The Indian Panorama

Month: March 2016

  • Indian American Boy in Fray for$100,000 ‘Child Genius’ Prize

    Indian American Boy in Fray for$100,000 ‘Child Genius’ Prize

    WASHINGTON (TIP): An Indian American boy, with his terrific memory skills and mathematical abilities, is all set to lock horns with two other finalists in the second season of Lifetime Television’s competition “Child Genius: Battle of the Brightest”, a media report said.

    Nine-year-old Arnav Krishna from New York stands a chance to win a whopping $100,000 college fund and the title of Child Genius 2016, the American bazaar reported on Wednesday.

    The winner of the competition will be declared today night.

    Arnav’s mother Seema Krishna is a marketing executive, and father Vijay Krishna works as a financial services executive.

    The Lifetime Television cited Arnav as someone “with an eye to becoming an architect and a mathematician when he is older” and as one who is always inquisitive and bears a researcher’s instinct.

    “Arnav is off to a good start with successive rankings in national math competitions,” Lifetime Television was quoted as saying.

    In addition to his academic prowess, Arnav is also good at playing tennis. He loves piano, swimming and chess.

    The second edition of the competition, which premiered on January 7 this year, featured some of the most extraordinary and talented children in the US as they braced for the ultimate battle of the brains.

    The competition, created in cooperation with the American Mensa — a standardized intelligence test, takes place over ten weeks and tests the nation’s brightest young minds on their knowledge in categories such as math, spelling, geography, and current events.

     

  • Indian Origin Dean of Top US Law School Accused of Sexual Harassment

    Indian Origin Dean of Top US Law School Accused of Sexual Harassment

    NEW YORK (TIP): A 45-year-old Indian-origin dean of a prestigious US law school has been accused of sexually harassing his assistant for over a period of several months.

    Sujit Choudhry has taken an indefinite leave of absence after his executive assistant at the Berkeley Law School filed a lawsuit against him for sexually harassing her from September 2014 until March 2015.

    A lawsuit was filed this week against him in Alameda County Superior Court in California against Mr. Choudhry and the University of California Board of Regents by the assistant, who is suing for sexual harassment, failure to prevent harassment, retaliation, infliction of emotional distress and assault.

    The lawsuit alleges that Mr. Choudhry hugged and kissed his assistant almost daily over a period of several months.

    Mr. Choudhry, an expert in comparative constitutional law, was named in 2014 the 12th dean of the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, one of the country’s top schools.

    New Delhi-born Mr. Choudhry who holds law degrees from Oxford, Toronto, and Harvard denied the allegations. He said he will continue to cooperate with the university in the probe. He disagreed with the victim’s claims and allegations and said he will defend himself against them.

    “Choudhry’s kissing and hugging Plaintiff was a near daily occurrence,” the lawsuit says according to a report in NBC Bay area, making her “feel disgusted, humiliated, exposed and dirty”. Mr. Choudhry has been given a 10-per cent, one-year reduction in salary and ordered to apologies to the victim. “However, I can say that I cooperated fully, and take extremely seriously, the University’s confidential investigation into this matter and ensuing sanction, he said.

    Berkeley’s Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Claude Steele said in a statement that Mr. Choudhry would step down to his faculty position and salary. The school would announce as soon as possible about an interim replacement.

    “A thorough investigation of this case found that Dean Choudhry’s behavior in this situation violated policy, and that he demonstrated a failure to understand the power dynamic and the effect of his actions on the plaintiff personally and in her employment,” Mr. Steele said.

    The victim has been granted a fully paid administrative leave and Mr. Steele said once she felt ready to return to the workplace, “we supported her search to find a position on campus that meets her interests and needs”.

    Court documents allege that Mr. Choudhry’s behavior became more aggressive and “occurred multiple times per day”.

  • At least five killed, several hurt in US shooting

    At least five killed, several hurt in US shooting

    WILKINSBURG (TIP): At least five people were killed and several injured on Wednesday in a shooting near Pittsburgh, with police and paramedics rushing to the scene, media said.

    Four women and one man were shot and killed in a residential neighborhood in Wilkinsburg, about 8 miles (13 km) east of the city, news station WPXI said, adding that the suspects were at large.

    “I heard at least 20 shots,” a witness, Kayla Alexandra, told WPXI, which reported that at least two gunmen were involved in the shooting. Other regional media said seven or eight people were shot.

  • Indian-American Doctor Convicted in Kickback Scheme

    Indian-American Doctor Convicted in Kickback Scheme

    CHICAGO (TIP): A 69-year-old Indian-origin doctor in the US has been convicted of illegally receiving benefits for referring elderly patients to a financially struggling hospital in Chicago.

    Venkateswara Kuchipudi of Illinois became the fifth physician and 10th defendant overall to be convicted for taking part in the massive Medicare and Medicaid fraud scheme at the now-shuttered Sacred Heart Hospital.

    He was convicted after a five-week trial on one count of conspiracy to defraud the US and nine counts of illegally soliciting or receiving benefits in return for referrals of patients covered under a federal health care program.

    Each count carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a USD 250,000 fine.

    US District Judge Matthew Kennelly scheduled a sentencing hearing for June.

    From 2001 through April 2013, hospital executives conspired to pay kickbacks and bribes to physicians to induce them to refer patients for services that would be reimbursed by federal insurance program Medicare and Medicaid.

    The scheme earned the financially struggling hospital millions of dollars in reimbursements from Medicare and Medicaid.

    Evidence at Mr. Kuchipudi’s trial revealed that he was one of the hospital’s most prolific sources of patient referrals.

    In exchange for his referrals, the hospital provided Mr. Kuchipudi with free labor in the form of physician assistants and nurse practitioners.

    The hospital allowed Mr. Kuchipudi to bill Medicare and Medicaid for the services of the physician assistants and nurse practitioners as if he employed them himself.

  • Two Indians win NASA’s Textile Test Methods Challenge managed by NineSigma

    Two Indians win NASA’s Textile Test Methods Challenge managed by NineSigma

    HOUSTON (TIP) NASA recently announced the winners of two challenges to create new concepts for construction and human habitation on future space exploration missions, including the agency’s journey to Mars.

    Ahilan Anantha Krishnan from Indian Institute of Technology Bombay for Evaluating Space Suit Textile Abrasion in Planetary Environments

    Himel Barua, a student at the University of Akron along with his team mates for Cylindrical Abrasion Method (team includes Himel Barua, Thomas L. Collins, Riniah Foor, Evan Hess, Joey Stavale, Christopher Daniels, Heather Oravec, Janice Mather and M.J. Braun)

    The Space Suit Textile Testing and In-Situ Materials Challenges, managed for NASA by NineSigma, launched in October 2015 under the umbrella of the NASA Tournament Lab, yielded innovative concepts for spacesuit testing and in-situ building materials use for habitat construction.

    “These two challenges offered the opportunity to think about two basic needs of exploration – protective suits and building materials – in a new way,” said Steve Rader, deputy manager of NASA’s Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation (CoECI). “Our journey to Mars will require innovations in design and technology; opening our process up to the public gives us more creative paths to follow.”

    The Space Suit Textile Testing Challenge offered three prizes of $5,000 for winning ideas on how to test the outer protective layer of spacesuit material for performance in different kinds of planetary environments, such as like Mars or large asteroids.

  • Indian American investor Sunil Sabharwal occupies key IMF position

    Indian American investor Sunil Sabharwal occupies key IMF position

    WASHINGTON (TIP): Independent investor Sunil Sabharwal has become the first Indian-American to occupy a key administration post at the IMF, three weeks after he was confirmed by the Senate.

    Sabharwal, who was confirmed by the US Senate after a long waiting, assumed the position as Alternate Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund on Wednesday, March 2.

    Given that the US commands more than 16.81 per cent of the total IMF voting share; this is one of the most powerful positions in the International Monetary Fund.

    US President Barack Obama nominated Sabharwal for the post in April 2014 and then re-nominated in March 2015.

    Born to an Indian father and a Hungarian mother in New Delhi, his parents separated when he was 9 years old and he later moved to Budapest.

    Sabharwal served as board chairman of Ogone, a European e-commerce payment services firm, from 2011-13 and advised Warburg Pincus on its acquisition of easy cash, a German network services company, subsequently becoming a board adviser there from 2006-2009.

    From 2003-2006, he was senior vice president, strategic investments, at First Data Corp/Western Union and from 1997-2003, held executive posts at GE Capital, including managing director.

    From 1992-96 Sabharwal worked at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, lastly as principal banker.

    He has a BS from Ohio State University and an MS from the London Business School.

  • STEM F-1 visa students can work for 3 years under OPT – From May 10, 2016: it’s official

    STEM F-1 visa students can work for 3 years under OPT – From May 10, 2016: it’s official

    NEW YORK (TIP): The much anticipated new rule for F-1 OPT STEM extension has been released for public inspection.

    On March 9, 2016, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released an advance copy of the final rule pertaining to optional practical training (OPT) for certain students with degrees in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM).

    The official version of the final rule is scheduled to be published in the Federal Register on March 11, 2016.

    The new rule will permit employers to retain the talents of certain individuals currently dependent on an F-1 nonimmigrant student visa for a longer period.

    USCIS will begin accepting applications under this provision on May 10, 2016. Prior to that date, USCIS will continue to accept applications per the existing 17-month STEM OPT procedures.

    Here is a quick overview:

    F-1 visa students who are enrolled in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) fields of study from accredited educational institutions will be allowed, beginning from May 10, 2016, to work for as long as three years under the new Optional Practical Training (OPT) regulations. The 17-month STEM OPT regulations remain in force through May 9, 2016.

    The Department of Homeland Security released its final rule in this matter, which will be published in the Federal Register Friday, March 11.

    Beginning on May 10, 2016, USCIS will issue RFEs to students whose applications are still pending on that date.

    The RFEs will allow these students to effectively amend their application to demonstrate eligibility for 24-month extensions without incurring an additional fee or having to refile the Application for Employment Authorization. Specifically, USCIS will issue RFEs requesting documentation that will establish that the student is eligible for a 24-month STEM OPT extension, including a Form I-20 Certificate of Eligibility endorsed on or after May 10, 2016, indicating that the designated school official (DSO) recommends the student for a 24-month STEM OPT extension.

    A student may file for a STEM OPT extension only if the student is in a valid period of post-completion OPT at the time of filing.

    Any 17-month STEM OPT EAD that is issued before May 10, 2016 will remain valid until the EAD expires or is terminated or revoked.

    As a transitional measure, starting on May 10, 2016, certain students with such EADs will have a limited window in which to apply for an additional 7 months of OPT, effectively enabling them to benefit from a 24-month period of STEM OPT.

    The STEM OPT student must properly file an Application for Employment Authorization with USCIS, along with applicable fees and supporting documentation, on or before August 8, 2016, and within 60 days of the date the DSO enters the recommendation for the 24-month STEM OPT extension into the student’s SEVIS record.

    DHS believes that the 90-day window for filing such applications provides sufficient time for students to submit a required Training Plan, obtain the necessary Form I-20 Certificate of Eligibility and recommendation from the student’s DSO, and fulfill other requirements for the 24-month extension.

    The student must have at least 150 calendar days remaining prior to the expiration of the 17-month STEM OPT EAD at the time the Application for Employment Authorization is filed.

    This 150-day period guarantees that a student who obtains an additional 7-month extension will have at least 1 year of practical training under the enhancements introduced in this rule, including site visits, reporting requirements, and statement and evaluation of goals and objectives. For students who choose to seek an additional 7-month extension, the new enhancements apply upon the proper filing of the Application for Employment Authorization requesting the 7-month extension.

    What Employers Need to Know About the New Rule

    This new regulation includes the following major provisions:

    1. increases the STEM OPT extension period from 17 months to 24 months;
    2. automatically extends work authorization if students properly file a STEM OPT extension;
    3. permits students currently approved for a 17-month extension of work authorization to apply for the balance of the new 24-month extension if they meet certain requirements pertaining to timing of their applications;
    4. allows students enrolled in a subsequent STEM degree program at a higher level to become eligible for an additional 24-month STEM OPT extension upon completion of the subsequent, higher level program;
    5. permits eligibility for the 24-month STEM OPT extension under the new rule to be based on a previously obtained STEM degree (with certain limitations);
    6. provides clearer definitions of STEM fields of study within the Department of Education categories;
    7. requires students and employers to submit a formal training plan (i.e., learning objectives for the student) and certain employer attestations to protect the U.S. workforce-both of which the student and employer must submit on Form I-983 Training Plan for STEM OPT Students (to be released by USCIS);
    8. adds new reporting requirements for students and their employers, including confirmation of the student’s physical residence and employment status every six months, regular evaluations regarding the student’s progress with the training plan, and immediate notification regarding termination of the student’s employment; and
    9. provides for DHS site visits to employer locations in which STEM OPT students are employed. The DHS will generally give advance notice of such visits but may also conduct an unannounced visit if triggered by a complaint or other evidence of violation of the regulations.

    In addition, the updated rule retains other original provisions from the 2008 interim rule, such as: E-Verify and reporting requirements for STEM OPT employers; and a cap-gap extension for F-1 nonimmigrants with timely filed H-1B cap-subject petitions requesting change of status.

    Mentoring and Training Programs for OPT Participants

    One of the most notable changes in the new rule is the requirement for employer implementation of formal mentoring and training programs for OPT participants. Employers must now create a mentoring and training plan, which is signed by the employer and the student as a prerequisite to obtaining the STEM extension period; this plan must be submitted on USCIS’s new Form I-983. The plan must describe the field in which the employee will receive training; list the name, title, and contact information of a designated supervisor within the company; and describe in detail the following parameters:

    • how the proposed work assignment is directly related to the student’s degree;
    • a list of the goals and objectives of the program, including a detailed explanation on how the goals will be achieved;
    • a list of the supervisor’s qualifications to provide training and how often the supervisor will interact with the student to further training;
    • a list of other employees who will supervise or train the student and their respective qualifications; and
    • the methodology for measuring the student’s acquisition of the required skills and knowledge for the position.

    Special Requirements for Current Holders of 17-Month STEM OPT Seeking 7-Month Extension

    As a transitional measure, starting on May 10, 2016, certain students with the 17-month Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) will have a limited window in which to apply for the additional 7 months of OPT to benefit from the full 24-month STEM OPT period. In order to qualify for the additional 7 months of OPT, these students must satisfy the following requirements:

    • The student must meet all requirements for the new 24-month STEM OPT extension, including but not limited to submission of the required training plan to the university on the new Form I-983. The student must also obtain the necessary recommendation for the additional 7-month STEM OPT extension from the university’s Designated School Official (DSO).
    • The student must file Form I-765 Application for Employment Authorization with USCIS on or before August 8, 2016 and within 60 days of the date that the DSO updated the SEVIS record.
    • The student must have at least 150 calendar days remaining prior to the expiration of the 17-month STEM OPT EAD at the time Form I- 765 is filed. The purpose of this 150-day period is to ensure that the student will have at least one year of practical training under the enhancements introduced in this rule, including site visits, reporting requirements, and a statement and evaluation of goals and objectives.

    The new rule also expands the amount of time a student may be unemployed while in OPT status. Students may not be unemployed for an aggregate of more than 90 days during the initial OPT period. Under the new rule, students granted a 24-month OPT extension may not be unemployed for an aggregate of more than 150 days (which, prior to the new rule, was 120 days) during the total OPT period (i.e., students may not be unemployed for more than 150 days for the 12 months of initial OPT plus the 24-month STEM extension period).

    STEM OPT Extension Events Timeline

    Aug 12, 2015 – Federal Court Vacates STEM OPT Extension Rule
    Sep 11, 2015 – White House Petition Reaches 100,000 Signatures
    Oct 2, 2015 – Rule Making Process (see below the timeline)
    Dec 15, 2015 – Validity of current 17 Months STEM OPT extension under Review
    Dec 22, 2015 – DHS asks the federal county for deadline extension till May 10, 2016
    Dec 24, 2015 – Court gave a deadline of Jan 11, 2016 for Wash Teach to respond to DHS.
    Jan 11, 2016 – Wash Tech replied asking the court to not grant the extension.
    Jan 15, 2016 – DHS responds to WashTech.
    Jan 19, 2016 – Waiting for court’s decision.
    Jan 19, 2016 – Judge Orders Hearing at 3.00 PM EST on Jan 21. 2016
    Jan 21, 2016 – There’s no decision from the Judge after the Hearing.
    Jan 23, 2016 – Judge’s Extended the Deadline. 27 Feb 5, 2016 – DHS Submits Final Rule to OMB.
    Mar 02, 2016 – OMB clears the rule.
    Mar 9, 2016 – STEM OPT Rule Text Published 30 Mar 10, 2016 – Rule Published to Federal Register

  • Shahnaz Husain graces as Chief Guest NDIM Fest “Manthan 2016”

    Shahnaz Husain graces as Chief Guest NDIM Fest “Manthan 2016”

    Shahnaz Husain was invited as Chief Guest at the New Delhi Institute of Management Inter-College Festival, MANTHAN 2016. Held over two days, on 8th March and 9th March, 2016, the festival had a variety of contests, from art and creative writing to music and dance, along with a fashion show. Shahnaz Husain was invited to give away gold and silver medals to position holders and outstanding performers.

    As is well known, Shahnaz Husain is the pioneer of vocational training in beauty, having started professional courses 4 decades ago, when only apprenticeship training was available. She has also contributed towards free training for the physically challenged and the under-privileged. In fact, she has always encouraged education and skill development.

  • Cupid’s arrows fly in Edison

    Cupid’s arrows fly in Edison

    Love was in the air when Kelly Wright, Celebrity anchor Fox News America stopped by in Akbar Restaurant as a Guest of Honor on Saturday, February 13 to join in on the Valentine’s Day celebrations organized by Kajol Bishnoi and Sangeeta Malik of I Events USA.

    I EVENTS celebrated Valentine’s Day in style with music, mouthwatering food and dancing to some love-inspired beats by Night life sound. There was also Belly Dance performance and other arts and crafts and activities inspired by Valentine’s Day

     

  • The Final Four at the GOP Presidential Debate Speak out on various Issues

    The Final Four at the GOP Presidential Debate Speak out on various Issues

    CORAL GABLES (TIP): The GOP Presidential debate at Coral Gables, Florida, March 19, kicked off on a somber note with a moment of silence in honor of the late Nancy Reagan.

    The final four candidates Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and John Kasich stated their positions on various issues.

    Here are some excerpts of the debate hosted by CNN at the University of Miami.

    ON THE 2016 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

    SEN. TED CRUZ: “This election is about you and your children. It’s about the freedom America has always had.”

    DONALD TRUMP: “Frankly, the Republican establishment, or whatever you want to call it, should embrace what’s happening. We’re having millions of extra people join. We are going to beat the Democrats. We are going to beat Hillary [Clinton] or whoever it may be. And we’re going to beat them soundly.”

    ON IMMIGRATION

    GOV. JOHN KASICH: “I believe in immigration, but it has to be controlled.”

    “I’d be maybe running for president of Croatia if we didn’t have immigration. Immigration is something that brings youths and vibrance and energy to our country. We clearly have to control our borders. We can’t have people just walking in. We lock our doors at home at night. The country has to be able to lock its doors as well,” the Ohio governor added.

    ON BEN CARSON

    TRUMP: “I was with Dr. Ben Carson today, who is endorsing me, by the way, tomorrow morning.”

    Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson told ABC News Thursday he is leaning in the direction of endorsing Trump.

    ON EDUCATION

    KASICH: “We ought to get them to pursue their God-given talents and connect them with the things that give them passion.”

    ON SOCIAL SECURITY

    SEN. MARCO RUBIO: “There are about 3 million seniors in Florida, with Social Security and Medicare. One of them is my mother, who happens to be here today. I’m against any changes to Social Security that are bad for my mother.”

    TRUMP: “I want you to understand the Democrats, and I’ve watched them very intensely, even though it’s a very, very boring thing to watch, that the Democrats are doing nothing with Social Security. They are leaving it the way it is. They want to increase it.”

    Trump later said, “So far, I cannot believe how civil it’s been up here.”

    ON TRUMP’S SAYING ‘ISLAM HATES US’

    When asked by debate moderator Jake Tapper whether his comment that “Islam hates us” meant all 1.6 billion Muslims, Trump responded by saying, “I mean a lot of them. I mean a lot of them.”

    He added, “Well, you know, I’ve been watching the debate today. And they’re talking about radical Islamic terrorism or radical Islam. But, I will tell you there’s something going on that maybe you don’t know about, and maybe a lot of other people don’t know about, but there’s tremendous hatred. And I will stick with exactly what I said to Anderson Cooper.”

    RUBIO: “Let me say, I know that a lot of people find appeal in the things Donald says because he says what people wish they could say. The problem is presidents can’t just say anything they want. It has consequences here and around the world.”

    Trump hit back, “Marco talks about consequences. Well, we’ve had a lot of consequences, including airplanes flying into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and could have been the White House.”

    “I don’t want to be so politically correct,” Trump added. “I like to solve problems. We have a serious, serious problem of hate. There is tremendous hate. There is tremendous hate.”

    “Politically correct,” Rubio replied. “I’m not interested in being politically correct. I’m interested in being correct.”

    CRUZ: “The answer is not to yell, ‘China, bad, Muslim, bad.’ You have to understand the nature of the threats we’re facing and how you deal with them.”

    ON ISIS

    TRUMP: “We have to knock out ISIS. We have to knock the hell out of them.”

    ON DIPLOMATIC TIES WITH CUBA

    “I would love a relationship between Cuba and the United States to change, but it would require Cuba to change, at least its government,” Cuban-American Rubio said.

    TRUMP: “I do agree something should take place. After 50 years, it’s enough time, folks.”

    ON CLIMATE CHANGE

    “Sure, the climate is changing and one of the reasons is because the climate has always been changing,” Rubio said. “A law that we can pass in Washington to change the weather, there’s no such thing.”

    ON VLADIMIR PUTIN

    KASICH: “Mr. Putin, you better understand you’re either with us or against us.”

    TRUMP: “I think Putin has been a strong leader for Russia. He’s been a lot stronger than our leader and that doesn’t mean I’m endorsing Putin.”

    The New York real estate mogul added, “I don’t say that as a good way or bad way. I say it as a fact.”

    ON TRUMP’S RALLIES

    When asked to comment on video thatsurfaced of a protester being punched by a man attending a Trump rally Wednesday, Trump said, “I certainly do not condone that at all, Jake.”

    Trump went on, “we have some protesters who are bad dudes, they have done bad things. They are swinging, they are really dangerous.”

    Cruz fired back, saying, “The only hand raising I’m interested in doing is on January 20, 2017, raising my hand with the left hand on the bible.”

    Trump said, “Everyone’s laughing, we’re all having a good time. That’s why I have much bigger crowds than Ted, because we have a good time at mine.”

    ON A CONTESTED CONVENTION

    TRUMP: “First of all, I think I’m going to have the delegates, OK?

    “There’s two of us up here that can [have the delegates] and there are two of us that cannot, at this moment. By the way, that is not meant to be a criticism, that’s just a mathematical fact, OK?

    “I think that whoever gets the most delegates should win.”

    “Make me president,” Trump said under his breath.

    Cruz joked, “Donald, you are welcome to be president of the Smithsonian.”

    ON TUESDAY’S PRIMARIES

    RUBIO: “On Tuesday night, I didn’t do as well, obviously, as I wanted to and I was a little bit disappointed,” the Florida senator admitted.

    “My wife told me a story that night. There’s a gentleman here in South Florida who just got out of surgery. His doctors told him he needs to be home resting. Every day, he sits outside of a polling center and holds a sign that says, ‘Marco Rubio.’”

  • Ambassador Riva Ganguly Das Assumes Charge as Consul General of India

    Ambassador Riva Ganguly Das Assumes Charge as Consul General of India

    NEW YORK (TIP): Ambassador Riva Ganguly Das assumed charge as the new Consul General, March 7. She succeeds Ambassador Dnyaneshwar Mulay who was transferred last month to the ministry of external affairs in New Delhi.

    Ambassador Das joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1986. She is a Post Graduate in Political Science from Delhi University. Prior to joining the Foreign Service, she was a Lecturer at Delhi University.

    Ambassador Das had her first posting in Spain. Thereafter, she was at Headquarters dealing with External Publicity, Nepal and Passport/Visa work. She was Head of the Cultural Wing of the Indian High Commission in Dhaka. After her return from Dhaka, she took over as Director at the United Nations Economic and Social Affairs Division and participated in environmental negotiations, particularly climate change. She was the Deputy Chief of Mission in the Embassy of India, The Hague. She was also the Alternate Permanent Representative of India to the Organisation for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons at The Hague. She served as Consul General of India in Shanghai from 2008 to 2012. After her return from China, she headed the Public Diplomacy Division in the Ministry of External Affairs and she was in charge of the Latin America & Caribbean Division in the Ministry of External Affairs. Before joining as Consul General of India in New York, she was Ambassador of India to Romania, Albania & Moldova with residence in Bucharest.

    It is learnt that she undertook a tour of various branches in the Consulate and interacted with the staff. She impressed upon the staff the importance of team work, reminding them that they represent a great country and together they have to produce the best results. She exhorted them to be professional and take pride in their country. Over the next few days, she plans to meet with representatives of service providers and leaders of the community.

    Indian American community is hosting a reception to Ambassador Das on Sunday, March 13 at Royal Albert’s Palace in Edison, New Jersey. A reception is being given to her at the Consulate on Saturday, March 12.

  • Willful Defaulter Vijay Mallya flees

    Willful Defaulter Vijay Mallya flees

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Liquor baron Vijay Mallya, who is facing legal proceedings for allegedly defaulting loans of over Rs 9,000 crores from various banks, had left the country a week back, government informed the Supreme Court, March 9. “I spoke to the CBI a little while ago and it told me that on March 2 he (Mallya) left the country,”

    Attorney General (AG) Mukul Rohatgi told the bench comprising Justices Kurian Joseph and R F Nariman. The bench issued notice to Mallya and sought his response within two weeks on pleas filed by a consortium of banks seeking direction for freezing his passport and his presence before the apex court.

    Since the court was informed that Mallya has already left the country, probably to UK, the bench allowed the plea of AG that the notice to him can be served through his official Rajya Sabha Email ID, Indian High Commission at London and also through counsel representing him before various high courts, Debt Recovery Tribunal and also through his Company.

    Vijay Mallya was hit by a double whammy on Monday, March 7 as a Debt Recovery Tribunal (DRT) restrained him from accessing the ?515 crore that he received from the sale of the spirits business to Diageo Plc while the Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a money laundering case.

    The $75 million deal with Diageo was struck last month to get Mallya to relinquish the chairmanship of United Spirits Ltd (USL), which the British spirits maker now owns. However, Mallya will not be able to get hold of the cash, at least for the time being, with the DRT responding to a petition by SBI and other banks.

    If this was not enough, the ED also registered a case against Mallya, and the former chief financial officer of Kingfisher Airlines for fraudulently obtaining a ?900 crore loan from IDBI Bank and laundering the money.

    The ‘King of bad times’ : From a flamboyant billionaire to a man who watched his empire go bust, this is how Vijay Mallya lost his ‘monies’:

    Here’s what Mallya owes banks: SBI: 1,600 cr PNB: 800 crIDBI: 800 cr Bank of India: 650 cr, Bank of Baroda: 550 cr, United Bank of India: 430 cr, Central Bank of India: 410 cr, UCO Bank: 320 cr, Corporation Bank: 310 cr, State Bank of Mysore: 150 cr, Indian Overseas Bank: 140 cr, Federal Bank: 90 cr, Punjab & Sind Bank: 60 cr, Axis Bank: 50 cr

    Assets listed in India: 33% in United Breweries, which is worth Rs 7,000 crore. But more than half of the stake is pledged. 22%interest in Mangalore Chemicals &Fertilizers, which is worth Rs 140 crore. One-third of the shares are pledged. 52%of UB Holdings, a shell company, which has some real estate in Bangalore and other places, but the rentals have already been pledged. Under 1% stake in Bayer Corp Science, but Mallya remains its chairman.

    The rise:

    1983 | After his father’s death, Mallya becomes UB group chairman at 28.

    1999 | Launches Kingfisher Strong, which changes beer consumption nationally, is still the largest selling brand.

    2002 | Nominated to Rajya Sabha.

    The buying spree:

    2005 | Launches Kingfisher Airlines (KFA). Buys Shaw Wallace, gaining whisky brands such as Royal Challenge

    2006 | Buys Herbertsons, makers of Bagpiper whisky and Romanov vodka.

    2007 | Buys F1 team Spyker, renames it Force India. Acquires Air Deccan. Buys British whisky maker Whyte and Mackay for £595m.

    2008 | Buys IPL team Royal Challengers Bangalore for $111.6m. UB City comes up in Bangalore.

    The road to ruin:

    2012 | KFA staff strike work for nonpayment of salaries, income-tax dept freezes KFA accounts, airline grounds flights. In Oct, government suspends KFA license. British alcoholic beverages firm Diageo agrees to buy majority stake in United Spirits

    2013 | Diageo acquires 27% stake in USL for Rs 6,500 crore, but KFA lenders do not get any funds.

    2014 | United Bank identifies United Breweries Holdings as wilful defaulter.

    2015 | Diageo asks Mallya to step down as chairman of the Indian liquor firm but he refuses.

    2016 | Banks move debt recovery tribunal, which restrains Mallya from accessing Rs 515 crore he was to receive from Diageo as settlement after agreeing to quit.

    The misery Kingfisher inflicted: Over 1,500 staffers, still on the firm’s payrolls after it stopped operation, not paid? On March 5, employees write an open letter to Mallya, saying his ‘heart is impure’ and he has blood on his hands. They seek PM Narendra Modi’s help to get their dues.

    His pearls of wisdom: “The only regret is Kingfisher Airlines is not flying today when the oil price is so low.” “The past few days have witnessed a near hysterical campaign in the media directed against me. All I can say is I hope some sobriety and sense will prevail and truth will not be held hostage to TRPs.”

    The treasure trove: Homes in Trump Towers, New York City, and in San Francisco. Game resort in South Africa. A beachfront villa in Goa. Fleet of over 200 luxury vintage cars, a 95m ‘mega yacht’ with a helipad, a Gulfstream private jet.

  • ‘Distracted’ David Cameron helped turn Libya into a ‘mess’, Barack Obama says

    ‘Distracted’ David Cameron helped turn Libya into a ‘mess’, Barack Obama says

    LIBYA (TIP): Barack Obama has accused David Cameron of being “distracted” in the aftermath of the invasion of Libya – contributing to the current deadly “mess” in the north African country.

    In a wide-ranging interview with The Atlantic magazine the US president partly blamed Britain and France’s leaders for the chaotic situation in the country.

    US and British airpower helped oust dictator Muammar Gaddafi from power in 2011 – but an apparent lack of a workable post-conflict planning has seen the Isis militant group take hold in the country’s central costal areas.

    The internationally recognised Libyan government does not now control the capital Tripoli and various Islamist groups and local fighters control scattered regions and municipalities.

    UN attempts last year to form a national unity government re-uniting the country have so far failed.

    The so-called Islamic State controls the central port of Sirte, the birthplace of Muammar Gaddafi and a former hold-out of regime loyalists.

    Obama told the magazine that Cameron had stopped paying attention to the conflict after becoming “distracted by a range of other things”.

    In March 2011 coalition jets started started enforcing a no-fly zone above Libya.

    The no-fly zone intervention came to an end in November 2011, months ahead of the London Olympics and after a summer of rioting in London.

    The president also reportedly told the magazine that in private he referred to the conflict as a “s*** show”

    He also recalled telling Cameron that Britain had to pay its “fair share” on defence spending and meet a 2 per cent Nato spending target.

    Last year a book recounting the recolections of Tory chairman Michael Ancram said the White House had felt “f***ed over” by the PM’s approach to Libya.

    In December 2015, years after the intervention, Cameron told the Spectator magazine that Libya was “better off without Gaddafi”.

    “What we were doing was preventing a mass genocide. Then, as you say, the coalition helped those on the ground to get rid of the Gaddafi regime and it’s very disappointing that there hasn’t been an effective successor regime,” he said.

    “We did a lot to try and help it, I remember taking the Libyan Prime Minister—as then was—to the G8 meeting in Northern Ireland, getting lots of support but the Libyan political leadership up until now—although there have been some good developments overnight—haven’t been able to put together a comprehensive government.”

    With regards to Obama’s comments to the Atlantic, a Downing Street spokesperson said: “I think we would share the President of the United States’ assessment that there are real challenges in Libya, that’s why we are continuing to work hard with our international partners to support a process in Libya that puts in place a government that can bring stability to that country and why we are talking about how we can support such a government in the future.”

  • 18-day-old baby sold by parents for an iPhone

    18-day-old baby sold by parents for an iPhone

    BEIJING (TIP): In a shocking incident, a Chinese couple allegedly sold their 18-day-old baby daughter for $3530 to buy an iPhone.

    A Duan, father of the child, from Fujian Province in country’s southeast found a buyer for his 18-day-old child on the social media site QQ, who paid $3530 (23,000 Yuan) for the baby, state-run People’s Daily online reported.

    The man allegedly intended to buy an iPhone and a motorbike with the funds.

    The mother, called Xiao Mei, reportedly worked many part- time jobs while the father spent his most of time in internet cafes.

    The couple met at work back in 2013 and, after plans for their marriage were shelved with neither party meeting the legal age, their child was born following an unwanted pregnancy.

    Both parents were 19 at the time and being short of money and finding his newborn daughter to be a financial burden, A Duan eagerly took up the opportunity to traffic her off in order to buy the material possessions he desired.

    Mei had fled from Tong’an after the baby was sold, but was tracked down by police investigating the illegal sale.

    “I myself was adopted, and may people in my hometown send their kids to other people to raise them. I really didn’t know that it was illegal,” Mei said.

    Mei has received a two-and-a-half year suspended sentence and A Duan was given three years in jail, the report said. The baby was purchased for the unnamed buyer’s sister. As the parents are not in a financial position to raise the child it is understood the infant is still with the buyer’s sister, the report said.

    The buyer allegedly turned himself into police after acquiring the infant.

    As many as 200,000 boys and girls are kidnapped in China every year and sold openly online, according to an estimated report last year.

    Child trafficking has been a long-standing problem in China, but despite the efforts of the authorities, the sinister practice is thriving, leading to thousands of families being torn apart.

  • New China law to put curbs on charity groups

    New China law to put curbs on charity groups

    BEIJING (TIP): China is making a new law that will restrict charity organisations from supporting programmes that threaten public interest or national security.

    “Charities shall not carry out or sponsor any activity that endangers national security or public interests,” Li Jianguo, vice-chairman of the standing committee of the National People’s Congress, China’s parliament, said in an explanation of the law. Li did not explain what might constitute endangering national security. The NPC is in the process of passing the new law.

    The new law has evoked mixed feelings in different sections of voluntary organisations. Some fear that the new law can help local officials to check supply of funds to programmes that they do not approve of. Xinhua news agency said that charities found to be undermining national security would be punished or have their registrations revoked in serious cases. The government wants charities to focus on the task of alleviating poverty.

  • Will Deepika Padukone ignite Hollywood Dreams in XXX The Return Of Xander Cage

    Will Deepika Padukone ignite Hollywood Dreams in XXX The Return Of Xander Cage

    Deepika Padukone is currently the most sought after actress in Bollywood. While she has worked with several big names from the industry, the Bollywood star is all set to enter Hollywood with her role opposite Vin Diesel in XXX The Return Of Xander Cage.

    Bollywood’s two most-talented and glamorous women are all set to take Hollywood by storm in 2017. Priyanka already has a popular American TV show Quantico and a much-talked-about movie entry with Baywatch. The talenthouse called Deepika Padukone, on the other hand, still has a lot to prove to the West with her Hollywood debut.

    vin-deepika-padukone-xxx

    With the stage set, cameras rolling and social media going overboard with sneak-peeks into the film sets, Deepika’s Hollywood debut has already become the talk of the town. Ever since the viral photo of Deepika and Vin broke the internet in December last year, fans have never been able to get enough of the two hot actors.

    This crossover from Bollywood to Hollywood has left her fans excited and intrigued at the same time. Though the Tamasha actor’s role in XXX franchise has still been kept under wraps, her look in the film has already set the bar of expectation pretty high.

  • Sikhs and Muslims join Trump bandwagon

    Sikhs and Muslims join Trump bandwagon

    A group of Sikhs and Muslims mostly from South Asian countries have joined the Donald Trump bandwagon in the US state of Maryland, asserting that the Republican presidential front runner is “not against” their communities.

    Under the banner of “Sikh Americans for Trump” and “Muslim Americans for Trump” scores of Sikhs and Muslims held their first meeting in a suburb of Washington DC in Maryland, wherein a representative from the Trump campaign addressed them.

    Organisers of the event from both the Sikh and Muslim communities argued that the view of Trump about minority community has been “twisted” and “taken out of context” by the mainstream media and claimed that the 69-year-old billionaire real estate magnet would create more jobs in the country which would benefit he minorities.

    “He (Trump) is not at all against the Sikhs or the Muslim community. What he says is given spin. The mainstream media gives a spin. Because they are scared of him. He is not the status quo. He is not taking anybodys money,” said Jasdip Singh, who helped organised the “Sikh Americans for Trump” in Maryland.

    A prominent member of the Sikh community, Singh is Chairman of the Maryland Governors Commission on South Asian Affairs and Chairman of the Board of Sikh Associations of Baltimore.

    “When he talks about Muslims, he does not talk about all Muslims or American Muslims. He spoke in the context of the refugee crisis that was happening in Syria. We (Sikhs) agree with him. Muslim (Americans) agree with him that we should not bring people into this country before we can vet them. And this was a temporary measures proposed by him,” Singh said.
    “He is not against minorities. I have even heard that he is not good for India. I believe, he is very good for India. He has businesses in Pune and Mumbai. He understands all these countries and cultures better than any other candidates,” said Singh, who in September led a delegation of Sikh leaders to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Silicon Valley.

    “Trump built Tajmahal (Casino) in Atlantic City 25 years ago and brought a piece of India to the US and tried to bring things from India into Taj.

    “So he has a very strong affinity and relationship with India. We should not listen to the spin that is coming from the media,” Singh added.

    Of all the presidential candidates, Trump is the only one who has achievements to show, argued Sajid Tarar, a Pakistani American, who helped organise the Muslim Americans for Trump.

    “We believe, he has the ability and capacity to change America. He has built a huge empire. He is self-funding the campaign. There is no special interest behind him,” Tarar said.

    “There is a war going on against Trump. Every message and speech of his has been twisted,” he said referring to the Trumps call to temporarily ban Muslims from entering the country.

  • We need to torture ISIS terrorists, their families – Donald Trump

    We need to torture ISIS terrorists, their families – Donald Trump

    Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump says that, as president, he would push to change laws that prohibit waterboarding and other enhanced interrogation methods, arguing that banning them puts the US at a strategic disadvantage against Islamic State militants.

    During the past week, in a series of interviews and events, Trump has articulated a loose, but expansive set of principles that, if enacted, would mark a fundamental shift in US foreign policy from the limits put in place by Democratic President Barack Obama and the Republican-led Congress. In addition to arguing in favor of reinstating waterboarding, a technique that mimics the sensation of drowning, and “much more than that,” Trump has advocated the killing of suspected terrorists’ wives and children, which appears in violation of international law.

    “We have to play the game the way they’re playing the game,” Trump said in an interview on CBS’s “Face the Nation” Sunday, one day after he told an audience in Florida that he would fight to expand and broaden the laws that regulate interrogation.

    “I would like to strengthen the laws,” he added Sunday, “so that we can better compete.”

    Trump’s comments come as the U.S. continues its uphill battle against IS militants across the Middle East. Trump has repeatedly pointed to the tactics used by the group, including public beheadings and drownings in locked cages, as evidence that the U.S. needs to dramatically escalate the tactics it uses.

    During a press conference Saturday in West Palm Beach, Florida, to mark his latest election wins, Trump refused, however, to articulate specifically which techniques he would like to see added, despite repeated questions. Instead, he said: “It’s very hard to be successful in beating someone when your rules are very soft and their rules are unlimited, they have unlimited, they can do whatever they want to do.”

    Pressed Sunday on why he believed waterboarding had been banned, Trump said the U.S. was being “weak” by not employing the militants’ tactics.

    “Because I think we’re a weak – I think we’ve become very weak and ineffective. I think that’s why we’re not beating ISIS. It’s that mentality,” he said using an acronym for the militant group.

    “Isn’t that what separates us from the savages?” ”Fact the Nation” host John Dickerson asked.

    “No, I don’t think so,” answered Trump. “No, we have to beat the savages.”

    “We have to play the game the way they’re playing the game. You’re not going to win if we’re soft and they’re – they have no rules,” he said.

    In 2009, Obama issued an executive order saying all U.S. government personnel and contractors – not just those in the military – are prohibited from using any interrogation techniques that aren’t in the Army Field Manual. That was reaffirmed last June, when many Republicans joined all 44 Senate Democrats in a 78-21 vote months after a Senate intelligence committee report denounced brutal interrogation methods, arguing they had proven ineffective.

    However, other former CIA officials, including former deputy CIA director Mike Morell, maintain that waterboarding and other harsh methods have yielded vital intelligence.

    Trump appeared, at least briefly, to soften his stance after nearly 100 foreign policy experts signed an open letter denouncing him, saying his “embrace of the expansive use of torture” was “inexcusable.”

    Former CIA Director Michael Hayden and others also have weighed in, saying military officials would refuse to carry out any Trump order that violated the law.

    During the last Republican debate, Trump insisted that U.S. military officials would obey any orders he gave them, saying, “They’re not going to refuse me. Believe me.”

    The next day, his campaign released a statement clarifying that Trump would “use every legal power” to stop “terrorist enemies.” But it said that he recognized the U.S. is bound by laws and treaties and that, as president, he would not order the military or other officials to disobey the law.

  • New Research led by an Indian-Origin scientist suggests Bubbles are key to cleaning teeth

    New Research led by an Indian-Origin scientist suggests Bubbles are key to cleaning teeth

    The formation of tiny bubbles around the head of ultrasonic scalers, used by dentists to remove built-up plaque, is key to the cleaning process, researchers including an Indian-origin scientist have revealed.

    The bubble formation, or cavitation of water around the head of the scaler, was observed using high-speed cameras.

    The findings are the first to prove that cavitation takes place around the free end of ultrasonic scalers.

    Removing dental plaque and calculus that is the build-up of what we know as tartar or hard plaque, is a big part of maintaining oral health and a regular occurrence in dental check-ups.

    “These findings will help us to understand how to make the tools as effective as possible,” said Damien Walmsley from University of Birmingham in Britain.

    “Putting the pieces together, we can say that altering the shape and power of these commonly used tools make them more effective, and hopefully, pain-free,” added lead study author Nina Vyas.

    For the study published in the journal PLOS ONE, scalers of differing power and head shape were used and compared to quantify the patterns of cavitation.

    A Satelec ultrasonic scaler was studied at medium and high operating power using high speed imaging at 15,000, 90,000 and 250,000 frames per second, and the tip displacement was recorded using scanning laser vibrometry.

    Researchers were not only able to show that cavitation occurred at the free end of the tip, but that it increases with power and the area and width of the cavitation cloud varies for different shaped tips.

    The methods developed will help test new instrument designs to maximise cavitation, with the aim of designing ultrasonic scalers that operate without touching the tooth surface, the authors noted.

    With this, the process of teeth cleaning will become both less painful and more effective.

  • JNU Row: Kanhaiya To Lead ‘Azadi’ Movement For Umar, Anirban

    JNU Row: Kanhaiya To Lead ‘Azadi’ Movement For Umar, Anirban

    JNU students union president Kanhaiya Kumar will lead the movement demanding release of two other varsity students who are still in judicial custody in a sedition case.

    “Though I have got bail in the case despite both the government and police trying their best to delay it as far as they can but our fight is not over yet. Umar and Anirban are yet to be released. I will now lead the ongoing student movement,” Kanhaiya told PTI.

    Kanhaiya was released from Tihar Jail last week after the Delhi High Court granted him bail.

    “Though our primary focus is to get them released but one thing I am sure of is if I adopt this ideology of raising our voice these trips to prison will become a frequent thing,” he added.

    Jawaharlal Nehru University is caught in a row over an event on the campus to commemorate the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, where “anti-national” slogans were allegedly raised.

    While Kanhaiya spent 18 days in jail, two other students — Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya are also in judicial custody in a sedition case over the event.

    The JNU Students Union led by Kanhaiya has called a council meeting tonight to discuss the “onslaught on JNU” and finalise their future course of action.

    In Kanhaiya’s absence, JNUSU Vice President Shehla Rashid Shora had led the student agitation.

    The JNUSU president was arrested in connection with the February 9 event. Five other students — Umar Khalid, Anirban Bhattacharya, Rama Naga, Anant Prakash and Ashutosh Kumar — had gone in hiding since then but resurfaced on the campus 10 days later.

    While Umar and Anirban surrendered before the police, the remaining three refused to do so but maintained that they are open to questioning by police as and when needed.

  • Three Indian Americans among 26 of the Top Women Engineers

    Three Indian Americans among 26 of the Top Women Engineers

    WASHINGTON (TIP): Three Indian Americans were among the top women engineers recognized in a Business Insider piece.

    The Business Insider Feb. 24 piece on the “Most Powerful Women Engineers” of 2016 was released in the midst of National Engineer’s Week, Feb. 21 through Feb. 27. The list was generated to give a “shout-out to the female engineers with powerful careers who are leading important technologies at their companies or being pioneers in other ways.”

    Oracle’s Vinita Paunikar, Affirm’s Trisha Kothari and Intel’s Sumita Basu were recognized in the Business Insider list.

    Oracle's Vinita Paunikar
    Oracle’s Vinita Paunikar

    Paunikar was the highest ranked of the Indian Americans, coming in at No. 14.

    Vinita Paunikar is a vice president at Oracle responsible for release management of products and services.

    She created a release-management team that has launched 200 products across more than 20 lines.

    She’s also worked on several of Oracle’s mainstay products, including its flagship systems-management solution, Enterprise Manager Cloud Control, now also the core-management platform for Oracle’s cloud services.

    A graduate of Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology in Maharashtra.

    Affirm's Trisha Kothari
    Affirm’s Trisha Kothari

    Trisha Kothari is making a name for herself at the young age of 23.

    Kothari is Affirm’s first female engineer at the financial-technology startup cofounded and led by Max Levchin, the former cofounder of PayPal.

    Affirm turns your smartphone into a credit card of sorts, allowing you to make monthly payments on things you buy from merchants that accept it.

    “Trisha was instrumental in building the core aspects of a financial platform that powers everything we do,” Affirm’s COO, Huey Lin, said about her.

    Levchin even goes so far as to say that “Trisha Kothari is one of the most exciting up-and-coming coders in America.”

    Before joining Affirm, Kothari did several internships at Google and LinkedIn. She also earned a Google Anita Borg scholarship and one from Microsoft and is a member of the high-IQ organization Mensa.

    She is a graduate of Dhirubhai Ambani International School and the University of Pennsylvania.

    Intel's Sumita Basu
    Intel’s Sumita Basu

    At No. 26: Intel’s Sumita Basu is a strategist and technical assistant to the Intel vice president and general manager.

    She’s been with Intel since 2002 with increasing responsibilities. In her last gig with the company, she oversaw the equipment installation for Intel factories worldwide — a huge job.

    For her PhD, she did experiments with the International Space Station.

    One of Basu’s most impressive accomplishments is that she invented the world’s first lead-free patterning process, allowing Intel to become the first chip company in the world to limit the use of that toxic substance in its manufacturing processes.

    A graduate of Jadavpur University (bachelor’s) and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (doctorate), Basu has also invented the world’s first lead-free patterning process. The invention has allowed Intel to become the first chip company in the world to limit the use of that toxic substance in its manufacturing process, according to the Insider piece.

  • US election 2016: Sanders beats Clinton in Maine caucuses

    US election 2016: Sanders beats Clinton in Maine caucuses

    Bernie Sanders has beaten Hillary Clinton in the Maine caucuses, the latest contest in the battle to be the Democratic presidential candidate.

    With 80% of the vote counted, Vermont Senator Mr Sanders is polling 64%, while former Secretary of State Mrs Clinton has 36%.

    In the Republican race, Marco Rubio easily won Puerto Rico’s primary, beating billionaire Donald Trump.

    Mrs Clinton and Mr Trump remain overall leaders in the nomination campaigns.

    Sunday night saw Mrs Clinton and Mr Sanders clash in a CNN-hosted debate in Flint, Michigan.

    In Saturday’s round of voting, Mr Sanders took two states – Kansas and Nebraska – but Mrs Clinton maintained her Democratic front-runner status after a big victory in Louisiana.

    While the win in Puerto Rico – a US territory – will boost Florida Senator Mr Rubio’s campaign, it sends just 23 delegates to the Republican convention which nominates a presidential candidate.

    Republican hopefuls need the votes of 1,237 delegates to get the nod for the presidential race proper.

    Mr Rubio still trails Donald Trump and Texas Senator Ted Cruz.

    Speaking after wins in the Republican Kentucky caucuses and Louisiana primary election on Saturday, Mr Trump told a news conference: “I would love to take on Ted Cruz one on one.”

    “Marco Rubio had a very very bad night and personally I call for him to drop out of the race. I think it’s time now that he dropped out of the race. I really think so.”

    Meanwhile, Texas Senator Mr Cruz – who won Republican caucuses in Kansas and Maine – said he believed that “as long as the field remains divided, it gives Donald an advantage”.

  • ‘Life Mantras’ by Sahara’s Jailed Boss Subrata Roy tops in Nielsen BookScan

    ‘Life Mantras’ by Sahara’s Jailed Boss Subrata Roy tops in Nielsen BookScan

    NEW DELHI: ‘Life Mantras’ a book by Sahara Group chief Subrata Roy has topped the non-fiction category of Nielsen BookScan.

    According to Nielsen best-seller list, the recently unveiled book brought out by Rupa Publication, has topped the non-fiction book list this week, pushing into second spot the popular Manorama Yearbook 2016.

    The Nielsen BookScan service is the world’s largest continuous book sales tracking service operating in India, the UK, Ireland, Australia, US, South Africa, New Zealand, Italy, Brazil and Spain.

    It collects total transaction data at the point of sale directly from the tills and dispatch systems of all major book retailers. Nielsen BookScan collects data from online and offline booksellers, including Bookadda, Crosswords, Connexion, DC Books, Flipkart, Indiatimes, Infibeam, Landmark, Landmarketail, Capital Book Depot, Rediff, Odyssey, Pageturners, TV18 Homeshopping, WH Smith India, ebay, Mahindra
    Retail, Reliance Timeout, and Snapdeal etc.

    In his book, Roy puts forth the “various psychological and emotional aspects of life, vis-a-vis the basic instincts inherent in all human beings.”

    The book, is the first in the “Thoughts from Tihar” trilogy penned by Roy while in judicial custody in Tihar Jail in connection with a long-running investor refund case, running into thousands of crores of rupees, with the markets regulator Sebi.

    The forthcoming books of the said trilogy are “Think with Me – How to make our country ideal”, and “Reflections from Tihar – A book on Tihar Jail”.

  • With Donald’s rise, ‘Trump anxiety’ is sending Americans to therapists

    With Donald’s rise, ‘Trump anxiety’ is sending Americans to therapists

    WASHINGTON: To the growing list of psychological illnesses in a country that hasn’t discovered a problem it has not monetised, add ‘Trump anxiety’. Apparently, shrinks, therapists, and even masseurs are reporting an uptick in clients coming to them with apprehensions about the possible election of Donald Trump as America’s 45th President.

    Based largely on anecdotal accounts, the sample is small and mostly located on the East Coast, which in any event is known for its liberal bias. But publications ranging from Washington Post to Wall Street Journal have cited psychologists reporting an increase in patients with whatthey term “Trump anxiety”. That includes some disquiet among shrinks themselves.

    “Part of the reason he makes people so anxious is that he has no anxiety himself. It’s frightening,” one psychologist was quoted as saying, a day after the ferocious Detroit debate in which the candidates fetishized about the size of hands vis-a-vis other parts of the anatomy.

    Another reason behind the increased stress associated with Trump, psychologist Alison Howard said, was the sense that the real estate mogul tramples over social mores and is allowed “to get away with it”.

    Whether psychologists in Middle America and the hinterland that constitutes the Republican redoubts feel a similar unease about the possible election of Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders is not clear. But like Sarah Palin, who copped four times as many jokes as Obama in the 2008 elections, Trump is getting hammered on the comedy front, with Hillary a distant second.

    Comedians though are trying to make light of the Trump mania. “It’s being reported that the Democrats have a plan to “shatter the Republican Party”. When he heard, Donald Trump said, “Beat youtoit!”” ‘LateNight’ host Conan O’Brien joked last night. Then, referring to Ted Cruz trying to tie Trump to a prominent mobster, O’Brien kidded that in an attempt to repair the damage to his reputation, the mobster is distancing himself from Trump.

    That feeling pervades even nations. The latest joke is that after watching Trump’s rise, Canada and Mexico intend to build the kind of wall on its border with the US that Trump wants to build on the US border withMexico—to prevent anti-Trump Americans from crossing over.

    Meanwhile, those with Trump anxiety who cannot decamp to Canada or Mexico may have to figure out other kind of mental blocks.

  • India’s Supreme Court urged to set up panel to monitor hate speeches

    India’s Supreme Court urged to set up panel to monitor hate speeches

    NEW DELHI: A host of eminent citizens, including jurists, police officers, scientists and businessmen, have appealed to the Chief Justice of India and other judges of the Supreme Court to take sou motu action over “alarming and threatening” statements made by ministers and elected representatives, including the alleged ‘hate’ speech by junior HRD minister Ram Shankar Katheria.

    The signatories to the letter, submitted to the Supreme Court on Friday, include former SC judge Justice P B Sawant, former Punjab top cop Julio Ribeiro.

    It said the country was being pushed to the brink by such statements and urged the apex court to set up a permanent and sitting commission to monitor and oversee videos, records and documents related to such speeches to prevent “hate-driven” attacks on marginalised sections.

    The letter states these statements have caused “fear and insecurity among citizens, marginalised sections, especially minorities, Dalits and Adivasis”.

    Referring to the Agra incident, it said, “The minister, MP, MLA and all other culprits need to be punished for violating their Constitutional duty under Article 51 (to promote harmony and spirit of common brotherhood).”

    At a condolence meeting for a slain VHP member in Agra, Katheria was alleged to have made a series of objectionable remarks against Muslims. Other references included MoS for external affairs Gen V K Singh, Sadhvi Niranjan and BJP MPs Yogi Adityanath and Sakshi Maharaj.