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www.newsindiatimes.com – that’s all you need to know (January 3, 2025 - January 9, 2025) January 9, 2025 10 News India Times India Indian KFC, Pizza Hut Operator Devyani Rises On $934 Million Sapphire Merger I ndia’s KFC, Pizza Hut operator Devyani International jumped as much as 8.3% on Friday after announc- ing the long-anticipated $934 million merger with smaller peer Sapphire Foods, creating a fast-food major poised to challenge market leader Jubilant Foodworks. The combined entity will operate more than 3,000 KFC and Pizza Hut outlets, franchises of Yum Brands, in India and overseas, going up against the Domino’s Pizza opera- tor Jubilant’s 3,480 outlets in the country. Devyani’s stock was last trading 2.8% higher at 151.39 rupees. The merger was a “welcome strategic move”, said analysts at JP Morgan, as it meant a simplified structure, potential for meaningful cost savings and quicker deci- sion making, helping Devyani compete more effectively with peers and food delivery platforms. The merger comes as India’s fast-food franchisees contend with higher operating costs, slowing same-store sales and margin pressures, while consumers trim dis- cretionary spending. Both Devyani and Sapphire logged losses in the September 2025 quarter. The combined business could deliver revenue and op- erating profit 50%–60% above current levels, with a scale and growth trajectory approaching Jubilant’s, though margins are expected to remain comparatively weaker for now, added Emkay Global. Devyani will issue 177 shares for every 100 Sapphire shares under the deal. Sapphire Foods slipped about 3% to 254.25 rupees, while Jubilant’s shares were trading 0.2% lower at 552.20 rupees. The merger ratio is very close to where the stock prices closed on January 1 and so there is no major price adjust- ment that can arise out of this deal, said Jefferies analysts. -Reuters PHOTO:REUTERS/SHAILESH ANDRADE/FILE PHOTO A Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) restaurant is pictured at a market in Mumbai, India, October 7, 2015. Aggressive expansion by foreign rivals is eating into sales at Yum Brands Inc in India, and there is little letup in sight for its KFC and Pizza Hut restaurants that are struggling to keep pace. Canada Asks Air India To Probe Incident Of Pilot Removed From Plane Under Influence Of Alcohol, Source Says C anada’s transport regulator has asked Air India to investigate an incident of a pilot who was removed from a plane before it was due to take off and found to be under the influence of alcohol, a person famil- iar with the matter said. Two breathalyser tests conducted by Canadian police at Vancouver International Airport showed the pilot was unfit for duty, the person said on Friday. The incident was labelled as a “serious matter” by Transport Canada in a letter to Air India and authorities are likely to pursue enforcement ac- tion, the person added. The person requested anonymity as they were not au- thorised to speak to the media. Transport Canada did not respond to an emailed request for comment outside regular working hours. In a statement, Air India said the flight fromVancouver to Delhi on December 23 experienced a last-minute delay due to the incident, adding that an alternate pilot was brought in to operate the flight. The airline said Canadian authorities raised concerns about the pilot’s fitness for duty but did not provide details. “The pilot has been taken off flying duties during the pro- cess of enquiry. Air India maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards any violation of applicable rules and regulations,” Air India said. “Pending the outcome of the investigation, any confirmed violation will attract strict disciplinary action in line with company policy.” The aircraft was a Boeing 777, a model that can seat up to 344 passengers, according to the websites of Flightradar24 and Air India. The letter fromTransport Canada official Ajit Oommen has asked Air India to provide its findings and details of steps taken to prevent future occurrences by January 26, the person familiar with the matter said. Air India has been under intense scrutiny since the June 12 crash of a Boeing Dreamliner killed 260 people. India’s aviation regulator has flagged multiple safety lapses at the airline, which was previously owned by the government until 2022. Pilots at Air India, owned by Tata Group and Singapore Airlines, have also come under scrutiny. This week, India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) sent warn- ing notices to four Air India pilots, flagging “serious safety concerns” related to regulatory compliance and flight crew decision-making. The DGCA said the pilots accepted an aircraft for opera- tion last year despite prior knowledge of “repeated snags” and “existing systems degradations,” according to warning notices dated December 29 seen by Reuters. The aircraft is a Boeing 787 used for long-haul flights, according to Flightra- dar24. Earlier this year, the DGCA proposed tightened rules on alcohol testing for crew members, including one that would have a pilot lose their license permanently after three posi- tive tests. Current rules require post-flight breath-analyzer examinations for each trip to be carried out at the first port of landing in India. Canadian rules state that a pilot cannot operate an air- craft within 12 hours of consuming an alcoholic beverage. -Reuters By Abhijith Ganapavaram An Air India Airbus A321 aircraft takes off at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, India, June 17, 2025. PHOTO:REUTERS/AMIT DAVE Contaminated Water Kills 9 And Hospitalises 200 In India’s Indore City A t least nine people have died and more than 200 have been hospitalised in the central Indian city of Indore after a diarrhoea outbreak that officials said was linked to contaminated drinking water, according to a lawmaker and local health authorities. Kailash Vijayvargiya, a lawmaker, said nine people had died in Indore. Indore’s chief medical officer, Madhav Prasad Hasani, told Reuters by phone that drinking water in the Bhagirathpur area of the city was contaminated due to a leak, and a wa- ter test had confirmed the presence of bacteria in the pipeline. “I cannot say anything on the death toll but yes over 200 people from the same locality are undergoing treatment at different hospitals of the city. The final report of the water sample collected from the affected area is awaited,” Hasani said. Shravan Verma, the district administrative officer, said authorities had deployed teams of doctors for door-to-door screening and were distributing chlorine tablets to help purify water. “We have found one leakage point that could have contaminated the water and that point has been fixed,” Verma said, adding that of- ficials had screened 8,571 people and identified 338 with mild symptoms. Indore, in Madhya Pradesh state, has been named India’s cleanest city and has topped the national cleanliness rankings for the past eight years. -Reuters By Saurabh Sharma