London - London police gave the all-clear Friday afternoon after a suspicious piece of luggage had earlier forced the evacuation of the London City Airport.

Authorities said there was no connection to terrorist activity.

The airport was evacuated around 1330 GMT after several passengers began coughing and complaining of medical irritations. No passengers fell seriously ill and the airport was re-opened two hours after it was closed. Some flights were canceled or re-routed.

New York - The airlines' losing streak continued Thursday, as high fuel costs and sagging economy put a drag on operations.

The country's sixth largest passenger carrier US Airways flew deep into the red in the third quarter, like most of its rivals.

JetBlue, partially owned by Lufthansa, on the other hand narrowly missed the profit zone.

But in both cases, the losses were less than analysts expected.

Vienna  - German airline Deutsche Lufthansa AG has submitted a valid bid for Austrian Airlines AG (AUA), the Austrian takeover commission confirmed Thursday, but it said it was still uncertain if there would be a deal.

"Against the background of AUA's economic development and an apparent wide gap between the negotiating positions, it is uncertain whether the transaction can be concluded," the commission said in a statement.

The Austrian government is in the process of selling its 42.75-per-cent stake in the country's ailing flag carrier, but Air France has dropped out of the bidding process.

Hong Kong - Weakening demand and mounting losses have led Hong Kong Airlines to suspend flights to three cities in China, a media report said Thursday.

The regional carrier will halt services to Xian, Chengdu and Chongqing when the winter schedule takes effect on Sunday, the South China Morning Post said.

Flights to Xian will be restored next summer.

Hong Kong Airlines together with rival carrier Hong Kong Express Airways are both partly owned by China's Hainan Airlines Group.

Washington - The fifth larg