Author: News Desk

InterGlobe Aviation’s IndiGo, India’s largest airline by market share, has indicated that it will soon clarify whether it can operate around 2,000 flights daily, a significant milestone that would reflect the carrier’s operational scale amid industry growth and demand. The airline is evaluating its network capacity, aircraft availability and crew resources before making a formal announcement, according to company executives. IndiGo has been steadily expanding its flight operations domestically and internationally, leveraging a large fleet of Airbus A320 family aircraft to serve a wide range of destinations across India and abroad. Achieving an average of 2,000 daily flights would mark a new operational…

Retail major Lulu Group International is gearing up to strengthen its presence in India’s fast-growing online retail market by partnering with local e-commerce players in the first quarter of 2026, according to Chairman and Managing Director Yusuff Ali. The strategic move is aimed at complementing Lulu’s extensive brick-and-mortar footprint with a robust digital shopping ecosystem. At a recent industry event, Ali highlighted that the collaboration will help Lulu tap into the rapidly evolving consumer preferences in India, where online shopping continues to grow rapidly, driven by increased internet penetration and changing buying habits. By leveraging established e-commerce platforms, Lulu aims to enhance its product availability, delivery capabilities…

Kerala is set to strengthen its maritime and industrial capabilities with the proposed establishment of a shipbuilding yard at Ponnani Port under a public-private partnership (PPP) model. The project, currently in the planning stage, aims to attract private investors to develop modern infrastructure for shipbuilding, ship repair, and allied marine engineering activities, with support and facilitation from the state government. Located in Malappuram district, Ponnani Port is strategically positioned along India’s west coast, making it suitable for maritime manufacturing and repair services. The proposed shipyard is expected to cater to a wide range of vessels, including fishing boats, coastal vessels,…

The Indian Navy’s INSV Kaundinya, a traditionally constructed sailing vessel inspired by 5th-century Indian maritime history, has successfully completed its historic 18-day voyage to Muscat, Oman, arriving on 14 January 2026 after setting sail from Porbandar, Gujarat in late December. Built using ancient stitched-shipbuilding techniques, where wooden planks are tied with coir rope and natural resins without metal nails, INSV Kaundinya embodies India’s centuries-old maritime craftsmanship and naval tradition. The design draws inspiration from historical depictions found in Ajanta cave paintings, blending traditional methods with symbolic cultural motifs that evoke the country’s seafaring past. The vessel’s maiden overseas voyage retraced ancient trading routes across the Arabian Sea that once connected the Indian…

In 1884, a young Zoroastrian immigrant, Ardeshir Khodadad Irani, arrived in Pune from Yazd with little money and a clear idea. When soda water from Bombay ran short, British soldiers and local residents struggled in the heat. Ardeshir set up a small soda-water experiment in a rented barrack, using charcoal to generate carbonation. Soon he added sugar and natural flavourings, and Ardeshir’s sodas -raspberry, orangeade, lemonade, spicy ginger, ice-cream soda, and more earned a loyal following. Four generations later, the brand is helmed by his great-grandson Marzban Irani. The commitment remains the same: hand-crafted flavour mixes and returnable glass bottles that favour both taste and sustainability traditions bigger brands often abandon.…

Kadamakudy, a picturesque village located in Kerala’s backwater belt, has captured attention online for its remarkable way of life, a place where waterways serve as the primary routes for daily movement rather than traditional roads. In this unique settlement, the backwaters that thread through the landscape are used by residents for commuting, transporting goods and connecting with neighbouring communities. The village’s boats are essential to everyday living. Students travel to school, vendors move produce, and families run errands using traditional motorised and small passenger boats that glide through the calm waters. The waterways link homes and local businesses, creating a floating network of…

Ethiopia has chosen India’s state-owned telecom and ICT company RailTel Corporation to build a greenfield data centre for its Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Addis Ababa, according to The Economic Times. The data centre is expected to be completed within a year, followed by three years of operation and maintenance support. RailTel said the project is part of India’s contribution to the Digital Ethiopia Strategy. The assignment was facilitated through India’s Ministry of External Affairs under a government-to-government framework. The project follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Ethiopia in December 2025, where he highlighted India’s plans to expand cooperation…

Russia has confirmed that the fourth squadron of the S-400 Triumf air defence system will be delivered to the Indian Air Force by May 2026, with the fifth squadron expected in 2027. This marks an important step in boosting India’s long-range air defence capabilities amid growing tensions in South Asia. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh highlighted the strong military cooperation between India and Russia, while officials confirmed that the S-400 programme remains a key part of India’s layered air defence strategy. Delays caused by the Russia-Ukraine conflict and Western sanctions had slowed previous deliveries, but the new timeline restores confidence in India’s air defence planning. The S-400 system was tested…

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday flagged off India’s first Vande Bharat Sleeper Train, the Howrah–Guwahati Vande Bharat Express from Malda Town station in West Bengal, in a major boost to long-distance passenger mobility and rail modernization. The new Vande Bharat Sleeper Train is designed to serve longer inter-city routes while offering the comfort of air-conditioned sleeper coaches alongside modern amenities typically found in premium train services. The inaugural run on the Howrah–Guwahati corridor underscores the government’s focus on enhancing connectivity between eastern India and the Northeast. Railway officials highlighted that the sleeper variant adds greater flexibility to the Vande Bharat fleet by catering to overnight and long-distance passengers, combining higher…

France and India are advancing negotiations on a major defence agreement for the procurement and local production of 114 Dassault Rafale fighter jets for the Indian Air Force under a broad ‘Make in India’ framework. Under discussions, a significant portion of the aircraft, potentially up to around 55–60% indigenisation initially and aspirations of up to 80% localisation is expected to be manufactured in India through partnerships with Indian firms such as Dassault Reliance Aerospace Limited (DRAL) in Nagpur and Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) in Hyderabad. These production plans include establishing final assembly, fuselage manufacturing and Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul (MRO) facilities on Indian soil, beginning with local fuselage fabrication and eventual full…