Category: Life & Style

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.

Singapore and Zurich surpassed New York to become the world’s most expensive cities to live in this year, according to the latest report from the Economist Intelligence Unit. This marks the ninth time in the last 11 years that Singapore has claimed the top spot, while Zurich has made a remarkable leap from sixth place last year to jointly hold the first position.

The sky-high cost of car ownership, pricey alcohol and rising grocery prices saw Singapore pull ahead of the US city, with which it shared the top spot last year. Zurich’s ascent can be attributed to the strength of the Swiss franc and elevated costs in categories such as groceries, household goods, and recreation.

Despite tying with Singapore for the first position last year, New York slipped to third place this year, sharing the spot with Geneva. The study indicates a 1.9% increase in prices in the popular U.S. destination. The Economist Intelligence Unit highlighted that many cities globally are grappling with rising prices due to high inflation, with a 7.4% year-on-year increase in local currency terms for more than 200 commonly used goods and services. Although this figure is slightly lower than the previous year, it remains higher than the trend observed from 2017 to 2021.

Asia experiences relatively lower inflation, explaining why only two Asian cities secured positions in the top 10. Hong Kong, the only other Asian destination in the top 10, was fifth, while Los Angeles was at No. 6.

Paris claimed the seventh spot, Tel Aviv and Copenhagen tied for eighth, and San Francisco rounded out the top 10. Notably, the survey was conducted before the October outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict.

In a remarkable feat, Norse Atlantic Airways has achieved the historic landing of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, named Everglades, on Antarctica’s Blue Ice Runway.

The Boeing 787 launched on a ‘blue ice runway,’ measuring 3,000 meters (9840 feet) in length and 60 meters (100 feet) in width, sculpted from the snow and ice.

Conducted by Norse Atlantic Airways, the flight, named Everglades, successfully landed at the Troll Airfield in Antarctica on Nov 15. This is the first time a Dreamliner, a widebody aircraft which can carry up to 330 passengers, has made it to the sixth continent.

Flight No787 did not follow a regular passenger route, carrying a crew of 45 individuals, including scientists from the Norwegian Polar Institute. The contracted flight destined for the Troll research station in Queen Maud Land, Antarctica, also carried 12 tonnes of equipment for the research stations at the destination base.

Departing from Oslo on November 13, with a layover in Cape Town, the flight then headed southwards to Antarctica, concluding with the celebrated landing on Wednesday, November 15. This historic achievement also marks the Boeing 787’s successful operation of flights to every continent globally. The aircraft made it to Antarctica and back to Cape Town without refuelling.

In response to this achievement, Norse Atlantic Airways expressed their excitement on social media, stating, “A historic moment for Norse! The first ever @BoeingAirplanes B787 Dreamliner to land in Antarctica! We are incredibly honoured to be a part of this piece of history, marking a very special milestone for Norse.”

Elon Musk’s electric car giant, Tesla’s most affordable model will make its global debut in Germany. As per a report, the same electric car will also be launched in India subsequently, marking the nation as the first non-European destination for this highly anticipated 2-door model.

The Model Y, built on the Model 3 sedan platform, is a battery-electric mid-size crossover SUV manufactured by Tesla Inc. since 2020. Positioned as a more compact and economically accessible alternative to the mid-sized Model X, the Model Y also provides an optional seven-passenger seating capacity with the inclusion of third-row seats.

Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal had earlier disclosed that Tesla is planning to double the number of components it imports from India. In September, Mr. Goyal stated that Tesla aimed to source components worth between $1.7 billion and $1.9 billion from India in 2023, as the firm bought $1 billion of components in 2022.

Simultaneously, India is on the brink of finalising a deal with Tesla that would enable the American automaker to import its vehicles into the country starting next year. The company would also establish a manufacturing plant within two years. Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, after visiting one of Tesla’s facilities, expressed his pride in India’s growing significance in the Tesla EV supply chain. He posted on social media, “Proud to see the growing importance of Auto component suppliers from India in the Tesla EV supply chain. It is on its way to double its components imports from India.”

State Bank of India is set to launch its Yono Global application in Singapore and the US to offer digital remittance and other services to its customers. Vidya Krishnan, Deputy Managing Director of SBI, announced at the three-day Singapore Fintech Festival (SFF), “We are continuing to invest in Yono Global to offer the best services available as we want to give a superior experience to our customers.”

Krishnan engaged in discussions with Singapore-based digital platform enablers as well as the local regulator and central bank, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). Acknowledging the significance of Yono’s potential impact on Singapore, she said, “We are constantly working on the remittance story between India and Singapore, given the large number of Indian diaspora in the city-state.”

Currently, SBI offers Yono Global services in nine countries, commencing with UK operations in September 2019. SBI’s foreign operations have a total balance sheet size of USD 78 billion, positioning itself to offer cutting-edge digital financial solutions globally.

In Singapore, SBI is actively integrating the Yono Global app with PayNow and plans to launch the integrated service soon. This aligns with SBI’s dedication to staying at the forefront of technological advancements in the financial sector. Lately, the Indian banking ecosystem has been actively participating in global transaction processes. In September, it announced the integration of the unified payments interface (UPI) with its digital rupee (e₹), or Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) app to enhance user convenience.