Indian-American boy wins $100,000 in top US quiz show! November 24, 2016 10:44
An Indian-American student has won $100,000 in a top US quiz show 'Jeopardy! Teen tournament'. The Indian-origin teenager Sharath Narayan, a sophomore from Madison, Alabama, won the most coveted quiz show of the country after defeating Alex Fischthal and Michael Borecki, who came second and third, respectively in the competition. The "Jeopardy!" was hosted by long-time host Alex Trebek. The competition attracts 23 million viewers each week and is in its 33rd season. Sharath said after winning the award, that, "I'd still like to go on a trip to Europe with my family (maybe Italy or Germany), but the majority of it will probably go towards taxes and college tuition." "I'm definitely more confident since I won the tournament, and it has showed me that I can surprise myself and accomplish things that I never would have thought of," he said. Also Read: Trump chooses Nikki Haley as US Ambassador to UN! Nandini
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Jobless Indian lives on building's terrace for 8 months in UAE! November 23, 2016 12:32
A jobless Indian man was left to live on the terrace of a building in the UAE. The one-eyed nab from Kollam in Kerala has been living on terrace for more than eight months without proper food after his employer withheld his passport. Sajeev Rajan, an electrician in his early forties worked for a Sharjah-based construction company, was living on the terrace of a building in Ajman city after his employer also an Indian had refused to return his passport after settling his dues. Rajan said that, "Please send me home or I will die here... there is no money for food or room. I was living in the company accommodation for two years. My contract ended on March 11 and I wanted to go home. Working for 900 Dirham (Rs 16,761) per month did not meet my expectations," he said. "When my boss refused to settle my dues and release my passport, I went to the Sharjah immigration department with a complaint. Afterwards, my boss has been trying to delay the process. He is not abiding by the court order. He also filed an absconding case against me even though I had not absconded," he said. According to the media reports, he has approached the labour court "several times", the Indian Consulate, community associations and others "but nobody could help me". "The employer from Punjab, India, promises to return my passport in front of officials who mediate for my release, but once he leaves their office, he refuses to hand it over to me," he said. Also Read: Government received over 62,000 complaints from Indians working abroad Nandini
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Government received over 62,000 complaints from Indians working abroad! November 21, 2016 12:16
The government received more than 62,000 complaints regarding wage related issues, violation of contractual terms and adverse working conditions from Indians working in Gulf and some other countries in the last four years. Minister of State for External Affairs M J Akbar placed the data before Rajya Sabha while answering a question on complaints reported in Indian missions by Indians in the Middle East. According to the minister, the government received a total of 13,132 complaints from Indians working in Middle East and some other Emigration Check Required (ECR) countries. The figure in 2014 and 2015 was 17,801 and 16,390. Akbar said that, "However, complaints are received from Indian emigrants in ECR countries, from time to time, regarding violation of contractual terms, adverse working conditions, wage related issues, employer related problems, medical and insurance related problems and compensation/death claims." Also Read: Record 25 per cent rise in number of Indian students in US! Nandini
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India is incredibly important for me: Pramila Jayapal November 17, 2016 11:00
The first ever Indian-American woman to be elected to the US House of Representatives, Pramila Jayapal described India as "incredibly important" citing there is a lot to be done to make sure the United States continues to support India on everything from poverty to clean energy. The 51 year old Jayapal was elected from the Seventh Congressional District of Washington State to the US House of Representatives. She is the first Indian-American woman to be ever elected to the House. PTI reported, Jayapal said that, "I think India is not only incredibly important to me not only because I was actually born in India. I am very deeply tied with India. My parents still live in India. They live in Bangalore. My son was born in India. For me the relationship between the United States and India is not only a political relationship, but also a personal relationship. It is actually what I live every day." "That is going to require that we put resources to it. It is going to require that we strengthen our diplomatic relationship. And it is going to mean that we continue to advocate for democracy in the bigger sense of the word that includes religious freedom and tolerance in both India and the US," Jayapal said. "I come from the land of Gandhi. Believe that war should be our last option and not our first. The duos US and India have some work to do where we go on that front," she added. "The priorities that I ran on and that I remain deeply committed to includes free college, really making college affordable, raising the minimum wage and providing economic opportunities to working people," she said. "We have to be absolutely ready to take on any behaviour, rhetoric or legislation that attacks our constitution and civil rights that is against Muslim Americans, whether it is against undocumented immigrants or whether it is against the LGBTQ movement. I feel my first priority is to make sure I never back down from a necessary fight," Pramila said. Also Read: Trump shortlisted Indian-origin Amul Thapar for Supreme Court judge Nandini
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Nikki Haley to meet Trump, considered for Secretary’s post November 17, 2016 10:52
The two-term Governor of South Carolina, Nikki Haley will meet US President-elect Donald Trump, the presidential transition team said. The 44-year-old Haley is being considered for a cabinet position, particularly for the post of Secretary of State. The spokesman for the transition team, Sean Spicer Indian-American Haley as one of the candidates Mr. Trump expected to be meeting. Among others the president-elect will be meeting Gen (rtd) Jack Keane, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Ken Blackwell and Admiral Mike Rogers. Ms. Haley is the second Indian-American name being floated for a Cabinet position in the Trump Administration. Former Governor of Louisiana Bobby Jindal is also appearing in many short lists of potential Cabinet names. The South Carolina Lt Governor Henry McMaster, said that, “It would be like how Mr Trump is bringing fresh eyes to running our government.” College of Charleston political scientist Kendra Stewart, said that, “Secretary of state is going to be a bit of a stretch for Haley’s area of expertise. Haley has yet to be vetted about foreign policy, trade and protectionism.” Ms. Haley had supported Florida Senator Marco Rubio during the primaries and was also critical of Mr. Trump in her Republican response to the State of the Union Address by US President Barack Obama in January. Also Read: Indra Nooyi: Pepsi workers worried about safety after Trump's win Nandini
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Indra Nooyi: Pepsi workers worried about safety after Trump's win November 16, 2016 16:42
US President-elect Donald Trump's supporters have attacked Indra Nooyi, the Chief Executive Officer of the PepsiCo after she said, her employees are worried about their safety after Trump election for president. Indian-American Nooyi, who is a staunch Hillary Clinton supporter, said that, the Democrat candidate’s loss has left her daughters and PepsiCo’s workers devastated. Nooyi joked “Do you have a box of tissues here?”, when asked how she felt after the results. Nooyi said while speaking at the New York Times Dealbook Conference a day after the election results, “I had to answer a lot of questions from my daughters, from our employees. They were all in mourning. Our employees were all crying. The question that they are asking, especially those who are not white ‘Are we safe’, women are asking ‘Are we safe’, LGBT people are asking ‘Are we safe’,” Nooyi said . Regarding the Trump's comment about women, Nooyi said, “Forget about the Pepsi brand. How dare you talk about women that way.” “The process of democracy happened, we just have to let life go on. We have to come together and life has to go on,” she said. Also Read: Trump shortlisted Indian-origin Amul Thapar for Supreme Court judge Nandini
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Trump shortlisted Indian-origin Amul Thapar for Supreme Court judge November 15, 2016 13:06
US President-elect Donald Trump picked for the Supreme Court judge includes Indian-American Amul Thapar. His name was figured in the Trump's second list of individuals to be considered for the nomination of a Supreme Court judge. They announced the list on September 23. At present, Thapar is serving as the US District Court Judge for the Eastern District of Kentucky. Another minority candidate to be shortlisted is 64 years old Venezuelan-born Federico Moreno, who hold the position of the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida. The Trump Campaign said that, "He has taught law students at the University of Cincinnati and Georgetown. Thapar has served as an Assistant US Attorney in Washington and the Southern District of Ohio." Trump had said in September while releasing the list that, "This list is definitive and I will choose Justices of the United States Supreme Court only from it." "I would like to thank the Federalist Society, the Heritage Foundation and many other individuals who helped in composing this list of twenty-one highly respected people who are the kind of scholars that we need to preserve the very core of our country and make it greater than ever before," he said. Thapar was born in 1969 in Detroid, Michigan. He was nominated by George W Bush to a seat vacated by Joseph M Hood on May 24, 2007. On December 13, 2007, he was confirmed by the Senate and received commission on January 4, 2008. Also Read: Indian-American Kamala Harris to take on Donald Trump's Immigration Policies! Nandini
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Record 25 per cent rise in number of Indian students in US! November 15, 2016 11:21
A recent report shows that, a record 165,918 Indians students were pursuing study in the United States during academic year 2015-16, which is a rise of 25 per cent over the previous academic year. With this rise, India has became the second leading country of origin among international students in the USA. According to the 2016 Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange, "It was the highest absolute rise of students ever and followed the previous year's record growth." According to the new report, "The number of international students at US universities and colleges surpassed one million for the first time during the 2015-16 academic year, a hike of seven per cent from the previous year to a new high of nearly 1,044,000, representing five per cent of the total student population at United States institutions." The Institute of International Education publish the Open Doors report in partnership with the US Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, annually. "The new report indicates there were a record 165,918 students from India, a 25 per cent increase on the year before, making it the second leading country of origin among international students in the US," the report said. "In 2015-16, there were nearly 69,000 more international students in United States higher education compared to the previous year," it said. US Ambassador Richard Verma said that, "Higher education continues to be the bedrock of our people to people ties. More students from India studied in the United States than ever before at all levels and I am especially pleased to see the record back-to-back, year-on-year growth in student numbers." "With efforts such as our Passport to India initiative, we are also seeing the number of American students in India beginning to grow," he added. The report said, "India stands on 13 number among the top 25 destinations of US study abroad. The number of US students going to India to study for academic credit at their home university in the United States decreased by 3.2 per cent to 4,438, although this number has remained relatively flat across the last five years at 4,500." Also Read: No OCI card for people with military background! Nandini
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No OCI card for people with military background! November 14, 2016 14:50
The Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) card will not be given to Indian origin persons with military background as a inter-ministerial committee recommended to the Indian Government that, any kind of act to grant OCI cards to such people will be against the interests of the country. The high-level committee's recommendation came after carefully examining the all aspects of granting OCI cards to people of Indian origin who had served the militaries of any foreign country. A senior government official privy to the development said that, "The committee felt that any person with military background should not have uninterrupted access to Indian territories. If such a person is granted OCI card, he or she could enter India without visa and the facility is offered for life." The decision came after the government received several applications of persons of Indian origin who had served in the armed forces of foreign countries. In January 2015, the government had declared that all Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) card holders are deemed to be Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) card holders. An OCI card holder gets benefits like life-long visa and exemption from appearing before the local police station on every visit. Also Read: NRIs in UK will get help to deposit banned notes: Indian envoy Nandini
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NRIs in UK will get help to deposit banned notes: Indian envoy November 12, 2016 10:42
India's envoy to the United Kingdom said, Indian government is looking forward to help Non-Resident Indian (NRIs), who may own some banned currency notes so that they can deposit it at a branch of an Indian bank overseas. Dinesh Patnaik said that, "Our endeavour is to help everybody. We have asked Delhi about it (any banned notes with NRIs). I have a feeling we will work out something so that people who have carried certain amount of cash in their pocket, should be able to deposit it in any Indian bank overseas." Earlier this week, as a part of an anti-corruption drive, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced to ban on Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes, giving Indians the option to exchange the banned currency at banks all over the country until December 30. India's acting high commissioner to the UK said that, "Basically, it means people abroad should not have more than that. Also, not everybody will have an account with an Indian bank either they will have to open one or find an alternative. So, it is something we will have to look at very closely.” "There is a lot of time, until December 30," he said. "This is not an amnesty scheme or any scheme to garner black money. This is a method to achieve cashless transactions, which in itself will stop corruption, and to make sure that the money which is lying within the non-legal system, gets into the legal system,” Patnaik, the deputy high commissioner said. "And, of course, the threat of fake Indian currency will be eliminated, because that threat was mostly with Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes. The new Rs 2,000 and Rs 500 will have greater security features and it will make it more difficult for counterfeiters to try and copy it," he said. Also Read: Brave and bold Surgical strike on black money and funding of terrorism Nandini
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Indian-American Kamala Harris to take on Donald Trump's Immigration Policies! November 11, 2016 16:47
Kamala Harris, who became the first Indian-American to elect to the US Senate, has said she would open a battlefront against the anti-immigration policies of the President-elect Donald Trump, citing "we must reject racism and xenophobia in our politics". The 52 years old Ms Harris said, "I recognize that Tuesday's election has made millions of people in this country feel powerless and afraid of what is to come." She launched a signature campaign against Trump's policies on immigrants. A two-term Attorney General of California described Trump's immigration policies like wall along the US-Mexico border and mass deportations as "absolutely unrealistic". She said that, "Our diverse movement and the responsibility the people have granted me in this office comes into play. We have the power to give a voice to the voiceless in Washington as we advance an agenda rooted in justice and equality, she said.” "It is no secret that there exists two divergent directions for our country to take on immigration reform and the treatment of our immigrant communities, both documented and undocumented.” "One side believes it is okay to demagogue immigrants, has proposed unrealistic plans to build a wall, and is promising to break up families by deporting millions of people. The other side believes in respect, justice, dignity and equality as part of an approach to bring millions of people out of the shadows," she said. "We must reject racism and xenophobia in our politics as we work to protect our immigrants through real reforms. Right now is a time to bring people together. To unite our country around the common values and ideals that actually make us great. Demagoguing or outright attacking communities of colour is not a real plan, it is a recipe for disaster.” "What we must do is rededicate ourselves to the fight for who we are and build a coalition that is ready to join that fight because we are stronger when we are inclusive," Ms Harris said. "I intend to fight for a state that has the largest number of immigrants, both documented and undocumented. We must bring them justice and dignity and fairness through comprehensive immigration reform. I intend to fight for 'Black Lives Matter' and to ensure truth, transparency and trust in our criminal justice system and to fight for a woman's access to healthcare and reproductive rights," she added. Also Read: Indian-American Kamala Harris creates wins US Senate seat! Nandini
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Indian-American Kamala Harris creates wins US Senate seat! November 09, 2016 18:05
History has created after Indian-American California’s Attorney General Kamala Harris won the U.S. Senate seat from the state. She became the first Indian-American to achieve the feat. She would replace Barbara Boxer. The 51 years old Ms. Harris defeated her rival Democrat Loretta Sanchez. She was born in Oakland, California. Ms. Harris said, "My parents met at Berkeley." " My mom, Shyamala Gopalan was a scientist, she came to the U.S. from Chennai to study science, and my father was a professor of economics." "We grew up always being told that you have a responsibility to serve." "I was blessed to have a really great childhood. In my family and extended family, children were nurtured and loved," said Harris. "When I started my career as a prosecutor, I specialized in child abuse and I met so many children who were the victims of circumstances beyond their control." Also Read: Indian-origin lawyer appointed Shadow Attorney General in UK! Nandini
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