Archive for December, 2001

Yemen

Date: December 27th, 2001 |

Based on information released by the FBI, the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa announced that U.S. and British citizens may be the targets of a terrorist attack, particularly at the Gold Mohur Hotel in Aden around the period of Christmas and New Year’s. Other locations associated with foreigners may also be at risk, including the Sanaa [read more]

Brazil

Date: December 27th, 2001 |

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Torrential rains over a five-day period spawned Christmas Eve mudslides in Petropolis, a popular weekend retreat for residents of Rio de Janeiro, in what officials called the worst natural disaster in the state in recent years. At least 50 people were killed when their homes were buried on slopes denuded of trees and other plants [read more]

Sri Lanka

Date: December 21st, 2001 |

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Political changes here have raised hopes that the 18-year civil war may soon come to and end. The election of opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe as prime minister Dec. 5 may have prompted the Tamil Tigers to announce a month-long unilateral cease-fire to begin on Christmas eve. Wickremesinghe had said he would resume peace negotiations if [read more]

Corsica

Date: December 21st, 2001 |

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The French government has moved a step closer to giving autonomy to this Mediterranean island that has been ruled by France since 1768. The French National Assembly passed a bill to allow Corsica to have a say in how French laws are adapted to serve the island, and the Corsican language will be added to [read more]

Pakistan

Date: December 19th, 2001 |

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The Punjab has been scorching in a heat wave and a water shortage has been disrupting the supply in Karachi, where fears are building that unrest could result from further shortages. Follow local press reports for curren [read more]

India/Pakistan

Date: December 27th, 2001 |

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Tensions are increasing between these two countries that have fought two wars over Kashmir since their partition in 1947. Once again, Kashmir is at the heart of the problem. Pakistani militant groups trying to wrest control of Kashmir from India attacked the Indian parliament in December and the Kashmir legislative assembly in Srinigar in October. [read more]

Australia

Date: December 27th, 2001 |

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Bush fires ringing Sydney burned out of control for several days, casting a pall of smoke over the city, knocking out power and water service to 10,000 homes and destroying vast tracks of national park land. Seventy percent of Australia’s oldest national park, Royal National Park south of Sydney, was devastated. The fires in New [read more]

Russia

Date: December 21st, 2001 |

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For the traveler who likes to carry cash rather than bank cards or traveler’s checks, a new law taking effect Jan. 16 offers an incentive to count your money: all foreign currency in excess of $1,500 must be declared upon arrival. There is no restriction on how much money can be brought in, but only [read more]

Argentina

Date: December 21st, 2001 |

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The economic crisis here boiled over into full-blown chaos Dec. 19 when riots and looting broke out in Buenos Aires and many other areas. A 30-day state of emergency was imposed that limits constitutional guarantees and gives the government additional powers including the right to impose curfews, arrest people based on suspicion and call out [read more]

Nepal

Date: December 19th, 2001 |

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According to the U.S. State Department, Maoist insurgents have threatened to attack U.S.-affiliated non-governmental organizations here. People working for these organizations should remain alert to their surroundings and review their security practices. Travelers should consider minimizing contact with NGOs or at least be vigilant about their own security when visiting facilities run by the [read more]