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By Avni Trivedi, CNN

(CNN) — The last row of economy are the airplane seats few people want to sit in. There’s no room to recline your seat and the constant line for the bathroom — not to mention the smell — can be overwhelming.

But what if the space could be transformed into something more appealing?

Imagine a secluded pod, screened off from aisle or bathroom noise and built to give you more space for carry-on luggage.

If this sounds appealing, Collins Aerospace agrees.

The aviation design company has flipped the script, taking this last-choice seat and making it one worth fighting for.

Its new “SkyNook” concept, showcased at this year’s Aircraft Interiors Expo in in Hamburg, Germany, reimagines the narrower rear of widebody planes where, in twin-aisle configurations, some rows can only accommodate a double seat rather than a triple.

The design creates what’s described as a “semi-private retreat” — a cocoon-like seating arrangement not entirely dissimilar to more upscale offerings at the front of the plane, where first-class flyers can often close the door on their fellow passengers.

While the seats look similar to normal economy class fixtures, SkyNook makes use of the space between the window seat and the plane’s sidewall, offering enough room to secure a baby carrier or a space for a pet, or to flex as a place to work or dine.

There’s also a sliding divider that provides a privacy barrier from the aisle and, according to the manufacturer, reduces noise from the galley and bathroom. There’s no word on whether it can repel unwanted odors.

Jefferey McKee, director of customer experience design at Collins Aerospace, said the concept was part of his company’s mission to improve air travel for passengers.

“SkyNook exemplifies this commitment, transforming a frequently overlooked area into a serene retreat that maximizes functionality, comfort and flexibility for families, passengers with service animals or those with sensory considerations,” he said in a press release.

The SkyNook claimed first place in the passenger comfort category of the Crystal Cabin Award, which recognizes innovative airplane cabin products and concepts at the Hamburg expo.

SkyNook has already generated a positive online stir, with one user on Reddit saying they “love that the extra space area by (the) cabin wall can be for so many different uses.”

The new seat design comes alongside other innovations that could make economy air travel more bearable. These include the double-level seat concept, Chaise Longue, the latest iteration of which was also showcased in Hamburg.

And then there’s Air New Zealand’s recently launched “Economy Skynest” bunk beds, which offer a place to lie down for a few hours during long-haul flights on the airline’s new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft.

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CNN

By Brian Stelter, CNN

(CNN) — Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders have cleared the way for CNN, HBO and Warner’s other media brands to join Paramount Skydance later this year.

Shareholders “overwhelmingly” voted in support of the takeover deal, WBD said after a pro forma special meeting took place on Thursday morning.

The vote was anticlimactic, but still a crucial moment in the monthslong struggle for control of WBD, one of the biggest media companies in the world.

Paramount, led by CEO David Ellison, still has to secure regulatory approval in the United States and other countries, but company executives are optimistic that they’ll be able to complete the deal in the third quarter of the year, meaning by the end of September.

“Shareholder approval marks another important milestone towards completing our acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, building on our successful equity and debt syndications and progress across regulatory approvals,” Paramount said in a statement.

“We look forward to closing the transaction in the coming months and realizing the creation of a next-generation media and entertainment company that better serves both the creative community and consumers,” the company added.

A year ago, WBD stock was trading at about $8 per share. Paramount is offering $31 per share, so the deal has been a no-brainer for many investors.

However, it has been a source of intense controversy in Hollywood and beyond, with some entertainment industry veterans warning against media consolidation and some activists criticizing Paramount’s close ties to President Donald Trump.

Opponents of the deal held a “block the merger” protest outside WBD headquarters on Thursday morning shortly before the vote.

The opponents are urging state attorneys general in states like California and New York to challenge the deal on antitrust grounds.

Several attorneys general offices have said they are closely examining the deal, partly out of a belief that the Trump administration’s federal regulators will give Paramount the green light for political reasons.

European regulatory bodies are also reviewing Paramount-WBD and may demand that Paramount divest some assets in order to secure the necessary approvals.

Paramount executives have bet that they’ll win all the necessary approvals swiftly: The WBD deal terms include a so-called “ticking fee” that increases the price per share if the deal isn’t finalized by September 30.

While shareholders easily advanced the Paramount deal, they did not approve the other measure that was up for a vote on Thursday. That one focused on compensation packages for outgoing WBD CEO David Zaslav and other executive officers.

The payout to Zaslav could total as much as $886 million, which would be “one of the highest golden parachutes ever observed,” according to the Los Angeles Times.

The compensation package proposal “did not receive sufficient votes and did not pass,” a represent

By Brian Stelter, CNN

(CNN) — The New York Times said the Federal Bureau of Investigation “began investigating” its reporter Elizabeth Williamson after she wrote a story involving FBI director Kash Patel titled “Patel’s girlfriend seeks fame and fortune, escorted by an FBI SWAT team.”

Times executive editor Joe Kahn called the probe an “alarming” attempt by the FBI to “criminalize routine reporting.”

And the Times only learned about it through a confidential source who tipped off Williamson’s colleague Michael Schmidt. He published a story about it on Wednesday night, prompting First Amendment groups to denounce the FBI inquiry.

Clayton Weimers, North America director for Reporters Without Borders, said, “In the same week that Kash Patel filed a flimsy lawsuit against the Atlantic for a story he didn’t like, we also learned that his FBI desperately combed through its databases to find dirt on a New York Times journalist whose reporting embarrassed him.”

“This ongoing, un-American harassment of journalists eerily echoes the Bureau’s darkest days,” Weimers said. “It’s time for Patel to cash out and resign.”

Patel has been on the defensive since The Atlantic last week published allegations of his “excessive drinking and unexplained absences.” He denied the claims and is suing The Atlantic for defamation.

Amid speculation that his job might be in jeopardy, he has appeared on Fox News repeatedly, perhaps trying to appeal to President Donald Trump by appearing on Trump’s favorite TV shows.

In a Wednesday night appearance on “Hannity,” he called Williamson’s February 28 story “baseless” and then pivoted to Trump praise.

Reporting vs. stalking

The FBI inquiry didn’t go far, but agents still “combed through the bureau’s databases” for info on Williamson, according to Schmidt’s source. Then “FBI agents recommended moving forward with a preliminary investigation,” but apparently ran into “obstacles at the Justice Department, where officials determined there was no legal basis to proceed,” he reported.

In response to the Times, the FBI denied that Williamson was “personally investigated” but confirmed the broad contours of the reporting, insisting that the issue was a death threat case against Patel’s girlfriend, Alexis Wilkins.

“Here’s what actually happened: A man threatened to have Alexis Wilkins’s face ‘canoed by an assault rifle’ after reading Williamson’s article,” Erica Knight, a PR strategist who is close to Patel, wrote on X.

“FBI agents interviewed Alexis about the threat. They asked her about Williamson because Williamson’s reporting is what set the defendant off. That is basic victim interview work in a threat case,” Knight wrote.

In his appearance on Fox, Patel said the person who made the death threat has been arrested and charged.

An FBI spokesperson said that investigators “were concerned about how the aggressive reporting techniques crossed lines of stalking,” while adding, “no further action regarding Williamson or the reporting was ever pursued by the FBI.”

Talk of “stalking,” which i

Por Jack Guy, CNN

Una turista causó daños por un valor de miles de dólares a un monumento del siglo XVI en Florencia, Italia, tras subirse a él durante una despedida de soltera, informaron autoridades locales.

La mujer de 28 años, cuya identidad y nacionalidad no se han revelado públicamente, se subió a la Fuente de Neptuno en la Piazza della Signoria el sábado, informó el Ayuntamiento de Florencia en un comunicado esta semana.

La Fuente de Neptuno fue encargada en 1559 por Cosimo I de Medici, duque de Florencia, para conmemorar la boda de su hijo Francesco y la gran duquesa Juana de Austria.

La fuente presenta una estatua del dios romano del mar, Neptuno, sobre una carroza con forma de concha tirada por caballos.

La mujer fue inmediatamente detectada por la Policía, que le ordenó que bajara de la fuente, según informaron las autoridades en un comunicado el martes.

La mujer declaró a los agentes que había entrado en la fuente trepando por encima de una barandilla y el borde del estanque, y luego sobre las patas de la figura de un caballo para evitar caer al agua.

“Su intención era ‘tocar’ las partes íntimas de la estatua como una especie de reto preboda”, reza el comunicado.

Los investigadores descubrieron posteriormente que la mujer había causado “daños pequeños pero significativos” a las patas de los caballos sobre los que había caminado, así como “a un friso al que se había agarrado para no resbalar”, cuya reparación costará 5.000 euros (US$ 5.845), según el comunicado.

“La joven fue denunciada ante la Autoridad Judicial por vandalismo contra un bien artístico y arquitectónico”, añade el comunicado.

Las autoridades añadieron que la mujer “será considerada inocente hasta que la Autoridad Judicial dicte sentencia definitiva”.

Esta no es la primera vez que turistas con mal comportamiento se ven relacionados con daños a la fuente.

En 2023, un joven alemán de 22 años fue acusado de dañar la estatua tras subirse a ella mientras dos amigos le tomaban fotos.

La estatua ya había sufrido daños en 2005, cuando alguien se subió a ella y le rompió la mano a Neptuno. Esto llevó a las autoridades a instalar cámaras de seguridad.

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™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

Con información de Juan Pablo O’Connell y Antonia Mortensen, de CNN.

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