For Immediate Release | Official News Wire for the Travel Industry
Where press releases are breaking news
France has revoked the license of Iranian airline Mahan Air from April 1 on its activities outside of Europe, Reuters cited three French officials as saying on Monday.
The decision follows a similar German move in January. It was made on the grounds of the airline transporting military equipment and personnel to Syria and other Middle East war zones, according to two diplomatic sources.
“Mahan Air can no longer serve French territory as of April 1,” a French Foreign Ministry official said.
The US Department of State has issued a travel advisory for the Democratic Republic of Congo advising that travel be reconsidered due to crime and civil unrest. Some areas have increased risk.
The Travel Advisory recommends:
Do not travel to –
Violent crime, such as armed robbery, armed home invasion, and assault, while rare compared to petty crime, is not uncommon, and local police lack the resources to respond effectively to serious crime. Be aware that assailants may pose as police or security agents.
Many cities throughout the country experience demonstrations, some of which have turned violent. Police authorities have at times responded with heavy-handed tactics that have resulted in civilian casualties and arrests.
The U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens outside of Kinshasa due to extremely limited infrastructure and poor security conditions.
Read the Safety and Security section on the Country Information Page.
If you decide to travel to the Democratic Republic of the Congo:
North Kivu and Ituri Provinces
Sporadic but severe outbreaks of violence targeting civilians, including killing, rape, kidnapping, and pillaging, continue throughout North Kivu, South Kivu, Tanganyika, Haut Lomami, Ituri, Bas-Uele, and Haut-Uele provinces.
A significant number of both confirmed and probable cases of Ebola have been reported in nine health zones of Congo’s North Kivu and Ituri provinces.
The U.S. government is unable to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in North Kivu and Ituri provinces as U.S. government travel to these areas is restricted.
Visit the government website for Travel to High-Risk Areas.
The Eastern DRC Region and the Three Kasai Provinces
Parts of eastern DRC and the provinces of Kasai Oriental, Kasai Central, and Kasai Occidental are unstable due to armed group activity and military operations. Major outbreaks of violence include the targeting of civilians in these areas.
The U.S. government is unable to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in eastern DRC region and the three Kasais provinces as U.S. government travel to these regions is restricted.
Visit the government website for Travel to High-Risk Areas.
The Los Angeles Rams will host the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday, August 17, 2019 at 4PM HST at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, it was officially announced today. Tickets are now available on TheRams.com/Hawaii and can be purchased on-site at Aloha Stadium.
The preseason matchup will be the first time the NFL has played an exhibition game at Aloha Stadium on Oahu since 1976. Before moving to Orlando in 2016, Aloha Stadium served as the host site for the Pro Bowl every year with two exceptions since 1979.
Through the support and partnership of Hawaii’s tourism industry, the Rams will provide various community engagement opportunities for youth in the islands. In advance of the preseason matchup, Rams players and staff will host an 11-on-11 Tournament & Skills Competition that will feature 16 Hawaii high school football teams. The event will include a character education session and will aim to build camaraderie and promote the game of football in Hawaii. During the week leading up to the game in August, Rams cheerleaders and mascot, Rampage, will visit local schools to host PLAY 60 events and create lifelong memories while encouraging youth to be active for the recommended 60 minutes every day.
In addition, as part of the Rams’ year-round military appreciation efforts, the team will bring its PLAY 60 Military Base Tour to the islands to support the military community and to honor, empower, and connect with Hawaii-based service members, veterans and their families.
In November 2018, the Rams began partnering with Hawaii’s tourism industry, which included a special Hawaii-themed presenting sponsorship of the Rams-Seahawks game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
The Board of Directors of Marriott International, Inc. said today it has appointed Margaret M. McCarthy, Executive Vice President at CVS Health Corporation, as an independent director of the company, effective March 19, 2019. Ms. McCarthy will also be included in the company’s slate of nominees for election at Marriott’s upcoming 2019 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.
Ms. McCarthy’s appointment expands the membership of the Board to 14, 11 of whom are independent. She will also serve on the company’s Audit Committee.
“Meg brings a wealth of leadership experience to our Board from her over 30-year career in business and her military service,” said Larry Kellner, Marriott International’s Lead Director. “We were drawn to Meg’s experience with consumer-facing companies undergoing transformational change as well as her knowledge of privacy and cybersecurity. Marriott has a strong and independent Board of Directors that provides critical guidance and advice to management. We are also committed to building a Board that has diverse perspectives and backgrounds reflecting the diversity of our guests, associates and owners. We are confident that Meg will be a valuable addition to the Marriott Board.”
As Executive Vice President at CVS Health, Ms. McCarthy is a leader in the company’s technology transition following its acquisition of Aetna. As previously announced, Ms. McCarthy is slated to depart CVS Health in May. She brings substantial experience in data management and security.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Meg to our Board,” said Arne Sorenson, Marriott International President and Chief Executive Officer. “Her experience and expertise promise to make Meg a terrific addition to the Marriott Board. I look forward to her insights and leadership as we work to build Marriott’s global hospitality brand.”
Ms. McCarthy joined CVS Health through its acquisition of Aetna Inc. in 2018, where she had been Executive Vice President of Operations and Technology since 2010. At Aetna, she also served as the company’s Chief Information Officer and Head of Business Solutions Delivery. Prior to joining Aetna in 2003, she was a senior Information and Technology executive at Cigna Corp., Catholic Health Initiatives and Franciscan Health System, and a Partner at Ernst & Young.
Ms. McCarthy currently serves on the Board of Directors of Brighthouse Financial, Inc. and First American Financial Corporation. She also serves on various advisory boards and councils, including the Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center, MIT Center for Information Systems Research and the Board of Trustees of Providence College.
Ms. McCarthy holds a bachelor’s degree from Providence College and a master’s degree in public health, hospital administration from Yale University. She served in the U.S. Navy Medical Services Corps as a Lieutenant at Bethesda Naval Hospital and in the U.S. Navy Reserves as a Lieutenant Commander.
Marriott’s Board of Directors engaged Russell Reynolds Associates to assist in identifying and evaluating potential nominees.
With the addition of Ms. McCarthy, the 14 members of Marriott’s Board of Directors are as follows:
•J.W. Marriott, Jr., Executive Chairman and Chairman of the Board, Marriott International, Inc.
•Mary K. Bush, President, Bush International, LLC and Former Presidential Appointee as the U.S. Government’s representative on the IMF Board
•Bruce W. Duncan, Chairman of the Board and Former President and Chief Executive Officer, First Industrial Realty Trust, Inc. and Former Interim Chief Executive Officer and Director, Starwood Hotels & Resorts
•Deborah Marriott Harrison, Global Officer, Marriott Culture and Business Councils, Marriott International, Inc.
•Frederick A. Henderson, Former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, SunCoke Energy, Inc.
•Eric Hippeau, Managing Partner, Lerer Hippeau
•Lawrence W. Kellner, President, Emerald Creek, Group, LLC, Marriott International’s Lead Director
•Debra L. Lee, Former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, BET Networks
•Aylwin B. Lewis, Former Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Potbelly Corporation
•Margaret M. McCarthy, Executive Vice President, CVS Health Corporation
•George Muñoz, Principal, Muñoz Investment Banking Group, LLC
•Steven S. Reinemund, Former Chairman and CEO, PepsiCo, Inc. and Former Dean of Business, Wake Forest University
•Susan C. Schwab, Professor, University of Maryland and Former U.S. Trade Representative
•Arne M. Sorenson, President and Chief Executive Officer, Marriott International, Inc.
Marriott’s Board will nominate these 14 directors as its recommended slate at the company’s upcoming Annual Meeting.
The driver of a school bus filled with children has been arrested by Italian police for setting fire to the vehicle near Milan. The Senegalese man reportedly called for an end to “deaths in the Mediterranean” during the incident.
Miraculously all 51 schoolboys managed to escape the fire without injuries, although 12 children and two adults were sent to hospital for smoke inhalation.
The 46-year-old Senegal-born driver reportedly spilled gasoline down the aisle of the bus while shouting that he wants to stop deaths in the Mediterranean Sea before igniting the blaze.
“I want to end it, the deaths in the Mediterranean must be stopped,” he said according to the Italian news outlet.
The children were students of Vailati middle school in the Italian city of Cremona, and raised the alarm by calling their parents after the driver announced that he wanted to kill himself.
The Carabinieri, Italy’s national police service, stopped the vehicle by erecting a series of checkpoints that the driver attempted to break through.
The man eventually lost control of the vehicle and attempted to set the bus alight before the military rescued the students by breaking the windows.
Footage of the blaze show firefighters at the scene and the remains of the completely burned vehicle on the side of a busy road. The driver was reportedly known to police and has been arrested for the arson attack.
Utrecht’s police chief has confirmed that the 37-year-old Turkish suspect in the deadly shooting on a tram in the Netherlands has been arrested.
Gökmen Tanis was arrested after a major manhunt following the shooting which authorities have confirmed killed three people and injured nine more. The terror threat level for Utrecht was reduced after the suspect’s arrest.
A police spokesperson said Tanis was arrested on Oudenoord street near where a red Renault Clio which he was believed to have been driving was found.
The attack prompted Dutch police to be put on high alert, with military police sent to national airports, railways stations and major roads as citizens were advised to stay indoors. Schools were also closed while the hunt was underway.
Dutch Prime Minister Rutte said during a press conference that the suspect’s motive is still unclear and that there are “many questions and rumors.” Earlier the Dutch counter-terror agency said it appears to be a terror attack.
Utrecht police had warned citizens to watch out for Tanis but not to approach him. Sources told BBC Turkish that the 37-year-old had previously been arrested over “suspected links” to Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) a few years ago, but was later released.
Following the attack, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the Turkish intelligence agency is investigating whether it was linked to terror.
