Put simply, the Waldorf Astoria is a big deal. • Discover the best hotels, city breaks, road trips and things to do in the USI am, however, impressed by Lex Yard itself. Those 1,400 rooms were trimmed down to 375 hotel rooms and 372 private residences. The hotel rooms are much larger than they used to be, with interiors designed by Pierre-Yves Rochon. Mike Atkins was a guest of the Waldorf Astoria New York, which has room-only doubles from £1,140 (waldorfastorianewyork.com).

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A causalty on the tracks was reported in Denham Golf Club station shortly after 3.35pm on November 15. Officers were called the scene, however, the person was pronounced dead shortly after. A spokesperson for BTP said: "Officers were called to Denham Golf Club railway station at 3.36pm on Saturday (15 November) following reports of a casualty on the tracks. RELATED: RECAP after 'police incident' near London station causes major disruption"Paramedics also attended, however sadly a person was pronounced dead at the scene. If you need support or to talk to someone, contact Samaritans for free at any time on 116 123.

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy noticeFlorence will ban outdoor dining in 50 streets amid a surge of tourists in the famous Italian city. The rules set to come in place next year will ban outdoor seating along 50 streets within the Unesco-protected centre and see stricter regulations imposed on more than 70 additional locations, The Times reports. Other landmarks that will have outdoor seating banned include the Ponte Vecchio, Piazzale degli Uffizi and the Uffizi Gallery. Seventy-three other locations will receive strict guidance on whether outdoor seating can include umbrellas or plexiglass barriers.

Graduate route stay reduced from 2027Higher English requirements for skilled routesStarting November 25, 2025, international students in the UK will be able to switch to the Innovator Founder visa without exiting the country, the UK government has confirmed. The change allows graduates who have completed their courses to pursue entrepreneurship more smoothly and avoid travel delays previously required to apply for this visa.The Innovator Founder visa is for individuals planning to establish or run an innovative business in the UK. Applicants must secure endorsement from an approved body, meet English language requirements , be at least 18, and prove they have sufficient personal savings. The visa allows business operations, limited study, and dependants’ inclusion, with either single or multiple entries based on circumstances.Alongside the Innovator Founder update, the UK will reduce the Graduate Route stay period from two years to 18 months for applications submitted from January 1, 2027. Applicants must carefully prepare documents, financial evidence, and endorsements to meet the new requirements.

Human rights groups have urged Sir Keir Starmer to reject calls from retired senior military officers for a legal framework which would disapply the European Convention on Human Rights and the Human Rights Act to troops’ actions while on active service. The intervention comes as the Government’s new Northern Ireland Troubles Bill is due for its second reading in the UK Parliament on Tuesday. Grainne Teggart, deputy director for Northern Ireland at Amnesty International UK, said: “Attempts to paint accountability as ‘lawfare’ are deeply harmful and deliberately misleading. “Human rights protections uphold the very basic principle that no-one is above the law. Their service and their sacrifice will never be forgotten.”The Northern Ireland Office highlights support for the Government’s approach by several victims and family groups.

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WPP share price rises 4% in early trading after a report in 'The Times' of London over the weekend. LONDON: Havas has been looking at the prospect of a takeover of rival holdco WPP, The Times reported over the weekend. WPP's PR firms include Burson and Ogilvy PR. The Havas PR Network includes Havas PR, Havas Formula and Republica Havas. A spokesperson for Havas told PRWeek, “Per group policy, we do not comment on market rumors.”PRWeek has also contacted WPP for comment.

A MAJOR pub chain is reportedly planning to sell more than 1,000 of its venues as it battles with billions of pounds of debt. Stonegate Group, which owns the Slug & Lettuce and Be At One chains, is said to be exploring options for almost a quarter of its 4,300 venues. The pub chain turned over more than £1.7billion last year but it has racked up debts of more than £3billion. Since the end of the pandemic, pub chains have been weighed down with high interest rates, higher employee costs and higher food and energy bills. Hikes to National Insurance have also hit pub chains hard.

But the Daily Mail, external claims that Labour backbenchers and left-wing lawyers are poised to defeat them. The Telegraph, external focuses on the government's plan to stop issuing UK visas to people from three African countries which refuse to take back failed asylum seekers. The Telegraph, external claims a tax on milkshakes is being lined up, to make the public healthier. The Financial Times, external thinks online sports gambling is in the chancellor's sights - but says that horseracing will be exempted. The Times, external thinks there are signs that striking resident doctors in England are turning against their union, the BMA.

“These countries face penalties for their unacceptably low co-operation and obstructive returns processes. British people will be encouraged to house them, as they have done for Ukrainians, to end the reliance on asylum hotels, which cost £2.1 billion in 2024-2025.In the year ending June 2025 a total of 5,475 Indian nationals claimed asylum in the UK making them the sixth-largest nationality. Of these, 346 Indians arrived by small boat illegally. The other Indians were mostly on visas, with student visas being the most common. The top nationality to claim asylum was Pakistani; followed by nationals from Afghanistan, Iran, Eritrea and Bangladesh.Only 20 Indians were granted asylum in the year ending June 2025, and 2,691 had their claims refused.

Jim O’Callaghan made the comment after the UK Home Secretary announced sweeping changes designed to reduce the UK’s attractiveness to asylum seekers. Mr O’Callaghan said they could result in changes to the flow of asylum seekers between the UK and Ireland. In a statement on Tuesday, he said: “I am committed to ensuring that Ireland is not viewed more favourably than the UK by those seeking to claim asylum. Among the UK measures there will be no automatic right to family reunion for refugees under core protection. Mr O’Callaghan said he had directed a review of Ireland’s rules on family reunification before the changes announced by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood.

Britain rolled out a major hardening of its rules for handling asylum seekers on Sunday, reflecting the rapidly changing politics of immigration as successive British governments have failed to curb a rising influx of migrants crossing the English Channel in often unseaworthy boats. The government plans to review the status of refugees more regularly, and if it determines their countries have become safe, they will be ordered to return home. Asylum seekers will also no longer be entitled to automatic aid, including housing and weekly allowances. “Illegal migration is causing huge divides here in our own country,” Ms. Mahmood said in an interview Sunday with the BBC. “I do believe we need to act if we are to retain public consent for having an asylum system at all.”