U.S. opens Chevy Volt investigation
WASHINGTON, Nov. 26 (UPI) -- U.S. regulators said they have begun a "safety defect investigation" of the Chevy Volt, "which could experience a battery-related fire following a crash."
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration said Friday it had been looking at the Volt for months, and based its concern on a crash-test in May and three tests last week on its lithium-ion battery, CNN reported.
"The agency is concerned that damage to the Volt's batteries as part of three tests that are explicitly designed to replicate real-world crash scenarios have resulted in fire," the administration said in a news release. "NHTSA is therefore opening a safety defect investigation of Chevy Volts, which could experience a battery-related fire following a crash."
Although it said it knows of no "real-world" occurrences of fires resulting from battery problems following a collision involving a Volt, the NHTSA said, "Volt owners who have not been in a serious crash do not have reason for concern." The statement said no recall order has been issued but that could change "if NHTSA identifies an unreasonable risk of safety."
GM spokesman Greg Martin said the company has not been able to duplicate the fires, CNN reported.
The Volt has been given a five-star safety rating because it passed other tests for protecting vehicle occupants, CNN said.
A Chevy Volt whose lithium-ion battery was damaged in a U.S. government crash test caught fire this spring after sitting in storage for three weeks.
Martin says GM believes the fire occurred because NHTSA did not follow GM's recommended safety protocol.
"Had those safety protocols been followed for this test, this incident would not have happened," he said, noting this is the only crashed Volt ever to catch fire.
Banks brace for eurozone defection
BRUSSELS, Nov. 26 (UPI) -- Banks in Europe say they are bracing themselves against the eurozone possibly losing one more member because of the ongoing sovereign debt crisis.
"We cannot be, and are not, complacent on this front. We must not ignore the prospect of a disorderly departure of some countries from the eurozone," said Andrew Bailey, a regulator at Britain's Financial Services Authority, The New York Times reported Saturday.
Analysts in a research note at Nomura bank said, "The eurozone financial crisis has entered a far more dangerous phase -- a euro(zone) breakup now appears probable, rather than possible."
Banks in Europe and the United States have been divesting their portfolios of tens of billions of dollars worth of European government bonds to minimize losses if one or more countries break away from the eurozone.
While that protects them from losses, it also pushes the eurozone deeper into crisis, as government borrowing becomes more expensive.
There are 17 countries that share the euro as currency, which has created an enormous economic block that helps stabilize ups and downs in the marketplace.
The eurozone is listing, as Greece, Ireland and Portugal have required international loans to keep from going into default. Spain and Italy, with far lager economies, have fiscal problems that also put the euro in jeopardy.
However, there is no Plan B -- rules that would make it possible for a faltering country to exit the eurozone and adopt a native currency in an orderly fashion.
An impasse threatens the credit rating of eurozone stalwarts such as France and Germany.
Standard & Poor's Friday downgraded Belgium's credit rating from AA+ to AA, indicating its debt problems were not short term. Earlier in the week, credit ratings of Portugal and Hungary were reduced to junk status.
While pressure mounts for Europe to find a solution to the debt crisis, Germany remains consistent with the message the eurozone should hold together. Banks, however, are considering other possibilities, the Times said.
Cruise ships to feature iPads
MIAMI, Nov. 26 (UPI) -- Royal Caribbean said it will have Apple iPads available in every stateroom of the Splendour of the Seas cruise ship, which is undergoing renovations.
The company said it would be an industry first to outfit each stateroom with an iPad, which passengers can use to keep up with the ship's scheduled activities and browse the Internet.
Passengers will be able to roam the ship with their tablet computers and pick up WiFi signals anywhere on board, the company said.
Currently in dry dock, Splendour of the Seas is scheduled to be back in the water Nov. 25 with 124 new staterooms -- all of them replete with balconies -- five new restaurants and a new children's nursery.
The company said it would also outfit staterooms of five other ships with iPads as it renovates the ships in its "Vision-class" over the next two years.
USA Today said Saturday the company, which operates 22 cruise ships, was soon to pull its Legend of the Seas, Grandeur of the Seas, Rhapsody of the Seas, Enchantment of the Seas and Vision of the Seas ships out of the water for renovations.
US Airways passenger stands 7 hours
TEMPE, Ariz., Nov. 26 (UPI) -- A US Airways passenger on a flight from Anchorage, Alaska, to Philadelphia said he stood the entire flight due to the size of the passenger next to him.
Arthur Berkowitz said he stood for 7 hours on the flight and was only able to fasten his seat belt for take-off and landing, CNN reported Saturday.
On the entire flight, he said, he walked around the cabin, failing to comply with several requests that he sit down and buckle up, but was unable to do so as a late passenger sat down beside him and took up about half of his seat.
"His size required both armrests to be raised up and allowed for his body to cover half of my seat," Berkowitz said.
Berkowitz said the airline offered him $200 to compensate him for his troubles, but he refused the compensation.
He then went to the Federal Aviation Administration to register a complaint. But the agency said the airline had considered the matter closed.
Berkowitz now says, "My reason for bringing this up is strictly and solely for the airline to look at their safety procedures," CNN reported.
The airline said there was nothing it could do for a passenger who insisted on raising the compensation they offered.
"We have attempted to address this customer's service concerns, but offering increasing amounts of compensation based on a threat of a safety violation isn't really fair -- especially when the passenger himself said he didn't follow the crew members' instructions and fasten his seat belt," US Airways said in a statement.
"We have already provided feedback on the service issues with the team involved, and thank Mr. Berkowitz for making his concerns known," the statement said.
FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said regulations forbid a passenger from standing for an entire flight.
