Our guest speaker at our december meeting was Amy Gissen, who gave a great slide show and lecture about Myanmar, truly one of Asia's jewels.
For details of forthcoming meetings email newyork@globetrotters.co.uk or register for email updates at click here at our website.
New York meetings are held at The Wings Theater, 154 Christopher Street (btw Greenwich St and Washington St), to the right of Crunch Fitness, in the Archive on the first Saturday of each month at 4 pm.
Novodevichiy Convent (Nunnery) is one of the most beautiful Moscow convents. By studying its history we discover many facts about the history of the State, which is extremely interesting.
It was founded in the early 16th century. Its main cathedral was consecrated in honour of the Smolenskaya Icon of the Mother of God Hodigitria. According to the legend, St. Luke himself painted the icon, and it is closely linked with the convent’s foundation.
So Great Prince Vassily 3 founded the Novodevichy Convent in 1524 in honour of the seizure of Smolensk. The Convent stood on the road leading to southwest, in the direction of Smolensk, a small town 300 km away from Moscow.
The convent is like a miniature Kremlin. Its cathedral church was built with the Kremlin Cathedral of the Assumption as a model, perhaps by the Italian architect Aleviz Fryazin, and in 1525 the copy of the Smolenskaya Icon was placed in it. The convent’s fortified, toothed walls and the towers were added at the end of the 16th century in the reign of Boris Godunov, and their design was also based on the Kremlin. In the 17th century the towers were decorated with splendid tracery crowns.
It was the richest convent in Moscow. Noblewomen of the time became noviciates in it- wives and widows of the tsars and boyars, their daughters and sisters – and on taking the veil they handed over their jewels, pearls, gold and silver. Women were secluded into this convent for several causes: either if they couldn’t get a divorce, which was impossible at those times, or if they became widows, also if they were to be devoid of their political rights, like it was the case with the sister of Peter the Great. It was here in 1689 that Peter the Great confined the intelligent and power-loving Sofia, who did not wish to concede the throne to her brother after he had attained adulthood.
The same fate was in store for Yevdokia Lopukhina, the first wife of Peter the Great and mother of Tsarevich Aleksei. In 1727 she was brought here from the Shlisselburg Fortress in St. Petersburg after Peter’s death, and not long before her own. Both of Peter’s relatives are buried in the convent’s Smolensk cathedral.
It was here, in the Novodevichy Convent, that Boris Godunov was «summoned to kingdom» in 1568. In the fire of 1812 the convent was nearly ruined. At the beginning of September numerous French soldiers were billeted here and later on Napoleon himself visited the place on horseback. Without dismounting he looked round at the convent and gave orders for the Church of John the Baptist to be blown up, then he departed. On the night of 8 October the French troops were getting ready to retreat. Before leaving they stuck lighted candles on the wooden iconostases and threw them on to the floor where they had scattered straw everywhere. In the cellar of Smolensky Cathedral the nuns discovered open barrels of powder with smouldering fuses. With only seconds before a terrible explosion, the nuns managed to put out the fuses and prevent a fire in the convent.
A picturesque pond with ducks just near the convent makes it a wonderful place.
Novodevichy Convent has been witness to many historical events in its time, but it managed to go through it, endure it and not only preserve but also multiply spiritual heritage with centuries.
After the revolution the convent was secularised, then it housed a branch of the State History Museum. Today it’s a convent with 2 museums but it has been given back to the church.
An economist has warned that global efforts to combat malaria are on the verge of collapse as scarce international donor funds were being used to fight AIDS instead. Malaria is estimated to kill more than 1-million people each year, most of whom are children in sub-Saharan Africa. Mr Sachs, speaking to journalists during an international teleconference said that international donors were not living up to their promises to help combat malaria. To make matters worse, he said, AIDS took the lion's share of donor funding. For example, the UN Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, had committed only 22m for malaria programmes during its first round of funding (out of a total of 616m committed). Sachs also lashed out at the World Bank for failing to meet its commitment to raise $500m to help eradicate malaria. “The situation is paradoxical. Knowing what to do insecticide coated bed nets alone could save millions of lives and we even have new organisational funds, but the pieces have not come together to produce results,” said Sachs. Sachs said that malaria cost the African economy more than $12bn a year, and that the disease could be controlled for $2-3bn annually.
Source: Massive Effort
For information on Ontario meetings, please contact: Svatka Hermanek:
shermanek@schulich.yorku.ca or Bruce Weber: tel. 416-203-0911 or Paul Webb: tel. 416-694-8259.
Meetings are held on the third Friday of January, March, May, September and November. Usually at the Woodsworth Co-op, Penthouse, 133, Wilton Street in downtown Toronto at 8.00 p.m.
Whether it’s a Bank holiday or any other weekend, Layer Marney is the perfect place to take the family for a fun-packed day out. Situated down a quiet, single-track lane, well signposted from the historic town of Colchester, it is hard to believe that anything so beautiful could exist in the heart of the Essex countryside – that is until you reach the gates leading to the estate.
Seeped in history, the tower is the tallest, most elaborate Tudor gatehouse in England and an initial glimpse of the striking building will take your breath away. Constructed in the Italian design, popular in the period in which it was built and made from terracotta bricks, the gatehouse is a vibrant red colour and very eye-catching.
The house spans either side of the tower itself and is currently occupied and so not open for public viewing. Beautifully designed gardens surround the building and a signpost to the left of the tower indicates the presence of the church of St Mary The Virgin, where regular Sunday worship is still practised.
Lying to the South of the main gatehouse is the very long and very narrow, Long Hall. Features include a wrought iron fireplace on the right hand wall and black iron chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. The room itself is panelled with black wood and is the ideal venue to re-enact a Tudor banquet, where the staff will dress for the period and provide appropriate entertainment in the form of fire-eaters, jugglers or jesters.
On departing the hall you find yourself in a large courtyard, consisting of the Corsellis room (currently split into two housing the gift shop and the tearoom), and the barn that contains a collection of rare breed animals, many of which can be fed. There are also two farm walks, starting from the barn and varying in length, which include the chance to see the red deer that roam the grounds.
Entrance to the tower itself is via wooden double doors, passing a marbled jaguar cat on either side, into a small entrance room with archways to the left and right. All windows are arched and those in the entrance hall span the length of the wall. Dark curtains hang to the ground either side of the window and deer heads hang over each arch.
Those interested in Layer Marney’s history are advised to visit the History room – a large room thought to be the place where Queen Elizabeth I stayed on a visit to the tower in 1579 – which houses a model replica of the estate and also contains historical information. This room is found between the stairwells on the right and left of the tower and is reached via a well-maintained, spiral, wooden staircase. 95 steps lead to the top, where breathtaking views of the estate and surrounding countryside can be observed.
The estate is of interest to all ages and many events are held here, including craft fairs where there are activities and goods on offer for both young and old. It is also a popular venue for both civil ceremonies and wedding receptions and corporate events are often held here, where activities on offer include clay pigeon shooting, archery and jousting.
The tower has a colourful history and has seen many occupants over the years. It was built by Henry, the first Lord Marney, who wanted a home that would reflect his position as an important member of the royal court and it was originally intended to be a rival to Hampton Court Palace. By his death in 1515 only one side of the tower had been completed, however, the work was continued by his son until his death in 1525.
Though many others have lived at Layer Marney, the major restoration of the house was carried out by Sir Walter Zoete, who owned it from 1904. Following his death, ownership of the house passed to the Carrington family, descendants of whom currently occupy the property.
The history of Layer Marney Tower has led to it becoming a place of interest to those interested in paranormal activity. The voice of the first Lord Marney can often be heard echoing throughout the church that adjoins the tower and he may also be seen sliding down the banisters of the tower staircase as he attempts to scare those who interrupt his descent of the stairs.
All in all, if you’re ever in Essex with nothing to do, do pay Layer Marney Tower a visit. It’s a beautiful building set in beautiful countryside and is a little piece of history that should not be missed.
Layer Marney is open to the public daily from 1st April till 5th October 2003 and admission costs are £3 per adult or £2.50 per child. Further information can be gained from the website www.layermarneytower.co.uk
Clare is 27 years old and has a BSc in Anatomy and MSc in Forensic Science. She used to work at New Scotland Yard until she fell ill in December 2000 with ME. Clare is a first time mum to 8 month old Lauren and wife to Andrew. She writes freelance in any spare time and hope to begin writing a crime novel later this year (Beetle: PD James, watch out!) She is currently writing a children’s fairy story and various articles for mother and baby magazines.
Scientists are set to explore the world’s highest fresh water lake 4 miles up in the Licancabur volcano near Antofogasta in Chile.
Their aim is to find out how the organisms that live there can survive in such a hostile environment. They will do this by taking samples and diving to the bottom of the lake.
Although the lake at Licancabur volcano is covered with almost two feet of ice during much of the year, the expedition will take place in the southern hemisphere's spring, when the lake is not completely frozen.
The information they hope to gather will help astrobiologists devise strategies and technologies to search for life on planets like Mars during future missions.
Festive food and fellowship was shared at the December Texas branch meeting. The scheduled slide show of Portugal was postponed to the January meeting. In addition to the slide show we will share our 2003 travel goals during the January meeting. Hope to see you – same time, same place!
New Braunfels Public Library 700 E. Common Street, New Braunfels, Texas 830-620-5482, at 2pm, January 11th 2003
As the year 2002 comes to an end, the Texas Branch of the Globetrotters Club continues to flourish. If you have not yet joined the Globetrotters Club, now is the time to do so.
Go to http://www.globetrotters.co.uk/join/ and today! If it is time to renew your membership, do that today! Make sure you welcome 2003 as a member in good standing with the Globetrotters Club.
Dates of future meetings: January 11th, February 8th
The Globetrotters Club is encouraging anyone interested in writing articles
Learn more about Globetrotters at www.globetrotters.co.uk.
For more information about the Texas Branch: please Contact texas@globetrotters.co.uk or call Christina at 830-620-5482
Meetings are held at 2pm at the New Braunfels Public Library, 700 E. Common Street in New Braunfels, Texas. The meeting ends at 5 p.m. If you would like to continue travel talk on a more informal basis, we plan to adjourn to the Hoity-Toit, a local New Braunfels establishment. If anybody would like to enquire about meetings or help Christina, please contact her on: texas@globetrotters.co.uk
Edinburgh is making big efforts to entertain shoppers in the weeks before Christmas. It also plans to lay on what it claims to be the world's biggest Hogmanay party to welcome in the New Year. The Christmas illuminations will be switched on from Nov. 28, and there will be a German Christmas Market with more than 20 traders from Frankfurt, in Princes Street Gardens, which will also be the site of the Edinburgh Wheel (until Jan. 5) – the UK's tallest ferris wheel.
For the 10th successive year, Edinburgh's Hogmanay is a four-day programme to say farewell to the old year and welcome in the new (Dec.29 -Jan.1). Among the free highlights are the Torchlight Procession and Fire Festival, the Night Afore Fiesta (Dec.30, with massed pipes and drums and the world's largest ceilidh, a Celtic-style party), the Hogmanay Triathlon, and Huskies at Holyrood.
The vast Royal Bank Street Party (Dec.31) is free, but entry is by pass only: get one by joining the First Foot Club (£15). As well as entry to the party, this offers the holder discounts in shops and attractions, privileged booking for ticket events and a chance to enter members-only competitions. To join, call the First Foot Club membership hotline (0131 473 2056) or register and buy tickets on the website.
The Beetle likes cityguide.travel-guides.com
Here you can select from a number of cities around the world and compile your own guide, for free. There is a very diverse set of headings from which to chose, e.g. history, cost of living, getting around, shopping, excursions, major sites, tourist information, street maps, nightlife, sport, culture, special events etc.
If you are going away for the weekend and don’t want to buy a guidebook or just want to do some digging around, this is an excellent resource.
Greetings fellow Globetrotters The next Globetrotters' meeting and a “pre-Christmas pot-luck” took place at 7.45 pm to 10 pm on November 15, 2002. Robin Christmas, Linda Rosenbaum & Family talked about “The Ve-Ahavta” (“You Shall Love”) a video of a community development project in Bartica, Guyana. For information on Ontario meetings, please contact: Svatka Hermanek shermanek@schulich.yorku.ca or Bruce Weber: tel. 416-203-0911 or Paul Webb: tel. 416-694-8259.
Meetings are held on the third Friday of January, March, May, September and November. Usually at the Woodsworth Co-op, Penthouse, 133, Wilton Street (south-east from St. Lawrence Market in Toronto, South of Esplanade, 2nd very short block east from Jarvis) in downtown Toronto at 8.00 p.m.
Everyone has heard of Dracula. Dublin born Bram Stoker (1847-1912) created Count Dracula as a figure of fear and revulsion in his novel “Dracula” published in 1897. Since then, we’ve had countless Dracula versions through film, novels, TV series and even comic books. We all know that Dracula comes from Transylvania, in Romania but is there any truth in these myths? Did he really exist?
Popular opinion says that Dracula is based on an exaggerated account of a man called Vlad Tepes, the prince of the Wallachia (found in the southern part of today's Romania). Vlad Tepes was considered at the time to be a fair but very cruel man.
Let’s call him Vlad – Emperor Sigismund of Luxembourg granted him rulership of Wallachia in 1431. The emperor gave Vlad a necklace and a golden medallion with a dragon engraved on it. Vlad set up a mint where he used the dragon emblem.
The name Dracula is actually a nickname and is derived from the Romanian language that in turn comes from Latin – Drac means Devil. Vlad’s father was called this, and the name stuck, and so Vlad became known as Vlad Dracula. He was not a friend of the Ottoman Empire and started organising the state, the army, the law, applying the death penalty by impaling against all those he considered enemies: highwaymen, robbers, beggars, cunning priests, treacherous noblemen, usurper Saxons (who tried to replace him either with cousin Dan cel Tanar (Dan the Young) or by his natural brother Vlad Calugarul (Vlad the Monk)).
Vlad died in 1476 in a battle at Snagov, killed by Laiota Basarab who succeeded him to the throne of Wallachia. To experience some places in Dracula’s life, you can visit:
by Charles Arthur / Independent/UK (via Common Dreams News Center)
The snows of Mount Kilimanjaro, immortalized by an Ernest Hemingway short story, are melting so quickly they are expected to disappear within two decades.
Researchers have found that the ice fields capping Africa's highest mountain shrank by 80 per cent in the last century, from 4.6 square miles in 1912 to just one square mile two years ago, which has brought down the height of the mountain by several feet.
The ice covering the 19,330ft peak “will be gone by about 2020”, said Lonnie Thompson, a glaciologist at Ohio State University. The process has cut water volume in some Tanzanian rivers that supply villages and hospitals. Global warming is one reason, but scientists say it alone cannot have caused such a dramatic change. The other factors behind the transformation remain a mystery.
Globetrotters Meeting Texas Branch – 9 November 2002 by Emily
We had two groups of speakers at our meeting, both on Spain. The first group was Chris and Julie who displayed some fabulous slides of different areas of Spain: Toledo, Madrid, Balboa and San Sebastian.
Our next group of speakers on Spain was Christina and Susan. They spoke mostly about their recent experience at a language school. This school, based in a restored village, is specifically for Spanish professionals to practice their conversational English. They also spoke about their sightseeing adventures in Madrid after they finished a ten day course helping the Spaniards with their spoken English.
Next, each member and visitor spoke about recent trips and future hopes for trips. Upon closing, a suggestion was made to bring ethnic holiday foods to the December meeting, although this is contingent on the approval of the library where our meetings are held.
The next Texas meeting will be held on Saturday 8th December.
A reminder that Texas meetings will start one hour earlier, at 2pm and not 3pm.
Meetings are held at 2pm at the New Braunfels Public Library, 700 E. Common Street in New Braunfels, Texas. The meeting ends at 5 p.m. If you would like to continue travel talk on a more informal basis, we plan to adjourn to the Hoity-Toit, a local New Braunfels establishment. If anybody would like to enquire about meetings or help Christina, please contact her on: texas@globetrotters.co.uk
Rank
Airport
Total Passengers
% Change
1
ATLANTA, GA (ATL)
75,849,375
-5.4
2
CHICAGO, IL (ORD)
66,805,339
-6.9
3
LOS ANGELES, CA (LAX)
61,024,541
-8.3
4
LONDON, GB (LHR)
60,743,154
-6
5
TOKYO, JP (HND)
58,692,688
4.1
6
DALLAS/FT WORTH AIRPORT, TX (DFW)
55,150,689
-9.2
7
FRANKFURT, DE (FRA)
48,559,980
-1.6
8
PARIS, FR (CDG)
47,996,223
-.5
9
AMSTERDAM, NL (AMS)
39,538,483
-.2
10
DENVER, CO (DEN)
36,086,751
-6.9
Hartsfield Atlanta Airport is situated on the site of an abandoned racetrack owned by a Coca-Cola magnate. The City Council took a 5 year lease on 287 acres of land in 1925, rent free, if you can believe it, with the option to buy the land for $100,000. They exercised the option in 1930 and the rest as they say, is history. The airport is named after William Berry Hartsfield, the city alderman who found the site and pushed for the airfield. Hartsfield went on to head the city's new aviation committee and served as Mayor of Atlanta from 1938 to 1961, the year the airport terminal was built.
Information supplied by Airports Council International, the organization that represents most of the world's airports. http://www.airports.org/
New York City may convert de-commissioned cruise ships into shelters for its rising numbers of homeless people. Last month, a record 37,000 homeless people were sleeping in city shelters every night according to the Coalition for the Homeless, which compiles statistics for the city. City officials, including Mayor Michael Bloomberg's commissioner of homeless services, have flown to the Bahamas to inspect disused ships. They say the idea of using them was just one option being considered – but critics say the plan is unnecessary, and have called on the city to provide affordable housing for those in need. City officials stressed that it is too early to speculate on how the cruise-ship idea might be applied in New York.
Scuba diving is the fastest growing sport in the world, each year the number of certified divers doubles. Travel to another world is not just a slogan that many dive centres use to attract the client, it’s true….. to dive is like a dream. Floating underwater is like meditation, yoga or living solitude on a lonely island. You hear nothing, only the bubbles, you feel complete freedom when you are scuba diving. The fish could be your enemy, but in the Greek waters there are only friendly species. Diving in Greece is very popular, the locals like doing it and being a favourite holiday destination……… let’s not forget the tourist. Since the government released some strict rules, particularly about the archaeological places, scuba diving is growing rapidly and in almost every tourist place you can find a diving centre.
On the southernmost point of Europe near the village Plakias on the island of Crete you will find several diving centres. There’s one that opens all year.
Plakias lies opposite the legendary island of Gavdos, where Odysseus spent seven years with the goddess Kalypso. Gavdos is the most southern island of Europe, but there’s no diving centre, only a shepherd with some sheep and goats.
During the wintertime Plakias is a lively little fishermen’s resort. Here you’ll find supermarkets, rooms for rent, restaurants, bars, a doctor, a pharmacy, a post office and a cash machine.
The medieval Town of Rethymno on the north coast is only 45 minutes by car.
Crete in the winter offers a subtropical climate with average day temperatures seldom lower than 16o C and on a good day above 20o C. The island has an average of 300 days with sunshine per year. January and February is the rainy season (good for the farmers) but the tropical showers seldom destroy your whole day. God is taking an hour of your time and you can enjoy the sunny hours afterwards.
Being the cradle of Europe there are many historical places that you can visit. There’s Knossos, the archaeological Museum, and there’s the green countryside with botanical beauties that you’ll find only on Crete.
The friendly Cretans are working in the olive groves or picking the oranges, so Crete is alive during the winter and there are not so many tourists. The locals have time for you and if you like it “siga siga” (no stress) than you should visit Crete in the winter.
The island offers all sorts of activities, like guided walking tours, biking tours, you can rent a car for your trips and let’s not forget the diving excursions.
A good contact point is a local adventure club named Kalypso Rocks Palace.
Let’s stick to the diving where we started this article.
There are dives from the shore or boat starting from an old natural (pirate) harbour that is situated near Hotel Kalypso Cretian Village. The diving scenery here is perfect and the visibility underwater is 20-25 metres, making the Libyan Sea the clearest ocean of Europe.
You’ll see plenty of fish: Groupers, Octopus, Shrimps, Sea Stars, Sea brass, Sponges, Morenos, Corals, etc. Look for them in the numerous small canyons, caves or along the mountain walls. Crete is not comparable with top diving destinations, but by European standards it’s a very good location.
Your gear can be provided and on request accommodation in the hotel or in a pension in Plakias for a reasonable price.
If you are interested tin diving or comming to Crete to look around, please contact the Kalypso Adventure Club www.kalypsodivingcenter.com or email: info@kalypsodivingcenter.com
Update: Kalypso diving centre tell us that any readers of this e-newsletter are eligible for a discount of 10% on diving.
The FCO said early November: 'Following the terrorist attacks in Bali… in which Western tourists were deliberately targeted, the threat to British nationals in Thailand, including popular tourist areas, the island of Phuket in particular, has increased significantly.'
This statement has enraged not only the Thai and other South East Asian tourism authorities, but ABTA, that venerable travel industry association who have asked for greater clarity in the travel advice issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Keith Betton, head of corporate affairs at ABTA, said: 'Surely they should tell us if they have had a specific threat about Phuket.' He added: 'The advice they have given has scared people and we have no idea whether it is reasonable. As far as we can tell Thailand is as dangerous for the 6,000 or so Britons there as London was for Americans when the IRA was bombing here.'
In response, an FCO spokesperson said: “We would not mark out Phuket just to be on the safe side. Our advice is drawn from a number of sources, including intelligence officials”.
Tour operators have been calling customers with bookings to Thailand, or travellers in Thailand, apprising them of the FCO advice and allowing them to postpone or alter their holiday plans. Airtours has dropped Thailand, and Thomson Worldwide says bookings have dipped.
Early November, the FCO updated its advice on 12 countries – including Honduras, Seychelles, Gibraltar and the Marshall Islands in the Pacific – advising travellers to be 'aware of the risk of indiscriminate attacks on civilian targets in public places' although no one at the FCO could explain what this risk is, and it has promised to discuss the practicality of its warnings with the Travel Advice Unit.
Foreign and Commonwealth Travel Advice is available on 020 7008 0232/3.
A British union that has firemen and airport workers as its members has announced a set of dates it on which it proposes to strike.
These will affect seven airports: Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Edinburgh, Southampton, Glasgow and Aberdeen.
Proposed strike dates are: 28 Nov, 2, 10, 15 & 23 Dec and 2nd Jan, and if the fire service does strike, the airports will be left without fire cover and will almost certainly be forced to ground all flights.
Here in the UK, we’ve just had our traditional bonfire night, on November 5th, to celebrate the foiling of the Gunpowder Plot. We’ve been doing this off and on, barring wars, since 1605. Each year either on November 5, or the weekend closest, people get together all over the UK to light bonfires, burn effigies of “guys”, and set off fireworks. Increasingly, people go to public organised bonfires, rather than have one in their back garden, as the public display fireworks are far more spectacular than anything one could put on at home. We are talking amazing pyrotechnic displays!
But what is it all about? The Gunpowder Plot was an attempt to kill the anti-Catholic King James I, King of England. The alleged perpetrators were a group of four Catholic aristocrats and Guy Fawkes who was a soldier. Their plan was to lay barrels of gunpowder in the cellars of the Parliament Buildings to be ignited the following day, on 5th November when King James, his eldest son, Prince Henry, and Queen Ann were to attend the opening of Parliament. The aim of the conspirators was, once the king and his family had been assassinated, to propose someone else who was more sympathetic to the Catholics in the UK.
So how did they set about this? The first attempt at tunnelling into the cellars of the Parliament from nearby lodgings failed as water from the River Thames waterlogged the tunnel. Instead, one of the gang used his influence to gain access to cellars beneath Parliament, and somehow, they managed to smuggle in 36 barrels of gunpowder. However, there were problems: the King kept postponing the opening of Parliament, so he was never around to blow up, and secondly, because of the time delay, the gunpowder was going mouldy, and more had to be bought from overseas, to ensure that it would explode.
So what happened next? Just before the big day, someone sent a letter to Lord Monteagle a former Catholic sympathiser, warning him to stay away from the opening of Parliament on November 5th. Lord M immediately passed the letter to Robert Cecil, the King’s Chief Secretary, and even though the gang of five knew about the letter's existence , and that they had possibly been rumbled, they still went ahead with their plans. Guy Fawkes, a soldier, was volunteered to stay overnight in the cellar with the gunpowder and set light to it at the right moment. On the night of 4th November, after a thorough search of Parliament, Guy Fawkes was found hidden, along with the gunpowder in the cellars. He was tortured and the other members of the gang were found and along with Guy Fawkes were tried and sentenced to death in St. Paul's churchyard in January 1606. Later, four of the conspirators were executed at the Old Palace Yard, Westminster. All eight men eventually identified as being part of the plot were hung, drawn, and quartered, the standard punishment for those convicted of treason.
Canada and the European Union have joined Australia and indefinitely closed their diplomatic missions in the Philippines after receiving information about an “imminent” terror attack.
The move came after Australia said it had received “credible and specific” warning of the attack by Islamic militants on its embassy in the capital Manila within the next few days.
“It is not only location specific, targeting the Australian embassy itself, but also it's time specific,” Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer told Australian radio without giving any further details.