Mukesh Ambani is world's 9th richest person; Gautam Adani slips to 23rd

Mangaluru: Passengers of Mangaluru-bound Air India Express flight IX 814, which was scheduled to take off from Dubai at 2.25 am on Sunday, May 21, had a harrowing experience as the flight was delayed by around 10 hours. 

The airline officials cited technical reasons for the inordinate delay. However, the passengers complained that they were not informed about the delay in departure by the airline, which caused them much inconvenience.

A tweet posted by @pritham_1974 read: “Flight from mangalore Dxb IX 814 delayed by 9.30 hours, No SMS nor a call from Airlines. Airport staff informed passengers after one hour waiting for check in, Poor coordination from the airline staff at the airport .. not expected from TATA group #AirIndia #ratantata #dgca.”

A tweet from handle @Nenmeli said, “@ DrSJaishankar @PMOIndia Around 185 Airindia express IX814 passengers to IXE are stuck and suffering in DXB terminal 2 since last night due to flight delay. Now at 6.10AM at DXB, we don’t know when the flight will depart. Please do the needful urgently.”

In another tweet, @Nenmeli said that after more than 10 hours of delay, passengers were allowed to check in around 9.30 am on Sunday. “Also, the airlines arranged food for all of us,” the tweet said.

An AIE official at Mangaluru International Airport said that the flight was delayed in Dubai due to technical reasons and landed at MIA around 6.45pm.

Sources said that the major rehabilitation/recarpeting work under way at Mangaluru Airport runway 06/24, is another cause for the delay since flights cannot land here anytime between 9.30am to 6pm, except Sunday and national holidays. The works which started on January 27 will continue till the end of this month.

On Saturday, May 20, Air India Express flight IX 813, from Mangaluru to Dubai, was also delayed by four hours. An AIE official informed that the flight, that was scheduled to depart from Mangaluru at 11.05 pm on Saturday, took off for Dubai around 3.15am on Sunday.

Bengaluru, May 16: Amid intense lobbying for the Chief Minister's post in Karnataka, senior Congress leader G Parameshwara on Tuesday said he was ready to take up the responsibility if the party high command asked him to run the government. The former state Congress President said, the high command is aware of his service to the party, and he doesn't feel the need to lobby for the post. "If the high command decides and asks me to run the government, I'm ready to take up the responsibility," the former Deputy Chief Minister told reporters here.

"I have faith in the party high command. I have certain principles. I can also take about 50 legislators and do the shouting, but for me the discipline of the party is important. If people like us don't follow things, there won't be any discipline in the party. I have said that if the high command gives me the responsibility, I will take it up. I have not said I won't.", he said.

"They (high command) too are aware that I have worked for the party, served it for eight years (as KPCC President) and brought it to power (in 2013). Also I have served as the Deputy Chief Minister. They know everything, there is nothing for us to say afresh. So I feel there is no need for me to ask for the post or lobby for it, and I'm quiet. That doesn't mean i'm incapable, I'm capable and if given an opportunity will do the job," he added.

State Congress President D K Shivakumar and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah are locked in an intense power struggle over who will lead the government, after the Congress stormed to power by winning 135 seats in the May 10 elections to the 224-member Karnataka Assembly. Both the leaders are in Delhi to discuss with the party central leadership on the government formation and the next CM.

The three central observers of the Congress, who interacted with newly elected party MLAs on their choice for Chief Minister, briefed party chief M Mallikarjun Kharge and submitted their report on Monday. The Congress Legislature Party (CLP), which met at a hotel in Bengaluru on Sunday, had passed a unanimous resolution authorising Kharge to pick the next Chief Minister. Noting that the party had faced the elections under collective leadership, but Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah were at the front, as someone has to lead, Parameshwar said, the high command will decide on the next CM, and felt it won't be a difficult task. He said, the party has the responsibility to deliver to the people, with the huge mandate in hand. Parameshwara, a Dalit, was Deputy Chief Minister during Congress-JD(S) coalition government led by H D Kumaraswamy.

He was also the longest-serving KPCC chief (eight years) and has a PhD in plant physiology from the Waite Agriculture Research Centre of the University of Adelaide. Parameshwara, who represents Koratagere in Tumakuru district, had lost the 2013 assembly polls, when he was KPCC president. He was a contender for the chief minister's post then, but as he lost the elections, he was made an MLC and a minister in the Siddaramaiah government. 

Dubai-based billionaire businessman Micky Jagtiani, who founded retail giant Landmark Group, has passed away. The chairman and owner of the group was 70 years old.

With a net worth of $5.2 billion, he was ranked 511 on the Forbes' 37th annual world billionaires list earlier this year. 

Jagtiani was originally from India and started the business in 1973 with one store in Bahrain. He then expanded the business across the west Asia, Africa and India. According to Forbes, Jagtiani drove a taxi in London before moving to Bahrain and starting a baby products shop.

Currently, his wife Renuka runs the Landmark Group as chairman and chief executive officer (CEO).

His three children are directors in the group, overseeing different aspects of the business.

The Landmark Group also entered India in 1999 and has a range of retail brands like Lifestyle and Max for clothes and Home Center for furniture and home furnishings.

The Dubai-headquartered group also operates brands Babyshop, Centrepoint, Home Centre, Lifestyle, Splash, Shoemart and Emax.

"Today Dubai lost a man who was a key player in the retail and real estate industry. Micky Jagtiani the founder of land mark group has passed away," tweeted Emirati businessman Majid Saif Al Ghurair.