World Travel News: December 2006

The use of Alexander the Great's name for an airport in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYR Macedonia) has caused dismay amongst Greek politicians, according to reports. FYR Macedonia sits north of Greek Macedonia and according to local newspaper reports its government is planning to rename Skopje international airport to Alexander the Great airport. more

Thousands of fans have gathered in Harlem to pay tribute to James Brown, the musical legend who died on Tuesday, aged 73. Brown's body was taken to the Apollo Theatre in Harlem - where he made his live debut ? and lay in state for people to file past. more

At least ten people have been killed in gang violence in the Brazilian city Rio de Janeiro, according to reports. Gang attacks have been reported on buses and military police positions, in a continuation of the violence that began on Wednesday evening. more

Around three million Muslims have begun the short trip from Mecca to the tented town of Mina in Saudi Arabia to take part in the Hajj. After staying in Mina the pilgrims will then head back to Mecca, where they must follow a precise trail of steps and walk around the Kaaba, which is a cube structure in the centre of the Mecca mosque. more

Betty Ford, the wife of former US president Gerald Ford, issued a statement yesterday confirming that her husband had passed away aged 93. Mr Ford was president from 1974 to 1976 after taking over from Richard Nixon, who resigned as a consequence of the 'Watergate scandal'. more

An earthquake around 45 miles south of Kao-hsiung in Taiwan yesterday measured 7.1 on the Richter scale, according to data from the US Geological Survey. Tremors were felt on the second anniversary of the Boxing Day tsunami, which cost hundreds of thousands of lives in south-east Asia. more

A number of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have criticised the Indian government for providing inadequate shelters following the Tsunami disaster in 2004. Some three groups, including Action Aid, have condemned the government for failing to include island communities in the rehabilitation process. more

Fog continues to frustrate thousands of passengers at Heathrow airport who are attempting to get home or get away for the holidays. The bad weather has been responsible for hundreds of cancelled flights over the past two days and Friday sees no sign of a let up, with British Airways having announced that all its domestic flights from the airport have been cancelled, some of which will be replaced by a coach service. more

Dense fog at Heathrow airport has led British Airways (BA) to cancel all domestic flights today (December 21st). BA has urged all customers with bookings for domestic flights not to travel to the airport and that any other customers should check the status of their flight. more

A number of leopards previously incarcerated after attacks on humans in Mumbai will be released back into the capital's national park, according to reports. The Sanjay Gandhi National Park will welcome back the 17 leopards that were blamed for the deaths of 22 people. more

The first support beams for New York's Freedom Tower were lowered into position yesterday at the ground zero site. A 31-foot white beam with "Freedom Tower" emblazoned on the side was placed into its slot by crane, before relatives of 9/11 victims were allowed to write messages on other beams set to be installed. more

Paris' Saint-Martin canal, frequented by tourists and evening revellers, has become dotted with around 100 tents as a symbol of France's homelessness problem. Jean-Baptiste Legrand and Augustin Legrand have financed the implementation of the tents and are encouraging Parisians to swap their apartments for a night on the street, albeit in a tent with hot pastries for breakfast. more

A controversial Mozart opera held in Berlin went ahead as planned last night amid a heavy security presence, according to reports. The opera Idomeneo was first performed in 1781 but was halted in September this year after protests over a scene which depicts the severed heads of the Prophet Muhammad, Jesus Christ, Buddha and the Greek god Poseidon. more

China's Shenyang province is set to begin a museum construction drive with an aim to build 100 by 2010, according to state media. The Shenyang culture bureau noted that an industrial museum, a construction museum and a prisoner of war camp were all planned. more

A 'rogue' elephant, thought to be responsible for the deaths of 14 people in the last six months, was shot dead yesterday in India's Assam region, according to reports. The elephant ? named Laden after the al-Qaida leader Osama Bin Laden ? was cornered by villagers on a tea estate and shot dead by a hunter. more

Three people have been killed and up to four wounded in clashes between armed police and demonstrators in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, according to the BBC. Police stormed the Kibera slum, in which 800,000 people cram into just a square mile of land, after a demonstration in support of politician Ndura Waruinge. more

Goa, one of India's most popular tourist destinations, has been saddled with a difficulty in finding new lifeguards to patrol its beaches, according to reports. In the past four years, around 200 people have drowned along the region's shoreline, with six people dying in one day during August this year. more

For a moment on Wednesday evening the Belgian public and senior politicians looked on in anguish as a TV channel relayed news of the Flemish speaking half of the country declaring independence. However, 24 hours after the spoof report those feelings of terror have been replaced by anger and annoyance at what many have claimed was a stupid prank. more

Bao Xishun, the world's tallest man, helped to remove dangerous shards of plastic from the stomachs of two dolphins in China yesterday, according to state media. The Mongolian herdsman was called in to utilise his extremely long arms after attempts to remove the plastic with tools failed. more

Kingston, the capital of Jamaica, will undergo a clean-up operation in its downtown areas in an effort to halt a possible spread of malaria, according to local media. The leader of Jamaica's labour opposition party, Bruce Golding, claimed that over 1,500 blood samples from infected areas had yet to be tested, meaning that the total number of cases could exceed the 61 already confirmed. more

The United Nations (UN) has called for an immediate end to the "deadly shelling" from both the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). An unknown number of civilians have been killed, injured or displaced as a result of the fighting, which has intensified in recent weeks. more

Christmas trees that had been removed from Seattle airport after a religious complaint have now been reinstated, according to reports. The Seattle-Tacoma airport authorities removed the twelve Christmas trees they had been installed after receiving a letter of complaint from a local rabbi. more

Plans for a huge transparent tent designed by UK architect Norman Foster have been unveiled in Kazakhstan, according to reports. President Nursultan Nazarbayev presented plans for the structure, which aims to soak up the summer sun and provide a warm, yet 'outdoor' environment during the winter. more

Australia's famous outback train derailed today (December 12th) as it neared the end of its two-day journey from Adelaide to Darwin. None of the 82 passengers and crew were seriously injured, with only bumps and bruises reported. more

The reaction of the Chilean people to the death of Augusto Pinochet on Sunday (December 10th), has displayed mixed emotions of both celebration and mourning. General Pinochet ruled Chile by way of a military dictatorship from 1973 to 1990, during which more than 3,000 people were killed or "disappeared". more

The Philippines have been hit by another typhoon, just days after mudslides and flooding reaped havoc from the last storm. Typhoon Utor swept through the country today (December 11th) with four people confirmed dead and a number of others missing. more

Visitors to a popular fishing festival in Nigeria have been upset that fishing has been banned at the event. The showpiece of Kebbi State's Argungu fishing festival is an hour-long event in which fishermen dive in to the Matan Fada river in a bid to catch the biggest fish. more

King Gyanendra of Nepal, regarded as a Hindu god by a number of his followers, has been forced to pay tax for the time in his life. The king and his son, Crown Prince Paras, were required to pay customs duties on a large number of torches they were trying to bring in to the country earlier this week, claim officials from Kathmandu's international airport. more

Turkey has reportedly offered to open one port and one airport to sea and air traffic from Cyprus, according to the current EU presidency, Finland. Conflicting reports, allegedly from Turkish media sources, have claimed that the Turkish government requires compromises in return. more

The Hard Rock Cafe chain, owned by British firm Rank Group, has been sold to the Seminole tribe of Florida for £490 million. The Seminoles already run Hard Rock branded casinos and hotels in Tampa and Hollywood. more

USS Intrepid, commonly referred to as New York's floating museum, has been successfully tugged from its muddy home on the Hudson River and taken to New Jersey for restoration. The decommissioned aircraft carrier fought in the Second World War and saw action in Vietnam as well as acting as a recovery ship for astronauts in Nasa's early space programmes. more

Flights were halted at three of Brazil's major airports last night, amid a technical problem with Brasilia's air traffic communications system. Virtually all flights leaving the three major airports were cancelled and takeoffs were suspended in Brasilia's and Belo Horizonte's airports, according to the Associated Press. more

The manufacturers of the famous Goat of Gavle, which is built and placed in the Swedish city's centre, have claimed that this year's colossus will be "impossible" to burn down, according to the BBC. more

Fiji's military chief Frank Bainimarama has staged a coup, the fourth to have occurred on the island in 20 years. Mr Bainimarama has taken up the role of president and has sought to dismiss the current prime minister Laisenia Qarase, who is understood to be under house arrest at his home in Fiji's capital city, Suva. more

The aftermath of Typhoon Durian has wreaked havoc in the Philippines, with mudslides and floods leading to the government declaring a national calamity. Up to 1,000 people are feared dead and a number of the bodies may never be found as rescue crews struggle to find remains in the mudslides. more

Venezuela's president, Hugo Chavez, has secured a further six years in office after winning over 60 per cent of the vote in Sunday's presidential election. Figures from the National Electoral Council placed Mr Chavez at 61 per cent when around 80 per cent of the vote had been counted. more

Sample questions for a new naturalisation exam for US citizenship have been unveiled by US citizenship and immigration services (USCIS) as part of a redesign of the test. A pilot program will begin in early 2007 in ten cities utilising 5,000 volunteer citizenship applicants. more

There is tight security in Beirut amid fears of violent clashes in a Hizbullah led rally outside of Lebanese government buildings. Tens of thousands of supporters have turned out for the pro-Syrian group's protest at what it feels in a US puppet government. more