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☆ Live updates: The latest on the Israel-Hamas news
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( Chris Lau | Andrew Raine | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

A woman and children sit outside tents sheltering displaced Palestinians in Rafah, Gaza, on February 8. Satellite images showed this week how a tent city has swelled in size in just a few weeks. Also, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken raised concerns about the expansion into Rafah during meetings with Netanyahu and other Israeli officials this week, two Israeli officials told CNN on Wednesday. Non-governmental organizations issue warnings: Several non-governmental organizations have warned about the humanitarian consequences of Israeli operations in Rafah. Half of UNRWA requests to deliver aid in Gaza denied: The UN's main relief agency in Gaza said Friday that half of its aid mission requests to deliver aid in Gaza since the beginning of the year have been denied.

Persons: Mohammed Abed, Benjamin Netanyahu, “, Vedant Patel, Antony Blinken, Netanyahu, won’t, Philippe Lazzarini Organizations: Getty, United Nations, Israel Defense Forces, CNN, Wednesday, Norwegian Refugee Council, Hamas, The United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees Locations: Rafah, Gaza, AFP, ”, Israel, United States, Egypt

☆ I chose an inside cabin on my recent Norwegian cruise because it was the cheapest option, and I actually loved my little cave
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( Taylor Rains | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

I sailed from Miami to the Dominican Republic on a three-day solo cruise in January. My tiny inside cabin cost about $300 before taxes and fees, which was the cheapest option. AdvertisementI went on my first solo cruise to the Caribbean in January, sailing on Norwegian Cruise Lines for three days from Miami to the Dominican Republic. The one-way repositioning cruise on the Norwegian Sky, the company's second-oldest and second-smallest ship, only cost me about $300 for an inside cabin. I booked the tiny room simply because it was the cheapest option, though I was warned by several people about the woes of an inside cabin.

Persons: — Organizations: Service, Cruise Lines, Norwegian Sky Locations: Miami, Dominican Republic, Caribbean, Norwegian

☆ Palestinians brace for Rafah evacuation, Israeli assault plan
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Trapped in and around Rafah, more than 1 million Palestinians braced for Israel to complete a plan to evacuate them and launch a ground assault against Hamas fighters in the southern Gaza city. "There is a sense of growing anxiety, growing panic in Rafah," said Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the UNRWA agency. Doctors and aid workers are struggling to supply even basic aid to Palestinians sheltering around Rafah. The United Nations said Palestinian civilians in Rafah require protection, but there should be no forced mass displacement, which is barred by international law. Hamas gunmen killed some 1,200 people and took 253 hostages in the Oct. 7 rampage into southern Israel, according to Israeli tallies.

Persons: Khan Yunis, Philippe Lazzarini, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Netanyahu, Karine Jean, Pierre, Jan Egeland, Netanyahu's, Mahmoud Abbas, Israel, ActionAid Organizations: Palestinian, Hamas, United Nations, Norwegian Refugee Council, Palestinian Authority, West Bank . Locations: Rafah, Gaza, Israel, Palestinian, Washington, U.S, Egypt, Gazans

☆ Netanyahu directs Israeli military to draw up plan to evacuate more than one million people from Rafah as offensive looms
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Amir Tal | Mick Krever | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has directed the country’s military to plan for the “evacuation of the population” from Rafah, his office said in a statement on Friday, ahead of an anticipated ground assault on the southern Gaza city. More than 1.3 million people are believed to be in Rafah, the majority displaced from other parts of Gaza, according to the United Nations. But it is unclear where next they could go; the city borders Egypt to the south, but the border into the country has been closed for months. The top commander in charge of Israel’s military operation in southern Gaza told CNN on Sunday that there was no plan in place yet for how to minimize civilian deaths in the city. The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) meanwhile said in a press release Thursday that Rafah could soon turn “into a zone of bloodshed and destruction that people won’t be able to escape.”

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, “, Dan Goldfuss, ”, Vedant Patel, Biden, ” Biden, “ I’ve, it’s, won’t Organizations: CNN, Israeli, United Nations, Israel Defense Forces, Prime Minister’s, IDF, United States State Department, White, Norwegian Refugee Council Locations: Rafah, Gaza, Hamas’s, Egypt, ”, Brig, Israeli

☆ Mikaela Shiffrin: Ski superstar tells CNN she was ‘lucky’ to escape major damage in high-speed crash
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Ben Church | Don Riddell | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —US skiing star Mikaela Shiffrin has set no timeline for her return to the slopes as she continues her recovery process following a high-speed crash in January. “This one, to be honest, I kind of saw it coming from the air, a little bit,” she added. “I was trying to avoid that scenario, but it also happens fast enough there’s not a lot you can do about it. Shiffrin rushed to his side at the hospital and was with him when he woke up from surgery. He just makes everyone around him smile.”Mikaela Shiffrin says she was lucky to avoid serious injury during a crash last month.

Persons: Shiffrin, ”, CNN Sport’s Don Riddell, ” Shiffrin, Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, “, Mikaela Shiffrin, Jonas Ericsson, Kilde, he’s, we’ve, Sofia Goggia, “ You’re, “ I’m, Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce, , I’ve Organizations: CNN, Agence, Federation, Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers, Chiefs Locations: Italy, Andorra, Norwegian, Wengen, Switzerland, Italian, Ponte di Legno

American ski racer Mikaela Shiffrin will skip giant slalom and slalom races this weekend in Andorra to give her knee more time to mend. Shiffrin, who’s chasing her sixth overall World Cup title this season, was hurt in a crash nearly two weeks ago during a downhill event at Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. Although she avoided major damage to her left knee, she said she’s dealing with an MCL sprain along with a sprain of the tibiofibular ligament. She added that she continues to recover from a bone bruise she suffered at the start of the season. “I really want to do this right,” Shiffrin said Wednesday of her recovery.

Persons: who’s, She's, Shiffrin, Lara, “, ” Shiffrin, It’s, Sofia Goggia, who've, Petra Vlhova, Alexis Pinturault, Corinne Suter, Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, she's, Lena Duerr Organizations: Cortina d’Ampezzo, Cortina, Sofia Locations: Andorra, Italy, Colorado, Switzerland, Milan, Norwegian, “

☆ Sofia Goggia: Italian skier suffers double-fracture, becoming latest skier to suffer serious injury this season
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Ben Church | Ivana Scatola | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Sofia Goggia has become the latest skier to suffer a serious injury this season, after the Italian star broke her leg during a training crash on Monday. In a statement on Monday, the Italian Winter Sports Federation (FISI) said Goggia underwent “perfectly successful” surgery on a “displaced joint fracture” on her right leg. Goggia is the reigning World Cup downhill champion and is currently leading this season’s competition. “Another injury that interrupts my chase after a new Downhill World Cup title,” Goggia said in the FISI statement. It’s also another incident involving a World Cup skier this season.

Persons: CNN — Sofia Goggia, Goggia, “, ” Goggia, It’s, Mikaela Shiffrin, –, Aleksander Aamodt Kilde Organizations: CNN —, Winter Sports Federation, Eurosport Locations: Ponte di Legno, Italy

☆ Nikki Haley goes after Trump and Biden as ‘grumpy old men’ even as she courts older voters in South Carolina
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Aaron Pellish | Kylie Atwood | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

But the Haley campaign is also courting the support of South Carolina retirees, a growing portion of the Republican primary voter pool. She said on Twitter that this was her first Christmas card when she announced she would be running for the South Carolina state legislature. Nikki Haley/Twitter Haley celebrates with her family after being elected governor of South Carolina in November 2010. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Haley and her family walk back into the South Carolina State House after her inauguration in 2011. Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post/Getty Images Haley visits a farm during a campaign stop in Grand Mound, Iowa, in September 2023.

Persons: Hilton, Nikki Haley, ” Haley, Donald Trump’s, Trump, Joe Biden, Haley, Maureen Bulger, intently, ” Bulger, “, ”, Biden, NBC’s, Ron DeSantis, Anna Memmo, it’s, ” Memmo, Ray Makalous, he’s, ” Makalous, Laura Holtzman, “ Trump, ” Holtzman, ” ‘, ’ Haley, aren’t, Larry Greenwold, ” Greenwold, Greenwold, he’d, Travis Dove, Michael, Nalin, Rena, Twitter Haley, Gerry Melendez, AP Haley, Chip Somodevilla, Tim Dominick, Getty Images Haley, Mitt Romney, Justin Sullivan, Alex Wong, Michael Haley, Rainier Ehrhardt, Jaswinder Singh, Narinder Nanu, Bobby Jindal, Jindal, Win McNamee, Sean Rayford, Saul Loeb, Mike Pence, Drew Angerer, State Rex Tillerson, Matthew Rycroft, Boris Johnson, Bryan R, Smith, Raad Adayleh, Brendan Smialowski, Spencer Platt, Evan Vucci, Kevin Lamarque, Don Bolduc, Brian Snyder, Jonathan Ernst, Jake Tapper, Will Lanzoni, Demetrius Freeman, Rachel Mummey, Jonathan Newton, Ed Spears, Spears, ” Spears, Carol Carty, ” Carty, “ It’s, that’s, “ I’ve, Trumper Organizations: , South Carolina CNN, South, Republican, Census Bureau, Biden, Hilton Head, New, Democratic, Republican Party, Trump, Florida Gov, Washington Post, Monmouth University, United Nations, CNN, State House, New York Times, Twitter, AP, Capitol, South Carolina State House, Getty Images, Conservative Political, Conference, Army National Guard, Getty, Louisiana Gov, National Governors Association, Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, United Nations Security Council, UN, State, British, Norwegian Refugee Council, Gali Tibbon, UN Security, West Bank, The United States, Anadolu Agency, Republican National Convention Locations: , South Carolina, South Carolina, New Jersey, United States, New Hampshire, Trump, Iowa, Virginia, Hilton Head, Kansas, New York, CNN’s New Hampshire, Columbia , South Carolina, Afghanistan, Amritsar, India, AFP, Charleston , South Carolina, Columbia, State, Syrian, Jerusalem, Gali, Kuwait, Gaza, Londonderry , New Hampshire, Des Moines , Iowa, Grand Mound , Iowa, Miami

☆ 2 ocean-tech companies are competing in a multimillion-dollar race to find Amelia Earhart's wreckage. One says it may be near the finish line.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Read previewThe race is on to find the wreckage of Amelia Earhart's ill-fated final flight. Tony Romeo and his company, Deep Sea Vision, discovered an object of similar size and shape to Amelia Earhart's iconic plane, deep in the Pacific Ocean. Deep Sea VisionRomeo says he may have solved the mystery with his sonar scans. The same aircraft radio receiver used by Amelia Earhart was recreated by Nauticos as they researched Earhart's final transmissions. Deep Sea Vision now leases its equipment to other ocean explorers to continue funding its mission.

Persons: —, Amelia Earhart's, Tony Romeo, Earhart, Fred Noonan, Romeo, he's, we've, there'll, it'll, Lockheed Electra, Nauticos, Jeff Morris, Amelia Earhart, Morris, I'm, David Jourdan, Tony, You'll Organizations: Service, US Air Force, Business, Smithsonian, Lockheed, Lockheed Electra, Coast Guard, Topical Press Agency, Getty Locations: South Carolina, Howland, Hawaii, Australia, Connecticut, Itasca, Howland Island, Norwegian, Kongsberg

☆ Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos-backed startup discovers large-scale copper deposit in Zambia
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

KoBold Metals, a California-based metals exploration company backed by billionaires including Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos, said that it has discovered a vast copper deposit in Zambia. A spokesperson for KoBold Metals told CNBC on Monday that the company believes its Mingomba copper project in Zambia "will be one of the world's biggest high-grade large copper mines." "It is Kakula-scale in size and grade," KoBold Metals President Josh Goldman said in a statement shared on the firm's social media site X. Ivanhoe Mines, a Canadian mining company founded by billionaire magnate Robert Friedland, owns nearly 40% of the Kamoa-Kakula copper mine. KoBold Metals says it uses artificial intelligence to create a "Google Maps" of the Earth's crust to help find new deposits of copper, lithium, cobalt and nickel.

Persons: Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Josh Goldman, Robert Friedland, Andreessen Horowitz, Ray Dalio, Virgin Group's Richard Branson, Alibaba's Jack Ma Organizations: KoBold Metals, CNBC, Democratic, Ivanhoe Mines, KoBold, BHP, Breakthrough Energy, Bridgewater Associates Locations: Victoria, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Livingstone, California, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Canadian, Norwegian

☆ The UK's flagship aircraft carrier suffers new misfortune and won't lead major NATO exercise
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The UK Royal Navy's fleet flagship had to withdraw from a major NATO exercise at the last minute. HMS Queen Elizabeth had issues with its starboard propeller shaft. In 2019, HMS Queen Elizabeth was left without propulsion for days and flooded. The ship had to anchor off Britannia Royal Naval College for 24 hours to undergo repairs, per The News. The House of Commons Defence Committee called the UK military "consistently overstretched" and under "unrelenting pressure," the Independent reports.

Persons: Queen Elizabeth, HMS Queen Elizabeth, —, Elizabeth, HMS, Wales, HMS Prince, Kalnins, Sir Richard Barrons Organizations: Royal, Service, NATO, Royal Navy, Business, Royal Navy's, Britannia Royal Naval College, Warfare Development Command, UK Defense, British, REUTERS, Bangor, Financial Times, Navy, Recruits, of Commons Defence Locations: NATO, Portsmouth, Europe, Scandinavia, Northern Europe, Westminster, Riga, Latvia, Bahrain, Bangor

☆ I went on my first solo cruise to the Caribbean and worried about getting bored on the ship. I ended up having more fun than expected.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Taylor Rains | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

I recently took a solo cruise on the Norwegian Sky from Miami to the Dominican Republic. I worried I might feel trapped on the ship during the three-day sailing, but found the opposite. However, on a recent trip to the Dominican Republic, I thought it might be fun to switch it up and take a cruise down to the Caribbean instead of flying. Taking a solo cruise had always been a bucket list item of mine. So, for only about $300, I booked myself into an interior room on a one-way sailing from Miami to La Romana, Dominican Republic, on the Norwegian Sky.

Persons: — Organizations: Norwegian Sky, Service, Business Locations: Norwegian, Miami, Dominican Republic, Caribbean, La Romana, Punta Cana, Santo Domingo

☆ ‘Save the Whales’ was a shining success. Now can humpbacks save us from ourselves?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Bill Weir | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

Antarctic Peninsula CNN —About 15 billion miles from where you sit, two 12-inch golden records are hurtling through outer space with multilingual greetings to the universe from 55 humans and one humpback whale. WWF's Johnson said the whales are not harmed by this -- to the whales, the dart feels like "a mosquito bite." It feels like “a mosquito bite” to the whales, Johnson said, but what they can test for is priceless: from stress hormones to toxins to — most importantly — pregnancy rates. Ten million copies were inserted into National Geographic magazine in 1979 — the largest single pressing in history — and a global movement to Save The Whales grew big enough to … save the whales. Seth Wenig/AP“I don’t think a wind turbine can kill a whale,” Friedlaender told CNN.

Persons: Anderson Cooper, Carl Sagan, ” Sagan, could’ve, “, Ari Friedlaender, Friedlaender, ”, Chris Johnson, ” Eva Prendergast, WWF's Johnson, Evelio Contreras, Bill Weir, Johnson, ” Friedlaender, Shepherd, WWF’s Johnson, Roger, Katy Payne, David Keyton, Frank Watlington, cetologist Scott McVay, Donald Trump, ” Trump, Seth Wenig, that’s, Biden, ” Johnson, Twain, CNN “, ” Brenda McCowan, Fred Sharpe, ” McCowan, ’ ” Sharpe, Natalia Botero, Acosta, ’, Maria Camila Medina Martínez, Julian Quinones, ” Carl Sagan Organizations: Antarctic Peninsula CNN, “, ” CNN CNN, University of California, International Monetary Fund, World Wildlife Fund, Ocean Endeavor, CNN, UC Santa Cruz, Shepherd Global, Norwegian Aker, United Nations, Geographic, Whales, International Whaling Commission, Atlantic, Republican, Templeton Foundation, Whale SETI, UC Davis Locations: Santa Cruz, Colombia, British, Antarctica, Norwegian, Southern, Orkney, Bermuda, Japan, Norway, Iceland, Atlantic, South Carolina, Lido Beach , New York, Davis, Alaska, Columbia, Colombian, Tribuga, United Nations, Palau, Chile, Maldives

☆ Opinion | The World Needs to Stand by UNRWA
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Espen Barth Eide | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, or UNRWA, the nearly 75-year-old agency that is almost entirely funded by voluntary contributions. But now is exactly the wrong time to halt funding for UNRWA. Norway is standing fast to our commitment to continue funding this crucial agency and to the Palestinian people. As the Norwegian foreign minister, I urge fellow donor countries to reflect on the wider consequences of cutting UNRWA off. And since UNRWA also supports millions of Palestinian refugees in the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, a stop to payments could further destabilize an already extremely volatile region.

Organizations: United Nations, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, UNRWA, West Bank Locations: Gaza, United States, Israel, Norway, Norwegian, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria

☆ A group of people chilling on a sauna boat sailed to a Tesla's rescue after the vehicle plunged into an icy fjord
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

An unlikely saviour came to a sinking Tesla's rescue in Oslo. Guests on a floating sauna boat noticed the electric vehicle had plunged into an icy fjord. The boat's skipper said the Tesla's two occupants were able to warm themselves with the sauna. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementA Tesla vehicle and its occupants were headed straight for the icy depths of an Oslo fjord on Thursday when they were rescued by people on a floating sauna boat that happened to be nearby.

Persons: —, Nicholay Nordahl Organizations: Service, Business Locations: Oslo, Norwegian

☆ Superdry shares soar more than 100% as company considers going private
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON — Superdry shares soared more than 100% on Friday, as the embattled British fashion retailer confirmed that co-founder and CEO Julian Dunkerton is considering taking it private. The stock peaked at 48.55 pence per share shortly before 11 a.m. London time and was last trading at around 46p per share. A recent slump in sales and a falling share price have led to speculation that Superdry, which listed on the London Stock Exchange in March 2010, may become a takeover target. The company confirmed in a market update on Friday that Dunkerton had requested "permission to begin exploring the possibility of making an offer for the company," and to begin talks with potential financial backers, which the business accepted. Dunkerton has until March 1 to submit an offer or walk away under the U.K. Takeover Panel's regulations.

Persons: Julian Dunkerton, Dunkerton, Superdry Organizations: London Stock Exchange, Company Locations: British, London, Norwegian

With only towels around their waists, patrons aboard a floating sauna in a Norwegian fjord rescued two people whose car had plunged into the water. A witness told the Norwegian VG newspaper that he saw the car stopped, before it suddenly accelerated and ended up in the water. The paper reported that the driver had thought the vehicle was in park when he hit the accelerator pedal. As the car went down, the two occupants escaped and were on the roof of the vehicle as the sauna raft headed toward them. Photos You Should See View All 45 ImagesNicholay Nordahl, the skipper, told VG that “I gave full throttle toward the people who came climbing out of the car” and reached them just as the car went under.

Organizations: Norwegian VG Locations: COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Norwegian, Oslo

GENEVA (AP) — Skiers must be consulted about better World Cup race-day schedules to help protect them from injuries, downhill star Aleksander Aamodt Kilde said Thursday. The former overall World Cup champion and two-time Olympic medalist spoke out in his first call with international media since a shocking Jan. 13 crash on the storied Wengen downhill ended his season. “We as athletes need to speak up.”The 31-year-old Norwegian is among a slew of World Cup, Olympic and world champions to crash hard in a packed January program, including his partner Mikaela Shiffrin. The American standout women’s skier is chasing a women's record-equaling sixth overall World Cup title. Kilde explained he posted a vivid photograph of his leg injury on social media to help people understand the severity.

Persons: Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, “, Kilde, Mikaela Shiffrin, ”, “ It’s, I’ll, ” Kilde, Alexis Pinturault, Marco Schwarz, Petra Vlhova, Shiffrin, “ That’s Organizations: GENEVA, Federation, Cortina d’Ampezzo Locations: Austria, Italy

☆ Royal Caribbean's cruises have never been this popular. Good luck booking one of it's giant ships.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Brittany Chang | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Royal Caribbean Group has half the number of available cabins right now than the same time in 2023. AdvertisementGood luck booking your dream Royal Caribbean vacation this year — the cruise line's giant ships are running low on cabins amid a spike in demand. Trade group Cruise Lines International Association estimates 36 million travelers will cruise in 2024 — a 14% increase from 2023. Cruise ships like the Icon of the Seas will spend the majority of their trip at sea. Royal Caribbean isn't the only cruise giant starting 2024 with exceptionally busy ships.

Persons: —, Brittany Chang, you've, Jason Liberty, Pieter De Boer, Josh Weinstein Organizations: Royal Caribbean Group, Service, Trade, Cruise Lines International, Cruise, Cruise Line Holdings, Carnival Locations: Caribbean, Brittany, Royal Caribbean

☆ Norway 'Reasonably Optimistic' Funding to UNRWA Can Get Back on Track
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

OSLO (Reuters) - Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide told Reuters on Thursday he was "reasonably optimistic" some countries that had paused funding to the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) would resume payments. UNRWA on Thursday said its entire operations in the Middle East, not only in Gaza, will most likely be forced to shut down by the end of February if its funding remains suspended. "I am reasonably optimistic that we will get funding back on track," Barth Eide said in an interview. The Nordic country, a top donor to UNRWA, said on Wednesday it was urging countries that have paused funding to the agency to consider the consequences of their actions on the population in Gaza. Asked whether he was speaking with his counterpart in Sweden, a top UNRWA donor that paused funding and is a close Norway ally, he said: "I'll be very careful about mentioning individuals.

Persons: Espen Barth Eide, Barth Eide, Gwladys Fouche, Terje Solsvik Organizations: Reuters, UNRWA Locations: OSLO, Norwegian, Gaza, Israel, Oslo, Sweden, Norway

☆ Help! I Missed a Cruise and the Cruise Line’s Own Travel Insurance Won’t Pay.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Seth Kugel | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Dear Tripped Up,After graduating from college in 2022 and working for a year, I used my bonus and some of my savings to book a nine-day Mediterranean cruise on Norwegian Cruise Line for my partner and me. Our $7,657 cruise package included airfare from Atlanta to Barcelona, Spain, via Newark, and Norwegian’s own BookSafe Travel Protection Plan, which included travel insurance and also allowed me to “cancel for any reason” for a 75 percent credit. So we spent the night in the Newark airport, paid for a return flight to Atlanta the next morning and canceled the cruise and remaining air legs. I would have moved on to help another Tripped Up reader, but Norwegian’s use of the responsibility-shirking phrase “as a gesture of good will” bugged me. I wanted to know why BookSafe didn’t cover you, and what other cruise customers can do to protect themselves.

Persons: Atlanta Dear Ivy, You’re, — Organizations: Norwegian Cruise Line, United Airlines, Atlanta Dear, Better Business Bureau, Department of Agriculture, Consumer Services Locations: Norwegian, Atlanta, Barcelona, Spain, Newark, Georgia, Florida

GENEVA (AP) — An array of U.N. organizations have united to warn of “catastrophic consequences for the people of Gaza ” if key donor countries don't resume funding for the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, the main lifeline for people in the besieged territory. U.N. officials fired most of the workers and vowed an investigation. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed to 35 donor nations in a closed-door meeting on Tuesday and sought new support as well. On these mere allegations, they've initiated an independent investigation of everything surrounding that potential betrayal of all of our ideals by a small group of employees in the organization,” he said. ___Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report.

Persons: “, Antonio Guterres, Linda Thomas, Jens Laerke, ” Jan Egeland, Egeland, they've, ”, ___ Edith M, Lederer Organizations: GENEVA, Israel, World Health Organization, Food Program, UNICEF, International Organization for Migration, United Nations, UNRWA, Norwegian Refugee Council Locations: Gaza, United States, Israel, U.N, Congo, Greenfield , U.S, New York, Geneva, israel

Political Cartoons View All 253 ImagesHow did Deep Sea Vision detect the object that could be Earhart's plane? But it wasn't until the team reviewed sonar data in December that they saw the fuzzy yellow outline of what resembles a plane. “In the end, we came out with an image of a target that we believe very strongly is Amelia’s aircraft," Romeo told The Associated Press. But he said that Romeo’s team must provide “a forensic level of documentation” to prove it’s Earhart’s Lockheed. He would have expected to see straight wings and not swept wings, like the new sonar suggests, as well as engines.

Persons: Amelia Earhart, Tony Romeo, Electra, Romeo, Earhart, Fred Noonan, Noonan, “ Amelia, James Delgado, ”, Delgado, Romeo's, David Jourdan, Dorothy Cochrane, Cochrane, ’ ”, Lockheed Electra, Ole Varmer, Varmer, ” Varmer, “ It’s, —, Finley, Pollard Organizations: COLUMBIA, Lockheed, Archaeologists, Pan American Airlines, Air Force, Associated Press, Navy, National Air and Space Museum, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, The Ocean Foundation, Purdue Research Foundation, Purdue University in, Smithsonian, America Statehouse News Initiative, America Locations: South Carolina, Norwegian, Howland, Papua New Guinea, Hawaii, New Guinea, U.S, New Jersey, “, Maritime, Connecticut, Howland Island, Purdue University in Indiana, Norfolk , Virginia

☆ I worked on cruise ships for 6 years. Here are the 5 best and 5 worst rooms to book for your trip.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Sharon Waugh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Here are what I consider to be the best and worst staterooms to book on a cruise. BEST ROOMS TO BOOK ON A CRUISEOcean-view rooms are only worth it if the windows aren't obstructed. Obstructed ocean-view roomsPartially obstructed ocean-view staterooms have a window that's usually at least a little blocked by a lifeboat. Although many people book these rooms because they're slightly cheaper than ocean-view rooms, the view ends up being more obstructed than expected most of the time. Adjoining rooms with other partiesSome cruise ships have adjoining staterooms with an internal door separating the two neighboring cabins.

Persons: Sharon Waugh, Drake, staterooms, I've, It's, Debbie Ann Powell, Shutterstock Staterooms, Extroverts Organizations: Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal, Cruises, NCL, Port, Disabilities Locations: Norwegian, Royal Caribbean, staterooms

☆ Norway defends deep-sea mining, says it may help to break China and Russia's rare earths stronghold
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Ocean Rebellions protest The Deep Sea Says No Why the deep sea? (Photo by Charles M. Vella/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty ImagesNorway says its controversial decision to approve deep-sea mining is a necessary step into the unknown that could help to break China and Russia's rare earths dominance. "We have been looking into the seabed minerals opportunity for a long time. Campaigners fear that exploration and exploitation activities in the deep sea could permanently alter a home that is unique to known — and many as yet unknown — species. "The argument put forward by the Norwegian government — and the deep-sea mining industry — that 'deep-sea mining can be done in a sustainable way' goes against the large consensus of scientific literature," Roux said.

Persons: Luciana, Charles M, Anne, Sophie Roux, Terje Aasland, Aasland, Arild Hermstad, Camille Etienne, Lucas Bravo, Javad Parsa, Norway's Aasland, Roux, — Organizations: SOUTH, Getty, IEA, Energy, CNBC, Afp, European Commission, Ocean Alliance, Lightrocket Locations: ROTTERDAM, SOUTH HOLLAND, NETHERLANDS, Norway, China, Europe, Russia, Norwegian, Vietnam, Brazil, Svalbard, French, Oslo

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