The Delhi Union of Journalists (DUJ) at an emergency general body called upon the government to take immediate steps for early announcement of an autonomous media commission along with a press council extended media council with some teeth, to help end the jungle law in the growing 'media bazaar.'
It has further called for immediate announcement of interim relief for the print media as some wage board members were seeking diversions on non-issues it charged and delay was causing unrest.
The meeting noted with concern that even after 31 years there has been no press commission in the lines of the first and second press commission. A media commission is the need of the hour. And an autonomous one at that of experts.
The DUJ meeting noted with concern that the central government was withdrawing step by step, health and other welfare measures available to the press. This would no longer be tolerated; the meeting stressed demanding restoration of all facilities withdrawn
The general body also called upon the Delhi state government to bring out a white paper on complaints of unfair labour practices in the news industry or to take action as required by law. It noted with concern that even as the government announced the wage board, wage board employees were arbitrarily sacked.
The meeting followed up with a get together with press workers from all newspaper establishments in the capital where a press initiative 2008 on a minimum charter of demands was announced. It was unanimously decided that a phased wise action programme would begin in a fortnight.
The body condoled the deaths of veteran journalists Upendra Vajpeyi, P.N. Jalali, Ramesh Arora, Tribhuvan Nath and executive member Kunwarjee Anjum.
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Thursday, February 21, 2008
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Czech Airlines is judged the best airline
Czech Airlines ranked first for 2007 in the category of Best Airline, in the 2008 TTG Travel Awards. The awards are handed out every year by tourism professionals – the readers of the industry magazine TTG Czech. Czech Airlines took the winner’s cup for this prestigious survey for the eighth time.
In the Best Airline category, the quality of services and the offering of the airlines active in the Czech market were evaluated, by about one hundred industry professionals. The awards ceremony took place on Saturday 9 February, at the Svatá Kateřina resort in Vysočina.
The international magazine TTG is one of the most significant titles for tourism professionals, which has featured current information about the latest trends and events in tourism in dozens of countries for 50 years. It has been published in the Czech Republic for 17 years.
In the Best Airline category, the quality of services and the offering of the airlines active in the Czech market were evaluated, by about one hundred industry professionals. The awards ceremony took place on Saturday 9 February, at the Svatá Kateřina resort in Vysočina.
The international magazine TTG is one of the most significant titles for tourism professionals, which has featured current information about the latest trends and events in tourism in dozens of countries for 50 years. It has been published in the Czech Republic for 17 years.
Friday, February 08, 2008
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WHO REPORT DOCUMENTS STATUS OF GLOBAL EFFORTS AGAINST TOBACCO AND OUTLINES POLICY PACKAGE
New York - The World Health Organization (WHO) today released new data showing that while progress has been made, not a single country fully implements all key tobacco control measures, and outlined an approach that governments can adopt to prevent tens of millions of premature deaths by the middle of this century.
In a new report which presents the first comprehensive analysis of global tobacco use and control efforts, WHO finds that only 5% of the world’s population live in countries that fully protect their population with any one of the key measures that reduce smoking rates. The report also reveals that governments around the world collect 500 times more money in tobacco taxes each year than they spend on anti-tobacco efforts. It finds that tobacco taxes, the single most effective strategy, could be significantly increased in nearly all countries, providing a source of sustainable funding to implement and enforce the recommended approach, a package of six policies called MPOWER (see box).
“While efforts to combat tobacco are gaining momentum, virtually every country needs to do more. These six strategies are within the reach of every country, rich or poor and, when combined as a package, they offer us the best chance of reversing this growing epidemic,” said Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General of WHO. Dr Chan launched the WHO Report of the Global Tobacco Epidemic at a news conference with New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Bloomberg Philanthropies helped fund the report.
“The report released today is revolutionary,” Mayor Bloomberg said. “For the first time, we have both a rigorous approach to stop the tobacco epidemic and solid data to hold us all accountable. No country fully implements all of the MPOWER policies and 80% of countries don’t fully implement even one policy. While tobacco control measures are sometimes controversial, they save lives and governments need to step up and do the right thing.”
The six MPOWER strategies are;
Monitor tobacco use and prevention policies
Protect people from tobacco smoke
Offer help to quit tobacco use
Warn about the dangers of tobacco
Enforce bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship
Raise taxes on tobacco
The report also documents the epidemic's shift to the developing world, where 80% of the more than eight million annual tobacco-related deaths projected by 2030 are expected to occur.
This shift, the report says, results from a global tobacco industry strategy to target young people and adults in the developing world, ensuring that millions of people become fatally addicted every year. The targeting of young women in particular is highlighted as one of the “most ominous potential developments of the epidemic’s growth.”
The global analysis, compiled by WHO with information provided by 179 Member States, gives governments and other groups a baseline from which to monitor efforts to stop the epidemic in the years ahead. The MPOWER package provides countries with a roadmap to help them meet their commitments to the widely embraced global tobacco treaty known as the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which came into force in 2005.
WHO is also working with global partners to scale-up the help that can be offered to countries to implement the strategies.
Dr Douglas Bettcher, Director of WHO’s Tobacco Free Initiative, said the six MPOWER strategies would create a powerful response to the tobacco epidemic. “This package will create an enabling environment to help current tobacco users quit, protect people from second-hand smoke and prevent young people from taking up the habit,” he said.
Other key findings in the report include:
Only 5% of the global population is protected by comprehensive national smoke-free legislation and 40% of countries still allow smoking in hospitals and schools;
Only 5% of the world’s population lives in countries with comprehensive national bans on tobacco advertising and promotion;
Just 15 countries, representing 6% of the global population, mandate pictorial warnings on tobacco packaging;
Services to treat tobacco dependence are fully available in only nine countries, covering 5% of the world’s people;
Tobacco tax revenues are more than 4000 times greater than spending on tobacco control in middle-income countries and more than 9000 times greater in lower-income countries. High- income countries collect about 340 times more money in tobacco taxes than they spend on tobacco control.
In a new report which presents the first comprehensive analysis of global tobacco use and control efforts, WHO finds that only 5% of the world’s population live in countries that fully protect their population with any one of the key measures that reduce smoking rates. The report also reveals that governments around the world collect 500 times more money in tobacco taxes each year than they spend on anti-tobacco efforts. It finds that tobacco taxes, the single most effective strategy, could be significantly increased in nearly all countries, providing a source of sustainable funding to implement and enforce the recommended approach, a package of six policies called MPOWER (see box).
“While efforts to combat tobacco are gaining momentum, virtually every country needs to do more. These six strategies are within the reach of every country, rich or poor and, when combined as a package, they offer us the best chance of reversing this growing epidemic,” said Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General of WHO. Dr Chan launched the WHO Report of the Global Tobacco Epidemic at a news conference with New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Bloomberg Philanthropies helped fund the report.
“The report released today is revolutionary,” Mayor Bloomberg said. “For the first time, we have both a rigorous approach to stop the tobacco epidemic and solid data to hold us all accountable. No country fully implements all of the MPOWER policies and 80% of countries don’t fully implement even one policy. While tobacco control measures are sometimes controversial, they save lives and governments need to step up and do the right thing.”
The six MPOWER strategies are;
Monitor tobacco use and prevention policies
Protect people from tobacco smoke
Offer help to quit tobacco use
Warn about the dangers of tobacco
Enforce bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship
Raise taxes on tobacco
The report also documents the epidemic's shift to the developing world, where 80% of the more than eight million annual tobacco-related deaths projected by 2030 are expected to occur.
This shift, the report says, results from a global tobacco industry strategy to target young people and adults in the developing world, ensuring that millions of people become fatally addicted every year. The targeting of young women in particular is highlighted as one of the “most ominous potential developments of the epidemic’s growth.”
The global analysis, compiled by WHO with information provided by 179 Member States, gives governments and other groups a baseline from which to monitor efforts to stop the epidemic in the years ahead. The MPOWER package provides countries with a roadmap to help them meet their commitments to the widely embraced global tobacco treaty known as the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which came into force in 2005.
WHO is also working with global partners to scale-up the help that can be offered to countries to implement the strategies.
Dr Douglas Bettcher, Director of WHO’s Tobacco Free Initiative, said the six MPOWER strategies would create a powerful response to the tobacco epidemic. “This package will create an enabling environment to help current tobacco users quit, protect people from second-hand smoke and prevent young people from taking up the habit,” he said.
Other key findings in the report include:
Only 5% of the global population is protected by comprehensive national smoke-free legislation and 40% of countries still allow smoking in hospitals and schools;
Only 5% of the world’s population lives in countries with comprehensive national bans on tobacco advertising and promotion;
Just 15 countries, representing 6% of the global population, mandate pictorial warnings on tobacco packaging;
Services to treat tobacco dependence are fully available in only nine countries, covering 5% of the world’s people;
Tobacco tax revenues are more than 4000 times greater than spending on tobacco control in middle-income countries and more than 9000 times greater in lower-income countries. High- income countries collect about 340 times more money in tobacco taxes than they spend on tobacco control.
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Tata Motors to build floor beam of 787 Dreamliner
A Artistic photograph of 787 Dreamliner in the sky
The Tata Motors has got an order from the world biggest aircraft manufacturer, Boeing for manufacturing structural components for Boeing's 787 Dreamliner airplane program.
The Boeing and TAL Manufacturing Solutions, holly owened by TATA's signed an agreement to build floor beams for the 787 using new technology with advanced titanium and composite materials. These floor beams will be used on the 787 Dreamliner and provide for a best-value solution and significant weight savings. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Speaking on this development, Carolyn Corvi, vice president and general manager of Airplane Programs for Boeing Commercial Airplanes said, "Boeing is proud to welcome Tata into its family of world-class aerospace suppliers and we are confident that this partnership will help Boeing and Tata leverage mutual best-value capabilities," adding "This partnership between Boeing and Tata will further increase the value of the 787 to our customers, helping make it the world's leading commercial airplane."
The floor beams for the 787 airplane will be produced at TAL's new facility in Nagpur, India, and then transported to Boeing partners in Japan, Italy and the United States for further assembly.
"The production of Boeing's structural components by TAL indicates technical and manufacturing excellence within the Group," said Ravi Kant, chairman, TAL and managing director, Tata Motors Ltd. "We believe that this agreement has the potential to develop into a more broad-based alliance that would enable both organizations to utilize the best and most competitive resources within themselves and thereby offer greater value to customers."
"TAL already has an established reputation in state-of-the-art precision engineering. The agreement with Boeing allows us to open yet another frontier," said Atam P Arya, managing director, TAL. "This would be a turning point for the Indian manufacturing industry to gain a footprint in the global aerospace business."
"The Boeing-Tata partnership is strong and growing, and forms an important part of our ongoing efforts to strengthen both our presence in India and our strategic relationships with Indian industry," said Ian Thomas, president, Boeing India. "We are pursuing a host of growth and productivity initiatives in India and remain deeply committed to the success of India's aerospace sector."
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the world's first mostly composite commercial airplane, will use 20 percent less fuel per passenger than similarly sized airplanes, produce fewer carbon emissions, and will have quieter takeoffs and landings. To date, the 787 has logged more than 855 orders from more than 55 customers worldwide since program launch in 2004, making the Dreamliner the most successful commercial airplane launch in history.
Gulf Air orders 24 Dreamliner from Boeing
SEATTLE-- Boeing and Bahrain's national carrier Gulf Air today finalized negotiations for up to 24 Boeing 787 Dreamliners in a deal that could be worth approximately $3.9 billion at list prices if all options are exercised.
The agreement is for 16 787s on direct order with purchase rights for eight additional 787s. Pictured here is an artist?s rendering depicting a 787 in Gulf Air livery flying over Bahrain?s capital city Manama.
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
SkyTeam enhances to presence at London Heathrow
SkyTeam, the global airline alliance, said it looks forward to enhancing its customer offering and increasing its presence at London Heathrow International Airport (LHR) next month as the EU-U.S. open skies agreement takes effect.
As of March 30, 2008, SkyTeam travelers will have access to more route and flight options than ever before. The alliance will offer in total 11 new daily frequencies through eight new nonstop routes – never before available to passengers traveling within the SkyTeam network – between the U.S. and LHR, including:
Daily service to and from Los Angeles (operated by Air France with Delta codesharing);
Twice-daily service to Houston (operated by Continental);
Daily service to Atlanta (operated by Delta with Air France codesharing);
Service to New York (twice-daily service to John F. Kennedy International (JFK) operated by Delta with Air France codesharing and twice-daily service to Newark Liberty International (EWR) operated by Continental); and
Daily service to Detroit, Minneapolis, and Seattle (operated by Northwest with KLM codesharing).
At this time, SkyTeam’s U.S. carriers – Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines – will begin serving LHR, the first U.S. airlines to gain new entry to the airport for the first time since 1991. SkyTeam members Aeroflot, Air France, Alitalia, Czech Airlines, KLM and Korean Air already serve the UK gateway hub. At the start of their service to LHR, Continental, Delta and Northwest will join KLM and Kenya Airways in Terminal 4.
As of March 30, 2008, SkyTeam travelers will have access to more route and flight options than ever before. The alliance will offer in total 11 new daily frequencies through eight new nonstop routes – never before available to passengers traveling within the SkyTeam network – between the U.S. and LHR, including:
Daily service to and from Los Angeles (operated by Air France with Delta codesharing);
Twice-daily service to Houston (operated by Continental);
Daily service to Atlanta (operated by Delta with Air France codesharing);
Service to New York (twice-daily service to John F. Kennedy International (JFK) operated by Delta with Air France codesharing and twice-daily service to Newark Liberty International (EWR) operated by Continental); and
Daily service to Detroit, Minneapolis, and Seattle (operated by Northwest with KLM codesharing).
At this time, SkyTeam’s U.S. carriers – Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines – will begin serving LHR, the first U.S. airlines to gain new entry to the airport for the first time since 1991. SkyTeam members Aeroflot, Air France, Alitalia, Czech Airlines, KLM and Korean Air already serve the UK gateway hub. At the start of their service to LHR, Continental, Delta and Northwest will join KLM and Kenya Airways in Terminal 4.
Airbus completes world's first test flight with Gas to Liquid fuel on civil aircraft
An Airbus A380 aircraft has successfully completed the world’s first ever flight by a commercial aircraft using a liquid fuel processed from gas (Gas to Liquids - GTL) in the first stage of a test flight programme to evaluate the environmental impact of alternative fuels in the airline market. The flight from Filton, UK to Toulouse, France, lasted three hours. The flight was piloted by Hugues van-der-Stichel and Frank Chapman, the company said in the release recently
The A380 is siad to be one of the most fuel efficient airline model today, it is powered by Rolls Royce Trent 900 engines. The fuel GTL Jet Fuel was provided by Shell International Petroleum. The tests are running in parallel to the agreement signed in November 2007 with the Qatar GTL consortium partners and the results will be shared.
The A380 was chosen because the aircraft is already the environmental benchmark in air travel. It has four engines including segregated fuel tanks making it ideal for engine shut down and re-light tests under standard evaluation conditions. During the flight, engine number one was fed with a blend of GTL and jet fuel whilst the remaining three were fed with standard jet fuel.
Under Airbus’ overall alternatives fuels research programme, this is the first step of a long-term Airbus testing phase to evaluate viable and sustainable alternative fuels for the future. GTL could be available at certain locations to make it a practical and viable drop-in alternative fuel for commercial aviation in the short term. GTL has attractive characteristics for local air quality, as well as some benefits in terms of aircraft fuel burn relative to existing jet fuel. For instance, it is virtually free of sulphur. Synthetic fuel can be made from a range of hydrocarbon source material including natural gas or organic plant matter made by a process called Fischer-Tropsch.
Testing GTL today will support future second generation bio-fuels, but which are not presently available in sufficient commercial quantities. Airbus will study viable second generation bio-fuels when they become available.
Sjoerd Post, Vice President Shell Aviation said “we are pleased to have successfully completed this flight, which will pave the way for approval of synthetic jet fuel in the future, we are proud to be part of this consortium which is exploring cleaner fuels for the Aviation industry.”
“This has been a great achievement. Fuel and environment are key challenges aviation is facing and for which technology and international research collaboration open up new horizons. Our alternative fuels roadmap requires innovation, diversity of ideas and options that need to be explored, said Airbus President and CEO Tom Enders. “This takes bold cross industry and cross border collaboration and that's what we are showing today with our groundbreaking first test flight with alternative fuels. It is part and parcel of Airbus' commitment to providing leadership as an eco-efficient enterprise”, the release conculded.
The A380 is siad to be one of the most fuel efficient airline model today, it is powered by Rolls Royce Trent 900 engines. The fuel GTL Jet Fuel was provided by Shell International Petroleum. The tests are running in parallel to the agreement signed in November 2007 with the Qatar GTL consortium partners and the results will be shared.
The A380 was chosen because the aircraft is already the environmental benchmark in air travel. It has four engines including segregated fuel tanks making it ideal for engine shut down and re-light tests under standard evaluation conditions. During the flight, engine number one was fed with a blend of GTL and jet fuel whilst the remaining three were fed with standard jet fuel.
Under Airbus’ overall alternatives fuels research programme, this is the first step of a long-term Airbus testing phase to evaluate viable and sustainable alternative fuels for the future. GTL could be available at certain locations to make it a practical and viable drop-in alternative fuel for commercial aviation in the short term. GTL has attractive characteristics for local air quality, as well as some benefits in terms of aircraft fuel burn relative to existing jet fuel. For instance, it is virtually free of sulphur. Synthetic fuel can be made from a range of hydrocarbon source material including natural gas or organic plant matter made by a process called Fischer-Tropsch.
Testing GTL today will support future second generation bio-fuels, but which are not presently available in sufficient commercial quantities. Airbus will study viable second generation bio-fuels when they become available.
Sjoerd Post, Vice President Shell Aviation said “we are pleased to have successfully completed this flight, which will pave the way for approval of synthetic jet fuel in the future, we are proud to be part of this consortium which is exploring cleaner fuels for the Aviation industry.”
“This has been a great achievement. Fuel and environment are key challenges aviation is facing and for which technology and international research collaboration open up new horizons. Our alternative fuels roadmap requires innovation, diversity of ideas and options that need to be explored, said Airbus President and CEO Tom Enders. “This takes bold cross industry and cross border collaboration and that's what we are showing today with our groundbreaking first test flight with alternative fuels. It is part and parcel of Airbus' commitment to providing leadership as an eco-efficient enterprise”, the release conculded.
ArcelorMittal to construct steel plant in Egypt
Luxembourg: ArcelorMittal announced that it has been awarded a license from the Industrial Development Authority (IDA) of Egypt’s Ministry of Trade and Industry to construct a steel plant in Egypt.
ArcelorMittal won the license in a competitive bidding process paid approximately USD 60 million. Under the terms of the license, the plant will produce 1.6 million tons of steel using DRI technology and 1.4 million tons of billets through the Electric Arc Furnace Route.
Construction of the plant, which is located close to the Northern Red Sea Coast, is expected to start in 2009.
Aditya Mittal, CFO and Member of the ArcelorMittal Group Management Board, said: “We are pleased to have been successful in this auction. This forms part of our three-dimensional growth strategy to look for opportunities to expand our business in the three key areas of geography, product and value chain. The Middle East is a growth market for the steel industry and it makes sense for ArcelorMittal to expand its presence in the region."
ArcelorMittal won the license in a competitive bidding process paid approximately USD 60 million. Under the terms of the license, the plant will produce 1.6 million tons of steel using DRI technology and 1.4 million tons of billets through the Electric Arc Furnace Route.
Construction of the plant, which is located close to the Northern Red Sea Coast, is expected to start in 2009.
Aditya Mittal, CFO and Member of the ArcelorMittal Group Management Board, said: “We are pleased to have been successful in this auction. This forms part of our three-dimensional growth strategy to look for opportunities to expand our business in the three key areas of geography, product and value chain. The Middle East is a growth market for the steel industry and it makes sense for ArcelorMittal to expand its presence in the region."
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