All posts filed under: News

Communism, Berlin Edition: Adler Bonds Crash To Record Low As Left Coalition Plans To Socialize 152,000 Apartments

Communism, Berlin Edition: Adler Bonds Crash To Record Low As Left Coalition Plans To Socialize 152,000 Apartments

Published by Sam Flores

Five years after Berliners voted to expropriate their landlords, the German capital finally has a government willing to do it. On Saturday, Die Linke, the Greens and the SPD presented the 30-page exploratory paper that will underpin their coalition agreement for the next Berlin Senate, and buried among the usual promises sits a plan to socialize, under Article 15 of the German constitution, every apartment a private landlord owns in Berlin above the first 10,000. The compensation for this act of municipal generosity: a hard cap of €16 billion which works out to about €105K per unit, or 58% of book value… and even that cap is conditional on “fiscal sustainability.” The bond market did the rest: Adler Group‘s 10% notes due 2029 plunged 20 points on Monday to a record low around 59 cents on the euro (they dropped as 53 earlier in the session), as creditors scrambled to price in the possibility that 43% of Adler’s yielding Berlin portfolio is about to be bought by the state at a 42% to 48% discount …

Parents on benefits to get £736 extra per child after lifting of cap by April

Parents on benefits to get £736 extra per child after lifting of cap by April

Published by Sam Flores

A two-child limit on childcare benefits will be lifted by next April to help poorer families into work, The i Paper can reveal. Families on universal credit can claim back 85 per cent of their childcare costs while they work – but the amount is currently capped at £1,071 for one child or £1,836 per month for two or more children. The change means families will get an extra £736 for each additional child. In the last Budget, the Government announced it would increase this support for larger families – but the timeline had not been confirmed. The uplift will happen before the end of the 2026-27 financial year “subject to the necessary delivery and legislative changes”, according to a Government source. A Department for Work and Pensions spokesperson told The i Paper: “By the end of this financial year, universal credit childcare support will change so larger families are not penalised for moving into work.” Ruth Talbot, senior policy and research manager at the Save the Children charity, said parents with three young children …

Macron increasingly isolated amid unrest across France

Macron increasingly isolated amid unrest across France

Published by Sam Flores

With only months left in his presidency, Emmanuel Macron faces mounting social unrest and political criticism that could ultimately shape his legacy. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT After student protests over living conditions erupted into violence last Saturday, Macron has come under fire from across the political spectrum over his handling of the security situation and his response to grievances over education, the cost of living and inflation. The unrest comes as France grapples with record public debt, soaring fuel prices and escalating international conflicts. The Yellow Vests movement, which has helped coordinate the protests, announced a “second act” on Monday, with further demonstrations planned for next weekend. Addressing the nation, Macron condemned violence and announced new operational procedures for security forces. The Paris prosecutor’s office reported 855 arrests linked to the demonstrations, with 557 people placed in police custody, 433 of whom were adults, representing 78% of those detained. “Looking at these images, we have all asked ourselves: What was going through their minds? How can French people do this to France?” Macron said. “Nothing justifies it, …

Trump to close and renovate D.C. golf course, despite legal battle.

Trump to close and renovate D.C. golf course, despite legal battle.

Published by Sam Flores

A golfer walks near log sections cut from trees at the East Potomac Golf Links, in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026. J. Scott Applewhite/AP hide caption toggle caption i J. Scott Applewhite/AP President Trump has announced his plans to renovate the East Potomac Golf Links, a course in Washington D.C. that was already at the center of a testy legal battle. In a Truth Social post on Sunday, Trump called the current course “old, broken, dilapidated, and of no further use or effect.” According to the post, renovations will begin Nov. 15, and the course will be closed for approximately 15 months. The area, 2 miles south of the White House, has been at the center of a heated legal battle for months. In February, a D.C. preservation group and two individuals challenged the U.S. Department of Interior and the National Parks Service over the planned renovations, arguing that a “championship-style golf course” would inflate tee-time costs for a golf facility that was originally intended to be “open to all people.” The Department of the …

Andy Burnham to hit bus and train passengers with £1,000 fines for not using headphones | UK | News

Andy Burnham to hit bus and train passengers with £1,000 fines for not using headphones | UK | News

Published by Sam Flores

Bus and train passengers face fines of up to £1,000 (Image: Getty) People who play music out loud on public transport could face fines of up to £1,000 in a crackdown on antisocial behaviour announced by Prime Minister Andy Burnham. Local authorities are being encouraged to use new powers to dish out fines for disruptive behaviour, including littering, vaping and listening to music without headphones. On Monday, a campaign will be launched to remind people to use headphones on trains, telling passengers to “share the journey, not the noise” or face fines of up to £1,000. Prime Minister Andy Burnham said: “We’ve all been on the train when someone starts blasting music or videos from their phone. It gets on your nerves and can quickly spoil the journey. So, we’re launching a nationwide campaign reminding passengers to use headphones on trains. “It’s a simple thing, but one that will make journeys that little bit better for all of us.” Local authorities gained the power to set and enforce their own rules on their bus networks …

In France’s Limoges, the Fire-Ravaged Town Hall Rekindles Memories of Notre Dame

In France’s Limoges, the Fire-Ravaged Town Hall Rekindles Memories of Notre Dame

Published by Sam Flores

LIMOGES, France, Oct 18 (Reuters) – Residents in Limoges recoiled ⁠in ⁠horror on Sunday at the city’s ⁠fire-ravaged town hall, an ornate 19th century neo-Renaissance building which survived two world wars ​but was torched by a masked mob during the worst unrest to convulse France in years. Stunned onlookers had watched helplessly ‌the previous evening as the blaze ‌tore through the roof, felling the building’s clock tower in scenes that revived haunting memories of the collapse of ⁠Notre Dame cathedral’s ⁠spire in a 2019 fire. “It broke my heart. I saw Notre Dame all ​over again, except this time it was our town,” said Francoise Faurie who witnessed the fire consume Limoges’ town hall. Faurie’s family had been due to celebrate her grand-daughter’s baptism in the town hall in a month’s time. “What kind of country are we ​living in? What are we leaving our children?” she said. “There’s no reason to touch that building. You ⁠can ⁠have demands, you have the ⁠right to protest, but ​not the right to violence.” The local prefect, Maurice …

Davidovich Fokina overcomes Jodar to claim Shanghai crown

Davidovich Fokina overcomes Jodar to claim Shanghai crown

Published by Sam Flores

SHANGHAI, Oct 18 : Alejandro Davidovich Fokina ended Rafael Jodar’s dream run at the Shanghai Masters on Sunday, battling back to beat his fellow Spaniard 1-6 7-6(5) 6-4 and clinch the biggest title of his career. The 25th-seeded Davidovich Fokina is set to climb 13 places to a career-high world number 13 when the rankings are released on Monday. Jodar, playing in his first Masters 1000 final and the youngest Shanghai finalist in tournament history, made a blistering start, broke for a 2-0 lead and again to take the opening set. Davidovich Fokina recovered from a break down in the second set and saved break points in three successive service games before edging a tight tiebreak to force a decider. The momentum swung decisively in Davidovich Fokina’s favour when he broke the 12th-seeded Jodar twice and sealed victory in two hours and 27 minutes. “I have a blank mind,” Davidovich Fokina said. “I don’t know what to say and I don’t know how I feel. Just a huge relief. “After the first set I had …

Gaza Family Reunion: Finding each other after the ‘ceasefire’ | Israel-Palestine conflict

Gaza Family Reunion: Finding each other after the ‘ceasefire’ | Israel-Palestine conflict

Published by Sam Flores

Separated by war for more than a year, a captain in Gaza’s Civil Defence unit attempts to reunite with his family. A day after a “ceasefire” is announced, Captain Moumen’s family sets off on Gaza’s long coastal road, carrying everything they own on their backs. They leave the Nuseirat refugee camp, where they have been taking refuge from constant bombing and head north, where Moumen awaits their arrival. As Moumen’s wife and children trek through difficult terrain, he waits anxiously at the end of the road. With no signal to call and hundreds of thousands of people crossing, trying to locate them becomes an impossible mission. Gaza Family Reunion is a documentary film by Mohammed Sawwaf, Salah al-Haw, Ibrahim al-Otla and Mohammed Masharawi. Published On 18 Oct 202618 Oct 2026 Share Gaza Family Reunion: Finding each other after the ‘ceasefire’ on social media Share Add Al Jazeera on Google Source link

France: Who took part in Saturday's protests?

France: Who took part in Saturday's protests?

Published by Sam Flores

Weeks of student protests over poor conditions in schools and rising anger over the cost of living fuelled calls for a nationwide demonstration on October 17, bringing together youth activists and supporters of the Yellow Vest movement. The main grievance was the cost of living. The protesters demonstrating against it ‘didn’t get what they wanted’, analyses France 24’s Shirli Sitbon. Source link

Eight surprising signs of ADHD you haven’t heard of

Eight surprising signs of ADHD you haven’t heard of

Published by Sam Flores

While headlines are full of claims of overdiagnosis, many people who receive an ADHD diagnosis describe it as life-changing, life-affirming or, in some cases, life-saving. Many say they finally feel seen, understood, or are just glad to know they are not alone.  Women and girls with ADHD in particular have been overlooked for decades, according to Dr Sally Cubbin, a consultant psychiatrist with over 30 years of expertise working with patients with ADHD, and Gillian Johnson Shakespeare, ADHD coach, writer and illustrator. Both are authors of Women and ADHD: From Puberty to Menopause and Beyond. Johnson experienced her own “aha” moment after being diagnosed with ADHD at 59. The rise in referrals among adult women for ADHD in recent years is “less about a sudden epidemic [of] ADHD in perimenopausal (or menopausal) women, than a reflection of the change in what now gets noticed, as well as some overdue catching up”, Cubbin and Johnson say. “A diagnosis can be a profound turning point. For many adults, especially women later in life, it finally explains why things …