Restrictions on Rakine lifted

“In Rakhine, tourists are interested in Sittwe and Mrauk Oo. These places are no longer restricted sites. Currently, tourists are starting to visit Mogok. The tourists come from eastern and western countries,” noted Myint Tun Oo, deputy director of the Ministry of Hotel and Tourism. However, travelling to some remote place requires special permits. – Eleven Media/ANN

Make way, wagyu

Gleneagles resort in Scotland offers diners up to a half-dozen options of cattle breeds to choose from when selecting their steaks. The 850-acre Perthshire golf resort recently launched a “Breed Book” at its Mediterranean-style restaurant Deseo detailing the characteristics of four Scottish breeds – Aberdeen-Angus, Highland, Luing and Belted Galloway – and two Continental imports, Simmental and Limousin. Scottish wagyu occasionally makes the menu too. “We wanted to give guests the option to pick as they pick wine from a wine list,” noted Willie Jones, food and beverage services manager at Gleneagles. “We wanted staff to talk about meat with the same depth as they would a good Burgundy or Bordeaux or grand cru.” Visit www.gleneagles.com. – New York Times

Wide-bodied craft banned from Tribhuvan

The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) confirmed last week that it has asked all international airlines to find alternatives to their wide-body aircraft flying into the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) in Kathmandu, due to safety concerns over the use of its 46-year-old runway. It was not made clear how long the ban would be in place, but is expected to affect all major airlines using wide-body aircraft between September and November this year. The announcement was made after cracks started to appear on the TIA runway, which has caused a number of international flights to be delayed, diverted or cancelled in the past few weeks. – The Kathmandu Post/ANN

New plane for Iraqi Airways

Boeing has delivered a next-generation 737-800 to Iraqi Airways, the first of 30 aircraft that the airline ordered in 2008. With this delivery, Iraqi Airways currently has 39 Boeing aircraft on order, including 29 737-800s and 10 787 Dreamliners. The Next-Generation 737-800 will play a key role in helping the airline modernise its fleet and integrate with the regional and international commercial aviation system. One of the oldest airlines in the Middle East, Iraqi Airways operates domestic and regional services. Its main base is Baghdad International Airport.

Remembering Rama

The National Museum of New Delhi dusts off its rare Ramayana theme paintings for the exhibition “Rama-Katha – The story of Rama through Indian Miniatures”. The show, features 101 masterpieces of the Ramayana theme paintings, invites visitors to learn about the different styles of Indian miniature painting, reflecting the interpretation of the same theme across stylistic genres. The exhibition is scheduled to travel to Belgium in November.

New flights to Makassar

SilkAir, the regional wing of Singapore Airlines, introduces its first flight to Makassar, the provincial capital of South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Flight MI 142 departs Singapore Changi Airport at 8.05am and is scheduled to arrive in Makassar at 11.15pm. The return flight, MI 141, takes off at 12.45pm and is expected to reach Singapore at 3.40pm. SilkAir will operate three times a week, departing Singapore on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The services will be operated with Airbus A319 and A320 aircraft, featuring both Business and Economy Class cabins.

Restrictions on Rakine lifted