Asian Lite News Archive

Category: NRI News

  • Cancer treatment breakthrough by NRI professor

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    Queen’s University cancer researcher Madhuri Koti has discovered a biomarker that will help lead to better predictions of the success of chemotherapy in ovarian cancer patients. Biomarkers are an indicator of a biological state or condition, and the discovery could lead to better treatment options in the fight against ovarian cancer, according to a press…

  • Obama praises Indian-American kids

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    By Arun Kumar    President Barack Obama praised the work of young Indian-Americans as he exhorted budding American scientists to “keep exploring…keep dreaming” and use the power of their ideas to change the world. “Keep asking why. Don’t settle for what you already know,” he said as he welcomed young scientists and engineers from across the…

  • Kerala seeks NRI money for Kannur airport

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    By Sanu George  The Kerala government is seeking investment from its large diaspora for the upcoming fourth international airport in the state at Kannur. The state-owned Norka-Roots, the agency which looks after the interests of the Kerala diaspora, is set to launch an investment drive among Keralites living abroad, Minister for Diaspora K.C. Joseph said in…

  • NRI Renu Khator to head US education body

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    By Arun Kumar  Indian-American Renu Khator has been elected chair of the Board of Directors of the American Council on Education (ACE), the major coordinating body for US colleges and universities. Uttar Pradesh born Khator, University of Houston President and System Chancellor since 2008, became board chair during ACE’s 97th Annual Meeting in Washington, DC…

  • New Zealand PM backs Sikhs on ‘kirpans’

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    New Zealand Prime Minister John Key said that the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) decision to bar Sikh fans from carrying ‘kirpans’ at World Cup matches was wrong. Seven Sikh cricket fans were stopped from entering Eden Park to watch India play Zimbabwe in a match on Saturday as they were carrying kirpans, The New Zealand…

  • Hundreds pay homage to murdered Indian techie

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      Hundreds of people, including family members, colleagues and central and state ministers, paid homage to the Indian software engineer who was murdered in Australia on March 7. The body of the 41-year-old Prabha from global IT consulting firm Mindtree was flown to the city on Saturday night. It was kept at her relative’s house…

  • Modi pays homage at Aapravasi Ghat

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      Prime Minister Narendra Modi  paid homage to Indian indentured labourers during his visit to the Aapravasi Ghat, an immigration depot through which the ancestors of more than 70 percent of Mauritius’s current population arrived. Modi paid homage to the “brave” Indian indentured labourers who arrived in Mauritius in batches from 1834 till the early…

  • Jindal jumps into letter war with Obama

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    By Arun Kumar   Louisiana’s Indian-American governor Bobby Jindal has jumped into a war of words between the White House and Senate Republicans over a letter to the government of Iran on a potential deal over its nuclear programme. Jindal, who is testing the waters for a 2016 presidential run, issued a call on Tuesday for…

  • Slain Indian woman’s husband flies to Australia

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    The husband of an Indian IT professional who was stabbed to death in Australia flew to Sydney from Bengaluru to formally identify the body, a media report said. Prabha Arun, 41, employed with Bengaluru-based technology firm MindTree, was attacked at Amos Street in western Sydney on Saturday evening. She was on the phone with her…

  • Obama names NRI as IMF director

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    President Barack Obama has nominated Sunil Sabharwal, an independent Indian American investor in the payments sector, as US Alternate Executive Director at International Monetary Fund for a term of two years. The White House sent Sabharwal’s nomination to the Senate. At over two dozen, Obama administration boasts of having the highest number of Indian Americans…

  • Hazare gets death threat from Canadian NRI

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    Veteran social crusader Anna Hazare has received a death threat from a Canada-based Indian resident, an aide said here . Hazare’s office has lodged a complaint with Thane Police and also written to the Maharashtra director general of police about the death threats posted on Facebook on February 24-25. According to the complaint with the…

  • Is Ajit Jain to succeed Buffett?

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    By Arun Kumar  As Warren Buffett revealed that someone from the Berkshire Hathaway itself would succeed him as the company’s CEO, media speculated on two likely successors – India-born Ajit Jain and Greg Abel. “Both the board and I believe we now have the right person to succeed me as CEO, a successor ready to…

  • Sikh boy in US shares racism footage

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    A shocking video of a bunch of school kids abusing a Sikh boy in the US state of Georgia was uploaded on video-sharing website YouTube and is going viral. The video, which was uploaded on Sunday by a user named “Nagra Nagra”, claims that the Sikh boy being bullied is named Harsukh Singh and is…

  • NRI awarded top US chemistry award

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    Purnendu Dasgupta, a Jenkins Garrett professor of chemistry at The University of Texas at Arlington, has been awarded the 2015 American Chemical Society Division of Analytical Chemistry J. Calvin Giddings Award for Excellence in Education. The national award recognises a scientist, who has enhanced the professional development of analytical chemistry students, developed and published innovative…

  • NRI workers in US awarded $14 million

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    By Arun Kumar   After seven long years, five Indian ‘guest’ or temporary workers who were allegedly defrauded and exploited in a labour trafficking scheme have won $14 million in compensatory and punitive damages by a US court. The workers were allegedly exploited by Signal International, an immigration lawyer and an Indian labour recruiter who lured…

  • London to host Dubai property show

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    First Annual Dubai Property Show Hits London on Feb 27th  at London Olympia. The exhibition will last till Sunday Sumansa Exhibitions, the producer and organisers of global property and consumer shows, have announced the first annual Dubai Property Show (DPS), taking place at the iconic London Olympia from February 27th-March 1st.  The free event will host over…

  • HCI London announce outsourcing Visa, OCI and Passport

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    The High Commission of India, London, has announced the Outsourcing of Visa, OCI, Passport and select consular services to VFS will come into effect from 1 March. VFS will be opening 14 application centres across UK for the convenience of applicants for Visa, OCI, Passport and other consular services. Ten offices will be operational from…

  • Hindu temple vandalized in US

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     In the latest attack targeting Hindus places of worship, a temple in Washington State was vandalized on the eve of its planned celebration of Maha Shivaratri, according to media reports. When members of the Hindu Temple Cultural Center in Bothell, 36 km from Seattle, went there on Sunday they found a swastika painted on it…

  • NRI pilot’s selfies caused plane crash

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    An Indian-American pilot and/or his passenger in Colorado were likely taking selfies when the pilot lost control of the plane, causing it to crash, and killing them both last spring, according to federal investigators Pilot Amritpal Singh, 29, and his passenger were killed instantly when Singh’s Cessna 150K crashed into a wheat field shortly after…

  • NRI Frank Islam receives Martin Luther award

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    An eminent Indian-American entrepreneur and philanthropist Frank Islam has been presented with the prestigious Martin Luther King Jr. Award in recognition of his contribution to the legacy of the great leader through his efforts in international service and civil engagement. The award, which carries the name of Martin Luther King Jr., an apostle of peace,…

  • Dr Sanjay Gupta’s documentary wins award

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    The CNN documentary, “WEED: Dr. Sanjay Gupta Reports”, presented by its chief medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta has received the duPont-Columbia University Award for 2015, according to a university release. The documentary took a critical look at research on medical marijuana and its impact on the lives of its users. “With compelling personal cases, over two…

  • Obama names two NRI’s to key posts

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    By Arun Kumar  President Barack Obama has nominated two Indian-Americans to key posts of chairman of the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC) and member of the Board of Directors of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation. Jonodev Osceola Chaudhuri, son of a native American mother and an Indian immigrant father, is currently the acting chairman of…

  • Modi keeps his PIO card promise

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    Prime Minister Narendra Modi  said he has fulfilled his promise to the diaspora of merging the Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) and Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) cards. “I can say with pride that I have done what I promised. I said that PIO and OCI cards will get lifelong visas and the work is…

  • World looking at India with hope: Modi

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    Prime Minister Narendra Modi  said the world was looking at India with “immense hope and optimism”, and he firmly believed the 25-million strong Indian diaspora was a big strength. India can make a global impact by reaching out to them, Modi said here at the inauguration of the 13th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD), the world’s…

  • Come, connect and contribute: Sushma

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      Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Sushma Swaraj  called on the diaspora youth gathered here to “come, connect, celebrate and contribute” to be part of the “momentous transformation taking place in the country”. Speaking at the inauguration of the 2015 Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD), Sushma Swaraj, who is also the external affairs minister, urged…

  • Gandhinagar all set for Indian diaspora

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      Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, the convention venue in Gujarat’s capital, is all decked up to welcome the Indian diaspora, who are arriving in hundreds from countries across the world, for the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD), the annual bonding jamboree hosted by India for its natives abroad. The PBD is being held in Gandhinagar Jan…

  • Asian men likely to do ‘women’s work’

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    Men who are disabled or belong to an ethnic minority are more likely to do jobs traditionally associated with women, says a Britain-based study. Men in the lowest grade are three times more likely to have a disability than in the rest of the workforce, the findings showed. Ethnic minority men are 50 percent more…

  • More power for NRI’s in US

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    By Arun Kumar   Notching successes in fields as diverse as poetry and politics, some three million- strong Indian American community packed more power and influence far beyond their numbers in the year gone by. A record 30 Indian Americans jumped into November’s electoral battle with Republican Nikki Haley and Democrat Kamala Harris handily winning back…

  • Vivek Murthy makes American history

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    By Arun Kumar Vivek Hallegere Murthy has made history as the youngest US Surgeon General and the first of Indian descent with his Senate confirmation in the teeth of strong opposition of powerful gun lobby. The Democratic controlled Senate voted Monday 51-43 to confirm Murthy, 37 as ‘America’s doctor’ more than a year after his…

  • Shriti Vadera to chair Santander UK

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    Shriti Vadera, an Indian-origin minister in former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s government, has been named by the Spanish banking group Santander to chair its British business. Vadera was a minister in the British government during the days of the global financial crisis. She will replace Terence Burns in March, who had announced his plan…

  • NRI doctor donates $20 million to village

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    US-based NRI neurosurgeon Kumar Bahuleyan, 81, donates his personal fortune to his village to establish a hospital…Mr C.O.T Azeez reports Dr Kumar Bahuleyan, 81, earned millions as a  neurosurgeon in the US. He had a lavish life – driving Rolls-Royce and keeping  five Mercedes at garage besides a personal jet for short-trips.But he is quiting everything. Surprisingly, for the sake…

  • US racial profiling upsets South Asians

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    By Arun Kumar  Sikh, Muslim and South Asian Communities have expressed dismay over new guidelines that ban racial profiling by federal law enforcement officers but do not apply to screeners at airports or border checkpoints. The new guidelines announced by Attorney General Eric Holder Monday replace the 2003 Bush administration rules. They prohibit profiling based…

  • Saudi Arabia approves to hire Indian domestics

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      The Saudi Arabia government has approved an agreement for recruitment of Indian domestic workers including maids, media reported. The council of ministers, chaired by Crown Prince Salman, deputy premier and minister of defence, Monday approved the Saudi Arabia’s agreement with Delhi, Arab News reported. “The agreement aims to protect the rights of domestic workers…

  • Man jailed for threatening Tulsi Gabbard

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      A US court has sentenced a New York man to 33 months in prison for making a series of threats against Tulsi Gabbard, the first Hindu member of the US House of Representatives. Aniruddha Sherbow, 44, had entered a plea of no contest on Feb 21 in the US District Court to two counts…

  • NRI teacher harassed for teaching ‘British values’

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    A Sikh teacher has claimed that he was forced out of a school in Britain for “giving children British values”, a media report said . Balwant Bains, who ran Saltley School in Birmingham which is at the centre of an alleged plot by extremists to impose an “intolerant and aggressive Islamic ethos” on pupils, decided…

  • Shrien Dewani is a free man

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    An Indian-origin businessman from Britain, accused of arranging the murder of his wife while on honeymoon trip in South Africa, was discharged . Shrien Dewani, 33, is accused of ordering the murder of his wife, 28-year-old Anni Dewani, who was shot on the outskirts of Cape Town in November 2010 during the course of their…

  • UK judge quits after racial slur

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    A senior judge in Britain has been forced to quit his job after allegedly making a racist remark about an Indian-origin woman while hearing a harassment case involving the woman’s ex-boyfriend. “With a name like Patel she can only be working in a corner shop or off licence,” said District Judge Peter Hollingworth after being…

  • Indians queuing up to migrate to Australia

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    Indians are seeking increasingly to migrate to Australia, drawn by the work opportunities that Australia offered, media reported. A study by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), in this connection, stated that India has now replaced Britain as the top country of origin, regarding applications for “457 visas” in Australia, The Melbourne Age…

  • NRI scientist among four US science envoys

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    Professor Arun Majumdar from Stanford University is among four top scientists who have been appointed the science envoys of the US. An Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT)- Bombay alumnus, Majumdar shares the honour with Peter Hotez, Jane Lubchenco and Geri Richmond. The four eminent scientists will serve as US envoys beginning January next year, said…

  • Saudi Arabia firm on health insurance for expats

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    Companies in Saudi Arabia which fail to pay for the medical insurance of expatriate workers and their families would be denied recruitment visas, media reported . “The regulations state that it is binding on an employer to subscribe to the insurance premium of all expatriate workers and their families. In the event of failure to…

  • Indian authors make NYT 100 Books of 2014

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    By Arun Kumar  Works of five Indian-American and one Indian author figure among 100 Notable Books of 2014 selected by the editors of The New York Times Book Review. Delhi-born Indian-American author Akhil Sharma’s novel “Family Life” figures in the Fiction & Poetry section. “Sharma’s novel, deeply unnerving and tender at the core, charts a…

  • Air India begins daily flights from Birmingham

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    India’s national carrier played Santa as it announced its decision to commence daily flights from Birmingham from December 21, Sunday. Air India will use modern Boeing 787 ‘Dreamliner’ aircraft in the sector. The new service will be a boon to passengers living in the Midlands and North. The Birmingham Airport is linked with Birmingham International on…

  • ‘Right to rent’ checks begin in West Midlands

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    Landlords in the West Midlands who fail rightfully check whether prospective tenants and current tenants are in the country legally will face a £3,000 fine, under a new rule expected to be rolled out across the UK. The Birmingham, Walsall, Sandwell, Dudley and Wolverhampton area is the first where the check must be made reported BBC.…

  • Indian-origin British fighter pilot statue unveiled in Kent

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    A statue of Mahinder Singh Pujji, an Indian-origin fighter pilot who had served in Britain’s Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War, was unveiled in Kent. Pujji had died at the age of 92 in the Gravesend town of Britain’s Kent county in 2010, as the longest surviving fighter pilot from a group…

  • More NRI’s on ballot down under

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      In a classic case of a flood following a drought, political parties have fielded a large number of Indian-Australian candidates for  state elections in Victoria, an indication of the growing profile of the Indian community Down Under. The ruling Liberal Party has taken a lead by nominating nine Indian-Australian candidates for the lower and…

  • India launches e-visa for 43 countries

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    India launched electronic visa (e-visa) facility for tourists from 43 countries, including US, Israel, Palestine and Japan to boost tourism sector and offer hassle-free travel to foreign visitors. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, along with union Culture and Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma launched the Tourist Visa on Arrival (TVOA) service enabled with electronic travel authorisation…

  • Four NRI students picked as Rhodes scholars

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    Four Indian American students, Anisha Gururaj, Sai P. Gourisankar, Maya Krishnan and Abishek Kulshreshtha, are among 32 men and women chosen as 2015 Rhodes Scholars from the US. Considered the oldest and best known award for international study, Rhodes Scholarships provide all expenses for two or three years of study at the University of Oxford…

  • Bill for merge PIO and OCI schemes

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    A draft bill that will enable the merging of two schemes for overseas Indians is expected to be brought before the cabinet for approval soon, an official statement said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made a number of announcements for PIOs (Person of Indian Origin) and OCIs (Overseas Citizenship of India). “…a draft Bill for…

  • NRI scientist finds gene that cuts stroke risk

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    An Indian-origin scientist has discovered a gene that protects people against one of the major causes of stroke in young and middle-aged adults, a development that could hold the key to new treatments. “Our findings provide us with a greater understanding of how this region of the genome appears to influence key vascular functions which…

  • Oman considering to tax expats on remittance

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    The proposal for a two percent levy on the billions of rials that expatriates send home every year has been approved by Oman’s Majlis al-Shura, or the lower house of the council of Oman, to overcome a budget deficit due to drop in oil prices, a media report said. “The approval to tax expatriate remittances…