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Feature article:This week's newsLinksNews, Gossip, Opinion, Prizes

POSTED: Wed 25 Feb1998

 
 

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Fake mugging victims are unmasked in South Africa, there's an eclipse in the Caribbean and a blackout in New Zealand. The haze returns to South East Asia, but that's not the only cloud over Indonesia. Journos on tourist visas are being thrown out of Mexico, and Mexico City is sinking. You can crawl London's Beatle sites and find a friendly cabbie in Seoul, but you wouldn't want to get sick in Nicaragua or need to use a toilet in Romania.  

 

Wed 25 Feb1998

Horn of Africa
A sudden increase in cases of kala azar, or visceral leishmaniasis has occurred in the Horn of Africa. The parasitic disease is endemic in 88 countries and, if untreated, has a mortality rate close to 100 percent.

South Africa
Four female backpackers have admitted they invented the story they told police about being mugged at knife-point. The women, from New Zealand and Australia, face charges of perjury and fraud for the false claim. Johannesburg police say tourists are capitalising on high crime rates by making fraudulent claims to police, in order to claim insurance when they return home.

United Arab Emirates
The Gulf’s first ecotourism resort is in its first stage of development in Dubai. The Al Maha Resort is an initiative of Emirates, the international airline of the United Arab Emirates. It will be a specialised ecotourism resort, with a team of guides and safari drivers selected for their expertise in desert terrain, culture and history, taking excursions to the desert to view the wildlife in natural settings.

 

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Feature article:This week's newsLinks

  Wed 25 Feb1998

Bolivia
The gold-mining village of Mokotoro has been destroyed, and at least 59 people killed, in a huge mud slide and a flooded river fuelled by heavy rains. The disaster, which has devastated the small jungle town in the Tipuani-Guanay region east of La Paz, was made worse by the excessively heavy rains and storms that have resulted from El Niño. Other storms blamed on El Niño have hit Baja California in Mexico, leaving 14 dead in Tijuana and Rosarito.

Brazil
Brazil passed a new environmental law this past week that will improve the country’s legal protection for the Amazon and other natural resources. The law increases fines and sentences for poaching, pollution and illegal exploitation of natural resources. While previous regulations were inadequate because of weak penalties and ineffective enforcement, the government is committed to enforcing these new laws.

Caribbean
Travellers head to the Caribbean in droves to see the sun but this week many visitors are gathering to watch the sun disappear. A total solar eclipse occurs on 26 February and is best viewed in northern South America and the Caribbean. The eclipse will also be visible as a partial eclipse in the rest of the Western Hemisphere. This is the last solar eclipse in the Americas until August 2017.

Chile
Forest fires are raging out of control in southern Chile and forcing visitors to head for the cities. Dry summer conditions and winds are helping the fires spread rapidly through the region, destroying large stretches of virgin forests in many national parks. Officials suspect that the illegal grass fires started the flames.

Mexico
Mexico expelled over 15 foreigners during the past few weeks for violating the conditions of their visas. The foreigners were all working as journalists or international observers in or around Chiapas but travelling on tourist visas. Police are viewing all foreign visitors to the region with suspicion and are bringing many of them in for questioning. Government officials contend that foreign involvement or ‘meddling’ is escalating the potentially explosive political situation in Chiapas.

Mexico City sank 10m (33ft) in the last century, and is currently sinking at a rate of up to 45cm (18in) a year, according to a National Water Commission report. The capital was built on the remains of Tenochtitlan, an ancient Aztec city. It continues to sink each year as the water-table is drained to supply the population of 20 million.

Nicaragua
If you plan to travel to Nicaragua, don't get sick! Doctors there are continuing the second week of a strike that began on 16 February. The doctors are demanding a living wage and improved working conditions but the government maintains that the wage increase demanded is impossible based on the health care system's extremely limited budget. Doctors continue to staff emergency rooms but are offering no other services.

USA
Utah will have a new telephone area code from 22 March 1998. Salt Lake City and the nearby cities of Provo, Ogden and surrounds will retain the old 801 area code, and the rest of Utah will have the new 435 area code.

One hundred years ago, thousands flocked to the Klondike in Alaska and the Yukon in search of gold. Now visitors head to the region to experience the fascinating historical past and fantastic natural beauty of the region. Among the special events and exhibits planned to celebrate the centennial of the Klondike Gold Rush is the return of the White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad. Originally built during the gold rush, this is the longest operating narrow gauge railroad in North America and offers passengers the opportunity to follow the path of the original gold rush.

 

  Americas archive
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Feature article:This week's newsLinks

  Wed 25 Feb1998

ASIA
While it has caused economic strain, poverty and political instability, the Asian financial crisis continues to produce bargain opportunities for travellers. Airfares in Asia are at their lowest point in years, with discounts of 20%, following the devaluation of currencies including the Thai baht and the Indonesian rupiah. While fares to Asia from Europe, Australia and the United States are cheaper, even greater savings can be gained from flights originating in Asia. Although some airlines have responded by reducing the number of flights, industry experts predict that the price decline will continue for up to six months, and prices will remain low for the next year.

China
Tourism revenue in China increased by 18.4% last year, the biggest percentage increase in the world. According to the World Tourism Organisation, receipts from foreign visitors were more than $12 billion. Hong Kong, which returned to China mid-year, suffered a decrease in tourist revenues of 11% in 1997.

Developing markets and an effort to further boost tourism have prompted China to open more foreign air routes. The increase from 106 to 124 international routes will enable China to be more accessible to the rest of the world, with flights being extended to 62 cities in 32 countries. There are already 18 newly opened air routes including links to Japan, Malaysia, Mongolia, the Philippines, Korea and Macau. To coincide with the opening of more foreign air routes, China now has 10 airlines. Civil Aviation aims to complement this new service with competitive prices, improved in-flight service and improved air routes to shorten flight times.

The safety of China Airlines has been questioned recently, following the devastating plane crash at Taipei airport which killed 196 passengers and seven others. Particularly in question is the airbus A300-600s which was involved in the Taipei disaster and the 1994 Nagoya catastrophe. The remaining fleet of airbus A300-600s are now grounded for safety checks until their airworthiness is guaranteed.

Indonesia
Social unrest continues in Indonesia after last week’s riots, in which thousands of people protested against rising food prices and five protesters were shot by police. Public gatherings have been banned in an effort to prevent further demonstrations. Rising prices have forced millions of Indonesians into poverty; the price of a container of milk has risen from 8000 rupiah to 50,000. The social and economic instability remains, as President Suharto hopes to fix the exchange rate to the US dollar against the wishes of the International Monetary Fund, which threatens to withdraw its US$43 billion rescue package.

The bushfires that flared up again in Indonesia have intensified over the past week. Now 895 fires are reported to be burning in East Kalimantan, nearly 600 more than this time last week. Nearly 24,000 hectares of Kutai National Park, Mt Suharto and the Pasir Regency of East Kalimantan province have been destroyed. The fires, lit by plantation companies, have caused orangutans and other animals to flee the forest, while park rangers battle the flames.

North Korea
Airlines may soon be able to fly over North Korean airspace, cutting flight times by up to 40 minutes and creating efficiency gains of up to US$150 million a year for airlines. Pyongyang’s motivation has been the tens of millions of dollars in annual overflight fees. The negotiation between the International Air Transport Association (which has paid for a US$1.5 million air traffic control facility) and Pyongyang officials may see South Korea’s ‘Korean Air’ become one of the principal beneficiaries of the deal. Cathay Pacific will carry out trial commercial test flights late this month.

South Korea
Tourists in Seoul can now experience the convenience of a Goodwill Guide Taxi. The special new taxi cabs are decked out with all your tourist needs - free maps, guidebooks, a direct phone hotline to the local Tourist Information Centre, and foreign-language speaking drivers. The Goodwill Guide Taxis are identifiable by a sticker on the rear door, and an English speaking driver can be booked if you phone +82 2 3431 5100.

Malaysia
Special tours will be arranged so that members of the public can view the new Kuala Lumpur International Airport Berhad (KLIAB) a few weeks before its opening. Airport managers are concerned that the widespread interest in the massive US$1.5 billion airport will prompt millions of curious people to look at the airport on its opening day. Test runs for public transport between Kuala Lumpur and KLIAB are planned for March, and the airport is scheduled to be operational by April.

Mongolia
Mongolia is set to introduce a value-added tax system, which will place a 10% tax on all goods and services purchased in the country. The new law has been approved by parliament and will go into effect on 1 July this year. Exports will not be taxed under the new system.

Nepal
A strong earthquake hit Kathmandu, Nepal on Sunday, measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale. The epicentre of the quake was 115km (71mi) north-east of the city, near Peku lake in Tibet. Over one million people felt the quake and it caused mild panic in Kathmandu, but no casualties have yet been reported.

Pakistan
Several people were injured on Sunday when a powerful bomb exploded outside a Shiite Mosque in Karachi. Hundreds of people were gathered inside the mosque to worship when the bomb exploded. The explosion occurred on the same day that two Iranian engineers were murdered in the city, but no one has yet claimed responsibility for either the murders or the bombing, which police have termed terrorist acts.


Singapore
Experts warn that if the Indonesian forest fires continue to spread, the haze that covered South-East Asia last year could return as early as March or April. The Singapore Meteorological Service says that for the next two months wind directions are unpredictable, as March and April fall between the current north-east monsoon period and the east-west monsoon period which will begin in May. The haze warning comes just one week before ASEAN environment ministers meet in Kuching to discuss a regional plan to control and prevent the problem. Singapore is responsible for coordinating early warning and monitoring systems in the region, and a network of satellite images has been set up to monitor hot spots.

 

  Asia archive
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  Wed 25 Feb1998

Australia
An exhibition of the works of Aboriginal artist Emily Kame Kngwarreye has been launched in Brisbane and will tour throughout various art galleries in Australia up until September. This is the first time a public gallery has nationally toured a black artist’s work. Kngwarreye, who died in 1996, lived in the Utopia community 230km north-east of Alice Springs. Her works reflect her life working and living there, and draw on the meaning and spirit of the land. From the 3000 or so works she produced, the exhibition will include works from the Holmes a Court and Big Yam Dreaming collections.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Mardi Gras. While the first ever Mardi Gras parade, in June 1978, ended in a riot and many arrests, this year the police aren’t just controlling the parade - the gay and lesbian members of the police force will be participating in the parade itself. Rumoured to be showing up and perhaps performing at this year's Mardi Gras are Madonna, Kylie Minogue, Rue Paul and Elton John.

New Zealand
New Zealand’s new National Museum, Te Papa (Our Place), aims to take museum visiting to a whole new level of entertainment and amusement. The five-story complex offers visitors interactive exhibits, games and rides, including virtual reality sheep-shearing, bungee-jumping and earthquakes. There is also a display in which visitors can dig up dinosaur skeletons and a children’s discovery centre with fossils, shells and insects. More traditional exhibits display natural history and the art and culture of both Maori and European settlers.

Auckland verges on a state of emergency after a major collapse in the city’s electrical supply. Emergency services say they are coping at present, but officials are predicting only a 10% supply of energy at best until the end of the week. Despite the blackout, hundreds of shops have remained open, some using generators and others offering customers torches. Angry shopkeepers have demanded compensation, and are refusing to close in case it means they go out of business altogether. The blackout has prompted calls for an urgent government inquiry into the network failure of Mercury Energy, the city’s electricity supplier.

 

  Australasia - Pacific archive
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Feature article:This week's newsLinks

  Wed 25 Feb1998

Czech Republic
The Czech Republic has experienced its first drop in tourist numbers since the 1993 Velvet Divorce, which saw Czechoslovakia split into the two independent states of Slovakia and the Czech Republic. According to official statistics of the Czech Republic, in 1997, 107.9 million tourists visited the country, 1.4% less than the previous year. Subsequently, income from tourists dropped from US$3.8billion to $3.75 billion in 1997.

England
Tourists seeking to experience some of the past rock’n’roll glory of London can do so on the ‘Beatles Sites and Rock’n’Roll London Tour’. The tour takes visitors to the building where Hendrix died; the Troubador Café where Bob Dylan first performed in Britain; the Marquee and UFO rock clubs; the Beatles studio; and the shop where the Sex Pistols were launched. The tour also visits the former homes of stars including Rolling Stones members, various Beatles, Van Morrison, Freddie Mercury and Tina Turner. ‘Beatles Sites and Rock’n’Roll London’ costs about $20 and departs twice-weekly with a maximum of 13 participants.

Gay visitors to London can now call the gay hotline, a new initiative launched as part of a campaign to market the city to high spending gay and lesbian travellers. The recorded telephone information line provides information on gay-friendly bars, cafes and restaurants, plus the latest details of theatre shows, events, shops and tourist sites believed to be of interest. Amongst the suggestions offered are an Oscar Wilde Walk and the Lesbian and Gay Film Festival. The number is 0891 141 120.

Romania
Finding a toilet in Bucharest could soon become an impossible task, as an increasing number of the city’s public toilets get sold off. Corrupt officials are selling the toilet blocks, many of which are in prime city locations, and turning them into bars and kiosks. An enterprising salesman is now selling luxury vehicles from a converted toilet block.

 

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