AP – Mia Farrow testified Monday that model Naomi Campbell told her she had been sent a “huge diamond” by former Liberian President Charles Taylor, directly contradicting Campbell’s evidence last week at Taylor’s war crimes trial.
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Mia Farrow: Campbell said gift was ‘huge’ diamond
(AP)
The World Cup will have a new winner on Sunday after Spain beat Germany 1-0 to set up a mouthwatering clash with the Netherlands.
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Spain wins, reach World Cup finals
AP – The Netherlands beat Denmark 2-0 on Monday despite not living up to its billing as one of the most dangerous attacking teams at the World Cup.
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Netherlands beats Denmark 2-0 at World Cup
(AP)
Britain have sent their warships across the English Channel on Monday to save Britons that got stranded due to the volcanic ash cloud, wire services reported, at the same time as a few small European airports returned to business and airline officials blasted extensive closures that they said were over obsessive and costing airlines “at least $200 million a day.” The head of the International Air Transport Association stated that European authorities have responded to the catastrophe originated by a volcano erupting in Iceland with “no risk assessment, no consultation, no coordination, and no leadership.” Giovanni Bisignani of IATA’s director general and chief executive have stated that: “Governments must place greater urgency and focus on how and when we can safely reopen Europe’s skies,”. He added, “This crisis is costing airlines at least $200 million a day in lost revenues and the European economy is suffering billions of dollars in lost business” The Associated Press (AP) has reported that airports in Portugal, Spain, the Balkans, Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey returned to business for flights on Monday. But officials in Britain, France, Germany, and the Netherlands are not yet able to do the same. Italy briefly lifted margins in the north, and then swiftly closed down again after conditions aggravated Monday, added by AP. Britain stated that it will keep flight restrictions on through early Tuesday. Eurocontrol, the air traffic agency in Brussels, said less than one-third of flights in Europe were taking off Monday – around 8,000 and 9,000 of the continent’s 28,000 planned flights. Related posts: European air traffic lifts off again Iceland Volcano Disrupts U.S Air traffic Ash from Iceland Volcano disturbing U.K Air Traffic
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News Update: First European Airports Reopen to Restricted Traffic
German and Dutch airlines have initiated test flights over the Europe prior to continuing their flight operations. Two airlines have stated that no damage have been incurred by the planes. It was a breaking report that recently Iceland’s volcanic ashes have obliged airports to close its operation due to safety issues. A plume of ash scattering from Iceland has directed to massive air travel disturbances in the past days, and challenges are getting worse as the cloud broaden south-east across Europe. The volcanic ashes are composed of tiny particles of glass and pulverized rock; this is hazardous in way that planes can loss its power once this particle melts in the engine. Dutch airline KLM has stated that if the test flights goes on to be favorable, it plans to fly seven planes back to Amsterdam from Germany on Sunday (local time) and acquire authorization to partly resume its business. KLM stated it flew a two-engine Boeing 737-800 throughout Netherlands at the usual altitude of 10 kilometers, at the maximum 13 kilometers, and at other levels. “We have found nothing unusual, neither during the flight, nor during the first inspection on the ground,” KLM chief executive Peter Hartman affirmed. “If the technical examination confirms this image, we are ready tomorrow to fly back our seven planes from Duesseldorf to Amsterdam. “We then hope to get permission as soon as possible to partially restart our operations and get our passengers to their destinations.” On the other hand, Germany’s Lufthansa stated it flew 10 planes from Munich to Frankfurt, generally flying at a ‘visual level’ of 3,000 meters while also checking situations throughout the height of 8,000 meters. “All airplanes have been inspected on arrival in Frankfurt but there was no damage to the cockpit windows or fuselage and no impact on the engines,” stated by Aage Duenhaupt (company spokesman). Related posts: Iceland Volcano Update: Airlines Facing Nightmare! Volcanic ash in Iceland disrupts air traffic in Northern Europe Evacuation complete after Volcanic Eruption in Iceland
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Icelandic Volcanic Ashes Update: German and Dutch Airlines’ Test Flights
AP – In 1989, all four engines of a Boeing 747 over Alaska conked out after it flew into a cloud of volcanic ash. The crew was able to restart them, but incidents like that dramatize why hundreds of flights every year are diverted around the razor-sharp debris.
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Volcanic ash affects airplanes, weather, sunsets
(AP)
Egg Flags , originally uploaded by Aldon . Holy Saturday. We colored eggs and went for a hike. One of the ideas we had this year was to try and color some of the eggs like national flags. Can you tell which egg is supposed to be which flag? Read more to see what the flags are supposed to be. Top left, going across, Ghana (Flag is sideways, green should be at the bottom). Japan (It may be a little hard to see the red circle on the white background. If you look from the top, it is more obvious) Ivory Coast, or if you turn it around, Ireland. Canada. (That is supposed to be a Maple Leaf in the middle). Bottom Left, going across. That is supposed to be Green, White and Red of Italy, but the Green isn’t as green as we would like, and it is backwards in the photo. If we turned it sideways, and added an emblem in the middle it could also be Iran. If we turned it the other way, it could be the Hungary flag. The next one, turned around, becomes the Blue, White and Red of France, as well as French Guiana. Turned sideways with the blue on the bottom, you get the Netherlands. The last one, turned upside down is supposed to be Haiti. So, those are a few of the flags. I suspect I’ve missed a few. Do you have other suggestions?
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Egg Flags
Reuters – Progress has been made toward stabilizing the global financial system but G20 countries must recommit to deliver on reforms that led to the crisis, G20 steering group leaders said in a letter on Tuesday.
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G20 must recommit to financial reforms: leaders
(Reuters)
Reuters – Iceland’s central bank cut interest rates by 50 basis points on Wednesday to ease pressure on the stricken economy, despite uncertainty over international aid due to a row with Britain and the Netherlands.
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Iceland central bank cuts rates despite Icesave worries
(Reuters)
With allegations of sexual abuse by Catholic priests piling up in Germany and Ireland and surfacing in Austria and the Netherlands, Europe appears poised to face church abuse in the broad, wrenching way the United States did in the last decade.
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Church sex abuse brings woes to pope
Catholic bishops in the Netherlands have announced an independent investigation into allegations of child abuse by clergy, widening a scandal that already touches countries including the United States, Ireland, Germany and Austria.
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Bishops launch abuse investigation