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Dazzling photos show royal castles and palaces decorated for Christmas

Royal staff members decorated a Christmas tree in Windsor Castle.
Royal staff members decorated a Christmas tree in Windsor Castle.

Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2024/Royal Collection Trust

  • UK royal staff decorated residences like Windsor Castle for the holidays.
  • The British royals have a slew of famous properties, from Windsor to Holyroodhouse to Buckingham Palace.
  • Buckingham Palace is being renovated โ€” and we've not seen any photos so far of it being decked out.

The British royal family is getting in the holiday spirit.

It's a festive tradition for staff from the Royal Collection Trust to decorate the family's residences around the UK.

This year, Windsor Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh were the first residences to be decked out with Christmas trees and garlands.

Take a look at all the festive touches.

In Windsor Castle, a 20-foot Christmas tree was erected in St George's Hall.
Windsor Castle's St George's Hall has been decorated with a 20-foot Christmas tree.
Windsor Castle's St George's Hall has been decorated with a 20-foot Christmas tree.

Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2024/Royal Collection Trust

The tree was sourced from the nearby Windsor Great Park and will be replanted after the Christmas display closes.

For the first time, Queen Mary's Dolls' House is decorated.
Queen Mary's Dolls' House in Windsor Castle.
Queen Mary's Dolls' House was adorned with holiday decorations for the first time.

Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2024/Royal Collection Trust

The Queen Mary's Dolls' House in Windsor Castle was designed between 1921 and 1924 as a "gift to the nation" from Queen Mary following World War I.

The doll house โ€” often called the largest and most famous in the world โ€” replicates an aristocratic Edwardian home and has electricity, working elevators, and running water.

This close-up image shows a mini 1920s Christmas tree.
A close-up image of the Christmas decorations in Queen Mary's Doll's House
A close-up image of the Christmas decorations in Queen Mary's Doll's House.

Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2024/Royal Collection Trust

To commemorate its 100th anniversary, the doll house has been decorated for Christmas for the first time with a miniature 1920s-style Christmas tree and garlands.

Meanwhile, festive garlands were on the castle's grand staircase.
A staff member decorates Windsor Castle with festive garlands.
A staff member decorates Windsor Castle with festive garlands.

Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2024/Royal Collection Trust

The staircase leads to the State Apartments, which are open for the public to visit.

A 15-foot-high Christmas tree stands in the castle's crimson drawing room.
A close-up image shows a Christmas tree in Windsor Castle's Crimson Drawing Room, with two sofa chairs and a sparkling chandelier.
A close-up image shows a Christmas tree in Windsor Castle's Crimson Drawing Room.

Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2024/Royal Collection Trust

A Nordmann Fir Christmas tree was erected in the crimson drawing room, which the royal family uses for official entertaining.

Photos of the decorations at Buckingham Palace have not been released.
Britain's King Charles and Queen Camilla listen as members of the Military Wives Choirs perform a Christmas song at Buckingham Palace.
Britain's King Charles and Queen Camilla listen as members of the Military Wives Choirs perform a Christmas song at Buckingham Palace.

Yui Mok/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Buckingham Palace is decorated โ€” but there aren't any pictures available.

A palace spokesperson told Business Insider that imagery of the interior decoration hasn't been released since the palace is closed to the public.

They said there were Christmas trees, garlands, and other festive flowers in the palace, the official London residence of the royals.

The photo above shows an event on December 11 at the palace, without any obvious decoration.

The palace is undergoing a ยฃ369 million ($466 million) refurbishment, which will see the royal household closed to state visits until 2027.

The Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh was also decorated with trees and garlands.
A Christmas tree surrounded by paintings in the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh.
The Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh is decorated with a Christmas tree.

Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2024/Royal Collection Trust

A 15-foot-high tree was erected in the Great Gallery, the largest room in the palace.

Here's a close-up shot of staff decorating the tree with baubles.
Staff members decorated the Christmas tree in the Palace of Holyroodhouse's Great Gallery.
Staff members decorated the Christmas tree in the Great Gallery.

Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2024/Royal Collection Trust

The room is adorned with portraits of legendary kings of Scotland.

Two 12-foot-high Christmas trees stand in the palace's Throne Room.
Two 12-foot-high Christmas trees and a mantle garland decorate the Throne Room at the Palace of Holyroodhouse.
Two Christmas trees and a mantle garland decorate the palace's Throne Room.

A staff member decorates a Christmas tree in the royal family's Scottish residence.

The Throne Room is used for receptions, state banquets, and other formal events.

Here's a closer look at one of the trees.
A staff member decorates a Christmas tree in the royal family's Scottish residence.
A staff member decorates a Christmas tree in the royal family's Scottish residence.

Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2024/Royal Collection Trust

The tree was decorated predominantly with red baubles and ribbons.

In the palace's dining room, giant festive garlands are displayed.
Two royal staff members add festive decor in the royal dining room.
Two royal staff members add festive decor in the royal dining room.

Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2024/Royal Collection Trust

Staff members can be seen adding the finishing touches to the display.

The table was set with sugared fruits and foliage.
A staff member decorates a table for Christmas at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, Scotland.
A staff member decorates a table for Christmas at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2024/Royal Collection Trust

Clarence House has also been decorated for the holidays.
Queen Camilla speaks to a person dressed as Santa Claus at Clarence House.
Queen Camilla speaks to a person dressed as Santa Claus at Clarence House.

Mina Kim AFP

The London residence, which remains the primary residence of King Charles III and his wife, Queen Camilla, also got a festive makeover in the run up to Christmas.

The property was decorated to resemble a Christmas grotto ahead of an annual festive tradition.
Queen Camilla and a child place a decoration on a Christmas tree during an event at Clarence House.
Queen Camilla and a child place a decoration on a Christmas tree during an event at Clarence House.

Mina Kim/ AFP via Getty Images

The Queen welcomed children to Clarence House to help decorate the Christmas tree in the household's library.

Highgrove, the King's former family residence, was decorated with towering nutcrackers.
Staff at Highgrove Gardens dress huge nutcrackers on the terrace.
Staff at Highgrove Gardens dress huge nutcrackers on the terrace.

Ben Birchall/PA via Getty Images

Highgrove is in the English countryside some 85 miles west of London.

The two nutcrackers, which stand at over 10 feet tall, have been placed outside the Orchard Room, the estate's dedicated entertaining space.

Inside, a Christmas tree has been placed on a table.
Staff at Highgrove Gardens dress a Christmas tree in the Ante Room.
Staff at Highgrove Gardens dress a Christmas tree in the Ante Room.

Ben Birchall/PA Images via Getty Images

The tree is in the Ante Room and will be visible to the public who visit Highgrove's gardens during the festive period.

Garlands of dried fruit have been displayed on the windows.
Garlands of dried fruit have been hung on the windows at Highgrove.
Garlands of dried fruit have been hung on the windows at Highgrove.

Ben Birchall/PA Images via Getty Images

Staff members can be seen decorating the tree beyond the windows.

The table in the garden room was decorated with tall candelabras and seasonal colors.
Staff at Highgrove Gardens prepare place settings in the Garden Room.
Staff at Highgrove Gardens prepare place settings in the Garden Room

Ben Birchall/PA Images via Getty Images

Staff at Highgrove Gardens can be seen preparing place settings in the garden room.

If we see more royal Christmassy photos, we'll add them.
windsor castle christmas tree
Crown decorations on the 2018 Windsor Castle Christmas tree.

AP

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Photos show Dubai overwhelmed by torrential rain

Vehicles hardly move on flooded streets due to heavy rain in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on April 16, 2024.
Vehicles hardly moved on flooded streets because of heavy rain in Dubai on April 16.

Stringer/Anadolu/Getty Images

  • The United Arab Emirates experienced torrential rainfall and flash floods, beginning late Monday.
  • Videos appear to show planes taxiing down flooded runways at Dubai International Airport.ย 
  • Some blamed a practice to address water scarcity, but many meteorologists doubt that was the case.

Torrential rainfall pummeled the United Arab Emirates this week, resulting in flash floods that caused air travel chaos, closed schools, and deluged homes.

The rain began late Monday, flooding the UAE with more than half a foot (6.26 inches) of water in 24 hours, according to the Dubai Meteorological Office and cited by ABC News. That is more than two years' worth of rain in one day, the outlet noted.

There are claims that cloud seeding may have played a role in the flash floods. The practice sees planes inject clouds with chemicals that can increase rainfall. Scientists say it's unlikely cloud seeding caused the flooding, though.

One fatality was reported by police at the time of writing on Wednesday: A 70-year-old man died in Ras al-Khaimah when his vehicle was swept away in the flooding.

Flooding also occurred in Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. In Oman, 19 people died in flash floods, according to local media.

Dubai road flooding
Cars engulfed in water on a busy road in Dubai on April 17.

GIUSEPPE CACACE/Getty Images

Dubai International Airport โ€” recently named the most luxurious airport in the world โ€” said planes were diverted. Some services now appear to have restarted.

Unverified videos on social media appeared to show heavily flooded tarmac, with large passenger airplanes creating waves and taxiing through several feet of water.

The airport did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider about the videos.

Vehicles drive on a flooded road during torrential rain in the Gulf Emirate of Dubai on April 16, 2024.
A flooded road in Dubai on April 16.

GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP/Getty Images

"We advise you NOT to come to the airport, unless absolutely necessary," an airport spokesperson wrote on X on Wednesday.

They added that planes continue to be delayed and diverted.

An unnamed couple told the AP that the situation at the airport is "absolute carnage," with some passengers sleeping there or at the Metro station.

car flood
An empty car on a flooded street on April 17.

GIUSEPPE CACACE/Getty Images

Dubai recieved more than 5.6 inches of rain by Tuesday evening, around the amount it typically gets in a year and a half, according to Sky News.

It marks its heaviest rainfall in 75 years, according to a WAM news agency cited by Sky News.

In a post shared on X, the UAE's National Centre of Meteorology showed the regions that have been most affected.

ูƒู…ูŠุงุช ุงู„ุฃู…ุทุงุฑ ุงู„ุชุฑุงูƒู…ูŠุฉ
ู„ู„ุญุงู„ุฉ ุงู„ุฌูˆูŠุฉ ุนู„ู‰ ุงู„ุฏูˆู„ุฉ ู…ู† ุงู„ุฃุญุฏ 14 ุฅู„ู‰ ุตุจุงุญ ุงู„ุฃุฑุจุนุงุก 17 ุฃุจุฑูŠู„ 2024
Total Cumulative rainfall for the weather situation from Sunday, April 14 to Wednesday morning, April 17, 2024. pic.twitter.com/LyM6uqygs5

โ€” ุงู„ู…ุฑูƒุฒ ุงู„ูˆุทู†ูŠ ู„ู„ุฃุฑุตุงุฏ (@ncmuae) April 17, 2024

The UAE has been cloud seeding since the '90s

While images of extreme flooding can show the consequences of the climate crisis, this particular event may have been worsened by a direct attempt to play rainmaker โ€” literally.

To address water scarcity in the typically dry country, the UAE started using a practice referred to as cloud seeding in the 90s and early 2000s.

Cloud seeding is a method designed to increase the amount of water that falls from a cloud. It involves identifying suitable clouds and then using aircraft or ground-based generators to introduce a chemical agent that facilitates the production of snowflakes.

Cloud seeding has been used in countries worldwide, including in western US states dealing with drought, like California, Colorado, Nevada, Idaho, and Texas.

Vehicles are stranded on a flooded street following torrential rain in the Gulf Emirate of Dubai on April 16, 2024.
Vehicles stranded on a flooded street in April following torrential rain in Dubai.

GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP/Getty Images

The practice has long been controversial, with critics dismissing it as an attempt to "play God" or being potentially harmful to the environment or public health. Scientists have not documented the harmful impacts of cloud seeding, and recent studies have suggested that the practice works.

Ahmed Habib, a specialist meteorologist, told Bloomberg that the UAE's cloud seeding operations contributed directly to the heavy rainfall that fell this week.

vehicle dubai
A car in Dubai is trapped by the heavy rainfall on April 16.

Anadolu/Getty Images

Habib told the outlet that two planes conducted cloud seeding operations on Monday and Tuesday and that seven seeding missions had been carried out in two days.

Flight-tracking data analyzed by the AP suggested that an aircraft affiliated with the UAE's cloud-seeding project flew around the country Sunday.

"For any cloud that's suitable over the UAE you make the operation," Habib told Bloomberg.

A submerged duty machine is seen after heavy rain in United Arab Emirates on April 16, 2024.
A submerged duty machine seen after heavy rain in the United Arab Emirates.

Stringer/Anadolu/Getty Images

The UAE's weather bureau said no cloud seeding had taken place during Tuesday's rain, according to the National News. It did not immediately respond to a request by BI for comment.

Chris England, a weather producer at Sky News, said he didn't believe cloud seeding to be a reason behind the floods, adding that evidence of it working was "pretty slim at best." Tomer Burg, an atmospheric-science researcher, told the Associated Press that days before the downpour, computer models forecast several inches of rain.

"When we talk about heavy rainfall, we need to talk about climate change. Focusing on cloud seeding is misleading," an Imperial College of London climate scientist, Friederike Otto, told the AP. "Rainfall is becoming much heavier around the world as the climate warms because a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture."

Despite warning citizens to remain home during the heavy rain, the UAE government's press office said they were "rains of goodness," as the country has dealt with a rise in heat-related illnesses and deaths that some hope can be alleviated by an increase in rainfall.

Schools across the UAE continued to be closed on Wednesday, and employees are working from home, according to the Sky News report.

Correction: December 5, 2024 โ€” This story was updated to better contextualize speculation linking cloud seeding to flooding in the UAE. Many scientists say it's unlikely cloud seeding had a role in the flooding.

Read the original article on Business Insider

Notre Dame Cathedral reopens this weekend. See inside the restored Gothic masterpiece.

The interior of Notre Dame Cathedral.
Paris' Notre Dame will reopen next month.

CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

  • Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris is set to reopen on December 7.
  • It's been more than five years since a fire devastated parts of the historic building.
  • Take a look at new images of the restored cathedral below.

Notre Dame Cathedral, one of Paris' most iconic buildings, is set to reopen its doors on December 7, more than five years on from the devastating fire that ravaged its roof and toppled its spire.

Ahead of the reopening service, which will be presided over by the Archbishop of Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron took a televised walking tour of the cathedral, offering glimpses of the restoration. In a post on X, Macron shared a photo, writing alongside it: "Achieving the impossible together. That's France."

Business Insider has compiled some images of the restored building below.

A fire broke out at Notre Dame Cathedral on April 15, 2019.
The exterior of Notre Dame.
The exterior of Notre Dame.

SARAH MEYSSONNIER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

The blaze destroyed much of the building's roof and brought down its spire. Fortunately, the cathedral's bell towers and main structure survived.
The interior of Notre Dame after major reconstruction works.
The interior of Notre Dame after major reconstruction works.

CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

The subsequent restoration project is estimated to have cost more than $700 million.
Rose window at Notre Dame Cathedral.

CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

France's President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, visited ahead of the official reopening.
President Emmanuel Macron and Brigitte Macron visited Notre Dame.
President Emmanuel Macron and Brigitte Macron visited Notre Dame.

CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Macron gave a speech to people who worked on the rebuild.
French President Emmanuel Macron gives a speech at Notre Dame.
French President Emmanuel Macron gave a speech ahead of the reopening attended by construction workers.

CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

A reopening service is set to be held on December 7.
The interior of Notre Dame Cathedral.

CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

A Mass is then planned for December 8.
The altar at Notre Dame Cathedral.

CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

President-elect Donald Trump is set to attend the reopening ceremony on Saturday.
A statue of a mother and child inside Notre Dame.
A statue inside the cathedral.

STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

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What Thanksgiving dinner looks like for NASA astronauts in space

NASA astronauts Suni Williams, Nick Hague, Butch Wilmore, and Don Pettit with packages of food on the ISS.
NASA astronauts Suni Williams, Nick Hague, Butch Wilmore, and Don Pettit shared their Thanksgiving meal in a new video message.

NASA

  • NASA astronauts on the ISS share Thanksgiving plans in a video on X.
  • Suni Williams and Buth Wilmore's return to Earth was recently delayed until 2025.
  • NASA plans to bring them back using the SpaceX Crew Dragon in early 2025.

NASA astronauts living and working on the International Space Station (ISS) gave a glimpse into what Thanksgiving day will look like for them.

Commander Suni Williams and flight engineers Nick Hague, Butch Wilmore, and Don Pettit shared their Thanksgiving plans in a video shared to NASA's X account on Wednesday.

"We have much to be thankful for."

From the @Space_Station, our crew of @NASA_Astronauts share their #Thanksgiving greetingsโ€”and show off the menu for their holiday meal. pic.twitter.com/j8YUVy6Lzf

โ€” NASA (@NASA) November 27, 2024

"Our crew up here just wanted to say happy Thanksgiving to all our friends and family who are down on Earth and everyone who is supporting us," Williams said.

The crew shared plans to enjoy a holiday meal together and showed a container of food which they said had smoked turkey, Brussels sprouts, butternut squash, and apples and spices.

In an interview with NBC News on Wednesday, Williams said they also had plans to eat apple cobbler, green beans, mushrooms, and mashed potatoes.

"Our flight control teams gave us tomorrow off, so our plans are, as usual, get up and workout, do the Turkey trot, watch a little Macy's [Thanksgivng] Day Parade, and we have a bunch of food that we packed away that is Thanksgiving-ish," she said.

In 1973, Skylab 4 astronauts Gerald P. Carr, Edward G. Gibson, and William R. Pogue became the first crew to celebrate Thanksgiving in space.

Skylab 4 astronauts Edward G. Gibson, left, William R. Pogue, and Gerald P. Carr demonstrate eating aboard Skylab during Thanksgiving in 1973.
Skylab 4 astronauts Edward G. Gibson, left, William R. Pogue, and Gerald P. Carr demonstrate eating aboard Skylab during Thanksgiving in 1973.

NASA

According to NASA, Gibson and Pogue had to complete a 6-hour and 33-minute space walk, while Carr remained in the control center with no access to food.

Thursday marks the 176th day since Williams and Wilmore arrived on the ISS after conducting test pilots on Boeing's Starliner space capsule.

The pair were originally supposed to be in space for eight to 10 days after arriving on June 6. However, theirย return kept getting delayedย due to technical difficulties and safety concerns.

In August, NASA said Wilmore and Williams will be brought home in a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule in early 2025.

"Our mission control team and our management has always had an option for us to come home," Williams told NBC News.

"So yeah, we came up here on Starliner. We're coming back on a Dragon, but there's always been a plan of how we would get home," she added.

Read the original article on Business Insider

A Chinese ship was near both subsea internet cables that were mysteriously cut, report says

Three ships on the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
A Chinese vessel (not pictured) was spotted in the Baltic Sea close to where internet cables were severed.

Jens Bรผttner/picture alliance via Getty Images

  • A Chinese ship was seen near severed Baltic Sea internet cables, the FT reported.
  • Germany's defense minister said the incidents were likely to have been "caused by sabotage."
  • An unnamed source told the FT that Sweden is investigating whether China was involved.

Sweden is investigating the sighting of a Chinese vessel near where two Baltic Sea internet cables were severed, the Financial Times reported.

The first cable โ€” a 135-mile internet link between Lithuania and Sweden's Gotland Island โ€” stopped working on Sunday.

Later on Monday, a 730-mile cable carrying data between Germany and Finland was cut.

Boris Pistorius, Germany's defense minister, said on Tuesday that it was being assumed that the two incidents were "caused by sabotage."

"No one believes that the cables were accidentally damaged," he said.

A joint statement by France, Italy, Germany, Poland, and Britain had previously suggested that Russia was involved. However, China is now also being investigated.

Yi Peng 3, a Chinese-registered cargo ship, was traveling from Russia to Egypt when it passed the two cables at around the same time each was cut on Sunday and Monday, according to Marine Traffic data obtained by FT.

The ship was then followed closely by the Danish Navy, open-source intelligence experts told the outlet.

The Danish defense ministry said it was "in the area near" the Chinese ship in a statement on X Wednesday, amid unconfirmed reports that Danish officials had boarded the vessel.

Erin Murphy, coauthor of a recent Center for Strategic and International Studies report on the threat to undersea cables, speculated that China may be working in tandem with Russia.

"There have been questions about China's support or lack of opposition to Russia's war in Ukraine but if intentional, this is an aggressive step by a China that typically operates in the Indo-Pacific region," Murphy told BI.

In 2023, a Chinese vessel was investigated after dragging its anchor and damaging gas and telecommunications lines in the Gulf of Finland. China cooperated with the investigation.

In a joint statement on Monday, the Foreign Ministers of Finland and Germany said they were "deeply concerned" about the incidents.

"The fact that such an incident immediately raises suspicions of intentional damage speaks volumes about the volatility of our times," the statement said.

"A thorough investigation is underway. Our European security is not only under threat from Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, but also from hybrid warfare by malicious actors," they added.

"Safeguarding our shared critical infrastructure is vital to our security and the resilience of our societies."

The International Union of Marine Insurance estimates that repairing damaged cables usually costs between $7 and $12 million.

It comes amid tensions between the West and China over its support of Russia in the war against Ukraine.

Representatives for Sweden's Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Marine Traffic, and China's Embassy in the UK did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Read the original article on Business Insider

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