Want to get on the first commercial flight of Airbus's A380 'superjumbo'?

Then go to eBay. Yes folks, that is where Singapore Airlines is selling tickets for the inaugral commercial flight of the superjumbo.

Why? Because it wants to open its doors to all those interested in the new aircraft and at the same time raise money for charity.

Good on Singapore Airlines. The airline industry needs to be seen to be doing its bit.

So when can we start bidding for the tickets for the Singapore to Sydney flight, due to take place in October?

According to the press office, it should be quite soon. The first thing you have to do is register an interest at singaporeair.com/a380. You will then be alerted when the auction starts.

(And if you miss out, you can always buy your own A380.)

Coventry Airport is to appeal last month’s decision by UK government ministers who rejected its plans for a new permanent passenger terminal that could double passenger figures.

“Our legal team has advised us that the decision is seriously flawed in law,” said airport managing director, Chris Orphanou, adding: “We will be seeking a new inquiry.”

Although operations director Mike Morton would not reveal details as to why the decision is legally flawed, he did tell ABTN that the airport hopes to have its appeal expedited within a year and a final decision reached in 18 months to two years.

The proposed terminal building would cost approximately £10m-£15m ($21m-$31m), cover 10,250sq m (33,630sq ft) and cater for up to 2m passengers a year, replacing the current interim property of 500sq m (without piers) which has capacity for less than half that and serves 0.98m annually.

Orphanou stressed the need for a larger airport in the near future: “Coventry is a major city with ambitious plans. Tens of thousands of new homes will be built in the next few years. New jobs are essential and Coventry deserves a successful airport.

“The airport can play a major part in the economic regeneration of Coventry and provide a cost-effective use of resources for customers who would otherwise have to travel to airports as far away as Stansted.”

Proximity to Birmingham airport, lack of adequate public transport, pressure on the local community and noise pollution were some of the reasons given for the government’s refusal, said Morton.

Coventry says it is committed to tackling the various issues raised, with initiatives such as sound insulation in surrounding properties, an on-site noise monitoring system, improved bus timetable for journeys between the terminal, local bus and train stations and car sharing schemes to limit traffic to and from the airport.

“We will never stop trying to do our utmost for our neighbours, community and to work with local partners in order to find solutions to any of their concerns,” said Orphanou.

The Federation of Tour Operators challenged the Government in the High Court this week over the doubling of Air Passenger Duty.

The FTO and members TUI UK and Kuoni argue APD is unlawful under the Chicago Convention of 1944. They also say the effect on tour operators breached their rights.



They argue Treasury officials forgot the Package Travel Regulations would prevent tour operators passing the increase to passengers in the way airlines could.

Charles Haddon-Cave QC, for the FTO, argued substantial lead-in times were allowed when APD was introduced in 1994 and amended in 1996 and 2000 because "the Treasury recognised the Package Travel Regulations place tour operators in unique difficulty".

But when the then Chancellor Gordon Brown announced the doubling of APD on December 6 2006, he gave less than two months' notice. The trade had sold four million holidays for travel after February 1, the day of the increase, and had to absorb the cost.

First Choice chief executive Peter Long wrote to the Chancellor arguing the retrospective tax amounted to 10% of the company's UK profits, and industry representatives sought either an exemption for existing bookings or a longer lead-in time.



Haddon-Cave acknowledged the latter would slash revenue to the Treasury, but argued the problem arose from a failure to give more notice.

He said APD was incompatible with Article 15 of the Chicago Convention, which established: "Governments can't charge people simply for flying."

The only case in UK or European law that referred to the Convention had resulted in a Belgian court ruling a district council's tax on airport operation unlawful in 2005, said Haddon-Cave.

However, leading airlines have declined to join the court action, with one aviation source suggesting the FTO has little chance of victory. The hearing was expected to last until the end of the week.

Stansted has launched a campaign aimed at ensuring passengers understand current security restrictions (http://www.stanstedairport.com/security) before they arrive at the airport.

The Prepare for Summer campaign highlights seven points that holidaymakers need to remember, including:

Restrictions on carrying liquids on board are still in place.
Passengers should arrive at least two hours before their flight.
Hand luggage is restricted to one item per person.


Stansted customer services director Mark Murphy said: "Recent events have reminded us all of the threat faced by the UK, and highlight the need for strict security measures at airports.

"The safety of passengers is paramount and there can be no short cuts through the security process. Our Prepare for Summer guide should help passengers understand the restrictions before they arrive at Stansted."

The reform of ATOL bonding should include a £1 contribution, according to a joint industry and Government body.

The Air Travel Insolvency Protection Advisory Committee, set up to examine financial protection of flights, said the Government should introduce a £1 ATOL Protection Contribution to reduce costs and ease the regulatory burden for the travel industry.



The Committee also said that the £1 contribution would help educate the travelling public about the benefits of financial protection and the travel products that are protected.

ATIPAC chairman John Cox said: "The past year has seen a further decline in the number of air travellers who are financially protected and there is still confusion among consumers about whether or not their flights and holidays are protected.



"The introduction of APC would be a golden opportunity to increase consumer awareness about when products are financially protected by having clear statements on advertising and invoices."

In its report, ATIPAC found that in the year ending March 31 2007, 27 ATOL-holding travel companies collapsed, two more than in the previous year.

The California timeshare industry is comprised of more than 120 resorts and offers 10,690 units to more than a million owners. These owners, along with their guests, took roughly 430,000 vacations to the timeshares in 2005 and spent approximately $1500 during each trip. The industry also provided more than 16,000 people with jobs totaling $565 million in income earned.

Obviously the timeshare industry presents great economic opportunities to the community as well as an affordable vacation option to consumers. A new bill was signed in California to simplify the process of selling and purchasing timeshares marketed in more than one state.

The bill, which will take effect on January 1st, attempts to streamline the paperwork involved in timeshares sales by creating documents that meet the requirements of multiple states. This would save workers in the industry time by reducing the need for repeated filings.

Additionally the new law forces timeshare companies to offer information to consumers regarding special discounts, fees, financing, as well as other important aspects of timeshare ownership.

The president and CEO of the American Resort Development Association, Howard C. Nusbaum feels that the new law simply reflect what is happening in the rapidly evolving timeshare industry. "Twenty-five years ago, someone would develop a piece of land, sell (time shares) at the resort, and then the homeowners association would take over," says Nusbaum "That was pretty much the business model. But in the last 15 or so years, many hotel brands and multi-state players have entered the market."

Nusbaum is referring to major companies such as Disney, Four Seasons, Hyatt and Marriott that are developing timeshare resorts and often operate in multiple states. By simplifying the laws surrounding these transactions, states will have similar paperwork that will be easier for consumers to understand.

Jeff Davi, the California Real Estate Commissioner, feels "Ultimately, this bill will enhance consumer protections in timeshare purchases while lessening the burden on resort developers who market properties in multiple states."

Timeshare Liquidators representative, Reuben Reyes Resendez, reported that disclosure procedures have a concern in the timeshare industry for most of the 25 years that he has been involved in the business. He, along with other timeshare representatives, has been pushing for self-regulation for timeshare firms.

The new law will also require developers to tell buyers about all their rights, choices as well as their obligations as timeshare owners. This will hopefully decrease the number of people who complain that timeshare companies have misled them. Still the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) urges potential investors to do their homework before buying a timeshare.
The FTC now offers a downloadable brochure named "Time and Time Again: Buying And Selling Timeshare and Vacation Plan." The pamphlet reminds buyers that not only is a timeshare commitment for the purchase price, but also often includes mandatory maintenance fees that may increase annually. Also of note is the fact that timeshares, unlike most other forms of real estate, tend to depreciate with time due to the oversupply.

A complaint has been filed in Denver District Court against Lakewood resident Terry L. Fields. Colorado Securites Commisioner Fred Joseph filed the complaint on July 12 th and claims Fields violated several provisions of the Colorado Securities Act including anti-fraud, licensing and registration items.

Fields is specifically charged with selling timeshare investments for Resorts Holding International, which has also been operated under the names Yucatan Resorts, Avalon Resort, Majesty Travel, World Phantasy Tours, as well as Galaxy Property management. Allegedly Fields told investors that the company owned resort property, primarily in the Cancun area.
According to the complaint, Fields approached investors, many of whom were elderly, beginning in 2001. The prospective investors were informed that they could use the timeshare personally, rent out the units themselves or pay a third-party to manage the rental process. Only the third option was presented as a viable option. Throughout the process, Fields was promising investors a return on their investment of 9 percent by the end of 25 years, according to the complaint.

Not only didn't investors get a nine percent return, most lost their entire investments. The complaint goes on to allege that Fields sold four such investments to Colorado for more than $110,000 in total.

Fred Joseph was also involved in a case against Louis Welt regarding the same Resort Holding International company. The case ended in a settlement with Welt barring him from future sales activity in Colorado as well as requiring him to pay a $1.6 million judgment.

Michael Kelly, purported to be the owner of Resort Holding International, was taken into custody last December on charges of operating a Ponzi scheme that robbed investors of nearly $400 million.

Jason Tremblay didn't know much about the Internet four years ago, but he was certain it offered marketing opportunities.

The experience of his mother, a resort timeshare user, convinced the Lee resident that reselling timeshares was a niche market that needed help and had huge potential.

Meanwhile, he had been looking for another enterprise to get into as participation at his training seminar business kept declining, due in part to Web-based competition.

The result was SellMyTimeshareNOW.com, started in Tremblay's spare bedroom.

Tremblay and business partner Mark Eldridge had 1,000 visitors the first month the website was up. Today, it has that many every 30 minutes and is rated one of the most visited timeshare resale and rental sites on the Web.

Based now on the second floor of the Cochecho Falls Millworks building in downtown Dover, the firm employs about 90 people there and a handful more at a satellite office in Altamonte Springs, Fla.

It is on track to do about $8 million in revenue this year and handle $287 million in offers.

Before its start, Tremblay, 35, immersed himself in the world of Internet marketing, especially the intricacies of directing viewers to specific websites. He went so far as to offer an expert in Web search engines a handsome sum to let Tremblay follow him around for several days to learn all he could.

SellMyTimeshareNOW.com links sellers of timeshares with buyers. Its revenue mainly comes from ads the sellers buy on the site.

Tremblay is enthusiastic about the future.

Timeshare sales hit $10 billion last year in the United States, according to the American Resort Development Association, a marketing arm for the industry. It reported 16 percent growth in sales last year. As of Jan. 1, there were 1,615 vacation ownership resorts, or facilities that offer timeshares, in the U.S., with 176,232 units.

Add international resorts to the mix and the potential for the resale and rental business is huge.

Once a timeshare week is sold, it used to be difficult for the buyer to re-sell it. But the Internet has provided a more efficient way to connect buyers with sellers.

There are a variety of timeshare sales sites on the Web now, but most charge sellers a percentage of the sales price and other fees. SellMyTimeshareNOW.com differs in that it only charges sellers to advertise on the site. It also has a side business brokering sales, which Tremblay hopes to expand in the future by adding a network of brokerage partners.

The company estimates it will process about 74,000 timeshare offers this year, compared to 47,000 last year.

It had an average 1.97 million website visitors a month so far this year, up 53 percent from last year.

Dover may seem an unlikely place to locate an Internet marketing firm, but Tremblay said the area has two things going for it — office space and an excellent labor pool.

"People say 'what a strange place to be,' but it's a great place," he said.

Located in offices formerly occupied by PC Connection, Tremblay said SellMyTimeshareNOW.com has enough room there to double in size. In the next year, the firm plans to add 30 more sales people and up to a dozen technical support people.

The key to the future will be the sales force. These are the people who contact visitors to the website and sign them up for a sales listing. Shifts are usually 2-11 p.m. and involve telephone work. It can be lucrative, as they work on commission.

Steve Luba, the firm's director of communication, said the average salary for the sales staff is $42,729, or 8.6 percent above the state average. An interesting note is that male sales people average $40,701 and females $47,799.

Luba emphasizes that this is revenue coming in from outside the area, going to local people who will spend a large percentage of it here.

"We're always looking for good people to hire," said Luba.

Peter Emery, of South Berwick, Maine, has been selling for two years for the firm. He said the majority of the customers he deals with are abroad, citing Singapore, Malaysia and India.

Emery, who worked in financial sales before joining SellMyTimeshareNOW.com, said there were only a dozen coworkers when he started.

"To have a company that's growing this fast, it's unbelievable," said Emery.

Tremblay and other managers see unlimited potential, pointing out that the worldwide timeshare market has $30 billion in inventory and the firm now only handles a tiny percentage of this.

The company has managed to thrive so far without outside funding, although there frequently have been investors knocking on the door as word of its success has grown. Tremblay said that for now he is content to keep growing without taking on partners.

"In the beginning I never thought it would go this far," said Tremblay. "Now I realize we have the potential to be a 9-figure business in 3-4 years."

Some things never change, however. Besides his business, Tremblay's passion remains cars.

Growing up in Florida, he used to drive a yellow Cadillac Eldorado to high school, which caused quite a stir among his fellow teenagers.

These days he still turns heads when he drives his Rolls-Royce Silver Spur to work in downtown Dover.

The Shell Vacations Hospitality management team at Kona Coast Resort recently selected Gennie Wheeler as its Employee of the Year.

According to Cintia Dutra, General Manager of the Kona Coast Resort, “Gennie has been a vital part of our Front Office staff for the past seven years. As our full-time night auditor, she is a huge asset to the front desk staff. Her diligence and commitment to her tasks and guests is vital to the day-to-day flow of paperwork. Gennie is always willing to go the extra mile to help her department, our owners and guests.”



After the resort replaced its computer system last year, Gennie committed herself to learning the new system and being able to run the appropriate daily reports. This enabled the resort to continue to run smoothly during the changeover. Additionally, she was nominated for and received the Employee of the 2nd Quarter of 2006.
Says Wheeler, “It is exciting to be recognized with this award, especially since it is based on voting by fellow employees.”

Located in Keauhou on Alii Drive, the Kona Coast Resort is a 265-unit property that welcomes full-time Hawaii homeowners, timeshare owners and transient guests. The property was developed by Shell Vacations LLC, based in Northbrook, Illinois, one of the nation’s largest independent vacation ownership developers, with 23 resorts in seven states, Mexico and Canada.

Earlier this week the Wisconsin Dells Finance Committee requested that additional research be given to determining the fee amount from timeshares. This fee would be charged due to the fact that timeshares do not pay the premier resort and room tax.

City Clerk and Treasurer Dale Darling was given the task of calculating how much each hotel room takes in for taxes and report his findings at the next conference. The committee plans to use this data to figure out a way to collect a similar percentage from timeshare properties.

An example from Mayor Eric Helland put it this way: a $2000 fee per room would be calculated from a $142 room rate at 70% yearly occupancy. $142/day x 365 days x 70% (occupancy) x 5.5% tax = $1995.46. The fee would translate into $38.46 weekly.

Some debate on the accuracy of the calculations occurred between the members of the committee. Alderperson Gavinski pointed out that the rates were currently dropping due to an increase in the number of units available. Public Works Director Horkan brought up the fact that financial predictions are usually calculated with a 50% occupancy estimate, not 70%.

Helland defended his example by stating that establishing guidelines is the priority, in order to provide information to individuals for future proposals, all the other details can be worked out.

Alderperson Ed Wojnciz commented that the city should be looking at the fee as a replacement for the tax they would receive if the timeshare were instead a hotel. Helland refuted this by stating that the fee is not intended as a replacement to the room tax, only as a replacement for what the money is meant for. "There's no reason to make (developers) not do the project, but we don't want to give it away either."

In any case, Alderperson and Chairman Joan Ragan announced that the fee would need bi-annual review to ensure its adequacy.

City Attorney Hasler feels the fee should consist of a flat rate that would fluctuate with the consumer price index.

The committee also discussed the possibility of allocating some of the funds for the Wisconsin Dells Visitor and Convention Bureau. While they don't currently get any of the resort tax money, they do receive 90 percent of the room tax from hotels, motels, etc. Gavinski feels it is only fair to send some of the fees to the bureau since they are responsible for the marketing that brings people into the Wisconsin area.

Symposium to explore Gulf region’s US$1.2 billion timeshare market

Experts from the leisure real estate, tourism and associated industries are set to address the 2nd Annual Middle East Leisure Real Estate Symposium on 9 September 2007 at the Grosvenor House Hotel in Dubai. Organised by Group RCI and NorthCourseSM Leisure Real Estate Solutions, the event provides a unique forum to learn about a sector that will have crucial importance throughout the Gulf region.

With local destinations like Dubai being billed by experts as the next Orlando, the organisers say it’s important to understand the vital role timeshare plays in satisfying consumer demand for a wide choice of vacation accommodation options. In fact the organisers say its anticipated that nationals in the Gulf region will spend US$ 1.2 billion annually on shared ownership leisure real estate within the next 12 years, something that will excite developers looking for innovative ways to design and market inventory.

According to Claude Attala, Managing Director of NorthCourse’s regional business in Dubai, the event is very timely indeed. He said: “identifying future trends and creating business models to maximise the return on investment is central to underpinning the market for real estate in the Middle East. Both large scale investors and private landlords need to know what options they have moving forward. Our event represents a master class where delegates will have access to some of the best brains in the business.”

The opening address for the symposium will be provided by Ken May, Chairman and CEO of Group RCI, the global leader in non-hotel leisure accommodations. He will set the scene for the one-day program by defining the expectations of increasingly discerning tourists, identifying new markets and explaining how the whole shared ownership sector plays such an important role.

Much of the symposium is based upon the latest independent research. Attala said “we aim to separate fact from broad assumptions. NorthCourse has invested substantial sums in researching the market and we’re happy to share this information with those who have a genuine interest in the business. We’ll not only explain how different shared ownership models are perceived by consumers, but also throw light on new real estate innovations such as fractionals.

The research underlines the keen interest expressed by Gulf nationals in buying into a variety of shared ownership options. In fact 68% said they were keen to do so, both in terms of conventional timeshare and Fractional Ownership. This applies to buying fractions of interest in a property, ranging from one month to three months.

Locally based Festiva Resorts said Tuesday it has acquired control of nine timeshare resorts, including resorts in Maggie Valley and Blowing Rock, and assets of Equivest Vacation and Travel Club.

The resorts were owned until 1999 by Peppertree Resorts, which was also based in Asheville. The resorts changed hands several times in recent years and until Tuesday’s sale were owned by New Jersey-based hospitality company Wyndham Worldwide.

The deal increases the number of timeshare owners in the Festiva system from 24,000 to nearly 55,000. Festiva adds 177 employees as part of the deal, said spokeswoman Sara Bader.

CEO Don Clayton and President Butch Patrick head privately owned Festiva. The two executives had worked for Peppertree and then for the company that bought Peppertree in 1999, Equivest Financial, for a combined 20 years. They started Festiva in 2000.

“To have the opportunity to acquire these resorts now gives us both a great deal of satisfaction,” Clayton said in a statement.

The deal adds vacation options for Festiva timeshare owners and opportunities for Festiva to grow at some resort locations, company officials said. The resorts are located at several places in the Southeast and Midwest.

The locations sold “remain highly popular among our owners and sales operations in these markets continue to thrive,” said Lisa Burby, spokeswoman at Wyndham Vacation Ownership, a division of Wyndham Worldwide.

The resorts have operated separately from other company resorts and the sale of the “non-core Equivest properties … will enable greater focus on building the Wyndham brand and resort portfolio around the world,” Burby said.

As part of the city’s efforts to ensure that the Las Vegas market is able to meet the demands of its growing population and tourism base from a sports and entertainment standpoint, the Las Vegas City Council approved REI Neon’s plans to build a 22,000-seat arena in downtown Las Vegas as part of the company's $9.5 billion dollar mixed-use development, Project Pulse.

Currently, the city is in the negotiation stages with REI as the preferred arena developer.


“The city has been looking for a downtown arena for a while now as one of the mayor’s priorities,” Las Vegas Public Information Officer Jace Radke told CPN today. “On Aug. 1, the issue will go before city council as a memorandum of understanding with REI for the final development agreement. Then, it will return in the next 60 days to the council for final approval. That will probably be the end of October or start of November.”

City officials appointed a Las Vegas Events Center task force to evaluate the current and potential future facility needs of the market. On April 20, the city put out a request for proposals to develop an arena site in the downtown. By June 29, the city had received six proposals from Lakes Communications Services; Paradigm Sports and Resorts L.L.C.; World Arena L.L.C.; an REI Neon L.L.C. and Warburg Pincus joint venture; Medallion Financial Corp.; and Strather and Associates.

After hearing presentations over the course of two days, the task force selected the joint venture of REI Neon L.L.C.

REI has acquired approximately 85 acres at the corner of Charleston Boulevard and Main Street, where its development, Project Pulse, when complete will be a destination location that will include 300,000 square feet of gaming floor space, 6,000 hotel rooms, more than 1.5 million square feet of commercial and retail floor space, 3.5 million square feet of office and permanent exhibition space, as well as 1,500 condominium units and 1,600 timeshare condominium units.

Construction is slated to commence in the third quarter of 2008. Arena construction is expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2010 in time for the 2010-2011 fall sports season. REI received its entitlements to move forward with the development of Project Pulse on June 20.

The Las Vegas Events Center Task Force concluded that the Las Vegas market is comparable to other markets in the country that currently host an NBA or NHL franchise and is potentially capable of supporting a new arena and a major league professional sports team, according to the RFP. One of the key goals for the proposed Las Vegas Events Center are to design, build and operate a contemporary multi-purpose event center that will include a basketball capacity of at least 20,000 seats or hockey capacity of 19,000.

REI is a Bloomfield Hills, Mich.-based real estate development firm, which has partnered with Warburg Pincus and George Postolos, the former president of the Houston Rockets, as its financial partners in the development

Up to date warnings and information can be got from -

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/uk_forecast_warnings.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6911778.stm




The severe flooding can best be appreciated from the air.
The Norman abbey in Tewkesbury, founded in 1087 and consecrated in 1121,
now stands alone against the advancing flood water.



Road to nowhere. Though the motorways are now open, many other routes remain blocked.



The M5 is open, despite being surrounded by floodwaters.



Usually confined to the river, these swans paddle past the Northwick Hotel in Evesham, Worcestershire.



Worcester race course is underwater, and up to 4,000 residents are coping without water after a
treatment works near the town was hit by the flooding.

Notorious British timeshare fraudster John 'Goldfinger' Palmer was arrested again today in Tenerife on a litany of charges.

Once ranking alongside the Queen in the Sunday Times Rich List, the former jeweller was sentenced to eight years in 2001 for conning thousands of victims out of their savings, as overlord of a £30m timeshare swindle.
Palmer, 57, had previously been cleared of handling the gold stolen in the £26m Brinks-Mat robbery, but the case earned him the Bond villain nickname.

Today he was arrested by Spanish police on charges of cheating tourists, drugs and weapons trafficking, counterfeiting, bribing public officials and assault.

The robbery of the high security Brinks-Mat warehouse in November 1983 was then the biggest Britain had ever seen. The gang escaped with 6,800 ingots weighing three tons as well as an assortment of travellers cheques and diamonds. It was dubbed the crime of the century.

Various members of the gang, including ring-leader Michael McAvoy, were later jailed for the £26m robbery, but Palmer was cleared in 1987 of melting down gold from the robbery.

He kept a smelter in the grounds of his home at Battlefields, Bath, and had melted gold, he told the jury. But he had not known it was stolen bullion. Palmer blew kisses to the Old Bailey jury after they cleared him of the crime.

He had lived in Spain since 1985 and after his trial he returned to his timeshare business in Tenerife. The millionaire businessman bought a £6m yacht, Bravo Goose, and kept a £2.5m executive Lear jet.

He was still suspected of criminal activities and in 1994 he was targeted by a television programme which allegedly taped him offering to launder £60m for a drugs baron.

In 2001 he found himself back in court in the UK, and this time was found guilty of masterminding a massive timeshare fraud. The Old Bailey heard how Palmer earned a fortune during the £30m swindle. But he caused misery to hundreds of victims, mainly elderly, snatching away their life saving through his team of glib, fast-talking salesmen.

The man regarded by police as a 'serious organised criminal', was convicted of cheating thousands of Britons and sent to jail for eight years.

Palmer, who shared the 105th slot on the Sunday Times Rich List with the Queen at the time of the conviction, claimed he had been targeted by disgruntled senior police officers after his Brinks-Mat acquittal.

He was overlord of 'a confusing network of companies which pretended to be independent of each other' the court was told.

In the scam slick salesmen presented them with complex paperwork designed to faze and bemuse them. Thousands of ordinary people were systematically tricked into buying timeshare apartments and handing over thousands of pounds in cash.

The racket went on for years and involved some 17,000 victims from all over Europe - with the largest group British.

After the trial it emerged police suspected Palmer of helping Kenneth Noye escape immediately after the M25 murder of Stephen Cameron.

Noye, also the killer of undercover police officer Det Con John Fordham who was investigating his part in the Brinks-Mat robbery, is thought to have been helped out of the country by Palmer - first by private helicopter and then Lear jet to Tenerife.

Palmer lost an appeal in 2002 against his timeshare fraud conviction, but in 2003 the Court of Appeal quashed the £35m he had been ordered to pay in costs. In 2005, Palmer was declared bankrupt with debts of £3.9m. It is believed he was released from prison that year.

He returned to Tenerife after his release, but the Spanish holiday island he has treated as home for more than 20 years has proved to be no safe haven from the law for the criminal mastermind.

Dreamland Tours, and Manhattan-based company specializing in serving tourists to India, has recently announced its plan to offer specialty boat timeshare vacation spot rentals to visitors interested in touring the backwaters of India's beautiful Kerala. Dreamland is also offering timeshares to vacationers to allow them more flexibility when scheduling their holidays.

CEO Zach Thomas had this to say about Dreamland's new offerings, " Our tourist can't get enough of the joys and the silent beauty of the Southern Indian coast. We already have been offering customized packages and tourism services to the serene backwaters in Kerala for quite some time now. The timeshare option will help us to build long-term relationships with our clients, and offer even more value for money for a family holiday. We have a steady stream of tourist, and the capacity to schedule and arrange the logistic for each timeshare rental."

Ludvik Capital Inc., a Wilmington, Del.-based investment company, said today it has acquired property on Santa Rosa Island in Destin, Fla., and plans to build a hotel and timeshare resort eventually worth more than $300 million.

Ludvik, which invests in a variety of private and public companies, formed a joint venture with H and K Development L.L.C. of Destin, to develop the property, said Ludvik President Frank Kristan. He told CPN today that the five-acre site currently has a former Econolodge hotel on it that was badly damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Teardown of that structure will begin within the next 90 days and construction on the new 310-room hotel and condo complex will begin by the fourth quarter, Kristan said.

He said the companies had not yet determined how many of the rooms would be for hotel guests and how many would be sold as condos and/or timeshares.

Kristan said the property also has 300 feet of deep water access and that they are in discussions with dinner cruise operators to run a gaming dinner cruise from the dock.

"We believe that the area is growing and that there was a way to find a synergy between some of our companies," Kristan said, referring to the minority stakes Ludvik holds in Island Residences Club Inc., an exclusive club that features exotic vacation resorts for members, and Solstice International Inc., a resort and gaming corporation.

Kristan confimed that Ludvik is buying Independence Community, a planned residential community in Hinesville, Ga., near Fort Stewart, from Horsecreek
Partners L.L.C. for $35 million. He said Ludvik purchased the rights to build 9,000 units on 2,000 acres. Kristan estimated the project will take at least 10 years to build out and cost $2 billion. As noted in an SEC filing today, Kristan said they are renegotiating an extension on the closing. A date has not yet been set. Kristan said that Fort Stewart's population is growing and there is a need for off-site housing that is close to the base. Horsecreek Partners had previously sold off about 500 acres and the rights to build 1,000 units to another developer.

The same SEC filing stated that Ludvik had entered into agreements to buy properties in Wenona Harbor and Deal Island, Md., communities on the eastern shore of the state. It noted that Ludvik had entered into an agreement with Wenona Harbor L.L.C. for a total purchase price of $22.5 million and a deposit to be paid by issuing 375,000 shares of common stock at $8 per share. Ludvik also agreed to pay $4 million to 9304 Deal Island Road L.L.C. for property. That deal called for the issuance of 125,000 common shares at $8 per share as a deposit, according to the SEC filing. Both transactions are expected to close on or before Jan. 28, 2008.

A third transaction, also on Deal Island, calls for Ludvik to buy property from Whistler Lagoon L.L.C. for $35 million, including a deposit of 500,000 shares of the company’s stock at $8 per share, according to the SEC filing. The closing should occur by late 2007.

Kristan said a hotel and condominium project would eventually be built at the Wenona Harbor and Whistler Lagoon sites, while the Deal Island Road site would likely be a residential development.

Following Saturday's terrorist incident at Glasgow Airport, the Edinburgh Airport forecourt is closed to all private vehicles. BAA strongly recommends that passengers use public transport to get to the airport. Passengers using private cars will find it more convenient to use car parks to gain access to airport terminals.

Questions and answers:

Is Edinburgh Airport open?
Yes, Edinburgh Airport is operating a full schedule of flights. The terminal forecourt area is closed to cars and other private vehicles. However, the terminal is operating as normal.

When can I expect my flight to depart?
Flights to and from Edinburgh Airport are currently operating as normal. However, if you have any concerns about your flight, you should contact your airline directly.

How best can I get to the airport?
We are strongly advising passengers not to come to the airport by car or other private vehicle. Wherever possible, we are encouraging passengers to use public transport, including taxi, to get the airport. This will ensure you get to the airport quicker.

What bus services are available to and from the airport?
The 100 Air Link bus service operates to and from Edinburgh City Centre - www.flybybus.com
The Air Direct 747 bus service operates to and from Inverkeithing train station in Fife - www.airdirect747.com
Lothian Buses 35 service operates to and from Leith - www.lothianbuses.co.uk
Horsburgh 555/777 bus service operates to and from West Lothian - www.horsburghcoaches.com

I can only get to the airport by car. Where should I be dropped off?
The forecourt drop area is currently closed to all cars and private vehicles. Drop off and pick up facilities have been set up at the City of Edinburgh Council operated park and ride site just off the A8. A free Edinburgh Airport operated shuttle bus service is currently in operation taking passengers from the park and ride to the terminal.

What about car parking?
The Short Stay Car Park is closed for departing passengers, therefore if your vehicle is already parked in the car park, you will be able to pick it up. Passengers wishing to park cars should use the Long stay car parking area. A free shuttle bus service is in operation between the terminal and long stay car parking. Please note for customers who have pre-booked valet parking, please drop off or pick up your vehicle from the Long Stay car park.

Can I get a taxi to the airport and are taxis available to pick me up?
Taxis are being given access to the outer forecourt to drop passenger off. Taxis pick up is operating from the private hire vehicle rank at the east end of the terminal. The public 'black cab' taxi rank remains closed. Pre booked taxi pick up is operating from the public 'park and ride' site at the junction of the A8.

How can I find out more information?- Keep checking the Edinburgh Airport website – www.edinburghairport.com
- Listen to radio and TV reports
- Call your airline
- Contact the airport information line on 0870 040 0007.

BRITAIN was expecting a fresh wave of terrorist attacks last night after police arrested five people over an assault on Glasgow Airport and two attempted car bombings in London.

The country has moved to its highest level of terrorism alert - critical - after a Jeep driven by two men crashed into the airport terminal and burst into flames on Saturday afternoon, and the Government's emergency response unit, Cobra, is holding its fourth meeting in three days.

The new Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, faces a huge challenge only days into his term, with speculation rife that Glasgow was attacked because Scotland is his home.

Britain would not give in to acts of evil, he said. "We will not yield, we will not be intimidated and we will not allow anyone to undermine our British way of life," he told BBC television.

Police, who say the two attacks are linked, arrested two men - one fighting for his life after receiving severe burns - in Glasgow. Properties in that city and Liverpool were searched.

In the US, ABC news reported that American law enforcement officials received intelligence reports a fortnight ago warning of a possible attack in Glasgow against "airport infrastructure or aircraft". The reports also warned that airports and aircraft in the Czech Republic could be targeted by al-Qaeda-connected terrorists.

The warnings were kept secret for operational reasons, officials told ABCNews.com. One said that the intelligence reports led to the assignment of federal air marshals to flights in and out of Glasgow and Prague.

Mr Brown's new terrorism adviser, the former Metropolitan Police chief commissioner Lord Stevens, said "al-Qaeda has imported the tactics of Baghdad and Bali to our streets. And it will get worse before it gets better."

The Glasgow attack came a day after two car bombs that failed to detonate were discovered outside the Tiger Tiger nightclub in the Piccadilly Circus area of London.

The bombs - two Mercedes-Benz cars packed with petrol, nails and gas canisters - resembled devices regularly used by Iraqi insurgents, and explosives specialists said they would have caused huge fireballs that could have killed and injured hundreds.

Yesterday police arrested two people on the M6 motorway in northern England, and one in Liverpool. The Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, refused to comment on a report that those arrested on the motorway were the drivers of the two car bombs left in London. Scotland Yard confirmed, however, that a man, 26, and a woman, 27, detained on the M6 were being interviewed at a London police station.

At Glasgow Airport bystanders helped police overpower two men who jumped from the burning Jeep and tried to detonate the vehicle by pouring petrol over it.

One was in flames, "throwing punches at police and shouting 'Allah, Allah," a Glasgow emergency worker, Jon Smeaton, told the BBC. An airport restaurant worker, Scott McEwan, said a tall South Asian man climbed out of the car door "literally on fire. There were flames coming from his arms, legs and hair and even his face seemed to be burning. But he was totally dead calm.

"He just walked around to the back of the Jeep and was trying to open the boot," Mr McEwan told News of the World. "People were shouting and screaming, 'He's got a bomb, he's got a bomb."'

Stephen Clarkson told the BBC that after the Jeep crashed he saw a South Asian man lying on the ground with "flames coming from his body". "It was just lucky that I was there," he said. "I managed to knock the man to the ground with my forearm and the police got on top of him and restrained him."

Reports that one of the men was wearing a suicide belt led to the temporary evacuation of the hospital where he was being treated for burns. Police later discounted the reports.

As police continued a huge manhunt for three more men thought to be behind the London plot, they were struck by the similar style of the three incidents but were unsure whether the Glasgow one was a copycat incident or part of a planned wave of attacks.

The intelligence agency MI5 is reported to believe all three were carried out by a previously unknown al-Qaeda terrorist cell that is planning a spate of Baghdad-style car bombings.

Lord Stevens told News of the World that suspicion was growing that al-Qaeda operatives - perhaps British-born - "have returned from Iraq as well as the traditional training camps in Afghanistan to guide groups here".

As Scottish police sealed off and searched houses in the town of Houston, about nine kilometres south-west of Glasgow - a Reuters witness saw officers wearing white overalls coming in and out of a semi-detached house in the town - officers across Britain stepped up the hunt for five terrorism suspects who are on the run after escaping from house arrest.

One of them, Lamine Adam, boasted of targeting nightclubs in evidence to a recent terrorism trial in which five people were jailed for planning fertiliser bomb attacks, including one on London's biggest nightclub, the Ministry of Sound.

The trial raised concern that terrorists were focusing on nightclubs as part of a war against Western life.

In a bugged conversation, one of the convicted men said that if they attacked a disco, "no one can even turn around and say 'Oh they were innocent' - those slags dancing around."

Other men urgently wanted by police are Asam's brother Ibrahim, 20, and Cerie Bullivant, 24, who have also evaded control orders.

Among others being sought by police is a former Tube worker, Zeeshan Siddiqui, 26. A court has heard how he trained with a London suicide bomber in Pakistan. Another man police want to track down, even if only to eliminate him from their inquiries, is Bestun Salim, who vanished from his Manchester home last year and allegedly has links to Ansar al-Islam, a group linked to the terrorist network of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the notorious insurgent leader in Iraq who was killed last year.

However, police were yesterday playing down a link between the five escapees and the latest attempted terrorist attacks.

Roads near airports across the country were in chaos following the two incidents, as armed police began stopping vehicles entering airport precincts.

Liverpool's John Lennon Airport was closed for eight hours on Saturday night as police investigated a suspicious vehicle.

In London extra police were called in to monitor events, including the Gay Pride Festival and the tennis at Wimbledon on Saturday.

The Prime Minister urged Britons to "carry out their lives as normal", including going to nightclubs if they wished. Londoners and tourists appeared to heed the advice, seemingly untroubled and going about their business as usual.

BRITISH police have made another arrest in connection with the national terrorism alert in the wake of failed car bomb attacks in London and Glasgow.

The arrest was made in Liverpool, and adds to four people already in custody: two arrested immediately after an attack at Glasgow airport Saturday and two others detained overnight on a motorway in northwestern England.

Earlier today Scottish police launched raids on a number of houses near Glasgow airport after a blazing car rammed into the main terminal on Saturday.

"As part of the ongoing inquiry into the incidents at Glasgow airport and London, a number of houses in the Renfrewshire area are being searched," said a police spokesman.

Detectives were also seen carrying out a finger-tip search outside the airport, strewn with wreckage from the Cherokee Jeep that was driven into the building by two men eyewitnesses described as of "Asian" appearance.

One of the suspects arrested immediately after the attack was in critical condition in hospital with severe burns.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown raised the national threat level to critical on Saturday, meaning that another attack was expected "imminently". Today he said progress was being made in police investigations.

"They have made rapid progress. Overnight they have been very active," Mr Brown told BBC television.

Police said the foiled attacks in London and Glasgow were being treated as linked.

"I can confirm that we believe the incident at Glasgow airport is linked to the events in London yesterday," said Chief Constable Willie Rae after the airport attack.

On Friday two Mercedes were found abandoned in London's Haymarket entertainment district, one of them parked outside a busy nightclub.

Both contained a mixture of petrol, gas canisters and nails which police said were clearly designed to cause a "significant" number of casualties.

"The cars have given us two marvellous pieces of evidence – they are gold mines," a police source told the UK Sunday Telegraph newspaper.

"If they had gone off they would have caused carnage," the source said.

Police have also scoured hundreds of hours of CCTV security video footage.

An unconfirmed report yesterday suggested that police had gleaned a "crystal clear" image of a man running away from one of the cars abandoned in London.

Following Saturday's terrorist incident at Glasgow Airport, additional security measures are in place at all BAA airports.

Dropping off and picking-up in front of the airport is severely restricted and passengers are warned that there may be significant delays in reaching the terminal itself by car. BAA strongly recommends that passengers use public transport to get to the airport. Passengers using private cars will find it more convenient to use car parks to gain access to airport terminals.

Updates can be oibtained from http://www.glasgowairport.com or http://www.baa.com

In the new post of creative director for the group, Huw Jones has re-joined Club La Costa Hotels & Resorts (CLC).

Now based in London, he originally joined the company in 2002 as marketing director. Previously he ran his own advertising and marketing business and later worked with Marriott Vacation Club International (Europe) and Amathus Vacation Club in Cyprus.

In his new position, Mr Jones is responsible for general communications and a range of marketing functions.

Club La Costa is currently engaged in a major expansion programme. Within the last year it acquired two resort properties in southwest England and recently launched its own Yacht Club, based in Palma de Mallorca.

RCI has unveiled a new name – Group RCI – and logo “to better reflect our operating structure”.

In 2006 the enterprise name RCI Global Vacation Network was announced as part of the spin-off from Cendant and the formation of Wyndham Worldwide.

As the company continues to expand the group and brands in the exchange and holiday rental businesses, it believes the new name provides “a graphical element that conveys the relationship of those businesses as well as a visual reference toward the global nature of our company”.

In a letter to resort affiliates, Kenneth May, chairman and chief executive, says: “While it is important to create a distinction between the exchange brand and the enterprise itself, RCI®is maintained in our enterprise name as it is the single largest contributor of revenue within our portfolio of brands as well as the brand with the greatest global awareness.”

Although the name has changed, its strategic vision has not. In his letter, Mr May says: “We remain committed to helping you enhance your sales and profits and to bringing added value and flexibility to your owners, our subscribing members.”

Over the next several weeks, RCI executives will be announcing more information about Group RCI as well as “some very exciting product enhancements”.

Penhaven Cottages in southwest England is the latest resort to bolster the growing portfolio of fractional affiliates of Interval International.

Situated on the edge of the village of Parkham, near Bideford, the property is a couple of miles from the North Devon coast.

The Cottages are part of the historic Penhaven Estate that includes a country house hotel set in 10 acres of landscaped grounds.

The developers are Roy Holland and Geoff Baker. Each cottage is divided into 10 equal shares. Owners are entitled to two weeks in peak summer, one in spring, one in autumn and one in the off-peak season. Two weeks in every year are allocated for maintenance work.

“Penhaven is a high quality project and one that can set a trend for the continued development of fractional projects in the UK,” said Darren Ettridge, vice president, resort sales & service, Europe, for Interval.

The first timeshare resort by Butlins, the UK holiday camp operator, will receive its first guests later this month. Ceremonies marking the event -- and the official launch of a brand new vacation club called BlueSkies -- are due to take place on Wednesday, 4 July.

The first phase of the development at Minehead, Somerset, in southwest England, incorporates 24 apartments. Phase Two includes the addition of a health and fitness suite.

According to the company, owners will be able to enjoy an annual break for the next 30 years and benefit from savings of up to 50 per cent.

Owners will get a spacious, modern, holiday apartment near the main resort. The accommodation is located by the sea and close to the stunning scenery of Exmoor.

BlueSkies is based on a simple points system and offers flexibility and freedom. Through an affiliation agreement with RCI, owners will also have exchange options at resorts around the world.