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Sign up for Unlocking the World, CNN Travel’s weekly newsletter. Get news about destinations, plus the latest in aviation, food and drink, and where to stay. CNN — The United States is on the brink of dropping out of the top 10 ranking of the world’s most powerful passports. In the latest quarterly update of the Henley Passport Index, created by the London-based global citizenship and residence advisory firm Henley & Partners, the US — which held the No. 1 position back in 2014 — has slipped down to the 10th place in the rankings. It’s the lowest position ever…
Facebook Tweet Email Link The United States will require international visitors to pay a new “visa integrity fee” of at least $250, added to existing visa costs, according to a provision in the Trump administration’s recently enacted domestic policy bill. The fee will apply to all visitors who are required to obtain nonimmigrant visas to enter the United States. This includes many leisure and business travelers, international students and other temporary visitors. In fiscal year 2024, the US issued nearly 11 million nonimmigrant visas, according to State Department figures. Tourists and business travelers from countries that are part of the…
As we’ve been reporting, Israel has announced a 10-hour “tactical pause” in military activity to take place from today in three areas of Gaza. But what are “tactical pauses” – and how much relief will they bring to Palestinians facing a growing starvation crisis inside the Palestinian enclave? What happens now: Israel says the tactical pause is taking place for “humanitarian purposes” and is restricted to certain areas of the besieged territory. The pause in fighting, which covers the areas of Al-Mawasi, Deir al-Balah, and part of Gaza City, began at 10 a.m. (3 a.m. ET) Sunday and will last…
Facebook Tweet Email Link Phnom Penh, Cambodia / Bangkok, Thailand — Cambodia and Thailand exchanged fire across their disputed border for a fourth day on Sunday, hours after United States President Donald Trump announced the two Southeast Asian nations had agreed to ceasefire talks and threatened continued fighting would jeopardize their trade deals with Washington. At least 35 people have been killed, over 200 injured, and more than 200,000 displaced since fighting broke out on Thursday, according to a CNN tally of figures from Thai and Cambodian officials. Both sides have accused the other of starting the latest border flare-up,…
Facebook Tweet Email Link Israel has announced a daily “tactical pause in military activity” in three areas of Gaza to enable more aid to reach people, amid growing international outrage over starvation in the territory. The Israeli military said the move would “refute the false claim of deliberate starvation in the Gaza Strip.” The pause – which will also see the military open up corridors to facilitate aid delivery by the UN and other agencies – has come too late for dozens of Palestinians, with officials in Gaza reporting more deaths from malnutrition and among people desperately trying to get…
Facebook Tweet Email Link Kinshasa, Congo AP — At least 21 people were killed on Sunday in an attack on church premises in eastern Congo by Islamic State-backed rebels, according to a civil society leader. The attack was carried out by members of the Allied Democratic Force (ADF) around 1 a.m. inside the premises of a Catholic church in eastern Congo’s Komanda. Several houses and shops were also burnt. “More than 21 people were shot dead inside and outside and we have recorded at least three charred bodies and several houses burned. But the search is continuing,” Dieudonne Duranthabo, a…
Facebook Tweet Email Link Israeli forces intercepted the Handala, a Gaza-bound ship carrying aid and activists, within 70 nautical miles of its intended destination on Saturday night. “The occupation has disabled our cameras and all communication has been lost,” a spokesperson for the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) told CNN in a message. A YouTube livestream showed armed personnel boarding the ship, while the activists on the deck, all wearing life jackets, held their hands in the air in surrender. One of the helmeted personnel appears to manipulate the camera streaming on the deck, turning it around. The stream ended soon…
A Gaza-bound ship carrying aid and activists was intercepted by Israeli forces Saturday night within 70 nautical miles of its intended destination, according to the human rights group Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC). “The occupation has disabled our cameras and all communication has been lost,” the organization’s spokesperson told CNN in a message. CNN has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces for comment. A YouTube livestream showed armed personnel boarding the ship while the activists on deck, all wearing life jackets, held their hands in the air in surrender. One of the helmeted personnel appears to manipulate the camera on…
Facebook Tweet Email Link New Delhi — When British traders landed on India’s shores in the 1600s, they arrived in search of spices and silk but stayed for centuries – leaving behind a legacy that would shape the nation long after their colonial exploitation ended: the English language. Over the centuries, English seeped into the very fabric of Indian life – first as a tool of commerce, then as the language of law and, eventually, a marker of privilege. Now, after more than a decade of Hindu-nationalist rule, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is mounting perhaps the…
Facebook Tweet Email Link Mexico City — The governments of Mexico and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding on Thursday to fund and expedite several wastewater treatment projects in the Tijuana River basin. Untreated wastewater continually affects residents living along the river, which flows across the border from Tijuana and through several of San Diego’s southern neighborhoods. Residents living along the river have long battled severe health issues which researchers say stem from the river’s contamination. One research team based at the University of California San Diego found that trace amounts of waterborne chemicals from tires, personal care…