Asian Lite News Archive

Category: NRI News

  • NRI scientist wins US award

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    India-born scientist Dr Thomas John Colacot has won the American Chemical Society’s ACS Award in Industrial Chemistry, one of the top honours in the field. Colacot, who studied at St Berchman’s College, Changanacherry, Kerala and IIT, Chennai, is the first Indian to get the award in industrial chemistry. He also holds an MBA degree and…

  • The perils of running a store in US

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    Back in 2006, Joe Biden, then a Senate candidate ran into trouble for a remark that “you cannot go to a 7-Eleven or a Dunkin’ Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent.” Gaffe-prone Biden got away by explaining that it wasn’t a racial slur but “was meant as a compliment” for the “vibrant Indian-American…

  • NRI researcher at Stanford wins award

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    Himanshu Asnani, 27, an Indian-born mathematics researcher at Stanford University Electrical Engineering School in the US, is the winner of the Marconi Society Paul Baran young scholar award for 2014. “The prestigious award will be presented to Asnani at our annual event Oct 2 at the National Academies of Sciences in Washington,” Society’s young scholar…

  • India tops in S.Asia’s human trafficking

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    Rajnish Singh says India has emerged as the top destination for human trafficking in South Asia India has emerged as the top destination for human trafficking in South Asia, a top UN official has said. South Asia representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Cristina Albertine, said that a majority of the victims…

  • Musicologist Mohan Nadkarni dies

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    Mohan Nadkarni, a renowned Indian musicologist, died in Auckland, New Zealand, Tuesday following a brief illness, his son Dev said. He was 91. “He (Mohan Nadkarni) suffered from a chest infection a fortnight back from which he did not recover. Past couple of years he was suffering from age-related problems which hampered his movements, otherwise…

  • ‘Go to Gulf with rights’

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    Amnesty International India launches ‘Go to Gulf with rights’ campaign to help expats In a bid to prevent human rights violations among Indian migrant workers in the Gulf region, Amnesty International India and UAE Exchange India have launched a “Go to Gulf with rights” campaign. The awareness campaign will provide information about migrant workers’ rights under Indian…

  • LOVEENA TANDON : I can feel an India buzz in London

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    Loveena Tandon, the UK/European correspondent for Aaj Tak/Headlines Today, looks into the changing attitudes of Western World to Indian Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi and how London is changing its hues to welcome Modi About 400 guests, predominantly of Indian origin, gathered at London’s prestigious Marriott Hotel applauded when Prime Minister David Cameron said: I…

  • Bobby Jindal still mulling 2016 run

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    Louisiana’s Indian-American Governor Bobby Jindal will not make a decision about a White House run in 2016 until after November as he tries to make his Republican Party “stop being the stupid party. “We’ve said it’s something we’re thinking about, praying about. It’s something we’re considering. But we won’t make a decision until certainly after…

  • Priti joins Cameron Cabinet

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    Indian-origin MP Priti Patel  becomes British Treasury Minister The Witham MP Priti Patel has been appointed as Treasury Minister  in the Prime Minister’s reshuffle. Priti is Prime Minister’s India Diaspora Champion and accompanied him in his India trips. She met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the high level delegation led by William Hague and Chancellor…

  • TROUBLE IN THE TOILET 

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    DAILY DOSE By Bikram Vohra Most men have five or six items in their bathrooms. Toothbrush, toothpaste, shaving foam, a razor and a ragged towel and maybe a talc and a cologne. These could all fit into a travel bag. The stuff women have could fit into a tent and still there’d be some sans…

  • Air India joins Star Alliance

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    India’s flag carrier Air India becomes 27th member of Star Alliance State-run Air India became 27th member of Star Alliance. The move will provide customers access to lounges of member airlines the world over and single-ticket travel across airlines and other such facilities. “From today, we open up a completely different world for our passengers,…

  • India targets 7-8% growth

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    Finance Minister Arun Jaitley began presenting the first national budget for self and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government Thursday expressing concerns over economic slowdown while promising steps to ensure a course correction with bold measures. “People of India have voted decisively for change,” Jaitley said. “Steps I will unveil in the budget will aim at…

  • Sir Virdee, Dr Hameid honoured

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    Ragasudha Vinjamuri attends a reception at India House to honour  Sir Virdee and Prof Hameid High Commissioner of India Ranjan Mathai hosted a cocktail reception for physicist Prof Tejinder Virdee, recently knighted by the Queen for services to science, and for Dr Yusuf Hameid, the head of Indian pharmaceutical giant Cipla, who has been conferred…

  • Indian joins Rockefeller Foundation board

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    Ravi Venkatesan, former chairman of Microsoft India and currently founder and chairman of Social Venture Partners India, a network of philanthropists addressing social problems, has joined The Rockefeller Foundation’s Board of Trustees. The appointment of Venkatesan, who is also a venture partner at impact investor Unitus Seed Fund, was announced Monday by The Rockefeller Foundation,…

  • UAE Exchange in Germany

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    UAE Exchange launches Money2anywhere.com in Germany UAE Exchange partnering with SOFORT AG and launches Money2anywhere.com in Germany The online money transfer portal is currently available in nine countries. Germany will be the 10th. Money can now be transferred using an internet connection and computer from personal environment. UAE Exchange, the leading global remittance and foreign exchange…

  • JULY 4 SPECIAL – Indians in the US

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    Arun Kumar writes from Washington says Indian Americans celebrate their culture, language and cuisine in their adopted country Several Indian diaspora organisations representing people from four corners of India are marking the July 4 American independence day with a celebration of their own culture, language and cuisine across the US. Two Telugu community organisations –…

  • SPECIAL REPORT- Indian Property market

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    Vinod Behl says rising delivery defaults push demand for ready-to-move homes  Amid rising property prices, high loan rates and rising delivery defaults, home buyers are increasingly opting for ready-to-move properties to ensure safety of their investment. Though most of these delays are due to adverse market conditions resulting in slowdown in sales, in some cases…

  • Indian Nurses in Iraq safe

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    The government Wednesday said the 46 Indian nurses trapped in a building in Iraq’s war-torn Tikrit town were safe and unharmed, and the Indian envoy has spoken with them. “Our ambassador (in Iraq) has talked to them. They are unharmed, safe,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said here. Asked about reports that the building…

  • NRI scholar becomes dean of top US law school

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    Sujit Choudhry, a noted expert in comparative constitutional law, has become the first Indian-American dean of the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, a top US law school. Born in Delhi and raised in Toronto, Choudhry, 44, who was the Cecelia Goetz Professor of Law at New York University School of Law and founder…

  • Ireland begins inquest into death of Indian women

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    The inquest into the death of an India-born woman in Ireland after childbirth has begun, media reported Tuesday. Indian-born Dhara Kivlehan (29) died in the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast Sept 28, 2010, four days after she was airlifted from Sligo where her son had been born, The Irish Times reported. As the inquest opened…

  • Indians thrive at Bapu’s Durban

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    Hadra Ahmed reports from Durban on the city which helps Gandhi to formulate his freedom struggle Once home to the young Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, the city of Durban in South Africa has more overseas Indians than any other city outside India. Glimpses of India are visible in the sights, smells and sounds of this city on…

  • ENGLISH IS NO CRIMINAL

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    Daily Dose by Bikram Vohra The current brouhaha that is being witnessed in India over downgrading English is one fraught with danger. English is not a language in India. It is a caste. It is also a free pass to the best of jobs. And anyone tells you differently they are hypocrites. This hypocrisy raises…

  • GALLERY: London Rath Yatra

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    Shree Swaminarayan Temple, Dharma Bhakti Manor based on Wood Lane, Stanmore, London held the first ever Rath Yatra Procession in Harrow.  Thousands of devotees from around the UK graced the procession and pulled with great joy the beautifully decorated chariot of Lord Shri Jagannathji, Shri Balbhadraji and Subhadra Devi. The day commenced with a special…

  • London to host Regional Pravasi Meet

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    Ragasudha Vinjamuri writes on the forthcoming regional Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) in London  The High Commissioner of India to the UK Mr Ranjan Mathai announced the decision of the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) to hold the eighth Regional Pravasi Bhartiya Divas Convention in London this year. The Convention shall be held over two days…

  • HOW TO WRECK A CAREER ? Indian Style

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    DAILY DOSE By Bikram Vohra This is the recording of a meeting between a corporate boss and two of his lieutenants held to discuss the probable promotion of a Manager to their level. The boss is very much in favour of upgrading the wunderkind but the two top executives are evidently not keen on getting…

  • NRI- Canadian duo develop drug dectector

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    Two Canadians of Indian origin have developed a device that detects marijuana in a person’s breath. Police say it helps to find if a driver is high on the contraband drug. Vancouver-based Kal Malhi, a former officer of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the federal police force, has joined hands with Indo-Canadian radiologist Raj…

  • HR & HATCHET JOBS,THE BIG CON GAME 

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    DAILY DOSE By Bikram Vohra The big bully in the corporate world today is HR. Where did this lot come from? Knowing very little about the job and functions of the staff there they are pruning and cutting and snipping away at the bottom line like berserk gardeners bent on destruction. Their only aim is…

  • NRI’s lobbying for Congress invite for Modi

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    Indian-American groups have launched a campaign to win more lawmakers’ support for a move to invite Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address a joint session of US Congress when he visits US in September. The ball was set rolling last week with Ed Royce, Republican chairman of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee…

  • Lanka told to probe violence

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    Human Rights Watch asks Lanka to probe anti-Muslim violence The Sri Lankan authorities should urgently investigate deadly violence against Muslims by Buddhist hardliners, Human Rights Watch said. The violence, which began June 15 after a rally led by the Buddhist Bodhu Bala Sena (BBS), left at least four Muslims dead, 80 injured, and numerous homes…

  • AND ANOTHER STAR IS BORN

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    DAILY DOSE By Bikram Vohra I am very impressed with myself. Right through yesterday till late in the evening when Nandini’s baby girl was born making us grandparents for the third time I was strong and commanding and so much ‘all there.’ It is a rare talent. You see men like us are made of…

  • Efforts on for release of abducted Indians

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    The Indian government is in touch with agencies and countries that can be of help in securing the release of Indians who were rounded up by suspected Sunni militants in Mosul town of violence-hit Iraq, official sources here said Sunday. They said that all efforts were being made to secure release of the 39 Indian…

  • Media focus on Jihadists

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    Sunday newspapers carried details about the recruitment video appeal by young British and Australian Muslims fighting with the extremist Isis group in Syria and Iraq. The newspapers carried interviews with some of the identified militants.  The Mail on Sunday focuses on one man, 20-year-old Reyaad Khan from Cardiff, showing a picture of him as a young teen…

  • London police net human traffickers

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    In the month of June alone the Metropolitan Police Force’s  Trafficking & Kidnap Unit have been responsible for putting away twenty five members of various organised crime groups involved in human trafficking. Sentences of more than 110 years have already been handed down by the courts to gangs from Russia and Romania and a Hungarian organised…

  • Foreign tourists flock to India

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    Indian tourism industry boosts with foreign tourists The foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs) in India registered a growth of 9.7 percent in an year, and the Visa on Arrival (VoA) grew by 19.1 percent compared to last year, a statement from the tourism ministry said. “FTAs during May 2014 were 4.21 lakh as compared to FTAs…

  • Monica crowned in Dubai

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    Monica Gill from US is Miss India Worldwide 2014   Miss India US Monica Gill was crowned Miss India Worldwide 2014 here Friday night. The second place went to Miss India Switzerland and third to Miss India Bahrain. More than 40 contestants of Indian origin settled in various countries across the globe between the age…

  • PROFILE: Reena Ranger

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    Reena Ranger, the chairwoman and co-founder of Women Empowered (WE), was enjoying her role as a mother, however, she felt the urge to do something more to help shape the world. Speaking to Anjana Parikh from Asian Lite, Reena talks about the idea behind WE, and how women can bring a new approach to work…

  • Essex murder sparks race row

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    Kaliph Anaz looks into the murder of Saudi Arabian student in Essex.  “This isn’t the first attack on a Muslim student and certainly is not the last on a member of the Muslim community in the UK” said Omar Ali, president of the Federation of Student Islamic Societies The Muslim Council of Britain said: With the current…

  • PICS: Punjabi Culture in Britain

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    Asian Lite’s Ragasudha Vinjamuri attended a reception hosted by the Speaker of House of Commons to mark  the contribution of Punjabis to Britain’s socio-economic sectors  The Punjabi Society of The British Isles celebrated Punjabi Culture in Britain at the Speaker’s House in the State Rooms of the Houses of Parliament. Speaker Mr John Bercow MP has…

  • Abducted Indians in Iraq safe

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    India on Thursday said the 40 Indian workers abducted in strife-torn Iraq are safe and told their distraught families that the “very best” efforts are going on to have them freed. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj told a delegation of families of seven of the abducted men that all 40 workers are safe but did…

  • White House Maker Faire

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    Arun Kumar writes White House Maker Faire features Indian-Americans’ creations  Creations of a couple of Indian Americans were featured at the first-ever White House Maker Faire to “celebrate a nation of makers and help empower America’s students and entrepreneurs to invent the future”. The Faire on Wednesday featured over 100 makers, innovators and entrepreneurs of…

  • Sanjaya Rajaram wins World Food Prize

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    Eminent Indian plant scientist, Dr. Sanjaya Rajaram, has been named winner of the 2014 World Food Prize in recognition of his outstanding work in the improvement of wheat crop. Rajaram, who is now settled in Mexico, is credited with increasing world wheat production by more than 200 million tons in the years following the Green…

  • White House hails undocumented Indian girl

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    New Delhi born Pratishtha Khanna, who came to the US illegally at the age of ten, is one of ten local “Champions of Change” honoured by the White House for their exemplary leadership in their communities. All the ten honoured Tuesday were what are called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) recipients under a programme…

  • BIG INTERVIEW – Rahat Ali Khan

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    In an interview with Asian Lite’s Natalia Ningthoujam, Pakistani qawwali maestro Rahat Fateh Ali Khan says Bollywood music big investment unlike private albums. Asian Lite, the newspaper for the Asian Diaspora, will regularly carry interviews with Asian artistes Pakistani qawwali maestro Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, known for giving hit Bollywood numbers like “Jiya dhadak dhadak” and…

  • PICS – Humshakals to hit UK screens

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    Humshakals,  directed by hit film maker Sajid Khan, is an upcoming Bollywood comedy film which means Look Alikes, of course. The film is produced by Vashu Bhagnani and filmed in several exotic locations including London. Saif Ali Khan, Ram Kapoor and Riteish Deshmukh will be seen in a triple role mimicking the biggest names in…

  • The Truth About Britishness

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    The number of people who think you must speak English to be considered “truly British” has increased over the last 10 years, a survey has found, BBC reported. The annual British Social Attitudes report found 95% of people thought it was important to speak English to be British, compared with 86% in 2003. It also…

  • Stranded Kerala nurses in Iraq safe

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    The Kerala nurses stranded in Tikrit, the town seized by the fighters from Al Qaeda-influenced Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) last week, are completely safe, the Indian embassy in Iraq Monday said. “The International Red Crescent Society volunteers visited the 46 Kerala nurses that were stranded in a hospital they were working in since…

  • PM firm on British Values

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    British Prime Minister David Cameron has pledged to tackle Muslim clerics in the UK who inflame terrorism by denouncing free speech, equality and democracy. In a powerful intervention clearly aimed mainly at ‘preachers of hate’, the Prime Minister in an article in the Daily Mail sayd the failure to stand up to such firebrands has…

  • ‘King Con’ faces jail in London

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    An Indian-origin businessman who boasted of his close friendship with the UK richest billionaires Hinduja brothers is facing years behind bars for fleecing wealthy investors of £12million, The Daily Mail reported. Ketan Somaia, dubbed ‘King Con’, from Bayswater in London, wooed his victims with luxury trips on private Learjets, Champagne parties, extravagant dinners and expenses paid trips…

  • Obama names NRI to science forum

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    US President Barack Obama plans to appoint a Madras University graduate and alumni of the Indian Institute of Technology as a member of the National Science Board of National Science Foundation. The proposed appointment of Dr Sethuraman Panchanathan, Senior Vice President of the Office of Knowledge Enterprise Development at Arizona State University (ASU), was announced…

  • The Strong Silent PMs

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    DAILY DOSE by Bikram Vohra I think it is a great idea that Prime Minister Modi is spring-cleaning the corridors of power and their fusty, musty, dusty cupboards full of red tape. About time this was done. However, when you are new and people expect you to climb mountains without oxygen and perform mini-miracles before…