Political updates

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

Date: March 12th, 2008 |

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]

European Union: Fingerprinting of Foreigners Traveling through Europe

Date: February 14th, 2008 |

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The Washington Post reported that on Feb. 13 the European Commission would propose fingerprinting of all travelers entering and leaving Europe, and if the European Parliament approves, the plan will be implemented but not for at least a year. The U.S. and Japan currently require foreigners to be photographed and digitally fingerprinted when they enter. [read more]

Philippines: U.S. FAA Downgrades Airline Operations

Date: January 17th, 2008 |

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The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has downgraded Philippine airline operations because they do not comply with International Civil Aviation Organization safety standards. The FAA moved Philippine carriers into category 2, which means they can still fly to the U.S. but only under heightened FAA surveillance. Philippine Airlines is the only carrier from the Philippines [read more]

Libya: Tourists Must Carry $1,000

Date: January 10th, 2008 |

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A policy that took effect Nov. 11 requires tourists to Libya to have their passports translated into Arabic before arrival, and another policy put in place Jan. 7 requires that all tourists carry at least $1,000 or its equivalent in convertible currency or be denied entry. Anyone coming on official business, to study, to visit [read more]

Marshall Islands: Bikini Atoll May Close to Divers Because of Bankrupt Airline

Date: December 19th, 2007 |

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The top tourist attraction in the islands may be forced to close because there may no longer be an efficient way to get there. Bikini Atoll, home to a sunken World War II navy fleet, site of 23 atmospheric atomic bomb tests from 1946 through 1958 and a popular dive site, may have to shut [read more]

Nepal: Terai Strike Ends, Autonomy To Be Granted

Date: March 6th, 2008 |

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A strike in the lowland Terai area bordering India that was squeezing off the fuel supply to Kathmandu and causing power shortages came to an end Feb. 28 when the government signed an agreement to establish an autonomous province for the Madhesi people. This action represents a step into the future for Nepal and [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]

France, Portugal, Mauritania, Senegal: Dakar Rally Canceled

Date: January 10th, 2008 |

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The Christmas Eve murders of four French tourists in Mauritania has prompted organizers of the Dakar Rally to cancel this year’s race. The rally was scheduled to start in Lisbon Jan. 5 and finish in Dakar, Senegal Jan. 20. Race officials faced pressure from the French government to call off the rally because nine of [read more]

United States: New Airline Restrictions on Lithium Batteries

Date: December 26th, 2007 |

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Beginning Jan. 1, lithium batteries will be prohibited from checked baggage on all flights. The U.S. Department of Transportation requires that spare lithium batteries be packed in carry-on bags with their terminals covered as a precaution against short-circuiting that could spark a fire. Loose batteries should be isolated from each other and should not be [read more]

Australia: Fires on Kangaroo Island; Daintree Rainforest May Be Restricted

Date: December 13th, 2007 |

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Fires on South Australia’s Kangaroo Island burned for more than a week scorching 115 square miles of scrub and wilderness, with one fire in the Flinders Chase National Park still burning out of control Dec. 12. Tourism operators urged visitors not to cancel their trips to the popular island following moves to reopen tourist areas [read more]