Source : etn Greece:  Deadly forest fires are causing death and destruction in Greece. The worst Greek forest fires in a decade have raged through holiday resorts near Greece’s capital, killing more than 100 people. This is according to local news reports, even though the confirmed number of dead is 26.  “I am really concerned by the parallel outbreak of these fires,” a visitor told an Creporter. If you are a tourist and need help, call 199.

Locals and tourists are fleeing for their life. Most casualties are in an area 40 km east of Athens where people were surprised by the fires. Greece has appealed for help from other countries to help tackle a spate of fires which were raging uncontrolled in the country. 

“Due to the intensity of the fires and the dangers they pose our country submitted a request through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism for international assistance with air and land assets,” a fire brigade spokeswoman said.

On Tuesday morning at least 100 were killed. according to local media reports. Greece declared a state of emergency because of raging forest fires on either side of Athens.

Late Monday, an AFP photographer came across a burned out car with three charred bodies underneath it near the port town Rafina, one of the worst affected areas about 40 kilometers (25 miles) east of Athens.

Mati is in the Rafina region which is popular with local tourists, particularly pensioners and children at holiday camps.

“We are dealing with something completely asymmetric,” Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said after cutting short a visit to Bosnia. “It’s a difficult night for Greece,” he added. Greek authorities were rushing to evacuate residents and tourists stranded on beaches in coastal areas early on Tuesday. Dozens of people scrambled into the ocean as the blaze raged close to the shore, and they were picked up by passing boats.

जीर्ण भएपछि २०७२ सालमै चाबहिलबाट साँखुसम्म चारलेन सडक बनाउने सरकारले योजना थियो। दायाँबायाँको विवादित खण्ड त्यत्तिकै छाडेर बीचको १०–१२ मिटर कालोपत्रे गर्न खोजेको भौतिक पूर्वाधार तथा यातायात मन्त्रालयले जानएको छ ।  बौद्ध–साँखु सडक राजधानीको व्यस्त बाटोलाई  मध्यबजार राख्दै  विश्व सम्पदा सूचीको बौद्ध र स्वस्थानी ब्रतसँग सम्बन्धित साँखुलाई जोड्छ। यस क्षेत्रका एक दर्जनभन्दा बढी गाउँलाई मध्य काठमाडौंसँग जोड्ने बाटो यही हो। सर्वोच्चको आदेशअनुसार सडक विस्तार गर्न समय लाग्ने र यसबीच जीर्ण सडकको सास्ती हटाउन स्थानीयको दबाब बढेपछि सरकार विकल्पको तयारीमा लागेको हो।

अमेरिका, अमेरिका र क्यानडामा रहेका नेपाली पत्रकारहरूको साझा संस्था नेपाल अमेरिका पत्रकार संघ, नेजाको छैटौँ अधिवेशन तथा बाह्रौं साधारणसभा भोलि जुलाई २१ तारिखबाट सुरु हुन् गैरहेको छ । साधारण सभाको सम्पूर्ण तयारी पुरा भैसकेको कुरा संयोजक ध्रुव कुँवरले जानकारी गराएका छन् । प्रमुख अतिथि नेपाल पत्रकार महासंघका अध्यक्ष गोविन्द आचार्य बिहीबार सियाटल आइसक्नु भएको छ। १ लाख ११ हजार १ सय ११ रुपैयाँ राशिको पुरस्कार यस पटक बढाएर २ लाख २२ हजार २ सय २२ रुपैयाँ पु¥याएको छ । पुरस्कार नेजाले नेपालमा नेपाल पत्रकार महासङ्घको संयोजकत्वमा ५ सदस्यीय पुरस्कार छनोट समिति र अमेरिकामा नेजा पुरस्कार छनोट समिति गठन गरी प्रदान गर्दै आएको छ । नेजाले नेपालको ग्रामीण भेगमा उत्कृष्ट पत्रकारिता गर्दै आएको एक जना पत्रकारलाई हरेक दुई वर्षमा नेजा उत्कृष्ट पत्रकारिता पुरस्कार प्रदान आएको नेजाले अधिवेशनमा भाग लिन क्यानडा, न्युयोर्क, वासिङ्टन डी.सी. मेट्रो एरिया, लस एन्जलस, सान फ्रान्सिस्को, टेक्ससको ह्युजटन र डल्लास, तथा कोलोराडोबाट सदस्यहारु आउने क्रम जारीरहेको छ ।

नेपाल सियाटल सोसाइटी, शेर्पा एसोसिएसन, नेवा: अर्गनाइजेसन लगायत स्थानीयहरूबाट कार्यक्रम सफल पूर्वक सम्पन्न गर्नको लागि सहयोग पुर्याईरहनु भएको छ ।  नेपाली समुदायमाझ नेजालाइ परिचित गराउने उद्देश्य अनुरूप उत्तर अमेरिकाका विभिन्न सहरमा साधारणसभा र अधिवेशनको आयोजना गर्दै आइरहेको छ । यसै उद्देश्य अनुरूप सन् २०१४ मा ह्युजटन, २०१५मा कोलोराडो, २०१६मा क्यालिफोर्नियाको लस एन्जलस र २०१७ मा डी.सी. मेट्रो एरिया( भर्जिनिया, मेरिल्याण्ड र वासिङ्टन डी. सी.) मा अधिवेशन तथा साधारणसभाको आयोजना गरेको थियो । अमेरिकाको उत्तर पश्चिम भागमा रहेको सुन्दर सहर सियाटलमा जुलाई २१ र २२ मा अधिवेशनको आयोजना हुन् गइरहेको छ ।

भैरहवा : राष्ट्रिय गौरवको आयोजनामा गौतमबुद्ध अन्तराष्ट्रिय विमानस्थल निर्माणकार्य आधा  सकियको छ। ठेक्का पाएको चिनियाँ कम्पनी नर्थ वेस्ट सिभिल एभिएसनले कामलाई तीव्रता दिएपछि विमानस्थल निर्माणको गति बढेको हो। विमानस्थलको हाल प्रशासकीय भवन, कन्ट्रोल टावर, धावनमार्ग, अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय टर्मिनल भवनको निर्माण कार्य अन्तिम चरणमा पुगेको छ र   विमानस्थल पार्किङ क्षेत्र, पानी ट्यांकीलगायत राख्ने काम पनि धमाधम निर्माण भइरहेका छ।

लगानीमा निर्माणाधीन गौतम बुद्ध अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय विमानस्थलमा एडीबीको ४०.५ प्रतिशत ऋण तथा १८ प्रतिशत अनुदान रहेको छ। विमानस्थल पार्किङ क्षेत्रको ७० प्रतिशत काम सम्पन्न भएको र बाँकी ३० प्रतिशत काम एक महिनाभित्र पूरा हुनेछ। ओपेक फन्ड फर इन्टरनेसनल डेमलपमेन्टको ३०.५ प्रतिशत र थप ११ प्रतिशत तथा मूल्य अभिवृद्धि कर नेपाल सरकारले लगानी गर्ने छ। ६ अर्ब २२ करोड बढीको लगानीमा निर्माण भइरहेको विमानस्थलमा २ अर्ब ६ करोड रुपैयाँ खर्च भएको आयोजनाको कार्यालयले जनाएको छ। यो विमानस्थल ‘फोर ई’ स्तरको हो। जहाँ त्रिभुवन अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय विमानस्थलमा अवतरण गर्ने सबै जहाज अवतरण गर्न सक्छन्।

Tanzania : Less than two years after leaving the White House, former American President Barack Obama remains the top tourist icon in Africa through his visits and family roots on the continent.  The former US President landed in Africa near the end of June of this year for a private family vacation which later changed into a special safari in Africa that had attracted media attention, mostly in Eastern and Southern Africa.

Obama’s visit had raised the profile of Kenya taking into account the prominent people who have been visiting this safari destination, he added. “Now that we are soon going to have direct flights to the United States, we can use our profile to market Kenya,” he said. Other than Tanzania and Kenya, the former American President flew to South Africa where he attended celebrations marking the centennial of anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela’s birth this Wednesday. Obama met with young leaders from around Africa to mark the anniversary, a day after he delivered a spirited speech in Johannesburg about Mandela’s legacy of tolerance.

During his visit to Africa lasting up until this week, Obama spent 8 days at Grumeti Game Reserve in Serengeti National Park in Tanzania before flying to Kenya for the family vacation. Obama’s private visit was kept a secret at his own request until the last day of departure when journalists managed to spot him at the Kilimanjaro International Airport which handles tourists visiting key wildlife parks in the northern tourist circuit.  The former American President left Tanzania for Kenya last Sunday after a family vacation in the Serengeti National Park. Tourist hotel stakeholders and tourist investors in Kenya said Obama’s visit will boost tourism. They said the former US leader’s visit will fully be realized in 2019 through publicity of his visit. Mr. Bobby Kamani, the managing director of the Diani Reef Beach Resort and Spa on the Kenyan Coast, said the visits by Pope Francis and President Obama in 2015 greatly boosted the tourism industry. Mr. Kamani was quoted as saying that Kenya started witnessing the effects of the two leaders’ visits a year later, when tourist arrivals from abroad started increasing.

“The industry should continue to see an increased interest in Kenya from the international markets similar to the outcome of the 2015 visits, by seeing a positive variance in arrivals into the country in 2019,” he said. The Kenya Association of Hotelkeepers and Caterers Coast branch executive officer, Sam Ikwaye, said a good number of tourists have started arriving as the properties reopen for the high season. The former American President had addressed an enthusiastic crowd of 14,000 people who gave him a standing ovation for his address in Johannesburg, the highest-profile one since he left office nearly one-and-a-half-years ago.

With his family roots from Africa, Obama remains the most admired US President recognized in most African nations, looking to attract more American tourists through his name and prominence. The United States is the leading source of tourists visiting Africa each year.

Air France will increase flights to Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) next year to five times a week. The route will be serviced by a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, with 30 seats in business class, 21 in premium economy and 225 in economy.  The airline currently flies between Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Nairobi three times a week. Beginning on March 31, 2019, flights will operate every day except Tuesdays and Saturdays.

The flight schedule will be as follows:

Flight AF814 – depart Paris at 20h50, arriving in Nairobi at 06h00 the next day.
Flight AF815 – depart Nairobi at 08h20, arriving in Paris at 15h50.

Deepak Neupane, Kathmandu : The Expo, which is a two-day trade show to be held on August 4 and 5, 2018, will showcase and promote the works of Jamaican entrepreneurs from all over the island. Jamaica Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett (center) looks at a book titled ‘Chat Bout: An Anthology of Jamaican Conversations’, by Shelly Skykes-Coley (left), who will be one of the booth holders at the Devon House Emancipendence Expo. Looking on is Mrs. Janet Taylor, Executive Director, Devon House Development Limited.

Minister Bartlett, who officially launched the Expo on the East Lawns of Devon House on Tuesday, July 10, 2018, underscored the importance of cultural assets to the development of tourism products and the destination’s competitiveness globally.  The event is free to the public and visitors will be able to walk around and interact with exhibitors and sponsors while learning about their business and various products and services.

Tourism in Nepal info Nepal tourism is highly popular as it has the highest mountain peak of the world, the Mount Everest. Tourism in Nepal is filled with activities like trekking, hiking, mountaineering, jungle safari, rafting, tours and so on.

In late 1960’s and 1970’s hippies started to flow in Nepal. During those days Nepal was famous for hippies as marijuana and hashish were easily available. But in 1973 government banned on the selling of marijuana and hashish. It became a turning point in Tourism history of Nepal as after that time Nepal developed as a hot spot for adventure seekers and cultural tourists. In 1998, Nepal Tourism Board established in the form of partnership between the Government of Nepal and private sector to promote Nepal as an attractive tourist destination. The same year, Nepal celebrated “Visit Nepal 98” to strengthen Nepal tourism.

Truly a traveler paradise as adventure tourism is something which can be enjoyed to a great extent in Nepal. Nepal tourism consists of many wonderful places to visit and the country is loaded with spectacular views of various landscapes. The birth place of Siddhartha Gautama Buddha, Lumbini falls to the south of Nepal and is one of the highlights of tourism in Nepal. Tourism industry is the largest service industry and source of foreign exchange and revenue; it is the main source of economic sustenance after agriculture in Nepal.

Deepak Neupane, Kathmandu : Tourism is one of the important industry for designated World Heritage Sites. Visiting and maintaining UNESCO World Heritage sites is important for this industry. In 1997 Kenya’s Lake Turkana stands among such World treasures side by the side with the Taj Mahal, the Grand Canyon and the Great Wall of China – all UNESCO world heritage sites. Africa has always been a continent of conflicts. One of these situations of concern is Ethiopia and Kenya. The environmental group International Rivers warns that Ethiopia’s Gibe III Dam and expansion of large, irrigated plantations in the Lower Omo basin threaten food security and local economies that support more than half a million people in southwest Ethiopia and along the shores of Kenya’s Lake Turkana.

“Construction on the dam began in 2006 with flagrant violations of Ethiopia’s own laws on environmental protection and procurement practices, and the national constitution,” the Oakland, California-based group wrote. “The project’s US$1.7 billion contract was awarded without competition to Italian construction giant Salini, raising serious questions about the project’s integrity.” In February 2015, the filling of the dam’s reservoir began. The same year in October, Gibe III began generating electricity.

The World Heritage Committee meeting in Manama decided on June 28 to inscribe the Lake Turkana National Parks on the List of World Heritage in Danger, notably because of the impact of a dam on the site.

It’s the world’s largest desert lake, a spectacular site whose fossil finds have contributed more to the understanding of human ancestry than any other site in the world. Turkana is an outstanding laboratory for the study of plant and animal communities. The three National Parks serve as a stopover for migrant waterfowl and provide major breeding grounds for the Nile crocodile, hippopotamus and a variety of venomous snakes. The Koobi Fora deposits, rich in mammalian, molluscan and other fossil remains, have contributed more to understanding paleo-environments than any other site on the continent.

The Rivers group continued: “Project impact assessments were published long after construction began and disregard the project’s most serious consequences. Despite the huge impacts on vulnerable people and ecosystems, NGOs and academics in Ethiopia familiar with the region and the project don’t dare speak out for fear they will be shut down by the government.” The Committee mentioned other changes affecting the hydrology of the Lake Turkana Basin, namely the Kuraz Sugar Development Project, and the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport (LAPSETT) Corridor Project.

Thailand (AP) — Authorities overseeing the rescue operation for 12 boys and their soccer coach from a flooded cave in northern Thailand said they have a “limited amount of time” to get them out, as they raced against worsening weather and lessening oxygen underground.  The massive operation inside and around Tham Luang Nang Non cave suffered its first death Friday when a former Thai navy SEAL passed out underwater and could not be revived.  A senior army commander, Maj. Gen. Chalongchai Chaiyakam, said the most pressing mission is the oxygen line. It is tied to a telephone line to provide a channel of communication for the kids, who are stuck deep in the complex but are being looked after by four SEALs, including a medic.

The boys, aged 11-16, and their 25-year-old coach went exploring in the cave after a soccer game June 23. Monsoon flooding cut off their escape and prevented rescuers from finding them for almost 10 days as the only way to reach them was by navigating dark and tight passageways filled with muddy water and strong currents.  “We can no longer wait for all conditions (to be ready) because circumstances are pressuring us,” Thai SEAL commander Arpakorn Yookongkaew told a news conference. “We originally thought the boys can stay safe inside the cave for quite some time, but circumstances have changed. We have limited amount of time.” Oxygen levels are decreasing because of the amount of workers inside the cave and workers were trying to run an oxygen line into the chambers in addition to the oxygen canisters used by divers, Chiang Rai province Gov. Narongsak Osatanakorn said late Thursday.  Authorities have been racing to pump out water from the cave before more storms in the coming days raise the water levels again. At this time though, diving is the only possible method of escape, even though cave rescue experts warn it is extremely dangerous even for those with experience.

Friday’s death of the former SEAL underscores those risks. The diver was working in a volunteer capacity and died during an overnight mission in which he was placing oxygen canisters along the route divers use to get to the children, Arpakorn said. The strategically placed canisters allow divers to stay underwater for longer during what is about a five-hour trip to reach the stranded team. While underwater, the rescuer passed out and efforts to resuscitate him failed, Arpakorn said. Another navy official said he didn’t believe the man’s oxygen tank ran out.

The governor has said the 13 may not be extracted at the same time, depending on their condition. They boys are weak but for the most part physically healthy. They’ve practiced wearing diving masks and breathing, in preparation for the diving possibility.  Officials prefer to get the boys out as soon as possible because heavy rain is expected by Saturday.  They are hoping that an upgraded draining effort can lower the water in an area where it is still at or near the ceiling. The idea is to get some headroom so the boys would not be reliant on scuba apparatus for a long stretch and could keep their heads above water. Cave rescue experts have said it could be safest to simply supply the boys where they are, and wait for the flooding to subside. That could take months, however, given that Thailand’s rainy season typically lasts through October. And without proper oxygen levels, staying put could also prove deadly.