Summertime is a key time for family getaways. Whether for the whole summer or just for a weekend, spending time away from home can provide unforgettable memories. When settling into your temporary living space, whether it’s a summer home, hotel or rental, dangers exists that parents need to be aware of.

A leading hospital consultant has refused to go through an X-ray scanner at Manchester Airport, claiming it could give him cancer. The eye specialist, who was flying to Switzerland on business, said: “X-rays are known to cause cancer and I think somebody will get cancer from this body scanner whether it’s me or someone else.”

Nato helicopters were called in to kill three militants to end a five-hour clash at a top hotel in the Afghan capital, Kabul. The attack on the Kabul Intercontinental Hotel left two police officers, eight civilians and three other attackers dead.

A team of French forensic experts are beginning the task of identifying the decomposed remains of 104 victims of Air France flight 447, which crashed off the coast of Brazil two years ago. The bodies, many still strapped to their seats, were raised last month from the wreckage, which was lying three miles under the Atlantic.

Adding to its recent spate of safety scares and impending strikes, Qantas has been confronted with a new problem – rats in the cabin. Staff discovered five baby rats in the cabin of a Boeing 767 jet shortly before customers were due to board.

Air traffic over northern Germany is returning to normal after being disrupted by volcanic ash from Iceland. Planes have resumed taking off from and landing at Berlin’s airport, Hamburg and Bremen after being closed this morning, which resulted in the cancellation of about 700 flights.