Geneva - Revenues of airlines are expected to fall by an average of 6 per cent next year, an outlook released Tuesday said, as passenger and cargo traffic is likely to drop.

The International Air Transport Association said in its 2009 forecast the industry would expect to lose 2.5 billion dollars.

"We face the worst revenue environment in 50 years," said Giovanni Bisignani, the IATA's chief.

Lausanne, Switzerland - Some 500 drug samples gathered at the Beijing Olympics will be retested for a new generation of the blood booster EPO and for insulin, the International Olympic Committee announced on Tuesday.

The IOC said in a press release that the retested samples are mainly from endurance events in cycling, rowing, swimming and athletics from January onwards. First results are to be announced by late March.

Geneva - The International Criminal Court should investigate Israel an

Sydney  - An Australian fire brigade Tuesday told a Swiss woman who paid for a new fire engine her generosity had failed to save her beachfront home in the Queensland town of Deepwater.

Annemarie Geckeler, 75, bought the Deepwater fire brigade a new fire engine in 2001.

But the fire brigade arrived too late to save her multi-million-dollar home at the weekend.

Geckeler was not home when the fire started.

Wengen, Switzerland  - It must be rather elevating for the train driver since the Wengenalp (WAB) rack railway from Lauterbrunnen to Wengen, central Switzerland, is uphill nearly all the way.

Travellers can gaze out over sparkling, snow-covered roofs and pine trees, and as if to underscore the picture-postcard nature of this wintry scene in the Bernese Oberland, a brook alongside the tracks babbles into the valley below.

Geneva  - The Swiss seem to enjoy trains more than other nations, with the average resident travelling around 2,103 kilometres annually, the Information Service for Public Transport said putting the confederation at the top of the global list.

The Japanese came second with residents averaging 1,976 kilometres by train in 2007, though they did make the most trips with 70 a year, compared to 47 for the Swiss.