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Where to go in 2024: The best places to visit

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:55:55 GMT

By CNN Travel staffSo many places to see in the world. So many people eager to see them.International tourism reached about 90% of pre-pandemic levels in 2023, and the United States issued a record number of passports. And if you visited any popular destination over the summer, you’d probably argue it was more crowded than ever.So maybe it’s time to look at places that are still largely undiscovered, or alluring in the offseason, or frequently overlooked for their larger first cities or neighbors. Maybe it’s time to head to places that are making it easier for tourists to visit and those that pay close attention to encouraging tourism that’s sustainable.With those things in mind, CNN Travel chose 24 places to consider as you make your 2024 plans:Sumba, IndonesiaThese dancing trees can be found along the mangrove forest near Walakiri Beach in Sumba Island, Indonesia.(Tengguo Wu/iStockphoto/Getty Images/iStockphoto via CNN) For those looking for a beach destination that prioritiz...

What to expect at work in 2024

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:55:55 GMT

By Jeanne Sahadi | CNNNew York — Welcome to the first business day of 2024.You may be wondering what this new year has in store for your career — your pay, your benefits, your schedule and your job prospects.To find out, we consulted with a number of workplace experts and consultants to get a sense of what trends and changes they expect.Your paycheck: Hikes aheadMany employees are likely to see raises that keep pace with — or even beat — inflation, which at last reading stood at 3.1%.A salary budget survey taken in December by workplace advisory firm WTW found that US employers are planning for an average salary increase of 4% in 2024. That is less than the 4.4% jump they offered in 2023 but above the average 3.1% increase seen in 2021 and earlier years.The size of the planned increases are due to inflation and concerns over a tight labor market, WTW said.Another recent survey by consulting firm Mercer found that employers expect to promote just under 10% of their employees this yea...

Opinion: Ukrainians will fight Russia no matter what. What they need to win

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:55:55 GMT

Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has said it many times: If Western military support were to falter, the Ukrainians would continue to fight.They would do it alone if need be, their backs to the wall, at a terrifying human cost.They would be in largely the same situation they were in during the first phase of Russia’s full-scale invasion. After all, the Ukrainians had to wait months to more than a year for the United States to provide the weapons they needed. During those long months, the courage of the Ukrainians and the talent of their commanders were enough to hold off a Russian military whose troops still were fresh, motivated and sure of themselves.In a worst-case scenario in which Congress continues to refuse to approve the funds requested by President Joe Biden and Europe follows suit in withdrawing support, the conflict would revert to those early stages. And the Ukrainian forces, which I’ve observed for two years while making three documentaries from the front lines...

EVs eligible for $7,500 US tax credit cut to 13 from about 24

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:55:55 GMT

By Ari Natter | BloombergThe number of electric vehicle models eligible for a popular $7,500 consumer tax credit fell sharply as new rules from the Biden administration kicked in Jan. 1.Narrower criteria reduced the number of qualifying models to 13 from about two dozen, according to federal data from fueleconomy.gov. The new rules exclude from the tax credit vehicles that use battery components made by Chinese manufacturers.Treasury Department spokeswoman Ashley Schapitl said the government has been closely coordinating with companies on the new restrictions.Related ArticlesBusiness | Jeep maker blames California for job cuts in their Midwest plants Business | Tesla fined for Fremont worker pinned in car on conveyor belt “Automakers are adjusting their supply chains to ensure buyers continue to be eligible for the new clean vehicle credit, partnering with allies and bringing jobs and investment back to the United States,” she said.Treasury Department...

Disaster avoided at Rose Parade after driver smashes through barrier

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:55:55 GMT

A near disaster was avoided at the 135th Rose Parade on Monday, Jan. 1, when a woman in her 20s rammed her car into a barricade at the intersection of Colorado Boulevard and Chester Avenue, according to city officials.The incident happened at around 10 a.m., said Lisa Derderian, Pasadena city spokesperson. A female in her early 20s was traveling northbound on Chester Avenue toward the Rose Parade route on Colorado Boulevard.And, even though the barrier ramming occured just a few block from the protest at Lake and Colorado that briefly interruped the Rose Parade, the two were not related according to Derderian.The suspect attempted to ram though the barricades there, Derdarian said, and had she been successful, would have injured numerous parade watchers.The driver’s vehicle sustained significant damage and the barricades set up there did their job of protecting people, Derderian said.The suspect was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon.Two off-duty police officers, not from Pas...

Photos: Top glimpses from the 2024 Rose Parade

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:55:55 GMT

There were lots of flamingoes and pooches and bees, oh my. And lots of music.The 2024 Rose Parade, rolling under the theme “Celebrating a World of Music: The Universal Language,” displayed its usual array of marching bands, fabulous floral floats and equestrian troupes.Here are some key visual moments.The UPS Storexe2x80x99s float, winner of the Bob Hope Humor award during the 135th Rose Parade in Pasadena on Monday, Jan. 1, 2024. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)Kaiser Permanente float xe2x80x9cSymphony of Youxe2x80x9d winner of the President Award during the 135th Rose Parade in Pasadena on Monday, Jan. 1, 2024. (Photo by Libby Cline-Birmingham, Contributing Photographer)Riders ride along side the Cowboy Channel float xe2x80x9cThe Cowboy Channelxe2x80x9d winner of the Americana Award during the 135th Rose Parade in Pasadena on Monday, Jan. 1, 2024. (Photo by Libby Cline-Birmingham, Contributing Photographer)A member of the Los Hermanos Baxc3xb1uelos Charro Team du...

Sugar Bowl: Washington hangs on, tops Texas to reach CFP title game

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:55:55 GMT

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Michael Penix Jr. passed for 430 yards and two touchdowns, and Washington held off Texas 37-31 in the Sugar Bowl on Monday night to advance to the College Football Playoff championship game, earning both the sixth-year quarterback with two surgically repaired knees and the beleaguered Pac-12 one more game this season.The second-ranked Huskies (14-0) will face No. 1 Michigan next Monday night in Houston, looking for their first national championship since 1991 and the Pac-12’s first since Southern California in 2004. Washington is one of 10 schools fleeing the Pac-12 for other Power Five conferences next year, with the Huskies headed to join Michigan in the Big Ten.But first, the final season of the four-team playoff before expansion to 12 in 2024 comes down to a Pac-12-Big Ten matchup, just like the first when Ohio State beat Oregon.No. 3 Texas (12-2) had four shots at the end zone after getting to the UW 12 with 15 seconds left, but Quinn Ewers missed on the last...

Finland, Sweden set this winter’s cold records as temperature plummets to over minus 40 Celsius

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:55:55 GMT

HELSINKI (AP) — Finland and Sweden recorded the coldest temperatures of the winter Tuesday as thermometers plummeted to minus 40 degrees Celsius (minus 40 Fahrenheit) as a result of a cold spell prevailing in the Nordic region.In Nikkaluokta, a small village inhabited by the indigenous Sami people in northern Sweden, thermometer showed minus 41.6 degrees (minus 42.8 Fahrenheit) early Tuesday, Swedish public broadcaster SVT reported.“It’s the coldest temperature we have had so far this winter, and it will continue to be quite cold weather in the north,” said SVT meteorologist Nils Holmqvist.Train operators in Sweden said the cold snap has caused substantial problems for rail traffic in the north, among other issues. The Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute has reported temperatures of minus 30 degrees (minus 22 Fahrenheit) in several locations in northern Sweden.It also issued a warning for snow and wind for central and southern Sweden, saying snowfall on Wednesday in co...

Wayne Rooney fired as manager after 15 games at second-tier Birmingham

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:55:55 GMT

BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — England great Wayne Rooney was fired as the manager of second-tier club Birmingham on Tuesday after 15 games.Rooney earned only two wins since his controversial appointment in October. Birmingham was sixth in the Championship when he started, and has fallen to 20th.The club was taken over last summer by a company owned by American businessman Tom Wagner, and it got rid of popular coach John Eustace, who had been in charge for 15 months and steered the club away from relegation.“Birmingham City has today parted company with manager Wayne Rooney and first-team coach Carl Robinson,” the club said in a statement. “Despite their best efforts, results have not met the expectations that were made clear at the outset. Therefore, the board feels that a change in management is in the best interests of the football club.”Birmingham lost at Leeds 3-0 on Monday, and supporters called for the removal of Rooney, the former Manchester United and England striker.___AP socc...

Avión se incendia en pista del aeropuerto Haneda en Japón

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:55:55 GMT

Un avión se incendió en la pista del aeropuerto Haneda de Tokio, y según autoridades locales, chocó con otra aeronave después de aterrizar.En tomas de video de la televisión local fue posible ver cómo le salía fuego y humo de un costado al avión de Japan Airlines mientras se desplazaba por una pista. Luego se incendió el área alrededor del ala, una hora después las tomas mostraban el fuselaje totalmente devorado por las llamas.Indicó que el avión era un Airbus A-350, el vuelo 516 de JAL, que partió desde el aeropuerto Shin Chitose en Japón a Haneda. Arrestan a hombre por apuntar a un avión comercial con un láser; “fue sin querer”, alega Tren se descarrila e incendia dejando varios heridos en San Francisco En tomas posteriores se veía a los bomberos trabajando para apagar el fuego, las llamas se habían extendido a gran parte del avión.NHK citó a JAL, que dijo que el avión fue golpeado por otra aeronave, probablemente una del servic...