Hawaii requested emergency court intervention on Wednesday to halt a revised executive order from President Donald Trump placing U.S. entry restrictions on refugees and travellers from six Muslim-majority countries.
Arguing that the new travel ban violates the U.S. Constitution, the state asked a Hawaii federal court to grant a temporary restraining order that should apply nationally.
U.S. District Court Judge Derrick Watson ruled earlier in the day that the state could sue over Trump's new order, which was signed by the president on Monday.
It is the first legal challenge to the revised order.
Watson said the state could revise its initial lawsuit, which had challenged Trump's original ban signed in January.
A hearing is set for March 15, a day before the new ban is to go into effect.
The government has said the president has wide authority to implement immigration policy and that the travel rules are necessary to protect against terrorist attacks.
Some legal experts have said court challenges will be more difficult now because changes to the order give exemptions to more people.
The revised travel order changed and replaced the original, more sweeping ban issued on Jan. 27 that caused chaos and protests at airports and was challenged in more than two dozen lawsuits around the country. A federal judge in Seattle put the first order on hold, in a decision upheld by an appeals court in San Francisco.
The new order is much more narrowly tailored. It keeps a 90-day ban on travel to the United States by citizens of Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, but excludes Iraq and applies the restriction only to new visa applicants. It also removed an indefinite ban on all refugees from Syria.
The order no longer covers legal residents or existing visa holders, and makes waivers possible for some business, diplomatic and other travellers.
Immigration advocates have said the new ban, like the original one, discriminates against Muslims.
But the first hurdle in a lawsuit is proving "standing" to sue, which means finding someone who has been harmed by the policy. With so many exemptions, legal experts have said it might be hard to find individuals that a court would rule have a right to sue.
Hawaii claims its state universities would be harmed by the order because they would have trouble recruiting students and faculty. It also says the island state's economy would be hit by a decline in tourism. The court papers cite reports that travel to the United States "took a nosedive" after Trump's actions.
The state was joined by a new plaintiff named Ismail Elshikh, an American citizen from Egypt who is an Imam at the Muslim Association of Hawaii whose mother-in-law lives in Syria, according to the lawsuit.
"This second Executive Order is infected with the same legal problems as the first Order," the state said in court papers filed on Tuesday. The President's order "is subjecting a portion of Hawaii's population, including Dr. Elshikh, his family, and members of his Mosque, to discrimination and second-class treatment," Hawaii said.
The lawsuit says that Elshikh fears his mother-in-law will not be able to enter the country under the new order. "The family is devastated," the filing said.
One of the groups eligible for waivers under the new ban are those seeking to visit or live with a close relative and who would face hardship if denied entry.
Adam Lauridsen, a San Francisco attorney representing students challenging Trump's first order, said the waiver provisions in the new ban are similar to case-by-case exemptions allowed in the first ban. Earlier legal challenges were allowed to move forward despite those waivers, he said.
In support of its actions, the Trump administration has cited a section of law that says the president can suspend entry to the United States by "any class" of foreigners if he finds it would be "detrimental to the interests" of the country.
Tourism, Travel, Hospitality, Conservation: News,Stories And Experiences From Allover The World
Showing posts with label travellers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label travellers. Show all posts
Thursday, 9 March 2017
Thursday, 3 March 2016
ZIMBABWE: African Airlines Association Meeting In November, Host Zimbabwe
Air Zimbabwe’s turnaround strategy is set to receive a major boost this year after the national airline won the right to host the 48th African Airlines Association (AFRAA) annual general assembly (AGA) in Victoria Falls later this year.
The event, which will take place from November 20 to November 22, is expected to attract 400 high profile delegates from Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and North America.
AFRAA secretary-general Dr Elijah Chingosho, who was in the country on an advance visit and also witnessed the unveiling of the logo for the general assembly, yesterday said the general assembly was a unique opportunity for Air Zimbabwe to spread its wings as it is expected to play a major role in bringing delegates to the general assembly and taking them back to their countries.
“As the host airline, Air Zimbabwe is expected to play a pivotal role in the transportation of delegates to and from the country.
“The hosting of this event in Zimbabwe and the Victoria Falls in particular also presents an excellent opportunity to strengthen aviation in the country and the tourism sector because we are encouraging all the delegates to travel with their spouses so that they can sample what Zimbabwe has to offer.
“This is also a chance to show the visitors the business opportunities that exist in the country and to state clearly that Zimbabwe is open for business,” he said.
AFRAA president and Air Zimbabwe’s acting chief executive Mr Edmund Makona said Air Zimbabwe was geared for the challenge.
“The secretary general said the purpose of hosting the general assembly in a specific country and being hosted by a specific airline is meant to maximise benefits for that airline. As Air Zimbabwe we have taken note of that. Within Air Zimbabwe we have also said it cannot be a strategy without the attendant issue of growth and sustainability. So growth and sustainability are at the heart of what we are doing.
“So we really are geared to grow that route network. I do not want to pre-empt other than just to confess that it cannot be an airline without the attendant issues of growth otherwise there is no need for the management at Air Zimbabwe to preside over a still birth airline.
“We will be the host airline and carrier of choice during the general assembly and we cannot do that if we have not spread our wings. We want to assure you that by the time the AGA takes place we would have spread our wings beyond the thin route network that we are currently operating. We have started some initiatives but we would want to under promise and over perform,” he said.
Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Dr Joram Gumbo said hosting the AFRAA general assembly will be the best opportunity to look for partners to boost our Air Zimbabwe.
“We are busy talking to several airlines who want to partner with us to revitalise Air Zimbabwe so that we can come up with one because the shopping list of partners is long since many companies are approaching us from the Middle East, China and from Europe.
“We are expecting that in the next three to four years Air Zimbabwe will be back as a leading airline in the continent,” he said.
He added that the ministry is looking at bigger airplanes and small to complement the airline’s fleet so that it can resuscitate its old routes.
“I am looking at possibly engaging with partners before the end of the year and it’s a process, when you bring somebody to partner in such an industry which a number of countries are struggling to boost.
“We are we are aiming at bringing in new airlines and experts to revitalise Air Zimbabwe,” he said.
Meanwhile the general assembly would see delegates discussing issues on the development of air transport in Africa and development opportunities for African airlines in particular. AFRAA has a membership of 35 airlines that include all major intercontinental African operators.
The members also represent over 85 percent of total international traffic carried by African airlines. This is the third time that the annual general assembly is being held in the country.
The event, which will take place from November 20 to November 22, is expected to attract 400 high profile delegates from Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and North America.
AFRAA secretary-general Dr Elijah Chingosho, who was in the country on an advance visit and also witnessed the unveiling of the logo for the general assembly, yesterday said the general assembly was a unique opportunity for Air Zimbabwe to spread its wings as it is expected to play a major role in bringing delegates to the general assembly and taking them back to their countries.
“As the host airline, Air Zimbabwe is expected to play a pivotal role in the transportation of delegates to and from the country.
“The hosting of this event in Zimbabwe and the Victoria Falls in particular also presents an excellent opportunity to strengthen aviation in the country and the tourism sector because we are encouraging all the delegates to travel with their spouses so that they can sample what Zimbabwe has to offer.
“This is also a chance to show the visitors the business opportunities that exist in the country and to state clearly that Zimbabwe is open for business,” he said.
AFRAA president and Air Zimbabwe’s acting chief executive Mr Edmund Makona said Air Zimbabwe was geared for the challenge.
“The secretary general said the purpose of hosting the general assembly in a specific country and being hosted by a specific airline is meant to maximise benefits for that airline. As Air Zimbabwe we have taken note of that. Within Air Zimbabwe we have also said it cannot be a strategy without the attendant issue of growth and sustainability. So growth and sustainability are at the heart of what we are doing.
“So we really are geared to grow that route network. I do not want to pre-empt other than just to confess that it cannot be an airline without the attendant issues of growth otherwise there is no need for the management at Air Zimbabwe to preside over a still birth airline.
“We will be the host airline and carrier of choice during the general assembly and we cannot do that if we have not spread our wings. We want to assure you that by the time the AGA takes place we would have spread our wings beyond the thin route network that we are currently operating. We have started some initiatives but we would want to under promise and over perform,” he said.
Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Dr Joram Gumbo said hosting the AFRAA general assembly will be the best opportunity to look for partners to boost our Air Zimbabwe.
“We are busy talking to several airlines who want to partner with us to revitalise Air Zimbabwe so that we can come up with one because the shopping list of partners is long since many companies are approaching us from the Middle East, China and from Europe.
“We are expecting that in the next three to four years Air Zimbabwe will be back as a leading airline in the continent,” he said.
He added that the ministry is looking at bigger airplanes and small to complement the airline’s fleet so that it can resuscitate its old routes.
“I am looking at possibly engaging with partners before the end of the year and it’s a process, when you bring somebody to partner in such an industry which a number of countries are struggling to boost.
“We are we are aiming at bringing in new airlines and experts to revitalise Air Zimbabwe,” he said.
Meanwhile the general assembly would see delegates discussing issues on the development of air transport in Africa and development opportunities for African airlines in particular. AFRAA has a membership of 35 airlines that include all major intercontinental African operators.
The members also represent over 85 percent of total international traffic carried by African airlines. This is the third time that the annual general assembly is being held in the country.
GHANA: Construction Terminal 3 At Kotoka International Airport Underway
Construction work on the new terminal three at Kotoka International Airport (KIA) in Ghana set to begin by April this year. The project is scheduled for completion by December 2016.
The new terminal will be situated at the round airside stretching to the Old Fire Service area, to the Hanger area of KIA according to sources, and will have a capacity of 5million passengers a year. The airport terminal construction plan comes after the country registered gradually growth in demand for the international flights, thus putting pressure on airport facilities.
However, one of the construction firm has already been awarded the project tender; it has also been confirmed that the handover of the project is expected is expected to be finalized by end of March.
The planned airport terminal construction project aims at positioning Kokota International Airport as the hub for aviation business in the sub-region, and it will be operating along with three terminals, of which one will handle domestic activities while the remaining two handles international travels.
Furthermore, facilities at the current arrival and departure halls at Terminal 2 are set to undergo upgrading and activities will temporarily be moved to the new terminal while managers begin the upgrade.
The new terminal will be situated at the round airside stretching to the Old Fire Service area, to the Hanger area of KIA according to sources, and will have a capacity of 5million passengers a year. The airport terminal construction plan comes after the country registered gradually growth in demand for the international flights, thus putting pressure on airport facilities.
However, one of the construction firm has already been awarded the project tender; it has also been confirmed that the handover of the project is expected is expected to be finalized by end of March.
The planned airport terminal construction project aims at positioning Kokota International Airport as the hub for aviation business in the sub-region, and it will be operating along with three terminals, of which one will handle domestic activities while the remaining two handles international travels.
Furthermore, facilities at the current arrival and departure halls at Terminal 2 are set to undergo upgrading and activities will temporarily be moved to the new terminal while managers begin the upgrade.
Tourism Trade With Africa Benefits Few African Countries
LAST year, to much fanfare, 26 African nations signed off on a free-trade ‘super bloc’ that seeks to improve the absurdly low levels of intra-regional trade on the continent, at the Egyptian seaside resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.
In the same city at the Africa 2016 Forum last weekend, African Development Bank (AfDB) president Akinwumi Adesina painted a picture of just how insufficient trade with other African countries is.
African trade represents just 2% of the global total, and intra-African trade makes up 12% of the continent’s activity, compared to 60% in Europe and 35% in Asia.
“This is not acceptable,” Adesina said.
He added that AfDB will continue to invest heavily in regional infrastructure, especially rail, transnational highways, power interconnections, ICT, air and maritime transport, reducing the bottlenecks that cost the region billions in inefficiencies and lost opportunities.
While tariffs on the continent are high—according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) an African company making sales on the continent would pay more than three times the 2.5% average tariff rate elsewhere – non-tariff barriers tend to wreak more damage than levies.
Despite an abundance of trade blocs on the continent—17 at the moment—their poor internal workings has led potential benefits such as comparative advantage trading to be erased by red-tape heavy protectionist approaches.
African countries have also kept the same export-geared infrastructure, leaving the continent vulnerable to global market shifts.
One promising way of solving this is seen as ramping up regional trade in services—a model that has contributed to the booming growth in many Asian countries.
It may be already happening and could herald exciting possibilities.
The number of tourists visiting Kenya from neighbouring countries has increased over the past few months as the East African nation set off on promotions around the region to make up for dwindling numbers from its traditional source markets in Europe.
While tourists arriving at the nation’s two main airports dropped by 13% to 748,771 last year, the decline was less steep than the previous year’s reduction of 28%, according to the country’s statistics agency. Visitors have shied away from going on world-renowned safaris in the country or lounging on its white sandy beaches after a series of deadly attacks by al-Shabaab Islamists in the past few years.
The government targets annual tourist arrivals of 10 million in about a decade’s time. Visitor numbers are expected to rise now that France, the US and Britain have lifted travel bans to the country, which will allow tour operators to market the destination once again.
East African holidaymakers staying at Amani Tiwi Beach Resort on the Indian Ocean Coast more than doubled in the past three months, General Manager Aditya Mata said in Kwale County, at the Kenyan coast. “Forty five to 50% of our visitors have been from Kenya and the rest of the East African countries,” he said.
Bed occupancy improved to 85%, compared with 50% a year earlier, he said.
Diani Reef Beach Hotel in the same county received vacationers from Rwanda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia in the past six months, according to Chief Executive Officer Titus Kangangi. “Even Nigeria, which is a first for me,” he said. “I would put the number of regional visitors at around 10-15%, excluding Kenyans. It’s very good, it’s looking up.”
Carriers such as Ethiopian Airlines and RwandAir now have flights to the coastal resort city of Mombasa.
While cash remittances and agricultural exports have relegated tourism to third place in the hierarchy of leading foreign exchange sources, the industry is still key for the economy. As many as one million Kenyans depend on it for their livelihoods at the coast.
Regional visitors account for a third of arrivals with Uganda the second highest source market after South Africa, acting Kenya Tourism Board Chief Executive Jacinta Nzioka Mbithi said by e-mail.
It is perhaps no surprise that the East African Community bloc is seen as the regional grouping that has made the most trade gains on the continent.
If such chains continue to grow, concerns about external market performance could soon be a flash in the pan as the continent’s future growth is powered from within.
In the same city at the Africa 2016 Forum last weekend, African Development Bank (AfDB) president Akinwumi Adesina painted a picture of just how insufficient trade with other African countries is.
African trade represents just 2% of the global total, and intra-African trade makes up 12% of the continent’s activity, compared to 60% in Europe and 35% in Asia.
“This is not acceptable,” Adesina said.
He added that AfDB will continue to invest heavily in regional infrastructure, especially rail, transnational highways, power interconnections, ICT, air and maritime transport, reducing the bottlenecks that cost the region billions in inefficiencies and lost opportunities.
While tariffs on the continent are high—according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) an African company making sales on the continent would pay more than three times the 2.5% average tariff rate elsewhere – non-tariff barriers tend to wreak more damage than levies.
Despite an abundance of trade blocs on the continent—17 at the moment—their poor internal workings has led potential benefits such as comparative advantage trading to be erased by red-tape heavy protectionist approaches.
African countries have also kept the same export-geared infrastructure, leaving the continent vulnerable to global market shifts.
One promising way of solving this is seen as ramping up regional trade in services—a model that has contributed to the booming growth in many Asian countries.
It may be already happening and could herald exciting possibilities.
The number of tourists visiting Kenya from neighbouring countries has increased over the past few months as the East African nation set off on promotions around the region to make up for dwindling numbers from its traditional source markets in Europe.
While tourists arriving at the nation’s two main airports dropped by 13% to 748,771 last year, the decline was less steep than the previous year’s reduction of 28%, according to the country’s statistics agency. Visitors have shied away from going on world-renowned safaris in the country or lounging on its white sandy beaches after a series of deadly attacks by al-Shabaab Islamists in the past few years.
The government targets annual tourist arrivals of 10 million in about a decade’s time. Visitor numbers are expected to rise now that France, the US and Britain have lifted travel bans to the country, which will allow tour operators to market the destination once again.
East African holidaymakers staying at Amani Tiwi Beach Resort on the Indian Ocean Coast more than doubled in the past three months, General Manager Aditya Mata said in Kwale County, at the Kenyan coast. “Forty five to 50% of our visitors have been from Kenya and the rest of the East African countries,” he said.
Bed occupancy improved to 85%, compared with 50% a year earlier, he said.
Diani Reef Beach Hotel in the same county received vacationers from Rwanda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia in the past six months, according to Chief Executive Officer Titus Kangangi. “Even Nigeria, which is a first for me,” he said. “I would put the number of regional visitors at around 10-15%, excluding Kenyans. It’s very good, it’s looking up.”
Carriers such as Ethiopian Airlines and RwandAir now have flights to the coastal resort city of Mombasa.
While cash remittances and agricultural exports have relegated tourism to third place in the hierarchy of leading foreign exchange sources, the industry is still key for the economy. As many as one million Kenyans depend on it for their livelihoods at the coast.
Regional visitors account for a third of arrivals with Uganda the second highest source market after South Africa, acting Kenya Tourism Board Chief Executive Jacinta Nzioka Mbithi said by e-mail.
It is perhaps no surprise that the East African Community bloc is seen as the regional grouping that has made the most trade gains on the continent.
If such chains continue to grow, concerns about external market performance could soon be a flash in the pan as the continent’s future growth is powered from within.
SOUTH AFRICA: Plans To Merge National Airlines Underway
Many of South Africa’s 300-odd state entities are a drain on the government’s purse and a team commissioned by President Jacob Zuma to review the companies recommended that some companies should be sold.
Treasury said in its 2016 budget review the government was implementing recommendations of the committee and would examine private sector participation in the state-owned companies.
“We do not need to be invested in four airline businesses,” Gordhan said in his budget speech.
“(Public Enterprises Minister) and I have agreed to explore the possible merger of SAA and SA Express, under a strengthened board, with a view to engaging with a potential minority equity partner, and to create a bigger and more operationally efficient airline.”
Treasury said the financial position of SAA has deteriorated and in the event of a default, the government would likely be called to pay a portion of its guarantee to the airline, which stands at about 14.4 billion rand ($939.3 million).
“Government will seek opportunities to enter into strategic partnerships that allow SAA to draw on private-sector capital and technical expertise to improve its performance and expand its network,” Treasury said.
South Africa’s state-owned firms range from SAA to power utility Eskom and logistics group Transnet, among others.
Eskom was expected to receive a 23 billion rand cash injection from the government, but Gordhan said Treasury had delayed giving the power utility the remainder of 2 billion rand until it complies with equity allocation conditions, such as cost cuts and improving maintenance.
Treasury allocated 4.5 billion rand over the next three years for the implementation of the National Health Insurance, which is still in the pilot phase, as the government seeks to make healthcare services affordable for all South Africans, irrespective of whether they are rich or poor.
Gordhan said further details on financing of the scheme, expected to be rolled out in three phases over a 14-year period, will be released soon.
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