Here are the headlines from Cheddar News that are Good 2 Know.
FREE TICKETS TO HONG KONG
Hong Kong is giving away 500,000 free tickets in a bid to revive the tourism industry after the COVID-19 pandemic put a serious dent in the city's economy. The "Hello Hong Kong" initiative, which launched last week, will dole out the tickets to the city's three major airlines, Cathay Pacific, HK Express, and Hong Kong Airlines, and in three separate releases. The first release will be available to people living in Southeast Asia on March 1, then mainland China on April 1, and the rest of the world on May 1. The effort will cost Hong Kong $254.8 million in total.
TIKTOK'S SLEEPY NOISES
You've probably heard of white noise, but what about pink noise? Or green noise? TikTok creators have started sharing their favorite noises to help them fall asleep, and there is some science to back up the social media trend. Sleep experts say the low frequencies of what are called brown sounds can help ease tinnitus symptoms. So-called green noise, meanwhile, is a more natural background, and pink noise is the closest to white noise (a more neutral sound). Ultimately though, what sounds are best is pretty subjective, so check them out yourself.
An Army private who fled to North Korea before being returned home to the United States last month has been detained by the U.S. military, two officials said Thursday night, and is facing charges including desertion and possessing sexual images of a child.
Israel bombarded Gaza early Friday, hitting areas in the south where Palestinians had been told to seek safety, and it began evacuating a sizable Israeli town in the north near the Lebanese border, the latest sign of a potential ground invasion of Gaza that could trigger regional turmoil.
With warmer oceans serving as fuel, Atlantic hurricanes are now more than twice as likely as before to rapidly intensify from wimpy minor hurricanes to powerful and catastrophic, a study said Thursday.
The Justice Department has secured a $9 million settlement with Ameris Bank over allegations that it avoided underwriting mortgages in predominately Black and Latino communities in Jacksonville, Florida, and discouraged people there from getting home loans.
Israel pounded the Gaza Strip with airstrikes on Thursday, including in the south where Palestinians were told to take refuge, and the country's defense minister told ground troops to “be ready” to invade, though he didn’t say when.
Addressing the nation from the Oval Office, President Joe Biden has made his case for major U.S. backing of Ukraine and Israel in a time of war.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Thursday that inflation remains too high and that bringing it down to the Fed's target level will likely require a slower-growing economy and job market.
According to a new survey from the Federal Reserve, income inequality grew during the pandemic.
Cheddar News checks in with your coast-to-coast weather forecast for Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023.
The suspect accused of orchestrating the killing of iconic rapper Tupac Shakur will be arraigned Thursday on a murder charge. Duane Davis is expected to plead not guilty to murder with the use of a deadly weapon.
