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(3:30 p.m. EST) -- In this week's edition of our latest video series, This Week in Cruise News, Cruise Critic's Managing Editor UK Adam Coulter talks about further pauses in operations from two big lines, takes a look at what's happening with the Alaska cruise season and discusses the big reveal from Carnival Corp CEO Arnold Donald about when the fleet will get back sailing. Stay tuned for next week's video update, and check out last week's video, which highlights everything you need to know about the exciting new ships slated for 2021, and when cruisers might expect to get...

An estimated 7,000 to 8,000 US-bound migrants have entered Guatemala from Honduras since Friday, a spokesman for Guatemala's official immigration agency, Alejandra Mena, told CNN on Saturday. Thousands of people are joining the US-bound groups to flee a life of poverty and violence. Two devastating hurricanes struck the region late last year, exacerbating the economic strain caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Looking out at a single-track country lane over unspoilt downland, I'm struggling to see any signs of human habitation. And yet I am barely 20 miles south of Oxford, home to 150,000 people. In a memorable scene in Jude The Obscure, the title character of Thomas Hardy's novel has his first sight of the dreaming spires of 'Christminster' (Oxford) from a spot close to where I am parked. Hardy's grandmother lived in the nearby village of Fawley, and the stonemason who dreams of being a scholar is given the surname Fawley in the book. Jude couldn't wait to leave his...

The atmosphere on November 1, 2020, in the cruise industry, was one of pure optimism. Not only did the US Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) lift the No-Sail-Order, but we would also soon start seeing ships sailing from US ports on test cruises. The end of December, or at the latest, the start of January, would surely be the time. More than 150,000 people signed up for the test cruises onboard Royal Caribbean ships, while the Facebook page quickly gained 63,000 followers. That optimism has faded somewhat. It’s mid-January, and there is no sign whatsoever of any ships...

A pigeon that Australia declared a biosecurity risk has received a reprieve after a U.S. bird organization declared its identifying leg band was fake. The band suggested the bird found in a Melbourne backyard on Dec. 26 was a racing pigeon that had left the U.S. state of Oregon, 13,000 kilometers (8,000 miles) away, two months earlier. On that basis, Australian authorities on Thursday said they considered the bird a disease risk and planned to kill it. But Deone Roberts, sport development manager for the Oklahoma-based American Racing Pigeon Union, said on Friday the band was fake.

There's no one in the world who doesn't know what fast food is—some love it, others detest it, but the famous brands are almost seared into our brain. Certain fast food chains operate at a local level only, and then there are those that are spread all over the world. McDonald's is perhaps one of the few brands that even people who have never tasted fast food will recognize. With such popularity comes variety. The chain's restaurants can be found in the middle of bustling cities and in remote places, with fascinating designs and astounding architectural decisions. And one Twitter...

Lada and Dacia announced a new partnership today, the most important Dacia news since the Spring Electric. That isn’t all: Dacia gave us the Bigster Concept. Dacia is the kind of carmaker that we don’t see much here in the States in that it sells cheap cars and is proud to say so. The Dacia Sandero, for example, starts at £7,995 in the UK, or a little under $11,000 at current exchange rates. This means that even Dacia’s concepts aren’t meant to be flashy and must be sensible. Here, for example, is how Dacia describes the Bigster Concept, which it...

If you’ve ever been to a Korean restaurant, chances are you’ve been to a place that serves something called budae jjigae, or Army Base Stew. If it was at a Korean barbecue restaurant or bar, you probably glossed over it in order to get to the cook-it-yourself grilled meat section of the menu. What I wouldn’t do to go back to one of these spots right now. (Although one time I snuck some of my own raw meat into a Korean barbecue restaurant, and I am not sure I should ever go back. This is my personal burden and the...

FEATURE — Anyone wanting a dose of authentic European architecture and ambiance does not have to hop on a plane and “cross the pond” but drive just over four hours south of St. George to what one writer called “The largest antique ever sold.” That large antique is the London Bridge, which is now located in Lake Havasu City in northwestern Arizona. It’s not the original London Bridge, nor is it one that inspired the nursery rhyme or song. Even so, it is an impressive sight in the United States. A series of bridges have spanned the River Thames in...

-- Carnival Corporation's entire fleet of ships, from all its cruise lines, could be back in the waters by the end of the year, company President and CEO Arnold Donald said today, but there's no firm timeline for restart yet as the dialogue with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention is still ongoing. The mixed message of optimism and stagnation came during the company's Q4 earnings call Monday. Carnival Corporation, which counts Carnival Cruise Line, Costa, Cunard, Holland America, Princess, Seabourn and others as part of its global portfolio, reported a $2.2 billion loss for the fourth quarter...

This is a great house, but the neighborhood has evolved into radical treason supporters. Be prepared to see trum p flags and signs flying for the next 20 years. If you're bent on violently destroying your country, this is a nice place for you to do it. Great if you have animals, too! $225,000 4751 Pious Ridge Rd Berkeley Springs, WV 25411 3 Beds, 2 Baths, 2,672 sqft

President-elect Joe Biden will no longer take the Amtrak to Washington next week to be sworn in as president, two officials familiar with the planning tell CNN, a sudden change that comes amid dramatically heightened security surrounding the inauguration. A decision was made this week for Biden not to take the 90-minute ride from his namesake station in Wilmington, Delaware, officials said, with at least some of the concerns hinging on his arrival at Union Station in Washington, which is only blocks from the now heavily fortified US Capitol. Biden previously had instructed his team to keep moving forward with...

With multiple vaccines now available and vaccination efforts underway around the world, there may be hope that the COVID-19 pandemic could end soon. Why, then, are cruises still being canceled, even months before their sailing dates? The Evolution of a Pandemic While there is progress and hope in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, it is critical to understand that pandemics evolve just like the diseases that cause them. As the COVID-19 virus mutates into new strains, additional research must be conducted to ensure that treatment measures, medications, and vaccines can remain effective against each strain. Even while that research...

The WTTC President and CEO said in a statement, released on the organization’s website earlier this week, that although the World Travel and Tourism Council supports measures to halt the spread of COVID-19, she does think that travel-related quarantines that are not 100% necessary should be removed. The WTTC president and CEO, Gloria Guevara, said in the statement that requiring travelers and holidaymakers to undergo a PCR test should be more than enough. A negative test should act as proof of safe travel: “Requiring inbound travelers and holidaymakers to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 pre-departure test should ensure safe...

Latest Cruise Line Restart Dates Major cruise lines are planning restarts in various phases in 2021. Here's the latest: Carnival Cruise Line In a recent announcement, Carnival Cruise Line extended its pause in all operations in the U.S. through March 31. Five different vessels also had additional cancellations, related to homeport operations and drydock work. The recently delivered Mardi Gras also had its first sailings delayed, as previously announced. Currently in Barcelona, the vessel is now scheduled to depart Por Canaveral on its inaugural cruise in April. Royal Caribbean International Royal Caribbean is back in service in Asia, with a...

Tesla's momentum and back-to-back record highs have divided some of the world's most famous investors. Billionaire venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya praised the stock's gains in a Thursday appearance on CNBC, telling investors the stock could be worth three times its already lofty valuation. "Don't sell a share," he added. Hedge fund manager Michael Burry - whose bet against the housing market was depicted in the novel and 2015 film "The Big Short" - aired his contrasting opinion Thursday night. The investor tweeted that, like his famous 2008 gambit, his short position in Tesla stands to print huge gains. "Well, my...

Graphene hybrid made from metal organic frameworks (MOF) and graphenic acid make an excellent positive electrode for supercapacitors, which thus achieve an energy density similar to that of nickel-metal hydride batteries. Credit: Prof. Dr. J. Kolleboyina / IITJ ==================================================================== A team working with Roland Fischer, Professor of Inorganic and Metal-Organic Chemistry at the Technical University Munich (TUM) has developed a highly efficient supercapacitor. The basis of the energy storage device is a novel, powerful and also sustainable graphene hybrid material that has comparable performance data to currently utilized batteries. Usually, energy storage is associated with batteries and accumulators that provide...

The incident in the video below occurred on an American Airlines flight from Charlotte to DC. Looks like we have taken the next logical step from mandating masks to mandating liking masks and refraining from making jokes about them — unless it was her Trump hat that got this lady tossed off the plane: =============================================================== Trump supporter just got kicked off my flight to Washington DC. #stopthesteal She made a joke about wearing a mask so they kicked her off. People on the plane begged the flight attendant to leave her alone@AmericanAir Flight 2198 RT!!!#BoycottAmericanAirlines pic.twitter.com/IgwIawSqPX — Terrence K. Williams...

Carnival Cruise Line has announced further cancellations, and it now means that no Carnival cruise ships will sail in March. It delays the resumption of operations until April at the very earliest. Carnival Cancels All March Sailings Carnival Cruise Line has announced a new round of cancellations, and the suspension of operations will continue until April 2021. Select ships will also be delayed due to dry dock upgrades. Here is the full list of which ships are delayed and the current situation: All embarkations from U.S. homeports through March 31, 2021 Carnival Freedom from Galveston through April 10, 2021 (which...

The District of Columbia National Guard will activate 340 troops to provide support to D.C. Metropolitan Police for the pro-Trump demonstrations expected on January 5 and January 6, according to a senior defense official. Thousands are expected to descend on D.C. streets to protest the election results this week, as President Trump continues to baselessly claim that he — and not President-elect Joe Biden — won the presidential election. "The BIG Protest Rally in Washington, D.C. will take place at 11.00 A.M. on January 6th... StopTheSteal!" Mr. Trump tweeted on Friday. He's said the rally "will be wild."