Not having the right kind when picking up a vehicle can leave travellers scrambling to find alternative transportIf your children are on half-term holiday soon and you are planning to collect a hire car, make sure you have the right kind of credit card. These cautionary tales show the costly consequences if yours does not pass muster.I hired a car for a family holiday from Enterprise Rent-A-Car in France. The collection desk at Carcassonne airport refused to hand over the keys when I presented the Visa credit card used for the booking because it was issued by First Direct. It told me...
Building safety regulator delays leave London tower block beset by security and vandalism problemsIt’s a sunny day with bright blue skies in north London, but you wouldn’t know that in Natasha Dyett’s flat. Most of the rooms are consumed in shadow, while her teenage son’s bedroom is almost completely dark, apart from a few slits of light coming through the window.She lives in Archway Heights, a nine-storey block of flats that has been covered in scaffolding for more than six years for cladding works that still haven’t started. Continue reading...
When we can’t even afford to rent or buy somewhere to live, we have to ask: did we give the financial sector too much power?Leilani Farha is the former UN special rapporteur on adequate housingIn the summer of 2021, I visited a homeless community in a park in Toronto, Canada, and spoke to one of the residents. He was living in a tent in the shadow of brand new skyscrapers, and had been homeless for about five years. At one point he swivelled around, pointed up at a crane on the skyline, and said: “Who are they building those for? Definitely not for me.”He was right. And he captured s...
Consultancy says companies quoted on London stock market issued 65 in three months to end of SeptemberThe number of profit warnings from UK-listed companies has risen to the highest level in two years, as the war in the Middle East triggers a surge in costs for businesses before the budget.With less than a fortnight before John Healey’s tax and spending statement to the Commons, the consultants EY-Parthenon said companies quoted on the London stock market had issued 65 warnings in the three months to the end of September. Continue reading...
Backlash against content creators includes restricted hours for filming and even outright bansStand in any vaguely photogenic spot these days on holiday and the chances are you will come across people posing with raised phones and even ring lights. Some may be influencers with huge audiences on social media, others just overkeen Instagram users. With hotels and beauty spots now so overrun, however, bans on photography are coming into place.The five-star Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes, known for its glamorous clientele, views of the Côte d’Azur and a stunning infinity pool, has brou...
After the controversial diesel agreement between the US and Russia, the Turkish energy minister wants to bring some of the fuel to Turkey. At the same time, the country wants to expand its gas production.
The plans for large housing stocks in Berlin are becoming concrete. How many apartments are there? Who but Vonovia is affected? And which explosive law is now coming into focus?
AI agents, solar cells, gene therapies – the Chinese leadership wants stricter conditions for the export of 40 key technologies. The Ministry of Commerce refers to security risks.
Electricity and gas are becoming more expensive – but not the same everywhere. Grid charges will be higher nationwide in 2027, a new analysis shows. It gets particularly expensive in Hamburg.
Spiegel
Cookies and privacyWe use necessary cookies (session, form protection, your choice) and no advertising or tracking cookies. With “Accept all” you also allow us to remember Calm mode and light/dark, and to load YouTube videos directly. Privacy
