Sanaa, April 10: The death toll from fresh US airstrikes on Yemen’s capital Sanaa rose to three, with several others wounded, medics and health authorities told Xinhua.

The airstrikes targeted the Al-Nahdayn area which is surrounded by densely residential neighbourhoods on Wednesday late night.

Shrapnel hit many houses and shattered windows, causing damage and killing three residents. Several wounded civilians have been rushed to hospital.

This was the latest wave of US airstrikes on northern Yemen since the US military resumed airstrikes on the Houthi group on March 15 to deter the group from targeting Israel and US warships in the northern Red Sea.

The airstrikes also targeted several locations across other northern areas late on Wednesday, including the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah and the Island of Kamaran, where no casualties have been reported so far.

The US military has yet to comment, Xinhua news agency reported.

Earlier on April 9, Yemen’s Houthis said that they had shot down another US MQ-9 drone, the 18th since the start of the war in Gaza, the military group said.

“Our air defences shot down a US MQ-9 drone in the airspace of Al-Jawf province, using a locally manufactured surface-to-air missile,” the group’s spokesperson, Yahya Sarea, said in a televised statement aired by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.

“This is the 18th US drone shot down by our air defences since October 2023,” Sarea said, referring to the timeframe when his group began launching attacks against Israeli targets to show solidarity with Palestinians a few days after the outbreak of war in Gaza on October 7, 2023.

The last MQ-9 was reportedly shot down by the Houthi forces on Thursday over the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah.

This type of drone has become well-known to Yemenis because it has been hovering overhead across northern Yemeni provinces almost daily since October 2023.

The Houthis, who control much of northern Yemen, have been launching regular rocket and drone attacks against Israel and disrupting “Israeli-linked” shipping in the Red Sea since November 2023 to show solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip amid their conflict with Israelis.

New Delhi, April 10: India’s biggest airline, IndiGo, overtook US-based Delta Airlines to become the world’s most valuable airline with a market capitalisation of $23.24 billion for a brief period, according to Bloomberg data.

IndiGo’s share price soared to a peak of Rs 5,265 during the day on Wednesday, taking the airline’s market cap past Delta’s $23.18 billion. The lead was short-lived, and by market close, IndiGo’s valuation slipped to $23.16 billion to end up in the second spot, a wee bit below Delta’s.

On Thursday morning, IndiGo shares were trading at Rs 5149.9 on National Stock Exchange. Shares of IndiGo have gained around 13 per cent so far this year, even as the broader Indian market suffered a slump due to external uncertainties.

IndiGo is currently the market leader in India with a 62 per cent share of the market pie.

IndiGo Airlines has also emerged as the world’s second fastest growing airline in terms of seat capacity, which increased by 10.1 per cent year-on-year to over 134.9 million seats in 2024. India’s largest airline has been ranked next only to Qatar Airways, which clocked a 10.4 per cent growth in seat capacity over the previous year, according to the latest data from Official Airline Guide (OAG).

IndiGo has also been ranked as the fastest-growing airline in the world in terms of flight frequency growth at 9.7 per cent year-on-year in 2024. The airline recorded a flight frequency of 749,156 for the year, the figures show.

OAG has also recorded that IndiGo holds one of the world’s largest aircraft orders, with over 900 aircraft on order, and was the largest recipient of 58 new Airbus aircraft during 2024. However, it also states that the airline does have a large proportion (approx. 80 aircraft) inactive with MRO-related supply chain issues.

While 88 per cent of IndiGo’s capacity is allocated to domestic markets, international growth is a key part of the airline’s strategy, with expansion during 2024 focused on regional Middle East markets and Thailand.

Long-term ambition for IndiGo includes the development of long-haul low-cost services – the airline is apparently considering bringing forward launch plans with wet lease aircraft identified for 2025.

IndiGo reported a net profit of Rs 2,449 crore in the Oct-Dec quarter of the current financial year ending on March 31, 2025. This represented an 18 per cent decline over the corresponding figure for the previous financial year. However, the airline’s revenue from operations increased 14 per cent to Rs 22,111 crore during the quarter.

IndiGo’s total income for the quarter was Rs 22,992.8 crore, which was a 14.6 per cent increase from the same period in the previous year.

The airline’s total expenses for the quarter were Rs 20,465.7 crore, which was a 19.9 per cent increase from the previous year.

The airline’s Earnings Before Interest, Tax, Depreciation and Amortisation (EBITDA) rose 0.7 per cent year-on-year to Rs 5,178.6 crore.

IndiGo’s load factor for the quarter stood at 86.9 per cent, which was higher than the 85.8 per cent in the same period in the previous year.

Mumbai: BJP leader Kirit Somaiya has once again spread venom by demanding the removal of illegal mosque and loudspeakers in Govindi Shivaji Nagar. He has demanded action against illegal mosques within the limits of Govindi Shivaji Nagar and directed the police to take action against the loudspeakers and said that if action is not taken against the illegal mosque and loudspeakers within 48 hours, the BJP will protest.

Apart from this, the BJP has also demanded action and arrest against Yusuf Ansari, who threatened Kirit Somaiya on social media, and said that the police should arrest Yusuf Ansari immediately. Kirit Somaiya has termed the illegal mosque as land jihad and said that she is not afraid of goons like Yusuf Ansari, but will intensify her protest. Kirit Somaiya has also demanded action against illegal Bangladeshis in Govindi Shivaji Nagar. This mischief of Kirit Somaiya has created a stir in the area. In view of Kirit Somaiya’s visit, the police had made strict security arrangements.