Author: James Martin
Editor’s Note: Sign up for Unlocking the World, CNN Travel’s weekly newsletter. Get the latest news in aviation, food and drink, where to stay and other travel developments. CNN — He’d spent years backpacking around the world, and Japanese traveler Daisuke Kajiyama was finally ready to return home to pursue his long-held dream of opening up a guesthouse. In 2011, Kajiyama arrived back in Japan with his Israeli partner Hila, who he met in Nepal, and the pair set about finding the perfect location for their future venture. However, there were a couple of major stumbling blocks in their way.…
Editor’s Note: Sign up for Unlocking the World, CNN Travel’s weekly newsletter. Get news about destinations opening, inspiration for future adventures, plus the latest in aviation, food and drink, where to stay and other travel developments. CNN — Traveling by train in Japan is one of the wonders of our modern world, whether that’s whizzing through the countryside on the Shinkansen at up to 320 kilometers per hour (200 mph), relaxing on a comfortable regional express train (known as Limited Express trains in Japan) or enjoying a peek into Japanese culture on a ‘Joyful Train’ day-trip excursion. With Japan closed…
Editor’s Note: Sign up to CNN Travel’s Unlocking Italy newsletter for insider intel on Italy’s best loved destinations and lesser-known regions to plan your ultimate trip. Plus, we’ll get you in the mood before you go with movie suggestions, reading lists and recipes from Stanley Tucci. CNN — Buyers from all over the world are snapping up charming old houses in isolated villages in Italy. They’re all motivated by different goals, but they have one thing in common: They all seek a retreat, somewhere they can escape to and live the rural idyll. Chicago-based saxophonist Joshua Shapiro, 48, embarked on…
Sometimes, we have to be reminded that con artists — especially with the help of advanced technology — thrive because they win people’s trust.It’s right in the name. “Con” stands for confidence.Con artists also lean into folks’ fear factor. The more panicked the target, the better odds of success.Last week, a personal finance writer at New York Magazine bravely revealed she had been conned out of $50,000 — money she handed over to swindlers in a shoe box.Charlotte Cowles shared how scammers pretending to be from Amazon, the Federal Trade Commission and the Central Intelligence Agency frightened her so badly…
CNN — Bordered by China, Afghanistan, Iran and India – and with a population of more than 200 million people – it’s no surprise that Pakistan is a country of geographical and linguistic diversity. However, there’s common ground to be found in Pakistan’s food. Pakistanis are passionate about their cuisine, which is full of flavor and bursting with color. And they love to eat. Here are some of the best dishes to try: These easy-to-make crispy, fried fritters are a classic finger food served as a starter or a side dish. Vegetables are thinly sliced before being soaked in a…
Specialized life insurance plans offered only to the wealthiest Americans are a vehicle for dodging billions in taxes, a Senate report released Wednesday charged.Though the high-end plans’ tax advantages are legal, the Democratic-led committee blasted them as a “booming tax dodge for the rich” sheltering up to $40 billion — and called for legislation restricting those plans as well as tougher tax disclosure.The report sheds new light on a long-obscure segment of the insurance market and signals a possible new front for Democrats on tax legislation, even though passage in this polarized Congress, divided on everything from Ukraine aid to…
After undergoing surgery, radiation and three different therapies, Scott Goedeke faced a tough reality: The cancer that first surfaced on the roof of his mouth had spread to a lymph node in his neck. So the 58-year-old health-care consultant agreed to an experimental treatment that would deploy his own cells to destroy it.“I have to do this,” he recalled thinking at the time.His medical team at the Siteman Cancer Center in St. Louis extracted one tumor, identified the cells that could attack the disease and multiplied them in a lab. Billions of cells were then infused back into his body…
The proposed merger between Capital One and Discover Financial Services could face an uphill regulatory battle in Washington, where the Biden administration has long pledged an aggressive crackdown against consolidation in the financial sector.Before the two companies can close the $35.3 billion deal, they must first obtain approval from federal antitrust watchdogs, who have challenged — and sometimes even blocked — a slew of recent deals involving airlines, biotech firms, grocery chains and tech giants.Asked about the potential megamerger early Tuesday, Lael Brainard, director of the White House National Economic Council, told CNBC she could not “speak to any particular…
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — In the heart of the country’s No. 1 hub for science research sit roughly 100,000 square feet of gleaming new lab and office space. A banner declares the site at One Canal is smack “in the epicenter of the world’s most impactful discoveries.”This kind of prime real estate would typically get scooped up. But there isn’t much discovery — or, really, much of anything — happening inside. A chain-link fence blocks the entrance from a quiet side street. And the site is almost entirely empty.Similar scenes are cropping up all over Cambridge and neighboring Boston, where a…
Walmart is buying Vizio for $2.3 billion as it seeks new frontiers for its advertising business, the companies said Tuesday.Walmart said the deal will give its Walmart Connect advertising division new ways to reach customers through in-home media.“Our announcement today that we’ve agreed to acquire Vizio gives us the opportunity to reach and serve customers in new ways and connect more dots for those that advertise with us,” Walmart CEO Doug McMillion said Tuesday during the retailer’s earnings call with analysts.Under the all-cash deal, Walmart would pay $11.50 per share to acquire Vizio, reflecting a 54 percent premium over the…