International tourism sells the promise of a borderless world: open skies, new horizons, the freedom to explore. But for the holder of a weak passport, that promise rings hollow.

The Henley Passport Index (HPI) ranks the world’s passports by the number of destinations their holders can visit visa-free. This may be affected by factors like a country’s economic and political stability, colonial history and association with risks or terrorism. Singaporean passport holders currently top the list, enjoying visa-free access to 192 destinations worldwide. Afghan nationals, at the other end – only 23.

In a recent study, my co-author Samira Zare and I explored the challenges that tourists with low-ranking passports face at airport borders.

Travelling with a weak passport is costly and time-consuming. Before a holiday even begins, tourists with a weak passport navigate visa applications months in advance. They may attend interviews, provide extensive documentation and still be rejected.

Crossing a border is one of the most charged moments in any trip. Our research reveals that tourists regularly encounter both subtle and overt challenges at border control, which they perceive to be influenced by assumptions about their passport, nationality, race, gender and class. These experiences leave real emotional marks.

We found that tourists, particularly those with weak passports, often adopt certain qualities – softening their tone, smiling more than feels natural and overexplaining their itinerary – to project what we call “performed innocence or docility”. In other words, taking steps to demonstrate that they are bona fide tourists.

Participants described being asked “patronising” or “condescending” questions by border control agents, or asked more questions than their travel companions with different passports. Others described how they “have developed coping strategies which include using my title, making sure I speak quite articulately to the person”, and “[playing] up your intelligence and big words, the higher chances they’ll treat you better”.

Another explained that “there is safety in subservience. Why pick a fight during my holiday? I don’t have enough resources to take on such an elaborate infrastructure of ‘passport apartheid’.” Several said they have become “desensitised to” the extensive border scrutiny.

In particular, tourists of certain nationalities, ethnic minorities and women travelling alone reported being subjected to extended questioning, secondary screening and what they described as a baseline suspicion. The emotional impact was profound. Participants reported embarrassment, shame, anxiety, self-doubt, blame and anger that lingered after the border crossing, sometimes tainting the entire trip. One described his feeling of powerlessness:

There’s no dignity because you’re in front of everyone who are thinking … [that] I’ve done something illegal, dodgy … You lose your agency in that moment because you are completely at their mercy.

Tourism research has long focused on the positive restoration that travel offers – relaxation, adventure and escape. Our study suggests that for some tourists, the journey to their holiday begins with dread: “Even with the right paperwork and visas, there is always a lingering fear that you may not be allowed into the country.”

Tightening borders, shrinking mobility

Globally, borders are becoming more complex, more digitised and, for many tourists, more restrictive. The introduction of the EU’s entry-exit system, which requires biometric border checks for non-EU visitors, suggests that borders will increasingly operate through automated surveillance, pre-arrival data checks and algorithmic risk profiling, rather than human discretion.

Decisions about who can cross are now embedded in visa application portals, electronic travel authorisations and advance passenger data systems. Digitalisation may streamline borders, but it comes with risks. When discrimination is embedded in an algorithm rather than human decision, it becomes far more difficult to see, challenge or overturn.

The burden of proof for travellers is increasing. From February 2026, the UK’s new Electronic Travel Authorisation system came into full effect, with unexpected implications for British dual nationals. British citizens who hold another nationality are now required to present a valid British passport. A British citizen with an expired UK passport could be denied boarding.

Increasing document requirements already affect tourists with weak passports. As one participant said: “You must carry [a lot] of documents. I still have a habit of carrying unnecessary documents … just everything to prove that I am who I say I am, and I can travel.”

Yet what counts as sufficient proof is not necessarily a settled issue. Passport strength and travel access is relative and constantly shifting, shaped by geopolitics, diplomacy and political will. The goalposts for who must prove themselves, and how, are always moving.

International tourism generates trillions of dollars annually and depends on the flow of people across borders. Yet there is a lack of recognition of the structural inequality that shapes who can participate in that flow, and the emotional toll on those who navigate it at a disadvantage. Research shows visa restrictions alone deter tourism inflows by around 20%.

An industry that measures success in arrivals and revenue appears to have little incentive to care about who gets left behind at the border. But this isn’t entirely true. When a tourist arrives after hours of questioning, suspicion, and unwelcoming treatment, that experience also becomes part of how they perceive the destination. It shapes whether they return, what they tell others and how they see themselves as travellers.

The conflict in the Middle East is entering its fourth month with negotiators yet to make a breakthrough which would pave the way for an enduring peace.

Both sides have been back and forth with revisions of draft agreements to restore shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and lift the dual blockades, allowing for more comprehensive talks on the central nuclear issue.

But the effects of three months of conflict have been seismic, with an estimated 7,000 people killed in the region, major disruption to global economy and more than a million people displaced from their homes – without delivering on any of Donald Trump’s stated objectives.

And while the Pentagon has priced the conflict at around $29 billion – just shy of $400 million a day – analysts say the true cost could swell to $1 trillion once hidden costs are tallied.

The financial cost of war

Jules Hurst III, the chief financial official for the Pentagon, said on 12 May that the US war on Iran has cost around $29bn so far, a increase of $4bn from the end of April due to repair and replacement costs, as well as the “general operational costs to keep people in theatre”.

The Pentagon has been reluctant to share a detailed breakdown of costs, but the latest figures yield a mean average spend of $386.67m per day – quite a departure from the $2bn a day the Pentagon was said to be spending in March, according to Republican lawmakers.

Professor Linda Bilmes, senior lecturer in public policy at Harvard Kennedy School, told The Independent that the reported upfront costs are just the “tip of the iceberg”.

“When the Pentagon talked about their figures of $29bn, they systematically underestimate the cost because they are basing this on the historical cost of inventory of munitions. But the actual replacement costs are much higher.”

A Tomahawk missile may be valued at around $2m each in inventory, she said, but replacement today would cost between $3m and $3.5m. Patriot missiles are priced at $1m to $2m, but the newer models cost $4m to $5m.

Late last month, and after the ceasefire took effect, the Center for Strategic & International Studies assessed that the United States had used upwards of 1,000 Tomahawks and between 1,060-1,430 Patriots since 28 February.

Professor Bilmes said the $29bn figure could be double or “probably three times as much” with accrual accounting.

But behind that figure, the United States will still have to make repairs to damaged military sites and facilities, like embassies, spread across the region, she added, giving a ballpark figure of an additional $300bn.

Longer term, the US will also have to contend with veteran benefits, disability claims and the interest of financing the war through debt. A bolstered Pentagon budget and the cost of huge new military contracts on an expedited delivery schedule will add billions more to longer-term costs of the war.

“When you put together the replacement costs … the obligations we have for rebuilding … and the long-term cost of caring for veterans, benefits, the paying debt service on all the borrowing and the increases to the base that come as a consequence of this war, you very quickly reach a trillion dollar figure,” Professor Bilmes said. “When I look at it, there’s no way it can end up costing less than that.”

The human cost of war

At least 7,053 people have been killed since 28 February, according to an aggregate of local tallies.

The war in Iran has been held to a tenuous ceasefire agreement since 8 April. Both sides have accused each other of violating the truce, but reports of strikes across the region have fallen massively since the height of the conflict in March.

A parallel ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon emerged on 17 April, but both sides have continued attacks, also accusing each other of breaking the terms of the agreement.

The US-based rights group Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA) has documented at least 3,636 fatalities, including 1,701 civilians, 1,221 military personnel, and 714 people whose identity or status could not be confirmed, between 28 February and 8 April. It said the figures should be taken as minimum estimates.

Gabriel Karlsson, the British Red Cross’s Middle East country cluster manager, said the Iranian Red Crescent Society has rescued more than 7,300 people and are providing medical care to tens of thousands more.

“The psychological impact is also deepening, with demand for psychological support services rising by over 200% since the escalation, underlining how this crisis is affecting not only physical safety, but long-term wellbeing,” he added.

The Lebanese health ministry reported on Tuesday that 3,213 people have been killed there since 2 March, when Israel and Hezbollah reopened hostilities. They said 9,737 people have been wounded.

By the end of March, more than a million people had been displaced across Lebanon, Mr Karlsson said. With clashes ongoing, people continue to be driven from their homes, with the Lebanese Red Cross supporting “tens of thousands” of patients.

Thirteen US military service personnel have also been killed, with more than 300 injured, according to US Central Command. Six were confirmed dead after a US military refuelling plane crashed over Iraq, while seven others were killed in action during operations against Iran.

Missiles launched from Iran and Lebanon have killed 23 people in Israel, the ambulance service reported last month.

The conflict has resulted in further deaths across the broader Middle East, including 118 people killed in Iraq, 12 killed in the UAE, and seven killed in a helicopter crash in Qatar’s territorial waters, according to respective local authorities.

The UN estimates that four million people across the region could be pushed into poverty as a result of unemployment spiking at four per cent. Around the world, a further 30 million people could be pushed into poverty as the war causes disruptions to fuel and fertiliser supplies vital to agriculture.

World number two Elena Rybakina suffered a surprise second-round defeat by world number 55 Yuliia Starodubtseva in the biggest French Open upset so far.

Despite winning the opening set, Rybakina looked far from her clinical best as Starodubtseva mounted an impressive comeback to win 3-6 6-1 7-6 (10-4).

Known for her big serve and precise hitting, reigning Australian Open champion Rybakina committed 71 unforced errors and landed just 53% of her first serves.

It is the first time Kazakhstan’s Rybakina has failed to reach the third round at Roland Garros since 2020.

Rybakina’s early exit also means Aryna Sabalenka will keep her world number one ranking regardless of her result at Roland Garros.

Tom Hardy’s role in crime thriller MobLand hangs in the balance after ‘shocking’ onset behaviour, it’s been reported.

MobLand originally premiered in March last year, with the 48-year-old leading the cast as Harry Da Souza, a fixer for the Harrigan crime family.

He starred in the drama alongside Pierce Brosnan, Joanne Froggatt, Dame Helen Mirren and Paddy Considine, and the second season is expected to be coming this year.

Last week, claims emerged that the actor, best known for roles in films including Inception, The Dark Knight Rises and Mad Max: Fury Road, had a disagreement with the producers of the Paramount Plus series, resulting in him being axed.

Now, insiders have revealed that his ‘fate is yet to be decided’ ahead of the streamer giving the green light to a third season, which would aim to begin filming in September.

A source further claimed to The Hollywood Reporter that during season two, ‘he refused to come out of his trailer for hours at a time’.

They continued: ‘He kept the cast waiting, [which is] a power play. Keeping Pierce Brosnan, Helen Mirren and others waiting is career suicide, I would wager.’

In a report originally published in the Puck newsletter – written by Matthew Belloni, the former editorial director of The Hollywood Reporter – it said: ‘I’m told Paramount recently opted not to pick up Hardy for season three after his clashes with producers Jez Butterworth and David Glasser, among others, during the recent production of season two.’ The news of Hardy’s exit from MobLand was later confirmed by Variety.

Belloni continued in his original report: ‘Hardy was apparently late to set a bunch, constantly asked to give notes on scripts, attempted to change dialogue, and expressed his displeasure that a series initially built around him was increasingly becoming an ensemble showcase for Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, and other co-stars.’

According to the entertainment journalist, he heard from a source that at one point, producer Butterworth ‘threatened to quit’, prompting Hardy to be relieved from his role by Paramount instead.

The report added: ‘His contract does contain a mutual option for the third season, so he could have bailed on his own if he wanted.’

The Puck newsletter added that representatives for Hardy and Paramount declined to comment.

Numerous fans have vowed to no longer watch the show if Hardy has, in fact, been axed.

Following the claims made in the report, MobLand fans reacted in their droves, with many saying that they wouldn’t watch the series beyond season two if Hardy’s not a part of it.

‘Well the show’s over then, he was literally the face of it 😭😭,’ one fan called bspideyy wrote on X.

‘So what you’re saying is, MobLand ends with series two…’ Cyn1calCrusader remarked.

Over on Reddit, swagpresident1337 said: ‘Lol. He IS the show. Might as well cancel it outright.’

‘‪Can’t imagine the show without him‬, dude’s been carrying it with his performance,’ chespiotta commented.

Kablaow also speculated: ‘So are they just gonna replace his actor or will they kill off the character?’

MobLand marked the first time that Hardy and director Guy Ritchie had worked together in 17 years.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter published in April 2025, Hardy opened up about the reunion.

‘Well, I just called him on the phone and it didn’t feel like that much time had passed and he was already interwoven into the project. So we had a catch-up and pretty shortly afterward, we were on set working. So it was pretty straightforward,’ he said.

He also addressed the future of the show, saying at the time: ‘The plan is definitely to see more seasons.’

Meanwhile, Ritchie previously hailed the actor as the lead of the series, stating: ‘He obviously is the right guy for the job.’

Metro contacted representatives for Tom Hardy and Paramount Plus. None was provided before publication.

A version of this article was first published on May 22, 2026.

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The upper and lower forecourts at Terminal 2 have reopened as usual, Manchester Airport has said.

“We are grateful to passengers for their understanding and patience this afternoon,” a statement read.

“The road network around the airport remains busier than usual and passengers travelling to the airport this evening are advised to allow plenty of time for their journey.”

The Mirror has contacted Greater Manchester Police for further details.

​Rees Properties Ltd’s proposal to convert part of the upholstery business at 25, Victoria Road in Scarborough, into a two-bedroom flat has been approved by North Yorkshire Council.

​The ground floor of the three-storey mid-terraced Victorian property is currently in use as a commercial shop, while the upper floors are in residential use.

​The site lies within a commercial district of Scarborough and the surrounding area is primarily residential with shops and other amenities nearby.

​The proposal will create a flat over two floors and external alterations will include the addition of three windows and a new external staircase.

​According to plans, the proposal does not include dedicated off-street parking for the new residential flat.

​The council’s environmental health team said it had no objections subject to conditions ensuring that the development does not introduce “unacceptable noise, vibration, odour, or amenity impacts on future residential occupiers”.

25 Victoria Rd, Scarborough. Google Maps

​Officers noted that “for a two-storey dwelling with two bedrooms, offering four bed spaces, the minimum gross internal floor space is 79m2.

​“The new flat has an internal floor space of approximately 90m2. Therefore, the flat offers sufficient internal space to be considered a permanent dwelling.”

​The application was approved by North Yorkshire Council, subject to conditions.

“I’m lucky my son walked away from this alive, but the next child might not,” she said.

The mother of a child injured after being hit by an e-scooter has called for them to be banned.

The four-year-old had been hit by an e-scooter as he exited a leisure centre in the Twinbrook area after going in to use the toilet.

The child required hospital treatment after suffering injuries to his face, legs and arms.

The child’s mother Trionagh Hunte said that he was lucky to walk away from the incident alive.

Trionagh added:”Something needs to be done about this before someone is kilt [sic]! I’m lucky my son walked away from this alive, but the next child might not! Get them off the road now.

“The state my child has been left in is an absolute disgrace.”

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West Belfast MLA Danny Baker called on parents to reflect on e-scooter use before it is too late.

“There was a serious accident yesterday where a child was hit by an e-scooter. I hope the wee man injured in Twinbrook makes a speedy recovery; yesterday was a very traumatic day for him and his family,” he said.

“On a daily basis, more and more accidents are taking place, people are being seriously hurt, mostly children. This is something we all must reflect on as a community and as parents. These scooters, along with e-bikes and scramblers, are illegal to drive on roads and footpaths.

” PSNI has been seizing some of the scramblers and e-bikes, but it is wider than scramblers. We all must be reflecting. I don’t believe parents, when buying e-scooters, think their child will get hurt or will hurt others, but some scooters are just so powerful, and it is a miracle no one has been killed. As a community, as parents, we must reflect before it is too late.”

A PSNI spokesperson said: “Police received a report of a road traffic collision involving an e-scooter and pedestrian in the Twinbrook Road area of Dunmurry at approximately 3pm yesterday afternoon, Tuesday 26 ^th May.

“Officers, along with colleagues from other emergency services, attended, and a child was taken to the hospital for treatment for their injuries. Police inquiries are still ongoing.

“Police in Dunmurry are appealing to anyone who may have witnessed what happened or to anyone with CCTV, doorbell or other footage that could assist the investigation, to contact police on 101, quoting reference number 1120 26/05/26.

“Alternatively, you can submit a report online using our non-emergency reporting form via http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/. You can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org/.”

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

Elena Rybakina crashed out of the French Open as the second seed fell to a three-set defeat to Ukraine’s Yuliia Starodubtseva in the biggest upset of the tournament so far.

Rybakina, the Australian Open champion, looked on course for the third round when she won the opening set but Starodubtseva turned the match around in what became a lengthy battle in gruelingly hot conditions.

The world No 55 built on a one-sided second set to earn a double-break in the third, but Rybakina responded to force the deciding match tiebreak.

Starodubtseva, however, immediately took charge of the tiebreak to convincingly close out a 3-6 6-1 7-6 (10-4) victory, claiming the biggest win of her career and first top-10 victory.

“It’s hard to describe, I’m super happy,” Starodubtseva, 26, said in her on-court interview. “Elena is one of the top players. She has had an incredible year and I’m super proud of myself that I was able to do this today. It was a hard third set, but got it done.

“She’s again one of the top players, and you, you can’t be thinking that it’s going to be easy today. Even at 3-0 [in the third set], I had a feeling it might not be that easy. Tough match, but happy to be the winner today.”

Rybakina could have replaced Aryna Sabalenka as world No 1 depending on their performances in Paris but is still yet to progress past the quarter-finals at Roland Garros in eight attempts.

The former Wimbledon champion had won a clay-court title this year, however, triumphing in Stuttgart, and her early exit removes a potential obstacle from four-time champion Iga Swiatek’s side of the draw.

Meanwhile, Starodubtseva equals the best result of her career by reaching the third round of the French Open for a second consecutive year.

She is the third player from Ukraine into the third round of the women’s singles draw at Roland Garros, following seventh seed and Italian Open champion Elina Svitolina and 15th seed and Madrid Open champion Marta Kostyuk.

“I think clay is not the worst surface for me,” Starodubtseva said. “And the crowd was very, very nice today to me. Thank you guys. I really, really felt the support today. I heard my name so many times and I really appreciate it.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two key senators involved in a long-simmering debate over fixing college sports will introduce a bipartisan bill designed to break a congressional logjam that would regulate payments to players, limit them to one “free” transfer over their careers and create a “Lane Kiffin Rule” to restrict coach movement during the season.

Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., the chair and ranking member of the Senate Commerce Committee that oversees college sports, briefed The Associated Press on details of the bill they crafted in hopes it can get the 60 votes needed to clear the Senate.

“This is a stability bill, not just an NIL bill,” Cruz said, referencing the name, image and likeness payments that have led to football rosters with $30 million payrolls and reshaped the industry.

Cantwell said she and Cruz teamed on the legislation “because he and I really do believe the college sports system is in a bit of chaos.”

The bill looks very much like a “best of” pair of legislative proposals — one called SCORE, another called SAFE — that have gone nowhere over the past several months. It contains two elements the NCAA has supported: a limited antitrust exemption and a clause that would preempt much of the patchwork of state laws currently regulating NIL.

College sports has been looking to Washington for help as it grapples with rising costs of paying players and an out-of-control transfer portal that have threatened smaller sports, many involving women, that make up the backbone of the U.S. Olympic pipeline.

This bill, called the Protect College Sports Act (PCSA), would offer what Cruz and Cantwell said was very “targeted” antitrust protection — which was part of the largely Republican-backed SCORE Act that many Democrats opposed. That would be in exchange for what Cruz said would be “public-facing protections” for athletes in 10 areas, including guarantees for health insurance and scholarships and more stringent regulations for NIL deals from third parties.

“I think it’s better predictability,” Cantwell said. “Why did we do it? Because when you’ve got thousands of athletes being cut, hundreds of programs being cut, the risk to the whole infrastructure was too high to not try to get better predictability.”

The bill would limit players to one unrestricted transfer over the course of their college careers — a widely supported idea across the country — and would adopt something close to the five-year eligibility period that the NCAA appears ready to enact next month.

The bill also tries to regulate coaching movement. Kiffin’s sudden move to LSU from rival Mississippi while the Rebels were preparing for the College Football Playoff last season put a fine point on an issue that has only gotten worse in an era where teams spend millions to fill out rapidly shifting football rosters: Schools have less patience (and more money) to devote to hiring coaches for a quick fix.

Under terms of the bill, midseason coaching changes would be prohibited.

“It’s not fair or right to poach a coach in the middle of the season while the team is still competing,” Cruz said. “There’s a reason the NFL has a rule that you can’t do that. Obviously, NFL teams hire coaches away from each other but they don’t do so in the middle of the season.”

The bill would rework the Sports Broadcasting Act to allow conferences to pool their TV rights — a move proponents have said could add billions of dollars to the ecosystem in a conclusion the Southeastern and Big Ten Conferences believe is inaccurate.

The senators said leagues wouldn’t be required to join the media pooling but those that do would have to use a percentage of any increase from that to support women’s and Olympic sports. That alone could be a dealbreaker for the SEC.

“If you do nothing, then obviously, all these other women’s and Olympic sports and less revenue-driven activities are going to suffer,” Cantwell said. “I’ve heard directly from my institutions, they say they’re counting on this. Not creating this stability now would be a missed opportunity.”

The SCORE Act, which garnered little support from Democrats, was on the House schedule last week but was abruptly pulled off when the Congressional Black Caucus and NAACP came out against it.

But even if it had squeaked by in the razor-tight House, it had virtually no chance of passing as written in the Senate, where it would need 60 votes to break a possible filibuster.

“The Congressional Black Caucus and I have the same objective: stop the ‘SEC SCORE Act,’” said Cantwell, referencing the SEC as one of dozens of conferences who have supported that bill.

Some Democrats were reluctant to support a bill, like SCORE, that prohibited college athletes from being classified as employees of their schools. The new bill takes what Cantwell said was a “neutral” stance on the issue of employment.

“Senator Cruz and I have been very concerned about producing a bill that’s not just about the 1% of athletes who go on and have a professional career,” she said. “We took care of the entire ecosystem and have opportunities for athletes to continue to have that collegiate experience.”

___

AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports

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