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Imagine a volcano so special that it’s been granted the same legal rights as a person. While this might sounds like something straight out of a quirky sci-fi movie, this is no fictional tale. It’s a real, living, breathing part of New Zealand’s landscape — <keyword id="24070380" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mount-Taranaki" source="keywords">Mount Taranaki</keyword>. Tucked away on the west coast of New Zealand’s North Island, Mount Taranaki is not only a towering 8,261 feet (2,518 meters) of volcanic might, but it also holds a sacred place in the hearts of local Māori tribes. In 2017, New Zealand made history by granting the volcano <keyword id="19969897" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="legal-personhood" source="keywords">legal personhood</keyword> — a first in the country. This means Mount Taranaki has the same legal rights as you, me, or any other human being. No, it can’t file taxes or sue anyone just yet, but it is now legally protected in a way that’s tied directly to the cultural significance it holds. <h2>Why does Mount Taranaki get all the attention?</h2>First, let’s talk about the volcano itself. Its snow-capped peak is stunning, poking up through a lush, dark green forest. This forest, known as Egmont National Park, forms a near-perfect circular ring around the volcano, and within it, you’ll find the curious "<keyword id="24070386" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="goblin-forest" source="keywords">Goblin Forest</keyword>." The kāmahi trees here are twisted and warped, growing around fossilized tree remains from past eruptions. The trees are also covered in hanging moss and liverworts, giving the whole place a hauntingly magical vibe. The volcano itself is a near-perfect cone, which is so symmetrical it served as the double for Mount Fuji in The Last Samurai (yes, Hollywood can’t get enough of this beauty!). But don’t let its picturesque shape fool you — Mount Taranaki has been through some serious transformations. Over the past 135,000 years, it has erupted multiple times, changing its shape dramatically and leaving behind signs of its violent past. In fact, studies suggest there have been at least 16 major shifts in the volcano’s structure. Talk about a dramatic personality! <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="115475455" title="From skin injections to swallowing a camera, here are some things Bryan Johnson has done to age in reverse" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>And yes, Mount Taranaki is an <keyword id="23386638" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="active-volcano" source="keywords">active volcano</keyword>. While its last major eruption occurred about 200 years ago, the mountain is far from dormant. Scientists estimate there’s a 30% to 50% chance of a major eruption within the next 50 years. For the 100,000+ people living nearby, this is a real concern. But don't worry — the volcano isn’t planning on exploding any time soon (hopefully), though it does occasionally spit out volcanic mudflows, also known as lahars. <h2>A sacred ancestor</h2>Now, you might wonder, why does this mountain get its own legal rights? The answer lies with the Māori people. For centuries, the Māori have considered Mount Taranaki to be more than just a mountain. They see it as a relative, even an ancestor. The relationship between the Māori people and the mountain is rooted in deep respect and cultural significance. In 2017, the New Zealand government recognized this profound connection by giving the volcano legal personhood, meaning that harming the volcano could be treated the same as harming a member of the tribe. It’s a powerful statement of the Māori worldview, where the land, mountains, rivers, and nature are seen as living, breathing entities deserving of respect and protection. By granting Mount Taranaki personhood, New Zealand is acknowledging this deep-rooted cultural connection and ensuring that the volcano’s rights are taken seriously. Having a mountain with human rights may sound like a quirky twist, but it’s part of a larger global movement towards recognizing the rights of nature. Similar legal actions have been taken in places like Ecuador and India, where rivers, forests, and even specific animals have been granted personhood to ensure their protection.

Do you know about the volcano that has the same rights as a human person?

I've been to 20 national parks and forests around the US. The North Rim of the Grand Canyon is the most underrated.

Sustainable Forest Management

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Malaysia may add a casino to Forest City, a mega-development that has turned into a ghost town.</li><li>The casino, which would be the second in the country, could rejuvenate the struggling property.</li></ul>Malaysia's Forest City mega-development started with big ambitions and big money.Announced in 2006, the luxury housing project in the south — easily accessible from Singapore — would house 700,000 people and feature a waterpark and hotels. The whole project cost its developers $100 billion.But, eight years after construction began, only a few thousand people live there. The project has turned into a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/forest-city-ghost-town-malaysia-hotel-golf-beach-tourist-singapore-2024-3">ghost town</a> — and a major liability for its developer, which is facing sizable financial issues elsewhere.Now, Malaysia is in talks with several high-profile investors to add a casino to Forest City, people familiar with the matter told <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-04-24/malaysia-weighs-opening-casino-in-forest-city-in-potential-boon-for-king-ibrahim?srnd=homepage-asia">Bloomberg on Wednesday.</a>The southeast nation's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim met with the heads of a Malaysian property development firm and a resort company at Forest City last week. A representative of Malyasia's billionaire king, Ibrahim Iskandar, also attended, the people told Bloomberg.King Ibrahim owns more than 20% of Forest City as part of a joint venture with Chinese real estate developer Country Garden, Bloomberg reported. The king took the throne in January for his five-year term and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-03-19/malaysia-s-king-vows-real-way-of-ruling-after-honeymoon-period">said last month</a> he is ready to "begin my real way of ruling." The other partner, <a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/bonds/china-economy-country-garden-defaults-property-real-estate-bonds-dollar-2023-10">Country Garden,</a> is facing significant financial issues from China's floundering property market and had nearly <a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/world/china/country-garden-how-bad-are-its-debt-problems-2024-02-28/">$200 billion in liabilities</a> at the end of last June.The two tycoons who met with the prime minister last week own some of Malaysia's most prominent businesses. One of the companies is Genting Group, a resort and theme park operator that owns Malaysia's only casino, located in a central Malaysian hill town. Genting operates other casinos in Singapore, the US, and the UK. The other, Berjaya Corp., runs hotels and develops properties, among other businesses.The casino talks are in early stages and it is unclear if Prime Minister Anwar will allow such a business. Malaysia has a Muslim-majority population and those following Islam are <a target="_blank" href="https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/gambling-prohibited-in-islam-office-of-the-mufti">prohibited</a> from gambling.Forest City did not immediately respond to BI's request for comment.<h2>Expensive, empty apartments</h2>A casino — which would only be the second in Malaysia — could help struggling Forest City.While advertised as a "popular short-haul tourist destination," the complex, which includes apartments, hotels, a waterpark, and a mall, only sees a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/forest-city-ghost-town-malaysia-hotel-golf-beach-tourist-singapore-2024-3">few dozen visitors</a> each day, Business Insider reported in April. Those who do come are typically on a budget and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/forest-city-ghost-town-malaysia-hotel-golf-beach-tourist-singapore-2024-3">don't spend </a>much.As of last year, only about 15% of the planned property had been completed,<a target="_blank" href="https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/johor-country-garden-forest-city-property-crisis-debt-china-3715791"> local media reported.</a><div type="image" title="a corridor in the apartment complex" height="1536" width="2048" msid="109591797" hostid="261" sizebytes="191428"></div>Most apartments look like they've never been lived in, a BI reporter who visited earlier this year observed. They're almost twice the price of other apartments in the city, and wealthy people prefer to buy single-family homes, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/forest-city-apartment-property-price-ghost-town-malaysia-photos-china-2024-4">BI reported in April</a>.A new casino could attract tourists from Singapore. Singapore's government disincentivizes gambling by taxing residents <a target="_blank" href="https://www.mha.gov.sg/docs/default-source/media-room-doc/annex-a---media-factsheet.pdf?sfvrsn=e6b19ea_0#:~:text=It%20underscores%20the%20message%20that,%243%2C000%20for%20the%20annual%20levy.">150 Singapore dollars</a>, or $110, to enter local casinos. Singapore is connected by a one-kilometer bridge to the state of Johor, where Forest City is.Cities around the world are similarly looking to add casinos to boost tourism.The United Arab Emirates, another majority-Muslim country, is betting big on gambling. Earlier this year, it launched a federal-level gaming authority, and plans are in place to create an "<a target="_blank" href="https://skift.com/2023/09/12/middle-east-gaming-authority-paves-way-for-arabian-strip-gambling-zone/">Arabian Strip</a>," an Emirati version of the Las Vegas Strip of hotels and casinos on the island of Al Marjan.New York City is also looking to cash in. In April last year, the state government authorized <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/article/nyc-casino-tracker.html">up to three casino</a> licenses for downstate New York, which includes the city and surrounding counties.

Malaysia might add a casino to boost troubled $100 billion mega-development Forest City

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Wendy Altschuler brought her three sons on a 70-mile hike along California's John Muir Trail.</li><li>Her oldest son put his first aid course to good use while helping his little brother.</li></ul>To be fair, if you were to ask my three <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/molly-shannons-advice-parents-raising-teens-see-them-regular-people-2024-10">teenagers</a> right now if they liked schlepping all of their belongings on their back to hike so deep in the woods that they had zero connectivity on their cellphones, they would definitely say, "nope!"Backpacking is hard, really hard, especially if it wasn't your idea to go in the first place and your parents forced you to detox in nature against your will, far away from your friends and digital devices.On one particular seven-night backpacking trip, where we section hiked for about 70 miles in the high sierras on <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hiking-trails-worth-traveling-for-2018-3#john-muir-trail-11">California's John Muir Trail </a> — the magical land of 14,000-foot peaks, glacial lakes, and glittering slabs of granite — my boys, ages 11, 13, and 14, heard one of two things from nearly every hiker they met on the trail: "I wish my parents took me on a hike like this when I was your age," and, "I wish I <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mistakes-when-traveling-with-babies-toddlers-kids-teens-2024-8">took my kids on a backpacking trip</a> when they were little."I have always loved <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/traveling-with-kids-scheduling-mistake-trip-2024-10">backpacking with my kids</a>, and hopefully, one day, I'll do it with my grandkids. I want to finish the rest of the 211-mile-long JMT with my sons.<h2 id="046d2b87-8778-405d-b5b1-fdc07e5b7513">It's true: you can't get these years back</h2>There's a sweet spot, an intersection when your kids are <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/family-camping-better-than-traditional-vacations-travel-tips-2024-3">old enough to hike</a> with some weight and you're still healthy, strong, and young enough to tackle the excursion.After all, it's no easy feat to trek all day, set up camp, cook dinner, sleep on the ground, and then do it all over again the next day and the next.So, why do I do it? Why drag kids up and over craggy mountaintops or through burly forests, where dangers like impending weather, wildlife, or injury could derail the journey you've been planning for months?First off, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-fall-hikes-in-the-us-2018-10">hiking</a> for multiple days in a row, carrying everything you need but nothing you don't, is one of the best ways I know to truly <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-make-kids-love-camping-2024-7">connect with my family</a>.Without the distractions of smartphones, video games, school and work responsibilities, or other obligations, I'm able to delve into what really matters: carving out meaningful time for my boys.In the same way that a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-plan-corporate-retreat-successful-inspiring-team-building-2024-1">company retreat</a> can spark creativity by providing employees with a break from routine, our family hikes help us form stronger relationships without the distraction of day-to-day home life.On our JMT backpacking trip, we cooked meals together, filtered and treated water, set up our tents, and marveled over the day's explorations. One afternoon we spent hours inside our tents, waiting out a passing hailstorm — there was nothing to do but tell jokes, relax our tired bodies, make up songs, and listen to the thumping ice bounce off our tents.<div type="image" title="Boy fishing along California's John Muir Trail" height="2750" width="3666" msid="114998282" hostid="261" sizebytes="1102974"></div><h2 id="a7a0f6dc-1840-4293-acff-c33b1abae83e">Lessons learned</h2>In the backcountry, after a long time spent casting and hoping, my oldest son <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/took-teenagers-on-roadtrip-everyone-enjoyed-it-2024-10">caught, gutted, and cooked a fish</a>. My middle son, educated about navigation and blazes, trekked a bit ahead on the trail by himself and ended up having propitious one-on-one time with a mule deer. And my youngest? He had to muster up the grit and resolve to keep up with his brothers and find joy in a demanding experience.We all grappled with being uncomfortable, wet, hungry, and tired, and it was through these trials that we found out what we were truly made of. In addition to securing permits, getting a satellite device for emergencies, and learning the ins and outs of the terrain, we did plenty of physical training to prepare for the JMT. Not only did we go on shorter and easier backpacking trips, testing out our gear and adding muscle to our legs, but my husband also bought my boys Styrofoam airplanes so that they could run up and down a hill to launch and fetch the planes. They knew they were being "tricked" into exercising, but they did it on their own accord anyway.My oldest took a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/basic-first-aid-hacks-everyone-should-know-2018-7">first aid</a> course, which proved useful when my youngest hurt his finger on the trail. Watching the pride stretch across my son's face as he hopped into action and grabbed the kit out of his backpack to help his little brother was a highlight for me.<div type="image" title="Camp spot along California's John Muir Trail" height="3024" width="4032" msid="114998284" hostid="261" sizebytes="1969844"></div><h2 id="1644cc9a-bcf8-4366-9255-b4b642c5267e">We found meaning in each experience</h2>After we crossed our set finish line and went home, we learned to deeply appreciate all of the essential things that are easy to take for granted: a roof over our heads, clean running water, the warmth and softness of our own beds, and the freedom to eat what we wanted when we wanted.There's something about tackling a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/took-little-kids-camping-maine-summer-fun-outdoors-huttopia-2024-6">big challenge in nature</a>, engaging in what our kids call "type two fun," that births independence and maturity. Whether my boys realized it or not, they glowed on that trail. They learned how to be leaders, accountable, and responsible for themselves and those around them.My boys also bonded with each other as they depended on each other for conversation, motivation, and support. More than anything, however, my guys learned that they are capable of tough things. They are much stronger than they thought possible. Now, when life throws challenges their way, they have something to draw strength from so they can move forward.We consistently parrot to our boys this simple yet beautiful statement from Conan O'Brien: "If you work really hard and are kind, amazing things will happen."Got a personal essay about bonding with family that you want to share? Get in touch with the editor: <a target="_blank" href="mailto:akarplus@businessinsider.com">akarplus@businessinsider.com</a>.

I forced my kids to go on a 70-mile hike with me in California. It taught them what they're capable of.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Carsten Brinkschulte, who founded Dryad Networks, built an IoT network to detect wildfires.</li><li>He's motivated by the impact of his work and urges founders and engineers to move to green tech.</li></ul>This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Carsten Brinkschulte, the CEO of Dryad Networks, an IoT company offering wildfire-detection tech. The following has been edited for length and clarity.You know the saying "Once you have a hammer, everything starts to look like a nail"?That's what happened when I started learning more about the planet's growing <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/climate-change-migration-where-moved-escape-natural-disasters-extreme-weather">wildfire problem</a> and its impact on climate change. With 25 years of experience scaling three startups in <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/5g-transforms-businesses-better-security-remote-capabilities-2024-5">telecommunications</a>, I wondered how I could apply that technical and business knowledge to solving this problem.What if we could create sensors that could detect wildfires and then have those sensors communicate back to authorities before the fire is a major issue? With these questions in mind, I cofounded <a target="_blank" href="https://www.dryad.net/">Dryad Networks</a>.<h2 id="89eba62a-12a8-4c0f-b628-46d2f454c838">A series of technical challenges</h2>While the vision for our solution was clear from the start, there were a lot of technical hurdles in making it real.The first was how to detect fires. Instead of relying on vision via satellites and cameras, which only work when fires are already large, we focused on smell to catch fires at the early smoldering stage. We built a "digital nose," a gas sensor sensitive to hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and volatile organic compounds, with built-in AI to detect fire patterns in a distributed, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-edge-computing-5g-cloud-artificial-intelligence-2024-3">edge-computing</a> manner.<div type="image" title="A green and black sensor device on top of tree bark." height="3194" width="2396" msid="113885493" hostid="261" sizebytes="850234"></div>Building these sensors happened relatively quickly — but training the AI to work reliably took years. Every forest and tree species smells different when they're burning, so we've gathered data from customers around the world and even burned tree samples in our lab.Another challenge was powering the devices. Unlike with at-home IoT devices, replacing batteries in millions of forest sensors every two years isn't feasible. We aimed for 10 to 15 years of battery life, added <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/solar-panel-industry-electricity-generation-us-eia-tariff-prices-trade-2024-2">solar panels</a>, and used supercapacitors to store power instead of lithium-ion batteries to avoid fire risk.Finally there was the question of how the devices would communicate information. As you know if you've been hiking, there's often no mobile network in the forest. To solve for this, we developed our own solar-powered mesh gateway that could connect to sensors via an IoT network and relay information back to a cloud platform.<div type="image" title="A green device with a black grid screen in the middle, attached to a tree trunk in a forest." height="3456" width="2592" msid="113885494" hostid="261" sizebytes="1568642"></div>Given how much technology needed to be engineered from the ground up — the electronics, the embedded software, the cloud platform, the AI — we started with a team of seven cofounders and took three years to develop the technology and another year and a half to prepare it to scale.<h2 id="ce79374e-13ac-41bc-9adb-fb00e4258e7f">Proving value beyond money</h2>A persistent challenge with green tech is that many solutions require hardware — something VCs traditionally avoid. Getting the necessary funding for development can be tricky.Fortunately, there are now plenty of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/investing/esg-investing">impact investors</a> who prioritize making a difference on global issues. Yes, they also want to see that you can build a profitable business, but they're willing to accept more capital requirements or a delay in return if you can prove your solution will have a meaningful and measurable impact.Many <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/green-energy-transition-saves-millions-years-healthy-human-life-2023-11">green-tech</a> companies claim wonderful things about what their solution will do, but they need to quantify it. When working toward <a target="_blank" href="https://www.globenewswire.com/en/news-release/2024/03/20/2849406/0/en/Dryad-Networks-Announces-Initial-Closing-of-5-6-Million-in-Convertible-Financing.html">our fundraising goal</a>, we took months to calculate how many global CO2 emissions come from wildfires — a staggering <a target="_blank" href="https://ourworldindata.org/wildfires">5 billion to 8 billion tons a year</a> — and then project how much of that could be prevented with our sensors. Our financial plan includes those numbers to show the impact we can have alongside the money we can make.<h2 id="1863b547-6fd5-4c92-9756-e121e4390171">A wealth of possibilities</h2>Our ultimate goal is to develop applications that utilize the network infrastructure we put in place to protect and restore one of our most important assets: <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/a-groundbreaking-new-reason-to-plant-more-trees-2024-7">forests</a>. The first is fire detection, but in the future we may add sensors that measure the environmental risk of fire before one even starts, monitor tree and soil health, and detect gunshots or chainsaws to prevent poaching and illegal logging.I encourage other engineers and founders to get out of building the next smartphone and do something impactful with the knowledge they've gained. Getting into green tech is the best thing you can ever do — it's rewarding financially and motivating to see that you're building something useful.

I'm a telecommunications expert — here's how I think IoT can help prevent wildfires and save our forests

<ul class="summary-list"><li>My partner and I spent nearly two weeks in Costa Rica for our birthdays this year.</li><li>We tried to see the highlights of the country as we visited Arenal, Monteverde, and Paquera.</li></ul>My partner and I decided to splurge on a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/travel/best-hotels-costa-rica">vacation to Costa Rica</a> for a milestone birthday celebration this year. We spent 12 nights traveling across the western side of the country, trying to soak up as many of the Central American country's highlights as possible.Costa Rica boasts 5% of the world's <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/investors-to-crack-the-44-trillion-nature-market-in-2024-2024-1">biodiversity</a>, with white sand beaches and lush jungles to explore — a huge draw for us as animal lovers. It's also home to a small <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/blue-zones-nicoya-costa-rica-whole-food-calcium-exercise-rest-2023-9">Blue Zone</a> on the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nicoya-costa-rica-blue-zone-diet-protein-more-full-energy-2023-9">Nicoya Peninsula</a>, where the region's residents are said to live longer, healthier lives than average.Ultimately, we spent time in Costa Rica's capital city of San Jose, the volcanic hot springs of La Fortuna in Arenal, the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/unique-forests-2018-3">cloud forest</a> of Monteverde in Santa Elena, and the beaches of Paquera and Montezuma in the Nicoya region for a taste of the coastal life. While there were moments when we felt our experience was a bit too polished and gimmicky, the trip as a whole was full of incredible wildlife encounters and stunning views I haven't seen anywhere else in the world.I'd hop on a plane tomorrow to go back if I could, but there are some things I'd skip on a return trip.<h2 id="a461ef9a-cd59-4c7e-b1f2-79d58f8c08d4">Rafting Rio Celeste in Arenal</h2>Our first main stop was La Fortuna, in the shadow of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-do-voluntary-work-exchange-in-costa-rica-2023-12">Volcano Arenal </a>— one of Costa Rica's active volcanoes. While this area has plenty of hanging bridge tours and night walks to spot wildlife like sloths and glass frogs, rafting down the Rio Celeste allowed us to see the jungle from a different perspective.We traveled at the end of May, the start of Costa Rica's wet season, so we encountered fewer tourists than were usually present during our trip. This paid off especially well for our rafting excursion, where we were the only two people on the tour besides our guide.For about two hours and $75 each, we navigated class II and III rapids — intermediate difficulty, with white caps up to three feet and some obstacles in the way — on the Rio Celeste, taking brief breaks to swim in the beautiful, clear water. We also took drone footage of curious howler monkeys who watched us from the shore.<div type="image" title="A drone shot of a raft floating down the Rio Celeste in Costa Rica." height="1080" width="2400" msid="110857683" hostid="261" sizebytes="281980"></div>Our guide pointed out local birds and fish, helping us stop our raft when there were sights we wanted to linger on. Once we were done on the water, we enjoyed fresh fruits and a hot lunch of empanadas, which was included in the tour's cost.<h2 id="9122ef41-8bcb-4c73-8abf-34b80312a05e">Hiking El Tigre Waterfalls in Monteverde</h2>Hiking in the cloud forest of Monteverde quickly topped our list of things to do while we researched our trip. If I could have extended our stay longer, this is the one thing I'd want to do more of, mostly to see more of the incredible wildlife in the Puntarenas province.High in the mountains, about 30 minutes from the artsy township of Santa Elena, we went on a self-guided hike to see the El Tigre Waterfalls. The 8-kilometer hike takes you through a humid jungle over several hanging bridges and offers stunning views of nearly a dozen waterfalls — but the animals were the highlight.We saw massive butterflies, multiple species of hummingbirds and frogs, a toucan, motmots, a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/13ft-python-survived-months-eating-cats-oklahoma-trailer-park-2023-10">concerningly large snake</a>, and glimpses of monkeys in the branches above.<div type="image" title="A view from a hanging bridge at El Tigre Waterfalls, a hiking spot near Santa Elena, Costa Rica." height="2924" width="5000" msid="110857682" hostid="261" sizebytes="2410080"></div>Even in the cooler month of May, it was wildly hot in the jungle, so while the trekking wasn't physically challenging, we opted to catch a 4x4 up the mountain on the last leg of the trail — adding $20 to our $46 entry fee. For a little more than three hours of hiking, it was still a less expensive way to spend the afternoon than other tour options, and it once again felt like we had the trails to ourselves, only crossing paths with a few other groups the entire time we explored.<h2 id="9751acc6-577b-4b7b-87c4-66516a1fcc5d">Bioluminescent kayak tours in Paquera</h2>There are only a handful of places in the world where you can spot bioluminescent algae conditions year-round, and the coastal waters of the Nicoya Peninsula are one of them.This tour was magical, even in less-than-ideal conditions for the glowing to appear. We shared a kayak and paddled out into the darkness with an enthusiastic guide who explained the chemistry behind bioluminescence and helped us find secluded coves to see the light produced by algae in the water.The algae likes warm, still waters that get lots of light during the day. When it is charged with enough energy from the sun, it glows bright blue. In less-than-ideal conditions, it can appear greenish or white.Our algae, which hadn't totally "charged," glowed an eerie white as our paddles broke the water's surface. It couldn't be captured on camera — but that's all the better, according to our guide, who encouraged us to be present in the moment, stepping out of our kayaks in a shallow cove to catch the algae in our shirts and watch it glow against the fabric and our skin.<div type="image" title="A view of the Nicoya Penninsula in Paquera, Costa Rica" height="3024" width="4032" msid="110857685" hostid="261" sizebytes="711438"></div>At $36 each, perhaps we could have explored the coastline ourselves with a rented kayak, but the unique experience left us both feeling like it was one of the best parts of the trip.<h2 id="328aace8-a94a-434f-bca0-da36477d71b9">Are coffee and chocolate walks worth it?</h2>Costa Rica is known for its coffee and chocolate, so it's nearly impossible to drive through any main stretch of road without seeing signs for tours showing how the products are grown and cultivated.They're not worth it. Any questions you have about the process can be answered at the gift shop where the tours end, and you're likely to get a free sample regardless of whether you paid for a 2+ hour tour.We chose to take a night walk that included a coffee and chocolate tour. Our guide (for $60 each) walked us around the grounds of the coffee grove, explained how chocolate was made from cacao beans, and then sent us out with flashlights to look for wildlife in the dark.While we bought chocolate for our friends and family as souvenirs, we didn't glimpse any exciting animals or glean any particularly interesting knowledge from our guide, so the tour stood out as a pricey decision we could have skipped without losing out on anything.<div type="image" title="A sloth hanging from a tree in La Fortuna, Costa Rica" height="3024" width="4032" msid="110857681" hostid="261" sizebytes="1953688"></div>Overall, our Costa Rican adventure was beautiful, full of incredible sights, exciting excursions, and delicious meals I won't soon forget. If you're <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chatgpt-travel-itenerary-vacation-costa-rica-errors-logistics-advisors-2023-3">planning a trip</a>, skip the highly curated outings to explore the country's less popular attractions — and be quick with your camera; the jungle won't wait.

I spent 12 days seeking Costa Rica's highlights, from the Cloud Forest to the Nicoya Peninsula. I'd revisit 3 places in a heartbeat but one tourist trap I'll never fall into again.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Russian automaker Sollers is under fire over reports that its cars are breaking down along the war front.</li><li>One former top official complained of a gearshift lever falling off, constant leaks, and engine problems.</li></ul>A Russian contractor providing SUVs and pick-up trucks to Moscow's troops blamed Western sanctions on Thursday amid criticism that its vehicles were arriving in poor condition.Sollers, the Russian company that owns the auto firm Ulyanovsk Automobile Plant, or UAZ, told local outlet <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.gazeta.ru/auto/news/2024/10/17/24167389.shtml?updated">Gazeta.RU</a> that its subsidiary had lost key suppliers in 2022 due to the "conditions of sanctions restrictions."To maintain its production lines, UAZ had switched component suppliers in the "shortest possible time," Sollers' press service added, per the outlet.The company's statement comes as Dmitry Rogozin, a once-prominent official now based in the Donbas, has repeatedly slammed the quality of UAZ vehicles delivered to Russian troops for months.Rogozin was head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos before he was <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/putin-fires-russias-space-chief-dmitry-rogozin-who-trolled-elon-musk-2022-7">fired in July 2022</a><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/putin-fires-russias-space-chief-dmitry-rogozin-who-trolled-elon-musk-2022-7">.</a> In the absence of a new posting from Moscow, he's rekindled his public image as a volunteer leader on the front lines in Ukraine. Before working at Roscosmos, he was also Russia's ambassador to NATO and a deputy prime minister overseeing defense production.He's been complaining about UAZ vehicles since July, when he wrote on his <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://t.me/rogozin_do/6060">public Telegram channel </a>that they arrived in seemingly brand-new condition but suffered from constant oil leaks, "flimsy" transfer cases, and engines that seized up after about 3,000 miles of use.Rogozin recounted seeing a UAZ-made "Patriot" SUV stalling about two miles from battle lines at night, forcing three Russian soldiers inside to flee into a nearby forest and return with a repair kit as Ukrainian recon drones watched."All this speaks of the disgusting quality of assembly and the unworthy quality of the parts and components themselves," Rogozin wrote.In September, he wrote that his UAZ vehicle had broken down due to a power steering fluid leak, forcing him to call for a second pick-up truck. However, Rogozin said that the gearshift lever of the second vehicle, also made by UAZ, fell off while on the road.Posting a photo of the broken lever on his Telegram channel, Rogozin blasted the quality of the cars as so poor that their production might as well be an act of sabotage."The war is going on, and you're sending defective products to the front. Shame and disgrace!" he wrote.Sollers did not respond to a request for comment sent outside regular business hours by Business Insider.On Thursday, Rogozin said BARS-Sarmat, a volunteer military organization that he formed under the Russian reserve, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://t.me/rogozin_do/6426">would sign a cooperative agreement</a> with UAZ's management to ensure "control of the required quality" of vehicles sent to the front.Sollers also told Gazeta.RU that it was in talks with Rogozin and BARS-Sarmat, including a discussion on producing custom vehicles tailored for specific combat missions.The Moscow-based firm is one of Russia's biggest auto manufacturers. Its UAZ brand specializes in off-road vehicles, including the military transport car UAZ-469 and commercial SUVs frequently used by Russian troops.Sollers shared a factory in Moscow with the Michigan-based Ford Motor Company until October 2022, when the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2022/10/26/-ford-exits-sollers-ford-joint-venture-in-russia-following-seven.html">US company pulled out</a> amid pressure for Western firms to leave Russia.In November of that year, Mazda also <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.reuters.com/markets/deals/russian-carmaker-sollers-buy-out-mazdas-stake-vladivostok-joint-venture-2022-11-10/">withdrew from its joint venture plant in Vladivostok with Sollers</a>. The Japanese carmaker sold its stake for one euro and maintained the right to buy it back for the same price in three years.The Russian automaker's recent blaming of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kadyrov-tesla-cybertruck-questions-us-eu-export-bans-sanctions-holes-2024-8">Western sanctions</a> is a reversal of its statements in September 2023, when it dismissed being <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://ofac.treasury.gov/recent-actions/20230914">blacklisted by the US Treasury Department.</a>Sollers had told Russian media it did not foresee a significant impact as it already restructured its supply chain to prepare for the restrictions.UAZ was also <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://data.europa.eu/apps/eusanctionstracker/subjects/140578">sanctioned by the European Union</a> in June 2023.In August this year, it said it earned <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://sollers-auto.com/en/press-center/news-and-events/sollers-announces-ifrs-financial-results-for-1h2024/">revenues of $452.7 million</a> in the first half of 2023, up 27.3% from $335.7 million in the same period of 2022, due to "a significant increase in production and sales of Sollers vehicles."The company's net profit was $16.4 million, per its statement.

One of Rusisa's biggest automakers said it's struggling under Western sanctions after frontline complaints that its vehicles are falling apart

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Vitor Urbano moved from London to Latvia for a quieter life before his child was born.</li><li>Latvia offered better job opportunities for his partner and a lower cost of living.</li></ul>This as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation with Vitor Urbano, a freelancer who moved from London to Latvia. The following has been edited for length and clarity.I moved from Sintra, Portugal, to London in 2011. I took a leap of faith and moved on a whim, making a living working in pubs.I worked as a bartender in a Heathrow restaurant when I met my girlfriend. We met, got to talking, and the rest is history.Now, we live a peaceful life together in Latvia, and I love it.<h2 id="7d64c9ce-23d6-413f-852a-68b4ef4f9c6b">We decided to leave London behind when my girlfriend got pregnant</h2>In 2018, after discovering my girlfriend was pregnant, we decided to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/millennial-moved-to-london-stressful-lonely-now-moving-to-portugal-2024-3">leave London behind</a> before the baby was born.London isn't for everybody. The first few years are amazing. There are always things happening, and you can get anything you want. After living in London for years, we were tired and overworked.When we discovered we were expecting, that was the last straw. We wanted to move somewhere quiet and more intimate.<h2 id="304c72b8-bf80-49b1-9828-cee56c2642cd">We chose Latvia so my partner could have better opportunities</h2>There were two obvious choices of where to live: Portugal or Latvia, where my girlfriend is from.By the time we chose to move, I'd transitioned out of bar work and worked remotely as a tech journalist and reviewer. I could work from anywhere without a visa as a freelancer in the EU.We decided on Latvia because it would be easier for her to find a job after <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/maternity-leave-around-the-world-2018-5">maternity leave</a> in her native language rather than learning Portuguese. A flat was also slightly cheaper in her hometown of Saldus than in Portugal.<h2 id="20cbecd4-fa47-4d19-9f44-3e609b7e6114">Real estate and cars are cheaper than in London, but day-to-day items are similarly priced</h2>Salaries in Latvia are lower than in London, so if you're working for a Latvian company, the cost of living is comparable. Across the board, things are more expensive in London, but the remuneration is way higher than in Latvia.The biggest difference is in real estate and cars, which cost less here than in London. We own our home, so we no longer pay rent, but day-to-day items like groceries are about the same.Monthly, we spend between 500 and 600 euros at the supermarket, 50 to 60 euros on electricity, 60 to 80 euros on gasoline for our car, and 35 euros on the internet and television.<h2 id="b0768e01-8399-4adc-906e-906f2b8e0077">Latvia lacks the comforts and amenities of London, but the people are friendly and welcoming</h2>I don't miss London on a daily basis, but on a few occasions, I'm a little nostalgic about the big metropolis and its wide availability of events.When I got to Latvia, my biggest shock was the difference in Amazon. Once I left bartending, I worked as an <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mistakes-people-make-ordering-amazon-from-delivery-drivers">Amazon delivery guy</a> in London and at my tech job. We don't have next-day Amazon delivery here — we don't even have free Amazon delivery.The UK is a massive hub of cultural variety, where you can get great quality food from virtually any cuisine. Latvia's food scene has a lot more cultural roots.In London, you can get to anything quickly and have unlimited options for restaurants, shops, supermarkets, cinemas, and shopping centers. In Latvia, especially in Saldus, that's not the case. We have access to all the essentials but not luxuries like a shopping center, cinema, or unlimited restaurant choice.Along with the difficulties came positives. Some think Eastern European cultures are cold and unwelcoming, but my experience was not like that. Everyone was welcoming for the most part, and it made my transition easier. My wife has relatives nearby, and I made new friends. I learned a little Latvian, and my friends speak English.<h2 id="9f649a0f-0f27-41fe-8c32-190154e6cdee">I love my quiet life in Latvia</h2>I grew up surrounded by nature. My childhood was very nature-oriented, with mountains, forests, and many green places to go. When I moved to the UK, it was harder to have easy access to lakes, rivers, and even beaches. In Saldus, you're surrounded by nature.You also experience all four seasons here. It does get really cold in the winter, but the infrastructure is well-prepared for the cold. I'm colder in Portugal in February than in Latvia in January when the temperature is below zero because houses aren't built for cold in Portugal, but they are in Latvia.Latvia is a lot calmer than the UK. The pace of life is slower, and people seem to be in less of a rush and less stressed out.It's also safer and easier to raise a kid here. For the price of one sports activity in the UK, I can enroll my child in five different sports a week in Latvia.<h2 id="23684b98-5e95-4187-9f95-703adb2382e4">If you feel called to move, do it</h2>If you feel called somewhere, just go. Many people think, plan, or dream, but few have the guts to jump.I don't have to stress about giving my child the best life possible. I will probably be here for the long run and don't regret moving to Latvia.

I left London for a little town in Latvia. It lacks certain luxuries, but it's a safer, easier place to raise a kid.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Wendy Altschuler left her home state of Montana in her early 20s after finding love.</li><li>She has rarely returned — a few times when her mom was dying and later for her dad's second wedding.</li></ul>At 19, I fell in love with a long-haired musician wearing a white linen shirt dotted with wooden buttons. He caught my eye while strumming an acoustic guitar and singing his heart out at an open-mic-night dive bar in Montana.It only took two years before I <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/left-hometown-seeking-job-opportunities-au-pair-travel-europe-backpacking-2024-2">packed up everything I owned and moved</a> across the country to build a life with him in Chicago, leaving the weathered mountains, coniferous forests, and wildflower-filled meadows of my childhood forever in the rearview mirror.Later, I'd marry that music man. Together, we weathered the vicissitudes of life through the challenges of working and paying for college, moving multiple times, and going through career changes. And, just as I was <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/parental-stress-is-a-public-health-crisis-2024-9">becoming a mother</a>, I'd lose my own through a lengthy and painful struggle with breast cancer.Even though we could barely afford it at the time — with three little boys to take care of — we made the journey back to my home state to spend time with my parents and to give my children a chance to feel their grandparents' love.After <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/only-child-dealing-alone-mom-illness-2024-4">my mom died</a>, the worry about my father's health and welfare grew. How would he endure, all alone without my mom? What was my responsibility in all of this, living several states away and raising my own family?<div type="image" title="Grandpa with three grand sons seated on a wooden bench" height="2330" width="3262" msid="114231912" hostid="261" sizebytes="560444"></div><h2 id="c663ac73-ff61-40ea-9e0a-f566d53edd99">My dad had no interest in leaving Montana</h2>But my father had created his own life, surrounded by horses and wide-open spaces. The fact that the only time he had ever visited me was for my wedding — something I told him he was obligated to do — was incredibly telling for where he'd want to spend his remaining years.When my dad found love again and chose to get <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mom-remarried-accept-relationship-wedding-letting-go-2024-6">remarried</a> a few years later, it was a great relief. I was proud of him for fighting for his existence and for deciding that he deserved happiness — even at his mature age. I knew it was challenging to be vulnerable and put yourself out there again after so many decades of marriage.When we arrived in Montana for his wedding, I popped in a local coffee shop before the big day, while my husband and boys waited outside. As soon as I spotted the bold brush strokes, I knew it was hers, my mother's painting hanging on the wall.Unbeknownst to me, the owners had bought it from an antique store, where my mom sold some of her outsider art before she died. Gutted, all of it came rushing back — the pain of watching my <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/quit-goldman-sachs-to-take-care-of-mother-no-regrets-2024-5">mother get sick </a>and lose her hair, her vibrancy, as she withered and suffered and eventually didn't know who or where she was anymore. The sting of seeing the faraway look in my dad's tired eyes when he told the young men setting up the hospital bed in his living room, "you'll be back to pick this up, she'll be dead soon."I ran out of that coffee shop, sobbing into my hands as I struggled to explain to my husband what I had seen, trying like mad to pull myself together because my three little boys were looking up at me, and we had a wedding to get to.Two of my sons stood next to my dad, properly dressed in cowboy hats and boots, with the Bridger <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mom-left-family-celebrate-40th-birthday-alone-switzerland-travel-solo-2024-8">Mountains in view</a>, while my youngest walked down the aisle with the real rings stacked on his thumbs, pointing up to Montana's big sky.<div type="image" title="Man in cowboy hat dancing with woman with a band in the background" height="5197" width="3469" msid="114231913" hostid="261" sizebytes="635810"></div>My father and I would slide our boots in tandem on the dance floor while my husband played with the band on the stage behind us. That day, I experienced a kaleidoscope of emotions, ultimately landing on gratitude for a full life, where love was the golden thread weaved throughout.A handful of months later, at Christmas, I opened the best present I'd ever received: my husband had bought me my mother's painting from the coffee shop.As the years go by, flowers sprout, bloom, and return to the soil. Ponderosa pines still smell like kettle corn and vanilla. My <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mom-left-kids-home-took-middle-son-travel-alone-greece-2024-9">sons continue to grow</a> and mature and find their own passions and footing. Eventually, they will also flee the nest.<h2 id="6a592a0b-2c85-4c72-a8f9-88cb2be5c300">It had been 3 years since they'd seen Grandpaw</h2>This past summer, just before my three teenagers would start high school together, we took one more <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/took-teenagers-on-roadtrip-everyone-enjoyed-it-2024-10">family trip</a> back to Montana. This time, it would be a surprise — nobody would know we were coming. It wasn't a holiday, birthday, or special occasion. It was just because we love my dad.Laying the groundwork, I made sure to call him more than normal for several months prior, gently teasing out information to be sure he'd be home during our visit. Nearly every day, he visits a country coffee shop near his house, the same one we would ride horses to when I was a kid. My plan was to show up there and send my boys in to casually sit down next to him. Would he recognize them after three long years? Would this timeworn cowboy cry?When he wasn't there, however, we had to amend our plans and show up at his house. We drove back and forth before pulling into his long driveway, parking out of view. The five of us shuffled past dozens of chickens to reach his door, unobtrusive and quiet to avoid being spotted.I was a bit nervous when I knocked, heavy with the hopes of pulling off something I had been planning for so long. My old man opened the door, and we all screeched, "Surprise!"He stumbled back a step and then reached for my kids, delight stretching across his face. He said nothing and everything at the exact same moment.Got a personal essay about reconnecting with family that you want to share? Get in touch with the editor: <a target="_blank" href="mailto:akarplus@businessinsider.com">akarplus@businessinsider.com</a>.

My 3 kids spend little time with their grandpa. So, we flew across the country for a surprise visit.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>My long-distance partner and I <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mom-took-pay-cut-move-houston-boston-worth-it-2024-9">moved to Massachusetts</a> thinking it was a great place to merge lives.</li><li>We advanced our careers in Boston but found it to be too expensive and not a great fit for us.</li></ul>My partner and I began our long-distance relationship on opposite coasts — I in Lake Tahoe and she in New York — but we wanted to merge our lives somewhere new after a few years together.We spent months <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.nbcnews.com/better/lifestyle/these-are-2019-s-best-states-live-here-s-what-ncna1019556">researching</a> where we'd like to move and build an ideal future. Eventually, we set our sights on <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-states-to-live-in-ranked-2024-8">Massachusetts</a>.For years, places like US News &amp; World Report have named it the best state to live in because of its consistently high ratings in common <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-cities-best-quality-of-life-ranked-2024-2">quality-of-life metrics</a>, like affordability and residents' overall happiness.We were even more convinced once we saw videos of New England's brilliant foliage in the fall — I pictured our lives there as part "Gilmore Girls" and part <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/day-in-the-life-small-town-from-hallmark-movies-2024">Hallmark movie</a> with a dash of rain-soaked cobblestone.We headed to Massachusetts' capital, Boston, in the summer of 2019 once I'd secured a job and signed up for classes at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/harvard-freshman-what-my-first-day-of-classes-was-like-2023-9">Harvard</a>.<h2 id="3ce755d2-c43c-4c0a-8169-b1ab126ba064">The city wasn't what we expected, and we struggled to get used to it</h2><div type="image" title="Rainy brick wakway with fallen autumn leaves in Boston with skyscrapers in background" height="3333" width="5000" msid="114157159" hostid="261" sizebytes="1534598"></div>The city certainly had beauty, but I soon realized just how divergent our experiences were against our expectations.Massachusetts has <a target="_blank" href="https://www.forbes.com/advisor/mortgages/cost-of-living-by-state/">high rent</a> costs in certain areas, and Boston's generally <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/boston-cost-of-living-young-people/3434605/">high cost of living</a> meant we weren't able to build our savings while living there.Our paychecks mostly went to our $3,000-per-month Boston apartment that had been sold to us as a "luxurious living space for young professionals" but was actually small and outdated.Each day, I headed to work on an agonizing commute, navigating potholes and aggressive drivers through a city with some of the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/boston-traffic-delays-ranked-4th-worst-in-us-and-8th-worst-worldwide-report-shows/3409481/">worst traffic in the world</a>. Then, I'd pay to park my car in a garage that cost about a quarter of our rent each month.Although Boston offers many public transportation options, my partner (a born-and-raised New Yorker) found them unreliable at times. Between the round-the-clock traffic and limited green spaces in the city, fresh air sometimes felt nonexistent.We struggled socially, too. My family says I'm so outgoing that I befriend every barista and grocery cashier I meet, so I was shocked when I experienced an inability to connect with the people I met in Boston. Coming from out of state, we often felt like we were viewed as outsiders.Even our cats, confined to a too-small apartment with views of a similarly run-down building beside us, seemed to feel it: Boston wasn't for us.<h2 id="f5670272-4a55-43cf-9714-78c6a51c30e1">After 2 years, we headed to the suburbs to heal</h2>While in Boston, my partner advanced her career in veterinary medicine and I got a decent education. But by 2021, we knew we had to leave — the two years since our August 2019 <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/boston-portland-chicago-new-job-where-move-rto-higher-pay-2023-11">move to Boston</a> felt like a decade each.The city had exhausted us, and we resented it, but we hadn't lost hope in the state just yet. So, we sought out a slower pace of living about an hour west in the lesser-known <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guaranteed-basic-income-monthly-payments-housing-boston-suburb-somerville-massachusetts-2024-4">Massachusetts suburb</a> of Sudbury.Once we moved, our rent cost $550 less a month — our apartment was spacious and nicer, with updated appliances and in-unit laundry. We also had scenic views since our windows overlooked a dog park and a forest.The air in Sudbury felt fresher as we were surrounded by more green spaces. Although our community was smaller than it was in Boston, the people we met felt kinder, more closely knit, and more welcoming.We stayed there for over two years until we moved to a Las Vegas suburb in December 2023 to be closer to family in need, but we're still grateful for our time in Sudbury.Despite the downsides we experienced, we have a lot to thank Boston for, too. We grew into adulthood and advanced our careers there — and the city taught us we really need space and serenity in order to flourish.

We thought Massachusetts was the perfect place to build a life. Boston let us down, but we found peace elsewhere in the state.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A soldier in Ukraine's first wave at Kursk said Russian troops were unarmed and not expecting an attack.</li><li>He told <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.ft.com/content/bc695adf-bd17-4242-b4bc-82235a97edbf">the FT</a> that his Stryker unit found its enemies "drinking coffee at a table."</li></ul>A Ukrainian soldier who participated in the first forays of last week's Kursk incursion said his unit caught Russian troops completely by surprise as the latter were having coffee.His account, published by <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.ft.com/content/bc695adf-bd17-4242-b4bc-82235a97edbf">The Financial Times</a>, adds to a chorus of assessments that Russia had been <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kursk-russia-looks-caught-off-guard-by-ukraine-attack-2024-8">unprepared and blindsided</a> by Ukraine's rare cross-border attack on August 6.The FT wrote that the soldier, identified as Volodymyr, was part of a unit operating a US-provided Stryker armored fighting vehicle.Volodymyr told the outlet that his unit entered Kursk in the late morning of August 6, and soon found a group of Russian troops "sitting in the forest, drinking coffee at a table.""Then our Stryker drives right into their table," he said, per the FT."We killed many of them on the first day. Because they were unarmed and didn't expect us," he added.Volodymyr said "dozens" of other Russian troops surrendered afterward.The FT's Ukraine correspondent, Christopher Miller, wrote that he interviewed Volodymyr's crew on Sunday when they returned to Ukraine.Their Stryker had been struck by a rocket-propelled grenade on Friday, which gave the driver a concussion, Miller reported.Ukraine's attack on Kursk has recentered global attention on the war to southern Russia, though fighting remains fierce and dire for Kyiv's troops on the older frontline in the east.Ukrainian leaders claimed on Monday to have <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-captured-hundreds-square-miles-russian-territory-general-2024-8">seized 1,000 square kilometers</a>, or about 380 square miles, of Russian soil, as well as 74 villages and towns.The fog of war has made it difficult to assess the true progress of day-to-day battle — unusual for a conflict that's been characterized by an excess of war footage posted online. Ukraine <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/the-west-in-the-dark-ahead-ukraine-kursk-assault-report-2024-8">said nothing officially about its attack for days</a>, even after its forces were spotted fighting miles past Russian defensive lines.Meanwhile, the Kremlin has, since the initial days of the incursion, called the Ukrainian attack a "terror" operation and repeatedly said it had stopped Kyiv's advance.But geolocated footage and reports from the ground suggest Ukraine is still pushing deeper into Kursk even after those claims. The speed at which Ukraine was able to force its way into Russia has surfaced new questions about the region's military preparedness and intelligence."The Ukrainian operations across the border in the Kursk and, possibly, Belgorod regions have been of longer duration and reach than either the Russians or Ukrainians initially expected," US Navy Ret. Vice Adm. Robert Murrett told Business Insider in an email.The Kremlin <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kursk-ukraine-exploited-russias-dysfunctional-military-command-2024-8">is still consolidating its defense of Kursk</a>, with Russian leader Vladimir Putin vowing that Ukraine would receive a "worthy response.""The next two to three days will be critical for both sides as this 'Battle of Kursk' takes on additional significance," added Murrett, who is now deputy director of Syracuse University's Institute for Security Policy and Law.Notably, Russian state media has not made any mention of an "invasion," instead referring to a "situation" in the country's south, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://x.com/BBCSteveR/status/1823311156427243713">according to the BBC's Russia editor, Steve Rosenberg.</a>Press services for the Russian defense ministry and the Kremlin did not immediately respond to requests for comment sent outside regular business hours by Business Insider.

You Searched For "forest" and got 12 results

Do you know about the volcano that has the same rights as a human person?

BI India Bureau

I've been to 20 national parks and forests around the US. The North Rim of the Grand Canyon is the most underrated.

Joey Hadden

Sustainable Forest Management

Malaysia might add a casino to boost troubled $100 billion mega-development Forest City

Shubhangi Goel

I forced my kids to go on a 70-mile hike with me in California. It taught them what they're capable of.

Wendy Altschuler

I'm a telecommunications expert — here's how I think IoT can help prevent wildfires and save our forests

Erin Greenawald

I spent 12 days seeking Costa Rica's highlights, from the Cloud Forest to the Nicoya Peninsula. I'd revisit 3 places in a heartbeat but one tourist trap I'll never fall into again.

Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert

One of Rusisa's biggest automakers said it's struggling under Western sanctions after frontline complaints that its vehicles are falling apart

Matthew Loh

I left London for a little town in Latvia. It lacks certain luxuries, but it's a safer, easier place to raise a kid.

Ashley Couto

My 3 kids spend little time with their grandpa. So, we flew across the country for a surprise visit.

Wendy Altschuler

We thought Massachusetts was the perfect place to build a life. Boston let us down, but we found peace elsewhere in the state.

Jamie Evan Bichelman

A Ukrainian soldier said Russian troops in Kursk were 'sitting in the forest and drinking coffee,' unaware they were being invaded

Matthew Loh

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