News Watch

As ITN went to press, the State Department had travel warnings on 35 destinations: Afghanistan, Algeria, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Haiti, Honduras, Iran, Iraq, Israel/West Bank/Gaza, Kenya, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Mexico, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Republic of South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Venezuela...

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On Oct. 15, a 7.1-magnitude earthquake centered in Bohol, one of the Viscaya Islands in south-central Philippines, killed 198 people while flattening buildings, causing landslides and damaging nine main roads and 34 bridges. More than 370,000 people were forced from their homes, as 8,500 houses were destroyed and an estimated 26,000 more were damaged.

In Sudan, the worst unrest in years took place throughout the country after new austerity measures were introduced and a reduction in fuel subsidies caused the price of fuel to double. For five days, beginning on Sept. 23, thousands of people joined in violent street protests in Khartoum and several other cities. Cars, buildings and gas stations were burned.

The government responded with military force and reported that at least 60 people were killed and hundreds arrested. Human...

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The US Department of State continues to warn of the risks of travel to the Republic of South Sudan. It strongly recommends avoiding all travel to the states in the border region between Sudan and South Sudan (Upper Nile, Unity and Western Bahr el Ghazal states in South Sudan; Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile states in Sudan, and the Abyei Special Administrative District). 

Although fighting between Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) has declined...

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The Department of State continues to warn that no part of Syria should be considered immune from violence, and the potential exists throughout the country for hostile acts, including kidnappings. Across the country, indiscriminate shelling and aerial bombardment, even in densely populated urban areas, have significantly increased the risk of death or serious injury. 

There is also a threat from terrorist groups, whose tactics include the use of suicide bombers, kidnapping, use of...

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On Sept. 14, 2012, violent mobs caused extensive property damage in Tunisia during an attack on the US Embassy and the American Cooperative School of Tunis. During the past year, two prominent Tunisian opposition party leaders were assassinated on separate occasions, Feb. 6 and July 25, respectively, which inspired large though generally peaceful demonstrations throughout the country. 

Tunisian security forces have also been targeted, including with bombs directed against vehicles...

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The security situation in Chad has slowly but steadily improved since the conclusion of a peace agreement between Sudan and Chad in early 2010. Despite recent stability, the security environment is historically volatile and could deteriorate unexpectedly. The US Department of State recommends avoiding travel to eastern Chad and border regions. 

Though presently there are no known specific threats in Chad, there are groups in the region who are intent on harming Westerners and Western...

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India’s worst storm in 14 years hit the east coast on Oct. 13, yet officials successfully evacuated over one million people and minimized the loss of life. Only 25 deaths were recorded due to Cyclone Phailin (compared to the 10,000 killed in 1999 during Cyclone Orissa). 

However, Phailin was severe enough to cause massive floods over five districts in Orissa State, damaging or destroying over 200,000 houses, driving thousands of people to evacuation centers and ruining an estimated...

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