News Watch

In Mexico, at press time, demonstrations and marches which began on Aug. 19 by striking teachers reportedly had spread to at least 20 states. The cause is an education-reform package that is being voted on by the Congress of Mexico. Teachers’ unions claim it does not address the primary issue of low wages. Also, it establishes mandatory testing of teachers’ skills, among other unpopular items.

On Aug. 23, thousands of striking teachers in Mexico City surrounded government buildings,...

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A fire gutted the International Arrivals hall and Immigration area of the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO) in Nairobi, Kenya, on Aug. 7. It burned for four hours, partly because fire engines were delayed by traffic and because water pressure in the mains at the airport dropped. The cause of the fire is under investigation, but terrorist attack has been ruled out.

Domestic flights resumed the next day, and operations for international flights were running by Aug. 11. At press...

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An unusually high number of jellyfish appeared near the sandy beaches of the Mediterranean as the waters warmed up in July and August. 

Scientists tracked a huge swarm in the Eastern Mediterranean, near the Suez Canal, and spotted a few mile-long colonies along the coast of Spain. Lifeguards know the migration patterns of the local jellyfish. 

About 150,000 people are treated for jellyfish stings each year around Mediterranean beaches. The best treatment is immediate flooding...

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As ITN went to press, the State Department had travel warnings on 35 destinations: Afghanistan, Algeria, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Guinea, Haiti, Honduras, Iran, Iraq, Israel/West Bank/Gaza, Kenya, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Mexico, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Republic of South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia and...

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Nearly two dozen US embassies and consulates in the Middle East and North Africa were closed for Sunday, Aug. 4, after the Department of State intercepted communications among suspected terrorists about a possible attack. It was then announced that 15 of those posts plus an additional four would remain closed until Saturday, Aug. 10.

The Department also issued a Worldwide Travel Alert, particularly for the Middle East and North Africa and only for the month of August, regarding “the...

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Mass demonstrations in Egypt have once again caused political change and a government crisis. Mohammed Morsi, since June 30, 2012, Egypt’s first democratically elected president, was removed from office by the Egyptian army on July 3 after being accused of conspiring with the militant group Hamas. He is being detained.

Thousands of Morsi supporters as well as Morsi opponents marched and staged sit-down demonstrations through the month of July. The police and army used force at times...

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Some Nigerian military troops have been pulled from the African Union peacekeeping forces in Mali to return home and assist operations against the terrorist group Boko Haram. The group, whose name is sometimes translated as “Western education is forbidden,” has increased its attacks on schools and civilians. 

Bomb attacks and violence have increased in the northeastern Nigerian states of Yobe, Borno and Adamawa, which border Cameroon. In July, attacks in Yobe killed 28 students and a...

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The Department of State urges US citizens to not travel to Yemen. Terrorist organizations continue to be active throughout the country. In the last year, media have reported several kidnappings of Westerners. Violent crime is also a growing problem.

Piracy in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean is a security threat to maritime activities in the region.

US government-facilitated evacuations occur only when no safe commercial alternatives exist. Evacuation assistance is...

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