In The News

WHO, FAO Call for Global Fight to Halt Bird Flu

January 27, 2004
In Vietnam, another case of the bird flu has been found in a human. More worrying is that the flu has spread all across Southeast Asia as well as into Pakistan. Should the virus jump species, as did SARS, another major epidemic may be at hand. The World Health Organization has asked for an unspecified amount of money, saying that a vaccine may take up to six months to develop. Farmers are urged...

Human Bird Flu Cases Confirmed in Thailand

Nopporn Wong-Anan January 23, 2004
As six Thais tested positive for the bird flu, World Health Organization (WHO) officials raised alarm over a potential epidemic. The flu is believed to be carried by migrating birds, and could infect individuals in several countries. A potential epidemic will not only create a global public health crisis, but impede economic growth and tourism in the Asia- Pacific region. The bird flu outbreak...

Year of the Monkey Has Not Yet Brought Tourism Money

AFP January 23, 2004
Hong Kong’s tourist chiefs had hoped the island’s 1997 handover from British to Chinese rule would allow them to tap into the expanding mainland Chinese tourism market. But last year’s SARS outbreak affected both the island and the mainland and shattered Hong Kong’s travel industry. And despite the disease’s decline and China’s recent economic growth, this year’s Chinese New Year celebration has...

World Opinion Is Fragmented on Tighter Security for Visitors

Elaine Sciolino January 7, 2004
New security procedures designed to prevent potential terrorists from entering the United States have met with mixed reaction around the globe. Beginning this week, the US is requiring that visitors from all but 27 countries be fingerprinted and photographed upon entry to the US. Washington is also pushing foreign and American carriers to accept armed US marshals on board US-bound airplanes....

New Scrutiny of Visitors Begins Smoothly

Alfonso Chardy January 6, 2004
In a sweeping change to the way visitors to the US are tracked, the recently established Department of Homeland Security has begun fingerprinting and photographing people from all but 27 countries upon entry at US airports and seaports. As the latest step in the US government's war on terror, the move is intended to help weed out visitors with connections to terrorist groups or criminal...

Tailored Study Abroad Programs Boom

Choe Yong-shik December 17, 2003
With thousands of South Koreans studying abroad each year at all levels of education, the market to arrange such overseas ventures is formidable and competitive. Some Korean agencies provide guardian-like services for younger children studying in countries like New Zealand and Australia, or even combination English and golf instruction for aspiring professional athletes. More attractive,...

U.S. and Europeans Agree on Sharing of Airline Passenger Data

Philip Shenon December 17, 2003
In a move that averted a trans-Atlantic showdown over privacy rights, the European Union has agreed to allow the US to collect records on all passengers flying from Europe to the US. The Bush administration claims these records are vital to protecting against terrorists entering the country, but European privacy advocates and some countries claimed the policy violated European privacy laws. In...