World Travel News: November 2006

Frank Bainimarama, Fiji's military chief, has issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the island's government that will result in a coup should his demands not be met. They include the removal of three pieces of legislation, one of which would grant amnesty to people involved in a coup that took place six years ago. more

Tomas Velazquez, a protestor calling for the release of an imprisoned Paraguayan general, has been nailed to a cross outside of Asuncion's supreme court. A crowd of people watched the crucifixion in the Paraguayan capital, in which Mr Velazquez was tied to a cross before having his hands nailed to the horizontal axis. more

Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader, was involved in an airport argument upon arriving in Nigeria for a summit yesterday, according to the BBC. The ostentatious head of state always travels with his group of female bodyguards, however, his security team's armaments caused a delay in his journey. more

The escalating political unrest in Fiji has led the Foreign Office to advise against all travel to the island. Advice from the department has previously only warned of travel to the capital, Suva. more

Pope Benedict's visit to Turkey will be the focus of a heavy security presence in Ankara and Istanbul, where the pope will reside for the majority of his visit. In a visit that had been pencilled in as an opportunity to reconnect with Patriarch Bartholomew's Orthodox Christian community, the pope will also become only the second pontiff to visit a mosque. more

Tamil Tiger forces and the Sri Lankan military have been involved in artillery clashes in the eastern region of the island following yesterday's speech by Velupillai Pirapaharan, the leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). more

A rally has been held outside Mary Immaculate Hospital in the Queens district of New York after one man was killed and two were injured when police fired on a car on Saturday (November 25th). Sean Bell, a 23-year-old groom-to-be, was shot dead outside a strip club after celebrating his stag night; he was due to marry Nicole Paultre just hours after he was killed. more

The two men who admitted killing British student Katherine Horton while she was on holiday in Thailand will escape the death penalty, according to reports. Bualoy Kothisit and Wichai Sonkhaoyai now face sentences of life imprisonment for the murder, after a foreign office spokesman confirmed to the BBC that the death penalty has been dropped. more

The illusionist David Blaine came crashing down to earth yesterday (November 23rd) after escaping from his giant spinning gyroscope. Blaine smashed through a wooden stage after he'd successfully freed himself from shackles that had been attached to him. more

The Australian department of foreign affairs and trade has warned that people should "reconsider" travel to the Fijian capital of Suva. Increased tensions between the Fijian government and the country's military have led some to express concerns of a coup on the island. more

Thousands of people have gathered in the Lebanese capital of Beirut for the funeral of Pierre Gemayel, who was assassinated on Tuesday (November 21st). Supporters of the politician urged people to attend and create a strong and defiant message of support for the incumbent ? but beleaguered ? Maronite Christian Phalange Party. more

Archaeologists have discovered a tomb complex that is over 1,000 years old in a northern region of Peru. The complex is an important discovery in the study of the Sican civilization, which flourished and was wiped out before the Incas emerged in the South American country. more

David Blaine's latest stunt sees him suspended in a giant gyroscope five floors above Times Square in New York. The stunt will finish on Friday (November 23rd) after Blaine attempts to free himself from shackles that will be added to his contraption tomorrow. more

The Sri Lankan military has targeted Tamil Tiger territory for a second day, according to reports. The recent escalation in violence doesn't appear to be abating as the military claimed that it had targeted rebel naval bases in the north west of the country. more

The US mint and federal reserve has unveiled designs for new one dollar coins which will come into circulation during 2007. To induce public interest, the coins will follow the rotation system of the 50 state quarter programme, which encouraged people to collect and become engaged with the coinage. more

Rome's Ciampino airport was closed at 08:00 GMT today (November 21st) after a bomb scare, airport officials noted. Officials took the decision to divert flights to Rome's larger Fiumincino airport (Leonardo Da Vinci airport) after the scare. more

President George Bush's visit to Indonesia has resulted in protests in the capital Jakarta and the city of Bogor. Mr Bush is due to meet the president of Indonesia, Susilo Bambong Yudhoyono, for talks regarding security and economic assistance. more

German officials have stated that a number of people have been questioned in relation to an alleged bomb plot to blow up a passenger plane, according to reports. Six identified suspects and a number of unidentified suspects were detained after information emerged that someone with access to an airport had expressed a willingness to smuggle a bag on board a plane for payment, according to a federal prosecutor's office statement quoted by Reuters. more

Andy Warhol's portrait of Chairman Mao sold for $17.36 million (£9.19 million) at Christie's in New York yesterday (November 16th). In a star studded auction that contained three iconic works from the leader of the Pop Art movement, Christie's made $240 million (£127 million) worth of sales. more

Segolene Royal will run as the Socialist Party candidate in next year's presidential elections in France. Ms Royal has fought a highly competitive primary campaign which has been notable for its lack of public debate and smear tactics. more

Rail journeys from the UK to the continent could soon be a viable alternative to air travel for increasingly far flung destinations. Eurostar has announced that it has agreed a deal with six countries to offer fast connections and through tickets that would see Amsterdam reachable in three-and-a-half hours, down from almost five hours. more

Officials for the Scottish tourism industry have said that the sector must pay greater attention to green issues. The Scottish Tourism Forum (STF) has called for a reduction in the number of short-haul flights that service the country's airports and has warned that visitor numbers could fall if areas of beauty are littered with electricity pylons and wind farms, reports the Herald. more

Travellers to the slopes of Europe and North America are being advised to be careful when planning their winter excursions. According to new research by the Post Office, one in every three claims by winter sports fans are for medical bills, with the prospect of treatment or even surgery potentially costing uninsured travellers large sums. more

Northern Ireland has been named as one of the countries travellers 'must' take in by Lonely Planet. The travel guide has released its "Go List", detailing a list of countries which 'must be seen' in 2007. more

The US has announced that it has removed Vietnam from its list of nations that it claims restrict religious freedoms. The announcement of the Countries of Particular Concern (CPC), which is published each year, comes just a week before George W Bush heads to the country for the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation forum. more

Around 60,000 people are thought to have been left homeless in eastern Kenya after flash flooding. According to reports from the Kenyan Red Cross, at least 21 people have also been killed in the major flooding, with more expected as a result of water-fuelled diseases such as cholera. more

Up to 20 people are feared dead after a collision involving a passenger train and a truck near Cape Town in South Africa. The collision occurred shortly after 05:00 GMT at a level crossing near the Eerste River. more

Around 2,000 people have taken to the streets in protest at the death of a boy whose family couldn't afford his treatment at a hospital in Sichuan province. Around 100 police were required to break up a riotous crowd which set about damaging the hospital which had admitted the boy. more

Sri Lanka's military has claimed that it sunk two Tamil Tiger boats off the coast of the eastern district of Trincomalee on Friday (November 10th). The claim marks the continuation of a sustained period of violence during which both the Tamil Tigers and the Sri Lankan military have exchanged gunfire. more

Over 450 pigs have been culled and incinerated in Ivory Coast after they grazed close to contaminated toxic waste, according to reports. The city of Abidjan was subjected to the illegal dumping of toxic oil slops and the waste has been blamed for the deaths of ten people. more

Democrat Jim Webb is celebrating what appears to be a victory in Virginia after AP declared that he had won the race to become the state's senator. However, official figures have so far not confirmed the result and it is understood that Mr Webb's Republican opponent, George Allen, has not conceded. more

Borat, the bogus documentary film by British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, has been refused a distribution license by the Russian government, according to reports. A senior official from Russia's culture ministry told the BBC that it will not be issuing a licence to the controversial comedy because it mocks Kazakhstan, a neighbour and ally of Russia. more

The Democrats have won control of the house of representatives in the US mid-term elections, but the Senate is still too close to call. Voter turnout is understood to have been fairly high and the Democrats swamped to victory in the house, with the New York Times projecting the Democrats as winning 230 seats to the GOP's 205. more

Dubai-based airline Emirates has announced a deal with mobile technology company Aeromobile to provide mobile calls during flights. The airline will be the first to allow passengers to make calls and will utilise a system which is safe to use on an aeroplane. more

The families of ten people who died in Brazil's worst air disaster on September 29th 2006 have filed federal lawsuits against two US companies. A Boeing 737 flying from Manaus to Brasilia was involved in a collision with a small US executive jet, the jet landed safely but the Brazilian passenger plane crashed and its 154 passengers were killed. more

The US mid-term election campaign has now come to an end and US citizens will today visit the ballot boxes. Democrats have had their sizeable majority cut somewhat in the final opinion polls and the result is hard to call. more

The Mexican city of Oaxaca saw mass rallies this weekend as thousands of protestors took to the streets. The people were protesting against the Mexican governor, Ulises Ruiz, and were also voicing their concerns over the state of the security forces. more

Hundreds of would-be police constables in India have rioted after being angered by the application procedure. An official in the city of Ghaziabad told the BBC said that a written test proved too difficult for many of the men who were applying to join the Uttar Pradesh police force and they demonstrated their displeasure by going on the rampage. more

Western-style weddings are becoming very popular in Japan and this has sprung up a demand for fake priests, there to add 'legitimacy' and image to a ceremony, according to reports. Although these ceremonies are not official ? a trip to the local registrar is required afterwards ? they still prove popular, purely because of the spectacle. more

Justin Timberlake hosted the MTV European Music Awards in Copenhagen last night and, as ever, the evening was not short of controversy. Sacha Baron Cohen's much coveted Kazakh journalist Borat made an appearance via satellite. more

The southern Indian city of Bangalore will soon be known as Bengaluru, after pressure from local politicians and historians to change the city's name, according to reports. Bangalore is India's technology capital, with over 1,500 businesses based in its alternative to 'silicon valley'. more

Over 70 Muslim workers have been stripped of their security clearance at Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport amid investigations into their activities. Of the 72 people that have lost their clearance, a number of them are suing the authorities claiming that they have been discriminated against. more

The number of people who have reportedly died in floods that have hit eastern Ethiopia has risen to 67. The Wabe Shabelle river has burst its banks and affected thousands of people in towns across the region. more

Political tensions are growing in Fiji, as military personnel drove through the streets of Suva to seize ammunition, according to reports. Military chief Frank Bainimarama is currently visiting troops in the Middle East, but his agitating presence is causing problems for the Fijian government. more