US investigates Indian firms June 15, 2015 15:42
U.S. government is investigating two Indian outsourcing firms and a California power company regarding whether they have violated U S labor and immigration laws by replacing American workers with foreigners on temporary work visas. The Labor Department said that it is trying to ensure that the Indian companies and Southern California Edison have complied with the terms of the nation’s skilled-worker-visa system. The controversy has come out in the recent months after, whether the foreign workers, who are typically having H-1B visas, displace or complement U.S. workers. A spokeswoman for Tata said, “the company maintains rigorous internal controls to ensure that we are fully compliant with all regulatory requirements related to U.S. immigration laws.” Walt Disney Co. and Fossil are also being accused by their former employees of replacing them with foreign workers who they have trained. A Disney spokeswoman said this didn’t happen and said the company’s resort division had added 70 U.S. based IT positions. Fossil officials did not respond to requests for comment and the watchmaker said it is doing what it believed is right for the company. By Premji
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For this Hyderabad student, iPhone is literally more precious than his life June 15, 2015 13:12
It seems even USA, the so-called poster child of development, is unable to deal with its crime rate and the expats are getting victimized more than often times. In the Sunday attack, a 23-year old Hyderabad student was shot dead by unidentified muggers after a Tiff over “just” an iPhone (well, it’s not just in this case). Sai was hailed from Kushaiguda in Kapra, Hyderabad. Upon his graduation in engineering at Geetanjali College in Keesara, Hyderabad, Kiran applied for Masters in Management Studies at Atlantis Masters at Atlantis University in Miami, Florida. Sai Kiran got a green signal for his course from University officials and he landed in Florida on May 2. Kiran was on the phone with one of his friends on Sunday morning (as per Indian Standard Timings) and had just walked out of his residence. All of a sudden he was accosted by a group of Black Americans. Kiran was reportedly shot four times after he refused to hand over his iPhone. He had last spoken to his parents around 12.15 a.m. (IST) on Sunday. Neither the family members nor his friends expected his death call so sooner. The family of Sai Kiran was in deep shock and the calmness clouded over the vicinity. Kumar's family is seeking the help of the Telangana government and the centre to bring his body back to India. - Manohar. M
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11 Indo-Canadians honoured with ICCC Annual Awards 2015 June 08, 2015 15:59
India and Canada have become stronger in relationship followed by the agreement of trade and nuclear supply to India, and the recent visit paid by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Canada has honoured 11 Indo-Canadians for strengthening the trade and ties between two countries. At the 'ICCC Annual Awards 2015' ceremony, 11 Indian-origin persons, including Avinash Mehra, a vice president of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, were handed over the trophy and citation by Toronto Mayor John Tory and President of the Indo-Canada Chambers of Commerce (ICCC) DP Jain. The recipients of the award are Nisha Agnihotri, Avish Sood, Rajiv Manucha, Prashant Pathak, Hargurdeep Singh, Asim Ghosh, Jag Parmar and Venkatesh Mannar. The Indian-origin persons were congratulated by the PM Stephen Harper, Governor General David Johnston, Premier of Ontario Kathleen Wynne. Vishnu Prakash, India’s High Commissioner to Canada also among those who admired the Indo-Canadians. At the event, Mayor of Markham, Frank Scarpitti, has received the President's award 2015 for his contribution in furthering the bilateral trade and investment between the two countries. The non-profit, non-partisan organisation ICCC, which was founded in 1977, works towards enhancing the bilateral ties in the areas of social, cultural and economic developments in both the nations. "The two countries enjoy historic bilateral relations and there is a room to expand trade, cooperation on energy, agriculture and education through strategic partnership. The Canada-India friendship is also one of unrealised potential.It has the ingredients to be one of the greatest partnerships for both our countries," Jain said. Tory lauded the role of the Indo-Canadians in fostering the bilateral relationship and said, "Toronto is the best place to live and work in the world." "Indo-Canadian community has done more than making its mark in Canada. They have cemented the foundation of the Indo-Canadian friendship and are a key driver of the relationship in numerous endeavours between our two countries," Tory said. The awards to popular personalities in empowering Indo-Canada ties enhances their responsibilities and ensures further promotion in various programmes between two nations. -Kannamsai
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Indian-American Children Win Spelling Bee Contest May 29, 2015 17:53
Vanya Shivashankar and Gokul Venkatachalam, both Indian-Americans, came to a tie and are named as co-winners of the annual spelling Bee contest. It is the second year in a row that co-champions were named and the fifth time in the history of the bee. Vanya Shivashankar, a 13-year-old is from Olathe, Kan., has joined her sister Kavya as the only siblings to have won the bee. Kavya won the title in 2009. Shivashankar and Venkatachalam, 14, of Chesterfield, Mo., intensively competed for 30 minutes, before both were crowned champs. Back and forth they went, correctly spelling words such as scherenschnitte, pyrrhuloxia, thamakau, caudillismo and a slew of other words which would never be able to decode. The crowd roared as Venkatachalam correctly spelled nunatak to ensure that the victory would be shared. “This is a dream come true,” said Shivashankar. “I’ve wanted this for such a long time.” She dedicated her win to her late grandmother. “I hope I make her happy with this,” she said. “I wasn’t nervous at all,” said Venkatachalam. “It was the culmination of all the hard work of the past six years. I’m finally happy to have success.” His one word to describe his win? “Ridiculous.” By Premji
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Indian-American Prof. Akhil Amar named for key post in US May 21, 2015 10:47
An Indian-American professor from Yale University was named by the US President Barack Obama as a member of the prestigious National Council on Humanities to honour his service and to utilize his abundant knowledge in the field of Law and Political Science. Mr. Akhil Amar has been serving as a Professor of Law and Political Science at the university since 2008. He also served as a professor at both Yale Law School and Yale College since 1985 and has held various professorships, including Southmayd Professor from 1993 to 2008, Professor from 1990 to 1993, Associate Professor from 1988 to 1990, and Assistant Professor from 1985 to 1988. He also worked as a law clerk to judge Stephen Breyer, then of the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, from 1984 to 1985. He is co-editor of a constitutional law Casebook, 'Processes of Constitutional Decision-making', and has written several other books on constitutional law. "I am confident that these outstanding individuals will serve the American people well, and I look forward to working with them," the President said in a statement. The Sterling professor is a member of the Board of Directors of the Constitutional Accountability Center and the Coalition of Freedom Advisory Board of the National Constitution Center and he was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2007. Professor Amar has received his BA from Yale College and a JD from Yale Law School. He was named a Senior Scholar by the National Constitution Center in 2000. -Kannamsai
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Indian-origin MP Keith Vaz gifts Alphonso mangoes to PM David Cameron May 19, 2015 18:09
Keith Vaz, who is considered to be the longest serving MP of Asian origin, has kept his promise by sending a fresh batch of Alphonso mangoes to the British Prime Minister David Cameron as the import was lifted by the European Union. The MP for Leicester East since the 1987 election, has delivered the box at David Cameron's 10 Downing Street residence-cum-office in London. He hoped that these fruits would also feature on the menu when Indian PM visits Britain later this year. "The delivery of these delicious Alphonso mangoes to the Prime Minister fulfils a promise made during the superb campaign to lift the European Union's ban on India's 'King of Fruits'," Mr Vaz said in a statement after he made the delivery alongside London-based fruit trader Jayshree Makadia. The EU lifted its ban on imports of mangoes from India after examining the fruit samples and improved standards in January this year. However Aubergine’s, bitter gourds, snake gourds and patra leaves have been facing ban due to inappropriate values of plant health controls. -Kannamsai
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US Lawmaker Apologises May 19, 2015 15:58
A veteran US house member stirred a major controversy by making a gesture mocking native Americans or American Indians. California Democrat Loretta Sanchez, who is opposing the state's Indian-American attorney general Kamala Harris for the party's nomination for a 2016 Senate run said that the candidates who don't hide behind the handlers sometimes misstep. While speaking to an American Indian group in Anaheim, she was caught on mobile phone video, raising her hand in front of her mouth and making a whooping sound like a typical native Indian 'war cry'. She said: "I'm going to his office, thinkin' that I'm gonna go meet with woo-woo-woo-woo, right? 'Cause he said 'Indian American.'" Sanchez apologised at the state convention, saying "in this crazy and exciting rush of meetings yesterday, I said something offensive and for that, I sincerely apologise." "Those of you who put yourselves out there like I do, who open your heart and who don't hide behind handlers you know how hard it can be," she said. "It's hard to put yourself out there and do what leaders need to do day in and day out. Sooner or later, we all make mistakes. We're all human. But that is the only way to truly connect with people. You can't change the world from behind a desk." It is outrageous that native Americans do not accept people whose ancestors have migrated to US even centuries back and the present generation is born and brought-up in America, as Americans, instead they term the migrants as Indian American or so.This is a kind of racist attitude. By Premji
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6,360 Indians detained and 567 deported by US in 2 years May 19, 2015 14:38
The North American Punjabi Association (NAPA) has approached the government officials to know how many Indian nationals were deported on the grounds of violations of immigration and other laws under the Freedom of Information act (FOIA). The FOIA, which is similar to the Right to Information Act in India, helped Indian nationals to learn about the number of persons deported and detained by the US authorities in 2013 and 2014. According to the data released by US immigration and Customs enforcement (ICE), 567 Indians were deported to India by federal law enforcement agencies and more than 6,360 Indians were detained at the US border during last two years. Mr. Satnam Singh Chahal, NAPA executive director, said that as many as 4,057 Indian nationals were taken into custody by federal law enforcement agencies, of which 2,539 were released either by bond or on parole. While the number stood at 2,306 for illegally sneaking and nearly 2,300 Indians (may include previous year’s detainees) were released on either bond or parole. And about 567 Indian nationals deported to India in the same period. -Kannamsai
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Prestigious Intel Award for Indian-Origin student May 16, 2015 17:55
An Indian-Origin student has won the popular Intel Foundation Young Scientist Award on Friday. At the same event nine students from India have won awards in various categories. The 18-year-old Karan Jerath has secured the prize for his work on refining a system to help protect the seas from oil-drilling disasters. He is one among the five students to win Intel and Indo-US Science and Technology Forum Visit to India Award. The group of five will have to showcase their research projects in India. They can visit leading educational and scientific institutions in India. Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (IISEF) in Pitsburgh, honours the young and high school student scientists, inventors and engineers after several rounds of screening and competitions held across the world. This Indian American from Friendswood (Texas) was given the $50,000 Young Scientist Award, the second highest prize at the IISEF. The top prize, the $75,000 Gordon E. Moore Award, went to Raymond Wang, 17, of Canada. Among 17 students selected for the IISEF, nine students have been awarded in various departments. -Kannamsai
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NRI family of four found dead in London May 14, 2015 18:31
All the four members of a family found dead in Britain. The police have been suspecting whether father had killed his wife and twin daughters before committing suicide or any other influence on their decision. The 44 year-old Pullarkattil Rethishkumar was found hanging in a forest near Woodford in north east London and the other three members were found dead at their home in Essex county on Tuesday, as per Mail Online report. The teachers of the twins Niya and Neha, 13, have raised alarm after the sisters failed to turn up at their school. On the basis of teachers’ information, police have entered the family’s ground-floor flat on Grove Road, Chadwell Heath, the officials have noticed the dead bodies of those three members. No visible sign of injuries noticed. And on Wednesday, the body of Rethishkumar, was found hanged beside a Walthamstow reservoir, some 15 km from the family home. He was working for Redbridge Council's culture and leisure services, and his wife Shighi, 37 worked as a social worker, as per media reports. The police have been investigating the case to find out the reasons behind their deaths. -Kannamsai
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Indian Student Found dead in Auckland, two suspects arrested May 14, 2015 12:32
Indian youth from Karnal was found dead under suspicious circumstances at Mission Bay in Auckland yesterday. He was actually scheduled to receive a management degree on June 20, for which his parents were planning to visit New Zealand. The youth, Manjit Singh, reportedly had injury marks on his face. Police have been investigating the case to find the causes of his death. Meanwhile, his parents have approached the local deputy commissioner in Karnal to help them in bringing back his body. According to the brief of his uncle, he had no issues with anybody of his college ‘International College of Auckland’ and with any others outside the campus. However, the police have taken two suspects into custody based on the footage of CCTV at a restaurant, where they were seen separately from Manjit’s place. The members of the deceased’s family are planning to meet Minister for External Affairs for ensuring government’s support in the investigation and to bring back his body asap. -Kannamsai
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Indian-Origin Daniel Mookhey, becomes first lawmaker to take oath on holy Gita! May 12, 2015 13:14
An Indian-Origin MP in New South Wales, Daniel Mookhey, has created history by swearing-in on Hindu religious text, the Bhagavad Gita for the first time in Australia. He was born in Blacktown to the parents emigrated from Punjab, a state in India. He expressed his happiness over his oath taking ceremony and praised the Australian tolerance towards all sections and the openness prevailing in the state. He said his time in the NSW Upper House would be productive by aiming for much more modern state and modern city in which everyone is able to move around and spend time at work and with their family without any frustrations. He was chosen by the Labor party to fill the casual vacancy created by Steve Whan for the later’s unsuccessful tilt at a Lower House seat in the March election. Mookhey holds three university degrees and currently works as a consultant to unions, charities and community groups. Indian-origin people in other parts of the world have been taking their allegiance on Gita for a long time. Recently, Mr Vivek Murthy, who became US Surgeon General, the highest ranking Indian Origin person in President Obama Administration, also sworn-in on the holy Bhagavad Gita. -Kannamsai
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