AP National News

AP Airlines Writer DALLAS (AP) — Goodbye, cattle call. Southwest Airlines said Thursday that it plans to drop the open-boarding system it has used for more than 50 years and will start assigning passengers to seats, just like all the other big airlines. The airline said it has been studying seating options, running tests and

Associated Press LONDON (AP) — A British police officer has been suspended from all duties after a video was posted on social media that appeared to show an officer kicking and stamping on the head of a man lying on the floor of a terminal at Manchester Airport. Greater Manchester Police say the incident occurred

MILAN (AP) — Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares pledged action to tackle problems in North America and elsewhere after reporting a plunge in first-half earnings. Net profits at the U.S.-European automaker were down by half in the first six months of the year, due largely to lower sales and restructuring costs. The carmaker, which was created

AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Former first lady Melania Trump has a memoir coming out this fall, “Melania,” billed as “a powerful and inspiring story of a woman who has carved her own path, overcome adversity and defined personal excellence.” It’s the first memoir by Trump, who has made few public remarks in

Associated Press PARIS (AP) — Emmanuel Macron has pledged to make France shine during the Olympics. Weaker than ever at home after recent elections, the French president hopes the Paris Games also will help his own star glitter again. The Olympics are the best way to convince the world to “choose France,” Macron said this

Associated Press ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — The International Organization for Migration says more than a dozen migrants died and at least 150 others are missing after their boat capsized off Mauritania on their way to Europe, triggering a frantic search and rescue operation. There were 300 migrants on the boat that capsized on Monday near

Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — The United Nations’ cultural agency is recommending that Laos invite a monitoring mission to the historic city of Luang Prabang. Concerns have been raised that the World Heritage Site could lose its coveted status because of a nearby dam project on the Mekong River. Laos seemed agreeable to the idea,

AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — Shares were mostly higher in Asia on Friday, with major markets apart from Shanghai and Taiwan logging modest gains. U.S. futures and oil prices rose. That followed a split Thursday on Wall Street, where general stocks and other formerly downtrodden areas of the market rose while superstar Big Tech

AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Nissan has lowered its full fiscal year outlook after the Japanese automaker reported a 73% decline in profit in the April-June quarter compared to the previous year. Chief Executive Makoto Uchida called the results “very challenging,” blaming sales incentives and marketing expenses amid intense competition, especially in the U.S.

Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — An explosion ripped through the Russian-controlled Olenivka prison barracks two years ago, killing more than 50 Ukrainian prisoners of war and leaving dozens injured. The Associated Press interviewed over a dozen survivors, investigators and families of the dead and estimated 120 missing still being held captive. All described evidence

Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The former prisoners of war still puzzle over the strange events leading up to the night now seared into their memories, when an explosion ripped through the Russian-controlled Olenivka prison barracks and killed so many comrades two years ago. Among the survivors: Kyrylo Masalitin, whose months in captivity and

Russian President Vladimir Putin has met with Syrian President Bashar Assad in the Kremlin. The Kremlin press service says the meeting took place on Wednesday. Putin and Assad last met in March 2023 in the Kremlin on the anniversary of Syria’s 12-year uprising-turned-civil war. At that meeting, Putin emphasized the Russian military’s role in stabilizing

The opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics is set for Friday. Instead of a traditional march into a stadium, about 6,800 athletes will parade on more than 90 boats on the Seine River for 6 kilometers (3.7 miles). This will start the ceremony, not mark the end of it, another break from tradition. What time

Associated Press FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — A total of 270 flights were canceled at Germany’s busiest airports after environmental activists launched a coordinated effort to disrupt air travel across Europe at the height of the summer vacation season to highlight the threat posed by climate change. Frankfurt Airport said flights were halted for safety reasons

Associated Press MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A Philippine oil tanker has sunk in Manila Bay after encountering huge waves, and the coast guard is working to determine whether the vessel is leaking oil — in what could be a major spill — after it rescued 16 of 17 crew members in a nighttime operation. The

Associated Press ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — One year has passed since a dramatic coup in Niger. Coup leaders said they deposed the West African nation’s elected government for two key reasons: its security and economic crises. But those challenges have persisted, even worsened. The country’s 26 million people are among the world’s youngest and poorest,

Associated Press The United Nations is calling for a flurry of efforts to reduce the human toll from soaring and searing temperatures in what it calls an extreme heat epidemic. Thursday’s report from 10 UN agencies and the secretary-general comes on the heels of three of the hottest days ever measured. Europe’s Copernicus climate service

Associated Press PIPER CITY, Ill. (AP) — An Associated Press analysis of county tax data across three states — Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska — found wind companies rank among the biggest taxpayers in many rural communities, with their total tax bills at times outstripping that of large farms, power plants and other major businesses. Local