Europe

Club Med anticipates that its upcoming winter season in 2021/2022 will be the firm's most successful to date, following a surge in bookings including ski holidays . The all-inclusive holidays firm has revealed that within 24 hours of opening up sales, online bookings are already up 71% compared to last year when sales first opened. The most popular seasons are proving to be the festive period in 2021, as well as February half term in 2022. The brand predominantly sells ski holidays in Italy and France, although the latter is proving particularly popular with bookings rising for resorts including Alpe d’Huez, Grand Massif Samoëns Morillon, Les Arcs Panorama and Val Thorens Sensation. (Club Med is also set to launch a new resort in Canada later this year). Ski season was brought to an abrupt halt in 2020 as the pandemic broke, with many resorts forced to close their doors as social distancing measures and travel restrictions came into force. Then the ski season for … [Read more...] about Club Med expects next winter season to be most successful ever as bookings surge

Pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca will deliver to the EU less than half the amount of COVID-19 vaccine doses that it pledged for the first quarter of 2021, company boss Pascal Soriot admitted to European lawmakers on Thursday. The drugmaker has long said it will not be able to fulfill its target, but the confirmation remains a blow to the EU's vaccine rollout. The bloc has fallen far behind the United States, Britain and Israel in vaccinating its public, blaming supply chain issues. About 8% of the adult population of the EU have been vaccinated, according to European Commission Chief Ursula von der Leyen. AstraZeneca will now try and deliver 40 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine by the end of March, down from an initial 90 million. The pledge is in line with previous statements from the company. On Wednesday, AstraZeneca said it would only be able to deliver half the COVID-19 vaccines it was contracted to supply the EU in the second quarter of 2021. The EU has … [Read more...] about Coronavirus: AstraZeneca admits huge vaccine shortfall for EU

Amsterdam could ban tourists from its cannabis shops (also known as coffee shops) in a bid to crack down on the rise of demand for cannabis. The city's mayor Femke Halsema has submitted a proposal to the Amsterdam city council which would see access to these coffee shops limited only to Dutch residents. The decision comes as the popularity of these coffee shops with tourists has seen a rise in demand for cannabis and, as a result, "soft drug trade is increasing". It's hoped that by making the coffee shops less of a draw for tourists, soft drug trade could be reduced. Other measures could also include limiting the number of coffee shops which can be owned by the same chain, and stricter regulations around the transport and storage of cannabis in the industry. If successful, the policy is anticipated to come into force from next year. Amsterdam currently has 166 coffee shops - which accounts for almost 30% of all of the Netherlands' coffee shops. Recent research by … [Read more...] about Amsterdam could ban tourists from its cannabis shops from next year

A Labour Government would make patrolling the North Atlantic against Russian submarines a priority to deter Kremlin aggression, military experts were told today. Shadow Defence Secretary John Healey highlighted the underwater threat posed to UK interests from Vladimir Putin's forces, in a speech to the Royal United Services Institute. Analysts have described the level of activity by Russian subs in the North Atlantic as the most intense since the height of the Cold War. They often involve cat-and-mouse pursuits with Royal Navy submarines beneath the surface. But the threat is not confined to the sea. Long-range Russian bomber planes frequently skirt UK air space, forcing RAF Typhoon fighter jets on Britain's quick reaction alert to scramble to confront them in mid-air. Vowing that under Keir Starmer's premiership Labour would focus on confronting Russian aggression, Mr Healey warned “the biggest threat to stability for Europe is coming from Russia at present”. “Labour … [Read more...] about Labour would make anti-Russian patrols in the Atlantic a priority, experts told

BENIDORM is relaunching their beach "squares" which tourists have to reserve, despite them causing long queues last summer. The scheme was originally launched to allow social distancing at the popular beaches, and is restarting from March 1. Mayor Toni Pérez explained it was an "an extension to the organisation and operation model that we implemented in June 2020 under the ‘Benidorm Beach Safety’ project." While the initial plans will only be in place from March 1 to April 30, due to the busy period with two local holidays, it is likely to be introduced again during the peak season when Brits descend to the beaches. The proposal includes "the subdivision of the sandy areas, with spaces of 16 square metres (4×4 metres) to ensure physical distancing and personal observance of these measures," which is the same as last year's initiative . Sunloungers and umbrella rental services will also be suspended. Mr Pérez said: "The implementation of all these services is one … [Read more...] about Benidorm to restart beach ‘squares’ which tourists have to reserve – despite hour long queues last summer