CONGO DR: Congolese Pilgrims Denied Saudi Visas Over Ebola

Pilgrims from the Democratic Republic of the Congo will not be issued visas by Saudi Arabia amid fears Ebola could spread during next month’s Hajj pilgrimage.DPeople from sub-Saharan Africa make up about 10 percent of the more than two million annual pilgrims to the holy city of Mecca.

A statement from the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said: The granting of arrivals visas for people entering from DRC has been stopped, to conserve the well-being of pilgrims.

The suspension comes after the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the Ebola outbreak in Congo’s eastern North Kivu and Ituri provinces a public health emergency of international concern.

However, despite this, WHO has said no countries should place restrictions on travel or trade because of Ebola and it has called on governments not to panic in response to the decision by Riyadh.

Around three percent of Congo’s population is Muslim, while people from sub-Saharan Africa make up about 10 percent of the more than two million annual pilgrims to the holy city of Mecca.

In 2014, Saudi Arabia cancelled more than 7,000 visas for pilgrims from Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia during the last Ebola outbreak, which claimed the lives of more than 11,000 people.

The epidemic has killed over 1,700 people since it emerged last October, according to the health ministry in Congo.


Tourism Observer

KUWAIT: Kuwait Stops Admitting Expat Workers From 20 Countries

The Kuwaiti General Directorate of Residence Affairs recently announced a ban on recruitment of domestic workers from five African countries.

The latest ban raises the list to 20 countries.

According local media sources, the Kuwaiti ministry of foreign affairs issued a circular mentioning the names of the 5 countries, which include Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Bhutan, Guinea and Guinea-Bissau.

Additionally, the other 15 African countries are Djibouti,Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Togo, Senegal, Malawi, Chad, Sierra Leone, Niger, Tanzania, the Gambia, Ghana, Zimbabwe and Madagascar.

The circular also included five other African countries whose domestic workers faced a temporary ban, including Cameroon, the Congo, Burundi, Eritrea and Liberia.


Tourism Observer

PAKISTAN: US Slaps Pakistan With Sanctions Over Refusal To Take Back Its Citizen Deportees

The US has imposed sanctions on Pakistan after Islamabad refused to take back its citizen deportees and visa over-stayers from America, warning that it may withhold visas of Pakistanis beginning from its senior officials.

The State Department on Friday said that consular operations in Pakistan remain unchanged as of now but as a result of such a sanction mentioned in a Federal Register notification dated April 22, the US may withhold visas of Pakistanis beginning with its senior officials.

Pakistan is the latest to join the list of 10 nations that have been imposed with sanctions under a US law according to which countries refusing to take back deportees and visa over-stayers will be denied American visas.

Notably eight of these countries have been slapped with such visa sanctions under the Trump administration. Two of them, Ghana and Pakistan have been included in the list this year.

The other countries include Guyana in 2001, the Gambia in 2016, Cambodia, Eritrea, Guinea, and Sierra Leone in 2017, Burma and Laos in 2018.

Under Section 243 (d) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, the Secretary of State is required to discontinue granting immigration or non-immigrant visas to a nation upon receiving notice from the Homeland Security Secretary that the country has denied or is unreasonably delaying accepting a citizen, subject, national or resident of that country.

The State Department tried to downplay the impact of the sanctions on Pakistan.

Consular operations in Pakistan remain unchanged, a State Department Spokesperson told PTI when asked about the federal register notification.

This is a bilateral issue of ongoing discussion between the US and Pakistani governments and we are not going to get into the specifics at this time, the spokesperson said.

Former Pakistan's Ambassador to the US, Hussain Haqqani, feels that this will make things difficult for Pakistanis.

This measure will create hardship for Pakistanis who want or need to travel to the US and could have been avoided if Pakistani authorities had not ignored American requests to respect their legal requirements for deportation,Haqqani told PTI, days after the federal register notification.

He said that Pakistan's refusal to accept its citizens deported from the US is not new.

Pakistan's refusal to accept every Pakistani citizen deported from the US is not new. It seems that the US is no longer willing to overlook a wide range of official Pakistani behaviour. Bonhomie has been replaced by sanctions and restrictions based on Islamabad's policy decisions, Haqqani said.


Tourism Observer

UAE: West African Food Available In UAE

Dancing Waist at Catfish, with grilled peri-peri chicken, grilled plantain, charred cherry tomatoes, catfish salad and jollof rice with pineapple sriracha dressing

2019 might will be the year that West African food, with its bold flavours, thrifty use of high-fibre fruit and vegetables, complex tastes and contrasting textures, begins to receive the international culinary appreciation it deserves.

Social media is awash with images of West African dishes, the number of blogs celebrating the cuisine is on the rise, and restaurants serving modern interpretations of the traditional food of Sierra Leone, Senegal, Gambia and Nigeria, in particular, are slowly but surely opening up all over the world.

At the end of last year, fine-dining restaurant Ikoyi in London became the first West African restaurant to be awarded a Michelin star.

While ingredients such as yams, Scotch bonnet peppers, guava, black-eyed peas, cocoyam and cassava might not yet be part of the average cook’s daily repertoire, they are becoming well known and used.

Gbemi Giwa is from western Nigeria and is the creative force behind Catfish.

The restaurant delivery service in Dubai showcases West African food in a holistic way, using modern cooking and wellness techniques to produce a menu that is free from gluten, genetically modified ingredients, dairy and refined sugar.

When asked about this wave of interest in the food of her homeland, she points out that trying to encapsulate the recipes, dishes and culinary history of so many different countries under one umbrella term or in a few words is tricky to say the least.

West African cuisine is as nuanced and diverse as the hundreds of ethnic groups in the region, so it’s hard to place a collective label on the numerous dishes across the region.

That being said, one of the few things that ties dishes across the region is spice; we use a variety of peppers in our food and you can always expect big, bold, hot flavours, she says.

Giwa adds that beans, plantains, yams, peanuts and tomatoes feature in many recipes, and that variations on starchy staples such as fufu, eba, banku and amala are eaten in almost every country, as are soups cooked in palm oil with local spices, garnished with amaranth, bitter leaves and ugwu.

Much like Giwa, London chef, food blogger and cookbook author Lope Ariyo is committed to not just bringing West African food to wider attention, but also making it more accessible.

Nigerian-­British Ariyo grew up in the UK, but spent two years at boarding school in Nigeria, and says that this proved formative in shaping her appreciation of food and cooking.

Most Nigerian meals centre on rice or tubers, and are usually accompanied by some sort of stew with onions and peppers at the base, she explains. When I came back to the UK, I was constantly trying to replicate the dishes I had eaten she adds.

She describes her current cooking style as contemporary Nigerian.

From time to time, I keep it traditional, but for the most part my cooking reflects me and my experiences, so I like to mirror that in what I do.

In London, you get to experience many different cultures and foods, and I’ll often taste something that makes me think: There are ingredients like this in Nigeria, I bet I could use this to make a different version of such and such dish.

Touted as a rising star in the cooking world and with a well-received cookbook on discovering the flavours of West Africa to her name, Ariyo is clearly on to something.

When I set out to write Hibiscus, I wanted to bridge the gap for people who had no idea about Nigerian food and needed a place to start, she explains.

I really believe that if people are more aware of key West African recipes, ingredients and products then they’re more likely to try them out, and have a better understanding of the flavours and cuisine.

The importance of jollof rice, one must-try item is fluffy orange-red jollof rice.

Make no mistake, this is no run-of-the-mill rice dish, and a large pan featuring grains simmered in a spicy, fragrant broth made from tomato and pepper paste, and laced with a subtle chilli heat is a staple at parties, weddings and other celebrations.

While it’s generally agreed that the dish originated in either Senegal or Gambia, the question as to where to find the finest jollof is far more contentious.

I’m obsessed with jollof, says Giwa. Every West African country has its version of the smoky tomato rice, but as a Nigerian, I’ve got to say that the Nigerian version is best. I’ve been cooking jollof since I was 12. We had it for lunch every Sunday, like clockwork.

This is a dish that you’ll find in almost every West African household and every West African nation claims to make the best one.


Chef Lope Ariyo echoes Giwa on the subject: This is a dish that you’ll find in almost every West African household and every West African nation claims to make the best one.

However, for the most part, I’ve never known any two people make their rice the same way; everyone has their own secret touch, she says.

While authenticity and tradition might be all-important to some there have been culinary wars of words on the subject of jollof.

Steamed jollof rice
Ariyo takes a more relaxed approach: Because I never make my jollof the standard way, for me it’s been a way to make new friends, and start interesting conversations about what is right and wrong when it comes to Nigerian and other West African cooking.

Four other West African dishes that are popular:

Egusi soup

Protein-rich roasted egusi melon seeds both thicken and add depth of flavour to this hearty, sustaining stew-like soup. While there are plenty of interpretations, more often than not the soup contains leafy greens such as spinach or collard greens, Scotch bonnet peppers and palm oil, as well as meat which often is chicken, beef or turkey or seafood such as dried shrimp and crayfish and spices, which result in a complex, highly satisfying dish.

Puff puff

The popularity of this street food snack, which is especially well-loved in Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Ghana where it is known as bofrot, is hardly surprising.

After all, what’s not to like about rounds of hot, crispy-on-the-outside, fluffy-in-the-centre deepfried dough finished with a smattering of sugar?

Often likened to doughnuts, French beignets and Arabic luqaiamt, puff puff, say those in the know, is utterly unique – it has a slightly chewier texture and specific flavour profile.

Yam porridge

Healthy and sustaining yam porridge or pottage, potash or asara is eaten throughout West Africa.

Preparation techniques and ingredients vary depending on the region but, more often than not, this one-pan dish features yams boiled until tender and mashable, then simmered with peppers, tomatoes, fresh palm oil and a hint of spice.

Chicken is sometimes added and bitter leafy greens are stirred in towards the end. A comfort-food dish if ever there were one.

Yassa chicken or poulet au Yassa

This French-inspired, classic Senegalese dish features moist grilled chicken served in a sweet-tart sauce.

The tenderness of the meat is the result of several hours spent bathing in a piquant marinade rich with lemons, mustard and onions, which is then simmered and reduced down until the onions are soft and collapsing. Both meat and sauce are combined again towards the end, allowing the flavours to meld.

Recipe

Steamed jollof rice adapted from Hibiscus by Lope Ariyo

Ingredients

- 2 tbsp coconut oil

- 2 tbsp tomato puree

- 1 Scotch bonnet chili, deseeded if preferred and chopped

- 4cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated

- ½ onion, finely chopped

- 1 tsp dried thyme

- 1 tsp cayenne pepper

- 1 tsp black pepper

- ½ tsp ground cloves

- 1 tsp onion granules

- Pinch of salt

- 250g basmati rice, washed

- 2 or 3 bay leaves

Method

In a frying pan set over medium-low heat, melt the coconut oil and add the tomato puree, Scotch bonnet, ginger and onion. Fry for 5 minutes until the onion takes on a red hue.

Add the chopped tomatoes – there’s no need to blend them, but you can do so if you prefer – along with the herbs, spices and salt. Stir well and continue frying for a further 5 minutes until the tomatoes become deep red.

Meanwhile, set up a steamer by filling a saucepan with water and bring to the boil. Place a steaming pan on top and bring the heat down to medium low. Remove the tomatoes from the heat and add the basmati rice.

Mix until the rice is well coated, then transfer the mixture to the steaming pan. Spread out evenly and top with the bay leaves.

Cover and steam for 30 to 40 minutes, fluffing the rice with a fork every 10 minutes to make sure it’s cooking evenly, until the rice is tender. Take the steamer off the pan, fluff the rice once more and spoon on to hot plates to serve. Eat with grilled chicken and fried plantain on the side.


Tourism Observer

EQUATORIAL GUINEA: Equatorial Guinea Promising Tourist Destination

Imagine a holiday on which you could explore pristine rainforest buzzing with rare wildlife, doze on idyllic beaches where crystalline waters lap sands soaked in history, and admire unique colonial architecture frozen in time?

Of all the places that might come to mind – Bali, Thailand, the Caribbean perhaps – the small central African nation of Equatorial Guinea, by some accounts the world’s sixth-least visited country, would probably be among the last.

One of Africa’s most closed countries offers just such lures, however, and has become the latest seeking to boost tourism, an increasingly important sector that is moving beyond the cliches of safari parks and skint backpackers.

The added bonus is that you would have the place largely to yourself. Until recently it was cut off from the world by decades of dictatorship.

Best known for a botched coup attempt by Mark Thatcher and the mercenary Simon Mann, and the profligacy of the Obiang family which has ruled since independence in 1968, the country is also home to plenty of hidden gems to lure intrepid travellers.

“There’s an incredible sort of mini Dubai being built in the middle of the jungle, and on the other hand it’s a paradise if you’re into animals – western lowland gorillas, forest elephants and a sea wildlife unique to the area.”

Africa’s only Spanish-speaking country also stands out in other ways. Its islands became an intense slaving and trade hub where European powers and people from Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Liberia all left their mark.

“In Corisco Island, for example, there are Spanish missionary ruins, French architecture and bottles of German gin from the 1800s untouched on the sand,” Scafidi said. “In most countries you’d have crowds of organised tour groups exploiting it, but here it’s just you and the locals.”

Tourist dollars also provide a means for many impoverished locals to benefit directly, he added.

A population of less than a million and lucrative oil and gas fields mean annual per capita GDP stands at around $22,300 (£14,500) – roughly the same as Portugal - but more than three-quarters of the country’s inhabitants live below the poverty line.

Petrodollars have funded impressive construction projects, including the “mini Dubai” near the president’s birthplace. Alongside a new cathedral, plans are apace for an opera house and a new presidential palace. Scafidi describes Equatorial Guinea’s infrastructure as fantastic.

The journey that led to Scafidi’s guidebook began in 2012, when he took time off teaching in Luanda to do an overland trip that took in the countries along Africa’s Atlantic coast from Angola to Cameroon. Like many others, he had to endure the country’s notorious bureaucracy to get a visa. The government has said policies implemented this year have simplified the process as it tries to diversify the economy away from oil.

One of those to benefit is Jim Louth, who runs Undiscovered Destinations, one of the two UK outfits offering package holidays in Equatorial Guinea (the other is Native Eye). Officials have quickly approved visas for tourists travelling with his company, and two maiden trips starting this month soon filled up.

“Most tourists will only think of Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa, those sort of places, but the rest of Africa is just as fascinating,” said Louth, whose company also runs trips to destinations such as Nigeria, Chad and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Louth also points to the issue of perceptions. The Ebola outbreak in West Africa led to a number of phone calls from worried clients earlier this year. Despite the fact that it only seriously affected three countries, the outbreak caused a drop-off in visitor numbers thousands of miles away, such as Kenya and Tanzania. “I had people asking me, can I still go to Ethiopia?” Louth said. “People need to be more informed. It’s a huge continent.”

“There’s always an emphasis on a certain type of tourism in Africa, either high-end safaris or backpackers going to Africa to slum it,” said Ruby Audi, a Ghanaian who launched the Hip Africa website to combat such stereotypes.

Meanwhile countries such as Equatorial Guinea remain well off the tourist trail. People don’t go because no one knows it’s there. If people knew about it, they’d go.

LIBERIA: Brussels Airlines Doubles Flight Frequencies To Monrovia And Freetown

The airline wants to support the economic recovery of the region-Brussels Airlines will double its flights to Freetown (Sierra Leone) and Monrovia (Liberia). From 8 September, the two West African countries were connected to Brussels Airport four times instead of twice a week. “We have not turned our backs on these two countries during the Ebola outbreak and we will fully support them in their economic recovery”, says Brussels Airlines Chief Commercial Officer Lars Redeligx who spent the past few days visiting Sierra Leone to monitor the situation firsthand.

Liberia was declared Ebola-free a few months ago, while the number of new contaminations in Sierra Leone is declining. Both countries are preparing for their economic recovery and Brussels Airlines would like to support this recovery by increasing its flight offer and offering more connections between the two countries and the rest of the world.

Four flights a week
As from 8 September, the flight frequencies to Sierra Leone and Monrovia doubled, from two to four times a week (Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday), offering much more flexibility and choice for passengers as well as freight. All flights can be combined with other Brussels Airlines destinations from Brussels Airport to several other destinations in France, the UK, Germany, Swiss, Italy, Scandinavia and the US.

Supporting the economic recovery
“This is an important investment of Brussels Airlines in the accessibility of both countries, which is absolutely indispensable now that the region is working hard on its economic revival”, says Lars Redeligx. “As the only European carrier we have never ceased to operate flights to Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea during the Ebola crisis and have transported more than 80,000 passengers and 2,000 tons of freight to the region, most of which were humanitarian aid supplies.”

The three Ebola stricken countries are doing everything in their power to get back on track as soon as possible, since the Ebola epidemic has not only disrupted the lives of its inhabitants, but it has also caused major economic damage. “During our visits to the countries we have we have witnessed firsthand the professionalism with which the local authorities and aid organizations are handling the crisis. We are happy that as an airline, we too can contribute and we have received much recognition and gratitude, which I want to share with our crews and ground staff who have made it possible for us to conitnue our operations.

After having expanded our flight schedule to Guinea a few weeks ago, we look forward to also operate more flights again to Sierra Leone and Monrovia. Good flight connections are a must to make the development of both countries possible. We also actively continue to pursue our “Africa Is Not Ebola” awareness campaign and we are plan an economic mission to the region later this year, together with NGO’s and other companies.

THAILAND: Aviation Safety, Federal Aviation Administration Bans Thai Flights

Fliers heading to Thailand may have fresh cause for concern after the country's airlines were hit with restrictions by U.S. aviation authorities.

The Federal Aviation Administration announced Tuesday that it was downgrading Thailand's aviation safety rating to Category 2 because the country did not comply with international standards.

The decision means Thai airlines will be banned from opening new routes to the United States or expanding existing ones.

While none currently operate direct routes to the U.S., the FAA's downgrades are often matched by other global aviation authorities, raising the prospect of restrictions on routes to Europe or East Asia.

Shares in several Thai airlines fell following the news.

In stripping it of the Category 1 rating it received in 1997, the FAA said Thailand's civil aviation authority failed to meet "minimum international standards."

Category 1 means that the country complies with International Civil Aviation Organization standards.

The ICAO, a United Nations agency, "red flagged" Thailand in June over safety concerns, listing it alongside Angola, Botswana, Djibouti, Eritrea, Georgia, Haiti, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Malawi, Nepal, Sierra Leone and Uruguay.

The ICAO's concerns have previously led to restrictions on new airline routes linking Thailand with China, South Korea and Japan.

In response to the FAA's decision, Thailand's prime minister, Prayut Chan-o-cha, ordered a swift overhaul of his country's aviation systems.

He acknowledged the setback could undermine confidence in the military leadership that seized power in a 2014 coup.

"Therefore, all must join hands to bring peace to the country." "Don't try to pick a quarrel, because doing so will not lead us out of crisis."

The country's leading international carrier, Thai Airways, issued a statement defending its safety record.

It said the decision would have no impact on its business or customers as it ceased its only U.S. destination flight, to Los Angeles, in October, although it continues to operate code share connections.

"Thai confirms its commitment to aviation safety standards and assures all that Thai operates with the highest international aviation safety standards," it said.