Irish drinkers toast longer pub hours, price freeze Irish drinkers raised their glasses to the government on Thursday after ministers introduced longer pub opening hours and froze drink prices. But where longshoremen and deck hands once made their way up the hill from Hamburg's bustling harbor to buy cold beer and hot women, fashionable bars, Broadway shows and tourists are encroaching, putting the squeeze on the sleaze. Houses of ill-repute still dot the Reeperbahn, but as the area undergoes a speedy urban renaissance, it's getting harder to find the brothels amid the maze of discos, ethnic restaurants, trendy drinking holes and electronics shops. Some 35,000 people gathered in the clammy heat on the cobbled square, straining for a glimpse of their heroes. When the team appeared on the balcony of the Hotel Crillon, brandishing the gleaming trophy, the fans cheered as one.
Brits fear tourism is turning their country into a giant theme park.
For the first time in 16 years, ordinary observers of the summer solstice will be allowed to spend the night at the prehistoric Stonehenge monument Tuesday to watch the sun rise on the year's longest day. Polar flights save time, eliminate stop-overs Having to spend hours and hours aboard a plane could be one of the biggest drawbacks to transoceanic flights. But soon some travelers will enjoy significantly shorter flights, thanks to a change in flight patterns. Beginning next month, Russia and Canada will allow regular travel over the North Pole. Airlines then will be able to fly more directly from the United States to Asia.