Entertainment

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 OlympusIf you think the 172-minute runtime of Christopher Nolan’s Mediterranean epic “The Odyssey” is long, just consider

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 was

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 involved handing

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 won

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 for

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 in

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 hotel

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 May

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 with

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 legal