctions. State media didn’t mention any foreign policy discussions expected in the Sept. 28 meeting. Diplomacy with the United States is stalemated because the U.S.

By ROD McGUIRK Associated Press CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Qantas Group has posted a $1.7 billion pandemic-related annual loss and forecast Australia will reopen to international travel in December. The airline company said it expects flights to countries with high vaccination rates including the United States, Britain, Japan and Singapore would resume in mid-December. It

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japan is suspending use of about 1.63 million doses of Moderna vaccine after contamination was found in some unused vials. The health ministry said the contamination was reported at multiple vaccination sites. Some doses may have been administered but no adverse health effects have been reported. The

By MATT O’BRIEN AP Technology Writer “Vaccine passports” are digital or paper documents showing you were vaccinated against COVID-19, and they could help you get into a growing number of places. What they look like and why you might need one depend on where you live. But a growing number of private venues, workplaces and

By ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON and DAVID KOENIG Associated Press MIAMI (AP) — Cruise companies are adapting to a changing landscape amid a rise in COVID-19 cases that is threatening to dampen the industry’s comeback. Cruise lines have detected infections among vaccinated crew members and passengers, including a recent case in an elderly traveler that resulted

By STEVE KARNOWSKI Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A judge has rejected a request by a gun owners group for a temporary injunction to require the Minnesota State Fair to allow permit holders to carry their pistols on the fairgrounds. Judge Laura Nelson ruled Wednesday that they’re unlikely to prevail as the broader case goes

By MOHAMED IBRAHIM Associated Press/Report for America ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Protesters descended upon the Minnesota State Capitol to rally against Enbridge Energy’s Line 3 oil pipeline as the project nears completion. The rally is part of a series of events called Treaties over Tar Sands organized by Indigenous and environmental activists. Protesters called

SHREVEPORT, La. (AP) — Federal authorities say a northwest Louisiana man has pleaded guilty to wire fraud and accepted a 15-year prison sentence in connection with an investment scheme that drew tens of millions of dollars from victims. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Shreveport says 59-year-old David DeBerardinis pleaded guilty Wednesday. Prosecutors say DeBerardinis claimed

By ARITZ PARRA Associated Press MADRID (AP) — A judicial decision from Spain has put a halt on an alternative plan to build a giant telescope in the Canary Islands instead of a preferred site in Hawaii where it faces opposition from Native Hawaiians. Construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope on Hawaii’s tallest mountain, Mauna

The Associated Press Stocks pushed higher again on Wall Street Wednesday, marking more milestones for the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq. The S&P 500 added another 0.2%, its fifth gain in a row. Banks and energy companies led the way higher. Banks benefited from an increase in bond yields, which allow them to charge higher

The Associated Press Stocks that traded heavily or had substantial price changes Wednesday: Dick’s Sporting Goods, State Street rise; Nordstrom, Digital Realty Trust fall

By DÉBORA ÁLVARES and DAVID BILLER Associated Press BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Thousands of Indigenous people have marched toward Brazil’s Supreme Court to pressure justices expected to issue a ruling with far-reaching implications for land rights. The justices will be evaluating a lower court’s ruling that invalidated an Indigenous group’s claim to what it says

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

By GEOFF MULVIHILL Associated Press A Purdue Pharma lawyer says states would get more money from settling with the company than if they were allowed to continue their lawsuits against the OxyContin maker and members of the Sackler family who own it. The warning came Wednesday as part of the final day of a weeks-long

By PHILIP MARCELO Associated Press BOSTON (AP) — A group of Nantucket residents have filed a federal lawsuit to block the construction of dozens of wind turbines off the coast of the Massachusetts island resort. ACK Residents Against Turbines say Vineyard Wind’s proposed project 14 miles south of Nantucket poses a risk to the endangered

By HALELUYA HADERO AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — A report released on Wednesday says donations to racial and social justice causes ticked up to 16% of American households in 2020. The bump in giving came as donors raced to provide support to affected communities in a year marked by protests and increased attention

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN Associated Press ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham wants to conserve more of the state’s land and water. She says doing so will boost other state efforts to mitigate climate change effects. The Democratic governor signed an executive order Wednesday creating a committee that will draft a

By TOM MURPHY AP Health Writer Pfizer is seeking U.S. approval of a booster dose of its two-shot COVID-19 vaccine. The drugmaker announced Wednesday that it has started the approval process for a third dose of its vaccine for all Americans ages 16 and older. The company said it expects to complete its application with