All posts tagged: booking

What to consider when booking a long weekend with toddlers overseas

What to consider when booking a long weekend with toddlers overseas

Published by Daniella Wilson

Ask any toddler parents how they are and you’ll be met with a look – through dark, circled eyes – of mild desperation. Tired has a whole new meaning; busy feels like an understatement. In short, they’re exhausted – in almost every conceivable way.  My husband and I are parents to two great, albeit tiring, toddlers (aged two and four) and the last eight months have been intense. In addition to keeping our tiny humans alive, we have also moved house and had three reasonably impactful operations between us.  So to celebrate making it through – with our sanity just about intact – we decided to take a break. However, we’d both taken a lot of time out of the office and, until we were more settled in our new home, we wanted to make it a short one. But we also wanted to go somewhere warm. While avoiding the Middle East. And Europe’s new EES system. Was a four-hour flight to Turkey with toddlers worth it for a long weekend, I wondered? We decided …

Royal Caribbean ‘unfairly’ charged me over booking for disabled son | Money

Royal Caribbean ‘unfairly’ charged me over booking for disabled son | Money

Published by Sam Flores

In November 2024, I booked a cruise for my wife, myself and our severely disabled son for this July. I’d booked well in advance to ensure an accessible cabin for my son. At home, he needs round-the-clock care from a rota of eight carers, so we made extra bookings for three to accompany him. Because the care team has other commitments, I couldn’t confirm their names at the time of booking and was told to do so by this April, when the balance had to be paid. I duly did so, and was told that I needed to pay a £75 fee for each name change, and that the care team would each lose the $325 (£239) onboard credit that was part of the original booking. I then received a notice informing me that the wheelchair-accessible riverboat excursion I had booked for us all was non-transferable, so would be cancelled and refunded for the three care workers. Since the riverboat trip is no longer listed, I can’t rebook them. I have complained to no avail. …

Muslim women are suing jails and police over hijab removal at booking. And winning.

Muslim women are suing jails and police over hijab removal at booking. And winning.

Published by Sam Flores

(RNS) — More Muslim women across the United States are turning to the courts to challenge prison and police policies that force them to remove their hijabs for booking photos, arguing the practice violates their religious freedom and leaves them exposed to lasting harm. In the last two months, at least five such cases have been filed or settled. Attorneys say the lawsuits do not reflect a new problem so much as a new willingness to fight. A growing track record of successful cases from Minnesota to New York City has emboldened Muslim women to come forward about their experiences.  “A lot of Muslim women realized, ‘Oh, this is something I can complain about. I felt like it violated my rights. I knew it felt wrong, but I didn’t know that I could actually try to get these pictures destroyed,’” said Aya Beydoun, a staff attorney with the Council on American-Islamic Relations who has litigated several of these cases in recent years. And arrests at pro-Palestine protests have also brought more visibly Muslim women into …

Booking.com confirms hackers accessed customers’ data

Booking.com confirms hackers accessed customers’ data

Published by skeptic

Booking.com confirmed Monday that hackers may have accessed customers’ personal data, including names, emails, physical addresses, phone numbers, and booking details. The global travel and hotel reservation giant notified customers this past week of the breach, according to several online posts.  “We’re writing to inform you that unauthorized third parties may have been able to access certain booking information associated with your reservation,” read the notificaiton to customers, according to one user’s post on Reddit. Several other Reddit users replying to the post said they received the same notification. The message from the company included the aforementioned types of compromised data, as well as “anything that you may have shared with the accommodation.”  The user who posted the notification on Reddit told TechCrunch that they received a phishing message via WhatsApp two weeks ago that included “booking details and personal information.” That suggests hackers are leveraging the stolen information to target Booking.com customers.  Booking.com spokesperson Courtney Camp told TechCrunch that the company “noticed some suspicious activity involving unauthorized third parties being able to access some …

Kanye West Blocked From Travelling To UK Amid Controversy Over Wireless Booking

Kanye West Blocked From Travelling To UK Amid Controversy Over Wireless Booking

Published by Sam Flores

The US rapper Ye has been banned from travelling to the UK ahead of his scheduled performances at this year’s Wireless music festival. Ye – formerly known as Kanye West – had been booked to headline all three nights of the London festival in July, leading to widespread controversy due to his past antisemitic comments and actions. London mayor Sadiq Khan and UK prime minister Keir Starmer were among those to raise questions about the booking, as well as many leading UK-based Jewish groups, some of whom went as far as questioning whether the Grammy winner should even be allowed to travel to the UK. It’s now been revealed that Ye’s performances will no longer be able to go ahead, due to his right to travel to the UK being nixed by the Home Office. Government sources told HuffPost UK that the decision was made on the grounds that his presence in the UK “would not be conducive to the public good”. Keir Starmer said on Tuesday afternoon: “Kanye West should never have been invited …

Wireless Defends Kanye West Headlining Booking Amid Controversy

Wireless Defends Kanye West Headlining Booking Amid Controversy

Published by Sam Flores

Organisers of the Wireless music festival have spoken out as the controversy over Ye’s upcoming headlining slot continues to grow. Last week, it was announced that the Grammy-winning rapper – formerly known as Kanye West – would be headlining all three nights of Wireless at London’s Finsbury Park over the summer. In January, Ye – who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2016 – paid for a full-page advert in the Wall Street Journal, in which he made a public apology “to those I’ve hurt” with his antisemitism, which he explained had come during a months-long manic episode where he said he had “lost touch with reality”. Following the news of his upcoming Wireless shows, groups including the Jewish Leadership Council, the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism and Board Of Deputies Of British Jews all condemned Ye’s booking, with the president of the latter going as far as questioning whether the government should be “blocking” the Touch The Sky musician from “entering the country”. London mayor Sadiq Khan also took issue with the booking, and in the …

Pepsi Pulls U.K. Festival Sponsorship Amid Kanye West Booking

Pepsi Pulls U.K. Festival Sponsorship Amid Kanye West Booking

Published by Daniella Wilson

Pepsi has reportedly withdrawn its sponsorship of the Wireless Festival in London amid the booking of controversial rapper Kanye West, now known as Ye. The “Runaway” artist, who has been at the center of criticism in recent years for several antisemitic remarks and releasing a song called “Heil Hitler,” is set to headline all three nights of the U.K. festival this summer, which runs from July 10-12. A spokesperson for Pepsi, which has been a long-standing partner and headline sponsor of the Wireless Festival for several years, wrote in a statement, “Pepsi has decided to withdraw its sponsorship of Wireless festival,” the BBC reported. The beverage company didn’t share details on its reason for pulling its sponsorship, but the decision came after West’s booking. However, as of Sunday morning, Pepsi was still listed as a headline sponsor on the festival’s website. The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to Pepsi for comment. The U.K. festival has already faced criticism over West’s planned performances, including from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. He told The Sun newspaper, “It is deeply …

Pepsi withdraws sponsorship of Wireless Festival after Kanye West booking | Ents & Arts News

Pepsi withdraws sponsorship of Wireless Festival after Kanye West booking | Ents & Arts News

Published by Daniella Wilson

Pepsi has withdrawn its sponsorship of Wireless Festival which Kanye West is due to headline, after Sir Keir Starmer joined criticism of the event. The US rapper has previously been condemned over his antisemitic remarks. The 48-year-old musician – who has not performed in the UK since he headlined Glastonbury in 2015 – is set to top the bill for all three nights of the festival in London’s Finsbury Park in July. On Sunday, a Pepsi spokesperson said: “Pepsi has decided to withdraw its sponsorship of Wireless Festival.” In the time since he last performed on UK soil, West has drawn criticism for antisemitic X posts, a Super Bowl advert directing people to a swastika T-shirt and a song referencing Hitler. Sir Keir Starmer said it was “deeply concerning” that West has been booked “despite his previous antisemitic remarks and celebration of Nazism”. “Antisemitism in any form is abhorrent and must be confronted clearly and firmly wherever it appears. Everyone has a responsibility to ensure Britain is a place where Jewish people feel safe and …

Pepsi and Diageo withdraw sponsorship of Wireless Festival after Kanye West booking | Ents & Arts News

Pepsi and Diageo withdraw sponsorship of Wireless Festival after Kanye West booking | Ents & Arts News

Published by Daniella Wilson

Diageo, owner of Johnnie Walker and Captain Morgan, has joined Pepsi in withdrawing sponsorship of Wireless Festival, which Kanye West is due to headline, after Sir Keir Starmer joined criticism of the event. The US rapper has previously been condemned over his antisemitic remarks. The 48-year-old musician – who has not performed in the UK since he headlined Glastonbury in 2015 – is set to top the bill for all three nights of the festival in London’s Finsbury Park in July. A Diageo spokesperson said: “We have informed the organisers of our concerns and as it stands, Diageo will not sponsor the 2026 Wireless festival.” Earlier on Sunday, a Pepsi spokesperson said: “Pepsi has decided to withdraw its sponsorship of Wireless Festival.” Sky News has approached festival organisers for a response. In the time since he last performed on UK soil, West has drawn criticism for antisemitic X posts, a Super Bowl advert directing people to a swastika T-shirt and a song referencing Hitler. Sir Keir said it was “deeply concerning” that West has been …

Keir Starmer ‘deeply concerned’ by Kanye West’s Wireless festival booking ‘despite antisemitic remarks’ | Politics News

Keir Starmer ‘deeply concerned’ by Kanye West’s Wireless festival booking ‘despite antisemitic remarks’ | Politics News

Published by Daniella Wilson

The prime minister has said it is “deeply concerning” that Kanye West has been booked for a London music festival “despite his previous antisemitic remarks and celebration of Nazism”. The 48-year-old rapper – who has not performed in the UK since he headlined Glastonbury in 2015 – will top the bill for all three nights of Wireless festival in July. In the time since he last performed on UK soil, West has drawn criticism for antisemitic X posts, a Super Bowl advert directing people to a swastika t-shirt and a song referencing Hitler. Sir Keir Starmer said in a statement: “It is deeply concerning that Kanye West has been booked to perform at Wireless despite his previous antisemitic remarks and celebration of Nazism. “Antisemitism in any form is abhorrent and must be confronted clearly and firmly wherever it appears. Everyone has a responsibility to ensure Britain is a place where Jewish people feel safe and secure.” West, also known as Ye, has been barred from X over antisemitism on multiple occasions. Image: West’s last UK …