First responders treated at least one person for “heat-related discomfort” in a Delta Airlines flight that experienced “uncomfortable temperatures inside the cabin” at Las Vegas’ Harry Reid International Airport Monday, the airline said.

Flight 555, which was scheduled to fly from Las Vegas to Atlanta, was ultimately canceled, Delta said in a Tuesday statement, but did not share further details.

The airline also did not say how long the plane was on the tarmac or how warm the plane cabin got.

Harry Reid International Airport recorded temperatures of more than 100 degrees on Monday, with a high of 115 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

Delta said it apologized to the passengers aboard the flight, made a compensatory offer for their experience and accommodated them on other flights.

“Delta teams are looking into the circumstances that led to uncomfortable temperatures inside the cabin and we appreciate the efforts of our people and first responders at Harry Reid International,” the airline statement said.

Asia comprises about 30% of the world’s land mass. But there seems to be one consensus about which spot is the best for drinking on this massive continent: Hong Kong’s Coa, which was crowned the Best Bar in Asia for a record third year in a row.

The bar, which focuses on mezcal and agave spirits, is helmed by Jay Khan.

The top 50 winners were announced at a joyous, celebratory event at Hong Kong’s Rosewood Hotel on July 18.

In all, seven Hong Kong bars landed in the top 50, including sustainability-centric Penicillin (at number 26) and The Old Man, whose name and concept were inspired by Ernest Hemingway (47th place).

Another Hong Konger, American-born Beckaly Franks, was hailed as the “bartender’s bartender,” winning recognition for her bar The Pontiac. The bar, which Franks says was named for the Native American Chief Pontiac, has an all-female team and is vocally LGBT-friendly.

The winningest city in Asia was Singapore, which had a whopping 11 bars in the top 50.

In addition to ranking the top 50, the 50 Best organization – which also rates restaurants and, soon, hotels – acknowledged “best in destination” prizes for bars that were the highest rated from their country, city or region.

Bar Trigona, inside the Four Seasons Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, landed in 36th place and was in the highest spot for any bar in Malaysia.

Rohan Matmary, Trigona’s head bartender and bar manager, was there in person to celebrate. It was his first-ever visit to Hong Kong.

The local Hong Kong crowd began chanting “Coa! Coa!” even before the number one bar was officially announced.

Representatives from the top 50 venues were on hand, sporting red scarves that made them easy to spot in the hubbub, and through the process of elimination it became clear who was going to win once Singapore’s Jigger & Pony was announced in second place.

Still, Khan, who has just opened The Savory Project in Hong Kong with partner Ajit Gurung, insists he isn’t going to let Coa’s accolades go to his head.

“We’re going to keep everything the same and see what happens,” he said at a press conference following the ceremony. “One day we’re not going to be crowned number one, and that’s okay.”

The list is based on the votes of the Asia’s 50 Best Bars Academy, which is made up of members of the bar industry, media and mixology experts in the region.

Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2023

1. COA (Hong Kong)

2. Jigger & Pony (Singapore)

3. BKK Social Club (Bangkok)

4. Bar Benfiddich (Tokyo)

5. Zest (Seoul)

6. Tropic City (Bangkok)

7. Nutmeg and Clove (Singapore)

8. Argo (Hong Kong)

9. Darkside (Hong Kong)

10. Sago House (Singapore)

11. Indulge Experimental Bistro (Taipei)

12. Vesper (Bangkok)

13. Cham Bar (Seoul)

14. The SG Club (Tokyo)

15. Analogue Initiative (Singapore)

16. Republic (Singapore)

17. The Aubrey (Hong Kong)

18. Sidecar (New Delhi)

19. The Cocktail Club (Jakarta)

20. Virtù (Tokyo)

21. Manhattan (Singapore)

22. Mahaniyom Cocktail Bar (Bangkok)

23. Lamp Bar (Nara)

24. 28 HongKong Street (Singapore)

25. Le Chamber (Seoul)

26. Penicillin (Hong Kong)

27. Atlas (Singapore)

28. Alice (Seoul)

29. Pantja (Jakarta)

30. Employees Only (Singapore)

31. Quinary (Hong Kong)

32. Stay Gold Flamingo (Singapore)

33. Mostly Harmless (Hong Kong)

34. The Curator (Manila)

35. The Bombay Canteen (Mumbai)

36. Bar Trigona (Kuala Lumpur)

37. Southside Parlor (Seoul)

38. Copitas (Bengaluru)

39. Hope & Sesame (Guangzhou)

40. Smoke & Bitters (Hiriketiya)

41. Vender (Taichung)

42. Native (Singapore)

43. The Public House (Taipei)

44. Bee’s Knees (Kyoto)

45. High Five (Tokyo)

46. Soko (Seoul)

47. The Old Man (Hong Kong)

48. The Living Room (Mumbai)

49. The Bellwood (Tokyo)

50. Penrose (Kuala Lumpur)

Ancient Buddhist murals and statues in caves along China’s Silk Road are under “direct threat” from extreme rainfall brought by climate change, researchers have found.

Dating back to the 4th century, the Dunhuang cave temples in the northwestern province of Gansu have withstood wars, earthquakes, sandstorms and vandalism for more than a millennium.

But now, changing weather patterns in the desert are posing significant damage to the fragile wall paintings and sculptures – including at the famous Mogao Caves, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, according to a report released Monday by Greenpeace.

“Gansu is famous for its caves and the art stored inside them for centuries,” said Li Zhao, a senior researcher in Greenpeace East Asia’s Beijing office. “Increased bouts of rainfall in the desert pose an acute risk. Spikes in humidity, flash floods, and cave ins are already happening.”

Over the past two decades, Gansu has seen an increase in total rainfall but a drop in the number of rainy days, resulting in more bouts of intense downpours. Temperatures in the province have also been rising faster than the global average, according to the report.

The artworks in some caves, including the Mogao Grotto, have already shown signs of deterioration. And some artifacts could be gone in a few years, the report warned.

Rising humidity has accelerated the crystallization and build up of salt on the murals’ surface, causing them to flake and peel. Rainwater leaks have also eroded the paintings, while flash floods and mudslides caused some caves to collapse, the report added.

The report comes as China is conducting its fourth nationwide cultural heritage survey to log the state of the country’s historical artifacts.

But Li warned that by the time the survey is completed, some of Gansu’s precious artifacts could already be gone.

“While we’re still working to document, understand, and conserve these pieces of our history, they’re dissolved before our very eyes. This is a painful reality of the impact of climate change,” Li said.

“The sites we looked at include some of the most well-funded, best-staffed cultural heritage sites in China. There are hundreds of less-funded, less-studied sites all around China that are facing these same risks.”

In October 2021, heavy downpours and flooding hit the northern province of Shanxi, causing the collapse of the Jinci Temple and Tianlongshan grottoes, both national heritage sites, Chinese state media reported at the time. A total of 1,783 cultural relic sites were affected, according to Shanxi authorities.

Li said Chinese officials and academics are increasingly aware of the threats of the climate crisis on the country’s cultural heritage sites. But when it comes to concrete actions – both in terms of monitoring the impact and protective measures, it is only the beginning, she added.

Unlike Dunhuang, many historical sites lack long-term monitoring data to research the impacts of climate change, Li said. The Dunhuang Academy has decades of data on the temperature, humidity and wind speed both inside and outside the caves, thanks to its international cooperation projects that began in the 1960s, she added.

“The data can paint a clear picture on the impacts of environmental changes on the cultural relics. But in many other places, monitoring work has only just started in recent years,” Li said.

Following last summer’s chaos of canceled flights, mountains of lost luggage and other disruptions, many airlines and airports ramped up staffing to meet unprecedented demand – and some have even billed this year’s peak travel season as a return to pre-pandemic normal.

But another hurdle currently looms large on the aviation landscape: strikes, which have already affected scores of passengers across Europe and are piling on the misery for vacationers also hit by soaring prices and scorching summer temperatures.

One of the most significant moves is possible industrial action from a trade union of civil servants in Eurocontrol, the organization that manages airspace across Europe.

Union Syndicale Bruxelles has given formal warning of strikes affecting Eurocontrol over the next six months. It’s not yet announced firm dates for possible action, but aviation insiders are keeping a close eye on the situation.

The summer already has seen a flurry of strikes by pilots, ground crew, security staff and other transit personnel that have impacted airports, airlines and railway providers across Europe.

British budget carrier easyJet scrapped 350 flights that were set to arrive in or depart from Portugal ahead of a five-day cabin staff strike scheduled for July 21-25, Reuters reported. Strikes have also taken place – or are planned – in France, Belgium, Spain and other popular tourist destinations in Europe, adding yet another complication for travelers across the continent.

“But of course now we’ve got a huge challenge with these potential strikes coming our way.”

Another ‘challenging’ summer for European airports

The travel sector in particular is currently experiencing a high level of strikes largely because of inflation, Wert explains. “Right now prices are higher than they’ve ever been,” he says. “It’s the most important time for unions to get improvements on pay for their members’ work.”

Air traffic control congestion also has been a problem area throughout Europe, leading some carriers to make pre-emptive moves to mitigate disruption. Citing ATC challenges, easyJet recently announced cancellations of 1,700 flights, primarily from its base at London Gatwick, from July through September.

Raúl Medina, director general of Eurocontrol, predicted such challenges in late June during the Airports Council International General Assembly in Barcelona. According to Aviation Week, Medina said the industry was better prepared this summer than a year ago, when significant delays and cancellations were largely caused by widespread labor shortages.

But Medina also warned of a “challenging” summer, with an estimated 33,000 flights per day during peak travel weeks; on Fridays, one of the most popular days to travel, that figure could top 34,000. In addition, he noted that Russia’s war in Ukraine adds another complication, as military activity in Europe has reduced the amount of available airspace by up to 20%.

Even considering such constraints, air traffic control as a whole has drawn strong criticism from the International Air Transport Association, which represents 300 member airlines.

In a July 12 statement released by IATA, Director General Willie Walsh described air traffic control performance in both Europe and the US as “disappointing,” adding that all European carriers have been subjected to a “challenging” ATC environment.

“Airlines and airports worked hard to ensure that sufficient resources would be provided to minimize disruptions and get travelers to where they need to be on time. Lack of ATC resources nationally – particularly in Germany and France are preventing that,” the statement said.

Walsh did note that some areas of ATC performance have improved over 2022 but described the overall situation as “unacceptably behind 2019 levels.”

Strategies for dealing with strikes

Passengers don’t have control over whether a strike will occur, but they can use some strategies to mitigate its impact on their travel plans, aviation experts say.

Wert advises travelers to remember that despite all the various entities that may be involved in a strike – airports, pilots or ground crew, for example – the airline they booked with should be the first point of contact for next steps.

“The airline at first is always responsible for the passenger, because the passenger has the contract with the airline,” he explains. “The passenger doesn’t have a contract with the airport operator or with the baggage handler or whatever.”

Passengers should also pay close attention to news reports and airline notifications about potential strike announcements – especially in a destination where they may not be as familiar with current events – and check the airline’s policy on strikes and rebooking.

Katka Lapelosova, a digital content and travel writer based in Belgrade, Serbia, says she’s “hyper-vigilant with news alerts” to monitor strikes that could affect her trips – like the one American Airlines pilots threatened this spring.

She also takes the extra step of asking airlines specifically about her rights as a passenger – especially what the compensation policy is – if a strike occurs. This is especially important in Europe, where different countries and their airlines have varying regulations around strikes.

“Each airline is different, so it’s important to get the information in writing as well,” explains Lapelosova, who says she’s reached out to Lufthansa, American Airlines and Wizz Air about strikes prior to trips over the last six months.

“This comes in handy if you’re at the airport and a strike affects you before you’ve had a chance to make changes from the comfort of your home. Come armed with the policy info you’ve gotten, then prepare to be patient, as info desks and airline customer service hotlines will be jammed for sure.”

Wert’s “first and most important recommendation” for passengers is to monitor any potential strike action before leaving for the airport, to avoid the added stress of rebooking a canceled flight from a crowded airport with hundreds of other frustrated passengers.

“There might also be cases where there’s a strike on a Friday and you’re flying on a Saturday, and your flight might still be affected,” he says. “So make sure to always get the information right from the airline right before going to the airport.”

And if travelers don’t yet have travel insurance, now is certainly the time to buy it – especially if they’re headed to Europe. Mark Chesnut, a New-York based travel journalist and author, says annual policies that cover multiple trips offer frequent flyers “peace of mind” without the hassle of having to buy insurance each time.

“But you can also buy insurance as a one-time add-on, of course, which can make more sense if you don’t travel as much,” Chesnut says.

But be sure to read the fine print, as “not all policies will help you if your travel is disrupted because of strikes,” advises Nicky Kelvin, UK editor at large of The Points Guy, a travel site specializing in points-based travel.

Kelvin, who says strike action “is likely to be the biggest risk to smooth travels this summer,” also recommends checking the credit card you used to pay for your airfare, as certain policies cover additional coverage for travel disruptions.

Finally, keep good documentation of the strike as well as receipts for all costs related to the ensuing delay or cancellation – and be sure to file claims early, which helps your chances of a successful claim, according to Anton Radchenko, founder of AirAdvisor, a claims management company.

‘Complexity is the name of the game’

Passengers who are especially concerned about the potential impact of a strike on a highly anticipated trip might want to consider booking through a travel agent or advisor, whose job it is to navigate these kinds of challenges.

It’s a precautionary move more travelers are making: A March 2023 survey by the American Society of Travel Advisors found more than half of consumers who responded said they were more willing to use a travel advisor than they were in the past – a 14% bump from last year’s survey.

In addition, 27% of approximately 1,000 participating member agencies said that over half of their clients are first-time users of travel advisors – presumably to handle the hassles caused by strikes and other travel disruptions that are increasingly commonplace.

“Complexity is the name of the game when it comes to the carriers, and that is something that we do very well as travel advisors – uncovering those complexities,” says Jay Ellenby, former ASTA chairman and president of Safe Harbors Business Travel, a Maryland-based travel agency.

“We make sure that either the clients are educated about it, or in some cases, they don’t see the complexities and we just (handle) it for them. They can call their travel advisor and we’re going to get the situation straightened out, probably within 15 minutes.”

But for those who don’t mind a DIY approach for rebooking and compensation, persistence is key – as well as knowing your rights as a passenger. In European Union countries, that includes a law called Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, also referred to as EU 261, that establishes specific rules on passenger assistance and compensation (between 250 and 600 euros per person – about $220-$530 – depending on flight distance) for delayed or canceled flights that take off or land in the EU or are operated by airlines licensed in the EU.

Depending on the circumstances of the strike, the law may or may not entitle a passenger to compensation. Even so, EU 261 is an excellent resource for travelers to be aware of, especially for trips to Europe.

But regardless of their destination, people should always know their rights in case of a strike or other disruption – and never be afraid to ask for compensation.

“It’s really important to do as much research and ask as many questions as possible,” Lapelosova says. “Airlines aren’t trying to trick people by withholding this information, but you likely won’t get anything unless you ask.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left hospital Sunday after being admitted the previous day for dehydration amid a heat wave in the country.

Amit Segev, the cardiology unit director at the Sheba Medical Center – where Netanyahu was treated – said the prime minister was fitted with a heart monitor during his stay.

Segev said tests had shown that Netanyahu’s heart was normal and that no heart arrhythmia or irregular heartbeat had been found.

“Prime Minister Netanyahu has completed a series of tests and is in excellent condition,” said Segev.

The prime minister released a video statement later Saturday suggesting he was dehydrated and advising people to drink more water.

“Yesterday, I spent time with my wife in the Sea of ​​Galilee, in the sun, without a hat, without water. Not a good idea,” Netanyahu said, “So first of all I want to thank all of you for your concern and also to the excellent teams here at Sheba who examined me.

“Thank God, I feel very well, but I have only one request from you: we are going through a heat wave in the country, so I ask you, be less in the sun and drink more water and let us all have a good week.”

Temperatures in Israel have been reaching the mid-30s Celsius (low 90s Fahrenheit) for several days and are expected to continue at that level for the next week, the Israel Meteorological Service said.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid wished Netanyahu “a complete recovery and good health” in a tweet.

A cabinet meeting set for Sunday has been postponed to Monday, the leader’s office said.

Netanyahu, 73, is the leader of Israel’s center-right Likud Party and has been the dominant figure in Israeli politics for nearly three decades.

In June 2021, he lost office for the first time in 12 years after rival Naftali Bennett won a parliamentary vote to form a government.

Eighteen months later, he was once again sworn in as prime minister in a dramatic return, cobbling together a coalition.

During Yom Kippur in October 2022, Netanyahu took ill while visiting a synagogue.

He was admitted to hospital where he stayed overnight before being released.

Phoenix once again hit 110 degrees Monday for a record-tying 18th consecutive day at that temperature or higher as the Southwest sizzles under a deadly, unrelenting heat wave.

The record is expected to be broken Tuesday as the streak continues, with temperatures of at least 115 degrees in the forecast for Phoenix every day through next weekend.

The dangerously hot temperatures are also taxing hospitals as people suffering from heat-related illnesses seek treatment.

Heat is the number one killer of all natural disasters, studies show, and as temperatures continue to rise, scientists expect it to make even more people ill.

With residents cranking up their air conditioning this heat wave, Arizona Public Service utility customers’ demand on Saturday set the record for the most electricity used at once in the utility’s history, according to a news release from the company.

It’s not just Arizona sweltering in the intense heat: Over 90 million people are under heat advisories across the United States, including at least 50 million who have been under heat alerts for the past 10 days.

There have been heat alerts for dangerously high temperatures in the Southwest – stretching from Texas to Arizona – for 38 consecutive days dating back to June 10.

And the streak shows no signs of ending any time soon. The heat is expected to continue across the region through at least July 28, and overnight temperatures will provide very little relief, the National Weather Service warned.

More than 1,500 record-high temperatures were recorded in the US so far this month, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Over 35 daily high temperature records were broken on Sunday alone, according to the weather service, with Death Valley, California, hitting a daily record-breaking 128 degrees and Las Vegas shattering its record with 116 degrees.

Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona; El Paso, Corpus Christi and Brownsville, Texas; and Tampa and Fort Myers, Florida, are all having their hottest July’s on record to date, according to NOAA climate data.

El Paso reached 100 degrees for the 32nd straight day, “with no end in sight,” the weather service tweeted. The previous record for consecutive days over 100 was 23 in 1994.

“Take the heat seriously and avoid extended time outdoors,” the weather service said. “Temperatures and heat indices will reach levels that would pose a health risk, and be potentially deadly, to anyone without effective and/or adequate hydration.”

Patients being placed in body bags with ice

At Valleywise Health Medical Center, LoVecchio said he has seen three to four cases per shift of patients who faced death without emergency treatment.

Body temperatures of 107 or higher can result in death or permanent brain damage. LoVecchio said it could take as little as five to 10 minutes to cause brain cell death at these high temperatures.

LoVecchio said that pavement in the sun can reach up to 180 degrees. Patients may fall on the pavement due to dehydration, heat stroke or another medical condition, he said.

“It doesn’t cool down here at all and surface temps can get so ridiculously high and people can get burns in a matter of seconds,” Murphy said.

Over the past five years, Murphy said contact burns have become a “big problem.”

Everyone is susceptible to heat related injuries, including those who have lived in Arizona for their entire lives, Maricopa County Department of Public Health spokesperson Sonia Singh said.

“It doesn’t matter how long you’ve lived in the heat, how old you are or how healthy you are,” Singh said. “It impacts everyone.”

Correction: A previous version of this story mischaracterized the status of the 55 other suspected heat-related deaths; they are still under investigation. It also misstated where the deaths occurred; they were in Maricopa County.

As an unrelenting heat wave enters its 39th consecutive day, millions of people from California to Florida are asking: When will it end?

The long-term forecast looks bleak. For most, the extreme heat will continue for the foreseeable future, with no end in sight for the rest of the month, but there is a brief glimmer of hope for some parts of the country headed into the weekend.

An area from South Texas to Arizona to South Florida has had the worst of it and that will only continue. El Paso, Texas, has been in the triple digits for 32 consecutive days. In Miami, the record warm sea surface temperatures, combined with light winds are causing stifling heat: The heat index there topped 100 degrees or more for a record 37 consecutive days. Phoenix will break the record of 18 consecutive days at or above 110 degrees today and the streak will likely continue for at least another week or more.

That longevity combined with the dangerously low overnight temperatures in the 90s are taking a toll on human health and infrastructure there. There have been 12 confirmed heat-related deaths in Maricopa County in the first week of July, and 55 deaths in the county are suspected to be heat related and are under investigation, according to data from the Maricopa County Department of Public Health.

Heat is the number one killer of all extreme weather, National Weather Service data shows, and as temperatures continue to rise, scientists expect it to make even more people ill.

Historic heat dome to shift later this week

An enormous, relentless stubborn ridge of high pressure has trapped air inside in a “heat dome” resulting in extreme temperatures as the dome parks itself over areas.

The heat will remain until a shift in the weather pattern occurs and either breaks apart the heat dome or moves it out of the country completely. That’s not expected anytime soon.

Instead, the dangerous heat will continue through this week, with more records broken each day. More than 1,500 heat records have already been broken this month and another 75-plus could fall by the end of the weekend.

The Desert Southwest and Texas will continue to see daytime highs in the triple digits this week. High temperatures along the Gulf Coast and mid-South will be in the upper 90s for the rest of the week, with heat indices as high as 115 degrees. Record-breaking warm low temperatures will provide little relief in what’s typically the coolest time of the day.

Only the Southern Plains and Gulf Coast could see some relief in the coming days as the heat dome shifts back to the west and a cold front advances across the area. By the end of the week, numerous cities will at least temporarily get out of the most intense heat.

Little Rock, Arkansas, will go from a high of 101 today to a high of 87 on Friday. Oklahoma City will also go from triple digits today to the mid-80s on Friday.

No end in sight for hardest-hit areas

The heat streak will continue headed into August in the Desert Southwest and South Florida.

The only hope for the Southwest is that sporadic monsoonal rain will bring some temporary relief, however, the overall temperature pattern will remain hot. Areas that do see any rain could see higher heat indices because of additional moisture and higher humidity coming in from Mexico.

According to the Climate Prediction Center, temperatures in much of the South, including South Florida, and the Southwest will remain above normal, meaning the next two weeks should continue to be hot.

If that holds true, then the heat wave will be approaching two consecutive months, or more than 50 days, over these same areas.

Correction: A previous version of this story mischaracterized the status of the 55 other suspected heat-related deaths; they are still under investigation. It also misstated where the deaths occurred; they were in Maricopa County.

The jiggling and jostling atop the global passport rankings for 2023 just got a little more interesting.

For five long years, Japan has been sitting pretty in the No.1 position in the Henley Passport Index, which measures global travel freedom in terms of how much visa-free and visa-on-demand access to the world different citizens enjoy.

But for summer 2023, Japan’s been knocked down into third place and the new titleholder is Singapore, whose citizens are able to visit 193 destinations out of 227 around the world visa-free.

And while Asia has long dominated the top of the leaderboard in the index created by London-based global citizenship and residence advisory firm Henley & Partners, Europe is bouncing back. Germany, Italy and Spain have all moved up into second place with visa-free access to 190 destinations, while Japan and South Korea are joined in the No.3 slot by Austria, Finland, France, Luxembourg and Sweden. Citizens from that particular magnificent seven enjoy access to 189 destinations without needing a prior visa.

The United States and the United Kingdom have both been on a downward trajectory since the halcyon days when they jointly held the No.1 spot way back in 2014, but the UK, at least, appears to be turning things around. It’s made a sprightly two-rankings hop to No.4 in the ranking, a position it’s not held since 2017. The US, meanwhile, has dropped a further two places to eight spot, with access to a mere 183 destinations visa-free.

The Henley Passport Index is based on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and ranks 199 passports worldwide. It’s updated in real time throughout the year, as and when visa policy changes come into effect.

In its latest release, Henley & Partners notes that over the history of the 18-year-old ranking the average number of destinations travelers are able access visa-free has nearly doubled, from 58 in 2006 to 109.

However, the travel freedom gap between those at the top and the bottom of the ranking is wider than ever. Citizens of Afghanistan are only able to visit 27 destinations without a prior visa, just below Iraq (with 29 destinations) and Syria (with 30).

Cristian H. Kaelin, chairman of Henley & Partners, notes that Singapore has been busy securing greater travel freedom for its citizens over the past decade, gaining visa-free access to 25 new destinations.

“The UAE has added an impressive 107 destinations to its visa-free score since 2013,” he says. “Of the countries sitting in the Top 10, the US has seen the smallest increase in its score, securing just 12 additional destinations.”

Greg Lindsay, from Cornell Tech’s Jacobs Institute, says in the Henley & Partners release, “The story is a simple one — by more or less standing still, the US has fallen behind. America’s relentless slide down the rankings is a warning to its neighbor Canada and the rest of the Anglosphere as well.”

Other indexes

Henley & Partner’s list is one of several indexes created by financial firms to rank global passports according to the access they provide to their citizens.

Arton Capital’s Passport Index takes into consideration the passports of 193 United Nations member countries and six territories – Taiwan, Macao, Hong Kong, Kosovo, the Palestinian territories and the Vatican. Territories annexed to other countries are excluded.

Arton’s Global Passport Power Rank 2023 puts the United Arab Emirates in the top spot, with a visa-free/visa-on-arrival score of 180.

As for second place, that’s held by 11 countries, most of which are in Europe: Germany, Sweden, Finland, Luxembourg, Spain, France, Italy, Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland and South Korea.

The UK is at No.3, alongside Denmark, Belgium, Portugal, Norway, Poland, Ireland and New Zealand. The US and Japan are down in fourth place.

The best passports to hold in 2023 are:

1. Singapore (192 destinations)

2. Germany, Italy, Spain (190 destinations)

3. Austria, Finland, France, Japan, Luxembourg, South Korea, Sweden (189)

4. Denmark, Ireland, Netherlands, UK (188 destinations)

5. Belgium, Czech Republic, Malta, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Switzerland (187 destinations)

6. Australia, Hungary, Poland (186 destinations)

7. Canada, Greece (185 destinations)

8. Lithuania, United States (184 destinations)

9. Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia (183 destinations)

10. Estonia, Iceland (182 destinations)

The worst passports to hold:

Three countries around the world have visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 30 or fewer countries. These are:

101. Syria (30 destinations)

102. Iraq (29 destinations)

103. Afghanistan (27 destinations)

The Russian State Duma, or lower house of parliament, has voted in favor of a new law banning nearly all medical help for transgender people including gender reassignment surgery, in a raft of new anti-LGBTQ laws in Russia.

The bill, which had its third and final reading on Friday, prohibits doctors from conducting gender reassignment surgeries, except in cases related to treating congenital physiological anomalies in children. It also restricts registry offices from amending official documents based on medical certificates of gender change.

The law must still be approved by the Federation Council and signed by President Vladimir Putin before it comes into force.

Amendments made for its third reading include disqualifying individuals who have undergone gender changes from becoming adoptive parents or guardians, as well as the possibility of annulling a marriage if one or both spouses undergo a gender change and update their civil status records.

Putin has toughened anti-LGTBQ legislation in recent months, as the Kremlin clamps down on free speech and human rights amid the war in Ukraine.

These recent legal developments in Russia expand the constraints on the LGBTQ community and reflect a tightening of regulations and control over transgender rights in the country.

In December 2022, Russia expanded its existing “gay propaganda” law to exert control over public discussions and narratives surrounding non-heterosexual relationships and identities. The package of amendments signed by Putin includes heavier penalties for anyone promoting “non-traditional sexual relations and/or preferences,” as well as gender transition.

Russia’s first transgender politician, Yulia Alyoshina, has warned of the severe consequences of the proposed transgender bill.

“This bill is not just discriminatory, it is a real genocide of transgender people,” she added.

In October, amid the hearings on “LGBTQ propaganda” law amendments and the bill passing its first reading in the State Duma, Alyoshina, who obtained her new passport in 2020, resigned from her position as a regional head of the Civic Initiative party and chose to end her political career.

‘Politics of terror’

The latest restrictions seem to be closely intertwined with the ongoing dissent on the political and human rights activity in Russia.

Notably, on the eve of the final reading, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) announced it had detained a transgender activist on suspicion of treason.

The FSB alleged that the activist, a Russian citizen from the Oryol region, supported the Armed Forces of Ukraine by providing financial assistance through a donation to the independent human rights monitoring group OVD-Info.

The Russian state labeled OVD-Info a foreign agent in 2021 under a law that critics say suppresses dissent. The group has continued to document alleged rights abuses inside Russia and expanded its mandate to help anti-war protesters following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Vanya Solovey, a trans rights campaigner, said “it is no coincidence” that the law is being read in Russian parliament amid Moscow’s war on Ukraine.

“This anti-trans politics is indeed a politics of terror. It affects not only trans people but everyone living in Russia.”

Russian tour operators are pleading with vacationers to Crimea not to make decisions “based on emotions,” as Ukraine’s strike on the Crimea bridge on Monday played havoc on travel between the occupied Ukrainian peninsula and Russia.

Hundreds of cars were waiting Tuesday to cross the bridge both to and from Crimea, and Russian-backed officials were encouraging drivers to travel along the land route through occupied southern Ukraine.

“We have cancellations for the end of July and August,” Elena Bazhenova, head of the Laspi Crimean tour company said, according to the Russian Union of Tourist Industry. “We are explaining to tourists that cancellations for these dates are only possible with penalties.”

“We [are trying to] convince tourists not to make decisions based on emotions,” Bazhenova said. “We expect the situation to normalize in the coming days.”

Crimea, which was illegally annexed by Russia from Ukraine in 2014, is a popular Russian destination for summer vacations. But a Ukrainian attack on Monday destroyed a large section of the Crimea bridge’s road span – which connects Kerch in Crimea to Russia’s Krasnodar region – upending the main route for car traffic to the peninsula.

Evgenia Kizey, sales director for Multitour, said tourists were having different reactions but there was “no panic.”

“People will leave as exit routes are opened by train or car,” Kizey said, according to The Russian Union of Tourist Industry. “For those who arrive by car in Crimea in the near future, we offered to rebook tours to our hotels in the Krasnodar Territory. Tourists also willingly choose the Moscow region and other regions. Or we shift their reservations in Crimea to later dates.”

Road traffic over the Crimea bridge resumed overnight over one of the bridge’s four lanes, but there is heavy traffic. Public traffic mapping tools show that there are significant delays for cars both entering and leaving Crimea, and Russia state media distributed video of long lines of cars.

As of late morning on Tuesday, there were around 700 cars waiting to cross the strait into Crimea and 500 cars waiting to cross the bridge into Russia’s Krasnodar region, according to a Telegram account devoted to facilitating Crimean travel.

Rail traffic continues to operate over the bridge, albeit with delays.

Russia-backed leaders in occupied southern Ukraine are encouraging drivers to use the land route through the occupied portions of Ukraine’s Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions. That route passes through Mariupol, which was devastated last year by Russia’s invasion, and Melitopol, which as a Russian military hub is regularly subject to long-range Ukrainian missile strikes.

Curfews have been lifted on the road to and from Crimea, the leaders in those regions said Monday, to allow for “round-the-clock” travel.

“A number of measures are being introduced to ensure the faster passage of checkpoints on the administrative border,” Denis Pushilin, head of the separatist so-called Donetsk People’s Republic, said on Telegram.

Russian state media RIA Novosti reported Tuesday morning that the line of cars waiting to enter Crimea at Chonhar, in Ukraine’s Kherson region, stretched for more than 1.5 kilometers (just under a mile).

TASS reported that bus services from Rostov, in southern Russia, to Crimea had been restored – via southern Ukraine, rather than over the Crimea bridge.

A tourist from the Russian city of Rostov told the Russian tourism website Tourdom about her experience driving to Crimea.

“We left Rostov yesterday at 11 a.m., around 7 p.m. we were at the Chongar checkpoint,” she said, using the Russian spelling for that town. She said that they waited for several hours at the checkpoint and they were sent to the back of the queue after – in the chaos – she tried to jump the line.

“I was very tired,” she said. “It’s good that after Chonhar my husband drove. Because of this delay, we arrived in Alushta only at one o’clock in the morning.”

Hotels in Crimea are helping tourists stranded by the lack of travel options by extending their stays, sometimes free of charge, the head of the Russian Union of Travel Industry said.

“We call on all members of the Crimean hotel industry to behave responsibly in this difficult situation, so that people understand that they will not be left alone with their problems,” Ilya Umansky, said in a statement.