fly

Two of curling’s best men’s teams, Sweden and Canada, involved in fiery and controversial match at Winter Olympics.

The often sedate world of curling has gotten heated at the Winter Olympics as cheating allegations and audible swear words overshadowed a feisty match between two of the best men’s teams.

Canada’s Marc Kennedy got offended when he was accused by Swedish rival Oskar Eriksson of “double-touching” – essentially, touching the rock again after initially releasing it down the sheet of ice – during Canada’s 8-6 win in round-robin play late on Friday.

Kennedy repeatedly used expletives to deny he broke any rules. The match came to a brief standstill as fingers were pointed and Kennedy argued with members of the Swedish team across the ice.

“I don’t like being accused of cheating after 25 years on tour and four Olympic Games,” the 44-year-old Kennedy said.

“So,” he added, “I told him where to stick it. Because we’re the wrong team to do that to.”

Eriksson said he simply wanted everyone to “play by the same rules”.

“We want a game that is as sportsmanlike, honest and clean as possible,” he said, “so we call it out as soon as I see that the Canadian No 2 is, in my eyes, there poking the stone.”

The rules state that a stone must be delivered using the handle that sits on top of the rock and that it must be released from the hand before it reaches the hog line. At the Olympics, that is the thick green line at each end.

Replays appeared to show Kennedy releasing the stone using the handle, then touching it again with an outstretched finger as it approached the hog line.

In the early ends of the match, Sweden notified the officials of their complaints. An official then remained at the hog line to monitor Canada’s curlers, and no action was taken. Curling does not use video replays.

World Curling did not take any action against either team.

Sanne and Nick Gibson are two Wizz Air captains who first met at pilot school in Arizona and now fly for the same budget airline, managing to juggle life as parents with flying across Europe

This is your captain speaking. And this is your captain’s husband speaking.

Not the words you’d expect to hear as you buckle up ahead of a trip away, but ones that could crackle through the intercom of Sanne and Nick Gibson’s Wizz Air plane when they happen to be flying together.

The aviators are a vanishingly rare duo who don’t just work for the same company, but do exactly the same job. Sometimes in the same cockpit.

They are veteran captains for the Hungarian budget airline, both based at its UK base in Luton. They start work at the same time, jumping out of bed in the small hours, heading to the airport and skillfully flying a plane load of people to one of the 190 or so airports Wizz Air serves, before heading back to the UK again after a short 35-minute break.

Impressively, Sanne, 31, and her 33-year-old husband manage to make it back from Budapest, Corfu, Rome or wherever they happen to be going that day in time to pick up their 1.5-year-old daughter from nursery.

Having known each other for more than 10 years has its advantages when it comes to working together. When they first joined one another in the cockpit, the professional connection was instant.

“We didn’t have to understand each other first. I knew Sanne’s thought process before it came out of her mouth. I couldn’t have asked for a better co-pilot, because you know each other so well, you understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses,” Nick, from Leeds, explained.

It seems to be true what they (might) say: couples that fly together, stay together.

Sanne and Nick’s soaring romance began in 2015 when they met at pilot school in Arizona. “Away from the prying eyes of parents,” for the first time and beneath the scorching desert sun, the Yorkshire lad and Dutch woman hit it off one evening around a pool after a hard day’s flying.

They exchanged bucket lists, Nick impressing Sanne with boasts of a police ride-along he’d secured in a chance encounter with a cop.

Wings earned, what had remained a friendship in the US blossomed into a romance in the UK, where Nick took Sanne for her first Nando’s on their first date. From then, they may well have been inseparable – had the fast-paced, demanding life of a young pilot not got in the way.

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He scored a job in Munich, and she in Strasbourg, meaning they were a two-hour drive apart. When Sanne later landed a gig in Toulouse, Nick managed to transfer to Bristol so he could do night layovers in the French city.

And then, when Sanne secured a job at Wizz Air in 2017 and Nick the year after, the couple had achieved their ambition of working from the same base for the first time. “I know other people in this job had been at it for ten years trying to get to the same place,” Nick explained.

On his very first flight as a captain, Sanne was there alongside Nick as his co-pilot.

“Sometimes I have to pinch myself that we live together. And we get home every night. I am so lucky,” Sanne said.

The couple’s rotas are aligned, meaning they both work five days on and then four days off. They have permanent, live-in childcare for five days when they’re at work – something they say is crucial to them getting enough sleep to be ready to fly.

“The mum guilt is a real thing, but I think it’s a really important thing to keep going. Flying is a perishable skill; if you don’t fly, you lose it. It’s not like riding a bike. I remember that first takeoff after maternity leave, I was halfway down the runway before I got my head in the game,” Sanne said.

While Nick and Sanne do fly together, they don’t do so all the time. In fact, it’s a chance when they do end up in the same cockpit. “We don’t push for it, but it is quite nice. It was just us, no daughter, no phones. We just sat there and had a chat,” Nick said.

Both are quick to note that they’ve never had a domestic while behind the controls, despite Sanne noticing that Nick does sometimes make a loud whistling sound into the microphone when he’s flying.

They also resist doing a ‘his and hers’ bit to the cabin over the intercom, for fear it’d freak out passengers concerned that they aren’t taking their jobs seriously enough.

Looking to the future, the husband and wife won’t be flying together anytime soon. Because Sanne is due to give birth just before Valentine’s Day.

But after six months of maternity leave, they’ll both be back in the cockpit, jetting off to somewhere sunny together.

Do you have a story to share? Email webtravel@reachplc.com

Jet2 and Ryanair have similar policies

Certain passengers flying with Ryanair and Jet2 will need an extra document to board their flights, according to similar terms and conditions published on both airlines’ websites.

NHS guidance states that most women can fly safely “well into their pregnancy, with the proper precautions such as travel insurance”. And travellers are urged to “make sure your travel insurance covers you for any eventuality, such as pregnancy-related medical care during labour, premature birth and the cost of changing the date of your return trip if you go into labour.”

While airlines typically adopt similar positions regarding pregnant passengers at different stages, each carrier has its own specific guidance. For instance, beyond a particular point in pregnancy, women travelling with Ryanair and Jet2 must provide medical documentation – or they risk being denied boarding.

Ryanair’s guidance states that “you may fly up to 28 weeks of pregnancy” and once the 28-week mark is reached “you will need to carry a completed ‘fit to fly’ letter from your doctor/midwife”. Its website further explains: “If you have a single pregnancy, travel is not permitted beyond the end of the 36th week of your pregnancy; For a twin/triplet pregnancy, a ‘fit to fly’ letter is required between 28-32 weeks, and travel is not permitted beyond the end of the 32nd week of pregnancy.

“If you have any doubts about your suitability to fly or if you have had any complications while pregnant, please consult your doctor before booking your flights.”

Jet2 has a similar policy, and information on its website reads: “We are not able to carry expectant mothers after: the end of the 35th week of pregnancy in the case of a single pregnancy; or – the end of the 33rd week of pregnancy in the case of multiple pregnancies (for example twins).

“After the end of the 27th week of pregnancy, expectant mothers must provide us with a doctor’s certificate confirming their stage of pregnancy and that they are fit to fly, failing which we reserve the right to refuse carriage. This certificate needs to be dated within 7 days of the outbound date of travel and 16 days of the inbound date of travel.”

Elsewhere, easyJet advice suggests that “you are able to travel until quite late into your pregnancy” but adds: “If you have experienced any complications during your pregnancy, you should consult your medical practitioner before flying with us.

“You can travel up to the end of the 35th week for single pregnancies. If you are expecting more than one baby you can travel up to the end of the 32nd week”.

KATIE Price has reunited with her husband Lee Andrews for a sun-soaked honeymoon, just weeks after they shocked fans with their whirlwind marriage.

The mum-of-five has gone against the judgement of her nearest and dearest by flying out to Lee, after her family were left “deeply concerned” by the romance.

Alarm bells rang for Katie’s family when Lee got down on one knee after just weeks of knowing Katie, and married her a day later.

And since then, a wave of facts about who self-proclaimed millionaire Lee really is have come to light.

Last month, The Sun exposed as him as a real life ‘Walter Mitty’.

He was found to have faked photos of himself with celebs like Kim Kardashian and Elon Musk as well as lying about being on the Labour Party’s Board of Advisors and the Director of Philanthropy at The King’s Trust.

PRICEY’S WAY

Katie Price insists ‘I’m a grown woman & not stupid’ as she defends marriage

Making waves

Katie Price’s ex JJ shares post on ‘recovery’ – as she jets to Dubai to Lee

But seemingly ignoring any red flags, Katie appeared loved-up with Lee as she finally arrived to the middle east this weekend.

The couple, who got engaged and married in the UAE, have spent the last two weeks apart as Katie returned home to the UK and Lee stayed in Dubai.

But reunited, they enjoyed a day of sunshine by the beach, with Lee sharing a selfie with his bikini-clad wife.

In another snap, where they wrapped up warmer in jumpers, Lee wrote to his Instagram Stories: “Hubby and wife date”.

This morning, they enjoyed an al fresco breakfast date as Lee snapped a picture of their spread, which included a fruit bowl for him, chia pudding for Katie and a basket of bread and pastries.

While Lee has already shared numerous pictures from their one day together so far, Katie is yet to post anything to her social media.

The trip comes after the star spoke out on the romance for the first time over the weekend, assuring worried fans she knows exactly what she’s doing.

Posting a new vlog of herself packing for the trip to Dubai, Katie said: “I bet everyone’s thinking what’s going on in the Katie Price world. Well you guys tell me because I’m reading it as it unfolds, just like you guys.

“I’m fully aware like everyone else, I see stuff, I get sent stuff. What I want everyone to know is, I’m a grown a**e woman. 

“I’m 48 this year, I’m not a young kid. I’ve learned a lot in the past few years, through therapy and learning to love myself. So I’m not stupid, I know what I’m doing and if I’m happy that’s all that matters.”

Defending the marriage, she added: “I’m not worried, so you don’t need to worry about anything. Like I say, I will do what I want to do.”

However, The Sun reported earlier this month that her family, on the other hand, are extremely worried over the union.

A source exclusively told us: “Katie’s family and friends are so concerned about her relationship with Lee but she isn’t listening.

Adding that they didn’t want her to return to Dubai, the source also said: “Her family have read reports about Lee and are so concerned about Katie’s welfare.

“She has insisted he is a good man though and is sticking by him.”

KATIE Price’s new husband Lee Andrews has shared ‘proof’ he’s not banned from leaving Dubai, despite reports claiming otherwise. 

The businessman has been accused of being unable to leave the United Arab Emirates city after allegedly forging his ex-girlfriend Dina Taji’s signature to secure a £200,000 loan.

But today Lee took to Instagram to address the rumours, sharing a grab allegedly from an app which shows if someone has any travel bans in Dubai. 

He said: “Oh guys, I’ve never really been one to explain myself but there’s a lot of fake news going around so I better say something. 

“I’m going to share on the next story, after this one, that there is no travel ban, directly from the police UAE application. 

“It’s my profile. You can check those statuses, you can check any fines you’ve got, relating to traffic, and also if you’re allowed to travel. 

home comforts

Katie Price’s husband Lee insists they’ve found first home together

PRICE AIN’T RIGHT

Katie Price’s husband ‘was banged up in Dubai jail’ WEEKS before wedding

“Allow me to share that. It’s not fabricated, I’m going on my honeymoon in a few days guys so definitely not on a travel ban.” 

It comes after Lee told The Sun he and Katie have found their first home together – and teased details of their “remote” honeymoon. 

He said: “Yeah, we’ve got the house, thank you. We’ll be flying out for our honeymoon together, remotely.

“I’m not going to tell you where we’re going but it is in the next 72 hours. So, I can fly and you’ll see us snapped somewhere.”

He and new wife Katie claim to have hit it off on social media last month, just days after her split from JJ Slater.

They moved fast to get matching tattoos before Andrews popped the question inside the luxury Burj Al Arab.

Two days later they married, with Lee insisting it is legally binding, despite their officiant claiming he only performs ceremonial weddings.

Lee later made a U-turn after claiming he would be flying to the UK to be with Katie.

Just days after telling followers he would be travelling to meet his new wife, he said: “I’m waiting for Katie to come out here, love you so much Katie.”