A residential cruise ship that was supposed to travel around the world has been stuck in Northern Ireland for the past three months.
24.08.2024 - 03:17 / euronews.com
Travellers to Abu Dhabi's Zayed International Airport may soon be able to use facial recognition to check in for flights.
Abu Dhabi Airports is developing a "Smart Travel" project that involves rolling out biometric authentification artificial intelligence (AI) into all security checkpoints at the airport by 2025.
The project will use the databases of the United Arab Emirates’ Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security to "automatically authenticate travellers," according to a July statement from the local government.
This will get rid of prior registration that passengers normally need to do as soon as they get to the airport.
Etihad Airways already has biometric systems in place that use facial recognition before boarding and assists with self-service baggage delivery and traveller check-ins.
That means people won’t need their boarding passes to board one of Etihad’s planes. The technology is also being implemented for five additional airlines at check-in and boarding gates.
These new technologies means it will take roughly seven seconds from the 25 at regular kiosks to go through the entire ticket and travel document verification process.
The project "will enhance airline performance by eliminating the need for expensive infrastructure expansions and effectively detecting fraud and forgery in identification documents," a statement from Abu Dhabi Airports reads.
Italian authorities started trials in May on a similar software called FaceBoarding that uses facial recognition at two airports: Milano Linate and Catania.
Travellers use airport kiosks to show their documents and scan their faces. That lets them use FaceBoarding again at other checkpoints, making it faster for security and boarding.
SEA, the company managing the new Italian system, says on the Milano-Linate airport websitethat those who opt-in to Faceboarding will have their data processed only "for the purpose of participation in the project".
"Facial images are not stored, but are only used to create a biometric template required for passing security checks and eventually board at the gate," their website continued.
Individual airlines like ITA Airways and Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) have also signed up to use the system for their clients.
The EU is also getting ready to launch its Entry/Exit System (EES), an automatic registration system for travellers from the UK and non-EU countries.
That system asks travellers without long-stay visas to scan their faces and passports at self-serve kiosks when they cross EU borders.
A traveller’s name, biometrics, and date of entry/exit will be recorded and retained for up to three years after each trip.
The system will launch on November 10, EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva
A residential cruise ship that was supposed to travel around the world has been stuck in Northern Ireland for the past three months.
A few months ago, I realized that my passport was nearly full. It wasn't due to expire for another couple of years, but I was running out of blank pages. I knew that some countries — including popular tourist destinations like Italy and Iceland — might even refuse me entry if I didn't have two or more blank passport pages.
Government officials in Sri Lanka announced that citizens from 35 countries—including the United States—will be granted visa-free entry into the Asian nation, according to the Times of India.
Sri Lanka is set to launch a six-month pilot program on October 1, offering free 30-day tourist visas on arrival to citizens from 35 countries, including the U.S., UK, Russia, India and China. The initiative, which temporarily waives the typical $50 visa fee, aligns with the island nation’s peak travel season, lasting from December to mid-April. This move is part of a broader strategy to revitalize tourism, a sector crucial to Sri Lanka’s economy.
“I tell my friends that I'm now midcentury modern,” the New York–based fashion designer Phillip Lim quips about turning 50. “And like the furniture, hopefully better with age.” Joking aside, Lim, who launched his 3.1 Phillip Lim label in 2005 and now sells his signature clean-lined clothing in shops around the world, saw the landmark birthday as a chance to take stock. “I heard somewhere that, with 50, you get a second dawn. I took that to heart.”
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As interest in visiting Porto only grows stronger, visitors are finding even more things to do in the city. What was once seen for many as a short trip is becoming a longer break, with exploration outside of the city centre and into neighboring areas. Porto may be Portugal’s second largest city—after Lisbon—but it did give the country its name from the Roman Portus Cale. Centuries later, the city became famous for port, its “divine nectar of the Gods,” tastings of which are highly recommended in any of the port lodges lining the riverside in Vila Nova de Gaia. From there, look across the Douro at Porto’s colorful jumble of medieval houses, soaring church towers, and glossy blue-and-white tiled façades. Here, our selection of the best things to do in Porto can help you weave your way through the city, dipping into its sights, sounds, tastes, and smells to better get under its skin. To be sure, Porto will get under yours too.
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