Entertainment

By Joe Yogerst, CNN Scattered across the Seto Inland Sea, the islands of the Geiyo archipelago have long been under the radar. Until 1999, that is, when the final link of the Shimanami Kaido highway opened, connecting Japan’s main island of Honshu to the island of Shikoku, passing through six small islands. The planners had

By Jacqui Palumbo, CNN (CNN) — Before South African high school students complete their final exams, they first walk the red carpet, pulling out all the stops for their celebratory matriculation, or ‘matric,’ balls. The dances may look different from school to school, but they have earned a reputation as mini Met Galas – from

By Rachel Tashjian, CNN Paris (CNN) — “Stop this world, let me off,” the blues musician Mose Allison once crooned – a relatable sentiment when war has broken out, inequality is top of mind and a general darkness hovers over almost all things. Allison never intoned just which stop he’d like to get off on

By Julia Buckley, CNN (CNN) — It was built to ferry horse-drawn carriages across a notoriously wild stretch of water, and was a crucial connection between two island nations during Europe’s industrial revolution. When it was constructed in 1826, the bridge across the Menai Strait, between the north Wales mainland and the island of Anglesey,

By Oscar Holland, CNN To the untrained eye, there is very little difference between the three known versions of “The Lute Player.” Almost identical in composition, the paintings all depict a young, doe-eyed subject in white robes, instrument in hand and turned slightly away from the viewer. Each appears to carry Italian painter Caravaggio’s signature

By Maureen O’Hare, CNN (CNN) — In our roundup of travel news this week, why social bathhouses are a hot new wellness trend, the Portuguese chicken shop Chinese tourists are traveling thousands of miles to visit, plus travel chaos in the Middle East. Cool to be hot Look away, Nordic sauna purists. Social bathhouses have

By Fiona Sinclair Scott, CNN London (CNN) — In Trump’s America, the question of what art is shown in national galleries and museums is a potent one, and Catherine Opie believes she knows when she’s not welcome. “There’s absolutely no way the Smithsonian will show me right now,” she says while overseeing the final installation

By Karen Esquivel, CNN en Español (CNN) — Yesica Aramburo traveled on vacation to Mexico in April 2017 for the festivities in her Mexican family’s town of La Moncada, Guanajuato, in the center of the country. She never thought that this brief visit would change her life and lead her to find love. At the

By Tamara Hardingham-Gill, CNN (CNN) — Iran’s recent strikes on Dubai have done considerable damage to Dubai’s reputation as a “safe haven.” And the front lines of the public relation war are a glamorous cadre of high profile influencers based there. “You live in Dubai, aren’t you scared?” They’re putting on a collective brave face,

By Leah Dolan, CNN (CNN) — Since the invention of moving pictures, directors have been drawn to Mary Shelley’s 19th century gothic classic, “Frankenstein.” In 1931 James Whale offered his definitive take on the story with actor Boris Karloff’s flat-topped skull and grunting speech. The film was a commercial hit and solidified Universal Pictures’ reputation

By Alex Leeds Matthews, Soph Warnes, Rosa de Acosta, Rhyannon Bartlett-Imadegawa, Lou Robinson, Renée Rigdon, CNN (CNN) — Hundreds of thousands of travelers are stranded in the Middle East after the cancellation of thousands of flights as war rages across the region, though some airports are starting to get more flights out as the war

By Jacqui Palumbo, CNN (CNN) — In front of the Louvre Pyramid, Eileen Gu stepped out this week wearing a set of diaphanous wings — a fitting ensemble for an Olympic athlete whose sport sends her airborne. Gu attended the museum’s second annual fundraiser, Le Grand Dîner du Louvre, timed to Paris Fashion Week, trading

By Tamara Hardingham-Gill, CNN (CNN) — He got his first motorcycle at 15, and Steven Barnett, originally from Los Angeles, has ridden across nearly 80 countries in the five decades since. Now, at 77, he’s preparing for the biggest adventure of his life: an attempt to set the record for the oldest man to motorcycle

By Kati Chitrakorn, CNN London (CNN) — Soccer star Chloe Kelly plays as a forward for Arsenal, the Women’s Super League club in England. Known for her blistering pace and powerful shots, she’s also part of England’s women’s national football team, the Lionesses, which reached the World Cup final in 2023. And now she’s also

By Jen Rose Smith, CNN Montreal (CNN) — By the time DJ Brinassa dropped her throbbing house beat, the barely clad Friday crowd at Montreal’s newest going-out spot was already glistening with sweat. It wasn’t just the subtle glow that comes from a night on the dance floor. At 10 p.m. inside RECESS Thermal Station

By Karla Cripps, Marnie Hunter, Jennifer Hansler, CNN (CNN) — Countries around the world are still working to safely return nationals stranded by war in the Middle East, with more evacuation flights set to take off in the coming days. However, the situation remains challenging and flight schedules are likely to be disrupted for some

By Francesca Street, CNN (CNN) — Lesley Ballantyne woke in the early hours to an emergency alert flashing on her phone: “Potential missile threats, seek immediate shelter in the closest secure building.” Her partner, Alistair, seemed to have slept through it. Ballantyne got out of bed and peered through the cabin window. Outside, nothing but