The UAE, which angered Tunisia by banning Tunisian women from its passenger flights, has intelligence that female jihadists returning from Iraq or Syria might try to use Tunisian passports to stage terrorist attacks, a Tunisian government official said. Tunisia had demanded the United Arab Emirates apologize for the travel ban - saying that the UAE had provided no explanation - and on Sunday it suspended the Dubai-based airline Emirates from operating at Tunis airport. Since then, Saida Garrach, an advisor at the Tunisian presidency, told local radio Shems FM that the UAE had “serious information over the possibility of terrorist acts as part of returning fighters leaving Iraq and Syria,” and that the two countries were now working together to address the threat. “There are terrorist plots in several countries,” Garrach said. “What concerns the United Arab Emirates is the possibility of terrorist acts committed by Tunisian women or by Tunisian passport holders,” she said. Garrach criticized the way the threat had been communicated to Tunisia.<br/>
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Tourists applying for a visa on arrival at Suvarnabhumi airport are likely to face up to a four-hour wait during the New Year period due to a tough screening process to catch undesirables trying to enter the kingdom. Pol Col Cherngron Rimpadee, deputy immigration police spokesman, asked Tuesday for understanding saying the procedures are necessary to deal with criminals that take advantage of the hectic period to enter the country by disguising themselves as tourists. The Immigration Bureau is considering opening more lanes for visa processing to reduce the lengthy queues. Ideally, the process should take three minutes to complete but sudden influxes of applicants can lead to long queues.<br/>
Daegu International Airport will launch its state-of-the-art immigration check system early next year, making it possible for Korean passengers to complete the check in 12 seconds. The airport said the Smart Entry Service (SES) is being tested for its formal launch in early January. It plans to upgrade the system to benefit foreign passengers. SES checks passengers' identities with scanned passports, fingerprints and facial recognition. "The installation of SES-based gates is almost complete," an official from the immigration service said. "We will soon conduct a trial and start the official operation of SES at Daegu International Airport at the end of this year or the start of next year."<br/>
Trains connecting various Jakarta stations and Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten, are now available for a promotional fare of Rp 30,000 (US$2.2), railway operator PT Railink said. The discounted price will be on offer until Jan.1, after which the regular fare of Rp 70,000 will apply. Tickets can be purchased online, through mobile applications and vending machines at several stations, including Sudirman Station and Soekarno-Hatta Airport Station. Online bookings can be made through reservation.railink.co.id. The airport train currently makes 42 trips daily between 3.51 a.m. and 9.51 p.m. Trips from Soekarno-Hatta to Sudirman Baru will run from 6.10 a.m. to 11.10 p.m., departing every hour. “Jakartans have responded to the trial period with enthusiasm. We have been showing our appreciation of the passengers who either purchased tickets online or through the vending machines by giving them flowers,” said Railink president director Heru Kuswanto.<br/>