Lauren Shannon

Kokichi Akuzawa, 102, Became The Oldest To Summit Mt. Fuji, Japan, On 8/5/25, Earning A Guinness World Record. Over 3 Days He Climbed With His Daughter Despite Health Setbacks, Surpassing Teiichi Igarashi (99, 1986) & Ichijiro Araya (~100, 1994). Having Climbed At 96 & Seen It Many Times, He Joked The View “Wasn’t Special” But Felt Proud.

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Nvidia, On 7/4/25, Briefly Became The World’s Most Valuable Company At $3.92T, Topping Microsoft ($3.7T, 2nd) & Apple ($3.19T, 3rd). A Fierce AI Race Among Tech Giants Has Driven Massive Demand For Nvidia Chips. Now Worth More Than All UK-Listed Firms & Canada+Mexico’s Markets, It Makes Up 7% Of The S&P 500, & 28% With Other Tech Titans.

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Catalonia, Spain, Campaigns As The Region With The Best Gastronomy In The World, Uniting 100+ Chefs. It Boasts 62 Restaurants With A Total Of 77 Michelin Stars, And 3 Are Ranked Among The World’s Best. Named The 2025 World Region Of Gastronomy By IGCAT, It Fuses Culinary Excellence With Tourism, Innovation, And A Thriving Agri-Food Sector.

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The $1.2B New Harbor Bridge Connects Corpus Christi To North Beach And Is Now The Tallest Point In South Texas (538 Ft Above MSL) & The Longest U.S. Cable-Stayed Bridge (1,661 Ft). It Enhances Port Access, Reduces Traffic, & Boosts Economic Growth. The Southbound Lanes Opened On 6/28/25; The Northbound Lanes Are Set To Open In Early July.

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The Louvre, The World’s Most-Visited Museum, Shut Down As Staff Protested Overcrowding, Mass Tourism, And Understaffing, Stranding Thousands Of Visitors. Despite President Macron’s “Louvre New Renaissance” Plan, Workers Demand Urgent Action. Past Closures Include During War, COVID, & Strikes (2019 & 2013). Reopening May Happen On 6/18/25.

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Saudi Arabia Is Building Trojena, The World’s First Vertical Ski Village In A Desert, Part Of The $500b Neom City. It Features 36 Km Of Slopes, Year-Round Skiing With Artificial Snow, And Will Host The 2029 Asian Winter Games. Aimed At Boosting Tourism And The Economy, It Includes Sustainable Energy, Water Recovery, And Faces Environmental Concerns.

Capital One’s $35B All-Stock Merger With Discover Would Make Capital One The Largest U.S. Credit Card Issuer, & Could Challenge Visa/Mastercard By Shifting Its Customers To Discover’s Network. The DOJ Found No Reason To Block The Deal, & The Federal Reserve & OCC Have Given The Final Approval. But Critics Warn Of Higher Fees & Credit Costs.

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China‘s Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge, Opening In June 2025, Will Be The World’s Tallest Bridge At 2,051 ft Above River Level. Located In Guizhou, The 9,482-ft Steel Truss Suspension Bridge Cuts Travel Time From 2 Hrs To 1 Min. Its 22,000-Ton Trusses Weigh 3x Eiffel Towers. Nearly Half Of The World’s 100 Tallest Bridges Are In Guizhou.

Trump Announced Tariffs On 4/2/25—The Highest Import Taxes Since The 1800s: A 10% Baseline On U.S. Imports, With Steeper Rates For Nations Like China, Cambodia & Vietnam. The Move Ends Free Trade, Aiming To Boost U.S. Industry But Risking Higher Prices, Economic Damage, And Global Tensions. Stocks Lost $5T In 2 Days—The Biggest 2-Day Drop Ever

Starting Summer 2026, The Cleetwood Cove Trail—The Only Legal Access To Crater Lake, The Deepest Lake In The U.S.—Will Close For Major Renovations, Possibly Reopening In 2029. Improvements Include Trail Rebuilding, Dock Replacement, & Rockfall Mitigation. Until Then, No Swimming Or Boat Tours; Visitors Can Only Admire The Lake From Above.

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