Five years after Brexit came into force, tensions are mounting in Calais between French lorry drivers and the British authorities. Some companies are threatening to stop delivering to the other side of the border, while others fear they’ll soon be out of business. Every day, stowaways try to sneak onto trucks in an attempt to reach the UK. For each migrant stopped, the hauliers have to pay a fine, but these have become astronomical. Since last year, the amounts have increased five-fold to reach up to €12,000. At a time when hauliers are being squeezed for cash, the fines represent a substantial windfall for the British authorities. Last year, they collected almost €12 million from them. FRANCE 24’s Cécile Khindria, Juliette Lacharnay and Lauren Bain report.
This story originally appeared on France24
French hauliers hit by heavy fines as migrants seek to reach UK from Calais
Santorini earthquakes: What is causing ‘unusual’ seismic activity and what is the advice for tourists visiting Greece? | World News
Multiple earthquakes rattling the Greek island of Santorini have prompted thousands of people to flee, disrupted travel for tourists and damaged infrastructure.
Quakes up to a magnitude of five have been recorded in the region since Friday, with the island’s mayor warning that seismic activity could continue for weeks.
It has been described by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis as an “extremely complex and intricate geological phenomenon,” according to state broadcaster EPT.
Here is everything you need to know about the earthquakes hitting one of Greece’s most popular tourist destinations.
What’s happening?
Hundreds of quakes with magnitudes between 3 and 4.9 have been registered since Saturday between Santorini and the nearby island of Amorgos – which are both part of the Cyclades Islands.
There have been a further 440 earthquakes below a magnitude of three and 73 above a magnitude of four since 1 February, EPT reported, citing the Geodynamic Institute.
Seismologists have described the event as a series of tremors of similar magnitude occurring in clusters.
They add that although Greece is no stranger to earthquakes, seismic activity of such frequency and intensity without having been preceded by a major quake is unusual.
The epicentres of the quakes are beneath the seabed, which experts have said is good news as they will not be as destructive.
However, there is a possibility that an earthquake could trigger a volcanic eruption or tsunami.
So far, there has been no significant damage and no injuries, although some minor rock slides have occurred and cracks in some older buildings have been reported.
Huge swathes of people have also left the islands due to the tectonic activity.
Families have been pictured carrying young children, tourists dragging their suitcases, and car parks have filled with vehicles belonging to those who have left via ferry.
A number of schools have also closed across several Greek islands.
People wait to board a ferry to Piraeus, during increased seismic activity on the island of Santorini. Pic: Reuters
Why is it happening?
Earthquakes occur when tectonic plates move suddenly along a fault line, releasing energy in the form of seismic waves.
The shaking that results from these waves is what we feel during an earthquake.
The fault line producing the current earthquakes in the Greek islands runs for about 120km (75 miles) but only the part between Santorini and Amorgos has been activated so far.
Experts are still trying to determine whether the multiple quakes are foreshocks – smaller earthquakes before a major tremor – or whether they are part of an earthquake swarm of smaller quakes that could continue for weeks or months.
“There is no serious technology or approach to be able to predict what will happen from here on,” Costas Papazachos, professor of applied geophysics and seismology at the University of Thessaloniki, said.
How likely is volcanic activity?
Santorini lies along the South Aegean Volcanic Arc, a chain of volcanoes which stretches from the Peloponnese in southern Greece through the Cyclades Islands.
The island also has a caldera – a large, circular hollow that remains when the central part of a volcano falls in after an eruption.
Santorini is on the South Aegean Volcanic Arc
Last week, Greece’s Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Ministry announced that sensors had picked up “mild seismic-volcanic activity” inside the caldera.
There are two volcanoes in the area: Nea Kameni, which is within Santorini’s caldera and Kolumbo, a volcano under the sea which is about 8km (5 miles) northeast of the island.
There is also the volcanic island of Palia Kameni.
People wait to board a ferry to Piraeus, following increased seismic activity. Pic: Reuters
Scientists have since said the current quakes are unrelated to the volcanic activity.
Efthymios Lekkas, seismologist and head of the scientific monitoring committee for the Aegean Volcanic Arc, added that it has been 3,000 years since the last explosion.
“We have a very long time ahead of us before we face a big explosion,” he said.
There are two main volcanoes near Santorini
Advice for tourists
In an update to visitors on Tuesday, the government of Santorini warned hotels and all kinds of tourist accommodations to “inform their visitors to avoid the dangerous points of the island”.
The UK Foreign Office also shared a warning from the Greek ministry of civil protection that people are advised “not to attend large indoor gatherings and to avoid old or abandoned buildings”.
Pic: Reuters
People have been advised to avoid the ports of Amoudi, Armeni, Korfos and Old Port in the area of Fira and to choose safe routes when travelling, particularly in areas where the landslide risk is high.
“In case of a strong tremor, people should immediately depart coastal areas,” the ministry said.
Push alerts have also been sent to mobile phones, and hotels have been urged to drain swimming pools because the water movement in a major quake could destabilise buildings.
A man walks between closed tourist shops in Santorini. Pic: Reuters
One resident who has already evacuated is tour guide Kostas Sakavaras who told Sky News’ The World With Yalda Hakim that his family had fled to Athens “as a precaution”.
“It’s nerve-wracking to have every few minutes some tremor happening, even though it’s not a very devastating one,” he said.
He added he had a “feeling increasingly more people are leaving the island”.
Read more from Sky News:
What are your rights if your flight is delayed or cancelled?
Manhunt after shooting at Brussels underground station
How long will the tremors last?
In a news conference on Wednesday, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said he was “more optimistic” than yesterday about the earthquakes not causing a bigger tremor, but could not make any firm predictions, EPT reported.
Kostas Papazachos, professor of Geophysics and seismology added: “Residents will continue to feel vibrations for the next period of time, and they should remain calm about it.
“The situation seems to be moving towards a better scenario in relation to seismic activity.”
The Earthquake Planning and Protection Organisation said last week the epicentre of the earthquakes in the Aegean Sea was moving northwards away from Santorini.
It emphasised there was no connection to the area’s dormant volcanoes.
Some residents of the island have decided to remain in their homes while the seismic activity continues.
Retired police officer and ship worker Panagiotis Hatzigeorgiou, who has lived on Santorini for more than three decades, said: “Older residents are used to the earthquakes.
“But it’s different this time. It’s not the same to have earthquakes every two to three minutes. The main thing is not to worry,” he said, adding: “Now we can listen to music alone and have coffee by ourselves.”
This story originally appeared on Skynews
Shoppers face tough time telling legal weed from black market : NPR
In much of the U.S., illegal cannabis outcompetes legal weed sold in licensed shops. Officers with the law enforcement division of the California Department of Cannabis Control confiscate unlicensed marijuana plants in the Goldridge neighborhood of Fairfield, Calif., on Jan. 9.
Maggie Andresen for NPR
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Maggie Andresen for NPR
FAIRFIELD, Calif. — On a crisp winter morning last month, Sgt. Erin McAtee watched as members of his team with the California Department of Cannabis Control executed a search warrant at a home in Fairfield, halfway between Sacramento and San Francisco.
They broke open the door of what looked on the outside like any other upscale suburban house on this street. Inside, the home had been gutted, transformed into a smelly mess of marijuana plants, grow lights, chemicals and pesticides.
“You can see the mold down on the tarp down there,” McAtee said. “Yup, that’s mold.” His team also identified chemicals and pesticides not approved in the U.S. for use with consumer products like legal cannabis.
Sgt. Erin McAtee led the raids of three private residences for unlicensed marijuana production in the Goldridge neighborhood of Fairfield, Calif. Officers recovered 2,001 pounds of cannabis plants and 167.56 pounds of cannabis shake.
Maggie Andresen for NPR
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Maggie Andresen for NPR
A dozen years after states first started legalizing recreational marijuana, this is the complicated world of American cannabis.
On the one hand, weed is now as normal to many consumers as a glass of wine or a bottle of beer. A growing number of companies offer government tested, well-regulated products. But a huge amount of the cannabis being sold in the U.S. still comes from bootleg operations. California officials acknowledge illegal sales still far outpace transactions through licensed shops and vendors.
According to McAtee, it’s often difficult even for experienced agents to tell weed sourced through regulated channels from the criminal stuff.
“Our undercovers will buy cannabis from people who are outwardly pretending to be legit,” he told NPR. “They’ll tell you they have a license and that everything they’re doing is legit.”
If it’s hard for experienced cops to distinguish regulated weed from black market products, it can be nearly impossible for average consumers. Advocates of marijuana legalization say it’s disturbing that unregulated weed plays such a big role.
“We’re talking about a market that lacks transparency and accountability,” said Paul Armentano, head of NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. He said any time a consumer product is being sold without proper regulation, it’s risky.
“Whether I was getting cannabis or alcohol or my broccoli from an entirely unregulated market, I’d be concerned about any number of issues,” Armentano said.
An officer with the California Department of Cannabis Control confiscates bunches of unlicensed marijuana plants.
Maggie Andresen for NPR
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Maggie Andresen for NPR
Black market weed thrives, raising questions for consumers
Advocates of cannabis decriminalization hoped legal weed companies would quickly move past this problem, eclipsing criminal growers and processors.
So far, the opposite has happened. Vanda Felbab-Brown, who studies criminal drug markets for the Brookings Institution, said regulated cannabis producers often compete with a growing network of criminal gangs often rooted in mainland China.
“They’re spreading from the West Coast all the way up to Maine,” she said.
According to Felbab-Brown, Chinese criminal organizations are drawn to the marijuana business because it’s a relatively low risk to gain a foothold in communities. There’s relatively little law enforcement pressure, unlike with harder drugs such as fentanyl and methamphetamines.
“These illegal cannabis cultivation plantations are used by the Chinese criminal groups for laundering money, but there is also increasingly an intertwining with human smuggling of Chinese people into the U.S. that go through some of those networks. They wind up in fact being enslaved at the plantations,” she said.
NPR emailed Chinese officials to ask about the role of China-based organized crime in the U.S. cannabis industry but haven’t heard back. In the past, Beijing has suggested the U.S. is pointing fingers at China to divert attention from America’s drug and crime problems.
The Law Enforcement Division of California’s Department of Cannabis Control waits outside of one of the three private residences raided for unlicensed marijuana production.
Maggie Andresen for NPR
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Maggie Andresen for NPR
Experts say criminal cannabis sellers wind up outcompeting licensed vendors. They don’t pay taxes or costly fees, which means their prices are often lower. They can also sell their product anywhere in the country, ignoring federal laws that prevent legal companies from shipping cannabis across state lines.
Black market weed then often winds up on store shelves, packaged in ways that can make it indistinguishable from legal regulated cannabis.
“There’s going to be mold and these banned pesticide and herbicides that are getting into the illegal product so that’s a grave concern,” said Bill Jones, head of enforcement for California’s Department of Cannabis Control. “I’m not sure all consumers are aware of that.”
What should consumers do?
With cannabis markets still difficult to navigate, experts interviewed by NPR said the most reliable way to find regulated cannabis is in licensed shops in states and communities where they’re allowed to operate. This often means paying a higher price, but the tradeoff in quality can be significant.
A customer browses products for sale at the Green Goddess Collective legal cannabis dispensary in the Venice neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. State officials and many cannabis experts hope licensed shops will eventually displace the booming black market industry.
PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images/AFP
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PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images/AFP
Many states where recreational cannabis is legal, including California and New Jersey and New York now have online advice to help people locate and buy legal marijuana. Double-check your brick-and-mortar shop to make sure it’s licensed and reputable.
Even when working through a reliable seller, cannabis experts said it’s a good idea to ask questions about sourcing and potency.
Everyone interviewed by NPR for this project said they expect it to get easier over time for people who choose to buy and use legal marijuana. Most pointed to the fact that America has gone through this kind of transition before with another popular consumer product: alcohol.
Alcohol prohibition was repealed in December 1933, but many states kept liquor bans on the books into the 1950s, creating the same kind of patchwork we now see with marijuana laws. Liquor bootleggers and smugglers continued to operate for years.
“When you move from prohibition to legalization, it takes time,” said Beau Kilmer an expert on marijuana markets and co-director of the Rand Drug Policy Research Center.
A restricted entry sign is posted to a location in the Goldridge neighborhood.
Maggie Andresen for NPR
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Maggie Andresen for NPR
According to Kilmer, many states have mismanaged this transition, focusing too much on regulating legal weed companies without helping them compete with criminal organizations.
“After [states] pass legalization, they’ll spend a couple of years coming up with the licensing regime and figuring out what the regulations are going to be and issuing licenses, but there hasn’t been a lot of focus on what to do about the illegal market. And in a lot of places, enforcement just hasn’t been a priority.”
This is changing in some places. In part to help legal operators compete, New York City has been cracking down on unlicensed marijuana retail stores. California officials say they seized nearly $200 million worth of illegally grown cannabis last year.
Despite these efforts, black market weed is expected to remain “pervasive” for years to come, according to state officials and drug policy experts.
In Fairfield, Sgt. McAtee watched as a truck backed up to another illegal grow house, preparing to haul away a big crop of seized cannabis. He said this crop might have wound up on shelves anywhere in the U.S.
“A lot of the places we hit, they’re shipping their cannabis out of state, where they can make ten-fold [the profit] you’d make in California,” he said.
This story originally appeared on NPR
Yosemite reservations system halted reportedly for Trump ‘blessing’
Summer online reservations for Yosemite National Park have been postponed indefinitely.
After the park announced several months ago that a new system was in the works, the online reservation page now reads, “Yosemite National Park anticipates sharing details about this year’s reservation system early in 2025.”
The implementation of a new system has apparently been delayed to first get the approval of the Trump administration, according to park officials.
A park spokesperson was unavailable to respond to a Times email asking when reservations would be accepted.
Currently, no reservations are needed to visit the park during the weekdays, except for holidays and weekends, until the end of March.
No reservation plan is listed online for visits from April through October.
The park began its reservations system in 2020 and the summer of 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, reservations were taken because of repairs to infrastructure, then again in 2024 to ease traffic on roads and trails.
Reservations will still be required for the park’s upcoming, wildly popular Firefall event at Horsetail Fall trail. The event is Saturday and Sunday, and Feb. 15-17 and 22-23. The number of visitors on weekends can number in the low thousands.
Firefall reservations are designed to limit erosion and damage to the environment as visitors clamor to see El Capitan when it resembles an active volcano. When the sunset properly backlights Horsetail Fall, the water cascading down the granite cliff face, 3,000 feet to the valley floor, becomes a “firefall,” taking on an orange glow.
Even those not visiting Horsetail Fall on the dates listed above are required to apply for a reservation.
The $35 per car entrance fee is valid for entry for seven days, regardless of day of arrival.
That online system was rolled out in mid-November, giving interested parties months to plan.
The San Francisco Chronicle reported Monday that National Park Service officials were delaying the system’s implementation because they wanted “the blessing of the new administration.”
Teri Marshall, director of marketing communications at Rush Creek Lodge and Spa at Yosemite, said it was her understanding that the Trump administration put a complete stop to the reservation system for cars.
“For us, it’s not confusing,” she said, “but it’s very confusing for international travelers and others trying to plan.”
Marshall’s main concern was to avoid a “free for all” with huge numbers of visitors overwhelming the park’s infrastructure and natural beauty.
“We should all love this park,” she said, “but not love it to death.”
She encouraged visitors to use the Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System, or YARTS, luxury bus that offers regularly scheduled pickups and drop-offs throughout the park, Yosemite Valley, Mammoth Lakes and other nearby locales.
Some hotels and lodges, including Rush Creek, also offer private tours with shuttles.
“We want to welcome everybody, we just don’t want everybody getting into their car and driving into the park,” Marshall said. “Use the alternative methods and make it better for everybody.”
Yosemite officials have been grappling for months with how to balance park access and conservation “due to rapid growth in day use visitation during high use season.”
The new Peak Hours Plus program carried a $2 reservation fee and was intended to ease heavy traffic and full parking lots, especially in popular Yosemite Valley.
Firefall is the nexus of that battle.
The site has seen a surge of popularity in the last decade, with Yosemite officials noting that they registered nearly 2,500 visitors on Feb. 19, 2022.
Guests then and since have trampled vegetation, overflowed onto riverbanks and increased erosion while overwhelming parking and other facilities, Yosemite officials said.
The park responded with the reservation system for February’s visits.
Lake Tahoe native Kyle Roberton, 27, photographed Horsetail Falls in February 2023 and captured the elusive “firefall” effect. Robertson is a fan of reservations to Yosemite to limit damage to the environment and provide an enjoyable visitor experience.
(Courtesy of Kyle Robertson)
Lake Tahoe native Kyle Roberton, 27, calls himself a fan of visitation limitations.
“You can easily get a couple of thousand people at Horsetail and the reservations enhance the experience of everything there while providing a less damaging impact on the environment,” said Robertson, a part-time landscape photographer.
Robertson has reservations for Horsetail Falls this month and has previously visited four times.
It was in 2023, however, when he said conditions were just right for him to capture the majestic “firefall” effect.
“We had adequate snowpack that year, a really clear sky and the sun in the right position,” he said. “It’s a visual effect that you can really only capture with your camera and so everyone is crowding into the few viewing platforms in the valley.”
Robertson said he’d seen increased trash along with the erosion and destruction of nature over the years as the number of visitors increased.
“If reservations help with at least some of these issues,” he said, “it’s a win-win.”
This story originally appeared on LA Times
Lufthansa now embraces AirTags, having failed to ban them
Despite the airline previously banning AirTags for reasons understood only by itself, Lufthansa has now support for them in its app and is celebrating the integration.
Officially, AirTags were somehow dangerous and somehow in contravention of some laws somewhere, said Lufthansa in 2022 as it tried to find any excuse to ban them. This was not in any way a response to how all airlines were being caught out with luggage going missing or, say, baggage handlers stealing from passengers.
Lufthansa’s ban lasted a whole three days before the airline said enough already, AirTags are fine. This was less from some technical testing and less from some actual reading of FCC regulations, though the airline tried to safe face by rustling up someone to say the words “risk assessment.”
The German Aviation Authorities (Luftfahrtbundesamt) confirmed today, that they share our risk assessment, that tracking devices with very low battery and transmission power in checked luggage do not pose a safety risk. With that these devices are allowed on Lufthansa flights.
— Lufthansa News (@lufthansaNews) October 12, 2022
In truth, it was clearly that airline passengers had objected, and that airline passengers were inevitably going to ignore Lufthansa’s ban. It may also have even affected passenger numbers, since it’s not a great advert telling customers you don’t want them to know how often their luggage gets lost.
All change
If you can’t stop something, your best option is to embrace it. Maybe you can’t ever smother the use of AirTags, but you can advertise to passengers that you’re finally confident of not losing their baggage.
And you can try to make it sound as if this is something Lufthansa has done instead of Apple. So the airline’s Oliver Schmitt can boast how passengers can now seamlessly track their baggage, “quickly and easily in the event of irregularities.”
There’s no question — it does take work to integrate Apple’s Find My into an app. There is a question over just how many people it takes to do it.
“Our digital products team, the ‘Digital Hangar’ with its approximately 1,000 experts, offers our customers new digital services, transparent information and support along the entire journey every month,” said Lufthansa’s Dieter Vranckx in the same statement.
The new and somehow revolutionary acceptance of AirTags is now available across Lufthansa aircraft as well as sister airlines, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Eurowings.
Hopefully this will help end tales such as the one of a Canadian couple on vacation in 2022. They reported that because of AirTags, they could see how their baggage got a better tour of Portugal than they did.
This story originally appeared on Appleinsider
‘Hatred for Du Plessis’ led Pereira to corner Strickland at UFC 312
Sean Strickland isn’t expecting much from Alex Pereira when the light heavyweight champion corners him this weekend against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 312. But Alex likes Sean and hates Dricus, and that’s enough for Strickland to be on board.
Strickland and Pereira have been regular training partners since “Poatan” knocked “Tarzan” out in 2022, and while the Brazilian was too busy with business obligations to play a big part in Strickland’s camp for Du Plessis, he’ll lend his intense energy (and maybe his ‘magic powers’) to the American when he fights in Sydney on Saturday.
Some have asked why Pereira would undertake the exhausting trip to Australia when he has his own big fight in March to prepare for. According to Strickland, hatred for Dricus Du Plessis may have something to do with it.
“I think Alex is an angry motherf—er,” Strickland said during UFC 312 media day. “Like, Alex is angry and for some reason, dude, he just hates Dricus. I don’t know what you did to him, but he f—ing hates you, dude. The way he looks at Dricus sometimes, I’m like, ‘Dude, I’m fighting him dawg, it’s me dude.’”
“Alex, he just has that hate in his heart and he’s a good dude and he’s out there, so he’s like ‘Yeah, come on, let’s get in.’”
Strickland clearly holds Pereira in the highest regard despite (or specifically because of) the communication barrier.
“He doesn’t speak English … me and Alex, we’ve never really talked to each other,” he told Michael Bisping. “We spar all the time, but we’ve never really had a conversation. It’s just like, ‘Chama!’”
“Americans, Australians included, we’re a bunch of f—ing p—ies. English too. We grew up on McDonalds and Disney Channel. This motherf—er grew up in the Amazon, in a tire [shop]. He knows what child labor is. You motherf—ers don’t know what that is.”
“You know, Alex has all the money,” Strickland said in another interview. “He came to America, the land of free. He’s not gonna get robbed in Rio. He has no reason not to be happy. He should be happy. He gets all the women, has all the sports cars. But he harbors so much hate in his heart, and a part of me respects that because it takes a real man to not become soft because of money.”
After all the talk, we’re still not sure what Pereira brings Strickland in Australia outside of the power of friendship. Will that be enough for Sean to take his belt back from Dricus Du Plessis? Will Alex look Sean in the eyes coming into the fifth round and say ‘Chama,’ igniting a fire under the American’s ass that earns him the win? You’ll have to tune in to UFC 312 on Saturday night to find out.
This story originally appeared on MMA Mania
What Happens if the U.S. Department of Education Is Abolished? – Hollywood Life
Now that Donald Trump is president again, the Republican intends to implement some changes in the federal workforce — including in the United States Department of Education. After winning the 2024 election, the 78-year-old vowed he would “move education back to the states” and that he wanted to “drain the government education swamp.” According to new reports, Trump plans to make significant employment cuts from the department, but does this mean a complete abolishment?
Learn what Trump said about his plans for the Department of Education and whether or not a dismantling of the department is possible.
“During Career and Technical Education Month, we reaffirm our belief in excellence by putting America first and investing in the best training and retraining opportunities that will result in a stronger workforce and a booming economy.” — @POTUS
America is back! 🇺🇸
— U.S. Department of Education (@usedgov) February 3, 2025
What Does the Department of Education Do?
The cabinet-level department focuses on promoting “student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access for students of all ages,” according to its official website.
How Many Employees Work for the Department of Education?
Per several outlets, the Department of Education employs around 4,400 workers. It’s unclear how much that number could change under Trump’s administration as it implements staffing changes. Earlier this year, the White House announced a change to the federal diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) workforce.
Can Trump Dismantle the Department of Education?
Technically, a president can’t fully dismantle the Department of Education because it was created by an act of Congress. Therefore, Congress would need to move forward with eliminating the department.
What Happens if the Department of Education Is Abolished?
As previously mentioned, a president can’t simply abolish the Department of Education; Congress would have to step in to move this forward. According to U.S. News, experts claim that dissolving the department would not have heavy impacts on certain programs or funding, such as pell grants and federal student loans.
Though Trump previously stated his intention to move the responsibility of education to the states, the Department of Education’s website indicates that education is, in fact, a state and local responsibility across the U.S. The department also states that 92 percent of funds for elementary and secondary education originates from the states, while just 8 percent is from the federal level.
This story originally appeared on Hollywoodlife
Spain making five changes to road laws – including drink-drive rules | Europe | Travel
Hiring a car can be a fantastic way to explore more of Spain, whether you’re venturing to the mainland, the Canary Islands, or the Balearic Islands. However, before you pick up the keys, it’s important to familiarise yourself with the local driving regulations.
Apart from the obvious switch to driving on the right-hand side, holidaymakers should adhere to local rules and speed limits, and ensure they possess a valid licence. If your licence was issued in the UK, you can use it in the EU for up to six months.
2025 will bring about some changes to Spanish driving laws, so even if you’ve rented a car during a previous holiday, it’s important to stay updated with the new regulations. Here are the key changes to keep an eye out for – and remember, some of these also apply if you’re renting a scooter.
1. Drink drive limits are due to be cut
According to the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC), Spain is planning to slash its drink driving limit by over half. Currently, the limit stands at 0.05% BAC (blood alcohol content) or 0.03% BAC for novice drivers or those driving for work.
In contrast, the UK limit is 0.08% BAC. The impact of alcohol varies among individuals, based on factors like metabolism, and men typically can consume more than women before reaching the limit.
Under the existing Spanish laws, consuming more than one 330ml bottle of beer could push someone close to, or beyond, the limit.Two small glasses of wine could also put someone over it, and Spanish measures are smaller than the UK.
The law change could potentially see the limit cut to just 0.02% BAC, which would mean even one small drink could put you at risk of legal trouble. Drink drive laws in Spain are also relatively strict. Being slightly over the limit can lead to a €1,000 fine, while the worst offenders with a BAC of over 0.12% can face six months in jail.
If you’re driving in Spain, you may wish to avoid drinking altogether before getting behind the wheel and ensure any alcohol from the night before has had plenty of time to leave your body.
2. Emergency corridor rule
A new law that came into play in January 2025 aims to make it easier for emergency vehicles to get to their destination. It’s known as an emergency corridor – if you hear an emergency vehicle approaching you should move to the right.
When drivers on both sides do this, it creates a ‘corridor’ in the traffic, that vehicles such as ambulances can easily zip through.
3. Helmet laws will come into play
For those thinking of zipping around Spain on a motorbike, be aware that the government is making changes to the requirements for protective gear. Open faced helmets are no longer allowed.
Riders will need to wear a full, closed-face helmet and gloves while on their bike, and this is likely to extend to people hiring a moped too. The law has been proposed for a few years now, and although no date has been set, it’s likely to come into force in 2025.
4. Motorbikes will be able to use the hard shoulder during traffic
Motorcyclists will be thrilled to learn that they’ll be able to use the hard shoulder from 2025 when traffic is heavy. However, they should note that a speed limit of 30 km/h will be enforced, and motorbikes must give priority to emergency vehicles, cyclists, and other vehicles permitted to use the hard shoulder.
5. Introduction of low emission zones (ZBEs)
As of January 1, Spanish cities with a population exceeding 50,000 have been designated as Zona de Bajas Emisiones (ZBE) — low emission zones. These zones were already established in some major cities, although enforcement varies from area to area.
ZBEs prohibit older or more polluting vehicles from entering the city centre during specific times. This is typically indicated on signs around the zone. It’s unlikely to impact rental cars, as they are usually newer models, but it could affect drivers travelling from the UK to Spain in their own vehicle.
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
Alex Garland’s ‘Dredd’ is Streaming On Max
The 2012 comic book adaptation Dredd has become a streaming hit on Max. As more people revisited the film or experienced it for the first time, it moved up from the #8 spot on the top 10 movies list to #3. Karl Urban stars as the titular character in the film, which takes place in the violent and crime-ridden Mega City One. Cops called Judges, who serve as judges, juries, and executioners, patrol the streets and deliver brutal justice.
Urban’s Dredd and his rookie psychic partner Cassandra (Olivia Thirlby) enter the dangerous territory of powerful drug lord Ma-Ma (Lena Headey), with a power struggle ensuing and the two Judges trapped in an apartment complex filled with hardened criminals. In the vein of the Indonesian action film The Raid: Redemption, Dredd traps its characters and creates tension in the confined environment with thrilling action sequences.
Before Garland would impress audiences with his official directorial debut with the A24-produced 2015 film Ex Machina, the writer would be better known for his screenplay credits, writing such films as Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later. Interestingly enough, Garland’s work on Dredd extends beyond his credit for the film’s screenplay. In fact, Garland completed uncredited directorial work on the film, triggering plenty of discussion online about how much of the film is his work, as opposed to Pete Travis, the director officially credited for the film.
Is ‘Dredd’ Alex Garland’s Secret Directorial Debut?
The production stories of Dredd are just as fascinating as the film itself, with various rumors and reports of in-fighting between Travis and the executives at Lionsgate. Apparently, the disagreements about the director’s creative choices for the movie were so heated that Travis was removed from the film altogether during the post-production process. While Garland would never directly comment on whether he directed the film, Karl Urban would state his belief that Dredd should be considered Alex Garland’s directorial debut, as the actor would tell JoBlo:
“A huge part of the success of ‘Dredd’ is in fact, due to Alex Garland and what a lot of people don’t realize is that Alex Garland actually directed that movie… I just hope when people think of Alex Garland’s filmography that ‘Dredd’ is the first film that he made before ‘Ex Machina.’”
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Besides the troubled production and rumors of Alex Garland’s hand in directing the film, Dredd is also a fascinating film to revisit due to its impressive visual effects, mainly thanks to the “slo-mo” drug that plays a critical role in the film. Unlike many films converted to 3D in post-production, Dredd was shot with 3D cameras throughout its production. Moreover, high-speed photography was used to capture its action and violence in a slow-motion style that exudes the feel of reading a comic book while efficiently showcasing the drugs’ powers at the center of the movie.
Overall, Dredd is a fascinating chapter in the career of Alex Garland, who would shift his focus from adaptations to creating more original films, from Annihilation to Men and, most recently, last year’s Civil War. While a sequel to Dredd never came to fruition, and Garland himself said he isn’t interested, the movie is a thrilling and visceral piece of Sci-Fi action cinema that deserves the attention it is receiving on Max.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
Secret Identities Are Great Until They Aren’t and Clark Kent Knows That All Too Well
Superman’s secret identity is crucial to his character, but at least one story showed how the Man of Steel keeping secrets was a bad idea. For as long as there’s been a Superman, there’s been a Clark Kent, as the mild-mannered reporter provides an important counterpoint to the all-powerful Man of Steel. But there’s at least one downside to Superman keeping a secret identity.
All-Star Superman #5 by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely features a story in which Clark Kent is assigned to follow Lex Luthor for a day while the villain is serving time in maximum security prison. The interview goes fine – until Clark follows Lex into the general population, where the two encounter the Parasite.
The energy-feeding villain senses a massive surge of power when Clark enters the room, causing him to get a super-charge of power. Given that no one knows that Clark Kent is actually Superman, the mild-mannered reporter unknowingly puts everyone around him in danger.
Parasite Gets the Meal of a Lifetime with Clark Kent, Proving Superman’s Secret Identity Is Truly Dangerous
All-Star Superman #5 by Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely, Jamie Grant, and Phil Balsman
Clark Kent’s secret identity winds up backfiring big time, as the prison had no reason to put any safeguards on the Parasite to prevent him from feeding on Superman’s powers. Things are further complicated by the super-charge of solar energy that the Man of Steel got at the beginning of All-Star Superman, which pushed Superman to his highest power levels yet seen. Parasite gorges on this newfound power like a pet dog who got hold of the Christmas turkey, which causes chaos at the prison.
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Clark still pretends to be the mild-mannered reporter, saving several prisoners, guards, and even Lex himself, all while pretending to look like a bumbling idiot. Lex and Clark manage to get away from the power-gorged Parasite, but the energy-absorbing villain chases after them, eager to keep feeding on his new power source. Clark manages to fake an earthquake by stomping on the floor, causing the Parasite to be trapped in the rubble, whereupon Lex savagely attacks the fallen Parasite in a pretty brutal beat-down.
Superman Shows That When Secret Identities Go Wrong, They Go Really Wrong
All-Star Superman Shows the Downside of Clark Kent’s Secret
While his secret identity as Clark Kent is an important aspect of his character, there is the undeniable fact that Superman is lying to the public. Writer Brian Michael Bendis attempted to address this snag during his run on the Superman titles, where Superman revealed his secret identity as Clark Kent to the entire world. If he’d done the same during the out-of-continuity All-Star Superman, Superman might have prevented the riot while visiting the max security prison to interview Luthor. Yet even though he was the cause, Superman winds up taking care of the problem, saving everyone while still keeping his secret identity intact.
All-Star Superman #5 is available now from DC Comics.
Superman
The icon who launched the entire world of superheroes, the last son of Krypton escaped his dying world to crash land on Earth and be raised as Clark Kent. The world knows him better as Superman, the Man of Steel, the leader of the Justice League, and the most well-known hero in the DC Comics Universe. Blessed with the powers of a demigod, Kal-El of Krypton fights enemies both small and cosmic in his endless pursuit of truth, justice, and a better tomorrow.
- Created By
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Joe Shuster, Jerry Siegel
- First Appearance
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Action Comics
- Alias
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Kal-El, Clark Kent, Jonathan Kent
- Alliance
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Justice League, Superman Family
- Race
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Kryptonian
Summary
The icon who launched the entire world of superheroes, the last son of Krypton escaped his dying world to crash land on Earth and be raised as Clark Kent. The world knows him better as Superman, the Man of Steel, the leader of the Justice League, and the most well-known hero in the DC Comics Universe. Blessed with the powers of a demigod, Kal-El of Krypton fights enemies both small and cosmic in his endless pursuit of truth, justice, and a better tomorrow.
This story originally appeared on Screenrant