By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA, Associated Press

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq’s prime minister said Monday that a small contingent of U.S. military advisers will remain in the country for now to coordinate with U.S. forces in neighboring Syria combating the Islamic State group.

Washington and Baghdad agreed last year to wind down a U.S.-led coalition fighting IS in Iraq by this September, with U.S. forces departing some bases where they have been stationed.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani told journalists in Baghdad that U.S. military advisers and support personnel are now stationed at the Ain al-Asad air base in western Iraq, a base adjacent to the Baghdad airport, and the al-Harir air base in northern Iraq.

Al-Sudani noted that the agreement originally stipulated a full pullout of U.S. forces from Ain al-Asad by September, but that “developments in Syria” since then required maintaining a “small unit” of between 250 and 350 advisers and security personnel at the base.

He said they would work to support counter-IS surveillance and coordination with the al-Tanf base in Syria. He added that other U.S. sites are witnessing “gradual reductions” in personnel and operations.

After the fall of former Syrian President Bashar Assad in a rebel offensive in December, fears arose in Iraq of an IS resurgence taking advantage of the ensuing security vacuum and weapons abandoned by the former Syrian army.

Al-Sudani maintained that the extremist group, which seized wide swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria a decade ago, “no longer poses a significant threat inside Iraq.”

Iraq has sought to balance its relations with the United States and neighboring Iran and to avoid being pulled into regional conflicts, a policy that the prime minister said he will continue.

“We put Iraq first, and we do not wish to act as a proxy for anyone,” he said. “Iraq will not be a battlefield for conflicts.”

At the same time, al-Sudani urged the U.S. to return to negotiations with Iran, describing the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” approach to curtail Iranian influence as “counterproductive.”

“Iran is an important and influential country that must be treated with respect and through direct dialogue,” he said.

Related Articles

Millions of Indians celebrate Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights

US envoys arrive in Israel to shore up the Gaza truce after violence flares

China accuses US of cyberattack on national time center

Louvre remains closed one day after jewel heist

Chinese leader Xi Jinping outlines 5-year plan at closed-door Communist Party meeting

There have been tensions between Baghdad and Washington over the presence of Iran-backed militias in Iraq. The Popular Mobilization Forces, a coalition of militias that formed to fight IS, was formally placed under the control of the Iraqi military in 2016 but in practice still operates with significant autonomy.

The Iraqi parliament has been considering legislation that would solidify the relationship between the military and the PMF, drawing objections from Washington.

Al-Sudani did not directly address the proposed legislation but said his government’s program “includes disarmament and national dialogue to remove any justification for carrying weapons.”

“We encourage all factions to either integrate into state institutions or engage in political life,” which could include becoming political parties and running for election, he said.

Iraq is preparing for parliamentary elections next month that will determine where al-Sudani serves a second term.

“Armed factions that have transformed into political entities have the constitutional right to participate” in those elections, the prime minister said.

By CARA ANNA

KALSOY ISLAND, Faroe Islands (AP) — The tiny Faroe Islands in the north Atlantic could be a poor choice for travelers with vertigo, seasickness or a fear of enclosed spaces. There are crumbling cliffs, sudden gale-force winds and hillsides so steep that even the sheep can tumble.

Related Articles

The vacation spots you keep returning to, from Zion to the ‘very best beach’ in Hawaii

Sip your way through California’s Midpeninsula Wine Trail

A Theodore Roosevelt library is opening soon. Visitors must pack a bag for North Dakota

Greece’s famed Parthenon free of scaffolding for first time in decades

Experts lead tours uncovering Mexico’s hidden ancient sites

Three tourists disappeared over two days in September. Police told the media their last locations were near a well-known waterfall that drops into the sea. Be careful, a shaken staffer at the site’s entrance said days later. “Come back.”

The risks come with landscapes so dramatic that one became the site for James Bond’s end in “No Time to Die.” Now the Faroe Islands, a self-governing territory under Denmark, like Greenland, are trying to handle a growing number of travelers also drawn by bird-watching, adventurous eating and “coolcations” as global temperatures rise.

Its sure-footed residents once hiked over mountain passes and maneuvered wooden boats onto rocky shores just to visit church or each other. Unlike tourists, they know when to stay away from hiking trails alongside unprotected cliffs, and how disorienting sudden fogs can be.

“When you make a mistake here, nature usually wins,” a food truck vendor at one popular site said.

It’s easier than ever to learn that lesson while exploring the Faroe Islands, which for now are largely free of the zip-lined commercialization of one of its nearest neighbors, Iceland.

A growing network of undersea tunnels, including what’s called the world’s first undersea roundabout, are helping to link the 18 islands. Rugged isolation is giving way to smooth highways, and Airbnb has hundreds of listings among a population of over 50,000 people.

A new co-chairmanship of the Arctic Council is bringing more global visibility, along with a stunning run toward its first soccer World Cup.

‘Closed for maintenance’

Authorities are trying to both encourage tourism and protect the Faroe Islands from it. A yearly “closed for maintenance” program began in 2019, with volunteers from around the world chosen to help with anti-erosion efforts, path upkeep and other work. The national museum later launched a project to protect lands and biodiversity.

Tourists disembark from a ferry on Kalsoy Island in Faroe Islands, Sept. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Cara Anna)

And this year, the tourism office introduced self-navigating tours that steer visitors from the churned-mud trails of the most popular spots to lesser-known areas.

Tour routes are revealed online as you go along. One sends users to a seaside village that hosts a popular music festival, followed by a tiny botanical garden, a fjord-side memorial to a deadly shipwreck and a small forest plantation enjoyed by Faroese on the otherwise treeless islands.

The last leg was along a one-lane road that at times had no guardrail between its lack of shoulder and the drop to the sea. Sheep walked along one stretch, another reason for visitors to stay alert in the stunning surroundings. (There’s a police number to call if a driver hits one.)

A map of the Faroe Islands is on display in Sydradalur, Faroe Islands, Sept. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Cara Anna)

Visitors who love the outdoors can easily spend a week in the Faroe Islands cycling, fishing, trying an emerging sauna scene, eating sushi from locally farmed salmon and shopping for newly knitted wool sweaters. In the summer, boat tours include music concerts inside a sea cave or puffin-watching.

Winters are fierce — a ferryman said a storm two years ago ripped the roof from an old house next to the AP’s seaside rental cottage in Sydradalur — but interest in the islands is starting to extend the peak tourist season into October.

Ferocious winds and bewildered sheep

Villages, especially in the wilder northern region, can have just a handful of residents. There are few tourist-focused businesses outside the capital, Torshavn, but the village of Gjogv has a welcoming guesthouse and cafe, and the village of Fuglafjordur has a charming main street and visitors’ center. English is widely spoken and displayed.

A sign warns tourists in Gjogv at the Faroe Islands, Sept. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Cara Anna)

Just be prepared for rain in the often-shifting weather, with webcams available from popular locations.

And mind the guidance, even scolding, that some Faroese have posted for tourists who overstep.

“Due to unmannerly behavior and lack of quietness on the graves, the cemetery is closed,” said a sign on the church in the village of Saksun.

“Do not wash your shoes in the sink!” said a sign at the ferry stop on Kalsoy island. A worker at the island’s unexpected Thai restaurant — a sign of the small but growing migrant population — estimated that about 200 tourists a day came to a much-photographed lighthouse there this summer.

The view from an Airbnb in Sydradalur on Kalsoy Island in Faroe Islands, Sept. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Cara Anna)

The official Visit Faroe Islands doesn’t hold back, either, as it balances the appeal of growing tourism with the responsibility of warning travelers. Finding equilibrium is a long practice in the nation whose fishing-dominated economy requires cordial ties with a range of countries including Russia and China.

“Stormcation,” the Visit Faroe Islands site declares, but adds: “Ferocious wind can overturn cars, fling bicycles, wheelbarrows — and sheep — or anything else that’s not anchored down.”

By KIM COOK, Associated Press

It might start with a cassette deck that streams Spotify and charges your phone. It doesn’t have to stop there.

These days, yesterday is big business.

A retro revival is underway in the design world: mushroom-shaped lamps, walnut stereo consoles, daisy dishware, neon Polaroid cameras. It’s like our homes just hustled over from “One Day at a Time” or “That ’70s Show” or moonwalked in from “Thriller”-era 1982.

Welcome to the retro reset, where ‘70s, ’80s and ’90s aesthetics are getting a second life. It’s not just in fashion and film but in home décor and tech. Whether you actually lived through it or long for a past you never experienced, nostalgia is fueling a surge of interest from Gen X to Gen Z in throwback styles that blend vintage charm with modern convenience.

This image released by NeoCon 2025 shows a retro design by Livette’s Wallpaper. (Tony Favarula/NeoCon 2025 via AP)

Old-school tech, new-school tricks

A big part of the trend is tech that looks analog but functions digitally. Think portable CD players in the kind of candy colors popular at Radio Shack in the 1970s, AM/FM radios equipped with USB outputs, or turntables with Bluetooth amplification to wireless speakers. Compact radios styled after 1970s transistor models now double as smart speakers.

There’s even a growing market for clunky-but-charming mini cathode-ray-style TVs — and boomboxes with streaming capability. It’s as if the Carter, Reagan and Clinton eras have collided with the latest of the digital age.

What draws us? Some of it is the tactile appeal of dials and buttons — of interacting with something that feels solid, more “real.”

Related Articles

How to shop secondhand clothing sustainably and look cool doing it

Here’s how to create a contest-winning Halloween costume

Giorgio Armani, who dressed the powerful and famous from board room to Hollywood, dies at 91

Stephen Mihm: It’s not just Sydney Sweeney — the U.S. always fights about jeans

In a digital age, old-fashioned watchmaking schools, including a new one from Rolex, are in demand

In a room, these elements aren’t just nods to the past. They’re also aesthetic statements that add way more character than a giant, flat, black screen, or a “smart” sound system you can’t even see. Stereo consoles in a woodgrain finish or a pastel-colored lacquer offer not only music but a nice furniture addition to a space. (Though who knows: Will those minimalist black screens be ”retro” one day for our children and grandchildren?)

“Whether it’s turntables, cassette players, speakers or musical instruments, there’s definitely a fascination among younger audiences with analog technology and how things worked before the digital age,” says Emmanuel Plat, merchandising director for MoMAstore, the design shop at New York’s Museum of Modern Art.

The store has Tivoli’s Model One table radio, with a throwback-style, wood-grain frame, circle speaker grill and knobs, but 2025’s sound quality and connectivity. They’re also stocking pocket synthesizers, Bluetooth turntables, and “Peanuts”-themed Polaroid cameras and cassette players.

Who’s into it — and why

Gen Z is seeing it all with fresh eyes, and enjoying the hunt for vintage or vintage-look stuff. Millennials and Gen X may enjoy reliving their childhood aesthetics.

And that can be comforting in today’s stressed world, says Joseph Sgambatti, 37, a design journalist in New York City.

“Nostalgia-driven design choices become comforts that help us cope,” he says.

There’s also an ironic, social-media component to the trend.

“Midcentury modern and retro design objects are simple, often show-stopping artifacts,” Sgambatti says. “These finds carry a lot of social currency in a generation that prioritizes publishing their life online.”

Style trends do tend to arrive in cycles — think “Happy Days” portraying the 1950s for the 1970s, or the current Gen-Z crush on Y2K fashion. Plus, a steady diet of nostalgia-rich media from “Stranger Things” to “Barbie” has reintroduced retro design to younger audiences.

But there’s also an emotional component. After years of digital overload and pandemic-era disruptions, we’re gravitating toward styles that feel warmer, softer — more human, even.

Colors that carry meaning

If you walk by the E.C. Reems Academy, an elementary school in Oakland, California, or Houston’s Children’s Assessment Center, you can’t miss the vibrant graphic murals done by Berkeley-based Project Color Corps. The group, which helps transform libraries, schools and other community spaces with eye-catching wall art, often uses graphics, typefaces and an overall palette with a ’70s and ’80s vibe.

In the 1970s, “we sought solace in warm, earthy tones that symbolized grounding and stability. Browns, oranges, olive greens and deep yellows dominated the aesthetic landscape, reflecting the growing Earth movement,” says Laura Guido-Clark, who founded the nonprofit.

It was a different aesthetic in the ‘80s — one dripping with materialism, consumerism, the emergence of ‘”yuppie” culture, says Guido-Clark. “Neon colors, bold patterns and vibrant fashion choices.”

And there’s affection for that, too.

Her group recently worked with the design firm Gensler on a lounge space at Chicago’s NeoCon trade fair for commercial interior design. The space featured retro-flavored colors and motifs.

Gensler’s design director, Marianne Starke, says the colors draw viewers into a sensory experience that might be rooted in memory: “A popsicle on a ‘90s summer day, an ’80s striped T-shirt, a rollerskating rink in the ’70s.”

This image released by NeoCon 2025 shows 80s-inspired designs by Livette’s Wallpaper. (Tony Favarula/NeoCon 2025 via AP)

Furniture with curves and confidence

In furniture, the revival of those slightly distant decades leans toward soft silhouettes, rounded edges and a low-slung vibe. Arched bookshelves, bubble chairs, Lucite tables and terrazzo finishes have all reentered the conversation. Wallpaper and textile patterns feature bold geometrics, Memphis-style squiggles and Pop-Artsy botanicals.

It’s a deliberate swing away from the chilly gray-on-white-on-gray look that farmhouse modern décor gave us for the past couple of decades.

In the process, eras get conflated. Who’s to say whether an inspiration or design comes precisely from the ‘70s, the ’80s or the ’90s — or contains elements of all three?

Designers are even revisiting some once-controversial elements of the disco era: Smoked glass, chrome accents and mirrored surfaces are making subtle (not a word often used in connection with the 1970s) comebacks in upscale interiors and product lines.

Whether it’s a lava lamp grooving on a media console, daisies and doves dancing on wallpaper, or a sofa rocking a bunch of ruffly chintz pillows, the retro revival feels less like a gimmick and more like a shift in how people want to live — integrating elements of the past that offer comfort and delight.

As long as those cassette players keep syncing to Bluetooth and we can stream “Annie Hall,” “Saturday Night Fever” or “Miami Vice,” the past, it seems, is here to stay — at least until our own moment inevitably becomes a nostalgia play in itself.

The Stillwater Lift Bridge summer lift schedule for marine traffic ended Sunday, Oct. 19.

The lift bridge will remain in the down position until spring unless a lift is requested. Boaters must request a lift at least 24 hours in advance.

Requests can be made by calling MnDOT’s 24-hour dispatch at 651-234-7110

For more information, go to stillwaterliftbridge.

Related Articles

Washington County: November elections include 9 candidates for South Washington County school board

New MN tool highlights school financial impact of federal shutdown

2025 Election: South Washington school board

Woodbury Topgolf set to open at the end of the month

New restaurants on tap for former Lake Elmo fire station, parks building