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A first repatriation flight brings stranded French citizens home as war in Iran disrupts travel

PARIS (AP) — The first flight repatriating French citizens stranded in the Middle East because of thewar in Iranlanded in Paris early Wednesday.

The flight from Abu Dhabi with passengers returned to Italy arrives at Fiumicino Airport, in Rome, Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (Valentina Stefanelli/LaPresse via AP)

A man celebrates as he arrives at the International Airport in Frankfurt, Germany, after being evacuated from Dubai on a commercial flight, Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

Lindsay Elvidge and husband Ric, from Somerset, arrive at Terminal 4 of London Heathrow Airport on a flight from Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, Monday, March 2, 2026. (Yui Mok/PA via AP)

A display in the arrivals terminal of the Henri Coanda International Airport shows cancelled flights originating in Middle East countries, in Otopeni, Romania, Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Italy Iran Israel US

French authorities booked about 100 seats onboard for vulnerable people on a priority list, the minister responsible for French Nationals Abroad, Eleonore Caroit, said. The plane departed from Muscat, Oman and made a stop in Cairo, Egypt, before touching down at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport, as travel across the region remains heavily disrupted by the widening conflict.

A second flight carrying French citizens, who were based in Israel and managed to cross the border with Egypt, should arrive in France later Wednesday, Caroit said.

"We are focusing on a priority group — families with children, people affected by illness, old people," she told TF1 broadcaster. "Our goal is to help repatriate as quickly as possible the French people who wish to return."

French President Emmanuel Macron said an estimated 400,000 French people are present in the region affected by the conflict, either as residents or temporarily passing through.

With airspace closed or heavily restricted across much of the Gulf, passengers have been stranded not only in the region but also in cities far from the fighting after their connecting flights were canceled. Amid the travel chaos and with commercial flights limited, governments across the globe have been mounting emergency operations to try to repatriate their citizens.

The United Statestold American citizensto leave more than a dozen countriesin the regionright away using any available commercial transportation. The countries include Iran and Israel, as well as Qatar, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, the Palestinian territories, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

In Europe, the British government said a chartered flight will take off from Oman late Wednesday to bring back some of the thousands of U.K. nationals in the Gulf. It said the most vulnerable will be prioritized for the first of what is expected to be a series of flights.

The Foreign Office said more than 130,000 British nationals in the Middle East have registered their presence with the government since the U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict broke out, though not all are trying to leave. Many of those are in the UAE, and the government has advised against trying to travel overland to Oman.

Commercial airlines are also starting to resume some flights, with Etihad, Emirates and Virgin Atlantic all due to operate flights from the UAE to London on Wednesday.

Elsewhere, Norway's Foreign Ministry said it's sending an "emergency team" to Dubai to reinforce the Norwegian embassy's team helping an estimated 1,500 Norwegians registered in the city.

byAsher Jeferson

in

March 04, 2026

A first repatriation flight brings stranded French citizens home as war in Iran disrupts travel

PARIS (AP) — The first flight repatriating French citizens stranded in the Middle East because of thewar in Iranlanded i...

Aimee Lou Woodestablished a strong presence at the 2026 Actor Awards via hersheer, bold blue dress. Photos of this dress were shared on Instagram and other social media sites. Following this, fans expressed admiration for the actress and her look. At the event, Wood reunited with her The White Lotus co-star, Leslie Bibb, who was accompanied by her husband and fellow actor, Sam Rockwell.

Aimee Lou Wood stuns in blue outfit at red carpet

Check out Aimee Lou Wood's stunning blue dress in the Instagram photo below:

As seen in the photo, the Sex Education star's gown has an off-the-shoulder neckline, a ruched bodice, and a flowing skirt that trails all the way to the bottom, leaving behind a trail. It also had two thick fabrics at the edge of the outline of the chest area tied together at the back.

Lou Wood accessorized with a diamond tennis bracelet, gumdrop pear earrings, and a pair of rings. She also donned some makeup, which includes red lipstick and light blush. Meanwhile, she let her middle-parted brunette hair flow naturally.

Her look received positive reactions. A user wrote onX (formerly Twitter), "Oh my gosh she looks incredible!!" Anotheradded, "oh i loooove this dress it's perfect on her."

Originally reported by Abdul Azim Naushad onMandatory

The postAimee Lou Wood Brings Bold Glam in See-Through Ensemble at Actor Awardsappeared first onReality Tea.

byAsher Jeferson

in

March 04, 2026

Aimee Lou Wood Brings Bold Glam in See-Through Ensemble at Actor Awards

Aimee Lou Woodestablished a strong presence at the 2026 Actor Awards via hersheer, bold blue dress. Photos of this dress were shared on In...

Florida public universities temporarily halt hiring foreigners on H1-B visas

By Jasper Ward

March 3 (Reuters) - Florida's public universities will temporarily halt hiring foreign faculty members using the H-1B ‌visa program, which allows employers to recruit highly skilled ‌professionals in specialized occupations.

The move comes after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis directed schools last October to crack down on what he described as "visa abuse" in higher education.

The Florida Board of Governors, which oversees the state's public universities, voted for a temporary ban that will stay ‌in effect until January ⁠5, 2027, according to the regulation posted on the board's website.

The move will only affect new ⁠employees at the 12 universities in the State University System of Florida.

Last year, U.S. President Donald Trump imposed a one-time $100,000 fee for new H-1B visa applicants amid his wider crackdown on immigration in ‌the United States.

The office of DeSantis and the board of governors were not immediately available for contact.

The H-1B visa program allows foreign professionals in specialized occupations - primarily in science, technology, engineering and mathematics - to work in the U.S. It offers 65,000 visas ‌annually, with another 20,000 visas for workers with advanced degrees, approved for three to six years.

More than 600 beneficiaries were approved for H-1B visas ‌by the 12 Florida schools last year, according to data on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' website.

Last October, DeSantis said U.S. universities "were importing foreign workers on H-1B visas instead of ‌hiring Americans who are qualified and available to do the job".

(Reporting by Jasper Ward in Washington; Editing by David Ljunggren and Daniel Wallis)

byAsher Jeferson

in

March 03, 2026

Florida public universities temporarily halt hiring foreigners on H1-B visas

By Jasper Ward March 3 (Reuters) - Florida's public universities will temporarily halt hiring foreign fa...

Harry Styles' new album is both adventurous and puzzling. Is that good?

It was evident from the first strains of "Aperture" thatHarry Styles'new album would not be the same as it was.

Where his Grammy-winning "Harry's House" danced with taut melodies, inescapable hooks and blasts of brass (we still love you,"Music for a Sushi Restaurant"), Styles' fourth solo album, "Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally," is as quirky and brow-furrowing as its title.

That isn't a criticism, just the acknowledgement that Styles'first release in four years, out March 6, takes a hard turn into electronic music meshed with Dark Wave '80s influences.

Breezy pop, this is not. But itisa showcase for an artist unafraid to stretch and plunge into the deep end.

Thethumping "Aperture"arrived as a slow-burn song that already sounded like a remix, yet its unconventionality didn't prevent it from racing to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in February (along with the Global 200, Streaming Songs and Digital Song Sales chart).

Harry Styles releases his fourth studio album, "Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally," March 6, 2026.

Styles, 32, crafted the album's dozen tracks with trusted producerKid Harpoon, the pair gleefully experimenting with roiling synths and taking cues from artists such as British DJ/producerJamie xx(who will join Styles at hisMadison Square Garden showsthis summer).

The titles to many songs – "Season 2 Weight Loss," "Ready, Steady, Go!" and "Taste Back" among them – aren't better clarified after listening to lyrics that require an archeologist to expose. WhenStyles tosses out lineslike "But you call Leon/you call it only in my head" on the Eurotrash disco banger "Ready, Steady, Go!" and leads the call and response coda "Gotta get your feet wet/Respect!/Respect your mother!" on the funky "Dance No More," the message seems to be, don't worry about understanding it, just feel it.

That said, fans will likely scour the internet for clues about the subject of album closer "Carla's Song," which is driven by bright synths and throbbing bass that escalates into rattlesnake shakes as Styles intones "It's all waiting there for you." Likewise the slow grooving, piano pulsing "American Girls," which finds Styles skipping through a singsong chorus of "I've known you for ages/it's all that I've heard/my friends are in love with American Girls."

Throughout the album, Styles admirably dedicates himself to progressing, even if it doesn't mean gift wrapped radio fodder. But no doubt these EDM-imbued tracks will land with a wallopwhen performed live.

Here are some of the standout tracks on "KATTDO."

Harry Styles' upcoming fourth album, "Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally," is led by first single "Aperture," released Jan. 22, 2026.

More:Harry Styles is returning to 'SNL' – Get the details

'Are You Listening Yet?'

Styles speak-sings over cascading keyboards in his most verbose song on the album, which is also his most musically stimulating. A clattering chorus of "Now you're all out of choices/are you listening yet?" eventually takes flight. But then electric guitar swoops in, the song detours into a drum-heavy break and somehow it all sounds cohesive.

'Taste Back'

It's a very '80s moment, with the industrial synth-pop of Depeche Mode or Soft Cell clear influences as Styles sings over a sweet, mellifluous chorus, "Must be lonely in Paris if you talk like that … Did you get your taste back?/Or do you just need a little love?" Styles works out his questioning in real time, deciding, that yes, "you just need a little love."

The veteran British glam rockers will be asking Las Vegas, "Do you wanna get rocked?" at their new dozen-concert residency at Caesars Palace. Singer Joe Elliott told USA TODAY the band wants to keep some "mystique" about show plans but, "Vegas will have a new concept."

Dates: Feb. 3 - Feb. 28 (Las Vegas). More here.