World Travel News: October 2006

Macau, a small cluster of territory used for administrative purposes in China, has overtaken Las Vegas in terms of gambling income, according to the BBC. Figures from leisure industry consultants Globalysis, show that Macau has taken $6.8 billion (£3.6 billion) in gambling profits in 2006. more

The airline involved in Sunday's plane tragedy in Nigeria has had its license suspended by the government. ADC is a popular private airline, however, Nigeria's aviation industry has suffered from three plane accidents in the last year and there are calls for enhanced safety. more

The passion and belief that is enshrined within the bastion of the FA Cup gives it an almighty power that can reduce grown men into showers over merciless tears. However, although Cardiff has done a very noble job in keeping the final warm for when Wembley is finished, the magic is somewhat lost on the trip over the Severn Bridge. more

The Times They Are A-Changin', a new musical by Twyla Tharp which focuses on the seminal album by Bob Dylan, has not been warmly received by critics, according to the BBC. The musical opened on Broadway last week and follows on from a number of musicals that have displayed the greatest hits of influential artists. more

A plane that crashed into a corn field in Nigeria shortly after takeoff has claimed 99 lives, according to reports. Of the 106 passengers on board the ADC domestic flight, seven have survived and are in hospital. more

Dr Charles Simonyi, from the US, has been announced as the next private tourist to visit space, blasting off on March 9th 2007. The company Space Adventures, which recently sent Iranian born American Anousheh Ansari into space, will again coordinate the 'space holiday'. more

Four fire-fighters were killed in California yesterday (October 26th) in wild fires that were believed to have been started by arsonists. Another fireman is in hospital with 95 per cent burns to his body and remains in a critical condition. more

China's Great Wall will no longer be the main venue for all-night raves as authorities seek to protect the unique tourist attraction. The Chinese government has confirmed that it plans to prevent any parties from taking place on the Great Wall as well as introducing legislation to ban other activities including driving and writing directly on the wall. more

Hong Kong's first long-haul budget airline is finally on course following initial delays. Oasis had been scheduled to fly its first flight from Hong Kong to Gatwick Airport on Wednesday but Russia's last-minute decision to remove permission to fly through its airspace caused a 24-hour wait for passengers. more

Hundreds of tourists have fled from the west of Mexico as a storm approaches the country's Baja California peninsula. Tropical Storm Paul, which has been downgraded from a hurricane, is expected to arrive later today, bringing major storms to the tourist spot of Los Cabos on the southern tip of the peninsula. more

Authorities have taken the decision to close East Timor's international airport after shooting incidents close by. The shootings are believed to have taken place yesterday and today in the region's capital, Dili, as rival gangs engaged in fierce battles, leaving two people dead. more

Some 15 people are believed to have died in Bangladesh following a ferry accident, according to reports. The MV Shah Paran, carrying more than 125 passengers, capsized in the River Meghna after it hit a cargo boat near Munshiganj, 12 miles south-east of the capital, Dhaka. more

Hurricane Paul is continuing to head towards the western coast of Mexico, according to reports. The US National Hurricane Center told Bloomberg that the eye of the storm was around 385 miles south-southwest off Mexico's Baja California Peninsula at 20:00 Pacific time, yesterday. more

Australia's prime minister, John Howard, has made clear his country's commitment to fighting climate change. Australia is the largest exporter of coal in the world and has a huge amount of fossil fuel. more

Residents in Panama voted in favour of extending the country's canal yesterday (October 22nd), which is now 92-years-old. In a nationwide ballot, over two thirds of Panamanians voted in favour of the $5.2 billion (£2.76 billion) expansion project. more

The Kazakhstan ambassador to the UK, Erlan Idrissov, has entered the debate on what is increasingly becoming known as the "Borat phenomenon". Although a great number of people find the comedian Sacha Baron Cohen's depiction of a Kazakh 'journalist' offensive, Mr Idrissov noted that many people found it funny and agreed that "all publicity is good publicity". more

A group of people in Mumbai have attempted to set a new world record for the longest ever firework, according to reports. The firecracker was two kilometres long and laid out over a large expanse of open ground in the north Indian city. more

The president of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, has declared a state of emergency in the state of Ekiti, according to reports. Ekiti's former governor, Ayo Fayose, was impeached on Monday by the state of house assembly on corruption charges. more

The search is on for the chosen town to be officially twinned with Timbuktu, the legendary Malian outpost. Many towns and villages are already twined with other locations, mostly with towns in France, Germany and Belgium. more

Over 400 clowns have gathered in Mexico City for the Fraternity of Latin Clown's annual conference, according to reports. It is the association's 11th convention and will allow the clowns to discuss serious matters in their field. more

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE or the Tamil Tigers) are suspected to have carried out a suicide attack on the tourist area of Galle in Sri Lanka. Two tiger boats sailed into the city's harbour, hiding between fishing boats, before exploding and destroying a number of ships. more

At least two people have died following a train collision during rush hour on Rome's underground system, according to reports. Many more are injured in what appears to have been a crash between two trains at Piazza Vittoria underground station. more

Rwanda's capital, Kigali, has had a number of rubbish bins installed throughout the city in a bid to maintain cleanliness, according to the BBC. The bins are the country's first public refuse facilities and tie in with a larger nationwide campaign to clean up Rwanda. more

The US state of Hawaii experienced an earthquake on Sunday (October 15th) which was felt on Big Island, Maui and Oahu. The quake resulted in power being lost and some structural damage to properties, however, there are currently no reports of any fatalities. more

CBGB, the venue regarded by many as the birthplace of US punk, closed last night (October 15th) after its final gig. Patti Smith, who was discovered while playing at CBGB, came to New York to perform at the venue's final night. more

Jay-Z has noted that he is looking forward to taking up another date in Shanghai after his scheduled concert was cancelled by the Chinese government. The country's ministry of culture pulled the gig due to concerns about Jay-Z's lyrics and references to drugs and guns. more

The Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro has been afforded sanctuary status by the Catholic Church to mark its 75th birthday. A small chapel will be constructed at the bottom of the monument where weddings and other religious events could occur. more

Around 300 monkeys that hang around in Delhi have been captured and will now be sent to the jungle, according to reports. A number of monkeys regularly laze about outside buildings, rising occasionally to harangue a passer-by. more

New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle has been named as one of the men who died when a plane hit an apartment block in New York yesterday (October 11th). Lidle and his flying instructor, Tyler Stanger, were both killed in the accident which left the building on fire and debris scattered across the street. more

The Foreign Office has advised against all travel to the island of Mindanao, in the Philippines, after a series of terrorist attacks. Late on Tuesday (October 10th) an alcohol stall was targeted in an explosion which killed six people. more

Huge crowds turned out in Moscow to pay their respects to the journalist Anna Politkovskaya, who was shot dead on Saturday (October 7th). Hundreds of people stood in the pouring rain, close to a damp city cemetery, to see Ms Politkovskaya's coffin go past. more

The Mongolian government is debating whether or not to pass a law that gives the country the rights to its historic conqueror, Genghis Khan. Khan led the Mongol tribes to form the Mongol Empire in the early part of the 13th century and is a powerful symbol to many Mongolian people. more

A report into the Cypriot Helios Airways crash in August 2005 has revealed that human error was at fault for the tragedy. The pilots were found to have misread cabin pressure instruments and warnings, in addition to a maintenance crew failing to set the pressure correctly. more

An auction in New York to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Star Trek has witnessed some large purchases by fans, according to reports. One notable purchase involved an enthusiast paying £308,000 for a model of the Starship Enterprise. more

The North Korean state news service, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), has claimed that the country has successfully completed a nuclear test. South Korean officials have confirmed that they picked up a seismic event near suspected testing sites. more

North Korea's plans to test a nuclear weapon have been met with a strong response from both Japan and the US. Japanese officials have already accepted the possibility of a test and it is thought that members of the UN Security Council wish to see a strong response, although there has been no mention of the UN enforcement Charter VII. more

A coach collided with a lorry near Scunthorpe this morning (October 6th) at around 08:00 BST injuring 26 people, according to reports. All of the coach passengers were taken too hospital, with most suffering from cuts and bruises. more

President Bush has signed in a new bill that will see the construction of a new 700 mile fence along the US border with Mexico. Around $1.2 billion has been appropriated by congress for the new project, which will construct a barrier in remote and inhospitable areas. more

Ryanair has launched a £1 billion bid for Aer Lingus after it announced the purchase of a 16 per cent stake in the airliner today (October 5th). The low budget airline offered the Irish company ?2.80 per share, which would net the Irish government ?500 million. more

The birthplace of the Australian labour movement has been declared officially dead by a tree doctor in Australia, according to reports. Sheep shearers met under the tree during the famous strike in 1891, leading on to the emergence of the labour movement in Australia. more

The family of a man tragically killed by an elephant while on safari in Kenya have called for people to leave them in peace to grieve. Patrick Smith, 34, was killed on Sunday (October 1st) when an elephant trampled him to death. more

Authorities in Delhi have begun a cleaning campaign to curb the outbreak of dengue fever in the capital, according to reports. The Mosquito-borne disease causes a high fever and flu like symptoms that can lead to a brain haemorrhage. more

A huge car pile-up on a busy highway bridge in South Korea has killed 11 people, according to reports. The crash occurred as the country began its autumn national holiday, with many of the motorists travelling home for the beginning of the break. more

Retired general Surayed Chulanont has been appointed by military leaders as the county's new prime minister. His obligations are to appoint a cabinet by the end of the week and to lead the county to its next elections, scheduled for October according to the new government. more

The wreckage of a Boeing 737-800 operated by Gol airlines has been located in the Amazonian state of Mato Grosso. According to the national civil aviation authority (ANAC), the Gol aircraft carrying 155 people collided with a smaller executive jet. more