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Showing posts with label Tourism. Show all posts

Adeleke Government Set to Activate Building of African Tourism International Airport Privately Owned in Osun

Adeleke Government Set to Activate Building of African Tourism International Airport Privately Owned in Osun






The Executive Governor of Osun State, His Excellency Sen. (Dr.) Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke, is set to activate the building of African Tourism International Airport, approved by the Federal Government since 2019, in Ila-Orangun, Osun State.


The privately owned/financed International Airport which will be the first of its kind in West Africa, was conceived by the Managing Director/CEO of Awol International Ltd, Ambassador Flt. Captain Nurudeen Ogunlade in 2017.


Awol International Ltd and Bead Aviation Airline SL is a Continental Conglomerate with speciality in the Aviation, Tourism and Cross-cultural Reintegration Industry among countries in the Caribbean, South America, United States of America and Europe.


The proposed takeoff of the Airport building at Ila-Orangun, Osun State as approved on 5th September 2019 by the Federal Government, was delayed by the previous administration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State.


In a letter captioned "approval to build African Tourism International Airport at Ila-Orangun, Osun State of Nigeria",  by the Director of Safety and Technical Policy, Federal Ministry of Transportation, Mr. T. Alkali (Capt.), Capt. Ogunlade was urged to further liaise with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority for the construction actualisation, in due course.


The letter read in part "sequel to the receipt of letter dated 7th June 2019, and subsequent visit of the Technical Team from the Ministry (Transportation) and its agencies on 24th - 26th July 2019, I am directed to convey approval of the Honourable Minister of Aviation for the construction of a privately owned/financed Airport on the inspected site as attached at Ila-Orangun, Osun State".


The investment-friendly governor, His Excellency Sen. (Dr.) Adeleke through the State Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Rev. Bunmi Jenyo has started holding talks with Awol International Ltd, to create an enabling environment for the commencement of the Airport construction immediately.


Meanwhile, the Orangun of Ila, HRM Oba Abdul-Wahab Kayode Adedeji Oyedotun has since confirmed the release of a parcel of land belonging to four families for the purpose of the Airport construction.


According to the Monarch, "I, Oba Abdul-Wahab Kayode Adedeji Oyedotun, Arutu Oluokun Bibire 1 (The Orangun of Ila and the paramount ruler of Ila-Orangun Kingdom/Land) hereby confirm that the underlisted families compound’s Chiefs have released their families compounds farmlands situate along Ila-Orangun/Osogbo Road and Ila-Orangun/Oyan Road to Ambassador Flt. Captain Nurudeen James Ogunlade, the Managing Director of Awol International Ltd of 86, old Offatedo/Ede Road, Prime Area, Osogbo, Osun State of Nigeria for the purpose of establishing African International Airport, Ila-Orangun, Osun State of Nigeria".


African Tourism International Airport privately owned is not new in the world, as Gatwick and London City international Airports in Britain and Atlanta international Airport in the United States of America are its examples.


Owing to the readiness of the Adeleke-led administration for the commencement of the Airport construction project, further engagements with the State team in conjunction with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry are ongoing.






The Executive Governor of Osun State, His Excellency Sen. (Dr.) Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke, is set to activate the building of African Tourism International Airport, approved by the Federal Government since 2019, in Ila-Orangun, Osun State.


The privately owned/financed International Airport which will be the first of its kind in West Africa, was conceived by the Managing Director/CEO of Awol International Ltd, Ambassador Flt. Captain Nurudeen Ogunlade in 2017.


Awol International Ltd and Bead Aviation Airline SL is a Continental Conglomerate with speciality in the Aviation, Tourism and Cross-cultural Reintegration Industry among countries in the Caribbean, South America, United States of America and Europe.


The proposed takeoff of the Airport building at Ila-Orangun, Osun State as approved on 5th September 2019 by the Federal Government, was delayed by the previous administration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State.


In a letter captioned "approval to build African Tourism International Airport at Ila-Orangun, Osun State of Nigeria",  by the Director of Safety and Technical Policy, Federal Ministry of Transportation, Mr. T. Alkali (Capt.), Capt. Ogunlade was urged to further liaise with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority for the construction actualisation, in due course.


The letter read in part "sequel to the receipt of letter dated 7th June 2019, and subsequent visit of the Technical Team from the Ministry (Transportation) and its agencies on 24th - 26th July 2019, I am directed to convey approval of the Honourable Minister of Aviation for the construction of a privately owned/financed Airport on the inspected site as attached at Ila-Orangun, Osun State".


The investment-friendly governor, His Excellency Sen. (Dr.) Adeleke through the State Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Rev. Bunmi Jenyo has started holding talks with Awol International Ltd, to create an enabling environment for the commencement of the Airport construction immediately.


Meanwhile, the Orangun of Ila, HRM Oba Abdul-Wahab Kayode Adedeji Oyedotun has since confirmed the release of a parcel of land belonging to four families for the purpose of the Airport construction.


According to the Monarch, "I, Oba Abdul-Wahab Kayode Adedeji Oyedotun, Arutu Oluokun Bibire 1 (The Orangun of Ila and the paramount ruler of Ila-Orangun Kingdom/Land) hereby confirm that the underlisted families compound’s Chiefs have released their families compounds farmlands situate along Ila-Orangun/Osogbo Road and Ila-Orangun/Oyan Road to Ambassador Flt. Captain Nurudeen James Ogunlade, the Managing Director of Awol International Ltd of 86, old Offatedo/Ede Road, Prime Area, Osogbo, Osun State of Nigeria for the purpose of establishing African International Airport, Ila-Orangun, Osun State of Nigeria".


African Tourism International Airport privately owned is not new in the world, as Gatwick and London City international Airports in Britain and Atlanta international Airport in the United States of America are its examples.


Owing to the readiness of the Adeleke-led administration for the commencement of the Airport construction project, further engagements with the State team in conjunction with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry are ongoing.

ARIK AIR: A DISASTER WAITING TO HAPPEN IN NIGERIA

ARIK AIR: A DISASTER WAITING TO HAPPEN IN NIGERIA


On the 7the of March 2021 I boarded an ArIk  fight from Abuja to Benin. The flight was 5.50pm from Benin. The take off from Benin Airport was traumatic and clearly indicative that the plane was not in order.


 We however managed to land at Abuja Airport after 1 hour 15 mins.

I was to return back to Benin on the 8the March 2021 at 4.15 pm with same aircraft.

After an hour delay, we managed to take off. 15 minutes into the flight, there was an announcement from the pilot that the flight cannot continue. The reason given was that there is an opening somewhere may be a door. The plane is to return back to Abuja before any disaster.


One hour after the announcement, the plane was still hovering around and could not land. The pilot explained that he had to burn out fuel before landing. At this time, those praying have ceased. Those wailing have become quiet too.


Suddenly the pilot announced that he was about to land. He assured us that fire brigade was fully mobilised on ground as well as NEMA. Tension increased once more inside the aircraft. Prayers started once more 

However we managed to land at the Abuja Airport .


Two passengers confirmed that they had two previous experiences with the same aircraft. Another narrated how one of the aircraft engine had failed to start in an aborted Lagos - Abuja flight.

I have not recovered from the trauma .

I am told that the particular aircraft is still flying.


It appears that AMCON the new managers of Arik Air is only interested in recouping the debt owed by Arik Air which they have purchased from the banks. And in doing that, passengers lives don't matter.

This is a warning to all air travelers. ARIK AIR IS A DISASTER WAITING TO HAPPEN UNLESS URGENT STEPS ARE TAKEN TO GROUND THEIR AIRCRAFTS WHICH ARE NO LONGER SERVICEABLE.


R. O lsenalumhe Esq ( Benin based legal practitioner)


On the 7the of March 2021 I boarded an ArIk  fight from Abuja to Benin. The flight was 5.50pm from Benin. The take off from Benin Airport was traumatic and clearly indicative that the plane was not in order.


 We however managed to land at Abuja Airport after 1 hour 15 mins.

I was to return back to Benin on the 8the March 2021 at 4.15 pm with same aircraft.

After an hour delay, we managed to take off. 15 minutes into the flight, there was an announcement from the pilot that the flight cannot continue. The reason given was that there is an opening somewhere may be a door. The plane is to return back to Abuja before any disaster.


One hour after the announcement, the plane was still hovering around and could not land. The pilot explained that he had to burn out fuel before landing. At this time, those praying have ceased. Those wailing have become quiet too.


Suddenly the pilot announced that he was about to land. He assured us that fire brigade was fully mobilised on ground as well as NEMA. Tension increased once more inside the aircraft. Prayers started once more 

However we managed to land at the Abuja Airport .


Two passengers confirmed that they had two previous experiences with the same aircraft. Another narrated how one of the aircraft engine had failed to start in an aborted Lagos - Abuja flight.

I have not recovered from the trauma .

I am told that the particular aircraft is still flying.


It appears that AMCON the new managers of Arik Air is only interested in recouping the debt owed by Arik Air which they have purchased from the banks. And in doing that, passengers lives don't matter.

This is a warning to all air travelers. ARIK AIR IS A DISASTER WAITING TO HAPPEN UNLESS URGENT STEPS ARE TAKEN TO GROUND THEIR AIRCRAFTS WHICH ARE NO LONGER SERVICEABLE.


R. O lsenalumhe Esq ( Benin based legal practitioner)

COVID-19: G20 vows to spur recovery in virus-hit tourism sector

COVID-19: G20 vows to spur recovery in virus-hit tourism sector

Riyadh (AFP) - G20 nations pledged Friday to cushion the economic blow of the coronavirus pandemic on global tourism, one of the hardest-hit industries in which millions risk losing their jobs.

COVID-19 lockdowns have pounded international tourism, which is estimated to see a 45 percent decline this year according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

G20 tourism ministers pledged to ensure coordination as their countries ease lockdowns and travel restrictions, and to support the struggling industry's recovery.

"We commit to helping tourism sector businesses... entrepreneurs and workers to adapt and thrive in a new post-crisis era," the ministers said in a joint statement after a virtual meeting hosted by the group's current president Saudi Arabia.

Up to 75 million jobs are at risk in the labour-intensive sector, they said, citing the World Travel and Tourism Council.

The tourism minister of Saudi Arabia, which last year issued its first tourist visas to boost the nascent sector, voiced hope the pandemic's impact would be "short-term".

"The sites are still there, hotels are still there, restaurants are still there, waiting for visitors to come back," Ahmed al-Khatib told AFP.

Saudi tourism faces a sharp downturn just months after launching the new visas in September, vaunting ambitions to welcome 100 million visitors by 2030.

The kingdom has spent billions in an attempt to build a tourism industry from scratch, one of the main planks of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's drive to wean the economy off its decades-long dependence on oil revenues.

Saudi Arabia has splurged more than 500 million riyals ($133 million) to quarantine thousands of overseas travellers and those exposed to the virus in otherwise empty hotels around the kingdom, Khatib said.

The government is renting "complete hotels" for three or four months, Khatib added, offering a temporary lifeline to the struggling sector.

AFP
Riyadh (AFP) - G20 nations pledged Friday to cushion the economic blow of the coronavirus pandemic on global tourism, one of the hardest-hit industries in which millions risk losing their jobs.

COVID-19 lockdowns have pounded international tourism, which is estimated to see a 45 percent decline this year according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

G20 tourism ministers pledged to ensure coordination as their countries ease lockdowns and travel restrictions, and to support the struggling industry's recovery.

"We commit to helping tourism sector businesses... entrepreneurs and workers to adapt and thrive in a new post-crisis era," the ministers said in a joint statement after a virtual meeting hosted by the group's current president Saudi Arabia.

Up to 75 million jobs are at risk in the labour-intensive sector, they said, citing the World Travel and Tourism Council.

The tourism minister of Saudi Arabia, which last year issued its first tourist visas to boost the nascent sector, voiced hope the pandemic's impact would be "short-term".

"The sites are still there, hotels are still there, restaurants are still there, waiting for visitors to come back," Ahmed al-Khatib told AFP.

Saudi tourism faces a sharp downturn just months after launching the new visas in September, vaunting ambitions to welcome 100 million visitors by 2030.

The kingdom has spent billions in an attempt to build a tourism industry from scratch, one of the main planks of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's drive to wean the economy off its decades-long dependence on oil revenues.

Saudi Arabia has splurged more than 500 million riyals ($133 million) to quarantine thousands of overseas travellers and those exposed to the virus in otherwise empty hotels around the kingdom, Khatib said.

The government is renting "complete hotels" for three or four months, Khatib added, offering a temporary lifeline to the struggling sector.

AFP

COVID-19: Middle East tourism fair in Dubai cancelled

COVID-19: Middle East tourism fair in Dubai cancelled



Following the continuous spreading and death toll around the globe of the deadly coronavirus, the Dubai's Arabian Travel Market, one of the Middle East's biggest travel and tourism fairs, has been cancelled, organisers said.

The exhibition was in March rescheduled to June 28 to July 1 at Dubai's World Trade Centre from its original dates of April 19 to 22.

"After consultation with our key stakeholders and after listening to our industry, ultimately it became apparent that the best course of action, and with everyone’s best interests in mind, is to postpone the event to 2021," organisers said on the event's website.

More than 2.3 million people have been infected by the coronavurus and more than 164,000 people have died globally.


Following the continuous spreading and death toll around the globe of the deadly coronavirus, the Dubai's Arabian Travel Market, one of the Middle East's biggest travel and tourism fairs, has been cancelled, organisers said.

The exhibition was in March rescheduled to June 28 to July 1 at Dubai's World Trade Centre from its original dates of April 19 to 22.

"After consultation with our key stakeholders and after listening to our industry, ultimately it became apparent that the best course of action, and with everyone’s best interests in mind, is to postpone the event to 2021," organisers said on the event's website.

More than 2.3 million people have been infected by the coronavurus and more than 164,000 people have died globally.

COVID-19: International tourist arrivals to plunge up to 30% in 2020 due to virus - UN

COVID-19: International tourist arrivals to plunge up to 30% in 2020 due to virus - UN

MADRID: The World Tourism Organization said on Friday that the number of international tourist arrivals will fall by 20-30 percent in 2020 due to the novel coronavirus that has been ravaging the world since late 2019 .

It was revising lower a previous forecast of a 1.0-3.0 percent drop.

This would lead to an estimated loss of $300-450 billion (272-408 billion euros) in international tourism receipts, the Madrid-based UN body said in a statement.
MADRID: The World Tourism Organization said on Friday that the number of international tourist arrivals will fall by 20-30 percent in 2020 due to the novel coronavirus that has been ravaging the world since late 2019 .

It was revising lower a previous forecast of a 1.0-3.0 percent drop.

This would lead to an estimated loss of $300-450 billion (272-408 billion euros) in international tourism receipts, the Madrid-based UN body said in a statement.

COVID-19: Saint Peter's Square, basilica closed to tourists until April 3 - Vatican

COVID-19: Saint Peter's Square, basilica closed to tourists until April 3 - Vatican

Vatican City, (AFP) The Vatican''s Saint Peter''s Square and its main basilica were closed to tourists on Tuesday as part of a broader clampdown aimed at curbing the coronavirus outbreak.

The Holy See said the measures will remain in place until April 3 "in order to halt the spread of the coronavirus". Italy''s new nationwide restrictions on public gatherings and movement between cities are also meant to stay in place for the coming four weeks.

The Vatican has so far officially confirmed one case of the COVID-19 disease caused by the new virus that has killed 463 people in surrounding Italy in just over two weeks. It was also waiting for the results of a second person who may have been in contact with someone infected by the virus.

Pope Francis himself was forced to break with centuries of tradition and deliver his Sunday Angelus Prayer via livestream instead of out of his Vatican window to limit crowds on Saint Peter''s Square. Saint Peter''s stunning basilica is one of the world''s most popular tourist attractions. Its dome soars over Rome and is visible across the Italian capital.

It is filled with frescos and statues by great Renaissance masters such as Michelangelo.

The 83-old-pontiff is himself still recovering from a cold he developed about two weeks ago. The Argentine-born pope has enjoyed a life of good health and follows a rigorous schedule despite having a part of a lung removed when he was young.

His unusual absence during the coronavirus scare prompted immediate speculation that he had contracted COVID-19. A newspaper reported last week that the pope had been tested for the virus but was not infected.

The Vatican neither confirmed nor denied the report.

AFP
Vatican City, (AFP) The Vatican''s Saint Peter''s Square and its main basilica were closed to tourists on Tuesday as part of a broader clampdown aimed at curbing the coronavirus outbreak.

The Holy See said the measures will remain in place until April 3 "in order to halt the spread of the coronavirus". Italy''s new nationwide restrictions on public gatherings and movement between cities are also meant to stay in place for the coming four weeks.

The Vatican has so far officially confirmed one case of the COVID-19 disease caused by the new virus that has killed 463 people in surrounding Italy in just over two weeks. It was also waiting for the results of a second person who may have been in contact with someone infected by the virus.

Pope Francis himself was forced to break with centuries of tradition and deliver his Sunday Angelus Prayer via livestream instead of out of his Vatican window to limit crowds on Saint Peter''s Square. Saint Peter''s stunning basilica is one of the world''s most popular tourist attractions. Its dome soars over Rome and is visible across the Italian capital.

It is filled with frescos and statues by great Renaissance masters such as Michelangelo.

The 83-old-pontiff is himself still recovering from a cold he developed about two weeks ago. The Argentine-born pope has enjoyed a life of good health and follows a rigorous schedule despite having a part of a lung removed when he was young.

His unusual absence during the coronavirus scare prompted immediate speculation that he had contracted COVID-19. A newspaper reported last week that the pope had been tested for the virus but was not infected.

The Vatican neither confirmed nor denied the report.

AFP

COVID-19: China reports 139 more virus deaths in hard-hit province, More than 66,000 people infected

COVID-19: China reports 139 more virus deaths in hard-hit province, More than 66,000 people infected

Death toll in China epidemic surges past 1,500


China's Hubei province reported 2,420 new coronavirus infections, 139 new deaths on Feb 14., China Daily reported.

More:

COVID-19: Egypt Records First Coronavirus Case In Africa



The death toll from China's new coronavirus epidemic surged past 1,500 on Saturday after 139 more people died in Hubei province, the epicentre of the outbreak. According to AFP

The province's health commission also reported 2,420 new cases of the COVID-19 strain, about half the number from the previous day.

At least 1,519 people have now died from the outbreak that first emerged in Hubei's capital, Wuhan, in December and snowballed into a nationwide epidemic a month later.

More than 66,000 people have now been infected, with most deaths occurring in Hubei.

The scale of the epidemic swelled this week after authorities in Hubei changed their criteria for counting cases, adding thousands of new patients to their tally.

Cases "clinically diagnosed" through lung imaging are now counted in addition to those that have shown up positive in laboratory tests.

The revision added nearly 15,000 patients to Hubei's tally on Thursday, with the World Health Organization noting that cases going back weeks were retroactively counted. There were over 4,800 cases reported in Hubei on Friday.

Authorities said 1,716 medical workers have been infected during the outbreak, with six dying from the illness.

Most of the infections among health workers were in Hubei's capital, Wuhan, where many have lacked proper masks and gear to protect themselves in hospitals dealing with a deluge of patients.

The grim figures come a week after grief and public anger erupted over the death of a whistleblowing doctor who had been reprimanded and silenced by police in Wuhan after raising the alarm about the virus in December.

Death toll in China epidemic surges past 1,500


China's Hubei province reported 2,420 new coronavirus infections, 139 new deaths on Feb 14., China Daily reported.

More:

COVID-19: Egypt Records First Coronavirus Case In Africa



The death toll from China's new coronavirus epidemic surged past 1,500 on Saturday after 139 more people died in Hubei province, the epicentre of the outbreak. According to AFP

The province's health commission also reported 2,420 new cases of the COVID-19 strain, about half the number from the previous day.

At least 1,519 people have now died from the outbreak that first emerged in Hubei's capital, Wuhan, in December and snowballed into a nationwide epidemic a month later.

More than 66,000 people have now been infected, with most deaths occurring in Hubei.

The scale of the epidemic swelled this week after authorities in Hubei changed their criteria for counting cases, adding thousands of new patients to their tally.

Cases "clinically diagnosed" through lung imaging are now counted in addition to those that have shown up positive in laboratory tests.

The revision added nearly 15,000 patients to Hubei's tally on Thursday, with the World Health Organization noting that cases going back weeks were retroactively counted. There were over 4,800 cases reported in Hubei on Friday.

Authorities said 1,716 medical workers have been infected during the outbreak, with six dying from the illness.

Most of the infections among health workers were in Hubei's capital, Wuhan, where many have lacked proper masks and gear to protect themselves in hospitals dealing with a deluge of patients.

The grim figures come a week after grief and public anger erupted over the death of a whistleblowing doctor who had been reprimanded and silenced by police in Wuhan after raising the alarm about the virus in December.

China urges its citizens to delay foreign travel over virus fears

China urges its citizens to delay foreign travel over virus fears

Authorities delay restart of schools, universities over virus concerns

BEIJING: China on Tuesday urged its citizens to postpone trips abroad as the country expands a massive effort to contain a viral outbreak that has killed more than 100 people nationwide.

Also on Tuesday, the authorities postponed the start of the spring semester for schools and universities across the country over concerns about a deadly virus outbreak. School administrators had been instructed to "require students not to go out, not to gather, and not to hold or participate in centralised activities", the statement added.

The Chinese Authorities in a decision reached on Monday decided to extend China's Lunar New Year holiday, originally due to end on January 30, for three days to limit population flows and control the epidemic while the National Immigration Administration said in a statement that the recommendation to delay non-essential travel was issued "in order to protect the health and safety of Chinese and foreign people."

"Reducing people's cross-border movement helps to prevent and control outbreaks," the agency added.

Authorities had already suspended domestic and overseas Chinese group tours as part of nationwide efforts to combat the coronavirus outbreak, which has infected more than 4,500 people across the country.

Chinese nationals took almost 150 million trips abroad in 2018, the official Xinhua news agency reported in May.

A drastic reduction of trips abroad from China could deal a severe blow to the international tourism industry.

The number of tourists from the country has increased nearly tenfold since 2003, according to a report by research firm Capital Economics.

The decision came as the death toll from the new coronavirus soared to 106 and the total number of cases surpassed 4,000 nationwide. Students are currently on holiday for the Lunar New Year and the education ministry did not provide a date for teaching to resume. 

But a statement from the ministry said teaching institutions would reopen on a case-by-case basis. 

(With AFP)

Authorities delay restart of schools, universities over virus concerns

BEIJING: China on Tuesday urged its citizens to postpone trips abroad as the country expands a massive effort to contain a viral outbreak that has killed more than 100 people nationwide.

Also on Tuesday, the authorities postponed the start of the spring semester for schools and universities across the country over concerns about a deadly virus outbreak. School administrators had been instructed to "require students not to go out, not to gather, and not to hold or participate in centralised activities", the statement added.

The Chinese Authorities in a decision reached on Monday decided to extend China's Lunar New Year holiday, originally due to end on January 30, for three days to limit population flows and control the epidemic while the National Immigration Administration said in a statement that the recommendation to delay non-essential travel was issued "in order to protect the health and safety of Chinese and foreign people."

"Reducing people's cross-border movement helps to prevent and control outbreaks," the agency added.

Authorities had already suspended domestic and overseas Chinese group tours as part of nationwide efforts to combat the coronavirus outbreak, which has infected more than 4,500 people across the country.

Chinese nationals took almost 150 million trips abroad in 2018, the official Xinhua news agency reported in May.

A drastic reduction of trips abroad from China could deal a severe blow to the international tourism industry.

The number of tourists from the country has increased nearly tenfold since 2003, according to a report by research firm Capital Economics.

The decision came as the death toll from the new coronavirus soared to 106 and the total number of cases surpassed 4,000 nationwide. Students are currently on holiday for the Lunar New Year and the education ministry did not provide a date for teaching to resume. 

But a statement from the ministry said teaching institutions would reopen on a case-by-case basis. 

(With AFP)

Boeing's new 777X airliner takes off on first flight

Boeing's new 777X airliner takes off on first flight

SEATTLE (Reuters) - Boeing Co (BA.N) began the maiden flight on Saturday of the world’s largest twin-engined jetliner as the embattled planemaker steps up competition with European rival Airbus (AIR.PA) in a respite from a crisis over its smaller 737 MAX.

The 777X, a larger and more efficient version of Boeing’s successful 777 mini-jumbo, took off outside Seattle at 10:09 a.m. local time (1.09 p.m. ET) after high winds forced the company to postpone two earlier attempts this week.

Boeing officials said the maiden voyage would last 3-5 hours and herald months of testing and certification before the aircraft enters service with Emirates in 2021, a year later than originally scheduled because of snags during development.

The aircraft is the larger of two versions planned by Boeing and will officially be known as the 777-9, but is better known under its development codename, the 777X.

Its most visible features include folding wingtips - designed to allow its large new carbon-composite wings to fit into the same parking bays as earlier models - and the world’s largest commercial engines, built by General Electric (GE.N) and wide enough to swallow the fuselage of a 737 MAX.

The flight is a boost for Boeing as it grapples with a broadening crisis over the 737 MAX, which has been grounded since March following two fatal crashes.

“To me this is the flagship for the big airlines around the world ... it represents the great things we can do as a company,” 777X marketing director Wendy Sowers told reporters when asked about the flight’s importance in light of the MAX crisis.

Boeing says it has sold 309 of the aircraft – worth more than $442 million each at list prices – but analysts have questioned its heavy reliance on Middle East carriers that have scaled back purchases as they suffer a pause in their expansion.

The 777X will compete with the recently introduced Airbus A350-1000 which seats about 360 passengers. Both reflect the growing range and efficiency of twin-engined jets that are steadily displacing their older four-engined counterparts.

The two planemakers have clashed over the relative efficiency of their latest jets but both face worries about demand due to overcapacity and signs of weakness in the global economy.


Reporting by Tim Hepher; Editing by Daniel Wallis
SEATTLE (Reuters) - Boeing Co (BA.N) began the maiden flight on Saturday of the world’s largest twin-engined jetliner as the embattled planemaker steps up competition with European rival Airbus (AIR.PA) in a respite from a crisis over its smaller 737 MAX.

The 777X, a larger and more efficient version of Boeing’s successful 777 mini-jumbo, took off outside Seattle at 10:09 a.m. local time (1.09 p.m. ET) after high winds forced the company to postpone two earlier attempts this week.

Boeing officials said the maiden voyage would last 3-5 hours and herald months of testing and certification before the aircraft enters service with Emirates in 2021, a year later than originally scheduled because of snags during development.

The aircraft is the larger of two versions planned by Boeing and will officially be known as the 777-9, but is better known under its development codename, the 777X.

Its most visible features include folding wingtips - designed to allow its large new carbon-composite wings to fit into the same parking bays as earlier models - and the world’s largest commercial engines, built by General Electric (GE.N) and wide enough to swallow the fuselage of a 737 MAX.

The flight is a boost for Boeing as it grapples with a broadening crisis over the 737 MAX, which has been grounded since March following two fatal crashes.

“To me this is the flagship for the big airlines around the world ... it represents the great things we can do as a company,” 777X marketing director Wendy Sowers told reporters when asked about the flight’s importance in light of the MAX crisis.

Boeing says it has sold 309 of the aircraft – worth more than $442 million each at list prices – but analysts have questioned its heavy reliance on Middle East carriers that have scaled back purchases as they suffer a pause in their expansion.

The 777X will compete with the recently introduced Airbus A350-1000 which seats about 360 passengers. Both reflect the growing range and efficiency of twin-engined jets that are steadily displacing their older four-engined counterparts.

The two planemakers have clashed over the relative efficiency of their latest jets but both face worries about demand due to overcapacity and signs of weakness in the global economy.


Reporting by Tim Hepher; Editing by Daniel Wallis

Coronavirus: Beijing to suspend domestic, overseas Chinese group tours: state media

Coronavirus: Beijing to suspend domestic, overseas Chinese group tours: state media

EU to hold meeting on Monday to discuss outbreak


Beijing, Jan 25 (AFP) Chinse authorities have suspended both domestic and overseas group tours, state media reported Saturday, as it ramps up efforts to contain a new SARS-like virus that has infected nearly 1,300 people.

Starting Monday, all overseas Chines group tour services, including hotel and plane ticket bookings, from Chinese travel agencies will be suspended, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

Domestic tour groups were suspended from Friday, it said.

Beijing has also expanded travel restrictions, affecting the movement of 56 million people in more than a dozen cities, amid fears that the transmission rate will accelerate as hundreds of millions of Chinese travel for the Lunar New Year.

MORE
President Xi Warns Virus Is 'Accelerating', Country Facing 'Grave Situation': State Media
There are 1,372 confirmed cases of coronavirus in China as of 6 PM local time (10:00 GMT), the state broadcaster, CCTV, reported. The number of cases keep on increasing astronomically by the days.

At least 41 people have died in the country since the outbreak began.

European Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides called a meeting of European Union state health representatives on Monday to discuss response options to the spread of the new coronavirus.

✔@SKyriakidesEU: We are following the developing situation of the #coronavirus very closely and have called for a meeting of the #EU Health Security Committee on Monday to discuss response options and preparedness needs of EU Member States.

"We stand ready to act and step up our response if needed," she tweeted, adding that the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) is "in the process of updating its risk assessment"


AFP

EU to hold meeting on Monday to discuss outbreak


Beijing, Jan 25 (AFP) Chinse authorities have suspended both domestic and overseas group tours, state media reported Saturday, as it ramps up efforts to contain a new SARS-like virus that has infected nearly 1,300 people.

Starting Monday, all overseas Chines group tour services, including hotel and plane ticket bookings, from Chinese travel agencies will be suspended, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

Domestic tour groups were suspended from Friday, it said.

Beijing has also expanded travel restrictions, affecting the movement of 56 million people in more than a dozen cities, amid fears that the transmission rate will accelerate as hundreds of millions of Chinese travel for the Lunar New Year.

MORE
President Xi Warns Virus Is 'Accelerating', Country Facing 'Grave Situation': State Media
There are 1,372 confirmed cases of coronavirus in China as of 6 PM local time (10:00 GMT), the state broadcaster, CCTV, reported. The number of cases keep on increasing astronomically by the days.

At least 41 people have died in the country since the outbreak began.

European Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides called a meeting of European Union state health representatives on Monday to discuss response options to the spread of the new coronavirus.

✔@SKyriakidesEU: We are following the developing situation of the #coronavirus very closely and have called for a meeting of the #EU Health Security Committee on Monday to discuss response options and preparedness needs of EU Member States.

"We stand ready to act and step up our response if needed," she tweeted, adding that the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) is "in the process of updating its risk assessment"


AFP

Guide saw wall of snow carry away Korean trekking team in Nepal

Guide saw wall of snow carry away Korean trekking team in Nepal

Rescuers intensified an increasingly desperate hunt Monday for four South Korean trekkers and three Nepalis swept away by an avalanche in the Himalayas as a guide told how he saw people carried off by the snow.

Krishna Hari Subedi was helping a Chinese trekker on the trail near the Annapurna base camp when the wall of snow hit on Friday.

"We were descending when an avalanche came rumbling down. Three people were swept down by it in front of my eyes," Subedi told AFP.

"I ducked down and my guest followed, we were safe. If we had moved forward, there was a cliff edge, we would have been swept down."

Subedi said he saw three people carried away but did not know how many others had been hit in the line of trekkers on the route.

"When we began heading down again, we heard a cry for help," he added.

"One of them survived and was walking up. It was nearly 300 metres down. When he saw us, he fainted... he was taken to a hospital."

The fate of the other two remains uncertain.

- Families' anxious wait -

Soldiers have joined a team using drones and helicopters and digging in deep snow at 3,230 metres (10,600 feet) where the avalanche struck.

Small helicopters were being used to drop rescuers at the site, Shanta Bir Lama, president of the Nepal Mountaineering Association, told AFP.

"The narrowness of the area makes the search difficult," explained Lama.

"There is also a lot of snow. But teams today will try to remove the snow and search. Devices are also being used," he added.

A nine-member army team has joined the operation while the South Korean embassy also sent an official to assist.

"The snow from the avalanche is piled four to five metres (13 to 16 feet) deep at the site. No signs of the missing have been reported as of Monday," an official of the South’s foreign ministry said.

Experts say there is a very low chance of survival for those buried in an avalanche for more than two hours.

Relatives of the missing Koreans who arrived in Kathmandu on Saturday have also visited the avalanche area.

Six of the missing were part of the same expedition, while one Nepali porter was escorting a different group.

The four foreigners -- two men and two women -- were part of an 11-member South Korean team. Others have safely descended.

Education officials in Seoul said they were part of a team of volunteer teachers working with children in Nepal.

Helicopters were sent out on Saturday to rescue about 200 people stranded around Annapurna and other nearby mountains after the avalanche.

Annapurna is an avalanche-prone and technically difficult mountain range with a higher death rate than Everest, the world's highest peak.

Thousands of trekkers visit the route every year for its stunning views of the Himalayas.

A snowstorm killed about 40 people on the circuit in 2014, in one of the biggest trekking tragedies to hit Nepal.


Rescuers intensified an increasingly desperate hunt Monday for four South Korean trekkers and three Nepalis swept away by an avalanche in the Himalayas as a guide told how he saw people carried off by the snow.

Krishna Hari Subedi was helping a Chinese trekker on the trail near the Annapurna base camp when the wall of snow hit on Friday.

"We were descending when an avalanche came rumbling down. Three people were swept down by it in front of my eyes," Subedi told AFP.

"I ducked down and my guest followed, we were safe. If we had moved forward, there was a cliff edge, we would have been swept down."

Subedi said he saw three people carried away but did not know how many others had been hit in the line of trekkers on the route.

"When we began heading down again, we heard a cry for help," he added.

"One of them survived and was walking up. It was nearly 300 metres down. When he saw us, he fainted... he was taken to a hospital."

The fate of the other two remains uncertain.

- Families' anxious wait -

Soldiers have joined a team using drones and helicopters and digging in deep snow at 3,230 metres (10,600 feet) where the avalanche struck.

Small helicopters were being used to drop rescuers at the site, Shanta Bir Lama, president of the Nepal Mountaineering Association, told AFP.

"The narrowness of the area makes the search difficult," explained Lama.

"There is also a lot of snow. But teams today will try to remove the snow and search. Devices are also being used," he added.

A nine-member army team has joined the operation while the South Korean embassy also sent an official to assist.

"The snow from the avalanche is piled four to five metres (13 to 16 feet) deep at the site. No signs of the missing have been reported as of Monday," an official of the South’s foreign ministry said.

Experts say there is a very low chance of survival for those buried in an avalanche for more than two hours.

Relatives of the missing Koreans who arrived in Kathmandu on Saturday have also visited the avalanche area.

Six of the missing were part of the same expedition, while one Nepali porter was escorting a different group.

The four foreigners -- two men and two women -- were part of an 11-member South Korean team. Others have safely descended.

Education officials in Seoul said they were part of a team of volunteer teachers working with children in Nepal.

Helicopters were sent out on Saturday to rescue about 200 people stranded around Annapurna and other nearby mountains after the avalanche.

Annapurna is an avalanche-prone and technically difficult mountain range with a higher death rate than Everest, the world's highest peak.

Thousands of trekkers visit the route every year for its stunning views of the Himalayas.

A snowstorm killed about 40 people on the circuit in 2014, in one of the biggest trekking tragedies to hit Nepal.


International tourism growth slows in 2019 —UNWTO

International tourism growth slows in 2019 —UNWTO

A profile picture
MADRID (AFP) — The rise in the number of international tourist arrivals slowed to 4.0 percent in 2019, its slowest rate since 2016 due to a cooling global economy, geopolitical tensions and uncertainty regarding Brexit, the World Tourism Organization said Monday.
The Madrid-based UN body, UNWTO, predicted global tourism will grow by 3.0-4.0 percent this year, buoyed by major sporting and cultural events such as the Tokyo Olympics in Japan.

The number of international tourist arrivals hit 1.5 billion last year, up from 1.4 billion in 2018, the body said in a statement.

Tourist numbers grew by 6.0 percent in 2018, 7.0 percent in 2017 and by 4.0 percent in 2016.

"The slowdown in linked to the results of the global economy, with economic growth of around 3.0 percent," UNWTO's market intelligence chief, Sandra Carvao, told a news conference.

She said "strong uncertainty around" Britain's looming exit from the European Union, simmering geopolitical tensions and the collapse of Thomas Cook, the world's oldest travel form, had also contributed to the slowdown.

But Carvao stressed that both 2017 and 2018 had posted exceptionally high rates of tourism growth.

"What is happening is we are returning to historical levels of tourism growth," she said.

Europe and the Asia-Pacific region were the most affected by the slowdown in tourism arrivals.

Arrivals rose by 4.0 percent in Europe in 2019, down from 6.0 percent in 2018, while in Asia-Pacific arrivals rose by 5.0 percent compared to 7.0 percent in 2018 as ongoing protests in Hong Kong weighed the sector down.

Africa posted a 4.0-percent rise in tourist arrivals, down from 9.0 percent in 2018.

The Middle East was the one bright spot as tourist arrivals in the region jumped by 8.0 percent in 2018, up from 3.0 percent in the previous year, due mainly to Saudi Arabia's ambitious plan to draw foreign visitors.

UNWTO expects France, Spain and the United States to once again be the three most visited countries in the world last year once it has final figures.

"We don't really expect changes in the rankings," said Carvao.

In 2018, France remained the world's most visited nation with 89 million arrivals followed by Spain and the United States. — Agence France-Presse


A profile picture
MADRID (AFP) — The rise in the number of international tourist arrivals slowed to 4.0 percent in 2019, its slowest rate since 2016 due to a cooling global economy, geopolitical tensions and uncertainty regarding Brexit, the World Tourism Organization said Monday.
The Madrid-based UN body, UNWTO, predicted global tourism will grow by 3.0-4.0 percent this year, buoyed by major sporting and cultural events such as the Tokyo Olympics in Japan.

The number of international tourist arrivals hit 1.5 billion last year, up from 1.4 billion in 2018, the body said in a statement.

Tourist numbers grew by 6.0 percent in 2018, 7.0 percent in 2017 and by 4.0 percent in 2016.

"The slowdown in linked to the results of the global economy, with economic growth of around 3.0 percent," UNWTO's market intelligence chief, Sandra Carvao, told a news conference.

She said "strong uncertainty around" Britain's looming exit from the European Union, simmering geopolitical tensions and the collapse of Thomas Cook, the world's oldest travel form, had also contributed to the slowdown.

But Carvao stressed that both 2017 and 2018 had posted exceptionally high rates of tourism growth.

"What is happening is we are returning to historical levels of tourism growth," she said.

Europe and the Asia-Pacific region were the most affected by the slowdown in tourism arrivals.

Arrivals rose by 4.0 percent in Europe in 2019, down from 6.0 percent in 2018, while in Asia-Pacific arrivals rose by 5.0 percent compared to 7.0 percent in 2018 as ongoing protests in Hong Kong weighed the sector down.

Africa posted a 4.0-percent rise in tourist arrivals, down from 9.0 percent in 2018.

The Middle East was the one bright spot as tourist arrivals in the region jumped by 8.0 percent in 2018, up from 3.0 percent in the previous year, due mainly to Saudi Arabia's ambitious plan to draw foreign visitors.

UNWTO expects France, Spain and the United States to once again be the three most visited countries in the world last year once it has final figures.

"We don't really expect changes in the rankings," said Carvao.

In 2018, France remained the world's most visited nation with 89 million arrivals followed by Spain and the United States. — Agence France-Presse


Four Koreans, three Nepalis missing in Himalayan avalanche

Four Koreans, three Nepalis missing in Himalayan avalanche

Four South Koreans and three Nepalis are missing and about 200 people have been rescued after an avalanche hit trekkers on Annapurna, one of the highest mountains in the Himalayas, officials said Saturday.

South Korea was to send an emergency team to Nepal to help in a desperate search operation.

The incident occurred at an altitude of about 3,230 metres (10,600 feet) close to Annapurna base camp following heavy snowfall on Friday.

Six of the missing are from one trekking expedition while one Nepali porter is from a different group.

"A search operation is underway for the seven out of contact," Mira Acharya of Nepal's tourism department told AFP.

About 200 people have been rescued from the avalanche-hit zone as well as other trekking routes after the weather eased to let helicopters fly in.

Sandesh Pandey of Jangbogo Tour Nepal, which helped organise the trek, said the four were part of an 11-member team from South Korea.

"They were descending yesterday after heavy snowfall stopped them from going higher. The remaining five from the team are moving down safely. The other two did not go up in the trek," Pandey said.

Annapurna is avalanche-prone and technically difficult with a higher death rate than Everest, the world's highest peak.

Education officials in South Korea said the four were part of a team of volunteer teachers working with children in Nepal.

South Korea's foreign ministry said an emergency team would be sent to Nepal and that the families of those missing had been informed. The volunteers were from Chungcheong province.

Thousands of trekkers visit the Annapurna region every year for its stunning views of the Himalayas.

In 2014, a snowstorm killed about 40 people on the popular circuit, in one of the biggest trekking tragedies to hit Nepal.

Four South Koreans and three Nepalis are missing and about 200 people have been rescued after an avalanche hit trekkers on Annapurna, one of the highest mountains in the Himalayas, officials said Saturday.

South Korea was to send an emergency team to Nepal to help in a desperate search operation.

The incident occurred at an altitude of about 3,230 metres (10,600 feet) close to Annapurna base camp following heavy snowfall on Friday.

Six of the missing are from one trekking expedition while one Nepali porter is from a different group.

"A search operation is underway for the seven out of contact," Mira Acharya of Nepal's tourism department told AFP.

About 200 people have been rescued from the avalanche-hit zone as well as other trekking routes after the weather eased to let helicopters fly in.

Sandesh Pandey of Jangbogo Tour Nepal, which helped organise the trek, said the four were part of an 11-member team from South Korea.

"They were descending yesterday after heavy snowfall stopped them from going higher. The remaining five from the team are moving down safely. The other two did not go up in the trek," Pandey said.

Annapurna is avalanche-prone and technically difficult with a higher death rate than Everest, the world's highest peak.

Education officials in South Korea said the four were part of a team of volunteer teachers working with children in Nepal.

South Korea's foreign ministry said an emergency team would be sent to Nepal and that the families of those missing had been informed. The volunteers were from Chungcheong province.

Thousands of trekkers visit the Annapurna region every year for its stunning views of the Himalayas.

In 2014, a snowstorm killed about 40 people on the popular circuit, in one of the biggest trekking tragedies to hit Nepal.

NIGERIA: 'Amotekun' as South-West ‘Police’ Takes off today

NIGERIA: 'Amotekun' as South-West ‘Police’ Takes off today

The decision of governors of the South-West geopolitical zone, Nigeria to establish regional ‘police’, Amotekun, as from today Thursday, January 9, 2020, may not have come as a surprise for two reasons. 

First, is the serial agitation by South-West political leaders for state police system for close to a decade now. 

The second is the intractable security problem in Nigeria today. 

Apart from the South-West leaders, even Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo’s committee on how to deal with incessant violent crimes in the country proposed, in principle, the establishment of state police system, though this has not been ratified by the Buhari administration. 

While announcing the plan by South-West governors, Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi explained that the South-West must work hand-in-hand with other security apparatuses in neighbouring states if the establishment of Amotekun was to achieve the desired results.

He said, “… Criminality cannot be totally eradicated even as we are working meticulously at reducing it to the barest minimum in Ekiti State… Since we are not an Island, we are working with neigbouring states to strengthen our security architecture…We are leaving no stone unturned to ensure safety of lives and property in our dear state. 

Henceforth, I urge our community leaders or groups not to allow themselves to be used to spread fake or unsubstantiated news with a view to setting the residents against themselves or destabilising the peace of the state. 

We must encourage our people to report any strange signal or incident, but we must resist the temptation to resort to self-help at any time.”

The case for state police has been made convincingly with low hanging reference to the insecurity in the rural areas where bandits waste the lives of peasants who have no weapons to defend themselves. 

This is because operatives of the Nigeria Police are too few for the population and size of Nigeria. The ratio of policemen to the population is put at about 1 policeman to 400 Nigerians, if the 370,000-total number of policemen in Nigeria is true. 

With their few numbers and without weapons, the police have failed to counter ubiquitous criminal elements that have held Nigerians in rural communities and some urban centres to ransom. 

This situation has given the agitation for state police enough sound bite. 

However, history in Nigeria is replete with instances in which multiple police forces led to untold abuses, a situation that gave cause for the centralisation of the Nigeria Police Force. 

Under the 1954 Constitution and Section 105(7) of the 1963 Constitution, which made provision for regional governments, local police system was in force, but the security agencies became instruments of repression and abuse of opposition elements by regional governments. 

In order to escape that brutality, the current centralised police system was introduced in 1979. It was reinvigorated in Section 215 of the 1999 Constitution. 

The past ugly experience, and reckoning with experiences of other societies, the centralised policing system could be less expensive, more unifying, more effective, result-oriented and very useful for crime prevention and detection. 

It is good that Amotekun has not been designated as a police force. We call on the South-West governors to drum it into the ears of the leadership of the outfit that it is not a rival to the Nigeria Police Force; rather their role should be complementary to that of the police. 

Because the security outfit would be closer to the South-West communities, Amotekun should be involved in intelligence gathering and providing support in criminal investigation to feed the Nigeria Police with evidence, instead of taking the law into their hands. 

The answer to insecurity may not necessarily be in state or regional police.

 Government must recruit more policemen, fund, equip and motivate them to perform their duties effectively. 

On the other hand, unemployment, ethnic and religious extremism, and poverty that lured Nigerians into criminal acts should be tackled headlong. 

As long as there is a fertile environment for crime to be planted and thrive, even those who are not criminally-minded could be recruited into crimes.

More
South West Nigerian Joint Police Force 'Amoteku' Starts Operations

The decision of governors of the South-West geopolitical zone, Nigeria to establish regional ‘police’, Amotekun, as from today Thursday, January 9, 2020, may not have come as a surprise for two reasons. 

First, is the serial agitation by South-West political leaders for state police system for close to a decade now. 

The second is the intractable security problem in Nigeria today. 

Apart from the South-West leaders, even Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo’s committee on how to deal with incessant violent crimes in the country proposed, in principle, the establishment of state police system, though this has not been ratified by the Buhari administration. 

While announcing the plan by South-West governors, Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi explained that the South-West must work hand-in-hand with other security apparatuses in neighbouring states if the establishment of Amotekun was to achieve the desired results.

He said, “… Criminality cannot be totally eradicated even as we are working meticulously at reducing it to the barest minimum in Ekiti State… Since we are not an Island, we are working with neigbouring states to strengthen our security architecture…We are leaving no stone unturned to ensure safety of lives and property in our dear state. 

Henceforth, I urge our community leaders or groups not to allow themselves to be used to spread fake or unsubstantiated news with a view to setting the residents against themselves or destabilising the peace of the state. 

We must encourage our people to report any strange signal or incident, but we must resist the temptation to resort to self-help at any time.”

The case for state police has been made convincingly with low hanging reference to the insecurity in the rural areas where bandits waste the lives of peasants who have no weapons to defend themselves. 

This is because operatives of the Nigeria Police are too few for the population and size of Nigeria. The ratio of policemen to the population is put at about 1 policeman to 400 Nigerians, if the 370,000-total number of policemen in Nigeria is true. 

With their few numbers and without weapons, the police have failed to counter ubiquitous criminal elements that have held Nigerians in rural communities and some urban centres to ransom. 

This situation has given the agitation for state police enough sound bite. 

However, history in Nigeria is replete with instances in which multiple police forces led to untold abuses, a situation that gave cause for the centralisation of the Nigeria Police Force. 

Under the 1954 Constitution and Section 105(7) of the 1963 Constitution, which made provision for regional governments, local police system was in force, but the security agencies became instruments of repression and abuse of opposition elements by regional governments. 

In order to escape that brutality, the current centralised police system was introduced in 1979. It was reinvigorated in Section 215 of the 1999 Constitution. 

The past ugly experience, and reckoning with experiences of other societies, the centralised policing system could be less expensive, more unifying, more effective, result-oriented and very useful for crime prevention and detection. 

It is good that Amotekun has not been designated as a police force. We call on the South-West governors to drum it into the ears of the leadership of the outfit that it is not a rival to the Nigeria Police Force; rather their role should be complementary to that of the police. 

Because the security outfit would be closer to the South-West communities, Amotekun should be involved in intelligence gathering and providing support in criminal investigation to feed the Nigeria Police with evidence, instead of taking the law into their hands. 

The answer to insecurity may not necessarily be in state or regional police.

 Government must recruit more policemen, fund, equip and motivate them to perform their duties effectively. 

On the other hand, unemployment, ethnic and religious extremism, and poverty that lured Nigerians into criminal acts should be tackled headlong. 

As long as there is a fertile environment for crime to be planted and thrive, even those who are not criminally-minded could be recruited into crimes.

More
South West Nigerian Joint Police Force 'Amoteku' Starts Operations

Moscow Is Best City On Earth: How Russian capital wins ‘tourism Oscar,’ overtaking Paris, London, NYC & others?

Moscow Is Best City On Earth: How Russian capital wins ‘tourism Oscar,’ overtaking Paris, London, NYC & others?

According to an RT report, Moscow, the Russian capital in the competition emerges as this year’s ‘World’s Leading City Destination.’

The stiff-neck competition saw the Russian capital triumphed over the British and French capitals, as well as 16 other cities, including St. Petersburg. The World Travel Awards (WTA) red carpet ceremony took place in Muscat (Oman), awarding leaders in the tourism, airline, hotel and hospitality sectors.

Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin expressed gratitude to all those who voted for Moscow in the nomination. 

“Moscow is in fact #thebestcityonearth! We have won one of the main awards in the field of tourism... Thank you for your recognition! This is a high assessment of our work and of all Muscovites,” Sobyanin wrote on his Instagram account.

According to Sobyanin, almost 20 million tourists have already visited Moscow this year.

Russia’s flagship carrier Aeroflot also made the WTA’s 2019 winners list by being named both ‘World’s Leading Airline Brand’ and ‘World’s Leading Airline – Business Class.’

The most prestigious travel award in the world, the WTA was established in 1993 to reward excellence across all sectors of the tourism industry.

In 2015, St. Petersburg became the first Russian city to win the title of Europe’s leading destination in the award’s 25-year history. 

Since then, the city has won the title several times, and has twice been named the ‘leading cultural city destination.’


Source
According to an RT report, Moscow, the Russian capital in the competition emerges as this year’s ‘World’s Leading City Destination.’

The stiff-neck competition saw the Russian capital triumphed over the British and French capitals, as well as 16 other cities, including St. Petersburg. The World Travel Awards (WTA) red carpet ceremony took place in Muscat (Oman), awarding leaders in the tourism, airline, hotel and hospitality sectors.

Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin expressed gratitude to all those who voted for Moscow in the nomination. 

“Moscow is in fact #thebestcityonearth! We have won one of the main awards in the field of tourism... Thank you for your recognition! This is a high assessment of our work and of all Muscovites,” Sobyanin wrote on his Instagram account.

According to Sobyanin, almost 20 million tourists have already visited Moscow this year.

Russia’s flagship carrier Aeroflot also made the WTA’s 2019 winners list by being named both ‘World’s Leading Airline Brand’ and ‘World’s Leading Airline – Business Class.’

The most prestigious travel award in the world, the WTA was established in 1993 to reward excellence across all sectors of the tourism industry.

In 2015, St. Petersburg became the first Russian city to win the title of Europe’s leading destination in the award’s 25-year history. 

Since then, the city has won the title several times, and has twice been named the ‘leading cultural city destination.’


Source

Chicago-based United Airlines orders 50 Airbus aircraft to replace Boeing 757s

Chicago-based United Airlines orders 50 Airbus aircraft to replace Boeing 757s

United said Tuesday that it is also deferring orders of the larger Airbus A350 planes



United Airlines signed an order with Airbus on Tuesday for 50 of the French aviation firm's A321XLR aircraft to replace its aging fleet of Boeing 757 jets.

The order was confirmed by United Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Nocella Tuesday evening.

United's order was a major hit from a US airline for Boeing, which has a new mid-sized airplane, or "NMA," currently in development. The NMA, which is intended to offer a replacement to the 757, with a similar range and capacity, has faced development delays as Boeing scrambles to fix its troubled 737 Max family of jets.

The 737 Max has been grounded worldwide since March 2019, following the second of two fatal crashes within five months.

The Chicago-based airline plans to fly the jets, single-aisle planes with extra-long range, to Europe from East Coast hubs Newark and Washington, it said in a release.

The carrier is the latest of several U.S. airlines to opt for the planes. JetBlue and American Airlines have both agreed to order some of the long-range single-aisle planes that Airbus is developing.

The decision comes as Boeing is hobbled by the crisis surrounding its 737 Max planes after two crashes, preventing it from dedicating more energy to designing an all-new middle-market plane.

Fuel-efficiency and increased range are enticing airlines to opt for smaller planes on longer routes as they seek to control their operating costs.

United said Tuesday that it is also deferring orders of the larger Airbus A350 planes.

The long-range A321XLR jets will replace United's 53 Boeing 757-200 planes beginning in 2024, the Chicago-based airline said, flying to cities like Porto, Portugal and other potential new destinations.

The deal, valued at $7.1bn before customary discounts, will replace its Boeing 757-200 jets that reach the end of their lifespan in about 10 years.

United's chief operating officer Andrew Nocella told reporters the airline has worked closely with Boeing on the potential new aircraft and is still open to orders if the plane-maker decides to move forward with developing the NMA.

"The new Airbus A321XLR aircraft is an ideal one-for-one replacement for the older, less-efficient aircraft currently operating between some of the most vital cities in our intercontinental network," he said in a statement on Tuesday.

Other US carriers, including American Airlines Group Inc, JetBlue Airways Corp and Spirit Airlines Inc, have agreed on orders for Airbus A320neo-family jets.

Among the benefits of the A321XLR is a 30 percent lower fuel burn per seat compared with previous generation aircraft, United said.

United has also ordered the larger A350 widebody jets but said it is deferring delivery of those jets until they are needed in 2027.

Its A321XLR order is the second for a US carrier following tariffs that the US is imposing on European-made aircraft.


Source: cnbc / Business Insider / Aljazeera
United said Tuesday that it is also deferring orders of the larger Airbus A350 planes



United Airlines signed an order with Airbus on Tuesday for 50 of the French aviation firm's A321XLR aircraft to replace its aging fleet of Boeing 757 jets.

The order was confirmed by United Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Nocella Tuesday evening.

United's order was a major hit from a US airline for Boeing, which has a new mid-sized airplane, or "NMA," currently in development. The NMA, which is intended to offer a replacement to the 757, with a similar range and capacity, has faced development delays as Boeing scrambles to fix its troubled 737 Max family of jets.

The 737 Max has been grounded worldwide since March 2019, following the second of two fatal crashes within five months.

The Chicago-based airline plans to fly the jets, single-aisle planes with extra-long range, to Europe from East Coast hubs Newark and Washington, it said in a release.

The carrier is the latest of several U.S. airlines to opt for the planes. JetBlue and American Airlines have both agreed to order some of the long-range single-aisle planes that Airbus is developing.

The decision comes as Boeing is hobbled by the crisis surrounding its 737 Max planes after two crashes, preventing it from dedicating more energy to designing an all-new middle-market plane.

Fuel-efficiency and increased range are enticing airlines to opt for smaller planes on longer routes as they seek to control their operating costs.

United said Tuesday that it is also deferring orders of the larger Airbus A350 planes.

The long-range A321XLR jets will replace United's 53 Boeing 757-200 planes beginning in 2024, the Chicago-based airline said, flying to cities like Porto, Portugal and other potential new destinations.

The deal, valued at $7.1bn before customary discounts, will replace its Boeing 757-200 jets that reach the end of their lifespan in about 10 years.

United's chief operating officer Andrew Nocella told reporters the airline has worked closely with Boeing on the potential new aircraft and is still open to orders if the plane-maker decides to move forward with developing the NMA.

"The new Airbus A321XLR aircraft is an ideal one-for-one replacement for the older, less-efficient aircraft currently operating between some of the most vital cities in our intercontinental network," he said in a statement on Tuesday.

Other US carriers, including American Airlines Group Inc, JetBlue Airways Corp and Spirit Airlines Inc, have agreed on orders for Airbus A320neo-family jets.

Among the benefits of the A321XLR is a 30 percent lower fuel burn per seat compared with previous generation aircraft, United said.

United has also ordered the larger A350 widebody jets but said it is deferring delivery of those jets until they are needed in 2027.

Its A321XLR order is the second for a US carrier following tariffs that the US is imposing on European-made aircraft.


Source: cnbc / Business Insider / Aljazeera

Nigeria's army is ordered to hunt down gunmen who killed at least 65 people at a funeral in the northeastern Borno region

Nigeria's army is ordered to hunt down gunmen who killed at least 65 people at a funeral in the northeastern Borno region

The Nigeria's army has been ordered to hunt down gunmen who killed at least 65 people at a funeral in the northeastern Borno region.

President of Nigeria, Muhaamadu Buhari gave the order after the death toll from the insurgents attacks on the mourners in the region rose to 65. Aljazeera reported.

At least 65 people have lost their lives after suspected Boko Haram militants opened fire on a funeral in of Borno state. President Muhammadu Buhari condemned the attack, and ordered the air force and army to hunt down those who carried it out, Reuters reports.

Gunmen arrived on motorcycles and in vans at the village near the state capital, Maiduguri, on Saturday, eyewitnesses say.

A number of mourners were reportedly killed straight away, while others died trying to chase off the attackers.

There has been an increase in Islamist attacks across the region.

Local government official Muhammed Bulama said he thought the latest attack was in revenge for the killing of 11 Boko Haram fighters by the villagers two weeks ago.

Agence France Presse journalists at the scene said they saw burnt-out homes, and relatives collecting the bodies of those who were killed.

Tens of thousands of civilians have been killed and more than two million displaced over the past decade of conflict.

Boko Haram, loosely translated, means "Western education is banned" and promotes a version of Islam that forbids Muslims to take part in any political or social activity associated with the West. The group is fighting to overthrow the government and create an Islamic state.

It has been active not only in Nigeria, but also in the neighbouring countries of Chad, Niger and Cameroon.

Boko Haram has been notorious for kidnapping schoolchildren and attracted global media attention in 2014 following the abduction of almost 300 girls from a school in the town of Chibok, in Borno, the state where the militant group has been most active.

In 2015, it was ranked the world's deadliest terror group by the Institute for Economics and Peace.

Territory controlled by the group has declined in recent years and it has splintered into competing factions.

However, the Islamist militants remain active in the region, defying attempts by the army to bring the insurgency to an end.

President Muhammadu Buhari administration and the Nigeria Army have separately and severally claimed they have defeated the Boko Haram Terrorists but the insurgents intensifying their attacks in the region remain worrisome .

Buhari led administration is currently creating another religion terrorists with his refusal to obey three different court injunctions to free the Shiite leader but instead the military and the Police have been used to repressed and killed many of the members of the group known as the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN).

The Nigeria's army has been ordered to hunt down gunmen who killed at least 65 people at a funeral in the northeastern Borno region.

President of Nigeria, Muhaamadu Buhari gave the order after the death toll from the insurgents attacks on the mourners in the region rose to 65. Aljazeera reported.

At least 65 people have lost their lives after suspected Boko Haram militants opened fire on a funeral in of Borno state. President Muhammadu Buhari condemned the attack, and ordered the air force and army to hunt down those who carried it out, Reuters reports.

Gunmen arrived on motorcycles and in vans at the village near the state capital, Maiduguri, on Saturday, eyewitnesses say.

A number of mourners were reportedly killed straight away, while others died trying to chase off the attackers.

There has been an increase in Islamist attacks across the region.

Local government official Muhammed Bulama said he thought the latest attack was in revenge for the killing of 11 Boko Haram fighters by the villagers two weeks ago.

Agence France Presse journalists at the scene said they saw burnt-out homes, and relatives collecting the bodies of those who were killed.

Tens of thousands of civilians have been killed and more than two million displaced over the past decade of conflict.

Boko Haram, loosely translated, means "Western education is banned" and promotes a version of Islam that forbids Muslims to take part in any political or social activity associated with the West. The group is fighting to overthrow the government and create an Islamic state.

It has been active not only in Nigeria, but also in the neighbouring countries of Chad, Niger and Cameroon.

Boko Haram has been notorious for kidnapping schoolchildren and attracted global media attention in 2014 following the abduction of almost 300 girls from a school in the town of Chibok, in Borno, the state where the militant group has been most active.

In 2015, it was ranked the world's deadliest terror group by the Institute for Economics and Peace.

Territory controlled by the group has declined in recent years and it has splintered into competing factions.

However, the Islamist militants remain active in the region, defying attempts by the army to bring the insurgency to an end.

President Muhammadu Buhari administration and the Nigeria Army have separately and severally claimed they have defeated the Boko Haram Terrorists but the insurgents intensifying their attacks in the region remain worrisome .

Buhari led administration is currently creating another religion terrorists with his refusal to obey three different court injunctions to free the Shiite leader but instead the military and the Police have been used to repressed and killed many of the members of the group known as the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN).

LAGOS, ILORIN, ABUJA: NIGERIANS, NOT NIGERIA, GIVE ME HOPE - MOSES OCHONU

LAGOS, ILORIN, ABUJA: NIGERIANS, NOT NIGERIA, GIVE ME HOPE - MOSES OCHONU


In Lagos, as I was waiting to board my flight to Ilorin, I decided to window-shop in the electronic store in the departure lounge. A pair of premium headphones caught my attention and the price was great. When I was about to pay, the lady said their POS device was broken and was being fixed. I didn't have enough cash to pay the N25,000 price tag. She advised that I go back out (I had already checked in to the secure area) to use the ATM in the general departures area. I told her I wasn't going to go through the check-in procedure again. Besides, if the flight was on time, we were close to boarding. She tried to get a POS from a neighboring store but that didn’t work out. The wifi/network was extremely weak so transfer from my phone was out of the question. Meanwhile, boarding had started and I was the only passenger still in the lounge. I told her to forget it. To my utmost shock she packed the headphones for me and wrote down her business account number, saying that I should do the transfer when I got to Ilorin. I couldn't believe it. I had to make sure she was doing what I thought she was doing. I asked her if she really wanted me, a total stranger whose identity she did not know, to go with the Headphones. I couldn’t even give her my phone number since my phone died in the middle of our discussion and I didn’t know my Nigerian phone number by heart. What if I didn't do the transfer, I asked her. She said "no problem, I know you will." In the age of chronic distrust and trust deficit, this Nigerian shop clerk at the departure lounge of MMA shows that there is still some honor left in Nigeria. Of course, as soon as I got to Ilorin and connected to the hotel wifi and turned on my roaming, I promptly did the transfer on my phone app.

In Ilorin, I was at Shoprite to pick up a few items of convenience. It was a busy day and the line was long. I only had two items but I waited my turn as other shoppers with full carts paid for their items ahead of me. Then this expatriate man walked right past everyone in line to the cashier/clerk and demanded that he be checked out since he was only purchasing three items. I didn't say anything and waited for the clerk to respond. To my pleasant surprise, the lady not only emphatically declined to let him jump the line, she also gave him a humiliating tongue-lashing with a firm, insightful commentary on how he was trying to leverage his racial capital to intimidate her, a black woman, and how that would not work and how this is Nigeria and he needed to respect the local people who were in line ahead of him. Wow! How inspiring. That lady filled me with pride. She deserves a medal. Unfortunately, I didn't get her name from her name tag, but I could not stop thinking about this heroic African amazon who would not succumb to "white" privilege and intimidation in her own country. As someone who recently published an essay about the ubiquity of unacknowledged and rarely discussed white privilege in Nigeria/Africa, I was humbled by this experience. By the way, the line-cutter was Asian.

In Abuja, the best staff I have ever encountered at the international wing of the airport is a lady called Latifat (maybe it’s Lateefat). I've never seen a Nigerian airport worker take more delight in doing her job, nor have I seen one render exceptional service like her. My first encounter with her was earlier this year in March, when I was in Nigeria. We all know how stressful check-in procedures can be in Nigerian airports. This lady, a staff of FAAN, made the process so breezy for me. She was polite, courteous, professional, and incredibly friendly. My stress melted away as she attended to me without me even asking her. She helped me with my carry-on and led me to a very comfortable lounge to await my flight. And she never asked for money or expected money as is the case with most other airport workers in Nigeria.

Latifat was simply doing her job and with a smile. As she left me in the lounge, I was effusive in praising her professionalism and people skills. She thanked me and left to attend to other passengers. This was the best service I had ever received from a Nigerian airport staff at any airport in Nigeria, period. When I arrived at my base in the US, I wanted to write about her but I could not remember her name. It ate me up, and I resolved that the next time I was at the international departure wing I would look out for her. Lo and behold, as I made my way out of security screening today, here she was attending to an elderly passenger on wheelchair. I did not recognize her but she apparently recognized me. Since this is a new terminal and I was using it for the first time, I didn't know where to go after screening. She didn't introduce herself but professionally, kindly gave me directions. But there was a note of familiarity about the professionalism and excellent service, and she also spoke to me as though she knew me. When I took a closer look at her, I immediately remembered her as the lady whose outstanding customer service from my March visit I had never forgotten. I said "are you not the lady who attended excellently to me in March?" and she nodded with a smile, as if to say finally you've recognized me. She told me she was working the Lufthansa flight today, not the Delta one.

What a pleasant coincidence or providential arrangement. This time I made sure to note her name and she confirmed it: Latifat. She's dark complexioned, has a cheerful demeanor, takes delight in her job, and is the friendliest, most helpful, and most professional airport staff I have encountered in Nigeria. As I waited in the lounge for boarding, I saw Latifat come in with several more passengers, and I noticed the incredible professionalism and courtesy she accorded them. On one such trip she came and greeted me again, wondering why there was no table in front of my chair. I told her that it was by choice; I sat on the chair facing the TV because I was watching the Nigeria-Tunisia match.

If anyone in the FAAN top hierarchy is reading this, please reward and possibly promote Latifat. She is an exceptional and exemplary staff of your organization, which is notorious for having staff that harass, intimidate, and give passengers a hard time in order to extort them. Latifat should be training her colleagues on how to render exceptional, professional service to passengers. Travel is already a stressful undertaking, so any time one encounters someone who eases the stress, it is memorable. Latifat is an exemplary Nigerian.




In Lagos, as I was waiting to board my flight to Ilorin, I decided to window-shop in the electronic store in the departure lounge. A pair of premium headphones caught my attention and the price was great. When I was about to pay, the lady said their POS device was broken and was being fixed. I didn't have enough cash to pay the N25,000 price tag. She advised that I go back out (I had already checked in to the secure area) to use the ATM in the general departures area. I told her I wasn't going to go through the check-in procedure again. Besides, if the flight was on time, we were close to boarding. She tried to get a POS from a neighboring store but that didn’t work out. The wifi/network was extremely weak so transfer from my phone was out of the question. Meanwhile, boarding had started and I was the only passenger still in the lounge. I told her to forget it. To my utmost shock she packed the headphones for me and wrote down her business account number, saying that I should do the transfer when I got to Ilorin. I couldn't believe it. I had to make sure she was doing what I thought she was doing. I asked her if she really wanted me, a total stranger whose identity she did not know, to go with the Headphones. I couldn’t even give her my phone number since my phone died in the middle of our discussion and I didn’t know my Nigerian phone number by heart. What if I didn't do the transfer, I asked her. She said "no problem, I know you will." In the age of chronic distrust and trust deficit, this Nigerian shop clerk at the departure lounge of MMA shows that there is still some honor left in Nigeria. Of course, as soon as I got to Ilorin and connected to the hotel wifi and turned on my roaming, I promptly did the transfer on my phone app.

In Ilorin, I was at Shoprite to pick up a few items of convenience. It was a busy day and the line was long. I only had two items but I waited my turn as other shoppers with full carts paid for their items ahead of me. Then this expatriate man walked right past everyone in line to the cashier/clerk and demanded that he be checked out since he was only purchasing three items. I didn't say anything and waited for the clerk to respond. To my pleasant surprise, the lady not only emphatically declined to let him jump the line, she also gave him a humiliating tongue-lashing with a firm, insightful commentary on how he was trying to leverage his racial capital to intimidate her, a black woman, and how that would not work and how this is Nigeria and he needed to respect the local people who were in line ahead of him. Wow! How inspiring. That lady filled me with pride. She deserves a medal. Unfortunately, I didn't get her name from her name tag, but I could not stop thinking about this heroic African amazon who would not succumb to "white" privilege and intimidation in her own country. As someone who recently published an essay about the ubiquity of unacknowledged and rarely discussed white privilege in Nigeria/Africa, I was humbled by this experience. By the way, the line-cutter was Asian.

In Abuja, the best staff I have ever encountered at the international wing of the airport is a lady called Latifat (maybe it’s Lateefat). I've never seen a Nigerian airport worker take more delight in doing her job, nor have I seen one render exceptional service like her. My first encounter with her was earlier this year in March, when I was in Nigeria. We all know how stressful check-in procedures can be in Nigerian airports. This lady, a staff of FAAN, made the process so breezy for me. She was polite, courteous, professional, and incredibly friendly. My stress melted away as she attended to me without me even asking her. She helped me with my carry-on and led me to a very comfortable lounge to await my flight. And she never asked for money or expected money as is the case with most other airport workers in Nigeria.

Latifat was simply doing her job and with a smile. As she left me in the lounge, I was effusive in praising her professionalism and people skills. She thanked me and left to attend to other passengers. This was the best service I had ever received from a Nigerian airport staff at any airport in Nigeria, period. When I arrived at my base in the US, I wanted to write about her but I could not remember her name. It ate me up, and I resolved that the next time I was at the international departure wing I would look out for her. Lo and behold, as I made my way out of security screening today, here she was attending to an elderly passenger on wheelchair. I did not recognize her but she apparently recognized me. Since this is a new terminal and I was using it for the first time, I didn't know where to go after screening. She didn't introduce herself but professionally, kindly gave me directions. But there was a note of familiarity about the professionalism and excellent service, and she also spoke to me as though she knew me. When I took a closer look at her, I immediately remembered her as the lady whose outstanding customer service from my March visit I had never forgotten. I said "are you not the lady who attended excellently to me in March?" and she nodded with a smile, as if to say finally you've recognized me. She told me she was working the Lufthansa flight today, not the Delta one.

What a pleasant coincidence or providential arrangement. This time I made sure to note her name and she confirmed it: Latifat. She's dark complexioned, has a cheerful demeanor, takes delight in her job, and is the friendliest, most helpful, and most professional airport staff I have encountered in Nigeria. As I waited in the lounge for boarding, I saw Latifat come in with several more passengers, and I noticed the incredible professionalism and courtesy she accorded them. On one such trip she came and greeted me again, wondering why there was no table in front of my chair. I told her that it was by choice; I sat on the chair facing the TV because I was watching the Nigeria-Tunisia match.

If anyone in the FAAN top hierarchy is reading this, please reward and possibly promote Latifat. She is an exceptional and exemplary staff of your organization, which is notorious for having staff that harass, intimidate, and give passengers a hard time in order to extort them. Latifat should be training her colleagues on how to render exceptional, professional service to passengers. Travel is already a stressful undertaking, so any time one encounters someone who eases the stress, it is memorable. Latifat is an exemplary Nigerian.



Virgin Galactic says to be first publicly listed space tourism project

Virgin Galactic says to be first publicly listed space tourism project

Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic will become the first publicly-traded space tourism project thanks to a New York-listed company's investment worth about $800 million, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.

Social Capital Hedosophia Holdings Corp. will take a 49-percent stake in Virgin Galactic, according to people familiar with the matter, the WSJ said.

The capital injection from the special-purpose acquisition company, or SPAC, will enable British billionaire Branson to fund Virgin Galactic until its spaceships are able to commercially operate and become profitable, the paper added.

Virgin Galactic, up against Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Tesla's Elon Musk to send tourists into space, has yet to comment on the report.

Branson is thought to have already invested more than $1.0 billion in the project since 2004, while a similar proposed Saudi investment was suspended last year following the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Virgin Galactic's last test flight was in February when its spacecraft reached an altitude of more than 55 miles following a launch from California's Mojave desert.

The US defines space as altitude above 50 miles (80 kilometres).


Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic will become the first publicly-traded space tourism project thanks to a New York-listed company's investment worth about $800 million, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.

Social Capital Hedosophia Holdings Corp. will take a 49-percent stake in Virgin Galactic, according to people familiar with the matter, the WSJ said.

The capital injection from the special-purpose acquisition company, or SPAC, will enable British billionaire Branson to fund Virgin Galactic until its spaceships are able to commercially operate and become profitable, the paper added.

Virgin Galactic, up against Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Tesla's Elon Musk to send tourists into space, has yet to comment on the report.

Branson is thought to have already invested more than $1.0 billion in the project since 2004, while a similar proposed Saudi investment was suspended last year following the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Virgin Galactic's last test flight was in February when its spacecraft reached an altitude of more than 55 miles following a launch from California's Mojave desert.

The US defines space as altitude above 50 miles (80 kilometres).


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