New rules could see end of close-up polar bear photos in cruise brochures
Polar bears are a key draw for people embarking on sailings to Norwegian-ruled archipelago Svalbard, as they can be observed in their natural Arctic habit.
But concerns about interference from humans means the government has banned ships in the region from being closer than 500 metres from the animals.
Ms Marozaite said the sector is partly paying the price for 'always talking about polar bears' in relation to Svalbard trips.
She told the PA news agency: 'Of course they are something that people want to see, but expedition cruising to Svalbard is actually an incredible opportunity to experience a lot of other things about the destination.
'There is incredible human history, beautiful scenery, other species of wildlife.'
Ms Marozaite said cruise lines are continuing to show their guests polar bears, some by sailing closer to Greenland.
The impact of Norway's distance rule is 'more to do with how we communicate', she said.
'The communication around Arctic voyages is going to change.
'Companies hopefully will no longer be putting close-up images of polar bears on the brochure.
'That's a good thing, because finally we will start talking about the destination the way it should be talked about.'
But expedition leader and photographer Paul Goldstein criticised the new regulations.
He told The Independent's travel podcast: 'This is a classic example of what I term 'conservation fascism'.
'I have led small ship charters in the region since 2004.
'Never once have I seen a single incident where tourists intimidate or affect the behaviour of polar bears.'
He added that if a camera lens 'the size of a Stinger missile' is required to see polar bears then most visitors will miss out.
Norway's minister of climate and environment Andreas Bjelland Erikse previously said the rules are necessary as climate change is 'leading to more difficult conditions for polar bears on Svalbard'.
He went on: 'It is important for them to be able to search for food, hunt, rest and take care of their cubs without interference from humans.
'That is why we must keep a good distance.'
The minimum distance will be reduced to 300 metres from July 1.
The Norwegian government said visitors to Svalbard have 'a duty to retreat to a legal distance' if they encounter a polar bear that is too close.
Ships are also banned from carrying more than 200 passengers in the region.
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Times
39 minutes ago
- Times
My first British camping trip, aged 40 (plus 26 more glam options)
Some families camp, others marvel at their fortitude, writes Harriet Walker. I grew up in the latter … camp. My only nights under canvas have been in a raucous Guides tent, then a smaller, equally raucous one at a rainy festival, halfway through which I booked into the nearest hotel. Like my delicate flower forebears, I assumed I (allergic to everything, quick to sunburn) was simply not cut out for camping. Some in my daughter's school year go annually en masse, an expedition I found laudable but 'not for us'. Being wide awake and cold all night in a tent with her brother, a toddler, had all the appeal of a mini-break to a war zone. And yet. When this year my daughter asked for camping instead of a birthday party, I worried that I'd deprived her and agreed to give it a whirl. That toddler is almost five now, and I feel sturdier than I have done in years. Also, camping in the southeast during a heatwave is different to doing it in the Peak District climate of the late Nineties. We and three other families booked pitches in the South Downs, eschewing the luxurious bell tent and shepherd's hut options and borrowing a friend's Decathlon kit. With a petting farm attached and a craft brewery tap room 40 minutes' walk away (three minutes by car), Hale Farm in East Sussex had something for everyone, including a man called Gino who arrives on site in a coffee van each morning and an ice cream truck in the evening. Flushing toilets, hot showers and washing-up facilities were further reassurance that this was not the hair-shirt version I had been warned off in my childhood, where men shaved in sand and women had to walk to the nearest village to use the loo. No, I thought on our first night as I quaffed ice-cold Lady A rosé on a folding chair at sunset then ate perfectly barbecued curried lamb under a star-filled sky and full moon, this is not the wind-blasted endurance test I had been expecting. After a perfectly good night's sleep on squashy mats (sleeping bags for the children but pillows and a duvet for us as per advice from camping veterans), stepping out into fresh air and glorious sunlight was magical. I am now a person who wakes at 7am regardless; doing so in a two-bedroom blackout tent was not like the memory of coming round in a two-man, dry-mouthed at noon and cooking from the inside out as the drum'n'bass marquee performed a soundcheck next door. • Read our full guide to camping holidays The weekend was even more bucolic for the children. Our London kids (albeit leafy ones) were able to roam without being told repeatedly to decrease their volume, stay in sight or watch out for dog poo. After a 20-minute drive to Pevensey Bay for a sea dip followed by fish and chips, they made their own fun (and some alarmingly Blair Witch-esque twig sculptures) in the nearby woods then donned headlamps and wrist torches to toast marshmallows by the fire pit. We celebrated Freda's eighth birthday with the sort of giant sparklers it would be hard to relax around in a small and enclosed back garden. I could feel the extended time outdoors — plus the fact that I had no phone reception or reason to scroll — doing us all good. My inherited view was that camping was punitive time spent away from creature comforts to toughen up, but I see that with modern kit so improved as to be comfortable and idiot-proof (it took us about half an hour to put the tent up, once we had figured out the instructions), trips like this are the complete opposite: time off from devices, schedules and hectic city pace. A chance to enjoy nature. As long as the rain stays away. What is it they say about the zealotry of the convert? We're considering another camping trip next month — though I'll be checking the weather right up to the moment we leave, Walker travelled independently. Hale Farm in Chiddingly, East Sussex, costs £14 per adult and £6 per child a night ( This article contains affiliate links that will earn us revenue By Sarah Baxter Retreat into your own family bubble on the edge of Bodmin Moor. Ekopod's secluded geodomes are off-grid — great for a screen-free break — but have all the comfy mod-cons: super-kings, sofa beds, simple kitchens, bathrooms with shower and tub. Magic is added with hammocks, fairylights, welcome cookies and hot chocolate, and views through the roof to the stars. The onsite play area has a pirate ship sand pit and mud kitchen, the communal barn is stocked with books and games, and north Cornwall's beaches are a short drive Two nights' self-catering for four from £320 ( • 22 of the best campsites in Cornwall It's fairly posh just pitching at award-winning Brook Meadow. The spacious family-farm site has shared washrooms befitting a boutique hotel, 'moovie' nights in the cowshed, pop-up cocktail evenings and lakeside yoga on summer Saturdays. This year it's hosting a family-friendly music festival (September 13). Take it up a notch by glamping instead, ideally in Marabou, an out-of-Africa fantasy of timber-stilted canvas, with exquisitely picked and upcycled furnishings that bring the Masai Mara to the Pitches from £32, four nights' self-catering for eight from £570 ( Staying somewhere that your brood can run wild doesn't have to mean going feral. Penhein is all about getting kids outside: there's a natural playground, a wildlife hide, a stream to paddle in and trails to follow, as well as bookable activities, from junior bushcraft to the Mini Adventurers Club (both £35pp). Penhein's elegant alachighs (Persian-style yurts) are civilised indeed, with proper beds, private monsoon showers and en suite loos. If you like, you can try cooking on your fire pit. Alternatively, buy delicious prepped meals from the Pantry, made with local Three nights' self-catering for six from £465 ( The biggest luxury? Exclusivity. Which is what you get at Spot House Farm. Book this bijou site out on the edge of Romney Marsh and you will have it to yourselves. It has all that's required for a great outdoor gathering: four smart, handmade bell tents with crisp-sheeted beds, vintage fittings and wool blankets (designed by the farm's owner); a full field kitchen stocked with fresh eggs and coffee roasted on site; a hot open-air shower; woodlands and meadows to explore; and a big table for dining out under the Two nights' self-catering for ten from £1,193 ( There are four small pods at this forest-backed Tweed Valley site. Deer Hunter is cosy and perfect for families, with its double and sofa bed. You could spend hours sitting on its deck, watching for hedgehogs, deer and red squirrels. However, adventures beckon. Innerleithen Forest's vast network of mountain-biking trails is a mile away; the Glentress trail centre — which has some of the country's best MTB routes — is 2.5 miles. No matter if you get muddy — the pods have hot showers, plus shared drying lockers and a bike One night's self-catering for four from £120 ( • Read our full guide to glamping holidays The beauty of Broadleaves is that you can drive there, then ignore your car for the rest of your stay. Six elegant bell tents, sleeping two to six people and each with an outdoor kitchen and access to a luxe bathroom block — lie in the heart of the National Forest alongside Foremark Reservoir. Walk to Foremark's children's play area or the Burton Sailing Club, which offers watersports including paddleboarding and windsurfing for beginners. Or ramble across to the National Trust's Calke Abbey estate to hire a bike, find its 1,200-year-old oak tree and enter the atmospherically crumbling One night's self-catering for two from £99 ( Sitting pretty within the UK's only coastal national park, Stackpole Under the Stars is perfect for accessing some of the UK's best beaches, including the soft sands of Broad Haven South and Barafundle. It's a peaceful spot with ten pitches: five for campers, five for glampers. The latter include two yurts, two safari tents sleeping seven and a posh wooden barrel-shaped pod. Opt for the cheaper eco-package (bring your own sheets), then spend the savings on an on-site axe-throwing session (£8); under-eights can fling mini squishy axes instead. Details Pitches from £23, one night's self-catering for four from £115 ( Stay at the Original Hut Company and you get a bit of everything. The site is a delight, set amid ancient woodland with the River Rother running through. The shepherd's huts are classy and snug, with hobs inside and fire pits out. The Hub café sells camper hampers if you want to cook, local-sourced dishes if you don't. Meanwhile, the on-site activity centre offers paddleboarding, kayaking and canoeing as well as archery and bushcraft. If you can pull yourself away, roam through the orchards to magnificently moated Bodiam Pitches from £28, one night's self-catering for five from £150 ( During school holidays this award-winning glampsite, tucked in a nature reserve near the Suffolk coast, is for families only. That means it's a haven for kids then, but others will love it at other times. Sleeping options run from a converted horsebox to luxury tented lodges with country-style kitchens, four-posters, bunks and a den-like cupboard bed. There's a rich mix of nature-based activities, from goat walks and 'meet the animals' sessions to bow-making and whittling. Fresh-made stone-baked pizzas can be bought from a van on site, while Easton Farm Park, Framlingham Castle and Jimmy's Farm are all close One night's self-catering for six from £155 ( Want to switch off? Head to Welsh Glamping, squirrelled away in the remote Cambrian Mountains. There's no phone signal or wi-fi here, but there are 185 acres of wild farmland, woodland, rivers and waterfalls, plus star-spangled dark skies and smarter camping options. The bell tents are a bargain: you bring your own sheets but get an iron-frame bed and futons, a simple kitchen and private bathroom from £45 a night. The luxury log cabins, made from wood felled on site, offer cosiness and more mod-cons, from £120 a Two nights' self-catering for two from £90 ( • I love camping and have done for 40 years — these are my best tips Happy to pitch your own tent but want to upgrade the experience? Woodfire Camping supplies plenty of idyllic green space across its two sites at the foot of the South Downs. It also supplies the food on request. Each night big meals are made from scratch, prepared over an open fire — think spicy beef stew, flame-grilled chalk stream trout or ember-roasted beetroot (£10 to £20pp). You bring your own plates and cutlery, and wash them up after. All the joy of eating alfresco, en famille, none of the hassle of cooking. Details Pitches from £22 per adult, £10 per child ( Get an African savannah feel a ten-minute taxi ride from downtown Peterborough. Teal Lodge is one of four billowing canvas bolt holes looking over a grassy meadow to a tree-fringed lake. The owners used to live in Kenya, and have recreated a tiny piece of it here — you can even jump into their Land Rover for a wildlife safari. Use the lake to swim, fish and paddle (there are kayaks, free to borrow), build a den in the woods, dip in the outdoor bath or watch a movie on a projector, under the One night's self-catering for six from £188 ( Secreted in the rolling Welsh borders where a wooden bridge at the site's edge marks the meeting of England and Wales, Barnutopia is a place to roam free. It's great for big groups, who can spread across a range of good-value glamping spaces: comfy yurts, cabins, tiny houses, bunkhouses and lean-tos. And it's especially good for single parents — they get a 10 per cent discount year-round, plus the site runs single-parent takeovers on selected dates that include accommodation, breakfasts, suppers, marshmallow toasting around the campfire, scavenger hunts, donkey walks and the company of like-minded Three nights' self-catering for four from £245 ( The enormous beaches and wide horizons of the north Norfolk coast are perfect for outdoorsy breaks. And Wild Luxury is particularly perfect, offering easy outdoors access from the most comfortable in canvas living spaces. A handful of smart, spacious safari lodges — sleeping between six and ten — are dotted across two sites. One of them, Summerfield, is surrounded by woodland and birdsong, with possibilities for den-building and zip-wiring amid the trees, while Drove Orchards, near Holme Dunes, is a hop-skip from the sea, a nature reserve and great local Two nights' self-catering for six from £464 ( Their wheels no longer go round and round, but it's still gleeful to stay in one of the nine restored buses at this site overlooking the Lammermuir Hills. Each vehicle has been kitted out with cosy beds and wood-burning stoves but retains its essential bus-ness: kids (big and small) will love sitting in the driver's seat. 'Eco buses' have loos but share bathrooms and a Kitchen Bus, while the 'luxury buses' have cooking areas and en suites. While there, book a tour of the surrounding farm to meet alpacas, sheep and goats (£25 per adult, £15 per child).Details One night's self-catering for two from £145 ( Want to wake up and smell the apples? There are two handmade, individually designed yurts hidden away on this 22-acre family-owned Herefordshire orchard. Cai is great fun, with bright red-yellow decor and apple trees flourishing all round; Zephyr sits apart, on a raised platform, with big views towards the Marcle Ridge. Orchard-bathing is encouraged on site — the owners suggest walking barefoot between the trees, letting your senses be your guide and sampling the fruits. Community events and gatherings are often held here too. Details One night's self-catering for four from £75 ( Sitting between Eryri National Park (Snowdonia) and the sea, Nyth Robin is small but very well formed. There are nine pitches for campers and a handful of options for glamping, each with a unique feel. Bluebell makes a fun off-grid family base, with its bunting-strung bell tent, rustic kitchen and fire pit. New for 2025, the Dome sits in its a private glade, offering hotel-style smartness — pretty decor, a super-king bed — and a covered camp kitchen outside, so you get the best of both worlds. Details Two nights' self-catering for four in a bell tent from £160 ( The Essex coast is big sky country, and the Lushna cabins at Lee Wick Farm ensure the biggest views. These budget-friendly huts are glass-fronted so both beds — downstairs and on the mezzanine — look out across the surrounding pasture and salt marsh. It's a short walk to a shingle beach and nature reserve; a mile away is Curve Wake Park, where you can kayak, paddleboard or leap off giant inflatables. The site's Secret Garden camping area is more basic but, with three pitches, very Pitches from £35, two nights' self-catering for five from £155 ( Channel your inner cowboy/girl at Loose Reins in north Dorset, where the log cabins have rustic finishes, rocking chairs on the verandas, stable doors and faux fleeces and furs so they feel fit for the American Wild West. Named Gold Panners, Ranchers and Trappers, three sleep two adults, two kids, while Foresters is a little bigger, sleeping five. The joys of the Jurassic Coast are close and, if you want to play real-life wrangler, Bushes Equestrian (a ten-minute drive away) offers horse rides for all Two nights' self-catering for four from £500 ( Feel the relaxing benefits of blue space at Kingfisher Lakes, where varied glamping options — yurts, safari tents, lodges with hot tubs — sit beside two lakes in the Yorkshire countryside. They all have decks or terraces with water views: watch for kingfishers, bring a rod to fish for huge carp or hire a kayak for the length of your stay (from £45). The Lily Pad yurt suits small families — compact and comfy. Hare's Hideout safari tent offers more space and has ramp access for Three nights' self-catering for four from £300 ( The joy of Loveland Farm's nine geodesic pods is that they're see-through on one side, so you feel immersed in nature, but they have every creature comfort. Each pod is unique, but all have outbuildings with private showers and kitchenettes. Eden is a fun choice: there's a tepee inside — a tent in a tent! — that contains a double bed, there's another bed on the mezzanine, and table football below. If the weather's fine, nearby Bude provides sand and surf, if it isn't, there's an indoor heated saltwater pool on One night's self-catering for four from £179 ( There are some lovely too-posh-to-pitch options at Cotswold Farm Park. Go minimalist with a budget glamping pod — a step up from camping, these come with bunkbeds, electric sockets and little else — or opt for the comfort of a glamping tent, which has more style and pretty much everything you could need. Either way, all overnighters enjoy free access to the Farm Park, with its rare-breed animals, giant sandpit, softplay and discovery barn, where you can hold chicks and watch ducklings take a One night's self-catering for four from £80 ( With one of Ceredigion's loveliest beaches, Llangrannog, three miles away, and chances to spot dolphins at Cardigan Bay just along the coast, Ffynnonwen is a fantastic site for sea-loving campers. If you don't want to pitch your own, the site has two simple bell tents, one amid the meadows, another tucked among the apple trees. You get real beds and real seclusion. Pick up veg grown on site, fresh eggs from the resident ducks and herbs from the communal patch then cook a feast in your camp Pitches from £44 for two nights, two nights' self-catering for four from £136 ( There's a pleasingly Hobbity vibe to these conical-roofed hideaways, tucked deep into Blelack Estate in the Cairngorms National Park. The solar-powered, off-grid timber retreats, raised and flanked by trees, have been integrated into the century-old Scots pine forest to cause minimal disturbance to nature but maximal immersion in it for guests: look out for blossoming heather and blaeberries (especially in August-September), woodpeckers, buzzards and sparrow hawks, scurrying red squirrels and roe deer drinking from the lochan. This is an excellent area for mountain-biking, hill-walking and castle-visiting Two nights' self-catering for four from £265 ( Sherwood Pines, originally part of ancient Sherwood Forest, was replanted in 1925 to counter wood shortages after the First World War. Now it is Forestry England's flagship site, with camping pitches, geodome tents and (slightly higher priced) bothies spread amid the trees. Glampers get their own kitchens and living spaces but share the site's solar-powered bathrooms. Other facilities include a play area, a nearby Go Ape course and a handy bike wash — the forest has a wide network of trails, from gentle loops to gnarly downhills. Details Two nights' self-catering for six from £216 ( A short drive from north Norfolk's beaches and tucked into the Stiffkey Valley, two smart safari tents sit on a 350-acre farm. Roll-up gabled fronts and west-facing decks for watching the sunset make them as romantic as can be, while the interiors feature furniture by Norfolk designer of the moment Birdie Fortescue. Home-cooked meals can be arranged and plonked in your fridge, to be enjoyed before a nice hot open-air bath. And you can pick your own sunflowers. Details A night's self-catering for two from £200 ( Are you more into camping or glamping? Or neither? Let us know in the comments
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
4chan will refuse to pay daily UK fines, its lawyer tells BBC
A lawyer representing the online message board 4chan says it won't pay a proposed fine by the UK's media regulator as it enforces the Online Safety to Preston Byrne, managing partner of law firm Byrne & Storm, Ofcom has provisionally decided to impose a £20,000 fine "with daily penalties thereafter" for as long as the site fails to comply with its request."Ofcom's notices create no legal obligations in the United States," he told the BBC, adding he believed the regulator's investigation was part of an "illegal campaign of harassment" against US tech has declined to comment while its investigation continues. "4chan has broken no laws in the United States - my client will not pay any penalty," Mr Byrne began investigating 4chan over whether it was complying with its obligations under the UK's Online Safety in August, it said it had issued 4chan with "a provisional notice of contravention" for failing to comply with two requests for said its investigation would examine whether the message board was complying with the act, including requirements to protect its users from illegal content.4chan has often been at the heart of online controversies in its 22 years, including misogynistic campaigns and conspiracy are anonymous, which can often lead to extreme content being posted. 'First Amendment rights' In a statement posted on X, law firms Byrne & Storm and Coleman Law said 4chan was a US company incorporated in the US, and therefore protected against the UK law."American businesses do not surrender their First Amendment rights because a foreign bureaucrat sends them an email," they wrote."Under settled principles of US law, American courts will not enforce foreign penal fines or censorship codes. "If necessary, we will seek appropriate relief in US federal court to confirm these principles."They said authorities in the US had been "briefed" on their response to Ofcom's statement concludes by calling on the Trump administration to invoke all diplomatic and legal levers to protect American businesses from "extraterritorial censorship mandates".Ofcom has previously said the Online Safety Act only requires services to take action to protect users based in the UK. UK backs down Some American politicians - particularly the Trump administration, its allies and officials - have pushed back against what they regard as overreach in the regulation of US tech firms by the UK and EU. A perceived impact of the Online Safety Act on free speech has been a particular concern, but other laws have also been the source of 19 August, US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said the UK had withdrawn its controversial demand for a "backdoor" in an Apple data protection system - saying she worked with the President and Vice President to get the UK to abandon its days later, US Federal Trade Commission chairman Andrew Ferguson warned big tech firms they could be violating US law if they weakened privacy and data security requirements by complying with international laws such as the Online Safety Act."Foreign governments seeking to limit free expression or weaken data security in the United States might count on the fact that companies have an incentive to simplify their operations and legal compliance measures by applying uniform policies across jurisdictions," he 4chan does successfully fight the fine in the US courts, Ofcom may have other options."Enforcing against an offshore provider is tricky," Emma Drake, partner of online safety and privacy at law firm Bird and Bird, told the BBC. "Ofcom can instead ask a court to order other services to disrupt a provider's UK business, such as requiring a service's removal from search results or blocking of UK payments."If Ofcom doesn't think this will be enough to prevent significant harm, it can even ask that ISPs be ordered to block UK access." Sign up for our Tech Decoded newsletter to follow the world's top tech stories and trends. Outside the UK? Sign up here.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Lucy Connolly to speak out for first time since being released from prison
Lucy Connolly, who was jailed for stirring up racial hatred against asylum seekers online on the day of the Southport murders, is expected to speak out on Friday for the first time since being released from prison. The 42-year-old, wife of Conservative councillor Raymond Connolly, left HMP Peterborough on Thursday morning and it is understood she will be doing limited media interviews a day after walking free. She spent time with her husband, daughter and parents on the day of her release and was pictured walking her dogs in the evening, the Daily Mail reported. Ms Connolly was handed a 31-month sentence after she posted on X: 'Mass deportation now, set fire to all the f****** hotels full of the bastards for all I care … if that makes me racist so be it.' She pleaded guilty to inciting racial hatred by publishing and distributing 'threatening or abusive' written material on X and was jailed at Birmingham Crown Court in October last year. The former childminder, from Northampton, was ordered to serve 40% of her sentence in prison before being released on licence. It is understood that Ms Connolly was a passenger in a white taxi which left HMP Peterborough via the vehicle airlock, a set of two gates exiting the prison, shortly after 10am on Thursday. Her case has sparked debate, with some criticising her sentence as excessive. Reacting to her release, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said Connolly's sentence was 'harsher than the sentences handed down for bricks thrown at police or actual rioting'. In a post on X, Ms Badenoch compared Ms Connolly's case with that of Ricky Jones, a suspended Labour councillor who was found not guilty of encouraging violent disorder at an anti-racism rally in the wake of the Southport murders. Writing on X, Mrs Badenoch said: 'Juries are a cornerstone of justice, but we shouldn't have to rely on them to protect basic freedoms. 'Protecting people from words should not be given greater weight in law than public safety. If the law does this, then the law itself is broken – and it's time Parliament looked again at the Public Order Act.' Reform UK leader Nigel Farage described Ms Connolly's case as a 'symbol of Keir Starmer's authoritarian, broken, two-tier Britain'. A bid to challenge her sentence at the Court of Appeal was dismissed in May, which was described by Mr Connolly as 'shocking and unfair'. The Northampton town councillor, and former West Northamptonshire district councillor, said his wife had 'paid a very high price for making a mistake'. But Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer defended it earlier this year. He was asked in May about Ms Connolly's case after her Court of Appeal application against her jail term was dismissed. Asked during Prime Minister's Questions whether her imprisonment was an 'efficient or fair use' of prison, Sir Keir said: 'Sentencing is a matter for our courts and I celebrate the fact that we have independent courts in this country. 'I am strongly in favour of free speech, we've had free speech in this country for a very long time and we protect it fiercely. 'But I am equally against incitement to violence against other people. I will always support the action taken by our police and courts to keep our streets and people safe.' Ms Connolly was arrested on August 6, by which point she had deleted her social media account, but other messages which included further racist remarks were uncovered by officers who seized her phone. The post was viewed 310,000 times in three and a half hours before she deleted it.
