SHUTS

FORMER glamour model Katie Price has sparked mystery as her new travel business venture has been shut down just two weeks after its launch amid backlash.

The 47-year-old had created a “Katie Price Travels” Instagram page, trying to recruit agents for InteleTravel under the brand Travel Smarter Group.

She set up the part-time venture alongside her pal TV personality Danielle Lloyd.

Travel Smarter Group “co-founded” by Danielle, promises travel perks, training and financial protection but does not include clear details of its host agency.

One advert on her feed encouraged people to: “Join Katie Price and Danielle Lloyd.

“Hear how you can earn more from travel around your other commitments. Work flexibly. Travel more. Earn extra income.”

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The podcast host received a slew of backlash from the travel industry, who branded the venture a “gimmick” and a “slap in the face.”

Katie was most notably called out by Inspire Europe chief executive Lisa Henning.

She criticised the star’s move and accused her of bringing down the industry name amid the ongoing war in the Middle East.

Lisa wrote, as reported by Travel Weekly: “I very rarely comment publicly on things like this. But seeing this today is a step too far.

“For the past 12 days I have worked non-stop, 24/7, supporting our clients and our agents through the disruption affecting Dubai and other destinations.

“I’ve seen agents in tears because they care so much about their clients and are genuinely worried about what’s happening.

“To see promotions suggesting that you can simply ‘earn money from travel’ with a glossy campaign featuring Katie Price and Danielle Lloyd — positioning the role of a travel agent as something you do casually around other commitments — honestly feels like a huge mockery of our industry.

“This isn’t a side hustle. This isn’t a gimmick. And it certainly isn’t ‘easy money while you travel’.”

Lisa continued: ” Seeing this kind of messaging feels like a real slap in the face to the thousands of dedicated agents who work tirelessly behind the scenes every single day.

“Well done and thank you to all of those who continue to give our industry a good name by doing this job ‘properly’. Always book with a ‘real travel agent’.”

Following the negative response, the model appears to have now deleted her travel page on Instagram.

Katie’s PA has responded to the remarks, according to Travel Gossip.

“Katie has never stated that she personally books travel. She is simply sharing this platform with others to help people become independent travel agents and create an additional income – whether that be part-time or full-time.

“All agents within the community receive full training and are committed to supporting their clients.”

She added: “Katie was simply advertising an opportunity call.”

In a stunning move, CBS News is shutting down its radio division, getting out of the medium where its storied history began nearly 100 years ago.

CBS News Radio will stop offering its service to its 700 affiliate stations on May 22.

“While this was a necessary decision, it was not an easy one,” the company said in a memo obtained by The Times. “A shift in radio station programming strategies, coupled with challenging economic realities, has made it impossible to continue the service.”

CBS sold its own radio stations in 2017, but continued to offer hourly network newscasts to affiliate stations, including “World News Roundup,” which has been on the air since 1938. Legendary CBS News journalist Edward R. Murrow delivered his first report on the program.

The news of the shutdown comes as dozens of CBS News employees are learning Friday if they have a future at the struggling news division.

A morning email from CBS News President Tom Cibrowski and editor-in-chief Bari Weiss that was obtained by The Times said staff affected by a new round of job reductions will be notified by the end of the day. About 6% of the 1,000 CBS News employees will be affected.

The cuts had been hinted at earlier this year by Weiss, when she said her business goal for the division is to expand its reach on digital platforms. Weiss and Cibrowski raised the same issue in their note informing employees of the cuts.

“It’s no secret that the news business is changing radically, and that we need to change along with it,” they wrote. “New audiences are burgeoning in new places and we are pressing forward with ambitious plans to grow and invest so that we can be there for them.”

CBS News has been dealing with a decline in revenue for its TV programs, as viewers have gravitated toward streaming platforms and social media.

The network’s daily programs “CBS Evening News with Tony Dokoupil” and “CBS Mornings,” both run well behind their competition in the ratings. It does have two strong weekend franchises in “60 Minutes” and “CBS Sunday Morning.”

CBS News is expected to be under the same corporate ownership as CNN once parent company Paramount closes its $111 billion deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery. The two divisions are likely to share news gathering costs, which could lead to the closure of bureaus and a reduction of personnel.

CBS News lost about 100 employees in October as part of a massive round of cuts enacted at Paramount after the company was acquired by Skydance Media.

Weiss had joined CBS News earlier that month and was not directly involved in the staff reductions. She is said to be more personally involved in the cuts occurring Friday.

March 19 (UPI) — The Federal Bureau of Investigation took down two websites that belong to an Iran-linked hacker group after it staged a global cyberattack on an American medical equipment company last week.

Two websites used by the group Handala — one that contained information about its hacks and the other used to dox people it alleges work with the Israeli military and related companies — were pulled down by the FBI on Thursday, NBC News and Techcrunch reported.

Handala was behind a “wiper attack” on the medical device maker Stryker’s computer system on March 11, which it said was in retaliation for a deadly strike on the Shajareh Tayyiba girls school in Minab, Iran.

“Law enforcement authorities determined this domain was used to conduct, facilitate, or support malicious cyber activities on behalf of, or in coordination with, a foreign state actor,” a message left on both websites by the FBI said.

Portage, Mich.-based Stryker, which employs 50,000 people worldwide and manufactures a variety of medical devices, including orthopedic implants, surgical instruments and imaging systems, was forced to shut down for the day because of the global attack.

The attack affected the company’s internal Microsoft corporate environment and was not a ransomware attack, it said four days after the attack, after determining that no malware had been installed and the system was able to be restored.

Handala, which has been active since Oct. 7, 2023, is believed to be linked to Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security, American and Israeli cyber security experts have said.

The group is thought to have attacked Stryker because it was awarded a $450 million contract by the Department of Defense last year, and said at the time that the attack specifically was in response to the U.S. bombing of the school.

Handala acknowledged on Telegram that its websites were no longer under its control, and said that the “aggressive action reveals the extent to which the enemies of truth will go to silence voices that unveil their atrocities.”

“To all truth-seekers and defenders of justice, we inform you that the Handala RedWanted website, which was dedicated to exposing Zionist crimes and raising global awareness, has also been seized and taken offline by order of the FBI,” Handala said, noting that a new website is under construction.

In the wake of the attack, experts have told UPI it should be a wake-up call for a wide swatch of U.S. companies that may have similar gaps in security, especially because rather than demanding ransom, the purpose of this attack was to destroy information and wreak havoc.

RAIL commuters will face a number of disruptions as the UK’s busiest train station is hit with a series of closures this month.

Scheduled works will be carried out on select weekend days throughout the remainder of March, beginning tomorrow.

Anyone planning to travel through Liverpool Street Station in London tomorrow may want to double check their plans.

Network Rail has revealed “vital maintenance, renewals, and repairs” for the bustling hub, impacting all routes and services to and from the station. 

Liverpool Street’s mainline station, which sees approximately 98 million commuters annually, is set to shut for five weekend days, during which its concourse will also be closed.

These closures will impact Elizabeth line and London Overground, as well as National Rail services, including Greater Anglia and c2c.

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While the station itself will undergo roof drainage repairs, work will also be carried out relating to track drainage and maintenance, as well as vegetation management and litter clearance along railway lines.

Commuters can expect disruptions on the following dates:

Sunday, March 15

The entire station will be closed on this date, with London Overground services running from London Fields instead.

Elizabeth line services will continue to run, though commuters are advised there will be no access to the main concourse on this date.

Saturday, March 21 – Sunday, March 22

Again, the entire station will be closed for both these dates, with Elizabeth line services continuing to run on Saturday, March 21, with no access to the main concourse.

On Sunday, March 22, there will be no Elizabeth line trains running.

There will also be no Overground Weaver line trains on either of these dates.

Saturday, March 28 – Sunday, March 29

Liverpool Street Station will again be closed for both these dates, while Elizabeth line services continue to run throughout the weekend.

Again, there will be no access to the main concourse on these dates.

There will also be no Overground Weaver line trains running throughout the weekend.

To avoid travel disruptions, rail passengers are advised that rail replacement buses will operate between Stratford and Romford, and between Newbury Park and Shenfield tomorrow.

And before 9.50am, buses will replace trains between Seven Sisters and Enfield Town/Cheshunt and Hackney Downs and Chingford.

Check the Network Rail website for further details on replacement services throughout March.

BRITAIN’s third busiest airport has shut one of the terminals for good.

The terminal, which first opened in 1962, has closed as part of the airport’s £1.3billion transformation.

Manchester airport is turning into a two-terminal operation under the new layout.

All airlines have moved into the expanded Terminal 2, which now handles more than 75% of passengers, while Ryanair flights will operate solely from Terminal 3.

Chris Woodroofe, managing director of Manchester Airport, said: “While this is the end of an era for Terminal 1, it’s really the start of a whole new chapter for Manchester Airport.

“We’re proud to connect the North to the world and our £1.3bn investment in Terminal 2 means that we’re now bigger and better than ever – serving our passengers in a setting that rivals any airport Terminal across Europe.

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“It’s also allowing us to continue our growth and operate more flights to more destinations every single day. And we’ve achieved this at the same as making things more simple and straightforward for our passengers.

The closure also frees up space for new facilities at the airport, including hundreds of extra seats, a new bar called Sporting Chance and an Italian restaurant.

More than 2,000 signs across the airport have been replaced to reflect the changes, alongside a new parking system where all car parks are labelled P1 to P16 to make them easier to find.

The redevelopment forms part of the long-running Manchester Airport Transformation Programme, launched in 2015 to modernise the airport for future growth.

The first phase of the revamped Terminal 2 opened in 2021, with the full expansion completed in 2025, paving the way for Terminal 1 to be decommissioned.

The overhaul comes as Manchester Airport continues to grow, serving a record 32 million passengers in 2025.

This February has become the busiest on record with more than 2.05 million travellers.