A new hunt for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 using high-tech underwater drones has started, officials said Tuesday, in the latest bid to solve one of the world's greatest aviation mysteries.

Visitors to an upmarket Kabul hotel attacked by Taliban gunmen have described glaring security breaches before the assailants went on a bloody rampage targeting guests, in a city constantly under threat.

Bags were not checked, scanners did not work and body searches were non-existent, according to witnesses, as the private company providing security to the state-owned Intercontinental Hotel comes under the spotlight.

The 12-hour attack overnight Saturday killed at least 22 people, the majority of them foreigners, including citizens from Venezuela, the Ukraine, Germany and Kazakhstan. A number of Americans were also among the dead and wounded, a State Department official said Tuesday.

The hotel -- its long white facade blackened by smoke -- was still barred to journalists Tuesday, two days after the assault ended.

Authorities are investigating how the six militants were able to slip past Kabul Balkh Safety & Security (KBSS) guards and launch the assault with guns and grenades.

A witness and a security source told AFP that at least two of the gunmen were armed and inside the hotel before the attack began, and questions have been raised -- including by the country's interior minister -- over whether the militants had inside help.

An AFP reporter and driver visited the landmark 1960s building on a hilltop overlooking the Afghan capital on Saturday, hours before the assault began.

They described cursory security checks by KBSS, accounts confirmed by other recent visitors.

"We were told the scanning machines were not working today," said telecom executive Aziz Tayeb, who hid behind a pillar during the assault.

"I also didn't see any armed guard in the scan room just before you enter the building or inside," he said, adding his bags were not searched.

"In the past two weeks, I went to the hotel with my family twice. Out of the three or four checkpoints before the main entrance only one of them checked our car. We were not even body-searched," Ahmad Shafi, a frequent visitor, told AFP.

An AFP driver said that when he arrived at the first checkpoint around 9:30 am Saturday, the hotel guard casually asked him: "Do you have a gun?"

The driver replied "No" and was waved through.

At a second checkpoint, guards looked for magnetic bombs on the car using a mirror and sniffer dog, he said.

A few metres from the hotel lobby the AFP reporter was checked with a handheld metal detector. It is unclear if the baggage scanning machine was working at the time. No armed guards were seen in the immediate vicinity of the hotel.

- Ongoing investigation -

The New York Times quoted a general with the Crisis Response Unit, which responds to frequent Taliban attacks on urban centres, as saying he believed at least three attackers had been inside the hotel for long enough to familiarise themselves with its layout and even bring in equipment.

KBSS declined a request for comment. In a statement the company said it would do "everything in its power" to cooperate with the investigation.

KBSS, which took over hotel security three weeks ago, was formed in 2004 and lists the United Nations and the European Union as among its clients.

A security source told AFP that KBSS has responsibility for protecting the complex only, with its guards not allowed inside the hotel under a contract he said had been signed by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.

They were also not allowed to search VIPs, he said.

Witnesses have said the guards fled during the attack, though the security source denied that.

The attack followed security warnings in recent days to avoid locations frequented by foreigners in war-torn Kabul.

Source: AFP

Crashed Ice is a spectacular sport where four heavily padded skaters burst from traps to descend a narrow, winding 400m-long iced course in night-time races where collisions and mid-air crashes are part of the attraction.

The 15-year-old sport is the brainchild of energy drink company Red Bull, who harness the enthusiasm and adrenaline burn of extreme sports to market their product.

The sport is not entirely dissimilar in concept to boardercross, the snowboard event which has been on the Olympic roster since Turin 2006.

But this is a far more frantic, gung-ho affair where the random chaos of four youths hurtling at 60km per hour, elbow to elbow, in a 45-second race in specially constructed urban settings is accompanied by pumping music and wild crowds.

"It's a kind of mix of all the sports I was into and played while I was growing up. There's the speed obviously and then there's the jumps. It's all more technical than you might think," double world champion Cameron Naasz, who lives close to Saint Paul where events have been staged for over a decade, told AFP.

- Wild race -

"What's great is all the stuff that makes it so spectacular. A wild race right through the centre of town and in front of a historic monument (the St Paul cathedral) and with 100,000 spectators, it's just huge," he explains.

The city has pulled out all the stops with lights, music and giant screens helping set the stage for the race itself.

Massed all along the side of the route down which the competitors descend, fans bang on the side-hoardings to egg the skaters on, with the immediate proximity of the public creating a huge buzz.

And over the years this spectacular has won over fans in more and more locations.

The world circuit was established in 2010 and secondary competitions are now thriving too.

There is an international federation -- the ATSX was founded in 2015 and has 3,000 registered athletes from 40 nations with even Brazilians taking part in this new winter sport.

Events are also scheduled to take place for the first time in China, with Beijing and Shanghai on the roster.

- 'No way' -

Many of the sport's fans hail from an ice hockey background but also from the short-track speed skating world and the snowboard and figure-skating scenes.

There is a spillover effect and youngsters can be found training up in the sport at skate parks and ice-rinks.

There are even a few professionals who live on sponsorship deals, although the prize money for winning a race is still just $2000 for a man and half that for a woman.

Most of the participants have a profession, such as Austria's Alice Senz who is a physiotherapist, or the Canadian firefighter Scott Coxhall.

Meanwhile, Canada's double world champion Jacqueline Legere, 26, works as a stuntwoman when not on the piste.

"When I told my mother I was signed up for Crashed Ice she said 'no way', but now she's my biggest fan," she told AFP.

"It looks dangerous, but we train for this."

For now the sport is on the rise and with a well financed structure they are aiming for the top, with the Olympics a distant but growing possibility.

Source: AFP

The posh ski resort of Davos was snow-bound Monday after the heaviest precipitation in two decades, hampering the arrival of the world's elite for this week's World Economic Forum (WEF).

 Taliban militants who killed at least 22 people at a luxury Kabul hotel went from room to room searching for foreigners, survivors and a security source said Monday as more details of the victims emerged.

Insurgents armed with Kalashnikovs and suicide vests attacked the landmark Intercontinental Hotel overlooking the Afghan capital late Saturday, in an assault that lasted more than 12 hours and prompted questions over how the attackers breached security.

Guests hid behind pillars and in rooms as gunmen sprayed bullets and set fire to parts of the six-storey building. Some people climbed over balconies and used bed sheets in a desperate attempt to escape.

"They were saying, 'Kill the foreigners!'," a 20-year-old hotel employee who gave his name as Hasibullah told AFP from his hospital bed.

He described hiding and listening as the gunmen went from room to room, forcing doors open "with daggers" and killing those inside.

Officials have said at least 14 foreigners were killed.

"They didn't want to kill the Afghans," a security source told AFP. "The weapons and bullets they had were for the foreigners."

Another witness claimed he had seen the militants beheading guests.

The attack ended Sunday with all six militants killed by Afghan forces, aided by Norwegian troops.

Health ministry spokesman Waheed Majroh said 22 bodies had been taken to Kabul hospitals. "Some of the bodies (are) burned badly and need DNA tests to be identified," he said.

The interior ministry gave a lower toll Monday, saying 19 people were dead. There were also conflicting accounts of the number of attackers, which the ministry had put at six.

Authorities are known to understate death tolls in high-profile attacks, and much higher figures were circulating on local media.

At least seven Ukrainians were among the dead, the country's ambassador to Tajikistan and Afghanistan Viktor Nikitiuk told Ukrainian television 112.

"All the dead were working for the airline Kam Air and living at the Intercontinental Hotel," he said.

Kam Air, an Afghan carrier, said two Venezuelan staff were also killed in the assault, bringing the airline's losses to at least nine dead -- five pilots and four crew.

One German citizen and one Kazakh citizen were also killed, their foreign ministries said.

Afghan officials told AFP that senior Afghan diplomat Abdullah Poyan died along with Mufti Ahmad Farzan, a member of the High Peace Council responsible for reconciliation efforts with militants.

- Militants already inside? -

The employee Hasibullah said he saw two "fashionably dressed" gunmen in the hotel restaurant before the assault began.

The security source confirmed investigators had seen CCTV footage showing the attackers in the restaurant prior to the assault.

"It was around 8.30 pm... They were sitting in the corner of the hotel and they immediately started spraying bullets," Hasibullah said.

He ran to the fifth floor and locked himself inside a room, though not before seeing "many" bodies on the ground.

But as the gunmen went from door to door he leapt from the window in terror. "I fell on people lying in blood... it was horrific."

Knocked unconscious, he awoke in hospital with a broken leg and other wounds.

Another survivor told AFP the attackers "even beheaded the guests and people inside the hotel".

Noorullah, 24, said he worked at the hotel checking its security cameras, but fled to the fourth floor as the power went off and the attack began.

Also describing the militants as wearing civilian clothes, he said they killed "dozens" of people, opening each room and "raining" bullets.

He, too, jumped from a window to escape.

Witnesses said the hotel's security staff fled the scene as the attack unfolded, though a second security source denied the claim.

- Investigation -

Authorities warned they were still investigating how militants breached hotel security, which was taken over by a private company three weeks ago.

A security source said the company involved, KBBS, has responsibility for protecting the complex only, with its 150 guards not allowed inside the hotel under a contract he said had been signed by Afghan president Ashraf Ghani.

They were also not allowed to search VIPs entering the hotel, he said.

The company's website shows it has provided security services to other embassies as well as the United Nations and the European Union.

"They are screened and they are highly trained, they are more professional than the police," the source told AFP on condition of anonymity.

It was too soon to say if the militants had inside help, an interior ministry spokesman told AFP.

The attack followed security warnings in recent days to avoid hotels and other locations frequented by foreigners in war-torn Kabul.

Source: AFP

Chinese tourists are big spenders and with the numbers visiting Europe set to soar by nearly 70 percent over the next five years, the countries of the Old Continent are rolling out the red carpet to make the guests feel welcome.

A total 12.4 million Chinese, mostly in guided tour groups, came to Europe in 2017, according to the European Travel Comission. And the Chinese Tourism Academy (CTA) is expecting the number to reach 20.8 million by 2022.

"A few years ago, the Chinese came to Europe solely to do some shopping. Now, they're increasingly keen to get know the culture and the countryside," CTA president Dai Bin told AFP, speaking in Venice, at the launch of the year of tourism between the EU and China.

Festivals, cooking courses... "they want to have personal experiences and visit areas where they don't see any other Chinese," said ETC's executive director, Eduardo Santander.

"They like the cuisine, the music, the blue skies... most of them come from the coast, where pollution is extremely high," Santander said.

And some were surprised that they can "breathe without coughing," he added.

China is the world's biggest market for foreign tourism -- with 129 million Chinese holidaymakers travelling abroad, they account for one fifth of the total number of tourists globally.

And they spend more than twice the amount that, say, US tourists do -- $261 billion in 2016 compared with $123 billion.

- Hot water and credit cards -

Small gestures can go a long way towards making Chinese tourists feel more at ease in Europe, said Jacopo Sertoli, head of Welcome Chinese, a body that awards certificates to tourism companies catering for Chinese customers.

"You can make them very happy by offering them a glass of hot water," he said, noting most Chinese families drink water at that temperature rather than cold.

Chinese language television stations and good wifi in hotel rooms are a good idea while payment methods favoured by the Chinese, such as UnionPay, the only credit card issuer in China, WeChatPay or Alipay are a must.

CTA chief Dai Bin said Europe should reduce the red tape for its Chinese visitors.

"We hope Europe will make is easier for Chinese to get a visa," he said.

"In a number of eastern European countries, for example, it's easy. But it's very difficult in others. And when Chinese tourists visit Europe, they want to visit several countries, not just one," Dai Bin said.

By reciprocation, China would become "more flexible when granting visas and Europeans can stay in Beijing or Shanghai for 144 hours -- or six days -- without a visa," he promised.

According to ETC data, France is the number one desired destination in Europe for Chinese tourists, with 61 percent of visitors hoping to go there, followed by Germany with 37 percent and Italy with 28 percent.

Nevertheless, that picture has started to change in recent years, and travel to eastern Europe is booming, not least because of the easier allocation of visas and the increased availability of cheap flights. The string of terrorist attacks in France and Germany in recent years is also a factor.

In 2016, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Serbia, for example, rose by 173 percent, and numbers were up by nearly 90 percent in Montenegro.

But while "the Chinese are very alert to questions of security, they tend to forget more easily than other tourists," Santander said.

Popular for perceivedly having deep pockets -- a result of the Chinese tradition of giving presents -- Chinese visitors haven't always enjoyed a reputation for their savoir-vivre.

But that's an image which China is itself keen to remedy, with "some tourist agencies offering lessons to customers before they go to Europe," said CTA president Dai Bin.

Source: AFP

Gulf Air, the Kingdom of Bahrain’s national carrier, has today in partnership with VFS Global, the world’s largest visa service provider, launched a Bahrain Tourist Visa Service available via visa.gulfair.com exclusively for the airline’s passengers flying across its global network to Bahrain.

Travellers with return Gulf Air tickets can now conveniently apply for a visa to the Kingdom of Bahrain online via visa.gulfair.com or by visiting their local Gulf Air sales office with the necessary documents no more than 30 days prior to travel to fill in the relevant forms and submit their application. The visa service takes a minimum of four working days to process and is done in coordination with the relevant ministries and government entities.

Gulf Air Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Captain Waleed Abdul Hameed Al Alawi, said: “Promoting the Kingdom of Bahrain as a many-faceted tourist destination is key to Gulf Air’s longstanding mission. We are delighted to, in partnership with VFS Global, launch the Bahrain Tourist Visa Service - making the process of obtaining a visa to enter Bahrain easier and more convenient. We anticipate positive feedback from our customers, for whom this service is tailored, and we look forward to welcoming more people from around the world to Bahrain to experience all that the Kingdom has to offer.”

Vinay Malhotra, COO – Middle East & South Asia, VFS Global, added: “We are delighted to partner with Gulf Air and the Government of Bahrain to develop a convenient, next-generation visa service for Gulf Air passengers visiting Bahrain. The dedicated online platform not only makes applying for a visa to Bahrain quicker and more convenient than ever before, but also provides passengers with 24x7 accessibility and online tracking of their visas, amongst other advantages.”

Further information on Gulf Air’s Bahrain Tourist Visa Service can be found by visiting visa.gulfair.com, calling any local Gulf Air sales office or emailing query@bahrainvisaservice.com.  

Travellers wishing to book package holidays within Gulf Air’s extensive network of destinations can visit holidays.gulfair.com to purchase any/all of: airfares, hotel accommodation, car rental, guided tours, excursions as well as the airline’s own add-on travel enhancement items such as advance excess baggage purchasing, lounge access and prepaid seat selection. Gulf Air tickets can be purchased via the airline’s official website gulfair.com, its 24-hour Worldwide Contact Centre on (+973) 17373737 in Bahrain, or any Gulf Air sales offices and approved travel agencies.  

A truly Asian destination, a trip to Malaysia can be an overwhelming experience. Everything that one would expect for a perfect holiday can be found in this land blessed with natural beauty that is safe, affordable and simply amazing.

Good climate 365 days a year means that whether it's soaking up the sun on a beautiful beach or experiencing the rich culture and heritage, enjoying the delicious food on offer for every taste, wildlife safari, or bustling metropolis experience there is an adventure for each and everyone.

Among the many flights from Kuwait, Oman Air provides an excellent connectivity and comfort that can surpass one’s expectations. Voted as the best business class seat at the World Airline Awards the airline offers exceptional service and hospitality onboard its flights and at its lounges.Tourism Malaysia, the official tourism promotion authority in the country, is a serious effort by all the stakeholders working together to make each visit a memorable one. Having one of the largest overseas set up in almost 44 countries, every effort is taken by Tourism Malaysia to ensure that the country remains one of the top destinations for tourism.

During our visit we had the opportunity to understand the strategy and plans of the ministry with an exclusive interview with Dato Mousa Bin Al Yousef, director at Tourism Malaysia’s International Promotion division for Asia and Africa.

“Since 1959 Malaysia has been setting up tourism infrastructure and in 1992 the tourism board was rebranded to promote tourism in Malaysia,” Mousa Al Yousef revealed.

Malaysia gets around 27.5 million tourists a year mainly from neighbouring countries and the Middle East figures from January to August was just 210,000. “Even though we would like a lot more from the region, the Middle East visitors are all among the top 5 spenders,” he disclosed.

Our plan is to see a growth of 4 percent in terms of expenditure. “We have started working closely with airlines to promote tourists from their market and beyond,” he said. Already the impact is felt and more flights and better connectivity encouraging tourists to visit this nation of natural beauty.

“Malaysia for the Middle East tourist is a family destination,” Mousa revealed elaborating that the activities of water parks, theme parks, beaches and shopping makes it a tourist paradise. The Sunway Lagoon is a must visit for its amazing water theme based slides and rides. There is something for everyone and it is easy to find several interesting activities for the entire family. “As a top of the mind destination, there is halal food everywhere, English is widely spoken and it is very easy to assimilate with the local culture making it most comfortable for the visitor.”

The multi-ethnicity, culture and religion of Malaysian gives it an edge over neighboring countries as it is also peaceful, safe and unaffected by natural calamities.

“Our plan in the next 10 years is to increase our revenues from 82 billion ringgit (US$20 billion) to over 168 billion ringgit ($42 billion) hence there is a great thrust to boost the sector,” he also disclosed.

A very liberal visa regime means that most nationalities get visa on arrival. For others, the e-visa is easily processed making quick planning visits possible.
A fun packed vacation can include amazing sightseeing activities, island visits, unrivalled luxurious resorts, water sports, night markets, cultural tours, rainforests, wildlife safari’s, mountains and shopping that can wow any visitor.

Travelers often overlook Mongolia for its bustling neighbors, China and Russia. But it is in Mongolia — one of the world’s most sparsely populated countries — that one finds a unique blend of adventure and serenity that includes venturing into the wild with epic horse rides through the valleys, climbing up to Buddhist villages and temples, hiking through the mountains or luxurious yurt stays under a canvas of stars.

Mongolians are fully aware of the unique beauty of their country. Ask locals and they will probably start gushing about the spectacular countryside, vast steppes, rugged mountains, clear lakes and abundant wildlife and livestock of their country.  It is this true wilderness experience that many people find so appealing. The country is also famous for its nomadic culture — visitors can sleep in a herder's ger (traditional felt yurt), help roundup the sheep, ride horses and simply 'get back to nature'.

Ulaanbaatar

The capital, Ulaanbaatar, is a sprawling, industrialized city of pulsating commerce, wild traffic, throbbing nightlife and bohemian counter-culture. The city reflects a sharp contrast between traditional and modern elements that merge to form a unique environment. This is an ever-changing city that may be the biggest surprise of your Mongolian adventure.

The Gandan Khiid is one of the most important monasteries in this region — its full name Gandantegchinlen, translates roughly as ‘the great place of complete joy’ — a popular tourist attraction in Ulaanbaatar. Around the start of the 19th century more than 100 süm (temples) and khiid (monasteries) served a population of about 50,000 in Urga (the former name of Ulaanbaatar). The Gandan Khiid is just one of the handfuls of such buildings that survived the religious purges of 1937.

Among other museums and historical sites in the city is The Central Museum of Mongolian Dinosaurs, home to dinosaurs of all shapes, sizes and appetites that once roamed the Gobi Desert. Their fossilized bones and eggs were first uncovered by American explorer Roy Chapman Andrews in the 1920s. Today you can come face-to-skull with some of the best examples of Mongolian dinosaur fossils in this museum.

Few tourists come to Mongolia without visiting its most iconic landmark, a 40-meter-high glistening silver statue of Chinggis Khaan at the Chinggis Khaan Statue Complex, located in the province of Tov. Constructed in 2008 from stainless steel, the dramatic statue has a lift rising up its tail, from where there are steps to the horse’s head. It was built here, so the legend goes, because this was the spot where Chinggis Khaan found a golden whip. The complex includes an impressive museum which enlightens tourists with the rich history of the country and guides them through the ventures of the nation’s infamous leader, and located just up the road is the statue of Chinggis Khaan’s mother, Hoelun, who gazes back towards her son.

Situated in this region is also the famous Khustain National Park, a 506-sq-km reserve which is well known for its population of takhi, a Mongolian wild horse once thought extinct. Other wildlife in the park includes maral (Asiatic red deer), steppe gazelle, deer, boar, Pallas's cats, wolves, lynx, marmot and 223 species of birds. Wildlife watching is best at dusk and at dawn, so it is worth spending at least one night in the park in order to see takhi and other wildlife.

With its iconic sand dunes, ice canyon and stunning mountain vistas, Gurvan Saikhan National Park is understandably one of Mongolia’s most popular national parks, and falls along the northern edge of the Gobi Desert. Besides its spectacular natural beauty it contains more than 200 bird species, including the Mongolian desert finch, cinereous vulture, desert warbler and houbara bustard. The park also has 600 or more types of plants, which help support the black-tailed gazelle, Kozlov’s pygmy jerboa, wild ass and endangered species of wild camel, snow leopard, ibex and argali sheep.

Khongoryn Els are some of the largest and most spectacular sand dunes in Mongolia and fall within the boundaries of the National Park. Yolyn Am, which was originally established to conserve the region's bird life, but is now more famous for its dramatic rocky cliffs and narrow, heavily shaded canyons that allow sheets of blue-veined ice to survive well into the summer in what is known as Yolyn Am Gorge. A pleasant 2km path leads from the parking area to this gorge filled with blue ice, one of the park's not-to-miss sights. You can hike, bike or hire a horse and ride here. Along the way, you will see herds of shaggy yaks and, if you are lucky, an ibex.

If your reason to visit Mongolia is to experience its vast mountainous steppe, then travelling through the Orkhon Valley region is a must on your itinerary. Here you can drive all day and come across flocks of goat and sheep that scurry out of the way, while herds of semi-wild horses graze in the distance. Crossing this vast nothingness of undulating hills you will encounter the occasional ger camp of nomadic herders, who can wave you on in the direction you are heading if you get lost.

It is a route that is popular with tourists making their way from Kharkhorin, invariably stopping at Orkhon Falls. From here you can embark on a horse trek to Khuisiin Naiman Nuur Nature Reserve, or continue east to the scenic Khangai Mountains, where you will find one of central Mongolia's most atmospheric monasteries.

The site of Mongolia’s famed 13-century capital Karakorum has since been molded into a gritty Soviet-built town with hints of its Middle Aged glory glistening in its corners. What draws in tourists by the bus load are the remains of the 16th-century monastery, Erdene Zuu Khiid, and the impressive museum, both of which offer some evocative insights into the region's golden era.

Kharkhorin is also within striking distance of a number of worthwhile sights – the stunning lakes of Naiman Nuur, Orkhon Khürkhree waterfall, the secluded hilltop monastery, Tövkhön Khiid, the sand dunes known as Mongol Els, and the magnificently stark rocky nature reserve, Khögnö Khan Uul – making this the best place to base yourself for a tour of the Övörkhangai province.

 Norway's self-styled 'Attacking Vikings' will head to next month's Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang full of confidence after peaking on the World Cup circuit at just the right time.

Leader of the group remains Aksel Lund Svindal, who although approaching the twilight of his career, can never be written off in any speed event.

Partnering him will be Kjetil Jansrud, while slalom specialist Henrik Kristoffersen offers a real threat in the technical disciplines.

Kitzbuehel proved a happy hunting ground for the trio, Svindal winning Friday's super-G ahead of Jansrud, while Kristoffersen claimed the slalom title.

Up and coming Aleksander Aamodt Kilde came in 12th and 18th in the super-G and downhill.

After 25 of 39 races this season, Austrian Marcel Hirscher tops the overall World Cup table followed by Kristoffersen, Svindal and Jansrud.

"God damnit! #attackingvikings on fire," was Jansrud's reaction after the 1-2 in the super-G.

Svindal won three Olympic medals (one of each colour) at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver and is an eight-time world championship medallist, five of them gold.

But his best in Sochi was a fourth, seventh and eighth as he failed to medal.

The 35-year-old was left disappointed by his eighth place in the downhill in Kitzbuehel, on the same demanding course that saw him suffer a season-ending injury in 2016.

"Some days are great, and sometimes you disappoint yourself a little bit," lamented Svindal after the downhill, the most prestigious on the World Cup circuit and won this year by unheralded German Thomas Dressen.

"Today was one of those days that could have been great, but I just didn't make it happen. Still happy with the week :)," tweeted Svindal.

Jansrud, who won super-G gold and downhill bronze in the Sochi Olympics and giant slalom silver in Vancouver, said he was just happy to be back racing properly.

"I've been sounding like a real drama queen," Jansrud said when questioned about his complaints over not finding his rhythm in training.

"I'm very happy with the podium. I've been struggling a little bit with the super-G in Kitzbuehel so I'm very happy."

- Slalom glory -

Kristoffersen rounded off the Kitzbuehel weekend with a thrilling victory over Austrian nemesis Hirscher.

The 23-year-old, yet to be defeated after leading a first run, took a 1.05sec lead over Hirscher into the second run of a slalom held in heavy snow.

And despite one minor blip halfway down the Ganslern course, the Norwegian kept his nerve to claim a 16th World Cup victory and snap a five-race winning streak by Hirscher.

"Henrik was in a league of his own," acknowledged Hirscher, a six-time overall World Cup winner who will be bidding for his first Olympic title in Pyeongchang next month.

Third-placed Daniel Yule, born in Switzerland to Scottish parents, hailed Kristoffersen and Hirscher.

"I think today I can count as the first human behind the two aliens that are Marcel and Henrik," Yule said.

"They're both skiing at such a high level at the moment in slalom, this third place counts as a win."

Kristoffersen was quick to retort that he was "just human".

"I'm not superman, he's the superman," he said, pointing to Hirscher.

"There have been seven slalom races this season and I've been on the podium every time, but didn't win before this, so it's definitely a good feeling.

"There are still improvements to be made, that's for sure. We have some stuff to work on and we are working on it but today was a good day."

Source: AFP

Chinese and Russian visitors boosted Middle Eastern tourism last year following a 2016 slump as Europeans gave the area a wide berth on security fears, according to the World Tourism Organization (WTO).

The Mideast region as a whole drew 58 million foreign tourists in 2017 -- a 4.8 percent rise on the previous year -- the Madrid-based WTO said in its latest figures released midweek.

Jihadist attacks on tourist sites in Egypt, Tunisia and Turkey in recent years particularly hit the industry.

But "over time, people forget and return," said Jalel Gasmi, head of Granada Travel Services, a tour operator attending the Fitur international tourism gathering in the Spanish capital.

Despite the annual rise, Marcus Lee, heading the Welcome China agency, said the sector could not rest on its laurels.

For Chinese visitors, security "is the first thing they ask about" beyond visa regulations and often poor flight connections in the Middle East, said Lee.

Security concerns aside, Lee said rising purchasing power means the Chinese tourist takes a different approach compared to 20 years ago when, "for example ... coming to Europe they wanted to see ten countries in ten days.

"That's no longer the case and we are concentrating on one country over ten days," said Lee.

- Egyptian turnaround -

In the case of Egypt, tourist numbers soared 55 percent last year, even as European numbers dipped, with Chinese and visitors from Egypt's neighbours taking their place.

Visitor profiles have changed since military man Abdel Fattah al-Sisi came to power in 2014 and especially since the 2011 overthrow of longtime Hosni Mubarak.

Before then, "the European market, including Russia, accounted for almost 80 percent (of tourists) but now, 52 percent," said Hesham El Demeiry, head of the Egyptian tourist authority, adding Chinese and Indian visitors rose from 5 to 12 percent while tourists from Egypt's neighbours doubled their share from 15 to 30 percent.

Turkey, meanwhile, is back in business after the fallout from the July 2016 coup saw visitor numbers slide by a third, before a similar rise last year.

Ankara is out to keep on attracting more visitors from Russia -- whose tourists poured in during 2017 -- as well as neighbours including Iran and Ukraine.

The downside, according to Turkish tour operator Ahmet Okay, is that the newcomers are likely to spend fewer tourist dollars than their EU or US counterparts.

Tunisia is also on the way back thanks to a surge in Russian and Chinese visitors with a 23 percent rise in visitors last year over 2016.

Source: AFP

A $16 billion deal with Emirates airline for A380 superjumbos will give Airbus "at least 10 years of visibility", the European manufacturer's CEO Tom Enders said in an interview published Sunday.

Emirates announced the deal on Thursday to buy 36 Airbus A380s - just days after the group said it would have to halt production without new orders.

The deal is "excellent news" and "a sign of confidence on the part of a company that has built its strategy on growth around the plane", Enders told France's Journal du Dimanche newspaper.

It "gives us at least 10 years of visibility."

Emirates said it had placed firm orders for 20 of the double-decker aircraft with options for a further 16. Deliveries are scheduled to start in 2020.

The airline is already the world's biggest customer for the A380 with 101 in its fleet and 41 more firm orders previously placed.

Airbus hopes that by continuing the programme for the next 10 years or even beyond, potential customers of the A380 will decide to order the aircraft, especially in China.

The group's decision in 2007 to pursue the A380, capable of packing in 853 seats, was diametrically opposed to rival Boeing's bet on the Dreamliner, marketed as a more efficient plane that could be used for both medium and long-distance flights.

But the economics of the four-engine A380 have proved daunting, with airlines having to operate every flight at full capacity in order to make a profit.

Airbus sales director John Leahy had said on Monday that the company would have to halt the A380 programme unless Emirates placed another order.

Enders, 59, told the Airbus board of directors last month that he would not seek reappointment as CEO when his current term ends in April.

Source: AFP

At least four gunmen attacked Kabul's landmark Intercontinental Hotel in a night-time raid on Saturday and started shooting at guests, officials said, in an assault that is ongoing.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the latest attack in the Afghan capital that followed a series of security warnings in recent days to avoid hotels and other locations frequented by foreigners.

"Four attackers are inside the building," an official at the National Directorate of Security (NDS) spy agency told AFP.

They are "shooting at guests", he said.

A guest hiding in a room told AFP he could hear gunfire inside the 1960s hotel.

"I don't know if the attackers are inside the hotel but I can hear gunfire from somewhere near the first floor," he said by telephone without giving his name.

"We are hiding in our rooms. I beg the security forces to rescue us as soon as possible before they reach and kill us."

His phone was switched off when AFP tried to contact him again.

Another official said the attackers were armed with small weapons and rocket-propelled grenades when they blasted their way into the hotel, which often hosts weddings, conferences and political gatherings.

"The first and second floors have been cleared and three wounded guests taken to hospital," interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi told AFP.

"Some other guests have been rescued. We will be able to release casualty figures once the operation ends."

Afghan media is reporting multiple casualties in the attack.

The fourth floor of the hotel, which boasts several restaurants and a swimming pool, had been set on fire during the raid, the NDS official said.

Ministry of interior spokesman Najib Danish said one of the attackers inside the hotel had been killed.

"Our special forces are in the area," Danish told AFP.

"The operation will soon end and the attackers will be killed."

- Security questioned -

Authorities are already investigating how the attackers got past security which was taken over by a private company two weeks ago, Danish said.

"They probably used a back door in the kitchen to enter," he said.
"There was no special event going on in the hotel at the time of the attack."

Electricity inside the multi-storey hilltop hotel was cut after an initial explosion, a counterterrorism source said.

Security at the Intercontinental, which is not part of the global InterContinental chain, is relatively light compared with other high-end hotels in Kabul.

A conference on Afghanistan-China relations was held in one of its function rooms earlier Saturday, attended by the Chinese embassy's political counsellor Zhang Zhixin.

An AFP reporter who attended the conference passed through two vehicle security checkpoints. At the entrance to the building there was a physical inspection that could be easily evaded by scaling a low-level barrier and entering the lobby.

The Intercontinental was last targeted in June 2011 when a suicide attack claimed by the Taliban killed 21 people, including 10 civilians.

Security in Kabul has been tightened since May 31 when a massive truck bomb ripped through the diplomatic quarter, killing some 150 people and wounding around 400 others -- mostly civilians. No group has yet claimed that attack.

The Islamic State group has claimed most of the recent attacks in the Afghan capital, but authorities suspect that the Taliban-affiliated Haqqani Network has been involved in some of the assaults.

The deadliest of the recent attacks happened at a Shiite cultural centre on December 29 when a suicide bomber blew himself up, killing more than 40 people.

Security alerts sent to foreigners living in Kabul in recent days warned that "extremist groups may be planning an attack against hotels in Kabul" as well as public gatherings and other locations "where foreigners are known to congregate".

Source: AFP

It is over a year since Bashar al-Assad's regime, with the help of Russian air strikes and barrel bombs, pounded the rebel-held east of Aleppo into submission.

Buildings were flattened, those who survived were left terrorised, hungry and filled with despair, and the stench of dead bodies rose up from the rubble as families searched for their loved ones.

Now, having largely destroyed the city it sought to control, the Assad regime wants the world to visit what remains: as a tourist destination.

This week the Syrian government is advertising Aleppo, along with other destinations in Syria, at the Fitur International Tourism Trade Fair in Madrid, "promoting" the country's attractions to the world.

It is the first time Syria has attended the trade fair since 2011, before the war broke out.

Along with the ruins of Aleppo, it also encourages people to visit the ancient Roman-era ruins of Palmyra, the UNESCO-listed archaeological site which was twice controlled by the Islamic State (IS) group.

IS fighters blew up some of the temples and burial towers before being forced out of the city for the final time last year by Syrian government forces and their Russian backers.

"This year is the time to rebuild Syria and our economy," Bassam Barsik, director of marketing at the Syrian Ministry of Tourism, told AFP.

Barsik said 1.3 million foreign visitors travelled to Syria last year, although that figure includes those who came from neighbouring Lebanon for only one day.

"We're targeting two million visitors this year," he said.

He argued that religious destinations, such as the historic Christian town of Maaloula, one of the last places on earth where Aramaic is still spoken, are still a draw to tourists.

Damascus, Tartus, Latakia and the historic Crusader castle of Krak des Chevaliers close to the border with Lebanon, although damaged by bombing, are other possible attractions.

"In 2017, the army controlled much of the country, and that was a big help to promote Syria abroad and attract tourist groups again," said Barsik.

Most countries advise citizens against all travel to Syria.

The war has displaced millions of people and is estimated to have claimed the lives of at least 340,000 people since 2011.

Source: AFP

Emirates Airlines said Thursday it has struck a $16 billion deal to buy 36 Airbus A380 superjumbos just days after the European manufacturer said it would have to halt production without new orders.

The company said it had placed firm orders for 20 of the double-decker aircraft with options for a further 16. Deliveries are scheduled to start in 2020.

Emirates is already the world's biggest customer for the A380 with 101 in its fleet and 41 more firm orders previously placed.

"This order will provide stability to the A380 production line," the airline's chairman and CEO Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum said.

"We've made no secret of the fact that the A380 has been a success for Emirates," he said in a statement.

"Our customers love it, and we've been able to deploy it on different missions across our network, giving us flexibility in terms of range and passenger mix."

The Dubai-based airline said that with the new order it will have commitments for a total of 178 A380s worth $60 billion.

The deal was expected to be signed during the Dubai Airshow in November but was delayed without any explanation amid reports of tough negotiations.

Instead, Emirates inked a deal to buy 40 Boeing Dreamliners for more than $15 billion.

Airbus's decision in 2007 to pursue the A380, capable of packing in 853 seats, was diametrically opposed to Boeing's bet on the Dreamliner, marketed as a more efficient plane that could be used for both medium and long-distance flights.

But the economics of the four-engine A380 have proved daunting, with airlines having to operate every flight at full capacity in order to make a profit.

- 'It buys Airbus time' -

Airbus warned on Monday that it might have to end production of the A380, having booked no new orders for the plane in two years.

It said it regarded Emirates as the only airline with the capacity to place an order of the size required to keep production going.

"Quite honestly, if we can't work out a deal with Emirates there is no choice but to shut down the programme," Airbus sales director John Leahy said Monday.

The company said it needed to build at least six of the aircraft per year for the programme to remain viable.

On Thursday, Leahy seemed relieved that Airbus' strategy of staring down Emirates appeared to have paid off, saying the programme was now good to go on for at least another decade.

"This new order underscores Airbus' commitment to produce the A380 at least for another ten years. I'm personally convinced more orders will follow Emirates' example and that this great aircraft will be built well into the 2030s," Leahy said.

Airbus is hoping China will lead a revival in orders once demand for long-haul planes picks up, arguing that the plane is ideally suited for mass-market travel and for heavily congested airports.

Emirates operates a fleet of 269 wide-bodied aircraft and flies to 157 destinations.

Airbus said it has delivered 222 A380s to 13 airlines so far.

Stock market investors welcomed the news of the order, pushing Airbus shares more than two percent higher on the Paris bourse in mid-session business.

"The share price of Airbus hit a new all-time high this morning on the back of the announcement, but has since pulled back a small bit," said market analyst David Madden at CMC Markets UK.

Airbus shares closed the day with a gain of 0.7 percent to 90.40 euros in Paris.

Calling the deal "a relief for Airbus", independent commercial aviation expert John Strickland said it probably saved the A-380 programme.

"Without it, production would likely have been terminated," Strickland said.

"It is not a guarantee of financial success for the programme but buys Airbus time to go out and secure additional orders from other airlines," he said.

Source: AFP

The US Supreme Court said Friday it will review President Donald Trump's latest travel ban affecting citizens from six Muslim majority countries plus North Korea and Venezuela.

In what could prove decisive in a legal battle that has roiled the first year of the Trump administration, the high court will rule on whether the president exceeded his powers and engaged in religious discrimination in the third rendering of the ban.

Lower courts in California, Hawaii and other states have repeatedly ruled that Trump's order targets Muslims in violation of the US Constitution.

"We have always known this case would ultimately be decided by the United States Supreme Court," said state Attorney General Doug Chin of Hawaii, which has repeatedly fought the travel bans.

"This will be an important day for justice and the rule of law. We look forward to the Court hearing the case."

The conservative-tilting court last month rejected calls for a freeze on the ban, which targets visitors from Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen, allowing Trump to implement it while it was being challenged in lower courts.

The US administration has rewritten the ban twice, adding more national security justifications in the latest iteration in September and including citizens of North Korea and Venezuela to counter the argument the government was singling out Muslim countries.

- National security, not religion -

Trump's initial travel ban, decreed a week after he took office, triggered chaos out at US airports, with travelers detained upon arrival, and nationwide protests against a measure seen as discriminatory -- though Trump said it aimed to keep out extremists.

Court challenges have seized upon Trump's repeated comments against Muslims, starting with his campaign vow to ban them from entering the country, to make the case that they were the intended target.

The first ban was quickly blocked in court, as was a modified version removing Iraq from the list of countries.

Regarding the third version, critics noted that the United States welcomed no more than a handful of annual visitors from North Korea, and in Venezuela's case, the ban was made specific to a number of high-ranking officials in a government already facing US sanctions.

One key difference in the latest version of the ban was that it was open-ended, whereas the previous two versions were set for 90 days, ostensibly for the government to review security threats from the countries.

The Supreme Court will review those arguments, but also whether Trump has the executive power to order such a ban.

"Every version of the ban has been found unconstitutional, illegal, or both by federal trial and appellate courts," said Omar Jadwat, director of the Immigrants' Rights Project at the American Civil Liberties Union, which has supported Hawaii in its court challenge.

"The Supreme Court can and should put a definitive end to President Trump's attempt to undermine the constitutional guarantee of religious equality and the basic principles of our immigration laws, including their prohibition of national origin discrimination," Jadwat said.

Source: AFP

Lebanon thwarted jihadist plans to attack places of worship and government buildings over the holidays after gaining rare access to an Islamic State group operative, the interior minister said Friday.

Nuhad Mashnuq said at a press conference that an elite unit in Lebanon's Internal Security Forces (ISF) had arrested an Iraqi IS commander in Beirut last June.

The commander, known as Abu Jaafar al-Iraqi, had been tasked by the IS leadership to establish an IS network in Lebanon, according to information presented at the briefing.

This network would not only carry out attacks in Lebanon, but could have potentially hosted top IS officials fleeing Iraq and Syria.

Full details of the operation and the current whereabouts of Abu Jaafar were not revealed.

But Mashnuq said that for five months after the Iraqi commander's arrest the ISF kept tabs on him through a mysterious "volunteer," who had gained his trust and rented a home for him that was bugged by Lebanese authorities.

"This is one of those rare operations where you have someone this important in the terrorist organisation, and you're able to use him for five months to find out about the plans supposed to happen during the holidays, against places of worship and government buildings," Mashnuq told reporters.

"The nature of this operation, as we explained, is unprecedented in the Arab world," he claimed.

IS's now-defunct "caliphate" spread across swathes of Iraq and Syria but never officially included territory inside Lebanon.

Jihadists from IS were entrenched along the Lebanese-Syrian border for several years however and claimed several deadly attacks in Lebanon.

According to a film shown at Friday's briefing, Lebanese authorities had worked since the end of 2016 to lure Abu Jaafar to Lebanon with the help of Arab and international authorities.

An intermediary, trained in Turkey and cooperating with the ISF, rented out an apartment for Abu Jaafar that was being surveilled and met with him there several times.

Audio and video clips from the apartment were aired during the press conference.

Abu Jaafar allegedly asked IS leaders in Iraq and Syria for help in planning attacks on New Year's Eve in Lebanon, and they said they may be able to provide suicide belts and automatic weapons.

He was ultimately unable to pull together an operation, the clip said.

The film mentioned one Lebanese IS member who had been arrested as part of the year-long operation. The minister did not mention any other arrests nor did he elaborate on the intelligence gained.

Source: AFP

Airbus got an early jump on rival Boeing for 2018 with news Tuesday that low-cost Mexican airline Volaris has ordered 80 of its popular A320 planes for a total $9.3 billion.

The planned purchase, which entails deliveries over the next eight years, comes after the European Aerospace giant overtook Boeing last year in terms of aircraft orders, booking 1,109 against the US company's 718.

"The announcement of the investment in 80 Airbus aircraft by Volaris for a total $9.3 billion is very important," Mexican Communications Minister Gerardo Ruiz said, accompanied by Volaris executives.

Volaris CEO Enrique Beltranena said it was "the biggest plane order signed in the history" of Mexico.

He said 40 of the planes will be delivered between 2018 and 2021 and the rest by 2026.

Volaris, created in 2006, has routes across Mexico and to 78 destinations abroad. Last year it transported more than 320,000 passengers.

Airbus said its 2017 performance for commercial plane deliveries was a company record, reflecting 15 consecutive years of growth.

At the end of 2017, Airbus' overall backlog stood at 7,265 aircraft valued at $1.059 trillion (867 billion euros) at list prices, the company said.

Its A320 family of short- and medium-haul jets is a production mainstay, and Airbus has invested in new-generation versions of it that are more fuel efficient.

In contrast, sales of Airbus's flagship giant A380 double-decker planes has been disappointing, with only 317 ordered since its launch in 2007. The company has suggested further A380 production could be threatened if key customer Emirates did not order any more.

Emirates Airlines said Thursday it has struck a $16 billion deal to buy 36 Airbus A380 superjumbos just days after the European manufacturer said it would have to halt production without new orders.

The company said it had placed firm orders for 20 of the double-decker aircraft with options for a further 16. Deliveries are scheduled to start in 2020.

Emirates is already the world's biggest customer for the A380 with 101 in its fleet and 41 more firm orders previously placed.

The Dubai-based airline said that with the new order it will have commitments for a total of 178 A380s worth $60 billion.

The deal was expected to be signed during the Dubai Airshow in November but was delayed without any explanation amid reports of tough negotiations.

Instead, Emirates inked a deal to buy 40 Boeing Dreamliners for more than $15 billion.

Airbus's decision in 2007 to pursue the A380, capable of packing in 853 seats, was diametrically opposed to Boeing's bet on the Dreamliner, marketed as a more efficient plane that could be used for both medium and long-distance flights.

But the economics of the A380 have proved daunting, with airlines having to fly every flight at full capacity in order to make a profit.

Airbus warned on Monday that it might have to end production of the A380, having booked no new orders for the plane in two years.

It said it regarded Emirates as the only airline with the capacity to place an order of the size required to keep production going.

"We’ve made no secret of the fact that the A380 has been a success for Emirates," the airline's chairman and CEO Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum said.

"Our customers love it, and we’ve been able to deploy it on different missions across our network, giving us flexibility in terms of range and passenger mix."

Emirates operates a fleet of 269 wide-bodied aircraft and flies to 157 destinations.

 Spectacular lava "fireworks" shooting from its crater are drawing tourists to the Philippines' most active volcano, authorities said Tuesday as scientists warned of a potential dangerous eruption within days.

Lava spurting from Mayon volcano lit up the sky overnight Monday in what scientists said was a sign of increasing activity that prompted official calls for evacuation of areas under threat from a major eruption.

But even as thousands of residents flee, tourists are flocking to the area, some 330 kilometres (205 miles) southeast of Manila to watch and photograph the spectacle, Danny Garcia, a spokesman for Albay province told AFP.

"It's a spectacle to watch. It's beauty and fury in one, especially at night. But it's a natural phenomenon so we don't know when an (explosive) eruption will happen," Garcia added.

Mayon, a near-perfect cone that also draws thousands of tourists during its periods of quiet, rises 2,460 metres (8,070 feet) above Legazpi, a city of about 200,000 people surrounded by a largely agricultural region.

The state volcanology institute described the natural pyrotechnics as "short-duration lava fountaining", an escalation from the slow lava flow from the crater a day earlier.

"If lava has enough gas and material, fragments will be flown up into the air, like the fountain you light up on New Year's Eve," Renato Solidum, head of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), told AFP.

"There is more force involved when the lava would exit so it's more intense than just the lava oozing out."

Ash also rose two kilometres into the sky in the past 24 hours, enveloping surrounding areas in a grey carpet as more residents left their homes for safety.

About 30,000 people in and around Legazpi have fled their homes, the provincial government said on Tuesday, more than double the official count on Monday.

Local governments are tapping emergency funds and working to ensure clean water supply, officials said.

However hotels reported getting more tourist bookings while people flocked to viewing decks to watch the volcano from a distance, the provincial government said although it gave no specific figures.

The Philippines is part of the Pacific "Ring of Fire" of islands that were formed by volcanic activity, and is perennially under threat from 22 active volcanoes.

The most powerful explosion in recent years was the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo, about 100 kilometres northwest of Manila, which killed more than 800 people.

Scientists said it was highly unlikely Mayon would have a similar eruption.

"It erupts quite often, and volcanoes that erupt frequently tend to have smaller eruptions than those that erupt less frequently," David Rothery, a geosciences professor at The Open University in Britain, told AFP.

Source: AFP

 Spectacular lava "fireworks" shooting from its crater are drawing tourists to the Philippines' most active volcano, authorities said Tuesday as scientists warned of a potential dangerous eruption within days.

Lava spurting from Mayon volcano lit up the sky overnight Monday in what scientists said was a sign of increasing activity that prompted official calls for evacuation of areas under threat from a major eruption.

But even as thousands of residents flee, tourists are flocking to the area, some 330 kilometres (205 miles) southeast of Manila to watch and photograph the spectacle, Danny Garcia, a spokesman for Albay province told AFP.

"It's a spectacle to watch. It's beauty and fury in one, especially at night. But it's a natural phenomenon so we don't know when an (explosive) eruption will happen," Garcia added.

Mayon, a near-perfect cone that also draws thousands of tourists during its periods of quiet, rises 2,460 metres (8,070 feet) above Legazpi, a city of about 200,000 people surrounded by a largely agricultural region.

The state volcanology institute described the natural pyrotechnics as "short-duration lava fountaining", an escalation from the slow lava flow from the crater a day earlier.

"If lava has enough gas and material, fragments will be flown up into the air, like the fountain you light up on New Year's Eve," Renato Solidum, head of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), told AFP.

"There is more force involved when the lava would exit so it's more intense than just the lava oozing out."

Ash also rose two kilometres into the sky in the past 24 hours, enveloping surrounding areas in a grey carpet as more residents left their homes for safety.

About 30,000 people in and around Legazpi have fled their homes, the provincial government said on Tuesday, more than double the official count on Monday.

Local governments are tapping emergency funds and working to ensure clean water supply, officials said.

However hotels reported getting more tourist bookings while people flocked to viewing decks to watch the volcano from a distance, the provincial government said although it gave no specific figures.

The Philippines is part of the Pacific "Ring of Fire" of islands that were formed by volcanic activity, and is perennially under threat from 22 active volcanoes.

The most powerful explosion in recent years was the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo, about 100 kilometres northwest of Manila, which killed more than 800 people.

Scientists said it was highly unlikely Mayon would have a similar eruption.

"It erupts quite often, and volcanoes that erupt frequently tend to have smaller eruptions than those that erupt less frequently," David Rothery, a geosciences professor at The Open University in Britain, told AFP.

Source: AFP

China's sole operational aircraft carrier passed through the Taiwan Strait Wednesday, the island's defence ministry said, as Beijing steps up pressure on its democratic rival.

It comes weeks after Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen warned against what she called China's "military expansion" -- the increase of air and naval drills around the island since she came to power in May 2016.

Beijing views the self-ruling island as part of its territory, to be reunified at some point.

Cross-strait relations have become increasingly frosty as Tsai refuses to acknowledge Taiwan is part of "one China".

The aircraft carrier -- a second-hand Soviet ship -- caused a stir in Taiwan when it first entered the strait in January last year, viewed as a symbolic show of strength by Beijing.

The defence ministry said the Liaoning carrier and accompanying vessels entered Taiwan's air defence zone early Wednesday morning and left by noon.

The fleet, which earlier this month had sailed south through the strait that separates Taiwan and China, was seen again heading north, it said.

As in the past two crossings, the ship did not enter Taiwanese waters, the ministry added.

"The military conducted surveillance and took responsive measures during the whole process," the ministry said in a statement.

"There were no unusual activities during the time the fleet passed through the Taiwan Strait. We urge people not to worry," it added.

Built nearly 30 years ago, the carrier was commissioned in 2012 after extensive refits.

According to Taiwan's defence ministry, Chinese warplanes conducted 25 drills around Taiwan between August 2016 and mid-December last year.

The latest Liaoning appearance also comes after tensions were further fuelled by China starting new flight routes in the Taiwan Strait without consulting Taiwan.

Taipei questioned the move as politically motivated and called it reckless, saying it threatened the island's security and could compromise flight safety.

Source: AFP

The Libyan capital's only working international airport remained closed to flights on Tuesday, the airport said, a day after fighting killed at least 20 people and damaged several planes.

Mitiga airport said in a statement that all scheduled flights had been rerouted through the western city of Misrata.

Mitiga airport, a former military air base on the eastern fringes of Tripoli, was evacuated on Monday after militiamen attacked it in an attempt to free colleagues held at a jail there.

The health ministry of Libya's UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) said 20 people were killed and 63 wounded in the clashes. It did not specify if the casualties were civilians or fighters.

Five aircraft belonging to state-owned Afriqiyah Airways, including a cargo plane, were severely damaged, the company said in a statement.

Private Libyan carrier Buraq Air said two of its Boeing planes were also damaged in the fighting.

Mitiga has been a civilian airport since the city's main international airport was badly damaged in fighting between rival militias in mid-2014.

Libya has been wracked by chaos since the 2011 uprising that toppled and killed long-time dictator Moamer Kadhafi, with rival authorities and militias battling for control of its oil riches.

The airport's closure Monday was announced after Al-Radaa, a force loyal to the GNA and tasked with keeping the facility secure, said it had come under attack.

An armed group "attacked Mitiga international airport... which is home to a prison where more than 2,500 people are detained," Al-Radaa said.

Witnesses on Tuesday said calm had returned to the airport.

The GNA condemned a "premeditated" attack, saying the gunmen were trying to free "terrorists" belonging to the Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda.

The UN mission in Libya (UNSMIL) reminded all parties of their "moral and legal obligations to safeguard and protect civilians and civilian installations".

Source: AFP

Airbus said on Monday that it might have to end production of the double-decker A380 superjumbo jet, having booked no new orders for the plane in two years.

The European aerospace group had been banking on another big order from main client Emirates in November, but the Dubai-based airline decided instead to buy 40 of Boeing’s Dreamliners.

Airbus’s decision in 2007 to pursue the A380, capable of packing in 853 seats, was diametrically opposed to Boeing’s bet on the Dreamliner, marketed as a more efficient plane that could be used for both medium and long-distance flights.
Turbulence continues for Airbus as one of first A380s exits service
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But the economics of the A380 have proved daunting, with airlines having to fly every flight at full capacity to make a profit.

“We are still talking to Emirates, but honestly, they are probably the only one to have the ability right now on the market place to take a minimum of six per year on a period of eight to 10 years,” Airbus’s sales director, John Leahy, said.

“If we can’t work out a deal with Emirates there is no choice but to shut down the programme,” he said.

The A380 has a 2018 list price of US$446m (£324m), and as of December it had booked 317 orders for the plane from 18 airlines. Of those, 222 have been delivered.

But the last order, for three jets by Japan’s ANA, goes back to January 2016 – and that was the first after nearly three years since a huge order for 50 A380s by Emirates in 2013.

So far, the A380 has cost Airbus €18bn to €20bn, and the company says it needs to build at least six a year for the programme to remain viable.

“We will deliver 12 aircraft as planned in 2018,” chief operating officer Fabrice Bregier said, down from 27 in 2015.

“The challenge will be to maintain at least this level in the years to come” before customers start placing replacement orders for the A380s they currently have in service, and “potential new markets” start opening up, he said.

He said the fact the program could exist with just six planes built each year was a testament to its efficiency, adding that the “magnificent plane” was widely acclaimed by passengers.
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In many ways, the A380 programme is a race against time: Airbus is hoping China will lead a revival in orders once demand for long-haul planes picks up, arguing the plane is ideally suited for mass-market travel and for heavily congested airports.

China is expected to become the world’s biggest air travel market in 2022, surpassing the US, according to the International Air Transport Association.

Bregier said the company’s overall deliveries could rise to 800 this year given the increased pace of production of the A320neo.

Deliveries have been slowed by problems with the plane’s engines made by US firm Pratt & Whitney and by CFM, the joint venture of General Electric and Safran, but Bregier said these were being worked out.

Overall, Airbus said it booked a total 1,109 aircraft orders and a record 718 deliveries in 2017, outpacing Boeing’s 912 orders but falling short of its rival’s 763 deliveries.

Source: AFP

Spain is set to replace the United States as the world's second tourism destination while France has retained the top spot, the UN World Tourism Organization said Monday.

"It is expected" that Spain will take the second position with some 82 million visitors last year, UNWTO chief Zurab Pololikashvili told reporters.

Definitive figures, however, will only be published in the spring.

Pololikashvili did not give any details about the United States, nor did he explain why Spain took the second spot despite a terror attack in August and a highly mediatised independence crisis in tourism magnet Catalonia, home to Barcelona and Costa Brava beaches.

John Kester, head of tourism trends at the UN agency, added that "everything indicates" that France would retain its top spot in 2017 -- a good year for the industry as the number of global tourists leapt seven percent on 2016, the biggest increase in seven years.

Europe was the star of the show as it attracted a large number of visitors, up eight percent from the previous year, lured in particular by the Mediterranean's sea and sun.

This contrasts with 2016 figures that saw security fears hit visitor arrivals in Europe.

"We do see that demand for European destinations has been very strong," said Kester.

"We also see important recovery in France," he added, without giving further details about a country that was hard hit by extremist attacks.

- Rise in earnings -

Spain also suffered a deadly jihadist attack in August in Catalonia, the same region whose leaders tried unsuccessfully to break away from Spain, triggering a major crisis that shook Europe.

And while the political crisis sparked a drop in visitor numbers to the northeastern region as massive demonstrations were staged following the independence bid, it does not appear to have dented overall tourist figures for Spain in 2017.

In 2016, Spain welcomed 75.3 million visitors, just behind the United States with 75.6 million, while France -- despite its own terror woes -- easily remained the world leader with 82.6 million visitors, according to the UNWTO.

International tourism to the United States shrank during the first five months of Donald Trump's presidency, according to the US International Trade Administration.

Arrivals fell five percent in the first quarter and three percent in the second quarter, official figures show.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy had already announced last week that tourism numbers had soared, saying total earnings in a sector that accounts for 11 percent of Spain's gross domestic product (GDP) rose 12 percent to 87 billion euros ($107 billion) in 2017.

He praised the Spanish tourism sector's "great effort" to become more competitive.

Source: AFP

The Ritz-Carlton in Riyadh, a holding place of royals and ministers detained in a sweeping Saudi corruption probe, will re-open for business in February, sources at the hotel said Monday.

as he was not authorised to brief the press, said there were "preparations to open in February" but could not give further details.

The Ritz-Carlton website now lists rooms as available from February 14.

A hotel employee reached by phone also confirmed to AFP that bookings were available as of mid-February.

Asked why there were no bookings currently available, the employee said local authorities "had the whole hotel (booked) for them".

The hotel has been closed for business and its phone line disconnected since early November, when more than 200 princes, ministers and businessmen were rounded up in an anti-corruption purge.

Most of them have had their assets seized and accounts frozen. They have since been held at the palatial building.

Saudi daily Okaz, which has ties to the monarchy, on Monday quoted an unnamed source as saying a number of high-profile detainees had been released from the Ritz-Carlton over the past 48 hours "after reaching settlements".

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the 32-year-old son of the king, has reportedly spearheaded the unprecedented crackdown on corruption among members of the government and royal family, as he consolidates his grip on power in the kingdom.

The most high-profile target of the crackdown was billionaire Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, dubbed the Warren Buffett of Saudi Arabia.

The country's attorney general has said most of those detained struck monetary settlements in exchange for their freedom. Authorities say the settlements could earn state coffers about $100 billion.

- Five-star luxury -

With its gilded halls and ornate gates, the Ritz-Carlton had for years hosted dignitaries and heads of state visiting Saudi Arabia, the world's largest exporter of oil.

In May it was adorned with the red, white and blue flag of the United States, with President Donald Trump and his family residing at the hotel during Trump's first official visit abroad.

Former president Barack Obama had also stayed at the five-star hotel.

High-ranking detainees held in the Saudi graft probe are believed to be currently occupying many of the hotel's 492 rooms.

Saudi Arabia, a key regional ally of the United States, is in the midst of a massive political and economic shake-up, marked by the sudden appointment of Prince Mohammed as crown prince in June.

Some observers say the corruption crackdown is part of the consolidation of power under the prince, who sidelined his older cousin as heir to the throne, and is linked to rising tensions within the Al-Saud royal family.

While the Saudi dynasty counts thousands of members, only a handful of whom wield direct influence over the kingdom.

Authorities insist the purge aimed to target endemic corruption as Saudi Arabia seeks to diversify its oil-dependent economy.

Source: AFP

 The word "shithole" -- which President Donald Trump allegedly used to describe countries from which he does not want immigrants coming to the US -- has been projected along with other messages onto his Washington hotel.

Trump is said to have made the remarks -- which he has denied but which a US Senator who was present confirmed -- at a meeting with legislators, setting off a firestorm of criticism when they became public.

"NOT A DC RESIDENT? NEED A PLACE TO STAY? TRY OUR SHITHOLE. THIS PLACE IS A SHITHOLE," read successive messages projected over the entrance of the Trump International Hotel in central Washington, according to a video posted on social media.

A flood of grinning feces emojis then stream out of the hotel's entrance as "SHITHOLE" appears in larger text above it.

Another clip shows the word "SHITHOLE" over the entrance along with an arrow pointing to the door.

The videos were posted on the Twitter account of Robin Bell, who has staged other projection protests and been likened to a "hit-and-run editorial writer" by The Washington Post.

The alleged expletive emerged out of a Thursday meeting between Trump and legislators.

The topic? Immigration reform.

After lawmakers raised the issue of protections for immigrants from African nations, Haiti and El Salvador, the president reportedly demanded to know why the United States should accept immigrants from "shithole countries," rather than -- for instance -- wealthy and overwhelmingly white Norway.

Trump on Friday tweeted a convoluted denial about the comments, which were reported by The Washington Post and The New York Times.

But Democratic Senator Dick Durbin said Trump had specifically asked, "Do we need more Haitians?" before launching into a diatribe about African immigration.

Trump then "said things which were hate-filled, vile and racist," Durbin said, adding that "shithole" was "the exact word used by the president, not just once but repeatedly."

Source: AFP

US President Donald Trump vehemently denied Sunday that he was a racist, after his vulgar disparagement of African countries and Haiti complicated a bipartisan deal on immigration.

"I'm not a racist. I am the least racist person you have ever interviewed," Trump told reporters at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, where he was having dinner with Republican House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

Trump appeared to give up for dead an immigration deal, coming back on the issue in a pair of early morning tweets three days after reportedly referring to African and Haitian immigrants as coming from "shithole countries," triggering global condemnation.

"DACA is probably dead because the Democrats don't really want it," Trump tweeted, referring to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program at the heart of the immigration impasse.

Hundreds of thousands of immigrants brought to the country illegally as children -- so-called "Dreamers" -- face deportation unless a compromise can be reached that would grant them rights to stay.

A bipartisan deal to resolve the Dreamers issue in return for changes demanded by Republicans in the way visas are allocated collapsed in acrimony Thursday over Trump's remarks, which were widely denounced as racist.

"I think this man, this president, is taking us back to another place," John Lewis, a Georgia congressman who was on the front lines of the 1960s civil rights movement, said Sunday on ABC's "This Week."

"I think he is a racist."

- 'Defend the indefensible' -

Senator David Purdue, a Republican from Georgia, called charges that Trump is racist "ridiculous" and his reported remarks a "gross misrepresentation" of the White House meeting on immigration.

But other Republicans, pained by the turn of events, spoke out against the president as debate over the slur spilled into Sunday television talk shows.

"I can't defend the indefensible," said Mia Love, a Haitian-American congresswoman from Utah who campaigned on Trump's behalf in the country's Haitian community.

"I still think that he should apologize," she said on CNN's "State of the Union." "I think that there are people that are looking for an apology. And I think that that would show real leadership."

Trump's "shithole countries" remarks were confirmed by Senator Dick Durbin, a Democrat who attended the White House meeting, after it was reported by The Washington Post and other media.

But Trump has stuck with a vague denial that he used such language, and so far has made no move to apologize, hurting prospects for a deal on DACA and making life uncomfortable for Republicans as they look ahead to midterm elections this year.

The president sought to shift from the defensive by portraying Democrats as not truly interested in an immigration deal.

"They just want to talk and take desperately needed money away from our Military," he tweeted.

"I, as President, want people coming into our Country who are going to help us become strong and great again, people coming in through a system based on MERIT. No more Lotteries! #AMERICA FIRST."

In Florida, Trump added: "I don't think Democrats want to make a deal. The folks from DACA should know the Democrats are the ones that aren't going to make a deal."

He insisted the White House was "ready, willing and able to make a deal on DACA."

- 'A deal to be had' -

But Senator Jeff Flake, a Republican who has been critical of Trump, said Democrats were serious about a bipartisan deal on immigration.

He said the compromise presented to the White House Thursday would end a visa lottery system and so-called chain migration under which legal immigrants can bring in family members. The Dreamers would be allowed to stay but not become US citizens, according to Flake.

The senator from Arizona said Trump's remarks came in reaction to an element of the deal that would reallocate the visas given out in a lottery to immigrants who are currently in a protected status, like Haitians and the Dreamers.

"I believe there is a deal to be had," he said.

Trump announced in September he was scrapping the DACA program but delayed enforcement to give Congress six months -- until March -- to craft a lasting solution.

On Tuesday, however, a federal judge ordered the government to keep DACA going pending resolution of court challenges to the president's decision.

Unless the order is overturned by a higher court, DACA recipients will now be eligible to submit renewal applications and the government will be required to "post reasonable public notice" that the program is once again active.

Meanwhile, dimming prospects for a 2018 spending agreement means lawmakers will have to resort to a temporary funding extension to avert a government shutdown on January 19.

Source: AFP

A plane with 168 people aboard skidded off a runway onto a seaside cliff after landing at an airport in northern Turkey at the weekend, but no one was injured in what one passenger called a "miracle".

The Pegasus Airlines flight had taken off smoothly from the capital Ankara bound for Trabzon, where the accident occurred as the plane was landing late Saturday.