Powell has not walked since he broke his back at the age of 18, in a motorcycle accident.

He said: “I have been flying all over the world to take part in wheelchair races – this has never happened before. I was left feeling angry and embarrassed.”

Powell offered to get out of the wheelchair and use his powerful arms to ease himself up the steps of the Eastern Airways aircraft. But the airline again refused him permission to board on safety grounds.

“It’s basically discrimination. They told me: ‘You can’t come on unless you can walk’,” said Powell, father of two. “They knew full well that I was in a wheelchair. I’d told them when I phoned to check the flight was on time.”

Powell had flown to Scotland for a race, last year with the same airline without any problems.

Powell competed at the 1992 Barcelona Paralympic Games, the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Canada and the 1998 World Championships.

He was booked onto the flight by Aberdeen Council, who had organised a 10K race he was taking part in.

A statement from Eastern Airways said: “The booking that was made on behalf of Mr Powell highlighted that he needed wheelchair assistance, but was able to climb the aircraft steps unaided. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case and Mr Powell was refused boarding on safety grounds.

“Wheelchair assistance is available to and from all our aircraft, as long as passengers are able to walk up the aircraft steps and onto the aircraft without assistance.”

Mr Powell later flew to Edinburgh with easyJet and was driven to the event in Balmoral.

Along with fake snow in a desert oasis, buildings designed to look like pieces of a chess board, Abu Dhabi now lays claim to the building with the most lean. The Capital Gate building in Abu Dhabi, was recently certified as being the furthest-leaning tower in the world by the Guinness Book of Records. The building leans at 18 degrees, which is nearly five times that of the Tower of Pisa.

However, unlike the Tower of Pisa, the Capital Gate was built to lean. After the 12th floor the floor plates are staggered to achieve the 18 degree lean.

Leaning tower of Pisa

The Leaning Tower of Pisa, the most famous leaning tower of all, is a free standing bell tower. The tower began leaning soon after its construction in 1173, due to a poorly laid foundation and loose substrata.

Galileo Galilei is reported to have dropped two cannon balls of different masses from the tower, in order to demonstrate that their speed of descent was independent of their mass. However, this story may be a fantasy of Galileo’s secretary.

China, Malayasia, Germany, Ireland, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Russian, United Kingdom, North America and the United States all can lay claim to a leaning tower.

Medieval Steeple, Germany

The leaning tower of Suurhusen, a late medieval steeple in Suurhusen, East Frisia, Germany, previously held the world record for being the most tilted tower in the world.

According to local historian, Tjabbo van Lessen, the church was built on marshy lands, where old oak tree trunks were preserved by the water in the ground. As the land became drained, in the 19^th century, the wood rotted, causing the tower to tilt.

The Leaning Tower of Teluk Intan, built in 1885 as a clock, water tower and beacon for shipping, by a Chinese builder, Leong Choon Cheong, began to tilt four years after it was built, because of an underwater stream.

Leaning Tower Russia

The Leaning Tower of Nevyansk, Russia, was built in the 18^th century. Many claim that the tower was deliberately built at an incline, while others say the cause was drifting grounds.

Tradition says that the tower weeps, as water continuously drips down the southeast wall.

On top of the tower is the first ever lightning rod, built 35 years before Benjamin Franklin.

It is also the first known building to use reinforced concrete, 130 years prior to the first recorded use by a Parisian gardener in 1860.

The tower also boasts metal parts that show no sign of corrosion. Scientists say that the iron composition is 99.6%, although commonplace today, it remains a mystery how 18^th century builders used such high-grade material.

After complaining to the airline, Lines received an email apologizing and promising him 20% off his next flight.

Now a Michigan woman, 36 year old Ginger McGuire, is suing United Airlines for locking her into an aircraft, after the United Express Flight 8080 from Washington DC to Philadelphia, which touched down after midnight.

McGuire claims she was left sleeping in the aircraft, after it landed and was locked in for four hours, before a cleaner discovered her. The cleaner promptly locked the plane again and alerted Transportation Security Administration.

The passenger was questioned by the agents, who were concerned about terrorism. McGuire claims she was ‘wrongfully detained and interrogated’.

McQuire is seeking between $25,000 and $75,000 damages for false imprisonment, infliction of emotional distress and breach of contract. “Waking up on an empty airplane and not being able to get out was very horrifying.” McGuire said.

“We are working closely with our partner Trans States Airlines to investigate the cause and remedy the situation with the customer,” said a spokeswoman for the airline, Fred Oxley. “Our procedures would call for the flight attendant before leaving the aircraft to do a sweep of the aircraft to ensure that there are no passengers left on. So our focus is certainly on whether or not that procedure was accomplished in this case.”

James Harrington, an attorney working with Fieger on the case, said the incident highlights a major safety issue.

“If my client, a completely unassuming person who was just exhausted … and falls asleep, could go undetected, what if somebody is really trying to go undetected?” Harrington said.

A giant plume of volcanic ash is disrupting flights in the Pacific and threatening villagers in Vanuatu, echoing similar problems which caused air traffic chaos in Europe. Forecasters in New Zealand say the cloud, spewing from Vanuatu’s Mount Yasur volcano, was about 18-hundred metres high, covering an area of about 200 square kilometres. Tourists have been urged to stay away from the volcano on Tanna island, which has disrupted domestic flights in neighbouring New Caledonia.

We contacted White Grass resort on the island of Tanna, where the majority of guests take the evening trip to Mt Yasur volcano.

“There is no unusual activity from the volcano,” they said. “We sent guests up there last night and they reported back that it was magnificent. There is no huge plume of volcanic ash rising into the sky.”

When we asked where the report originally came from they said “It came from a meteorologist sitting hundreds of miles away in Efate, looking at satellite images. “He never came to check out the volcano personally.” The meteorologist was sent an email asking for an explanation of his report.

Mt Yassur volcano is believed to have been erupting for the past 500 years. It has become one of the major tourist attractions on the tropical island of Tanna, Vanuatu, in the South Pacific. Mt Yassur is one of the few places in the world where an everyday tourist can walk right on the lip of a live volcano and stare down into the awesome power below. A truly unforgettable experience.

This false volcano report comes hard on the heels of a false report on earthquakes on May 27^th. There it was reported that villages fled their village after a ‘disaster’, created by three serious earthquakes.

Considering that most Vanuatu residents didn’t even register the 7.2 earthquake, which struck 215 miles NNW of Luganville, Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu, at a depth of 36.1 km. This was followed by a two other tremors of 5.7 and 5.2. There was an initial tsunami warning issued, but it was soon cancelled.

It would be a tragedy to miss out on the best holiday of your life, because of some false reports that have been published.

The fact also remains, you simply cannot believe every report you hear. Wait until you find confirmation from a second or third source before you really believe all you read.

The following news report was published on a media site on the morning of the 31^st May,2010:

• Last May 27, residents of the northern town of Vanuatu ran into the streets when an earthquake rocked the area. The magnitude reached 7.2. on the Richter Scale. A few minutes after the earth shook, nearby countries issued a tsunami warning. The good news is that there are no reports of injury and property damage. According to the US Geological Survey, the disaster happened around 4:14 in the morning. Its epicenter was in Port Villa, the capital, in that northwest area.

• It was followed by three more aftershocks with intensities ranging from 5.7 to 6.4. These aftershocks happened three hours after the disaster. There were some people who ran out of their houses in the midst of the disaster, especially from those towns closest to the center. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami warning in nearby areas like Solomon Islands and New Caledonia. After an hour, the alert was canceled. The government of Vanuatu is still assessing the extent of damage caused by the earthquake.

• Lying in northeastern section of Australia, Vanuatu is series of several islands and part of Pacific ring of fire where volcanoes are active and part of the fault line. This is one of the best destinations during summer.

Was this put out as a joke, or by competitors for the tourist trade?

On 27^th May at 5.14 p.m., a 7.2 earthquake struck 215 miles NNW of Luganville, Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu. (That is 485 km NNW of Port Villa). At a depth of 36.1 km, the earthquake was barely registered by the residents of Vanautu.

It was followed by a 5.7 tremour at 5.24 p.m. and 5.2 quake at 5.45 p.m.

There was a tsunami warning issued for the surrounding countries, but very quickly withdrawn. No one actually left their homes, or ran out into the streets. Why would they, if they had not even registered the quakes?

The following day there was a 5.1 tremor at 3.14a.m. and a 5.7 at 4.25 a.m. Again very few locals registered these quakes.

The only way residents would have been aware of these tremours would be if they looked up Internet sites that record all earthquakes around the world, over point 5. Makes interesting reading, when you find Vanuatu listed among Southern Qunghai China, Guam, Alaska, Eastern Sichuan China, Chile, Savu Sea and Brazil.

As for the statement ‘This is one of the best destinations during summer,’ Vanuatu is an exciting place to visit any time of the year, with fabulous weather, though summers are cyclone season and February and March have high humidity, (telling it like it really is).

Vanuatu was voted the happiest country on earth, it has great people, easily accessible and a widely varying culture. Experience Ni-Vanuatu, French and English all in one top-choice tropical island holiday, in the South Pacific, that will leave you with a 1000 wonderful memories.

It also goes to prove that you need to check out information from more than one source.

The real events were are follows:

This all goes to prove that you need to check out information from more than one source.

According to estimates, 13,000 travellers are waiting to get back from the U.S. while a further 10,000 are in Egypt, 2,500 in Thailand and 2,000 in Malaysia. Another 7,500 are scattered around globe. Many have been told by airlines to claim their expenses back once they have returned home and have been refused airline vouchers.

Stranded Passengers

Many travelers have run out of money and are living under blankets in airports. Others have borrowed heavily from family and friends, trying to pay for hotels. Passengers who made alternative travel arrangements, such as ferry, or train, may not be entitled to compensation from the airlines. All they may get back is a refund for the unused plane ticket.

It has been claimed that some planes are flying back to the UK half empty, as airlines jack up the seat prices. A spokesman for British Airways said the inflated fares were a ‘technical’ device to ensure the seats remain unbooked and available to stranded passengers. BA denied it was letting planes fly half booked. “We have been doing everything we can to ensure that the aircraft are full when they depart for the UK.”

BA claims that there are instances where the customers do not turn up for flights, or cancelled their bookings at short notice.

The European Union Transort Commissioner, Sliim Kalas, announced a pledge of state assistance to airlines affected by the total flying ban. However, it will be individual governments and their taxpayers who will be picking up the tab.

While airlines may be able to partake of a 2 billion pounds compensation package, the airlines are furious that under the EU rules they are bound to pick up the accommodation tab for stranded passengers.

Coming hard on the heels of the economic downturn, many stranded travellers are facing real hardship. One  traveller stranded with his family  in Disney Land says, “We are barely able to survive. Having borrowed heavily from my family and friends, stuck here not able to work, this extended holiday could force me into bankruptcy”.

Iceland Ash

The cost to the airline industry is estimated to be in the range of $1.75 billion. This is to say nothing of all the other businesses, such as tourism, fresh produce such as fruit, vegetables and flowers, restaurants, taxis etc., and buses that were also affected through the ban. The flow on effect will be felt for weeks to come.

Steve Lott, a spokesman for the International Air Transport Association, said “European Union transport ministers and air traffic agency Eurocontrol made decisions based on theoretical models and not on fact. Aviation authorities chose to categorize European airspace as being open or closed, but there should have been “shades of grey” all along,” Lott said during an interview.

Finally the same authorities decided to create three categories of flyable air space, based on danger levels from the ash cloud. They shrank the no-fly zone to areas close to the erupting volcano in Iceland, while deeming large pathways elsewhere safe to fly and a third category deemed flight-worthy under certain restrictions, where pilots were told they must apply visual conditions only to their flight path.

It is now hoped the old model will be urgently reviewed, so as to never again create a total ban.

In an already extremely costly exercise for stranded passengers, it was reported that some were being charged 1000 euros before they could get their hands on a boarding pass, let alone get on the actual flight.

After five days of being grounded, airlines prepared to resume partial flight schedules, allowing some travelers to make their way home at last. It will take weeks to move the backlog, however, a new cloud from the volcano is threatening to prolong delays in Britain. The United Kingdom National Air Traffic Services agency said the situation was growing worse in some areas, although it still expects more airports to reopen.

British Airways chief executive Willie Walsh said compensation will be sought from the European Union and various governments for the virtual shutdown of airspace for nearly seven days.

With 27 separate airspaces involved in the European Union, there is wide-spread criticism over the emergency. “It took five days to organize a conference call with the ministers of transport,” according to IATA director-general Giovanni Bisignani.

Many travelers in the Southern Hemisphere are opting to keep their overseas travel in the local area for the moment. Tropical islands such as unique Vanuatu, in the South Pacific, are proving to be a popular choice.

In a statement Cathay Pacific said that the plane’s left engine had shut down as the aircraft made its landing approach to Hong Kong’s international airport, with 309 passengers onboard from Surabaya in Indonesia.

The right engine also inexplicably cut out, leaving the pilots to cope with dips and surges in power, to stop the plane plunging into the ocean.

The emergency landing caused all four tyres on the left hand side of the plane to deflate, plus two on the right hand side, the airline reported. Passengers were evacuated on emergency inflatable slides.

“It was an amazing piece of piloting in extremely testing circumstances,” a colleague of the two Australian pilots told the South China Morning Post. “They effectively landed the plane on half an engine.What they did was nothing short of heroic.”

A small fire at the undercarriage of the aircraft near one of the wheels was sparked during the emergency landing.

Eight people were injured and taken to the hospital, although it is unclear whether they suffered their injuries during landing or evacuation.

Li Leung-ming, commander of the Fire Service Department’s air division, described the evacuation of passengers as “smooth.”

However, a 20-year-old passenger from Surabaya said the landing was calm, but chaos broke loose “when the captain told us there was an emergency and all passengers had to leave the plane immediately.”

Hong Kong’s Civil Aviation department is investigating the incident.

After ensuring there is no doctor on board, the Tempus IC (telemidicne device) can be used by the cabin crew in an emergency, to take a passenger’s vital signs, including blood pressure and heart rate. These are passed, along with relevant photographs and video, directly to a telemedicine call centre.

A doctor receiving the information can then put together a more thorough diagnosis and give the captain of the plane better advice about whether a diversion is necessary. The crew are then advised on the best line of action to take, for the safety, comfort and care of the passenger.

Doctors will doubtless continue to be called upon to act the ‘Good Samaritan in-flight’, but given that a doctor who does respond, may have inappropriate training and will almost certainly lack appropriate instruments, the appeal of equipment that puts an ill passenger in touch with a doctor who is trained in trauma medicine, who is familiar with the physiological effects of travel at 36,000 feet and who can see their vital signs is obvious.

Airlines may need to update their communication systems to be able to use these machines, but an item such as the Tempus IC looks like becoming an essential part of any first-aid kit.

Graham Murphy, the managing director of RDT, says the Tempus IC provides three main advantages to its users:

• it increases the quality of care the passenger receives,
• it enables airlines to avoid unnecessary diversions and
• it reduces the chance of litigation. The airline can show that it did all that was reasonably possible, since the machine records all the data it receives.

Flight attendants need only four hours of training before they are ready to use the machine. Given the frequency of medical emergencies, its ease of use apparently allows an attendant to use it effectively for many months after training.

Etihad Airways’ chief operations officer, Richard Hill, said: “It will help to ensure that a passenger can receive the appropriate treatment when the aircraft lands, whether by diversion or at the final destination.”

Tempus IC is used on ships, oil rigs and wherever urgent medical assistance is required. It is already being used by Emirates, BMI Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Australia airlines.

This type of medicine was first employed by the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia in the early 1900s, when two-way radios were used. The first interactive telemedicine system was developed in 1989.

Centers for Disease Control issued a rare “no sail” recommendation. Ship owner Royal Caribbean Cruises said that an outbreak of norovirus on the Celebrity Mercury had forced it to return early to Charleston.

Norovirus, which causes diarrhea, vomiting and stomach pain, affected passengers on three of the Celebrity Mercury’s voyages from February to March.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 411 of 1,830 passengers on board the first voyage fell ill, while 182 of 1,749 passengers on the second voyage fell ill. The last voyage found that 406 out of 1,829 passengers, or more than 22%, were affected by the virus. The virus is very contagious and can spread rapidly through people:

• eating food or drinking liquids that are contaminated with norovirus
• touching surfaces or objects contaminated with norovirus, and then placing their hand in or near their mouth
• inhaling aerosols from projectile vomiting
• having direct contact with another person who is infected and showing symptoms.

Symptoms appear within 12 – 48 hours of contact. Symptoms usually last only 1 or 2 days.

Currently there is no antiviral medication and no vaccine to prevent infection. It cannot be treated with antibiotics. Patients may remain contagious up to 48 hours after the last symptom appears. However the virus can be present in the faeces at low levels for several weeks after recovery.

After returning to the Port of Charleston, Celebrity Cruises said it hired 50 extra workers to help disinfect the cruise ship from top to bottom, over a four day period.

USA Today reported that the Celebrity Mercury’s next voyage was to the Caribbean, delayed by only two days, but with only around 60 percent occupancy.