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  • Indian Americans march from White House to US Capitol in protest against spate of attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh

    Indian Americans protest near US Capitol
    Indian Americans stage a protest near the US Capitol against attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh. Screenshot courtesy: X/@HinduACT

    As Hindus in Bangladesh continue to face the worst atrocities experienced in decades and Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das (aka Chinmoy Prabhu) remains jailed without any legal representation, Indian Americans have marched against these attacks, taking a route from the White House to the US Capitol.

    Raising slogans like “We Want Justice” and “Protect Hindus”, the peaceful demonstrators have urged the outgoing Joe Biden administration and the incoming Donald Trump administration to ask the new government in Bangladesh (headed by Muhammad Yunus) to take steps to protect Hindus and also to take action against those attacking Hindus.

    The Indian American protest march was held on Monday, organised by StopHinduGenocide.org, Bangladeshi diaspora organisations, and HinduACTion.

    The protesters demanded that companies in the United States stop buying garments from Bangladesh, which is heavily dependent on its exports to the US.

    This march is not just a cry for justice; it is a demand for accountability. Today, the Bangladeshi Hindu community and the larger Hindu diaspora from the Indian subcontinent has come [out] in support of the Bangladeshi Hindu community, because there is continuing violence going on in Bangladesh, specifically in Chittagong and Rangpur area, as well as in some other parts of the country.

    Utsav Chakrabarti, from HinduACTion

    Former ISKCON Bangladesh monk Chinmoy Krishna Das (aka Chinmoy Prabhu) was arrested on November 25 and since then, lawyers are prevented from representing him in court. Photo courtesy: X/@hindu8789

    “Hindus [in Bangladesh] are being targeted; their temples are being burnt down and destroyed. Their houses are being looted. Chinmoy Das, who is one of the Hindu leaders in the Chittagong area, has been incarcerated and is facing torture. The community around the world is extremely worried about it. So, people are trying to make sure that the White House and people in America are aware of what’s going on in Bangladesh,” said Utsav Chakrabarti, from HinduACTion.

    “We have gathered here in front of the White House to ask for justice for Bangladeshi Hindus…,” said Narasimha Koppula from Virginia.

    Srikanth Akunuri from HinduACTion said that unspeakable tragedies were taking place for Hindus in Bangladesh. “We also demand that [former] ISKCON leader Chinmoy Das be released,” he said.

    According to media reports and eyewitness accounts on social media, Hindus in Bangladesh are being assaulted and murdered, their properties are being looted, and their places of worship are being destroyed. Priests and monks are not being spared.

    These rampant attacks and destruction began with the ouster of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in early August 2024. The installation of the Muhammad Yunus government has not stopped the attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh.

    Chinmoy Krishna Das, a former member of the global Hindu spiritual organisation ISKCON, was arrested on a “sedition” charge on November 25. Since then, he has had no legal representation, as at least 70 lawyers have been allegedly “falsely sued” to prevent them from appearing in court for the monk. Das is likely to remain in prison all of December.

    TBSnews.net reported: “Following the rejection of Chinmoy Das’s bail application on 26 November, clashes erupted in the court premises between protestors and police, resulting in violence. During these clashes, Advocate Saiful Islam Alif was fatally attacked.”

    During the White House-US Capitol protest march by the Indian diaspora and the Bangladeshi diaspora, Prasenjit Dutta, head of a Bangladeshi community organisation from Atlantic City, demanded the release of Chinmoy Das. “I don’t know why the Biden administration is not doing anything. We are asking the White House to act,” he said.

    Mohinder Gulati, president of the Global Hindu Temple Network, said that the atrocities against Hindus in Bangladesh were an attack against this minority community. “Bangladesh should be debarred from sending peacekeeping forces to other countries. We have also written to the United Nations Human Rights Organisation, UN Women, and UNICEF that all the international obligations that Bangladesh has, that they should be held accountable for those obligations,” he said.

    “World Bank, Asian Development Bank, IMF, they are lending to Bangladesh. They have their own policies. These organisations have their gender justice policies and social justice policies. They should ask Bangladesh to comply with the policies of the lending organisations before they can lend,” said Gulati.

    —With inputs from CtoI News Desk

  • World Chess Championship: Ding Liren, D Gukesh heading to thrilling 13th game after Chinese champion bounces back to level match 6-6

    China's Ding Liren and Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh will face each other in a thrilling 13th game of the World Chess Championship on Wednesday
    China’s Ding Liren bounced back to beat D Gukesh in the 12th game of the FIDE World Chess Championship. Photo Courtesy: FIDE_chess X page

    All eyes will be on Wednesday’s 13th game when China’s Ding Liren and Indian Grandmaster Dommaraju Gukesh will face each other in the penultimate clash of the FIDE World Chess Championship match with both the players leaving no stones unturned to clinch the title.

    In a thrilling encounter in Singapore, China’s Ding Liren recovered from his previous defeat and beat Gukesh in 12th game to tie the match 6-6 on Monday.

    Chinese champion player Ding Liren lost Game 11 after committing a blunder but recovered sharply to return in the title clash.

    Taking positional advantage, 32-year-old Ding wonderfully capitalised on his plan to pressure his young Indian opponent.

    With the match now evenly poised at 6-6, all attention is on the last two games which will decide the match winner.

    Repeating his 2023 stance, Ding showed his brilliance in bouncing back and thrashing the opponent in the 12th game just like he did against Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia in the last World Championship match.

    On Monday, Ding opted for the English Opening and his Indian challenger responded with Agincourt Defence.

    After the win, Ding said: “I am feeling extremely happy.”

    He said: “I just continued the same routine and tried to bounce back today.”

    After the defeat, Gukesh, the youngest-ever challenger for the title, said during a press conference: “In the second half, I had chances in many of the games. Today was obviously a bad game, but I wouldn’t draw too much from it.”

    “Bad games happen. But if you look at the second half overall, I think we are both playing better than the first half,” he said.

    The Indian player said he felt disappointed about losing the game after taking the lead on Sunday.

    After a day off on Tuesday, all eyes will be on Wednesday’s 13th game and the approach the two players will take to take an early lead.

  • Willow: Google says new chip is peerless, can solve problem in minutes

    Google launches new Willow chip
    Google unveils Willow chip. Photo Courtesy: Google Blogpost website

    Popular search engine Google on Monday said it has made a significant advancement in quantum computing with its new chip that has the potential to solve complex mathematical problems in just five minutes, which classical computers would take a significantly longer time than recorded in the history of the universe to find a solution.

    The chip is named Willow.

    In a Google Blog post, the company said: “The first is that Willow can reduce errors exponentially as we scale up using more qubits. This cracks a key challenge in quantum error correction that the field has pursued for almost 30 years.”

    “Willow performed a standard benchmark computation in under five minutes that would take one of today’s fastest supercomputers 10 septillion (that is, 1025) years — a number that vastly exceeds the age of the Universe,” the blog post said.

    As a measure of Willow’s performance, Google’s experts said they used the random circuit sampling (RCS) benchmark.

    Speaking on the performance of the chip, the company said in its blog post: “It performed a computation in under five minutes that would take one of today’s fastest supercomputers 1025 or 10 septillion years. If you want to write it out, it’s 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 years.”

    With 105 qubits, Willow, as claimed by Google, now has best-in-class performance across the two system benchmarks: quantum error correction and random circuit sampling.

    Google says such algorithmic benchmarks are the best way to measure overall chip performance.

    “Today in Nature, we published results showing that the more qubits we use in Willow, the more we reduce errors, and the more quantum the system becomes,” the search engine said.

  • Scientists warn Bird Flu can emerge as the next pandemic

    Bird Flu could emerge as the next pandemic
    Scientists warn Bird Flu can emerge as next pandemic. Photo Courtesy: Pixabay

    A recent study led by scientists at Scripps Research revealed that a single mutation in the H5N1 “bird flu” virus, that has recently infected dairy cows in the US, could enhance the virus’ ability to attach to human cells, potentially increasing the risk of passing from person to person.

    The findings — published in Science on December 5, 2024 — highlight the need to monitor H5N1’s evolution.

    Currently, there are no documented cases of H5N1 transmission between people: bird flu cases in humans have been linked to close contact with contaminated environments as well as infected birds (including poultry), dairy cows and other animals.

    However, public health officials are concerned about the potential for the virus to evolve to transmit efficiently between humans, which could lead to a new, potentially deadly pandemic, read a statement issued by the Scripps Research.

    The flu virus attaches to its host via a protein called hemagglutinin that binds to glycan receptors on the surfaces of host cells. 

    Glycans are chains of sugar molecules on cell surface proteins that can act as binding sites for some viruses. 

    Avian (bird) influenza viruses like H5N1 primarily infect hosts with sialic acid-containing glycan receptors found in birds (avian-type receptors). 

    While the viruses rarely adapt to humans, if they evolve to recognise sialylated glycan receptors found in people (human-type receptors), they could gain the ability to infect and possibly transmit between humans.

    “Monitoring changes in receptor specificity (the way a virus recognizes host cells) is crucial because receptor binding is a key step toward transmissibility,” said Ian Wilson, DPhil, co-senior author and the Hansen Professor of Structural Biology at Scripps Research. “That being said, receptor mutations alone don’t guarantee that the virus will transmit between humans.”

    Past cases in which avian viruses adapted to infect and transmit between people required multiple mutations, usually at least three. 

    But for the H5N1 2.3.4.4b strain (A/Texas/37/2024) isolated from the first human infection with a bovine H5N1 virus in the United States, researchers found that just a single amino acid mutation in the hemagglutinin could switch specificity to binding human-type receptors.

    Here, bovine refers to the species for dairy cows that were the immediate source of the virus for the human infection. Importantly, the mutation wasn’t introduced into the whole virus — only the hemagglutinin protein to study its receptor-binding properties.

    For their study, the research team introduced several mutations into the H5N1 2.3.4.4b hemagglutinin protein that had been involved in receptor specificity changes in previous avian viruses. 

    These mutations were selected to mimic genetic changes that could occur naturally. 

    When the team assessed the impact of one of these mutations, Q226L, on the virus’ ability to bind to human-type receptors, they found that that mutation significantly improved how the virus attached to glycan receptors, which represent those found in human cells.

    “The findings demonstrate how easily this virus could evolve to recognize human-type receptors,” said first author Ting-Hui Lin, a postdoctoral associate at Scripps Research. “However, our study doesn’t suggest that such evolution has occurred or that the current H5N1 virus with only this mutation would be transmissible between humans.”

    Instead, the research team focused on understanding how natural mutations, like Q226L, could arise and what their impact might be. 

    To investigate the potential mutations that could enable the H5N1 2.3.4.4b hemagglutinin to attach to human receptors, the team used advanced binding assays in collaboration with the lab of co-senior author James Paulson, PhD, the Cecil H. and Ida M. Green Chair of Chemistry at Scripps Research. 

    These assays, which are tests to mimic how well a virus attaches to a cell, allowed the researchers to precisely track how the altered H5N1 hemagglutinin interacted with human-type receptors.

    “Our experiments revealed that the Q226L mutation could significantly increase the virus’ ability to target and attach to human-type receptors,” explained Paulson. “This mutation gives the virus a foothold on human cells that it didn’t have before, which is why this finding is a red flag for possible adaptation to people.”

    The shift alone, however, may not be enough to enable human-to-human transmission. Other genetic changes — such as mutations in polymerase basic 2 (E627K) that enhance viral replication and stability in human cells—would likely be necessary for the virus to spread efficiently among people.

    Nevertheless, given the rising number of H5N1 human cases stemming from direct contact with infected animals, the findings highlight the need for proactive surveillance of evolution in H5N1 and similar avian flu strains. 

    While there’s no immediate cause for alarm, the researchers stress that even a single mutation that changes how H5N1 binds to human cells shouldn’t be overlooked.

    “Continuing to track genetic changes as they happen will give us an edge in preparing for signs of increased transmissibility,” added Wilson. “This type of research helps us understand what mutations to watch for and how to respond appropriately.”

  • Donald Trump nominates Indian-origin lawyer Harmeet K Dhillon to top civil rights post

    US President-elect Donald Trump nominates Indian-origin lawyer Harmeet K Dhillon to top civil rights post
    US President-elect Donald Trump nominates Indian-American lawyer Harmeet K Dhillon to top civil rights post. Photo Courtesy:  Harmeet K Dhillon X page

    US President-elect Donald Trump on Monday nominated Chandigarh-born Indian-American lawyer Harmeet K Dhillon as the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the Department of Justice.

    Informing about her nomination, Trump wrote on Truth Social: “I am pleased to nominate Harmeet K. Dhillon as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Justice.”

    “Throughout her career, Harmeet has stood up consistently to protect our cherished Civil Liberties, including taking on Big Tech for censoring our Free Speech, representing Christians who were prevented from praying together during COVID, and suing corporations who use woke policies to discriminate against their workers,” he said.

    Trump described her as one of the ‘top Election lawyers’ in the country.

    Trump said: “Harmeet is a respected member of the Sikh religious community. In her new role at the DOJ, Harmeet will be a tireless defender of our Constitutional Rights, and will enforce our Civil Rights and Election Laws FAIRLY and FIRMLY.”

    Following her nomination, Harmeet K Dhillon said: “I’m extremely honored by President Trump’s nomination to assist with our nation’s civil rights agenda. It has been my dream to be able to serve our great country, and I am so excited to be part of an incredible team of lawyers led by @PamBondi. I cannot wait to get to work!”

    Dhillon, 55, has been a staunch supporter of Trump.

    She had earlier served as the legal adviser to Trump’s 2020 presidential campaign.

    She had recited an Adras prayer (a Sikh prayer) at the Republican National Convention.

    In the January 2023 election, Dhillon, who was born in the Indian city of Chandigarh but later moved to the United States with her parents as a child, unsuccessfully challenged incumbent Ronna McDaniel as chairperson of the Republican National Committee.

  • Singapore foreign minister praises telemedicine team helping Gaza refugees on UAE-led hospital ship

    Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan with telemedicine team
    Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan with the telemedicine team helping Gaza refugees. Screenshot courtesy: Instagram/ vivianbalakrishnan

    Singapore Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan has thanked a team of doctors from the country who are providing telemedicine consultations for Gaza refugees. These Gaza refugees are being treated on a hospital ship led by the United Arab Emirates.

    In an Instagram post, Vivian Balakrishnan is seen interacting with the team of medical professionals from the National University Hospital (NUH), the KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) and the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) medical corps.

    According to media reports, more than a million people in Gaza have been displaced by the Israel-Hamas conflict, which started on October 7, 2023, triggered by the unprecedented Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, and resulting in the massacre and kidnapping of hundreds of Israelis. Some of the hostages have been in captivity in Gaza for more than a year now, while Gaza city itself has been pounded by weapons of war, with civilians dying and fleeing in large numbers.

    To help injured Gaza civilians, the Singapore team has been offering tele-consultations for about a month-and-a-half now. The team consists of doctors, surgeons, and paediatricians, and they are working with the international team on the UAE-led floating hospital, anchored at Al-Arish Port in northeastern Egypt.

    The Singapore minister’s Instagram post said: “Grateful to our healthcare professionals from NUH, KKH, and the SAF who are participating in virtual case conferences that support medical care for casualties of the war in Gaza. They are part of an international team led by the UAE.”

    The UAE has been a steadfast partner in these humanitarian efforts to express our compassion in meaningful ways. We will continue working with all our partners in the Middle East to provide more humanitarian relief in Gaza. We reiterate our call for an urgent ceasefire and the immediate unconditional release of all hostages.

    Singapore Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan

    The Instagram video posted by Balakrishnan had Singapore doctors talking about what led them to become a part of this telemedicine consultation initiative to serve the injured people of Gaza. Alongside physical injuries, these patients also need support for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

    Dr Raj Menon, Centre Director, National University Centre for Trauma, NUH
    Dr Raj Menon, Centre Director, National University Centre for Trauma, NUH, Singapore, is part of the Singapore telemedicine team for Gaza refugees. Screenshot courtesy: Instagram/vivianbalakrishnan

    Dr Raj Menon, Centre Director, National University Centre for Trauma, NUH, said on the video: “We are fortunate to be in a region where there is safety. But I think all the more is that [the] impetus is on us then to step forward and reach out and to help people in need while we can.”

    Thanking the health care professionals, Balakrishnan said that Singapore would “explore opportunities” to do even more to help the people of Gaza.

    About the hospital ship, Khaleej Times had reported exactly 10 months ago — on February 8, 2024 — that the UAE had sent “a fully integrated maritime hospital” to Al Arish port “to provide necessary medical support to the Palestinian people”.

    The Dubai-headquartered publication reported that the floating hospital “includes a medical and administrative staff of 100 people of various specialities, including anaesthesia, general surgery, orthopaedics, and emergency medicine, as well as nurses and paramedics”.

  • Disrupting finance: The gig economy’s radical reboot of banking and business

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    From rideshare drivers to virtual assistants, millions of people earn a living through gig work. There are currently 64 million gig workers in the U.S., according to Upwork, a freelance marketplace. These individuals comprised 38% of the workforce and contributed nearly $1.3 trillion to the economy in 2023.

    While the gig economy is booming, and expected to grow 19% annually from 2024 -2031, traditional financial services haven’t yet caught up to meet the needs of this growing population. Gig workers — who basically run their own entrepreneurial enterprises — shouldn’t have to rely on personal banking accounts alone to manage their income. Whether it’s expanding access to credit or offering flexible payment solutions, banks can empower gig workers with better financial tools to maintain their livelihoods.

    Navigating the gig economy: Current financial challenges for gig workers

    Gig workers often face challenges in accessing traditional financial resources that full-time employees typically enjoy. As self-employed individuals, they may struggle to demonstrate a stable income. Their earnings can fluctuate significantly from week to week, complicating budgeting and making it hard to determine if they will have enough to cover both business and personal expenses.

    According to a report by Rollee on the gig economy equality gap, 45% of gig workers say their finances are fair, and 19% say their finances are poor. The study also found gig workers have trouble accessing credit. Roughly 6 in 10 have been denied loans despite having a good credit score, and a majority have had to apply to at least three lenders before they were approved.

    Individuals who earn most of their income through gig work are also responsible for covering their retirement and insurance needs. A World Bank study found that nearly half didn’t have a retirement account, while separate research finds many are underinsured because they can’t afford health or business insurance.

    Many gig workers are first-time entrepreneurs who could greatly benefit from financial education and literacy tools. These resources can help them manage taxes, handle fluctuating income and plan for retirement effectively.

    Nearly 4 in 10 gig workers have considered going back to traditional employment just to gain access to financial services. Many also rely on non-banking payment apps to manage their income, indicating that banks aren’t fully meeting their needs. To better serve gig workers, banks could improve their offerings by providing tailored financial tools and integrating with gig payment platforms, giving these workers greater visibility and resources to manage their finances.

    Banks can offer a range of customized financial products to meet gig workers where they are and help them grow their businesses.

    Propelling the gig economy: How banks can financially empower workers

    Gig workers often have variable incomes, so they could benefit from real-time payment solutions that help them access their earnings faster rather than relying on the traditional weekly or bi-weekly payroll cycles.

    Banks can also provide tools that help with tax management, such as built-in business banking account calculators that provide an estimated quarterly tax payment based on a gig worker’s earnings. They could partner with third-party providers, such as accounting and bookkeeping platforms, to deliver a one-stop solution for gig workers’ financial needs. This can help gig workers streamline their tax reporting and filing process every year.

    Additionally, banks can address the needs of gig workers by providing not just software solutions, but also hardware solutions. With new account sign-ups, they could issue a device preloaded with their app and financial education tools. These devices can help banks enhance financial literacy for gig workers while providing an easy way to communicate. They can send push notifications about new offers, financial planning reminders or payment updates.

    To expand financial access for gig workers, banks may need to rethink the approach to credit decisions. Gig workers often have fluctuating incomes, which most lenders view as a greater risk than traditional W-2 employees. In fact, 36% of financial institutions surveyed by Rollee said they are more likely to approve an application from a traditionally employed worker than a gig worker because they have greater income transparency and employment data. However, banks need to weigh other variables as part of the lending process, such as how long a worker has been in business, income consistency, how well they manage expenses and cash outflow vs. inflow. Banks may also factor in personal savings and assets that demonstrate financial stability.

    Like other professionals, gig workers care about protecting their financial futures. Banks can address these concerns by offering customized savings, retirement tools and insurance packages. Products and features such as high-yield savings accounts, flexible health insurance plans, and self-directed IRAs with targeted sign-up incentives, bonuses, and lower balance threshold requirements to help workers avoid monthly maintenance fees are all valuable. Low-cost or disability and liability insurance options and affordable retirement and life insurance bundles, such as a universal life policy with a cash value component, can also provide much-needed financial protection for gig workers.

    Supporting workers with tailored financial solutions

    Gig workers contribute so much to the economy, and there’s more banks can do to support this vital part of the nation’s workforce. Whether it’s providing user-friendly tax and expense management tools or expanding access to credit lines and business loans, banks can grow their customer base by offering financial solutions tailored to the needs of these modern-day entrepreneurs.

    Learn more about the financial services industry and how Samsung solutions can help here.

    Sign up for our newsletter, INSIGHTS: Banking, a monthly update on banking trends and technology’s role in the financial services industry.

  • British writer’s novel becomes bestseller after her social media post on selling just two copies goes viral

    British writer's novel becomes bestseller after her viral social media post
    British writer Vicky Ball becomes bestselling author after her social media post went viral. Photo Courtesy: Vicky Ball X page

    The Internet has the ability to make or break things with its growing reach, popularity and acceptance. The power of social media was felt by a former British school teacher after her novel, which had only sold two copies, became a bestseller following her now viral post.

    After just selling two copies of her novel, Vicky Ball had previously written on X: “Sold 2 books.”

    Since then the post went viral and garnered more than 24 million views.

    After receiving extra attention on Internet, one of her books, titled Powerless, moved up in Amazon’s teen and young adult fiction chart, media reports said.

    According to reports, people from across the globe started ordering her novel.

    Elated by the result of her social media post, Vicky, who works at the University of Essex and lives in Colchester, described the past few days as ‘incredible’ and said she could not believe that such developments could have happened over her post.

    “Good morning. Happy Monday. It has been an incredible few days. I still can’t believe all this has happened from one tweet! Thank you so much for all your support and lovely messages. It means so much. I’m off to work now Have a great day,” she wrote on X on Monday.

  • Indian Foreign Secretary meets Bangladeshi counterpart in Dhaka, highlights atrocities faced by minorities

    Indian Foreign Secretary  Vikram Misri visits Dhaka
    Indian Foreign Secretary  Vikram Misri visits Dhaka and meets his Bangladeshi counterpart. Photo Courtesy:   Indian Foreign Service X page

    Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, who visited Dhaka for the first time ever since the interim government took charge, raised the issue of the safety of minorities in the Muslim-majority nation while meeting his Bangladeshi counterpart Md Touhid Hossain.

    This marked the first high-level diplomatic interaction between the two nations since the toppling of former PM Sheikh Hasina-led government on August 5.

    The Interim government, led by Muhammad Yusuf, took charge of the country following her ouster. During his regime, Bangladesh is registering a rise in atrocities against minorities.

    “We also had the opportunity to discuss certain developments and issues, and I conveyed the concerns, including those related to the safety, security and welfare of the minorities.” the Indian official was quoted as saying by The Daily Star.

    “We expect overall constructive approach on all these issues by the Bangladesh authorities and we look forward to moving the relationship forward in a positive, forward-looking and constructive direction,” he said.

    The communal tension allegedly increased during the current regime after Hindu priest Chinmoy Krishna Das was arrested in Chittagong over sedition charges in November.

    Earlier, India said the interim government in Bangladesh must shoulder its responsibility of protecting all minorities while expressing serious concern over the “surge” of extremist rhetoric and increasing incidents of violence against Hindus.

  • Prodigy Finance Offers No-Collateral Loans for Studying in Australia

    December 9th, 2024: In 2023, 793,335 international students went to Australia for higher studies. It has over 1,100 institutions and 22,000 courses across various fields. For Indian students, universities like Monash University, Australian National University (ANU), and University of Sydney are popular choices. These institutions offer a wide variety of courses, and some of the top fields include Engineering, Business, and IT.

    To study in Australia, you need a Student Visa (subclass 500). The process involves getting a Confirmation of Enrollment (CoE) from an Australian university, showing proof of funds for tuition, travel, and living expenses. According to an article by Top Universities, this comes to about AU$21,041 per year for living expenses alone (around INR 11 lakh). You will also need to submit a Genuine Temporary Entrant (GTE) statement outlining your intention to study temporarily. Additionally, you must provide proof of English language proficiency through a test such as IELTS, TOEFL, or PTE and ensure you have Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) for the entire duration of your stay.

    The cost of studying in Australia varies depending on the program and university. Living expenses depend on where you study, with cities like Sydney and Melbourne being more expensive. Though the expenses seem high, Australia has several scholarships for international students like Australia Awards Scholarships, Endeavour Awards, and university-specific scholarships. For example, the University of Melbourne offers scholarships worth AU$10,000 to outstanding students.

    Prodigy Finance supports students pursuing masters degrees in fields like engineering, business, and IT among others at top Australian universities. With competitive interest rates and no requirement for collateral and co-signer for their student loans, it helps students focus on their studies without thinking about finances.

    “With steady year-on-year increase in enrollment rate in its universities, Australia remains a top destination for international students. At Prodigy Finance, we are making it possible for students to take advantage of the incredible education opportunities Australia has to offer. We already have exclusive partnerships with over 18 top-rated universities in Australia and we are working towards adding more.” says Sonal Kapoor, Chief Commercial Officer at Prodigy Finance.

    After you finish your studies, you may be eligible for a Temporary Graduate Visa (subclass 485), which allows you to stay in Australia for 2 to 4 years, depending on your qualifications. This post-study work visa gives you the opportunity to gain international work experience in your field.

    Although Australia is looking to cap international students to 270,000 in 2025, with proper planning, research, and understanding of the costs, studying in Australia can be a great experience that can lead to future success.