Germany turns to rickshaw recruitment as it seeks IT workers from India

Germany is recruiting for migrants – with the help of a New Delhi rickshaw.

A three-wheeler hired by one of Germany's ruling parties tells IT workers in India: “Getting a German work visa has never been easier”.

The stunt came as MPs in Berlin passed a law throwing Germany's doors open for economic migrants.

Resurgent German far right makes green agenda a punching bag

With an ageing population, Germany faces a labour shortage and is turning to foreigners to plug gaps in hospitals, social care, schools, kindergartens and the IT sector.

The shortage is “one of the biggest brakes on German economic growth”, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser told Parliament on Friday.

Germany needs an estimated 400,000 people a year to fill gaps and the new law opens up several paths for migrants.

IT workers can show job experience to apply for a Blue Card residence permit even if they do not have a degree.

Migrants who score highly on a new points system can get an “opportunity card” that lets them come to Germany and seek trial shifts.

Points can be accumulated for speaking English or German, having qualifications and being under 35.

A recruitment drive from non-EU countries in the Western Balkans is being widened with the number of visas doubled to 50,000 a year.

Rules are being relaxed on skilled migrants bringing their parents to Germany.

And asylum seekers who arrived before March 29 may be able to switch their application to a work visa if they are qualified.

The cut-off point has been set to head off opposition claims that the new law will encourage speculative asylum claims.

“Dear IT experts, coders and web developers, listen up: getting a German work visa has never been easier for professionals,” reads the rickshaw message in English.

It invites Indians to scan a QR code to learn about the new immigration law, which passed by a 388-234 vote in Parliament.

German MPs passed a law on Friday relaxing rules on skilled migration. AP

Ann-Veruschka Jurisch, an MP from the business-friendly Free Democrats behind the rickshaw stunt, said the Western Balkans arrangement could be widened to other parts of the world.

In return Germany is likely to demand measures to block irregular migration. Ms Faeser this week visited Tunisia where many citizens have claimed asylum in the EU.

“Germany is clearly positioning itself as a modern immigration nation on the international labour market,” Ms Jurisch said.

The opposition said Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government was opening the door to unskilled migrants.

Andrea Lindholz from the centre-right Christian Democrats said ministers were sending the “wrong signal” amid concerns about illegal migration.

She condemned the lowering of a language skill threshold so that some migrants, she claimed, would need to speak only 300 words of German.

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) strongly condemned the new law and called for jobs to be filled by unemployed Germans.

Concerns over migration and have been blamed in part for a polling bounce for the AfD, which surpassed Mr Scholz's Social Democrats in a new survey on Thursday.

“Our problem is not that there are too few people in our country,” far-right MP Norbert Kleinwaechter said.

Key facilities

Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
Premier League-standard football pitch
400m Olympic running track
NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
600-seat auditorium
Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
Specialist robotics and science laboratories
AR and VR-enabled learning centres
Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills

F1 The Movie

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

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Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett

Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina

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Cricket World Cup League 2

UAE results
Lost to Oman by eight runs
Beat Namibia by three wickets
Lost to Oman by 12 runs
Beat Namibia by 43 runs

UAE fixtures
Free admission. All fixtures broadcast live on icc.tv

Tuesday March 15, v PNG at Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Friday March 18, v Nepal at Dubai International Stadium
Saturday March 19, v PNG at Dubai International Stadium
Monday March 21, v Nepal at Dubai International Stadium

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme

Priority access to new homes from participating developers
Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
Flexible payment plans from developers
Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates

On Women's Day

Dr Nawal Al-Hosany: Why more women should be on the frontlines of climate action

Shelina Janmohamed: Why shouldn't a spouse be compensated fairly for housework?

Justin Thomas: Challenge the notion that 'men are from Mars, women are from Venus'

The National Editorial: Is there much to celebrate on International Women's Day 2021?

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

COMPANY%20PROFILE

%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Floward%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERiyadh%2C%20Saudi%20Arabia%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAbdulaziz%20Al%20Loughani%20and%20Mohamed%20Al%20Arifi%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EE-commerce%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETotal%20funding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAbout%20%24200%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAljazira%20Capital%2C%20Rainwater%20Partners%2C%20STV%20and%20Impact46%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E1%2C200%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Neighbourhood Watch

A Silicon Oasis of calm in bustling Dubai

How a road to nowhere became a top Ajman destination

The village community hidden among the skyscrapers of new Dubai

Abandon
Sangeeta Bandyopadhyay
Translated by Arunava Sinha
Tilted Axis Press

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Tearful appearance

Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.

Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.

She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.

A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.

Ain Dubai in numbers

126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure

1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch

16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.

9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.

5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place

192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.

Pharaoh's curse

British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.

Indoor Cricket World Cup Dubai 2017

Venue Insportz, Dubai; Admission Free

Day 1 fixtures (Saturday)

Men 1.45pm, Malaysia v Australia (Court 1); Singapore v India (Court 2); UAE v New Zealand (Court 3); South Africa v Sri Lanka (Court 4)

Women Noon, New Zealand v South Africa (Court 3); England v UAE (Court 4); 5.15pm, Australia v UAE (Court 3); England v New Zealand (Court 4)

Company profile

Name: Dukkantek

Started: January 2021

Founders: Sanad Yaghi, Ali Al Sayegh and Shadi Joulani

Based: UAE

Number of employees: 140

Sector: B2B Vertical SaaS(software as a service)

Investment: $5.2 million

Funding stage: Seed round

Investors: Global Founders Capital, Colle Capital Partners, Wamda Capital, Plug and Play, Comma Capital, Nowais Capital, Annex Investments and AMK Investment Office