Free Republic

World New Zealand hostel fire kills at least 6 in fire chief's "worst nightmare" May 15, 2023 / 9:57 PM / CBS/AP A fire ripped through a hostel in New Zealand's capital overnight, killing at least six people and forcing others to flee the four-story building in their pajamas in what a fire chief on Tuesday called his "worst nightmare." Fifty-two people in the Loafers Lodge hostel in Wellington had been accounted for, but firefighters were still looking for others, said Wellington Fire and Emergency District Manager Nick Pyatt. He said they were called to the hostel at about 12:30...

A Chinese tourist spent nearly two weeks in a German migrant hostel after mistakenly applying for asylum when he actually wanted to report a theft... A translation app confirmed Mr Schluetermann's suspicions that the tourist had got entangled in the asylum system by mistake. "It came up with phrases like 'I want to go on a trip abroad'," he said. It emerged that the tourist had plans to visit Italy and France.

Here is a video report that includes video of Joran Van Der Sloot being questioned by officials in Peru in the death of a young woman found dead in his hotel room five years to the day after Natalee Holloway went missing in Aruba. Van Der Sloot is seen being paraded before reporters by Peruvian police, getting a physical exam, and being questioned by authorities. Police believe there is no doubt he committed the murder. The report also shows surveillance video of Van Der Sloot and the young woman entering the hotel room together, and of Van Der Sloot leaving...

Note: Video included. SNIPPET: "New information tonight about the man who confessed to setting fire to a Southeast Austin hotel. Arson investigators here say the man is a Moroccan National who went to school at St. Edward's in the 90's and who hasn't lived in the United States in eight years. His motive for setting the fire remains a mystery tonight. Flames and billowing black smoke poured out of the America's Best Value Inn Sunday. A day later, hotel guests relived the harrowing moments as they escaped the fire." SNIPPET: "Investigators say 33-year-old Mohamed Lahlou, who checked into the hotel...

Title only. Breaking.

Enjoy your stay... at North Korean embassy By Harry de Quetteville in Berlin Last Updated: 1:52am BST 05/04/2008 North Korea, one of the poorest countries in the world, is reportedly raising much needed funds by transforming parts of its Berlin embassy complex into a backpacker hostel. The deal would see North Korea, famous for the secretive regime of dictator Kim Jong-il, throwing open the doors of former diplomatic buildings to budget travellers from around the world. The large embassy compound is located in former East Berlin close to tourist attractions including Checkpoint Charlie and the Brandenburg Gate. A display case...

By Mark Harris Jack Valenti has gone to that great screening room in the sky, but his legacy persists — for better and for worse — in the form of the movie ratings system. Back in 1968, Valenti's ratings replaced a capricious code of self-censorship with labels designed to help parents make choices. That's still a worthy idea — at least, it would be if it were applied with anything resembling sanity. Last weekend, Eli Roth's Hostel: Part II opened. According to the raters, it contains ''sadistic scenes of torture and bloody violence, terror, nudity, sexual content, language, and some...

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (Reuters) - Breathtaking views high above Rio de Janeiro's beaches and mountains can be yours for just a few dollars a day -- if you skip pricey hotels and sleep in a slum. Rio's slums, or favelas, are infamous for drug and gang violence. But a new hostel called "The Little Slum Inn" is attracting adventurous tourists, mainly from Germany, France and the United States, who dare to live amid the grit and poverty. "This place isn't for wimps. If you are uptight, you can go stay at the Copacabana Palace," said co-owner and shantytown dweller...

Government officials in Slovakia have expressed their concern that new backpacker horror movie Hostel makes their country appear dangerous. The Eli Roth-directed movie, which shows three travelers heading to a Slovakian city and falling prey to a brutal torture ring, has caused outrage among the country's politicians, who feel it will tarnish their nation's reputation. Member of Parliament Tomas Galbavy says, "I am offended by this film. I think that all Slovaks should feel offended." Galbavy called Hostel, which was shot in the neighboring Czech Republic, "a monstrosity that does not at all reflect reality" and added it would "damage...

Folks who live for the pull and snap of live flesh will have their share of sequences to cheer for in "Hostel," the new horror flick about two American backpackers who wind up snared in a wild Slovakian torture ring. Written and directed by Eli Roth ("Cabin Fever"), the movie tells one of those nightmare-abroad tales, like "An American Werewolf in London" or "Eurotrip." Jocky and horny Paxton (Jay Hernandez) and bookish and virginal Josh (Derek Richardson) show up in Amsterdam and promptly hit the bong and cruise the nightclubs. They befriend an Icelander named Oli (Eythor Gudjonsson), insult the...

rating: 3 out of 4 Director: Eli Roth Cast: Jay Hernandez, Derek Richardson, Eythor Gudjonsson, Barbara Nedeljakova Screenplay: Eli Roth MPAA Classification: R (gore enough to make you gag on that morning's breakfast) I can't attest to honestly enjoying Hostel. In fact, I often had to resist the reflexive temptation to leave. The film is simply disgusting. I worried that my fellow audience members would be drenched in a fresh, steaming coat of my own vomit, to be absolutely truthful. Someone asked Writer/Director Eli Roth after the screening how he managed to convince the MPAA into an R-rating. Roth laughed...