Luckily it is not another racial thing - Thank God! None the less, we are sad by his death.
An Indian man charged over the death of a 3-year-old boy in Melbourne will appear in court tomorrow, police said.
Gursewak Dhillon, 23, was charged with one count of manslaughter by criminal negligence in the death of Gurshan Singh Channa, according to a statement on the Victoria Police Web site.
Dhillon, who was refused bail, will appear before the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court tomorrow, the statement said.
An autopsy last week failed to reveal the cause of Gurshan’s death, the Australian newspaper said.
The boy’s mother reported him missing on the afternoon of March 4; his body was found that evening.
Showing posts with label Indian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Indian. Show all posts
Monday, March 08, 2010
Friday, March 05, 2010
3 year old Indian boy murdered in Oz
A missing Indian toddler has been found dead on the side of the road in Melbourne's north. The body hasn't yet been formally identified, but it matches the description of a missing three year old, who was visiting Australia from India with his family. Police aren't calling it murder yet but say they suspect the worst.
At a time when Australia has promised to do all that it can to stop attacks on Indian nationals, comes this news... All Hell may break lose...
At a time when Australia has promised to do all that it can to stop attacks on Indian nationals, comes this news... All Hell may break lose...
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Goodbye Ram Tiwary
You don't look Indian to me...
The former Singaporean student found guilty of murdering two of his flatmates in Australia, has been jailed for a maximum 48 years.
With parole and time already served the earliest Ram Tiwary can expect to be released is 2042.
It was the climax to a murder investigation which began more than six years ago when the bodies of Singaporean students Tony Tan Poh Chuan and Tay Chow Lyang were found in the apartment they shared with Tiwary in this house.
Both young men had been clubbed to death with a baseball bat.
The horrific nature of the killings sent shock waves through the nearby University of New South Wales, where many of the students were also Asian.
Initially there were fears the murders were racially motivated.
But eight months later in a surprise breakthrough, police charged their flatmate Ram Tiwary with their deaths.
Then 23, Tiwary was on a scholarship awarded him by the Singapore armed forces.
Protesting his innocence, he was later found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment.
However, an appeal court later ordered a re-trial on the grounds the judge had misdirected the jury.
The second trial, which lasted 26 days, again found Tiwary guilty.
And today he was told he could expect to spend the next 33 years of his life behind bars.
The judge said both murders were violent and savage which elevated the gratvity of the crime.
In the case of Tan, the second victim, this was not a spontaneous attack, he said, rather an execution to prevent him giving evidence against the offender.
The prosecution earlier claimed that Ram Tiwary had the "motive, opportunity and capacity" to carry out the murders.
The fact that he also owed Mr Tay several thousand dollars in back rent, might also have provided a motive.
Tiwary’s relatives, who earlier admitted they were still "terribly distraught," were not in court today. Nor were relatives of the dead men.
But the convicted Singaporean is unlikely to let things rest.
His defence team would not confirm whether he is likely to appeal, but Tiwary’s courtroom demeanour suggested he was unmoved by the length of his sentence.
He offered no response before or after the sentence was handed down.
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Two Indian men found dead in Telok Blangah
Two Indians were pronounced dead after they fell from a height at Block 33, Telok Blangah Way, late on Saturday night.
The two, one in his 50s and the other in his 20s, are believed to be a father and his son, living in a unit on the ninth storey.
Police received a call about the incident at 11.50pm and are investigating the unnatural deaths.
The two, one in his 50s and the other in his 20s, are believed to be a father and his son, living in a unit on the ninth storey.
Police received a call about the incident at 11.50pm and are investigating the unnatural deaths.
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
India's college graduates are educated but lack practical skills
Washington Post Service
NEW DELHI -- Barely eight months after leaving prestigious Delhi University with an undergraduate degree in commerce, Reena Dubey is back in the classroom, poring over a textbook on debt recovery and taking notes on India's banking industry.
''I studied economics, accounting, trade, corporate tax planning and industrial law for three years. But I was still clueless when I graduated,'' said Dubey, 22. ``All my education was bookish and theoretical.''
Hoping to secure an entry-level job as a credit-card collection agent, Dubey enrolled this month in a skills-building course offered by New Delhi's Avsarr training academy for new graduates who want to work in India's booming banking and retail industries.
''India's job market has changed, but my degree has not equipped me for it,'' she said.
3.2M GRADS PER YEAR
Dubey's deflating discovery mirrors the experience of most of the 3.2 million Indians who receive undergraduate degrees each year. The Confederation of Indian Industry says that 25 percent of technical graduates and 15 percent of other graduates can be readily employed in the jobs that the recent boom has generated in telecommunications, banking, retail, health care and information technology.
''The stark reality is that our education system churns out people, but industry does not find them useful,'' said T.K.A. Nair, principal secretary to the prime minister, addressing a recent New Delhi conference on linking education to employability. ``The necessary development of skills is missing in our education.''
About 69 percent of unemployed Indians are educated but lack skills, according to the Confederation of Indian Industry. Only 6 percent of the workforce has a professional certification other than a degree, a figure the Labor Ministry says it hopes to boost to 12 percent within five years. In February, the government announced an ambitious plan to address the skills gap by improving vocational training and encouraging cooperation between educational institutions and industry.
MANY OF WORKING AGE
The problem is compounded by demographic changes that experts say will greatly expand the country's working-age population in coming years.
Today, about 54 percent of Indians are younger than 30. Census projections suggest that the proportion of Indians in the 15-to-64 age group will increase steadily, from 62.9 percent in 2006 to 68.4 percent in 2026. By 2020, the average age in India is expected to be 31, compared with 37 in China and 48 in Japan. Census reports say that India is entering the advantageous ''demographic dividend'' phase just as China leaves it.
In a report last year, however, the Finance Ministry said that if that growing workforce does not develop skills soon, the country could instead face ''a demographic nightmare'': a surplus of educated people and a shortage of qualified workers as labor requirements continue to shift from agriculture to industry.
NEW DELHI -- Barely eight months after leaving prestigious Delhi University with an undergraduate degree in commerce, Reena Dubey is back in the classroom, poring over a textbook on debt recovery and taking notes on India's banking industry.
''I studied economics, accounting, trade, corporate tax planning and industrial law for three years. But I was still clueless when I graduated,'' said Dubey, 22. ``All my education was bookish and theoretical.''
Hoping to secure an entry-level job as a credit-card collection agent, Dubey enrolled this month in a skills-building course offered by New Delhi's Avsarr training academy for new graduates who want to work in India's booming banking and retail industries.
''India's job market has changed, but my degree has not equipped me for it,'' she said.
3.2M GRADS PER YEAR
Dubey's deflating discovery mirrors the experience of most of the 3.2 million Indians who receive undergraduate degrees each year. The Confederation of Indian Industry says that 25 percent of technical graduates and 15 percent of other graduates can be readily employed in the jobs that the recent boom has generated in telecommunications, banking, retail, health care and information technology.
''The stark reality is that our education system churns out people, but industry does not find them useful,'' said T.K.A. Nair, principal secretary to the prime minister, addressing a recent New Delhi conference on linking education to employability. ``The necessary development of skills is missing in our education.''
About 69 percent of unemployed Indians are educated but lack skills, according to the Confederation of Indian Industry. Only 6 percent of the workforce has a professional certification other than a degree, a figure the Labor Ministry says it hopes to boost to 12 percent within five years. In February, the government announced an ambitious plan to address the skills gap by improving vocational training and encouraging cooperation between educational institutions and industry.
MANY OF WORKING AGE
The problem is compounded by demographic changes that experts say will greatly expand the country's working-age population in coming years.
Today, about 54 percent of Indians are younger than 30. Census projections suggest that the proportion of Indians in the 15-to-64 age group will increase steadily, from 62.9 percent in 2006 to 68.4 percent in 2026. By 2020, the average age in India is expected to be 31, compared with 37 in China and 48 in Japan. Census reports say that India is entering the advantageous ''demographic dividend'' phase just as China leaves it.
In a report last year, however, the Finance Ministry said that if that growing workforce does not develop skills soon, the country could instead face ''a demographic nightmare'': a surplus of educated people and a shortage of qualified workers as labor requirements continue to shift from agriculture to industry.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Poor Indian FTs - Not paid again
Familiar case of Indian workers not paid
Singapore: Indian Migrant Workers Protest(Singapore) Sat, Jul 01, 2006 Indian Migrant Workers Protest
16 July 2004, more then 150 Indian migrant workers protested peacefully to claim 4 to 6 months salaries owned by their employer. This is the second protest by workers from Wan Soon Construction to claim their salaries amounting to some $4000 to $6000. 28 June 2004 200 Indian Workers protest at Indian Embassy On 28 June 2004, the Indian migrant workers gathered to demand that the Indian Embassy assist them to claim the salary own to them.
----> NOW
04 December 2008
THEY had run away, alleging their employers had not paid them and locked them in a 'cage' when there was no work.
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has now resolved their claims. It found that these foreign workers with San's Marine Engineering Service, Han's Marine and K7 Engineering had not been not paid in full and has made sure that they received their full salaries.
But its investigations also revealed that not all of the workers' claims were true.
It found their complaints of no work and no pay over a long period to be unfounded.
In a statement issued yesterday, the ministry said it had resolved the salary claims involving 48 Bangladeshi workers from the three companies.
According to the statement, the companies had work contracts with shipyards but there were intermittent periods during which some workers were not deployed to work.
Instead, they were either given training to prepare them for skills tests or sent for re-training because their work standards did not meet those of the shipyards.
They were not paid their full salaries during these periods when they did not work, and there were also unauthorised salary deductions made by their employers. But the workers have since been paid, including for the training periods and for the deductions, after the MOM intervened.
The New Paper had reported on the workers' plight on 4 Oct. The men ran away in September after complaining that they had not been given work or their wages.
They also said they had had enough of being locked inside a fenced-up area, which they dubbed 'the cage', next to their employers' Tuas office during the day.
One of them, Mr Md Zakir Hossain Md Yousuf Ali, 24, had told The New Paper that they were made to sit in there day after day.
He said through a translator: 'We stayed in the cage the whole day doing nothing. We were not allowed to lie down or sleep.
'If we did, the bosses would scold us or pour water on us. They treated us like animals.'
Mr Md Zakir Hossain, who was employed by Han's Marine, claimed they were sent to the 'cage' as their bosses did not want them to be seen doing nothing at the dormitory during the day.
He said the same thing happened to subsequent batches of workers who arrived in Singapore.
But the HR manager of San's Marine denied any wrongdoing or ill-treatment of its workers, saying the fenced-up area was meant for training workers.
'Not a cage'
An MOM spokesman said yesterday that its investigations 'showed that it was not a cage, but an enclosed area in the company premises'. However, she did not say whether the workers were put in there as they had claimed.
The workers were listed as marine trades workers in their work permits. Once in a while, some would be deployed to do cleaning or general work for other companies, Mr Md Zakir Hossain claimed.
'Even when they sent us to do some work, we didn't get any pay. The company would deduct money for food, lodging and even laundry,' he claimed.
He paid an agent more than $8,000 to get a work permit to work here.
On this point, the MOM noted that many of these workers paid their Bangladesh agents money as security deposits for their job placements here. It has forwarded the names of these agents to the Bangladesh Embassy for further investigation and action.
The New Paper understands that some of the workers have found jobs with other companies.
When contacted yesterday, Mr Joy Kumar, 28, said he was paid $615 after the MOM intervened.
Although he felt it wasn't enough for his six months at San's Marine, he was happy that the MOM had helped him and some of the others find jobs.
He started working at another company yesterday, earning $16 a day.
'I am very happy that I can work and earn money,' he said.
Employers must ensure that they have work for the foreign workers they employ and make prompt salary payments.
First-time offenders can be fined up to $1,000 per charge. For repeat offenders, the fine is up to $2,000 per charge, or a jail term not exceeding one year or both.
They can also be barred from hiring new foreign workers if they are found guilty.
Singapore: Indian Migrant Workers Protest(Singapore) Sat, Jul 01, 2006 Indian Migrant Workers Protest
16 July 2004, more then 150 Indian migrant workers protested peacefully to claim 4 to 6 months salaries owned by their employer. This is the second protest by workers from Wan Soon Construction to claim their salaries amounting to some $4000 to $6000. 28 June 2004 200 Indian Workers protest at Indian Embassy On 28 June 2004, the Indian migrant workers gathered to demand that the Indian Embassy assist them to claim the salary own to them.
----> NOW
04 December 2008
THEY had run away, alleging their employers had not paid them and locked them in a 'cage' when there was no work.
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has now resolved their claims. It found that these foreign workers with San's Marine Engineering Service, Han's Marine and K7 Engineering had not been not paid in full and has made sure that they received their full salaries.
But its investigations also revealed that not all of the workers' claims were true.
It found their complaints of no work and no pay over a long period to be unfounded.
In a statement issued yesterday, the ministry said it had resolved the salary claims involving 48 Bangladeshi workers from the three companies.
According to the statement, the companies had work contracts with shipyards but there were intermittent periods during which some workers were not deployed to work.
Instead, they were either given training to prepare them for skills tests or sent for re-training because their work standards did not meet those of the shipyards.
They were not paid their full salaries during these periods when they did not work, and there were also unauthorised salary deductions made by their employers. But the workers have since been paid, including for the training periods and for the deductions, after the MOM intervened.
The New Paper had reported on the workers' plight on 4 Oct. The men ran away in September after complaining that they had not been given work or their wages.
They also said they had had enough of being locked inside a fenced-up area, which they dubbed 'the cage', next to their employers' Tuas office during the day.
One of them, Mr Md Zakir Hossain Md Yousuf Ali, 24, had told The New Paper that they were made to sit in there day after day.
He said through a translator: 'We stayed in the cage the whole day doing nothing. We were not allowed to lie down or sleep.
'If we did, the bosses would scold us or pour water on us. They treated us like animals.'
Mr Md Zakir Hossain, who was employed by Han's Marine, claimed they were sent to the 'cage' as their bosses did not want them to be seen doing nothing at the dormitory during the day.
He said the same thing happened to subsequent batches of workers who arrived in Singapore.
But the HR manager of San's Marine denied any wrongdoing or ill-treatment of its workers, saying the fenced-up area was meant for training workers.
'Not a cage'
An MOM spokesman said yesterday that its investigations 'showed that it was not a cage, but an enclosed area in the company premises'. However, she did not say whether the workers were put in there as they had claimed.
The workers were listed as marine trades workers in their work permits. Once in a while, some would be deployed to do cleaning or general work for other companies, Mr Md Zakir Hossain claimed.
'Even when they sent us to do some work, we didn't get any pay. The company would deduct money for food, lodging and even laundry,' he claimed.
He paid an agent more than $8,000 to get a work permit to work here.
On this point, the MOM noted that many of these workers paid their Bangladesh agents money as security deposits for their job placements here. It has forwarded the names of these agents to the Bangladesh Embassy for further investigation and action.
The New Paper understands that some of the workers have found jobs with other companies.
When contacted yesterday, Mr Joy Kumar, 28, said he was paid $615 after the MOM intervened.
Although he felt it wasn't enough for his six months at San's Marine, he was happy that the MOM had helped him and some of the others find jobs.
He started working at another company yesterday, earning $16 a day.
'I am very happy that I can work and earn money,' he said.
Employers must ensure that they have work for the foreign workers they employ and make prompt salary payments.
First-time offenders can be fined up to $1,000 per charge. For repeat offenders, the fine is up to $2,000 per charge, or a jail term not exceeding one year or both.
They can also be barred from hiring new foreign workers if they are found guilty.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Friday, December 12, 2008
More Indian FTs in Sink
The National Development Ministry (MND) has on Wednesday released the details of another 10 temporary dormitory sites for foreign workers.
The 10 sites, comprising 3 vacant state buildings and 7 vacant state lands, will provide an additional 20,000 bed spaces.
The 3 state properties which will be converted into temporary dormitories are the former Queenstown Polyclinic at 51 Margaret Drive, the former CAAS office at 1801 Upper Changi Road North, and the existing CPG Corporation Airport Development Division at 1800 Upper Changi Road North.
The former Queenstown Polyclinic and the former CAAS office will house 150 construction workers each. MND said these two temporary dormitories will be ready in about 3 to 6 months.
After the CPG Airport branch is vacated in 3 to 6 months' time, it will be tendered out for the development of a temporary dormitory for 800 construction workers.
The 7 state lands which can be developed into temporary dormitory sites are located in or near industrial estates. The sites are at Mandai Road, Old Choa Chu Kang Road, Hougang Avenue 3, Seletar West Farmway which is located in Jalan Kayu, Jurong Road and Kim Chuan Road.
Their leases have been kept to not more than 6 years.
MND said it has consulted the area's Members of Parliament (MPs) and grassroots organisations in the past two months on the development of the sites into temporary dormitories.
It added that several measures will be put in place to minimise the inconveniences posed by the dormitory developments. These include requiring the dormitories to have adequate facilities for workers, appointing a liaison officer as a point of contact for the grassroots organisations, and conducting educational programmes to inform workers of the social norms and laws in Singapore.
The government is also engaging the MPs and grassroots leaders of existing areas with very high foreign worker populations to identify and implement appropriate measures.
The temporary dormitories are part of the government's efforts to provide proper housing for foreign workers, while more purpose built dormitories come on stream over the next few years.
Friday, December 05, 2008
Now I know...
05-12-2008, 01:54 AM
SAMURAISAN Alfrescian
Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 237
My Reputation:Points: 25 / Power: 7
Let's avange Hwei Yen !!
Yeah...let's kill a few Pakis and rape a few Paki women.
Singaporeans must act.
05-12-2008, 02:01 AM
saratogas Alfrescian
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 131
My Reputation:Points: 10 / Power: 6
Re: Let's avange Hwei Yen !!
Yah Rite,
As if you can differentiate who is Paki, Indian, Banglas... all look the same to me.
Life is about Payroll and Claims - $$$
05-12-2008, 02:03 AM
annexa Alfrescian (S)
Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 536
My Reputation:Points: 36 / Power: 10
Re: Let's avange Hwei Yen !!
Banglas are dark skinned. Pakis are Muslim and fair skinned. Indians are mostly Hindus.
SAMURAISAN Alfrescian
Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 237
My Reputation:Points: 25 / Power: 7
Let's avange Hwei Yen !!
Yeah...let's kill a few Pakis and rape a few Paki women.
Singaporeans must act.
05-12-2008, 02:01 AM
saratogas Alfrescian
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 131
My Reputation:Points: 10 / Power: 6
Re: Let's avange Hwei Yen !!
Yah Rite,
As if you can differentiate who is Paki, Indian, Banglas... all look the same to me.
Life is about Payroll and Claims - $$$
05-12-2008, 02:03 AM
annexa Alfrescian (S)
Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 536
My Reputation:Points: 36 / Power: 10
Re: Let's avange Hwei Yen !!
Banglas are dark skinned. Pakis are Muslim and fair skinned. Indians are mostly Hindus.
Monday, December 01, 2008
Indian FT scared no Job
Since he came here three years ago, Indian welder R. Baskaran, 25, has developed a ritual of visiting Little India every Sunday for a meal with friends and some shopping. For the past month, however, he has added a new activity to his Sunday itinerary - a visit to the temple. 'I pray that I will not lose my job. At work, I hear other workers talking about the company losing business and how they may fire people. I don't want to be sent home,' said the native of Tamil Nadu state.
Foreign workers have not been spared the jitters from talks of layoffs and pay cuts since the global financial turmoil hit Singapore last month. They fear that they will be the first to go in the event of massive retrenchment.
Although employers interviewed by The Sunday Times said they have not let their foreign workers go, they may have to if the economy gets worse.
Said the manager of a construction firm, who declined to be named: 'If we do not have projects to work on, how can we continue employing so many workers?'
The warning signs are already there. In a recent dialogue with Malay grassroots leaders, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said he expected the number of foreign workers to stabilise or fall in most sectors with the economic slowdown.
The construction industry is expected to be hit hard, said
Singapore Contractors Association Limited (Scal) executive director
Simon Lee, 'especially with private sector property developers post-poning building projects'.
The industry employs over 300,000 foreign workers. Latest figures show there are around 580,000 foreign labourers here and some 180,000 domestic maids.
A Ministry of Manpower (MOM) report in February said foreign workers are needed to fill jobs during the boom years - and they are the ones who will be shed in larger numbers in an economic downturn.
From 2001 to 2003, when Singapore was affected by the Sars crisis, foreign employment contracted by 71,600.
In 1998, following the Asian financial crisis, more than 7,000 foreign workers had their work permits cancelled because employers, affected by the downturn, had defaulted on levy payments, said MOM.
Maids, too, are worried about losing their jobs. Indonesian maid Nini Kuyadi, 25, has been warned by her employer that she may be sent home if he is retrenched.
'I feel very sad. I still want to work and support my parents back home,' she said.
During the last Asian financial crisis, the number of complaints from maids who were not paid nearly doubled from 165 in 1997 to 302 in 1998, MOM figures showed.
Many were sent home or returned to agencies to be transferred to another employer.
Some agencies are already seeing employers with financial troubles returning their maids.
In the past month, Mr Wilson Wang, director of Workforce International, has seen three or four such cases.
'These employers work as insurance and property agents, and they are badly affected by the crisis. There are also retrenched expats who cannot keep their maids because they have to leave the country,' he said.
Other maid agencies foresee there will be more such cases next year, when the economy is expected to worsen.
Service staff, too - many from the Philippines and China - worry for their future in Singapore.
With foreign visitor arrivals in Singapore falling for the third straight month in August, there could be retrenchments in restaurants and shops, said analysts.
Filipino service staff Angeline D., 28, is already looking for jobs in Dubai just in case she loses her customer service job in the telecommunications industry here.
'I can't afford to be out of job because I'm supporting my family back home. I will go any place that is willing to hire me,' she said.
Foreign workers have not been spared the jitters from talks of layoffs and pay cuts since the global financial turmoil hit Singapore last month. They fear that they will be the first to go in the event of massive retrenchment.
Although employers interviewed by The Sunday Times said they have not let their foreign workers go, they may have to if the economy gets worse.
Said the manager of a construction firm, who declined to be named: 'If we do not have projects to work on, how can we continue employing so many workers?'
The warning signs are already there. In a recent dialogue with Malay grassroots leaders, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said he expected the number of foreign workers to stabilise or fall in most sectors with the economic slowdown.
The construction industry is expected to be hit hard, said
Singapore Contractors Association Limited (Scal) executive director
Simon Lee, 'especially with private sector property developers post-poning building projects'.
The industry employs over 300,000 foreign workers. Latest figures show there are around 580,000 foreign labourers here and some 180,000 domestic maids.
A Ministry of Manpower (MOM) report in February said foreign workers are needed to fill jobs during the boom years - and they are the ones who will be shed in larger numbers in an economic downturn.
From 2001 to 2003, when Singapore was affected by the Sars crisis, foreign employment contracted by 71,600.
In 1998, following the Asian financial crisis, more than 7,000 foreign workers had their work permits cancelled because employers, affected by the downturn, had defaulted on levy payments, said MOM.
Maids, too, are worried about losing their jobs. Indonesian maid Nini Kuyadi, 25, has been warned by her employer that she may be sent home if he is retrenched.
'I feel very sad. I still want to work and support my parents back home,' she said.
During the last Asian financial crisis, the number of complaints from maids who were not paid nearly doubled from 165 in 1997 to 302 in 1998, MOM figures showed.
Many were sent home or returned to agencies to be transferred to another employer.
Some agencies are already seeing employers with financial troubles returning their maids.
In the past month, Mr Wilson Wang, director of Workforce International, has seen three or four such cases.
'These employers work as insurance and property agents, and they are badly affected by the crisis. There are also retrenched expats who cannot keep their maids because they have to leave the country,' he said.
Other maid agencies foresee there will be more such cases next year, when the economy is expected to worsen.
Service staff, too - many from the Philippines and China - worry for their future in Singapore.
With foreign visitor arrivals in Singapore falling for the third straight month in August, there could be retrenchments in restaurants and shops, said analysts.
Filipino service staff Angeline D., 28, is already looking for jobs in Dubai just in case she loses her customer service job in the telecommunications industry here.
'I can't afford to be out of job because I'm supporting my family back home. I will go any place that is willing to hire me,' she said.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Sunday, October 12, 2008
India Bollywood Star power - Shan Rukh Khan
Bollywood's biggest star does not disappoint, walking into packed crowd to thank them for support.
SOME fans came at 9am even before the doors opened at 11am. And they waited till 4pm before India's biggest star, Shah Rukh Khan, showed up at the Zee Carnival at Suntec City yesterday.
Togged in sunglasses, a light-grey shirt which showed a bit of his toned chest, and black trousers, he went up on stage and danced to the music of his hit film Om Shanti Om's theme music.
'You make me feel very loved, very important. I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart,' Khan, 42, said, to loud shrieks from the audience.
The lifestyle event presented by Zee TV, an Indian network, had drawn at least 10,000 people by the evening.
When the actor made an unscripted move by walking into the packed crowd, people went wild.
'I've been working for 20 years and God has been kind to me. Now, I want to meet the people who have made me what I am,' he said.
That pleased fans like housewife Farah Najria, 23. Together with her mother, aunt, brother, sister and nephew, she had waited at Suntec City since 9am.
'I didn't mind waiting, I am such a huge fan. I am happy I have been able to see him,' she said.
Khan made sure everyone went home happy when he said: 'It has been a while since I last performed here. I'll come back and do a full show for all you wonderful people of Singapore.'
No wonder Suntec city is so dark and smelly on the weekend.
SOME fans came at 9am even before the doors opened at 11am. And they waited till 4pm before India's biggest star, Shah Rukh Khan, showed up at the Zee Carnival at Suntec City yesterday.
Togged in sunglasses, a light-grey shirt which showed a bit of his toned chest, and black trousers, he went up on stage and danced to the music of his hit film Om Shanti Om's theme music.
'You make me feel very loved, very important. I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart,' Khan, 42, said, to loud shrieks from the audience.
The lifestyle event presented by Zee TV, an Indian network, had drawn at least 10,000 people by the evening.
When the actor made an unscripted move by walking into the packed crowd, people went wild.
'I've been working for 20 years and God has been kind to me. Now, I want to meet the people who have made me what I am,' he said.
That pleased fans like housewife Farah Najria, 23. Together with her mother, aunt, brother, sister and nephew, she had waited at Suntec City since 9am.
'I didn't mind waiting, I am such a huge fan. I am happy I have been able to see him,' she said.
Khan made sure everyone went home happy when he said: 'It has been a while since I last performed here. I'll come back and do a full show for all you wonderful people of Singapore.'
No wonder Suntec city is so dark and smelly on the weekend.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Free weekly for Indians hits right note
TABLA!, the new English-language weekly aimed at the Indian community, drummed up mostly positive reviews with its maiden issue yesterday. Indian expatriates felt the paper was a good source of homeland news, while some Singapore and permanent resident Indians enjoyed the showbiz news.
Coverage in the inaugural edition ranged from Indian-American Neel Kashkari's overseeing of the financial rescue fund in the United States to Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Balaji Sadasivan's views on Singapore's role in forging an India-Asia Pacific link and a profile of Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan. There were also reviews of Indian restaurants and articles on cricket star Anil Kumble and Man Booker Prize nominee Aravind Adiga.
Software engineer Shailesh K. Singh, 36, said tabla! saved him going through online sources for news about India. Mrs Pooja Bailey, a 28-year-old human resource professional who has lived in Australia most of her life, said the paper would keep the Indian community culturally connected and in the loop about upcoming events.
Coverage in the inaugural edition ranged from Indian-American Neel Kashkari's overseeing of the financial rescue fund in the United States to Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Balaji Sadasivan's views on Singapore's role in forging an India-Asia Pacific link and a profile of Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan. There were also reviews of Indian restaurants and articles on cricket star Anil Kumble and Man Booker Prize nominee Aravind Adiga.
Software engineer Shailesh K. Singh, 36, said tabla! saved him going through online sources for news about India. Mrs Pooja Bailey, a 28-year-old human resource professional who has lived in Australia most of her life, said the paper would keep the Indian community culturally connected and in the loop about upcoming events.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Indians behind Force F1
Motor Racing: Force India F1 season gets even worse
The car of Giancarlo Fisichella of team Force India is taken away after a crash during the final practice session.
SINGAPORE - Force India has had a sobering introduction to Formula One in its inaugural season and once again nothing went right for Vijay Mallya's team Saturday.
Giancarlo Fisichella will start last on the grid for the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday and Adrian Sutil will join him at the back.
"I think this is probably our worst qualifying performances so far this year," said Sutil.
"We really don't know where the problem is, but it just seemed the grip was not there and the balance wasn't right. We just have to try our best and find the problems."
The sport's newest outfit are still without a point in either the drivers' or constructors' championship with just four races of the 18-race campaign left.
The experienced Fisichella crashed into the barriers in practice Saturday and although the crew fixed the car's damaged right corner, he got a puncture in qualifying.
"I'm really disappointed -- not for myself, as I think it would have been a tough qualifying anyway -- but for the team as they worked so hard," he said.
Billionaire owner Mallya, who had high hopes at the beginning of the season, said he was confident their luck would change.
"Both drivers had their problems but the team did a tremendous job to get Giancarlo's car out in time for qualifying, something I think we can be proud of," he said.
"As a small team such knock-backs can be tough but everyone has dealt with it admirably. Hopefully, we've had all our bad luck this weekend and can look forward to picking up positions on Sunday." - AFP
The car of Giancarlo Fisichella of team Force India is taken away after a crash during the final practice session.
SINGAPORE - Force India has had a sobering introduction to Formula One in its inaugural season and once again nothing went right for Vijay Mallya's team Saturday.
Giancarlo Fisichella will start last on the grid for the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday and Adrian Sutil will join him at the back.
"I think this is probably our worst qualifying performances so far this year," said Sutil.
"We really don't know where the problem is, but it just seemed the grip was not there and the balance wasn't right. We just have to try our best and find the problems."
The sport's newest outfit are still without a point in either the drivers' or constructors' championship with just four races of the 18-race campaign left.
The experienced Fisichella crashed into the barriers in practice Saturday and although the crew fixed the car's damaged right corner, he got a puncture in qualifying.
"I'm really disappointed -- not for myself, as I think it would have been a tough qualifying anyway -- but for the team as they worked so hard," he said.
Billionaire owner Mallya, who had high hopes at the beginning of the season, said he was confident their luck would change.
"Both drivers had their problems but the team did a tremendous job to get Giancarlo's car out in time for qualifying, something I think we can be proud of," he said.
"As a small team such knock-backs can be tough but everyone has dealt with it admirably. Hopefully, we've had all our bad luck this weekend and can look forward to picking up positions on Sunday." - AFP
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Rich Indian in Singapore
Mustaq Ahmad - Runs Mustafa Centre, the iconic 24-hour store in Little India, Singapore, stuffed with more than 150,000 inexpensive items ranging from beds to spices. First opened in 1971 by Mustaq's father, an Indian immigrant, and his uncle. Father passed away in 2001. Shares ownership of the $200 million (sales) store with his wife and uncle. Forbes ranks him the 27th richest person in Singapore in 2006.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Indians_in_Singapore
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Indians_in_Singapore
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Indian man retracts statement, jailed for 25 years
An Indian national who tried to retract his admission to having consensual sex with his stepdaughter since she was 11 was sentenced to 25 years in prison and ordered to be caned the maximum 24 strokes, news reports said on Friday.
The 37-year-old information technology specialist gave police five statements over a three-week period, after his arrest in May 2007, when he confessed in detail.
In court on Thursday, he insisted that there had been no sexual relationship between them at all. “Where's the proof?” The Straits Times quoted him as asking during final arguments in which he defended himself.
The Singapore resident cannot be identified to protect the girl's identity.
The step-father said he gave police “false statements” out of fear and to get the investigations over with so that he could tell the truth when he got to court. “In my fear and using my imagination, I gave such a story as I was told to do so,” he said, noting he had been handled roughly by police officers.
He stuck with the same version in talks with a psychiatrist, claiming he was still frightened. He also complained that the police had not stopped his wife and stepdaughter, both key witnesses, from leaving in August for India.
He claimed that he had been set up by the two of them after they learned of his affair with a colleague.
The Interpol bureau in India has been asked to help find the mother and daughter, now 14.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Gordon Oh said the victim's absence is not a reason for acquittal. The law states that a person can be convicted on his statements to the police as long as the court is satisfied they were made voluntarily.
The law states that anyone who has sex with a child below the age of 14, with or without consent, is guilty of statutory rape.
Sick Indian Man!
The 37-year-old information technology specialist gave police five statements over a three-week period, after his arrest in May 2007, when he confessed in detail.
In court on Thursday, he insisted that there had been no sexual relationship between them at all. “Where's the proof?” The Straits Times quoted him as asking during final arguments in which he defended himself.
The Singapore resident cannot be identified to protect the girl's identity.
The step-father said he gave police “false statements” out of fear and to get the investigations over with so that he could tell the truth when he got to court. “In my fear and using my imagination, I gave such a story as I was told to do so,” he said, noting he had been handled roughly by police officers.
He stuck with the same version in talks with a psychiatrist, claiming he was still frightened. He also complained that the police had not stopped his wife and stepdaughter, both key witnesses, from leaving in August for India.
He claimed that he had been set up by the two of them after they learned of his affair with a colleague.
The Interpol bureau in India has been asked to help find the mother and daughter, now 14.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Gordon Oh said the victim's absence is not a reason for acquittal. The law states that a person can be convicted on his statements to the police as long as the court is satisfied they were made voluntarily.
The law states that anyone who has sex with a child below the age of 14, with or without consent, is guilty of statutory rape.
Sick Indian Man!
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
India Presents the “One-Lakh Car”
Four years in the making, Tata Motor produced a so-called “one-lakh car”, (one lakh being the Indian term for 100,000) aimed squarely at members of India’s 300-million-strong middle class. Dubbing it the “People’s Car,” Tata hopes to entice consumers with a four to five seater, four-door, rear-engine car with about 30 hp (horsepower).
“It's about necessity. People require four wheels. They cannot go on a bike or scooter anymore. It's entry level cars. Larger cars are for people with extra money. The first car is always a small car,” says Himanshu Tandon, a general manager for sales at one Delhi Hyundai dealership.
The potential for growth and profit in the small-car sector is high. It is estimated that India has a vehicle density of only seven cars per thousand people, compared to the US which already has 477 per thousand. In 2006 alone, an astonishing one million cars were sold in India, with the annual growth rate of sales pegged at 16 percent.
With these figures, it’s no wonder car-makers are all jumping eagerly onto the proverbial bandwagon. Nissan-Renault recently revealed that it too would also strategize how to produce its version of the $3000 car, while India’s Hero Group, a well-known motorcycle manufacturer, is reportedly collaborating with a Canadian company on a mini-car. Maruti-Suzuki is busy with what they call a “competitively-priced” 660cc vehicle; South India’s Bajaj Auto will introduce their entry-level model during next year’s national Auto Expo. Even Xenetis, India’s low-cost computer maker, intends to develop a low-cost car. Tata Motors is going even further by exploring different possibilities with General Electric (GE) in whether the cars could be made from GE’s engineered plastics.
Despite all these shiny, bright ideas, the environmental cost of such a car is not lost on some who argue that instead of pursuing a wasteful, Western model of transportation, public transportation instead should be emphasized, especially at time when India and China are both facing intense pressure to reduce their carbon emissions.
“What we are really worried about is the congestion and the pollution,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, associate director of the Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment. “In Delhi, public transports manage more than 60 per cent of the transport demand and, if you add the numbers using the new Metro, that is going to increase the [percentage using public transport]. Our immediate policy should be to retain and protect this so that people who are already using it... do not make the move to cars. It is aspirational - people who want to buy cars. But the question should be how easy should we be making it for them?... Once they have started using cars it, will be hard to get them back.”
Indian president Manmohan Singh commented however that India’s current growth may go hand-in-hand with environmental self-empowerment. “Due care must be taken not to allow growth and development prospects in the developing world to be undermined or constrained ... More and not less development is the best way for developing countries to address themselves to the issue of preserving the environment and protecting the climate,” he said
India's answer of a China's QQ car! Free Air refresher included...
Sunday, March 30, 2008
One can't help but seeing this Incredible India@60! campaign all over the World...
A Kaleidoscope of the New India
India is an incredible kaleidoscope of a vibrant democracy with compellingly young demographics, remarkable development within stunning diversity. Incredible India@60! celebrated our arrival at the 60th milestone.
CII National Theme : 2007-08
Building People - Building India
Preamble
Over the last 15 years, Indian industry has worked hard on putting the basic building blocks of competitiveness into place. It has worked strongly to improve operational efficiency, quality, productivity and customer orientation. In this effort, CII has worked closely with its members through structured programmes.
Today, Indian industry is competitive; it has restructured itself; and, it is acquiring a global footprint.
It is now time for Indian industry - as indeed India - to set sights on a new and higher trajectory of competitiveness and globalisation.
The Context
The Indian economy has never had it so good.
Three years of close to 9% growth.
Outstanding performance in the services and industry sectors, both growing at over 11%.
The macro economic indicators of the nation extremely sound.
Investment as a percentage of GDP at a record high.
In the industry and services sectors, innovation, education and dynamism are the order of the day. Indian industry is today resurgent, confident and global in its aspirations.
This is the good news
To catch the next wave of growth, industry has to take note of - rising expectations of customer both in India and overseas; increasing competition from all parts of the globe; the pressure on competitiveness. But the greatest challenge that Indian industry is beginning to grapple with - be it in small, medium or large sectors - is that of talent acquisition and retention. While all sectors seem to be doing extremely well, they also have begun to experience the crunch of people and talent availability in the right measure.
India's Reality
320 million children in India are between the age of 6 and 16. Out of this only 10% will pass school and go beyond.
Approximately 280 million people live below the poverty line and nearly 400 million people in India, live below $2 a day.
India's per capita is at $460, while Sri Lanka is $833 and US is at $30,000.
40 million unemployed people and this numbers are growing. In the next 5 years, the figure could reach to as much as 60 million people, more than entire populations of France, Italy and UK.
90% workforce in the unorganized sector.
30% casual labour with no regular source of income.
India has the youngest population in the world. The median range is 24 and every other population in the world is getting older.
2.5 mn graduates passing out of colleges each year without skills connecting to employment. Mismatch between educational system output and Industry's manpower requirements.
India's opportunity
The correction is not impossible because India also faces a unique opportunity. It is the youngest population in the world; its median age in 2000 was less than 24, compared to 38 for Europe and 41 for Japan. Even China had a median age of 30. Alternatively viewed, this means that India has the unique opportunity to complement what an ageing rest of the world needs the most - productive workers. India in 2025 will have a dependency ratio of 12.1, i.e., for every 100 working-age adults there will be slightly more than 12 persons who are above the age of 65. For China the ratio will be 19.4, for Japan 49, for Europe 33.2.
It is in this context that CII has chosen as its theme for 2007-08 : Building People - Building India.
The Agenda for Action
The core focus of CII work, activities and events will, therefore, relate to people and ways and means of making them efficient, entrepreneurial and innovative - all with the aim of making India and Indian industry even more competitive.
CII will work with the youth in a multi-dimensional mode - adopting the four Missions which were introduced last year :
Missions :
Knowledge & Skills
Manufacturing Innovation
Sustainable Growth
Inclusive Growth
The approach would be to work strongly in identifying manpower needs, talent gaps and working strongly to make India the undisputed global leader in the matter of skills and talent. Every sector would be catered to - Manufacturing, IT, ITES, Telecom, BPO, Engineering Process Outsourcing, Retail and Agri-business.
In its efforts, CII will focus sharply on fulfilling the needs of small and medium enterprises which form a significant portion of the membership.
To sum up
CII - at the National, Regional, State and Zonal levels - would implement a programme of work which begins to effectively convert the human raw material in our country into a productive force to bolster the competitiveness of Indian industry. Massive programmes covering school dropouts to engineers and PHDs will form a key element of our initiative. In addition, the huge requirement of personnel in the growth sectors of the economy will be addressed. This is besides the initiative on affirmative action which is already underway.
In this multi-pronged approach, the four Missions of CII will provide the vehicles of delivery.
CII believes that the next big ticket item on its agenda ought to be BUILDING PEOPLE - BUILDING INDIA.
Sunday, March 02, 2008
Indian Burger
In India, there are no Big Macs because the Hindu people don't eat beef.
However, they have the Maharaja Mac, which is a Big Mac made of lamb or chicken meat. There is also a vegetarian burger, the McAloo Tikki.
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