CZECH REPUBLIC
Britain’s leading insurance company, Norwich Union, surveyed 60,000 travel insurance claims from 2005 to learn where British travelers are most at risk around the world, and learned that the Czech Republic is No. 1 for pickpocketing. Most British travelers go to Prague, where the majority of the incidents occur. The same survey showed that Thailand presents the greatest risk for traffic accidents, theft and food poisoning, and ranked as the most hazardous country overall for Britons. The safest countries were Ireland, Belgium, Holland, Germany and France.
IRELAND
Taking a page from Singapore’s civil code, Ireland’s government has started a campaign to teach people to throw their gum into bins after chewing or face a $160 fine. The project was launched July 17 in Dublin, Cork and Bray, and will spread nationwide over three years.
LEBANON AND ISRAEL
The conflict between Israel and the Islamic militant group Hezbollah has battered Lebanon, shutting down air traffic into Beirut and forcing the evacuation of thousands of foreigners. Travel to Lebanon and to northern Israel should be deferred.
MEXICO
The governor of Oaxaca state suspended the Guelaguetza, an internationally popular, weeklong cultural festival that was to have begun July 17. The event usually draws some 20,000 people, but the governor postponed it, blaming striking school teachers who have disrupted travel in the state since May 22, taken over parts of the central plaza in the city of Oaxaca and blocked entrances to popular hotels during demonstrations.
In an ongoing crisis over the disputed presidential election, leftists intend to begin a campaign of “civil resistance” to try to force a manual recount of the ballots.
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For the latest on world conditions, check the State Department’s automated service at 888-407-4747; fax 202-647-3000; travel.state.gov.
