USA

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Shares of American Airlines soared 10% Tuesday after the carrier said that it expects to post a pretax profit for the second quarter, as vacationers pack planes during the summer peak season.

The airline said it will earn $585 million in pretax income for the May-June quarter.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon said Tuesday that it killed a leader of the Islamic State group in Syria in a drone strike.

U.S. Central Command said in a news release that Maher al-Agal was killed Tuesday and an unidentified senior official in the Islamic State group was seriously injured. The Pentagon said there were no civilian casualties, though it wasn’t possible to immediately confirm that information.

The U.S. carried out the strike outside Jindaris, a town in northwest Syria close to the Turkish border.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is meeting with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador on Tuesday for discussions the White House says will showcase the underlying strength of a relationship that of late has been more notable for the leaders’ disagreements on issues including energy and Ukraine policy.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Jan. 6 committee is set to highlight the way violent far-right extremists answered Donald Trump’s “siren call” to come to Washington for a big rally, as some now face rare sedition charges over the deadly U.S. Capitol attack and effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

Manila, Jul 12 (AP/PTI) US Secretary of State Antony Blinken renewed a call to China to comply with a 2016 arbitration ruling that invalidated Beijing's vast claims in the South China Sea and warned that Washington is obligated to defend treaty ally Philippines if its forces, vessels or aircraft come under attack in the disputed waters.

UNITED NATIONS, Jul 11 (APP): Amid reports that Sri Lanka’s President has confirmed he will resign after his residence was stormed by thousands of protesters at the weekend, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday called for dialogue to “ensure a smooth transition of government and solutions to the country’s deep economic crisis.”

LOS ANGELES, Jul 11 (NNN-AGENCIES) – Three men were killed and two others were wounded early yesterday morning, in a shooting at a house party in Southern California, local media reported, citing police.

Officers responded to a report of gunshots at 00:45 a.m. local time (0745 GMT), in the 8100 block of Leeds Street in Downey, a city located in south-east Los Angeles County, reported KABC-TV, the West Coast flagship station of the ABC television network.

The officers found four men and a woman had been shot, the report said.

WASHINGTON/RIYADH, July 11 (Reuters) - The Biden administration is discussing the possible lifting of its ban on U.S. sales of offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia, but any final decision is expected to hinge on whether Riyadh makes progress toward ending the war in neighboring Yemen, according to four people familiar with the matter.

UNITED NATIONS, July 11 (Xinhua) -- The global population is projected to reach 8 billion on Nov. 15, with India projected to surpass China as the most populous country in 2023, the United Nations (UN) said Monday, World Population Day.

"It is a reminder of our shared responsibility to care for our planet and a moment to reflect on where we still fall short of our commitments to one another," said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

The growth rate is at its slowest since 1950, having fallen under 1 percent in 2020, according to the World Population Prospects 2022.

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (AP) — A heat wave was developing in California on Monday but winds were light as firefighters battled a wildfire that poses a threat to a grove of giant sequoias and a small community in Yosemite National Park.

The Washburn Fire on the western flank of the Sierra Nevada had scorched about 3.6 square miles by Monday morning, an increase of about 300 acres (121 hectares) overnight, according to an incident update.