A Brazilian Boeing 737-800 with more than 150 people aboard was reported missing Friday over the Amazon jungle after colliding with a smaller jet, aviation authorities said. A spokesman for the Brazilian aviation authority said Gol airlines flight 1907 left the jungle city of Manaus and disappeared after a collision. The agency said the accident occurred in midair about 470 miles south of Manaus. News reports said the plane reportedly struck a Brazilian-made Embraer Legacy 600 aircraft. The Legacy managed to land despite suffering damage.
Mexico: Fence plan irks leaders
Mexico said Friday it will try to persuade President Bush not to sign a bill that would extend a wall along the border in an effort to stop illegal immigrants. Foreign Secretary Luis Ernesto Derbez said if the legislation is approved, Mexico will send a letter strongly condemning the measure. Asked if that meant the government would try to “dissuade” Bush from signing the bill into law, he replied, “Without a doubt.” Derbez’s remarks came a day after his office issued a statement saying the border fence would harm relations between Mexico and the United States.
Germany: Work day to get longer
Representatives from Volkswagen AG and Germany’s biggest industrial union said Friday they had agreed to increase working hours at plants in western Germany by more than four hours a week to 33 hours without any increase in pay. The agreement between VW and the IG Metall union fell short of the 35-hour week sought by the carmaker as part of efforts to drastically cut production costs for its vehicles such as its flagship Golf, which are selling strongly but bringing in little profit.
Austria: Hamster grounds airliner
It wasn’t “Snakes on a Plane,” but an Austrian Airlines jet made an unscheduled stop Friday after a passenger sneaked a hamster aboard and the rodent escaped. The flight from Spain to Graz made a stop in Innsbruck so officials could search for the hamster and make sure it didn’t gnaw through any wiring, the airline said. A passenger notified the crew that he had brought a hamster aboard and had lost track of it. Austrian Airlines said the jet would remain grounded until the hamster was found.
From Herald news services
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