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☆ Is your passport too damaged for travel? Here are 11 reasons it could be, and how to avoid them.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Maria Noyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Determining if a passport is too damaged for travel often comes down to the opinion of a border authority. "Some tourist attractions will have their own 'passport stamp,' but since these are not official government agencies, they could invalidate your passport," Diehl said. Loose bindings and frayed edges are common reasons a passport is deemed too damaged for travel. "Authorities may question the authenticity of a damaged passport," he said, which could cause them to "detain you or send you home." Keeping your passport in good condition is keyDiehl said that the easiest way to avoid being turned away at the airport for having a damaged passport is to keep it safe.

Persons: —, that's, Business Insider's Monica Humphries, Jake Burton's, Eve, Steve Diehl, Diehl Organizations: Service, Business, US Department of State's, Consular Affairs Locations: Alicante, Spain

☆ Americans are canceling trips that are thousands of miles from Gaza. Here's why
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Monica Pitrelli | Jonathan Delise | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The Israel-Hamas war is affecting travel across the Middle East and beyond. Canceling plans a continent awayYet, the war's effect on travelers extends far beyond the Middle East, according to a survey from Morning Consult. Respondents said these plans included visits to the Middle East (12%) and North Africa (7%), as well as Western Europe (14%), according to the survey. Cancelations were high for domestic trips because most Americans travel within the 50 states, thus "there are simply more trips on the table to disrupt," the report stated. Some 52% of respondents with knowledge of the war said they viewed traveling to the Middle East as "very unsafe," compared to 29% of those who had not heard about it.

Persons: Saudi Arabia —, —, Olivier Ponti, Cancelations, Ponti Organizations: Middle East, United, United Arab Emirates, U.S . State Department, U.S, Department of State, Travel, Consular Affairs Locations: Israel, Saudi Arabia, United Arab, Morocco, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, North Africa, Western Europe, United States, Cyprus, Lebanon, Kuwait, Malaysia, Colombia, Oman, South Africa, United Kingdom, Poland, Denmark

☆ Help Wanted: Cuba's government turns to growing diaspora for investment
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

This migration wave includes many young people and "is having the greatest impact in history in terms of demographics, because of its composition," said Ernesto Soberon, director of Consular Affairs for the Cuban Foreign Ministry. Cuban expats have already invested in bed-and-breakfasts, eateries and other activities on the island, but Cuba would like to see more capital flow, he said. The conference is expected to attract Cubans living off island but with favorable views of their home country, including businesspeople, economists, and members of foreign resident associations. Around 2.5 million Cubans and their descendents now live off the island, Soberon said. "That will ultimately raise their standard of living so that they want to spend their lives here in Cuba and not abroad," he said.

Persons: Marco Bello, Ernesto Soberon, Soberon, Fidel Castro, Castro, Joe Biden, Dave Sherwood, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Consular Affairs, Cuban Foreign Ministry, U.S, Cuban, Thomson Locations: Cuban, Cuba, Miami , Florida, U.S, Rights HAVANA, Caribbean, Havana

☆ Fact Check-Travel alert for US citizens to depart Belarus active since February 2022
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A travel advisory to U.S citizens in Belarus to leave the country was first issued in February 2022, at the time of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and has remained active, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said. A travel advisory also published in February 2022 by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs placed Belarus in the “Do Not Travel” advisory category. U.S. citizens in Belarus should depart immediately via commercial or private means” (here). A U.S. State Department spokesperson told Reuters via email: “The Department has advised U.S. citizens to depart Belarus since February 2022.”VERDICTFalse. The U.S did not issue a first alert for its citizens to depart Belarus in August 2023.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Read Organizations: U.S . State Department, Facebook, U.S, Embassy, U.S . Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs, Reuters Locations: Belarus, Ukraine, U.S, Minsk, COVID, Lithuania, Lithuanian, Latvian

☆ Russian embassy in Moldova to suspend consular appointments
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-30 | by ( Alexander Tanas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

CHISINAU, July 30 (Reuters) - Russia's embassy in Moldova has announced it will temporarily stop providing appointments for consular matters in what Moldovan officials say is a situation linked to the order by the country's authorities to reduce staff. A statement issued by the embassy late on Saturday said consular appointments would be suspended from Aug. 5 "for technical reasons." Moldovan officials say the order to reduce staff at the Russian embassy to 25 from the current level of more than 80, to take effect from Aug. 15, will establish parity with Moldova's embassy in Moscow. Much of the embassy's consular work concerns the pro-Russian separatist enclave of Transdniestria, which broke away from Moldova before the collapse of Soviet rule and where 200,000 Russian passport holders live. Embassy staff were previously able to travel to the enclave on the Ukrainian border to conduct consular affairs, but authorities in the separatist region say the reductions will make that arrangement much more difficult.

Persons: Maia Sandu, Igor Zakhahrov, Maria Zakharova, Ron Popeski, Chris Reese Organizations: Russian Foreign, Embassy, Thomson Locations: CHISINAU, Moldova, Soviet Moldova, Ukraine, Moscow, Russian, Transdniestria

☆ China complains to France after Chinese tourists hurt in riots
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The Consulate General's formal complaint called for France to ensure the safety of Chinese citizens and their property, the statement said. The bus was attacked by rioters on Thursday, according to state broadcaster CCTV, during violence which hit French cities in recent days since the police shooting of a teenager of North African descent. The Chinese tourists have since left France, the Consular Office statement said. Chinese citizens in France or heading to France should "strengthen prevention" and be "more vigilant and cautious" in light of the riots which have swept across the country in recent days, the Consular office statement added. Reporting by Ziyi Tang and Martin Quin Pollard; Editing by Muralikumar AnantharamanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Ziyi Tang, Martin Quin Pollard, Muralikumar Organizations: China's, China's Consular, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, Marseille, France, North, Paris, Nice, Strasbourg

The interior ministry said 719 people were arrested on Saturday night, fewer than the 1,311 the previous night and 875 on Thursday night. Their action ... made for a quieter night," the ministry said on Twitter. The biggest flashpoint overnight was Marseille, where police fired teargas and fought street battles with youths around the city centre late into the night. MAYOR'S HOME ATTACKEDIn Paris, police increased security overnight at the city's famous Champs Elysees avenue after a call on social media to gather there. Paris police said six public buildings were damaged and five officers wounded overnight.

Persons: Nahel, Emmanuel Macron, Laurent Nunez, teargas, Juan Medina, MAYOR'S, Elisabeth Borne, Bruno Le Maire, Yann Wernert, Jacques Delors, Elizabeth Pineau, Benoit Van Overstraeten, Alison Williams, Alex Richardson Organizations: Authorities, Twitter, France, REUTERS, China's Consular, MAYOR'S HOME, Finance, Thomson Locations: Paris, North, PARIS, France, Moroccan, Nanterre, Germany, Marseille, China, L'Hay, Nice, Strasbourg, tobacconists, tatters, Berlin

☆ U.S. and India set to announce flurry of deals spanning defense, chips and A.I.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Charmaine Jacob | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Mandel Ngan | Afp | Getty ImagesThe U.S. and India are set to announce a slew of defense and technology collaborations on Thursday during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's state visit, U.S. officials said. India has overtaken China as the world's most populous country and is set to become the third-largest economy in the coming years. According to Reuters, Modi has not addressed a single press conference in India since he became prime minister in 2014, making this an extremely rare occasion. India and the U.S. are expected to announce a deal to jointly produce F414 jet engines in India, involving General Electric and Hindustan Aeronautics. Thirdly, the so-called India-U.S. Defense Acceleration Ecosystem will aim to integrate India's growing private sector defense industry with the U.S. defense sector.

Persons: Joe Biden, Jill Biden, Narendra Modi, Mandel Ngan, Narendra Modi's, Modi, Elon, Ray Dalio, we've, Gary Dickerson, Dickerson, Brendan Mullarkey Organizations: India's, White, Afp, Getty, Tesla, Bridgewater Associates, Biden, Reuters, General Electric, Hindustan Aeronautics, U.S, U.S . Defense, Tech, NASA, Indian Space Research, Embassy Locations: Portico, Washington , DC, India, U.S, China, United States, Pakistan, Russia, France, Great Britain, Israel

☆ Cuba announces new migration policies as exodus continues
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HAVANA, May 16 (Reuters) - Cuba announced on Tuesday measures that ease restrictions on its citizens living abroad as the communist-run nation continues to grapple with an unprecedented exodus of migrants to the United States. The new rules take effect on July 1, said Ernesto Soberon, director of Consular Affairs for the Cuban Foreign Ministry. He said the measures are focused on "the strengthening of ties with the Cuban community abroad." Cuba for decades limited emigration of its citizens, and many Cubans living abroad complain of bureaucratic hurtles and exorbitant fees for maintaining ties and renewing travel documents with their home country. Reporting by Nelson Acosta; Writing by Dave Sherwood; Editing by Bill BerkrotOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

CNN —The situation on the ground in Sudan on Wednesday remained too volatile to get diplomatic staff from the US Embassy in Khartoum out of the country, a top State Department official told congressional staffers. Another US official told CNN that State Department officials are in contact with Pentagon officials in Djibouti where the US has military assets to determine the best evacuation operation. Officials told staffers Wednesday that there are an estimated 16,000 American citizens in Sudan, most of whom are dual nationals, and roughly 500 had contacted the US Embassy since the outbreak of fighting. “Within Sudan, the Department of Defense’s mission is primarily focused on providing security at the US Embassy. While operational security prevents us from going into detail, the Department of Defense, through the Marine Corps Embassy Security Group, provides ongoing security for diplomatic facilities worldwide,” he said.

WASHINGTON, April 10 (Reuters) - The United States on Monday determined that Russia has "wrongfully detained" American Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, effectively saying that espionage charges are bogus and that the case is political. The Wall Street Journal has denied Gershkovich was spying. The Wall Street Journal's publisher and editor in chief said the "wrongfully detained" designation "will unlock additional resources and attention at the highest levels of the U.S. government in securing his release." Legislation passed by Congress in 2020 lists 11 criteria to help determine if a U.S. citizen is "wrongfully detained." The Biden administration has secured the release of at least 25 "wrongfully detained" Americans.

[1/2] Reporter for U.S. newspaper The Wall Street Journal Evan Gershkovich appears in this handout picture taken in Moscow, Russia, 2019. The Moscow Times/Handout via REUTERSBRUSSELS/WASHINGTON, April 5 (Reuters) - The United States is working through the process to determine whether Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich's detention by Russia is "wrongful", U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday, adding it would soon be completed. The Wall Street Journal has denied Gershkovich was spying. Legislation passed by Congress in 2020 lists 11 criteria to help determine whether a U.S. citizen is "wrongfully detained." The Biden administration has secured the release of at least 25 "wrongfully detained" Americans.

☆ Fact Check-The Earth is not covered by a dome or ‘firmament’
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Users on social media are saying people on Earth are living under a dome, also called a “firmament,” without providing evidence to support the claim. But the video’s examples offer no proof of humans living under a dome or firmament, while there is ample evidence that no dome exists. “Rocket hitting the flat earth dome”, reads the title of one of the YouTube clips. SIXTY YEARS OF SPACEFLIGHTExperts pointed out that if there were a dome that covered the Earth, astronauts would have encountered it by now. A video provides no evidence that the Earth is under a dome or “firmament”.

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