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US restricts visa-free travel for Hungarian passport holders, citing security concerns

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:57:00 GMT

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — The United States imposed new travel restrictions on citizens of Hungary on Tuesday over concerns that the identities of nearly 1 million foreigners granted Hungarian passports over nine years were not sufficiently verified, according to the U.S. Embassy and a government official.The restrictions apply to the U.S. Visa Waiver Program, which allows passport holders from 40 countries to enter the United States for business or tourism without a visa for up to 90 days.The validity period of travel for Hungarian passport holders under the Electronic System for Travel Authorization was reduced from two years to one year, and each traveler will be limited to a single entry into the United States. They are the only such restrictions among the 40 participating states in the Visa Waiver Program.A senior U.S. government official said the change followed years of failed efforts by the U.S. to work with Hungary’s government to resolve the security concerns. The official ...

France planning an evacuation of people seeking to leave Niger after the coup in its former colony

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:57:00 GMT

PARIS (AP) — The French Foreign Ministry says France is planning an imminent evacuation of people seeking to leave Niger after the coup last week in the former French colony. In a brief statement to The Associated Press, the ministry said Tuesday “an evacuation is being prepared” and that it “will happen rapidly.” The ministry in Paris gave no other immediate details.The Associated Press

Globalization's impact on employment and the EU 

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:57:00 GMT

Find out how much the EU aims to benefit from globalization while tackling its negative effects on employment, Economy.Globalisation creates job opportunities but can also result in job losses. Managing globalization to make the most of it is a priority for the EU as is trying to create a more social Europe that helps redundant workers find new jobs.Job opportunities in EuropeThe number of jobs supported directly or indirectly by EU exports outside the union is continuously growing. It increased from 21.7 million jobs in 2000 to 38 million jobs in 2019. One in five jobs in the EU depends on exports.Job opportunities aren't limited to exporting companies. They also extend to firms supplying goods and services to them.For example, in Germany exports to non-EU countries support 7.7 million jobs. Thanks to the EU's single market an additional 1.2 million German jobs depend on exports from other EU countries to non-EU countries. In total, 20% of jobs in Germany rely on EU exports.The sha...

Sale closed in Pleasanton: $1.7 million for a four-bedroom home

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:57:00 GMT

2589 Corte Rivera – Google Street ViewA spacious house located in the 2500 block of Corte Rivera in Pleasanton has new owners. The 2,500-square-foot property, built in 1973, was sold on June 7, 2023. The $1,660,000 purchase price works out to $664 per square foot. This two-story home offers a spacious layout with four bedrooms and three baths. In addition, the house comes with a garage. Situated on a spacious 9,354-square-foot lot, the property offers ample outdoor space.Additional houses that have recently been sold close by include:In November 2022, a 1,932-square-foot home on Paseo Santa Cruz in Pleasanton sold for $1,650,000, a price per square foot of $854. The home has 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.On Via San Blas, Pleasanton, in May 2023, a 1,778-square-foot home was sold for $1,635,000, a price per square foot of $920. The home has 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.A 1,785-square-foot home on the 6100 block of Corte Altamira in Pleasanton sold in January 2023, for $1,495,000, a price ...

Marta heads into Brazil’s final group game of Women’s World Cup tearfully reflecting on her legacy

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:57:00 GMT

AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — Marta arrived at her sixth Women’s World Cup expecting to go deep into the tournament. Then a loss to France put Brazil in jeopardy of being eliminated in group play, and one of the greatest players has been forced to examine her own legacy. The veteran forward, who has been used sparingly in this tournament, is trying to become the first player, female or male, to score in six different World Cups. She could get a chance Wednesday against Jamaica in the Group H finale played in Melbourne, where a win would guarantee the Selecao advance to the knockout round for their seventh consecutive World Cup. A draw would put Brazil’s fate in the outcome of France’s game against Panama, and, possibly end Marta’s World Cup career. She began to cry Tuesday when asked about her legacy. “When I started playing I didn’t have an idol, a female idol,” she said through a translator. “You guys didn’t show any female games. How was I suppo...

Niger crisis deepens as France plans evacuation and coup leaders get support from neighboring juntas

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:57:00 GMT

NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — France on Tuesday announced a planned evacuation from Niger after a military coup there won backing from two other West African nations ruled by mutinous soldiers.The French Foreign Ministry in Paris said the evacuation “will happen rapidly.” It gave no other immediate details.The French decision to evacuate comes amid a deepening crisis sparked by the coup last week against Niger’s democratically elected president, Mohamed Bazoum.The West African regional body known as ECOWAS announced travel and economic sanctions against Niger on Sunday and said it would use force if the coup leaders don’t reinstate Bazoum within one week. Bazoum’s government was one of the West’s last democratic partners against West African extremists.In a joint statement from Mali and Burkina Faso, their military governments wrote that “any military intervention against Niger will be considered as a declaration of war against Burkina Faso and Mali.”Col. Abdoulaye Maiga, Mali...

French Foreign Ministry says France is planning evacuation from Niger after coup last week in the former French colony

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:57:00 GMT

PARIS (AP) — French Foreign Ministry says France is planning evacuation from Niger after coup last week in the former French colony.Source

Loyd leads Seattle against Dallas after 26-point game

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:57:00 GMT

Dallas Wings (14-11, 8-6 Western Conference) at Seattle Storm (6-19, 4-7 Western Conference)Seattle; Wednesday, 10:30 p.m. EDTBOTTOM LINE: Seattle faces the Dallas Wings after Jewell Loyd scored 26 points in the Seattle Storm’s 85-62 win over the Indiana Fever.The Storm have gone 4-7 against Western Conference opponents. Seattle is third in the league averaging 8.9 made 3-pointers per game while shooting 35.2% from downtown. Loyd leads the team averaging 3.4 makes while shooting 39.6% from 3-point range.The Wings have gone 8-6 against Western Conference opponents. Dallas is second in the Western Conference with 19.7 assists per game led by Arike Ogunbowale averaging 4.6.The teams square off for the third time this season. The Storm won the last matchup 109-103 on June 17. Loyd scored 39 points to help lead the Storm to the win.TOP PERFORMERS: Loyd is scoring 24.3 points per game and averaging 4.6 rebounds for the Storm. Ezi Magbegor is averaging 11.3 points and 7.3 rebounds ov...

Today in History: Aug. 1, Hitler opens Berlin Olympics

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:57:00 GMT

Today in History Today is Tuesday, Aug. 1, the 213th day of 2023. There are 152 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On Aug. 1, 1936, the Olympics opened in Berlin with a ceremony presided over by Adolf Hitler. On this date: In 1876, Colorado was admitted as the 38th state. In 1907, the U.S. Army Signal Corps established an aeronautical division, the forerunner of the U.S. Air Force.In 1944, an uprising broke out in Warsaw, Poland, against Nazi occupation; the revolt lasted two months before collapsing. In 1957, the United States and Canada announced they had agreed to create the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD). In 1966, Charles Joseph Whitman, 25, went on an armed rampage at the University of Texas in Austin that killed 14 people, most of whom were shot by Whitman while he was perched in the clock tower of the main campus building.In 1975, a 35-nation summit in Finland concluded with the signing of a declaration known as the Helsinki Accords dealing with ...

UK will keep EU’s safety mark in Brexit climbdown

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:57:00 GMT

LONDON — British businesses will be allowed to continue to use the European Union’s safety mark indefinitely, the U.K. government announced Tuesday — in a climbdown from previous post-Brexit plans.Ministers pledged to introduce a competitor assurance mark to the EU’s “CE” (Conformité Européenne) when Britain left the bloc in 2020, but the planned introduction of the “UKCA” mark has been delayed on three separate occasions. After those postponements, the new U.K. safety mark was intended to mandatorily replace the CE mark on all goods sold in Great Britain by December 2024. But the government came under pressure to back down further, as businesses warned preparing for the changes would add costs.The government bowed to those calls Tuesday, announcing that firms will now be free to use either the UKCA or the CE mark when selling goods in the U.K. “By extending CE marking use across the U.K., firms can focus their time and money on creating jobs and growing the econo...