U.S. tightens visa waiver program in wake of Paris attacks

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House announced changes to the U.S. visa waiver program on Monday so that security officials can more closely screen travelers from 38 countries allowed to enter the United States without obtaining visas before they travel.

Under the new measures, which were prompted by the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris by Islamic State militants, the Department of Homeland Security would immediately start to collect more information from travelers about past visits to countries such as Syria and Iraq, the White House said.

The changes will "enhance our ability to thwart terrorist attempts to travel on lost or stolen passports," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters in Paris, where President Barack Obama is attending U.N. talks on climate change.

Fed ends 'too big to fail' lending to collapsing banks

The Federal Reserve is cutting its lifeline to big banks in financial trouble.

The Fed officially adopted a new rule Monday that limits its ability to lend emergency money to banks.

In theory, the new rule should quash the notion that Wall Street banks are "too big to fail." Translation: the government has to save them during a crisis.

China may be trying to take over a critical US air base in the Atlantic

Over Thanksgiving, I briefly visited the Azores, an archipelago in the middle of the North Atlantic, home to Lajes Field, a Portuguese Air Force Base that's also home to the US Air Force's 65th Air Base Wing.

The US has had almost a century of interaction with the Azores. During World War I, the US Navy briefly occupiedPonta Delgada, from which it flew hydroplanes to help spot German submarines. With the end of the war, the American contingent returned home, but various Azores airfields served as waypoints as transatlantic aviation developed.

During World War II, however, Lajes Field became a significant base under British control from which both US and British planes flewmissions to protect Atlantic shipping. The US Navy also used it as ablimp waystation.

U.S. Air Force chief cites concern about leak of bomber data

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top U.S. Air Force general on Tuesday confirmed that the service had raised concerns about the release of sensitive data about a next-generation bomber that was included in a report published by Forbes magazine last month.

"We did have a concern about data that should not have been released," Air Force Chief of Staff General Mark Welsh told industry executives and foreign military officials at an event hosted by the Atlantic Council think tank.

"I think it's our duty to identify the fact that that should not have been made available and try to keep the process as pure as we can. That’s why the Air Force highlighted that as an issue," Welsh said.

Reuters reported last week that the Air Force was looking into how classified data about the bomber competition had found its way into the Forbes report.

These graphics show the crucial differences between the world's 3 types of aircraft carrier

(REUTERS/Adnan Abidi ) 

Aircraft carriers are the ultimate symbol of a country's military power and prestige. These floating islands of military power take years to build, and they do not come cheap. The first of the US's new Ford-class of super carrier has a $13 billion price tag.

Still, despite the cost, a number of countries have succeeded in building or acquiring a carrier. Although the US has the largest number of carriers with the most advanced technology and the largest flight decks, a variety of carriers of various sizes and sophistication are in use around the world.

Teen Allergic to Wi-Fi Commits Suicide, Parents Say

The mother of a teen who committed suicide after suffering from what she calls a rare allergy to Wi-Fi is accusing her daughter’s school of failing to protect her.

Jenny Fry, 15, was found hanging from a tree near her home in the U.K. last June. Her story is now coming to light because of a legal investigation into the cause of Jenny’s death.

Superman Unmasks Batman in New 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice' Clip

Things don’t look good for the Caped Crusader in the exclusive sneak preview of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice that aired Monday during the fall finale of Fox’s Batman-based crime drama, Gotham.