April, 2017

• 1 April

  24 die after river overflows, destroying Colombia homes

    Colombia / AP An avalanche of water from an overflowing river swept through a city in Colombia while people slept, the wave quickly destroying homes and killing at least 24 unsuspecting residents, authorities said on Saturday. The incident triggered by intense rains happened around midnight in Mocoa, a city of about 350,000 located near Colombia’s border with Ecuador, tucked ...

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• 1 April

  14 arrested as far-right clash with anti-fascists in London

    LONDON / AP Demonstrators from far-right groups clashed with anti-fascist protesters in central London on Saturday, as British police imposed restrictions to try to keep the opposing groups apart. Authorities arrested 14 people for various offenses. Protesters gathered at Trafalgar Square and spilled on to nearby roads. London’s Metropolitan Police imposed conditions on the march and rally on Saturday ...

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• 1 April

  2-state Mideast solution ‘under pressure’: Norway minister

    Denmark / AP Norway’s foreign minister says a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict “is under pressure” as he left Oslo for a visit to the Middle East. Borge Brende says “only a two-state solution can lead to lasting peace between the parties.” He says “a sustainable Palestinian economy and well-functioning institutions are essential preconditions for the two-state solution.” ...

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• 1 April

  787 Dreamliner takes flight in lift for Boeing cash plan

  

    Bloomberg Boeing Co.’s newest and largest 787 Dreamliner took wing, dipping and soaring for almost five hours above South Carolina during its first flight. The plane’s drama-free performance brought relief to Boeing officials after delays marred the first Dreamliner’s debut in 2011. The 787-10 even took off nearly 30 minutes earlier than scheduled, at around 9:37 a.m. local time, ...

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• 1 April

  AirAsia plans Vietnam venture as traffic soars

  

    Bloomberg AirAsia Bhd., the low-cost carrier headed by Malaysian tycoon Tony Fernandes, plans to start a Vietnamese carrier in a local partnership, as cheap fares and rising incomes fuel a travel surge in the Southeast Asian nation. The region’s largest budget airline will partner Gumin Co., Hai Au Aviation Joint Stock Co. and businessman Tran Trong Kien for the ...

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• 1 April

  Frontier Airlines files for initial public offering

  

    Bloomberg After three years of slashing costs and shaking up its flight routes, Frontier Group Holdings Inc. is ready to pitch its story to public investors. The no-frills carrier filed for a rare US airlines IPO with an offering size of $100 million, according to a filing Friday, which is a placeholder amount used to calculate fees and will ...

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• 1 April

  Lufthansa heats up race for cheap flights to US

  

    Bloomberg Deutsche Lufthansa AG wants to add long-distance airplanes to its low-cost Eurowings arm as competition for discount travelers from Europe to the Americas intensifies. “We need aircraft beyond the seven we have,” Lufthansa Chief Executive Officer Carsten Spohr said at an aviation event, referring to the Airbus A330s based in Cologne that Eurowings uses for inter-continental leisure flights. ...

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• 1 April

  Quebec decries ‘shocking’ Bombardier bonuses after taxpayer aid

  

    Bloomberg Bombardier Inc. should review the bonuses it awarded top executives after taxpayers helped underwrite the company’s still-fragile recovery, Quebec Finance Minister Carlos Leitao said. “People are shocked, and I’m shocked” at the compensation, Leitao told Quebec’s TVA television network in an interview. “I’m urging the board to rethink the compensation policy. I’m inviting them to review all this ...

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• 1 April

  Abu Dhabi eyes more hotel guests in 2017

  

    ABU DHABI / Emirates Business Following a record-breaking year for hotel guests in Abu Dhabi, the emirate recorded impressive growth in the first two months of 2017, seeing a 5.5% rise in hotel guests. According to figures from Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi), 749,650 hotel guests have checked into the emirate’s 170 hotels and hotel ...

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• 1 April

  Community-building values take centre stage MOTN

  

    Abu Dhabi / Emirates Business From thought-provoking discussions to educational installations, this year’s edition of the Mother of the Nation (MOTN) Festival is set to broaden the minds of residents and visitors to the UAE with new perspectives on a variety of topics including conservation, sustainability and social commentary. Organised by Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu ...

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