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☆ Dubai Old Town: Dubai’s ‘soul’ is about more than historic buildings
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-27 | by ( Rebecca Cairns | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

So in 2016, Badran set up her own tour company, Wander with Nada, to “show a different side of Dubai” to travelers. Her bespoke private tours are designed to suit the interests of each visitor, but her favorite itinerary is Dubai’s “old town,” a group of small neighborhoods around Dubai Creek where the city began and Badran spent her childhood. Badran leads me through the narrow alleys around the Dubai Old Souk, home to stores run by Indian-origin families. Stores in Old Dubai Souk. “Dubai is about opening your mind,” Badran says, “and embracing this diversity that makes it unique.”

Persons: Nada Badran, Badran, “, ”, Nada, Rebecca Cairns, Al Maktoum, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Al Talli, There’s, —, it’s, ” Badran, Al Shindagha, Al, Djamel Boussaa, ” Boussaa, hasn’t, Rashid Haghaght, Al Karama, ” “ Organizations: CNN, “, United Arab Emirates, Dubai, Heritage, UNESCO, Al Shindagha, Trading Locations: Florence, Dubai, The, Arabian, “ Dubai, ”, Rome, Athens, Edinburgh, UAE, Oman, today’s Iraq, Bani Yas, Al Shindagha, Suadna, South, West Asia, Al, Saudi Arabia, Al Fahidi, Jordan, Deira, Isfahan, Old Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Al Rigga, Souk, Old Dubai Souk, Jebel Ali, Iran, India, China

☆ Rome is building an eight-story underground museum – but treasures keep getting in the way
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Barbie Nadeau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Pope Francis opens the "Holy Doors" at St. Peter's Basilica to mark the start of the Jubilee Year of Mercy. Now the hope is to have the line’s showcase Piazza Venezia stop, featuring an eight-story underground museum, ready in 10 years, according to engineer Andrea Sciotti, who is in charge of the metro museum complex. Each will be placed exactly where it was found inside the metro museum, which is being dug some 85 meters (280 feet) deep, encompassing eight stories below the modern city of Rome. The Venezia station museum stop is not the only treasure on the new line. In 2025, the new Colosseo-Fori station, complete with a four-level underground museum to showcase artifacts including 25 archaic wells unearthed when it was built, will also open after activation tests, meant to begin in October, are completed.

Persons: Rome, it’s, wasn’t, Pope Francis, Mercy, VINCENZO PINTO, Emperor Hadrian’s, Andrea Sciotti, Jesus Christ, “, ” Sciotti, Emperor Hadrian's, Stefano Montesi, Sciotti, It’s, ” Organizations: Rome CNN —, San, Vatican, AFP, Piazza Venezia, CNN, Corbis, Roman, Palazzo Venezia, Colosseum Locations: Rome CNN — Rome, San Giovanni Cathedral, Peter’s, St, AFP, Rome, San Giovanni, Italy, London ., Venezia

☆ Google criticized as AI Overview makes obvious errors, saying President Obama is Muslim and that it's safe to leave dogs in hot cars
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Hayden Field | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

But on social media, users have shared a wide range of screenshots showing the AI tool sharing controversial responses. Here are some examples of what went wrong with AI Overviews, according to screenshots shared by users. When asked how many Muslim presidents the U.S. has had, AI Overviews responded, "The United States has had one Muslim president, Barack Hussein Obama." Attribution can also be a problem for AI Overviews, especially when it comes to attributing inaccurate information to medical professionals or scientists. The news follows Google's high-profile rollout of Gemini's image-generation tool in February, and a pause that same month after comparable issues.

Persons: It's, Barack Hussein Obama, it's, WebMD, they'd, Gemini, Demis Hassabis, Pichai Organizations: Google, Microsoft, UC Berkeley, U.S . Justice Department Locations: United States, German, British, France, ChatGPT

☆ May’s full flower moon will light up the sky this week
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Scottie Andrew | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

May’s full moon is known as the flower moon, a reference to its appearance in late spring, when many flowering plants begin to bloom again after their winter slumber. The flower moon will begin to rise after sunset on Wednesday, reaching its highest point after midnight, per EarthSky. The flower moon played a minor role in a particularly dark period of US history. Martin Scorsese’s recent Oscar-nominated historical drama “Killers of the Flower Moon” explores a series of murders of Osage people in Oklahoma. The killings began in May 1921, the month of the flower moon.

Persons: CNN —, St, Bede, Venerable, Martin Scorsese’s, Buck Organizations: CNN, NASA, Washington Locations: Washington ,, Algonquin, Canada, United States, Plains, Dakota, Osage, Oklahoma

☆ Buying a dream home in Italy can be a nightmare. This couple says they have the answer
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Silvia Marchetti | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The couple has set up a flourishing business buying properties, restyling and reselling them, ready-to-occupy, helping foreign buyers every step of the way. They hunt for old houses in historical villages in need of a makeover, which once renovated make the perfect summer getaway. The BEFORE picture: The couple find old houses in need of a makeover. The old properties the pair handles are located in small towns where centuries-old traditions survive. I really like old houses and the idea of giving them a second chance: especially when they are abandoned buildings rich with history.

Persons: you’ve, That’s, Bruno Mongiardo, Ginevra dell’Orso, ” Dell’Orso, Dell’Orso, –, ”, “, they’re, Mongiardo, ” Mongiardo, dello Organizations: CNN, Graecia, Bruno Mongiardo Southern, Locals, Foreigners Locations: Italy’s, Calabria, characterful, Isca, Italy’s Calabria, Venice, Milan, Badolato, Calabrian, Sostene, Santa

☆ Slouching isn’t bad for your spine but may impact your memory, research says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-19 | by ( Chris Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The Conversation —Often a posture assigned to teenagers and disaffected youth, slouching is traditionally considered to be a “bad” posture — with some claiming it will damage your spine and cause pain. But while posture is heavily overlaid with psychological meaning, is it really that bad for our spines if we slouch? There’s also no clear evidence that slouching while sitting at your desk or while using your phone causes damage to the spine. Slouching has been linked to poorer information and memory recall, as well as worse mood when compared to sitting upright. But aside from that, the evidence overwhelmingly suggests there’s no single, ideal or good posture.

Persons: slouching, —, ”, there’s, There’s, it’s, Slouching, Chris McCarthy Organizations: CNN, Manchester Metropolitan University

☆ Dover Castle: Soldier graffiti found on tower door in ‘astonishing discovery’
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Catherine Nicholls | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —More than 50 etchings from soldiers have been discovered on an English castle door in an “astonishing discovery,” including graffiti of what could depict the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte being hanged. The door was only recently discovered in Dover Castle, in southeast England, charity English Heritage said in a press statement Wednesday. The graffiti on the door is thought to have been created by soldiers living inside the castle between 1789 and 1855. English Heritage suggests that, with hours to kill and “questionable artistic talents,” the soldiers may have whittled into the door to simultaneously whittle away the time. Three significant dates are also inscribed onto the door, English Heritage said: 1789, the year of the French Revolution; 1798, a period of rebuilding in Dover Castle; and 1855, when changes were planned to St. John’s Tower.

Persons: Napoleon Bonaparte, St, whittle, Jim Holden, Napoleon, Helena, Hopper, Hooper, ’ Paul Pattison, ” Pattison, ” Organizations: CNN, Heritage, Dover Castle Locations: Dover Castle, England, Napoleon, France, John’s, British, Waterloo, St, Dover

I fell in love with the Louvre one morning while doing disco moves to Michael Jackson’s “Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough” in the Salle des Cariatides. The museum, a former medieval fortress and then royal palace, had not yet opened, and I was following instructions to catwalk and hip bump and point in the grand room where Louis XIV once held plays and balls. The sun cast warm light through long windows, striping the pink-and-white checkered floor and bathing the marble arms, heads and wings of the ancient Grecian statues around me. “Point, and point, and point,” shouted Salim Bagayoko, a dance instructor. So I struck my best John Travolta poses and pointed around the room, my eyes landing on the delicate sandaled foot of Artemus, the wings of a Niobid and the stone penis of Apollo.

Persons: Michael Jackson’s, Louis XIV, ”, Salim Bagayoko, John Travolta Organizations: Salle des Cariatides Locations: Salle

☆ Flowers, socks and sparkling wine: Queen Camilla reveals some of her favorite brands
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Billy Stockwell | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Royal warrants act as a stamp of approval to indicate the preferred goods and services used by the royal household and senior members of the royal family. The use of royal warrants can be traced back to medieval times when Henry II first granted a Royal Charter to the Weavers’ Company, according to the Royal Warrants Holders Association. In the 15th century, the first official royal warrants were granted, including to the King’s printer, William Caxton. A window display at Fortnum and Mason celebrates the coronation of King Charles III on April 29, 2023 in London, England. “It seems quite clear that if there are any [Environmental, Social and Governance] problems with the company, they will not get a royal warrant,” he said.

Persons: Camilla, Shane Connolly, Mason, King Charles III, Prince of Wales, Charles, Henry II, William Caxton, David Haigh, ”, Chris J Ratcliffe, Haigh, Bob Lindo, ” Haigh, Tom Athron Organizations: CNN’s Royal, London CNN, Charter, Weavers ’, Royal, Parliament, Brand, CNN, Corgi, Fortnum, Social Locations: London, England, America, East, China, Camel, Cornwall

☆ King Charles III Unveils First Official Painted Portrait Since Coronation
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Livia Albeck-Ripka | More About Livia Albeck-Ripka | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The 7.5 foot-by-5.5-foot portrait was commissioned by the Worshipful Company of Drapers, a medieval guild of wool and cloth merchants that is now a philanthropy. It will hang in Drapers’ Hall, the group’s baronial quarters in London’s financial district, which has a gallery of monarchs from King George III to Queen Victoria. Mr. Yeo has also painted the king’s wife, Queen Camilla, and his father, Prince Philip. He has said that the best portraits capture visual characteristics that remain relevant even as the person ages. When it came to the king, Mr. Yeo told The Times that he had noticed physical changes in their four sittings together — during which time the king was going through a metamorphosis of stature.

Persons: King George III, Queen Victoria, Yeo, . Yeo, Queen Camilla, Prince Philip, Tony Blair, Dennis Hopper, Nicole Kidman, Rupert Murdoch Organizations: Worshipful Company, Drapers, Times, British Locations: British

☆ How to Navigate London’s Wondrous (and Very Big) V&A Museum
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Andrew Ferren | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Even for someone who loves getting lost in museums — especially “everything museums” like the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York — London’s Victoria and Albert Museum might have been my Waterloo. The V&A typically draws around 3 million annual visitors, but even on the busiest days, the museum has the space and setup to largely avoid the sense of competing with the crowds. Since visiting the permanent collection is free (some exhibitions cost up to 20 pounds, or about $25), once you’re in the door you can just start wandering. Step right for medieval mosaics and Renaissance tapestries or go deep for 1940s Paris fashion, Baroque sculpture and, beyond that, Buddhist art. It’s easy to spend an entire day in the V&A.

Organizations: Metropolitan Museum of Art, Albert Museum Locations: New York, Victoria, Waterloo, Paris

☆ Opinion: Student protests are what created the university as we know it
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Opinion David M. Perry | Matthew Gabriele | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Editor’s Note: David M. Perry is a journalist, historian and senior academic adviser in the history department of the University of Minnesota. CNN —In recent days, protests by college students against Israel’s actions in the ongoing war in Gaza have popped up across the country. Concerned faculty at the University of Texas-Austin called a strike to protest police actions against peaceful protestors. But then, in the year 1200 CE, a group of students in Paris got swindled by a shopkeeper. They are a reminder that institutions of higher learning are a union between teachers and students dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge.

Persons: David M, Perry, Matthew Gabriele, “, ”, Noëlle McAfee, Caroline Fohlin, Elijah Nouvelage, King Philip II Augustus of France, Paris didn’t, doesn’t, Ibn Rushd Organizations: University of Minnesota, of Religion, Virginia Tech, CNN, University of Texas, CUNY, Emory University, Notre Dame, universitas, Twitter Locations: Europe, Gaza, Emory, Austin, Paris, ”

☆ Sex and marriage patterns in an ancient empire revealed by DNA
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

With opulent graves but no written records, the empire and its people have remained largely in the shadows of history until recently. But a landmark April 2022 study involving ancient DNA taken from the graves of the Avar elite shed light on the empire’s far-flung origins. A tiny sample is drilled from a bone at the ancient DNA laboratory at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany. In the case of men, researchers found two partners in 10 cases, three partners in four cases and four partners in one case. “Polygamy (having multiple marriage partners), serial monogamous marriages and extramarital relations are all possible explanations,” she said.

Persons: ”, Zsófia Rácz, Rácz, aren’t, Guido Alberto Gnecchi, Max Planck, Eötvös Loránd University Múzeum Lara Cassidy, “, polygyny, Ruscone, Cassidy, Bryan Miller, wasn’t Organizations: CNN, of Archaeological Sciences, Eötvös Loránd, Múzeum, University’s, Archaeological Sciences, Max, Max Planck Institute, Eötvös Loránd University, Trinity College Dublin, Turks, Central, University of Michigan Locations: Central, Eastern Europe, Hungary, Rákóczifalva, Budapest, Leipzig, Germany, Europe, Mongolia, Caucasus, what’s, Constantinople, Byzantine, Eurasia

☆ Travel news: ‘World’s largest wildlife crossing’ being built in Los Angeles
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Maureen O'Hare | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —In travel news this week: the world’s best and busiest airports, the European capital banning new hotels, the Hawaiian attraction being removed because of bad tourist behavior, plus the real-life animal crossing being built over a California freeway. Snakes will, however, be very welcome on “the world’s largest wildlife crossing,” under construction over the major 101 Freeway in Los Angeles. The Wallis Annenberg overpass will span 10 lanes and provide safe passage for mountain lions, coyotes, bobcats, toads and even ants. World’s best and busiest airportsThe world’s busiest airports were revealed in an annual ranking released Monday, with Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International holding strong in the No. US National Park Week starts April 20, kicking off with a free entry day on Saturday to all NPS sites.

Persons: Wallis, It’s, Alyssa Kopp, Mary Gomes Kopp, Doha’s, Florence’s, it’s, America’s Organizations: CNN, Aegean Airlines, Atlanta’s Hartsfield, Jackson International, UAE, Qatar, Doha’s Hamad international Airport Locations: California, Tokyo, Osaka, Los Angeles, Crete, Europe, Dubai, Amsterdam, Netherlands, Canary, Spanish, Africa, Italy, Ponte, Lake Mead, Hawaii

☆ Bitcoin halving is likely this week — here's what you need to know
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +27 min

And that's, that's the whole idea of it. Tom ChittySo if I go and buy bitcoin, the bitcoin I buy is fresh bitcoin that's been mined, not someone who's selling bitcoin is that right? Arjun KharpalThe likelihood is if you buy bitcoin, if we go on an exchange and buy bitcoin, we're selling bitcoin that's in existence already. And so what they say is, well, with the halving, you know, bitcoin will not be devalued. That's that's really what so many of the enthusiasts and proponents love about it.

Persons: Bitcoin, Tom Chitty, Arjun, we'll, Ethereum, Arjun Kharpal Paris, Kharpal, we've, Arjun Kharpal, Tom Chitty 13,777B, that's, what's, they're, bitcoin, there's, That's, It's, you've, Richard Tang, Richard Teng, I'm, he's, Arjun Kharpal That's, Tom, it's, Tom Chitty That's, I've, Arjun Kharpal It's, they've, Binance, Arjun Kharpal Binance, Changpeng Zhao, cryptocurrency, Jan van Eck, Jean, Marie Mognetti, van Eck, Jan Van Eck, Cathy, Gary Gensler, let's, Tom Chitty Let's, Tom Chitty Oh, There's, Tom Chitty Memecoins, Arjun Kharpal They're, we'd, David Hunt, David, Tom Chitty Poor David, Paris, Tom Chitty We'll Organizations: CNBC, Eurostar, U.S ., Paris, Department of Justice, U.S, CZ, DOJ, SEC, Mr, Gamestop Locations: beyondthevalley@cnbc.com, Paris, CNBC.com, bitcoin, U.S, Abu Dhabi, Binance, Chicago, Pennsylvania, Elmira , New York, NYC , New York City, Syracuse, Elmira, it's

☆ The US was getting too expensive. So this artist relocated to France for a slower-paced life
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Silvia Marchetti | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —Ditching the US and relocating close to the French Pyrenees wasn’t part of Taylor Barnes’ life plan. ‘Visually inspiring’US artist Taylor Barnes, from Los Angeles, relocated to the medieval village of Saissac close to the French Pyrenees in 2021. Taylor Barnes“I considered, among many things, where I would like to live out the last quarter of my life,” Barnes tells CNN. Cozy hideawayIn 2019, Barnes bought an abandoned crawfish restaurant and converted it into a residency for artists. Since moving to Saissac, Barnes says she has happily embraced a slower-paced lifestyle.

Persons: Taylor Barnes, Barnes, Taylor Barnes “, ” Barnes, “, ”, she’d, Cozy hideaway, Dennis Miranda Zamorano, Sonya, Berger Blanc, apéros, She’s, it’s, Carte, Barnes isn’t Organizations: CNN, Berger Blanc Suisse, Barnes Locations: Los Angeles, Saissac, Aude, France, Montagne, French, California, Spain, Saissac ., England, Ireland, Netherlands, America

☆ I'm a student at Yale, and we party more than you'd think. Here's what parties at the Ivy League are like.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Miles Kirkpatrick | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewLike most Yale students, I'm swamped. Despite the Ivy League's reputation as one big ivory tower, Yale students still love to throw a good party. Yale isn't a huge party school, but we still have partiesWhen choosing a school, the party scene wasn't very high on my priority list. This wasn't a medieval cloister; it was just what you'd expect from any college despite the Ivy League status. Related storyEven closer to campus is Toad's Place, a club that hosts Yale-only Wednesday night parties and is free on Saturdays with a Yale ID.

Persons: —, I've, aren't, that's Organizations: Service, Yale, Business, Ivy League, Sigma Chi, Chi Psi, Saybrook College, Saybrook

☆ Florence’s famed Ponte Vecchio to be restored to former glory with two-year makeover
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Barbie Latza Nadeau | Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —In the seven centuries since the Ponte Vecchio was first built in Florence, Italy, the bridge has watched the city changing around it, surviving floods, fires and the Nazi invasion in World War II. Now, the famed bridge itself is getting a two-year makeover, at the cost of about €2 million, to restore it to its former glory, the city of Florence and the Marchesi Antinorini winemakers announced on Wednesday. “This is a historic project because Ponte Vecchio has never had a restoration intervention of this technical complexity,” Florence’s mayor Dario Nardella told reporters on Thursday. Such is the Ponte Vecchio’s significance that it was the only bridge across the Arno River spared by the retreating German army towards the end of World War II. Previous replacement joints will be upgraded, the stone itself will be strengthened and the footpath’s stone will be restored too.

Persons: Vecchio, Ponte Vecchio, ”, Dario Nardella, “, Marchesi Antinori, Piero Antinori, Tod’s Organizations: CNN, Diesel Locations: Florence, Italy, Nazi, Venice

☆ Blizzard, NetEase deal: ‘World of Warcraft’ and other hit games return to China as dispute ends
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Diksha Madhok | Wayne Chang | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —China’s gaming giant NetEase will bring back the iconic “World of Warcraft” and other popular video games by Microsoft’s Blizzard Entertainment to the country, the companies said in a joint statement Wednesday. California-based Blizzard and Hangzhou-based NetEase had ceased their 15-year relationship in 2023 after an acrimonious fallout, leaving millions of fans in China heartbroken. “After a year of negotiations, Blizzard and NetEase are pleased to align on a path forward to once again serve players in mainland China,” the companies said in a post on NetEase Games’ official Weibo account. The new deal will see the return of “World of Warcraft” and “Hearthstone” games to China, as well as other titles in the Warcraft, Overwatch, Diablo and StarCraft universes, according to the statement. Foreign publishers must work with local partners to offer video games in China.

Persons: NetEase, “, ”, we’ve, William Ding, ’, Phil Spencer Organizations: CNN, Microsoft’s Blizzard Entertainment, Blizzard, Games, Weibo, Microsoft Gaming, Xbox, Microsoft, Activision, Big Locations: China, California, Hangzhou, Beijing, Big Tech

☆ Forget Recession, New York City Is Entering a Wild New Gilded Age
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Linette Lopez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

In a country roiled by recession worries, those at the top of New York City — for better or worse — couldn't give a single gilded shit. For New York City, a brush with death called for a time of decadence. "New York City's restaurants and bars are experiencing an uneven pandemic recovery nearly four years after COVID-19 struck our city," Andrew Rigie, the executive director of the New York City Hospitality Alliance, said. AdvertisementIf a pandemic can't defeat New York City, a little inflation certainly isn't going to do it. And what that looks like is the affluent in New York City eating caviar, and poorer Americans eating cereal.

Persons: Steve Jobs, it's, Jennifer Saesue, Saesue, Fish Cheeks, Z, bistros, James Murphy, us Carbone, Casas — Cruz, Cipriani, Jean, Georges Vongerichten, Bongo, Andrew Rigie, Corey Mintz, we're, WK Kellogg, Gary Pilnick, Gary Pilnick's Organizations: Grand Prospect Hall, New, New York City, Apple, Mastercard, Chefs, Casas, Soho House, Bangkok Supper, Village, IBA, Hospitality Alliance, Nationwide, National Restaurant Association, Nasdaq, The University of Michigan Consumer, UBS, New York Locations: New York City, New York, Rome, Xinjiang, New, Manhattan, Coqodaq, Las Vegas, York, Bangkok, Hell, TouchBistro, Brooklyn, The Bronx

☆ From One Leaning Tower to Another, Tips to Stop the Tilt
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Elisabetta Povoledo | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Leaning for centuries at a worrisome tilt, the Garisenda Tower in Bologna has endured insults and trauma. Dickens called it “sufficiently unsightly,” if extraordinary, while Goethe said it was “a spectacle that disgusts.” And then there were the earthquakes, the Allied bombing raids of the city during World War II and urbanization that doomed other towers. The Garisenda has stood through it all, a beloved symbol of this medieval city, a reminder of a past when important families or communities would erect towers to remind others of their status, and for defense. But now, the Garisenda is in trouble. After sensors attached to the monument, which leans at a 3.6 degree angle, picked up “anomalous movements” last year, alarmed experts issued what one called an “engineering code red.”In October, the Garisenda was cordoned off, with bright red protective barriers set up along part of its perimeter to limit the damage should the tower tumble, and a group of experts got to work on plans to safeguard it for the future, while watching for signs of imminent trouble.

Persons: Dickens, Goethe Organizations: Allied Locations: Bologna

A pile of flowers blanketed a small memorial in the center of the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius after the death of the Russian opposition leader Aleksei A. Navalny last month. The impromptu tribute at the memorial, an unassuming pyramid commemorating victims of Soviet repression, has highlighted Vilnius’s growing status as the center of Russian political opposition. In Vilnius, exiled Russian journalists have set up studios to broadcast news to millions of compatriots back home on YouTube. Russian activists have rented offices to catalog the Kremlin’s human rights abuses, and exiled Russian musicians have recorded new albums for the audience back home. The arrival of the Russian dissidents in Vilnius has added to a larger wave of Russian-speaking refugees and migrants from Belarus and Ukraine over the past four years.

Persons: Aleksei A, “ Putin, ”, Vladimir V, Putin Organizations: Lithuanian, YouTube Locations: Lithuanian, Vilnius, Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Belarus

☆ Secrets of a Danish Castle
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Finn-Olaf Jones | Charlotte De La Fuente | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

My first conscious memory occurred on the lower landing of a staircase that spiraled up four floors of the 14th-century, moat-encircled Gjorslev castle in Denmark. And now, five decades later, I’m standing on the same spot, this time with a statuesque Danish woman in stylish Japanese casual wear. “This is roasted and steamed tea from Korea,” Mette Marie Kjaer tells me, offering a pleasant cup of miso-tinged brew. Ms. Kjaer runs her Asian tea company, Sing Tehus, from a rented wing of the castle, offering tea ceremonies and yoga retreats while maintaining Gjorslev’s status as the oldest continuously inhabited building in Scandinavia. After half a century of benign neglect following my grandfather’s departure, the castle is hosting not just yoga and tea events, but arts festivals, medieval fairs and even a summer musical theater in its courtyard.

Persons: Edward Tesdorpf, ” Mette Marie Kjaer, Kjaer, Sing Locations: Gjorslev, Denmark, Danish, Korea, Scandinavia

☆ A New Chapter for Irish Historians’ ‘Saddest Book’
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Ed O Loughlin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In the first pitched battle of the civil war that shaped a newly independent Ireland, seven centuries of history burned. On June 30, 1922, forces for and against an accommodation with Britain, Ireland’s former colonial ruler, had been fighting for three days around Dublin’s main court complex. The national Public Record Office was part of the complex, and that day it was caught in a colossal explosion. “This happened just after the First World War, when all over Europe new states like Ireland were emerging from old empires. They were all trying to recover and celebrate their own histories and cultures, and now Ireland had just lost the heart of its own.”

Persons: ”, Peter Crooks Organizations: Trinity College Dublin Locations: Ireland, Britain, Dublin’s, “, Europe

☆ A 500-Year Old Chapel, 438 Solar Panels and an Architectural Squabble
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-30 | by ( Mark Landler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Clambering across the sloped roof of King’s College Chapel with the agility of an undergraduate, Toby Lucas, 56, pointed to where his craftsmen had welded solar panels to an expanse of newly installed lead. It was the scariest part of the project, he said, because an errant spark could have ignited the 500-year-old timbers underneath, which hold up the roof of this English Gothic masterpiece. “It’s an iconic landmark in Cambridge, and it’s part and parcel of where I live,” said Mr. Lucas, whose firm, Barnes Construction, did the restoration. “You don’t want to be the person who is responsible for burning part of it down.”The chapel came through the project unscorched and now stands at the heart of Cambridge University, no longer just a glorious relic of the late-medieval period but also a cutting-edge symbol of the green-energy future. Its 438 photovoltaic panels, along with solar panels on the roofs of two nearby buildings, will supply a shade over five percent of the college’s electricity.

Persons: Toby Lucas, ”, Lucas Organizations: Barnes, Cambridge University Locations: Cambridge

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