#Indian workers in Singapore

[icedsodapop]

Baskar Kalithash, a 32-year-old married Indian national, embarked on a journey to Singapore with dreams of providing a better life for his family. Like many migrant workers, he faced the challenges of living away from home, working tirelessly to support his loved ones. However, his life took a devastating turn on the night of May 26th, 2024.

Baskar had fallen from his room on the 4th floor, suffering severe injuries. Paramedics from the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) arrived promptly, and he was rushed to the National University Hospital (NUH) at 1:17 am. The extent of his injuries was grave; Baskar had sustained multiple fractures, including a spinal injury, and his life was hanging by a thread.

Emergency neck surgery was performed immediately on May 26th to address his life-threatening injuries. For more than 18 days, Baskar remained in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), fighting for his life. The medical team worked tirelessly to stabilize his condition, and on June 11th, he underwent a second surgery, a tracheostomy, to assist him in breathing.

Despite these efforts, Baskar’s journey to recovery is far from over. He was shifted to the high dependency ward, unable to talk or walk. The doctors have determined that his spinal injury requires at least six weeks of intensive rehabilitation. The road ahead is fraught with challenges, but Baskar remains resilient, holding onto hope for a better tomorrow.

The cost of his extensive medical treatment has been staggering. As of July 11th, 2024, the hospital bills have soared to SGD 180,000. For a migrant worker like Baskar, this amount is insurmountable. He and his family are facing an overwhelming financial burden, unable to bear the weight of these expenses. His insurance coverage only covers SGD 60,000 and that's not enough to help Baskar.

Today, Baskar needs our help. He has given so much in pursuit of a better life, and now he needs us to stand by him in his time of need. We are reaching out to you, compassionate hearts, to extend your support to Baskar and his family. Your generous contributions can make a significant difference in covering his medical bills and supporting his rehabilitation journey.

[mariacallous]

Out of sight, out of mind. That’s the fate of global shipping, even though all of us depend on it for our daily supplies. Everything from bananas to toilet paper to iPhones travels by sea at some point. But we only pay attention when something goes wrong, whether that happens in the Red Sea, the Suez Canal—or underneath what used to be Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge. This week’s accident, which occurred when the container ship Dali lost power and headed straight into a support pillar, has delivered a reminder of the sheer overlooked scale of the shipping industry—and how unprepared many systems are to handle it.

Part of this is the massive size of today’s container vessels themselves. A few minutes before 1:30 a.m. on March 26, the Singapore-flagged container Dali issued a mayday call, which allowed construction workers on the Key Bridge to get a few cars to turn around. Down below, the Dali appeared to have engine problems; camera footage shows its lights flickering before smoke emerges and it hits the support pillar. Within seconds, the bridge collapses into the water. Some of it collapses onto the Dali, too, and with the bridge, cars plunge into the water. At the time of writing, six people are unaccounted for and presumed dead.

Now lots of ordinary citizens around the world are discovering marine websites such as vesselfinder.com and marinetraffic.com, which track merchant vessels. They will have learned that the Dali has a gross tonnage of 95,128 tons, a summer deadweight of 116,851 tons, and that it’s 300 meters (nearly 1,000 feet) long.

When it struck the Key Bridge, the Dali had 4,679 TEU (20-foot-long shipping containers) onboard and was crewed by 22 Indian seafarers, who had been joined by two pilots from Baltimore. Merchant vessels are predominantly crewed by relatively tiny staffs that are usually made up of people from India, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Russia, and Eastern European countries. Indeed, it has been decades since it was common for Western Europeans and Americans to go to sea. Today’s seafarers are skilled, but they do hard and lonely work with long absences from home—and when disaster strikes, shipping can be extremely dangerous. Earlier this month, a Houthi attack in the Red Sea cost the lives of three seafarers—two Filipinos and one Vietnamese.

All this is in service of the goods that make our lives so convenient—and which require a vast and largely invisible ocean network to support.

Just consider the arrivals, off-loading, loading, and departures at the Port of Rotterdam, which is merely the world’s 10-busiest container port. Last year, Rotterdam handled 13.4 million TEU at its 14 terminals. That’s 36,712 TEU every day of the year. In the afternoon on March 26, 149 ocean-going ships were docked in Rotterdam, where cargo containers were being offloaded and new ones added. Another 132 were about to arrive, and another 161 had just departed. The expected arrivals included the Ever Living, a sister to the ill-fated Ever Given, of Suez Canal fame.

At a length of 335 meters (nearly 1,100 feet), width of 45 meters (145 feet), and with a deadweight of 104,653 tons, the Ever Living is almost as massive as the Ever Given. But only almost. With a capacity of nearly 10,000 TEU, it’s very similar to the Dali. The Ever Given, by contrast, has a capacity of just over 20,000 TEU, and it’s not even one of the world’s largest container ships.

Indeed, these days, the world’s fleet of ultra-large container vessels (ULCVs)—vessels of more than 14,500 TEU capacity—features a growing number of beasts that can transport 23,000 TEU and more. The MSC Irina, for example, can carry an astounding 24,346 TEU. Today, in fact, the Dali’s capacity of 10,000 makes it a midsize box ship. Compare that to container ships in 1972, when construction began on the Key Bridge: Back then, the largest container ship in the world had a capacity of a mere 2,984 TEU.

The shipping industry keeps making things more efficient—and thus more cost-effective and more attractive. It’s thanks to shipping that it has made so much sense to build a globalized economy: It’s so cheap to ship goods globally that people in wealthy nations can have them made elsewhere, transported across a few oceans, and still pay less than if they were made at home.

But the massive ships come with equally massive logistical demands. Ports have to be expanded to be able to receive and service them. The port service, for example, involves higher cranes with a wider reach: just imagine 24,000 containers stacked upward and sideways. The ports also need larger storage facilities to hold such vessels’ cargo until it’s picked up by trucks. The financial picture involving ULCVs is clear on the vessel-owner side, because buying a ULCV eventually pays off.

Ports are usually public-private partnerships, which means that investment often involves the taxpayer. The Port of Virginia in Norfolk, which the Dali had left just before its ill-fated call at the Port of Baltimore, has just allocated $1.4 billion to widen the port to make it accessible for two-way ULCV traffic. Norfolk is also currently being dredged to the tune of $450 million, after which it’s expected to have the deepest and widest channels on the east coast of the United States.

“This is a true advantage for anyone delivering to or from America,” said Stephen A. Edwards, the CEO and executive director of the Virginia Port Authority, in an interview with World Cargo News. “Our wider channel sets The Port of Virginia apart by allowing for consistent vessel flow, increasing berth and container yard efficiencies, and further improving harbor safety.” It’s a competitive marketplace, and lots of Chinese ports are already set up for ULCVs. Ports and countries that can’t afford ULCV-worthy expansion are out of luck.

And as the Dali has taught the world, accommodating large vessels is not just about ports. They traverse oceans, sail under bridges, and sail through canals. Imagine if the Ever Given or another ULCV were to strike a bridge. Even a sturdier bridge than the Key Bridge (which received a rating of “fair” during its most recent federal inspection) would struggle to withstand such a blow.

Such calamities happen very rarely. It would be extraordinarily expensive for cities and countries to strengthen bridges and other infrastructure that a massive container ship might hit. The Dali’s crew and pilots appear to have tried their hardest to steer the ship away from the Key Bridge when the power supply failed, and they issued a mayday call to alert authorities to the fact that the ship was approaching the bridge. This, though, is unlikely to be the last time that machines fail man.

Even as ships get bigger and bigger, with more and more sophisticated technology, the human brain and hands are an indispensable backup. Giving crews a few more tools with which to manually counteract technology may be the best way of avoiding another Key Bridge disaster.

Shipping—an industry that involves ratings, officers, stevedores, crane operators, ship managers, insurers, and many others—goes on delivering your favorite consumer goods around the clock. It remains a miracle that mishaps involving their floating fortresses occur so rarely.

[dailyanarchistposts]

MAY DAY, ANARCHISM AND UNIONISM IN MALAYSIA

Why should Malaysian labour not learn from this, and thereby use May Day as a moment to reflect on – and champion – a radical unionism that will place unions at the heart of the people’s struggle for justice and freedom, anchored in the current challenges facing migrant workers’ right to social protection and decent working hours in Malaysia?

Unionism in Malaysia has a proud history of fighting for justice and freedom. In 1919, May Day was celebrated in Beijing and Shanghai, and in 1921, it was celebrated for the first time – clandestinely – in Ipo, Malaysia. The country was then a British colony, and the workers fought colonialism too. And it was the anarchists who started May Day and the union movement in Malaysia. They were part of a radical network stretching across China, to Indonesia, to Japan, as well as into the West: anarchists, mainly Chinese, started May Day in Singapore.

In 1922, printers, fearful of colonial repression, refused to print the anarchist materials for May Day. But many anarchist materials entered the country from outside, like “Anarchist Morality” by Piotr Kropotkin, local materials, like Tai Yeung (“Sun”) of Kuala Lumpur and Yan Kheun (“Power of the Proletariat”) of Gopeng, near Ipoh. Attacks by a few anarchists on high-ranking colonial officials in Kuala Lumpur led to repression and meanwhile, the anarchists faced growing rivals from the rising Communist movement. And leftists in the unions were heavily repressed by the British in the 1920s and 1930s.

After World War 2, the colonial government changed its stance on unions, allowing some rights, but was determined to push leftists like anarchists out and to divide Indians and Chinese. The Malaysian Trade Union Council (MTUC) is a federation of trade unions registered in 1955. The oldest national centre representing the Malaysian workers, its affiliated unions represent all major industries and sectors, with approximately 500,000 members.

The organizational strength of MTUC should be harnessed to agitate for the just and humane working conditions that May Day demands. This should include work amongst the migrant workers, about whose debilitating working conditions horrifying stories are known. To unions like MTUC falls the duty of uniting all workers, against oppressive economic and political elites.

[readingsquotes]

"In May 2023, India and Israel signed a new bilateral agreement to bring forty-two thousand additional Indian laborers to Israel. Modi’s most recent agreement with Netanyahu aims to fast-track current plans even more, lifting restrictions to hasten migrant workers’ entry into Israel. The temporary, low-wage migrants from rural and small-town North India, some of the poorest regions in the country, are desperate for decent employment—so desperate that they’re willing to work for a regime that is actively engaged in what the International Court of Justice has called a “plausible genocide.” They’re seeking paid work they’ve failed to find within India’s growing but deeply unequal and caste-bound economy. Bilateral deals like the one between India and Israel give off the sheen of newness, appearing to be the products of a twenty-first century age of hypermobile capital. But in fact, the two countries are dusting off a time-worn strategy from the colonial archive: importing and exporting racially marked temporary labor to manage political and economic problems in one fell swoop."

....

Bilateral mobility agreements like the India-Israel deal are nothing new. Across the world, more and more states—Singapore, Bahrain, Canada, and the United States among many others—have begun to employ temporary, closed-term migrant labor programs. In the Middle East, autocratic Gulf states have long relied on such schemes. And in addition to contracting Palestinian labor, Israel has long relied on Thai, Filipino, Nepali, and Indian workers, too. Typically, these states have two goals. On the one hand, they want to preserve the ethnic composition of a privileged national citizenry. On the other, they need large amounts of cheapened laborers, especially in the domestic, construction and retail sectors, to grow. Contract labor schemes have allowed them to do both: with them, states can access a mass supply of workers without having to grant any of them citizenship. Israel, for example, offers five-year, temporary immigration channels for migrant workers, but gives them no option for family reunification or naturalization.

...

The Modi-Netanyahu labor deal has an even older historical predecessor: British indenture. In the nineteenth century, as chattel slavery came to an end in Britain, indentured labor from countries such as India and China was introduced as a more “humane” alternative. The practice was abolished in 1920, but a century later, traces of its institutional legacy live on in migrant labor programs. Indian and other Asian workers were desirable across the Gulf region because they were seen as politically “docile,” a powerful racial trope with particular roots in nineteenth-century indenture practices. They were also desirable because, as sociologist Andrzej Kapiszewski notes, “Asian governments became often involved in the recruitment and placement of their workers, facilitating their smooth flow to the Gulf countries.” The governments of India, Pakistan, and the Philippines, lured by the healthy remittances promised to them, were all too eager to help in the importation of their workers.

...

If modern states have ensured the brutal subjugation of both populations living, and workers laboring, in their borders through colonial means, then the resistance to those tactics must be anticolonial in response.

[elderflowergin]

Meme - Tag 9 People

Tagged by @nubreed73, thank you!!

Three ships: Yoon Hee-jae/Jung Geum-ja, Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian, Arthur/Eames

First ever ship: Michael Corleone/Tom Hagen UNREQUITED. That’s the first ship I wrote for in 2003, long before I understood a fandom or spoke to a fellow fan. And then there was Smallville. I may have written a deeply heteronormative Lex/Lana story (UNREQUITED!). I have dated myself, I know. It took me till 2020 to write again.

Last song: Kilimanjaro, Endhiran OST

Last movie: Kiki’s Delivery Service, in bits and pieces

Currently reading: Singapore Horror Stories. Amazed at how the villains in these were inevitably Indonesian black magicians, the slutty girls die horribly and the peeping Tom is an Indian construction worker. Appalling racism, even more appalling writing.

Currently watching: TVing Island. Please watch it and come scream with me about Kim Nam-gil and Lee Da-hee. (Okay and Cha Eun-woo, I guess).

Currently consuming: Iced gula melaka coffee with boba

Currently craving: fried chicken. a Kit Kat.

I’ll tag @teafiend and @newyearknwwme to try this if they’d like!

[uncleweed]

Finding the Conch by DC written and put on site 5/31/04

Journeys bring power and love back into you. If you can’t go somewhere, move in the passageways of the self. They are like shafts of light, always changing, and you change when you explore them.

- Jalal Al-Din Rumi:

On a mid January mid-afternoon, amid the 747 (tons?) surrounding me, light as a ballerina, the silver behemoth miraculously slid down on one of Narita airport’s heavily guarded runways. Meanwhile, I peered out the window hoping to catch a glimpse of furious farmers and ageing radical youth scaling walls, still trying to sabotage this sprawling encroachment. They've been fighting this airport for decades. I think. Or have they given up.

Giving and receiving thanks to and from the friendly, hard-working crew and captain, I deplaned, a word I frequently think about when leaving an airplane, deplaned to the gate’s metal-walled passenger loading corridor thus entering atmosphere the nature of which I’d completely forgotten in the months of travel in Southeast Asian tropics, North Indian autumn, and even Western Australian winter – the brisk waker-upper of clinching cold.

Brimming with excitement at being back in my home-away-from-homeland, I bounced through unwary customs, money change, baggage retrieval, baggage storage, baggage delivery, and the JR (Japan Rail) office. At the latter I received the two week rail pass bought in Kuala Lumpur (can’t buy them in-country) plus a schedule and reserved seat on the next train to Tokyo. Each transaction went efficiently, smartly, pleasantly to me to be again with those who humbly take such pride in their duty. And, though I had forgotten a lot of what Japanese I once knew, I could still communicate with them in their own language if that was needed which it was at baggage storage and baggage delivery. At these two adjacent counters I learned it cost half as much to ship my unneeded stuff ahead to Rinsoin and back as to leave it there on a shelf.

Baggage delivery – takyubin. I love it. You see straining tourists with all their luggables and nimble Japanese with mere shoulder-bags and purses because the locals send their heavy items ahead. It’s like UPS but much cheaper and more widespread. So I crammed everything I could into the rolling rectangular shopping bag I’d bought in Singapore’s Chinatown for $12. Even got the bulk of my combo backpack\rolling suitcase in there, after zipping off the smaller backpack from it to hold what I’d need for two weeks in Japan. Actually, it doesn't roll now. Indian Airlines owes me - since the flight to Delhi in late September. Ah, light travel – a skill I’d honed well for half a year. The perky uniformed young lady brought out a form and asked me where the shipment was going and when I said, "I don’t know," she and her co-worker stood silently smiling. I thought I’d brought my Japanese info from America but I hadn’t been able to find it. But I knew the name – Rinsoin in Yaizu, Sakamoto district as I remembered. Maybe it's 1400 Sakamoto. The abbot’s name – Hoitsu Suzuki. While they checked their Japan-wide address book, I went off to the ATM way down at the other end of the third floor. When I returned, yen bills in hand, they had the form all filled except for my name. They’d even called the temple so now the Suzukis knew I was coming. I’d wanted to call them myself but, oh well, they’re used to visitors. And now I had Rinsoin’s phone number.

On the way to the train I passed through the new corridors and echoing vast chambers. Narita is one of the less impressive big city airports, but it was much improved from ten years before when they still had only one big room with no seats and, I believe, only one runway. Now there were two terminals. I wished I’d flown into the new Osaka International which I hear was voted by some prestigious architecture group one of the ten great structures of the twentieth century. But Narita was Japan so I was happy. Narita must also be further from the city it serves than any other major world airport – it used to take three or four hours to get into Tokyo. Now there's an express train that stops at both terminals inside the airport.

I reached into the breast pocket of the tan zippered lightweight jacket that Clay had given me for my birthday the year before and which had well served me on the cool moments of this trip, pulled out the blue rail pass and opened it up to expose the inner details to the attendant who waved me on. Carefully I returned it to its rightful place, aware of its irreplacability and high value. It cost about $400 but would save me half that much as long as I hung on to it. I’ve heard of people who’d lost them the first day. Ouch. I checked my other precious items – the reading glasses in the thin gold-colored metal oval case that I’d cherished all the way from Delhi, my flat Guatemalan? cotton cum Velcro money and passport pouch tied to my belt and hanging inside my pants, pen and small notebook in shirt pocket.

The train pulled out of its airport cave and swiftly entered the last hour of daylight. In regal comfort I watched the factories, houses, roads, and farmland whoosh by as we headed on to Shinjuku, the first of two stops. A woman with a cart came down the isle and I bought some squid and sake. The dark business suited man next to me nodded in sleep. I retrieved a pocket Japanese language book I’d bought at the Singapore Airport and reviewed vocabulary and phrases from the point I'd left off up in the sky. I took out my notebook and reviewed the info on where I was headed.

After changing to another line at cavernous bustling Shinjuku Station, the doors opened at Kokubunji Station, so named for nearby Kokubun temple. Cold, cold, cold. Nippy, invigorating. Street not too big - mainly memory presents waves of Japanese people walking by in the nightness. There were shiny cars and taxis and bicycles too but not too much for the narrow streets that ran off here and there from the main two lane one before me. Seeming to lean in from all sides were low rise buildings sporting brilliantly glittering and colorful lit signs at every level - say up to ten stories. All I knew was that I was looking for a guy named Hiro who ran a bar named Horagai near this station. I realized for the first time that finding this place was going to be no easy task. I’d had a simple unquestioned image of a place across the street from the station which the first person I asked would point to and with a sign I could read. It was more of a haystack than that. Which of all these streets jutting this way and that would it be, and on which floor – some buildings had a dozen bars with a dozen signs. It could be blocks away. Was I even on the correct side of the station? I realized my task was like looking for a noodle in a dumpster. So how could I narrow it down? I reviewed the facts I knew, the relevant and irrelevant history.

I’d met a Japanese hippie of my age name Nado San in Veranasi. He was traveling with his son of twenty. They didn’t speak much English so we spoke in Japanese. After we’d talked a while I asked Nado if, by chance, he knew Nanao Sakaki who is sort of the godfather of Japanese hippies. "Ah! Yes!" he replied with enthusiasm, "He is my dai sempai!" [great senior – like a revered older brother in some fraternity or school or group] It turned out that Nado and I had other friends, or people whose names we at least knew, in common, such as Sogyu in Kyoto who I’d been told could lead me to Nanao. But Nado said that all I’d have to do is go to Horagai, an old hippie bar started in the sixties and ask Hiro, founder and owner, how to get hold of Nanao. He said it was near Kokubunji Station. That sounded like a good way to start off Japan. I stared into the sign-cluttered streets.

Of course, if I failed to find it after a while I could say, go back to the station and ask them to look it up in the phone book, but that's a little harder to do in Japan than in America - they tend to number buildings chronologically rather than according to location and streets don't always seem to have names. Sometimes addresses seem more like directions (as in "would you please give me directions to Horagai?"), I always feel like it's all jumbled but they get where they want to go and so do I. Usually.

I walked down to the street and started eyeing people as they passed. I’d heard from friends that Japan had changed since I lived there, that since the economic bubble burst the young people exhibited more individual expression and less conformity. That seemed to be true on this street too – still a pretty conservative, quiet, crowd with a lot of black clothes and short black hair but more colors and variety in the way they dressed, more originality and variety in hair styles, and, I was to learn, they were more open. I’d noticed this in the students I’d met in America in recent years as well. They were more open and also they spoke much better English that I had encountered when I’d lived there from ’88 to ’92. I also realized that there seemed, at least in this cross-section of the population, to be fewer traditional older folks. Made sense. Disappearing like WWII vets. Will there some day be none to remind us of their much-to-cherish past? I stopped a handful of young people who looked to be in their twenties and asked if they knew of Horagai. None of them knew, but I was just as interested in checking them out. A couple of them did answer in pretty good English. They seemed not as intimidated by a Westerner as in the past – less shy. I don’t shy away from first impressions. These sorts of sociological observations are often best made at the first of a trip. Soon I’ll forget that they’re Japanese and I’m American and the basic similarity of people deeper down and uniqueness of each person will dominate the cultural distinctions. After a while, were all just folks. That may be why a lot of good travel writing is said to be done by people who go to a country for a couple of weeks.

I took off my small backpack and got my one sweater out, a black one of medium thickness, and put it on and zipped my jacket up over it. My ears were cold. My hands were cold. Enough sociology, meteorology prevailed. I looked at the passersby with a new intent. I decided I should watch out for someone older who was the hippest I could find. Ah, a Grateful Dead sweatshirt – no, too stylish. And then a guy with slightly long hair and a heavy jacket came by and I begged his pardon. "Excuse me," I said - in Japanese of course, "but do you know of a bar in this neighborhood named Horagai?"

"Horagai?!" he answered with enthusiasm, "I’m forty-three years old and I’ve been going there since I was sixteen!"

He took me off with him down the street telling me what a great place it was and all the interesting people he’d met there through the years. He led me about four short blocks away into the catacomb of streets and stopped at a door on a side-street with a tiny unlit sign and said he’d love to come in with me but had a date to keep. I opened the door and walked up a dark stairway to enter a small dark establishment with old wooden tables and chairs and a casually dressed man around my age behind the bar washing glasses in a sink. There was no one else. I took a stool and we exchanged pleasantries which is a good word for greetings and light conversation with Japanese.

He was indeed Hiro. I told him that Nado had sent me.

"Oh, Nado San! I hear he’s back from India. He’s at home in Shikoku now but he’s coming up here for a poetry reading next month."

So we talked about people and names and places. How was Nado and how was India and about translator Shin Yoshifuku and Etsuko in Hawaii and wild man monk Ryuho Yamada terminally ill with cancer in California and Soho had died and he’d heard of translator Tanaka but didn’t know him and he knew Sogyu in Kyoto well and yes he knew where Nanao was. Nanao, a poet among other attributes, would be coming to the poetry reading too - and reading too - but I'd be gone by then. Hiro got on one of those neat, old-fashioned plump pink piggish pay phones - though he didn't have to put money in it - and made a call and soon had arranged for a friend to help me get to Nanao the next day. He offered his phone for any calls I needed to make so I called up Rinsoin and talked to Chitose, Hoitsu’s wife, and she said she’d been so surprised to get the call from the airport earlier that day to say my stuff was on the way and when will I get there. Hiro asked me where I was staying and I said wherever and he invited me to stay with him and I accepted with gratitude. I ate and drank and he made little dishes and we jabbered. I learned that horagai means conch shell.

At about seven other people started to arrive and Hiro put some blues on. He poured me shochu, clear distilled potato (or sometimes rice) spirits stronger than sake which they often call nihon-shu (Japanese sake – sake just means spirits) and he kept giving me oden to munch on – boiled salty vegetables and fish cake – and other down-home local munchies. And there was endless talk about – I can’t remember, they’re more into good feeling than information – but I have a vague memory of people and places and things and events and Bush who they thought was crazy and 911 and Iraq where they didn’t want their soldiers to go and the Japanese economy which they said was way down and poetry and books and music and movies and philosophy and anything anyone wanted to say. I ran off for an hour and a half to an internet place they told me of to check my email and see what was new in the world and it was a fascinating side-trip of Japaneseness surrounding me and I returned there were more people and there was more shochu and gnoshes.

At one o'clock Hiro closed up and refused to take any money and took me with him to his tiny little apartment. We sat at a low table on the floor and he brought out squid and rice cakes and sake and we talked till three in the morning. His girlfriend, a singer, was sleeping in the bedroom, the only other room, and he got a futon and sheets and soft fat comforter and pillow out of a closet and made me a bed.

As we’d agreed, he awoke me at eight in the morning and we drank green tea and then he walked me to the train station. On the way we had coffee and croissants and finally I could pay for something. At the station he wrote out a schedule for me in kanji, Japanese Chinese characters, and romanji, English letters, with a bunch of different trains and one bus I had to take to get to the south end of the Izu peninsula. It wasn't that far away and it was not much out of the way to Yaizu and the Suzukis. But there were a number of transfers to be made and it would take all day. I thanked him profusely for his generosity and kindness and went off to the platform, buying a copy of the Japan Times on the way. All day I rode trains and read the paper and studied Japanese and talked to people and ate and drank tea and looked out the windows and walked through stations asking directions to the next platform. I’d go to Japan just to do that.

A friend of my mother’s just got back from being in Tokyo and she said that people were rude and she kissed the ground when she returned but I don’t experience it that way at all. Morning rush hour in Tokyo is famous for the crushing crowds and people are sleepy and impersonal and push up against each other a lot, but they are perfectly at home in a crowd and if one goes with the flow one can experience people being together in a quite harmonious flow that does include getting squeezed and pressed along. Like being in heavy traffic, one has to watch where one is going and weave in and out and stand up a lot on the local trains, but these people are pros at it and I quite enjoy being there with them in such sardinish conveyance in which I loose myself.

From Shinjuku station there was the other side of Japan rail travel – the joy of the Shinkansen, the bullet train – and the joy of having a rail pass which covers getting a designated seat in a reserved car. And on the Hikari Super Express I smoothly flew out of the megatropolis south on the slightly above the elevated unimpeded tracks looking down on countryside and villages. I like the slower trains too and just at dark one of them dropped me off at a seaside hot springs resort town where I bought a telephone card, slipped it in the phone's slot - much more convenient than having to dial all those numbers with other countries phone cards - and placed a call to a number Hiro had given me. I’d be on the next bus to the end of the peninsula and a man named Kenji at the other end told me which stop to get off at. I bought a glass of sake at the station and drank it while sitting on a bench waiting for the bus. The driver told me when to get off and there was long-haired friendly Kenji waiting. I got in his van and he drove me into the hilly countryside past orchards and woodlands up a narrow drive with occasional mirrors to aid in seeing approaching cars. He took a driveway into an estate with lovely landscaped gardens to an old wooden building which he said was a pig barn. He called out, opened the door, and there was Nanao standing on an earthen floor, long gray beard, bright eyes, and a big welcome. He had no phone and no idea I was coming. He smiled broadly.

[vinit07]

Singapore Visa for Indian Nationals: A Comprehensive Guide

Singapore, a hub of cultural diversity, economic prosperity, and tourism, attracts numerous visitors from around the world, including Indian nationals. Whether you’re planning to visit Singapore for tourism, business, study, or work, it’s essential to understand the visa requirements and application process. This comprehensive guide will provide Indian nationals with all the necessary information to obtain a Singapore visa.

Types of Singapore Visas for Indian Nationals

1. Tourist Visa

Purpose: For leisure travel, sightseeing, or visiting friends and family.

Eligibility and Requirements:

A valid passport with at least six months of validity from the date of entry.

Completed visa application form (Form 14A).

Recent passport-sized photograph meeting Singapore’s specifications.

Confirmed return or onward flight tickets.

Proof of sufficient funds to cover the stay (bank statements, payslips).

Hotel booking or address of residence in Singapore.

Cover letter stating the purpose of visit and travel itinerary.

2. Business Visa

Purpose: For business-related activities such as meetings, conferences, or negotiations.

Eligibility and Requirements:

A valid passport with at least six months of validity from the date of entry.

Completed visa application form (Form 14A).

Recent passport-sized photograph meeting Singapore’s specifications.

Invitation letter from the Singaporean company detailing the purpose of the visit and duration of stay.

Confirmed return or onward flight tickets.

Proof of sufficient funds to cover the stay (bank statements, payslips).

Cover letter from the Indian company stating the purpose of visit.

3. Student Visa

Purpose: For studying at an accredited educational institution in Singapore.

Eligibility and Requirements:

A valid passport with at least six months of validity from the date of entry.

Completed visa application form (Form V36).

Recent passport-sized photograph meeting Singapore’s specifications.

A letter of acceptance from a recognized educational institution in Singapore.

Proof of sufficient funds to cover tuition fees and living expenses (bank statements, scholarship letters).

Completed eForm 16, printed and signed.

Additional documents as required by the educational institution or the ICA.

4. Work Visa

Singapore offers several types of work visas for Indian nationals, depending on the job category and skill level:

Employment Pass (EP):

For foreign professionals, managers, and executives.

Requires a job offer in Singapore with a minimum monthly salary of SGD 4,500.

Relevant qualifications and work experience.

S Pass:

For mid-skilled workers.

Requires a job offer in Singapore with a minimum monthly salary of SGD 2,500.

Relevant qualifications and work experience.

Work Permit:

For semi-skilled or unskilled workers in sectors like construction, manufacturing, and services.

Requires compliance with sector-specific criteria set by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).

Application Process for Singapore Visa

Determine the Visa Type: Identify the visa type based on the purpose of your visit.

Gather Required Documents: Compile all necessary documents, including passport, photographs, completed application form, and supporting documents.

Complete the Application Form: Accurately fill out the relevant visa application form.

Submit the Application: You can apply online via the ICA website or through authorized visa agents. Some applications may need to be submitted at a Singapore Overseas Mission.

Pay the Visa Fee: Pay the non-refundable visa processing fee, which varies depending on the visa type and nationality. Payment is typically made online or through authorized methods.

Wait for Processing: Visa processing times generally take around 3-5 working days but can vary.

Receive Your Visa: Upon approval, you will receive an electronic visa (e-Visa). Print a copy to present upon arrival in Singapore.

Tips for a Successful Visa Application

Double-Check Requirements: Ensure you have all the required documents and that they meet the specified guidelines.

Apply Early: Submit your application well in advance to avoid any last-minute issues or delays.

Follow Guidelines: Adhere strictly to photograph and document specifications to prevent your application from being rejected.

Be Accurate: Provide truthful and accurate information in your application to avoid complications.

Conclusion

For Indian nationals, applying for a Singapore visa involves understanding the different visa types, meeting eligibility requirements, and following a detailed application process. By carefully preparing and submitting your application, you can enhance your chances of a successful visa approval, paving the way for a seamless and enjoyable visit to Singapore. Whether you’re traveling for leisure, business, study, or work, this guide equips you with the necessary knowledge to navigate the visa application process confidently.

[visacollect]

List of Countries that Offer Easy Work Visas to Indians

In today's interconnected globalised world, the thought of working abroad has become a sought-after option for many professionals, including those from India, with career advancement and exposure to diverse cultures being the primary motivators. However, negotiating the hurdles of obtaining a work visa can be challenging and scary. Nonetheless, several countries having bilateral agreements with India, or those seeking to recruit foreign talent, have simplified their work visa requirements to make international employment more accessible to Indian experts and encourage the influx of talented workers.

Canada Canada is a popular choice for Indian people because to its flexible immigration regulations and Express Entry system. The country offers work permits and programmes such as the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) and the Provincial Nominee Programme (PNP) to recruit qualified professionals.

Eligibility: Skilled individuals who have received employment offers or are contemplating the Provincial Nominee Programme. A Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) measures abilities, work experience, language competency, and education.

Australia

The General Skilled Migration (GSM) programme in Australia uses a points-based method to assess applicants based on age, language competence, job experience, and qualifications. With decreased quotas for skilled workers, Australia provides attractive work visa possibilities for Indian professionals seeking overseas career advancement. The country's citizenship rights, safe environment, and high living standards make it a desirable location. Australia's strong economy and broad work market offer several chances for professionals to prosper and succeed.

Eligibility: Skilled professionals who meet points-based system requirements such as age, English proficiency, job experience, and qualifications under the General Skilled Migration (GSM) programme.

Germany Germany has a significant demand for talented individuals in IT, engineering, and healthcare. It attracts many Indian students because to its cheap tuition fees and many work visa alternatives, as well as the EU Blue Card for highly trained individuals, making it a viable option for many.

Eligibility: Highly qualified workers in engineering, information technology, and medicine with a university degree and a job offer that meets the EU Blue Card's minimum income requirements.

New Zealand The Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) in New Zealand is designed for persons with in-demand talents and requires an Expression of Interest (EOI) submission for residency consideration. With expedited immigration processes and minimum requirements, New Zealand stands out as an attractive option for Indian professionals. The country's spectacular natural scenery and modern conveniences make it an enticing place to live. New Zealand's liberal immigration policies provide numerous opportunities for job advancement and personal development.

Individuals with in-demand talents and certifications can apply for the Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) and get a residency invitation.

Singapore Singapore is known for its robust economy and hospitable environment for foreigners. It offers a variety of work visa alternatives, including the Employment Pass, S Pass, Work Holiday Pass, and Training Employment Pass. The work culture is expat-friendly, and English is widely spoken, therefore it is a popular choice for Indian nationals.

Professionals, managers, executives, and experts with employment offers, relevant qualifications, and field experience can apply for the Employment Pass. Singapore, known for its easy work visa process, welcomes Indian professionals from a variety of fields, including teaching, computer technology, and hospitality. As a global financial hub, the city-state provides numerous job prospects and a favourable business environment. Singapore's pleasant temperature adds to its attraction, making it an appealing destination for individuals looking for career advancement in a dynamic atmosphere.

Ireland The Critical Skills Employment Permit in Ireland intends to attract qualified individuals in important areas without requiring a labour market needs test, while also providing a path to permanent residency.

Eligibility: Highly skilled professionals in IT, engineering, and health areas are eligible for the Critical Skills Employment Permit, which provides a pathway to permanent residency without a labour market needs test.

United Arab Emirates

Leveraging its strategic location and tax benefits to attract international talent, the UAE remains a prominent choice for Indians looking to relocate and work abroad, issuing work and employment visas relatively easily with the implementation of visa reforms, such as long-term residency visas for skilled professionals.

Eligibility: As a result of visa modifications, skilled professionals are now eligible for long-term residency permits, drawn to the UAE for its strategic position and tax benefits.

The Netherlands

Indians like the Netherlands for its work-life balance, ease of acquiring a work permit, high quality of life, future growth potential, and lower taxes.

Eligibility: Foreign nationals seeking work visas, entrepreneurs preparing to start a firm, and professionals looking to develop in a technologically innovative environment with high living standards.

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom is a varied and cosmopolitan Western European country renowned for its historical landmarks, dynamic cities, and world-class education and healthcare. With its diversified culture and robust economy, the United Kingdom has numerous immigration programmes that allow uncomplicated work visas for Indians to enter and work there. As a powerful global economic force, the United Kingdom provides numerous opportunities for Indian people seeking to work abroad. Various visa options, like the Global Talent Visa and the Skilled Worker Visa, make it easier for skilled professionals to enter the nation. The UK's thriving economy and sturdy infrastructure provide an ideal environment for furthering one's career.

Eligibility

The eligibility requirements vary by immigration programme. Some of the most important eligibility criteria are as follows:

70 points under the point-based immigration system Job Offer English Language Proficiency Undergraduate-level educational qualification Salary threshold of £25,600 annually

The parameters are subject to change depending on economic situations. As a result, it is critical to understand and prepare for the precise requirements outlined in the immigration programme.

These are some of the best countries for working professionals in India who want to work overseas, completing thorough research, preparing effectively, and matching their abilities to the destination criteria are critical stages towards a successful application. These countries offer several opportunities for people to grow in their jobs while also experiencing different cultures and lifestyles. However, it is critical to stay up to date on visa laws by reviewing official government sources to obtain accurate and current information before going on an overseas career adventure.

[ippnoida]

LBF 2024 – the public space returns with real conversations

The 2024 London Book Fair returned this year at the iconic Olympia with its famous barrel-vaulted roof and magnificent cast-iron galleries. The fair had been moved to 12 to 14 March, after initially being scheduled for 16 to 18 April. The change was prompted by the Bologna Children’s Book Fair announcing its dates for 8 to 11 April, just a few days before the original LBF dates, which would have been a problem for those attending both fairs. 

http://indianprinterpublisher.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/lbf24-photo-midas-pr-web750.jpg

Exhibitors from India were also back in business with around 35 booths, including NBT’s collective stand. Unfortunately, and unlike previous years, LBF’s country statistics this year provided numbers not according to where exhibitors are headquartered but based on their markets. Out of the 180-some exhibitors from Asia-Pacific, 56 were based or selling in India, 56 in mainland China, 42 in Japan, 36 in Hong Kong, 36 in South Korea, 35 in Singapore, 29 in Malaysia, 28 in Taiwan, 26 in Thailand, 24 in Vietnam, 23 in the Philippines, 20 in Indonesia, several companies in Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Myanmar, Mongolia, and 67 in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific islands.

India’s multilingual opportunity

One of the panel discussions held on the first day of the fair, “Dynamics of India’s Multilingual Market,” explored the intricacies and opportunities of India's multilingual publishing market. The panel included Yuvraj Malik, NBT’s managing director; Aditi Maheshwari, CEO of the Vani Prakashan Group; Prashant Pathak, director of Publishing Operations at Prakash Books; and, Ajay Mago, publisher at Om Books. The discussion centered around the impact of India’s new National Education Policy 2020 and its emphasis on multilingualism. From the rise of Indian languages to the potential for global collaborations, the panel tried to analyse the dynamic forces shaping India’s diverse publishing industry and provide insights to international publishers interested in collaborative ventures.

English Pen seminars – Palestine, free expression

Also on the first day, Book Workers for a Free Palestine held a vigil in front of the entrance, “to mark the death of Palestinian writers, poets, academics and journalists killed by Israel,” as Penguin publishing director Ailah Ahmed explained. The English PEN ran two seminars on ‘Palestine, Israel, and Free Expression in the UK,’ featuring authors Selma Dabbagh, Isabella Hammad, Rafeef Ziadah, Palestine Festival of Literature producer Yasmin El-Rifae, Oxford University professor of International Relations Avi Shlaim, and the vice president of the British Society of Middle Eastern Studies Professor Neve Gordon. The discussion focused on the cancellation of multiple events that were to include Palestinian artists over the past six months.

Iraqi-Jewish Professor Shlaim said that the UK had a longstanding issue with “freedom of expression” when it comes to Israel and Palestine. “The climate of opinion favours Israel and British Jews, and it’s very hostile to Palestinians and Muslims.” He also criticised the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of anti-semitism, which is largely supported by UK institutions as being “weaponised in order to silence free speech on Israel.”

But also at LBF 2024, Profile Books acquired the rights to publish What Does Israel Fear from Palestine? by Raja Shehadeh. In the book, Palestinian lawyer and founder of the human rights organization Al-Haq Shehadah, explores the opportunities for peace that were rejected by Israel since its formation in 1948. 

Writers against the war on Gaza

In the meantime, more than 3,000 writers, editors, and Hollywood celebrities have joined forces to express their solidarity with the Palestinian people in a letter responding to the ongoing conflict. Taking their inspiration from the 1960s’ American Writers Against the Vietnam War, they formed an impromptu international coalition, Writers Against the War on Gaza, supported by high-profile names such as Susan Sarandon, Gael García Bernal, Jia Tolentino, Ocean Vuong, Valeria Luiselli, Cathy Park Hong, Hannah Black, Ari Brostoff, Kyle Dacuyan and others from diverse publications and institutions. The authors recognise that while their words alone cannot halt the devastation in Gaza, they intend “to challenge and rectify the distortions and misrepresentations in the media. The coalition strongly condemns those in their field who they believe perpetuate apartheid and genocide narratives.”

The next LBF is to take place from 11 to 13 March 2025.

[mariacallous]

Conspiracists and far-right extremists are blaming just about everything and everyone for Tuesday morning’s Baltimore bridge collapse.

A non-exhaustive list of things that are getting blamed for the bridge collapse on Telegram and X include President Biden, Hamas, ISIS, P. Diddy, Nickelodeon, India, former president Barack Obama, Islam, aliens, Sri Lanka, the World Economic Forum, the United Nations, Wokeness, Ukraine, foreign aid, the CIA, Jewish people, Israel, Russia, China, Iran, Covid vaccines, DEI, immigrants, Black people, and lockdowns.

The Francis Scott Key truss bridge collapsed when the MV Dali cargo ship collided with one of the bridge supports. Six construction workers, who were filling potholes on the bridge’s roadway at the time, are presumed dead. The ship is owned by Singapore-based Grace Ocean Private Ltd., and the 22-person crew were all Indian. The ship was en route to Colombo, Sri Lanka, at the time of the accident.

This did not stop people from “asking questions” about the incident, a frequent conspiracist response to major events. And though conspiracy theorists are having a hard time pinpointing exactly what conspiracy caused the collapse, the one thing they do agree on is that this incident is a “black swan event.”

The term black swan event has been around for decades and is used to describe a major global event (typically in the financial markets) that can cause significant damage to a country’s economy. But in recent years, the term has been co-opted by the conspiracy-minded to explain an event triggered by the so-called deep state that would signal an imminent revolution, a third world war, or some other apocalyptic catastrophe.

One of the first people to call the bridge collapse a black swan event was disgraced former US national security adviser Michael Flynn. “This is a BLACK SWAN event,” he wrote on X. “Black swans normally come out of the world of finance (not military) … There are harbor masters for every single one of these transit points in America that are in charge of assuring the safety of navigation … start there.” Flynn’s post has been viewed 7.2 million times.

Misogynist influencer Andrew Tate, who has been charged in Romania with rape and human trafficking, also posted on X early on Tuesday morning, writing: “Nothing is safe. Black Swan Event imminent.” The post has been viewed almost 19 million times.

The term black swan quickly began trending on X, and soon conspiracists, extremists, and right-wing lawmakers began coming up with explanations for what or who triggered this “black swan event.”

One post claiming a link between the bridge collapse and the film Leave the World Behind has been viewed more than 1.2 million times. The post claimed that because the ship was headed to Sri Lanka, which has a lion on its flag, then the situation was linked to the ship that runs aground at the beginning of the film which was called White Lion. The post also points out that the film was produced by Obama.

A post from Anthony Sabatini, a former Florida state congressman, declared, without evidence, that “DEI did this”—and its been viewed over 2.2 million times.

Some politicians have boosted the conspiracy as well. “Is this an intentional attack or an accident?” Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, an influential and conspiracy-minded member of the GOP, posted on X above a video shared by a prominent QAnon conspiracist.

Under previous iterations of X, formerly Twitter, such speculation would typically have gained little traction, as the algorithm would have prioritized trusted news sources and primary evidence. But under Elon Musk’s reign, anyone willing to pay for a blue check can have their posts artificially boosted by the algorithm. This means that conspiracies like this are ending up in the news feeds of millions of people.

On Telegram, one prominent election denier claimed the incident was linked to the fact that the bridge was named after Francis Scott Key, who wrote the words for the Star Spangled Banner, and was thus an attempt to undermine America.

“Don't let them erase our history,” the conspiracist wrote.

Investigators are looking into the cause of the tragic incident, but William DelBagno, the FBI special agent in charge, said on Tuesday that there are no indications of terrorism.

[indietalent2coms]

Navigating the World of Healthcare Jobs

Description: 

Embark on a global health adventure with international healthcare jobs! Expand your horizons and make a difference worldwide.

Healthcare workers, such as doctors, nurses, laboratory technicians, support staff, and chemists, are crucial in providing timely patient care and services. During the global pandemic, this workforce played a vital role in the battle against the virus. It appears that there is an increasing need for healthcare workers worldwide. There are immense opportunities for the Indian workforce in the global healthcare sector. 

Healthcare professionals may want to consider exploring job opportunities abroad, as it could increase their chances of finding the ideal position. Additionally, it could be an opportunity to explore and immerse oneself in a different culture. Before embarking on a new life across the border, let's discuss the various career opportunities in the healthcare industry abroad, the international hiring process, and how to find job vacancies abroad.

Why Work Abroad?

Working abroad develops cultural competence. It increases the chances of meeting new people and learning a new language. By connecting with patients and experts from diverse cultures and religions, the candidate can learn new approaches and abilities that may not be possible at work. Many healthcare workers have gained experience abroad and used it back home. 

Healthcare workers typically move to wealthy countries to improve their lives and earnings. Healthcare workers in the UK, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Europe, and the US have various benefits, including excellent compensation.

Healthcare Career Abroad

Healthcare is a popular field worldwide, making it appealing to foreign job seekers. Medical research, technology, and globalization have increased demand for qualified healthcare personnel globally. International hiring is now promising.

Physicians, nurses, technicians, therapists, chemists, and others can work abroad.

Middle Eastern and Asian economies have many job vacancies. Indians can work in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Singapore. These countries provide appealing compensation packages, promote a healthy work-life balance, and offer an opportunity to immerse oneself in diverse cultures. 

Furthermore, there is a projected growth in the healthcare industry in the coming years, which may lead to numerous job and career opportunities for healthcare professionals worldwide. To sum up, it is advisable for those who wish to work abroad to consider the various career options that exist in the healthcare sector.

Why should one seek employment in the healthcare industry?

Clinical practice, therapy, leadership, and public health opportunities attract healthcare professionals. Various duties, pay categories, and responsibilities are assigned based on skill sets. Those employed in the healthcare industry may pursue careers in clinical healthcare, therapy and rehabilitation, healthcare administration, public health, and other disciplines. Here are some reasons for pursuing a healthcare career:

Work stability and expansion: As a healthcare professional, a person has a broader range of opportunities and substantially greater job security. Due to market contraction, healthcare employees are less likely to be laid off.

Jobs are available for all levels of education and experience: Numerous professions in healthcare are available, regardless of education or experience level. The healthcare industry offers employment opportunities for medical secretaries, medical coders, medical records technicians, health information administrators, and other in-demand healthcare professionals.

Competitive earning potential: Due to the high demand for healthcare professionals, careers in the field are among the most lucrative options.

Fast-paced and dynamic industry: The medical industry is fascinating and constantly evolving. Even in behind-the-scenes positions in healthcare, each day presents new information and obstacles, keeping things interesting.

How To Find Healthcare Job Vacancies Abroad

Looking for a healthcare job abroad might be difficult, but with a few simple steps, one can locate a plethora of job openings. Begin by researching the country of interest and its healthcare system. This will give them an overview of the employment opportunities available and the requirements needed. Then, look for online employment boards and professional networks for available position. Furthermore, individuals should always visit the websites of hospitals and healthcare organizations in their intended area. Consider partnering with a recruitment company like IndieTalent, which provides access to a vast choice of high-paying healthcare jobs abroad. Finally, make sure to prepare a great application and be prepared for any interviews or exams that may be required. A fulfilling healthcare job can be found abroad with some work and patience.

Conclusion

The healthcare industry offers several career opportunities for professionals looking for a job abroad. It's important to learn about the job needs and qualifications in the country where a person wants to work and the visa and work permit rules. Looking for job opportunities overseas can be quite a daunting task. However, with a recruitment organization like IndieTalent, one can easily secure a job and settle down in a foreign land. With proper planning and research, one can find a rewarding career in the healthcare industry abroad.

Are you looking to establish yourself in a foreign country with a stable career? Let IndieTalent be your trusted partner in achieving your career goals abroad. With our expert guidance and unwavering support, you can confidently navigate the path to success.

[singapore-travel]

The Rules For Tourists In Singapore

We all love Singapore and its culture for several reasons. It is a sovereign city located in Southeast Asia. It is seen as an economic power and also for its multicultural harmony.

Located on the intersection of global trade networks, it has transformed into a vibrant capital center in terms of finance and technology attracting human resources and financial investments from across the globe.

A great percentage of its population includes ethnic Chinese, Malaysians, Indians, and others which leads to a colorful variety of cultures languages that are used and traditions.

Singapore is clean, green, and very tightly organized one can find over there modern infrastructure with high involvement in sustainability.

Therefore tourists are required to follow the given Singapore law for tourists. Find some of the essential and simple-to-follow tips mentioned below.

1. Tipping is not customarily done

It may come as a shock to tourists from cultures where tipping wait for workers and other members of the hospitality industry is customary to hear that gratuities are not required in Singapore. Rather, the Goods & Service Tax, which is automatically applied to every payment, will already cost you what is essentially a gratuity.

2. Avoid littering

Singapore is known as "The Fine City" due to the sheer volume of Singapore laws for tourists and penalties imposed for offenses that in other nations may go entirely unpunished. The city's continued cleanliness and friendliness may be largely attributed to these penalties and the culture they foster.

Littering fines are among the most significant categories of charges that many visitors find unexpected. Enforcement is relatively unusual, even though many localities may have placed notices with fines of up to several hundred dollars for littering.

In Singapore, however, community service orders may be imposed in addition to penalties of up to $1,000. These rules are also taken seriously by the local government. If you have any kind of food or wrapper in public, find a container where you can properly dispose of it, and don't leave anything behind.

3. Avoid chewing gum

In Singapore, chewing gum cannot be imported or sold. This implies that guests are not even permitted to enter the premises carrying gum. Because there is no longer any risk of someone tripping over chewed gum on the sidewalk and having to remove it from their shoe, this contributes to a further reduction in the amount of rubbish and filth in the city.

Before traveling to Singapore, think about giving up your favorite chewing gum in favor of something different, like mints.

4. Refrain from eating or drinking when using public transit

Singapore likewise imposes stringent rules on riding conduct to maintain hygienic and clean public transportation for all users. You cannot bring food or beverages on board.

This implies that you are unable to have a morning cup of coffee or tea while using public transit, even if you are rushing late for a class or at the start of the workday.

Before attempting to board, make sure you have finished any food or beverages, or otherwise, you risk paying high fines. This not only keeps things cleaner overall, but it also deters rats who may otherwise find the train or bus appealing.

5. Avoid jaywalking

Illegally crossing a road outside of a designated location is known as jaywalking. Although a lot of people think this is a pretty innocent practice, it puts drivers and pedestrians at serious risk and can lead to unneeded traffic delays.

To avoid penalties or other consequences, obey this legislation. Take note of the designated crossing locations and the rules for safe crossing.

6. Smoking is only permitted in areas that have been specified

In many sections of the city, smoking is now prohibited in Singapore; individuals are only allowed to smoke in certain locations. Those who prefer smoking should be aware of the whereabouts of these areas and not think that just because they're outside, they may light up a cigarette.

Smokers should also be careful to remember that it is illegal to litter in cities and refrain from throwing any trash even something as little as a cigarette butt on the ground. Rather, they must be disposed of appropriately in a garbage can.

7. Abstain from drug usage

In Singapore, drugs are illegal and it is punishable if one uses them with life imprisonment apart from fines. As far as drugs are concerned, the town’s restrictions tend to be considered some of the most rigid. Drugs, even in small doses, can lead to severe legal consequences.

If one is found in possession of more narcotics, both domestic and international residents may face harsh penalties. Try not to enter Singapore with any illicit or restricted drugs.

8. Remember the laws about alcohol

While it is not strictly prohibited in Singapore as many other narcotics are, visitors should make sure they are well aware of the regulations governing the sale and use of alcohol in the city. In Singapore, as in most of Europe, the same legal age; is 18 years old those who are older than this one can purchase and consume alcohol.

Furthermore, people are not allowed to have a drink outdoors from 10.30 p.m until 7 am of the following day when Liquor is banned in public areas between these hours Serving from when an establishment ends its night till it re-opens for business the next morn is not allowed in licensed premises.

Additionally, there are select locations (Little India & Geylang) where people are prohibited from drinking in public from 10.30 pm on Fridays to 7 am on Mondays and from 7 pm on weeknights. This area, known as the Liquor Control Zone, was established to stop the spread of Covid.

Stated differently, anyone hoping to have a fun-filled evening out should be aware of the legal boundaries around the consumption of their favorite libations. This will allow them to prepare appropriately and prevent any infractions. Fortunately, it is acceptable to drink at home day or night.

9. Avoid attempting to enter Singapore with smokes

While Singapore does have designated smoking spots across the city, the city tightly controls visitors' ability to carry cigarettes into the area. Cigarettes cannot be brought into the nation, regardless of whether you are a foreign visitor or a domestic returning from a foreign trip.

Tax-free cigarettes are restricted in Singapore, and cigarettes bought within the city are charged taxes and levies. This makes buying them in Singapore pricey, but still far less expensive than trying to smuggle in any illegal cigarettes and running the danger of being detected by customs officials and facing hefty fines.

Other tobacco compared to smoked products such as e-cigarettes are also prohibited from being offered for free. Such regulations can affect the capacity of immigrants to camouflage with society and not unintentionally violate the law, which may involve fines or other punitive actions.

Bottom Line

Singapore is a clean, pleasant city that attracts visitors from all over the world because both the government and the populace take its rules and regulations extremely seriously. After going over this list, take in everything that Singapore has to offer and enjoy your stay.

Although Singapore might be an interesting destination to live, visit, and learn, visitors need to make sure they are conversant with the rules and laws that apply there. Following the Singapore laws for tourists will help improve the living and tourist experience there.

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 2.18 (after 1940)

1942 – World War II: The Imperial Japanese Army begins the systematic extermination of perceived hostile elements among the Chinese in Singapore. 1943 – World War II: The Nazis arrest the members of the White Rose movement. 1943 – World War II: Joseph Goebbels delivers his Sportpalast speech. 1946 – Sailors of the Royal Indian Navy mutiny in Bombay harbour, from where the action spreads throughout the Provinces of British India, involving 78 ships, twenty shore establishments and 20,000 sailors 1947 – First Indochina War: The French gain complete control of Hanoi after forcing the Viet Minh to withdraw to mountains. 1954 – The first Church of Scientology is established in Los Angeles. 1955 – Operation Teapot: Teapot test shot "Wasp" is successfully detonated at the Nevada Test Site with a yield of 1.2 kilotons. Wasp is the first of fourteen shots in the Teapot series. 1957 – Kenyan rebel leader Dedan Kimathi is executed by the British colonial government. 1957 – Walter James Bolton becomes the last person legally executed in New Zealand. 1965 – The Gambia becomes independent from the United Kingdom. 1970 – The Chicago Seven are found not guilty of conspiring to incite riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. 1972 – The California Supreme Court in the case of People v. Anderson, (6 Cal.3d 628) invalidates the state's death penalty and commutes the sentences of all death row inmates to life imprisonment. 1977 – The Xinjiang 61st Regiment Farm fire started during Chinese New Year when a firecracker ignited memorial wreaths of the late Mao Zedong, killing 694 personnel. It remains the deadliest fireworks accident in the world. 1977 – A thousand armed soldiers raid Kalakuta Republic, the commune of Nigerian singer Fela Kuti, leading to the death of Funmilayo Anikulapo Kuti. 1977 – The Space Shuttle Enterprise test vehicle is carried on its maiden "flight" on top of a Boeing 747. 1979 – Richard Petty wins a then-record sixth Daytona 500 after leaders Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough crash on the final lap of the first NASCAR race televised live flag-to-flag. 1983 – Thirteen people die and one is seriously injured in the Wah Mee massacre in Seattle. It is said to be the largest robbery-motivated mass-murder in U.S. history. 1991 – The IRA explodes bombs in the early morning at Paddington station and Victoria station in London. 2001 – FBI agent Robert Hanssen is arrested for spying for the Soviet Union. He is ultimately convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment. 2001 – Sampit conflict: Inter-ethnic violence between Dayaks and Madurese breaks out in Sampit, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, ultimately resulting in more than 500 deaths and 100,000 Madurese displaced from their homes. 2003 – 192 people die when an arsonist sets fire to a subway train in Daegu, South Korea. 2004 – Up to 295 people, including nearly 200 rescue workers, die near Nishapur, Iran, when a runaway freight train carrying sulfur, petrol and fertilizer catches fire and explodes. 2010 – WikiLeaks publishes the first of hundreds of thousands of classified documents disclosed by the soldier now known as Chelsea Manning. 2013 – Armed robbers steal a haul of diamonds worth $50 million during a raid at Brussels Airport in Belgium. 2014 – At least 76 people are killed and hundreds are injured in clashes between riot police and demonstrators in Kyiv, Ukraine. 2018 – 66 people die when Iran Aseman Airlines Flight 3704 crashes in the Dena sub-range in the Zagros Mountains of Iran. 2021 – Perseverance, a Mars rover designed to explore Jezero crater on Mars, as part of NASA's Mars 2020 mission, lands successfully.

[jcmarchi]

Honey Mittal, Co-Founder & CEO at Locofy – Interview Series

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/honey-mittal-co-founder-ceo-at-locofy-interview-series/

Honey Mittal, Co-Founder & CEO at Locofy – Interview Series

Honey Mittal is the Co-Founder & CEO at Locofy, prior to this he was the Chief Product Officer at 3 Series A-E startups (namely – Homage, Finaccel & Wego) in early and growth stages.

Locofy turns designs into production-ready frontend code for mobile apps and web. It enables builders to ship products 10x faster using existing design tools, tech stacks & workflows. Locofy offers a plugin for Figma and Adobe XD with which makes designs responsive for different screen sizes.

What initially attracted you to computer science and machine learning?

I initially wanted to join the Indian Air Force (and got close to selection) but when I could not make it, I had 2 options : Mathematics/Economics and Computer Engineering. I got a scholarship for Computer Science at the National University of Singapore, but not for the others, so that was that.

My true interest in coding and building products only started developing towards the end of university when I built an award winning product on exchange at the University of California, Santa Cruz, followed by an internship at Microsoft when i started building mobile apps (before the App Store was launched by Steve Jobs) and I started to see my code solving real world problems.

There was no going back from that point. I realized I loved a more holistic approach at problem solving and took the jump into product management and met my cofounder Sohaib (in 2014) who was a much better engineer than me. Working with Sohaib, we have worked on travel, healthcare, and dev tooling problems for more than a decade now, and somewhere mid-way we started tinkering with machine learning to build better recommendation engines, better financial outcome decisions based on mountains of data, and now code generation directly from designs.

The recent breakthroughs in the field have only made it easier, cheaper, and faster to solve problems that were just not possible even 5-10 years back. That prompted us to start building Locofy.ai in 2021, at the crossroads of the increasing need for a design to code solution like Locofy, and the breakthroughs in ML.

In 2016-2017, along with your current co-founder you built one of the world’s fastest travel mobile sites. What was this site and what did you learn from the experience?

This was wego.com‘s mobile website. In 2016 – a lot of Asian companies were contemplating killing mobile websites completely, especially in emerging markets where devices were cheap and mobile internet was slow. Flipkart even famously killed their mobile website for their app (and later retracted), but we faced a similar dilemma at Wego, where our apps were significantly better than our mobile site for performance, experience, and unit economics.

We chose to rebuild our mobile website to work like an app, using service workers, AMP and PWA concepts without any prior experience in building for the web. My cofounder Sohaib, our VP Engg (Tien) and I worked on this for 2-3 months and built our new wego mobile site and that became the fastest mobile travel site (among 150+ sites).

Our key takeaways – firstly the realization that we were not just mobile app experts, and if you put first principles thinking to any problem/ any technology and put a team of determined individuals together, anything was possible. This helps us till date, because Locofy is a devtool and we never thought about whether we had any prior experience building for engineers. We just thought of it as a problem (something we faced daily), and went for it. Also, the trio figured out that we work well together and 8 years later – we’re building Locofy together again! If not for that project, the three of us may not have realized how well we work together.

When did you first realize that low-code and no-code was the future?

In 2020-2021, the whole tech world went crazy, with engineering salaries going through the roof, fueled by public market tech stocks and a surge in VC funding into tech startups. We faced this ourselves at our last company. Hiring and retaining good engineers seemed close to impossible and cheaper offshoring markets like India changed forever due to strong domestic traction. We studied the market and discovered that for every 20 open CS jobs, there was 1 CS student graduating in the USA – shedding some light on not just the situation we were in, but also the times to come.

Upon talking to our mentors and founder friends, we not only validated the problem but also got investment offers from everyone we talked to, within 48 hours of even thinking about solving the problem of writing ui code from scratch with AI-led automation. The fact that we were solving our own problem also got the interest of our fellow builders who showed interest in joining us. Very quickly, it was clear to us that the time to join the low-code revolution was here.

How did this transition to you launching Locofy?

Sohaib – one of the best web/mobile/gaming developers I have ever met (I rate him in the top 1% in the world) was super frustrated in our last project at the previous company. It required him + 2 developers to write 500 screens revamp. When I asked him why he didn’t do something about it as one of the top developers around, it did not take him long to come back and tell me that we can automate UI code / 80% of the frontend tasks. In the next 2 days we met some founder friends and they all validated that we were onto something. We registered the company and raised $1M over the same weekend. We launched the first beta product 5-6 months later in Jan 2022.

Locofy takes a bit of a different approach to low-code, can you discuss how the platform takes existing designs and converts them to code?

Yes, our research showed us 2 clear results.

The market for no-code helped mostly non-developers and designers. Great market, but not something that we were interested in.

The market for low-code that mostly helped pro developers and designers, but valued things like code quality and keeping developers within their stack as their top priorities.

We resonated more towards #2 i.e. building for pro developers and designers, but we found none of the players in the design to code market doing even half a decent job. If they did, we would not only not build Locofy, but also start using those options to build the 500 screens we had to build. As developers and designers ourselves, we knew our teams preferred their tools (Figma for instance) and tech stacks (React, Nextjs for example) and our thesis was to just adapt and fit in (and hence, also try the tool without making changes), while working towards high quality code as the differentiator.

Locofy received some rave reviews and a lot of feedback from ProductHunt and other platforms. What were some key takeaways from this feedback?

We launched on Product Hunt 6 months after the first soft launch. The idea was to open up the lids and get feedback from more developers outside of networks. Based on that feedback, we better understood who our ideal customer profile was, why they loved us, their pain points and also who are we better off not catering to at all (and hence get more focused).

In open beta, we do not block anyone from trying Locofy, which means greater feedback velocity, but also a lot of noise. We used the feedback to learn faster and focus on users who loved the platform, and users who were a few modifications away from loving it. All of it culminated into Locofy Lightning – a 1-click solution powered by Large Design Models. It made the platform more accurate and really easy to use. We will continue learning with the same approach in free beta until we’re ready to monetize eventually.

Claims for the amount of development time that is saved has a wide range, what’s the average time savings that you have personally seen?

It is difficult to give one number that fits all. Some companies with lean teams building an app from scratch have told us they saved 80% of their development time. Others building for existing codebases have saved 50% of the time. For us, if we save anything in the above 50% range, we know it is extremely valuable today, while we work on increasing that even more.

What is your vision for the future of low-code platforms and Locofy?

Frontend development is a broad space – we want to help make it easy first and define this category starting from design to UI code.

But in the long run, our vision is to help go from idea to launch to impact much faster and cheaper and make teams focus more on the complex engineering problems and business model innovation more than worrying about building interfaces. This will help the next generation of category defining companies build their products faster and cheaper and ultimately help solve more global problems with the limited supply of developers we face today.

Based on your journey with Locofy.ai, what advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs looking to venture into the AI industry?

Very simply, AI is very powerful and opens so many possibilities, but you need to focus first on the problem you’re solving. Find a huge problem and then see how to solve the problem and how AI makes it more effective/cheaper/faster, rather than the other way round. In 2023, I have seen too many new AI companies building something “cool” that doesn’t really solve a real problem. It reminds me of the saying “if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail” and that’s certainly the case with a lot of new AI entrepreneurs who jumped quickly to ride this wave.

Thank you for the great interview, I look forward to following the progress of the Locofy team, readers who wish to learn more should visit Locofy.

[intolerancecare]

That effing Indian guy held me like a boa snake as if I was a crazy person that needs to be gripped. They were the one who was singing, laughing and jumping loudly at the other side of the room at Melojane's party.

Was that I during New Year's Eve? I looked crazy?

Those effing rich people or so-called formidable people who knows no one but those who can pretend and blubber that they are rich. Think. Were they able to travel abroad before you gave them that salary? Travel as often? By the way I have a cousin at my mother side who went to Singapore so they can present a travel Visa to American embassy. No, they didn't make it to America. That is them, right? Not like my other cousin who started travelling at 9 years old with his parents. See the difference? If you need a name, hire someone like me. Not like Melojane who brags the price of the clothes that she wears in your country. Like "I have the right because my name is big. If I'll be parallelled to the locals I am a manager already." Effing big names. Hear ye... we need to work in your country. Ok? We don't have foreign workers.

Have you seen the output of the "chosen" artistic? I know her technique is to hide at all cost. So, no one can see you make a mistake. You know the other difference? My mother's family wait for what their family will give. The other one worked.

Kindly tell Farouk that Mina was able to speak for about 5 minutes longer in Arabic compared to what I have said. No programme. I waited until the last minute. Didn't think that I have to sing. That's the only thing that was left to do.

[vinit07]

Unlocking Singapore: Your Visa to Asia's Powerhouse

Singapore, the dynamic and thriving city-state in Southeast Asia, has emerged as a global economic powerhouse. With its robust economy, strategic location, and world-class infrastructure, Singapore has become an attractive destination for individuals seeking new opportunities and experiences. However, before you can embark on your journey to this vibrant nation, you need to navigate the process of obtaining a Singapore visa. In this comprehensive guide, we will walk you through the different types of Singapore visas, the requirements for Indian citizens, the application process, common mistakes to avoid, tips for a successful application, processing time and fees, as well as visa extension and renewal options. Let's delve into the world of Singapore visas and unlock the gateway to Asia's powerhouse.

Different Types of Singapore Visas

Singapore offers various types of visas, each catering to different purposes and durations of stay. The most common types of visas include:

Visit Visa: This visa is suitable for individuals who wish to visit Singapore for tourism, social visits, or medical treatment. It allows for a short stay of up to 30 days and is typically valid for multiple entries.

Work Visa: If you intend to work in Singapore, you will need a work visa. The two main types are the Employment Pass (EP) and the S Pass. The EP is for professionals, managers, executives, and specialists, while the S Pass is for mid-level skilled workers.

Student Visa: Students who wish to pursue their education in Singapore must apply for a student visa, also known as a Student's Pass. This visa allows students to stay in Singapore for the duration of their studies.

Dependent Visa: If you are a spouse, child, or parent of a Singapore citizen or permanent resident, you can apply for a dependent visa. This visa allows you to join your family member in Singapore and enjoy various privileges.

Singapore Visa Requirements for Indians

For Indian citizens planning to visit Singapore, there are specific requirements that must be fulfilled to obtain a visa. The primary documents required include:

Visa Application Form: Complete and duly signed visa application form.

Passport: A valid passport with a minimum of six months validity from the date of entry into Singapore.

Passport-sized Photograph: Recent color photograph with a white background.

Flight Tickets: Confirmed return flight tickets.

Hotel Reservation: Proof of accommodation in Singapore for the duration of your stay.

Financial Documents: Bank statements, income tax returns, and employment letters to demonstrate your financial stability and ability to support yourself during your visit.

Covering Letter: A letter explaining the purpose of your visit and your itinerary in Singapore.

Additional Documents: Depending on the type of visa you are applying for, additional documents such as educational certificates, employment contracts, or sponsorship letters may be required.

Step-by-Step Guide to Applying for a Singapore Visa

Now that you are aware of the different types of visas and the requirements for Indian citizens, let's walk through the step-by-step process of applying for a Singapore visa:

Determine the Type of Visa: Identify the most suitable visa category based on the purpose and duration of your visit.

Gather the Required Documents: Collect all the necessary documents mentioned in the visa requirements section.

Complete the Application Form: Fill out the visa application form accurately and ensure all information is correct.

Submit the Application: Submit the completed application form along with the required documents to the nearest Singapore embassy or consulate or through an authorized visa agent.

Pay the Visa Fee: Pay the applicable visa fee, which varies depending on the type of visa and processing time.

Wait for Processing: The visa processing time can range from a few days to several weeks. During this period, the authorities will review your application and conduct any necessary checks.

Collect Your Visa: Once your visa is approved, collect it from the embassy, consulate, or authorized visa agent.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Applying for a Singapore Visa

When applying for a Singapore visa, it is essential to avoid common mistakes that can lead to delays or rejections. Here are some mistakes to steer clear of:

Incomplete or Incorrect Application: Ensure that all sections of the application form are completed accurately, with no missing or incorrect information.

Insufficient Supporting Documents: Double-check that you have provided all the required documents and that they are valid and up to date.

Late Submission: Submit your visa application well in advance to allow for sufficient processing time. Last-minute applications may be rejected due to time constraints.

Lack of Financial Documentation: Provide comprehensive financial documents to demonstrate your ability to support yourself during your stay in Singapore.

Inadequate Covering Letter: Craft a clear and concise covering letter that explains the purpose of your visit and your itinerary in Singapore.

Tips for a Successful Singapore Visa Application

To increase your chances of a successful Singapore visa application, consider the following tips:

Apply Early: Start the visa application process well in advance to avoid any last-minute complications or delays.

Double-Check Documents: Ensure that you have provided all the required documents and that they are complete, valid, and in the specified format.

Provide Authentic Information: Fill out the application form accurately and truthfully, providing all necessary information.

Proofread Your Application: Review your application and supporting documents for any errors or inconsistencies before submission.

Follow Instructions: Read and follow the instructions provided by the Singapore embassy or consulate carefully to avoid any mistakes.

Processing Time and Fees for a Singapore Visa

The processing time and fees for a Singapore visa can vary depending on several factors, such as the type of visa, the applicant's nationality, and the embassy or consulate's workload. Generally, the processing time ranges from three to ten working days. However, it is advisable to check with the respective embassy or consulate for the most accurate and up-to-date information. The visa fees also vary based on the type of visa and processing time. It is essential to check the official website or contact the embassy or consulate for the latest fee structure.

Singapore Visa Extension and Renewal

If you wish to extend your stay in Singapore beyond the validity of your visa, you can apply for a visa extension. The extension is subject to approval by the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) of Singapore. It is crucial to submit your extension application at least two weeks before your visa expires. In cases where you need to renew your visa, you may be required to leave Singapore and re-enter with a new visa or apply for a different type of visa. It is advisable to consult the ICA or seek professional advice for the specific requirements and procedures for visa extension and renewal.

Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Obtaining a Singapore visa is your key to unlocking the opportunities and experiences that this vibrant city-state has to offer. By understanding the different types of visas, the requirements for Indian citizens, and the step-by-step application process, you can navigate the visa application process with confidence. Remember to avoid common mistakes, provide accurate information, and submit all required documents to increase your chances of a successful application. Whether you are visiting Singapore for tourism, work, or education, the journey starts with your visa. So, embark on this exciting adventure and explore the wonders of Singapore, Asia's powerhouse.