Hoping to travel? Passport renewals taking months for some

You'll want to take another look at the expiration date on your passport as soon as you can.

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  • Asia off to cautious start ahead of earnings, U.S. data

    Asian shares started cautiously on Monday as investors wait to see if U.S. earnings can justify sky-high valuations, while bond markets could be tested by what should be very strong readings for U.S. inflation and retail sales this week. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was off 0.05% in slow early trade. Investors were anxious to see how shares in Alibaba Group Holding Ltd fared after China slapped a record 18 billion yuan ($2.75 billion) fine on the e-commerce giant.

  • Swiss watchdog asked Credit Suisse on Greensill risks - SonntagsZeitung

    The head of Switzerland's financial regulator FINMA questioned Credit Suisse Group AG over risks in its dealings with now-insolvent finance firm Greensill Capital "months" before the bank was forced to close $10 billion of funds linked to Greensill, Swiss newspaper SonntagsZeitung reported on Sunday. Alongside formal discussions on a technical level between the bank and FINMA, the watchdog's head Mark Branson personally discussed the risks with outgoing Credit Suisse Chairman Urs Rohner and Chief Executive Thomas Gottstein during a meeting on an unspecified date, the newspaper reported, citing information it had obtained.

  • Short-handed Clippers unleash a 41-4 run, then hang on and hold off Rockets

    With Patrick Beverley out indefinitely because of a broken hand and Paul George taking a night off, the Clippers survived a game of wild swings to beat the Rockets on Friday night.

  • Rain wins again; Martinsville to have doubleheader Sunday

    Rain forced the postponement of the NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway after just 42 laps Saturday night, setting up a doubleheader Sunday. Denny Hamlin passed pole-sitter Joey Logano just four laps into the race and led the rest of the way until light drizzle intensified and the drivers were told to come down pit road for a red flag delay. Conditions on the track were good, but pit road was very wet.

  • Top Treasury official to be grilled over David Cameron Greensill lobbying saga

    A top mandarin is to be grilled over text messages sent by David Cameron as committee chairs are in talks about launching an inquiry into Greensill. Sir Tom Scholar, Permanent Secretary at The Treasury, will appear before the Public Accounts Committee on April 22, where he will be asked questions about Greensill, a finance firm advised by the former prime minister which sought access to government coronavirus support funding. The Telegraph understands that discussions are underway along Parliament’s select committee corridor about a bigger inquiry, with two senior members of committees currently working closely together so as not to “overlap” witnesses. One senior Tory MP said the Cabinet Secretary, Simon Case, is due to come before the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee "in the next couple of weeks". He said while it would be a "routine appearance" he was "sure Greensill will be a feature of it". It comes after further revelations regarding the lobbying row over the collapsed lender found the Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, met Mr Cameron and Lex Greensill for a "private drink" to discuss a new payment scheme for the NHS in 2019, according to The Sunday Times. Mr Greensill's firm at the time wanted to introduce a flexible scheme to pay doctors and nurses either daily or weekly. NHS SBS, a joint venture between the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and a French IT firm, went on to announce in October last year that Earnd, a mobile app that was then a division of Greensill, would be available free-of-charge to NHS employees to access their pay. Mr Hancock referred Mr Greensill to work directly with the NHS rather than his department, according to an ally of his, who insisted the final decision to use the scheme was for local NHS employers. "Matt acted in entirely the correct way - he updated officials on the business that was discussed, as is appropriate," the friend said. Mr Hancock is the fourth minister to have been lobbied by Mr Cameron on behalf of the company, with Rishi Sunak and Treasury ministers Jesse Norman and John Glen also having been contacted by him. It was also revealed that the Treasury reconsidered Mr Greensill's application for an emergency coronavirus loan after Mr Cameron messaged a senior adviser to Boris Johnson. Mr Cameron was said to have described the decision to exclude his employer's firm, Greensill Capital, from the multibillion-pound scheme as "nuts" and pressed for the Chancellor to reconsider. On April 3 last year Mr Cameron emailed: "What we need is for Rishi (Sunak) to have a good look at this and ask officials to find a way of making it work.” Sir Alistair Graham, a former chairman of the committee on standards in public life, told Sky News the lobbying raised “big questions” about "ministers who leave office who get very well paid jobs in the private sector that could almost be seen an extension to their pension arrangements." He added: “I think there are important lessons to learn and new rules may be required". While Mr Cameron has not commented publicly on the allegations, a source close to him said: "David Cameron was an enthusiastic champion of Greensill's pay product, Earnd, and met with various people to discuss its rollout across the NHS." Meg Hillier, chairwoman of the Public Accounts Committee, told The Telegraph that there are “many questions about Greensill's access to Government”. She said: “The Government had to act fast at the beginning of the pandemic but it had no licence to act fast and loose. "Too often, as the PAC and NAO have highlighted, basic checks were not carried out. And transparency over decisions made- particularly in awarding contracts has been poor. We need to know why and how Greensill secured what seems to be preferential access to cabinet ministers, officials and schemes. “The fact that information is only dripping out shows a woeful attitude to transparency about how Greensill got this access.” A DHSC spokesman said: "Our approach was and is that local NHS employers are best placed to decide how different pay flexibilities fit with their overall pay and reward offer for their staff." A No 10 spokesman: "Throughout the pandemic, an immense number of businesses contacted Downing Street with representations; these were passed on to relevant departments." James Kirkup: David Cameron's anti-cronyism rings hollow now

  • LEADING OFF: Kershaw vs Scherzer as last 2 champs collide

    Los Angeles is looking for a three-game sweep of its first home series this season, and Dodgers starters are 5-0 in their last seven outings. The Dodgers have won five of their last six regular-season games against the Nationals and are 11-4 versus Washington over the past four seasons.

  • The Latest: Tweet recalls queen's loving anniversary speech

    The Twitter account of Britain's royal family has featured a tribute Queen Elizabeth II gave to Prince Philip for the couple's 50th wedding anniversary. An excerpt from a speech the queen made in 1997 was posted Saturday, the day after Philip died at age 99. “He has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years, and I, and his whole family, and this and many other countries, owe him a debt greater than he would ever claim, or we shall ever know,” Elizabeth said of her husband in the anniversary speech.

  • There’s a tentative schedule out for Miami-Dade Public Schools’ in-person graduations

    Two days after announcing that every Miami-Dade County public high school would have an in-person graduation this spring, MDCPS superintendent Alberto Carvalho released tentative schedules for the ceremonies Sunday morning.

  • What channel is the NASCAR race at Martinsville on? Betting odds and how to watch

    Here’s what to know for Saturday’s NASCAR race at Martinsville Speedway under the lights.

  • Henry Cavill goes Instagram official with new girlfriend — see the pic!

    Cavill, 37, introduced his "beautiful and brilliant love" Natalie Viscuso to his 15 million Instagram followers.

  • A 911 dispatcher in Louisiana was arrested after authorities say she refused to return $1.2 million that was accidentally deposited into her account

    According to a lawsuit filed last week, Charles Schwab & Co. mistakenly transferred the woman more than $1.2 million. It meant to transfer $82.56.

  • John Boehner says that Mitch McConnell 'holds his feelings, thoughts, and emotions in a lockbox'

    For Boehner, a jovial, backslapping politician who is known to publicly cry, McConnell's steely and to-the-point demeanor is quite a contrast.

  • Bristling tensions with Prince Harry remain, but Royal family will wear the mask of unity at Duke’s funeral

    The subtle briefings were designed to give Prince Harry the softest possible landing on his arrival back in the UK ahead of his beloved grandfather’s funeral on Saturday. From sources suggesting he was “united in grief” with the rest of the Royal family following the death of the Duke of Edinburgh, to the couple’s unofficial spokesman Omid Scobie insisting – should anyone be in doubt – that “Harry was incredibly close to Philip”, the Sussex spin machine was in evidence as the displaced Prince prepared for his first transatlantic flight in 13 months. Members of the Royal family also sought to calm serves ahead of what is feared could be a difficult reunion for the House of Windsor, with a palace source suggesting that the Prince of Wales was particularly looking forward to seeing his youngest son. “It’s been more than a year,” they pointed out.

  • 'We are done dying': NAACP, Virginia governor express outrage at pepper-spraying of Black and Latino Army officer during traffic stop

    Virginia's attorney general, at least one congressman and the NAACP are furious at the actions of Windsor police officers during a traffic stop.

  • Hugh Jackman and wife stun in 1996 wedding photos shared for their 25th anniversary

    The actor said it was his "destiny" for the couple to be together.

  • 'White Lives Matter' rallies flop as hardly anyone shows up

    Neo-Nazis and other far-right extremists planned rallies in dozens of cities Sunday but hardly anyone showed up.

  • Why Prince Philip’s great-grandchildren shouldn't attend the Royal funeral

    Of all the images that stood out during the televised funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, there was one that has endured in the collective consciousness longer than any other: that of two boys who had just lost their mother, walking in sombre procession behind her coffin, while the world looked in upon their most private moment. Alongside Princes William and Harry that day walked their grandfather, the Duke of Edinburgh. Amid a terrible whirlwind of public mourning and spectacle, the Duke was reportedly deeply concerned about the emotional wellbeing of his bereaved grandsons, then 15 and 12. “I’ll walk if you walk,” he apparently told them at a dinner before the funeral. And, of course, he kept his word. Almost a quarter of a century later, has there been a change of heart within the monarchy about the role of children at Royal funerals? It is understood that the Duke’s 10 great-grandchildren, who include Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, will not be in attendance at his funeral this Saturday. That nine are under 10 years of age (Savannah Phillips will turn 11 in December) has likely played a part in the decision.

  • Palace reveals Prince Philip redesigned Balmoral Castle's notorious heating system

    Prince Philip devised a special heating system to protect the paintings at Balmoral Castle, it has emerged as the Royal family paid tribute to his conservation work on its estates. The Palace revealed on Sunday that the Duke of Edinburgh was behind an initiative to install a heating system that responded to humidity rather than the outside temperature to create a less damaging atmosphere for the castle’s many antiques. The Duke’s fervent passion for horticulture and agriculture also led him to re-landscape many the Queen’s estates and even get behind the wheel of a bulldozer to realise his vision. In a memorial released on Sunday, the palace detailed the works the Duke carried out and oversaw on the Queen’s private estates at Sandringham and Balmoral, as well as Great Windsor and Home Parks. It revealed how the Duke took a particularly close interest in the maintenance of the Queen’s beloved Balmoral residence in Aberdeenshire, where she spends August and July.

  • Harry Reid on former House Speaker John Boehner: 'I did everything I could to cause him trouble' but we 'got a lot done'

    "The deal is this - Boehner and I got a lot done, but we didn't mince words," he said. "He was right. I did everything I could to cause him trouble."

  • 'I hate this home now:' California couple finally changes the locks on their dream house after previous owner refused to leave for over a year

    Myles and Tracie Albert bought their home with cash in January 2020. But the seller used a legal loophole during the pandemic to remain in the house.