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A London house that starred in 'Love Actually' just hit the market for $4.3 million

Love Actually, released in the year 2003, is considered one of the iconic Christmas movies. The movie was shot in various beautiful locations in London. The epic scene where Andrew Lincoln's character declares his love for Juliet (Keira Knightley) with poster boards is simply awesome! So the deal here is, you can actually buy that pretty pink house where the scene was shot. The property, which is also a prominent attraction, sees a number of movie lovers and travellers taking pictures with the house. The house is located in the Notting Hill region of the city and has just hit the market for $4.3 million! The chic three-story property measures 1865 sq ft and was designed by London-based architecture Andy Martin. If you’re a fan of the movie, you’ll know about this gorgeous house which sits right in the heart of cobbled St Luke’s Mews street in Notting Hill, which is now a significant part of London’s cinematic heritage. This house is currently on the market, which is a huge deal! More about the house The high-end property has an open kitchen and modern dining room. The basement of the house is a complete media and entertainment room with closet space and a bathroom. The owners can enjoy some splendid views of the surroundings. The home is set in one of the most beautiful streets of Notting Hill's: St. Luke's Mews. The cobblestone street will win your heart with its artistic beauty and is lined with pastel-coloured houses featuring iron railings.

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Omicron: Nepal makes quarantine mandatory for travellers arriving from 67 countries

Nepal on Saturday made two weeks quarantine mandatory for travellers arriving from 67 different countries, mainly from European and African countries, in wake of the rising Omicron variant of coronavirus. "Passengers, travelling from the countries mentioned, are requested to stay in hotel quarantine for 7 days at their own expense. After staying seven days in hotel quarantine, in case of a negative test of Covid-19 by RT-PCR method, it is requested to stay in the home quarantine for additional 7 days and send the person with a positive result to the designated isolation center or hospital," Nepal's ministry of home affairs said in a statement. "Considering the upsurge in spread of the new variant of Covid-19 (Omicron) initially found in African countries and gradually spreading in European and Asian countries, Nepal (Council of Ministers) has decided on 29 November 2021 to arrange provision the travelers traveling to and from Nepal," read the statement. The statement said that the following arrangements have been made for the arrival of passengers from 67 countries in Nepal. The European and Asian countries mainly included in the list are Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Canada, United States. "The entry/exit management of other travellers except mentioned above will be regulated as per the prior notice of the Department of Immigration dated September 24, 2021 and December 2, 2021 published as per the Travel Management Order for the Travelers Arriving and Deporting from Nepal 2021," the statement added. A new variant of Covid-19 was first reported to the World Health Organisation (WHO) from South Africa on November 25. As per the WHO, the first known confirmed B.1.1.529 infection was from a specimen collected on November 9 this year. On November 26, the WHO named the new Covid-19 variant B.1.1.529, which has been detected in South Africa, as 'Omicron'. The WHO has classified Omicron as a 'variant of concern'.

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Dubai Shopping Festival returns with incredible offers

Dubai Shopping Festival has returned to the retail scene with incredible deals, innovative events, world-class entertainment and life-changing prizes. Featuring the ultimate retail therapy from a range of homegrown and global brands, as well as live concerts, nightly shows, family entertainment, outdoor markets, pop-up dining and a huge programme of events at Expo 2020 Dubai, this year’s DSF experience is not one to be missed. The 27th edition of the world’s longest running retail festival will take place from December 15, 2021 to January 30, 2022. Highlights will include unique shopping and dining experiences, festive and New Year’s celebrations for the whole family, classic shows, mega raffles and incredible cash prizes. And starting from 27 December 2021, daily surprises. And if that isn’t enough, watch out for daily fireworks and drone light shows and exhilarating performances and concerts by regional and global superstars. Also a weekend with the largest number of musicians performing across the city at TunesDXB, a hip-hop festival, pop-up global brand stores and unique experiences, and so much more. The DSF 2022 Calendar of Events was revealed during a media showcase at Infinity des Lumières, a unique immersive digital art experience, and the largest digital art venue in the GCC region, located at The Dubai Mall. Commenting on what to expect from DSF 2022, Ahmed Al Khaja, CEO of Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment, said, “The Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) was initially launched to boost local businesses, and has now grown into the world’s longest-running, internationally acclaimed retail festival. Over the years, DSF has played a significant role in growing Dubai’s reputation as one of the best cities to live in, work and visit by showcasing its breath of offer from shopping and cultural experiences to world class dining and entertainment. This year, the packed calendar of DSF events not only demonstrates our ability to safely welcome visitors from across the world but supports domestic tourism and further strengthens our position as a global retail destination. The retail sector is strategically important to the Dubai economy and its tourism vision to attract 25 million visitors by 2025 and DSF continues to play an important role in driving that growth.”

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PM Modi to launch construction of India’s longest e-way in Shahjahanpur

LUCKNOW: After inaugurating the Purvanchal expressway and laying the foundation stone of Jewar airport, PM Narendra Modi will be rolling out the construction of ambitious Ganga expressway project from Shahjahanpur on Saturday. The move could lend fresh traction to BJP’s developmental narrative ahead of the high-stake UP assembly polls, expected in the next couple of months. The 594-km expressway, inarguably country's longest, will start from village Bijauli village along National Highway 334 in Meerut and end at Judapur Dandu village near bypass of NH-2 in Prayagraj. It will traverse through 10 districts including Hapur, Bulandshahar, Amroha, Sambhal, Badaun, Shahjahanpur, Hardoi, Unnao, Raebareli and Pratapgarh. It is at Shahjahanpur where a 3.5-km long airstrip is proposed to be built for emergency landing and take-off of fighter aircraft. Sources said that the Yogi Adityanath government seeks to highlight the expressway as one of the biggest infrastructure projects claiming that the basic spade work was done at the peak of the pandemic. Official sources in the UP Expressway and Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) maintained that 94% of the land has been acquired for the project from around 83,000 farmers in the past one year when the second wave of Corona had brought the economic and other developmental activity to a grinding halt. Crucially, the project covers a major part of the west UP region which had been hit by the farmers' unrest against the three farm laws. Projected as a "milestone" in the infrastructure development of the state, the Ganga Expressway will provide a direct road connectivity to the National Capital Region from the east UP region. "It will boost the income of agriculture, commerce, tourism and industries and will also serve as an industrial corridor," the spokesperson said. The project could potentially arm the BJP to escalate its developmental pitch even as the opposition flexes its political muscles to arrest the saffron juggernaut in the run up state polls, expectedly scheduled in the next couple of months, say political observers. A government spokesperson said that the state government had approved the Ganga Expressway project on November 26 last year at a cost of Rs 36,230 crore. UPEIDA sources said that around 18,55,000 saplings will be planted along the expressway for environmental protection, besides operating the project through usage of solar power. The six-lane expressway, expandable up to eight lanes will have 120 metres wide right of way, the total land area acquired for the construction of the roadway. It is also proposed to have a 3.75 metre wide service road at one side so that residents of nearby villages of the project area may get a smooth transportation facility. Along with this, nine public convenience centres, seven railway overbridges, 14 major bridges, 126 minor bridges and 381 underpasses will be built for the convenience of the people. Interchange facilities will also be provided at 17 places for entry and exit on the expressway. A service road will also be built for the residents of the villages around the project.

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Jet Airways ready to commence domestic operations in early 2022: Jalan Kalrock Consortium

Jet Airways aims to start domestic operations as a full-service carrier with six narrow-body aircraft in early 2022. The Jalan Kalrock Consortium, the Successful Resolution Applicant of Jet Airways, has approached the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) to fast-track the implementation of the Approved Resolution Plan by infusing capital in Jet Airways. In its latest filing before the NCLT, the Consortium has intimated December 22, 2021, as its plan 'effective date'. The consortium has said that it wants to commence payments to all stakeholders including ex-employees, workmen, ticket claimants and lenders of Jet Airways as per the plan approved by the NCLT in June 2021. Elaborating further, Murari Lal Jalan, Lead Member of the Consortium and Proposed Promoter and Non-Executive Chairman of Jet Airways, said in a statement, "We are excited to embark on the next phase of revival of India’s most loved airline. We at JKC await the NCLT’s decision on our last filing and look forward to recommencing operations of Jet Airways at the earliest." Jalan further clarified that the consortium is ready with its investments and feels it is time to fund the company immediately for revival of the business, without delay. He reiterated, "We are aiming to start Domestic Operations at the earliest in 2022 as a Full-Service Carrier and look forward to creating history with Jet Airways revival." Speaking on his plans of revival and fleet type of Jet Airways 2.0, Florian Fritsch of Kalrock Capital Partners and Partner of Jalan in Jet Airways clarified that both Jalan and he feel that now is the time that next steps of plan implementation be complied with as per the orders of the NCLT. Fleet type On the fleet type, Florian said that while the airline will commence operations in 2022 with six narrow body aircraft, it aims to reach 100+ aircraft fleet as a 5-year plan. Even with an aggressive expansion strategy, Jet Airways intends to be a ESG Compliant Aviation Company. The consortium in a statement said, "We are in regular touch with the DGCA and the Ministry of Civil Aviation to have Jet’s AOC revalidated and we thank the authorities for their continued support. Jet Airways has an existing AOC valid until 2023, which was only suspended in 2019 due to the financial health of the company then, and the current process taken up is towards removing the said suspension and therefore the time required for getting the AOC revalidated will be substantially lesser in comparison to obtaining fresh AOC by a new company Slots On slots at key airports, including Delhi and Mumbai, the onsortium clarified that it is working closely with the relevant authorities and airport coordinators on slot allocation, required airport infrastructure, and night parking and is confident to get the initial slots required by to commence operations. The Consortium said, “"e have held multiple rounds of discussions with all key airports which form part of the initial network plan and are confident to get the required slots in the Summer Schedule of 2022.” Speaking on operational details and manpower engagement, the Consortium said “Jet Airways is a brand which has grown bigger and stronger over the last two decades and people are excited to join and work for Jet Airways. While the consortium laid out that most of the senior management positions have been filled, the company has received more than 35,000 applications across job categories and the team is shortlisting candidates as per its business requirements. The consortium plans to soon introduce the senior management team to all stakeholders. While Jet Airways 2.0's new corporate office is in Gurugram, the consortium is looking for a bigger office in Delhi NCR .

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BLS International signs contract with the Embassy of India in Kuwait for Consular, Passport & Visa services

BLS International, a global tech-enabled services partner for governments and citizens, recently announced that it has signed a contract with the Embassy of India in Kuwait for consular, passport & visa services. The company is expected to process approximately 2,00,000 applications every year. BLS will be starting operations with three centres in Sharq, Fahaheel and Jleb Al Shuwaikh in Kuwait. The company will be providing consular, passport and visa services along with several value-added services like form filling, printing and photography for the convenience of applicants. Commenting on this, Shikhar Aggarwal, Joint Managing Director, BLS International, said, “We are a trusted partner for Indian missions for over a decade now in countries like Canada, UAE, Russia, Singapore, China, Malaysia, Oman, Austria, Poland, Lithuania, Norway and Hong Kong. BLS has developed the entire system into a seamless progression including automation of processes, application submission, appointments, helplines, collection and remittance of fees on applicant’s behalf. We are honoured and excited to extend this partnership in Kuwait and will continue to deliver seamless services.” This contract is in addition to the already robust portfolio of visa, passport, consular and citizen services of BLS International with over 46 client governments.

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