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NDTV
6 days ago
- NDTV
8 Hotel Safety Tips That Every Smart Traveller Should Know Before Unpacking
When you are booking a hotel or homestay, what grabs your attention first? The location? That dreamy room view? Free Wi-Fi? Or the breakfast buffet that has no business being that good? Fair enough - these perks do help turn a trip into a proper holiday. But in all the planning and Instagram scrolling, we often skip one key factor - safety. Whether you are travelling solo, off on a family break, or stuck in back-to-back work trips, a few quick safety checks can seriously up your peace of mind. And no, this is not about being paranoid. A little presence of mind goes a long way. So here is a smart, no-fuss guide to hotel room safety - the kind of checklist that is easy to follow and even easier to be grateful for later. Basic Hotel Safety Checks You Should Always Do First: 1. Choose your hotel like it matters (because it does): Your entire trip starts with your stay, so picking the right place makes a difference. A 2009 study from Cornell University showed that bigger, more upscale hotels usually rank highest in terms of safety. If your budget allows it, go for it. And if you are watching your wallet, put in some extra effort researching safe budget hotels. Pro Tip: Use Google Maps' satellite and street view to check the area. Guest reviews often drop the real tea about whether the place feels secure or sketchy. 2. Always check the locks: First thing after you walk into the room: check the door. Is it locking properly? Deadbolt working? Windows secure? If not, report it. When you are inside, use the latch or chain. Locking up properly should be as routine as brushing your teeth. 3. Scan for any shady cameras: It is rare, but hidden cameras in hotels have been in the news more than once. Do a quick visual sweep of odd places - clocks, vents, smoke detectors, and TVs. If anything feels weird, do not ignore it. Pro Tip: Shine your phone's flashlight around to spot tiny lenses or odd reflections. There are apps that can help scan for hidden cameras, too. Totally worth having one installed. 4. Know where the emergency exits are: That little evacuation map on the back of your door? Give it a look. Mentally map the shortest path to the staircase. Count the doors between your room and the exit. If there is ever smoke or darkness, this can save you serious time. 5. Understand the hotel's safety setup: The property should have the basics in place. Look for these when you arrive: A staffed lobby 24/7 CCTV in public areas Modern locks, key cards, in-room safes Bright lighting in common areas Gated side and back entrances These things do not just look fancy - they keep you safe. 6. Protect your digital life too: Hotels might feel secure, but the public Wi-Fi is another story. Hackers love unsecured networks, so always use a VPN. It keeps your data private. Also, skip the public USB ports for charging. Those can be used to grab your data or sneak in malware. Stick to your own charger. 7. Do a quick bathroom safety check: Hotel bathrooms can be sneakily dangerous. Floors get slippery fast, and hot water can be unpredictable. Look for non-slip mats or step onto a dry towel when you exit the shower. Always test the water before hopping in. Some geysers go from lukewarm to 'boiling lava' in seconds. 8. Listen to your gut: If something feels off - the room, the staff, the vibe - do not brush it off. Trusting your instincts is one of the best safety tips out there. You do not need to explain it. Just act. Move rooms, talk to the staff, or leave. Your comfort matters more than anything. Final Word: Travelling is supposed to be fun, but being smart about hotel safety never hurts. These checks take two minutes and cost you nothing - except maybe a little side-eye from your travel buddy. But if it means sleeping better and avoiding sticky situations, it is worth every second.
Daily Record
7 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Record
Anas Sarwar challenges Nigel Farage to a debate after 'racist' by-election advert row
The Scottish Labour leader stepped up his attack on the right wing politician after Reform UK said he will "prioritise" Pakistani communities Anas Sarwar has challenged Nigel Farage to a by-election debate in the wake of claims Reform UK released a 'racist' advert about him. The Scottish Labour leader said Farage should get his chauffeur to put "Hamilton into Google Maps' and agree to the showdown. The Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse turned ugly last week after Reform's online attack ad, a story broken by the Record. The post included an image of Sarwar next to the words: "Anas Sarwar has said he will prioritise the Pakistani community." It then cut to a video of the Glasgow MSP telling an audience in 2022: 'The days where South Asian political communities get to lead political parties and get to lead countries is now upon is.' However, Sarwar did not say he would 'prioritise' the Pakistani community. At a press conference in London, the Reform UK leader played a clip of the advert and tried to blame Sarwar: "So it was Anas Sarwar that introduced sectarianism into Scottish politics. Making it perfectly clear his priority was to a certain section of the community.' Sarwar, who branded the advert 'blatantly racist', has taken aim at Farage again. On BBC Scotland 's GMS programme, he said: "This man has no idea where Hamilton is. I've been in Hamilton most days. I know other political parties have been in Hamilton a lot. 'So what I suggest to Nigel Farage is he should ask his chauffeur to put Hamilton into Google Maps. Come up here. I'll challenge him any time, any place in Hamilton, any town hall, and he can challenge me on my views. I'll challenge him on his views. And you can see that the people of Scotland will utterly reject him.' Asked about the claim he will 'prioritise' Pakistanis, he said: 'As someone that has been in Scottish politics for 15 years, served all communities of all faiths and backgrounds, to hear that is utterly ridiculous. "I'm seeking to be Scotland's First Minister, [a] First Minister that wants to serve every part of our country and every person in our country.' He also dismissed Farage as a 'pathetic, poisonous little man' who wants to use 'divisive rhetoric to spread fear and division'. Separately, Sarwar was also challenged on claims Labour by-election candidate Davy Russell has been hiding from the media. A number of candidates appeared on GMS earlier this week, but Russell was absent. He also said he will not appear on an STV candidates' debate on Monday. Sarwar said about Russell not appearing on the BBC show: "That's a matter for the campaign team and the campaign diary." In a tweet yesterday, SNP First Minister Swinney also criticised Farage: "There must be absolutely no place for racism in Scotland. @AnasSarwar is a political rival of mine but he shouldn't be subjected to race-baiting attacks. Farage has done more than anyone else to demonise minorities and inflame tensions. It must stop.' The SNP and Labour were believed to be in a two horse race in the by-election, but campaign sources in both parties say Reform are also in with a chance. The by-election takes place on June 5th.
SoraNews24
27-05-2025
- SoraNews24
The adventure of skipping Tokyo's crazy crowded commuter trains by biking home to the suburbs
Fresh air, meat, and so, so much darkness. Tokyo's rush-hour trains feel shockingly crowded to tourists and other new arrivals in the city, but eventually most locals get used to them…but not all of them. Even after 15 years of living in Tokyo, the train ride to/from the office is still a source of daily dread for our Hokkaido-born Japanese-language reporter Ahiruneko. Ahiruneko lives in Hachioji, one of the outer-ring residential areas of Tokyo, but SoraNews24 HQ is in the city-center Shinjuku neighborhood. So every work day Ahiruneko's shift is sandwiched by two slices of hell as he rides a packed train on the 45-minute trip between the two neighborhoods. But one recent day was an exception, because after Ahiruneko clocked out… …he didn't head to Shinjuku Station to get on a train home. Instead, he walked over to an automated bike depot operated by bicycle rental service Hello Cycling. If you've been following Ahiruneko's pedal-powered adventures on our site, you can probably guess what he was up to. On this pleasant late-spring evening, rather than stuffing himself into a packed train where he'd have to stand pressed against a half-dozen strangers for the entire ride, he was opting to bike home from the office. After signing in to the service's app and scanning the QR code to unlock a bike, he was ready to get going. Breezily pedaling past the congestion of Shinjuku Station, Ahiruneko continued heading west along the Koshu Kaido road, which goes all the way to Yamanashi Prefecture. Ahiruneko didn't need to travel that far, but a road sign he passed under reminded him that he had some 38 kilometers (23.6 miles) of pedaling to do before he'd be home. ▼ Google Maps' Shinjuku-to-Hahioji bike route Still, this experiment was more about the psychological benefits of skipping the train and biking home, not finding the absolute quickest point-to-point method of commuting. And so far, Ahiruneko was feeling fine. He even decided to take a slightly less direct route by hanging a left at the intersection with Kannnana-dori, since that road has less car traffic than the Koshu Kaido, making it a little more relaxing to navigate on bike. This route also meant he'd be going through part of Setagaya Ward, a downtown-adjacent part of Tokyo with a relaxed vibe and even a picturesque streetcar line. Now on the street named Setagaya-dori, Ahiruneko noticed the sun was starting to come down as he crossed into the next part of Tokyo, Komae City. Komae doesn't have a lot of major sightseeing attractions, so unless they live or work there, most people don't have much occasion to go there. This was Ahiruneko's first time in his decade and a half of living in Tokyo to find himself in Komae, and the scenery was completely unfamiliar to him…until, about one hour after he'd started riding… …he spotted a sign for Yakinuku King. Yakiniku King is a chain of yakiniku restaurants, known for its tasty grill-it-yourself meat. They're usually found in the suburbs, but, to Ahiruneko's great sadness, there aren't any branches near his home. There is one that's sort of accessible if he rents a car, but that makes it more of a special-occasion meal, which means he and his wife will take their young daughter along, and since customers at yakiniku restaurants cook their own food at in-table grills, Ahiruneko ends up spending most of his time cooking and making sure his kid doesn't burn her fingers, grab the uncooked meat, or do any of the other ill-advised things a curious little tyke is apt to do. And so, even though Ahiruneko was still in the middle of his ride home… …he couldn't resist the siren song of a solo yakiniku dinner. Ordering the King Course, Ahiruneko truly felt like royalty as he enjoyed the decadent meaty luxury. As one of the most enthusiastically unabashed tipplers on our staff, ordinarily Ahiruneko would have paired his feast with a nice cold beer, but since he still had a lot of bicycling left to do, he had to settle for a pretty nice cold soda. Ahiruneko spent about an hour and a half on his unplanned yakiniku pit stop, but emerging from the restaurant with his stomach full and the taste of yakiniku still lingering on his lips, he had no regrets (at least not yet). Back on the bike, Ahiruneko continued on his way, until he came to this set of steps. He walked his bike up the ramp in the center, and when he got to the top, he say that he'd reached the Tamagawa River. With the soft glow of the setting sun reflecting off the waterway, Ahirunko felt more sure than ever that he'd made the right call in deciding to bike home today. However, that certainty began to fade along with the daylight. As Ahiruneko continued down the path, it got darker and darker, and since the riverbank area isn't particularly developed… …once the sun is completely down, there aren't many other sources of nearby light. Occasionally he'd pass by pools of illumination, but hardly any of them stretched to the path he was riding on itself, meaning that he had often had to rely entirely on the rental bicycle's light. ▼ Without the bike's light, he might have ridden right into the river. This was, however, a solution with a ticking clock, because he now noticed that the battery for his bike, which also powers its electric assist function, was running low, according to the indicator on the handlebar. ▼ Hmm…maybe stopping for yakiniku wasn't a perfect idea after all? Luckily, when Ahiruneko whipped out his phone and fired up the Hello Cycling app again, he saw that there was another depot not too far from his current position, and that it had both an empty slot to drop off his bike and available replacements with charged batteries. Feeling like an anime hero who gets a new mecha at the series' mid-point, Ahiruneko hopped on his second bike with a renewed sense of confidence. Yep, nothing was gonna stop him now! Oh. OK, this low-bride was going to stop him, since there wasn't enough room for Ahirunko, let alone his bike, to pass through. Luckily, though, using the bike's light, he was able to spot a path down to a lower road… …which did have enough clearance. From there it was almost entirely smooth sailing back to Ahiruneko's home, though he admits to feeling pretty freaked out in one final very dark section of his route with forested areas on either side of the road pitch black beyond the range of his bike light. But he managed to make it all the way home safe and sound. So how long did his trip take? He'd left the office at 3:30 p.m., and arrived in Hachioji at 9:20. Subtract the time he spent chowing down on yakiniku, and his riding time works out to approximately four and a half hours. So yeah, time-wise it was quite a bit longer than taking the train. On the other hand, he'd had a great meal, enjoyed some beautiful scenery, and even had a few darkness-induced suspenseful thrills along the way, so he can't complain too much… …and when he did get home, he was absolutely certain that he'd earned himself a beer. Related: Hello Cycling, Yakiniku King Photos ©SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! [ Read in Japanese ]
AFP
23-05-2025
- AFP
CCTV clip of Brazil robbery falsely linked to Burmese anti-junta fighters
The video of an armed robber stealing a mobile phone and fleeing the scene before being shot by another man has gained 38,000 views after it was shared on Facebook on May 13. "Said it happened in North Dagon. I am not sure if that's true but they said a PDF saved a foreigner," reads the Burmese-language caption, referring to the People's Defence Force, which was formed after a 2021 coup that has led to four years of conflict, spurring mass displacement and poverty (archived link). Image Screenshot of false Facebook post taken on May 20, 2025 A devastating earthquake that struck in March killed 3,800 people and worsened the humanitarian situation, while the junta has continued to strike civilian targets despite a purported ceasefire to help the country recover from the disaster (archived links here and here). Similar posts claiming the video of the robbery was shot in Myanmar also emerged on Facebook. However, a reverse image search on Google using keyframes from the video found the incident took place in Brazil. Broadcaster CNN Brasil published an uncropped version of the video in a report on March 4 (archived link). The report's headline reads: "Video: student is robbed as he leaves the gym and off-duty police officer retaliates." Image Screenshot comparisons of false Facebook post (left) and CNN Brasil's report (right) The incident took place in Sao Paulo's Brooklin neighbourhood, on Francisco Dias Velho Road, Brazilian local media reported (archived link). A search of the location on Google Maps found a geotagged image of the exterior of the Junkyard Gym, which shows elements matching those seen in the CCTV footage of the robbery (archived link). Image Screenshot comparisons of CNN Brasil's report (left) and Google Maps' photo highlighted by AFP (right) Further keyword searches found the Junkyard Gym had uploaded additional CCTV footage of the robbery on its official Instagram account, which corresponded to Google Maps street view imagery of Francisco Del Velho Road (archived links here and here). Image Screenshot comparison of the CCTV footage uploaded by the gym (left) and street view imagery from Google Maps (right) AFP has previously debunked misinformation related to the PDF here, here and here.
Int'l Business Times
08-05-2025
- Int'l Business Times
Google Maps Gets Creepy Cool, Now Scans Your iPhone Screenshots to Track Places You've Seen Online
Google Maps has gone live with a new Gemini-powered feature for iPhone users that automatically searches your screenshots for familiar places and bookmarks them. The feature, announced in March, is now available, and it's here to change how users save and revisit places they view on the web or social media. Rather than switching between apps and typing in addresses, this smart update streamlines trip planning and location bookmarking through artificial intelligence. How Google Maps' Screenshot Scanner Works To get the new feature, make sure your Google Maps app is up to date with the latest version by clicking here. Launch the app and go to the "You" tab, where you will see a new "Screenshots" list awaiting you. A brief demo will guide you through how it works. After it's turned on, Google Maps utilizes AI to find location data such as business names and street addresses in your screen captures. Your identified locations will appear in a "Review" carousel where you can choose if you want to "Save" or "Don't Save." Turn on Auto-Scan for Smooth Location Findings The magic behind this feature is in turning on the "Allow Access to All Photos" permission. Maps will then automatically scan for any new screenshots containing location-based content and bring them up for easy saving with this setting enabled. According to 9to5Google, if you want to have manual control instead, you can also browse through your gallery and import individual screenshots into the "Review" section manually. A clean toggle for "Turn on/off auto-scan" lies under the carousel, allowing you complete control over the behavior of the feature. All Locations Are Saved Privately First When a screenshot is recognized and saved, it goes directly into the "Screenshots" list, a private space visible only to you. From there, you can choose to organize these places into custom lists, such as restaurants to try, future travel destinations, or must-see attractions. This feature makes it simpler to pull up the locations later; what was once a scattered array of photos becomes a centralized travel planning center. Now iOS-Only, Android Soon to Follow This capability is presently limited to iOS users in the United States with English as their device language. Google has, however, assured that Android support is imminent, expanding access to this influential tool shortly. Since we're in a digital age where looking for new places is possible on Instagram and TikTok, this new feature will be a blast. Interestingly, it provides customers with a frictionless means to save and revisit places without interrupting the fluidity of their scroll experience. With Gemini AI, your location-related queries will now be answered. Google hears us and is pushing yet another initiative in turning Maps into something beyond a navigation platform: an intelligent and personalized trip companion. Originally published on Tech Times
