Air France is to file a complaint with the European Commmission against Ryanair for allegedly receiving hundreds of millions of euros in illegal subsidies, Le Figaro daily reported Thursday. Air France claims the Irish budget airline received 660 million euros (900 million dollars) worth of aid across Europe in 2008 in the form of reduced landing fees and airport taxes, the report said.

Greece has been added to the US Visa Waiver Program, allowing its citizens to travel to the United States for 90 days at a time without a visa, the US Homeland Security Department said Tuesday. The announcement from Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, which came as Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou visited Washington, adds Greece to a list of 35 countries whose citizens can visit the United States visa-free.

The luxury cruise ship hit by huge waves off the Mediterranean coast of Spain was in heavy seas where eight-metre (26-foot) waves were to be expected, an expert from the French national weather agency said Thursday. "The accident happened [Wednesday] at 2:15 pm near a Spanish weather buoy near Cap de Begur [north of Barcelona].

Looking for an edge in the global war for tourism dollars, US President Barack Obama Thursday signed into law moves to attract more overseas travelers. Obama signed the act "which establishes a corporation for travel promotion to encourage international travel to the United States," the White House said in a statement.

South African tourism defied global trends and posted a 3. 6 percent increase in arrivals last year, with a record 9. 9 foreigners visiting the country, the tourism minister said on Thursday. Globally, international arrivals fell by 4. 0 percent last year, according to the UN World Tourism Organisation. While fewer tourists from Europe and North American visited South Africa last year, arrivals from Asia, South America and the rest of Africa were up, he said.

Eight-metre (26-foot) high waves hit a Mediterranean cruise ship killing two passengers, the owners said Thursday as they began repatriating hundreds of those on board after the freak accident. A German and an Italian passenger on the MV Louis Majesty were killed in Wednesday's accident off the coast of Spain and 14 others were injured, the owners said.

The Cypriot owners of a Mediterranean cruise ship on which two people were killed said on Thursday that eight-metre (26-foot) waves were to blame for the freak accident off the Spanish coast. Louis Cruise Line also said the more than 1,300 passengers on board the stricken MV Louis Majesty were being repatriated from the Spanish port city of Barcelona in the wake of Wednesday's accident which also injured 14 people.

Two people were killed and six injured Wednesday when a massive wave crashed into a cruise ship with almost 2,000 people onboard in the Mediterranean, Spain's maritime rescue service said. The wave "smashed windows in the lounge area" of the Maltese-flagged Louis Majesty, a spokesman for the service told AFP.

Two people were killed and six injured Wednesday when a massive wave crashed into a cruise ship in the eastern Mediterranean, Spain's maritime rescue service said. The accident involving the Maltese-flagged Louis Majesty occurred off the coast of Spain's northeastern Catalonia region, a spokesman for the service told AFP.

International air passenger traffic grew 6. 4 percent in January compared to a year earlier, with Asia, Latin America and the Middle East lifting demand, IATA said Tuesday. Cargo demand also grew 28. 3 percent in January compared to the same month in 2009, or up 3. 0 percent from December, as businesses moved to restock inventories, said the International Air Transport Association in a statement.