Pilots' strike: Air India stops international bookings till May 15

May 11, 2012

May_15_stop

New Delhi, May 11: Crisis-ridden Air India has stopped booking for all flights to North America and Europe till next Tuesday (May 15) as the striking pilots of the erstwhile AI did not resume work despite a clear Delhi high court order. While the airline had asked the 293 pilots who had reported sick till Wednesday night to report to work by 10 am on Thursday, 12 more members of the Indian Pilots Guild (IPG) joined the sick bay during the day taking the figure up to 305.

AI has now cancelled the Amritsar-Delhi-Toronto flight till the strike gets over. About 20 flights were cancelled on Thursday from Delhi and Mumbai to New York, Chicago, Frankfurt, Riyadh, Shanghai and Seoul, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded for the third straight day.

While IPG, that's headed by Nationalist Congress Party MLA Jitendra Ahwad, made it clear they would not join work till their demands are met, the management further hardened its stand on Thursday - third day of the ongoing strike. It sacked 10 more pilots, after terminating services of 36 others earlier. But the strictest action it is planning to take is recommend cancellation of flying licence of 10 IPG office bearers under section 39 of the Indian Aircraft Act "in public interest".

"We have filed criminal contempt in Supreme Court against the striking pilots on the grounds that they are trying to prevent us from implementing an apex court order which said pilots of erstwhile Indian Airlines should also be trained for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. We will file civil contempt in the high court as pilots have not joined work despite a clear HC order," said an official.

Aviation minister Ajit Singh, who will be briefing PM Manmohan Singh on the AI crisis on Friday, maintained that pilots must first resume work. "We may face short term problems for some time (referring to a possible shutdown of international flights if pilots keep away from work). But we will do whatever is needed to have an international presence for AI in the long term. If pilots are not listening to court, will they listen to anyone else?" Singh said indicating the government's firm backing to the stern steps that he has authorized the airline to take.

There is increasing disquiet in the airline over an NCP MLA, who is not even an AI pilot, spearheading the attack from IPG side and leading to a crisis where the Rs 30,000-crore bailout package could come under a cloud.

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News Network
July 21,2020

New Delhi, Jul 21: With a spike of 37,148 cases and 587 deaths reported in India in the last 24 hours, the total number of COVID-19 cases stands at 11,55,191, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The total number of cases include 4,02,529 active cases, 7,24,578 cured/discharged/migrated and 28,084 deaths, the ministry informed.

Maharashtra remains the worst affected state with 3,18,695 cases and 12,030 deaths.
The second worst-hit state, Tamil Nadu has reported 1,75,678 COVID-19 cases so far while Delhi has reported 1,23,747 cases, according to the Health Ministry.

Meanwhile, as per the information provided by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), 1,43,81,303 samples have been tested for COVID-19 up to July 20. Of these 3,33,395 were tested yesterday.

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News Network
June 18,2020

New Delhi, Jun 18: India on Wednesday took strong exception to China claiming sovereignty over the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh, saying its "exaggerated and untenable claims" are contrary to the understanding reached on the issue between the two sides.

Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava's response came after China claimed that the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh is a part of its territory.

"As we have conveyed earlier today, External Affairs Minister and the State Councillor and Foreign Minister of China had a phone conversation on recent developments in Ladakh," Srivastava said late Wednesday night.

"Both sides have agreed that the overall situation should be handled in a responsible manner and that the understandings reached between Senior Commanders on 6th June should be implemented sincerely. Making exaggerated and untenable claims is contrary to this understanding," he said.

Earlier on Wednesday, India delivered a strong message to China that the "unprecedented" incident in the Galwan Valley will have a "serious impact" on the bilateral relationship and held the "pre-meditated" action by Chinese army directly responsible for the violence that left 20 Indian Army personnel dead.

In a telephonic conversation, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar conveyed to his Chinese counterpart Wang Wi India's protest in the "strongest terms" and said the Chinese side should reassess its actions and take corrective steps, the Ministry of External Affairs said.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry, in a statement, said the two sides agreed to "cool down the situation on the ground as soon as possible", and maintain peace and tranquillity in the border area in accordance with the agreement reached so far between the two countries.

The clash in Galwan Valley on Monday night is the biggest confrontation between the two militaries after their 1967 clashes in Nathu La in 1967 when India lost around 80 soldiers while over 300 Chinese army personnel were killed.

The India-China border dispute covers the 3,488-km-long LAC. China claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of southern Tibet, while India contests it.

Prior to the clashes, both sides have been asserting that pending the final resolution of the boundary issue, it is necessary to maintain peace and tranquillity in the border areas.

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News Network
July 12,2020

New Delhi, Jul 12: With the highest single-day spike of 28,637 new cases and 551 deaths being reported in the last 24 hours, India's COVID-19 count reached 8,49,553 on Sunday.

According to the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry, this includes 2,92,258 active cases, and 5,34,621 cured and discharged or migrated patients. The toll due to the disease has reached 22,674 in the country.

Maharashtra with 2,46,600 cases continues to be the worst affected state by COVID-19 in the country. The state has 99,499 active cases while 1,36,985 patients have been cured and discharged so far. The death toll due to the disease now stands at 10,116.

Tamil Nadu with 1,34,226 cases, including 46,413 active ones, is the next worst affected in the country. While the number of cured and discharged patients is at 85,915 in the state, the toll due to the disease is at 1,898.

The national capital has recorded 1,10,921 confirmed cases so far. However, the number of active cases in Delhi is at 19,895 and 87,692 patients have been cured and discharged so far. With 3,334 deaths being reported due to COVID-19 in the city. 

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