Sunday, May 6, 2007

Officials say that a Kenya Airways Boeing 737-800 with 8 crew members, 106 passengers and a flight engineer on board, has crashed in Cameroon.

Flight KQ 507 was traveling from Abidjan to Nairobi. It made a stopover in Douala, Cameroon where more passengers got on the plane, before it continued on its flight.

It is not known if there are any survivors, but Kenya Airways says that there were passengers from at least 23 different countries on the plane (list below).

Reports say that 3 referees heading to an African Confederation Cup game were also on the plane along with Anthony Mitchell a British journalist who is based in Nairobi, and Amol Chauhan the director of Parle Products.

“Flight 507 was coming from Abidjan via Douala. The aircraft unfortunately has not arrived. The last message was received in Douala after takeoff and thereafter the tower was unable to contact the plane,” CEO of Kenya Airways, Titus Naikuni said earlier in a statement.

Reports say that the plane sent a distress signal at 2:00 a.m., just after it took off from Cameroon, but it is not known what triggered the distress signal. The plane was supposed to land at 6:15 a.m. local time. It left Abidjan at 11:05 p.m. local time in Nairobi.

“The distress call came from a machine, not a pilot. The latest information that a distress signal was picked up on the west coast of Africa and a search and rescue mission initiated by Cameroonian authorities was initiated at 1105 (0805GMT) this morning, that is Nairobi time. So far no report has been received from this mission,” added Naikuni. The Cameroonian military is using helicopters to search the area around the Cameroonian capital Yaoundé, near the town of Douala, Niete and Lolodorf. Ambulances in Lolodorf are ready to treat anyone they might find during the search.

The plane is believed to be in an “area [of] very dense forest,” said Alfred Mutua, a spokesman for Kenya’s government. The United States is also assisting in searching for the plane.

Jim Proulx, a company spokesman for Boeing, said that the distress signal would have been activated “in the event of a rapid change in velocity.” Proulx also expressed his sympathies saying, “we express our profound concern for the passengers and crew on board on the Kenya Airways flight that went missing.”

According to Kenya Airways, bad weather is causing delays in efforts to locate the plane and any possible wreckage. “We are trying to get to the area of the crash, but the weather is really bad. We are getting help from the army,” said Naikuni. Nothing was found during a search of the area by air on Saturday, but rescue workers are planning to resume the search Sunday morning. Because of the bad weather and heavy rains, the search has only been concentrated in the air.

Witnesses from towns near where the signal is being reported say that they heard a “large boom” and then saw a “flash of fire.”

According to a Kenya Airways news release, a crisis management center in Embakasi, a location close to the airport, was setup to monitor the situation and additional details will be provided when received. Relatives of those on board the plane are being asked to stay at that location and wait for further details.

Despite the search, the TurkishPress.com, which quotes AFP, an unnamed official says that they have located the wreckage.

“The plane has crashed. We have located the plane … and we cannot talk about it,” said the unnamed official with the Kenyan Civil Aviation Authority.

Despite the AFP’s report, Naikuni says he cannot confirm that the plane has crashed or if anything was found. “Until we see the plane — until then, it’s missing.” Naikuni also added that the distress signal could have been triggered by something other than a crash.

The last Kenya Airways flight to crash was on January 30, 2000. Flight 431 was traveling from Abidjan to Lagos when it crashed into the Atlantic Ocean during bad weather. 179 people were on board and 10 survived.

As per a Kenya Airways press release, information may be obtained through the following contact.

Mr. Michael Okwiri

Kenya Airways Corporate Communications

E-mail: michael.okwiri@kenya-airways.com

Fax: +254–(0)20-823486

• 2: Unknown
• 35: Cameroonians, including 3 referees for the African Confederation Cup; Engelbert Effa, Martin Omgba Zing and Patrice Boungani Doda; Campbell Utton head of MTN Cellphones.

• 15: Indians including the Products Director for Parle Products, Amol Chauhan.

• 9: Kenyan crew members
• 7: South Africans; Charles January.
• 6: Chinese; Ivorians
• 5: British including journalist Anthony Mitchell.

• 3: Nigerians
• 2: Central African Republic; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Equatorial Guinea;
• 1: Burkina Faso; Comoros; Congo-Brazzaville; Egyptian; Ghanaian; Malian; Mauritius; Senegalese; South Korean; Swede; Swiss; Tanzanian; Togolese; American

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Starting today, it is illegal to manufacture or import 75W incandescent light bulbs in the European Union. The phaseout started last year when 100W light bulbs were outlawed. Bulbs of 60W will be phased out next year, and incandescent lighting of all types will be phased out in 2012.

The phase-out of incandescent light bulbs is part of the EU’s strategy to cut greenhouse gases by 20% by 2020. Replacing the old lamps with more efficient models is expected to reduce energy consumption for lighting by 60% in the EU, equivalent to saving 30 million tons of CO₂ pollution every year.

Although energy-saving bulbs were available since 1998, their relatively high purchase price has inhibited take-up. When the decision for the ban was taken in 2008, it was estimated that around 2,000 to 3,000 jobs would become redundant in the light bulb industry, in particular affecting Hungary and Poland. However, the European Commission also assumed that halogen production and savings of 5-10 billion euro from energy bills could be injected back into the economy to create new jobs.

In its editorial yesterday, the conservative The Washington Times harshly criticized the ban, labelling it a result of “bureaucratic irritation” and a “war on Edison’s greatest invention”. General criticism of such bans includes panic buying prior to phase-out, environmental impacts of the mercury which is contained in small amounts in all fluorescent lamps, and increased upfront costs for the consumer.

Brazil and Venezuela started to phase out incandescent light bulbs in 2005, Switzerland in 2009, while Russia and Canada are planning it for 2012. The United States is scheduled to begin a phaseout similar to the European one from 2012.

Friday, May 12, 2006

Peter Costello’s budget announcement has led to rejoicing for small businesses, but the lack of joy for those pushing for radical corporate taxation reform has led to many businesses asking “what about us?”

Personal taxation and small business have been the big winners after this year’s federal budget. Although dampened by the twin economic threats of rising interest rates and petrol prices, there should be a reasonable amount of real income savings for both low and high income earners, with those receiving Medicare, or a superannuation benefit, privy to an even lower level of taxation (0% for those on super benefits).

Small business also has benefited from the Howard government’s 11th annual budget, with them receiving a higher level of reducing depreciation, leading to a higher level of deductions in the years following the uptake of new technology or other capital. They are also privy to a AU$435 million dollar tax cut to compensate for their changing accounting requirements under the government’s new AIFRS reporting standards, as well as increasing the uptake of both the small business tax relief scheme and CGT (Capital Gains tax) Concessions.

The budget was not a complete loss for big business however, as superannuation laws have been tweaked to streamline contribution and payment rules previously impeding those with multitudes of staff.

But this is not enough, says Big 4 accounting firm Ernst & Young. In their newly published paper “Taxation of Investment in Australia: the need for ongoing reform”. In it they lead the charge for a greater streamlining and organization of the corporate tax system in Australia, submitting that it will lead to reductions in “disincentives to work save and invest in Australia [as well as improving] the international competitiveness of Australian businesses.” This follows from a recent report brought out by Mr. Costello himself about the need for tax reform in Australia.

A budget night Mr. Costello was notably coy about any future reform of corporate tax in Australia. He alluded to the report by his ministers but kept from outlining the government’s plan precisely.

[edit]

Thursday, May 31, 2007

In an unusual protest, British performance artist, Mark McGowan ate meatballs which were made from a Corgi, a breed of dog often kept by the Royal Family.

McGowan is protesting alleged cruelty exhibited by Prince Philip. The husband of Queen Elizabeth II is reported to have beaten to death a fox, during a fox hunt.

The event was broadcast live on a radio program hosted by Bob and Roberta Smith. Yoko Ono, widow of John Lennon, was also there and tasted some of the Corgi meatballs.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) seemed to approve of the protest: “The idea of eating a corgi will make many people lose their lunch,” said Poorva Joshipura, European director. “But foxes, who are hunted for so-called entertainment, are no less capable of feeling fear and pain.” McGowan said the corgi he consumed had died recently at a breeding farm and had not been killed for the purposes of the protest. It was minced with apple, onion and seasoning, turned into meatballs and served with salad, but McGowan said: “It’s disgusting. It’s really, really, really disgusting.”

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) claimed however that there was no evidence that Prince Philip had mistreated the fox or that it had suffered.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

In what the RSPCA calls a “horrific” case of animal cruelty, a dog’s jaw was taped shut, and its throat cut, in Cairns, Australia.

The Staffordshire mix, who was found by police in a critical condition last Thursday, was reportedly struggling to breath and bleeding heavily due to her throat being slashed and her muzzle being bound.

“The way they cut was almost down to the larynx, so muscles were cut but luckily they missed the jugular veins,” said Sarah Gill, the vet who stitched the 10 cm long, 3 cm deep cut.

In a statement reported on Tuesday, Inspector Cameron Buswell, a law enforcement officer with the RSPCA animal welfare charity, said it is hard to comprehend that there are people in the community capable of this level of cruelty.

“This would have to be up there as one of the more horrific cases we’ve dealt with […]The poor dog must have been petrified. How she didn’t die is miraculous.” he said.

Named ‘Franky’ by rescuers, the dog is progressing well along her road to recovery, has a warm, loving and kind nature, and has begun to come out of her shell, Buswell said.

“She is a really nice natured animal and she loves being with people.”

This has become apart of string of violent attacks on pets in Queensland. Another dog in North Queensland named ‘Boof’ was beaten and left to die with a 30 kg chain around his neck in January. In May, a family dog in Toowoomba had its throat slit and a rubber band placed around the wound, twice.

The RSPCA is appealing for information from the public regarding the person or persons responsible for the latest attack.

Thursday, July 3, 2008

A German shepherd who recovered the last survivor of the September 11, 2001 attacks is to be cloned. His owner, James Symington, a former police officer from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada entered an essay writing contest about why his dog should be cloned.

Trakr, the 15 year old German shepherd suffering from degenerative neurological disorder, was the subject of a contest-winning essay about why Trakr should be cloned that was written by Symington. Trakr and Symington received Humanitarian Service Awards from Jane Goodall for their heroics at Ground Zero. Symington is now an actor of film and television, sometimes credited as Peter James.

BioArts International sponsored the essay-writing contest. Five more dogs are to be cloned by its Best Friends Again program. While Trakr will receive free replication, the other dogs will have to participate in an auction with a starting bid of US$100,000.

BioArts is going to send the DNA of the 6 dogs to Sooam Biotech Research Foundation in Seoul, South Korea. A Sooam researcher said that the dog should be born in November.