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jilibay.con Human rights organisation Amnesty International on Wednesday demanded a transparent investigation of the state’s “deadly crackdown” to disperse PTI supporters from Islamabad’s D-Chowk where they had gathered for the party’s high-stakes protest. More than 10,000 protesters surged into the city on the weekend, defying a ban on public gatherings and a lockdown to skirmish with 20,000 security forces enlisted to turn them back, AFP reported. As PTI supporters inched towards the heavily barricaded D-Chowk late on Tuesday, the police and security forces employed intense teargas shelling to disperse the protesters. After a day of clashes between security forces and protesters in the city’s Red Zone ended in the party leadership’s hasty retreat , the PTI announced in the early hours of Wednesday that it was calling off its planned protest sit-in “for the time being”. What we know so far: Overnight, security forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters wielding sticks and slingshots, as roadblocks were set ablaze. By early Wednesday, AFP staff saw the main thoroughfare towards Islamabad’s government enclave cleared of crowds, and security forces in riot gear being bussed away from the area. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said in a statement they had “bravely repulsed the protesters”. The PTI harshly criticised the interior minister for his statements and blamed him for the alleged violence against its supporters, claiming multiple deaths. Condemning the violence, Amnesty issued a statement in a post on X, saying: “Yet again, protesters in Pakistan have faced a brutal and lethal crackdown shrouded in a callous opacity by the authorities. “Urgent and transparent investigation is needed into the deadly crackdown on protesters.” Babu Ram Pant, deputy regional director for South Asia at Amnesty International, said that the escalation of violence, shutdown of mobile internet services, mass detentions and “alarming rhetoric” against PTI protesters by the authorities spoke of a “pattern of intolerance” for the right to freedom of peaceful assembly throughout the country, adding that similar clampdowns were witnessed earlier this year against Baloch and Pakhtun protesters. “Disturbing reports and testimonies regarding the unlawful use of force, including lethal ammunition, against protesters, during a government-enforced communication blackout, are emerging from yesterday. Continued restrictions on reporting by media and independent observers have made it difficult to verify the number of casualties and raise urgent questions about accountability for human rights abuses. “Amnesty International calls for a prompt, thorough, impartial, effective and transparent investigation into the deaths and injuries of protesters as well as the unlawful use of force, including lethal and less-lethal weapons, by security personnel. Authorities must also immediately release all protesters detained solely for exercising their right to freedom of peaceful assembly,” the statement quoted him as saying. Earlier this morning, the heavily fortified Red Zone was empty of protesters but several of their vehicles were left behind, including the remains of a truck from which former first lady Bushra Bibi had been leading the protests that appeared charred by flames, according to Reuters witnesses. Women and children collect recyclables from the burnt truck used by Bushra Bibi, after security forces launched a raid on PTI supporters who had stormed the capital demanding his release on Tuesday, in Islamabad on Nov 27, 2024. — Reuters A rally truck used by Bushra Bibi burns near the red zone after a protest to demand Imran Khan’s release, in Islamabad on Nov 27, 2024. — AFP As PTI supporters faced off with security personnel across the federal capital on Tuesday, with both sides using tear gas and rubber bullets, at least two were killed and over 60 were injured during clashes. The Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) confirmed the death of two civilians and injuries to around 60 persons, including security personnel. At least three injured policemen and 10 civilians were also shifted to Polyclinic for treatment. A total of six lives were lost in the three days of protests, which included a policeman and three Rangers officials who perished in a vehicular accident , officials and hospital sources said. View this post on Instagram In its press release , which announced the suspension of its protest, the PTI claimed that “dozens” of its workers were shot at directly and killed, of which it said it had the details of eight and listed their purported names. The PTI said it was “not a military or armed party and neither does it consider itself to be willing to have its citizens slaughtered by state murderers”. Highlighting that its supporters cleared “all difficulties, obstacles, violence, savage barbarism” to reach D-Chowk but “would not allow the bodies of its citizens to pile up”. View this post on Instagram According to the press release, the PTI had a “long history peaceful political struggle and kept blocking the way of the government plan to pile up bodies since November 24”. The party also stated the dates of previous protests since its 2022 ouster where it said it “failed each of the government’s attempts to drench every peaceful protest in blood” — three from 2022 and four from 2023. While calling off the protest, the PTI also reaffirmed its intention to “keep struggling” for “ haqeeqi azadi ” (actual freedom). The PTI paid tribute to citizens and its workers for coming to Islamabad from all across the country for the protest, as well as overseas Pakistanis who heeded its call for global protests. It further said it was immensely grateful to the residents of Islamabad and Rawalpindi for the hospitality they offered to the party convoys. The PTI also shared a photo of a “list of injured persons in Federal Government Polyclinic, Islamabad” on November 26 “during political protest”, which listed the details of 26 people with “gunshot” wounds and two others who succumbed to their injuries. The two men who died were aged 20 and 24 years, according to the list, while those injured were aged between 19 and 50 years and belonged to mostly KP, with a few from the federal capital. The PTI called the document a “partial list of those admitted to a single hospital in Islamabad”. PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja issued a video message and similarly alleged that “at least 20 people were martyred”, adding that the party had the “complete evidence” available for eight dead and it would make the data for the others available too. He further alleged that hospital data and records in Islamabad were being tampered and manipulated with doctors told to not provide the data to families. “Straight firing was carried out ... they were live bullets and people lost their lives. Shells were directly fired at people which caused deaths,” Raja claimed. The PTI official said that it would be a “complete lie” for anyone to deny that no firing was carried out by law enforcement agencies, adding that the party would pursue and file cases against all those involved. In a separate post earlier today, the PTI said a “massacre has unfolded in Pakistan at the hands of security forces”. It accused the armed security forces of launching a “violent assault on peaceful PTI protesters in Islamabad, firing live rounds with the intent to kill as many people as possible”. It went on to compare last night’s clashes to the violence in East Pakistan in 1971. “The rulers have learned nothing from history and are prepared to destroy the country to cling to their illegitimate power,” the post went on to say. “With hundreds dead and countless injured, the interior minister’s threat to kill and then the declaration of ‘victory’ over slaughtered innocents is enough evidence of the regime’s inhumanity.” PTI called on the international community to condemn the “atrocity and the erosion of democracy and humanity in Pakistan”, as well as take action against it. Meanwhile, after fleeing from the site of the Islamabad protest, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur resurfaced in Mansehra, where he assured his party workers that the “sit-in is still ongoing”. Addressing a press conference in the afternoon in Mansehra, CM Gandapur said that it would not end till PTI founder Imran Khan ordered so. “People have died in this protest, we must pray for them,” the chief minister said during the press conference held at the residence of KP Speaker Babar Saleem Swati. View this post on Instagram “We have been targets of violence,” he said, lamenting that the PTI was not permitted to protest whenever it sought to. “When we gave the protest call, we said this would be peaceful. Imran Khan said we will go to D-Chowk peacefully and we will not go ahead of D-Chowk where we are not permitted. “[Imran] Khan sahib gave this call, and he said this protest will continue until I call it off,” CM Gandapur highlighted. The chief minister remarked, “It is not necessary that every sit-in has people in it.” “Unfortunately, our party has been cracked down upon, our mandate has been stolen. Our leader is in jail, our leader’s wife was thrown in jail,” Gandapur said, referring to Imran and Bushra, who was recently freed on bail after nine months in jail. “We were going peacefully, talking peacefully, and in the end, the govt came in our path and inflicted violence on us. Why were bullets rained down on us?” the KP CM asked. Terming the planned sit-in a “revolution”, the chief minister said: “If you try and stop it, people will come through other means.” Speaking alongside Gandapur, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub Khan alleged there was “an attack with a murderous intent” on Gandapur and Bushra Bibi at D-Chowk, where they were leading their convoy. “We are a democratic and peaceful party. We were shot at, which I gravely condemn,” the MNA said. Ayub also called for an investigation into the deaths of two policemen and three Rangers personnel. He claimed “rescuing” five policemen from Pathargarh in Islamabad. “We are not unjust but others are unjust to us in return,” he lamented. Bushra Bibi, CM Gandapur and Ayub were set to address an “emergency” press conference at 11am today, according to Taimur Saleem Swati, senior vice president of PTI’s Hazara chapter. However, when the two men finally addressed the media, the former first lady was not seen alongside them. Gandapur’s announcement came after the PTI called off the protest. A press release shared by the party on its official X account read: “In view of the government’s brutality and the government’s plan to turn the capital into a slaughterhouse for unarmed citizens, [we] announce the suspension of the peaceful protest for the time being.” It added that future plan of action would be announced “in light of the directions” of its incarcerated founder Imran Khan after the party’s political and core committees presented their “analyses of the state brutality” to him. The statement, issued by the party spokesperson, condemned the alleged “killing” and “terror and brutality against peaceful protesters in the name of an operation”. The party appealed to Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi to take suo motu notice of the alleged “brutal murder of martyred [party] workers” and order legal action against the prime minister and interior minister as well as Islamabad and Punjab police chiefs for “attempt to murder”. “We will chalk out the new strategy later after proper consultation, Mohammad Asim, PTI’s Peshawar president, told Reuters . He said that Bushra Bibi as well as CM Gandapur had returned “safely” to KP from Islamabad. The late-night retreat by the PTI leadership, including Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi and CM Gandapur, came after the latter was heard telling the protesters “to go home, have dinner and return tomorrow”. Meanwhile, the Islamabad police chief said the law enforcement agencies had arrested nearly 1,000 protesters after crowds were evicted from the federal capital in a sweeping security crackdown. Addressing a press conference, Islamabad Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ali Nasir Rizvi said 954 protesters were arrested between Sunday and Tuesday by law enforcement agencies when the crowds came within 1.6 kilometres of the government enclave. He said that 610 of the arrests were made “only on Tuesday alone”. “We will not tolerate any terrorist activity,” Rizvi said. “How can you call it a protest when law enforcement personnel are fired upon, or when public property is damaged? “This is not protest ... this is terrorism and terrorism is a form of crime,” the IGP said. He warned that the protesters and those who “instigated” them would be booked. According to the IGP, the demonstrators wielded “every kind of weapon” during the rally. “They were armed with AK47s, they had pistols, every kind of 7.62mm weapon and sniper rifles,” he said, adding that protesters used tear gas and slingshots to attack law enforcement personnel. The IGP added that over 200 vehicles were impounded by police, while 39 weapons were seized, including Kalashnikovs, pistols and 12-bore weapons. “These terrorists brought them and used them on police,” Rizvi said. “Seventy-one law enforcement officers were injured over the last three days, with 52 of them injured only yesterday,” he said. “Of those 52, 27 have suffered firearm injuries.” Meanwhile, a statement from the Punjab police issued on the X account of state broadcaster PTV said 22 vehicles were damaged while over 170 personnel were injured and one dead. Meanwhile, addressing a cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif lamented that the damages from the PTI rally inflicted a daily loss of Rs190 billion to the national exchequer. “This is hurting exports ... containers bound for Karachi port are being used to block roads,” the PM said. “There is no more unforgivable crime than damaging the country for personal gain.” He added that life in the twin cities had ground to a standstill. “Businesses were closed, factory owners were worried and labourers were unable to afford meals,” he said. The PM added that as a result of the PTI descending on the capital, the stock market plunged, causing further economic loss. “The stock market exceeded 99,000 points three days ago, a historic milestone,” Shehbaz said. “Within a day, it plummeted by 4,000 points, but once peace was restored, it rose above 99,000 once more.” He added that investments only went “where there is peace”, branding the protesters “enemies of Pakistan’s development” due to the impact of the rally on the country’s economy. The prime minister reiterated that the government needed to make harsh decisions to save the state and maintain Pakistan’s progress and prosperity. “We cannot spend all of our energy trying to stop these miscreants,” he said, referring to the PTI and their supporters. “Either we make these choices or deal with these sit-ins daily.” He said he would not allow the state’s efforts to revive the economy go to waste due to civil and social disturbance. “I will not let this happen. I want to make it very clear,” he warned. View this post on Instagram Separately, in another instance of apparent reservations among the PTI, former KP minister Shaukat Yousafzai questioned why the party’s central leadership was “not seen” at the much-touted protest. “No one from our central leadership was there,” Yousafzai, the party’s KP secretary general, told Dawn.com . PTI leader Shaukat Yousafzai speaks in a video statement. — via Umar Bacha “Where did our leadership disappear? Where were Barrister Gohar, Salman Akram Raja and [Sher Afzal] Marwat?” he asked. “The people who call themselves leaders, where were they? I only saw Ali Amin Gandapur, Asad Qaiser, Omar Ayub and Ali [...]. The other leadership was not seen, why was that?” The PTI leader also said it was a “mistake” to term the protest a “final call”. “We are politicians, we must pay attention to the mistakes we make. This [protest] should not have been called final call.” Yousafzai also questioned why “there was no dialogue” with the government, taking aim at why Bushra’s decisions regarding the protest were heeded. Referring to KP government spokesperson Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif’s statements of Imran agreeing to the government’s offer of an alternative protest venue, he wondered: “Why was this not followed? Who stopped it?” “Gandapur was made a sacrificial goat. He had pressure from the workers and the party,” the PTI leader told Dawn.com . “Now the question arises that Bushra Bibi didn’t have any authority. Yes, she is Imran’s wife, she has a lot of love for him. But the party’s decisions should have been made by the party,” he added, referring to Saif saying that the PTI founder’s wife had not agreed to the venue proposal. “Why did they sideline the party’s old workers and leadership?” the PTI leader asked, stressing that party supporters came on Imran’s call, not someone else’s. “If someone said Bushra wasn’t listening to them, then she should have been removed from the party. Why cause all this chaos in the party?” Yousafzai asked, terming it “cruelty” with the PTI and Imran. “We are political people, who stopped us from doing dialogue? Who decided not to go to Sangjani, and why? All these questions are what the workers will ask, and we will have to give answers,” he asserted. “But what did we do? We caused the party so much loss. We just abandoned our workers.” Policemen fire tear gas shells to disperse PTI supporters during a protest demanding the release of former prime minister Imran Khan, at the Red Zone area in Islamabad on Nov 26, 2024. — AFP While Yousafzai acknowledged that the party needed to “review our own mistakes”, he also decried the “cruelty that the government inflicted, which is not something secret”, comparing it to the Israeli administration. Nevertheless, the ex-minister also hailed that “people showed up in such large numbers and braved hardships to reach D-Chowk” to support the PTI. “There was a one-sided crackdown on the people. Political culture has been ruined,” he said. Speaking about the deaths of policemen and Rangers, Yousafzai said he was “disheartened about those who were martyred from both sides”. “Now they (the government) are saying they have cleaned Islamabad. No, you have hurt people, you have killed people. You have lost even when you have won,” the PTI leader quipped. “We will definitely reflect on our mistakes and make our party stand again. God-willing, we will struggle again,” Yousafzai said, urging workers to be united. Similarly, Imran’s sister Aleema Khanum also heaped criticism on those leading the main convoy. “Why was the sound and light on the container shut early evening? As a result, in total darkness, there were no instructions or any guidance available for the people on the ground. “We pleaded all evening for the light and sound on the container to be turned on, but there was no response by the people giving instructions,” she said in a post on X. Meanwhile, data services, after remaining suspended for four days , were restored in various areas of Islamabad — including Red Zone and Bani Gala — as well as Rawalpindi, Dawn.com correspondents reported. The internet services were “restored at 7am”, PTA Chairman (retired) Major General Hafeezur Rehman confirmed to Dawn.com . Containers can be seen near D-Chowk in Islamabad on the morning of Nov 27, 2024. — Umar Bacha Rangers personnel can be seen on duty in Islamabad, on Nov 27, 2024. — Umar Bacha A Dawn.com correspondent at the site in the morning reported there was no public at D-Chowk but police and other security personnel were present. According to the Associated Press of Pakistan , business activities were resuming in the federal capital, with the district administration’s cleanup efforts underway. While containers blocking various roads in the city had been removed, APP said, the removal of containers from Murree Road, which was sealed off for three days due to the protests, was in progress. All motorways were reopened for traffic, including routes between Islamabad and Lahore, the report noted. A Dawn.com correspondent also confirmed that containers were being removed from the road connecting Islamabad to Rawalpindi. Public transport and bus stations had been reopened as well, the correspondent added. On the other hand, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar refuted the PTI’s allegations of security forces shooting at its protesters. State-run Radio Pakistan quoted Tarar as saying no firing was carried out on PTI protesters and there were no fatalities among them. During a visit to the D-Chowk and Jinnah Avenue in Islamabad overnight, he said that while the protesters were dispersed, there was no state firing involved. The minister said PTI protesters had damaged public property, referring to the deserted vehicles left behind by the protesters. He criticised CM Gandapur and Bushra for fleeing after “making big claims”. Speaking to the media, he claimed that the PTI convoys “crashed their own vehicles into each other” in a hurry to flee the scene. He described the protesters as leaving behind their shoes and clothes while fleeing. The minister further said that forensics would be carried out of “documents that got burned in the container” being used by the PTI, implying it was done on purpose. City administration tows away a burnt truck used by the PTI during its protest, after security forces launched a raid on PTI supporters who had stormed the capital a day ago, in Islamabad on Nov 27, 2024. — Umar Bacha “The interior minister was constantly monitoring. That the right time would come and then we would deal with them,” Tarar said, asserting that the government did not want bloodshed. Taking a jibe at Imran terming the protest a “final call”, Tarar dismissed it as nothing more than “a missed call”, the APP reported. In a separate televised statement , echoing Naqvi’s stance from yesterday, asserted that there were “no concessions and no talks under any circumstances” with the PTI. Amid the tense political atmosphere, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) called for “political introspection”, demanding that the government and the PTI “enter a purposeful political dialogue”. “HRCP demands that the government and the opposition, the PTI, immediately enter a purposeful political dialogue, both on the floor of the house and between different political parties,” it said in a statement . “It is high time that they agree on a peaceful way forward instead of whipping up the emotions of their respective political workers and bringing the country to a standstill, particularly in Islamabad and Punjab, violating others’ freedom of movement and livelihood in the process,” the group stressed. HRCP called for “political introspection” for all sides, saying it was “deeply disturbing” that the loss of life in protests and rallies “has been of little concern for any of our political actors”. “Whether law enforcers or political workers, any casualty must be unacceptable for all,” it stated, adding that the group shared the grief of those who lost family members in “violent protests and through the unwarranted use of force by the authorities”. Michael Kugelman, South Asia Institute director at The Wilson Center, said on X that “Pakistan’s protests had no winners”. Anger towards the establishment has increased over the crackdown, he said, while at the same time, PTI was forced to retreat. “Pakistan on the whole is burdened by a worsening confrontation that distracts from [economic and] security crises,” Kugelman highlighted. The analyst, in a separate post , pointed out a “problematic disconnect” between Imran and the rest of the PTI leadership. “[Imran] Khan mobilised and galvanised. He said, fight to the end. And then PTI’s other leaders angered the base for not showing up or abandoning the cause,” he noted. “Today the gulf between Khan and the rest of the PTI leadership came into sharp relief.” The PTI’s protest, which the government was determined to foil with force, was originally scheduled to be staged on November 24 . However, the party’s convoys took a breather on Sunday night as PTI leaders said they were in “ no hurry ” to reach the federal capital for their ‘do or die’ protest. The PTI protesters, some of them employing industrial fans to counter tear gas, crossed Islamabad’s Toll Plaza on Monday night as the government vowed to not spare those behind a cop’s death in “violence of miscreants”. As PTI workers from across the country attempted to defy arrests, baton charges and tear gas to participate in the agitation, around 800 PTI leaders and supporters were arrested from across Punjab as well as in and near Islamabad on Sunday. In an update, capital police officials told Dawn that during the ongoing protests, over 500 local PTI leaders and workers have been arrested in Islamabad. On Tuesday, the Pakistan Army was called into Islamabad to “deal with miscreants”, state-run Radio Pakistan reported . Shortly after, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said three Rangers personnel and a Punjab policeman lost their lives on Monday, in what he said was an “attack by miscreants”. A stalemate in reported talks between the PTI and the government had continued , with PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan saying the government had “not made any contact” with the party and Naqvi similarly ruling out any negotiations with the party. The Islamabad High Court (IHC) had ruled that PTI’s planned protest was unlawful and had directed the government to take all necessary measures to maintain law and order in Islamabad without disrupting public life, particularly as the Belarusian president’s arrival coincided with the protest. Additional input from Reuters, AFP and Tahir Naseer.

By TravelPulse (TNS) While 2024 was a year that brought about significant, continued post-pandemic recovery for the travel industry, it was also a period of time marked by instability in some locations around the world. From attacks on the rail lines during the Paris Olympics to the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, not to mention the war in Ukraine, the global travel realm in 2024 was fraught with challenges. It is against this backdrop that the international security and medical services provider Global Guardian recently released its 2025 Global Risk Map. Published annually, the map is meant to help travelers better understand the current global risk landscape. In order to develop its guidance, experts at Global Guardian assess a long list of country-specific security risk factors and indicators, including crime, health, natural disasters, infrastructure, political stability, civil unrest and terrorism. For 2025, Global Guardian’s assessment results underscore the reality that disruption globally and domestically continues to increase, and now more than ever travelers need to be prepared when exploring the world. As part of the latest assessment, Global Guardian highlighted a handful of specific global regions that are at particular risk of destabilization over the next year and beyond. Here’s a closer look at those regions, along with insights from Global Guardian CEO Dale Buckner, who recently spoke with TravelPulse at length about the risks travelers may face in 2025. Here are the regions at risk of destabilization in 2025: Israel’s existential battle against Iran is set to continue into 2025, says the Global Guardian report. “In July 2024, Israel assassinated Hamas’ political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) safehouse in Tehran, and Iran has pledged revenge,” the report explains. “This comes as Iran and its web of regional proxies took their war on Israel out of the shadows and into the open following October 7, 2023, with seven live fronts.” Global Guardian also predicts that Israel’s regional war will shift from Gaza to the West Bank and Lebanon in the year ahead, heightening tensions with Hezbollah, while Houthi attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean will persist. The report adds that as “we enter 2025, Israel may assess that its strategic window to prevent a nuclear Iran is rapidly closing and choose to act.” The ongoing civil war in Sudan between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), is also of concern, according to Global Guardian’s risk analysis. The conflict “has created a dire humanitarian situation with ethnically motivated violence on the rise,” says the report. Some of the areas of concern in the Latin American region include Venezuela and Mexico, according to Global Guardian. The risk in Venezuela is tied to the country’s long-standing territorial dispute with neighboring Guyana, says the report. “Since 2019, the U.S. Department of State withdrew all diplomatic personnel from U.S. Embassy Caracas and suspended all operations,” explains Buckner. “Violent crimes, such as homicide, armed robbery, kidnapping, and carjacking, are common in Venezuela. Shortages of gasoline, electricity, water, medicine, and medical supplies continue throughout much of Venezuela. Simply put, Venezuela is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for Western travelers and should be avoided.” In Mexico, meanwhile, the problems include drug cartel-related violence and theft, among other issues, says the report. Mexico recently inaugurated its first female president, Claudia Sheinbaum, and like her predecessors she will face challenges “reining in cartel violence, corruption, extortion, theft and kidnapping,” says the report. “As such, security continues to be a top concern in Mexico’ ” says the report, which categorizes Mexico as “high risk” when it comes to travel for 2025. Countries classified as high risk experience regular conflict, criminal activity or civil unrest — and have not effectively managed those risks. The Global Guardian report also suggests there may be heightened risks in Mexico now that Donald Trump has been reelected U.S. president. “Bilateral relations between the U.S. and Mexico could dramatically deteriorate. Trump has promised a mass deportation operation, which could sour relations between the U.S. and Mexico, increasing risks to businesses operating in Mexico,” the report adds. Asked to comment on Mexico’s high-risk designation, Buckner stressed that the situation in the country is extremely nuanced, adding that it’s a vast oversimplification to call the entire country high risk. “There are pockets of Mexico that are wildly safe and wonderful to visit and people shouldn’t hesitate to go,” Buckner told TravelPulse. “And there are also pockets that are unsafe and dangerous.” The good news, added Buckner, is that Mexico’s new president is focusing a great deal of effort and energy on addressing the problems surrounding drug cartels, which are the source of a great deal of the risk. Buckner was quick to add however, that as long as there’s demand for drugs, the drug cartel situation is likely to remain problematic. “The U.S. is driving the drug demand — we consume more drugs then the rest of the world,” explained Buckner. “It’s really overly simplified to paint Mexico as the bad guy, because if there wasn’t demand, we wouldn’t need the supply. But the demand is real and violence comes with that.” Representatives for Global Nexus, a government and public affairs consultancy that advises travel and tourism companies and interests in Southern Mexico, told TravelPulse that while drug-related violence has been known to occur, it involves members of the drug cartel targeting each other, they’re not targeting tourists. “There is an ongoing battle between small drug vendors who use the beach to sell product to tourists hanging out on the beach,” explained Ruben Olmos, Global Nexus president and CEO, in reference to the Quintana Roo region, which is popular with tourists. “There have been cases where gunfire has been exchanged between these groups. They are targeting themselves. They are fighting over ‘This is my beach’ and they initiate a shootout.” However, added Olmos, that the U.S. State Department’s risk categorization for Quintana Roo (which is separate from the Global Guardian risk assessment) has not changed. Located on the State Department’s Mexico page, the risk assessment for Quintana Roo remains in the “Exercise Increased Caution” category, which is below the top risk categories of “Do Not Travel” and “Reconsider Travel.” The Exercise Increased Caution designation means “Be aware of heightened risks to safety and security,” explains the State Department’s website. Olmos also pointed out that Mexico is the only country that has a map on the U.S. State Department website that covers every single state in the country, providing details for travelers about which states are safest. In June 2024, thousands of young people took to the streets in Kenya to protest a controversial tax bill. The protesters were met with heavy-handed policing, including the use of live fire and mass arrests, says the Global Guardian risk report. Despite the local security response, protests continued. The success and tenacity of the Kenyan movement has triggered similar protests or dissent in other countries including Uganda, Tanzania, South Africa, and Nigeria, says Global Guardian. That is just a portion of the risk Global Guardian sees for Sub-Saharan Africa over the course of 2025. “With multiple conflicts escalating across the continent, aging leaders leaving behind unclear successions, and entrenched regimes with dissipating legitimacy, Sub-Saharan Africa now looks much like the North African and Arab world in the early 2010s,” says the report. “While the dynamic unfolding in Africa might not yet merit the label of “African Spring,” a significant change to the continent’s political status quo is coming.” Several countries received an extreme or high-risk designation on the new Global Guardian risk map for 2025, including more than a few that are popular with leisure travelers or tourists. Extreme risk countries are those that Global Guardian says are “actively engaged in conflict, while also experiencing severe criminal activity and civil unrest.These countries are insecure; state institutions are too weak to manage militant groups or large-scale disasters.” They include Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Lebanon, Mali, Niger, Somalia, Ukraine, West Bank, Gaza and Yemen. The current list of high-risk countries, which are countries that experience regular conflict, criminal activity or civil unrest and have not effectively managed those risks, includes Bangladesh, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Honduras, Iraq, Israel, Jamaica, Kenya, Libya, Mexico, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, South Sudan, Uganda, Venezuela Officials from the Jamaica Tourist Board provided a statement to TravelPulse in response to Global Guardian’s designation of the country. “Last month, Global Guardian, a private security provider, released its 2025 Global Risk Map, which included Jamaica, amongst other destinations,” said the Tourist Board. “It is important to note that the crime rate against visitors is notably low at 0.01% and the majority of Jamaica’s tourism product remains unaffected.” The country’s tourism officials added that Jamaica has welcomed 3 million visitors this year and boasts a high repeat visitor rate of 42%. “The island is consistently ranked among the top destinations for international travel and visitors continue to come with confidence to enjoy all that Jamaica has to offer,” the statement adds. When it comes to Jamaica, Buckner offered similar comments to those of Mexico, noting that the situation is impacted by drug-related violence and the experience on the ground is nuanced and cannot be painted with a broad brush. “In the same vein as Mexico — Jamaica can be a wonderful place to visit,” says Buckner. “There are pockets of beauty and low crime and as long as you are careful, it’s a very low threat.” Buckner, a retired Army colonel, maintains that the world is indeed a more risky place heading into 2025. The challenges in the Middle East and Ukraine are at the forefront of the instability, but are hardly the only cause for concern. “Israel has now gone to Gaza and cleaned out Hamas, they’re now moving north into Lebanon, and we are convinced Israel will strike Iran,” Buckner said during an interview that took place prior to Israel’s strike on Iran. “If that occurs you are going to see violence across the Middle East.” “But there are over 100 conflicts across the globe,” continues Buckner. When you combine that reality with other challenges the world is currently grappling with, including the destabilizing influences of climate change, there are plenty of risks for travelers to bear in mind when planning a journey for the coming year. He wraps up by offering a few tips for travelers, a check-list of sorts, to work through when planning or considering travel to a specific country in 2025: — If you don’t know who to call or how you are going to negotiate if someone is kidnapped, you shouldn’t go there. — Consumers need to read the fine print on travel insurance because it does not cover war zones, terrorism or natural disasters, says Buckner. And travelers are often surprised and find out too late that these types of events are not covered. — If you get stuck or stranded, if you don’t know who you are going to call to get you out of that situation, know what organizations locally or internationally are available to help you. ©2024 Northstar Travel Media, LLC. Visit at travelpulse.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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UConn snaps ACC curse, beats North Carolina in Fenway BowlJaipur: The time is ripe for us to leverage India’s geographic location and help make our nation become the centre of the logistics world, Adani Group Chairman, Gautam Adani, said on Saturday. Addressing the 51st India Gem and Jewellery Awards here, Gautam Adani said that in the case of logistics, what started as a port jetty, to import coal in 1998, has gone on to become the country’s largest port business. “This business today spans a network of 15 national and 5 international ports and, thereby, allows us to expand into building a network of integrated logistic nodes,” he told the gathering. These nodes now are made up of ports, rail, highways, warehouses, inland container depots, fulfilment centres, and trucking in a way no other company has ever achieved in the world. “This journey has taken us deep into the Middle East — all the way into the Mediterranean through Israel — and into the heart of Africa. For me, it is no more just about ports. It is now about leveraging India’s geographic location and doing our part to help make our nation become the centre of the logistics world,” the Adani Group Chairman noted. Likewise, what started as a single power plant in 2007, has now become not just India’s largest private thermal power generation company but has also allowed the Adani Group to expand into adjacencies. “This expansion has seen us become India’s largest private transmission company, largest private power distribution company, largest mine developer and operator, as well as the only company that successfully took up the challenge of cross-border supply of power to help a neighbouring nation,” Gautam Adani told the gathering. Furthermore, it has allowed the company to move into the area of renewable energy. “Today, we are India’s largest solar panel manufacturing company as well as the world’s largest single-site renewable energy facility, well on our way to generating 30 GW of power, spread over a massive single span of land of more than 500 square kilometres,” the Adani Group Chairman emphasised. “Yet another example of challenging the status quo is our move into the airport business. In less than three years, we became the largest airport operator in the country. We then built our adjacencies that made us the largest airport logistics player with almost 40 per cent of India’s air cargo and have now undertaken the world’s largest slum redevelopment initiative, the Dharavi project,” he stressed. Gautam Adani further stated that for him, Dharavi is not just about slum redevelopment. “It is about restoring dignity, creating a sustainable ecosystem, and changing the status quo for over one million residents.”

"Last night and this morning, several of President Trump's Cabinet nominees and Administration appointees were targeted in violent, unAmerican threats to their lives and those who live with them," Trump transition spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. She said the attacks "ranged from bomb threats to 'swatting.' In response, law enforcement and other authorities acted quickly to ensure the safety of those who were targeted. President Trump and the entire Transition team are grateful for their swift action." Swatting entails generating an emergency law enforcement response against a target victim under false pretenses. The FBI said in a statement that it is "aware of numerous bomb threats and swatting incidents targeting incoming administration nominees and appointees, and we are working with our law enforcement partners. We take all potential threats seriously, and as always, encourage members of the public to immediately report anything they consider suspicious to law enforcement." Among those targeted was New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, Trump's pick to serve as the next ambassador to the United Nations. Her office said that, Wednesday morning, she, her husband, and their 3-year-old son were driving home from Washington for Thanksgiving when they were informed of a bomb threat to their residence in Saratoga County. "New York State, County law enforcement, and U.S. Capitol Police responded immediately with the highest levels of professionalism," her office said in a statement. "We are incredibly appreciative of the extraordinary dedication of law enforcement officers who keep our communities safe 24/7." In Florida, meanwhile, the Okaloosa County sheriff's office said in an advisory posted on Facebook that it "received notification of a bomb threat referencing former Congressman Matt Gaetz's supposed mailbox at a home in the Niceville area around 9 a.m. this morning." While a family member resides at the address, they said "former Congressman Gaetz is NOT a resident. "The mailbox however was cleared and no devices were located. The immediate area was also searched with negative results." Gaetz was Trump's initial pick to serve as attorney general, but he withdrew from consideration amid allegations that he paid women for sex and slept with underage women. Gaetz has vehemently denied any wrongdoing and said last year that a Justice Department investigation into sex trafficking allegations involving underage girls had ended with no federal charges against him. The threats follow a political campaign marked by unusual violence. In July, a gunman opened fire at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, grazing the then-candidate in the ear with a bullet and killing one of his supporters. The U.S. Secret Service later thwarted a subsequent assassination attempt at Trump's West Palm Beach, Florida, golf course when an agent spotted the barrel of a gun poking through a perimeter fence while Trump was golfing.Most dancers try to defy their age. This one decided to act itNone

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Charlotte Hornets will be without point guard LaMelo Ball for at least two weeks because of a strained left calf. Ball felt discomfort in his calf after Wednesday night’s loss to the Miami Heat and did not play against the New York Knicks on Friday. The team said he will be reevaluated on Dec. 11, which is two weeks from the date of the original injury. Ball has been hot for the Hornets, averaging 40.3 points in his last four games. He is averaging a career-best 31.1 points and 4.7 3-pointers per game for the season, which ranks second in the NBA. He also is averaging 5.4 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 1.1 steals in 18 starts. Ball has had a history of injury problems, mostly to his ankles, since coming to the league as the No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft. The only Hornets player to ever receive a max contract extension, Ball has played in just 202 games with 182 starts in five seasons. The team also said guard Tre Mann’s lower back soreness has been diagnosed as a disk irritation. His absence from the lineup began on Nov. 23 against Milwaukee. He will continue his rehabilitation and be reevaluated in two weeks. “They are competitors and they want to be out there on the court to compete and hoop, but they also want to be out there for their teammates,” Hornets coach Charles Lee said prior to Saturday night's game against the Atlanta Hawks. "I just walked past ’Melo as I was coming in here to do media, and he’s like, ‘I’m going to take care of everything I need to do on this return to play program and I’m going to attack it with the right mindset.’ I have all the confidence in the world in our performance staff and in those guys.” AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

MONACO - Canadians Alex Tessier, Sophie de Goede and Laetitia Royer have been named to World Rugby’s Women’s 15s Dream Team of the Year. Canada sevens captain Olivia Apps, meanwhile, was selected to World Rugby’s Women’s Sevens Dream Team. The women’s 15s world all-star squad also featured six players from top-ranked England and three from No. 2 New Zealand. The other three came from the U.S., Ireland and France. Tessier was also a finalist for the World Rugby Women’s 15s Player of the Year award won by England fullbackEllie Kildunne.France’s Pauline Bourdon Sansus and England’s Alex Matthews were the other finalists. Tessier won her 50th cap in 2024 and, playing at inside centre alongside fly half Claire Gallagher, led the Canada women to a historic first-ever victory over New Zealand to win the 2024 Pacific Four Series in May. The 22-19 comeback victory lifted Canada into second place in the women’s world rankings, its highest position since November 2016. Tessier’s strong kicking game was also key for Canada. The 31-year-old from Sainte-Clotilde-de-Horton, Que., scored 27 points in starting all six matches for Canada in 2024 to up her career total to 48 points (including five tries) in 54 appearances. Tessier plays professionally in England for the Exeter Chiefs. De Goede made the all-star team despite tearing her anterior cruciate ligament in training in June. A finalist for the Women’s Player of the Year award in 2022, the Victoria back-rower plays in England for Saracens. Royer, from Loretteville, Que., is a second-row forward who plays in France for ASM Romagnat. Top-ranked South Africa dominated the men’s 15s all-star squad with seven players represented. Ireland had four players with New Zealand three and Argentina one. —- World Rugby’s 15s Dream Teams of the Year Women 1. Hope Rogers (U.S.); 2. Georgia Ponsonby (New Zealand); 3. Maud Muir (England); 4. Zoe Aldcroft (England); 5. Laetitia Royer (Canada); 6. Aoife Wafer (Ireland)’ 7. Sophie de Goede (Canada); 8. Alex Matthews (England); 9. Pauline Bourdon Sansus (France); 10. Holly Aitchison (England); 11. Katelyn Vahaakolo (New Zealand); 12. Alex Tessier (Canada); 13. Sylvia Brunt (New Zealand); 14. Abby Dow (England); 15. Ellie Kildunne (England). Men 1. Ox Nche (South Africa); 2. Malcolm Marx (South Africa); 3. Tyrel Lomax (New Zealand); 4. Eben Etzebeth (South Africa); 5. Tadhg Beirne (Ireland); 6. Pablo Matera (Argentina); 7. Pieter-Steph du Toit (South Africa); 8. Caelan Doris (Ireland); 9. Jamison Gibson-Park (Ireland); 10. Damian McKenzie (New Zealand); 11. James Lowe (Ireland); 12. Damian de Allende (South Africa); 13. Jesse Kriel (South Africa); 14. Cheslin Kolbe (South Africa); 15. Will Jordan (New Zealand). World Rugby Sevens Dreams Team of the Year Women Olivia Apps (Canada), Michaela Blyde (New Zealand), Kristi Kirshe (U.S.), Maddison Levi (Australia), Ilona Maher (U.S.), Jorja Miller (New Zealand), Séraphine Okemba (France). Men Selvyn Davids (South Africa), Antoine Dupont (France), Aaron Grandidier Nkanang (France), Terry Kennedy (Ireland), Nathan Lawson (Australia), Ponipate Loganimasi (Fiji), Matías Osadczuk (Argentina). This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 27, 2024.

Police had to use pepper spray to break up the players, who threw punches and shoves in the melee that overshadowed the rivalry game. Ohio State police said in a statement “multiple officers representing Ohio and Michigan deployed pepper spray.” Ohio State police will investigate the fight, according to the statement. After the Ohio State players confronted their bitter rivals at midfield, defensive end Jack Sawyer grabbed the top of the Wolverines' flag and ripped it off the pole as the brawl moved toward the Michigan bench. Eventually, police officers rushed into the ugly scene. Ohio State coach Ryan Day said he understood the actions of his players. “There are some prideful guys on our team who weren't going to sit back and let that happen,” Day said. The two Ohio State players made available after the game brushed off questions about it. Michigan running back Kalel Mullings, who rushed for 116 yards and a touchdown, didn't like how the Buckeyes players involved themselves in the Wolverines' postgame celebration. He called it “classless.” “For such a great game, you hate to see stuff like that after the game," he said in an on-field interview with Fox Sports. “It’s just bad for the sport, bad for college football. But at the end of the day, you know some people got to — they got to learn how to lose, man. ... We had 60 minutes, we had four quarters, to do all that fighting.” Michigan coach Sherrone Moore said everybody needs to do better. “So much emotions on both sides," he said. "Rivalry games get heated, especially this one. It’s the biggest one in the country, so we got to handle that better.” Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-footballElon Musk's new Montessori school gets permit to open in TexasNone

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