Lauren Wigglesworth, who planned to fly to Majorca in May, on BBC Breakfast

Thomson said all passengers must be able to put on a life jacket and oxygen mask without help

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North sea ditch helicopter operator to resume normal flying next week

The operator of a helicopter which ditched in the North Sea last week with 14 people on board is to resume normal flying in the next 24 hours.

Holidaymakers get improved protection, but MPs want more

Six out of 10 foreign holidays protected, but flat fee criticised as unfair to those on short breaks

Alice Jones: We don't need this to show our arts are world-beating

Damon Albarn, Mike Leigh and Victoria Wood. Not the first names that spring to mind when you think of sport but they're all in the Olympics. At least, they're in the art world's answer to them, known as the London 2012 Festival, or the Cultural Olympiad, depending on which bit of the Kafka-esque 140-page brochure you get lost in.

'Laser attacks' on planes increase

Aviation officials have warned of a surge in the number of laser attacks on planes after nearly 2,000 such incidents were reported in the UK last year.

UK air passenger numbers climb

A comparatively trouble-free year led to passenger numbers increasing at UK airports in 2011, it was announced today.

Snow chaos ruins a Roman holiday, plus a Cuban query

Q&A: Travel unravelled

Of the four British police forces known to have trialled drones, only one still uses them

Drones to patrol the skies above Olympic Stadium

Scotland Yard ready to use radio controlled 'eyes in the sky' to boost surveillance

Hot-air balloon crashes into houses

A father and his stepson were lucky to escape after their hot-air balloon smashed into houses in Bristol.

Simon Calder: When Holidays 4U turns out to be 'no Holiday 2 anywhere'

The man who pays his way

Inside travel: Tour operators

Can you guarantee your holiday? Simon Calder lays down the laws of probability – and protection

Holiday scramble after tour firm Holidays 4U folds

Thousands of sunseekers were trying to salvage something from the wreck of their summer holiday today after the collapse of tour operator Holidays 4U.

Holidays 4U has collapsed: what happens next?

'The Independent Traveller' answers your questions

50,000 lose holidays after collapse of travel company

A collapse so early indicates how tough the Mediterranean travel trade is finding summer

Tour operator 4 UK enters into administration

A tour operator with 12,000 UK holidaymakers currently abroad has gone into administration, it was announced today.

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The price of pacifism: Refusing to go to war is finally being recognised as a brave act

The price of pacifism

From the Second World War refusenik to the 19-year-old Israeli, Holly Williams talks to five people who risked shame and suffering to take a stand as conscientious objector.
'It was mass hysteria': Jason Isaacs on groupies, theatre bores and snogging James Bond

Jason Isaacs: Groupies, theatre bores and James Bond

To millions, Jason Isaacs is one of Harry Potter's arch enemies – but his wife prefers him as a Scottish TV detective.
Notes from a small island: Is Sealand an independent 'micronation' or an illegal fortress?

Sealand: 'Micronation' or illegal fortress?

Thomas Hodgkinson spent a week at the tiny platform off the Suffolk coast to find out.
Not a bad bone: Mark Hix cooks with cutlets and ribs

Mark Hix cooks with cutlets and ribs

If you ignore cutlets and ribs, you'll risk missing out on some delicious and easy meals, says our chef.
The experts' guide to summer: From getting fit for the beach to recreating that Olympic buzz

The experts' guide to summer

From getting fit for the beach to recreating that Olympic buzz
Sex, drugs and fast cars: The legend of James Hunt has set Hollywood hearts racing

Legend of James Hunt has set Hollywood hearts racing

Early glimpses of Ron Howard's film Rush suggest it will portray Hunt as a high-living lothario, with an insatiable appetite for partying.
Macklemore: 'I don't have moderation when using drugs and alcohol. It was hurting my life'

Macklemore: 'I don't have moderation'

The next Vanilla Ice or the next Eminem? Macklemore doesn't have a record contract – but he does have the UK's biggest-selling single of the year.
Don't be shy: Bill Granger's Sri Lankan recipes

Don't be shy: Bill Granger's Sri Lankan recipes

Sri Lankan cuisine is light, sunny, wonderfully spiced – and so easy to cook from scratch. Just as soon as you've broken into the coconut, that is.
Sir James Dyson’s latest project: Cleaning up hospitals

Sir James Dyson’s latest project: Cleaning up hospitals

Doctors are hailing the revamp of a Bath neonatal unit, where babies sleep more and feed better, as the model for patient care
One man returns to Argentina's town that drowned

One man returns to Argentina's town that drowned

Epecuen was submerged under 10 metres of water in 1985. Now the floods have gone – and 83-year-old Pablo Novak has moved back in
The real thing? Historian publishes Coca Cola's 'secret formula'

The real thing?

Historian publishes Coca Cola's 'secret formula'
Gordon Ramsey's worst nightmare: A restaurant he cannot save

Gordon Ramsay's worst nightmare: A restaurant he cannot save

The pugnacious chef finally met a shambolic restaurant he couldn't save. John Walsh on when TV makover refuseniks fight back
Join Ryanair! See the world! But we're only paying you for nine months a year

Join Ryanair! See the world! But we're only paying you for nine months a year

Glamorous myth of the flight attendant lifestyle undermined by angry employee's claims of 'exploitation'
Braising saddles: Did the recent furore scupper sales of horse meat? Neigh, far from it!

Braising saddles: How to cook horse meat

Did the recent furore scupper sales of horse meat? Neigh, far from it! Will Coldwell hoofs it to the kitchen.
Why bitters are back on the bar: A few little drops pack a big punch in cocktails

Why bitters are back on the bar

A few little drops pack a big punch in cocktails. No wonder we're learning to love them again...