Report Types

Burma (Myanmar): 1 Million Displaced, as Many as 100,000 Killed by Cyclone Nargis

Date: May 8th, 2008 |

Unless on a humanitarian mission with an official aid organization, now is not the time to go to Burma after the devastation wrought by Cyclone Nargis. Asia’s worst storm since 1991 pummeled the Irrawaddy Delta and Rangoon, killing at least 22,000 people with estimates as high as 100,000 and displacing at least 1 million. The [read more]

China: Visa Rules Tightened for Olympics Period

Date: May 8th, 2008 |

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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]

Kuwait: Talking on Mobile Phones while Driving Banned

Date: May 8th, 2008 |

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As of May 1, talking on cell phones while driving is prohibited throughout Kuwait, and police are expected to be vigilant in the coming weeks in enforcing the new law. This edict has been added to a law already in effect that bans eating or drinking while driving. The fine for a violation is 15 [read more]

Bolivia: “Highway of Death” Claims More Victims

Date: May 1st, 2008 |

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Bolivia’s “Highway of Death” claimed its second tourist in a week April 24 when an SUV carrying 12 passengers hit a group of cyclists and then careered off the road and tumbled 100 feet down an embankment. A British cyclist and eight passengers in the vehicle were killed. The cyclists, who had just started their [read more]

China and Tibet: Lockdown in Lhasa; Interpol Worries about Attacks in Beijing

Date: May 1st, 2008 |

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The Chinese government announced a lockdown on the Tibetan capital of Lhasa from May 1 to June 20 to prevent any disruption of the Olympic torch parade through Tibet. Residents of surrounding counties have been ordered not to enter the city, including farmers who would normally come to Lhasa to sell their produce, and all [read more]

Chile: Chaiten Volcano Eruption Causes Evacuations, Flight Cancellations

Date: May 8th, 2008 |

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The long-dormant Chaiten volcano spewed lava and blasted ash some 20 miles high May 6, forcing the total evacuation of the provincial capital of Chaiten, six miles from the volcano, and causing most of the residents to evacuate the border town of Futaleufu, 75 miles east of Chaiten. More than 4,000 people had fled [read more]

India: Campaign for Gorkhaland May Disrupt Travel to Darjeeling

Date: May 8th, 2008 |

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A campaign for a new state called Gorkhaland in the Darjeeling region caused a West Bengal minister to warn tourists not to travel to the area, stating that demonstrations would disrupt travel, create shortages of drinking water and cause power cuts. A spokesman for the political party behind the Gorkhaland campaign dismissed the warning as [read more]

Argentina: Farmers May Block Roads Again

Date: May 1st, 2008 |

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For three weeks in March irate farmers blockaded roads and cut off meat and grain supplies to supermarkets in major cities, including Buenos Aires, but called off their protests when the government agreed to negotiate with them over the tax increase that spawned the protests. Little progress has been made and farmers vowed to set [read more]

Brazil: Government to Require Special Permits to Visit the Amazon

Date: May 1st, 2008 |

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The government intends to send Congress a bill within months that will require all foreign visitors to the Brazilian Amazon to obtain a permit to be there or face a whopping fine of 100,000 reals ($60,000). The bill will apply to all foreigners, whether tourists, businesspeople or employees of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). Conservative politicians are [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]