Indian Navy officer sets sail for global circumnavigation race
New Delhi, July 1: Commander Abhilash Tomy of the Indian Navy, who has solo circumnavigation of the globe to his credit, set sail on a unique voyage on Sunday as the only invitee from Asia to participate in the Golden Globe Race (GGR).
It is the first time that India is participating in the race which commenced from Les Sables d'Olonne harbour in France and is expected to complete at the same location in April 2019.
According to an official statement from the Indian Navy, the participants are required to sail around the world, single-handed and non-stop.
"The uniqueness of the race is that boat designs and technology newer than 1968 is not permitted, hence use of Global Positioning System (GPS), satellite communication, navigational aids, etc is forbidden," the statement said.
The GGR is being conducted by Sir Robin Knox Johnston of UK to commemorate 50 years since the world's first solo non-stop circumnavigation was undertaken by him in 1968 on-board the Indian built boat, Suhaili.
One of India's most prominent sailors, Cdr Tomy will be sailing on the indigenously built sailing vessel 'Thuriya' which is a replica of Suhaili.
"The boat showcases India's boat building capability on the world forum and promotes the 'Make in India' initiative," the statement said.
Cdr Tomy has covered 53,000 nautical miles under sail, including a solo non-stop circumnavigation of the globe in 2012-13 on-board Indian Naval Sailing Vessel (INSV) Mhadei.
He is also a recipient of the Kirti Chakra, MacGregor and Tenzing Norgay awards.
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Rupee falls 9 paise to all-time low of 90.58 against US dollar in early trade
Mumbai (PTI): Rupee depreciated 9 paise to an all-time low of 90.58 against US dollar in early trade on Monday, weighed down by uncertainty over an India-US trade deal and persistent foreign fund outflows.
Forex traders said rupee is trading with a negative bias as investors are in wait and watch mode and awaiting cues from the India-US trade deal front.
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 90.53 against the US dollar, then fell further to an all-time intraday low of 90.58 against the greenback, registering a fall of 9 paise over its previous close.
On Friday, the rupee had slipped 17 paise to close at an all-time low of 90.49 against the American currency.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.05 per cent lower at 98.35.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading higher by 0.52 per cent at USD 61.44 per barrel in futures trade.
On the domestic equity market front, the 30-share benchmark index Sensex was trading 298.86 points lower at 84,968.80, while the Nifty was down 121.40 points at 25,925.55.
Foreign Institutional Investors sold equities worth Rs 1,114.22 crore on Friday, according to exchange data.
"FPIs continue to be in selling mode in equity and debt while RBI has been selling dollars to fund their long positions," said Anil Kumar Bhansali, Head of Treasury and Executive Director Finrex Treasury Advisors LLP.
