The Goal Zero Consortium has launched Singapore’s first fully electric cargo vessel, the Hydromover. The lightweight, 18.5m vessel is equipped with swappable batteries, allowing it to transport up to 25 tonnes of cargo. The all-electric vessel has zero emissions and targets to achieve up to 50% operational cost savings due to improved energy efficiency and lower maintenance costs. Its battery, when depleted, can be swapped within minutes to minimize operational downtime. Singapore has played a pivotal role in advertising sustainable shipping practices, contributing $9 million in fundi
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 s
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
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
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 transpor
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
Dubai International Airport is poised to surpass its pre-pandemic passenger records from 2019, said Paul Griffiths, CEO, Dubai Airports, at the Dubai Air Show at Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai World Central on November 15. The Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest for international travel and home of the long-haul carrier Emirates, had 64.5 million passengers in the third quarter of this year. The number puts the airport on track to reach 86.8 million passengers for the year, which would exceed its 2019 figure of 86.3 million passengers. The international airport
Gunung Padang, a pyramid hidden within a hill on an island in West Java, Indonesia, could be the world’s oldest, says an interdisciplinary team of archaeologists, geophysicists and geologists. Sitting at the top of an extinct volcano, Gunung Padang is considered a sacred site by local people. Also known as “mountain of enlightenment,” it was declared a national cultural heritage site in 1998. Over the years, there have been disagreements among scholars about the nature of the hill. Some suggested that it was a man-made pyramid, while others argued it was a natural geological forma
The European Union on November 15 struck a deal on a law to tackle methane emissions from fossil fuels. Under the proposed law, coal, oil and gas companies would be required to report their methane emissions and take steps to avoid them. The measures under the first-of-its-kind law include finding and fixing leaks, and limiting wasteful practices such as venting and flaring gas by 2027. While methane possesses more than 80 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide over a 20-year period, it dissipates more quickly in the atmosphere. Reducing methane emissions is viewed as a cost-
Delhi’s annual butterfly census has documented 75 butterfly species in the city’s seven biodiversity parks. The census, conducted from 30 October to 4 November, recorded the first geographical record of the rare Blank Swift butterfly in the Aravalli Biodiversity Park. The Plain Tiger was the most frequently sighted species, with a count of 1,119 butterflies. Other species recorded in significant numbers included the Yellow Orange Tip, Lemon Pansy, Common Gull, Zebra Blue, Rounded Pierrot, Striped Tiger, Common Emigrant, and the Common Grass Yellow. Individuals of all five butterfly fam