AP National News

By RONALD MONTOYA Edmunds This has been a tough year to buy a new or used car in America. With COVID-19 factory shutdowns, semiconductor chip shortages, rising prices and supply chain issues, it’s been nothing but bad news for car shoppers. And for those who’ve waited, hoping Black Friday sales would bring some reprieve from

BERLIN (AP) — A closely watched survey shows that German business confidence has dropped for the fifth consecutive month amid persistent supply-chain bottlenecks and a resurgence of coronavirus infections in Europe’s biggest economy. The Ifo institute said Wednesday that its monthy confidence index dropped to 96.5 points in November from 97.7 last month. Companies’ assessment

By NICOLAS VAUX-MONTAGNY Associated Press VERSAILLES, France (AP) — France and Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema has been given a one-year suspended jail sentence and a fine of 75,000 euros ($84,000) in a sex-tape case that rocked French soccer. Benzema was found guilty of being involved in an attempt in 2015 to blackmail France teammate

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia and Singapore say they will partially reopen their borders next week to fully vaccinated citizens, after nearly two years of closure due to the pandemic. The leaders of both countries said in separate statements Wednesday that limited travel will be allowed across the land border from Monday, with plans

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Sweden is recommending that everyone between the ages of 18 and 65 should get a booster shot against COVID-19 six months after having gotten the second jab. Swedish Social Affairs Minister Lena Hallengren said Wednesday about 7 million people in Sweden out of a total population of 10 million have had

PRAGUE (AP) — Coronavirus infections in the Czech Republic have soared to a new record high, reaching almost 26,000 daily cases. The Health Ministry said Wednesday that the daily tally hit 25,864 on Tuesday, about 3,000 more than the previous record registered on Friday. The country’s infection rate has risen to 1,061 new cases per

By FRANK JORDANS and GEIR MOULSON Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — Two of the prospective partners say a three-party agreement to form the next German government will be presented on Wednesday. The deal paves the way for center-left leader Olaf Scholz to replace longtime Chancellor Angela Merkel in the coming weeks. The center-left Social Democrats

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Ethiopia’s government says Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has gone to the battlefront to take charge in a yearlong war and left the daily work of running the country to his deputy as rival fighters approach the capital, Addis Ababa. A government spokesman told reporters the prime minister arrived at the front

BRUSSELS (AP) — Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo has tested negative for COVID-19 after his French counterpart, whom he met early in the week, became infected with the coronavirus. De Croo’s office said Wednesday that he will do an important part of his work remotely in line with restrictive measures that the government as

By SAMYA KULLAB Associated Press DOHUK, Iraq (AP) — Rising unemployment, endemic corruption and a recent economic crisis that slashed state salaries have pushed Iraqi Kurds to sell their homes, cars and other belongings to pay off smugglers with the hope of reaching the European Union from the Belarusian capital of Minsk. Most of the

By STEPHEN WHYNO AP Hockey Writer Injuries and COVID-19 protocol absences have muddled the NHL standings throughout the first quarter of the season. The traditional Thanksgiving benchmark is not necessarily an indicator of who will make the playoffs. The season also started a week later than usual. Recent seasons have also begun to crack the

GENEVA (AP) — The World Health Organization says coronavirus cases jumped by 11% in Europe in the last week, the only region in the world where COVID-19 has continued to increase since mid-October. In its weekly assessment of the pandemic released on Tuesday, the U.N. health agency said cases and deaths globally have risen by

By ILAN BEN ZION Associated Press RABAT, Morocco (AP) — Israel and Morocco have signed a landmark agreement that lays the foundation for security cooperation, intelligence sharing, and future arms sales. The memorandum of understanding is the centerpiece of a visit this week by Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz to Morocco. Morocco and Israel established

VERSAILLES, France (AP) — France and Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema has been given a one-year suspended jail sentence and a fine of 75,000 euros ($84,000) in a sex-tape case that rocked French soccer. Benzema was found guilty of being involved in an attempt in 2015 to blackmail France teammate Mathieu Valbuena. The Versailles court

By JAN M. OLSEN Associated Press COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Sweden’s parliament has approved Magdalena Andersson as the country’s first female prime minister. Lawmakers on Wednesday tapped the finance minister who recently became the new leader of the Social Democratic party. Andersson was picked to replace Stefan Lofven as party leader and prime minister. Those

VERSAILLES, France (AP) — France and Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema has been given a 1-year suspended jail sentence and 75,000 euros ($84,000) fine in a sex tape case that rocked French soccer. Benzema was found guilty of being involved in an attempt in 2015 to blackmail France teammate Mathieu Valbuena. The Versailles court decision

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Global shares are mixed as worries about inflation set off expectations the U.S. Federal Reserve might accelerate its plans to raise interest rates. Benchmarks in France, Britain and Germany are higher in early trading. Shares fell in Japan, Australia and South Korea. The Fed will release

By JON GAMBRELL Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Two journalists from Norwegian state television were arrested and held for over 30 hours by security forces in Qatar without explanation. The arrest of the journalists from NRK came while they reported on the upcoming FIFA World Cup, before being allowed to travel back

By FRANK JORDANS Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s Greens say a three-party agreement to form the next government will be presented Wednesday. The center-left Social Democrats have been negotiating with the Green party and the pro-business Free Democrats since narrowly winning a national election on Sept. 26. If approved by party members in the