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As many as 400 million Hindu pilgrims are expected to visit Prayagraj, India, during this year’s 45-day Maha Kumbh Mela festival. Held every 12 years at one of four places in India, the Kumbh Mela is considered to be an especially auspicious time to bathe in the Triveni Sangam—the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna, and mythical Saraswati rivers—for purification from sin.

BRUSSELS: The European Union will ban all 51 Indonesian airlines including national carrier Garuda from its airspace on safety grounds, officials said on Thursday. The ban, proposed by EU experts this week and due to take effect on July 6, follows a series of air crashes in Indonesia and reports of deteriorating safety standards since deregulation of the country's aviation sector in the late 1990s. No Indonesian carriers fly to the EU, but the ban is set to harm the sprawling archipelago's tourist industry, as Europeans will be warned not to use Indonesian airlines on transit routes, such as between...

Jet sabotage 'possible': PM March 8, 2007 - 10:21AM Do you know anyone who survived the crash? Message theage.com.au at 0403 THE AGE (0403 843 243) or email scoop@theage.com.au. Foul play cannot be ruled out of the Yogyakarta air crash that killed at least 22 people including, it is feared, five Australians, says Prime Minister John Howard. "There is no evidence that I am aware of suggesting it was sabotage or a terrorist attack, but it's impossible for me to rule out anything," Mr Howard told ABC radio this morning. Among the missing is Jakarta-based Australian Federal Police officer Brice...

JAKARTA, Indonesia — A commercial jetliner caught fire as it landed at an airport on Indonesia's Java island on Wednesday, an airline official said. Operations director of national carrier Garuda Capt. Ari Sapari said authorities were trying to rescue passengers onboard the Boeing 737-400. Media reports said more than 100 people were believed to have been on the plane. "It caught alight when it landed," he said giving no more details. The incident happened at Jogyakarta airport in central Java, Sapari said. Witness Hariman Siregar said the plane was completely gutted. One passenger who survived told local TV station RCTI...

In the deal, Garuda will buy 10 Boeing 787-Dreamliners, instead of six Boeing 777s as in previous contracts, and 18 Boeing 737-New Generations to replace older types of Boeing 737s agreed to before, Alex said.