Amsterdam

Has LGBT Pride lost its way? This is a question more and more people are asking in the run up to Saturday’s Pride London parade. What began in 1972 as a protest for gay rights has now morphed into a commercialised, bureaucratic and rule-bound event, which too often reflects the wishes of the city authorities, not the LGBT community. The admirable organisers, Pride in London, are being forced to operate with onerous controls and draconian costs. These have been imposed by the mayor of London, Westminster council and the Metropolitan police, whose conditions mean a mere 26,500 people will be permitted to march. This is a fraction of the number who would march if it were a free and open event. Today, LGBT organisations have to apply three months in advance, pay a fee and get wristbands for all their participants. The parade feels increasingly regimented, commodified and straitjacketed. The city authorities are also enforcing punitive costs for road closures, pavement barriers, … [Read more...] about I’ve marched in every Pride London since 1972. Today, it needs liberating

Got the travel bug but don't know where to go next? A new mystery holiday deal could just be the answer... Not only will you bag a ridiculously cheap break from £99pp, but the destination gets chosen for you! Groupon has revealed one of its popular Mystery Holiday offers, where you pay for a two-, three-, or four-night break... but you don't know the destination until AFTER you've booked. We're talking the likes of Disneyland Paris , New York, Dubai , Paris, Rome, Venice and Madrid to name a few. If you're really lucky you could even bag one of the seven-night trips going to Bali and Thailand. The way it works is simple. You buy Groupon's £99pp holiday deal voucher , and then contact company Weekender Breaks Travel, who are organising the trips, to request your preferred travel dates and departure airport. (Three-night breaks start from £139pp, four-night breaks from £169pp). Then, you wait - and Weekender Breaks will reveal your destination! It's worth noting … [Read more...] about Mystery holiday offer includes trips to New York, Dubai and Thailand from £99pp

The boss of Indonesia's national airline is being dismissed over allegations he smuggled a classic motorbike into the country.Garuda's chief executive Ari Askhara has been accused of failing to declare the importation of a Harley Davidson and two folding bikes.The country's finance minister said Mr Askhara had avoided up to $107,000 (£82,000) in customs duties.It is a fresh blow to the firm, which has faced questions over its finances.State-Owned Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir told a news conference that the items were brought into Indonesia from France."This process was done completely within a state-owned company, not only by an individual," Mr Thohir added, according to Reuters.He also said payment for the motorbike was made through a Garuda finance manager in Amsterdam.The ministry would continue to investigate the matter, Mr Thohir said.It was not clear when Mr Askhara, who took up his role as Garuda's chief executive in September 2018, would be forced to leave his … [Read more...] about Garuda airline boss to lose job over smuggled motorbike

Richard MacCallum, 54, outside the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service in Manchester A married senior NHS doctor had affairs with two patients after treating them in hospital accident and emergency departments, a tribunal has heard. Dr Richard MacCallum, 54, of Dollar, Clackmannanshire, allegedly had sex with both women who lived alone at their homes after they were admitted to A&E following unrelated falls. The married father-of-two, whose wife is a dentist, bought chocolates and cola for one of his mistresses and met up with the other for sex after he returned from a family trip to Amsterdam, it was claimed. The first woman - a 43-year old widow known as Patient A - was confronted by her stepmother about her alleged fling with Dr MacCallum but she responded: 'We fill the needs for each other.'  The second, a 63-year-old school support worker and divorcee known as Patient B, swapped texts with the doctor and once said: 'Making love was exciting.' Stirling Royal … [Read more...] about Married senior NHS doctor, 54, ‘had affairs with two patients he treated in A&E including one he complimented on her ‘big breasts’ as she lay in her hospital bed’

France was preparing for a second day of travel cancellations and school closures this morning as unions warned there would be no let-up in the strike called to protest planned pension reforms.   The first day of the protests, seen as a major test for President Emmanuel Macron's ambitious vision of reforming France, saw 800,000 demonstrators including railway workers, teachers and hospital staff march in several cities throughout the country. Today is set to follow a similar pattern, with almost all high-speed train services cancelled, most of the Paris Metro system shut down and hundreds of flights set to be axed. Yves Veyrier, head of the hardline Force Ouvriere union, warned the strike could last at least until Monday if the government did not take the right action. 'The strike is not going to stop tonight,' added Philippe Martinez, secretary general of the General Confederation of Labour union, late yesterday evening. French railway employees are seen near tracks at the … [Read more...] about France prepares for a second day of strike chaos and violent protests as unions warn Emmanuel Macron there will be no let-ups until he caves in on pension reforms