Latest news with #strikes
The Sun
16 minutes ago
- The Sun
Strike action planned for the first weekend of summer holidays across Italian airports – it's set to cause chaos
STRIKES across Italian airports are set to cause trouble for British holidaymakers travelling this weekend. Italian officials have warned that aviation industry staff are planning to strike across Italy on the first Saturday of the summer holidays leading to potential flight delays and cancellations. 4 4 Lots of Brits will be ditching the UK for a break in sunny Italy, but could be met with chaos due to strike action. The Italian Transport Ministry has announced that airport staff including security workers and baggage handlers are set to walk out for a four-hour shutdown between 1PM and 5PM on Saturday 26 July. This will impact passengers heading to major terminals at airports including Rome Fiumicino, Milan Malpensa, Naples, Florence and Venice. The Assohandlers group, which represents baggage handlers at dozens of airports across Italy, is set to strike. The company has Ryanair, Wizz Air and TUI among its clients, meaning flights with those carriers could be impacted. While the planned strike is set to last just four hours, it will also have a ripple effect on later services too. To add to the disruption, staff at Spanish budget airline, Volotea, are set to walk out during the day as well. Strike action in Italy earlier this month ended with 73 flights scheduled to depart from and arrive in the country being cancelled in a single day. The scrapped flights included services from Milan Malpensa, Milan Linate, Naples and Venice Marco Polo - affecting passengers travelling via Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Manchester. Darina Kovacheva, Head of Legal at airline compensation specialist SkyRefund says: 'As we saw earlier this month, the ongoing discontent among aviation workers in Italy is causing mayhem for holidaymakers visiting the country. Popular Italian holiday hotspot bans walking barefoot, booze & picnics with rules-breaking tourists facing hefty fines 4 She continued: "We highly recommend that passengers travelling to Italy this weekend monitor the status of their flight before travelling to the airport, as strikes like these can cause last minute cancellations." For anyone flying with Volotea, Darina has said that certain passengers could be eligible for compensation if their flight is delayed or cancelled. She added: "Under EU Regulation 261/2004, when disruption to a passenger's journey is caused by an airline's own employees, such as the planned Volotea staff strike, passengers may be eligible for compensation." Several Italian airports have issued early warning on their websites and social media channels encouraging passengers to consider rescheduling flights. There's already travel chaos for Brits who have been driving to the port of Dover and have been stuck in long queues to cross the Channel. The RAC estimates that up to 13.9 million journeys could be made between July 21 and July 24. Here's more on flight delays and what to do if you're affected. Flight compensation rules A look at your rights if a flight is delayed or cancelled, when your entitled to compensation and if your travel insurance can cover the costs. What are my rights if my flight is cancelled or delayed? Under UK law, airlines have to provide compensation if your flight arrives at its destination more than three hours late. If you're flying to or from the UK, your airline must let you choose a refund or an alternative flight. You will be able to get your money back for the part of your ticket that you haven't used yet. So if you booked a return flight and the outbound leg is cancelled, you can get the full cost of the return ticket refunded. But if travelling is essential, then your airline has to find you an alternative flight. This could even be with another airline. When am I not entitled to compensation? The airline doesn't have to give you a refund if the flight was cancelled due to reasons beyond their control, such as extreme weather. Disruptions caused by things like extreme weather, airport or air traffic control employee strikes or other 'extraordinary circumstances' are not eligible for compensation. Some airlines may stretch the definition of "extraordinary circumstances" but you can challenge them through the aviation regulator the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Will my insurance cover me if my flight is cancelled? If you can't claim compensation directly through the airline, your travel insurance may refund you. Policies vary so you should check the small print, but a delay of eight to 12 hours will normally mean you qualify for some money from your insurer. Remember to get written confirmation of your delay from the airport as your insurer will need proof. If your flight is cancelled entirely, you're unlikely to be covered by your insurance. 4
Fox News
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Fox News
WATCH LIVE: Secretary of State Rubio meets with key Middle East ally
Rubio sitting down with Jordanian Foreign Minister amid conflict in Gaza, aftermath of U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear program.
Free Malaysia Today
21 hours ago
- Health
- Free Malaysia Today
Israeli strikes leave 17 Palestinians dead in Gaza
Israel's military said its troops are 'deepening their operational activity' in Gaza. (AP pic) GAZA CITY : Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli strikes killed 17 people in the Palestinian territory today, as Israel's military said it was pressing on with its operations against Hamas fighters. Agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that eight people – including a pregnant woman – were killed in a single strike at 2am in Gaza City's Tel Al-Hawa neighbourhood. Two others died in separate strikes in the city, three in the southern town of Bani Suheila, and four near a food distribution centre in central Gaza, he added. Israel's military said troops were 'deepening their operational activity' in the Gaza City area and the north, including the Jabaliya area. 'Over the past day, the troops dismantled dozens of terrorist infrastructure sites and located weapons in the southern Gaza Strip,' a statement read. Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency and other parties. Hundreds of people have been killed while trying to reach or waiting near aid distribution centres in central Gaza near the Wadi Gaza river. The centre is run by the US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which started distributing food in late May after Israel lifted a full blockade. Over 100 humanitarian groups warned that the trickle of aid entering Gaza is causing widespread hunger, while the head of Gaza City's Al-Shifa hospital said yesterday that 21 children had died due to malnutrition and starvation over the past three days. GHF and Israel argue that food and aid are entering Gaza but that the UN and other NGOs cannot deliver them to Palestinians.
The Independent
a day ago
- Health
- The Independent
Why the resident doctors are wrong to go on a five-day strike
The imminent strikes by the BMA resident doctors pose a moment of sadness. It is sad for patients and sad for the NHS. We are in the economic equivalent of a Covid crisis in the NHS; if the proposed reforms aren't delivered, it will be an existential crisis for our health system. I do not say that at all lightly, but I do say it from decades of knowledge and experience. It is a relief that reforms are already starting to see things moving in the right direction, but this action will choke off that recovery and put the NHS in a perilous place. I was a GP for 29 years. It is a privilege to be a clinician and share people's lives at difficult moments. It is our professional duty to put the people we care for before ourselves. Last year's (and this year's) pay award amounts to a 28.9 per cent increase for resident doctors compared with three years ago. It is what many other people dream of, not to mention the almost unique index-linked NHS pensions. It cannot have been easy to persuade the Treasury to pay out in such resource-constrained times. Having pocketed that, the resident doctors now need to accept that there is no more money for pay – reform has to have priority. That said, there are valid issues to be sorted out in training, allocation to jobs, and working conditions. It isn't right that resident doctors can be randomly allocated to posts, disrupting lives, or find the catering arrangements totally inadequate when on call. However, the NHS 10-year plan contains within it a pledge to deal with such matters with speed. So, I just don't understand the call for a strike. It is disproportionate when there is such an open door. Without getting too Monty Python, as a junior doctor, I did one in two or one in three 'on calls', which meant working the days and also working through every other night (or third night) with time beyond 40 hours paid at a third of our normal rate. It was brutal, but our representatives worked to make things better – and from this, the current generation benefits. We wouldn't ever have considered taking action against our patients. And this action is against patients. The resident doctors may be worried about their futures, but so is every patient who now might not be treated. Polls suggest patients do not agree with the resident doctors. I hope the public supports the NHS and opposes the resident doctors this time. I hope resident doctors support the NHS – and not their leaders. The proposed action will further erode trust by people in the NHS. It is already at an all-time low, and the consent of the nation to use 40 per cent of departmental spend on a poorly performing healthcare system is unlikely to continue without improvement. This resident doctors' action almost guarantees the end of the NHS if they continue, playing into the hands of those who want to have a different healthcare system. This action is the industrial relations equivalent of the charge of the Light Brigade. The resident doctors should remember the spirit of the Hippocratic oath; first, do no harm.
The Independent
a day ago
- Health
- The Independent
The Latest: Israeli strikes in Gaza kill at least 21 people, health authorities say
Israeli strikes in Gaza killed at least 21 people late Tuesday and early Wednesday. More than half of those killed were women and children, health authorities said. Desperation is mounting in the Palestinian territory of more than 2 million, which experts say is at risk of famine because of Israel's blockade and nearly two-year offensive. A breakdown of law and order has led to widespread looting and contributed to chaos and violence around aid deliveries. More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since May while trying to get food in the Gaza Strip, mostly near aid sites run by an American contractor, the U.N. human rights office said Tuesday. More than 100 human rights groups and charities signed a letter published Wednesday demanding more aid for Gaza and warning of grim conditions causing starvation. More than 59,000 Palestinians have been killed during the Israel-Hamas war, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals. Its count doesn't distinguish between militants and civilians, but the ministry says that more than half of the dead are women and children. The U.N. and other international organizations see it as the most reliable source of data on casualties. Here is the latest: Overnight strikes kill at least 21 One Israeli strike hit a house Tuesday in the northwestern side of Gaza City, killing at least 12 people, according to the Shifa Hospital, which received the casualties. The dead included six children and two women, according to the Health Ministry's casualty list. Another strike hit an apartment in the Tal al-Hawa area in northern Gaza, killing at least six people. Among the dead were three children and two women, including one who was pregnant. Eight others were wounded, the ministry said. A third strike hit a tent in the Naser neighborhood in Gaza City late Tuesday and killed three children, Shifa Hospital said. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the strikes. It blames Hamas for civilian casualties because the militants operate from populated areas. Human rights groups and charities demand more Gaza aid In the letter issued Wednesday by 109 human rights and charity groups, they warned of a dire situation pushing more people toward starvation. They said they were watching their own colleagues, as well as the Palestinians they serve, 'waste away.' The letter slammed Israel for what it said were restrictions on aid into the war-ravaged territory. It lamented 'massacres' at food distribution points, which have seen chaos and violence in recent weeks as desperation has risen. 'The government of Israel's restrictions, delays, and fragmentation under its total siege have created chaos, starvation, and death,' the letter said. The letter called for aid to be scaled up as well as for a ceasefire. ` Israel says that it has allowed the entry of thousands of trucks since May and blames aid groups for not consistently delivering goods.
