Experts

After days of fiery protest against federal immigration raids, Los Angeles residents and officials braced for the arrival of hundreds of U.S. Marines on Tuesday in what some called an unprecedented and potentially explosive deployment of active-duty troops with hazy mission objectives.

As Trump administration officials vowed to crack down on “rioters, looters and thugs,” state and local officials decried the mobilization of 700 troops from the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, calling it a clear violation of law and civility. L.A. Mayor Karen Bass even likened the deployment to “an experiment” that nobody asked to be a part of.

According to the U.S. Northern Command, which oversees troops based in the United States, the Marines will join “seamlessly” with National Guard troops under “Task Force 51” — the military’s designation of the Los Angeles forces. The Marines, like the Guard, they said, “have been trained in de-escalation, crowd control and rules for the use of force.”

Air Force Gen. Gregory Guillot told The Times on Tuesday that the Marines in Los Angeles were limited in their authority, deployed only to defend federal property and federal personnel. They do not have arrest power, he said.

“They are not law enforcement officers, and they do not have the authority to make arrests,” Guillot said. “There are very unique situations where they could detain someone … but they could only detain that person long enough to hand it off to a proper law enforcement official.”

But military experts have raised practical concerns about the unclear parameters of the Marines’ objective. They also warn that sending in Marines without a request from a governor — a highly unusual step that has not been made since the civil rights era in 1965 — could potentially inflame the situation.

U.S. Marines are trained for overseas conflict zones, with deployments in recent decades in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. But the roles they have played in those nations — including providing artillery support to coalition forces fighting against Islamic State militants and advising and training local security forces — are quite different from what they might face as they confront protesters in Los Angeles.

“Marines are trained to fight, that’s the first thing they’re trained to do,” said Jennifer Kavanagh, director of military analysis at Defense Priorities, a military research group. “So I think you do have a little bit of mismatch in skills here.”

“In a crisis, when they’re forced to make a snap decision, do they have enough training and experience to make the one that de-escalates the situation rather than escalates it? I think that’s a question mark,” Kavanagh said.

Hours after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told congressional lawmakers Tuesday that the mobilization of troops to Los Angeles to curtail protests would cost $134 million, President Trump told U.S. Army troops at Ft. Bragg in North Carolina that he deployed thousands of National Guard troops and hundreds of Marines “to protect federal law enforcement from the attacks of a vicious and violent mob.”

But city and state officials have repeatedly said that troops are not necessary to contain the protests.

On Monday night, California Gov. Gavin Newsom called the deployment of Marines “a blatant abuse of power” and filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the deployment.

Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell warned that — “absent clear coordination” — the prospect of Marines descending on Los Angeles “presents a significant logistical and operational challenge for those of us charged with safeguarding this city.”

However, Guillot said coordinating among different agencies “hasn’t been a challenge to us at all.”

“I think people understand that we’re there for a very specific purpose,” he said. “We’re very highly trained, professional and disciplined, and people have been very cooperative so far.”

By Tuesday afternoon, all 700 Marines had arrived in the Greater Los Angeles area, Guillot said. At least one convoy of U.S. Marine vehicles from Twentynine Palms had arrived at Orange County’s Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach under police escort.

The mobilized Marines and National Guard troops will be stationed in facilities across the region, including Seal Beach, Los Alamitos and a number of National Guard armories, Guillot said. He didn’t provide further details.

Over the last few days, National Guard members have already been stationed at a few federal buildings and have accompanied Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on missions, Guillot said. He expects Marines will be mobilized on the ground Wednesday, if not Tuesday evening, after wrapping up final training.

It is rare for U.S. Marines to be sent to an American city. The last time they were deployed in the U.S. was after riots broke out in Los Angeles in 1992 after the acquittal of four LAPD officers who were recorded beating a Black motorist, Rodney G. King.

Back then, President George H.W. Bush acted at the request of California Gov. Pete Wilson and Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley after what The Times described as “three days of the worst urban unrest in Los Angeles history.”

Deploying Marines to Los Angeles is not only a dramatic escalation of events, but also potentially illegal, according to Abigail Hall, a defense scholar and senior fellow at the Independent Institute, a nonprofit think tank based in Oakland.

Bringing in the Marines to L.A., she said, violates the Posse Comitatus Act, an 1878 law enacted after the Civil War, which forbids active-duty federal forces to provide regular civilian law enforcement unless authorized by Congress or the president invokes the Insurrection Act.

Trump has yet to invoke the Insurrection Act.

“I don’t see any way that this is not a direct violation of the Posse Comitatus Act,” Hall said. “We’re not at war, we’ve not invoked the Insurrection Act of 1807 — and even if we did, that’s what the National Guard is for. It’s not what the Marines are for.”

Kavanagh didn’t comment on the deployment’s legality, but called it unprecedented in modern times. She worried that could make its mission and parameters unclear for troops.

The last time the military was deployed without a governor’s request or approval, military experts said, was to facilitate court-ordered desegregation in Southern states during the civil rights movement in the 1960s.

Kori Schake, senior fellow and director of foreign and defense policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, said the Trump administration appeared to be trying out a new way to get around the restrictions on domestic law enforcement by the American military.

“The authority the president is claiming is his constitutional authority under what’s called the Take Care clause … he’s claiming the federal responsibility to protect federal agents and federal property operations. That authority has never been tested in court.”

Such an approach, Schake said, was fraught with more than legal risk.

“If violence burgeons, tempers are running high, the Marines are armed, this could spiral out of control,” Schake said.

The L.A. deployment, Kavanagh said, could also be a jarring mission for Marines who signed up to go abroad and defend America’s freedom — and instead are facing off with fellow citizens.

“Does everyone know the rules of engagement?” Kavanagh asked of the L.A. mission. “Are they clear?”

She also worried that the troops deployed to L.A. are likely to have some of the most limited experience. Guard members are not full time and undergo less frequent training, and Marines retain the youngest service members of all the military branches. Nearly three-quarters of active-duty enlisted members of the Marine Corps are 25 or younger, according to a 2022 Department of Defense report. The average age is 24, compared with 27 for the Army and 28 for the Air Force.

Schake, however, pointed out that although Marines may be the youngest cohort in the military, they are well trained in de-escalation tactics.

“The wars that the United States has been fighting for the last 25 years have required incredible discipline on the use of force by the military in Afghanistan and in Iraq in particular, so they are trained for de-escalating conflict,” Schake said. “I think actually, it’s quite possible they’re better trained at de-escalation of violence than the police forces are.”

In that sense, Schake said she was less worried about violence on the streets than about “creeping authoritarianism.”

“The way the president, that Homeland secretary, the secretary of Defense, the White House press spokesman are talking is incendiary and reckless,” Schake said.

“They’re calling the city of Los Angeles — where 1 in 40 Americans live — a hellscape, and everybody in the city a criminal. They’re describing protests that are really peaceful as an insurrection. And that’s a very reckless thing to do in a difficult situation.”

Times staff writers Hayley Smith and Christopher Buchanan contributed to this report.

WEIGHT loss jabs could prevent a medication taken by millions of women from working – and increase patients’ risk of cancer.

The British Menopause Society said the jabs could cause hormone imbalance in women taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT), particularly for those with obesity, putting them “at increased risk of womb cancer”.

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It follows warnings to women on weight loss medications to take effective contraception, as the jabs could render the pill less effective.

That’s because weight loss drugs Wegovy and Mounjaro – as well as diabetes jab Ozempic – can delay the absorption of pills taken orally, as well slowing down the passage of food through the gut.

Guidance suggests women taking HRT in pill form may also be at risk.

The British Menopause Society (BMS) told doctors to closely monitor menopausal women on HRT who are also using weight-loss jabs.

The treatment tops up the hormones oestrogen and progesterone, which dip to low levels as the menopause approaches.

Data from 2023-24 showed that 2.6 million women in England rely on the drugs to alleviate hot flushes, night sweats, difficulty sleeping and mood changes.

“During the last two years, since semaglutide and tirzepatide [the active ingredients in Wegovy and Mounjaro] received licenses for weight loss, there has been an increase in uptake of these medications through private clinics, while NHS prescribing is limited to specialist weight management services,” the BMS guidance stated.

“There are no current data available about numbers of women receiving HRT concurrently with semaglutide or tirzepatide.”

The most common form of HRT is a progesterone pill alongside a skin patch or gel to deliver oestrogen, but some people opt for a combined pill.

Progesterone balances out the effects of oestrogen, which on its own stimulates the growth of the womb lining, and can cause “abnormal cells and cancer” to grow.

The menopause experts expressed concern over the loss of the progesterone’s protective effect on the womb as a result of weight loss jabs.

They recommended that doctors move women taking progesterone orally to an intrauterine device, such as a Mirena coil, or increase their dose of progesterone.

Prof Annice Mukherjee, a consultant endocrinologist and member of the society’s medical advisory council, who led on the guidance, told The Telegraph that a hormone imbalance could put women “at increased risk of womb cancer” – particularly if they are obese.

“Oestrogen is almost always given through the skin for HRT in women living with obesity, but progesterone is frequently given as a tablet, and that formulation is thought to be the safest route for women who have complicated health issues,” she said.

“If we then start one of these injectable weight-loss drugs, then you’re preferentially stopping absorption of the progestogen that’s coming in orally, but you’re allowing plenty of the oestrogen through the skin.

“The rules are very clear that if you give a very high dose of oestrogen and you don’t give enough progesterone, however that happens, you’re putting that woman at risk of womb cancer,” she said.

Prof Mukherjee said there was currently a “culture of putting women on very high doses of oestrogen”, which can make the womb lining thicken.

“It’s like having a lawn in a woman’s womb. Oestrogen makes the lawn grow. Progestogen cuts the lawn. But if it’s not being cut, it grows thicker, and then you can get abnormal cells and cancer.”

But she also stressed that the biggest risk factor for womb cancer was obesity – meaning that on the whole, weight loss jabs can cut the risk of disease.

“These drugs reduce the risk of cancer,” Prof Mukherjee said.

“But if they are prescribed to a woman who’s on oestrogen through the skin, and she might already have womb thickening because she’s living with obesity, and she’s not absorbing the progesterone because she’s been put on a weight-loss injection, she’s potentially getting loads of oestrogen on top of her thickened womb lining, and that could potentially unmask cancers that are there or drive an early cancer to a more advanced stage.”

The BMS put together the guidelines after calls from GPs for advice to give to patients.

Dr Janet Barter, the president of the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare, told The Telegraph that weight loss jabs can cause side effects such as “vomiting and severe diarrhoea in some patients”.

“Obviously this could render any medication, such as HRT tablets or oral contraception, ineffective if there hasn’t been enough time for them to be fully absorbed,” she said.

“If these side-effects are occurring, then people should discuss the matter with their doctor or specialist clinician to find the combination of drugs that’s right for them.”

Sun Health has contacted Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly – the makers of Wegovy and Mounjaro – for comment.

It follows warnings from the Medicines and Healthcare products Agency (MHRA) that GLP-1 weight loss drugs could reduce the absorption of contraceptives, due to the fact they slow down the emptying of the stomach.

The watchdog also said the jabs should not be used during pregnancy, while trying to conceive or breastfeeding, over fears they could lead to miscarriage or birth defects.

The MHRA explained: “This is because there is not enough safety data to know whether taking the medicine could cause harm to the baby.”

Dr Bassel Wattar, a consultant gynaecologist and medical director of clinical trials at Anglia Ruskin University, told The Sun: “It’s not the medication itself, but the weight loss that helps regulate a woman’s hormones allowing her ovaries to function properly again.

“Pregnancy is more of a happy side effect.”

WASHINGTON — When a fire erupts in California, it is a lab across the country, at the University of Maryland, that works together with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to determine where the smoke is going. Those unsung scientists help warn the people downwind of dangerous air quality levels.

About a half-hour drive away, NOAA’s Satellite Operations Facility provides the bulk of the work used to forecast atmospheric rivers that are crucial — and sometimes threatening — to communities across the state.

And it is the National Weather Service, working with buoys at sea and satellites in orbit, figuring out the risks of increased winds and dryness that could prompt devastating fires in highly populated areas such as Los Angeles.

It is not just meteorologists and technicians being forced out of their jobs en masse, jeopardizing the standards of those programs, said Craig McLean, a 40-year veteran of NOAA who served as the agency’s assistant administrator for research and acting chief scientist until his retirement in 2022.

The Trump administration proposes to go further, seeking to eliminate the entire research team that provides forecasters with tools to make their assessments. The Satellite Operations Facility has been hit with deep layoffs. Contracts for the buoys, and other equipment, are on hold while under review by the Commerce Department.

It is a cascade of delays and setbacks that could become evident to the public sooner rather than later, McLean said.

“The forecast risk is apparent upon us,” he told The Times. “I think it’s ridiculous to assume that it’s not — whether it’s for the fire season and the hydrology, whether it’s for the atmospheric rivers and the inundation and deluge, or whether it’s just for the high wind.”

Trump seeks cuts both to forecast and response

Workers put up a sign as wildfire victims seek disaster relief services at a FEMA center in Pasadena in January.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

The Trump administration’s cuts to NOAA, which have resulted in roughly 600 employee departures, or an about 15% of its workforce, appear to involve across the entire agency, based on self-reporting from employees and the National Weather Service Employees Organization. But the agency itself has provided few details to the public on the extent of its reductions.

“When the voluntary early retirement separation initiative was put up, in one day, NOAA lost 27,000 person years of experience, which is extraordinary in an agency of what was 12,000 personnel,” said Rick Spinrad, who served as administrator of the agency under President Biden.

“So much of what is done at NOAA is interpretive,” he added. “At the end of the day, when your weather forecast office or your local sea grant extension agent is informing you of what might happen, there’s a lot of interpretation of the environment, of local geography, local roads. That experience is gone.”

But if NOAA and the National Weather Service are ill-prepared for hazardous weather events — entering fire season in the West and hurricane season in the East — the Federal Emergency Management Agency may be worse off, having lost nearly a third of its employees since January. This week, Reuters reported that President Trump’s acting FEMA chief, David Richardson, told staff that he wasn’t aware the country had a hurricane season.

Trump has already raised concerns that he is rejecting disaster relief to states for political reasons. In the first three months of his presidency, Trump issued conditions on disaster aid to California after fires ravaged Los Angeles and rejected requests for disaster relief from Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein, both Democrats.

Californians may find themselves more vulnerable to other natural disasters, as well. FEMA announced this month it would cancel $33 million in grants for Californians to retrofit their homes to gird against earthquakes, sparking “grave concern” among state officials. “This move must be reversed before tragedy strikes next,” Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff of California wrote to the agency.

More disruption for ports and fisheries

Each year, before fishing season begins, NOAA issues a series of scientific reports surveying fish populations and environmental conditions, a basic precaution to prevent permanent damage and overfishing along America’s coasts.

But this spring, staff cuts to NOAA forced the agency to take emergency action on the East Coast so that fishing could begin by May 1. And in Alaska, it took the state’s two Republican senators to plead with the White House to take action to allow fishing to resume.

“The federal government has to do two things: They need to do robust surveys for accurate stock assessments and timely regulations to open fisheries. That is it. When the federal government does not do that, you screw hardworking fishermen,” GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan of Alaska said at a hearing in May. “To be honest, right now, it is not looking good, and I am getting really upset.”

Their challenges don’t stop there. Fishing ships will not able to sail on time without reliable forecasts from the National Weather Service, likely resulting in a reduction of the number of days out at sea and, in turn, leading to fewer profits and staff members.

Americans are already being told to expect higher seafood prices, due to Trump’s tariff policies driving up duties on seafood imports by 10% to 30%, according to a new United Nations report.

“A fisherman who goes out to collect their lobster pots or go fish for tuna needs a reliable weather report,” said Mark Spalding, president of the Ocean Foundation. “Everybody who works with NOAA, from fishermen to shipping, to other businesses that rely on weather and the predictability of currents and storms, are going to feel less secure if not operating blind.”

Similar problems are facing the country’s largest ports, which rely on government experts in ocean monitoring that have left their jobs.

“At the ports of Long Beach and L.A., the systems used to optimize the ships coming in and out of the ports — the coastal ocean observing systems — are being compromised,” Spinrad said. “The president’s budget threatens to eliminate a lot of that capability.”

Vulnerabilities across the Pacific

In Singapore over the weekend, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned that a Chinese assault on Taiwan “could be imminent” and would threaten the entire Pacific region, including the United States. He touted U.S. partnerships across the region on maritime security — an acknowledgment that any conflict that might arise in the Pacific would be a fight at sea.

Cuts to NOAA could threaten U.S. readiness, McLean said.

“Because we have territories throughout the Pacific, NOAA is responsible for providing weather forecasts in those areas,” he said. “The defense community doesn’t operate completely dependent on NOAA in military conflicts — they have meteorologists in the Air Force and the Navy. But they are using NOAA models and are heavily guided by what the NOAA forecasts are offering, certainly for bases, whether it’s in Guam or Hawaii.”

The military, for example, uses data produced by thousands of buoys deployed and tracked by NOAA — called the Argo Float Network — that are considered the gold standard in ocean monitoring. The program faces cuts from the Trump administration because of its affiliation with climate change.

“There is a national defense component here,” McLean said. “The defense community is dependent upon what NOAA provides, both in models and in research.”

What else you should be reading

The must-read: California FEMA earthquake retrofit grants canceled, imperiling critical work, Schiff says
The deep dive: ‘Another broken promise’: California environmental groups reel from EPA grant cancellations
The L.A. Times Special: ‘It’s a huge loss’: Trump administration dismisses scientists preparing climate report

More to come,
Michael Wilner
—
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A MASS grave of more than 50 skeletons has cast light on tribal warfare in Iron Age Britain, where gangs engaged in bloody turf wars.

Historians previously believed mass slaughter events involving hill fort tribes in the west country were caused by invading Romans.

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But radiocarbon dating of human remains unearthed in 1936 have revealed the victims were actually killed a century before the Romans arrived.

Researchers believe “localised gangland infighting” was actually behind the killings, which happened to be at one of Europe’s biggest hill forts, the Daily Mail reported.

“We can now say quite categorically that these individuals died a long time before the Romans arrived and over a long period of time, not in single battle for a hill fort,” Dr Miles Russell, principal academic in prehistoric and Roman archaeology at Bournemouth University, said in a statement.

The Romans didn’t arrive in Dorset until 43AD.

Cut marks on the victims suggest they were killed by “lethal weapon injuries” – and in very public displays.

Experts say their deaths could have acted as a warning to others not to fall out of line.

Dr Russell, who has spent several years researching the burial site at Maiden Castle near Dorchester, added: “The deaths were a series of gangland-style executions.

“People were dragged up there and put to death as a way of one group exerting control over another.”

The executions took place between the late first century BC to the early first century AD – suggesting the violence was lethal across multiple generations.

“These were Mafia-like families. Game of Thrones-like barons with one dynasty wiping out another to control trade links and protection rackets for power,” Dr Russell continued.

“What we are seeing is the people who lost out being executed.

“Most of them had cranial trauma with no sign of defensive wounds. They were repeatedly struck with a sword to the head with the skulls smashed to oblivion.

“You are talking overkill, not a single death blow. These were gangland executions carried out in a very prominent and obvious way as a warning to others.”

The Maiden Castle grave site is one of the most famous archaeological discoveries in Britain.

When it was unearthed in 1936, dig director Sir Mortimer Wheeler suggested the injuries were “the marks of battle” with the Romans.

The misinterpretation of the Maiden Castle site, dubbed the “war cemetery”, brings into question how other archaeological cemeteries across the south west have been understood.

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Travel experts have named the places you could find yourself at risk – including in Spain, France, Italy, Turkey and Thailand

Holiday season is almost in full swing with just weeks until we hit the peak summer travel window, and millions of people will head from the UK to familiar locations in the sun. Each year we make more than 55million holiday trips abroad, with places like Spain, France, Italy, Greece and Portugal topping the list of destinations.

People from the UK usually travel to familiar locations, believing they will be safe from crime and disease, while shunning places they think may be more ‘trouble’. But travel experts have warned some of the most familiar spots are actually the most dangerous – where you are most likely to experience things like becoming a victim of crime.

Those destinations include familiar favourites such as Spain, France, Italy and Turkey.

Diana Peng from Just Wanderlust said: “Places that are regarded as safe but aren’t include popular places such as Paris and Barcelona. I’ve heard so many horror stories from travelers to those cities and I’ve also been the target of crime in those cities – it is rampant and yet, it’s barely discussed.

“Groups of pickpockets and scammers frequently work the tourist crowds in these popular cities. They are also easy targets: preoccupied, lost, or trying to get photos more so than paying attention to their surroundings.”

Patrick Farrell of Viceroy Bali added: “Regions like Cancun and Acapulco in Mexico make me think they are safe, when in fact, they are not. I have received clients who booked luxury wellness retreats there, only for them to experience unforeseen safety concerns outside the resort areas.

“Furthermore, cities like Paris and Barcelona are pretty in their own right, but they do pose some level of safety concern. The two cities have a high risk of pickpocketing and scamming tourists. My advice always is to look at government-issued travel advisories, and talking to someone who knows the city is very useful.”

Ross Thompson at Covac Global said: “Places like Naples, Italy and Tokyo, Japan sit on massive seismic and geologic risks. Naples sits near Mt Vesuvius which is an active volcano that last erupted in 1944. While it’s closely monitored it sits near a highly dense population and is closely monitored for a reason.

“Tokyo sits on a major seismic zone where an earthquake or tsunami can strike not only Tokyo but many other highly visited Japanese cities without warning causing massive destruction.”

He added: “Hidden risks can manifest politically, even if they say it is welcoming to Western tourists, they may have less noted political or civil strife either internally or externally. Think about the attempted coup in Turkey in 2016 where the opposition actually seized airports, bridges and media entities and both tanks and fighter jets filled the cities and skies.”

Ross also warned about ‘kidnapping in Mexico’s most popular cities’ and the risk of illness in Western Africa, Thailand and Brazil.

He highlighted Bali in Indonesia as a particular risk – surrounded by active volcanoes, at threat of political upheaval and home to ‘a host of exotic diseases including Dengue Fever, Malaria and Typhoid’

He said: “And when disaster does strike – you’re on an island and you and everyone else wants out.”

Christian Petzold, travel expert at BCN Travel, said: “Mexico is the proverbial example. Cities like Cancun, Playa del Carmen, and Tulum are tourist havens: splendour and creation in concert. Yet, in the past few years, intermittent conflicts of criminal gangs have touched even these sanctuaries of tourism, some directly in the proximity of tourist zones.”

He added: “Paris, on the other hand, although arguably one of the most visited cities, is known for petty crimes around Gare du Nord, Montmartre, and near the Eiffel Tower. Pickpocketing is almost a fine art there, whereas protests and strikes disrupt transport and city services with unpredictability. I always recommend guests carry crossbody bags, beware of strangers who get too friendly too fast, and keep eyes and ears open for local news updates.

“Rome has a similar ambience. Whereas it is rich in history and culture, Termini Station and some venues near the Vatican attract scams and thefts: from fake helpful locals to those touting friendship bracelets or petitions, the usual distraction-and-robbery routine.

“Thailand poses a curious case. Generally safe and world-renowned for hospitality, guests should be wary of certain transportation modes, especially tuk-tuks and motorbike taxis, which are often unregulated. Some islands like Koh Tao have been in the spotlight due to a string of deaths of tourists that went unsolved amidst rumblings of local corruption. When it comes to political differences in Bangkok, protests tend to escalate relatively quickly, thereby promptly throwing an alienated tourist into the midst of demonstrations.”

How to stay safe on a foreign holiday

Staying safe on a foreign holiday involves a mix of preparation, awareness, and common sense. Here’s the best advice broken down into key areas:

Before You Go

1. Research the Destination Check travel advice from the UK Foreign Office: gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice. Understand local laws, customs, and any safety concerns (crime, weather, political instability, etc.).
2. Get Travel Insurance Make sure it covers health emergencies, cancellations, theft, and adventure activities if applicable.
3. Copies of Important Documents Keep digital and printed copies of your passport, travel insurance, visa, and emergency contacts.

While You’re There

1. Stay Aware of Your Surroundings Avoid walking alone at night in unfamiliar or poorly lit areas. Be cautious of pickpockets, especially in crowded places (tourist hotspots, public transport).
2. Protect Your Valuables Use a money belt or hidden pouch. Leave expensive jewellery and unnecessary tech at home or in a safe.
3. Use Reliable Transport Use official taxis, ride apps (e.g., Uber), or public transport where safe. Don’t hitchhike.
4. Be Cautious with Alcohol Drink in moderation and never leave drinks unattended. Avoid accepting drinks from strangers.
5. Local Laws and Etiquette Respect dress codes, especially in religious or conservative areas. Know what’s illegal – e.g., vaping in Thailand, chewing gum in Singapore.

Health & Emergency

1. Know Emergency Numbers Not all countries use 112 or 999. Look up the local emergency number.
2. Medications Bring enough prescribed medication with a copy of your prescription. Check if your medication is legal in your destination country.
3. Vaccinations & Health Risks Visit a travel clinic for any necessary jabs or malaria tablets.
4. Avoid Unsafe Food/Water In higher-risk areas, stick to bottled water and avoid street food that isn’t freshly cooked.

Tech & Communication

1. Stay Connected Get a local SIM or roaming plan. Share your itinerary and daily check-ins with someone back home.
2. Download Essential Apps Maps, translation, local transport, embassy locator, travel insurance app.

Jetting of to a country you’ve never visited before is an exciting adventure but it can bring risk. Here’s what to do case one of your loved ones go missing, according to the experts at the charity Missing People

Ahead of the summer holidays, here are three key things you should do as soon as someone you know goes missing. The charity Missing People have shared a plan of action to follow.

With over 13.5 million Brits jetting off last year according to a Kwik Fit study, and 82% of Brits saying their “number one holiday priority in 2025” is to explore somewhere new, according to the Great British Holiday Audit report – it’s wise for holiday makers to have a plan of action in case a member of their party goes missing.

The UK police define a missing person as anyone whose whereabouts cannot be established. They will be considered missing until located and their wellbeing confirmed. By this, the definition means that if a person is expected at home and aren’t there, or did not arrive at an expected location, they can be reported missing. Once they are reported missing to the authorities, a public appeal is released via social media.

READ MORE: When is a person considered missing? And how long until they’re presumed dead

Following a number of recent tragedies involving Brits on holiday abroad in recent years, it is safe to say there is a now a certain nervousness about travelling, especially as a young person. The Missing People’s charity have developed guidance, along with the Lucie Blackman Trust, to help prepare jet setters in case of such emergency.

Providing sympathy and support, the advice can be summarised as such:

Think of simple steps to try and find your loved one

If you know the location of where they were staying, try to call the establishment to ask whether the missing person has been spotted on the premises or if someone there knows where they are. If this is unsuccessful, you should contact the local police or any nearby hospitals to ask whether they may be held there or whether they are aware of the person’s location.

Contact the Foreign and Commonwealth Office or UK police

If they appear to be missing after these steps, the charity advise you to contact the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 020 7008 1500 and ask for the Consular Directorate. The Foreign Office will then assign a caseworker if appropriate and contact the British Embassy in the country of said visit on your behalf.

Despite not being in the UK if travelling, you are advised to contact UK police for either the area where the missing person lives, or your own local police station. Request that they inform the UK National Central Bureau of Interpol.

If needed, Interpol can contact the relevant foreign police, however this is normally only the case if the missing person is considered to be at risk of harm.

Be prepared with information about your missing person

To help aid any potential searches, Missing People also advise travellers to collect as much information as you can about the missing person and their recent activity and travel plans. This could be essential to an effective search and result in the local authorities finding them. See below for a list of questions to consider as seen on the Missing People Guidance Sheet:

• The missing person’s full name, date of birth and place of birth
• His/her mobile phone number and email address
• The last time you or anyone else that you know had contact with him/her and where this was
• His/her travel plans
• His/her passport details
• His/her travel insurance details
• Any travel blog/personal website/social network details
• Bank or building society account details (the police may ask the bank or building society for details of when and where the account was last accessed)
• A recent photo
• When you were expecting the missing person to contact you and why
• Whether there was anything in his/her last email/phone call/text/blog/social network message which could give a clue as to whereabouts and/or who he/she could have been with
• Whether the families of fellow travellers could provide any useful information
• Whether there is anyone else the missing person could have been in touch with
• Any other relevant information which could be of use in the search such as, and including any physical or mental health issues

The Lucie Blackman Trust can provide help and support tailored to your situation. It is open 24 hours a day and you can contact them for support and advice by calling 020 7047 5060, emailing [email protected] or visiting their website: http://www.lbtrust.org

If you suspect a child may have been abducted abroad then see here (p. 3) for Missing People’s advice to further ensure their safety, how to proceed.

For advice, support and options, if you or someone you love goes missing, text or call Missing People’s Helpline on 116 000 or email [email protected]. It’s free, confidential and non-judgmental, and sightings information can also be taken. Or visit www.missingpeople.org.uk