News Watch

An Australian tourist in the city of Bangalore in southwestern India claimed that a group of Hindu political activists, members of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), confronted him on Oct. 20 over a Hindu tattoo on his leg, threatening to skin his leg to remove the tattoo. The tourist was later taken into police protection, where he says he was forced to write a letter of apology.

In late September and early October 2015, three Muslims in Uttar Pradesh state, in the north, were...

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In Cape Town, university students protesting a proposed tuition hike stormed the South African parliamentary complex on Oct. 21. Police responded with stun grenades and arrested 29 protesters for public violence. Protesters also gathered in Johannesburg, but no police action was reported. Due to the protests, 10 national universities temporarily shut their campuses.

The protests, the largest gathering of students in South Africa since the end of apartheid, were organized after the...

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The US Department of State warns against all travel to Libya because of ongoing violence between Libyan militias. Many military-grade weapons remain in the hands of private individuals, US- and UN-designated terrorist groups and other armed groups.

The US-recognized Libyan government, which is based in Bayda, on the northeast coast, lacks control over much of the country. On the northwest coast, Tripoli and its environs are controlled by a coalition of militias known as Operation Dawn...

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The US Department of State advises against nonessential travel to Sierra Leone because both routine and emergency medical care are limited there. Some hospitals still have insufficient infection control, despite focused training and private clinics, and laboratories remain closed. 

Air carriers chartered by insurance companies are unable to reliably provide medical evacuation services in Sierra Leone or the region, and local ambulance services for transport to the airport are...

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The US Department of State warns that violent crime in Venezuela is pervasive, both in the capital, Caracas, and in the interior. According to the nongovernmental organization Venezuelan Violence Observatory, Venezuela has the second-highest homicide rate in the world. 

Kidnappings are also a serious concern throughout the country. Most can be classified as “express kidnappings,” which last only a few hours while the victim and/or family members gather as much money as possible for a...

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A high-speed passenger ferry traveling between Hong Kong and Macau on Oct. 26 hit a significant object in the water, lost power and began to take on water, though it did not sink. At least 124 of the 174 passengers and crew on board were injured, including five who were listed in critical condition. Many passengers had to wait hours to board rescue boats.

The ferry struck the object, which has not been identified, about 30 miles from Macau. 

Released on Oct. 13, a report on the Dutch Safety Board’s investigation into the July 2014 crash of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in Ukraine blamed a Russian-made Buk surface-to-air missile for downing the plane and killing all 298 people on board.

The board did not have the authority to assign blame regarding who fired the missile. Ukraine, the US and NATO have blamed Russia-backed rebels in eastern Ukraine, while the rebels and Russia have blamed Ukrainian armed forces. Both Ukraine...

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As ITN went to press, the State Department had travel warnings on 39 destinations: Afghanistan, Algeria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, El Salvador, Eritrea, Haiti, Honduras, Iran, Iraq, Israel/West Bank/Gaza, Kenya, North Korea, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Mexico, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Republic of South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Turkey,...

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