A round-up of today's other stories in brief...
World’s second largest airline
Chile’s antitrust tribunal has approved LAN Airlines’ takeover of Brazilian carrier TAM with conditions, paving the way for the creation of one of the world’s biggest airlines.
The newly-merged group LATAM Airlines will be the second biggest publicly-traded airline in the world, according to Thomson Reuters data. But, due to a share swap and listing changes, LAN and TAM’s combined market capitalisation will likely be diluted.
Passport-free travel rejected
Romania and Bulgaria have failed to persuade other EU governments to let them join Europe’s passport-free travel zone, with opponents citing corruption and organised crime in the two Balkan states.
Finland and the Netherlands, in particular, voiced opposition at a meeting of EU interior ministers on Thursday to the elimination of borders between the latest EU members and the rest of Europe, which had been scheduled for 2011. Since joining the EU in 2007, Romania and Bulgaria have failed to convince other EU states of the effectiveness of anti-corruption reforms.
2013When Disney plans to begin construction on
Avatar land at Walt Disney Worldin Florida. Film-maker James Cameron will be involved in the project to bring the fantasy Avatar universe depicted in the Oscar winning movie to life.