Canadian wildfire smoke disrupts US air travel

The wildfire smoke that has cast a sickly pall over major cities across the eastern US snarled air travel Thursday, creating headaches for big aviation hubs and upending plans for thousands of travelers.

Nearly 600 flights across the country were delayed and six more had been canceled as of Thursday afternoon, according to FlightAware.com, a flight tracking service.

Follow live coverage of US air quality conditions and Canada’s wildfires

The Federal Aviation Administration said Thursday morning that it had delayed all flights bound for New Jersey’s Newark Liberty International Airport nationwide. It also delayed certain flights bound for New York’s LaGuardia Airport.

The agency warned that delays were also possible at airports in Charlotte, North Carolina, Dallas and Philadelphia and at New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport.

FlightAware’s “MiseryMap” showed that LaGuardia and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport were seeing the most significant disruptions at 4 pm ET Thursday.

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AAA predicts record-breaking travel volume for July 4 weekend

A record number of people will travel by car or plane during the 4th July weekend this year.

AAA projects 50.7 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home this Independence Day weekend, setting a new record for the holiday.

Domestic travel over the long weekend will increase by 2.1 million people compared to 2022 AAA says. This year, it’s predicted that the travel volume will surpass the last record set in 2019 of 49 million travelers.

“We’ve never projected travel numbers this high for Independence Day weekend,” said Mary Maguire, Vice President of Public and Government Affairs for AAA Northeast. “More than 1.4 million Massachusetts residents will be among those traveling, 1.2 million of us by car. Both mirror the national trends and are higher than the number of travelers and drivers from a year ago.”

It is predicted that 43.2 million people will travel by car

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Japan Book Review: Honeybees and Distant Thunder by Riku Onda

How do you describe the indescribable? Riku Onda’s Honeybees and Distant Thunder makes a valiant attempt to do just this when portraying the universal language of music and its effect on listeners. While music is something that everyone can understand, it can be hard to pin down and put into words. Onda’s book does this with rich poetry (if occasionally a little verbose), creating a strong emotional connection from the start.

From Murders to Music

Onda’s musical novel Honeybees and Distant Thunder was a smash hit when it first came out in 2017, snapping up both the Naoki Prize and Japan Booksellers’ Award the same year. Its popularity sparked the production of the 2019 film Listen to the Universewhich was well received by domestic audiences. Honeybees and Distant Thunder is Onda’s third book to be translated into English, this time with Haruki Murakami veteran Philip Gabriel taking the

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Feds table bill to tackle travel chaos as summer season ramps up – National

The federal government moved this week to bolster accountability at airports, introducing new legislation that would compel them to cough up more information on their performance.

Tabled in the House of Commons on Tuesday, the bill paved the way for new rules requiring airports and other airport operators to create service standards and publish data that can be compared against those benchmarks.

The standards could track outcomes ranging from security screening wait times to how long it takes luggage to reach the carousel.

“It’s no secret that the challenges of the last few years have impacted transportation systems here in Canada and globally. As we head into another busy travel season, we have seen how a disruption at one end of the system can have effects across the entire network,” Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said in a release.

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“Together, the measures in this proposed legislation will

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Wajima City: A Home to Festivals of Fire and Light

Located in the picturesque Ishikawa Prefecture, the Noto Peninsula’s Wajima city is famed for its history, natural beauty, and a charming market culture that today draws in tourists from Japan and abroad. Nestled against the Sea of ​​Japan, Wajima is also known for typically milder summers than Tokyo, making it a great place to enjoy the warmer months without being overwhelmed.

Originally founded during the Middle Ages around a temple that served as the head of the Soto Sect of Buddhism, today known as Sojiji, Wajima continues to maintain close ties with its storied history, while also offering an impressive number of things to see and do for those who visit.

Shiroyone Senmaida rice terraces

Nature and Traditions

One of Wajima’s most stunning and famous scenes is Shiroyone Senmaida. A terrace of rice fields, of which there is precisely 1004, Shiroyone Senmaida is an incredible location overlooking the Sea

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Two Soldiers Killed as GSDF Recruit Opens Fire on Colleagues

This week’s news roundup is dominated by crime. At a Japanese military base in Gifu Prefecture, two soldiers are killed and another one injured after a GSDF recruit opens fire on his colleagues. There’s another watch store heist, this time in Kawasaki, with one of the men being appreciated. And in Tokyo, a Vietnamese student is arrested for cutting people’s hair without a license.

In non-crime-related news, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida decides against a snap election before the end of the current Diet session. North Korea fires two short-range ballistic missiles toward the Sea of ​​Japan as American, Japanese and South Korean national security advisors meet in Tokyo. And in sport, Shohei Ohtani moves to the top of the American League’s home run leaderboard.

Suspect in GSDF Shooting Targeted Instructor

Two Ground Self-Defense Forces (GSDF) members, Yasuchika Kikumatsu, 52, and Kosuke Yashiro, 25, died on Wednesday after a recruit

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Fungal meningitis outbreak at Mexico clinic kills four patients from US; what to know

Fungal meningitis outbreaks at cosmetic procedure clinics in Mexico have killed four people from the US and likely infected many more, health officials announced this month.

The deaths were announced after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a travel advisory last month urging travelers to “practice enhanced precautions” in the area.

Nearly 200 people in the US may have been exposed to the deadly fungal meningitis at two clinics in Matamoros, Mexico, which provided procedures such as implants and liposuction, NBC News reported. The exposure probably occurred in patients who underwent epidural anesthesia, health officials say.

The two clinics, River Side Surgical Center and Clinica K-3, were closed on May 13, the CDC said.

The CDC said last week that it was collaborating with the Mexican Ministry of Health and US state and local health departments to respond to the outbreak among patients who traveled to Matamoros, which

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5 Iconic Tokyo Crossings (That Aren’t Shibuya Scramble)

Shibuya Scramble is one of Tokyo’s incomparable sights and perhaps the most photographed location in the capital — and not without good reason. There’s something about the towering commercial buildings, dozens of advertising billboards, and the sheer number of pedestrians that give this particular crossing a truly magical atmosphere. But street photographers, both amateur and professional, might want to consider looking into lesser-known alternatives that have similar levels of oomph with a portion of the crowd. Below are five Tokyo crossings that we feel deserve some love.

Photo by structuresxx via Shutterstock

Sukiyabashi Crossing

Probably as close to Shibuya Scramble as you can get in Tokyo (without actually being in Shibuya) is Ginza’s Sukiyabashi Crossing. In addition to the crisp white pedestrian lines, Ginza Sony Park’s outdoor hangout, and the nearby Sukiyabashi Park provide all the visual and auditory stimulation to create that neo-Tokyo feeling. But what makes this crossing

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Here are 9 ways to celebrate Juneteenth in Central Florida

For more than 150 years, June 19 has been a day to celebrate the end of slavery in the United States.

Communities across the country will be marking the day when in 1865 slaves in Texas learned that they, and all other slaves in the US, had been granted freedom.

And Central Florida is no exception.

Over the next two weekends, cities and towns across the area have planned festivities for residents to participate in the celebration.

READ: Juneteenth: What is it; what to know about the holiday that celebrates slavery’s end

Read on to find an upcoming Juneteenth event near you.

BREVARD COUNTY

Cocoa Arts & Cultural Celebration

Features live entertainment, food trucks, vendors, and a local legend display inside the Civic Center.

  • Dates: June 10

  • Time: 10 am to 5 pm

  • Location: Cocoa Riverfront Park, 401 Riveredge Boulevard, Cocoa, FL 32922

LAKE COUNTY

City of Groveland Juneteenth Celebration

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Experiencing Tokyo Through ChatGPT | Tokyo Weekends

What with all the hoo-ha about the growing influence and danger of AI, for the sake of some acts of journalism, I decided to ask ChatGPT where I should visit in Tokyo.

Here are the top three places it is recommended and what it says about them:

1. Senso-ji Temple and Asakusa

Located in the Asakusa district, Senso-ji is Tokyo’s oldest and most famous Buddhist temple. The temple is known for its striking architecture, colorful gates, and the bustling Nakamise shopping street. Take a stroll through the vibrant streets, try traditional snacks, and soak in the historical atmosphere of this culturally rich area.

2. Shibuya Crossing and Hachiko Statue

Shibuya Crossing is one of the busiest intersections in the world and has become an iconic symbol of Tokyo. Experience the organized chaos as pedestrians from all directions cross the street simultaneously when the lights turn red. While in Shibuya, don’t

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