Author: staff

The fee will be capped at seven consecutive days and is scheduled to come into force in 2026. Edinburgh is set to become the first city in Scotland to introduce a tourist tax after the Scottish government granted powers to local authorities to introduce visitor charges. Edinburgh’s city council has approved a proposal called the ‘Transient Visitor Levy’ to be introduced in 2026. The fee has been set at five per cent of accommodation costs and is expected to raise up to £50 million (€59 million) a year to be used to make improvements to the city. However, some tourism operators are concerned…

Denmark, as the administrative power over Greenland and the Faroe Islands, has faced mounting pressure to bolster its Arctic security and maintain stability in the region, while Trump’s ambitions kicked up a notch this week as he refused to rule out military action to grab the world’s largest island from Denmark. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Greenlandic Prime Minister Múte Egede and Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen and Faroese leader Aksel Johannesen were also also in attendance at the summit. Hoydal accused Copenhagen of treating the Faroe Islands and Greenland like “chess pieces.”…

This article was originally published in Italian The Italian minister spoke of cooperation between Syria and Italy in crucial sectors, but EU sanctions imposed over the last decade of conflict remain an obstacle to progress. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani on Friday met with Syria’s Ahmed al-Sharia, also known as Abu Mohammed al Jolani, in a visit to Damascus, his first since the fall of Bashar al-Assad.Al-Jolani took office as the head of the new Syrian administration after the rapid collapse of al-Assad’s regime last year. The Italian foreign minister held discussions with the Syrian leader and his foreign minister, Asaad…

The UK has continued to have one of the highest inflation rates in the G7, mainly driven by rising energy prices and ongoing supply chain issues. The UK is still grappling with sky-high prices, having been dealing with the steepest inflation among G7 nations since June 2024, according to new analysis by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The G7 refers to a group of the most industrialised nations globally and includes the UK, the US, France, Canada, Italy, Germany and Japan. The UK’s November 2024 Consumer Prices Index, including owner occupiers’ housing costs (CPIH) figure came in at 3.5%…

Hurkle-durkling is the practice of lounging in bed until late, hunkered down amongst warm covers. The gloomy combination of long dark days, totting up Christmas overspending and returning to work means holidays to far-flung destinations are a distant dream for many at this time of year.The Scots have a shrewd remedy for these winter blues, however. Hurkle-durkling is the practice of lounging in bed until late, hunkered down amongst warm covers. Add a few hotel-inspired luxuries to the mix like fancy teas and a soothing playlist and it becomes the perfect January (non) travel trend. Begin 2025 with a staycation…

Following a successful world tour with private screenings and a premiere at the Warsaw Film Festival last year, ‘Bucha’ is now set for wider distribution across Europe, with hopes of reaching a global audience. Stories from the battlefield are often told through the lens of soldiers, but in Ukraine, the true heroes of the ongoing war are the civilians who have been thrust into unimaginable circumstances.’Bucha’, described as the first feature narrative film shot in Ukraine since the Russian invasion, brings these untold stories to life.After premiering at the Warsaw Film Festival last year and being screened at the European…

The revelation ― more than a week after the Commission announced that she was ill ― raises questions over a lack of transparency about the EU’s most powerful official. On Wednesday, asked whether von der Leyen had been admitted to hospital, Paula Pinho, the president’s chief spokesperson, said there was “no update.” Von der Leyen’s illness forced a delay to the unveiling of a key piece of her economic strategy, as well as a meeting of the college of Commissioners in Poland. But at that point von der Leyen’s camp made no mention of her hospital stay, which took place at University…

“This is not just about Greenland. This is about the Arctic. You have Russia that is trying to become king … It’s oil and gas. It’s our national security. It’s critical minerals,” said Mike Waltz, Trump’s pick to be national security adviser, on Fox News on Wednesday. Other Arctic countries are watching warily, such as Norway with its Svalbard islands in the freezing far north, which could attract the imperialist eye of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre on Thursday dismissed any concerns about the archipelago’s potential vulnerability. “Svalbard is Norway, and Svalbard is safe,” Støre…

In an interview with GQ published this week, the 24-time Grand Slam champion said he “had some health issues” once he returned to his native Serbia and underwent toxicology tests to find the cause after his five-day detention in the Park Hotel in central Melbourne. “And I realized that in that hotel in Melbourne I was fed with some food that poisoned me,” he said. “I never told this to anybody publicly, but … I had a really high level of heavy metal,” he added. “I had the lead, very high level of lead and mercury.” Asked if he thought…

Officials say the damage to Estlink 2, a power connection with the capacity to provide half of Estonia’s winter electricity needs, did not disrupt service, although it did drive up energy prices in the country and the other Baltic nations. Naval authorities in Estonia say they have stepped up patrols in the Baltic Sea in a show of force after last month’s suspected cable sabotage.Maritime officials say at least three Estonian navy ships are part of the patrols by NATO countries following the damage done to Estlink-2 power cable and communication links between Finland and Estonia on 25 December. According…