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Lonely Planet’s top places to go in 2024

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:51 GMT

By Maureen O’Hare | CNNGet your wishlist fired up, Lonely Planet just revealed its 50 top travel destinations for the year ahead.The travel publishing empire turns 50 this year, and its bumper Best in Travel 2024 list is expanded across five categories: top countries, regions, cities, sustainable travel destinations and best-value locations.The No.1 country is Mongolia, chosen by Lonely Planet for its “wide-open spaces, adventure activities, and distinctive culinary and musical culture.” This is the world’s most sparsely populated country and the Mongolian government is ready to start filling it up a little. This year it declared 2023 through 2025 the “Years to Visit Mongolia,” easing entry conditions for international travelers and improving infrastructure, not least with a new $650 million airport.Other countries to make the 10 top picks include popular favorites such as Mexico, Croatia and St. Lucia, as well as lesser visited spots such as Benin and Uzbekistan.City destinat...

Warriors pick up contract options on Kuminga, Moody

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:51 GMT

The Warriors made two moves Tuesday looking ahead to next season, exercising fourth-year options on the rookie contracts of Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody.Kuminga, 21, was the subject of significant hype this preseason as he seeks to translate his high-level athleticism into production on the court after a frustrating second year in the NBA. He already raised some eyebrows during last week’s season opener when coach Steve Kerr stuck with him over Andrew Wiggins in the closing minutes of the Warriors’ win over the Suns. The former No. 7 overall pick is a key piece of the Warriors’ future plans at the power forward spot as Draymond Green continues to age.Moody, 21, started and scored 13 points in Monday night’s win over the Pelicans in New Orleans and has been a valuable depth role player on the wing for the Warriors since they drafted him 14th overall out of Arkansas in 2021.Both were bench contributors to the Warriors’ 2022 title run, then Moody took ...

Chance of getting long COVID highest with original strain of the virus: study

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:51 GMT

By Alexandra Mae Jones | CTVNews.ca Toronto, Ontario (CTV Network) — Tens of thousands of people may still experience lasting symptoms more than a year after being infected with COVID-19, according to a new U.K. study—but the incidence rates of long COVID have also fallen with each new variant.The study, published Tuesday in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Communications, looked at more than 270,000 adults across the U.K. and found that those who were infected with the original strain of SARS-CoV-2 were much more likely to experience both more serious and more long-lasting cases of long COVID compared to those infected with newer variants.Symptoms which persist more than 12 weeks beyond the initial COVID-19 infection is the general definition for long COVID, a chronic condition which can present with varying levels of intensity.The question of how many COVID-19 cases will result in long COVID, and just what the scope of this burden is on patients, is something that has hung o...

Airstrikes level apartment blocks in Gaza refugee camp

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:51 GMT

By Najib Jobain, Jack Jeffrey and Lee Keath | Associated PressKHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — A flurry of Israeli airstrikes Tuesday on a refugee camp near Gaza City leveled apartment buildings, leaving craters where they once stood, as ground troops battled Hamas militants across northern Gaza and attacked underground compounds.Buoyed by the first successful rescue of a captive held by Hamas, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected calls for a cease-fire and again vowed to crush Hamas’ ability to govern Gaza or threaten Israel following its bloody Oct. 7 rampage, which ignited the war.Several hundred thousand Palestinians remain in the northern part of Gaza, where Israeli troops and tanks reportedly have advanced on several sides of Gaza City, the sprawling urban center.In the Jabaliya refugee camp on Gaza City’s outskirts, at least six airstrikes destroyed a number of apartment blocks in a residential area, the Hamas-run Interior Ministry said. It reported a large number ...

Body found in Lake Merritt Tuesday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:51 GMT

(KRON) -- A body was found in Lake Merritt Tuesday morning, KRON4 has confirmed through sources. First responder crews are on the scene and working to extricate the body from the lake. THC gummies found in candy stash at Bay Area elementary school No other information is available at this time.This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Halloween homicide being investigated by Oakland PD

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:51 GMT

(KRON) -- The Oakland Police Department is investigating a fatal shooting that occurred in the early hours of Oct. 31. The shooting occurred just after 3:30 a.m. Tuesday in the 9900 block of Medford Avenue, OPD said.Officers responded to the area to investigate a ShotSpotter activation. At the scene, officers located a victim with at least one gunshot wound, police said. Los Gatos ‘party mom’ charged with hosting alcohol parties for teens, encouraging sexual assault OPD provided medical treatment to the victim and was relieved by paramedic personnel. The victim succumbed to their injuries at the scene.Investigators from the Oakland PD Homicide Section responded to the scene to conduct a follow-up investigation. Police said they are withholding the victim's identity pending notification of next of kin.The investigation is ongoing, according to police.

California universities evacuate students from Israel, citing war risk

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:51 GMT

(BCN) -- Following government warnings about the dangers of being in a war zone, California universities and colleges have safely evacuated their students who were attending study abroad programs in Israel. The future of those programs for the rest of the school year remains uncertain.The U.S. State Department recently has categorized Israel as a Level 3 travel risk, which urges U.S. citizens to "reconsider" their travel and presence in the country "due to terrorism and civil unrest" in the aftermath of the Hamas attack on Israel and Israel's current retaliations in Gaza. The Level 3 ranking and family concerns were enough for the University of California and the California State University systems to take action. Level 4, the worst potential ranking, is an outright travel ban. White House directs Homeland Security and FBI to monitor rise of antisemitism at colleges UC's Education Abroad Program (UCEAP) reported that its students at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem have left Is...

France vows a ‘merciless fight’ against antisemitism after anti-Jewish graffiti is found in Paris

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:51 GMT

PARIS (AP) — French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne on Tuesday vowed a “merciless fight” against surging antisemitism after residents of the French capital discovered anti-Jewish graffiti on buildings in several districts.The discovery comes weeks into the Israel-Hamas war in which thousands of Israelis and Palestinians have been killed and hundreds of Israelis have been taken hostage by the militants in Gaza.“The situation in the Middle East does not justify antisemitism,” Borne told the National Assembly during a regular questioning session. “Nothing ever excuses antisemitism … my government is determined to wage a merciless fight against it.”Since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, French authorities have registered 857 antisemitic acts, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on Tuesday. “That’s as many acts of antisemitism in three weeks as there have been so far this year,” he said.Darmanin said police and judicial authorities have opened several investigations...

Steelers left wondering about flags that are thrown and not thrown and fines that come either way

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:51 GMT

On a weekend where Kirk Cousins, Matthew Stafford, Tyrod Taylor and Kenny Pickett joined the growing list of injured quarterbacks, Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson went off on referee Alan Eck’s crew for not flagging Jacksonville’s Adam Gotsis for the hit that sent Pickett from the game with bruised ribs.“Y’all are supposed to be protecting us,” Johnson fumed following the Steelers’ 20-10 loss to the Jaguars that was peppered with unusual calls and curious non-calls alike. “That’s our quarterback. He got slammed.”Johnson accused the officials of tilting the game in Jacksonville’s favor and suggested they “should get fined for making terrible calls.” He even hinted the crew “must’ve got paid good today or something. They wanted them to win. Everything was in their favor.”Johnson considered Gotsis’ slam of Pickett much worse than the hit Pittsburgh’s Keanu Neal put on Trevor Lawrence that drew a roughing the passer penalty earlier ...

Largest Christian university in US faces record fine after federal probe into alleged deception

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:51 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The country’s largest Christian university is being fined $37.7 million by the federal government amid accusations that it misled students about the cost of its graduate programs.Grand Canyon University, which has more than 100,000 students mostly in online programs, faces the largest fine of its kind ever dealt by the U.S. Education Department. The university previously denied any wrongdoing and says it’s being unfairly targeted in retaliation for an ongoing lawsuit.An Education Department investigation found that Grand Canyon lied to more than 7,500 current and former students about the cost of doctoral programs.As far back as 2017, the university said its doctoral programs would cost between $40,000 and $49,000. The department found that less than 2% of graduates completed programs within the range, with 78% paying an additional $10,000 to $12,000.The additional cost came from “continuation courses” that were needed to finish dissertation requirements, the depar...