News

By ROD McGUIRK Associated Press CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia’s Queensland state plans to open to vaccinated travelers, ending the status it has enjoyed throughout the pandemic of being virtually free of COVID-19. Tight border controls helped make Queensland and Western Australia among the most successful states in keeping out COVID-19. They’ve been reluctant to

By RUSS BYNUM Associated Press BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP) — Hundreds of people have been ordered to report for jury duty in Georgia for what could be a long, laborious effort to find jurors for the trial of three white men charged with fatally shooting Ahmaud Arbery. Graphic video of the slaying of the 25-year-old Black

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press WEST COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Jill Biden says her relationship with a “prayer partner” from South Carolina helped lead her back to God. The first lady says she couldn’t bring herself to pray for years after son Beau died of brain cancer in 2015. She says she felt “betrayed” and

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A day at the beach turned into a proposal for Kourtney Kardashian, who is now engaged to Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker. Kardashian posted two photos on Instagram of the proposal with the caption “forever.” A representative for the reality star and businesswoman confirmed Sunday that the couple are engaged. The images

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer Asian shares are mostly lower after China reported its economy grew at a meager 4.9% annual pace in July-September. Benchmarks declined in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Tokyo but rose in Sydney. On Friday, Wall Street added to its recent gains, with the benchmark S&P 500 posting its best week

By JOSH BOAK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo is on a mission to save American jobs — one computer chip at a time. As President Joe Biden’s de facto tech minister, Raimondo is tasked with ensuring the United States will be the world leader in computer chips. The Democratic president’s political

By JONATHAN LEMIRE and ZEKE MILLER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is entering a crucial two weeks for his ambitious agenda. Biden is racing to conclude contentious congressional negotiations ahead of both domestic deadlines and a chance to showcase his administration’s accomplishments on the world stage. Biden and his fellow Democrats are

By DÁNICA COTO and EVENS SANON Associated Press PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — U.S. officials are working with Haitian authorities to try to secure the release of 12 adults and five children with a U.S.-based missionary group who were abducted by a gang notorious for killings, kidnappings and extortion. Police say the group was snatched by

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Almost overnight, Japan has become a stunning, and somewhat mysterious, coronavirus success story. Daily new COVID-19 cases have plummeted after a mid-August peak that nearly reached 6,000 in Tokyo, with caseloads in the densely populated capital now below 100, an 11-month low. Possible factors include, after a