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Two Americans were found dead inside a luxury hotel room in Mexico's Baja California peninsula, local authorities said.
Around 9 p.m. on Tuesday, police and paramedics arrived at the Hotel Rancho Pescadero in the seaside Mexican town of El Pescadero after reports of an unresponsive couple. A man and a woman were found inside a hotel room with no vital signs, according to police. The pair were pronounced dead at the scene.
Authorities believe the man and woman had been dead for about 10 or 11 hours when they were found. There were reportedly no signs of violence.
The Baja California Sur Attorney General’s Office said in a statement on Wednesday that their cause of death was "intoxication by substance to be determined."
The AG's office identified the deceased Americans as John Heathco, 41, and Abby Lutz, 22. Lutz is from Newport Beach, California.
The local attorney general is overseeing the investigation.
U.S. officials told the Associated Press they were aware of the deaths, but did not comment because of privacy concerns.
Henar Gil, the general manager of Hotel Rancho Pescadero, told Fox News, "We are truly heartbroken by this terrible tragedy. Our hearts are with the impacted families and loved ones during this unimaginable loss. Local authorities are still actively investigating the situation, and the safety and security of our guests and colleagues remains a top priority, as always."
"We can confirm there was no evidence of violence related to this situation, and we are not aware of any threat to guests’ safety or well-being," Gil continued. "We are working to care for those who have been impacted, and we are working closely with authorities as they conduct their investigation to understand the cause of death."
Hyatt didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from ABC News.
Hotel Rancho Pescadero is part of Hyatt's Unbound Collection. Hyatt describes its Unbound Collection as "an exclusive portfolio of upper-upscale and luxury properties designed to captivate travelers seeking distinctive experiences with the reassurance of Hyatt."
Nightly rates at the Hotel Rancho Pescadero start at $540.
Last October, three Americans were found dead at a rented apartment in an upscale neighborhood of Mexico City. The cause of death was determined to be carbon monoxide poisoning.
In 2018, an American couple and their two children died from a "high charge" of gas that escaped from the boiler at a vacation rental in Tulum, Mexico.
Newsweek previously reported, "Though incomplete, the data suggest an average number of U.S. deaths in Mexico of about 194 annually, of which there is an average of 60 homicides a year."
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Microplastics have been recorded in freshly fallen snow on Antarctica
Microplastics have been found in freshly fallen snow in Antarctica for the first time in recorded history.
The Guardian reported that this unnatural development poses a distinct threat to the health of Antarctica’s unique ecosystems and could accelerate the melting of the continents ice and snow.
Microplastics — which are individually smaller than a grain of rice —have previously been found in Antarctic Sea ice and surface water but this is the first time in recorded history that they have been found in fresh snowfall.
Research conducted by Alex Aves, a PhD student from the University of Canterbury, and his supervisor Dr. Laura Revell, chronicled the recent phenomenon.
For his research, Aves collected snow samples from the Ross Ice Shelf in late 2019 to determine whether microplastics had been transferred rom the atmosphere into the snow. Until Aves conducted this research, there had been very little research about the presence of microplastics on the continent of Antarctica.
Dr. Revell said, “We were optimistic that she wouldn’t find any microplastics in such a pristine and remote location.”
Dr. Revell indicated that she had instructed Aves to also collect samples from various established roadways on the continent, where microplastics have previously been recorded, so that “she’d have at least some microplastics to study.”
As it turns out, Dr. Revell’s precautions were unnecessary as plastic particles were found in every one of the 19 samples Aves gathered from the Ross Ice Shelf.
Aves said, “It’s incredibly sad but finding microplastics in fresh Antarctic snow highlights the extent of plastic pollution into even the most remote regions of the world.”
Aves found an average of 29 microplastic particles per liter of melted snow, which is reportedly higher than recorded marine concentrations that were gathered from the surrounding Ross Sea and Antarctic Sea ice.
There were 13 different types of microplastic found in the samples Aves gathered. The most common type found was PET which is commonly used in the manufacture of plastic drink bottles and clothing.
Atmospheric modeling suggested that these microplastics may have traveled thousands of kilometers through the air as it is unlikely that the humans currently residing in Antarctica have caused enough plastic pollution to generate the requisite concentration of microplastics in the atmosphere.
Microplastics and plastic pollution have become remarkably far spread as they reportedly been found at the summit of Mount Everest and in the depths of the planet’s oceans.
People inadvertently eat and breathe microplastics according to some studies and other studies found that microplastic particles cause damage to human cells. One study from 2021 found that airborne microplastics are “spiraling around the globe.”
A 67-year-old woman was hit on the head and pushed down the stairs of a New York subway station by a man stealing her purse
On Saturday, a purse snatcher punched a 67-year-old woman in the head before he knocked her down the stairs of a subway station in Manhattan.
The New York Post reported that the man attacked the woman just before 7:00 a.m. this past Tuesday. The attack took place at the 42nd Street-Port Authority Bus Terminal station, according to the New York Police Department.
The NYPD said that she “sustained minor injuries from the fall.”
The violent thief absconded with the woman’s personal cellphone, roughly $150 in cash, and credit cards that were being held in the woman’s purse, police said.
The NYPD released surveillance footage of a suspect who appears to have something stuffed under his hooded sweatshirt as he walks down the street and out of the surveillance camera’s view.
This past February, New York City’s new Mayor, Eric Adams, committed to cracking down on violent crime in the subways by removing the city’s homeless residents who ride “the same lines all night” in the city’s sprawling metro system.
The mayor previously referred to the city’s homeless population as a “cancerous sore” and said that the city would begin to deploy more police and mental health workers throughout its transit network to prevent violent crimes from being carried out in the subway and subway stations as well as to remove transient homeless populations.
Adams said, “No more just doing whatever you want. Those days are over. Swipe your MetroCard, ride the system, get off at your destination. That’s what this administration is saying.”
He continued, “People tell me about their fear of using the system, and we’re going to ensure that fear is not New York’s reality.”
In mid-February, Kevin Douglas, a 40-year-old man, was arrested and charged with second-degree robbery, third-degree robbery, and second-degree assault after viciously attacking a Thai woman in a subway station before proceeding to sexually assault her.
On 11/22 at the Herald Square station, in this shocking video, suspect attacks 23YO Bew Jirajariyawetch on the platform. The suspect places her in a headlock, throws her to the ground then sexually assaults her before fleeing w/ her with her purse. (Video provided by attorney)pic.twitter.com/3xUge6AzOl— Sarah Y. Kim (@Sarah Y. Kim) 1639626217
However, violent crime remains a very real threat in many places in New York City besides the subway system.
This past winter, a 4-year-old boy was assaulted by a grown man in Times Square at 3:20 p.m. in the afternoon. And in mid-March, the Museum of Modern Art in Midtown Manhattan was evacuated after a man stabbed two employees.
According to a report from WNBC-TV, a regional NBC affilate providing coverage to Manhattan, violent crime is on the rise in New York City. Rape was reported to be up 27 percent, felony assault by 12 percent, robbery up by 33 percent, and burglary up by six percent.
The Egyptian government extends the stays of Ukrainian tourists for free in wake of the Russian invasion
The Egyptian Tourism and Antiquities Ministry allows tourists affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine to extend their stay at Egyptian hotels free of charge until it is safe to return home.
On Thursday, Ahram Online, Egypt's largest online news organization, reported that Egypt's Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Khaled Anani, made this decision following the closing of Ukraine's airspace.
The Hotel Association of Egypt also issued a directive to all of its member hotels to extend the stays of Ukrainian and Russian tourists until Russian and Ukrainian airspace reopens, enabling them to return home safely.
Hotels were instructed to provide these stranded tourists with their resort's full amenities free of charge.
The South Sinai Hotels Chamber issued a statement to the general managers of hotels in Sharm El-Sheikh that implored them to extend the stays of Ukrainian tourists who had returned from the airport after having their flights canceled.
The chamber also told hotel management that they should provide stranded Ukrainians with whatever assistance they need and not let "any tourist leave any hotel."
The chamber's statement encouraged hotel management to be careful moderating potential confrontations between Ukrainian and Russian tourists.
The Ukrainian embassy in Egypt shared the Hotel Association of Egypt's directive and the South Sinai Hotels Chamber's statement on its official Facebook page and encouraged stranded Ukrainian tourists to present these documents to hotel management if necessary.
Prior to the Ministry's announcement, the Ukrainian embassy said that it was cooperating with officials in tourism and tour operators to help provide stranded Ukrainians with resources due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the temporary closure of Ukrainian airspace.
The embassy also said that it was working to find routes of entry into Ukraine through Poland, Slovakia, Romania, and Hungary so that the stranded Ukrainians can return home.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said that due to the closure of Ukrainian airspace, Ukrainian citizens abroad should stay in place, closely follow events, and register in the ministry's digital communications system that connects Ukrainians with their embassies and consulates abroad.
The head of Egypt's National Company for Air Navigation, Ihab Mohi El-Din, said that on Thursday prior to Ukraine barring commercial flight from its airspace, Egyptian airports received hundreds of Ukrainian civilians from airports in Kiev and Lviv.
Egypt is one of the most popular tourist destinations for Ukrainians. In 2019, nearly 1.5 million Ukrainians visited and during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 over 700,000 Ukrainians vacationed in Egypt.
Saudi Arabia hosts real-life 'Squid Game Experience' for tourists
In Riyadh, the capital city of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, people can now participate in the Squid Game Experience.
The Squid Game Experience is an immersive in person simulation of the popular Netflix series of the same name. The Saudi General Authority for Entertainment (GEA) organized this event so that attendees may experience six different games inspired by the series.
“Squid Game” is a Netflix original series set in the criminal underworld of South Korea. Men and women who are down on their luck agree to participate in a series of increasingly elaborate children’s games where if they lose the game they also lose their lives.
Beating out pandemic era favorites like “Tiger King” and “Bridgerton,” “Squid Game” is currently the most watched show in Netflix’s history with more than 100 million subscriber households watching the series in its first month, according to Forbes.
The experience is roughly identical to the events of the show with participants meeting enforcers clad in masks and red jumpsuits, participating in childhood games that test their skill and agility, and ends with the announcement of a winner.
The GEA provided a special location with an area of 9,582 square meters in Riyadh for the event to be housed. In just over a month, this space was filled with different zones for each one of the games available for the public to participate in.
That said, individuals participating in the Squid Game Experience need not worry about losing their lives should they misstep or lose a game.
There are no automated guns slaughtering people who lose at Red Light Green Light and if a team loses at Tug-of-War its members won’t plummet to their deaths.
Organizers of the Squid Game Experience were sure to prioritize the safety of each participant.
Most of the time, the event is sold out as it frequently attracts hundreds of Saudi residents and tourists each day.
“Squid Game” is extremely popular in Saudi Arabia. Restaurants in the capital city of Riyadh have even incorporated the show into the dining experience as family’s bring their children to revel in the novelty of being shot with a toy gun over dessert.
The Squid Game Experience runs until the end of March 2022 and participants must be at least 18-years-old.
Saudi Arabia has experienced immense growth in tourism in recent years. In 2021 there was $19.85 billion spent by tourists in Saudi Arabia. This is more than double the $9.32 billion spent in 2011. The capital city of Riyadh is now a hub for the international entertainment and food industries as more and more people seek luxury in Saudi Arabia.
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