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☆ Taiwan is fast becoming a hub for outdoor adventure and wellness seekers
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-15 | by ( Joe Yogerst | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

But rather than one of the more obvious outdoor wellness and adventure hubs, it’s actually Taiwan. “Several factors have contributed to the rapid growth of outdoor sports in Taiwan,” says Kate Chen of the Taiwan Tourism Administration. “There was a huge spike in young adults wanting to go hiking or cycling.”But it’s not just locals discovering the island’s outdoor opportunities. Floating in the South China Sea between Taiwan, Hong Kong and the Philippines, Dongsha Marine National Park offers an entirely different take on outdoor adventure. They also provide a venue for more than 100 nature trails that are part of a national trails network created in 2002.

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Amex Platinum Card and Amex Business Platinum Card cardholders get many of the same travel benefits. It makes premium cards like the Amex Platinum Card and the Amex Business Platinum Card look downright affordable. Card comparison: Unsurprisingly, there's no comparable benefit on the Amex Platinum Card and Amex Business Platinum Card cards. Card comparison: Once again, the Amex Platinum Card and Amex Business Platinum Card also offer concierge services. Amex Black Card benefits frequently asked questionsHow can I get an Amex Black Card?

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☆ No walk-ins allowed: What to know when touring the world’s best wine regions
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Penny Sadler | Erica Lamberg | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Wine touring in the Old WorldFrance Of France's 11 wine regions, Bordeaux, Burgundy (or Bourgogne) and Champagne are the most eminent. The United States California is renowned for wine tasting, though almost every state in the continental U.S. has a wine region or wine tourism area. Visitors can drive between vineyards, bike the Napa Valley Wine Trail, or book a ride on the vintage Napa Valley Wine Train. Barossa is one of the older wine regions in Australia, with some 200 cellar doors within two hours of Adelaide. South Africa South Africa may be considered a new world wine region, but Constantia, a top destination for wine tasting, is centuries old.

Persons: meunier, Chateau Angelus, Viniv Bordeaux, Georges Gobet, Montagne, Kim Kulish, Margaret River, Wine, Joey Estate, River, Groot Organizations: Michelin, Viniv, Afp, Getty, UNESCO, Heritage, Montagne de Reims, Travelers, United, Wine, Sonoma, Australia Wine, Bloomberg Locations: Europe, United States, Australia, South Africa, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Bourgogne, Vin, Chateau, Saint Emilion, France, Champagne, Italy Tuscany, Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Greve, Alba, Piedmont, United States California, Napa Valley, Napa, Texas, Washington , Oregon, Virginia, New York, Yarra, Victoria, Barossa, Adelaide, Perth, Yarra Valley, Melbourne, South Africa South Africa, Constantia, Groot Constantia, South, Cape Town

☆ Ancient skeletons unearthed in France reveal Mafia-style killings
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Alain BeechingThe researchers also reviewed skeletons found at other archaeological sites across Europe and identified 20 other probable instances of similar sacrificial killings. The practice may have been relatively widespread in Neolithic, or late Stone Age, Europe, according to the study, published in the journal Science Advances last week. The study said the actual number was probably higher but there was insufficient information about skeletons at other archaeological sites to draw firm conclusions. The three skeletons were buried in a grave built in the style of a silo, where grain is typically stored, inside a wooden structure and surrounded by a trench. At the other sites across Europe, men and children as well as women were also found sacrificed in this way, the study said.

Persons: CNN —, Alain Beeching, ” Éric, Crubézy, ” Crubezy, Châteaux, “, Nicolas Senegas, Ameline Alcouffe Organizations: CNN, Italian Mafia, Paul Sabatier University, Saint Locations: France, Saint, Europe, Toulouse, South America

☆ 'True European': Former top Czech diplomat Schwarzenberg dies
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

PRAGUE, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Former Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg, one of the leading figures in the country's post-Communist era, has died, officials said on Sunday. Schwarzenberg was born into a prestigious Czech family and became a senior aide to his friend Vaclav Havel after the former dissident won the country's first free election in 1990. He later served twice as foreign minister between 2007 and 2013. The Vaclav Havel Library, which Schwarzenberg co-founded, said he died on Saturday, calling him a "patriot and true European". Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said on X that Schwarzenberg was an "unwavering advocate" of democracy and the European idea.

Persons: Karel Schwarzenberg, Schwarzenberg, Vaclav Havel, Miroslav Kalousek, Havel, Alexander Schallenberg, Milos Zeman, Jason Hovet, Jan Lopatka, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: Vaclav Havel Library, Communists, Television, Foreign Ministry, Austrian, Thomson Locations: PRAGUE, Czech, Europe, Vienna, Czech Republic, Schwarzenberg, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Central European

☆ France issues 'red alert' over heatwave in south
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] The logo of Electricite de France (EDF) is seen in front of electrical pylons at the Tricastin nuclear power plant site in Saint-Paul-Trois-Chateaux, France, November 21, 2022. The departments targeted by the alert, which allows local authorities to call off events and close public facilities if needed, are the Rhone, Drome, Ardeche and Haute-Loire, Meteo France said. Earlier on Monday, Meteo France had issued an orange alert for half of the country's territory, saying temperatures will reach between 35 and 38 C (95 to 100 F) in most of the affected departments. Temperatures are expected to rise to between 40 and 42 Celsius (104 and 108 F) on Tuesday afternoon in the southern departments of Ardeche, Drome, Vaucluse and Gard, Meteo France said. Some technical issues at the reactor also played a role in delaying the restart to Aug. 25, an EDF spokesperson told Reuters.

Persons: Eric Gaillard, Meteo, Forrest Crellin, Dominique Vidalon, Tassilo Hummel, Sudip Kar, Emelia, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, EDF, Reuters, Thomson Locations: France, Saint, Rhone, Drome, Ardeche, Haute, Loire, Meteo France, Vaucluse, Gard

☆ The French château with more than 100 fighter jets
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Miquel Ros | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —The sleek, dark-gray lines of a F-16 Fighting Falcon jet, flanked by two other veterans of the Cold War skies, a French Dassault Mirage IV and a F-104 Starfighter, is not what you would usually expect to come across when walking into the courtyard of a 700-year-old French château. The majority of them were acquired as scrap,” says Christophe Pont, Michel’s son and current owner and manager of the château. Courtesy Miquel RosIn the mid-1980s, Pont, who was ex-military, made inquiries with the French Air Force about the possibility of getting one of their decommissioned Mirage III fighter jets to exhibit at the château. The request was granted and six months later what would become the kernel of the world’s largest private fighter aircraft collection was on its way to Savigny-lès-Beaune. Château de Savigny-les-Beaune, Rue Général Leclerc, 21420 Savigny-lès-Beaune, France; +33 3 80 21 55 03

☆ The Amex Centurion 'black' card has a $5,000 annual fee and a long list of luxury perks, but you can get many of the same benefits with the Amex Platinum
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Anna Baluch | Angela Fung | Sarah Silbert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

It makes premium credit cards like the Platinum Card ($695 annual fee) and the Amex Business Platinum Card ($695) look downright affordable. Benefits of the Amex Centurion black cardThe Amex Centurion card isn't just a status symbol; it has some great perks, including some unique benefits like complimentary Delta elite status that you won't find on other cards. The Platinum Card and Amex Business Platinum Card offer status with Hilton and Marriott**, but not with IHG and Relais & Châteaux. Unsurprisingly, there's no comparable benefit on the Platinum Card and Amex Business Platinum Card cards**. Once again, the Platinum Card and Amex Business Platinum Card also offer concierge services.

☆ I asked ChatGPT to help me plan a vacation. Here’s what happened next
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Monica Pitrelli | Chris Dwyer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

So the idea that artificial intelligence chatbots, such as ChatGPT and Bing, can research travel destinations and create itineraries is intriguing. I went to the developer's website, clicked on the word "ChatGPT," registered for an account — and started chatting. "All of the places I recommended have great online reviews," ChatGPT replied, providing ratings from Tripadvisor, Booking.com and Google for each hotel. But ChatGPT couldn't show photographs of the hotels or help book them — although it did provide ample instructions on how to do both. Every city I asked ChatGPT about resulted in the bot praising the local food scene.

☆ I help foreigners get settled in Dubai. There's been a surge in interest from Russians to move to the city — here's what they're looking for.
▼ + stars: | 2022-03-21 | by ( Mark Ellwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

We offer all the services that come with starting up in Dubai: visas, taxes, accounting, relocation, real estate. Dubai has been working on its image for many years, and now it's up there with London or Monaco, in my opinion. Russian clients usually speak English, but they'll prefer to deal with Russian speakers. There's a feeling about Dubai that shady people can come here, set up, and get away with itIt's a real process here. In general, Russians prefer villas to apartmentsSince COVID-19, there's been a boom in villas — everyone wants them.

☆ Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve
▼ + stars: | 2021-04-08 | by ( Darren Murph | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

Both the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card and the Chase Sapphire Reserve are winners at their respective price points. The Chase Sapphire Preferred is aimed at the casual traveler, while the Chase Sapphire Reserve attempts to take the crown as the world’s most feature-packed, prestigious travel card anywhere. But as mentioned above, with the Chase Sapphire Reserve, you’ll get 1.5 cents per point when redeeming through the Chase travel portal. That means every point you earn on the Sapphire Reserve is worth an extra 20% over the Sapphire Preferred. Should you get the Sapphire Preferred or Sapphire Reserve?

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☆ Amex has an invite-only Centurion 'black' card with a $5,000 annual fee and several luxury perks, but you can get many of its benefits with the Amex Platinum
▼ + stars: | 2020-11-03 | by ( Anna Baluch | Freelance Writer | Read More | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

Apply and select your preferred metal Card design: classic Platinum Card®, Platinum x Kehinde Wiley, or Platinum x Julie Mehretu. Benefits of the Amex Centurion black cardThe Amex Centurion card isn't just a status symbol; it has some great perks, including some unique benefits like complimentary Delta elite status that you won't find on other cards. The Platinum Card and Amex Business Platinum Card offer status with Hilton and Marriott**, but not with IHG and Relais & Châteaux. Unsurprisingly, there's no comparable benefit on the Platinum Card and Amex Business Platinum Card cards. Read more: Amex Platinum card reviewIf you're a business user, the Amex Business Platinum Card is worth a look.

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