World Travel News: March 2007

A chocolate Jesus on display at a gallery in New York has angered a US Catholic group. The six-foot sculpture, entitled My Sweet Jesus, has led to criticism from the American Catholic civil rights organisation, the Catholic League. more

For one participant, the Boston marathon will not only be 26.2 miles long. It will also be 210 miles above the surface of the earth. Sunita Williams, an American Astronaut, is to run the marathon on board the International Space Station. more

George W Bush joked about possible 'pop-up books' for his political memoirs at the annual black-tie press dinner yesterday, according to reports. The president joined in with the traditional self-mocking and began his speech by saying that last year his approval rating was "in the 30s", his nominee for the US supreme court "had withdrawn" and his vice-president "had shot someone"; he joked "ah, those were the good ol' days", according to the BBC. more

A gold wreath thought to date back to the time of Alexander the Great will be returned to its rightful owners in Greece, according to reports. The wreath, which the Greek government claims was illegally removed from the country, measures 11 inches across and is made of gold foil. more

An Englishwoman has been found dead in an apartment in Tokyo. Lindsay Ann Hawker, 22, was discovered naked in a bath of sand in an apartment in Ichikawa, close to the capital. Ms Hawker, from Coventry, had been working as an English language teacher and had reportedly visited the apartment block for the first time on Saturday to provide lessons to 28-year-old Tatsuya Ichihachi, according to local media. more

A number of pre-school children in Thailand were released after a ten-hour hostage ordeal on board a school bus today. Some 32 children, all aged around five, along with two teachers, were taken hostage in Manila by their day care centre owner, Jun Ducat. more

At least four people have died in a village in the Gaza Strip after a sewage treatment pool collapsed, flooding the area in Palestine, the BBC reports Palestinian interior minister Hani al-Qawasmeh went to the scene but according to a BBC correspondent in Jerusalem, angry residents from the village of Umm al-Naser crowded around him when he was looking at the damage. more

A giant toad has been found during a community hunt in Australia and has since been dubbed Toadzilla, according to reports. The mammoth toad weighs in at just under two pounds, according to the environmental group FrogWatch. more

Negotiations between Britain and Iran are continuing after 15 British navy personnel were seized by Iran at the end of last week. The foreign office minister Lord Triesman said there was a series of ongoing meetings and that these kind of meetings are "difficult". more

Tamil Tiger aircraft bombed a Sri Lankan military air force base in the early hours of this morning, killing three people and wounding a further 16, according to reports. It is the first air raid launched by the rebel fighters and marks a further escalation in the conflict between the group and the Sri Lankan government. more

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has confirmed that 15 naval personnel have been seized by Iranian navy vessels at approximately 10:30 Iraqi time today. British personnel were operating from HMS Cornwall and were engaged in routine boarding operations of merchant shipping in Iraqi waters, the MoD said. more

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has revised its travel advice for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It is now advising against all travel to Kinshasa amid heavy fighting in the capital which began yesterday in the centre of town. more

A colossal squid which was frozen after being caught in deep Antarctic waters last month may have to be defrosted using a giant microwave, according to reports Experts want to preserve the squid so it can be studied, but if it was defrosted at room temperature some parts of its outer flesh may rot before the centre has thawed through. more

Large numbers of demonstrators blocked railway lines in eastern China yesterday, cuasing disruption to thousands of passengers and businesses. Around 200 protesters are believed to have taken part in the four-hour protests along two lines in Jiangxi province as a response to possible threats to their benefits, the state media agency, Xinhua, has reported. more

The Israeli Histadrut union has called off a one-day national strike which had brought to a halt flights and other services in the country today, according to reports. Ofer Eini, the head of the union, was quoted by Reuters as saying: "I hereby announce that the strike is over and all workers can go back to their jobs. more

An Australian surfer has given details of the moment she was bitten by a shark at South Golden Beach in New South Wales, according to reports. Jodie Cooper, who was formally a professional surfer, was bitten on the hand and into her knuckles before managing to escape the shark and warn other nearby surfers of the menace. more

Japan's much anticipated cherry blossom has arrived earlier than the average season, according to reports. Forecasters had made an error last week when they announced it would arrive on March 18th in Tokyo, only to find a computer glitch delivered inaccurate data. more

A glass viewing platform overlooking the Grand Canyon is set to be unveiled today at a ceremony attended by the astronaut Buzz Aldrin, according to reports. The remarkable structure is shaped like a horse shoe and overhangs off a section of land, giving visitors unparalleled views of the deep gorges. more

Sir Ranulph Fiennes has reached the summit of the Eiger in the Swiss Alps after a challenge to raise money for the Marie Curie cancer charity. The 63-year-old explorer spent five days climbing the mountain and described the journey in a blog on his MySpace page. more

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has amended its travel advice for Guinea from advising against all travel to advising against all but essential travel. At the present time the FCO cannot rule out any further problems in the African state and it advises British nationals to monitor the situation closely and to avoid political rallies and demonstrations. more

About 400 post boxes in the US are being treated to a new intergalactic look after being remodelled as the Star Wars character R2-D2. The mail boxes celebrate the 30th anniversary of the first Star Wars film in 1977. more

This winter in the northern hemisphere was the warmest on record, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Records began 125 years ago and the warmest ten years have all occurred since 1995. more

Maoist rebels have killed 49 people in an attack on a police camp in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh, according to reports. About 300 to 400 rebels attacked the camp amid concerns that Maoists are stretching their influence across rural parts of India along its southern tip. more

What was described by Chinese state media as a "mass incident" has now calmed, according to the Xinhua news agency. Local authorities in China said an incident occurred in the Hunan province when people protested at a rise in bus fares. more

Modern photography fans may wish to be in Rome for the FotoGrafia festival from April 6th to June 3rd. This huge event will take place in museums and galleries throughout the city including the Ara Pacis Museum, Hadrian's Temple and Villa Borghese. more

The foreign secretary Margaret Beckett has condemned the treatment of opposition politicians in Zimbabwe after the leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), Morgan Tsvangirai, emerged from a court in Harare yesterday with a wound to his head. more

Robert Dewar, the UK ambassador to Ethiopia, has spoken of his relief at the release of five embassy staff who were kidnapped on March 1st in the Afar region of the African country. Margaret Beckett, the foreign secretary, revealed yesterday that the British embassy workers had been freed, but concerns remain over the eight Ethiopian guides who were also taken. more

A Japanese airliner has made an emergency landing at Kochi airport after the front wheels of the plane failed to deploy. The plane was forced to land on two wheels after flying in the airspace above for an hour to use up its fuel. more

The Stardust Hotel-Casino in Las Vegas was demolished in a rather spectacular controlled explosion in the early hours of this morning. A countdown on the hotel itself signalled the beginning of the explosion before the once 'jewel of the Vegas strip' was reduced to rubble. more

Dubai airport has now reopened after an accident involving a Biman Bangladesh Airlines aircraft, according to reports. The airport was closed for seven hours and caused disruption to the other flights scheduled. more

A man has reportedly blown himself up and wounded three people in an internet cafe in the Moroccan city of Casablanca, according to the BBC. The explosion occurred on Sunday evening when a man reportedly had a dispute with the cafe owner after he refused to let him access jihadist websites. more

President Bush's visit to Brazil has been marked by clashes between police and protestors in Sao Paulo, according to reports. Mr Bush is meeting with Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in the first part of a regional tour. more

The Ethiopian government has said that the five Europeans and eight Ethiopians kidnapped in north Ethiopia are safe, according to Reuters. Ethiopian foreign minister Seyoum Mesfin was reported by the news agency to have said: "Last evening, I heard that they are safe and secure." Mr Mesfin didn't confirm who the kidnappers were while Ismael Ali Gardon, co-founder of the Afar Pastoralists Development Association (APDA) told Reuters nomadic herders close to the Eritrean Weima settlement had got word of the captives. more

Thousands of civilians have left areas of eastern Sri Lanka amid clashes between the military and Tamil Tiger rebels, according to reports. Many of them left the district of Batticaloa, which has seen over 13,500 leave in the last two weeks. more

Over a million Muslims have arrived in Senegal for the grand Magal commemorating Cheikh Amadou Bamba's exile, according to reports. Bamba is the founder of the Sufi Islam movement and Muslims from the Mouride brotherhood have arrived to pay homage. more

An Indonesian passenger jet has burst into flames on landing in Java island, killing 22 people according to the BBC. The state-owned Garuda airline confirmed that 118 people survived the crash. more

Authorities in Toronto have reopened some of the roads that were closed in the city after falling slabs of ice, according to reports. Winds have now shifted, prompting city officials to decide that the risk of tumbling ice from skyscrapers has lessened. more

A 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck the Indonesian island of Sumatra today followed by a second quake about two hours later. Cabinet secretary Sudi Silalahi said that at least 70 people have died after he spoke to reporters in Jakarta, according to Reuters. more

Ghana has officially begun its celebrations to mark 50 years of independence from Britain today. Thousands of people have joined a celebratory rally in the aptly named Independence Square in the capital, Acrra. more

A crack team of 60 SAS troops are helping the search operation for five missing Britons suspected of being kidnapped in Ethiopia, according to reports. The group, comprising British Embassy officials and their relatives, went missing with 13 local drivers and guides four days ago in the remote Afar region where they were on a tour. more

The majority of Pakistan International Airlines' (PIA) planes have been barred from flying in the European Union (EU) following safety concerns, it has been reported. A failure to improve the condition of its ageing aircraft has led to the ban, following warnings from EU officials who expressed their concern last year. more

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has amended its travel advice for Ethiopia after Western Nationals were reported missing. It is understood that the Western Nationals were reported missing in the north-eastern region of Ethiopia. more

At least 20 people are reported to have died after a series of tornados struck the southern states of the US, according to reports. Alabama, Georgia and Missouri were seriously affected, with Illinois and Florida also experiencing heavy storms. more

Police in the Danish capital of Copenhagen have arrested protestors in street clashes, according to Reuters. The violence occurred after police flew in by helicopter to evict squatters who have occupied a building owned by a religious organisation since 2000. more

Tokyo has experienced a snowless winter for the first time in 131 years, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. Records began in 1976 and during the months from December to February Tokyo is usually a snowy scene. more