Limbless Frenchman starts 5 intercontinental swim, completes Oceania-Asia crossing
Windsor Genova – Fourth Estate Cooperative News Writer Paris, France (4E) – A Frenchman, whose arms and legs were amputated after an electrocution accident in 1994, started his bid to swim across five continents on Thursday by crossing from Papua New Guinea to Indonesia. Philippe Croizon, 43, completed the 12-mile Oceania-Asia swim in seven and a half hours using prosthetics attached with flippers. A Papua New Guinean man named Zet Tampa swam with him to support the latter’s campaign to highlight the ability of people with disabilities. Croizon struggled against strong currents and winds during the swim from the village of Wutung, Papua New Guinea to Pasar Skow in Papua province, Indonesia. Villagers and media people greeted him upon his arrival in Wutung. The next leg of his swim will be the Asia-Africa crossing from the Gulf of Aqaba in Jordan to Egypt’s coast in June. The distance between the two points is more than 15 miles. In July, Croizon is scheduled to swim from Europe to Africa in the Strait of Gibraltar, an 8.6-mile stretch. The America-to-Asia swim will be in August, when he crosses six miles from the islands of Big Diomede, Russia to Little Diomede, U.S. Croizon was the first amputee to swim the English Channel in 2010. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
Plane with newly-inaugurated Hollande hit by lightning, trip to Germany delayed
Windsor Genova – Fourth Estate Cooperative News Writer Paris, France (4E) – President-elect Francoise Hollande on Tuesday flew to Germany for a eurozone debt crisis meeting with Chancellor Angela Merkel but his plane was hit by lightning and it returned to Paris. He was unhurt and took another plane to resume his flight to Berlin. The incident came just hours after his inaugural as the new leader of France at the Elysee Palace in Paris. Former president Nicolas Sarkozy formally turned over power to the 57-year-old Hollande. According to a presidential spokesman, the plane hit by lightning turned back for safety reasons. Planes are usually hit by lightning with the electricity being dispelled through their wingtips, but turning around after a strike is rare, according to a BBC transport correspondent. Hollande decided to have a dinner meeting with Merkel, his second act as president after naming Jean-Marc Ayrault as his prime minister at 5 p.m., to renegotiate the European Union fiscal pact and make it growth-oriented instead of austerity-oriented as the German leader wanted it to be. In his televised inaugural speech, Hollande said he will propose to Merkel a plan to reduce public debt while stimulating the economy. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
Finally–low calorie Slurpees
Diane Alter – Fourth Estate Cooperative Reporter New York, N.Y., United States (4E) – Finally–for calorie-conscious consumers, low-calorie Slurpees. Yes, 7-Eleven is finally launching Slurpees made with the low calorie sugar substitute Splenda instead of sugar. The 7-Eleven website states that the brain-freeze drink has 50 percent fewer calories, but 100 percent of the same sugary, sweet taste. The website boasts the drink is ‘Cleary made with magic!” Three new flavors of the diet-friendly Slurpee will be rolled out in 2012. The first to debut is the Fanta sugar-free mango. Strawberry-banana will follow in July and cherry-limeade in August. To celebrate the new drink, 7-Eleven will be offering free Slurpees on May 23 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
Air India strike enters day 7; 14 international flights cancelled
Diane Alter – Fourth Estate Cooperative Reporter New Delhi, India (4E) – The Indian Pilots Guild (IPG), spurring on the Air India pilot’s strike, submitted documents Monday to the Civil Aviation Ministry to back its claims on career progression issues. The strike, now in its seventh day, caused some 14 international flights to be canceled Monday. The guild has accused the airline’s management of not giving a “clear picture” to the government on their pressing issues and concerns. In a statement to reporters, the IPG said, “Some of our office bearers today met ministry officials and submitted documents regarding our claims.” The IPG maintains that the government has not been properly informed about what the Guild is seeking and that they should be allowed to show their issues to the government, “without interference of Air India management.” The Indian government on Monday termed the week-long strike “meaningless,” and is refusing to talk to the agitated pilots. The IPG refuses to return to work until the pilots’ issues are addressed. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
15 die, six survive in Nepal plane crash
Anil Giri – AHN News Correspondent Kathmandu, Nepal (AHN) – At least 15 persons were killed when an airplane crashed on a hilltop near the Jomsom airport in northern Nepal Monday morning. Six people were rescued alive from the crash site. Some 21 persons, including three crew members and 18 foreigners, were on board the i9N AIG Dornier aircraft. The pilot and co-pilot and 13 Indian nationals are among those killed in the crash. According to the chief of the Pokhara Airport, Pratap Babu Tiwari, those rescued have been flown to Pokhara for further treatment. One among the rescued is said to be in critical condition. Tiwari, who was at the crash site, said that two Danish nationals and a flight attendant were also flown to Pokhara Airport while a Simrik Air helicopter airlifted three Indian nationals, including two children, to Manipal Hospital. Many of the passengers were believed to headed to the Muktinath temple in Jomson. The plane had left from Pokhara. The plane crashed as it approached the Jomsom airport. The cause of the crash has not yet been determined. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
Nearly half of all Americans not earning enough to save for retirement
Linda Young – AHN News Writer Windsor, CT, United States (AHN) – Nearly half of all Americans say they are not contributing to a retirement plan, according to the latest survey by LIMRA, a trade association for the financial services industry. LIMRA conducted a nationwide survey of 2,697 adults in April and found that 49 percent were not contributing to a retirement plan. Younger Americans, ages 18 to 34, were even more likely not to be saving, with 56 percent saying they were not contributing to a retirement plan. Since retirement can last 20 years or longer, financial planners say it is important to save for retirement and to start early to take advantage of earning interest. But the survey found that nearly half of all those surveyed said they did not plan to contribute to an IRA or 401k because they could not afford to do so. Those who said they planned to contribute within the next year were younger and higher-income. Few Americans have defined benefit pension plans anymore and that is particularly true of younger workers who entered the labor force after most employers switched to the less generous 401k system. In addition, the survey found that only 25 percent of all Americans in general and less than 33 percent of those over age 50 work with a financial professional to plan for retirement. However, even when they controlled for income, the survey found that those who did work with a financial professional were more likely to be contributing to a defined contribution plan or an IRA. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
Travel agents suspend tours to Philippines ahead of anti-China protest
Windsor Genova – Fourth Estate Cooperative News Writer Beijing, China (4E) – Chinese travel agencies have suspended tours to the Philippines as a precaution against possible harm to Chinese travelers during planned anti-China protests in Manila on Friday. Ctrip.com, China’s largest online travel service company, and Beijing Caissa International Travel Service Co. Ltd. canceled tours to the Philippines to ensure the safety of their clients. The cancelations were also prompted by an order from China’s National Tourism Administration to do so. Ctrip.com warned its clients against traveling to the Philippines amid the standoff of the two countries’ navies at a disputed shoal in the South China Sea or West Philippine Sea. The ongoing dispute over what China calls Huangyang Island and what the Philippines regards as its Scarborough Shoal has aroused anti-Chinese sentiments in Manila. Filipino activists will hold simultaneous demonstrations in front of Chinese embassies in the Philippines and other countries on Friday to protest China’s claim over the island considered part of the Philippine province of Zambales. The dispute started on April 10 when a patrol vessel of the Philippine Navy tried to arrest Chinese fishermen allegedly poaching in the shoal’s lagoon. Two Chinese surveillance ships rushed to the island and blocked the Philippine vessel, preventing the arrest and allowing the Chinese trawlers to leave with their catch. At present, a Philippine Coast Guard ship and a vessel from the government’s fishery agency are at the shoal to guard against poaching. Meanwhile, three Chinese maritime surveillance vessels and a ship from China’s Fisheries Law Enforcement Command are also at the shoal. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
Spirit Airlines raising carry-on fee to $100
Diane Alter – AHN News Reporter New York, NY, United States (AHN) – Low-cost Spirit Airlines now has a very high cost carry-on policy. The carrier, which is known for charging a fee for every amenity, is set to implement a carry-on baggage fee of a whopping $100 starting Nov. 6. The current cost for a carry-on is $45 for domestic and international fliers if purchased ahead of time. However, if purchased at the gate the fee rises to $100. Any bag that needs to be stored in the overhead bin is a carry-on. Any bag that fits under the seat is free. The announcement was made on the company’s website. The company reports it will cost an additional $5 to $10 in carry-on fees on average when purchased online, at a reservation center or at an airport kiosk. Its Club Fare members will also pay $9. Carry-on fees for the super-no-frills carrier will now range from $25 to $100 per bag, up from the current $20 to $45. The move comes on the heel of the airline’s highly publicized refusal to refund a ticket for a dying Marine. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
Ice cubes allow cool ‘encounter’ with Virgin’s Branson
Diane Alter – AHN News Reporter London, England, United Kingdom (AHN) – Billionaire Richard Branson has a cool idea. The entrepreneur and founder of Virgin Airlines has created ice cubes in his own image that will cool beverages served in first class of his airline so that he can fly “in spirit” with the passengers. The cubes were designed so that passengers can experience what it may be like to have a drink with the iconic businessman. It took a team of highly skilled designers six weeks to create the molds for the Branson cubes. Using exact measurements of Sir Richard’s head, detailed photographic techniques and laser scanning technology, the results are “Little Richards.” The life-like cubes are just one aspect of the airline’s new on-plane bars, the longest in the sky. Steve Ridgway, CEO of Virgin Airline, said in statement, “While Richard would love to be able to sit and enjoy a drink with all of our passengers, his schedule means that it simply isn’t possible. Now he is able to join out guests ‘in spirit’ on one of the upper class cabins’s first flights as they raise a toast to their trip and the exciting times ahead.” Cheers! Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
© 2012 Windham Media Network. 
|