The Philippines has accused Chinese vessels of carrying out “dangerous maneuvers” in a disputed area of the South China Sea in the latest maritime flare-up between the two neighbors.

The Philippine coast guard said in a statement Friday it had been carrying out a routine rotation and resupply mission near Ayungin Shoal, known in China as Ren’ai Reef, when its vessels were approached by eight Chinese boats.

It claimed the Chinese boats “jeopardized” the safety of the crew members aboard the Philippine vessels, but did not detail how. It claimed the incident had involved four Chinese coast guard vessels and four Chinese “maritime militia” boats.

The incident comes just weeks after the Philippines accused Chinese coast guard ships of firing water cannons at its vessels as they tried to resupply troops stationed on the same shoal in the Spratly Islands chain, known in China as the Nansha Islands.

Western marine security experts believe Beijing controls a maritime militia hundreds of vessels strong that acts as an unofficial – and officially deniable – force to push its territorial claims both in the South China Sea and beyond.

The Philippines claims the militia has been involved in both of the most recent incidents at Ayungin Shoal, which is also known as Second Thomas Shoal.

China has never acknowledged that such a militia exists.

Following the most recent incident the Philippine coast guard said it had reached out to its Chinese counterpart and urged them to “immediately cease any illegal activities within the maritime zones of the Philippines.”

Beijing claims “indisputable sovereignty” over almost all of the 1.3 million square mile South China Sea, as well as most of the islands within it. That includes the Spratlys, an archipelago consisting of 100 small islands and reefs also claimed in full or part by the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.

Manila however calls part of the area the West Philippine Sea. In 1999 it intentionally grounded a navy transport ship, the BRP Sierra Madre, on Second Thomas Shoal, manned by Filipino marines, to enforce the country’s claim to the area.

In response to the latest confrontation, the Chinese coast guard issued a statement on Friday, accusing the Philippines of unauthorized entry into the area.

“Two Philippine supply ships and two (Philippine) coast guard ships entered the waters adjacent to Ren’ai Reef in China’s Nansha Islands without permission from the Chinese government,” the statement read.

“China has indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands, including Ren’ai Reef, and its adjacent waters, and firmly opposes the Philippines’ illegal transportation of illegal building materials to warships stationed on the beach illegally.”

Manila’s territorial claims are backed by the international Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague, which ruled in 2016 that China has no legal basis to claim historic rights to the bulk of the South China Sea.

Beijing has ignored the ruling and insists that the Philippines had promised to remove the vessel. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has said his government has never promised such a move.

Tom Brady made an emotional return to New England on Sunday as he declared himself a “Patriot for life.”

Brady retired from professional football earlier this year after spending three seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but the three-time NFL MVP will always be remembered for his time in New England with the Patriots.

While playing for the Patriots, Brady was able to bring six Super Bowl titles to New England and turned the franchise into a footballing powerhouse.

“When Tom Brady announced his retirement after 23 NFL seasons, there was only one place I wanted him to be on opening day – right here at Gillette Stadium with 65,000 fans,” said Patriots owner Robert Kraft as he introduced Brady to the packed-out venue for a special half-time ceremony during the match against the Philadelphia Eagles to honor the quarterback.

“In the 103-year history of the NFL, nearly 27,000 players have appeared in games, and we know the greatest one ever to play in that time is right here in Tom Brady.”

Once the applause and cheers had finally died down, Brady was able to address those in attendance.

“That run out was a little longer today than it used to be – I’m not quite in game shape but it’s impossible for me to be in this stadium, full of you amazing fans, with some of the best teammates, with my family and all my friends, and not run out like I did for 20 years,” Brady told the New England crowd as he received an effusive reception from the crowd.

“I was so fortunate to be drafted here two decades ago – 23 years to be exact – not even knowing where New England was on the map and not that we put it on the map, but I think a lot more people in the US know where the New England Patriots play.”

Brady set nearly every imaginable franchise passing record with the Patriots, leading the team to 17 division titles and 219 regular-season wins.

“All our lives take us on different journeys, they take us to different places, they bring different people into our lives but one thing I am sure of and that will never change is that I am a Patriot for life,” said Brady.

Kraft also announced that he will be waiving the four-year wait period to be inducted into the Patriots’ Hall of Fame and Brady will be inducted in a first of its kind ceremony at Gillette Stadium next year.

“I love you guys so much, and I’ll see you next summer,” Brady concluded.

Eagles onslaught

The Patriots haven’t won a Super Bowl since Brady departed and the team’s opening NFL game of the 2023/2024 season ended in defeat as the Philadelphia Eagles departed the Gillette Stadium with a 25-20 victory.

The Eagles got off to a flying start when Darius Slay intercepted Mac Jones’ attempted pass. Philadelphia’s cornerback charged down the field to score a touchdown off the 70-yard interception.

DeVonta Smith added a touchdown late on in the first quarter from a Jalen Hurts pass as Philadelphia took a 16-0 lead after the opening 15 minutes.

The Patriots rallied with a 14-point second quarter. Touchdowns from Hunter Henry and Kendrick Bourne, both from Jones passes, brought the Patriots within two points of the Eagles and a potential turnaround.

However, following the break, Eagles kicker Jake Elliott piled on another nine points to the Eagles’ tally to make it 25-14 and put Philadelphia in complete control.

The Patriots weren’t completely done and Bourne added a second touchdown from another Jones pass but it wasn’t to be enough as the Eagles held on to a precious opening game win.

Damar Hamlin will not play in the Buffalo Bills’ opening game of the NFL season in a Monday Night Football contest against the New York Jets after being placed on the inactive list.

Hamlin was fully cleared to resume football activities in April after suffering a cardiac arrest on the field against the Cincinnati Bengals in January.

By August, the 25-year-old was a full participant in preseason games and performed well – making three tackles in limited playing time, including a fourth-down tackle to force a turnover on downs, in the team’s first preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts.

But the Bills safety was named as a healthy scratch on the inactive list for Monday night’s game against Aaron Rodgers’ Jets. As a backup safety and special teams player, it’s not a surprise that he will not play in New Jersey.

Hamlin collapsed in January after making a tackle and taking a shot to the head and chest area. Medical professionals performed CPR on Hamlin when he lost his pulse and he needed to be revived through resuscitation and defibrillation. He was on a ventilator for days and spent more than a week in a Cincinnati hospital.

It was later determined that Hamlin’s cardiac arrest was caused by commotio cordis, which can occur when severe trauma to the chest disrupts the heart’s electrical charge and causes dangerous fibrillations (or abnormal heartbeats).

“I died on national TV in front of the whole world,” Hamlin said in April in his first session with reporters since the incident.

He has since reached several milestones on his return to the NFL, including participating in full practice in June before donning pads again in July.

Major Hurricane Lee will continue to grow in size after a crucial northward turn midweek which will determine the extent and severity of its impact on the Northeast, New England, Bermuda and Canada.

Lee was a Category 3 hurricane on Monday, located well north of the Leeward Islands and Puerto Rico in the Atlantic Ocean with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph, according to the 5 p.m. ET update from the National Hurricane Center. It is expected to weaken, grow in size and speed up after it makes its northward turn in the coming days.

Although it may be weaker, a larger storm has the potential to impact a more widespread area, increasing the likelihood that Lee will affect the Eastern Seaboard – even it’s not in the form of a direct landfall.

“Even as the peak winds come down, the wind field of Lee is going to continue to grow in size,” National Hurricane Center Director Michael Brennan said in a Monday storm briefing. “We could see the tropical storm-force winds expand by 50 to 60 to 70%.”

As of Monday, hurricane-force winds extended 75 miles from Lee’s center, up from 45 miles on Sunday. Tropical storm-force winds extended 185 miles from its core. Those tropical storm-force winds could extend over 300 miles from Lee’s center later this week, Brennan said.

“There’s still a lot of uncertainty as to the exact track of how close it will get to the coast of New England and Atlantic Canada over the next several days,” Brennan said, “but certainly the chance for significant impacts with a growing storm.”

Lee’s exact track, even if it stays off the coast of the US, will be crucial. The storm’s the large wind field means that oscillations east or west will affect the storm’s severity on land. Even if Lee stays a couple hundred miles off the coast, it could still lash the coast with strong winds, rain and coastal flooding.

The final track of the storm after it passes by Bermuda on Thursday or Friday remains highly uncertain because its current slowdown is also delaying key forecast details. Exactly when, where and how fast Lee makes its northward turn will determine how close it tracks to the East Coast on its nearest approach over the weekend – details that could come more into focus as soon as Wednesday.

If Lee tracks farther to the west before its northward turn, areas north of the Carolinas – particularly eastern New England and Atlantic Canada – could be more at risk of rain, wind and coastal flooding. If the storm turns more abruptly, it would track more to the east and lessen the risk to the entire Eastern Seaboard.

Bermuda could be spared a direct hit, but may still experience strong winds and heavy rain as Lee tracks just to its west. Brennan said watches could be issued for the island as soon as Tuesday.

Regardless of its final track, the storm will send big waves to a growing area of the East Coast throughout the week as it tracks northward off the coast. This will cause coastal erosion, dangerous surf and life-threatening rip currents at beaches.

Dangerous surf was already happening along the Florida coast and on many of the far eastern Caribbean islands as well as the British and US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispanola, the Turks and Caicos, the Bahamas and Bermuda.

Rip currents have already killed 71 people in the US this year, preliminary National Weather Service data shows. Three people in New Jersey died in rip currents kicked up in the wake of Hurricane Franklin last week.

Lee, which was a Category 1 storm Thursday, intensified with exceptional speed into rare Category 5 status as it moved west across the Atlantic, more than doubling its wind speeds to 165 mph in just a day.

An Asiatic black bear, which endured severe trauma in a zoo in Russian-occupied Ukraine, is set to be adopted by a zoo in Scotland.

In October 2022, according to posts on a Ukrainian rescue center’s social media, Ukrainian soldiers entered the abandoned zoo in the village of Yampil, Donetsk, which had been under Russian occupation. They found that almost all of the 200 animals at the zoo had been killed.

A 12-year-old bear was one of the few left alive. He, too, was badly injured – he had been concussed when a shell had exploded near his cage and was just days away from dying, according to a statement released by the Five Sisters Zoo in Scotland.

Now, Yampil – named after the village where he was found – will get a new start in life as he is set to be adopted by the Scottish zoo, after a rescue operation that has so far taken him across the European continent from Ukraine to Poland to Belgium.

He will head to his new home, 20 miles west of the Scottish capital, Edinburgh, early next year.

Russia’s war in Ukraine has displaced and killed animals as well as people, as refugees have been forced to leave behind their pets while fleeing, and it has become near impossible to care for animals in zoos.

Speaking on a videocall from outside Yampil’s enclosure at the Natuurhulpcentrum wildlife-rescue charity in northeastern Belgium, he said: “There are many species like the Asiatic black bear who are really intelligent.”

Animals, like people, can suffer long-term consequences from trauma, and require specialist care. On Monday, Pizzi and the zoo’s head carnivore keeper, Gary Curran, visited Yampil at the center, where he is getting the chance to “de-stress” and being monitored for any health problems.

“We want to make sure that what we build for him as a sanctuary enclosure in…Scotland is going to meet his needs and they’ll be specific to him, depending on what trauma he’s gone through and what maladaptive behaviors he may have developed in that time,” Pizzi adds.

The zoo, which has rescued bears and other animals in the past but mostly from circuses and roadside restaurants, first heard about Yampil through Natuurhulpcentrum.

The zoo said in a statement that it will require an investment of around £200,000 for Yampil’s new enclosure, and it is inviting people to donate to help it reach this total.

Yampil is a “gentle bear,” Pizzi has observed so far, adding that the staff at the zoo are hopeful that they can give him a good life in Scotland, where he can become “a happy, normal bear.”

For years, small groups of astronomy enthusiasts have traveled the globe chasing the rare solar eclipse. They have embarked on cruises to the middle of the ocean, taken flights into the eclipse’s path and even traveled to Antarctica. In August 2017, millions across the US witnessed a total solar eclipse visible from Oregon to South Carolina, with a partial eclipse visible to the rest of the continental US.

The interest in astronomical events that this eclipse sparked will likely return with two eclipses visible in the US during the next year – the annular solar eclipse on October 14, 2023, and the total eclipse on April 8, 2024. But astro-tourism – traveling to national parks, observatories or other natural, dark-sky locations to view astronomical events – isn’t limited just to chasing eclipses.

According to a recent study, 80% of Americans and one-third of the planet’s population can no longer see the Milky Way from their homes because of light pollution. As a consequence, most people have to travel to witness meteor showers and other common astronomical events.

I am a space scientist with a passion for teaching physics and astronomy and photographing the night sky. Every summer I spend several nights backpacking in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, where the skies are sufficiently dark to allow the Milky Way to be seen with the naked eye. My son and I also like to take road trips – often along US 395, the Eastern Sierra Scenic Byway – that coincide with eclipses and meteor showers.

Can’t-miss astronomical events

There are two types of eclipses. Lunar eclipses occur when the full moon passes through Earth’s shadow. Solar eclipses occur when the new moon briefly blocks the Sun.

There are three types of solar eclipses. During a total eclipse, the Moon completely covers the Sun, with totality, or the time during which the Sun is completely eclipsed, lasting as long as seven minutes. During totality, those in the path of the eclipse will see the Sun’s corona, or its outer atmosphere, behind the Moon’s silhouette.

The Moon’s orbit around the Earth is an ellipse, so the Moon can appear to be 15% smaller when it’s at its farthest point from Earth, its apogee, compared with its size when it is at its closest point to Earth, its perigee. An annular eclipse occurs when the Moon doesn’t cover the entire disk of the Sun, leaving a ring of sunlight around the Moon.

Finally, a partial eclipse occurs when the Moon blocks only a part of the Sun’s disk, as the name implies.

Meteor showers are a far more common astronomical event than eclipses, and they are visible from any dark-sky location on Earth. Meteor showers occur when Earth’s orbit around the Sun takes it through the dust left behind by a comet. The Earth sweeps up the dust like a car speeding through a cloud of insects on the highway.

Meteor showers are named for the constellations from which the meteors seem to emanate, though it’s not necessary to stare in that direction to see meteors. The most prominent meteor showers, occurring on approximately the same dates every year, are the Perseids, named for the constellation Perseus and peaking on the night of August 12-13; the Geminids, named for the constellation Gemini, on December 14-15; and the Lyrids, named for the constellation Lyra, on April 21-22. The night sky will be mostly moonless for the first two this year, but a nearly full moon will make the Lyrid shower of 2024 difficult to see.

Tips for aspiring astro-tourists

One of the most important factors to consider when planning an outing to stargaze or to watch a meteor shower is the phase of the Moon. The full moon rises at about 6 p.m. and sets at 6 a.m., making stargazing all but impossible because of its brightness. For ideal stargazing conditions, the Moon should be below the horizon, and the best viewing conditions are during new moon. You can use a moonrise/moonset calculator to determine the phase of the Moon and its rise and set times for any location on Earth.

Another important factor is weather. Amateur astronomers always joke that the sky is cloudy during the most interesting astronomical events. For example, most major cities in the US that are in the path of the April 2024 eclipse have had cloudy skies on April 8 60% of the time since the year 2000.

Most Americans live in heavily light-polluted areas. A light pollution map such as lightpollutionmap.info can help identify the nearest dark-sky location, which, in my case, is hours away. These maps often use the Bortle dark-sky scale, which reports 1 for extremely dark skies to 9 for highly light-polluted city centers.

Though you may still see the brightest meteors from city suburbs, the darker your sky, the more meteors you’ll see. In general, expect to see fewer than 25 meteors per hour. To see the complex structure of the Milky Way with the naked eye, look for a location with a Bortle index of 3 or below.

It’s important to arrive at your chosen site early, preferably during daylight hours. Stumbling around in the dark at an unfamiliar site is a recipe for disaster and may also disturb others who are already at the site. Arriving early also gives time for your eyes to adapt to the dark as night falls, as it typically takes 30 minutes or even longer for your eyes to reach their full dark-adapted potential.

Make sure to carry a headlamp or flashlight that has a red light setting, as red light doesn’t ruin night vision. Avoid using your phone, as even a glance at the screen can ruin your eyes’ dark adaptation. If you’re using a sky-viewing app, switch the app to night mode.

Plan ahead if you’re thinking of traveling to view one of the eclipses visible in the US next year. If you’re in the path of the eclipse, stay put! If you’re traveling, staying at the same location overnight before and after the eclipse can help avoid the hours-long traffic jams experienced by eclipse watchers in 2017.

Also, you should never look at the Sun directly with the naked eye, even during a total eclipse. You’ll need a pair of inexpensive eclipse glasses to watch and fully enjoy the eclipse, but get yours early, as many stores ran out of glasses during the 2017 eclipse.

No matter where you travel during the next year, don’t forget to look up at night and marvel at the beauty of the night sky away from city lights.

Editor’s Note:

Thousands of people are known to have killed in the Morocco earthquake, with the death toll expected to rise as rescuers continue to search for survivors. As the country’s King Mohammed VI thanks Spain, Qatar, the UK and the UAE for sending aid, stories are emerging of the devastating impact on local communities.

If you were due to travel to Morocco, should you still go? Your instinct might be to stay away, as going on vacation in a country in national mourning seems unseemly. However, that’s not necessarily the best course of action, say those on the ground. Here’s what to know about travel to Morocco as the situation continues to unfold.

Which parts of the country have been affected?

The epicenter of the 6.8-magnitude earthquake, which hit on Friday night, was in the High Atlas mountain range, about 72 miles southwest of Marrakech, in the province of Al Haouz, which has had the highest number of casualties.

It was felt strongly in Marrakech, where the historic medina has been damaged. Seaside cities popular with vacationers such as Essaouira and Agadir also felt it strongly, while the quake was felt as far north as Casablanca and Fez, around 300 miles northeast of Marrakech (although no damage has been done in either city, or the north of the country as a whole).

It is the deadliest earthquake in Morocco in over 60 years.

“When the earthquake struck it caused a lot of fear and confusion – Morocco is not used to earthquakes, and it took some time for the local authorities to provide advice” says Zina Bencheikh, Intrepid Travel’s Morocco-based managing director EMEA. The company had around 650 travelers in the country when the quake hit.

“Outside of the Atlas Mountains and the [Marrakech] medina, most of the country is now running as usual, with transport including trains and other services continuing to operate as usual, including airports.”

Is Marrakech badly damaged?

As of September 11, all historical monuments in Marrakech were closed until further notice, including key sites such as the Bahia Palace, Saadian Tombs and El Badi Palace.

However, private museums, galleries and institutions are already open, as are the souks, where storeowners told the AFP news agency that there are already concerns about plummeting visitor numbers.

Public transportation has resumed and is now running normally. And while some hotels in the medina have closed due to structural damage, most are open.

Kottosová – who arrived in Marrakech on Saturday night, and has seen people sleeping in the city’s parks – says that she saw visitors getting guided tours, and people getting coffee in the new districts.

“People who are arriving now would see rubble in some places but it’s not like the city has stopped. You could visit and ignore the impact if you wanted to.” The new areas of the city look “untouched – like a normal metropolis,” she says.

Bilal El Hammoumy, co-founder of tour operator Inclusive Morocco, says there has been “significant damage in the medina, especially in the old Mellah and the Jewish Quarter.”

Hotelier Vanessa Branson, co-owner of luxury hotel El Fenn – which suffered cosmetic damage, but has stayed open throughout – says that the medina is “doing OK.”

“Any business that is able will be back open this week, most already are – most hotels are open, the restaurants are open and most of the medina’s streets are accessible, having been swiftly cleared of debris,” she says.

“Majorelle Gardens, Le Secret Garden and the Musee Des Confluences are all welcoming visitors too. Some areas of the souks have a little more disruption, but many stalls are already open for business.”

“The city is busy with the cleanup operation in progress, and though the buildings and people will bear the scars for a long time to come, the city is shaken, not stirred. The mountains will obviously take a little longer to recover.”

How about the High Atlas Mountains?

“I don’t think tourists should be going here [to the High Atlas mountains] right now,” says Kottosová, who is currently in the area reporting, and has driven through tourism-hub villages that have been devastated, past roadside souvenir stalls that have been completely destroyed, and has seen newly homeless people setting up camps. “All the houses are gone, people are sleeping in tents,” she says. “Some of the roads have not been entirely cleared, and there’s a lot of traffic delivering humanitarian aid.”

Kasbah Tamadot, a luxury retreat owned by Branson’s brother, Virgin founder Richard Branson, was closed due to damage.

It’s one of many, says El Hammoumy.

“Many hotels in the High Atlas Mountains have had considerable structural damage with some of them closing,” he says. His company is advising clients due to visit, to reroute to the north of the country, or reschedule for a later date – not just because of damage to infrastructure, but to allow first responders swift access to the remote areas. “I would advise people to wait a while to visit the High Atlas Mountains, but I think Marrakech can still be visited immediately,” he says, warning that the city is muted because of the country’s state of mourning.

What about the rest of the country?

Business as usual. Meryem Ameziane is a tour guide in Fez – she has not canceled a single tour since the earthquake.

“I’m on tours every day,” she says.

“None of the northern part was affected by the earthquake, all the roads between the cities are operating as usual. We are at the beginning of high season for tourism and we are all praying that business will continue as usual.”

Popular destinations such as Merzouga, Skoura and the Sahara Desert are unaffected, she says, along with northern cities.

She says that people shouldn’t feel guilty or embarrassed about continuing with their trips.

“We really need the support of travelers to visit Morocco and support the economy, because we have a lot to go through to help the people affected by the earthquake and rebuild the destroyed villages.

“I would say that the only part to avoid is the High Atlas mountains, to help the authorities with the rescue process. Otherwise, Morocco is perfect to visit.”

“The main cities are quiet – for travelers, everything you want to come to Morocco for, the situation is OK,” says Abdelilah El Khadir, who works at the front desk at the Tour Hassan Palace hotel, in Rabat.

“Sometimes there is a polemic about going to a destination after an earthquake, but the earthquake has passed three days ago and the situation is quiet right now,” he adds.

“Here [in Rabat], everything is good.”

What is it like for tourists on the ground?

The airports are open and flights are continuing as usual, including in Marrakech. Writer Anabel Dean was in Fez when the earthquake hit – her riad in the medina shook but there was so little impact in the city that she was able to take part in a guided food tour the following day.

“It was clear that my guide was fragile, she’d had very little sleep. I kept saying we don’t have to do this but she absolutely refused to leave,” says Dean.

Stallholders were still working, and still had time to speak to her warmly, she said.

Instead of continuing to Marrakech as planned, where she’d been due to attend a now-canceled conference, she took the train to Rabat, where she flew to Paris. Nothing about the station or the train journey was different from when she arrived three days earlier, she says.

Meanwhile, her tour operator Inclusive Morocco, rerouted her to Rabat before flying her out to Paris. A company representative called her the morning after the quake to check on her. “They were based in Marrakech but still reaching out – I was really impressed,” she says.

Bencheikh emphasizes that the rest of the country is operating normally, from northern cities such as Casablanca, Fez and Chefchaouen, to tourist destinations such as Ait Benhaddou and Dades Valley in the south of the country.

Will my trip go ahead?

Check with your tour operator, as each is doing something different. Intrepid, for example, immediately canceled imminent departures to see how the situation progressed. It is now reinstating departures from September 14, but adjusting trips, canceling Marrakech medina activities and rerouting visits to the High Atlas Mountains.

World Expeditions, a trekking-focused tour operator, has proceeded with all Morocco tours other than its High Atlas Trek, which is being rerouted. The company was unable to answer what happens if travelers no longer wish to go.

If you don’t want to travel, your first port of call should be your tour operator, to see if it will allow you to reschedule, change to a different destination, or simply reimburse you in the circumstances. You will not usually be able to claim reimbursement on your travel insurance unless your government advises against travel.

Currently the US State Department has no travel advisory for Morocco. The UK Foreign Office doesn’t advise against travel, instead advising travelers to check with their tour operator whether their trip is going ahead.

Also check with your airline to see if there is any leeway for those no longer wishing to travel. Some are also laying on extra flights to pick up travelers who wish to return home.

Should you travel, even if you can?

Yes, says Vanessa Branson, who welcomed new arrivals this weekend (they arrived “on time and without issue,” she adds).

“If tourists stop traveling to Morocco it will have a huge impact on the livelihoods of the people and businesses that rely on them – visitors bring with them hope of recovery. I urge guests not only to stick to their plans to visit Morocco but to make plans to visit if they’ve not already. I’d just recommend using a guide to get around here.”

El Hammoumy agrees: “Unfortunately, the same people who are now suffering the aftermath of the earthquake rely on the tourism industry as a source of income. The sector provides tremendous support to everyday Moroccans to put bread on the table,” he says.

“We encourage people from around the globe to visit this coming fall – it will show a great support to the local community and will uplift the spirits and help the resilient Moroccan society get back on its feet quickly.” He is concerned that people will stay away, further damaging the country’s economy, he says – triply devastating since the stalled tourism of the covid pandemic.

“The earthquake struck during one of the busiest months for tourism, and many of our tour leaders and partners are concerned that it will deter people from visiting,” says Bencheikh.

“Our teams and suppliers say the best thing people can do to support local communities is to continue to travel to Morocco while avoiding the most impacted areas. The country will need tourism more than ever as it rebuilds.”

Dean says that people were already “expressing concern about the loss of tourism” during her time there.

“Rabat is the capital and Casablanca is the business capital, and they will continue to flourish, but there have been cancellations [from tourists] in Fez, the markets were quieter, and there was real concern. The initial shock and horror was being joined by concern for the future.”

Is there an an alternative to the High Atlas mountains?

Yes, says El Hammoumy – the Middle Atlas mountains, which are considered to be in the north of the country, about 90 minutes southeast of Fez. Despite the similar name, they have not been affected by the earthquake, lying around 400 miles away from the epicenter. Areas such as Azrou and Ifrane are particularly popular with travelers.

“They can offer a variety of similar experiences to those in the High Atlas that can expose them to rural life in Morocco and the Berber culture,” he says.

How to travel if you do go

For Dean, traveling with a tour operator that is really rooted in the country is crucial. “Their concern for tourists and people on the ground has been astonishing given what they’re facing,” she says of Inclusive Morocco.

She also recommends using a guide – as it happens, she was out with Ameziane in Fez the day after the earthquake.

“Meryem was advising me [about next steps] – I didn’t think about the danger because I felt safe the whole time because of her. It reminded me of the great value of tour guides – you don’t think about how much you might need them in a catastrophe.”

Buying good travel insurance is a must.

The United Arab Emirates has lifted a year-long visa ban imposed on Nigerian travelers, authorities in the West African country said Monday.

The restriction placed by the UAE last October was lifted following negotiations between Nigeria’s new President Bola Tinubu and UAE leader Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Both men met earlier on Monday in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi and concluded what the Nigerian government described as “a historic agreement” that will also pave the way for the immediate resumption of flights between both countries.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and President of the United Arab Emirates, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, on Monday in Abu Dhabi, have finalized a historic agreement, which has resulted in the immediate cessation of the visa ban placed on Nigerian travelers,” a statement by Nigeria’s presidential spokesman Ajuri Ngelale said.

“Furthermore, by this historic agreement, both Etihad Airlines and Emirates Airlines are to immediately resume flight schedules into and out of Nigeria, without any further delay,” the statement added.

Flights between both countries were stopped last year after Dubai’s Emirates airline suspended its operations in Nigeria citing trapped revenues.

The UAE’s Dubai emirate has been a popular destination for Nigerian travelers for many years but visas to the West Africans and nationals of 19 other African states were halted last year for undisclosed reasons.

More than 150 police officers are searching for a terror suspect who escaped from a London prison by strapping himself to the underside of a delivery van, as questions mount over how the audacious breakout was allowed to happen.

The British government pledged on Thursday – the second day of the search – that Khalife would be tracked down.

Khalife orchestrated a bold jail break from Wandsworth prison on Wednesday morning while dressed as a chef. Police confirmed Thursday that he had attached himself to a delivery van as it left the prison.

The suspect is a serving member of the British military who is awaiting trial on terror charges, over allegedly planting fake bombs at a military base, according to the UK’s PA Media news agency.

Police laid out the timeline of Khalife’s escape on Thursday.

The soldier was declared missing at 7:50 a.m., they said. The Metropolitan Police were alerted 25 minutes later, and officers tracked down the delivery van at 8:37 a.m. just two miles east of the prison, on a street in Putney, southwest London.

By then, Khalife was gone and all that remained of his escape was the strapping officers discovered under the van.

British Justice Secretary Alex Chalk said the government will launch an independent investigation into the incident. Addressing the UK parliament on Thursday, Chalk said he had already ordered an internal probe into the decision to place Khalife in a lower-security jail.

“No stone must be left unturned in getting to the bottom of what happened. Who was on duty that morning, in what roles ranging from the kitchen to the prison gate, what protocols were in place,” Chalk said.

The justice secretary stressed that Khalife “will be caught in due course and will face a trial.”

‘State of disrepair’

Opposition MPs in Britain criticized the ruling Conservative government following the jail break, accusing ministers of plunging the judicial system into a parlous state due to years of austerity programs.

Politicians from the Labour party demanded that the government “urgently” explain how Khalife was able to escape, telling Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to “get a grip.”

“We know that the criminal justice system after 13 years of Tory Government is in a state of disrepair. We know that there are huge problems with prisons,” MP Shabana Mahmood was quoted saying by PA Media.

Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, also from the Labour Party, said the case raised concerns about why a suspect “charged with national security offenses, wasn’t being held in a higher security prison.”

Cooper told BBC Radio 4’s “Today” program on Thursday she had questions about “security checks and staffing levels” in the prison on the day of the jail break.

“There have been a series of warnings about the situation at Wandsworth, including the level of staff absences and sickness, and the lack of shifts being covered,” she added.

Staff shortages

Last year, the UK’s prison inspection watchdog warned staffing levels “remained a serious problem” at Wandsworth prison.

The HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) reported a 30% drop in the number of staff available for “fully operational duty,” from September 2021 to June 2022.

“This had a deleterious effect on the running of the prison, and it was to everyone’s credit that for the most part the designated, or at least basic, regimes were still delivered,” HMIP said.

It added that 44% of staff “were absent or unable to carry out their normal duties,” when the watchdog inspected the prison in September 2021.

Government officials, including Chalk, have taken pains to emphasize that escapes from British prisons are incredibly rare. Data from the British government shows that there was just one escape across England and Wales in 2021-22, none in the proceeding period, and only a handful in the years prior to that.

“It is extremely rare for prisoners to be able to escape. So, it’s vitally important that we do investigate it. And we look at all the processes that were in place,” government minister Michelle Donelan told the “Today” program on Thursday.

The Met urged the British public to help locate Khalife, who is of slim build, has short brown hair and is around 6 feet and 2 inches tall, according to officers.

After news emerged of his escape on Wednesday, a police alert was issued to ports and airports, triggering additional security checks and impacting travel across the country.

France’s highest court on Thursday upheld the government’s ban on students in public schools from wearing the abaya, a long, robe-like garment often worn by Muslim women, in a decision that rights groups warn will lead to more discrimination.

“As things stand, the judge considers that the ban on wearing these garments does not constitute a serious and manifestly illegal infringement of a fundamental freedom,” the court said in a press release published online.

The ban has its legal foundation in a law passed in 2004 forbidding the wearing of “conspicuous” religious symbols in French schools.

The court said the wearing of the abaya “was part of a process of religious affirmation, as shown by the comments made during discussions with students.”

The legal challenge to the ban was brought forward last Friday and arguments from both sides were heard on Tuesday. Action Droits Des Musulmans (ADM), the Muslim rights group that filed the appeal, argued that the ban infringes on “fundamental rights,” such as the right to personal freedom.

The group’s lawyer, Vincent Brengarth, told journalists before the hearing that the ban had been imposed in an “arbitrary” manner as it contains no legal definition of what an abaya looks like.

Following Thursday’s ruling, ADM said in statement the court had “not fulfilled its role of protecting the fundamental freedoms of children, guaranteeing their access to education and respect for their privacy, without any form of discrimination.”

The ADM also voiced its deep concerns “about the consequences this decision could have on young girls, who are at risk of suffering daily discrimination based on their ethnic and religious appearance, the violence of these dress interrogations and the trauma and harassment they cause, thus hindering their access to education and their success at school.”

French education minister Gabriel Attal, however, praised the court’s ruling, calling it “an important decision for the schools of the Republic.”

“The purpose of schools is to welcome all students, with the same rights and duties, without discrimination or stigmatization,” Attal said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

French President Emmanuel Macron previously defended the ban, which is the latest in a series of contentious restrictions in the country on clothing associated with Muslims. Macron said the ban was not “stigmatizing” anyone, but “people who push the abaya” are.

France has pursued a series of controversial bans and restrictions on items of customarily Islamic dress in recent years, which have frequently drawn the ire of Muslim countries and international rights groups.

Last year lawmakers backed a ban on wearing the hijab and other “conspicuous religious symbols” in sports competitions. The amendment was proposed by the right-wing Les Républicains party, which argued the hijab could risk the safety of athletes wearing it while playing sports.

France’s earlier ban on the niqab – full-face veils worn by some Muslim women – violated the human rights of those who wore it, the United Nations Human Rights Committee said in 2018.