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☆ Off-the-radar destinations every China visitor should consider
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Maggie Hiufu Wong | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

JingdezhenLarge chimneys, used for firing porcelain, dot the skyline of Jingdezhen city. gui yong nian/Adobe StockDubbed the porcelain capital of the world, Jingdezhen has been firing quality pieces of “white gold” for more than 1,700 years. For a crash course in the city’s porcelain history, visit the newly built and photogenic Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln Museum of China. LinhaiLinhai's historic city wall stretches more than 6,000 meters in length. Food aside, travelers should leave time to admire this historic city that dates back more than 2,000 years.

☆ We're halfway to a tipping point that would trigger 6 feet of sea level rise from melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

An aerial view of meltwater lakes formed at the Russell Glacier front, part of the Greenland ice sheet in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, on August 16, 2022. New research published this week in the journal Geophysical Research Letters found that carbon emissions are halfway to a tipping point after which 6 feet of sea level rise from the melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet would be unstoppable. The further the Earth overshoots the first tipping point of 1,000 gigatons of carbon emissions, the faster the Greenland Ice Sheet will melt. If total emissions of carbon stay below the 1,000 gigatons of carbon emissions threshold, then the melting Greenland Ice Sheet would "only" contribute tens of centimeters to total sea level rise, he added. Avoiding carbon emissions is in any case much cheaper than the energy required to capture this carbon again," Höning told CNBC.

HISTORY OF DEFAMATION AS A CRIMINAL OFFENCESection 499 of the Indian Penal Code enacted by British colonial rulers in 1860 made defamation a criminal offence and Section 500 set out punishment. Anyone found guilty of criminal defamation can be jailed but a civil offence means they can only be made to pay damages. The criminal law has been invoked in cases filed against journalists, politicians and industry leaders but convictions have been rare. "Criminal defamation laws have an inhibitory and silencing effect, even before a conviction,” it said. However, Supreme Court advocate Raju Ramachandran said the section on criminal defamation "is carefully and elaborately worded" and should stay.

☆ Australian Indigenous group steps up campaign to protect sacred rock art
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Praveen Menon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] Murujuga indigenous custodians campaign to protect sacred rock art in The Burrup Peninsula, Sydney, Australia July 11, 2022. Save our Songlines/Handout via REUTERSSYDNEY, March 2 (Reuters) - An Australian Indigenous group on Thursday stepped up its campaign against industrial development in Western Australia's Burrup Peninsula, a key gas export hub, saying in a protest in Sydney that planned projects would damage ancient rock art. Australia last month formally nominated the Murujuga Indigenous cultural landscape for a UNESCO World Heritage listing. The Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation, the traditional owners' representative, led the preparation of the World Heritage nomination. Save our Songlines has disagreed with the group over the industrial development and has raised doubts that a World Heritage listing would protect the ancient landscape from industrial damage.

☆ World's largest ice rink stays shut for first time due to mild Canada winter
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Jenna Zucker | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] People skate on the Rideau Canal Skateway, the world's largest skating rink, during a period of subzero Arctic weather in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada January 14, 2022. REUTERS/Patrick DoyleFeb 24 (Reuters) - Canada's renowned Rideau Canal Skateway, the world's largest natural ice skating rink, will not open this season for the first time due to a lack of ice, its operator said on Friday, blaming the closure on climate change. "This year taught us a great deal about the effects of milder winters on the Skateway," the commission said in a statement on Friday. The NCC and the Standards Council of Canada have commissioned a climate change risk assessment to understand the impact of climate change on the Skateway. The average season has been 50 days - and went up to 95 days in the early 1970s, according to the NCC website.

☆ Exclusive: Ukraine deepens Bystre Canal on Danube, aims to boost exports - deputy minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine, which was invaded by Russia a year ago, said last week the draught of ships passing through the Bystre Canal had deepened to 6.5 metres from 3.9 metres. sediment clearance, and received no comments," Yuriy Vaskov, Ukraine's deputy minister for restoration, told Reuters in an interview. Ukraine had previously developed a plan to deepen the canal to 8.2-8.3 metres, which it says could be implemented in the future. Romania is an important economic partner for Ukraine, and exporters shipped 8.6 million tonnes of Ukrainian grain through Romania's Black Sea port of Constanta last year. Despite a decrease in the 2022 grain harvest to about 54 million tonnes from a record 86 million in 2021, at least 30 million tonnes of grain are still in silos and could be exported, according to the agriculture ministry.

☆ With ostrich feathers and flying oranges, Belgian carnival returns after COVID
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Gabriela Baczynska | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"That is more visitors than the year before the COVID pandemic," said the spokesman, Patrick Haumont. "For two years in a row, there was no carnival and people missed all this, they missed the carnival, they missed the party." On reaching the town's main square for the parade's big finale, the Gilles don elaborate ostrich feather hats weighing several kilograms. Pierrots, sailors, harlequins and peasants follow in the procession, small bells sewn to their costumes ringing as local brass bands play the streets. Additional reporting by Clement Rossignol and Bart Biesemans, Writing by Gabriela Baczynska; Editing by Bill BerkrotOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ At Mexico's Chichen Itza site, researchers discover ancient 'elite' residences
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( Lorenzo Hernandez | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] A general view of "Casa de La Luna" during a media tour to Chichen Viejo at the archaeological site of Chichen Itza, in Piste, Mexico February 10, 2023. Archaeologist Francisco Perez Ruiz said there were no known residential groups in Chichen Itza, meaning the housing complex would represent "the first residential group where a ruler lived with his entire family." The area, known as Chichen Viejo, is expected to be integrated in the near future into the visitor area of the Chichen Itza archaeological site, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. "There must be more residential groups that have not been explored yet. Around 2 million people visit Chichen Itza site in southeast Mexico each year, according to official data.

☆ Australia denies permission for coal mine near Great Barrier Reef
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Lewis Jackson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Australia's environment minister on Wednesday declined to grant permission for a new thermal coal project owned by mining magnate Clive Palmer near the Great Barrier Reef. The Central Queensland Coal owned mine is in the Styx Coal Basin, just off the coast of central Queensland. "I've decided that the adverse environmental impacts are simply too great," Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said in a video posted to social media. "The mine is an open-cut coal mine less than 10 km from the Great Barrier Reef, and the risk of pollution and irreversible damage to the reef is very real." Central Queensland Coal did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

☆ Lebanon hopes UNESCO danger listing could save crumbling modernist fairground
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Designed by Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer in 1962, the collection of structures on the 70-hectare plot is considered one of the key works of 20th century modernism in the Middle East. "It was placed on the World Heritage List exceptionally, quickly and urgently – and on the list of heritage in danger because it's in a critical situation," said Joseph Kreidi, UNESCO's national programme officer for culture in Beirut. "Placing it on the World Heritage Danger List is an appeal to all countries of the world, as if to say: this site needs some care," said Kreidi. Lebanon has five other sites on UNESCO's World Heritage list, most of them citadels and ancient temples. Mira Minkara, a freelance tour guide from Tripoli and a member of the Oscar Niemeyer Foundation's Tripoli chapter, has fond – but rare – memories of the fairground as a child.

☆ A travel insider explains how people who hate cruising — can learn to enjoy it
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Monica Pitrelli | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Travel professional Tammy Cecco named the Celebrity Edge cruise ship, shown here, as one that has spacious suites and great window views. Eva Marie Uzcategui | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesOnce she "relaxed into it," Cecco said, she started to enjoy cruise ship travel. Courtesy of Tammy CeccoCecco, who often travels with her family of five and her mother-in-law, said private tours suit everyone's needs — and interests. Luciano Bullorsky ToursByLocals' President and Co-ownerCecco said she booked a private tour at "pretty much every stop" on their last cruise, plus Rome. The company said private shore tours account for nearly a third of all tours booked in 2023 — up from 12% in 2022 bookings.

☆ 10 most welcoming places in the world—see which U.S. state made the list
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Celia Fernandez | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

This year's most welcoming places in the world span five continents. This year's annual Booking.com Traveler Review Awards included a list of the most welcoming places in the world for 2023. La Rioja, SpainEpirus, GreeceOberösterreich, AustriaCounty Down, U.K.Mures, RomaniaMarlborough, New ZealandNinh Binh, VietnamLimon, Costa RicaNewfoundland & Labrador, CanadaNorth Dakota, U.S.One of the most welcoming places in the world is La Rioja, Spain. Costa Rica is one of the happiest places in the world, according to the World Happiness Report. Limon is considered to be one of the most pristine and lush regions of Costa Rica.

☆ A mummy unearthed in Egypt wrapped in 'layers of gold' may be the oldest ever discovered, archeologists said
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Archeologists uncovered what is likely the oldest mummy ever discovered in Egypt on Thursday. Archaeologists discovered the 4,300-year-old Hekashepes near the Step Pyramid wrapped in gold leaf. Saqqara, a "great masterpiece of architectural design," is located in Memphis, the first capital of ancient Egypt. This comes only a day after a different team of archaeologists discovered ruins of another ancient city called Luxor, south of Cairo. There has been a string of major archaeological discoveries across Egypt in recent years, highlighted as part of a growing push to promote the country's tourism industry.

Ukraine said it had shot down all 24 drones sent overnight by Russia, including 15 around the capital, and 47 of 55 Russian missiles - some fired from Tu-95 strategic bombers in the Russian Arctic. Eleven people were killed and 11 wounded in the drone and missile strikes, which spanned 11 regions and also damaged 35 buildings, a State Emergency Service spokesperson said. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said electricity substations had been hit as Russia continued to target energy facilities. [1/7] Local residents remove debris from a house of their neighbour damaged by a Russian military strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the town of Hlevakha, outside Kyiv, Ukraine January 26, 2023. Both Moscow and Kyiv, which have so far relied on Soviet-era T-72 tanks, are expected to mount new ground offensives in spring.

Ukraine's military said it shot down 47 of 59 Russian missiles - some fired from Tu-95 strategic bombers in the Russian Arctic. Russia responded with fury to news on Wednesday that Germany and the United States would send dozens of modern tanks to Ukraine. [1/11] A local resident carry home staff from a house of his neighbour damaged by a Russian military strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the town of Hlevakha, outside Kyiv, Ukraine January 26, 2023. After being promised modern tanks, Ukraine is now seeking Western fourth-generation fighter jets such as the U.S. F-16, an adviser to Ukraine's defence minister said. The United States on Thursday formally designated Russian private military company the Wagner Group as a transnational criminal organization, freezing its U.S. assets for helping Russia's military in the Ukraine war.

☆ UNESCO grants Odesa's historic centre World Heritage in Danger status
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] A man walks next to the Opera Theatre building in the city centre, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine January 25, 2023. REUTERS/Serhii SmolientsevPARIS, Jan 25 (Reuters) - The United Nations' cultural agency, UNESCO, said on Wednesday that it had designated the historic centre of Odesa, a strategic port city on Ukraine's Black Sea coast, a World Heritage in Danger site. The status, awarded by a UNESCO panel meeting in Paris, is designed to help protect Odesa’s cultural heritage, which has been under threat since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and enable access to financial and technical international aid. Although the city suffered significant damage in World War Two, its famed central grid square of low-rise 19th century buildings survived mostly intact. Odesa was one of Ukraine’s main tourist hubs before Russia’s invasion.

Rooted in the Middle Ages, the Binche carnival, a UNESCO World Heritage event, is one of Europe's oldest surviving street carnivals and the biggest in Belgium. The costumes include ostrich-feather hats, wooden clogs, bells and wax masks, elements which the Kersten family have been designing and making for five generations. "This year, we are celebrating the 120th anniversary of the start of the 'Gilles de Binche' costumes production", said 57-year-old Fanny Kersten, who has been making costumes with her father for 33 years. The Binche carnival's cancellation in 2021 and 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic was a "black hole" for the business, Kersten said, adding "we couldn't even imagine a future for the carnival." It was the first time the carnival was cancelled since World War Two, significantly reducing costume makers' income from renting out their pieces.

☆ Life's no longer rosy at Senegal's Pink Lake after floods
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Ngouda Dione | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/6] A general view of the submerged tourism businesses at the Pink Lake (Lac Rose), officially known as Lake Retba, after extreme floods washed away salt mounts and contaminated the lake and turned its famous waters from pink to green, in Niaga, near Dakar, Senegal, January 17, 2023. REUTERS/ Zohra BensemraNIAGA, Senegal, Jan 24 (Reuters) - On the shore of Senegal's Pink Lake, salt farmer Pape Sira Ba has raked in what he fears may be his last harvest. Nearby, the new wide channel spewed brownish-green water into the lake whose shore was dotted with dead fish. The flooding destroyed 7,000 tonnes of salt worth around 420 million CFA francs ($696,000), according to the Lake Retba salt extractors association. "The over-salinisation of the water also allowed visitors to float on top of the lake like in the Dead Sea.

☆ Italy’s Friuli region is one of Europe’s best kept secrets
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Silvia Marchetti | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

With 13 natural reserves and the pristine park of the Friuli Dolomite Mountains, the region lures tourists seeking to connect with nature or explore the outdoors. There’s also the spellbinding Grotta Gigante, or Giant Cave, one of the world’s largest tourist caverns. Golden beachesThe Grotta Gigante is one of the world's largest tourist caverns. Trieste boasts an unusual segregated beach, with origins dating back several centuries. “Residents are very fond and proud of this place,” says Trieste local Maria Bonacci.

☆ Pelé, Brazilian soccer star and only player to win the World Cup three times, dies at age 82
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Michele Luhn | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Pelé, the Brazilian soccer icon who brought the World Cup trophy to his home country three times, becoming an international superstar and the highest-paid team athlete in the world at the time, has died. Pelé joined the Santos Football Club in Brazil in 1956 at age 15 as an inside forward. The club won the São Paulo league championships and, in 1962 and 1963, both the Libertadores Cup and the Intercontinental Club Cup. Brazil lost in the first round at the next World Cup, in 1966, after Pelé and others suffered injuries. Pelé closed out his World Cup career netting 12 goals in 14 games and remains the only soccer player to win the trophy three times.

☆ Christmas gifts come by boat to isolated Romanian Danube Delta villages
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Romanian coast guard deliver Christmas presents to villagers at an unspecified location, along the Danube delta, Romania December 20, 2022. So, days before Christmas, Romanian coast guard officers braced against icy winds to deliver care packages of food and cleaning staples as well as fruits and sweets to some of the most vulnerable villagers. The Danube Delta, sprung where the river meets the Black Sea, straddles the Romanian-Ukrainian border. So the arrival of the coast guard bearing gifts will be warmly welcomed. "The Sulina coast guard want to bring a little joy in people's homes for the holidays in the isolated villages of the Danube Delta," said Chief Inspector Razvan Duta.

☆ Researchers discover over 100 new ancient designs in Peru’s Nazca lines
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

More than a hundred new designs discovered in and around Peru’s ancient Nazca plain and surrounding areas could bring new information to light about the mysterious pre-Columbian artworks that have intrigued scientists and visitors for decades. Jorge Olano, head archaeologist for the Nazca Lines research program, said the new figures averaged between two and six meters (6.56 to 19.7 feet) in length. The purpose of the Nazca lines, which could only be seen from the air, remain a mystery. The figures, iconic vestiges of Peru’s rich history, are about a three-hour drive from the capital Lima. Yamagata University said the research will be used in artificial intelligence-based surveys to help inform the lines’ preservation.

☆ Researchers find new biomorphs hidden within Peru's mysterious Nazca lines
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Japanese researchers and Peruvian archeologists have discovered new geoglyphs in the Nazca lines. A general view shows one of the Nazca lines images found in the Nazca plain as part of research led by Peruvian and Japanese researchers from Yamagata University. A general view shows one of the Nazca lines images found in the Nazca plain as part of research led by Peruvian and Japanese researchers from Yamagata University. A general view shows one of the Nazca lines images found in the Nazca plain as part of research led by Peruvian and Japanese researchers from Yamagata University. A general view shows one of the Nazca lines images found in the Nazca plain as part of research led by Peruvian and Japanese researchers from Yamagata University.

☆ Researchers discover over 100 new ancient designs in Peru's Nazca lines
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Carlos Valdez | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jorge Olano, head archaeologist for the Nazca Lines research program, said the new figures averaged between two and six meters (6.56 to 19.7 feet) in length. The purpose of the Nazca lines, which could only be seen from the air, remain a mystery. This month's findings, however, are smaller and can be seen from the ground, Masato Sakai, a professor from Yamagata University who led the study, told Reuters. The figures, iconic vestiges of Peru's rich history, are about a three-hour drive from the capital Lima. Yamagata University said the research will be used in artificial intelligence-based surveys to help inform the lines' preservation.

☆ 11 ancient sites that are mysteriously aligned with the sun on the winter solstice, in photos.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Archaeologists have found many ancient sites that line up with the winter solstice sun. Here are 11 sites that line up with the winter solstice, and what experts think about them. Newgrange, County Meath, IrelandPeople celebrating the sunrise at Newgrange on the morning of the winter solstice in 2018. ShutterstockOne of the most famous examples of ancient architecture lining up with the winter solstice is in Machu Picchu, Peru. "From the winter solstice the days are longer, which was a metaphor of the rebirth of the deceased," he said.

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