Expats and travellers in Colombia need to guard against terrorist attacks in the capital of Bogotá, according to a new alert from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO).
Table of contents
The warning follows bomb blasts in the Suba neighbourhood of the city.
Police and security forces have stepped up patrols in the city and also report finding other devices in Chapinero, the Candelaria, Rafael Uribe Uribe and Santa Fe suburbs.
Outside the capital, armed gangs are roaming the borders with Panama, Venezuela and Ecuador.
Other trouble spots include Cauca, Valle de Cauca, Guaviare, Caqueta and Meta, including the Parque Nacional Natural de La Macarena.
“Watch the local media for further updates,” said an FCO spokesman. “There is a real danger from terror incidents at the moment.”
Britons in Colombia who get into trouble can contact the embassy on +5713268300
Tunisia travel warnings
The FCO has reiterated travel warnings in Tunisia, especially in the regions of the Chaambi Mountain National Park, the towns of Nefta, Douz, Médenine and Zarzis and near the Algerian border near the town of Ghardinaou.
Expats and travellers are advised to avoid all but essential travel in these areas.
“Protests can occur at any time. They are not generally aimed at westerners but can sometimes turn nasty,” said an FCO spokesman.
The FCO explained Tunisia is going through a period of political instability following the overthrow of president Gadhafi’s regime in 2011, with armed factions vying for control of different regions.
“Terrorism is an ever present problem, including kidnappings,” said the spokesman.
European travel
Despite seemingly never-ending queues in European airports, at least two-thirds of all travel between European Union countries is by car, according to the latest official statistics.
In 2012, more than 1.2 billion trips of more than one night took place.
The statistics break down travel as 65% by private or rented car, 15% by air, 12% by train, 6% by bus and 2% by boats.
The most common reason for a journey was a holiday (48%), with 35% as visits to friends or family and the rest for business or other reasons.
Three-quarters of trips were domestic. The rest were outbound – with 85% to another European country, 4.5% to Asia, 4% to Africa, 3.8% to North America, 1.9% to Latin America and 0.4% to Australia or New Zealand.
The top 3 European destinations were France, Spain and Italy.
Related Articles, Guides and Insights
Below is a list of some related articles, guides and insights that you may find of interest.
Questions or Comments?
We love to get feedback from our readers. So, after reading this article, if you have any questions or want to make comments, send us a message on this site or our social media?
Don’t forget that you can also request the guides sent directly to your email inbox.