A Civil Rights Group Says Florida Is No Longer a Safe Destination

A surge in tourist numbers and a rise in bad behavior have caused a town in Japan to cancel its cherry blossom festival. Fujiyoshida, near Mount Fuji, is a popular tourist destination in spring when the pink flowers are in bloom. Tourists flock to see the picturesque sakura trees with Mount Fuji in the background, but the mayor announced that the popularity of the scenic town threatens residents’ quiet lives.

Mayor Shigeru Horiuchi said last Tuesday that the festival will not return this year. “To protect the dignity and living environment of our citizens, we have decided to bring the curtain down on the 10-year-old festival.” As many as 10,000 tourists come to the town daily during the season, impacting residents’ quality of life.

In recent years, tourists have caused congestion and litter, while some have trespassed, opened private doors to homes to use restrooms without permission, and defecated in private gardens, the BBC reported.

Related: Small Japanese Village Forced to Station Guards as Tourists Overrun City

A nonprofit civil rights group has issued an advisory against travel to Florida ahead of the FIFA World Cup, calling the state an unsafe destination for international travelers. The Florida Immigrant Coalition said, “With the FIFA World Cup 2026 coming to Miami, travelers may face unprecedented risks of racial profiling, wrongful detention in inhumane conditions without consular access, and heinous human rights violations—regardless of legal travel status.”

Executive director Tessa Petit said, “International visitors must ask themselves if a soccer match is worth the risk of being kidnapped and jailed until God-knows-when, in deplorable conditions, by a secret police who is using racial profiling, judging people for how they look or their accent, and getting away with literal murder in the streets of our country.”

The advisory also listed international tourists from Ireland, Australia, and Canada who were detained at the border without due process. It said that people of color, those with dual citizenship, or those who speak English without an American accent may be at risk.

An elephant at Khao Yai National Park in Thailand trampled a tourist to death last week. The 65-year-old Thai man is the third person killed by the animal named Oyewan, and authorities suspect the elephant may have more victims.

Jirathachai Jiraphatboonyathorn was on a morning walk with his wife when the wild elephant grabbed him with its trunk, then slammed and stomped on him. He died instantly from severe injuries, including broken limbs. Park rangers were able to scare the animal away, and his wife escaped.

At Brussels Airport last week, a Scandinavian Airlines flight was aborted after the pilot mistook the taxiway for the runway.

The flight to Copenhagen, carrying 165 passengers, was scheduled to depart shortly before 10 p.m. The pilot started the takeoff and reached 123 mph, but the plane came to a halt after the pilot realized the mistake. It had nearly reached a point of no return—another few seconds and it would have had to take off, aviation expert Luke De Wild told Het Nieuwsblad. The plane was safely stopped just before a taxiway intersection, and passengers were evacuated.

Taxiways are used for ground movement of planes—to the runway or hangar—while runways are specifically designed for takeoff and landing. Taxiways are shorter and narrower, so taking off from a taxiway would have been dangerous.

At Brussels airport last week, a Scandinavian Airlines flight was aborted after the pilot mistook the taxiway for the runway. 

The flight to Copenhagen was carrying 165 passengers and was scheduled to depart shortly before 10pm. The pilot started the takeoff and gained a speed of 123 mph, but the plane came to a halt unexpectedly after the pilot realized the mistake. It had nearly reached a point of no return—another few seconds and it would have had to take off, aviation expert Luke De Wild told Het Nieuwsblad. But it was safely stopped just before a taxiway intersection and passengers were evacuated.

Taxiways are used for ground movement of the planes (for example to go to the runway or hangar), while runways are specifically designed for takeoff and landings. Taxiways are shorter and narrower, so taking off from a taxiway would have been dangerous.