News Watch

February 2017 issue | Appears on page 17

Philippines violence

The US Department of State warns travelers planning to visit certain areas of the Philippines of the risk of kidnapping and insurgent violence.

Terrorist and insurgent groups based in the Sulu Archipelago in the country’s southwest have kidnapped foreigners in the southern Sulu Sea area. This area stretches from the southern tip of Palawan, in Sabah, Malaysia, across the Philippine islands of the Sulu Archipelago and up to Zamboanga City, Mindanao Province. Since January 2016,...

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February 2017 issue | Appears on page 17

Beijing pollution

Authorities in Beijing, China, issued a 5-day air-quality red alert on Dec. 16 due to air pollution levels. At the time of the alert, the air quality index (AQI) of Beijing measured 500, the highest AQI level in 2016. 

The AQI measures the density in the air, per cubic meter, of particles sized less than 2.5 microns, known as PM2.5. The World Health Organization considers any AQI measurement over 25 to be unsafe. 

Beijing took steps to reduce traffic and factory...

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February 2017 issue | Appears on page 17

France extends emergency

The Prime Minister of France, Bernard Cazeneuve, announced on Dec. 12 that the country’s state of emergency, in place since Nov. 15, 2015 (following the Nov. 13 terrorist attacks in Paris), would be extended until July 2017. It was originally set to expire in mid-January. It is the fourth time that this state of emergency has been extended. 

This rule expands the ability for French authorities to detain suspects and conduct searches of personal property.

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February 2017 issue | Appears on page 17

India train derails

A passenger train derailed while pulling out of a station in the city of Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh on Dec. 28, injuring at least 61 people, two critically. It was the second derailment to occur around Kanpur in a little over a month. A train derailment outside the city on Nov. 20 killed 146 people. No cause for the Dec. 28 incident was reported as of press time. 

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February 2017 issue | Appears on page 62

Contested Gambia election

In a democratic election held in The Gambia on Dec. 1, current president Yahya Jammeh lost the popular vote to property developer Adama Barrow in a surprise result. After initially conceding, President Jammeh claimed, days later, that the election was invalid because of voting irregularities and declared he would not leave office. Jammeh has been president of The Gambia since taking power in a bloodless coup in 1994.

As of press time, regional multinational group The Economic...

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February 2017 issue | Appears on page 62

Current warnings

As ITN went to press, the State department had travel warnings on 41 destinations: Afghanistan, Algeria, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Haiti, Honduras, Iran, Iraq, Israel/West Bank/Gaza, Jordan, Kenya, North Korea, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Mexico, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Republic of South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia...

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January 2017 issue | Appears on page 18

Migrant crisis in Europe

Migrants and refugees from war-torn countries in the Middle East and Africa continue to attempt to reach Europe by the thousands.

On Nov. 3, more than 200 people drowned off the coast of Libya after two migrant boats wrecked. Only 31 passengers from those boats were rescued.

It is estimated that, as of press time, about 330,000 migrants have made the journey into Europe via the Mediterranean by November 2016, compared with over one million in 2015. As of press time, at least 4,...

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January 2017 issue | Appears on page 18

Wildfires in Israel

Fueled by dry conditions and high winds, a series of wildfires in late November had burned over 2,000 acres of land in across Israel as of press time. Only minor injuries had been reported.

On Nov. 24, more than 80,000 people were forced to evacuate their homes in Haifa, Israel’s third-largest city, as fires moved into the city limits. Most were able to return the next day, as firefighters had the fire under control. On Nov. 25, a fire in the West Bank settlement of Halamish...

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