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☆ This family traveled for a year. Here are the biggest mistakes they made
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Vivien Soo | Poonam Binayak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Life-changing experiences, unforgettable memories and beautiful pictures — these are things that come to mind when people think of a year-long family trip. The Sullivan family, shown here at Machu Picchu in Peru, ran into several unforeseen circumstances throughout the year. Source: Margaret Bensfield Sullivan"We had packed every conceivable medication, and it never occurred to me that we would encounter lice," she said. After a year abroad, Sullivan, shown here in Egypt, said her family returned home with a stronger bond. Margaret Bensfield Sullivan

Persons: Margaret Bensfield Sullivan, Sullivan, Teddy Organizations: Sullivans Locations: piranhas, Brazil, Mozambique, New York, Tanzania, South America, Africa, East, Europe, Asia, Oceania, Beijing, Peru, Berlin, Machu Picchu, Germany, Sullivan, Vietnam, Cambodia, France, Japan, Egypt

☆ Migratory species are in a shocking state of decline, landmark UN report shows
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-12 | by ( Angela Dewan | Rachel Ramirez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Migratory species include some of the most iconic animals on the planet, like elephants. Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty ImagesBaby Leatherback sea turtles head to the sea at sunset on Indonesia's Lhoknga Beach in February 2023. Those activities also fragment migratory species’ pathways, sometimes making it impossible for them to complete their journeys. Around 58% of the monitored locations recognized as important for migratory species are facing what the CMS says are unsustainable levels of pressure from humans. “Migratory species have a special role in nature as they don’t recognize political boundaries,” said Anurag Agrawal, professor of environmental studies at Cornell University.

Persons: They’ve, Yasuyoshi Chiba, Chaideer Mahyuddin, Didier Brandelet, Kristin Laidre, Amy Fraenkel, Scott Gibbons, Zheng Yuanjian, Carl de Souza, Sergio Pitamitz, Wolfgang Kaehler, ” Inger Andersen, ”, Anurag Agrawal Organizations: CNN, UN, Convention, Animals, Getty, McCormick, United Nations Environment, Cornell University Locations: Asia, Alaska, Kimana, Kenya, AFP, Beach, Greenland, Elsehul, South Georgia, longline, Chicago, Lake Michigan, Xinhua, Mongolia, UN, Samarkand, Uzbekistan

☆ Mazaalai International Snow and Ice Festival: Mongolia event sets Guinness World Record
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Karla Cripps | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The inaugural Mazaalai International Snow and Ice Festival, which kicked off on January 14, takes place till January 28 at Sky Resort, a golf and ski resort on the outskirts of Ulaanbaatar. A further 52 ice Mazaalai statues were erected at the festival to represent the 52 Gobi bears that remain in the wild. Ministry of Culture/Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Government of MongoliaThere’s also a 56.4-meter-long snow and ice sculpture with a large ice skating rink. On January 17, the festival hosted the Mazaalai International Ice Competition, featuring 24 artists from six countries including China, Thailand, France, Russia, the US and Mongolia. Culture Minister Chinbat said the new Mazaalai International Snow and Ice Festival is part of the government’s goal to welcome one million international tourists per year to Mongolia.

Persons: CNN —, Nomin Chinbat, whooshing, Mongolia There’s, Chinbat Organizations: CNN, Sky, Guinness, of Culture, Ministry of Environment, Tourism, Ice, Culture, World Bank Locations: Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, Government, China, Thailand, France, Russia, United States

☆ China's LandSpace readies satellite launch with methane rocket
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Beijing-based LandSpace Technology, one of China's private space companies, is preparing to launch a satellite payload to orbit in the first commercial test of its rocket powered by liquid fuel using methane and oxygen. The company did not specify a launch window for the rocket, which will blast off from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Inner Mongolia. The company had fundraising rounds of undisclosed sizes since, Chinese company record tracking database Tianyancha showed. LandSpace rival OrienSpace, founded in 2020, said it plans to launch its first rocket, Gravity-1, based on solid fuel, in December. ($1 = 7.1368 Chinese yuan renminbi)Reporting by Ella Cao, Roxanne Liu and Bernard Orr; Editing by Kevin Krolicki and Miral FahmyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: LandSpace's, LandSpace, Elon Musk's, Jeff Bezos, Zhang Changwu, OrienSpace, Ella Cao, Roxanne Liu, Bernard Orr, Kevin Krolicki Organizations: Technology, Weibo, Jiuquan, Elon, Elon Musk's SpaceX, SpaceX, Sequoia Capital, China SME Development Fund, LandSpace's, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, Beijing, Inner Mongolia, China, U.S, HongShan, Sequoia Capital China

☆ Three Camel Lodge gives travelers rare opportunity to experience the Gobi, Mongolia’s famed desert
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Jane Sit | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

How the Three Camel Lodge was bornThe Three Camel Lodge was the brainchild of 68-year-old Mongolian-American businessman Jalsa Urubshurow. In 2002, Jalsa decided to build something more permanent in the Gobi, and the Three Camel Lodge was born. Despite being in the desert, it’s one of just a few regions in the Mongolian Gobi that’s covered in mounds of sand. Considered a pioneer in sustainable tourism, the Three Camel Lodge today follows three main pillars: sustainable stewardship, preservation and community empowerment. Getting thereGetting to and from the Three Camel Lodge isn’t for the travel-weary – did we mention it’s remote?

Persons: Khan, Mongolia CNN —, Jalsa Urubshurow, ”, Jalsa, “ I’ve, “, Roy Andrews, Buyandelger, Andrews ’, Moltsog Els, –, we’ve Organizations: CNN, Mongolia CNN, Mongolian, ”, herder, Nomadic Expeditions, American Museum of, Expeditions, CNN Travel, birdlife, Investment, Dalanzadgad Locations: Khan khongor, Mongolia, Khan konghor, Central Asia, gers, Kalmykia, Russia, New Jersey, Bayanzag, Ulaanbaatar

☆ Rare fossil reveals behavior dinosaurs may have had in common with birds
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Mindy Weisberger | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

That’s what scientists have interpreted from the pose of the dinosaur’s fossil skeleton. The study authors identified it as an alvarezsaurid, a type of small theropod (bipedal meat-eating dinosaur) with a long tail and legs and short front limbs. Alvarezsaurids are part of a larger dinosaur group called maniraptorans, which includes birds and birdlike dinosaurs that were their closest relatives. (A) A photo of the fossil skeleton found in the Gobi Desert in Mongolia. Kohta KuboThe new fossil suggests that this sleeping behavior may have been more common than expected among the non-avian relatives of the earliest birds, the researchers reported.

Persons: Sinornithoides, Jaculinykus yaruui, Kohta Kubo, “, ”, Dr, Jingmai O’Connor, ” O’Connor, ” Kubo, Jaculinykus, Shuvuuia deserti, Kubo, Kobu, ” Mindy Weisberger Organizations: CNN, Field, Paleobiology Research, Hokkaido University, Scientific Locations: Mongolia, Chicago, Jaculus, yaruu, Japan, alvarezsaurs

☆ An Epic Pilgrimage Across Three Great Religions
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Aatish Taseer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +111 min

Before there was tourism, there was pilgrimage: a trip of endurance, hardship and ecstasy in celebration of one’s faith. On an epic pilgrimage of his own, one writer ventures into the heart of three great religions in Bolivia, Mongolia and Iraq. The Imam Hussein shrine in Karbala the day after Ashura. “They’re poor, but they come thousands of kilometers for the love of Imam Hussein.” PILGRIMAGE WAS A great equalizer. “Labaik ya Hussein,” came the solemn chorus of surrounding voices.

Persons: Eduardo Quintela Gonzáles, ” Quintela, JAN, “, ”, Quintela, Victor, Edith Turner, Chaucer, ferne, sondry londes, Vaishno Devi, Lyra Skinner, Lyra, Victoria Preston’s, —, Prophet Muhammad, Virgin Mary, Bath, Naipaul, Augustus, Ryan, garret, Virgin, Monica Machicao, Nicholas Casey, ” Monica, Casey, Evo Morales, sloughing, Columbus, Cortés, Francisco Pizarro, Monica, glitzy cholets, Peru —, Viracocha, it’s, Pablo Quisbert, Leandro Chitarroni, Eichmann, Father Chitarroni, Father Chitarroni’s, Conquistadores ”, Fernando Cervantes, Bernabé Cobo, Quisbert, Edgar Quispe, Tatiana Huayhua, Francisco Tito Yupanqui, Mary, Yupanqui’s, su, Yupanqui, Chitarroni, she’s, Friar Abelino Yeguaori, Friar Yeguaori, Friar Yeguaori’s, Irene, Juana, hajji, Waka, Aracely Alcón, Santiago, Alcón, ‘, don’t, ” Alcón, Tito Yupanqui, Uma Marka, Pachamama, haggard, Amaru Fiorilo Barrios, he’d, ” Fiorilo, Fiorilo, who’d, Valeria Alcón, Laureano Jose Quisbert, Elena Ticona Flores, Eduardo Quintela’s, Ensamble, pang, padre, consolations, Sincrético, El, Rodrigo Paz Pereira, Axel, amauta, strode, La, Aatish Taseer, Saint Helena —, Constantine I, La Paz, Orgilbaatar Tsolmon, Orgil, Genghis Khan, Edward Gibbon, ” Orgil, Araniko’s, Kublai Khan, Genghis Khan’s, Kubla Khan, Coleridge, Kublai, Stalin, sybarite, Khamar, Dalai Lama, Lama, Christopher Kaplonski, ger, I’d, banshtai tsai, Prim, Egi, Munkhdul, Gandantegchinlen, Haidav, herder, “ Um sain, boltugai, Danzanravjaa, Zanabazar’s, Erdene, Mandakhtsog Monkhbaatar, Monkhbaatar’s, Dalai Lamas, prostrated, He’d, Zuu, she’d, Santiago de, L.K, Advani, Emperor Babur, Ram, kar sevaks, Ayodhya, Narendra Modi, Munkhbaatar Batchuluun, Henry Wallace, Franklin D, Potemkin, Munkhbaatar, Gerelmaa, Giimaa, She’d, Eduardo Quintela, Aracely, Santiago’s, Joseph Brodsky’s, Muhammad’s, Hussein, William Keo, ” Khuder, pillion, Labaik, Hussein ”, O Hussein, hearkened, Prophet, Ali —, Ali, Yazid, Imam, crackling, chickpeas, Imam Ali, Imam Hussein, Saddam Hussein, Tusi, Qasim, Imam Hussein’s, Khuder, “ Will, Najaf, prestes, — I, Yasir Yaseen, Ashura, Ali Akbar, Abbas, Ali Asghar, “ We’re, Francisco Goya’s, Hussein’s, Groom, Joseph, ” Wissam, Turfi, Saddam —, Arbaeen, Saddam, “ Imam Hussein, WE, Muhammad, Barnaby Rogerson, Prophet Muhammad ”, ” Ali, Muhammad — Muhammad, formlessness, Muqtada al, Abrams, chiding, Abu Musab Al, Zarqawi, Al Qaeda, William, “ They’re, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, flagellants, ruddy, stylishly, Hussein — shahid —, Farman Ahsan, Syed Salman Raza —, Saddam’s, ” Raza, William “, Ali Zayn al, Abidin, Labaik ya Hussein, thrall —, Lloyd, Susanne Rudolph — Organizations: CITY LA, LA, LA PAZ, Virgin, Crusaders, Dolorosa, Sun, The New York Times, Bolivian, Spain, La, Cordillera, Universidad Mayor de, Catholic, Good, La Paz, Dominican, Pakistan, Caesars, Nissan, Coke, Communists, Communism, ardor, Communist, Hyundai, flails, sacra, Apache, Mahdi Army, Al, ISIS, Karachi —, Princeton Locations: Bolivia, Mongolia, Iraq, Aatish Taseer Bolivia Mongolia Iraq, CITY LA PAZ, BOLIVIA, NAJAF, IRAQ, ULAANBAATAR, MONGOLIA, LA PAZ, La Paz, Bolivian, Copacabana, Lake Titicaca, New York, Christian, British, sondry, India, Delhi, Varanasi, Europe, American, Mecca, Arabia, Long, Vino Tinto, Chile, Peru, Monica, Plurinational State, Bolivia —, Americas, Spain, Columbian, Aztec Mexico, Inca Peru, Calvary Hill, Virgen del Cerro, South America, Puerto Rico, Huatajata, ”, Argentine, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, Mexican, revelry, Spanish, “, morena, La, “ India, multilayered, Potosí, Argentina, Warisata, Scotch, Santiago de Compostela, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Nepal, Nations, El Alto, Buenos Aires, Bombay, Tibet, Bolivia’s, Yamuna Rivers, United States, Buddhist Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolian, Istanbul, Asia, Islam, China, Beijing, Dadu, Erdene Zuu, Soviet, Gobi, Los Angeles, gers, Qing China, Karnataka, Töv Province, Karakorum, Khamar, Erdene, Ukraine, Korea, Golden, Bayankhongor, Lhasa, Dalai, Inner Mongolia, Mongol, Nalaikh, Santiago, Santiago de Compostela and Canterbury, Bulgan Province, Somnath, Gujarat, Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, ger, East German, Uvs Province, Pakistani, Indian, Tennessee, Najaf, Baghdad, Khuder, —, abayas, KARBALA, Kufa, Medina, Saudi Arabia, Karbala, Imam Ali, Bab, Kuwaiti, Bohras, South Asia, Tajikistan, Zaydis, Yemen, Alawites, Anatolia, Syria, Iran, Bahrain, Azerbaijan, Sadr, U.S, Jordanian, Al Qaeda, Mesopotamia, Al, Multan, Pakistan, Punjab, Pakistan’s, Islamabad, Lahore, Kuwait, Karachi, Doha, Qatar

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Three Chinese astronauts returned to Earth on Tuesday morning after six months aboard China’s orbiting space station. The station is essentially complete, so the new crew will conduct medical and scientific experiments and maintain equipment. China made its first crewed space mission in 2003 and plans to put astronauts on the moon before 2030. It has brought samples back from the lunar surface and landed a rover on the less explored far side of the moon. Political Cartoons View All 1227 ImagesChina built its own space station after it was excluded from the International Space Station, largely due to U.S. concerns over Chinese military control over the national space program.

Persons: Jing Haipeng, Zhu Yangzhu, Gui Haichao Organizations: Xinhua News Agency, International, Station, U.S, SpaceX Locations: TAIPEI, Taiwan, China, Beijing, South, U.S

☆ Shenzhou-17 launch: China has sent its youngest-ever astronaut crew to the Tiangong space station
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Marc Stewart | Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

It now has its own permanent outpost in orbit – a fully operational space station – and routinely rotates crews to live and work there. On Thursday, three Chinese astronauts lifted off on the Shenzhou-17 spacecraft from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center deep in the Gobi Desert, heading for the Tiangong space station for a six-month stay. With a lifespan of 15 years, it could become the only one left when the NASA-led International Space Station (ISS) retires in 2030. That exclusion has at least in part spurred Beijing to build its own space station. “We’ve been operating spacecraft, space shuttle, space station for decades.

Persons: China’s, Yang Liwei, Yang, ” Yang, “, ”, – Tang Shengjie, Jiang Xinlin, Tang Hongbo, Tang, Tang Shengjie, Tiangong, Leroy Chiao, they’ve, ” Chiao, “ We’ve Organizations: China CNN, CNN, NASA, Space, ISS, US, Positioning Locations: China, US, Russia, Europe, Japan, Canada, Beijing, United States, Soviet, Venezuela, South Africa

JIUQUAN SATELLITE LAUNCH CENTER, China (AP) — China launched its youngest-ever crew for its orbiting space station on Thursday as it seeks to put astronauts on the moon before 2030. Tang is a veteran who led a 2021 space mission for three months. It built its own space station after it was excluded from the International Space Station, largely due to U.S. concerns over the control of the program by the People’s Liberation Army, the military branch of the ruling Communist Party. China’s first manned space mission in 2003 made it the third country after the former Soviet Union and the U.S. to put a person into space using its own resources. ___Associated Press video producer Caroline Chen at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center and journalist Kanis Leung in Hong Kong contributed to this report.

Persons: Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie, Jiang Xinlin, Tang, Caroline Chen, Kanis Leung Organizations: —, China Manned Space Agency, CCTV, U.S, International, Station, People’s Liberation Army, Communist Party, Soviet Union, SpaceX, Associated Press, Center Locations: China, — China, Beijing, U.S, Hong Kong

☆ Scientists discovered the first fossil of its kind that shows 16-foot-long dinosaurs may have chirped like birds
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Maiya Focht | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The bone is the first example of a larynx in reptilian dinosaurs that paleontologists have ever found. Based on a fossil from a Pinacosaurus grangeri, paleontologists think that some large dinosaurs might have chirped like birds, not roared like lions. The fossil is the first intact larynx bone from a dinosaur ever found, the scientists said in their study which was published in the journal Nature earlier this year. How they found the bone and discovered its purposeA scan of the fossilized larynx of the Ankylosaurus dinosaur Pinacosaurus grangeri. They initially thought the bone they found was used in a different part of the dinosaur's throat, for breathing, Yoshida said.

Persons: dino, —, Junki Yoshida, Michael D’Emic, Yoshida, they're, there's, vocalized Yoshida Organizations: Service, Hokkaido University Museum, American Museum of Locations: Japan

KARACHI, Pakistan, Oct 5 (Reuters) - Pakistani ecommerce logistics startup Rider, backed by YCombinator, is looking into acquiring BlueEx (UNIV.PSX) the only listed Express Courier Logistics Company in Pakistan, it told Reuters on Thursday. "We are carving out and acquiring the e-commerce logistics business which currently operates under the brand name BlueEx. This is not an acquisition of Universal Network System Limited as a whole," said Salman Allana, founder and CEO of Rider. If the transaction goes through, this will be the first acquisition of a listed company by a startup, and the first major acquisition of a company listed on Pakistan's Growth Enterprise Market (GEM) board at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PAKS.PSX). While Rider has not disclosed the transaction value, it claims the acquisition will make Rider the third largest player in the ecommerce logistics space.

Persons: Salman Allana, Rider, Allana, Ariba Shahid, Michael Perry Organizations: Express Courier Logistics Company, Reuters, Venture, Universal Network System, Pakistan Stock Exchange, GEM, YCombinator, Global Founders Capital, Flexport, i2i Ventures, Fatima, Ventures, Soma, Rebel Fund, Thomson Locations: KARACHI, Pakistan, Karachi

☆ China's AI 'war of a hundred models' heads for a shakeout
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Josh Ye | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Additionally, companies have also announced dozens of "industry-specific LLMs" that link to their core model. However, investors and analysts say that most were yet to find viable business models, were too similar to each other and were now grappling with surging costs. Several other big name entrepreneurs and tech executives are behind new Chinese AI startups, such as Google China's former chief Kai-Fu Lee and Yan Juejie, a former vice-president of SenseTime (0020.HK). Others said that China's largest tech companies Alibaba, Tencent and Baidu ultimately had the biggest headstart and deep pockets to succeed, given their large user bases and wide range of services. For instance, they could easily offer generative AI services as an additional plug-in to their cloud users.

Persons: Baidu's, Robin Li, Ernie Bot, Tingshu Wang, OpenAI's, Esme Pau, Pau, Yuan Hongwei, Meta, Baichuan, Wang Xiaochuan, China's, Wang, Yuan, Kai, Fu Lee, Yan Juejie, SenseTime, Tony Tung, Tung, Josh Ye, Brenda Goh, Sam Holmes Organizations: Baidu, REUTERS, HK, Huawei, Nvidia, China, Macquarie Group, Y, Baichuan Intelligence, Inc, Sogou, Google, Partners, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, HONG KONG, Alibaba, United States, Washington, Shenzhen

REUTERS/David BrunnstromWASHINGTON, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Mongolia will deepen cooperation with Washington to mine rare earths, the country's Prime Minister L. Oyun-Erdene said on a visit to Washington on Wednesday, but he warned that a "new Cold War" between the U.S. and China would harm the global economy. Mongolia has extensive deposits of rare earths and copper, which are vital for high tech applications including defense equipment and for President Joe Biden's efforts to electrify the auto market to help stave off climate change. "We have discussed our potential cooperation in mining rare earths, critical minerals, including copper," said Oyun-Erdene, who spoke through a translator. "I fear that the new Cold War will be very different and (more) difficult from the first Cold War," he said, pointing to rapid technological change and global problems like climate change. "We cannot bear a new Cold War situation."

Persons: Genghis Khan, Simon Lewis, David Brunnstrom WASHINGTON, Erdene, Joe Biden's, Kamala Harris, Tesla, Elon Musk, Antony Blinken, Biden, David Brunnstrom, Sonali Paul Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS, country's, U.S, U.S . State Department, Mr, NASA, Polar Star, Thomson Locations: Mongolian, Washington , U.S, Mongolia, Washington, China, United States, U.S, Russia, California, Ukraine, Asia, Beijing, Moscow

What is the Naadam festival? “Naadam means ‘games’ in the Mongolian language and it includes three main competitions, Mongolian wrestling, archery and horse racing,” he explains. The Naadam games took place virtually for two years, from 2020-2021, because of the pandemic. Kyodo/APIn addition to the major festivities held in Ulaanbaatar, there are Naadam games – of different scales – held across Mongolia in the countryside. A female archer strikes a pose at a small Naadam festival at the Three Camel Lodge in Mongolia's Gobi Desert in 2019.

Persons: Genghis Khan, Here’s, Naadam, It’s, ”, “ Naadam, Genghis, Barry Lewis, –, Yesunge, Tessa Chan, Alison Wright, David, Goliath, Wu Hong Organizations: CNN, Manly Games, Nomadic Expeditions, “, UNESCO, Intangible, Heritage, Humanity, South China Morning, Mongolian Government, Mongolian, Mongolia, Archery, Kyodo, AP, Archery Field, Shutterstock Locations: Mongolia, gers, Mongol, Ulaanbaatar, Uliastai, Western Mongolia, South, Mongolian, Australia, New Zealand, Ulaanbataar

☆ Our bodies, buildings, and computers give off a lot of waste heat. Cities and scientists are learning to harness it for energy.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Green pipes in the Neighbourhood Energy Utility energy center divert sewage to heat pumps. Data centers can heat homes tooAcross the ocean, Stockholm is tapping into a major heat source: data centers. They found that in about 25% of those places there was enough heat underground to recycle for energy. Benz says it's worth considering adding those underground pipes as part of new construction, especially building new streets, which absorb extra heat. Of course, underground heat builds up the most in summer, when people don't need to heat their homes.

Persons: Derek Pope, Pope, Johanna Nerell, Nerell, Yui Mok, Susanne Benz, Benz Organizations: Green Tech, Service, US Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, City of, Winter, City Council, Stockholm, Nature Communications, Reuters Locations: Europe, Canada, Glasgow, London, Vancouver, City, City of Vancouver, Vancouver , British Columbia, Stockholm, Mongolia, Islington

☆ China beats SpaceX and Blue Origin to reach orbit with a methane-fueled rocket, edging ahead of the US in the space race
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

China pulled ahead in the space exploration race by reaching orbit with a methalox rocket first. The fuel, based on methane, is coveted by companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin. SpaceX's own methalox-fueled rocket Starship exploded before reaching this milestone in April. Chinese firm LandSpace launched their Zhuque-2 rocket from the Gobi Desert on Tuesday, reaching orbit shortly after. Meanwhile, the future of New Glenn, Blue Origin's methalox rocket, is uncertain after its BE-4 engine exploded during testing in June, per Space.com.

Persons: LandSpace, Jonathan McDowell, Relativity, New Glenn, Blue, Jonathan Newton Organizations: SpaceX, Service, Privacy, China, US Space Force, Washington, Getty, Reuters Locations: China, Wall, Silicon, New, Starbase, Jiuquan, Gansu Province

☆ China launches Shenzhou-16 mission to Chinese space station - state media
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

China Daily via REUTERSBEIJING, May 30 (Reuters) - China sent three astronauts to its now fully operational space station as part of crew rotation on Tuesday in the fifth manned mission to the Chinese space outpost since 2021, state media reported. The astronauts on Shenzhou-16 will replace the three-member crew of the Shenzhou-15, who arrived at the space station late in November. China has already announced plans to expand its permanently inhabited space outpost, with the next module slated to dock with the current T-shaped space station to create a cross-shaped structure. Leading the Shenzhou-16 mission was Jing Haipeng, 56, a senior spacecraft pilot from China's first batch of astronaut trainees in the late 1990s. Also by the end of 2023, China is due to a launch space telescope the size of a large bus.

☆ China launches crewed mission to its space station
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Audrey Wan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The Shenzhou 16 spacecraft and its carrier rocket lift off from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on May 30, 2023 in Jiuquan, China. China launched its Shenzhou-16 spacecraft crewed by three astronauts on Tuesday, the China Manned Space Agency said in a statement, declaring the launch a "complete success." The spacecraft is heading to China's space station and will relieve the crew of Shenzhou-15, who have been living there since November. Tuesday's launch marks China's fifth crewed mission to its space station since it first sent astronauts in 2021. A CMSA official said China aims to launch a crewed mission to the moon by 2030, according to state media.

☆ Karakorum: Mongolia’s ancient capital is a cultural delight
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Breanna Wilson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Karakorum, Mongolia CNN —Karakorum is known by many names and even more reputations. Where to Stay in KarakorumThe new Silver Tree Guest House offers a variety of sleeping options including traditional yurts. Silver Tree Guest HouseWhile Karakorum is often considered a stop along the route to somewhere else, this culturally rich city deserves closer attention. The hotel is within walking distance to Erdene Zuu Monastery, Karakorum Museum, and the Erdenesiin Khuree Calligraphy Center. While Silver Tree Guest House is still in its opening phases, staying here feels like you’ve been invited into someone’s home.

☆ A Hydropower Renaissance, but Where Are the Giant Dams?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Mira Rojanasakul | Max Bearak | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +10 min

Pumped Storage Hydropower, 1900-2040 Global map showing a concentration of planned pumped storage projects in China. Pumped Storage Existing Planned China’s momentum has allowed it to surpass Europe’s capacity for pumped storage. “Our data show that pumped storage is set to grow much faster than conventional dams,” said Joe Bernardi, who runs Global Energy Monitor’s hydropower tracker. UPPER RESERVOIR GENERATORS + TURBINES LOWER RESERVOIR When electricity demand exceeds supply, water is released to race downhill, spinning giant turbines. UPPER RESERVOIR GENERATORS + TURBINES LOWER RESERVOIR When electricity demand exceeds supply, water is released to race downhill, spinning giant turbines.

☆ 19 Unique Gifts for Women Who Have Everything
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: +10 min

“There’s something a little decadent about wearing a matching cashmere set when you’re traveling by plane, for example,” Deyette notes. Note: The earrings can also be purchased as singles if you or your recipient like to mix and match. Constructed of 100% Australian sheepskin upper and footbed, they feel incredibly luxe and confer the benefit of breathable, moisture-wicking materials. “I love lighting this candle when I take a bath or just want to relax with a good book,” she says. It comes with a 72-ounce pitcher and an ice-crushing blade, as well as two single-serve blender cups for beverages on the go.

☆ Sandstorms, dangerous pollution return to Beijing
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A woman poses for pictures near the Forbidden City, as the city is shrouded in smog amid a sandstorm, in Beijing, China March 10, 2023. The capital Beijing has seen regular air pollution and an unseasonal number of sandstorms over the past few weeks. On Tuesday morning, smog and misty grey clouds could be seen enveloping Beijing and the city's real-time air quality index was at a serious pollution level, according to the website of the Beijing Municipal Ecological and Environmental Monitoring Center. The concentration of fine particulates in the air in Beijing is currently 46.2 times the World Health Organization's annual air quality guideline value, according to IQAir, a website that issues air quality data and information. Beijing has regular sandstorms in March and April as it is near the large Gobi desert.

☆ Why 2023 is the year to visit Mongolia
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Breanna Wilson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia CNN —Due to its remoteness and short summer season, Mongolia has long been a destination overlooked by travelers. Here are 10 reasons travelers should start planning their long-dreamed-of Mongolia visit now. A growing visa-free listWith the government of Mongolia declaring 2023 through 2025 the “Years to Visit Mongolia,” citizens from an additional 34 countries can now visit the country visa-free through the end of 2025. Celebrate Naadam as it turns the centuryThe annual Naadam event has always been a great reason to visit Mongolia, but now that the festival has just celebrated its 100 year anniversary, 2023 is as good a time as ever to attend. Yeruu LodgeNestled in the heart of Selenge province on the Yeruu River, Yeruu Lodge is the brainchild of Norwegian founder Eirik Gulsrud Johnsen, who first visited Mongolia in 2017.

☆ This 26-year-old from Hong Kong is transforming a ‘dinosaur industry’ — one luxury watch at a time
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Goh Chiew Tong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

As a young, avid collector of luxury watches, Austen Chu said he was scammed "many times" when he bought timepieces from the secondary watch market. Not only did his obsession with watches help him overcome those bad purchases, the experiences also propelled him to start his own consignment-based platform for luxury watches, Wristcheck. The luxury watch market is what calls a "dinosaur industry" that can be "intimidating" for the younger generation to get into, Chu said. WristcheckBy starting Wristcheck, Chu hoped to provide more transparency and accessibility to his peers. After all, Gen Z is projected to make up a third of the luxury market by 2030, due to a surge in wealth creation and the influence of social media.

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