World economic forum

Venice is to become the first city in the world to introduce a booking system whereby tourists will have to pay up to 10 euros each to enter. The controversial ticketing initiative, announced on Friday, comes after years of rancorous debate over the suffocating effects of over-tourism on the city long known as “La Serenissima”. The authorities say the booking system is essential to combat overcrowding, but critics say it edges the World Heritage city closer to being a warped brand of cultural Disneyland. From January 16, tourists planning to visit will have to make a booking online and pay an entrance fee – or a “contribution to access” as the city prefers to call it. The amount will vary according to how busy the season is – during Easter, the summer holidays, historic regattas and festivals, the fee will be 10 euros per person. During quieter periods of the year, it will be just three euros a head. The booking system will apply only to day-trippers on the basis that they … [Read more...] about Venice to charge tourists to enter in world first

Coronavirus to 'wound and scar' global economy says expert Sign up for our news briefing, including a daily special Russia-Ukraine edition SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info Research by the European Central Bank (ECB) has revealed the profitability of the banking sector across the eurozone declined for the first time in three years. Analysis of 113 banks supervised by the ECB has found that slow growth and low interests rates for the 19 nations using the euro has caused returns on equity to decrease. In 2019, returns on equity – the difference between total assets and liabilities – slumped from 6.2 percent to just 5.2 percent. Related articles Coronavirus breakthrough: How Europe is planning to lift lockdown … [Read more...] about Merkel on brink: German banks WORST performers across eurozone – even BEFORE coronavirus

A decade ago, Samantha (who requested a pseudonym to protect her privacy), 45, experienced a tragedy. Her husband was involved in a serious car crash that resulted in him becoming paralyzed from the neck down and permanently disabled. “Any other woman in my position could have left him when they knew they would never have a sex life again. But I stayed by his side because I love him,” she said. It wasn’t easy. “I mourned the loss of our sex life — not just the sex, but the intimacy that came with it,” she said. “There were times when I sat and cried my heart out.” Her husband was upset to see his wife struggling, so he suggested she find a friend with benefits. She contemplated the idea, but eventually decided not to do it. “I was worried that if I got a fuck buddy, feelings could become involved,” she said. “And if that happened, our relationship wouldn't survive.” Her marriage suffered regardless. The couple, who live in Australia, began sleeping in separate beds … [Read more...] about “My Lover And Companion”: Women Explain Why They Buy Male Sex Dolls

This past April in Quetta, the bleached-gray, drought-stricken capital of the Pakistani border province of Baluchistan, I awoke to explosions and gunfire. In search of the violence, my translator, Jamil, and I jumped into a four-wheel-drive Toyota and raced through the section of town inhabited by Pashtoon tribesmen. Suddenly we were surrounded by Pakistani soldiers, who forced us out of the car and pointed assault rifles in our faces. While they searched us, I saw two other soldiers with automatic weapons run along a high wall a few feet from where we stood. Shots rang out from inside the adjacent compound. By 11:00 a.m. five people had been killed and twenty wounded, and a large cache of weapons had been confiscated in a raid on the Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami (Pashtoon National People's Party), a group supporting an independent "Pashtoonistan" created out of Pakistani territory. The party stood accused of murders and kidnapping. Security forces claimed victory, but reports later … [Read more...] about The Lawless Frontier

For the second time, President Trump won’t attend the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner. As Washington’s elite journalists gather to celebrate their work this weekend, the president will hold a rally in Michigan. What better way to dismiss the “fake news” press corps that he sees as hostile than by setting up counter-programming of his own? Trump’s absence is part of a bigger pattern. Not only has the president been extremely hostile to the press, questioning their legitimacy and vilifying them as enemies of the state, but he has cut off access to almost everyone outside the Fox News- Breitbart orbit. Most notable of all has been his decision to hold just one solo press conference since taking office. Before the WHCA was known for its annual dinner, it was established as a professional organization meant to protect journalists’ access to the president of the United States. Calvin Coolidge, though not known for having good press relations, was the first president to … [Read more...] about A Century of Feuding Between Presidents and the Press

IF one is to believe the bulk of news stories, the typical American voters these days are affluent white mothers ("soccer moms") and fathers, living in the suburbs and probably involved in the information economy ("wired workers"), whose interest in government reflects their relatively privileged position: "No big programs, please, because we don't really need them, but little, cheap ones are okay, provided they target one of our few remaining problems." • "Soccer moms.... were America's most wanted voters, and their every wish turned up on some politician's list of promises: child tax credits, education tax breaks, scholarships, V-chips, school uniforms, longer childbirth stays, time off for teacher conferences, even a breast cancer web site. Some called it pandering, others family friendliness" ( USA Today, November 6, 1996). • "Wired workers are the wave of the future, political analysts say. Political parties will learn to surf the new demographics, or go under. Wired … [Read more...] about America’s Forgotten Majority

Taylor Hawkins' widow has publicly broken her silence on the Foo Fighters drummer's death, more than two months after he passed away. Hawkins died on March 25 at the age of 50 after being found unresponsive in his hotel room in Bogotá, Colombia. An early urine toxicology test found 10 different drugs in his system. Alison Hawkins, who married the musician in 2005, shared a statement on her late husband's Twitter account, as it was also announced that his bandmates are planning two tribute shows in September. "My deepest thanks and admiration go out to the global Foo Fighters community and Taylor's fans far and wide for the outpouring of love each and every one of you have shown out beloved Taylor," the statement began. "Your kindness has been an invaluable comfort for my family and me during this time of unimaginable grief." "As Taylor's wife, and on behalf of our children, I want to share how much you meant to him and how dedicated he was to 'knocking your socks off' … [Read more...] about Taylor Hawkins’ widow breaks silence on Foo Fighters star’s death

MY favorite photograph of Kurt Weill captures the enigmatic quality of his life and music. At a rehearsal for the 1943 show Mary Martin sits atop an upright piano, her shapely legs dangling in front of the composer's face. Weill seems to be somewhere else. Baby-faced and bald, his eyes half closed, he seems to be playing for himself alone. His blank expression could mask humiliation or contempt or delight -- you can't tell. What is this professor doing on Broadway? This year is Kurt Weill's centenary, so the calendar is full of Weill events -- and for once there seems to be a real urgency to the commemorative festivities. Weill remains a cult composer, known mainly for a handful of songs; most of his complete works are rarely performed, and critical opinion is still unsettled. Hearing his works again -- particularly the revelatory early Second Symphony and the overpraised "Broadway opera" -- could restore balance to a reputation long skewed. The standard view of Weill divides … [Read more...] about Threepenny Composer

Last July, President Joe Biden made a series of public remarks that have come back to haunt him as things have turned out to be the opposite of what he predicted. Those statements marked the beginning of a tumbling approval rating, which, a year later, has yet to bounce back. Biden's time in the White House started off promising after the Democrat received more than 81 million votes—the most ever cast for a presidential candidate—and he entered office with a relatively high approval rating. Biden's approval rating has since sunk below that of former President Donald Trump 's at the same point in his term, and members of his own party are losing confidence in his ability to lead on key issues. Biden's rating remained steady at about the 52 percent mark until mid-June 2021. What followed were three crises facing America and what seemed to be less-than-accurate predictions from the Biden administration on the Omicron COVID surge, the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and soaring … [Read more...] about Biden faces 3 awkward anniversaries of things he shouldn’t have said

Benefits and state pension to see largest increase in 32 years Tories are now party of big spending, says Sunak How the PM brought in top economists to persuade Sunak Camilla Tominey: True-blue Tories are shuddering Fraser Nelson: Tax grabs have put Britain on road to recession Russia-Ukraine latest: PM calls for new weapons for Ukraine A Tory MP has quit his Government job and criticised the “toxic culture” in No 10 as Boris Johnson’s premiership continues to be rocked by the partygate scandal. Paul Holmes, the Conservative MP for Eastleigh, said in a statement published on his website that he had resigned as Parliamentary Private Secretary at the Home Office. A PPS is the lowest rung on the ministerial ladder but the resignation is likely to prompt alarm bells in Downing Street as the Government struggles to move on following the publication of the Sue Gray report on Wednesday. Mr Holmes said the report had "clearly showed a culture in No 10 … [Read more...] about Tory MP Paul Holmes quits Government job over ‘toxic culture’ at No 10