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Ministers eye tourist tax as SNSM shadows migrant dinghy to Portsmouth, Trump pledges $5,000 tariff payout
A busy briefing: devolved powers could let English mayors levy hotel stays, French rescuers refused to board 120 migrants near Portsmouth, and Trump promised Americans a $5,000 payout if Republicans hold Congress. Also: Iceland opens in the Falklands, heatwaves threaten Britain’s beer, and Tilda Swinton returns to t…
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Electric air taxis get the green light for test flights in Texas
A new US federal programme testing electric, hybrid-electric and autonomous aircraft began today in Texas, even though regulations for the technology are not yet finalised. The Federal Aviation Administration’s Advanced Air Mobility and eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP) is running uncrewed test flights involving three companies, Joby, Beta and Wisk, to demonstrate future routes between…
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Ryanair boss disputes passenger’s claim he was sucked through a broken window: ‘No part of his body got out’
Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary has disputed claims that a passenger was partially sucked out of an aircraft window during a mid-flight incident in July, insisting “no part of his body got out” of the plane. His comments contradict the account given by Ljubisa Karovic, 61, and his legal team, who say the Serbian businessman’s…
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I turned off my algorithm for 24 hours. Is this how social media used to be?
A Guardian columnist tried turning off her Instagram algorithm for 24 hours, switching to a chronological feed of only accounts she follows, after the Australian government announced “world-leading” reforms to force social media platforms to let users opt out of algorithms under a “my feed, my way” policy. The experiment was prompted by her reflecting…
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Binibeca Vell residents condemn tourists trespassing on private homes for photos
Residents of Binibeca Vell, a picturesque private fishing village in Menorca, have publicly criticised holidaymakers for trespassing on their properties to take photographs, posting videos telling disrespectful “tourists go home” via the settlement’s official Instagram account. Footage shows visitors lying on stairwells, climbing onto whitewashed walls and gated homes, and blocking residents’ doorways as they…
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Sufjan Stevens compiles 16-track festive album for November release
Sufjan Stevens has announced Worst Christmas Ever!, a 16-track holiday compilation due on 6th November via Asthmatic Kitty Records. The release condenses his sprawling festive catalogue, built up since 2001 when he began recording Christmas songs at home each December as gifts for friends and family, into a single album, and includes one previously unreleased…
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Ministers rejected NATS reimbursement plan before 2,000 UK flights were cancelled
The UK government opposed an amendment that would have forced air traffic control provider NATS to reimburse airlines for passenger compensation following its failures, only weeks before a major system outage this week led to roughly 2,000 flight cancellations and disrupted around 330,000 passengers. The revelation, raised by Liberal Democrat MP Luke Taylor in a…
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England’s mayors to be given power to introduce tourist tax
The UK government is granting mayors in England the power to introduce a “tourist tax” on overnight stays, allowing local leaders to charge an uncapped levy calculated as a percentage of accommodation costs rather than a flat fee. Ministers say this will let regions reinvest in high streets, transport and local attractions, but hospitality bosses…
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Ancient cult discovered in region traveled by Apostle Paul before Christianity took hold
Researchers have documented nine previously unrecorded inscriptions from Akmoneia, an ancient city in the Phrygia region of modern-day western Turkey, offering fresh insight into the religious and social life there roughly 2,000 years ago. Phrygia holds particular significance in Christian history as a region traversed by the Apostle Paul during his missionary journeys, but the…