Author: AsiaOne

In a significant move to foster international tourism, Malaysia has officially lifted entry visa requirements for citizens of India and China. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim made the groundbreaking announcement during his closing speech at the annual congress of the People’s Justice Party in Putrajaya on November 26.

Starting from December 1, travellers from India and China can enjoy a 30-day visa exemption, a significant policy change in Malaysia’s approach to global tourism. While the visa requirement has been removed, the Malaysian government emphasizes that the issuance of visas will still be contingent upon security screening. This strategic move recognises the importance of Chinese and Indian tourists, who rank as Malaysia’s fourth and fifth-largest sources of tourist arrivals, respectively.

Between January and June of this year, Malaysia recorded 9.16 million tourist arrivals, with India contributing 283,885 during the same period. This policy shift solidifies Malaysia’s position as a welcoming destination, ready to embrace a diverse array of international visitors.

A bottle of The Macallan 1926 has set the record for the world’s most expensive whisky, having been sold at an auction in London for $2.7 million on November 18. One of the world’s most sought-after bottles of Scotch whisky was auctioned at a record-setting amount at Sotheby’s.

The rare 1926 Macallan single-malt whisky featured the label designed by Italian painter Valerio Adami. The bottle was initially expected to fetch between $934,275 and $1.49 million but ended up selling for more than double its estimated price. The sale set a new record for any bottle of spirit or wine sold at auction, according to a statement from Sotheby’s.

This is not the first time that a Macallan 1926 bottle has fetched a record-breaking amount at an auction. In 2019, another Macallan 1926 bottle went under the hammer for $1.86 million, setting the previous record for the most expensive bottle ever sold.

The whisky is said to have spent around six decades maturing in dark oak sherry casks before becoming one of just 40 bottles bottled in 1986. However, not all the bottles were for sale, as some were offered to The Macallan’s top clients.

Troops of Indian Armed Forces and Australian forces began their joint military exercise AustraHind on November 22 at Perth in Australia. The Indian contingent of 81 personnel, including 60 from the Indian Army, 20 from Indian Air Force and 1 from Indian Navy reached Perth on November 22. The 14-day joint military exercise aims to foster collaborative partnership and share best practices between the two sides.

The Australian contingent includes 20 personnel each from the Royal Australian Navy and Royal Australian Air Force.

The AustraHind exercise was inaugurated in 2022, with its first edition held in Mahajan, Rajasthan. It is planned as an annual training event to be conducted alternately in India and Australia.

It aims to promote interoperability while undertaking multi-domain operations in urban and semi-urban terrains under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter on peacekeeping operations. The joint exercise will facilitate the exchange of ideas and the joint rehearsal of tactics, techniques, and procedures for conducting tactical operations.

AustraHind’s training curriculum includes sniper firing and the joint operation of surveillance and communication equipment to achieve a high degree of situational awareness. In addition to tactical actions at the company or battalion level, the exercise also involves the rehearsal of casualty management and evacuation procedures.

Amazon India and Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) have signed an agreement to allow the e-commerce company to use inland waterways for transporting customer packages. The company will work together with IWAI to build a network of inland waterways for cargo shipment. Amazon plans to launch a pilot route between Patna and Kolkata.

In a statement, Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, which runs IWAI, said that the focus of the government is on increasing cargo movement through river systems, which is a more sustainable and economical mode of transport.

Amazon India called this initiative a reinforcement of its commitment to building capacity to meet the increasing customer demand. “The aim is to also collaborate with government authorities to explore mutually beneficial projects for the e-commerce industry,” it said.

Inland waterways transport would ensure quicker, sustainable and more reliable delivery of customer packages and widen the reach of sellers, said the e-commerce company. It seeks to harness the potential of the country’s rivers, canals, and other water bodies to enhance logistics and transportation efficiency for the Indian e-commerce industry at large.

A hat belonging to Napoleon Bonaparte sold for 1.932 million euros ($2.1 million) at French auction house Osenat in Fontainebleau, Paris on November 19.

The black felt bicorn is one of some 20 hats said to still exist of Napoleon’s two-cornered military dress hats that he wore as part of his everyday uniform when he was French emperor. It is in his trademark colours — black, with the French flag’s colours blue-white-red as insignia — and attracted interest from collectors “the world over”, said Osenat, declining to give the identity or nationality of the eventual buyer.

The final price for the hat was more than double the estimate of 600,000 to 800,000 euros, and about four times the reserve price. It broke the previous record for a Napoleonic hat, held by Osenat, of 1.884 million euros in 2014 shelled out by a South Korean businessman.

The hat was last owned by businessman Jean-Louis Noisiez, who died last year.

Other Napoleon memorabilia from the Noisiez collection were also auctioned, including a Legion of Honour medal and a pair of silver spurs. Napoleon is believed to have owned around 120 such hats in total over 15 years, most of which are now lost.