Airbus

TOULOUSE (AFP) - Airbus on 15 Oct delivered the first of its A380s, the world's biggest passenger jet, to Singapore Airlines, 18 months behind schedule but with both sides hailing the major advance in air travel. The 73-metre-long (239-feet) superjumbo was handed over in a ceremony at the Airbus headquarters in Toulouse in southern France. Thomas Enders, chief executive of Airbus, said: "We are obviously extremely proud to deliver the first A380 to Singapore Airlines, but this is the latest milestone in a long journey." Rollout of the doubledecker jet, which could carry up to 853 passengers, is 18 months behind schedule because of production problems that embarrassed the European firm which is in bitter competition with Boeing Co. of the United States.

Airbus may never make money from the superjumbo. Chew Choon Seng, chief executive of Singapore Airlines, said "although it has taken more time than initially anticipated, the A380 is well worth the wait." He talked of a "new chapter" in the history of aviation. The jet has about 50 percent more floor space than its nearest rival, Boeing's 747-400 jumbo jet. The airline showed off the cabin interior and Chew said "the piece de resistance will be our new premier cabin which will introduce a travel experience beyond first class." not exactly Ryanair .....Ed, The Singapore Airlines A380 has 12 private suites each with a fully adjustable seat and a real bed with full size mattress. Because it will concentrate on giving extra space to passengers, Singapore Airlines' A380s will have about 470 seats. The first plane left Toulouse on 23 Oct for Singapore. It went into service on the Singapore-Sydney route on October 25. Lack of cooperation between French and German engineers -- Airbus has plants in Britain, France, Germany and Spain -- was partly to blame and the group has since launched a restructuring plan aiming to cut 10,000 jobs.

President Sarkozy and the green tax

President Nicolas Sarkozy, with Nobel-winning climate crusader Al Gore at his side, launched a raft of measures recently aimed at sparking a green revolution in France. Chief among the platform of measures, Sarkozy announced France would introduce a "carbon tax" on fuel and other polluting products. Road transport -- responsible for a quarter of French emissions -- was a key target, with an agreement to freeze the building of new highways and airports, and steer consumers away from gasguzzling cars through bonuses and penalties. France's tramway and TGV high-speed train networks are to be extended, and trucks shifted off France's major highways and onto two vast new cross-country freight rail links. Other plans include a nationwide push to improve the energy-efficiency of new and existing buildings, with a target of 20 percent energy savings by 2010. Tougher, unpopular measures to cut transport emissions, from a speed cap on highways to a fuel tax on domestic flights, did not make it onto the list. Environmentalists said the tax, calculated from the greenhouse gases emitted to produce and market goods, would be "painless" for consumers and business, starting at a few cents per litre of fuel. Gradually increasing each year, its proceeds would be used, for instance, to fund the transfer of freight from road to rail.

Eiffel Tower Restaurant re-opens

The Eiffel Tower's haute cuisine restaurant, the "Jules Verne", is to reopen in December after several months of renovation works, its new owner the top French chef Alain Ducasse said. Ducasse's international catering company early this year took over the two restaurants at the Eiffel Tower in Paris, "Jules Verne" and the mid-range "Altitude 95". Famous for being the only chef to have three restaurants with three stars in the Michelin Red Guide -- in Paris, Monaco and New York -- Ducasse hopes to draw back French diners, not just tourists, to the Eiffel Tower restaurant. The Alain Ducasse group operates restaurants, inns, cooking schools and consultancies around the world.

Unemployment is Spain

The number of people out of work in Spain rose slightly in the third quarter. There was a trend of increasing unemployment among building workers due to a slowdown in Spain's decade long housing boom, according to the figures from the National Statistics Institute. At 8.03%, the total is up from the previous quarter's 7.95%, but still at a historically low level. At the start of last year it was at 9.07% of the working population. Employment Minister Jesus Caldera explained: "Unemployment is up for a reason - because the working population has increased. That is the number of people available for work being higher than in previous quarters." In recent years Spain has created over 600,000 jobs annually but economists said they expect the unemployment rate to remain flat or even go up slightly in the near future as the government is predicting a slow down in economic growth.

Checking internal organs through the skin

Israeli researchers have developed a device that reads the condition of internal organs by measuring the electrical resistance of the skin. The device, a small electrode called a "pen", is pushed against the skin while the patient remains fully dressed. Its developers claim it could replace more invasive detection procedures.

Crowded space: the tale of the man made debris circling the Earth

There are up to half a million pieces of debris floating on orbital paths around the earth - the remains of old rockets and defunkt satellites. Thousands have already been spotted, but others, which could prove dangerous for manned missions, are yet to be spotted

Oil Prices

Oil prices have surged to new record highs and the dollar slips further. US light crude has been over 92 dollars a barrel and Brent above 88 dollars. That is partly due to investment by speculators, but also because of fresh sanctions imposed by the US on Iran. Energy expert Kevin Saville explained: "Obviously the Middle East is the greatest oil producing region on earth, and any instability in that region, whether it's real or perceived, sends shivers down the spine of the market and will always have the effect of boosting oil prices." At the same time, the dollar fell to new record lows against the euro and a basket of currencies on speculation that Federal Reserve policymakers will cut US interest rates again when they meet next Wednesday to try to goose up the world's largest economy. In the face of concerns about the weak dollar, US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said: "I believe a strong dollar is in our nation's interests and I believe that currency values should be determined based upon underlying economic fundamentals in a competitive marketplace." But still the dollar drops making European goods more expensive in the US the EU's main export market. The only upside is that costlier oil - priced in dollars - is comparatively cheaper for those who pay in euros

Cervical Cancer

Schoolgirls in Britain will be vaccinated against the virus that causes cervical cancer from September 2008, ministers have announced. This goes further than recommended by experts, with all aged 12-13 eligible, and a catch-up campaign up to 18. It is thought that vaccinating against human papilloma virus (HPV) could save hundreds of lives in the UK each year. The vaccine is given in three injections over six months at a cost of around £300 a course. Earlier this year the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation recommended routine vaccination for 11 to 12-year olds, including the possibility of a catch-up campaign - but only up to the age of 16. But the government wanted further evidence on the cost benefits of a programme before making a final decision. In England the programme will start initially in 12 to 13-year olds, with plans to vaccinate those up to the age of 18 from autumn 2009. Wales and Scotland have announced similar plans, and Northern Ireland will also be carrying out vaccination in 12-year olds but has yet to finalise the details

Royal 'targeted by blackmailers'

Buckingham Palace has refused to discuss a report that a member of the Royal Family has been the subject of a blackmail attempt. According to the Sunday Times, the case involves allegations of drugs and sex. A Palace spokesperson would only say it was a police matter and Scotland Yard was investigating. Police said two men, aged 30 and 40, appeared before City of Westminster magistrates on 13 September accused of blackmail and were remanded in custody. They will next appear at the Old Bailey in December. The Sunday Times says two men demanded £50,000 from a member of the Royal Family, threatening to go public with the allegations if their demand was not met. A spokeswoman for Scotland Yard said that reporting restrictions had been imposed to prevent the victim or witnesses from being identified.

The researchers question whether biofuel can cut carbon emissions

The EU target of ensuring 10% of petrol and diesel comes from renewable sources by 2020 is not an effective way to curb carbon emissions, researchers say. A team of scientists suggested that reforestation and habitat protection was a better option, They said forests could absorb up to nine times more CO2 than the production of biofuels could achieve on the same area of land. The growth of biofuels was leading to more deforestation, they added. "The prime reason for the renewables obligation was to mitigate carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions," said Renton Righelato, one of the study's co-authors. "In our view this is a mistaken policy because it is less effective than reforesting," Dr Righelato, chairman of the World Land Trust, added that the policy could actually lead to more deforestation as nations turned to countries outside of the EU to meet the growing demand for biofuels.