Australia's six vacant 'Best Jobs in the World' positions attract 40,000 interested applicants. Elly Park reports.
TRANSCRIPT REPORTER: The deadline has officially passed to apply for Australia's six "Best Jobs in the World", which includes such titles as "Chief Funster" and "Taste Master." More than 40,000 people from nearly 200 countries have applied for the six-month positions that come with a 100,000 dollar (Australian dollar) salary. Interested applicants were asked to create a 30-second video explaining their qualifications and most were of high quality says Karen Halbert of Tourism Australia. KAREN HALBERT: "They are all mad, we're really excited it's going to be, I think, a really tight contest but an amazing outcome when we pick the final six." REPORTER: First, officials have to choose 18 finalists among the 40,000 entries who will be flown to Australia for interviews and final selection. Other vacant dream job positions are Outback Adventurer, Wildlife Caretaker, Lifestyle Photographer and Park Ranger. The six winners will be announced on June 21.
Citing accusations of animal cruelty, a New York group seeks to replace horse-drawn carriages with replica vintage cars powered by electricity. Tara Cleary reports.
TRANSCRIPT REPORTER: It's not the first time in history that cars could be replacing horses. At least that's the wish of animal advocacy group NYCLASS - New Yorkers for Clean, Livable and Safe Streets. They're proposing that a fleet of replica vintage, fully electric cars replace the city's horse-drawn carriages. Spokesperson Allie Feldman says cars are a clean, economical, safe and humane alternative. ALLIE FELDMAN: "It doesn't poop, it doesn't foam at the mouth, it doesn't urinate on city streets. It has tush warmers and climate control, so you don't have to use those nasty blankets which could give you bedbugs. And it's a much better value for tourists." REPORTER: New York's horse-drawn carriages have been the subject of controversy and debate over the years, with accidents prompting accusations of animal abuse. But carriage operator, Conor McHugh says NYClass is just another group trying to steal their business. CONOR MCHUGH: "Our horses have jobs. They have health care. They have dental care, which coincidentally they got this morning. They have farrier care. They have nice, comfortable homes to live in and they earn their keep. Just like me. Just like you." REPORTER: Tourists we spoke to seem to be split in favor of cars … ERIN, TOURIST FROM AUSTRALIA: "Yeah, I think it's romantic and maybe not so clichéd as the horse and carriage, perhaps." REPORTER: … or horses and carriages. JOHN SANDERS, TOURIST FROM AUSTRALIA: "I don't think these car things will ever take off. I reckon the horses are here to stay to be quite honest." REPORTER: Perhaps the only way to get an answer is straight from the horse's mouth.
IDIOM If you hear something straight from the horse's mouth, you hear it from someone who knows that it is definitely true. See The Phrase Finder for the origin of this expression.
The rush for bargain summer holidays starts today as travel firms slash hundreds of pounds from the cost of sunshine breaks. Full story >>
VOCABULARY You can refer to a sudden great increase in wealth, success, or luck as a bonanza. Obviously, the austerity program and the government sticking to it for the last four years has not led to a bonanza in business investment.
Passenger aircraft flying in formation like birds are likely to be a feature of aviation in the second half of this century, according to plans revealed by aviation giant Airbus.
TRANSCRIPT
REPORTER: It's not a display by the Red Arrows. In fact, it's a realistic vision for the future of air travel, according to the world's largest manufacturer of passenger jets. Aircraft flying in formation, about 1 kilometre apart, could be a feature of aviation by 2050 on high-traffic routes under a plan produced by Airbus. The company's engineering chief Charles Champion says the idea - modelled on the way birds fly long distances - will reduce fuel consumption. CHARLES CHAMPION: "When you're behind other aircraft you actually save ten to fifteen percent fuel. So it really works and in fact the birds put that forward in order to minimize the energy to fly long distances so it's all about actually bio-mimicary and taking the lessons learned from nature." REPORTER: The company says that by the middle of the 21st century flights in Europe and the USA could on average be around 13 minutes shorter, cutting down on fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. They also envisage aircraft climbing more steeply on take-off to minimise noise and allow for shorter runways. Aviation analyst Howard Wheeldon welcomes the ideas, but warns it'll take more than aircraft technology to implement. HOWARD WHEELDON: "It isn't just the aircraft, it isn't just the fantastic engine technology, it is also the operation of the airlines. It's governments, it's regulation, it's looking at themselves how they can do things better, and allow aircraft to get into airports, in airports and through airports a lot faster." REPORTER: However unlikely this might look now, Airbus insists their blueprint will be helping passengers get from A to B more efficiently within decades. Edward Baran, Reuters.
They were simple adverts, designed to entice holidaymakers to the exotic beach resorts of Plymouth, Whitby and Clacton-on-Sea, but now a series of railway posters is expected to fetch thousands when they are put up for auction.
The magnificent billboards, designed for Great Western Railway (GWR) and British Railways back in the steam era, will go under the hammer on July 12, as part of a 20th Century poster and print sale at Bloomsbury Auctions, in London.
The colourful adverts, highlighting the delights of beach holidays in the South West, Essex and Scotland, were designed to encourage Britons to take to the train and explore their country at a time when few people owned cars and overseas breaks were beyond the reach of most. Read more and see more posters >>
VOCABULARY An auction is a public sale where goods are sold to the person who offers the highest price (the highest bidder). If something is put up for auction or auctioned, it is offered for sale in an auction. An auctioneer is the person in charge of an auction. If something goes under the hammer, it is sold at an auction (the auctioneer uses a hammer to close the sale).
COMMENT Plymouth is my home town, but I don't think I'll be bidding for any of the posters—they're expected to fetch £1000 or more!
As ceremonies are held to mark 100 years since RMS Titanic set sail from Southampton on its ill-fated maiden voyage, Reuters talks exclusively to the UK CEO of Carnival Corporation, David Dingle about the industry's past, present and future. Hayley Platt reports.
TRANSCRIPT REPORTER Titanic's whistle sounds across Southampton - exactly 100 years after the liner set sail from the English port on her ill-fated trip. A flotilla of ships and hundreds of people took part in a memorial service at the berth she departed from. Despite the disaster cruising has thrived over the past century. A week before the anniversary Liz and Andy Long set off from Southampton on the Queen Victoria on a 17-day cruise around the Adriatic. They'd only just returned from an 11-night cruise in the Mediterranean. CRUISE PASSENGERS ANDY AND LIZ LONG: "We like the sheer elegance of it and the mere fact that you unpack just once and wake up in a different country each morning. You can choose to stay on the ship there's plenty to do. We also like the dressing up in the evening and, we like that part as well." REPORTER: The cruise is no longer the preserve of the rich. The European Cruise Council says more than 6 million European passengers were carried last year, twice as many than a decade ago. David Dingle is UK CEO of Carnival Corporation the world's biggest cruise operator and parent company of Costa Cruises. Its cruise ship the Costa Concordia capsized off the coast of Italy in January killing at least 30 people. Carnival says $175 million has been wiped off its profits this year. DAVID DINGLE, UK CEO OF CARNIVAL CORP.: "Immediately after the Concordia tragedy there was clearly a pause in the booking momentum as people needed to understand it and to be reassured once again of the safety record of the cruise industry." REPORTER: The Titanic sank after hitting an iceberg four days into it's journey to New York. More than 1500 people lost their lives. Southampton is now Europe's biggest port for cruise liners with 300 setting sail each year. And the industry continues to grow despite the current challenges posed by current high fuel prices. DAVID DINGLE: "The biggest impact will be in slowing down the speed of our ships and that will probably have an impact on the places that we go to, how many ports we go to, how frequently and which ports we go to. I think as a result of that the cruise proposition will start moving more to what purely the ships themselves offer rather necessarily than the very many places that we go to." REPORTER: Maritime disasters have clearly had an affect on the industry over the decades. But Carnival is confident it can weather any storm. It has Asia, South America and Australia on its horizon - not as a destination but as a source of new passengers. Hayley Platt, Reuters.
UK low cost airline, Easyjet says losses for the first six months will be better than expected, thanks to savvy cost management and a mild winter. Joanne Nicholson reports.
REPORTER: It would be an exaggeration to say that business is taking off for Europe's second largest low-cost carrier. But in a climate where oil prices are soaring and competition is high, Easyjet says losses for the first half of the year will be lower than they'd predicted. Carolyn McCall is the CEO. CAROLYN MCCALL, CEO, EASYJET: "We are managing our costs very well. We have a revenue growth of ten percent and in addition to that we had very benign weather so the winter was extremely easy compared to the winter last year or the year before that." REPORTER: On the day Easyjet launched new services from the UK's Southend airport, shares were up by 7 percent - a two-year high for the firm. They say they're now expecting losses of between 110 and 120 million pounds instead of between 140 and 160 million. Unlike long-haul operators, Easyjet won't be adversley affected by the European Union's controversial new carbon emissions tax either because it operates smaller planes. CAROLYN MCCALL: "We think it encourages airlines to be more fuel efficient and it encourages airlines to look at their fleet in terms of engines etcetera." REPORTER: The 17 year old company has recently been embroiled in a row with its main shareholder and founder, Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, over executive pay and returning money to shareholders. But if Sir Stelios gets a proposed new airline off the ground, the long-haul plan wouldn't be competition for Easyjet's short-haul model. Competition is high in Europe. The Spanish airline, Iberia, has added some other destinations to its domestic arm. Iberia Express will now fly to other routes outside of Spain. In terms of Easyjet's own expansion plans - it has two new bases in France, with one in Portugal and Germany to come too. Joanne Nicholson, Reuters.
Stephen Fry, Julie Walters, Harry Potter star Rupert Grint and Downton Abbey actress Michelle Dockery are fronting a government campaign to encourage Britons to holiday at home in 2012. Read more >>
VOCABULARY The word "staycation" is a portmanteau of stay (meaning stay-at-home) and vacation, and is a neologism for a period in which an individual or family stays and relaxes at home, possibly taking day trips to area attractions. Staycations achieved popularity in the US during the financial crisis of 2007–2010. Staycations also became a popular phenomenon in the UK in 2009 as a weak pound made overseas holidays significantly more expensive. The term was added to the 2009 version of the Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (source: Wikipedia).
New York City gets its first gay, straight-friendly urban resort as it tries to get a bigger piece of the multi-billion same-sex travel and tourism industry. Conway G. Gittens reports.
TRANSCRIPT REPORTER: "The Out NYC hotel" recently launched just steps away from the famed theaters of Broadway, hoping to become a rising star in the $47 billion gay travel and tourism industry, a figure compiled by the Association of Travel Marketing Executives. Ian Reisner said he came up with the idea after watching local businesses catering to the gay community disappear. IAN REISNER, CO-FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT, THE OUT NYC: "We lost bars and we lost clubs and we lost cafes and we lost restaurants. And we never even had a gay boutique hotel, so I decided to open a gay-focused, gay-oriented, straight-friendly urban resort right here in the heart of New York on 42nd Street, blocks from Times Square." REPORTER: The Out Hotel NYC actually builds on two current trends. Number one: more and more boutique hotels are popping up; with major hotel companies even getting in the game as the industry looks to boost sales. The half-acre complex has 105 guest rooms, a restaurant, nightclub, three courtyards, a spa facility, a waterfall, and an open door policy for all, which means one doesn't have to be gay to check in. The second trend is cultural, and Reisner sees a business opportunity there. IAN REISNER: "With the legalization of gay marriage happening everywhere around us, with the repeal of 'Don't ask. Don't tell' in the military, I think the opening of a gay urban resort, a gay-oriented urban resort is one step more in that direction, making gays feel accepted everywhere and anywhere." CONWAY G. GITTENS, REUTERS REPORTER: Part of the strategy is to create a boutique hotel experience that is affordable for as many as possible - whether gay or straight. At this hotel they have shared sleeper rooms. Four beds in one room. $99 a bed. Each bed comes with a TV and a privacy curtain but one shared bathroom; a small price though city where an average hotel room rate can cost $276 a night. Conway Gittens, Reuters.
The Daily Express says families will be hit with more taxes on holidays, making them too expensive. Full story >>
VOCABULARY If journalists say that the authorities slap something such as a tax or a ban on something, they think that it is unreasonable or put on without careful thought. • Authorities in Oman have slapped a ban on the sale of cough and cold medicines that contain anti-histamine and decongestants for infants.
EXPLANATION The captain tells tells the passengers, "The company is experiencing turbulence—tighten your belts ..." Usually, this sort of announcement would refer to the flying conditions, but here it also refers to the financial situation of the company.
IDIOM If you have to tighten your belt, you have to spend less money and manage without things because you have less money than you used to have.
An industry group says bookings ahead of London's 2012 Olympics are down more than 90 per cent, raising concerns about the economic benefit of hosting the Games.
TRANSCRIPT REPORTER: Preparations for London's 2012 Olympics are in full swing - but there are growing concerns over whether enough people will be coming to the party. Chief Executive of the European Tour Operators Association, Tom Jenkins, says the numbers aren't looking good. TOM JENKINS: "We've just done a survey of our members who bring about 2 million people into London every year, and, according to them, they are looking at a 60 percent decline in tourist numbers during July and August of next year and a 95 percent decline during the Olympic Games themselves." REPORTER The association estimates that's a loss to the economy of around 3.5 billion pounds - there are also worries that inflated hotel prices will deter regular tourists from visiting during the Olympics period. British Culture Minister Jeremy Hunt acknowledges the Games come at a tough time. JEREMY HUNT: "We have just had or we are in the middle of a global economic crisis. This is a very difficult time for the European economy in particular and I don't think it is particularly surprising to see those numbers at this stage." REPORTER: But London's official promotional organisation doesn't seem worried. Spokeswoman Martine Ainsworth-Wells says it's too early to tell how many people will show up. MARTINE AINSWORTH-WELLS: "Travel habits have changed dramatically over the past five or six years. Five or six years ago people would be planning three, six months in advance. Now, travel patterns, certainly to London, we have found are a bit different and people will leave maybe just a week's notice, or a couple of week's notice to come to London, so we think we have still got plenty of time to be able to persuade people." REPORTER: Organisers are hoping that aside from the Olympics, events such as the London Festival and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee will be enough to tempt tourists. Kirsty Basset, Reuters.
How would you like to fly anywhere you wanted on a whim? Now, it’s a reality. A flying car just got the green light for takeoff. Transcript & sources >>
Long known as one of the most marijuana-friendly cities in the world, Amsterdam may soon shut off visitors from its marijuana-selling coffee shops. Transcript & sources >>
