Mumbai: India's domestic passenger traffic slipped to a 10-year low at an estimated 53.4 million in the just-concluded financial year, a report said.
However, in the previous fiscal there were no passenger flight operations for almost two months due to the pandemic-induced lockdown.
During the financial year 2010-11, all domestic air operators together had flown a total of 53.8 million passengers on local routes, according to ratings agency ICRA.
The domestic passenger traffic in March 2021 has been estimated at around 77-78 lakh, a marginal decline of about 1 per cent over February during which airlines had flown around 78.30 lakh passengers, it said.
For FY2021 (May 25, 2020 till March 31, 2021), domestic passenger traffic has been pegged at around 53.4 million, a year-on-year decline of about 62 per cent over the fiscal ended March 31, 2020, in line with ICRA's estimates, .....
New Delhi: India's crude steel output fell by 1 per cent to 19.1 million tonnes (MT) during the first two months of 2021, according to worldsteel.
The country had produced 18.9 MT crude steel during the same period last year.
The production for the 64 countries reporting to the worldsteel was 313.1 MT in January-February 2021, registering a 5 per cent increase compared to 297.7 MT in the year ago period, the global industry body data showed.
China remained the global leader in production of steel, registering 8.86 per cent year-on-year growth in output at 173.2 MT during the said period.
According to the World Steel Association (worldsteel) data, China had produced 159.1 MT steel in the same period last year.
During January-February 2021, Japan's output slipped 6 per cent to 15 MT year-on-year from 16.1 MT. The US produced 13.2 MT steel in the period under review. Its outp.....
Perth has been officially selected as a host city for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup after the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) this morning announced the successful locations for the Australia and New Zealand tournament.
The host city confirmation from football's governing body will allow Western Australia to push ahead with planning for the prestigious tournament - which is expected to deliver millions of dollars of economic and job-creating benefits to the State.
Last year the McGowan Government threw its strong support behind the Australia-New Zealand bid - with the two countries jointly awarded the tournament in June 2020.
The world's biggest sport will showcase Perth, with both matches and training to occur at Perth's premium rectangular stadium - HBF Park.
Thirty-two international teams will compete in the 2023 tournament. The number of games.....
Washington/New York: People of Indian origin and the Indian diaspora having Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) cards are now not required to carry their old, expired passports for travel to India, as required earlier, according to a government notification that has been welcomed by members of the community.
The Overseas Citizens of India or OCI card is issued to people of Indian origin globally which gives them almost all the privileges of an Indian national except for the right to vote, government service and buying agricultural land. The OCI card gives them a visa free travel to India.
In a March 26 press release, the Indian missions in the US said that in order to ease the travel of OCI card holders, it has been decided that the time line for re-issuance of OCI cards in r/o OCI card holders, who may be required to get their OCI card reissued has been extended until 31 December, 20.....
Canberra: The Morrison Government will accelerate the creation of a $1 billion Sovereign Guided Weapons Enterprise, boosting skilled jobs and helping secure Australia’s sovereign defence capabilities.
The Department of Defence will now select a strategic industry partner to operate a sovereign guided weapons manufacturing capability on behalf of the Government as a key part of the new Enterprise.
The new Enterprise will support missile and guided weapons manufacturing for use across the Australian Defence Force.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said creating a sovereign defence industrial capability was a key priority for the Government while also creating new opportunities for jobs and small business growth.
“Creating our own sovereign capability on Australian soil is essential to keep Australians safe, while also providing thousands of local jobs in businesses right acro.....
Suez (Egypt): Salvage teams on Monday finally freed the colossal container ship stuck for nearly a week in the Suez Canal, ending a crisis that had clogged one of the world's most vital waterways and halted billions of dollars a day in maritime commerce.
A flotilla of tugboats, helped by the tides, wrenched the bulbous bow of the skyscraper-sized Ever Given from the canal's sandy bank, where it had been firmly lodged since March 23.
The tugs blared their horns in jubilation as they guided the Ever Given through the water after days of futility that had captivated the world, drawing scrutiny and social media ridicule.
We pulled it off! said Peter Berdowski, CEO of Boskalis, the salvage firm hired to extract the Ever Given. I am excited to announce that our team of experts, working in close collaboration with the Suez Canal Authority, successfully refloated the Ever Given thereby .....
Perth: The latest vision for the WACA Ground Improvement Project has been unveiled today, which will transform the iconic East Perth venue into a community, sporting and tourist hub.
The designs released today mark a major milestone for the WACA Ground Improvement Project, following the $30 million funding commitments from both the Australian and Western Australian governments, $11 million from WACA plus a $4 million contribution from Cricket Australia.
The final design illustrates how the original home of cricket in WA will become a sustainable boutique community and sporting venue, capable of hosting 10,000 people to bring vibrancy to the East Perth precinct while honouring the rich history of the Ground.
In a major boost to the East Perth area, the facility will support community use year-round, adding much-needed amenity for the growing CBD population.
The development wil.....
Beijing: The foreign ministers of China and Russia displayed unity at their meeting Tuesday amid criticism and Western sanctions against them over human rights.
Wang Yi and Sergei Lavrov rejected outside sniping at their authoritarian political systems and said they were working to further global progress on issues from climate change to the coronavirus pandemic.
At their initial meeting in the southern Chinese city of Nanning on Monday, Wang and Lavrov accused the US of interference in other countries' affairs and urged it to rejoin the Iran nuclear agreement, something that President Joe Biden's new administration has approached cautiously. Russia and China both maintain close relations with Tehran.
The two officials continued that rhetoric at a news conference on Tuesday, where Wang sharply criticized coordinated sanctions brought by the European Union, Britain, Canada and th.....
London: A large trial in the US and two South American countries of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine has shown 79 per cent efficacy rate at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 and 100 per cent effectiveness in stopping severe disease and hospitalisation, the biotech firm said on Monday.
A Phase III study of the vaccine, developed by Oxford University and produced by AstraZeneca was conducted by AstraZeneca plc in the US, Chile and Peru and reaffirmed that the vaccine is safe and highly effective , adding to previous trial data from the UK, Brazil and South Africa.
The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is also being produced as part of a tie-up by the Serum Institute of India.
The vaccine's efficacy was consistent across ethnicity and age, and in participants aged 65 years and over, its effectiveness was 80 per cent.
These results are great news as they show the remarkable efficacy of the .....
Adelaide: Forty South Australian government schools will have the chance to share in $200,000 in funding to reduce bullying in schools.
The new funding initiative will provide grants to improve and promote protective physical environments in schools that reduce bullying.
The grants are being announced to mark the 11th year of the National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence (NDA), with a record 500 South Australian public, catholic and independent schools registered to take part this year.
Schools will be provided with a range of ideas to help transform school grounds to protective physical environments including:
Grouped seating to increase social interaction
Signage with positive messaging
Fluorescent vests for teachers on yard duty
Mirrors and sensor lighting to improve visibility and reduce blind spots; and
Landscaping to revamp the school yard and increase na.....
Canbarrra: The future of Victoria’s Portland aluminium smelter has been secured after an electricity deal was struck with the nation’s biggest energy retailers backed by support from the Morrison Government support announced in December.
Today’s announcement that Alcoa will keep the smelter operating until 2026 will protect around 500 jobs and many others in the region that rely on the plant’s continued operation. The smelter accounts for 14 percent of jobs in the Portland area.
The Morrison Government will provide up to $76.8 million over four years to secure Portland’s participation in the Reliability and Emergency Reserve Trader (RERT) scheme and help Victoria keep the lights on at times of peak demand.
Under the agreement with the Morrison Government, the Alcoa-operated facility will see Portland reduce its energy demand at peak times, making more electricity avail.....
Washington: The US House of Representatives has passed two key bills that would create a pathway to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants, some migrant farmworkers and children whose parents immigrated legally to the country, like those under the H-1B visa programme.
The passage of the American Dream and Promise Act of 2021, by the House on Thursday by 228-197 votes, was welcomed by the President Joe Biden, who described it as a critical first step in reforming the country's immigration system.
It will provide much-needed relief to Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders and Dreamers, young people who came here as children and know no other country, Biden said.
"I support this bill, and commend the House of Representatives for passing this important legislation," Biden said in a statement.
Dreamers are basically undocumented immigrants who enter the US as chil.....