a full-service commercial real estate brokerage based in Miami welcomes seasoned brokers Felipe Azenha and Ben Hoffman to its accomplished team of agents Azenha and Hoffman will focus on development and investment sales within South Florida’s urban core corridors Prior to entering the commercial real estate industry Felipe Azenha was in the wealth management sector working for banks such as ABN AMRO A lingering passion for real estate led him to pursue a master’s in real estate development and urbanism from the University of Miami and pivot into the industry with roles at StreetEasy and Zillow a commercial real estate zoning technology company where he established strategic partnerships with real estate developers He later ventured into fitness innovation by co-founding CinderFit Azenha holds a bachelor’s in international relations from Syracuse University and two master’s degrees: one in organizational management from the School for International Training and the other in real estate development and urbanism from the University of Miami where he is currently an advisory board member for the program Ben Hoffman began his career purchasing distressed real estate debt during the 2008 financial crisis he decided to further hone his expertise at Fortune International Realty where he specialized in commercial real estate and became one of the top commercial brokers in the firm His subsequent ventures within the industry led him to roles at Gridics a Miami-based zoning code and real estate development software and the venture-backed hospitality startup where he led real estate acquisitions in South Florida Hoffman is also part owner of the Toronto-based hospitality brand where he taps his experience in commercial real estate and underwriting to expand into other markets “We are thrilled to welcome Felipe and Ben to our growing team,” said Alfredo Riascos principal and managing broker at Gridline Properties “With such dynamic and multi-faceted backgrounds I am confident they will contribute to our growth and add value to our team and clients.” Gridline Properties is one of the leading commercial real estate firms in the city known for successfully brokering transformational projects that have significantly contributed to the growth of Miami’s urban core The firm takes pride in helping its agents develop professionally and as a result has experienced rapid growth since its founding in 2018 © Copyright 2012 - 2023 | citybiz | All Rights Reserved Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker More than 1.4 million people affected by the floods; 327,000 people have been left homeless in the south of the country The State of Rio Grande do Sul is facing one of the most severe extreme weather events in the history of the southern region of Brazil Floods in the regions of Vale do Rio Pardo Vale do Taquari and the metropolitan region of the State have already caused 107 deaths and more than 1.4 million people affected by the storms the controlling agency in cases such as this one 327 thousand people had to leave their homes Among those affected are also peasants organized in the movements that make up La Via Campesina Brazil several LVC movements have mobilized to help peasant families and extend solidarity to affected families in urban regions Initially they have installed Emergency Solidarity Kitchens There are also campaigns aimed at helping cooperatives and peasant production units such as the Emergency Solidarity Seeds campaign which has mobilized resources to ensure the reconstruction of healthy food production The campaigns are an initiative of the movements We have organized a list of how to donate to movements present in the Brazilian territories [Note: Only some of these accounts can accept funds from outside the country.] Movimiento de Pescadores Artesanales (MPP): Contribute to the struggle of fishing communities in the reconstruction of their territories Small Farmers Movement (MPA): In addition to participating in the demands of those affected in the countryside the MPA is organizing food production in territories that were not affected in order to supply healthy food to solidarity kitchens We also participate in the activities of the Seeds of Solidarity Mission which is back in action to ensure support for the reconstruction and productive restructuring of the peasants who lost everything To support these and other MPA initiatives in the climate crisis in RS make your donation through the Father Josimo Cultural Institute National Coordination of Articulation of Black Quilombola Rural Communities (CONAQ): Contribute to the struggle of quilombola communities in the reconstruction of their territories Movement of People Affected by Dams (MAB): In addition to working in the Solidarity Kitchen in the neighborhood of Azenha and in the municipality of Arroio do Meio (RS) the Movement of People Affected by Dams (MAB) is planning to set up around 10 solidarity kitchens in the interior of the state to assist those affected by one of the worst climatic tragedies ever experienced in the southern region The biggest challenge is to travel to the territories most affected by the heavy rains MAB is also working on the Solidarity Seeds Campaign Pastoral Land Commission (CPT): Through its agents invites people who wish to make donations to contribute any amount to be destined to the Cáritas Brasileira account Consejo Indígena Misionero y Articulación de Pueblos Indígenas (CIMI): In this complex and vulnerable moment we ask for donations for the indigenous organizations responsible for the affected families in the South Arpinsul and the Guaraní Yvirupa Commission Landless Rural Workers Movement (MST): With the aim of initiating a broad solidarity campaign with the affected families the MST is carrying out a fundraising campaign to contribute to actions in the municipalities of Rio Grande do Sul headquarters of the Cooperative of Settled Workers of the Porto Alegre Region (Cootap) Photos by: Camila Domingues / Palácio Piratini Information provided by: La Via Campesina Brazil Note: We are in the process of obtaining information to facilitate financial support from abroad for all the organizations listed above Over the past few days in Portugal’s Castelo Branco region strong winds and temperatures greater than 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) have driven devastating wildfires through several villages destroying structures and injuring 39 people Nearly 2,000 firefighters worked to bring the three major fires largely under control but authorities warned that hot and dry conditions could lead to more flare-ups images of the wildfires and of the residents and professionals working to minimize the damage We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com A collection of winning and honored images from this year’s nature-photo competition A collection of amazing recent images made with the Hubble Space Telescope Mourners of Pope Francis gathered at the Vatican scenes from the the second weekend of Coachella 2025 and landscapes of the Earth’s arctic and subarctic regions Miami Mayor Francis Xavier Suarez recently joined a community workout group at The Underline’s Urban Gym near the Brickell Metrorail station in Downtown Miami Miami-based fitness company CinderFit hosted the event “It was an honor having the mayor join us,” Azenha said “He has his own CinderFit blocks and really enjoys the kind of workout it provides Being recognized as the ‘Fittest Mayor in America’ in a city that was just named one of the healthiest cities in America it was the perfect culmination of fitness lovers in a beautiful setting.” When asked about what prompted him and Takeo Ishii to create CinderFit Azenha explained how COVID-19 got them started my workout buddy — now business partner — and I wanted to stay in shape,” Azenha said “With workout equipment sold out and gyms closed we picked up these cinder blocks I had that were laying around in my garden We learned that there is so much you can do with a cinder block so we decided to redesign the cinder block to feel smoother on the hands and to look like a cool piece of furniture that would look great in any home Our CinderFit blocks come in five different weights but are all the same size They are made of steel and covered in non-slip neoprene.” Azenha said that the concept is simple and that with one or two CinderFit blocks and a resistance band anyone can have a complete gym in their home “At CinderFit we believe that you don’t need expensive workout gear to get in shape You can get a great workout with one simple tool There are hundreds of workouts you can do and we have endless videos on how to use the blocks on our website CinderFit.com People can also follow us on Instagram @CinderFit to see what new ideas the CinderFit community is coming up with.” When asked about the Underline’s Urban Gym Azenha was enthusiastic “The Underline’s Urban Gym is one of Miami’s greatest public spaces and an asset for Brickell’s residents,” he said the visionary behind The Underline personally and she’s a person that deeply cares about the greater good of our community The Urban Gym is an amazing meeting place for the fitness community to gather for a solid workout CinderFit started as an outdoor workout on the sidewalks and streets of Miami We could not have selected a better venue for a workout with our community.” For information and locations visit http://cinderfit.com/ Promote your business to the localized audience you want to reach with Miami's Community Newspapers. Call 305.669.7355 or view our Media Kit. peaceful setting in Portugal holds the very antithesis of tranquility: the longest pedestrian suspension bridge in the world.  one can look out over the beautiful scenery or look down at the fast-moving River Paiva through the girded clear pathway all while suspended in the air more than a mile from terra firma The headline for one article about the bridge described it as “high anxiety.”  “It is a breath of fresh air for our land because it will attract more investment The first local resident who walked across the bridge described it as an “adrenaline rush.”  The bridge spans 1,693 feet between rock-strewn mountains and took two years to build It opened to local residents last week and to the general public this week In a world of ever-growing phobias that show we have a problem with fear more and more things are being created to scare us Perhaps it’s the adrenaline rush that draws people to swaying high in the air over a raging river or moving at warp speed on death-defying roller-coasters or bungee-jumping off high platforms.  I gave up adrenaline rushes decades ago.  Whatever the context, the body follows the brain’s reaction. Anytime I am on an airplane and we hit turbulence, I look at the flight attendants’ eyes to gauge their reaction. If they show fear, I know we are in trouble. If they are calm, I know I can relax my grip on the armrest. We often learn fear through experience and from spoken or written words. If a sign warns that a bridge is out, we usually stop and turn around. If a sign says a dog is dangerous, we usually don’t try to pet it. If we see a person attacked by a dog, we know that dog is vicious.  The common factor in dealing with anxiety, fear, excitement, or whatever the context elicits, is our sense of control. “When we are able to recognize what is and isn’t a real threat, [to] relabel an experience . . . we feel in control. That perception of control is vital to how we experience and respond to fear,” according to the Smithsonian article. I have heard it said that there are 365 “fear nots” in the Bible, one for each day of the year. Whether or not that is true, God has given us the written instruction for reframing fear or anxiety: remember who is in control.  I recently came across a quote by Elisabeth Elliot that I have copied and keep handy: “Fear arises when we imagine that everything depends on us.”  Everything does not depend on us. And it never will. King Jehoshaphat recognized God’s power when facing a seemingly unsurmountable army, “O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you” (2 Chronicles 20:6). Then he yielded control to him: “We are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you” (v. 12).  And God answered: “Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s” (v. 15).   When we recognize God’s control, our response to the fears we confront daily will be contextualized. If we remember God’s faithfulness in the past and his promises for the future, we can relabel our fears. We can look into the eyes of Jesus and experience tranquility in the midst of a swaying walk over raging rivers. God’s message is still the same today for all believers: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you” (Isaiah 43:1–2). The next time you face a swaying bridge, remember Who’s holding the cables. Join over 325,000 readers discerning news differently or if you have further questions or general feedback Care homes and homecare providers wait weeks for people to be brought from hospital More than 14,000 NHS hospital beds are being occupied every day by patients who are well enough to be discharged as experts urged ministers tackle the crisis The data emerged as a damning report revealed that almost a fifth of care providers were waiting weeks for people to be transferred into their care A survey of 568 care homes and homecare providers across England Scotland and Northern Ireland found huge regional variations with a lack of agreement on how a person’s social care would be paid for the most common reason cited for delayed admission to a care provider Others said wrong or insufficient information provided by NHS hospital staff waits for patients to have care assessments or a lack of transport also contributed to delays in patients being able to leave hospital Seventeen per cent of respondents said the average length of time for a person to be discharged into their care from hospital was one to two weeks The East of England performed best when it came to people being discharged with 96% of patients admitted to a care provider within a week Half of providers surveyed in Scotland said discharges took more than a week; 15% in the West Midlands and 10% of those in Yorkshire and the Humber said it took more than three weeks to get a patient admitted into their care said samples from Wales and Northern Ireland were too small to provide reliable regional findings The latest NHS figures for England show an average of 12,326 hospital patients a day were medically fit and ready to be discharged to a variety of settings in July The latest NHS figures for Scotland showed the average number of beds occupied per day by those who should have left hospital was 1,983 in June a rise on 1,942 in May and the highest figure ever recorded said the report outlined a system that was “failing” and would “only get worse unless remedial action is taken” He added: “Care providers are frustrated and angry by the lack of a clear and strategic approach to discharge and the fact that nobody is delivering a national perspective “We are constantly hearing about bottlenecks within hospitals the root cause of which is often a lack of a clear and strategic approach to appropriately discharge patients.” The pressure on the NHS was often self-made and was a symptom of a system “obsessed” with process that had “forgotten” patients should be the priority which represents social care providers in Yorkshire said the report was the latest in a long line to paint a “bleak and unacceptable” picture “The system is in need of reform so that people can get the care they need said the findings were a “wake-up call” to Keir Starmer and Wes Streeting that the system was broken and urgently required reform “The pressures are only going to get worse as our population gets older before it completely breaks down,” she said The NHS said it recognised that the number of delayed discharges was “unacceptable” and was working to improve the system The government said it was committed to reforming the social care sector and building a National Care Service but did not specify when this would happen With nearly 60% of NHS cataract operations outsourced critics say it is sapping funding for more serious conditions which now means nearly 60% of NHS cataract operations are outsourced to private providers – up from 24% five years ago – is piling pressure on already stretched NHS finances and sapping the funds needed for more serious conditions that can lead to blindness a painless procedure to treat blurry vision by replacing the eye’s natural lens with an artificial one usually takes 10 to 15 minutes and has become increasingly routine The Royal College of Ophthalmologists says the number of cataract treatments has jumped by nearly 40% from pre-pandemic levels meaning an extra 200,000 people a year are having the procedure on the NHS It claims the jump is down to outsourcing to the private sector says that while the independent sector helped reduce backlogs after the pandemic it has “continued to expand to a level where there’s less and less benefit and more and more cost” The Royal National Institute of Blind People is also concerned that the use of private providers is having a “destabilising effect on NHS eye care services” It said: “It is also important to take into consideration the unequitable nature of the expansion of the independent sector which has shown significant regional variation and favoured affluent areas.” NHS spending on cataracts has doubled in five years and there has been a jump in outsourcing, according to research published in March by the Centre for Health and the Public Interest (CHPI) thinktank Its analysis of data from 37 of 42 integrated care boards in England found that the NHS paid private clinics about £700m for cataracts from 2018-19 to 2022-23 which doubled its overall annual spending on cataract procedures in NHS hospitals and private clinics from £218m to £437m this helped push the share of the NHS eye care budget that is spent on cataracts up from 27% to 36% “Free NHS cataract surgery in four weeks.” This tempting offer appears on Google when you search for SpaMedica, the biggest private provider of cataract surgery to the health service. It advises patients to ask their optician or GP to refer them for treatment at a hospital of their choice and says they should hear back within two to three weeks The top five companies providing cataract surgery to the NHS have opened 101 new eye clinics between them over the past five years they collectively made pretax profits of more than £100m according to figures filed at Companies House NHS waiting lists for eye treatment have also grown in Scotland said she decided to go private after an optician’s eye test showed two signs of glaucoma and was told the NHS waiting list for a diagnostic examination was 80 weeks “I’m totally against private care; I worked for the NHS for 35 years,” she said “I didn’t want to go blind so I saw a private eye consultant He said I didn’t have glaucoma but I needed cataract surgery.” Burton of the royal college said the outsourcing had been “a good thing immediately after Covid to get cataract waiting lists under control – but they’ve very rapidly come down to a sensible level in many areas of England.” He worries about hospitals losing staff and funding to private cataract clinics making it harder for the NHS to treat eye conditions such as wet macular degeneration the most common cause of preventable blindness in the UK “If you’ve reduced the number of the cataract waiting list considerably “But if you’ve got more people going blind from other conditions as a result of that policy The CHPI has received data from 13 NHS trusts showing that waiting times for some irreversible eye conditions have increased over the five years to April 2023 NHS clinicians reported more than 200 cases of people losing some or all of their vision because of treatment delays since 2019, with hundreds more unreported cases suspected, according to data in a freedom of information request to NHS England made by the Association of Optometrists in March last year Last October, the thinktank Reform found a backlog of follow-up outpatient appointments not captured in government statistics – comprising almost 10,000 ophthalmology patients for each trust – who were typically those at highest risk of avoidable sight loss. Cataracts, says Burton, do not need to be treated as quickly as more serious conditions. “A mild cataract is like having a dirty window in your house. For most patients, it’s not something that’s an emergency and if you leave it a few months longer, it doesn’t make any significant difference.” The Independent Healthcare Providers Network (IHPN), which represents SpaMedica and the other companies, counters that ophthalmology is the only big specialism where the median waiting times are now lower than in 2019, before the pandemic. said: “There are currently over 600,000 NHS patients waiting for ophthalmology treatment in England and independent providers are helping to cut NHS waiting times and ensure as many patients as possible can be treated.” Colin Hutchinson, a retired consultant ophthalmologist and member of campaigning organisation Doctors for the NHS, is concerned that some people have cataract surgery unnecessarily and that they are not informed of the risk of serious complications such as permanent sight loss – of which there is a one in 1,000 chance “Anyone over the age of 60 is going to have a little bit of cataract – that doesn’t mean you need to have a cataract operation,” he said “There’s no great benefit in having surgery any sooner than you need it.” NHS England has recently taken private contractors to task over a marked increase in “complex” cataract procedures for which the charges were as much as £400 higher Complex cases have risen 144% in five years and the CHPI estimates this has cost the NHS £29m extra over the last two years alone An NHS England consultation raised concerns about the rise in December 2022, saying it could not be explained by changes in patient complexity. In an official response to the consultation the following month the royal college suggested the increase could be down to a practice known as “upcoding” All treatments have payment codes and upcoding means providers charge for a more expensive one than they performed who worked for the insurer Axa for nearly 25 years as head of audit and investigations because the NHS coding system allows providers to claim additional payment where a case is more complicated or the patient is older or has comorbidities “This choice is offered for good reasons; however particularly if there are not sufficient controls and procedures in place.” are in place and local NHS integrated care systems work closely with providers to ensure that coding is accurate.” NHS England changed the tariffs in April this year so there is only a £30 difference between routine and complex cataract treatments – £868 for a routine operation and £898 for a complex cataract NHS England has not yet done an analysis of the impact of private eye clinics on waiting times for cataract surgery and more serious eye diseases A spokesperson said: “Thanks to the hard work of staff the NHS has increased the number of cataract operations for patients and brought down the backlogs which inevitably built up during the pandemic “This has been achieved through a range of measures including using the independent sector where needed to help deliver treatments with prices constantly reviewed to ensure they are at a fair price for taxpayers.” Among the critics of private sector involvement is David Hinchliffe, an ex-Labour MP and former chair of the health select committee He was referred for a cataract removal by his GP to a local NHS eye clinic within the Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS foundation trust However, the trust referred him “without my knowledge”, he said, to a private company based in Sheffield, Pioneer Healthcare which was sold in 2022 to the healthcare provider Totally The appointment was declined by Hinchliffe whose GP did not know about his referral to Pioneer Healthcare and later referred him to Barnsley hospital NHS trust It found that he did not need cataract surgery but he is being monitored for loss of vision in his right eye caused by a hole in his retina saying: “I’m not prepared to go to this company because I don’t want to be treated by the private sector I object in principle to the fact that the people who are working for this private company also work part-time in the NHS and if they worked full-time in the NHS there would be no need to use the private sector.” Totally said: “We do not provide treatment to private patients and all our care is delivered on behalf of NHS free at the point of treatment to our patients which means new ways need to be identified to create more capacity.” The NHS spends years training doctors and nurses who go off to work privately some leaving their NHS work behind entirely while independent providers train far fewer people There is also a huge shortage of consultant ophthalmologists in the UK The royal college says there are just under 1,700 consultants optometrists should offer a list of five different providers for cataract surgery for patients to choose from and have sometimes been indirectly incentivised to refer patients to private clinics because they get a fee which they would not get from an NHS hospital the former Axa audit chief Peck warned about the risks of private sector use Now working as chief medical adviser at Kirontech a company that provides software and analyses healthcare billing data to detect fraud and poor practice he has found that “misbilling is endemic in every health system I have worked in” He says that the NHS “needs to protect itself against financial exploitation” Peck also says the NHS should follow in the footsteps of insurers and set up auditing teams that scrutinise billings spot unusual trends and reclaim money where necessary from private healthcare providers they [the NHS] are going to use private providers and they need a degree of awareness that I just don’t think they have of the risks they are running,” he said as an eye and skin treatment centre in Manchester Its UK parent is part of a German company that is in turn owned by French private equity firm PAI Partners and the Ontario Teachers’ Pensions Plan board. Pitalia heads an eponymous private family office that has invested in warehouses the Granary office building in Leeds and Aeroworks in Manchester Another leading chain of eye clinics is Newmedica, which as of March last year provided services for 19 NHS contracts at 28 sites a glaucoma specialist who was an NHS consultant at the Bristol Eye hospital and now works privately is owned by the private equity firm MidEuropa and also operates in Poland It has been run by chief executive Peter Byloos since 2018 Preston-based Community Health and Eyecare Limited is a chain of more than 25 hospitals. It was founded and is run by Imran Rahman a former NHS consultant ophthalmologist at Blackpool Victoria hospital Anglia Community Eye Care Service was acquired by Optical Express founder and chief executive David Moulsdale in January 2021, and folded into his Glasgow-based laser eye surgery firm Moulsdale made it into the Sunday Times rich list for the first time this year This is the archive of The Observer up until 21/04/2025 The Observer is now owned and operated by Tortoise Media Many European services have resumed and there are some excellent deals on national rail passes Our expert gives the lowdown on summer train travel As I explored Switzerland by train in early March the coronavirus clouds were gathering on the horizon borders closed and Europe’s rail network fragmented Eurostar scaled back to just a handful of journeys a day Slovenia suspended its entire rail network the Czech Republic and Slovakia not a single train ventured beyond its borders But the big surprise was how quickly the international network revived initially with local cross-frontier services being reinstated (mainly to support border-hopping commuters) closely followed by longer-distance Eurocity and high-speed international services While the advice in the UK is still not to take the train for leisure travel our continental neighbours are being encouraged back onto trains many families across Europe are making 2020 a year to stay close to home either holidaying in their country of residence or ones that are within striking distance by train rail travel might still be seen as a preferable way to travel With the UK government planning to lift the ban on non-essential travel to many countries UK-based travellers will soon be free to travel to most of Europe without the need to quarantine on return Here are the prospects for European rail travel this summer Switzerland’s Glacier Express is running a reduced service this year Photograph: DPA Picture Alliance/AlamySadly there will be no direct trains from London to the south of France this summer that it is shelving its seasonal routes to Lyon Direct services to Moscow from western and central Europe as well as from Finland and the Baltic states so there’s little prospect this summer of being able to board a comfortable Russian sleeping car in Paris Nice or Berlin and travel in style all the way to the Russian capital The direct Eurocity services from Marseille to Milan have not yet been reinstated Some tourist railways are trimming their 2020 schedules. For example, the Glacier Express in the Swiss Alps began running again on 20 June There will just be two runs each way between St Moritz and Zermatt The additional trains running between Zermatt and Chur or St Moritz and Brig have been cancelled for the 2020 season And the popular Inlandsbanan route through Sweden’s northern forests will not run at all in 2020 We are still waiting to hear when direct night trains from France and Spain to Lisbon will return Many operators of overnight trains are this summer selling only entire compartments, so it’s often not possible to purchase a single berth or couchette in a shared compartment. For example, on Nightjet’s popular routes to Italy (such as Vienna to Pisa or Munich to Rome) families and couples can be accommodated together in one compartment but solo travellers will get a compartment to themselves The aim is to ensure maximum social distancing Similar arrangements apply on Alpen-Sylt Night Express services from Salzburg to Germany’s North Sea coast Photograph: Robin Utrecht/RexMany countries require passengers to use masks My experience over the past week – travelling on German Austrian and Czech trains – is that the great majority of passengers wear masks for boarding and leaving the train Already there’s talk in some countries of scrapping the mask rule – in the Czech Republic they are no longer required While Eurostar has cut its onboard catering services most operators on the continent have reopened restaurant cars and it is pretty much business as usual Some trains which would normally have space for bicycles are not currently offering that service so cycle-touring itineraries relying on rail travel may be off the agenda for 2020 introduced a booking system for taking bikes on trains from the start of July It covers domestic services and trains to and from Belgium or Germany There are similar restrictions on regional trains in some parts of France France is offering a full month’s unlimited travel on most regional trains for just €29 (about £26) but that extraordinary French deal is limited to 12 to 25-year olds There are no age limits in Denmark where a special summer ticket gives free public transport travel for eight days for £37 Many new tickets being introduced this summer look set to become regular fixtures. On 1 August, the new Euregio2Plus day ticket offering unlimited travel in the Austrian Tyrol and the Italian South Tyrol and Trentino regions will become available Priced at €39 for a family of two adults and three children it is amazing value for travel in a cross-border region which is larger than East Anglia It doesn’t need to be pre-booked but can be bought a few days prior to the day of travel (the website should go live soon) It’s surely the cheapest four-hour train trip in western Europe Keep an eye on the health news and steer well clear of virus hotspots A good option for 2020 is to choose rural destinations over cities If I find the train I am due to travel on looks a bit too crowded for comfort then I simply don’t board and select an alternative route to my preferred destination So think about the real flexibility that a rail pass offers For a pass valid seven days in a month that family of four will pay £604 (for a 12- to 27-year-old Many won’t need a pass that covers 33 countries in Europe, preferring to opt for a one-country pass – and that brings the price down. Interrail’s first ever mobile app pass is being launched this summer with the pilot being a one-country pass for Italy Prices for three days’ travel within a month start at £114 for adults and £95 for youths and senior travellers Looking further ahead, some big questions surround autumn and winter travel. Rail operators, like all of us, will be keeping a close eye on the viral stats as the weather cools in autumn. Any hint of a second wave could seriously impact the 2020-21 ski season. Eurostar has cancelled its winter ski trains this year. Nicky Gardner is co-author of Europe by Rail: the Definitive Guide. The 16th edition was published in October 2019; it was updated and reprinted in early 2020. More at europebyrail.eu This article was amended on 3 July 2020 to correct the passage stating there is a blanket ban on bikes on trains in the Netherlands This policy changed this week with the country’s rail network introducing a booking system for taking bikes on trains Catherine Happer receives funding from the UKRI research councils Glasgow City Council and the Avatar Alliance Foundation but this work was funded by the University of Glasgow University of Glasgow provides funding as a member of The Conversation UK View all partners Amid some of the most challenging political and economic circumstances for decades another even greater disruption to people in one part of the UK could be upon us soon Liz Truss may have dismissed Scotland’s democratically elected leader as an “attention seeker” but Nicola Sturgeon continues to claim she is entirely serious about putting a refreshed case for independence to her country next October Whether the people are ready is one question. But my colleagues and I, in our new report drawing on consultations with the media industries are asking another: is Scotland’s media ready The referendum of 2014 nurtured a flowering of what is sometimes called “the fifth estate”: a collection of independence-oriented blogs which offered a diversity of perspectives on what constitutional change might bring, capturing the energy of the Yes campaign as it played out on the ground This developed in part as a response to what was widely seen as the failure of the traditional media to adapt to the disruption in power and authority that independence represented. Only one national paper, the Sunday Herald (now closed down) aligned itself with the growing campaign for independence The lack of diversity across the media landscape was starkly exposed Some of this reflects historic problems with the Scottish media. The establishment of the devolved parliament in 1999 represented one of the most significant constitutional changes in more than a hundred years offering a brand new mechanism for democratic politics But what the referendum of 2014 illuminated was how little had changed in what should be a key part of any democracy: its communication system What’s more, it showed Scotland’s continued struggle with its “dual public sphere” an uncomfortable hybrid of UK-rooted media institutions and both established and emerging Scottish news titles with very different perspectives and priorities One of the key institutions of British life is ideologically rooted to a form of unionism and day to day it orbits around business in Westminster A key irritant to many Scots viewers is the broadcaster’s tendency to use the word “we” when referring to purely English issues such as sporting success or exam results A common criticism of the British media in recent times is that it doesn’t provide enough scrutiny of political leaders politicians are seen as increasingly hostile and censorious towards the media Some felt an insider class in Scotland’s media has emerged: a group of politicians corporate actors and public bodies which is returned to again and again for comment This reflects the broader problem of a lack of diversity of views which extends beyond political commentary to prioritising the agendas of Scotland’s two biggest cities and under-representing minority groups Directly countering this is a flourishing independent media sector – headed up by titles such as investigative journalism outlet The Ferret and pro-independence blog Bella Caledonia – which showcases alternative models for community-embedded journalism using social media as a new democratic space But funding of quality journalism remains a problem. Scotland’s media now operate in a largely digital culture and face the same issues as the industry globally The transition from print to digital and the challenge of sustainable funding models has inevitably led to job cuts and an increase in low-paid The extent of the losses to quality journalism in Scotland is not fully known A Scottish government working group was set up in 2021 to respond to these challenges unlike in other territories such as Quebec and Denmark where state funding has helped to sustain domestic media industries Media operating across a series of digital platforms face battles over ownership of ideas as content is republished without clear branding on streaming channels such as YouTube There is also the issue of the influence of external agents Tech companies with AI and human moderators as well as organised and disorganised forms of propaganda and foreign and domestic bots Which means the next referendum will not simply be a conversation between Scottish politicians the Scottish media and the Scottish public but also with the many other parties and interests at play The battle to keep things civil will perhaps be the greatest obstacle of all. A key priority of media employers must be putting mechanisms in place such as awareness-raising, training and support to protect journalists who are exposed to a debate that could turn toxic. The recent verbal attack on BBC Scotland reporter James Cook by protesters demonstrated the kind of abuse to which journalists are being exposed Scotland has always had a big appetite for news Media contributes hugely to the economy and is essential to our national identity and supporting an informed electorate This new report is a way to open up a dialogue about ways in which media might be supported to produce quality Scottish journalism and to facilitate referendum debate which does not have to rely on misinformation but don’t qualify for a wheelchair accessible vehicle I feel I’m being robbed of my independence because my grant for a wheelchair-accessible vehicle has been turned down This means an electronically assisted ramp and tailgate and a driver’s seat that spins so I can transfer to drive with hand controls the Motability Foundation says I do not meet its grant criteria because I don’t work volunteer or have lots of hospital appointments Its grants team expects me to transfer into the driver’s seat and for another person to load my chair This removes my freedom and independence because I’d always need an able-bodied person with me I was told by my case manager to get a personal assistant from my local authority to help when I volunteer or go out I now have to prove I’ve been volunteering for six months before it will reassess my application has been unwell but when I appealed the decision it was upheld is discriminating against those awarded the enhanced rate personal independence payment (Pip) the main disability benefit by the government Vehicles driven from a wheelchair are among the most expensive the Motability Foundation gives grants towards The setup you describe costs anything from £20,000 to £70,000 a vehicle it is sitting on a £1.7bn endowment fund and you’d think the charity could afford to loosen its purse strings it told me that in order for its grant-making to be sustainable For a CDS this means being essential to support activities such as work “Following an application and several appeals ZD could not demonstrate she meets the current funding priorities for a CDS while we understand do not enable her to drive independently will offer alternative mobility to the vehicle she now leases “When she has been in her voluntary role for six months … we would gladly consider a new grant application.” the charity said it seeks to “help as many people as possible” but explained its reserves are in different pots The grants come from general reserves which is enough for about three years’ expenditure This does not change things for you but you are keen that this problem is highlighted The PR 14 Levada dos Cedros (Fanal – Curral Falso) walking trail is temporarily closed due to several landslides the Institute of Forests and Nature Conservation (IFCN) announced this afternoon The IFCN adds that the following trails remain closed: PR 1.3 Encumeada Trail; PR 4 Barreiro Levada; PR 7 Moinho Levada; PR 12 Encumeada Royal Trail; PR 19 Paul do Mar Royal Trail; PR 20 Jardim do Mar Trail; PR 23 Azenha Levada; PR 27 Planalto Glacier and PR 28 Rocha Vermelha Levada the following walking trails are partially passable: PR 1 Vereda do Areeiro – passable trail from Pico do Areeiro to the Pedra Rija Viewpoint at km 1.2PR 2 Vereda do Urzal – passable trail from Lombo do Urzal to km 6.2PR 9 Levada do Caldeirão Verde – passable trail from Queimadas to the junction with Vereda da Ilha at km 4.5PR 17 Caminho do Pináculo e Folhadal – passable trail between Encumeada and Bica da Cana “Given that the walking trails are located in areas subject to strong climatic pressure and consequent natural erosion we advise you to take precautions when carrying out them and to comply with safety standards” The Environment Department stresses that if any abnormal situation is found (occurrence of breaks existence of branches/trees obstructing the path and/or others) that has occurred on pedestrian trails it must be reported to the Institute of Forests and Nature Conservation From Jornal Madeira Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email The page you requested is temporarily unavailable I travelled the UK interviewing teenage boys honesty and vulnerability on topics from sex to pornography It was two separate conversations that made me think properly about what life might be like as a boy these days who said he had been rounded on for making a small (and complimentary) comment about a girl’s haircut He told his mother that the girl’s friends were outraged: “Oh my God you can’t say that about someone’s appearance embarrassed and resolved never to “go there” again The second conversation was with a mother of a 16-year-old and talked to her about some of the realities of dating and hooking up He said it was “quite common” among his friends to record their partners on their phones giving verbal consent before having sex they recorded again midway through – this time to make sure that the girl was happy to “do something different or something” – and sometimes the phone was left recording the whole event … “to make sure” smack bang in the middle of secondary school and just at the tail end of Covid I had been busy enough worrying about normal things: whether they could break a bone in a rugby match; if they were safe being out after dark; what they saw on their phones and how they were getting on with schoolwork I should make it completely clear that I think anything which helps reduce violence against women and girls is good As women of my generation know only too well before they existed it was very hard to speak out But once I started talking to other mothers about their sons it became clear that conversations around sexual assault had made many them fearful about sex and relationships Joe Locke and Kit Connor in Netflix series Heartstopper about a romance between two teenage schoolboys Photograph: Teddy Cavendish/© Netflix / See SawSome seemed to have even internalised ideas about boys being “bad” or felt in trouble before they started Many hadn’t even ever tried to initiate a relationship because of what they perceived to be the risks attached Conversations about sex, consent and false allegations became the focus for one of the five programmes I ended up making for a BBC Radio 4 series, About the Boys London and Cambridge to interview all kinds of boys in all kinds of settings I sent recorders to Scotland so members of the Boys’ Brigade there could take part I spoke to experts who have researched boys for years had written a book about teenage boys and friendship “That must be a short book!” someone joked when she told them as if all teenage boys have nothing much to say Some of them confessed they’d never thought about “what it means to be a man” or what they would want listeners to know about being a boy in 2024 Another said: “Men come across in relationships as these powerful figures that need to protect and all that We are fragile … And I feel like some women need to understand that.” The boys I met were all aged between 13 and 19 with an honourable exception for a group of adorable primary school boys who sang for me showed me their press-up skills and told me how many fish fingers they can eat “in one go” (20 The older boys talked about the patriarchy being a bad thing for boys as well as girls and their concerns about male mental health: “80% of suicides are men” They told me that oral sex was more common at year 11 parties than any other kind of sex and how watching porn gave them unrealistic ideas about what their bodies and their faces should look like during intercourse and what they should be doing with or to their partners “Even though we know it’s an unrealistic expectation of what might happen,” one boy explained They worry that porn videos showed penetrative sex lasting for 25 minutes and were reassured to hear in a lesson that the average time is more like three to four minutes Many were angry that the adults in their lives dodged uncomfortable conversations about sex including “what to do and where everything even is” and others confirmed what I already knew: that the fear of getting accused of assault puts them off the whole idea completely what am I gonna do if they say ‘nah’ right after?” As a radio producer, editing different episodes, I found it impossible to segregate and separate the topics. Sex has such obvious connections to the time boys spend online whether watching porn or other videos on YouTube and TikTok The boys were all too aware of the way that pornographic content seeps into almost every place they visit on the internet I found it heartbreaking to hear the way boys from all corners of the UK described trying to live in a digital world without being constantly sucked into a doomscrolling vortex on their phones at home “I wish I was brought up in a different generation,” one 15-year-old in Dartmoor told me and minutes have turned into hours,” said another One boy from Herefordshire shared his total hours online over the Christmas holidays: 40 a week Boys are retreating from the real world and have been ever since video games were invented in the 1970s The arrival of the smartphone has accelerated the process and – as researchers from New York University have shown – one of the results is that many boys are losing vital skills explained how studies show that in order to play together boys say they need to be physically separate: in their own rooms with their own screens Boys I spoke to who were keen on gaming said that– unlike girls “who want to go shopping and get their nails done” – they were happier to chill at home Those who had found close IRL (in real life) friendships were usually older teen who had navigated the tricky waters of secondary school friendship hierarchies where your status can be directly connected to “your ability to get girls” Those low down these hierarchies told me they felt too socially insecure to even call out racist or sexist comments honesty and vulnerability the boys showedCatherine Carr throughout every conversation on every topic “They don’t think we are soft inside,” one said “It’s hard to open up as a boy.” Ideas of what it means to be a man were all tangled up with old ideas of being “stone-faced” and “manning up” and newer ideas of being “emotionally expressive and vulnerable” One boy gave me the example of a girl breaking down in tears in the middle of class Think how different the reaction of their classmates would be if the person who’d broken down in tears was a boy The boys I spoke to were all so warm and thoughtful and frank I met them all in settings where at least one adult in their life is invested in them and is making an effort to get to know and support them – whether that’s a teacher It’s harder to reach boys who lack any cheerleaders at all Having been hugely encouraged by the willingness of boys I did meet to talk of their lives so honestly, I did add a big new worry to my list: after the massive cuts we’ve seen to youth services – which enable boys to be reached and supported – what might the end result be The Arouca Bridge offers a half-kilometre walk A woman walks across a narrow footbridge suspended across a river canyon which claims to be the world’s longest pedestrian bridge offers a half-kilometer (almost 1,700-foot) walk across its span some 175 meters (574 feet) above the River Paiva It’s probably best if you gird yourself before you look down from the Arouca Bridge The narrow footbridge suspended across a river canyon in northern Portugal claims to be the world’s longest pedestrian bridge and was officially inaugurated on Sunday The Arouca Bridge offers a half-kilometre walk across its span along a metal walkway suspended from cables Local residents got a first walk on the bridge last week Many were thrilled — even as some admitted it was a little unnerving to feel so high up and exposed Guinness World Records says the world’s longest suspension bridge for pedestrians is Japan’s Kokonoe Yume Bridge The Arouca Bridge cost 2.3 million euros (£2 million) to build Children under six are not allowed on it and all visits will be accompanied by guides Access costs between 10 and 12 euros (£8.70-£10.40) and must be booked through a local website Receive today's headlines directly to your inbox every morning and evening Please check your inbox to verify your details This Sunday Monday we are ecoecting more heavy rain something that will be updated on this blog as we get closer the time The Institute of Forests and Nature Conservation (IFCN) has just released an update to the list of classified walking routes that remain closed and with access prohibited after today several tourists had already been identified on the path that connects Pico do Areeiro to Pico Ruivo who did not respect this impediment The following trails therefore remain closed: Some of these trails were closed due to the fires that two weeks ago caused great destruction in the municipalities of Calheta and Porto Moniz But there are also situations that have been going on for longer Vereda do Jardim do Mar or Levada da Azenha is also only passable in the section between Camacha and Capela da Graça The IFCN reminds us that “given that classified walking routes are located in areas subject to strong climatic pressure and consequent natural erosion” “precaution is recommended when undertaking them” Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. 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