The recent denial of visa to the Dalai Lama by the South African government has been dragged to courts here.
In an affidavit before the Western Cape High Court, representatives of the Tibetan spiritual leader in South Africa said the country's High Commission in New Delhi had declined to accept a visa application on his behalf on two occasions.
Then on the third occasion, the application was directed to a private processing agency. Since a reply to the request for visa was not forthcoming, the Dalai Lama eventually cancelled his visit.
He had been invited to attend the 80th birthday celebrations of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu in Cape Town Oct 7. He was also scheduled to speak at other engagements.
Indian officials accompanying Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said this matter, however, will not come up during his discussions with his host and South African President Jacob Zuma, since New Delhi considers it an internal matter of Pretoria.
2011/10/4 8:12:21 Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama Tuesday called off his visit to South Africa, where he was invited by his "close friend" and fellow Nobel laureate Desmond Tutu, his office said here.
"His Holiness was to depart for South Africa Oct 6 but visas have not been granted yet," the Dalai Lama's office said in a statement.
"We are, therefore, now convinced that for whatever reason or reasons, the South African government finds it inconvenient to issue visa to the Dalai Lama," it said.
Two years back too, the elderly monk was refused a visa by the South Africa government as it has close ties with China. He was to attend a peace conference there.
The Dalai Lama's office said he has been invited to South Africa by a number of universities and organisations, including Stellenbosch University, the Tutu Centre and the Mahatma Gandhi Trust to give public talks, deliver Bishop Tutu's 80th birth anniversary inaugural lecture and to receive the Mahatma Gandhi International Award for Peace and Reconciliation.
"The visa applications for the Dalai Lama and the entourage members were submitted to the South African High Commission in New Delhi at the end of August and original passports were submitted Sep 20, over two weeks ago," said the statement.
It said the Dalai Lama had cancelled his visit because he "does not want to create any inconveniences to anyone, individuals or governments" in his work, but that he "regrets the inconveniences caused to his hosts and the large number of South African public".
The Dalai Lama has lived in exile in India since fleeing Tibet during a failed uprising in 1959. He favours "greater autonomy" for Tibetans rather than complete independence.
Chinese leaders have, in fact, called him a separatist who wants Tibet to secede from China. (IANS)
2011/9/23 8:49:09 Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama Friday said the issue of reincarnation is his personal right.
"My reincarnation is to be decided by myself, nobody has the right to decide about that," the Nobel Peace laureate said, referring to China's interference with issues of his reincarnation.
"The institution of the Dalai Lama is being followed for centuries. This is my personal right (to follow it or not)," the 14th Dalai Lama added.
He was speaking on the second day of a three-day Buddhist conference here.
A new Chinese law says the government has to approve all reincarnations of living Buddhas or senior religious figures in Tibetan Buddhism.
The government-in-exile based here believes the Chinese are trying to finish two major Tibetan religious institutions - the Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama.
Heads and representatives of four major traditions and sub-traditions of Tibetan Buddhism and ancient Bon tradition are taking part in the conference being organised by the Central Tibetan Administration.
An official said the Dalai Lama's office had distributed a draft on the issue of reincarnation among the participants for discussion.
"Today communist China considers religion a poison and they consider me a demon. So, I would be a demon reincarnation. This is nonsense," the Dalai Lama was quoted as saying in Toulouse in France in August. "So the Chinese communists should accept rebirth."
The Buddhists, both in exile and in Tibet, believe once the Dalai Lama dies, China will appoint its own successor. At that time, there might be two Dalai Lamas -- one recognised by China and the other chosen by the exiles -- like in the case of the Chinese-appointed Panchen Lama.
Born July 6, 1935, at Taktser hamlet in northeastern Tibet, the Dalai Lama was recognised at the age of two as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama Thubten Gyatso.
He fled Tibet after a failed uprising against the Chinese rule in 1959, basing his Tibetan government-in-exile here that never won recognition from any country.
2011/9/20 21:59:29 Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama Tuesday expressed grief over the deaths due to the earthquake that hit eastern and northern India, Nepal and Tibet, and donated Rs.500,000 for relief work in Sikkim.
In a letter to Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling, the Nobel laureate said: "I was saddened to learn about the loss of life and damage to property... I offer my sympathy and condolences to all those families who have been directly affected by what I understand is one of the worst earthquakes in recent memory."
He donated Rs.500,000 from the Dalai Lama Trust towards relief work in the affected areas of Sikkim, the Dalai Lama's office said here.
At least 68 people in India died in Sunday's 6.8 magnitude earthquake, which had its epicentre on the Sikkim-Nepal border. (IANS)
2011/11/29 3:34:56 (IANS) China Monday said it is opposed to any country providing "a platform" to the Dalai Lama for his "anti-China activities" even as the Tibetan leader's envoy in New Delhi said India was right in letting him speak at an ongoing Buddhist conference.
The four-day Global Buddhist Conference being held in New Delhi entered the second day, with scholars debating the finer points of Buddhist philosophy and discussing their ideas of right living.
China, however, made it point abundantly clear.
"The Dalai Lama is not a purely religious figure but one who has been engaged in separatist activities for a long time, under the pretext of religion," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hong Lei said.
"We oppose any country that provides a platform for his anti-China activities in any form," he said in Beijing, in an allusion to the meet where the Dalai Lama will deliver the valedictory lecture Nov 30.
Hong's comments came days after India and China postponed the Nov 28-29 15th round of boundary talks over the Dalai Lama's participation in the conference.
Hong did not specifically say if China had conveyed its opposition to the conference.
India considers the Dalai Lama, who fled his homeland in 1959 after an abortive anti-Communist uprising, a spiritual leader and so free to speak on spiritual matters.
The India-China row over the conference led to the postponement of the boundary talks.
Both sides have downplayed the postponement, saying they were in touch over new dates.
Hong said that both sides were "in communication on relevant issues" and were also discussing the "specific agenda" of the talks. China paid "great attention" to the next round of talks with India, he stressed.
Tempa Tsering, the Dalai Lama's chief representative in Delhi, protested against China's design to give a political colour to a religious event, saying India "has done the right thing' by refusing to cave in.
"They (conference delegates) have no other motive other than to bring Buddhist scholars together to discuss Buddhist philosophy and share experiences of how the Buddhist teachings can help humanity," Tsering told IANS at Hotel Lalit where some sessions were held.
"India is a free democratic society. China is a closed society; that's why they are reacting in a paranoid manner," Tsering said, when asked about Chinese objections.
"The Dalai Lama has been a guest of India for the last 52 years. It would have been unusual if the Dalai Lama, who is regarded the world over as a spiritual leader and the head of Tibetan Buddhism, will not attend this conference," he said.
"The government of India has done the right thing to let the Dalai Lama speak at the conference," he said.
The Asoka Mission, the organiser of the conference, has also objected to the politicization of the event by China.
"The world is dealing with ... violence, social and economic disparity, environmental degradation and discord between and within communities and nations. The objective of the congregation is to stand united when it comes to sending their collective message to the world on such issues," said Lama Lobzang, president of the Asoka Mission.
Around 900 Buddhist scholars and followers from several countries are participating in the conference that began in New Delhi Sunday.
Dalai Lama's prescription for 'happy married life'
2011/12/1 15:27:49 (IANS) Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, himself a bachelor, Thursday had some words of wisdom for a happy married life saying one should always go for the inner beauty of a person than superficial beauty.
"Always go for the inner beauty of a person. If people marry only for the superficial beauty of a person, they will remain happy only for a few months then fight and later divorce or worse kill," said the Dalai Lama bursting into laughter.
He was in the city to deliver a lecture on world peace at the Indian Institute of Management.
"Once in order to pull the leg of a dear friend, I said your wife is not at all pretty looking. He retorted 'I know, but you won't find anyone with so much inner beauty as her. She has the most beautiful heart one can ever find'.
"I was speechless by his answer," added the spiritual leader.
He also said India being a big country has an important role to play in world peace.
"In spite of religious, linguistic and regional diversity, India has been living in harmony since long. This is because of her secularism, her democracy and the freedom of speech and the press. The world needs to learn from India."
Describing the last century as the 'century of war and bloodshed', the spiritual leader urged the new generation to go for disarmament and peace.
"In the 20th century more than 200 million people were killed by war and violence. A better world can materialise only if it is violence free. The young generation should ensure there is more compassion, peace and non-violence."
"The geographical barriers have shrunk today. The advancement of technology has brought the world closer. Countries are now mutually interdependent for existence and growth. We must, therefore have a sense of global responsibility.
Referring to himself as 'a son of India' he said it is the Indian 'daal chawal and chapati' (pulse, rice and bread) that has kept him alive along with the love the people give him.
Asked if given a chance he would go back to Tibet or stay in India, the spiritual guru who was at his jovial best replied: "It depends as to when I am given the chance. If it is given after 10 years I will stay in India because a warmer climate will suit a man who will be 86 by then. But I won't stay in Kolkata it's so humid here."
2011/10/27 8:07:12 Ram Charan Tej is getting devotional and mystic every passing day and wants to do something different. He was seen playing polo at the Bison grounds and he went to Sabari mala on a devotional trip.
Now blending devotion with adventure he is bound for Dharamshala, the abode of Dalai Lama. Magadheera effect must be longing last on this youngster and the Himalayan trek will be doing a lot good for his before the engagement.
Meanwhile, his film Racha is progressing well and efforts are on to release it for Sankarati, a few weeks after his engagement. (INN)
Chandrabau Naidu who made a personal appearance at the US embassy in Chennai has been granted visa to visit the US. Babu spent about five minutes at the embassy. He has been given a visa for 10 years. His visa has expired and he applied for a fresh visa. Babu is visiting the US for about 10 days. He will leave Hyderabad on June 26. He is expected to take part in the TANA conference during his visit.
India to start campaign against Italy in Olympic hockey qualifiers
2011/12/21 16:00:38 New Delhi, Dec 21 (IANS) Eight-time hockey Olympic champions India will start their campaign against lowly-ranked Italy in the men’s Olympic qualifiers for the 2012 London Games that would be held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here Feb 18-26.
The men’s field, besides hosts India, also includes Canada, France, Poland, Italy and the United States. India enter the event as highest ranked team in the tournament at world No.10. The two top teams will play the final and the winner will qualify for the London Olympics.
India shockingly failed to qualify for the 2008 Beijing Games for the first time in 80 years.
This time the world No.10 have been handed a favourable draw and will open their campaign Feb 18 against Italy, who are lying in the 28th spot in FIH rankings.
The women’s tournament will also be played simultaneously and, besides India, the participating teams are South Africa, Italy, Canada, Ukraine and Poland. South Africa are the top-seeded team and are ranked world No.12 while India are world No.13.
In all, six Olympic spots are up for grabs, three each from the men and the women’s section. The winners of each of the six Olympic Qualification Tournaments will earn a berth to the London 2012 Games.
Men’s schedule: Feb 18: Canada vs USA (2pm), France vs Poland (4pm), India vs. Italy (8pm) Feb 19: Canada vs. Poland (12pm), Italy vs. France (4pm), India vs. US (8pm) Feb 21: Italy vs. Canada (12pm), Poland vs USA (4pm), France vs. India (8pm) Feb 22: Poland vs. Italy (12pm), US vs France (4pm), Canada vs. India (8pm) Feb 24: US vs Italy (2pm), France vs. Canada (4pm), India vs. Poland (8pm) Feb 26: 5th vs. 6th (3pm), 3rd vs. 4th (3.30pm), 1st vs.2nd (8pm)
Women’s schedule: Feb 18:South Africa vs. Poland (10am), Italy vs. Canada (12pm), India vs. Ukraine (6pm) Feb 19:Poland vs. Italy (10am), South Africa vs. Ukraine (2pm), India vs. Canada (6pm) Feb 21:Canada vs. Ukraine (10am), Italy vs. South Africa (12pm), Poland vs India (6pm) Feb 22:Ukraine vs. Italy (10am), canada vs. Poland (2pm), India vs. South Africa (6pm) Feb 24:South Africa vs. Canada (10am), Ukraine vs. Poland 912pm), Italy vs. India (6pm) Feb 25: 5th vs. 6th (3pm), 3rd vs. 4th (5.30pm), 1st vs. 2nd (8pm)
Zuma vows to achieve green growth with or without climate deal
2011/12/3 18:01:23 Durban, Dec 3 (IANS) South African President Jacob Zuma Saturday endorsed the establishment of the South African Renewables Initiative (SARi) funding mechanism during the 17th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
"South Africa has an ambitious renewable energy plan and is promoting investments in the fields of renewable energy, marine aquaculture development, wildlife management, waste services as well as ecosystem rehabilitation programs to name just a few," Zuma said, reported Xinhua.
He was speaking to business leaders at the opening of the World Climate Business Summit in Durban.
The president said Pretoria will soon announce the results of the bidding process for the first 3.725 megawatts of green energy to be procured under Renewable Energy Flagship Program.
He said South Africa "plans to scale this up to at least 18 Gigawatts, to account for 42 percent of new capacity being commissioned."
According to the president, the biggest barriers to developing renewable energy in Africa to date are not technological, but financial. "In that regard South Africa has been hard at work in the development and design of financial instruments aligned to our national plans for green growth," Zuma told business leaders.
Zuma said the SARi funding mechanism would help South Africa unlock its green growth potential through the funding of large- scale renewable developments.
The SARi model will enable the country to deal with the high cost through low cost loans and other financial instruments combined with time limited pay-for-performance grants.
South Africa is committed to reduce carbon emissions by 34 percent by 2020 and by 42 percent by 2025.
India beat South Africa 4-2 to enter Champions Challenge final
2011/12/3 16:17:56 (IANS) Sandeep Singh scored a brace as India Saturday thwarted a spirited challenge by South Africa 4-2 in a fast-paced hockey match to move into the final of the Champions Challenge tournament here.
India will meet Belgium in the title contest Sunday. Belgium defeated Argentina 3-2 in a penalty shootout after the scores were level 2-2 in regulation period and extra-time.
South Africa began with a flurry of moves before Timothy Drummond struck in the eighth minute. India stepped up the attack and V.R. Raghunath equalised through a penalty corner conversion in the 14th minute.
The home team went 2-1 up with a strike from Thornton McDade in the 22nd minute.
Sarvanjit Singh levelled the score five minutes into the second half.
It was then Sandeep who put India ahead with two brilliant penalty corner strikes in the 45th and 50th minute.
Both teams played fast and exciting hockey to entertain the small crowd. There was no dull moment in the match as the two teams showed energy and intent to score.
South Africa set the tempo early and were relentless in their attacks, prising open the Indian defence. A speedy move saw Drummond making the most of the pass from Marvin Harper.
Rattled by the goal, India showed urgency and put pressure on South Africa. Raghunath struck with a clean hit to equalise.
India would have got the lead, but a diving Danish Mujtaba failed to connect a cross near the goalmouth.
South Africa got back the lead with McDade's strike and led 2-1 in the half-time.
Sarvanjit was well positioned to level the score in the second half. It was then Sandeep's brilliance with the drag flicks that slammed the door against South Africa. The powerful strikes, one pasted to the left corner and the other to the right of goalkeeper Pieterse Erasmus, came in a space of five minutes.
Indian goalkeeper Bharat Chettri made some good saves in the end to keep South Africa at bay.
Former chief minister and TDP chief Chandra Babu Naidu will wait for his turn like ordinary mortals for a visa at the US embassy in Chennai. Chandra Babu’s visa has expired and he needs a fresh visa to go to the US in the last week of June. Chandra Babu Naidu was exempted from physical appearance at the US Embassy all theses years in his capacity as the Chief Minister.
The US embassy normally waives the rule of personal appearance for certain categories of people like chief ministers. It would be a new experience for Babu, who is attending an interview for visa. Babu has rubbed shoulders with non other than the then US president Bill Clinton when he came to Hyderabad. Babu as the chief minister had issued recommendation letters to the US Embassy requesting visas for many people including party legislators. He even saw to it that his personal staff was not required to go to Chennai for a visa while he was in power.
However, it is learnt that Chandra Babu did not seek an exemption to make a personal appearance at the embassy for the visa. If he had sought permission, he would surely have been granted the privilege.
The fake visa scam and the issue of actress Asha Saini being arrested for trying to smuggling out a girl by claiming her to be her make up artist has sent shockwaves in Tollywood. Many top producers and director are also said to be involved in this. Mallikarjuna Rao said to the media that some time back a delegation of about 20 artists went to the US to take part in TANA conference.
AVS tried to include his brother in the delegation as an astrologer. The US consulate did not issue a visa to him stating that the services of an astrologer were not needed in a cultural team. AVS now wants to know what this has to do with the visa scam.
In South Africa, Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt has woven a hypnotic web among the natives, says a business honcho from the country who is visiting India's commercial capital.
"He is bigger than any icon there. He has girls swooning over him and his fan following is bigger than any Hollywood megastar. South Africans just love him," Themba Ngcobo, president, Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told IANS.
"In fact, I am one of his fans myself and I have never missed any of his films, even though I usually see it with subtitles," Ngcobo said.
"Indian film stars have a huge fan following and the Hindi film market is also huge because the demographic concentration of Indians is extremely high," Ngcobo said.
Ngcobo is one of the leaders of the high-powered delegation from South Africa on a visit to India to attract investment and expertise.
Talking about trade tie-ups, Ngcobo says, "These kind of trade visits are important, but what I find surprising is that the joint ventures which we are seeking here will certainly follow. But the foundations of the joint venture was already laid down by your film industry."
The heavy presence of Indian residents in South Africa certainly boosted the Hindi film market, but the "recently-introduced sops and incentives to the Indian film industry have also taken the ties further," Ngcobo said.
According to Ngcobo, though the Indian film industry in the late 1990s had started looking at South Africa for shooting, the hosting of the International Indian Film Academy Awards in 2001 and 2003 helped make the Indian film industry aware of its potential.
"Today, a major chunk of films are being shot there and we will provide more incentives as well as streamline the process. Films are a part of culture and a strong one that can bind the two countries which had been exploited for centuries together," Ngcobo smiles before swaggering away Dutt style.
2011/12/13 15:23:57 Dubai, Dec 13 (IANS) Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid are the only two Indian batsmen among the top-10 in Tests rankings while Pakistan's veteran Younus Khan jumped 11 places to claim the fifth spot in the latest International Cricket Council (ICC) rankings released here Tuesday.
Younus Khan has charged up the ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen after his double-century set up an innings and 184-run victory for Pakistan in the first Test against Bangladesh.
Tendulkar is seventh while Dravid in ninth in the list which is led by Sri Lankan Kumar Sangakkara. South Africa's Jacques Kallis is second and is followed by England duo, Alastair Cook and Ian Bell.
New Zealand's fast bowler Doug Bracewell's stellar performance in the team's sensational seven-run victory in the Hobart Test has lifted him 50 places to 39th position. The 21-year-old Bracewell had figures of 3-20 and 6-40 which turned out to be the cornerstone of New Zealand's first Test victory in Australia in 26 years. Bracewell is now New Zealand's third highest-ranked bowler after Daniel Vettori (seventh) and Chris Martin (up by one place to 16th).
The bowlers' list is headed by South Africa's Dale Steyn with England's James Anderson second and Morne Morkel of South Africa third.
Meanwhile, South Africa and Sri Lanka go head to head in the three-Test series at Centurion from Thursday with both the sides eyeing upward movements.
South Africa currently sits in third position on 116 ratings points, one behind India, while Sri Lanka is in fifth spot, 17 ratings points behind.
If South Africa wins the series by 2-0 or better, it could leapfrog India into second position, while Sri Lanka's victory by 1-0 or better might put it ahead of Australia in fourth position. The teams ranking on the Championship table will largely depend on how the Australia-India series pans out.
Batsmen:
1.Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) 880
2.Jacques Kallis (South Africa) 851
3.Alastair Cook (England) 823
4.Ian Bell (England) 822
5.Younus Khan (Pakistan) and Hashim Amla (South Africa) 787
2011/10/26 3:50:33 Dubai, Oct 26 (IANS) World champions India climbed to the third position in the International Cricket Council (ICC) ODI rankings with a 5-0 win over England.
South Africa can leapfrog Sri Lanka and India into second position if it beats Australia in Durban Friday. Zimbabwe earned three ratings points for a historic victory against New Zealand in third ODI.
A clinical India has moved into third position in the ICC ODI Championship table after producing a world champion-like performance against England, which has helped it to wrap up the series 5-0.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni?s side started the series in fifth position on 112 ratings points. After winning all five ODIs, it has 118 ratings points.
In a sharp contrast, Alastair Cook?s side has slipped from fourth position to fifth after dropping from 112 ratings points to 106.
It now leads sixth-placed Pakistan by just five ratings points whose five-ODI series against Sri Lanka starts here from Nov 11.
However, India will slip to fourth if South Africa wins the third and last ODI against Australia in Durban Friday.
A South Africa win will put Hashim Amla?s side in second place on 120 ratings points, one ratings point ahead of India. In case of Australia?s victory, the Proteas will stay in fourth position but will drop to 115 ratings points.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe?s historic victory over New Zealand in Bulawayo Tuesday has earned it three ratings points.
Zimbabwe, which successfully chased a 329-run target to win by one wicket, moved up to 47 ratings points.
On the contrary, New Zealand dropped three ratings points and are now on 87 ratings points - nine points ahead of the West Indies.
Rankings: 1. Australia 129 rating points 2. Sri Lanka 119 3. India 118 4. South Africa 117 5. England 106 6. Pakistan 101 7. New Zealand 87 8. West Indies 78 9. Bangladesh 63 10. Zimbabwe 47 11. Ireland 41 12. The Netherlands 15 13. Kenya 0
2008/3/14 8:11:11 The issue of fake visa and the smuggling of people, in the name of artists and technicians has taken a big twist. The US consulate officials state that there are some very big names in the list of 200 people who have been banned from entering into the US forever.
A big producer, a leading hero and also a leading comedian are said to be in the list that is in the possession of the investigating agencies in Chennai. The gossip in film nagar is now about the identity of these three people. Many names are coming out but no one is yet to come out on record. Till then, the suspense over the names of the big fish involved in the fake visa racket will remain under wraps.
2008/3/14 12:58:37 The issue of fake visa and the smuggling of people, in the name of artists and technicians has taken a big twist. The US consulate officials state that there are some very big names in the list of 200 people who have been banned from entering into the US forever.
A bit producer, a leading hero and also a leading comedian are said to be in the list that is in the possession of the investigating agencies in Chennai. The gossip in film nagar is now about the identity of these three people. Many names are coming out but no one is yet to come out on record. Till then, the suspense over the names of the big fish involved in the fake visa racket will remain under wraps.
Fanie de Villiers offers help to struggling Mitchell Johnson
2011/11/20 17:35:26 Sydney, Nov 20 (IANS) Former South African swing bowler Fanie de Villiers is ready to help out-of-form Australian pacer Mitchell Johnson.
Johnson has hardly troubled the South African batsmen in the ongoing Test series in South Africa. He ended up with match figures of 1-144 in the second Test and is in danger of being axed for the upcoming series against New Zealand and India.
In a bid to recapture his form, Johnson shortened his run-up midway through the second Test in Johannesburg but that too proved futile as the Proteas played him with ease.
De Villiers, now a renowned bowling analyst, has kept a keen eye on the South Africa and Australia series and believes the Queenslander can bounce back from his recent slump in form with right mentoring.
"I would like to help him, I was a swing bowler for 19 years ... guys like myself and (Pakistani pace legend) Wasim Akram used to spend hours and hours analysing swing bowling," de Villiers was quoted saying by the Courier Mail.
"I can give him good advice. I really hope Mitchell gives me a ring. If he rings me, I can tell him what he needs to do. He needs to change.
"He needs to understand the way you run in, the way you bowl, how to use angles, and I don't think he understands it," he added.
Few of us would have heard Sanskrit verses from the Bhagwad Gita recited this way — opera-style.
However, an opera titled Satyagraha, composed by Philip Glass and with a very successful run in London, has opened in New York's famed Metropolitan Opera.
The opera was written three decades ago and is based on Mahatma Gandhi's early years in South Africa.
Mahatma Gandhi's grandson, Rajmohan Gandhi said, "I don't think my grandfather would object to the idea of an opera being used to convey his message to the people of different cultures of the western world."
The opening night reception brought together people from India and South Africa, both countries connected by Gandhi's indispensable contribution.
2011/9/23 8:54:15 Worried by continuing slide in the international students' numbers, the Australian government has decided to relax visa norms further.
The decision has coincided with former New South Wales minister Michael Knight's report that calls for loosening the onerous immigration requirements for international students.
The government has accepted all 41 recommendations made by the 'Knight Review'. These recommendations include similar assessment level for all international students regardless of their country of passport. The students would also need to show A$36,000 less to get Australian student visa.
The rising Australian dollar and global financial crisis have dealt a serious blow to the universities and vocational education colleges in the country as international students, especially from India and China, have started shunning Australia.
"The university and vocational education sectors have been concerned for some time that the visa system was making them uncompetitive in what is stiff competition among provider nations," Tertiary Education Minister Chris Evans said Thursday.
"They were wanting to make sure our visa system was allowing them to compete on an equal basis," the minister added.
The changes proposed by the Labor government include a more streamlined visa process for international students coming down under for higher studies. This would mean easing financial criteria. International students are now required to prove they have sufficient funds to finance their studies and living expenses in Australia upfront.
The proposed changes would also see introduction of a new work visa for international students. There are speculations that this work visa could be something similar to the ones offered by Canada and New Zealand to international students once they have finished their studies.
The post-studies work visa is likely to be of two to four years' validity depending upon the level of studies completed by the international student in Australia.
While the financial requirements would be relaxed considerably, the onus would be on the student to establish they are genuine students and have plans to return to home country after finishing the studies.
"It's not enough to be genuine about your studies and have no intention of going home, nor is it enough to be genuine about going home but not serious about your studies," Michael Knight said while speaking in a press conference in Canberra Thursday.
The assessment levels which decide financial requirements for various countries have been the major impediment for students from countries like India and China as they are classified as "high risk" countries. The higher assessment levels also mean students have to show much more funds in the bank accounts before student visa could be issued.
"Our consultations found that the financial requirements for student visas were too onerous, so we are reducing the financial requirements for some applicants, with students now needing around $36,000 less in the bank when applying for a visa," Immigration Minister Chris Bowen said in a statement accompanying the report's release. (IANS)
The recent denial of visa to the Dalai Lama by the South African government has been dragged to courts here.
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama Tuesday called off his visit to South Africa, where he was invited by his "close friend" and fellow Nobel laureate Desmond Tutu, his office said here.
(IANS) China Monday said it is opposed to any country providing "a platform" to the Dalai Lama for his "anti-China activities" even as the Tibetan leader's envoy in New Delhi said India was right in letting him speak at an ongoing Buddhist conference.
Ram Charan Tej is getting devotional and mystic every passing day and wants to do something different. He was seen playing polo at the Bison grounds and he went to Sabari mala on a devotional trip.
Worried by continuing slide in the international students' numbers, the Australian government has decided to relax visa norms further.
