Apple guides shoppers inside stores with iBeacon
NEW YORK (AP) -- GPS will tell you how to get to the nearest Apple store. With iBeacon, Apple hopes to guide you around once you're inside, whether it's to pick up an order, upgrade to a new iPhone or shop for a pair of headphones....

Solid November jobs report could give economy jolt
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A fourth straight month of solid hiring in November could give the U.S. economy a jolt and signal that the job market may finally be gathering momentum....

Fast-food protests return amid push for wage hikes
NEW YORK (AP) -- Fast-food workers and labor organizers marched, waved signs and chanted in cities across the country on Thursday in a push for higher wages....

LA sues Wells Fargo, Citigroup over foreclosures
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The Los Angeles city attorney sued Wells Fargo and Citigroup on Thursday, alleging the companies engaged in mortgage discrimination that led to a wave of foreclosures in minority communities during the housing crash....

Nissan looks to no-frills China brand for revival
HUADU, China (AP) -- His Chinese sedan was a disappointment. So when truck driver Xie Yanzhen needed to replace it, he turned to Venucia, a 2-year-old no-frills brand launched by Nissan and a Chinese partner....

BP pushes technical limits to tap extreme fields
HOUSTON (AP) -- BP's strategy after the Deepwater Horizon tragedy: Go deeper....

Cargo bikes the new minivan for cycling families
SEATTLE (AP) -- One fisherman uses a bike to deliver hundreds of pounds of salmon to local markets. A mom who regularly shuttles her two kids around town once tried to haul a twin mattress home. And some companies are using the bikes to deliver beer kegs or pick up recycling....

Calif. citrus growers toil to fight freeze
SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) -- After the orange harvesting and the sun sets, the toughest part of John S. Gless' day is just beginning: a desperate fight to stave off a cold spell threatening to destroy his citrus crop....

Qantas Airways credit rating downgraded to junk
SYDNEY (AP) -- Qantas Airways' credit rating was downgraded to junk status Friday, one day after the beleaguered Australian carrier said it would slash 1,000 jobs and suffer half-year losses of at least 250 million Australian dollars ($225 million)....

Budget deal? Big obstacles, New Year's deadline
WASHINGTON (AP) -- With hopes of a "grand bargain" long gone, congressional negotiators now are seeking a more modest deal before year-end to ease the automatic spending cuts that are squeezing both the Pentagon and domestic federal programs. But the going is getting rougher....