Indian-origin scientist develops new tool for cancer diagnosis

Rohit Bhargava, an IIT-Delhi graduate and now with University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, has developed stainless staining that provides a new tool for clinicians and researchers for better diagnosis of cancer.

Till date, prepared biopsy samples are stained and examined under a light microscope.

Using infrared spectroscopic imaging for microscopy, Bhargava has reported the development of label-free chemical imaging to provide the same information as molecular stains.

Instead of using stains, the new method measures the chemical constitution of cells and tissues directly.

Indian-origin woman becomes first Asian elected mayor in UK

An Indian-origin councillor woman has became the first Asian woman elected mayor of Ealing Council in London.

Harbhajan Kaur Dheer, 62, at a ceremony at the Victoria Hall at Ealing Council on Tuesday became the Mayor of Ealing Council after succeeding councillor Tej Ram Bagha.

“It is a great privilege and challenge to be the Mayor of Ealing Council in London. I have no illusions about the task ahead. But if I can cope up with Ranjit at home I can climb even the Everest,” Kaur said.

Indian-origin politician takes oath on Gita in Australia

An Indian-origin MP from the Australian state of New South Wales on Tuesday become the first politician to be sworn in to Australian parliament on the Hindu religious text, the Bhagavad-gita.

Daniel Mookhey, 32, was chosen by the Australian Labour Party to fill the casual vacancy created by Steve Whan’s unsuccessful tilt at a Lower House seat in the March election, ABC reported.

Mookhey was born in Blacktown to parents who emigrated from the north Indian state of Punjab.

He said he was nervous ahead of the historic swearing-in ceremony.

Gujarati-origin MP Priti Patel takes charge at UK political helm

Britain has a Gujarati-origin lawmaker at the helm of UK politics as Prime Minister David Cameron on Monday promoted Priti Patel to his Cabinet after his surprise victory in general elections.

As the new minister of state for employment in the Department of Work and Pensions, the 43-year-old will attend Cabinet as the senior-most Indian-origin member of the newly-elected British government.

Vanitha Narayanan is first woman Chairperson of AMCHAM India

American Chamber of Commerce in India today appointed Vanitha Narayanan as new Chairperson, the first woman to hold this post since the industry body’s inception here in 1992.

Narayanan, who is the Managing Director of IBM India, holds an MBA in Marketing and Information Systems.

She has been responsible for taking up multiple challenging assignments for India and several other countries.

“I shall strive towards making AMCHAM a more credible voice for American business in India,” Narayanan said.

British polls: Number of Indian-origin MPs remains at 10

The number of Indian-origin members in the new House of Commons following the British general elections held on Thursday will remain at 10, unchanged from the previous house.

All sitting MPs were re-elected bar one. Paul Uppal of the Conservative party lost in Wolverhampton South West in the West Midlands of England. He was defeated by Rob Marris of the Labour party by a margin of 801 votes in a constituency with a large presence of Sikhs from India.

Barack Obama nominates IIT alumni Sanjita Pradhan to key post

US President Barack Obama has nominated an IIT alumni to his advisory commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs).

Obama yesterday announced the nomination of Sanjita Pradhan, an MBA from the Indian Institute of Technology, along with other nominations for several key administration post.

“These men and women bring extraordinary dedication to their roles and will serve the American people well. I look forward to working with them,” Obama said while making the announcement.

Widow of Indian killed in US accident sues railroad, New York

The widow of an India-origin man, who was killed during a horrific train accident here in February, has sued the New York State and the public transportation agency for USD 25 million.

Aditya Tomar, 41, was among the six victims of a crash between a Metro-North train and an SUV in the New York suburb of Valhalla.

The Danbury resident was born in India and moved to the US to pursue his education and a career in the financial industry.

Over 50 Indian-origin candidates in UK general election

Over 50 candidates of Indian origin are contesting in Thursday’s British general election, the outcome of which should be known by Friday morning.

Those in the fray include Sajid Javid of the Conservative party, who is half Indian and has been a cabinet minister for culture, media and sport in the government now in office since 2010. He is standing from Bromsgrove.

Role of Air India in evacuation of Indians from Yemen hailed

The role of Air India in safe evacuation of stranded Indians and people of other nationalities from war-hit Yemen was today appreciated with Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju felicitating the airline crew in recognition of their efforts.

“You have done us proud and I am confident that whenever the country needs the services of Air India, you will be available,” Raju said at a function held here to felicitate its employees who were part of the relief operations in Yemen last month.

Search for Indian-American techie continues

Authorities in the US are still looking for an Indian-American IT professional who went missing after a suspected drunken driver knocked him into a river when he stopped to help at the scene of a car crash.

Puneet Nehra, 43, had stopped to assist with a crash on the bridge when the first crash scene was struck by an intoxicated driver. He has not been located yet. The Sheriff’s Office, along with local fire departments, have been actively searching the river by boat and helicopter.

Abu Sagar Former Kuwait MP delivered RACHEL CORRIE essay Award to Dr. Fathima

Abu Sagar, Former Kuwait Parliament Member handed over cash award ofIndian Rupees 10,001/- and an Honorable Plaque to Dr. Fathima Sayed Suhail who won the first place in the Essay competition held by indo-Kuwait Friendship Society, a non profit socio-cultural friendship Indian association in Kuwait for the
loving memory of Martyr Rachel Corrie.

14 Indian sailors stranded in Bahrain since Dec return home ,

Fourteen Indian sailors stranded on board a Mongolian oil tanker off the coast of Bahrain due to legal reasons since December last year have finally left the Gulf nation, according to a media report today.

They were among the 16-member crew of Mongolian vessel MT Surya Kuber, which was banned from leaving Bahrain as its Singapore-based owner 7Seas Ship Management allegedly owed Asry and Kanoo Shipping more than USD 220,000.

Indian-origin woman dies after being shot at gas station in US

An Indian-origin woman working at a gas station died after being shot in the face in an attempted armed robbery in South Carolina, the third such incident in which an Indian-American has been killed in the US within a month. File photo for representation only

An Indian-origin woman working at a gas station died after being shot in the face in an attempted armed robbery in South Carolina, the third such incident in which an Indian-American has been killed in the US within a month.

Mradulaben Patel from Gujarat, 59, was the co-owner of a store at a BP gas station in

41 Indians among 57 foreigners killed in Nepal earthquake

At least 41 Indians were killed in Nepal in the powerful earthquake that left a trail of devastation and suffering.
The number of Indian nationals killed in the quake has reached 41, according to a statement issued by Nepal Police.
A total of 57 foreigners have been killed in the quake.

Finance Minister Ram Sharan Mahat has said that the death toll is expected to climb “much higher”.
Meanwhile, an Indian Air Force team has rescued 22 Buddhist monks from a remote village of Gorkha district, the epicenter of the devastating earthquake on April 25.

Indian-origin clerk in US shot dead

An Indian-origin store clerk who was shot in the face in the US state of South Carolina has died, a media report said.

Mradulaben Patel was shot at a store in Anderson County Thursday night. She died on Saturday, WSPA news reported.

The woman was found lying on the floor by a customer.

County deputies said the suspect — a black male, wearing a white shirt, dark pants, tennis shoes and a fishing hat — was recorded on surveillance video entering the store, purchasing cigars and then pulling out a gun and shooting the clerk on the face.

India-origin billionaires to build 1,200 houses in Nepal

Two Indian-origin billionaires in the UK have offered to build 1,200 quake-resistant houses in the affected villages of the country.

Mukesh Kumar Sehgal, managing director of UK-based SISMO Company offered 1,000 quake-resistant houses, while, Shree Prakash Lohia, founder and chairman of Indorama Corporation offered to build 200 houses through his Lohia Foundation.

Sehgal met Nepal’s Acting Ambassador to Britain, Tej Bahadur Chettri, on Friday and offered to build 1,000 quake-resistant houses in Nepal, Ekantipur reported.

Indian woman shot dead by an unidentified gunman in South Carolina

An Indian-origin Gujarati woman working at a gas station in the US state of South Carolina was shot in the face in an attempted armed robbery and succumbed to her injuries on Saturday.

Mradulaben Patel was the co-owner of a store at a gas station in Powdersville. An unidentified man is believed to have shot Patel in the face Thursday night. Police has asked for help to identify the assailant.

She died today, succumbing to her injuries, sources said.

Patel holds American and British citizenship. It appeared to be an attempted robbery and not a racial attack, they said.

Indian-origin UKIP candidate suspended over anti-Jewish remark

An Indian-origin candidate for the far-right UK Independence Party (UKIP) has been suspended over alleged anti-Jewish remarks ahead of the May 7 General Elections.

Jack Sen, whose grandfather was Indian and served as a doctor in the British Indian Army during the Raj era, was to contest the seat from West Lancashire.

Sen, who describes himself on Twitter as “unapologetically politically incorrect pro-British”, directed abuse on the social networking site at Luciana Berger, the Labour party’s candidate who is Jewish.

Sikhs explain meaning of turban to US lawmakers

Sikhs have to explain to American people what the turban means because that is the immediate source of their identification, according to the author of a new report on Sikhs in America presented to US lawmakers.

“Sikhs have to explain what it symbolizes and what values it represents,” said Geoff Garin, former political strategist for presidential candidate Hillary Clinton presenting the key findings of the report at a briefing arranged by the National Sikh Campaign (NSC).

Indian-American Muslims welcome USCIRF recommendations

An Indian-American Muslim advocacy group today welcomed recommendations of US Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) on India and asked the State Department to take cognizance of the report when issuing its own report on religious freedom globally.

In a statement, the Indian-American Muslim Council urged the US to act on USCIRF’s multiple recommendations including religious freedom concerns in bilateral talks with India.

Sonia to host dinner for party MPs May 6

Congress president Sonia Gandhi is hosting a dinner for party MPs and office-bearers on May 6, informed sources said.

They said that Gandhi usually hosts a dinner for MPs both during the budget session of parliament and the winter session.

The sources said that the occasion is likely to see informal interaction among party leaders on a host of issues including the land bill which is pending in the Rajya Sabha.

Congress leaders appear enthused over the way party president Rahul Gandhi has led the attack on the Narendra Modi government since the start of second half of budget session.

Three Indians plead guilty to student visa fraud charges in US

Three Indians have pleaded guilty to criminal charges of conspiring to commit student visa and financial aid fraud through a for-profit school they ran and agreed to forfeit over USD eight million to US authorities.

Suresh Hiranandaney, 61, Lalit Chabria, 54, and Anita Chabria, 50, were arrested in May 2014, along with co-defendants Samir Hiranandaney and Seema Shah following a long-term investigation by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI).

Sikhs explain meaning of turban to US lawmakers

Sikhs have to explain to American people what the turban means because that is the immediate source of their identification, according to the author of a new report on Sikhs in America presented to US lawmakers.

“Sikhs have to explain what it symbolizes and what values it represents,” said Geoff Garin, former political strategist for presidential candidate Hillary Clinton presenting the key findings of the report at a briefing arranged by the National Sikh Campaign (NSC).

3 Indians plead guilty to student visa fraud charges in US

Three Indians have pleaded guilty to criminal charges of conspiring to commit student visa and financial aid fraud through a for-profit school they ran and agreed to forfeit over USD eight million to federal authorities.

Suresh Hiranandaney, 61, Lalit Chabria, 54, and Anita Chabira, 50, were arrested in May 2014, along with co-defendants Samir Hiranandaney and Seema Shah following a long-term investigation by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI).