Latest news with #Basic
Scottish Sun
13-06-2025
- Scottish Sun
Aldi's £4.99 foldable cabin bag is perfect for easyJet flights & keeping your clothes tidy on summer hols
WEIGHT OFF Aldi's £4.99 foldable cabin bag is perfect for easyJet flights & keeping your clothes tidy on summer hols Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) TRAVEL lovers will be planning their summer holidays and looking forward to the sun and sea. But there's nothing worse than getting caught out by militant measures - and here's the answer. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Aldi's £4.99 foldable cabin bag is perfect for easyJet flights this summer Credit: Getty 2 The Basic foldable cabin bag comes in at only £4.99 Credit: Aldi To avoid paying for an overpriced cabin bag or finding somewhere to store it in your hotel - Aldi has the solution. Aldi's £4.99 foldable cabin bag is perfect for easyJet flights & keeping your clothes tidy during your summer break. So whether it is a cheeky weekend away, or luggage for that family holiday - check this out. The Basic foldable cabin bag comes in at only £4.99 with the dimensions of 44 x 33 x 16cm. Made out of durable water repellent ripstop material, it has a main compartment, and a water repellent zipper with double puller. It also comes with a mesh pocket at both sides, a trolley sleeve and a carry handle making it perfect for all your holiday essentials. Travel lovers have also been lapping up a big brand cabin bag that's even more penny-pinching than Primark's own version. The Robert Dyas Underseat Cabin Bag is available in black/red, it comes in at a savvy £7.99 and is ideal for short breaks or business trips. The travel companion is priced even lower than Primark's £12 Underseat Bag. It also has an additional sleeve section on the back to fit over trolley case handles. Adjustable shoulder strap and top carry handle. Shopper urges others to nab £8 Morrisons case perfect for EasyJet flights and a breeze to take through the airport Happy customers reviewed online: "Great bag to take on plane." A second added: "Underseat travel bag. Perfect size to use when travelling. Strong bag, easy to fold and store away." A third praised: "Looks good and roomy, ideal to take onboard a plane and lots of compartments for important stuff." Amazon is also selling a cabin bag that is EasyJet and Jet2 compatible. Luggage Rules for Major Airlines British Airways Cabin Baggage: 1 cabin bag (max 56 x 45 x 25 cm) and 1 personal item (max 40 x 30 x 15 cm), total weight up to 23 kg. 1 cabin bag (max 56 x 45 x 25 cm) and 1 personal item (max 40 x 30 x 15 cm), total weight up to 23 kg. Checked Baggage: Economy allows 1 bag up to 23 kg. Premium Economy, Business, and First Class allow more. EasyJet Cabin Baggage: 1 small cabin bag (max 45 x 36 x 20 cm), no weight limit but must fit under the seat. 1 small cabin bag (max 45 x 36 x 20 cm), no weight limit but must fit under the seat. Checked Baggage: Fees apply, up to 23 kg per bag. Passengers can pay for additional weight up to 32 kg. Ryanair Cabin Baggage: 1 small bag (max 40 x 20 x 25 cm). Priority boarding allows an additional larger cabin bag (max 55 x 40 x 20 cm, up to 10 kg). 1 small bag (max 40 x 20 x 25 cm). Priority boarding allows an additional larger cabin bag (max 55 x 40 x 20 cm, up to 10 kg). Checked Baggage: Fees apply, options for 10 kg or 20 kg bags. Virgin Atlantic Cabin Baggage: Economy and Premium allow 1 cabin bag (max 56 x 36 x 23 cm, up to 10 kg). Upper Class allows 2 bags. Economy and Premium allow 1 cabin bag (max 56 x 36 x 23 cm, up to 10 kg). Upper Class allows 2 bags. Checked Baggage: Economy Light has no checked baggage. Economy Classic, Delight, and Premium allow at least 1 bag up to 23 kg. Upper Class allows 2 bags. Emirates Cabin Baggage: Economy allows 1 bag (max 55 x 38 x 20 cm, up to 7 kg). Business and First Class allow 2 bags (total up to 12 kg). Economy allows 1 bag (max 55 x 38 x 20 cm, up to 7 kg). Business and First Class allow 2 bags (total up to 12 kg). Checked Baggage: Economy Class varies by fare type (from 20 kg to 35 kg). Business and First Class allow up to 40 kg and 50 kg respectively. Its available in both grey and black and is waterproof - which is an extra travel bonus. And for those after check in luggage, Dunelm is selling a tough shell, metallic large suitcase for £45.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Yahoo
WWDC 2025 LIVE: Apple reveals its new iOS design
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. And just like that, the opening WWDC keynote is over for another year. As ever, many of the rumours turned out to be true. Apple revealed a new, glassy software design (one that's already raising eyebrows), switched to a new yearly naming system (goodbye iOS 18, hello iOS 26), and announced a smattering of updates for poor old Apple Intelligence. Despite the rumours of a dramatic new design turned out to be somewhat unfounded – while it features translucent new elements, Liquid Glass doesn't completely flip the script on iOS design. But while it was indeed an event filled with iterative updates, WWDC has left users plenty to unpack. Here are the main announcements: Liquid Glass: a new universal design across all platforms. The aesthetic is translucent and behaves like glass in the real world. Its colour is informed by surrounding content and intelligently adapts between light and dark environments. iOS 26, featuring new Apple Intelligence capabilities, redesigned Phone and Messages apps, and updates to CarPlay, Apple Music, Maps, and Wallet iPadOS 26, featuring a brand new windowing system for better multitasking macOS Tahoe 26, featuring the new Liquid Glass design and an overhaul of Spotlight search with new Browse views You can watch the WWDC keynote right here in the video below, and check out our blog updates below for our thoughts as it happened. Hello and welcome to Creative Bloq's annual WWDC live blog! And what better to kick things off than WWDC bingo, lovingly created as ever by Basic Apple Guy. While Apple Intelligence was launched to great fanfare last year, the whole thing has proven rather embarrassing for the company, with headline features including long overdue Siri upgrades long delayed. The situation is apparently so dire that it's causing internal tension at Apple. What comes after iOS 18? Possibly not iOS 19. If rumours are to be believed, Apple could be switching to a year-based naming convention this year. But is that enough to make the iPhone feel exciting again after last year's underwhelming iOS 16 launch? As for what iOS 26 might look like, rumour has it we're in store for a VisionOS-inspired redesign. Think transparent object and glassy textures, and perhaps even circular icons. Fans have been searching for hints of the future of Apple's iOS design language in beta updates over the last year, but this might be one of the most legitimate examples we've seen.... We can probably expect some software updates to AirPods, with new camera controls rumoured to be hitting Apple's earbuds. But what I really to know is if we're ever going to see those rumoured teeth controls. Of course, we can probably expect another California-inspired name for the next iteration of macOS. Previous names have included Big Sur, Monterey, Ventura, Sonoma, and Sequoia, and this year, Apple is rumoured to be calling the new macOS "Tahoe", after Lake Tahoe of course. One rumour that was doing the rounds last month is that WWDC 2025 will see the announcement of a new Apple gaming app. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says the app would work across the Apple ecosystem – so iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV – replacing the dated Game Center (above) as a central hub for gaming with a storefront, highlights, leaderboards, achievements and multiplayer options and integration of the Apple Arcade subscription service. It sounds like it would be inspired by Microsoft's approach with Xbox, and Apple's also reportedly looking at connecting the app with FaceTime and iMessage. While the app wouldn't be released in September, it's been noted how close the timing would be to Nintendo's launch of the new Switch (see our Switch 2 review just in). We've mentioned the rumours about an expected iOS design inspired by VisionOS. We'll surely also see some news about VisionOS itself at WWDC. It's been suggested that visionOS 3, or visionOS 26, will add a new eye-scrolling feature for Vision Pro, which will use the built-in eye tracking features. That sounds like a logical extension of the existing mechanism that allows navigation by looking at something on the display and then gesturing with your hand to tap it. Going back to gaming, we recently learned that Apple's Vision Pro team is working on a VisionOS plugin for Godot Engine in a bid to lower the barrier to XR game development for the device. For iPadOS 26, one intriguing feature that we're hoping to hear about at WWDC is Apple Pencil reed calligraphy. A galam, or reed pen, is a traditional Arabic writing tool used in calligraphy to create flowing strokes that vary in thickness. It's rumoured that Apple will introduce new software that takes advantage of Apple Pencil Pro hardware features, such as its squeeze gestures, barrel roll detection and haptic feedback, to create a digital equivalent. Apple's main aim would be to support expansion in countries like the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, but it sounds like something that could be popular with calligraphy artists everywhere. There are just three hours to go until the keynote. As in recent years, we expect it will be a mix of pre-recorded segments rather than an all-live event. You'll be able to watch in the video above from 10am PDT / 1pm EDT / 6pm in the UK. We'll be posting on context and responses throughout. Severance fans are hoping that WWDC might tease something about what's next for what's become Apple TV's biggest draw. It's too early to expect a Severance season 3 teaser but I wouldn't be surprised if we get some kind of confirmation that filming has started or will start soon. Over on X, regular Apple tipster Ming-Chi Kuo is suggesting that despite the criticised roll our, Apple's AI strategy is going to take centre stage at WWDC today, with UI and OS updates playing only a secondary role. He suggest that there won't be big new announcements in this area but that Apple will focus on clearly explaining how its AI features work and clarifying its development timeline. And he suggests that this might include rebranding Apple Intelligence and Siri and integrating AI at the OS level to improve the user experience. The former Apple QuickTime dev Maynard Handley has some strong words for Apple in response to Ming-Chi Kuo's predictions, and reminds us what WWDC is supposed to be about. "This is a DEVELOPER conference! The single most important thing that matters is an AI assistant in XCode that can analyze and write Swift. If they have that, other things can wait a year, they're at least in the game. If they don't have that, it's time to conclude that they just don't understand the stakes. And expect big drama at the next board meeting." With a brand new design language rumoured to be launching today, we're wondering if the next generation of iOS could be the biggest visual refresh since 2013. That was when iOS 7, which heralded Apple's wholehearted embrace of flat design, hit the iPhone. But with liquid and glassy textures rumoured to be arriving today, perhaps things are finally coming full circle – all the way back to skeuomorphism. This being a software-focussed event, we're not expecting to see much, if anything, in the way of hardware. The iPhone 17 line up, for example, probably won't materialise until September. That said, with rumours that Apple is planning to shake up its release cycle, and the iPhone 16e debuting in February, it seems the company might be a little more open to shaking up its usually rigid calendar. Maybe we could get a glimpse at one of the rumoured models, like the polarising iPhone 17 Air? Now here's a simple but effective concept we'd love to see become a reality in iOS. With all that AI under the hood, couldn't Apple show us how long it'll take for the iPhone to fully charge? Actually, judging by the current state of Apple Intelligence, possibly not. With only 30 minutes to go, let's take a look back at one of the best fan-made iOS 19 concepts we've seen, complete with those rumoured VisionOS-inspired rounded icons. It's time! You can watch Apple's live stream right here - the above video is also embedded at the top of this page. Apple honours its new F1 movie by turning the top of its circular HQ into a race track. Not a bad idea. Here it is, iOS's new look, featuring Apple's brand new 'Liquid Glass' design language, which "brings a new level of vitality" to the software. App icons now feature "multiple layers" – farewell, flat design! You had a good run. As ever, the rumours were true – Apple has rebranded its entire operating system suite, naming them all after the coming year. iOS 19 is dead, long live iOS 26. As well as Light Mode and Dark Mode, there's a new translucent mode that makes icons, er, translucent. Is it weird that the most exciting new feature I've seen so far is Hold Assist, which lets you silence annoying hold music during a call? Uh oh... judging by the response on Twitter, sorry, X, it looks like iOS 26's Liquid Glass is giving people major Windows Vista vibes. It's 2007 all over again! After several attempts, has Apple finally cracked multitasking on iPad? The new windowing system in iPadOS 26 certainly looks more intuitive and, dare we say, Mac-like.
India Today
02-06-2025
- Business
- India Today
NPS pensioners to get more benefits under Unified Pension Scheme. Details here
In a major relief for retired central government staff, the Finance Ministry has announced extra benefits under the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS). This is especially for those who have retired under the National Pension Scheme (NPS) on or before March 31, CAN GET THESE BENEFITS?If you're a central government employee who retired under the NPS and has completed at least 10 years of service, you are eligible. If the retiree has passed away, their legally wedded spouse can also claim UPS benefits will be given in addition to your existing NPS pension. As per a press release dated May 30, 2025, 'The Central government NPS subscribers who retired on or before 31/03/2025 with minimum 10 years of qualifying service or their legally wedded spouse can claim the following additional benefits under Unified Pension Scheme (UPS), over and above the NPS benefits already claimed.'WHAT ARE THE ADDITIONAL BENEFITS?Eligible NPS retirees can either get a one-time payment based on their last drawn Basic Pay and Dearness Allowance (DA) for every six months of service, or receive a monthly top-up if their current pension is less than what they'd get under UPS with Dearness if any, will be paid with simple interest, as per the PPF interest TO APPLY?advertisementThe Ministry said that retirees can apply either online or offline, they need to visit their Drawing and Disbursing Officer (DDO) and submit the form. Those applying online can do so through the official website. The deadline to apply is June 30, earlier this year, government data showed that over 6.4 crore people joined the EPF and ESI schemes between September 2017 and November 2019, while more than 16 lakh individuals enroled under the NPS during the same Watch
CNBC
26-05-2025
- Business
- CNBC
It's the last chance for Southwest plane tickets with two free checked bags, as policy ends in days
Set your alarm. Southwest Airlines customers have only one day to go before the company starts charging to check bags for the first time in more than half a century. Starting Wednesday, Southwest will end its blanket "two bags fly free" policy. It was a perk that was sacrosanct among customers and the airlines' longtime executives alike, setting the airline apart from competitors. But baggage fees brought in nearly $7.3 billion for U.S. airlines last year, according to federal data, and Southwest executives who have long vowed to hold onto the policy have been under pressure to raise revenue. The airline hasn't yet said how much it will charge to check bags, but rivals generally charge about $35 or $40 for a first checked bag for domestic flights, though there are some exceptions. Along with starting to charge for checked bags, Southwest has announced major changes to its business model over the past year, like getting rid of open seating. The carrier is also debuting basic-economy tickets like those sold by Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and United Airlines on Wednesday. Here's what travelers should know about the end of free bags on Southwest: Southwest will no longer offer two free checked bags with many tickets purchased on or after Wednesday. For tickets purchased before then, a Southwest spokesman said the carrier will honor the terms of those fares, like the two free checked bags. The fees will apply to its no-frills Basic, its Wanna Get Away Plus and its Anytime fares. Southwest announced the policy in March after months of pressure from activist Elliott Investment Management, which took a stake in the airline last year and won five board seats, pushing for major changes at the company like its free checked bags, changeable tickets and open seating. Yes. Travelers with top-tier status in Southwest's Rapid Rewards loyalty program will get two free checked bags, as will customers in the highest-level Business Select fares. Customers with a Southwest Airlines co-branded credit card and their travel companions booked together with the same card won't get charged for their first standard checked bag. A-List frequent flyer members, the second-highest tier in the loyalty program, will also get their first bag checked free of charge. Southwest on Wednesday will also start selling basic-economy tickets. With the new Basic fare, customers won't be able to make changes to their tickets, they'll be among the last customers to board and their fare credits will expire in six months, compared with 12 months for other ticket classes. In another change, the airline is ending its Wanna Get Away fare, which was the lowest tier ticket before the changes. Southwest has been known for its open-seating model for decades. Loyalists often obsessively check in a day before their flight in hopes of scoring a favorable boarding slot. But later this year, Southwest says it will start selling tickets for flights in 2026 that will have seat assignments. It is also outfitting its planes with extra legroom seats, like many of its competitors, that fetch higher prices. Southwest executives have told staff that they expect passengers to carry on more luggage (those policies for free carry-ons aren't changing) and have said the airline is installing larger overhead bins on its Boeing fleet, which should help with an influx of carry-on bags. Executives have also said staff will get mobile bag-tag printers at gates and airport lobbies to assist customers. Southwest can hardly post on social media — even about babies and puppies on board — without getting angry comments about the changed baggage policy. But CEO Bob Jordan told CNBC last month that the policy change announcement the company made on March 11 hasn't deterred customers. "We have seen no book-down on that day or after that day," he said on "Squawk on the Street" on April 24.
Daily Maverick
18-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Maverick
SA's expanding labour force caught between hope and a crumbling job market
The labour force figures for Q1 of 2025 released by Statistics South Africa painted a grim picture of South Africa's labour market. As people continually enter the labour market, the stats show that the government and business need to start thinking innovatively to ensure there are enough jobs to go around. This week, South Africans were once again confronted by the news that the nation's already dire unemployment rate had deepened when Stats SA released its Q1: 2025 Quarterly Labour Force Survey on Tuesday, 13 May. The official unemployment rate rose to 32.9%, a 1% increase from the previous quarter, and the expanded unemployment rate escalated to 43.1%. On Tuesday, Daily Maverick reported on how South Africa was not only losing jobs, but large numbers of people are dropping out of the job market. While the working age population has grown by 130,000 from the last quarter, pushing the group to 41.7 million people, the labour force contracted, meaning 291,000 people lost their jobs. These 291,000 people joined an already crowded group of South Africans who are living through joblessness. It is important to note that while the labour force stands at 41.7 million people, only 16.8 million people are in active employment. This means that about 25.1 million South Africans are vying for employment in a market that simply does not have enough jobs to accommodate everybody, and young people are disproportionately affected. Youth locked out: The battle for a first job One of the clearest indicators of how dire the battle for jobs is, is laid bare by the sheer number of applications the nation's different job placement programmes and initiatives receive. The Youth Employment Service (YES) initiative is a public-private partnership focused on providing meaningful work experience for young people by partnering with businesses in the private sector. In an interview with Daily Maverick, YES CEO Ravi Naidoo revealed that since its inception, the programme has placed 187,200 young people in full-time 12-month work opportunities. However, 4.68 million young people have applied to YES over the years. 'That's between 25 to 30 applicants per placement,' said Naidoo. 'We'd give more opportunities if we had more sponsorship. But YES is 100% privately funded — we don't receive a single rand from government.' At Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator, a similar pattern emerges. In the last Department of Basic Education Employment Initiative (DBE-EI) alone, over 13.8 million applications were received — from just 1.4 million unique youth applicants — competing for roughly 207,000 positions. 'That means a single candidate applied to an average of 290 schools, just for one potential placement. That kind of volume illustrates just how desperate young people are for a foot in the door,' explained Bongani Kgomongwe, Head of Data at Harambee. Kgomongwe said that Harambee had experienced a similar trend in the other job placement and learnership opportunities it facilitated, not to the same scale as the DBE-E. Despite the well-documented shortages in key sectors, such as teaching, nursing and early childhood development, the government has failed to align available human capital with existing needs. Kgomongwe highlights this disconnect: 'Yes, there seem to be positions available, but even if we close those skill gaps, we are still coming up short in terms of actual placement opportunities. Producing a million matriculants a year while offering a fraction of permanent jobs is not sustainable.' He emphasises the urgency of rethinking qualification routes and leveraging non-traditional pathways like coding bootcamps and data training programmes that don't require three- or four-year degrees. 'We've learnt that traditional proxies like degrees are not always necessary. Programs that identify aptitude — and train youth in 6- to 18-month sprints — can fill gaps faster and better,' he said. The depth of the crisis As economic analyst Duma Gqubule starkly put it, 'We should never normalise this crisis. The world unemployment rate is 4.9%. More than 80 countries have achieved full employment. If others can do it, why can't we?' Gqubule points to a mismatch between the growth of the labour force and sluggish economic expansion. Since 2008, the labour force has increased by 8.8 million people — but only two million jobs have been created, and just 1.2 million of those are in the formal sector. 'Our economy over the past 16 years has grown by just 1.1% annually. We need a GDP growth rate of at least 4% just to keep up with new labour market entrants. To reduce unemployment, we need 6% growth or more.' Gqubule argued that no single institution was directly responsible for job creation, yet the government needed to be more proactive in its approach to job creation. 'The Treasury is focused on creating budget surpluses, and the Reserve Bank on inflation. If the two most important institutions in the economy don't care about jobs, who will create them?' he asked. What will drive job creation? Three pillars must underpin any national job creation strategy, according to Gqubule: Massive economic growth The economy must grow faster and differently. Growth must be labour-intensive, targeting sectors such as manufacturing, infrastructure and agriculture. 'We need industrial policies that increase the employment multiplier — the number of jobs created per percentage point of GDP growth. Our current structure doesn't absorb the skills of the people we actually have.' Expanded public employment programmes The government must drastically scale up initiatives like the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) and the Presidential Employment Stimulus. 'We need a new institution — a quasi-public agency — that funds and monitors these programmes. The goal should be to create five million work opportunities, not just the 1.8 million we have now.' Gqubule recommends funding this by abolishing the ineffective Employment Tax Incentive, which he calls a 'basic income grant for employers,' and redirecting funds from the R137-billion surplus in the Unemployment Insurance Fund to fund the new dedicated national jobs agency to ensure SA's public employment programmes are well funded and sustainable. YES as a scalable model for impact According to Naidoo, YES is twice as large as all 21 Sector Education and Training Authorities (Setas) combined in terms of completed full-year placements, despite being entirely funded by the private sector. He said that even though YES was not funded by the taxpayer, the initiative delivered more than the Setas and internships funded by the government. 'We've had over 1,800 companies fund youth placements. The only constraint is sponsorship,' said Naidoo. Naidoo said that in 2023 alone, 7,300 YES alumni started their own businesses, making it the largest pipeline of young entrepreneurs in the country. 'They're not just workers — they're becoming future employers,' Naidoo said. 'The idea is to make youth the solution to youth unemployment.' What must change? Both Gqubule and Naidoo agree that economic growth alone isn't enough. Growth must be labour-intensive, and it must come with deliberate pathways from education to employment. 'You can't study plumbing and never touch a pipe,' Naidoo noted. 'We need real work experience linked to vocational training. Otherwise, we waste the billions already being spent on education and skills.' Gqubule adds: 'We need massive investment in public employment programmes and infrastructure, which has the highest job multiplier in the economy. Government needs to stop cutting these budgets and start treating them as the economic engine they are.' Concrete recommendations include: Creating a central public-private agency to expand and monitor job creation programmes. Abolishing the ineffective employment tax incentive. Redirecting surplus funds like the R137-billion in the Unemployment Insurance Fund toward real job creation. Rethinking rigid qualification requirements for high-demand industries. Naidoo, meanwhile, emphasised the need for ecosystem alignment between the private sector, government training programmes and demand-side job placement. 'We don't want government's money, but we do want their training to connect with our opportunities. There's no point spending billions on TVETs if those graduates aren't getting jobs.' He warned that unless this alignment improved, even good government spending would be ineffective. 'We already spend R500-billion a year on education and training, more per capita than most countries in the world. But up to 50% of that is wasted, because it doesn't lead to employment.' DM
