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The Beetle
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Trouble in Paradise
London based human rights group Amnesty International has openly criticised the government of the Maldive Islands and asked them to end what it calls systematic political repression. Amnesty says torture, unfair trials and abusive power by the security forces are endemic in the Maldives, contrasting somewhat from their image of romantic holidays on beautiful coral…
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The Beetle
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Boycott Lonely Planet
The Burma Campaign UK is calling for a boycott of all Lonely Planet (LP) publications until Lonely Planet withdraws its Burma guide from the market. The Burma Campaign say that the development of hotels, transport and tourist attractions to encourage visitors to Burma is directly linked to mass human rights abuses. There are well-documented mass…
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The Beetle
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Tourists Kidnapped in Colombia
Police in Colombia say that eight foreign tourists have been kidnapped as they hiked near the Caribbean coast where a so-called Lost City (Ciudad Perdida) sits in the jungle built by an indigenous civilisation 500 B.C. One British tourist has managed to escape, the remaining seven tourists are from Israel, the UK, Germany and Spain.…
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The Beetle
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Fave Travel Website
Our webmaster likes: the Theban Mapping Project a website that allows you to go on an interactive tour of the tombs of the Valley of the Kings, complete with film and commentary, explore the Theban necropolis and find out more about the history of the Valley of the Kings, its tombs and Thebes today.
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The Beetle
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Padmassana visits Berlin
Continuing our recent theme on visiting Germany, we had the Beetle’s report on Munich, and now Padmassana has sent us this trip report from his recent visit to Berlin. This is how he found Berlin since he was last there, before the wall came down in 1989. You have got to visit Berlin – this…
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The Beetle
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Bangkok’s Homeless Removed
The Thai authorities have announced their intention to clear Bangkok’s streets of thousands of homeless people ahead of a meeting of world leaders next month. Where will they go? The Thai Prime Minister and officials have said that some would be sent for vocational training at army camps or shelters, and those suffering from psychiatric…
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The Beetle
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No Mining Please!
UNESCO has hailed as “a major step forward” the pledge made by the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) – comprising 15 of the world’s largest mining and metal producing companies – not to explore or mine in World Heritage sites. The sites include Kakadu National Park (Australia), Kakadu National Park (Indonesia), Huascaràn National…
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The Beetle
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Busiest Airports
Number one passenger airport of 2002 is: Atlanta Hartsfield! Atlanta retained its title as the world's busiest passenger airport last year as passenger numbers rose to 76.9 million, an increase of 1.3 percent over 2001. Chicago O'Hare was the second busiest with 66.6 million passengers and Los Angeles LAX was third busiest with 56.2 million…
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The Beetle
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Sahara Photo Exhibition London
Globetrotters Marion Bull is having a photo exhibition at the Horniman Centre in south London, opening 4th October. The free exhibition depicts the dramatic landscape in and around the plateau and the nomadic Tuareg herders, the Kel Djanti, who once inhabited Tassili N'Ajjer, before they were driven out by drought. There will also be a…
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The Beetle
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Airline News: September 2003
Three US airlines have been fined $750,000 between them over failure to offer adequate facilities to passengers with disabilities. America West, JetBlue and Southwest Airlines were found not to have provided enough space for storing wheelchairs on their flights. Australian airline, Qantas, has denied reports that it is considering arming its planes with anti-missile devices.…
The Globetrotters Club
The travel club for independent travellers.