Advertising and Donations - advertising-newsandtimes.comSwitch of 66 hand-sewn flags for use along Mall and at Windsor Castle cost estimated £52,800 in public funds
Dozens of US flags used for Donald Trump’s unprecedented second state visit to the UK last month had to be replaced because the stripes were the wrong shade of red, a government supplier has claimed.
The switch of the 66 hand-sewn flags that had been due to be used along the Mall in London and at Windsor Castle cost an estimated £52,800 in public funds.
An expert panel has delivered a set of proposals to speed up Flanders’ slow and complex permit system, reports 24brussels. Commissioned by Minister-President Matthias Diependaele and Environment Minister Jo Brouns, the recommendations aim to cut unnecessary regulations and shorten lengthy appeals processes.
The report, which has been analyzed by De Tijd and De Standaard, includes 45 recommendations and emphasizes that the current system has become mired in red tape at regional, provincial, and local levels. It advocates for prioritizing the “social value” of projects, enhancing early dialogue with applicants, and introducing more flexibility during procedures.
A significant aspect of the proposed reforms involves appeals, which often extend over several years. The panel suggests implementing stricter criteria for lodging objections, reducing the number of public inquiries, and requiring the Council for Permit Disputes to address all arguments simultaneously instead of restarting cases.
Diependaele has committed to presenting an initial policy note based on the report by 17 October. He stated that expediting the permit process is crucial for various projects, including those in industry, housing, education, and sports infrastructure.
Business federation Voka has expressed its support for the advice, describing it as “thorough work” that features both immediate and structural reforms. Managing Director Frank Beckx emphasized the importance of the government acting quickly to convert these recommendations into legislation.
#FlandersNewsService | The construction of Oosterweel highway in Antwerp © BELGA PHOTO JONAS ROOSENS
Jürgen Matthäus has for years been investigating the killer – and is confident he has finally solved the mystery
It is one of the most chilling images of the Holocaust: a bespectacled Nazi soldier trains a pistol at the head of a resigned man kneeling in a suit before a pit full of corpses. German troops encircle the scene.
The picture taken in today’s Ukraine was long known, mistakenly, as The Last Jew in Vinnitsa, and was for decades shrouded in mystery.
Creditors in control of firm say they will write off loans, invest more and commit to paying pollution fines
The creditors in control of Thames Water have said they will commit to paying fines for pollution, as well as writing off more of their loans and investing more in the company, in new proposals to try to avoid the utility being forced into government administration.
The controlling group of financial institutions, under the new London & Valley Water holding company, has been locked in talks for months with the regulator Ofwat since May over acceptable terms for the hugely complex restructuring of Britain’s biggest water company.
Pukpuk mutual defence treaty will establish Australia’s first new alliance since the Anzus agreement was signed in 1951
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Australia will elevate its relations with Papua New Guinea to the same level as the US and New Zealand, with a major defence treaty set to be signed as soon as next week.
Delayed last month due to political complications within the PNG government, the new treaty won approval from prime minister James Marape’s cabinet ministers on Wednesday night.
Person who was thought to have received intelligence is understood to be Cai Qi, de facto chief of staff to Xi Jinping
British prosecutors suspected that China’s fifth most senior official was in receipt of intelligence from Westminster in a controversial and now-abandoned espionage case, the Guardian understands.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said in April 2024 that a “senior member of the Chinese Communist party and a politburo member” had received “politically sensitive information” from two British researchers who were charged with spying for China.