AirAsia to become first Airbus A320 ‘Sharklets’ operator








Airbus and the world’s largest A320 customer AirAsia announced that the airline will become the first operator of the A320 with ‘Sharklets’ when they take delivery of the first A320 equipped with these fuel-saving wing-tip devices at the end of this year. The aircraft exhibited on static and flying display at the ILA Berlin Air Show is the flight test aircraft for CFM engines and will also be delivered to AirAsia in 2013.







"The A320 has played a key role in our success, enabling us to offer our passengers the lowest fares possible and completely redefine short haul travel in Asia.” said Tony Fernandes, AirAsia Group CEO. “Now we are looking forward to become the first airline in the world to start operating this most fuel-efficient aircraft.”







“AirAsia is one of the fastest growing, most innovative and well-respected brands in the airline industry” said John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers. “It is a great endorsement that they have chosen our latest, fuel-saving aircraft of our successful A320 Family”.







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Zaman Ahmad, AirAsia Group Head Customer Experience and Technology, and John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers, celebrating AirAsia to become the first Sharklet operator, in front of the first A320 Family aircraft to flight test the fuel-saving wing tip devices.















Sharklets will be fitted on previously ordered, newly-built A320s for AirAsia, scheduled for delivery from the end of 2012. They will result in close to 4 percent fuel savings on longer sectors, corresponding to an annual CO2 reduction of around 1,000 tonnes per aircraft.







Altogether, AirAsia, the largest Low Cost Airline in Asia-Pacific has ordered a total of 375 single aisle aircraft, comprising 200 A320neo and 175 A320ceo, of which 103 have been delivered to date.















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Zaman Ahmad, AirAsia Group Head Customer Experience and Technology, and John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers, celebrating AirAsia to become the first Sharklet operator, in front of the first A320 Family aircraft to flight test the fuel-saving wing tip devices.

Progress of Tourist Visa on Arrival Scheme in August 2012


Last month, a total number of 1750 (Visa on Arrivals) VoAs were issued under this Scheme as compared to 920 VoAs during the month of August 2011 registering a positive growth of 90.2%. During the period January-August 2012, a total number of 9412 VoAs were issued as compared to 7514 VoAs during corresponding period of 2011 registering a positive growth of 25.3%. The number of VOAs issued under this scheme, during August 2012 for nationals of the eleven countries were Japan (693), Philippines (349), Indonesia (255), New Zealand (201),Singapore (162), Finland (42), Vietnam (20), Luxembourg (10), Cambodia (10), Myanmar (8) and Laos (0). The number of VoAs issued under this scheme, during January-August 2012 were Japan (2564), New Zealand (1789), Indonesia (1514), Philippines (1442), Singapore (1178), Finland (618), Vietnam (117), Myanmar (62), Cambodia (62), Luxembourg (58) and Laos (7). During the period January-August 2012, the maximum number of VoAs were issued at Delhi airport (5489), followed by Mumbai (1981), Chennai (1365) and Kolkata (577).



As a facilitative measure to attract more foreign tourists to India, Government launched a Scheme of “Visa on Arrival” (VoA) in January 2010 for citizens of five countries, viz. Finland, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand and Singapore, visiting India for tourism purposes. This scheme was extended for the citizens of six more countries, namely Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines, Laos and Myanmar from January 2011.

15th India International Security Expo

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Hindu Org to Gherao Police Commissioner on 24, Sangharsh samitee (action group) announced

New Delhi. Sept 10, 2012. Vishwa Hindu Parishad(VHP) today called upon a meeting of all hindu relegious, social and cultural organisations of the national capital region and passed a resolution for immediate demolition of the illegal structure in Subhash park opposite red fort in new Delhi. According to shri Satyendra Mohan, secretary General VHP Delhi the resolution stated that by 23rd of this month if the structure made illegally on the wall of our Pandav era Temple not removed, the Hindu Organisations would gherao the commisssioner of police-Delhi to remind him about his duties.

To took the  Subhash park matter in every corner of the national capital, a Sangharsh Samitee has been form. The Pandav Kaleen Mandir(Subhash Park) Sangharsh Samitee will now lead this agitation hence forth. More then 100 office bearers of around two dozen hindu organisations and many saints participated in the two hour long meeting held in Udaseen Ashra in Paharganj area of Delhi, said Vinod Bansal, media chief of VHP Delhi.

Sunday, September 9, 2012


Priyadarshani Awards of 12th Global Conference of Women entrepreneurs

Many Prominent Women entrepreneurs from India and abroad received Priyadarshani Awards on concluding ceremony of 12th Global Conference of Women entrepreneurs

New Delhi: 5th September 2012: Many prominent women entrepreneurs received Priyadarshani Awards for outstanding entrepreneurship on concluding ceremony of 12th Global Conference of Women entrepreneurs organised by Federation of Indian Women Entrepreneurs (FIWE) here in Delhi on the evening of 5th September 2012. The awardees received the awards by the chief guest of award ceremony, Honourable Mrs. Krishna Tirath, Minister of state Women & Child development. the women entrepreneurs who has received the award were Revathi Venkatraman from Precision Industrial Components, Rakhee Mehra, Director Frontfoot Sports Management Pvt. Ltd, Shilpa Dalmia, Director, Advance Tennis Academy,Dr. Bimla Arora Founder Director of Shemrock Group of Schools and Pushpa Chopra, President ,Bhar Mahila udyog Sangh and others.Dr. Rajnee Aggarwal, President, FIWE welcomed to the chief guest and awardees of Priyadarshani Awards on this occasion. Dr. Dewi Motik Promono, President, IFWE, Mrs. Martin, Minister, Mauritius, Mr. Rajan Anandan, Managing Director, Google India and Sandhya Reddy, President, COWE were also present on the award ceremony.



To share common concerns and experiences, and to provide a platform for exchange of ideas, and networking, the Federation of Indian Women Entrepreneurs (FIWE) was organised here three day long 12th Global Conference and exhibition on “Trade Liberalization and its Global Impact on Women Entrepreneurs” from 3rd to 5th September, 2012 at hotel The Ashoka in Delhi. The participating women visited factory and learn best business practices to build their women-owned small and medium enterprises (SMEs) during the conference also. Exhibition of Pakistani Suits, Designer Embroidered Suits, Gems & Jewellery, Handicarfts during the 12th Global Conference was centre of attraction among the delegates and visitors. Tarrot card reading provided complimentary to attendees by Dr. Seema was also centre of Attraction among the visitors and delegates.







Dr. Rajnee Aggarwal, President, FIWE said, “Today, we have more women talking about building businesses rather than earning a supplementary income for the household. Through this mega event, we provide a platform for business counselling, networking opportunities and learnings from super leaders and successful women entrepreneurs’ said Dr. Rajnee Aggarwal, President, FIWE.

Demand Compensation and Rehabilitaton for villagers who have lost their homes Button: Sign My Petition



Sign My Petition



Naresh -



51 villagers have been standing neck deep in water for 15 days to protest the illegal raising of the Omkareshwar dam that has flooded their homes. They need your support.



Illegal Actions of MP Govt.

The water level in Omkareshwar and Indira Sagar dams in the Narmada Valley has been illegally raised, in violation of the Supreme court orders. As a result, large areas of land has submerged.



However, the people living in those areas haven’t been compensated or rehabilitated.



I have started a petition asking the CM to intervene to address the grievances of people.



Supreme Court Orders Not Followed

Although the Supreme Court has clearly ordered that these oustees have to be rehabilitated 6 months before submergence, thousands of families who are yet to be rehabilitated are now being submerged in complete violation of the courts orders.



Villagers Protesting

After their pleas and protests to get fair compensation failed, the villagers have started a Jal Satyagraha, as a last attempt. They have been standing in neck-deep water of the Omkareshwar dam for 15 days now. They have developed blisters all over their body and their condition is getting worse everyday.



Sign my petition to join me and 1500 others in telling the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and the District Magistrate of Khandwa village to immediately compensate and rehabilitate the oustees of the Omkareshwar and Indira Sagar dam



Thanks for taking action,



Sarika Sinha via Change.org



Photo Credits : Pallav Thudgar

WHO urges countries to scale-up disaster risk management




Yogyakarta, Indonesia, 6 September, 2012: Health Ministers from WHO’s South-East Asia Region renewed their commitment to improving disaster risk management in the health sector. Member countries are increasing investments and building capacities for all phases of disasters: risk reduction, preparedness, response and recovery. The Health Ministers deliberated on this issue at WHO’s 65th Regional Committee Meeting from 5 to 7 September.



Investments in disaster risk management in Indonesia are an example of this renewed commitment. Many institutional and community systems were in place after the tsunami. The Center for Health Crises Management in the Ministry of Health Indonesia has recently been designated as a WHO Collaborating Centre for Training and Research in Disaster Risk Reduction. The centre has multiple functions of overseeing capacity development and decentralized operational response in the country. As a WHO Collaborating Centre it will serve as a knowledge base and a source of good practices in emergency risk management in the health sector, serving the needs of countries globally.



“For emergencies, information and research are needed to continuously provide evidence for development work in the health sector. Health interventions in disaster risk management need to be systematically documented and analysed” said Dr Samlee Plianbangchang, WHO’s Regional Director for South-East Asia. “In-service training for health staff is urgently needed. Disaster risk management must be incorporated into the existing public health and medical curricula” he added.



Aside from information, services need to continue during emergencies. Health facilities should be designed to ensure resistance to the major hazards that prevail in their locations. Emergency health facility plans should be in place and all health staff need to be familiar with them. This capacity development should eventually be in and linked to the communities. Countries need to focus more on building and strengthening “community resilience” whereby people are able to help themselves during emergencies before outside help arrives. Community resilience will greatly reduce deaths, casualties and destruction in affected areas.



46% of all deaths due to disasters from 2001 to 2010 occurred in the 11 countries of WHO’s South-East Asia Region. Health Ministers from South-East Asian countries have demonstrated their commitment to disaster response by establishing and managing a response fund with WHO. The WHO South-East Asia Regional Health Emergency Fund (SEARHEF) assists countries by providing funding within 24 hours of a funding request during an emergency. SEARHEF funds have been utilized in 13 different emergencies throughout the Region since its inception in 2008.



The SEARHEF was first used to support health response to the devastating Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar in 2008. Subsequently, it was used for funding the creation of semi-permanent hospital wards in Northern Sri Lanka to care for victims of the escalated conflict in 2008-2009. Without these facilities countless more men, women and children would have suffered. The fund also supported smaller emergencies - providing antibiotics for burn victims of the 2010 fires in Dhaka which prevented post-burn infections, and assisting the response to flash floods in Sri Lanka. In major emergency during the 2011 flood in Thailand, boats and life jackets for mobile health units were provided through this fund. In the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea the fund was utilized to equip and mobilize household doctors to mobilize them during torrential rains in 2011.



This is a unique cooperation between countries that provides a mechanism for solidarity in times of urgent need. Member States reaffirmed support for SEARHEF and quick emergency responses to disasters throughout the Region at the 65th Regional Committee Meeting