Latest news with #5thAvenue
RNZ News
15-05-2025
- RNZ News
Australia has ramped up its travel warnings for the USA three times since April
By Ben Butler , ABC Crowded sidewalk on New York's 5th Avenue with tourists and commuters. Photo: 123RF The Department of Foreign Affairs has toughened its travel advice for the USA three times in just over a month in response to the Trump administration's increasingly harsh border controls. While DFAT has not changed the USA's overall rating from green, which means "exercise normal safety precautions", it has beefed up warnings about being detained at the border and requirements to carry identification while travelling within the country. The series of changes in April and earlier this month came as Australian holiday travel to the US plunged after a crackdown in which border authorities detained and deported visitors and searched electronic devices. Fears have also been stoked by images of masked agents from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, seizing people in the street and hustling them away. In one high-profile case, the US sent El Salvadoran man Kilmar Abrego Garcia to a notorious prison in his native country and has so far refused to bring him back despite admitting he was deported by mistake. DFAT changed the language of the USA entry on the government's Smartraveller website on 4 April to increase the prominence of existing advice that entry requirements to the US are strict, that border authorities there "actively pursue, detain, or deport people who are in the country illegally" and that "officials may ask to inspect electronic devices, emails, text messages or social media accounts" and if travellers refuse they may be denied entry. The advice was again updated on 16 April by adding a warning about a law forcing foreigners who are in the country for more than 30 days to register with authorities, together with instructions on how to check if they've been registered. While the law was on the books before Trump came back into office, he issued an executive order on 20 January, "Protecting the American People Against Invasion", that demanded authorities tighten compliance with it. DFAT's advice was again strengthened on May 6 to add a warning to would-be travellers of a new requirement that boarding domestic US flights now requires a passport or photo ID which meets US Department of Homeland Security requirements. Australian travellers began avoiding the US even before DFAT changed its advice, but the downturn deepened last month. US President Donald Trump. Photo: AFP / Brendan Smialowski Two weeks ago, Australia's biggest travel agency, Flight Centre, downgraded its profit forecast by up to $100 million (NZ$109 million), saying developments in the US "have exacerbated the volatile trading conditions experienced throughout the year". Its chief executive, Graham "Skroo" Turner, told the ABC leisure travel from Australia to the USA was down by a "reasonably significant" amount of between 7 percent and 10 percent in the first three months of the year. "But in April we saw a significant downturn in leisure travel of 16 percent and business was down about 7 percent, compared to the same time last year," he said. Turner said he expected the trend to continue. "Some people don't like the idea of travelling to Trump country, they don't like his policies," he said. "The other issue is that they're worried about some of those stories they've heard." He said border rules were "still very strict" but little had changed for Australians, who are generally eligible for a visa waiver. "People hear these sad stories of people being detained," Turner said. "It's probably been happening normally but people hear more of it now. "The unsettled climate in business has affected us as well. "We're pretty sure it'll be a short-term phenomena, particularly if Trump does come to bargains with more and more countries." Equality Australia has warned LGBTQIA+ people to reconsider travel to the US, particularly if the gender in their passport does not match the one they were assigned at birth or they have a history of activism. Legal director Heather Corkhill said the organisation did "not expect the travel risks to diminish in the near future". "LGBTIQ+ people are now very conscious of the risks, and some are choosing not to travel to the US while others are taking steps to mitigate the danger - such as deleting content on their phones or memorising phone numbers of loved ones and lawyers," she said. "Even after arrival, travel within the US carries a growing level of risk with states across the country introducing hundreds of anti-LGBTIQ+ laws this year that restrict such things as bathroom access and correct gender markers." - This story was first published by the ABC.
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
NYC St. Patrick's Day Parade to take over Fifth Avenue in Manhattan
MANHATTAN, N.Y. (PIX11) – The NYC St. Patrick's Day Parade is set to take over Fifth Avenue on Monday, with revelers adorned in green lining the streets of Manhattan. The parade – the oldest and largest in the world – was first held in 1762, organizers wrote on the event's website. It celebrates St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. More Local News About 2 million spectators are expected to watch the parade, organizers said. Here's what you need to know: The parade starts at 11 a.m., but spectators can start lining up along Fifth Avenue as early as they'd like, organizers said. The earlier you get to the parade route, the better your view will be, according to organizers. The event is expected to end around 4:30 p.m. The parade starts at Fifth Avenue at 44th Street and ends at 79th Street, organizers said. There aren't any portable bathrooms near the parade per NYPD orders, organizers said. More: Latest News from Around the Tri-State These streets will be closed during the parade, at the discretion of the NYPD: Vanderbilt Avenue between 43rd Street and 46th Street 44th Street between Vanderbilt Avenue and 6th Avenue 45th Street between Vanderbilt Avenue and 6th Avenue 46th Street between Vanderbilt Avenue and 6th Avenue 47th Street between Park Avenue and 6th Avenue 48th Street between Park Avenue and 6th Avenue 5th Avenue between 79th Street and 43rd Street 5th Avenue between 84th Street and 79th Street 79th Street between Park Avenue and 5th Avenue 80th Street between Lexington Avenue and 5th Avenue 81st Street between Lexington Avenue and 5th Avenue 82nd Street between Lexington Avenue and 5th Avenue 83rd Street between Lexington Avenue and 5th Avenue 43rd Street between Vanderbilt Avenue and 6th Avenue 49th Street between Madison Avenue and Rockefeller Plaza 50th Street between Madison Avenue and Rockefeller Plaza 51st Street between Madison Avenue and 6th Avenue 54th Street between Madison Avenue and 6th Avenue 57th Street between Madison Avenue and 6th Avenue 59th Street between Madison Avenue and 6th Avenue 62nd Street between Madison Avenue and 5th Avenue 63rd Street between Madison Avenue and 5th Avenue 64th Street between Park Avenue and 5th Avenue 65th Street between Madison Avenue and 5th Avenue 70th Street between Madison Avenue and 5th Avenue 71st Street between Madison Avenue and 5th Avenue 72nd Street between Madison Avenue and 5th Avenue 78th Street between Madison Avenue and 5th Avenue 84th Street between Park Avenue and 5th Avenue Madison Avenue between 42nd Street and 84th Street The chairman of the Queens County St. Patrick's Parade Committee, Michael A. Benn, is this year's grand marshal. He's credited with putting together a St. Patrick's Day parade in the Rockaways just months after Superstorm Sandy to bring together the community. The MTA is running additional LIRR and Metro-North trains on Monday for the parade, the agency said. Spectators are encouraged to take a train into Grand Central Terminal for access to the parade. Erin Pflaumer is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered both local and national news since 2018. She joined PIX11 in 2023. See more of her work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
NYC St. Patrick's Day Parade 2025: Street closures and transit updates
NEW YORK - New York City's 264th annual St. Patrick's Day Parade will take place on Monday, March 17, 2025. The parade is the oldest and largest St. Patrick's Day Parade in the world, first being held in 1762. But while the parade will draw massive crowds, it will also cause widespread street closures throughout Manhattan, from Midtown to the Upper East Side. Here's what you need to know: Full List of Street Closures Vanderbilt Avenue between 43rd Street and 46th Street 44th Street between Vanderbilt Avenue and 6th Avenue 45th Street between Vanderbilt Avenue and 6th Avenue 46th Street between Vanderbilt Avenue and 6th Avenue 47th Street between Park Avenue and 6th Avenue 48th Street between Park Avenue and 6th Avenue 5th Avenue between 43rd Street and 79th Street 5th Avenue between 79th Street and 84th Street 79th Street between Park Avenue and 5th Avenue 80th Street between Lexington Avenue and 5th Avenue 81st Street between Lexington Avenue and 5th Avenue 82nd Street between Lexington Avenue and 5th Avenue 83rd Street between Lexington Avenue and 5th Avenue 84th Street between Park Avenue and 5th Avenue 43rd Street between Vanderbilt Avenue and 6th Avenue 49th Street between Madison Avenue and Rockefeller Plaza 50th Street between Madison Avenue and Rockefeller Plaza 51st Street between Madison Avenue and 6th Avenue 54th Street between Madison Avenue and 6th Avenue 57th Street between Madison Avenue and 6th Avenue 59th Street between Madison Avenue and 6th Avenue 62nd Street between Madison Avenue and 5th Avenue 63rd Street between Madison Avenue and 5th Avenue 64th Street between Park Avenue and 5th Avenue 65th Street between Madison Avenue and 5th Avenue 70th Street between Madison Avenue and 5th Avenue 71st Street between Madison Avenue and 5th Avenue 72nd Street between Madison Avenue and 5th Avenue 78th Street between Madison Avenue and 5th Avenue Madison Avenue between 42nd Street and 84th Street Transit Changes To accommodate the crowds, the MTA will increase service on the LIRR, Metro-North, and NYC Subway: The Lexington Avenue Line (4, 5, 6) provides the best access to the parade. The 5 Av/53 St station (E, M) is a short walk from the parade route. Some stairs at the 77 St (6) station will be enter-only or exit-only. Extra trains will be available before and after the parade. The Grand Central Madison terminal provides easy access near the parade route. Alcohol bans: LIRR bans alcohol from midnight Saturday to 5 a.m. Monday; Metro-North bans alcohol all day Saturday. Expect reroutes on the following lines: M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, M31, M50, M55, M57, M66, M72, M79 SBS, Q32, and most express buses. Riders should check for real-time updates.
