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Mary Alice, Alert from the Cornwall's Voice for Animals UK

National Post (f/k/a The Financial Post) Canada. Ottawa hires cruise ships for evacuation: Cyprus, then home by air: As many as 50,000 Canadians believed to be in Lebanon
www.canada.com/nationalpost/index.html

MESSAGE TO BRITISH NATIONALS IN LEBANON
www.britishembassy.gov.uk/

U.S. public announcements and warden messages. Lebanon Situation Update
http://lebanon.usembassy.gov/lebanon/wm071806.html United Kingdom Tells Nationals Evacuating Lebanon: DO NOT BRING PETS
The British Embassy announces that British naval vessels are evacuating further British citizens to Cyprus. The Embassy will organise departure at the Beirut Forum Thursday 20 July from 9.30 am. British passport holders with their immediate families, whatever their nationality (provided they have valid travel documents), wishing to leave should report to the Beirut Forum from 9.30. We cannot guarantee what time the ships will sail.

• If you are able to reach the Beirut Forum before 3pm on today Wednesday we will do our best to put you on today's ships. If we cannot do so, you will be asked to come back tomorrow as there is no accommodation in the Beirut Forum. We are expecting more ships in the next couple of days.
• You should bring travel documents, money/credit cards and one small bag which would be considered hand luggage if you were boarding a plane. You will be sent home to repack if you arrive with larger luggage.
• If you are a male British-Lebanese dual national born between 1973 and 1986, you will need to have your papers showing that you have completed your military service or have been exempted from it.
• Do not bring pets, household staff or non-immediate family or friends who are not British citizens, or larger bags and cases. None of these will be allowed on the ships under any circumstances.
• You do not need to contact us again if you decide to come to the Forum today.

Canada Tells Citizens Evacuating Lebanon: NO PETS
OTTAWA - The Conservative government plans to evacuate at least 20,000, and as many as 50,000, Canadians from Lebanon to Cyprus by cruise ships. Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay said the government has chartered six cruise ships, each with a capacity of 600 to 900 passengers, to start picking up Canadians at the port of Beirut as of midday. They will ferry evacuees back and forth for at least three days, possibly more.

The government doesn't know how many Canadians want out, but the number of those registered with the government has doubled to about 25,000 in the past few days and about 50,000 are believed to be in the country. Mr. MacKay estimated a third of them are in the war torn south. "The intensity right now of the bombing is such that to send people there, even to send buses or armoured cars, we don't have that equipment on the ground," he said. A 16-member Canadian military contingency planning assistance team will oversee the evacuation at each end, ensuring orderly boarding of passengers based on a priority system that puts ill, injured or elderly people and women and children first, he said.

Passengers will be allowed minimal luggage and no pets. The plan is to have chartered flights at an airport in Cyprus to fly people back to Canada, Mr. MacKay said, although that part is still a bit sketchy and depends on numbers of people and the capacity of the airport.

The United States is planning to evacuate several thousands of its citizens from Lebanon, while groups ranging from a few dozen to several hundred have already been rescued, mostly overland to Syria, by Sweden, Norway, Great Britain, Denmark and Germany.

Officials in Jordan say about 1,200 people fleeing Lebanon through Syria have been arriving daily. Syria puts the number of evacuees crossing its border at about 100,000.

United States Orders Evacuating Citizens: NO PETS ALLOWED TO TRAVEL
This Warden Message is to update Americans to the ongoing security concerns in Lebanon. The Embassy is monitoring the situation in Lebanon closely and is reviewing all options for assisting Americans who wish to depart Lebanon. The U.S. Department of State continues to work with the U.S. Department of Defense on a plan to help American citizens safely depart Lebanon. Additional information on departure plans, as it becomes available, will be released via the media, Embassy warden announcements, and on the Embassy website. The Department of State continues to work around the clock to ensure the safety and well-being of its citizens.

Beirut International Airport, which is severely damaged by bombings, remains closed. Americans who wish to depart Lebanon should prepare important travel documents such as a valid U.S. passport, birth certificates, and other civil documents such as marriage certificates, and medical records.

Once U.S. sponsored travel arrangements are in place, travelers will each be allowed only one small suitcase. We give priority to U.S. citizens but will consider departure assistance to Legal Permanent Residents accompanying a U.S. citizen immediate family member. ONE guardian may accompany an American citizen minor, even if that guardian is not an American. The guardian must have a valid passport and a U.S. visa, if traveling to the U.S. We understand that neither Lebanese nor Americans need a visa to enter Cyprus. Pets will not be allowed to travel.

We continue to urge Americans to remain in a safe location. Although we understand that Syria is willing to admit Americans without visas, there have been reports of damage to the border crossings at Mesnaa and along the northern Lebanon-Syrian border. However, if people encounter difficulty at the border crossing into Syria, they should contact the American Embassy in Damascus at 963-11-333-1342. Americans who attempt such crossings are advised to exercise great caution when traveling on major roads as they are subject to an air strike at any time.

The U.S. Embassy remains open for business; however, Nonimmigrant Visa processing has been suspended. American Citizen Services and Immigrant Visa processing are functioning normally. American citizens are urged to continue to evaluate their personal security and to keep in contact with the U.S. Embassy for continuing information on developments.

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