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This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 TOKYO (AP) — Japan will open its borders to foreign tourists in June for the first time since imposing tight pandemic travel restrictions about two years ago, but only for package tours for now, the prime minister said Thursday. Beginning June 10, Japan will allow the entry of people on tours with fixed schedules and guides, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said. Tourists from areas with low COVID-19 infection rates who have received three vaccine doses will be exempt from testing and quarantine after entry. Japan this week is hosting small experimental package tours from four countries, Australia, Singapore, Thailand and the United States. That experiment, which involves only 50 people who received special visas, not tourist visas, is to end May 31. “Free and active exchange of people is the foundation of economy and society, as well as that of Asia’s development,” Kishida told … [Read more...] about Japan to resume tourism in June; only packaged tour for now

WASHINGTON (AP) — Average long-term U.S. mortgage rates fell this week for the second week in a row, though interest rates on the key 30-year home loan remain at decade-high levels. Economic uncertainty and weakened homebuyer demand continue to loom over mortgage rates. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported Thursday that the 30-year rate declined to 5.1% from 5.25% last week. By contrast, the average rate stood at 2.95% a year ago. The average rate on 15-year, fixed-rate mortgages, popular among those refinancing their homes, dipped to 4.31% from 4.43% last week. Earlier this month, the Federal Reserve intensified its fight against the worst inflation in 40 years by raising its benchmark interest rate by a half-percentage point and signaling more big rate hikes to come. The Fed’s move, its most aggressive since 2000, means higher costs for mortgages as well as credit cards, auto loans and other borrowing for individuals and businesses. Higher borrowing rates appear to be slowing … [Read more...] about Average long-term mortgage rates fall; 30-year loan at 5.1%

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 9 MADRID (AP) — An explosion hit a biodiesel production plant in northern Spain on Thursday, killing two people and forcing the evacuation of 250 children who had been on a field trip nearby, police said Thursday. Police video of the explosion showed flames engulfing the plant in the northern region of La Rioja, sending large plumes of black smoke into the sky. The two people killed were both workers at the plant, said police. Emergency workers scrambled to evacuate the area, including a nearby theme park. “A few metres away from the plant was a field trip of 250 children who had to be transferred out of danger to another area,” police said in a statement. None of the children were reportedly harmed. Officials are investigating the reason for the explosion. The municipality of Calahorra, where the plant is located, said on Twitter it had … [Read more...] about Explosion at Spanish plant leaves 2 dead; 250 kids evacuated

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 38 ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan's defiant former Prime Minister Imran Khan called off a planned, open-ended sit-in in Islamabad on Thursday, temporarily assuaging fears of a protracted civil conflict after he led thousands on a march toward Parliament and demanded the government's resignation. Khan's followers began converging on the Pakistani capital on Wednesday, with some 10,000 reaching the city center around midnight. Khan himself entered Islamabad as part of a large convoy of cars, buses and trucks, with demonstrators waving flags and rallying overnight. Some of his supporters clashed with police outside Parliament. Khan gave Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif — who replaced him in … [Read more...] about Pakistan’s ex-premier calls off planned sit-in, demands vote

WASHINGTON (AP) — BTS, the Grammy-nominated South Korean boy band, will join President Joe Biden next week to talk about “Asian inclusion and representation” and to address hate crimes and discrimination against Asians, the White House announced Thursday. The musical group's White House visit next Tuesday follows Biden's trip last week to South Korea, a U.S. ally. Biden has been outspoken about being committed to combating a rise in anti-Asian hate crimes. Last year, the Democratic president signed the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act into law. Biden and BTS, also known as the Bangtan Boys, also will discuss diversity and the K-pop group's platform as youth ambassadors. The band received its first Grammy nomination last year after releasing the song “Dynamite” as a gift to fans isolated by the coronavirus pandemic. … [Read more...] about K-pop band BTS and Biden to meet to discuss Asian inclusion

NEW YORK (AP) — Airline stocks rallied Thursday after Southwest Airlines and JetBlue Airways said revenue from summer travel will be stronger than previously expected as travel bounces back after two years of the pandemic. The comments, which the airlines made in regulatory filings, point to their ability to charge higher fares and still fill their planes because of strong demand from travelers. Southwest said second-quarter revenue will rise by between 12% and 15% compared with 2019 because of accelerating bookings for summer travel. The Dallas-based airline previously predicted a gain of 8% to 12%. Southwest expects to hit that revenue target even though its passenger-carrying capacity will be about 7% lower than before the pandemic. JetBlue said it continues to expect record revenue this summer, with second-quarter sales rising 16% or more -- matching or beating the top of its previously forecast range for the period. Helane Becker, an analyst with banking firm Cowen, … [Read more...] about Southwest, JetBlue boost forecasts on strong travel demand