Steven Olson wants his $200 deposit back from Princess Cruises, but the company isn't budging. The problem: he canceled the credit card through which he made the purchase. Princess will only refund it to the canceled card. After hours on the phone and promises of a check, Olson is no closer to getting his money. What now?

Every year when I update my guidebook series, I find out what's new in Europe. Here's a review of what Americans can expect the next time they cross the Atlantic. Note that this is a continent-wide look at the latest in Europe. In upcoming columns, I'll cover what's new per major country. In 2009, it's not the "old Europe" anymore as

Some passengers on a diverted Aeromexico flight finally reached their destination in Seattle, Washington, on Wednesday after spending 16 hours in limbo. The plane was scheduled to fly from Mexico City, Mexico, to Seattle on Tuesday, but was diverted to Portland, Oregon, because of thick fog, said Kara Simonds,

Deepa, 40, was born in Mumbai, where she is now a banking technology consultant, as well as running a company that offers "offbeat sightseeing tours" of six Indian cities, including Mumbai, Delhi and Jaipur. Deepa's Mumbai tours take in the city's bazaars, backstreets and culture and her blog, Mumbai Magic, is a personal view of life in the city.

British naturalist Charles Darwin shocked Victorian society when he suggested that humans evolved from animals over millions of years, and his theories still spark controversy. February 12 marks the scientist's 200th birthday and 2009 is the 150th year since he published the pivotal "On the Origin of Species." Expedition organizers

What would it cost to stay in a three-bedroom house in the heart of the nation's capital for Barack Obama's inauguration? Absolutely nothing, for those who don't mind bunking and bonding with perfect strangers. Members of a social hospitality network are opening their doors to inauguration-goers this week and

Actor and producer Anil Kapoor has long been a Bollywood luminary, but after his award-winning performance in global hit "Slumdog Millionaire," he is set to become an international star. Kapoor says that "Slumdog," a love story about a boy from a Mumbai slum who wins a fortune on quiz show "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?,"

A six-page rant to Virgin Atlantic's Sir Richard Branson about a woeful in-flight meal attracted so much attention on the Internet that it was rumored to be a clever marketing stunt. The author was reported to be Oliver Beale, a 29 year old art director who works at a London advertising agency. Both he and Virgin

After eight days together, space shuttle Discovery pulled away from the international space station Wednesday, ending a successful effort to boost electrical power and science research at the orbiting outpost. The two spacecraft went separate ways as they soared above the Indian Ocean. The undocking puts Discovery and its seven-member crew on course

The Conficker Internet worm could strike at infected computers around the world on April 1, a security expert warned Monday. Conficker is a sophisticated piece of malicious computer software, or malware, that installs itself on a Windows PC's hard drive via specially written Web pages. It then conceals itself on a computer.

Chinese authorities have blocked access to the video-sharing Web site YouTube -- the latest victim of a politically motivated Internet crackdown. Authorities in Beijing have not explained why the site has been targeted for censorship. There is widespread speculation, however, that YouTube has been targeted because of a video showing Chinese police taking

You, too, can be a hero. For 99 cents, iPhone and iPod Touch users can now download a flight simulator called "Sully's Flight" which lets you recreate this past January's "Miracle on the Hudson." Based on the "X-Plane" flight simulator, also available at Apple's App Store, the game takes you through takeoff, hitting a flock of

Monitors say Alaska's Mount Redoubt volcano has erupted again with an ash plume shooting about 15,000 feet high. The blast shortly after 5 a.m. Alaska Daylight Time (9 a.m. EDT) Wednesday was considered small and brief at 10 minutes. The plume appeared to be drifting north to northwest. Tom Murray, scientist in charge at the Alaska Volcano Observatory

Blockbuster Inc. plans to rent and sell its movies and TV shows through TiVo Inc.'s digital video recorders in the second half of this year. The Dallas-based video rental company is playing catch-up to rival Netflix Inc., which already offers free instant streaming of its movies and TV shows through TiVo DVRs and other devices with its "Watch Instantly" service.

NASA's online contest to name a new room at the international space station went awry. Comedian Stephen Colbert won. The name "Colbert" beat out NASA's four suggested options in the space agency's effort to have the public help name the addition. The new room will be launched later this year. NASA's mistake was allowing write-ins

She may have ruled like a man, but Egyptian queen Hatshepsut still preferred to smell like a lady. The world may be able to get a whiff of that ancient royal scent when researchers complete their investigation into the perfume worn by Hatshepsut, the powerful pharaoh-queen who ruled over ancient Egypt for 20 years beginning around 1479 B.C.

Zeinab Salmanzadeh graduated from high school with stellar grades, but the university near her hometown in southwestern Iran repeatedly rejected her application. The only way she could continue her education was to study secretly with part-time tutors. The sole reason: her religion. Now a Kendall resident and a business

On a honeymoon to Italy, Renée Frigo and Daniel Graeff fell in love with olive oil. On a trip to a grocery store, the couple decided to make a business of it. We were overwhelmed with the number of bottles on the shelves -- the demand was there, but people didn't really know what they were buying, Frigo said

A French pole vaulting champion has run naked with his pole through the streets of Paris and posted the video on the Internet, hoping to draw attention to his quest for a new sponsorship deal. Romain Mesnil, who won a silver medal at the 2007 Athletics World Championships in Osaka, used to be sponsored by U.S. sports brand Nike but says his contract expired last year and was not renewed.

Fifteen years after Miami's Pedro Zamora became a national symbol for living with HIV -- and dying of AIDS -- a new drama about his life will soon debut on the network that made him a reality TV star. Pedro, a film written by Dustin Lance Black, who won an original-screenplay Oscar for Milk,

On a honeymoon to Italy, Renée Frigo and Daniel Graeff fell in love with olive oil. On a trip to a grocery store, the couple decided to make a business of it. We were overwhelmed with the number of bottles on the shelves -- the demand was there, but people didn't really know what they were buying, Frigo said

Parents wanting to instill good eating habits in their children, particularly teenagers, should make sure they eat meals together. In one of the first long-term studies to look at the benefits of family meals, researchers at the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota found that family meals have a big impact on

In a sparkling new kitchen in the Biltmore Hotel's conference center, five teary-eyed home cooks compared tips for no-cry onion chopping. I heard it helps if you breathe through your mouth, one said. My mother told me to put bread on the cutting board while you do it, offered another. Lourdes Castro chuckled. 'I say, `Chop faster.'

Looking for somewhere new to visit this year that is not going to break the bank? Frommers has released its list of top destinations for 2009, focusing on places that are affordable and interesting. Reuters has not endorsed this list: . Washington, D.C., USA There's the influx of new blood and governing energy from January 21 when Barack Obama is inaugurated as U.S.