Australian ban on travel from West Africa

In the fight against Ebola, Australia has said: No thanks.

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison announced “strong controls” on arrivals from West African countries affected by cases of the deadly disease.

Telling Australia’s parliament during a question time session Monday that his ministry was currently “not processing any application from these (Ebola) affected countries,” he said that the government was also suspending its humanitarian program.

He added that holders of permanent Australian visas based in these countries would be subject to a mandatory, three-week quarantine process prior to their departure. Visitors approved to travel to Australia will also face further screening and followup checks upon arrival.

The announcement came as a “surprise,” the Australian Medical Association (AMA) president Brian Owler told CNN, who said that the chance of the disease entering the country through a migrant from the region was very low.

“It’s not necessarily a very well-focused decision. The bigger picture needs to be on our preparedness at home but more importantly our involvement in West Africa itself, putting doctors and nurses and other logistical elements in place and trying to combat the crisis there.”

He added that the government had sought the advice of “very few people,” and had excluded the AMA.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said: “I not always agree with the Australian Medical Association, but I take them seriously and I think that the AMA invariably has the national interest at heart.”

The announcement that no refugees will be accepted from West Africa must be overturned, the Australian Greens have said.

“While the government drags its feet in responding to the Ebola crisis, Scott Morrison has slammed the door on West African refugees,” the Greens’ immigration spokesperson, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

“The immigration minister’s crusade against those in need has spread to West Africa and is simply unacceptable.

“This miserly, selfish and cruel announcement from the government is not a reflection of our nation’s character.”

‘Make advice public’

The main opposition party called on the government to make the advice that informed its policy public.

“We want the government to release the advice on which this decision has been made,” Labor’s foreign affairs spokesman Matt Thistlethwaite said.

“We need to be absolutely certain that this government isn’t being tough but dumb when it comes to protecting Australians from the risk of Ebola infection at home,” Thistlethwaite was quoted by the ABC as saying.

Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan told CNN’s Richard Quest that isolationism was not the answer to the current health crisis.

“The doctors from (the) WHO, to the CDC here and other countries have indicated that the worst thing you want to do is close off the borders and come up with this sort of restrictions and scare away potential help,” he said.

“Our concern should be with the public safety and public health but we have to accept that the only way we can deal with it in the medium to long term is to stop the epidemic.”

Concerns are being raised that the Australian response is largely engineered to create political capital, particularly given the country’s well-documented hard line on immigration.

“There have been people here in Australia that have been asking for this kind of approach and I think the main drive is political,” Owler said. “Of course it will always be dressed up as a solution to keeping Australians safe but in actual fact the people who are coming from West Africa, a number of them are coming on humanitarian grounds so there are concerns about why their visas are being denied, and for what period of time they’ll be denied for.”

The nonprofit Medicines Sans Frontiers, also known as Doctors Without Borders, echoed the sentiment, saying that “developed countries’ prevention strategies … seem to have more political than medical implications.”

Abbott defended the government’s decision, pointing to an AUS $18 million ($15.9 million) investment to combat the spread of the disease in West Africa, saying his “government are taking very serious steps to address the Ebola crisis.”

He added that the Australian authorities “are continuing to talk to our friends and partners about what more might be done to address the situation in West Africa,” and that he did “not rule out Australia doing more.”

The Australian move follows North Korea’s tourist ban, also instigated over fears of the spread of the disease.

(Source: CNN)

Vingroup to open five-star resort in Phu Quoc

Vingroup plans to launch its Vinpearl Resort Phu Quoc in Long Beach area in the district island of Phu Quoc this November.

This would be the second five-star hotel on the island. The resort, which is now under construction, is spread over 300 hectares and will include a five-star hotel, villas, an entertainment centre and a 27-hole golf course.

According to Vingroup, two blocks of the seven-storey buildings are designed in the shape of an arc that will surround a big swimming pool and 30 villas. Once completed, Vinpearl Resort Phu Quoc will become the largest 5-star hotel on the island, with 750 rooms that can accommodate a maximum of 2,000 people.

The resort also includes a modern conference room with an area of more than 1,500 square metres that will be fully equipped with facilities of international standards.

There will be a special aquarium showcasing hundreds of varieties of fish and other aquatic creatures like penguins, crocodiles, King Crabs, turtles and dolphins. The resort will also offer water sports such as surfing, sailing and scuba diving.

According to a recent CBRE report, Phu Quoc with its warm and turquoise waters, and secluded and sandy beaches attracted more than 622,000 tourists last year, but until now didn’t have a single five-star hotel

Around Amsterdam in 7 strange museums

Like any major city, Amsterdam has world class museums crammed with classic art works that visitors will drop major money to see.

Being a city that has traditionally championed liberal attitudes, it’s no surprise it also hosts exhibitions dedicated to sex and drugs.

Where Amsterdam excels, though, is in its extensive collections of curiosities — museums that celebrate the engagingly odd obsessions of their curators.

Here are seven of the best:

Cheese Museum

In an ideal world there would have been a fifth Indiana Jones sequel in which our hero goes in search of vintage dairy produce buried deep below some ancient ruined temple.

Grabbing his treasure from its booby-trapped resting place, Indy would growl: “This cheese belongs in a museum,” before dashing for safety as a giant ball of Gouda comes crashing toward him.

The museum in question would have to be Amsterdam’s Cheese Museum, a tiny two-floor celebration of Dutch cow creations just over the canal from the Anne Frank House.

Exhibits are thin on the ground but there are enough free Gouda samples to induce a bad case of the cheese sweats before you’re back on the street.

Eccentric exhibit: The world’s most expensive cheese slicer — a diamond-encrusted tool said to be worth $34,000

Cheese Museum, 112 Prinsengracht; +31 20 331 6605

The Cat Cabinet

It’s no secret that people who love cats sometimes love them slightly too much — but they’ve got nothing on Dutchman Bob Meijer.

When the former banker’s much-cherished mog, who went by the name of J.P. Morgan, shuffled off to the cattery in the sky, he decided to transform his home into a shrine to his departed pet.

The result is De Kattenkabinet — several rooms of a well preserved 1880s canal house crammed with cat collectibles and feline-themed paintings and sketches from artists including Rembrandt and Picasso.

Meijer continues to occupy the building’s upper stories, as do four other felines, including Lily, a 19-year-old tortoiseshell cat who enjoys the attention of visitors.

Eccentric exhibit: A massive oil painting that appears to show a wizard casting spells over a giant ghostly cat.

The Cat Cabinet, 497 Herengracht; +31 20 626 9040

Dutch Funeral Museum

It lies some distance out of the city center, but the Dutch Funeral Museum is worth the trip just to marvel at Amsterdam’s absurdly well planned suburbs.

The museum is housed in what’s left of the former home of a cemetery director, close to the entrance of the graveyard he used to supervise.

Despite its gloomy subject matter, the Funeral Museum is surprisingly un-macabre, with informative and matter-of-fact displays on different Dutch burial rituals and the paraphernalia of death.

Just as well, really, otherwise no one would want to visit the rather pleasant and airy cafe at its entrance.

Eccentric exhibit: Black, square noses, designed as the grieving equivalent to a clown’s red nose.

Dutch Funeral Museum, 124 Kruislaan; +31 20 694 0482

Museum of Bags and Purses

Another collection crammed into a grand canal house that justifies the entrance fee almost as much as the items on display.

This serious display of historic handbags and larger luggage starts off sedately with a selection of dainty, metallic numbers favored by royalty.

It explodes into life with more contemporary baggage, some shaped like hats or stags.

There are an eyebrow-raising “Guardian Angel” knife and gun bags designed by Vlieger & Vandam Bags.

Eccentric exhibit: A pre-mobile telephone bag that features a handset, dialer and long cord to plug into the wall.

Museum of Bags and Purses, 573 Herengracht; +31 20 52464 52

Max Euwe Chess museum

Sure, there’s nothing too extraordinary about a museum exploring the checkered history of one of the world’s oldest games — but this goes further, focusing on one single player.

This diminutive facility on the first floor of a notorious former prison charts the life and times of Max Euwe, the Netherlands’ only world chess champion.

It’s an affectionate tribute to Euwe, who died in 1981, and perhaps only one for chess aficionados — but there’s also a great chance to stick your nose into working offices based in the same building.

There’s a giant board outside the building where you can watch talented teenagers wipe the floor with professorial old chessmen straight out of central casting.

Eccentric exhibit: A chess wall of fame featuring grandmasters such as Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky.

Chess Museum, Max Euwe Plein 30A; +31 20 625 7017

MORE: Extraordinary play brings Anne Frank secret world to life

National Museum of Spectacles

A museum for people who enjoy trying on other people’s glasses — and let’s face it, that’s everyone.

Housed in and above a genuine optician’s shop virtually unchanged since customers first squinted through its windows in the 19th century, this shop charts 700 years of serving the shortsighted.

Once you’ve viewed eyewear ranging from early owl-like nose-perchers to the chunkier frames sported by Buddy Holly and Elvis Costello, you can enter the shop and purchase your own pair.

Eccentric exhibit: Masquerade masks with built-in lenses — for those who want to recognize other people, but not be recognized.

Spectacles Museum, 7 Gasthuismolensteeg; +31 20 421 2414

Pipe Museum

In a city where there’s an entire industry based around smoking certain substances, it stands to reason there’s a museum dedicated to the pipe.

This is no novelty head shop though — it’s a serious study of toking devices that hark back 2,500 years to the days when coughing up lumps of tar was considered healthy.

Space in this lovely 17th-century canal house is given over to pipes designed for smoking stuff stronger than a bowlful of shag — and these are out-smoked by elaborate European fumers designed for more pedestrian fare.

Eccentric exhibit: A pipe crafted from the pincers of a crab.

Pipe Museum, 488 Prinsengracht; +31 20 421 1779

(CNN)

The 50-cent accessory that could save your trip

Long hours sitting in an airport or on a train.
Jet lag.
Miles of walking.
Travel is tough on the body.
About eight years ago I started battling pain whenever I traveled.
The large muscles up and down my leg and hip would get hard and tight, making sitting, standing or even sleeping painful.
Massages, Jacuzzi baths, ibuprofen and yoga alleviated the pain, but temporarily.
While all were helpful, no remedy really provided the “release” I felt I needed to undo those tight spots.
A physical therapist suggested pressure point therapy as a way to help the muscles relax.
She used a device called a Thera Cane, a deep-pressure massage device that’s shaped like a large candy cane, to press down hard on my tight spots and help them release.
Voila! I experienced some relief.
However, the bulky Thera Cane isn’t really travel friendly.
And it requires a second person to use.

I wondered what might work while traveling, even alone?
The ends of the Thera Cane are studded with hard, little plastic balls — wandering through the aisles of a sporting goods store one day I stumbled across a possible solution: a Wiffle Ball!
For those who aren’t familiar with them, the Wiffle Ball (there are a number of imitators) is a perforated, rubbery-plastic ball about the size of a baseball.
For kids, especially in the United States, they’re used to play baseball in safe and confined areas.
I bought a three-pack for about $1.50 and tried one out on my legs — it worked great.
Wiffle Balls are lightweight, durable and inexpensive — the perfect accessory for on-the-road pressure point relief.
Following the exercises my physical therapist showed me with the Thera Cane, I came up with five “do anywhere” moves for instant tension relief.

1. Foot relief
Sit in a chair or on the edge of a bed, place the Wiffle Ball under your foot (starting in the arch) and slowly roll your foot back and forth over the ball for about two minutes.
The massage motion will increase blood flow and help release tightness in the arch.
2. Back rub
Lay on the floor (better than the bed, which is too soft) and place the ball under your shoulder blade.
Slowly rock yourself back and forth over the ball, moving it around the large muscles encasing the blade.
3. Hip and upper leg tension reliever
Still on the floor on your back, move the ball under one side of your bottom — place the ball right in the center of the largest part of the muscle and roll around on top of it, letting it move around the entire buttock and up toward your lower back then down to where the buttock meets the thigh.
You should feel tension release down the hip and into the leg.
4. IT Band/outer leg reliever
Runners know the IT Band well — it runs along the outside of the leg, down the thigh and over the outer part of the knee.
Roll over onto one side, prop yourself up on an elbow and place the ball just below your hip in the large part of your thigh.
Slowly move yourself up and down while bracing with your elbow, allowing the ball to roll up and down your leg to relieve tension.
5. Hip flexor release
Sitting for hours can make the muscles at the front of your hip and leg tighten.
To release, roll over on your stomach and put the ball right in the spot where your leg meets the hip and lay flat for about a minute, rolling slightly until you find your tightest spots.
You’ll also access the psoas muscle this way — the psoas is a rope-like muscle that runs obliquely from spine to the femur — releasing additional tightness.

(CNN)

The suitcase you can ride to the airport

Ever wished you could clamber aboard your cumbersome luggage to zoom down a hill or coast through an airport?

Driven by the same desire, Slovenian frequent flier Bostjan Zagar has come up with the answer — a foot-powered scooter-suitcase known as Olaf.

“The idea comes from having to catch the next connection flight in three minutes when the gate is on the other side of the world and you need to move faster than those moving walkways,” Zagar tells CNN.

Disappointed with available luggage solutions to this problem, Zagar used his background as an automotive engineer and his time waiting for flights to sketch up an alternative.

Now, after three years of “testing, testing, testing,” and a soon-to-finish fundraising campaign on Kickstarter, the Olaf is ready to hit the streets.

It’s available in three models: an airline-approved carry-on suitcase with a built-in kick scooter; a backpack with kick scooter and a kick scooter that can carry another bag.

All three feature wheely suitcase-style collapsible handles and can double up as a hand trolleys.

‘Hardcore engineering’

Zagar, who describes himself as a “hardcore engineering guy,” says he grew up preferring scooters to skateboards because he liked being able to control the speed.

Needless to say, his suitcase scooters are all fitted with brakes.

Even with this sensible feature, Zagar says travelers in some parts of the world may be wary to step aboard.

“What we learned is the typical reaction in Europe was ‘oh cool, I want to have one, but how will I look? People are staring at me.’

“This is the problem in Europe, people don’t want to stand out from the crowd. For sure, it’s not for the shy ones.”

Olaf clearly has considerable appeal though.

With the final hours ticking down, Ljubljana-based Olaf’s Kickstarter campaign has raised well in excess of its $27,000 target.

The scooter-suitcase, it seems, is already on a roll.

(CNN)

U.S. tourist gets trapped in London bookstore

There’s nothing like getting stuck into a good book — but getting stuck in a good book store is a different matter.

Just ask David Willis, a tourist from Texas who was inadvertently locked inside a London retailer for several hours, after strolling in minutes before the store was closing.

Willis, from Dallas, entered the Waterstones store near London’s Trafalgar Square on Thursday evening to use the store’s WiFi.

“I walked into the store about five minutes before 9 p.m.,” he told the UK’s ITV television network.

“I walked in right past employees and I needed to use the internet… I peeked up on the second floor and saw there were chairs and a table up there so I walked up there and was using the internet for 10 or 15 minutes and all the lights were on upstairs.

“I get ready to leave and I walk down and it’s completely dark and the doors were locked.”

Willis said despite setting an alarm off by trying to open the doors and speaking to a security guard and police via telephone, no one came to his aid. After several hours of waiting, he took to social media to broadcast his plight, posting on Twitter and Instagram.

US restricts travelers from West Africa

CNN reports that all travelers flying into the United States from the West African countries most impacted by the Ebola virus can only enter the U.S. through five airports, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson announced Tuesday.

Starting Wednesday, passengers traveling from Liberia, Sierra Leone or Guinea can only gain entry through the international airports in New York, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Chicago and Newark, New Jersey — which account for 94% of all incoming travelers from those countries, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While all U.S. entry points currently screen passengers for potential exposure to the Ebola virus, these five airports have taken additional steps to screen for the disease, such as taking passengers’ temperature and other additional protocols, Johnson said.

The announcement comes amid increasingly vocal calls for President Barack Obama to ban all travel from those three countries into the United States despite top health officials advising against a travel ban.

The ban will apply to any passengers whose flights originated in those three countries since there are no direct flights from there to the U.S.

“We are working closely with the airlines to implement these restrictions with minimal travel disruption,” Johnson said in a statement.

Johnson also said that he spoke with Customs and Border Protection officials and said he was “impressed by their professionalism, and their training and preparation” for the additional screening measures.

The five airports stepped up their screening procedures over the last week and a half for passengers from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Those travelers are assessed by medical staff and questioned about potential Ebola exposure.

The measures are similar to screenings all airline passengers face at airports in West Africa.

Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee Rep. Bob Goodlatte, a Republican who plans to introduce legislation calling for a travel ban, said in a statement he is “glad that the Obama administration is showing more concern” over the spread of Ebola.

“But the Administration must do more to protect Americans,” Goodlatte said, noting that screening measure would not have detected that Thomas Eric Duncan, the first to die of the disease on U.S. soil, was infected with Ebola.

A White House official said Johnson’s announcement comes after Obama directed his National Security staff to continually review procedures to fight off an outbreak of the disease.