Pilots in the United Kingdom have expressed outrage over the German government’s bailout of Condor. Is this a case of jealously or do the pilots have a point?
The British Airlines Pilots Association (BALPA) is the umbrella union representing pilots in the United Kingdom.
BALPA General Secretary, Brian Strutton issued a statement:
Good luck to the Condor staff and customers. But with UK holidaymakers stranded and 9,000 staff out of a job, the Thomas Cook directors need to explain why the UK airline had to be closed but the German one was allowed to continue to operate. How was it funded, because it seems there is nothing left in the coffers for UK staff? And why couldn’t the UK government give the same kind of bridging support as the German government when it was well known that Thomas Cook had a Chinese buyer lined up? It’s a national scandal.
The question is fair enough on the surface. If Condor was a profitable arm of Thomas Cook, why couldn’t money be pulled from that division to keep the whole company afloat?
The answer is because Condor, formally Condor Flugdienst GmbH, is an independent subsidiary. Thanks to swift action and the protection of German insolvency law, creditors were barred from seizing the assets of Condor to satisfy the debts of Thomas Cook.
Furthermore, keep in mind that Condor was not a wholly-owned subsidiary of Thomas Cook. Instead, Thomas Cook held a 49% stake.
So while it understandable that British pilots are outraged, their immediate ire is best directed at the British government, which chose not to bail out Thomas Cook, rather than Thomas Cook itself and especially Condor. Long-term, though, it was Thomas Cook’s ill-fated 2007 merger with with MyTravel that ultimately doomed it.
CONCLUSION
The age of “high street” travel agencies seems such a relic of the past. That Thomas Cook held on for so long is a testimony to the strength of its brand. But staggering debt service from poor investment choices ultimately doomed the airline, not Condor spreading its wings.
The UK government is planning to put out "concrete proposals" for reaching a Brexit deal with the EU within the next few weeks, the BBC understands.
Brussels correspondent Adam Fleming said it was expected they would be revealed after next week's Tory conference but in time for scrutiny ahead of the EU summit on 17 October.
Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay said the "moment of truth" was approaching.
The UK is currently due to leave the EU on 31 October.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson says this will happen whether or not there is a new deal with Brussels - but adds that he would prefer leaving with a deal.
However, MPs have passed a law requiring Mr Johnson to seek an extension to the deadline from the bloc if he is unable to pass a deal in Parliament, or get MPs to approve a no-deal Brexit, by 19 October.
Mr Barclay held talks with the EU's chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, on Friday, telling the BBC afterwards: "I think there is still a long way to go. I think we are coming to the moment of truth in these negotiations.
"We are committed to securing a deal. The prime minister has made clear he wants a deal, but there has to be political will on both sides and that's what we are exploring."
The biggest obstacle to a deal is the backstop - the plan to prevent a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic.
The policy - agreed to by former PM Theresa May in her withdrawal deal with the EU, which was rejected three times by Parliament - is unacceptable to many Conservative MPs.
But the European Commission said Mr Barnier had stressed to Mr Barclay during the meeting that it was "essential" there was a "fully operational solution in the withdrawal agreement to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland, protect the all-island economy and the integrity of the single market".
"The EU remains open and willing to examine any workable and legally operative proposals that meet all these objectives," a statement issued after the meeting said.
The ship sailed from Bandar Abbas port at 9 a.m. local time on Friday, Iran's state-run news agency IRNA reported. The company operating the ship, Stena Bulk, also confirmed the tanker's release.
"The vessel has left the port of Bandar Abbas and is transiting to Dubai for the crew to disembark and receive medical checks and de-briefing," the president and CEO of Stena Bulk, Erik Hanell, said in a statement.
"The families of crew members have been informed and the company is currently making arrangements for the repatriation of its valued seafarers at the earliest possible opportunity," Hanell added.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards forces captured the ship in the Strait of Hormuz in July amid increasing hostility between Tehran and the West. Twenty-three crew members -- none of them British -- were on board.
UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab reiterated criticism of Iran on Friday, saying that the ship's detainment was "part of a pattern of attempts to disrupt freedom of navigation."
In a statement, Raab again said Iran "unlawfully" seized the ship in July. "We are working with our international partners to protect shipping and uphold the international rule of law," the statement also said.
In recent weeks, London and Tehran have intensified talks. On Tuesday, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson met Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
Johnson called for the immediate release of Nazanin Zaghari Ratcliffe and other dual nationals imprisoned in Iran, according to a Downing Street spokesperson.
In late August, the UK released an Iranian tanker off the coast of Gibraltar, a British overseas territory on the edge of southern Spain.
Gibraltar authorities released the Iranian ship despite 11th-hour efforts by the United States to halt the move.
While Stena Impero was sailing under a UK flag, the company that operates it is headquartered in Sweden. Earlier this month, seven Indian crew members aboard the tanker were released.
Meanwhile, on Sunday, Johnson accused Iran of being behind the September 14 attacks on Saudi oil facilities, reported the UK's PA Media news agency.
Johnson said he wanted to "deescalate tensions," but did not rule out military action if asked to take a role by Saudi Arabia or the United States, PA reported. Iran has denied responsibility for the attack.
CNN's Livvy Doherty contributed to this report from London.
The meteor passed over London, according to witnesses who caught a glimpse of the fireball streaking overhead on Tuesday, September 24, at 7.54pm BST. The meteor’s flyby has since been confirmed by the UK Meteor Observation Network. The meteor-tracking group filmed the fireball appear over the East Barnet area in North London. The group said: “A massive fireball spotted from our East Barnet Camera even through the cloud cover.”
Eyewitnesses took to social media to report their sighting of the meteor.
Twitter user Chris Cenci claims he was onboard a flight to London Heathrow when he saw the fireball.
He said: “I was flying UAL934 and saw it just before landing. The blue line is my best guess as to location and direction (SE to NW). So cool!”
Others reported the meteor sighting from Kingston, Buckinghamshire and West Horsely in Surrey.
Samantha Jackson tweeted a the Meteor Observation Network: “Saw it whilst walking the dogs in Hitchin Hertfordshire. Really green in colour.
“Glad I found this tweet as hubby didn’t believe me.”
Robert Currie asked on Twitter: “Anyone just see a super bright meteor over London travelling northwards?
“Am in South London and it shone white/yellow that burnt to a bright blue green flash happened at 7.55pm BST.”
Jocelyn Le Conte said: Yes! I just saw this in Purley, near Croydon. Glad it wasn't just me!”
Amateur astronomer George Miller recorded dramatic footage of the London meteor, writing on Twitter: “Fireball seen from London 24 September at 19:54 UK Meteor Observation Network."
Another Twitter user said he saw the meteor flash green overhead in Brondesbury.
Kirsty Keith said she saw the meteor “green like a sideways fire rock” from Walton on Thames.
What is a meteor?
Meteoroids are small rocky or metallic bodies in outer space.
They are significantly smaller than asteroids and range in size from small grains to one-metre-wide objects.
Objects smaller than this are classified as micrometeoroids or space dust.
US space agency NASA said: “When meteoroids enter Earth’s atmosphere – or that of another planet, like Mars – at high speed and burn up, the fireballs or ‘shooting stars’ are called meteors.
“When a meteoroid survives a trip through the atmosphere and hits the ground, it’s called a meteorite.”
The UK Meteor Observation Network has kept track of all meteors flying over the UK since 2012.
The meteor passed over London, according to witnesses who caught a glimpse of the fireball streaking overhead on Tuesday, September 24, at 7.54pm BST. The meteor’s flyby has since been confirmed by the UK Meteor Observation Network. The meteor-tracking group filmed the fireball appear over the East Barnet area in North London. The group said: “A massive fireball spotted from our East Barnet Camera even through the cloud cover.”
Eyewitnesses took to social media to report their sighting of the meteor.
Twitter user Chris Cenci claims he was onboard a flight to London Heathrow when he saw the fireball.
He said: “I was flying UAL934 and saw it just before landing. The blue line is my best guess as to location and direction (SE to NW). So cool!”
Others reported the meteor sighting from Kingston, Buckinghamshire and West Horsely in Surrey.
Samantha Jackson tweeted a the Meteor Observation Network: “Saw it whilst walking the dogs in Hitchin Hertfordshire. Really green in colour.
“Glad I found this tweet as hubby didn’t believe me.”
Robert Currie asked on Twitter: “Anyone just see a super bright meteor over London travelling northwards?
“Am in South London and it shone white/yellow that burnt to a bright blue green flash happened at 7.55pm BST.”
Jocelyn Le Conte said: Yes! I just saw this in Purley, near Croydon. Glad it wasn't just me!”
Amateur astronomer George Miller recorded dramatic footage of the London meteor, writing on Twitter: “Fireball seen from London 24 September at 19:54 UK Meteor Observation Network."
Another Twitter user said he saw the meteor flash green overhead in Brondesbury.
Kirsty Keith said she saw the meteor “green like a sideways fire rock” from Walton on Thames.
What is a meteor?
Meteoroids are small rocky or metallic bodies in outer space.
They are significantly smaller than asteroids and range in size from small grains to one-metre-wide objects.
Objects smaller than this are classified as micrometeoroids or space dust.
US space agency NASA said: “When meteoroids enter Earth’s atmosphere – or that of another planet, like Mars – at high speed and burn up, the fireballs or ‘shooting stars’ are called meteors.
“When a meteoroid survives a trip through the atmosphere and hits the ground, it’s called a meteorite.”
The UK Meteor Observation Network has kept track of all meteors flying over the UK since 2012.
The meteor passed over London, according to witnesses who caught a glimpse of the fireball streaking overhead on Tuesday, September 24, at 7.54pm BST. The meteor’s flyby has since been confirmed by the UK Meteor Observation Network. The meteor-tracking group filmed the fireball appear over the East Barnet area in North London. The group said: “A massive fireball spotted from our East Barnet Camera even through the cloud cover.”
Eyewitnesses took to social media to report their sighting of the meteor.
Twitter user Chris Cenci claims he was onboard a flight to London Heathrow when he saw the fireball.
He said: “I was flying UAL934 and saw it just before landing. The blue line is my best guess as to location and direction (SE to NW). So cool!”
Others reported the meteor sighting from Kingston, Buckinghamshire and West Horsely in Surrey.
Samantha Jackson tweeted a the Meteor Observation Network: “Saw it whilst walking the dogs in Hitchin Hertfordshire. Really green in colour.
“Glad I found this tweet as hubby didn’t believe me.”
Robert Currie asked on Twitter: “Anyone just see a super bright meteor over London travelling northwards?
“Am in South London and it shone white/yellow that burnt to a bright blue green flash happened at 7.55pm BST.”
Jocelyn Le Conte said: Yes! I just saw this in Purley, near Croydon. Glad it wasn't just me!”
Amateur astronomer George Miller recorded dramatic footage of the London meteor, writing on Twitter: “Fireball seen from London 24 September at 19:54 UK Meteor Observation Network."
Another Twitter user said he saw the meteor flash green overhead in Brondesbury.
Kirsty Keith said she saw the meteor “green like a sideways fire rock” from Walton on Thames.
What is a meteor?
Meteoroids are small rocky or metallic bodies in outer space.
They are significantly smaller than asteroids and range in size from small grains to one-metre-wide objects.
Objects smaller than this are classified as micrometeoroids or space dust.
US space agency NASA said: “When meteoroids enter Earth’s atmosphere – or that of another planet, like Mars – at high speed and burn up, the fireballs or ‘shooting stars’ are called meteors.
“When a meteoroid survives a trip through the atmosphere and hits the ground, it’s called a meteorite.”
The UK Meteor Observation Network has kept track of all meteors flying over the UK since 2012.
Boris Johnson's decision to suspend Parliament was unlawful, the Supreme Court has ruled.
Mr Johnson suspended - or prorogued - Parliament for five weeks earlier this month, but judges said it was wrong to stop MPs carrying out duties in the run-up to Brexit on 31 October.
Supreme Court president Lady Hale said "the effect on the fundamentals of democracy was extreme."
The PM says he "strongly disagrees" with the ruling but will "respect" it.
Mr Johnson argued he wanted to carry out the prorogation so he could outline his government's new policies in a Queen's Speech.
But critics said he was trying to stop MPs from scrutinising his Brexit plans and the suspension was far longer than necessary.
At a speech in New York, the PM said he "refused to be deterred" on getting on with "an exciting and dynamic domestic agenda", and to do that he would need a Queen's Speech.
The court ruling does not prevent him from proroguing again in order to hold one, as long as it does not stop Parliament from carrying out its duties "without reasonable justification".
Delivering its conclusions, the Supreme Court's president, Lady Hale, said: "The decision to advise Her Majesty to prorogue Parliament was unlawful because it had the effect of frustrating or preventing the ability of Parliament to carry out its constitutional functions without reasonable justification."
Lady Hale said the unanimous decision of the 11 justices meant Parliament had effectively not been prorogued - the decision was null and of no effect.
She added that it was important to emphasise the case was "not about when and on what terms" the UK left the EU, but about the decision to suspend Parliament.
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Speaker of the Commons John Bercow said MPs needed to return "in light of the explicit judgement", and he had "instructed the House of Commons authorities to prepare... for the resumption of business" from 11:30 BST on Wednesday.
He said prime minister's questions would not go ahead, but there would be "full scope" for urgent questions, ministerial statements and applications for emergency debates.
Where does this leave Boris Johnson?
Short of the inscrutable Lady Hale, with the giant diamond spider on her lapel, declaring Boris Johnson to be Pinocchio, this judgement is just about as bad for the government as it gets.
Mr Johnson is, as is abundantly clear, prepared to run a general election campaign that pits Parliament against the people. And so what, according to that view of the world, if that includes the judges as part of the establishment standing in his way?
But there is a difference between being ruthless and reckless.
And the scope and strength of this judgement cannot just be dismissed as some pesky judges sticking their noses in.
Reacting to the ruling, Mr Johnson said it was an "unusual judgement", adding: "I don't think this was the right decision. The prerogative of prorogation has been used for centuries without this kind of challenge.
"There are a lot of people who basically want to stop this country from coming out of the EU and we have a Parliament that is unable to be prorogued and doesn't want to have an election. I think it is time we took things forward."
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The PM said getting a deal was "not made much easier with these sort of things in Parliament or the courts", but insisted the UK would still leave on 31 October.
Pushed on whether he would attempt to suspend Parliament again, he said there was "a good case for getting on with a Queen's Speech anyway", and the Supreme Court had not "remotely excluded" the possibility.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the ruling showed Mr Johnson's "contempt for democracy", adding: "I invite Boris Johnson, in the historic words, to consider his position."
Mr Corbyn was due to close the Labour Party conference in Brighton with a speech on Wednesday, but has brought it forward to Tuesday afternoon so he can return to Parliament.
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Lawyers for the government had argued the decision to prorogue was one for Parliament, not the courts.
But the justices disagreed, unanimously deciding it was "justiciable", and there was "no doubt that the courts have jurisdiction to decide upon the existence and limits of a prerogative power".
The court also criticised the length of the suspension, with Lady Hale saying it was "impossible for us to conclude, on the evidence which has been put before us, that there was any reason - let alone a good reason - to advise Her Majesty to prorogue Parliament for five weeks".
The damage is done
Wow! This is legal, constitutional and political dynamite.
It is worth just taking a breath and considering that a prime minister of the United Kingdom has been found by the highest court in the land to have acted unlawfully in shutting down the sovereign body in our constitution, Parliament, at a time of national crisis.
The court may have fallen short of saying Boris Johnson had an improper motive of stymieing or frustrating parliamentary scrutiny, but the damage is done, he has been found to have acted unlawfully and stopped Parliament from doing its job without any legal justification.
And the court has quashed both his advice to the Queen and the Order in Council which officially suspended parliament.
That means Parliament was never prorogued and so we assume that MPs are free to re-enter the Commons.
This is the most dramatic example yet of independent judges, through the mechanism of judicial review, stopping the government in its tracks because what it has done is unlawful.
Be you ever so mighty, the law is above you - even if you are the prime minister.
Unprecedented, extraordinary, ground breaking - it is difficult to overestimate the constitutional and political significance of today's ruling.
What was the court considering?
The ruling was made after a three-day hearing at the Supreme Court last week which dealt with two appeals - one from campaigner and businesswoman Gina Miller, the second from the government.
Mrs Miller was appealing against the English High Court's decision that the prorogation was "purely political" and not a matter for the courts.
The government was appealing against the ruling by Scotland's Court of Session that the prorogation was "unlawful" and had been used to "stymie" Parliament.
The court ruled in favour of Mrs Miller's appeal and against the government's.
How did those involved in the case react?
Speaking outside the court, Mrs Miller said the ruling "speaks volumes".
"This prime minister must open the doors of Parliament tomorrow. MPs must get back and be brave and bold in holding this unscrupulous government to account," she added.
The SNP's Joanna Cherry, who led the Scottish case, called for Mr Johnson to resign as a result of the ruling.
"The highest court in the United Kingdom has unanimously found that his advice to prorogue this Parliament, his advice given to Her Majesty the Queen, was unlawful," she said.
"His position is untenable and he should have the guts, for once, to do the decent thing and resign."
Former Prime Minister Sir John Major - one of the sponsors of the prorogation appeal - said it gave him "no pleasure to be pitted against a government and prime minister of my own party".
"No prime minister must ever treat the monarch or Parliament in this way again."
In Northern Ireland, the leader of the DUP, Arlene Foster, said the ruling must be respected, while Sinn Fein's vice president, Michelle O'Neill, said Mr Johnson should resign.
Other figures have taken to Twitter to support the court's decision, including former Tory minister Amber Rudd, who resigned her post - and the party whip - over the government's approach to Brexit.
Despite personal assurances from the PM, the Cabinet was not shown the legal advice around this prorogation.
This is an astonishing moment and I regret that the PM, who entered office with such goodwill, went down this route. I urge him to work with Parliament to pass a Deal.
The leader of the Brexit Party, Nigel Farage, said the suspension was the "worst political decision ever" and called for Mr Johnson's chief advisor to resign.
Former Attorney General Dominic Grieve, who has been an outspoken critic of the suspension, said he was "not surprised" by the judgement because of the "gross misbehaviour by the prime minister".
He told the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme he was "delighted" the Supreme Court had "stopped this unconstitutional act in its tracks".
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But Tory MP Andrew Bridgen said the court's decision was "the worst possible outcome for our democracy" and "an absolute disgrace".
He told the same programme: "What we've got is a Parliament that's completely out of step with sentiment of the country."
Fellow Tory MP and chairman of the pro-Brexit European Research Group Steve Baker said the ruling was an "earthquake moment".
He described the Commons as a "rotten Parliament" facing a "crisis", and called for a general election so a government with a majority could move forward.
What happened before Parliament was suspended?
Prorogation is a power that rests with the Queen, carried out by her on the advice of the prime minister.
And at the end of August - shortly before MPs returned from their summer recess - Mr Johnson called Her Majesty to advise she suspend Parliament between 9 September until 14 October.
MPs had been expecting to be in recess for some of these weeks for their party conferences.
But unlike prorogation, a recess must be agreed by a vote, and a number of MPs said they would have voted against it to ensure they could scrutinise Mr Johnson's Brexit plans.
The decision to prorogue prompted an uproar from the Commons, especially from MPs who had planned to take control of Parliament to force through a law to block a no-deal Brexit after Mr Johnson said the UK would leave the EU with or without a deal on the Halloween deadline.
Despite only sitting for a week, they did manage to pass that law ahead of prorogation and it received royal assent on 9 September.
What questions do you have about the Supreme Court's decision?
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