passport

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Passport Security Easy to Breach: Govt. Probe

(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...

Obama's Crew Abounds With Expats

Experiences abroad make for good policies at home, advisers say

(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...

Russia Claims US Citizen Provoked War

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

(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...

On Land and Sea, Passport Info in the Cards

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

(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...

Chinese Gymnasts May be Underage

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

(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...

Gov't Workers Peeked at Celeb Passport Data

Report suggests 127 million Americans' information unsafe

(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...

State Dept. Fires 2 Over Breach of Obama Files

Employees looked at his passport records

(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...

US 'Passport Cards' Coming This Spring

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

(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...

Mont. Governor Calls for Rally Against Real ID

Asks 17 other states to 'join me in resisting'

(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...

New ID Rules Look to Shore Up US Borders

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

(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.

Critics Cry 'Privacy' Over Passport Cards

US approves wireless ID that may spark identity theft

(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...

Passport Regs Kick Back In
Passport Regs Kick Back In

Passport Regs Kick Back In

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

(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...

Dem Moneyman May Be on the Lam Again

New warrant issued for Hsu after California court no-show

(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...

Hurricane Dean Hastens 'Three Amigos' Summit

Bush meets neighbors, Calderon leaves early, protests turn violent

(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...

Out-of-Date Passports Strand Iraqi Expats

New requirements catch innocent victims in snare for terrorists

(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...

US May Relax Passport Policy
US May Relax Passport Policy

US May Relax Passport Policy

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

(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...

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