My World Earth News: holiday

Showing posts with label holiday. Show all posts

Monday, December 20, 2010

Night flight curbs on ice-bound Heathrow lifted

An Aegean Airlines Airbus A321 passenger jet comes in to land as a Cathay Pacific Boeing 747 taxis at Heathrow airport on December 20, 2010.

Britain said yesterday it was relaxing night flying restrictions at London’s Heathrow airport for the next four days to help it clear a backlog of flights hit by severe icy and snowy weather.

Transport Secretary Philip Hammond said operating hours at the airport would be extended until 1 a.m. and arrivals for repatriation flights would be allowed throughout the night.

The airport, operated by Spanish-owned BAA, told passengers not to turn up at its terminals one and three because of overcrowding yesterday.

“The immediate focus at Heathrow must be maximising the number of flights with the available infrastructure,” Hammond told parliament.

“In order to do this I have agreed with BAA this morning the relaxation of restrictions on night flights for the next four days,” Hammond added.

British Airways, the largest operator out of Heathrow, said the airport would only be using one of its two runways today — as yesterday — meaning the airport would be operating at significantly reduced capacity.

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Showered in flower petals and wild colours, it's the Indian festival of Lathmar Holi

From the lavish scenes of Bollywood to the rich spectrum of their cuisine, no other country in the world celebrates colours like India.

So it's no surprise that spring is being greeted with a festival celebrating just that - colour.

The Lathmar Holi was being celebrated in villages across India today, as thousands of men and women showered themselves in brilliantly coloured powders and millions of flower petals.

The legend behind the festival claims that it is closely associated with Lord Krishna and his principle consort and childhood friend, Radha. Men in traditional dress take on the role of gops (friends of Krishna), while women play gopis (friends of Radha).

The men throw the coloured powders and flowers on the women, who fight back by pretending to beat them with bamboo.

It is claimed that the Hindu deity Krishna, who was dark in colour, was jealous of the fair-coloured Radha. He pestered his foster mother Yasodha about it so much that, fed up, she told him he could change Radha's skin by sprinkling her with colours.
Krishna and his shepherd friends visited Radha and her cowherd girls on this day and teased her by throwing colours at her. She and the girls responded by chasing them away with the sticks, or lathis.

The bamboo sticks are said to be an expression of Radha's love - she and the cowherd girls are angry that Krishna and his friends do not live with them all the time.

The Lathmar Holi celebration at Barsana in Mathura is the most famous.

Rain of colours: Men in the village close their eyes as more colour is showered down on them

Rain of colours: Men in the village close their eyes as more colour is showered down on them.Spring colours: Men daubed in coloured powder celebrate the Lathmar Holi, also known as the festival of colours, at Nandgaon village near the northern Indian city of Mathura yesterday

Brilliant: The festival is part of a welcoming of spring.

The men don't seem to mind their clothes being covered in the colours

Hindu women with the bamboo sticks, or lathis, they will use to pretend to beat the men with

Celebration: A man in Nandgaon covered in paint. The festival is held all over India

Love: A woman with a bamboo stick, or lathi, pretends to beat a man, who is protecting himself with a shield. Legend has it that Radha beat Krishna out of anger that he was not living with her

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Sunday, December 27, 2009

The Obama girls play in the Hawaiian sun as the First family celebrate Christmas in the President's home state

Close: Barack and Michelle held hands as they walked across the tarmac at Hickam Air Force Base and the First Family children.

Chilly: Obama dashes out of the Oval office in Washington ahead of his flight to the sunnier climes of the state he was born in

Standing to attention: The crew of Air Force One preparing to fly the first family to Hawaii yesterday

Merry Christmas: The President greets a young Marine who was having Christmas dinner at Anderson Hall on Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kailua.

The President and Michelle Obama chat to Marines and their families on Christmas Day

Christmas cheer: The President and the First Lady share a joke with a couple of Marines

Hula in Hawaii: Malia Obama shows off her hula-hooping skills as she and her family spend the
Christmas holiday in Hawaii

Take That! Sasha Obama chases a friend round the family's private holiday home with her space hopper

Warm welcome: Crowds gathered to wish the Obamas a happy Christmas

Sasha and Malia also wore flower garlands

The President and his wife Michelle both wore traditional flower garlands upon their arrival

Aloha! The President, first lady and daughters Sasha and Malia touch down in Hawaii on Christmas Eve

President Barack Obama's daughters made the most of the sunny Hawaiian weather yesterday as they enjoyed Christmas morning on the tropical island.

Malia Ann, 11 and eight-year-old Sasha, looked like they were having the time of their lives as they hula-hooped outside their holiday home and chased friends with a space hopper.

Mr Obama, the First Lady and their two girls left the wintry scenes outside the White House in Washington D.C on Christmas Eve for the island of Oahu for a week-long holiday.
Hawaii is where the President was born and raised and with no public schedule to attend to, the family have been celebrating the festive season in private at a rented compound in Kailua.

After spending Christmas morning together, Mr Obama and his wife Michelle went to visit military families at the Marine Corps Base.
They were greeted warmly by serving officers and their families who were having Christmas dinner on the base.

They spent time laughing and chatting with the Marines before heading back to their holiday home to continue Christmas Day in private with their daughters.

The Obamas are also planning to see in 2010 in Hawaii.
When they arrived on the island on Thursday, a crowd of about 75 military servicemen and women and Hawaii politicians including Governor Linda Lingle greeted Air Force One when it landed at Hickam Air Force Base.

Obama took several minutes to greet military personnel and their families before getting in a black sport utility for the ride to his vacation home.

People carrying cameras, dogs and children lined the streets along the road as his motorcade made its way to Kailua from the air base.
Some flashed the shaka or 'hang loose' sign at the first Hawaii-born president. Others held placards wishing the Obama family a Merry Christmas.

A group of Hawaiian sovereignty activists standing near Pinky's restaurant in Kailua spelled out 'End US Occupation of Hawaii.'
Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann predicted the media attention the visit is receiving will boost the state's tourism industry.

'I think it's going to create all kinds of demand,' Hannemann told KHON from Hickam, where he was among those greeting the president.

'People are going to want to come here when they see the president sunning and funning in Hawaii.'

Obama left the White House earlier on Christmas Eve after the US Senate passed health care legislation.

Obama leaves behind a Washington bitterly divided over his top domestic priority. The first family's departure was delayed until senators took action.

Obama spent part of last December in Hawaii, where his mother and grandmother raised him.
The family has made an annual tradition of coming back to the islands.

Obama was born at Kapiolani Medical Center in Honolulu and attended Punahou School from fifth grade until he graduated from high school.

He's staying at the same rented oceanfront vacation home as last year on a quiet block of Windward Oahu.

The Secret Service has set up multiple security checkpoints in the neighborhood, while the Coast Guard has set up a no-entry zone in part of Kailua Bay fronting the home.

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Friday, December 25, 2009

Queen and Royal Family arrive at Sandringham for traditional Christmas Day service in the snow

They say you should never sacrifice style for comfort, which may explain why Zara Phillips and her sister-in-law, Autumn Kelly, tottered into church with the rest of the Royal Family on Christmas Day.

The attractive pair successfully managed to negotiate the treacherously icy paths of Norfolk as they walked the quarter of a mile route from Sandringham House in fashionable six-inch stiletto heels.

The area has seen more than six inches of snow in recent days and the fields remained picturesquely white for Christmas Day.
Princess Anne's daughter, a world champion three-day eventer who was without her long-term boyfriend, England rubgy player Mike Tindall (who, according to protocol, would not be invited along until they were married), needed a little help on the final furlong, however, and spontaneously linked arms with her cousin Prince William.

Others, including the Queen and the Duchess of Cornwall, were more sensibly shod in knee-high boots, with Camilla also sporting a real fur Philip Treacy Cossack-style hat and a blue wool Anna Valentine coat.
The Countess of Wessex also stood out in a pair of black four-inch stilettos, although she opted to travel to church by car with the Queen, 83, while the rest of the family group, including the 88-year-old Duke of Edinburgh, made their way on foot.

The Duke of York's daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie also opted for black knee-length boots with low heels, although the younger of the sisters brightened up her outfit with a shocking pink trilby by milliner Philip Treacy.

Beatrice, 21, wore a Marc Jacobs coat and a hat she picked up from London department store Fenwicks.

Around 500 onlookers watched the royal party attend their traditional Christmas Day church service on the Queen's estate. Security was tighter than ever as they arrived with police searching all visitors.
The searches took so long that around 300 people were told they were too late go in and the gates were closed.

Three-year-old Sophie Manton, from Downham Market, was in tears when she found she could not give her bunch of tulips to the Queen.

Her mother, Sarah Hawkes, 40, said: 'She is so disappointed. She very much wanted to see the Queen. She thought she might be wearing her crown.

'She has only seen the Queen on television before and wanted to get close to her.'

Other lucky children did line up to give the Queen flowers after the service and several of the royals exchanged Christmas greetings with onlookers as they walked back to Sandringham House.Prince William stopped to hug carer Debbie Barlett, 51, who lives near Sandringham and attends the Christmas Day service every year.

'He gave me a hug and a kiss and asked me where my snowman was,' she said.

'I've been coming here for the past 20 years. It's one chance you get to see the royals all together. It's lovely.'

Also among the party were Prince Charles, Prince Harry, Princess Anne and her husband, Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence, the Duke of York and the Earl and Countess of Wessex.

Royal girlfriends Kate Middleton and Chelsy Davy were not present, although there is much speculation that Prince William's long-term love may join the party for their traditional Boxing Day pheasant shoot.
If she does, the moment is unlikely to be recorded, however, as the Queen's has threatened to take legal action against any photographers tempted to capture the occasion.

Earlier this year she sent out warnings to newspapers demanding they 'respect her family's privacy' by refraining from publishing photographs of them holidaying on the estate.

On Christmas Eve police threatened to arrest anyone taking pictures of Princes William and Harry playing in their annual football match against local villagers and a Buckingham Palace spokeswoman even refused to confirm the score of the game, claiming it was a 'private activity'.

Prince Harry is due to fly out to Mauritius tomorrow to join his on-off partner, Miss Davy. He will spend New Year on the tropical island with her family before returning to duty with the Army Air Corps at the beginning of January.

Debbie Barlett, 51, was delighted after Prince William stopped to give her a hug

Hands in pockets, Harry arrives at Sandringham with Zara and Autumn Phillips in their high heels

Queen Elizabeth receives flowers after attending a Christmas Day church service at St Mary Magdalene Church

In the pink: The Countess of Wessex and Princess Eugenie leave St Mary Magdalene Church

Popular: The Duchess of Cornwall speaks to wellwishers as she leaves the church. Scores of people missed seeing the royals because of legnthy security checks