An MTA worker stationed on Staten Island was in disbelief when a New Jersey lottery app informed her she had just won $1 million after playing Powerball last week. Stacey Fiore, of Barnegat Township, clinched the life-changing prize when she stopped by a Quick Stop in the Garden State town on Nov. 15 and pulled a quick pick for her games, lottery officials said over the weekend. The MTA supervisor in the Big Apple reportedly joked with her coworkers if she won she wouldn’t be coming into work, but forgot to check the numbers until more than a day later.…

As travelers begin to plan trips for next year, a new report reveals some vacation trends among jet-setters.Booking.com has released its annual travel predictions and trends report for 2025, and one trend, “vintage voyaging,” has people “embracing a thrifty mindset.””Travelers are turning their wardrobes into walking memories, finding unique, one-of-a-kind pieces to bring a deeper cultural connection home,” Booking.com’s website says.FLIGHT PASSENGERS ARE MAKING ‘THE GATE ESCAPE’ IN ATTEMPT TO AVOID ‘POOR AIRPORT EXPERIENCES’ Thirty-eight percent of Americans are interested in buying their vacation wardrobe while on a trip, and 74% of travelers are seeking vintage or second-hand items, according to Booking.com.Ben…

Russian forces launched hundreds of drones and missiles targeting Ukraine’s energy and power plant infrastructure on Sunday.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the attack included at least 120 missiles and 90 drones, including Iranian-made Shahed drones. Ukrainian officials say it was the largest long-range attack from Russia in at least three months.”The enemy’s target was our energy infrastructure throughout Ukraine. Unfortunately, there is damage to objects from hits and falling debris. In Mykolaiv, as a result of a drone attack, two people were killed and six others were injured, including two children,” Zelenskyy said.Zelenskyy added that Ukrianian forces were able to…

Discover Sharjah’s unique mix of Arabian heritage, UNESCO crafts, and historic sites that set it apart in the UAE. ADVERTISEMENTWhen it comes to intriguing culture and heritage, Sharjah stands apart from the glittering towers of its neighbours. It is the UAE’s third-largest Emirate and its cultural heart. “The beauty of the United Arab Emirates is we are seven completely different emirates,” says Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman of Sharjah’s Commerce and Tourism Development Authority. “But we share the same values in terms of culture, history, safety and security.”Known for its family-friendly appeal and dedication to tradition, Sharjah showcases authentic Arabian heritage…

President Joe Biden pressed Chinese President Xi Jinping during a private meeting Saturday on the Republic of China’s unfair trade policies after President-elect Donald Trump made ceasing the country’s trade practices a key part of his winning platform. The outgoing Biden, 81, emphasized how federal officials will take necessary actions to intercept any use of advanced technology that undermines national security of the United States or its allies, the White House said in a statement.  Biden met with Xi at the Chinese leader’s hotel for the third and final time of his presidency toward the end of an Asia-Pacific Economic…

An annual contest in which people compete for the best frozen hairstyles has been called off.The official “Hair Freezing Contest” is held at Eclipse Nordic Hot Springs in Yukon, Canada.Participants step into naturally warm water and can “make hair-raising shapes when their wet locks freeze,” SWNS reported.ANGLER LANDS MASSIVE FISH IN MINNESOTA, REVEALS FAVORITE US SPOTS WHERE YOU CAN REEL IN MONSTERSSatyam Jain, spokesperson for the springs, said the contest was postponed to this year from last winter.”We took some photos last year, but that wasn’t enough for a proper contest,” Jain added. Jain said the contest usually kicks off…

China’s leader Xi Jinping met for the last time with President Biden on Saturday, but was already looking ahead to President-elect Donald Trump and his “America first” policies, saying Beijing “is ready to work with a new U.S. administration.”During their talks on the sidelines of the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Peru, Xi cautioned that a stable China-U.S. relationship was critical not only to the two nations but to the “future and destiny of humanity.”TRUMP LOOMS LARGE AS BIDEN SET TO MEET CHINA’S XI DURING LATIN AMERICA SUMMITS”Make the wise choice,” he cautioned. “Keep exploring the right way for…

Iberia completes its first flight with an extra-long-range aircraft that could change the way our airlines fly. ADVERTISEMENTThe future of long-haul flying is just around the corner. Think single-aisle interiors in narrow-bodied planes, longer flights, and better fuel efficiency.The new next-generation aircraft, manufactured by Airbus, shows promise. Spanish airline Iberia had the honour of being the first commercial carrier to use the new A321XLR yesterday, taking off from Madrid on a seven-and-a-half-hour flight to Boston.The new Airbus A321XLR is a comfortable experience for passengersInside the plane, the new Airspace cabin reveals 182 seats distributed across two classes. Due to their…

The start of rolling power blackouts in Iran this week amid critical fuel shortages has exposed the vulnerability of the oil-rich country to US sanctions and underscored the impact of years of under-investment.Iran has the world’s third-largest oil reserves and second-largest natural gas reserves. And yet weary Iranians have in recent months had to grapple with painful energy shortages.In the summer, fuel stations in some popular northern travel destinations ran dry, forcing vexed motorists to queue for hours. Now the two-hour daily power cuts come just as the chill of winter sets in. They have knocked out traffic lights, exacerbating…

Vice President Kamala Harris’ failed presidential campaign did not pay millions of dollars for celebrity endorsements, a former top campaign official said Friday.  “We do not pay. We have never paid any artist and performer,” Adrienne Elrod, who served as senior adviser and senior spokesperson for the Harris campaign, told Deadline.  The Harris campaign put on several star-studded concerts in the days leading up to Harris’ Election Day defeat by President-elect Donald Trump.  A former Harris campaign adviser said that celebrities were never paid to endorse the vice president. REUTERS Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Christina Aguilera, Ricky Martin, Megan Thee…

Hundreds of workers went on strike early Friday morning at a hotel near the Las Vegas Strip.  Around 700 hospitality workers walked off the job at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas as contract negotiations between the hotel and the Culinary Union broke down. The Culinary Union said Friday’s action is its first open-ended strike in 22 years. Culinary Union workers at the hotel also participated in a 48-hour strike in May, which, the union said, was its first in 22 years.  “The contract at Virgin Las Vegas expired on June 1, 2023, and workers are fighting for a new contract that secures…

A report has highlighted the top destinations travelers are researching or flocking to for the perfect social media post backdrop.Titan Travel, a United Kingdom-based tour company, conducted research to find the most popular and posted cities, countries and landmarks.THREE US TRAVEL DESTINATIONS LAND ON NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC’S ‘BEST OF THE WORLD 2025’ LISTTravel experts created a 2024 social media index looking at which locations have the most posts on Instagram and TikTok along with the number of Google searches. Dubai in the United Arab Emirates took the crown for the most popular city seen on TikTok with 30,200,000 posts and the…

Soldiers scramble through trenches under a haze of yellow smoke, machine gunfire booms across the fields, invisible drones buzz overhead and voices scream in Ukrainian “Watch out!”The scene could be 1,860 miles away in Ukraine’s Donbas region, but instead some 2,000 Ukrainian conscripts and veterans are training in the muddy fields of France’s eastern Marne region, where French and German armies once hammered each other during World War I. DOCUMENTS REVEAL RUSSIA’S INITIAL ‘PEACE DEAL’ EQUATED TO THE SURRENDER OF UKRAINE: REPORTThe initiative is part of a European Union-funded program that has already prepared 60,000 Ukrainians for the front lines since…

Night flights have been an ongoing issue in Lisbon, disrupting the sleep of city residents. ADVERTISEMENTLisbon has banned night flights after years of protests from local residents. Now, no planes will be going in or out of Lisbon’s Humberto Delgado Airport between 1 am and 5 am each night, local time. This hard curfew comes after the government listened to local citizens and environmental groups, as well as the city council. Night flights have been an ongoing issue in Lisbon, disrupting the sleep of city residents.Zero, a Portuguese environmental non-governmental organisation, first requested the night flight ban in the summer,…

Hello again from COP29 in Baku. UN climate summits are always tense affairs, but this one has already had more than its fair share of open discord.That’s thanks in part to Ilham Aliyev, president of host nation Azerbaijan, who used a speech to island nations on Wednesday to deliver a blistering criticism of France, accusing it of “killings of innocent people” in its territory of New Caledonia. France has historically close relations with Armenia, with which Azerbaijan has a long-running conflict. France’s environment minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher cancelled her plans to attend COP29, condemning Aliyev’s remarks as “unworthy of a COP…