Tuesday, March 28News For London

Travel

Camel Flu warning for England fans returning from the World Cup

Camel Flu warning for England fans returning from the World Cup

Animals, Breaking News, Explainers, Health, Medical, Sport, Sports, Travel, UK news, Worldnews
Picture credit: Unplash Football fans returning from Qatar are being told by WHO and UKSHA to look out for the symptoms of camel flu which is 10 times deadlier than covid and has the potential to spread and cause a pandemic in the future. Camel flu is MERS-CoV, usually referred to as MERS, and is a rare but serious respiratory disease. It can be diagnosed with similar symptoms to covid 19 but it can cause more risk to health symptoms are fever and cough, and it can progress to pneumonia and cause breathing problems. Picture Credits: Neha Tekawade and Rishab Shaju Camel flu is a zoonotic virus and can be spread from humans to animals. There is proof that the virus is mostly spread by camels in the Middle East. Droplets from a cough can also transmit MERS from one person to anot...
The next three weeks to the new year resemble an advent calendar of disruption

The next three weeks to the new year resemble an advent calendar of disruption

Breaking News, Bus, Explainers, News, Politics, protest, TFL, train strike, Transport, Travel, Tube, UK news
The next three weeks to the new year seem like an advent calendar of disruption, as nurses, transport workers, postal workers, baggage handlers, and others have scheduled strikes. Credit: Mellina Shahrom These are all kinds of strike disruptions that we can expect. This is largely about pay. As prices rise, wages are not, on the whole, keeping up and statistically, that gap is greater for the public sector. Credit: Mellina Shahrom This is what is happening this week. There will be four days of rail disruption as 40,000 workers walk out. And more than 100,000 Royal Mail workers will participate in two days of strike action this week. As we are edging closer to Christmas, expect disruption to deliveries. Learner drivers are being urged to check if their practical driving test...
The popular culture of voluntourism, self-worth and charity, explained

The popular culture of voluntourism, self-worth and charity, explained

Explainer, Explainers, Explainers, Travel
The culture of sending teenagers to travel and help charities in other countries is booming in the UK and elsewhere. The millennial approach by parents to help their kids develop self-worth seems to be one reason why.  For most teenagers in the UK, volunteering opportunities are frequently offered as a part of high school programmes. To be a “volunteer” typically means working for an organisation or cause without getting anything in exchange. From seaside conservation in Fiji to cultural immersion in Cambodia, you may have been encouraged to enrol for a summer trip by your parents or you might have read about how such an experience would help your resume for college applications. But in 1998, an accidental invention of “voluntourism” changed this altogether.  The term “vol
Heaviest storm in Icelandic history

Heaviest storm in Icelandic history

Breaking News, Climate, Environment, Natural Disaster, News, Science, Travel, Worldnews
A bombogenisis (fast evolving) cyclone hit Iceland last night, causing damage throughout the country and cutting off the island. Up to 118 mph was the predicted wind speed by forecasts along with heavy snowfall. The air pressure dropped from 1005 hPa to 980 in only 19 hours before the storm hit the country. The weather alert was set to yellow, orange and even red. It was the first time in Icelandic history that a weather warning of the highest level was released since the new weather alert system had been introduced several years ago. The red alert affected the region of the Westfjords, a very exposed area in the northwest of Iceland, where the storm was suspected to be the worst. People in the whole country were advised to stay home. Forecasters especially recommended to avoi...
“Horrific” and “unreasonable” strikes aren’t helping train guards’ cause

“Horrific” and “unreasonable” strikes aren’t helping train guards’ cause

Breaking News, News, ReportingWeek2, Transport, Travel
Whilst the public are calling for an “agreement” or an alternative to striking, many commuters aren’t “clued in” about why the strikes are taking place. Rail, Maritime, and Transport (RMT) Union members are striking for the next 20 days over the role and responsibilities of train guards on board. The RSSB Rail Safety and Standards Board found that between 2010 and 2015, there were more platform safety incidents on conductor only operated trains. South Western Railway (SWR) trains were subject to more delays due to engineering works this weekend, leaving passengers to face more cancellations in the lead up to Christmas. The SWR train routes link suburbs and regional areas to the UK’s busiest station London Waterloo. More than 800 services have been cut and trains will not
Londoners insist travel in London is overpriced but welcome TfL fares freeze

Londoners insist travel in London is overpriced but welcome TfL fares freeze

Breaking News, Transport, Travel
By Beth Keeley Londoners believe travel in London is still too expensive despite TfL announcing fares will stay the same for another year. The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, confirmed the price freeze for the fourth year in a row. The freeze on fares for buses, trams, tubes and DLR journeys will last until 2020. One Londoner complaining of the price of travel said: “The cost of living is very high in London so it would help if the cost of travelling was subsidized more.” Another said: “It’s nice that prices are going to be frozen but it’s still overpriced.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=-RrJHrQbJK8&feature=emb_logo This is the final part of a four year commitment the Mayor made in 2016, when he promised to freeze TfL fares. The Mayor’s TfL fares fr
Commuter satisfaction remains high despite overcrowded trains

Commuter satisfaction remains high despite overcrowded trains

Breaking News, Explainers, Transport, Travel
  Fast, overcrowded, unreliable, noisy, convenient… People from all across the world have an opinion on the London Underground. Especially the four million Londoners who use it to get around everyday. On the morning that a tragic incident at the Victoria tube station caused major disruption to the morning commute of several Londoners, we asked them what they really thought of London’s iconic public transit service. Interviews with the general public revealed that people were generally happy with the service that TFL provided with nearly all the interviewees commenting positively on the speed and overall reliability of the service. This is in line with the latest Transport for London performance figures showing user satisfaction at 85%. Regarding track failures and b
13 reasons why Portugal is a better destination than the UK

13 reasons why Portugal is a better destination than the UK

Art, Blogs, Climate, Culture, economy, Entertainment, Environment, Explainers, Food, Instagram, International, LifeStyle, News, Opinion, Retro, Student, Travel, trends, urban, youth
Everyone seems to be travelling to Portugal these days. Indeed, this year the country reported gleefully on another record year for overseas arrivals. Just over 12.7 million foreigners visited the country in 2017 – up 12 per cent year-on-year. Here's why it is proving so popular. Portugal has been recognized by many newspapers and magazines, including The Guardian, Condé Nast Traveller, Forbes, The New York Times, El País, CNN, World Travel Awards, the Best Of Wine Tourism, Great Wine Capitals, Catavinum and many more. These awards recognize the country’s tourism excellence. 1.Lisbon’s charm Lisbon's century-old wooden trams and iron funiculars that still lurch and rumble their way through the city are unique. Wandering from Baixa district to Graça you'll see a very traditional side
Ice Watch London: Confronting climate change with melting icebergs

Ice Watch London: Confronting climate change with melting icebergs

Art, Climate, Culture, Environment, London, News, ReportingWeek1, ReportingWeek2, Science, Travel, trends
London to get colder as huge blocks of glacial ice arrives along the bank side as a part of an art installation to display the effects of climate change.  Olafur Eliasson confronts Londoner's with the reality of climate change > https://t.co/o6Uh1uTjDz pic.twitter.com/VdYsGNK2Ui — It's Nice That (@itsnicethat) 9 December 2018 Olafur Eliasson, Icelandic-Danish artist known for his sculptures and large-scale art installations along with leading geologist Minik Rosing, is bringing 24 giant blocks of ice as a part of an ice-watch installation at Tate Modern, London. The installation, which follows its iterations in Copenhagen and Paris, will serve as a primary reminder of the impact of climate change on the world at large. Glacial ice astray - why are these blocks of ice appeari