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The measure passed after a vote of 287 to 55, with four abstentions in the 600-member body. It will go into effect once it is published in the country’s official gazette, usually a swift formality. That would make Hungary the only NATO member that has not approved Sweden’s accession, depriving the alliance of the unanimity required to add a new member. NATO’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, said in a statement late Tuesday that he welcomed the news from Turkey, according to Reuters. But, he said, “I also count on Hungary to complete its national ratification as soon as possible.”

Persons: Jens Stoltenberg, “ Organizations: NATO, Nordic, Reuters Locations: Sweden, United States, Russia, Ukraine, Hungary, Turkey

☆ Check out the pitch deck that helped mobile adtech startup Big Happy raise $2.5 million in Series A funding
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

These types of campaigns typically take only a few days to build, Big Happy says. Big Happy CEO Jonathan Frohlinger said the company differs from others in the space because it's built its own tech in-house. Infolinks is now taking a 10% stake in Big Happy, which values the mobile ad firm at $25 million. "Jonathan and Big Happy are trying to do the opposite of that and innovate in an incredibly vanilla environment." Check out the investor pitch deck Big Happy used to raise its $2.5 million Series A round.

Persons: —, Big, Happy, Jonathan Frohlinger, Infolinks, Bob, Jonathan Organizations: Service, Business, Big Happy, Pillsbury, Royal, Big Locations: New York, Royal Caribbean

☆ How the three-year cruise fell apart
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +22 min

CNN —In April 2023, George Fox was gearing up for the adventure of a lifetime: a three-year cruise taking him around the world. The high hopes and eventual failure of the Life at Sea cruise reads a bit like a Greek tragedy. When Miray objected, he resigned, along with much of his team, and told passengers the cruise was off. When the cruise was canceled in November, Bayramoğlu told passengers that only 111 cabins were booked. On October 24, Miray’s PR spokesperson told CNN that the departure date had been moved to November 30.

Persons: CNN —, George Fox, “, ”, ‘, Miray, who’d, Meredith Shay, Shay, she’d, Jenny Phenix, I’d, Mikael Petterson, Petterson, “ I’ve, Ethem, Miray’s, “ Vedat, ’ ”, Vedat, Cruises, hadn’t, Kendra Holmes –, –, Petterson –, they’d, Bayramoğlu, Sharon Lane, she’s, ” Shay, ” Holmes, Marit Hommedal, NTB Scanpix, Noel Hansen, Kendra Holmes, Hansen, ’ ” Hansen, ’ Rebecca Varner, Lorna Bolduc, Rebecca Varner, Holmes, Bonnie Kelter, Kelter, Varner, Ugurlu, Phenix, “ I’m, couldn’t, ’ George Fox, he'd, Bolduc, Miray’s Bayramoğlu, ” Miray, who’s, ” Hansen Organizations: CNN, Fox, Miray Cruises, Cruises, Passengers, Gemini, Carnival, Facebook, Life, Getty, US Foreign Service, ‘, Miray’s, ”, Miray Locations: Istanbul, ’, Turkey, Florida, Germany, Bayramoğlu, Petterson, AFP, Clermont , Florida, Costa Rica, New Jersey, Maine, that’s, Miami, Europe, Ecuador, Southern Florida

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Amid a tough reelection fight, Mayor London Breed has declined to veto a non-binding resolution from the San Francisco supervisors calling for an extended cease-fire in Gaza, a measure she blamed for inflaming tensions in the city. She said the debate over the resolution left the city “angrier, more divided and less safe.”“Their exercise was never about bringing people together,” Breed wrote in a statement. Breed said she mostly refrains from commenting on nonbinding resolutions from the board, but in this case she made an exception. Reaction to the ongoing Israeli military action in Gaza is shaking campaigns from the White House to City Halls. They are fearful of the growing acts of vandalism and intimidation.”Supervisor Dean Preston, who introduced the cease-fire resolution, told the San Francisco Chronicle he was happy that the mayor did not veto the resolution, which is now final.

Persons: London Breed, ” Breed, Biden, Breed, ”, “, Dean Preston, Lara Kiswani Organizations: FRANCISCO, London, San, Hamas, San Francisco, The Associated Press, NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, San Francisco Chronicle, Arab, Organizing Center Locations: San Francisco, Gaza, Palestine, Israel

☆ The pioneering influencer firm Gleam Futures is shutting down its talent-management arm
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Marta Biino | Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

It's the end of an era: the pioneering influencer agency Gleam Futures has sunset its talent-management arm, the company confirmed to Business Insider. Ad giant Dentsu Aegis acquired a majority stake in Gleam in 2017 and took over as sole owner in 2020. On the talent side, Gleam Futures had been undergoing changes for some time. In 2023, Gleam Futures managers slowly began an exodus toward other UK talent firms, including InterTalent, Insanity, and HLD, bringing their talent with them. The company's website went from showing a roster of over 60 talent in 2022 to just 20 in late 2023.

Persons: Gleam, Dom Smales, Zoe Sugg, Tanya Burr, Melanie Kentish, Gleam's, Julie Chadwick Organizations: Gleam, Business, Gleam Futures, Studios, Dentsu Locations: Gleam

When Iran launched a barrage of airstrikes this week into Iraq, Syria and Pakistan, it was not just showing off the reach and sophistication of some of its newest missiles but also staking a claim: This is a new era in which Iran can flex its muscles at will and, as an added benefit, bolster its credentials as an important arms supplier. In at least one of the attacks — a strike that Tehran claimed targeted the Islamic State terrorist group in Idlib, Syria — Iran appeared to make use of one of its longest-range and most advanced missiles, the Kheibar Shekan. Both the range and the apparent accuracy seized the attention of national security officials in Europe and Israel, as well as outside experts who track Iran’s technological advances. The combination of its newest missiles and its fleet of drones, which Russia has been purchasing by the thousands for use in Ukraine, has helped Iran become the producer of some of the most sophisticated weaponry in the Middle East. And Tehran’s willingness to intervene — as a supplier to its proxy forces in the region and to Moscow — may well complicate American calculations as the Pentagon considers the question looming over the widening Middle East conflict: Could it lead to a direct conflict with Iran?

Persons: — Organizations: Islamic State, Pentagon Locations: Iran, Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, Tehran, Idlib, Europe, Israel, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow

☆ Check out the pitch deck interactive video startup Adventr used to raise $8 million as it looks to become the 'Photoshop of connected media'
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Adventr offers a cloud-based platform that lets users upload assets and connect to their databases to create interactive videos for free. To that end, Harris hopes Adventr will become like the "Photoshop of connected media," where it becomes the standard platform people use to access such technology. Adventr first raised a roughly $5 million seed round in 2021, led by Paladin Capital, with participation from Reinventure Capital, In/Visible Ventures, and music artist John Legend. Check out the investor deck that helped Adventr secure $8 million in seed funding below.

Persons: —, Marc Jacobs, Devo Harris, Tom Cruise's, Harris, Adventr, John Legend, Edward Dugger, Dugger Organizations: Service, Business, Amazon, Cisco, Paladin, Reinventure, Ventures Locations: New York

☆ Intuit's CMO has a plan to help the company seize a new $30 billion revenue opportunity
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Ryan Joe | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

And providing that financial assistance, Goodarzi said during an investors conference in December, represents a $30 billion opportunity that Intuit has not claimed. But TurboTax competitor H&R Block is also reaching for this opportunity, and has gone on the offensive with its own AI-powered tax assistant, released in December. A bevy of new H&R Block ads tout the assistant, and takes a shot at TurboTax: "So long, TurboTax!" "Comparative marketing is a common practice and we've used it for many years to help consumers easily see the benefits of working with H&R Block," an H&R Block spokesperson said. "People just aren't aware, because of how strongly we grew the do-it-yourself perception within TurboTax," Balazs said.

Persons: TurboTax, Lara Balazs, there's, Sasan Goodarzi, Goodarzi, Balazs, DJ Stout, we've Organizations: Intuit, Business, Karma ., Intuit Assist Locations: TurboTax

☆ Ad industry veteran John Nardone and PE firm GTCR are hunting for acquisitions to build the next big adtech rollup
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-12 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A little over two years after selling adtech company Flashtalking to Mediaocean for $500 million , John Nardone is on the hunt for his next big adtech exit, he confirmed to Business Insider. Private equity firm GTCR is poised to be the financial sponsor on such a deal. Nardone intends to become CEO of the roll-up company and expects to bring on his own management team. Days before the agreement closed, "Vista swooped in and stole the deal," Nardone said. Before Flashtalking, Nardone sold the adtech company [x+1] to fellow adtech firm Rocket Fuel for around $230 million , and he helped take the digital marketing and research company Modem Media public.

Persons: John Nardone, Mediaocean, GTCR, Nardone, Innovid, — Innovid, Stephen Master, GTCR's Organizations: Business, Vista Equity Partners, Media Locations: Mediaocean, —

☆ New ads business will launch on Philips Smart TVs to take on Samsung and LG in the $33 billion connected-TV ad market
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-09 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewA new connected-TV ads business is set to launch on Philips Smart TVs in the coming weeks to rival competing solutions from LG, Vizio, and Samsung, according to multiple people familiar with the matter. The new offering is from TP Vision, a consumer electronics company that operates the Philips Smart TV brand in Europe and other countries outside the US. TitanOS will operate as a standalone business unit from TP Vision, a separate person familiar with the matter said. AdvertisementIn the highly competitive connected-TV ads market, scale will be crucial to the success of Titan Ads. AdvertisementAs one TV ad buyer put it, "The last thing we need is more hardware fragmentation initiatives.

Persons: —, Janko Roettegers, TPV, Ampere, Richard Broughton Organizations: Service, Philips Smart, LG, Samsung, Business, TP, Philips Smart TV, Philips TV, TitanOS, TP Vision, Philips, Pocket Media, Titan, Ampere Analysis, Sony, Netflix, YouTube Locations: Europe, Americas

☆ The 'eye lift' has become one of the most highly requested plastic surgeries in America
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-06 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The eye lift, also known as a blepharoplasty, is one of the most requested plastic surgeries in the US. The procedure trims back excess skin on the eyelids and helps give the eyes a more youthful look. AdvertisementThere's a plastic surgery procedure on the rise that helps improve the appearance of tired eyes. After nose jobs , eye lifts have become the one of the most requested plastic surgery procedures in the country, according to Vogue. The average cost of a blepharoplasty is $3,339, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons .

Persons: —, Carolyn Chang, it's, Dr, David Rosenberg, Lara Devgan, Amanda Bynes, Robert Schwarcz, Chang Organizations: Service, Vogue, American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Cleveland Clinic, TikTok Locations: San Francisco, New York, Francisco

☆ 10 industry leaders transforming business in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-11 | by ( ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +20 min

In 2023, Business Insider's annual list of People Transforming Business highlights key players across the advertising, ESG, finance, AI, and labor sectors. Increasingly, they're turning to more opaque private credit markets to borrow money. The world of private credit sits outside the traditional banking system. Analysts expect the private credit market to balloon in size — likely keeping lawyers like Breen very busy. Muthukrishnan is trying to make sense of how risky these private credit loans are by overseeing what is so far the most comprehensive look at vulnerabilities in the industry.

Persons: Mira Murati, who's, Vince Toye, Eileen Fisher, Eileen Fisher Fisher, Guerin Blask, Eileen Fisher Eileen Fisher, she's, Fisher, Janelle Jones, Jones, Lexey, —, She's, Justin Breen, Proskauer Breen, Proskauer Justin Breen, he's, Breen, Ares Capital, He's, McLaren, Julie Su, Labor Julie Su, Department of Labor Julie Su, Su, Marty Walsh, Murati, Jim Wilson, Neal Mohan, YouTube Mohan, Katie Thompson, YouTube It's, YouTube isn't, Mohan, Muthukrishnan, Satya Nadella, Microsoft Satya Nadella, Ben Kriemann, Nadella, Steve Ballmer, Mathias Döpfner, Axel Springer, Tim Cook, Apple Cook, Justin Sullivan, Cook, Steve Jobs, Jobs, JPMorgan Chase Toye, JPMorgan Chase, Toye, they'll, Vince Toye's, Bella Sayegh, Rebecca Ungarino, Lara O'Reilly, Juliana Kaplan, Alex Nicoll, Tim Paradis, Stephanie Hallett, Michelle Abrego, Josée Rose, Ryan Joe, Emily Canal, Kaja Whitehouse, Alyssa Powell, Davis, Jonann Brady Organizations: JPMorgan, Service Employees International, SEIU, New York, Ford, Service Employees International Union, United Auto Workers Union, Spelman College, US Department of Labor, Economic Policy Institute, Center for Economic, Research, Department of Labor, The New York Times, Ares, Churchill Asset Management, European, Atlético Madrid, Labor, Labor Department, MacArthur Foundation, New York Times, Dartmouth, OpenAI, Associated Press, YouTube, NFL, DirecTV, Federal, Microsoft, Manipal Institute of Technology, University of Wisconsin -, University of Chicago, Apple, Apple Watch, Google, Time, JPMorgan Chase, National Housing Trust, Trenton Almgren Locations: McDonald's, Lorain , Ohio, Atlanta, California, Los Angeles, Albania, Canada, Muthukrishnan, Hyderabad, India, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, OpenAI, Virginia, Wells Fargo, Trenton

☆ Twitch's chief revenue officer is set to leave the company
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

Twitch Chief Revenue Officer Walker Jacobs is set to leave the company this month. It's understood he has another job lined up, a person familiar said. It's been a rocky year for Twitch amid a CEO change, layoffs, and soft ad market. Twitch Chief Revenue Officer Walker Jacobs is set to leave the Amazon-owned livestreaming company at the end of this month, according to two people familiar with the matter. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers.

Persons: Walker Jacobs, It's, Jacobs Organizations: Twitch, Amazon, Amazon Prime, English Premier League soccer, Business

☆ Infillion has rehired 40 ex-MediaMath staffers as it presses ahead to relaunch the bankrupt former adtech pioneer
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

"If MediaMath was Will Smith — he had a whole acting career before he slapped Chris Rock in the face," Emrich told Insider. It's been a little over three months since Infillion, a US-based adtech company that owns assets like Gimbal and TrueX, bought MediaMath in a bankruptcy auction for $22 million. Emrich's team at Infillion is on track to relaunch the MediaMath demand-side platform and data management platform before the end of the year. Infillion also wants to integrate MediaMath with its other assets so companies can enhance their own advertising businesses using its tech. With the help of former MediaMath CEO Joe Zawadzki and his venture capital firm Aperiam Ventures, which is advising the company, Infillion has hired back 40 former MediaMath staffers.

Persons: Rob Emrich, they'll, MediaMath, Will Smith —, Chris Rock, Emrich, It's, Infillion, Joe Zawadzki, Carl Millikin, Vince Li, Geoff King Organizations: TrueX, MediaMath's, Google, Business, Aperiam Ventures Locations: US, Infillion, America

☆ White House Warns Congress That Weapons Money for Ukraine Will Run Out
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Lara Jakes | More About Lara Jakes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Mr. Johnson is leading Republicans who now want the Biden administration to stem the number of migrants entering by tightening U.S. borders in exchange for more funding for Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine has long made clear how big a loss it would be to his war effort should American military assistance end. And I believe it will be.”In battlefield interviews, Ukrainian soldiers said the amount of American weapons and other equipment had already begun to drop. In a bunker of a frontline artillery unit more than 150 miles north of Avdiivka, in eastern Ukraine, soldiers recently looked at a screen of Russian armor arrayed across the enemy lines. They only had 20 shells per day allotted to them, which meant they could realistically hope to take out two targets.

Persons: Johnson, Biden, “, Mr, David Cameron, Antony J, Blinken, Volodymyr Zelensky, ”, It’s Organizations: Ukraine, NATO Locations: Ukraine, United States, British, Washington, U.S, Europe, Avdiivka

☆ A celebrity stylist says the TikTok bow trend is the easy way to be on-trend next season
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Priya Raj | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Celebrity stylist Samantha Brown told BI the trend is easy to follow using what you already own. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Fforde told BI that her personal style is a balance of feminine and masculine aesthetics, and the bows lend themselves to this. AdvertisementAshlyn Greer, co-founder of online styling platform Fashivly told BI that bows can be added to any aspect of your look, so get creative. "Bows and ribbon now really seem to have taken over everyone's style — we have a current obsession with bows adorning everything," Fforde told BI.

Persons: Samantha Brown, —, Malone Souliers, Malone, Priya Raj, Simone Rocha, Brown, Lara Arno, Grace Fforde, Fforde, Ashlyn Greer Organizations: Service Locations: Italian, London, England, cardigan

☆ It sure looks like Elon Musk is deliberately destroying X
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Jyoti Mann | Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Elon Musk seems to be trying to sabotage X by telling major advertisers "go fuck yourself." It gives weight to a theory that Musk may be deliberately trying to sink X, formerly Twitter. Those banks have since been trying to sell the debt — which looks increasingly worthless as Musk drives X into the ground. In the meantime, X and Musk must pay millions of dollars in interest to their financiers. "There is no way back, there is no way to reverse the statement Elon made yesterday," said Ruben Schreurs, chief strategy officer at the marketing consultancy Ebiquity, which works with major advertisers.

Persons: Elon Musk, Martin Sorrell, —, NBCUniversal, Musk, Linda Yaccarino, Linda, Jerod Harris, Matt Levine, Levine, Lou Paskalis, Musk's, Paskalis, BI's Grace Kay, Kali Hays, it's, Elon, Ruben Schreurs, Yaccarino, didn't Organizations: Service, The New York Times, Apple, Disney, IBM, Bloomberg, Bank of America, AJL, Musk's Twitter, Ebiquity, X

☆ A Wood-Carved Protagonist, Enduring the Brutality of War
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Laura Collins-Hughes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Mid-morning on Tuesday at St. Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn, a puppet named Michael K had just grabbed a mug when the director Lara Foot called a pause to the action onstage. Even frozen mid-gesture, he was subtle, human, uncanny — a striking alchemy of art and imagination. In “Life & Times of Michael K,” based on the 1983 novel of the same name by the South African-born Nobel laureate J.M. Coetzee, this puppet is the sinewy, carved-wood star, designed and created by Adrian Kohler of Handspring Puppet Company. At two-thirds the size of an average adult human, Michael is operated bunraku-style by a team of three puppeteers.

Persons: Michael K, Lara Foot, “, ”, J.M . Coetzee, Adrian Kohler, Michael, Craig Leo Organizations: Handspring Puppet Locations: St, Ann’s, Brooklyn

☆ Autodesk's CMO explains why advertising on the MSG Sphere in Vegas, which reportedly costs $450,000 a day, was worth every penny
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

@brycebetts132 I've watched every video of the Sphere in Vegas and this new ad is by far my favorite. By comparison, running a billboard campaign in New York's Times Square for one to three days costs between $5,000 and $25,000, according to outdoor advertising company Inspiria Outdoor. A representative for the Sphere Entertainment Company said the company doesn't discuss financials. One TikTok video, which has notched up more than 14,000 likes, declared it " the best Sphere ad ." The Sphere debuted its first advertising campaign in September of this year and has featured brands including YouTube, the NBA, Heineken and Xbox.

Persons: @brycebetts132 I've, ♬, Dara Treseder, Treseder, tentacled, Ryan Reynolds, Otto Desć, Carla Herrero, Herrero Organizations: Autodesk, Marvel, Business, ♬ Marvel Studios, Sphere Entertainment, Autodesk University, YouTube, NBA, Heineken, Xbox, University College London, Mercedes, AMG PETRONAS Formula One Locations: Las Vegas, Vegas, New

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and top Western diplomats vowed on Wednesday to sustain support for Ukraine and its bid to join NATO despite dwindling military supplies and competing crises. Mr. Blinken’s remarks came at the tail end of a NATO ministerial meeting in Brussels, where he and other Western diplomats sought to assuage doubts about Western resolve to help Kyiv amid Russia’s full-scale invasion. A White House proposal to send Ukraine additional emergency aid has stalled in the Republican-led House, and the war in Gaza has consumed global attention. “But the answer here today at NATO is clear, and it’s unwavering. We must and we will continue to support ensuring that Russia’s war of aggression remains a strategic failure.”He added that he expected that President Biden’s request for $61.4 billion in additional military and economic support for Ukraine would be approved by Congress.

Persons: Antony J, Blinken, Blinken’s, ” Mr, Vladimir V, Putin, Biden’s Organizations: NATO, Republican, Congress Locations: Ukraine, Brussels, Gaza, United States, Russia

☆ A 'Sesame Street' puppet wrangler says she bakes real cookies for Cookie Monster, though you probably wouldn't want to eat them
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

It turns out Cookie Monster is chomping down on real cookies when he's on-screen. AdvertisementSesame Street's Cookie Monster really loves his namesake treats, but you'd probably lose your appetite once you find out the recipe for it. The company's co-founder, Jim Henson, created the furry character in 1966 for a General Foods Canada commercial. AdvertisementThough the cookies aren't exactly edible, David Rudman, who has been playing Cookie Monster since 2001, is all praise for MacLean's recipe. Representatives for The Jim Henson Company did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider sent outside regular business hours.

Persons: Cookie, Lara MacLean, —, you'd, Jim Henson, MacLean, David Rudman, Monster, Rudman Organizations: New York Times, Service, Jim Henson Company, General Foods Canada, Times, Representatives, Business Insider

☆ NATO Leaders Try to Pin Down U.S. on Ukraine Aid as Republicans Waver
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Lara Jakes | More About Lara Jakes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A White House proposal to send Ukraine about $61.4 billion in additional emergency aid — out of an overall $105 billion plan — has stalled in the Republican-led House. That has left the United States with less than $5 billion available to contribute to the war; American military aid to Ukraine has so far totaled about $45 billion in weapons and equipment. The American secretary of state, Antony J. Blinken, tried to assuage concerns among NATO leaders. “We will be strongly reaffirming our support for Ukraine as it continues to face Russia’s war of aggression,” Mr. Blinken said a few hours later, as he headed into Tuesday’s meetings. The pointed remarks underscored NATO’s attempts to deter Russia as its war in Ukraine approaches the two-year mark — and as all indications suggest the conflict will likely drag out for far longer.

Persons: —, Antony J, Blinken, “, Mr, NATO’s Organizations: Republican, NATO Locations: Ukraine, United States, Russia, Sweden

☆ A Three-Year Cruise Is Canceled for Lack of a Ship
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Victor Mather | More About Victor Mather | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

If you’re going to organize a three-year round-the-world cruise, a good first step is probably to acquire a ship. For months, Life at Sea Cruises has been signing up travelers, taking their money and marketing this unusual offering, which it announced in March. Its website, which was promoting the cruise as of Monday, described the ship, the MV Lara, and promised visits to the Great Wall of China, the Pyramids of Giza, Machu Picchu and the Taj Mahal. Prospective passengers might pause before booking, though, when they see that the voyage was already supposed to set sail on Nov. 1. And they may be more alarmed to learn that the ship, under its original name, the AIDAaura, was acquired in mid-November by Celestyal Cruises, not by Life at Sea.

Persons: Taj Organizations: Sea Cruises, Taj Mahal, Celestyal Cruises Locations: China, Machu Picchu

☆ The three-year cruise is canceled
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

But now the dream is over for passengers who’d signed up for Life at Sea Cruises’ inaugural three-year voyage. But on November 17 – less than two weeks before the third departure date – passengers were informed the cruise was off. “In case we weren’t clear, the Life at Sea cruise trip is canceled,” Bayramoglu wrote, giving instructions on the refund process, and how passengers can retrieve “pods” full of their belongings – which they’d shipped in advance of the cruise. If Life at Sea passengers didn’t take up the offer, she said, they’d also be looking to launch a long-term cruise in October 2024. The letter was sent to CNN November 21 and spoke about a potential upcoming cruise date – despite the cruise having already been canceled.

Persons: CNN —, who’d, “, –, ”, AIDA Cruises, Kendra Holmes –, Holmes, Vedat Ugurlu, Ugurlu, Miray, Mikael Petterson, Petterson, Ugurlu’s, Ethem Bayramoglu, ” Bayramoglu, they’d, Bayramoglu, Kendra Holmes, Holmes didn’t, HLC, – I’m Organizations: CNN, Cruises ’, Sea Cruises, Carnival Corp, Celestyal Cruises, Miray, Miray Cruises, Cruises, HLC Cruises, Petterson Locations: Istanbul, Turkey, Amsterdam, Netherlands, Germany, Israel

☆ A 3-year cruise was called off less than 2 weeks before departure
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Hayley Cuccinello | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Life at Sea Cruises reportedly canceled its three-year voyage just two weeks before departure. Parent company Miray Cruises could not afford to buy the desired vessel, according to CNN. Miray Cruises planned to have successive three-year cruises and to allow passengers to pay extra to stay on board — potentially indefinitely. Life at Sea Cruises isn't the only residential cruise company navigating choppy waters. There is only one residential cruise ship in operation, The World, where condos sell for up to $15 million.

Persons: Miray, —, Vedat Ugurlu, Ugurlu, – Organizations: Sea Cruises, Miray, CNN, Service, Miray Cruises, Business, U.S . Bureau of Labor Statistics, Cruises Locations: Istanbul, Turkey

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