Airlines Expected To Lose $5.6 Billion In 2010

The global airline industry will face another harrowing year in 2010, with losses expected to reach $5.6 billion despite some recovery in passenger and cargo traffic, an industry group said Tuesday.

Low yields and rising costs are a “continuing disaster” for world airlines, who have already lost $49 billion since 2000, according to the International Air Transport Association. The industry group maintained its estimate of $11 billion full-year losses for 2009.

“The worst is likely behind us,” said IATA chief executive Giovanni Bisignani. “Some key statistics are moving in the right direction. Demand will likely continue to improve and airlines are expected to drive down non-fuel unit costs.”

Turkey Warns Israel Against Using Airspace

If Israel were to violate Turkish airspace in order to conduct reconnaissance operations on Iran, Ankara’s reaction would resemble an “earthquake,” Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in an interview with Egyptian journalist Fahmi Huwaidi published Thursday morning.

Erdogan also alluded during the interview to last winter’s Operation Cast Lead, saying that Israel could not reasonably have expected to participate in a joint military drill with Turkey after “sweeping” the people of Gaza.

Miss Gibraltar – Miss World 2009

Gibraltar’s Kaiane Aldorino won the 2009 Miss World crown at a glittering ceremony here on Saturday, defeating 111 contestants from across the world

An HR Clerk by profession, the 22-year old blonde brought her country the Miss World title for the first time.

“Thank you South Africa, this is the most wonderful moment of my life,” said Aldorino with tears in her eyes.

Economic Recovery In Latin America And Caribbean To Be Faster Than Expected

Latin America and the Caribbean will bounce back faster than expected from the global financial crisis, with growth projected at over 4 per cent next year, a regional United Nations agency for economic development announced today.

In its annual report, the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) expects positive growth rates for most countries in the region, but notes there are still doubts about whether the recovery will be sustainable, since external scenarios remain uncertain and could impact the area.

“The worst of the crisis is behind us,” said ECLAC Executive Secretary Alicia B”ena. “The motors of growth have been turned on again, but we don”t know how long the fuel will last.”

Shock Waves From Dubai Default About To Hit Markets

What happened in Dubai just over a week ago was the bright flash, and the media have used the intervening period before the shock wave hits to reassure everyone that everything is going to be just fine – “You just relax, nothing will come of it, it’s only $60 billion down the drain or whatever – have a cup of tea”. The trouble is that it’s not $60 billion at all – the reality is that this is a default on a massively larger scale. 

Dubai was a vast sinkhole into which western banks and governments unquestioningly poured not just billions but trillions of dollars which was then leveraged enormously by means of derivatives enabling Dubai to build itself up into a latter day Rome, with a level of opulence and extravagance that would have made Caesar green with envy.

Open Letter To Garbage Thrower

Letter to The Editor

Sir, I am writing this letter to you today because I would like your assistance in thanking someone.

A few days ago, while driving home from work, I noticed someone throwing their garbage out of the window of a bus waiting at a junction.

Sir, it is this individual that I would like to thank and I am seeking your assitance in doing so by asking that you publish my letter. What follows is for him (or her):

You see, when you (i.e., the throw-er of the garbage) threw whatever you threw out of the window, you weren’t littering, you were doing your bit for the economy! YOu were trying to show us that there is another way besides tourism!

Mammograms Cause Breast Cancer – Study Shows

Ever since the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force took a look, finally, at the scientific evidence and announced new recommendations earlier this month for routine mammograms — specifically that women under 50 should avoid them and women over 50 should only get them every other year — the reactions from many women, doctors and the mainstream media have reached the point of near hysteria (http://www.naturalnews.com/027558_m…).Not getting annual mammograms, some say, means countless women will receive a virtual death sentence because their breast tumors won’t be discovered. But what is rarely discussed about mammograms is this: the tests could actually be causing many cases of breast cancer.

Gold Breaks $1200/oz Barrier

Gold just capped off its best month in a year — up 14% in November and 34% so far in 2009.

Helping drive the latest gains was the news out of the China Gold Association that the country’s gold demand is on pace this year to exceed 450 metric tonnes, a 14% increase over the 395.6 tonnes in 2008. (In contrast to India, jewelry sales are up double-digits in China so far this year.)

Rihanna Mad At Dad Over Fight Comments

Rihanna has blasted her estranged father for speaking out about her February (09) fight with then-boyfriend Chris Brown and suggesting he was close with the R&B star.

The singer admits she was hurt, angry and upset when Ronald Fenty appeared to be representing her in a series of interviews as she went into hiding amid the press scrutiny surrounding the incident on the eve of the Grammy Awards.

Is Your Cell Phone Spying On You?

Don’t talk: your cell phone may be eavesdropping. Thanks to recent developments in “spy phone” software, a do-it-yourself spook can now wirelessly transfer a wiretapping program to any mobile phone. The programs are inexpensive, and the transfer requires no special skill. The would-be spy needs to get his hands on your phone to press keys authorizing the download, but it takes just a few minutes—about the time needed to download a ringtone.

See: Tech News/Media

 

Climate Change: This is The Worst Scientific Scandal Of Our Generation

A week after my colleague James Delingpole , on his Telegraph blog, coined the term “Climategate” to describe the scandal revealed by the leaked emails from the University of East Anglia’s Climatic Research Unit, Google was showing that the word now appears across the internet more than nine million times. But in all these acres of electronic coverage, one hugely relevant point about these thousands of documents has largely been missed.

The reason why even the Guardian‘s George Monbiot has expressed total shock and dismay at the picture revealed by the documents is that their authors are not just any old bunch of academics. Their importance cannot be overestimated, What we are looking at here is the small group of scientists who have for years been more influential in driving the worldwide alarm over global warming than any others, not least through the role they play at the heart of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Somali Pirates Seize 300,000 tonnes Of Oil

Somali pirates seized a tanker carrying crude oil from Saudi Arabia to the United States in the increasingly dangerous waters off East Africa, an official said on Monday, an attack that could pose a huge environmental or security threat to the region.

The Greece-flagged Maran Centaurus was hijacked on Sunday about 1,300 kilometres off the coast of Somalia, said Cmdr John Harbour, a spokesman for the EU Naval Force. Harbour said it originated from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and was destined for the United States. The ship has 28 crew members on board, he said.

H1N1 Virus Found In US Turkeys

The pandemic H1N1 flu virus was confirmed in a flock of breeder turkeys in Virginia — the first U.S. case involving turkeys, the U.S. Agriculture Department said Monday.

The virus also has been found in hogs, three house cats, pet ferrets and a cheetah in California. USDA said infections of turkeys have been reported in Canada and Chile.

“This is the first detection of 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza in turkeys in the United States,” said a USDA spokesperson.