A remote bay off the north-eastern coast of Brazil has been named the world’s best beach by Tripadvisor.
Climbing six places from last year to reach the number one spot in the annual list by the travel guidance platform, Baia do Sancho beach on the island of Fernando de Noronha was lauded for its clear turquoise waters, forest-clad cliffs and protected marine life.
Getting to the crescent-shaped shoreline isn’t easy — it’s part of a group of volcanic islands some 300km from the mainland, and is reachable via a trek through the woods, followed by a descent down a ladder through the rocks.
Access to the protected bay is restricted, meaning it’s never too crowded and the region’s unique biodiversity, which includes crabs, dolphins, rays and shoals of colourful fish, is able to thrive.
Tripadvisor analysed millions of independent reviews from travellers over the past 12 months to create its list.
In second place is Eagle Beach in Aruba, the widest shoreline on the Caribbean island, while Cable Beach, in the port town of Broome, Western Australia, ranks third. The top 10 spans the Americas, Africa, Europe, Asia and the South Pacific.
One new entry this year is Reynisfjara Beach in Vik, Iceland. The only beach on the list with black sand, the wild coastline has freezing-cold waters and thundering waves that can reach up to 40 metres in height, so swimming is not advisable. It attracts birdwatchers who flock to its coastline to spot puffins, Arctic terns, guillemots and more, and it featured as the setting for Eastwatch-by-the-Sea in Game of Thrones.
“As a huge beach fan myself, I know the impossible-to-resist allure of sunshine and turquoise water — and certainly, there's plenty of that on this year's list,” said Sarah Firshein, head of editorial at Tripadvisor.
“But there are some delightful surprises as well. In addition to the much-loved beaches of Hawaii, the Caribbean and mainland Europe, our community is really looking to kick up their experiences by embracing the cliffs of Cannon Beach, on the coast of Oregon in the Western United States and cooler destinations like Reynisfjara Beach in Iceland.”
Island getaways were popular in travellers' reviews with almost three quarters of the top 10 beaches situated in remote, offshore locations.
The world's largest travel guidance platform also created a separate list of the best beaches in the US.
Ka'anapali Beach on Hawaii’s Maui topped the ranking, climbing 16 places from last year. With 5km of powder-white sand and crystal-clear waters of the Pacific Ocean, the palm-tree lined island was formerly a retreat for Hawaiian royalty.
Beaches in Florida, Georgia, Oregon, California and Maine made up the US top 10.
World’s best beaches in 2023
The best beaches report is part of Tripadvisor's annual Travellers' Choice Awards and is the second category to be released in 2023, following the ranking of the world's best destinations, where Dubai topped the list. The top 10 beaches on this year's list are:
1. Baia do Sancho — Fernando de Noronha, Brazil
2. Eagle Beach — Aruba, Caribbean
3. Cable Beach — Broome, Australia
4. Reynisfjara Beach — Vik, Iceland
5. Grace Bay Beach — Turks and Caicos, Caribbean
6. Praia da Falesia — Olhos de Agua, Portugal
7. Radhanagar Beach — Havelock Island, India
8. Spiaggia dei Conigli — Sicily, Italy
9. Varadero Beach — Cuba, Caribbean
10. Ka’anapali Beach — Maui, Hawaii
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What is cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying or online bullying could take many forms such as sending unkind or rude messages to someone, socially isolating people from groups, sharing embarrassing pictures of them, or spreading rumors about them.
Cyberbullying can take place on various platforms such as messages, on social media, on group chats, or games.
Parents should watch out for behavioural changes in their children.
When children are being bullied they they may be feel embarrassed and isolated, so parents should watch out for signs of signs of depression and anxiety
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The biog
Mission to Seafarers is one of the largest port-based welfare operators in the world.
It provided services to around 200 ports across 50 countries.
They also provide port chaplains to help them deliver professional welfare services.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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Five expert hiking tips
Always check the weather forecast before setting off
Make sure you have plenty of water
Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon
Wear appropriate clothing and footwear
Take your litter home with you
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The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
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PREMIER LEAGUE RESULTS
Bournemouth 1 Manchester City 2
Watford 0 Brighton and Hove Albion 0
Newcastle United 3 West Ham United 0
Huddersfield Town 0 Southampton 0
Crystal Palace 0 Swansea City 2
Manchester United 2 Leicester City 0
West Bromwich Albion 1 Stoke City 1
Chelsea 2 Everton 0
Tottenham Hotspur 1 Burnley 1
Liverpool 4 Arsenal 0
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
MATCH DETAILS
Chelsea 4
Jorginho (4 pen, 71 pen), Azpilicueta (63), James (74)
Ajax 4
Abraham (2 og), Promes (20). Kepa (35 og), van de Beek (55)
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
The specs
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- On sale: 2026
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Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
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360Vuz PROFILE
Date started: January 2017
Founder: Khaled Zaatarah
Based: Dubai and Los Angeles
Sector: Technology
Size: 21 employees
Funding: $7 million
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if you go
Getting there
Etihad (Etihad.com), Emirates (emirates.com) and Air France (www.airfrance.com) fly to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, from Abu Dhabi and Dubai respectively. Return flights cost from around Dh3,785. It takes about 40 minutes to get from Paris to Compiègne by train, with return tickets costing €19. The Glade of the Armistice is 6.6km east of the railway station.
Staying there
On a handsome, tree-lined street near the Chateau’s park, La Parenthèse du Rond Royal (laparenthesedurondroyal.com) offers spacious b&b accommodation with thoughtful design touches. Lots of natural woods, old fashioned travelling trunks as decoration and multi-nozzle showers are part of the look, while there are free bikes for those who want to cycle to the glade. Prices start at €120 a night.
More information: musee-armistice-14-18.fr ; compiegne-tourisme.fr; uk.france.fr
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Gertrude Bell's life in focus
A feature film
At one point, two feature films were in the works, but only German director Werner Herzog’s project starring Nicole Kidman would be made. While there were high hopes he would do a worthy job of directing the biopic, when Queen of the Desert arrived in 2015 it was a disappointment. Critics panned the film, in which Herzog largely glossed over Bell’s political work in favour of her ill-fated romances.
A documentary
A project that did do justice to Bell arrived the next year: Sabine Krayenbuhl and Zeva Oelbaum’s Letters from Baghdad: The Extraordinary Life and Times of Gertrude Bell. Drawing on more than 1,000 pieces of archival footage, 1,700 documents and 1,600 letters, the filmmakers painstakingly pieced together a compelling narrative that managed to convey both the depth of Bell’s experience and her tortured love life.
Books, letters and archives
Two biographies have been written about Bell, and both are worth reading: Georgina Howell’s 2006 book Queen of the Desert and Janet Wallach’s 1996 effort Desert Queen. Bell published several books documenting her travels and there are also several volumes of her letters, although they are hard to find in print. Original documents are housed at the Gertrude Bell Archive at the University of Newcastle, which has an online catalogue.
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Uefa Champions League quarter-final, second leg (first-leg score)
Porto (0) v Liverpool (2), Wednesday, 11pm UAE
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