TRAVEL INDUSTRY NEWS AND WARNINGS

Cilla Black’s Spanish villa has been damaged by a fire. The TV host , 71, was in the UK when the house, in Estepona, Costa del Sol, was engulfed earlier this month. She said: “All the hedges have gone at the front of the house. A Good Samaritan - a neighbour opposite - saw these flames at three o’clock in the morning. “I have management over there and a gardener, but I could’ve been in the house when it happened. “It frightens me.” She said she usually flies to the luxury property in August but is having to go earlier to oversee repairs. Cilla, whose husband Bobby died in 1999, admitted she was nervous about staying there on her own. But she added: “I’ve got to go to Spain, it’s got to be done, to get over being frightened, the longer I leave it , the worse it’s going to be. “What frightens me most is being on my own - I don’t stay there on my own. "I usually don’t go there until August but I’m going early this time.” The star also has homes in London, Buckinghamshire and Barbados.

The world must build toilets to save lives THE practice of open defecation is increasingly dangerous to public health when people crowd close together. Worms and bacteria spread by human waste spread deadly disease and can be a big cause of malnutrition. India is, far and away, the country worst blighted by open defecation, made worse by the fact it has a large population crowded onto relatively little land. Why India suffers worse than much poorer countries, such as Congo or Afghanistan, and worse than fellow South Asian countries, such as Bangladesh, is a matter for contentious debate. One reason could be political leadership: for too long India’s government failed to make sanitation, the building of latrines, a public health priority. India’s new government now plans to build 130m latrines by 2019. A second, more controversial reason, could be the influence of traditional Hindu culture on sanitation habits. Studies of India’s population show strikingly higher rates of open defecation in Hindu-dominated villages compared with Muslim ones, despite lower incomes, education and worse water supplies of Muslims. That suggests a good way to get India’s sanitation closer to global standards would be to begin with an education campaign, to persuade households to build—and use—their own latrines. PreviousDaily chart: Apple versus lemon

Cor Pan probably didn't realize the effect his post would have when he shared it. The Dutch citizen was aboard the Malaysia Airlines plane that was carrying 295 people and was shot down over Ukraine on Thursday. But prior to taking off, Pan took a snapshot of the plane and posted the picture on his Facebook page with the caption that translates to, "If it disappears, this is what it looks like," poking fun at the Malaysia plane that went mysteriously missing in March. The aircraft, which was shot down near the Russian border, was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it fell near the city of Donetsk in a war-torn area which has become a stronghold for pro-Russian rebels. All the passengers onboard were killed.

On a normal travel day, the airspace over Ukraine is some of the most congested in the world. It serves as a major cross roads for flights connecting major hubs in Europe with megacities in Asia. However, after Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was reportedly shot down earlier today, most of the world's major airlines have ordered their planes to avoid the area completely. The above map, which was tweeted by Newsweek, shows Ukranian airspace a few hours after MH17 lost contact with radar. Two of Europe's largest airlines, Lufthansa and British Airways, have both told Business Insider that they have ordered their planes away from the disputed region. To avoid the Russian-Ukraine conflict altogether, Lufthansa has specifically ordered their planes to take a southerly route over Romania.

Libyans are stunned after two days of fighting between rival militias leaves the country's main international airport out of action. At least eight people have died in the clashes and 12 planes were damaged. The airport remains in the hands of the Zintan militia which has controlled it since Muammar Gaddafi was ousted. The government has been unable to disarm the numerous armed groups that took part in the 2011 uprising and which have divided the country.

According to the World Health organisation, alcohol kills more than 3 million people worldwide each year, which translates to one person every 10 seconds. That’s more than the amount of people lost to AIDS, tuberculosis, and violence. The statistic includes alcohol-related driving fatalities, violence, and health issues arising from excessive alcohol consumption. Because alcohol is legal in most countries, and because—especially in the US and western culture in general—it is promoted in advertising and glamorised in film, its dangers are often minimised or disregarded by young people, and the warnings about problem-drinking and its consequences are viewed as the admonitions of uptight grownups. Unfortunately, the facts support the admonitions. So, how can alcohol kill you?

Here are a few ways it can—and does—end lives: Drunk driving accounted for ten thousand deaths in 2010—that was over thirty percent of all traffic fatalities. Acute alcohol poisoning kills over one thousand people each year. Nearly sixteen thousand people died in 2010 from alcohol-induced liver disease. Over fifty percent of people who die in fires have high blood-alcohol levels. One quarter of all emergency room admissions, one-third of all suicides and more than half of all homicides and incidents of domestic violence are alcohol related. Unintentional injuries related to alcohol consumption cause over eighteen hundred deaths each year among college students. Health problems, including increased likelihood of stroke, diabetes, cirrhosis of the liver, oesophageal cancer, and compromised immune system can lead, if untreated, to premature death. Alcohol in combination with other drugs, especially pain medications, tranquillisers, and sleep medications, can cause death by slowing down respiration as well as by causing the aspiration of vomit. The simple fact is that alcohol impairs judgment, cognition, inhibitions regarding excessive risk-taking and acting out of aggressive tendencies, and other faculties that reduce the likelihood of accident or death. If alcohol consumption becomes regular, increases over time, or increases in amount, or if consequences of drinking are accumulating, treatment is indicated, because yes, alcohol can kill you. 

A burka ban will be brought in by the government of Spain’s Catalonia region in the wake of a European Court of Human Rights ruling that banning veils does not breach human rights laws. Ramon Espadaler, Interior Minister for Catalonia, said that the ban, first proposed in 2013, was in no way an attack on religious freedom as the wearing of helmets and masks in public will also be forbidden. Espadaler announced that the Catalan government aimed to get the ban approved after the summer 2014 recess

Morocco announced on Thursday that it is tightening security measures in response to a "serious terrorist threat" linked to the growing number of its citizens joining jihadist groups in Syria and Iraq. Interior Minister Mohamed Hassad said there was "a serious threat of a terrorist attack against the kingdom because of the growing number of Moroccans belonging to extremist organisations in Syria and Iraq". "A certain number of these fighters rise to leading positions within such organisations and do not hide their intention of carrying out terrorist attacks in Morocco," he told a cabinet meeting in Rabat. His comments were relayed to the press by government spokesperson Mustapha Khalfi. Hassad did not elaborate on the reinforced security measures, except to say that actions have been taken "to guarantee the safety of citizens... and of strategic public sectors," without compromising economic activity.

All passengers flying into or out of the UK are being advised to ensure electronic and electrical devices in hand luggage are sufficiently charged to be switched on. Extra security checks came in at some UK airports last week for flights to the US, but these will now be extended. The government says the checks apply to unspecified flights to and from the UK. It comes after an apparent terror threat prompted the US to announce extra security checks last week.

A Spanish resident, from Guinea Conakry has been admitted to the La Fe hospital in the Spanish region of Valencia, with a suspected case of Ebola. The Spanish Health Ministry has informed that the patient remains in isolation and is “clinically stable” in the Hospital La Fe. The Health Ministry has yet to confirm if the results come back positive. A spokeswoman for the regional health authorities has confirmed that Valencia has activated their infectious disease protocols. Doctors Without Borders warned on Monday that the Ebola outbreak that has already left 337 dead in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone is “out of control”. According to the World Health Organization, those infected with the Ebola virus have a 90% rate of fatality.

Airports facing chaos after US declares it wont allow uncharged cellphones or laptops onto flights bound for America... with iPhones and Galaxy's at top of the hit list The new directive by the TSA affects flights out of Africa, the Middle East and Europe The TSA has announced that devices that won't power up will not be allowed on planes Owners may have to undergo additional screening at security checkpoints American officials are concerned that al-Qaeda has produced new bombs iPhones and Galaxy phones are to be singled out for extra attention Airports facing chaos over busy holiday period as school's finish

Security measures have been increased in airports in both the UK and the US over fears al-Qaeda is developing a new bomb which cannot be detected by scanners. Britain's Department of Transport (DfT) said the increased measures are in place following the warning from US security chiefs citing intelligence reports. It is believed the warning stems from fears Yemen-based terrorist group al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has travelled to Syria to link up with the al-Qaeda affiliate there, known as the al-Nusra Front, to develop bombs which can be smuggled onto aircraft. Experts fear that the terrorists are planning an attack on the scale of the 9/11 bombings, to capture global media attention and remind the world of al-Qaeda's threat. While officials have not described what the bomb could be, there are fears the groups may be developing a non-metallic explosive device, which could be surgically sewn inside a would-be terrorist and be undetectable from all airport scanners and security checks.

Terrorist groups have previously come up with strategies to evade airport security and blow up planes carrying hundreds of passengers. On Christmas Day 2009, the so-called 'underwear bomber' Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab successfully carried a bomb with no metallic parts onboard a flight to Detroit with no metallic parts stitched into the fabric of his underwear. The attack failed after the bomb failed to ignite properly, with Abdulmutallab suffering burns to his legs in the process, before being subdued by passengers and flight attendants. Changes to airport security came into place following the failed 'liquid bomb' threat(Getty) British-born 'shoe bomber' Richard Reid also attempted to blow up a flight from Paris to Miami in December 2001 by hiding the plastic explosives in his shoes. It is believed that, mercifully, the sweat from Reid's feet saved the lives of the 747's passengers as it dampened the bomb and thus foiled Reid's attempts to ignite it. In 2006, Abdulla Ahmed Ali masterminded a so-called 'liquid bomb' made from hydrogen peroxide which could be hidden inside a drinks bottle and ignited with s small electrical charge. The plot was foiled before it could be carried out, resulting in huge changes to airport security measures. It is now feared the terrorist groups may be attempting to develop non-metallic bombs which could be stitched inside a person's body, making it virtually impossible to detect via x-ray scanners or pat-downs. "The surgeon would open the abdominal cavity and literally implant the explosive device in amongst the internal organs," Dr. Mark Melrose, a New York emergency medicine specialist, explained to ABC News. Authorities previously warned AQAP's chief bomb-maker, Ibrahim al-Asiri, could be working on the 'body bombs'.

Asiri is believed to have been responsible for producing the 'underwear bomb' as well as hiding bombs inside printer ink cartridges in another failed plot in 2010. He was also behind an attack which involved placing a bomb inside the rectum of his own brother to blow up Saudi Arabian intelligence chief Prince Muhammad bin Nayef in 2009. Again, the plot failed after the bomb went off prematurely, with the only victim of the explosion being Asiri's 23-year-old brother, Abdullah. However, according to author and historian Michael Burleigh, there are some design flaws in using a 'human bomb'. He wrote in the Daily Mail: "The blast is blunted by the body itself. Ninety per cent of the human body consists of water, which is a very effective blast absorber; and in this case [the bin Nayef attack] it 'shaped' the blast to go up to the ceiling rather than across the room." Burleigh added researchers have suggested the bomb could be placed inside a human in such a way that the explosion could cause the fragments of bone to act as 'shrapnel' in a similar effect to nail bombs. Despite the "enhanced security measures" at selected airports, both US and UK officials have downplayed the warnings, adding the extra security is out of an "abundance of caution. There has been no indication when an attack could occur and the UK security threat level has not altered from 'substantial' - a three of five level of threat it has had since July 2011. "The UK has some of the most robust aviation security measures and we will continue to take all the steps necessary to ensure that public safety is maintained," a DfT spokesperson added.

A tightening of security at UK airports may remain in place on a permanent basis in the face of a new extremist bomb threat to transatlantic aircraft, Nick Clegg has said as he warned of the dangers posed by a "medieval, violent, revolting ideology". Speaking after the government announced an increase in airport security amid fears in the US that terrorists in Syria and Yemen were developing explosives that could be smuggled on to planes, the deputy prime minister said the new measures would not be temporary. "I don't think we should expect this to be a one-off temporary thing," Clegg said on his weekly LBC phone-in. "We have to make sure the checks are there to meet the nature of the new kinds of threats. Whether it is forever – I can't make any predictions. But I don't want people to think that this is just a sort of a blip for a week. This is part of an evolving and constant review about whether the checks keep up with the nature of the threats we face."

The Department of State warns U.S. citizens of the risks of travel to Chad and recommends citizens avoid travel to eastern Chad and all border regions. The Embassy advises U.S. citizens to avoid public gathering spaces and locations frequented by expatriates, including markets, restaurants, bars, and places of worship. This Travel Warning replaces the Travel Warning for Chad dated April 15, 2014 to update U.S. citizens on the current security situation in Chad.

Hundreds of UK tourists are being evacuated from parts of the Kenyan coast, after the Foreign Office warned of a "high threat" from terrorists. Tour operators Thomson and First Choice cancelled all flights to Mombasa until October and said some 400 holidaymakers would be flown back as a precaution. The main threat has been linked to the militant Islamist al-Shabab group.