Al wasl new building muhaisnah 4

We spend 90% of our time in the buildings where we live and work, shop and conduct business, in the structures that keep us warm in winter and cool in summer. But immense energy is required to source and manufacture building materials, to power construction sites, to maintain and renew the built environment. In 2019, building operations and construction activities together accounted for 38% of global energy-related CO2 emissions, the highest level ever recorded. To ensure that the Paris climate targets are met, the building and construction industry needs to become a climate leader by moving towards net zero construction. Its CO2 emissions need to be cut in half by 2030 for building stock to be carbon free by 2050, according to a recent report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). In response, a raft of new net zero building initiatives are focused on curbing emissions across the whole building lifecycle. DW looks at 5 key points in understanding the … [Read more...] about 5 things to know about carbon-free construction

As of Tuesday, the German capital is one year into its five-year "rent freeze," and the data collected so far has given both opponents and supporters fuel for their arguments. A survey published last week by property ad portal ImmoScout24 found that while Berlin's average rent has indeed dropped in the past year, by 7.8%, the number of new flats on the market eligible for a rent reduction had dropped too — by some 30%. That has had a major effect on the competition for new apartments, ImmoScout24 said, with an average of 214 people answering each rental advert in January 2021, compared to 128 in the same month last year. Many cities around the world have some kind of rent control measures in place, but Berlin's rent cap law, in effect since February 2020, is unique. It meant that rents for 90% of Berlin's apartments were frozen for five years at the level they were at in June 2019. New rental contracts could not be above that level, and as of November 2020, any existing rents … [Read more...] about Berlin’s revolutionary rent cap — success or flop?

Clubhouse is an invite-only audio app that is surging in popularity in Thailand as a youthful protest movement continues to demand reforms of the government and monarchy. Launched in April 2020, Clubhouse recently gained traction among Thai protest circles after Pavin Chachavalpongpun, a self-exiled academic and prominent long-time critic of the Thai monarchy, joined the platform on February 12. Pavin told DW that the police crackdown on political protests in Thailand has contributed to Clubhouse's sudden popularity. "There are no open discussions … so when a new venue is introduced, people jump in to discuss politics," Pavin said. Pavin has already added nearly 300,000 followers in less than two weeks, and he said he noticed that people in many of the chat rooms on the voice-based app discuss the royal family. The app allows anonymous conversation about taboo topics "It's as if the app were created for conversations about the monarchy," Pavin joked. Thaksin … [Read more...] about Clubhouse app lets Thailand pro-democracy protesters speak freely

HOUSEHUNTERS in England and Northern Ireland looking to buy a home usually pay stamp duty on properties over £125,000. But it's £500,000 right now thanks to a stamp duty holiday - so what is stamp duty and how is it calculated? We run-down the rules for stamp duty in England and Northern Ireland, as rates differ for those buying homes in Scotland and Wales . What is stamp duty? Stamp duty land tax (SDLT) is a lump sum payment most people have to pay when buying a property or land. How much buyers have to fork out varies depending on the price and type of property. A stamp duty holiday was introduced because of the coronavirus pandemic to get the property market moving again. It means there is no stamp duty for properties up to £500,000 until March 31, 2021. But chancellor Rishi Sunak is preparing to extend the stamp duty holiday by three months until the end of June. The usual stamp duty rates when there is not a holiday mean first-time buyers … [Read more...] about Stamp duty calculator: how much is it and when does the holiday end?

STEPPING into an Odeon cinema and a waft of fresh popcorn hits my nose. It might still smell the same, but how different will cinemas look when they reopen their doors after lockdown? The Sun takes an exclusive first look inside an Odeon in Milton Keynes as it prepares to reopen with new social distancing rules, which include no pick and mix, cash payments and fewer seats. The cinema chain’s 120 venues have been shut since March 17, along with rivals Vue, Picturehouse and Cineworld. But Odeon has now confirmed it’ll reopen 10 of its cinemas on July 4 , with a further 88 set to welcome back customers by July 16. It comes after the government gave cinema chains the green light to reopen from early July, along with pubs, hotels and restaurants. I love going to the cinema - so I was excited to see how its changed. Inside the movie theatre there are restrictions on where you can sit, with every other row and at least three seats between households left unoccupied to … [Read more...] about Inside Odeon as it prepares to reopen cinemas with no pick and mix or cash payments