A South Korean court on Friday granted bail to the two Indian sailors jailed in South Korea in December for their role in the country's worst oil spill. "They have been given bail but they cannot come to India now," National Union of Seafarers of India general secretary Abdulgani Y Serang said. Their bail is conditional and the matter is pending with the Supreme Court in Seoul, Serang said, adding that the legal proceedings might take some time.
Two Indian sailors, jailed for a year in South Korea after a crane barge collided with their crude carrier leading to a major oil spill in December 2007, were on Thursday acquitted by the Supreme Court in Seoul and are expected to return home soon. Captain Jaspreet Chawla and Chief Officer Shyam Chetan, who had got conditional bail in January, "will be coming to India in two days," General Secretary of the National Union of Seafarers of India Abdulgani Y Serang said.
The wife of the captain of the ship, hijacked by armed Somalian pirates in the Gulf of Aden, today met Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi seeking his intervention to save the lives of 18 Indian sailors onboard the vessel.
The M T Stolt Valor, which had been hijacked by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden in September, has been released, according to the National Union of Seafarers of India. There were 18 Indian soldiers on board the hijacked ship. Initial reports said that ransom was paid to the pirates by the Japanese owners Stolt Tankers. Reports said that all crew members on board are safe. The ship has left for Mumbai and will reach in three to four days.
India has asked Jordan to provide it with details of the Indian crew members who are on board the hijacked ship MV Victoria because the ship's operators are not cooperating. "The ship managers in Sharjah have been repeatedly requested to provide the contact details of the 10 Indian seafarers on board the MV Victoria, but no response has been received so far," the Directorate General of Shipping said in a statement on Friday.
Britain has finalised 1 billion pounds worth of new trade and investment with India, creating over 6,500 jobs in the UK, to be signed off at a virtual summit between Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on Tuesday. The investments confirmed by Downing Street on Monday evening form part of an Enhanced Trade Partnership (ETP), which will set the ambition to double the value of UK-India trade by 2030 and declare a shared intent to begin work towards a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (FTA). "Like every aspect of the UK-India relationship, the economic links between our countries make our people stronger and safer," Johnson said.
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The pirates have taken it northwards up the coast.
In addition, India has agreed that it will charge same rates to both domestic and Pakistan vessels.
International air travel of passengers has been permitted in a limited manner under the Vande Bharat mission. Further opening-up will take place in a calibrated manner.
Meanwhile, India has cancelled all visas issued to foreign nationals coming from China as it stepped up efforts to combat the spread of novel coronavirus after 150 passengers were identified with symptoms of the deadly virus and sent to isolation units.
'Not everybody gets the opportunity of having a working desk inside a helicopter from where you can control torpedoes and weapons.'
The last seven Indian sailors held hostage by Somali pirates were released October 30. Chirag Bahri, Indian coordinator for the Maritime Piracy Humanitarian Response Programme that aids piracy survivors and their families, speaks to Vaihayasi Pande Daniel/Rediff.com on how the near-impossible was achieved.
States and Union Territories have been given the powers for delineation of Red, Green and Orange Zones as per COVID-19 situation, the MHA said. All shops, except those in containment zones and malls, will be allowed to open from Monday with staggered timings during lockdown 4.0, it said.
Chandrayaan-3's success is a must for India's space ambitions; we can't afford to lose out. And for realising our space dreams, the Indian private sector must be encouraged because if we lose this race, the moon, Mars, and mineral-rich asteroids will already be crowded before we reach there.
Captain Menon, Master of the oil tanker 'Sampurna Swarajya' of Shipping Corporation of India, is to receive the 2016 IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea for her role in the dramatic rescue of seven fishermen from a sinking fishing boat in tumultuous seas.
India, South Korea sign 7 agreements to boost cooperation.
Seven Indian sailors aboard the MV Asphalt Venture, who were taken hostage by Somali pirates in 2010 and were freed on October 30, finally flew into Mumbai from Nairobi on Monday afternoon.
'If you are caught in a violent storm at sea you have to deal with it and find a way out which Abhilash Tomy did.'
She will be the first woman to receive the International Maritime Organisation Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea for her dramatic rescue.
She lamented that Africa despite being the largest continent in terms of number of the countries and India, which has has one-sixth of the world's population, still don't have permanent membership of the UNSC.
Books like Sunil Khilnani's Incarnations: India in 50 Lives, simple and straightforward though they appear, are instead powerful arguments for complexity, for empathy, and for curiosity
He said India would continue to actively pursue and promote its geo-political, strategic and economic interests on the seas, in particular the Indian Ocean.
The prime minister also pitched for respecting freedom of navigation against the backdrop of South China sea dispute.
A Ganesh Nadar meets Daniston Litten, a sailor from India, who was held captive by Somali pirates for four years. While the pirates may have harmed him physically, his spirit is unbroken.
Rediff.com gives you a look at newbies in the Council of Ministers