Latest news with #Abbi
Daily Mirror
20-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mirror
'I got £2 return flights with British Airways using credit card'
A holidaymaker has claimed she booked return flights to Tenerife for just £2 thanks to her credit card reward points. The savvy saver named Abbi regularly talks about her personal finances on her TikTok @abbitalksmoney. In one video, she shared: "I've just come back from a five-day holiday in Tenerife, and the flights cost me just 50p each way. These were British Airways flights from London Gatwick, which included 23kg bags, and this was all thanks to my British Airways American Express card." The British Airways American Express Credit Card enables people to collect Avios, the loyalty currency of The British Airways Club. These points can be used to pay for reward flights or reduce the cash price of flights. Other ways to collect points include booking British Airways flights, hotel stays, and car hire. The British Airways website explains that European reward flights are available from £1 and 18,500 Avios, or from £100 and 50,000 Avios for longer flights. Abi said she saved for years to accumulate her points. "For a couple of years now, I've been using a British Airways credit card, pretty much just for big items like fuel, things for our house, and booking holidays, but all things I'm going to be spending on anyway. I use the free card so I don't have any fees, but there are paid credit cards," she explained. "Everything I spend on my card earns me Avios points, and I've built up almost 40,000 points." Once she had accumulated her Avios, she also used a companion voucher she had earned. Abi said: "It's essentially a buy one get one free deal, but with flights. So I booked return flights for both my friend and I to Tenerife from London Gatwick (...) and it came to 27,500 Avios points and £2, so £1 each for the return flights." The American Express website explains: "You get a Companion Voucher when you spend £15,000 each membership year on the Card. You can use your voucher to either take a companion with you on the same flight and cabin or, if travelling solo, get a 50% discount on the Avios price you pay for your flight." Responding to Abi's video, someone replied: "That's amazing." Another viewer commented: "Amex and avios is a game changer. I got business class flights from Tokyo to London £80 plus 80k points." Someone else suggested Abi could have found another deal that would offer better value for points, but she was happy with her results. "We just wanted to put as little towards it of our own money as poss!!" the holidaymaker explained. Citizen's Advice shares information for people applying for a credit card. The website says: "If your application is accepted you will be asked to sign a credit agreement. This is a legal document which sets out what you and the provider are agreeing to. "The credit agreement includes details such as how much you can borrow, how much and when to repay, the interest rate and charges that can be added, your rights and responsibilities under the agreement and any other conditions that apply to it. Always try to read the small print so you know exactly what you are agreeing to."
Daily Mail
14-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Search for schoolgirl, 11, who drowned at water park birthday party was 'like a nightmare', inquest told
The frantic search for an 11-year-old girl who drowned during a birthday party at a water park was 'like a nightmare', an inquest has heard. Kyra Hill sparked panic when she got into difficulty in a designated swimming area at Liquid Leisure near Windsor, Berkshire, in August 2022. A 17-year-old lifeguard named Abbi reported concerning splashing in the beach area where Kyra was eventually found, Berkshire Coroner's Court heard. However searches for the girl were initially carried out on land and in other parts of the lake, the inquest was told. Loud music was playing and a mother searching for Kyra shouted at a senior member of staff to turn it off, the inquest heard on Wednesday. Kelly Edwards, who was attending the birthday party, said she also called on staff to ask members of the public to leave the water, but it was not cleared until emergency services arrived. The administration services manager recalled 'shouting, screaming Kyra's name' as she walked around the park. Visibly overcome with emotion, she said: 'It just seemed that nothing was taken seriously, nothing was deemed as an emergency, and I feel so angry with myself every day that I came out (of the water) and no one went to the children and asked them where Kyra was.' The lifeguard who responded to the scene was a school pupil at the time and Ms Edwards described her as a 'little girl' because she looked young. 'My daughter was asked by the lifeguard to keep looking for her, had she got any goggles, and to keep looking for Kyra in the water. 'She was seen in the water, and for myself and for us we were told she was missing, so we were looking on the land, and to know someone had seen her and said 'I've seen someone gone down in the water', and for her not to be listened to. I couldn't, can't get my head around it.' She added: 'It just felt like I was in this nightmare, the sort of thing you watch on the TV and you, you think, well, that would never happen.' Ms Edwards said she shouted at a senior of member of staff that people were still in the water. Members of the public got out after the mother started screaming 'can everyone just stop and start calling Kyra's name, because she must be somewhere', she said. People gathered in a line to swim the width of the lake, she said, adding that she believed this was ordered by a lifeguard. They swam past the designated swimming area, where Kyra would later be found, and into the main lake, the inquest heard. As many as 40 people, including members of the public, are believed to have dived into the water at Liquid Leisure, near Datchet, Berkshire, in a frantic rescue mission. (File image of water park) One person suggested diving down with goggles, but a staff member said 'no, no, no, you can't dive down because it's almost like being in the ocean, your breathing and everything has got to be taken into account - it's really, really deep', Ms Edwards said. She told the inquest: 'There was another guest there and I was saying 'I can't see in the water, once you've put your head down it's so murky you couldn't see anything'. 'It was so deep, it was so deep in that area, I said 'I can't get to the bottom' and he said 'no, nor can I'.' The only depth-warning signs around the beach area said 'danger shallow water' and Ms Edwards said she thought it would therefore be 'knee height'. Ms Edwards said: 'When I went into the water to look for Kyra you only had to step a few feet and it just dropped, massively.' There were 'various sharp drops' of up to 4.5m (14.7ft) within the swimming zone, the inquest heard on Tuesday. The lake was 2.68m (8.8ft) deep where Kyra was seen going under, a report carried out after the incident found. Lifeguard Abbi responded to concerning splashing at 3.20pm and a previous hearing was told emergency services were called to the scene at 3.55pm. Kyra was found just after 5.10pm and taken to Wexham Park Hospital in Slough, where she was pronounced dead.
The Independent
14-05-2025
- The Independent
Staff describe ‘nightmare' search for girl, 11, who drowned at water park
The search for an 11-year old girl who had drowned at a water park during a birthday party was 'like a nightmare,' an inquest into the death has heard. Kyra Hill got into difficulty in a designated swimming area at Liquid Leisure near Windsor, Berkshire, in August 2022. A 17-year-old lifeguard named Abbi reported concerning splashing in the beach area where Kyra was eventually found, Berkshire Coroner's Court heard. However, searches for the girl were initially carried out on land and in other parts of the lake, the inquest was told. Loud music was playing and a mother searching for Kyra shouted at a senior member of staff to turn it off, the inquest heard on Wednesday. Kelly Edwards, who was attending the birthday party, said she also called on staff to ask members of the public to leave the water, but it was not cleared until emergency services arrived. The administration services manager recalled 'shouting, screaming Kyra's name' as she walked around the park. She became emotional as she said: 'It just seemed that nothing was taken seriously, nothing was deemed as an emergency, and I feel so angry with myself every day that I came out (of the water) and no-one went to the children and asked them where Kyra was.' The lifeguard who responded to the scene was a school pupil at the time and Ms Edwards described her as a 'little girl' because she looked young. 'My daughter was asked by the lifeguard to keep looking for her, had she got any goggles, and to keep looking for Kyra in the water. 'She was seen in the water, and for myself and for us we were told she was missing, so we were looking on the land, and to know someone had seen her and said 'I've seen someone gone down in the water', and for her not to be listened to. I couldn't, can't get my head around it.' She added: 'It just felt like I was in this nightmare, the sort of thing you watch on the TV and you, you think, well, that would never happen.' Ms Edwards said she shouted at a senior of member of staff that people were still in the water. Members of the public got out after the mother started screaming 'can everyone just stop and start calling Kyra's name, because she must be somewhere', she said. People gathered in a line to swim the width of the lake, she said, adding that she believed this was ordered by a lifeguard. They swam past the designated swimming area, where Kyra would later be found, and into the main lake, the inquest heard. One person suggested diving down with goggles, but a staff member said 'no, no, no, you can't dive down because it's almost like being in the ocean, your breathing and everything has got to be taken into account – it's really, really deep', Ms Edwards said. She told the inquest: 'There was another guest there and I was saying 'I can't see in the water, once you've put your head down it's so murky you couldn't see anything'. 'It was so deep, it was so deep in that area, I said 'I can't get to the bottom' and he said 'no, nor can I'.' The only depth-warning signs around the beach area said 'danger shallow water' and Ms Edwards said she thought it would therefore be 'knee height'. Ms Edwards said: 'When I went into the water to look for Kyra you only had to step a few feet and it just dropped, massively.' There were 'various sharp drops' of up to 4.5m (14.7ft) within the swimming zone, the inquest heard on Tuesday. The lake was 2.68m (8.8ft) deep where Kyra was seen going under, a report carried out after the incident found. Lifeguard Abbi responded to concerning splashing at 3.20pm and a previous hearing was told emergency services were called to the scene at 3.55pm. Kyra was found just after 5.10pm and taken to Wexham Park Hospital in Slough, where she was pronounced dead.
Indian Express
29-04-2025
- General
- Indian Express
Andamanese Hindi: how Andaman and Nicobar Islands came to embrace a unique linguistic identity and take pride in it
For 26-year-old Lephay, her mother tongue is mostly an idea lost in time, one that was spoken long ago by her grandparents. The only traces that have been passed on to her include basic phrases such as 'give me water', 'give me food', and so on. The Great Andamanese, her mother tongue, is a near-extinct language family today, with fewer than 10 speakers alive. As their native language vanishes swiftly, what has come to take its place is Hindi, which has connected the tribal and non-tribal inhabitants of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Lephay – indigenous Andamanese people do not traditionally have surnames – grew up in the capital, Port Blair, where her parents had first moved for work from Strait Island when she was still a child. All her life, she has spoken Hindi. Married to a local Bengali man, she says that they communicate with each other in Hindi. 'It is the only language I know,' Lephay says, adding that even though she went to an English-medium school, she struggles to speak the language. 'But everyone here speaks only in Hindi,' she claims, a curious ring in her voice. The proliferation of Hindi in Andaman and Nicobar, say scholars, is a product of the long history of migration and settlement of multiple Indian communities in the islands. 'It is a mini-India,' says linguist Anvita Abbi, a leading authority on the languages of Andaman and Nicobar. She recalls that when she first visited the islands in the early 2000s, she was surprised to see that almost all state languages were spoken in Andaman. 'There is a large Bengali-speaking community, a Malayalam-speaking community, Telugu, Tamil, and many more,' says Abbi. At home, they speak their native languages, she says, but once outside, Hindi is what they choose to communicate in. 'Hindi is our national language. They speak very proudly,' says Abbi. 'The kind of love for Hindi I see in Andaman is something I didn't even see in the Hindi heartland,' she observes. History of migration Scholars have long speculated about the precise origins of the inhabitants of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. While one theory contends that the islands have experienced continuous occupation for at least the past 2,200 years, there are others who have claimed that the ancestors of the archipelago's current inhabitants reached there approximately 35,000 years ago. As noted by anthropologist Sita Venkateswar in her article, ' The Andaman Islanders ' (1999), 'The Andaman Islanders followed the traditional way of life of these people – one of semi-nomadic hunter-gatherer-fishers – well into the 19th century, when the British colonists arrived and began to take over the islands.' Sprawled like an arc on the Bay of Bengal, the 572 islands of Andaman and Nicobar have historically held a lot of strategic importance. They are located at a key position along the trade routes on the eastern portion of the Indian Ocean. They formed a perfect base to strike upon the East Coast of India or, for that matter, anywhere in Southeast Asia. Moreover, the harbours of Port Blair and Nancowry were perfectly situated to replenish the water supply of ships passing along these routes, or to provide timely information regarding weather and storms in the Bay of Bengal. Detailed map of Andaman and Nicobar Islands (Wikimedia Commons) Consequently, these islands were a source of great interest to both Asians as well as the European powers. Venkateswar in her book, ' Development and Ethnocide: Colonial Practices in the Andaman Islands ' (2005), notes that 'the islands and its inhabitants had long been a subject of European fascination and dread.' Very little was known about the inhabitants except the myth that they were barbarous, cruel cannibals, an account that had been kept alive by several foreign travellers' tales. Given its strategic importance, it was the Danish East India Company which first attempted to colonise the islands in 1755. The Nicobar Islands were turned into a Danish colony, first named New Denmark and later as Frederick's Islands. With the Dutch consolidating power in the East Indies, their presence in the Andaman Islands became crucial for the British to control trade networks in the region. In 1788-89, the British government in Bengal sought to establish a penal colony in the Andaman Islands. After an initial survey carried out by Lieutenant Robert Hyde Colebrook and Lieutenant Archibald Blair, the penal settlement was established in September 1789 on the South-East bay of South Andaman, now known as Port Blair. In 1792, the settlement was shifted further northwards, considering the superior strategic location. However, this new settlement proved to be extremely unhealthy, resulting in high mortality rates among inmates, and was soon abandoned by 1796. Venkateswar, in her book, notes that even these seven years of 'British and convict presence on the islands' are likely to have had a long and insidious impact on the islanders. About 60 years later, when the 1857 Sepoy Mutiny broke out, the British were convinced that they had to reinstate the strategic base in the Andaman Islands. 'The Mutiny brought up the question of accommodating thousands of mutineers sentenced to life imprisonment. Indian historians writing about this period imply that the sole motive of settling up a penal colony in the Andaman Islands was to transport mutineers to a place where they pose no political threat to the British,' notes Venkateswar. However, she points to other British records which maintain that long before the mutiny, the conduct of the Andamanese 'had made it imperative that the islands should be occupied, and friendly relations established with the Aborigines', and that this would have been done sooner, had the mutiny not broken out. Thereafter, a permanent settlement in the form of a penal colony was established in 1858. The islands remained in British control until the Independence of India, when it was transferred to the Government of India and installed as a Union Territory. In the years before Independence, several of the most radical and active freedom fighters, including Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Barindra Kumar Ghosh, and Batukeshwar Dutt, were incarcerated at the cellular jail in Port Blair. When they were released during Independence, they were received amid much publicity and celebration by the press, even though very little attention was given to the aboriginal Andaman Islanders. Immediately after the Partition, the Andaman Islands were chosen as a place for resettling displaced Hindu families from East Pakistan. Accordingly, large tracts of land in South and Middle Andaman were allotted to thousands of Partition refugees, often coming into conflict with local Jarawa territories. Consequently, there exists at present in Andaman, a very large community of Bengali speakers. Yet another wave of a large influx of settlers from mainland India happened in the 1960s and 70s when comprehensive schemes were established for the development of the islands. 'Almost 30,000 hectares of forest was cleared by the early seventies for settler villages, most of it encroaching on the territories of the remaining Onge groups (a tribal community in the Andaman islands),' writes Venkateswar. The construction of roads, government offices, private industries, a harbour, a sub-naval base, an agriculture farm, and a helipad, all contributed towards bringing in more settlers from mainland India, consequently pushing the tribal community into smaller pockets in the north and southern parts of the island. Abbi points out a community called 'Ranchi' in the islands. 'They are called so since they were brought from Ranchi in Jharkhand to combat with the local Jarawas when the Andaman Trunk Road was being made,' she explains. The Jarawas would frequently attack the construction workers for invading their solace, and the rationale of the government at the time was that since the tribals from Jharkhand resembled the Andaman tribals, they could match up to them. Among the other communities settled in the islands, linguist G N Devy provides the example of the Bhantu, a sub-group of the Sansi tribe, originally from Central and North-Western states of India, who were moved to the Andaman as prisoners. 'However, after their jail term, they settled down there along with their families,' he explains. There also happens to exist a community of Burmese who are descendants of those who had settled in the Andaman during the Second World War, when the islands came under Japanese control for a brief moment. One can find echoes of this historical episode in the traces of the Burmese Karen language being spoken in the island till date, explains Devy. 'One can say that the Andaman language landscape reflects the history of South Asia,' he says. Impact on local languages and emergence of Andamanese Hindi The subsequent waves of migration to the Andamans had a significant impact on the local population. At present, only four tribes live on the islands – the Great Andamanese, the Onge, the Jarawa and the Sentinelese. Scholars say that at one point some 12 distinct linguistic and separate territorial groups inhabited the islands. The Great Andamanese in 1876 (Wikimedia Commons) Among the four existing tribes, the Great Andamanese are nearing extinction. Abbi says that when she first visited the islands at the turn of the millennium, there were only 10 speakers of Great Andamanese left. Today, there are only three or four, she says. 'And even they have almost forgotten their language and call me when they need to find out how a certain phrase is spoken in their language.' The Great Andamanese, reveals Abbi, is a mixture of tribal languages such as Jero, Sare, Bo, and Khora – all languages of North Andaman. Abbi's research concluded that the Great Andamanese were effectively isolated for thousands of years, during which time their languages evolved without discernible influence from other cultures. She also argues that the Great Andamanese constitutes a sixth language family, separate from all other language families in South Asia. Scholars argue that the disappearance of the Great Andamanese is a product of the tribe coming into contact with the outside world. Abbi, in a research paper published in 2023, explains that when the British established the penal colony in the Andaman in the 19th century, the Great Andamanese resisted the invaders, but were no match for the guns and cannons that the Europeans brought. Even more fatal were the many diseases they were suddenly exposed to, and to which they had no immunity. Is the language nearing extinction on account of the incursion of new languages brought by the multiple waves of migration? Devy says no. He believes that a language dies when the people who speak it get eliminated. 'When new languages arrive, they might also enrich existing languages,' says Devy. He gives the example of the arrival of English in India, which he says, did not amount to Hindi disappearing. 'Rather, Hindi has been enriched by borrowing new words from English,' he argues. Why then did a similar pattern of enrichment not happen in the case of the Great Andamanese language? Devy explains that the Andamanese had been completely isolated from the outside world for centuries, and since the time they met with outsiders, first with the British colonisers and later the Indian government, it was always in the context of a relationship of conflict. Consequently, their language never found an environment that was conducive to its growth. Abbi suggests that even when the Great Andamanese language is on the brink of extinction, the other tribal languages of the islands, such as those of the Jarawas and the Onges, have been retained through intergenerational transfer. This, she says, is mostly because both these tribes have remained largely away and secluded from the other resettled population in the Andaman. 'It is only very recently that some of the male members of these two tribes have started communicating in Hindi,' she says. About the six languages of the Nicobar Islands, Abbi says that they too are well and alive, mainly passed on through oral traditions in homes. When the Andaman and Nicobar Islands came under the Republic of India in 1947, Hindi was established as the primary language in schools. 'However, because there were speakers of so many different languages on the islands, they created their own version of Hindi with a lot of local flavour,' adds Devy. The Andamanese Hindi, says Abbi, has some special characteristics. 'It does not have any gender agreement or number agreement,' she says. 'Andamanese Hindi is the main language of communication. The entire archipelago speaks it and is very proud of it. Even when I am in Andaman, I switch to Andamanese Hindi and can no longer speak the Hindi I use in New Delhi,' says Abbi. The proliferation of Andamanese Hindi is perhaps the most significant byproduct of the decades of efforts towards settling on the islands without attempting to engage with the local Andamanese languages. Devy sums it up perfectly when he says, 'The entire Andaman and Nicobar Islands have been transmitted because there was no possibility of translation.'
The Guardian
25-03-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
The best gifts for new mums, picked by new mums: 25 genuinely useful ideas
When we asked new mums about the best gifts they'd received, there was one answer we heard over and over again: FOOD. Taking care of dinner in those first topsy-turvy weeks and months with a newborn will always go down well – as will any emergency breastfeeding snacks. The Guardian's journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more. But their suggestions include all kinds of gifts to make a new mum feel well looked after, from soothing masks for sore boobs to a fresh pair of comfy pyjamas. Whether it's a monthly flower subscription or a box of brownies to eat while they're stuck at home, receiving a thoughtful gift could be the perfect postnatal pick-me-up. New parents meal boxes From £74.60 for seven meals at CookGift cards From £10 at Cook Cooking is the last thing you want to do when you've just had a baby. The best gift I had was food vouchers from Cook, as I knew I could eat something healthy each night without having to worry about it. Kirstin Gift cards From £10 at Treatwell I've been buying Treatwell vouchers for friends for a few years now. They last a year and can be used for loads of different treatments (haircuts, massages, nails etc) all over the country, so the mother can use them when she's ready for a break. Caroline Postnatal Care Trio £51 at Neal's Yard Little luxuries can go a long way to making you feel more like yourself after giving birth. I received this set from Neal's Yard, which felt particularly fancy! Daisy My Little Coco soothing boobie mask £8.99 at Boots£9 at Amazon I remember the booby masks being so nice when I was breastfeeding. Abbi Lansinoh nipple cream, 40ml £7.97 at Boots£7.97 at Amazon Aveeno hand cream, 75ml £5.99 at Boots£6 at Waitrose I always buy new mums Lansinoh nipple cream and Aveeno hand cream as part of a care parcel. Sam Customisable notebook £18.70 at Papier A personalised journal from Papier, which was really lovely and thoughtful. It's the sort of thing I wouldn't even have thought about buying, but it's a really nice way to record things and keep pictures. Camille Kindle From £159.99 at Amazon From £159.99 at John Lewis Gift card From £5 at Amazon A Kindle with a voucher to buy ebooks to read while breastfeeding. Ali Cambric striped pyjama set £28 at M&S Satin pyjamas £34.90 at Uniqlo It's nice to change into a fresh pair of pyjamas each evening because they get so much mess on during the night. Shirts with buttons are also very handy if you're breastfeeding. Kirstin Three-month flower subscription From £75 at Freddie's Flowers I got a flower subscription from Freddie's Flowers, which was lovely. As I was spending lots of time in the house in the first few weeks, it was nice to have fresh flowers! Monica For more bouquets, read our guide to the best online flower delivery services Sign up to The Filter Get the best shopping advice from the Filter team straight to your inbox. The Guardian's journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. after newsletter promotion New mum cheese collection £38.90 at the Welsh Cheese Company I got sent a cheese box from Wales, with all the pregnancy-banned gooey, stinking cheeses. It was delicious! Emma The Juno long-sleeved breastfeeding top £28.99 at Juno Jack'sThe Juno baby/child twinning top From £7.83 at Juno Jack's Twinning sets of clothes. I got a cute nursing top with matching baby and toddler tops from Juno Jack's when my youngest was born. I loved those. Ali Hydro Flask, 621ml £34.95 at John Lewis£29.50 at Amazon I get so thirsty when breastfeeding but always forget to have a glass of water nearby. My Hydro Flask does the job and keeps the water refreshingly cool. Kirstin M&S Collection classic hamper £55 at M&S An M&S hamper that was a source of various treats to keep me going in the early weeks! Emma Daniel Field hair growth spray £20 at Daniel Field This was so good, especially after the peak of breastfeeding where hormones go crazy and hair falls out. Monica Lindt selection box £19 at Lindt£19 at Amazon A huge box of Lindt chocolates. I was breastfeeding at 3am and felt so hungry I thought I was going to throw up. The box of chocolates was the only thing in reach and I managed to shred the box open with one hand. I ate them all like I was in a speed-eating competition. Rachel Three-month brownie subscription £56.97 at Gower Cottage A Gower Cottage brownie subscription for three months. The best present! Louise The Care Package From £38.95 at Don't Buy Her Flowers Create your own new mum gift box From £5.50 plus the cost of the items at Don't Buy Her Flowers I got a gift box from Don't Buy Her Flowers, which was lovely. Helen Classic breast milk ring From £91 at Milk Diamonds My husband bought me a keepsake ring where the stone is made from breast milk. It's not as creepy as it sounds! They look like opals. Nicky A friend came and unpacked our kitchen for us – we moved house and then I went into labour almost immediately so we hadn't even unpacked. For six years, I didn't know where anything was but I was forever grateful. Amy
