Going to Brazil for the Olympics? The State Department wants to fill you in ahead of time

The State Department has developed a collection of information for those visiting Brazil for the Olympics and Paralympics.

The Games were to have begun Friday and continue through Aug. 21. The Paralympics are Sept. 7-18.

Usually, Brazil requires a visa that can be proved more difficult to get than just doing simple paperwork. But the State Department notes that the visa is waived through Sept. 18 for U.S. citizens.

The site also includes information on helpful social media and reminds visitors that enrolling in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, or STEP, will help in an emergency. You can get safety information, and this also helps the U.S. Embassy contact you in case of emergency.

Info: www.lat.ms/gamesinfo

Travel to Turkey

A July 26 State Department travel warning on Turkey reiterates concerns about travel to the southeastern part of the country and notes that the Federal Aviation Administration has lifted its ban on flights to and from Turkey for U.S. carriers and on any carrier from landing in the U.S. if it was coming from Turkey.

The action came in wake of an unsuccessful coup that rocked but did not topple the presidency of Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Info: www.lat.ms/turkeyupdate

More warnings

Besides the warnings on Turkey, the State Department last month issued or renewed warnings on Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Haiti, Kenya, South Sudan, Bangladesh, Venezuela, Iraq and Mali. It also issued a travel alert for Laos.

To read more on these announcements, go to www.lat.ms/countryinfo

Uber? Not in China

When you need to get from Point A to Point B, you may announce your plans this way: “I’ll just Uber there.” In China, you’ll need to say, “I’ll just Didi Chuxing there.”

Details of a merger of the two ride-sharing giants emerged last week. Uber had encountered stiff opposition in trying to gain a firm foothold in China since it entered the country’s market in 2013 and was thought to be a prime candidate for an arranged financial marriage, according to the Los Angeles Times.

And the app to summon such services? The Times reported that apps would be legalized in China.

No word yet on whether rates on Didi will increase. Rides on the Chinese ride-sharing giant, which controlled about 85% of the market, were heavily subsidized, making the service more affordable for consumers, The Times reported.

Different river sailings

Crystal cruises’ new river yachts, the Debussy and the Ravel, scheduled to sail on the French waterways, will instead ply the waters of the Danube, the Main and the Rhine, the Express of Britain reported.

The luxury sailing company cited demand for river journeys in Germany, Austria, Belgium and the Netherlands, and the vessels that were to have sailed French waters are being enlarged for the new itineraries.

Those who had already booked the Debussy and the Ravel, which were to have launched in summer 2017, are being offered trips on the Crystal’s recently added Mozart vessel. Sweeteners include credits for future trips and on-board credits for the Mozart, the Express reported.

France has been the target of several terrorist attacks in recent times, including the Nov. 13 shooting and bombings in Paris that killed more than 120 and injured more than 300, and the July 14 attacks in Nice in which a truck rammed into a crowd celebrating Bastille Day, killing 84.

Russia gets game

Russia, which ran afoul of doping rules and jeopardized its participation in the Olympics, will participate in some games, regardless of the International Olympic Committee’s rulings.

Newsweek reported that Russia’s International Army Games, which it described as “like a cross between the Olympics and a military recruitment commercial,” were to begin Saturday with more than 3,000 participants from 20 countries. The games continue through Aug. 13.

The competition employs “military drills to test out the combat readiness of tanks, fighter jets, snipers and even barracks cooking staff.”

The competition is in Russia and Kazakhstan and will include milathletes (military athletes) from Greece, Serbia, Iran and Belarus.

The games will be broadcast on Russian television.

Sources: U.S. State Department, the Los Angeles Times, the Express, Newsweek

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