Posted Wednesday, February 20, 2008, 2:27 PM by Lonely Planet
After 49 years in power Fidel Castro has announced his resignation as the president of Cuba. His younger brother, Raul Castro, is expected to be named as his successor. The younger Castro has hinted at Cuba becoming a more democratic society, and while President Bush won't be lifting the trade embargo soon, there is the possibility that the next US president could ease the ban. Could this mean that Cubans will be allowed to travel freely? That Americans may soon be able to visit Cuba legally? Time will tell.
For images and video, see what the Washington Post and the New York Times are saying.
Jennye Garibaldi, Associate Commissioning Editor, USA
Labels: Caribbean, Castro, Cuba, Politics, The Americas, world news
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Posted Monday, October 08, 2007, 7:27 PM by Lonely Planet
Here's a way you can mark the 40th anniversary of the death of Ernesto 'Che' Guevara: for the next week, every time you see someone wearing one of those iconic Che t-shirts during your travels, ask them:
- so who is that bloke, anyway?
- why do you like him so much you want him on your t-shirt?
- do you think violence is a valid means of overthrowing a repressive dictatorship? Alternatively, is murder a necessary but deplorable means to a desirable end, but not something we should ennoble by making heroes of its protagonists? Is it OK to kill if it's for something you believe in and, if so, would you wear Senior General Than Shwe on a t-shirt if he took a nicer photo?
- would you consider yourself a relativist or an absolutist, and, more specifically, do you think it was OK that Che hated gays because, given the time and place, hating gays was normal behaviour?
- who is better looking: Che Guevara or Gael Garcia Bernal?
"We will continue to fight you as long as we have weapons in our hands."
- Osama bin Laden
"Any nation that decides the only way to achieve peace is through peaceful means is a nation that will soon be a piece of another nation."
- Richard Nixon
"I don't care if I fall as long as someone else picks up my gun and keeps on shooting."
- Che Guevara
- Jane Rawson
Labels: Politics, The Americas, Travelsnitch
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Posted Tuesday, February 06, 2007, 9:29 AM by Lonely Planet
It's a funny time to be travel-mad in the UK. On one-hand, we've never had it so good. More budget airlines, flying further and cheaper than ever before; speedier rail links to the continent opening later this year and most of us have 132 lovely days to do with as we please. That's leave, weekends and bank holidays.
So why are so many people apologising for travelling, cutting down on flights and coughing up sting taxes levied on flying at short notice with barely a whimper of complaint? The answer is that flying itself continues to be under the spotlight from environmental groups and a media grappling with the explosion of concern about climate change. What were once nice white vapour trails in a deep blue sky are now harbingers of accelerated global warming, with carbon-belching jet engines accounting for 5.5% (and climbing) total carbon emissions with no fix in sight.
Not that this is stopping the majority of people flying - growth predictions remain strong. But the government had fired the first shot in a war that is sure to see travel get more expensive by doubling air passenger duty putting £5 on the price of a short-haul ticket and up to £40 on a longer trip. Not enough, say environmentalists. Too much, shout the airlines, pointing out that the tax is doing nothing to ease the effects of air travel and in some cases getting staff dressed up as bowler-hatted tax collectors to claw back the revenue from travellers who booked before the tax rise came into effect.
If you're like me, this gives great pause for thought. I love travel and I'm a passionate believer in the benefits it brings, both to host communities and to individuals who get out and experience the world. I feel this outweighs the potential harmful impact of my journey - especially as I offset my travels and seek alternatives where necessary. But this is one issue that isn't going away, and that's going to give us all pause for thought in the near future. What do you think about this one?
Tom Hall, Lonely Planet London
Labels: Europe, Politics, Sustainable and responsible tourism
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Posted Wednesday, December 20, 2006, 4:42 PM by Lonely Planet
Tom Parkinson reports on a lively campaign trail as he researches the Madagascar guide...
Politics in Madagascar is like everything else on this crazy island-continent: colourful, earnest and unique. 2006 was a landmark year with the presidential elections held on December 3, arguably the first genuinely democratic elections in the country's history - a genuine milestone in a region where coups have been more common than parliamentary reshuffles.
This was the first presidental vote since the infamous elections of 2001, when then president Didier Ratsiraka refused to accept defeat and went to violent extremes to try and retain his 26-year hold on power. Rival candidate and current incumbent Marc Ravalomanana eventually won after a six-month struggle, but the memory meant countless travel agencies were advising clients to avoid Christmas visits until the situation was clear.
The peaceful cavalcade of campaigning, known to locals simply as 'la propagande', began two months in advance of the polling date, graduating from simple posters and slogans to vans full of loudspeakers, massive rallies and national tours. The humble T-shirt became a crucial tool, with party-branded shirts being distributed free to the public - cynics pointing out that in poor areas this was essentially as good as buying votes. Music, too, was a key feature, as competing politicians exploited the national obsession by adopting personal theme tunes and recruiting popular singers to attend their events and write campaign songs.
Two lady campaigners show off their Ravalomanana T-shirts
The dominant figure was undeniably Ravalomanana. The multimillionaire owner of the Tiko dairy chain showed his ardent admiration of President Bush in his adoption of serious business suits, frequent Christian rhetoric, and his use of personal resources and the media.
The President's picture takes over another wall
Other tactics, like setting the election date during the rainy season, when many voters would have trouble travelling to the polls, and while the main potential opposition candidate - exiled former deputy prime minister Pierrot Rajaonarivelo - was prevented from entering the country may not have been necessary as while some voters have been disappointed with the lack of improvement in quality of life around the country, most agree that Ravalomanana has been a good and generally sincere president.
At the final count, it appears that Ravalomanana has won a comfortable and predictable victory, with Ratsiraka a distant second, but as it will take another two weeks for countrywide results to be collected, verified and confirmed, Madagascar will be holding its breath for a little while yet...
Labels: Politics
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