1. HAITI
The U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince now prohibits all U.S. government personnel from flying on Haiti’s Caribintair Airlines and warns travelers to avoid the carrier. The airline has had two forced emergency landings in the past month.
2. JAPAN
Beginning in November, new immigration regulations will require all foreign visitors above the age of 16 except diplomats to be digitally fingerprinted and photographed upon arrival. The procedure should be quick and easy but it could cause delays in the initial days or weeks.
3. INDIA
The Siachen Glacier on the disputed border between India and Pakistan in Kashmir has one ignoble distinction: it is the world’s highest battlefield. At an altitude ranging from 16,400 to 24,000 feet, the glacier has been in dispute since 1984 when India occupied it. But now India has opened it up to tourists — mostly climbers and trekkers — because of improving relations between the two countries. The move has irritated Pakistan because it suggests India controls the disputed territory.
4. NEPAL
Maoists pulled out of the coalition government in a dispute over abolishing the monarchy, raising concerns that the fragile peace in Nepal could be in jeopardy. The former rebels have vowed not to take up arms again but to press their demands through peaceful demonstrations. Demonstrations are likely in Katmandu if the parties do not reach a settlement, and whether these protests stay peaceful remains to be seen.
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Compiled from various news services and travel sources. For the latest on world conditions, check the State Department’s automated service at 888-407-4747; fax 202-647-3000; travel.state.gov.
