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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.Support Independent Arts Journalism As an independent publication, we rely on readers like you to fund our journalism. If you value our coverage and want to support more of it, consider becoming a member today . Already a member? Sign in here. Support Hyperallergic’s independent arts journalism for as little as $8 per month. Become a Member When I walked into the Soho Rep on Wednesday, November 6, the day after the election, I wasn’t entirely sure I was up for seeing a play. Even as someone whose life is wrapped up in the arts and who cares deeply for the meaning and solace they can provide, I find myself wary of the platitudes that tell us art will somehow save us. I’ll grant that the arts can contribute, but so many other very concrete things need to happen in order for us to stop destroying ourselves and the intertwined ecosystems we rely on for survival. That said, I do love Soho Rep, a small, almost 50-year-old theater company based in Lower Manhattan that I can always trust to produce strong and provocative work. Throughout my nearly two decades in New York, I’ve been seeing their productions, but this would be the last time I’d get to watch one of their shows in the little black box theater in Tribeca where they’ve been located for over 30 years. The current show, Give Me Carmelita Tropicana! , written by Alina Troyano and Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, and directed by Eric Ting, will be the company’s final production in that space. Starting in February 2025, they will begin a residency of at least two years in the 128-seat Sharp Theater at Playwright’s Horizons, which will nearly double Soho Rep’s seating capacity and bring their shows into a fully accessible space. Get the latest art news, reviews and opinions from Hyperallergic. Daily Weekly Opportunities And so, after chatting with the front-of-house staff and perusing the books on offer — Soho Rep has also long made a point of putting theatrical and performance texts into print, no small feat for a US theater — I settled into my seat in the second row and tried to open up to whatever was about to unfold. For those who don’t know Carmelita Tropicana, she is the creation and alter-ego of Alina Troyano, a Cuban-born force of nature in New York City’s avant-garde theater and performance world, and a fixture in the Lower East Side neighborhood she has long called home. Troyano’s first full production featuring Carmelita Tropicana was Chicken Sushi (1987), which she toured to numerous locations in Germany and also performed at the WOW Café Theatre in New York City, the space where she first developed the character and found an artistic home in the early 1980s. Carmelita is an exaggerated camp queer entertainer and Cubana living in the Lower East Side. Through her performances, she expresses both critique of and love for the overlapping worlds she occupies. Notably Carmelita is deeply entwined with Troyano’s own life and identity — a point relevant to the play. Many people know Troyano primarily as Carmelita Tropicana, myself included. It’s the name she has often used when teaching, presenting at museums, publishing essays in academic journals, walking down the street, and on and on. The result is a built-in tension between the two identities: Where does one start and the other end? Can they even be separated? And if so, how? In the world of the play, Troyano is engaged in the quintessentially American activity of dreaming up new ways to make money. She lands on the idea of selling off the character/persona/intellectual property that is Carmelita Tropicana. The reasons she needs the money? Partly because capitalism is failing us all, even as it constantly presents as the solution to that failure, and partly because of Troyano’s decades spent making theater and performance art (career paths not known for being lucrative). She also serves as the superintendent in the building she co-owns with her sister and frequent artistic collaborator, filmmaker Ela Troyano, but this line of work also hasn’t made her rich. Troyano manages to find a possible buyer for Carmelita in the form of her former student, the playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (played by actor Ugo Chukwu). From this opening premise, the play explodes. At various moments Troyano and the character of Jacobs-Jenkins become inhabited or possessed by Carmelita. Other characters Troyano created in her past work also enter the world of the play, we travel across time and space, and even seem to exit them entirely at a few points. The sets change with the drawing of a curtain or the spin of a piece of scenery: We move from a bland office to a photographic facsimile of Troyano’s apartment to a neon cavern made of cardboard to a nightclub somewhere in a mirage of Cuba — and at one point we find ourselves nowhere at all, listening to a meandering and quite moving monologue by an ever-growing goldfish that Branden Jacobs-Jenkins once used in a harrowing performance art piece during a class he took with Troyano/Carmelita, back before he became a Tony and MacArthur Award-winning writer, back when he thought he might follow in Troyano/Carmelita’s footsteps as a performance artist. Even the iconic Cuban-American playwright María Irene Fornés, who was once Troyano’s teacher, makes an appearance (played by Octavia Chavez-Richmond). The play is a sometimes poignant, gloriously absurd, uncontainable ride that I was grateful to be on that night. At turns it asks what lineage could be, from artistic lineages to lineages for queer people who don’t procreate; what’s for sale; who gets access to information and how; who gets to say what, particularly when it comes to race and ethnicity; the what and why of theater; and, as is common in much of Troyano’s work, what is this idea or mythology of the Latinidad all about, and what is its utility. Troyano has always pushed against being contained, against easy legibility, and in so doing, she refuses the kind of market and social enclosure for which identity markers are so often used. This work with Jacobs-Jenkins carries that impulse into the present in a way that feels both strategic and instructive. To simultaneously claim, break, and refuse identities is to force people to reckon with your full humanity, while turning their desires and expectations of who you should be back on them. At a time when identity-based scapegoating is about to once again be the law of the land, it’s worth all of us borrowing from Troyano/Carmelita’s playbook to turn that impulse back on itself as often as we possibly can. Give Me Carmelita Tropicana! continues at Soho Rep (46 Walker Street, Tribeca, Manhattan) through December 22. The show was written by Alina Troyano and Branden Jacobs-Jenkins and directed by Eric Ting . We hope you enjoyed this article! Before you keep reading, please consider supporting Hyperallergic ’s journalism during a time when independent, critical reporting is increasingly scarce. Unlike many in the art world, we are not beholden to large corporations or billionaires. Our journalism is funded by readers like you , ensuring integrity and independence in our coverage. We strive to offer trustworthy perspectives on everything from art history to contemporary art. We spotlight artist-led social movements, uncover overlooked stories, and challenge established norms to make art more inclusive and accessible. With your support, we can continue to provide global coverage without the elitism often found in art journalism. If you can, please join us as a member today . Millions rely on Hyperallergic for free, reliable information. By becoming a member, you help keep our journalism free, independent, and accessible to all. Thank you for reading. Share Copied to clipboard Mail Bluesky Threads LinkedIn Facebook
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In conclusion, TikTok's Black Friday billion-dollar feast showcased the potential of social commerce in the United States and marked a significant milestone in the platform's evolution. However, the sustainability of this trend will depend on TikTok's ability to adapt to changing consumer preferences, address data privacy concerns, and stay ahead of the competition. While the future of social commerce remains uncertain, one thing is clear – the intersection of social media and e-commerce is reshaping the way we shop online, and platforms like TikTok are at the forefront of this digital revolution.Koa Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Alphabet Inc. ( NASDAQ:GOOGL – Free Report ) by 0.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 38,557 shares of the information services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 163 shares during the period. Alphabet makes up about 4.9% of Koa Wealth Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest position. Koa Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Alphabet were worth $6,395,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of GOOGL. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc boosted its stake in shares of Alphabet by 75.0% during the second quarter. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc now owns 140 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. Kings Path Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the second quarter valued at $36,000. Denver PWM LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the second quarter valued at $41,000. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the second quarter valued at $53,000. Finally, Summit Securities Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the second quarter valued at $55,000. Institutional investors own 40.03% of the company’s stock. Alphabet Price Performance Shares of NASDAQ GOOGL opened at $168.95 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.07 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.41, a PEG ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.03. Alphabet Inc. has a 12 month low of $127.90 and a 12 month high of $191.75. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $168.47 and its 200-day simple moving average is $170.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 1.95 and a quick ratio of 1.95. Alphabet Dividend Announcement The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 9th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.47%. Alphabet’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 10.61%. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of analysts have recently issued reports on GOOGL shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Alphabet from $182.00 to $187.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Alphabet from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Roth Mkm upped their price objective on shares of Alphabet from $206.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Pivotal Research upped their price objective on shares of Alphabet from $215.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $210.00 price objective on shares of Alphabet in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have given a buy rating and five have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Alphabet presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $205.90. View Our Latest Research Report on GOOGL Insider Activity In other Alphabet news, CEO Sundar Pichai sold 22,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.68, for a total value of $3,570,300.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 2,137,385 shares in the company, valued at approximately $339,160,251.80. This trade represents a 1.04 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website . Also, CAO Amie Thuener O’toole sold 2,835 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.53, for a total value of $429,587.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 29,182 shares in the company, valued at $4,421,948.46. The trade was a 8.85 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Insiders have sold 206,795 shares of company stock worth $34,673,866 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 11.55% of the company’s stock. About Alphabet ( Free Report ) Alphabet Inc offers various products and platforms in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia-Pacific, Canada, and Latin America. It operates through Google Services, Google Cloud, and Other Bets segments. The Google Services segment provides products and services, including ads, Android, Chrome, devices, Gmail, Google Drive, Google Maps, Google Photos, Google Play, Search, and YouTube. See Also Five stocks we like better than Alphabet Uptrend Stocks Explained: Learn How to Trade Using Uptrends The Latest 13F Filings Are In: See Where Big Money Is Flowing Dividend Payout Ratio Calculator 3 Penny Stocks Ready to Break Out in 2025 Stock Dividend Cuts Happen Are You Ready? FMC, Mosaic, Nutrien: Top Agricultural Stocks With Big Potential Receive News & Ratings for Alphabet Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Alphabet and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .