Bahrain Pardons 250 Indian Prisoners on Modi’s Visit August 26, 2019 15:57
On account of India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Bahrain on Sunday, the Gulf nation government showed the humanitarian gesture by pardoning 250 Indian nationals serving sentences there. Expressing gratitude to the oil-rich nation, Prime Minister's Office tweeted: "In a kind and humanitarian gesture, the Government of Bahrain has pardoned 250 Indians serving sentences in Bahrain." In a kind and humanitarian gesture, the Government of Bahrain has pardoned 250 Indians serving sentences in Bahrain. PM @narendramodi thanks the Bahrain Government for the Royal Pardon. — PMO India (@PMOIndia) August 25, 2019 According to reports, Saudi Arabia has the highest number of Indians, 1,811 followed by the United Arab Emirates at 1,392, lodged in various prisons. However, it is not clear how many Indians are lodged in jails in the Gulf kingdom.By Sowmya Sangam
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Indian Origin Doctors’ Union Condemns ‘The Lancet’ for J&K Editorial August 26, 2019 15:06
The American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin on Monday criticized British Medical Journal ‘The Lancet’ for its editorial on Jammu and Kashmir that described the revocation of Article 370 as a “controversial move”.According to…
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Indian Origin Pakistani Leader B M Kutty Dies at 89 August 26, 2019 12:32
Indian origin Pakistani politician and human rights activist Biyyothil Mohyuddin Kutty, popularly known as B M Kutty, died on Sunday in Karachi after a prolonged illness. He was 89. “He was ill for a while. He spent his life fighting for civil and human rights,” said Marvi Sarmad, a human rights activist and journalist. B M Kutty moved to Pakistan from Kerala state in India in 1949. His wife Birjis Siddiqui died in 2010. The couple has four children. Condoling the death of Kutty, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan remembered him as a “leader who constantly fought for improving the relation between India and Pakistan”. “He (Kutty) was born in Tirur (in Malappuram district) and later emigrated to Pakistan and emerged as a major figure in Pakistan’s politics,” Vijayan said. “He was also a prominent journalist and a determined leader who fought for peace and against communalism,” he added. Life of BM Kutty (Image source from: www.thenews.com.pk)Born in 1930 in Kerala’s Tirur town to a Malayali Muslim family, Kutty was raised in middle-class resources. Kutty joined the Muslim Students Federation at the age of 16 under the All-India Muslim League. He attended Mohammedan College in Chennai, where he studied science for four years. In 1972, Kutty associated with the then governor of Balochistan province Ghaus Baksh Bizenjo and served as political secretary - this can be regarded as the high point of his career. Kutty served as the general secretary of Pakistan Peace Coalition, a civil society group that aims to promote peace between India and Pakistan.In 2011, Kutty launched his autobiography “Sixty Years in Self-Exile: No Regrets; A Political Autobiography”, in which he narrated the story about his journey from Kerala to Karachi. He also made clear why he had chosen to stay in Pakistan. (Image source from: Rediff.com)Condolences Pour in for Pakistani Peace Activist Talat Aslam, a Pakistani journalist and editor of the News International daily, tweeted: “Sad to learn about the death of veteran left activist BM Kutty. Originally, from Kerala, Kutty came to Pakistan as a young man and became a key figure in the politics of his new homeland, championing progressive causes…” Sad to learn about the death of veteran left activist BM Kutty. Originally fm Kerala, Kutty came to Pakistan as a young man & became a key figure in the politics of his new homeland, championing progressive causes. He was a close confidant of veteran Baloch leader GB Bizenjo. RIP — Talat Aslam (@titojourno) August 25, 2019 Heartbroken about the passing away of veteran Leftist legend, comrade B.M. Kutty. He has as much contributions in Baloch politics as any Baloch leader. He was a close aide to my father Mir Ghous Buksh Bizenjo; also wrote his autobiography.He was more of a family than a friend. pic.twitter.com/G5fynCYI0v — Hasil Bizenjo (@hasilbizenjo) August 25, 2019 Rest in peace, Kutty sahib. We will miss your gentle peace-making ways profoundly. Remember going with him to Nirmala Deshpande’s funeral in better times. He worked so hard for progressive politics to take root, never daunted by setbacks. Feels like the end of an era. Sad pic.twitter.com/pT5cpCVl8L — SenatorSherryRehman (@sherryrehman) August 25, 2019 A pic of MRD leaders’ meeting (1987 Karachi) headed by late Benazir Bhutto. #BMKutty is seen in 1st from the left. In the anti-Zia dictatorship movement, BB used to ask Kutty to draft MRD documents/press briefings bcoz of his command in drafting political documents. pic.twitter.com/w0nYpdrqgg — Zia Ur Rehman (@zalmayzia) August 25, 2019 In Shashi Tharoor 's words, Kerala's gift to Pakistan. RIP #BMKutty https://t.co/sGryej0NvL — Ayanangsha Maitra (@Ayanangsha) August 26, 2019 BM Kutty-in him I have lost a great comrade, he was not only an intellectual of the left but also an activist till he could do it. Great loss for all of us.#comradekuttyfarewell@bmkutty — BabarAyaz (@BabarAyaz1) August 26, 2019 By Sowmya Sangam
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Indian Origin British Tourist Strangulated to Death in Thai Hotel August 24, 2019 17:10
An Indian origin British native was strangulated to death at a Thai hotel when he told another guest to lower their voice as his wife and son were trying to sleep, according to a statement by his family. The 34-year-old Amitpal Singh Bajaj, from London, was lodging at the five-star Centara Grand Hotel in Phuket with his family when he complained about noise from the next room, according to a report by BBC. According to Bajaj’s family, a man forced his way into their room through the balcony on Wednesday and strangled Bajaj. In a statement on Friday, Bajaj's wife Bandhna Kaur Bajaj said: "My husband sacrificed his life to save my son's life and mine. He will always be our hero."She told how the attacker "barged" into their room naked and "just started charging at my husband". "My husband tried to block the man and move me and my (two-year-old) son away. As the man was kicking, punching and just, beating him up, my husband told me to please leave and save our son," she added in her statement.As soon as the police were informed about the incident, they reached the scene. Bajaj was confirmed dead at the Patong hospital. The United Kingdom Foreign Office confirmed the incident and the Norwegian Foreign Ministry states that Norwegian citizen has been taken into custody in Thailand and is being provided consular assistance.By Sowmya Sangam
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Meet Indian Origin Gurtej Sandhu, the Biggest Indian Inventor Alive August 22, 2019 17:17
An Indian origin scientist Gurtej Sandhu of Boise, Idaho in the United States has received nearly 1,300 patents, outdoing inventor Thomas Edison who died with 1,084 patents to his name. Born in London to Indian parents, the 58-year-old Sandhu is seventh on the list of most prolific inventors in the world. He is a Senior Fellow and the Vice President of Micron Technology.Before moving to the United States to pursue a doctorate in physics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Sandhu did his graduation in electrical engineering from IIT Delhi. Read: Indian Origin Researcher Gets $3.3 Mn Grant to Tackle Battery WasteAt the time when he was looking for employment, Sandhu received two job offers - One from the Texas Instruments, the top American computer memory maker at that time and other from Micron Technology, an 11-year-old start-up in Boise making every effort against government-subsidized memory-chip makers in Japan and other countries, the Idaho Statesman reported. Sandhu chose to work with the smaller company Micron on the advice of his professor and mentor. At Micron, Sandhu gained his first few patents where he worked to sustain Moore’s Law and improving how many memory units could be filled up into these chips. Ever since his inventions have been incessant. (Image source from: The Universal News Network)From that time chip manufacturers, mostly technically owned by Micron around the globe, have made use of Sandhu's patents. Sandhu increased his patents list with the arrival of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Big Data, self-driving cars, and Internet of Things (IoT) and there has been no lack of innovation for Sandhu to experiment with. Sandhu said: “being an Indian citizen settled in Boise comes with challenges. American-born citizens sometimes think he’s Arab. He once asked a group of students to guess where he was from; one said Japan. The U.S. is more insular compared to any other nations.” “After 9/11, a woman in Boise saw him driving his black SUV, wearing his turban, a symbol of his faith. She called the police. Nothing came of the call,” Sandhu said. In some countries, he said, such a report may have led to intimidation or extortion, it said.“The reality is there is no place in the world, no society, where a minority does not feel uncomfortable,” he told the publication. “But I’ll tell you: Today, the best place for any minority to live in any society is the United States. … In terms of basic fairness, still, there’s nothing matching this country.” We can beyond any doubt say that Gurtej Sandhu is certainly the biggest Indian inventor alive.By Sowmya Sangam
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Indian American Student Drowns in Crater Lake in Oregon August 22, 2019 15:49
A 27-year-old Indian American student has drowned after jumping off from a popular recreation spot at the Crater Lake in Oregon. Sumedh Mannar jumped off the "Jumping Rock" on Sunday around 4:40 p.m. (local time) and did not came to the surface, Marsha McCabe, a spokeswoman for Crater Lake National Park, was quoted as saying by the Oregonian newspaper. McCabe said a graduate student at the Oregon State University had jumped from was about 25 feet high. She further said the cliff was not a prohibited area for jumping. The officials have not yet determined exactly why he drowned.The average temperature of the lake is about 3 degrees, but in summers, the surface of the lake warms up to about 15 degrees Celsius. Swimming is only permitted in the area along the shore of Wizard Island and around Cleetwood Cove. (Image source from: KDRV)As soon as people at the scene realized Sumedh Mannar disappeared, they threw a life ring into the water, and Crater Lake hospitality staff took a small boat out to the area to help search, she said.Read: Indian Youngster Drowns in Ukraine RiverThough the Park staff came to the scene to help with the search, the choppy waters and poor clarity conditions made the search difficult.Officials called off the search for the night after continuous three hours of search operation and no sign of Mannar. The searching resumed Monday morning. Divers on Monday morning dove in the last known spot where Mannar had been seen and located him about 90 feet straight down in the water on a rock ledge. Beyond that point, the lake drops off dramatically to a depth of more than 1,200 feet.Sumedh Mannar's body was transported to Klamath Falls.By Sowmya Sangam
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‘Beyond Grateful’: Indian Woman on Winning $1 Million Dubai Lottery August 21, 2019 12:23
A 34-year-old Indian origin woman in the United Arab Emirates has won a whopping USD 1 million in a raffle in Dubai on Tuesday after picking ticket number 4111, which happens to be her flat…
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Narendra Modi’s UAE Visit to Coincide with Janmashtami Festivities August 21, 2019 12:12
Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi’s visit to Abu Dhabi on August 23 will coincide with the Janmashtami festivities, a Hindu festival. On Sunday, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced that Modi will…
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Indians in UAE Thrilled by Modi’s Visit to the Country August 20, 2019 18:01
The announcement of India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the United Arab Emirates this weekend is exciting Indian expats, despite him not holding a public meeting this time, which many NRIs were hoping for.…
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American Airlines Names Priya Aiyar as Senior Vice President August 20, 2019 11:40
American Airlines Group has hired an Indian American Priya Aiyar as the senior Vice President and General Counsel. She succeeds Paul Jones, who retired from American earlier this year.Aiyar, a former Obama administration official, holds a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School, a master’s degree from the University of Oxford, and a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University.“We are thrilled to welcome Priya to American Airlines,” said Steve Johnson, American’s Executive Vice President of Corporate Affairs on August 5. “Priya is an outstanding lawyer and an extraordinary intellect, and her strategic perspective, integrity, energy, unique experience, passion for the law, and demonstrated ability to build and inspire teams make her the perfect person to lead our legal strategy and the team over the coming years. We remain focused on evolving our culture and attracting the best and brightest to American and, in both respects, we could not have found a better person.”Read: American Airlines Leave Special-Needs Kids Stranded at Airport Aiyar’s will be the lead of the the major a major American airline’s Legal Affairs team and its legal strategies, including company’s corporate governance, securities, and corporate finance, business and commercial, litigation, competition and antitrust, compliance, privacy, environmental, employment, and intellectual property legal issues and work.“We are enormously proud of what Paul and our terrific legal team have accomplished,” Johnson added. “I’m looking forward to working with Priya to build on that American work and take us to the next level.” (Image source from: The Rhodes Project)Aiyar joins American from Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, where she has been a partner and brings more than 18 years of government and private sector experience. She served as Acting General Counsel and Deputy General Counsel for the U.S. Department of the Treasury as well as Deputy General Counsel for the U.S. Department of Energy. Aiyar occupied senior legal roles within the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and the Federal Communications Commission and was a partner at Kellogg, Huber, Hansen, Todd, Evans & Figel PLLC. She began her legal career as an employee to Judge Merrick Garland of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and to Justice Stephen Breyer of the U.S. Supreme Court.By Sowmya Sangam
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NRI Finally Returns Home After Long Legal Battle in Saudi Arabia August 19, 2019 18:53
A Non-Resident Indian hailing from Telangana who was accused of forging Iqama, a resident visa, returned home recently after battling for justice for three years in Saudi Arabia. The 68-year-old Gandam Narsaiah originally from Chandurti Mandal in Rajanna Sircilla district in Telangana state, was working as a mason in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. After working with a company for three years, he switched to a new firm. He was then issued updated Iqama with new employer name. As part of a routine drive, on one occasion Narsaiah was checked by a patrolling team in Riyadh and they discovered that the Iqama was forged. Following this, he was shifted to a jail in Dammam, 400 km away from Riyadh, since the alleged Iqama had been issued from Dammam. While in prison, as Narsaiah fell ill he was then bailed out by prominent social worker Nass Vokkam of Kerala three years ago. Since then, Narsaiah’s accommodation was looked after by Nass. With the assist of Nass, Narsaiah proved that he was a dupe who had received the Iqama from an Egyptian who had offered him the job. It took almost three years to turn out that Narsaiah was guiltless. The charge sheet was examined by various departments of the Saudi government who eventually permitted him to leave the Kingdom. Since Narsaiah could not afford the air tickets, Al Rabia Polyclinic, which is run by Kerala origins, offered him a ticket to coming back to his native. By Sowmya Sangam
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Narendra Modi to Receive UAE's Highest Civilian Honour August 19, 2019 18:39
Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi will receive the highest civil decoration of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) - Order of Zayed, during his two-day visit to the country. The announcement to confer the PM…
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