Uzbek President calls PM Modi ahead of SCO summit to push coop
(Catch all the Business News, Breaking News, Budget 2025 Events and Latest News Updates on The Economic Times.)
Subscribe to The Economic Times Prime and read the ET ePaper online.
NEXT STORY
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
14 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Independence Day long weekend: Hotel occupancy, room rates set to surge
Hotel occupancy rates and room tariffs are set to rise this Independence Day long weekend as travellers across India head to various destinations, major industry players said. Rajesh Magow, Co-founder and Group CEO, MakeMyTrip told PTI, Independence Day has emerged as a key travel occasion over the years. "This year too, the search and booking trends point to strong intent to travel over the Independence Day weekend. With Independence Day on a Friday, travel demand appears to be peaking two days earlier, on Wednesday (13 August), giving early travellers a five-day window," he shared. According to him, the top trending domestic destinations are Goa, Udaipur, Jaipur, Puri, Lonavala, Varanasi, Coorg, Mahabaleshwar, Ooty and Pondicherry, while the leading international destinations are Pattaya, Bali, Bangkok, Singapore, Dubai, Phuket, Colombo, Kuala Lumpur, Zurich and London. Puneet Chhatwal, MD and CEO of Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL), the country's biggest hospitality firm, which owns the Taj brand, said, "The long weekend is looking very good. We have a lot of resort destinations, so we are very pleased to see all the buoyancy come back". K B Kachru, President, Hotel Association of India (HAI) and Chairman, South Asia, Radisson Hotel Group, said this year, 15 August falls on a Friday, offering an ideal opportunity for staycations and short holidays. HAI member hotels are well-prepared to accommodate the surge, with many already witnessing a rise in advance bookings. "Reports and trends indicate a rise in both occupancy and room rates over the long Independence Day weekend. Some properties are witnessing up to a 40 per cent surge in bookings compared to last year, with ADRs expected to be 10-15 per cent higher year-on-year," Kachru said. Chander K Baljee, CMD at Royal Orchid Hotels Ltd (ROHL), said, "We are seeing steady interest for the extended Independence Day weekend from August 14 to 17. While the booking momentum is yet to fully pick up, we anticipate strong last-minute demand, which is quite typical for long weekends in the domestic market. "Compared to the same period last year, we're observing an approximate increase of Rs 1,280 in rates. We expect the Average Room Rate (ARR) to close around Rs 6,450, which is a 7-8 per cent increase over last year's ARR of Rs 6,000 on the retail segment," he added. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Hindu
14 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Congress highlights 'vote chori' with video; Mallikarjun Kharge asks people to raise voice
The Congress on Wednesday (August 13, 2025) stepped up its campaign against alleged 'vote chori' by releasing a new video depicting how fake votes were being cast and party chief Mallikarjun Kharge asking people to raise their voice and save constitutional institutions from the "clutches of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)." Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi also shared the minute-long video and said, "Aapke vote ki chori aapke adhikar ki chori, aapki pehchaan ki chori hai." Tagging the advertisement titled 'booth par vote chori", Congress president Kharge said, "Do not let your rights to vote be snatched away. Ask questions, demand answers this time! Raise your voice against vote chori." "Free constitutional institutions from the clutches of the BJP," he said in his message to the people on X. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also shared the video on X, and said, "the theft of your vote is theft of your rights, theft of your identity." "Save your right to vote, Raise your voice against vote theft," she said. The video made by the Congress depicts a family entering a polling booth with two people telling them that their votes have already been cast by them and it ends with the two persons casting fake votes showing a thumbs up to an officer sitting at the table with 'election chori aayog' display plate on his table. The Congress on Tuesday (August 12, 2025) had claimed that "vote chori" was a "do-or-die" issue for it, and announced a roadmap to take its allegations to the people through various activities, including taking out 'Loktantra bachao mashaal marches' on August 14 evening. SIR exercise institutionalised vote theft: Rahul Gandhi The Opposition party also claimed that as more "evidence" of "vote chori" was coming to the fore, it seemed that it was not mere theft but "dacoity". The assertion was made after Mr. Kharge held a meeting with party general secretaries, in-charges and heads of its frontal organisations. The meeting was attended by the likes of former party chief Rahul Gandhi and general secretaries Priyanka Gandhi, Jairam Ramesh, K.C. Venugopal, Sachin Pilot, Bhanwar Jitendra Singh, Ghulam Ahmad Mir, as well as treasurer Ajay Maken. Briefing reporters after the meeting, Congress leader and AICC in-charge of National Students' Union of India (NSUI) Kanhaiya Kumar had said a "big issue" of "vote chori" has come to the fore. "Rahul Gandhi ji has put forward the truth with evidence on how democracy is being throttled," he had said. Mr. Kumar had said that going forward, the Congress will take this to the people with three important programmes. On August 14, the eve of Independence Day, there will be a 'Loktantra bachao mashaal march' at all district headquarters, Mr. Kumar said, adding that between August 22 and September 7, the Congress will hold "vote chor, gaddi chhorh (vote thieves, relinquish power)" rallies in all State headquarters. "Between September 15 and October 15, a signature campaign will be run to save the right to vote and ensure people's participation," he had said, while asserting that the whole INDIA bloc is together on this. The Congress has also launched a web portal for people to register and demand accountability from the poll panel against what it called "vote chori", and express support for the demand for digital voter rolls. Mr. Gandhi had urged people to support this demand by registering on Anyone can click on the portal link and download "vote chori proof, demand Election Commission accountability and report vote chori." It also carries Mr. Gandhi's video in which he reiterated his explosive claims of a "huge criminal fraud" in the polls through "collusion" between the BJP and the EC. He had cited an analysis in a constituency in Karnataka to support his claim, and said it was "a crime against the Constitution." On Monday (August 11, 2025), Opposition MPs, including Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and Mr. Pawar, took out a protest march from the Parliament House to the Election Commission office against the revision of electoral rolls in Bihar and alleged "vote chori", but were stopped midway by the police and briefly detained amid high drama.
Time of India
14 minutes ago
- Time of India
Independence Day Long Weekend: Hotel occupancy, room rates set to climb on travel surge
Hotel occupancy and room tariffs across India are poised for an increase during the Independence Day long weekend, driven by strong travel demand. Top domestic destinations include Goa, Udaipur, and Jaipur, while international hotspots are Pattaya, Bali, and Bangkok. Industry experts anticipate a surge in bookings and a rise in average room rates compared to the previous year. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads New Delhi: Hotel occupancy rates and room tariffs are set to rise this Independence Day long weekend as travellers across India head to various destinations, major industry players Magow, Co-founder and Group CEO, MakeMyTrip told PTI, Independence Day has emerged as a key travel occasion over the years."This year too, the search and booking trends point to strong intent to travel over the Independence Day weekend. With Independence Day on a Friday, travel demand appears to be peaking two days earlier, on Wednesday (13 August), giving early travellers a five-day window," he to him, the top trending domestic destinations are Goa, Udaipur, Jaipur, Puri, Lonavala, Varanasi, Coorg, Mahabaleshwar, Ooty and Pondicherry, while the leading international destinations are Pattaya, Bali, Bangkok, Singapore, Dubai, Phuket, Colombo, Kuala Lumpur, Zurich and Chhatwal, MD and CEO of Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL), the country's biggest hospitality firm, which owns the Taj brand, said, "The long weekend is looking very good. We have a lot of resort destinations, so we are very pleased to see all the buoyancy come back".K B Kachru, President, Hotel Association of India (HAI) and Chairman, South Asia, Radisson Hotel Group, said this year, 15 August falls on a Friday, offering an ideal opportunity for staycations and short holidays. HAI member hotels are well-prepared to accommodate the surge, with many already witnessing a rise in advance bookings."Reports and trends indicate a rise in both occupancy and room rates over the long Independence Day weekend. Some properties are witnessing up to a 40 per cent surge in bookings compared to last year, with ADRs expected to be 10-15 per cent higher year-on-year," Kachru K Baljee, CMD at Royal Orchid Hotels Ltd (ROHL), said, "We are seeing steady interest for the extended Independence Day weekend from August 14 to 17. While the booking momentum is yet to fully pick up, we anticipate strong last-minute demand, which is quite typical for long weekends in the domestic market."Compared to the same period last year, we're observing an approximate increase of Rs 1,280 in rates. We expect the Average Room Rate (ARR) to close around Rs 6,450, which is a 7-8 per cent increase over last year's ARR of Rs 6,000 on the retail segment," he added.
