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Melbourne, Australia (AHN) – A Melbourne, Australia-bound Qantas plane got low on fuel before it could reach its destination and landed in Adelaide to refuel before continuing the flight on Tuesday.

Flight 10 with 249 passengers left Singapore airport with an expected arrival time of 5 a.m. The flight crew then learned the Airbus A380 was low on fuel and the pilot decided to divert to Adelaide, landing there safely at 4:15 a.m.

After refueling and an inspection, the plane was cleared to resume its flight at 5:45 a.m., reaching Melbourne at 7:40 a.m., a delay of two hours and 40 minutes.

Strong winds apparently caused the plane to burn more fuel, according to Capt. Richard Woodward, vice-president of the Australian and International Pilots Association. He said diverting to refuel is rare but the pilot has the discretion on how much fuel to use.

An A380 plane can hold 250 tons of fuel, but the amount causes the plane to use more fuel because of its weight.

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London, England, United Kingdom (AHN) – Consumer watchdog Which? has slammed British supermarkets for their excessive packaging, which contributes to pollution and landfill materials.

The group found at least 50 products that is said had too much packaging. Which? cited as an example quadruple chocolate cookies sold in Tesco which were inside a hard cardboard tube, with a metal top and bottom that encased the tray of cooked, and further encased in a plastic sleeve. While the tube was very strong, the lid did not fit well for buyers to reuse the tin tube to keep the cookies fresh.

Other items cited by the watchdog include oranges sold in plastic trays with plastic film, printer cartridges in oversize packaging, toys packed six times the size of the actual toy and cereals that filled only half of the plastic bag inside the box.

However, Which? pointed out that supermarkets have made significant progress in cutting down on excessive packaging that consumers in the end pay for.

In 2008 the Local Government Association reported that up to 38 percent of food packaging in a typical supermarket cannot be recycled. On a second investigation, the association found there was a 2 percent improvement in reducing excessive packaging.

The association identified Marks & Spencer as the worst offender, since only 62 percent of items sold in M&S stores could be recycled, versus an average of 76 percent from high street retailers and 74 percent from markets.

Like Watch?’s finding, the LGA study also criticized the excessive packaging of cookies, which often came in plastic tubes plus a tray.

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Manila, Philippines (AHN) – Philippine Airlines continued to face labor issues on Friday even as it assured passengers that it was ready for the worst — the first strike by the carrier’s biggest union in more than a decade.

“We apologize to our passengers for whatever anxiety and inconvenience threats of work stoppage have spawned,” president and chief operating officer Jaime Bautista said in a statement. “Rest assured we are doing everything we can to ensure that your flights will proceed as scheduled.”

PAL plans to rely on 134 partners, including 12 carriers in Southeast Asia, 11 in North America and two dozen in Europe, during the work stoppage, which would be the first since the union crippled operations in 1998.

The Philippine Airlines Employees’ Association voted last week to strike in response to the company’s refusal to include an outsourcing plan in negotiations for a new contract.

The carrier, Asia’s first airline, averted a strike by flight attendants last October with the intervention of the government. But then it announced it was seeking funds for peso 2.5 billion ($58 million) worth of severance packages to outsource three non-core units.

The union representing administrative employees says 2,600 workers would be laid off if the company’s airport services, call center and in-flight catering businesses are outsourced.

But President Noynoy Aquino last week upheld the decision of labor officials allowing the plan, which is part of PAL’s cost-cutting measures to recoup losses during the global recession and weak sales.

PALEA wanted airline officials to negotiate without preconditions but PAL demanded that any new collective bargaining agreement exclude the issue of outsourcing. The impasse dragged on for five months, even while another union representing cabin crew accused the airline of “outdated sexist policies” such as a 40-year retirement age and “discriminatory” maternity rules.

Labor officials on Friday maintained its ruling in favor of the Flight Attendants’ and Stewards’ Association of the Philippines, and for the second time rejected PAL’s arguments.

The same day, PALEA held a massive rally in the nation’s main business district along with other labor groups.

A government-mandated cooling off period has kept the union from holding a strike. Early March, it filed a notice of work stoppage, which was approved by 86 percent of participating members.

The vote was held on Mar. 25. PAL submitted its counter-proposal three days later, on Monday.

“It’s not true that management refuses to convene negotiations for a new Collective Bargaining Agreement ,” Bautista said on the day of the rally. “The union’s claim that there is no justifiable reasons for the spin-off of three units… likewise have no leg to stand on.”

The submission of the counter-proposal “is the best proof that PAL is willing to negotiate,” added Bautista.

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Washington, DC, United States (AHN) – Advocates have welcomed a recommendation from a Food and Drug Administration panel to ban menthol cigarettes to benefit public health. Cigarette companies remain optimistic the FDA will rule in their favor after a full federal review of the effects of the product.

The American Heart Association praised the Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee for “‘do[ing] exactly what Congress directed when it enacted the 2009 law granting the FDA authority over tobacco products.” The group urged the FDA to “act expeditiously and implement the committee’s recommendation.”

The statement was issued jointly with the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and the American Lung Association.

Legacy, an anti-smoking group established following the 1998 settlement of Medicaid lawsuits against American tobacco companies by 46 states, likewise applauded the panel for “recognizing menthol for what it is – a tool to soothe the throat and ease discomfort associated with smoking.”

“By eliminating [menthol cigarettes], we can go a long way toward preventing our nation’s youth from being recruited as ‘replacement smokers’ for those who quit smoking or who lose their lives to tobacco-related disease,” the group’s president and chief executive, Cheryl Healton, said in a statement.

The FDA committee concluded last Friday that menthol cigarettes increase the number of minors who smoke.

Citing studies, the panel said the proportion of youth smokers who use menthol cigarettes is higher than that of adult smokers. It found that younger teen smokers have a higher proportion of menthol cigarette smokers than older adolescent smokers.

According to the committee, “menthol cigarettes are marketed disproportionately to younger smokers.”

The panel concluded there is evidence that new smokers have a greater prevalence of menthol cigarette use than regular smokers. It added that a proportion of menthol cigarette use among youth smokers is increasing while non-menthol cigarette use is decreasing or remains flat.

But Lorillard, the nation’s third largest cigarette manufacturer, said the committee issued its recommendation “despite the fact that they found there was no difference in disease risk between smokers of menthol cigarettes and smokers of non-menthol cigarettes.”

The company called the conclusions “unsubstantiated” and maintained that a complete FDA review would result in the product remaining in the market.

R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company issued a terse statement that it “looks forward to participating in further review of menthol cigarettes by FDA.”

Philip Morris USA emphasized the panel’s report is non-binding and would have no direct effect on the availability of menthol cigarettes. The company sad it would provide the FDA with “science-and evidence-based information” this week.

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California Fruit Growers Exchange. Associated Farmers of Orange County, Inc. Open-Shop Activities. the Neutral Thousands, Inc. Southern Californians, Inc. Southern California Restaurant Association. Los Angeles, California, January 17, 18, 19 and 20, 1940

National Restaurant Association, UnitedHealthcare, and Pennsylvania Restaurant Association form RESTAURANT HEALTH CARE ALLIANCE to provide health coverage and related products and services to Pennsylvania restaurant workers

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The restaurant industry is booming. With 945,000 U.S. locations and 13.1 million employees, 2008 restaurant sales totaled $558 billion dollars. That means, on a typical day, restaurant industry sales are about $1.5 billion.

In order to produce these numbers, restaurant owners need cash, cash that many attempt to acquire through bank loans. But when the bank is not an option, many would-be borrowers feel discouraged and often like they’ve hit a road block. However, restaurant loans provide an alternate route.

A restaurant loan is a form of a merchant cash advance. Like merchant cash advances, the loan is repaid via the credit card purchases of customers. Also, like merchant cash advances, they can be renewed, offering restaurant owners a type of “revolving loan.” Unlike most cash advances, that require a merchant to have owned his/her business for at least four months to be eligible for a loan, a borrower can receive a restaurant loan within the first week of the restaurant’s opening. Now in addition to being able to use the loan to expand your restaurant, for a boost in working capital, or for a special project, new restaurant owners can use these loans for startups as well.

Restaurant owners understand that creating a venue that appeals to consumers is vital, as obviously, these types of sales would not be possible if it weren’t for the consumer. People go out to eat when they don’t have the time to cook, or simply don’t want to cook. They go to restaurants to celebrate milestones, birthdays, holidays and accomplishments and to spend time with friends and/or family.

According to statistics provided by the National Restaurant Association, 70 percent of adults said their favorite restaurant foods provide flavor and taste sensations which cannot be easily duplicated in their home kitchens.

Restaurant owners have the challenge of keeping up with the times, providing healthier options and sometimes environmentally friendly sites, as “62 percent of adults said they are likely to make a restaurant choice based on how environmentally friendly a restaurant is,” states the National Restaurant Association.

Restaurant loans can make it possible for restaurant owners to provide these meals that customers can not duplicate, to create environmentally friendly spaces, and to finance all of the endeavors that it takes to make and keep customers. The loans can be attained with no collateral and offer a repayment process that is ideal for restaurant owners. Choose a restaurant loan to help bring out the best in your restaurant.

Author: Gaston Castro
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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