World Travel News: September 2006

The Philippines is recovering from the effects of Typhoon Xangsane after the storm lashed the northern island of Cuzon and the capital, Manila. Winds of up to 80 mph have been reported and government offices and schools in Manila have had to close due to falling debris and power cuts, according to the BBC. more

The first female space tourist has landed safely in northern Kazakhstan today (September 29th) after a ten-day trip in space. Anousheh Ansari is believed to have paid over £10 million to become part of the project to the International Space Station (ISS). more

A report by Unicef has revealed that 1.5 million children die each year due to unclean water and insufficient sanitation systems. Success in improving this situation has been apparent, with 1.2 billion people gaining access to clean water since 1990. more

Thailand's brand new Suvarnabhumi airport, around 20 miles outside of Bangkok, has opened and began operating as normal, according to reports. The $4 billion (£2.1 billion) project was completed by the now ousted Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. more

Tesco's expansion in Thailand is under threat as military leaders in Thailand contemplate the role of big business in the country. The supermarket chain employs over 100,000 people outside of the UK and generates £7.6 billion in sales from its international markets. more

Munch's Scream has made its long awaited return to the gallery from which it was stolen in 2004. A short term exhibition is being held at the Oslo Munch Museum until Sunday so that visitors can see the recovered works. more

An Indian student has been stabbed to death in St Petersburg in the latest in a series of what appear to be racially motivated attacks, according to reports. The 27-year-old was killed outside the hostel where he was staying. more

The Louisiana Superdome, which saw over 30,000 people take refuge inside it during Hurricane Katrina, has reopened. Many tourists and locals stayed in the stadium for four days and lived in complete desolation, fearful of violence and crime. more

The Islamic Courts (UIC) movement has taken control of the Somali port of Kismayo without violence. The town was the last remaining port in southern Somalia to have avoided militant rule. As the Islamists approached the town, the minister for defence Barre Hiraale and large numbers of his militia reportedly withdrew, leaving the way open for a bloodless surrender. more

Eastern Australia has been hit by a series of bushfires that broke out over the weekend, Some 50 fires are currently raging around the environs of Sydney, with hot, windy and arid conditions causing the majority of the blazes. more

The government has announced that it is relaxing the security measures at airports around the country in relation to hand luggage. Stringent rules were put in place last month amid a security alert, with home secretary John Reid stating that the measures were necessary as part of an operation to prevent a major terrorist attack. more

Eastern Indonesia has seen mass rioting following the executions of three Christian militants. Thousands of people have demonstrated against the executions, which took place on the island of Sulawesi, where religious tensions run high. more

A drunken Chinese tourist jumped into a panda pen at Beijing zoo in an attempt to hug the cuddly animal. However, the panda was less than amused by the drunkard and elected to bite the tourist's legs rather than embracing the idea of a hug. more

Since Tuesday's (September 19th) overnight coup in Thailand, Bangkok's finance district and other businesses have reopened and the capital's population is continuing with life as normal. It is thought that the former prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, was particularly unpopular in Bangkok and so far public reaction to the coup has been sympathetic. more

An overnight military coup occurred in Thailand on Tuesday (September 19th) and Thai people awoke this morning to military rule and martial law. The country's prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, was in New York preparing for a speech to the United Nations. more

More than 5,000 people crowded into the Crocoseum at Steve Irwin's zoo yesterday (September 19th) to bid farewell to a national hero. Australia's prime minister, John Howard, led the tributes with a short speech about Irwin teaching people how to love animals great and small. more

Organisers of the world's biggest surf on one wave have claimed that they have set a new world record. Currently the record is held by a team of 44 surfers in Ireland who rode the same single wave, but a group in South Africa claim to have succeeded in getting 73 surfers to stay upright on the same wave. more

The BBC Electric Proms bill has been added to again, with the inclusion of Kasabian with support from the Guillemots. The Leicester band will perform music from their self-titled debut and their new album Empire, with the help of a full blown orchestra. more

An Iranian born American launched into space yesterday (September 17th) to become the first female tourist to achieve space travel. Anousheh Ansari is thought to have paid over £10 million for the trip to the International Space Station (ISS), where she and the rest of the crew will dock. more

Virgin Atlantic has banned Apple and Dell laptop batteries from being used on all flights due to the potential fire risk that they pose. Recently the two computer makers issued a recall notice on laptop batteries after there were reports that the Sony manufactured packs could catch fire. more

Moscow is a city in flux and a BBC research crew has recently been given exclusive access inside the walls of the Kremlin to see the changes President Putin has made. From a tourist's perspective, the Kremlin still stands as a monolith of power and unmovable in the face of reform. more

Free tickets for the Steve Irwin memorial service at his Queensland zoo were snapped up in 15 minutes. It was announced earlier this week that Irwin's public ceremony would be taking place in his 'Crocoseum' within the grounds of the zoo. more

Sir Richard Branson has announced that V Festivals will take place in a number of new countries. The highly successful UK V festival has been taking place at Hylands Park in Chelmsford and Weston Park in Staffordshire for a number of years. more

Harry Potter author JK Rowling was stopped by airport security when she attempted to walk on a plane from the US holding the manuscript to the seventh book in the boy-wizard series. Ms Rowling ardently refused to part with the manuscript after airport staff told her that it would have to be checked into the hold. more

A loud sonic boom was heard over New Zealand and the force of the noise shook the south of the country on Tuesday (September 12th). The ground shook and people rushed out of their houses anxious to find out what it was, with the most likely explanation a low-flying meteor. more

A memorial service will be held at Steve Irwin's Queensland zoo next Wednesday (September 20th) and will be open to the public. The ceremony will occur in the zoo's 'Crocoseum', but as this venue only holds 5,000 people, large screens will be put up in other public areas for people to watch. more

Hotels and beaches in Kenyan resorts have opened as normal after the world failed to end yesterday (September 11th). A religious sect in central Kenya, called the House of Yahweh, predicted that the world would end in the backdrop of a nuclear war. more

An attempt to detonate a car bomb outside the US embassy in Damascus has been foiled by Syrian security forces today (September 12th). There are no reports of any US diplomatic staff being hurt and all four gunmen who attempted to launch the attack have been killed, according to Reuters. more

Pope Benedict XVI is expected to be welcomed by thousands of Catholics who have travelled to the southern region of Bavaria in Germany. The Pope has arrived in the country on his second visit to his homeland in as many years. more

The Karbala religious festival, celebrating the birth of Imam Mahdi, has passed without any violence, according to reports. There had been fears that the Shia Muslim event would be targeted by Sunni extremists as the festival has been attacked in previous years. more

Australians are being urged to wear khaki today (September 8th) in honour of Steve Irwin, who died earlier this week. The leader of the opposition in Australia, Kim Beazley, is also thought to be joining in, according to the BBC. more

Many people sunbathing on the beach in Tenerife were understandably shocked when a boat full of Senegalese immigrants was washed ashore and seriously tired people fell out. Tourists rushed to them with towels and bottles of water and the shaking people drank and gave thanks to the helpful holidaymakers. more

There is now much debate in Japan over the future of the imperial family, after politicians dropped plans to allow a princess to become emperor. Princess Kiko, the wife of the one of the emperor's sons, gave birth to a baby boy earlier this week to the relief of traditionalists who wish to see a man continue the imperial family's two thousand year history. more

The famous statue of the Rocky Balboa character from the Sylvester Stallone Rocky saga has been positioned outside Philadelphia's Museum of Art. Famously in the first Rocky movie, Stallone's character runs to the top of the steps leading to the museum and punches his fist in the air. more

The launch of the Atlantis space shuttle has been delayed due to technical problems with the electricity supply to the shuttle. A launch was due at 12:29 local time on Wednesday and many tourists had booked a trip to the Kennedy Space Center in anticipation of the big lift-off. more

Steve Irwin's Queensland Zoo currently resembles a shrine to the man affectionately known as the 'Crocodile Hunter'. Mr Irwin died on Monday in a Stingray attack while filming a documentary, it is reported that the film of the event shows Mr Irwin pulling the barb from the stingray out of his chest. more

The Foreign Office has called on all cricket fans planning to travel to Australia for the Ashes to prepare well in advance. Thousands of fans are expected to head to Australia during November, December and early January to see if England can retain the Ashes. more

A group of tourists visiting a Roman Amphitheatre in the Jordanian capital Amman were fired upon by a lone gunman on Monday (September 4th). One British man was killed and Reuters reports that another six were injured, including two British women, tourists from New Zealand and Australia, a Dutch tourist and their Jordanian tour guide. more

Heavy rainfall in Kashmir has caused severe flooding which has damaged homes and cut off communities from the main road network. One person has been killed and many people have been stranded in flood hit villages, reports the BBC. more

Hurricane John struck the Baja California peninsula in Mexico on Saturday (September 2nd) and brought heavy rain and high winds to the area. John weakened on its way inland and was downgraded to a category one hurricane when it eventually made landfall. more

The Munch Museum received some welcome news yesterday (31st August) when police recovered two paintings by the great artist that had been stolen two years ago. Edvard Munch is Norway's most famous and popular artist and the museum had very much missed The Scream and Madonna, both of which were seized by armed thieves in August 2004. more

Tropical Storm Ernesto has made landfall over the Carolinas, resulting in some instances of flooding. Heavy rain has been lashing the two states and is expected to continue today (1st September). more