The Norwegian Government has revealed plans for the construction of the world's first ship tunnel through a mountain to help ships navigate a dangerous section of the country's south-western coast. The government has agreed to provide US$ 274 million for the Stad Ship Tunnel, which will be built to a height of 45 meters, width of 36 meters and will span a length of 1.7 kilometers. The proposed tunnel, which is being planned by Nordfjord Vekst, would bypass the Stadlandet (Stad) peninsula in Selje, Norway linking two fjords near the towns of Teigen and Berstad. Peaking at 645 meters, the Stad peninsula is a mountainous divide between the Norwegian Sea to the north and the North Sea to the south. The project is being proposed to reduce navigation on the existing shipping route, which exposes vessels to some of Norway's most dangerous waters, where currents and waves come from different directions, which has contributed to 46 accidents and near-accidents since 1945. The Stad Ship Tunnel would be the world's first shipping tunnel capable of accommodating large cargo and passenger vessels of up to 16 thousand tons. Royal Academy of Engineering associate Robert Benaim told the BBC that the project would include the construction of a cofferdam at either end of the tunnel to keep the water out until excavation is complete. Nordfjod Vekst project director Randi Homborstad said: "As the sea is the backbone of transport along the west coast of Norway, public transport could be upgraded with improved regularity in cargo services and a new year-round high-speed passenger ferry service between the coastal cities of Bergen and Alesund." Construction of the new tunnel is expected to commence in 2018 and would take around four years to complete.

On January 30 during the "2nd Annual Emerging Airports Conference and Exhibition" held in Dubai the results of votes for over 20 nominations were announced. As reported the "Zvartnots International Airport's" official website, the nominations were different: "Best Emerging Airport of the World", "Best Emerging Airport of Middle East", Best Emerging Airport Europe", etc. According to the results for the nomination "Best Emerging Airport of Russia, CIS & Baltic States" Yerevan "Zvartnots International Airport" is the best in CIS. The new terminal of "Zvartnots" airport put into operation on September 16, in the framework of events dated to the 20th anniversary of Armenia's independence. Zvartnots International Airport also was nominated by the company Arabian Reach, Dubai for "EMAA" (Emerging Markets Airports Award). Besides "Zvartnots" four airports of CIS countries, namely: "Domodedovo" and "Sheremetevo" airports of Moscow, "Pulkovo" airport of St. Petersburg, "Manas" airport of Bishkek were nominated, as well. Voting lasted for more than a month. During the award ceremony the award was received by the General Manager of "Armenia International Airports" CJSC Marcelo Wende.

The world's longest high-speed rail line, which spans over half of China, began operating at the end of last year, further cementing the country's high-speed railway development ambitions. The 2,298-kilometer railway connects Beijing in the north to Guangzhou in the south, and it more than halves the travel time between the two cities. Trains running on the new high-speed line hit 300 kilometer per hour, cutting the total journey time by more than 12 hours. The major stops along the way between China's capital and Guangzhou in the south will include provincial capitals Shijiazhuang, Wuhan and Changsha. According to the official Xinhua News Agency, citing the Ministry of Railways, more than 150 pairs of high-speed trains will run on the new line every day. China has massive resources and considerable prestige invested in its showcase high-speed railways program. But it has in recent months faced high-profile problems: part of a line collapsed in central China after heavy rains in March, while a bullet train crash in the summer of 2011 killed 40 people. The former railway minister, who spearheaded the bullet train's construction, and the ministry's chief engineer, were detained in an unrelated corruption investigation months before the crash. With the opening of the Beijing-Guangzhou high-speed line, China now has more than 9.3 thousand kilometer of high-speed railway in operation. The new line is one of four north-south lines expected to serve as the country's high-speed railway backbone, which also features four east-west lines. According to the 12th five-year plan for railway development, by 2015, China will have around 120 thousand kilometer of railway in operation, including 18 thousand kilometer of high-speed railway and an express railway network of 40 thousand kilometer, which allows speeds of over 160 kilometer per hour. Preparations for a new high-speed line linking the central Chinese cities of Zhengzhou and Xuzhou are underway. The line will intersect the Beijing-Guangzhou high-speed rail line and the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed rail line, which started operations on June 30 last year.

Greece's Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund announced, that one of the best real estate properties - the Athens former airport in the coastal area of Athens Ellinikon will be sold reported news agency Ria Novosti. Athens airport whole area is about 6.2 million square meters. It is three times bigger than the Principality of Monaco and two times bigger than the London's Hyde Park and New York's Central Park. There are 500 buildings in sold territory, including the former airport building, 2004 Olympic Games sport facilities, Greek army former barracks, sport center and a sea berth for 300 boats. Company's 100 percent stock to be sold to investor, but the cost of airport isn't announced. After sale, the investor must pay 30 percent of earnings to the Greece budget. Greece holds an extensive privatization program to increase revenue and reduce the budget deficit. Two months ago Greece Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund has identified 40 uninhabited islands and islets that could be leased for as long as 50 years to reduce debt as pressure grows on the country to revive an asset-sales plan key to receiving international aid. At the beginning of the year Archaeological treasures including the temple of Delphi, the most popular site after the Acropolis, were available as backdrops for filming and photographic shoots.

According to Director General of the South Caucasus Railways (SCR) Viktor Rebets, the project to connect Armenia's international Zvartnots airport and the Yerevan underground with a commuter train service will soon get off the drawing board, reported Armenian mass media. A trilateral memorandum about the intention to build a commuter train link was signed among the RA minister of transport and communications Manuk Vardanyan, the SCR Director General Viktor Rebets and the Armenia International Airports general manager Marcelo Wende on May 4. The new railway will link the Charbakh station of the Yerevan underground and the international airport, and to be built within a year. The length of the rail link is about 7.8 kilometers. Also an 810-meter-long tunnel is expected to be built. The Armenian Government in last November approved the program to build an international logistics center and transportation infrastructures in the territory neighboring Zvartnots International Airport. New railway is a part of the project of free economic zone which also include highway construction. The realization of the project is expected to facilitate access to the city for passengers at Zvartnots as well as provide a link between the airport's cargo terminal and the Karmir Blur railway station.