The Globetrotters eNewsletter
eNewsletter Archive

Flying into Iran? Iran opened its new international airport, the
Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran at the end of April
2005, despite warnings from Britain and Canada who fear that the
runway may be unsafe. Neither Britain nor Canada said exactly why
they were concerned about the safety of the runway. “We are
aware of reports that the runway at the new Imam Khomeini
International Airport in Tehran may not yet be suitable for
use,” the British Foreign Office said in a travel advisory. We
are in contact with the Iranian authorities about this. Until the
situation has been clarified, we advise British travellers to
travel by flights using the existing airport.”

The Ukraine has announced the temporary implementation of the
visa-free entrance regime for EU and Swiss citizens.

This means that from 1st May 2005 till the 1st September 2005 EU
and Swiss passport holders will be able to enter the Ukraine
without visas for the period up to 90 days. For more information,
see:Ukraine Visa

The Peruvian government is to sue a unit of the Chilean airliner
LAN over an in-flight video it showed allegedly depicting Lima as
not a very nice place to go. The in-flight video is said to include
old images of a man urinating in the street and gutters filled with
litter. Peruvian officials say that the material misrepresents the
capital Lima. The airline has apologised and withdrawn the film and
three of its senior executives have resigned.

Spanish airline Iberia is considering buying or setting up its own
low cost airline. More than 50 million foreign tourists visit Spain
every year, increasingly arriving on budget airlines such as
Ryanair, easyJet or Lufthansa's Germanwings. Watch this space!

Dubai has always been the jewel in the United Arab Emirates crown,
and Abu Dhabi considered a little quieter, more traditional and
more conservative. Well, plans are afoot that may change all this.
The United Arab Emirates is planning a 21 billion dirham (USD$5.7
billion) expansion of Abu Dhabi Airport in an effort to revamp the
city's profile and attract millions of tourists. The new Abu
Dhabi Tourism Authority said the emirate wants to attract over 3
million tourists a year by 2015, compared to 830,000 in 2003. Abu
Dhabi has even tried to match Dubai's famed Burj al-Arab hotel,
with its distinctive sail shape with its own Emirates Palace, where
some suites cost USD$16,000 per night.

A Ukrainian team of nine caving experts has set a new depth record
for caving. They managed to go 2,080m (6,822ft) underground at
Krubera in Georgia, the world's deepest known cave. The team
carried an amazing five tonnes of equipment and kept in touch with
the surface base camp by rigging nearly 3km (two miles) of rope
strung with a telephone wire. The world's deepest known caves
are:

1. Krubera, Georgia (Abkhazia) 2,080m (6,822ft)
2. Lamprechtsofen, Austria 1,631m (5,354 ft)
3. Gouffre Mirolda, France 1,626m (5,335 ft)
4. Reseau Jean Bernard, France 1,602m (5,256 ft)
5. Torca del Cerro, Spain 1,589m (5,213 ft)
6. Sarma, Georgia (Abkhazia) 1,542m (5,062 ft)
7. Cehi 2, Slovenia, 1,533m (5,030 ft)

A member of Globetrotters Club? Interested in a £1,000 travel
award?

Know someone who is? We have £1,000 to award each year for five
years for the best submitted independent travel plan. Interested?

Then see our
legacy page on our Website, where you can apply with your plans
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it. Get those plans in!!

If any Globetrotters member would like to start a branch, whether
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The href="http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029390590&a=KCountryAdvice&aid=1013618386568">
British Foreign & Commonwealth Office advise against all
but essential travel to Andizhan in eastern Uzbekistan until
further notice. An armed gang attacked a prison and a military unit
in Andizhan in eastern Uzbekistan on 13 May 2005, releasing
inmates, amongst them political prisoners. Around 2,000 protesters
reportedly gathered in Andizhan town square, some occupying the
Mayor's office. Government troops are reported to have opened
fire on protestors. Local authorities have confirmed that several
were killed. Eye-witnesses have put the figure of dead in the
hundreds.

Uzbekistan's borders are potential flashpoints and some are
mined. There were reports on 14 May of unrest on the border with
Kyrgystan. You should avoid all but essential travel to areas
bordering Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.

There is a high threat from terrorism in Uzbekistan. Indiscriminate
attacks could occur in public places where foreigners may gather
including, but not limited to, bars, restaurants, hotels,
nightclubs and bazaars. Pay attention to any security announcements
by the Uzbek authorities.

On 13 May 2005, a suspected suicide bomber was shot dead outside
the Israeli Embassy in Tashkent.

Suicide bombings near the US and Israeli Embassies and at the Uzbek
Prosecutor's Office on 30 July 2004 reportedly killed four
people and injured at least eight. We advise the local British
community to be vigilant and stay in touch with the Embassy.

There have been occasional muggings and petty crime against
foreigners, sometimes by off-duty policemen or those pretending to
be policemen. Keep valuables out of sight and avoid unlit or remote
areas. You should avoid obvious displays of wealth, especially in
rural areas. You should avoid walking alone at night. We understand
that since September 2004 there have been a series of assaults and
murders of young children in Tashkent. The authorities are
investigating the disappearance and murder of a number of young
children between the ages of 9 and 14, some of whom went missing on
their way to or from school. Therefore we would urge all those with
children to be extra careful and to take precautions, such as not
allowing their children to travel to and from school alone and
explaining to children not to engage with strangers.

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