Jobless benefit rolls drop for first time since January, but new hiring remains elusive

WASHINGTON — On the surface, the government seemed to signal Thursday that more Americans are finding jobs: The number of people receiving unemployment aid fell for the first time since early January.

Bankruptcy judge OK’s GM motion to terminate aircraft leases

NEW YORK — A bankruptcy judge ruled Thursday that General Motors Corp. can terminate its aircraft leases as part of its ongoing restructuring.

Airbus wins order promise for 50 jets with budget carrier Wizz Air, says more on the way

LE BOURGET, France — Airbus remained ahead of archrival Boeing Co. in the hunt for orders at the Paris Air Show on Thursday, when a Hungarian airline said it was interested in buying another 50 of its commercial jets.

Boeing may offer tanker version of 777 commercial jet in new bid for $35B military contract

Boeing Co. may offer a tanker version of its 777 jet in a new bid to win a $35 billion military contract to replace the Air Force’s aging fleet of aerial refueling planes, a company spokesman said Wednesday.

What a steal! Furniture, art from disgraced financier Allen Stanford’s Fla. office up for sale

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Sal Lazzara needed some new office furniture. Thanks to a flamboyant financier’s downfall, he found a matching set with an infamous pedigree.

Race for airplane orders begins at Paris Air Show, clouded by rain and Flight 447 crash

LE BOURGET, France — Gray, rain-laden skies matched the mood at the Paris Air Show as it opened Monday amid grim times for the aviation industry.

Military pounds Taliban hideouts in Pakistan tribal area that was focus of past offensive

KHAR, Pakistan — Pakistani security forces used jets, helicopters and artillery to pound suspected Taliban hideouts in a tribal region where the army said it had vanquished militants earlier this year, government officials said Sunday.

Mysterious supernova remnant puzzles astronomers

WASHINGTON - Astronomers have been puzzled about the origin of a supernova remnant in space, which has a very different look.

India ramps up military presence along China border (Lead, changing dateline)

NEW DELHI/ITANAGAR/TEZPUR - India is ramping up its military deployment along the border with China, positioning two army divisions, each comprising around 25,000 to 30,000 personnel, as also a squadron of frontline Sukhoi Su-30 MKI combat jets at a key airbase in the northeast, military officials said.

Obama recalls ’sheer improbability’ of D-Day victory, ‘unimaginable’ suffering at landing

OMAHA BEACH, France — President Barack Obama honored the valiant dead and the “sheer improbability” of their D-Day victory, commemorating Saturday’s 65th anniversary of the decisive invasion even as he remakes two wars and tries to thwart potential nuclear threats in Iran and North Korea.

Obama, Sarkozy, agree on call for Israel to stop building settlements in West Bank

CAEN, France — President Barack Obama and French President Nicholas Sarkozy are again mutually calling for Iran not to develop a nuclear weapons program.

Ind. money manager pleads guilty to intentionally crashing plane in Fla. in fake death plan

PENSACOLA, Fla. — An Indiana money manger avoided trial in Florida by pleading guilty on Friday to federal charges that he intentionally crashed his plane to fake his death and flee financial ruin, but his legal troubles aren’t over.

Boeing discusses possible order for new aircraft with United Airlines

PITTSBURGH — Airplane maker Boeing Co. says it’s in talks with United Airlines about a possible order for new aircraft.

Bombardier’s profit dips 31 percent on cancelled orders

TORONTO - Canada’s Bombardier, the world’s third largest maker of civilian aircraft, Wednesday reported 31 percent drop in its profits for the first quarter.

Bees extend hind legs to stay stable in wind

WASHINGTON - A new research has shown that some bees brace themselves against wind and turbulence by extending their sturdy hind legs while flying.

Thunderstorms may have spelled doom for Air France Flight 447

WASHINGTON - Experts have speculated that Air France Flight 447, which disappeared mysteriously over the Atlantic Ocean on May 31, may have gone down due to turbulence and thunderstorms as it flew from Rio de Janeiro to Paris.

P.K. Barbora takes over as IAF vice-chief

NEW DELHI - Air Marshal P.K. Barbora Monday took over as the new vice-chief of the Indian Air Force (IAF) - becoming the first person from the northeast to hold the post.

AP News in Brief

Terror attacks reveal Taliban’s renewed strength ahead of planned Pakistani military offensive

Indian Navy heads for first Atlantic Ocean deployment

NEW DELHI - Underlining its increasing strategic prowess, the Indian Navy has for the first time embarked on a two month-long deployment to the Atlantic Ocean, where it will participate in separate war games with the British and French navies. Since World War I, the Atlantic Ocean has been the stage for strategic warfare for navies the world over.

IAF inducts its first AWACS for battlefield transparency

NEW DELHI - After recurring delays, the Indian Air Force (IAF) Thursday inducted its first eye-in-the-sky airborne warning and control systems (AWACS) which will detect incoming flying weapons and listen-in to aerial communications.

Civilians rush out of Pakistani valley as curfew lifted, fighting expected to intensify

MINGORA, Pakistan — Thousands of fearful civilians, many on foot, fled a war-torn Pakistani valley on Sunday as authorities lifted a curfew for a few hours amid a lull in fighting between the military and the Taliban.

Jets rookie lineman Matt Slauson never let speech problem define him

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Blocking big defensive linemen is easy for Matt Slauson, especially compared to the trouble a simple sentence can give him.

Another accidental PM after the elections? (Comment)

Like the TV game show ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati?’ the million dollar question in Indian politics today is who will be the next prime minister?

Brazil’s Embraer reports 1Q loss on lower jet sales because of global meltdown

SAO PAULO — Brazil’s Embraer plane maker posted a first-quarter loss Wednesday as the brutal world economic downturn has prompted airlines to cancel jet orders and delay deliveries.

RUSSO ON FOOTBALL: One team’s risky pick is another team’s bold move in NFL draft

NEW YORK — In college football there’s a theory, supported by some solid evidence, that a high school player’s rating is influenced by the schools recruiting him.

Jets trade with Detroit, select Iowa RB Shonn Greene to start 2nd round of NFL draft

NEW YORK — The New York Jets began the second day of the NFL draft in much the same fashion they impacted the opening round the previous day.

Raytheon profit rises 14 pct, prompting defense contractor to boost its outlook for the year.

WASHINGTON — Raytheon Co.’s quarterly profit rose 14 percent on stronger sales of missiles, radars and defense electronics, spurring the nation’s fifth-largest defense contractor to raise its 2009 earnings forecast.

Elton John brings audience to its feet as he ends Las Vegas run after 5 years, 241 shows

LAS VEGAS — The Rocket Man bid farewell to the Las Vegas Strip Wednesday after five years and 241 shows at Caesars Palace — but said it won’t necessarily be a long, long time before he returns.

Pentagon changes track from traditional warfare to foreign insurgencies

WASHINGTON - By sanctioning deep cuts in many traditional weapons systems, US Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has reshaped the Pentagon’s strategy to use new technology and troops to fight the insurgencies in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Gates announces major shift in US defence priorities

WASHINGTON - US Defence Secretary Robert Gates Monday announced a major shift in the Pentagon’s spending priorities, cutting some expensive Cold War-era weapons programmes and boosting spending that would aid the country’s battle against terrorism.