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London travel news LIVE: Trains delayed and cancelled between St Pancras and Blackfriars

Lines between London St Pancras and London Blackfriars are blocked, because of “a number of incidents”.

Thameslink trains were brought to a standstill after a failure to the electricity at London St Pancras earlier on Friday, but it is unclear if this is still the issue.

National Rail expects this disruption to continue until at least 5pm.

Southeastern trains through New Cross were facing heavy disruption for the whole of Friday morning but this has cleared up now.

It comes after a week of tube stations being periodically shut on different days, when Customer Service Managers who are members of the TSSA union walked out on strike.

Two Tube stations were still closed early on Friday morning, after TSSA members walked out in strike on Thursday night.

Bermondsey and Borough were shut “due to the unavailability of staff” but both have since re-opened.

More updates below.

Sadiq Khan: London faces 'crossroads moment' on climate change

Which London stations are shut or closing soon? Your Tube and train travel guide

When are the next train strikes? Latest on industrial action

Minor delays to Central line

There are currently minor delays between Liverpool Street and Leytonstone, eastbound only, due to an earlier faulty train at North Acton - good service on the rest of the line.

Overground no longer suspended

The London Overground has returned to running a good service.

No more Tube stations closed by TSSA strike

Throughout the week, several Tube stations have been forced shut “due to an unavailability of staff” amid Customer Service Managers walking out on strike.

Two stations - Borough and Bermondsey - were shit early this morning but they have both re-opened.

All other Tube stations are open too - except Kentish Town which is closed for engineering works.

Minor delays to Northern line

There are currently minor delays due to a shortage of trains.

Bermondsey Underground Station re-opens after TSSA strike

The Tube station was closed “due to unavailability of staff”, after last night’s TSSA walkout, but it has re-opened now.

Minor delays to Hammersmith & City line

There are currently minor delays due to train cancellations.

Kentish Town Underground Station shut - but not because of TSSA strike

This station is set to be closed until late summer because of engineering works on the escalator there.

Bermondsy Underground Station closed amid TSSA srtrike

Bermondsy Underground Station is shut “due to an unavailability of staff” amid the TSSA walkout this week.

Borough Underground Station re-opens

Borough was closed earlier this morning, “due to an unavailability of staff” but it has now re-opened.

This was one of the several disruptions caused by Customer Service Managers who are TSSA members walking out on strike this week.

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Tube strikes – live: London Underground grinds to a halt as TfL staff walk out

Alternative services expected to be extremely busy, article bookmarked.

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London’s Tube network has been largely out of action during Thursday, as thousands of union members stage a 24-hour walkout due to a dispute over jobs and pensions.

Transport for London ( TfL ) have said that most Tube lines are suspended due to the RMT and Unite walkout, with just two or three branches of some lines in operation.

Alternative travel is available on buses, the Elizabeth Line and some parts of the London Overground - but travellers are warned these services will be extremely busy.

Knock-on disruption is expected to continue until mid-morning on Friday.

Mick Lynch, RMT general secretary, accused the employers of failing to make compromises. He said: “TfL have missed a golden opportunity to make progress in these negotiations and avoid strike action on Thursday.

“Our members are resolute in their determination to see a just settlement to this jobs and pensions dispute and they will continue their industrial campaign for as long as it takes.”

• Tube strikes: When are London Underground walkouts and which lines are affected?
• More rail misery on eve of fresh strikes
• Christmas rail tickets on sale for many long-distance train operators

Further strikes announced for late November

ASLEF – the train drivers’ union – has announced another Saturday strike for 26 November.

Citing “a dispute over pay”, ASLEF says: “negotiators have been engaged in talks with the industry but there has, so far, been no offer on pay”.

Mick Whelan, general secretary, said: “We regret that passengers will be inconvenienced for another day. We don’t want to be taking this action. Withdrawing our labour is always a last resort for a trade union.

“We have come to the table, as we always will, in good faith but while the industry continues to make no offer – due to the dodgy deal they signed with the DfT – we have no choice but to take strike action again.

“They want drivers to take a real terms pay cut. With inflation now well into double figures, train drivers who kept Britain moving through the pandemic are now being expected to work just as hard this year as last year but for less. Most of these drivers have not had an increase in salary since 2019.

“We want the companies – which are making huge profits – to make a proper pay offer so that our members can keep up with the cost of living.”

Which Tube lines are running as rush hour approaches?

Most Tube lines are completely suspended this afternoon.

However, there is a reduced service running on the Central Line : between Hainault - Woodford, Hainault - Liverpool Street, Epping - Leytonstone, White City - Ealing Broadway and North Acton - West Ruislip.

Infrequent trains are running on the District Line between Dagenham East and West Ham, with the rest of the line closed.

The top branches of the Northern Line are seeing some trains: between High Barnet and East Finchley, Finchley Central and Mill Hill East, and Edgware and Golders Green.

There is a good service on the Elizabeth Line , although TfL has warned that it expects the line to be extremely busy. Trains will also not call at stations between Bond Street and Whitechapel before 07:00 and after 22:30 on Thursday.

DLR and tram services are also seeing a good service.

‘Staff consistently outscore other elements of TfL’s performance’ says RMT

The RMT union has shared TfL data showing passenger perceptions of the operator’s service and performance, saying that satisfaction with staff remains high.

“Here’s a fascinating graphic from @TfL in October this year,” posted the RMT to its official Twitter account.

“Passenger satisfaction with @TfL is on a downward trend EXCEPT in relation to their experience of its staff. Staff consistently outscore other elements of @TfL ’s performance.”

It posted a graphic showing various aspects of TfL performance being rated by customers from 2021 and into 2022. The highest performing aspect was staff helpfulness and friendliness; the lowest ranked statement was “TfL supports its customers when things go wrong.”

“Yet London Underground is cutting station staff, attacking agreements that control working conditions and working with the government to attack workers’ pensions. Plus it still outsources its cleaners,” wrote the RMT staffer.

Elizabeth line experiences its busiest day – with delays and overcrowding

Tens of thousands of commuters have been sampling London’s Elizabeth line for the first time – as it is the one east-west rail route through the capital that is still working. The new route is not affected by today’s strike.

But disruption is happening, particularly on the leg linking Liverpool Street and Whitechapel with Woolwich and Abbey Wood.

While there are supposed to be trains every seven or eight minutes, some intervals have been as long as 20 minutes – with consequent overcrowding.

This has also led to bunching, with some trains running, almost completely empty, just 90 seconds behind others.

Transport for London insists a “good service” is running on the Elizabeth line, which connects stations in the southeast of the capital with Heathrow airport and Reading in the west.

But it warns: “Elizabeth line services are not calling at stations between Bond Street and Whitechapel after 10.30pm”. This covers the central core of the line.

Jeremy Corbyn shows support to strikers

Labour MPs including former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and former Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer John McDonnell have shared their support for the striking Tube workers on social media.

Mr Corbyn tweeted: “Victory to the @RMTunion!” alongside a picture of him holding up an Islington Trades Union Council banner.

Meanwhile, Mr McDonnell said: “Joined RMT picket lines this morning at Hounslow West, Acton & Northfields to support RMT members on strike on London Underground. Strike solid. Solidarity.”

When will Tube strike end?

Although today’s Tube strike is only for 24 hours, as with previous walkouts, London Underground services are likely to be severely impacted into Friday morning.

Transport for London says of 11 November: “Services affected by Thursday’s strikes are expected to return to normal by mid-morning.”

Because Tube trains won’t be in position, it’s expected it will take time for regular services to resume. Commuters are told to check their travel plans ahead of time.

Heavy traffic by Blackwall Tunnel and A4 West London

Pockets of heavy traffic have built up this morning as commuters try to get into and around the capital without using the Tube network.

Ru Roberts, UK country manager at Waze , said:“London commuters will face substantial delays across the capital today, due to the tube strikes and knock-on effects of protests along the M25.

“Our Waze map shows bumper-to-bumper traffic on the A102 in the Blackwall Tunnel area, with speeds as low as 5 mph. Heavy traffic can also be seen on the A4 in West London, with reported speeds of 5 mph.

“We expect disruption to continue for the next 24 hours, so where possible, avoid travelling during peak hours, plan your journey ahead of time and consider a route which may be longer in miles but fewer in cars.”

Londoners post supportive messages despite Tube disruption

Many Londoners have been posting on social media in support of the RMT and Unite members walking out today.

“Final leg of my commute - from Waterloo - will take longer today due to the #TubeStrike. But in the grand scheme of things it’s nothing but a minor inconvenience,” wrote Al McDonald on Twitter.

“Fair play to the @RMTunion for taking action. Their pay and conditions are our pay and conditions. Solidarity.”

“It’s noticeable how few Londoners are moaning about the Tube strike,” wrote another user, Yousef.

“Yes it’s inconvenient. But millions of us support the men & women standing up for their rights & pay. All power to them. They don’t do this lightly or because they want to. Up the Workers.”

Meanwhile, Ryan Perrin wrote: “Rely on the railway and tubes everyday for work, so another strike today is not hugely convenient for me. However, I could not be more behind @RMTunion and what they’re trying to achieve. Keep fighting guys. Up The Workers.”

More disruption in coming weeks

Cancellations on the Underground will continue until Friday morning – and nationwide several more bouts of industrial action will halt rail services in the coming days and weeks.

Transport for London says: “Disruption will continue into the morning of Friday 11 November, with affected services expected to return to a normal service by mid-morning.”

Staff at ScotRail are currently refusing overtime as part of a dispute over pay. ScotRail says: “The action short of a strike will see some daily cancellations, as the operation of ScotRail services requires rest day working and overtime as recruitment continues.”

Members of the RMT union employed by Network Rail at the Thames Valley Signal Centre will strike on Saturday 19 and Monday 21 November – affecting travellers between London, the West of England and South Wales.

Great Western Railway says: “A reduced service will operate between 7.30am and 6.30pm on most parts of the network, and the last trains will be earlier than usual.”

The train drivers’ union, Aslef has withdrawn all non-contractual overtime at LNER on the East Coast main line from Sunday 27 November, in a dispute over terms and conditions .

Mick Whelan, Aslef’s general secretary, said: “The company has shown a complete disregard for the agreements which shape our members’ working lives.”

Warrick Dent, safety and operations director at the state-run train operator, said: “We are focused on running reliable services for our customers.

“We believe that these matters are best resolved between LNER and Aslef through discussion rather than further industrial action which only damages the rail industry.”

Cycle trouble as bike docking stations fill up

With no Tube trains running, many commuters from the inner suburbs of London have switched to Santander Cycles – the capital’s main “rent it here, leave it there” scheme.

But when they arrive in the City of London or the West End, they are waiting around disconsolately trying to find somewhere to dock the bikes.

Unlike other cycle hire systems, which have no limits on capacity, Transport for London’s Santander operation has a limited number of docking spaces – and there are simply no vacancies.

In some locations, such as Waterloo and King’s Cross stations and on the north side of Southwark Bridge, TfL staff are coping with the demand by moving large numbers of bikes out of the docking stands. But significant space is not likely to become available until the evening rush-hour.

The Independent ’s Head of Travel, Helen Coffey, visited four docking stations before she was able to find a space for her bike.

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Six abandoned underground cities, subways and tunnel networks to visit

Step down below and back in time, from ancient homes to railway stations via salt mines lit by chandeliers.

Going underground: City Hall subway station, New York. The tiled, vaulted ceilings look down on the platform which was last used on December 31, 1945. Getty Images

If you’re jetting off on holiday this summer , or planning a weekend break later in the year, it’s time to change up your vacation itinerary by stepping off the pavement and going underground.

Around the world, many towns and cities are built on top of vast networks of tunnels, aqueducts, medieval dwellings and mines which, although abandoned long ago, allow visitors to step back in time and into history.

From Krakow to New York , here are six places to have underground adventures in.

Wieliczka salt mine, Krakow, Poland

With chandeliers, sculptures, carved archways and stone statues standing sentient by doorways, the Wieliczka salt mine resembles an eccentric billionaire’s bunker over a disused table salt manufacturing plant.

Sitting just shy of 10 miles outside of Krakow, visitors can descend 378 steps down below the town of Wieliczka and enter a world made up of more than over 185 miles of galleries and 3,000 chambers spread over nine floors — the first three of which are open to the public.

Visitors can learn about the history of the mine, which opened in the 13th century and stopped production in 2007, and traverse the complex underground labyrinth. Lord of the Rings fans can step into a world similar to the dwarf mines of Moria.

Options include the Miners’ Tour and Pilgrims’ Tour.

www.wieliczka-saltmine.com

City Hall subway station, New York, US

View this post on Instagram A post shared by ↞ danté vincent ↠ (@dante.vincent)

If you’re planning a trip to the Big Apple, be sure to head down into the belly of the city to experience old New York.

Opening in 1904, the New York City subway system proved hugely popular, especially the first station built beneath City Hall. However, the station fell victim to modern longer cars and wider carriages and the last train pulled into the station on December 31, 1945.

Visitors can book limited spots on tours to the station, which, with its vaulted ceilings, stained glass skylights and tiled archways, remains a stuck-in-time paean to the ‘City Beautiful’ movement to which its Spanish architect Rafael Guastavino belonged.

www.nytransitmuseum.org

Pilsen Historical Underground, Pilsen, Czech Republic

View this post on Instagram A post shared by a tartarian heart (@a_tartarian_heart)

About an hour’s drive west of Prague, the city of Pilsen is home to a fascinating network of tunnels for visitors to explore.

Tunnelling beneath the city began in the 13th century when townsfolk began creating cellars up to three stories deep beneath their homes, connecting them via a network of tunnels.

Digging continued until the 19th century to create one of the longest tunnel networks in Central Europe, over 12 miles of interconnected passageways.

Although the tunnels are no longer used for their original purposes of transporting water and sewage, archaeologists have found relics dating back to the Middle Ages within the walls.

Visitors can explore lengths of the tunnels, many areas of which have been restored with replicas of the water wheels and other industries that used to exist beneath the city.

www.prazdrojvisit.cz

Derinkuyu underground city, Nevsehir Province, Turkey

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Voyage Elegante (@voyageelegante)

Large enough to accommodate more than 20,000 people, along with livestock and food stores, the scale of Derinkuyu underground city, one of several throughout the historical region of Cappadocian , is breathtaking.

Around half the city is open to visitors, who descend down vertical staircases to take in the homes, cellars, school rooms, stables and chapels within.

The caves date back to the 7th and centuries BCE, which were expanded and completed during the Byzantine era, between the 5th and 10th centuries AD.

Throughout the years, they have been used by groups fleeing religious persecution and fleeing war, as the large stone doors could seal off each floor.

The tunnel complex was rediscovered in 1963 when a local resident found a room behind a wall in his home and further digging lead to the city.

www.muze.gov.tr

Tunnels of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Tunnels of Moose Jaw (@mjtunnels)

Beneath the fourth largest city in Saskatchewan, an interconnecting maze of tunnels developed into an underground city with a nefarious past, having hid families and rumouredly frequented by Al Capone.

Work is thought to have begun on the tunnels in 1908 by Chinese workers facing abuse by locals who feared the new immigrants were taking their jobs. Ottawa had also imposed a "head tax" on Chinese immigrants.

Workers carved out a city beneath Moose Jaw to hide in — a place officials dismissed as an urban legend and refused to admit it existed for the next 75 years.

Today, people can visit the tunnels and see what life was like for early immigrant settlers.

They can also experience life as a bootlegger during prohibition in the 1920s, as the tunnels’ proximity to the US made it the perfect spot to funnel drink from Canada — with US gangster Capone apparently visiting on numerous occasions.

www.tunnelsofmoosejaw.com

Edinburgh Vaults, Edinburgh, UK

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ryan O'Neill (@haunt3d_scotland)

Also known as the South Bridge Vaults, the series of chambers beneath the Scottish capital are open for visitors to experience life in the 18th century beneath the cobbled streets.

Finished in 1788, the vaults were home to taverns and workshops owned and operated by tradesmen. They also acted as a place for merchants to store their goods.

Over the centuries, the vaults became home to families as well as illegal gambling rings. Rumours persist that the infamous Scottish graverobbers William Burke and William Hare considered the vaults a fertile hunting ground for their nefarious work.

By the late 1800s, the vaults were empty. They were rediscovered in the 1980s when Scottish rugby international Norrie Rowan helped Romanian rugby player Cristian Raducanu seek political asylum weeks before the Romanian Revolution of 1989, by hiding him in the tunnels.

www.auldreekietours.com

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The land of underground treasures up to 12,000 years old

Editor’s Note: Sign up for Unlocking the World, CNN Travel’s weekly newsletter. Get the latest news in aviation, food and drink, where to stay and other travel developments. In travel news this week: nude weddings in Italy, why North Americans are so unhappy with air travel and the incredible subterranean wonders hidden beneath Turkey. Did you know? A mysterious iron pillar has stood exposed to the elements in New Delhi for more than 1,600 years – without a trace of rust. It wasn’t until the 21st century that scientists worked...

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Discover Moscow’s underground mysteries with a new metro app

Jan 29, 2019 • 1 min read

Moscow Metro launched an official augmented-reality app for Android and iOS called ‘The Underground Mysteries’. The app is full of fun facts and urban legends about Moscow ’s metro system and its history. It also helps the users find some unique artworks inside the metro, including mosaics, sculptures and bas-reliefs.

The first underground train in the Russian capital was launched in 1935 and soon Moscow Metro became famous as one of the most beautiful public transport systems in the world. Almost all of Moscow Metro’s lobbies are recognized as cultural heritage sites. Every day millions of Muscovites and tourists pass through them, unaware of the incredible stories they hold.

All you need to do to learn these stories is download ‘The Underground Mysteries’ app and select a station where you are currently at or map a route around several stations. Then you’ll have to follow the hints from the app. When you point the phone camera to an object of interest, you’ll be able to see its history, as well as legends and interesting facts associated with it, in the form of photos, video and text. The app also allows you to track your personal progress and share achievements on social media.

The app will tell you the story of the original version of the mosaic with sportsmen carrying the portrait of Yury Gagarin, the first man in space, at Dobryninskaya station (spoiler: they used to carry the portrait of Joseph Stalin). ‘The Underground Mysteries’ can also suggest next to which leg of an enormous guerilla fighter statue at Partizanskaya station you should meet your loved one.

The app can be downloaded for  iOS  or Android .

Words: Andrei Muchnik

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City has a secret second underground network built by its paranoid leader

Unofficial reports and intelligence from the US has suggested that there is a secret second underground network, titled Metro-2, beneath the streets of Russian capital Moscow

• 15:08, 13 Sep 2022

A full secret underground system lies in tandem to the official metro beneath Moscow, according to intelligence reports and Russian insiders.

For many people visiting the Russian capital, its metro system is a real highlight.

The extensive network of rails link up some truly beautiful stations in which cavernous halls cut into the rock are decorated with vibrant colour schemes and chandeliers.

What is not on the Moscow tourist trail is the Metro-2, a secretive underground train system which has been the subject of speculation in Russia for decades.

The legend goes that Joseph Stalin commanded his inner circle to have the system built as a means of evacuating the country's top brass in the case of a war.

It is said to have four lines lying between 50 to 200m deep, connecting the Kremlin with the FSB headquarters, the government airport at Vnukovo-2, and an underground town at Ramenki.

How the enormous engineering project was carried out beyond the gaze of Moscow's citizens and off the pages of official public record underlines quite how much control the Soviet high command had over its people.

The fact that such a project was embarked upon at all shows how serious the threat of nuclear strikes were taken during the Cold War.

The true extent of the underground network has been hotly debated since 1992, when Vladimir Gonik's novel Preispodniaia about an underground bunker in Moscow was published.

In an interview about the book the author said it had been written over the course of 20 years and was based on information given to him by officials.

Gonik would later say that the network included a huge bunker with a 180m 2 apartment dug into the rock for each member of the Central Committee, including a living room, kitchen and bedroom.

Two years later urban exploration group the Diggers of the Underground Planet claimed to have found an entrance to the system, Unknown World reported.

Russian journalists have reported that the existence of Metro-2 is neither confirmed nor denied by the FSB or the Moscow Metro administration, which has only heightened speculation.

So to has a report from the US Department of Defence that devoted several pages to the metro and included a diagram of the system.

"The Soviets have constructed deep-underground both in urban Moscow and outside the city," the book states.

"These facilities are interconnected by a network of deep interconnected subway lines that provide a quick and secure means of evacuation for the leadership.

"The leadership can move from their peacetime offices through concealed entryways in protective quarters beneath the city.

"There are important deep-underground command posts in the Moscow area, one located at the Kremlin.

"Soviet press has noted the presence of an enormous underground leadership bunker adjacent to Moscow State University. These facilities are intended for the national command authority in wartime."

Several senior Russian officials have hinted that rumours of the underground's existence are true.

In 2008, Mikhail Poltoranin - a minister under Boris Yeltsin in the early 1990s - said that there was "an extensive network of tunnels and an emergency command centre in case of war, where you can command the nuclear forces of the country.

" It can hide a lot of people."

Former deputy chief of the Moscow Metro, Dmitry Gayev, has said he would be "surprised if it did not exist" when asked about Metro-2.

Others have been quicker to pour cold water not on the idea as a whole, but the apparent extent of it.

Vladimir Shevchenko, who has advised all the Russian and Soviet leaders from Mikhail Gorbachev onwards, has said Metro-2 consisted of a single underground railway line.

He claimed it ran from the Kremlin to a summer home in Volynskoye.

According to the Moscow Times, urban explorer and Youtuber Andrei Pyzh was sentenced to five years in prison in 2021 for 'sharing state secrets' when he took information about Metro-2 to Ukraine.

In 2008 the head of the Moscow Metro independent trade union, Svetlana Razina, said drivers were recruited for work on the secret lines several years before.

"Entering the midst of these tunnels is only for people with special clearance," he told one Russian publication.

"Most often, these branches used very short trains, consisting of battery-electric locomotive and one passenger car."

Whatever the extent of the network, the full truth is likely never to be known.

Oleg Gordievsky, a former colonel of the KGB who defected to MI6 in the 1980s, told magazine Argumenty i Fakty in 2001: "You still do not know the main KGB secret yet: a huge underground city, a whole communications network of such facilities. But they will not show you; they will never, of course."

MORE ON Ministry of Defence Federal Security Service United States Department of Defense Joseph Stalin Boris Yeltsin Mikhail Gorbachev Railways Public transport

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Is it safe to travel to France? The latest advice

T he French government has raised its terror alert to the highest possible level, “emergency”, following the terror attack in Moscow that left more than 135 people dead.

French prime minister Gabriel Attal said the decision was taken “in light of the Islamic State’s claiming responsibility for the [Moscow] attack and the threats weighing on our country”.

France’s terror threat system has three levels. The highest level is announced if there is a terrorist attack in France or overseas, or if an attack on French soil is considered to be imminent.

France was already on high alert for potential terrorist attacks, with the Paris Olympics and Paralympics due to take place in the capital this summer.

The updated terror alert comes just days before the UK Easter school holidays, when thousands of British holidaymakers will travel across the Channel for a getaway.

What is the Foreign Office advice for France?

The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) France advice, which was last updated on February 20, reads: “There is a high threat of terrorist attack globally affecting UK interests and British nationals, including from groups and individuals who view the UK and British nationals as targets. You should remain vigilant at all times.”

“Methods of attack have included knife attacks, shootings, bombings and vehicle attacks. Be vigilant in public places and follow the advice of local French authorities,” the FCDO adds.

The FCDO lists shopping centres, entertainment establishments, cultural events, public transport and places of worship as settings where “indiscriminate” terrorism attacks could take place.

Check the France FCDO page for the latest advice.

What happened in the Moscow terror attack?

On Friday, terrorists carried out an attack at the Crocus City Hall on the outskirts of Moscow, killing at least 137 and injuring 140.

Four men, all of whom are citizens of Tajikistan, have been formally charged with committing a group terrorist attack. The attack has been claimed by the Afghanistan-based Islamic State Khorasan Province (IS-K) group.

On March 7, the United States warned its citizens in Russia that extremists had “imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow” and specifically mentioned concert venues. It advised Americans to avoid large gatherings.

What should I do if I get caught up in a terrorist attack?

Britain’s counter-terrorism police gives advice on what to do in the event of an emergency . This includes to run to a place of safety: “This is better than trying to surrender or negotiate.” To hide: “It is better to hide than confront. Barricade yourself in, turn your phone to silent and use only when it is safe to do so.” And to tell: “Make sure you know the local emergency numbers in the country you are travelling to. For all EU countries call 112.”

Have there been recent terrorist attacks in France?

There have been a number of terrorist attacks in France over the past decade. In January 2015, eight cartoonists, two guests and two police officers were murdered at the offices of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo . The gunmen identified as belonging to al-Qaeda.

In November that year, in the deadliest terrorist attack in French history, 131 people were killed and 413 were injured in a series of shooting and grenade attacks at the Bataclan music venue, near the Stade de France and at several restaurants and bars across Paris. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attacks.

In July 2016, 86 people were killed and 434 injured in Nice after a 19-tonne cargo truck was driven into crowds during Bastille Day celebrations on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice. Again Islamic State claimed responsibility.

What if I want to cancel my trip to France?

If you have booked a package holiday to France and want to cancel your trip for any reason, contact your tour operator and they might offer flexibility with alternative dates. 

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Russia holds two more Americans − including Army Staff Sgt. Gordon Black

Black's mother told abc news she warned her son about going to russia and worried 'he was being set up' by a woman he'd met in south korea..

• 'As far as we understand, this is a purely everyday crime,' Russia's interior ministry said of Staff Sgt. George Black's arrest.

WASHINGTON − Russian authorities said Tuesday they had detained two U.S. nationals − including Staff Sgt. Gordon Black, an active duty U.S. soldier − in separate criminal cases on either side of the country.

Black, was arrested Monday on theft charges and ordered held by a court in Vladivostok in Russia's Far East, U.S. and Russian officials said.

The servicemember made an unauthorized personal trip from South Korea, where he had been stationed, to Vladivostok, the U.S. Army said. Russian officials said he'd gone to meet a woman he'd met in South Korea.

Black's mother, Melody Jones, told ABC News she warned her son about going to Russia. "I knew something was going to happen," she told the network. "I felt like he was being set up by her."

Radio Free Europe identified Black's girlfriend as Vladivostok native Aleksandra Vashchuk , and grabbed clips from her Tik Tok account showing her and Black in South Korea together before the account was taken private on Tuesday.

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in one video, Black appears to share Kremlin talking points, telling Vashchuk's followers that NATO's behavior was "pretty aggressive," RFE reported. Another video shows Black in uniform, wearing a patch of the Eighth Army's Wightman NCO Academy , as a woman identified as Vaschuk narrates in Russian.

The staff sergeant's arrest had echoes of the case of troubled Army Pvt. Travis King , who caused an international incident in July 2023 by bolting across the border from South Korea into North Korea, where he was held prisoner for two and a half months.

But U.S. officials said they didn't consider Black a deserter. The Russian Foreign Ministry said Black's case had no political element and that there were no allegations of espionage.

"As far as we understand, this is a purely everyday crime," the TASS state news agency cited the ministry's Vladivostok branch as saying.

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Criminal cases against Americans in Russia have assumed diplomatic significance in recent years, including a drugs case against WNBA star Brittney Griner , freed last year in a prisoner swap, and espionage charges against Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter , which he, his employer, and the U.S. government deny. Washington has officially designated Gershkovich and Paul Whelan , a former Marine convicted of spying, as "wrongfully detained.

The Vladivostok court said Black would be detained at least until July 2, according to the RIA news agency. The U.S. Army said Black was an Iraq and Afghanistan veteran who joined the military in 2008.

Staff sergeant flew to Russia without U.S. Army permission

Black was being "out-processed" from U.S. Forces Korea to Fort Cavazos, Texas, when, instead boarding a flight to the U.S., he traveled "through China to Vladivostok, Russia, for personal reasons," Army spokesperson Cynthia Smith said in a statement.

"Black did not request official clearance and DoD did not authorize his travel to China and Russia," Smith said, referring to the Defense Department. She said there was "no evidence Black intended to remain in Russia" when his time off ended.

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The U.S. Embassy in Moscow and the Eighth Army notified Black’s family of his arrest shortly after Russian officials contacted the embassy, Smith said.

The Russian interior ministry in Vladivostok said a 32-year-old woman had filed a complaint against the 34-year-old suspect.

Black had come to Vladivostok to visit her, the two had an argument, and she later filed a police report accusing him of stealing money, the court said. He was arrested in a local hotel, having bought a plane ticket to return home.

Public nudity in Moscow

Separately, Moscow's court service said on Tuesday that a court had remanded a U.S. citizen whom it named as William Russell Nycum in custody for 10 days for "petty hooliganism."

It said he had been found naked outside after drinking alcohol in an incident it said "expressed obvious disrespect to society, citizens and public order."

On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in Moscow said: "We are aware of reports of U.S. citizens being arrested inside of Russia. ... Consular officers from the embassy always seek to aid citizens with appropriate assistance but due to privacy concerns we aren't able to comment further."

Contributing: Reuters