While all the talk is of France, a clutch of other destinations are at risk of being taken off the UK’s quarantine-free list this week.
An analysis of the latest data by The Telegraph shows that while new cases in France rose to 18.1 per 100,000 for the period August 6-12, a figure that will have alarm bells ringing in Westminster and up from 13.1 for the previous seven days, several other countries with “travel corridors” have a higher case rate.
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They are the Netherlands (23.1 per 100,000), Gibraltar (35.6), Monaco (38.2), Malta (46.7), San Marino (53.0), the Faroe Islands (198.5), Turks and Caicos (278.9) and Aruba (547.9).
While the UK Government may well reason that the likes of San Marino and Aruba attract too few British tourists to warrant action, the likes of Malta and Gibraltar are popular summer options.
Below France, Denmark (15.3 per 100,000), Iceland (14.7), the Czech Republic (14.0), Switzerland (13.3) and Poland (12.7) could also enter the quarantine conversation when the Government reviews the policy this week.
All have now overtaken Portugal (12.4), which remains on the list of countries from which all arrivals, including returning holidaymakers, must self-isolate for two weeks.
Follow the latest news below.
04:14 PM
Five stories you need to know about today
Decision due on quarantine for France and Greece
BA plans to introduce optional testing for passengers
Switzerland to allow mass gatherings again
UK attractions warn of decimation without support
Customers still waiting for refunds from March, report finds
Join us for more of the latest travel news tomorrow.
04:10 PM
Man fined £2,000 after buying bottle of water when he should have been self-isolating
A man was fined £2,000 for buying a bottle of water after he visited a newsagent when he should have been self-isolating.
Chef Sanjeev Kumar, 31, had agreed to isolate for two weeks after arriving in Guernsey Airport from Southampton.
During the 10 minute walk from the airport to hotel La Rue des Croisee, where he had been working for the past two years, Mr Kumar had stopped off at a nearby shop to buy the drink.
However, the hotel’s housekeeper recognised Mr Kumar inside Forrest Stores newsagents and informed authorities.
Police officers later found him in a chalet at the hotel where Mr Kumar admitted he had indeed been in the shop.
Judge Graeme McKerrell, at Guernsey Magistrate's Court, ordered Mr Kumar to pay a fine of £2,000, saying that a clear message needed to be sent out that any breach of the regulations will not be tolerated.
Anthony Horowitz, who visited before the pandemic, writes:
Where do you go after a busy week in Hollywood, pitching ideas to producers even more chilly than their air-conditioned offices? The answer for me lay just two hours up Route 101 – Santa Barbara, a favourite haunt for Los Angelenos and, before them, Mexicans, Franciscan monks and Chumash Indians. I set off with my wife in our rented, open-top Mustang: not actually a great idea in the freak October weather with the temperature in the high 30s. By the time we arrived, we were more or less mummified.
We’d booked into Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore Santa Barbara, located in a quiet enclave between the freeway and the sea. After the rush of traffic and the miles of concrete, I felt that I’d arrived in an Agatha Christie novel. The hotel is classic and classy, built in the style of a Spanish hacienda with high ceilings, antique rugs on tiled floors, gilt mirrors, tapestries, winding staircases and archways. It’s huge. Our room was in a cottage complex on the other side of a quite gorgeous garden and if it was less eclectic than I would have liked – this is, after all, an international chain – it was very private, spacious and comfortable. The hotel caters for families with small children and pets. We saw three weddings (and an astonishing 36 groomsmen and bridesmaids) while we were there. But if you’re looking for peace and quiet, it’s easy to escape.
Barbados announces new daily direct flights from Heathrow
British Airways will restart a direct daily service between Heathrow and Barbados from October 17, after a hiatus of over 15 years.
The Barbados minister of tourism and international transport, Lisa Cummins, made the announcement today.
“For more than 15 years, Barbados has been engaging British Airways on the re-establishment of London Heathrow as the gateway to Barbados, following the retirement of its Concorde service. We are thrilled therefore to see this finally come to fruition as it opens the door for us, quite literally, for growth opportunities in cities and continents that were once out of our reach,” she said.
BA also offers direct flights from Gatwick to Barbados.
03:44 PM
Mauritius tourism takes body blow from oil spill
Tourist operators in Mauritius fear that an oil spill from a Japanese ship will further damage their businesses, already reeling from the coronavirus epidemic, and could cost jobs if their pristine beaches are spoiled.
Reuters has the details:
Tourism generated 63 billion rupees ($1.6 billion) for the economy last year. In May, the central bank said that in the past two months alone, the nation had lost 12 billion rupees in foreign exchange due to the fall in tourism.
Willow River-Tonkin, who owns a kite-surfing business, said local guides would be some of the hardest hit.
"It is really going to affect the communities down there, especially for the fisherman, the local guys that live there, you know that's how they make money from tourists," said
"Taking them out to go diving to go snorkelling, to go wake boarding, to go see dolphins and all that sort of thing you know and all of that is going to affect it, if we don't get it under control very soon."
The MV Wakashio, owned by Nagashiki Shipping and operated by Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd, struck a reef and went aground off the Indian Ocean island's southeast coast on July 25. It began leaking oil last Thursday.
Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth declared a state of emergency last Friday.
Carrier ship MV Wakashio ran aground on a reef, at Riviere des Creoles - reuters
03:37 PM
Can I visit Turkey? Latest advice as holiday prices drop
Many who were planning a holiday to Spain this summer were left disappointed over the Government's abrupt about face over its Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) exemption lists. But for those seeking a little summer sun, Turkey, among other countries, is still on both the FCO's safe list and quarantine exemption list.
View of the Blue Lagoon on Turkey's Turquoise Coas
Mmany airlines and holiday operators are trying to tempt tourists back to the country with cut price deals. Travel Supermarket recently reported that a week in Marmaris, Turkey, in September, is available for £155 per person, for example.
Scottish Highland lay-bys to be kitted out with trowels to tackle countryside toileting
Lay-bys across the Scottish Highlands are to be equipped with garden trowels in an attempt to tackle people toileting in the countryside.
Around 150 plastic tools are to be made available at roadside areas around tourist hotspots near Ullapool and Dundonnell under plans announced by councillors.
While tourists are typically encouraged to use public toilets, the trowels will provide an emergency, last resort solution for visitors, who will be able to use the tools to bury their waste.
The area covered by the scheme is part of the popular North Coast 500 which, in recent weeks, has seen an influx of visitors who have opted for staycations rather than travelling abroad
Travel insurance and coronavirus: Everything you need to know about 'Covid cover'
Travel insurance has never been more important and my colleague Benjamin Parker has looked into everything you need to know about securing coronavirus cover.
Will my travel insurance cover Covid-19 disruption?
Which firms are offering coronavirus cover?
What could be included, and what might be excluded?
What are airline policies?
Can I ignore FCO advice and still get travel insurance?
02:54 PM
Sicily confirms it will test holidaymakers returning from Greece, Spain and Malta
Italy is applying targeted restrictions on holidaymakers coming back from certain countries, as reported earlier.
Select Italian regions are adding specific rules, and Sicily has now followed suit.
The island's president Nello Musumeci confirmed that it will be testing travellers returning from Greece, Spain and Malta. Locals returning from these countries will be placed under "voluntary" quarantine, after which they will be tested for the virus.
Sicily registered 89 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday.
02:40 PM
Switzerland to allow events of 1,000 or more people from October
Switzerland will allow events with more than 1,000 people from October 1 so long as organisers agree to strict hygiene measures and have authorization from regional authorities, the government has decided.
"The Federal Council thereby intends to ensure that the epidemiological situation in Switzerland does not deteriorate," the government said.
"At the same time, this careful reopening step takes into account the needs of society and the economic interests of sports clubs and cultural venues."
Switzerland is on the UK's quarantine-free list and is exempt from Foreign Office advice against all but essential travel. However, with its Covid cases sitting at 13.3 per 100,000, it could be included in the quarantine discussion when the British Government reviews the policy later this week.
02:32 PM
Watch: Stonehaven trail derailment – Footage of scene in Scotland
A train driver is believed to have died and there are fears of two more fatalities after a ScotRail passenger train derailed near Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, on Wednesday morning.
Fears for the future of Britain's iconic attractions as tourism industry faces 'year of three winters'
The economic catastrophe unleashed by lockdown came into sharp focus today as it was revealed that the UK is officially in the largest recession on record. One of the hardest hit sectors is, of course, the tourism industry and many UK attractions are facing an uncertain future after three-month closures were followed by tepid reopenings.
Emma Beaumont reports:
While the full scale of the global crisis is unlikely to be realised for some time, the impact has already been seismic for attractions up and down the country. At the end of July, the National Trust announced that it expects to lose £200 million this year and would be making up to 1,200 redundancies.
In a message to National Trust staff, Director-General Hilary McGrady said: “Our charity has survived so long – through two world wars and a number of economic downturns, thanks to staff, volunteers and supporters. We would not be making these savings had we not exhausted every other possibility. We need to act now to ensure we are sustainable in the future.”
Also badly hit is Historic Royal Palaces (HRP), which runs six sites including The Tower of London and Kensington Palace. It has confirmed a voluntary redundancy scheme is in place with compulsory layoffs likely to follow, after a projected £98 million loss this year. Chief executive John Barnes said: “Historic Royal Palaces is a self-funded charity. We depend on visitors for 80 per cent of our income. We are heartbroken it has come to this.”
Here is the data crunched by the Telegraph and discussed above in graph form.
01:50 PM
For sale: the bits and bobs of an old Lufthansa plane
FAO aviation nerds.
Lufthansa has announced a second range of its recycled aircraft parts products.
Upcycling Collection 2.0 contains the remnants of a retired Airbus A320 (reg D-AIPA) after 29 years of hard service for the German flag carrier.
The airline says the "21-piece collection combines aircraft functionality with stylish and sustainable design-led products".
"New pieces in the 2020 collection include the Cabin Door Bar, Speed Brake Coffee Table and Flap Coffee Table," it said in a press release. "Furthermore, with only two pieces available, the new Wingtip Fence Coffee Table and Slat Sideboard are the most exclusive products in the collection."
Prices range from £22 to £7,010.
Window seat bar, anyone? - lufthansa
01:25 PM
Norway adds countries to quarantine list
Europe is tightening its borders once more, with Norway the latest country to announce measures.
Bloomberg has the details:
Norway further tightened rules on foreign travel as the country seeks to stem a resurgence in the spread of the coronavirus.
The Nordic country extended a general advice against non-essential travel to October 1, and added a handful of European nations including Iceland and Poland to its “red” list, meaning travelers from these countries are subject to quarantine on return. It even included parts of Denmark, which was the first country it relaxed restrictions to earlier this year.
Norway also prolonged a ban on cruise ships in its ports by a week after an outbreak on a Hurtigruten Group AS vessel this summer, it said in a statement on Wednesday.
The tightening comes as Norway has seen a relative spike in Covid-19 cases over the past weeks. Part of that has been linked to travel abroad, and the government also warned this week against an alarming trend among young people amid back-to-school parties for university students.
Other countries added to Norway’s red list were Cyprus, Malta and the Netherlands, as well as more regions in neighboring Sweden.
12:59 PM
A postcard from Torquay, as the English Riviera struggles to find its feet
While all the focus has been on the at-times chaotic scenes in Cornwall as the UK goes on 'staycation', is life the same at other British coastal towns?
Our writer, Tracey Davies, reports from Torquay:
Normally, August on a popular Devonshire beach would be my idea of hell – shoulder to sunburnt shoulder with loud families, frazzled kids demanding endless Mr Whippys and overcooked Nanas complaining about the heat – but this year, like for many for British seaside resorts, it’s a whole different kettle of fish. Last weekend, I swapped the pebbled beaches of my hometown of Brighton for the sandy shores of Torquay on the English Riviera.
Torquay, Paignton and Brixham form a trio of resorts which daisy-chain along the south Devon coast. It was the Victorians who first called it the English Riviera as its quaint harbours, sandy beaches and balmy climate were thought to resemble that of the Mediterranean. I suppose with a chilled rosé on the quayside, the tinny chink of sailboats, gleaming white cruisers and dusty palm trees swaying in the breeze, if I squint – and ignore the chants of the lager-fuelled lads behind me – it could, at a push, be mistaken for St Tropez.
Malta has been the subject of increasing concerns over rising cases. Here are those concerns in numbers:
12:28 PM
France wrestles with rising cases
France continues to wrestle with a rise in coronavirus infections as the UK mulls whether to add the country to its quarantine list.
New cases were up by 1,397 on Tuesday, almost twice as many as Monday, but below the weekend numbers of more than 2,000 a day; a decision is expected tomorrow on whether travellers returning from France will be asked to self-isolate for 14 days.
French prime minister Jean Castex has warned that the public is becoming careless. “If we don't act collectively, we expose ourselves to the heightened risk that the rebound in the epidemic becomes hard to control," he said.
A ban on gatherings of more than 5,000 people in the country has been extended until the end of October.
The UK Government has said it will not hesitate to introduce new quarantine restrictions on travel and that no holiday this summer will be risk free. Greece is also expected to be in the firing line, after registering its second highest number of new cases (193) on Monday.
Away from coronavirus. the French foreign ministry on Wednesday issued a firm warning against travelling to Niger after six French nationals were among eight people killed by suspected jihadists at the weekend.
The ministry website said people were "strongly advised" not to travel anywhere in the country, the exception being the capital Niamey, for which travel was "not advised unless for compelling reasons."
The new advice means that the southern part of Niger, roughly a quarter of the country, has been added to the so-called red zone, for which there is a strong recommendation to avoid.
"The terrorist threat against Niger, especially outside the capital and near the borders, is very high," the ministry said.
The impoverished country lies in the heart of the Sahel, which has become badly destabilised by a jihadist insurgency that began in northeastern Nigeria in 2010 and in Mali in 2012.
Six French aid workers, their Nigerien guide and a driver were murdered on Sunday in the Koure National Park, a wildlife haven 60 kilometres (37 miles) from the capital Niamey.
Could BA launch testing service to help boost air travel?
British Airways has said it is exploring the possibility of launching its own coronavirus testing service for passengers.
Emma Featherstone has the details:
Holidaymakers travelling with British Airways could be offered pre-flight Covid-19 tests, the airline has confirmed.
Britain’s flagship carrier is contending with the global slump in air travel demand, which is not expected to rebound to pre-Covid levels until 2024. More than 6,000 BA staff have accepted voluntary redundancy and thousands more could face compulsory layoffs.
The UK’s introduction of a blanket 14-day quarantine for arrivals on June 8 further hampered demand and, while the creation of travel corridors has made some international trips more feasible, there are just 26 countries which Britons can travel to without restriction.
Many destinations that have reopened to tourism require visitors to present a negative Covid test on arrival, often at the traveller’s cost, and by providing customers with the option of a Covid test through a third party – Boots has been mooted – BA could boost passenger numbers. Dubai, for example, requires passengers produce evidence of a negative test on arrival.
I, for one, would very much a skiing holiday right now, but we all have to wait.
My colleague, Lucy Aspden, has created a country by country guide to the likelihood of winter holidays going ahead this winter. Read her take here.
That looks nice and cold
11:07 AM
Netherlands mulls quarantine measures
News from the Netherlands, where face masks have been made mandatory in some areas of Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Authorities are also introducing quarantine measures for international arrivals.
The Dutch health minister said Tuesday he plans to introduce mandatory home quarantine for people identified by local authorities as having been in close contact with somebody infected with the coronavirus, and for travelers returning from high-risk countries.
Health Minister Hugo de Jonge said in a letter to lawmakers that mandatory quarantine could be imposed if people refuse to isolate voluntarily.
The move comes amid rising infection rates in the Netherlands and an unwillingness among some people to adhere to social distancing measures and cooperate with contact tracing.
"Mandatory quarantine is a tough measure but justified. Quarantine stops the spread of the virus so sticking to the rules is crucial," De Jonge wrote.
He added that he also wants to introduce mandatory quarantine for travelers returning from countries considered a high risk for infections. It is not clear how soon such a measure can be implemented. De Jonge said that the move will require a law change. The Dutch coronavirus quarantine currently stands at 14 days.
Earlier Tuesday, the Dutch public health institute said there were 4,036 new confirmed infections in the last week, 1,448 more than the week earlier.
The institute said that the confirmed number of people who have died of Covid-19 rose by nine to 6,159. The true number of deaths could be higher because not all people who died of suspected Covid-19 were tested.
10:54 AM
Swiss glacier struggles in heat
The heatwave in Europe has not only been hard on your night's sleep; spare a thought for the glaciers.
This photo taken from the Gornergrat, 3'089m above the resort of Zermatt in Switzerland shows a tourist facing the top part of the melting Gornergletscher glacier.
galcier - AFP
10:47 AM
Cathay Pacific shares soar as Hong Kong airport nears reopening
Some news from the airline sector, where Hong Kong's flag carrier Cathay Pacific is enjoying a rollercoaster ride in its fortunes.
Bloomberg reports:
Cathay Pacific Airways shares climbed the most in nearly 12 years after a Chinese state-run newspaper tweeted that Hong Kong’s airport may restart transfer flights to mainland China, a move that could inject the beleaguered carrier with some much-needed passenger traffic.
The tweet from the Global Times added fuel to Cathay’s Wednesday morning rally, pushing it to a 12% gain, its biggest since October 2008. Shares closed at HK$5.88 in Hong Kong. The newspaper cited a source it didn’t identify, and Hong Kong International Airport didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
At a media briefing later, Cathay Chief Customer and Commercial Officer Ronald Lam said the company, which typically relies on mainland traffic for a large portion of revenue, hadn’t heard any official news on reopening Hong Kong for transfer flights. Meanwhile, Chairman Patrick Healy reiterated that the coronavirus pandemic has been the most challenging period in the airline’s history.
Cathay released first-half results during the midday trading break, showing a first-half net loss of HK$9.9 billion ($1.3 billion) as the pandemic brought travel to a near standstill.
The airline and its Cathay Dragon unit flew only 4.4 million passengers in the first six months, down from 18.3 million a year earlier. Passenger revenue tumbled 72% to HK$10.4 billion during the period. The company flew an average of just 500 passengers a day in April and May.
Cathay Pacific offers flights between London and Hong Kong - Getty
10:30 AM
How to get travel insurance should you choose to ignore Foreign Office advice
Contrary to popular belief, you can visit a country to which the Foreign Office (FCO) advises against travel without invalidating your insurance – you just need to contact one of the few providers willing to offer cover. What’s more, it shouldn’t cost much more than an ordinary policy.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said authorities were scrambling to trace anyone who had been in contact with four Auckland residents who tested positive on Tuesday, ending the dream run in which the virus had been contained at New Zealand's borders.
A three-day stay-at-home order for Auckland, New Zealand's biggest city with a population of 1.5 million, was announced on Tuesday night and went into force at lunchtime on Wednesday.
Ms Ardern said health officials were also locking down aged care homes across the country because they could act as transmission hotspots.
Ms Ardern also suggested that the outbreak could force her to postpone next month's general election.
Italy, which has one of the best coronavirus rates in Europe, has introduced quarantine measures for travellers returning from certain countries.
AFP reports:
Italian regions have begun to order new periods of quarantines for people returning from higher-risk European countries such as Spain and Greece in a bid to stem the latest outbreaks of coronavirus.
Health authorities worry that Italians returning from vacations abroad may be bringing home the virus and passing it on during the summer when people are crowding outdoors, on beaches, at festivals or parties.
As the national government studies whether to reissue more stringent anti-Covid restrictions, such as making the wearing of masks mandatory in public, regions are already clamping down.
The president of Emilia Romagna on Wednesday was expected to sign an order mandating coronavirus tests for anyone returning to the region from Spain, Greece and Malta, all Schengen area countries where travel with Italy is unrestricted.
Those returning from Croatia will also be ordered to quarantine.
A mandatory 14-day quarantine also begins today in the southern regions of Puglia and Campania for people returning from Spain, Greece and Malta. Sicily is prepared to follow suit, its regional president said.
09:50 AM
Southport v Salcombe: a tale of two seaside towns
Savvy British holidaymakers should swap contemporary consumerism for Victorian romance.
Chris Moss reports from two resorts having very different coronavirus seasons:
You can still see the grandeur Southport’s Lord Street flaunted during its Victorian heyday. The Grade II-listed Wayfarers Arcade is glorious. The Scarisbrick hotel, built 1880-91, is a redbrick masterpiece. Shop frontages display Jacobean, Renaissance and New Tudor architectural styles. The broad, pedestrian-friendly thoroughfare evokes a time when town planners paid homage to the sky – after all, it was fresh air people came to enjoy.
Turn off and walk along pedestrianised Chapel Street, which runs parallel, and you’re back in the present: the blander high street brands, some drab-looking units, some empty ones. The department stores are gone. The big BHS on Chapel St closed in 2016. Lord Street’s own Beales and Debenhams closed earlier this year.
“Decline and Fall” is the header of a TripAdvisor post. “To think Napoleon once lived here and that Paris was supposedly modelled on it,” laments the reviewer.
Southport has a range of appeals - Paul Cooper
09:32 AM
Spain at 'critical' point in fight against virus
Spain remains off limit to UK holidaymakers, courtesy of Foreign Office advice and the need to quarantine on return.
The country is struggling to get a handle on what some deem a second wave of coronavirus cases.
AFP has the latest:
Just seven weeks after bringing its first coronavirus wave under control, experts say Spain is once again in a "critical" situation with the worst infection rate in Western Europe.
The country reported an average of 4,923 new daily cases of the respiratory disease during the last seven days, a higher amount than that of Britain, France, Germany and Italy combined, according to a tally compiled by AFP based on official figures.
Spain counts 95 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people, compared to 24 in France, 17 in Britain, 13 in Germany and just eight in Italy, the first country outside of China to be hit hard by the pandemic.
The spike has led a growing list of countries to impose restrictions on travel to Spain, which has nearly 323,000 confirmed cases of the disease, the highest number in Western Europe and 11th highest in the world.
"It's a critical moment, we are right at a point where things can get better or worse," said Salvador Macip, an expert in health sciences at Catalonia's Open University who has written a book called "The Great Modern Plagues".
"This means we have to pull out all the stops to curb outbreaks before they become more serious,"
09:17 AM
In pictures: Paris is burning
Temperatures hit 37C in the French capital - AP Locals cool off on the Canal de l'Ourcq - AP Tightened restrictions did not put some off taking to the water - AP
08:54 AM
Japan sees rise in virtual flights
In Japan, virtual flights have gained popularity with holidaymakers as coronavirus keeps real travel grounded.
A Japanese company is providing a virtual travel experience complete with a realistic aircraft cabin, projections of cloud and sky and VR goggles. Although the service started years ago, the business is seeing a jump in the number of customers as the coronavirus sets back real-world travel plans.
This week Telegraph Travel reported on a rise of 'flights to nowhere' with airlines in Taiwan and Australia offering flightseeing trips.
In a way it is reassuring that as the world is consumed by chaos, there remains one thing you can set your watch by: a rise in rail fares.
That is according to PA:
Rail commuters face an increase in season ticket prices of around 1% in January despite people being urged to return to workplaces, economic forecasts show.
The cap on the annual rise in most regulated fares is linked to the previous July's Retail Prices Index (RPI) measure of inflation, with the 2020 figure being announced by the Office for National Statistics next week.
Howard Archer, chief economic adviser to the EY Item Club, told the PA news agency he expects July's RPI to be 1.0%, while the latest forecast from website Trading Economics is for it to be unchanged from June at 1.1%.
Examples of potential season ticket increases with a 1% cap include:
Brighton to London: Increase of £50 to £5,030
Gloucester to Birmingham: Increase of £53 to £5,385
Barrow-in-Furness to Preston: Increase of £43 to £4,327
Edinburgh to Glasgow: Increase of £42 to £4,242
Pressure group the Campaign for Better Transport called for the 2021 fare rise to be cancelled, claiming it is "counterproductive" to efforts to encourage passengers back to the railways following the collapse in demand caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
08:36 AM
Greece's 'second wave' in numbers
Of course, the other country British holidaymakers will be anxious about in terms of quarantine is Greece.
Here is how cases have risen in the country.
08:21 AM
Customers 'kept waiting for refunds for flights cancelled in March'
It feels like eons ago that consumers were battling airlines for refunds from cancelled flights, but it seems the war has not yet been won.
Sam Meadows reports:
Airline customers have waited since the start of the pandemic for refunds in breach of the law, a Which? study has claimed.
The consumer champion said it had spoken to some travellers who were still waiting for refunds from flights that were cancelled in March and that airlines had reneged on promises made to the regulator.
By law, refunds for cancelled flights should be paid within seven days, but the unprecedented number of refund requests due to coronavirus has meant this has taken much longer for many.
Many firms offered vouchers for cancelled flights, but if customers request a cash refund the companies should pay. Which? said it was concerned that the ongoing situation could set a precedent which sees airlines continue to treat customers unfairly.
Rory Boland, from Which?, said: "Time after time, Which? has exposed airlines breaking the law on refunds for cancelled flights due to the pandemic and treating their passengers unfairly, and we're concerned that they now feel empowered to do as they please without fear of punishment."
Merck & Co on Thursday raised its annual profit and revenue forecast on the back of strong sales for its blockbuster cancer drug Keytruda and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine Gardasil. The New Jersey-based drugmaker said it expected earnings of $8.53 and $8.65 per share, up from its previous prediction of $8.44 to $8.59, and sales of $63.1-$64.3 billion for the year. Merck's new forecast includes a $0.26 per share charge for its $680 million acquisition of cancer drug developer Harpoon Therapeutics, which closed in the first quarter of 2024, the company said.
Lawyers for an American believed to be held by the Taliban for nearly two years are asking a United Nations human rights investigator to intervene, citing what they say is cruel and inhumane treatment. Ryan Corbett was abducted Aug. 10, 2022, after returning to Afghanistan, where he and his family had been living at the time of the collapse of the U.S.-based government there a year earlier. In a petition sent Thursday, lawyers for Corbett say that he's been threatened with physical violence and torture and has been malnourished and deprived of medical care.
TikTok has vowed to challenge in court a new law that could result in a ban of the video app in the US, but it could find that it is on less-than-solid legal ground.
British police said on Thursday they had arrested an additional individual over the deaths of five migrants, including a child, who died attempting to cross the Channel from France on a small boat earlier this week. The 18-year-old from Sudan was arrested on Wednesday evening in Kent, southeast England, on suspicion of facilitating illegal immigration and entering the UK illegally, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said. Three other men have also been arrested in connection with the fatal crossing, but one of these, a 19-year-old from Sudan, has since been released without charge and will be dealt with by immigration officials, the NCA said.
A court in Turkey sentenced nine rail officials to more than 108 years' imprisonment over a crash six years ago that killed 25 people, local media reported on Thursday. A passenger train operated by Turkish State Railways derailed in July 2018 as it passed through Corlu district some 110 kilometers (68 miles) west of Istanbul. The train was traveling from Unlukopru, near the Greek border, to Istanbul’s Halkali station, Turkey’s main rail route to Europe.
The Federal Reserve's latest financial stability report was good news for anyone worried that a record run of interest rate hikes might overstress the banking system or trigger a recession with companies and households pushed into default through a broad credit crackdown. Instead, the Fed is wrestling with an economy that has sloughed off tight monetary policy to such a degree that U.S. central bank officials are without a clear view of what to expect and divided over issues like productivity, the economy's underlying potential, and even whether the current policy interest rate is as restrictive as imagined when they called off further hikes. A recently updated Fed index of overall financial conditions showed there was virtually no impact on economic growth right now from the central bank's monetary policy or the broader credit conditions it is intended to influence.
UPS and FedEx are facing uncertainty in U.S. supplies of big, boxy electric step vans they need to replace their gas guzzlers and make a dent in the country's climate-warming tailpipe emissions. The path to electrification by the package delivery giants is critical to U.S. President Joe Biden's transportation climate goals. Achieving that aim, however, is hampered by battery shortages that are limiting EV supplies and keeping prices high, and by startup electric van makers that are running out of money and shutting down.
Hose in hand, 40-year-old Zhu Huangyi cleans a small concrete room once home to his silkworms, two thirds of which were lost in deadly floods hitting southern China this week. - 'I lost all my cocoons' -
Adding to the pain is the loss in the floods of the village's mulberry trees, the silkworms' only source of food.
The U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments on Thursday on Donald Trump’s claim that he enjoys sweeping immunity from criminal prosecution for actions he took as president, a claim that has delayed by months a case accusing him of trying to overturn his 2020 defeat. The federal case brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith charging Trump with trying to overturn his election defeat -- one of four criminal cases the Republican presidential candidate faces -- has been paused since December while the immunity argument plays out. Criminal defendants are not usually able to appeal court rulings until after a trial if they are convicted, but Trump was able to file an immediate appeal because the immunity argument bears on whether he must even face a trial.
Meta reported its Q1 earnings after the bell, beating analysts' expectations on the top and bottom, but a disappointing Q2 forecast sent shares falling.
Ever since college, Brad Jobling struggled with his weight, fluctuating between a low of 155 pounds when he was in his 30s to as high as 220. A little over a year ago, the 58-year-old Manhattan resident went on a new weight loss drug called Wegovy.
French police broke up a pro-Palestinian protest by dozens of university students in Paris, officials said Thursday, as Israel's bombardment of Gaza sparks a wave of anger across college campuses in the United States.The protesters were demanding that Sciences Po "cut its ties with universities and companies that are complicit in the genocide in Gaza" and "end the repression of pro-Palestinian voices on campus", according to witnesses.
Italy’s canal city has begun charging a 5 euro entry fee for people visiting for the day, the world’s first such measure to tackle chronic overtourism at peak times.
Thursday is Take Our Daughters and Sons To Work Day 2024. See why kids have been shadowing their parents for over 30 years and how the tradition started.
A dramatic operation to save the lives of more than 100 pilot whales ended in partial success on Thursday after wildlife officials managed to return most of the stranded animals to sea.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Thursday on the United States and China to manage their differences "responsibly" as he landed in Beijing for tough talks with the rival power's leaders.China has accused the United States of unfair economic coercion.
Taiwan's president-elect has appointed new foreign and defense ministers to join his incoming administration as the island faces continuing military threats and diplomatic isolation from China. Lai Ching-te, who assumes the presidency on May 20, announced Thursday that current Presidential Secretary General Lin Chia-lung will take over as foreign minister.
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