The operator of Japan's All Nippon Airways said Tuesday it has decided to order a total of 48 aircraft from Boeing and Airbus for deliveries from 2021 through 2025.
ANA Holdings said it would buy 30 Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes and 18 Airbus A320neo units, citing growing demand in the region and increased inbound tourism to Japan.
The company said the 30 Boeing jets would have a catalogue price of 383 billion yen (USD 3.5 billion), adding that the firm has so far confirmed orders for 20 units, with an option to buy 10 more.
The 18 Airbus orders are all confirmed, but their engines are yet to be decided, the company said.
For now, the Airbus deal has a catalogue price of 166 billion yen, ANA Holdings said.
The deal makes ANA the first Japanese buyer of the Boeing model, while the Airbus A320neo already serves ANA's international routes.
The company praised the fuel efficiency of the two models.

Japan's ANA to order 30 Boeing, 18 Airbus planes

PTI Automatic

The founder of a prominent Chinese civil and human rights website was sentenced to five years in prison on Tuesday for inciting state subversion, according to human rights organisations.
Liu Feiyue created and ran the Civil Rights and Livelihood Watch website, which covers a range of civil and human rights issues, including protests, police abuses, and government corruption -- sensitive topics that are scrubbed from most Chinese media sites.
The Suizhou Intermediate People's Court in central Hubei province sentenced him after he was found guilty of "inciting subversion of state power", according to Human Rights Watch.
"The sentence... once again shows how the Chinese government abuses the judicial system to silence dissidents," Patrick Poon, China researcher at Amnesty International, told AFP.
There are "serious flaws in the procedure of this case, without due process in line with international standards", he added.
Liu's sentence came one day after human rights lawyer Wang Quanzhang .

Chinese activist jailed for five years: rights groups

China's top trade negotiator arrived in Washington as the world's top two economies prepare for high-stakes trade talks, Chinese state media said Tuesday.
The large delegation led by Vice Premier Liu He and including the head of the central bank arrived Monday as a US Justice Department indictment against top Chinese tech firm Huawei was unsealed, possibly complicating the discussions.
Beijing and Washington have a month remaining on a truce - declared in December by Donald Trump and Xi Jinping - that delayed a hike in tariffs on hundreds of billions in Chinese exports economists say could further damage an already-faltering global economy.
Trump will meet with Liu during the two-day talks, which are slated to open Wednesday, US officials said, as pressure mounts on both sides to reach a deal, with China in particular struggling with stuttering growth.
While there have been contradictory reports on the chances of success for the negotiations, global equities have been risen in recent .

China's top trade negotiator arrives in US for talks

Chinese authorities on Tuesday executed a man who killed 15 people after ramming a car into a crowded square in central Hunan province last year.
Last September, Yang Zanyun ploughed a Land Rover into pedestrians at a public square in Hengdong city before slashing at people with a shovel and dagger.
Fifteen people were killed and 43 others were injured.
The Hengyang Intermediate People's Court in Hunan province said Tuesday it "carried out the death penalty" on Yang Zanyun for "endangering public security through dangerous methods".
Local police had called him a "vengeful repeat offender" at the time, naming drug charges, theft and intentionally causing hurt as previous offences in their statement.
China has experienced a spate of similar incidents in recent months.  In late November, a car ploughed into a group of children crossing a street in front of an elementary school in northeastern Liaoning province, killing five people and injuring at least 19.
The driver said he "chose his ..

China executes man who killed 15 people in car attack

"Hundreds of thousands" of fish have died in drought-stricken Australia in the last few days and more mass deaths are likely to occur, the authorities warned Tuesday.
Locals around the Darling River were confronted with a sea of white, as dead fish carpeted the waters near the southeastern Outback town of Menindee.
Just weeks after up to a million were killed -- with scientists pointing to low water and oxygen levels as well as possibly toxic algae -- another mass death occurred in the key food growing region.
Inspectors from the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries have visited the site and said they found that "hundreds of thousands of fish have died".
"Further fish deaths in the Darling River are anticipated as a significant number of fish have been observed under stress," the department said in a statement.
The Darling River is part of the Murray-Darling River system that stretches thousands of kilometres across several states.
With temperatures expected to rise and no 

Sea of white: 'Hundreds of thousands' of fish dead in Australia

Australian Open finalist Petra Kvitova hailed the end of her Grand Slam bad luck -- and of a two-year transition following a knife attack that almost ended her career.
Having played only two Grand Slam quarter-finals since her Wimbledon triumph in 2014, Kvitova joked last year that she might as well quit playing at the top four events.
This year's Australian Open offered a different picture of the left-handed Czech who did not lose a single set on her way to the final in which she lost to Japan's Naomi Osaka in three sets on Saturday.
"I'm glad it was only a joke, that it didn't happen," the 28-year-old, who also won Wimbledon in 2011, told reporters in Prague.
"I guess it's a compensation for last year which wasn't the best when it comes to Grand Slams," added Kvitova, who in 2018 reached the last-32 phase at the French and US Open, bowing out of the Australian Open and Wimbledon at the first hurdle.
"I wasn't too happy after the loss but now the positive things prevail," said the ...

Kvitova hails end to Grand Slam issues at Australian Open

Cristiano Ronaldo locks horns again with Colombian ace Duvan Zapata as Juventus travel to Atalanta on Wednesday with a Coppa Italia semi-final berth at stake.
Juventus have won the last four editions of the competition -- sealing a record 18th last season by beating AC Milan in the final.
But their path towards another title after lifting the Italian Super Cup this month could be hampered by quarter-final opponents Atalanta.
Zapata scored a double against Juventus as the side from Bergamo held the champions to a 2-2 draw in Serie A on December 26.
The league leaders had travelled to Bergamo with Ronaldo on the bench but were forced to call on the Portuguese star after a Zapata brace threatened their unbeaten run this season.
Both Ronaldo and Zapata are in form having scored 15 goals in Serie A so far, and are vying for top scorer.
Ronaldo slotted in the penalty that gave Juventus a hard-fought 2-1 win over Lazio on Sunday.
In Bergamo, Zapata missed a penalty but less than a minute ...

Ronaldo v Zapata: Juventus tackle Atalanta in Coppa Italia

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says trophies are more important for Manchester United than a top-four finish as he targets success in two cup competitions over the second half of the season.
A run of eight successive victories to start his caretaker reign at the club has transformed a campaign that appeared to be heading nowhere under his predecessor Jose Mourinho.
United are still in the FA Cup and Champions League, while vastly improved league form now has the Reds looking at a potential best-case scenario of finishing third in the Premier League.
Tottenham's Mauricio Pochettino, still in the frame to become United's eventual long-term manager, has claimed a top-four finish and Champions League football is his club's primary target and not silverware.
But Solskjaer, who won many trophies at Old Trafford as a player under Alex Ferguson, has other aims.
"I am not here to discuss what Pochettino says and what other managers say but we are about winning trophies, of course we are," said ...

Solskjaer says trophies more important than top four for Man United

Syria and Iran signed 11 agreements and memoranda of understanding late Monday, including a "long-term strategic economic cooperation" deal aimed at strengthening cooperation between Damascus and one of its key allies in the civil war that has torn the country apart.
The agreements covered a range of fields including economy, culture, education, infrastructure, investment and housing, the official Sana news agency reported.
They were signed during a visit to Damascus by Iran's First Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri.
Syrian Prime Minister Imad Khamis said it was "a message to the world on the reality of Syrian-Iranian cooperation", citing "legal and administrative facilities" to benefit Iranian companies wishing to invest in Syria and contribute "effectively to reconstruction".
The agreements included two memos of understanding between the railway authorities of the two countries as well as between their respective investment promotion authorities.
In relation to infrastructure, there ...

Syria and Iran sign 'strategic' economic agreement

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro pledged to retaliate against the United States for its new sanctions on state oil company PDVSA.
"I have given specific instructions to the head of PDVSA to launch political and legal action, in US and international courts, to defend the property and assets of Citgo," PDVSA's US-based subsidiary, Maduro said on state television Monday.

Maduro vows legal action against US over PDVSA sanctions

Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into possible collusion between Donald Trump's campaign and Russia in the 2016 presidential election is close to being wrapped up, Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker said.
"The Mueller investigation is close to being completed," Whitaker told journalists on Monday.
"I've been fully briefed on the investigation and I look forward to Director Mueller delivering the final report," he said.
"I hope we can get the report from Director Mueller as soon as possible."
Mueller will submit his report to Whitaker unless he has been replaced as attorney general by then by Bill Barr, who has been nominated to the post but not yet confirmed by the Senate.
Without elaborating, Whitaker said: "I am comfortable that the decisions that were made are going to be reviewed."
Mueller, a former FBI director, was named by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein in May 2017 to look into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.
Mueller's team has indicted a ...

Mueller's Trump-Russia probe close to completion: official

A Bahraini court on Monday upheld a life sentence for opposition leader Sheikh Ali Salman for spying for Gulf rival Qatar, a ruling his party slammed as "political revenge".
Salman, who headed Al-Wefaq, a now-banned Shiite movement, was convicted by an appeals court in November in a decision rights groups called a travesty.
The supreme court confirmed the verdict against Salman and two of his aides for "spying for a foreign state in order to... overthrow the government", according to a statement released by public prosecutor Osama al-Awfi.
Bahrain in 2017 cut all ties with Qatar as part of a Saudi-led boycott in response to what Riyadh and its allies say are Doha's policies on Iran and Islamist groups.
The kingdom -- a tiny archipelago, allied with the US and located between regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran -- has been hit by waves of unrest since 2011, when security forces crushed Shiite-led protests demanding an elected prime minister.
Hundreds of activists have since been ...

Bahrain Shiite opposition leader loses appeal against life term

The US Midwest dug out from a snowstorm that closed schools and businesses, as millions braced for dangerous sub-zero temperatures that could shatter records.
School districts in Minnesota and Wisconsin cancelled classes and government offices, universities and businesses shuttered, with the mercury expected to drop to a polar -40 Celsius.
"Dangerously cold and potentially record breaking temperatures and wind chills are expected by Tuesday and Wednesday," National Weather Service (NWS) said Monday.
"The arctic air, together with brisk winds, can lead to dangerously cold wind chill values." In Wisconsin, where nearly a foot (30 centimeters) of snow was measured in one location, Governor Tony Evers declared a state of emergency, freeing up the Wisconsin National Guard for emergency work, if needed.
In North and South Dakota, peak wind gusts were measured at 60-70 miles (96-113 kilometers) per hour.
More than 1,000 flights were canceled at two airports in Chicago, a major regional hub ..

Snow wallops US Midwest as it braces for extreme cold

The US Justice Department on Monday unveiled sweeping charges against Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei in two cases likely to ratchet up tensions between the two superpowers -- including that of a top executive arrested in Canada on a US warrant.
The department unveiled 13 charges against chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou -- the daughter of the company's founder who is currently out on bail in Canada -- and three affiliates related to violating US sanctions on Iran.
Her case has sparked a major crisis between Ottawa and Beijing, with Washington in the middle.
In addition, 10 US federal charges were filed against two Huawei affiliates for stealing robot technology from T-Mobile.
"Both sets of charges expose Huawei's brazen and persistent actions to exploit American companies and financial institutions, and to threaten the free and fair global marketplace," said FBI Director Christopher Wray.
Meng -- who was arrested at in Vancouver on December 1 at Washington's request -- is .

US charges Huawei in technology theft, sanctions violations

The top Democrat in Congress said Monday that President Donald Trump has agreed on February 5 as the new date to deliver his State of the Union address, now that the US government has fully reopened.
"I invite you to deliver your State of the Union address before a Joint Session of Congress on February 5, 2019 in the House Chamber," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a letter to Trump, in which she said the political rivals had mutually agreed on the date.
Trump was originally set to deliver his speech this Tuesday, but Pelosi postponed it during the government shutdown, telling the president there would be no address to Congress until federal operations resumed.

Trump to deliver State of the Union on February 5: Pelosi

US President Donald Trump will meet with China's trade envoy this week during talks aimed at resolving the trade dispute with Beijing, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Monday.
Chinese Vice Premier Liu He is leading a delegation of 30 officials to Washington as the United States and China work to reach an agreement ahead of a March 1 deadline, when US tariffs are due to increase sharply.
Mnuchin told reporters he expected "significant progress at these meetings." Beijing and Washington last year exchanged tariffs on more than USD 360 billion in two-way trade.
While Trump has made the soaring US trade deficit with China a particular focus of his ire, American officials also are demanding far-reaching reforms to Chinese industrial policy to curb the alleged theft of American technological know-how and massive state intervention in commodities markets.
Mnuchin said enforcement of any agreement, protection of American intellectual property and an end to China's forced joint ...

Trump to meet Chinese vice premier in trade talks: Treasury Secretary

Venezuela's self-proclaimed acting president Juan Guaido said Monday he was taking control of the country's foreign assets as he piled pressure on leader Nicolas Maduro by calling for a new wave of protests against the embattled regime.
Guaido, the opposition leader who has declared himself the country's ruler amid violent anti-government protests, says "usurper" Maduro's rule is illegitimate and wants to set up a transitional government ahead of new elections.
In a statement published on social media, he said he was "beginning to take progressive and orderly control of our republic's assets abroad to prevent, during his exit... that the usurper and his band try to empty the coffers."
Guaido also called for a two-hour strike Wednesday "to demand that the armed forces side with the people," ahead of a "big national and international rally" on Saturday to acknowledge support from several European countries that have issued Maduro a deadline to hold new polls.
His remarks came as the ...

Maduro rival says taking control of Venezuela's foreign assets

The White House urged Venezuela's military on Monday to accept a "peaceful" transfer of power from Nicolas Maduro to opposition leader Juan Guaido, recognized by the United States as the country's interim president.
"We also today call on the Venezuelan military and security forces to accept the peaceful, democratic and constitutional transfer of power," National Security Advisor John Bolton told reporters at the White House.
Asked whether Donald Trump would consider getting the US military involved in Venezuela, Bolton replied: "The president has made it clear on this matter that all options are on the table.

US urges Venezuela army to accept 'peaceful' power transfer

The sole passenger crossing between Gaza and Egypt will reopen in both directions Tuesday, the strip's Islamist rulers Hamas said, after it was partially closed amid Palestinian political infighting.
In a statement late Monday, the Hamas-run interior ministry announced "the opening of the Rafah border crossing in both directions on Tuesday".
There was no immediate confirmation from Egypt.
Forces loyal to Palestinian Authority president Mahmud Abbas withdrew on January 6 from the Rafah border crossing, accusing rivals Hamas of interference.
Hamas employees retook the post and negotiated with Egypt, saying they were seeking to maintain control after the PA's withdrawal.
Since then Egypt had kept the border sealed for those seeking to leave the Gaza Strip, while allowing those returning to enter.
The crossing is the only way for Palestinians to leave Gaza that bypasses Israel and is a key lifeline for the enclave's two million residents.
Hamas has controlled Gaza since seizing it from ...

Gaza-Egypt crossing to fully reopen Tuesday: Palestinians

At least four Burkinabe soldiers were killed Monday when gunmen raided a military base in the north, security sources said, a day after 10 people died in a separate attack in the same region.
The pre-dawn attack saw heavily-armed gunmen ambush a base in Nassoumbou in Soum province which flanks the Malian border, with one security source saying they used rockets.
"Heavily-armed and unidentified individuals attacked the GFSN military base in Nassoumbou at around 4:00 am. Four members of the defence and security forces were killed and four others were injured," a security source told AFP.
The GFSN is a military force which is engaged in anti-terror operations in Burkina Faso's restive north.
"The attackers... arrived on motorbikes and also fired rockets at the base" which caught fire, a second security source told AFP, saying they fled towards the Malian border, which lies just 30 kilometres (18 miles) away.
Nassoumbou was also targeted in November when two soldiers were killed by a ...

4 soldiers killed in Burkina Faso attack: Security sources

The Netherlands on Monday refused a request by Italy to take in 47 migrants, on board a Dutch-flagged rescue ship that Italian ports have refused to allow to dock.
The Sea Watch 3 ship, run by a German NGO, rescued the mainly sub-Saharan African migrants off Libya more than a week ago and it is currently sheltering from bad weather off Sicily.
The Mediterranean nations of Italy and Malta have both refused to let it dock.
"Without a firm idea of an overall solution, the Netherlands will not take part in ad hoc measures for disembarkation" of the ship, Lennart Wegewijs, a spokesman for the Dutch Justice and Security Ministry, told AFP.
Italy's far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini has insisted Germany or the Netherlands take responsibility for the migrants, warning that he was considering legal action against the crew.
But German and Dutch authorities insist the problem should be solved within the wider context of an elusive EU migration deal that distinguishes between people in ...

AFP

AFP

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