Life

By Arya Jyothi, CNN (CNN) — Wildlife is under unprecedented threat from human activity, but research suggests that given space and time, even animal and plant species on the brink of extinction can bounce back. A 2022 report commissioned by the non profit Rewilding Europe found many European bird and mammal species were making a

By Tom Marsden, CNN (CNN) — Brimming with natural resources and in a prime spot at the frontier of Europe and Asia, the transcontinental country of Azerbaijan has a fascinating multi-layered history. The “Land of Fire” has been coveted by everyone from legendary conquerors like Alexander the Great and Timur to expansive empires such as

CNN By Tara Subramaniam, CNN Hong Kong (CNN) — Elsa, Anna, Olaf and Sven have a new home on a subtropical island in Asia. World of Frozen, Disney’s first-ever themed land dedicated to the “Frozen” media franchise, opened at Hong Kong Disneyland on November 20. The new land at the park on Hong Kong’s Lantau

By Christy Choi, CNN (CNN) — The stars were not quite out in force at the Billboard Music Awards last night, which was held in several live venues across California. Instead, the occasion was a disparate affair with stars appearing remotely from “global locations, in the midst of sold-out tours, and in custom venues,” organizers

By Scottie Andrew, CNN (CNN) — Behold, a woman fuming. Though she’s dressed in an opulent, fur-trimmed gown in a palatial French home sometime in the mid-19th century, her silent fury is recognizable to women the world over who’ve contained their ire to an eye roll. She’s “The Hesitant Fiancée,” the eponymous subject of the

By Alex Rees, CNN (CNN) — Sheynnis Palacios of Nicaragua was crowned the 2023 Miss Universe at the culmination of the annual beauty pageant, which took place on Saturday night in El Salvador’s capital, San Salvador. Anntonia Porsild of Thailand placed as first runner-up. Palacios’ win marks the first-ever time a Nicaraguan woman has won

By Alex Rees, CNN (CNN) — The 2023 Miss Universe pageant will take place tonight in El Salvador’s capital, San Salvador. (It will air in the United States from 8 p.m. ET on the Roku Channel.) Eighty-four contestants — each representing their home countries — will be in contention, but most only briefly: at the

By Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN (CNN) — There are few things Italians do better than dreaming big against the odds. Take the multi-million-dollar plan that’s been in the works since the 1990s to build the world’s longest suspension bridge across the Straits of Messina in the heart of Mafia land. Or the very existence of

By Chris Lau, CNN (CNN) — The Philippines has banned for life an American traveler whom it accused of writing “profane words” on a digital immigration form and being rude to immigration officers. Anthony Laurence, 34, was refused entry and put on a blacklist permanently following his allegedly “disrespectful” behavior, the Philippine Bureau of Immigration

By Francesca Street, CNN (CNN) — Heart-shaped hot tubs surrounded by rose petals, circular beds with ceilings that replicate a starry night sky and jaw-dropping, seven-foot-tall champagne-glass whirlpools for two. Welcome to the Cove Pocono Resorts in Pennsylvania, once known as the “Honeymoon Capital of the World” thanks to its array of adults-only hotels and

By Julia Buckley, CNN (CNN) — There are short runways, bumpy runways and runways that are notoriously buffeted by crosswinds, but here’s a new one for nervous flyers to get alarmed about: an ice runway. Norse Atlantic Airways landed a Boeing 787 Dreamliner in rather different conditions than usual on Wednesday. The destination: Antarctica. The landing strip:

By Jenny Marc, CNN Tanomah, Saudi Arabia – (CNN) — Abdulrahman Alabdu hangs off the side of a cliff, drilling into the rock and placing stainless steel bolts in each hole. In this remote corner of Saudi Arabia, his tools are the only sound piercing the silence. He estimates that just 30 to 50 people from

By Alex Rees, CNN (CNN) — What do dictionaries, fighter planes, plantains and the Swiss Guard have in common? That’s a serious question, but with a delightfully nonsensical answer: All served as inspiration for national costumes on display during the 2023 Miss Universe pageant’s preliminary competition. (Specifically, those were the looks donned by Miss Great

By Christy Choi, CNN Hong Kong (CNN) — A golden face with patinaed turquoise eyes stares out of the darkness. Illuminated around it stand three other bronze heads — some have flat tops, others round — all looked over by a giant bronze statue almost 9 feet high. All have the same piercing, angular eyes.

By Marnie Hunter, CNN (CNN) — Swifties are invited to set sail to the Bahamas next year on a four-night fan cruise from Miami. But Taylor Swift fans shouldn’t expect to see their idol aboard the ship, Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas. The cruise’s organizers, travel agents at Marvelous Mouse Travels, are careful to

By Harmeet Kaur, CNN (CNN) — As the National Book Awards came to a close on Wednesday, finalists for the prestigious literary prizes took the stage in New York to speak about the Israel-Hamas war, with others at the ceremony also choosing to address banned books. Aaliyah Bilal, who was nominated for the fiction award

By Anna Chernova, CNN (CNN) — Russian artist Alexandra Skochilenko, who had replaced price tags with anti-war messages in a St. Petersburg grocery store as an act of protest, was sentenced to seven years in jail by a court in the Russian city on Thursday. According to the court’s press service, Skochilenko was found guilty

By Leah Asmelash, CNN (CNN) — One of the most hyped events on the 2023 sporting calendar, Formula One’s inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix arrives this weekend, promising race cars roaring down the iconic Las Vegas Strip at 200 mph for the first time in the city’s history. Just don’t expect most local residents to

By Tom Page, CNN (CNN) — Supporters of Africa’s cultural and natural heritage recently had cause to celebrate. At the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee in September, UNESCO announced five new locations had joined the list of World Heritage Sites, taking sub-Saharan Africa’s total over 100 for the first time. Rwanda’s first two

By Leah Asmelash, CNN (CNN) — Raquel Willis has spent more than a decade working as both a journalist and activist for Black and LGBTQ people, championing these causes and uplifting voices. Now, she’s ready to share her own story. “The Risk It Takes to Bloom: On Life and Liberation” is Willis’ first book, exploring

By Leah Dolan, CNN (CNN) — In the five years Brian Cox played vitriolic media mogul Logan Roy in HBO’s boardroom drama “Succession,” viewers mostly saw him on-screen in a navy business suit and burgundy tie. But since the show concluded in May 2023, the Scottish thespian — now 77 — and his stylist Venk

CNN By Heather Chen, CNN (CNN) — The votes are in for New Zealand’s Bird of the Century poll and the winner by a significant margin, getting more than 290,000 votes, is the Australasian crested grebe, better known as the pūteketeke or the ‘puking’ bird championed by comedian and talk show host John Oliver. “It began

By Maureen O’Hare and Katie Bo Lillis, CNN (CNN) — A Boeing 747 en route from New York JFK to Liege, Belgium, was forced to turn around on November 9 after a horse got loose in the cargo hold. The horse, which partially escaped its stall while airborne, had to be euthanized due to the

By Lianne Kolirin, CNN (CNN) — A signature white, ruffled shirt once owned by Prince is expected to fetch thousands of dollars in an online auction this week. The soft, silk garment, which he wore during his performance of “Purple Rain” at the 12th Annual American Music Awards in 1985, is one of a huge

By Flo Cornall, CNN (CNN) — A wooly coat and a head of human hair have more in common than you think; not only do they help retain body heat, they’re both made from keratin protein fibers. Now, a Dutch startup is questioning why one is worn and the other wasted. Human Material Loop hopes

By Jacqui Palumbo, CNN (CNN) — Kate Beckinsale wore a bejeweled mini dress over the weekend to celebrate Leonardo DiCaprio’s 49th birthday in Los Angeles, and a photograph of the black frock, which featured a colossal blue-gemstone-like accessory belted around her waist, has since made its rounds across the Internet. Though the look seems to

By Lilit Marcus, CNN Hong Kong (CNN) — “You have pretty hair,” my colleague said. “Is it your natural color?” “I…. don’t know?” I responded. That wasn’t supposed to be a funny answer. It was the truth. Three years ago, I went through treatment for cancer. The disease took many things from me — one

By Thomas Page, CNN (CNN) — Oliver Akinfeleye remembers Burna Boy’s first show in New York. The location was Palladium Times Square, the year was 2017. Akinfeleye, an American Nigerian photographer known professionally as DrDrummerD, or Drummer, was close to the stage, ready to capture every moment of the Afrobeats star’s intimate show in front

By Suyin Haynes, CNN (CNN) — Calida Rawles has been thinking a lot about light and darkness, in her artwork and beyond. “It feels like a very dark moment in our history, and it can become very overwhelming and anxiety-building,” the Los Angeles-based painter said in an interview with CNN, referring in particular to her