American journalist found after going missing on hike in Norwegian national park
Luhn was found near Folgefonna National Park by helicopter crew and has been taken for medical treatment, the organization wrote on X Wednesday.
Luhn, a climate journalist from Wisconsin, was reported missing by his wife Veronika Silchenko on Monday, after he failed to board his flight home.
The 38-year-old has worked for outlets including National Geographic, The Guardian, The New York Times and The Atlantic. He is currently based in London, after living in Moscow and Istanbul.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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Los Angeles Times
7 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
65 of our favorite places to eat in the San Fernando Valley
Los Angeles has many valleys, but only one is the Valley. You know it as soon as you crest over the 101, 405, 170 or 5 freeways, its bordering hills verdant or golden depending on the time of year. Pull off almost any exit and you'll immediately be greeted by shopping centers, strip malls, mom-and-pop markets and fine-dining dens serving up some of the city's most ambitious and heartfelt meals. Bounded by mountains on all sides, the San Fernando Valley spans 260 square miles and is home to nearly half of L.A.'s population, around 1.8 million people. Across its expanse, it assumes many identities. Long before its peaks and basins were crisscrossed with highways and miles-long boulevards, the Tongva people lived along the water-rich and wooded areas of the Valley for more than 7,000 years. In the late 18th century, Spanish settlers by way of Mexico traversed over the Santa Monica Mountains into what is now known as Encino. More than a century ago, the citrus orchards began to give way as Warner Bros., Walt Disney and Universal studios built out their filming lots. A tinge of Tinseltown and tourism followed, while room to grow brought a midcentury housing boom to the region. Themed restaurants and tiki haunts popped up to keep diners entertained. Now, it's difficult to find a Valley establishment that hasn't made a TV or film appearance. As Valley dwellers began settling in — immigrants, suburban families, celebrities — its food scene flourished in step. On Ventura Boulevard in Sherman Oaks, you'll find Casa Vega, its dim interior practically untouched since Rafael 'Ray' Vega first founded it in 1956. The son of Tijuana-born immigrants who ran popular Cafe Caliente on Olvera Street beginning in the 1930s, Vega introduced many Valley diners — including a flock of silver screen regulars — to Mexican-American staples such as fajitas and enchiladas. Farther south in Studio City, take your pick from a parade of Japanese restaurants along Sushi Row. The stretch of Ventura Boulevard became a hub for high-end Japanese cuisine after pioneering chef Kazunori Nozawa opened his Edo-style sushi restaurant Nozawa in 1987. Though that location has since closed, Nozawa has spawned a global restaurant empire with his KazuNori, Nozawa Bar and Sugarfish chains. Pull off the main drag and you'll find hidden gem burger shacks, taquerias, hot dog joints, kebab shops and neighborhood delis. Meanwhile, Valley residents are spearheading new concepts. 'We're born and bred Valley kids, so we had to do it in the Valley,' said Marissa Shammas on opening Yala Coffee, a Middle Eastern-inspired cafe, with her husband Zain Shammas in Studio City. '[People] commonly think [the Valley] is where things go to die — and we think that that's where things go to be more.' There's more to discover than ever when it comes to dining in the 818 (or 747). Eight Times food writers spent months exploring the Valley in search of the best for this guide, reconnecting with old favorites and finding new surprises. For me, it was also an exercise in nostalgia. Old shortcuts returned like muscle memory as I reacquainted myself with the Woodland Hills blocks where I navigated young adulthood. In North Hollywood, my home for several years into my early 30s, former standbys suddenly returned to the forefront of my mind: The tiki bar across the street from my old apartment, a hole-in-the-wall Puerto Rican restaurant where salsa music draws you in, a vibrant Jamaican bistro that now sits in Sherman Oaks. I found myself wishing I could linger in the Valley longer. Here are our favorites, spanning Filipino-Mexican fusion in a Northridge car wash-turned-restaurant, a DMV-adjacent street-stand for lamb barbacoa in Arleta and a fast-growing mini chain of Sephardic pastries. It's time to dig into the Valley. — Danielle Dorsey
Forbes
7 hours ago
- Forbes
This New Wellness Resort Has The Largest Spa In Central America—And Sits Inside A Volcanic Crater
Hotel La Compañía del Valle, located in El Valle del Anton, Panama. Hotel La Compañía del Valle For decades, Costa Rica has been a magnet for wellness-centered getaways packed with surf, sun and spas, setting it apart from anywhere else in the region. But what of this Central American haven's next-door neighbor, Panama? Despite sharing much of the same natural beauty, excellent connectivity, and impressive biodiversity, Panama is only just getting started when it comes to drawing tourism, of the wellness-focused variety and otherwise. The debut of Hotel La Compañía del Valle, complete with the largest spa in Central America, will change that. At a time when Panama is poised to draw more stopover travelers than ever, this mountain retreat helps put one of the most beautiful corners of the country on display as a destination worth traveling for, offering a wellness experience travelers are craving. The property has a focus on art and wellness, including a one-of-a-kind sculpture park. Hotel La Compañía del Valle With its eponymous canal and bustling business center, Panama City has long been thought of as more of a place to pass through than to savor. But those in-the-know travelers who've heard the whispers about just how cool Panama City really is will recognize the name of Hotel La Compañía. After a years-long restoration and transformation of centuries-old buildings in the Casco Antiguo neighborhood of Panama City, Hotel La Compañía debuted in 2022 and immediately set a new standard for travelers in the city. The hotel occupies an entire city block within Panama City's historic center, with edifications dating back to the 1600s when Jesuit missionaries from La Compañía de Jesús built the first foundations of the property. Now, the 88-room luxury boutique hotel comprises a Spanish colonial era wing, an 18th century French wing, and a 20th century American wing, each with their own unique style and historical details. Anchoring the revitalization of Panama City's historic center and creating arguably the first luxury property of its kind in the city, Hotel La Compañía has felt nothing less than revolutionary. Its new sister resort located in El Valle de Anton seeks to inspire the same excitement around one of the country's most serene spots. "Hotel La Compañía is our guiding light," said Chris Lenz, the owner and visionary behind La Compañía Hotels & Resorts, as we walked the grounds at the newest property. "We knew we had to keep them similar in their essence and feel, and in several of the important details and luxuries. But this is not designed to be a carbon copy of the city property; it can't be.' Instead, Lenz offers an important comparison: 'Hotel La Compañía del Valle is like [Hotel La Compañía] in that it is made exclusively for its location, fitting the experience travelers are looking for when they come here." Hotel La Compañía del Valle has 70 rooms and suites. Hotel La Compañía del Valle Inside Hotel La Compañía del Valle Travelers come to El Valle de Ancon looking for rest and relaxation, and they'll certainly find it here. Hotel La Compañía del Valle is a Tuscan-inspired boutique property spread across several sprawling acres that blend into the forested sides of a long extinct volcanic crater. The hotel's four wings each make the most of breathtaking mountain views and seem to magnify the fresh mountain air that had beckoned city dwellers for generations. Each of the property's 70 rooms and suites offers an oversized balcony or terrace, bringing the outside in in a way that feels intimately authentic to the reason visitors make the journey to this Eden in the first place. Rooms and suites are thoughtfully designed with furnishings and decor pieces that marry modernity with elegance, with tranquil color palettes that draw in glimpses of the lush surroundings through floor-to-ceiling windows. Amenities include Molton Brown bath products and Nespresso machines for preparing fresh Panamanian coffee. Beds here are so cozy that you'll want to order the same bedding for your own home. Hotel La Compañía del Valle also prides itself on its collection of one-of-a-kind art and sculptures. Its sprawling sculpture park is just as much designed to get visitors into a reflective state as the oversized wellness center is. A rendering of the spa at Hotel La Compañía del Valle, set to debut within the next few months. Hotel La Compañía del Valle A Wellness Getaway The Elysium Spa, an 18,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art space, will tie together the entire experience. El Valle de Anton has always been first and foremost a retreat from the city, so this expansive wellness-focused space feels like a natural fit for the destination. Though work continues at the spa, with its expected opening date scheduled for later this year, I got to peek behind the curtain while I visited and wow, is it impressive. Stone-clad changing rooms and relaxation spaces lead down to Roman baths, where a waterfall invites guests into an indoor-outdoor pool. Some of the most important leaders in the wellness world consulted on creating the space and the extensive menu of treatments it will offer. Think floatation therapy, chocolate and wine therapies, and more, far beyond just a traditional menus of spas, facials and scrubs. Hotel La Compañía del Valle within the crater of a long inactive volcano. Hotel La Compañía del Valle Panama's Untouched Interior With such an expansive spa, this mountain resort is a place to easily spend an entire weekend without setting foot off the property. However, the beauty of the destination is also part of the hotel's appeal. The town of El Valle de Anton is admittedly tiny, but the stunning mountainsides surrounding are the the perfect addition for a more active wellness getaway. Hikes range from the relatively easy to more adrenaline pumping, but most offer sweeping views as a well-earned reward. Before I set out on my trek to La India Dormida, the hotel concierge answered all my questions, though they also arranged guides for experiences ranging from hiking and horseback riding to e-biking and day trips further afield. Venture outside of the resort and you'll notice that despite being a weekend escape for Panama City's elite, there's truly nothing like Hotel La Compañía del Valle in the area. Though Panama has welcomed a handful of upscale resorts along the coast in recent years, especially in blossoming Bocas del Toro near the border with Costa Rica, there's little in its lush, ecologically diverse interior to speak of. La Compañía Hotels & Resorts is, again, the first of its kind. Sculptures on the property at Hotel La Compañía del Valle. Hotel La Compañía del Valle Pieces of Panama Many guests will spend a few days in Panama City at the brand's original Casco Antiguo property before heading into the mountains to unwind at the new resort; the properties were designed to fit together well within one travel experience, and they accomplish their goal. But more than just building brand loyalty, Lenz expresses pride that the new hotel opens travel into areas of the country that many people still have yet to experience. 'Panama has everything going for it, and we're excited to welcome more visitors to see it in a new way,' he says. After all, it's the guiding light of a brand making a meaningful impact in one of the region's most exciting new destinations.
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
New wave of African pride rises in the Caribbean
Augustine Ogbo works as a doctor, treating patients in clinics across the striking Caribbean island of St Lucia. When he returns to his home in the coastal town of Rodney Bay, he clocks in for his second job - as the owner and solo chef of a Nigerian takeaway. "Egusi soup and fufu, that's more popular... they love jollof rice too," Dr Ogbo says, reeling off a list of his customers' favourite dishes. The 29-year-old hails from Nigeria - population 230 million - but crossed the Atlantic for St Lucia - population 180,000 - to train as a doctor in 2016. He set up his home-based takeaway, named Africana Chops, in 2022, after being incessantly asked by his St Lucian friends for Nigerian fare. The takeaway is now thriving, Dr Ogbo tells the BBC, and not just because his island customers think the food is tasty. "They know that we all have the same ancestral origin. So most of the time, they want to get in touch with that," Dr Ogbo explains, adding that interest in African culture has grown "tremendously" since he arrived almost a decade ago. St Lucia is not alone in this phenomenon. Across the Caribbean, the desire to reconnect with the population's African heritage appears to have strengthened over the past few years. People across the Caribbean have been expressing African pride through cultural means, such as food, clothing and travel, while governments and institutions from both sides of the Atlantic have been meeting to forge economic ties. Africa has had a long presence in the Caribbean. A significant part of the islands' population descended from enslaved West and Central Africans, who were forcibly transported to the Caribbean by European merchants in the 17th and 18th Centuries. Slavery was abolished in much of the Caribbean during the 1800s, while independence from European powers came the following century. The descendants of enslaved people retained some African customs, but largely developed their own standalone cultures, which differ from island to island. In the past, there have been major campaigns to encourage African pride, as Dorbrene O'Marde, who runs the Antigua and Barbuda Reparations Support Commission, says. "It was particularly strong in the 1930s or so, and then again in the 1960s - we saw a major outpouring in sync with the [American] black power movement during that period," he says, talking to the BBC on the island of Antigua. Mr O'Marde believes the Caribbean is witnessing a renewed, more promising version of such "pan-Africanism" (a term used to describe the idea that people of African descent should be unified). "It has widened beyond psychological and cultural themes and we are now talking in broader economic terms, such as stronger transportation links between the Caribbean and Africa," he says. "We are in a different phase now of pan-Africanism – one that's not going to wane like before." One thing that separates this wave of African pride from the ones that came before is social media. Dennis Howard, an entertainment and cultural enterprise lecturer at the University of the West Indies, says a "significant" amount of Jamaicans are connecting with Africa through platforms such as TikTok. "People are learning more about black history beyond slavery," he tells the BBC from his home in the Jamaican capital, Kingston. Mr Howard also points to the global rise of Afrobeats, a musical genre from Nigeria and Ghana. He feels that in Jamaica specifically, the popularity of Afrobeats is partly down to a desire to reconnect with the continent. "Through the music videos, [Jamaicans] are seeing certain parts of Africa are similar to Jamaica and are developed. We had a concept of Africa as this place where it is backward and it's pure dirt road... the music is changing that." Asked about the view of some Jamaican commenters online - that islanders do not need to reclaim their African heritage as they have an equally valid, hard-won Jamaican heritage of their own - Mr Howard stresses that the two are not distinct. "Our whole culture is African, with a little sprinkling of Indian and European and Chinese. But for the most part it is African-derived. It is the most dominant part of our culture," he says. Those leaning into their African heritage are not just consuming the culture, but actually getting on flights and exploring the continent first-hand. The tourism authority in Ghana - once a major departure point for enslaved Africans being shipped to the Caribbean - told the BBC there had been a "notable increase" in holidaymakers from the islands in recent years. Similarly, Werner Gruner, South Africa's consul to the Bahamas, says that over the past two or three years, his office has seen a rise in local people travelling to South Africa, Ghana and Kenya. "I see a lot of interest in safaris and I think people also start to realise that South Africa and other African countries are actually very well developed," Mr Gruner says. Even Burkina Faso, an economically struggling country under military rule that is not well known for tourism, is apparently on some people's buckets lists. Mr O'Marde says some of his countrypeople want to visit the country because of the pan-African leanings of its leader, Ibrahim Traoré. Getting to the mother continent from the Caribbean can, however, be complicated, with travellers often forced to fly via Europe. Earlier this year, in a speech in which she referred to herself as a "daughter of Africa", Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley called for the construction of "air and sea bridges" between Africa and the Caribbean. "Let us make these changes, not just for heads of state, but for ordinary people who wish to trade, travel, and forge a shared future," she said. Key institutions like the African Union, African Development Bank (AfDB) and African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) have been working on the "trade" angle, hosting conferences and setting up memorandums of understanding with their Caribbean counterparts. Afreximbank says trade between the two regions could jump from around $730m (£540m) to $1.8bn (£1.33bn) by 2028, provided the right conditions are achieved. But at the moment, Africa and the Caribbean have some of the lowest indicators in the world for transport infrastructure, logistics quality and customs efficiency, according to the World Bank. In an attempt to reduce trade barriers, the prime minsters of Grenada and the Bahamas this year called for Africa and the Caribbean to launch a shared currency. Bahamian Prime Minister Philip Davis told delegates at an Afreximbank meeting in Nigeria they should "seriously" consider a single digital currency, while Grenada's Dickon Mitchell said: "Such a move would symbolically and practically affirm our shared identity not just as trading partners, but as members of a truly global Africa". Getting more than 60 countries to coordinate and launch a standard system would be no easy feat, but Mitchell said this must be done if the regions are to "take control of [their] own future". Back in St Lucia, Dr Ogbo says his attempts to bring egusi, fufu and jollof to local people are a small but worthy contribution to the strengthening of relations between Africa and the Caribbean. In June, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu signed various cooperation agreements with St Lucia during a state visit and Dr Ogbo sees Africana Chops as an extension of that. "I can say I'm working hand-in-hand with the Nigerian government and even the St Lucian government to promote the African culture," he says. The doctor and businessman is now trying to upgrade his food business to a full-fledged restaurant - and he hopes the "cultural exchange" between Africa and the Caribbean also goes from strength to strength. "It's awesome!" he says. "I'm really, really excited about that." You may also be interested in: Why the King can't say 'sorry' for slavery Ghana's love affair with reggae and Jamaican Patois 'There's power in names': Antigua unearths lost ancestors Go to for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica BBC Africa podcasts Africa Daily Focus on Africa
