Latest news with #travelrestrictions
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
The six new holiday rules for summer
Holiday rules are already a confusing plethora of official regulations and local customs. And earlier this month, officials in the Italian town of Portofino threw a handful of googlies into the mix when it announced that tourists can no longer walk through the town's cobbled streets barefoot, in swimsuits or indeed topless. Alcohol can only be consumed in bars and restaurants, and God forbid you take a snooze on a wall. The new rules are targeted with precision at uncouth holiday makers and follow similar pan-European crackdowns, which include Vigo in Spain banning peeing in the sea, stealing pebbles in Sardinia and mooning in Grecian town squares. To navigate these regulations and others, here's my essential six new holiday rules. Don't leave home without it. Disguise the pee-at-sea I can't see how the Spanish authorities will effectively police their law against 'physiological evacuation at sea' as I doubt a band of uniformed snorklers will be taking to the waves to catch those worthy of a £650 fine. But they could spot you from the beach. So if you've decided that the beach loo is so foul that it's worth risking a fine, at least pee while you swim. Do not be a cruise bore Heavy fines await anyone who strikes up conversations with strangers on holiday on the subject of cruises, particularly while travelling on cruise ships. Your knowledge of deck numbers, cabaret, restaurant facilities, excursions, staff-to-passenger ratios, hull strength or balcony-laden floating condominiums are not topics for public consumption. Do not take iPads to restaurants If you're foolish enough to own such a device, do not let it leave the bedroom in the evening. On no account bring it to a taverna with the idea that it will keep the kids quiet unless, of course, you wish to be perceived as a regressive gimp. It's better for humanity if your offspring engage in food fights and it's grotesquely offensive to continental culture that favours conversation. But books, card games and colouring-in is very much allowed. Learn some local lingo You must pay respect to the locals and learn the following few crucial sentences so that you can fit in and pleasantly surprise the natives. 'Six beers, please', 'Can you re-heat these chips?', 'I can't afford Château Minuty, do you have any retsina?' 'I have no money but my son will do the washing up', 'What's the Wifi code?', 'Can we get free drinks if we tag you on Instagram?' Enjoy hire car roulette Post-Brexit, it is now harder to gain access to European resolution systems so just enjoy the game for what it is. Thus simply treat the following as a cultural lesson as you discover the hire car is a shuttle-bus-ride away from the airport, there's a queue outside the office with no shade, the staff are competing to see who can display greater nonchalance and there are no water or loo facilities. Their office is closed on the day of your flight home so you'll have to bring it back the day before, oh, and it'll need to be returned with a full tank although the nearest petrol station is 50 miles away. Holiday like you're on holiday Terrible punishments will be meted out to those who confuse holiday with travel. Travel is what occurs to and from the holiday; it's the nightmare bit, no longer some romantic interlude of discovery. A holiday is about no washing up, or shopping or cooking. It is not about the news, or emails, or X or Trump, but about the pool and your sunbed in relation to it. And, endeavouring against my better judgement to adhere to much of the above, I hope to see you back here in two weeks if I return.
South China Morning Post
22-07-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Sanctioned German China expert visits Beijing in sign of easing restrictions
The head of a German think tank sanctioned by Beijing four years ago has returned from a trip to China, suggesting that travel restrictions on the organisation may be easing. Mikko Huotari, the executive director of the Mercator Institute for China Studies (Merics) was in Beijing from July 14 to 17, after being invited by a leading Chinese think tank. Merics was among the European institutions hit with travel bans and asset freezes in March 2021, in retaliation for EU sanctions on Chinese officials accused of perpetrating human rights violations in Xinjiang, charges it denies. The news comes on the eve of a high-stakes EU-China summit . It also comes the week after Beijing further loosened its restrictions on members of the European Parliament, suggesting the Chinese government may be trying to improve the mood music ahead of an event that has been mired in negativity. 'We welcome the easing of travel restrictions and hope that more engagement between researchers and think tankers will be possible in the future. We look forward to future opportunities to engage with our Chinese counterparts whether in China, at MERICS or elsewhere in Europe,' Merics said in a statement. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas hold the 13th round of China-EU High-level Strategic Dialogue in Brussels, Belgium, on July 2. Photo: Xinhua One of Europe's largest China-focused think tanks, Merics researchers have been unable to travel to China for four years and EU leaders and officials have repeatedly called on Beijing to remove the sanctions.
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
US government employee banned from leaving China
China Australia WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. government employee has been banned from leaving China after traveling there in a personal capacity, the State Department said Tuesday, marking the latest case where Beijing has stopped U.S. nationals from departing the country. The State Department did not reveal the identity of the employee at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, which is part of the Commerce Department, but said it is 'tracking this case very closely' and that it is engaged with Chinese officials to resolve the situation as quickly as possible. 'The Department of State has no higher priority than the safety and security of American citizens,' it said. The Chinese government restricts people from leaving the country if they are involved in investigations, including business disputes, but it has been accused of using the tool to arbitrarily keep both Chinese and foreign nationals in the country. China's use of the exit ban and other concerns previously prompted the State Department to tell Americans to reconsider travel to China. The travel advisory was only eased in November after China released three U.S. citizens who were detained for years. It's one of the latest instances of such travel restrictions. The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Chenyue Mao, a U.S.-based Wells Fargo banker, was blocked from leaving China, prompting the bank to suspend all travel to the country. Citing 'privacy and other considerations,' the State Department did not comment on Mao's case. Wells Fargo said Tuesday that it is 'closely tracking this situation and working through the appropriate channels so our employee can return to the United States as soon as possible.' Guo Jiakun, a spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry, said Mao is 'involved in a criminal case currently being handled by Chinese law-enforcement authorities' and that she is 'subject to exit restrictions in accordance with the law.' 'Let me stress that it is an individual judicial case,' Guo said. 'China will as always welcome people from all countries to travel and do business in China and ensure their rights and interests in accordance with the law.' Asked about the case involving the U.S. government employee, Guo said: 'I have no details to share. China upholds the rule of law and handles entry and exit affairs in accordance with the law.' Other Americans have faced China's exit ban. Two American siblings were only allowed to leave China in 2021 after they were stranded there for three years after visiting their relatives. Solve the daily Crossword
The Independent
22-07-2025
- Business
- The Independent
US government employee banned from leaving China
A U.S. government employee has been banned from leaving China after traveling there in a personal capacity, the State Department said Tuesday, marking the latest case where Beijing has stopped U.S. nationals from departing the country. The State Department did not reveal the identity of the employee at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, which is part of the Commerce Department, but said it is 'tracking this case very closely' and that it is engaged with Chinese officials to resolve the situation as quickly as possible. 'The Department of State has no higher priority than the safety and security of American citizens,' it said. The Chinese government restricts people from leaving the country if they are involved in investigations, including business disputes, but it has been accused of using the tool to arbitrarily keep both Chinese and foreign nationals in the country. China's use of the exit ban and other concerns previously prompted the State Department to tell Americans to reconsider travel to China. The travel advisory was only eased in November after China released three U.S. citizens who were detained for years. It's one of the latest instances of such travel restrictions. The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Chenyue Mao, a U.S.-based Wells Fargo banker, was blocked from leaving China, prompting the bank to suspend all travel to the country. Citing 'privacy and other considerations,' the State Department did not comment on Mao's case. Wells Fargo said Tuesday that it is 'closely tracking this situation and working through the appropriate channels so our employee can return to the United States as soon as possible.' Guo Jiakun, a spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry, said Mao is 'involved in a criminal case currently being handled by Chinese law-enforcement authorities' and that she is 'subject to exit restrictions in accordance with the law.' 'Let me stress that it is an individual judicial case,' Guo said. 'China will as always welcome people from all countries to travel and do business in China and ensure their rights and interests in accordance with the law.' Asked about the case involving the U.S. government employee, Guo said: 'I have no details to share. China upholds the rule of law and handles entry and exit affairs in accordance with the law.' Other Americans have faced China's exit ban. Two American siblings were only allowed to leave China in 2021 after they were stranded there for three years after visiting their relatives.
Associated Press
22-07-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
US government employee banned from leaving China
WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. government employee has been banned from leaving China after traveling there in a personal capacity, the State Department said Tuesday, marking the latest case where Beijing has stopped U.S. nationals from departing the country. The State Department did not reveal the identity of the employee at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, which is part of the Commerce Department, but said it is 'tracking this case very closely' and that it is engaged with Chinese officials to resolve the situation as quickly as possible. 'The Department of State has no higher priority than the safety and security of American citizens,' it said. The Chinese government restricts people from leaving the country if they are involved in investigations, including business disputes, but it has been accused of using the tool to arbitrarily keep both Chinese and foreign nationals in the country. China's use of the exit ban and other concerns previously prompted the State Department to tell Americans to reconsider travel to China. The travel advisory was only eased in November after China released three U.S. citizens who were detained for years. It's one of the latest instances of such travel restrictions. The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Chenyue Mao, a U.S.-based Wells Fargo banker, was blocked from leaving China, prompting the bank to suspend all travel to the country. Citing 'privacy and other considerations,' the State Department did not comment on Mao's case. Wells Fargo said Tuesday that it is 'closely tracking this situation and working through the appropriate channels so our employee can return to the United States as soon as possible.' Guo Jiakun, a spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry, said Mao is 'involved in a criminal case currently being handled by Chinese law-enforcement authorities' and that she is 'subject to exit restrictions in accordance with the law.' 'Let me stress that it is an individual judicial case,' Guo said. 'China will as always welcome people from all countries to travel and do business in China and ensure their rights and interests in accordance with the law.' Asked about the case involving the U.S. government employee, Guo said: 'I have no details to share. China upholds the rule of law and handles entry and exit affairs in accordance with the law.' Other Americans have faced China's exit ban. Two American siblings were only allowed to leave China in 2021 after they were stranded there for three years after visiting their relatives.
