May 2012

Editor’s note: In the following account, ITN is not printing the name of the cruise line involved because 1) we feel the company acted responsibly and may be considered an injured party, itself, and 2) the points being raised pertain to all cruise lines and we didn’t want to unfairly single out one firm.

The book “Jewish London: A Comprehensive Guidebook for Visitors and Londoners” (2012, Interlink Books — 224 pp., $14) offers information on Jewish-heritage sites in London and includes route maps and directions for a series of walking tours.

As ITN went to press, the State Department had travel warnings on 31 destinations: Afghanistan, Algeria, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Eritrea, Guinea, Haiti, 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 and Yemen.

For details, call the State Department at 202/647-5225 or visit www.travel.state.gov.

Following heavy rains in the Hubei province of China, an embankment collapsed in Qianjiang City on March 9, taking with it a section of the newly built Hanyi High Speed Railway that connects Wuhan with Yichang. No train cars were involved and there were no injuries.

Due to the shutdown of its nuclear reactors, which provided nearly 30% of the nation’s power, Japan will be experiencing power shortages again during the summer months. Conservation measures will be in use, and there may be rolling blackouts at times of peak summer demand (evenings in Tokyo). Travelers should be prepared for subway delays, reduced lighting and reduced air-conditioning.

Due to the economic crises, in many European countries (including Britain, Germany, France, Italy and Spain), contentious salary negotiations with many public unions have led to day-long transportation strikes.

The strikes often shut down train and/or air services, thus drawing widespread attention to workers’ grievances. Some of the unions do announce their strike plans ahead of time — but, often, only a few days before. Summer travelers can get updates from their country’s consulate or embassy in the country they plan to visit.

In Egypt, nearly 100,000 head of cattle have been infected in a major new outbreak of the virulent cattle disease known as “foot-and-mouth.” It can be easily transmitted by people simply walking through infected areas. Before leaving such areas, travelers should be mindful of disinfecting their shoes.

After a half-hour video about the murderous Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) drew tremendous interest on the Internet recently, the government of Uganda released a statement on March 9 clarifying that, unlike what the video implied, the LRA is presently not active within Uganda.

Following many years of fighting, the LRA was pushed west out of Uganda in 2006 and retreated to dense jungle in bordering countries of Central Africa.

In the Afar region of northeastern Ethiopia, two German men who had been held hostage by rebels since Jan. 18 were released to German Embassy officials on March 6. They had been kidnapped during a bloody attack on a group of tourists trekking on Erta Ale Volcano (March ’12, pg. 19). Two Ethiopians taken in the attack remain missing.