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☆ Nepal’s historic, tranquil forest retreat on the outskirts of Kathmandu
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-05 | by ( Jack Bantock | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Just a 25-minute drive east from the city center is Gokarna Forest Resort, a five-star luxury retreat and golf course embedded within 470 acres of protected sanctuary jungle, sheltering a rich array of wildlife. Though a golf course had been present since 1999, the development saw it blossom into the undulating 6,755 yard, 18-hole setup that sits as the crown jewel of the resort today. “The uniqueness of the golf course is what really inspires me, and I have been to at least 200 or 250 golf courses around the world. It is commonplace to glimpse as many as 400 spotted and barking deer bounding across the course’s fairways on any given day, Acharya says. “That is a big challenge for the golf course and for me to maintain, because they run on the greens,” he said.

Persons: Deepak Acharya, Acharya, ” Acharya, “, Gokarna, ”, greenkeepers, Kushe, Gokarneshwor, Prakash Mathema, Taleju Organizations: CNN, Beach, Leopards, Getty, Jagannath, Chandragiri Locations: Nepal, Kathmandu, tranquillity, Gokarna, AFP, ”, Everest

☆ Why Ibiza is having a fashion moment once again
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-09 | by ( Suyin Hayes | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —There are two rather different perceptions of the Balearic island of Ibiza near Spain. “Today, (Ibizan style) still persists and is absolutely recognizable anywhere in the world.”Fashion brand Reformation dedicated their latest summer collection to Ibiza. ReformationAs well as on-island boutiques such as Annie’s Ibiza and Vicente Ganesha, Ibiza style is celebrated by Loewe’s creative director Jonathan Anderson, who grew up vacationing in Ibiza, and since 2017, has spearheaded a high end collaboration between the luxury house and another legendary local institution Paula’s boutique. “When the pandemic happened, there was a chance to reframe what Ibiza was about: slow travel, wellness and mindfulness,” Fonner said. “I don’t really think (Ibiza) has gained popularity in recent years; I believe it has always been popular artistically,” she said.

Persons: Gala Mora, Freddie Mercury, Grace Jones, Bob Marley, ” Mora, ”, Vicente Ganesha, Jonathan Anderson, Shane Fonner, ” Fonner, ‘, Assouline, biennal, Sergio Sancho, Oriol, Oriol Maspons Sancho, Sancho, “, Irene de Andres, Mora Organizations: CNN, “, L.E.R, Enric, Contemporary Art Museum Locations: Balearic, Ibiza, Spain, North America, Bohemia, Agrotourism, Spanish, Madrid

☆ A France in Turmoil Mourns Françoise Hardy, Its Voice of Melancholy Cool
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-14 | by ( Roger Cohen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It was like Françoise Hardy, the wistful singer and songwriter of a certain French melancholy and style, to slip away in the midst of a political storm, for it was never the clamor of power struggles that interested her, but rather an inner world of solitude, love betrayed and loss. With France in turmoil after President Emmanuel Macron’s sudden plunging of the nation into an unexpected legislative election campaign, the country’s leading newspapers nevertheless devoted much of their front pages to Ms. Hardy’s death this week at the age of 80, hailing “the icon” of French music. For Gabriel Attal, the prime minister, it was the loss of “this singular voice of a fierce tranquillity that cradled generations of French people” that felt overwhelming. For Brigitte Bardot, “France has lost with her a little of that nobility, of that beauty and that luminous talent, of that elegance that she conveyed all through her life.”It was as if the country through Ms. Hardy’s life had come full circle, from her birth during an air raid in Nazi-occupied Paris in 1944, seven months before the city’s liberation, to a moment when a far-right party once led by a man who belittled the Holocaust is now possibly on the brink of power.

Persons: Françoise Hardy, Emmanuel Macron’s, Gabriel Attal, Brigitte Bardot, “ Locations: France, “ France, Nazi, Paris

☆ So Close to Sicily, So Far From the Crowds
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( Amy Tara Koch | Paolo Pellegrin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For years I had been hearing about the island of Pantelleria, the craggy, hard-to-get-to Eden with middle-of-nowhere tranquillity that sits 89 miles southwest of the island of Sicily and about 50 miles east of Tunisia. Luca Guadagnino’s 2015 film “A Bigger Splash” painted a seductive idyll of mud baths, romantic ruins and secluded swimming coves. Celebrities like Madonna, Sting and Julia Roberts visited, drawn to the striking, Africa-meets-Italy ambience, along with Giorgio Armani, a part-time resident since 1980. The fact that nobody was impressed by them added to the allure. The beauty is in the slow pace and the wild landscape.”

Persons: Luca Guadagnino’s, Sting, Julia Roberts, Giorgio Armani, ”, Sciascia Gambaccini Locations: Pantelleria, Eden, Sicily, Tunisia, Africa, Italy

☆ 9 Home Designs That Evoke the Flow of Water
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Yelena Moroz Alpert | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

This article is part of our Design special section about water as a source of creativity. Water is a popular motif with product designers because it symbolizes tranquillity and clarity. But this force of nature also “adds movement, freedom and flow in a space,” said Golnar Roshan, who with her partner, Ruben de la Rive Box, recently introduced a rug collection called Fluid that evokes the moody skies reflected in the canals of Amsterdam, where they live. “I like to mix worlds that seem far apart, create unexpected connections and imaginative short circuits between things,” Paola Navone, a designer in Milan, said of her collection of new pendant lights with diffusers of milky white or limpid blue glass that visually create an oceanic sway. (The lamps are called Oblò, which is Italian for “porthole.”)These and other fresh, splashy products are presented here.

Persons: ”, Golnar Roshan, Ruben de, ” Paola Navone Locations: Amsterdam, Milan

☆ Milan said it would ban ice cream on the streets after midnight. After a fierce backlash, it backed down.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Milan has reversed a proposal to ban late-night sales of ice cream after a fierce public backlash. Late-night ice cream is a traditional treat for many Milanese. AdvertisementThe Italian city of Milan has U-turned on a controversial proposal to ban the sale of ice cream after midnight, according to multiple reports. It's not the first time Milan has tried to bring an ice cream ban into law. AdvertisementIn 2013, city officials tried and failed to ban late-night ice cream, local paper Corriere della Sera reported at the time.

Persons: Milan, —, Marco Granelli, Marco Barbieri, Sera, Alessia Cappello Organizations: Milanese, Service, Sky, Sky News, Guardian Locations: Milan, Porta Venezia, Venice

☆ They were kidnapped from a boarding school 10 years ago. Hear their stories
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-13 | by ( Stephanie Busari | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Boko Haram has waged a 15-year insurgency battle in northern Nigeria and has kidnapped thousands of people in that time. But the Chibok girls serve as a potent symbol to the world of hope and resilience. Boko Haram robbed her futureOnce an ambitious student with dreams of academic achievement, Hauwa Ishaya was 16 when she was kidnapped. As a result, she instead became a self-described “slave” – attending to her married sisters’ needs and treating wounded Boko Haram fighters. ‘I believe she’s alive’It is not only the girls kidnapped 10 years ago whose lives have been forever changed.

Persons: Nigeria CNN —, Haram, Amina Ali, Amina, Boko, CNN Amina, “, Hauwa Ishaya, CNN Hauwa, ” –, ’, Hauwa, ”, Hannatu Stephen, Hannatu, ‘, Yana Galang, Rifkatu, Yana, CNN Yana, she’s Organizations: Nigeria CNN, Amnesty International, CNN, American University of Nigeria Locations: Yola, Nigeria, Adamawa State, Boko Haram, Chibok

☆ An English Village Hollowed Out for a Train That May Never Come
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Stephen Castle | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For those that can afford them, the large villas at Whitmore Heath offer the tranquillity of the countryside within striking distance of urban centers like Stoke-on-Trent and Stafford, an hour’s drive north of Birmingham, the largest city in the English Midlands. Yet on Heath Road, where some house prices have exceeded a million pounds (about $1.3 million), padlocked gates and signs warn trespassers of CCTV security monitoring. Outside one house stands a dumpster filled with waste while the roof of another is carpeted with a veneer of moss. Peer through the large windows of a family home, and not a single piece of furniture can be seen inside. This scene of abandonment is a byproduct of a multibillion-dollar rail project that has spanned three decades and six prime ministers — a case study in the problems Britain encounters when planning large-scale infrastructure, and of the scarring that remains when such projects go awry.

Persons: Whitmore Heath, — Locations: Whitmore, Stoke, Trent, Stafford, Birmingham, English Midlands, Heath

☆ Max Verstappen jokes about ‘88 missed podiums’ after earning landmark 100th top three finish with victory at Saudi Arabian GP
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-10 | by ( Matias Grez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

“It’s 88 missed podiums!” he joked when asked by a reporter about his record in 188 career races, though this was only Verstappen’s 187th. On Friday, Red Bull suspended the female employee who accused F1 team principal Christian Horner of inappropriate behavior, according to multiple reports. Red Bull launched an independent investigation in February after Horner was accused of engaging in inappropriate behavior towards a member of the racing team, who has not been identified. CNN has been unable to corroborate their authenticity and Red Bull said it would be “inappropriate” to comment on the matter. Christian Horner and Red Bull have faced controversy to start the season.

Persons: Max Verstappen, he’s, “, I’m, Sergio Pérez, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, Verstappen, Red Bull, Christian Horner, Horner, Clive Rose, Oliver Bearman, Carlos Sainz, Fernando, Alonso, George, Russell, Oscar Piastri, Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin, George Russell, Piastri’s, Lando Norris, Lewis Hamilton, Haas, Niko Hulkenberg Organizations: CNN, Saudi, Verstappen, Pérez, Prix, Ferrari, Mercedes Locations: Jeddah, P6

☆ Luxury glamping site offering 'utter peace and tranquillity' ordered to close over loud sex-noise complaints
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-09 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewA luxury "glamping" site in the UK that claimed to offer "utter peace and tranquillity" has been ordered to close following a series of noise complaints, The Guardian reported. AdvertisementMel Sims, another neighbor, said that the loud noise from the site in the summer would often go on past midnight, with swearing, music, and "sex in the thin tents." Following the complaints, the local council rejected an application for planning permission for two 16-foot tents, noting their proximity to neighboring residential properties and lack of soundproofing. In 2022, Google Pixel took staff on a glamping trip to AutoCamp Catskills in Upstate New York for its Camp Pixel Summit.

Persons: —, Daniel Wells, Dolly, Kenny, Mel Sims, Liz Feay, Glamping, Mike Harrington, Glampsites, refurbed Airstreams, Forbes Organizations: Service, Guardian, Planning, Business, BBC News, Google Pixel, Pixel Locations: Lymington, England, Upstate New York, refurbed

☆ Sea of Nectar: What you should know about the moon area where Japan’s lander touched down
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-27 | by ( Jacopo Prisco | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

If the lander turns on again, it could make good on its objectives to collect unprecedented information about a region called the Sea of Nectar. The 1969 US moon mission Apollo 11 captured this oblique view of the large crater Theophilus at the northwest edge of the Sea of Nectar. Here's the first picture sent back by the Moon Sniper after it landed on the lunar surface. The Sea of Nectar is much smaller than its neighbor the Sea of Tranquility, which is over 540 miles (875 kilometers) across and is similarly smooth and flat. “After the Apollo missions, we brought back samples and learned they were essentially massive lava planes,” Osinski said.

Persons: Smart, SLIM —, Moon, Theophilus that’s, ”, Gordon Osinski, who’s, Artemis, Osinski, we’ve, ” Osinski, Sara Russell, haven’t, Russell, “, SLIM, ” “, John Pernet, Fisher, Pernet, it’s, Tranquillity, Canada’s, maria ”, “ It’s, NASA’s Organizations: CNN, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA, NASA, Western University, Lunar Reconnaissance, Planetary Materials, Ritsumeikan University, Aizu, University of Manchester, Planetary Institute, Apollo, Getty Locations: Japan, , Ontario, Shioli, United Kingdom

☆ The best things to experience in Saudi Arabia according to the people who know it
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Selina Julien | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —Closed to tourists until recently, Saudi Arabia is still an unknown quantity for many would-be travelers. Omran is also hopeful visitors will explore destinations across Saudi Arabia. Saudi Tourism Authority“You can’t talk about islands in Saudi Arabia without talking about a new tourist favorite, but a treasured local one, Al Nawras Island,” Saudi professional boxer Ziyad Almaayouf tells CNN. “What I love most about Al Nawras Island, isn’t the island itself, but the waters surrounding it,” he adds. The resort on the Red Sea coast is often promoted as “the Maldives of Saudi Arabia,” offering water sports and cultural experiences.

Persons: Lojain Omran, Omran, ”, Al Balad, Mai Eldib, Hajj, ” Eldib, Jeddah’s, “ It’s, ” Al, Ziyad Almaayouf, ” Ziyad, Ziyad, “, Mishaal Ashemimry, Mishaal, Tamtam, Reem Altamimi, Al Zal, Ba’a, Hatem Alakeel, Authenticite, “ Diriyah, Umluj, ” Tasneem Organizations: CNN, Netflix’s, Saudi Tourism Authority, MISHAAL Aerospace, Abaca, Saudi Locations: Saudi Arabia, Saudi, Netflix’s UAE, Al Balad, Al, Jeddah, Mai, ” Al Nawras, Nawras, Al Nawras, California, “, Unaizah, Riyadh, ”, Souk Al Zal Souk Al Zal, USA Riyadh, Al Zal, Riyadh’s Al Dirah, Los Angeles, Maldives

☆ Opinion | Yes, Take Me Back to 2001
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Ross Douthat | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

“Let me be the bridge to an America that only the unknowing call myth,” he told his audience. “Let me be the bridge to a time of tranquillity, faith and confidence in action. And to those who say it was never so, that America’s not been better, I say you’re wrong. But much of contemporary conservatism believes strongly in Dole’s formulation — in a lost Arcadia and a debased present. But they’re usually couched as a kind of reactionary futurism, where going forward requires first taking several big steps back.

Persons: Bob Dole, ”, America’s, Dole’s, Bill Clinton’s, Donald Trump, Matt Yglesias Organizations: Republican, Trump Locations: America, Arcadia

☆ Why You Love (or Love to Hate) Christmas Music
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Derrick Bryson Taylor | More About Derrick Bryson Taylor | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“There are a lot of people who, when Christmas time comes around, they just want to run home and put their head under the covers and wait it all out,” Mr. Levitin said. Christmas music, like all forms of music, is powerful. But this genre is perhaps more potent than other forms of music because the holiday season itself is emotionally charged. “For some of us, that’s an inspiring message,” Mr. Levitin said. Then, stories of Jesus were woven into carols, which were still sung in communal settings, even across class divides.

Persons: ” Mr, Levitin, that’s, Mr, “, Alisa Clapp, Jesus ’, Jesus, ”, Clapp, Itnyre Organizations: Indiana University East, Salvation Army

More than a quarter of the community of 400 people in Nir Oz were either killed or kidnapped, residents say, making it one of the worst affected kibbutzim. RPG on houses, grenades on civilians.”The Barr family were lucky to have a safe room which locked from the inside. Yonathan and Uri Barr's house, safe room where they hid with lock on door. “(Uri) was crying in the safe room because of that.”The family with whom Yoav was staying also survived in their safe room, and the Barrs were reunited later that day, after the Israeli military arrived. “I don’t think we can go back to Nir Oz because what we’ve been through is horror,” Yonathan Barr said.

Persons: ”, Jonathan Dekel, Chen, Nir, “ It’s, Sagui, Sagui Dekel, Rebecca Wright, Dekel, ” Dekel, Israel, Nir Oz, Uri Barr doesn’t, Yonathan Barr, Uri, ” Uri, Noam, Dad, Yonathan, “, ” Yonathan, Barr, Uri Barr's, Yoav, Eitan, Uri Barr, Yonathan Barr Nir Adar, ” Adar, Adar, Rani, Tamir, he’ll, “ I’m, Nir Adar, Nir Adar ‘, what’s, Jake Sullivan, we’ve Organizations: Israel CNN —, CNN, Hamas, White, National Locations: Eilat, Israel, Iran, Yemen, ”, Red, Syria, Gaza, Jordan, Aqaba, Uri, “, Eden, Connecticut, United States

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

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

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

☆ Kidnapped Father of Colombian Soccer Star Is Freed
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( James Wagner | More About James Wagner | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The father of Luis Díaz, a Colombian soccer star for the English club Liverpool, was freed on Thursday after he was kidnapped by a guerrilla group, Colombian officials said. “We report with joy the release of Don Luis Manuel Díaz,” the Colombian government’s commission for peace talks said in a statement on Thursday morning. “We hope that he will soon regain his tranquillity, disturbed by an act that should never have happened.”It was not immediately clear what was exchanged, if anything, for the elder Mr. Díaz’s freedom. “He was obviously emotional to be reunited with his family,” Carlos Ruiz Massieu, the special representative of the U.N. Secretary-General in Colombia, told The New York Times. “He needs more in-depth medical analysis after a situation like this, but he looked good in general.”

Persons: Luis Díaz, “, Don Luis Manuel Díaz, Díaz, ” Carlos Ruiz Massieu, ” Organizations: Liverpool, Colombian, United Nations, Colombia —, New York Times Locations: Colombian, Colombia, La Guajira, Valledupar

☆ Do Some Men Love Ancient Rome for the Wrong Reasons?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( David Potter | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

But while the image of this empire in the modern world is of an immutable military might, in reality the imperial system survived because it was flexible. It was far more adaptable than the flailing democracy it replaced in the first century B.C., or the modern British and French empires, which later claimed Rome as a model. In two new books, Tom Holland and Adrian Goldsworthy, both accomplished novelists as well as historians, offer lucid accounts of the challenges inherent to managing this complex imperial enterprise. Holland’s “Pax” concerns itself with a period of relative imperial tranquillity between the suicide of the Roman emperor Nero in 68 A.D. and the death of the emperor Hadrian in 138. Goldsworthy explores the relations between Rome and its most powerful neighbor, the successive Persian regimes ruling what is now Iran and Iraq, from their first encounters in the first century B.C.

Persons: Adrian Goldsworthy, Tom Holland, Nero, Hadrian, Goldsworthy, ”, Vespasian Organizations: Adrian Goldsworthy PAX Locations: ROME, PERSIA, Roman, Central Europe, North Africa, Rome, Iran, Iraq, Palestine

☆ The N.F.L.’s New Kickoff Rule Is Terrible - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Matthew Walther | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

There is no English noun that adequately conveys what millions of fans experience on the eve of the pro football season. This year, alas, my sense of tranquillity is being threatened by the N.F.L.’s decision to change the rules governing kickoffs. After a fair catch, the ball will be placed on the 25-yard line (just as it would after a traditional “touchback” in the end zone). This new rule, adopted in the name of player safety, is the latest and most drastic in a series of changes that the N.F.L. has made to the kickoff in recent years, in what seems to be a prelude to eliminating it altogether.

☆ Opinion | How Do We Manage China’s Decline?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Bret Stephens | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Optimists think the crisis won’t affect Western countries too badly because their exports to China account for a small share of their output. Real estate and its related sectors account for nearly 30 percent of China’s gross domestic product, according to a 2020 paper by the economists Ken Rogoff and Yuanchen Yang. Last month Donald Trump described the rule of China’s president, Xi Jinping, as “smart, brilliant, everything perfect.” The truth is closer to the opposite. China’s richest people have also left the country in increasing numbers during Xi’s tenure — a good indication of where they think their opportunities do and do not lie. President Biden was off the cuff but on the mark this month when he said of China’s leaders that “when bad folks have problems, they do bad things.” In other words, as China’s economic fortunes sink, the risks to Taiwan grow.

Persons: don’t, Optimists, Ken Rogoff, Yuanchen Yang, Donald Trump, Xi Jinping, Xi, “, ”, Xi’s, Biden Locations: China, Taiwan, South China, United States, Ukraine, Russia, Beijing, Taiwan Strait

Marco Longari/Pool via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsJOHANNESBURG, Aug 24 (Reuters) - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to China's President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Johannesburg and highlighted concerns India has about border issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), India's foreign secretary said. Modi and Xi agreed "to direct their relevant officials to intensify efforts at expeditious disengagement and de-escalation," Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said. On the sidelines of the BRICS summit Modi highlighted to Xi "India's concerns on the unresolved issues along the LAC", Kwatra said. This is the first time that Modi has brought up the issue directly with Xi, repeating India's stand that has been shared with China through other ministers multiple times. "The two sides should bear in mind the overall interests of their bilateral relations and handle properly the border issue so as to jointly safeguard peace and tranquillity in the border region," Xi said.

Persons: India Narendra Modi, Cyril Ramaphosa, China Xi Jinping, Marco Longari, Narendra Modi, Xi Jinping, Modi, Xi, Vinay Kwatra, Kwatra, Bhargav Acharya, Tannur Anders, Michael Martina, Krishn Kaushik, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Indian, LAC, Xinhua, Shanghai Cooperation, Thomson Locations: India, China, Sandton, Johannesburg, Rights JOHANNESBURG, Indonesia

Many opponents of renewable energy, she added, “are worried about the impacts to their very way of life.”Roadside opposition to renewable energy projects near Baldwin City, Kan. “We see offshore wind as a critical technology,” said Dan Burgess, the director of the Maine Governor’s Energy Office. Across the country, clean energy projects of all types are tied up in lengthy permitting processes. By then, India had not completed any offshore wind projects. Since 2000, the United States has barely built any major transmission lines that connect different regions of the country.

Persons: Scott Dickerson, ”, Biden, Alison Bates, “, Columbia University’s, Dan Burgess, Habib Dagher, Janet Mills, Gregory Wetstone, Mack, James Gillway, SunZia, ” Hunter Armistead, Broussard, There’s, Vaughan Woodruff, Tucker Carlson, Teslas, ” Ali Zaidi, Dagher, Rolf Olsen, who’s Organizations: University of Maine, Sears, Officials, Federal, International Energy Agency, Colby College, White, Columbia, Climate, The University of, Maine Governor’s Energy, Environmental, University of Maine’s, Composites Center, Gov, American Clean Power Association, American Council, Renewable Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, Army Corps of Engineers, . Clean, Union United, China India European Union United States, China European Union United, China India United States European, China United States European Union, China United States European Union India, Energy, The New York Times, United, Pattern Energy, New York State Energy Research, Development Authority, Toyota Prius Locations: Penobscot Bay, Maine, , Maine, United States, Europe, China, Australia, India, Los Angeles, Ohio, Jersey Shore, Waterville , Maine, Baldwin City, Kan, Massachusetts, Ukraine, Gulf, Searsport , Maine, Searsport, Bangor, Mack, West, Union United States, U.S, China United States European Union India, Great, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Riesel , Texas, Energy, San Bernardino County, In Kansas, Atlantic City, N.J, New York, Manhattan, Sears

☆ China repeats call for Philippines to remove grounded warship
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The dispute over the Second Thomas Shoal in South China Sea came after Manila accused China's coast guard of "excessive and offensive actions" against Philippines vessels. "China once again urges the Philippine side to immediately remove the warship from Second Thomas Shoal and restore it to its unoccupied state," China's foreign ministry said in a statement. Tensions have soared between the two countries over the South China Sea under Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, with Manila pivoting back to the United States, which supports Manila in its maritime disputes with China. Echoing the foreign ministry, the Chinese ambassador to the Philippines said on Tuesday China had no choice but to respond. China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, which overlaps with the waters of Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, Taiwan and the Philippines.

Persons: Thomas Shoal, Thomas, Jonathan Malaya, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Huang Xilian, Ella Cao, Liz Lee, Karen Lema, Jacqueline Wong, Gerry Doyle Organizations: China Coast Guard, Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine, REUTERS, National Security Council, South China, China, Thomson Locations: South, BEIJING, MANILA, Philippines, Manila, Beijing, South China, China's, China, Philippine, Ayungin, United States, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, Taiwan

☆ In Search of a Crowd-Free Summer Getaway? Try These 6 Hotels.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Stephanie Rosenbloom | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Mendoza, ArgentinaWhile it’s summer in the United States, it’s winter in Argentina, when there are typically fewer crowds. Located in a suburb of Mendoza, the hotel is nestled between the Andes and the city of Mendoza, and has just seven suites. Each suite also has a living room, a terrace and a wine fridge (some also have dry saunas). There are wine tastings, of course, as well as blending classes where you can combine different varietals to create your own wine. Here, wine isn’t just for drinking: You can try a spa treatment like the body hydration wrap with red wine cream and raisins.

Persons: Mendoza, Susana Balbo, ”, you’ll Organizations: Argentine Locations: Argentina, United States, oenology, Mendoza, Argentine, Patagonia

☆ How Julie Byrne’s Astral Folk Music Took Flight
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Quinn Moreland | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

In the winter of 2020, Byrne had recently moved to Chicago from California to be closer to Eric Littmann, her longtime creative collaborator. After a first attempt at recording “Not Even Happiness” in Brooklyn, where they struggled to capture a tranquillity amid the chaos, Littmann and Byrne relocated to her childhood home in Buffalo for four months. But in June of that year, Littmann died suddenly at 31. Byrne declined to speak to the circumstances of his death, which remains a profoundly destabilizing loss. “He was a truly brilliant person, he had so much faith in me and what we had set out to do together — that never wavered,” Byrne said.

Persons: Byrne, Eric Littmann, Littmann, Steve Sobs, Emily Yacina, tinker, ” Byrne, Wings ”, ” Organizations: Greater Wings, Wings Locations: Chicago, California, South, New York, Brooklyn, Buffalo

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