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☆ Fact Check: British MPs cannot expense £50 for breakfast
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A false claim that British members of parliament can expense £50 for breakfast has circulated on social media. “There is no breakfast allowance for MPs,” a spokesperson for IPSA told Reuters in an email. “The only time MPs can claim for their own meals is if they are travelling away from both workplaces (London and constituency) on parliamentary business,” they added. The rules in full can be found on IPSA’s website, which links to The Scheme of MPs’ Staffing and Business Costs 2023-2024. There is no breakfast allowance for MPs.

Persons: ”, IPSA, Read Organizations: Facebook, Independent Parliamentary, Authority, Reuters, ’ Staffing, London Area, Thomson Locations: Britain, London

☆ Amelia Dimoldenberg Thinks We’re All Forgetting How to Flirt
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Lane Florsheim | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Amelia Dimoldenberg is an expert flirt. It’s a skill that comes with the territory of “Chicken Shop Date,” the YouTube series she created and has hosted for nine years. In it, she takes celebrities like Jack Harlow, Daniel Kaluuya and Jennifer Lawrence out to fried chicken shops across the London area and grills them in a fashion that’s half date, half interview.

Persons: Amelia Dimoldenberg, Jack Harlow, Daniel Kaluuya, Jennifer Lawrence Locations: London

CNN —A serving member of the British Army awaiting trial on terror charges escaped from prison in London on Wednesday, the city’s Metropolitan Police said. Daniel Abed Khalife went missing from Wandsworth prison, in the southwest of the British capital, shortly before 8 a.m. UK time. He had been awaiting trial for terror offenses and alleged breaches of the Official Secrets Act. Khalife is a soldier accused of planting fake bombs at a military base, according to the PA Media news agency. “Khalife was on remand at HMP Wandsworth, awaiting trial in relation to terrorism and Official Secrets Act offences,” it continued.

Persons: Daniel Abed Khalife, “ Khalife, Khalife, Dominic Murphy, “, ” Murphy Organizations: CNN, British Army, city’s Metropolitan Police, PA Media, “ Police, Metropolitan Police, Police, Command Locations: London, Wandsworth, England, Wales

☆ Return to Office, Ending Work From Home May Make Climate Crisis Worse
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

Whether mandatory return-to-office policies will make the climate crisis worse is an important question, especially as scientists predict that 2023 will be the hottest year on record. But determining whether working from an office is worse for the planet isn't that simple. Failing to find a balance between boosting productivity at the office and protecting the planet risks making the crisis worse. Even though the study only covered the early part of the pandemic, it illustrated how a shift away from office work can have some positive effects for the planet. "There was no clear answer to whether work from home was better or worse for the environment in general terms."

Persons: Rachel, it's, JPMorgan Chase, James Elfer, Elfer, It's, Ty Colman, Colman, Ralf Martin, Martin, teleworking, Megan Litke, We've, Litke, Efler, Operta's Colman, JPMorgan Chase —, Apple, Tony Johnson, Schneider, Johnson, That's, she's, Catherine Boudreau Organizations: Amazon, Google, JPMorgan, Fortune, Employees, Greenhouse, International Energy Agency, IEA, Imperial College Business School, American University, Energy, Target, Dell, Apple, Schneider Locations: , Maryland, Greater London, London, Washington , DC, Williams, Sonoma, North America

☆ Expansion to London clean-air zone to go ahead after court rejects challenge
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Sam Tobin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Five affected Conservative-led local authorities argued the decision to expand ULEZ was unlawful, but their legal challenge was rejected on Friday. "This landmark decision is good news as it means we can proceed with cleaning up the air in outer London," Khan said in a statement following the ruling. Britain's green agenda has been in focus over the past week after the governing Conservative Party won an election in former Prime Minister Boris Johnson's old seat just outside central London, in part by attacking the ULEZ expansion. Judge Jonathan Swift rejected all three grounds of challenge to the expansion of ULEZ, including that the public consultation on the proposed expansion was unlawful. ($1 = 0.7809 pounds)Reporting by Sam Tobin, Editing by Kylie MacLellan and Tomasz JanowskiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Sadiq Khan, Khan, Boris Johnson's, Keir Starmer, Conservative – Johnson, Jonathan Swift, Sam Tobin, Kylie MacLellan, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: London's Labour, Conservative, Transport, Conservative Party, Labour Party's, London, Thomson Locations: British, Greater London, leafier, London

☆ London fights legal challenge over expanding clean-air zone
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Sam Tobin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Signage indicates the boundary of London's Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) zone along the North Circular Road ahead of proposed upcoming expansion, in London, Britain, June 26, 2023. The British capital's Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) levies a 12.50 pound ($16) daily charge on drivers of non-compliant vehicles, in order to tackle pollution and improve air quality. London's transport authority - Transport for London (TfL) - had launched a public consultation on the plan, which said 91% of vehicles driven in outer London would not be affected. However, the local authorities' lawyers argue that TfL provided no detail on how it calculated the 91% figure, which they say was fundamental to justifying the expansion. The local authorities are also challenging Khan's decision to not extend a 110 million pound scrappage scheme to those living just outside the expanded ULEZ.

Persons: Toby Melville LONDON, Sadiq Khan, Khan, Sam Tobin, Devika Organizations: REUTERS, London, London's, Transport, TfL, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, British, Greater London, leafier, Europe, Khan

☆ Britain celebrates 75th anniversary of 'Windrush' arrivals
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Britain's Queen Camilla poses Linda Haye and her family with during a reception to mark the 75th anniversary of the arrival of HMT Empire Windrush to British shores, at Buckingham Palace on June 14, 2023 in London, Britain. During the reception to celebrate the Windrush Generation, ten portraits... Read moreLONDON, June 22 (Reuters) - Prince William said Britain was a better place thanks to the "Windrush generation", as the nation on Thursday celebrated the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the first post-World War Two Caribbean migrants. Many of the events will also acknowledge the prejudices the Windrush arrivals and their descendents have had to overcome. In 2018, Britain apologised for its "appalling" handling of the Windrush generation, after a tightening of immigration policy meant thousands were denied basic rights despite having lived in Britain for decades, and dozens were wrongly deported. His father has commissioned 10 portraits of 10 members of the Windrush generation as part of the celebrations.

Persons: Camilla, Linda Haye, Windrush, Prince William, King Charles ', William, Sarah Young, Michael Holden, Muvija, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Buckingham Palace, National Health Service, Southwark Cathedral, Thomson Locations: Buckingham, London, Britain, Tilbury, Essex, German, Clapham, British, Brixton, Southwark, Windsor

☆ UK house sales at pre-COVID levels after 'mini-budget' shock - Rightmove
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Suban Abdulla | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Property website Rightmove (RMV.L) said the number of sales agreed between sellers and buyers was just 1% lower last month than in March 2019 as borrowing costs edged down from their leap after the September 'mini-budget'. However, while the total number of agreed sales had improved from being 21% below 2019 levels as recently as January, they remained down 18% when compared with March 2022. Real estate agents noted a "significant upswing" in buyer demand for apartments of all sizes, with agreed sales rising 10% from 2019, up from a fall of 11% at the start of 2023. London saw the most pronounced recovery in the broader market, with overall agreed sales increasing 11% compared to March 2019, and agreed sales of apartments 23% higher. Rightmove said a third of properties were reduced from their original asking price, up from 19% last year although in line with pre-pandemic levels.

☆ Seen Big Ben already? Here's a Londoner's guide to visiting other parts of the city
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Lucy Handley | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

Central London's City of Westminster is its political heart, while the City of London is where the capital's financial decisions happen. But be warned: Several paths across Hyde Park are pedestrian-only, and police often fine people who cycle on them. The City of London is a blend of old and new, with St Paul's Cathedral close to skyscrapers as well as Roman ruins. While north London has Hampstead Heath, south of the river is Richmond Park, which dwarfs its northern counterpart in size. There's also a branch in central London's Covent Garden — the flower-filled restaurant The Petersham — that has an sit-down deli and bar.

☆ Inside the 290-Square-Foot London Cottage That’s Asking $1.4 Million
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Libertina Brandt | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Five years ago, English real-estate developer Robin Swailes saw a newspaper article about a property claiming to be the smallest detached home in the London area. He was charmed by the roughly 290-square-foot cottage, and bought it for about $825,000. “I could see the opportunity to make it a really special place to live,” said Mr. Swailes, who lives in Oxford, a city about 55 miles northwest of London.

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