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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: passport

passport stories: 20 news summaries

(Newser) - Fewer Americans visited Canada last month than at any time since record-keeping began in 1972, as new passport controls and a weak US dollar kept tourists away. One-day car trips dropped 26% from May to June, and US tourists in Canada fell to half their number 5 years ago. The... More »

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travel • tourism • Canada • United States • passport • US-Canadian border • travel restrictions

 New Passport Rules 
 Burden Businesses 
 on US Borders 

Fewer traveling into US

Aug 14, 09 5:28 PM CDT
(Newser) - Businesses on the US side of the Canadian border say they're struggling now that travelers must show a passport to get into the country. In June, when the new law went into effect, the 11 busiest border bridges saw 23% less traffic than last year, the Wall Street Journal reports.... More »

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Mexico • Canada • businesses • passport • border • identification • Customs and Border Protection

 Polly Steals a Passport 

Winged New Zealand thief makes off with Scottish tourist's passport

May 29, 09 4:55 AM CDT
(Newser) - One of New Zealand's native parrots now has a British passport, the AP reports. The kea, one of a notoriously brazen species of alpine parrots, snatched the brightly colored bag containing the passport from the luggage compartment of a stopped tour bus and flew off into the rainforest with it.... More »

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thief • New Zealand • parrot • passport

Georgia Prof Suspected in Triple Murder Still in US: Cops

Zinkhan's passport recovered from his car

May 4, 09 1:21 PM CDT
(Newser) - Authorities believe George Zinkhan, the University of Georgia professor accused of murdering his wife and two friends, has not left the country as they have his passport, police told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution today; the document was found in his abandoned car. Zinkhan was scheduled on a weekend flight to Amsterdam,... More »

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crime • murder • school shooting • University of Georgia • passport • manhunt • George Zinkhan • fleeing

(Newser) - A US passport is easy to obtain using fake or fraudulent documents, even with extensive post-9/11 security reforms, the AP reports. At the request of a Senate committee, a government investigator went undercover and quickly obtained multiple passports, using the identities of a dead man, a 5-year-old, and two fictitious... More »

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Senate Judiciary Committee • State Department • Dianne Feinstein • United States • Jon Kyl • identity theft • Government Accountability Office • passport • identification • passport fraud

 Obama's Crew 
 Abounds With Expats 

Experiences abroad make for good policies at home, advisers say

Jan 18, 09 7:44 PM CST
(Newser) - If you’re seeking a job in the Obama administration, you may want to get out more—way out, Newsweek reports. Like the president-elect, many of his advisers have lived in other countries. Top aide Valerie Jarrett was born in Iran and has traveled widely, mixing with Europeans, Arabs, and... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Barack Obama • travel • adviser • Americans • James Jones • expatriates • passport • Valerie Jarrett • Scott Gration • Timothy Geithner

Russia Claims US Citizen Provoked War

Cites teacher's found passport as proof of meddling in Georgia

Sep 3, 08 12:16 PM CDT
(Newser) - To support its claims that US intelligence agents played a role in the Georgian conflict, the Kremlin has produced a US passport belonging to an Army veteran from Texas, the Wall Street Journal reports. They say the passport was found in an outpost used by Georgian special forces. The alleged... More »

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China • Russia • CIA • Vladimir Putin • espionage • Soviet Union • KGB • Georgia • spy • international relations • passport

On Land and Sea, Passport Info in the Cards

State Dept.'s new high-tech 'document' features built-in chip

Aug 18, 08 3:25 PM CDT
(Newser) - Starting this month, US residents have the option to use a wallet-size passport card instead of the traditional booklet when crossing land and sea borders, the Miami Herald reports. The cards, which aren't accepted for air travel, cost less than standard passports and speed the border-crossing process. The State Department... More »

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State Department • passport

 Chinese Gymnasts
 May be Underage

Passports say girls are 16, but other documents put them at 14

Jul 27, 08 8:05 AM CDT
(Newser) - Two of China's Olympic gymnasts may be younger than the cutoff age of 16, although their passports indicate otherwise, the New York Times reports. He Kexin and Jiang Yuyuan both hold papers citing 1991 birthdates, but previous competition records indicate they may be just 14. Why would China want to... More »

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China • age • 2008 Beijing Olympics • gymnastics • gymnast • passport

Gov't Workers Peeked at Celeb Passport Data

Report suggests 127 million Americans' information unsafe

Jul 4, 08 7:45 AM CDT
(Newser) - Government employees have been taking unauthorized peeks at electronic passport records of celebrities, says a State Department report that suggests the travel data of 127 million Americans is at risk. One high-profile person's records were opened 356 times by more than six dozen people, the Washington Post reports. Five contractors... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Joe Biden • State Department • celebrity • passport

 State Dept.
 Fires 2 Over
 Breach of
 Obama Files 

Employees looked at his passport records

Mar 20, 08 7:57 PM CDT
(Newser) - The State Department has fired two employees and disciplined a third for taking unauthorized looks at Barack Obama's passport records, NBC News reports. It's not clear what they were trying to do, but their explanations for looking at the files didn't satisfy their bosses. The Obama camp said it smacked... More »

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Barack Obama • State Department • passport • breach of security • Bureau of Consulate Affairs • passport files

US 'Passport Cards' Coming This Spring

Cheaper, wallet-sized card can replace passport for land and sea travelers

Jan 25, 08 9:18 AM CST
(Newser) - American citizens traveling by land or sea between the US and Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, or Bermuda will have the option of using a wallet-sized card in place of a passport beginning this spring, reports USA Today. The handy-sized card is designed to make life a bit easier for border-area... More »

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immigration • border security • passport

Mont. Governor Calls for Rally Against Real ID

Asks 17 other states to 'join me in resisting'

Jan 19, 08 10:33 AM CST
(Newser) - Montana's governor firmly rejected new federal ID legislation yesterday, urging 17 other states to join him in battling the DHS Real ID program, which requires citizens to reapply for ID, Wired reports. "If we stand together either DHS will blink or Congress will have to act to avoid havoc... More »

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Montana • Georgia • Department of Homeland Security • airport security • identity card • driver's license • Federal government • Real ID • Brian Schweitzer • state governments • passport

New ID Rules Look to Shore Up US Borders

Proof of citizenship now needed; 'Time to grow up,' says Chertoff

Jan 18, 08 8:00 AM CST
(Newser) - All travelers entering the US, including Americans, will face tough new ID requirements beginning in two weeks. "It's time to grow up and recognize that we've got to take determined steps to getting better security," homeland security chief Michael Chertoff told the AP. More »

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border control • Department of Homeland Security • Michael Chertoff • identity card • passport

Critics Cry 'Privacy' Over Passport Cards

US approves wireless ID that may spark identity theft

Jan 1, 08 4:53 PM CST
(Newser) - New wireless passport cards will make it easier for Americans to cross borders between Mexico, Canada, and the Caribbean—but privacy groups worry that thieves will be pinching personal data off the new ID, the AP reports. One critic called the cards "inherently insecure;" officials say safeguards are... More »

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technology • travel • Mexico • wireless • Canada • privacy • homeland security • identity theft • Caribbean • passport

Passport Regs Kick Back In

As summer rush abates, tighter restrictions
on North American
air travel return

Sep 28, 07 9:02 PM CDT
(Newser) - The deluge of passport applications that forced a suspension of new rules has eased, and starting Monday, US airline passengers must carry a passport when traveling to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean or Bermuda. And after Jan. 31, documentation requirements for those destinations will apply to travelers on water and land... More »

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travel • State Department • air travel • cruise ships • passport

Dem Moneyman May Be on the Lam Again

New warrant issued for Hsu after California court no-show

Sep 5, 07 4:27 PM CDT
(Newser) - A top Democratic fundraiser is in more trouble after failing to appear in a California court today for a bail hearing, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. A judge revoked Norman Hsu's $2 million bail and issued a new warrant for his arrest. “It could be a mistake, somehow, on... More »

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Barack Obama • Hillary Clinton • Democrats • fundraiser • Norman Hsu • bail • donor • passport

Hurricane Dean Hastens 'Three Amigos' Summit

Bush meets neighbors, Calderon leaves early, protests turn violent

Aug 21, 07 6:28 AM CDT
(Newser) - President Bush met with his counterparts from north and south yesterday at a Canadian summit overshadowed by Hurricane Dean and greeted with violent protests. The so-called "Three Amigos" met in a Quebec château ringed by a huge security wall, outside which police used tear gas and rubber bullets... More »

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Mexico • Canada • Felipe Calderon • United States • protests • Arctic • Stephen Harper • hurricane • Three Amigos • Raging Grannies • drug trade • passport • George W. Bush

Out-of-Date Passports Strand Iraqi Expats

New requirements catch innocent victims in snare for terrorists

Jul 24, 07 4:23 PM CDT
(Newser) - In an unintended consequence of regulations meant to hinder terrorists, Iraqi expats are stuck with out-of-date passports and no way to replace them. Iraq now issues documents that meet international standards, the Wall Street Journal reports, but emigres and refugees stuck with Saddam-era passports or handwritten documents that date to... More »

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Iraq • passport

US May Relax Passport Policy

Facing killer waits for passports, new anti-terror rules
may be suspended

Jun 8, 07 9:16 AM CDT
(Newser) - With waits for passports now running as long as three months, the feds are considering suspending new anti-terror requirements that caused the nasty backlog. Since January travelers have been required to show a passport when flying to Mexico or Canada; until September 30th, travelers to those destinations will be able... More »

MORE ABOUT:
travel • terrorism • security • border control • passport

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