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2008-10-19 10:10:20HONG KONG
INT5International/EconomyGlobal slowdown threatens millions of jobs in ChinaHong Kong, Oct 19 DPA Up to 2.5 million people could lose their jobs in the Pearl River delta, covering Hong Kong and parts of southern China, by January as a result of the global economic slowdown, a media report said Sunday. The financial crisis could also bankrupt one-fourth of Hong Kong-owned small and medium-sized enterprises in the next three months, said the South China Morning Post quoting local business group, the Federation of Hong Kong Industries. "The flow-on effects in Hong Kong will be drastic. It will hit the banks, the service industries, everyone," said federation chairman Clement Chen. "We are very, very worried about our businesses. Our feeling for the medium term is grave and we believe the recession is going to last for some time," Chen added. Chen said banks were cutting overdrafts and other credit facilities which meant companies found it difficult to pay suppliers and staff as exports fell. "We are appealing to the banks not to take the same line with everyone and to examine each business on an individual basis," Chen said. Several companies have recently said they would close down. About 1,500 staff of Hong Kong-listed electrical appliance maker BEP International in Shenzhen, which borders Hong Kong, will lose their jobs Monday tomorrow when their factory closes. Friday, Hong Kong's third-biggest appliance store chain, Tai Lin Radio Services, shut with the loss of 260 jobs, barely a week after U-Right International Holdings, a garment maker and retailer, went into liquidation throwing hundreds out of work. Some 6,500 staff of Hong Kong-listed toymaker Smart Union were also left unemployed when the company went into liquidation last week. The Hong Kong government said Saturday that it would give more financial support for small and medium-sized firms. That includes a loan guarantee package that can be used for operating expenses in addition to capital expenditure. --DPAsy/dg349 Words19101113
2008-10-19 02:09:04Photos: Top 10 reviews of the week
Here are CNET Reviews' 10 favorite items from the past week, including the HTC Dream T-Mobile G1, BlackBerry Pearl Flip, and the new Dodge Challenger.
2008-10-18 22:00:00BlackBerry flip phone now available on T-Mobile - BetaNews
Ars TechnicaBlackBerry flip phone now available on T-MobileBetaNews - 6 hours agoBy Jacqueline Emigh, BetaNews Showing that the upcoming G1, the industry's first Android-based mobile device, isn't the only new smartphone to be "exclusive" to its wireless network, on Monday, T-Mobile USA announced the availability of a BlackBerry T-Mobile gets exclusive BlackBerry Pearl Flip Ars TechnicaT-Mobile Selling BlackBerry Flip InformationWeekCNET News - CRN - NetworkWorld.com - PC Magazineall 101 news articles
2008-10-14 03:14:50Exhibitors from India in Dubai gem show
INT10International/BusinessExhibitors from India in Dubai gem showDubai, Oct 14 IANS Exhibitors from India are among those from 20 countries participating in a global gem show taking place in Dubai. Over 100 exhibitors from the coloured stones industry have gathered here for the International Gem Show Dubai 2008 that started Monday. The three-day exhibition, under the patronage of the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre DMCC, is being organised by the International Coloured Gemstone Association ICA and supported by the Middle East GemBureau. "We are very pleased with the response received for this gem show which underlines Dubai's position as a new global hub for the trade of cut and rough coloured gemstones," Gaiti Rabbani, executive director of the Coloured Stones and Pearls Division at DMCC, said while addressing the conference on its opening day. Apart from India, the show features major gemstones buyers and manufacturers from Australia, Brazil, China, Colombia, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey Russia and the US. Exhibitors have to be members of ICA or Dubai Gems Club and sign an ethics agreement, a step being taken to foster buyer confidence, the DMCC said in a statement. While the first two days are dedicated to trade, a consumer day will be conducted on the last day of the exhibition where the general public can view and purchase jewellery. According to ICA president Andrew Cody, Dubai has emerged as a major hub for gems trading. "Being strategically located amidst international trade flows, Dubai has emerged as an important centre for precious commodities trade," Cody said. "In addition, the government of Dubai and DMCC's role in particular in further developing the coloured stones trade has clearly positioned Dubai as the ideal location for a dedicated trade fair," he added. Cody said the Dubai event, the first such in the Middle East, has been devised in a manner that is completely different from other trade fairs. "The ICA Gem Show Dubai 2008 provides a professional networking environment for creating long-term business partnerships from across the value chain of the global coloured stones industry. This will be a compact and luxurious show where buyers will have confidence that they are dealing with ethical traders," he said. ICA is a non-profit trade association, representing the international coloured gemstone industry in 46 countries. With over 500 members, ICA partners with industry bodies and organisations to foster growth and networking opportunities in the coloured stones industry. Among the leading names from the coloured stones industry taking part in the Dubai show are K. Brunini Jewels, JOEB Enterprises, Canelhas, Pink Stone and Tavares Gems. --Indo-Asian News Serviceab/sh479 Words14100907
2008-10-14 00:00:05Ranjit Singh's bust sells for $192,000 in London
INT10International/Diaspora/Business/CultureRanjit Singh's bust sells for $192,000 in LondonBy Dipankar De SarkarLondon, Oct 7 IANS Far more important and wealthy than his son in real life, a marble bust of Maharaja Ranjit Singh has fetched only a fraction of the price a sculpture of Duleep Singh commanded last year.Ranjit Singh's stunning milk-white bust, made in India around 1900 by an unknown sculptor, was estimated to sell for 50,000-70,000 pounds $87,000-$122,000 at Bonhams' Indian and Islamic sale Monday but went for 110,400 pounds $192,000.Although the winning amount - going to a bidder in the room - was around double the estimate, it dashed hopes. A bust of Duleep Singh went for 1.7 million pounds in 2007.The auction had been closely watched by many Sikh and other Indians after news about the Duleep Singh bust's sale hit the headlines last year.Before Monday's auction, Clare Penhallurick, head of Indian and Islamic Art at Bonhams, said: "Bonhams is delighted to offer this magnificent sculpture for sale, particularly as last year we sold a bust of Ranjit Singh's son, Duleep Singh, for 1.7 million pounds."The lives of Ranjit Singh and his son could not have been more different. Ranjit Singh was the last and most powerful king of Punjab, whose empire stretched from the Indian Ocean to the Himalayas.Almost mythical in stature and known as the Lion of Punjab, Ranjit Singh was not only a fierce fighter and empire builder - having established his court in Lahore, he became a great patron of the arts and sciences.One of his lasting legacies was the enrichment with gold and marble of the Sikh temple at Amritsar, which gives it the name the Golden Temple.The bust that was sold Monday is replete with the symbols used in the battle standards of his army, including the double-edged sword or khanda, the circular ring or chakkar, and the kirpan sword - half hidden by a medallion suspended from a festoon of pearls.The bust is flanked by lions that signify the power and majesty of Ranjit Singh."Although dating from after Ranjit's golden reign, this remarkable sculpture is full of symbols of power and majesty, which its creator and his patron might have dreamt would yet come again," Bonhams said.In contrast to Ranjit Singh, son Duleep was a prisoner of circumstances.Made a ward of the East India Company at the age of 11 after the annexation of Punjab, he was converted to Christianity and then packed off to England, where he lived out a life of opulence as a country gent, fussed over by a matronly Queen Victoria.However, in later life Duleep Singh became disillusioned with the English and tried to return to India, only to be arrested by the British in Aden. Although he did re-convert to Sikhism, he never made it to India and died at the age of 55 in Paris.--Indo-Asian News Servicedds/tb/sh 518 Words*07100834
2008-10-07 00:00:00Online auction of jewellery starts Tuesday
BUS9Business/Fashion/Lifestyle/Technology/BusinessOnline auction of jewellery starts TuesdayMumbai, Oct 6 IANS India is set to witness this October what Saffronart officials say is the first ever online auction of rare Indian jewellery and customised watches.Mumbai-based Saffronart, an auction house, will use the online platform for two days beginning Oct 7 to sell fine jewels and watches."The online auction would help popularise Indian jewellery designs abroad and provide jewellery collectors a chance to possess specially designed authentic jewels," co-founder of Saffronart Minal Vazirani said.The highlight of the auction would be a 42.02 carat natural yellow Forevermark diamond with a price tag in the range of Rs.270 million and Rs.320 million.Some other select batches of the collection include a natural pearl necklace with a seven-strand cascade estimated between Rs.100 million and Rs.130 million, an emerald pendant, a diamond necklace and a Columbian emerald pendant with a diamond surmount.Dinesh Vazirani, husband of Minal, told IANS that instead of possessing jewellery for the next generation, the auction helps enhance their price giving boost to traders.Saffronart, which also puts up art auctions, would organise another jewellery auction in April next year.--Indo-Asian News Servicejb/pb/jg208 Words06101529
2008-10-06 06:00:00Haji Ali Dargah to rise again in Makrana marble
NAT6National/Religion/Tourism/CultureHaji Ali Dargah to rise again in Makrana marbleBy Quaid NajmiMumbai, Oct 1 IANS There is good news this Eid for Mumbai's most famous landmark in the Arabian Sea. Demolition and reconstruction work on the Haji Ali Dargah is finally starting. This time, it will be built in the same Makrana marble that was used for the Taj Mahal.The Rs.100-million over $2 million project for the shrine in south-central Mumbai's Worli bay will start immediately after Eid, and will be completed within two years, Haji Ali Dargah chairman and managing trustee Abdul Sattar Merchant told IANS.The Dargah, approachable by pedestrians from the mainland during low tide, has been crumbling away for several decades.The renovation work was ceremonially started last Thursday by delivering the first blow of the hammer at the 26-metre-tall minaret adjacent to the mausoleum.The existing mosque, mausoleum, the enclosure where qawwalis are sung and living areas for the caretakers - encompassing a 4,500-square metre area - came up over 100 years ago.The Merchant family carried out major repairs to the existing structure in 1960, and again in 1985-90, but now it is declared beyond repair by experts."The main cause behind the dilapidation is the corrosion of the reinforced cement concrete structure by the constant lashing of the waves, saline humidity and the increasing pressure of pilgrims thronging there. On important days like Eid, the crowds have crossed over 500,000," Merchant added.As per the new design, there will be no concrete used. The shrine will be built on the lines of the Taj Mahal - with marble acquired from Makrana in Rajasthan, and joined together by a chemical process."The problem of corrosion will be solved permanently and the structure will be able to withstand nature's onslaught for at least another five centuries," Merchant hoped.Bukhari's tomb, within the small mosque, is covered by a brocaded red and green chaddar tomb cover sheet, supported by an exquisitely designed silver frame. The 99 names of Allah are inscribed on the main hall pillars, which are decorated by multi-coloured mirror work.The renovation work, assigned to Structwell Designers & Consultants Pvt Ltd, will not affect the sanctum sanctorum where the relics of Haji Ali are preserved, Merchant said. As per Islamic tradition, the new structure, including the minaret, will be slightly bigger than the existing one.Merchant said that most of the Rs.100-million renovation cost would be borne by the trust, but it will appeal for public donations and even aid from the Maharashtra government.He assured that after the reconstruction, the Haji Ali Dargah would resemble "a huge, glittering pearl in the Arabian Sea" and be catapulted into an even more popular tourist destination than it is now.The mausoleum, to which over 150,000 worshippers from all religions flock each week, was built more than an estimated 550 years ago in memory of an Islamic preacher, Sayed Peer Haji Ali Shah Bukhari.Hailing from Bukhara, in the ancient Persian Empire and now in Uzbekistan, Bukhari travelled around the world in the early 1400s, and had come to Mumbai, Merchant said, citing the historical records available with the trust.According to a legend surrounding his mystique, once Bukhari saw a poor woman crying on the road, holding an empty vessel. He asked her what the problem was. She sobbed that that her husband would thrash her since she had stumbled and accidentally spilled the oil she was carrying.He asked her to take him to the spot where she lost the oil. There, he jabbed a finger into the soil and the oil gushed out. The overjoyed woman filled up the vessel and went home.Later, Bukhari had a recurring - and disturbing - dream that he had injured Mother Earth by his act. Full of remorse, he soon fell ill and directed his followers to cast the coffin carrying his body into the Arabian Sea.After his death, his followers fulfilled his last wish.Drifting in the high seas for many days, the coffin finally came and rested on a tiny islet around half a kilometre in the bay off what is today known as Worli, south-central Mumbai.Taking that as some kind of divine sign, his followers buried the coffin on that islet.Gradually over the years, small additions were made to the shrine, which progressively became famous as the Haji Ali Dargah, Merchant said.Regular visitor to mausoleum Shabbir Ajmanwalla said it is widely believed that praying at the Haji Ali Dargah helps fulfil a person's wishes.--Indo-Asian News Serviceqn/jg812 Words**01100947
2008-10-01 00:17:05'Gulabi Talkies' only Indian feature in Abu Dhabi film fest
INT15International/Cinema'Gulabi Talkies' only Indian feature in Abu Dhabi film festBy Aroonim BhuyanDubai, Sep 30 IANS Girish Kasaravalli's Kannada movie "Gulabi Talkies" is the only Indian entry in the feature section of this year's Middle East International Film Festival MEIFF."Gulabi Talkies" will compete with 14 other feature films from the Middle East, North Africa, Europe and the US for the $200,000 Black Pearl award for the best narrative film in MEIFF 2008 to be held in Abu Dhabi Oct 10-19, according to the list of nominated films released by the event's organiser Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage ADACH.Over 60 films from 32 countries around the world will take part in the official competition this year. In all, 138 films from across the world will be screened in this year's festival, up from 80 films in MEIFF's inaugural edition in 2007.The other Indian entry this year is "Sukrit's Sundays", directed by Vasant Nath, which has been nominated in the short films category."I am pleased to say that MEIFF 2008 has attracted some of the top films, filmmakers and distinguished industry guests from all corners of the world and we are honoured to host them in Abu Dhabi," Mohamad Khalaf Al Mazrouei, vice-chairman of MEIFF 2008, said in a statement. "The official competition is the place to be at MEIFF to see up and coming films and premieres from across the globe," added Nashwa Al Ruwaini, director of MEIFF. Winner of the best Indian film award at the 10th Osian Cinefan Festival of Asian and Arab cinema, "Gulabi Talkies" is about a midwife, Gulabi, who is passionate about films.After her husband runs off to stay with his second wife, Gulabi starts spending her days in the cinema and later brings a television to watch films at home. Her neighbours and husband then start to slowly join her.Among other nominees for the best feature contest are Norway's "O'Horten" and Russia's "Mermaid", both of which have been submitted for nomination for the Oscar for the best foreign language film. The seven-and-a-half-minute long "Sukrit's Sundays" is about the memories a young boy, Sukrit, retains from his regular interactions with his grandfather."Week after week, a special ritual brought Sukrit and his grandfather together on Sundays. He will never forget how suddenly, on a Sunday like any other, all he was left with was the memory of an old safety razor, a lathered shaving brush and a rusty mirror," a synopsis of the film by Enlighten Film Society says.Among other nominations in the short films category are Tim Sternberg's "Salim Baba", about a 55-year-old man in north Kolkata who makes a living out of screening discarded film scraps from a hand-cranked projector and New Zealand-born Mark Lapwood's "Eclipse", shot in India, New Zealand and Australia.There are four competition categories in this year's MEIFF: features, short films, documentaries and student films.This year, two new sections have been introduced to bring internationally renowned films to the audience in Abu Dhabi - Festival of Festivals and Environmental Films."With so many wonderful films playing at festivals around the world, MEIFF 2008 is endeavouring to present a unique combination of the year's top movies: a taste of the best," Al Ruwaini said. "Nearly all of these selections have already won top prizes at international festivals. Whether you're seeking crowd favourites or critics' picks, this section has something for you," she added.Over half of the 24 narrative films and documentaries to be screened in Festival of Festivals have won or were nominated for awards in the past year at film festivals in France, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Mexico and the US, the official Emirates News Agency WAM reported. "With the new Festival of Festivals section, we proudly bring a collection of Academy Award winning filmmakers, jury prize winners and crowd favourites to the Abu Dhabi audience," MEIFF's director of programming Jon Fitzgerald said.Regarding the Environmental Films section, Al Ruwaini said that it would showcase films whose themes were about the environment and humanity's place in the world. "The inclusion of this section has been launched in conjunction with the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi. It is inspired by Abu Dhabi's dedication to preserving the environment and its wildlife as it has been working on a number of initiatives over the past few years among which are renewable energy firm Masdar and the Ecological Footprint of the UAE," she said Seven films from the United Arab Emirates UAE, Canada, the US, Britain and France will be screened in this section. --Indo-Asian News Serviceab/sh/dg810 Words30091029
2008-09-30 01:04:09Indian outfits to dazzle at New Zealand's wearable art show With Images
INT48International/Fashion/Art/LifestyleIndian outfits to dazzle at New Zealand's wearable art show With ImagesBy Neena Bhandari Sydney, Sep 24 IANS Fashion guru Manish Arora's 'Butterfly Dress' and three other Indian design outfits will feature at New Zealand's most coveted fashion and arts extravaganza opening Thursday.The 2008 Montana World of Wearable Art WOW Awards show in Wellington will showcase 'Emerald Tentacles' designed by N.P. Jayaraj & Pooja Bedi; 'I the Centre' by Pooja Gosain; and 'Cockroach Bra' by Pooja Rajput, besides Arora's creation. Arora's hand-embroidered Swarovski crystal-bejewelled 'Butterfly Dress', created for last year's Paris fashion week, featuring over 1,000 hand-embroidered butterflies sewn on to the dress by 10 craftspersons will be part of the static exhibition. "As the garment is very intricate and best enjoyed close up, it will be on display in the foyer for the WOW show season and then at the WOW museum in Nelson for the next six months," a spokesperson for Tourism New Zealand TNZ said."Arora will be visiting New Zealand for the first time in November." Seven Indian designs were created for the 2008 WOW through an endeavour between the Fashion Design Council of India FDCI and TNZ, and three designs were shortlisted for their creativity, innovation and theatrical impact. The three shortlisted Indian design outfits will be showcased at the 2008 WOW show alongside garments from international designers hailing from countries as far afield as Britain, the US, Canada, Japan, Thailand, Germany and Israel. As sculptor Suzie Moncrieff, who is WoW's founder and creative director, said, "A significant part of WOW's success is the overwhelming support of The Montana WOW Awards Show by international designers. "I thank FDCI for their support in promoting WOW in India and hope that we continue getting such high quality garments for future shows." Jayaraj and Bedi are from Pearl Academy of Fashion, Delhi; Gosain is from NIFT, Delhi; and Rajput is from SNDT College, Mumbai.This year, the World of Wearable Art Ltd signed a memorandum of understanding with the FDCI to encourage design students and professionals in India to showcase their creative talent before an international audience. This received an overwhelming response with young designers from across the country entering their creations for 2008 WOW. WOW is held every September in Wellington and attracts an audience of about 33,000 per season. As a sponsor of WOW since 2001, TNZ chief executive George Hickton said, "WOW is an ideal opportunity for us to show our international audiences that New Zealand is more than just its landscapes; we are a vibrant nation with a sophisticated art scene and an entrepreneurial spirit. There is no other event quite like this." In its 20th year, the show is a unique concept where designers are encouraged to challenge their creative boundaries. Some of the past entries have included materials as diverse as car parts, fishhooks, business cards, sausage skins, human hair and salmon skins. --Indo-Asian News Servicenb/pg/jg522 Words**24091522
2008-09-24 06:08:09
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