FirstUp: Indian Navy gets first indigenous diving support vessel and other big news today

It is set to be a busy Friday with several events lined up for the day.

The Indian Navy is set to commission its first indigenous Diving Support Vessel (DSV) ‘Nistar’ at the Naval Dockyard in Visakhapatnam.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is set to resume its hearing on the case of Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya in Yemen. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in Bihar to inaugurate several projects ahead of the Assembly elections.

Also, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is likely to meet US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Tokyo today.

Malaysia is set to protest against President Trump’s decision to nominate Nick Adams, a self-styled ‘alpha male’, as its next US Ambassador.

More from Explainers

Now, Nimisha Priya case rests on Qisas: What is this Islamic law? Nimisha Priya's execution deferred by Yemen, but deceased's family firm on 'no mercy' stand

Here is all that is set to take place throughout the day.

Indian Navy to commission ‘Nistar’

Indian Navy is all set to commission its first indigenous Diving Support Vessel (DSV) ‘INS Nistar’ at the Naval Dockyard in Visakhapatnam today. This will boost the Indian Navy’s submarine support operations significantly.

Capable of deep-sea diving operations, the Nistar will also function as the ‘Mother Ship’ for the Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel (DSRV), facilitating the rescue and evacuation of personnel from submarines in underwater emergencies.

The ship has been indigenously designed and constructed by state-owned Hindustan Shipyard Limited and will join the Eastern Naval Command to support deep-sea diving and submarine rescue operations. It has been designed and built as per the classification rules of the Indian Register of Shipping (IRS).

SC to resume hearing in Nimisha Priya case

The Supreme Court of India is set to resume its hearing on the case of Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya, who is on death row in Yemen, today. This crucial hearing follows a recent development where her execution, initially slated for Wednesday (July 16), was temporarily postponed .

Priya has been on death row in Yemen since 2018 for the murder of her Yemeni business partner, Talal Abdo Mahdi, in 2017. Yemen’s Supreme Judicial Council upheld her sentence in November 2023.

Editor’s Picks

1

INS Tamal commissioning: Equipped with BrahMos, this last overseas-built warship is a big deal

She continues to remain imprisoned in the capital city, Sanaa, which is under Houthi control and outside formal diplomatic reach.

PM Modi in Bihar

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in Bihar today to launch several infrastructure and development project s. Intended to stimulate the state’s economy, these measures also seek to resolve long-standing public demands. The visit comes ahead of the Bihar Assembly election slated to take place in November.

On Friday,  Modi will be in Motihari to lay foundation stones, inaugurate and dedicate multiple development projects worth over Rs 7,200 crore in rail, road, rural development, fisheries, electronics and information technology sectors. He will also address a public function.

Japanese PM Shigeru Ishiba likely to meet US Treasury Secretary

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is arranging to meet US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Tokyo, reported news agency Reuters. The move comes ahead of an August 1 deadline to strike a trade deal with the United States.

Bessent is set to travel to Japan to attend the US national day at the World Expo 2025 in Osaka, scheduled for July 19. He will be skipping a concurrent Group of 20 finance officials meeting in South Africa, the US Treasury said. Japan’s top tariff negotiator Ryosei Akazawa is also expected to meet with Bessent, the Yomiuri newspaper added.

Malaysia to protest against US pick of ambassador

Some in Malaysia are set to protest against the US picking Nick Adams as its next ambassador to the country. The protests are set to take place outside the US Embassy in Kuala Lumpur. Youth leaders from the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS), along with pro‑Palestinian groups including AMK, will gather to deliver a formal memorandum and voice their opposition.

The White House has proposed 40-year-old author and outspoken political commentator Nick Adams, who is a self-styled ‘alpha male’ influencer, to the Senate as its nominee for ambassador to Malaysia.

This has triggered concerns in the Muslim-majority nation over Adams’ views on Islam and support for Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, among other sensitive topics.

With inputs from agencies