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Three guilty of al-Qaeda 'liquid bomb' plots
An Islamic extremist has been found guilty of conspiring to kill hundreds of people in a terrorist bombing campaign.
The jury at Woolwich Crown Court found 27-year-old Abdulla Ahmed Ali to be the leader of an east London al Qaeda-inspired terror cell, who reportedly planned to detonate home-made liquid bombs in attacks on British targets including Heathrow Airport’s T3.
Two other men, Assad Sarwar and Tanvir Hussain, were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.
*The picture is of Abdulla Ahmed Ali taken from a video shown in court as evidence of his al-Qaeda links. http://www.daylife.com/photo/068ygp79otbSL An Islamic extremist has been found guilty of conspiring to kill hundreds of people in a terrorist bombing campaign. ... more -
Ice caused BA jet crash
The BA plane that crashed at Heathrow in January was probably brought down by ice in its fuel system, an accident report says.
The pilots of the Boeing 777 managed to land so that the 136 passengers and 16 crew escaped without serious injury.
The Air Accident Investigation Branch believes the flow of fuel dropped causing the engines to lose power less than a minute before touchdown.
But investigators say they still do not know how the ice could have formed.
Water is naturally present in aviation fuel and the investigators believe there may have been as much as five litres within this aircraft's fuel load.
But the report says levels of water found in fuel recovered after the 17 January crash were very low for a Boeing 777.
How accident unfolded
They dismissed the suggestion that the fuel itself froze or became "waxy" as icing occurred.
The report says the plane flew through unusually cold air over Siberia while en route from Beijing to Heathrow.
The fuel temperature fell to -34C (-29F). But jet fuel should not freeze until it is at less than -57C (-70F), and the report says the temperatures involved were not "unique".
The investigation into the crash of flight BA38 continues with testing at Rolls-Royce in Derby, and Seattle in the US, the home of Boeing.
Following Thursday's report, a spokesman for the US Federal Aviation Administration said it would be issuing an air-worthiness directive to US carriers operating Boeing 777 aircraft.
This was likely to be about "changes in procedures for pilots to follow in certain cold weather conditions" as well as "changes in certain fuel procedures on the ground", he said.
While it would not be an emergency directive, it was likely to be issued within 24 hours and would have immediate effect.
Fuel and water
Water in aviation fuel can be dissolved at the molecular level, or simply float as free water, suspended in the fuel. As the fuel gets colder tiny droplets can form and freeze.
The mystery facing investigators is why this might have happened on an apparently fully functioning aircraft.
Water in the fuel is controlled by draining it regularly out of the fuel tanks - and on the Boeing 777 a so-called "scavenge system" pumps it out.
Ice can form when the fuel temperature drops to around -1C (30.2F) to -3C (26.6F) Generally the ice crystals simply float and drift in the fuel without causing harm. The BA plane that crashed at Heathrow in January was probably brought down by ice in its fuel system, an accident report says. ... more -
BAA must sell 2 of their London airports
Competition chiefs have signalled the break-up of BAA's UK airport empire by proposing the company cease running two of its three London airports - Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted.
The Competition Commission (CC) also recommended that Spanish-owned BAA lose control of either Edinburgh or Glasgow airport.
In a preliminary report, the CC said there were competition problems at each of BAA's seven UK airports "with adverse consequences for passengers and airlines".
The CC report - with a final report on BAA's airport ownership due at the end of the year - effectively means that BAA will have to give up running Gatwick and Stansted as the commission made it clear that it was "unlikely to require the divestiture of Heathrow unless the sale of Gatwick or Stansted is likely to be impractical or ineffective". BAA also runs Southampton and Aberdeen airports.
Is this fair? Should BAA be forced into selling most of their airports to increase competition in the UK air travel sector? Competition chiefs have signalled the break-up of BAA's UK airport empire by proposing the company cease running two of its three... more -
Biggest model aeroplane in the world, bigger than most jets
Emirates airlines has built a 1/3rd sized model of their A380. The A380 is the largest airplane on earth, so you can imagine the model is as big as a plane. The model is embedded in cement along the the entrance to Heathrow, to entice passerbys to fly Emirates.
So they basically built an airplane, and forgot to put an engine in it. Emirates airlines has built a 1/3rd sized model of their A380. The A380 is the largest airplane on earth, so you can imagine the model... more -
Airbus A380 - World's Biggest Aircraft Model at Heathrow
Weighing in at 45 tonnes, the plane is taking the place of the British Airways model Concorde, which greeted passengers as they arrived at the airport for 16 years, and has been moved to the Brooklands Museum at Weybridge, Surrey.
Its replacement, the Airbus, will remain on the site until 2013 under a deal signed by the airline and BAA, Heathrow's owners.
The model, in the Emirates livery, is as big as a smaller member of the Airbus family, the short-haul A320, and twice the size of the Concorde replica.
for full story & Video
http://www.worldamazingrecords.com Weighing in at 45 tonnes, the plane is taking the place of the British Airways model Concorde, which greeted passengers as they arrive... more -
Heathrow hater glues himself to Gordon Brown
A campaigner against the further expansion of Heathrow Airport attempted to glue his own hand to that of Gordon Brown during a Downing Street reception.
The protester, part of the ingeniously entitled campaign group, 'Plane Stupid' was reportedly about to receive an award when he covered his hand with superglue and reached out for that trusty handshake.
Dan Glass, said he "glued his hand" to Mr Brown's jacket as he shook his hand, but that Brown "was just grinning about it. He didn't seem to take me seriously."
A formal press release from Downing Street said there had been "no stickiness of any significance". A campaigner against the further expansion of Heathrow Airport attempted to glue his own hand to that of Gordon Brown during a Downing... more -
Terminal 5 still losing 900 bags every day
Terminal 5 came in for renewed criticism yesterday after it emerged that passengers transferring between planes at Heathrow's troubled new £4.3bn building are losing more than 900 bags a day.
Trade union officials said T5's baggage handling system still needed improvement and travellers on connecting flights have a one in 12 chance of being separated from their luggage. Iggy Vaid, senior shop steward at the Unite union and a former T5 baggage handler, told MPs that 932 bags miss their onward journey from the terminal on a daily basis.
The baggage figures for passengers flying into Heathrow in order to catch a further flight, are still worse than for the rest of the airport, three months after the building's disastrous opening. According to Unite, 80 out of 1,000 bags on connecting flights from T5 do not get to their plane, against an average of 65-70 bags for the rest of the airport. Terminal 5 came in for renewed criticism yesterday after it emerged that passengers transferring between planes at Heathrow's tro... more -
Can't fly because of a picture of a gun on teeshirt
'This poor guy tried to board a BA flight at Heathrow terminal 5 but was turned back and told to change out of his t-shirt, which featured a Transformer robot carrying a gun -- a robot with a gun that apparently posed a threat to flight safety.
"Go through security, get pulled to the side. I'm wearing a French Connection Transformers t-shirt. Bloke starts joking with me is that Megatron. Then he explains that since Megatron is holding a gun, I'm not allowed to fly. WTF? It's a 40 foot tall cartoon robot with a gun as an arm. There is no way this shirt is offensive in any way, and what I'm going to use the shirt to pretend I have a gun?"' 'This poor guy tried to board a BA flight at Heathrow terminal 5 but was turned back and told to change out of his t-shirt, which... more -
Thousands expected at Heathrow protest
Thousands of protesters are expected to converge today in Sipson, a village which will be demolished if plans go ahead for a third runway at Heathrow airport. People from all over the UK have descended upon Heathrow, in west London, to demonstrate against the expansion. Organizers have also planned speakers including MPs and high-profile environmentalists.
18 of Labour's 44 London-based MPs are opposed to the aggressive expansion of the airport.
The official website for the event, which is called Make a Noise Carnival, is linked to above. A warning - the site does play whooshing aircraft noises in a relentless loop, but I guess the point is nicely made - who'd want to live with that noise, 24 hours a day, seven days a week? Thousands of protesters are expected to converge today in Sipson, a village which will be demolished if plans go ahead for a third run... more -
Terminal 5 reports £51m operating loss
BAA, which is mostly owned by Spanish giant firm Ferrovial blamed the plummeting earnings, which fell from £107m in profits last year, on its efforts to step up security and maintenance at UK airports. BAA, which is mostly owned by Spanish giant firm Ferrovial blamed the plummeting earnings, which fell from £107m in profits last year,... more
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La siesta del futuro
Il sistema dei bagagli non ha funzionato e i nuovi ascensori hanno intrappolato i passeggeri. Eppure, all'aeroporto di Heathrow non si perdono d'animo e introducono l'ultima soluzione hi-tech per migliorare la vita dei viaggiatori: macchine che aiutano a dormire.
I nuovi MetroNap Energy Pods, installati al Terminal 1, sono stati creati per permettere ai passeggeri stressati di guadagnare qualche minuto di sonno. Dopo un pisolino di un quarto d'ora, il viaggiatore viene svegliato gentilmente ed è pronto a imbarcarsi o andare a Londra fresco e rilassato.
Queste capsule, disegnate in America e concepite da un bancario di Wall Street, stanno diventando una vista comune negli uffici di New York, dove gli impiegati li usano per ritrovare le energie. [...] Molti aeroporti del Regno Unito hanno in programma di acquistarli.
Un sonnellino di 15 minuti in un Pod costa 9,50 sterline (quasi 12 euro), ma ne varrà la pena?
Il giornalista di The Guardian che l'ha provato, Tom Robbins, è scettico, ma ammette che nell'inferno di Heathrow quei 15 minuti di sonno potrebbero far comodo a molti.
English version: http://current.com/items/88962332_heathrow_in_futuristi... Il sistema dei bagagli non ha funzionato e i nuovi ascensori hanno intrappolato i passeggeri. Eppure, all'aeroporto di Heathrow n... more -
US airline says Heathrow worst in Europe
A senior American Airlines executive said on Tuesday that London's Heathrow was the worst airport used by the company in Europe.
"I would have to say that Heathrow is in many ways the worst of all the airports that my company flies to in Europe," he told the BBC.
The damning verdict comes a month after the opening of Heathrow's new Terminal 5 building descended into chaos, with hundreds of flights cancelled and baggage lost.
Add to that the fact that Heathrow is also a burgeoning homeless camp http://current.com/items/88876061_heathrow_s_homeless_p... and we may have to start wondering what the hell is going on out there... A senior American Airlines executive said on Tuesday that London's Heathrow was the worst airport used by the company in Europe. ... more -
Spy caught by anti-aviation group was ‘more Austin Powers than 007’
A spy who infiltrated a direct action anti-aviation group has been exposed after making a series of elementary errors that aroused the suspicions of genuine activists.
Toby Kendall joined Plane Stupid, the group that occupied the roof of the Houses of Parliament last month, after graduating from Oxford last year. He told the activists that his name was “Ken Tobias” and said that he was deeply concerned by the impact of the aviation industry on climate change and that he wanted to help to organise protests.
However his habit of wearing a Palestinian scarf with his Armani jeans and designer shirt made some members question his identity. He was also the only member to turn up early to every meeting but had no friends in the activist community. He took part in protests, dressing as a penguin in one stunt, but always tried to remain in the background.
Plane Stupid began a mole hunt and, after feeding him false information that found its way within two days to the aviation industry, discovered his real name and employer. The activists remembered his supposed Oxford connection and showed a friend there his photograph. He immediately recognised Ken as Toby Kendall, an Oriental Studies student from Wadham College.
"He was always trying to up the ante," said a Plane Stupid activist. "I remember him saying we should block the escalators at the T5 opening and make complete and utter nuisances of ourselves. This appeared in the Standard almost verbatim."
Mr Kendall, 24, works for C2i International, a counter-intelligence company run by former special forces officers. Its website puts “aerospace” at the top of a list of industries for which it works.
BAA, which owns Heathrow, has repeatedly been targeted by Plane Stupid. BAA deny any involvement with C2i or Mr Kendall. Mmm hmmm?..... A spy who infiltrated a direct action anti-aviation group has been exposed after making a series of elementary errors that aroused the... more -
Don't F with Naomi Campbell; she'll spit on you!
Tell us why this is interesting Supermodel Naomi Campbell has been arrested at Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5 for allegedly spitting at a police officer, Sky News television reported Thursday.
A London Metropolitan Police spokesman said a woman was arrested at the terminal for an assault on police, but refused to disclose her identity or give her age.
The spokesman spoke on condition of anonymity in line with force policy.
BAA PLC, the company that runs Heathrow, did not immediately return a call seeking comment Thursday. Tell us why this is interesting Supermodel Naomi Campbell has been arrested at Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5 for allegedly spitti... more -
Harris, Campbell - celebrity meltdown at Terminal 5
Never mind the thousands of poor run-of-mill plebs that have had their bags lost at Terminal 5. Now it's happening to actual CELEBWITTIES!
80's pilferer Calvin Harris has lost seven months of work on his new album in baggage problems at Heathrow, when his laptop was lost.
And now it's being reported that Naomi Campbell has been arrested at Terminal 5, after assaulting a Police officer with her spit.
http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30100-1311735,00...
Oh, the humanity. Etc. Never mind the thousands of poor run-of-mill plebs that have had their bags lost at Terminal 5. Now it's happening to actual CELE... more -
Heathrow's nightmare continues
Just listen to how super high-tech the baggage system was supposed to be at Heathrow airport Terminal 5. On opening the terminal utter carnage ensued, with bags being sent to the wrong destinations, bags not making it onto flights, and delays just about everywhere.
British Airways called off 37 flights from T5 on Sunday, a further 54 services will not operate on Monday and some may also be disrupted on Tuesday. It's all thanks to that super sophisticated baggage system which now has a backlog of 15,000 bags clogging up the system, across all of Heathrow's terminals.
BA have tried to put peoples nerves to rest, especially those who think their flights might be canceled by saying that the system is now "generally working well", hardly the most confident of statements.
With the Olympics just around the corner, is this a bad sign of the state of British organisation? We were over budget and behind schedule on Wembley by a considerable margin, and now the launch of our world beating airport terminal has been overshadowed by complete chaos in the baggage department. Let's hope that the Olympics are the exception to the rule... Just listen to how super high-tech the baggage system was supposed to be at Heathrow airport Terminal 5. On opening the terminal utter... more -
Heathrow T5 'a shambles'
British Airways chief executive Willie Walsh today accepted full responsibility for the Heathrow Terminal 5 debacle, but insisted that he would not resign over the chaos that has delayed thousands of passengers at the flagship £4.3bn terminal. Further chaos is expected at the new Heathrow Terminal 5 after a 'catalogue of errors' left many stranded overnight in the airport.
Thursday's disastrous opening saw over 30 flights cancelled with the flights that were still scheduled receiving long delays and disrupting thousands of passengers.
Airline officials have said that staff have gone through the luggage system with a "fine toothcomb" in a bid to find out what caused the collapse of the operation yesterday, but with queues already forming for today's scheduled flights, T5 looks set for another chaotic day. British Airways chief executive Willie Walsh today accepted full responsibility for the Heathrow Terminal 5 debacle, but insisted that... more -
Heathrow Terminal 5 fingerprint plans 'illegal'
Plans to fingerprint millions of passengers a year at Heathrow's new fifth terminal have been put on hold hours before it opens for business tomorrow. They're now considering each passenger to have their photo taken before entering. Make your mind up! You said photos for definate hours ago, now your keeping it 'on hold'! Plans to fingerprint millions of passengers a year at Heathrow's new fifth terminal have been put on hold hours before it opens f... more
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Queen opens Heathrow Terminal 5
The Queen is to open the £4.3 billion ($8.6 bn) terminal 5 at the world's busiest airport today with plans for further expansion already underway.
The continued expansion of Heathrow has angered environmental groups and many residents in the west London area living in the flight path.
The expansion of Heathrow comes despite UK government plans to decrease emissions by upto 80 per cent by later this century and the EU planning the same for the region.
But London Heathrow is seen as so vital to the national UK economy that its expansion remains a priority for the government. The Queen is to open the £4.3 billion ($8.6 bn) terminal 5 at the world's busiest airport today with plans for further expansion ... more -
Cocaine smugglers aged 11 and 13: Mother arrested
Customs officials report that they have arrested a mexican woman for possession of £675,000 worth of cocaine was discovered strapped to the legs of her two young children she was travelling with.
The 15 kilo bust is not the first of it's kind, but highlights the extent to which people will go to to smuggle contraband into the country.
Speaking of the arrest, a customs spokesman:
"We never cease to be amazed at the lengths to which some people will go to hide drugs from us when they pass through our controls."
Just think what you were doing at the age of 11 or 13, smuggling drugs, or even knowing what they were about took a back-seat to riding my bike and kicking a football about.
The 13-year-old has been bailed for a month with the 11-year-old girl getting released without charge, I wonder if the children had any idea about the consequences of what they were doing? Customs officials report that they have arrested a mexican woman for possession of £675,000 worth of cocaine was discovered strapped t... more
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