Travellers in the UK have been told to expect a weekend of disruption at airports and on the railway network.
Rail passengers are being warned of significant disruption to services over the Bank Holiday weekend because of a strike by conductors.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) at TransPennine Express walked out on Saturday and will strike again on Sunday in a long-running dispute over pay.
TransPennine Express has urged people not to travel, saying it will be running an amended timetable on both days, with a very limited service available for those making essential journeys.
People heading to events including jubilee celebrations were urged to seek alternative transport.
“We are saddened that continuing RMT strikes will mean we are unable to provide a full service for customers over such a special weekend, when celebrations will be taking place across the UK,” Kathryn O’Brien, customer experience director for TransPennine Express, said.
“With strike action planned for both Saturday and Sunday, coupled with major engineering work, our advice for customers is not to travel by train, and anyone heading to an event should seek alternative transport.”
Lengthy queues are expected at airport passport controls caused by a surge in people returning from jubilee getaways, while motoring group the AA spoke of delays on the roads as 19 million drivers were expected to get behind the wheel.
In London, Tube workers are expected to head out on strike on Monday after talks aimed at avoiding a strike by subway station staff collapsed.
“We will keep as many stations as possible open, but we expect that this strike will cause severe disruption and the closure of many Tube stations,” Transport for London said in a statement, adding commuters should avoid travelling.
Britons have had a four-day weekend for Queen Elizabeth II’s platinum Jubilee and many have chosen to go overseas.
Travellers will return home on Sunday, testing the capacity of road networks and airports’ ability to process arrivals.
Disruption on Sunday and Monday would be the latest headache in the UK after the Easter holiday led to delays on the rail, road and air travel networks. For Londoners, the Tube strike means disruption will spill into Tuesday.
“We expect the severe disruption caused by this strike to continue into the morning of Tuesday 7 June, and I’m sorry for the impact this will have on people’s journeys next week,” Transport for London’s chief operating officer Andy Lord said in a statement.
After cutting jobs during coronavirus lockdowns, airports and airlines have struggled to hire enough workers to cope with a return to full capacity.
Gatwick Airport has in excess of 40 per cent fewer direct employees than it did before the pandemic started.
Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary has called for help from British military personnel to help deal with the disruption.
“Bringing in the army, which they do at many other European airports, would, at a stroke, relieve the pressure on airport security and would mean that people have a much better experience — not just this weekend, but for each weekend over the next three, four months,” he told ITV News.
More than 10,000 flights have left the UK over the four-day weekend, according to data from analytics firm Cirium.
Airlines have asked the government to relax its immigration rules for European citizens to help them hire staff.
The UK has recorded a loss of European Union nationals because of the combined impact of Brexit and the coronavirus pandemic, leaving many companies with staffing shortages.
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Key changes
Commission caps
For life insurance products with a savings component, Peter Hodgins of Clyde & Co said different caps apply to the saving and protection elements:
• For the saving component, a cap of 4.5 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 90 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).
• On the protection component, there is a cap of 10 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 160 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).
• Indemnity commission, the amount of commission that can be advanced to a product salesperson, can be 50 per cent of the annualised premium for the first year or 50 per cent of the total commissions on the policy calculated.
• The remaining commission after deduction of the indemnity commission is paid equally over the premium payment term.
• For pure protection products, which only offer a life insurance component, the maximum commission will be 10 per cent of the annualised premium multiplied by the length of the policy in years.
Disclosure
Customers must now be provided with a full illustration of the product they are buying to ensure they understand the potential returns on savings products as well as the effects of any charges. There is also a “free-look” period of 30 days, where insurers must provide a full refund if the buyer wishes to cancel the policy.
“The illustration should provide for at least two scenarios to illustrate the performance of the product,” said Mr Hodgins. “All illustrations are required to be signed by the customer.”
Another illustration must outline surrender charges to ensure they understand the costs of exiting a fixed-term product early.
Illustrations must also be kept updatedand insurers must provide information on the top five investment funds available annually, including at least five years' performance data.
“This may be segregated based on the risk appetite of the customer (in which case, the top five funds for each segment must be provided),” said Mr Hodgins.
Product providers must also disclose the ratio of protection benefit to savings benefits. If a protection benefit ratio is less than 10 per cent "the product must carry a warning stating that it has limited or no protection benefit" Mr Hodgins added.
MATCH INFO
What: India v Afghanistan, first Test
When: Starts Thursday
Where: M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengalaru
Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
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AGL AWARDS
Golden Ball - best Emirati player: Khalfan Mubarak (Al Jazira)
Golden Ball - best foreign player: Igor Coronado (Sharjah)
Golden Glove - best goalkeeper: Adel Al Hosani (Sharjah)
Best Coach - the leader: Abdulaziz Al Anbari (Sharjah)
Fans' Player of the Year: Driss Fetouhi (Dibba)
Golden Boy - best young player: Ali Saleh (Al Wasl)
Best Fans of the Year: Sharjah
Goal of the Year: Michael Ortega (Baniyas)
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