China plans international airport in Tibet; to facilitate Mansarovar visit
NEW DELHI: China is planning to upgrade a domestic airport to an international one in Ali prefecture of the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) seeking to facilitate travel of foreign tourists, including Kailash Mansarovar Yatra pilgrims to the holy site, a senior Chinese official said on Tuesday. Deputy Commissioner of the prefecture in China’s TAR, Ge […]
AgustaWestland case accused Gautam Khaitan moves fresh bail plea in court
NEW DELHI: Advocate Gautam Khaitan, an accused in the AgustaWestland scam, Tuesday moved a fresh plea in a Delhi court seeking bail in a separate black money and money laundering case in which he is currently arrested. Special CBI Judge Arvind Kumar, who had on March 12 dismissed a similar application filed by Khaitan, issued […]
Jet Airways grounds 15 more planes due to non-payment of rentals to lessors
NEW DELHI: Cash-crunch hit private carrier Jet Airways on Tuesday said it has grounded 15 more aircraft due to non-payment of rentals to lessors, taking the total number of grounded planes to 69. The fleet strength in the airline has, however, has come down to 20 now. Till last month, the Mumbai-headquartered airline, which is […]
Airbnb invests $200 million in OYO for Indian mart
NEW DELHI: SoftBank-backed OYO has raised funding from the US-based online accommodation platform Airbnb, a move that will provide the Indian hospitality chain more ammunition to stren-gthen its presence in the Indian and global markets. The investment details were, however, not disclosed. According to sources, Airbnb is pumping in between $100-200 million (about Rs 690-Rs […]
Indian satellite destruction created 400 pieces of debris, endangering ISS: NASA
NEW DELHI: The head of NASA on Tuesday branded India’s destruction of one of its satellites a “terrible thing” that had created 400 pieces of orbital debris and led to new dangers for astronauts aboard the International Space Station. Jim Bridenstine was addressing employees of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration five days after India […]
Congress manifesto released, Rahul Gandhi calls it voice of people
NEW DELHI: The Congress on Tuesday released its manifesto for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections with its president Rahul Gandhi describing it as the “voice of people”. Senior party leader P Chidambaram asserted that “wealth and welfare” is the manifesto’s central theme. Rahul Gandhi was joined by other top party leaders, including former prime minister […]
GST collections records Rs 1.06 lakh crore in March
NEW DELHI: Total Gross GST revenue collected in the month of March, 2019 is Rs. 1,06,577 crore of which CGST is Rs. 20,353 crore, SGST is Rs.27,520 crore, IGST is Rs.50,418 crore (including Rs. 23,521crore collected on imports) and Cess is Rs. 8,286 crore (including Rs. 891crore collected on imports). The total number of GSTR […]
Jet Airways pilots defer mass leave decision to April 15
NEW DELHI: The pilots’ union of Jet Airways on Sunday postponed, till April 15, their decision to go on mass leave to protest non-payment of salaries. The decision comes after Jet Airways on Saturday said it will soon pay the remaining December salaries to employees. “The pilots have decided that time should be given to […]
Airlines responsible for their financial performance; government can’t interfere in day-to-day operations
By Manoj Rammohan NEW DELHI: Efficient operations and financial performance are individual responsibilities of carriers, and the government cannot interfere in their day-to-day operations, Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu said amid Jet Airways crisis and turbulent times of the domestic airlines industry. In view of intense competition, rising costs, shortage of pilots and grounding of […]
SpiceJet launches 28 new flights
NEW DELHI: SpiceJet on Sunday announced that it has launched 14 new flights under the government’s UDAN scheme, connecting the “un-served” market of Jharsuguda and the “underserved” markets of Kishangarh and Lakhimpur to key metros and cities across the country. In addition, the airline stated that it has launched 14 other direct flights connecting metros […]
More and more NRIs buying homes for rental income
NEW DELHI: Real estate has always been a favourite investment asset class for Indians, including those residing abroad who buy landed assets for rental income, say industry experts. Also, of late, NRIs with higher purchasing power are lapping up luxury homes along with affordable homes, as they offer better rental income and capital appreciation. According […]
Have enough pilots, operations won’t be impacted: Jet Airways
MUMBAI: Even as it tries to stave-off a proposed mass leave by a section of pilots, Jet Airways on Saturday said it has the requisite number of aviators to man its fleet currently under operation. “Operations on Monday are unlikely to be impacted,” an official said. “We have taken a note of the advisory sent […]
Nepal calls for foreign investment; seeks major economy boost in next five years
By Shirish B Pradhan KATHMANDU: Nepal’s Prime Minister K P Oli on Friday urged foreign investors, including from India and China, to invest in the Himalayan nation, saying it required around USD 88 billion business in the next five years to graduate from the category of Least Developed Countries to the Lower Middle Income country. […]
Was Mi17 chopper shot down by own defence system?
NEW DELHI: Was the Mi17 V5 chopper crash at Budgam near Srinagar on February 27 — which killed all six Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel on board — caused by an Indian air defence missile hit? That “could be one of the possibilities”, a highly placed source said on Friday. This might have happened in […]
Iceland’s WOW Air budget carrier collapses, cancels all flights
Iceland’s budget carrier WOW Air said it had ceased operations and cancelled all flights on Thursday, stranding thousands of passengers. The collapse of the troubled airline, which transports more than a third of those travelling to Iceland, comes after buyout talks with rival Icelandair collapsed earlier this week. “All WOW Air flights have been cancelled. […]
PNB to sell stake in PNB Housing to General Atlantic, Varde Partners for Rs 1,851 crore
NEW DELHI: State-run Punjab National Bank (PNB) on Friday said it will sell its partial stake in PNB Housing Finance to global private equity firm General Atlantic Group and alternative investment firm Varde Partners for Rs 1,851.6 crore. PNB has entered into agreements in relation to the said transactions Friday, the public sector bank said […]