Etihad Launches New Routes to Chengdu & Dusseldorf

Etihad Airways continued expanding its range of destinations with new routes between Abu Dhabi and Chengdu - the first route connecting the Middle East and Chengdu, as well as adding Dusseldorf flights to its itinerary.


Dusselfdorf ia a base airport for Airberlin, with whom Etihad recently significantly increased their shareholding. This makes Etihad the second 'MEB3' carrier to operate out of Dusseldorf, after Emirates.

The two new routes will both be operated four times a week, with the Dusseldorf route increasing to daily flights at the start of the summer season next year.

Whoa!

Bit close for comfort!

27,000 Property Millionaires Created in 2011

Source: Imgspark

27,000 new property millionaires were created in 2011, despite overall prices dropping by 3%, reports The Telegraph. Large houses are in relatively short supply, meaning that property sellers in this niche can up their asking price.

New figures from Zoopla.co.uk, an online valuation service, say 26,744 more home owners had properties worth £1m more at the end of 2011 than at the same time last year, although the average British property value fell by 3pc to £221,128 over the same period.

"High prime demand" from equity-rich buyers and relatively low supply of large homes had created 73 new property millionaires every day in 2011, Zoopla said, and one in 108 homes was now worth £1m or more; at the peak of the property market in 2007 the figure was one in 97.

 Not surprisingly, the biggest rise in property millionaires was in London, where it accounts for 9 of the top 10 areas in the country. Virginia Water in Surrey was the only area outside Londond in the top 10 with 30% of homes worth more than £1M.

Nick Leeming of Zoopla.co.uk said: "This data shows clearly how differently the top end of the market is performing from mainstream Britain. 

"While most of the market is suffering from the impact of inflation, stagnant wage growth, the inability to secure mortgage finance and nervousness about the future of the economy, at the upper end of the market cash and equity rich buyers are enjoying some of the lowest mortgage rates in recent history."
He added that "strong demand" from overseas buyers has boosted prices for homes in the capital. 

It will be interesting to see how this pans out when interest rates start to go up and the new mortgage lending rules come into effect in 2013.

Classic cute kitten video.

New Mobile Apps Evolving Our Banking Habits

 Source Technewsdaily

Since the advent of internet banking in the 1990's, smartphones and tablet applications will opave the way in the future, reports technewsdaily:

A Swiss study of 50 banks worldwide that have dedicated iOS and Android apps found that while most were extremely basic, a few of the apps demonstrate great potential.
"In terms of the future of mobile banking, it's very clear to us that when we talk about banking in general, a big part of this will be mobile," said Steffen Binder, research director of the Swiss market research group MyPrivateBanking that released the new report.

The article also suggests that mobile banking will revolutionise day to dat transactions as well as demand continues to increase and the US adopts the European Visa Mastercard (EMV) security framework. Contactless payment, whereby a phone can be swiped like a credit or debit card is also likely to become more widespread as the technology develops.

Edward O'Brien, channels adviser of Mercator Advisory Group in the US continued:

As mobile banking applications free up services now handled by tellers, bank branch offices could undergo a renaissance of their own. Greater staff time and a shift in focus would allow tellers to be conduits to financial advisors and physical space to host rich discussions about one’s financial future, O’Brien said.

"You could actually discuss with someone investment opportunities. Instead of just withdrawing or depositing, talk about where you want to be this year or next year. You could use the branch to really take investment to the next level," he said.

The way in which we look after our finances could be unrecognisable in just a few short years.

Pro Bono Law Clinic Opened in Northampton

The Northampton and District Citizens Advice Bureau pro bono clinic has opened its doors to provide clients with access to free legal services from Access Legal.

The press release says:

The new clinic is the result of a joint effort between Access Legal, Northampton and District CAB, the University of Northampton Law School and LawWorks, all of whom recognised the immense public value of free legal services. These organisations understand that many people across the UK cannot afford to hire solicitors despite urgently needing legal advice.

More than 30 attendees joined Access Legal and the other organisations involved in the pro bono clinic to celebrate its official launch during National Pro Bono Week.

The clinic will provide the community with advice on a range of legal issues, such as employment disputes, landlord and tenant issues and consumer rights.

The chief executive of the Northampton and Distract CAB, Martin Lord, echoed Paul Morrison's sentiments, saying: "This is a significant development for us. It ushers in what we hope will be a new era of cooperation with the legal community."
Lord went on to say that all of the bro bono support involved in establishing the clinic represents an untapped resource for the community. He expressed his gratitude to the University of Northampton Law School, LawWorks and Access Legal for their efforts in developing the clinic and setting a positive tone of collaboration for the future.

Access Legal has also  recently helped to raise over £30k for Aspire, a charity which helps people with spinal cord injuries.

HMS Ocean Returns Home to Plymouth

The crew of HMS Ocean is finally back ib the UK after a 7 month deployment.

Happy Christmas!

The Qualities of a Foster Parent

If you've thought about fostering children, this video from Fostering People gives an insight into what qualities foster parents need to have. Fostering People also have an agency based in Dublin, set up specifically to help with fostering children in the Dublin area.

Being a foster parent can be very rewarding and can make a real difference to the quality of life for the children you look after, watching them grow and encouraging their self belief. It can also be difficult at times, which is why fostering agencies need to be certain that potential foster parents possess the right qualities for the task.

Supercar Crash in Japan

Luckily there were no serious injuries, just a whole lot of scrap metal - about £2million worth.