Banned 'unsafe' airlines revealed - Dozens of airlines are barred

• Dozens of airlines are barred from flying in European airspace because they are considered to be unsafe.


• Crashes over the Atlantic (Air France) and in New York (US Airways), have focused public attention on safety in the skies - prompting many to ask how safe it really is to fly?


• European Commission But what many do not realise is the extraordinary amount of work which goes on behind the scenes to protect their safety.


• A lot of this work is carried out in the sober corridors of the European Commission, which regularly audits airlines from around the world to ensure they meet the exacting criteria necessary to fly European citizens. Airlines which fail to make the grade will simply not be allowed to fly in European airspace.


• "We cannot afford any compromises in air safety, we have to remain vigilant; citizens have the right to fly safely every where in the world," explains commission vice-president Antonio Tajani.

Blacklist

• The first line of defence against potentially unsafe airlines is the Commission's blacklist - which details all airlines barred from European airspace. While largely composed of African and Asian airlines, there are also a number closer to home:
• to name few,Ariana Afghan Airlines,Air Gemini -Angola,Royal Air - Benin,Siem Reap Airways International (SRH) - Cambodia,Air Koryo (KOR) - Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Sun Air Services - Democratic Republic of Congo,Guinea Airways - Equatorial Guinea,Sky Gabon (SKG) - Gabon, Intan Angkasa Air Service - Indonesia, East Wing (Airline) (EWZ) - Kazakhstan,Golden Rule Airlines (GRS) - Kyrgyz Republic,Silverback Cargo Freighters (VRB) - Rwanda, Destiny Air Services, Ltd (DTY) - Sierra Leone,Air West Co.Ltd (AWZ) - Sudan,Swaziland Airlink (SZL) - Swaziland,One Two Go Airlines Company Limited (OTG) - Thailand, Motor Sich Airlines (MSI) - Ukraine.

Can Airlines be Redeemed?

• The European Commission argues one of the principal benefits of its blacklist – other than keeping Europeans out of unsafe planes - is the encouragement it offers to prohibited airlines to reform.
• "The list acts a strong incentive to remedy safety deficiencies; withdrawal from the list is indeed possible, when the parties concerned put effectively in place sound corrective action to comply with all relevant safety standards," explained the Commission.
• The most recent list, for example, saw four Indonesian airlines - Garuda Indonesia, Airfast Indonesia, Mandala Airlines and Premiair – removed from the list following "significant" safety improvements by the Indonesian civil aviation authority.

Safe to Fly

• So then, with unsafe airlines banned and others encouraged to improve, European travellers can be reassured of their safety. Indeed the aforementioned Air France crash aroused such high levels of concern because it involved a flag-carrying European airline. Crashes involving such respected aviation companies are simply not supposed to happen.
• But it is likely the event was the exception which proved the rule, with the European Commission acting to prevent unsafe airlines even offering their services on the continent.

By www.michaeljackson50.com

Air hostess dies of skin cancer at aged 25 - An air hostess who sunbathed in some of the world's hottest destinations

Air hostess dies of skin cancer

• An air hostess who sunbathed in some of the world's hottest destinations has died of skin cancer aged 25.
• An air hostess who sunbathed in some of the world's hottest destinations has died of skin cancer at 25, it has emerged.
• Virgin worker Hayley Birch developed the disease just under two years ago after bronzing herself in places like Las Vegas, Dubai and Australia.
• Her mother Penny, from Solihull in the West Midlands, said her daughter would often top up her tan on rest days between flights.
• "It just seems so cruel and so very unfair," she told The Daily Express. "She was doing a job she absolutely adored and had her whole life ahead of her."
• Miss Birch died last week, just days before a fund-raising ball she organised was due to take place.
• Her family has vowed the event will go ahead as planned, raising money for Birmingham Queen Elizabeth Hospital's Skin Cancer Research Fund.
• The hostess' cancer battle started in December 2007 after she discovered a mole on her leg. It was found to be cancerous and removed.
• Six months later she discovered a lump in her groin, which was also taken off. But the cancer soon spread to her stomach, neck and armpits.
• Miss Birch, who worked for Virgin for four years, started a course of chemotherapy but was told earlier this year that her cancer was terminal.
• Her mother said: "She did enjoy sunbathing and would often top up her tan on rest days between flights."

By www.michaeljackson50.com

8 money myths you need to know - How to avoid traps

Banking

• 1. I'm better off keeping my money under the mattress. It's easy to feel exasperated with low-paying savings accounts. According to Abbey, we keep £5.4billion in cash hidden in our homes. It's not at my place, I can assure you. But apart from this cash earning nothing at all - not even putting you in line for a Premium Bond win - you run the risk of theft, fire or loss and will probably find that most home contents policies only insure about £500 in cash in the home.
• 2. I can't switch banks because I have an overdraft. Rest assured that there are many banks other than your own who would love to take the interest you pay on an overdraft and (assuming you can demonstrate an income) would be happy to let you switch it them.
• 3. Paying bills by direct debit is always cheaper. Well this is certainly true with utilities. In fact recent research by Uswitch shows that you can save more than £200 a year by paying DD. However this works against you with car insurance, where you will almost certainly be charged more for paying monthly, usually around 20% more.
• 4. If I lock away my savings in a long notice account I get a better deal. This used to be the case but it is increasingly rare these days. Before you sign up to a notice account, take a look at no-notice accounts and see if there is any difference. You could be pleasantly surprised. Current offers on Moneyfacts.co.uk include the Chesham Building Society's Reserve 120 account which, as the name suggest, requires 120 days notice for withdrawals. It pays 2.85% AER compared to the 2.80% AER paid by the no-notice West Bromwich Building Society Saver Direct account.

Mortgages

• 5. I'm renting out my property but don't need to tell the mortgage company. Just about every mortgage contract will require you to notify the lender if you plan to rent out your property. In some cases the lender will allow you to remain on the same rate but other lenders may switch you onto a buy-to-let loan (which is usually higher), particularly if you're planning to rent out the property for a long or open-ended period. You may be tempted to just not tell them but you run the risk of invalidating your insurance if anything goes wrong.
• 6. I have a nice cheap mortgage because it's interest-only. Yes, your monthly payment will be cheaper but if you fail to save and/or invest for repayment of the capital then you will lose your home. Personally, I am convinced that we will see a big wave of horror hitting interest-only fans in the next couple of decades as their mortgage terms expire but they have no way to pay down the capital. Aim to switch to a repayment mortgage as soon as you can afford to.

Credit and debt

• 7. I need to pay a specialist to get my credit rating repaired. No, no, no. I promise there is nothing that a paid-for service can provide that you cannot do yourself for FREE. It won't happen overnight though. There are three credit reference agencies, Callcredit, Equifax, and Experian, which store information about your credit history. Missed credit repayments stay on your credit report for 36 months, while County Court Judgments are held on file for six years. If you have paid the debt within one month of the CCJ, you can ask the court to remove the details from your record. Get copies of your records (a small fee will apply unless you use a free trial) and the credit reference agency can provide plenty of free tips and advice on how to correct any errors and improve your credit record.
• 8. The more credit cards I apply for, the better my credit rating will become. Not so. Although having no credit at all can be a problem, lenders will also be put off if you have lots of declined applications. This could signal that you're desperate for credit or having trouble managing your money or existing cards. When you're shopping around for credit, you can ask lenders for a 'quotation search', rather than making full applications.

By www.michaeljackson50.com

Evening Standard becomes free paper - after 180 years as a paid-for title

Evening Standard To Become Free Newspaper

• London's Evening Standard is to turn itself into a free newspaper, after 180 years as a paid-for title.
• The Evening Standard is to turn itself into a free newspaper later this month, ending its 180-year run as a paid-for title.
• The paper will be available free of charge from 12 October, with its circulation more than doubling from around 250,000 to 600,000 copies a day.
• Russian oligarch Alexander Lebedev, who owns a 75.1% stake in the paper, is axing the 50p charge as he seeks to revive its fortunes.
• Standard bosses described the development as "an historic moment and great opportunity", and insisted the publication will remain "a quality newspaper".
• The move follows the increased pressure from free newspapers in the city in the past few years - although one of these, thelondonpaper, was closed last month.
• Andrew Mullins, managing director of the Evening Standard, said: "Sustaining a paid-for afternoon newspaper had its challenges even before the freesheets were launched in 2006.
• "There are so many competing distractions to potential readers, particularly with new technologies.
• "Being a quality newspaper with large scale and reach should transform our commercial fortunes."
• Mr Lebedev, who bought the paper from the publisher of the Daily Mail, said he thought other newspapers may follow the lead.

By www.michaeljackson50.com

Michael Jackson daughter: Stress contributed to death

• Michael Jackson's eleven-year-old daughter has reportedly told her aunt LaToya the strain of preparing for planned gigs in London were too much for the singer to handle.
• LaToya makes the claim on Channel 4's The Paul O'Grady show. She quoted her daughter as saying: "What happened is they worked him too hard. He never got the chance to rest. It was non-stop work."
• LaToya, 53, tells the chat show host: "She said, 'No, you don't understand. They kept working him and Daddy didn't want that, but they worked him constantly'. I felt so bad."
• She and her brother Jermaine paid tribute to Michael Jackson at the Mobo Music awards in Glasgow on Wednesday night.

By www.michaeljackson50.com

Michael Jackson In 'Good Health' Before Overdose

• A post mortem report showed Michael Jackson was in overall good health before his overdose, according to Associated Press.
• The report, obtained by the news agency allegedly says the star's arms were covered with punctures, his face and neck were scarred and he had tattooed eyebrows and lips.
  But he was not the sickly skeleton of a man portrayed in media reports.
• AP claims the Los Angeles County coroner's report shows Jackson was a fairly healthy 50-year-old before he died of an overdose.
• His heart was strong and his kidneys and most other major organs were normal, according to the leaked report.
• Jackson did have health issues including arthritis in the lower spine and chronically inflamed lungs that could could have left him short of breath.
• However, according to the document, the lung condition was not serious enough to be a direct or contributing cause of death.
• "His overall health was fine," said Dr Zeev Kain, chairman of the anesthesiology department at the University of California, who reviewed a copy of the report for the AP.
• "The results are within normal limits."
• Jackson died at his rented Los Angeles mansion on June 25 after his personal doctor, Dr Conrad Murray, administered the anesthetic propofol and two other sedatives to get the chronic insomniac to sleep, court documents state.
• Propofol, normally a surgical anesthetic used in operating rooms, acts as a respiratory depressant and requires constant monitoring.

By www.michaeljackson50.com

Violence link to kids who eat sweets

• Eating sweets every day in childhood increases adult aggression, according to new research.
• The study, published in the October issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry, is the first to examine the long-term effects of childhood diet on adult violence.
• Analysis found that 10-year-olds who ate confectionery daily were significantly more likely to have been convicted for violence between the ages of 29 and 34.
• Researchers from Cardiff University found that 69 per cent of the participants who were violent at that age had eaten sweets and chocolate nearly every day during childhood, compared to 42 per cent who were non-violent.
• This link between confectionery consumption and violence remained after controlling other factors.
• Lead researcher Dr Simon Moore said: "Our favoured explanation is that giving children sweets and chocolate regularly may stop them learning how to wait to obtain something they want. Not being able to defer gratification may push them towards more impulsive behaviour, which is strongly associated with delinquency."
• Almost 17,500 people were questioned in the 1970 British Cohort Study.

By www.michaeljackson50.com