Concerns over energy supply this winter have increased as a result of Russia’s main gas pipeline to Europe not reopening as scheduled on Saturday. The Nord Stream 1 pipeline may be permanently shut down after the state-owned energy company Gazprom reported discovering a leak.
Germany-bound pipeline has been closed for three days for what Gazprom referred to as maintenance work. In the midst of the turmoil in Ukraine, Europe accused Russia of exploiting its gas supply to threaten Europe. Moscow disputes this accusation. Since Russia invaded Ukraine, energy prices have increased sharply, and dwindling supplies could cause prices to rise even more.
Families in the EU are worried that they won’t be able to pay the expense of heating this winter.
The UK might be impacted as well. Although not dependent on Nord Stream 1, the interruption of the pipeline might increase the cost of wholesale gas, which is what has caused the energy price cap to grow exponentially.
Germany’s gas reserves have increased from less than half in June to 84% full today as a result of the standoff with Russia, which has compelled countries to replenish their own gas supply.
As a result, although they have decreased during the previous week, global gas prices are still high by historical norms.
Picture Courtesy: Google/images are subject to copyright
Vignesh Vijayakumar’s success story from an ordinary office administrator to being the brain behind a million-business conglomerate filled with grit, grace and grinding life experiences.
It was a cold December morning in Dubai in 2005. As the clock struck 4.30 AM, nineteen-year-old Vignesh Vijayakumar sprung out of his bed in a jiffy. In a place like Dubai waking up early for work was something uncommon, especially for those involved in a 9-to-five job. Although Vignesh had an administrative job, an old habit of waking up early, taught by his father stayed even after he migrated to Dubai.
After freshening up, Vignesh picks a pack of microfiber cloth, a bucket and liquid cleaner and steps outside his home while humanity at large sleep in Dubai. Then he trots over to a spot where over a dozen cars are parked in the neighbourhood, all waiting to be washed.
Till 7 AM, Vignesh then starts his morning chore of washing cars. Every day he would wash 14 cars to earn that extra buck. “So early in the morning there was no other job that a young man could do in Dubai,” says Vignesh who currently runs a multimillion conglomerate.
“I used to earn 100 dirhams for a car wash. My body clock woke me up early and this was the only job that was available at that time. I did this job for 7 months,” chuckles Vignesh, lovingly called by his friends and colleague as Vickii.
Today, its been 18 years, from washing cars to owning a fleet of 13 luxury cars, Vignesh has come a long way in terms of growth and is one of the most sought young businessmen in the GCC. But the rise of his business verticals was no rosy tale.
Vignesh Vijayakumar
Vignesh who hails from Angadipuram in Malappuram district started his career as an administration officer at a dairy brand in Dubai and today he runs a multi-million business empire and has perched his feet on various verticals like manpower supply, real estate, trading, hotel management, events, and talent management long with Equestrian business where he owns 61 high bred horses. “I do own 61 horses and 3 elephants and have established the Equestrian businesses in Aurangabad, Rajasthan as well as in the home district of Malappuram,” says Vignesh.
While washing cars, Vignesh had the thirst for prosperity. His only ability was his relentless pursuit of excellence. Additionally, to cater his needs, he travelled long distances and took tuition for elite families in the gulf. During this time, he realised that many people need a liaison officer who would convert visiting visas to employment.
“Back then, I had to go somewhere in the neighbouring countries to enable an employment visa. Most went to Kasab in Oman and Kish in Iran,” he describes. Vickii also chose Kasab for this. This, however, turned out to be a business idea for the young man. Many times, people including Keralites used to get stuck in Kasab and Kish as visa changes were delayed due to unforeseen reasons. Vignesh too had to go through the harrowing experience of securing a visa. During that time, he met more than 300 natives of the Philippines who were stuck in Kasab. Vicky helped them return to the UAE. “That’s how the initiative to arrange visa change and other facilities for travellers started. Later, the business expanded in collaboration with an Iranian company,” and added that it provided him with a steady extra income. Sensing opportunity in this arena, Vignesh ventured into enabling Visas. Slowly between 2006 and 2009, his client base grew and he set up a full-fledged visa services office in Dubai. “I used to oversee visa approval for at least 700 people every month through my first business venture,” remembers Vignesh.
Vignesh Vijayakumar
In 2009, the visa rules in the Gulf changed and this hit his business as well. Around the same time, a Pakistani business partner cheated Vignesh and issued cheques to his employees to whom he owed money without the knowledge of Vignesh. After it, he left the country. Vignesh got caught in the legal quagmire and took a few years to clear himself from the legal and financial mess. “The toughest time of my life grounded me. It gave me a real insight into who my real friends were. The challenge made me a more focused individual with stern resolve,” says Vignesh. But as good luck would have it, a distant friend, a Chinese national came out to the rescue of Vignesh. She loaned him 15000-dirhams to clear all his financial mess.
“God has been kind to me. When closest people around me disowned me during times of trouble, it was an acquaintance that bailed me out of a very difficult situation. I find this as an act of grace,” reckons Vignesh, “When my fortunes turned in my favour, I paid her back all that was borrowed.”
The Company
Vignesh Vijayakumar
Sri Global FZ-LLC, UAE; Global Smart Trading LLC, UAE; Global Smart Star Businessman Services, UAE; Al Arabia Business Center, UAE; S A I Real Estate, UAE; 7-Star Hospitality and Events, UAE; GSBG Business Consultants Pvt Ltd, India; Triniti Equestrian Club LLP, India, Google Overseas Consultants, Nepal and Global Star Consultants, Kyrgyzstan are some of the vertical businesses that come under his parent company, The Wealth-i Group. Global Smart Star Businessmen Service, Dubai and Al Arabia Business Center, Dubai, provide a wide range of services that aim to facilitate businessmen and entrepreneurs to achieve their goals and establish successful business activities in Dubai. The company incorporates business setup, Public Relation works or any unmatched professional competence quality service.
“I found a foothold in setting up a PR firm in Dubai that allowed me to expand my business base after resolving all the legal problems in 2010,” says Vignesh. His wide experience over many years includes business acquisitions and disposals. Over the last decade, Vignesh has been in charge of setting up businesses in the UAE for clients and providing various services and facilities. He is also involved in providing administrative facilitative services to clients in their day-to-day liaison with government offices. He is supported by a dedicated network of back-office service providers including typists, translators and access providers. He also carries out many support activities relating to the restructuring of Companies.
The company’s array of services includes PRO services, immigration services, travel document and visa services, UAE golden Visa and passport services, all types of legal translation services, foreign migration services, consulate services and office design and flexi desk setup.
Vignesh Vijayakumar
The Farmstay at Al Helio in Ajman, named “Good Earth” operated under Seven Star Hospitality and Events is serving public with high ratings. Seven Star also has chauffeur driven luxury cars, including Merc Viano, Cadillac and various other classy models.
His passion for horse racing, stud farms has made him to own 62 Marwari horses in 3 stations in India and 3 Arabian horses in Dubai.
Success Secret
Vignesh takes an anecdote of a war situation and says the person who has taken part in war can understand the finer lines and provide more clarity as well as a bout of experience in comparison with someone who describes it after reading a book.
Vignesh Vijayakumar has always excelled in the atrocities of life, becoming the Top 30 Millionaires under the age of 30 in Dubai, UAE. Besides that, he has also been an active part of the socialite world, participating in various events and functions.
“My life has been my biggest teacher. I have seen the peaks and valleys of business. I have had rich experiences of failure and also have been exposed to myriads of challenges. It is these challenges that carved my road to success.” Vignesh also credits his success to being a go-getter attitude. “Back then when I decided to run away from the legal proceedings which I would have to face, I found a stranger in the desert sand who said every prosperity that the country has made has come from the speck of sand. That insight moved me. I decided to face the consequences.
Vignesh confronted and resolved the legal issues. “Patience is another virtue that builds success. In life and business if one is impatient to face problems and challenges then it is very difficult for him to excel,” points out Vignesh.
AUTOMOBILE CRAZE
Vignesh Vijayakumar
Recently Vignesh hogged the limelight after he bought a Mahindra Thar through an auction which was gifted to Guruvayur Temple by a devotee. The car was bought by Vignesh for a whopping 43 lakhs (plus GST) which was more than double the on-road price of the vehicle. When asked about the lavish expenditure, Vignesh responded that his parents are staunch devotees of Guruvayurappan, the presiding deity at Guruvayur Temple. “I didn’t look at the price tag. I bought it as a gift for my parents who are regular visitors to the grand temple.”
Vignesh Vijayakumar’s parents near his Thar
Vignesh, who is also a well-known car enthusiast in Dubai, owns 12 vehicles including luxury cars in his collection. ‘Even though I had dreamt of having a fleet of cars when I was young, I was not in a financial position to own them. Later with the blessings of Guruvayurappan, all of them became possible. These include Ferrari, Bentley, Maybach and Rolls Royce. But any vehicle, including the one that is going to come and the one that is now, is not worth as much as the Thar received today,’ says Vignesh, providing a streak of his spiritual streak.
“I am not a religious person. But I am spiritual and believe in the cosmic order of things. I do have a personal spiritual guru and he has guided me in all my important decisions,” says Vignesh.
Belief in Numerology
Vignesh’s life lessons are very much connected to numbers. He believes that the use of numbers to interpret a person’s character or to divine the future – which has made him attracted to 7.
He says “7 is a sign of wealth, and wealth is not just money, it is a connect you made with your emotions”. His recent auction of the controversial Mahindra Thar Car at Guruvayur also had 7-attached to it. The closed tender had an amount of INR 25 Lacs, and he won the auction at a whopping INR 43 Lacs. Both, 25 and 43, numbers when individually added makes up 7.
Wealth-i’s headquarters in Dubai has 7 companies, headed by 7 talented management team.
Philanthropy
Vignesh who understands the perils of not having enough skills to secure a job, plans to open training centres across India which would help youngsters to be trained with job-specific skillsets. “We plan to open several training centres across India to impart knowledge and job skills. The centres will be opened on a non-profit basis. This is my humble give back to the country,” says Vignesh.
Vignesh Shivakumar
With an aim to empower women and develop youth, he plans to link his skilling and training initiatives to focus more on these categories in the initial phase.
Serve NRI Society
Vignesh has been an NRI since 2006 and he is aware of various concerns faced by this sect. Himself being a businessman and engaging rightly with NRIs by providing them with superior quality service, both within and outside India, has been a dream for him.
Vignesh Vijayakumar
He will be launching an initiative with Government’s blessings, for connecting each NRI back to his roots efficiently through technological interventions and high quality trackable services.
The Kremlin has confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the funeral of Mikhail Gorbachev, the final leader of the Soviet Union. Putin’s work schedule will prevent him from attending the ceremony on Saturday, according to spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
Gorbachev passed away on Tuesday at the age of 91, and he said that the Russian president had paid his respects at the hospital in Moscow. Although Gorbachev’s reforms contributed to the end of the Cold War, Mr. Putin grieved the fall of the Soviet Union. The dissolution of the USSR, according to the Russian president in 2005, was “the greatest geopolitical calamity of the [20th] Century.”
However, Mr. Putin struck a more amiable tone in his condolence telegram to Gorbachev’s family on Wednesday, referring to him as “a leader and statesman who had a major impact on the course of world history.” On Thursday, Mr. Putin was seen on Russian state television laying red roses next to Gorbachev’s casket at the Central Clinical Hospital in Moscow.
There will be other noticeable absences from the burial besides Mr. Putin. In response to Western sanctions implemented as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, many of the foreign leaders who would have been anticipated to participate are temporarily prohibited from entering Russian territory. Top politicians from the US, UK, EU, Japan and Canada are among those on the exclusion list, including US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, as well as the two candidates vying to succeed him, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak.
Picture Courtesy: Google/images are subject to copyright
After a perilous voyage that was made more difficult by shelling nearby, UN nuclear specialists have completed their initial assessment of the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia power facility in Ukraine.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief claimed to have seen everything he “needed to see.” Russian soldiers followed the inspectors to the plant. Each other has been charged with attempting to sabotage the mission by Russia and Ukraine.
Europe’s biggest nuclear facility is located near Zaporizhzhia, in southern Ukraine. Russia quickly captured it after annexing Ukraine in February. The plant’s Ukrainian employees claim that Russian troops have used it as a military base and that employees are in fact being detained at gunpoint.
Rafael Grossi, the head of the IAEA, told Russian media that was present during the inspections, “The important things I needed to see I saw, and your explanations were extremely clear.
He said that the UN agency would remain in the plant, but he did not say how many workers or for how long.
Eight to twelve inspectors would continue working, according to the Russian news agency Interfax, while five inspectors would continue working, according to the state nuclear business of Ukraine, Energoatom.
The inspectors intend to examine the plant’s condition and speak with the Ukrainian employees who are under Russian authority.
Picture Courtesy: Google/images are subject to copyright
The Mrs Glam World 2022, organized by Pegasus and presented by Manappuram DQUE was won by Zambian beauty Brandina Lubuli along with Dashbaljid Munkhzul from Mongolia as first runner-up and Kripa Dharmaraj from India as second runner-up. The event was marked by the presence of Pegasus Chairman Dr. Ajit Ravi and some eminent personalities including Bibin, MD, Zaya The Infinity Elegance. The Miss Glam World contest winners were crowned by Manappuram Finance Ltd MD and CEO V P Nandakumar.
The beauty contest was conducted on August 27th at Gokulam Convention Centre in Kochi wherein 14 contestants participated from all around the world. Parakkat Jewelers designed a gold crown to be given to the Mrs Glam World winners. The first runner-up and second runner-up each earned gift prizes of Rs 60,000 and Rs 40,000, while the Mrs Glam World 2022 title winner received a DQUE gift reward of Rs 1,00,000.
The Miss Glam World 2022, organized by Pegasus and presented by Manappuram DQUE was won by Valentina Vasilic from Serbia along with Vaishnavi Sharma from India as first runner-up and Jechen Ladree from Bhutan as second runner-up. The event was marked by the presence of Pegasus Chairman Dr. Ajit Ravi and some eminent personalities including Bibin, MD, Zaya The Infinity Elegance. The Miss Glam World contest winners were crowned by Manappuram Finance Ltd MD and CEO V P Nandakumar.
The beauty contest was conducted on August 27th at Gokulam Convention Centre in Kochi wherein 21 contestants participated from all around the world. Parakkat Jewelers designed a gold crown to be given to the Miss Glam World winners. The first runner-up and second runner-up each earned gift prizes of Rs 60,000 and Rs 40,000, while the Miss Glam World 2022 title winner received a DQUE gift reward of Rs 1,00,000.
Israel and Germany have reached a settlement over compensation for Israelis killed at the Munich Olympics in 1972. After being held as hostages by members of a Palestinian militant group, eleven Israeli athletes were killed.
Days before the tragedy’s 50th anniversary, an agreement of €28 million (£24 million) was reached. Earlier this month, families vowed to boycott the tragedy’s remembrances because the compensation they received was insufficient. Isaac Herzog, the president of Israel, praised the agreement as a “important step by the German government” and expressed his approval.
One of the deadliest episodes in Olympic history is the Munich tragedy, which happened on September 5, 1972. Palestinian gunmen from the Black September organisation kidnapped Israeli athletes within the Olympic village.
While the militants attempted to flee the country, two were shot dead almost immediately, and the other two died during a gunfight with West German police at an adjacent airfield.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Mr. Herzog expressed their “happiness and relief” at reaching a consensus on historical clarity in a joint statement.
Germany has also said that it will make records about the hostage-taking and the failed rescue attempt public.The families of the victims have long accused German authorities of not doing enough to safeguard athletes and being secretive about their security flaws.
Picture Courtesy: Google/images are subject to copyright
The discovery of thousands of unregistered private swimming pools in France has brought the French tax authorities an unexpected windfall. Over 20,000 underground pools were found after an artificial intelligence (AI) experiment.
They have generated about €10 million ($9.9; £8.5 million), according to French media. Because they increase property value, pools can result in higher property taxes and are required to be declared under French law.
During a trial in October 2021, the software—which was created by Google and the French consulting firm Capgemini—found the pools on aerial photographs of nine French districts.
The study was conducted in the regions of the Alpes-Maritimes, Var, Bouches-du-Rhône, Ardèche, Rhône, Haute-Savoie, Vendée, Maine-et-Loire, and Morbihan; however, tax officials claim it may now be implemented nationally. According to data portal Statista, there were more than 3.2 million private swimming pools in France in 2020, and business was flourishing even before the Covid epidemic.
However, as more workers choose to work from home, the number of pools installed increased. A typical pool measuring 30 square metres (322 square feet) is subject to an annual tax of €200 ($200; £170). The software may potentially be used to identify gazebos, patios, and unreported home additions that affect property taxes, according to the tax authorities.
Picture Courtesy: Google/images are subject to copyright
According to reports, two Air-France pilots have been suspended following a physical incident in the cockpit.
According to the Swiss news agency La Tribune, the captain and co-pilot fought as they were flying an Airbus A320 from Geneva to Paris in June. Hearing the noise, members of the cabin crew stepped in to help. The flight’s only crew member remained in the cockpit until it touched down safely.
The airline informed La Tribune that the event had no impact on the flight. The incident occurred after a French air inquiry body’s report on Tuesday claimed that the airline’s culture lacked rigour when it came to following safety rules.
Picture Courtesy: Google/images are subject to copyright
Three Dutch commandos who were in the US for training were shot and wounded while off duty outside a hotel in Indianapolis. The event happened in the city’s entertainment district on Saturday at at 03:30 local time.
According to Indianapolis police, the three guys were located with gunshot wounds and transferred to surrounding hospitals. One of the guys was listed in critical condition, but the other two were conscious, according to the Dutch defence ministry. It stated that all three belonged to the Commando Corps, one of the Dutch military’s special operations divisions.
The shooting happened in front of the hotel where they were staying during their spare time, the ministry claimed. The males and another person or group may have been involved in an earlier dispute, according to the local police.
An officer from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department told FOX59 that the information they were ready to share at the time was that nothing happened inside the hotel. “We suspect there was a prior altercation at another site.”
The men’s families had been informed, according to the Dutch defence ministry, and a local police probe was ongoing. There have been no detentions.
Picture Courtesy: Google/images are subject to copyright
