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Shipping Min facilitates over 1 lakh crew change at Indian ports, through charter flights

New Delhi (NVI): More than 1,00,000 crew change on Indian ports and through charter flights was facilitated amid the Covid-19 pandemic, highest in the world, Ministry of Shipping said today.

Crew change consists of replacing one of the ship’s crew members with another one and involves sign-on the ships and sign-off the ships procedures.

In an official statement, the Ministry said that the maritime sector is among the worst-hit sectors due to coronavirus pandemic. Despite that, all the Indian Ports were operational and providing essential services throughout the pandemic, the ministry said, adding that the main pillar for the smooth supply chain for India and world were the seafarers.

Seafarers had to suffer due to closing of Sign on and Sign-off and lockdowns and movement restrictions imposed by the various countries worldwide, it said.

Shipping Minister, Mansukh Mandaviya instructed DG Shipping to come up with robust grievances redress mechanism to facilitate the seafarers.

He has emphasized to ensure that seafarers should be able to approach the ministry during the difficult time and no seafarer should suffer due to poor grievance redress system.

DG Shipping, Amit Kumar said that to sustain maritime transportation during the pandemic situation, it has taken various initiatives like extension of various certificates required for sailing and Online E-pass facility for travel.

“An online utility has been created for verification of seafarers for charter flights and for uploading details of stranded seafarers along with online ship registration and online charter licensing,” he added.

The ministry further stated, DG Shipping received communications through emails, tweets, and letters from more than 2,000 Maritime Stakeholders and took immediate responsive action to facilitate their needs.

It also conducted e-learning for module courses and online virtual course and more than 35,000 students enrolled for e-learning, it added.

-RJV/ARK

West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand likely to witness heavy rainfall till Aug 28: IMD

Rainfall
Representational/ file image

New Delhi (NVI): West Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand are likely to witness ‘very heavy rainfall’ till August 28, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) today said.

Furthermore, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh & parts of Rajasthan will continue to receive heavy rainfall between August 26 to 28, according to IMD.

As per the data revealed by IMD, the convergence of lower-level easterly winds from the Bay of Bengal and south-westerlies from the Arabian Sea will increase the rainfall activity over northwest India from today onwards, causing widespread showers with isolated heavy to very heavy falls until Friday, August 28. The wet conditions are expected to peak on Wednesday and Thursday.

In this regard, IMD’s regional met centre in New Delhi has placed Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh under a yellow watch for Tuesday, thereby advising residents to ‘be aware’ of the imminent isolated heavy rains.

In addition to this, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand will be placed under orange alert on Wednesday, as the weather department has predicted heavy to very heavy rain with moderate to severe thunderstorms for the regions.

Meanwhile, the likes of Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and West Rajasthan will remain under the yellow watch on Wednesday and Thursday due to the likelihood of heavy rains, thunderstorms, and lightning.

Notably, monsoon has been in its active phase in the past five days and several parts of Gujarat and Rajasthan recorded exceptionally high rain over the weekend according to the data.

Kadi and Umerpada in Gujarat recorded 33 and 26 cm of rainfall respectively.

-CHK

This Kashmiri woman is changing lives in Valley through counselling

Abid Bashir

Srinagar (NVI): After passing her Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from Dubai in 2019, Hizib Zargar got many lucrative job offers in the happening UAE city but she changed her mind to serve the people of her native place—Kashmir.

Last year, she returned to Kashmir and started counselling young people who later got jobs in well-reputed companies across the country and abroad too.

Zargar (30), a resident of Srinagar, has been counselling young talented boys and girls from the district since the past over a year so that they get opportunities within the country as well as abroad to earn a better living.

She has provided counselling regarding personal development, communication, instilling confidence and grooming sessions to many in the Valley who have scaled heights in their respective fields.

“After completing my MBA, I got an opportunity to work with government and semi-government companies in Dubai. But later, I changed my mind and decided to work for my own people back home in Kashmir,” she told NVI, adding that helping “own people always satisfied her.”

She was also suggested by her friends to appear for Kashmir Administrative Services (KAS) exam. “I joined coaching but found a lot of talented people, most of whom were shy and lacked better communication skills”, she said.

Hizib started her career as an operation head in a Satellite production company and used to counsel people at the company in Dubai. “When I started working for Satellite production I found that I can counsel people. I quit my Dubai job and started counselling my close friends in Srinagar, later people started coming to me in large numbers,” she said.

Sharing her success stories, Hizib said that she has counselled some famous people in the Valley like magician Raja Adam, actor Adil Pala, singer Junaid Ahmad, anchor Junaid Hanief among many others in Kashmir.

“I was very shy when I met Hizib. But she counseled me in a way that I started facing people bravely and today my talent is on display and people know me as a star magician,” said Raja Adam, a known magician from Kashmir.

Hizib started her own company in Srinagar where she trains and counsels people at many levels. “But due to Covid, I have confined my counselling sessions to online Zoom classes and other social platforms only,” she said.

“My focus is on personality building, I train people and work on their personality till they are groomed completely. My message to the people of Kashmir is not to forget our own culture, we can adapt the western culture but we should give preference to our own culture,” she added.

Hizib appeals to the youth in the Valley to focus on productive things rather than wasting time on social media.

“Mostly, the youth of Kashmir valley are addicted to social media and they should focus on utilizing the time in the best way. They should stay away from drugs and value their lives”, she said.

“Kashmir is full of talent and I am trying to explore the same by putting end to the shyness among the young lot after infusing them with a new wave of confidence so that they face the world bravely,” she told NVI.

-ARK

African continent declared free of wild polio: WHO

New Delhi (NVI): The World Health Organization (WHO) today certified the total eradication of poliomyelitis in Africa, after decades of work by a coalition of international health bodies, national and local governments, community volunteers and survivors.

Four years after the last recorded cases of wild polio in northern Nigeria, the African continent has been declared free of the wild polio virus, which can cause irreversible paralysis and in some cases death.

The official announcement was made in a video conference by WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Tedros said, “Today we are celebrating another public health triumph: the eradication of wild poliovirus in Africa. This is an incredible achievement, and a much-needed cause for celebration.”

The achievement is the result of a campaign to vaccinate and monitor children in Borno State, the final front of polio eradication efforts on the continent, and the heart of the jihadist insurgency in Nigeria.

Poliomyelitis, or “wild polio” is an acutely infectious and contagious disease which attacks the spinal cord and causes irreversible paralysis in children.

It was endemic around the world until a vaccine was found in the 1950s, though this remained out of reach for many poorer countries in Asia and Africa.

As late as 1988, the WHO counted 3,50,000 cases globally, and in 1996 said there were more than 70,000 cases in Africa alone.

“It’s been a momentous, massive undertaking, with amazing persistence and perseverance, coming in the face of moments when we thought we were just about there, then we’d have a reversal,” Dr Matshidiso Moeti, the World Health Organization (WHO) regional director for Africa, said.

“Thanks to the relentless efforts by governments, donors, frontline health workers and communities, up to 1.8 million children have been saved from the crippling life-long paralysis,” the WHO said in a statement.

-CHK

Global fitness industry hit hard by COVID-19

Representational image

New Delhi (NVI): Among several sectors that have been severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic is the fitness industry which is bearing the brunt of this unprecedented crisis, pushing many gyms around the world to the brink of permanent closure.

The global pandemic has disrupted the functioning of many sectors, nothing is same as before. The normal life of a person is now unsettling, many people have lost their jobs and businesses due to the financial crisis.

The fitness industry, which has also been impacted started a rally called “Save Gyms” to handle the existential crisis.

In many countries like US, Australia, Canada, Sweden, Milan, Dubai, China and India, the fitness industries have been hit hard by the coronavirus induced lockdown.

All gyms and fitness centers are temporarily closed since last five months, as declared by the government for all the non- essential businesses till the situation is under controlled and it is suggested to maintain social distancing in all regions.

In India, the Government had released a new set of guidelines recently under Unlock-3 phase saying that gyms and fitness centres can open. However, people in Delhi are still waiting for gyms to reopen and gym owners have now planned a protest outside LG Anil Baijal’s residence.

The gym owners had started making preparations to reopen as per the Unlock 3 guidelines but DDMA (Delhi Disaster management Authority) which is headed by the LG, denied permission.

To prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the gyms and fitness centers are shut since March in India. Although they have been opened in some parts of the country, they are still closed in some major cities.

This situation has led the gym owners to shut their gym centers which are the only livelihood that was available for them.

During this period, staying at home in the quarantine, the central factor for people is to be healthy and boost their immune system. So, the fitness industry is making sure that the public is connected to their fitness gyms by engaging them in online workout classes.

Apart from this, the dietary supplement industry is also crumbling, the demand for gym products has gone low and people are only thinking of essential needs right now.

The staff at offices and gyms have been laid off temporarily until the situation is under control. Thus, looking at the current situation, there can be a time where 85 percent of the gyms globally will be closed permanently due to the huge losses that have been faced by the industry.

Therefore, the owners and public are demanding the government for reopening the gyms with new guidelines and precautions.

Anuj Choudhary, member in the Indian Body Building Federation (IBBF) and founder of Animal Booster Nutrition said, “There are unprecedented restrictions everywhere around us, the gyms and yoga centers are closed to prevent the spread of the virus. From big to small, neighborhood gyms and branded gyms like Cultfit and Gold gyms all are suffering, as a result, many gyms have been shut permanently due to the financial losses.”

He added that being a fitness coach, he understands what is going through the people who are into this business. “The fitness industry is going through a very tough time,” he added.

“It looked like the gyms will be closed only for a week but then the whole 5 months have been passed and no action was taken nor any announcement has been made by the central government but preventing the whole business from drying many gyms have started an online fitness training sessions for members on Zoom and Skype where they can start from easy to moderate and then core exercising.

“There’s no new enrollment in the gyms and the existing are leaving. Let us hope the government waves a green flag on starting our operations soon.” Choudhary said.

-RJV/ARK

Asia’s biggest International Film Expo goes online amid pandemic

(Image credits: FILMART)

New Delhi (NVI): In light of the travel restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, the HKTDC Hong Kong International Film Expo ‘FILMART’, one of the Asia’s biggest international film festivals, is going online this year and will be held from August 26 to 29.

Presented by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), FILMART Online’s aim is to creating business opportunities for the global entertainment industry in the face of a challenging business environment.

For the virtual iteration of FILMART Expo, a number of a number of new features are being introduced this year which includes dedicated web pages for exhibitors to showcase their company profiles and productions along with a virtual screening platform, equipped with digital rights management (DRM) encryption and an individual watermark, to ensure that authorised buyers can enjoy film previews with ease.

In addition to this, the Film Expo will also use big data and artificial intelligence technologies to enhance the search function, making it more efficient for buyers to find their desired film and television productions.

FILMART is set to attract more than 600 exhibitors from 36 countries and regions, including new joiners from Argentina, Brazil, Austria, Ireland, Switzerland and Israel.

Major film production companies from Hong Kong, China, India and the rest of the world will continue to give their support for the virtual version of Asia’s largest content trading platform, with more than 2,000 of the latest film and television productions being released and promoted.

The big names from Indian entertainment industry to take part in the FILMART 2020 includes Zee TV, Cinestan AA Distributor, Venus India, Star Entertainment, Indiacast, Klay Entertainment and Toonz Animation.

The Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF), an Asian film financing platform, will also participate in FILMART Online, continuing its efforts to create business exchange opportunities for film industry participants by exhibiting 32 HAF film projects currently in the development stage and 22 work-in-progress film projects.

Speaking on taking the event online, Rajesh Bhagat, Consultant South Asia, Hong Kong Trade Development Council said, “The novel coronavirus pandemic has impacted various industries across the globe, including the film and entertainment industry. FILMART Online will address industry concerns over the current uncertainties by organising six online conferences focusing on how industry players can adapt to an ever-changing market by redeploying their content acquisition, and by highlighting the latest production and marketing strategies”

Other topics being covered at the conference include the latest trends in streaming platforms across the Asia Pacific region, and insights into the development of interactive entertainment content.

-CHK

International tourism may have lost $320 billion during pandemic: UN

New Delhi (NVI): The tourism industry lost $320 billion in revenues in the first five months of the year as international travel came to a standstill during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the United Nations World Tourism Barometer.

This is more than three times the loss during the Global Economic Crisis of 2009.

International tourist arrivals (overnight visitors) saw a decrease of 56 per cent, or 300 million fewer people, compared to the same period in 2019. It was 98 per cent lower in May when compared to 2019.

A little over half the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Panel of Experts believe international tourism will only recover in the second half of 2021. Domestic tourism, however, is expected to resume much faster.

According to the latest analysis from the UNWTO, 40 per cent of all destinations worldwide have now eased the restrictions they placed on international tourism in response to COVID-19.

This is up from 22 per cent of destinations on June 15 and 3 per cent on May 15. Of the 87 destinations that have now eased travel restrictions, just four have completely lifted all restrictions, while 83 have eased them while keeping some measures such as the partial closure of borders in place.

Furthermore, major international airlines like American and United Air Lines, have lost billions of dollars in revenue and have cut their flight schedules to trim expenses. Despite those cuts, airlines have been laying off workers and calling for voluntary retirements among their white-collar workforces.

In addition to this, the UN agency has called for an early restart of tourism with protocols in place to prevent infections. It says the dramatic fall in international tourism places millions of livelihoods at risk.

However, in Europe and other regions where tourism resumed quickly there have been cases of people returning from a summer vacation and testing positive for the coronavirus.

-CHK

ReNew Power, UNEP partner to increase access to clean energy in India

Representational image

New Delhi (NVI): India’s one of the largest renewable energy producers, ReNew Power and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) have signed a partnership agreement to promote increased access to renewable energy and improved energy efficiency.

The partnership between the two focuses on enhancing access to renewable energy and improving energy efficiency as part of the progressive strategies that India has adopted to realise its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) under the Paris Agreement, the UNEP statement said.

ReNew Power will partner with UNEP’s District Energy in Cities Initiative as an implementation partner for renewable energy installations across India with the aim of shifting the heating and cooling sector to an energy efficient one.

The partnership will also implement solar off-grid projects, studies, and assessments and joint efforts will be promoted through annual events to showcase contributions to India’s strategic vision on renewable energy, the statement added.

The renewable sources constitute about 23.6 per cent of total installed capacity in India. However, the country had a target of 175 gegawatt (GW) of renewables capacity by 2022.

In 2019, at UN Climate Action Summit in September, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an increase in the target to 450 GW.

Vaishali Nigam Sinha, ReNew Power’s chief Sustainability Officer said, “At ReNew, we have always believed in going beyond our business and engaging with a wide range of stakeholders on multiple issues impacting various communities across the country.”

Through our association with UNEP, we are looking to work on issues which have the potential to accelerate growth and bring about socio-economic change in the area of environment and clean energy, she added.

“ReNew Power is a market leader in renewable energy and has demonstrated that clean energy makes ample business sense,” said Atul Bagai, Head of UNEP’s India Office.

We are proud to associate with them to push the envelope when it comes to clean and viable energy solutions for multiple applications in support of the climate goals and the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, he added.

-RJV

Usain Bolt tests Covid positive

New Delhi (NVI): World’s fastest man Usain Bolt is in quarantine after reports in Jamaican media said the eight-time Olympic champion had tested positive for coronavirus, just days after attending a party for his 34th birthday.

Bolt posted a video on Twitter and said that he was waiting to hear back on his test results. He also urged anyone who had been in contact with him for the past few days to go in quarantine.

According to Jamaican Observer, the legendary sprinter had taken the test on Saturday, a day after attending the party. Videos of the party had gone viral on social media, showing Bolt dancing with dozens of other people, most of whom were not wearing masks or social distancing.

-ARK

India records highest single-day COVID recoveries of over 65,000 patients

State-wise details of Covid-19 cases in India

New Delhi (NVI): A record 66,550 patients of the coronavirus disease were discharged from hospitals across the country in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of those cured to past 2.4 million, according to the Union Health Ministry.

India’s COVID-19 recovery rate climbed to 75.91 per cent today, which the government has attributed to “effective implementation of the policy of testing aggressively, tracking comprehensively”.

With 60,975 fresh infections and 848 deaths in the last 24 hours, India’s infection tally stands at 3,167,323. There are 704,348 active cases, a decline of 6,423 from Monday, and 58,390 people have succumbed to the disease till date.

“Effective clinical management of the patients in the ICUs has been instrumental in keeping the Case Fatality Rate low and on a steady downward trajectory. It has further dipped to 1.85% today,” the ministry stated.

The gap between the number of active cases and those of recovered people further widened to more than 1.7 million, according to the data.

Furthermore, India’s Covid-19 recoveries crossed the one-million mark on July 30 and two-million mark on August 19.

-CHK

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