India Travel Warning: Don't enter Indian Teritorry with Satellite Phone

A London-based environmental campaigner traveling around the world in a bio fuel-driven bus was released on bail in western India after being arrested in January for illegally using a satellite phone, his lawyer said.

Andy Pag, 35, was arrested in the town of Pushkar in Rajasthan state after Indian army radars detected his satellite phone, said his lawyer, Prateek Kasliwal. 

Complex Indian anti-terror laws require satellite phone holders to obtain a permit, however there is no information on any Government of India website*, or at ports of entry, warning foreign visitors about the laxly enforced rule. In a further twist, Pag’s lawyer, Prateek Kasliwal, has since discovered there appears to be no government department which actually issues permits for satellite phones.

Pag was not aware that he needed to get a permit to use a satellite phone in India, Kasliwal said.

According to Kasliwal, police arrested Pag _ a dual Italian and British citizen whose full name is Andrea Pagnacco, on charges of being a threat to national security and of violating Indian wireless and telegraphy laws.

On Monday, Judge P.K. Aggarwal said police had failed to provide any evidence to prove that Pag had illegally used a satellite phone or that he posed any threat to Indian security.

He ordered police to investigate the charges further and granted Pag bail.

Pag posted a personal guarantee of 40,000 rupees ($880) and is free to travel, though he must report back for subsequent hearings. A date has not been set for his next court appearance, his lawyer said.

Pag left London in September in a bus converted to run on vegetable oil and was chronicling his journey in a blog.

He has previously driven from London to Timbuktu in a chocolate-fueled truck and organized a London-to-Athens rally for bio fuel vehicles called Grease to Greece.

Dennis launches tech products reviews site

LONDON - Dennis Publishing has launched a consumer technology review site that mixes expert advice with user product reviews.

Dennis publishes technology titles such as Mac User and Computer Shopper and online magazine iGizmo.
Expertreviews.co.uk aims to provide a definitive online technology buying guide for the increasing number of shoppers who buy, research and compare technological products online. It has secured Toshiba as the first advertiser on the site.
Dennis' in-house team has designed and developed the site to enable users to find the products that match their needs, compare them with other products and take advice.
Users are also able read aggregated reviews from previous buyers of the product using buyer reviews provided by Reevoo to find the best price.
The reviews will be added to on a daily basis and products will include laptops, TVs, digital cameras and gadgets.
David Ludlow, Expert Reviews group editor, said: "Finding the right product at the right price can be incredibly difficult, but our filtering engine and huge database of in-depth reviews makes it easy."

Defence correspondent Rupert Hamer Killed in Afghan Explosion

British journalist Rupert Hamer, the Sunday Mirror's defence correspondent, has been killed in an explosion in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence has said.

Mr Hamer died of his wounds at the scene of the blast and his Sunday Mirror colleague, photographer Philip Coburn, was also injured.

Mr Coburn is in a serious but stable condition, the MoD said. The pair were embedded with the US Marine Corps when they were caught in the explosion. They were accompanying a patrol when their vehicle struck an improvised explosive device.

One U.S. Marine and a member of the Afghan National Army were also killed in the explosion.

Police arrest 3 passengers on plane at Heathrow on suspicion of making a bomb threat

LONDON Saturday 9 Jan 2010 - Police arrested three passengers aboard a Dubai-bound Emirates airliner at Heathrow airport on Friday on suspicion of making a bomb threat, police said.

Sky News television quoted police sources as saying initial searches had found no actual threat to the flight, indicating that the incident may have been an ill-judged prank.

The men, aged 58, 48 and 36, were taken into custody for making verbal threats against the crew before take off, the police said in a statement. "They have been arrested on suspicion of making a bomb threat," they added.

An airport spokesman said other flights at Britain's biggest airport were unaffected. Witnesses told Sky that armed police with sniffer dogs boarded flight EK004, which had been due to take off at 8 p.m., and swiftly arrested the men.

"A verbal threat was made to staff. Police were alerted and armed officers boarded the plane," the police statement said. "Police are searching the aircraft and all passengers have been removed from the plane."

Airports around the world have been on high alert since a failed bombing attempt on a Detroit-bound plane last month. Britain announced tighter security measures this week, with plans to use full body scanners at Heathrow within three weeks.

"There was no shouting or screaming ... They took them away quickly and brought on some dogs to have a sniff around," Cameron McLean, a passenger on the grounded Boeing 777, told Sky.

Top Tips - Intl Health Insurance

When living abroad, use our Top 10 Tips when looking for the right international health insurance:


1    Area of Cover - Ensure the area of cover you are looking for not only covers the region you are in, but any other area where you are likely to visit be it for temporary business or pleasure.


2    Underwriting terms - Make sure the underwriting terms of the plan meet your requirements.  Most providers will exclude all pre-existing   conditions, no matter when they occurred.  Do not accept such restrictions.
 

3    Cancer treatment - Find out how long cancer treatment is covered for.  Many providers will only cover this for a maximum of 5 years, whereas Expacare cover this in full.  The same applies for chronic conditions.  Many providers only cover acute or palliative treatment, whereas we cover chronic conditions in full, providing it is not a pre-existing condition.


4    Excess payments - Ask the provider if there is any excess on the plan.  This will be the amount you have to pay each time you claim for a condition.  Those apparently modest deductions soon add up.


5    Relevant benefits - Make sure that you are not paying for benefits that are not relevant to you. Ask yourself if you would need some of the benefits you are being charged for.  If the answer is no. Ask for tailored cover to meet your circumstances.


6    Assistance providers - Find out who the assistance provider is.  These will be the people who you first contact in an emergency, and can arrange for guarantees of payments to be made with the hospitals.


7    Underwriters - Find out who underwrite the plans.  These are the people who will be paying out your claims so ensure they are financially secure.


8    Adequate cover - Try to gauge how much coverage you may need.  For example if you are moving to the UK and will be paying social security contributions, you will be entitled to treatment under the NHS, for a period of time.  But, if you require private treatment, or the waiting time on the NHS is too long, then a higher level of cover would be advisable.


9    Family cover - Remember that your family can also be added to cover, so make sure the benefits cover all eventualities for your "whole" family.


10    Price – With international medical insurance, price is based on the cover you opt for, The more cover you need - especially if your are insuring more than one person – the higher the premium.

British Expat Supplies, British products directly to customers' doorsteps around the world

Welcome to britishEXPATsupplies, an on-line store providing British based foods and products directly to customers' doorsteps around the world.

As 'ex-expats' themselves, They fully understand your frustrations in obtaining a taste of Britain in your new country. "It seemed like Christmas when we did find a shop selling British products", says Paul Nineham whose family owns this business since 1987.

"We have developed this on-line shop for you to purchase well known high street brands, which will be delivered directly to your door wherever you are in the world. This site is not only for British expats, but also for anyone who enjoys British produce," adds Nineham

britishEXPATsupplies is a family run and owned company who will provide a professional but personal and friendly service to vast British Expats community worldwide. If you cannot find a product that you wish to purchase, please contact them by email and they will endeavour to source it for you and then add it to the site.

All prices include packing and handling charges, but delivery costs differ depending on your order weight and your delivery destination (see 'Delivery Zones & Pricing' on the 'About' menu). Also on the 'About' menu, you will find the free parcel tracking facility, which enables you to check the progress of your consignment after despatch from our premises.

You may need to enable cookies in your browser to order items. To enable cookies in Internet Explorer go to Tools > Internet Options > Privacy > Accept All Cookies or Edit then type in http://www.britishexpatsupplies.com & click Allow.

Four percent of British expats already own a home overseas

Halifax International has released a new report on expat trends, following on from last year’s HSBC survey on expat existence.

According to the data, 4% of British expats already own a home overseas with around a quarter (27%) saying that they are contemplating buying or moving abroad in the future. Nearly one third (32%) of Britons considering the move are under the age of 35 and more than two-fifths (41%) of those who have made the move said they have no intention of returning home.

Despite public opinion generally being that most expats move to Australia, New Zealand or South-East Asia, the report reveals that France is the number one destination for Brits abroad.

France held a 16% share of the expat total, well ahead of second placed Spain (10%) and the USA (8%). Australia was joint fourth along with Germany and Switzerland.

The figures did reveal definite trends amongst age groups however, with Australia named as the most popular place to live by those aged 16 to 35, at a rate of 33%. Spain and France were the European leaders for this age bracket but only at 6% overall.

For those expats aged between 35 and 45 Italy was named as the preferred European destination.

British pensioners, on the other hand, said Canada (12%) was their ideal overseas destination, just ahead of Australia, New Zealand and Spain – all at 10%. One in six (15%) of all pensioners have considered moving overseas.

An estimated 5.5 million Britons live abroad according to Public Policy research, with 400,000 leaving the UK in the last year alone.