Abandoning an Australian dream



KOLKATA // After finishing high school in India, with a dream to study and possibly settle in his dream destination, Mukul Khanna left for Australia last year. Less than a year later, leaving his bachelor's degree programme in Sydney's Macquarie University, he returned to his Gurgaon home on Sunday. "My dream is shattered. I wanted to finish my study there, but had to drop out as my extremely anxious parents called me," Mr Khanna, 19, said. His parents were anxious for their son after reports of attacks against Indians in Australia.

"Recently my friend, a Pakistani student, who was working as a part-time salesman at a shop there [Sydney], was beaten up and robbed by some young men. The men in their early 20s hurled vulgar racial abuses while beating him," Mr Khanna told a press conference. "I don't think that most Australians are racist in nature. Some jobless young men resent the growing presence of Indian students, who are growing in number and taking up the jobs which may otherwise have gone to them. These men, who are often high on alcohol or drugs, are behind these attacks."

Mr Khanna pointed out that the attackers, some of whom were non-Australians, were targeting other South Asians as well. Some Pakistani students he knew had also dropped out and left Australia after facing similar attacks recently, he claimed. Mr Khanna's father, Dinesh, a hotelier, said he felt bad that his son had lost a year by leaving his studies in Australia. "But I am relieved that my son is away from the risk of being caught in the madness there. As soon as I saw those frightening [Indian] media reports on the racial attacks, I called up my son. When he said that his friend too had been attacked, I began seriously worrying about my son's safety and asked him to return to India immediately," Dinesh said.

Even though Australia has ordered a high-level inquiry into the recent attacks on Indian students and has hinted that it would impose tougher race crime laws to protect all foreign students, parents of tens of thousands of Indian students studying in Australia say they are worried about the safety of their children. In Melbourne - where there are 50,000 Indian students, the highest concentration in Australia, and where most attacks have taken place - police officials told local media the attacks were muggings because ordinary criminals using no sophisticated weapons see foreign students as easy targets.

Melbourne police also added that racial hatred was not involved in any of the attacks and the authorities would succeed to curb the menace soon. But many parents think the attacks are racial in nature and could rise in the future. They are advising their children, who are planning to pursue higher studies abroad, against choosing Australia as their destination. In the past year in Australia, where about 93,000 Indians study in different universities, at least 70 attacks have taken place, Australian authorities admit.

Last week, when the Australian prime minister, Kevin Rudd, called Manmohan Singh, his Indian counterpart, to congratulate him on his re-election, Mr Singh raised the issue of the attacks on Indian students. Mr Rudd, apart from apologising for the attacks, was reported to have assured Mr Singh that his government would take action against the culprits as soon as the investigations were complete. But anxious and angry parents in India are not convinced. Many parents from not-so-well-off families have sent their children to Australia after taking out big loans, hoping to give them a brighter future. Now they are worried about the safety of their children and their investment.

Dinachandra Digal, a bank clerk, whose son is studying business administration in Adelaide, said he had been aware of such racial attacks for more than two years, but having funded his son's study with a bank loan, he could not afford to ask him to drop out and return to India. "Such racial attacks have been taking place for some years. But the victims don't want to be involved in police cases, so they don't report them. I call him twice daily to check if everything is all right," Mr Digal said from his home in Orissa state.

Australia is the most popular destination for Indian students after the United States, and if the attacks on South Asians are not checked, Australia will lose a big chunk of Indian students, foreign university admission agents privately agree. "Parents of many students are scared to send their children to Australia now. Even two months ago every day we used to get at least a dozen calls inquiring about seats in Australian universities. But in the past week, since the attacks on students in Australia have been reported in the Indian media, we have not received more than three calls a day for Australian universities," said a counsellor with Global Opportunities, a leading admission agent in New Delhi. She could not be named because she was not authorised to speak to the media on this issue.

"Many callers are saying openly that Australia had been their first choice until a few weeks ago, but recent violence against the Indian students has diverted their interest to Canada and New Zealand, and in some cases to the US." aziz@thenational.ae

Cryopreservation: A timeline
  1. Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
  2. Ovarian tissue surgically removed
  3. Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
  4. Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
  5. Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
RESULTS

Bantamweight title:
Vinicius de Oliveira (BRA) bt Xavier Alaoui (MAR)
(KO round 2)
Catchweight 68kg:
Sean Soriano (USA) bt Noad Lahat (ISR)
(TKO round 1)
Middleweight:
Denis Tiuliulin (RUS) bt Juscelino Ferreira (BRA)
(TKO round 1)
Lightweight:
Anas Siraj Mounir (MAR) bt Joachim Tollefsen (DEN)
(Unanimous decision)
Catchweight 68kg:
Austin Arnett (USA) bt Daniel Vega (MEX)
(TKO round 3)
Lightweight:
Carrington Banks (USA) bt Marcio Andrade (BRA)
(Unanimous decision)
Catchweight 58kg:
Corinne Laframboise (CAN) bt Malin Hermansson (SWE)
(Submission round 2)
Bantamweight:
Jalal Al Daaja (CAN) bt Juares Dea (CMR)
(Split decision)
Middleweight:
Mohamad Osseili (LEB) bt Ivan Slynko (UKR)
(TKO round 1)
Featherweight:
Tarun Grigoryan (ARM) bt Islam Makhamadjanov (UZB)
(Unanimous decision)
Catchweight 54kg:
Mariagiovanna Vai (ITA) bt Daniella Shutov (ISR)
(Submission round 1)
Middleweight:
Joan Arastey (ESP) bt Omran Chaaban (LEB)
(Unanimous decision)
Welterweight:
Bruno Carvalho (POR) bt Souhil Tahiri (ALG)
(TKO)

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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
What is an FTO Designation?

FTO designations impose immigration restrictions on members of the organisation simply by virtue of their membership and triggers a criminal prohibition on knowingly providing material support or resources to the designated organisation as well as asset freezes. 

It is a crime for a person in the United States or subject to the jurisdiction of the United States to knowingly provide “material support or resources” to or receive military-type training from or on behalf of a designated FTO.

Representatives and members of a designated FTO, if they are aliens, are inadmissible to and, in certain circumstances removable from, the United States.

Except as authorised by the Secretary of the Treasury, any US financial institution that becomes aware that it has possession of or control over funds in which an FTO or its agent has an interest must retain possession of or control over the funds and report the funds to the Treasury Department.

Source: US Department of State

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German intelligence warnings
  • 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
  • 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
  • 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250 

Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution

Company profile

Name: Infinite8

Based: Dubai

Launch year: 2017

Number of employees: 90

Sector: Online gaming industry

Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor

How to avoid crypto fraud
  • Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
  • Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
  • Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
  • Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
  • Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
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Director: Romany Saad
Starring: Mirfat Amin, Boumi Fouad and Tariq Al Ibyari

Copa del Rey

Barcelona v Real Madrid
Semi-final, first leg
Wednesday (midnight UAE)

WHAT%20MACRO%20FACTORS%20ARE%20IMPACTING%20META%20TECH%20MARKETS%3F
%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Looming%20global%20slowdown%20and%20recession%20in%20key%20economies%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Russia-Ukraine%20war%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Interest%20rate%20hikes%20and%20the%20rising%20cost%20of%20debt%20servicing%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Oil%20price%20volatility%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Persisting%20inflationary%20pressures%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Exchange%20rate%20fluctuations%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Shortage%20of%20labour%2Fskills%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20A%20resurgence%20of%20Covid%3F%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Vidaamuyarchi

Director: Magizh Thirumeni

Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra

Rating: 4/5

 

The specs

AT4 Ultimate, as tested

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Power: 420hp

Torque: 623Nm

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)

On sale: Now

Banthology: Stories from Unwanted Nations
Edited by Sarah Cleave, Comma Press

UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

Game Changer

Director: Shankar 

Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram

Rating: 2/5

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Profile box

Founders: Michele Ferrario, Nino Ulsamer and Freddy Lim
Started: established in 2016 and launched in July 2017
Based: Singapore, with offices in the UAE, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand
Sector: FinTech, wealth management
Initial investment: $500,000 in seed round 1 in 2016; $2.2m in seed round 2 in 2017; $5m in series A round in 2018; $12m in series B round in 2019; $16m in series C round in 2020 and $25m in series D round in 2021
Current staff: more than 160 employees
Stage: series D 
Investors: EightRoads Ventures, Square Peg Capital, Sequoia Capital India

The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

The biogs

Name: Zinah Madi

Occupation: Co-founder of Dots and links

Nationality: Syrian

Family: Married, Mother of Tala, 18, Sharif, 14, Kareem, 2

Favourite Quote: “There is only one way to succeed in anything, and that is to give it everything.”

 

Name: Razan Nabulsi

Occupation: Co-founder of Dots and Links

Nationality: Jordanian

Family: Married, Mother of Yahya, 3.5

Favourite Quote: A Chinese proverb that says: “Be not afraid of moving slowly, be afraid only of standing still.”

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.