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Read the latest news from around the Middle East and Africa region.
Middle East's air travel hub status complicated by conflicts
While airports in the Middle East are increasingly important landing spots for global travelers, The Wall Street Journal reports conflicts in the region — particularly Israel's ongoing war with Hamas — are making things more difficult as consumer planes share the air with missiles.
The newspaper reports: "The number of missiles crisscrossing the region has surged since the start of Israel’s war with Hamas: An average of 162 missiles have been fired each month so far this year, up from 10 a month in 2023, according to aviation security firm Osprey Flight Solutions. This has led to warnings from airlines, crews, security experts and families of air crash victims that an airliner could inadvertently be shot out of the sky."
Turkish inflation remains stubbornly high
Recently reported inflation numbers came in higher than expected in Turkey, Reuters reports, which is expected to complicate discussions on the trajectory of interest rates in the country.
The annualized rate of inflation was at 47.09% in November, up 2.24% on a monthly basis as the price of food and non-alcoholic drinks climbed 5.1%.
South Africa hopes to open travel corridor with India
The Times of India reports South African officials are targeting India as a potential source market for travelers through an expedited visa process and boosting airlift.
"Currently, talks between South African Airways and Indian carriers like SpiceJet and Indigo are underway," the Times reports. "If and when successful, these direct flights are expected to reduce travel time to just 8-9 hours from major Indian cities like Mumbai and Delhi. At present, travellers have to go through lengthy layovers."
Kenyan travel difficult despite visa-free status
According to the latest version of the Africa Visa Openness Index, Kenya now ranks 46 out of 54 nations on the continent despite the recent introduction of a new "visa-free policy," BBC reports.
Travelers are still required to apply online for authorization to enter the country, although Kenyan officials say this isn't, technically, a visa.
"The system, known as the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), determines if applicants are eligible to travel to Kenya and can take up to three days to be processed," the news outlet reports.