Category: News

The Royal Oman Police (ROP) had recently launched new electronic visa system to facilitate the passengers’ journey and to prevent unnecessary queues at the visa on arrival desk at the airport’s counter. But, at present, a temporary counter has opened at the New Muscat International Airport terminal for tourists flying to Oman to get visas on arrival. Visa on arrival counters have been set-up in case of emergencies for eligible tourists who are not aware of the new electronic visa system that was officially launched on March 21. “We are still keeping the visa on arrival option for a short span of time ... Read more

Indian Railways generated a sum of Rs 1,097 crores of revenue through imposing fines and penalties from ticket-less passengers. The amount has been collected during April 2017 to February 2018. According to reports, a sum of another Rs 200 crore had been generated by authorities during the month of March. In addition, Indian Railways has earned over Rs 600 crore per year via “flexi fares” (an increase of fare based on demand in premium trains). Surprisingly, railway also states that about 3 crores of passengers annually (April 2017 to February 2018) commute without a valid ticket. Among the offending stations, ... Read more

At least 48 people were killed due to the fire at a busy shopping center at Kemerovo in western Siberia, with scores more reported missing, including children. Out of the 48 killed, 41 are children as per the reports. The preliminary findings of the inquiry said the fire started around 1100 GMT in one of the cinema halls and destroyed more than 1,000 square metres of the center. The roof collapsed in two theaters in the cinema and around 120 people had been evacuated from the burning center. The shopping complex opened in 2013 houses a multiplex cinema, restaurants, a sauna, ... Read more

Flight service from Salem and Chennai under UDAN scheme resumed after a span of 7 years. The flight flew with a seating capacity of over 72 seats, at a price point of Rs 1,499. K Palaniswami, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Union Minister, Pon Radhakrishnan inaugurated the service coordinated by airline carrier Trujet. Palaniswami on the occasion said that the service under UDAN scheme would aid certain cities in industrial development – Erode, Namakkal, Karur, Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri. The Chief Minister also declared a green corridor connecting Salem and Chennai with a budget of Rs 10,000 crores. “The next phase of the ... Read more

Karlmann King is an ultra-modern luxury SUV ever built with a stealth design. It is a collaboration between Chinese designers and European engineers. The chassis built on a Ford F-550 platform has a kerb weight of over 4.5 tonnes. The heavyweight cutting-edge machinery is been powered by a massive 6.8 litre v10 with over 400Bhp. The stunning interior of this mega mammoth welcomes you with an ultra HD 4k television set, along with a satellite communication system. The interior welcomes the guest with coffee machine, electric table and indoor neon light control. The fully carbon fibred SUV has been made less ... Read more

Maharashtra government, at last, has ordered a complete ban on plastic carry bags and thermocol cutlery. State Minister for Environment, Ramdas Kadam pointed out that the use of plastic is the root cause of major illnesses. Maharashtra thus becomes the 18th state in India to put a strong decision against plastics. Additionally, a fine of Rs 5000 was put forward, against the rule violators, said the Minister. “Maharashtra produces 1,100 tonnes of waste every day. Today, there is tonnes of waste in the state. This is a major cause of diseases, sometimes life-threatening diseases. Plastic is banned in 17 states ... Read more

In a bizarre incident, a flight from Stuttgart (Germany) to Lisbon (Portugal) delayed severely due to co-pilot being heavily drunk. According to reports, an airport staff notified the police, that a heavily drunk co-pilot with unsteadiness, started to prepare the flight for take-off. Police within no time grabbed the 40-year-old co-pilot from the cockpit and send for a medical analysis. Meanwhile, moreover, 106 passengers were hopelessly stranded upon the horrifying incident. Regarding the situation ‘TAP Air Portugal’ apologised all passengers on board for the inconvenience they received, and had arranged hotel rooms for them. In the history of aviation, there ... Read more

Dhaka Travel Mart, the biggest international travel and tourism fair in Bangladesh, concluded. Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism, AKM Shajahan Kamal, appreciated the support that Bangladesh received post US Bangla crash and quickly reminded that it is now Bangladesh’s turn to support Nepal. He also stressed on mutual tourism promotion as for many Bangladeshis, Nepal is a favourite destination. The three day forum was organised by Bangladesh Monitor (tourism publication) for the 15th time. Over 48 representatives from across the country witnessed the travel event with 5 pavilions and 60 booths. Some of the agencies participated in the event include – ... Read more

Qantas Airways, the official airliner of Australia, sets a new record by flying from Perth to London non stop. The 17- hour long flight covering over 14,498km is the world’s third longest passenger flight. The incident also marks as the world’s first longest flight from a Boeing Dreamliner. The new milestone is thus an ambitious focus on adding long-haul flights globally for Qantas. Alan Joyce, chief executive of Qantas marked the event as a “game-changing route” (Perth -London). With the new achievement, Australian tourism officials expect a wide number of tourist arrival, to the less populous west coast of Australia. Meanwhile, while ... Read more

In a presidential memorandum, US President Donald Trump has banned some transgender service members from serving in the US military, saying transgender individuals “with a history or diagnosis of gender dysphoria” are unable to serve except under limited circumstances. “Among other things, the policies set forth by the Secretary of Defense state that transgender persons with a history or diagnosis of gender dysphoria — individuals who the policies state may require substantial medical treatment, including medications and surgery — are disqualified from military service except under certain limited circumstances,” said a White House release. Trump tweeted last July that he ... Read more

ATTOI (Association of Tourism Trade Organizations, India), in association with Ministry of Ayush is organising a tour of yoga professionals from across the world to Kerala, known as the “Yoga’s birth place”. The 10-day educational tour, Yoga Ambassadors Tour, is organised as part of the various programmes organised by the ministry on the International Yoga Day (IDY) with the support of Kerala Tourism. “Applications have been invited from established and practicing yoga professionals from around the world to have a first-hand experience of Kerala, the southern state of India, the country proud to be known as the birth place of ... Read more

Spoofs and comedies are no more gonna be entertainers in China, rather it is going to be a violation, as per its new law put forth by the media regulator. The directive, at present, only applies to online videos, but since China has control of its film and television industries, there’s no way one can expect to see such stuff there. Video sites now must ban any videos that “distort, mock, or defame classical literary and art works,” the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television stated in a directive, reported the state-run media agency Xinhua. The directive also ... Read more

Australia has terminated its employer-sponsored 457 visa programme, which is highly used by Indians. The authorities further replaced it with a new stringent programme that requires higher English-language proficiency and job skills. The visa programme 457 allowed companies to hire foreign workers for up to four years in skilled jobs in which there was a shortage of Australian workers. Most of the category visa holders come from India, with about a quarter of the hiring, followed by the United Kingdom and China respectively to 19.5 per cent and 5.8 per cent. It was replaced on March 18 by a new Temporary Skills ... Read more

Malabar Group’s much-awaited gift for Trivandrum, the capital city of Kerala, Mall of Travancore was inaugurated officially by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at 3 pm today. “It’s my delight to inaugurate a Mall from Malabar Group. The Mall’s eco-friendly practices and construction is similar to that of the Haritha Keralam initiative,” said Kerala Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan after inaugurating the Mall of Travancore. “The Malls responsible initiative of adding local farmers to trade is appreciable,” he added. The mall follows eco-friendly practices in terms of waste management. Also, it is the first mall to have a Swachh Bharat Certification and Zero Waste International ... Read more

Amager Bakke, popularly known as ‘Copenhill’ is a hybrid waste to energy plant located at Amager in Denmark. Officially opening for tourists in October 2018, the architectural marvel is built with a cost of $670 million. The main attraction of Copenhill is its ski slope, which is a 278 ft artificial climbing wall dedicated to adventure loving tourists. By the year 2025, the city aims to achieve the status of the first carbon-neutral city, through Amager Bakke. As part of ensuring sustainable policies, a ban on diesel vehicle is the next main agenda of the authorities, that is expected to further decrease ... Read more