NRIs Corner

In a breakthrough, an Indian- American scientist at the prestigious MIT has developed a simple, cheap, paper test that could improve cancer diagnosis rates and help people get treated earlier.

The diagnostic, which works much like a pregnancy test, could reveal within minutes, based on a urine sample, whether a person has cancer, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) announced yesterday.

This approach has helped detect infectious diseases, and the new technology allows non-communicable diseases to be detected using the same strategy, it said.

An Indian-origin man in Britain was jailed for life for murdering his school friend to claim 319,000 pounds in life insurance he had taken out in the defendant’s name.

Jagdev Singh Rai, 44, was imprisoned for life last week for luring Jasbir Singh Bains to Dartmouth Park of West Bromwich in the West Midlands in the middle of the night, where he slit his throat and flung his body into the water, the Mirror reported Sunday.

Bains was found floating Nov 28 in 2012 by a passer-by.

An Indian-origin tycoon in the UK will not be allowed to visit the Buckingham Palace despite winning an auction to take part in a celebrity tennis match there after getting embroiled in a bribery scandal, a media report said today.

Bhanu Choudhrie, whose family is one of the biggest donors to Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg’s Liberal Democrat party, bid 75,000 pounds for the privilege of playing against Boris Becker and Novak Djokovic, The Sunday Times reported.

A young Indian-origin mother of two, missing for several days in the US state of Pennsylvania, was found dead under mysterious circumstances in a car and police want to question her boyfriend over her disappearance.

The body of Nadia Malik, a 22-year-old pre-med student, was found slumped in the passenger seat of a car near a busy railway station in Philadelphia on Thursday.

Police are waiting to bring Malik’s boyfriend Bhupinder Singh to Philadelphia from Ohio, where he was arrested on February 12 on a parole violation.

Human rights group Amnesty International has reportedly urged India to reveal more ”transparent information” about the deaths of Indian migrant workers in Qatar, which is preparing itself for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. India revealed that 455 Indians had died in 2012 and 2013, prompting concerns from labour groups, although it said that the ”overwhelming number” of deaths were due to ”natural causes”.

An Indian-origin man in the US has been arrested for allegedly murdering his 66-year-old father by bludgeoning him with a sledgehammer over a comment made while playing puzzles.

Vinayak Shanbhag, 33, has been charged with first degree murder after he pummeled his father Panduran Shanbhag repeatedly on the head with a 10-pound sledgehammer while he was sleeping, the Dayton Beach News Journal reported.

When the police arrived at the family’s Holly Hill home in Florida last Saturday, they discovered a grisly scene where even the bedroom walls were “covered in blood.”

Vikram Singh, the highest- ranking Indian-American at the Pentagon, is joining an eminent US think-tank after serving the Obama Administration in various positions for over five years.

Singh, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for South and Southeast Asia, is joining the Center for American Progress (CAP) as its vice president for National Security and International Policy and will oversee its work on national security around the globe, while continuing his focus on Asia.

He will officially join CAP in March.

Sikh groups in the UK have called for a full inquiry into alleged British involvement in the deadly 1984 Indian military attack on the Golden Temple in Amritsar.

In an open letter to Prime Minister David Cameron, backed by the Sikh Federation UK and the British Sikh Council, campaigners argued there were ”too many serious questions that remain unanswered” on the claims made by the UK government.

An evil gang in Britain has been arrested for keeping five schoolgirls aged between 12 and 14 as sex slaves.

The group, which includes one adult and three youths all of Roma and Kurdish origin, raped and sexually abused the girls.

One 13-year-old, who is partly deaf and has learning difficulties, was attacked at a park and inside a Wendy house.

According to mirror.co.uk, she was also sold for sex at 20 pounds once by ringleader Zdeno Mirga, 18.

The attackers were arrested after the girl confided in a social worker after being taken into care.

Amid concerns over high number of deaths of Indian workers in Qatar, the Indian embassy in Doha sought to downplay the issue, saying that the number was “quite normal”.

“Considering the large size of our community, the number of deaths is quite normal,” the embassy said in a statement issued yesterday.

It released the data showing the number of Indians dying has varied only marginally over the past four years in Qatar which is the host of the 2022 football World Cup.

An NRI, who allegedly tried to smuggle 2.4 kg gold worth Rs 80 lakh, was arrested by Customs authorities at Rajiv Gandhi International (RGI) Airport at Shamshabad here.

The Customs officials intercepted Mohammed Abdul Mateen, who arrived here last evening by a flight from Saudi Arabia via Muscat.

After subjecting him to checking, it was found that he was carrying 2.4 kg yellow metal in the form of an ashtray which was gold electroplated with 98.5 per cent purity, Customs officials said.

A Qatar human rights body has dismissed the recent report from the Indian embassy that more than 450 Indian migrant workers have died in Qatar in almost two years, and said that the figure is ”normal” given the size of the community.

A 19-year-old Indian-origin student of the Southern Illinois University, who had gone missing last week, has been found dead.

The body of Pravin M Varughese was found yesterday in a wooded area in Carbondale, Illinois, police said.

Authorities do not suspect any foul play was involved in Varughese’s death but the cause of his death is yet to be ascertained, Chicago Sun-Times reported.

Varughese, originally from Morton Grove, was last seen about 11 pm last Wednesday in Carbondale, police and his family had said previously.

Indians have topped the list of Dubai’s most active real estate buyers as they view the city in the same league as London, according to a survey.

The relative geographic proximity to India and the large non-resident Indian population in the region are two further critical drivers for those looking to park their Rupees in Dubai’s real estate market, according to real estate consultancy Cluttons.

A Qatar human rights body has dismissed the recent report from the Indian embassy that more than 450 Indian migrant workers have died in Qatar in almost two years, and said that the figure is ‘normal’ given the size of the community.

In response to a Right To Information ( RTI ) request filed, the Indian embassy in Qatar gave figures detailing the number of deaths in 2012 and the first 11 months of 2013.

More than 450 women deserted by their overseas Indian spouses have been helped by the government through monetary assistance and legal support, the ministry of overseas Indian affairs said Tuesday.

In 2007, the ministry had introduced a scheme under which women deserted by their overseas spouses were given assistance of $1,500 per case.

An Indian origin researcher has taken a step closer towards cure for blindness by discovering an ultra-thin layer hidden deep in the eye that can help treat glaucoma. Professor Harminder Dua, of Nottingham University, has discovered just how the ultra-thin layer- which is just 0.001mm thick- works, suggesting that it could now be vital for beating glaucoma, the Daily Express reported.

An Indian-origin woman in the UK, who is suffering from polycystic ovary syndrome that results in excessive hair growth, has embraced her condition and growing a beard after being baptised as a Sikh.

Harnaam Kaur told the Daily Star that she had been struggling with hair growth on her face, chest and arms since she was 11 and was called ‘beardo’, ‘shemale’ and ‘sheman’ for it. 23-year-old Kaur explained that because of the bullying she started doing self-harm and hiding away in her house as she couldn’t bear the strangers staring at her because of her condition.

More than 450 Indian migrant workers have reportedly died in the last two years in Qatar, putting the Gulf State under more pressure over its rights record ahead of the 2022 World Cup.

In response to a Right To Information (RTI) request filed, the Indian embassy in Qatar gave figures detailing the number of deaths in 2012 and the first 11 months of 2013. According to Gulf news, the figures revealed that an average of 20 migrants died per month, peaking at 27 in August last year, adding that there were 237 fatalities in 2012 and another 218 in 2013 up to December 5.

A Qatar rights body said today that the death of over 450 Indian workers in almost two years in the country hosting the 2022 World Cup was “normal” given the size of the community.

Estimated at around 500,000, “Indians make up the largest community in Qatar… twice the number of Qatari nationals,” said Ali bin Sumaikh al-Marri, head of the National Human Rights Committee, which is close to the government.

The gas-rich Gulf state has faced mounting criticism from human rights groups over the safety and working conditions of migrants working in its booming construction industry.

Indian-origin former German lawmaker has challenged the child pornography allegations levelled against him by state prosecutors, accusing them of lying about the probe against him.

Sebastian Edathy, 44, who is facing probe for allegedly possessing child pornography, has denied any wrongdoing.

A 14-year-old Indian schoolgirl allegedly committed suicide by jumping from a high-rise building here after she was caught cheating in an exam, a media report said today.

The body of the girl, who jumped from the 17th floor of Jumeirah Lakes Towers, was found by a cleaner on Friday and he then informed police.

Investigations revealed that on the day of the incident, the girl was caught cheating in an exam. Her teacher warned her that she would be terminated if she was caught cheating again.

A police officer was quoted by Khaleej Times as saying:

A 19-year-old Indian-origin student of the Southern Illinois University has gone missing with his family offering a reward of USD 15,000 for information leading to his recovery.

Pravin Varughese, originally from Morton Grove, was last seen about 11 pm on Wednesday in Carbondale, Illinois, police said.

The family is now offering a reward of USD 15,000 for information leading to the recovery of Varughese, a statement
from the Carbondale Police Department said.

His sister, Priya Varughese, said Pravin, his cousin and a roommate had all gone to a house party in that area that
night.

Syed Ali Dilawer has been conferred with the “Best Citizens of India Award 2014” by The International Publishing House for his outstanding contribution in the field of Project Management. The Award Comprise a plaque, citation, and specially dedicating on page of the volume “The Honored Best Citizens of India” being brought out by the International Publishing House New Delhi.