Travel News

Two agents with a base in Delhi are said to have exchanged INR 30,000 to INR 55,000 for the falsified documents. A group of seven applicants were apprehended by two vigilant security guards at the VFS Global visa application center (VAC) in Delhi while carrying counterfeit paperwork to seek for Schengen visas. The largest provider of technology and outsourcing services to governments and diplomatic missions is VFS Global. On May 24, 2023, the tragedy happened at the Delhi VAC. The security officers were suspicious of the visa appointment letters that the applicants presented when they entered the facility, and they double-checked them against the applicants’ manifest and discovered that they were fake. Following investigations, it was discovered that the fake letters were produced by misusing the VFS Global brand and were allegedly purchased for INR 30,000 to INR 55,000 from Sharma Travels and Shiv Shanker, two Delhi-based agents. An official police complaint was made at the IGI Airport Metro police station in Delhi in accordance with VFS Global’s zero-tolerance policy against visa frauds. “This instance highlights the necessity to make informed decisions and to be aware of gray operators marketing phony appointments. Using every customer touchpoint available, VFS Global has regularly warned visa applicants about this danger. On a first-come, first-served basis, online appointments are free. According to Prabuddha Sen, Chief Operating Officer – South Asia, VFS Global, “given the unprecedented pent-up demand for outbound travel from India, it is advised to apply for visas as early as possible to avoid falling victim to such gray operators.” He further stated that the business will keep a watchful eye out for outside fraudsters preying on tourists and would collaborate closely with law enforcement to lessen the threat. Source: traveldailymedia

Deputy Foreign Minister of the UK Lord Tariq Ahmad, who is in India for four days, has stated that undergraduate Indian students are not the target of the change in UK visa regulations. He said that his government had benefited from the presence of Indian students and that the current restrictions on visas only applied to those coming for PhD and one-year research programmes. In an exclusive interview with NDTV, Lord Ahmad said, “Those students who come for undergraduate studies and research will always be welcomed.” After the uproar over the pro-Khalistan protests, Lord Ahmad’s visit represents a turning point in India-UK ties. “We have tweaked visa rules for research and PhD students who come only for one year and sometimes don’t complete their research,” he said. The UK only wants to halt illegal immigration because it benefits from legal immigration. India is where most students come from. The minister, who is in Delhi today to meet with senior External Affairs Ministry officials and Foreign Minister S Jaishankar, continued, “We want more students. The main topic of Lord Ahmad’s visit to India would be the expanding scientific and technological cooperation between the two countries. A special trip to Hyderabad has been organized for this purpose, where they will examine innovations in start-ups. After UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, it sheds light on a second UK minister with deep Indian connections. The Baron of Wimbledon, Lord Tariq Ahmad, started his four-day trip in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, from which his mother emigrated 76 years ago to Pakistan and thereafter to England. The 55-year-old experienced a moment of great sadness. “I find it really challenging to express my emotions. My grandpa served as the treasurer in the court of Maharaja Umaid Singh, which is why I’m here now. He added that his father, Ahmed Khan, was a doctor with connections to the royal palace. Source: ndtv

An interline agreement has been signed between privately owned South African regional and domestic carrier Airlink and pan-South American airline LATAM. This means that the arrangement will provide LATAM’s passengers with seamless access to over 40 destinations in South Africa as well as farther afield in Africa when LATAM Brazil resumes its flights in September following a three-year hiatus. Since there is currently no reciprocity in the interline agreement, LATAM may sell Airlink sectors but Airlink may not sell sectors to LATAM. On September 2, the South American airline launched its first of three weekly flights between So Paulo and Johannesburg. The LATAM flights will be operated with a Boeing 787-900 aircraft, accommodating 300 passengers in a three-class configuration – 30 in business class, 57 in premium economy, and 213 in economy. The travel time between Brazil and South Africa will be nine hours. “Airlink is very proud of this partnership with LATAM as it enables connectivity between Latin America and the entirety of Southern Africa, creating wonderful leisure and corporate opportunities,” stated Rodger Foster, CEO and MD of Airlink. According to Aline Mafra, Director of Sales and Marketing at LATAM Brazil, the arrangement would increase the appeal and “full of possibilities” of LATAM’s flights to South Africa. According to Mafra, “the new connectivity options from Johannesburg expand the offer to LATAM customers, who can now reach significant African cities like Luanda, Nairobi, and Cape Town.” LATAM offers direct flights from 28 cities (São Paulo/Guarulhos, Rio de Janeiro/Galeão, Brasília, Curitiba, Porto Alegre, Florianópolis, and Fortaleza) to 21 foreign locations in addition to its 55 domestic destinations. As part of its joint venture with Delta Air Lines, LATAM will launch the routes Foz do Iguaçu-Lima, Santiago-Melbourne, Guarulhos-Johannesburg, and Guarulhos-Los Angeles this year. Source: travelnews

On Sunday, nearly six months after being handed to China Eastern Airlines, an aeroplane developed in China that will compete with Boeing and Airbus made its first commercial flight. According to the airline’s Weibo account, flight MU9191 departed from Shanghai at 10.32 a.m. local time. According to a tweet from the People’s Daily, the aircraft had 128 passengers on board and had landed in Beijing. The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, or Comac as it is more commonly known, has travelled a long way to make its commercial debut. The narrow-body airliner’s initial development began in 2008, and production got underway in late 2011. But the C919 did not obtain official certification to fly until September 2022, bringing a stop to flight testing and opening the door for Comac to begin deliveries.The C919’s initial customer, China Eastern Airlines, has placed an order for five aircraft. After the first jet was delivered in December, it underwent a period of virtually daily flight activity to complete the necessary 100 hours of proving flights. However, according to data from FlightRadar24, the aircraft did not travel frequently from February 7 to May 17. Source: thenationalnews

Soon, tourists will have the exceptional opportunity to take guided nighttime tours that include traditional Korean performances to Seoul’s famous Changdeokgung Palace and explore it beneath the stars. The 58-hectare Royal complex in the South Korean capital will provide moonlight tours in English for the first time since the Covid-19 epidemic on Sunday and June 4. The Unesco World Cultural Heritage site typically only welcomes guests during the day. Changdeokgung will be illuminated during these visits by both electrical lighting and the cosy glow of traditional Korean lanterns. The history of the building, which dates to the 1400s, will be revealed to tour participants. On both occasions, the 100-minute night tours start at varying intervals at a cost of Dh83 per participant. Travellers may attend up to 75 sessions per day. The palace is incredibly picturesque in the daylight because of the dazzlingly vivid colours of Dancheong. This is the name of a Korean design technique that has been employed to adorn the nation’s most significant structures for nearly 2,000 years. Dancheong uses a distinct colour scheme of red, green, blue, yellow, black, and white to decorate the palace with a voluminous variety of floral and geometric patterns. Because of this, the structures of Changdeokgung appear entrancing up close and powerful and regal from a distance. And in the moonlight, they’ll stand out even more. Source: thenationalnews

A summer to remember in North Dakota is made possible by the state’s breathtaking scenery and off-the-beaten-path excursions, which range from the rolling prairies of the North Dakota Badlands to the steep bends of the Pembina River. Explore the state’s vast open areas, take in the endless sunflower fields, and stand in awe as gorgeous wildlife forages in its natural habitat. Summer is the perfect time to discover the fabled treasures that make the state a rejuvenating vacation. It is home to some of the most inspiring scenery in the nation. New Town, North Dakota’s Crow Flies High Butte This overlook offers clear views of Lake Sakakawea and the Badlands bluffs and is located just west of New Town. No matter the season, the vista is stunning and offers a glimpse of the Four Bears Memorial Bridge crossing the river. Along with offering breathtaking vistas, Crow Flies High Butte is noteworthy because Lewis and Clark previously used it as a lookout point. Bottineau, North Dakota’s Starry Nights Experience some of the country’s darkest sky as well as some of the best Northern Lights viewing opportunities in the country. Campunder the stars in Bottineau’s Lake Metigoshe State Park and see the Northern Lights Tower and Interpretive Centre in the next town of Rugby, which is devoted to the pulsating night skies. The Lake Metigoshe Outdoor Learning Centre, which provides interactive programmes relating to history, wildlife, and recreation, is another option for visitors to the area. Source: breakingtravelnews

Due to a technical issue, electronic border gates at airports around the nation were closed for the majority of the day on Saturday, one of the busiest travel weekends of the year. As a result, travellers arriving in the U.K. had lengthy waits. At 6 o’clock London time, the government’s border and immigration department, the Home Office, declared that all the electronic gates were operational once more. No information about the issue’s root cause was given. The Home Office stated, “We can confirm all e-Gates are back running as normal following a technical border system malfunction which affected e-Gate arrivals into the UK. We express our gratitude to the personnel and the affected travellers for their efforts in resolving the problem. Earlier, as irate passengers posted images of lengthy lines at airports including Manchester in the north of England and London Heathrow, Europe’s biggest airport, airport managers begged for patience and apologised for the delays. As a three-day weekend and the beginning of a weeklong break for the majority of British schools combine, travel is anticipated to be particularly crowded during the coming few days. Marc Baret, a traveller from northern England, was one among those impacted. According to what he told the BBC, the final leg of his journey from Chicago to Manchester through Heathrow was cancelled. He attempted to exit the airport to catch a train but got caught in a protracted passport line-up. At passport control, “there was complete chaos,” he added. “People were getting really impatient, and a few people tried to cut the queue. One of the passengers passed out as the police had to intervene. The issues, which started on Friday night, come as U.K. airports, airlines, and ferry companies work to restore public trust after a slew of mishaps last summer during a spike in international travel following the coronavirus outbreak. Source: ap news

Campaigners claim Belarus won’t allow them to turn aroundApproximately 30 migrants, some of whom are minors, have been stranded at Poland’s border wall with Belarus for three days, according to Polish human rights groups on Sunday. Although the refugees were outside of Poland’s border wall, border group activists said they were on Polish soil and Belarus was refusing to let them go back. They are not safe in Belarus, according to campaigner Marta Staniszewska. The Belarusian services, according to this organization, threaten them with beatings or execution if they return, Staniszewska told The Associated Press. According to Staniszewska, the migrants claim that several of them are ill, one girl has a toothache, and the kids have bug bites. On Sunday, a representative of Poland’s Ombudsman’s Office paid them a visit and spoke with them, but subsequently told the media that the Polish Border Guard should decide whether to let them enter the country. “Such applications should be accepted,” said Maciej Grzeskowiak, “if these persons are in fact under the jurisdiction of the (Polish) Border Guard and declare their willingness to apply for international protection.” Poland built a nearly 190 km (117 mi) long metal wall last year to block the entry of thousands of migrants from Asia and Africa through Belarus. In punishment for penalties, the authoritarian Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko has been charged with encouraging unauthorized border crossings. Lukashenko disputes that he promotes immigration to Europe. The leader of Poland’s right-wing ruling party and most influential politician, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, has stated that it was a wise decision to construct the wall. According to him, it was defending Poland and the EU against hostile actions by Belarus and Russia. The Border Guard estimates that every day, up to 150 migrants of various nationalities attempt to enter Poland illegally, frequently carrying Russian visas in their documents. These groups have occasionally thrown rocks and sticks at the border guards from behind the wall, but they later seemed to disperse. From Poland’s perspective, it is impossible to know what happens to the groups. Source: ABC news

This time, Canada’s population surpassed its previous high. Statistics Canada reports that a spike in immigration and temporary residents caused the country’s population to grow by more than a million people for the first time ever in 2022.According to the government statistical office, 95.9% of the growth was attributed to overseas migration. With one in seven Canadians between the ages of 55 and 64 and a near-record low unemployment rate of 5%, the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has doubled its goal for accepting immigrants since taking office in 2015. The Canadian government is constantly introducing new programmes to bring in immigrants to help with the workforce shortfall. The Justin Trudeau administration revealed an intention to accept 500,000 immigrants annually by 2025 last year. Those displaced by wars like the one in the Ukraine, the one in Afghanistan, and earthquake victims from Turkey and Syria have all been welcomed in the nation. In 2022, Canada will get 437,000 new immigrants, while there will be 607,782 more non-permanent residents. The Trudeau administration aims to continue raising annual immigration quotas under a three-year plan unveiled in November, with a target of granting permanent status to 465,000 people in 2023 and 500,000 people in 2025. According to projections from Canada’s immigration ministry, immigrants will make up roughly 30% of the country’s population by 2036, up from 20.7% in 2011; this represents almost 100% of the country’s labour force growth. Although most Canadians see immigration favourably, the most recent wave will provide difficulties in the areas of housing, infrastructure, and services, according to Statistics Canada. Source: livermint

Police rescued 100 stranded travellers from the perilous Changla Axis, according to officials. Police began the rescue effort on Friday night due to the large number of visitors and local passengers who needed assistance.Along with the Ladakh Police’s UTDRF rescue squad, the Army and GREEF rescue teams actively took part in the rescue effort. All of the passengers were successfully evacuated to Leh thanks to their combined efforts, according to authorities. The two days of persistent, intermittent precipitation made slick, treacherous road conditions necessary for the rescue mission. At Changla Top, a number of vehicles, including taxis and private cars, particularly those occupied by tourists, became immobile. The police team from Kharu and Tangste police posts quickly rushed to Changla Top in response to the emergencies brought on by the bad weather and sporadic snowfall, which were made worse by icy road conditions. Their main goal was to rescue and evacuate the stranded passengers, with a focus on women, children, and tourists in particular. “Those who had self-driving cars were put in local taxis and police cars, which took them to safer regions. With the assistance of local drivers, private automobiles were also safely transported to secure locations, according to the police. Additionally, priority was given to tourists and kids who were having medical issues, assuring their prompt evacuation to Leh. In order to ensure safer travel, the Ladakh Police advised visitors and members of the general public to abide by weather forecasts and arrange their trips accordingly. (ANI) Source: theprint