India becomes third-largest domestic airline market

New Delhi, June 20 2024-

Driven by robust growth in the aviation sector in the last decade, India is now the third-largest domestic airline market in the world, up from 5th position 10 years ago.

Ten years ago, India was the smallest market with around 8 million seats, followed by Indonesia at 4th and Brazil at 3rd place, and the US and China occupying the top two positions.

Today, the US and China remain the largest domestic aviation markets.

“However, India is surpassing the Brazilian and Indonesian domestic markets to become the third-largest domestic market with airline capacity of 15.6 million seats in April 2024,” according to OAG data.

India’s capacity growth rate of seats over a 10-year average is the highest, growing at 6.9 per cent annually.

“India is the fastest growing market across all five domestic markets we considered. China was close behind with annual growth of 6.3 per cent between 2014 and 2024, and there is a much smaller growth rate in the US and Indonesia,” according to the data.

According to the OAG report, another interesting metric to consider across these large domestic markets is low-cost carrier (LCC) capacity share.

In April 2024, LCCs accounted for 78.4 per cent of domestic airline capacity in India, the highest LCC share of any of these five domestic markets.

“In the last 10 years, IndiGo has almost doubled their market share, from 32 per cent of capacity in 2014 to 62 per cent today. While the rest of the market has barely grown, averaging just 0.7 per cent a year, IndiGo has a domestic capacity growth rate of 13.9 per cent annually,” the report mentioned.

The country has seen robust growth under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, paving the way for shaping the future of the aviation industry for the next 25 years.

On November 19 last year, airlines in India flew 4,56,910 domestic passengers. This was the highest single-day air traffic since the pandemic hit, marking a remarkable 7.4 per cent surge above pre-Covid averages, as per the Civil Aviation Ministry’s data.

According to the government, the number of airports in the country has increased to 157 from 74 in the last 10 years.

More than 91 lakh passengers availed the facility of Digi Yatra, and over 35 lakh users downloaded the app in 2023. (Agency)

Hayley Matthews to miss third ODI against Sri Lanka due to illness

Hambantota (Sri Lanka), June 20 2024-

West Indies captain Hayley Matthews will miss the third and final ODI against Sri Lanka due to illness.

Due to the same reason, Matthews missed the second ODI of the series in Hambantota as West Indies lost the game by five wickets after being wrapped up for 92 in 31 overs. She featured in the first ODI of the series and played a knock of 38 runs before they were bundled out for 195 in 47.1 overs. In reply, the hosts chased the total comfortably and won the match by six wickets.

In Matthews’ absence, Shemaine Campbelle led the side in the second match of the series and is likely to continue in the third ODI. West Indies remain hopeful that Matthews will be available for the three-match T20I series, starting on June 24 at the same venue.

“West Indies Captain, Hayley Matthews has been ruled out of the ongoing ODI Series against Sri Lanka due to illness. She will continue to be monitored by the CWI Medical Team and will hopefully recover in time for the T20I series,” Cricket West Indies said in a statement.

Over the last 18 months, Matthews has been the cornerstone of the West Indies team. She has scored 519 runs in nine ODIs, at an average of 74.14, including three hundreds, making her the West Indies’ greatest run-scorer since the beginning of 2023. She has taken the joint-highest number of wickets alongside Afy Fletcher during this period with 11 scalps.

Sri Lanka will look to sweep the series on Friday after having an unassailable 2-0 lead.

The three-match T20I series will be played on June 24 followed by 26 and 28 at Mahinda Rajapaksha International Cricket Stadium, Hambantota. (Agency)

Nyrraa Banerji describes medium of audio series ‘therapeutic entertainment’

Mumbai, June 20 2024-

Actress Nyrraa M Banerji, who is known for ‘Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi 13’ and ‘Pishachini’, emphasised how working in an audio series enhances an actor’s visualisation skills and described the medium of audio storytelling as ‘therapeutic entertainment’.

The actress has worked on the audio series ‘Insta Empire’, alongside Nishant Malkaani.

She highlighted that without visual cues, actors must rely on their imagination to convey emotions while narrating a story in audio format.

The actress told IANS: “This strengthens their ability to create vivid mental images. Eventually, the job of an actor, irrespective of the medium, is to bring a character to life. With audio series as a format, it allows more room to essay the character and interpret it in a certain way. For listeners, audio series are a great form of entertainment that’s therapeutic, as they let you picture the story in your mind.”

Audio storytelling is deeply ingrained in Indian culture, with bedtime storytelling by parents or grandparents being a tradition in many households. This ritual has kept the love for audio storytelling alive in our subconscious minds. Does audio storytelling have huge untapped potential in the Indian market?

Nyrraa responded, “Given India’s rich storytelling legacy, audio series are bound to become quite popular. Not just in India, audio series have immense untapped potential across the world.”

She further mentioned that while visual entertainment has its place, audio entertainment is more versatile, fitting into our lives regardless of time, location, access, or activity.

“Unlike movies or TV shows, which require dedicated time and attention, audio series can be enjoyed anytime and anywhere, offering unmatched flexibility and accessibility,” she shared.

Talking about what intrigued her about her new audio show, Nyrraa told IANS: “‘Insta Empire’ is a unique project that stands out from anything I have previously been involved in. The script is rich with drama, romance, and unexpected twists. I have played Anika, a lead character in this audio series, whose character undergoes significant development throughout the story, particularly in her evolving relationship with Naksh (played by Nishant Malkaani).”

The storyline focuses on Naksh, the heir to Surat’s wealthiest family, who faces a dramatic downfall after a risky decision. Whether this will also affect his love life is something listeners will have to discover for themselves.

“Nishant and I are collaborating once again for this project, which is exciting given our extensive history of working together,” she added.

The series is produced by Pocket FM. (Agency)

Multi-layered security for PM Modi’s packed two-day visit to Kashmir

Srinagar, June 20 2024-

A multi-layered security is in place for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day visit to J&K from Thursday, said officials here.

A ring of foolproof security was thrown around the route and the venue of the 10th International Day of Yoga celebrations in Srinagar city to be attended by PM Modi on Friday.

This is PM Modi’s first visit to J&K after being elected as the Prime Minister for the third consecutive tenure.

PM Modi is scheduled to reach here in the evening. Officials said that this is a strictly official visit of the Prime Minister and no meetings/interactions with either the BJP or any other political party are likely to take place during this visit.

After landing at the technical airport in Srinagar, the PM will fly to the Army’s Srinagar headquartered 15 corps in Badami Bagh cantonment in a helicopter before reaching the Raj Bhawan in the Chashma Shahi area of Srinagar.

He will then go to the Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) by the banks of the famous Dal Lake where he will lay the foundation/inaugurate 84 projects in J&K.

On Thursday, around 6 p.m., PM Modi will participate in the ‘Empowering Youth, Transforming J&K’ event at SKICC. He will also launch the competitiveness improvement in agriculture and allied sectors project (JKCIP) worth Rs 1,800 crore.

The project will be implemented in 90 blocks across 20 districts of J&K and will have the project outreach of three lakh households covering 15 lakh beneficiaries.

The event ‘Empowering Youth, Transforming J&K’ will showcase progress and inspire young achievers. During this event, PM Modi will inspect stalls and interact with young achievers of J&K.

He will lay the foundation stone and inaugurate 84 major developmental projects valued at more than Rs 1,500 crore.

The inaugurations will include projects related to road infrastructure, water supply schemes, and infrastructure in higher education.

He will also lay the foundation stone for projects like the improvement of the Chenani-Patnitop-Nashri Section of Srinagar-Jammu national highway, the development of industrial estates and the construction of six Government Degree Colleges.

The foundation stone laying, inauguration and launch of these projects will empower the youth and upgrade the infrastructure in J&K.

The PM will also distribute appointment letters to more than 2,000 people appointed in government service.

The Prime Minister will participate in the 10th International Yoga Day celebration on June 21 at the SKICC. The theme of this year’s Yoga celebration is ‘Yoga for Self & Society’. This means that the physical and mental well-being of citizens is of the greatest value to the progress, stability and integrity of the country.

PM Modi will also address the participants at the Yoga session at the SKICC.

Police have declared Srinagar city as a temporary red zone for any drone operations other than those undertaken as part of the VVIP security.

Traffic movement on the Boulevard Road has been put under restrictions and the commuters have been advised to take alternative routes to reach the Mughal gardens and other places in the city.

The Boulevard Road passes outside the SKICC, the venue of PM Modi’s Yoga Day participation, which would be attended by over 7,000 other participants.

The venue has been taken over by the SPG that guards the Prime Minister. The SPG is working in close coordination and complete synergy with state security to attend to the minutest detail that concerns VVIP security as detailed in the blue book.

Extraordinary security arrangements with the deployment of large number of police and the CAPF have been made inside and around Srinagar city.

Every vehicle entering the city through the neighbouring districts of Budgam, Ganderbal, Pulwama and Baramulla is being thoroughly checked and its occupants are frisked.

Despite heightened security, there is no tension in the city or elsewhere in the Valley as daily life goes on normally with people attending businesses, offices and academic institutions. (Agency)

Hockey India announces 27-member core probable group for national camp

Bengaluru, June 20 2024-

Hockey India on Thursday announced the 27-member core probable group for the senior men’s national coaching camp, scheduled to commence on June 21 and last until July 8 at the SAI Centre in Bengaluru.

The camp is crucial as the Indian team will look to polish their preparations ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics. The Indian men’s team is placed in Pool B along with Belgium, Argentina, New Zealand, Australia and Ireland. They will start their Olympic campaign against New Zealand on July 27.

The team returns to camp after a successful outing in the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24, where they are currently placed fourth after earning 24 points from 16 matches.

The core group of the national coaching camp includes goalkeepers Krishan Bahadur Pathak, PR Sreejesh, Suraj Karkera and defenders Harmanpreet Singh, Jarmanpreet Singh, Amit Rohidas, Jugraj Singh, Sanjay and Amir Ali.

The midfielders called up to the camp include Manpreet Singh, Hardik Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Sumit, Shamsher Singh, Nilakanta Sharma, Rajkumar Pal, Vishnukant Singh, Akashdeep Singh and Mohammed Raheel Mouseen. The list of forwards includes Mandeep Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Abhishek, Dilpreet Singh, Sukhjeet Singh, Gurjant Singh, Boby Singh Dhami and Araijeet Singh Hundal.

Indian men’s hockey team chief coach Craig Fulton spoke about the importance of the camp. He said, “We are looking to start an important block of training in this camp, and we need to make sure that we are in the best form ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics. The players have learned a lot from their matches in the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24. It has helped us in realising where we need to improve. We have a lot of time to work on those areas. We have a strong mix of players who are capable of winning anything.” (Agency)

New research shows walking can stop backache from returning

Sydney, June 20 2024-

If you have ever had backache, you may know the initial relief when the pain subsides, only to suffer a nasty shock when it comes back.

Those who are in the habit of taking a walk will find their back aches much less frequently, according to new medical research. And the great news is that your walk need not be especially athletic.

Scientists in Australia prescribed a walking programme for a group involving hundreds of non-athletic adults who had recovered after suffering from non-specific lower back pain.

Half undertook the exercise — walking for at least 30 minutes, five days a week — while the other half of the group of 701 did not. Physiotherapists helped individually tailor their walking programmes.

On average, those who followed the exercise programme had such severe low back pain again after 208 days that they had to restrict their regular activities.

But for those people in the control group, their back pain only returned and forced them to stop doing their usual activities after just 112 days.

That means those included in the walking programme had almost twice as long until their pain returned. They also experienced less pain overall, said Mark Hancock, co-author of the study led by Natasha Pocovi from Macquarie University in Sydney and published in the Lancet medical journal.

“We don’t know exactly why walking is so good for preventing back pain,” said Hancock. “But it’s probably a combination of the gentle oscillating movements, the strain and strengthening of the spinal structures and muscles, the relaxation and stress relief and the release of feel-good endorphins.”

Doctors have long been recommending that people with back pain exercise regularly and do sport.

However, not everyone has the money, time or access to exercise programmes, said Pocovi. “Walking is an inexpensive, easily accessible and simple exercise.”

The researchers hope that their findings can help as many people as possible around the world, especially given that more than 600 million people worldwide suffer from lower back pain. (Agency)

DGCA asks airlines, airports to increase women staff to 25 pc of workforce

New Delhi June 20 2024-

Civil aviation regulator, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has issued an advisory to airports and airlines to increase the number of women employees in their organisations to ensure more gender equality in the aviation sector.

“With this move, the DGCA aims to increase the number of women in various positions to a desirable representation of 25 per cent by 2025 within the aviation industry in India,” the circular states.

The circular, titled ‘Gender Equality in Civil Aviation Sector”, has been issued keeping in mind the principle of gender equality that is enshrined in the Constitution of India and the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) vision for promoting equal opportunities in the aviation sector.

The regulator suggested that the airports and airlines should publish the vacant positions on various forums, explicitly encouraging applications from female candidates and drafting positions with precise information on flexible working conditions in their organisations.

“The stakeholders are advised to promote enhanced representation of women in the aviation workforce, introduce leadership and mentorship programs for women in the organisation, address the issue of stereotypes and gender bias and promote a better work-life balance for women employees,” the circular states.

It has also directed the stakeholders to improve their policies and practices to ensure gender equality in the workplace.

Airlines and Airports have been asked to adopt a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual harassment and formulate HR policies to achieve this goal. They have also been asked to diversify the work profiles of women employees, highlighting women role models and other facilitative steps that promote a gender-inclusive work culture.

The organisations should also develop suitable programmes to hire women back if they have taken a break due to parenting needs “or other attendant life cycle issues”. (Agency)

Ukraine’s energy infrastructure targeted in Russian attack: Ukrenergo

Kiev, June 20 2024-

Several Ukrainian energy facilities have been hit in a severe Russian aerial attack, Ukraine’s national energy provider Ukrenergo said on Thursday, while Ukrainian drones reportedly targeted fuel depots in Russia overnight.

Ukrenergo reported damages from the Vinnytsia, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk and Kiev regions, saying that the exact extent was still being investigated.

The damage in Ukraine’s Vinnytsia region was caused by debris from a downed Russian combat drone, regional Governor Serhiy Borzov said on Telegram.

A power line and an unspecified industrial plant were hit in the Kiev region, according to the regional administration.

Explosions were reported overnight from the city of Dnipro and the Zaporizhzhia region.

According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia used four cruise missiles, two guided missiles and 27 combat drones in the combined attack. All drones and five of the other missiles were intercepted, according to Commander Mykola Oleshchuk.

Three Iskander-M ballistic missiles could not be intercepted, according to the Ukrainian army. Iskander missiles, which have a range of up to 500 kilometres, are rarely intercepted.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian drone attacks caused fires at two fuel depots overnight, according to Russian authorities.

A fuel depot in the town of Enem near Krasnodar in southern Russia and a depot in the Tambov region south of Moscow were affected.

According to the Russian Defence Ministry, 15 drones were shot down.

It was not possible to independently verify the claim from either warring party. (Agency)

Zareen Khan wants to explore raw, unconventional roles to harness her potential

Mumbai, June 20 2024-

Actress Zareen Khan has lauded the web series ‘Panchayat 3’ and expressed her desire to work in stories and roles that bring out her true potential.

Heaping praise on the show, Zareen said: “A show like ‘Panchayat’ is such an escape from the usual thriller and action genres that are dominating the OTT space. We need more of these shows.”

Hoping to find such unconventional roles, the actress said: “I hope I get to be a part of such a world. Getting to explore raw and unconventional roles that bring my true potential to the forefront is something that I would really like to get into!!”

The 37-year-old actress, who has worked in Hindi, Punjabi, Telugu, and Tamil films, made her Bollywood debut in 2010 in the epic film ‘Veer’ alongside Salman Khan, portraying the role of a princess.

Following ‘Veer’, Zareen gained attention for her appearance in the popular track ‘Character Dheela’ from the Salman Khan-starrer ‘Ready’ in 2011. She then featured in films like ‘Housefull 2’ and made her Tamil cinema debut with the song ‘Malgove’ in ‘Naan Rajavaga Pogiren’.

In 2014, she starred in the Punjabi film ‘Jatt James Bond’ and made a comeback in Hindi cinema with the 2015 erotic thriller ‘Hate Story 3’.

Zareen was last seen on screen in ‘Hum Bhi Akele Tum Bhi Akele’ directed by Harish Vyas. The film, also featuring Anshuman Jha, Ravi Khanvilkar, Gurfateh Pirzada, and Nitin Sharma, explores the friendship between Veer Pratap Randhawa, a gay man, and Mansi Dubey, a lesbian woman, during a road trip. (Agency)

Two empty train coaches catch fire in Secunderabad

Hyderabad, June 20 2024-

Two train coaches caught fire near Secunderabad Railway Station here on Thursday, police said.

Thick smoke was seen billowing out of two spare AC coaches parked at Mettuguda near South Central Railway (SCR) headquarters Rail Nilayam.

Firefighting personnel rushed to the spot and doused the fire.

There were no casualties in the incident as there was no one in the coaches parked at the washing line.

The firefighters had to use ladders to reach the affected coaches and stop the fire from spreading to other coaches parked there.

The cause of the fire was not known. (Agency)