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UK Foreign Office advises Britons to avoid travelling to Israel

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The UK has advised Britons against all travel to Israel amid an escalation in the country’s military activity with Iran.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office advice, which covers Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, comes after missiles were launched by both countries in recent days. Israel’s airspace remains closed.

The advice warns of a “fast-moving situation that poses significant risks”.

“The situation has the potential to deteriorate further, quickly and without warning,” it said.

Those already in Israel or the Occupied Territories have been told to follow the advice of local authorities.

The new notice from the FCDO referred to the risks of regional escalation.

Previous advice had told Britons to avoid “all travel to parts of Israel”.

This was updated to warn against “all but essential travel” to the country after a state of emergency was declared on 13 June.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy posted on X: “My message to British nationals there is clear – your safety remains our top priority.”

The FCDO also advises against all travel to Iran.

British grandfather James Eden flew to Israel on 9 June for a six-day Christian pilgrimage and said he was stranded in Jerusalem.

He said the FCDO “rang me and said there wasn’t a lot they could do”, adding that all they could do was “send out alerts and keep track” of British nationals in the country.

The 72 year old, from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, told PA news agency he was considering travelling to Egypt to get a flight back to the UK but that the FCDO was “not going to help me get out of Egypt either”.

A FCDO spokesperson said it was “in contact with a British man in Israel” and was “ready to support British nationals 24/7”, adding that it urged any in the region “to monitor updates to FCDO Travel Advice”.

The FCDO is also advising British nationals against all travel to parts of Egypt.

Israel launched a new attack on Iran on the night of 12 June, saying its targets were military infrastructure including nuclear sites.

Iran subsequently launched retaliatory airstrikes and tensions proceeded to escalate between the two countries.

Areas of Bat Yam and Tamra were hit by Iranian missiles on Saturday night, while the Israeli military said they struck more than 80 targets in Tehran overnight.

Over the weekend, the UK government confirmed it was sending more RAF jets to the Middle East – a move the chancellor described as a “precautionary measure”.

Meanwhile, oil prices surged on Friday after concerns the conflict could disrupt supplies coming from the energy-rich region.



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Trip.Biz launches Trip.Biz ONE for travel management

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Trip.Biz, the business travel management brand of Trip.com Group, has launched Trip.Biz ONE, an all-in-one solution that redefines how organisations manage business travel, at its annual Trip.Biz Transform 2025 conference in Singapore.

As an all-in-one solution that makes the entire business travel experience more seamless for corporates, Trip.Biz ONE is designed to help organisations overcome existing challenges such as booking leakages in the form of off-platform bookings and overspending, non-adherence to travel policies and inefficient reconciliation processes.

“Companies need to redefine expectations on how business travel can support revenue growth amidst ongoing trade policy uncertainty and economic risks, and this has shifted from cost management to one that is smarter, safer and more sustainable,” Tao Song, CEO, Trip.Biz. “With Trip.Biz ONE, we are bringing together three critical pillars – People C Service, Technology C Inventory and Sustainability – into a single, intelligent platform that empowers companies to deliver greater efficiency, stronger compliance and a better travel experience for every business traveller.”

Travel Management Made More Efficient for Companies with Trip.Biz ONE

With the launch of Trip.Biz ONE, Trip.Biz is able to directly address major pain points affecting business travel management, including cost control, policy enforcement, limited customer support and inefficient reconciliation. By integrating booking, policy compliance, workflow automation and AI-driven business intelligence features with real- time desktop-to-mobile synchronisation, Trip.Biz ONE is able to streamline the business travel management process to empower companies with a better travel return on investment (ROI) and peace-of-mind.

Key capabilities of Trip.Biz ONE include:

• Consolidated Bookings s Policy Management
o Single platform for multiple travel services including flights, hotels, airport transfers, ride-hailing, and car rentals with automated approval workflows
o Extensive booking selections through numerous inventory sources, including corporate negotiated rates
o Real-time policy compliance monitoring and enforcement

• Advanced Technology Integration
o AI-driven business intelligence via the Trip.Biz AI Chatbot, providing smart and flexible recommendations, real-time traveller support for enhanced traveller experiences
o Rapidly customisable configurations via in-house IT based on travel teams’ needs
o Comprehensive duty-of-care capabilities with dedicated traveller support

• Strategic Business Intelligence:
o Consolidated reporting insights and analytics
o Improved ROI through data-driven decision-making

Strengthening Marketing Leadership in Southeast Asia, with Global Expansion

Eugene Tan, General Manager, Southeast Asia, Trip.Biz

In addition to the launch of Trip.Biz ONE, Trip.Biz is strengthening its market leadership in Southeast Asia while extending global coverage through partnerships. The company’s latest inked cooperation agreements are with Saudia Airlines, Pan Pacific Hotels Group and Constellation Travels in the Philippines to enhance its inventory offerings and local market penetration.

The platform’s digital-first architecture supports both traditional business travel and emerging bleisure trends, providing comprehensive solutions that adapt to changing workforce expectations. This approach positions Trip.Biz as a transformative force in redefining industry standards.

By adding predictive insights and enhancing its ecosystem beyond booking selections through its partners and the strategic value of the Trip.com Group, Trip.Biz is well- positioned to be the strategic business travel partner that empowers companies to travel smarter, safer and more sustainably now and into the future.



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Travel Food Services shares in focus on license for lounge operations at India’s 8th busiest airport

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Shares of Travel Food Services (TFS) will be on investor radar on Friday, September 12, after the company said it has secured a license from Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) to set up, operate, and manage food and beverage outlets, a lounge, and a bar in the Security Hold Area of the Domestic Terminal (T1).

Under the agreement, TFS will serve as the concessionaire for T1, operating about 11 quick-service restaurants along with one passenger lounge. The license runs for five years, with the option to extend by another two years, subject to terms and conditions. The deal also includes payment of license fees and a minimum guarantee amount.

Cochin International Airport, India’s eighth busiest, handled more than 11 million passengers in FY2024-25 and is served by 27 airlines offering direct connectivity to multiple destinations. Notably, it is also the world’s first airport powered entirely by solar energy, achieving full power neutrality.

With this win, TFS expands its presence to 14 of India’s 15 largest airports. “This reflects the strength of the TFS franchise and technical expertise. We plan to bring a diverse mix of brands to Cochin Airport and aim to create a better travel experience for passengers,” said Varun Kapur, Managing Director and CEO of TFS.

In a separate development, last week, the company announced the termination of its extended contract to provide lounge access services to Dreamfolks customers. “Dreamfolks was acting as one of the aggregators for banks and networks in relation to lounge access services for various lounges operated by the company. Despite efforts to re-negotiate the commercial terms of the agreement in good faith, we have been unable to reach a closure,” Travel Food Services said in a regulatory filing


Travel Foods made its stock market debut on July 14, 2025. The IPO received a moderate response from investors, closing with 3.03x overall subscription.(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)

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Uncertainty, chaos as people queue up to leave Kathmandu

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Kathmandu: On Thursday, as the Kathmandu international airport resumed flights, it brought a sea of people from across the country wanting to be the first to take off. Migrant workers, who lived on the streets for almost two days waiting for the flights to resume, tourists stuck in their hotel rooms watching the beautiful valley descend into chaos, many wondering if they will be able to retain their jobs abroad before violence ends, and some just wanting to return home.

A passenger arrives to catch his flight at Tribhuvan International Airport as the airport reopens, following deadly anti-corruption protests triggered by a social media ban, which was later lifted, in Kathmandu on Thursday. (REUTERS/ANI)

At 7 pm on Thursday, as the Nepalese army came out on the roads to enforce curfew measures in the national Capital, the streets turned empty – shops that opened for two hours in the evening to sell essential items were hurriedly shut, the people in the serpentine queues of motorcycles and cars stuck outside fuel stations(guarded by Army) were directed to return in the morning. Barring ambulances and vehicles moving towards the Tribhuvan International Airport, all forms of movement were banned across the city. But passing by dozens of checkposts manned by personnel of the Nepalese Army, those inside the vehicles en route to the airport slowly but gradually joined the thousands of people at the airport in Kathmandu.

At 7.45 pm, the flight schedule in the airport’s dashboard showed at least 9 different flights waiting to take off to destinations such as Doha, Bangkok, Dubai, Singapore, and Hongkong. The last Air India flight had taken many Indian citizens back to New Delhi around 7 – the last flight of the day to India. Airport officials said thousands of Indian nationals are still stuck in different parts of the country unable to escape. Air India, IndiGo and Spice Jet also resumed their flights to and from Nepal on Thursday.

Namrat Basnet(36), among the thousands hoping to fly out from Kathmandu, is a migrant worker in Saudi Arabia. Basnet, who works as a mechanic at a steel company in the country, said that citizens like him would have been the most affected due to Nepal’s ban on social media. “The lives of nearly 40-50% of Nepali citizens are dependent on migrant workers like me who go abroad and send money back home. The ban social media apps was a setback for us. We use the apps to send money, talk to our family members. It is through these apps on the phone that we see our children grow virtually on cell phone screens. The protest had started because of people like us. I am glad, I am returning after the government took back the decision. It is a relief.”

Wearing Nepal national flags and garlanded for their safe journey outside the country, most among the thousands of people at the airport, waited for their turns, their flight numbers to be called and the airline personnel to escort them even as the army surrounded the airport entrance from all sides. And then there were couples hugging outside the airport – the husband leaving the country for a job abroad. “Nepali story of its people going abroad to earn their bread is a harsh reality. This is the same scene we see at the airport every evening,” an airline operator said.

Vijay Kumar Mandal(25), who has in the past worked as a laborer in Malaysia for 6 years returned to Nepal two years ago. Mandal, a resident of Nepali’s Janakpur, had come to the airport with his 12 friends from the same village. “We were to leave on September 9 but as soon as we came here, the violence was unfolding. Our flight was cancelled and we had to spend the first night in a godown outside a local businessman’s house. On our second night our supervisor, who found us the job in Saudi Arabia took us to another place to spend the night. For two days, it seemed we had lost our livelihood. This morning, we were told that the flights resumed and we were given new tickets. There are thousands of citizens like us who work menial jobs abroad to make a living. We wish we could be here to protest against the corruption in the government but we have mouths to feed back home,” he said.

Then there were also groups of foreigners escorted by police and personnel for a safe passage back home. Alex, a UK resident but settled in Dubai, said this is his 15th trip to Nepal. “Our embassy officials told us to stay put in the hotel. We did not step out as the protests turned violent. We heard of vehicles being burnt outside our hotel, but got to see this only today while leaving the hotel. I work for a recruitment firm in Dubai. My wife and children were worried back home after hearing the reports. The last two days were a nightmare. Getting trapped in a conflict like this. It had never happened in the last 14 trips. No one had expected the country to descend into chaos like this.”

Personnel from the Nepalese army on the roads said that the situation is tense, but there were no major cases of violence. The army is guarding all vital installations across the city – hotels, oil companies, hospitals, malls. They are even guarding fuel stations and grocery stores. “We have been instructed only to allow ambulances and foreign travellers. People, especially foreigners, have been instructed not to step out of their homes/hotels and stay put where they are. We expect the situation to improve tomorrow,” a Nepalese army official guarding an oil depot said.



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