Latest news with #westernEuropean
New Indian Express
4 days ago
- Health
- New Indian Express
When diseases cross borders, so must solidarity
Even as the US, led by President Donald Trump, withdrew from global health engagements through a petulant exit from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the evisceration of its international aid agency, two events in Geneva on May 19 unfurled the flag of global solidarity. One, international negotiations on the Pandemic Treaty ended, with all participating WHO members agreeing on the final text. The treaty was cheered by an anxious world badly bruised by Covid's devastation and wary of more zoonotic pandemics on the horizon. It is the second-ever global health treaty to be concluded under auspices of the WHO, after the Framework Convention for Tobacco Control adopted in 2003. The second was the convening of a forum—Digital Health Without Borders—to advance digital health applications across the world with impact, efficiency and equity. The event, organised by Dr Rajendra Gupta from India, was addressed by WHO's Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and leading digital technology experts as well as prominent representatives from the domains of medicine, nursing and public health. They advocated universal access to impactful digital health technologies to prevent pandemics and promote primary care-led universal health coverage. These affirmations of a 'one world' approach are reassuring in a polarised political environment where the US and some other countries are retreating from adherence to principles of global solidarity. While the US and Argentina have quit the WHO, western European nations like the Netherlands and Germany have reduced their commitments to global aid. Trump and Musk have eviscerated USAID, which was a major contributor to global health programmes aimed at tackling infectious diseases like HIV-AIDS and tuberculosis, as well as maternal and child health protection. Scientific agencies like the National Institutes of Health have been disconnected from global research.
The Independent
29-03-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Tourists are cancelling trips to the US – here's where they are going instead
The United States is one of the top three most visited countries in the world. The big draw cards – cities such as San Francisco, New York and Chicago and national parks such as Yosemite – have attracted international tourists for decades. This combined with its role as a global business powerhouse meant it had 66.5 million visitors in 2023 – and the 2024 figure is expected to be higher still. But a lot has changed in recent months, and 2025's figures may not be as strong. The 2024 reelection of Donald Trump as the president of the United States and the consequential changes in foreign diplomacy and relations, alongside internal cultural shifts, are starting to change global attitudes towards the US – attitudes that appear to be affecting tourists' desire to visit the US. In a recent report by research firm Tourism Economics, inbound travel to the US is now projected to decline by 5.5% this year, instead of growing by nearly 9% as had previously been forecast. A further escalation in tariff and trade wars could result in further reductions in international tourism, which could amount to a US$18 billion (£13.8 billion) annual reduction in tourist spending in 2025. There is already some evidence of travel cancellations. Since Trump announced 25% tariffs on many Canadian goods, the number of Canadians driving across the border at some crossings has fallen by up to 45%, on some days, when compared to last year. Canada is the biggest source of international tourists to the US. Air Canada has announced it is reducing flights to some US holiday destinations, including Las Vegas, from March, as demand reduces. According to a March poll by Canadian market researcher Leger, 36% of Canadians who had planned trips to the United States had already cancelled them. According to data from the aviation analytics company OAG, passenger bookings on Canada to US routes are down by over 70% compared to the same period last year. This comes after the U.S. Travel Association warned that even a 10% reduction in Canadian inbound travel could result in a US$2.1 billion (£1.6 billion) loss in spending, putting 140,000 hospitality jobs at risk. Some would-be visitors have cited an unwelcoming political climate as part of a concern about visiting the US – including angry rhetoric about foreigners, migrants and the LGBTQ+ community. The Tourism Economics report also cited 'polarizing Trump Administration policies and rhetoric' as a factor in travel cancellations. There are other factors that may influence travellers from, for instance, western Europe, which represented 37% of overseas travel to the US last year. These include US tariffs pushing prices up at home and the US administration's perceived alignment with Russia in the war in Ukraine. Research by YouGov in March found that western European attitudes towards the US have become more negative since Trump's reelection last November. More than half of people in Britain (53%), Germany (56%), Sweden (63%) and Denmark (74%) now have an unfavourable opinion of the US. In five of the seven countries polled, figures for US favourability are at the lowest since polling began in November 2016. Some high-profile cases at the US border could also be putting off tourists. In March, a British woman was handcuffed and detained for more than ten days by US Customs Enforcement after a visa problem. In the same month, a Canadian tourist was detained after attempting to renew her visa at the US-Mexico border. During the 12-day detention, she was held in crowded jail cells and even put in chains. Mexico is the US's second largest inbound travel market. Tourism Economics suggests that issues around new border enforcement rules will raise concerns with potential Mexican tourists. During Trump's first term in office, Mexican visits to the US fell by 3%. In February this year, air travel from Mexico had already fallen 6% when compared to 2024. Many countries including Canada have been updating their travel advice for the US. For instance, on March 15 the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office updated its advice for the US, warning visitors that 'you may be liable to arrest or detention if you break the rules'. The previous version of advice, from February, had no mention of arrest or detention. Germany has made similar updates to its travel advisory, after several Germans were recently detained for weeks by US border officials. Multiple European countries, including France, Germany, Denmark and Norway have also issued specific travel warnings to transgender and non-binary citizens, as US authorities demand tourists declare their biological sex at birth on visa applications. This comes as the US has stopped issuing of passports with a X marker – commonly used by those identifying as non-binary – for its own citizens. As thousands of travellers cancel their trips to the US, other destinations are seeing a spike in interest. Hotels in Bermuda have reported a surge in enquiries as Canadians relocate business and leisure trips away from the US, with some predicting a 20% increase in revenue from Canadian visits. Europe too has reported increased bookings from Canada, with rental properties experiencing a 32% jump in summer reservations when compared to last year, according to some reports. There are already growing concerns that visa and entry restrictions will disrupt fans and athletes from enjoying 2026 men's Fifa World Cup, held on sites in the US, Canada and Mexico. Visitors from some countries, such as Brazil, Turkey and Colombia, could wait up to 700 days to obtain visas. The International Olympic Committee has also raised concerns over the 2028 Olympics Games in Los Angeles, although US officials have insisted that 'America will be open'. With mounting visa delays, stricter border enforcement and growing concerns over human rights and anti-minority rhetoric, the United States risks losing its appeal as a top holiday destination. The long-term impact on its tourism industry may prove difficult to reverse.
The Independent
28-03-2025
- General
- The Independent
Turtle dove hunting ban boosts western European population by 40%
Numbers of threatened turtle doves in western Europe have rapidly recovered after a hunting ban was introduced in 2021, conservationists said. Numbers in the region increased by 40% to 610,000 breeding pairs from 2021 to 2024, according to Pan-European Common Bird Monitoring Data Scheme figures released on Friday. The rising numbers provide hope for the future of the birds, currently on the red list of threatened species in the UK. The birds migrate from Africa each year to breed in European countries including the UK. While famously featuring in Christmas carol The 12 Days Of Christmas, turtle doves are actually only found in the UK over the summer months. France, Spain and Portugal paused hunting of the species in 2021 to allow their recovery. Prior to 2018 an 'unsustainable' one million turtle doves were being hunted each autumn in those three countries alone, the RSPB said. But the species also needs good breeding season habitats – a key issue for the UK where changes to the way land was farmed in the 20th century deprived them of much of their seed food. As part of Operation Turtle Dove, UK conservation groups are working with farmers and landowners to provide key habitats including seed-rich flowering areas, ponds, patches of thorny scrub and tall, wide hedgerows to support the birds. It comes as an international team of scientists, including from the RSPB, have been advising governments on how to manage their populations of turtle doves sustainably, and whose advice led to the temporary hunting ban. The moratorium is the first stage of a hunting management system, developed to ensure that any future hunting is carried out at sustainable levels that allow the population to continue to recover in the long term. On the new figures, Rick Bayne, senior project manager for Operation Turtle Dove, said: 'This excellent news from the wider western European breeding population is compelling evidence that our conservation strategy for turtle doves is working, making the work of Operation Turtle Dove to deliver good breeding habitat for these birds all the more important here in the UK.' But Dr Guy Anderson, the RSPB's Migratory Birds Programme manager, said: 'This good news for the whole western European breeding population of turtle doves does not diminish the need to ensure that unsustainable levels of hunting do not return, but it can and should strengthen our resolve to ensure that more of the UK's countryside is 'turtle dove ready'. 'We know that nature recovery, for turtle doves and other much-loved farmland wildlife, will not be possible without farmers and other land managers, and the efforts of those involved in Operation Turtle Dove so far have been amazing in installing the necessary habitat features to aid their breeding success when they reach our shores again this spring.' Operation Turtle Dove is a partnership between the RSPB, Natural England, Pensthorpe Conservation Trust and Fair To Nature.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Turtle dove hunting ban boosts western European population by 40%
Numbers of threatened turtle doves in western Europe have rapidly recovered after a hunting ban was introduced in 2021, conservationists said. Numbers in the region increased by 40% to 610,000 breeding pairs from 2021 to 2024, according to Pan-European Common Bird Monitoring Data Scheme figures released on Friday. The rising numbers provide hope for the future of the birds, currently on the red list of threatened species in the UK. The birds migrate from Africa each year to breed in European countries including the UK. While famously featuring in Christmas carol The 12 Days Of Christmas, turtle doves are actually only found in the UK over the summer months. France, Spain and Portugal paused hunting of the species in 2021 to allow their recovery. Prior to 2018 an 'unsustainable' one million turtle doves were being hunted each autumn in those three countries alone, the RSPB said. But the species also needs good breeding season habitats – a key issue for the UK where changes to the way land was farmed in the 20th century deprived them of much of their seed food. As part of Operation Turtle Dove, UK conservation groups are working with farmers and landowners to provide key habitats including seed-rich flowering areas, ponds, patches of thorny scrub and tall, wide hedgerows to support the birds. It comes as an international team of scientists, including from the RSPB, have been advising governments on how to manage their populations of turtle doves sustainably, and whose advice led to the temporary hunting ban. The moratorium is the first stage of a hunting management system, developed to ensure that any future hunting is carried out at sustainable levels that allow the population to continue to recover in the long term. On the new figures, Rick Bayne, senior project manager for Operation Turtle Dove, said: 'This excellent news from the wider western European breeding population is compelling evidence that our conservation strategy for turtle doves is working, making the work of Operation Turtle Dove to deliver good breeding habitat for these birds all the more important here in the UK.' But Dr Guy Anderson, the RSPB's Migratory Birds Programme manager, said: 'This good news for the whole western European breeding population of turtle doves does not diminish the need to ensure that unsustainable levels of hunting do not return, but it can and should strengthen our resolve to ensure that more of the UK's countryside is 'turtle dove ready'. 'We know that nature recovery, for turtle doves and other much-loved farmland wildlife, will not be possible without farmers and other land managers, and the efforts of those involved in Operation Turtle Dove so far have been amazing in installing the necessary habitat features to aid their breeding success when they reach our shores again this spring.' Operation Turtle Dove is a partnership between the RSPB, Natural England, Pensthorpe Conservation Trust and Fair To Nature.
