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On February 26, the UK Parliament announced the discovery of a previously hidden entrance that had been built for the coronation of King Charles II in 1661.

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Airbnb will list the six-story “Lucy the Elephant” structure in New Jersey for three single-night stays, with the proceeds going towards preserving the landmark.

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The US is expanding travel restrictions from Iran and heightening a travel advisory for certain regions of South Korea and Italy, Vice President Mike Pence said Saturday. Meantime, President Trump in a tweet on Sunday announced new screening procedures for people traveling from “high-risk countries.”New screening methodsThere was already a ban on travel related to Iran, but the administration said Saturday that it is being expanded “to include any foreign national who has visited Iran within the last 14 days.” As of Monday morning, there have been 978 cases of coronavirus in Iran and 54 deaths.The US is also increasing the travel advisory for Italy and South Korea to Level 4 — the highest level — advising Americans not to travel to specific regions in those countries hit hardest by the virus, Pence announced through the State Department.”Additionally we are currently working on exit screening from South Korea, Italy, and other European Nations as needed,” Katie Miller, a spokeswoman for Pence, told CNN Sunday when asked to clarify what Trump meant by “high risk.”Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said the goal is to lower the travel to and from the most impacted areas in an attempt to control the spread of the virus. Screening is already in place for those traveling from China. Anyone who has been in China within the last 14 days requires screening.Trump on Saturday warned Americans that although more cases are “likely,” most healthy people who contract the illness will recover and the risk to the average American remains low. And Pence told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union” that while the administration knows there will be more cases and that it’s possible Americans could die from the disease, “the American people should know the risk for the average American remains low.”Additional restrictive measures were announced in January and are scheduled to take effect starting at 5 p.m. ET on Monday. Those include that US citizens and permanent residents returning to the United States who have traveled to Iran within the previous 14 days must enter trough an approved airport. Foreign nationals who have traveled to Iran within the last 14 days will be denied permission to travel to the US.Airlines suspend some operationsIn response to growing concerns over the spread of the virus through international travel and dwindling demand for international flights between certain locations, some airlines have suspended operations to certain airports.American Airlines announced Saturday that it was suspending operations to and from Milan, Italy, from New York’s JFK Airport and Miami International Airport. The suspension was a result of a reduction in demand, an alert from the airline said.Change fees have been waived for anyone who purchases travel between March 1 and March 16, the airline announced Sunday.Delta Air Lines has also temporarily suspended daily flights between JFK and Milan’s Malpensa Airport. That suspension will be effective March 2 on east bound flights and March 3 on west bound flights. Service will resume starting on May 1 and May 2, a statement from the airline said. Delta announced reductions to service between the US and Seoul, South Korea, last week. Flights between the US and Shanghai and Beijing also remain suspended until April 30 following travel restrictions from US Health and Human Services.United Airlines has suspended operations between the US and Beijing, Chengdu, Hong Kong and Shanghai until April 30 due to concerns over coronavirus, a notice from the airline said. Some service to Tokyo Narita, Osaka, Singapore, and Seoul, South Korea, has also been suspended, according to the notice. Change fees have been waived and refunds are available for travel booked to or from select cities, which includes nine airports in Italy. CNN’s Sarah Westwood contributed to this report.

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The museum — which was founded in 1976 and is a Smithsonian affiliate — announced it will continue operating while undergoing reorganization, according to a news release issued Monday.”The future is only likely to get better and brighter,” interim CEO Misha Galperin told CNN on Monday. “It’s a very important, historic place where the nation was born and we’re here to tell the nation what American Jews are grateful for, what was done for us in America and what we in turn contributed to the United States.”Galperin said most of the museum’s $30 million in debt stems from loans the museum took out to fund the construction of its new building on Independence Mall between 2008 — at the height of the economic recession — and 2010, when the building was completed. Outside funding levels declined sharply due to the recession, necessitating the loans, officials said.”[Funding] didn’t return until the levels of pre-2008 until about a year ago,” Galperin said. “In order to finish construction, the museum had to borrow money and we were hopeful we could repay the money. We never could.”Amid a sea of changes, sticking to basic successesDespite the museum’s reorganization, there will be no layoffs or changes in staffing, Galperin said. He said the museum believes it can continue thriving largely on outside contributions, whether from corporations or philanthropic donors.The museum’s permanent gallery is free to the public, but the museum charges for its special exhibitions that only last a limited time. Its newest special exhibit, the “Evidence Room” — which will display artifacts and the architectural layout of Auschwitz to show its impact on Jewish genocide — is still on schedule to open on April 17. One of its more recent exhibits centered on Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. It charged $9 per visitor in honor of her famous quote, in which she said the number of women on the Supreme Court should be nine.”We’ve had wonderful success both in terms of visitorship and economically,” Galperin said. “[We have] even more programming and outreach online and plan to keep on going. We’re not anticipating any fundamental change to the nature of what we do.”Attendance, while not audited yet in the museum’s 2019 fiscal year, rose from 76,700 to 82,950 from 2018, according to director of communications and public engagement Emily August. The museum has already welcomed 69,436 visitors in the first six months of the 2020 fiscal year, according to August.With attendance back on the rise and interest increasing, Galperin said, the bankruptcy protection will only help the museum in the long run.”It’s a good first step for us and we’re open for business,” he said.

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(CNN) — With a population of 602,000, Luxembourg is one of Europe’s smallest countries — yet it suffers from major traffic jams. But that could be about to change. As of March 1, 2020 all public transport — trains, trams and buses — in the country is now free.The government hopes the move will alleviate heavy congestion and bring environmental benefits, according to Dany Frank, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Mobility and Public Works. Tiny country, big trafficLandlocked Luxembourg is one of the richest countries in Europe, with the highest per capita GDP in the European Union.”Luxembourg is a very attractive place for jobs,” explains Geoffrey Caruso, a professor at the University of Luxembourg and the Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research specializing in land use and transportation.But its “booming economy” and high concentration of jobs have led to congestion issues, he says.That year, drivers in Luxembourg City spent an average of 33 hours in traffic jams. It fared worse than European cities Copenhagen and Helsinki, which have comparable population sizes to all of Luxembourg — yet drivers in both only spent an average of 24 hours in traffic. Luxembourg City has more foreign residents than locals.AFP Contributor/AFP/AFP/Getty ImagesPark and rides around Luxembourg’s borders in the three neighboring countries, however, will encourage commuters to use free mass transit, according to Frank. Free transport for allLuxembourg’s public transport system covers the whole country and costs $562 million (€508 million) per year to run. Each year, it generates around $46 million in ticket sales, according to the ministry.The government is putting up the cost of making it free, Frank says. “The country at this very moment is in really good shape. We, the government, want the people to benefit from the good economy.”Luxembourg’s comprehensive public transport system runs through the whole country. A cycling race in the Moselle region is pictured.Joern Pollex/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images for IRONMANCaruso is concerned that making transport free may unintentionally deter people who would normally walk or cycle in urban areas. “Rather than walking 500 meters, you see a bus coming and you say, ‘I (can) get on and travel 500 meters because it’s free,'” he says.He adds, however, that the new scheme can signal important changes ahead when it comes to Luxembourg’s reliance on driving. “(The government) might say, ‘It’s important that you ditch your car, and look, we made public transport free’ — and maybe this is helpful given the immense cultural shift we need.”Originally published in 2019, updated March 2, 2020.

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Taipei, Taiwan (CNN) — Hidden away in a dead-end alley, a skeleton perches on a bar stool with a wine glass and a cigarette. Grinning vacantly, he leans against a wall emblazoned with a quote from Franz Kafka: “There is an infinite amount of hope in the universe … but not for us.” This is your welcome to “The Misanthrope Society,” a bar that offers drinkers and diners a respite from other people.The quirky addition to Taipei’s bar scene serves up creative cocktails, black humor and a dislike of humankind. Its cocktails sound bleak: “Ghost Island Tea” has Taiwanese Spring Vodka and Kavalan Whisky, plus dashes of tequila, kahlua, vermouth and lemon juice; “Kafkaesque” blends together “Kaffe und Wodka” and other spirits with root beer. A mix of Midori, sake-based Mikanshu, cherry brandy and Absolut Vodka comes up with “No Longer Human.”The cocktails have names like “Ghost Island Tea” and “Last Words.”courtesy The Misanthrope SocietyIf you order the gin-based “Last Words,” you are politely asked to write down what you will say on your deathbed to add to a pile of cards in the bar. “Stay ridiculous,” reads one. The bar itself is characterized by dark humor and dark décor: black walls, a black menu, black plates — even the fried chicken is black, after being marinated in traditional Taiwanese fermented bean curd, splashed with alcohol and set alight. Diners are left to watch flames shooting out of what looks like black remains, a fried chicken dish that evokes the image of hell. As if you didn’t get the message, “Hell is other people,” the famous quote from Jean-Paul Sartre, is painted on a wall. “You can hate this world as much as you want”The anti-social theme of the bar belies its inclusiveness; the owner, who has suffered from severe depression, wanted to provide a space that was welcoming to others in need. “We call it ‘The Misanthrope Society,’ which literally means you can hate this world as much as you want here,” says Chen Xiaoguai. “I want to attract people with the dark side,” so they can then help each other and experience “the warmth from different people,” he adds.”The Misanthrope Society” is located in one of Taipei’s most happening districts, bang in the middle of a bustling night market selling clothes and snacks, and less than a minute’s walk from the Gongguan metro station. But owner Chen has managed to find a space that is perfect for a bar that professes to hate human society, in a dark corner of a road that leads nowhere, where no sunshine reaches. Inside, though, is some hidden human warmth. Chen was inspired to open the bar after spending a month in a mental health hospital. There he received specialist care from psychologists and other health professionals, but felt like the system stopped providing support after he was discharged. “I think the most important thing in my case in stepping out from the dark side is the help from people, the friends I met in hospital,” says Chen, who used to be an engineer. “I want to replicate this peer support group.”However, many people with depression choose not to drink alcohol because it makes their symptoms worse or mixes badly with their medication. At The Misanthrope Society, you can get that sense of community without the booze, as the bar is also a coffee shop and bookstore, offering psychology books, autobiographies and novels about dark episodes in people’s lives. Books lined up on a coffee bar include “The Museum of Broken Relationships” and “Poetry About How Much I Hate My Life.”Since opening the space in February last year, Chen says people “came here to cry, to talk to me, to just stay, read my books.”More than a dozen regulars who experience similar mental health issues have got to know each other and formed their own support network. In Taiwan, mental health is not talked about much and is often still misunderstood and stigmatized. “Before, these people probably can only talk to their family, their friends, who can’t really understand them, especially our parents, the older generations, who have no idea or knowledge of mental health problems,” says Chen, 28. Older generations might suggest problems can be solved by talking to a temple official, or through superstition. The bar’s black fried chicken is set aflame, giving it a hellish appearance.courtesy The Misanthrope Society”The Misanthrope Society” offers an outlet for all drinkers and diners to express their mood, and that starts with what you order. The “furiously stewed” duck may appeal to those feeling angry, while the Scotch egg’s Chinese name translates as “withdraw into one’s shell.” Chen was once asked to create a cocktail for “the feeling of being enslaved by society.” He created one “opaque in color, strong in flavor.” It would be wrong, perhaps, to call this an anti-bar, as many lone drinkers have sought out solace from other people in bars the world over. But by humorously playing up the dark side, “The Misanthrope Society” draws in people wanting a drink with a difference, as well as those hoping for a bit of understanding.”Are you sure you want to go back to real life?” a sign on the door asks on your way out. The Misanthrope Society, Roosevelt Road, Section 4, Lane 40, No. 1-2, Taipei; Open Sunday to Thursday, 2 p.m.-1 a.m.; Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m.-2 a.m.

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