Global Alerts
LATEST UPDATE:
October 20, 2023
CIS Abroad is closely monitoring the situation in Israel, Palestine, and the surrounding area. We are aware that there are growing concerns about violence spreading in the region. CIS Abroad does not operate programs in Palestine or Israel, nor do we currently operate programs where there are concerns that this conflict may spill over.
We have let all current students know that they are to avoid travel to the region surrounding Israel and Palestine. We are also continuing to update them on demonstrations and protests that should be avoided in their host cities.
US University partners, students, and parents are concerned, as we all are, about instability in the Middle East. We wish for a peaceful resolution, and we sincerely hope that innocent people on all sides are spared as the various parties involved work towards that end.
Since the attacks by Hamas militants that precipitated the current crisis, on October 7th, 2023 the US State Department has not changed any Travel Advisory Level outside of Israel, the West Bank, Gaza, and Lebanon. On October 19th, the US Department of State put out a Worldwide Caution statement. It would take an extraordinary escalation, involving several regional powers, for Travel Advisory Levels to be elevated as far away as Europe, UK, Latin America, Asia, and Australia where our programs are based. The CIS Abroad Risk Management Team currently does not anticipate that this crisis will result in the US State Department issuing a ‘Reconsider Travel’ or a “Do Not Travel” warning for locations where we operate even if the situation continues to deteriorate.
There is no indication that this conflict will move beyond the Middle East. Nevertheless we are including here information on how decisions are made about where we can safely operate programs.
The following is an excerpt from the CIS Abroad Crisis and Emergency Response Plan:
Cancellation of the Program
Cancellation or suspension of any program may result if;
- The program location changes to a US State Department Level 3 or Level 4 designation
CIS Abroad Policy regarding operating programs in areas with State Department level 3 and level 4 designation: CIS Abroad may choose to not operate programs in countries with a US State Department Level 3 (“Reconsider Travel”) and will not operate programs in countries with a Level 4 (“Do Not Travel”) designation
CIS Abroad will operate in countries with a US State Department Level 1 (“Exercise Normal Precautions”) or Level 2 designation (“Exercise Increased Caution”), however if there are areas within that Level 2 country that have been designated Level 3 or 4 the program will be coordinated to avoid the areas with Level 3 or 4 designations.
- CIS Abroad deems it necessary to cancel or suspend the program for any other reason, i.e., the safety and welfare of the participants are in jeopardy.
More information on the US Department of State’s Travel Advisories and Levels can be found here.
CIS Abroad will continue to monitor the US Department of State’s Travel Advisories, the US Department of State’s Overseas Security and Advisory Council’s safety briefings, international news sources, and safety assessments compiled by international insurance and safety organizations to ensure that we are updated on the latest information. We will also continue to work closely with our international partners abroad to ensure that our participants are advised of any local protests, demonstrations, or other factors that may impact their experience on site.
10.24.23 Additional information to note:
We have received some questions about the cancellation of programs. We regularly monitor risk levels and participate in the OSAC (Overseas Security Advisory Council) academic working group; we are not hearing that US citizens or students should not travel to the places where we operate. If the State Dept raises the level of the alert and we can no longer operate the program, our refund policy will apply and we will refund all recoverable costs. Those vary program to program and vary according to how far into the program a student is. Please note the section called “Once Abroad (On the Program)” and the link to CFAR/IFAR insurance that you can purchase should you wish to.
PREVIOUS UPDATES:
October 10, 2023
Message to onsite students from site directors: On October 7, 2023, armed Hamas militants launched a strike on Israel from the Gaza strip, escalating ...
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October 3, 2023
This morning CIS Abroad was made aware of a tragic shooting at a mall in downtown Bangkok, Thailand. The site of the shooting, Siem Paragon, is a ...
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May 19, 2023
Northern Italy has been hit hard by rain over the past several days. Many rivers have swollen and breeched their banks. Towns have been flooded and ...
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May 11, 2023
CIS Abroad became aware of a 5.2 magnitude earthquake that occurred at 4:16am on Thursday morning of May 11, 2023 in Chiba Prefecture, adjacent to ...
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December 2, 2022
For the Summer 2023 and beyond, CIS Abroad strongly recommends that participants receive the COVID-19 vaccine and boosters but will not require it. ...
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November 13, 2022
As of November 14, 2022, 10:41am EST Yesterday there was an explosion in central Istanbul, Turkey. This is not a location where CIS Abroad operates, ...
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October 29, 2022
CIS Abroad is aware of a massive Halloween stampede with many casualties that occurred this evening in the Itaewon area of Seoul. We have worked with ...
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October 27, 2022
It is being reported that there was a mass stabbing in Milan. While it is not a location where CIS Abroad operates, we are monitoring the situation ...
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August 30, 2022
Dear CIS Abroad Community, We are excited to be sending CIS Abroad students to Australia, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, England, Hawaii, Ireland, ...
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March 16, 2022
Dear CIS Abroad Community, Since our first update on February 24th, we have seen an escalation in the destruction of Ukrainian cities and a ...
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February 25, 2022
Dear CIS Community, We are excited to be sending CIS Abroad students to Australia, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, England, Hawaii, Ireland, Italy, ...
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February 24, 2022
Dear CIS Community, The following update is in response to the ongoing conflict and escalation to widespread airstrikes and shelling of cities in ...
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February 24, 2022
Dear Colleagues, The Center for International Studies (CIS Abroad) continues to proactively prepare for the lifting of university, state, national ...
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January 5, 2022
Dear CIS Community, We are excited to be sending CIS Abroad students to Hawaii, Spain, Ireland, Costa Rica, England, Italy, Czech Republic, Thailand, ...
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November 30, 2021
Below you will find an update regarding COVID vaccines, boosters, and how we are monitoring the Omicron variant. COVID Vaccines & Boosters COVID ...
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September 9, 2021
Dear Colleagues, The Center for International Studies (CIS Abroad) continues to proactively prepare for the lifting of university, state, national ...
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August 31, 2021
<< For our most recent message and policies regarding COVID-19, please visit our Global Alerts page. >> Dear colleagues, students, and ...
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August 11, 2021
Dear CIS Abroad Community, Over the past month we have seen COVID numbers in many parts of the world surge due to the spread of the Delta variant. ...
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July 22, 2021
Dear Partners, We’re writing to you today with some updates about COVID, program delivery, and travel advisories as we head into Fall 2021 Study ...
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May 25, 2021
Dear Partners, Below you will find CIS Abroad's position on COVID-19 Vaccinations for staff and program participants. 100% of U.S. based CIS Abroad ...
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April 21, 2021
Dear CIS Abroad Community, This week we learned that the United States Department of State (US DoS) would be updating their Travel Advisory level for ...
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February 4, 2021
Dear Colleagues, The Center for International Studies (CIS Abroad) continues to proactively prepare for the lifting of University, state, national ...
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December 1, 2020
Dear Partners, We are proud to be a part of this amazing community of International Educators, committed to principles of diversity, action, ...
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September 15, 2020
The Center for International Studies (CIS Abroad) is proactively preparing for the lifting of University, state, national and international travel ...
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June 4, 2020
Dear partners, parents, and friends of the international education community, We know the plans that students had for traveling abroad with us this ...
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March 23, 2020
On March 19, the State Department issued a new Global Level 4 Health Advisory. The Level 4: Do Not Travel advisory "advises U.S. citizens to avoid ...
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March 19, 2020
We are aware that the State Department issued a new Global Level 4 Health Advisory. The Level 4: Do Not Travel advisory” advises U.S. citizens to ...
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March 19, 2020
CIS Abroad has cancelled spring programs in Thailand. The situation around the world relating to the spread of Coronavirus, and the COVID-19 Disease, ...
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March 17, 2020
The situation around the world relating to the spread of Coronavirus, and the COVID-19 Disease, is rapidly changing. Today, the Australian government ...
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March 16, 2020
The situation around the world, relating to the spread of Coronavirus, and the COVID-19 Disease is rapidly changing. We are in an unprecedented time, ...
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March 15, 2020
The below email was sent to all students and their emergency contacts who are enrolled in programs in the UK and Ireland for spring. Dear Students ...
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March 13, 2020
We are actively working with all of our overseas partners on their remote learning opportunities, prioritizing the following countries: France, The ...
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March 12, 2020
The situation around the world, relating to the spread of Coronavirus, and the COVID-19 Disease is rapidly changing. The CDC has raised its alert ...
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March 11, 2020
As reported by the Department of Homeland Security, “Today President Donald J. Trump signed a Presidential Proclamation, which suspends the entry of ...
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March 9, 2020
Earlier this afternoon, CIS Abroad learned that Spain’s Health Minister confirmed that the region of Madrid would suspend all school and university ...
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March 4, 2020
The CDC has recently added to their level 3 Italy alert to include the following key point: Travelers should stay home and monitor their health ...
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March 2, 2020
On March 1, 2020 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a public statement encouraging U.S. institutions of higher education to ...
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March 1, 2020
Dear Students and Families, As you may know, we have suspended our programs in Italy for spring 2020 due to the US State Department and CDC alert ...
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March 1, 2020
CIS Abroad has made the difficult decision to suspend all onsite operations in Italy for Spring 2020 programs. We are asking that all students make ...
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February 29, 2020
Our partner programs in Rome, Florence, Perugia, and Sorrento have not cancelled their programs. The Italian Government warnings remain unchanged as ...
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February 28, 2020
Italy was recently upgraded to level 3 by the CDC and US State Department. The Italian Government and our Italian University partners have not yet ...
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February 26, 2020
CIS Abroad has made the difficult decision to cancel the Spring 2020 CIS Abroad Semester in South Korea Program. This decision was made after careful ...
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February 25, 2020
We are aware that the CDC raised the alert level to 3 in South Korea and we are working with spring 2020 participants to discuss options. CIS Abroad ...
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February 24, 2020
Over the weekend, international news reports and notices from the U.S. Embassy in Rome provided more information about a few cases of Coronavirus ...
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February 20, 2020
We are saddened to hear of a recent shooting in Hanau, Germany, a town outside of Frankfurt, where several people were injured and killed. ...
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February 14, 2020
For several weeks, CIS Abroad’s response to the novel Coronavirus has been three-fold: Monitoring the spread of the virus and staying current on all ...
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February 8, 2020
We were made aware of a shooting incident in a town a few hours north of Bangkok, Thailand this morning that involved multiple casualties. Here is an ...
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January 29, 2020
CIS Abroad only had one confirmed academic program in China in 2020, and that program has already ended. So, there are no more CIS Abroad academic or ...
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January 7, 2020
CIS Abroad is closely monitoring the fire situation in Australia. We are communicating frequently with Australian University partners and with our ...
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January 3, 2020
Australia has been suffering from some devastating brushfires recently. CIS Abroad is closely monitoring the situation with our Australian University ...
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December 9, 2019
In the early morning hours of December 9, 2019 an an earthquake and several after shocks hit the northern part of Tuscany, Italy. The shocks could be ...
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November 29, 2019
There was an incident this morning near the London Bridge at 2 pm local time (9 am EST). It appears an assailant stabbed 5 people before being shot ...
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November 13, 2019
Currently the New South Wales and Queensland areas of Australia are experiencing bushfires (wildfires) that have approached but not impacted CIS ...
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October 24, 2019
Protests have continued peacefully in Barcelona. There are scheduled protests for this upcoming weekend, but they are smaller than last week. All CIS ...
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October 19, 2019
Protests continued today in what was scheduled as the biggest day for the Barcelona protests this week. In addition to a general strike, people from ...
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October 16, 2019
Protests in Barcelona are scheduled to continue through Friday, the day of the general strike. Peaceful marches from 6 major Catalan cities have ...
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October 14, 2019
Today in Barcelona there have been protests and marches after the Spanish government issued prison sentences to the separatists from the 2017 ...
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October 13, 2019
As of October 12 at 3:00 PM, the government of Ecuador has set a curfew for all residents of Quito. All CIS Abroad participants are safe. CIS Abroad ...
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October 10, 2019
Protesters have gathered in the historical center of Quito and other cities as a result of recent government policy changes that affect the price of ...
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August 2, 2019
A series of explosions occurred in Bangkok in several locations this morning. At least four people were injured. There are no CIS Abroad students or ...
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July 19, 2019
An earthquake hit Athens, Greece, just after 2 p.m. local time today, causing strong shaking in the capital city for a few seconds. The earthquake ...
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July 18, 2019
CIS Abroad was informed of a terrible event today in the usually peaceful city of Kyoto, Japan. A fire, likely the result of an arson attack, has ...
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July 3, 2019
Earlier today a volcano erupted on Stromboli Island, killing a man from Sicily. Stromboli Island is located off the coast of Sicily and the ...
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May 28, 2019
In the greater Tokyo area a man attacked multiple people with a knife on Tuesday, May 28th. Two people were killed and others injured. Our thoughts ...
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May 24, 2019
On May 24th there was an explosion in Lyon, France. Authorities say it was more than likely a parcel bomb, set off deliberately. At this time there ...
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April 15, 2019
We are devastated to learn of the fire that has encapsulated Notre Dame Cathedral. Our thoughts are with the people of Paris and this iconic ...
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April 4, 2019
There was a dorm fire early Thursday morning that has displaced around 220 students. Luckily, no students were severely harmed and all of our ...
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March 18, 2019
CISabroad is aware of the attack on a tram in Utrecht, Netherlands this morning. We do not currently have any participants in the country. Our ...
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March 15, 2019
We can confirm all students studying in New Zealand are safe and accounted for since the Friday afternoon mosque shootings in Christchurch. Our ...
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March 1, 2019
The U.S. Geological Survey is reporting that early this morning (around 4 a.m.) a 7.1 magnitude earthquake occurred in Southern Peru. All CISabroad ...
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February 22, 2019
Earlier this morning, a 7.5 magnitude earthquake took place in a rural area of eastern Ecuador. Early reports are of little damage and no program ...
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January 12, 2019
This morning there was a gas leak in Paris that turned into an explosion, killing 3 people. We are monitoring the situation and all students we have ...
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December 11, 2018
We are aware of the following incident in Strasbourg, France (Link: https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/11/europe/gunshots-strasbourg-france-intl/index.html) ...
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December 6, 2018
CISabroad is aware of and monitoring unfolding protests across France, and particularly focused in the capital city of Paris. These protests are in ...
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November 12, 2018
All students and staff in Melbourne, Australia were deemed safe after a man lit his vehicle on fire and stabbed three people in the CBD on Friday. ...
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September 10, 2018
CISabroad is monitoring the progress of Hurricane Olivia as it approaches Hawaii and potentially makes landfall within the next day or two. Students ...
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August 23, 2018
CISabroad is monitoring the progress of Hurricane Lane as it approaches Hawaii. Students are on-site for the Fall 2018 semester. We are working ...
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August 14, 2018
Earlier this morning a bridge collapsed in Genoa, located in the north of Italy and there were multiple fatalities. CISabroad currently has no ...
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July 24, 2018
All students on CISabroad's Athens, Greece program are reported safe as wildfires are raging in and near the city. We will continue to monitor the ...
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June 18, 2018
There was a 6.1 magnitude earthquake in Japan today. It hit the Kansai region (Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe) and over 300 people were injured and at least 3 ...
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May 14, 2018
CISabroad confirmed the safety of all participants in Paris immediately after the knife attack that occurred over the weekend. All participants are ...
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May 4, 2018
Recently the island of Hawai'i has experienced volcanic activity. All students on CISabroad programs have been contacted and accounted for, and all ...
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April 7, 2018
The CISabroad Risk Management Team is aware of the vehicle striking civilians incident that occurred in Muenster, Germany earlier today. We are ...
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March 23, 2018
CISabroad is aware of the unfolding hostage situation in Trebes, France. We are monitoring the situation carefully and working with onsite staff to ...
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March 9, 2018
In the news recently are reports that the Western Cape of South Africa is experiencing a severe drought due to poor rainfall during the 2016 and 2017 ...
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November 13, 2017
According to Reuters, a 6.8 earthquake struck off the coast of Costa Rica near the capital, San Jose, on Sunday night. The U.S. Geological Survey ...
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October 25, 2017
CISabroad continues to monitor the situation in Barcelona carefully. We have a large community of staff who live in Barcelona with their families, ...
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October 3, 2017
We can confirm the safety and well being of all participants onsite in Barcelona. We will continue to monitor the situation as it unfolds over the ...
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October 2, 2017
We are following the events of Catalonia's Independence vote which turned violent over the weekend. We are currently in communication with all onsite ...
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September 15, 2017
At this time it has been confirmed that all our London based program participants are safe. We are continuing to monitor the situation carefully, and ...
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September 15, 2017
We are aware of an incident that took place at a London Underground earlier this morning and are currently in communications with all onsite staff in ...
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August 17, 2017
All of us at CISAbroad offer our thoughts to our colleagues, the people of Barcelona and others affected by the terrible incident at Las Ramblas ...
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August 17, 2017
By now you may have seen the news about the van that hit a group of people on Las Ramblas in Barcelona. Las Ramblas is a popular tourist spot in the ...
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July 28, 2017
Our thoughts are with the people affected by this incident but we are pleased to report that there were no CISabroad program participants or onsite ...
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July 28, 2017
This morning a Renfe train that was coming from Sant Vicenç de Calders (Tarragona) was unable to fully stop as it was arriving at the Barcelona ...
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July 21, 2017
A moderate earthquake struck in Fukushima yesterday at 9.11 am local time. There have been no reports of damage, nor tsunami. Our participants who ...
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July 21, 2017
A strong earthquake in the Aegan Sea shook the island of Kos and parts of Turkey this morning at 1:30 am local time. More information regarding this ...
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June 19, 2017
We are aware of a vehicular incident that took place last night shortly after midnight, local time where a van struck a group of worshipers departing ...
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June 5, 2017
Dear CISabroad Community and Partners, The senseless violence in London this weekend reminded us all that it takes grit (passion and perseverance) to ...
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June 4, 2017
At this time all CISabroad participants have been confirmed safe in the London Bridge attacks, occurring on Saturday evening, June 3rd. Our thoughts ...
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June 4, 2017
At this time it has been confirmed that all our London based program participants are safe. We are continuing to monitor the situation carefully, and ...
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June 3, 2017
We are closely monitoring the development of various incidents occurring this evening near the London Bridge in London, England. We are currently in ...
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May 24, 2017
We were all very saddened by the terrible incident that took place on the evening of May 22, in Manchester, England. Events of this kind are rare; ...
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May 23, 2017
We are closely monitoring the development of a suspected terrorist attack that happened in Manchester, England this evening at approximately 10:35 pm ...
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May 22, 2017
Bangkok, Thailand: On Monday May 22 local time, a bomb exploded at Phramongkutklao Hospital, a military hospital in the capital of Bangkok. There ...
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May 18, 2017
After considering an expansion of the ban on in-flight electronics, the US Department of Homeland Security and the European counterparts have decided ...
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May 17, 2017
We have been made aware of, and are carefully monitoring the consideration by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and their European ...
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May 3, 2017
On May 1st the US State Department issued a travel alert for Europe. The alert is in response to recent attacks in Europe, and in anticipation of ...
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April 21, 2017
We have been informed by our onsite staff that the safety situation in Paris is normal this morning, and that our program participants both in Paris ...
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April 20, 2017
There are reports of a shooting having taken place in central Paris at approximately 9:00 pm local time. A security officer and one of the assailants ...
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March 23, 2017
At this time, our onsite staff in London have confirmed the safety of all onsite CISabroad participants. Our thoughts continue to be with all ...
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March 22, 2017
Earlier, on the grounds of the UK Parliament in London, England a person rammed their car into crowds of people before stabbling a police officer. At ...
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March 7, 2017
Currently a visa is not required for US passport holders who are traveling in Europe for less than 90 days. Recently, there have been talks about a ...
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February 28, 2017
On Saturday, February 25, in Heidelberg, Germany a man drove a car into a pedestrian area and killed one person, injuring two others. There are ...
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February 2, 2017
Dear Colleagues, Partners, and Friends, We are aware that President Donald Trump signed three Executive Orders this week that will affect some ...
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January 18, 2017
There was a strong earthquake in Central Italy about early afternoon local time, with several after shocks ensuing. The main affected area is located ...
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December 19, 2016
A situation involving a large truck driving through crowds at a Christmas fair in Berlin, Germany is currently unfolding. We are monitoring the ...
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December 19, 2016
At approximately 2:00 am local time, an earthquake of 5.8 magnitude struck on the coast of Ecuador, about 20 km from Esmeraldas. Our onsite staff ...
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November 28, 2016
Hurricane Otto hit northern Costa Rica last Thursday/Friday, killing at least 9 individuals and causing an estimated 8 million dollars in damages to ...
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November 13, 2016
A 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck the South Island, near Hanmer Springs at 12.02 am local time. Civil Defence has downgraded the tsunami warning to a ...
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October 13, 2016
Today the Thai government announced the death of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand. There is now an official period of mourning of one ...
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August 12, 2016
This morning CISabroad was made aware of several explosions from small bombs in Southern Thailand. At the moment authorities are uncertain of the ...
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July 25, 2016
In light of recent, horrific events around the Globe, although we cannot prevent them from happening, nor even predict them, CISabroad continues to ...
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July 22, 2016
News emerging from Germany report of a shooting at a shopping center in Munich. We are saddened to hear of yet another incident where civilians are ...
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July 15, 2016
Last night, a man rammed his large truck through crowds of pedestrians along Promenade des Anglais in Nice, France during Bastille Day celebrations. ...
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July 14, 2016
We are saddened about the news of an attack in the city of Nice, in the southern part of France and our hearts go out to the people of Nice, the ...
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July 13, 2016
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Zika virus a global health emergency on January 28, 2016, making extra resources available to combat ...
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