NRI News ( Page 23 of 24 )

Phil Noyce apoligies for attacks on Indian Students November 28, 2011 08:31

Australian film legend Phil Noyce Sunday apologised on behalf of Australians for the spate of attacks on Indian students studying in his country. Noyce, several of whose films have been based on apartheid both in Africa as well as the neglect of the native aborigine population Down Under, said that the Indian community in Australia was living in harmony and the violence was a result of stray incidents. “I apologise for the problems they are having on behalf of Australians. Sometimes Australians can be… The Indian diaspora in Australia is growing every year. A majority of them are living and studying in harmony,” Noyce said. “It is unfortunate that visitors to another country are treated in this manner,” he added India had cautioned Australia over the increasing number of attacks on Indian students through 2009 and 2010 sparking a diplomatic wrangle between the two nations. Conservative estimates suggest that there are over 100,000 Indian students studying in the various educational hubs of Australia. Noyce, along with French filmmaker Luc Besson, is being honoured with a retrospective section dedicated towards their films at the 42nd International Film festival of India (IFFI), being held in Goa. Noyce’s films like “The Quiet American”, “Clear and Present Danger”, “Dead Calm”, “Newsfront” and “Back Roads” are being presented as part of the retrospective. Among the other popular movies directed by Noyce are the Angelina Jolie starrers “Salt” (2010) and “The Bone Collector” (1999) and Val Kilmer starrer “The Saint” (1997).

Feast of Buddhist arts culture in Delhi from Monday November 26, 2011 06:01

The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) presented A multi-disciplinary festival of Buddhist arts and culture will bring to the capital performances and art from across Asia Nov 28-Dec 1. The festival spread across several venues like Azad Bhawan, Kamani theatre, Dilli Haat and public spaces will host performance troupes and screen Buddhist cinema from Sri Lanka, Nepal, Japan, Cambodia, Korea, Bhutan, Ladakh, Shillong, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, a statement said Thursday. It will be presented by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) to coincide with the Global Buddhist Congregation to commemorate the 2,600th year of enlightenment of Lord Buddha. The objective of the festival is to showcase influence of Buddhism in performing arts and traditions which have impacted not only India but other countries where Buddhism is the prominent religion or the social factor. A spokesperson for ICCR said it was one of the first ever attempts by the cultural body to reinforce Buddhist traditions through the performing arts sector, to coincide with the global congregation being organised by the Asoka Mission. On Nov 30, Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama will unveil a coffee table book, "Sharnam Gacchami: An Album of Awakening". The book has been published by Full Circle with the support of the public diplomacy division of the external affairs ministry. The book portrays India as the land where Buddha preached and where great scholars planted the roots of Buddhism.

No mass exodus of Indian nurses from Saudi Arabia: Vayalar Ravi November 25, 2011 07:23

There are no instances where exodus of Indian nurses in large numbers from Saudi Arabia has taken place, parliament was told Wednesday. Replying to a question in the Lok Sabha, Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi said that as per provision of the contracts, Saudi authorities can employ a Saudi nurse as and when available in place of a foreign recruit after payment of legal dues to such nurses. "The Saudi side has not informed about the number of such nurses who might have returned to India," he said. The minister said the Indian mission in Saudi Arabia has taken up cases of a few nurses with the Saudi government on humanitarian grounds. "The Saudi side takes such decisions in line with the nationalisation policy of the government to provide jobs to unemployed Saudi citizens and in accordance with the provisions contained in the contract," Ravi added.

NRIs in half-billion dollar fraud case July 09, 2011 13:51

In a “jaw-dropping” and “epic” case, an Indian-American couple here has been charged with raking in over $460 million in crooked cash through a record-setting corruption scam. Reddy Allen and Dr Padma Allen have been indicted on federal fraud and kickback charges in relation to thescandals surrounding mayor Michael Bloomberg administration’s CityTime project, intended to modernise the municipal payroll system. A grand jury said yesterday that more than $600 million of the project’s bloated budget is “tainted” by fraud. The couple secured a lucrative, no-bid subcontract for the CityTime that made it look like their firm, TechnoDyne, was “a successful and fast-growing company,” the New York Post reported. But the “engine of its growth” was actually an overbilling scam in which the Allens paid out more than $15 million in kickbacks and hired a bevy of crooked subcontractors, according to the indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court. Authorities say the brazen corruption was part of a “massive and elaborate scheme” involving high-ranking executives at prime contractor Science Applications International Corp who pocketed $5 for every hour worked by 300-plus consultants. CityTime was initially budgeted at $63 million, but has cost taxpayers more than $720 million to date. Manhattan US Attorney Preet Bharara called the alleged scam “truly jaw-dropping” and “epic in duration, magnitude and scope.” Bharara said prosecutors were seeking to have the Allens extradited from their native India, where they fled in February after getting slapped with grand-jury subpoenas.

Court denies medical admission to foreign-returned 'NRI' girl July 09, 2011 13:46

AHMEDABAD: Vrushali Shah went to the US twice on a visitor's visa. Upon return , on the basis of her two visits abroad, she obtained admission in the post-graduation level in the faculty of medicine on claims that she was a Non-Resident Indian (NRI). Vrushali had completed her MBBS from Pramukh Swami Medical College in Karamsad this year, and opted for PG course in General Medicine at the NHL Municipal Medical College, Ahmedabad in the NRI category. Vrushali applied in this category posing as an NRI on the basis of a certificate issued by a prestigious immigration and tax consultant . The consultant stated in his certificate that since Vrushali was out of India on two occasions for a total number of 186 days during the financial year 2010-11 , she was eligible to apply for admission in the NRI category of PG seats.

NRI asked to serve in blind school for 6 months for harassing wife July 09, 2011 13:42

A Canada-based expatriate Indian, who married a young divorcee in Delhi but deserted her soon after marriage which led her to commit suicide, has been convicted by a Delhi court for subjecting her to mental torture but let off with a mild sentence asking him to serve a blind school in the city for six months. After convicting Pawan Dass, a resident of Surrey in Canada, Additional Sessions Judge Kamini Lau let him off on probation on the plea for leniency by his counsel, who pointed out that he had been in jail for last 11 months. Lau, however, ordered him to perform community service at blind students school at Kingsway Camp in North Delhi for six months. "Single women particularly divorcee are easy prey. In the hope of getting away from anxieties and pressures of day-to-day life, they become victims of NRIs, who sell them tall dreams of a bright life away from their homes and after marriage abandoned them causing physical, mental and psychological deprivation as has happened in the present case," Lau said, convicting Dass. The Delhi police had sent up Dass for trial on charges of subjecting his wife Richa to cruelty and driving her to commit suicide in April 2004 after marrying her during one of his brief visits to Delhi from Canada in December 2003. The court, however, acquitted him of the charges of drving her to commit suicide. A divorcee, Dass had married Richa after winning her sympathies, the prosecution alleged adding that after the wedlock he had returned to Canada and began living there with his first wife with whom he had a break-up earlier and her children. Before marrying Richa, Dass compelled her to convert to Christianity, but refused to speak to her properly even on phone as she made long-distance calls to speak to him, said prosecution adding that he would even abuse her on phone, resulting in bouts of abysmal depression. "If using filthy / abusive language to the newly married wife on telephone is not cruelty then what else is?" the judge said on Pawan's defence that he had not subjected Richa to cruelty. The court pointed out that "of late a large number of cases have come to light where the NRIs have been exploiting young qualified Indian women in the name of marriage."

Wrongfully held, diplomat's daughter May 07, 2011 05:45

NEW YORK/NEW DELHI: The Indian government on Wednesday came out in full support of 18-year-old Krittika Biswas, daughter of an Indian diplomat, after she sued the New York City government for $1.5 million for being arrested on false charges, handcuffed and confined with criminals. Krittika's harrowing experience began after she was accused of sending anti-semitic emails to her school teachers sometime in December 2010 — a charge that she repeatedly denied. She was arrested on February 8 and kept in jail for 24 hours before the Indian consulate and the embassy in Washington swung into action to secure her release from prison. Thereafter, despite the Queens district attorney dropping the charges and expunging her arrest from the record, school officials sent Krittika to a suspension centre. There, Krittika told Times Now, she was treated like a criminal and forced to spend time with "HIV patients and sex workers". Her arrest and confinement have raised questions of racial bias in the New York Police as well as the school authorities. The teenager told Times Now that when she told the cops to contact the Indian consulate, they asked her, "Are you a diplomat?" On Wednesday, lawyer Ravi Batra said Krittika, whose father Debashish Biswas is vice counsel at the Indian consulate here, has sued the New York City government claiming $1.5 million in damages. Indian consulate general Prabhu Dayal said Krittika deserved the compensation from the US government as "she has undergone mental and physical torture. This has scarred her mind for the rest of her life." Official sources in the Ministry of External Affairs told TOI, "We have taken this issue up with the US government. We have conveyed our anguish at the incident." They even said that the school's decision to not charge the real culprit, an "Asian" boy, spoke volumes of their "double standards". She alleged that she was not allowed to use the bathroom when she was in custody at the 107th precinct. "Eventually, I had to go in front of everyone," she said, referring to a small toilet in the cell occupied by other people.s Batra said that her more than 24-hour arrest violated international, federal, state and city laws. Batra said neither Krittika's father nor the consulate general were informed of her arrest on February 8. "They (the school) based my arrest on basically nothing," Krittika said, adding that the school did not suspend the Chinese student who sent the emails. "I don't know why he wasn't arrested... the principal pushed for my arrest." She said a cop told her that if she didn't confess, she would have to spend time in prison with prostitutes and people with HIV. She couldn't drink water from a water fountain because it had another person's vomit, and although it was really cold, she could not use the blanket because it stank. The New York Police Department is not responding to calls and an email seeking a response. Dayal later said that the incident would have no bearing on Indo-US relations. "This is an aberration... a wrongful act of local officials," he said. In addition to compensatory and punitive damages, Batra suggested that Mayor Bloomberg could perhaps give "a key to the City to Krittika as a token of heartfelt sorrow for the unbecoming pain inflicted upon her."

Wrongfully held, diplomat's daughter sues NY for $1.5m May 07, 2011 05:45

Indian-origin student drowns in Canada May 07, 2011 05:45

Recalling their ordeal after their boat capsized, one of the survivors told the paper, "We were all struggling. The water was freezing. The canoe tipped over and I knew if we didn't call someone it would have been over for all of us." The survivor said he and Srinivasan tried to save their third friend who was struggling to stay afloat despite being the only one wearing a life jacket. He said that between shouts for help, he and Srinivasan took turns to prop up their sinking friend. But by the time neighbours in nearby cottages arrived in motorboats to save them, Srinivasan drowned. Gunjan Gite, Srinivasan's girlfriend of four years, told the newspaper that he was "completely selfless. His personality just shines out. You meet him once and you feel like you can open up to him... He cares so much for everyone around him". Recalling their ordeal after their boat capsized, one of the survivors told the paper, "We were all struggling. The water was freezing. The canoe tipped over and I knew if we didn't call someone it would have been over for all of us." The survivor said he and Srinivasan tried to save their third friend who was struggling to stay afloat despite being the only one wearing a life jacket. He said that between shouts for help, he and Srinivasan took turns to prop up their sinking friend. But by the time neighbours in nearby cottages arrived in motorboats to save them, Srinivasan drowned. Gunjan Gite, Srinivasan's girlfriend of four years, told the newspaper that he was "completely selfless. His personality just shines out. You meet him once and you feel like you can open up to him... He cares so much for everyone around him". - The University of Waterloo is a favourite institution with Indian students. Hyderabad-born Prem Watsa, who is known as the 'Canadian Warren Buffet', is the chancellor of the university.

Wrongfully held, diplomat's daughter sues NY for $1.5m May 07, 2011 05:45

Indian-origin student drowns in Canada May 07, 2011 05:45

Chota Rajan ordered Dey’s murder June 28, 2011 12:37

Mumbai police, after claiming to have cracked the murder case of senior crime reporter of the Mid-Day tabloid Mr Jyotirmoy Dey, said today that it was a contract killing and the murder was committed on the orders of the underworld don Chota Rajan.Mumbai Police Commissioner Arup Patnaik however could not disclose the motive behind the murder. “We have an inkling of the motive and we will reveal it after making sure through proper investigations,” he told media persons at his office in Mumbai.The hit men conducted recces at Dey’s office and at his residence in Powai before they put their plan into action. The recces were conducted by Rajan henchman and main shooter Rohit Thangappan alias Satish Kalia who shot Dey with a sophisticated, foreign made .32 bore revolver. Kalia and his six accomplices received Rs 5 lakh totally for eliminating the journalist, said the officer adding that the shooters came to know that they have killed a journalist only after the act. “On the instructions of Rajan, the killers left for several places across India and the first arrests were made in Tamil Nadu.The arrested were produced before the criminal court in Mumbai and the court ordered them to police custody till July 4 for further questioning.