The Australian government has arranged four additional Qantas flights to Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai in the coming fortnight. This blog has now closed

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10.10am BST

To recap, this afternoon there were 6,929 Covid-19 cases in Australia, with the death toll at 97.

There had been 16 new cases in the last 24 hours, four of which were related to the Cedar Meats cluster in Victoria.

Related: Coronavirus Australia latest: at a glance

8.21am BST

There are just two people in South Australia considered to be active cases of Covid-19.

No further cases were recorded when the state health department released updated statistics on Saturday, with South Australia’s total tally remaining at 439.

We want people to get out and explore our fabulous regions. It is safe for regional travel in South Australia.

Since the start of the Covid-19 epidemic, there has been no shortage of solidarity with those on the frontline on the pandemic. One such example comes from the French NGO Aviation Sans Frontières ("Aviation Without Borders"), which has brought together key players in the aviation sector to allow medical professionals to travel by plane free of charge from one French region to another. These flights help take some of the pressure off overwhelmed hospital staff. Our reporters Benoît Perrochais and Natalia Ruiz Giraldo went on board.

Air travelers cannot receive cash compensation if their flight is delayed by a passenger biting others and assaulting crew members, an adviser at the Court of Justice of the European Union said on Thursday.

SpaceX’s first crewed launch is planned for 27 May and will be run from a mission control with desks set six feet apart to comply with social distancing protocols

Sean Mallon's photos of an Aer Lingus Belfast-Heathrow flight showed passengers sitting close together.

Parvaaz, a four-member outfit, believes in spreading the message of peace through their progressive rock music with guitar-driven compositions. With their Urdu lyrics and the familiar sound of chimes, the soundscape is a refreshing change. Now, they are back in the city for a gig that promises to be about the coming together of western guitar techniques and Indian elements, making them one among a handful of true-blue fusion indie bands today.

Parvaaz, which translates to "flight", came together in 2010 when childhood friends Khalid Ahmed and Mir Kashif Iqbal (both on vocals and guitar), reconnected in Bengaluru over their shared love for blues rock melodies, and were joined by Sachin Banandur (drums and percussions) and Fidel D'Souza (bass). But they only started developing their own sound two years later. "We were playing at competitions and winning, which was a great boost. We felt confident enough to make original music, and our sound shifted towards progressive and classic rock of the '60s and '70s," says Ahmed, quoting Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, The Doors, and Indian Ocean and Avial, as their influences.

It was a process of trial and error till they found the best way to let all their individual influences flow while jamming, which is when the Urdu lyrics also came in, the natural form of communication for two members at least. "Hindi and Urdu come naturally to us. Singing in English would have just not flowed with the music. Besides, the sound of the fusion that comes out of a merging of different styles of music is what our goal has been. It is the sound that guides most of our writing," says Ahmed.

Their lyrics primarily talk about the human nature and comprise metaphorical poetry, like their song Beparwah, which talks about man's dependence on materialistic objects, and Shaad, which is about loss and regret.

Khalid Ahmed

But lyrics are the last thing that get added onto their music, and that too if they deem it necessary. "A lot of our jams just end up being instrumental, and hence our seven minute-long songs," reasons Ahmed.

They will also be playing some new songs from their upcoming album that they have been putting together for four years, and will be releasing later this year. For fans who like to sing along, they will also perform songs from their first EP and debut album, including Ziyankar and the achingly serene Itne Arse Ke Baad, which echoes a longing to go back home. Home, for Ahmed and Iqbal, is a sensitive issue now, since both hail from Kashmir, which is still trying to heal from the Pulwama attack. Both were reluctant to comment, and as they say, prefer to let their music do the talking.

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The eight-seater charter King C90 was on its first airworthiness test profile when it suddenly developed a major technical snag and crashed at an under-construction building in Ghatkopar West on Thursday afternoon. The aircraft was owned by the UP government and after it was involved in an accident some time ago, it was bought by UY Aviation (Pvt) Ltd, a three-year-old company, which rents out aircraft to ferry patients from all over the country, an insider told mid-day. The company had got the King C90 repaired by Indamer Aviation Private Ltd and, on Thursday, it was being taken on its first test flight.

"Around 1.08 pm, the ATC towers at Mumbai and Juhu both lost contact with the pilot and suddenly an SOS alert was sent out by the Air Traffic Control. Finally, it was learnt that the plane had crashed," said Juhu Aerodrome Director Ashok Kumar Verma. Verma said the aircraft took off from the Juhu runway a little after 12.20 pm as per ATC Juhu records. Pilot, Captain Pradeep Rajput, and co-pilot, Maria Zuberi (who had joined UY Aviation barely a month ago), were in constant touch with the Juhu ATC and later with the Mumbai main ATC as it passed through their radar. The charter was barely a mile from Juhu aerodrome, on its way back after completing the test flight, when it crashed. When asked if the aircraft was on a wrong flying line, as usually passenger flights pass through the airway used by the charter, Verma replied in the negative, stating that there was no air space violation and that the charter was on its own scheduled air space."

The investigating team from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) will be recording the statements of the ATC officers who were in dialogue with the pilots of the charter, which will be compared with the black box that has been recovered. Speaking to mid-day soon after landing in Mumbai from Delhi on Thursday evening, Captain Vinod MRSK, a former air force pilot, who is the Chief of Flight Safety at UY Aviation (Pvt) Ltd, clarified that the charter was still with Indamer Aviation Private Ltd (an aviation repair and maintenance organisation), and two of their engineers Manish Pandey and Surbhi, along with Rajput and Zuberi were to conduct the airworthiness test profile and had obtained necessary permissions from DGCA.

"The air profile testing was crucial as only then could UY Aviation have approached DGCA to complete other formalities to officially take the charter into its inventory. The charter was flying on a Non-Scheduled Operator's Permit (NSOP) for testing. At present UY Aviation has four charters, two in Mumbai and two in Delhi, and this eight-seater King C90, would have made it to its inventory in Mumbai," the insider said. Captain Vinod said, "I am here to assist Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) team under DGCA to understand the circumstances under which the accident happened. It is learnt that the crew was insured."

Also Read: Ghatkopar plane crash: Pilot's presence of mind saves hundreds

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Pictures for representational purposes

The popular slang term, 'Mile High Club', which is the act of indulging in sexual intercourse while on board a flying aircraft has been the subject of numerous studies and researches over the years.

Some experts opine that the vibration of the plane may speed or improve sexual arousal of some commuters, who would then be motivated to engage in on-flight sexual activity. Other researchers have deduced that it may be occur due to a simple need of acting out a sexual fantasy or fetish about planes themselves. Most 'mile-high club' members reveal that the thrill of doing something taboo and the risk of being discovered excites them.

A recently conducted survey by a UK travel website found that the most common saucy act involved couples entering the lavatory together followed by “lots of banging and squealing,” although sneakier activities underneath a blanket were also quite popular.

Much debate still surrounds the legality of the practice of joining the mile-high club, although research indicates there’s a dependence on individual country laws and also just how visible the act is to other passengers which can fall under “public sex” laws.

Two respondents said they watched couples being escorted by police from flights in Australia as a results of their raunchy mile-high antics.

Soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the extension of lockdown, the Ministry of Civil Aviation informed that airline operations of all domestic and international flights will remain suspended till May 3.

All domestic and international scheduled airline operations shall remain suspended till 11.59 pm, 3rd May: Ministry of Civil Aviation pic.twitter.com/dJaOJfVMzJ

— ANI (@ANI) April 14, 2020

"All domestic and international scheduled airline operations shall remain suspended till 11.59 pm, 3rd May," the Ministry said. Earlier today in his address to the nation, Prime Minister Modi announced that the country will remain under lockdown till May 3 to contain COVID-19 cases. The 21-day lockdown, which was announced by the Prime Minister last month, was slated to end today.

Odisha, Punjab, Maharashtra, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry have already announced the extension of lockdown. India's total number of coronavirus positive cases has climbed to 10,363 including 8,988 active cases, 1,035 cured/discharged/migrated and 339 deaths, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said today.

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Google has introduced updates to its existing "Google Flights" service that will now let users book a hotel at their travel destination directly from Search. Earlier, the service helped users predict flight delays and find the cheapest fare by using machine learning capabilities.

According to Engadget, the company might introduce more integration to help users with the entire travel process.

According to Google, it also added improved price filtering, easier to find information on amenities, along with the new booking feature.

"There are some new interface features that help you check travel options on your mobile phone, too. Over the next few days, you'll see a 'Hotels' option to tap at the top of a 'Google Flight' search page," the report said.

If users want to search for hotels first, they could flip over to the 'Flights' tab as well to check prices and book air travel.

In addition, one could search by destination, then look up flights and hotels from there.

A simple tap on "More Destinations" at the top left of the search results and see more places to go.

"If you've booked travel via Google or have reservations in your Gmail, you'll be able to see it all in the new private 'Your Trips' section," the company said.

A user could also e-mail these details directly from "Your Trips". In case of offline access, the information would show up in the "Google Trips" app.

Australian flag carrier, Qantas on Tuesday extended international flight cancellations till the end of July, but said that it was in a strong position to endure disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The company said that domestic flights would be cancelled till the end of June and international services until the end of July, adding that domestic and trans-Tasman services could be quickly reinstated should restrictions ease in coming weeks, reports Xinhua news agency.

"Australia has done an amazing job of flattening the curve and we're optimistic that domestic travel will start returning earlier than first thought, but we clearly won't be back to pre-coronavirus levels anytime soon," Group CEO Alan Joyce said.

"With the possible exception of New Zealand, international travel demand could take years to return to what it was."

The company, which includes budget branch Jetstar, also revealed it had secured a further A$550 million ($354 million) in debt funding, placing it in a stronger position to endure the COVID-19 crisis.

According to Qantas, by reducing expenditure and borrowing against its fleet of aircraft, the company could survive several recovery scenarios, including one where current travel restrictions persisted until December 2021.

The reduction in expenditure is largely due to the standing down of more than 25,000 staff who were forced to use leave entitlements before receiving delayed financial assistance from the government.

"The impact of this stand down is deeply regrettable but has been greatly softened by the Australian Government's JobKeeper program, which the Group commenced paying several weeks ahead of the official payment start date," the airline said in a statement.

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The UK Conservative Party has agreed to consider reducing the rate of Air Passenger Duty for airports in Northern Ireland after agreeing a coalition government with the Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party party.

An environmental tax on air travel was introduced in Sweden on April 1, 2018.

The Irish Revenue has updated its guidance on Irish exit tax legislation to reflect changes introduced by Finance Act 2019.

When an elderly plane passenger fell ill mid-flight, a heroic doctor saved the man's life by sucking his urine out of his blocked bladder. When the

Female astronauts can be affected with the risk of blood clots associated with spaceflight. The study, published in Aerospace Medicine and Human Performance,

Space flight has found to have a consistent effect on the gut microbes. A new Northwestern University study discovered that spaceflight -- both aboard

All the passengers in the flights were provided of two masks, sanitiser, snacks box with two cheese sandwiches and a fruit cake slice along with water.

Thousands affected as many flights cancelled and airports closed because of coronavirus pandemic

Everything from what you wear to your posture plays a role in how impressions are formed

Oil and gas company in Texas given approval to use unmanned aircraft to inspect vital infrastructure

Airline’s operations at London’s second biggest airport face brunt of 12,000 job cuts

State-backed carrier starts cancelling flights as vital government funding is delayed

Australian carrier reviews operations and fleet due to coronavirus travel collapse

1. Domestic Flight Operations to Resume in India From This Date, Civil Aviation Ministry Reveals  India.com
2. Resuming Flight Operations Within A Week Will Be Fraught With Challenges. Here Is Why  Outlook India
3. Coronavirus lockdown | Domestic flight operations likely to resume by May 15: Hardeep Singh Puri  Moneycontrol
4. Keeping Middle-Seat Empty Not an Option for Any Airline, Margins Too Thin: Aviation Minister  News18
5. Preparing To Start Domestic Flight Operations Within A Week: Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Puri  Outlook India
6. View Full coverage on Google News

Prince William, Kate Middleton and their children took the 8.45am economy FlyBe flight from Norwich to Aberdeen this morning.

Prince William, Kate Middleton and their children flew back from Aberdeen to Norwich today, again choosing a budget airline.

The Ryder Cup winner, a Danish national, was arrested on July 29 after a flight from Nashville to London.

We examine what carbon offsetting organisations across the world say they do - and compare results from their 'carbon calculators', where you work out how much to pay to offset emissions.

William Hilton Paul, 19, (pictured) the son of Kentucky Senator Rand Paul was arrested last night at Charlotte Douglas International Airport and charged with disorderly conduct and being intoxicated and disruptive.

Gigi and Bella Hadid were spotted in high spirits and makeup free on Friday evening ahead of their flight from LA back home to NYC.

Amber Heard looked carefree and relaxed as she caught a plain at LAX airport near Los Angeles. The Aquaman actress cut a stylish figure in a minimalist black dress and boots.

The actor is said to have become enraged with his partner Ashley Moore, 33, after the pair downed free alcohol on a nine-hour flight from Vancouver to Heathrow over the weekend.

Brisbane couple Jacqui Becker and her fiancé, Scott Sutherland are due to wed on New Year's Day on the Fiji's Coral Coast after a year of planning the event.

BRIAN MAJORIBANKS: On a magical afternoon in Leith exactly 40 years ago, unfancied Aberdeen confounded the odds - and their critics - to break the spell cast over the land by the Glasgow giants.

Premier League clubs will hold urgent talks with their players this week amid major concerns from footballers over proposals to restart the season. 

Staff from New South Wales Health will help federal biosecurity staff to monitor travellers following an outbreak of a new strain of coronavirus which is believed to have spread from Wuhan.

Health officials are investigating if a person has caught the deadly new coronavirus in New South Wales.

A host of stars believe that top flight chiefs are determined to complete the current campaign in the summer and then rush into next season, according to The Sun.

A pilot onboard a plane flying from Bangkok to Novosibirsk in western Siberia died from a heart attack, transportation prosecutors said Friday.

Lyon president Jean Michel Aulas has confirmed that the Ligue 1 club plans to launch two legal fights after the season was ended early.

An Australian couple have called for airlines to manage food allergies better after they were escorted off a Qantas plane over a chicken dinner. 

EVE SIMMONS boarded the world's longest scheduled passenger flight this week with a host of electronic devices to measure the impact flying non-stop between New York and Singapore.

The Singapore-based budget carrier has launched its 'Silly Season Sale' to mark the start of 2020 with international flights from Australia from as little as $135

The girl and her parents were unaware she had the highly contagious virus when they arrived in Australia on Qantas flight 52 early on January 17.

Two hundred flights will leave for China, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates in the next six months under the deal as borders globally are shut to slow the spread of the virus.

Alice Rowland, 28, from Northampton, attempted to cancel her and 26-year-old partner Jefferson George’s flights to Dominica after her doctor advised her against travelling.

Ghyslain Wattrelos, who lost his wife and two children on the Malaysia Airlines flight, said the cargo was revealed in a new report. It could add evidence to the theory a stowaway hijacked the jet.

Travellers were boarding a Malaysia Airlines flight on New Year's Day from Kuala Lumpur to Auckland when their journey came to a sudden halt.

Flight MH145 from Kuala Lumpur to Auckland was cancelled about 8.45pm on New Year's Day after passengers sat in the plane on the tarmac for hours.