How to break your wrist easy

Ryanair lifts profit forecast
Ryanair has raised its profit forecast for its current financial year which ends in March. The Irish low-cost airline, which is Europe’s largest, said higher ticket prices are more than making up for expensive fuel and reduced numbers of flights. Its net profit in the quarter to the end of December was 15 million euros compared with the same period a year earlier as average fares rose 17 percent. The higher fares made up for a two percent fall in passenger numbers as the airline grounded 80 of its 270 planes over the winter due to high fuel costs. Ryanair followed British peer EasyJet in posting strong revenue growth as higher-priced rivals are battered by fuel costs and a struggling global economy. German group Lufthansa and Air France-KLM have cut profit forecasts after being hit by fuel cost rises and slashed plans to expand in 2012. “The EU recession, higher oil prices, the unfolding failure of the package tour operator model, significant competitor fare increases and capacity cuts, has created enormous growth opportunities for Ryanair,” Chief Executive Michael O’Leary said in a statement. Ryanair is examining opportunities in Spain following the collapse last week of loss-making rival Spanair, Chief Financial Officer Howard Millar said. One cloud on the horizon is the fuel bill, which Ryanair is forecasting will increase by 350 million euros in its next financial year, which runs from April 2012 to March 2013. That poses a significant cost challenge, but does not necessarily mean profit growth will slow, Millar said. “So far we have been able to pass on higher fuel charges to passengers in the form of higher fares. So far so good, but one never knows,” he said. More about: Airlines, Ireland, Profits, Ryanair

Manning’s Giants win the 46th Super Bowl

Greek leaders seek last minute agreement on aid
Political leaders in Greece have failed to agree on austerity measures demanded by the EU and the International Monetary Fund perilously close to a crucial deadline. The political leaders have to agree by noon on Monday if the so-called ‘troika’ of lenders will release nearly 130-billion euros in emergency funds. Without the funds Greece is at risk of a messy default when bond payments come due next month. The leaders say they will now continue their discussions to the last minute. The right-wing leaders have opposed further cuts in wages and spending. George Karatzaferis of the far-right LAOS party said: ‘I will not contribute to the explosion of a revolution due to misery, which will then burn down Europe.’ The objectors argue that yet more austerity measures risk pushing Greece into an even deeper recession. The troika of lenders, the European Commission, the IMF and the European Central Bank want more than 2-billion euros of spending cuts this year, and have demanded that all political leaders give their backing. More about: Eurozone, Greece, Lucas Papademos

Russian presidential TV debates begin
Candidates standing in Russia’s presidential election have officially begun their media campaigns with a series of televised one-on-one debates. Last night’s duel was between Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov and the relative newcomer Mikhail Prokhorov who is standing as an independent. Zyuganov immediately attacked the inexperience of his opponent by asking how was it that he had suddenly appeared on the political scene? Prokhorov responded by saying that as a businessman he was limited in what he could do for his country. “I want to ensure living standards for all workers are as good as those who work for me,” he said. Nine hours of free air time have been scheduled to allow all five candidates the opportunity to allow viewers to know their policies. But with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin widely expected to retake the presidency on March 4 it is not sure how much impact the TV coverage will have. “Just Russia” leader Sergei Mironov has already taken out a political advertisment to help his cause, as has the Nationalist far-right candidate Vladimir Zhirinovsky who can be seen on TV trying to encourage a reluctant donkey, representing Russia, to accept progress. More about: Bulgarian presidential election, Electoral campaign, Russia, Russian elections 2012, Vladimir Putin

Facebook ‘light my fire’
Palo Alto, California, has been Facebook’s home base since June 2004. It was conceived on the other side of the country, at Harvard University, originally aimed at the students there, then at everyone in 2006. Greenpeace has a video campaign running which tells the story of how Facebook came to be, talking about friends and bullying and… green energy, admonishing the creator for not using this option. The ecologists brand the Internet whizz a ‘wicked coal-burner’. Mark Zuckerberg is now 27, with an estimated fortune of 17 billion euros or so. Innovation success like this got him named ‘Man of the Year’ for 2010 by Time magazine. Analyst Anupam Palit said: “When you think about Facebook, in a lot of ways we are talking about the social media space and this sector, Facebook really defines the opportunity around this. We weren’t really talking about social media before Facebook came along.” The increase in Facebook faithful has been exponential since 2006. Today the social network has some 800 million users. Most are in North America, though the Europeans aren’t that far behind. But its the numbers in Asia recently that have been rising more rapidly. The 13-35 age range is where you’ll find the greatest portion of fans. This pie chart shows percentages. Facebook is active in 78 languages. Specialists say this is one of its keys to success, along with how easy it is to use, and that the company keeps driving its evolution along. Lance Ulanoff, at Mashable, an American news website and Internet blog, said: “Facebook is consistently growing because it’s consistently innovating. These are innovations that really transform Facebook from this meeting place to something much more. That is a big part of how they maintain the momentum.” Late last year, the company launched a new design of what it calls an interface, “Timeline”, then suggesting this is to be mandatory and permanent for all users. Hard-core individualists’ ears may also twitch when they hear lyrics sung in the movie based on Zuckerberg’s creation, ‘The Social Network’… Well, who doesn’t “want control and a perfect body and soul”? Of course, there is far more to it. More about: Facebook, Internet, social network, USA Facebook has changed your life: A Javascript enabled browser that accepts cookies is required in order to participate in the poll. For better (14%)  For worse (19%)  Neither better nor worse (67%)  // pollTS[0]) { pollTS = cookie; cValid = true; }; }; warning.parentNode.removeChild(warning); if(cookie && cValid) { for(var i = 1; i < pollTS.length; i++) { votes += parseInt(pollTS[i], 10) || 0; }; var total = 0; for(var i = 1; i < pollTS.length; i++) { per = pollTS[i] > 0 ? Math.round(pollTS[i] / (votes / 100)) : 0; if(total + per > 100) { per = 100 - total; total = 100; } else { total += per; }; output[output.length] = '' + questions[i - 1] + ' (' + per + '%) '; }; pollHTML += "" + output.join("") + ""; }; if(!cookie) { pollHTML = ' For better For worse Neither better nor worse'; }; if(pollHTML) { content.innerHTML = pollHTML; }; })();// ]]>

Two killed, hundreds injured in Cairo after football protest
There were violent clashes on the streets of Cairo on Thursday night, as outraged people expressed anger at the deaths of 74 people after a football match on Wednesday. Earlier on, the crowd had marched to the Interior Ministry, who many believe were complicit in the football killings. Some protesters waved the flag of Al Ahly football team, whose fans were targeted after the game. Thursday night’s unrest lead to more than 400 people being injured after security forces used tear gas on the demonstrators. Two people were killed – shot dead by police who were trying to protect a police station, according to witnesses. An angry paramedic was just one of those who blames the deaths at the football match and ensuing violence in Cairo on the Ministry of Interior. “God will be angry and God will take revenge on those responsible,” he said. Many believe fans of the winning al-Masry side were deliberately allowed to attack the Al Ahly supporters, as chaos broke out after a pitch invasion at the end of the match. Al Ahly is a Cairo team and their supporters were very much involved in the uprising that resulted in President Hosni Mubarak being toppled. The feeling is that security was lacking and ineffective on purpose as a punishment for the revolution. Responding to the outcry, an emergency parliamentary session was called and the Egyptian prime minister announced the sacking of several senior officials. More about: Clashes and riots, Football, Port Said football tragedy, Protests in Egypt, Victims

Anti-Wade protesters clash with Dakar police
Protesters clashed with Senegalese police in Dakar on Tuesday after demonstrating against a decision by President Abdoulaye Wade to seek re-election. The protesters threw rocks at the security services who responded with tear gas and batons. One woman was reported to have been injured. They are angry about a constitutional Court ruling allowing 85-year-old Wade to run for a third term in the February 26th presidential election. The opposition disputes his claim that 2008 constitutional change allows him to stay on. Wade has been in power in Senegal since 2000. Musician Youssou N’Dour had wanted to stand, but the court barred him from doing so on the grounds he lacked the required 10,000 signatures of support. More about: Abdoulaye Wade, Clashes and riots, Senegal, Youssou N’Dour

Iceland bouncing back from the brink
The money boom that led to the financial crisis has changed Icelanders’ values. The banking crash there has hit not only their enviously high standards of living, but the heart of their national identity. They are bouncing back though, reforming their democracy and doing some soul-searching. We look at that in this edition of Reporter. Click on the link above to see the programme. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/countrytemplate_ic.html da-esterel.fr icelandweatherreport.com http://www.iceland.is/did-you-know More about: Banking, Economic crisis, Europe, Iceland, Icelandic politics, Volcanoes

Drug killer suspect captured in Mexico
Police in Mexico have captured an alleged member of the notorious Zetas drug gang. According to the authorities, Enrique Elizondo Flores has confessed to killing at least 75 people including many who were pulled off buses. The 35-year-old suspect is said to have been in charge of killing members of rival drug cartels. More about: Arrest, Crime, Drug trafficking, Mexico