MFAT travel advisory: Gulf States and Arabian peninsula

We have received information regarding increased risk of terrorist attack in the Gulf States and the countries of the Arabian peninsula.

We have reworded our travel advice for the region in light of this information. Our assessment continues to place the Gulf States and Arabian peninsula in the "some risk" category. However, our travel advice to Saudi Arabia remains unchanged. The threat of terrorist attacks there is assessed as high and our advice recommends against all but essential travel.

New Zealanders throughout the region should be alert and vigilant, and avoid large gathering places such as shopping malls and public events. Places identified with western interests should be avoided if possible.

As before, our travel advice for the whole Middle East region refers to a continuing security threat presented by groups including Al Qaeda, and warns of random and indiscriminate terrorist attacks.

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>