Welcome to the weekly world briefing, a midweek feature that helps you stay up to date on issues worldwide and how they affect travelers. Is there something you think should be added to the next briefing? Tell us on Twitter.
In National Parks Across the United States…
Trash cans are overflowing and visitor centers are closed due to the ongoing partial government shutdown. Americans are flocking to places like Joshua Tree National Park where admission is free during the shutdown, but services are suspended. Though emergency services are still intact, park rangers are off duty, restrooms are closed, and crowd control is nonexistent. Some states are providing partial funding to provide necessary services; others have left the job up to volunteers. The lack of oversight has caused some to worry about long-term damage. “The Parks are supposed to be heritage sites for generation after generation,” Joshua Tree resident Joe De Luca told the Washington Post. “I would rather they close than be damaged.” But, closing the parks hurts more than the visitors and the parks themselves. Local businesses in the small towns surrounding national parks rely on visitors to survive. On its eleventh day, the effects of the shutdown are spreading. Today, the Smithsonian Institute will close all its museums and the National Zoo.
The shutdown is a result of a dispute over President Trump’s proposed border wall. Congressional Democrats have declined to give Trump the $5 billion he is demanding to fund a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Trump campaigned on building the wall, and used the recent midterm elections to hype up support for the barrier, which he believes would prevent illegal immigration. Many have questioned how effective the wall would be, and the project has low popularity.
With Democrats taking control of the House of Representatives tomorrow, a deal to end the shutdown is nowhere in sight. The White House invited congressional leaders to a border security briefing set for today, but made it clear that it was not a negotiation. Democrats are set to pass two bills through the House when they gain control: one to fund the entire government except for the Department of Homeland Security through late-2019, and another to extend current Homeland Security funding through Feb. 8, effectively granting a month of breathing room to discuss the wall. By separating the wall from other government spending, Democrats hope to force President Trump to either give in or risk taking more responsibility for the shutdown over the wall.
If you are planning on visiting a national park in the near future, be aware that the situation is fluid. While most parks remain open, closing down completely is an option. Even if they do remain open, no services will be provided until the government reopens. Expect larger crowds and more littered sites than usual. As this is the third shutdown of Trump’s presidency, it is reasonable to take the congressional calendar into consideration when planning your trips. The next potential shutdown could occur when congress discusses raising the debt ceiling in March of this year, though if there is an impasse, emergency funding would likely keep the government open through the summer. The shutdown is unlikely to affect travel in other ways. Trump has expressed interest in closing the U.S.-Mexico border entirely, but that would be nearly impossible. It is illegal to deny U.S. citizens entry into the country, and any proposed temporary ban on people entering with legal visas would face a steep uphill climb in courts.
Across the World…
Deaths from air travel rose in 2018 after a record safe 2017. In 2018, 534 people died from commercial airline crashes, making it the ninth safest year on record, but more deadly than recent years. The fatality rate for large commercial passenger flights was 0.36 per million flights. The most fatal flight of the year was flight JT610, where 189 people died traveling from Jakarta to Pangkal Pinan when the plan dove into the ocean after losing contact with traffic control.
In 2017, there were just two fatal crashes causing 13 deaths, both on small regional airlines. Aviation deaths have declined sharply since 2005, when 1,015 people died. Though there was a concerning uptick in 2018, air travel remains incredibly safe, especially when compared to other modes of transportation. According to the WHO, approximately 1.35 million people die each year as a result of road traffic accidents.
If air travel makes you uneasy, rest assured that it has become one of the safest ways to move around.
In North Korea…
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reaffirmed his commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, but said he will not do so until the United States agrees to significantly reduce its military presence in the Korean Peninsula. After a landmark meeting in June, talks between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un broke down over varying interpretations of the words “complete” and “denuclearization.”
In a letter written over the weekend to South Korean President Moon Jae-in, Kim Jong Un referenced the step the two countries have taken toward ending their long-standing confrontation and said he was still committed to denuclearization. Then, in his New Year’s address he said North Korea would not make, test, or give away nuclear weapons. He also said he was ready to meet with President Trump again. This was welcome news, though not much has changed since talks first began. North Korea still demands that the United States reduce its military capability in the region, as well as stop joint military training between the U.S. and South Korea. North Korea also said international sanctions must be lifted and a peace treaty ending the Korean War completed before it can consider dismantling. “However, if the United States continues to break its promises and misjudges our patience by unilaterally demanding certain things and pushes ahead with sanctions and pressure against our republic, then we may have to seek another way to protect our country’s sovereignty and interest and establish peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula,” Kim said in his speech. It was not clear what he meant by “another way.”
Still, relations and rhetoric between the United States and North Korea have improved, as well as those between North and South Korea, and North Korea has not tested a long-range missile or nuclear weapon in 13 months. The New York Times argues that Kim and Trump are back at square one. Meanwhile Jenny Town, managing editor and producer of 38 North, an online policy journal that focuses on North Korea, said Kim building the narrative of denuclearization domestically is a positive sign.
As of December 19, 2018, the U.S. State Department has a Level 4 travel warning set for North Korea. “Do not travel to North Korea due to the serious risk of arrest and long-term detention of U.S. nationals,” says the State Department website. Though relations are slowly improving, the U.S. does not have diplomatic or consular relations with North Korea, and cannot provide emergency or other services to U.S. citizens traveling in the country. While we don’t always believe the State Department travel warnings should be taken literally, in the case of North Korea we’re in agreement with the U.S. government. The travel novelty is not worth the risk, plus by visiting you’re supporting one of the world’s most repressive governments.
In India…
The Sabarimala temple in an ancient tiger reserve in the Indian state of Kerala is famous for two things: as a pilgrimage site drawing millions of Hindus each year, and for a partial ban on female worshippers. Women between ages 10 and 50 have been banned from entering the temple, but in September India’s Supreme Court ruled that the age restriction was gender discrimination, and ordered the temple to admit women of all ages. In the months since, hundreds of thousands of devotees, including females, have protested. Police used water cannons and teargas to disperse crowds of traditionalists waving black flags.
The temple is dedicated to Lord Ayyappa, a Hindu god who is believed to be celibate and therefore cannot come in contact with a woman of menstruating age. One female pilgrim told NPR that she visited as a child, and not again until age 53. “I’ll block younger women with my own body if I have to,” she told NPR.
The issue is political, too. The Bharatiya Janata party, which rules India, opposes women in the temple. The Communist party, which is in power in the state of Kerala, is in favor of women worshipping at the temple.
The most recent protests erupted after two women entered the temple early in the morning for prayers. PS Sreedharan Pillai, the BJP’s head in Kerala, said the women’s visit was “a conspiracy by the atheist rulers to destroy the Hindu temples.” The women have since been given police protection, but police are in a tricky spot. Their job is to carry out the Supreme Court order and protect women entering the temple, but many of them are local residents and face scrutiny from their community.
The “Right to Pray” movement began in 2015, when Indian feminists began lobbying for their right to enter temples and mosques. “The right to pray and the right to equality — these are given to us by the Indian constitution. It grants us freedom to practice any religion, and protects us from sexual discrimination,” Trupti Desai, a prominent Hindu feminist told NPR. “Hindu gods never discriminate among their devotees.”
After the outrage over its ruling, the Supreme Court decided to review its decision about Sabarimala. A hearing will be held on January 22, and both feminists and traditionalists await the decision, which could set a precedent on the independence of India’s Supreme Court.
While this specific issue won’t affect most travelers to India, it is worth noting that you should always check entry and clothing restrictions before visiting any religious site.
