NRIs Corner

Claiming that H-1B visas lead to outsourcing of US jobs, an American professional body of engineers has opposed the move of expanding the most popular working visa among IT professionals.

“The H-1B programme shouldn’t be used to facilitate the transfer of high-paying jobs to other countries. If Congress wants a full US economic recovery, it shouldn’t even think about expanding it,” IEEE-USA President Marc Apter said.

Beginning Monday, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services will start accepting
applications for the H-1B visas for the fiscal year 2014 starting October.

A new surveillance video obtained by American law enforcement agencies could provide some vital clue about Indian-American Sunil Tripathi, who went missing on March 16.

An image from the surveillance video, captured near Brown University on March 16, just 19 minutes after Sunil’s last recorded computer activity, displays a man walking south on Brook Street who matches Sunil’s physical description: six feet tall, skinny, and last seen wearing a black cap, dark jacket and jeans.

An undergraduate student from the Brown University, Sunil went missing on March 16.

A US-based Indian engineer has designed and patented three waste disposal units that “match architecture and road systems” of India.

“We have got narrow streets and alleys. Our disposal system should match the architecture and road systems. It is only partly happening,” Ganga Narayan Ghosh told IANS on the sidelines of a media conference here Thursday.

“I have studied the system for over 30 years and have designed and patented three containers that can be used effectively and at a low cost in India,” he added.

Washington, March 29 (IANS) Members of the Sikh Community joined President Barack Obama as he sought to spur lawmakers into action against gun violence in the wake of tragedies like the Newtown massacre in December that killed 20 first-graders.

“We need everybody to remember how we felt 100 days ago and make sure that what we said at that time wasn’t just a bunch of platitudes, that we meant it,” Obama said at a White House event Thursday on a National Day of Action by supporters of tougher gun laws.

Sydney, Mar 29 (ANI): Rookie fast bowler Gurinder Sandhu has made history by becoming the first Indian-origin player ever to win the prestigious Steve Waugh medal on Wednesday.

In what was a whirlwind six weeks to end the summer, Sandhu took 14 wickets in four Ryobi Cup games and 14 wickets in just two Sheffield Shield matches to clinch NSW”s top gong, News.com.au reports.

It was a remarkable effort by the giant right-arm quick, who only made his first-class debut at the start of this month, the paper said.

A new Saudi labour policy reserving 10 percent of jobs for locals is a major issue for India as it could lead to reduced employment there for Indians, a senior minister said Thursday.

“It’s a serious issue that will affect not only India but also other countries. Yesterday I spoke to the Indian ambassador in Saudi Arabia and has asked him to keep me informed on all the developments,” Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi told TV channels in Kerala.

In a bid to cut down on immigration, British Prime Minister David Cameron on Monday announced a string of tough measures to over-turn the country’s “soft touch” image, restricting new immigrants’ rights to unemployment, health benefits and a “home on arrival”.

“Under the last government, immigration in this country was too high and out of control. Put simply, Britain was a soft touch,” he said during his long-awaited speech on immigration.

US authorities including the Federal Bureau of investigation (FBI) have expanded their search for Sunil Tripathi, an Indian-American student of Brown University, who went missing ten days ago.

Police assisted by the FBI are scouring Providence, Rhode Island, and nearby cities for any sign of the missing 22-year-old man, but appear to be no closer to knowing where he is. Police have have no solid leads so far, CNN reported citing detective Mark Sacco.

Outside of Providence, the search has been extended to Boston, Connecticut, New York, and Philadelphia.

The FBI has joined a search for 22-year-old Indian-American Sunil Tripathi, an undergraduate Brown University student who went missing on March 16.

The police of Providence, Rhode Island, has launched a massive search operation to find Tripathi, while his friends have not only been doing their own search, putting up posters across the city, but also have launched a Facebook page to find him.

Lead investigator detective Mark Sacco said “no solid leads” have been found so far.
Tripathi’s cellphone, credit card, ID and other personal things were found in his room.

More than 100 million people from across the world, including 10 million from India, would like to move permanently to the US, which remains the most popular global destination, according to a latest opinion poll.

Potential migrants who would like to move to the US are logically the most likely to come from some of the most populous countries in the world, the Gallup poll said.

The poll said that 19 million Chinese would like to move to the US, followed by 13 million from Nigeria, 10 million from India and six million each from Brazil and Bangladesh.

In a study that could apply to politicians around the world, students of a British university have measured the debates by MPs in Parliament to find that they release up to 10.34 kilowatts (KW) of power, as a result
of their vocal exertions.

According to physics students from the University of Leicester, the “hot air” produced by 650 MPs debating in the
House of Commons releases energy equivalent to about 1,000 energy-saving light bulbs or 200 old fashioned ones.

They published the findings in a paper entitled ‘Hot Air in the House of Commons’ in the university’s ‘Journal of

Challenging White House’s claim that it had nothing to do with the release of over 2,000 immigration detainees from jail, opposition Republicans have suggested it was motivated by politics rather than forced budget cuts.

“From this vantage point, it does look like the decision to release detainees was a political determination and not a monetary determination,” said Republican House member Trey Gowdy during a Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday.

A retired DSP of Uttar Pradesh Police and two persons including a UK-based NRI were today arrested in the over Rs 130-crore heroin recovery case in which another NRI Anoop Singh Kahlon was already in police net and Olympic winner Vijender Singh was quizzed last week.

Key US senators are reported to be developing plans that would make it harder for the relatives of American citizens to immigrate to the US, while easing the path for more high-skilled foreign workers.

The plans are part of ongoing talks between a bipartisan group of eight senators, whose bill is expected to serve as the template for a comprehensive immigration deal between Congress and the White House, the Washington Post reported.

Indian ambassador Nirupama Rao has expressed her “firm view” that India-US economic relationship would only become stronger over time despite concerns of businesses on both sides.

“Just as US businesses have some concerns, Indian industry has also highlighted its concerns,” she said Friday at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies’ (CSIS) Statesmen’s Forum – “US- India Economic Agenda in 2013”.

Aiming to strengthen bilateral ties in the fields of trade and economy, Crown Prince of Bahrain Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa will pay a two-day visit to India beginning March 17.

His Royal Highness will be accompanied by a high-level official delegation including a number of leading businessmen.

India is one of the significant Asian economies that have achieved major strides commercially, industrially and in the field of economic development, marking the importance of this visit,” a release from the Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain said today.

Alarmed by the high prevalence of sleep disorders among the Indian population and the lack of specific data on this, an Indian-Norwegian group that is running a chain of clinics across the country to treat the disorders will now conduct detailed research on them and recommend remedial measures.

In a relief to Indian-origin surgeon and manslaughter convict Jayant Patel, an Australian court today found him not guilty for the death of an elderly patient in 2003, after the Supreme Court ordered his retrial in the three cases of criminal negligence.

Sadat Ali Khan, 59, the former District Sales Manager of Air India, passed away on March 10 after a protracted illness. Khan battled cancer for the last three years.

Khan was buried in Al-Mualla cemetery in Makkah after funeral prayers at the Grand Mosque thanks to the efforts of the Indian Consul General Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, who was present during the burial.

Khan is survived by his wife, three daughters and a son.

Khan was born on June 25, 1954, in the central Indian city of Bhopal. His initial education was from Hamidiya School and then Barkatullah University.

US filmmaker Steven Spielberg, who made several trips to India as a backpacker in ’70s and ’80s, feels Americans need to be more aware of Indian cinema and the director is keen to “build the cultural bridge” between the two countries.

“I am not as aware of Indian cinema as I should be sitting here. We don’t have great access to Indian films in America,” Spielberg told Amitabh Bachchan during a meeting with India’s top 60 directors here last evening.

India and Kuwait Monday discussed opportunities for Kuwaiti investment in refineries in India and also matters relating to the welfare of the large Indian diaspora in Kuwait.

The talks were held between External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid and visiting Kuwaiti Minister of Amiri Dewan Affairs’ Sheikh Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah here.

“During the discussions, opportunities for Kuwaiti investment in refineries in India and potential Indian project exports to Kuwait were discussed,” official sources said.

An Indian American widow charged with keeping an undocumented Indian maid as a slave has been convicted of harbouring an illegal immigrant, but found not guilty of the stiffer charge of keeping her for financial gain.

Annie George, 40, could possibly be sentenced to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and forfeiture of her share of a mansion near Albany in upstate New York, according to local newspaper The Saratogian.

George is scheduled to be sentenced July 9 by Federal District Court Judge Gary Sharpe in Albany, about 140 miles north of New York City.

India is the sixth most favourable nation for Americans, while at least eight out of 10 do not like Pakistan, making it the third most unfavourable nation after Iran and Korea, according to a latest poll.

According to the GallUP Polls, nearly seven (68 per cent) out of every 10 persons interviewed for the poll favoured India, thus ranking it sixth after Canada (91 per cent), Great Britain (88 per cent), Germany (85 per cent), Japan (81 per cent) and France (73 per cent).

A New York jury has sought a review of the testimony of an Indian-American woman charged with keeping an illegal immigrant woman from India as a virtual slave at her mansion in upstate New York.

Jurors deciding the federal case of the 40-year-old Annie George in US District Court Albany, about 140 miles north of New York City, Thursday asked Judge Gary Sharpe to re-hear testimony in which George possibly referred to Valsamma Mathai as “the maid,” Albany Times Union reported.

Dubai, Mar. 6 (ANI): A 53-year-old Pakistani man living in Dubai has claimed he dialed 999 over 100 times on a daily basis so he would be produced in a court and deported.

The man said he hit on his scheme after being rendered an illegal after 30 years in Dubai and having lost all hope of securing a job.

According to Gulf News, he said he was broke and couldn’t afford a ticket to return to his home country after losing his job at Dubai Police, where he had worked as a calligrapher for 16 years.