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Monthly Tourism Newsletter from India |
September - 2004 |
| Permanent Feature - GOA | |
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Warm greetings on the World Tourism Day (27 Sep’04) from the western coast of India i.e. Goa! As the rains take a back seat, the rain-washed country shows off its sparkling bright colours. The festive mood is back after the snake boat races coinciding with harvest festival Onam; Lord Krishna’s birth anniversary; Ganesh festivities have already begun and many more like Durga festival and last but not the least – with the festival of lights (Diwali) on the way!!! On more regional front, the famous Pushkar festival in Rajasthan will see a sea of cattle as well as humanity at the same place towards the end of November! With the smell of India in the air, this is right time to decide on your dates for your India trip – though already the accommodation (as well as air seats) seems to be full at many places especially towards the end of November until beginning January! Not to worry, India is a round the year destination and has many more places on the platter suitable at different times of the year! You can dare to be different and see something off the beaten track and others will envy you once you are back home! See You in India soon!!! |
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AIRLINES UPDATEAIR DECCAN ADDS SERVICES TO NEW DELHI, MADRAS AND BANGALORE: Air Deccan the latest domestic airline in India has started operations using leased Airbus A320 aircraft to link Bangalore, Hyderabad, Madras and New Delhi from the third week of August. JET AIRWAYS LEADS FOR THIRD YEAR IN SUCCESSION: Domestic carrier Jet Airways has maintained its top position for the third year in succession with 46.7 percent market share in 2003-04 by flying 6.9 million passengers. In 2002-03 its market share was 48.4 percent in 2002-03. Indian Airlines and its subsidiary Alliance Air flew 5.8 million passengers in 2003-04 giving it a market share of 39.3 percent down from 41.8 per cent in 2002-03. A total of 14.78 million passengers flew in India’s domestic market. The new airline Air Deccan has notched in less than seven months, a 1 per cent share of total 14.78 million. AIR-INDIA SIGNS MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING: Air-India Charters Ltd, a subsidiary of Air-India (A-I), has signed an MoU for taking on lease the three new Boeing 737-800s for its no-frills airline, which is expected to start flights to Persian Gulf and Far East destinations from March next year. Negotiations are also under way with a leasing company for three more 180-seater 737s for “Air-India Express”, which should be available by March 2005. INDIAN AIRLINES SPECIAL FARE FOR KUALA LUMPUR: Indian Airlines has introduced special fares from various points in South India for travel to Kuala Lumpur. The to and fro fare will be Rs 17,850. This fare is available for travel to Kuala Lumpur from Chennai, Coimbatore, Tiruchirapalli, Madurai, Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Kozhikode, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, and Banglore. The special fare is valid till March 31, 2005. Qantas charts Indian riches: Less than a week after opening direct services between Sydney and Mumbai (after a gap of two years). It will operate three services to and from Mumbai (operating on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday) and Sydney each week and has already seen an uplift in demand since the announcement of the route. Qantas' inaugural flight arrived in the west coast city, home to about 15 million people, on 1 Sep’04. Travel between India and Australia for business and leisure has jumped by 30 percent in the past three years and the number of Indian citizens travelling to Australia is expected to grow by 15 per cent each year to 2011, from a current 54,000 a year. Australia is the third most preferring destination for study after the US and the United Kingdom. Qantas first began flying to India in 1947 with flights to Calcutta, on route to London. AUSTRIAN AIRLINE KEEN ON INDIA: Austrian Airlines is expanding its operations in the country as a part of its increased focus on the Asian market. The airline has approached the Union government for adding Mumbai as its second destination from summer season next year and has tied up with Eva Air of Taiwan for a foray into cargo business. The airlines at present operates six Vienna-Delhi-Vienna flights a week which will be increased to seven during the winter tourist season. It plans to start Vienna-Mumbai-Vienna flights 5 times a week to begin with in summer season of next year. The airline is also planning a weekly charter flight during this winter season to Goa. The weekly charter flights from Vienna to Goa this winter are being resumed after a gap of one year. The airline had operated similar flights to Goa in 2002 winter. It had also operated charter flights from Vienna to Kochi in the past. LUFTHANSA AGREES LINK WITH AIR-INDIA: Members of frequent-flyer schemes operated by Lufthansa and Air-India will be able to earn and redeem their air miles on either carrier’s flights following a co-operation and code share agreement between the two airlines. The deal scheduled to take off on October 1, will significantly increase the number of services between Germany and India. Air-India plans direct flights to Frankfurt from Bangalore and Hyderbad. SIA TO LAUNCH DIRECT SINGAPORE -AMRITSAR FLIGHTS: Singapore Airlines (SIA) is launching three times a week non-stop service between Singapore and Amritsar from October 1, 2004. The airline will operate a Boeing 777-200 aircraft every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, on this new route offering 323 seats, including 30 seats in business class. This will give a big boost to tourism to Punjab's largest city, which has a number of attractions including the world famous Golden Temple. TOP HOTELS NEWS
TAJ HOTELS TIE-UP WITH RAFFLES INTERNATIONAL: Taj Hotels, Resorts and Palaces and Singapore based Raffles International Ltd have entered into a marketing alliance that aims to leverage cross-promotional opportunities. Raffles International is hotel management arm of Raffles Holdings Ltd, a hospitality company listed on the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Ltd. To start with, the alliance would cover 14 hotels under the Taj Luxury Hotels portfolio and a collection of 12 luxury hotels under the Raffles Hotels and Resorts umbrella.
ITC (WELCOMGROUP SHERATON) PLANS TO SET UP THREE NEW HOTELS: ITC Ltd is planning to set up three new hotels in the premium segment in Bangalore, Madras and Hyderabad. The company’s long-term plan is to have two premium category hotels in every major city. TOP
GOLDEN TEMPLE CELEBRATIONS: Recently the Sikh community celebrated the 400th anniversary of its religious book called Guru Granth Sahib and the Golden temple at Amritsar wore a real festive look on this occasion. Also, the White House held a function to celebrate it. A cross section of 90 Sikhs from all over the United States gathered at the White House where high-level officials of the Bush Administration greeted them. The event started with a Sikh prayer and Shabad Kirtan (rendering of hymns). GULF CULTURAL FESTIVAL IN INDIA NEXT YEAR: GCC has decided to hold a weeklong cultural festival in India next year to foster closer ties. Culture; music and paintings from all the six GCC countries would be displayed during the festival. INTERNATIONAL ECO AND RURAL TOURISM CONFERENCE HELD IN DELHI 24-25 Aug’04): A two-day International Eco and Rural Tourism Marketing Conference was organized by the Federation of India Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). The Indian tourism minister said on this occasion, “We need to take these people on board, teach them modern skills of preservation of their eco systems and treat this particular issue with great sensitivity and care”. Ministers from Malaysia, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka also participated in the conference, which was accompanied by an exhibition. WTTC SUMMIT TO BE HELD IN NEW DELHI IN APRIL 2005: The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) has announced that New Delhi, India would be the host of the 5th Global Travel and Tourism Summit, taking place in April 2005. The Summit is the industry's highest profile event and attracts Chief Executives, Chairmen and Presidents of the world's foremost travel and tourism companies. Mr. Jean-Claude Baumgarten, WTTC President said "India is a truly remarkable country which offers an enormous potential for travel and tourism growth and development over the next ten years." TOP NEWS MEANS GOOD NEWS (India)JAPAN HELPING INDIA PROMOTE BUDDHIST TOURISM: Japan will provide financial aid to create better facilities at major Buddhist sites across India that are a major draw for pilgrims and tourists from Asia. Launching their project for the promotion of Buddhist tourism in India, the Japanese Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) has agreed to extend a loan of Rs.5.4 billion ($115 million) for infrastructure development at Sarnath in Uttar Pradesh, a major Buddhist pilgrim centre near Varanasi, where Lord Buddha gave his first sermon.Although the Buddha was born at Lumbini in Nepal, many sites associated with him are located in India. He attained enlightenment at Bodh Gaya, in Bihar, while Ajanta-Ellora, in Maharashtra, is home to a string of centuries-old spectacular cave sculptures and frescoes. JBIC, which funded India for the Ajanta-Ellora conservation and tourism project, was very happy with the work undertaken. The project had also won the best spiritual destination award, beating Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. (Indo-Asian New Service) AURANGABAD CAVES CLOSED: Not really a good news, parts of the Aurangabad Caves (number 1 – 5), a centrally protected monument, will remain closed to public until 5th October. Following the fall of rocks in the monument premises that occurred due to continuous heavy rain and parts of area have been found in danger for a free movement. FOREIGN TOURIST ARRIVAL UP BY 25% IN INDIA: Foreign tourist arrivals have surged over 25 per cent in the first eight months of the current calendar year to 2.08 million, a significant growth over the 13.5 per cent growth in the same period last year. During January-August, 2004 foreign exchange earnings through tourist arrival also registered a 35.9 per cent increase at Rs 14,163.14 crore (Rs 141.63 billion) over the previous year, says the latest figures released by the government on Wednesday. In the first half of 2004, the foreign exchange earnings from tourists increased by 31.8 per cent at Rs 9,985.99 crore (Rs 99.86 billion) as against Rs 7,576 crore (Rs 75.76 billion) in the corresponding period of 2003. The growth in tourist arrivals has been attributed to the increased advertisement drives by the government during the recent past. It was also pointed out that the increase in foreign exchange earning can be attributed to the fact that tourists have started to stay for longer durations in the country. There has been an effort to attract tourists round the year as well as to extend the average stay in the country. India is also gradually gathering popularity as a health tourist destination. It attracted approximately 150,000 patients in 2003. AR RAHMAN OF BOMBAY DREAMS TO SCORE FOR BROADWAY LORD OF RINGS: Mr. A.R. Rahman, well-known composer is all set to be the new lord of the musicals. After achieving international fame with Bombay Dreams, he is now composing the tracks for the Broad-way musical of J.R.R. Tolkien’s much-acclaimed phantasmagoria adventure, the Lord of the Rings. INDIA & PAKISTAN LAUNCH `GROUP TOURISM’: India and Pakistan opened up their countries to group tourism while announcing a series of high-level meetings and visits between officials to push forward the peace process over Kashmir. They also announced that visas will be issued for group tours between the two countries. Up to now, no tourist visas (at all) were being given. This will give a huge boost to tourism (Gulf Daily News). WI-FI INTRODUCED AT NEW DELHI’S INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT: New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport has become India’s first airport to commercially deploy wi-fi services. Tata Teleservices has signed up with the Airport Authority of India (AAI) to enable travelers to have an access to high speed wire-free Internet. HYDERABAD’S SNOW WORLD A POPULAR ATTRACTION: Snow World of Hyderabad is India’s first snow theme park. Claiming to be world’s first leisure snow dome with a entertainment complex offers 14 fun rides and games, a Snow View restaurant and indoor go-karting. Spread over 65,000 sq ft, the snow playing field is about 17,000 sq ft out of this. Real snow is produced using state-of-the art technology. Special warm winter proof clothing and gloves are given to all the visitors to protect them from extreme climate. TAJ MAHAL CELEBRATIONS TO BEGIN ON 27 SEP – THE WORLD TOURISM DAY: Uttar Pradesh Government is all set to celebrate the 350 years of Taj Mahal later this year with assistance and cooperation of Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. The year-long celebrations will be kicked off on September 27. KARNATAKA LUXURY TRAIN FROM NEXT YEAR: Karnataka Tourism is to launch a luxury tourist train from September 2005. Modelled on the lines of Rajasthan Tourism's "Palace on Wheels," will take 120 tourists in eighteen coaches once every week from Bangalore to Mysore, Hassan, Belur, Halebid, Shravanabelagola, Hospet, Hampi, Dandeli wildlife sanctuary, Goa and back to Bangalore. ANDHRA PRADESH TOURISM TO LAUNCH HOUSEBOATS IN KONASEEMA: The Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) is to launch five houseboats offering tourists a 24-hour luxury trip in the backwaters of Konaseema. The corporation has been operating specially designed houseboats on a 70-km/45 miles stretch on the tributary of the Godavari. The packages will offer stay at two islands, Ayodhya lanka and Shivakodi lanka. The tours may eventually be extended up to Papikondalu. UTTARANCHAL TOURISM SIGNS MOU FOR ECO-TOURISM PROJECT: Uttaranchal state has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ramnagar Eco Park Pvt. Limited (REPL) for developing the US$ 112 million Corbett Country Tourism Destination at over 325 hectares of picturesque land at Hempur in Udham Singh Nagar district. As the project is to come up in the land of the famous hunter turned conservator, Jim Corbett, he hoped a national gallery dedicated to him (Jim Corbett) is also set up. Meanwhile the Taj group will set up four budget hotels in the state in the near future.
GRAMMY AWARD
WINNING MONKS FELICITATED:
The monks of Palpung Sherab Ling Monastery who won the best traditional world
music album award" this year for their CD titled "Sacred Tibetan Chants" were
felicitated at special function organised at Vigyan Bhavan in Delhi. The monks
of this revered monastery represent the people inhabiting the mighty Himalayas
also gave a performance on the occasion. The CD contains the chants of Tibetan,
Indian, Bhutanese and Nepalese monks. ISRAELI TOURISTS TOP THE ARRIVAL CHARTS IN KASHMIR: Owner of a handicraft shop near scenic Dal lake in Srinagar, recently changed the language of his outlet's signboard from English to Hebrew. It was another sign of the new acceptance of visitors from Israel. For the second successive year, Israelis top the list of foreign tourists visiting the region. "Seventy per cent of my customers are Israelis," said 50-year-old Ahmad, a Muslim. "So I changed my signboard to attract more Israeli customers." A Kashmir tourism department officer said 960 Israelis had arrived so far this year compared to 1,097 last year. The Chinese were second with 700 visitors to the Himalayan region known for its lush pines, snow-capped mountains, lakes and streams, houseboats and picturesque trekking routes. Overall, about 10,000 foreigners were among 200,000 tourists who visited Kashmir this year after a new peace process between India and Pakistan led to a fall in separatist violence. Before the insurgency began in 1989, Kashmir attracted some two million visitors a year. Most foreigners, including the Israelis, come to Kashmir despite advisories by their countries. ADVENTURE TOURISM SET TO BECOME BIGGEST SEGMENT: Adventure tourism in India is on a fast track and is set to emerge as one of the biggest segment of the inbound tourism. It grew by 20% last. The growth is expected to double this year. India is perfect playing ground for a host of adventure sports like white water river rafting etc. An effective management and policy initiatives by different state governments would turn it into a $20 billion industry by2011. Nearly 40% foreign tourists visiting India opt for adventure and soft adventure holidays. TOP NEWS MEANS GOOD NEWS (International) SWISS PRESIDENT HONOURS THE INDIAN FILM INDUSTRY: In recognition of the Indian film industry shooting so many films in Switzerland the President (of Switzerland), Mr. Joseph Deiss, recently invited luminaries from Bombay (Bollywood) for a luncheon meeting during the recently concluded Locarno International Film Festival in Switzerland. In his address President Deiss acknowledged the untiring efforts of the Indian film industry symbolically represented by the celebrities present. That the Swiss Alps lured legendary film-maker Raj Kapoor (Sangam) and Shakti Samanta (Evening in Paris) in the sixties is a little known fact. Not so well known is that more Indian films are shot on Swiss soil than native ones! Around 20 Indian film units have been camping on lush green Swiss meadows every year. TOP NEW SPIRITUAL RESORT IN BANGALORE: This 25-acre spiritual retreat on the outskirts of Bangalore offers a visitor an experience that is refreshingly different. Yoga classes, meditation sessions, wellness counselling, nature walks, light yet wholesome vegetarian meals along with lectures and courses based on the Indian Shastras are provided at Shreyas to help both individuals and corporate clients achieve excellence in their everyday lives. Shreyas can accommodate up to 25 guests at a time in earthy and elegant tents and cottages. Apart from a yoga hall and a massage centre, Shreyas has a beautiful swimming pool, gym and steam room, a well-equipped conference room and an open-air amphitheatre. For more details, on Shreyas and its programs, please log on to www.innerchallenges.com/shreyas. Darjeeling toy trains get new engines: The Golden Rock Workshop in Tamil Nadu's Tiruchirapally town has made two new engines for the famous toy trains in Darjeeling. The central government's engine-making facility has made oil-fired steam locomotive engines called Himanand and Himrathi. Steam locomotives have been phased out except in the hilly tracks of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) in West Bengal and the Nilgiris Mountain Railway in Tamil Nadu where modified locos are now being used. The Golden Rock Workshop also makes engines for the Nilgiri toy trains. The 15 tonne engines were made at a cost of Rs. 15 million each. The engine is a small B class type loco with a fuel tank with a capacity of 900 litres of diesel. It also has a water tank that can hold 1,800 litres of water. A generator has been added to power the pumps that keep the water circulating. It also has a pre-heating arrangement to improve boiler efficiency. With steam engines drawing thousands of tourists every year to picturesque hill stations like Darjeeling, the Railway Board has decided to maintain the narrow gauge lines on the hill routes with more efficient engines. --Indo-Asian News Service
Majestic Mumbai rail terminus to be renovated:
An imposing 117-year-old railway station here that is used by millions of
commuters daily will get a fresh lease of life after the monsoon rains. The good
news for the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) - originally known as the
Victoria Terminus after Queen Victoria of England - comes barely a week after it
was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Under phase one of the
conservation work, its terrace will be water proofed, toilets revamped,
repairing, plumbing, painting work will be undertaken; and a fire-fighting
system installed. THE FIRST BATCH OF DEMOISELLE CRANES ARRIVES IN RAJASTHAN: The first batch of one hundred and seventy four (174) dainty Demoiselle Cranes have arrived at the far western frontier village of Keechan in Rajasthan. They were first noticed around 4 Sep and should have landed with depleted energies after a marathon 4000 km (?) flight from across the Himalayan ranges. Birders in Delhi, Rajasthan and Gujarat can watch out and lookup into the sky once-in-a-while for a string of them in the typical "V" formation. (Source Delhi Bird Yahoo Group) INDIAN ELEPHANTS CROSS INTO BANGLADESH: Indian officials have asked Bangladesh not to kill around 100 elephants which have strayed into that country. The elephants killed 13 people in Bangladesh and injured many more, leading to demands that they should be killed if they cannot be returned. Indian officials have called for a joint initiative to bring them back. There is a need for a joint initiative between the two countries, so that they could be brought back and pushed into the dense jungles of India's northeast. (Source: Wildlife Trust of India) SUNDERBANS, WEST BENGAL: The Sunderbans Area near Calcutta has great potential for attracting ecotourism enthusiasts according to Ms. Alka Kohli, Regional Director (East), India Tourism. Sunderbans Tiger Reserve and the World Wide Fund for Nature approached Help Tourism, a group of conservationists and travel service providers for assistance in development of eco-tourism and conservation in the Sunderbans. This initiative was taken in order to check the increasing number of illegal honey collectors and poachers of animals in the Sunderbans area. Help Tourism contributed both financially and in terms of manpower in order to achieve the above-mentioned objectives. They obtained land from local clubs, and constructed the demonstration project, which includes 3 accommodation units (double roomed cottages with toilets), a restaurant, a kitchen, store, a fishpond etc. Local material was used in the construction. Help Tourism have now purchased a new launch for ferrying tourists from Basanti / Sonakhali, which can be reached by road in 2 hours from Calcutta. TOP SKY-BUS TRIAL RUN SUCCESSFUL: Hundreds of people watched with curiosity, the movement of the two coaches coloured in green and white. Precisely at 3 pm, on 15 September, the first trial run of the one-kilometre distance of the sky-bus metro project was completed successfully. On this day, the test was conducted on a one-km track at a speed of 40 km per hour. Full speed trials will take place by September end. The test track erected at Margao at a cost of Rs.50 crore is proposed to be a part of the future centre of excellence for testing and certifying various sub-systems of Sky Bus Metro. BONDLA SANCTUARY & ZOO: The construction of a new 'round cottage' at Bondla, arrangement of a bus safari from Panaji to the Bondla zoo, addition of a "majestic" king cobra and other beautification measures are expected to lure more tourists to the Bondla zoo this year. For the first time, this will also get a proper veterinary clinic to care for the animals there. But problems of lack of transportation facilities and no proper telephone link are proving a major deterrent to tourists. The planned 'round cottage' is expected to add to the existing accommodation at Bondla which comprises of cottages with a total of 20 beds and two dormitories each with 24 beds. It was decided to have a bus safari every Saturday morning from Panaji to Bhagwan Mahaveer Wildlife sanctuary, Mollem national park, Tambdi Surla, Satpal Arboretum and ending in a night-halt at Bondla. After more sightseeing visits to other places, the bus safari will touch Panaji the next afternoon. The new member king cobra is actually a female and is 11 feet long. It is really majestic and the officials hope to get a male to keep it company. (Source: The Navhind Times 11/9/04) FLOATING RESTAURANT ON MANDOVI: A floating restaurant - Mandovi Blue – on River Mandovi at Santa Monica Jetty in Panjim, which will be open during the night hours was inaugurated on September 15 at 7.30 pm. The unique concept which allows the passengers of the Shantadurga cruise to dine while enjoying a night trip in the Mandovi River, is the first of its kind in the state. The pleasure vessel will regularly travel from the Santa Monica jetty along the city of Panaji and Betim village to the Arabian sea, presenting a fascinating view of the city and the night sky. The restaurant will operate between 8 and 11 p.m. and would host a multi-cuisine menu ranging from Indian to Chinese and Thai specialities, besides the bar facility. The Goa Tourist Development Corporation has leased the boat Shantadurga to Shantadurga Caterers to run this restaurant. Heritage villas to narrate Goa's Portuguese legacy: Goa will soon have more to offer to tourists, apart from its renowned golden beaches and swaying palms. The former Portuguese colony is dotted with villas of its colonial era and plans are afoot to convert them into heritage hotels. The authorities here believe that such hotels would go a long way in revealing the coastal state's heritage and also be attraction to tourists wanting to be a part of that legacy. According to a survey, around 3500 houses in the state can be converted into heritage hotels, showcasing Portuguese art and culture. The concept itself has been borrowed from Rajasthan, where exquisite palaces of former Rajput rulers have been converted into heritage hotels. TOP
Just Answer Five Simple Questions:
1) Where could these carvings be from, as shown in the picture? a. Taj Mahal b. Fatehpur Sikri c. Red Fort, Delhi d. Amber Fort, Jaipur 2) Dandelim is a wildlife sanctuary, mainly famous for which animal? a. Bison c. Tiger b. Swamp deer d. Rhinos 3) If you would visit Delhi in 2010, which famous event you could possibly be participating a. Mini Olympics c. Visit India Events b. Commonwealth Games d. Mini Olympics 4) Where in India can you find the prototype of first ever skybus project in India, developed indigenously? a. Mumbai c. Kolkata b. Delhi d. Madgaon 5) Cabo Da Rama fort can be visited while you are traveling into which of the following states? a. Rajasthan c. Tamilnadu b. Kerala d. None of the above
ANSWERS OF LAST CONTEST: 1) The snakes shown in the picture was Cobra (The king cobra has a V design on its hood) 2) The Deccan Odyssey starts from Mumbai 3) Jaisalmer is called the Golden City of India 4) Sikkim is the brother state of ‘Seven Sisters’ 5) Bonderam festival is celebrated in August in Goa (on 4th Saturday of this month)
LAST DATE: 30 Sep’04 to send your entries at the email address pmaurya@vsnl.net
WINNER OF LAST CONTEST: There was no all correct entry in the last contest. TOP
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NOTE: This newsletter is currently being sent to about 22000 select tour operators, individuals, friends, tourist offices, and other organizations. The news contents of this are compiled through various resources, newsletters, magazines, newspapers, books, etc and are being customized to suit our needs of balanced information in tourism and its related field. The newsletter itself does not carry any commercial value and the sole purpose is to increase the awareness and disseminate the available information in a fast manner to the people concerned in the trade. We try to provide the news as authentic and correct as possible, however, there might be errors sometimes. TOP |