Free summer activities offered at towns' parks

Edinburgh Princes Street Gardens to close as Storm Floris hits the capital

Yahoo

9 minutes ago

Yahoo

Edinburgh Princes Street Gardens to close as Storm Floris hits the capital

Edinburgh's Princes Street Gardens will close for two days next week as Storm Floris is set to bring "unseasonably strong and potentially disruptive winds". The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for much of the country for 24 hours from 6am on Monday, August 4 until Tuesday, August 5 and could see 60mph winds sweep across the central belt. As a result, Edinburgh City Council has made the decision to close Princes Street Gardens on both Monday and Tuesday. READ MORE: Edinburgh man hospitalised after armed officers swarm residential street READ MORE: Edinburgh drivers urged to 'use caution' ahead of huge Queensferry Crossing queues Sharing the news for the council, Edinburgh Trams said: "Message from our friends at Edinburgh Council: "Due to the yellow warning for high winds on Mon 4th & Tues 5th August, Princes Street Gardens will closed on both these days. "This decision will be reviewed over the weekend if there is any change to the forecast before Monday." Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages. Ahead of the adverse weather conditions, the Met Office has also warned locals of damage to buildings with injuries and danger to life from flying debris also possible. Power cuts may also occur, with the potential to affect other services, such as mobile phone coverage. Some roads and bridges may close too. According to forecasters, temperatures will reach highs of 20C on Monday and 19C on Tuesday. A Met Office statement reads: "Storm Floris is likely to bring a spell of unseasonably strong and potentially disruptive winds to northern UK on Monday into early Tuesday. "Storm Floris will bring a spell of unusually windy weather for the time of year across the northern half of the UK early next week. The strongest winds are most likely to occur across Scotland during Monday afternoon and night, although there remains some uncertainty in the depth and track of Floris. "Across the warning area, many inland areas are likely to see westerly wind gusts of 40-50 mph with 60-70 mph possible along exposed coasts and high ground, especially Scotland. "There is a chance of a spell of even stronger winds developing for a time, with inland gusts of 60-70 mph and 85 mph along exposed Scottish coastlines and hills. Winds will first ease in the west during later Monday but remaining very strong overnight until early Tuesday in the east. Heavy rain may also contribute to the disruption in places." You can read the full forecast here.

The EU nearly triples entry fee for visitors, before it even starts

CNN

4 hours ago

CNN

The EU nearly triples entry fee for visitors, before it even starts

Sign up for Unlocking the World, CNN Travel's weekly newsletter. Get news about destinations, plus the latest in aviation, food and drink, and where to stay. In our travel roundup this week: the luxury death trap that was the world's first passenger plane, a forgotten but beautiful Bauhaus airport, and the rising cost of travel entry fees. The must-have travel accessory du jour is a big fat wallet. You likely have heard about the United States introducing a new $250 'visa integrity fee' for international visitors. The European Union has also been busy on the travel fee front, recently raising its upcoming European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) fee from 7 to 20 euros (about $23). The fee will apply to non-EU nationals from visa-free countries — so that means the US, the UK, Canada, Japan and more — and the plan is for it to be up and running by late 2026. The European Commission attributes this hefty increase to rising inflation, additional operational costs — and also to bringing it in line with other travel authorization programs, such as ESTAs in the US (with a price tag of $21) and ETAs in the UK. The UK hiked up the cost of its Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) in April, going from £10 to £16 (also around $21). Making a permanent move to another country proved just the change these Americans needed. Retired US veteran Christopher Boris was struggling to cope with the rising cost of living, so in 2024 he and his wife Maria Jesus moved from Maryland to Brazil. 'I could not afford the American Dream,' Boris tells CNN. 'But here, it's not about making money. It's establishing other factors, like friendships.' Janet Blaser, originally from New York, relocated from California to Mexico nearly two decades ago. As a single mother of three 'living paycheck to paycheck,' she says she always felt like she 'didn't have enough.' She started a magazine business and got herself a permanent resident visa. 'I feel like I succeeded here,' she tells CNN. 'I've given myself a wonderful life.' Nashville woman Linda Leaming was blown away by the beauty of the Kingdom of Bhutan when she visited in 1994. 'I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life here,' she tells CNN. Three years later, she made the move, and has since found love and happiness in the Himalayas. 'Moving to Bhutan taught me to live mindfully,' she says. The de Havilland DH106 1A Comet was the world's first passenger jet. It was the height of 1950s luxury — but it was also a death trap with a fatal design flaw. Now it's been brought back to life. Read its incredible story here. Not long before the Comet took to the skies, a 20-minute flight between Hong Kong and Macao became a record-breaker in a different way. The world's first airplane hijacking took place on the Miss Macao seaplane in 1948. The goal? Rob the passengers and then hold them for ransom. Finally, aviation fans passing through Budapest would do well to squeeze in a visit to Budaörs, a beautiful but forgotten Bauhaus airport that's an aviation time capsule. It's been operating continuously since 1937, with its grassy airfield now used by hobby pilots, private planes and helicopters. China is telling its 1.4 billion people to abandon the nearly universal practice of 'stand right, walk left' on escalators. Instead, authorities are offering what they say is a safer and better alternative. Might the experiment catch on elsewhere? Watch the video and see what you think. If you're hitting the city streets, comfortable walking shoes are always a necessity. Our partners at CNN Underscored, a product reviews and recommendations guide owned by CNN, have a guide to the best, according to podiatrists and shoe experts. It's not just countries imposing new fees for entry. Fed-up Italian farmers have set up mountain turnstiles to charge access to Instagram hot spots. This former Soviet state is one of the world's most isolated countries. Now it's showing signs it's ready for more tourists. The new nudity. Read our 21st-century guide to taking off your clothes. Swim to work? See how Swiss residents switch up their commute.

CNN

4 hours ago

CNN

The EU nearly triples entry fee for visitors, before it even starts

Sign up for Unlocking the World, CNN Travel's weekly newsletter. Get news about destinations, plus the latest in aviation, food and drink, and where to stay. In our travel roundup this week: the luxury death trap that was the world's first passenger plane, a forgotten but beautiful Bauhaus airport, and the rising cost of travel entry fees. The must-have travel accessory du jour is a big fat wallet. You likely have heard about the United States introducing a new $250 'visa integrity fee' for international visitors. The European Union has also been busy on the travel fee front, recently raising its upcoming European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) fee from 7 to 20 euros (about $23). The fee will apply to non-EU nationals from visa-free countries — so that means the US, the UK, Canada, Japan and more — and the plan is for it to be up and running by late 2026. The European Commission attributes this hefty increase to rising inflation, additional operational costs — and also to bringing it in line with other travel authorization programs, such as ESTAs in the US (with a price tag of $21) and ETAs in the UK. The UK hiked up the cost of its Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) in April, going from £10 to £16 (also around $21). Making a permanent move to another country proved just the change these Americans needed. Retired US veteran Christopher Boris was struggling to cope with the rising cost of living, so in 2024 he and his wife Maria Jesus moved from Maryland to Brazil. 'I could not afford the American Dream,' Boris tells CNN. 'But here, it's not about making money. It's establishing other factors, like friendships.' Janet Blaser, originally from New York, relocated from California to Mexico nearly two decades ago. As a single mother of three 'living paycheck to paycheck,' she says she always felt like she 'didn't have enough.' She started a magazine business and got herself a permanent resident visa. 'I feel like I succeeded here,' she tells CNN. 'I've given myself a wonderful life.' Nashville woman Linda Leaming was blown away by the beauty of the Kingdom of Bhutan when she visited in 1994. 'I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life here,' she tells CNN. Three years later, she made the move, and has since found love and happiness in the Himalayas. 'Moving to Bhutan taught me to live mindfully,' she says. The de Havilland DH106 1A Comet was the world's first passenger jet. It was the height of 1950s luxury — but it was also a death trap with a fatal design flaw. Now it's been brought back to life. Read its incredible story here. Not long before the Comet took to the skies, a 20-minute flight between Hong Kong and Macao became a record-breaker in a different way. The world's first airplane hijacking took place on the Miss Macao seaplane in 1948. The goal? Rob the passengers and then hold them for ransom. Finally, aviation fans passing through Budapest would do well to squeeze in a visit to Budaörs, a beautiful but forgotten Bauhaus airport that's an aviation time capsule. It's been operating continuously since 1937, with its grassy airfield now used by hobby pilots, private planes and helicopters. China is telling its 1.4 billion people to abandon the nearly universal practice of 'stand right, walk left' on escalators. Instead, authorities are offering what they say is a safer and better alternative. Might the experiment catch on elsewhere? Watch the video and see what you think. If you're hitting the city streets, comfortable walking shoes are always a necessity. Our partners at CNN Underscored, a product reviews and recommendations guide owned by CNN, have a guide to the best, according to podiatrists and shoe experts. It's not just countries imposing new fees for entry. Fed-up Italian farmers have set up mountain turnstiles to charge access to Instagram hot spots. This former Soviet state is one of the world's most isolated countries. Now it's showing signs it's ready for more tourists. The new nudity. Read our 21st-century guide to taking off your clothes. Swim to work? See how Swiss residents switch up their commute.

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Edinburgh Princes Street Gardens to close as Storm Floris hits the capital

The EU nearly triples entry fee for visitors, before it even starts

The EU nearly triples entry fee for visitors, before it even starts

Free summer activities offered at towns' parks

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Edinburgh Princes Street Gardens to close as Storm Floris hits the capital

The EU nearly triples entry fee for visitors, before it even starts

The EU nearly triples entry fee for visitors, before it even starts

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