Free Republic

A starling new development reveals South American criminal tourists are on home invasion sprees targeting wealthy neighborhoods across the US, according to Daily Mail. South American thieves exploit the US’ immigration system for travel as they target multi-million dollar homes in liberal-controlled areas with relaxed criminal justice laws. Police from around the country report some of these criminal tourists are from Colombia and elsewhere in South America. They have ransacked mansions in California, New York, Virginia, Texas, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Law enforcement experts say these professional burglars exploit a 2014 visa waiver program intended to promote tourism....

Australian authorities said they plan to reopen the country's borders to international tourists on Monday after closing it for nearly two years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Reuters reported. Since November, Australia has allowed citizens and residents to travel in and out of the country, then admitted international students and some employees. On Monday, leisure and business travelers will be able to enter the country, according to Reuters.

TOURISTS escaping Covid lockdowns for drug-fuelled "plague raves" in Mexico are driving a bloody new cartel war that has left hundreds dead, experts say. Holidaymakers from the US and UK have been warned they could be caught in the crossfire on the beaches of Cancun and Playa del Carmen after a shocking spike in violence. Mobsters have previously kept their gun battles well away from the hotels on Mexico's sun-soaked Mayan Riviera, fearing it would be "bad for business". But bloodthirsty kidnap and torture gangs of the ultra-violent Jalisco New Generation Cartel are said to have ripped up the code...

As many as 1,000 vehicles became stranded as would-be tourists reportedly rushed to view the winter snowfall in the hilltop town of Murree. A policeman, his wife and their six children, as well as another family-of-five, are among the dead, according to local emergency services Rescue 1122. The military is attempting to clear roads and rescue those still trapped. Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid said the crisis had been caused by the number of people travelling to the area, north of the capital Islamabad. More than 100,000 cars had arrived in the colonial-era town in recent days, with social media in...

It's never a good thing when locals warn you to stay out of their crime-infested city.p>When it's the police themselves, well, then it's pretty obvious the city has a problem. Which has brought us this:The Los Angeles police are telling the public not to come into the area for Christmas because it’s like “The Purge” movie.LAPD Detective Jamie McBride recently told media, “My [message] to anybody considering coming to Los Angeles is ‘Don’t,’ he said. “We can’t guarantee your safety. It is terribly out of control […] It’s like that movie ‘Purge’ [sic]. Instead of 24 hours to commit your...

Australia is blocking foreign tourists until at least 2022, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Tuesday. “We will get to international visitors as well, I believe next year,” Morrison said when discussing lifting more pandemic restrictions, The Associated Press reported. Australia has had some of the toughest travel restrictions among democracies during the pandemic, with virtually all foreign travel banned since March 2020.

he Taliban have called for the resumption of international flights to the Afghan capital Kabul, saying all technical issues at the Hamid Karzai International airport have been resolved, amid some signs of normalcy following the group’s takeover of the country last month. Abdul Qahar Balkhi, Taliban-appointed spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs made the remarks in a statement on Sunday, expressing hope that proper commercial services would resume shortly. "The airport is fully operational for domestic and international flights," he said, adding that the Taliban interim government “assures all airlines of its full cooperation and expects all airlines and...

Mask requirements are popping back up again across the United States following new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance that even vaccinated people should wear masks indoors in public in high-transmission communities. Nevada quickly reinstalled a statewide mask mandate within hours of the CDC’s Tuesday announcement, requiring face coverings be worn indoors in public in counties with “substantial or high transmission” starting Friday. Twelve of Nevada’s 17 counties fit that criteria, the state said. That includes Clark County, home to Las Vegas, where the renewed mandate has raised questions about how it will affect its tourism industry, which had...

The two women were visiting the Manialtepec lagoon near the surf and beach destination of Puerto Escondido in Oaxaca state when the attack occurred late Sunday, reported Said Silva, the head of the local civil defense office. The lagoon is known for its stands of mangroves and for brackish waters that turn bioluminescent at some times of the year. The BBC reported that the women are twin sisters Melissa and Georgia Laurie, 28, who had been volunteering and traveling in Mexico. Silva said witnesses told officials the two Britons were swimming when one was attacked by a crocodile. The second...

The killers of the greatest city in the World, Obama, Biden, Cuomo, De Blasio, the entire Democrat Party!!! Dead On Arrival: - Broadway Theater - Midtown Restaurants - Midtown, etc. Hotels - China Town - Little Italy - Tourists - Brooklyn Pizza (Tourists) - Statue Of Liberty - Central Park - Citizens, Fleeing NYC leaving NY, State - Major Financial Businesses leaving the State - Radio City Music Hall shut down!!! And one could go on all day and night long!!! Sadly....it is really the citizens and voters in New York that are tolerating these useless political retards & America...

A man found guilty of plotting terrorist attacks on crowded central London tourist attractions including a Gay Pride march was jailed for life on Thursday. Mohiussunnath Chowdhury, 29, was told he must serve at least 25 years for preparing acts of terrorism. During his trial, Woolwich Crown Court heard how Chowdhury, from Luton north of London, divulged his plans to men he thought were his friends but who were in fact covert anti-terrorism officers. He told them he was considering targeting crowded central London tourist attractions and a Pride in London event, police said in a statement. “He also told...

Italians enjoyed their first meal out for two months on Monday, as the country eased lockdown restrictions, with bars, restaurants and cafes back in business and St Peter’s basilica in the Vatican open for visitors. After a gruelling lockdown period during the coronavirus pandemic, Italy was once again able to sip cappuccino and cold beers - albeit at a physical distance from other customers. **SNIP** The prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, described the ending of curbs as a “calculated risk”. Italy was the first European country to go into full lockdown more than two months ago. It is now returning to...

Hundreds of travelers, motivated in part by $100 airfares, are still crossing the Pacific to ride out the pandemic in Hawaii. Last week alone, more than 800 non-residents flew there. Meanwhile, locals and some legislators are growing increasingly frustrated. They assume the statewide mandatory self-quarantine order – two weeks for out-of-state visitors and inter-island travelers – isn’t being followed. They also anticipate that disregard by travelers will result in more Covid-positive cases in Hawaii, stressing an already ill-equipped healthcare system.

Ten foreigners who broke a coronavirus lockdown in an Indian town made famous by the Beatles, were forced to repent by writing "I am so sorry" -- 500 times, officials said Sunday. The nationwide lockdown was imposed near the end of March, with residents permitted to leave their homes only for essential services such as buying groceries and medicine. The travellers -- from Israel, Mexico, Australia and Austria -- were caught taking a walk in Rishikesh, where the Beatles sought spirituality at an Ashram in 1968. Local police officer Vinod Sharma said they were each made to write "I did...

JERUSALEM - Concerns of a widening threat from coronavirus spiked just as millions of Israelis are preparing to gather at polling places for national elections next week, following reports that a group of South Koreans who had visited some of the country’s most popular religious and tourist spots tested positive for the infection. Dozens of school students who may have been in proximity to the South Korean tourists were directed to stay in home-based quarantine for two weeks, as were hotel housekeepers and employees of Masada, Tel Ber Sheeva and other national parks. Officials, who had previously expressed cautious optimism...

Under the agreement, Space Adventures will use a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon vehicle to fly up to four passengers to Earth orbit. The trip will not visit the International Space Station. Instead, it will remain in orbit as a free-flying spacecraft. To date, Space Adventures has arranged eight orbital trips to the International Space Station for seven wealthy customers: Dennis Tito in 2001; South African entrepreneur Mark Shuttleworth in 2002; American entrepreneurs Greg Olsen in 2005 and Anousheh Ansari in 2006; Microsoft co-founder Charles Simonyi (twice) in 2007 and 2009; computer game developer Richard Garriott in 2008;...

Two Chinese nationals in their early 20s have been found dead at the site of a 1973 plane crash in southern Iceland. Police said the man and the woman were found near the Sólheimasandur crash site, which draws tourists. A police spokesman told the BBC a post-mortem would take place early next week to establish the causes of death. Officers had not found any signs of a "criminal act" by a third party, he said, adding that the bodies showed signs of hypothermia. In 1973, a US military plane crash-landed on the beach at Sólheimasandur. No one was killed. The...

A FOX 11 investigation is exposing gangs of Chilean nationals who have been utilizing visa waivers to come to the United States for the sole purpose of burglarizing homes, businesses, and vehicles, and Southern California has become a top target for the criminals. Law enforcement officials are calling it “burglary tourism”, in reference to the ESTA visa waivers the Chileans are taking advantage of to get into the United States.

Saudi Arabia is opening the ultraconservative kingdom to tourists for the first time, easing restrictions for foreign visitors as part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s initiative to diversify the oil-dependent economy. Visas had been restricted to Muslim pilgrims, and business and diplomatic visitors, but on Friday the kingdom said its new online visa portal would be open to visitors from 49 countries, including the U.S and major European and Asian countries. “Opening Saudi Arabia to international tourists is a historic moment for our country,” said Ahmad al-Khateeb, chairman of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage.

WARNING: graphic 46 second video of a gang attack on a tourist un our nation's capital. The Metropolitan Police Department seeks the public's assistance in identifying 14 persons of interest in reference to an Aggravated Assault incident which occurred in the 1900 block of Connecticut Avenue, NW, on Saturday, July 13, 2019, at approximately 1:00 AM. The subjects were captured by a nearby surveillance camera. DO YOUR PART TO HELP PREVENT AND SOLVE CRIME. Crime Solvers of Washington, DC currently offers a reward of up to $1,000 to anyone who provides information that leads to the arrest and conviction of...