News Watch
Bombs in Sana’a
The Department of State recommends deferring nonessential travel to Yemen. On Sept. 17, terrorists set off a number of explosions near the main gate at the U.S. Embassy in Sana’a.
Somalis fleeing
In 1991, Somalia’s dictator was overthrown by warlords, and the country has not had a stable government since.
Clashes in Thailand
In Thailand, demonstrations and strikes by both anti- and pro-government factions disrupted travel at airports and rail stations in September.
Islamabad bombing
Just hours after Asif Ali Zardari was sworn in as the new president of Pakistan on Sept. 20, a truck bomb exploded in front of the Marriott in Islamabad.
Current warnings for November 2008
As ITN went to press, the State Department had travel warnings on 28 destinations: Israel/West Bank/Gaza, Yemen, Bolivia, Iran, Georgia, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Algeria, Kenya, Colombia, Democratic R
Afghanistan dangerous
The Department of State warns that no part of Afghanistan should be considered immune from violence, and the potential exists for hostile acts, either targeted or random, against Western nationals at any time.
Bandits in Guatemala
Armed attacks have occurred on roads that many travelers take from Guatemala City through the Petén region of Guatemala to see the Mayan ruins at Tikal.
Yellow fever, Côte d’Ivoire
At press time, the Ministry of Health of Côte d’Ivoire had reported nine cases of yellow fever in Abidjan, five of them confirmed. With that, a mass vaccination campaign was being carried out in August, targeting almost two million people.
Attacks in Algeria
The Department of State urges travelers in Algeria to evaluate carefully the risks. Terrorist attacks, including bombings, false roadblocks, kidnappings, ambushes and assassinations, occur regularly.
Costa del Sol scare
In Spain, in an apparent effort to disrupt the tourism industry, the Basque separatist group ETA phoned in a warning about, and then detonated on Aug. 17, two small bombs at resorts in Costa del Sol. There were no injuries and damage was minor, but 10,000 people were forced to evacuate.
Dengue in Cambodia
In August of this year, as the monsoon season was reaching its peak, the number of reported cases of dengue fever in major tourist areas of Cambodia was half that of last year but still above the average.
Plane crash in Madrid
A Spanair Boeing MD-82 jet headed for Las Palmas, Canary Islands, crashed on takeoff from the Madrid airport on Aug. 20, killing 153 people. Nineteen survived. One of the plane’s two engines had caught fire.
Comoros shortages
At press time, the Union of Comoros was continuing to experience gasoline and diesel fuel shortages following a July 2008 termination of a sole-source supply contract for the country’s fuel needs.
Georgia-Russia face-off
On Aug. 8, Georgian troops entered South Ossetia and the Abkhazia regions in an attempt to reclaim the regions that broke away from Georgian control after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Current warnings for October 2008
As ITN went to press, the State Department had travel warnings on 28 destinations: Georgia, Algeria, Kenya, Yemen, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Timor-Leste, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan,
Uzbekistan watch
The Department of State continues to remind travelers that the potential for a terrorist attack or localized civil disturbance in Uzbekistan still exists, though there have been no violent incidents since May 2005. The U.S.
Too many bombs
• AFGHANISTAN — A suicide bomber killed more than 40 people in front of the Indian Embassy in Kabul on July 7.
Uganda bat filovirus
Several days after returning to the Netherlands from Uganda in June, a 40-year-old woman came down with Marburg haemorrhagic fever. She had visited the “python cave” in the Maramagambo Forest between Queen Elizabeth Park and Kabale and reportedly had contact with a bat.
Sichuan’s slow recovery
The Department of State continues to advise travelers to avoid the areas of China’s Sichuan province most severely affected by the May 12 earthquake.
Saudi Arabia concerns
The Department of State reminds travelers that there is an ongoing security threat in Saudi Arabia due to the continued presence of terrorist groups who may target Western interests and facilities as well as Saudi government facilities and economic/commercial targets.