logo
Travel warning for six countries where 'airspace could be closed'

Travel warning for six countries where 'airspace could be closed'

Daily Mail​3 hours ago

The UK government has issued new advice for several countries that could be impacted by 'ongoing hostilities' between Israel and Iran.
The fresh warning affects six countries including one that's a major holiday destination for UK travellers.
Tourists have been warned they could face delays and cancellations to flights in Oman, the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
In the update, which was posted to the countries' FCDO pages last night, the government warns that 'ongoing hostilities in the region and between Israel and Iran could escalate quickly and pose security risks for the wider region'.
It adds: 'There is a possibility of travel disruption, including short-notice airspace closures, delayed and cancelled flights, and other unanticipated travel impacts.
'You should monitor local and international media for the latest information. Be vigilant and follow the instructions of local authorities.
'Check with relevant airlines for the latest updates before travelling.'
The UAE is a major tourist destination for the UK with more than one million Britons travelling to the Middle Eastern country in 2024.
In the update, the government warns that 'ongoing hostilities in the region and between Israel and Iran could escalate quickly and pose security risks for the wider region'. Oman (pictured above) is under the warning
While there is no warning against travelling to any of the six countries, Brits should check their flight details for the latest updates.
The travel advice for Jordan, another popular holiday destination in the region, has not changed.
The UK government advises against all travel to both Israel and Iran.
Israel launched its assault on Iran - named Operation Rising Lion' - on Friday June 13. The IDF has targeted the country's nuclear sites and military bases.
Iran has retaliated with drone attacks, one of which shut down the country's largest oil refinery in Haifa.
Donald Trump has said he will decide whether the US will get involved in the conflict between Israel and Iran within the next two weeks.
and Germany are set to meet with the Iranian foreign minister today in Geneva in a search for a diplomatic solution to the conflict.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Report: Trump's four key advisers on bombing Iran
Report: Trump's four key advisers on bombing Iran

Daily Mail​

time31 minutes ago

  • Daily Mail​

Report: Trump's four key advisers on bombing Iran

President Donald Trump has been coached through the Iran and Israel war by four crucial confidants, but they are surprisingly not all top military brass. Though Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has played a public role in the Trump administration's defense strategy, he is not among the advisors closest to the president on the Iran matter, current and former White House sources say. Neither is Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, the sources told the Washington Post. Though sources close to the intelligence director push back, saying she's been in regular contact with the president this week and at important meetings. The most influential figures in Trump's orbit as he weighs a U.S. strikes to take out Iran's nuclear technology are Vice President J.D. Vance , Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine, an outside White House advisor told the outlet. The group of four is referred to as the 'Tier one' group of decision makers, the advisor shared. These are the men making critical decisions on whether to get involved in the war. These sour advisors are now helping the president sort through contingency plans for U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities that are buried deep under mountains. Israeli military officials have called on the U.S. to use GB-57 'bunker buster' bombs on the nuclear sites - a weapon that can only be delivered by U.S.-made planes that are captained by American pilots - a move that risks escalating the conflict further. The Pentagon pushed back on the Post report, telling the Daily Mail that Hegseth has not been sidelined amid Caine's rising influence. 'This claim is completely false,' Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement. 'The Secretary is speaking with the President multiple times a day each day and has been with the President in the Situation Room this week. The DNI has been in critical meetings with the president on Iran this week, a senior intelligence official told the Daily Mail on Thursday, saying she's taking part in National Security Council meetings and impromptu White House sessions. The Gorilla vs. The Gram Trump has also been consulting with General Michael Erik Kurilla, the four-star head of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) who has earned the imposing nickname 'The Gorilla.' Multiple U.S. officials have said Kurilla has been a more influential voice than the defense secretary and he routinely gets his requests for additional resources approved, making CENTCOM one of the most fortified commands. Meanwhile, at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), several longtime staffers expressed concern over Gabbard's priorities. Sources inside the ODNI accuse Trump's spy chief of focusing on her appearance rather than her intelligence work, CNN reports. These staffers pointed to her polished Instagram making her appear more like a fitness influencer than a Cabinet member.

Holidaymakers reveals top 10 items they pack when they go abroad, research by TUI River Cruises reveals
Holidaymakers reveals top 10 items they pack when they go abroad, research by TUI River Cruises reveals

Scotsman

timean hour ago

  • Scotsman

Holidaymakers reveals top 10 items they pack when they go abroad, research by TUI River Cruises reveals

Even though (36 percent) are keen to travel abroad every year, a staggering three quarters of the nation are put off by not being surrounded by the comforts of home and familiarity as (75 percent) stated it was important to be surrounded by familiarity when abroad. Nearly half (43 percent) say that being around smiley staff and friendly crew means the most to them and a third (37 percent) say that being taken care of is the most important thing when they are abroad, allowing them to make them feel more at home. With (33 percent) stating that friendly crew and staff make them feel more relaxed whilst they are abroad on their holidays. It's no surprise that three quarters (75 percent) want familiarity of home when they are on an abroad holiday, so TUI River Cruises has invited TV Presenter, Anthea Turner to spot all of those home from home comforts she can get onboard a TUI River Cruise this summer. With Anthea sailing the Danube, she felt like she was able to travel in comfort and premium style whilst visiting famous landmarks in Hungary, Slovakia and Austria along the way. With TUI River Cruises, every aspect of your holiday is taken care of. Providing all-inclusive river cruise holidays with full end-to-end service, including flights, a selection of cabins, entertainment, exceptional food and drinks and transfers. The river cruise line provides choice and flexibility with its three- to eight-night sailings and various river offerings from the cultural Danube and festive Rhine to the sunny Nile. Anthea Turner hopped onboard TUI River Cruises to try out the All Inclusive river sailing with Twinings Tea bags and afternoon tea all in tow. Whilst sailing, she tried out a range of varied excursions from the Walking Tour of Passau where she was able to explore the Baroque-designed St Stephen's Cathedral and Italian-inspired buildings which are surrounded by cobbled stone lanes, for the first time. Anthea Turner, TV Presenter says: 'A river cruise is a brilliant way to explore different cities in a relaxed environment. I was able to explore the grand cities along the Danube in the comfort of familiarity onboard TUI Skyla. From branded tea to hearty British classics onboard, TUI River Cruises has Brits covered so they can relax and unwind and visit the scenic sights along the river in style.' Surprisingly, two out of five Brits (39 percent) don't even know where they want to go on holiday before they book it. To help the nation choose the right river cruise for them, with the familiar comforts from home, TUI River Cruises has created the 'Which river cruise is for me?' tool, which showcases all of the different options customers can get with TUI River Cruises if they're interested in history, cities or scenic wonders, there's a river cruise for everyone. Showcasing the vast destinations from the sunny Nile to the scenic Danube, excursions, length and offerings, customers have a vast range of variety available at their fingertips 10 HOME FROM HOME OBJECTS BRITS NEED WHEN THEY GO AWAY: 1 . Contributed Anthea Turner has teamed up with TUI River Cruises exploring the European cities along the river Danube and the home from home comforts onboard TUI Skyla. Photo: Submitted Photo Sales 2 . Contributed Anthea Turner has teamed up with TUI River Cruises exploring the European cities along the river Danube and the home from home comforts onboard TUI Skyla. Photo: Submitted Photo Sales 3 . Contributed Anthea Turner has teamed up with TUI River Cruises exploring the European cities along the river Danube and the home from home comforts onboard TUI Skyla. Photo: Submitted Photo Sales 4 . Contributed Anthea Turner has teamed up with TUI River Cruises exploring the European cities along the river Danube and the home from home comforts onboard TUI Skyla. Photo: Submitted Photo Sales Related topics: Holidaymakers

Democrats wrestle over chance to kill the ban on transgender care in Trump's ‘Big, Beautiful Bill'
Democrats wrestle over chance to kill the ban on transgender care in Trump's ‘Big, Beautiful Bill'

The Independent

timean hour ago

  • The Independent

Democrats wrestle over chance to kill the ban on transgender care in Trump's ‘Big, Beautiful Bill'

Despite being in the minority, Democrats have a chance to remove a provision from President Donald Trump's ' One Big, Beautiful Bill ' that would prevent Medicaid dollars from being used to cover gender-affirming care.' The questions is, will they? The issue emerges more than eight months after a 2024 election from which Democrats are still digging out and also working out their messaging about how to defend the rights of transgender people without being painted as too radical by Republicans. In the presidential race, Trump and his associated super PACS hit Kamala Harris in ads for supporting taxpayer-funded gender transition surgeries for inmates, ending the ad by saying 'Kamala is for They/Them. President Trump is for you.' Republicans also hit Democrats in down-ballot races specifically on the subject of allowing transgender athletes to compete in women's sports. That might be why when The Independent asked some top Democratic senators about whether they would try to strike the language from Republicans' bill, even some of the most liberal voices said they did not know . 'I don't know,' Sen. Chris Murphy told The Independent last week when asked if it could the strict criteria the Senate Parliamentarian would subject the bill to. Sen. Patty Murray, the vice chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, simply told The Independent, 'I haven't seen the language.' Murray later clarified on Bluesky that she opposed the ban in Medicaid. 'I had not seen the language but let me be clear: I support stripping out as much from the bill as Democrats can, including this ban.' But even liberal Democrats like Sen. Elizabeth Warren dodged the question. 'I haven't seen it, ' she told The Independent last week when asked if she would raise a point of order on it. When asked if she was worried about it, she repeated, 'I haven't seen it.' The avoidance shows how Democrats are in the position of being on the defensive on an issue where Republicans think they can win against Democrats, while at the same time defending a vulnerable population the party has long said it would support. Some Democrats have said they would support efforts to challenge the language. Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, who is the first openly gay person elected to the Senate, told The Independent earlier this month that she assumed Democrats would but that she had not seen the details of the legislation 'What I would say substantively is that, this is, again, talking about taking away people's health care, and taking parents' ability to decide what kind of health care their children need,' she said. The Republican bill in the House that passed through the House Energy & Commerce Committee banned Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance dollars from being used to provide gender-affirming care for minors. In a last-minute addition before the bill went to a vote on the floor, an amendment struck the term 'for minors' from the legislation, meaning it would put in place a blanket ban on gender-affirming care for all transgender people. The legislation would also prohibit coverage of gender transition care as an 'essential health benefit' offered by health care exchanges created in the 2010 Affordable Care Act signed by former president Barack Obama. The Senate Finance Committee released the health care part of its version that is almost identical to the House version except it does not include the 'essential health benefit' provision. 'I obviously think these issues are private and personal,' Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, the top Democrat on the Finance Committee which is in charge of health care, told The Independent. Republicans, who have only 53 seats in the Senate, plan to pass the bill through the process of budget reconciliation. That would allow them to pass the bill with a simple majority and avoid a filibuster as long as the legislation relates to the budget and federal spending. As part of the process, the legislation goes through the 'Byrd Bath,' named for late Senator Robert Byrd, where the Senate Parliamentarian determines whether parts of the legislation relate directly to the budget or are 'merely incidental.' Republican Rep. Dan Crenshaw of Texas, who sponsored the amendment, told The Independent that he believes it will comply with the rules because it saves taxpayer dollars. But if the the Senate parliamentarian rules that part of the legislation does not comply with reconciliation rules, the majority party can still bring the amendment on the floor, but the minority party can raise a point of order. If Republicans want to waive the point of order, it would require three-fifths of the Senate, or 60 votes, vote to waive it. Sen Jeff Merkley, the top Democrat on the Senate Budget Committee, said that he thought Democrats would likely challenge it. 'Well, we're certainly taking a look at all of the pieces of policy that don't belong in this type of bill,' he told The Independent. 'You don't put policy in there. That sure sounds like policy to me.' It also comes after when Republicans regularly criticized Democrats in campaign advertisements about allowing transgender athletes in women's sports. Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona, who recently told The Dispatch that he opposes allowing transgender athletes in some women's sports, told The Independent he thought that Democrats would challenge the Medicaid ban. 'I think it's outside the boundaries of reconciliation,' Gallego told The Independent. Mady Castigan, independent journalist and advocate who has published updates on the bill and urged people to call their lawmakers about it, has been pushing for people to make calls to lawmakers to oppose the bill. 'I really doubt there's a ton of people calling and asking their senators to vote for this specific provision,' she said. 'But I guarantee you, there's a ton more calling in to oppose it, and whenever something like that happens, you know, it definitely swings the political calculations.' But as of right now, much of the future of the legislation is unclear because Senate Republicans have yet to release the tax and health care aspects of their bill. 'I would assume so, but I haven't seen the details of it,' Sen. Tina Smith of Minnesota, who is retiring, told The Independent about whether Democrats would challenge the ban. But other Democrats avoided the question. 'There's a whole list of stuff that's being scrubbed there. Both in the privilege scrub now and in the later point of order challenges, and I can't say any more than that,' Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island told The Independent. This would not be the first time that Democrats and supporters of transgender rights pushed back on anti-transgender legislation. Earlier this year, Senate Democrats blocked legislation that would have banned transgender athletes from women's sports.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store