• I've been to 38 countries, and people always ask me for travel recommendations.
• Dubrovnik, Croatia, has fascinating history, great restaurants, and beautiful beaches.
• In my opinion, Singapore has something for everyone.

As someone who grew up in Singapore with a Thai mother and Irish father, travel has always been a big part of my life.

From visiting relatives around the world to exploring new places as a family, my favorite memories always involve touching down in a new city.

I've been lucky enough to visit 38 countries so far, and when people ask for my travel recommendations, these three cities always top my list.

There's so much to love about Dubrovnik, Croatia

Dubrovnik, Croatia, has everything I look for in a European summer destination: fascinating history, traditional restaurants and bars, and rocky beaches in secluded coves.

Surrounded by the sparkling blue Adriatic Sea, Dubrovnik feels majestic yet quaint: visitors can easily get their bearings around the city in a day or two.

I recommend exploring the historic Fort Lovrijenac, a centuries-old fortress that was also used as a filming location for "Game of Thrones."

A lap of the city walls is also a must for the most incredible panoramic views of the sea.

Bergen, Norway, is perfect for outdoor adventures

Located in Southwestern Norway, Bergen is a charming city with museums and colorful wooden houses on the old wharf. I really enjoyed stopping by the Fish Market near the waterfront for fresh sushi.

Make sure you also dedicate a day to taking the funicular, or cable train, up Mount Fløyen for challenging hiking with stunning views.

The real treat of visiting, though, is the opportunity to take a day trip into the fjords and beyond. I traveled to Flåm, Norway, where I boarded a boat to Nærøyfjord, one of the narrowest fjords in the world.

There's something for everyone in Singapore

I may be biased since I grew up in this Asian city-state, but I consider Singapore a must-visit destination for all travelers.

Growing up here, I didn't appreciate how much it had to offer, but now, I make the most of every trip home to see my parents.

For example, I love exploring the open-air food courts called hawker centers and checking out the new local bars and cafés. I also enjoy exploring the stunning Singapore Botanic Gardens, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

If you're looking to work up a sweat, I recommend climbing Fort Canning Hill. Once at the top, stop to explore a historic World War II bunker called the Battlebox.

Whether you're a history buff or a foodie, there's truly something for everyone in Singapore.

• Tromsø, Norway, hosts the world's northernmost McDonald's, which draws plenty of tourists.
• The Tromsø McDonald's had some unique items and a spacious interior.
• The menu and decor, though, were similar to any other McDonald's in the US.

Nestled into the side of a desolate, snow-capped mountain, its servers wearing fur-lined uniforms and serving up reindeer burgers — that's what you might envision when you hear the words "the world's northernmost McDonald's."

The reality is a bit less exciting.

On a recent visit to Tromsø, Norway — home to the world's most northern McDonald's — I learned that the restaurant has a menu, ambiance, and service similar to a McDonald's I could visit in the US.

Still, a trip to Tromsø, the northernmost city in the world, would not have been complete without crossing off a bunch of northernmost feats. The Tromsø area, which has about 79,000 residents, is located well above the Arctic Circle at nearly 70 degrees north latitude, higher than most of Canada, Russia, and Greenland.

Before the Tromsø location opened in 2024, the world's northernmost McDonald's was in Rovaniemi, a city along the Arctic Circle in Finland that hosts the Santa Claus Village. Upon its opening in 1997, Jim Cantalupo, then McDonald's International's president and CEO, quipped, "Since this restaurant is the closest to the North Pole, we hope this will become Santa's favorite neighborhood restaurant."

The title had previously belonged to Murmansk, a Russian city that lost its McDonald's location in 2022 amid the invasion of Ukraine.

The Tromsø McDonald's seats 140 guests and is on the first floor of an office building

The Tromsø location opened as part of McDonald's initiative to add more McDonald's locations in Arctic Norway. At the time of its opening, McDonald's said it aimed to hire about 60 staff and would be open between 18 and 21 hours a day.

As someone who often seeks out hole-in-the-wall restaurants and local joints, eating at McDonald's as my first meal in Norway didn't sit right. (Note: I still got my reindeer burger, whale carpaccio, and elk salami at other points in the trip.)

Still, how many people could say they've eaten here?

Turns out, quite a few, as when I visited at noon, it was packed with tourists navigating the snowy streets and taking photos of the many signs indicating it's "The northernmost McDonald's in the world."

I also saw a few locals stopping in for a workday lunch, including some students from the local university.

It took a few minutes to find an open screen to order — nobody was ordering at the counter — and five minutes to secure a table for five. Service was fast, and some staff delivered food to tables directly.

The interior was spacious, with about 30 or so tables, but it did not scream "Arctic" to me. I thought it resembled other McDonald's we stopped at in Scandinavia.

The main dining room was bright, lit by bars of white lights, while its walls and the ceiling were a light brown.

The 'Happy Fish' and 'McFeast' were menu items I hadn't seen before

With all the fanfare about the location, I expected the menu to have some location-specific items. While there were plenty of options you can't find in the US, pretty much all of them are on the menus of other Norwegian McDonald's locations.

Still, I was amused by items such as the homestyle hot chipotle burger, the "big tasty bacon" sandwich, the big chicken salsa, and the McFeast. Some of the sides were also compelling, including chili cheese tops, hot wings, and sweet potato fries, coupled with various spicy and sweet dips.

Given the location, I also expected more seafood options. They only had the fish McFeast — featuring lettuce, cheese, tomato, onions, pickles, and mayonnaise — a filet-o-fish, and a small fish sandwich they called "Happy Fish."

There was a small vegetarian menu with a few sandwiches, a wrap, and a bulgar salad. Breakfast items felt similar overall to those in the US, with the exception of a McToast, a round ham-and-cheese toasted sandwich.

The drinks and dessert sections were the most distinct compared to a US McDonald's. McFlurry flavors included cookie dough and regional chocolate candies like the almond-caramel-filled Daim and Non Stop, which are similar to M&Ms. I also enjoyed seeing cinnamon rolls, Oreo muffins, and different types of macarons and donuts.

Drinks that caught my eye, some of which were prepared at a different counter, included a banana milkshake, a Banoffee shake, various types of tea, and coffee varieties including a caramel latte and flat white.

Prices were in line with what I would expect: My McFeast, fries, and a drink were about $14, while my Daim McFlurry was about $3.50.

The food was good but similar to what I would expect in the US

The food tasted in line with any other McDonald's I've been to in the US — the quality felt slightly better, though that could've been because of the novelty of the experience. The portions seemed about the same as the US.

The Big Mac BLT was an interesting combination that worked well, as the bacon wasn't too overpowering. I thought the chili cheese tops, a crunchy cheese nugget with chili pieces, were very yummy, slightly spicy, and quite filling.

The McFlurry was excellent, though, and I loved the crunch from the chocolatey Daim.

Only one feature really set this McDonald's apart from other locations

The one distinguishing factor at this McDonald's was the postcards they sold that read "Welcome to the northernmost McDonald's in the World," featuring a golden arch jutting into the globe above Tromsø.

I felt the same way about the world's northernmost Burger King, which had slightly more locals but overall had a similar menu to any other Burger King and a very standard interior.

The rest of our meals on the trip were much more exciting — we tried reindeer burgers and reindeer hotdogs at other places in town, whale in a fishing village a few hours away, Norwegian Chinese food, pizza that wasn't significantly worse than a New York slice, and a surprising Eritrean meal.

Still, the McDonald's will likely stick with me for a while, even if it felt gimmicky.

Sure, Tromsø is in many ways a culinary gem, featuring dozens of higher-end restaurants serving fine steaks and seafood, but for a cheaper lunch with a bit of novelty, I'd recommend stopping by at least for a McFlurry and picking up a postcard … and maybe saving your appetite for a reindeer hot dog down the street.

The first flight of Isar Aerospace's Spectrum rocket didn't last long on Sunday. The booster's nine engines switched off as the rocket cartwheeled upside-down and fell a short distance from its Arctic launch pad in Norway, punctuating the abbreviated test flight with a spectacular fiery crash into the sea.

If officials at Isar Aerospace were able to pick the outcome of their first test flight, it wouldn't be this. However, the result has precedent. The first launch of SpaceX's Falcon 1 rocket in 2006 ended in similar fashion.

"Today, we know twice as much about our launch system as yesterday before launch," Daniel Metzler, Isar's co-founder and CEO, wrote on X early Monday. "Can't beat flight testing. Ploughing through lots of data now."

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Seven years ago, three classmates at the Technical University of Munich believed their student engineering project might hold some promise in the private sector.

At the time, Daniel Metzler led a team of 40 students working on rocket engines and launching sounding rockets. Josef Fleischmann was on the team that won the first SpaceX Hyperloop competition. Together with another classmate, Markus Brandl, they crafted rocket parts in a campus workshop before taking the leap and establishing Isar Aerospace, named for the river running through the Bavarian capital.

Now, Isar's big moment has arrived. The company's orbital-class first rocket, named Spectrum, is set to lift off from a shoreline launch pad in Norway as soon as this week.

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• I'm 26 and have traveled to nearly 100 countries around the world.
• My love for travel started when I took a trip to Ghana in college.
• A few of my favorite travel destinations include Argentina, Laos, Greenland, and South Africa.

When I was 18, I signed up for a college class that involved a trip to Ghana. That visit sparked my motivation to visit as many countries as possible, as soon as possible.

By prioritizing travel at a young age, I've been able to experience incredible adventures, personal growth, and cultural education across nearly 100 countries at 26 years old.

Here are 10 places I think everyone should have on their travel bucket lists.

My trip to Ghana inspired my love for travel.

Sleeping under a mosquito net on the mud floor of a local's home was the pivot point that turned my travel curiosity into a mission to discover different ways of living in every corner of the world.

I found it so easy to share a smile, join a dance, and bond with people raised in a completely different cultural and economic environment.

Ghana offered so much contrast between the warmth of its people and the darkness of its colonial history, which I think everyone can learn from.

There's so much to love about Argentina.

From the roaring waterfalls of Iguazu to the adorable penguins in Ushuaia (the southernmost city in the world), Argentina has it all.

I enjoyed trekking peaks in Patagonia equally as much as dining on affordable cuts of prime steak in the historic neighborhoods of Buenos Aires.

Traveling through Laos on a riverboat is an experience I'll never forget.

Laos is well worth a visit for a journey down the mighty Mekong River. I took a slow boat for two days from Luang Prabang, the capital, to the border of Laos and Thailand.

I often think back to this experience, which allowed me to immerse myself in nature as I floated by riverbanks full of rural villages. I even woke up next to elephants splashing in the river.

In my opinion, Greenland is an unmissable destination.

On the world's largest island, which has no connecting roads, I traveled by sailboat from one small fishing settlement to another.

Witnessing the resilience of East Greenland's remote native community living in such inhospitable conditions is something I'll always remember as a testament to human survival skills.

With a chance to see the northern lights, gaze at glaciers, and climb mountains, Greenland makes for an unmissable destination.

French Polynesia is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been.

There are a lot of beautiful islands in the world, but to me, nothing beats the lush green mountains and sparkling turquoise waters of French Polynesia.

As a territory of France, these islands gave me the unique opportunity to munch on tasty croissants and even go for a night of fondue — all while underneath palm trees.

Malaysia is one of my top travel recommendations.

When I brainstorm travel recommendations, Malaysia's capital city, Kuala Lumpur, the island of Penang, and the streets of Malacca always come to mind.

The intermixing of Hindu temples, stunning skyscrapers, and colorful street art captured my attention at every turn.

In my opinion, Malaysian cuisine also stands out. A noodle dish called char kway teow, which is very popular in the country, is my favorite meal in the entire world.

Getting a freshly made plate from the wok of a street vendor is an experience my taste buds have remembered for years.

There's so much to do in South Africa.

My time in South Africa was filled with so much diversity that I could hardly believe I was still in the same country.

I experienced everything from safari game drives and scuba diving with sharks, to memorable museums about the country's complex history from the apartheid and colonial eras.

Every day was a new adventure, and I came home with powerful new perspectives.

There's more to Mexico than the popular tourist spots.

Although many tourists flock to Cancún, the lesser-visited parts of Mexico deserve a visit, too.

Beyond its sun-kissed coastlines, I love Mexico's culture-rich cities, like Oaxaca, which boasts some of the best meals I've ever had, and, arguably, the best Día de los Muertos celebrations.

I have so many great memories from my trip to Morocco.

The taste of sweet mint tea, the sound of a bustling medina, and the sight of the sunrise in the Sahara desert are just a few key memories I have of Morocco.

The country's hospitable culture, rich history, artisan crafts, tasty cuisine, and stunning architecture made me sure I'd visit again before I had even left.

Norway is truly stunning.

No landscape I've seen compares to awe-inspiring cliffs bordering the sea in the fjords of Norway.

A view from Reinebringen, a popular but difficult hike in the Lofoten Island archipelago, has been my phone lock screen for the past three years, simply because I want to remind myself of this majestic beauty on a daily basis.

Walking amid towering cliffs that make you feel small is the best way to remind yourself how big the world really is.

A Norwegian man said he was horrified to discover that ChatGPT outputs had falsely accused him of murdering his own children.

According to a complaint filed Thursday by European Union digital rights advocates Noyb, Arve Hjalmar Holmen decided to see what information ChatGPT might provide if a user searched his name. He was shocked when ChatGPT responded with outputs falsely claiming that he was sentenced to 21 years in prison as "a convicted criminal who murdered two of his children and attempted to murder his third son," a Noyb press release said.

ChatGPT's "made-up horror story" not only hallucinated events that never happened, but it also mixed "clearly identifiable personal data"—such as the actual number and gender of Holmen's children and the name of his hometown—with the "fake information," Noyb's press release said.

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• Calls are growing for Norway to tap into its sovereign wealth fund to boost funding for Ukraine.
• The calls come amid souring relations between the US and Ukraine, raising pressure on Europe to step up.
• Norway has spent less on Ukraine aid than its neighbors. Its SWF is worth $1.8 trillion.

Norway is facing growing pressure to tap into its massive sovereign wealth fund to boost aid for Ukraine as concerns grow over continued US support for Ukraine's war efforts.

Norway, a founding member of NATO, has a $1.8 trillion sovereign wealth fund, the largest in the world, fueled by oil and gas revenues, as well as investments in stocks, bonds, real estate, and renewable energy.

The country caps its annual use at 3% to finance Norway's welfare state and budget. However, amid growing tensions between Washington and Kyiv, Norwegian politicians and economists are pushing to tap the fund to increase support for Ukraine.

"Norway is one of the few countries that has large money easily accessible, and we must therefore double our support to Ukraine immediately," Guri Melby, the leader of Norway's Liberal party, said in a Facebook post Saturday.

Arild Hermstad, the country's Green Party leader, said that "Norway has a record-high oil fund that we must now actively use to secure peace and democracy in Europe and Ukraine."

Norway lags behind its Nordic neighbors

Norway has spent less on aid to Ukraine than its Scandinavian neighbors, allocating just 0.75% of its GDP, compared to Sweden's 0.91%, Finland's 0.98%, and Denmark's 2.17%, according to the Kiel Institute for World Economy Ukraine Support Tracker.

Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said in an X post on Thursday that parliament had agreed to double the country's financial pledge to Ukraine this year, to about $8.1 billion.

The Prime Minister's Office didn't reply to a request for comment from Business Insider.

But when it comes to the sovereign wealth fund, Norway's finance minister, Jens Stoltenberg, a former NATO Secretary General, warned last month that breaking the 3% cap would be risky and should only be used in times of crisis.

Meanwhile, in an op-ed published last weekend, 47 Norwegian economists, analysts, and professors urged the country to use the fund to help Ukraine.

"Russia's attack, if not stopped, poses an existential threat to freedom and democracy, not only in Ukraine but throughout Europe, including Norway," they wrote.

Breaking the 3% cap

Knut Anton Mork, a professor emeritus of economics at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, told BI it wouldn't be the first time Norway had broken the 3% cap.

It exceeded it by 1.2 percentage points in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, and by 0.1 percentage points during the 2008 financial crisis, when it was already set at 4%.

Even so, Mork said "disregarding the 3% rule would be somewhat unusual, and more so the larger the gift."

He predicted that the government would likely stay "within the 3% rule, or maybe slightly above" it.

Einar Lie, a professor of economic history at the University of Oslo, who along with Mork signed the op-ed, said breaking the 3% cap to aid a foreign country has never been considered before, but he argued that helping Ukraine to "survive and deter further aggression is vital" for long-term security.

"It is definitely more likely to happen as a part of a broad concerted action among European countries and, hopefully, the US," he added.

European concern over US support

Calls for Norway to step up its spending for Ukraine come amid uncertainty over Washington's commitment to the war-torn country.

Last Friday, during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit to the White House, President Donald Trump accused Zelenskyy of "disrespecting" the US.

Days later, Trump said he was pausing all military aid to Ukraine. One military expert told BI that if US aid does not restart, then Ukrainians could hold out for perhaps two to four months.

The situation has raised concerns about how Europe could step in to further help Ukraine's defense.

At emergency talks in London on Saturday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said a "massive surge" in defense spending among European allies was in the works.

And on Tuesday, the European Union unveiled a plan to boost member states' defense spending amid what von der Leyen referred to as an "era of rearmament."

The ReArm Europe plan could unlock about $840 billion in funds.

• US Marines brave Arctic temperatures ahead of Joint Viking, the largest military exercise in Norway.
• About 10,000 troops from the US and NATO nations took part in the biennial cold weather training.
• Photos show Marines zooming on snowmobiles, trekking in skis, and plunging into icy waters.

US Marines spent the last few weeks enduring frigid temperatures ahead of the largest military exercise in Norway, readying for a fight in the high Arctic.

Joint Viking's objective is to boost NATO's power projection in the high Arctic, especially as Russia and China continue to demonstrate strategic interest in the region.

The Arctic warfare training aims to prepare troops for cold-weather combat, from learning how to maneuver in deep snow and mountainous terrain to conducting air and naval operations under Arctic conditions.

The military exercise also comes at a critical time as the climate crisis continues to melt ice in the region, forming new sea routes that could be key to both military and commercial strategy.

Arctic warfare

Led by the Norwegian military, Joint Viking takes place in early to mid-March in Troms, a country in northern Norway located about 250 miles west of the Norweigian-Russian border.

The Marine Corps will be among 10,000 troops participating in the biennial winter military exercise, which will also include armed forces from the UK, Canada, Finland, Germany, and the Netherlands.

In Troms since January, the Marines will play a "significant role" in the cold-weather war games, testing how quickly they can mobilize and deploy a large force across the Atlantic in a crisis, the Corps said in a statement.

Expanding NATO's strategic foothold

Joint Viking is one of several routine military exercises held in the Arctic Circle, including Nordic Response, Arctic Forge, Arctic Dolphin, and Joint Warrior.

Beyond preparing troops for Arctic warfare, the military exercises are also intended to send a message to Russia about NATO's military readiness, especially as the war in Ukraine rages on.

During the last Joint Viking exercise in 2023, NATO commanders patrolled the border toward the Kola Peninsula, driving snowmobiles on the frozen Pasvik River.

Russia's underlying Arctic threat

The war in Ukraine has forced Russia to reevaluate its military posturing in the Arctic, especially after enduring heavy losses in its land forces, according to an article published in the peer-reviewed journal, Arctic Review on Law and Politics.

Tormod Heier, a retired lieutenant colonel for the Norwegian Army, wrote that the Ukraine war acts as a sort of "Arctic tranquilizer," reducing tensions and the likelihood of direct confrontations between the US and Russia.

"This is partly due to fear of nuclear escalation but also due to strategic necessity: neither US nor Russian forces can afford an overstretch problématique in the contemporary international environment," Heier, who now works as an associate professor at the National Defence University in Stockholm, wrote. "As both protagonists forge self-imposed restraints, Russia's 2022 invasion has inadvertently led to more Arctic stability."

While Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine shifted some attention away from direct confrontation in the high north, the US and other NATO allies remain concerned about Moscow's ongoing military nuclear threat in the region, Heier wrote.

China-Russia collaboration in the Arctic

In 2018, China also forced its way into the Arctic power competition after it declared itself a "near-Arctic state" to justify its strategic interests in the region.

While Western nations rejected China's claim because it has no geographical territory in the region, Russia welcomed the country's presence in the high north. China has since focused its efforts on scientific research, energy investments, and strategic infrastructure development in the Arctic.

China's growing Arctic presence and close Russian ties have been seen as a potential threat by the US and other Arctic nations, using military exercises like Joint Viking as a "deterrent effect."

China "is one of the newer entrants on the scene. Over time, the strategic interests that they have in the region are … giving us pause," Iris Ferguson, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for Arctic and Global Resilience for the Biden administration, said in a December statement.

A new battlefield in the Arctic

Not only are the geopolitical tensions in the region ever-evolving, but the environment itself is reshaping as the climate crisis dramatically warms the Arctic at an unprecedented pace.

Melting ice is creating new shipping lanes along Russia's northern coast, potentially altering global trade routes. Growing access to resources, like oil, gas, and minerals that were recently impeded by ice, has led to countries, including the US, scrambling to stake their claim.

President Donald Trump's approach to Arctic policy has also heavily impacted the region, reversing climate regulations in favor of oil extraction and even expressing interest in acquiring Greenland from Denmark as part of his national security strategy.

• Norway's melting glaciers are revealing objects from the Stone Age, Iron Age, Medieval, and Viking eras.
• Some ancient artifacts are mysteries, but they still indicate trade routes through the mountains.
• Here's what Norway's glacial archaeologists found in the meltiest part of last summer.

Mysterious and fascinating artifacts are surfacing on melting glaciers across the planet.

From ancient human remains to strange wooden tools and statues, these objects are drawing archaeologists into the high, frozen mountains each year.

Norway is at the forefront of this emerging field of research, called glacial archaeology. With about 4,500 artifacts discovered, the country claims more than half of the planet's glacial archaeology findings, according to Espen Finstad, who co-leads the Norwegian program, called Secrets of the Ice.

Archaeologists there are piecing together clues about ancient industries and trade routes across the glaciers.

They just had one of their best field seasons yet. Here's what they found.

People have trekked over Norway's glaciers for thousands of years to sell and buy goods.

Ancient hunting, travel, and trade routes crossed the mountains between the Norwegian coast and inland areas since the Stone Age.

"We are lucky that some of these trade routes have gone over ice," Finstad told Business Insider.

Objects that ancient travelers left behind were frozen into the ice for centuries — until recent decades.

As humans have burned fossil fuels for energy, releasing heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere, global temperatures have been rising for decades. Glaciers everywhere are melting, releasing the ancient artifacts preserved inside them.

Some of these objects look familiar, like this mitten.

Others, like this whisk, are quite different from what we know today.

The Lendbreen ice patch is the most fruitful site the archaeologists visit.

"There are so many treasures in the ice there," Finstad said.

Lendbreen was a common travel route during the Viking and Medieval eras. The archaeologists go there almost every year.

In the summer of 2024, heavy melting meant lots of new discoveries.

"The melting really came rapidly at the end of the season," Finstad said.

Finstad's team of about seven archaeologists visited nearly a dozen sites across the mountains to search for artifacts.

At Lendbreen, they used pack horses to bring gear up to the site and set up their camp.

They stayed there about nine days, Finstad said.

Their findings included "two of the best-preserved arrows we ever found," Finstad said.

One of them was just lying on top of the ice, waiting to be found. Usually there's a little excavation involved, but the archaeologists simply picked this arrow up.

"It's very seldom to find them that well preserved on the ice. So it was kind of a gift. It was very beautiful," Finstad said.

Arrows are abundant in the glaciers because reindeer hunting was "almost like an industry" in the Iron and Medieval Ages, Finstad said.

People hunted for their own food, of course, but also to sell in a market.

Arrows can hold clues about past societies.

For example, some arrowheads found on the glaciers have tips made from river mussels that must have come from far away, cluing researchers in to just how far people were traveling and trading over the ages.

Some of the prehistoric arrows Finstad's team found last season were so well-preserved they still had fletching.

Fletching is delicate and doesn't usually last thousands of years. These were rare findings.

Some items they find are just "strange," Finstad said.

Small bits of wood, leather, and textile are often impossible to identify.

Finstad estimated they had found about 50 such mysterious, small objects at Lendbreen in 2024.

"It's all kind of small things, daily life things from the Viking Age or older, which you don't find in other archaeology contexts at least in Norway, because it's gone. It degrades," Finstad said.

Heavy snow cut off the archaeologists' efforts — but now they know where to look this summer.

"We are excited to go back," Finstad said.

Isar Aerospace, a German startup founded seven years ago, is positioned to become the first in a new generation of European launch companies to reach orbit with a privately funded rocket.

The company announced Friday that the first stage of its Spectrum rocket recently completed a 30-second test-firing on a launch pad in the northernmost reaches of mainland Europe. The nine-engine booster ignited on a launch pad at Andøya Spaceport in Norway on February 14.

The milestone follows a similar test-firing of the Spectrum rocket's second stage last year. With these two accomplishments, Isar Aerospace says its launch vehicle is qualified for flight.

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• Elon Musk declined to have dinner with the head of Norway's $1.7 trillion oil fund, texts show.
• Nicolai Tangen's fund voted against Musk's Tesla pay package, now worth about $100 billion.
• Musk said it would be "very difficult and expensive" to come and lectured Tangen about friendship.

Elon Musk turned down a dinner invitation from the head of Norway's $1.7 trillion sovereign wealth fund — and lectured him on how to be a better friend — after his firm voted against the Tesla CEO's huge pay package.

Norges Bank Investment Management, one of Tesla's 10 largest shareholders, with a roughly 1% stake, rejected a compensation deal for Musk in June that was worth $56 billion at the time and is now valued at about $100 billion.

Nicolai Tangen, the CEO of NBIM, later invited Musk — along with the bosses of Ferrari, Nestlé, Adidas, DoorDash, and Novo Nordisk — to dinner at his Oslo, Norway, home ahead of the oil fund's annual investment conference this coming April.

"This would be very difficult and expensive for me to attend," Musk replied in October, according to text messages that NBIM provided to Business Insider.

The messages, shown below, were first published by the Norwegian newspaper E24 after NBIM released them under freedom-of-information laws.

"When I ask you for a favor, which I very rarely do, and you decline, then you should not ask me for one until you've done something above nothing to make amends," Musk added. "Friends are as friends do."

Tangen replied that he understood, wished Musk luck, and was cheering him on as a major Tesla shareholder.

A few days later, Musk forwarded messages to Tangen from an unnamed correspondent accusing the Norwegian of giving his text messages to the media and telling them Musk wouldn't be attending the dinner — as well as suggesting Tangen had "political ambitions" and was using NBIM to "promote himself."

Musk asked Tangen whether he had sent his text messages to the press. Tangen said his communications were public information, he didn't make the decision to release them, and Musk's personal comments that weren't related to the conference hadn't been released.

"The country is obsessed about you, but this is not reflecting badly on you," Tangen added. "Still, sorry for any inconvenience."

Musk's blockbuster pay deal was blocked by a Delaware judge early last year, and again by the same judge in December. NBIM voted against the package at Tesla's annual meeting, saying it was "concerned about the total size of the award, the structure given performance triggers, dilution, and lack of mitigation of key person risk."

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO is the world's richest person with an estimated $428 billion net worth, per the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

His fortune swelled by more than $200 billion last year as Tesla stock soared 63% and SpaceX's valuation nearly doubled from $180 billion at the end of 2023 to $350 billion in December.

Musk didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from BI.

• Height varies widely around the world, but some countries tend to have taller citizens.
• Using medical data, Business Insider found the mean heights for the 25 tallest countries.
• Many European countries made the list, including Germany, Poland, and Croatia

Sultan Kösen, who hails from Turkey, is nearly 8 feet 3 inches tall and may be the tallest person on the planet.

Despite his impressive stature, his country isn't among those with the tallest people, according to the medical database from the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration.

From 1985 to 2019, the project collected height, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and other health metrics from over 2,500 population surveys across 193 countries.

The NCD lists the mean heights for 19-year-old men and women in each country. Averaging these two figures gives a rough idea of how tall the typical person is in the country.

Notably, the US isn't on the list. It ranked 58th for women, at 5 feet 4.29 inches (163.3 cm), and 47th for men at 5 feet 9.65 inches (176.9 cm).

These are the 25 countries that (literally) came out on top.

25. Greece's mean height is 5 feet 7.93 inches (172.55 cm).

The mean height for men from Greece is 5 feet 10.59 inches (179.3 cm).

The mean height for women from Greece is 5 feet 5.28 inches (165.8 cm).

24. Austria's mean height is 5 feet 7.99 inches (172.7 cm).

The mean height for men from Austria is 5 feet 10.28 inches (178.5 cm).

The mean height for women from Austria is 5 feet 5.71 inches (166.9 cm).

22. Belarus' mean height is 5 feet 8.03 inches (172.8 cm).

The mean height for men from Belarus is 5 feet 10.35 inches (178.7 cm).

The mean height for women from Belarus is 5 feet 5.71 inches (166.9 cm).

22. Cook Islands' mean height is 5 feet 8.03 inches (172.8 cm).

The mean height for men from the Cook Islands is 5 feet 10.19 inches (178.3 cm).

The mean height for women from the Cook Islands is 5 feet 5.87 inches (167.3 cm).

21. Bermuda's mean height is 5 feet 8.07 inches (172.9 cm).

The mean height for men from Bermuda is 5 feet 10.75 inches (179.7 cm).

The mean height for women from Bermuda is 5 feet 5.39 inches (166.1 cm).

19. Poland's mean height is 5 feet 8.21 inches (173.25 cm).

The mean height for men from Poland is 5 feet 11.14 inches (180.7 cm).

The mean height for women from Poland is 5 feet 5.28 inches (165.8 cm).

19. Germany's mean height is 5 feet 8.21 inches (173.25 cm).

The mean height for men from Germany is 5 feet 10.98 inches (180.3 cm).

The mean height for women from Germany is 5 feet 5.43 inches (166.2 cm).

18. Norway's mean height is 5 feet 8.29 inches (173.45 cm).

The mean height for men from Norway is 5 feet 11.06 inches (180.5 cm).

The mean height for women from Norway is 5 feet 5.51 inches (166.4 cm).

16. Finland's mean height is 5 feet 8.33 inches (173.55 cm).

The mean height for men from Finland is 5 feet 11.1 inches (180.6 cm).

The mean height for women from Finland is 5 feet 5.55 inches (166.5 cm).

16. Dominica's mean height is 5 feet 8.33 inches (173.55 cm).

The mean height for men from Dominica is 5 feet 10.94 inches (180.2 cm).

The mean height for women from Dominica is 5 feet 5.71 inches (166.9 cm).

 

 

 

15. Sweden's mean height is 5 feet 8.35 inches (173.6 cm).

The mean height for men from Sweden is 5 feet 11.06 inches (180.5 cm).

The mean height for women from Sweden is 5 feet 5.63 inches (166.7 cm).

 

 

 

13. Ukraine's mean height is 5 feet 8.43 inches (173.8 cm).

The mean height for men from Ukraine is 5 feet 11.26 inches (181 cm).

The mean height for women from Ukraine is 5 feet 5.59 inches (166.6 cm).

13. Croatia's mean height is 5 feet 8.43 inches (173.8 cm).

The mean height for men from Croatia is 5 feet 11.18 inches (180.8 cm).

The mean height for women from Croatia is 5 feet 5.67 inches (166.8 cm).

12. Slovakia's mean height is 5 feet 8.52 inches (174.05 cm).

The mean height for men from Slovakia is 5 feet 11.26 inches (181 cm).

The mean height for women from Slovakia is 5 feet 5.79 inches (167.1 cm).

11. Slovenia's mean height is 5 feet 8.54 inches (174.1 cm).

The mean height for men from Slovenia is 5 feet 11.26 inches (181 cm).

The mean height for women from Slovenia is 5 feet 5.83 inches (167.2 cm).

10. Lithuania's mean height is 5 feet 8.56 inches (174.15 cm).

The mean height for men from Lithuania is 5 feet 11.14 inches (180.7 cm).

The mean height for women from Lithuania is 5 feet 5.98 inches (167.6 cm).

9. Serbia's mean height is 5 feet 8.7 inches (174.5 cm).

The mean height for men from Serbia is 5 feet 11.14 inches (180.7 cm).

The mean height for women from Serbia is 5 feet 6.26 inches (168.3 cm).

8. Czech Republic's mean height is 5 feet 8.74 inches (174.6 cm).

The mean height for men from the Czech Republic is 5 feet 11.34 inches (181.2 cm).

The mean height for women from the Czech Republic is 5 feet 6.14 inches (168 cm).

6. Bosnia and Herzegovina's mean height is 5 feet 8.9 inches (175 cm).

The mean height for men from Bosnia & Herzegovina is 5 feet 11.85 inches (182.5 cm).

The mean height for women from Bosnia & Herzegovina is 5 feet 5.94 inches (167.5 cm).

6. Latvia's mean height is 5 feet 8.9 inches (175 cm).

The mean height for men from Latvia is 5 feet 11.34 inches (181.2 cm).

The mean height for women from Latvia is 5 feet 6.46 inches (168.8 cm).

5. Iceland's mean height is 5 feet 9.09 inches (175.5 cm).

The mean height for men from Iceland is 5 feet 11.69 inches (182.1 cm).

The mean height for women from Iceland is 5 feet 6.5 inches (168.9 cm).

4. Denmark's mean height is 5 feet 9.17 inches (175.7 cm).

The mean height for men from Denmark is 5 feet 11.61 inches (181.9 cm).

The mean height for women from Denmark is 5 feet 6.73 inches (169.5 cm).

3. Estonia's mean height is 5 feet 9.19 inches (175.75 cm).

The mean height for men from Estonia is 5 feet 11.97 inches (182.8 cm).

The mean height for women from Estonia is 5 feet 6.42 inches (168.7 cm).

2. Montenegro's mean height is 5 feet 9.55 inches (176.65 cm).

The mean height for men from Montenegro is 6 feet 0.17 inches (183.3 cm).

The mean height for women from Montenegro is 5 feet 6.93 inches (170 cm).

 

 

1. The Netherlands's mean height is 5 feet 9.72 inches (177.1 cm).

The mean height for men from the Netherlands is 6 feet 0.36 inches (183.8 cm).

The mean height for women from the Netherlands is 5 feet 7.09 inches (170.4 cm).

A note on mean versus average heights: Using mean heights instead of averages gives a sense of which countries have the most people who are tall. For example, many Icelandic men are 5 feet 11 inches. 

The list would look different ranked by average heights. The Federal Statistical Office of Germany calculates heights by average, for example, and the results would bump the country up several spots in the rankings. 

This post was originally published in 2019 and was updated on December 18, 2024.

• My husband and I spent $475 to stay in the the Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel in Norway.
• Sleeping in the hotel, which is made of ice and snow, was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
• Next time, though, I'd rather skip the sleeping bags and stay in a warm lodge.

When my husband and I traveled to Norway and the Arctic Circle last year, we decided to stay in an otherworldly ice hotel — the Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel at Sorrisniva Arctic Wilderness Lodge in Alta, Norway.

At $475 per night, this was the most we've ever spent on a hotel stay. However, it felt like a once-in-a-lifetime chance to check off a bucket-list experience and stay at a place made of ice and snow.

Although the stunning hotel and scenery looked like something straight out of a fantasy, the closer it got to bedtime, the more I second-guessed our decision to sleep on ice.

Here's what our experience at the Igloo Hotel was like.

We arrived at the hotel a few hours early.

The ice hotel is open to the public for tours, so we didn't get access to our room until 8 p.m. However, due to the timing of our flight, we arrived around 1 p.m., which left us with plenty of time to explore.

We walked around outside, marveled at how dark it was, had some food, and hung out in the lobby, where we were fortunate enough to be able to see the northern lights.

We also visited the hotel's ice bar.

Aside from its rooms and suites, the hotel's star attraction is its ice bar. It's only open for drinks during specific time slots, but the sheer fun of having a shot glass made of ice slid across an ice bar made up for the limited hours.

Here, I was able to sit down with my drink on a reindeer-hide-draped ice seat and channel my inner ice queen.

Finally, we made our way to our room.

At around 10 p.m., we retrieved our bulky sleeping bags and pillows and toted them a short distance through sub-zero temperatures to get to our room.

The suite, which was entirely constructed of ice and snow and glowed with an otherworldly purple color, had two main sections: a sitting area and the main bedroom.

The bed was essentially a platform of ice topped with a comfy mattress and reindeer hides. Instead of a headboard, our room had a snow carving featuring an illuminated tree of life, an important symbol in Norse mythology.

Notably, there was no bathroom in the suite, so we were told to avoid drinking anything too close to bedtime — unless we wanted to walk to another building in the middle of the night.

Unfortunately, I didn't find it easy to sleep on ice.

Neither of us are campers, so burrowing down into sleeping bags and getting comfortable was a new process for us. Once we were settled, our room was very dark and incredibly quiet — you could almost feel the tons of snow overhead.

I tossed and turned most of the night (unlike my husband, who snoozed peacefully, as usual).

Our room wasn't uncomfortably cold, really, but I felt clammy inside the sleeping bag. Plus, the novelty of sleeping on ice felt too exciting for me to relax and fall asleep.

By 7 a.m., we were ready for warmth, coffee, and a wonderful Nordic breakfast buffet in the main lodge.

I'm glad we stayed in the Igloo Hotel — but I don't need to do it again.

Staying at the Igloo Hotel was incredible, but I'm happy to keep it a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

We loved everything about the Arctic, but considering how much time we spent contending with extreme cold, it was a little over the top to also sleep in an ice hotel.

If I were to return to the hotel, I'd take a tour, have a drink at its ice bar, and then go sleep in a cheaper, warmer lodge nearby.