Author: AsiaOne

The statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Rajkot Fort in Maharashtra’s Sindhudurg district on the occasion of Navy Day.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the visionary leader of the Maratha empire, constructed several coastal and sea forts. The unveiling ceremony highlighted his significant contribution to India’s maritime history, with a special focus on the iconic Sindhudurg Fort. The prime minister paid homage to the legendary leader who is also known as the father of the Indian Navy.

PM Modi attended the Navy Day 2023 celebrations in Sindhudurg where the Indian Navy displayed its operational prowess and capabilities. An ‘Operational Demonstration’ covering a spectrum of naval operations by ships and aircraft was organized at the iconic Sindhudurg Fort on the western seaboard of India.

The event, hosted by Admiral R. Hari Kumar, Chief of the Naval Staff, was witnessed from the Tarkarli beach by senior Centre and State government officials, military dignitaries and the local populace. The event aimed to celebrate and glorify the nation’s rich maritime history and shed light on colonial practices.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the renaming of ranks in the Indian Navy during the Navy Day celebrations in the Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra. The decision reflects a commitment to honoring the legacy of the legendary Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, credited for building the country’s first modern Navy.

Addressing the celebration, PM Modi highlighted the transformative ideals of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, stating that India of today is moving forward abandoning the slavery mentality. The Prime Minister unveiled plans for the epaulettes worn by naval officers to prominently feature the heritage and legacy of Shivaji Maharaj, aligning them with the design of the naval ensign.

“Inspired by the ideals of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the epaulettes donned by our naval officers will now highlight the heritage and legacy of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj as the new epaulettes will be similar to the naval ensign,” PM Modi announced during the celebration.

Prime Minister Modi also took the opportunity to emphasize the empowerment of ‘nari shakti’ within the armed forces. He commended the Indian Navy for appointing its first woman commanding officer on a naval ship, marking a significant milestone in the country’s defense history.

PM Modi was also witness to an operational demonstration of the Indian Navy, in which ships, aircraft and submarines of the force took part, off the picturesque Tarkarli beach, highlighting the force’s prowess.

Saudi Arabia has introduced stricter regulations for issuing visas for the recruitment of domestic workers from abroad. The Musaned recruitment platform, designed to streamline the domestic labor market, has outlined key criteria for employers seeking to bring in overseas domestic help. Under the new regulations, the minimum age for an individual employer to secure a visa for domestic workers has been set at 24 years.

Under these rules, Saudi citizens, Gulf nationals, foreign wives of Saudi men, their mothers, and holders of Saudi premium residency permits can apply for visas to hire overseas domestic labor. However, the approval is contingent upon the financial capabilities of the employers. These rules were implemented to control the domestic labor market.

The Musaned platform plays a pivotal role in facilitating these transactions, offering a seamless process for wage transfers through digital platforms like STC Pay and Urpay apps. Notably, the platform provides additional services such as the transfer of a house worker’s service between employers, validation of domestic labor contracts, and resolution of disputes. Various categories of domestic workers, including housekeepers, drivers, housemaids, cleaners, cooks, guards, farmers, tailors, live-in nurses, tutors, and nannies, are covered under these regulations.

As the official recruitment channel for domestic labor in the country, Musaned aims to bring transparency and efficiency to the recruitment process, ensuring the rights of both employers and domestic workers.

The Indian Navy has appointed the first woman commanding officer in a naval ship in sync with its philosophy of ‘all roles-all ranks’ for female personnel, Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar said on Dec 1.

The appointed officer, a qualified navigation instructor with a background in training observers, has successfully completed all requisite qualification processes and exams. Admiral Kumar highlighted that she will undergo pre-commissioning training before assuming command of the ship.

Admiral Kumar also shared that the overall strength of women Agniveers has now crossed the 1,000-mark, adding that the Indian Navy’s first batch of Agniveers graduated from the premier-winning establishment, INS Chilka, in March this year.

“And importantly, this (first) batch of Agniveers includes 272 female Agniveer trainees as well…And going further, the second batch of Agniveers had a total of 454 women and I want to say that with the third batch, which has just been inducted, we have now crossed over 1000 women affiliates in the navy,” Admiral Kumar said.

Addressing a press conference ahead of Navy Day, Admiral Kumar said the Indian Navy’s ships, submarines, and aircraft have sustained a high operational tempo in the strategic waters in the last one year.

“Our ships, submarines, and aircraft have sustained a high operational tempo – undertaking missions and tasks encompassing military, diplomatic, constabulary and benign roles,” he said.

One of Virgin Atlantic’s Boeing 787s took off for the world’s first 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) flight from London’s Heathrow to New York’s John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport. This milestone comes as a pivotal moment in the airline’s commitment to environmental sustainability.

The fuel used to power the flight is mostly made from used cooking oil and waste animal fat mixed with a small amount of synthetic aromatic kerosene made from waste corn, Virgin Atlantic said. UK’s Transport Secretary travelled on the flight alongside Virgin Atlantic’s Chief Executive Shai Weiss and Virgin’s founder, Sir Richard Branson, making the carrier the first commercial airline to fly across the Atlantic without the use of any fossil-based jet fuel.

SAF is recognized as a key element in the aviation industry’s efforts to curb carbon emissions. However, the cost of SAF production stands at three to five times that of regular jet fuel, presenting a financial challenge for widespread adoption within the aviation sector.

Current regulations prohibit airlines from using a blend of more than 50% SAF on commercial flights, as engine manufacturers and aviation authorities work together to ensure that these new fuels are safe to use in higher concentrations. To execute the flight, a special permit was issued by the UK Civil Aviation Authority, which came after a series of technical reviews including ground tests with 100% SAF on the same type of engines used during the flight.

The industry hopes that the Virgin flight will highlight to governments the need for them to provide financial support to make SAF more readily available.

Hollywood stalwart Michael Douglas was honoured with the Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award at the closing ceremony of the 54th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa.

The prestigious accolade celebrated Douglas’s outstanding contributions to the world of filmmaking, marking a defining moment in the veteran actor and producer’s illustrious career. The Hollywood star also received a standing ovation from the audience.

“Cinema is one of the few mediums that has the power to unite and transform us. It transcends divisions, whether that be geography, race language and even time,” he said in his acceptance speech. Acknowledging the honour, the acclaimed actor praised Satyajit Ray as a world-class filmmaker. He took the opportunity to express his admiration for Indian cinema, highlighting iconic Hindi films such as ‘RRR,’ ‘Om Shanti Om,’ and ‘The Lunchbox’ as his personal favourites.

Michael Douglas is known for his works like ‘Falling Down,’, ‘The Game,’ ‘The American President’, ‘Fatal Attraction’, ‘Wall Street’, ‘The Ghost and the Darkness’ and ‘A Perfect Murder’ among others.