Airlines poised to begin int’l flights from Aug, push for nod

Airlines poised to begin int’l flights from Aug, push for nod

But Stranded Passengers Want Flights To Int’l Hubs Soon

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai: 25.06.2020

Airlines, including foreign carriers, are gearing up to start international flights from major cities including Chennai from August and have started to push for approvals.

However, stranded passengers and travel operators want the government to allow flights to international hubs immediately so that people waiting to fly to the US, Canada and Europe can board connecting flights from Dubai or Singapore instead of waiting for full-fledged scheduled operations to commence. This will also help people who want to return to India.

Most of the airlines have started to display fare for direct flights from Chennai to different destinations abroad. However, the ministry of civil aviation has not responded to the requests of the airlines.

Virgin airlines have already announced that they are resuming operations on its network from August and flights will start from Delhi and Mumbai to London in September.

Basheer Ahmed of Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) said, “Foreign carriers are ready to start services from India from August. Airlines based in the Middle East too have started to approach the government. However, this will require permission from the ministry of civil aviation and the state government who are worried about space for institutional quarantine.”

He said the government can, instead, look at allowing limited flights to nearby international hubs like Dubai and Singapore which are already opening up around 20% of its flights. “This will help passengers from Chennai who want to travel to Europe and the US to board connecting flights and those who want to return to India. The hubs will also benefit because a good number of people will want to board connecting flights to the US, Europe, Australia, Hong Kong, Japan. If this is done, there is no need for Vande Bharat flights,” he added.

Air Passengers Association of India (APAI) national president D Sudhakara Reddy said, “We have been pushing the government to permit flights to be operated from Chennai to nearest hubs like Singapore, Dubai and Kuala Lumpur so that people who are stuck here can book and fly instead of waiting for Air India to operate Vande Bharat mission flights. The mission which the government calls as evacuation cannot go on forever. They should allow foreign airlines to operate a limited number of flights.”

Nikhil Varghese, who works in Canada and is stuck here because of the lockdown said, “It is tough to book tickets for Air India flights because the website shows an error. There are flights going to Canada from Dubai next month. If the government allows a limited number of flights to Dubai many people like me can take another flight from there to Toronto.”

Google to offer image fact-check

Google to offer image fact-check

Anam.Ajmal@timesgroup.com

New Delhi: 24.06.2020

To curb misinformation, technology giant Google will start adding factchecking labels in its image search results globally, the company said late on Monday. The labels will provide additional information to make it easier for users to identify manipulated photos.

“Photos and videos are an incredible way to help people understand what’s going on in the world. But the power of visual media has its pitfalls — especially when there are questions surrounding the origin, authenticity or context of an image,” Google product manager Harris Cohen wrote in a blog post announcing the feature.

The “Fact Check” label will pop up under the thumbnail image results. When a user taps one of these results to view the image in a larger format, they’ll see a summary of the fact check carried out by third-party “independent, authoritative sources” that meet Google’s standards.

These sources rely on ClaimReview, an open method used by publishers to indicate fact check content to search engines. Attaching ClaimReview to an article allows search engines to recognise that it is a fact check article and thus render it as such in search results and other surfaces. YouTube also uses ClaimReview to surface fact check information panels, the blogpost further said-."Just as is the case in Search, adding this label in Google Images results does not affect ranking; our systems are designed to surface the most relevant, reliable information available, including from sources that provide fact checks," Cohen wrote.

Ex-staff of JNV Univ protest for pension

Ex-staff of JNV Univ protest for pension

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Jodhpur:  24.06.2020

Jai Narayan Vyas University appears to be in a financial mess these days. Having faced trouble in paying salaries to the staff in November last year, the university has now expressed its inability to remit pension to its teaching and non-teaching staff.

On Tuesday, pension holders staged a demonstration at the central office of the university demanding the administration to release their pension by the end of this month.

The university has not remitted pension to the teaching and non-teaching staff for the months of May and June amounting to over Rs 10 crore.

Financial advisor of the university Abhimanyu Gehlot said the university had insufficient funds for pension and the administration had pleaded the government to provide assistance for the purpose.

“We don’t have sufficient funds for pension this year as the session has delayed due to the pandemic. We usually start receiving fees of students in June, which is used in paying the pension,” said Gehlot.

Keeping this crisis in view, the university administration has started the process of provision admission to students by promoting them to upper classes and has directed them to submit their fees.

On the other hand, the university administration donated Rs 60 lakh in the state’s Covid 19 fund by deducting amount from the pension fund, which has further deepened the crisis.

Inspite of the persistent financial crisis, the vice chancellor continued to divert funds for other amenities.

Recently vice chancellor P C Trivedi started the work to shift and renovate the offices of him and one of the former employees Mohan Singh Bhati raising the question that if there was no sufficient funds, why money was being wasted on such frivolous work.

Pensioners during the protest at central office of Jai Narayan Vyas University on Tuesday

CM writes to PM seeking regular flights to Dubai

CM writes to PM seeking regular flights to Dubai

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Thiruvananthapuram:  24.06.2020

Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan has requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to commence the regular flight services to Dubai as the Dubai government has given permission for the expatriates to return to work from June 22.

In his e-mail message to the prime minister, the chief minister said that several expatriates who are working in the Gulf countries were waiting to return to their workplaces. Considering their requirement, the PM should instruct the ministry of civil aviation to commence flight services to Dubai, he said.

The chief minister also said that the government was ready to conduct polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test to detect Covid-19 infection on those who wants to return. The Dubai government has also allowed entry for tourists and others on visit visas to Dubai from July 7.

Visitors are allowed if they are ready to present the recent Covid-19 negative certificate or undertake a test at Dubai airport.

All passengers have been strictly asked to undertake all the stipulated preventive measures and procedures put in place in this regard. Those undertaking tests there and are found positive would be sent on isolation. Meanwhile, Air India Express is awaiting permission from Dubai government to ferry passengers from India to Dubai in the wake of Dubai government’s decision to open its doors.

State govt moves HC for confirmation of death penalty

POCSO CASE

State govt moves HC for confirmation of death penalty

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Ahmedabad  24.06.2020

: The state government has approached the Gujarat high court for confirmation of death penalty awarded to a 27-year-old autorickshaw driver for rape and murder of a three-yearold child in Rajkot.

On March 17, 2020, a special Pocso court in Rajkot condemned Ramesh Vaidhukiya to death for abduction, rape and murder of the child in 2018.

To execute a person who has been awarded capital punishment by a trial court, the state government is mandated to seek approval from the concerned high court. Upon the state government’s appeal, the bench of Justice Sonia Gokani and Justice N V Anjaria on Monday admitted it, issued a notice to the convict and sought his response by July 13. The HC has also directed its registry to find out whether Vaidhukiya has filed an appeal against death penalty.

In this case, Vaidhukiya was accused of kidnapping the minor and raping her in a nearby isolated hostel building, killing her and then fleeing the spot.

Vaidhukiya was also accused of having looted and murdered a 70-year-old woman two days before he raped and murdered the child.

10,000 docs on strike, Punjab pvt hosps shut

10,000 docs on strike, Punjab pvt hosps shut

Chandigarh:  24.06.2020

Clinics and private hospitals were closed in Punjab on Tuesday as around 10,000 doctors launched a protest under the banner of the Punjab chapter of IMA, demanding rollback of the Punjab Clinical Establishment (Registration and Regulation) Ordinance, 2020.

Terming the ordinance “anti-doctor” and “anti-public”, the protesters claimed the government was trying to control the private healthcare sector with this. “Around 10,000 doctors in Punjab observed complete bandh in the state. All facilities are closed,” said Rakesh Wig, chairman of the joint action committee of the Indian Medical Association Punjab branch.

The Punjab government had last month notified the Punjab Clinical Establishment (Registration and Regulation) Ordinance, 2020 and it would be applicable to clinical establishments having more than 50 beds. PTI

Promote us or delay exams, demand medical students

Promote us or delay exams, demand medical students

Ramendra.Singh@timesgroup.com

Bhopal  24.06.2020

: A day after announcement of general promotion in colleges, students of nursing and medical colleges have also raised their demand for the same.

The biggest challenge for higher and technical education is how to issue a pass degree to the students who are yet to clear previous (back papers) semesters. In the wake of the coronavirus crisis, on Monday, CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan had announced general promotion for all university and college students in both higher education and technical education.

Nursing students said that they have been demanding for many days that they should be given relaxation too. The students said if they can’t be given general promotion, at least the exam must be postponed. “We have got guidelines for our exam a few days back. Soon, dates will be announced. What is the hurry in conducting exams for us,” said another student.

“If an engineering student can get general promotion, why not a nursing or medical student?” said a student. The students have also launched their demand on social media using the hashtag #PROMOTE_MEDICALSTUDENTS.

Sources said that both higher education and technical education departments are working on guidelines according to which students will be given general promotion. “It is too early to say how degrees will be given to the students. The biggest challenge is what to do with the students who are in their final year and yet have not cleared a few papers of their previous semesters,” said a professor.

Officials of both higher education and technical education departments refused to elaborate on the announcement, saying guidelines will be issued in a couple of days. There are 17.77 lakh examinees at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels in the current academic session.

A day after announcement of general promotion in colleges, students of nursing and medical colleges have also raised their demand for the same