Africa

China: Visa Rules Tightened for Olympics Period

Date: May 8th, 2008 |

The Foreign Ministry acknowledged that it has tightened visa rules after weeks of denials from immigration officials, now requiring invitation letters, hotel reservations and proof of roundtrip air tickets for some travelers. There have been reports of foreigners, especially students, being forced out of Beijing, and other travelers and foreign embassy officials having trouble getting [read more]

Egypt: Manhunt for Terrorists in Sinai

Date: April 10th, 2008 |

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Security forces have set up roadblocks and checkpoints in Sinai following reports that two terrorists plan to bomb a tourist site in the region. Egyptian intelligence reported that the two entered Egypt from Sudan and were traveling in a truck packed with explosives. Police were patrolling in large numbers and concentrating on the road leading [read more]

Kenya: U.S. State Department Softens Travel Warning

Date: March 26th, 2008 |

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The U.S. State Department has softened its warning about travel to Kenya following the widely-accepted power-sharing agreement signed Feb. 28 to resolve the disputed presidential election of Dec. 27. The current travel warning says “threats of political demonstrations and violence have dramatically receded” and U.S. government personnel and their families are now permitted to return [read more]

Kenya: Violence Prompts Peace Corps to Suspend Operations

Date: February 7th, 2008 |

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Ongoing post-election violence that has often become ethnic prompted the U.S. Peace Corps to suspend its operations in Kenya. The Peace Corps announced the decision Feb. 5 to withdraw its remaining 58 volunteers after sending home 86 in January. Tourism has dropped to a trickle and foreign companies are considering pulling out, which would deal [read more]

Kenya: Political Crisis, Violence Continue

Date: January 30th, 2008 |

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Violence stemming from Kenya’s disputed presidential election continued to plague the country, especially in the Rift Valley. Naivasha, a town popular with tourists and expatriates just 55 miles northwest of Nairobi, was overrun by murderous gangs over the weekend and tourists had to be escorted to Nairobi from nearby lodges. The killing of an opposition [read more]

North Africa: Possible Terror Attacks

Date: May 1st, 2008 |

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Algeria warned its neighbors that al-Qaeda is planning high-profile attacks aimed at industrial installations to destabilize local governments. Tunisia is believed to be a main target because of its friendly relations with the U.S. and its success against terrorists. Algeria’s oil installations in the Sahara are also considered vulnerable. The warning followed the Algerian army’s [read more]

Zimbabwe: Election Dispute Has Country on Edge

Date: April 10th, 2008 |

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Zimbabwe has teetered on the brink of political disintegration for months and is now in an acute crisis following national elections in which the opposition appears to have won both the presidency and control of parliament. Long-ruling President Robert Mugabe has refused to release the election results and appears to be calculating how to hold [read more]

South Africa: Local Address Disclosures on Arrival No Longer Necessary in Joburg

Date: March 12th, 2008 |

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Beginning March 17, visitors arriving at O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg will not have to provide immigration officials with their address in South Africa, a precaution implemented because of serious crimes committed against arriving passengers who have been reportedly followed to their destination and robbed. Such incidents have suggested that local addresses and declarations [read more]

Egypt, Gaza, Israel: Border Crisis Stirs Tensions Between Egypt, Hamas, Palestinian Authority

Date: January 30th, 2008 |

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Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians poured into Egypt after Hamas militants blew open the border partition between Gaza and the Egyptian city of Rafah Jan. 23, relieving tensions in Gaza but creating tensions in Egypt. For the past six months Gaza has been blockaded by Israel because of almost daily rocket attacks on Israeli border [read more]

South Africa: Baboons Catching a Break from Detractors

Date: January 30th, 2008 |

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Baboons are considered pests in the suburbs of Cape Town, often breaking into homes looking for food, but now a conservation group is offering tours through the parks and nature preserves around Cape Town to raise awareness about the animals and give them a better name. Baboons have a reputation for aggressiveness and unruly behavior, [read more]