Three-time world champion slackliner Jaan Roose pulled off another world-first highline walk between the Jumeirah Emirates Towers in Dubai, standing 224 meters high and spanning 100 meters. This feat marked the beginning of the third edition of the 1 Billion Followers Summit, the world’s biggest event for the creator economy. Roose’s achievement, with futuristic Dubai skyscrapers as a striking backdrop, is one of his most visually captivating to date.
The notion of an "island of the dead" or a secretly abandoned place might evoke a plotline from a popular mystery series.
It has become a reality in the Caspian Sea.
Satellites spotted a mysterious island, only to lose sight of it entirely.
Following an eruption of a mud volcano in the year 2023.
By late 2024, it had almost entirely dissolved.
According to NASA's Earth Observation Program, the island shifted out of sight like a mysterious ghost.
'The Kumani Bank mud volcano's massive eruptions have resulted in several temporary islands forming on multiple occasions since it first erupted in 1861,' it explained.
This underwater feature is also known as Chigil-Deniz and is situated approximately 15 miles west of Azerbaijan's eastern coast, at a distance of about 25 kilometers.
NASA's Landsat 8 and 9 satellites took images of the island on November 18, 2022, February 14, 2023, and December 25, 2024.
In November, the volcanic peak was still submerged underwater.
By February, however, the island had emerged, and a sediment plume drifted away from it.
Mark Tingay, a geologist at the University of Adelaide, stated that additional satellite observations indicate that the island existed between January 30 and February 4 and measured approximately 400 meters (1,300 feet) in diameter.
However, by the end of 2024, this island had vanished out of sight with more than half of the Kumani Bank exposed above the water.
Previous eruptions of the volcano have taken place in bursts lasting under two days, and have resulted in the formation of islands of varying sizes and durations.
'A significant May 1861 event led to an island formation measuring approximately 87 meters in width and 3.5 meters in height above the water level,' NASA stated.
The one eroded away by early 1862.
The most powerful eruption, which occurred in 1950, resulted in the formation of an island that measured 700 meters (2,300 feet) in diameter and 6 meters (20 feet) in height.
Mr Tingay describes mud volcanoes as "weird and wonderful features" but admits that they are "largely understudied and little understood".
Most mud volcanoes are located in areas with significant tectonic activity, with Azerbaijan noteworthy for its unusually high frequency of such occurrences.
'Geologists have recorded over 300 earthquakes in eastern Azerbaijan and in the Caspian Sea, with the majority of them occurring on land,' NASA said.
'The region is situated within an area where the tectonic plates of the Arabian and Eurasia converge and come into contact.'
Unfortunately, mud volcanoes have the potential to pose a risk due to their capability to eject significant quantities of materials, including flames, over a relatively short duration.
"It is uncertain if the 2023 Kumani Bank eruption was explosive, but past eruptions of this and other nearby mud volcanoes have sent towering columns of fire hundreds of meters into the air," NASA noted.
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The holiday destination in Indonesia known as Bali, considered the most beautiful destination in Asia, has been chosen as the world's second-best tourist destination after London by travelers who share their opinions on the website Tripadvisor.
"Bali is a living postcard, an Indonesian paradise that has an otherworldly quality," was written by Tripadvisor.
The platform suggests activities like diving along coral ridges or exploring lush jungles featuring ancient stone temples and playful monkeys.
Ubud, the island's cultural center, is a must-visit attraction, featuring dance performances, courses in batik-making or silversmithing, and opportunities for yoga practice.
In its Readers' Choice Awards.
The island welcomed around 6.3 million international visitors last year, matching and actually exceeding pre-pandemic levels, and aims to attract around 6.5 million this year.
In addition to Bali, Southeast Asia is comprised of five other destinations featured on Tripadvisor's list of the world's 25 greatest destinations, which include Hanoi and Hoi An in Vietnam, Bangkok and Phuket in Thailand, and Siem Reap in Cambodia.
The 2025 Travelers' Choice Awards are derived from the volume and quality of traveler feedback provided globally on Tripadvisor between October 1, 2023, and September 30, 2024. This recognition honors destinations that have earned the highest ratings, identifying places that have impressed travelers globally.
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