Wednesday, 31 December 2014

International tourism on course to hit an all-time high with 1.1 BILLION people

International tourism on course to hit an all-time high with 1.1 BILLION people travelling abroad this year (and Europe is the most visited region in the world)

978m people spent at least one night abroad in the first 10 months of 2014
World Tourism Organisation recorded 45m more than same period last year
The Americas, including the Caribbean, saw biggest increase in tourism
There was a five percent increase in tourism to Asia and the Pacific

PUBLISHED: 13:09 GMT, 19 December 2014 | UPDATED: 14:26 GMT, 19 December 2014

ents

International tourism is set to reach record levels in 2014 despite the threat of terrorism and the outbreak of the Ebola disease.

In the first ten months of this year, the number of tourists spending at least one night in a foreign country rose reached 978 million.

This was up 45 million more than in the same period of 2013 and the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) is predicting the 2014 year-end total will reach an all-time high of 1.1 billion.

Africa numbers for the first ten months of 2014 were up by three percent, despite the outbreak of Ebola in the west of the continent

Tourism numbers have shown almost continued growth over the past six decades – from 25 million in 1950 to 278 million in 1980, 528 million in 1995, and 1.87bn in 2013.

The strongest growth this year has been in the Americas, includes the Caribbean, with tourist numbers in the region up eight percent.

Asia and the Pacific welcomed the next highest increase in tourists, with travellers to region up by five percent.

Europe, the most visited region in the world, saw an increase in tourism of four percent

Middle East, including countries such as the United Arab Emirates, numbers have risen by four percent

Asia and the Pacific welcomed the second-highest increase in tourists, with travellers to region up five percent

Europe, the most visited region in the world, saw an increase of four percent.

By sub-region, North America is up nine percent, and South Asia is up eight percent, with Southern and Mediterranean Europe, North East Asia and Northern Europe all up by seven percent.

Africa numbers for the first ten months of 2014 were up by three percent, despite the outbreak of Ebola in the west of the continent - while Middle East numbers have risen by four percent.

UNWTO secretary-general Taleb Rifai said: ‘International tourism is set to end 2014 with record numbers.

The strongest growth this year has been in the Americas, includes the Caribbean, with tourist numbers in the region up eight percent

‘These are remarkable results considering that different parts of the world continue to face significant geopolitical and health challenges, while the global economic recovery remains rather fragile and uneven.’

He added: ‘More importantly, we see a growing political commitment to the tourism sector in many countries.

‘This is encouraging, not in the least because tourism is one of the sectors that is best able to deliver on employment at a moment when job creation needs to be a priority to all.’

International tourist arrivals worldwide are expected to increase by 3.3 percent each year from 2010 to 2030 to reach 1.8 billion by 2030, according to UNWTO’s long term forecast Tourism Towards 2030.

Total export earnings generated by international tourism in 2013 reached £900bn.

| DailyMail

See the first person to fly and the luxury of Etihad Airways’ £14,000 ‘penthouse in the sky’

EXCLUSIVE: Businessman reveals what it was REALLY like to be first to fly in £14,000 'penthouse in the sky'... and he even invited a passenger from economy to breakfast

Gino Bertuccio is an aviation enthusiast who owns a cosmetic company
The 52-year-old flew in the suite on the inaugural flight for Etihad's A380
He opened the three-room suite to passengers from first class
Mr Bertuccio invited a passenger from economy to join him for a meal
Guests in The Residence are pampered by the world's first in-flight butler

By CHRIS KITCHING FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 09:28 GMT, 31 December 2014 | UPDATED: 09:28 GMT, 31 December 2014

Miami businessman Gino Bertuccio is one of the world’s luckiest flyers – and one of the most thoughtful as well.

The 52-year-old became the first person to fly in Etihad Airways’ £14,000 ‘penthouse in the sky’ at the weekend, and he shared the one-of-a-kind experience with friends and strangers.

While flying from London's Heathrow Airport to Abu Dhabi Mr Bertuccio opened the three-room private suite to first-class passengers, who were in an adjacent cabin, and invited a traveller from economy into the exclusive cabin, which boasts the world’s first in-flight butler.

Scroll down for video

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Gino Bertuccio poses for a photo in The Residence before the flight departed London for Abu Dhabi

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Mr Bertuccio accepts a drink from Georgina Henderson, the world's first in-flight butler

He could have spent the entire seven-hour journey alone, using the time to retreat to the bedroom for a nap in its double bed or relax in the living room while sipping on drinks and flipping through programmes on its 32in television.

But he wanted to give others a look inside the ultra-luxurious cabin that costs £14,000 for a one-way flight.

Before flight EY12 landed in Abu Dhabi he invited a passenger from economy, who was selected at random by the butler, to join him for breakfast.

Mr Bertuccio, who owns an Italian cosmetic retailer, told MailOnline Travel: ‘I’ve been lucky enough to do this and I wanted to share it with someone.

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Gino Bertuccio was presented with a gift recognising him as the first person to fly in The Residence

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The Residence boasts three rooms - a bedroom with a double bed, ensuite shower room and living room

Miami businessman on his experience aboard the penthouse

‘I think it was something cool to share it with someone who probably may never be able to do that.

‘I consider myself very lucky and I’m glad I could share it with somebody else.’

The Residence is the jewel of Etihad’s new Airbus A380 superjumbo jet, which made its inaugural commercial flight between London and Abu Dhabi on Saturday.

It is the first of its kind and the only private cabin to come with a dedicated Savoy-trained butler.

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The Residence has a living room that boasts a 32in television, leather sofa and a chilled mini-bar

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Gino Bertuccio invited a passenger from first class for dinner and a passenger from economy for breakfast

People keep stopping Mr Bertuccio to find out what it was like to be the first person to fly in The Residence, which Etihad calls the world’s most exclusive airline seat, and how he passed the time.

After a limousine transfer to Heathrow and a few moments exploring the 125-square-foot suite, which includes an ensuite shower room, Mr Bertuccio opened it up to passengers from the first-class ‘apartments’, including friends and fellow aviation enthusiasts.

They held a draw and the winner joined him for dinner.

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Gino Bertuccio poses for a photo with flight attendants after boarding Etihad's first Airbus A380

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In addition to a bedroom, The Residence boasts a private ensuite bathroom (pictured) and living room

He said: ‘It was kind of like a party. There were people coming in and out, taking pictures of The Residence and chatting and drinking. It was more like a socialising event.’

After that he had a 90-minute power nap before sitting down for breakfast. A short time later the plane landed in Abu Dhabi and the experience was over.

Mr Bertuccio, who is originally from Italy, is an avid collector of airline memorabilia and has travelled on 22 inaugural and final flights in premium class cabins in the last 25 years.

He said nothing compared to flying in The Residence and he doesn’t know if he will experience anything that can top it, although he hopes to one day fly in the suite on a longer route.

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The Residence is the first of its kind and it is the only private cabin to come with a Savoy-trained butler

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Flight EY12 departs London Heathrow Airport with a full complement of nearly 500 passengers

He said: ‘This one is something different. The rooms are very comfortable even for big-sized guys like me, you can move around really easily.

‘Definitely, they are the most luxurious first-class cabins and residence cabins I have ever seen on any airline.

‘How it was designed, it feels like it’s a private jet. The Residence looks like a cruise liner cabin and nothing can compare to it.

‘I really want to thank Etihad for this memorable experience, it’s definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It was a great adventure.’

| DailyMail

See Ebola nurse Pauline Cafferkey sealed in a plastic tent to contain killer virus

Ebola nurse Pauline Cafferkey sealed in a plastic tent to

contain killer virus

The nurse, who contracted the bug in Sierra Leone, is in the high-level isolation unit at the world-renowned Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, North London

Pauline Cafferkey is getting the best treatment available in the UK in the only ward in the country that is equipped to cope with Ebola.

In the high-level isolation unit at the world-renowned Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, North London, she is being kept behind plastic sheeting 24/7.

Her sealed-off bed protects doctors, nurses and other patients from infection.

Ebola is an extremely infectious virus, spreading from person to person as a result of direct contact with skin or bodily fluids such as blood or sweat.

Every member of hospital staff coming into contact with Pauline is covered head-to-toe in a protective suit.

Inside the hi-tech room, within the protective tent, she is being treated on a £25,000 bed that will be burned immediately after she leaves hospital.

Only seven doctors and a handful of nurses are allowed to enter the unit.

Dr Michael Jacobs said her family were unable to touch Pauline but can see her and converse through an intercom system hooked up to the tent.

He said: “They can see each other clearly. They are talking face to face but without direct contact between the two.

“She’s inside a big tent so her family obviously can’t touch her or hold her, which I’m sure they’d like to do, but they can talk to her. She has the option sometimes to phone out as well.”

A filtration system sucks air away from inside the tent, removing all contaminated vapour before it is pumped out of the building.

The air inside the tent is also being kept under negative pressure to stop vapour escaping from the tent.

Human waste is being collected in a secure container similar to a pressure cooker, kept underneath her bed, before being decontaminated and disposed of.

VIEW GALLERY

Pauline is being treated with an anti-viral drug as well as blood from a survivor of Ebola.

But her treatment is likely to focus on replacing the fluid she loses through internal bleeding.

An intravenous drip is pumping saline solution into her body to try to stop her organs failing.

Doctors will also treat any bleeding from her nose, eyes and ears.

Dr. Michael Jacobs — Expert: Dr Michael Jacobs, Clinical Lead in Infections Diseases at the Royal Free Hospital in north London

Dr Jacobs said: “We are naturally cautious, particularly when we are aware that this disease is so variable in what it does.

"I make no prognosis about the next days, until we see what happens.”

He said a lot had been learned about the disease, but that it was still unpredictable.

He added: “We are left with that uncertainty, and we are just going to have to take this day by day.”

He suggested he might need to use other experimental drugs in the future.

He said: “We’ll be able, in a few days’ time, to give you a clearer picture about the choices we’ve made.”

Motorcycles collide, kill two in Makurdi on New Year’s Eve

JANUARY 1, 2015 BY DANIEL GBABO 0 COMMENTS

The North-bank area of Makurdi, Benue State was on Wednesday thrown into confusion when two commercial motorcycles collided on the expressway, leaving two persons dead.

Eyewitnesses said one of the motorcycles had rammed into the other, which was making an illegal U-turn.

A few witnesses also said the accident was caused by the mad rush to catch up with preparations of the New Year celebration.

Men of the Federal Road Safety Corps and the Benue State Police Command were said to have arrived at the scene and conveyed the corpses of the victims to a nearby hospital in the North-bank area of the town.

The accident which was said to have occurred at about noon, destroyed the motorcycle and damaged the bodies of the accident victims.

It was gathered that as many people flooded the scene of the incident, traffic on the Makurdi-Lafia highway was abruptly disrupted.

The accident happened in the front of a Pentecostal church near a filling station

Read how this lady's husband dragged her on the road !

My sister’s killer dragged her on the road ─ Brother

JANUARY 1, 2015 BY ALEXANDER OKERE

Aifuwa; the victim’s 80-year-old mother
| credits: Alexander Okere

The brother of late Rose Aifuwa, the Austria-based woman who was allegedly murdered on Christmas Day in Benin, Edo State, Mr. Nosa Ojo, has urged the Nigeria Police to leave nothing to chance in bringing her killer to justice.

The mutilated body of the mother of three was found at Upper Mission extension junction, along the Benin-Auchi Expressway in the early hours of Christmas when many Christians were making their way to the church.

Ojo said his sister, who hailed from Iguodo community, in the Uhunmwode Local Government Area of the state, returned to the country to celebrate the Christmas and New Year with her family.

He said she had demanded the payment of a debt running into millions of naira from the sale of goods she had imported for the suspect, one Festus Aimufua, who was a spare parts dealer in Benin and had spent the previous night with her in her residence on Lucky Way.

According to Ojo, it was while his late sister was trying to prevent Aimufua from leaving in his car, after refusing to pay, that he (suspect) crushed her and dragged her on the road for over 500 kilometres, before dumping her body at the junction.

He said he got a call that the lifeless body of her sister, who was supposed to attend a carol with her family on Christmas eve, was found lying on the busy expressway.

He said, “We drove to her house and saw the blood stains outside from where Aimufua dragged her body. Our family could not celebrate Christmas afterwards.

“Her children lost their father 19 years ago and she had been the breadwinner. Now, she is gone and every Christmas will become a reminder of sorrow for us. In fact, my 80-year-old mother is still traumatised by her shocking death.”

It was also learnt that the suspect had reported the incident to the Ikpoba Hill Police Division. He claimed to have killed her by accident, saying he was under the influence of alcohol.

But the family maintained that the late woman did not die by accident.

Ojo said, “He (Aimufua) called later in the night that he had an argument with Rose and while he was driving away, she stood at the front of his car and he use his car to push her away.

“How can you see somebody in front of your car and still move? He is responsible for her death.

“The Austrian government has waded into the matter, the Inspector-General of Police is also aware of the case, while the Commissioner of Police is investigating the matter.

“What we ask is that the police should use their good offices to bring to justice whoever is responsible. That is all what we want.”

The Edo police spokesperson , DSP Joseph Edoigiawerie, said the case had been transferred to the homicide unit of the State Criminal Investigation Department to unravel the circumstances surrounding the death of the late businesswoman.

He said, “The Austrian government contacted the police through the IG and requested the identity of the woman to really find out if she was an Austrian.

“Her passport has been sent to the Austrian embassy.”

Female suicide bomber killed at army barracks

Published on January 1, 2015 by pmnews ·

A woman suicide bomber was killed as she tried to enter a military barracks in strife-torn northeast Nigeria on Wednesday, eyewitnesses said.

Soldiers opened fire on the woman, who was wearing a hijab, after she refused to be searched as she approached the barracks in Bolari, and the shots detonated the explosives belt she was wearing, according to the accounts.

She was killed immediately.

“The woman refused to stop and continued to advance towards the military guards at the gates despite repeated orders from them to stop at a distance,” said Shuaibu Nasir, who lives near the gates of the barracks.

“The soldiers opened fire on the woman who quickened her pace towards them and as they fired shots at her she exploded with a loud sound that shook our buildings,” Nasir said.

The blast prompted policemen to fire warning shots in the air, causing panic among residents, Nasir said.

Another resident, Ahmed Baballe,said the would-be bomber was “blown to pieces” by the impact of the explosion.

“The soldiers didn’t take chances with the woman and opened fire when she showed no sign of stopping to be searched,” Baballe said.

Northeast Nigeria has been continually rocked by attacks mounted by Boko Haram extremists.

Experts have cast doubt on Nigeria’s ability to hold planned national elections in February, because of the rising unrest in parts of the northeast

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Wednesday, 31 December 2014