Hassan Joho renews rivalry with Uhuru Kenyatta

The spat between President Uhuru Kenyatta and Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho has already started ahead of the president’s planned tour of the coast region starting Saturday, August 20.

Already, Joho has sent a stern warning to Uhuru ahead of his visit, criticizing him of ignoring the coast people only to return when the 2017 general election has drawn closer.

Joho has said that he will tell Uhuru on his face that the coast region is not with him.

“I heard they announced they are coming back here. We are watching and waiting for them. This time we will tell them to their face, no fearing anyone. You can’t be in government, do nothing for us, then you disappear only to resurface close to the general election and say you want to meet Coast leaders,”Joho said as quoted by Star.

The ODM deputy party leader caused a stir in December 015 when he had a major fall-out with Uhuru during his month long visit to the region.

Rich lawyer shows off the rest of his cars, apartment and the mansion he built for his mum

 City lawyer who got bashed recently for showing off his wealth has shown off more of his establishments- an insight on why he deserves the bragging rights 

Affluent and showy City Lawyer, Donald B Kipkorir was bashed on social media following an article penned by Nation’s rabble-rouser, Njoki Chege the past weekend.

He was accused of being a narcissistic poor man who had no business showing off his cars on social media.In his reply, the lawyer told off the writer, calling her a poor blogger who was still struggling with her rent on Thika road to care about his wealth.

The lawyer proceeded to show off his other establishments. An English house that he built for his mother upcountry for instance:

Istanbul airport explosions: 28 dead, 60 injured, Turkish official says

At least 28 people have been killed and 60 wounded in a terror attack on Istanbul Ataturk Airport in Turkey, Istanbul Gov. Vasip Sahin said early Wednesday. Three bombers were also killed, the governor said. Another report, from semi-official news agency Anadolu, said six of the wounded are in critical condition. A total of 49 ambulances were sent to the site.

-- There has been no immediate claim of responsibility.

-- CNN journalist Joe Duran said from the airport that "Police are not letting anyone in ... Hundreds of people are flooding away from airport... People are trying to get away. They're not saying much -- just the look on their face is enough, shock, some of them bleeding..."

"People are walking away bleeding, with bandages on their head."

-- Traveler Laurence Cameron described what he saw after he stepped off a plane: "It was just a massive crowd of screaming people. Some were falling over themselves. A poor chap in a wheelchair was just left, and everyone just rushed to the back of the building, and then people ran the other way and no one really seemed to know what was going on," he told CNN. "Where you normally hail a taxi, that is where the attack happened. The ground is just kind of shredded. There is bloodstains on the floor as well."

-- Turkey's Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag earlier said one terrorist "first opened fire with a Kalashnikov then detonated himself."

In total three bombs exploded, the governor said.

-- A video posted to Twitter shows a view from a camera inside an airport terminal. A few dozen people are walking around when a bright flash and fireball erupt in the background.

-- A Turkish official told CNN that police fired shots at suspects near the international terminal in an effort to neutralize them.

-- Videos posted on social media show travelers sitting on the airport floor. A man shouts, "Get down! Get down!" Someone cries as a gunshot rings out.

 Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Prime Minister Binali Yildirim and the Chair of the Joint Chiefs, General Hulusi Akar, at the presidential palace upon receiving news of the explosions in Istanbul, the office of the president announced.

The President's office says that Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, Deputy PM Numan Kurtulmus, Transportation Minister Ahmet Arslan and Family and Social Policies Minister Fatma Betul Sayan will travel to Istanbul from Ankara, the Turkish capital.

-- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, referencing the attack in Istanbul, told an audience at the Aspen Ideas Festival on Tuesday, "We are still collecting information and trying to ascertain what happened and who did it."

-- Ataturk Airport is "one of the most secure airports in the world," CNN senior law enforcement analyst Tom Fuentes says. But the airport has been "very overwhelmed for several decades with terrorism from PKK."

-- The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has put in place a ground stop for any U.S. flights that were scheduled to fly to Istanbul and any flights leaving Istanbul for the United States, CNN's Rene Marsh reports.

-- The Ataturk airport is closed until Wednesday at 8 p.m. local time (noon ET), according to airport spokesman Erhan Ustundag. Incoming flights were diverted to Izmir, Ankara and other cities.

-- The U.S. embassy in Ankara is sending consular officers to the airport to account for any potential U.S. victims. But there are no indications of any American casualties at this point, a senior State Department official told CNN's Elise Labott.

-- The attacks happened on a warm summer night at the airport, east of Istanbul, that is the 11th busiest in the world in terms of passenger traffic. CNN's Ali Veshi says it is a modern, sophisticated airport. "There are all of the major European and American boutiques there," said Velshi, who has traveled through Turkey many times. "... You see people of all shapes and colors, in all sorts of dress. If you want to target the cosmopolitan nature of Istanbul, this is possibly the most cosmopolitan, heavily populated part. You can target tourist areas, but this is the part where the world comes together."

Signal Detected From Missing EgyptAir A320

Searchers aboard a French naval vessel said this morning they believe they have found a signal from one of the data recorders aboard EgyptAir Flight 804, which crashed into the Mediterranean on May 19. The Airbus A320 vanished from radar during a flight from Paris to Cairo, with 66 people on board. Recovery teams have found some floating debris from the aircraft, but the search is made difficult by the depth of the sea in the area — averaging nearly 12,000 feet — strong currents, and the ruggedness of the sea floor. Another research vessel, the John Lethbridge, based in Mauritius, is expected to join the search team in the next week or so, and it will be able to retrieve the recorders if they are found, officials said. The recorders are designed to emit signals for 30 days after a crash.

An Airbus engineer told Reuters the company is working to develop ejectable or "deployable" recorders that would separate from the tail during a crash and float, emitting a distress signal. Similar technology already is used in some military aircraft, but some in the industry have expressed doubts about their safe use on civil airliners, according to Reuters, saying they could be deployed accidentally and introduce new risks. Airbus said last year it was talking to regulators about adding deployable devices to some of its jets. New European rules set to take effect in 2018 will extend the duration of the pingers in the data recorders to 90 days. Airlines also will be required to track flight positions during ocean crossings.

Solar Impulse Next Stop: New York

As soon as the weather window looks favorable, Solar Impulse pilot Andre Borschberg plans to depart from Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, and fly about 100 miles to New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport, according to the support team. The flight path will provide several opportunities along the way for New Yorkers to catch a glimpse of the unique solar-powered aircraft. The plan is for Solar Impulse to cross over the Verrazano Bridge at an altitude of 1,500 feet, at about 5:10 a.m. on the day of the flight. The airplane will then fly over the Statue of Liberty and continue east above Brooklyn on its way to JFK. Liberty State Park, in New Jersey, Battery Park in Manhattan, and several other sites along the coast will provide views of the flight, according to the Solar Impulse team.

After the landing in JFK, pilot Bertrand Piccard will fly the next leg, across the Atlantic, when the weather provides an adequate window. Since crossing the Pacific and landing in California, the airplane has landed in Phoenix, Tulsa, and Dayton. The global flight began more than a year ago, in Abu Dhabi, and the team plans to return there later this summer. New Yorkers who want to see the airplane can sign up online to get advance notice of the takeoff.

financial outlook for global air transport-IATA

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) revised its 2016 financial outlook for global air transport industry profits upwards to $39.4 billion (from $36.3 bn last December). It will be generated on revenues of $709 billion for an aggregate net profit margin of 5.6%.

Main Forecast Drivers:

Oil Prices: The outlook is based on oil averaging $45/barrel (Brent) over the course of the year which is significantly lower than the $53.9 average price in 2015. Overall, fuel is expected to represent 19.7% of the industry’s expenses, down from a recent high of 33.1% in 2012-2013.

The Global Economy: Weak economic conditions prevail. GDP is expected to expand by 2.3% in 2016. That is down from 2.4% in 2015 and the weakest growth since 2008 when the global financial crisis hit. 

Passenger Demand: Passenger demand is robust with 6.2% growth expected in 2016. That is, however, a slowdown from the 7.4% growth recorded in 2015. Capacity is expected to grow slightly ahead of demand at 6.8%. Load factors are expected to remain high (80.0%), but with a slight slip from 2015 (80.4%). 

Cargo: The cargo side of the business remains in the doldrums with 2.1% growth in demand. Overall cargo is expected to generate $49.6 billion in revenues, down from $52.8 billion in 2015.

“Lower oil prices are certainly helping—though tempered by hedging and exchange rates. Performance, however, is being bolstered by the hard work of airlines. Load factors are at record levels. New value streams are increasing ancillary revenues,” said Tony Tyler, IATA’s CEO.

Regional Diversity:North American carriers are expected have a net profit of $22.9 billion which is an improvement on the $21.5 billion reported for 2015. Passenger capacity is expected to expand by 4.3% in 2016, marginally outpacing an anticipated 4.0% increase in demand, but load factors are forecast to remain well above break-even levels.European airlines are expected to post a $7.5 billion profit in 2016 (up from $7.4 billion in 2015). Passenger capacity is forecast to grow by 5.8%, ahead of expected demand growth of 4.9%. Terror incidents have had a dampening effect on demand in some key tourist centers.Airlines in Asia-Pacific are expected to post a $7.8 billion profit in 2016, up from $7.2 billion in 2015. Capacity is forecast to expand by 9.1% in 2016, ahead of demand which is likely to grow by 8.5%. Asia-Pacific carriers have a 40% share of global air cargo markets. .Middle East carriers are expected to post a $1.6 billion profit, up slightly on the $1.4 billion reported for 2015. Capacity is forecast to grow at 12.2%, outpacing an expected 11.2% expansion of demand. Airlines in Latin America are expected to see a $100 million profit in 2016 after a $1.5 billion loss in 2015. Demand is expected to grow by 4.2% while carriers are forecast to add 3.7% to capacity. The region has been hit disproportionately by the fall in commodity prices and revenues, which led to foreign exchange crises to add to the economic difficulties.African airlines are expected to post a $500 million loss in 2016, a slight improvement on the $700 million that the region’s carriers lost in 2015. Capacity growth (5.3%) is anticipated to outpace demand growth of 4.5%. Carriers in the region continue to confront a plethora of challenges including intense competition on long-haul routes, political barriers to growing intra-Africa traffic, high costs and infrastructure deficiencies.  European airlines are expected to post a $7.5 billion profit in 2016 (up from $7.4 billion in 2015). Passenger capacity is forecast to grow by 5.8%, ahead of expected demand growth of 4.9%. Terror incidents have had a dampening effect on demand in some key tourist centers.Airlines in Asia-Pacific are expected to post a $7.8 billion profit in 2016, up from $7.2 billion in 2015. Capacity is forecast to expand by 9.1% in 2016, ahead of demand which is likely to grow by 8.5%. Asia-Pacific carriers have a 40% share of global air cargo markets. .Middle East carriers are expected to post a $1.6 billion profit, up slightly on the $1.4 billion reported for 2015. Capacity is forecast to grow at 12.2%, outpacing an expected 11.2% expansion of demand. Airlines in Latin America are expected to see a $100 million profit in 2016 after a $1.5 billion loss in 2015. Demand is expected to grow by 4.2% while carriers are forecast to add 3.7% to capacity. The region has been hit disproportionately by the fall in commodity prices and revenues, which led to foreign exchange crises to add to the economic difficulties.African airlines are expected to post a $500 million loss in 2016, a slight improvement on the $700 million that the region’s carriers lost in 2015. Capacity growth (5.3%) is anticipated to outpace demand growth of 4.5%. Carriers in the region continue to confront a plethora of challenges including intense competition on long-haul routes, political barriers to growing intra-Africa traffic, high costs and infrastructure deficiencies.  

EgyptAir's A320 made 3 emergency landings before its last flight

EgyptAir's Airbus A320, that crashed into the Mediterranean Sea in May, was forced to make at least 3 emergency landings 24-hours prior to its last journey, the French media reported. Aircraft's warning systems signaled a malfunction on board after the take-off on three several occasions. The alert messages were investigated every time but the plane was cleared to take off.

Routine maintenance checks were performed on the plane before the final flight from Paris to Cairo, officials told CNN.

Former aviation security official, Jean-Paul Troadec, commented on the alerts: “These new findings are an important element for the investigators. We cannot presume to know exactly what happened on board but it’s not entirely normal to turn around several times after a technical incident without finding anything.”

In the meantime, the hunt for the plane’s black boxes received a boost. The French vessel Laplace has detected signals in the Mediterranean Sea, that are assumed to be sent from the black boxes from the EgyptAir's A320 aircraft, according to France’s air accident investigation agency BEA.

The French naval forces are waiting for the second vessel to arrive to the wreckage search area that has been narrowed down to 5 km, in order to take pictures and retrieve the objects from the bottom of the sea. 

Egypt’s armed forces are racing against time along with support from France, Greece, the U.S and the U.K. to find the aircraft's black boxes as they send a transmission signal only for 30 days - until their batteries run out of power. From a maximum depth of 4,200 meters they send a signal from an underwater locator beacon that is activated as soon as it comes into contact with water.

Airbus senior engineer commented that the crash has strengthened the case for black boxes, that could eject from the tail of the aircraft before the accident removing the need for similar searches altogether. “If we have a deployable recorder it will be much easier to find,” said Charles Champion, Airbus Executive Vice-President for Engineering.

The idea was highly recommended before the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight 370 two years ago. Ejectable black boxes are used in the military, but some industry experts are critical about their implementation on commercial planes as they could pop out by accident and introduce new risks. 

The cause of the crash remains a mystery and the finding of the black boxes is crucial for putting together the puzzle of the last moments of the EgyptAir's flight.