Europe

The Latest: France outdoor cafes reopen after 6 months

PARIS — It’s a grand day for the French. Cafe and restaurant terraces are reopening Wednesday after a pandemic shutdown of more than six months deprived people of what feels like the essence of life in France.

Business

Southwest says flights are more full and fares are rising

DALLAS — Southwest Airlines said Wednesday that bookings are improving and leisure-travel fares for June are approaching pre-pandemic levels, further signs that the airline industry is recovering from a deep slump.

Lifestyle

Cabo’s world-class golf scene revving back up after pandemic

CABO SAN LUCAS, Mexico — The opening of Rancho San Lucas Golf Club was a grand affair.

Europe

JetBlue sets date for start of flights between US and London

JetBlue Airways said Wednesday it will start transatlantic service late this summer, competing against bigger rivals on the lucrative route between New York and London.

Europe

Grand day for the French: Cafe and bistro terraces reopen

PARIS — It’s a grand day for the French. Cafe and restaurant terraces are reopening Wednesday after a shutdown of more than six months deprived people of what feels like the essence of life — sipping coffee and wine with friends — to save lives during the coronavirus pandemic.

Business

Unions want priority rehiring of workers as Nevada reopens

CARSON CITY, Nev. — Laid-off casino and hotel workers picketed at the Nevada statehouse on Tuesday to demand state lawmakers pass a bill to require their former employers bring them back at pre-pandemic wages rather than hire new workers.

Lifestyle

Yosemite climbers face new obstacle: overnight permits

LOS ANGELES — Climbing El Capitan and the famous big walls of Yosemite National Park got a bit harder Friday.

Europe

New Dutch exhibition takes unflinching look at slavery

AMSTERDAM — The delicacy of one of the first objects in new exhibition at Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum belies its brutality. At the end of a thin iron rod are the artistically interwoven letters GWC — used to brand the initials of a Dutch trading company into the skin of enslaved workers.

Europe

The Latest: Conn. plans ‘signing bonus’ to boost job seeking

HARTFORD, Conn. — As some states set plans to a pandemic $300 weekly supplemental unemployment benefit as a way to encourage people to find work, Connecticut is offering a much different incentive — a $1,000 signing bonus for taking a job.

Business

Detroit tourism seeks rebound after year lost to pandemic

DETROIT — Timothy Tharp has owned businesses in Detroit long enough to remember when parts of downtown resembled a ghost town. He’s also seen its resurgence with new restaurants, hotels and throngs of people since the city's emergence from bankruptcy.

Middle East

Emirates Air faced “tough year” as virus looms over travel

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Passenger levels for the Middle East's largest airlines plummeted by 70% last year and it furloughed more than a quarter of its staff due to the coronavirus pandemic, Emirates' chairman and chief executive said Monday.

Europe

German Greens want more rail travel, fewer domestic flights

BERLIN — Germany's environmentalist Greens party wants to boost rail travel at the expense of domestic flights to help the country achieve its goal of sharply reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Business

US officials seek big fines against more airline passengers

WASHINGTON — Federal regulators are continuing to pursue large penalties against a few airline passengers accused of disrupting flights.

Europe

Vacation redux: British tourists return to Portugal beaches

LISBON, Portugal — British vacationers began arriving in large numbers in southern Portugal on Monday for the first time in more than a year, after governments in the two countries eased their COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions.

Lifestyle

Afghans who helped the US now fear being left behind

KABUL, Afghanistan — He served as an interpreter alongside U.S. soldiers on hundreds of patrols and dozens of firefights in eastern Afghanistan, earning a glowing letter of recommendation from an American platoon commander and a medal of commendation.

Lifestyle

Randle, Knicks beat Celtics to clinch No. 4 seed in East

NEW YORK — Julius Randle and the New York Knicks will open the NBA playoffs at home.

Middle East

A tough sell: In Dubai amid clash, Israel promotes tourism

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — As violence flares within Israel and on a day in which Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City killed at least 42 people Sunday, it was business as usual for a senior Israeli tourism official in Dubai as she promoted the country as a must-see destination for Muslim visitors.

Europe

The Latest: Fauci says pandemic highlights racism’s impact

ATLANTA — The immunologist who leads the COVID-19 response in the United States said Sunday that “the undeniable effects of racism” have led to unacceptable health disparities that especially hurt African Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans during the pandemic.

Europe

AP PHOTOS: Icelandic volcanic eruption a ‘wonder of nature’

FAGRADALSFJALL VOLCANO, Iceland — Pandemic or no pandemic, the world will never stand still. That's perhaps no clearer than in Iceland, where a volcano has awoken from a slumber that has lasted 6,000 years, give or take a year or two.

New York

The Latest: Florida’s amusement parks loosen mask wearing

ORLANDO, Fla. — Visitors to Walt Disney World and Universal Studios-Orlando were allowed Saturday to remove their masks when outdoors, except when on attractions, in line or riding transportation.

Lifestyle

Popovich misses game to attend Duncan’s Hall enshrinement

UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Gregg Popovich took Saturday off, for good reason. There was no way he was going to miss Tim Duncan’s enshrinement into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Lifestyle

Springtime a quiet time to visit Yellowstone National Park

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. — A stone’s throw from Yellowstone National Park sits the small border town of West Yellowstone, which is usually either buried in snow or swarmed by tourists. But at the end of April, the streets are quiet and locals can peacefully read newspapers on coffee shop porticos.

Canada

Belugas finally arrive at Mystic Aquarium after legal battle

MYSTIC, Conn. — Three Beluga whales arrived Friday night at their new home in a Connecticut aquarium after a legal battle to import them and two others from Canada.

Lifestyle

Bang! Breen among media members honored by Hall of Fame

UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Mike Breen remembers the way he was taught the game of basketball, and quickly learned that it is best when the five players on the floor work as one.

Europe

The Latest: New Mexico adopts CDC guidance on facemasks

SANTA FE, N.M. -- New Mexico has adopted guidance on facemasks from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that says fully vaccinated Americans no longer need to wear masks indoors or outside in most cases.

Business

Internet gambling still strong in NJ even with casinos open

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Internet gambling continued its strong performance in New Jersey in April, even with Atlantic City's nine casinos open for business again, and patrons returning to try their luck in person.

Europe

Europe’s 4 Visegrad nations lift some travel restrictions

WARSAW, Poland — Europe's four Visegrad countries on Friday lifted travel restrictions between the Czech Republic and Hungary for people vaccinated against COVID-19 and discussed how to cooperate to boost tourism.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Disney CEO says attendance caps at parks being raised

ORLANDO, Fla. — Disney's top executive says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's decision to ease up mask-wearing requirements for fully vaccinated people is “very big news for us.”

Europe

Turkish tourism video sparks outcry, unequal treatment claim

ISTANBUL — A video promoting tourism in Turkey amid the pandemic has caused an uproar on social media for showing tourism employees wearing masks that read “Enjoy, I’m vaccinated.”

Europe

F1 calls off Turkish GP in June, Austria gets another race

PARIS — The Turkish Grand Prix scheduled for next month was called off Friday because of coronavirus travel restrictions and will be replaced by a second Formula One race in Austria.