India News
India and Israel come closer with reduced flight time

Air India flies over Saudi Arabia to reach Tel Aviv
The ties between India and Israel have witnessed a major jump when two capitals were connected with direct Air India Flight with reduced flight duration due to Saudi Arabia’s permission to Air India to fly over its airspace.
The first direct flight arrived in Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport from New Delhi late on Thursday night. It left New Delhi at 6 pm that evening.
Israeli Tourism Minister Yariv Levin, who was present at the airport told an Indian news agency, “This is really a historical moment…We are in a new era. I am sure that we will see many more Indian tourists coming to Israel…and Israelis would also come to India in much higher numbers,”
Air India’s flight covered the distance in 7.15 hours, 2.10 hours less than the time taken by the only other airline that flies between the two countries Tel Aviv and Mumbai by Israel’s national carrier El Al.
Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu posted a tweet on this occasion.
@airindiain connects to yet another destination to increase its reach,deepen relationship with #Israel pic.twitter.com/suxiEulbkG
— Suresh Prabhu (@sureshpprabhu) March 23, 2018
Meanwhile, the Israeli Tourism Minister was cautious on Saudi Arabia allowing Air India to use its air-space for reaching Tel Aviv. He said: “We have to very cautious. This is really a first step — a very important one… I hope with times we have more and more normal relation with our neighbour in this region….India played a very important bridge (by introducing this flight over Saudi airspace) not only between India and us but also between Israel and other countries in this region.”
Many Arab and Muslim countries do not recognise Israel as a nation because of its illegitimate occupation of Palestinian land and disallow airlines from using their airspace for flights connecting with Israel.
Meanwhile Indian Ambassador to Israel Pavan Kapoor called Air India’s arrival a “historic” moment saying that a lot of efforts had gone into it over the last two years with a strong vision and support for the initiative from the prime ministers of both the countries.
He said the initiative would strengthen the relationship between the two countries in various spheres, including political, trade and cultural.
The flight will be operating its 256-seater Boeing 787 Dream-liner every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. The inaugural flight left at 6 pm IST on Thursday while the scheduled departure will be 4.50 pm IST from Sunday when the Air India’s summer schedule comes into effect.
However, amidst joyous mood on the beginning of the direct Air India flight between New Delhi and Tel Aviv, Israel’s national carrier El Al has decided to petition at their Supreme Court for getting access to the Saudi airspace.
Read More: Saudi Arabia grants airspace permission to Air India for Israel
Yisrael Katz, Israel’s transport minister, while welcoming direct flight between New Delhi and Tel Aviv, said, “I hope that Israeli airlines like El Al (Israel’s flagship carrier) will be allowed to use this route in the future.”
Al-Jazeera reports that the court appeal will come early next week. The Saudi government has not officially commented on the development.
However, observers believe that Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, who is currently trying to moderate Kingdom’s image to the outside world under his Vision 2030, may positively consider such a request from Tel Aviv.
Riyadh allowed Air India to fly over its air-space when ties between India and Saudi Arabia were growing steadily. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was honoured with highest civilian award: King Abdul Aziz Sash, by Saudi King Salman when he visited Riyadh in April 2016.
The permission by Saudi authorities to fly over its territories has reduced flight time by almost 2 hours and 10 minutes compared to the longer route taken by Israel’s national carrier El Al, which has direct flights between Tel Aviv and Mumbai.
The new air route between the two countries was first announced by PM Narendra Modi during his visit to Israel in July last year. Israeli PM Banjamin Netanyahu, while visiting India in January this year had asserted the new air route over Saudi territory would drastically reduce flight time.
At present El Al takes a circuitous route over the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and then enters India and avoids countries that are on the direct flight path such as Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman and Pakistan.
India News
Rajasthan High Court acquits 4 accused in 2008 Jaipur serial blasts
The four accused are Sarwar Azmi, Mohammed Salman, Mohammed Said, and Saifurehman Ansari and were found guilty by a trial court in 2019.

The Rajasthan High Court on Wednesday sentenced all 4 accused people to death in connection with the deadly serial blasts in Jaipur in 2008. The blasts took 71 lives and left more than 180 people injured.
The four accused are Sarwar Azmi, Mohammed Salman, Mohammed Said, and Saifurehman Ansari and were found guilty by a trial court in 2019.
The accused men were convicted and awarded the death penalty by a sessions court on August 8, 2020, for the nine ammonium nitrate-based bombs that were blasted within a span of twenty minutes.
A division bench of Justices Pankaj Bhandari and Sameer Jain pronounced the verdict after approving 28 appeals. The High Court also upheld the decision of the lower court to release one of the accused, Shahbaz.
The 4 accused were convicted and were found guilty of murder, attempt to murder, voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means, conspiracy and under relevant sections of the Explosive Substances Act and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
While Mohammed Saif was arrested in the blast at Manak Chowk police station, Mohammad Salman was nabbed for blasts in Sanganeri Hanuman temple. Sarwar Azmi was arrested for carrying out a blast at the Chandpole Hanuman temple and Saifurehman Ansari was found guilty of planting bombs at five different places in Jaipur.
Reports said 13 people were arrested by police, out of which three are in Hyderabad and Delhi jails and the other three are still absconding. 2 were shot in the Batla House encounter while four others were sent to Jaipur jail.
India News
Amritpal Singh releases first video amid manhunt, mocks Punjab Police | WATCH
Amritpal Singh, who returned from Dubai in 2022 and took over Waris De Chief, is on the run since March 18.

Pro-Khalistani leader and Waris De Chief Amritpal Singh released his first video message amid the high-voltage drama of Punjab Police to nab him.
In the viral video, Singh can be heard mocking the efforts made by the Bhagwant Mann’s police and saying he managed to escape despite their best efforts. He put a full stop to the media reports speculating that he would surrender.
He also said if the Punjab government had the intention to arrest him, the police could have arrested him from his house.
Singh continued that his aides have been arrested in false cases and had been sent to the Assam jail just for preaching the Sikh religion. Further, he urged his supporters to keep fighting for him and support him.
Read Also: Amritpal Singh likely to surrender in Golden Temple before Akal Takht, says report
Watch the viral video:
The Punjab government on Wednesday informed the Haryana and Punjab High Court that they failed to arrest the radical preacher despite their best efforts.
The cops also carried out a flag march around the Golden Temple in Amritsar. Multiple media reports stated that Singh will surrender at the Golden Temple in public in the presence of the media.
Amritpal Singh, who returned from Dubai in 2022 and took over Waris De Chief, is on the run since March 18. The Punjab government declared him a fugitive and is in search of the pro-khalistani leader.
On Wednesday, Singh along with his close aide Papalpreet Singh managed to dodge the police and escape. Reports said an Innova vehicle with three people onboard was stopped by the police on Tuesday night at a checkpoint, however, they managed to escape in the dark.
Multiple videos of Singh are being circulated on social media. In one of the videos, Singh was seen walking in a street in Delhi market without a turban and covering his mouth with a mask.
Bombay HC refuses to grant any relief to West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee in National Anthem case
India News
Video of UP policemen trampling, kicking man sleeping on train platform goes viral, users enraged | WATCH
The video also shows the policemen and the man exchanging words, however, one of the policemen can again be seen trampling the man’s feet by stepping on it.

A bizarre video has come to light from Uttar Pradesh’s Mathura Railway station where 2 policemen can be seen misbehaving with a man sleeping on the railway platform as he waits for the train. After the video went viral, many user came forward to condemn Police’s actions.
In the video, two policemen can be seen harassing a man lying on the railway platform as he waits for his train. In the video, one policeman can be seen blinding the man with torch, whereas another can be seen kicking him.
The video also shows the policemen and the man exchanging words, however, one of the policemen can again be seen trampling the man’s feet by stepping on it. The man can be seen continuing to talk to the policemen despite being harassed.
Read Also: Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge hits back at PM Modi’s corruption remark, says stop image makeover
Watch video here:
User’s reaction
After the video of the incident went viral on social media, many users came forward to add their take on the incident as one user sarcastically wrote and urged the authorities to award them with bravery award, sarcastically implying at the way they behaved with man in a cowardly manner.
One user wrote and also urged other followers to share the video to make it go viral so the unruly policemen can be held accountable by the authorities.
One user wrote and added a quippy take on the narrative of new india put forth by the BJP as they wrote that they never thought that the new india will function like this, implying that the new India is even a step back from the prevailing situation in the nation.
One user wrote and said that such policemen never treat bigwig mafias or goons in such manner of hostility, implying that the police only use their arbitrary powers against the helpless and never against the people who actually deserve them.
Amritpal Singh likely to surrender in Golden Temple before Akal Takht, says report
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