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In travel news this week: the world’s best party spots, the city taking a stand against electric scooters, plus the story of how the world’s tallest bridge transformed a continent.
Best nightlife cities
Sun, sea and samba: Rio de Janeiro in Brazil has been declared the best place in the world to party right now, according to Time Out’s new survey of thousands of people worldwide. Its live music, dance halls and bohemian bars have ravers raving.
Rio ranked high on affordability, but the place that’s hardest on the partying but easy on the wallet is Manila, the capital of the Philippines. The late-night food markets are particularly worth a visit, say the nightlife experts.
The best place to party in Europe, unsurprisingly, is Germany’s legendary clubbing capital Berlin. Outdoor raves have made a comeback, says Time Out, and the grande dame of decadence, Berghain, has a new sound system.
Please don’t
You can fight for your right to party, but here are a bunch of things that destinations around the world would like people to please stop doing:
• Melbourne has had enough of your silly little wheelie nuisances. So it’s banned electric scooter rentals.
• Airports have never been cool with blades, but last week, a missing pair of scissors shut down one of Japan’s busiest hubs. Careful with your tools, guys.
• Some US bars and eateries are banning 20-somethings. Get out of here with your fresh skin and your untarnished hopes and dreams.
Grand designs
Switzerland’s lakes are filled with munitions dumped there in the 20th century. Officials are now offering $57,000 for the best ideas to get them out.
That’s quite a brainteaser, but when it comes to impressive engineering projects, France’s Millau Viaduct is hard to beat. Here’s how the world’s tallest bridge changed the face of Europe.
However, the most almighty technical challenge that many of us face regularly is packing a suitcase to fit airline requirements. Our partners at CNN Underscored, a product reviews and recommendations guide owned by CNN, have this roundup of the best luggage scales for your own precision engineering.
Our animal friends
Their love story captured the world. Sphen, one half of Sydney’s famous gay penguin couple, has passed away at the age of 11. His partner, Magic, started singing to express his grief – and the whole colony joined in.
There was a very different kind of commotion recently at a New Jersey zoo, when a woman climbed over a zoo fence to touch a Bengal tiger, almost getting injured in the process. Watch here.
This week sea lions took over a beach in Monterey, California, forcing officials to close it down. That follows the news last month that sharks are congregating at another California beach that is popular with children learning to surf. Here’s how artificial intelligence is being used to keep swimmers safe.
American spotlight: Knoxville, Tennessee
CNN Travel recently unveiled its top 10 best towns to visit for 2024. Looking fine at No. 9, we’ve got Knoxville, Tennessee.
Once dubbed a “scruffy little city” by The Wall Street Journal, this Tennessee town wears its rough-edged charm with pride and has become cool by being so authentically itself.
As a country music hub, it helped develop the career of stars such as Dolly Parton, and it’s now fast-gaining a modern reputation as a hub for live music.
Once you’ve built up the appetite, there’s the excellent food scene, such as the James Beard Award-winning J.C. Holdway. And then there’s Cruze Farm, which is said to sell some of the best soft-serve ice cream in the Southeast.
