swap

The central bank said deal was part of a comprehensive strategy to help it respond to forex and capital markets volatility.

The Central Bank of the Argentinian Republic (BCRA) said it has signed a $20bn exchange rate stabilisation agreement with the United States Treasury Department, six days ahead of a key midterm election.

The central bank’s statement on Monday said the agreement sets forth terms for bilateral currency swap operations between the US and Argentina, but it provided no technical details.

The central bank said: “Such operations will allow the BCRA to expand its set of monetary and exchange rate policy instruments, including the liquidity of its international reserves”.

The Argentinian peso closed at a record low, down 1.7 percent on the day to end at 1,475 per dollar.

The BCRA said the pact was part of a comprehensive strategy to enhance its ability to respond to foreign exchange and capital markets volatility.

The US Treasury did not immediately respond to a request for details on the new swap line and has not issued its own statement about the arrangement.

US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent said last week that the arrangement would be backed by International Monetary Fund Special Drawing Rights held in the Treasury’s Exchange Stabilization Fund that will be converted to dollars.

Bessent has said that the US would not put additional conditions on Argentina beyond President Javier Milei’s government continuing to pursue its fiscal austerity and economic reform programmes to foster more private-sector growth.

He has announced several US purchases of pesos in recent weeks, but has declined to disclose details.

Midterm vote

Argentinian Minister of Economy Luis Caputo said last week that he hoped the swap deal framework would be finalised before the October 26 midterm parliamentary vote, in which Milei’s party will seek to grow its minority presence in the legislature.

Milei, who has sought to solve Argentina’s economic woes through fiscal spending cuts and dramatically shrinking the size of government, has been handed a string of recent political defeats.

US President Donald Trump said last week that the US would not “waste our time” with Argentina if Milei’s party loses in the midterm vote. The comment briefly shocked local markets until Bessent clarified that continued US support depended on “good policies”, not necessarily the vote result.

He added that a positive result for Milei’s party would help block any policy repeal efforts.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. directly purchased Argentine pesos on Thursday and finalized a $20 billion currency swap framework with Argentina’s central bank, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a social media post.

The intent is to provide assistance from the Latin American country’s economic turmoil.

“U.S. Treasury is prepared, immediately, to take whatever exceptional measures are warranted to provide stability to markets,” Bessent said, adding that the Treasury Department conducted four days of meetings with Argentinian Finance Minister Luis Caputo in Washington to come up with the deal.

Bessent has insisted that the Argentina credit swap is not a bailout. Last month, President Trump stopped short of promising Argentina’s President Javier Milei a financial bailout from the Latin American country’s economic turmoil.

Still, U.S. farmers and Democratic lawmakers have criticized the deal as a bailout of a country that has benefited from sales of soybeans to China, to the detriment of U.S. farmers.

Argentina is one of the biggest Latin American economies and the biggest borrower from the International Monetary Fund — its total outstanding credit as of Aug. 31 is $41.8 billion.

The offer to financially help Argentina comes as Trump has frequently promoted his “America First” agenda. Critics contend that the planned intervention is a way to reward a personal friend of Trump’s who is facing a critical midterm election next month.

Milei celebrated Bessent’s announcement on social media, hailing his economy minister, Luis Caputo, as “far and away, the best Minister of Economy in all of Argentine history…!!!”

Caputo was in Washington last week for talks with Bessent about the swap line.

Argentina’s deregulation minister, Federico Sturzenegger, also congratulated Caputo and the rest of the economic team. “Let’s keep working so that our children want to stay and live in Argentina,” he wrote, adding a pitch to voters to support Milei in the crucial midterm elections later this month.

Hussein writes for the Associated Press. AP writer Isabel DeBre in Buenos Aires contributed to this report.

It’s a nauseating, mind-boggling condition people literally lose sleep over, but help is at hand from a veteran of the skies who shares his best tips

Post-holiday blues are a nightmare, even more so if you suffer from jetlag after a long trip. Feeling like your body operates on a different time zone once you come back home is disorienting.

But there are ways to beat the nasty phenomenon, according to a travel expert who has seen and done it all. Even more remarkable is that these are simple tweaks that do not cost a thing.

Al Smith is a seasoned pilot, currently working as senior first officer for British Airways. He is no stranger to jetlag, having flown across time zones and seen sunrises from the comfort of his own cockpit.

He follows a strict sleep routine to ensure he is fresh as a daisy whenever he is manning a plane. In a recent edition of British Airways’ High Life magazine, he said: “After years on short haul, I had a rhythm – early starts or late finishes, never both.

“But long haul is a different game. These days, I spend at least one night a week wide awake under the stars – but that doesn’t mean I have to lose a night’s sleep.

“I plan ahead: sleep before departure, nap after landing and squeeze in a siesta when I can. The key?

“Prioritising rest and making time for it, no matter what time zone I’m in.”

Top 10 tips to beat jetlag

1. If the hotel curtains don’t close properly, grab a coat hanger with trouser clips and clip the curtains together. It’s a lifesaver for daytime sleeping.
2. Limit alcohol.
3. Don’t sleep for more than three hours on landing day. If it’s after 3pm, try to stay up and just go to bed early.
4. If you’re a tea lover like me and nothing else will do, invest in quality decaf tea. It’s perfect for enjoying at any time of day or night.
5. Strategic napping is essential – just don’t do it on a subway in Tokyo.
6. Turn your phone to dark mode and switch on ‘Sleep’ or ‘Do Not Disturb’ at bedtimes.
7. Don’t go shopping just to kill time on landing day – you will only buy things you don’t need. Early in my career, I woke up to find I’d cleared out the entire miniature toiletries section of Walgreens after landing in Seattle.
8. Don’t oversleep while recovering from jet lag – in my experience, it prolongs my adjustment time.
9. Get outside and do some light exercise. Sunlight is a natural reset for me and is essential when it comes to acclimatising.
10. If you’re trying to stay up, never sit on the bed! Trust me – before you know it, you’ll be on your back and spark out. You’ve been warned!

Among the most important things for people to get right is their sleep hygiene. According to Al, it helps the body adjust to a new time zone easier and more effectively.

He said of his own experience: “Every time we’ve moved house, my first priority has been: ‘How do I make my new bedroom feel like the best hotel room ever?’ I prefer total darkness when I sleep – I highly recommend plantation shutters with a blackout screen.

“Zero light is incredible and allows me to sleep both day and night. Temperature is also vital.

“I think I have a two-degree tolerance before I’m either too hot or too cold. Yes, it’s the UK – but it reached 40°C in the last few years.

“Air-conditioning is the way forward! And quality bedding is another must.”

One of the main symptoms of jetlag is insomnia and it’s something Al also had first-hand experience of. He told the magazine: “There have been occasions where oversleeping on what we call ‘landing day’ – a sacred day that should be free of tasks – has led to bouts of insomnia.

“It’s taken me years of flying to figure out that if I check the clock twice and it’s still within the same hour, it’s time to get up, have a warm drink (obviously not caffeinated) and watch a bit of TV. Otherwise, I spend the entire night tossing and turning.”

The reported visit follows one in March 2025 which led to the release of a US citizen held for more than two years in Afghanistan.

United States officials have agreed to a prisoner exchange after a rare talk with the authorities in Kabul, according to the Taliban administration’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Adam Boehler, the Trump administration’s special envoy for hostage response, and Zalmay Khalilzad, a former US special envoy for Afghanistan, met with the Taliban’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.

“Adam Boehler, referring to the issue of detained citizens between Afghanistan and the United States, said that both countries will exchange prisoners,” deputy prime minister Abdul Ghani Baradar’s office said after their meeting.

There was no immediate statement from Washington regarding the meeting, and Khalilzad did not immediately respond to a phone call from Reuters when asked for comment.

Mahmood Habibi, a naturalised US citizen and businessman who previously worked for a telecommunications company in Kabul, is the highest-profile American detainee, according to Washington. The US is offering a $5 million reward for information to find him, with the Taliban authorities denying any involvement in his 2022 disappearance.

The Taliban has reportedly pressed for the release of Muhammad Rahim, the last Afghan national held at Guantanamo Bay, who has been detained without charge since 2008.

Another American, airline mechanic George Glezmann, was freed after more than two years in detention during a March visit to Kabul by Boehler.

That deal, mediated by Qatar, was described by the Taliban as a “humanitarian” gesture and a “sign of goodwill”.

Before that, in January 2025, the two sides carried out a prisoner exchange in which US citizens Ryan Corbett and William Wallace McKenty were released in exchange for Khan Mohammad, an Afghan national serving two life sentences in the US.

Both sides also agreed to continue discussions regarding nationals imprisoned in each other’s countries, the statement added.

The Taliban administration, which took power in 2021 after 20 years of US military intervention in Afghanistan, is not recognised by Washington.

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United States President Donald Trump has confirmed he will meet with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on August 15 in Alaska to discuss efforts to end the war in Ukraine.

But, Trump added, any peace deal would involve “some swapping” of territory, a controversial prospect.

“We are going to have a meeting with Russia. We’ll start off with Russia,” he said on Friday, as he hosted leaders from Armenia and Azerbaijan at the White House.

Trump offered few details on what, if anything, had changed in his months-long effort to bring about a deal to end Russia’s invasion.

Still, he suggested any breakthrough would require the exchange of territory.

“It’s very complicated. But we’re going to get some back, and we’re going to get some switched. There’ll be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both, but we’ll be talking about that either later or tomorrow,” he said.

Ukraine and its European allies have long opposed any agreement that involves ceding occupied territory – including Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia – to Russia.

But Putin has repeatedly said that any deal must require Ukraine to relinquish some of the territories Russia has seized since 2014.

He has also called for a pause to Western aid for Ukraine and an end to Kyiv’s efforts to join the NATO military alliance.

Questions about the meeting’s location

Still, the prospect of Trump meeting Putin has raised logistical questions in recent days, particularly since the Russian leader faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Prosecutors have sought his arrest for alleged war crimes perpetrated in Ukraine, and Putin’s travel through any ICC member countries could result in his detention.

The US, however, is not an ICC member and does not recognise the court’s authority.

While the Kremlin had previously floated the possibility of meeting in the United Arab Emirates, another non-member, Trump announced on Friday in a Truth Social post that he would welcome Putin to the US northernmost state, Alaska.

The state’s mainland sits approximately 88 kilometres – or 55 miles – away from Russia across the Bering Strait, and some smaller islands are even closer.

Friday’s announcement came on the same day as a deadline that Trump had imposed on Russia to reach a ceasefire passed without any new agreement.

In recent weeks, Trump had grown increasingly frustrated with Russia over the country’s continued attacks on Ukraine and its apparent unwillingness to come to an accord.

The August 15 meeting is slated to be the first tete-a-tete between the two leaders since 2019, during Trump’s first term.

‘Great progress’

Trump had broken with decades of diplomatic precedent by seeming to embrace Putin during much of his time in the White House.

Earlier this year, for instance, Trump appeared to reject Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in favour of Putin. He also blamed Ukraine’s ambitions of joining NATO for provoking Russia’s full-scale invasion of its territory in February 2022.

“Putin went through a hell of a lot with me,” Trump yelled at one point during a confrontational meeting with Zelenskyy broadcast from the White House in February.

But Trump has positioned himself as a self-described “peacemaker”, and his inability to bring the Ukraine war to a close has become a source of resentment between him and Putin.

At the same time, he took an initially permissive approach to Putin, but has since expressed growing frustration with the Russian leader amid Russia’s continued attacks.

Last week, Trump denounced Russia’s renewed attacks on Kyiv. “I think it’s disgusting what they’re doing. I think it’s disgusting,” he said.

He also demanded that Russia pause its attacks or face new sanctions and secondary tariffs on key trading partners.

On Wednesday, Trump appeared to begin to make good on that threat, raising tariffs on Indian goods to 50 percent in response to its purchase of Russian oil.

Still, this week, Trump hailed “great progress” in the peace negotiations as his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, visited Putin in Moscow.

But as of Friday, the date of the new deadline, no new US actions or Russian capitulations had been announced.

Some analysts have argued that Putin is intentionally teasing out talks to extend the war.

It remains unclear if Trump’s mercurial approach has meaningfully changed the ceasefire equation since he took office.

A woman has left people divided after a mum asked her to swap seats with her son for a ‘stupid’ reason, but she branded her as selfish and accused her of ‘making a scene’

Everybody has their preferred plane seat, which is likely to be a window or an aisle. The middle seat is often one that’s dreaded – especially if you’re sitting next to random people. But when one woman asked if she could swap with the occupant of a window seat on the plane for a “stupid” reason and was told no, she was seething.

Posting a video of her side of the interaction, @life_in_mini_stories shared a clip of a woman sitting in a window seat, minding her own business. Of course, many times when you occupy these seats, you’ve paid an additional fee for the pleasure.

She shared a woman allegedly said to her: “Excuse me, would you mind switching seats? My son really wants to sit by the window. He just loves watching the clouds.”

The female responded by saying she couldn’t switch, because she “picked this seat ahead of time”. The woman in the video also shared she also likes looking outside during a flight.

The mum was incensed already, saying she didn’t understand why the woman wouldn’t swap with her, pointing out “nobody has ever refused before”.

She also seethed: “You must not have kids; otherwise, you’d know it’s normal to give your seat up for a child. Or do you want him crying for the whole flight?”

The woman in the video explained it wasn’t her “problem” if the child was crying, stating once more that she wouldn’t be giving up her seat.

“If you wanted your son to sit by the window, you should’ve planned ahead and booked a window seat,” she pointed out.

The mum said she wasn’t “paying extra just because one person thinks she’s smarter than everyone else”. She also continued her attack, saying: “You’re a grown woman, have some shame,” accusing her of “making a scene”.

But the female responded by pointing out she knows she’s a “grown woman,” and that’s why she books her seat “ahead of time instead of guilt-tripping strangers into giving theirs up”.

The mum accused her of not caring about other people’s feelings, or children, branding her as “disgusting”.

In the comments of the video, someone wrote: “You’re 100% in the right and she has absolutely no right to ask.”

Another added: “Asking is okay, but she needs to take no for an answer.”

“While I agree that I’d keep my seat, I also think the mother of the child has a right to ask as much as I have the right to say hell no,” somebody shared.

A man seethed: “NEVER give up a seat you prepaid extra for! ESPECIALLY to accommodate those who tried to be clever by not paying for seats they wanted.”

Someone joked: “You’re teaching that child and parent a great lesson… In the real world you, #1 plan ahead, #2 stand your ground, #3 you can’t get what you want by crying.”

A former Heathrow Airport employee has revealed an easy trick to getting your seats changed at the very last minute, avoiding the extra fees – but there’s a catch

When it comes to travelling for long hours, especially on a plane, everyone wants to sit next to their loved ones. But sometimes, big parties get split up. Here’s how travellers can change their seats at no extra cost. Many of us are counting down the days until our much-deserved holidays, away from the busy city life and spending some time at the beach soaking in all the UV rays.

But at the time of checking in for our flight, we’ve all been in a situation where seats have been allocated poorly. A former check-in agent at the UK’s busiest airport Heathrow shared some insightful information as to when the most appropriate time to ask for a seat change is – and it’s not at the check-in desk.

READ MORE: Airport worker shares tip to make your suitcase the first off the plane

She said: “Online check-in doesn’t always offer the best seat selection, and let’s be honest, no one likes getting stuck in the middle seat.” The former airport worker revealed that the best time to ask for this is after the check-in closes.

It’s important to note that all airlines operate differently, and different rules apply based on the routes. Although most airlines will automatically seat you with the people under the same reservation, sometimes, sudden changes occur.

For those who wish to have their seats changed, they must wait until the check-in time closes, or in some cases, after all passengers have boarded. “This is when all unclaimed seats, such as those from passengers who haven’t checked in, become available,” she added.

According to Forbes, airlines allocate seats for weight and balance reasons, which is why it’s important for passengers to sit in their designated seats.

Gerrie Brand, a spokesperson for Dutch airline KLM, said: “The captain calculates weight and balance for take-off. If the occupancy is low, passengers tend to want to change seats, but that could change the weight distribution and balance for take-off.”

READ MORE: Plane passengers warned they might want to swerve travel pillows on flights

However, the former Heathrow employee warned that this trick doesn’t always work, especially during peak season. In this case, passengers can ask the cabin crew once on board, or the passenger who’s seated next to them.

As holidaymakers look forward to their much-deserved breaks, it’s important to remember that check-in agents are human too and will always try to accommodate all passengers, especially those travelling with small children.

Nonetheless, as much as travelling can be expensive and stressful, taking out your anger on the staff won’t benefit you at all! Kindness goes a long way, so just be nice!

An international deal has been struck that has allowed Venezuelans deported from the United States and imprisoned in El Salvador to return to their home country, in exchange for the release of American citizens and political prisoners held in Venezuela.

On Friday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that 10 Americans had been released as part of the deal.

“Thanks to @POTUS’s [the president of the United States’] leadership, ten Americans who were detained in Venezuela are on their way to freedom,” Rubio wrote on social media.

El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele also celebrated the deal, saying that all of the Venezuelan deportees detained in his country have been “handed over”.

“We carried out this exchange in return for a considerable number of Venezuelan political prisoners, people that regime had kept in its prisons for years, as well as all the American citizens it was holding as hostages,” Bukele, a US ally, wrote in a statement on social media.

“These individuals are now en route to El Salvador, where they will make a brief stop before continuing their journey home.”

Bukele has previously indicated he would be open to a detainee swap to release political prisoners in Venezuela. He and US President Donald Trump have long been critics of their Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolas Maduro, a socialist who has led Venezuela since 2013.

“This operation is the result of months of negotiations with a tyrannical regime that had long refused to release one of its most valuable bargaining chips: its hostages,” Bukele added.

The Venezuelan government confirmed it had received 252 citizens deported from the US and held in El Salvador.

In addition, Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello told the media that seven children separated from their parents during deportations had also been sent from the US to Venezuela.

Friday’s deal is the latest example of the complex, international negotiations underpinning President Donald Trump’s push for mass deportation in the US.

Such a deal has long been rumoured between the three countries.

But the arrangement raises questions about how Trump’s mass deportation push might be used as leverage for other foreign policy priorities. It has also reignited scrutiny about the treatment of individuals deported from the US to third-party countries they have no relation to.

A controversial deportation

Venezuela has protested the deportation of its citizens from the US to El Salvador, where more than 200 people were sent to a maximum-security prison known as the Terrorism Confinement Centre (CECOT) in March.

To facilitate that transfer, President Trump had invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 — a wartime law only used three times prior — to allow for the swift removal of foreign nationals.

The US leader argued that undocumented migration into the US constituted an “invasion” of criminals from outside countries.

His use of that law, however, has faced ongoing legal challenges about its constitutionality.

Critics also have pointed out that El Salvador has faced criticism for alleged human rights abuses in its prisons, including beatings, torture and sleep deprivation.

The CECOT prison is part of Bukele’s own efforts at mass incarceration. It opened in 2023 with space to hold up to 40,000 people.

Trump argued that deporting the 200-plus Venezuelans was an urgent matter because they belonged to gangs like Tren de Aragua. Bukele echoed that accusation on Friday, saying that all the Venezuelan deportees were “accused of being part of the criminal organization Tren de Aragua”.

But critics point out that some of the men had no criminal record whatsoever.

Lawyers representing some of the deported Venezuelans have since issued complaints alleging that their clients were targeted based on their clothing choices or tattoos, which US immigration officials then used to falsely tie them to gangs.

Third-party deportations

The Trump administration has also maintained that deportations to third-party countries like El Salvador are necessary for immigrants whose home countries will not accept them.

Venezuela has, in the past, refused to accept deportees from the US. Maduro and Trump have had a notoriously rocky relationship. In 2020, Trump even placed a $15m bounty for information that could lead to Maduro’s arrest.

But rather than return to the “maximum pressure” campaign that defined his first term as president, Trump has instead sought negotiations with the Venezuelan government during his second term.

In response, the Maduro government has signalled that it is willing to accept Venezuelan deportees from the US.

For example, it hosted US special envoy Richard Grenell in Caracas in late January, a trip that resulted in the release of six Americans held in Venezuela. The Maduro administration also released a detained US Air Force veteran in May, following another meeting with Grenell.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has said that Grenell’s mission was to ensure “all US detainees in Venezuela are returned home”. It is unclear how many remain in the country.

The US government, however, continues to deny the legitimacy of Maduro’s presidency. Maduro’s contested election to a third term in 2024 — marred by allegations of fraud — has further weakened his standing on the world stage.

Controversies over mass deportation

The Trump administration, meanwhile, has contended with controversies of its own. Last week, The New York Times reported that the Trump White House had “botched” the agreement to free Americans in Venezuela, after Grenell and Secretary of State Marco Rubio proposed rival deals.

The Times said that Rubio had proposed a trade: American prisoners for the Venezuelans held in El Salvador. But Grenell had offered different terms that would allow Venezuela to continue its trade relationship with the oil giant Chevron, a major boon for its beleaguered economy.

The result was reportedly confusion and uncertainty.

Furthermore, the Trump administration has faced scrutiny at home for its apparent unwillingness to repatriate immigrants who may have been unjustly deported.

In June, District Judge James Boasberg ordered the Trump administration to ensure the Venezuelan men held in El Salvador received due process in the US. In his decision, Boasberg pointed out that their swift removal in March prevented them from contesting both their deportations and the allegations that they were gang members.

That court order, however, has been put on hold by a federal appeals court in Washington.

Friday’s deal also raises questions about previous Trump administration claims that it was unable to release the deported men from the CECOT prison. Trump officials have long argued that, while in El Salvador, the deportees lie beyond the reach of the US government.

El Salvador’s President Bukele has also claimed he had no power to allow the men’s return. In an Oval Office appearance in April, Bukele spoke to the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran man briefly held in CECOT after he was wrongfully deported in March.

“The question is preposterous. How can I smuggle a terrorist into the United States? I don’t have the power to return him to the United States,” Bukele told a reporter.

Media reports indicate that El Salvador received $6m in exchange for holding people deported from the US.

President Donald Trump says Coca-Cola has agreed to use real cane sugar in its drinks sold in the US.

Coca-Cola uses corn syrup in its American products, but Trump’s Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has voiced concern about the ingredient’s health impacts.

“I have been speaking to Coca-Cola about using REAL Cane Sugar in Coke in the United States, and they have agreed to do so,” Trump wrote on social media. “I’d like to thank all of those in authority at Coca-Cola.”

Without explicitly confirming the recipe tweak, a Coca-Cola spokesperson said they “appreciate President Trump’s enthusiasm” and “more details on new innovative offerings within our Coca-Cola product range will be shared soon”.

Trump said in Wednesday’s post on Truth Social: “This will be a very good move by them – You’ll see. It’s just better!”

While Coke sold in the US is typically sweetened with corn syrup, Coke in other countries, such as Mexico and the UK, tends to use cane sugar.

In April, Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey told investors that “we continue to make progress on sugar reduction in our beverages”.

Mr Quincey said the company has “done this by changing recipes as well as by using our global marketing resources and distribution network to boost awareness of and interest in our ever-expanding portfolio”.

Kennedy and his Make America Healthy Again movement have advocated for American companies to remove ingredients such as corn syrup, seed oils and artificial dyes from their products, linking them to a litany of health problems.

He has been critical of the amount of sugar Americans consume and reportedly plans to update nationwide dietary guidelines this summer.

Trump is a regular drinker of Diet Coke – which uses the artificial sweetener aspartame. He had a button installed in the Oval Office’s Resolute desk so he can be served the soda.

A man shared his outraged after being asked to move plane seats so a young boy could look out the window – but he argues it’s unfair because he paid extra for the view

When it comes to travelling overseas, most people make sure to pre-book the best seat possible on their flight. That’s exactly why one man decided to spend an extra £200 on a window seat when travelling to Brazil to visit his family.

After sitting down and getting comfortable in his spot, he was soon approached by another passenger who asked him he give up his window seat for his son. Detailing the incident on Reddit, he recalled: “This stranger who was seated on the middle plane seats across from me with his child asked me if I could give up my window seat for his kid. I said, ‘Sorry, but no. I paid an extra 200 for this seat’.”

Expecting the father to understand, he was met instead with a persistent “glare”, prompting an internal reaction: “In my head I said, ‘Okay f*** you too!’ And went back listening to my music while looking out the window.”

The situation escalated when a flight attendant tapped him on the shoulder with the same request.

He firmly showed the cabin crew his ticket and payment receipt, resolutely stating: “I pulled out my ticket and the receipt I got when I paid extra for the window seat and told her, ‘No, I paid extra for window seat’.

“She said, ‘Okay, sorry to bother you sir’. I saw her walk back to him and say, ‘no’ for me. “

READ MORE: ‘I was sick of neighbour letting dog poo in my garden so I got brutal revenge’

Annoyed, the dad glared at him again – believing he was being unreasonable and unkind to his son by refusing to move.

Commenting on his post, one user said: “I used to fly for work every few weeks. It was pretty common for this to happen.

“I did the exact same thing. If I paid extra for a seat, I said no. If I was just changing seats so family could sit next to each other, and they were polite, I usually switched.”

They continued: “Didn’t matter to me. Just the politeness. I was going to read most of the time anyway. If they were rude I just said no and stuck my head in a book.”

Another user chimed in: “When I flew alone I really didn’t care where I sat and didn’t pay extra for a pre-chosen seat. But if you do care about sitting together then pay more and don’t harass other people to give up their seat for you.”

A third user suggested: “If a situation like this happens again, let them know that there is a £500 surcharge in order for you to move.”

Yet another user added: “What on Earth is it with flight stewardesses asking someone that? Like no, you paid for your seat stop complaining!”

Martin Lewis shared a handy tip for holidaymakers who are keen to keep costs down when it comes to dining out abroad and it all comes down to how you pay

Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis has shared a nifty tip for globetrotters seeking to pinch their pennies – particularly when dining or drinking out overseas, and it all comes down to your mode of payment.

On his latest instalment of The Martin Lewis Podcast on BBC Sounds, the financial guru offered key advice for those opting to use cards. In an intriguing segment titled “Should you pay in Pounds or Euros on plastic abroad?” Martin reveals his insider knack for cutting costs.

Encountering the option to pay in either the local currency or Great British Pounds at checkouts and ATMs is common, prompting a decision every traveller faces. Martin, however, asserts that there’s indeed an optimal choice here.

Martin advised: “Well the correct answer is you should always pay in Euros or whatever the local currency is, because that means it’s your plastic that’s doing the exchange rate conversion, not the overseas shop or ATM.”

For getting true bang for your buck, Martin suggests acquiring a specialised overseas debit or credit card that offers “near perfect exchange rate” – a savvy move for any thrifty traveller, reports the Express.

He elaborated: “But even if you don’t have one of those, then even your bog standard UK credit or debit card that’s adding about a three per cent fee onto the exchange rate, in all the experiments I’ve done and when most people go abroad, they do a pub crawl, I do an ATM crawl to check these rates.”

Summing up his findings, he said: “In all the experiments I’ve done, even a bog standard UK card is beating most overseas ATMs, or shops exchange rates so you want it to do the conversion which means you must always pay in the local currency.”

His advice was clear: “Pay in Euros, pay in dollars, pay in Dong if you’re in Vietnam.”

Martin Lewis and the team at Money Saving Expert have detailed a number of the best travel credit and debit cards available. Find more information, here.

If you want ideas and inspiration to plan your next UK adventure plus selected offers and competitions, sign up for our 2Chill weekly newsletter here

In a swap of former All-Pro defensive backs on Monday, the Pittsburgh Steelers acquired cornerback Jalen Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith from the Miami Dolphins for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and a draft pick swap.

Ramsey posted about the trade, which includes the Steelers’ 2027 fifth-round pick to the Dolphins in exchange for a seventh-round pick, on social media. “Breaking my own news!” he wrote alongside a celebratory announcement video on Instagram.

The deal ended persistent speculation that Ramsey might be traded to the Rams, for whom he played from 2019-22. At the Rams’ mini-camp in Maui two weeks ago, coach Sean McVay downplayed the chance of acquiring the three-time All-Pro, who is due to earn $26.6 million this season. Ramsey’s salary-cap number will increase substantially in the next few seasons, according to Overthecap.com.

“Usually, those are scenarios and situations that you have to have plans in place prior to executing some of the decisions that have occurred,” McVay said, perhaps referencing the contract adjustment that quarterback Matthew Stafford received and the signing of free-agent receiver Davante Adams. “Definitely don’t want to rule anything out … but there would be some obstacles that are real that are in the place of maybe preventing that from occurring.”

Rams cornerbacks include returning starters Darious Williams and Ahkello Witherspoon, with Cobie Durant, Emmanuel Forbes Jr., Josh Wallace and Derion Kendrick competing for playing time.

Smith — who enjoyed a career year in 2024 with 88 catches and eight touchdowns for the Dolphins — will receive a one-year contract extension worth $12 million. He joins returning starter Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington at tight end in Pittsburgh.

The Steelers have prioritized improving at cornerback this offseason, signing free agent Darius Slay Jr. in addition to trading for Ramsey, who has 24 career interceptions. Incumbent starter Joey Porter Jr. also returns.

The Steelers had grown disenchanted with Fitzpatrick, who was named All-Pro in 2019, 2020 and 2022 but had only one interception in the last two seasons after moving from free safety to strong safety.

Fitzpatrick was drafted 11th overall in 2018. The Dolphins traded him to the Steelers two games into the 2019 season along with fourth- and seventh-round picks for first-, fifth- and sixth-round picks.

Moscow and Kyiv say their respective soldiers are returning home without specifying number of released prisoners.

Russia and Ukraine have exchanged prisoners of war as the two countries continue to trade attacks, despite diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.

Officials in Moscow and Kyiv confirmed the swap on Thursday but did not disclose the number of prisoners released.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X that the “warriors of the Armed Forces, the National Guard, and the State Border Guard Service” were returning home.

“Most of them had been in captivity since 2022. We are doing everything possible to find each person, to verify the information on every name,” he said.

“We must bring all our people home. I thank everyone who is helping us in this effort.”

At the same time, Russia’s Ministry of Defence said on Telegram that another group of Russian soldiers had returned from Ukraine.

“Currently, Russian servicemen are on the territory of the Republic of Belarus, where they are receiving the necessary psychological and medical assistance,” the ministry said.

The soldiers will then be taken to Russia for treatment and rehabilitation, the ministry added.

During their direct meeting in Turkiye on June 2, Russia and Ukraine pledged to swap at least 1,000 soldiers in one of the few points that both sides have agreed upon and shown cooperation since the war began in 2022.

But future talks to discuss a path to end the war have stalled as the gulf between Moscow and Kyiv has remained unchanged.

Russia has repeatedly said any territory it has taken during the war must be retained to achieve a ceasefire. However, Kyiv has rejected giving up its land.

Amid the latest prisoner exchange, Russian air strikes on Ukraine killed at least one person and wounded two others in the southern region of Kherson, according to the regional mayor.

Moreover, Russia announced that its forces had captured two Ukrainian villages in the Donetsk region as Ukraine’s army chief, Oleksandr Syrskii, ordered defensive lines to be built faster as Russian forces take more ground towards the Dnipropetrovsk region.

Meanwhile, Zelenskyy signed an accord on Thursday with the Council of Europe to put top Russian officials on trial for the invasion of Ukraine.

Russian appears to have raised the scale of hostilities as the US has become distracted with the Israel-Iran war.

Russia and Ukraine have swapped drone strikes, with at least three people reportedly killed by Moscow near the shared border.

Strikes were reported overnight on Tuesday in several areas of Ukraine, as well as in Moscow.

The attacks are the latest in a series of intensifying hostilities as the efforts of the United States to broker a ceasefire have stalled, with Russia appearing eager to take advantage, as global attention is dominated by the war between Israel and Iran.

A Russian drone attack on a village in Sumy killed an eight-year-old boy and two adults, and injured another three people, the military administration of the region said.

Drone strikes also wounded five people in Kharkiv and four others in the Dnipropetrovsk region, local authorities said.

The attacks came a day after a “massive” missile and drone strike on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv killed at least 10 people.

“The strike took the lives of people from different families,” the military administration said on Telegram regarding the Sumy attack. “They all lived on the same street. They went to sleep in their homes. But Russian drones interrupted their sleep – forever.”

Ukraine has also stepped up its drone attacks on a wide range of targets in Russia in recent months.

Russia said a Ukrainian drone had targeted a residential building in Moscow overnight, wounding two people, including a pregnant woman, and triggering a fire.

Andrei Vorobyov, governor of the Moscow region, said that the drone started a fire on the 17th floor of the building in the town of Krasnogorsk, west of the capital.

“About 100 people were evacuated from the building, including 30 children,” Vorobyov said, adding that the injured were receiving treatment at a hospital.

Russia’s air defence units destroyed 20 Ukrainian drones overnight, including two over the Moscow region, local news agencies reported, citing Russian defence ministry data.

Russia currently occupies about a fifth of Ukraine and claims to have annexed four Ukrainian regions as its own since launching its invasion in 2022 – in addition to Crimea, which it captured in 2014.

US President Donald Trump had promised to swiftly end the war while on his campaign trail, but his diplomatic attempts have not resulted in a ceasefire so far.

While Washington succeeded in bringing the two sides together for direct talks last month, little progress was made and no meetings have taken place in the last three weeks.

Kyiv has accused Moscow of deliberately sabotaging a peace deal in order to prolong its full-scale offensive and seize more territory.

Israel and Iran have launched more strikes on one another overnight and into the morning as the military confrontation between the two traditional adversaries persists.

Iranian attacks on Israel on Monday morning killed at least eight people and wounded dozens, officials reported, while Tehran said Israeli attacks overnight hit military and civilian targets.

The mutual strikes pushed the death toll from four days of open conflict between the foes close to 250.

Raised rhetoric emanating from both countries following the strikes suggested there is little prospect of the hostilities halting soon, with the risk of an escalation into a wider regional conflict persisting.

Iran announced it had launched some 100 missiles and pledged further retaliation for Israel’s sweeping attacks on its military and nuclear infrastructure, which have killed at least 224 people in the country since Friday.

In Israel, state broadcaster Israeli Army Radio reported that eight people were killed – five in the central part and three in the port city of Haifa.

That takes the total death toll in Israel to more than 20 since it launched air attacks on Iran four days ago. More than 300 others are reported wounded.

A branch of the United States Embassy in Tel Aviv sustained “minor damage” as a result of the attack, US Ambassador Mike Huckabee said.

Earlier, Israel carried out further strikes on Iran. The Israeli military said its jets struck several command centres in Tehran belonging to Quds Force, an elite arm of its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) that conducts military and intelligence operations outside Iran.

“In these command centers, Quds operatives advanced terrorist attacks against the State of Israel using the proxies of the Iranian Regime in the Middle East,” it wrote in a post on X.

On Sunday, Iran said Israel had struck oil refineries, killed the IRGC’s intelligence chief and hit population centres in intensive aerial attacks.

‘Make a deal’

Much of the world has urged restraint since the conflict broke out on Friday when Israel launched an attack on Iran’s nuclear and missile facilities, killing military commanders and scientists.

Israel said the action was necessary to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons that would threaten its survival.

Iran retaliated with ballistic missiles, and the countries have been engaged in an exchange of strikes since.

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday he hoped the adversaries would “make a deal”, but added that they might have to “fight it out” first.

A staunch ally of Israel, Trump has maintained erratic messaging since the strikes began, raising concern that the conflict could escalate.

Iran has said the US is complicit in the Israeli military action, and suggested it could target US forces in Syria and elsewhere in retaliation.

Trump has insisted that Washington has “nothing to do” with Israel’s bombing campaign, but also threatened to unleash “the full strength and might” of the US military if Iran attacked its interests in the Middle East.

That has helped encourage a rise in the hardline rhetoric emerging from Tel Aviv and Tehran, which continued on Monday, suggesting there is little chance either side is ready to step back.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warned on Monday that residents in Tehran would “pay the price” for Iran’s killing of Israeli civilians in its overnight missile attacks.

“The boastful dictator from Tehran has turned into a cowardly murderer, deliberately firing at Israel’s civilian home front in an attempt to deter the (Israeli military) from continuing the offensive that is crippling his capabilities,” Katz wrote on his Telegram channel. “The residents of Tehran will pay the price – and soon.”

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian, meanwhile, urged people to put aside differences and unite against Israel.

“Every difference, issue, and problem that has existed must be put aside today, and we must stand strong against this genocidal criminal aggression with unity and coherence,” he said, addressing parliament.

Israel has suggested that regime change in Iran could be one result of the conflict, hoping to press opposition to the regime in Tehran to rise.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran’s response will stop when Israel halts its attacks.

The IRGC warned through a statement to the official IRNA news agency, “effective, targeted and more devastating operations against the vital targets” in Israel “will continue until its complete destruction”.

Elijah Magnier, a military and political analyst, told Al Jazeera that few signs of a let up have been seen.

“I think it’s going to continue escalating because we are just in the first days of the war,” he said. “The Israeli officials, the prime minister and the army, have all warned Israeli society that this war is going to be heavy and … the price is going to be extremely high.”

Meanwhile, Alex Vatanka, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, told Al Jazeera that Iran would likely welcome an end to hostilities in the non-too-distant future.

“I don’t sense they have the confidence that they can stay in this game for long. Remember, Iran is alone. It’s got no friends, it’s on its own. Israel’s got the US, most of Europe and plenty of other friends … and that should obviously be of concern for Tehran.”

The exchange stems from the Istanbul talks deal, but Russia claims Ukraine is not upholding its part of the agreement.

Russia has returned the bodies of 1,200 more Ukrainians killed in the war, according to Ukrainian authorities, bringing the total number of bodies repatriated to over 4,800, while the push for a ceasefire and an end to the conflict now in its fourth year remain elusive.

Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners, the Ukrainian government body that oversees affairs regarding prisoners of war (POW), announced the news on Telegram, saying the handover was part of an agreement struck in talks in Istanbul earlier this month.

“I am grateful to everyone involved in this humanitarian mission,” said Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov. “Ahead is an important and responsible stage of identification. This is a complex and delicate work that will give each family the opportunity to receive answers.”

In a series of exchanges this week, Ukraine has repatriated more than 4,800 bodies returned by Russia, in accordance with the Istanbul agreement, Ukrainian officials said. This marks one of the largest returns of war dead since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Russia says Ukraine ‘hasn’t reciprocated’

Russian state media confirmed the latest handover of 1,200 Ukrainians, but said Moscow had not received a single Russian corpse in return.

“Russia says Ukraine hasn’t stuck to its side [of the deal], that it hasn’t reciprocated” reported Al Jazeera’s Assed Baig from Kyiv.

Ukraine has yet to comment.

As per their agreement in Istanbul, Kyiv and Moscow are to each hand over as many as 6,000 bodies and to exchange sick and heavily wounded prisoners of war and those aged under 25.

But Russia has so far reported only receiving a total of 27 Russian servicemen.

The latest handover of Ukrainians came as Russia claimed to seize the village of Malynivka in Ukraine’s Donetsk region and also appeared to close in on the northeastern Sumy region.

“Russian forces are roughly 18-20kms (11.2-12.4 miles) away from the capital of the Sumy region, which has been under constant drone and missile attack,” said Baig.

Making the one change not only saves you time and money but also helps the environment

UK airports are keen to ditch the 100ml liquids rule for anyone carrying hand luggage through security this summer. However, until that happens, travellers must continue to limit and pack any liquids from their hand luggage in a clear bag for security reasons.

This has led to a surge in the use of disposable clear plastic bags for toiletries and other liquids across the country. Some UK airports have relaxed the rules around liquids in hand luggage, reducing the need for these plastic bags. However, others still enforce the rule.

The lack of consistency across the UK means many holiday-goers will continue to rely on putting their 100ml liquids in a disposable plastic bag. Even though the UK is eager to abolish the rules as soon as possible, thanks to advanced scanners, you may find that the airport you’re returning from still insists on bagged 100ml liquids.

Fresh data from plastic waste experts at BusinessWaste.co.uk suggests that a staggering 235 million single-use plastic bags could be used in 2025. The data also reveals that an astonishing 3.5 billion bags have been used since the rules were first introduced in 2006, reports the Liverpool Echo.

The 100ml liquid regulation at airports, which mandates that liquids be stored in transparent, resealable plastic bags, was put in place in 2006 after a terror plot to blow up transatlantic flights was prevented. This plot involved the use of liquid explosives that were concealed as soft drinks in carry-on luggage.

With an estimated 313 million passengers expected to pass through UK airports this year, the number of single-use plastic liquid bags used and discarded could hit 235 million. That’s enough to fill two Olympic-sized swimming pools in just one year in the UK.

Data projections indicate that a staggering 3.5 billion bags may have been used at UK airports over the last 19 years. When arranged end to end, this quantity of bags equates to 18 journeys around the Earth’s equator or four times the height of Mount Everest when piled up.

Why does it matter?

These bags are crafted from soft plastics, which are rarely recyclable. They frequently end up in landfill sites, where they can take as long as 1,000 years to decompose.

As these plastic items deteriorate, they can generate minuscule particles known as microplastics. Studies reveal that these pose a threat to both human and animal health. The energy and materials needed to manufacture these bags are depleting our planet’s natural resources, with 98% of single-use plastic products made from fossil fuels or virgin feedstock.

What steps can you take?

Firstly, make sure you’re familiar with the regulations of your departure airport. With many soon to adjust to new rules, there might be no need to bag liquids at all. If you’re checking in luggage, avoid placing any liquids in your hand luggage. This eliminates the requirement for any small plastic bags and could also save you time at security checks, as many will wait until they arrive at security to bag up their liquids, which adds to the queue.

If reusable options aren’t feasible, BusinessWaste is requesting travellers ditch single-use clear plastic bags in favour of reusable ones at UK airports this summer. The company recommends switching to reusable ones and says there is an array of reusable choices available online and in stores, like Boots and Superdrug. However, just make sure they measure 20cm x 20cm, are transparent, have a capacity no greater than one litre, comply with airport regulations, and can be securely sealed (by a zipper).

Another tip is to use airside click-and-collect services for toiletries. This not only bypasses steep airport prices but also eliminates the need to carry liquids in hand luggage, saving space, money, and benefiting the environment.

If you do take liquids in your hand luggage, at most airports:

• containers must hold no more than 100ml
• containers must be in a single, transparent, resealable plastic bag, which holds no more than a litre and measures approximately 20cm x 20cm
• contents must fit comfortably inside the bag so it can be sealed
• the bag must not be knotted or tied at the top
• you’re limited to one plastic bag per person
• you must show the bag at the airport security point

For those who do bring liquids in their carry-on, Gov.uk advises: “Liquids in containers larger than 100ml generally cannot go through security even if the container is only part full. There are some exemptions. Some airports may allow you to take containers of liquid up to 100ml through security in your hand luggage. Check with the airport before you travel. Also, check the rules at other airports you’ll be travelling through – for example, on your return journey.”

Graham Matthews, a plastic waste expert at BusinessWaste.co.uk, says making the swap from disposable plastic bags to reusable ones for 100ml hand luggage liquids should be done as soon as possible to avoid even more waste building up. He said: “The plastic bags we use to bring liquids through airports are a huge blight on the environment.

“While you may only go on holiday once or twice a year, this quickly adds up as the UK now sees around 300 million air passengers a year. We’re really happy to see the new scanners in place and hope that this reduces the reliance on single-use plastic bags.

“However, old habits die hard, and many people will be nervous to change to the new system, or find that their return airport still requires liquids to be bagged. For anyone in this position, and until the new rules are firmly in place, we strongly encourage passengers to consider utilising hold luggage, switching to reusable options, or making use of airside click-and-collect.”

The latest prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine is scheduled for next week as already agreed with Russian officials, Ukraine’s intelligence chief has said, rebuking Moscow’s allegation that Kyiv had indefinitely postponed the swap.

“The start of repatriation activities based on results and negotiations in Istanbul is scheduled for next week, as authorised persons on Tuesday were informed,” military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov said in a statement on Sunday.

“Everything is moving according to plan, despite the enemy’s dirty information game”.

That barbed comment followed Russia’s pointed accusation on Saturday that Ukraine had indefinitely postponed the return of the bodies of 6,000 soldiers on each side and the exchange of wounded and seriously ill prisoners of war and prisoners of war under the age of 25.

Ukraine was “carefully adhering to the agreements reached in Istanbul”, Budanov countered, referring to a second round of negotiations that took place in the Turkish city on Monday.

Meanwhile, Russia said that it brought more than 1,000 bodies of slain Ukrainian soldiers to the exchange point while also handing over to Ukraine a first list of 640 prisoners of war, but that Ukrainian negotiators were not at the swap location. Ukraine denied the allegations and said Moscow should stop “playing dirty games”.

Melinda Haring, a non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center, told Al Jazeera that it’s a good sign that the process seems to now be back on track.

“This is a big deal, because the prisoner exchange will be the largest that Ukraine and Russia have engaged in so far. And in the past, these exchanges have gone off pretty seamlessly,” Haring said. “So the fact that there were dual narratives about this in the middle of a big push at getting the Russians and the Ukrainians to agree on a peace negotiation was really troubling.

“POW [prisoner of war] exchanges are considered to be low-confidence ways of building trust in a bigger negotiation. So the fact that there was friction over this, and I believe it was on the Russian side, shows that there’s not a lot of interest in an actual peace negotiation on Moscow’s terms,” she said.

The two sides are no closer to any temporary ceasefire agreement as a concrete step towards ending the conflict despite some initial momentum from the United States, though US President Donald Trump appears to be losing patience in his campaign for a ceasefire, even suggesting the two be left to fight longer like children in a park before they be pulled apart.

Nor has Trump followed Ukraine’s European Union and United Kingdom allies in imposing harsher sanctions on Russia.

Fighting continues

The duelling narratives and fading diplomatic momentum remain the backdrop to the grinding war, now in its fourth year, as both sides ratchet up attacks against each other.

In the early hours of Sunday, Russia said it shot down 10 Ukrainian drones near the capital, Moscow, forcing two key airports to suspend their activities. That came a week after Ukraine conducted an audacious and unprecedented drone operation targeting nuclear-capable military aircraft in multiple airbases deep inside Russia, including in Siberia. Kyiv claims it destroyed 14 percent of Russia’s strategic bombers.

But Ukrainians have also been under heavy attack. In the past days, Russian forces have pounded the country, hitting multiple locations and killing more than a dozen civilians over the weekend, with Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, the worst hit.

They have also made significant advances on the ground. Russia says its forces have entered Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region for the first time since the war began three years ago. The Russian Defence Ministry said tank units have reached the western border of the region and are continuing their offensive. The industrial region is home to three million people and includes the major city of Dnipro. Ukraine has not yet commented.

“It is significant because the region of Dnipropetrovsk is not one of the regions that Russia sees as now being part of the Russian Federation after the referendums that were held back in 2022,” said Al Jazeera’s Charles Stratford, reporting from Kyiv.

“Putin sees Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhia as being part of Russia – Dnipropetrovsk is not part of that plan. So if indeed these forces are crossing over into Dnipropetrovsk, that is hugely significant”.