Recently, an EasyJet flight from Egypt to London took an unexpected stop in Rome. The reason? A passenger was charging a power bank in their luggage, which was placed in the plane’s hold.
The airline cited “safety reasons” for the diversion, explaining, “The safety of its passengers and crew is EasyJet’s highest priority, and EasyJet operates its fleet of aircraft in strict compliance with all manufacturers’ guidelines”.
Here’s why power banks pose risks on flight, as well as the rules you may have to follow if you want to bring one on board:
Why are power banks considered a risk on flights?
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They use lithium batteries, which carry more energy than lots of other batteries and run a higher risk of catching fire. This is especially likely if the battery is damaged, short-circuits, gets wet, or is overcharged.
Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service explained that “If one cell of a lithium-ion battery overheats, it can enter a state of thermal runaway, which can quickly spread to other cells in the battery. This is an explosive chemical reaction similar to several fireworks going off at once”.
This has had real-life effects on airports and flights before. An exploded power bank led Melbourne Airport to evacuate passengers in 2025. South Korean airline Air Busan attributed a plane-destroying fire to a portable power bank, too.
For that reason, power banks and other lithium batteries – including those in smart bags – usually aren’t allowed in the hold. Customers typically have to bring these on board with them, where they can be more carefully monitored.
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What rules do I need to follow when bringing a power bank on a flight?
These apply to all commercial airlines. But some have additional rules too.
Jet2
For instance, Jet2 has said that power banks that don’t show the “watt-hour rating or lithium metal content, or where the watt-hour rating cannot easily be otherwise ascertained, are forbidden” on their flights.
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Ryanair
Ryanair said that spare lithium batteries, including power banks, should “be placed in your small cabin baggage underneath the seat in front of you or on your person”. They have a 100wH limit, too.
British Airways
British Airways, meanwhile, asks passengers to place their power banks (under 110Wh) either in the pocket at the back of the chair in front of you or in a bag under the seat.
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easyJet
While easyJet’s site says they automatically allow power banks up to 160Wh, they warn that “if a product that contains a lithium battery is subject to a safety recall related to the battery, it must not be carried aboard an aircraft”.
TUI
“Loose batteries and power banks should be individually protected against short circuits by carrying them in their original packaging, with terminals taped or in a plastic bag in hand luggage,” the carrier’s site reads.
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This is what the CAA means by saying that power banks not in use need to be “individually protected”.
And, TUI added, the device needs to be completely switched off, not just in standby or hibernation mode.
Virgin Airlines
You’ll need airline approval for power banks above 100Wh and under 160Wh, Virgin Airlines said. Contact their Customer Centre before you travel if this applies to you.
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Regardless of its battery strength, your power bank must be in good condition with no signs of damage.
Additionally, power banks “must be able to fit inside our onboard Fire Containment Bag (37×28×10cm) in the event of an emergency”, their site reads.
Don’t keep power banks in the overhead locker, either, the airline said.
Check the rules of the airline you’re flying with before your trip so you won’t get caught out (or, you know, accidentally cause a day-long flight diversion).
It joined a number of other M&S Outlet stores in the region, including one at Quayside in Salford, formerly Lowry Outlet; one at Urban Exchange in Manchester city centre; and another at the Designer Outlet Cheshire Oaks in Ellesmere Port.
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The arrival of the store was largely welcomed by shoppers, although some did share their disappointment that it didn’t include a Food Hall, and suggested the original M&S site in Golden Square would have been a better location.
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Others raised concerns about traffic in the area, saying they already struggled to get in and out of the retail park.
Now the retailer has confirmed that the 6,000 sq ft store is closing for good with the company saying its performance ‘hasn’t been where it needs to be’.
Pete Dobson, regional manager at M&S, said: “Our Warrington Riverside Outlet store will close on Saturday 20th June and we’d like to thank all of our customers who have shopped with us and our colleagues. We will continue working hard to serve customers at our nearby Gemini store, offering the very best of M&S Food, Fashion, Home and Beauty, and at our Stockton Heath foodhall.”
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The Outlet store – one of 16 new stores M&S that opened across the UK in the 2025/26 financial year – was an addition to the M&S stores that already exist in Warrington, including the huge one over at the town’s Gemini Retail Park and the food hall in Stockton Heath.
More than 20 new staff were recruited to join a 28-strong team at the Riverside store, which also sold kidswear and a curated range of home and beauty products.
M&S says all colleagues have been redeployed to alternative roles at the company. The closure is part of M&S’s wider ‘store rotation programme’, which is focusing on opening more food-led stores in easily accessible sites.
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Other sites to close include its branch in Oxford Street, Swansea, which shut down on Saturday leaving shoppers ‘heartbroken’. The store has been a major shopping attraction in the city for many years.
A further store closure is scheduled for June in Newport, with the retail chain citing changes in customer shopping habits as the reason for the shutdown.
Those with an understanding of how the embassy in Washington works describe it as being almost like a government department itself in size – and, crucially, with connections to so many aspects of the Whitehall government machine, given the importance of the UK-US relationship. This is particularly true on military and intelligence matters, much of which will likely be redacted from this document drop on national security grounds.
The machine was reported stolen at 5.15pm on Saturday (May 30) from Farmbank Road in Ormesby.
A spokesperson for Cleveland Police said: “Two males, all dressed in black, are believed to have driven away on the vehicle and drove it around a field.
“Officers conducted a search with support from NPAS. The vehicle has since been recovered.”
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A National Police Air Service spokesperson added: “On Saturday, May 30 at 5.25pm, a police helicopter crew lifted from NPAS Newcastle to assist Cleveland Police with a vehicle search.
“This was located by the crew in the helicopter. The total flight time was one hour.”
Anyone with information is asked to call Cleveland Police on 101 quoting reference number 103716.
Some people may notice some changes to their bus routes in Cambridge
Some routes for Cambridge buses have been changed with the aim to “improve punctuality and reliability”. From Sunday (May 31), a number of major Cambridge bus routes, run by Stagecoach, were updated.
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A Stagecoach spokesperson said the company was making a “few updates” to “improve punctuality and reliability across Cambridgeshire ”. The following services have changed:
Cambridge 1 – timetable adjustments for journeys towards Fulbourn to improve punctuality
Cambridge 4 – Now serving Bourn Quarter and peak times during Monday to Fridays. New stopping times are at 8.10am, 8.30am, 4.05pm and 4.45pm
Cambridge 6 – The 8.40am journey from Mondays to Saturdays will be adjusted. In Cambridge city centre, buses will now depart from stop E4 on Emmanuel Street instead of E5
Cambridge 7 – A new morning journey from Sawston at 8.22am and adjustments to the 3.03pm journey from Pampisford
Cambridge 8A – In Cambridge city centre, buses will now pick up from stop E5 on Emmanuel Street instead of Drummer Street bus station bay 10
Cambridge 13 – Timetable adjustments to improve punctuality
Madingley Road park and ride – Minor Saturday timetable changes to improve punctuality
Newmarket Road park and ride – Minor timetable changes to improve punctuality
Milton park and ride – Buses will now serve Science Park Main Road stop instead of the stop inside Cambridge Science Park, helping to speed up journeys
Tiger 4 – The 8.50am journey from Addenbrooke’s to Newmarket will now depart at 8.40am.
The Winchburgh Community Chest will distribute the funding to local organisations, including voluntary groups, and cultural, environmental and sports clubs.
A major funding boost has been announced for groups in and around Winchburgh, with local organisations set to benefit from a £4,000 support fund.
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The Winchburgh Community Chest will distribute the funding to local organisations, including voluntary groups, and cultural, environmental and sports clubs, through the West Lothian town this year.
Led by Winchburgh Developments Ltd (WDL) and supported by Winchburgh Community Council, the initiative is being backed by award-winning local housebuilder Cala Homes (East), through its Community Pledge programme of support for the area.
Applications are now open with groups able to apply to the grant before the deadline on Tuesday, June 30, with groups able to apply for up to £750.
Penny Lochhead, Community, Sports and Greenspace Manager at Winchburgh Developments Ltd, said: “This is the first time we have joined a housebuilder partner with our own community funding and entered into a local application process.
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“We have many voluntary groups in the community, and we are sure this will allow some great new activity and extra projects to take place locally this summer.
“Cala has previously supported groups directly in the community along with our schools’ projects and we look forward to this new joint initiative having a further positive impact for our community groups across the summer.
“Working alongside our community council, the funding decisions will be made the week after the closing date so funds can be distributed to groups in July for positive impact and activity over the summer.”
Elaine Carrigan, Sales and Marketing Director at Cala Homes (East), said: “We’re thrilled to be demonstrating our commitment to supporting Winchburgh through its Community Chest initiative.
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“This project forms a key part of our Community Pledge for the area, which is designed to bring measurable and meaningful benefit to the town and the people living in it.
“Collaborating with communities on initiatives that really make a difference help us forge even stronger connections with the areas in which we build, and we are excited to be continuing our close work with WDL on this project.
“We are looking forward to learning about the groups which will benefit from this additional funding and watch them make a real difference to the lives of the people living in the town.”
The TV personality and healthcare professional, now 46, came out as gay aged 30 during his marriage to Sulvinder, after which they divorced in 2011.
On what would have been their 20th wedding anniversary last week, Sulvinder posted about the impact the divorce had on her life, her self-esteem and ability to move forward – saying she felt ‘extremely unattractive’ and ‘ashamed’.
‘I mourned. It was heavy because the future I thought I had was gone and the person that I thought I had married was gone as well,’ she said.
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She revealed that despite attempts to ’embrace [her] new life with travelling, partying’, ultimately she let the ‘past dictate her life’ and struggled to ‘let anyone in’.
Sulvinder told her followers that ‘you get to choose what your story is going to be… no one else’, adding that she ‘never wanted’ her ex-husband’s coming out to be her ‘story’.
His ex-wife, Sulvinder, shared a very personal update about the impact of her divorce after Dr Ranj came out as gay (Picture: Instagram)
Upon turning 45, she said: ‘I had no balance. It was all work. I was miserable. It was eating away at me’ and has been trying to transform her life ever since.
Her post has since gone viral, with Dr Ranj – who is in a long-term relationship with partner James Colebrook – now taking to Instagram to say ‘this is something I never expected to revisit’.
He also emphasised he was sharing his side with ‘kindness’ and not intending to take away from anyone else’s story.
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Posting a long statement, he began that it’s been almost two decades since that ‘complicated, emotional and deeply personal’ time.
He continued: ‘I’m genuinely sad that this subject can still bring up pain and difficult feelings. That has never been, and would never be, my intention.
‘I’ve only ever spoken about it because it’s a significant period of my life, when asked directly, and in the hope that it might help someone else. I don’t do it for attention or sympathy; it’s a very painful time.’
He made clear he was careful to leave other people’s identities and perspectives out of it when he spoke about that period of his life.
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Sharing ‘everything has already been said’ about it, however, he added that ‘people still make assumptions and pass judgement’ but ‘life and relationships are rarely straightforward’.
Explaining the origins of their marriage in his 20s he said that their relationship broke down ‘for many reasons’, including the fact they were ‘young and still working [themselves] out’.
He’s been with his partner, fitness expert James Colebrook, for two years now (Picture: Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/Getty Images)
With the support of therapy, he accepted his identity as a gay man but never set out to ‘intentionally try to mislead anyone’. Acknowledging things may have ‘been different’ had he figured out his sexuality earlier, he said ‘identity and sexuality are complex, fluid and evolving things’.
‘We all make decisions and take steps we feel are for the best at the time. Sometimes we get it right, sometimes we don’t. When we don’t, it can be painful and messy, but more than that, it’s just sad and heartbreaking for everyone involved. There are no winners in a breakup,’ he wrote.
Then, he noted the ‘importance’ of their relationship in what they ‘shared’, ‘meant to one another’ and ‘learned from each other’, adding that he ‘looks back at that time, and that person, with nothing but respect, gratitude and kindness.’
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He’s known for offering healthcare advice on daytime TV (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)
Reiterating that life is full of different turns, he said he’s ‘different to the person I was then, and the world has changed too’.
Dr Ranj concluded: ‘It’s important we keep moving forward, which is often easier said than done. As long as every step we take is with kindness – towards others and ourselves – that’s all that matters.’
His words were met with an outpouring of support, including from partner James, who commented: ‘Love you and always proud of you.’
‘Sending you love bud it’s a tough time but you’re handling it with honesty and great strength,’ itsyobogaurav wrote.
‘The courage you have shown and continue to show in how you authentically live your life is always inspiring to me,’ Nadianagamootoo added.
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The daytime TV star has previously expressed his regret over the emotional impact this situation had on his ex-wife.
In 2018, he told The Mirror: ‘I was completely broken. It was the lowest point in my life.
‘I can only imagine how hard it was for my wife, though – she didn’t deserve any of that. I feel so incredibly sorry for what she had to go through.’
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While Sydney remained tight-lipped on the debate throughout the season, it seemed she had something to say about it all in a post shared on Instagram before the season finale aired.
Alongside a series of behind-the-scenes snaps from season three – including some of the more racy set-ups involving her character – Sydney said simply: “It’s called… acting.”
In the past, Sydney has repeatedly called out the “double standard” she has noticed around the way male and female actors who have appeared nude on screen are treated.
Back in 2022, she told The Independent: “When a guy has a sex scene or shows his body, he still wins awards and gets praise. But the moment a girl does it, it’s completely different.”
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Elsewhere in the same interview, she also made a point of saying: “I’ve never felt like Sam [Levinson, Euphoria’s creator] has pushed it on me or was trying to get a nude scene into an HBO show. When I didn’t want to do it, he didn’t make me.”
He claimed: “In terms of the story that we set out to tell, which is a story about addiction and its consequences, this feels like the end to me.”
Emergency services attended the scene on Sunday evening (Picture: Ben Lack Photography Ltd)
A teenage girl has died after she was pulled from a river, making her the latest casualty in the UK’s recent spate of water-related deaths.
The girl, 13, was pulled from the River Wharfe near Burnsall, close to Skipton, on Sunday evening following reports that she had gone missing in the water.
Specialist rescue teams and paramedics attended the scene and the girl was airlifted to hospital, where she later died.
A police spokesperson said: ‘Our thanks go to the members of the public who helped at the scene.’
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Her identity has not been confirmed.
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The girl was airlifted to hospital, where she later died (Picture: Ben Lack Photography Ltd)
Emergency services were called to Ferry Boat Lane in Mexborough at 8pm on Saturday. A specialist search operation involving the National Police Air Service, South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, and the Yorkshire Ambulance Service is ongoing.
The boy’s family have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers.
Meanwhile, a woman has died and a man is in critical condition after the pair tried to rescue their pet dog ‘who had become stuck’ at Rossall Beach in Thornton Cleveleys, Lancashire.
The coastguard rescued the couple just after 8.30pm on Saturday, but the woman later died in hospital.
The dog was recovered ‘safe and well’.
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This weekend’s incidents are the latest in a series of deaths and disappearances in UK bodies of water in recent days.
At least 15 people have died in water since May 24, many of them involving young people.
Expert bodies, including the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), have issued advice on how to stay safe in the water.
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The RNLI’s Float to Live campaign has been put out to raise awareness of how floating in water can save your life.
The girl is the latest casualty in a string of water-related deaths (Picture: Ben Lack Photography Ltd)
The organisation’s website reads: ‘This advice is useful to everyone, however you use the water. It has helped save the lives of more than 50 people in all sorts of situations.
‘From children in rip currents to runners falling into canals, from people swept out by waves, to fishermen falling overboard.
‘The best way to float is to tilt your head back with your ears submerged. Try to relax and breathe normally. You can gently move your hands and legs to help you stay afloat if you need to.
‘Spread your arms and legs out to improve stability – and it’s OK if your legs sink, we all float differently. Once your breathing is under control, call for help or swim to safety. Practise floating in a supervised location like a swimming pool.’
There’s a common cleaning item that can help keep dust away from blinds and skirting boards
Dusting can feel like a never-ending battle, as surfaces around the home seem to attract grime almost immediately after cleaning, but one simple household item can help keep dust at bay for far longer. During hot weather, air circulates more freely as people commonly open windows to cool their homes, allowing dust to drift around and settle on surfaces with ease.
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Dust tends to cling particularly to window blinds and skirting boards, as these typically feature broad surfaces made from wood, plastic or other materials that generate considerable amounts of static electricity. This static electricity causes dust and other grimy particles to stubbornly latch onto surfaces and repeatedly return, unless a protective barrier is created to repel them.
Kerry said: “My top tip for a quick clean of venetian blinds? (I have them all over my house) Use a tumble dryer sheet for a quick dust.
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“The sheet just picks up all the dust perfectly and smells amazing too. Also extremely useful for dusting the tops of your skirting board.”
It may sound unusual, but dryer sheets are specifically designed with an anti-static coating to prevent clothes from clinging together while drying.
When wiped across blinds or skirting boards, a dryer sheet absorbs the static electricity, helping to stop dust from adhering to the surface in the first place. Dryer sheets are typically coated in fabric softener, which leaves behind a thin, waxy film that acts as a protective barrier to repel dust.
How to keep dust away from blinds and skirting boards
When tackling skirting boards, start with a vacuum cleaner and follow up with a mop if you prefer. Next, take a microfibre cloth to dry the surfaces thoroughly, ensuring nothing remains damp, as moisture can attract dust.
Then, run the dryer sheets across your blinds and skirting boards. Don’t forget to wipe them over any windowsills or bookcases in the room, as these spots tend to gather dust quickly.
The room should remain dust-free for at least a month, though the duration will depend on how much air circulates through the room on a daily basis.
Either way, this method should prevent dust from accumulating on commonly neglected surfaces such as skirting boards and blinds for longer, leaving your room feeling considerably cleaner with minimal effort.
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