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Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The world has become more complex and dynamic, or BANI (Brittle, Anxious, Non-linear and Incomprehensible), as American anthropologist Jamais Cascio calls it. Organisations continue to face multiple challenges triggered by various crises such wars, climate change and political upheavals.

E-visa startup Atlys has introduced its business-to-government (B2G) solution, which digitises and automates backend systems to help governments expedite visa approval processes.

Arctic air is sweeping through parts of the United States, causing a significant drop in temperatures. The National Weather Service (NWS) has predicted freezing conditions across the Midwest and beyond from Monday.

Joy n Crew said it has roped in senior officials from Cox & Kings, one of the world’s oldest travel brands to strentghthen their top management.

Paytm, operated by One 97 Communications, has announced its participation in the Maha Kumbh Mela by deploying its soundbox and card machines across the event to pay for parking, eateries, daily commutes and travel arrangements.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Dreaming of a magical white Christmas in Europe but worried about the cost? Mumbai-based entrepreneur Mufaddal Kagalwala and his wife Sakina Gandhi turned this dream into a reality—without breaking the bank. By taking advantage of off-season deals on flights and hotels, the couple pulled off an unforgettable 13-day journey across Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, and the Czech Republic—all for under ₹3.5 lakh.

Mind the pants.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. This may be the year to skip Rome—or Italy entirely. The Roman Catholic Church is celebrating a jubilee year, a roughly yearlong tradition dating to the early 14th century.

spiritual apps, in addition to travel and hospitality, have laid the ground to capitalise on the month-long Maha Kumbh Mela that starts Monday in Prayagraj. While travel and hospitality firms reported a spike in bookings for Prayagraj from those who want to attend the festival physically, online spiritual and devotional platforms are expecting a surge in traffic coming from devotees wanting to be a part of the Maha Kumbh virtually. Digital platforms such as Sri Mandir, Vama.App and DevDham, which are looking at offering multiple remote services to enable access to devotees around the world, are anticipating a 40-50% increase in the number of app downloads and new users compared to business as usual.

Prashant Pitti, co-founder of EaseMyTrip, recently shared a significant milestone on LinkedIn: his 'Founder's Office' job listing for his fintech startup, Optimo, has received an overwhelming 4,344 applications. In his post, Pitti expressed his surprise, writing, «Overwhelming to see 4344 folks have applied so far to work directly with me to change India's MSME lending landscape.» While Pitti is widely known for his role in the travel industry with EaseMyTrip, this job listing is for his latest venture, Optimo, a fintech startup focused on reshaping small and medium enterprise (SME) lending. Unlike his travel company, this startup is centered around providing innovative digital solutions for MSMEs, especially through its digital property-loan product. Pitti, along with investors Blume Ventures and Omnivore VC, is committed to developing the company’s growth. The listing for Optimo’s 'Founder’s Office' positions is for their office based in HSR Bangalore, where they are actively seeking ambitious individuals with a knack for deep thinking and multiple-project management. «You will get to see & learn on how large-scale companies are built directly, while working on multiple projects at the same time,» Pitti wrote in the job description. Optimo is aiming to build an industry-changing platform, with plans to expand rapidly across India.

Turbli.com, which analyzed over 10,000 routes connecting 550 of the world’s largest airports, here are some of the most turbulent flight routes in 2024.

Kolkata has overtaken Bengaluru to become India's most congested city according to the 2024 TomTom Traffic Index. It is the world's second slowest moving city trailing only behind Barranquilla. Bengaluru and Pune follow at third and fourth spots, respectively. Dutch technology firm TomTom annually evaluates traffic conditions in major cities worldwide. Kolkata's average speed was 17.4 kmph, taking 34 minutes and 33 seconds to complete 10 kms. Bengaluru drivers took 34 minutes and 10 seconds to complete a similar journey. Commuters in Pune took 33 minutes and 22 seconds to travel 10 kms on an average.

IRCTC), the primary platform for booking tickets on Indian Railways, faced another significant outage on Thursday, leaving users across the country unable to access the website and mobile app. The outage, caused by scheduled maintenance activities, left many passengers frustrated, as they were unable to book or manage their train tickets. Downdetector reported over 2,500 complaints of the outage at its peak. This issue is not new. Similar disruptions have occurred in recent weeks, including one on December 26 and another on December 31, leading to growing concerns among frequent users about the platform’s reliability. Passengers trying to book tickets during peak hours, such as the Tatkal scheme, expressed their frustration on social media, with some tagging the railway minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw. One user wrote, “Please make a reel on trying to login to IRCTC portal at 10 AM for Tatkal ticket.” Another user shared, “It is 10:11 am… still IRCTC is not opening… IRCTC should be enquired and checked… definitely scams are happening. By the time it opens, all the tickets are gone… @AshwiniVaishnaw @irctc.” The IRCTC website displayed a message confirming the outage, saying, «Due to maintenance activity, e-ticketing service will not be available. Please try later.» This is the fifth such disruption in a short period, prompting calls for better digital infrastructure to support India’s vast railway network.

Frequent travellers who swear by “never checking a bag” are not chuffed to be travelling lighter. Gautam Sinha, founder and creative director of artisanal leather brand Nappa Dori that also makes travel luggage, flies frequently within India and to Dubai, London, and Sri Lanka to manage his many stores. He is concerned that it will be a major disadvantage to travellers, and says, “It has been proven by the experience of similar structures in European and American budget airlines that the consumer ends up paying a lot more for a basic flight.” One thing he is sure of: “It will definitely make people think more before they pack now.”

Britain’s Treasury chief has kicked off a China visit aimed at boosting economic and financial cooperation between the countries, as the U.K.’s Labour government seeks to reset strained ties with Beijing

Former US President Donald Trump's legal battles could soon affect his ability to travel internationally, as many countries have strict entry requirements that bar individuals with felony convictions. With Trump facing 34 felony charges related to his involvement in a hush money scheme during the 2016 election, his criminal record could complicate travel to several nations that enforce such policies. According to Newsweek, G7 countries like Canada, the United Kingdom, and Japan, along with others such as Israel and China, have policies preventing convicted felons from entering their borders. These restrictions could hinder Trump’s ability to travel abroad if his convictions stand, raising questions about how this might impact his international dealings, especially if he pursues a second term in office. These entry bans vary across countries. Some, like Canada and Japan, will deny entry to anyone with a felony conviction, while others, such as Brazil and Cambodia, may not check criminal records at the border but could deny entry if a conviction is discovered later.

They were picked up by the police from Bongaon-Bagda Road in Bongaon town, located close to the international border, after they were spotted moving around suspiciously on Friday, the official said. They were produced before a court, which sent them to four days' police custody on Saturday, he said.

Allu Arjun, a court here has relaxed the conditions of his bail in the 'Pushpa 2' stampede case, exempting him from appearing before the investigating officer every Sunday. The court also permitted him to travel abroad to specified countries, with the condition that he must undertake to appear before the SHO of the Chikkadpally police station as and when required. He has been directed to inform the SHO of his travel schedule for each trip and provide details of his place of stay in the destination country until the charge sheet is filed. The remaining bail conditions remain unchanged, the court noted in its order dated January 10.

That has officially given it the edge over Egypt, the previous tourism leader on the continent, and who also shattered its own arrival record, welcoming 15.7 million visitors in 2024. While no governing body tracks arrival numbers for every African nation, both UN Tourism and the World Travel & Tourism Council confirm that North African nations outpace sub-Saharan ones in terms of tourism volume. Morocco’s new tourism benchmark marks an astounding 20% jump from 2023 and more than a 33% increase over 2019 pre-pandemic levels when the Arabian destination received 13 million visitors. It has also put the Kingdom of Light two years ahead of its tourism projections.

Britain’s Treasury chief is travelling to China this weekend to discuss economic and financial cooperation between the countries, as the U.K.‘s Labour government seeks to reset frayed ties with Beijing