launches

CONTROVERSIAL new plans are being introduced in a European country which bans kids from certain train carriages.

Rail operator SNCF has unveiled a new ‘Optimum’ carriage on its high-speed Inoui trains where during the week, there’s a ban on children.

It’s described it as a “high-quality travel experience” and is generally for commuters who want quiet before heading into the office.

Optimum class is a dedicated first class carriage, with reclining seats, individual power outlets, reading lights, free Wi-Fi and winged headrests.

Online details add that “to ensure maximum comfort in the dedicated space, children are not permitted”.

The carriage will always be at the end of the train which will stop passengers from walking through the Optimum dedicated area so it will remain quiet.

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The ticket also includes use of TGV INOUI lounges in stations which have high performing Wi-Fi, drinks, an entertainment portal as well as newspapers and magazines.

The Optimum carriage is only available on SNCF’s main Inoui brand of express trains, which run across France and into Germany and Luxembourg.

And the ticket is also only an option from Monday to Friday – during the weekends every carriage is open to passengers of all ages.

And tickets don’t come cheap, A one-way journey from Paris to Lyon taking just over two hours is regularly priced at €56 (£48.63).

But with Optimum tickets it’s €180 (£156.31).

Not everyone is onboard with the decision though.

On the French news outlet, BFM, the French high commissioner for children, Sarah El Hairy, described the child-free ban as “shocking”.

The podcast Les Adultes de demain also said that “a red line has been crossed” and the the company shouldn’t be excluding children.

In its response to criticism, SNCF pointed out that the Optimum carriage forms less than 8 per cent of the total capacity of a TGV InOui train.

While this may be a first for rail, it isn’t for the skies as some airlines have introduced dedicated child-free zones in recent years.

Corendon Airlines has ‘Only Adult’ zones for travellers over the age of 16 on flights between Amsterdam and Curaçao.

Scoot Airlines has its own ‘Scoot-in-Silence’ section which is is a child-free zone for those 12 and under in the forward economy cabin of Scoot’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

And AirAsia X has a “Quiet Zone” on certain long-haul flights which is a, child-free area for passengers aged 12 – usually this area is in the first seven rows of economy class.

IndiGo is another airline that has under-12-free zones.

For more, here’s a new high-speed train that will connect two European capitals in just three hours.

Plus, take a look inside UK’s new £2bn high speed trains with underseat luggage storage and the ‘most comfortable seats ever’.

NEW city break packages have been launched by TUI – to a destination set to be even bigger this year.

The new packages, on sale now, will connect Brits to the city of Cairo in Egypt.

The latest in its city break packages, flights will operate from London Heathrow, London Gatwick and Manchester.

Passengers will travel on British Airways, easyJet or Egyptair flights.

Five night holidays start from £696pp, which includes return flights, transfers, luggage and stays at Nile Sky Suites Hotel with breakfast.

TUI’s Commercial Director Chris Logan said: “With winter sun, world-famous sights and great value all in one trip, it’s ideal for customers who are after sunshine but want more than a beach holiday.

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“Egypt is one of the best-value winter sun destinations. You get brilliant hotels, unforgettable experiences and fantastic value for money, especially during the winter months” added Logan.”

The city of Cairo’s nickname, especially by locals, is ‘mother of the world’ for many believing it is the centre of civilisation.

Its main attraction is the Pyramids of Giza – the only remaining ancient wonder of the world – as well as the Great Sphinx.

There is also the newly opened Grand Egyptian Museum, the largest of its kind in the world.

The Sun’s Dean Agius visited soon after it opened.

He explained: “The enormous building, covering an area of 470,000 square metres, houses more than 50,000 artefacts — and the centre­piece of its collection will bring all 5,000-plus treasures from Tutankhamun’s tomb together for the first time.

“Stepping through its pyramid-shaped entrance, the 3,200-year-old, 83-ton statue of Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II sits in GEM’s soaring central atrium.”

TUI also said there are “lesser-known hidden gems” in Cairo too, including the green oasis Al-Azhar Park, which has amazing city views.

Cairo remains around 20C in winter, although is hitting highs of 26c this week – making it an ideal winter sun holiday destination around five hours from the UK.

Summer temperatures can hit around 36C.

Brits can also explore the rest of Egypt, with other popular experiences including Nile River cruises.

There is the city of Luxor, home to Luxor Temple and the famous Valley of the Kings.

Otherwise popular beach resorts include Sharm el Sheikh and Hurghada, including the nearby El Gouna.

TUI has restarted flights to Sharm el Sheikh from East Midlands, taking off later this year.

Egypt has long been a popular, affordable holiday destination for Brits.

However, its affordability is seeing it boom even more this year, according to experts.

Jet2 boss Steve Heapy said earlier this week: “North Africa is performing well, with […] Egypt standing out.”

The airline will restart flights to two destinations in Egypt in 2027.

After scrapping routes back in 2011, the new flights will connect to both Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada.

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says Europe will not ‘tolerate unthinkable behaviour, such as digital undressing of women and children’.

The European Commission has launched an investigation into Elon Musk’s AI chatbot, Grok, regarding the creation of sexually explicit fake images of women and minors.

The commission announced on Monday that its investigation would examine whether the AI tool used on X has met its legal obligations under the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA), which requires social media companies to address illegal and harmful online content.

Brussels said the investigation would examine whether X had properly mitigated “risks related to the dissemination of illegal content in the EU, such as manipulated sexually explicit images, including content that may amount to child sexual abuse material”.

In a statement to the AFP news agency, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Europe will not “tolerate unthinkable behaviour, such as digital undressing of women and children”.

“It is simple – we will not hand over consent and child protection to tech companies to violate and monetise. The harm caused by illegal images is very real,” she added.

Grok has faced a recent outcry after it was uncovered that users could ask the chatbot to create deepfakes of women and children by simply using prompts such as “put her in a bikini” or “remove her clothes”.

EU tech commissioner Henna Virkkunen said the rights of women and children in the EU should not be “collateral damage” of X’s services.

“Non-consensual sexual deepfakes of women and children are a violent, unacceptable form of degradation,” Virkkunen said in a statement.

X has been under investigation by the EU over its digital content rules since December 2023.

This month, Grok said it would restrict image generation and editing to paying customers after criticism of the tool’s capabilities.

A nonprofit organisation, the Centre for Countering Digital Hate, published a report last week that found Grok had generated an estimated 3 million sexualised images of women and children in a matter of days.

In December, the EU ordered X to pay a 120-million-euro ($140m) fine for violating the DSA’s transparency obligations.

The EU is not the only body investigating Grok’s tool; the United Kingdom’s media regulator, Ofcom, announced it had launched an investigation into X to determine whether it had complied with requirements under the UK’s Online Safety Act.