News
Delhi coronavirus fears mount as hospital beds run out
Ashwani Jain succumbed to the coronavirus in an ambulance as his family pleaded with several hospitals to take him in, the latest victim of the pandemic sweeping through the Indian capital and exposing a deadly shortage of hospital beds.
“They don’t care whether we live or die,” said his 20-year-old daughter Kashish, whose uncle, Abhishek, sat with Ashwani in the back of the vehicle on its desperate journey across Delhi.
“It won’t matter to them but I have lost my father, he was the world to me,” she said, tears welling up as she showed a photo of him.
All of the hospitals the 45-year-old businessman’s family tried refused to admit Ashwani, even though an app set up by the city government indicated Covid-19 beds were free, Abhishek told AFP.
With surging infections highlighting the precarious state of the Indian healthcare system, the death of Jain and others like him have heightened anxiety in Delhi over the growing threat.

More than 1,200 have died from the virus in the Indian capital and more than 1,000 new cases are being reported each day.
Mortuaries are overflowing with bodies and cemeteries and crematorium staff say they cannot keep up with the backlog of victims. Some local Delhi councils say the real death toll is twice the number given by the regional government.
Indian media has been full of tragic stories of people dying after being turned away by hospitals.
One pregnant woman died as she was being shuttled between hospitals. A 78-year-old man petitioned the Delhi High Court for a ventilator bed but died before the matter could be taken up.
India has now recorded more than 300,000 coronavirus cases with nearly 9,000 fatalities.
High price for rare beds
Several families have used social media to recount their harrowing experiences after being refused hospital beds.
Jain’s family had joined a noisy, nationwide tribute to health workers, banging pots and pans from rooftops and balconies after a nationwide lockdown started in March. Now they feel abandoned.
“The government is doing nothing. They are just playing with our feelings,” Kashish said.

Jain’s devastated relatives are now waiting to get tested themselves but the Delhi government allows that for only high-risk and symptomatic family members.
The city government has estimated that it could need 80,000 beds by the end of July, and warned hotels and wedding venues that they are likely to be turned into hospitals.
Currently government hospitals have 8,505 designated pandemic beds while private hospitals have 1,441.
But families say they are being forced to spend a small fortune for the few beds that are available.
Suman Gulati, whose father is a coronavirus patient, said she was asked for one million rupees ($13,200) by a private hospital for a bed.
“Once I paid the money getting a bed was not a problem. But arranging such a huge amount of money at such a critical time was,” she told AFP.
“What if I fall sick next, what will I do? Should I sell my property, my jewellery?”
A sting operation by the Mirror Now TV channel showed five Delhi hospitals asking coronavirus patients to pay up to $5,250 in order to be admitted.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has accused private hospitals of lying about available beds and promised tough action if they were found extorting money.
On Sunday, Home Minister Amit Shah said 500 of some 20,000 train coaches reserved as coronavirus wards would be “immediately” allocated to the state by the national government, adding some 8,000 beds.
Experts are questioning the city’s handling of the pandemic however.
Virologist Shahid Jameel said Delhi, like other major cities, has not tested enough people. So far, it has covered just one percent of its population.
“At the moment Delhi government is doing everything to make people panic,” he told AFP.
“It should be testing aggressively. I don’t understand the logic of testing only people who are symptomatic. How will you find how much the infection has spread in the community if you don’t test them?”
Shah said after a meeting with the Delhi government Sunday that testing for the virus would be stepped up.
Reporting and photos: AFP
Cooking
Chef Giorgio Servetto brings Michelin-starred dining to Atmosphere Core’s underwater restaurants
A rare culinary moment will unfold in the Maldives as double MICHELIN-Starred Chef Giorgio Servetto brings his distinctive approach to creative, environmentally grounded dining beneath the surface of the Indian Ocean, in an exclusive underwater collaboration with Atmosphere Core.
Chef Giorgio Servetto will introduce a Garden-to-Sea Immersion concept rooted in circular cuisine and zero-waste precision. He will take over two of the region’s most celebrated underwater restaurants, for exclusive lunch and dinner experiences: Only BLU at OBLU SELECT Lobigili from 7th to 9th May 2026, followed by M6m (Minus Six Metres) at OZEN LIFE MAADHOO from 12th to 14th May 2026. The culinary extravaganza will also include a signature Crab Dinner Experience at the HUDHU BAY, also at OZEN LIFE MAADHOO.

Presented as a five-course menu at both Only BLU and M6m, each dish will trace Chef Servetto’s culinary journey, translating his philosophy into refined and sophisticated expressions. Developed in partnership with Atmosphere Core culinary team, the menus will prioritise island-grown produce. Hydroponic greens cultivated on Maadhoo Island, fresh vegetables sourced from local farms, and sustainable catch from the Indian Ocean will reinforce a transparent and measurable commitment to environmental accountability.
“Creativity begins with listening—to the land, the sea, and what they give you,” says Chef Giorgio Servetto. “My cuisine is about simplifying. When you respect ingredients fully, every element finds its purpose and flavour becomes clearer. You are a guest in nature’s elegant dining room. It is especially exciting to bring this experience to the Maldives for the first time with Atmosphere Core, where serving food in this underwater realm makes the journey feel even more special.”
Born and professionally shaped in Liguria, Italy, Chef Giorgio Servetto is known for an approach to cooking that is both disciplined and deeply curious. He is a great wine enthusiast and a dynamic presence in the kitchen, driven by an openness to learning, cultural exchange, and continuous research. This passionate pursuit of excellence has earned him rare distinction: he remains the only chef in Liguria to hold both a MICHELIN Red Star and a MICHELIN Green Star, and the only one to be awarded Red Stars at two different restaurants.
Bringing together MICHELIN-level gastronomy and tangible island sustainability leadership, this collaboration extends beyond a single culinary moment. It reflects Atmosphere Core’s broader commitment to embedding conscious dining principles across its portfolio.

Anupam Banerjee, Vice President Food & Beverage, Atmosphere Core, expands, “This kind of culinary experience feels very natural to us. We are focused on bringing conscious dining into everything we do. Our approach to circular cuisine comes from working closely with what’s grown on our islands and what the sea provides responsibly. Collaborating with Chef Servetto has been inspiring. His way of thinking aligns instinctively with ours, and together we’ve designed something enriching, grounded and memorable, a new experience that our guests can genuinely enjoy and take with them.”
The venues themselves complete the immersion. One of the Maldives’ largest under ocean restaurants, Only BLU offers a cobalt-washed dining room framed by drifting marine life, while M6M delivers a sophisticated, limited-seat experience six metres below the surface, where ocean panoramas replace traditional décor. In both settings, dining becomes a sensory experience, focused and deliberately unhurried.
Easily accessible from Velana International Airport, OBLU SELECT Lobigili and OZEN LIFE MAADHOO offer seamless entry points for travellers seeking meaningful travel. Whether for a fleeting escape or an extended stay, the collaboration positions Atmosphere Core at the forefront of a new gastronomic language where creativity, sustainability and sense of place are inseparable.
In an age where luxury dining is being redefined, this underwater takeover makes a compelling statement, the future of fine dining isn’t louder, it’s deeper.
News
InterContinental Maldives celebrates Women’s Day through creative expression
As travellers increasingly seek experiences that go beyond indulgence, blending creativity with personal enrichment, InterContinental Maldives Maamunagau Resort presents a distinctive celebration of International Women’s Day, where art becomes a form of empowerment.
On 8 March 2026, the resort unveils Ocean Muse: A Women’s Day Atelier, an intimate, atelier-style jewellery art workshop designed exclusively for women. Led by the resort’s Resident Artist, Anastasia Medvedeva, this immersive experience invites participants to design their own 925 silver jewellery piece, incorporating authentic Maldivian sand, delicate shells, and ocean-toned pigments, a wearable reflection of island beauty and personal expression.
Set within The Collective’s Art Studio, the experience elevates Women’s Day beyond celebration, offering a rare opportunity for creative ownership. Each piece is handcrafted in collaboration with a jewellery couturier, transforming raw island elements into a timeless keepsake shaped by the hands and story of its creator.
Complementing the atelier is a thoughtfully curated selection of wellness rituals at AVI Spa, including a Ladies’ Glow Facial Experience and a woman-only Sound Healing Session, gentle offerings designed to restore radiance and emotional balance.
Together, these experiences reflect a growing global movement toward artful travel, where creativity, mindfulness, and meaningful connection define luxury.
At InterContinental Maldives, International Women’s Day becomes not only a celebration of strength, but an invitation to create, to pause, and to honour one’s own evolving narrative.
Family
Royal Island introduces Easter escape with up to 25% savings
For travellers who prefer Easter with a softer pace and a more intimate sense of place, Royal Island offers a boutique island retreat in Baa Atoll, part of the Maldives’ UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Available under Villa Resorts’ Easter Offer, guests can enjoy up to 25% savings when booking direct, with an Easter Escape that also includes exclusive direct booking benefits and 50% off domestic flight transfers for Royal Island.
Royal Island’s charm is in how quickly it helps you ease into island life. It’s not a resort built around a busy schedule, but one that encourages the simple rituals that make a holiday feel restorative: slow mornings by the lagoon, barefoot afternoons that drift from beach to shade, and evenings that arrive gently with the sound of the ocean. The boutique scale keeps everything feeling personal, warm, and unforced.
Accommodation reflects that same sense of calm. The resort’s Beach Pool Villas bring privacy and space into the holiday, with indoor-outdoor living and your own pool just steps from the shoreline, ideal for couples seeking quiet togetherness or families wanting comfort without feeling far from the sea.
Easter at Royal Island can be made especially memorable through private dining, with intimate set-ups that feel true to the island’s character, simple, beautiful, and focused on the people you are sharing the moment with. Families are also well catered for, with younger guests enjoying their own island adventures at Starfish Kids Club, giving parents time to unwind while children stay happily engaged.
With its boutique feel, biosphere setting, and island-first rhythm, Royal Island is an invitation to celebrate Easter in the Maldives in a way that feels gentler, more personal, and genuinely unhurried.
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