NRIs Corner

A pilot programme was today launched to make it easier for Indian business and tourism visitors to apply online for travel to Australia.

The pilot programme, which has been kicked off on a trial basis, covers online lodgement of subclass 600 visas for
Indian business and tourism visitors. It will be rolled out through selected travel agents across India.

India is one of the world’s fastest growing outbound travel markets. This trial will make it easier for Indian
visitors to apply for visas to travel to Australia,” Australia Trade and Investment Minister Andrew Robb, who also has the

At least 34 Indian and Pakistani schools here will introduce mandatory parent-school contract in April this year to promote positive relationships between the two parties.

During the first two phases of implementation, 24 schools adopted the contracts, which covered 38,624 students, the
Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) said in a statement.

As part of student registration, all parents must sign the contract.

This year it will become mandatory in all Indian and Pakistani schools, accounting more than 80,000 students,” KHDA

The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Centre to ensure that a system allowing non-resident Indians (NRIs) is put in place within eight weeks,

According to reports, the apex court bench, headed by Chief Justice HL Dattu , gave the government four weeks to inform it on steps taken to implement the recommendations put forth by the Election Commission.

The Supreme Court had had earlier asked the Centre to make its stand clear on the EC’s proposal with regards to NRIs exercising their democratic rights via proxy voting and e-ballots in elections in India. (ANI)

As many as 73 Indian-Americans figure among 300 high school seniors named semifinalists in the Intel Science Talent Search 2015, America’s oldest and most prestigious pre-college science and math competition.

The contest is designed to reward young scientists and to recognize the richness of how they contribute to improving and enriching everyday life.

Each semifinalist receives a $1,000 award from the Intel Foundation with an additional $1,000 going to his or her school, resulting in $600,000 in total semifinalist awards.

An Indian-origin man in Australia has allegedly stabbed his wife to death, suspecting infidelity.

Parminder Singh, 29, allegedly killed his 23-year-old wife, Nikita Chawla, after he checked her mobile phone, which he believed confirmed his suspicions about her infidelity, a local court heard.

After killing her in his house here early yesterday, he called police and admitted to repeatedly stabbing his wife using a knife, prosecutors told the court.

He was arrested from his house and charged with one count of murder yesterday.

Indian-American Kamala Harris, the Attorney General of California, could be in race for a Senate seat from the state after Barbara Boxer announced her retirement from the US Senate today.

While there was no word from Harris, mainstream American media reported that the California Attorney General was most likely to take the plunge for the Senate race.

The issue of higher education for children of expat Indians, skill development of Gulf returnees, the plight of overseas Indians in jail and safety of fishermen from Tamil Nadu were some of the concerns raised by diaspora members at the 13th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention here Friday.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today said that the government is not just looking at investments by the people of Indian origin living across the world but also wants to have deeper ties with the Indian Diaspora.

“Please don’t feel that we are looking only at investments from you…It is not ‘dhan ka rishta’ that we are looking, but a ‘man ka rishta’,” Singh said addressing the Pravasi Bhartiya Divas here.

We are very proud of the contribution of the people of Indian origin and we cannot forget this grouping’s contribution in the India story, he said.

Alhaaj Mohammed Jameel ur Rahman Marhoom, 90 Citizen of USA. Resident of Chicago Illinois. Retired from AG office Hyderabad as a section officer. Mashallah was a very kind and just person. Helped lots of widows and orphans. Always spoke the truth. Defended the weak and helpless. Did lot of khair. Migrated to USA in the 80s.

He has survived by his wife, children, grand children and great grand children.

Eldest son Mohammed Arif ur Rahman working in USDA.

May Allah swt grant him jannatul Firdous and give patience to his family. Ameen.

A 24-year-old Indian student has been deported from the US after he was convicted of cyberstalking for posting threatening comments on social media to carry out a campus shooting.

Keshav Mukund Bhide, a former student at the University of Washington (UW), cannot return to the US for ten years.

Bhide was arrested in June after he threatened women at the university in the comments section on YouTube.

He also defended the actions of Elliot Rodger, a college student who killed six people at the University of California, Santa Barbara in May and then killed himself too.

Louisiana Gov Bobby Jindal returns today to Iowa, a small heartland state that plays an outsized role in the presidential nominee process, where he’ll meet with pastors and again look for support among Christian evangelicals for a possible White House campaign.

Today’s trip to Iowa will be his fifth since June. Jindal has also spoken to pastors in New Hampshire, another state that is one of the first to hold presidential nominating contests, at a gathering of faith leaders and conservative activists in Washington.

Australia has revised its travel advisory for India asking its citizens to exercise high degree of caution while travelling to that country, citing high threat of terrorist activities.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) updated its advice yesterday warning the Australians travelling to India that militants could be planning another terror attack against upmarket hotels in India’s largest city.

An Indian woman, imprisoned on charges of murdering her 10-month-old child and also attempting suicide, has been awaiting trial for the past four-and-half years, media reports here said.

Rubeena Buruhanudeen, 30, who is being held at Maldives’ Dhoonidhoo detention centre, has been awaiting sentencing since late August 2010, Minivan News reported citing a source close to the case.

Rubeena confessed to the killing and has since said that she was heavily medicated at the time of her child’s death, with only a vague recollection of events, the report added.

The family of a 25-year-old Indian-American yoga instructor, who was found dead in central Mexico during a hike in the rugged mountains, is working on legalities to bring his remains back to Virginia, where a memorial service will be held in his memory.

Hari Simran Singh Khalsa had gone missing on December 30 while hiking in the mountains of Tepoztlan in Mexico.

The search for Khalsa ended tragically on January 2, when his body was found in one of the small ravines that criss-crossed the mountains of Tepoztlan.

An Abu Dhabi-based Indian expat who enquired about a friend’s job contract with an investment firm has landed in trouble as the acquaintance’s employment visa turned out to be fake.

The man, who works with a private hospital, was handed over to the police by the company as the authenticity of the
visa could not be verified even though it had the stamp of the General Directorate of Residence and Foreigners Affairs, UAE Ministry of Interior, the Gulfnews reported today.

US Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, the first Hindu member of the US House of Representatives, feels the relationship between India and the US has been energised after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit and wants the two governments to work closely in countering terrorism, including cyber terrorism.

An Indian origin man who went missing in the run-up to Christmas was found dead in the basement of a house in Britain’s West Midlands county.

Baljit Singh, 50, from Birmingham, was last seen Dec 23 when he left his home to collect a birthday cake for his son, the Daily Mirror reported Thursday.

A 32-year-old man and a 27-year-old woman were arrested on New Year’s Eve in connection with Singh’s disappearance.

The pair is now being questioned by detectives on the suspicion of his murder after his body was recovered from a basement in Rowley Regis Thursday.

Indian-origin 103-year-old marathon runner Fauja Singh was today nominated for British Empire Medal in the Queen’s New Year Honours List for his services to Sport and Charity while heart specialist Nilesh Samani has been named for knighthood.

Besides, NRI actress and writer Meera Syal who is famous for comedy roles on television in Goodness Gracious Me and The Kumars at No 42, becomes CBE, Commander of British Empire.

She is among nearly 30 NRIs figuring in the honours list. Fauja Singh is widely believed to be the oldest marathon runner in the world.

Sharif Aslam, a veteran Urdu journalist, humorist, anchor and prominent member of Indian community, has died in Jeddah. He was in his 80s, a media report said Tuesday.

The octogenarian, who breathed his last Monday helped organise many Urdu poetry events during his three decades in Jeddah. Two of his children, Aman and Imran, are accomplished doctors, Arab News reported Tuesday.

He was the president of a number of forums and a member of several associations.

Aslam hailed from Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh and had many fans among expatriates from all over India and Pakistan.

A technology company founded by an Indian-American at the age of 19 has emerged as the largest online seller of silicon wrist band in the US.

Mumbai-born and Houston-raised Azim Makanojiya founded Wrist-Band.Com when he was a full-time student attending the University of Houston and was also financially supporting his family.

After just one year in business, Wrist-Band.Com pulled in over USD 6.9 million, a statement said.

It was at a trade show in China where the silicone bracelets caught the attention of Makanojiya.

Indians in Kuwait have been advised to urgently apply for re-issuance of new passports to phase out all non-Machine Readable Passports.

The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has set November 24, 2015 as deadline for globally phasing out of all non-Machine Readable Passports (MRPs).

From November 25 next year, foreign governments may deny visa or entry to any person travelling on a non-Machine Readable Passport.

An Indian who was badly hurt a couple of weeks ago in a fire in Bahrain’s Buri, near capital Manama, has died in hospital, a media report said Monday.

The 51-year-old man was admitted to Salmaniya Medical Complex’s intensive care unit Dec 13, the Gulf Daily News reported.

He was suffering from smoke inhalation and had burns over 85 percent of his body from the fire that broke out in his flat, reportedly due to a short circuit.

The man was originally from Punjab and came to Bahrain 10 years ago.

His body will be repatriated to India after the completion of formalities.

–IANS

In a development that could lead to personalised treatment for people suffering from cancer, two Indian-origin researchers have developed a way to grow cancer cells in the laboratory that mimics the environment inside the body.

The new capture and culture method provides a reliable way to get usable numbers of circulating tumour cells from even early-stage patients, the researchers said.

Marking a shift from its earlier high-profile annual NRI meets, the Punjab government has decided to opt for a comparatively low-profile events for the diaspora early next year.

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal Sunday held his first “Sangat Darshan” for NRIs in Punjab’s Moga town, 175 km from here.

“The chief minister held the Sangat Darshan exclusively for direct interface with Non Resident Punjabis (NRPs) to redress the problems faced by these sons of the soil in a far more effective manner,” said a state government spokesman.

The Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC – www.iamc.com), an advocacy group dedicated to safeguarding India’s pluralist and tolerant ethos has condemned the brutal violence in Assam during the last one week, leading to the brutal killing of 76 people, burning of houses and the displacement of hundreds of others.

In brazen attacks against the Adivasi population, Bodo militants went on a rampage in Assam’s Sonitpur and Kokrajhar districts of Assam. Even children as young as 7 years old have not been spared.