British musicians claim to have set the world record by playing a gig at the world’s highest altitude – above Mount Everest’s Base Camp. The Everest gig was organised by British charity The Nepal Balabalika Trust (Trust for Nepalese Children) and lasted 40-minutes before about 100 mountaineers, and aimed to raise money for children victimised by armed conflict in Nepal. The musicians who played also included Martin Harley of The Martin Harley Band, and solo artists Ben Michaels, Michael ‘Skyhook’, Billy Page, Mike McGuiness and Nick Storey, said trust member Jason Merry.

More than two years after the fall of Saddam Hussein, 10,000 artefacts looted from the National Museum of Iraq are still missing and archaeological sites across Iraq have been plundered. The National Museum of Iraq is closed to the public and inside just about everything portable has been stolen, all except a dozen ancient statues which are just too vast to move. Unfortunately, sue to the on-going violence in Iraq, no-one has the time or manpower to look for either the stolen museum pieces or to protect the sites scattered around Iraq.

13-15th January, 2005 at Olympia, London

Where better to start Planning your Adventure holiday or Career break than at Olympia this January?

• Over 250 exhibitors * Over 100 free talks
• New exhibitors, new speakers, new features, new ideas for 2006

Whether you are a discerning traveller looking for inspirational holiday ideas or a seasoned adventurer, come and visit us at Olympia this January – it’s where the adventure begins. Now in its 11th year, The Daily Telegraph Adventure Travel and Sports Show is the only event dedicated to showcasing the UK’s biggest collection of off-the-beaten-track holidays. For everyone planning a travel experience in 2006 – from gentle treks to rafting the Grand Canyon to taking a career break – this is the only opportunity to meet directly with more than 250 specialist adventure travel providers from around the world.

Visit www.adventureshow.co.uk for full details on talks and features and up to date show news. 13 – 15 January 2006 Olympia, London 10.00am – 6.00pm daily

Globetrotters members can get Tickets for �7 in advance (�10 on the Door) by quoting ‘Globetrotters’ by Visiting www.adventureshow.co.uk or call 0870 161 2122

Survival International, a London-based organisation which accuses the Botswana government of ethnic cleansing against the Kalahari Bushmen has come under fierce criticism for allegedly distorting the true picture. One of the largest Bushmen groups in Botswana, the Kuru Family of Organisations, claims that is untrue. “There’s no genocide taking place, there’s no ethnic cleansing taking place,” said Braam Le Roux, a coordinator of the group.

Stephen Corry, director of Survival said: “Ethnic cleansing, yes. Genocide, it’s a question of looking at the term. We are very close to saying this is outright genocide, although the government has not, as yet, outright killed people.” Survival International works with around 700 Bushmen, either evicted from, or facing eviction from the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, their ancestral land for 20,000 years.

Stephen Corry’s understanding of genocide is the forced removal of the Bushmen, which he believes will lead to their eventual destruction as a distinct people.

The Chiang Mai Night Safari Park, part of a huge project aimed at turning the area into “Chiang Mai World”, has received a boost with Kenya agreeing to provide Thailand with 135 African wild animals. Thailand in turn has pledged to provide financial assistance worth 20 million baht to Kenya so it can set up an elephant fund to help Kenya tackle the problem of rogue elephants. Wildlife activists have expressed concern over the welfare of the wild animals. Several major NGOs have expressed strong opposition to the use of wildlife for entertainment. They also questioned the deal’s transparency. One key concern is opposition to the export and exchange of wildlife, particularly species protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species list, such as white rhinos, lions and Sita tigers.

Norway’s Directorate for Cultural Heritage has begun a unique program of setting up signs to highlight historical landmarks – underwater. The signs will be placed in order to discourage vandalism and plundering. About 30 shipwrecks in southern Norway will get the familiar preservation sign from the directorate, to help divers appreciate – and respect – some of the country’s less obvious attractions. Signs will be placed at depths of 10-30 meters (33-98 feet), and will point out wrecks and cargo that are particularly vulnerable to plundering.

The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office advise against all travel to central, southern and Western Mindanao, and the Sulu archipelago including Basilan, Tawi-Tawi and Jolo, where military and police operations against terrorist and rebel groups are continuing and where kidnappings and bombings have taken place.

There is a threat of kidnapping throughout the Philippines. We believe that terrorists and criminal elements are continuing with plans to kidnap foreign tourists from islands and coastal areas in the southern Philippines – ie Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago. Kidnappings from other parts of the Philippines cannot be discounted. Boats travelling to and from offshore islands and dive sites are possible targets.

There is a high threat from terrorism throughout the Philippines. On 28 August 2005, an explosion on board a passenger ferry in Basilan, Mindanao killed 2 people and injured at least 30. On 10 August, two bombs exploded in Zamboanga City, western Mindanao when at least 25 people were injured. In February 2005, bombs in Manila and Mindanao killed at least nine people and injured over 130 others. We believe that terrorist groups have the capacity to mount attacks at any time and anywhere in the Philippines

You should also be alert to the risk of street crime.

China has announced the completion of the first railway line from Golmud in China's north-western province of Qinghai to Lhasa, in Tibet. The line is expected to start taking passengers in 2006. This is one of the world's highest train routes, at 5,072m (16,640ft) above sea level. Trains travelling on the line will have to have carriages that are sealed like aircraft to protect passengers from altitude sickness. The workers who built the line had to breathe bottled oxygen in order to deal with the high altitudes.

At September's World Tourism Day, the the United Nations Today said that more and more people can afford to travel. In 1950 it was 20 million, last year 760 million, and by 2020 it is expected that the number of international travellers will exceed 1.6 billion a year.

A member of Globetrotters Club? Interested in a £1,000 travel award?

Know someone who is? We have £1,000 to award each year for five years for the best submitted independent travel plan. Interested?

Then see our legacy page on our Website, where you can apply with your plans for a totally independent travel trip and we'll take a look at it. Get those plans in!!