The United States has restricted travel for its embassy personnel in Israel amid fears of an attack by Iran. The US embassy said staff had been told not to travel outside the greater Jerusalem, Tel Aviv or Beersheba areas "out of an abundance of caution". Iran has vowed to retaliate, blaming Israel for a strike on its consulate in Syria 11 days ago, killing 13 people. UK Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron has phoned his Iranian counterpart to urge against further escalation. Israel has not claimed responsibility for the consulate attack but is widely considered to have been behind it. Iran backs Hamas, the armed Palestinian group fighting Israel in Gaza, as well as various proxy groups throughout the region, including some - such as Hezbollah in Lebanon - that frequently carry out strikes against the Israelis. Those killed in the consulate attack included a senior commander of Iran's elite Quds Force in Syria and Lebanon, as well as other military figures. The attack came at a time of continuing diplomatic efforts to prevent the war in Gaza spreading across the region. Speaking on Wednesday, US President Joe Biden warned Iran was threatening to launch a "significant attack" and vowed to offer "ironclad" support to Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his government was ready to meet any security challenge, warning that Israel would harm any country that caused it harm. "We are prepared to meet all of the security needs of the State of Israel, both defensively and offensively," he said. The commander responsible for US operations in the Middle East, Erik Kurilla, has travelled to Israel for talks with officials on security threats. The Pentagon said the visit had been scheduled previously but had been brought forward "due to recent developments". Following a call with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Lord Cameron said he had "made clear... that Iran must not draw the Middle East into a wider conflict". "I am deeply concerned about the potential for miscalculation leading to further violence," he said. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has spoken to the foreign ministers of China, Saudi Arabia and Turkey to argue that further escalation is not in anyone's interest. Following the call, China urged the US to play "a constructive role" in the Middle East, while also condemning the strike widely believed to have been carried out by Israel on Iran's consulate building in Damascus. It is not clear what form any reprisal attack would take nor whether it would come directly from Iran or via one of its proxies. On Sunday an Iranian official warned Israel's embassies were "no longer safe", suggesting a consulate building could be a possible target.   Source: BBC

United States issued a ‘Level 2’ travel advisory for Bangladesh, urged their citizens to exercise caution while travelling to the country.  They also issued 'level 3' travel agency for to Chittagong Hill Tracts Region “due to occasional communal violence, crime, terrorism, kidnapping, and other security risks".  The US Department of State said it in a statement on Thursday (12 October). In that statement, US said,  “Travelers should be aware of petty crimes such as pickpocketing in crowded areas. Crimes such as muggings, burglaries, assaults, and illegal drug trafficking constitute the majority of criminal activity in Bangladesh's major cities, but there are no indications foreigners are being targeted because of their nationality. These crimes tend to be situational, based on time and location. Terrorist attacks can happen with little or no warning, with terrorists targeting public areas such as tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets/shopping malls, restaurants, places of worship, school campuses, and government facilities." It also said, "The next general election is anticipated to occur before January 2024, and political party rallies and other election-related activities have already commenced. Political rallies and demonstrations may be held with increasing frequency or intensity as the general election draws nearer. Travelers to Bangladesh should practice vigilance and remember that demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and escalate into violence."

India on Wednesday issued an alert to its citizens regarding travel to Canada amid a diplomatic standoff between New Delhi and Ottawa over the killing of a Sikh separatist leader in the Vancouver metropolitan area.  "In view of growing anti-India activities and politically condoned hate crimes and criminal violence in Canada, all Indian nationals there, and those contemplating travel, are urged to exercise utmost caution," India's Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement posted on social media.   Hundreds of thousands of Indians choose to study in Canada. The Indian government called on Indian students in the North American country "to exercise extreme caution and remain vigilant," citing what it called Canada's "deteriorating security environment." Canada probes 'credible accusations' as Sikhs call for justice  Tensions between India and Canada skyrocketed on Monday after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his country was probing "credible allegations" tying Indian agents to the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Trudeau also announced that Canada would expel an Indian diplomat over the controversy.  Nijjar, an Indian-born figurehead in the separatist Khalistan movement who holds Canadian citizenship, was killed by masked gunmen in British Colombia in June. The act, which occurred outside of a Sikh religious center, stirred outrage among members of that religious minority in Canada.   "We are happy to see India being held accountable," Harkit Singh Dhadda, an attorney in the greater Toronto area and a prominent voice in the city's Sikh community, told AFP news agency.  "We want a full investigation that brings to justice the people involved in this assassination, including those who pulled the trigger and the ones who plotted this assassination," he added. Canada has not yet provided concrete evidence that India was behind Nijjar's killing. A source told Reuters news agency that Canada cooperated "very closely" with the US on intelligence connecting India to Nijjar's murder.    As Trudeau faces a tough election battle in 2025, his top opponent, Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre, urged the government Tuesday to "come clean" on information regarding India's role in the murder.    India calls Canada's claims 'absurd' India has rebuked the "absurd" notion that it had anything to do with Nijjar's killing. After Trudeau's accusations this week, New Delhi said on Tuesday it handed a Canadian diplomat a five-day notice to leave India.      Indian authorities formally listed Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020, a label which he has rejected. In the 1970s and 1980s, members of the Khalistan movement waged an insurgency in the northern Indian state of Punjab, leading to a bloody conflict with the Indian government.   India's Hindu nationalist government has accused Canada of being soft on Sikh separatism. The opposition Indian National Congress Party has backed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government in its firm stance on the matter.  A senior Congress legislator, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, has called Trudeau's defense of Nijjar "shameful" and said the "Canadian regime is in bed with Khalistani sympathizers."  The debacle over Nijjar's killing has caused Canada-India relations to sink to their lowest level in years. It's a reversal from 2018, when Trudeau visited India for a week, with the prime minister ostentatiously showing off Indian attire.    Sikhism is India's fourth most prevalent religion after Hinduism, Islam and Christianity in that order, according to the country's last census in 2011. Just under 2% of the population were registered as Sikh in that study. The Khalistan movement seeks to establish a Sikh homeland on northern Indian or Pakistani territory, with various suggestions on precisely where or how large it ought to be.

The Canadian government published an advisory on Tuesday asking LGBTQ+ people to be careful about traveling to the United States. "Some states have enacted laws and policies that may affect 2SLGBTQI+ persons," the advisory said. "Check relevant state and local laws," it added. Canada's travel advisories typically focus on risks linked to political instability or natural disasters, however the overall risk profile for the US remains at green, indicating a normal security precautions requirement. Anti-LGBTQ laws on the rise in some states   The US has seen a significant increase in the number of state governments introducing anti-LGBTQ laws. The Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ advocacy group, said there had been more than 525 bills on anti-LGBTQ issues in 41 US states this year alone.  76 of those had been signed into law as of early June, more than any year on record and more than double over last year. There were 115 similar bills introduced in 2015, the group said to place this year's figure in context. The group declared a state of emergency for LGBTQ people in the US for this first time in its more than 40-year history. Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland told reporters that government had employed experts to monitor whether there were particular dangers to particular groups of Canadians. She declined to comment on whether the Biden administration had been consulted before making the change. Canada is home to 40 million people, of whom about a million recognize themselves as belonging to the LGBTQ community, according to Statistics Canada.

Ex-Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, his wife and many of his political aides are now banned from traveling abroad. But Khan, who himself imposed travel bans on opposition leaders while in power, stays defiant. Pakistan's government has slapped a travel ban on former Prime Minister Imran Khan, officials said on Friday. His wife, Bushra Bibi, and hundreds of his political aides have also been banned from traveling abroad, the officials added. Khan, 70, was ousted in a no-confidence vote in parliament last year and faces a number of legal challenges. His arrest on May 9 triggered a wave of violent protests — in which at least nine died — that subsided only after he was released on bail on a Supreme Court order three days later. More than 7,000 of his supporters have been arrested in a crackdown over the past couple of weeks. Khan reacted to the travel ban with a defiant statement on Twitter, saying he welcomed the move to put him on the so-called Exit Control List (ECL), as he had no plans to take trips abroad and would anyway rather take holidays in Pakistan. During the period it was in power from 2018 to 2022, Khan's government also imposed travel bans on several opposition leaders. Accusations of army involvement Members of Khan's Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party have blamed his arrest on the army, with which Khan has been at loggerheads for many months. Many also say the coalition government under Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif stands to benefit if Khan is found guilty, as that would bar him from taking part in future elections, possibly forever. A general election is due this year. The protests and controversy over Khan come as Pakistan is in the grips of a long-running economic crisis that has caused food prices to soar. The country of 231 million is also facing an ongoing threat of attacks by Islamist militants. Criticism over trials in military courts The government has said those who attacked military installations in protests after Khan's arrest will face summary trials in Pakistan's military courts, a move that has met with wide criticism from local and international rights groups. Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan said on Friday that at least 33 people had so far been handed over to the military. Several government ministers have said that a ban on Khan's party is also being considered, something that might contribute to further political chaos in the country.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has advised Bangladeshis not to travel to Sudan due to the current unstable situation.  On Saturday, April 22, in a notification sent by the embassy this was suggested. According to the notification, it is not safe for Bangladeshi citizens to travel to Sudan now. All Bangladeshi nationals are therefore advised not to travel there until further notice.  This suggestion has been informed to the relevant ministries and agencies of Bangladesh government. Bangladeshis living in Sudan are also being advised by the embassy in this regard. Fighting between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Force (RSF) in Sudan has so far left many people dead. People are fleeing the capital Khartoum as the conflict continues. International media have reported that more than three hundred people have been killed in the country so far. And the number of injured has exceeded more than three thousand. It is also feared that the conflict may spread to a larger scale. The UN's World Health Organization said, "The death toll in the fighting could be higher. Because the bodies are lying on the road and it is very dangerous to retrieve them from there at the moment. Many of the injured are unable to go to the hospital for treatment."

Protests against planned reforms to raise the retirement age are expected to cause huge disruption to local and regional transport. Unions mobilized massive street protests amid similar strikes earlier this month. France was bracing for a second nationwide strike on Tuesday in a backlash against the government's plans to push up the retirement age to 64. More than 1 million people marched during the first round of protests on January 19 and workers' unions were expecting a similar turnout for the latest action. The actions come as lawmakers debate the bill at parliamentary committee level. Disruptions and major transport blockages were expected, with only one in about three high-speed TGV trains ruining, and very few local and regional trains operational. The Paris metro was also expected to be severely disrupted. National carrier Air France said it expected to cancel one in 10 short and medium-haul services, but that long-distance flights would not be affected. About half of all nursery and primary school teachers were to strike, the main teachers' union Snuipp-FSU said.  What is the new plan? Opinion polls show a majority of French people oppose the reform, but President Emmanuel Macron and his government appear intent on standing their ground. Macron says the reform is important to keep the pension system running. The government's plan envisages raising the retirement age gradually from 62 to 64 by 2030 and increasing the number of years needed to pay into the system to obtain a full pension from 42 to 43. All people in retirement in France receive a state pension — currently around €1,400 ($1,500) per month on average —  funded by contributions from those still in the workforce. The new plan aims to provide a minimum pension of €1,200 per month. The system is now in jeopardy owing to the aging population, with more and more retirees backed by fewer and fewer contributors. Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne says the 64 threshold is "non-negotiable", but the government is exploring ways to offset some of the impacts, in particular on women. Labor ministry estimates said pushing back the retirement age by two years and extending the pay-in period would yield an additional €17.7 billion ($19.18 billion) in annual pension contributions. This would allow the system to break even by 2027. However, unions say there are other ways to break even, such as taxing the super-rich or asking employers or financially privileged pensioners to contribute more.

Germany is lagging behind other EU countries in terms of seats sold on flights to and from the country, figures show. Domestic air travel is showing the slowest recovery from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Air travel to and from Germany in the first half of 2023 is likely to reach just 78% of the rate before the COVID pandemic broke out in 2020, according to figures released by the German Aviation Association (BDL) on Saturday. This means Germany is lagging behind its EU peers in the sector, with air travel in other European countries at 94% of the pre-pandemic level. The figure does, however, represent 20% growth compared with the first half of 2022. What are the reasons for the slow recovery? The BDL said the lower level of domestic air travel, which has reached only 56% of the pre-pandemic rate, is largely responsible for the slow recovery. "Here, a shift in traffic to road and rail is noticeable, among other things" it said. However, the drop in domestic flying can also be attributed to the fact that low-cost airlines are avoiding most German airports, while increasing their services elsewhere. This is reflected by statistics showing that the number of connections from German airports are more than a third lower than before the pandemic. Only four of Germany's larger airports — Dortmund, Hahn, Karlsruhe and Memmingen — will be offering more flights in the first half of 2023 than in the same period in 2019, largely owing to the presence of lower-cost airlines. The boss of the economy airline Ryanair, Michael O'Leary, has in the past criticized German airports for their high fees. His carrier and the cut-price airline Wizz have raised the number of flights they are offering outside of Germany. Long-haul flights, on the other hand, have made a better post-pandemic recovery, with trips to and from North America as the biggest factor.

The Srinagar International Airport saw a record 102 flights clocking 15,199 flyers on Monday, April 11, bouncing back from the diminished air traffic seen during the Covid-19 pandemic. An official of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) Srinagar said that the aerodrome witnessed a record 51 flight arrivals and a similar number of departures on Monday. Earlier, On March 29, 45 flights carrying 7,824 passengers landed at the airport while as many flights departed taking 7,190 passengers to various destinations. Daily flight arrivals had dropped to as low as 14 last year owing to the pandemic but tourists rushed in since February this year as Covid-19 cases subsided. In March, 1.8 lakh tourists visited the Valley. The number of flights is only going to rise in the coming weeks as people hope to escape heat waves in their towns and the security situation is expected to improve. This year, authorities are also expecting a record eight lakh pilgrims during annual Amarnathji yatra in south Kashmir Himalayas. Tourism had plunged in Kashmir first after the Centre stripped the region of its special status under Article 370 in August 2019, and later, as the pandemic cut domestic and foreign tourist inflows. The Amarnath yatra also remained suspended during 2020 and 2021. However, despite the airport seeing an increase of more than four lakh passengers last year, the outdated Instrumentation Landing System (ILS) has become a major reason for flight delays during inclement weather. The ILS is a ground-based instrumentation system that provides precision guidance to an aircraft approaching the runway to enable its safe landing during reduced visibility conditions, common in Kashmir during winters. However, AAI officials say that the upgraded ILS will be up and running by end of 2022. The annual footfalls of passengers at Srinagar is expected to increase from three million passengers to six million passengers per annum while the 60-65 flights are expected to get added in the next few years. Source: deccanherald.com  

A move that can certainly be seen through the twin lens of easing travel norms and waning effect of the omicron variant of coronavirus, Canada has relaxed the COVID-19 testing norms for those travelling from India. In a new official readout, Canada said people travelling on direct flights or one-stop flight from India will no longer need to show negative RT PCR COVID test done within 18 hours ahead of the departure. As per the latest guidelines issued by the Canadian government for India, no passengers will now need to show mandatory negative RT PCR COVID test report obtained from approved labratory at Delhi airport before boarding the international flight.    “Effective January 28, 2022, we’re removing the modified pre-departure Covid-19 test requirements for travellers on direct flights to Canada from India and Morocco, and the requirement for third country testing for travellers on indirect routes to Canada from these countries,” Transport Canada Tweeted on Friday. However, an RT PCR COVID test report from Indian Council Of Medical Research (ICMR)-approved labratory is still required for those travelling from India to Canada. Earlier, the Canadian government had made it mandatory for flyers to carry negative COVID-19 test report not more than 18 hours before departure from the approved laboratory at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi. However, this rule has now been cancelled by the Canadian government "Travellers planning to fly to Canada do not need to carry a negative COVID-19 test report within 18 hours from the approved laboratory at the New Delhi International Airport. Moreover, as per the guidelines, the fully vaccinated passengers will have to upload the relevant information into the ArriveCAN mobile app or website." read the statement from the Canadian government.   Source: The Economic Times