Ryanair announces new flights to stunning European tourist hotspot

Travel

Ryanair has announced new flights between popular European holiday destinations.EX-YU Aviation News reported that the airline will introduce twice-weekly flights from Dubrovnik, Croatia, to Marseille, France, and Katowice, Poland.The Dubrovnik–Katowice route will run from March to October this year, and the Dubrovnik–Marseille route will run from April to October. Both routes will be on Mondays and Thursdays.Ryanair has also announced a new route from Zadar to Bratislava, Slovakia’s capital. It will be the 24th destination served by Ryanair from Zadar. Flights are expected to start soon.The airline is also preparing to launch another route from Rijeka in Croatia to Hahn in Germany. While the details and ticket sales for this connection are not yet finalised, the route is part of the airline’s growing focus on Rijeka.Ryanair also recently confirmed flights between Rijeka and Wroclaw in Poland, scheduled to operate twice a week on Mondays and Fridays from June to September of this year.These developments come as the airline reallocates resources in response to rising airport charges in Spain, urging Spanish airport authority Aena to get out of “the Madrid bubble”.Ryanair announced cuts to its Spanish operations, including the suspension of flights to cities like Jerez and Valladolid and reductions in routes from seven other Spanish airports.Lucena Airport said that the Spanish airport system “cannot be made to measure for Ryanair” and that “it is very difficult not to interpret the airline’s communiqués as blackmail in every sense of the word”.In addition, starting in April, flights on the airline’s route between Aberdeen and Málaga will increase by a day, operating on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.This summer will also see Ryanair launch a new direct route from Aberdeen to Krakow. The twice-weekly service, which commences in April, will operate on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Travel warning as Brit loses £16,000 in Spanish hotspot after thieves use sneaky tactic

Travel

A British holidaymaker has been left £16,000 out of pocket after two thieves swiped his phone and made a series of transactions.The unfortunate incident occurred while the man was vacationing in Benidorm, Spain, where his phone was stolen and subsequently used to spend £16,000.Two suspects, aged 19 and 20 have been apprehended by the Policia Nacional, according to reports.It is believed that the British tourist was targeted after the duo observed him closely to gain access to his phone code.The victim reported the theft to local authorities and stated that unknown individuals had conducted several transfers and payments from his phone, even applying for bank loans under his name.Police investigations revealed that three men had been receiving transfers from the Brit’s bank account, although one of them was also a theft victim.In a bid to mislead the police, the thieves transferred money to themselves and another theft victim before moving funds from his account to their own.The pair were later identified, located and arrested on fraud charges, as reported by Olive Press.The Policia Nacional advised against entering passwords and codes on phones in the presence of strangers who could potentially be observing, reports the Mirror.They also recommended using different passwords for banking apps to prevent thieves from accessing accounts in case of phone theft.A slew of break-ins has sent shockwaves through the British expat community in Spain’s sunny Costa Del SolIn one particularly brazen heist during December 2024, burglars made off with a staggering haul from an unoccupied Benahavis villa, netting over €500,000 (£412,500) worth of treasures, including high-end timepieces and Cartier gems.In a swift operation that took just 10 minutes, the robbers seized luxury Audemars Piguet, Rolex, and Romain Jerome watches, alongside a cache of Cartier delights such as a necklace, earrings, and gold rings. The property’s alarm was sounded at 6.50pm; however, it did little to deter the culprits.As of now, The Guardia Civil’s inquiry has yet to lead to any arrests, Malaga Hoy has disclosed. Surveillance footage captured two masked figures shattering the glass of the kitchen’s sliding door, before reportedly heading to the bedroom to retrieve and subsequently escape with the safe.The homeowner, promptly notified via his mobile phone about the intrusion, arrived back to find the offenders had vanished. With street crime posing an enduring threat, The Foreign Office cautions travellers: “Be alert to the risk of street crime. Thieves use distraction techniques and often work in teams. Take care of your passports, money and personal belongings, particularly when collecting or checking in luggage at the airport, and while arranging car hire.”Do not carry all your valuables in one place. Keep a copy of the photo page of your passport somewhere safe. Make sure your accommodation has adequate security. Keep all doors and windows locked. If you’re concerned about the security of your accommodation, speak to your travel operator or the property owner.”

5:50 p.m. politics politics ICE Agents Detain American Citizens in Newark Raid By Nia Prater In a statement, Newark mayor Ras Baraka said ICE agents detained lawful citizens during a raid on a local business, calling it an “egregious act.”

Business News

Photo: Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo

Donald Trump vowed to crack down on immigration on the campaign trail, promising mass deportations and threatening repercussions for cities and communities who don’t comply with his new administration’s orders. Evidence of the new president’s hard-line stance were seen within his first week back in office as one sanctuary city was the site of a high-profile raid by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.

On Thursday, Newark mayor Ras Baraka confirmed that a raid had taken place at a business in the city, adding that ICE agents detained American citizens as well as undocumented residents without producing a warrant. In a statement, Baraka said one of those detained was a “U.S. military veteran who suffered the indignity of having the legitimacy of his military documentation questioned,” with the mayor calling it an “egregious act.”

“Newark will not stand by idly while people are being unlawfully terrorized,” Baraka said.

CBS New York reports that the raid took place at Ocean Seafood Depot, a local fish market. The owner told the network that about a dozen ICE agents arrived that morning with no prior warning, seeking his employees’ documentation. “A couple of the guys couldn’t show their identification. Three of them got arrested.” he told CBS. “Twenty-six years in business, I’ve never seen anything like this.”

New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice executive director Amy Torres passed along more details from witnesses to NBC News:

According to the employees who stayed behind, ICE agents were “heavily armed” and entered the business with no prior announcement, blocking off entrances, exits and delivery ramps, Torres said. “They were banging down bathroom doors to make sure no one was hiding inside. And most importantly, as the mayor said, they did all of this without being able to produce a single name or a single warrant.”

New Jersey senators Cory Booker and Andy Kim said in a joint statement that they are “deeply concerned” about the reported raid. “Our offices have reached out to the Department of Homeland Security to demand answers. Actions like this one sow fear in all of our communities — and our broken immigration system requires solutions, not fear tactics,” they said.

ICE says it arrested 538 people on Thursday nationwide in a number of cities. There were also two more workplace raids in Newark on Friday, Mayor Baraka told NBC News.

This post has been updated.

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