AceBreakingNews – The mayor of the Spanish city of Barcelona has pledged to eliminate short-term tourist lets in the city within five years.Β
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Jaume Collboni said that the measure would be equivalent to building 10,000 new homes
Socialist Jaume Collboni told a news conference he does not plan to renew any of the 10,101 tourist licences granted to landlords when they expire in November 2028.
Mr Collboni said the appartments, which are currently advertised on platforms such as Airbnb and Homeaway, would be available to locals instead.
Politicians opposing the move accused him of undermining property rights.
Mr Collboni said that the measure would be “equivalent to building 10,000 new homes”.
Justifying the plan, he said rents had risen by 70% over the past 10 years and had become unaffordable.
βMore supply of housing is needed, and the measures weβre presenting today are to provide more supply,” he added.
Barcelona has struggled with a limited supply of housing for years.
Politicians blame high rates of tourism as well as the city’s growing status as a tech hub attracting foreign workers.
New building has not kept up with the increased demand, driving up prices.
Reacting to Mr Collboni’s announcement, some left-wing councillors said 2028 was too far in the future for people they said were being forced out of the city now.
Janet Sanz asked: “Can we wait until 2028?”
Right-wing politicians said the measure threatened property rights.
“The Barcelona City Council cannot resemble the Bolivarian regime,” Barcelona Popular Party leader Dani Sirera wrote, referring to the government of Venezuela, which has been accused of expropriating property.
The Association of Tourist Apartments of Barcelona said the change would lead to flats being illegally rented to tourists.
The policy was a “smokescreen” for the failure of Mr Collboni’s housing policy, it added.
In recent months, thousands have protested in parts of Spain, including the Canary Islands, against the effects of mass tourism, which they claim is damaging the environment and driving locals out.
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AceBreakingNews – People placed under restraining orders for suspected domestic violence do not have a right to own guns. The Supreme Court has ruled.
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Ace Press News From Cutting Room Floor: Published: Jun.23: 2024: Lisa Lambert and Sam Cabral: BBC News, Washington: Published: 21 June 2024: TELEGRAM Ace Daily News LinkΒ https://t.me/YouMeUs2Β
Actress Julianne Moore speaks outside the court during November arguments
The 8-1 decision upholds a 30-year-old law that bars those with restraining orders for domestic abuse from owning firearms.
A lower court had struck down that federal statute as not “consistent with the nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation”.
Friday’s ruling marks a rare victory for firearms restrictions in the top court.
Chief Justice John Roberts delivered the majority opinion, with all but one of his colleagues in agreement.
The policy of disarming alleged domestic abusers is in line with “what common sense suggests”, he wrote.
“When an individual poses a clear threat of physical violence to another, the threatening individual may be disarmed,” he said.
Justice Clarence Thomas, arguably the most conservative member of the court, was the lone dissenter.
He wrote that “today’s decision puts at risk the Second Amendment rights of many more”.
At the centre of the case decided on Friday was Zackey Rahimi, a Texas man with a history of armed violence against girlfriends and shootings in public places.
In 2020, his then-girlfriend was granted a restraining order by a court after he dragged her into his car, causing her to hit her head on the dashboard during an argument near his Arlington, Texas, home. He also shot at a bystander who witnessed the assault.
Despite a court order suspending his handgun licence and barring him from possessing any firearms, he kept his weapons and was involved in five shootings in public later that year.
A small-time drug dealer, according to court filings, Rahimi is currently serving a six-year sentence in a Texas federal prison after pleading guilty to violating the court order.
Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office: He is also currently awaiting state charges related to his shooting spree.
The US Constitution’s Second Amendment guarantees the right “to keep and bear arms”.
In 2022, the US Supreme Court significantly expanded gun rights when it decided the Second Amendment protects a broad right to carry a handgun outside the home for self-defence.
It also created a new test for gun laws, specifying they must be rooted in “historical tradition”. Justice Thomas delivered that opinion.
After that decision, Rahimi filed an appeal against his conviction, arguing it did not pass the Supreme Court’s new test.
In a handwritten letter from jail last year, he also vowed to “stay away from all firearms and weaponsβ once he is released.
During a November hearing, Rahimi’s lawyer, James Matthew Wright, said he could find no historical precedent for people being disarmed, save those convicted of a felony – which does not include the subjects of restraining orders.
But the US government argued that “dangerous” individuals, such as loyalists to Britain in the American Revolutionary War era, had been disarmed in the past.
The government’s lawyer also said women living in a home with an armed domestic abuser were five times more likely to be murdered.
The number of women killed in Texas by an armed partner has nearly doubled over the past 10 years, according to the Texas Council on Family Violence, a non-profit.
Domestic violence survivor recounts being shot by partner
In his opinion on Friday, Justice Roberts wrote: “Since the founding, our Nation’s firearm laws have included provisions preventing individuals who threaten physical harm to others from misusing firearms.”
“When a restraining order contains a finding that an individual poses a credible threat to the physical safety of an intimate partner, that individual may – consistent with the Second Amendment – be banned from possessing firearms.”
He added that “some courts have misunderstood the methodology of our recent Second Amendment cases”. The 2022 precedent was “not meant to suggest a law trapped in amber”, he said.
Five separate justices wrote concurring opinions, with two liberals – Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson – suggesting that blame for confusion “may lie with us” rather than other courts.
Writing in dissent, Justice Thomas argued there was “not a single historical” justification for the majority’s ruling.
Many Second Amendment advocates were disappointed by the ruling, but several said it was narrow in scope.
Chuck Michel, president of the California Rifle & Pistol Association, wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that the decision allowed authorities “to disarm persons subject to restraining orders, but only while the order in effect”.
“It did not decide whether the government can prohibit broad classes of people from possessing arms permanently, and it rejected the governmentβs argument that ‘irresponsible’ people could be prohibited from possessing arms,” he said.
Brady, the nation’s oldest gun control group, hailed the decision as “an important victory for gun violence and domestic violence prevention”.
“Lately, the Court has gotten a lot wrong and has upheld extreme rulings,” its chief legal officer, Douglas Letter, said in a statement.
“Yet even this Court understands how reasonable this law is and agrees that proven approaches preventing gun violence are completely constitutional.”
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AceBreakingNews – Four members of the UK’s richest family have received prison sentences for exploiting staff brought over from India to work at their Geneva villa.Β
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Ace Press News From Cutting Room Floor: Published: Jun.23: 2024: BBC Court News Report: Published: 21 June 2024: TELEGRAM Ace Daily News LinkΒ https://t.me/YouMeUs2Β
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Ajay Hinduja (l) pictured arriving at court with his wife Namrata and their lawyer Robert Assael
Prakash and Kamal Hinduja, as well as their son Ajay and his wife Namrata, were found guilty of exploitation and illegal employment by a Swiss court and handed sentences ranging from four to four-and-a-half years.
They were acquitted on the more serious charge of human trafficking.
Lawyers representing the defendants said they intend to appeal against the ruling.
Speaking outside the court, Robert Assael, the lawyer for the defendants, said: “I’m shocked. We’re going to fight it to the bitter end.”
Three workers who were brought over from their native India alleged the family paid them as little as Β£7 ($8) to work 18-hour days – less than a tenth of the amount required under Swiss law – and confiscated their passports.
They also claimed the family – whose fortune is estimated at around Β£37bn – rarely allowed them to leave the house, which is in Genevaβs wealthy neighbourhood of Cologny.
During the trial, prosecutors alleged the family spent more on their dog than on their servants.
The defence argued that the employees received ample benefits, were not kept in isolation and were free to leave the villa.
The employees “were grateful to the Hindujas for offering them a better life”, Mr Assael argued.
The elder Hindujas, both over 70, did not attend court proceedings, pleading ill health. Ajay and Namrata did attend court but were not there to hear the verdict.
Following the verdict, the prosecution requested an immediate detention order for the younger Hinduja couple, but this was denied by the judge.
The defence said Kamal Hindula is currently in hospital in Monaco – abd the otehr three family members are at his bedside.
It is not the first time that Geneva, a hub for international organisations as well as the worldβs wealthy, has been in the spotlight over the alleged mistreatment of servants.
Last year, four domestic workers from the Philippines launched a case against one of Genevaβs diplomatic missions to the United Nations, claiming they had not been paid for years.
The Hinduja family own the Hinduja Group, a multinational group with interests in oil, gas, and banking.
The family also owns Raffles hotel in London.
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AceBreakingNews – About 1,500 Tata Steel workers will begin an indefinite strike next month over the companyβs plans to cut thousands of jobs, the trade union Unite has said.
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Ace Press News From Cutting Room Floor: Published: Jun.22: 2024: BBC Business News Report: Published: 21 June 2024: TELEGRAM Ace Daily News LinkΒ https://t.me/YouMeUs2Β
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Workers are protesting against Tata Steel’s plans to cut 2,800 jobs
The move is the first time in more than 40 years that steel workers in the UK have taken strike action, the union added.
About 2,800 Tata Steel workers will lose their jobs when the company closes both blast furnaces in Port Talbot by the end of September.
The company said if the strike affected the safety or stability of its operations it would be “forced” to accelerate closure plans.
The strike will begin on 8 July at Port Talbot and Tata’s Llanwern site in Newport.
Sharon Graham, Unite general secretary, said Tataβs workers were “not just fighting for their jobs β they are fighting for the future of their communities and the future of steel in Wales”.
She said the strikes would continue until the firm “halts its disastrous plans”.
Two other trade unions, Community and GMB, have decided βnot to schedule any industrial action before the general election has taken placeβ, said Alun Davies, national officer for steel at Community.
βIf and when we do take industrial action, that decision will be made by Community members, who represent the vast majority of workers impacted by Tata’s damaging plans,β he said.
Unite members at Tata previously observed an overtime ban and “work to rule” β meaning refusing to do work that is optional in their contracts.
Tata has urged Unite to suspend the action and return to discussions along with other unions. It previously warned it could withdraw the enhanced redundancy packages on offer if workers went on strike.
Chief executive Rajesh Nair said the “most favourable financial package” it had ever offered would not be paid if staff took part in industrial action.
The company plans to build a Β£1.25bn electric arc furnace to produce steel in a way which is less polluting than traditional blast furnaces, but requires fewer workers.
Tata said the move would secure the future of steel making at the site and the UK government is contributing Β£500m towards the cost of the project.
The company said it was “disappointed” by the strike action.
It said it was losing Β£1m a day that it’s steelmaking apparatus were “operationally unstable” and that was why its planned had not changed.
βIf the safety and stability of our operations are put at risk by this action, we will be forced to accelerate those closure plans,” a spokesman said.
βAfter extensive negotiations with our unions we substantially improved our support offering for affected employees – the most generous package in our history.”
A gamble by Unite by Huw Thomas: BBC Wales Business Correspondent
Strike action is as serious as it gets for workers and the company.
Unite has behaved differently to the other two unions in Port Talbot, who remain in discussion with Tata Steel.
Going alone is a gamble by Unite.
Tata has already said that its most favourable redundancy offer to workers is off the table due to the union’s industrial action, and it could yet be taken to court. Tata Steel maintains that “irregularities” in Unite’s ballot mean any industrial action is unlawful, though it hasn’t asked a judge to rule on the issue.
While workers held a rally this week to mark the beginning of a work-to-rule and an overtime ban, Unite’s 1,500 membership may find it harder to walk out on strike at Port Talbot and Llanwern.
They would do so while most of their colleagues in other unions were still speaking to the company about their redundancies, and Unite’s stance has caused significant tension among the multi-union team who are negotiating with Tata.
This is also a political gamble for Unite, with the spectre of steel strikes beginning days after the general election and posing an immediate headache to whoever enters 10 Downing Street.
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AceBreakingNews – UPDATE – The campaign chief for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives stepped aside two weeks before an election, the party says, after reports he and his candidate wife were being investigated for betting on the election date.
The rapidly escalating gambling scandal is the latest misfortune to unfold for Mr Sunak, who is forecast to lose power on July 4 after a campaign characterised by gaffes that followed his surprise announcement of an early vote.
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The Conservative Party confirmed that campaign director Tony Lee had taken a leave of absence.
The statement followed news reports that the Gambling Commission was looking into allegations of improper betting by Mr Lee and his wife Laura Saunders, a candidate for parliament in Bristol.
British bookmakers allow bets on politics, and the timing of an election is a popular bet. But placing bets with insider knowledge is a crime.
“We have been contacted by the Gambling Commission about a small number of individuals. As the Gambling Commission is an independent body, it wouldn’t be proper to comment further, until any process is concluded,” a Conservative spokesperson said.
London police said on Wednesday they had arrested a police officer working in a special protection unit over alleged bets made on the timing of the election. The BBC reported the officer worked as one of Mr Sunak’s bodyguards.
A spokesperson for the Gambling Commission said it was investigating “the possibility of offences concerning the date of the election” but could not provide further details.
“We are not confirming or denying the identity of any individuals involved in this investigation,” the spokesperson added.
Senior Conservative minister Michael Gove told LBC Radio it was “beyond bad to use insider information like that to secure an advantage”.
Polls forecast the Conservatives are set to lose the July 4 election, potentially in an historic wipeout.
Mr Sunak’s party was already far behind in the polls when he announced the election, and has failed to narrow the gap after a campaign marred by blunders, including a decision by Mr Sunak to leave early from a ceremony for the anniversary of D-Day.
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AceBreakingNews – Ed Davey, John Swinney, Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak faced audience questions in a Question Time Leaders’ Special. They made claims on spending, migration, Brexit and the NHS, among other issues. We examined some of them.
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Ace Press News From Cutting Room Floor: Published: Jun.21: 2024: BBC UK Election News By Ben Chu: Published: 22: June 2024: TELEGRAM Ace Daily News LinkΒ https://t.me/YouMeUs2Β @acenewsservices
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The prime ministerβs request to verify: What happened to NHS spending?
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Rishi Sunak said: “There is more money going into the NHS today than there has been in its history and I’m sure BBC Verify after this debate will verify this for you.”
There are different ways of measuring how much is being spent on the NHS in England.
The health budget for this year stands at Β£179.6bn, which is a record amount in cash terms. You would expect that to be the case as the population grows and ages and medical treatment gets more expensive.
You can also look at what proportion of government spending is going on health and that has also been increasing in recent years.
Spending on health as a proportion of the size of the economy peaked at 12.4% in 2021 during the pandemic. It fell back somewhat in the year after that but still remained above pre-pandemic levels.
However, independent think-tank the Institute for Fiscal Studies has calculated that the government has been spending less than it planned to in its 2019 election manifesto, despite the pandemic.
The 2019 plans were for NHS spending to increase by 3.3% above inflation each year, but the IFS has calculated that it has gone up by 2.7% a year on average.
By Anthony Reuben
Are waiting lists on the way down?
Rishi Sunak just told the Question Time audience: βWhat weβve seen over the past few months is waiting lists now are starting to come down.β
However, progress on waiting lists has actually βstagnatedβ, according to independent health think tank, the Nuffield Trust. Waiting lists now are far higher than they were when the Conservatives came to power in 2010 and higher than when Sunak pledged to reduce them in January 2023.
Has Labour found the money to pay for extra staff?
The Labour leader says his party is committed to delivering the NHS long-term workforce plan and that this is βfully costedβ.
The Labour manifesto pledges a top-up of annual NHS England spending of around Β£1.8bn by 2028-29 – which includes more appointments and items like scanners.
Its manifesto also said it would deliver the NHS long-term workforce plan, which is to increase staffing considerably by 2035.
But the Labour manifesto did not outline how it would pay for delivering the extra staff.
The independent Institute for Fiscal Studies has estimated it would require NHS funding to grow by more than 3% per year and would cost billions of pounds per year of extra spending over the next decade.
By Ben Chu
Lib Dems’ Sir Ed Davey: Do Lib Dem social care costings add up?
Sir Ed Davey stressed his party had put together βa very detailed costed manifesto and it has got a big health and social care package at the centreβ.
The Lib Dems are promising free personal care at home for older and disabled people in England, which they say would cost Β£2.7bn a year by 2028-29. The party says that would be paid for by reversing tax cuts given to big banks, raising Β£4.2bn a year by 2028-29.
But despite the party setting out how it intends to pay for care, the Nuffield Trust β an independent health think-tank β says the amount βlooks to be inadequateβ.
Sir Ed has previously defended the sums, saying the plans would save the NHS βup to Β£3bn or moreβ from fewer hospital stays.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland set their own social care policies.
By Tom Edgington
The SNP’s John Swinney: How has Brexit impacted the UK’s economy?
The SNP leader John Swinney spoke of the βthe disastrous impact of Brexit in the United Kingdom economyβ.
Most economists say Brexit has had a negative impact on the UK economy, although there is disagreement about the size of the damage and the extent to which it has so far materialised.
The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), the governmentβs independent official economic forecaster, believes Brexit will mean a long-term reduction in UK national income – compared to where it would otherwise be – of around 4%, with the full effect felt after 15 years.
It says this is largely down to expected weaker productivity growth, because of lower trade and lower investment than would otherwise have occurred.
In its most recent report the OBR said that: βOverall, our assumptions about the impact of Brexit appear to be broadly on track.β
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AceBreakingNews – It is one of the rare occasions people can get close to the stones at the historic site near Salisbury in Wiltshire.
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Ace Press News From Cutting Room Floor: Published: Jun.21: 2024: Sophie Parker & Harriet Robinson: BBC News: Published: 22: June 2024, 06:36 BST: TELEGRAM Ace Daily News LinkΒ https://t.me/YouMeUs2Β
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Thousands gather to watch Stonehenge solstice sunrise. It went ahead as normal after Just Stop Oil protestorsΒ sprayed orange powder paint on the stonesΒ on Wednesday.
English Heritage has removed the paint with a specialist air blower, but if rain had come into contact with it, there could have been significant damage.
An estimated 15,000 people visited Stonehenge for the summer solstice on Friday morning
The charity’s historic properties director Kate Logan said: “I think all the people who attended solstice today were just really pleased to come and see the stones looking spectacular. The incident is behind us now.
“We’re really thrilled with how the event has gone this year. We don’t often get such a glorious sunrise but today we’ve been very lucky.”
English Heritage’s Kate Logan said the charity was “thrilled” with how the event had gone
It is one of the rare occasions when visitors can get close to the stones and even touch them in some cases
People come from all over the world to see the summer solstice at the 5,000 year old site.
Tammy McCollam said she had travelled about 5,000 miles from Washington in the US specifically for the event.
βItβs amazing. When I was able to touch the stones, it just felt so emotional, incredible.
“I just felt called to come, this is a bucket list trip.β
Many watch the sunset the evening before and stay overnight to see the sunrise
The site opened on Thursday evening and there was a crowd for the sunset, with many staying throughout the night to watch the sunrise on Friday morning.
The sounds of drumming and cheers from the crowd could be heard as the sun came up.
Druids and other members of the pagan community gathered too, with the event a spiritual time for many.
Deputy Chief Constable Craig Dibdin from Wiltshire Police said the event was “very safe”
Wiltshire Police always has a presence at the event but after the Just Stop Oil protest, Deputy Chief Constable Craig Dibdin said they had immediately reviewed their plans with organisers and were happy with them.
DCC Dibdin said it had been “very safe”, with only been one arrest for a minor assault.
“It’s been a really successful, good humoured event,” he added.
Other places in the West Country also attract solstice crowds, in particular at Avebury, also in Wiltshire, and Glastonbury Tor in Somerset.
Avebury is also a popular spot to watch the solstice
There were gatherings around the West – including at Glastonbury Tor in Somerset
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