News

Air India likely to be handed over to Tata group by weekend

Air India is likely to be handed over to the Tata group by the end of this week, senior government officials said on Monday. After a competitive bidding process, the government had on October 8 last year sold Air India to Talace Private Limited - a subsidiary of the Tata group's holding company - for INR 18,000 crore. Following that, on October 11, a Letter of Intent (LoI) was issued to the Tata group confirming the government's willingness to sell its 100 percent stake in the airline. On October 25, the Centre signed the share purchase agreement (SPA) for this deal. Officials said on Monday that the remaining formalities regarding this deal are expected to be completed in the next few days and the airline will be handed over to the Tata group by the end of this week. As a part of the deal, the Tata group will also be handed over Air India Express and a 50 per cent stake in ground handling arm Air India SATS. Tatas had on October 8 beat the INR 15,100-crore offer by a consortium led by SpiceJet promoter Ajay Singh and the reserve price of INR 12,906 crore set by the government for the sale of its 100 per cent stake in the loss-making carrier. While this will be the first privatisation since 2003-04, Air India will be the third airline brand in the Tatas' stable - it holds a majority interest in AirAsia India and Vistara, a joint venture with Singapore Airlines Ltd.

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South Korea to expand testing, shorten quarantine for Omicron

South Korea will expand rapid testing and shorten quarantines as it reshapes its pandemic response to deal with a faster-than-expected surge in coronavirus infections driven by the highly contagious Omicron variant. The plans were announced as the country reported 7,513 new cases of infection on Monday, the third straight day exceeding 7,000 and nearing a one-day high of 7,848 reported in December, when a devastating delta-driven spread spiked hospitalisations and deaths. Omicron has now replaced Delta as South Korea's most dominant variant after accounting for more than 50 per cent of the infections reported last week, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. Some experts say the country could be seeing daily jumps of over 10,000 later this week. Transmissions could further accelerate over the Lunar New Year's holiday break from this weekend through Tuesday, a period when millions of people usually travel around the country to meet relatives. Starting Wednesday, the quarantine for people who test positive after being fully vaccinated will be reduced from the current 10 days to seven days, KDCA Commissioner Jeong Eun-kyeong, said during a briefing. Fully vaccinated people who come in close contact with virus carriers will no longer be placed under quarantine, but they will be required to report their daily health conditions to officials before receiving a test within six or seven days. Officials say the easing of quarantine restrictions is inevitable as they try to prevent an explosion in omicron cases from causing major disruption at workplaces and public services by putting huge numbers of people under quarantine. The new rules will require people who aren't fully vaccinated to quarantine for seven days if they come in close contact with a virus carrier and 10 days if they test positive themselves. As of Monday, more than 85 per cent of a population of more than 51 million were fully vaccinated and around 49 per cent have gotten booster shots. Officials also plan to rewire the country's testing regime that's currently centered around PCR tests and expand the use of rapid antigen tests to detect a larger number of infections sooner. According to the plans, PCR tests will be mostly saved for high-risk groups, including people in their 60s and older or those with pre-existing medical conditions. Most people will be asked to first use rapid test kits available at public health offices and pharmacies and receive PCR when those tests are positive. While PCR tests have been described by medical experts as the "gold standard" for their accuracy and reliability, such tests require large numbers of health professionals administrating nasal and throat swabs and high-tech laboratory machines analysing samples. The new testing process will be enforced from Wednesday at three cities near capital Seoul and the southern South Jeolla province - regions where the levels of omicron infections have been highest - before being expanded nationwide at the end of this month or early February, Jeong said. “While the omicron variant leads to less serious cases (compared to delta), it's highly contagious and could cause a huge strain on our epidemiological and medical response if it leads to huge number of infections over a short period of time," she said. Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum repeated a plea for people to stay home during the Lunar New Year's holidays, especially not to visit aging relatives who aren't fully vaccinated or haven't received their booster shots. Visits to nursing homes will be banned during the period and officials will also limit the capacity on trains and ferries to discourage travel.

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One campground at Yosemite is so wildly popular that they're trying a lottery this year

Sometimes, it's tough being popular. Just look at the National Park Service. Record numbers of pandemic-weary visitors have shown up at many national parks during the pandemic. California's Yosemite National Park is so popular during peak summer season that it's now testing a pilot program for campers: A winter lottery in which winners get a chance to make early reservations. They're trying this at just one especially coveted campground in the park -- North Pines Campground. The lottery started on January 18 and lasts through February 6, so there's still plenty of time to enter. They'll release the lottery results on February 10. The summer camping dates under the lottery are from July 21 through September 14. There is a $10 nonrefundable fee to enter the lottery. Yosemite says on its website that "successful lottery applicants will have an opportunity to make a reservation for campsites ... during an early access period." The early access will be offered before the traditional on-sale dates. If there are any remaining spots, they'll be available on the usual on-sale dates, which is five months in advance on the 15th of the month, the park says. Yosemite has 13 campgrounds in total. Four, including North Pines, are in Yosemite Valley. Why a lottery system? One economics phrase can sum up why they're doing this pilot program: supply and demand. "The demand for reservations in Yosemite campgrounds through Recreation.gov far exceeds availability, especially in Yosemite Valley during the busiest times of the year," the park said on its website. "This has been the case for decades and demand has only increased over time." Spots can sell out in minutes online, the park said. Yosemite said it wants to "create a better experience that reduces confusion and frustration for the highly competitive reservation process" and "offer a new method for reserving campsites at this high-demand location for a more equitable experience." How to apply for the lottery You can apply for a chance to win an early reservation by clicking here on Recreation.gov. Yosemite said the lottery is available on the web but not on the Recreation.gov app. Recreation.gov will randomly select roughly 640 applicants, Yosemite says. Successful lottery applicants will receive an early access date and time on February 10. The early access period when they can make a camping reservation will be from February 18 to March 10. You can apply only once, and winners will be notified by email. Record visitors at national parks Big crowds aren't an issue just for Yosemite. For instance, Big Bend National Park in Texas has traditionally been lower on the visitation scale. But it had 581,000 recreational visits in 2021. That was a 25% increase since 2019 (464,000), the last year the park was open all year. The park attributed the rise to a combination of greater public awareness of Big Bend along with people ready to get outdoors during the pandemic. Yellowstone National Park was setting attendance records in the peak months of August and September last year. Arches National Park in Utah is rolling out a timed entry system to help prevent overtourism, and Zion National Park, also in Utah, will require a permit to hike its popular Angels Landing trail starting April 1.

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Jammu-Srinagar NH reopens for vehicles after remaining closed for 30 hours

Jammu-Srinagar national highway reopened on Sunday after remaining closed for over 30 hours due to landslides and shooting stones triggered by heavy rains, officials said. Even as the weather improved since Sunday evening, the highway restoration was delayed after a loaded truck was stuck in a heavy mudslide at Pantihal area of Ramban district. The thoroughfare remained shut on Sunday after wet weather triggered mudslides and shooting stones at several places. The highway was closed early Saturday after a massive landslide blocked the highway, the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with the rest of the country, near Cafetaria Morh besides shooting stones from the hillocks overlooking the arterial road between Maroog and Ramsu in Ramban district. Dozens of stranded trucks were also allowed to move from Kashmir to Jammu," Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Traffic, Shabir Ahmad Malik told PTI.

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Tourism Australia launches new global campaign, Tune into Aus

Tourism Australia has released a new immersive video, Tune into Aus, to emulate the unique feeling of holidaying in Australia, and remind potential travellers overseas of the incredible experiences on offer as the destination prepares to safely re-open to international travel. The new 90-second video is a creative collaboration with one of Australia’s most influential electronic duos, Flight Facilities, and uses captivating vision, music and 8D audio to create a truly sensory experience for international audiences. Tourism Australia Managing Director Phillipa Harrison said with the pandemic putting holiday experiences on hold, Tune into Aus highlights the sense of rejuvenation that travellers from around the world are seeking right now and reminds viewers of all that awaits here in Australia. “Through the power of 8D audio, our collaboration with Flight Facilities brings to life that unique feeling you get when your Australian holiday kicks in, and we hope the video gets people all over the world excited about the return of travel to Australia,” Harrison said. “Tune into Aus showcases unique moments only an Australian holiday can deliver and reminds international travellers of the diverse destinations awaiting them in Australia – the beautiful spacious landscapes, our unique native wildlife, iconic cities, and rich Indigenous culture.” “From the glistening white sails of the Sydney Opera House to gazing up at the darkest skies on the planet in South Australia’s Flinders Ranges, there are so many exciting holiday experiences awaiting international travellers on Australian shores.” Tune into Ausis the next iteration of Tourism Australia’s international content marketing program using 8D audio technology. Australia in 8D, which launched in 2020, was a series of videos themed by colour and gave travellers around the world a taste of what it was like to experience Australia firsthand, but from the comfort of their homes. 8D audio is a sound engineering treatment in which the music and effects sound like they’re coming from different directions while wearing headphones. The audio effect creates an immersive experience for the listener and is a unique way to engage audiences using the emotive power of sound and music. Tourism Australia Chief Marketing Officer Susan Coghill said the new 8D video collaboration is a natural evolution of the 8D concept, now building a sense of anticipation ahead of the reopening of Australia’s borders to more international travellers. “In 2020 we digitally immersed millions of people across the world into Australian landscapes through their screens and headphones. Our latest 8D video takes the audio effect to a whole new level, with iconic sights and sounds of Australia scored by Flight Facilities’ spine-tingling track,” Coghill said. “Our new immersive digital experience aims to inspire travellers overseas to put Australia back at the top of their travel lists, and start planning their remarkable holiday Down Under.” This creative collaboration combines striking footage of Australia’s unique sights, sounds and textures in 8D audio, and is scored by Flight Facilities’ live performance with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. The live track is called Got to Have, from the iconic album ‘Live with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra’. Tune into Aus will launch globally on Tourism Australia’s YouTube channel YouTube.com/Australia, Tourism Australia’s social channels as well as Australia.com. All states and territories are featured in the immersive video including a Bangarra dancer outside the Sydney Opera House, a woman diving into the crystal clear waters of South Coast New South Wales, a young boy stargazing with an Aboriginal Tour Guide at Wilpena Pound in the Flinders Ranges and a couple enjoying a picnic at the Barossa Valley’s Two Hands Wines in South Australia.

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Avani Hotels & Resorts announces the launch of Avani Muscat Hotel

Avani Hotels & Resorts has announced the launch of Avani Muscat Hotel, its newest property in the Middle East and the upbeat, contemporary brand’s first property in the Sultanate of Oman. Located in Seeb, a prime residential area at the heart of Muscat’s westward growth, the new property benefits from superb airport and city access making it a convenient base for business travellers, digital nomads and leisure travellers alike. Blending heritage-inspired touches and sleek contemporary style, the property’s 161 guest rooms are a masterclass in a subtle design. Soothing yet stimulating environments, empathetic to the needs of today’s hyper connected traveller, have been created with natural materials, bespoke décor and Omani tones. In response to global travellers’ evolving working behaviours, in-room workspaces feature flexible configuration options and easy access to the smart power panel outfitted with multiple plugs and USB ports. On the residential side, 45 studios and one, two- and three-bedroom serviced apartments bring Avani’s fresh, forward-looking aesthetic to one of Muscat’s most dynamic neighbourhoods. At 128-square metres, the three-bedroom apartments are the largest in the inventory and are perfectly suited for long-stay guests and families with children who can take full advantage of AvaniKids, the hotel’s kids’ club and pool. Flavourful dining options include Trisis, a nature-inspired all-day dining restaurant with indoor tree features and specialising in Omani, Arabic and international cuisines, and Avani’s easy gourmet grab-and-go concept Pantry, known for its honest, nutritious meals and specialty coffee. The alfresco Patio Bar offers refreshments and the perfect spot to kick back overlooking the turquoise swimming pool whilst taking in the heartbeat of the city. Dedicated exercise and health club amenities are available at AvaniFit providing space to get in shape or unwind at the sauna or steam room. Avani Muscat is adjacent to the Al Araimi Boulevard Mall and is just a five-minute drive from the Mall of Muscat, home to a spectacular 8,000 square metre aquarium and countless shopping, dining and entertainment options. Guests can also explore Seeb’s famous traditional souq, a sprawling blend of markets offering everything from spices to gold to Omani embroidery. Thanks to the brand’s Travel Blog for culturally-curious travellers, Avani Muscat residents and guests have access to wanderlust-inducing destinations, Instagrammable spots and insightful guides curated by local culture experts. Outdoor-minded visitors to the city can embark on marine tours and dive charters from the nearby Al Mouj Marina or work on their putting or swing at Al Mouj Golf, Oman’s first PGA links golf course designed by Greg Norman. The Royal Opera House, an architectural marvel offering a strong calendar of world-class music events, and the iconic Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque are both a short drive away. Farther afield but still well within a day-trip distance from the hotel are Al Alam Palace, one of the active royal residences that dates back 200 years, and The National Museum of Oman showcasing the rich and diverse culture of the Sultanate. Avani Muscat is well positioned to become one of the city’s leading conference and event venues, with a spacious and stylish ballroom able to accommodate large-scale social celebrations such as weddings and banquets, and boasts high ceilings, an outdoor pre-function area, a private Majilis and plenty of parking.

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