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Diminishing perspective of downtown London skyscrapersChunyip Wong | Istock | Getty ImagesA version of this article first appeared in the CNBC Property Play newsletter with Diana Olick. Property Play covers new and evolving opportunities for the real estate investor, from individuals to venture capitalists, private equity funds, family offices, institutional investors and large public companies. Sign up to receive future editions, straight to your inbox.The commercial real estate market has been historically slow to modernize, and yet it appears to be accelerating its adoption of artificial intelligence. Companies are moving beyond initial testing and exploration into more targeted applications that aim to redefine…

WHY IT RATES: The news comes just weeks after the 2025 iteration saw nearly 200 attendees from more than 40 states descend on Capitol Hill to advocate for key policies.—Patrick Clarke, TravelPulse Senior EditorThe American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) opened registration for Legislative Day 2026, taking place April 20–21, 2026, in Washington, D.C. Each year, travel advisors from across the country gather on Capitol Hill to meet face-to-face with lawmakers and advocate for the policies that protect their businesses and elevate the travel advisor profession. After an impactful week advocating for the travel advisor profession in early October, the momentum…

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — At the Arch Street Meeting House in Philadelphia’s Old City, more and more young people are seeking respite from a clamorous technological age in the silent worship of a centuries-old faith.Like other Quaker houses of worship, it follows values of simplicity and equality. There’s no clergy, pulpit or altar. No statues of saints, no stained-glass windows. No one sings or chants, burns incense or lights candles. They simply sit in silence in 200-year-old wooden pews — and wait for a message from God to move through them until they speak.“This feels different in that it’s so simple.…

A customer shops for Halloween candy at a Walmart Supercenter on October 16, 2024 in Austin, Texas. Brandon Bell | Getty ImagesThe scariest thing haunting Halloween this year isn’t a ghost, goblin or ghoul — it’s the price of chocolate.From Snickers to Reese’s to Twix, one of America’s favorite indulgences is getting more expensive, as tariffs, inflation and high cocoa prices squeeze profit margins and customers’ pocketbooks, possibly leading to fewer chocolate bars landing in trick-or-treat buckets this year.Chocolate prices have surged nearly 30% since last Halloween and almost 78% in the past five years, according to data from research firm…

Explora Journeys, the luxury ocean travel brand of the MSC Group has introduced a new rare and transformative Caribbean experience aboard EXPLORA II.‘A Journey of Caribbean Calm and Bahamian Blue’ offers a 10-night journey departing from Miami on January 25, 2026, and returning on February 4, 2026, calling on ports in Puerto Plata, Kralendijk, Oranjestad, Willemstad, and Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, a private island sanctuary dedicated to marine preservation. Guests will gain a deeper understanding of ocean conservation accompanied by Explora Journey’s Brand Ambassador, Mike Horn.Previously leading immersive hiking experiences in Greenland and the Canary Islands, Horn will join…

When KC Neufeld announced on her Denver neighborhood’s Facebook page that her family would be handing out ramen and packs of macaroni and cheese in addition to candy this Halloween, she wasn’t expecting much of a response.The mother of twin 4-year-olds was just hoping to make a small difference in her working-class neighborhood as food aid funding for tens of millions of vulnerable Americans is expected to end Friday due to the government shutdown.Within two days, nearly 3,000 people had reacted to Neufeld’s post, some thanking her and others announcing they would follow suit.“This post blew up way more than…

Creative suite company Canva launched its own design model on Thursday that understands design layers and formats to power its features. The company also introduced new products and features, updates to its AI assistant, and the ability to use its spreadsheet tool alongside its app-building feature to create data visualization widgets. Canva said that it is launching its own foundational model, trained on its design elements, that generates designs with editable layers and objects rather than flat images. The model works across different formats, including social media posts, presentations, whiteboards, and websites. “We started by creating flat images with diffusion…

MAAR SHAMARIN, Syria (AP) — In the southern Idlib countryside, once a frontline in Syrian civil war, residents are trickling back to their villages after years in exile.Repairing and reopening damaged and looted schools is key to the return of the displaced, but nearly a year after former President Bashar Assad was ousted in a rebel offensive, hundreds of schools are still destroyed. Millions of children in Syria remain out of school, while others are attending class in gutted buildings without basic supplies. A schoolhouse with no windows or chairsSafiya al-Jurok and her family fled the town of Maar Sharamin…

Navan, the corporate travel and expense platform, finished its first day of trading on the Nasdaq on Thursday down 20% from its $25 IPO price, resulting in a valuation of approximately $4.7 billion for the 10-year-old company. The company was the first to use a new SEC rule that allows public listings during a government shutdown. Unlike the traditional IPO path, which requires SEC regulators to review and grant final approval, companies using the shutdown workaround can get automatic approval for their IPO documents 20 days after submitting their price range, effectively bypassing the need for manual SEC approval. But…

In the southern Idlib countryside, once a frontline in Syrian civil war, residents are trickling back to their villages after years in exile. Repairing and reopening damaged and looted schools is key to the return of the displaced, but nearly a year after former President Bashar Assad was ousted in a rebel offensive, hundreds of schools are still destroyed. Millions of children in Syria remain out of school, while others are attending class in gutted buildings without basic supplies. A student reads a book while leaning against a wall of the Maar Shmarin Primary School, its surface scarred by bullet…