Political updates

Syria: The U.S. State Department Issues Strong Travel Warning

Date: August 11th, 2011 |

The U.S. State Department urged all citizens to immediately depart from Syria while commercial travel is still available. Citizens who must remain in Syria were advised against all nonessential travel and those who are not yet in Syria have been told to defer all travel plans. The State Department ordered all family members of U.S. [read more]

Egypt: Instability Persists

Date: July 12th, 2011 |

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Months after the revolution in Egypt, the situation in Cairo is still unstable. Clashes broke out at a Cairo courthouse after police officers accused of killing protesters were released on bail. This is the latest in growing tensions over the speed at which trials of those accused of using deadly force during the uprising is [read more]

Thailand: New Prime Minister Brings Hope, Possible Political Demonstrations

Date: July 12th, 2011 |

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Yingluck Shinawatra was officially elected as the first female prime minister of Thailand, with the Pheu Thai party set to assume power. The election was partially a referendum on how the voters feel their country has changed since the 2006 military coup that ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, the new prime minister’s older brother. Since [read more]

Malta: Evacuation Site Largely Unaffected by Libyan Uprising

Date: March 2nd, 2011 |

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Some 13,000 foreigners have passed through Malta on their way out of Libya. The prime minister approved the use of Malta as a base for humanitarian missions into Libya, and as a result, the British Royal Air Force is using the small island state as the staging ground for the evacuation of British citizens from [read more]

Italy: New Room Tax in Effect in Rome

Date: January 5th, 2011 |

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Rome has a new tax on tourists it hopes will raise some $100 million annually to be used on maintenance and promotion of the city’s many attractions. The nominal fee will add a few extra euros to the cost of hotel stays depending on the class of hotel. For three-star hotels, the cost is 2 [read more]

Bahrain: Country still Divided Despite Reform Talks

Date: July 12th, 2011 |

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Bahrain remains deeply divided after months of upheaval and two months of martial law. Talks of reform and opening the political process are beginning, however, as King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa opened a political dialogue July 5, saying all options were on the table. Despite this effort, Shi’ite Muslims—a majority of the population in the [read more]

Sri Lanka: Northern Region Now Open to Foreigners

Date: July 12th, 2011 |

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Northern Sri Lanka is now freely open to foreign passport holders. The region was off-limits to travelers and most others during 26 years of civil war that ended in 2009, and since then, journalists and foreigners alike needed special permission from the defense ministry to visit the area. Despite the new access, non-governmental organizations still [read more]

Ivory Coast: Travel Restriction Eased; Caution still Advised

Date: June 23rd, 2011 |

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The U.S. State Department has eased its travel warning for the Ivory Coast. On June 15, the State Department lifted the ordered departure of government employees and adult family members at the U.S. Embassy in Abidjan, the Ivory Coast’s economic center, but still bans minor dependents from traveling to the country. Though State Department officials [read more]

Egypt: Tourism Workers Implore Visitors to Return

Date: February 15th, 2011 |

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The exhilaration of the people-power movement that brought down Hosni Mubarak may last a long time, but one thing everyone hopes will pass is the loss of tourists. Such popular attractions as the Giza Pyramids and the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh have been virtually empty of tourists since the demonstrations began in January. [read more]

Czech Republic: Doctors to Strike over “McDonald’s” Wages

Date: December 22nd, 2010 |

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Come spring it might be a good idea not to get sick and need a doctor here, because 4,000 doctors, a quarter of the nation’s hospital physicians, have signed resignation letters in protest over low pay. The starting salary for doctors is about 4 euros per hour ($5.25), roughly the same as a McDonald’s employee, [read more]

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