Itineraries for Saga’s new river vessel will be musically themed on The Beatles, and Gilbert and Sullivan.
Saga’s Spirit of the Rhine will sail its inaugural voyage in March 2021
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Saga reveals new audio-themed river itineraries
Spirit of the Rhine’s itineraries are perfectly pitched!
Spirit of the Rhine’s inaugural 6-evening voyage in March 2021, Bootleg Beatles, will go to Amsterdam metropolis, Alkmaar Beatles museum, Enkhuizen and Zaandem.
Other itineraries contain the Rhine, Moselle, Main, Danube and waterways of Holland.
DJ Johnnie Walker, cricket commentator Jonathan Agnew, broadcasters Alistair Stewart and John Sergeant, Tv set gardener Charlie Dimmock, art qualified Raj Bisram and wine connoisseur Jilly Goolden will sail on the ship in its very first season.
The 190-passenger ship echoes the styling of Saga Cruises’ new ocean vessels, with most of the 17sqm cabins which include a French balcony and flooring-to-ceiling home windows.
There is also a lounge and bar, gym, library, sun deck with warm tub, barbecue, considerable seating on deck and two restaurants.
All cruises will be marketed on a complete-board offer with a least of 3 excursions.
A Muslim woman was threatened with being kicked off a flight after she asked to sit with her family, her husband claims.
Mehdi Hasan, a British journalist based in the US, said his wife was “in tears” after a Southwest Airlines flight attendant told her she’d be escorted off the plane for asking if another passenger would be willing to swap seats.
He claimed the incident, which occurred during a flight from Houston and Washington DC on 1 December, was racially motivated.
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Sharing the full story, not just the headlines
Southwest operates an open seat policy, whereby passengers can sit where they like on a first-come, first-served basis.
“Hey @SouthwestAir: not a good look for your flight attendant on SW5539 to DC last night to loudly tell a brown woman in a headscarf she’ll be ‘escorted off the plane’ for making people feel ‘uncomfortable’ – because she wanted to sit with her husband and kids,” Mr Hasan tweeted in a Twitter thread that quickly went viral.
“The flight attendant called ground staff onto the plane, complained about the Muslim woman – my wife! – to them, and escalated rather than de-escalated the situation – simply because my wife politely asked a guy if he’d give up his seat for our family (which he was fine with!).”
According to Mr Hasan, fellow passengers supported the family, with one asking aloud, “Why is [the flight attendant] escalating this?” and another telling them the crew member “treated you like a venomous snake”.
“Thanks for ruining the end of our Thanksgiving trip and leaving my wife in tears – because she wanted us all to sit together as a family while your flight attendant wanted to single her out and humiliate her,” he wrote, adding that he doesn’t plan on flying with the airline again.
1/50 8 December 2019
People gather amidst the ruins of a building, destroyed during reported Syrian regime and Russian air strikes the previous day in the town of Balyun in the south of Syria’s Idlib province, that killed at least nine civilians including three children and wounding several others. – The reported air raids killed 19 civilians, eight of them children, in the country’s last major opposition bastion.
AFP via Getty Images
2/50 6 December 2019
People stand on top of a collapsed six-storey building in Nairobi, Kenya. Local media reported that several people are feared trapped as the rescue operation continues
EPA
3/50 5 December 2019
A man wearing a clown mask and waving a smoke bomb takes part in a demonstration to protest against the pension overhauls, in Marseille, southern France, as part of a national general strike. France scrambled to make contingency plans on for a huge strike against pension overhauls that poses one of the biggest challenges yet to French President’s sweeping reform drive
AFP/Getty
4/50 5 December 2019
Southeast Asian Games, Vietnam v Indonesia, Women’s Volleyball Preliminary Round – Philsports Arena, Pasig, Philippines
Reuters
5/50 4 December 2019
Firefighters work to contain a large fire at an industrial building at Inlet Road inn Auckland, New Zealand
Getty
6/50 3 December 2019
Doan Quynh Nam Tran of Vietnam competes in the women’s gymnastics at the SEA Games (Southeast Asian Games) in Manila
AFP via Getty
7/50 2 December 2019
A youth plays on foamy discharge, caused by pollutants, as it mixes with the surf at a beach in Chennai
AFP via Getty
8/50 1 December 2019
Southeast Asian Games at the Royce Hotel, Mabalacat, Philippines. Vietnam’s Pham Hong Anh in action during her single dance final.
Reuters
9/50 30 November 2019
A woman holds a coloured flag at the Botswana Pride Parade in Gaborone. The parade is the first one organised in Botswana, after the Court ruled on June 11 in favour of decriminalising homosexuality, which had been punishable by a jail term of up to seven years.
AFP via Getty
10/50 29 November 2019
A child holds a placard during a ‘drop dead’ flashmob protest against climate change consequences at Lumpini Park in Bangkok, Thailand
Reuters
11/50 28 November 2019
Pro-democracy protesters hold an SOS sign and US national flags during a Thanksgiving rally in Edinburgh Place, Hong Kong. Protesters were thanking US President Donald Trump for signing into a law ‘The Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act Hong Kong’, provoking an angry backlash from the Chinese government. Hong Kong is in its sixth month of mass protests, which were originally triggered by a now withdrawn extradition bill, and have since turned into a wider pro-democracy movement
EPA
12/50 27 November 2019
Rescuers with a dog search through the rubble of a collapsed building after an earthquake in Durres, western Albania
AP
13/50 26 November 2019
A shepherd leads a flock of sheep on a pontoon bridge in Allahabad
AFP via Getty
14/50 25 November 2019
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects a female company belonging to 5492 troops
KCNA via Reuters
15/50 24 November 2019
A protester jumps between burning tires during ongoing anti-government protests in Basra, Iraq
Reuters
16/50 23 November 2019
Fans dressed as Star Wars characters during day three of the first Test between Australia and Pakistan at The Gabba in Australia
Getty
17/50 22 November 2019
Pope Francis speaks with religious leaders during a meeting at the Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand
Reuters
18/50 21 November 2019
A girl injured in last night’s attack by the Syrian regime on a camp for displaced people near the Turkish border in Idlib, Syria is held up to the camera
AFP/Getty
19/50 20 November 2019
Indian paramilitary soldiers detain a Congress party supporter during a protest against the withdrawal of Special Protection Group (SPG) cover to party president Sonia Gandhi, her children and former prime minister Manmohan Singh, in New Delh. The move to lift off the SPG security, an elite force that protects prime ministers and their immediate families, led to sharp reactions from the Congress, which accused the government of personal vendetta
AP
20/50 19 November 2019
An image taken from a plane window shows Sydney shrouded in smoke from nearby bush fires
AAP Imagevia Reuters
21/50 18 November 2019
Protesters run for cover after riot police fired tear gas towards the bridge they were climbing down to the road below, to escape from Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Dozens escaped the besieged campus by lowering themselves on a rope from a footbridge to a highway. Once on the road they were seen being picked up by waiting motorcyclists
AFP via Getty
22/50 17 November 2019
Anti-government protesters draped in Iraqi national flags walk into clouds of smoke from burning tires during a demonstration in the southern city of Basra, Iraq
AFP via Getty
23/50 16 November 2019
A protester wearing a yellow jacket waves a French flag in a fountain during a demonstration to mark the first anniversary of the “yellow vests” movement in Nice, France
Reuters
24/50 15 November 2019
A Palestinian protester uses a slingshot to return a tear gas canister fired by Israeli forces amid clashes following a weekly demonstration against the expropriation of Palestinian land by Israel in the village of Kfar Qaddum
AFP via Getty
25/50 14 November 2019
A patient suffering from dengue fever receives medical treatment at an isolation ward at a hospital in Larkana, Pakistan. According to local reports, 26 deaths have been reported out of a total of 10,013 confirmed cases of dengue infection. Dengue fever is reportedly caused by a specific type of mosquito, the Aedes mosquito, that bites only during daytime, especially during sunrise and sunset.
EPA
26/50 13 November 2019
An anti-government protester flashes the V-sign for victory in front of burning tyres used to block a main road at the entrance of Tripoli. The previous night, street protests erupted across Lebanon after President Michel Aoun defended the role of his allies, the Shiite movement Hezbollah, in Lebanon’s government, cutting off several major roads. In his televised address, Aoun proposed a government that includes both technocrats and politicians
AFP via Getty
27/50 12 November 2019
An Israeli missile launching from the Iron Dome defence missile system, designed to intercept and destroy incoming short-range rockets and artillery shells. They were sent up to intercept rockets launched from the nearby Palestinian Gaza Strip. Israel’s military killed a commander for Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad in a strike on his home, prompting retaliatory rocket fire and fears of a severe escalation in violence
AFP/Getty
28/50 11 November 2019
A species of deer thought to be extinct, the chevrotain, has been spotted for the first time in 30 years in the wilds of Vietnam. The deer is around the size of a domestic cat
SIE/GWC/Leibniz-IZW/NCNP /SWNS.C
29/50 10 November 2019
The royal motorcade of Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, under tight security, passes through a street in Tokyo. Thousands of people gathered for the rare open-top car parade featuring the newly enthroned Emperor
Kyodo News via AP
30/50 9 November 2019
People knock over a mock-up of the former Berlin Wall during a performance prior to the German first division Bundesliga football match Hertha BSC Berlin v RB Leipzig on the 30 anniversary of the fall off the wall
AFP/Getty
31/50 8 November 2019
Flames from an out of control bushfire from a nearby residential area in Harrington, northeast of Sydney. Australian firefighters warned they were in “uncharted territory” as they struggled to contain dozens of out-of-control bushfires across the east of the country
Kelly-ann Oosterbeek/AFP/Getty
32/50 7 November 2019
Demonstrators shine lasers during a protest against Chile’s government in Santiago, the capital
Reuters
33/50 6 November 2019
Activists from India’s main opposition Congress party shout slogans as they are stopped by police during a protest against what the activists say is economic slowdown in the country, in Guwahati, India
Reuters
34/50 5 November 2019
Smoke rises from a fire in downtown Lagos, Nigeria. Firefighters worked hard to try and extinguish a fire at the Balogun market. Thick black smoke and flames shot from the five-story buildings as fire trucks attempted to get access
AP
35/50 4 November 2019
Women run down a sand dune as they take part in the desert trek “Rose Trip Maroc” in the erg Chebbi near Merzouga. It is a female-oriented trek where teams of three must travel through the southern Moroccan Sahara desert with a compass, a map and a topographical reporter
AFP via Getty
36/50 3 November 2019
Riot police descend an escalator inside the City Plaza mall in Hong Kong after a bloody knife fight wounded six people there. A local pro-democracy politician had his ear bitten off during another chaotic day of political unrest in the city
AFP via Getty
37/50 2 November 2019
People participate in the celebration of the ‘muerteadas de Jalapa del Valle’, as part of the Day of the Dead in Mexico
EPA
38/50 1 November 2019
Firefighters work to control flames from a backfire during the Maria fire in Santa Paula, California
AFP via Getty
39/50 31 October 2019
Aurora Borealis, the Northern Lights, over the Vestrahorn mountain in the east of Iceland
PA
40/50 30 October 2019
A model presents a creation at the show Heaven Gaia by Xiong Ying during the China Fashion Week in Beijing. The fashion event runs from 25 October to 2 November
EPA
41/50 29 October 2019
Hindu devotees collect rice as offerings on ‘Annakut’ or ‘Govardhan Puja’ festival at the Madan Mohan temple in Kolkata. People in large numbers gather at the temple to collect the rice offerings in the belief that it will keep them in good health and they’ll never face poverty or scarcity of food
AFP via Getty
42/50 28 October 2019
Authorities investigate after a Port Authority bus was caught in a sinkhole in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
AP
43/50 27 October 2019
South Africa players celebrate after beating Wales in their Rugby World Cup semi-final match. The Springboks will face England in next Saturday’s final following fly-half Handre Pollard’s match-winning penalty four minutes from time. The match ended 19-16
Reuters
44/50 26 October 2019
Participants from Thailand pose in front of the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall as they take part in the annual gay pride parade in Taipei. Some two hundred thousand revellers marched through Taipei in a riot of rainbow colours and celebration as Taiwan held its first pride parade since making history in Asia by legalising gay marriage
AFP/Getty
45/50 25 October 2019
A girl enjoys a ball bath as she is being photographed at the made-for-Instagram museum ‘Cali Dreams’ in Dusseldorf, Germany. No artworks are shown in this museum, rather each visitor himself becomes an artwork by staging himself in front of one of the 25 sceneries. Cali Dreams is initially open for three months. After this test phase, however, the museum is planned as a long-term project
EPA
46/50 24 October 2019
A fire lorry speeds towards a rampant wildfire near Geyserville, California
AFP/Getty
47/50 23 October 2019
Protesters facing Lebanese army soldiers wave national flags in the area of Jal al-Dib in the northern outskirts of Beirut. A week of unprecedented street protests against the political class showed no signs of abating, despite the army moving to reopen key roads. Protests were sparked on October 17 by a proposed tax on WhatsApp and other messaging apps
AFP/Getty
48/50 22 October 2019
Liberal leader and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau waves to supporters beside his wife Sophie after the federal election at the Palais des Congres in Montreal. He managed to hold on to power, albeit of a minority government, in one of the most divisive elections in the country’s history
Reuters
49/50 21 October 2019
A convoy of US vehicles is seen after withdrawing from northern Syria, on the outskirts of Dohuk, Iraq
Reuters
50/50 20 October 2019
Japan players go over to thank their fans after South Africa beat them in the quarter-final of the Rugby World Cup. Makazole Mapimpi double ended the hosts’ dreams in Tokyo 3-26. The Springboks will now face Wales in the semi-finals for a place in the final
Reuters
1/50 8 December 2019
People gather amidst the ruins of a building, destroyed during reported Syrian regime and Russian air strikes the previous day in the town of Balyun in the south of Syria’s Idlib province, that killed at least nine civilians including three children and wounding several others. – The reported air raids killed 19 civilians, eight of them children, in the country’s last major opposition bastion.
AFP via Getty Images
2/50 6 December 2019
People stand on top of a collapsed six-storey building in Nairobi, Kenya. Local media reported that several people are feared trapped as the rescue operation continues
EPA
3/50 5 December 2019
A man wearing a clown mask and waving a smoke bomb takes part in a demonstration to protest against the pension overhauls, in Marseille, southern France, as part of a national general strike. France scrambled to make contingency plans on for a huge strike against pension overhauls that poses one of the biggest challenges yet to French President’s sweeping reform drive
AFP/Getty
4/50 5 December 2019
Southeast Asian Games, Vietnam v Indonesia, Women’s Volleyball Preliminary Round – Philsports Arena, Pasig, Philippines
Reuters
5/50 4 December 2019
Firefighters work to contain a large fire at an industrial building at Inlet Road inn Auckland, New Zealand
Getty
6/50 3 December 2019
Doan Quynh Nam Tran of Vietnam competes in the women’s gymnastics at the SEA Games (Southeast Asian Games) in Manila
AFP via Getty
7/50 2 December 2019
A youth plays on foamy discharge, caused by pollutants, as it mixes with the surf at a beach in Chennai
AFP via Getty
8/50 1 December 2019
Southeast Asian Games at the Royce Hotel, Mabalacat, Philippines. Vietnam’s Pham Hong Anh in action during her single dance final.
Reuters
9/50 30 November 2019
A woman holds a coloured flag at the Botswana Pride Parade in Gaborone. The parade is the first one organised in Botswana, after the Court ruled on June 11 in favour of decriminalising homosexuality, which had been punishable by a jail term of up to seven years.
AFP via Getty
10/50 29 November 2019
A child holds a placard during a ‘drop dead’ flashmob protest against climate change consequences at Lumpini Park in Bangkok, Thailand
Reuters
11/50 28 November 2019
Pro-democracy protesters hold an SOS sign and US national flags during a Thanksgiving rally in Edinburgh Place, Hong Kong. Protesters were thanking US President Donald Trump for signing into a law ‘The Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act Hong Kong’, provoking an angry backlash from the Chinese government. Hong Kong is in its sixth month of mass protests, which were originally triggered by a now withdrawn extradition bill, and have since turned into a wider pro-democracy movement
EPA
12/50 27 November 2019
Rescuers with a dog search through the rubble of a collapsed building after an earthquake in Durres, western Albania
AP
13/50 26 November 2019
A shepherd leads a flock of sheep on a pontoon bridge in Allahabad
AFP via Getty
14/50 25 November 2019
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects a female company belonging to 5492 troops
KCNA via Reuters
15/50 24 November 2019
A protester jumps between burning tires during ongoing anti-government protests in Basra, Iraq
Reuters
16/50 23 November 2019
Fans dressed as Star Wars characters during day three of the first Test between Australia and Pakistan at The Gabba in Australia
Getty
17/50 22 November 2019
Pope Francis speaks with religious leaders during a meeting at the Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand
Reuters
18/50 21 November 2019
A girl injured in last night’s attack by the Syrian regime on a camp for displaced people near the Turkish border in Idlib, Syria is held up to the camera
AFP/Getty
19/50 20 November 2019
Indian paramilitary soldiers detain a Congress party supporter during a protest against the withdrawal of Special Protection Group (SPG) cover to party president Sonia Gandhi, her children and former prime minister Manmohan Singh, in New Delh. The move to lift off the SPG security, an elite force that protects prime ministers and their immediate families, led to sharp reactions from the Congress, which accused the government of personal vendetta
AP
20/50 19 November 2019
An image taken from a plane window shows Sydney shrouded in smoke from nearby bush fires
AAP Imagevia Reuters
21/50 18 November 2019
Protesters run for cover after riot police fired tear gas towards the bridge they were climbing down to the road below, to escape from Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Dozens escaped the besieged campus by lowering themselves on a rope from a footbridge to a highway. Once on the road they were seen being picked up by waiting motorcyclists
AFP via Getty
22/50 17 November 2019
Anti-government protesters draped in Iraqi national flags walk into clouds of smoke from burning tires during a demonstration in the southern city of Basra, Iraq
AFP via Getty
23/50 16 November 2019
A protester wearing a yellow jacket waves a French flag in a fountain during a demonstration to mark the first anniversary of the “yellow vests” movement in Nice, France
Reuters
24/50 15 November 2019
A Palestinian protester uses a slingshot to return a tear gas canister fired by Israeli forces amid clashes following a weekly demonstration against the expropriation of Palestinian land by Israel in the village of Kfar Qaddum
AFP via Getty
25/50 14 November 2019
A patient suffering from dengue fever receives medical treatment at an isolation ward at a hospital in Larkana, Pakistan. According to local reports, 26 deaths have been reported out of a total of 10,013 confirmed cases of dengue infection. Dengue fever is reportedly caused by a specific type of mosquito, the Aedes mosquito, that bites only during daytime, especially during sunrise and sunset.
EPA
26/50 13 November 2019
An anti-government protester flashes the V-sign for victory in front of burning tyres used to block a main road at the entrance of Tripoli. The previous night, street protests erupted across Lebanon after President Michel Aoun defended the role of his allies, the Shiite movement Hezbollah, in Lebanon’s government, cutting off several major roads. In his televised address, Aoun proposed a government that includes both technocrats and politicians
AFP via Getty
27/50 12 November 2019
An Israeli missile launching from the Iron Dome defence missile system, designed to intercept and destroy incoming short-range rockets and artillery shells. They were sent up to intercept rockets launched from the nearby Palestinian Gaza Strip. Israel’s military killed a commander for Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad in a strike on his home, prompting retaliatory rocket fire and fears of a severe escalation in violence
AFP/Getty
28/50 11 November 2019
A species of deer thought to be extinct, the chevrotain, has been spotted for the first time in 30 years in the wilds of Vietnam. The deer is around the size of a domestic cat
SIE/GWC/Leibniz-IZW/NCNP /SWNS.C
29/50 10 November 2019
The royal motorcade of Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, under tight security, passes through a street in Tokyo. Thousands of people gathered for the rare open-top car parade featuring the newly enthroned Emperor
Kyodo News via AP
30/50 9 November 2019
People knock over a mock-up of the former Berlin Wall during a performance prior to the German first division Bundesliga football match Hertha BSC Berlin v RB Leipzig on the 30 anniversary of the fall off the wall
AFP/Getty
31/50 8 November 2019
Flames from an out of control bushfire from a nearby residential area in Harrington, northeast of Sydney. Australian firefighters warned they were in “uncharted territory” as they struggled to contain dozens of out-of-control bushfires across the east of the country
Kelly-ann Oosterbeek/AFP/Getty
32/50 7 November 2019
Demonstrators shine lasers during a protest against Chile’s government in Santiago, the capital
Reuters
33/50 6 November 2019
Activists from India’s main opposition Congress party shout slogans as they are stopped by police during a protest against what the activists say is economic slowdown in the country, in Guwahati, India
Reuters
34/50 5 November 2019
Smoke rises from a fire in downtown Lagos, Nigeria. Firefighters worked hard to try and extinguish a fire at the Balogun market. Thick black smoke and flames shot from the five-story buildings as fire trucks attempted to get access
AP
35/50 4 November 2019
Women run down a sand dune as they take part in the desert trek “Rose Trip Maroc” in the erg Chebbi near Merzouga. It is a female-oriented trek where teams of three must travel through the southern Moroccan Sahara desert with a compass, a map and a topographical reporter
AFP via Getty
36/50 3 November 2019
Riot police descend an escalator inside the City Plaza mall in Hong Kong after a bloody knife fight wounded six people there. A local pro-democracy politician had his ear bitten off during another chaotic day of political unrest in the city
AFP via Getty
37/50 2 November 2019
People participate in the celebration of the ‘muerteadas de Jalapa del Valle’, as part of the Day of the Dead in Mexico
EPA
38/50 1 November 2019
Firefighters work to control flames from a backfire during the Maria fire in Santa Paula, California
AFP via Getty
39/50 31 October 2019
Aurora Borealis, the Northern Lights, over the Vestrahorn mountain in the east of Iceland
PA
40/50 30 October 2019
A model presents a creation at the show Heaven Gaia by Xiong Ying during the China Fashion Week in Beijing. The fashion event runs from 25 October to 2 November
EPA
41/50 29 October 2019
Hindu devotees collect rice as offerings on ‘Annakut’ or ‘Govardhan Puja’ festival at the Madan Mohan temple in Kolkata. People in large numbers gather at the temple to collect the rice offerings in the belief that it will keep them in good health and they’ll never face poverty or scarcity of food
AFP via Getty
42/50 28 October 2019
Authorities investigate after a Port Authority bus was caught in a sinkhole in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
AP
43/50 27 October 2019
South Africa players celebrate after beating Wales in their Rugby World Cup semi-final match. The Springboks will face England in next Saturday’s final following fly-half Handre Pollard’s match-winning penalty four minutes from time. The match ended 19-16
Reuters
44/50 26 October 2019
Participants from Thailand pose in front of the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall as they take part in the annual gay pride parade in Taipei. Some two hundred thousand revellers marched through Taipei in a riot of rainbow colours and celebration as Taiwan held its first pride parade since making history in Asia by legalising gay marriage
AFP/Getty
45/50 25 October 2019
A girl enjoys a ball bath as she is being photographed at the made-for-Instagram museum ‘Cali Dreams’ in Dusseldorf, Germany. No artworks are shown in this museum, rather each visitor himself becomes an artwork by staging himself in front of one of the 25 sceneries. Cali Dreams is initially open for three months. After this test phase, however, the museum is planned as a long-term project
EPA
46/50 24 October 2019
A fire lorry speeds towards a rampant wildfire near Geyserville, California
AFP/Getty
47/50 23 October 2019
Protesters facing Lebanese army soldiers wave national flags in the area of Jal al-Dib in the northern outskirts of Beirut. A week of unprecedented street protests against the political class showed no signs of abating, despite the army moving to reopen key roads. Protests were sparked on October 17 by a proposed tax on WhatsApp and other messaging apps
AFP/Getty
48/50 22 October 2019
Liberal leader and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau waves to supporters beside his wife Sophie after the federal election at the Palais des Congres in Montreal. He managed to hold on to power, albeit of a minority government, in one of the most divisive elections in the country’s history
Reuters
49/50 21 October 2019
A convoy of US vehicles is seen after withdrawing from northern Syria, on the outskirts of Dohuk, Iraq
Reuters
50/50 20 October 2019
Japan players go over to thank their fans after South Africa beat them in the quarter-final of the Rugby World Cup. Makazole Mapimpi double ended the hosts’ dreams in Tokyo 3-26. The Springboks will now face Wales in the semi-finals for a place in the final
Reuters
In a later string of tweets, the journalist said he was even more angry having received a response from Southwest.
He claimed the airline had offered a private apology but refused to say sorry publicly and offered travel vouchers that didn’t cover the costs of their flights.
“I’m now more furious than I was on Sunday,” he wrote. “Then it was a rude and racist flight attendant. Now it’s an entire airline, an entire company, that seems unconcerned by, even maybe covering up, racism and harassment onboard. Shame on you.
“Southwest Airlines just haven’t taken what happened to my wife, or other POC in similar situations, seriously. No recognition of racism, or targeting; no pledge of anti-bias training, no public apology.”
An airline spokesperson told The Sun: “Once we learned about the customer’s social media message, we began to research the flight and gather information internally.
“We also reached out to the customer directly to discuss his family’s experience prior to departure.
“From our initial discussions, we understand that some passengers on Flight 5539 were involved in a disagreement over seat selection near the end of boarding. (Southwest does not assign seats; customers select their seats as they board the aircraft.)
“The flight crew requested a customer service supervisor come onboard to help address the situation and the conversation was resolved before the plane left the gate.
“The family was able to sit together and the flight arrived safely in Washington, D.C. on Sunday night. We remain in communication with the customer who sent the tweet and are working to address his concerns directly.”
The Independent has contacted Southwest Airlines and Mr Hasan for further comment.
The travel sector has set the new governing administration a collection of needs ahead of this week’s general election.
The consensus in travel is that a no-deal Brexit would have dire outcomes for the industry
Sharelines
Vacation business sets out demands forward of common election
The vacation market want a “speedy” resolution to Brexit
With Thursday’s normal election rapidly approaching, some of travel’s foremost organisations have laid down their priorities for the new governing administration and parliament.
Whilst journey did not characteristic prominently across the significant parties’ manifestos, outlined in previous week’s TTG, this has not stopped some of the industry’s top rated leaders from laying out what the new govt requirements to do to help outbound travel thrive around the subsequent 5 a long time.
Some organisations, this kind of as Abta and the Company Vacation Association (BTA), have even developed their have manifestos setting out what they would like the up coming government to do – no matter of who (if anybody) wins on 12 December.
In the meantime Aito and the Benefit Vacation Partnership are among all those contacting for a committed tourism minister.
Brexit
This election was supposed to be all about Brexit but the topic has not figured as prominently in the campaign as could possibly have been anticipated when parliament at last agreed to go to the polls on 29 October.
A sense of exhaustion and aggravation seems to have settled more than the place when it will come to leaving the EU, with the over-all sentiment of the travel market becoming a need for a “speedy” resolution to the impasse – while steering clear of any kind of tricky Brexit – to enable raise consumer self esteem.
Gary Lewis, chief government of The Vacation Community Group (TTNG), is among people contacting for “a speedy execution” of Brexit.
“This is crucial for the economic system and customer self confidence,” suggests Lewis. “We need to have to shift evidently and rapidly via the ultimate divorce aspects and deliver certainty and clarity to the state.”
Alistair Rowland, chief retail officer – specialist enterprise at the Midcounties Co-operative, provides: “On journey, we want Brexit concluded and a obvious situation on full safety from a no-offer Brexit.”
Meanwhile Clive Wratten, chief govt of the BTA (previously the GTMC), says: “The govt has been paralysed by Brexit more than the earlier 3 many years, which has revented significant conversations about the future requires of the enterprise vacation sector.”
Vacation organisations have also named for other useful issues to be fixed, this kind of as agreeing reciprocal rights to permit British isles staff members to proceed getting utilized in the EU to seem just after British travellers, in addition reciprocal overall health preparations, not expanding cell roaming expenses, and ensuring visa-absolutely free journey to the EU proceeds.
The Benefit Travel Partnership would like the govt to ‘encourage men and women to journey responsibly’
Shopper security
The long term of client security for holidaymakers, and the Atol scheme in particular, has been thrown into extra question right after the authorities resolved to repatriate all Thomas Cook passengers no matter of regardless of whether they had been guarded by Atol (accurately as they did with the Monarch collapse two a long time before).
Abta is contacting for the new federal government to “consult business on how ideal to shield buyers in the party of airline insolvency” as part of actions to “build self esteem in travel” for individuals.

“A long-awaited answer is demanded to guarantee there is clarity for shoppers”

Luke Petherbridge, Abta’s head of community affairs, says: “One of our asks is to guide a consultation on a detailed regime of client defense in the function of even more airline insolvencies.
“A prolonged-awaited option is necessary to make certain there is clarity for shoppers, and truthful and equivalent remedy for all organizations who make flight seats obtainable.”
Ken McLeod, outgoing president of the Scottish Passenger Agents’ Affiliation (SPAA), agrees: “We should have total purchaser safety on a significantly broader scale to incorporate all forms of transportation overseas, with a lot easier policies.”
Aito chairman Derek Moore goes further more and states the answer to conundrum is for the new authorities to introduce a demand on all flights departing the Uk.
Monarch Airways collapsed in 2017
Being aggressive
Making certain the British isles outbound marketplace remains competitive is a different important tenet of Abta’s manifesto, which has been sent to all candidates standing on Thursday.
Abta is generating 3 calls for on the incoming governing administration to increase competitiveness: minimize air passenger responsibility to provide it “in line” with European competition spend in the UK’s rail community to improve obtain to the country’s airports and ports and think about “targeted measures” to assistance SMEs (smaller and medium-sized enterprises) and regenerate significant streets through enterprise costs reforms and other initiatives.
On Abta’s latter level, Andy Stark, running director of the World-wide Vacation Team, suggests: “One of our crucial election needs is to take a additional proactive solution to cutting down company costs. Many of our member agents have the ambition to construct their firms on our higher streets but superior corporation tax and business fees considerably inhibit their skill to convert this into a reality.”
Sustainable travel
Climate change must also be “at the prime of the agenda”, with Abta urging the new governing administration to “work in partnership with the journey sector to assistance endeavours to lead to local weather alter goals”.
The Gain Vacation Partnership has identified as for the authorities to “encourage men and women to travel responsibly centered on fact and not on tabloid headlines”.
“Travel should not be singled out and vilified even though other sectors are considerably greater contributors to local climate improve but are traveling less than the radar,” included an Advantage spokesperson.
The BTA, in the meantime, is contacting for legislation to modernise the UK’s airspace which will increase ability and lessen delays, and really should be coupled with “research and growth of greener transport technologies”.
All these challenges and requires really should give the new authorities a good deal to ponder from Friday early morning. And the business will have to function challenging to assure it gets its concept in excess of and isn’t drowned out by other passions in the coming months.
As the longest UK rail strike this century enters its second week, some passengers are switching from train to plane in an effort to reach meetings in London.
Members of the RMT union walked out on 2 December in a long-running dispute over the role of guards.
They plan to continue the stoppage until the end of the year – apart from general election day, 12 December, Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
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South Western Railway says it is running slightly more than half its normal timetable – but on some less busy routes, trains are being replaced by buses.
For four stations on the West of England line – Pinhoe, Cranbrook, Whimple and Feniton – the earliest possible arrival at London Waterloo using the emergency timetable is just before 1pm.
1/6 Stations closed
Metro stations in Paris closed amid nationwide strikes
Getty Images
2/6 Transport paralysed
Rail operator SNCF cancelled 90 per cent of all high-speed trains across France
Getty Images
3/6 Nationwide protests
People protest against the pension overhauls, in Perpignan, southern France, on 5 December, 2019 as part of a national general strike
AFP/Getty
4/6 Public services walkout
Firefighters in Marseille lay on the ground as they take part in a demonstration to protest against the pension overhauls
Getty Images
5/6 Protesters take to streets
A man wearing a clown mask and waving a smoke bomb takes part in a demonstration protesting against pension overhauls
Getty Images
6/6
Getty
1/6 Stations closed
Metro stations in Paris closed amid nationwide strikes
Getty Images
2/6 Transport paralysed
Rail operator SNCF cancelled 90 per cent of all high-speed trains across France
Getty Images
3/6 Nationwide protests
People protest against the pension overhauls, in Perpignan, southern France, on 5 December, 2019 as part of a national general strike
AFP/Getty
4/6 Public services walkout
Firefighters in Marseille lay on the ground as they take part in a demonstration to protest against the pension overhauls
Getty Images
5/6 Protesters take to streets
A man wearing a clown mask and waving a smoke bomb takes part in a demonstration protesting against pension overhauls
Getty Images
6/6
Getty
The trip involves a bus to Honiton and two trains from there via Salisbury.
Normally there are two early-morning trains on the line, which start from Exeter and reach London Waterloo at 8.46am and 9.21am respectively.
While GWR runs trains from Exeter St David’s to London Paddington, the journey involves backtracking to the Devon city and facing high peak fares.
With Exeter airport convenient for affected towns and villages, some rail commuters are switching to the Flybe flights to London City airport in the east of the capital.
Robin Barker, an exhibitions director from Whimple, found it “cheaper and easier” to fly from Exeter airport than to take the GWR train.
He found an air fare for £87, which undercut the rail trip of £140.
“There’s a total lack of any thought in the emergency timetable,” he said.
The Waterloo line is also used by travellers from Exeter who can pay £80 for a peak-time single rather than £133 on GWR, for a journey that takes around one hour longer.
But the only train that runs through from Exeter to London Waterloo leaves at 5.10am – and runs without stopping through the four Devon stations.
Test bookings by The Independent found that, for bookings made at 8pm the night before, the 7am flight on Monday from Exeter (arriving at 8.10am) was selling at £209.
For Tuesday, the fare is £103.
The standard one-way fare for all trains arriving before 11.39am is £133.
Booking for Tuesday, the lowest peak fare was an advance ticket at £125 – £22 more than the plane.
South Western Railway: Strike day one
The RMT union insists the strike is solely “in defence of passenger safety and accessibility,” and that members are striking in pursuit of an assurance that “the guard will have an integral and guaranteed role in the despatch process”.
The general secretary, Mick Cash, said: “Cutting the guard out of the despatch process reduces the second person on the train to little more than a passenger in the longer term which would give the company the option of axing them altogether at some point down the line.”
South Western Railway says: “We have promised that we will keep a guard on every train and that our guards will have a safety critical role. Both things the RMT has been asking for, so these strikes are unnecessary.
“We will do everything possible to get you where you need to go but ask that you leave more time for your journey and check before you travel for the latest information.”
A volcano on a non-public island in New Zealand has erupted, killing at least five individuals.
New Zealand Whakatane eruption (Credit: New Zealand Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences)
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Our thoughts are with the individuals associated
There had been about 50 individuals on or in the vicinity of Whakaari (White Island) when it erupted at 2.11pm area time, New Zealand police have confirmed.
Citing New Zealand police sources, the BBC experiences 5 people today as owning been killed.
Though some of individuals concerned have been transported to shore, several are even now unaccounted for and police are performing with the country’s Nationwide Crisis Management Company to coordinate a search and rescue procedure.
Law enforcement said both equally New Zealanders and vacationers were being among those believed to have been caught up in the eruption.
A number of the wounded have been transported to Whakatane Healthcare facility and Middlemore Medical center.
There are several tour operators which offer White Island as a desired destination, which include White Island Excursions Constrained, which has shut down its web site and replaced it with a concept: “We are at this time going through an emergency.
“For additional information you should contact us specifically.”
On Sunday (8 December), GeoNet warned White Island, which is at present covered in ash, “may possibly be moving into a period where eruptive exercise is much more probable than ordinary”.
Travel to, from and within France will be hit by at least four more days of chaos as a result of the national strike that began last week.
The stoppage in protest against planned pension reforms has already led to the cancellation of hundreds of flights and thousands of trains – including 80 Eurostar services between London and France, Belgium and the Netherlands. More than 50,000 passengers had to change their travel plans.
Eurostar is warning that its services over the next four days, from 9 to 12 December, will be heavily disrupted, affecting around 30,000 more passengers.
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On Monday and Tuesday, at least 14 trains between London and Paris have been cancelled, with some services to Brussels, Rotterdam and Amsterdam also axed.
At present eight London-Paris trains have been cancelled on Wednesday, and a further five on Thursday.
1/6 Stations closed
Metro stations in Paris closed amid nationwide strikes
Getty Images
2/6 Transport paralysed
Rail operator SNCF cancelled 90 per cent of all high-speed trains across France
Getty Images
3/6 Nationwide protests
People protest against the pension overhauls, in Perpignan, southern France, on 5 December, 2019 as part of a national general strike
AFP/Getty
4/6 Public services walkout
Firefighters in Marseille lay on the ground as they take part in a demonstration to protest against the pension overhauls
Getty Images
5/6 Protesters take to streets
A man wearing a clown mask and waving a smoke bomb takes part in a demonstration protesting against pension overhauls
Getty Images
6/6
Getty
1/6 Stations closed
Metro stations in Paris closed amid nationwide strikes
Getty Images
2/6 Transport paralysed
Rail operator SNCF cancelled 90 per cent of all high-speed trains across France
Getty Images
3/6 Nationwide protests
People protest against the pension overhauls, in Perpignan, southern France, on 5 December, 2019 as part of a national general strike
AFP/Getty
4/6 Public services walkout
Firefighters in Marseille lay on the ground as they take part in a demonstration to protest against the pension overhauls
Getty Images
5/6 Protesters take to streets
A man wearing a clown mask and waving a smoke bomb takes part in a demonstration protesting against pension overhauls
Getty Images
6/6
Getty
Passengers whose trains are cancelled can exchange or refund their tickets within 60 days.
A strike by air-traffic controllers led to hundreds of flights being cancelled.
British Airways has cancelled four French flights – round-trips from Heathrow to Paris and Toulouse – but it is not clear whether these are connected with the strikes.
The shutdown is still affecting rail and road transport in France.
The Foreign Office is warning of “cancellations and severe delays to train, Metro, bus and tram services”.
The latest FCO travel advice says: “International rail services such as those to the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy and Germany may also be affected.
“Industrial action at ports may cause delays and cancellations to some cross-Channel ferry services.”
The only disruption appears to have been on DFDS due to high winds on the Newhaven-Dieppe crossing and a technical failure that hit some overnight ferries between Dover and Calais.
The Foreign Office also warns: “Industrial action by hauliers on some major roads may also cause delays or blockages.”
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Spanish hotel’s £11.9 million Xmas tree is the world’s most high priced
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Why the change – and what will it mean for passengers?
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It was the 20th century when Virgin Trains was first launched. What were the railways like at the time?
In the mid-1990s, the railways were fully nationalised but appeared to be in long-term decline, caused by the growth of car ownership and lack of investment in train travel.
1/10 Belmond Andean Explorer
Explore Peru with this luxury train service
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2/10 Coast Starlight
Gorgeous: take in the scenery on a train ride from Seattle to Los Angeles
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3/10 TranzAlpine
See stunning views on this New Zealand train journey
TranzAlpine
4/10 Rovos Rail
This rail service takes you to the heart of Africa
Rovos Rail
5/10 Interregional Portugal
Explore all the beauty Portugal has to offer by train
Interregional Portugal
6/10 Glacier Express
Take in jaw-dropping views of Switzerland from a train
Glacier Express
7/10 East Lancashire Railway
Travelling back in time in northern England
East Lancashire Railway
8/10 Durango & Silverton
Enjoy one of America’s most scenic train rides
Durango & Silverton
9/10 Caledonian Sleeper
Wake up to the beauty of Scotland with this overnight train
Peter Devlin
10/10 Belmond Eastern & Oriental
A breezy observation car on a luxury Asian train
Belmond
1/10 Belmond Andean Explorer
Explore Peru with this luxury train service
Belmond
2/10 Coast Starlight
Gorgeous: take in the scenery on a train ride from Seattle to Los Angeles
Amtrak
3/10 TranzAlpine
See stunning views on this New Zealand train journey
TranzAlpine
4/10 Rovos Rail
This rail service takes you to the heart of Africa
Rovos Rail
5/10 Interregional Portugal
Explore all the beauty Portugal has to offer by train
Interregional Portugal
6/10 Glacier Express
Take in jaw-dropping views of Switzerland from a train
Glacier Express
7/10 East Lancashire Railway
Travelling back in time in northern England
East Lancashire Railway
8/10 Durango & Silverton
Enjoy one of America’s most scenic train rides
Durango & Silverton
9/10 Caledonian Sleeper
Wake up to the beauty of Scotland with this overnight train
Peter Devlin
10/10 Belmond Eastern & Oriental
A breezy observation car on a luxury Asian train
Belmond
While the East Coast main line between London King’s Cross, Yorkshire, Newcastle and Edinburgh had been electrified and provided with new trains, the West Coast route had some of the oldest rolling stock on the railways.
On a very good day you could get from Birmingham to London in 90 minutes and from Manchester in two-and-a-half hours, but the service was infrequent and unreliable. Longer-distance trains, from North Wales or Glasgow, seemed to take all day.
Then the whole lot were privatised?
Yes. Despite widespread public hostility to rail privatisation, John Major’s government pressed ahead with selling off the nation’s railway infrastructure, rolling stock and the rights to run trains.
Most of the franchises were awarded to existing surface transport companies. But a music and airline entrepreneur, Richard Branson was initially awarded two franchises, both starting in 1997: Virgin Trains CrossCountry as well as West Coast.
What happened to CrossCountry?
This franchise, connecting the South Coast with the Midlands, northern England and Scotland, was the Cinderella of the railways, with a lousy timetable and terrible trains.
For the first time ever, the terms “CrossCountry” and “new rolling stock” were used in the same sentence, and a proper “clock-face” timetable was established. But while services were dramatically improved, some of the plans for new links proved overambitious; they foundered because the infrastructure simply wasn’t up to scratch.
Initially it was the same old trains with a splash of red paint. The very first launch locomotive was called “Mission Impossible”, and early on it seemed the most appropriate name.
New arrival: Richard Branson at the launch of Virgin Trains in 1997 (Virgin Trains)
Virgin Trains delivered the promised new tilting train, the Pendolino. It is designed to travel at 140mph, but this has never happened due to the botched upgrade of the West Coast main line – which left the speed restricted to 125mph.
The service today, though, offers faster and more comfortable trains every 20 minutes from Manchester and Birmingham, and attracts three times more passengers as it did at the beginning of the franchise.
So why did Virgin Trains lose the franchise?
The franchise periodically comes up for renewal. Virgin had to resort to legal action in 2012 to retain the West Coast franchise after it was awarded by the Department for Transport to FirstGroup.
Sir Richard Branson’s company showed that the DfT’s analysis was flawed, and retained the franchise. But FirstGroup have finally got their hands on the West Coast.
Virgin had bid to continue to run trains on the line with its partner Stagecoach and – ahead of High Speed 2 (HS2) – SNCF.
But the consortium refused to take what it saw as open-ended responsibility for part of the massive pensions deficit across the rail industry. Virgin Trains was happy to pay contributions for its current workforce, but to do more was a risk too far in these uncertain times.
The Department for Transport said the incumbent had “submitted non-compliant bids … and, in doing so, they are responsible for their own disqualification.”
Virgin said: “We’re extremely disappointed by this news.” Sir Richard Branson tweeted: “A huge thank you to all our wonderful people at VirginTrains – it’s down to all of your incredible work every day that Virgin Trains has been the UK’s longest running and top-rated rail franchise.”
And David Horne, managing director of the East Coast train operator, LNER, wrote: “I had the privilege of being part of the Virgin Trains team back in 2003-4.
“You overcame every setback, achieved the Red Revolution and screwed average. What a journey!”
End of the line: the first Virgin Pendolino (390001, left) was the last to arrive at London Euston on 7 December 2019 (Simon Calder)
Who or what is the new company?
A brand called “Avanti,” which is is Italian for “Forward” or “Let’s go!”. The name was chosen by the new franchise holder, a consortium involving FirstGroup, the long-established transport conglomerate based in Aberdeen, and the Italian state railway operator, Trenitalia, based in Rome.
The trains remain the same, but they have already been stripped of Virgin branding and will be repainted green and white, with the Avanti logo – an orange triangle, symbolising (says the company) “the three geographic points of the 400-mile long West Coast main line”. Which is odd, because the network has dozens of geographic points in the West Midlands, northwest England, North Wales and and southern Scotland, with much more than 400 miles of line.
What will passengers notice with Avanti?
The company says: “We’re on a mission to take the services you know and love and make them even better. That means increased comfort, better facilities and more capacity.” But in the short term, as the early French train fan Jean-Baptiste Carr said, “Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose”—“the more things change, the more they stay the same.”
As passengers on the 8.05am departures (from both Manchester and Wolverhampton) on 8 December found, they are paying the same fares for trains run to the same timetable by the same staff.
But there must be some changes further down the track?
The existing Pendolino trains will be refurbished with new seats and – Avanti promises – more reliable Wi-Fi. Voyager trains, the noisy diesels, will be replaced by 2022, and Avanti says there will be 263 more train services every week, including doubling the frequency between Liverpool and London, and running direct trains for the first time this century from Llandudno and Walsall to the capital.
The contract lasts until 2031, and Avanti was originally intended to cover the first five years of HS2 as well, but the high speed link will not now be ready by 2026 – and could be scrapped altogether.
I have an Advance ticket which I bought from Virgin Trains. Will it be valid on the new operator?
Yes. Indeed, you could buy tickets up to midnight on Saturday with Virgin Trains and they will continue to be accepted for another 24 weeks – or until the expiry date shown on the ticket.
