Tag Archives: Travel & Mobility

Ideology + Affiliation, Nationality + Migration

China News | Foreign Journalists

French journalist denied credentials, expelled from China following controversial article
  • China’s foreign ministry refused to renew the press credentials of Ursula Gauthier, a reporter for the French magazine L’Obs, following a controversial article crticizing China’s anti-terrorism policies in Xinjiang.
  • Chinese officials accused her of sympathizing with terrorists and demanded a public apology from her, which lead to the credential revocation when she refused.
  • Although China’s domestic press is heavily regulated, foreign press have typically had considerably more freedom to report on controversial topics, with the last foreign reporter expelled in 2012.

Read more:
“Plane carrying expelled French reporter leaves China” (France 24)
“French journalist forced to leave China after article on troubled Xinjiang” (Reuters)
“French media denounce expulsion of straight talking China correspondent” (RFI)

(Image Credit: Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters)

Nationality + Migration

Central America News | Cuban Migrants

1 Comment
Cuban asylum-seekers bound for U.S. stranded in Costa Rica and Panama as Nicaragua refuses entry
  • As the influx of Cuban asylum-seekers increases to levels not seen since 1994’s “raft exodus,” more than 6,000 have found themselves stranded in Costa Rica and Panama for the last six weeks after having been refused entry to Nicaragua, whose government is allied with Raúl Castro’s.
  • As Costa Rica has reversed its open transit policy for Cuban migrants, the Central American Integration System has arranged a massive airlift to El Salvador, allowing refugees to bypass Nicaragua, although thousands who began their journey in Ecuador are unaccounted for.
  • Emigrant Cubans, fearing a revision of the U.S.’s “wet foot, dry foot” immigration policy allowing Cubans who land in the U.S. a path to permanent residency, have taken to Central American land routes in addition to well-known routes by sea.

Read more:
“Central American countries agree airlift of Cuban migrants seeking to enter US” (The Guardian)
“Central American nations announce deal on Cuban migrants” (Miami Herald)
“Costa Rica deports Cubans amid ‘transit crisis’” (Deutsche Welle)

(Image Credit: Marcelino Rosario/EPA, via the Guardian)

Nationality + Migration

Saint Lucia News | Saint Lucians

Saint Lucia prepares to launch new economic citizenship program
  • Saint Lucia’s Citizenship by Investment Programme is an economic initiative that will allow foreign investors to purchase Saint Lucian citizenship through direct investment in the country.
  • Set to launch January 1, 2016, Saint Lucian officials anticipate investment in sectors like tourism in exchange for citizenship in the Eastern Caribbean nation.
  • The country will be the fifth Caribbean nation to implement such a program, following Antigua and Barbuda, St. Kitts and Nevis, Grenada, and Dominica.

Read more:
“Saint Lucia Sets a Date for the Sale of Citizenship to Investors” (teleSUR English)
“Senate gives green light for economic citizenship programme in St. Lucia” (Caribbean360)
“Economic Citizenship Program forthcoming for Saint Lucia” (Invest Saint Lucia)

(Image Credit: @madmack Flickr photo, via teleSUR)

Nationality + Migration

UAE News | Iranians

Nine Iranian teachers detained in UAE over work permits
  • The teachers were accused of having invalid visas, although they claimed that there had never been an issue with the way they had gone about securing their work permits previously.
  • With 450 Iranian nationals sent to teach in the UAE this year, the detention prompted a summons of the UAE charge d’affaires in Tehran to demand the teachers’ immediate release.
  • The diplomatic disturbance added to ongoing issues between the sect-divided countries, including tensions from their opposing proxy support in Yemen’s civil war.

Read more:
“Iran summons UAE diplomat over teachers’ arrest” (AFP, via Yahoo! News)
“UAE detention of Iranian teachers prompts diplomatic row” (Reuters)

(Image Credit: Marwan Naamani/AFP, via Yahoo! News)

Nationality + Migration

Japan Research | Foreigners

Japan’s Tourist Chase

As the Japanese government works to make Japan a more tourist-friendly nation, it undertook an opinion poll to survey citizens’ attitudes about the societal impact of tourism. Respondents were asked to provide their opinions about the benefits and drawbacks of tourism as well as ways to increase tourism and tourist integration.

50% (economic benefit) / 46.3% (mutual, intercultural understanding)

Positive attitudes towards tourism cited by Japanese nationals (multiple answers allowed)

29.5% (security fears) / 25.5% (culture clash) / 20.0% (communication difficulties)

Negative attitudes towards tourism cited by Japanese nationals

Sample: 3,000 adults

Read more:
“Japanese expect tourism boom to lift economy, but some fear culture clash: survey” (The Japan Times)

Nationality + Migration

Brazil News | Refugees

Brazilian president welcomes refugees as asylum process is expedited
  • President Dilma Rousseff reiterated Brazil’s openness to taking in refugees to support international efforts to provide haven to the millions of refugees pouring out of Asia and Africa.
  • In addition to granting 90-day tourist visas to asylum seekers awaiting their application results, the government approved a new program to simplify the asylum application process.
  • Brazil has led Latin America in providing asylum to Syrian refugees, having welcomed 1,740 into the country.

Read the full story at teleSUR.

Nationality + Migration

South Africa Feature | Chinese Visitors

Video

China in South Africa

One byproduct of China’s increasing political and economic interest in the African continent has been growth in Chinese tourism to African countries. As a result, tour services like those provided by Hanna Han, a Chinese national living in South Africa, have become invaluable as tourists seek a package of interrelated services, including tours, translation and interpretation, and advice. CCTV Africa learns more about how Han came to work in Cape Town and her perspective on the booming Chinese tourism industry in South Africa.

View the feature on YouTube.

Health + Ability

Singapore News | HIV+

Singapore repeals ban on short-term stays for HIV+ visitors
  • Singapore lifted a two-decade-long prohibition on HIV+ visitors in the country.
  • While visitors will be able to stay for up to three months on one of Singapore’s short-term visas, those with HIV will be ineligible for long-term or work visas.
  • Singapore, which has 5,000 of its own citizens afflicted with the illness, began repatriating and blocking the entrance of HIV+ travelers through immigration policies similar to those held by Australia and New Zealand.

“While things have improved slightly, we cannot forget that many are still being asked to leave their jobs and are ostracised by friends and family because of HIV infection. Many still suffer alone, and have trouble securing jobs and health insurance.”

Read the full story at the Guardian.

(Image Credit: Roslan Rahman/AFP/Getty Images, via the Guardian)

Nationality + Migration

Austria & Hungary News | Migrants & Refugees

Austria announces it will check migrants’ asylum status at border with Hungary
  • Hundreds of migrants discovered on an overcrowded train from Budapest at the Austrian border will have their status checked by Austrian authorities.
  • If migrants are discovered to have applied for asylum in Hungary, they will be barred from further movement and returned to Hungary.
  • Migrants with no asylum application in progress will be given two weeks to decide whether to apply for asylum in Austria, or be returned to their last country of transit.

Read the full story at Reuters.

Sexual + Gender Minorities

Nepal News | Transgender

Nepal issues its first trans-friendly passport
  • Monica Shahi, a trans LGBT activist, was awarded the passport, which includes a third category for gender minorities.
  • The issuance follows the amendment of Nepal’s passport regulations earlier in the year.
  • Nepal joins Australia and New Zealand in designating a third gender option on passports.

“Today is an important day in my life and I hope the younger generation is encouraged by the move.”

Read the full story at Firstpost.

Nationality + Migration, Race + Color + Ethnicity

U.A.E. Feature | Jewish Israeli

Video

Eli Beer: Diplomatic Daredevil

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVDj86g9D7E

Middle East Eye interviews Eli Beer, an Israeli citizen who traveled to Dubai and recorded a video greeting despite the U.A.E.’s lack of diplomatic recognition of Israel. Raising money on a dare for the volunteer ambulance service he founded in Israel, Beer speaks about his perception of Dubai, his home country’s place in the Middle East, and the future of the Arab world’s relations with Israel.

Read the full interview at Middle East Eye.

Nationality + Migration

China News | Immigrants

Shanghai debuts new work permit relaxing experience requirements for international students
  • The chuangye is one of a series of visa reforms recently rolled out to attract and retain foreign talent in Shanghai.
  • The residence permit waives the two-year experience requirement for international students graduating from a Shanghai university, allowing students to pursue internships or start-up work for two years after graduation while living in the city.
  • The first permit was issued to an Indonesian student, who reported that visa restrictions had proven a significant barrier to fellow classmates looking to remain in the city post-graduation.

Read the full story at Shanghaiist.

(Image Credit: The People’s Daily, via Shanghaiist)

Ideology + Affiliation

Malaysia News | Political Dissidents

Travel ban on Malaysian rights activists and political opposition imposed as investigations into PM’s alleged financial impropriety continue
  • An opposition MP and electoral reform advocate found themselves on expanding restricted-travel lists following calls for an impartial investigation into alleged embezzelement by the premier.
  • Malaysian PM Najib Hazak has been accused of directing millions of dollars from the state investment fund into his personal bank accounts.
  • Threats of public protest followed the travel restrictions as affiliates of the investment fund have seen their accounts frozen and their former chief gone missing.

“They are nervous, they are paranoid. … They are intimidating those whistleblowers. That is what is happening now.”

Read the full story at Channel NewsAsia.

(Image Credit: AFP, via Channel NewsAsia)

Nationality + Migration, Sexual + Gender Minorities

Thailand News | Gay American

Aside
Thai surrogate attempts to block departure of gay couple with infant
  • A U.S.-Spanish binational couple has retreated to a secret location with their infant daughter after the surrogate they contracted through a Thai surrogacy agency refused to sign the papers for the child’s passport.
  • The woman alleges she was unaware the child was going to a gay couple and is not obligated to turn over her rights to the couple, despite contracts regulating the process and her lack of biological connection to the child.
  • After the present situation’s process had already begun, surrogacy was banned in Thailand following high-profile scandals that drew attention to the largely unregulated industry.

“She said she thought she was doing this for an ‘ordinary family’ and when she found out that it wasn’t an ordinary family she was worried for Carmen’s wellbeing.”

Read the full story at the Guardian.

(Image Credit: Gordon Lake/Facebook, via the Guardian)

Nationality + Migration

Kazakhstan News | International Visitors

Kazakhstan extends visa-free travel to 19 countries
  • Following a successful pilot program over the past year, the Kazakh government has extended visa-free travel for up to 15 days to residents of Australia, Hungary, Italy, Monaco, Belgium, Spain, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, Finland, France, Switzerland and Japan.
  • Should residents desire to stay longer than 15 days, they will be required to reenter or obtain a visa.
  • The program will last through the end of 2017 and has been implemented as Kazakhstan plans to host two major international sporting and cultural events–Winter Universiade and Expo 2017–in the next two years.

Read the full story at Tengrinews.

(Image Credit: Infopass.ru, via Tengrinews)