16-year-old Katie Ledecky with her second gold medal of the Championships

Katie Ledecky took six seconds off the 1500 metres freestyle world record as she claimed her second gold of the World Championships in Barcelona.

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Great two-wheeled breaks this summer

Will the Tour de France inspire you to ride off on a cycling holiday?

Simon Calder's Holiday Helpdesk: What are our options if we want to fly from Liverpool to Naples?

Q. For the last 25 years I have been holidaying with my University mates, plus kids and now grandkids. The adults are going to the Naples area in late October for four days.

The six adults from the South had to book the planes quickly as the BA flights were going fast. We saw that easyJet flew from Liverpool, but they have not released the flights yet, any idea when they will?

Or any ideas how the Northern lot (Stafford and Liverpool) can get there - as at this rate it will be just the Southern lot going on their own for the first year for 25 years.

Bev Keech

Simon Calder's Holiday Helpdesk: Can I visit the US with only six months remaining on my passport?

Q. I am going to the US in late June. My current passport is valid until mid-December. Will it be OK to use this passport or should I get a new one?

Mike Truss

Simon Calder's Holiday Helpdesk: Jabs for India's Golden Triangle

Q. I would like to know what jabs I should have for travelling to India in November 2013. It is a tour of the "Golden Triangle".

Marian Ivory

Simon Calder's Holiday Helpdesk: Flights from Detroit to the UK

Q. Do you know of any airline that flies direct to Detroit from the UK? Who, and from where, please?

Jenni Willows

Simon Calder's Holiday Helpdesk: Recommendations for Perth

Q. Any recommendations for staying in Perth this month? I had an apartment booked in the Fremantle but the owner has just cancelled my booking. My young family and I are staying in Perth only for 20 nights.

Edith Owusu

Simon Calder's Holiday Helpdesk: Advice for a Cyprus wedding

Q. We are about to pay £3,000 for a one-week all inclusive holiday in Cyprus for a family wedding. We are worried that with all the banking issues that we might pay five-star and get two-star because staff, suppliers and even the hotel have not been paid. Can you advise?

Claire Binmore

Simon Calder's Holiday Helpdesk: Chasing April sunshine on a budget

Q. My girlfriend and I are looking to go away in the second week of April for a week. We're on a budget, looking for sun, preferably half board or all inclusive. Any suggestions?

Marc Doman

Simon Calder's Holiday Helpdesk: Will we have any problems on our Cyprus trip?

Q. We are going to Cyprus on 14 April. Do you think we will have any problems?

Lesley-Jane Smith

Simon Calder's Holiday Helpdesk: When your plane's stuck on the Tarmac

Q. During the weekend's snow, my wife and daughter were sitting on a plane at Belfast for over three hours heading to Scotland. Did they have any rights to food or water?

David Lofthouse

Simon Calder's Holiday Helpdesk: Don't cancel your Cyprus holiday

Q. I have booked a family holiday for a two-week trip to Cyprus this August. We've only paid a small deposit so far. Given the economic crisis do you think it prudent to cancel now rather than risk thousands on a holiday which is now at risk?

Peter Gross

Simon Calder's Holiday Helpdesk: The allure of the Istrian peninsula in the far north-west

Q. I am working in Croatia in early May. Then I have two weeks off. I'd like to stay in the region - but I feel I have already seen everything in Croatia. So I am thinking: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Belgrade in Serbia, going into Romania and flying out of Bucharest. Any must-sees in this area, and also best mode of transport?

Brad Allemand

Simon Calder's Holiday Helpdesk: EU Passengers' Rights

Q. Thank you for your advice on EU flight cancellation compensation. I have made a successful claim from Flybe. I have been offered the required €250 payment in cash, but I have been offered €300 as a credit for future travel from Flybe. Which is best?

David Brennan, Ayrshire

Simon Calder's Holiday Helpdesk: Not so clever? Is this hotels site too good to be true?

Q. I've been checking prices for hotels in the USA on a comparison website and there are some really good deals with Clever-hotels.com. But are they too good to be true?

Joanne Hill

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Before you stuff your luggage with this year's Man Booker longlist titles, the case for some varied poolside reading alternatives
What if Edward Snowden had stayed to fight his corner?

Rupert Cornwell: What if Edward Snowden had stayed to fight his corner?

The CIA whistleblower struck a blow for us all, but his 1970s predecessor showed how to win
'A man walks into a bar': Comedian Seann Walsh on the dangers of mixing alcohol and stand-up

Comedian Seann Walsh on alcohol and stand-up

Comedy and booze go together, says Walsh. The trouble is stopping at just the one. So when do the hangovers stop being funny?
From Edinburgh to Hollywood (via the Home Counties): 10 comedic talents blowing up big

Edinburgh to Hollywood: 10 comedic talents blowing up big

Hugh Montgomery profiles the faces to watch, from the sitcom star to the surrealist
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Comedian Tig Notaro: 'Hello. I have cancer'

When Notaro discovered she had a tumour she decided the show must go on
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Bill Granger's Asia-influenced egg recipes

Our chef made his name cooking eggs, but he’s never stopped looking for new ways to serve them
The world wakes up to golf's female big hitters

The world wakes up to golf's female big hitters

With its own Tiger Woods - South Korea's Inbee Park - the women's game has a growing audience
10 athletes ready to take the world by storm in Moscow next week

10 athletes ready to take the world by storm in Moscow next week

Here are the potential stars of the World Championships which begin on Saturday
The Last Word: Luis Suarez and Gareth Bale's art of manipulation

The Last Word: Luis Suarez and Gareth Bale's art of manipulation

Briefings are off the record leading to transfer speculation which is merely a means to an end