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Long wait for U.S. passports snarling summer plans

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:28 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Seeking a valid U.S. passport for that 2023 trip? Buckle up, wishful traveler, for a very different journey before you step anywhere near an airport.A much-feared backup of U.S passport applications has smashed into a wall of government bureaucracy as worldwide travel rebounds toward record pre-pandemic levels — with too few humans to handle the load. The result, say aspiring travelers in the U.S. and around the world, is a maddening pre-travel purgatory defined, at best, by costly uncertainty.With family dreams and big money on the line, passport seekers describe a slow-motion agony of waiting, worrying, holding the line, refreshing the screen, complaining to Congress, paying extra fees and following incorrect directions. Some applicants are buying additional plane tickets to snag in-process passports where they sit — in other cities — in time to make the flights they booked in the first place.So grim is the outlook that U.S. officials aren't e...

Neil Young delivers a gorgeous, intimate solo show in Los Angeles

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:28 GMT

Midway through Neil Young‘s lovely and sometimes shambling solo show on Friday June 30, he paused to chat with the audience again during the first of four sold out shows at The Ford in Los Angeles over the next week.“Alright, I hope you’re not in a hurry,” the 77-year-old singer-songwriter told the 1,200 fans in sold-out amphitheater. “I feel bad for you. You have no idea.”But that’s exactly the point of the Coastal Tour, which kicked off Friday night and also includes dates July 15 in Berkeley and July 23 in Napa. No one had any idea what Young would play – he’d previously announced this tour would feature mostly songs he’d rarely, if ever, played live – and at times it felt like Young himself wasn’t quite sure what he wanted to play next.Neil Young performs at the Ford Theater Friday, June 30, 2023. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)Neil Young performs at the Ford Theater Friday, June 30, 2023. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)Neil Young perfor...

French rioting: 6th night of unrest as teens take to the streets

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:28 GMT

PARIS (AP) — Unrest across France sparked by the police shooting of a 17-year-old appeared to slow on its sixth night, but fires and vandalism continued to target public buildings, cars and municipal trash cans overnight into Monday.The riots appeared driven by a teenage backlash. The interior minister said the average age of those arrested was 17 and that children as young as 12 or 13 had been detained for attacking law enforcement and setting fires.In all, according to the Interior Ministry, there were 157 arrests overnight out of a total of 3,354 since last Tuesday, and that two law enforcement stations were attacked, among other damage.“We all have to ask ourselves about the responsibility of families,” Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said.There has been little in the way of organized protests beyond a march last week for Nahel, the teenager killed last Tuesday. But many activists say the nighttime riots are a lashing out against a French state that many young people with immi...

Miss Manners: My husband bristles when my eyes stray to what he’s reading

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:28 GMT

DEAR MISS MANNERS: My husband grew up in a home where reading over someone’s shoulder was considered rude and caused bristling and umbrage.Related ArticlesAdvice | Miss Manners: I was dinged on my job review, and I think it was for my bathroom bluntness Advice | Miss Manners: I want to ditch a wedding planner who is proposing horrifying activities Advice | Miss Manners: I thought it was inappropriate for her to skip the funeral and show up for the food Advice | Miss Manners: I told the subway rider he was rude, and he got huffy Advice | Miss Manners: Why do they ask such questions about my groceries? I did not grow up with the same rule, but I can easily refrain from reading over his shoulder when the media involved is printing.My problem occurs when we’re on the couch watching television together and he’s reading on his tablet. To my eyes and brain, there are two screens available, gra...

Switzerland picks 16-year-old midfielder Iman Beney in Women’s World Cup squad

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:28 GMT

GENEVA (AP) — Sixteen-year-old Iman Beney was picked in Switzerland’s squad Monday for the Women’s World Cup, only three days after making her debut with the national team.Beney, a midfielder with Swiss club Young Boys, impressed Friday as a second-half substitute in a 3-3 draw against another World Cup team, Zambia.She will turn 17 two days after Switzerland opens Group A against Philippines on July 21 in Dunedin, New Zealand. The group also includes tournament co-host New Zealand and Norway.“We haven’t taken her only as a prospect,” Switzerland coach Inka Grings said of Beney. “She can make an impression at the World Cup.”Alongside Beney, five others in the 23-player squad have more than 100 national team appearances: Barcelona winger Ana-Maria Crnogorcevic, Paris Saint-Germain forward Ramona Bachmann, Real Betis goalkeeper Gaëlle Thalmann and Arsenal teammates Lia Wälti and Noelle Maritz.Switzerland is playing at its second Women’s World Cup. In 2015, the Swiss advanced from the ...

Por qué EEUU recomienda reconsiderar los viajes a China

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:28 GMT

BEIJING — Estados Unidos recomendó a los estadounidenses que reconsideren viajar a China debido a la aplicación arbitraria de la ley y las prohibiciones de salida y el riesgo de detenciones injustas.No se citaron casos específicos, pero el aviso se produjo después de que un ciudadano estadounidense de 78 años fuera sentenciado a cadena perpetua por cargos de espionaje en mayo.También siguió a la aprobación la semana pasada de una amplia Ley de Relaciones Exteriores que amenaza con contramedidas contra aquellos que se considera que dañan los intereses de China. Globo espía chino usó tecnología estadounidense pero no recopiló información, dice EEUU “Extremadamente absurdos e irresponsables”: así cataloga China los comentarios de Joe Biden China también aprobó recientemente una ley de contraespionaje ampliamente escrita que ha causado escalofríos en la comunidad empresarial extranjera, con allanamientos de oficinas, así como una ley ...

Continúan las protestas en toda Francia tras la muerte de un adolescente por parte de un policía. Esto es lo que debes saber

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:28 GMT

(CNN) — Francia se ha visto sacudida por una ola de protestas después de que un policía le disparara a un joven de 17 años cerca de París el pasado martes, lo que causó la prohibición de manifestaciones en algunas ciudades, advertencias de viaje y reavivó un debate sobre el exceso de vigilancia en comunidades marginadas.Escenas de personas prendiendo fuego a vehículos y trepando a edificios con ventanas rotas han surgido en varias ciudades, mientras que policías antidisturbios se enfrentaban ferozmente con los manifestantes.Los disturbios provocaron una respuesta a la crisis del presidente de Francia, Emmanuel Macron, quien celebró una reunión de emergencia con los ministros mientras intenta salvar las divisiones y unir al país en su segundo mandato.Esto es lo que sabemos.¿Qué generó las protestas?Un policía mató a tiros al adolescente Nahel, de ascendencia argelina, durante una parada de tráfico en el suburbio parisino de Nanterre a principios de la semana pasada.Las imágenes...

Unknown object found by diver in Palm Beach leaves community intrigued

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:28 GMT

PALM BEACH, Fla. (WSVN) —An unknown object, found by a diver on Tuesday, has become a focal point in Palm Beach, as the community questions its origins and purpose.The unidentified object was spotted by David Marger, who was snorkeling with his children when he stumbled upon the mysterious item, approximately 5 to 10 feet deep. Marger initially mistook it for a missile due to its appearance.“I wasn’t really worried, I was kind of sitting out there like it would be crazy to see an explosion, you know, hopefully nobody gets hurt,” Marger recalled.Speculation about the object’s nature has been rampant among locals, with theories ranging from remnants of World War II military equipment to a discarded torpedo. “Maybe a torpedo. I know the Germans had some submarines over here during the war, but I’m no expert,” one resident speculated. “Probably an old WWII torpedo considering the Navy used to have a lot of ships out here during the war,...

Police reunite unidentified person wandering in Miramar with caregivers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:28 GMT

Police announced in a tweet on Monday morning that an unidentified person was found in the area of Miramar. His caregivers have since been located and reunited with the man.According to authorities, the person was found in the area of Oleander Drive and Miramar Boulevard wearing only a diaper. The person is also non-communicative.

Never underestimate Russia, top NATO military official warns

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:28 GMT

BRUSSELS — NATO is crafting its new military plans assuming Moscow will make a comeback. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Admiral Rob Bauer, chair of the NATO military committee, said that although the bulk of Russia’s land forces are fighting in Ukraine, he believes the Kremlin’s forces are still a threat. “We are convinced that the Russians are going to reconstitute,” he said. “And therefore, the plans are built on not the actual status of the Russian army, but on the status of the Russian army before they attacked Ukraine.”Russia, Bauer said, “will learn lessons from that war” and NATO “will continue to look at them as a serious threat.” That includes in the seas, in the air and in space, where Russian forces “are still very, very capable,” in addition to nuclear capabilities.“We should never underestimate the Russians and their ability to bounce back, as they have shown in history a couple of times,” he added. Next Tuesday and Wednesday, the Western alliance’s lea...