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Indian, Egyptian expats to meet on football pitch To demonstrate their support for the National Sports Day, a team of the Qatar Indian Football Fraternity (QIFF India) will meet an Egyptian XI in a football match to be played at Qatar Sports Club tomorrow. The match is being organised by the Qatar Sports Club.
The National Sports Day was celebrated across the country yesterday.
The kick-off of the exhibition match, sponsored by Doha Bank, is at 6 30 pm.
QIFF India officials said though their opponents are a very strong team, it is a rare opportunity for their players to play against a stronger team of Doha-based Egyptian players.
Since the QIFF team was constituted on a short notice following an appeal made to the team management by Qatar Sports Club officials, they could mobilise only players who took part in the successful Qatar Kerala Inter-District Football Tournament held more than two months ago at Doha Stadium.
“We know it well that there are many others who play football in the Indian community but we did not get enough time to contact those players,” said QIFF general secretary Abdul Rahman Hassanar.
A QSC official said the match was scheduled for tomorrow owing to the convenience of players and football fans in both the expatriate groups.
The QIFF has made arrangements to transport football fans to the venue of the match from such locations as Al Attiyah Market, Safari Mall, Ali International Trading Establishment (Industrial Area), Town Centre Bin Omran, Dasman Centre Airport Road and Shalimar Restaurant,also on Airport Road.

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Indian, Egyptian expats to meet on football pitch

ISLAMABAD ? The Election Commission of Pakistan on Tuesday decided to grant voting rights to overseas Pakistanis. The decision will allow 3.7 million Pakistanis living abroad to vote.

The debate on whether overseas Pakistanis should be allowed to participate in Pakistan’s elections gained steam after Pakistan Tehrike Insaf chairman Imran Khan moved the Supreme Court requesting that Pakistanis living abroad should be permitted to vote.

At a meeting of the commission on Tuesday, which was chaired by ECP secretary Ishtiak Ahmed Khan, participants from various political parties decided that names of overseas Pakistanis will be registered in the electoral rolls. 

A voting mechanism has yet to be decided, but the participants discussed various proposals, including the option of postal balloting and setting up polling booths at Pakistani embassies.

Sources said non-resident Pakistanis above 18 years of age would be tracked by the National Database and Registration Authority and they would be sent ballot papers by post. The next general elections are scheduled for 2013.

news@khaleejtimes.com

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Pakistani expats get voting rights

The China Post/Asia News Network
Monday, Feb 13, 2012

TAIPEI - A Japanese national who has lived in Taiwan for over 15 years has started a fundraising campaign for a taxi driver allegedly attacked and beaten unconscious by half-Japanese actress Makiyo and a Japanese friend.

Naotsugu Yoshida, 34, who is a supervisor of the Hatta Yoichi Memorial Foundation for Culture and the Arts in Taiwan, said he felt sorry about the alleged assault by his fellow countryman and that he hopes he can help the injured taxi driver and his family with the money raised.

Yoshida said that nearly 200 Japanese expatriates in Taiwan have expressed their intention to donate to the fund and that he has raised close to NT$100,000 (US$3,381) so far. He said he hopes to deliver the money to the driver in person.

Yoshida said many Japanese feel angry about the criminal act and the attitude after the attack of the alleged offender Takateru Tomoyori, because he only tried to defend his brutal assault rather than apologizing in the first place.

Tomoyori's attempt to take all the responsibility for Makiyo and two other women allegedly involved in the case in recent days was also not a responsible way to handle the matter, Yoshida said.

Although the injured driver's condition has improved, Yoshida went on, Tomoyori and Makiyo should think about how to show their sincere remorse and help with the driver's medical care.

When asked about the controversial media coverage since the assault took place Feb. 2, Yoshida said the intense pursuit by the press helped reveal the truth about the incident, since Makiyo and Tomoyori did not give honest accounts until the true nature of the attack was exposed.

Makiyo and Tomoyori were indicted for "inflicting serious bodily harm" by the Taipei District Prosecutors Office on Feb. 10.

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Japanese expats raise fund for victim of high-profile assault in Taiwan

British expatriates planning a return to the UK need to do their homework before they head back or face a big financial headache, experts have warned

It is best to start planning in the UK tax year before you move home, as there can be significant tax savings which rely on steps being taken before the end of the preceding tax year.

Martin Rimmer, Singapore-based tax adviser with the Fry Group , said: “If possible, consider how long you will be living in the UK and how you expect to fund your lifestyle. The cost of living may be vastly different from where you are now. Don’t forget that any income you need to generate must be after tax careful planning is needed, and with that care and attention surprisingly low rates of tax on income and gains can often be achieved.”

Some UK taxes can be avoided if you or your partner are not of British descent or either of you has become "non-domiciled" for UK tax purposes. This route potentially allows you to shelter non-UK income and gains from tax, as well as keeping those assets outside of inheritance tax.

It may be wise to close non-UK deposit and savings accounts so that the interest is paid before you return, upon which it would become taxable in the UK.

Also it would make sense to sell assets which have risen in value significantly with a view to crystallising gains while you are still outside of the UK tax net. If you have UK property then you may face a sizeable capital gains tax (CGT) bill if you decide to sell your house after your return. If you are not planning on living in your house when you return, then it may be prudent to sell it while you are still non-resident, thereby avoiding CGT.

British expat Ken Gilbert is returning to England after five years in Singapore. He said: “One of the first things I will do is let HM Revenue & Customs know I’m back but have sold certain assets, as I don’t want to get hit with an unexpected tax bill.”

Once back in the UK you can make use of ISAs, income tax and CGT allowances whose limits would have all risen since you departed, and can be used to reduce your annual tax bill.

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Returning expats told to get finances in order

Seven out of ten expatriates in the UAE do not understand the country’s local customs and traditions, a new survey has revealed.

Only 60 percent of expats claim to know the basics of UAE culture while 72 percent admit to knowing very little about their host country.

Just 28 percent of the 2,000 expats polled by 999 Magazine, the official magazine for the Abu Dhabi Police and Ministry of Labour, claimed to have any real knowledge of the country’s traditions while eleven percent confessed to not even bothering to try to learn.

“The UAE is home to more than 200 different nationalities and has become known across the world for its low crime, modern outlook and the peaceful co-existence of its people. A survey conducted by 999… reveals a dismaying fact that many expat residents have a very limited knowledge of the customs, traditions and heritage of the UAE,” Lt colonel Awadh Saleh Al Kindi, Editor-in-chief of 999, told Khaleej Times.

“We hope that the results of the survey will stimulate people to exert greater efforts in this area,” he added.

Half of respondents polled said they try to learn about Emirati culture “occasionally” while sixteen percent said “hardly ever” in spite 70 percent admitting to have enough resources available to learn.

The UAE, like much of the region, heavily depends on foreign workers to fill jobs at all levels of the economy. Expats hold top roles in sectors such as airlines and financial services, with the majority of low-skilled roles also taken up by migrant workers. An estimated 83.5 percent of the UAE population is made up by expats.

The Gulf state was ranked the least friendly country in the world for expatriates by Forbes magazine last month based on data from HSBC’s Expat Explorer Survey, which polled 3,385 expats in 100 countries on factors such as economy, raising children and overall experience.

Forbes, which stripped out data in four categories – ability to befriend locals, success in learning the language, integration into the community and ease of fitting into the local culture – to rank the world’s top spots for migrant workers, said the UAE, Hong Kong and Singapore did not fare well in community integration and befriending locals but performed well in those relating to career prospects and high income.

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UAE expats clueless about Emirati culture