AP National News

By DAMIAN J. TROISE AP Business Writer Stocks wavered between small gains and losses in muted trading on Wall Street Wednesday ahead of the Christmas holiday. The S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.2% and the Nasdaq was little changed. The Russell 2000, a measure of small-company stocks, fell 0.3%. A mix

VIENNA (AP) — Austria has announced a slate of new measures aimed at slowing the spread of the omicron variant, including closing restaurants earlier and imposing stricter entry requirements from countries where the variant is already dominant. Katharina Reich, co-leader of the country’s new coronavirus crisis team, said after a meeting between national leaders and

By PAUL WISEMAN AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. consumer confidence rose this month as Americans shrugged off concerns about rising prices and COVID’-19′s highly contagious omicron variant. The Conference Board, a business research group, said Wednesday that its consumer confidence index — which takes into account consumers’ assessment of current conditions and the

By MOSHE EDRI Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israel Antiquities Authority says it’s discovered remnants of two shipwrecks off the Mediterranean coast, replete with a sunken trove of hundreds of silver and bronze coins and Roman and medieval artifacts. Archaeologists said on Wednesday that the finds made near the ancient city of Caesarea date

By JEFF AMY Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — A judge has dismissed a criminal charge of reckless conduct against Georgia state Rep. Trey Kelley. Polk County Superior Court Senior Judge Stephen Schuster ruled Tuesday that it wasn’t a crime when Kelley didn’t call 911 after a friend called Kelley about a fatal wreck. The charge

By TOM HAYS and LARRY NEUMEISTER Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A jury has resumed deliberations at the sex trafficking trial of Ghislaine Maxwell. The jury entered its second full day Wednesday of considering the British socialite’s fate. She was arrested in July 2020 on charges she was the crucial recruiter and groomer of

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam is scheduled to witness the opening of a time capsule that had been buried under a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. The opening of the box from 1887 is scheduled for noon Wednesday in Richmond. The massive bronze equestrian statue of Lee was long seen

BEIJING (AP) — China has ordered the lockdown of as many as 13 million people in neighborhoods and workplaces in the northern city of Xi’an following a spike in coronavirus cases, setting off panic buying just weeks before the country hosts the Winter Olympics. State media say city officials ordered all residents to stay home

By JOSH FUNK Associated Press ELK CREEK, Neb. (AP) — One day, a mining company hopes to dig up rare materials in one corner of Nebraska that would be used to make steel and aluminum stronger. But first, the 10-person company has to raise more than $1 billion. The high price tag is one of

By LORNE COOK and VANESSA GERA Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union is launching legal action against Poland over recent decisions by one of the country’s top courts which have raised troubling questions about the 27-nation bloc’s legal order. Poland’s constitutional court ruled in October that Polish laws have supremacy over those of

The Associated Press Stocks are wavering between small gains and losses in the early going on Wall Street Wednesday in muted trading heading into the Christmas holiday. The S&P 500 was little changed shortly after the opening bell, as was the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The Nasdaq slipped 0.1% and the Russell 2000, a measure

By AMY FORLITI and SCOTT BAUER Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jurors in the trial of a suburban Minneapolis police officer who shot and killed Black motorist Daunte Wright have begun their third day of deliberations, after a question to the judge suggested some are concerned they may not be able to reach agreement. The

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s state-run news agency says Turkish authorities have arrested an American diplomat working for the U.S. Consulate in Lebanon for allegedly providing a fake passport to a Syrian national. The Anadolu Agency said Wednesday that the suspect, identified by his initials D.J.K., was detained at Istanbul Airport on Nov. 11, and

By STEPHEN WADE AP Sports Writer Tokyo Olympic organizers say the cost of the Games is estimated to be $1.8 billion less than anticipated. The Tokyo Olympics ended 4 1/2 months ago. Official estimates over the last year said the costs would be $15.4 billion. Organizers now say that number is estimated to be $13.6

By BOUBACAR DIALLO Associated Press CONAKRY, Guinea (AP) — The man who led a 2008 coup in Guinea has returned to the West African nation after more than a decade in exile. Moussa “Dadis” Camara arrived Wednesday on a commercial flight to Conakry. The 57-year-old former coup leader took exile in Burkina Faso after he

By REFUGIO RUIZ and FABIOLA SÁNCHEZ Associated Press AYOTLAN, Mexico (AP) — When Jesús Solís noticed the waters of the reservoir where he had spent his entire life beginning to darken and a rotten odor taking hold, he was overcome with fear. Within weeks those initial concerns were confirmed as tens of thousands of dead

By MARTIN CRUTSINGER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy grew at a 2.3% rate in the third quarter according to a third and final estimate of the nation’s economic growth for that period.  But prospects for a solid rebound going forward are being clouded by the rapid spread of the latest variant

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese leader Xi Jinping has endorsed Hong Kong’s first legislative elections held under new laws ensuring that only “patriots” loyal to Beijing could run as candidates. Sunday’s elections for the 90-seat Legislative Council were swept by politicians backed by China’s ruling Communist Party. Just 20 of the seats were directly elected. The

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — A government panel has retained Japan’s male-only imperial succession system despite a sharply shrinking number of men in the royal family. The panel submitted a report to the prime minister proposing ways to ensure there are enough potential successors. It proposed adopting single men from some of

By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press ROME (AP) — Italian Premier Mario Draghi says his government has accomplished most of what it set out do in fighting the pandemic and restoring economic growth. His words are a first signal of his willingness to run for the Italian presidency and return the running of the government back