sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½

MINNEAPOLIS - It's been a tough winter for owls in parts of North America, and the evidence is turning up on roadsides, at bird feeders and at a wildlife rehabilitation centre in Minnesota.

BRUSSELS - The European Union is considering beefed up measures to help stranded passengers get compensation and find quicker ways to get home.

WASHINGTON - The National Gallery of Art plans to close its modern art galleries for three years to complete a $68 million renovation, adding new galleries and a rooftop sculpture garden.

SAN FRANCISCO - If you're a baseball fan looking to add a new pastime to your vacation itinerary, consider setting a goal to visit all 30 of the sport's major league stadiums.

NEW ORLEANS - Tourists no longer think of New Orleans as only the French Quarter and food, and they're returning to spend more time in places they've already visited, says the head of the University of New Orleans' Hospitality Research Center.

WASHINGTON - A Boeing plan to redesign the 787 Dreamliner's fire-plagued lithium-ion batteries won approval Tuesday from the Federal Aviation Administration, moving the cutting-edge planes a step closer to flying passengers again.

MCLEAN, Va. - The people who bring you The Greatest Show on Earth will be taking Spider-Man, the Hulk, Thor and the X-Men on a worldwide road show. Feld Entertainment Inc., which produces the Ringling Bros.

WASHINGTON - House Republicans put out a video Tuesday to remind visitors that, while they may be locked out of the Obama White House because of budget cuts, the doors to the Capitol are still open for tours.

PARIS - Frankfurt's airport closed, trains stopped running under the English Channel, and the French army was ordered to help clear roads — all because of a sudden dump of oddly late snowfall on Western Europe.

WASHINGTON - House Republicans put out a video Tuesday to remind visitors that, while they may be locked out of the Obama White House because of budget cuts, the doors to the Capitol are still open for tours.