Travel warning

Guatemala: Child-Stealing Rumors Create Tensions in Western Highlands

Date: July 30th, 2008 |

Rumors of foreigners stealing children are circulating in the area around Tajumulco Volcano, a region in the Western Highlands popular with U.S. tourists. Such rumors are not to be taken lightly because in the past they have resulted in the lynchings of several Guatemalan citizens and many years ago an American woman was beaten almost [read more]

Philippines: U.S. Embassy Warns Against Travel to Mindanao, Philippines Says Mostly Safe and Secure

Date: July 16th, 2008 |

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The U.S. Embassy in Manila warned against travel to Mindanao following a series of bombings of power lines and the defusing of improvised explosive devices in early July, and a bombing in Zamboanga in May that killed two people. The Embassy’s warning speculated that these actions could suggest a planned escalation of attacks on commercial [read more]

Zimbabwe: Tensions Grow as Run-Off Election Nears

Date: May 28th, 2008 |

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The U.S. State Department recommends deferral of all non-essential travel to Zimbabwe, including to Victoria Falls, in the weeks leading up to the presidential run-off election scheduled for June 27. In an effort to prevent a defeat of incumbent President Robert Mugabe, the Zimbabwean military and Mugabe supporters have created a climate of intimidation and [read more]

Mexico: Narco-Violence Near U.S. Border; Private Plane Stolen from Americans

Date: April 17th, 2008 |

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The U.S. State Department reissued its travel alert for Mexico citing extensive violent criminal activity in northern areas near the U.S. border. The violence is driven by drug cartels fighting over the narcotics trade. Attacks usually target cartel members, police, criminal justice officials and journalists, but foreign visitors and residents, including Americans, have been kidnapped [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]

Belize: Violence Up Especially in Central and Western Regions

Date: July 16th, 2008 |

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The U.S. Embassy in Belmopan warned U.S. travelers to “take an active role in their own personal security” because of recent increases in violent crime in the central and western regions of the country. San Ignacio, Benque Viejo and rural villages in the Cayo District are particularly troubled and crime is high and often violent [read more]

Norway: Young Speedsters a Menace on the Highways

Date: June 4th, 2008 |

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Authorities in Norway are concerned about the high rate of traffic fatalities this year, with 106 deaths so far since January, up 50 percent from last year. Historically, most traffic deaths occur here from June through August, so the numbers are troubling. Many of the fatal accidents have involved speeding, intoxication, or both, and young [read more]

Nicaragua: Armed Robberies on the Tipitapa-Masaya Highway between Managua and Granada

Date: May 21st, 2008 |

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The U.S. Embassy received two reports in two weeks from U.S. citizens who were abducted and robbed while traveling at night from Managua International Airport to Granada along the Tipitapa-Masaya Highway. In both cases the groups were pulled over by men dressed as police who forced them at gunpoint to a remote location far from [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]

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]