Iranian strikes on Qatar disrupt flights for thousands
Almost 100 flights to destinations across the Middle East were diverted because of the Iranian attack on a US military base in Qatar on Monday afternoon.
While an 'eerie calm' took hold at the main airport in the Qatari capital of Doha as the skies were closed to all civilian flights, thousands of others were finding themselves scattered across a variety of safe havens.
At least seven Qatar Airways flights from the UK to Doha – having left from airports including Heathrow, Manchester and Edinburgh – were diverted in-flight as a result of the missile attacks.
One, from Edinburgh to Doha, was diverted to Istanbul. Another ended up in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, while a third from Heathrow turned back over Italy.
Other airlines were also severely affected, with flight-tracking website AirNav Radar estimating that 91 international flights scheduled to pass through Qatari airspace had been diverted.
Meanwhile, a large number of people were marooned in Doha as a result of the country's authorities closing its skies to scheduled flights.
One passenger, who identified himself only as Jai, said there was an 'eerie calm' at the Qatari airport as the Iranian attack took place.
'Nothing being advised'
He said: 'No communication other than travellers discussing amongst each other. Nothing being advised to travellers by airlines. Boards still reading as 'Go to gate' and 'Now boarding' despite not being the case.
'Workers say that things are chaotic outside of the airport.'
Travellers were urged to check before attempting to head to Middle Eastern destinations, or boarding flights that pass over the region.
Julia Lo-Bue Said, the chief executive of the Advantage Travel Partnership association of travel agents, said: 'This is an evolving and fast-moving situation, and we recognise that it is likely to cause some consumer anxiety surrounding travelling to the region and for those already there.
'Travellers who have booked trips to the Middle East through a travel agent should get in touch also with the agent and airline, who will be best placed to offer the latest up-to-date guidance.'
Advice for travellers from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, last updated on Monday morning before the strikes, said: 'There is a possibility of travel disruption, including short-notice airspace closures, delayed and cancelled flights and other unanticipated travel impacts.'
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Telegraph
a day ago
- Telegraph
‘We smoked cannabis in Kabul hostels': Four writers recall the Middle East's golden age of travel
It is hard to imagine today, with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office advising against travel to much of the region (Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Afghanistan and Syria are all on its red list), but those parts of the Middle East now better associated with conflict and extremism were once essential stops on the backpacker route sometimes known as the 'hippie trail'. The region's previous life is perfectly illustrated by Lonely Planet's first-ever guidebook, Across Asia on the Cheap, published in 1973. 'Weed, of course, is the big seller in Afghanistan; so long as you only buy in small amounts you're extremely unlikely to run afoul of the law,' is one typical pearl of wisdom from the author, and Lonely Planet's co-founder, Tony Wheeler. Of Iran, he adds: 'In its efforts to attract even our type of tourists, the Iranian government has opened a number of excellent campsites.' With the prospect of Western holidaymakers enjoying such laid-back Middle Eastern adventures rarely looking so remote (even if Afghanistan did recently launch a bizarre tourism campaign), we asked Tony Wheeler – and three writers – to share their memories of trips to the region during this golden age. 'Iran: amazingly friendly country, shame about the awful government' We never actually called it the 'hippie trail'. In 1972, it was 'the Asia overland trip'. Whatever the title, 50 years later, it remains the peak travel experience of my life. Today, the Flightradar24 app neatly sums up what's happening to visitor flows to the region: there's a big empty expanse of sky; nobody's going there. In 1972, it was wonderful. The adventure started in Istanbul, where bridges or tunnels over or under the Bosphorus had yet to arrive. Going by ferry there was a distinct feeling of leaving behind Europe and arriving in Asia. Cappadocia and the 'fairy chimneys' of the Göreme Valley? It was a good job somebody suggested we go there, as the tourist crowds certainly hadn't arrived and it was nearly 20 years before the first hot-air balloon drifted across the valley. Today, there's barely elbow room up above, but it's still a fantastic experience. Then it was on to Iran. I've been back a number of times subsequently – most recently in 2017, driving right across the country in an old MGB sports car with my daughter, Tashi, as co-driver. Every time, my experience has been the same. What an amazingly friendly country, shame about the awful government. On an extensive solo visit in 2004, it was remarkable how many times somebody would come over to my restaurant table, point out that I looked neglected and invite me to join their table so they could practise their English. And Afghanistan? What a country. It's remarkable how often I meet people who announce they were there during that golden era and will never forget the place. That said, the greatest regret of my travelling life is also in Afghanistan. In 1972, my wife, Maureen, and I failed to continue up to Bamiyan to see the giant Buddhas. I got to Bamiyan in 2006, but the Buddhas had departed in 2001, destroyed by the Taliban. Tony Wheeler 'Beirut, the Paris of the Middle East, felt more like Miami Beach' 'No wonder Iranians are proud of their country,' I wrote in 1996, 'they feel invincible. They believe that the West, and America in particular, is afraid of them.' Political self-confidence can lead to arrogance but in Iran's case 30 years ago, it was evident in the friendliness and courtesy of the people. They just wished to talk to us and learn more about us. It reminded me of the self-confidence I had witnessed in the Middle East another 30 years earlier when my college friend and I hitchhiked there in 1963. Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Israel: stable, proud, and – yes – all feeling invincible. The people wanted to show us their countries. Admittedly, some of the locals were rather keen that we show them our bodies, but we dealt with this by linking up with a chaperone, Walter. Hitchhiking for him was easier with us, and with him we had less hassle. Beirut flaunted its reputation as the Paris of the Middle East, although it struck us more like Miami Beach with its high-rise hotels. Beautiful men and women strutted along the seafront, and students from the American University of Beirut chatted at the open-air restaurants in a cloud of cigarette smoke. We couldn't even afford a fruit juice. Damascus was not much better, but more exotic; it was in Jordan that the whole Middle East experience came together. Two years earlier, King Hussein had married an English girl, Toni Gardiner, whom the press loved to call the 'Ipswich typist'. She became Princess Muna and the Jordanians we met loved their royal family. We were invited into their homes, shared meals. We were taken to Petra, where the only other humans were Bedouin living among the ruins; we went to Bethlehem, where you could buy a crown of thorns in three different sizes; and we pottered around the Jordanian section of Jerusalem before crossing into Israel. We were 21 and politically naive, but we knew that no Arab country would have admitted us with an Israeli stamp in our passport. In Israel they were busy building a nation and had no time for tourists. We couldn't even thumb a lift – the young soldiers on military service formed hitchhiking queues at every road junction – and when someone did stop for us, the hospitality was lacking. It was almost like being home again. Hilary Bradt 'In Kabul hostels travellers familiarised themselves with Afghanistan's most famous product: cannabis' I didn't know it at the time, but I was one of the last of the generation of hopelessly idealistic travellers who journeyed overland to India along a route which was famously dubbed the 'hippie trail'. The year was 1977 and I was 18. Turkey, where thanks to a lift from a lorry driver heading to Syria I ended up in a remote village somewhere near Lake Van, was the first country that really opened my eyes – and ears – to a very different world: a world of strangely powerful peaks, sweet black teas and a succession of stirring melodies that conjured up the Orient. Tehran was an altogether different proposition: a fast-paced city which even then – little more than a year before the toppling of the Shah – was clearly on edge. I took refuge in Rasht on the Caspian Sea, where a kind soul who taught English at a local school brought me in to engage with bright-eyed children agog about the future and curious about London. I learnt a Persian word I still use to this day: Khodahafez (farewell; may God protect you). I watched entranced outside modest premises where flatbreads were baked in ovens, the smell alone making me giddy with hunger. I didn't bother with the great Islamic architectural wonders of Isfahan – oh, the folly of youth – instead hopping on a bus heading east towards Kabul, where travellers on the trail would congregate in hostels along 'Chicken Street' and, sitting on finely woven carpets, familiarise themselves with what at the time was another of Afghanistan's most famous products: cannabis. It's all a bit of a blur. But I remember hazy hills and dusty plains; mosques and men in turbans. I also remember feeling uneasy about the much lower visibility even then of women. The journalist in me had yet to stir, but, as with Iran, I detected something in the air. Not long after the Shah was ousted, Afghanistan was invaded by the Soviet Union and the hippie trail was no more. I was lucky to experience it. But I do wish I'd gone to see the great Buddhas of Bamiyan before they were blown to smithereens by the Taliban. Adrian Bridge 'It's the hospitality of the people I remember most' It was 1983: my year off between school and university. I joined a small group of Americans, Australians and Britons in an expedition truck to drive overland from London to Kathmandu. The journey was to take three months, travelling through Europe, eastern Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Iran, Pakistan and India – an impossible itinerary today. Then, it seemed adventurous, but mostly because communication with home was so sporadic. We relied on receiving letters, often weeks out of date, at Poste Restantes along the way. My dog-eared, teenage travel diary brings back vivid memories of that formative journey. The souks of Istanbul, a swim in the Dead Sea, the medieval stronghold of Krak des Chevaliers in Syria, where 'we saw guards' rooms, baths, secret doors, everything…' (Now a World Heritage Site, it was badly shelled in 2012 during the Syrian Civil War.) After entering Damascus at dusk, twinkling with lights, I noted a feast of exotic dips and kebabs. Miles and miles of empty desert roads were to follow. Overtaking buffalo carts, besieged by curious children in isolated villages, refuelling at local markets, camping in the wilderness – my diary is full of the wonder and novelty of it. The Indus Valley was 'green and fertile', the houseboats of Kashmir 'ornate', the golden temple of Amritsar 'inspiring' – so many standouts. But it's the hospitality of the people we met along the way that I remember most, and especially on one sweltering afternoon in south-eastern Iran. Just four years after the 1979 revolution, Iran was a tense place and we travelled through quickly. But, pausing at the 15th-century shrine of the Sufi poet Shah Nimatullah in Mahan, we entered a courtyard full of greenery with a pool surrounded by geraniums where a chador-clad woman beckoned us over to cool off on her shady rug. There we sat for so long, sharing her watermelon, that we never got to see the shrine itself.
The Sun
2 days ago
- The Sun
Taliban launches warped Afghan TOURISM campaign with vid of brutes posing beside ‘hostage' in ISIS-style mock execution
AFGHANISTAN has launched a bizarre video campaign to attract tourists - including a chilling hostage video. The slick professionally produced video starts with footage of a hooded man surrounded by armed men in an ISIS-style execution. 10 The video begins with what initially resembles a heinous execution video Credit: Instagram / @afghanarabc 10 But when the bag is lifted, a man is smiling with his thumbs-up and says in an American accent 'welcome to Afrghanistan' Credit: Instagram / @afghanarabc 10 An American 'tourist' appears in the video Credit: Instagram / @afghanarabc 10 One even shows a man waving a gun while swimming Credit: Instagram / @afghanarabc Five men holding gargantuan machine guns are seen eerily standing over three prisoners, with their heads covered with black bags. The leader is heard saying: "We have one message for America." The hood is then snatched off before he grins: 'Welcome to Afghanistan.' The weird promotional ad then focuses on gunmen in the back of pick-up trucks amid rugged scenery alongside a group of American tourists. read more news DOWN THE BARREL Driver pulls gun & shoots cops at point blank range after Taliban rant Pictures of armed Mujahideen warriors whose weapons are emblazoned with the words 'fake gun" are shown. And the group are seen diving into lakes, eating extravagant meals, standing under waterfalls and taking pictures with presumably confused children. One chilling clip shows an American holding a US Army-issue M4A1 carbine. This was the weapon predominantly used by American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. It comes as no surprise that women have no role in the vile video. It currently remains unknown whether the video is connected to official Afghani institutions. Terrifying bodycam shows moment driver pulls gun & shoots cops at point-blank range after ranting about the Taliban Taliban mullahs desperate to soften their terrifying image are behind the tourist marketing video, shared across social media by in Arabic (@afghanarabc). The Taliban began their drive to make Afghanistan a tourist hotspot in spring 2024, with a tourism and hotel management school opened. Since then, social media channels have worked to promote the country's history as a way to lure in holidaymakers. Last month, Afghanistan's Deputy Minister of Tourism Qudratullah Jamal said: "The Afghan people are warm and welcoming and wish to host tourists from other countries and engage with them. "Tourism brings many benefits to a country. We have considered those benefits and aim for our nation to take full advantage of them. "We are optimistic this sector will evolve into a large economy, bringing significant benefits. It plays an important role in strengthening our national economy." Nearly a whopping 9,000 foreign tourists visited the country last year alone, while nearly 3,000 visited in the first three months of 2025, Jamal said. He refused to answer questions about the Taliban's treatment of women, however. 10 Taliban members paddle in a boat as they and Afghan families enjoy a visit to one of the lakes in Band-e Amir national park Credit: Getty 10 The video features American holidaymakers as they go on various activities Credit: Instagram / @afghanarabc 10 It comes as no surprise that women weren't featured in the video Credit: Instagram / @afghanarabc 10 The Taliban have made desperate efforts to attract tourists Credit: Instagram / @afghanarabc Jamal added: "Those who respect our laws and traditions have already come and can continue to come." Since US forces withdrew in 2022, Afghanistan has been under the boot of the extremist Taliban regime. In the Taliban-controlled country, women are unable to leave the house without a man, speak in public or even look through a window while home. The Afghanistan government's strict "virtue and vice" laws force women to stop doing various things in public, like showing their face and bodies, singing or reading aloud, and looking at men they are not related to. Women in the country are also no longer able to visit national parks or beauty salons, play sports or even go solo travelling beyond the perimeter of their houses due to sickening morality laws. Some social media sites like Instagram and TikTok are beginning to show travel guides for Afghanistan, predominantly created by female travel influencers from countries like the UK, Australia and Hungary. The Foreign Office warns against all travel to the nation and the heightened risk of detention. 10 One man even records himself under a waterfall for the bizarre video Credit: Instagram / @afghanarabc
BreakingNews.ie
2 days ago
- BreakingNews.ie
GAA Palestine urges U-turn over visa refusal to Gaelic football players
GAA Palestine has called on the Department of Justice to reconsider its decision to refuse visas to a group of Gaelic football players from Palestine. The group, which had planned to bring in 33 Palestinian children and young teenagers, vowed to appeal against the decision and said the setback would not 'deter' them. Advertisement The team of children and 14 of their mentors were to travel to Ireland later this month for a tour, but were denied entry. The tour was scheduled to begin on July 18th, with more than 100 Irish families volunteering to host the Palestinian group, and numerous GAA clubs fundraising to support the visit. In a statement, the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration said the visas were rejected due to a lack of compliance to visa application criteria. However, a spokesman for GAA Palestine said it was shocked by the decision of the Irish Immigration Service. Advertisement The ground said that it submitted comprehensive documentation, which included detailed plans for visits to various GAA clubs across Ireland, educational exchanges, and cultural activities as part of its application. 'Contrary to the information communicated in recent correspondence, Irish immigration officials have claimed that the visa applications were refused due to 'insufficient documentation',' the spokesman added. 'We understand from letters sent by the Irish Embassy in Israel that the reason cited was a lack of detailed itineraries and financial arrangements — information that had been provided with the application. 'In fact, GAA Palestine was under the impression that all necessary documentation and information had been provided and met the requirements for visa approval as stated by the Irish Embassy in Israel.' Advertisement Steven Redmond, chairperson of GAA Palestine, said it is committed to working with the department to resolve the issue. He added: 'Seven days before these young boys and girls were meant to leave the West Bank, we are told that additional documentation is now required — documentation that was already provided or never previously requested or indicated as necessary. 'We went as far as sending a volunteer to the West Bank to assist with additional documentation that was requested as part of our application. Tánaiste Simon Harris underlined that there are rules governing such moves (Grainne Ni Aodha/PA) 'Nonetheless, GAA Palestine remains committed to collaborating closely with the Department of Justice to resolve this matter swiftly. We have a dedicated team of volunteers ready to respond and take immediate action. Advertisement 'We are fully prepared to see this process through. We kindly ask the Government to partner with us in making this happen. 'Volunteers across Ireland are just utterly and completely devasted after all the work and effort put into making this tour happen. It's heartbreaking to see such a promising cultural exchange fall apart at the very last moment.' The event was set to promote cultural exchange, friendship, and mutual understanding. The Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris told the Dáil on Thursday: 'I would say, obviously, if there are, and I say this acknowledging that people have actually good faith and people are trying to do something good, we will share that view. Advertisement 'Obviously, there are rules in place in relation to visas, particularly when it comes to minors, particularly when it comes to minors not travelling with parents or guardians. There is an appeals process in place. 'I just make that point without overcoming any individual applications.'
