Friday saw 284 people take to the skies for Virgin Atlantic’s inaugural Pride Flight, in honour of the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots. An all-LGBT+ crew were joined by partygoers and celebrities including drag queen Courtney Act, and Titus Burgess (of Netflix hit The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), who led the entertainment and said the cause was close to his heart and that he wouldn’t have missed the opportunity to be on board. Drag queen DJ Jodie Harsh also performed on the flight, named VS69 after the year of the uprising, from a significantly more colourful than usual Heathrow Terminal 3 to New York. Spirits were high as boarding commenced amid a sea of rainbow flags and glitter. On-board entertainment included drag queen bingo - along with plenty of spontaneous singalongs. DJ sets, particularly Jodie Harsh’s, saw the plane’s bar area resemble a nightclub. Even the afternoon tea served was Pride-themed, with rainbow mini eclairs, while the house … [Read more...] about Virgin Atlantic’s inaugural Pride Flight takes to the skies
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How to spend 7 days in Japan: your ultimate week-long itinerary
If it seems like everyone on your Instagram feed has been to Japan lately, that’s because, well, they have. The populous (126 million-strong) country has seen a dramatic uptick in tourism over the last five years, with overseas visitor numbers increasing threefold from 10.3 million in 2014 to 31.1 million in 2018. In February this year, the month before the tourist-heavy sakura (cherry blossom) season began, Japan saw a record 2.6 million visitors, up 3.8 per cent on February 2018. While the UK currently account for 1.1 per cent of visitors to the Land of the Rising Sun, (Korea and China make up over 50 per cent of annual foreign visitors), with the Rugby World Cup in September and the Olympics to be held there in 2020, that number is sure to grow in the coming years. April sees the most visitors to Japan as sakura season reaches full bloom making for incredibly pretty scenery. Another spike in visitor numbers is October, when the autumn leaves turn gold and Japan is also … [Read more...] about How to spend 7 days in Japan: your ultimate week-long itinerary
Expat identities: what to do with pets when you move
By Nicola Nightingale Living in a foreign country raises all kinds of questions, both practical and emotional: how do you define yourself and how are you characterised by your adopted homeland? This series relates, in alternating parts, the experiences of a French woman in the UK and — with this, her final piece — a British woman in Hong Kong. Super-peripatetic expats should not even consider owning a pet — but they do. There are those who give in to their children’s clamouring for an animal. Others, the solo adventurers in Hong Kong, feel only a cat will prevent the once splendid isolation of their tiny 47th-floor flat in Sai Ying Pun turning into a place of solitary confinement. Then there are those who think life would be a dull affair without a pet, the sort of devout animal lovers who could have a meaningful relationship with a mouse (I must confess to possibly being one of them). Whatever the reason for acquiring a pet, the headache is what to do with … [Read more...] about Expat identities: what to do with pets when you move
Who is speedboat killer Jack Shepherd, what happened to Charlotte Brown and how long is his prison sentence?
CHARLOTTE Brown was killed in December 2015 during a speedboat crash on a Tinder date with Jack Shepherd. After being convicted of manslaughter, Shepherd fled the county but there is a chance he could be jailed in the UK soon. Here's everything you need to know about the tragic case. What happened to Charlotte Brown? Charlotte, from Clacton, Essex, died on December 8, 2015, after the speedboat she was on crashed on the River Thames. It was said to have been a champagne-fuelled first date with Shepherd, who managed to get to safety when the boat crashed. Charlotte was pulled from the water unconscious and unresponsive after being thrown from the boat. A post-mortem examination found she died from cold water immersion. Charlotte Hare, Brown’s best friend, told the BBC: “Charli was the biggest personality in the room, she drew attention, she was so funny, so clever and so quick and you wanted to be in her presence.” Who is Jack Shepherd? Shepherd is the 31-year-old who … [Read more...] about Who is speedboat killer Jack Shepherd, what happened to Charlotte Brown and how long is his prison sentence?
Caracas Int’l Airport Overwhelmed With Passengers Following Massive Blackout
While a few lucky people eventually get their longed-for tickets out of Caracas, those stranded at the airport can either patiently wait or take their frustration out on airlines' staff. After the political crisis in Caracas turned the international spotlight on the Latin American country, journalists from around the world flew off to Venezuela in search of media sensations and entrepreneurs rushed to Caracas to protect their business interests. Little did they know that they would have to spend slightly more time in Venezuela than they expected because of the incident at the Guri dam, which caused the worst power outage in the country's history. © Flickr / Gage SkidmoreRubio Blames Nonexistent ‘German Dam’ Explosion for Venezuela Power Blackout READ MORE: Venezuelan Army Introduces Air Surveillance Over Power Lines After Blackout The first thing that grabs your attention … [Read more...] about Caracas Int’l Airport Overwhelmed With Passengers Following Massive Blackout