they travel all night

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

They Drive by Night

When one of two truck-driving brothers loses an arm, they both join a transport company where the other is falsely charged as an accessory in the murder of the owner. When one of two truck-driving brothers loses an arm, they both join a transport company where the other is falsely charged as an accessory in the murder of the owner. When one of two truck-driving brothers loses an arm, they both join a transport company where the other is falsely charged as an accessory in the murder of the owner.

• Raoul Walsh
• Richard Macaulay
• A.I. Bezzerides
• George Raft
• Humphrey Bogart
• Ann Sheridan
• 94 User reviews
• 54 Critic reviews

• Joe Fabrini

• Paul Fabrini

• Cassie Hartley

• Lana Carlsen

• Pearl Fabrini

• Irish McGurn

• Harry McNamara

• George Rondolos

• Driver in Café
• (uncredited)

• Truck Driver Watching Pinball Game

• Man Griping at Farnsworth

• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

More like this

Did you know

• Trivia The wife of producer Mark Hellinger , Gladys Glad, a former showgirl for Broadway producer Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. , was responsible for getting this film made. Hellinger had brought home a large stack of scripts that he was to read for filming consideration. He had leafed through the script and read the summary, but felt that "nobody would pay money to see a bunch of truck drivers." His wife read this script, liked it, and pressured Hellinger to read it. Reluctantly, he did, the film eventually got made, and it became the sleeper hit of the year for Warners. It was made for an estimated $400,000 and grossed more than $4 million. (Source: Book "The Mark Hellinger Story" by Jim Bishop , New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1952)
• Goofs When Joe and Paul's truck crashes, a motorist in a 1933 Cadillac with California license number 2N 214 stops to give assistance. Later, at Ed and Lana Carlson's anniversary party the same car (and same license number) is shown as one of Ed's cars as he demonstrates his garage door opener.

Ed Carlsen : Early to rise and early to bed, makes a man healthy, but socially dead!

• Connections Featured in Hollywood: The Great Stars (1963)
• Soundtracks When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano (1940) (uncredited) Music by Leon René Played at Mandel's Cafe

User reviews 94

• Lechuguilla
• Mar 1, 2010
• How long is They Drive by Night? Powered by Alexa
• August 3, 1940 (United States)
• United States
• Warner Bros.
• Sie fuhren bei Nacht
• Owens Valley, California, USA
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• $400,000 (estimated)

Technical specs

• Runtime 1 hour 35 minutes
• Black and White

Related news

Contribute to this page.

• See more gaps
• Learn more about contributing

More to explore

Recently viewed

May 27, 2011

Top 10 Myths about Bedbugs

The insects, making a comeback around the globe, cannot fly and are really not interested in hanging out on your body--but they do occasionally bite during the day

By Megan Scudellari

Roger Eritja Getty Images

Once a pest of the past, bedbugs now infest every state in the U.S.. Cimex lectularius —small, flattened insects that feed solely on mammalian and avian blood—have been living with humans since ancient times. Abundant in the U.S. prior to World War II, bedbugs all but vanished during the 1940s and '50s thanks to improvements in hygiene and the use of pesticides. In the past 10 years, however, the pests have staged a comeback worldwide—an outbreak after the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney was a harbinger of things to come. This revival may be the worst yet, experts say, due to densely populated urban areas, global travel and increasing pesticide resistance—something to consider as the summer travel season gets underway.

"By every metric that we use, it's getting worse and worse," says Coby Schal, an entomologist at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. Health authorities and pest control operators are regularly flooded with calls, and the epidemic may not have yet peaked. And because bedbugs are indoor pests, there are no high or low seasons throughout the year, he adds, only continual bombardment. "It's just the beginning of the problem in the U.S.," Schal says.

Spreading rapidly with the bedbugs is a mass of misinformation about their biology and behavior. Straight from the experts, here are the facts behind some of the most notorious myths about the diminutive bloodsuckers.

On supporting science journalism

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing . By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.

Myth 1: Bedbugs can fly Bedbugs lack wings, and therefore cannot fly. That is unless you put a blow dryer behind them, says Stephen Kells, a bedbug researcher at the University of Minnesota. Then they'll fly about 1.2 meters. On their own, bedbugs crawl about a meter a minute, he says.

Myth 2: Bedbugs reproduce quickly Compared with other insects, bedbugs are slow to reproduce: Each adult female produces about one egg per day; a common housefly lays 500 eggs over three to four days. Each bedbug egg takes 10 days to hatch and another five to six weeks for the offspring to develop into an adult.

Myth 3: Bedbugs can typically live a year without a meal Scientists debate this point, but evidence suggests that at normal room temperature, about 23 degrees Celsius, bedbugs can only survive two to three months without a blood meal. But because they are cold-blooded, their metabolism will slow down in chillier climates, and the insects may live up to a year without feeding.

Myth 4: Bedbugs bite only at night Although bedbugs are generally nocturnal, they're like humans—if they're hungry, they'll get up and get something to eat. "If you go away to visit a friend for a week and you come back and sit down on the couch, even though it's daytime the bedbugs will come looking for you," Schal says. Keeping a light on, then, unfortunately does not keep these tiny vampires away.

Myth 5: Bedbugs live exclusively in mattresses "'Bedbug' is such a misnomer," Kells says. "They should also be called pet bugs and suitcase bugs and train bugs and movie theater bugs." Bedbugs spread away from beds into living areas and can be seen on any surface, he says, including chairs, railings and ceilings.

Myth 6: Bedbugs prefer unsanitary, urban conditions "Bedbugs are terribly nondiscriminatory," Schal says. Bedbugs can be found anywhere from ritzy high-rises to homeless shelters. The prevalence of the bugs in low-income housing is therefore not a result of the insect's preference, but of dense populations and the lack of money to pay for proper elimination strategies. "Any location is vulnerable," Kells says. "But some people are going to have a harder time getting control of them because it is such an expensive treatment."

Myth 7: Bedbugs travel on our bodies Bedbugs do not like heat, Kells says. They therefore do not stick in hair or on skin, like lice or ticks, and prefer not to remain in our clothes close to our bodily heat. Bedbugs are more likely to travel on backpacks, luggage, shoes and other items farther removed from our bodies.

Myth 8: Bedbugs transmit disease Bedbug bites can lead to anxiety, sleeplessness and even secondary infections, but there have been no reported cases of bedbugs transmitting disease to humans. They do, however, harbor human pathogens: At least 27 viruses, bacteria, protozoa and more have been found in bedbugs, although these microbes do not reproduce or multiply within the insects. Canadian researchers announced ( pdf ) in the June issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases that bedbugs isolated from three individuals in a Vancouver hospital carried methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus , aka MRSA. Still, there have been no reported cases that the bugs actually transmit human disease.

Myth 9: We should bring back DDT When the controversial pesticide DDT was banned in 1972, most bed bugs were already resistant to it, Schal says, and today's populations are even more widely resistant thanks to the use of a new class of pesticides. Pyrethroids, the main class of pesticides used against bedbugs today, targets sodium channels in bedbug cells, just like DDT. Consequently, as bedbugs develop resistance to pyrethroids, they also become cross-resistant to DDT.

Myth 10: You can spray bedbugs away Thanks to pesticide resistance, those cans of spray at your local hardware store simply will not do , Schal says, adding: "Relying strictly on chemicals is generally not a good solution." The most effective solutions are fumigation and heat treatments, but these can cost a cool $2,000 to $3,000 apiece for a single-family home. Scientists are diligently pursuing other strategies, including freezing and bait similar to that used for cockroaches. In the October 2010 issue of the Journal of Economic Entomology Schal and colleagues at the U.S. Department of Agriculture published a technique that employs inexpensive infrared and vibration sensors to track bedbug movement, which could be applied to the development of automated traps that detect the pests.

Cormac McCarthy

Ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions.

What Cats Do When They’re Out at Night

Author: Dr. Jason Nicholas

Published: March 21, 2018

Updated: November 4, 2022

Our mission is to help save dogs' and cats’ lives through our educational content. To support our efforts, this page may contain affiliate links . We earn a commission for qualifying purchases – at no cost to you.

Cats are a mystery (that’s part of what we love about them). This cat mystery is even more intriguing at night, when they wander neighborhoods and our homes doing… whatever it is they do.

Why Cats Are Most Active at Night

It’s often said that cats are nocturnal, but that’s not quite accurate. Cats are actually crepuscular, which means they are most active just before the sun rises and just after the sun sets.

Maybe you’ve noticed that your cat seems antsy at night or pounces on your chest to tell you that it’s breakfast time hours before your alarm goes off. This is because, for them, it’s mealtime (and because they can’t pass up an opportunity to deprive you of sleep ; )

Cats are natural hunters that evolved to catch their prey — mice and rats — during the dawn and twilight hours. Just because they now lead cushy lives where their meals are brought to them, it doesn’t remove their instinct to hunt for their model meal (comprised of about 50–60% protein, 30–40% fat, and 10% carbohydrates — a diet that’s too far off these proportions can increase your cat’s risk for obesity, diabetes, and more.

Where Cats Go at Night

It’s natural to wonder where the heck cats go at night. At home, they’re usually sleeping, playing, cuddling, eating, or sleeping some more. But what do they do when they’re off on their own? Turns out, it’s quite a lot.

Researchers at the University of Georgia placed small cameras on 55 cats in the Atlanta area and then studied more than 37 hours of footage to look for trends. Here are a few of the key takeaways.

• 44% of the cats hunted wildlife. Their main prey were reptiles, small mammals, and invertebrates (things without internal skeletons… think spiders and slugs).
• Hunting cats captured an average of 2 prey during seven days of roaming.
• 85% of wildlife captures were witnessed during the warm season (March–November in the Southern U.S.).
• Younger cats caught more prey-per-hunt than older cats.

Dangers to Cats at Night

During their nightly exploits, the cats in the study also had a habit of putting themselves in danger. Overall, 85% of the cats did at least one thing the researchers deemed a dangerous behavior! The top dangerous behaviors for those cats were:

• Crossing roads (45%)
• Encountering strange cats (25%)
• Eating and drinking substances away from home (25%)
• Exploring storm drain systems (20%)
• Entering crawlspaces where they could become trapped (20%).

If you’re curious about your cat’s wanderings or if you want to keep track to avoid losing them if they spend time outdoors, you might consider a GPS collar. In the video below, you can get an idea of what one cat did for about 12 hours during the day when its activity was tracked with a Pawtrack GPS collar .

Note: Preventive Vet recommends that cats not be let outside without direct observation. This is for their own health and safety, as well as the health and safety of other animals in your neighborhood and even you and the other members of your home (cats can pick up zoonotic diseases that they can transfer to humans or bring back fleas and other parasites). If this sounds like a good enough reason to transition your outdoor kitty to an indoor lifestyle, see how to keep an indoor kitty entertained and happy .

hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(347034, '08b39101-3748-4a46-b92b-414b759b47fa', {"useNewLoader":"true","region":"na1"});

Cats' effect on wildlife.

Even if an outdoor cat manages to steer clear of predators, their own hunting can be quite devastating to local wildlife. Researchers have found that as few as 25 cats in a national park can reduce the local bird population by half! That’s according to the National Park Service , which also notes that domestic cats can deplete the available food source for wild animals.

Animals like coyotes, foxes, skunks, raccoons, and hawks have a harder time finding food in an area where domestic cats have already hunted the available supply. If that’s not concerning enough, the lack of available prey means an outdoor cat will become much more attractive to other large predators.

Why Cats Fight at Night

There are two main reasons that lead to cat fights. As cats prowl neighborhoods and city streets, they will fight when there is competition for food or a mate. In many places, these encounters are more likely because cats’ territories are shrinking as neighborhoods become denser.

According to Dr. Marci Koski, a certified Feline Behavior and Training Professional , studies have shown that cats' home ranges and territories are shrinking as the environment gets more crowded with cats — in other words, more cats in closer proximity equals more encounters and more fights as they compete over resources. And these chance encounters are more likely during the pre-dawn and post-twilight hours when cats are venturing out to hunt (remember how they’re crepuscular?).

Cat-Bite Abscesses From Cat Fights

Unfortunately, cat fights can be quite vicious, resulting in scratches and cat-bite abscesses that can rack up vet bills of several hundred dollars to more than $1,000 and even spread diseases (see more on this below). A cat-bite abscess results in a soft swollen wound under the cat’s skin.

It may be several days before you notice it. Worse still, cat-bite abscesses can pop and ooze the puss within. You might not notice a bite abscess until it begins to swell, but there are additional signs that might indicate a problem.

Signs that could indicate a cat bite abscess:

• Decreased appetite
• Lowered energy levels

While some cat bite abscesses may rupture and then heal on their own with some home care, these injuries are best dealt with by your veterinarian.

Other Common Cat Fight Injuries

In addition to bite abscesses, bite wounds are also the primary way of transmitting Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV – a.k.a. “feline AIDS”), as well as Feline Leukemia (FeLV).

Untreated fight wounds can easily become infected. A cat’s mouth carries as many bacteria as a dog’s, but their teeth are better suited to transmit those bacteria, even through minute puncture wounds, according to researchers with the Mayo Clinic .

Cat claws also carry a ton of their own bacteria, which will fester and thrive in the warm moist environment of a fresh wound. In fact, cat scratch fever (the horribly painful disease for humans, not the horribly painful song) is caused by the Bartonella bacteria transferred through a cat’s claws, which is actually transmitted to a cat through fleas.

Unneutered males are far more likely to fight than neutered cats. This is even true of multi-cat households, where unneutered males are more likely to fight with each other as well as spray to mark their territory. Neutering indoor-only cats won’t eliminate fighting, but it should reduce the number of fights.

Sounds Cats Make at Night

Aside from the obvious sound of a cat fight, one of the main times you’re likely to hear a cat is when they want to be heard, like when they’re looking for food or a mate. The video below includes an example of cat mating sounds. You might also enjoy the other videos compiled by Meowsic (think “music” combined with “meow”), a research group that is studying the ways cats communicate with each other — and with us.

Why Cats Yowl at Night

Excessive vocalizing might be due to a variety of factors. If your cat is yowling at night, it might not be cause for immediate concern, but you shouldn’t ignore this behavior either. Here are some of the most likely reasons behind yowling.

• Old Age: Yowling in older cats might be due to Feline Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome, otherwise known as feline dementia.
• Boredom: An indoor cat that doesn’t get many opportunities for exercise or play might yowl excessively because they’re bored.
• Stress: Sudden changes in a cat’s routine — like the addition of a new baby or a recent move — can stress out a cat and cause them to vocalize.
• High blood pressure (hypertension)
• Excessive thyroid hormone (hyperthyroidism)
• Kidney disease
• Bladder inflammation
• And a host of other possible causes

Important Note on Vocalizing: If your cat is vocalizing and straining while using the litter box, get them to the vet immediately! This could be a sign of urinary obstruction , which isn’t just painful and distressing to a cat, but will also be fatal if veterinary care isn’t sought promptly.

About the author

Dr. Jason Nicholas

Dr. Nicholas graduated with honors from The Royal Veterinary College in London, England and completed his Internship at the Animal Medical Center in New York City. He currently lives in the Pacific Northwest.

Dr. Nicholas spent many years as an emergency and general practice veterinarian obsessed with keeping pets safe and healthy. He is the author of Preventive Vet’s 101 Essential Tips book series.

Related Articles

Wild Turkey Behavior

Ever wondered a turkey does on a daily basis you’re in the right place.

Most of the time when we see wild turkeys, whether hunting, birdwatching or by chance, it is usually for a fleeting moment. Ever wondered what they do they rest of the time? You’re in the right place.

So, what does a wild turkey do during the day? 

It's been said that if you can locate a food source then you can locate birds. Wild turkeys are opportunistic foragers. They spend a good portion of their day scratching in leaf litter, chasing bugs and milling for seeds. See their food habits outlined below.

Poults:  In the first few weeks and during their first summer, broods spend nearly 90 percent of their waking hours feeding. Poults grow at rapid rates and require a steady intake of nutritious food, mainly consisting of small insects (beetles, grasshoppers, leafhoppers) which are generally better sources of protein and energy than plant materials. As poults grow, they use more habitat types and food sources. 

Juveniles and adults:  Both animal and plant matter are consumed by older turkeys. Frequent food sources include soft mass (such as fruits, including blackberries, cherries, huckleberries and grapes), hard mass (such as acorns, beachnuts and hickory nuts), as well as grasses, sedges, wheat and chufa. Animal foods consist of larvae, grasshoppers and beetles. 

They Walk 

Wild turkeys generally move a mile or two in one day depending on habitat and distance to food and water sources. The annual home range of wild turkeys varies from 370 to 1,360 acres and contains a mixture of trees and grass cover. Deep snow in the north and dry conditions in the west limit access to food and water and also set limits to the wild turkey's distribution across the United States. 

Did You know that flocks prefer mature timber for roosting sites?

Did you know an average adult turkey diet is made up of 85 percent vegetable matter and 15 percent animal matter, did you know the internal motivation of individual gobblers varies from day to day during breeding season, did you know turkeys have eight different shaped feathers that all help with: body covering, insulation, waterproofing, flight, protection and display and recognition.

They Talk 

Just like humans, turkeys talk to communicate. Their vocabulary consists of 28 distinct calls. Each sound has a general meaning and can be used for different situations. Male turkeys are notorious for their iconic gobble, which unlike other calls, is given with a fixed intensity. Listen to all the sounds made by the wild turkey on our  Wild Turkey Sounds  page. 

Roosting in trees in an important element in the life of a wild turkey. It is a life-saving technique because roosting in trees helps birds avoid ground predators. Poults begin roosting from about 14-28 days old, depending on the sub-species, location and temperature. Turkeys may use traditional roost sites night after night but they generally use different sites and move from tree to tree. Turkeys usually select the largest trees available and roost as high in them as they can comfortably perch. In fair weather, hardwood trees are favored, while hemlocks offer good protection from harsh elements. 

They Fight for Dominance & Mate

During the fall and winter seasons, it's common for turkeys to be in the good company of their equals. You'll see groups of jakes, old and young hens and mature gobblers all sectioned out. The different flocks allow the birds to more easily determine dominance. In the spring, mating rituals begin. Learn more about the pecking order and breeding cycles on our  Wild Turkey Lifestyle and Breeding  page. 

They Dust, Sun and Preen

Wild turkeys dust, sun and preen from a young age, about 2-4 days old. Dusting is usually a flock activity. A dust bath is part of a bird's preening and plumage maintenance that keeps feathers in top condition. Turkeys will flap frantically in the dirt to spread dust over their entire body. Doing so keeps feathers from becoming greasy or matted. Sunning and preening often follow a dust bath as part of their extensive grooming regimen. Sunning birds recline on one side and extend the upward wing and leg to expose a large surface area to direct sunlight. Birds sun for several reasons: to obtain heat as a way of regulating their body temperature, maintain feather health, dislodge feather parasites and for relaxation. Preening is a common bird behavior to keep feathers in good shape. Birds preen to remove dust, dirt and parasites from their feathers. They also align each feather in the optimum position relative to adjacent feathers and body shape. 

• Eastern Wild Turkey
• Gould's Wild Turkey
• Merriam's Wild Turkey
• Osceola Wild Turkey
• Rio Grande Wild Turkey
• Wild Turkey Basics

An official website of the United States government

Here's how you know

Official websites use .gov A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS A lock ( Lock A locked padlock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

• A–Z Index
• Operating Status

Resources For

• New / Prospective Employees
• Federal Employees
• HR Professionals

Compensatory Time Off for Travel - Questions & Answers to Fact Sheet

• Q1. What is compensatory time off for travel? View more A. Compensatory time off for travel is a separate form of compensatory time off that may be earned by an employee for time spent in a travel status away from the employee's official duty station when such time is not otherwise compensable.
• Q2. Are all employees covered by this provision? View more A. The compensatory time off provision applies to an "employee" as defined in 5 U.S.C. 5541(2) who is employed in an "Executive agency" as defined in 5 U.S.C. 105, without regard to whether the employee is exempt from or covered by the overtime pay provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, as amended. For example, this includes employees in senior-level (SL) and scientific or professional (ST) positions, but not members of the Senior Executive Service or Senior Foreign Service or Foreign Service officers. Effective April 27, 2008, prevailing rate (wage) employees are covered under the compensatory time off for travel provision. (See CPM 2008-04 .)
• Q3. Are intermittent employees eligible to earn compensatory time off for travel? View more A. No. Compensatory time off for travel may be used by an employee when the employee is granted time off from his or her scheduled tour of duty established for leave purposes. (See 5 CFR 550.1406(b).) Also see the definition of "scheduled tour of duty for leave purposes" in 5 CFR 550.1403. Employees who are on intermittent work schedules are not eligible to earn and use compensatory time off for travel because they do not have a scheduled tour of duty for leave purposes.
• Q4. What qualifies as travel for the purpose of this provision? View more A. To qualify for this purpose, travel must be officially authorized. In other words, travel must be for work purposes and must be approved by an authorized agency official or otherwise authorized under established agency policies. (Also see Q5.)
• Q5. May an employee earn compensatory time off when he or she travels in conjunction with the performance of union representational duties? View more A. No. The term "travel" is defined at 5 CFR 550.1403 to mean officially authorized travel—i.e., travel for work purposes approved by an authorized agency official or otherwise authorized under established agency policies. The definition specifically excludes time spent traveling in connection with union activities. The term "travel for work purposes" is intended to mean travel for agency-related work purposes. Thus, employees who travel in connection with union activities are not entitled to earn compensatory time off for travel because they are traveling for the benefit of the union, and not for agency-related work purposes.
• Q6. An employee receives compensatory time off for travel only for those hours spent in a travel status. What qualifies as time in a travel status? View more A. Travel status includes only the time actually spent traveling between the official duty station and a temporary duty station, or between two temporary duty stations, and the usual waiting time that precedes or interrupts such travel.
• Q7. Is travel in connection with a permanent change of station (PCS) creditable for compensatory time off for travel? View more A. Although PCS travel is officially authorized travel, it is not travel between an official duty station and a temporary duty station or between two temporary duty stations. Therefore, it is not considered time in a travel status for the purpose of earning compensatory time off for travel.
• Q8. What is meant by "usual waiting time"? View more A. Airline travelers generally are required to arrive at the airport at a designated pre-departure time (e.g., 1 or 2 hours before the scheduled departure, depending on whether the flight is domestic or international). Such waiting time at the airport is considered usual waiting time and is creditable time in a travel status. In addition, time spent at an intervening airport waiting for a connecting flight (e.g., 1 or 2 hours) also is creditable time in a travel status. In all cases, determinations regarding what is creditable as "usual waiting time" are within the sole and exclusive discretion of the employing agency.
• Q9. What if an employee experiences an "extended" waiting period? View more A. If an employee experiences an unusually long wait prior to his or her initial departure or between actual periods of travel during which the employee is free to rest, sleep, or otherwise use the time for his or her own purposes, the extended waiting time outside the employee's regular working hours is not creditable time in a travel status. An extended waiting period that occurs during an employee's regular working hours is compensable as part of the employee's regularly scheduled administrative workweek.
• Q10. Do meal periods count as time in a travel status? View more A. Meal periods during actual travel time or waiting time are not specifically excluded from creditable time in a travel status for the purpose of earning compensatory time off for travel. However, determinations regarding what is creditable as "usual waiting time" are within the sole and exclusive discretion of the employing agency.
• Q11. What happens once an employee reaches a temporary duty station? View more A. Time spent at a temporary duty station between arrival and departure is not creditable travel time for the purpose of earning compensatory time off for travel. Time in a travel status ends when the employee arrives at the temporary duty worksite or his or her lodging in the temporary duty station, wherever the employee arrives first. Time in a travel status resumes when an employee departs from the temporary duty worksite or his or her lodging in the temporary duty station, wherever the employee departs last.
• Q12. When is it appropriate for an agency to offset creditable time in a travel status by the amount of time the employee spends in normal commuting between home and work? View more A. If an employee travels directly between his or her home and a temporary duty station outside the limits of the employee's official duty station (e.g., driving to and from a 3-day conference), the agency must deduct the employee's normal home-to-work/work-to-home commuting time from the creditable travel time. The agency must also deduct an employee's normal commuting time from the creditable travel time if the employee is required—outside of regular working hours—to travel between home and a transportation terminal (e.g., an airport or train station) outside the limits of the employee's official duty station.
• Q13. What if an employee travels to a transportation terminal within the limits of his or her official duty station? View more A. An employee's time spent traveling outside of regular working hours to or from a transportation terminal within the limits of his or her official duty station is considered equivalent to commuting time and is not creditable time in a travel status for the purpose of earning compensatory time off for travel.
• Q14. What if an employee travels from a worksite to a transportation terminal? View more A. If an employee travels between a worksite and a transportation terminal, the travel time outside regular working hours is creditable as time in a travel status, and no commuting time offset applies. For example, after completing his or her workday, an employee may travel directly from the regular worksite to an airport to attend an out-of-town meeting the following morning. The travel time between the regular worksite and the airport is creditable as time in a travel status.
• Q15. What if an employee elects to travel at a time other than the time selected by the agency? View more A. When an employee travels at a time other than the time selected by the agency, the agency must determine the estimated amount of time in a travel status the employee would have had if the employee had traveled at the time selected by the agency. The agency must credit the employee with the lesser of (1) the estimated time in a travel status the employee would have had if the employee had traveled at the time selected by the agency, or (2) the employee's actual time in a travel status at a time other than that selected by the agency.
• Q16. How is an employee's travel time calculated for the purpose of earning compensatory time off for travel when the travel involves two or more time zones? View more A. When an employee's travel involves two or more time zones, the time zone from point of first departure must be used to determine how many hours the employee actually spent in a travel status for the purpose of accruing compensatory time off for travel. For example, if an employee travels from his official duty station in Washington, DC, to a temporary duty station in San Francisco, CA, the Washington, DC, time zone must be used to determine how many hours the employee spent in a travel status. However, on the return trip to Washington, DC, the time zone from San Francisco, CA, must be used to calculate how many hours the employee spent in a travel status.
• Q17. How is compensatory time off for travel earned and credited? View more A. Compensatory time off for travel is earned for qualifying time in a travel status. Agencies may authorize credit in increments of one-tenth of an hour (6 minutes) or one-quarter of an hour (15 minutes). Agencies must track and manage compensatory time off for travel separately from other forms of compensatory time off.
• Q18. Is there a limitation on the amount of compensatory time off for travel an employee may earn? View more A. No.
• Q19. How does an employee request credit for compensatory time off for travel? View more A. Agencies may establish procedures for requesting credit for compensatory time off for travel. An employee must comply with his or her agency's procedures for requesting credit of compensatory time off, and the employee must file a request for such credit within the time period established by the agency. An employee's request for credit of compensatory time off for travel may be denied if the request is not filed within the time period required by the agency.
• Q20. Is there a form employees must fill out for requests to earn or use compensatory time off for travel? View more A. There is not a Governmentwide form used for requests to earn or use compensatory time off for travel. However, an agency may choose to develop a form as part of its internal policies and procedures.
• Q21. How does an employee use accrued compensatory time off for travel? View more A. An employee must request permission from his or her supervisor to schedule the use of his or her accrued compensatory time off for travel in accordance with agency policies and procedures. Compensatory time off for travel may be used when the employee is granted time off from his or her scheduled tour of duty established for leave purposes. Employees must use accrued compensatory time off for travel in increments of one-tenth of an hour (6 minutes) or one-quarter of an hour (15 minutes).
• Q22. In what order should agencies charge compensatory time off for travel? View more A. Agencies must charge compensatory time off for travel in the chronological order in which it was earned, with compensatory time off for travel earned first being charged first.
• Q23. How long does an employee have to use accrued compensatory time off for travel? View more A. An employee must use his or her accrued compensatory time off for travel by the end of the 26th pay period after the pay period during which it was earned or the employee must forfeit such compensatory time off, except in certain circumstances. (See Q24 and Q25 for exceptions.)
• Q24. What if an employee is unable to use his or her accrued compensatory time off for travel because of uniformed service or an on-the-job injury with entitlement to injury compensation? View more A. Unused compensatory time off for travel will be held in abeyance for an employee who separates, or is placed in a leave without pay status, and later returns following (1) separation or leave without pay to perform service in the uniformed services (as defined in 38 U.S.C. 4303 and 5 CFR 353.102) and a return to service through the exercise of a reemployment right or (2) separation or leave without pay due to an on-the-job injury with entitlement to injury compensation under 5 U.S.C. chapter 81. The employee must use all of the compensatory time off for travel held in abeyance by the end of the 26th pay period following the pay period in which the employee returns to duty, or such compensatory time off for travel will be forfeited.
• Q25. What if an employee is unable to use his or her accrued compensatory time off for travel because of an exigency of the service beyond the employee's control? View more A. If an employee fails to use his or her accrued compensatory time off for travel before the end of the 26th pay period after the pay period during which it was earned due to an exigency of the service beyond the employee's control, the head of an agency, at his or her sole and exclusive discretion, may extend the time limit for up to an additional 26 pay periods.
• Q26. May unused compensatory time off for travel be restored if an employee does not use it by the end of the 26th pay period after the pay period during which it was earned? View more A. Except in certain circumstances (see Q24 and Q25), any compensatory time off for travel not used by the end of the 26th pay period after the pay period during which it was earned must be forfeited.
• Q27. What happens to an employee's unused compensatory time off for travel upon separation from Federal service? View more A. Except in certain circumstances (see Q24), an employee must forfeit all unused compensatory time off for travel upon separation from Federal service.
• Q28. May an employee receive a lump-sum payment for accrued compensatory time off for travel upon separation from an agency? View more A. No. The law prohibits payment for unused compensatory time off for travel under any circumstances.
• Q29. What happens to an employee's accrued compensatory time off for travel upon transfer to another agency? View more A. When an employee voluntarily transfers to another agency (including a promotion or change to lower grade action), the employee must forfeit all of his or her unused compensatory time off for travel.
• Q30. What happens to an employee's accrued compensatory time off for travel when the employee moves to a position that is not covered by the regulations in 5 CFR part 550, subpart N? View more A. When an employee moves to a position in an agency not covered by the compensatory time off for travel provisions (e.g., the United States Postal Service), the employee must forfeit all of his or her unused compensatory time off for travel. However, the gaining agency may use its own legal authority to give the employee credit for such compensatory time off.
• Q31. Is compensatory time off for travel considered in applying the premium pay and aggregate pay caps? View more A. No. Compensatory time off for travel may not be considered in applying the biweekly or annual premium pay limitations established under 5 U.S.C. 5547 or the aggregate limitation on pay established under 5 U.S.C. 5307.
• Q32. When are criminal investigators who receive availability pay precluded from earning compensatory time off for travel? View more A. Compensatory time off for travel is earned only for hours not otherwise compensable. The term "compensable" is defined at 5 CFR 550.1403 to include any hours of a type creditable under other compensation provisions, even if there are compensation caps limiting the payment of premium pay for those hours (e.g., the 25 percent cap on availability pay and the biweekly premium pay cap). For availability pay recipients, this means hours of travel are not creditable as time in a travel status for compensatory time off purposes if the hours are (1) compensated by basic pay, (2) regularly scheduled overtime hours creditable under 5 U.S.C. 5542, or (3) "unscheduled duty hours" as described in 5 CFR 550.182(a), (c), and (d).
• Q33. What constitutes "unscheduled duty hours" as described in 5 CFR 550.182(a), (c), and (d)? View more A. Under the availability pay regulations, unscheduled duty hours include (1) all irregular overtime hours—i.e., overtime work not scheduled in advance of the employee's administrative workweek, (2) the first 2 overtime hours on any day containing part of the employee's basic 40-hour workweek, without regard to whether the hours are unscheduled or regularly scheduled, and (3) any approved nonwork availability hours. However, special agents in the Diplomatic Security Service of the Department of State may count only hours actually worked as unscheduled duty hours.
• Q34. Why are criminal investigators who receive availability pay precluded from earning compensatory time off when they travel during unscheduled duty hours? View more A. The purpose of availability pay is to ensure the availability of criminal investigators (and certain similar law enforcement employees) for unscheduled duty in excess of a 40-hour workweek based on the needs of the employing agency. Availability pay compensates an employee for all unscheduled duty hours. Compensatory time off for travel is earned only for hours not otherwise compensable. Thus, availability pay recipients may not earn compensatory time off for travel during unscheduled duty hours because the employees are entitled to availability pay for those hours.

A. When an employee who receives availability pay is required to travel on a non-workday or on a regular workday (during hours that exceed the employee's basic 8-hour workday), and the travel does not meet one of the four criteria in 5 U.S.C. 5542(b)(2)(B) and 5 CFR 550.112(g)(2), the travel time is not compensable as overtime hours of work under regular overtime or availability pay. Thus, the employee may earn compensatory time off for such travel, subject to the exclusion specified in 5 CFR 550.1404(b)(2) and the requirements in 5 CFR 550.1404(c),(d), and (e).

Under the provisions in 5 U.S.C. 5542(b)(2)(B) and 5 CFR 550.112(g)(2), travel time is compensable as overtime hours of work if the travel is away from the employee's official duty station and—

(i) involves the performance of work while traveling, (ii) is incident to travel that involves the performance of work while traveling, (iii) is carried out under arduous conditions, or (iv) results from an event which could not be scheduled or controlled administratively.

The phrase "an event which could not be scheduled or controlled administratively" refers to the ability of an agency in the Executive Branch of the United States Government to control the scheduling of an event which necessitates an employee's travel. If the employing agency or another Executive Branch agency has any control over the scheduling of the event, including by means of approval of a contract for it, then the event is administratively controllable, and the travel to and from the event cannot be credited as overtime hours of work.

For example, an interagency conference sponsored by the Department of Justice would be considered a joint endeavor of the participating Executive Branch agencies and within their administrative control. Under these circumstances, the travel time outside an employee's regular working hours is not compensable as overtime hours of work under regular overtime or availability pay. Therefore, the employee may earn compensatory time off for such travel, subject to the exclusion specified in 5 CFR 550.1404(b)(2) and the requirements in 5 CFR 550.1404(c), (d), and (e).

• Q36. If an employee is required to travel on a Federal holiday (or an "in lieu of" holiday), is the employee entitled to receive compensatory time off for travel? View more A. Although most employees do not receive holiday premium pay for time spent traveling on a holiday (or an "in lieu of" holiday), an employee continues to be entitled to pay for the holiday in the same manner as if the travel were not required. Thus, an employee may not earn compensatory time off for travel during basic (non-overtime) holiday hours because the employee is entitled to his or her rate of basic pay for those hours. Compensatory time off for travel may be earned by an employee only for time spent in a travel status away from the employee's official duty station when such time is not otherwise compensable.
• Q37. If an employee's regularly scheduled tour of duty is Sunday through Thursday and the employee is required to travel on a Sunday during regular working hours, is the employee entitled to earn compensatory time off for travel? View more A. No. Compensatory time off for travel may be earned by an employee only for time spent in a travel status away from the employee's official duty station when such time is not otherwise compensable. Thus, an employee may not earn compensatory time off for travel for traveling on a workday during regular working hours because the employee is receiving his or her rate of basic pay for those hours.
• Q38. May an agency change an employee's work schedule for travel purposes? View more A. An agency may not adjust the regularly scheduled administrative workweek that normally applies to an employee (part-time or full-time) solely for the purpose of including planned travel time not otherwise considered compensable hours of work. However, an employee is entitled to earn compensatory time off for travel for time spent in a travel status when such time is not otherwise compensable.
• Q39. Is time spent traveling creditable as credit hours for an employee who is authorized to earn credit hours under an alternative work schedule? View more A. Credit hours are hours an employee elects to work, with supervisory approval, in excess of the employee's basic work requirement under a flexible work schedule. Under certain conditions, an agency may permit an employee to earn credit hours by performing productive and essential work while in a travel status. See OPM's fact sheet on credit hours  for the conditions that must be met. If those conditions are met and the employee does earn credit hours for travel, the time spent traveling would be compensable and the employee would not be eligible to earn compensatory time off for travel. If the conditions are not met, the employee would be eligible to earn compensatory time off for travel.
• Q40. May an agency restore an employee's forfeited "use-or-lose" annual leave because the employee elected to use earned compensatory time off for travel instead of using his or her excess annual leave? View more A. Section 6304(d) of title 5, United States Code, prescribes the conditions under which an employee's forfeited annual leave may be restored to an employee. (See fact sheet on restoration of annual leave .) There is no legal authority to restore an employee's forfeited annual leave because the employee elected to use earned compensatory time off for travel instead of using his or her excess annual leave.

A. No. Compensatory time off for travel may be earned by an employee only for time spent in a travel status away from the employee's official duty station when such time is not otherwise compensable. The term "compensable" is defined at 5 CFR 550.1403 to make clear what periods of time are "not otherwise compensable" and thus potentially creditable for the purpose of earning compensatory time off for travel. Time is considered compensable if the time is creditable as hours of work for the purpose of determining a specific pay entitlement (e.g., overtime pay for travel meeting one of the four criteria in 5 CFR 550.112(g)(2)) even when the time may not actually generate additional compensation because of applicable pay limitations (e.g., biweekly premium pay cap). The capped premium pay is considered complete compensation for all hours of work creditable under the premium pay provisions.

In other words, even though an employee may not receive overtime pay for all of his or her travel hours because of the biweekly premium pay cap, all of the travel time is still considered to be compensable under 5 CFR 550.112(g)(2). Under these circumstances, the employee has been compensated fully under the law for all of the travel hours and the employee may not earn compensatory time off for any portion of such travel not generating additional compensation because of the biweekly cap on premium pay.

• Q42. May an employee who receives administratively uncontrollable overtime (AUO) pay under 5 U.S.C. 5545(c)(2) earn compensatory time off for travel? View more A. If such employee's travel time is not compensable under 5 CFR 550.112(g) or 5 CFR 551.422, as applicable, and meets the requirements in 5 CFR part 550, subpart N, the employee is eligible to earn compensatory time off for travel for time spent in a travel status.
• Q43. If a part-time employee's regularly scheduled tour of duty is Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and the employee is required to travel on a Friday from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., is the employee entitled to earn compensatory time off for travel for those 2 hours? View more A. It depends. If the travel qualifies as compensable hours of work under 5 U.S.C. 5542(b)(2)(B) and 5 CFR 550.112(g)(2)—i.e., the travel involves or is incident to the performance of actual work, is carried out under arduous and unusual conditions, or results from an event which could not be scheduled or controlled administratively—the employee may not be credited with compensatory time off for travel hours. (Such travel time outside a part-time employee's scheduled tour of duty, but not in excess of 8 hours in a day or 40 hours in a week, would be non-overtime hours of work compensated at the employee's rate of basic pay.) If the travel time does not qualify as compensable hours of work and meets the other requirements in 5 CFR part 550, subpart N, the part-time employee would be entitled to earn compensatory time off for those 2 hours. We note travel time is always compensable hours of work if it falls within an employee's regularly scheduled administrative workweek. (See 5 U.S.C. 5542(b)(2)(A) and 5 CFR 550.112(g)(1).) For a part-time employee, the regularly scheduled administrative workweek is defined in 5 CFR 550.103 as the officially prescribed days and hours within an administrative workweek during which the employee was scheduled to work in advance of the workweek. An agency may not adjust the regularly scheduled administrative workweek normally applied to an employee (part-time or full-time) solely for the purpose of including planned travel time otherwise not considered compensable hours of work.
• Q44. Does an upgrade in travel accommodations impact an employee's entitlement to compensatory time off for travel? View more A. Allowing an employee to upgrade his or her travel accommodations (e.g., to business class) does not eliminate his or her eligibility to earn compensatory time off for travel.

Future PLC CinemaBlend Video

Critics Have Seen 'Conan O’Brien Must Go,' And They’re All Saying The Same Thing About The ‘Absurd’ New Travel Show

Posted: May 15, 2024 | Last updated: May 15, 2024

Conan O’Brien made a return to "The Tonight Show" several years after he unceremoniously parted ways with NBC in 2010, but that’s not the reason one of the best late-night hosts ever has been back in the conversation. A viral appearance on the show "Hot Ones" has fans appreciating the comedian anew, sharing hit best bits from over the years on social media. Well, there’s good news for O’Brien loyalists old and new, as the travel series "Conan O’Brien Must Go" has premiered for those with a Max subscription, and critics are weighing in on if it’s worth the watch. "Conan O’Brien Must Go" is a spinoff to the ex-late-night host’s podcast "Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend" and features the comedy veteran traveling all over the world to meet fans in destinations like Norway and Ireland. Longtime Coco followers may have an idea of what to expect, given THR writer Daniel Fienberg’s description of the series as “smartly stupid fun.”

More for You

Americans are finally catching on to Costco's tricks — here are 15 to watch out for so you don't get fleeced on your next trip

18 Signs You Have More Wealth Than the Average American

10 most common PINs have been revealed – see if yours is on the list

7 Things Stroke Doctors Say You Should Never, Ever Do

Paris Jackson steals the show in black mini dress at party in Cannes

North Korea satellite launch ends in explosion

John Goodman: Anti-glamour 'Roseanne,' 'Conners' will be remembered for love, laughs

'America will become a renter nation': Grant Cardone warns the US could see 100-year mortgages — says we might even rent our clothes. How to buy real estate without going deep into debt

Getting Rid of a Printer? Do This First—or Risk Getting Hacked

Experts Say These Are The 5 Worst Foods For Your Cholesterol

Sleep expert reveals mistakes people make when they wake up during the night

Infamous episode of The Simpsons disowned by creator Matt Groening

23 Popular Songs With Incredibly Disturbing Backstories

Donald Trump's Polling Lead Over Joe Biden is Growing

Priyanka Chopra Proves Peplum Can Be Glamorous in Two Major Gowns

Scammer Alert: If Someone Calls You Using Any of These 12 Phrases You’re About To Be Scammed

The world’s oldest practicing doctor says retirement is ‘the enemy' of longevity. Here are his 3 tips for living a long and happy life

Are Hackers Targeting Your Wi-Fi Router? Here’s How To Stop Them

Stanford scientist, after decades of study, concludes: We don't have free will

'Barney Miller': The Cast Then And Now

$379—Costa Rica private villa w/plunge pool

About the Hotel

Cancel without Fees

Why we love this deal.

Lush green jungle and Pacific Ocean views set the backdrop at this intimate adults-only Costa Rican resort situated in one of the world's blue zones (geographic regions where residents live longer, healthier lives). Public rates are nearly $550 per night at this resort in this sought-after locale, but we've negotiated the lowest rates around exclusively for Travelzoo members, who can stay for just $379 per night. Tap into the fountain of youth with a relaxing 3-night (or longer) stay complete with villa accommodations with a private plunge pool and daily breakfast. Guests will also have access to wellness activities and amenities including yoga classes and spa treatments (fees apply).

What's Included

• $379 per night ... Villa Deluxe with private plunge pool
• $450 per night ... Villa Suite with private plunge pool
• Signature amenity: Daily breakfast for 2
• Travelzoo member perk:  A $50 resort credit (one per stay)

What You Need to Know

• Cancellation Policy:  Cancellations must be made prior to 3 p.m. local time, 30 days before arrival to receive a full refund of the 1-night deposit, charged at time of booking (room and tax)
• 3-night minimum stay required
• Price based on a maximum of 2 adults sharing a room
• This is an adults-only property; guests 17 and younger are not permitted
• No matter where you book, this hotel charges a resort fee of $25 tax inclusive, per night; the fee covers Wi-Fi, self-parking and a beach kit, which includes a small cooler with beverages and 2 beach chairs
• Not pet-friendly; service animals only
• For more details, see Policies and Amenities sections

Why We Love This Hotel

• This resort is ultra private and ideal for relaxing couples' getaways (and honeymoons, of course)
• Villas are airy and spacious, each with floor-to-ceiling windows and a patio that leads to your own private plunge pool
• The hotel's restaurant offers gorgeous sweeping views and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner
• The town of Santa Teresa is a short ATV ride away; guests can also arrange activities, including surfing, zip-lining, horseback riding, fishing and snorkeling through the resort
• Outdoor pool
• No pets allowed
• 100% smoke-free
• No elevator / lift
• Airport transfer (fees apply)
• Concierge service
• Room service (limited hours)
• Shuttle service (fees apply)

Room amenities

• Air-conditioning
• Coffee / tea-making facilities
• Outdoor space for some rooms
• Sitting area
• Complimentary Wi-Fi throughout
• Bathrobes and slippers
• Luxury toiletries
• Bathtub or shower
• Parking (fees apply)
• Electric vehicle charging station (on site)

The front desk is open from 6am-10pm local time. There will always be someone on duty to welcome the guest.

Checkout: Standard Time is 11am.

Rates are based on double occupancy. Maximum occupancy for all rooms is 2 guests.

Pets: Only service animals allowed.

The resort/facility fee includes:

• Self-parking
• Beach kit including small cooler with beverages and 2 beach chairs

Additional details: Some amenities and services may be limited or closed during your visit; please contact the hotel for more details.

$379 / night

When you can go.

Travel through Dec. 20

Getting There

Rates may vary by date, are subject to availability and are not guaranteed until your purchase is complete.

The room rates listed are for double occupancy per room unless otherwise stated and exclude tax recovery charges and service fees.

It is the responsibility of the hotel chain and/or the individual property to ensure the accuracy of the photos displayed. Travelzoo is not responsible for any inaccuracies in the photos.

*Unless otherwise stated, Travelzoo-exclusive extras are valid once per stay (based on two adults sharing). Value is an estimate based on double occupancy. Extras are only included with Member Rates and may not be available on all dates. Extras are non-transferable and have no cash value. Total value may vary depending on time of booking and availability. When included, breakfast may be limited to 2 guests per stay subject to hotel’s discretion. Other restrictions may apply; see our T&Cs for details.

Please note: Some amenities and services may not be available in all rooms or may incur an additional charge. All prices stated have been verified at the time of publication and may vary at the discretion of the hotel.

More Deals & Tips

• Trending Deals
• Last-Minute Deals

Casa Chameleon at Mal Pais - Adults Only

Sorry, the deal is not available for your selected dates. please check other dates..

Why did the price change?

Based on room availability for your selected dates, some rates have changed. We'll always show you the lowest rates available based on your check-in / check-out dates.

• $379 per night ... Villa Deluxe with private plunge pool
• $450 per night ... Villa Suite with private plunge pool
• Cancellations must be made prior to 3 p.m. local time, 30 days before arrival to receive a full refund of the 1-night deposit (room and tax). The total value of the booking (room, tax and resort fee) will be forfeited for cancellations received after this time or no-shows.
• A 3-night minimum stay is required.

Your location

Where are you.

Create an account.

Just one more thing..., check your inbox., create your password..

• Access to exclusive travel, entertainment, and lifestyle experiences
• Hand-picked offers, personally reviewed by our global team of deal experts, delivered to your inbox
• Dedicated club-member customer support

Sign in to your account.

Enter your password.

Please accept this confidentiality pledge:

I agree to maintain the strict confidentiality required to access Travelzoo’s confidential offers. I will not reveal details of these confidential offers publicly, which includes not posting about it on social media. I will not attempt to purchase a confidential offer for anyone else. I understand that violating these conditions can result in my access being revoked.

To view confidential offers, we require that you sign a confidentiality agreement.

Don’t know password?

You're all set, join travelzoo, sign in to unlock, don't miss out, our deal experts have negotiated member exclusive rates for people like you., and you’re in..

Welcome, Travelzoo Member . You now have access to confidential offers. To access Confidential Offers in the future, you can use the link from your email, or the link under My Account on the Travelzoo website. This page is only accessible to Confidential Offer members.

You now have access to all our deals.

Here are the details of the deal you were interested in.

Sign in to save and manage your deal alerts

Sign in to save this deal to favorites., already a member, not a member yet, save this deal to your favorites.

Mountain View, CA

Mountain View

Around the Globe

Hurricane tracker.

Severe Weather

Radar & Maps

News & features, winter center, news / severe weather, violent tornadoes cause multiple deaths, ef4 twister tears path through greenfield, iowa.

A deadly tornado outbreak has killed several people and caused major damage in multiple Iowa towns.

By Monica Danielle , AccuWeather senior producer

Published May 21, 2024 3:18 PM PDT | Updated May 23, 2024 3:38 PM PDT

As they begin to reckon with the aftermath, Colton and Shaye Newberry explain the terrifying moments when a powerful tornado struck the town of Greenfield, Iowa, obliterating the house where Shaye and their daughter were taking shelter.

Several tornadoes ripped a path of destruction across Iowa Tuesday afternoon and evening, leaving several people dead before tearing into parts of Illinois and Wisconsin.

“Sadly, we can confirm that there have been fatalities with this tornado,” Iowa State Patrol spokesperson Sgt. Alex Dinkla said during a news conference later Tuesday evening. He did not provide additional details on the deaths, according to CNN .

A storm chaser was pronounced dead after her car was blown off the road in Corning, the Des Moines Register said .

Drone video showed massive destruction in Greenfield, about 50 miles southwest of Des Moines, on Tuesday evening.

“There is basically nothing left,” Clel Baudler, a former Iowa state representative who lives a half mile from Greenfield, told CNN. “It went right through Greenfield.”

The Greenfield tornado has been rated EF4 strength by the National Weather Service in Des Moines, with the office noting that "further refinement is possible in the days to come."

Rogue Paxton told WOI-TV he sheltered in the basement of his home when the storm moved through, and although the house was lost, his family got lucky.

“But everyone else is not so much, like my brother Cody, his house just got wiped,” Paxton said. “Then you see all these people out here helping each other. ... Everything’s going to be fine because we have each other, but it’s just going to be really, really rough. It is a mess.”

At least one other storm-related death occurred in Adams County, Iowa, about 90 miles southwest of Des Moines.

In addition to a possible tornado tearing into the town of Red Oak, Iowa, another suspected tornado was captured on camera just before 5:00 p.m. as it moved across a highway and ripped through farmland in Stanton, Iowa.

AccuWeather meteorologist Tony Laubach was on the scene as the tornado crossed US-34 near Stanton. He also shot a video of the Stanton twister and the damage it caused to at least one home.

Storm chaser Brandon Clement captured this video of a tornado spinning into Red Oak, Iowa, on the afternoon of May 21.

Several wind turbines were destroyed by a tornado near Prescott, Iowa, on Tuesday afternoon, with  one storm chaser showing the destruction live . One turbine fell to the ground  on fire .

According to poweroutage.us, as of Wednesday afternoon, at least 24,000 people were without power in Wisconsin and down to 11,000 in Iowa and Illinois .

A strong tornado turned part of an Iowa wind farm into flaming piles of debris, as this drone video from storm chaser Brandon Clement captures.

In a news release, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds authorized a proclamation of disaster emergency for 15 counties, saying it will allow state resources “to respond to and recover from the effects of the severe weather.”

Reynolds plans to visit Greenfield on Wednesday to assess damage from the severe weather. “I am committed to providing the full resources of the state to support the response and recovery effort,” she said.

AccuWeather’s Jonathan Porter joined Bernie Rayno on the AccuWeather Network on May 22 to discuss a tornado outbreak in the central U.S.

Continue Reading:

Weather News

Devastating tornado damage in Missouri

Extreme heat, humidity to swelter southern US through Tuesday

A foot of pre-Memorial Day snow falls in the Rockies

Top Stories

Trending Today

Accuweather early, forecast victories.

At least 21 dead as suspected tornadoes tear across southern states

13 hours ago

Millions at risk for severe weather in the Northeast on Memorial Day

10 hours ago

Up to 2,000 people feared buried under Papua New Guinea landslide

17 hours ago

2024 Atlantic hurricanes are primed for 'rapid intensification'

Multiple days of severe weather to focus on US Great Plains to end May

Featured Stories

These are the hurdles for air travelers this busy summer

The top 10 US beaches for 2024, according to ‘Dr. Beach’

NASA announces new target date for crewed Boeing Starliner mission

Mountaineer dead, Nepali sherpa missing after trying to summit Everest

USS Harder: Wreck of famed US Navy World War II sub found off the Phil...

We have updated our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy .

Get AccuWeather alerts as they happen with our browser notifications.

Notifications Enabled

Thanks! We’ll keep you informed.

Money blog: Anger at Holland & Barrett chocolate bars with 'menopause almonds'

Holland & Barrett has come under fire over a chocolate bar aimed at women enduring menopause symptoms. Read this and the rest of today's consumer and personal finance news in the Money blog below, and leave your thoughts in the comments box.

Tuesday 28 May 2024 06:52, UK

• Chocolate bars with 'menopause almonds' branded a 'ridiculous money-making product'
• Renters Reform Bill shelved - while leasehold bill passes without cap on ground rents
• Rural areas see bigger house price growth

Essential reads

• Women in Business : 'A truck unloaded a £600 car that her son bought on eBay thinking it was a toy' - The schoolgate stories that led to GoHenry
• Money Problem : 'My mortgage lender is ending my two-year fix and I haven't been in the house for two years - can they do this?'
• How much is pocket money in 2024 and where are kids spending it?
• Best of the Money blog - an archive

Ask a question or make a comment

Just 18% of companies in the UK are led by women, a nd while data suggests female entrepreneurs are on the rise, men still receive more funding and are entrusted with higher average loans to get them started.  

In a new series every Tuesday,  Money blog reporter Jess Sharp speaks to women who are bossing it in their respective fields - hearing their stories, struggles and advice for those who want to follow in their footsteps. 

First up is the co-founder and CEO of GoHenry, Louise Hill...  

For many women, having kids pauses or unfairly disrupts their careers. For Louise, the opposite happened. 

Growing up in Lowestoft on the east coast of England, she had a childhood filled with days on the beach, kayaking and exploring old boats. But her own kids arrived into a very different world - one of apps and downloads and online market places.

It wasn't long before she started to think about financial education and the importance of practical money skills.  

Back when her two children had iPods and would download music from iTunes, she would print off an invoice every time they landed a bill in her inbox. The invoice would then be stuck on the fridge.

When they came to her at the weekend asking for pocket money, Louise would point to the fridge and deduct the amount they had already spent from their allowance.  

"I was trying to make them understand that money has to come from somewhere, and it really doesn't grow on trees," she told the Money team. 

"I could go through the process of saying, well you'd normally get £5 but here's what you've spent this week, so you only get £1.20." 

How the idea for GoHenry came about

Among school pick-ups and kids' football games, she heard other parents complaining about their children's spending habits.  

One parent told a story about her daughter spending £200 on an online My Little Pony game. Another didn't know what to do when a battered-up car arrived at her driveway on a flatbed truck after her son spent £600 on eBay on what he thought was a toy. 

"Everybody had a story. It was amazing to realise we were all having the same problems and kids were starting to have access through their parents to the digital world, but there was nothing in the market to help parents teach them to access it in a safe way," Louise said.  

"We wanted to create a service that would empower them with freedom, confidence, to use and understand money but in a safe environment."

The idea of GoHenry, a prepaid debit card and learning app, was born.  

With a big mortgage, little money to set up a business and two kids to look after following a divorce, Louise said she and her co-founders (who quickly left the company) "grafted".

"I could have got a fairly safe, well-paid corporate job - jumping off the edge of a cliff into the uncertainty of starting a business was quite a leap," she said.

"But, the idea was too good, frankly. 

"It took a little while to work out the right tool to use, so we worked nights, we worked weekends, we worked holidays, all because we really, really wanted to bring this to market." 

In an initial round of seed funding, she raised more than £650,000, which was followed by several successful crowdfunding campaigns. 

The challenges

Her company eventually launched in 2012 and while it's now a huge success, delivering a service to more than two million people across France, Spain, Italy, the US and the UK, Louise said it hasn't been without its challenges. 

The first one was the name. When it first came to market, the business was called PCT Money (pronounced pocket money), but the name was changed about 18 months later after she realised it was "stupid".  

"Nobody could say it and nobody could spell it, it was a really silly idea," she added. 

The business got the name GoHenry after its very first customer – an 11-year-old boy named Henry from Bristol.

Another challenge was its scale of growth - GoHenry grew in a big way, very quickly, which meant constant changes needed to be made to the company structure. 

"About six or seven years ago, we were growing incredibly quickly... I know this sounds ridiculous but almost every six months you'd have to step back and look at what we needed," she said. 

This was an issue Louise had faced and failed to overcome years before in a previous business - an ecommerce company called Manners which she was forced to sell after running out of cash to sustain its growth. 

"We failed to think about how we would scale it. We couldn't grow it any more because we didn't have enough cash in the company. At the time, I was really cross with myself for not having thought about that," she said. 

'I was becoming a roadblock'

In around 2017-18, Louise realised another issue with GoHenry - herself. 

"I was becoming a roadblock. I was working flat out and so much of the information about why we did things the way we did them was in my head or in my laptop files," she explained.

"That kind of snuck up on me and I was fundamentally creating a risk for the business and stopping us growing as quickly as we could." 

She started a campaign across the company, encouraging staff to raise "single points of failure" to see where the problems were. 

"I appeared in there an awful lot," she said. "So, yeah, that's a top tip from me - don't let that sneak up on you. Plan ahead." 

What's been the key to her success? 

Now running for more than 12 years, GoHenry has continued to expand and innovate.

Louise said keeping her mission of "making every kid smart with money" at the forefront had been "fundamental". 

"That is our sole focus. This isn't an add-on product to another business, everyone who joins GoHenry is here for one reason and that's to serve Gen Z and now Generation Alpha's money needs and I think that makes a big difference," she added. 

Louise's advice for others 

"Who am I to give advice?" was her initial response when asked this question, adding that she hoped to see more young girls and women see images of people who look like them succeeding.

"The more that becomes the norm, the more people will think they can do it too," she said. 

"I've been asked many times what's the difference between a founder, an entrepreneur and a non-entrepreneur, and it has to come down to risk appetite," she added.

"I've thought about all sorts of different mindsets, different backgrounds, different abilities with, I don't know, spreadsheets or contacts... But at some point it comes down to being confident enough." 

So practically, she said women looking to set up a business should start by finding support groups.

"There are loads out there. They can be hugely helpful because founding a business can be lonely and a tough move to make. Nobody pretends that it's easy," she said. 

Another tip she had was to plan for scale "from day one", thinking about the partners you work with, the suppliers, how much money you need to bring in and how often you might need to "go out and get more money". 

But the most important lesson, she says, is was to hire people you know are better than you. 

"It's scary to hire people that you know are much better than you but if you can do that and then give them the space they need to do what they can really well, you'll have a much higher chance of a successful business," she said. 

" What's the worst that can happen if you fail? Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, start again." 

Holland & Barrett has come under fire over a chocolate bar aimed at women enduring menopause symptoms. 

The £3.79 dark chocolate bar is being marketed as soothing menopause symptoms and contributing to "the regulation of hormonal activity", according to the Daily Mail. 

The packaging states the 75g bar contains vitamin B6, which is found in almonds. 

Menopause campaigner Kate Muir told the newspaper she believed the chocolate bar was a "ridiculous money-making product".

"I feel very strongly that this is exploiting a vulnerable group of women," she said. 

"Hopefully [women] won't be distracted by ridiculous money-making products like this."

"There is a peak in suicide among women in perimenopause," she said. "Women need to know they can go to the NHS and get proper help, rather than relying on chocolate bars."

Others on social media branded the product "insulting" and "patronising, profiteering tosh". 

The chocolates also contain the average woman's entire daily allowance of saturated fat. 

A Holland & Barrett spokesman told the Money blog: "Our Holland & Barrett food range has been developed to offer a range of functional food products and swaps for popular snacks and foods.

"This bar is recommended to be consumed as part of a balanced and varied diet alongside a healthy lifestyle, and is designed to be a little treat which has some added benefits compared to other chocolate bars.

"For customers curious about how vitamins, minerals or herbal supplements could support them with their menopause symptoms they can speak to a trained advisor in our stores, and for full personalised information customers can also book a free 45-minute appointment with one of our nutritionists."

The Tories have been accused of caving in to "vested interests" after shelving a flagship bill to reform the renting system.

The Renters Reform Bill acted on a 2019 Conservative manifesto pledge to ban section 21 "no-fault" evictions, which have fuelled a huge rise in homelessness.

Its aim was to make the rental market fairer but its progress through parliament was delayed by opposition from some Conservative MPs who wanted to strengthen protections for landlords.

The legislation was promised by Theresa May back in April 2019 when she was prime minister, and the commitment was carried over by Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak.

However, the bill has now been shelved ahead of parliament dissolving for the summer general election.

Labour accused the Tories of "caving into vested interests" of pro-landlord MPs.

And Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said: "Renters have been shouting from the rooftops about the urgent need for reform, but once again politicians have let them down."

Friday was the last day MPs sat before the election and several bills were rammed though parliament so they could become law in what is known as the "wash-up period".

One piece of legislation that made it through was the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill.

Millions of homeowners in England have rights to their property for a fixed period only, and are required to pay fees and ground rents to a freeholder.

This bill bans most new leasehold houses, makes it easier for leaseholders to buy out or extend their lease, and increases transparency around service charges.

But it was passed without the promised cap on ground rents.

Financial pressures on UK families "eased significantly in April", according to Asda's Income Tracker.

The tracker also suggests disposable income for the average household reached its highest level since September 2021.

"The amount average households were left with last month, after spending on bills and essentials, was £239 per week - £32.52 per week higher than April 2023," the supermarket said.

"The improved financial outlook saw the tracker reach its highest level in well over two years, with household disposable income now only 2.7% below its pre-crisis peak of £346 in March 2021."

A "key driver" was falling inflation - it dropped to  2.3% in April . The energy price cap also fell at the start of the month.

Asda's figures are produced by Cebr, an economics consultancy.

Sam Miley, its managing economist, said: "The income tracker continues to improve, with discretionary income increasing to £239 per week. 

"This improvement was driven by several factors, including still-resilient earnings growth, the reduction in the Ofgem price cap, the uplift in the national living wage, and further cuts to national insurance contribution rates."

He added: "Cebr anticipates spending power to see further improvements in 2024, bolstered by the economic growth momentum that has pulled the UK out of the technical recession experienced in the [second half] of 2023."

Rural areas saw bigger house price growth than urban locations over the five years to the end of 2023, according Nationwide.

The building society, which used data from the ONS, found property values in areas classed as predominantly rural had risen by 22% over the past five years.

In urban areas the increase was 17%. 

Andrew Harvey, Nationwide's senior economist, noted that average house prices across both urban and rural areas "declined a little overall during 2023", which "reflects the rise in borrowing costs, which have added to affordability pressures".

He continued: "Increased demand for properties in rural areas over recent years has been part of the 'race for space' seen during the pandemic.

"However, it is actually rural semi-detached properties that have seen the strongest price growth between December 2018 and December 2023, with average prices increasing by 24%."

We're back for another week of consumer news, personal finance tips and all the latest on the economy.

This is how the week in the Money blog is shaping up...

Tuesday : We're launching a new Women in Business  feature - interviewing women who are bossing their industry. And this week's  Basically...  explains everything you need to know about the triple lock.

Wednesday : We have another top chef picking their best Cheap Eats - this week from Suffolk.

Thursday : Savings Champion  founder Anna Bowes will be back with her weekly insight into the savings market.

Friday : We'll have everything you need to know about the mortgage market this week with the guys from Moneyfacts.

Running every weekday, Money features a morning markets round-up from the  Sky News business team  and regular updates and analysis from our business, City and economic correspondents, editors and presenters -  Ed Conway ,  Mark Kleinman ,  Ian King ,  Paul Kelso  and  Adele Robinson .

You'll also be able to stream  Business Live with Ian King on weekdays at 11.30am and 4.30pm.

Bookmark  news.sky.com/money  and check back from 8am, and through the day, each weekday.

The Money team is Emily Mee, Bhvishya Patel, Jess Sharp, Katie Williams, Brad Young and Ollie Cooper, with sub-editing by Isobel Souster. The blog is edited by Jimmy Rice.

Every Monday we get an expert to answer your money problems or consumer disputes. Find out how to submit yours at the bottom of this post. Today's question is...

I bought my first flat in April 2023 with a two-year fixed-rate mortgage. I got the deal with the help of a broker, who has now contacted me saying my deal is due to end in November - significantly earlier than I had expected. I've spoken to my lender - they said the deal I was on no longer exists. Is there anything I can do to keep my current rate?  Michelle, Kent

We asked David Hollingworth, associate director at L&C Mortgages , to answer this one...

Fixed mortgage rates do what they say on the tin and lock in the interest rate payable for a specified period of time.  Those periods will generally be blocked into market sectors and so are usually tagged as two, three or five-year fixed rates.  

Once that deal is taken, the terms cannot be changed by the lender and the rate can't be brought to an end early.

Some lenders will fix their deals for a specific number of years from completion, but a lot of lenders' rates will be fixed until a specific end date. That could mean that the fix will last even longer than two years at the point that the application is made.

However, it can take time to complete a deal, especially when purchasing a property which may be subject to a lengthy chain. 

Mortgage offers will typically be valid for up to six months. If you originally agreed to buy your flat before the end of 2022 then the deal on offer at the time could feasibly have been fixed until November 2024. 

That could have equated to two years or more when you applied but if it took some time to complete the purchase, it would explain why you feel that you haven't benefited from a full two years of the fixed rate.

It would be a good idea to look back at the original mortgage offer, which will specify all the product details. That will detail when the fixed rate ends and what rate the mortgage will move onto after that. 

That's likely to be a higher variable rate, so it makes sense to shop around for a better deal well before the current rate comes to an end. 

A broker will be able to help you work out the best available rates for you, whether from your current lender or from across the whole market. 

This feature is not intended as financial advice - the aim is to give an overview of the things you should think about.  Submit your dilemma or consumer dispute via:

• The form above - you need to leave a phone number or email address so we can contact you for further details
• Email [email protected] with the subject line "Money blog"
• WhatsApp us  here

By Bhvishya Patel , Money team

Pocket money is in decline, data shows - but kids are finding new ways to pay for their everyday "essentials".

Data from the Natwest pocket money index  (looking at transactions from 308,000 children in the Rooster app) shows only 30% of families now pay pocket money as part of a regular routine (down 2%), with children getting £3.78 on average a week (down 10p from last year).

In fact, pocket money now makes up just 14% of children's income. Instead they're finding new income streams - with a typical child netting £479.96 a year (£9.23 a week) for one-off chores or entrepreneurship.

These "salaries" obviously differ for age groups... 

• £5.68 for a six-year-old 
• £24.71 for a 17-year-old

British children are now charging extra for chores and squeezing more money out of their side hustles.

• Car cleaning earned £3.25 on average - 32% (79p) more than a year ago
• Paper round earnings increased 2% (45p) to £23.10 a week
• However, it's been a less good year for reselling - with earnings down 15% to £22.62 a week.

Arguably the most interesting part of the data is where kids are spending their money.

Amazon was top, with Tesco and McDonald's next. Primark, Co-op, PlayStation, Xbox, Sainsbury's and Asda are next in that order - but there's no place this year for Apple, which has been replaced by fashion brand Shein, rounding off the top 10.

NatWest Rooster Money said "kids' money is completely changing shape"... 

"Kids are increasingly complementing [pocket money] in other, more sophisticated ways. This move to greater independence and maturity in their earning has been fantastic to see and bodes well for some bright, financially confident futures ahead." Will Carmichael, chief executive and founder of NatWest Rooster Money

An illustration of this maturity is kids' saving rate of 9.5% - not far off the adult average of 10.2%. Gaming, holidays and the future were the top three saving incentives, in that order.

Is there a right answer?

Kirsty Ketley, a parenting specialist from Surrey, said she gave her 11-year-old daughter Ella £5 and her seven-year-old son Leo £2 a week in cash.

They both started receiving pocket money when they were six.

"I often say to parents, even with children as young as four, it's fine to start giving a bit of pocket money because it's such an important life skill to have – to learn how to manage money because you don't get taught it," she said.

Presenter and children's author Konnie Huq, who has two sons, Covey, 12, and Huxley, 10, told the Money team that a regular pocket money allowance was a "really good way" of getting children into the habit of earning and spending.

She said receiving a regular allowance helped teach children "responsibility" and "financial literacy".

"That's what they will be doing as the grown-ups they become," she said. "I've always said kids are shaping and forming between 0 to seven. You want to put the values in them now in these younger years that they will take through with them in their life."

Sharon Olivero-Chapman, chief executive and founder of Harrienna Health, disagrees. She has always thought a regular pocket money figure is the "wrong message to give to children" - and her daughter Harriet, 13, is one of those raking it in from side hustles.

"Pocket money gives them the wrong association with money," she said. "They're just given money on a plate, whereas that's not real life, is it?"

Ms Olivero-Chapman said if her daughter did want to buy something she had to work out how she could get that money and would then be given chores to earn it. She said it was £1 to unload and fill the dishwasher, £1 to fill and empty the washing machine and 50p to make her bed.

"It's not a regular thing every week," she explained.

Ms Olivero-Chapman said the family's entrepreneurial bug had rubbed off on Harriet and she began running her own Etsy store business last year which sees her personalise phone cases. Her business has earned nearly £1,000 so far.

Your pocket money stories - how much, how and in return for what

The Dursuns, Scotland

Aga Dursun, 41, a PMO analyst from Erskine, gives her 13-year-old son Galip £3 a day and her nine-year-old son Troy £1 a day via transfers into a Starling account. They also get £20 each on her pay day. No chores are required.

"It gives them a lot of freedom and they learn the value of money as well because for example now if they want more expensive trainers they have to save up," she says.

"It's mostly spent on games which breaks my heart."

The Shaws, London

Sammy Shaw, from Enfield, said she gave her eight-year-old twins Teddy and Hope £3.50 a week via the Natwest Rooster Money card.

To earn the money, her son and daughter are set a number of activities which they must complete  - if they don't, money is deducted.

"My two have got an exceptional amount they have got to do. The first thing they've got to do is make their bed, get dressed independently. When they go downstairs they've got to do 10 minutes of practice on the keyboard, they do Times Tables Rock Stars (a digital maths app) and then 10 minutes of reading. 

"The parent has to go into the app and approve these activities and if they don't do them it takes percentages off."

Last year, the twins saved up to buy theatre tickets for the family at £35 a pop.

The Regulskis, Wales

Over in Caerphilly, Dean Regulski, 44, has a fairly similar routine: money in return for washing, ironing, dog walking, laundry and vacuuming. He and his wife give kids Emmeline, Nancy and Abraham (aged 12 to 15) £10 a week also using Rooster.

"Every time they want to make a transaction, it pings my phone so straight away I can have a conversation with them about what they are buying and if it's just sweets I can limit it on the app so it's a £1 transaction," Dean says.

"My son the other day was asking if he could buy something that was beyond the £40 and I said he can take it out next month but that will cost extra chores. I explained the concept of interest to him."

The Moores, West Midlands

Ben Moore, 40, from Solihull, said his 13-year-old twin daughters had got £5 a week in pocket money for the past two years.

They used GoHenry before switching to a debit card.

"We spent a year on GoHenry and it was good because we could say 'you can't spend it on McDonald's' and restrict the type of spending but there was a monthly fee for it," he said.

Chores are not a requirement as he is "really keen" his daughters use the money to "go out with their friends rather than just sit on their phones".

The Scotts, Wiltshire

Fiona Scott, 58, from Swindon in Wiltshire, said her three children Samantha, 24, Georgia, 22, and David, 17, all got pocket money until they were able to make their own money.

"We've always had a little book at home showing this is what is coming in and going out and this is what we've got to spend, so I've encouraged them all to do that in different ways. They've got used to seeing and understanding what a household budget is," she said.

The Joneses, West Midlands

Mother-of-three Jenny Jones, 43, said her 11-year-old daughter Rebecca receives £10 a month - no chores, but everyone is expected to muck in.

It started off with 50p a week when she was seven but when she turned 11, Ms Jones opened up a junior account at Barclays and money goes in monthly.

"It's taught her general management around money. At the moment she loves bubble tea and she loves getting bits of jewellery so it's a case of her thinking what does she want, can she afford both? It enables her to make those decisions.

"It's just those life lessons, isn't it? We can't have everything we want and you've got to make those decisions - and it's okay to make the wrong decision, which is normal."

The main topics from the Money blog that got you commenting this week were...

• Known issues with Ford EcoBoost engines
• Inflation drops to 2.3% 

BT delays switch from analogue landlines

'My second-hand Ford is being written off with a known issue - but no one is taking responsibility'

Every Monday, we get an expert to answer your money problems or consumer disputes. 

This week, Rory Raftery told us about a known issue with his Ford C-Max which had caused it to be written off. He asked if there was anything he could do. 

Dozens of readers wrote in to say they had similar issues. 

Money Blog, I had a Ford Focus with an EcoBoost Engine that failed after 62k miles on it, and Ford won't entertain any responsibility because not full Ford service history, offered no help whatsoever, have and are being treated appallingly at every level. Damian Moynihan

Bought a second hand EcoBoost 1.0 13 plate Focus from a broker… had it less than three months and the car has had sudden coolant loss and engine failure due to a cylinder head crack, almost a £5,000 repair. Ford need to be held accountable for this, it's ridiculous... no warning light, no temperature rises and then bang the car's engine is finished. The car has covered 73,000 miles. Gareth from Wigan

The Ford EcoBoost problem has prompted a recall for US cars with the exact same issue. Yet in the UK Ford are doing nothing about the issue. There is a Facebook page with over 20k members all experiencing the same issue and Ford refuse to acknowledge the issue, in the UK at least. anonymous

Here's what Ford had to say when we published Rory's problem: "Ford is confident in the robustness and reliability of its EcoBoost engine technology when the stated guidelines for maintenance and service are followed. 

"Ford UK is happy to investigate service support and/or compensation measures for any customer who believes they have had an EcoBoost engine issue and is happy to review cases with a full-service history for vehicles up to 10 years old with less than 150,000 miles.

"For any customers in the UK whose vehicle meets these parameters, you can speak to our customer relationship team and contact details can be found on our website  here ." 

The company said timely and correct servicing as outlined in the owner's manual was key for wet belt maintenance and any illuminated dashboard warning lights should always receive attention. 

On Wednesday, we got the latest inflation figures, showing it had dropped to 2.3% in April - down from 3.2% in March.

A drop to 2.1% had been expected by the Bank of England, but it showed the fight against price rises was being won.

Here's what some readers had to say about it... 

All my experiences when I go grocery shopping don't fill me with optimism that prices are almost stabilising. Particularly household items, such as cleaning costs, are still rising steadily and frequently. An item I buy was £3 something a matter of weeks ago. This morning... £5. Su H

Am I the only person who thinks that increasing the minimum wage by 10% in April and the knock-on effect of increasing wages by more than 8% in labour intensive industries is going to cause an increase in inflation that will make a reduction in interest rates very unlikely? Rayayre

The national living wage for workers increased by 9.8% on 1 April from £10.42 to £11.44.  

Since the recent decline in inflation is largely due to energy prices, can anyone name a specific government action that influenced energy prices traded on the international market? This government can't resist taking credit for everything! Marek

You have written this story as a failure of government to bring inflation down to a level some analysts forecast, despite it being a huge drop and within a whisker of the 2% target. It reads like a piece one would expect to hear coming from a Labour politician. Tom Jeffries

I don't believe this for one moment, did my shopping yesterday the price of food is disgracefully high still and takes up most of my income as a family. Andrea

I have seen no change in the cost of living, my car insurance is up 10%, council tax did the same. Shrinkflation is still going on. Food prices may have stopped increasing, but they have not gone down. My job as an assessor had its hours and pay cut of 1/3, bills remain! StevieB

Inflation down but prices remain high, my mortgage and day-to-day bills are still cripplingly high while my wages stagnate. In real terms I've never had so little disposable income. The cost of living crisis is far from over. Kingsholm_Neil

How does UK inflation compare around the world ? KevinPB

We found the answer to this one on Wednesday...

Why are prices on certain things still expensive and will they ever go down? Nick12

On Nick's question, inflation coming down doesn't mean prices are. It just means prices are rising at a slower rate. 

For prices to drop, we would need negative inflation, which isn't common. 

But, in the April data, we did see it in the energy sector thanks to the price cap change. 

On Monday, BT Group pushed back its timetable for moving all customers off the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and on to digital landlines.

From this summer, customers who have not used their landline in the past 12 months, who do not identify as vulnerable or have additional needs, have not contacted an Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) in the past 24 months and live in an area where a data sharing agreement is in place, will be switched - unless they have opted out.

Vulnerable customers or those with additional needs will start to be switched from summer 2025, with the aim to have all customers moved off the old analogue PSTN by the end of January 2027.

We have a thatched house and no mobile signal. We signed up to Fibre-to-the-Premises (FttP) and despite protests, we were "upgraded" to digital voice at "no extra cost". Time to give us back our copper which always works - even when we have no electricity. Ian P

Living in a rural area where we have power cuts for different reasons and internet signal is non-existent without Wi-Fi, how will we stay connected? Melanie

I live in Lancaster but my signal is so poor that I have to ask family to call me on my landline. How on earth are we supposed to manage without one? Pat

Three big announcements this week could have significant implications for the money in your pocket.

First, April's inflation data , which on the face of it was good news. 

Price rises slowed to 2.3%, within touching distance of the Bank of England's 2% target and into what economists regard as normal levels.

The Bank has repeatedly stressed that interest rates (which have been elevated to squeeze spending and encourage saving, which usually stops prices going up so quickly) would start to fall when the 2% figure was sustainably hit.

Herein lies the issue - sustainability. Because while headline CPI has fallen dramatically from highs of more than 11% in 2022, a closer look at the numbers suggests the fight against price rises isn't over just yet.

Core inflation, which strips out the volatile elements like energy and food, remains at 3.9% - while service inflation is at 5.9%. All of these numbers, including the headline figure, are above forecasts.

All of which has prompted markets to price in an August rate cut from 5.25% to 5% - previously they'd expected June.

Economics editor Ed Conway wrote this analysis...

Some suggested the fall in inflation, combined with the IMF upgrading UK growth forecasts , provided Rishi Sunak with a positive platform on which to call a summer election.

Conway isn't so sure.

He says: "We're out of recession. That's one of the key things they were waiting for. Inflation is now down to a normal level. Those things have been ticked off [but] there are a couple of issues. 

"First of all, it doesn't look like, with inflation not falling quite as far as everyone would have expected, that the final thing they were hoping for, the Bank of England cutting interest rates, is going to happen in June. There probably is not going to be an interest rate cut before the election. That's quite significant.

"Secondly, when people look at this election, it's that old question: do you feel better off than you did four or five years ago? 

"And in this case, there is no parliamentary period in history where people have seen their real disposable incomes squeezed as much as this one. 

"That's what the prime minister's fighting against."

We took a closer look at what the election and new interest rate forecasts mean for mortgages and the housing market here...

We also examined what the election result on 4 July could mean for people's finances, honing in on what we know about the major parties' plans from childcare to train fares to tax...

Finally, energy bills will fall again in July after Friday's price cap announcement.

They'll be £122 (annually) below the April-June figure.

However, daily standing charges are going up - which means those who use more energy will feel the most benefit from the price cap fall...

Sir Keir Starmer told us that Labour's plan for a new company called Great British Energy would help bring prices down...

And business presenter Ian King explained why energy bills are still £300 more than before the Ukraine war...

Be the first to get Breaking News

Install the Sky News app for free