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The EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES) is now in place and, while most travellers are familiar with the biometric checks, a travel expert warns it’s the lesser-known rules that are catching people out

Lots of tourists may be feeling nervous about travel delays this year after reports emerged airports could face a new wave of chaos. Some of this worry has stemmed from the fact that EES, which stands for Entry/Exit System, has come into place this year – this is an automated digital IT system developed by the European Union to register non-EU nationals each time they cross the external borders of participating European nations.

However, if you’re due to travel and want to know what to expect, there’s some expert advice you may want to take on board. A few simple travel tips can make all the difference to helping the start of your holiday go more smoothly.

It’s not the first time the subject has been highlighted to travellers either. Previously, it was reported how UK travellers were preparing for border delays due to the system.

What’s it all about?

This year marked the first summer that the EU’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) has been in operation and, while you’ve likely seen reports about lengthier queues at certain airports, for most holidaymakers, it’s simply another aspect of travelling that requires a bit of adjustment. If you’re bound for countries such as Spain, France, Italy, Portugal or Greece, here’s what you need to be aware of before you fly.

Travel expert Ricky Durrance, of package holiday specialists Teletext Holidays, says that, while everyone’s heard about the biometric checks, it’s the minor regulations that are tripping people up. He issued some guidance to help travellers.

Don’t get caught out

One of the least well-known aspects of EES is that your registration is tied to your passport, not to you personally. So, if you’ve renewed your passport since you last visited an EU country, you’ll be treated as a first-time traveller, even if you’ve previously completed biometric registration.

That means providing fingerprints and a facial scan once again at the border. So, you’ll need to allow extra time.

“Many travellers would assume once they’re already in the system that’s job done,” said Ricky. “But EES is tied to the passport, not the person, so don’t be caught out by unexpected enrolment.”

Can things be sped up?

Depending on where you’re departing from, you may even be able to complete part of the process before you set off. The EU’s free Travel to Europe app allows travellers using participating border crossings to upload passport details and a facial image up to 72 hours before departure, helping make the process even smoother.

It’s worth checking whether your airport supports it before you travel. If you’ve booked a package holiday, border delays can have a knock-on effect on transfers, so check with your travel agent whether your departure airport supports early enrolment and allow extra time on arrival.

What about kids?

Families should also bear in mind that every traveller has their own EES record, children included. Each child will require their own passport and facial image check, although under-12s are exempt from providing fingerprints, which helps to speed things up slightly.

It doesn’t apply in every country

The good news is that EES isn’t applicable across the board. Popular holiday hotspots including Turkey, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia fall outside the Schengen Area, meaning British tourists heading there won’t need to complete EES checks.

For anyone weighing up destinations, it’s simply another factor worth taking into account alongside the weather, budget and the kind of break you’re looking for. Check whether your chosen destination requires EES before you travel.

“Like any new system, there’s always a settling-in period,” added Ricky. “The important thing is not to let the headlines put you off travelling. Millions of people are still enjoying holidays across Europe.

“If you know what to expect, allow a little extra time where needed and make sure your passport is up to date, the whole process should be straightforward.”

DJ Spoony was sent in some joke names on BBC Radio 2 but read them out loud without realising.

The Radio 1 and 2 legend was sitting in for his mate, Trevor Nelson, when he ran a competition asking people to guess a song after playing only one second of it.

After reading out some of the guesses from listeners, he followed up with their names and where they’re from, as per radio tradition.

The next guess was Joe Dolce’s hit Shaddap You Face, with Spoony saying, “Someone always guesses Joe Dolce.”

He then added that the guess was from, “Ben Down and Phil McAvity.”

Thankfully, Spoony mispronounced the two surnames and saved himself the embarrassment of having read two very rude prank names.

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The Radio 2 star has been filling in for Trevor Nelson over the past two months after he was diagnosed with a brain tumour,

Trevor suddenly stepped away from his weekday radio show in June and returned to social media to update fans on why he was absent.

The dad-of-two said he felt he wanted to share more details due to the outpouring of love he had received.

He said: “I was minding my own business and then it was discovered I had a brain tumour.

“As you can imagine, I was shocked. In fact, my world was turned upside down.

“Quite literally, my head was all over the place. I knew I had to stop work because I couldn’t be that guy on the radio knowing I had that going on.”

After confirming his surgery was a success, Trevor said he’d been at home “recuperating and resting” and having post-op treatment.

He went on: “I can only tell you the truth, and the truth is I feel great right now.”

Trevor added he was back playing golf and in the gym and living his old life, except for the radio and gigs.

The veteran DJ hosts the afternoon show on Radio 2 between 2 and 4pm.

The latest episode of Olivia Atwood’s The Price of Perfection took an unexpected turn

The ITV presenter caught a mystery man’s eye.

Olivia Attwood briefly paused her ITV2 show, The Price of Perfection, to address a flirty encounter. The former Love Island star, 35, returned with the latest episode of her hit show on Tuesday (August 18) night.

This instalment focused on all things face lifts, and followed Olivia as she journeyed around London trying to uncover what treatments are available for young women looking to transform their faces.

But the presenter was interrupted when she visited a clinic where one surgeon was performing a full face and neck lift.

As she explained the procedure to the camera, a man with his face blurred walked by and seemingly shot a flirtatious look at Olivia.

Spotting his lingering look, the ITV host turned back to the camera and joked: “In your dreams, do you know what I mean?”.

She went on to add: “That’s honestly what it’s been like since I took my wedding ring off. It’s actually, it’s just like let me [live].”

The former TOWIE cast member was married to footballer Bradley Dack for just over two years, before they called it quits in January.

She has since found romance with fellow reality star Pete Wicks, with the pair publicly launching their relationship back in July.

Season 3 of The Price of Perfection is now streaming on ITVX, and the just-aired third episode features a cameo from TOWIE star Dani Imbert.

A synopsis for the instalment teases: “With so many techniques and brands offering to slice and sculpt our face, Olivia looks at the options the under fifties are looking at.

“At just 28, TOWIE’s Dani Imbert has a brow lift but is left unhappy with the results. Newly single Sophie tries a thread lift for a ‘snatched’ look. Amy, exhausted by the cost of facial maintenance having spent £150,000 on fillers, opts for a short scar mini facelift, a procedure with mixed online reviews.

“Olivia also joins a surgeon performing a full face and neck lift on business owner Brit, learning the real differences between SMAS and deep plane approaches, and what may have delivered Kris Jenner’s headline grabbing result.”

Olivia Attwood: The Price of Perfection is available to stream on ITVX

OFFICIALS in Italy are cracking down on anyone attempting to bag themselves the best beach spot by leaving items on the sand all week.

From sunloungers to parasols, those caught trying to reserve a space in the morning or late at night could receive a fine over £400.

On a coastal suburb in Naples called Torre del Greco, officials like coastguard staff and police have been removing ‘reserved’ spots.

Tourists have been leaving items on the beach overnight in order to keep their place.

During a morning sweep of one of the beaches called Laghetto, authorities seized up to 40 items, as reported by The Guardian.

Others have complained that items like sun umbrellas and small tables have been left unattended for days by tourists reserving the space to use later on.

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The port authority said: “It is a practice that recurs each summer, but it is expressly prohibited.

It added that “occupying the beach in this manner violates the regulations governing the management of maritime public domain areas.”

Anyone caught leaving belongings on the beach after sunset to keep their spot will be fined up to €500 (£425).

Beaches in Torre del Greco include Spiaggia libera Il Laghetto and Moon Beach.

This isn’t the only spot to crack down on sunlounger hogging.

These rules are being enforced by the Calpe Town Council, which affects the Costa Blanca.

Local authorities in the Spanish resort have the right to remove sunbeds, towels and parasols put on beaches before 9.30am.

Anyone whose belongings taken away will have to pay to get them back and could face a fine of up to €250 (£216).

Across Europe, other crackdowns include smoking on beaches and wearing swimwear in public spaces that aren’t the beach.

Kuwait has since the beginning of the Iran War in February been targeted by Iranian drones and missiles 1,400 times. Why has this state—smaller than the US state of New Jersey—been targeted more than any of its larger neighbors including Bahrain, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates?

A military node

This question takes us all the way back to 1991 when the US intervenes when Iraq under Saddam Hussein invades Kuwait. In return, Kuwait has since hosted one of the the largest US armies in the Middle East of 13,000 troops, and has the fourth biggest deployment of the US military globally. Furthermore, Kuwait is one of five U.S. Army Prepositioned Stocks (APS) sites across the world— a cornerstone of the US’ global military strategy as it allows for rapid deployment and display of influence. And not only does Kuwait not charge the US for its land use, or restrict US troop movements on its territory—unlike most other host countries—but indeed pays the US for its troop presence, and subsidies energy and water costs for the military bases.

A geostrategic asset  

In exchange, Kuwait’s geostrategic location on the Arabian peninsula and along the air corridor between Asia and Europe makes the country an important location for the US to secure its interests and exert influence in the region and beyond. Indeed, the US has designated Kuwait as a Major Non-Nato Ally since 2004, and has located its biggest air logistics facility in the Middle East in conjunction with Kuwait international airport. Thus, Kuwait has proven a key logistical hub for US military operations in the region including against the Islamic State and during the withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.

Furthermore, Kuwait holds 7% of the world’s oil reserves, reinforcing its importance for the US and other oil consuming countries, while also making it strategically vulnerable to Iranian attacks on energy plants in late July, as this adds to the ongoing energy insecurity created by the closure of the key oil trade route through the Strait of Hormuz.

The end of diplomatic balancing?

Despite these far-reaching strategic links with the US, Kuwait has long maintained a diplomatic balancing act, refusing to normalise relations with Israel while simultaneously refraining from condemning the Iranian regime. Moreover, Kuwait has often assumed the role of neutral mediator in the Middle East. For example, Kuwait mediated the 2021 rapprochement between Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, and has contributed to peace efforts in Yemen. In addition, Kuwait has been much more cautious in its statements concerning the Iranian regime, unlike its vocally critical, yet less targeted neighbors such as the United Arab Emirates, and has even refused to allow the US to use military bases in Kuwait for launching attacks on Iran.

Geographic liabilities

Even so, Kuwait has fallen prey to its geography. For one, its geographical proximity to Iran makes Kuwait a comparatively cheap and easy target for Iranian missiles, while its lack of naturally occurring fresh water and consequent reliance on desalination provides Teheran an additional pressure point, as illustrated by Iranian attacks on desalination plants in late July. Furthermore, its proximity to Iraq has exposed it to attacks by Iraqi Shia militias, allied with Teheran.

And the risk of further attacks in the future is high. On 1 August, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi declared that it would react ”decisively” against any US strikes, and warned Gulf states against permitting the US and Israel to use bases on their territories to launch attacks against Iran. Similarly, Iraq announced that its military forces stood ready to ‘thwart any attempts at targeting neighbouring countries within our regional sphere.’ Thus, recent developments suggest that Kuwait might no longer be able to remain an independent diplomatically oriented actor that can stay out of the conflicts in the Middle East.

Ideology

While Iran’s official rationale for the attacks has been to target US military targets and assets, the attacks on energy and desalination plants are neither; these are civilian infrastructures. Hence it is Kuwaiti civilians—not the US military capacity—that bear the brunt of the attacks. This suggests that Iranian attacks have not only immediate military objectives in context of the current war, but also underlying psychological and ideological motives, as these attacks can be seen as a way of scaring countries that go against Iran’s exhortations—reiterated since 1979–to its Gulf neighbors to cut ties with the US. In addition, the attacks expose the limitations of US security guarantee, and undermine the credibility of the US promises of stability and protection to its allies.

A change of strategy

Consequently, Kuwait may pivot toward building up more national military defence capabilities, as the deterrence guarantee that the well-accommodated US presence was supposed to provide has ostensibly failed, while Kuwait’s lack of domestic military resources to retaliate further enticed Iranian attacks.

Hence, it appears that the security order in the Middle East is set to become even more fragile, with the US increasingly proving incapable or unwilling to ensure what has long been considered a stabilising presence, and with regional actors increasingly divided and polarized, making neutral mediation harder.