U.S. State Department Issues First Travel 'Warning' of June
May was a busy month for the U.S. Department of State. Several countries in Europe, including Belgium, Italy and Switzerland, received travel advisories. Even though Italy is considered a popular travel destination in the summer, there are serious concerns about terrorist attacks.
Additionally, the U.S Department of State issued a Level 4 warning for Somalia. That means Americans should avoid traveling there at all costs.
"Do not travel to Somalia due to crime, terrorism, civil unrest, health, kidnapping, piracy, and lack of availability of routine consular services," the U.S. said. "Due to security risks, U.S. government employees working in Somalia are prohibited from traveling outside the Mogadishu International Airport complex where the U.S. Embassy is located. The U.S. Embassy in Mogadishu maintains normal staffing."
The latest country that has received a travel advisory resides in West Asia. On June 3, the U.S Department of State issued a Level 1 warning for Qatar. That's the lowest advisory level for safety and security risks.
"The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) and/or a Special Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR) for the region, including Qatar," the Department of State's travel advisory states. "This is due to risks to civil aviation from political and military tensions in the region. The notice advises U.S. operators to review current threat information and to report safety or security incidents. For more information, U.S. citizens should consult the Federal Aviation Administration."
If Americans travel to Qatar in the near future, they should keep travel documents up-to-date, sign up for the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP), and read the Country Security Report for Qatar.
U.S. State Department Issues First Travel 'Warning' of June first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 3, 2025
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
17 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Karoline Leavitt gives update on Trump's plan to "eliminate" mail-in voting
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt responded to a question about President Donald Trump's plans to "eliminate" mail-in voting in the U.S. A reporter asked during Tuesday's press briefing, "President Trump says he plans to "eliminate" mail-in voting. States administer elections not federal authorities. Can you provide any more details about how the White House plans to eliminate that?" Leavitt responded, in part, "When Congress comes back to Washington, I'm sure there will be many discussions with our friends on Capitol Hill and also our friends in state legislatures to ensure that we're protecting the integrity of the vote." She continued, "The president wants to make it easier for Americans to vote and harder for people to cheat in our elections. He wants to ensure our election integrity. There were great efforts made in 2024. I won't get ahead of myself for Hatch Act reasons to get ahead for the next election, but I can assure you this is a priority for the president." Reporter: States administer elections not federal authorities. Can you give details about how the white house plans to [eliminate mail-in voting]? Leavitt: The president wants to make it easier to vote and harder to cheat… I won't get ahead of myself for Hatch Act reasons to… — Acyn (@Acyn) August 19, 2025 This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow.
Politico
17 minutes ago
- Politico
NIH plans heat up animal testing debate
WASHINGTON WATCH NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya elaborated on his strategic priorities for the National Institutes of Health on Friday — and drew criticism from some animal rights advocates. His strategy focuses on plans Bhattacharya and his boss, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., have previously touted, like prioritizing nutrition research, advancing artificial intelligence, focusing on research reproducibility and shifting to solutions-based health disparities research. 'Taxpayer dollars are a finite resource, entrusted to NIH officials to invest in the nation's future,' Bhattacharya wrote in a statement published on NIH's website. 'By transparently establishing priorities and aligning our goals, we aim to demonstrate to the American public that we take this commitment seriously — and that we are doing all we can to honor their trust.' Falling short: But one priority area — moving away from animal testing in favor of alternative models and establishing an office to develop, validate and deploy those methods — was a sore point for animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. From PETA's vantage point, Bhattacharya's plan didn't go far enough. 'Dramatic change is essential, as we've seen how 'enhancing oversight' is a laugh-into-your-sleeve exercise, and 'considering non-animal methods' is a check box,' Kathy Guillermo, PETA's senior vice president of laboratory investigations, said in a statement. 'PETA urges him to remember that at the highest levels of the Trump administration, there are well-placed people rooting for NIH to break with career animal experimenters.' Animal testing state of play: In Congress, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has been a persistent critic of animal testing at the health agencies and co-sponsored 2022 legislation with Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) to permit drugmakers to use alternative methods to test their products. The health agencies have not shied away from the issue or from animal rights groups. Among the first policies that the NIH and the Food and Drug Administration announced this spring was a move away from animal testing for research and drug development. According to public calendar disclosures, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary met with PETA in July. WELCOME TO FUTURE PULSE This is where we explore the ideas and innovators shaping health care. The Pete & Bobby Challenge. HHS Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Defense Sec. Pete Hegseth are challenging Americans to complete 50 pull-ups and 100 push-ups in under 10 minutes. Share any thoughts, news, tips and feedback with Carmen Paun at cpaun@ Ruth Reader at rreader@ or Erin Schumaker at eschumaker@ Want to share a tip securely? Message us on Signal: CarmenP.82, RuthReader.02 or ErinSchumaker.01. EXAM ROOM Health insurance companies pay vastly different prices for health services from one another— even when they're performed at the same hospital. Aetna and UnitedHealthcare, two of the largest health insurers in the U.S., negotiated rates for six inpatient procedures that varied by an average ratio of 9.1 nationwide, according to a report by health data analytics firm Trilliant Health. Sticker shock: The median rate for a coronary bypass — with no catheterization or major complications — is $68,194. However, negotiated rates ranged from $27,683 to $247,902. Rates even varied within the same health system. For example, Aetna pays $166,288 for a patient with diabetes to have major heart bypass surgery using a minimally invasive technique at Jefferson Hospital in Philadelphia, while UnitedHealthcare pays about half that rate. The report also found no correlation between aggregate measures of cost and quality within a sample of 10 top-tier hospitals. Health systems that have similar quality in care might have wildly different negotiated rates for the same health services, according to the report. High-quality care? The data raises questions about whether insurers deliver the best value for patient care. 'It actually creates a fiduciary duty for the employers to be using this sort of information to make sure they're providing high-value health benefits to their employees,' said Allison Oakes, chief research officer at Trilliant Health, who worked on the report. She believes that this data could help reduce some price disparity. 'The hope is we start to see some of this variation in prices shrink, which, without changing quality or access, could actually reduce spending by quite a bit,' she said. Unintended effect: Ben Handel, professor of economics at the University of California, Berkeley, agrees that this kind of price transparency could lead to negotiated rates homogenizing. However, it might not necessarily bring down prices, he said. 'The other potential scenario is it raises prices,' he said. He notes that insurers' incentives vary by context. For example, when administrating a self-insured plan — where employers directly pay health costs and insurers provide only the network — they earn a percentage of each claim. 'Raising costs makes you more money,' said Handel.
Yahoo
19 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Tim Cook keeps Apple's August win streak going
The US backed Apple against a UK order to allow the government access to encrypted user data. The US government said Monday that the UK agreed to drop its demand. The win added to Apple's August hot streak that includes positive talks with Trump and strong iPhone sales. Apple CEO Tim Cook notched another big win. The US backed the iPhone maker in its fight against a UK order that would make encrypted user data accessible to the British government. The US government said Monday that the UK agreed to drop the order after talks between the two countries. A UK government spokesperson declined to confirm the existence of the Apple order in a statement to Business Insider. The dispute began earlier this year when the UK issued the order, which was first reported by the Washington Post. In mid-February, two US congressmen urged Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard in a letter to challenge the "secret order" for Apple to create a back door to its users' data worldwide. Later that month, Apple disabled Advanced Data Protection, a privacy-enhancing feature, on iPhones in the UK. This was a rare move for Apple, a company known for making users' privacy a top priority. Gabbard said in her announcement on Monday that the order would have "encroached" on Americans' civil liberties. August is going well for Apple so far. The tech giant started the month coming off stronger-than-expected iPhone sales that it reported in late July. It kept the good vibes going with a visit to the White House on August 6. Though Cook gifted Trump an inscribed American-made piece of glass to commemorate its US manufacturing efforts, Apple walked away the true winner. Trump said companies that "are building in the United States," like Apple, won't be subject to a forthcoming 100% tariff on imports of semiconductors and chips. That put concerns about higher potential costs from those tariffs in Apple's rearview. Last week, Apple scored another win when a US Customs ruling allowed the company to bring a blood-oxygen monitoring feature back to some Apple Watches. The company previously removed the feature from some models to circumvent an import ban related to a patent dispute. Apple hasn't had an easy 2025. The threat of tariffs and delays in key Apple Intelligence features presented challenges, but the tech giant is marking small victories where they count. Read the original article on Business Insider Sign in to access your portfolio
