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☆ An around-the-world cruise that's stuck at port is kicking off passengers who complain
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-12 | by ( Brittany Chang | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Unfortunately, she was kicked out before she could fulfill her world cruise aspirations. "They didn't just complain, they outright threatened with media unless they get what they want," Mikael Petterson, the founder and CEO of Villa Vie, told BI in an email. "That's how much I had wanted a world cruise." But she was kicked off before Villa Vie Odyssey could set sailOther buyers have begun moving onto the residential cruise ship. So far, Villa Vie has repaid her almost $8,000, with another about $7,400 still pending — still a few thousand short of her $18,600.

Persons: —, Jenny Phenix, — Phenix, Bonny Kelter, Mikael Petterson, Vie, Kelter, Villa Vie, Bonny, Petterson, Phenix, Villa, she's, aren't, Fred Olsen Cruise, Fred Olsen's, Angela, Stephen Theriac, Kathy Villalba, Stephen Theriac Petterson, hasn't Organizations: Service, Business, Residences, Sea Cruises, Villa Vie, Villa, Fred Olsen Cruise Lines, Norwegian Cruise, Security Locations: Europe, Asia, Australia, South, North America, Africa, Palm Beach , Florida, Braemar, Norwegian, Florida

☆ They were due to leave for their dream cruise in May. Three months on they’re still stuck at the departure port
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-07 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

CNN —It was the years-long cruise that was supposed to set sail, but saw its departure postponed… postponed… and postponed again. However, there’s one crucial difference between Life at Sea and Villa Vie Residences, the company attempting the 3.5-year cruise: Villa Vie has a ship. This meant the certifications had expired – and instead of simply renewing them, Villa Vie was obliged to start from scratch. Olsen cruise ship. ‘Not what we were expecting’Angela and Steve Theriac have been traveling around Europe while waiting to set sail.

Persons: …, “, ”, Lanette Canen, Johan Bodin, Bodin, “ We’re, we’ve, “ It’s, We’ve, Peter Morrison, Villa, Mike Petterson, Petterson, –, Fred, Olsen, Villa Vie, “ Fred, DNV, Samantha Stimpson, ‘ We’ve, ’, Maureen O'Hare, Fran Paroissien, she’s, Paroissien, I’ve, we’d, he’d, ” Micky Murray, “ They’re, I’m, Bonny Kelter, ” Kelter, “ We’ll, ’ Angela, Steve Theriac, Angela, it’s, “ We’ve, that’s, We’re, They’ve Organizations: CNN, Sea Cruises, Residences, Olsen Cruises, Hawaii –, Canen, Edinburgh, Sweden –, Villa Vie, Survey, Braemar, Olsen Cruise Lines, Villa, Vie, ‘, Midlife, Liverpool Locations: Belfast, Northern Ireland, Braemar, Fred, Hawaii, Stirling, Scotland, Glasgow, Europe, Sweden, –, Melbourne, Australia, Canary, Seychelles, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Spain, Denmark, Dublin, Nicaragua

☆ How China could take Taiwan without even needing to invade
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-21 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

“China has significantly increased pressure on Taiwan in recent years, stoking fears that tensions could erupt into outright conflict. China’s escalating gray zone tactics were on stark display this week as China Coast Guard vessels clashed with Philippine Navy boats in the South China Sea. In the 24 hours ending at 6 a.m. Friday, 36 Chinese military aircraft crossed into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry says. Meanwhile, a quarantine, rather than a blockade, would not require China to close or restrict access to the Taiwan Strait, the CSIS report notes. Under its claims that Taiwan is Chinese territory, Beijing could require customs declarations to be filed before vessels can call in Taiwan.

Persons: CNN —, Beijing’s, Xi Jinping’s, Bonny Lin, Brian Hart, Matthew Funaiole, Samantha Lu, Tinsley, stoking, Adm, Dong Jun, ”, Dong, China’s, “, Joe Biden, Rong Xu, Carl Schuster, ” Schuster, Alessio Patalano, Sidharth Kaushal, Patalano Organizations: CNN, Communist Party, Center for Strategic, International Studies, China Coast Guard, CSIS, TAIWAN, GUARD, People’s Liberation Army, PLA, Chinese Defense, Philippine Navy, Taiwan Relations, White, PLA Navy, Maritime Safety Agency, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry, Bloomberg, Getty, “, Pacific Command’s Joint Intelligence Center, Taipei, King’s College, Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs, Imports, Royal United Services Institute Locations: Taiwan, Ukraine, China, Washington, United States, Pengjia, Beijing, Singapore, South China, Manila, Second, Philippines, Taiwan’s, Taiwan Strait, Port, Taichung, Kaohsiung, London, Covid

☆ Hunter Biden’s guilty verdict punctuates long and difficult saga for the president’s family
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-11 | by ( Kevin Liptak | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Hunter Biden’s guilty verdict on three federal gun charges Tuesday punctuated — but did not end — what has been a long and difficult saga. Instead, the president offered his family a warm smile, hugged Hunter Biden’s young son, Beau, and gave him a kiss on the forehead. Never before has a president’s immediate family member been found guilty of a crime during their father’s term in office. Instead of pushing him away, as some wary Democrats might prefer, the president has held Hunter Biden close throughout his ordeal. Farther out of town is the home on a lake the Biden family has returned to in moments of joy and times of pain.

Persons: Hunter Biden, —, Joe Biden —, ”, Hunter Biden’s, Joe Biden, Beau, Biden, it’s, “, Naomi, Hallie Biden, Beau Biden, Hunter Biden —, “ Jill, Donald Trump, Hunter, –, Trump, Trump . Biden, Jill Biden, Ashley, James, Bonny Jacobs, CNN’s MJ Lee, Betsy Klein Organizations: CNN, Navy Reserve, White, ABC, Biden, Trump ., Trump, Republican Locations: California, Delaware, Washington, Italy, Wilmington, France, Rehoboth

☆ ‘The Simpsons’ airs its 768th episode tonight. Here’s how its writers keep things fresh
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-19 | by ( Scottie Andrew | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

CNN —Toward the end of its 35th season, “The Simpsons” made a move that rankled some fans: It killed a longtime resident of Springfield. I would say under 10,” said Matt Selman, sardonic showrunner of “The Simpsons,” in an interview with CNN. There are around 16 writers per season, typically made up of 22 episodes, though this season has just 18 due to the 2023 writers’ and actors’ strikes. Last month, Sosthand won a Writers Guild Award for the episode, beating out three other nominees from the “Simpsons” writers room. It’s nice that their hard work has been noticed, Selman said, but critical appraisal of “The Simpsons” is always in flux.

Persons: Read, Larry, Barfly, he’s, Homer, they’re, Duff, ‘, ”, Matt Selman, Marge, Bart, Lisa, Maggie, Selman, ’ ” Selman, – – Selman, Carl Carlson, Carl Carlson Rides, Loni Steele Sosthand, who’s, Murphy, Skinner, Bumblebee Man, Cesar Mazariegos, Broti Gupta, –, John Frink, Mike Price, who’ve, ’, hasn’t, ” Sosthand, Carl, Sosthand, “ It’s, ” Selman, Moe, Rev, Lovejoy, Krusty, ” Price, “, Mazariegos, might’ve, “ We’re, Price, Kirk, Willie, janitor’s, Groundskeeper Willie reconnects, ” It’s, Bart hijinx, Ned Flanders, Maude Flanders, Edna Krabappel, it’s “ Organizations: CNN, Gracie Films, Springfield ”, Crazy, “, Bass, Scottish Locations: Springfield, Moe’s, ’, Iceland, West, Scotland

WASHINGTON (AP) — When President Joe Biden meets Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Wednesday, there will be no such thing as a small detail. Biden and Xi will meet while both attend next week's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco, but even basic information has remained closely guarded. That recalls Biden's nearly three-hour meeting with Xi before the start of last year’s G-20 summit in Bali. The Chinese attach importance to the location, which this time may be more like Sunnylands than Anchorage, where top U.S. and Chinese officials held rather tense 2021 talks. Hillary Clinton's 1995 Beijing visit turned heads for a different reason when she declared that “human rights are women’s rights, and women’s rights are human rights."

Persons: Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Beijing’s, Bonny Lin, Biden, Xi, China’s, Biden's, Victor Cha, ” Cha, Richard Nixon, Barack Obama, Obama, Donald Trump, Bonnie Glaser, Xi's, Ryan Hass, John L, Hass, George H.W, George H.W . Bush, Fang Lizhi, “, Hillary Clinton's, Laura Bush's, Sasha Obama, Hu Jintao, Malia, Michelle, Michelle Obama, Colleen Long Organizations: WASHINGTON, China Power, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Economic Cooperation, White House, San, Communist Party, Asian Affairs, White, National Security Council, APEC, Mar, German Marshall Fund, Thornton China Center, Brookings Institute, Olympics, The New York Times, Press Locations: Washington, Asia, San Francisco, Bali, China, United States, Sunnylands, Rancho, Palm Springs , California, Lago, ”, Anchorage, Texas, Beijing, George H.W ., Thailand, Myanmar, The

☆ Biden and Xi meeting set for next week as US hopes to halt downward spiral in relations
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Kevin Liptak | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —President Biden’s highly anticipated meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping is set for next Wednesday in the San Francisco Bay Area, senior US administration officials said, setting up a test of whether the two men can slow a downward spiral in relations at a moment of heavy global turbulence. It includes restoring military-to-military communication between the two countries, a chief objective for Biden, who plans to press Xi on the issue. Despite a deep and apparently warm personal relationship cultivated during their time as vice presidents, Biden and Xi have overseen a deterioration in US-China relations to the lowest level in decades. That meeting was intended to establish a baseline for the relationship amid heightened economic and military tension. Ahead of next week’s meeting, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen invited Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, known as the country’s “economic tsar,” for a two-day meeting starting Thursday.

Persons: Biden’s, Xi Jinping, aren’t, Biden, Xi, ”, Bonny Lin, “ Rather, Nancy Pelosi, Antony Blinken, Janet Yellen, Gina Raimondo, Wang Yi, Jake Sullivan, Han Zheng, ” Han Organizations: CNN, San Francisco Bay Area, White, Communist Party, Biden, China Power Project, Center for Strategic, International Studies, US National, Washington, Bloomberg Locations: San Francisco Bay, Ukraine, Washington, Beijing, Israel, South, Taiwan, California, China, Russia, United States, Bali, Singapore

Some developers are building homes like Paulson's with an eye toward making them more resilient to the extreme weather that's increasing with climate change, and friendlier to the environment at the same time. Solar panels, for example, installed so snugly that high winds can't get underneath them, mean clean power that can survive a storm. Recycled or advanced construction materials that reduce energy use as well as the need to make new material. Pearl Homes' Mirabella community in Bradenton, Florida, consists of 160 houses that are all LEED-certified platinum, the highest level of one of the most-used green building rating systems. “We’re building the same old stuff that got blown away.”Babcock Ranch is another sustainable, hurricane-resilient community in South Florida.

Persons: Hurricane Michael, Bonny Paulson's, ” Paulson, Steve Linton, “, Marshall Gobuty, ” Gobuty, Paulson, she's, ”, ” Babcock, Syd Kitson, Ian, Kitson, you’re, Nature, Natalia Padalino, Alan Klingler, ” Klingler, ” Padalino, Laura Bargfeld, Gerald Herbert Organizations: Hurricane, Florida Panhandle, Homes, Pearl Homes, University of Central, Babcock, Florida Keys, Associated Press, AP Locations: Mexico Beach , Florida, Bradenton , Florida, University of Central Florida, Florida, Mexico Beach, South Florida, U.S, New Orleans

☆ China's Xi Jinping commits to more investments in Nigeria
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Felix Onuah | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

It added that another $4 billion worth of letters of intent was received for new projects and investments in different sectors of the economy. Nigeria also signed contracts with China Harbour Engineering Company for the construction of the Lekki Blue Seaport in Lagos. Shettima met Xi, who asked for the protection of Chinese workers in Nigeria, according to the vice president's office. China had committed to rail projects in Nigeria in the past and to a seaport in Bonny Island in the Niger Delta. China had earlier agreed to provide 85% of the financing for the rail projects.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Edgar Su, Kashim Shettima's, Shettima, Xi, Felix Onuah, Chijioke Ohuocha, Jamie Freed Organizations: Initiative, of, People, REUTERS, Rights, Nigeria's National Agency for Science, Engineering Infrastructure, China Harbour Engineering Company, China Exim Bank, Thomson Locations: Beijing, Rights ABUJA, Nigeria, Africa's, Lagos, China, Bonny Island, Niger, Nigeria's

☆ World Mental Health Day: When talking about suicide, avoid using these words
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Kristen Rogers | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —When it comes to reducing stigma around suicide, not treating it as the elephant in the room is helpful, say mental health experts. P. Bonny Ball’s 2005 book “The Power of Words: The Language of Suicide” identified words in need of replacing due to problematic connotations. READ MORE: People who attempt suicide might show signs early on. Suicide remains a crime in at least 23 countries, including the Bahamas, Nigeria and Bangladesh, according to the World Health Organization. “Fatal suicide attempt,” “killed herself” or “took his own life” are other alternatives, experts said.

Persons: it’s, “, —, Urszula Klich, don’t, ” Klich, ’, Klich, Bonny Ball’s, ”, Thomas Joiner’s, Jacek Debiec, ” “, Justin Baker, “ It’s, ‘, ’ ” Baker, Michael Roeske, ” Roeske, what’s, they’re, Baker Organizations: Lifeline, CNN, Alberta Mental Health Board, Suicide Prevention, World Health Organization, University of Michigan, Initiative, Veterans, Ohio State, Wexner Medical, Newport Healthcare Center for Research & Innovation Locations: Atlanta, Alberta, Germany, North America, Bahamas, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Newport

☆ California’s Largest Wildfire of the Year Sweeps Across the Mojave
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Derrick Bryson Taylor | More About Derrick Bryson Taylor | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

California’s largest wildfire this year has swept across thousands of acres in the Mojave Desert since the weekend, and has been so powerful that it has produced spinning columns of fire, officials said. Around 77,000 acres had burned with no containment, fire officials said Monday night, making it the largest wildfire in California so far this year. The state’s second largest active fire, the Bonny fire in Riverside County, has consumed only about 2,500 acres. Wildfires have consumed about 100,000 acres in California so far this year, according to Cal Fire, the state’s firefighting agency. After a couple of devastating wildfire seasons, including a record 4.3 million acres burned in 2020, California had a relatively quiet wildfire season last year, with fewer than 400,000 acres burned.

Organizations: Cal Fire Locations: New, San Bernardino County, California, Nevada, Riverside County

☆ ‘Crisis point’: Foreign policy experts and investors are divided on China
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Seema Mody | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A Chinese spy balloon flies above in Charlotte NC, United States on February 04, 2023. Experts say their appearance has raised serious questions about Beijing's deep surveillance efforts. Top foreign policy experts expressed grave concerns about the state of U.S.-China relations at a Council on Foreign Relations meeting this week. The emergence of alleged Chinese spy balloons over the U.S. has raised serious questions about Beijing's deep surveillance efforts, leading U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to postpone his trip to China in a widely-seen setback for the countries' relations. However, strategists and fund managers on Wall Street seem less concerned by the geopolitical ripple effects and more fixated on Beijing's expected economic revival in 2023.

LNG prices have soared this year as Moscow progressively cut piped natural gas supplies to Europe, which heavily depended on Russian imports. Western sanctions on Russia, which is among the world's leading oil and gas producers, in response to its invasion of Ukraine in February, helped to drive European gas prices to an all-time high in August. The world's biggest LNG trader Shell missed some of the benefit of the price rise after a fall in production following strikes at Australia's Prelude site. Gearing at Shell, which is on track for a record year of profits, increased slightly to 20.3%. Spain's Repsol (REP.MC) on Thursday reported a doubling of its profit to 1.48 billion euros ($1.49 billion).

That loyal inner circle has not only strengthened Xi’s hold on power – but also tightened his grip over China’s future. In the eyes of Xi, China is closer than ever to achieving its dream of “national rejuvenation” and reclaiming its rightful place in the world. What he decides to do – and how he goes about doing it – will have a profound impact on the world. Under Xi, Beijing has ramped up military pressure on Taiwan, sending warplanes and conducting military drills near the island. Xi continues to back a costly zero-Covid policy that keeps borders heavily restricted and regularly sends its cities into lockdown – dragging down China’s economic growth.

☆ Portugal says could face shortage if Nigeria does not deliver all LNG due
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( Sergio Goncalves | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LISBON, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Portugal could face supply problems this winter if Nigeria does not deliver all the liquefied natural gas (LNG) it is due to, the European Union country's environment and energy minister said on Monday. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterCordeiro did not say what would prevent Nigeria supplying the LNG it was contracted to. Oil and gas output in Nigeria has been throttled by theft and vandalism of pipelines, leaving gas producer Nigeria LNG Ltd's terminal at Bonny Island operating at 60% capacity. Nigeria LNG, which is owned by state-oil company NNPC Ltd, Shell (SHEL.L), TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA) and Eni (ENI.MI), did not immediately respond to a request for comment. read morePortugal last year imported 2.8 billion cubic meters of LNG from Nigeria, or 49.5% of total imports, while the United States was the second-largest supplier with a share of 33.3%.

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