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.

A ship operated by exploration firm Ocean Infinity arrived at the search area in the Indian Ocean on Monday and launched the drones, said Malaysia's Department of Civil Aviation director-general Azharuddin Abdul Rahman.

"The vessel Seabed Constructor has arrived at the search area and commenced the search operation," he said in a statement.

The jet disappeared in March 2014 with 239 people -- mostly from China -- on board, en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

No sign of the plane was found in a 120,000 square kilometre (46,000 square mile) sea search zone and the Australian-led hunt, the largest in aviation history, was suspended in January last year.

Ocean Infinity struck a deal with the Malaysian government to restart the hunt on a private basis and will only be paid if it finds the jet or its black boxes. It stands to make up to US$70 million if successful.

The new search zone is an area of about 25,000 square kilometres in the southern Indian Ocean, north of the former search area. The hunt will last a maximum of three months.

If the company finds the Boeing 777, the amount it is paid will depend on where it was located.

If it is found within the first 5,000 square kilometres, the firm will receive US$20 million. The amount rises gradually to a maximum of US$70 million if the jet is found outside the 25,000 square kilometre search zone.

The ship conducting the hunt is a Norwegian research vessel carrying 65 crew, including two members of the Malaysian navy as the government's representatives.

It is using eight autonomous drones, equipped with sonars and cameras, that will scour the waters for wreckage and can operate in depths up to 6,000 metres (20,000 feet).

The families of those who were on board will be kept up to date on the hunt, authorities said.

Only three confirmed fragments of MH370 have been found, all of them on western Indian Ocean shores, including a two-metre wing part known as a flaperon.

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.

A ship operated by exploration firm Ocean Infinity arrived at the search area in the Indian Ocean on Monday and launched the drones, said Malaysia's Department of Civil Aviation director-general Azharuddin Abdul Rahman.

"The vessel Seabed Constructor has arrived at the search area and commenced the search operation," he said in a statement.

The jet disappeared in March 2014 with 239 people -- mostly from China -- on board, en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

No sign of the plane was found in a 120,000 square kilometre (46,000 square mile) sea search zone and the Australian-led hunt, the largest in aviation history, was suspended in January last year.

Ocean Infinity struck a deal with the Malaysian government to restart the hunt on a private basis and will only be paid if it finds the jet or its black boxes. It stands to make up to US$70 million if successful.

The new search zone is an area of about 25,000 square kilometres in the southern Indian Ocean, north of the former search area. The hunt will last a maximum of three months.

If the company finds the Boeing 777, the amount it is paid will depend on where it was located.

If it is found within the first 5,000 square kilometres, the firm will receive US$20 million. The amount rises gradually to a maximum of US$70 million if the jet is found outside the 25,000 square kilometre search zone.

The ship conducting the hunt is a Norwegian research vessel carrying 65 crew, including two members of the Malaysian navy as the government's representatives.

It is using eight autonomous drones, equipped with sonars and cameras, that will scour the waters for wreckage and can operate in depths up to 6,000 metres (20,000 feet).

The families of those who were on board will be kept up to date on the hunt, authorities said.

Only three confirmed fragments of MH370 have been found, all of them on western Indian Ocean shores, including a two-metre wing part known as a flaperon.

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.

With 2018 expected to be another strong year for the aviation industry in the Middle East, maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) providers remain upbeat about growth opportunities in the coming months.

Capitalising on the industry's performance, several key players gathered at the Aircraft Interiors Middle East and MRO Middle East 2018 exhibitions on Tuesday, to highlight the latest innovations in the industry. Running until January 24, 2018, the co-located shows drew the participation of over 300 exhibitors; and saw the announcement of several new projects and partnerships.

Turbine Services and Solutions (TS&S), an MRO provider for gas turbines and driven equipment that is wholly owned by Mubadala Investment Company, announced an agreement with Honeywell to implement the region's first voice technology for MRO services.

The partnership will enable TS&S to become the first aerospace company in the Middle East to use Honeywell's Maintenance and Inspection (M&I) voice system. Under the terms of the agreement, the global software-industrial company's voice system will lead to a 'Hands-Free, Eyes-Free' environment that significantly reduces paper based documentation within TS&S' operations by allowing mechanics to 'speak' log their observations and diagnosis in real-time, curtailing the need for manual data entry and improving data integrity.

Over the years, Honeywell's voice system has enabled organisations around the world to save $20billion in operational costs, improve productivity by 35 per cent and reduce operational errors by 25 per cent.

Speaking to Khaleej Times, Mansoor Janahi, deputy CEO of TS&S, said that the company is uniquely positioned in the market, mainly because its one of a kind capabilities. "TS&S witnessed a very good 2017, with a lot of key achievements that have helped propel the business. We have also had a long-standing partnership with Honeywell and our announcement today builds on that partnership. The focus this year, and in the coming years, for us will be on advanced technologies. We are actively looking into technologies such as Data Analytics, the Internet of Things, and Artificial Intelligence."

"As we grow our operations to new markets, implementing advanced technologies that enable process optimisation are critical in ensuring that we meet our growing demand to the highest compliance standards. This announcement today is a testament to our growing relationship between the two companies," he added.

The event also saw Safran Nacelles signing a contract with Egyptair for maintenance services on thrust reversers that equip its Airbus A330 jetliner fleet, powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines. The agreement involves scheduled soft time maintenance, the preventive primary maintenance performed at specific operator-chosen intervals, which can be adjusted to fit the airline's operational schedule, along with coverage for unscheduled repair services and asset management. The long-term agreement will be backed by Safran Nacelles' global MRO network.

"We are confident that our world-class support will meet Egyptair's expectations, and are looking forward to other opportunities to extend our cooperation through Safran Nacelles' lifecycle services solutions," said Olivier Savin, Safran Nacelles' executive vice president of Customer Support & Services.

 Arnaud Peltier, CEO of WinMS, a French company specialising in wire diagnostics and network monitoring solutions, that is exhibiting as part of the French Pavilion, noted that the growth in airline fleets across the ME region presents several opportunities for specialised providers. The company has been present in the region since 2012 and has worked with several airlines such as Emirates and Etihad Airways; and most recently, flydubai.

 "Global airline traffic will continue to grow as more and more people will travel," he said. "The MRO industry continues to grow alongside that. Aircrafts today are getting much more advanced; and as fleets become older, they require more maintenance especially in their wiring. This provides lots of opportunities for us to expand our operations. In addition, Dubai is a global hub that also provides opportunities in neighbouring regions such as Africa and the Subcontinent. As airlines over there continue to mature, we will continue to see an increase in demand for MRO services." 

The two hub airports of the UAE, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, face less pressure compared to other Gulf hubs, in adhering to new air cargo compliance procedures and additional screening ordered by the US, aviation experts said.

Already both airports are fully compliant with all regulatory security requirements across their operations and the new US requirement for additional screening therefore will have minimal impact on freight movements to the US, they said.

The US authorities issued an emergency order on Monday requiring additional screening of cargo on flights departing for the United States from five Mideast countries, citing a threat of terrorism.

"The US Transportation Security Administration order is aimed at preventing terrorist attacks in response to "persistent threats to aviation," TSA said in a statement. The countries falling under this order are Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE.

Officials said the decision was based on intelligence indicating potential bomb attacks. The new rules will apply to all cargo on passenger or cargo-only flights.

Etihad Airways said in a statement that it was "fully compliant with all regulatory security requirements across its operations."

Abu Dhabi International Airport already has a US Customs and Border Protection facility that allows passengers to clear screening they'd otherwise have to go through when landing in America. That means passengers can walk right out of the airport on arrival. Emirates, and Saudia did not respond to requests for comment.

Saj Ahmad, an analyst at London's StrategicAero Research, said the additional screening would likely have minimal disruption given that freight can always be offloaded and put on multiple other flights to avoid delays for passengers.

"Equally, the UAE has an exceptional record for safety- these new measures will further enhance their compliance and if anything, make transit freight and origin freight easier to move through differing cargo facilities while conforming to a uniform set of rules," Ahmad told ? Khaleej Times.

He said Dubai's new airport, Dubai World Central, would also be able to show its capability to handle some extra check related delays due to the size and stature of the airport and its facilities.

"Costs will only rise if the US adds additional measures that extrapolated into more human intervention and scanning that therefore needs more manpower. Given the technological advances in screening, costs to adhere to these new compliance checks will likely be negligible.

"As a result, the UAE hubs will face less pressure than say smaller hubs like Bahrain, Kuwait and even Qatar," he said.

As per the new US order, six Middle East-based airlines must now participate in additional cargo screening for flights entering the United States.

Apart from Emirates, and Etihad, these include Egypt Air, Royal Jordanian, Saudia and Qatar Airways. The six carriers operate flights to the US from seven points-of-departure airports in five countries: Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE.

"These countries were chosen because of a demonstrated intent by terrorist groups to attack aviation from them," the TSA said in a statement.

TSA said most of the requirements of the emergency order are already being carried out voluntarily by airlines in some countries, but didn't identify the countries.

Under the requirements of the order, airlines are supposed to provide certain information on the shipments "at the earliest practical point" before loading the cargo to US customs officials. The shipment information is then compared to information the US has on terror threats.

The five countries from where the six airlines fly were included in the Department of Homeland Security's previous laptop ban, which prohibited passengers from packing in their carry-on luggage computers, tablets, cameras, and other electronic devices larger than a phone. The laptop ban was instituted in March and reversed in July.

Tourists from 24 countries can now enjoy visa on arrival in Pakistan. 

Mukhtar Ali, an official from Pakistan Tourism and Development Corporation (PTDC) had told Arab News that policy was issued in consultation with all stakeholders.

"It was done in 2007 also but the deteriorating law and order situation impacted the policy which was reversed and a case-to-case visa grant procedure was applied. But the situation has changed now."

On arriving in Pakistan, tourists will be required to furnish relevant documents and signs officials forms before they are granted visa.

Managing Director of the PTDC, Chaudhry Abdul Ghafoor said, "We will focus on overseas Pakistanis and foreign tourists during the year 2018. Visa policy for foreign tourists is required to be reviewed to facilitate more tourists from across the world." 

"The number of Arab nationals (visiting Pakistan for tourism) is very low. We have focused on tourist-generating countries based on our statistics and the majority come from the West and elsewhere. A large number of them are those that seek mountaineering and adventure tourism," said Ali.

A multiple-entry 30-day visa on arrival  can be issued to nationals of the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, China, Japan, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Greece, Belgium, Austria, Finland, Iceland, Korea, Portugal, Singapore, Thailand, and Luxemburg.

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.

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).

"In the last six days, 159 centimetres (63 inches) of snow fell on Davos (...) a fall that we observe only every 20 years," Switzerland's Institute for the Study of Snow and Avalanches said in an evening bulletin.

"From Monday evening until the end of the snow overnight, an additional 20 to 40 cm will be added," the Institute said, evoking an "exceptional" situation.

Heavy snow has been blanketing Davos for days. After a brief lull Monday, large flakes began to fall in the early afternoon, disrupting traffic and threatening to block the landing of VIP helicopters.

An economist registered at the forum told AFP it took two hours to drive the last 12 kilometres (seven miles) approaching the resort.

Trains were more crowded with official Davos delegates, who usually take limousines and special shuttle vehicles to the week-long forum.

In the centre of Davos, participants preferred to walk rather than take the shuttles, which were slowed down by roads resembling skating rinks.

Cars and pedestrians intersected between high powder walls of snow. The streets are not salted in Davos, to protect the environment.

On Sunday, the snowfall had already disrupted the road traffic and temporarily cut the railway line leading to the ski resort.

Chinese tourists are big spenders and with the numbers visiting Europe set to soar by nearly 70 per cent 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 Commission. 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 - US$261 billion in 2016 compared with US$123 billion.

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 it 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 per cent of visitors hoping to go there, followed by Germany with 37 per cent and Italy with 28 per cent.

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 per cent, and numbers were up by nearly 90 per cent 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.

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.

As many as 135 local and federal search, rescue and national operations were carried out by the air wing section of the special forces department, Ras Al Khaimah Police, in 2017. 

Wing Commander Saeed Rashid Al Yamahi, head of the air wing section, said these included 21 search and rescue missions. 

"Added to this were 114 participations in national occasions as well as two initiatives for bringing happiness to the orphans, training sessions, and airlifting of patients." 

Al Yamahi urged all mountain-goers, tourists and workers to be more cautious at these areas and take all precautionary measures for their safety.

"All members in the team are not only provided with the latest search and rescue equipment, but also go through regular training as well to be alert for missions round-the-clock."

"What makes our job more difficult when looking for a missing person here is the insufficient or unclear information, the rough, rocky, and sloppy mountainous areas which are hard to get to, apart from the unstable weather conditions - mainly the atmospheric pressures - funnel clouds, and heavy showers." 

A few days back, the air wing rescued three Asian tourists lost in one of the rough valleys adjacent to a high mountain of the northern emirate.

"All tourists and climbers need to carry special equipment and wear protective clothing, and be accompanied at all times by a qualified trainer who can react in a professional manner during emergencies." 

Trekkers and climbers should also learn the basics of rock climbing on an indoor wall first, he added. 

"Climbers need to inform the authorities about their activities, whereabouts and their numbers. They should also consult climbing websites to get up-to-date information on local climbing sites." 

Trekkers are advised to bring a means of communication, such as a mobile or satellite phone, he said. "A whistle could also be useful to attract attention, and take food items on their hike." 

Recently, the RAK Police, in collaboration with a rescue team from the Ministry of Interior, airlifted a European tourist injured in Jebel Jais in Ras Al Khaimah and rushed her to the hospital.

"The tourist was trekking the highest peak in the country, over 1,910m above the sea level, when he fell off the mountain. The tourist's condition is reported to be stable, " Al Yamahi said.   

Safety precautions  
- Learn the basics of rock climbing on an indoor wall first

- Consult climbing websites to get up-to-date information on local climbing sites

- Inform authorities about your activities, whereabouts and number of climbers

- Take food items on your hike

- Carry a mobile, satellite phone, a whistle

Activists blocked roads and clashed with police in Honduras as part of nationwide protests against the contested re-election of President Juan Orlando Hernandez.

Dozens of people have been killed and hundreds jailed since Hernandez was declared the winner of the November 26 run-off election—after a three week stretch of often- interrupted ballot counting that stoked tensions and sparked accusations of fraud in the Central American country.

The left-wing Alliance in Opposition against the Dictatorship is heading a protest campaign insisting that the election was stolen from its candidate, former TV anchor Salvador Nasrallah.

The opposition called for a “national strike” on Saturday to block the country’s main roads ahead of the start of the president’s new term in office on January 27.

The government deployed police and soldiers to confront protesters.

One demonstrator was shot dead yesterday, opposition leader and former president Manuel Zelaya told AFP, identifying the victim as Anselmo Villareal, 60.

Seven other demonstrators were detained and two police were hurt, police spokesman Jair Meza said.

A military spokesman, Lieutenant Jose Coello, told AFP that some highways had been blocked “but they are being cleared in a peaceful manner.”

Coello said police confiscated tires, presumably to be set ablaze, that  protesters were carrying in their vehicles.

Protesters blocked the country’s main highway between Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula at a point about 100 kilometers north of the capital, local media reported.

In Tegucigalpa, police fired tear gas at protesters trying to block a road and burn tires. The demonstrators responded by hurling rocks.

Hernandez has implicit backing from the United States, which is pouring millions of dollars into Honduras and neighboring Guatemala and El Salvador to improve security conditions there.

Those three countries, collectively known as Central America’s “Northern Triangle,” are the biggest source of undocumented migrants heading to the United States.

Commuters travelling along Dubai-Sharjah road are facing less traffic on Monday morning.   

In Dubai, few minor accidents were reported but that added to the traffic on the roads. 

One accident was reported on Al Khail road before Meydan exit towards Business Bay bridge.  

View image on Twitter
Another accident was reported on Al Aweer road, opposite Dragon Mart 2 and that is causing some congestion in the area.On the Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed road, another accident was reported after Dubai Al Ain road intersection towards Sharjah. This has caused long tailbacks on all the roads, connecting  on the intersection. If you are driving towards JBR, an accident has been rooted on Garn Al Sabka road near Jumeriah Park.  No accidents or heavy traffic have been reported so far. However, motorists should drive cautiously to avoid accidents.

A Russian man, who allegedly assaulted a policeman at the Dubai airport, has been charged in court.

The 33-year-old man is accused of resisting the policeman who was then carrying out his duty at the Dubai International Airport. He pushed the officer, pressed on his eye and kicked him in the abdomen when the latter tried to keep him off a zone in the airport designated as restricted. He denied the charge in the Court of First Instance.

According to public prosecution records, the incident took place on November 26, 2017. "I was on the job at the airport at 2.45am when I was informed that a passenger had just exited through the emergency gate which leads to the hangar," a policeman said. "That area is hazardous and thus strictly designated as off-limits to all passengers as planes pass through it. I went to the passenger and asked him to stop."

In his deposition before the investigators, the police officer also said the defendant ignored him. "I chased him and kept ordering him to stop and return, in vain. As I grabbed him, he fiercely resisted. He pushed me and then pressed hard on my eyes. He kicked me with his knees on my stomach. I could not chase him further because of my injury. I, then, called the operation room at the airport and raised the alarm. I learned later that he got caught."

The police officer got a medical report from the emergency section of a hospital on the injury he was left with because of the assault. 

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'.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.

Gulf Air, the Kingdom of Bahrain’s national carrier, has been independently ranked by UK aviation analysts OAG the third most punctual airline in 2017, amongst Middle East and African airlines, with an average on-time performance (OTP) of 80.22%. 

Gulf Air Chief Executive Officer Kre?imir Ku?ko said: "Punctuality is a critical element for travelers and we are delighted to be recognized yet again as a leading global player in OTP. Gulf Air is committed to delivering on its promise to get passengers to their destinations in a timely manner. We are gearing up to welcome our incoming fleet of 39 new Boeing and Airbus aircraft of which a total of 5 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners and 2 Airbus A320Neos will have entered Gulf Air’s fleet by end-2018. With this development, passengers can soon enjoy not only Gulf Air’s punctuality and trademark Arabian hospitality, but also remarkable product and service enhancements alongside network growth."

Gulf Air has held the top spot in recent years for OTP, ranking as the most punctual airline in 2016, amongst GCC airlines. Gulf Air also ranked first among major airlines from the Middle East and Africa for the 5th Annual Airline On-time Performance Service Awards in 2013. Gulf Air’s network currently serves 42 cities in 25 countries. The airline operates double daily flights or more to select destinations across the GCC, MENA region, Indian Subcontinent and Europe. 

OAG leverages the world's largest network of air travel data to provide accurate, timely, actionable digital information and applications to the world’s airlines, airports, government agencies and travel-related service companies. OAG’s annual Punctuality League performance report is drawn from a database of approximately 57 million flight records for 2017 to create a ranking of the best on-time performance (OTP) for the world’s largest airlines and airports. OAG defines "on time" as within 14 minutes and 59 seconds of scheduled arrival/departure time.

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."

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.

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 program 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 program 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.

The airport serving the Libyan capital resumed flights on Saturday following a five-day suspension after deadly clashes around the facility that also damaged planes on the tarmac.

Lotfi Khalil, the director general of Mitiga airport on the eastern outskirts of Tripoli, said services resumed with Buraq Air flying to the eastern city of Tobruk and Libyan Airlines leaving for Tunis.

One local carrier, state-owned Afriqiyah Airways, however, has yet to resume operations because its planes were damaged in Monday's fighting in which at least 20 people were killed, he told AFP.

Since the closure, flights had been diverted to Misrata, a city 200 kilometres (120 miles) east of the capital.

Mitiga airport, a former military air base, was evacuated on Monday after militiamen attacked it in an attempt to free detainees 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 violence.

The GNA condemned what it called a "premeditated" attack by gunmen trying to free "terrorists" belonging to the Islamic State jihadist group and Al-Qaeda.

Mitiga has been a civilian airport since Tripoli'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.

Motorists, beware! The Ras Al Khaimah Police have installed nine new radars on the roads of the emirate. The new radars can record videos of the violations, a top official said.

"The digital video cameras can record violations related to traffic signals, ignoring safety spaces, road shoulder, and banned timings or lanes for trucks," Brigadier Dr Mohammed Saeed Al Humaidi, director general of the central operations department, said.

The "all new gadgets" can identify the lane of the erring vehicle, and differentiate between the speeds of light and heavy vehicles. "The new sophisticated cameras have been installed on the intersections of the officers club, post office, Al Manar, Gulf Cinema, Immigration, Nas Nas and Shamal."

So far, the RAK Police have installed 69 radars in the emirate. "These include 32 mobile speed cameras."

Air Arabia, the Middle East and North Africa’s first and largest low-cost carrier (LCC), announced today that it will become the first airline to connect the UAE and the Turkish city of Izmir with a direct flight starting June 27.

Izmir, the third largest city in Turkey, joins Istanbul, Antalya, Bodrum and Trabzon as the carrier’s fifth destination in the country.
The flight will operate twice a week on Wednesdays and Saturdays, departing Sharjah International Airport (SHJ) at 9:05 pm and arriving the next day at Izmir’s Adnan Menderes International Airport (ADB) at 0:50 am local time. The return flight will depart Izmir at 1:30 am, landing in Sharjah at 6:50 am.
“Turkey is a country with a true epitome of a cultural crossroad, and holds history that is as tangible and accessible as any of its modern-day attractions," Adel Al Ali, Group Chief Executive Officer of Air Arabia, said. "We are immensely pleased to announce Izmir as our fifth destination in Turkey. Air Arabia’s goal will always be to allow passengers the ability to explore new destinations through affordable travel options. This new flight to Izmir is an exciting destination for residents in the UAE and GCC to visit just in time for the summer holidays.”
Air Arabia currently operates flights to over 140 routes across the globe from five hubs located in the Middle East and North Africa.

Gunmen stormed a luxury hotel in Kabul and killed at least six persons, including a foreigner, sparking a 12-hour battle that left terrified guests scrambling to escape and parts of the building ablaze.The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack on the six-storey Intercontinental Hotel on a hilltop overlooking the Afghan capital. People trapped at the top of the building tied bedsheets together and climbed over balconies to escape the overnight assault.

One lost his grip and fell in dramatic television footage by Afghanistan’s Tolo News station, which also showed black smoke and flames billowing from the top of the hotel.

Special forces were lowered by helicopters during the night onto the roof of the landmark 1960s building, with Afghan security forces killing four attackers in the hours- long assault, the interior ministry said.

“Five Afghans and one foreigner have been killed,” interior ministry deputy spokesman Nasrat Rahimi told AFP today, adding around 150 people were rescued including more than 40 foreigners.

“The body of the foreigner, a woman, was recovered from the sixth floor as the last attacker was being killed,” he added.

An official with Afghanistan’s spy agency put the number of wounded at eight, while the interior ministry said six.

Officials said four gunmen burst into the hotel, which is not part of the global InterContinental chain, last night, opening fire on guests and staff and taking dozens of people hostage.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the latest assault in the war-torn capital via an email from spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid. The interior ministry had earlier blamed the Taliban-affiliated Haqqani network.

It followed security warnings in recent days to avoid hotels and other locations frequented by foreigners. Kabul has become one of the deadliest places in Afghanistan for civilians, with the Taliban and the Islamic State group both stepping up attacks.

It was not clear how many people had been inside the hotel.

During the siege, a guest hiding in a room said he could hear gunfire inside the building, where dozens of people attending an information technology conference on Sunday were staying.

“I don’t know if the attackers are inside the hotel but I can hear gunfire from somewhere near the first floor,” the man, who did not want to be named, told AFP by telephone.

“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 has been switched off since then.

Afghan Telecom regional director Aziz Tayeb, who was attending the IT conference, said he saw the attackers enter the hotel.

“Everything became chaotic in a moment. I hid behind a pillar and I saw people who were enjoying themselves a second ago screaming and fleeing like crazy, and some of them falling down, hit by bullets,” Tayeb told AFP.

Local resident Abdul Sattar said he had spoken by phone to friends who are hotel staff and had been trapped inside.

“Suddenly (militants) attacked the dinner gathering...

(then) they broke into the rooms, took some people hostage and they opened fire on some of them,” he told AFP.

Rahimi said the attackers were armed with light weapons and rocket-propelled grenades when they stormed the hotel, a popular venue for weddings, conferences and political gatherings.

Security in Kabul has been ramped up since May 31 when a massive truck bomb killed some 150 people and wounded around 400 -- mostly civilians.

But the resurgent Taliban and Islamic State are both scaling up their assaults on the city, with multiple devastating attacks in recent weeks.

The attack on the Intercontinental was just one of several bloody assaults today.

In a village in the northern province of Balkh, Taliban militants went from house to house in the middle of the night, pulling police from their homes and shooting them dead.

At least 18 officers were killed, deputy police chief Abdul Raziq Qaderi told AFP.

In Herat in the west at least eight civilians were killed when a car hit a Taliban-planted roadside mine, officials there said.

The last major attack on a high-end hotel in Kabul was in March 2014 when four teenage gunmen raided the Serena, killing nine people including AFP journalist Sardar Ahmad.

The overnight siege is not the first time the Intercontinental has been targeted: in 2011 a suicide attack claimed by the Taliban killed 21 people there, including 10 civilians.

Even before the attack was over today, authorities were questioning how the attackers got past the hotel’s security, which was taken over by a private company three weeks ago, said Najib Danish, another interior ministry spokesman.

“We will investigate it,” he said.

A hotel employee told AFP that as he fled the staff living quarters in a building next to the hotel he saw the new security guards running for their lives.

“They didn’t do anything, they didn’t attack. They had no experience,” the man said on condition of anonymity. 

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.

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.

Turkish engineers on Thursday began a complex operation to lift with two cranes a passenger plane which skidded off the runway at a provincial to a precarious position just metres from the sea.

The Pegasus Airlines Boeing 737-800 plane had landed normally at Trabzon airport late on Saturday on a flight from Ankara but then went off the runway just metres (feet) from the waters of the Black Sea with its wheels stuck in mud.

Since then, it has remained on the steep slope that descends from the airport apron into the sea for four days, its nose pointing down and managing to defy gravity by being stuck in thick mud.

The Turkish aviation authorities closed Trabzon airport from 0100 GMT to all air traffic so that the salvage operation can take place, with flights diverted to the nearby Ordu-Giresun airport, also on the Black Sea.

The authorities sent two cranes from Ankara and Samsun to carry out the operation, the Dogan news agency said.

Engineers began the operation by tying cables around the wing area of the plane in cradle fashion and also around the tail area. Both cranes will then work to lift the plane onto the runway.

Once it is back on the runway, it will be emptied of remaining fuel, taken to a hanger, where the baggage and personal possessions of the passengers will finally be removed.

All 162 passenger and six crew were safely evacuated but witnesses said at the time it was miracle there had been no casualties and the plane did not slip into the sea.

The pilot told prosecutors investigating the incident that the plane had undergone a sudden surge of power from one of the engines while taxiing on the runway.

The cause of the technical issue has yet to be made clear although images showed one of the engines had broken off and fallen into the sea.

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.

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.

France and Germany said Thursday plan to make a joint proposal on regulating bitcoin at a meeting of finance ministers from the G20 countries in March.

"We have the same concerns and we share the goal of regulating bitcoin," French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said at a joint press conference with his German counterpart Peter Altmaier.

Le Maire has tasked a former deputy governor of the Bank of France to come up with proposals.

"These proposals on regulation will be submitted as joint French-German position to our G20 counterparts" at their mid-March meeting in Buenos Aires.

The Group of 20 club of nations, which was born during the 2008 financial crisis, has focused on the global economy.

For his part, Altmaier said "we have a responsibility to our citizens to explain the risks and reduce the risks by regulations which are needed."

Their promise to develop regulations came a day after a sharp drop in the value of bitcoin, which fell through the $10,000 level for the first time since November after authorities in China and South Korea cracked down on cryptocurrencies.

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.

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.

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 with 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.

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.

The Court of Arbitration of Sport will begin appeals hearings on Monday for 39 Russian athletes disqualified from the 2014 Sochi Winter Games for doping and banned for life from the Olympics.
Two key witnesses, Russian whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov and World Anti-Doping Agency investigator Richard McLaren, will testify by video or telephone link to the closed-door hearings, CAS said in a statement Wednesday.
The court said the combined hearings should last for six days at a conference center in Geneva, near the European headquarters of the United Nations.
One panel of three judges will hear 28 cases and a second trio will judge 11. Two of the judges — Christoph Vedder and Dirk-Reiner Martens, both from Germany — will sit on both three-man panels, CAS said.
Verdicts are expected by Friday, Feb. 2, one week before the Pyeongchang Olympics opening ceremony in South Korea.
A further three appeal cases in biathlon will not be heard next week, the court said.
All 42 athletes deny being part of a state-backed doping program for the Sochi Olympics.
The first group of athletes whose hearings have been combined are in bobsled, cross-country skiing, skeleton and speed skating. They include athletes who have continued to compete in World Cup races not controlled by the IOC.
The second group of 11 cases is from bobsled, luge and women’s ice hockey.

The United Arab Emirates accused neighbouring Qatar of "intercepting" two Emirati passenger planes en route to Bahrain on Monday in the latest incident between the Gulf rivals.

Qatar denied the allegations as "totally baseless" and hit back that they came "one day after a C-130 UAE military aircraft breached Qatari airspace".Tensions have escalated in the Gulf since Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut all ties with Qatar in June, accusing it of supporting Islamist extremists and being too close to Saudi Arabia's arch-rival, Iran.

They have banned all flights to and from Doha and cut off most trade links.

Qatar denies the allegations, arguing the bloc aims to incite regime change in Doha.

The UAE Civil Aviation Authority said it "received a message from a national carrier on Monday morning that an aircraft on a routine flight to Manama was intercepted by Qatari fighter jets".

The authority said it was "a flagrant and serious threat to the safety of civil aviation and a clear violation of international law".

"This is a routine flight that has all the required paperwork," it said in a statement to the state news agency.

The UAE authority later said a second Emirati passenger plane bound for Bahrain was also intercepted by Qatari fighter jets.

It said the second plane was intercepted "during its descent towards Bahrain International Airport", adding that it was also on a routine pre-scheduled flight.

The foreign ministry in Bahrain denounced the "unacceptable aggressive attitude" of Qatar.

Four UAE-based airlines -- Emirates, Etihad, flydubai and Air Arabia -- operate flights to Bahrain.

Spokespersons for the airlines contacted by AFP could not immediately confirm or deny the news.

Monday's tit-for-tat accusations came after Qatar accused UAE fighter jets of violating its airspace in December and January.

Lolwa al-Khater, spokeswoman for Qatar's foreign ministry, said Doha "intends to take legal action" over the latest alleged violation Sunday of its airspace.

"It appears that the UAE Civil Aviation Authority is trying, through false allegations, to overshadow the news of a UAE military aircraft breaching Qatari airspace," a statement said.

Qatar is located in the Gulf, between Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates and across the Gulf waters from Iran.

As the latest tensions flared on Monday US President Donald Trump talked to Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani by phone "to discuss ways to strengthen United States-Qatar bilateral relations on security and economic issues," the White House said.

"The leaders discussed areas in which the United States and Qatar can partner to bring more stability to the region, counter malign Iranian influence, and defeat terrorism," the statement said.

Iran warned Wednesday that its multi-billion dollar deals for Airbus planes had been thrown into doubt by US President Donald Trump's attacks on the nuclear deal.

"Considering Mr Trump's stance on pulling out of the JCPOA (nuclear deal) we must make sure that the licences will remain valid... regardless of any decision taken by US," deputy transport minister Asghar Fakhrieh Kashan told the reformist ILNA news agency.

"As long as uncertainties are not resolved, we will not provide down payments," he said.

"Because of these negotiations, there can be delays in payments."

A specific clause in the 2015 nuclear deal -- which lifted some international sanctions in exchange for curbs to Iran's atomic programme -- opened the way for Iran to purchase planes from international suppliers.Licences were granted the following year by the US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) for Airbus to sell 100 planes to national carrier Iran Air, which has also ordered 80 from Boeing.

The European firm requires US export licences because some of its parts are manufactured there.

On Friday, Trump threatened to walk away from the nuclear deal unless progress was made on negotiations regarding Iran's missile programme, and it is unclear if this would also lead to the OFAC licences being revoked.

"OFAC's licences are valid until December 2020 but these licences have been issued under the JCPOA," said Fakhrieh Kashan.

"In the most pessimistic case, if America wanted to pull out of the JCPOA, then it can be expected that the executive apparatus too will obey this decision."

Asked to comment by AFP, Airbus said it "keeps on working with Iran Air and the Iranian authorities on the execution of the purchase agreement in full compliance with the JCPOA and other applicable regulations."

Iran has been desperate to renew its ageing fleet of planes, but has faced financing difficulties as well as the uncertainty over sanctions.

Iran Air has so far received only three Airbus planes from its 100-plane order.

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.

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.