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History's lessons to the fore on the most memorable Anzac tours
North Korea's ghostly 'hotel of doom' could open next year
Underrated Uzbekistan: Tashkent and beyond

History's lessons to the fore on the most memorable Anzac tours

Posted: 08 Nov 2012 09:05 AM PST

Anzac tours Buglers from Ypres, Belgium, sound "The Last Post" at the town's Menin Gate.

As Australians, and much of the Western world, pause for Remembrance Day (Nov 11) this weekend, it's an appropriate time to consider the many stunning international tours available to mark Anzac Day 2013 (April 25).

We take a look at six sites around the world, where specialist trips enable travelers to pay their respects at dawn services on Anzac Day and where history casts a shadow of battles long past.

Prices vary widely between tours -- factors include departure point, duration and the range of add-ons selected, so shop around to find the best fit.

Australia: Darwin and Katherine

Anzac tours Experience what transport was like for troops in the war, riding the Pichi Richi Railway behind a steam locomotive in South Australia.

North Korea's ghostly 'hotel of doom' could open next year

Posted: 07 Nov 2012 07:35 PM PST

by CNNGo staff

The North Koreans started erecting the 330-meter Ryugyong Hotel, the tallest hotel at the time, in 1987.

Almost three decades later, the ambitious project is finally looking to open for business, spelling a possible end for the Ryugyong Hotel laying claim to the being the tallest unoccupied building in the world.

Kempinski Hotels & Resorts is due to be the operator of the 105-story hotel. Construction of the hotel has cost North Korea an estimated US$750 million or 2 percent of the GDP.

The 'hotel of doom'

The German hotel group said earlier this month it is in negotiation to manage the pyramid-shaped skyscraper, dubbed by media as "the hotel of doom," which has stood unfinished and completely empty in Pyongyang for 20 years, according to Hotelsmag.

This could mark Kempinski, which operates 74 five-star hotels in 32 countries, the first Western hospitality company to run a business in the mysterious Asian nation.