Life

Text by Lilit Marcus, Video by Justin Robertson, CNN Beijing/Hong Kong (CNN) — In the top corner, there’s a very small Star of David. On the center right side, the number 51. Near the center, a pentagon. Squint and you might notice a teeny-tiny series of music notes amid a busy grid. And, wait, is

By Charlotte Reck, CNN (CNN) — A multimillion-dollar power link between the United Kingdom and Ireland has been diverted after distraught “Harry Potter” fans pointed out that its planned route would cut through a beach memorial dedicated to a beloved character from the series, Dobby the house-elf. The £430 million (around $580 million) Greenlink interconnector

By Sheena McKenzie, CNN (CNN) — On an April evening in 1939, an estimated 150 million listeners from across the globe tuned in to a remarkable BBC radio broadcast that even now evokes wonder. “The trumpets of the pharaoh Tutankhamun!” booms the BBC announcer. A short intake of air and then — the blare of

By Maureen O’Hare, CNN (CNN) — In our roundup of travel stories this week: The families who were ripped apart by Italy’s new citizenship laws, why some travelers say airport lounges are no longer worth it, plus more woe for the Boeing 737 Max. Old plane, new tricks Airplanes up to 45 years old are

By Maureen O’Hare, CNN (CNN) — Employees at an airline catering facility located next to Los Angeles International Airport have filed a safety complaint alleging exposure to maggots, mold, cockroaches and other vermin while they work to prepare food. The award-winning Flying Food Group has 19 catering facilities across the United States, preparing 120 million

By Lianne Kolirin, CNN London (CNN) — It takes a lot to get British people hot under the collar, but a proposal to curb a venerable pub tradition appears to be doing just that. Westminster Council, which oversees a large part of central London, has set out its intention to cut down on what it

By Marnie Hunter, CNN (CNN) — A new luxury resort in Mexico that costs thousands of dollars a night is off to a rocky start after a reviewer with a reservation alleges he was turned away at the property’s gates. Ryan Walker, a luxury hotel reviewer on YouTube with more than 140K subscribers, posted a

By Jacqui Palumbo, CNN (CNN) — For a stop on the final week of “The Odyssey” press tour, actor Charlize Theron wore a head-to-toe Tom Ford look that read more like a nod to “American Psycho” than the Homeric Epic. For the past month, the women of Christopher Nolan’s adaptation have used the red carpet

By Zoe Sottile, CNN (CNN) — “I love Hitler,” the designer John Galliano said to a woman across from him at a Paris bar. “People like you would be dead today.” That was in December 2010. Galliano was a legend at the time, the British genius who had helped reinvent Givenchy and Dior. When the

By Tamara Hardingham-Gill, CNN (CNN) — Two years ago, Jeffrey Davidson and Walter Zak hadn’t even set foot in Greece. But the couple, who were previously based in Orlando, Florida, are now happily settled in the Peloponnese region and can’t imagine ever leaving. Now retired, Jeffrey and Walter love being surrounded by Greece’s rich history

By Julia Buckley, CNN (CNN) — On Sunday night, Gustavo Monasterios went to sleep as a Venezuelan citizen. On Monday morning, he awoke to find that he was also an Italian. Monasterios, 47, was at the epicenter of the legal earthquake that took place in Italy last week. After nearly two years of steady restrictions

By Kati Chitrakorn (CNN) — Mihwa Kim loved makeup so much that she became a host on a beauty home shopping show in South Korea — comparing, testing and promoting dozens of products on television. Then in 2013, her career was upended when a devastating car accident left severe wounds on her face and neck

By Bianca Betancourt, CNN. Photographs by Marco Postigo Storel, CNN. New York has a bad habit of inflicting trend culture upon the masses — especially when it comes to food. You can almost immediately identify a year based on the cult confection of its time. Magnolia Bakery cupcakes (created in 1996, but shot to fame

By Jack Guy, CNN (CNN) — Authorities in Malaysia are introducing new rules for hikers, following a spike in search and rescue operations linked to social media trends. The measures include the mandatory use of guides at 189 high-risk locations around the country, as well as pre-climb screening procedures for hikers, state media agency Bernama

By Jacqui Palumbo | Photos: Austin Steele, CNN (CNN) — While browsing for antiques, an eye caught the eyes of David and Nan Skier. The married couple were looking for treasures at the Cyclorama Antiques Show while in Boston for a medical conference. David, a since-retired ophthalmologist, was used to inspecting eyes all day, but

By Sylvie Zhuang, CNN Hong Kong (CNN) — This summer vacation, some of the world’s most influential people will be soaking up the sun in Saint-Tropez before cruising up the coast to Monaco. But you won’t find China’s political elite sipping Champagne on a superyacht. Every summer, they secretly retreat to Beidaihe, a humble seaside

By Maureen O’Hare, CNN (CNN) — In our roundup of travel news this week: Dubai’s $800 incentive scheme to lure back tourists, a “firenado” in Utah, plus some of the wildest filming locations in Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey.” Mount Olympus If you think the 172-minute runtime of Christopher Nolan’s Mediterranean epic “The Odyssey” is long,

By Maggie Hiufu Wong, CNN More than 120 years ago, Eliza Ruhamah Scidmore, National Geographic magazine’s first female writer, photographer and board member, chronicled her travels through colonial Indonesia in her book “Java: The Garden of the East.” She was particularly fascinated by a feast known as the rijsttafel (rice table), a multi-dish banquet that

By Leah Dolan, CNN (CNN) — It can’t be easy being Zendaya’s co-star — at least in terms of vying for red carpet attention. While promoting “The Odyssey” this summer, she’s worn an Eiffel Tower-shaped headpiece, a pair of earrings dating back to the 1st millennium BC, a life-size pair of feathered angel wings and

Chris Dwyer A century ago, motorists winding their way through France gained a new option when choosing where to stop for a meal: the Michelin star. The Michelin Guide had first appeared in 1900, the brainchild of tire magnates André and Édouard Michelin, based in the modest French town of Clermont-Ferrand. Their clever marketing ploy

Praachi Raniwala New Delhi (CNN) — For decades, India was relegated to fashion’s backyard, with its embroidery and garment export houses manufacturing everything from ready-to-wear to couture for the world’s biggest luxury brands. But recent years have seen a radical shift, as Indian designers are making their presence felt on the global stage. Rahul Mishra

By Julia Buckley, CNN (CNN) — Nearly 500 days since Italy’s millions-strong diaspora was hit by sweeping changes to the country’s citizenship laws in March 2025, the legal battle for Italian citizenship-by-descent continues. Now, following last week’s surprise referral of the new two-generation limit for scrutiny by the European Court of Justice, the diaspora has

By Tamara Hardingham-Gill, CNN (CNN) — Thinking back to her decision to relocate to Portugal on her own five years ago, Paula Dreyfuss jokes that many people questioned her state of mind, as she’d never even visited the European country before. But the mother of two, now based in the coastal city of Porto, famous

By Sonya King (CNN) — China is proud of its history. The only problem? Much of it has been lost to fires, wars, looting and revolutions. Enter fanggu, “historical imitation” attractions. Across the country, entire faux-ancient villages have been built from scratch. From glistening palaces to majestic boulevards, every detail is curated. Vines are transplanted

By Michael-Oliver Harding (CNN) — How do you capture the essence of someone who wishes to remain anonymous? This was one of the challenges French Algerian photographer Camille Farrah Lenain faced as part of her series on queer Muslim life in France. In her cinematic and dreamlike portraits, we see a figure partly obscured in

By Tamara Hardingham-Gill, CNN (CNN) — What a difference a few months can make. Earlier this year, Dubai was celebrating another record-breaking 12 months of tourism with a staggering 19.59 million international visitors logged in 2025. But visitor numbers have dropped precipitously as a result of the recent US and Israeli war on Iran, with

By Natasha Chen, CNN (CNN) — Aliera Iheanacho had banked more than 100,000 United Airlines miles, hoping she could one day experience a first class, lie-flat seat experience. But that dream will have to wait. This summer’s high airline ticket prices, driven by the soaring cost of jet fuel, made her airfare to China in

By Silvia Marchetti, CNN (CNN) — For more than a decade, Debra Coltune’s life revolved around the relentless pace and gridlocked traffic of Las Vegas. As a video presenter and food critic, she felt she was constantly hustling just to stay ahead — precariously trying to balance work and family life. Now, her days begin

By Julia Buckley, CNN (CNN) — Italy sent shockwaves through its global diaspora in March 2025 when the government introduced a sweeping new law which placed a strict two-generation cap on citizenship by descent. Overnight, millions of descendants around the world — many of whom had already spent thousands of dollars on family research and

By Jacqui Palumbo, CNN (CNN) — Eighty-five years ago today, Emmett Till was born in Chicago and lived only 14 years before he was abducted and lynched while visiting family in Mississippi. His mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, made the decision to leave the casket open at the funeral, to “let the people see.” More than 50,000

By Maureen O’Hare, CNN (CNN) — In travel news this week: the world’s most powerful passports, how edible ants got a chef in trouble, plus a new milestone in ultra-long-haul air travel. Project Sunrise Having a nice relaxing weekend? Spare a thought for the weary new Airbus A350-1000ULR, which is cooling its jets in Melbourne

By Mustafa Qadri, CNN (CNN) — For generations, pubs have served as a place where soccer fans crowd around television screens, colleagues meet after work, families celebrate birthdays, bachelor and bachelorette parties mark a final hurrah before marriage and regulars find community. But young Britons are increasingly looking elsewhere for social connection and embracing sober

By Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN (CNN) — It’s 5:43 a.m., and the runways at Reagan National Airport are already roaring with activity. Plane engines thunder. Trucks beep as they back up. A shearing sound echoes in the distance. But First Officer Netanel Draiblate has no problem tuning out the noise. He’s laser-focused on the task

By Zoe Sottile, CNN (CNN) — Earlier this month, Charli XCX watched “Point Break,” the 1991 action flick starring Keanu Reeves as a rookie FBI agent. It was, she said, “top to bottom the coolest everrrrr.” How do we know that? Because she logged it on Letterboxd — in an account that has become a

By Maureen O’Hare, CNN Istanbul (CNN) — Istanbul skies change with the seasons, the cloudless days and twinkling Bosphorus of summer edged out by the maritime fogs and flinty seas of the darker months. However, there’s one place in the city where the heavens always glow a rich cerulean: inside the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, popularly

By Gawon Bae, Yoonjung Seo, Chris Lau, CNN Seoul, South Korea (CNN) — The owner of a two-Michelin-starred restaurant in South Korea has avoided prison time in a highly publicized case surrounding a sorbet dessert topped with ants. On September 16, the Seoul Western District Court fined the owner of the restaurant 15 million won

By Megan Frye, CNN (CNN) — Just beyond the edges of one of the largest cities on the planet, a stretch of ancient rainforest and coastline lies mostly unknown to international travelers. The roughly 370 miles of São Paulo state’s pristine, mountainous coastline is nestled beneath the canopy of the Atlantic Forest, or Mata Atlântica

By Jacqui Palumbo, CNN (CNN) — Beneath red tinsel and in the dim glow of club lighting, six young couples kiss, each seemingly wrapped up in their own little worlds. The intimate scene feels like a film still out of time, decade unclear, as they close their eyes and hold one another in the retro

By Maureen O’Hare, CNN (CNN) — In 2006, a United States passport was the ultimate ticket to the world, offering its citizens a level of global access matched only by two other nations: Denmark and Finland. What a difference 20 years makes. As the Henley Passport Index reveals in its newly released 20th-anniversary report, the

By Jacqui Palumbo, CNN (CNN) — For more than two months, Cipriani Residences has held the title of Miami’s tallest building. The three-tower luxury design has risen in the Brickell neighborhood, its wraparound terraces and airy glass promising the feel of the Italian Riviera on Biscayne Bay, topping out at 950 feet this month. But

By Francesca Street, CNN (CNN) — Jill Shropshire turned the key in the lock and immediately felt a snap. She stood for a moment in disbelief: the key had broken off in her hand. “I wasn’t looking at what I was doing, and I just shoved it in there … I think I put it

By Maureen O’Hare, CNN (CNN) — In our roundup of travel news this week: how Asia is coping with hyper-hot weather, a terrifying incident on board a budget airline, plus the world’s busiest airports of 2025. Why Atlanta? Last year, global air travel reached a record-breaking 9.8 billion passengers, according to a report on the

By Mike Dunphy, CNN (CNN) — When American pharmacist John Stith Pemberton reached his eureka moment on May 8, 1886, his formula for what would become Coca-Cola sparked a global soft drink revolution that still reverberates today. In fact, it’s now possible to “buy the world a Coke,” as the 1970s jingle goes, in nearly

Zoe Whitfield (CNN) — So intimately tethered is the American family at the center of Karim Aïnouz’s latest movie “Rosebush Pruning” – by blood, desire, and an excessive interest in designer labels – that the arrival of any outsider would guarantee friction. When Elle Fanning’s character Martha (the girlfriend of eldest son Jack, portrayed by

By Leah Dolan, CNN (CNN) — How do you define glamour? Like the ever-elusive concept of personal style, glamour is often intangible, innate, even aura-based. It’s in the details: the socialite Lee Radziwill’s slouchy shawls and capes worn with a rock-hard blow-dry and enormous jewellery; her sister Jackie Kennedy’s valorous commitment to a silk headscarf

By Griffin Shea, CNN Bukasa, Uganda (CNN) — On a tropical island more than 600 miles from the sea, a mystical waterfall springs out of a rock and cascades down a cliff, eventually flowing into Lake Victoria and then the Nile. It’s a natural and, for many Ugandans, a spiritual wonder. But the people who

By Jacqui Palumbo, CNN (CNN) — Beneath a diaphanous white veil, four family members sit together on tan leather chairs, the woman in the center holding a baby in her arms. They gaze pointedly at the viewer, their concealed-yet-visible state a potent metaphor. Now in their 60s, they are the children born from a Japanese

By Leah Dolan, CNN (CNN) — Sandra*, a 43-year-old media lawyer based in Los Angeles, had been toying with the idea of breast augmentation since her 20s, but was always put off by the pain of the procedure, the long recovery time and the idea of having “this kind of foreign sac in your body.”

By Tamara Hardingham-Gill, CNN (CNN) — Jason Salesberry had never set foot on Italian soil before moving there in October 2017. Today, he owns a house in a hilltop town and is planning the harvest from his two-acre grove of olive trees. In the nine years since his family arrived in Naples sight unseen, their

By Fiona Sinclair Scott, CNN Paris (CNN) — My official business in Paris this week was to attend the haute couture shows, but throughout my time in the French capital I kept bumping into art. This is unsurprising in a city where you can’t walk more than a few yards before being drawn into a

By Maureen O’Hare, CNN (CNN) — In our latest roundup of travel news, we bring you bathing tips from an onsen expert, a bear encounter in a Tibet hotel room, plus a new ranking of the world’s most liveable cities. Bathing and swim spots Japan’s famed hot springs, or onsen, are one of the country’s

By Billy Stockwell, CNN (CNN) — Greg Morley has spent decades sailing around the world on LGBTQ+ cruises with his husband, visiting far-flung destinations across the Americas, Asia and Europe – all from the safety of a ship where, he says, “everyone belongs.” So, when the 59-year-old Philadelphian, who now lives in Paris, embarked on

By Chris Liakos, Stephanie Halasz and Lianne Kolirin, CNN (CNN) — A passenger on a Ryanair flight was sucked halfway out of the plane after the window he was sitting next to became dislodged in midair. The budget airline flight to Memmingen in Germany was forced to return to Thessaloniki in Greece, from where it

By Bianca Betancourt, CNN How many times can one celebrate the sartorial prowess of Zendaya? If this week’s global press tour for the upcoming Christopher Nolan epic “The Odyssey” proves anything, it’s that the actor and all-around fashion muse is fully committed to the cause of glamour. The 29-year-old is the physical manifestation of the

By Lianne Kolirin, CNN London (CNN) — Under police escort in the early hours of Friday, the Bayeux Tapestry arrived back in Britain after an absence of almost 1,000 years. The journey that the world-famous 11th-century artwork took to arrive at the British Museum in London, where it will be on display between September and

By Jen Rose Smith (CNN) — A river of cars greeted Marti Pawlikowski, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, when she arrived at Zion National Park on a Road Scholar tour this spring. “It took us 45 minutes to get through,” she said, adding that the delays didn’t stop once she entered the Utah park. “Waiting in line

By T.M. Brown, CNN (CNN) — In the 102nd minute of his team’s epic World Cup match against soccer powerhouse Argentina, with viewers around the globe hanging on every moment, the Cape Verde fullback Sidny Lopes Cabral unloaded a shot that curled all the way into the back of the Argentine net and sprinted into

By Antonia Mortensen and Lianne Kolirin, CNN (CNN) — An Italian fishing village on Lake Como has introduced a fine for anyone found wandering its streets bare-chested or in swimwear. Anyone flouting the village’s new dress code will now face a penalty of up to 200 euros ($228) under the latest measure aimed at limiting

By Poonam Binayak, CNN Lucknow, India (CNN) — A plate of buffalo galawati kebabs arrives at the table at Tunday Kababi, a famous restaurant in Phool Wali Gali, a narrow lane in Lucknow’s old quarter. Diners tear off pieces of paratha, a flat bread, and scoop up the tender, melt-in-your-mouth meat. Nearby, cooks continuously shape

Jing Zhang, CNN (CNN) — Zirui Yang has been obsessed with shopping since junior high. “Clothes, shoes and accessories — and they always had to be branded,” said the 22-year-old student. “It started with Nike and Adidas, then moved on to Gucci and Balenciaga.” But since starting college in 2022, his retail therapy has been

By Maureen O’Hare, CNN Istanbul (CNN) — Some nations and empires declare their magnificence with monumental public displays: mighty castles and fortresses which ring across the skyline in loud exclamations of stone or brick. Istanbul’s Topkapi Palace, seat of the Ottoman Empire for almost four centuries, is a little different. Despite the opulence of the

By Jessica Salter (CNN) — The design writer and collector Dung Ngo owns more than 10,000 pieces of cutlery. It started 25 years ago, when Ngo turned 30 and decided that “the cutlery I bought after college from Target, no longer fit who I was.” He found a 40-piece set he loved in a vintage

By Tamara Hardingham-Gill, CNN (CNN) — The world seems to be changing at lightning speed, so it’s perhaps good to know that some things remain the same — at least when it comes to the most livable city. Copenhagen has taken the No. 1 spot on the annual list from the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)

CNN By Camille Knight, CNN Paris (CNN) — If you’re visiting Paris this summer, you may want to add swimming in the Seine to your itinerary. And after the heat this city has seen in the past few weeks, you may absolutely need to. Paris just experienced its hottest day on record, with temperatures topping

By Camille Knight, CNN Paris (CNN) — If you’re visiting Paris this summer, you may want to add swimming in the Seine to your itinerary. And after the heat this city has seen in the past few weeks, you may absolutely need to. Paris just experienced its hottest day on record, with temperatures topping 104

CNN By Maureen O’Hare, CNN (CNN) — Happy Independence Day to our readers in the USA! We’re celebrating at CNN Travel with the launch of our list of America’s 10 Best Towns to Visit for 2026. While this weekend is hotter than many of us might like (stay safe if your region’s being hit hard

By Maureen O’Hare, CNN (CNN) — Happy Independence Day to our readers in the USA! We’re celebrating at CNN Travel with the launch of our list of America’s 10 Best Towns to Visit for 2026. While this weekend is hotter than many of us might like (stay safe if your region’s being hit hard by

By Joe Yogerst (CNN) — Nature is a master at transforming water, woods, stone and even ice into awe-inspiring landscapes. Yet manmade creations also count among America’s most stunning spaces. And when the two converge — those rare places where human civilization actually complements what nature created — it’s absolute magic. While beauty is often

By Rachel Tashjian, CNN (CNN) — As Wimbledon began this week, Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka made an entrance in the high style that has become her signature: an elaborate robe by Tokyo-based designer Hana Yagi, made from vintage kimonos and bridal gowns, over a white Nike tennis dress. The designer said the one-two look

By Sam Peters, CNN London (CNN) — When the British royal family ramps up the pomp and pageantry to mark moments of national importance, Buckingham Palace often provides the perfect backdrop. But it has also been the official London residence of the sovereign since 1837. Queen Victoria was the first monarch to live in Buckingham

By Lianne Kolirin, CNN (CNN) — Paying passengers have been welcomed aboard the United Arab Emirates’ first national rail service as the initial phase of a long-awaited express train network that will eventually connect 11 cities across the region opened to the public. The first service to run in the Middle Eastern country left Fujairah

By T.M. Brown, CNN (CNN) — Norwegian striker Erling Haaland is used to attention. He’s six foot five inches with shoulder-length blonde hair that loudly gestures towards his Viking pedigree. He is also among the best soccer players in the world and has led his country’s men’s team to its first FIFA World Cup appearance

By Leah Dolan, CNN Paris (CNN) — During a suffocating heatwave that took hold of countries across Europe last week, temperatures in Paris hit dangerously high levels — closing landmarks, breaking trains and driving up a heat-related death toll. Still, a surprising number of attendees at the city’s bi-annual Men’s Fashion Week proved their commitment

By Leah Asmelash, CNN (CNN) — Soccer jerseys! Who doesn’t have one? Olivia Rodrigo partnered with Spotify for a now sold-out throwback FC Barcelona jersey stamped with her bubbly monogram over the red and blue vertical stripes. The Gap has two limited-edition summer collections featuring jerseys inspired by “football culture,” while Nike has two collections