Icelandair Cuts 2,000 Staff Over Coronavirus Impact

Barron’s – AFP, Alexander Klein, April 28, 2020

Icelandic airline Icelandair announced deep job cuts due to the effects of the
novel coronavirus crisis

Icelandic airline Icelandair said Tuesday it would lay off about 2,000 of its staff as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact air travel "for the unforeseeable future."

In response to the impact, Icelandair said the company was preparing for an "extended period of minimum operations."

The company said that "the employment of around two thousand employees will be terminated," adding that crew, maintenance and ground operations, would be most affected.

Icelandair added that the "majority of the remaining employees continue in part-time roles" and those in full-time positions would be affected by salary reductions.

"These measures are very painful yet necessary. We are facing considerable uncertainty for the unforeseeable future," Bogi Nils Bogason, CEO of Icelandair, said in a statement.

Bogason added that they hoped to be able to offer those affected employment again once markets started to recover.

In 2018, Icelandair had some 4,600 full-time employees and carried 4.4 million passengers, according to the company.

As of Tuesday, Iceland had confirmed 1,795 cases of the new coronavirus and 10 deaths.

Related Article:

British Airways Set To Cut Up To 12,000 Jobs

Toyota, Nissan recall 6.5 mn cars over exploding airbag fears

Yahoo – AFP, 13 May 2015

An employee sews an airbag at Takata's crash-testing facility in Auburn

Hills, Michigan, in 2010 (AFP Photo/Bill Pugliano)

Japanese auto giants Toyota and Nissan on Wednesday said they were recalling 6.5 million vehicles globally in the latest chapter of an exploding airbag crisis linked to several deaths.

The world's biggest automaker said its recall of five million vehicles affected 35 models globally produced between 2003 and 2007, while Nissan said it was calling back 1.56 million vehicles also due to faulty airbags made by embattled supplier Takata.

Nissan Motors Chairman and 

CEO Carlos Ghosn speaks 

during the company's financial 

results press conference in 

Yokohama, on May 13,

 2015 (AFP Photo/Toshifumi

Kitamura)

"This will affect many of our markets, including Japan, Europe and North America," a Nissan spokesman told AFP, adding that the explosion risk was among a range of problems seen in the defective airbags.

"There might be many factors. (But) we have seen risks that the metal casing for inflators can malfunction."

Nissan's recall affects a range of models produced between 2004 and 2008.

Both firms said there were no reports of deaths or injuries linked to their latest recall.

The announcement comes after some 20 million vehicles produced by automakers also including General Motors and Honda were recalled because of the risk that their Takata-made airbags could improperly inflate and rupture, potentially firing deadly shrapnel at the occupants.

At least five deaths have been linked to the defect, with one in the United States initially investigated as a murder due to her grisly injuries.

Despite the ongoing problem, Nissan's results appeared to be relatively unaffected.

Just after the recall announcement, it said fiscal-year net profit soared a better-than-expected 17.6 percent to 457.6 billion yen ($4.2 billion), with the firm crediting a weak yen and new model rollouts.

Nissan projected an even stronger 485.0 billion yen profit this business year, including ongoing recall costs.

Last week, Toyota said its annual net profit rose to a record $18.1 billion. However, Honda's annual profit turned down 8.9 percent to $4.4 billion -- it is Takata's biggest air bag customer and accounts for a bulk of the recalls.

Air Force Lt. Stephanie Erdman, whose eye was injured by airbag shrapnel 

from her 2002 Honda Civic, is surrounded by pictures showing the accident as she

 testifies on Capitol Hill, in Washington, DC, on November 20, 2014 (AFP

Photo/Jim Watson)

Ongoing investigations

Toyota said the latest recall affects 1.35 million vehicles sold in Japan, 637,000 in the United States and 1.26 million in Europe.

"We have been conducting various ongoing investigations regarding Takata-produced airbag inflators," the firm said in an email.

"Among the parts collected from the Japanese market, certain types of airbag inflators were found to have a potential for moisture intrusion over time. As a result, they could be susceptible to abnormal deployment in a crash."

Takata has said the defect surfaces mainly in humid, hotter regions and resisted US authorities' call for a national recall of cars with its airbags.

The firm had an open disagreement with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which accused Takata of not helping with its investigation into the defects.

Tokyo-based Takata, one of the world's biggest air-bag companies, is a key supplier to major automakers with dozens of plants and offices in 20 countries, including the United States, China and Mexico.

Japanese auto parts maker Takata's child car seats at a showroom in

Tokyo on May 8, 2015 (AFP Photo/Yoshikazu Tsuno)

Facing lawsuits and regulatory probes, Takata recently acknowledged that the crisis has taken a toll on its earnings, but added that it expects to eke out a small profit this year.

Despite the global crisis, Takata's top executives have largely stayed out of the public eye and remain tightlipped about the situation.

The announcements were made shortly before Tokyo markets closed. Toyota shares fell 1.06 percent to 8,196.0 yen while Nissan lost 0.95 percent to close at 1,246.5 yen.

South Korea charges Uber CEO Kalanick for operating illegal taxi service

Prosecutors in Seoul have brought charges against the US founder and CEO of the smartphone taxi service Uber, Travis Kalanick. Authorities say Kalanick was indicted for violating passenger transport laws.

Deutsche Welle, 24 Dec 2014

Lawyers representing the South Korean government indicted Travis Kalanick, founder and CEO of smartphone taxi service company Uber, on Tuesday. Kalanick was found to have operated an illegal business, according to local media reports.

The Uber chief was indicted in absentia by the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, the Yonhap news agency reported. Another local taxi service, who's CEO went by the name of Lee, was also charged under a law regulating passenger transport, but was not immediately arrested.

It wasn't clear whether Kalanick would come to Seoul for trial.

Seoul's local city government filed complaints saying Uber's operations raised concerns about passenger safety and threatened the livelihood of licensed taxi drivers. Authorities launched a crackdown on drivers and rental cars that operated with Uber.

A reward of up to one million won (around $900) was offered for information on Uber's activities.

South Korean drivers have been angry that Uber has taken over a chunk of their business. Uber, a mobile phone app which connects taxi drivers to passengers, sparked angry protests by taxi drivers in France and Germany earlier this year who felt threatened by the app's growing popularity.

The company was also banned in the Indian capital New Delhi earlier this month after one of it's drivers allegedly raped a woman passenger.

mg/jm (AFP,dpa)

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Toyota Recalls More Than 6 Million Autos, Among Biggest Ever

Jakarta Globe – Bloomberg, Apr 09, 2014

A visitor looks at a Toyota Motor’s car at the company show room
in Tokyo on May 8, 2013. (Reuters Photo/Yuya Shino)

Toyota Motor, the world’s largest carmaker, called back more than 6 million vehicles to fix a range of safety defects in one of the biggest recalls in automotive history.

The company found five types of safety hazards in vehicles including some of its top sellers such as the Camry sedan, RAV4 sport utility vehicle and Corolla cars, according to a statement today.

The carmaker isn’t aware of any injuries or fatalities linked to the defects, it said.

The recall, Toyota’s second-biggest since late 2012, is a setback for President Akio Toyoda, who has spent years trying to restore the company’s reputation for quality after calling back millions of vehicles in 2009-2010 because of unintended acceleration.

Scrutiny of safety practices in the auto industry is rising as US regulators investigate General Motors for its handling of deadly ignition-switch flaws that the company knew of as far back as 2001.

“Something is wrong,” Koji Endo, an analyst at Advanced Research Japan in Tokyo, said by telephone. “They may even need to review their production process. Even if the problem is with the suppliers, Toyota should be responsible for it.”

Though details weren’t available for precise calculations, Endo estimated that the recall could cost Toyota about 60 billion yen ($588 million) to 70 billion yen, or 10,000 yen per vehicle.

Toyota fell 3.1 percent to close at 5,450 yen in Tokyo after the announcement, dragging down the benchmark Topix index, which declined 2.1 percent.

Biggest recalls

The recalls involve 6.39 million vehicles, some of which are being called back for more than one issue, pushing the total tally to 6.76 million, the company said.

The Toyota City, Japan-based carmaker recalled 7.43 million vehicles in October 2012 to fix power-window switches on models including its Camry and Corolla cars.

Toyota last month admitted to wrongdoing and agreed to reviews by an independent monitor who is assessing its safety reporting practices as part of a $1.2 billion settlement, the largest criminal penalty ever imposed in the US on an automaker.

Toyoda, 57, has pledged to improve the company’s recall process after calling back more than 10 million vehicles for problems that led to sudden acceleration.

Lawmakers last week drew parallels to Toyota’s unintended-acceleration recalls as they pressed CEO Mary Barra on GM’s handling of flawed ignition switches that the company has linked to at least 13 deaths.

The largest US automaker is being fined $7,000 a day for failing to fully answer questions about the flawed part in cars including the Chevrolet Cobalt.

Spiral cables

In today’s recall, about 3.5 million of the vehicles — more than half in North America — are being called back to replace spiral cables that may prevent driver’s-side airbags from deploying.

Models involved include RAV4, Corolla, Yaris, Highlander, Tacoma and Camry that were produced from April 2004 to December 2010. Another 2.3 million vehicles are being called back to inspect and replace the front seat rails of three-door models.

Springs that lock these rails may break if the seats are frequently adjusted back and forth, the company said.

The models involved with this issue, which could lead to seats that move in the event of a crash, were built from January 2005 through August 2010.

The vehicles are the Ist, Vitz, Belta and Ractis in Japan, and Scion xD, Urban Cruiser and Yaris in other markets.

Unstable brackets

Toyota also will fix noisy and potentially unstable steering column brackets on about 760,000 vehicles globally.

The remaining safety campaigns are to replace windshield wiper motors of about 160,000 Ractis vehicles in Japan and the engine starters of about 20,000 vehicles in Japan and Hong Kong.

“This is Toyota being more active in calling back vehicles to ensure quality,” said Takaki Nakanishi, a Tokyo-based analyst for Jefferies Group LLC, who has a hold rating on the company’s shares. “The number is big, but the faults are minor and not critical.”

Among other big recalls in automotive history, Ford Motor called back more than 14 million vehicles in 2009 for a faulty cruise-control switch that could cause a fire, according to the US Transportation Department’s website.

In 1996, the Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker recalled 7.9 million vehicles for defective ignition switches that could short circuit and cause fire.

GM called back 6.7 million vehicles in 1971 to fix mounts that may cause the engine to lift and loss of vehicle control.

Factory freeze

Toyoda, the grandson of the company’s founder, has instituted a three-year freeze on new car plants to tilt the company’s priorities to quality and efficiency after the 2009-2010 recalls.

Following its crisis, Toyota said it improved procedures that had been too dependent on decision-making in Japan and didn’t give regional operations the autonomy to make fixes.

The carmaker also formed a global quality group that Toyoda has chaired.

This is the second major global recall for Toyota this year.

A recall of 1.9 million Prius hybrids in February covered more than half of the models sold since its debut 17 years ago.

The company has updated software in Priuses to fix glitches that could cause them to lose power or shut down and stop.

Toyota apology

“We sincerely apologize to our customers for the inconvenience and concern brought by this recall announcement,” the company said today in an e-mailed statement. “Toyota has rededicated itself to strengthening its commitment to safety and quality. In part, that means refocusing on putting customers and people first, by listening better and taking appropriate action.”

Recalls haven’t slowed down Toyota’s earnings. The company has forecast profit for the year ending March 31 will surge to a record 1.9 trillion yen. Toyota also has set a target of selling an unprecedented 10.32 million vehicles in 2014 after leading GM and Volkswagen AG in global auto deliveries for a second straight year in 2013.

With assistance from Ma Jie in Tokyo

Bloomberg

INTERPOL rejects claim attributed to Malaysia that checking INTERPOL's databases may have slowed immigration checks

Interpol, 28 March 2014

LYON, France – Malaysia’s decision not to consult INTERPOL's Stolen and Lost Travel Documents (SLTD) database before allowing travellers to enter the country or board planes cannot be defended by falsely blaming technology or INTERPOL. If there is any responsibility or blame for this failure, it rests solely with Malaysia's Immigration Department.

INTERPOL’s SLTD database takes just seconds to reveal whether a passport is listed, with recent tests providing results in 0.2 seconds.

The fact is that the US consults this database more than 230 million times per year; the UK more than 140 million times; the UAE more than 100 million times and Singapore more than 29 million times. Not one of these countries, or indeed any INTERPOL member country, has ever stated that the response time is too slow.

The truth is that in 2014 prior to the tragic disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH 370, Malaysia’s Immigration Department did not conduct a single check of passengers’ passports against INTERPOL’s databases.

Consequently, two individuals possessing stolen Austrian and Italian passports were able to board MH 370. Had Malaysia consulted INTERPOL's SLTD database, the fact that both passengers were using stolen passports would have been discovered almost instantaneously.

Malaysia’s Immigration Department owes it to all passengers boarding flights originating in, or passing through, Malaysia to make sure that passports registered as stolen or lost in INTERPOL’s databases cannot be used to board any flight.

In this regard, despite this unjustified attack on INTERPOL, we remain ready, willing and able to help Malaysia better safeguard its citizens and visitors from those seeking to use stolen or fraudulently altered passports to board planes.

INTERPOL has no idea why Malaysia’s Home Minister chooses to attack INTERPOL instead of learning from this tragedy.

After years of witnessing countries fail to consult INTERPOL’s SLTD database prior to allowing travellers to cross borders and board planes, INTERPOL created I-Checkit which will allow airlines and cruise lines to ensure that no passenger can use a stolen or lost passport registered in INTERPOL’s database to board one of their planes or ships.

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Archangel Michael: Spring Means the Time of Rebirth and Awakening – The Golden Age of Gaia, Steve Beckow, March 22, 2014 - New

....SB: That’s very good, Lord. Thank you. I’m going to move quickly to Flight 370, and then hopefully a short talk on global citizenry.

Ashira said that Flight 370 had exploded, but he didn’t say what the cause of the explosion was. Others have said that a secret naval weapon was used to cause it to disintegrate. And recently a prominent channel said the plane was suffering from hydraulic failure, was in an uncontrolled state, at risk of imminent destruction; whisked out of the air in mid-flight, was taken aboard an enormous spaceship from Sirius claimed to be part of the Federation fleet under the Ashtar Command whose full report is available from a certain website.

Now, Ashira said they took a few people up who still wanted to remain in form, but the rest — they passed on. What is the truth, Lord?

AAM: This is not an action — let us put it this way — this is not an action that your star brothers and sisters have been deeply involved in. This is an action of what we would refer to, or Gabrielle would refer to, as of violence, of sabotage, of subterfuge. And it has continued.

So there are lies upon lies upon lies. And what is occurring … this is a terrible situation. And it is painful to so many. But what it is also doing for humanity, it is bringing up what we would call shared compassion and grief. Because if you were to look at the grief and the confusion and the compassion component of what is being felt and emanating from the hearts of the collective, individuals all over the planet, it is out of alignment with the situation even including those who have been on the plane and who have suffered and the families that are left suffering the loss of their loved ones.

So it has amplified and shown the global community, in a time when there has been much strife and conflict on the ground, the other side of the scale, where you are seeing the global community coming together in compassion and sending healing for many. It is also bringing together the global community in saying, “We require, we demand truth.” Because there have been such significant untruths, every step of the way. And now what is occurring, among what you think are responsible agencies of many countries, is that they are looking for scapegoats. They are looking for situations to hang this on.

The truth will come out, but the function of this act of violence has been hijacked in many ways not by your star brothers and sisters but by the Company of Heaven to teach several very important, critical, timely lessons. The ship has not been taken on board a mothership elsewhere. That is false hope.

SB: Where is the ship, Lord? Is it blown to smithereens, or is it at the bottom of the ocean?

AAM: For all intents and purposes, it is not intact. We cannot give you the totality because that would be breaking our agreement.

SB: And then of course you couldn’t tell us what nation did it, either?

AAM: It is not so much a nation as individuals acting independently.

SB: All right. I’m not sure whether I should go further in trying to get more details, or…. whether….

AAM: Please do not.....

Shift of Earth's magnetic north pole impacts Tampa airport

The Tampa Tribune, January 5, 2011

TAMPA - Scientists say the magnetic north pole is moving toward Russia and the fallout has reached -- of all places -- Tampa International Airport.

Magnetic north pole is moving toward
Russia

The airport has closed its primary runway until Jan. 13 to repaint the numeric designators at each end and change taxiway signage to account for the shift in location of the Earth's magnetic north.

The closure of the west parallel runway will result in more activity on the east parallel runway and more noise for residential areas of south Tampa.

The busiest runway will be re-designated 19R/1L on aviation charts. It's been 18R/36L, indicating its alignment along the 180-degree approach from the north and the 360-degree approach from the south.

Later this month, the airport's east parallel runway and the seldom used east-west runway will be closed to change signage to their new designations.

The Federal Aviation Administration required the runway designation change to account for what a National Geographic News report described as a gradual shift of the Earth's magnetic pole at nearly 40 miles a year toward Russia because of magnetic changes in the core of the planet.

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“2011 and Beyond” - What you are seeing, and why - Jan 16, 2010 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Text version)

“… (2) The second thing the melting ice caps give you is about ecology. I'll give you this prediction in a moment. There is a Human 3D paradigm that says everything gets "used" and then goes away. But nature doesn't work that way, and our prediction is going to go against everything you have been told. I'm going to give you a parable and the prediction in a moment, but before that, I'm going to give you the explanation of the birds and the fish.

In the last few weeks, fish have been washing up dead in certain lakes by the hundreds of thousands, if not millions. Birds have been falling from the sky. I'm going to make a statement way in advance of what science is going to tell you. All of it can be traced to the water cycle - all of it. It's always about the weather, a cycle of weather you've not seen before. Do you remember a few years ago when whales were beaching themselves? Did you notice that this attribute stopped? But while they were beaching themselves every year, many Human Beings were in fear, saying, "It's the end of the world. They're committing suicide."

The whales beached themselves because the magnetics of the earth shifted so greatly that their navigational system [the magnetite in their biology, which is their migration compass] steered them right into the land. The land didn't move; the magnetics did. Therefore, you might say their internal inherited migration map was flawed. The reason it's not happening now is because the calves, the generation beyond the one that beached themselves, figured it out and rewrote the maps. Nature [Gaia] does this. So the next generation didn't repeat it. Instead, it realigned itself to the migratory lay lines and now whales don't beach themselves nearly as often.

The magnetics of the planet continue to shift and the birds are unaware. Like the whales, many of the birds have migrated themselves right into a high place in the atmosphere, which pummeled them to death by freezing rain and hail. Then they fall from the sky. It's the weather cycle. Will they continue to do this? Some will, for awhile, and then they will figure it out and recalibrate. That's what nature does.

You might say, "Well, nature's way is severe." It is not severe. It is a positive learning system that allows generations of birds to be around next time. The few deaths allow for the many to continue their life cycle and their lineage on the earth.

I want you to analyze the fish that have washed up. Let science reveal this as well. I want you to analyze the fish. They have something in common. They're all juveniles. And why is that? What do you know about the water cycle? What do you know about cold water and the life cycle of certain fish and their habits of reproduction? I will tell you the layers of water are changing in temperature and that is going to change the life cycle of the oceans and lakes. The juvenile fish are the most susceptible to death by becoming too cold, especially the ones of the kind that washed up dead. By the tens of thousands, the cold killed them. It is the water cycle. Will it continue? For awhile, until they acclimate, until they recalibrate for the cold - and they will. Nature does that.  ….“

"The Energy of the Future" (2) - Dec 7, 2014 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) - (Text version)

“… The Physics of It: A Review

Now for some physics, and I'll call it spiritual physics so it's not too complicated. In 1993, we gave you a book called The End Times. In this book, we made some statements. We talked about the magnetic grid of the earth, and we told you that it had to be there for Human life to exist - and it does. At the time, science didn't agree, but now many are seeing it. We went on to give you the esoterics of it, what my partner calls the woo-woo part. Your DNA, a multidimensional molecule, has within it everything that the Universe knows. It carries your Akashic Record, all of your lifetimes, all of your spiritual purpose, your spiritual being and your karma. Everything is in your DNA. This will never be proven, since it's a spiritual attribute. The DNA creates a field and it's called the Merkabah (a Hebrew word).

We also told you that the magnetic grid of the earth, a multidimensional energy, transfers certain things to your DNA on a day-by-day basis. The grid then becomes a major energy transfer system. That should have connected the dots for some of those who were paying attention - for if the grid changes, dear ones, you do, too. I told you the grid would change more in 10 years than it had in 100, and it did. You can measure your magnetic grid's movement with a compass. Between 1993 and 2002, it moved greatly, more than in any other time in modern Human history. We said this would be, and so it was. Our grid group left in 2002, as we told you we would.

Again, those paying attention should have known something was happening. I also told you within those initial transmissions back then that you would have no Armageddon, and you did not. Also, that there would be no World War III, and there wasn't. In the face of all the prophecy that told you differently, we told you there was a potential for Human Beings to pass the marker, survive, and start a new energy on the planet. We told you this would be the start of peace on Earth, and this is where you sit today. All of those years ago, we told you about the potential of where you sit today, listening to this message, and asking what might be next. So I'll label the channel right now: The Energy of the Future.

The Energy of the Future

Last week, I gave you a channelling of what to expect within the next three years. The message tonight will talk to you about the energies that are going to be manifested beyond that and some of the changes to expect and why they are taking place. You may want to listen to this channel a number of times to put it together, for there are reviews and new information.

So before we begin, what have we established?

Number One: Locked into the Human body via your DNA is brilliance and mastery, working at approximately 34 percent.

Number Two: The magnetic grid of the planet postures everything to do with your DNA. It also has much to do with what you call Human nature, what you want and what you've created. It seems static, never changing, and has been seen as "the way it is". However, we will call it the temporary lock on DNA. You see, when your Human consciousness and spiritual maturity starts to move in the next years, your DNA will start to change. This has nothing to do with chemistry, but everything to do with energy stored within it, and rewriting the data. New energies will unlock certain parts that have been locked, some of them being the very parts that I've just told you about at the beginning of this channelling - the things that are puzzling regarding healing and the Akash.  …”

The Day Before Disclosure (Free online HQ video)

FREE SCREENING in HQ of the award winning UFO-documentary "The Day Before Disclosure"!

We have decided to put the film up for free, because we want the world to see whats going on.

It can be screened at: www.thedaybeforedisclosure.com

We welcome everyone who wants to be a part of the disclosure movement, or who just is curious.

You will also find DVD versions and an archive of full lenght interviews on the website.

And, please help us spread the word and send a link to those you think should see the film.

Best regards,

Terje Toftenes

Producer/Director

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Files reveal pilot's 'near miss' with UFO at airport

BBC News, Thursday, 5 August 2010

A sketch of the alleged UFO made
on the same day as the near miss.

A 'nearmiss' between a passenger plane and a UFO near Manchester Airport is includedin a number of secret files released by the government.

Theclose encounter was officially reported by the flight crew of a Boeing 737 backin January 1995.

Thepilot and first officer of the plane described seeing a large grey object flyso close past the plane it made them duck.

It's oneof a number of MoD files documenting alleged UFO sightings.

'Ducked'

Thealleged incident on 6 January 1995 involving a passenger plane in the night skyabove Manchester is included in the latest batch of MoD files documentingalleged UFO sightings now released by the National Archives.

Whatmakes this particular incident interesting is the credibility of the witnesses:the pilot and first officer of a British Airways aircraft who reported it as an'air miss'.

In adetailed report to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the pilot confirmed thathe was about 4,000 feet up over the Pennines, eight or nine miles south east ofManchester Airport, when the two men both saw something flash past the cockpitwindow.

The pilotdescribed seeing a 'lighted object fly down the right hand side of the aircraftat high speed in the opposite direction.'

Hisfirst officer - who instinctively 'ducked' as it went by - said it was a'wedge-shaped' object possibly with a black stripe down the side which heestimated was 'between a light aircraft and Jetstream' (a small passengerplane) in size.

Accordingto the CAA's Airmiss Working Party report, the captain and the first officerdrew what they had seen.

Thepilot was convinced it had 'a number of small, white lights, rather like aChristmas tree' adding that he was able to track the object for around twoseconds looking through the windscreen and side window.

Bothwere convinced that what they had seen was 'a solid object and not a [meteorological]phenomenon, balloon or any other craft' with which they were familiar,including a Stealth bomber.

Theinvestigation failed to identify the object.

X Files

TheNational Archive files also contains a sketch by a member of the public showinga UFO allegedly seen from the ground on the same day as the near miss with theBoeing aircraft.

The captain and first officer
reported seeing the UFO

Itshowed an oblong craft with a curved front and a series of small nozzles at therear.

However,a UFO expert who sent the sketches to the MoD said he was "a littledubious" about aspects of the report, including a claim that the objectwas "20 times the size of a football field."

The 18UFO files released on 5 August 2010 are the latest to come out as part of athree-year project between the MoD and the National Archives.

Thefiles are made up of more than 5,000 reports, letters and drawings from membersof the public.

Reportsof sightings of UFOs peaked in 1996 in the UK - when science fiction drama TheX Files was popular.

Accordingto the files, there were more than 600 reports in 1996, compared with anaverage of 240 in the previous five years.

A photo taken by a resident in Hangzhou shows an unidentified flying object hovering over Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province, late Wednesday, July 7, 2010. [Photo/Metro Express]

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Mexico airline Mexicana files for bankruptcy

BBC News, 3 August2010 Last updated at 18:32 GMT

Mexico's biggest airline, Mexicana de Aviacion, has filed for bankruptcy protection after failing to reach a deal with trade unions on cost cutting.

Mexicana staff are resisting pay cuts

The heavily-indebted airline said flights would continue while it restructured itsfinances.

Mexicana had proposed deep pay cuts for pilots and crew, as well as a 40% reduction inthe workforce.

The firm suffered heavy losses during Mexico's recession in 2009, as well an outbreak of swine flu the same year.

The outbreak caused a sharp fall in tourism in the country.

Mexicana said it had filed for bankruptcy in a Mexico City court "to restructure its costs and ensure the viability of the company".

It has also filed for Chapter 15 bankruptcy protection in New York to fend off legal action from creditors.

The89-year-old airline has debts of about $800m (£500m).

Nostrike

Managers said on Monday that wages for pilots and crew as well as staff numbers would have to be cut by about 40% to keep the company running.

Workers, who gave up a range of benefits in 2006, have refused to accept the cuts, but have also ruled out a strike.

"We don't have any other option than to continue negotiating," FernandoPerfecto, the head of the pilot's union, told Reuters news agency.

Mexicana has flights to 65 national and international destinations, including the US,Canada, South America and Europe.

The company says it carried 1.1 million passengers in 2009.