Anyone riding an electric scooter on the pavement or without a helmet in Barcelona faces a fine of up to €500 (£415) from 1 February as part of a crackdown on antisocial behaviour linked to the rapid rise of e-scooter use in the Mediterranean city. In an urban landscape that is mostly flat, with more…
The number of people admitted to hospital with flu in England has quadrupled in a month, as health leaders said “huge” pressure in the NHS will only get worse as temperatures plummet this weekend. Figures from NHS England show that there were 4,102 patients in hospital with flu on Christmas Day, rising sharply to 5,074…
The government “needs to seriously look” at the effects of toxic smoke inhalation on firefighters who served at the Grenfell Tower fire, a minister has said. The comments from Andrew Gwynne, the health minister, came after the Guardian disclosed that more than a quarter of firefighters who battled against the fire eight years ago have…
The foreign ministers of France and Germany are to meet Syria’s de facto leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, in Damascus in the highest-level visit by major western powers since rebels toppled the regime of President Bashar al-Assad last month. Jean-Noël Barrot and Annalena Baerbock, who arrived separately in the Syrian capital on Friday, would hold talks with…
Laura Ashley has been acquired by New York-based Marquee Brands, the owner of 17 businesses including Ben Sherman and Martha Stewart. The clothing and home furnishings brand, best known for its floaty floral frocks, has been sold by Gordon Brothers. Gordon Brothers has owned Laura Ashley since 2020, when the US restructuring specialist bought the…
Heavy snow fell across northern Japan on Thursday, with the prefectures of Hokkaido, Aomori, Yamagata and Niigata particularly affected. Accumulations of 20-30cm over a 24-hour period were recorded across the affected areas, with local totals of more than 30cm near Aomori City. The snowfall was a result of heavy showers generated by a cold airmass…
Profits at the hedge fund co-founded by the GB News and Spectator owner Sir Paul Marshall plunged by almost two-thirds last year, resulting in significantly reduced payouts for its partners. Marshall Wace, one of London’s most successful hedge funds, has declared profits of £192m in the year to the end of February 2024, a sharp…
Share Squawk Box Asia Christine Li of Knight Frank expects to see an increase in property buyers to the Singapore housing market when SORA rates move below 2.5%. She adds that any additional property cooling measures by the government is likely to be incremental and will not impact first-time buyers. 03:17 2 hours ago Source:…
Bulcamp Drift, Suffolk In 2001, two agricultural barns were refashioned into two homes, with separate entrances, but one connecting internal door. Whitehouse Barns has been run as holiday lets (planning restrictions mean it has to be unoccupied for 45 days a year between January and March) but could form one large, eight-bedroom lateral home. They…
Residential 19th century style residential buildings in historic center of Paris, France. Kolderal | Moment | Getty Images Europe’s real estate sector is poised for further recovery in 2025, as investment activity picks up and growth returns across key market segments, analysts have predicted. A gradual uptick in transactions in 2024 looks set to gain…
