Victoria Fox's Blog, page 172

Squadron Leader Manisha Padhi becomes India’s first woman Aide-De-Camp to Mizoram Governor

Squadron Leader Manisha Padhi on Monday, December 4, was appointed as the Aide-De-Camp (ADC) to the Governor of Mizoram, Hari Babu Kambhampati. This appointment of Manisha Padhi marks India’s first female Indian Armed Forces officer to serve as ADC to the governor of the country. 

Squadron Leader Padhi was earlier posted at Air Force stations in Bidar, Pune and Bhatinda before her new posting.

Also read: India’s first woman Supreme Court judge Justice Fathima Beevi dies at 96

The Governor’s office in Mizoram stated in an official release, “Squadron Leader Manisha Padhi appointed as Aide-de-Camp (ADC) to the Governor of Mizoram. Squadron Leader Manisha is India’s first woman Indian Armed Forces officer to be appointed as Aide-de-Camp (ADC) to the Governor of the country.” 

Following the ceremony, Squadron Leader Padhi was introduced to the officers and staff of the Raj Bhavan at Aizawl.

What is ‘Aide-de-Camp’ title?

As per dictionary definition an ‘aide-de-camp is an officer in the armed forces who helps an officer of higher rank.’ In India, Aide-de-Camp is a title of honour while current as well as former aides-de-camp are conferred the post-nominal letters ADC.

Also read: Geetika Srivastava is first woman charge d’affaires at Indian mission in Pak

The service chiefs, including the chief of the Army, Navy, and Air Staff, usually have three aides-de-camp. The President has five aides-de-camp. These five aides-de-camp officers include three from the Army and one each from the Navy and the Air Force. One honorary aide-de-camp from the Territorial Army is also there.

Also read: Meet Jaya Verma Sinha: 1st woman head in 166-year history of Indian Railways. All you need to know

In India, the governors of states have two aides-de-camp, one each from the Indian Armed Forces and the Indian and state police services. However, in Jammu and Kashmir, both the aides-de-camp to the governor are appointed from the Indian Army.

Milestone Alert!
Livemint tops charts as the fastest growing news website in the world Click here to know more.

Related Premium Stories

Catch all the Elections News, Business News, Market News, Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.

More
Less

Updated: 05 Dec 2023, 01:15 PM IST

Topics You May Be Interested In

Source

CID actor Dinesh Phadnis passes away aged 57

Actor Dinesh Phadnis, aged 57, passed away at midnight. He was admitted to Tunga Hospital in Mumbai a few days ago, PTI reported. He is survived by his wife.

His last rites were held in Borivali East at 10.30 am this morning, it added.

Also Read | Cyclone Michaung LIVE Updates: Cyclonic storm to make landfall in 3 hours, heavy rain batters Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu

Phadnis’ death was confirmed by his friend and fellow actor Aditya Srivastava. “Dinesh has left us around 12:08 am. We know that he had liver issues and it had an impact on the other organs. He was really unwell for two or three days. He couldn’t survive,” Srivastava told PTI.

His CID co-star Dayanand Shetty also confirmed the news to Indian Express, saying, “Dinesh breathed his last at 12.08 am. He died of multiple organ failure. There were a lot of complications and he was removed from the ventilator last night.”

Also Read | Gurpatwant Singh Pannun murder bid: US official recognises India’s commitment to probing into the matter

As per earlier reports, Phadnis was admitted to the hospital after suffering from cardiac arrest, but Shetty confirmed it was liver damage and not a heart attack.

While most famously known for playing the character ‘Fredericks’ on the popular television show CID, which ran for 20 years Phadnis was also featured in movies like Sarfarosh and Mela; and TV shows such as Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah.

Also Read: Chandrayaan-3’s Propulsion Module shifts orbit from Moon to Earth, says ISRO. All you need to know

Milestone Alert!
Livemint tops charts as the fastest growing news website in the world Click here to know more.

Related Premium Stories

Catch all the Elections News, Business News, Market News, Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.

More
Less

Updated: 05 Dec 2023, 01:13 PM IST

Topics You May Be Interested In

Source

SoftBank Corp takes 51% of Cubic Telecom for $513M to drive into the connected car world

As automakers and technology companies continue to build ever-more sophisticated digital platforms into cars and other vehicles, a startup that’s built a system that makes it easy to connect that hardware to wireless networks around the world has picked up a major round of funding.

Cubic Telecom, which provides a software-based networking solution for vehicles (and other devices) to connect to mobile networks in whichever country they happen to be, has picked up €473 million ($513 million at today’s rates) from SoftBank Corp. The company is taking a 51% stake in the Dublin-based startup, valuing it at just over $1 billion (€927 million).

This effectively makes Cubic Telecom a consolidated subsidiary of SoftBank. Barry Napier will stay on as CEO and will have a seat on the board of the company. Daichi Nozaki, SoftBank’s SVP of global business, plus two other SoftBank-appointed people (still unnamed) will join the board, with three board seats still going to existing investors, which include CARIAD (the Volkswagen Group) and Qualcomm.

The funding will be used to continue building out Cubic Telecom’s technology and business. Today, it has partnerships with 90 national and multinational mobile network operators and provides connectivity to 17 million+ vehicles in 190 countries and regions.

That’s only between 7% and 10% of the current market, Cubic Telecom COO Shane Sorohan said in an interview. (It might be actually slightly lower: Juniper Research estimates that the number of connected vehicles in the market today is around 192 million.) But the size of this particular round is due to how fast the company is growing right now: it’s adding around 450,000 new vehicles — both consumer cars as well as trucks and more — each month, and orders in the books are going to raise that rate “exponentially” over the next five years, the company said. The company cites forecasts from McKinsey noting that some 95% of new vehicles will be sold with wireless connectivity built into them by 2030.

Growth in the industry is due to a few factors: networks continue to improve, in particular with 5G especially suited to IoT deployments; cloud-based architecture and vehicles are getting more advanced; and consumers and business are looking for more functionality in their vehicles.

To be clear, this investment is coming from SoftBank Corp., not SoftBank Group, nor the company’s storied Vision Fund, known (and occasionally notorious) for its outsized venture deals.

In this case, the Japanese telecoms and IT division in Tokyo is putting in the money as a strategic investment. The pair have been working together in Japan, where Cubic Telecom has been integrating SoftBank’s wireless network to provide connectivity to connected cars. And now, SBC sees an opportunity to expand internationally not by expanding its network, but by taking a stake in a partner that it sees is getting strong traction as an IT partner globally.

Cubic plans to continue building more connectivity for vehicles, Sorohan said, but he added that the company’s infrastructure and partnerships can work in a number of other verticals, such as the agricultural industry, where national and multinational companies are now using a multitude of connected tooling and autonomous equipment in remote areas and also are looking

Cubic Telecom’s business goes back to before connected cars were a significant business — it actually appeared at TechCrunch’s first-ever Battlefield in 2007, when it was focused more on helping consumers connect mobile phones to international networks when roaming. But it was its current focus on vehicles that turbo-charged the business, attracting investment from the likes of Audi and Qualcomm.

The bigger gap in the market that the company has been targeting for the last several years has been that, while tech companies and automakers have been working on ways to build more functionality into vehicles — whether that be more clever ways to manage and respond to diagnostics on the vehicle, or give you an easier way to listen to Spotify, or to help drive a car altogether — the piece that has remained more tricky is the internet connectivity to make all of that work.

Typically, car makers will have to cut deals with individual carriers region-by-region. Cubic’s platform acts as a wholesale aggregator, and it essentially helps to manage all of that automatically and at a lower cost, so that cars come delivered into a market ready to use, and if those cars are then driven into another region, they will continue to work there, too.

As vehicles continue to get more sophisticated, it’s a fair bet that technology companies and automakers themselves will come up with more seamless ways themselves to manage that connectivity, but for now, the Cubic approach is one that is helping to bring down the cost of building and managing it, and that gives it a key role for some years to come.

“In line with our ‘Beyond Japan’ strategic growth initiative, we are extremely pleased to be teaming up with Cubic Telecom to make a full-fledged entry into the fast-growing market for high-value IoT asset connectivity,” said Junichi Miyakawa, president & CEO of SoftBank Corp., in a statement.

Source

Mizoram: Swearing-in ceremony of CM Lalduhoma to be held on 8 December

The swearing-in ceremony of Mizoram’s newly elected Chief Minister Lalduhoma will be held on 8 December, Friday.

(This is a breaking story. Kindly refresh the page to read the latest updates)

Milestone Alert!
Livemint tops charts as the fastest growing news website in the world Click here to know more.

Related Premium Stories

Catch all the Elections News, Politics News and Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates & Live Business News.

More
Less

Updated: 05 Dec 2023, 12:56 PM IST

Topics You May Be Interested In

Source

H1B employees can now renew their work visas in US, but their spouses can’t. Here’s why

The United States began its pilot programme for domestic renewal of certain categories of work visas this month. But though H1B employees can renew their visas without leaving the country, their spouses can’t.  

4 things to know about H-1B visa renewal pilot programme:Earlier this year, the U.S. State Department officials announced a limited rollout of the H-1B domestic visa renewal pilot, allowing a restricted 20,000 participants to renew their visas. Under this program, applicants are required to mail their visas to the State Department and are prohibited from traveling outside the U.S. The selection process for the initial 20,000 candidates has not been disclosed. The stateside visa renewal pilot program is one of multiple measures the State Department is looking to add or continue with the aim of driving down wait times for travel to the US.

“We’re very excited about it. We’re starting small with a pilot of 20,000 cases in December, January and February and we look forward to opening that to more categories of workers living in the United States in the rest of 2024,” last week, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs Julie Stufft said, as quoted by Bloomberg Law.

Stufft said there will be a federal register notice, which is the first official notice of this coming out very soon, and that will describe all of the steps that need to be taken and who is eligible to apply in the first tranche and lay out those instructions.

‘Meant for work visas only’

Stufft also mentioned that for now the programme is specifically meant for work visas, “This is an existing regulation that was allowed that we just have not used in about 20 years. These are work visas. It is intended for people who are living long-term in the US but want to renew their visa without going back overseas.” 

Can dependent visas be included in the programme?

On whether the program can include dependents, she said, “We really need to get proof of concept that it works before we can extend it to a larger group. This is a huge change for folks who live here and previously would have had to leave the United States.”

(With agency inputs)

 

 

Milestone Alert!
Livemint tops charts as the fastest growing news website in the world Click here to know more.

Related Premium Stories

Catch all the Elections News, Business News, Market News, Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.

More
Less

Updated: 05 Dec 2023, 12:43 PM IST

Topics You May Be Interested In

Source

Travel: Explore New Orleans and enjoy its unique soundtrack

Music is accessible in New Orleans in a way that many cities do have space for—every street corner hosts a local band or ensemble playing hip-hop, pop, jazz or classical tunes

Many cities have distinct sounds—from the blare of horns or the call of street hawkers in India, to the wail of ambulances in New York, or the drumming of the ever-present rain in London, but none that immerse you in a symphony of song like New Orleans. This city comes with its own soundtrack. The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in May or Mardi Gras in January-February add their own soundscape to the city, but in June too—a quieter time and usually considered off-season—music pervades.

The first thing that welcomed us to the neighbourhood of Bywater was a brass band practising in a house for an upcoming show. Music is accessible in New Orleans in a way that many cities do not allow—every street corner seems to host a local band or ensemble playing everything from grand brass and marching bands to hip-hop, and pop. Music is free for everyone, though this practice has dark origins in when slaves would gather in public parks and spaces, like Congo Square, to play instruments or sing together to draw strength from one another. 

While Bourbon Street in the French Quarter, home to bars and clubs, might be best known to most, it is Frenchmen Street that hosts two of the city’s finest live music spots. The Spotted Cat and Blue Nile attract renowned artists, making it a haven for music enthusiasts. While I was there, some of the most prominent local bands were scheduled to play at the Spotted Cat like the Jelly Roll Stompers whose name was inspired by jazz legend Jelly Roll Morton. Morton is one of the forefathers of jazz in New Orleans, having taken a highly improvised music style and created one of the first written compositions, Jelly Roll Blues, which came out in 1915. 

The Spotted Cat is a small venue, with an intimate stage, while its neighbour down the road, Blue Nile has a larger stage and space for dancing. In fact, The Spotted Cat was featured many times in one of the most popular shows created about New Orleans, Treme. Treme showcased dozens of local and real musicians in its fictional show, using music as a thread throughout the series, with stories on how musicians and communities survived post Hurricane Katrina.

A local night market on a side street close to the Spotted Cat welcomes people with bright lights and local artwork. Vendors have on display their knitted wears, paintings, small sculptures, and some even selling tarot cards and other magic paraphernalia. One local vendor spoke about how they make their own cards based on dreams that they have had because the magic in the city is strong. 

A visit to the New Orleans Jazz Museum gives you an in-depth and comprehensive view of the history and influence of jazz. It also showcases many current musicians. Music has shaped this city and this museum helps to understand the history, the people, and the instruments. It also has free performances during the day, so make sure you check out the website to enjoy those.

LACE UP YOUR SHOES

One of the best ways to experience New Orleans is walking through the city. Take a guided walking tour through the Garden District, a historically significant area of New Orleans well known for its opulent homes and architecture, homes of Hollywood celebrities, and for being the location of films such as American Horror Story. 

You could also take a self-guided walk through the different neighbourhoods of New Orleans. One of the most delightful and cost-free activities is admiring its homes, ranging from grand mansions to charming shotgun houses. These residences often reflect the unique personalities of their owners, who decorate them with a diverse range of items, from dinosaurs to witches. This leisurely exploration is also an excellent opportunity to stumble upon local coffee shops. 

Walking through these neighbourhoods also gives you a glimpse of the amazing street art that can be found throughout New Orleans. From complex murals to graffiti, the street art is creative and impactful. From there, head to the Ogden Museum of Southern Art. This museum was established in 1999 and holds the largest collection of Southern Art in the world, and is a chance to immerse oneself in the cultural and political history of the southern states of the US. 

New Orleans has something for everyone, from beautiful parks to immersive cultural experiences and a rich history. Whether you can manage three days or three weeks, it is a destination worth the journey. Your ears will thank you.

Sweta Daga is an independent journalist based in Bengaluru.

Source

Congress’ Revanth Reddy likely to become Telangana’s new Chief Minister: Report

Anumula Revanth Reddy, who led the Congress’ charge, finds himself on the brink of a potential chief ministership. According to several media reports, Reddy might take CM’s oath on Wednesday or Thursday.

According to a report by India Today, senior Congress leaders Uttam Kumar Reddy and Bhatti Vikramarka might be given the Deputy Chief Minister post or some other portfolio.

Telangana Assembly Election Results 2023: A Revanth Reddy to be CM? A look

According to the Hyderabad police, several chief ministers, former chief ministers, and senior leaders from the national capital are expected to attend the ceremony.

Assembly Election Results 2023: How educated are new MLAs in 5 states

The oath-taking ceremony is likely to be held in Hyderabad’s LB Stadium.

Under Reddy’s leadership, the Congress party dethroned Chandrasekhar Rao-led Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS), who has been in power since 2014.

How INDIA bloc’s power dynamics is likely to shift after Congress’s loss

Revanth Reddy has risen from a member of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) to emerging as a top contender for the chief minister’s post.

After graduating from Osmania University, Revanth Reddy was an ABVP member while he was a student.

Congress emerges victorious in Telangana; secures 64 seats. A recap

From being active in politics from the start, in 2007, Revanth Reddy was elected as an MLC as an independent candidate. Later, he joined the Telugu Desam Party.

He won the Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections in 2014 from Kodangal seat. In 2017, Reddy left the TDP and joined the Congress party. He then contested the 2018 Telangana Assembly elections from Kodangal as a Congress candidate but lost to the BRS (then TRS) candidate.

But in 2019, Revanth Reddy won the seat of Malkajgiri in the general election and became the MP by a margin of 10,919 votes.

Telangana: Cong delegation meets Governor stakes claim to form government

In June 2021, he was appointed as president of the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee replacing N. Uttam Kumar Reddy.

Revanth Reddy was criticised within the Congress for changing the style of functioning as a state chief but the party’s high command still backed him. He was projected as a big leader in the state, with the party putting him beside the CM KCR in the Telangana election.

After the Congress victory in Telangana, Reddy is the frontrunner for CM’s race but the party has not given any official confirmation to the reports so far.

Milestone Alert!
Livemint tops charts as the fastest growing news website in the world Click here to know more.

Related Premium Stories

Catch all the Elections News, Politics News and Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates & Live Business News.

More
Less

Updated: 05 Dec 2023, 12:05 PM IST

Topics You May Be Interested In

Source

Mint Explainer: Why the Maldives has asked Indian troops to leave

The new government of the Maldives has pushed for Indian troops to leave the island nation. Indian defence personnel, who are involved in the maintenance of Indian military platforms in the country, have been a subject of some sensitivity in Maldivian politics. Mint breaks down why.

What has the Maldives requested?

The country’s newly elected President Mohamed Muizzu said India and the Maldives have reached an agreement to secure the withdrawal of Indian military personnel in the country. As a candidate, Muizzu had called for the removal of any foreign military personnel and followed up this request soon after taking office during a meeting with union minister Kiren Rijiju. 

“The president further shared that after a series of constructive meetings and dialogues with the Indian government, an agreement has been reached to withdraw Indian military personnel, which is currently in progress at a technical level,” Muizzu’s office said on Sunday. 

Indian government sources said the matter came up during the Maldivian president’s meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of COP28 in Dubai. However, they also said discussions were ongoing to see if India-supplied defence platforms could remain in service.

What are Indian troops doing there?

According to Muizzu’s office, there are 77 Indian defence personnel in the country. They help operate helicopters and Dornier aircraft, which have been provided to improve emergency services and medical evacuations in the Maldives. These troops have conducted more than 500 medical evacuations over the past five years. According to experts, these platforms are also expected to improve the island nation’s maritime surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities.

Why is the Maldivian government requesting their departure?

The presence of foreign military personnel on Maldivian soil has been portrayed by some groups as a threat to the country’s sovereignty . This was particularly true during the “India Out” campaign. As scholar David Brewster points out, this has led to disquiet and suspicion about the Indian military’s presence in the country. Muizzu has also framed his decision as a move to protect the country’s sovereignty, and called on India to respect the decision.

What does it mean for India-Maldives ties?

Muizzu’s decision to ask for the withdrawal of Indian troops is unlikely to go over well in New Delhi, especially since his predecessor Ibrahim Solih was a firm supporter of a closer relationship with India. 

The country is also a vital part of India’s broader strategy in the Indian Ocean, given its strategic location. The Indian government’s decision to send a lower-ranked cabinet minister to President Muizu’s inauguration was seen by some as a sign of New Delhi’s displeasure. However, others suggest that Muizzu’s government simply wants a more balanced foreign policy that reduces the country’s dependence on India. Bilateral ties may not be as warm as they were under Solih, but are likely to remain stable.

Source

Nishikant Dubey accuses Adhir Ranjan of leaking ethics panel report on Mahua Moitra, says, ‘let the report be tabled’

Cash-for-query case: Nishikant Dubey of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday, December 4 alleged that Congress MP and leader of opposition Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury leaked the Ethics Committee report on Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra before its tabled. The report was scheduled to be tabled after 12 pm today. While Congress MP Shashi Tharoor claimed that the report was skipped when they laid papers on the table.

In an interview with ANI, the BJP MP also said he was unaware of the report’s contents.

“…Let the report be tabled. I don’t know what is mentioned in the report…What I had to say, I said before the Ethics Committee…I will be able to make a comment only after the report is tabled. The report will be tabled after 12 pm…I don’t know how was the report leaked, I think Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury leaked it…” Nishikant Dubey said, as quoted by ANI.

According to several media reports, the committee in its report has recommended the expulsion of Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra in a “cash-for-query” case.

In reponse to Dubey’s allegations, Congress leader and LoP in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said, “We will oppose that such an expulsion should not be done. We have written a letter and we have been saying that the issues of Parliament should be dealt inside the Parliament,” while speaking with ANI.

Mahua Moitra, MP for the Trinamool Congress, will be the subject of an Ethics Committee investigation into allegations of ‘cash-for-question’ on December 4, the first day of the Winter Session.

The listed agenda of Lok Sabha mentions that Ethics Committee chairperson Vinod Kumar Sonkar and member of the Committee Aparjita Sarangi will be presenting “on the Table the First Report (Hindi and English versions) of the Committee on Ethics”.

Shashi Tharoor said, “…The item of filing of the Ethics Committee report was skipped when they laid papers on the table… We have a number of very fundamental questions about this… In any procedure involving expulsion, there has to be the opportunity for cross-examination of witnesses for all sides to be heard… If an MP criticises the government on the grounds that have not been substantiated and on the basis of charges that would not stand up in any court of law, then we have real trouble with how the parliamentary system is working… I am hopeful that the government is rethinking it,” while speaking to ANI.

Source

Spotify cuts 17% jobs amid rising capital costs

Spotify is eliminating about 17% jobs, its third round of layoffs this year, as the music streaming looks to become “both productive and efficient.”

In a note to employees Monday, Spotify founder and chief executive Daniel Ek said right-sizing the workforce is crucial for the company to face the “challenges ahead.”

He cited the slow economic growth and rising capital costs among reasons for the job cuts, saying the firm took advantage of lower-cost capital in 2020 and 2021 to invest significantly in the business.

“I recognize this will impact a number of individuals who have made valuable contributions. To be blunt, many smart, talented and hard-working people will be departing us,” he wrote in the note, which the company later published on the blog.

Spotify employs about 10,000 people, meaning that Monday’s move will impact over 1,500 employees. Impacted employees will be notified later in the day, he said.

The new wave of layoff follows Spotify cutting about 6% jobs in June this year and another few hundred employees in January.

“I realize that for many, a reduction of this size will feel surprisingly large given the recent positive earnings report and our performance. We debated making smaller reductions throughout 2024 and 2025,” wrote Ek.

“Yet, considering the gap between our financial goal state and our current operational costs, I decided that a substantial action to rightsize our costs was the best option to accomplish our objectives.”

Industries globally have seen significant layoffs this year, totaling over 225,000 employees, driven by economic volatility, higher interest rates, and evolving consumer patterns. The tech sector, including firms like Amazon, Google, Meta, Twitter, and Netflix, faces notable cutbacks, amplifying economic unease among employees.

Source