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☆ I spent 3 nights in Asia's least visited country. It also turned out to be the most expensive.
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-24 | by ( Marielle Descalsota | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

AdvertisementIt's one of the world's least-visited countries, making airfare and hotel rates more expensive than many countries in Asia. Only two airlines — the Indonesian low-cost carrier Citilink and the local airline Aero Dili — fly between Bali and Dili. Marielle DescalsotaCost of hotel stay for three nights: $500Timor-Leste only has a handful of three-star hotels and no luxury accommodations. I booked an entry-level room for three nights at Timor Plaza Hotel & Apartments for around $500, including tax. For activities, I spent $30 on a massage at a traditional Chinese spa and $50 on a half-day scuba diving trip at the coast.

Persons: —, I've, It's, what's, Cristo Rei, Hilton, Burger King, Gloria Jean's, nasi goreng Organizations: Service, Business, Leste, Indonesia, United Nations, Development, Aero Dili, Timor Plaza, Apartments Locations: Europe, Asia, Maldives, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Timor, —, South, Connecticut, Development Asia, Indonesia, Australia, Bali, Dili, Darwin, stopovers, Singapore, Tokyo, guesthouses, Timor Leste

☆ Forget Spain. These under-the-radar countries actually want you to visit.
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-23 | by ( Joey Hadden | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Timor-Leste is one of the least-visited countries in the world. Timor-Leste gained independence from Indonesia in 2002 and became the first new country of the 2000s, according to the official Timor-Leste tourism and travel guide. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the nation has been developing its tourism sector to boost its economy since then. BI's Marielle Descalsota recently traveled to Timor-Leste. Although she found limited tourism information online, Descalsota reported seeing some of Asia's most scenic views on the island's mountainous coastline with ocean waters clearer than those in the Maldives during the trip.

Persons: BI's Marielle Descalsota, Descalsota Organizations: Leste, Sydney Morning Herald Locations: Timor, Fatucama, South, Asia, Indonesia, Maldives

The information for the following product(s) has been collected independently by Business Insider: American Express® Green Card, Amex EveryDay® Credit Card, Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card, Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card. History and overview of the Amex Membership Rewards programThe Amex Membership Rewards program debuted way back in 1991 with just seven U.S. airline partners. In this comprehensive guide, we'll show you how to transfer American Express points for travel, and teach you our best tips for maximizing value for Amex Membership Rewards transfers. We'll also walk you through Amex points transfer ratios and policies, point out the best Amex airline transfer partners, and walk you through transferring Amex points to hotel loyalty programs. The best cards for earning American Express Membership RewardsThe Platinum Card® from American Express Apply now lock icon An icon in the shape of lock.

Persons: Hilton, Chase, We'll, Uber, Wiley, Julie Mehretu, Peacock, Uber Cash, you've, Marriott, Asia Miles, Air Canada Aeroplan Air Canada Aeroplan, Aeroplan, that's, it's, you'll, we've, Avianca, Conrad, It's Organizations: Business, Hilton Honors, Marriott, Strategic, Delta, Air Canada, Read, Citi, American Express, American, Express, Hilton, Saks, Entertainment, Disney, ESPN, The New York Times, Street, Walmart, TSA, Global, Saks Fifth, Airline, Aer Lingus, Aeromexico Club, Air Canada Aeroplan Air France, KLM Flying Blue ANA, Avianca, British Airways Executive Club Cathay, Asia Miles Delta, Emirates Skywards Etihad Airways, Program, Airlines, Iberia, JetBlue, Qantas Frequent Flyer Singapore Airlines, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, Air Canada Aeroplan Air Canada, Star Alliance, Lufthansa, SWISS, ANA, France, KLM, Blue, Air France, Kenya Airways, TAROM, Korean Air, All Nippon Airways, SAS, TAP Portugal, British Airways Executive, British Airways, American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Cathay, Qantas, JAL, British Airways Executive Club, Europe . Cathay, American Airlines AAdvantage, Qatar Airways, JFK, Virgin, Etihad, Air New Zealand, Royal Air Maroc, Etihad Guest . Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Singapore Airlines, North, United, Air, Singapore Airlines, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Virgin Atlantic Flying, Virgin Atlantic, Aeromexico, Club, Avianca's Star Alliance, Emirates Skywards, Hawaiian Airlines, Qantas Frequent, Diamond, Hilton Resorts, Waldorf Locations: Hulu, Asia, North America, Atlantic, Pacific, South America, Vancouver, Seattle, Tokyo Haneda, Europe, West Coast, Canada, Hawaii, Newark, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Australia, Miami, Dallas, Caribbean, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Tokyo, Boston, Dublin, Iberia, Europe . Cathay Pacific Asia, Hong Kong, Alaska, Amex, Doha, Chicago , New York, Philadelphia, Delta, SkyTeam, Morocco, Abu Dhabi, Air Canada, Singapore, New York, JFK, Frankfurt, Japan, Emirates

☆ Travel news: Pan Am will return to the skies in 2025
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-13 | by ( Lilit Marcus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Get the latest news in aviation, food and drink, where to stay and other travel developments. Now, there’s a chance to fly Pan Am again, provided you have deep pockets. Pan Am Brands, which owns the former airline’s licensing rights, will fly a special Pan Am-branded private jet on a 12-day trip from New York City in June 2025. But if you’d rather get out of the city, there’s no shortage of great things to do. Video Ad Feedback Here’s where you can snowshoe, hike an island, blow glass and shuck oysters – all in the same day 02:00 - Source: CNNAmerican spotlight: TacomaCNN Travel recently unveiled its top 10 best towns to visit for 2024.

Persons: there’s, Pan, Benoit Tessier, Roland Garros, CNN’s Richard Quest, Michel, Anthony Bourdain, Frank Herbert, Dale Chihuly, It’s, Lorena Sopêna, Silvio Berlusconi, Silkworm Organizations: CNN, France, Am Brands, Reuters, UNESCO, Saint, Pacific, Tacoma CNN Travel, Tacoma, Rainier, Europa Press, Locals Locations: Pacific Northwest, New York City, Bermuda, Lisbon, Marseille, London, Foynes, Ireland, Pan, Paris, France, of, Europe, Polynesia, Tacoma , Washington, Grit, ”, Barcelona, Spain, Swiss, Lauterbrunnen, Venice, Notting Hill, Milan, Harbin, China

In this next term, I’m going to make sure we got to — straighten out the tax system. STEPHANOPOULOS: The number of Americans who think you’re too old to serve has doubled since 2020. STEPHANOPOULOS: I’ve — I’ve questioned him and his allies as persistently as any journalist has. We have — I mean, I’m not seen what you’re — you’re proposing. He may bring me down, he may.”STEPHANOPOULOS: Mr. President, I’ve never seen a president 36 percent approval get re-elected.

Persons: Biden, George Stephanopoulos, GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, BIDEN, Nancy Pelosi, you’ve, I’m, You’ve, I’ve, ”, “, who’ve, what’s Biden, George, — BIDEN, —, “ You’re, Walter Reed, Madeleine Albright, Netanyahu, They’ll, ” BIDEN, Putin, it’s, I’d, Donald Trump, You’re, It’s, he’s, you’re, That’s, “ That’s, hadn’t, Nothing’s, They’re, Trump, — I’ve, oth, Hoover, Mark Warner, We’ve, Mark’s, Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, “ We’re, Jim Clyburn, they’re, Almighty, “ Joe, ” I’d, Almighty’s, Hakeem, “ Oh, what’s, I’ll, George . Organizations: ABC, The New York Times, National Security Council, New York Times, The Washington Post, Street, NATO, Big Pharma, BIDEN, Putin, AUKUS, Senate, CBS Poll, NBC, Electoral College, Washington Post, Democratic Party, House Democrats, Senate Democrats Locations: Europe, Camp David, North Carolina, —, Georgia, The, England, Pacific, Ukraine, South Korea, United States, It’s, New York, China

☆ I've traveled to 20 countries in 2 years. I found the most stunning coast in one of the least-visited countries.
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-05 | by ( Marielle Descalsota | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Last month, I traveled to Timor-Leste, a country located in the South Pacific. It's also the 14th least-visited country in the world and the least-visited in Asia, according to a January report from CEOWorld magazine. Some 81,000 tourists visited Timor-Leste in 2023 — putting it just ahead of Chad and Sierra Leone, per the report. Marielle DescalsotaOnly a handful of airlines fly to Dili, the capital, where the only international airport in Timor-Leste is located. As I grew up in Singapore and can speak some Indonesian, when locals didn't speak English, that was my fallback language.

Persons: —, I've, France —, It's, Fernando, Hilton, nasi goreng —, 9Milhas, Gloria, Jesus Christ —, Marielle Organizations: Service, Leste, South Pacific, Business, National Statistics Directorate Timor, YouTube, Google, Timor Plaza, Apartments, East Timor Centavo, US Department of State, Burger, Coffee, Cristo Locations: Maldives, France, Timor, South, Bahamas, Asia, Chad, Sierra Leone, Dili, Bali, Indonesia, Darwin, Australia, Dili's, sightsee, East Timor, Indonesian, Singapore, Marielle, Cristo Rei, It's, Angola

Those are just some of what fans of Disney cruises can expect on board the upcoming Disney Adventure, according to details announced Tuesday by Disney Cruise Line. Like other Disney cruises, Disney Adventure will have characters on board, entertainment based on Disney songs and viewings of its most popular movies. Other Disney cruisesDisney Adventure joins Disney Cruise Line's fleet of five ships, alongside two others — the Disney Treasure and Disney Destiny — that are on the way, according to the release. The AquaDuck water coaster aboard a Disney cruise ship — the Disney Dream — in Nassau, Bahamas. Matt Stroshane | Disney Cruise Line | Getty Images

Persons: Pixar's, Sarah Fox, Matt Stroshane Organizations: Disney, Disney Cruise, Marina Bay Cruise, Pixar, Marvel, Asia, Disney Adventure, Disney Treasure, Getty Locations: Asia, Singapore, Marina, Moana, Caribbean, Europe, Alaska, Mexico, Canada, Hawaii, Pacific, Australia, New Zealand, Nassau, Bahamas

☆ Chinese officials’ attempt to ‘block’ formerly detained journalist mars Australia goodwill tour
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-17 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | Angus Watson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Chinese Premier Li Qiang’s four-day visit to Australia this week was set to be focused on repairing long-strained relations between the two countries. But apparent efforts by Chinese officials to stand in front of an Australian reporter during a press briefing have shone a spotlight back on frictions between the countries. Beijing has also long been condemned by Western nations and rights groups for wrongful and arbitrary detentions. 2 official, to Australia is the highest-level trip to a US-allied country of any Chinese official in seven years. Speaking alongside Li following the signing ceremony, Albanese called the visit “another important step in stabilizing” the relationship.

Persons: Li Qiang’s, Cheng Lei, Li, Anthony Albanese, Cheng, I’m, ” Cheng, Albanese, ”, Yang Hengjun, Yang, Li Qiang, Lukas Coch, ” Li, Scott Morrison Organizations: CNN, Sky News Australia, Australian, Sky News, Guardian, Daily Telegraph, CGTN, Australia's, AP Pandas, Sunday, Adelaide Zoo, New Zealand Locations: Australia, China, Canberra, Beijing, Australian, US, “, New, Chinese

☆ These are the best airlines right now, according to The Points Guy
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-12 | by ( Taylor Rains | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Travel website The Points Guy published its annual list of the 10 best airlines in the US on Wednesday. Markus Mainka/Shutterstock2022 Rank: 6Best areas: Involuntary bumpsWorst areas: Route networkAdvertisement6. HUM Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images2022 Rank: 5AdvertisementBest areas: Bags and change feesWorst areas: Lounges4. CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images2022 Rank: 4Best areas: Route network, award availability (flights that can be booked with points or miles)AdvertisementWorst areas: Mishandled baggage and affordability3. Getty Images2022 Rank: 1AdvertisementBest areas: Timeliness and involuntary bumpsWorst areas: Affordability

Persons: —, Guy, Power, Allegiant, Here's, Elizabeth Page Brumley, Joe Cavaretta, Tom Williams, Markus Mainka, Robert Alexander, CHARLY TRIBALLEAU, Nicolas Economou, Mario Tama Organizations: Service, Business, Delta Air Lines, Alaska Airlines, United Airlines, Delta, Wall Street, TPG, Allegiant Air, Frontier Airlines, Spirit Airlines, Frontier, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Hawaiian Airlines, Department of Transportation, Frontier Airlines Frontier Airlines, Las Vegas, Tribune, Getty, South Florida Sun Sentinel, Air Allegiant, US, JetBlue Airways JetBlue, Southwest Airlines Southwest, American Airlines American, United Airlines United, Delta Air Lines Delta Air Lines Locations: Delta, South, Hawaii, Pacific, Asia, US West Coast, AFP, Alaska

☆ The largest genome ever discovered belongs to a humble fern
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-07 | by ( Amanda Schupak | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

New research has identified the largest known genome of any living organism in an unassuming fern found in New Caledonia, an island chain in the South Pacific Ocean. After analyzing related samples from New Zealand and Tasmania, Pellicer homed in on the New Caledonian fork fern as a potentially interesting target for study. Genome gigantism, or genome obesity, is extremely inefficient, the experts explain. Pol Fernández I MatóPellicer and his colleagues believe that genome size may influence a plant’s chances of extinction. Could there be a plant with an even bigger genome than the fork fern?

Persons: ”, Jaume Pellicer, Pellicer, Tmesipteris, that’s, ” Pellicer, “, Oriane Hidalgo, polyploidy, Eric Schuettpelz, Fernández, “ it’s, ” Schuettpelz, It’s, David Baum, Pol Fernández, “ I’m, Amanda Schupak Organizations: CNN, Botanical Institute of Barcelona, Cell, Smithsonian, “, Genome, University of Wisconsin, Madison, International Union for Conservation of Locations: New Caledonia, Paris, Grande Terre, Oriane Hidalgo Ferns, New Zealand, Tasmania, New York City

☆ Emergency convoy takes provisions to survivors of devastating landslide in Papua New Guinea
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-25 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Local officials said a massive landslide struck a village in Papua New Guinea's highlands, with many feared dead. An emergency convoy was delivering food, water and other provisions Saturday to stunned survivors of a landslide that devastated a remote village in the mountains of Papua New Guinea and was feared to have buried scores of people, officials said. Aktoprak conceded that if the number of buried houses estimated by local authorities was correct, the death toll could be higher. "The United States stands with Papua New Guinea — our close partner and friend — today and always," Biden added. Albanese posted on the social media platform X: "All Australians grieve for our brothers and sisters in Papua New Guinea after the terrible landslide."

Persons: Serhan Aktoprak, Aktoprak, James Marape, Andrew Ruing, Ruing, Joe Biden, Anthony Albanese, Biden, —, Albanese Organizations: International Organization, Papua New Guinea, Australian Broadcasting Corp, U.S, Australian Locations: Maip Mulitaka, Papua, Enga Province, Papua New Guinea, Enga, South Pacific, Port Moresby, Papua New, Wabag, Porgera, Australia, United States, China

☆ New Caledonia unrest: Tourists stranded and desperate as Macron arrives in strife-torn French territory
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Jessie Yeung | Hilary Whiteman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Other Australians stranded have had to go scrounge coconuts to eat,” he said. Maxwell Winchester and his wife, an Australian couple stranded in New Caledonia after the unrest broke out. But Winchester said he and other tourists have no sense of when it might be their turn. People line up at a store for supplies in New Caledonia, with larger supermarkets nearby burned and looted during the riots on the French territory. And among the stranded tourists, frustration is growing over what they say is a lack of assistance or clear instructions from their governments.

Persons: Maxwell Winchester, it’s, We’ve, ”, Emmanuel Macron, “, “ We’re, Winchester, Macron, Prisca Thevenot, Theo Rouby, we’re, – Organizations: CNN, ”, New Zealand, Facebook, Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, New Zealanders, Olympic, Paris Olympic Games, ” CNN, Getty Locations: South, New Caledonia, Victoria, Australian, ” Australia, New, Brisbane, Australia’s, ”, Brisbane , New Caledonia, Paris, France, “, Winchester, Noumea , New Caledonia, AFP, French

☆ French Leader Heads to Pacific Outpost Gripped by Deadly Unrest
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Pete Mckenzie | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Emmanuel Macron of France is making a surprise trip to New Caledonia, a French territory in the South Pacific that has been gripped by deadly unrest for more than a week, to hold talks with pro-independence leaders. Six people have died and hundreds have been injured since demonstrations by the Indigenous Kanak people turned violent early last week. Some local leaders expressed doubts that Mr. Macron, who is scheduled to arrive on Thursday, could defuse the tensions. Many in the Kanak community have accused Mr. Macron and France of reneging on an agreement that had put New Caledonia on a possible path to independence. Mr. Macron has refused calls to withdraw the amendment.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Jimmy Naouna Organizations: South Pacific Locations: France, New Caledonia, South, Indigenous, reneging

☆ New Caledonia: French President Emmanuel Macron heads to violence-hit Pacific territory
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Edward Szekeres | Alex Stambaugh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —French President Emmanuel Macron is on his way to New Caledonia, a government official has said, after a week of deadly unrest in the Pacific archipelago. Macron was leaving Paris on Tuesday night and will “set up a mission” in the French territory, government spokesperson Prisca Thevenot told a press conference, without giving further details. He will be accompanied by Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu, and Overseas Minister Marie Guévenoux, Darmanin told the National Assembly. Darmanin also told the French legislature the number of police and gendarmes in New Caledonia would soon reach 3,000. Lying in the South Pacific with Australia, Fiji and Vanuatu for neighbors, New Caledonia is a semiautonomous French territory — one of a dozen scattered throughout the Pacific, Caribbean and Indian Ocean.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Prisca Thevenot, Gérald Darmanin, Sébastien Lecornu, Marie Guévenoux, Darmanin, Paris –, Macron’s, Thevenot, Gabriel Attal Organizations: CNN, Paris, Interior, Defense, Overseas, National Assembly, France’s National Assembly, ”, New Locations: New Caledonia, Caledonia, Australia, New Zealand, France, South Pacific, Fiji, Vanuatu, , New Caledonia, Pacific, Caribbean, Indian, Colonial France, White

☆ Deadly Clashes in a French Pacific Territory Raise Fears of Civil War
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Pete Mckenzie | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A chocolate factory and a soda bottling plant set on fire. As protests against French control boiled over this week in New Caledonia, the South Pacific archipelago experienced some of its most intense violence since a civil war decades ago. “I’m in a state of shock, I can’t move,” Lizzie Carboni, a writer who lives in Noumea, the capital, said by phone as the fourth night of protests began on Thursday. It built a penal colony and over time shipped in more foreigners to mine New Caledonia’s vast nickel reserves. That eventually made the Indigenous Kanaks a minority in their own land.

Persons: Molotov, “, Lizzie Carboni, Carboni Organizations: Pacific, ” Locations: New Caledonia, Noumea, ” France, Australia

☆ New Caledonia: Why this French island in the Pacific is roiled by violence over a vote held 10,000 miles away
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Angus Watson | Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

France’s military has mobilized and flown in “four additional squadrons to restore order,” according to French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin. Macron will chair a defense and national security council on Wednesday, focusing on the violence, the presidential palace said. Others were equipped with larger rifles, firing bullets,” the French High commissioner to New Caledonia Louis Le Franc said. Theo Rouby/AFP/Getty ImagesFrench gendarme officers guard the entrance of the Vallee-du-Tir district, in Noumea, New Caledonia on May 14, 2024. FLNKS issued its own statement Wednesday both condemning the vote at the National Assembly and calling for an end to the violence.

Persons: Paris –, Gerald Darmanin, Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Charles Wea, Louis Mapou, New Caledonia Louis Le Franc, Franc, RNZ, Theo Rouby, unfreeze, Gabriel Attal, “, ” Attal, FLNKS, “ FLNKS Organizations: CNN, New, New Caledonian, New Caledonia Louis, Radio New, Getty, Colonial, Noumea Accord, National Assembly, French, Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Locations: New Caledonia, Noumea, South Pacific, Australia, Fiji, Vanuatu, , New Caledonia, Pacific, Caribbean, Indian, France, Paris, China, United States, Radio New Zealand, Noumea , New Caledonia, AFP, Tir, White, Covid, Kanak

☆ Inside the life and career of Larry Page, Google's co-founder and first CEO
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Avery Hartmans | Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

AdvertisementSo who is Larry Page and how did he get to where he is today? AdvertisementPage and Sergey Brin create GoogleGoogle co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page met as students at Stanford. Google's parent company, Alphabet, has developed self-driving cars through Waymo, the company formerly known as the Google Self-Driving Car project. Page's personal lifeGoogle cofounder Larry Page and his wife, the scientist Lucinda Southworth C Flanigan/FilmMagicThroughout it all, Page has kept information about his personal life closely guarded. Life after GoogleGoogle cofounder Larry Page bought Cayo Norte, an island in Puerto Rico.

Persons: —, Larry Page, Sergey Brin, Page, Sundar Pichai, Gloria, Carl Page —, Larry, what's, Nikola Tesla, he's, Brin's, BackRub, Brin, Eric Schmidt, Schmidt, Andy Rubin's, he'd, Andrew Kelly, Sergey, Lucinda Southworth C, Lucinda Southworth, Richard Branson, Page's, Carl Victor Page, Carl Page, He's, Hugh Langley Organizations: Service, Google, Business, Michigan State University . Education, Getty, Michigan State University, The, Montessori, Google Google, Stanford, Associated Press, University of Michigan, Labs, Reuters Page, Virgin Group, Investments, Carl Victor Page Memorial Foundation, Zee Aero, Pacific, Virgin Island, Atomic Locations: Michigan, Waymo, Toronto, Stanford, Caribbean, Palo Alto, Cayo Norte, Puerto Rico, Koop, Tavarua, Fiji

☆ Curfew Imposed Amid Protests in Pacific Territory of New Caledonia
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Yan Zhuang | More About Yan Zhuang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The authorities in New Caledonia, a semiautonomous French territory in the South Pacific, put a curfew in place on Tuesday and banned all public gatherings after protests against a proposed constitutional change turned violent overnight. France’s High Commission of the Republic in New Caledonia announced on Tuesday that a “massive mobilization” of security and defense forces has been sent to quell the protests. In addition, a curfew was imposed in the capital, Noumea, for Tuesday night, and all public gatherings were banned along with the sale of alcohol and the transportation of weapons, the High Commission said. The latest protests started on Monday, before a scheduled Tuesday vote in the French Parliament on a change to New Caledonia’s Constitution that would expand French citizens’ eligibility to vote in provincial elections. Some pro-independence activists in the territory fear the amendment would water down their movement.

Organizations: High Commission Locations: New Caledonia, South, France’s, Republic, Noumea

☆ The Tiny Nation at the Vanguard of Mining the Ocean Floor
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Pete Mckenzie | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Two ships arrived in the Cook Islands in the South Pacific in March of last year. One was a familiar sight: a massive cruise ship, bringing hundreds of tourists to the pristine shores of this nation of 15,000 people. To Mr. Brown, the cruise ship represented his country’s troubling dependence on tourism. He described the other vessel, owned by an international mining company, as a harbinger of incredible wealth. The Cook Islands is at the vanguard of a quest to mine the ocean floor for minerals used in electric car batteries.

Persons: Mark Brown, Brown Organizations: South Pacific Locations: Cook, South

☆ AUKUS won't spur a nuclear arms race in the region, says U.S. Under Secretary of State
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Sumathi Bala | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Tayfun Coskun | Anadolu Agency | Getty ImagesThe trilateral defense and security pact between the Australia, U.K., and U.S. — commonly referred to as AUKUS — is not going to trigger a nuclear arms race in the Indo-Pacific region, said the U.S. China responded at that time, warning of the danger of an arms race as well as nuclear proliferation. watch now"It's very important that countries understand that this is not to create a race — to create any kind of arms' races. Nuclear-powered submarines are allowed under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and Australia is not going to become a nuclear weapons state," she added. China's responseChina reiterated its warning that Western powers in the AUKUS security pact are provoking division and risking nuclear proliferation in the South Pacific in its latest remarks.

Persons: Joe Biden, Rishi Sunak, Anthony Albanese, Tayfun, Bonnie Denise Jenkins, Jenkins, Wang Wenbin, presser Organizations: Naval Base Point, Anadolu Agency, Getty, U.S, for Arms Control, International Security, International Atomic Energy Agency, South Pacific, Pacific Nuclear, Foreign Locations: Australia, United Kingdom, United States, Naval Base Point Loma, San Diego , California, China, South

☆ After my brother tragically died, I knew I wanted to pursue adventure. Now my family and I live on a catamaran.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-21 | by ( Maria Noyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

We're pretty sure Kerry was executed there exactly two months later, in October 1978. So we had a memorial for Kerry, and then a few months later, John took his life. Rob Hamill rowing. Rob Hamill with Phil Stubbs, his teammate in the inaugural Atlantic rowing race in 1997. We got married about six months later, in 2001.

Persons: —, Rob Hamill, Pol Pot, Kerry, Kerry Hamill, Rob Hamill Kerry, Stuart Glass, Stuart, John Dewhirst, John, Hamill, who'd, Phil Stubbs, Phil, Comrade Duch, Pot, Rachel, Finn, Declan, Ivan, Rob Hamill's, Renee Whitaker, Hamill's, Finn didn't, We've Organizations: Service, Business, Navy, Atlantic, New Zealand, Pacific Locations: New Zealand, Khmer Rouge, Communist, Cambodia, Australia, Darwin, Khmer, Malaysia's, Kerry, Phnom Penh, Asia, Tenerife, Barbados, Ireland, New, Thailand, Angkor Wat

☆ Airlines That Offer 'Stopover' Programs, Some With Free Hotels
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-21 | by ( Taylor Rains | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Airlines capitalize on this trend with "stopover" programs, some even offering free hotels and food. Airlines have jumped on this growing trend with built-in "stopover" programs, which can come with free or discounted hotels, excursions, transportation, and food at the layover destination. Essentially, you can't intentionally book a longer layover to quality for the free stopover hotel. Massimo Insabato/Archivio Massimo Insabato/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty ImagesSingapore Airlines' stopover program is available via the multi-city tool, similar to other carriers, where travelers can add hotels, transfers, and activities. Urbanandsport/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesTurkish Airlines' stopover program gives economy travelers a one-night free hotel stay and business flyers a two-night free stay if the period between their connecting flights in Istanbul exceeds 20 hours.

Persons: —, Robert Smith, Markus Mainka, Liang Xu, Nicolas Economou, Thomas Mukoya, Suparat, Finnair, Shutterstock Icelandair, Marcio Rodrigo Machado, Bauer, Griffin, Alexi Rosenfeld, CHARLY TRIBALLEAU, Massimo Insabato, It's, Matheus Organizations: Service, Airlines, Travelers, An Air Canada Boeing, Getty Images Air, Air France, KLM Air France, KLM, Air, China Southern Airlines, China Southern Airlines Airbus, Getty Images China Southern Airlines, Copa Airlines AP Copa Airlines, Copa, Emirates, Emirates Airbus, Getty Images Emirates, Dubai Connect, Ethiopian Airlines Ethiopian Airlines, Reuters Ethiopian Airlines, Etihad Airways, Etihad Airways Airbus, Shutterstock.com Etihad Airways, Fiji Airways Fiji Airways, Shutterstock Fiji Airways, Iberia Airbus, Japan, Japan Airlines Boeing, Japan Airlines, Latam Airlines Boeing, Latam Airlines, Hotels, An Oman Air, Getty Images Oman Air, Qantas, Getty, JAL, Oneworld, Qatar Airways, Qatar Airways Boeing, Getty Images Qatar Airways, Royal Jordanian Airlines Royal Jordanian Airlines Boeing, Getty Images Royal Jordanian Airlines, Air Lines, Swiss International Air Lines Airbus, Getty Images Swiss, Singapore Airlines, Airbus, Getty Images Singapore Airlines, Portugal, TAP Air Portugal Airbus, TAP Air Portugal, Turkish Airlines, Turkish Airlines Airbus, Getty Images Turkish Airlines Locations: Getty Images Air Canada, Canada, Air France, Xinhua, Panama, Panama City, Emirates, Dubai, UAE, Addis Ababa, Abu Dhabi, Fiji, Australia, New Zealand, Pacific, Helsinki, Iberia, Iberia Airbus Iberia, Madrid, Icelandair, Reykjavik, Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, São Paulo, Brasilia, Fortaleza, Recife, Manaus, Curitiba, Belem, Oman, Muscat, layover, Bangkok, San Francisco, AFP, Switzerland, Singapore, Lisbon, Porto, Portuguese, Azores, Madeira, Istanbul

☆ Coral bleaching: Ocean heat is driving a mass bleaching event, and it could be the worst on record
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Rebecca Wright | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Coral reefs around the world are experiencing a mass bleaching event as the climate crisis drives record-breaking ocean heat, two scientific bodies announced Monday — with some experts warning this could become the worst bleaching period in recorded history. If ocean temperatures don’t return to normal, bleaching can lead to mass coral death, threatening the species and food chains that rely on them with collapse. Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, a climate scientist specializing in coral reefs based at the University of Queensland in Australia, predicted this mass bleaching event months ago. In February, scientists at the Coral Reef Watch program at NOAA added three new alert levels to the coral bleaching alert maps, to enable scientists to assess the new scale of underwater warming. Bex Wright/CNNIn mid-February, CNN witnessed extensive coral bleaching on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef – the world’s largest coral reef system – on five different reefs spanning the northern and southern areas.

Persons: ” Derek Manzello, Ove Hoegh, “, Guldberg, ”, Lillian Suwanrumpha, Niña, El, Manzello, ” Manzello, Lady Elliot, Bex Wright, Selina Stead, ” Stead, David Ritter Organizations: CNN, Atlantic, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, Reef, Reef Watch, Pacific, University of Queensland, NOAA, Getty, Niña, Australian Institute of Marine Science, Park Authority, AIMS, UN, Greenpeace Locations: Pacific, Florida, Caribbean, Mexico, Brazil, Australia, Persian Gulf, Indonesia, Africa, Seychelles, Raja Ampat, Indonesia's West Papua, AFP, El, Lady, Greenpeace Australia

☆ Grandma Joy: Now aged 94, this viral star is taking on a new travel challenge
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-07 | by ( Tamara Hardingham-Gill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

“I don’t have many years left, [so] you hop to it,” Grandma Joy, now 94, tells CNN Travel via Zoom. @grandmajoysroadtrip“We’re in each other’s pockets all the time,” says Grandma Joy. “I tried to learn to enjoy his kind of music,” says Grandma Joy, who has three other grandchildren. Willing spirit"I'm in good shape for an old woman," says Grandma Joy. Life is very short.”As for Grandma Joy, she’s enjoying making up for lost time, and now has several stamps in her first ever passport.

Persons: Grandma Joy ” Ryan, Brad Ryan, “, Grandma Joy, Grandma, Ryan’s, Ryan, ”, @grandmajoysroadtrip, ” Ryan, I’ll, Keen, Old, Brad, Grandma Joy’s, wasn’t, ziplining, they’ve, “ We’ve, ” We’ve, that’s, he’s, they’re, she’s, I’ve, “ I’ve, “ They’ve, ‘, ’ Organizations: CNN, Parks, National Parks, Banff National, Mara, Reserve, Travel, “, and, Elias, of, South Pacific, Asia ” Locations: Hawaii, Canada, North America, Africa, Kenya, South America, Ecuador, Galapagos, Chile, “, Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, Florida, Smoky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Yellowstone, Alaska, New, West Virginia, Wrangell St, of American Samoa, South, Ohio, Australia, Asia, India, Borneo, Europe, Antarctica, Duncan Falls , Ohio

☆ My ex-husband and I were in an open relationship when I met a new partner at the gym. I got a divorce, and we're engaged.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-30 | by ( Melissa Noble | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Morgan Owen was married to her ex-husband when she walked into the gym one day and saw Axe. My ex-husband and I were married for a while, and for a number of years, I still couldn't pin down my unhappiness. It really wasn't until I was 29 that I started to become more and more sure of myself. AdvertisementMorgan and Axe knew they wanted to be together not long after they started dating. But then, just half an hour later, Axe asked if they could see me.

Persons: Morgan Owen, —, Axel, It's Morgan, I'd, Morgan, Axe, Ashleigh Haase, We've, There's Organizations: Service, Pacific Locations: Melbourne, Australia, Hawthorn

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