The Indian Panorama

Month: September 2016

  • Two Indian-Americans Arrested In New Jersey For H1B Visa Fraud

    Two Indian-Americans Arrested In New Jersey For H1B Visa Fraud

    Two Indian-Americans, who recruited foreign workers mainly from India with purported IT expertise, were arrested today on charges of H-1B visa fraud, the New Jersey Department of Justice said.

    Sowrabh Sharma, 31, of New York, along with Shikha Mohta, 33, of Jersey City, New Jersey, head of finance for the companies, SCM Data and MMC Systems have been charged with one count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud and to obstruct justice and one count of conspiracy to harbor aliens.

    According to the complaint, by the Justice Department, SCM Data and MMC Systems offered consultants to clients in need of IT support. Both companies recruited foreign nationals, often student visa holders or recent college graduates, and sponsored them for H-1B visas.

    The Justice Department said Mr Sharma is scheduled to make his initial appearance later in the day before US Magistrate Judge Cathy L Waldor in Newark federal court.

    Ms Mohta was previously arrested along with another employee of SCM Data, Hiral Patel, in May 2015 on a criminal complaint and was released on a $100,000 bond.

    Prosecutors said SCM Data, MMC Systems, Mr Sharma, Ms Mohta and other conspirators recruited foreign workers with purported IT expertise who sought work in the United States.

    They then sponsored foreign workers’ H-1B visas with the stated purpose of working for SCM Data and MMC Systems’ clients throughout the United States.

    “When submitting the visa paperwork to USCIS, the conspirators falsely represented that the foreign workers had full-time positions and were paid an annual salary, as required to secure the H-1B visas,” prosecutors said.

    They alleged that contrary to these representations and in violation of the H-1B program, SCM Data, MMC Systems, Mr Sharma, Ms Mohta and others paid the foreign workers only when they were placed at a third-party client who entered into a contract with SCM Data or MMC Systems.

    The visa fraud and obstruction of justice conspiracy charge carries a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

    The alien harboring conspiracy charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

    The H1-B program allows businesses in the United States to temporarily employ foreign workers with specialized or technical expertise in a particular field, such as accounting, engineering or computer science. As part of the H-1B program, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Labor (DOL) require employers to meet specific labor conditions to ensure that American workers are not adversely impacted, while the DOL’s Wage and Hour Division safeguards the treatment and compensation of H-1B workers. Congress sets a numerical cap for the admission of skilled workers into the United States.

  • India launches eight satellites into two different orbits

    India launches eight satellites into two different orbits

    NEW DELHI: India on Monday, Sep 26 successfully launched eight satellites from one rocket into two different orbits, Hindustan Times reported.

    The mission was the longest for the polar satellite launch vehicle (PSLV C-35) that lifted off from Sriharikota at 9:12am carrying eight satellites.

    Out of the total eight satellites, three belong to India, including the weather satellite SCATSAT-1, three belong to Algeria, and one each belong to Canada and the United States.

    Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the ISRO on the successful launch.

    “Our space scientists keep scripting history,” added Modi.

    Modi has often hailed India’s budget space technology, quipping in 2014 that a local rocket that launched four foreign satellites into orbit had cost less to make than Hollywood film Gravity.

    Two of the satellites are student-made. Pratham, a 10-kg satellite, will help improve GPS accuracy and predict tsunamis. Pisat, a 5.25kg satellite, will take pictures of earth. The 371kg Scatsat-1 can study oceans, forecast weather and detect cyclones.

    The business of putting commercial satellites into space for a fee is growing as phone, Internet and other companies as well as countries seek greater and more high-tech communications. India is competing with other international players for a greater share of that launch market, and is known for its low-cost space programme.

  • Bruce Springsteen on Donald Trump: ‘The republic is under siege by a moron’

    Bruce Springsteen on Donald Trump: ‘The republic is under siege by a moron’

    In previous presidential elections, Bruce Springsteen was not shy about sharing his views.

    The musician penned a New York Times op-ed in August 2004 detailing why he’d be voting for John Kerry that November, and in 2012 he voiced his support for President Barack Obama. Now, with the 2016 election nearly upon us, he opened up to Rolling Stone about his thoughts on the current political climate.

    So how does Springsteen feel about Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump?

    “Well, you know, the republic is under siege by a moron, basically. The whole thing is tragic. Without overstating it, it’s a tragedy for our democracy.”

    He went on to discuss the elements of Trump’s platform he deems most dangerous — “white nationalism and the alt-right movement” — before speculating on what he thinks is the candidate’s appeal to voters.

    “And Trump’s thing is simple answers to very complex problems. Fallacious answers to very complex problems. And that can be very appealing.”

    As for his thoughts on Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, Springsteen kept it simple: “I like Hillary. I think she would be a very, very good president.”

  • Isolate nations which nurture, peddle and export terrorism: Indian foreign minister at UNGA

    Isolate nations which nurture, peddle and export terrorism: Indian foreign minister at UNGA

    UNITED NATIONS: Indian Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj, speaking at the 71st United Nations General Assembly, said on Monday that it was time to identify nations who nurture, peddle and export terrorism and isolate them if they don’t join the global fight against terrorism.

    “In our midst, there are nations that still speak the language of terrorism, that nurture it, peddle it, and export it,” said Swaraj in a veiled reference to Pakistan.

    The harsh India rhetoric at the UNGA comes after the attack on an Indian army base in India-held Kashmir earlier this month. The attack killed 18 Indian army personnel. India immediately blamed Pakistan for the attack.

    The Indian minister added it had become the calling card of such nations to shelter terrorists, and urged the United Nations (UN) to hold such nations to account.

    “These nations, in which UN declared terrorists roam freely, lead processions and deliver their poisonous sermons of hate with impunity, are as culpable as the very terrorists they harbour,” said Swaraj.

    She also said that “such countries should have no place in the comity of nations”.

    Swaraj referred to the speech of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif at the UNGA, and said the allegations levelled against India were “baseless”.

    “Prime Minister of Pakistan used this podium to make baseless allegations about human rights violations in my country.”

    The Indian foreign minister stated that Pakistan should introspect and see the abuses being carried out in Balochistan.

    She also added that the “brutality against the Baloch people represents the worst form of state oppression”.

    It is pertinent to mention that the brutal and heavy-handed tactics used by Indian security forces in India-held Kashmir has led to the deaths of more than 100 people, hundreds have been blinded by ‘non-lethal pellet guns’ and over a thousand people have been injured.

    Swaraj claimed that India had no preconditions for talks with Pakistan and said India wants to resolve issues not on the basis of conditions, but on the basis of friendship.

    She further alleged that India did not receive the appropriate response from Pakistan and instead got a reply in the form of “Pathankot, Bahadur Ali, and Uri”.

    “Bahadur Ali is a terrorist in our custody, whose confession is a living proof of Pakistan’s complicity in cross-border terror,” claimed the foreign minister.

    Referring to Kashmir, she ‘advised’ Pakistan to abandon the dream of having control of India-held Kashmir.

    “My firm advice to Pakistan is: abandon this dream. Let me state unequivocally that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India and will always remain so,” Swaraj said.

    ‘India not serious about resolving Kashmir issue’
    Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif, while addressing a US CENTCOM conference in Germany, said India is not serious about resolving the issue of Kashmir.

    “Pakistan has suffered the most by terrorism losing lives more than any other country in the world,” said the army chief.

    General Raheel added that terrorists could move across borders because of no effective border management systems in place and it is exploited by anti-Pakistan intelligence agencies such as RAW.

  • Pakistani actor sacked from British TV show after tweeting hateful slurs against India

    Pakistani actor sacked from British TV show after tweeting hateful slurs against India

    Pakistan-born actor Marc Anwar is the latest to join the India-Pakistan tug of war. Unfortunately for him, he has been sacked from British TV show Coronation Street after posting racially offensive tweets against India.

    The most popular TV soap’s broadcaster ITV termed the incident as “entirely unacceptable, racially offensive”.

    Anwar, 45, joined Coronation Street, the world’s longest-running TV soap opera, in 2014 as a member of the show’s first Muslim family.

    The Sunday Mirror newspaper published screenshots of the messages posted on his personal Twitter account.

    The posts hit out at India over the Kashmir dispute and suggested Pakistani actors should refuse to work in the country.

    “Indians killing our Kashmir brothers and sisters,” he wrote in one tweet.

    However, many of his tweets were not as discreet and contained insulting terms.

    An ITV spokeswoman said: “We are deeply shocked by the entirely unacceptable, racially offensive comments made on Twitter by Marc Anwar.

    “We have talked to Marc and, as a consequence of his comments, he will not be returning to Coronation Street with immediate effect.”

    His character, gymnasium boss Sharif Nazir, will still appear in scenes that have already been filmed for upcoming episodes.

    The actor has appeared in Hollywood films including Captain Phillips and 51st State.

  • Pakistan Must Stop Dreaming About Kashmir, Says Sushma Swaraj At UNGA

    Pakistan Must Stop Dreaming About Kashmir, Says Sushma Swaraj At UNGA

    External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Monday demanded isolation for the supporters of terrorism.

    While addressing the 71st session of UN General Assembly In New York, Swaraj Said ” We all have to come together to fight the scourge of terrorism, if some country is not willing then it must be isolated”

    ” We need to identify who gives shelter to the terrorists? How are they able to carry out such activities?. We need to uproot terrorism,”she added.

    Here is what all she said at the session:

    We should adopt Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism to develop norms to prosecute terrorists: EAM Swaraj at UNGA

    Those who seed extr’t ideologies, reap a bitter harvest. This germ of evil has grown into a hydra-headed monster: EAM Sushma Swaraj

    Kashmir is an integral part of India, and will be always. Aap (Pak)sapna dekhna chor dijiye: EAM Sushma Swaraj to Pakistan

    Kashmir is an integral part of India and will remain an integral part of India: EAM Sushma Swaraj

    Humne sharton ke hisaab pe nahi, mitrta ka haath badhaya. Par hume kya mila? Pathankot? Uri? Bahadur Ali?: EAM Swaraj

    Bahadur Ali is a living example of Pakistan’s cross border terrorism: EAM Sushma Swaraj

    Jinke apne ghar sheeshe ke hon unko doosre pe patthar nahi phenkna chahiye, kya ho raha hai Balochistan mein?: EAM Swaraj

    Aatankwaadiyon ko paalna kuch deshon ka shaunk ban gaya hai: EAM Sushma Swaraj in New York

    I am very thankful to the UN for its tremendous support for International Yoga day: EAM Sushma Swaraj

    Sanitation is also a big issue, and we have started ‘Swacch Bharat Abhiyan’ under which 4 lakh toilets are built in 2 lakh schools: EAM

    A year has passed since I stood at this hallowed podium to address members of the international community,so much has changed since then:EAM

    Today the biggest challenge all of us face is the poverty prevalent in all corners of the world: EAM Sushma Swaraj

  • Ahmad Khan Rahami trained at Pakistan by Taliban?

    Ahmad Khan Rahami trained at Pakistan by Taliban?

    Suspect in New York and New Jersey bombings spent three weeks in 2011 at Kaan Kuwa Naqshbandi madrassa, source says, amid questions of terrorism links

    Ahmad Khan Rahami, the man suspected of placing bombs in New York and New Jersey last weekend, spent time in a religious seminary in Pakistan closely associated with the Afghan Taliban, according to a government official.

    The 28-year-old, who was born in Afghanistan but became a US citizen, spent time at the Kaan Kuwa Naqshbandi madrasa on his two visits to Pakistan, a security official working for the government of Balochistan province told the Guardian.

    Rahami spent three weeks in 2011 receiving “lectures and Islamic education” at the school in Kuchlak, a dusty cluster of villages 20km north of Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan, he said.

    Kuchlak is a well-known hub for the Taliban, the Islamist movement that has waged a 15-year insurgency against local and Nato forces in nearby Afghanistan. It is home to many madrasas, the seminaries intimately linked with the Taliban, originally a movement of religious students.

    US officials have revealed basic details about Rahami’s two visits to Pakistan, the first in 2011 when he spent a couple of months in Quetta and got married and almost a year in 2013 when he also made a car journey to Afghanistan.

    But very little information has emerged from inside Pakistan about what Rahami did during his visits.

    The government official, who did not wish to be named because he was speaking about a highly sensitive subject, said Pakistani security agencies have tried to “hide all the details of his visits to Quetta” and keep as much information as possible out of the media.

    Rahami, he said, also visited other sensitive areas in the province, including Surkhab and Nushki, where former Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansoor was killed by a US drone in May.

    ‘He got more religious’: neighbors share their views on Ahmad Khan Rahami
    Pakistan has long been accused of playing a “double game” with the US, both supporting the Nato counterinsurgency in Afghanistan and allowing the Taliban to use its territory a vital rear base.

    A western expert on the Taliban said Abdul Samad, the Afghan owner of the Kuchlack madrasa, was an important local figure.

    “The madrasa is a place where you have multiple Afghan Taliban going there and hanging out in [Samad’s] court, as well as active ISI officers,” he said, referring to the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) directorate, an army-run spy agency.

    “Samad is the kind of person who should have been shut down long ago but enjoys a high degree of protection,” he said.

    Despite being part of the mystical, Sufi strain of Islam, which many hardliners abhor, Samad is highly respected by the movement, he said.

    A Karachi-based cleric told the Guardian the school was a sizeable operation, with more than 200 students.

    Despite several attempts to reach Samad for comment, the Guardian was unable to make contact with the madrasa.

    Although the Taliban’s leadership is often described as the “Quetta Shura” many analysts consider Kuchlak to be the actual command centre for many senior members of the movement.

    The Taliban’s white flags have been reportedly seen flying in the town’s graveyards and Shahbaz Taseer, a Pakistani kidnapped by militants in Lahore in 2011 and held for more than four years, was released in Kuchlak in March by the Taliban.

    Rahami’s father Mohammad Rahami has said his son had grown increasingly interested in Islamist movements, watching Taliban and al-Qaida videos, and listening to their poetry. Rahami had also shown sympathy towards the Taliban, a former employer said.

    Given the Taliban has long avoided entanglement in international jihad, insisting it is interested only in forcing foreign troops out of Afghanistan, it is unlikely Rahami was operating under instruction when he planted his bombs. A notebook found on Rahami when he was captured after a shootout on Monday suggests he may have been inspired by the Islamic State group.

    But the claim Rahami attended an important Taliban-sympathising madrasa could be embarrassing for Pakistan at a time the country is under intense international criticism, not least from India, which accused Pakistan this week of hosting “the Ivy League of terrorism”.

    Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar, a spokesman for the Balochistan government, said that because more than 1 million Afghan refugees lived in the province it was “difficult to know what sort of activity is being conducted by some individuals”.

    “Filtering out the terrorist influences in such a huge community is a very difficult task,” he said.

    Nor could the government be expected to be aware of a US traveller such as Rahami, who has “deep links in the host community”.

    “If he was not spotted by the CIA and FBI or Homeland Security, then this shows that it is really global problem,” he said.

  • Hillary Clinton Wins First Presidential Debate, 62% to 27%

    Hillary Clinton Wins First Presidential Debate, 62% to 27%

    Democrat Hillary Clinton on Tuesday defeated Republican Donald Trump in the first presidential debate by 62% to 27%.

    Earlier, Clinton and Trump took to the stage on Monday to begin their first-ever presidential debate and have immediately sparred over jobs, taxes, the Islamic State, guns and the former secretary of state’s undisclosed emails, media reports said.

    Moderator Leslie Holt of NBC News opened the 90-minute debate at Hofstra University, Long Island, New York, with the first topic, “Achieving Prosperity” where the first question about putting money back into Americans’ pockets and creating jobs was directed to Clinton, CNN reported.

    Clinton, the first woman to represent a major US party in the presidential race, mentioned her granddaughter’s birthday, and talked about everything from gender pay gaps, to paid family leave, to presidential temperament.

    Trump gave a classic answer about China and Mexico stealing American business and jobs.

    “We have to stop our jobs from being stolen from us, we have to stop companies from leaving the United States,” he added.

    Clinton also called on Trump to apologise to people who have worked on the real estate mogul’s properties who have not been paid in full, Politico reported.

    Do “the thousands of people that you have stiffed over the course of your business not deserve some kind of apology from someone who has taken their labour, taken the goods that they’ve produced and then refused to pay them?” Clinton questioned her rival.

    “I can only say that I’m certainly relieved that my late father never did business with you.”

    Trump went on to suggest that he had only taken that route four times, and that he was within his legal rights to do so.

    Following Trump’s opening remarks about reducing taxes, Holt asked Clinton to defend her plan to increase taxes.

    Clinton quipped she has a feeling she will be blamed for everything by the end of the night.

    Regarding taxes, Trump said “I will release my tax returns – against my lawyer’s wishes – when she releases her 33,000 emails that have been deleted.”

    Clinton responded by saying that there was something “really important, maybe even terrible that he’s trying to hide,” Politico reported.

    “Maybe he doesn’t want the American public, all of you watching tonight, to know that he’s paid no federal taxes,” Clinton said.

    Clinton also admitted that she “made a mistake” about her use of a private email server while at the State Department.

    Trump went on to blame Clinton for the the rise of the IS by noting the Democrat had laid out some of her plans on her website.

    “You’re telling the enemy everything you want to do,” Trump said as Clinton shook her head in amusement. “No wonder you’ve been fighting IS your entire adult life.”

    Moderator Holt brought up the recent fatal police shootings of African-American men and asked about healing along lines of race and racism.

    “Unfortunately, race often determines too much,” she said, adding “We have to restore trust between communities and the police… everyone should be respected by the law and everyone should respect the law.”

    Trump said the country needed law and order. “African Americans and Hispanics are living in hell because it’s so dangerous. You walk down the street you get shot,” he added.

    Clinton has called for restricted gun control in the US, saying “We’ve got too many military-style weapons on the streets. In a lot of places, our police are outgunned Â… we need to keep guns out of the hands of those who’d do harm.”

    The debate is divided into 6 segments with 15 minutes given to each nominee. Two minutes will be allotted to answer a question asked by the moderator, two minutes to reply and the remaining time for the nominees to debate.

    This is the 20th US presidential debate and is being organised by the Commission on Presidential Debates.

  • Shoe hurled at Rahul Gandhi

    Shoe hurled at Rahul Gandhi

    Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Monday blamed BJP-RSS after a local hurled shoe at him during a road show.

    Rahul said “BJP, RSS throw as many shoes you want on me, I don’t fear you…I am unaffected by it”

    A shoe was thrown at Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi during his ongoing ‘Kisan Yatra’ in Sitapur of Uttar Pradesh, police said.

    A youth has been arrested in this connection and taken to the Kotwali police station for interrogation.

    The shoe missed the Gandhi scion by a whisker and he looked back at the shoe as it zipped past him.

    The assailant has been identified as Hari Om Mishra, resident of Hargaon, a police official told IANS.

    Congress leader Jitin Prasada was with Gandhi at the time of the attack.

    Special Protection Group (SPG) men swung into action and surrounded the Congress leader after the shoe attack.

    Mishra told policemen that he was angry at the promises being made by Rahul Gandhi during his road shows as he believed the Congress was behind the problems faced by farmers. Gandhi started his ‘Kisan Yatra’ on Monday after a two-day break.

     

  • Blood And Water Can’t Flow Together, Says PM Modi Over Indus River Treaty

    Blood And Water Can’t Flow Together, Says PM Modi Over Indus River Treaty

    “Blood and water cannot flow together,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday as he chaired a review meeting of 56-year-old Indus Water Treaty during which it was decided that India will “exploit to the maximum” the water of Pakistan-controlled rivers, including Jhelum, as per the water sharing pact.

    Held amidst heightened tension between the India and Pakistan, the meeting also decided to set up a inter- ministerial task forces to go into the details and working of the Treaty with a “sense of urgency”, senior government sources said.

    Attended by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar, the Water Resources Secretary, and senior PMO officials, the meeting also noted that the meeting of Indus Water Commission can “only take place in atmosphere free of terror”. The Commission has held 112 meetings so far.

    “Prime Minister’s Modi’s message at the meeting was that ‘rakt aur paani ek saath nahin beh sakta’ (blood and water cannot flow together),” sources said.

    Apart from deciding to exploit to the maximum the capacity of three of the rivers that are under Pakistan’s control – Indus, Chenab and Jhelum– in the areas of hydro power, irrigation and storage, the meeting also agreed to review the “unilateral suspension” of Tulbul navigation project in 1987.

    The sources asserted that the decision to maximise the water resources for irrigation will address the “pre-existing” sentiment of people of Jammu and Kashmir, who have complained in the past about the treaty not being fair to them.

    The meeting came as India weighed its options to hit back at Pakistan in the aftermath of the Uri attack that left 18 soldiers dead, triggering demands that the government scrap the water distribution pact to mount pressure on that country.

    Under the treaty, which was signed by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Pakistan President Ayub Khan in September 1960, water of six rivers – Beas, Ravi, Sutlej, Indus, Chenab and Jhelum – were to be shared between the two countries.

    Pakistan has been complaining about not receiving enough water and gone for international arbitration in a couple of cases.nd Jhelum that flow from Jammu and Kashmir.

    Jammu and Kashmir has been demanding a review of the treaty as it robs the state of its rights to use the water of the rivers.

    India has been making diplomatic efforts to isolate Pakistan on the issue of “exporting terror” in the wake of the September 18 Uri attack. The meeting on the Indus Waters Treaty is being seen as an indication that the government could be looking at more options to exert pressure on Pakistan.

  • After Shahid Kapoor, Sushmita Sen Served Notice By BMC For Breeding Mosquitoes

    After Shahid Kapoor, Sushmita Sen Served Notice By BMC For Breeding Mosquitoes

    Bollywood actress Sushmita Sen on Monday served notice from Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation(BMC), after some mosquito breeding spots were found at her house in Khar.

    Earlier Shahid Kapoor was also served notice from BMC for the same reason.

    Sushmita Sen occupies the building’s topmost floor, where BMC officials conducted an inspection on Friday.

  • Kudrow-Cox Reunion: Phoebe Really Can’t Seem To Cut Monica Out

    Kudrow-Cox Reunion: Phoebe Really Can’t Seem To Cut Monica Out

    Actresses Courteney Cox and Lisa Kudrow showed they still know their “Friends” trivia as they reunited for an episode of “Celebrity Name Game”.

    They made an appearance together on “Celebrity Name Game”, and entertained the audience with a game of “Friends” trivia, reports dailymail.co.uk.

    The actors appeared on the Craig Ferguson-hosted show, which is co-produced by Cox’s production company to help contestants win cash prizes.

    Cox was given a selection of words to do with the iconic sitcom, and then she had to describe them as best she could in a bid to get Kudrow say the correct answer.

    “I was married to him,” Cox, 53, hinted about Matthew Perry’s character. “Chandler Bing!” Kudrow quickly replied.

    “You sang a song about it,” Cox said, referring to Kudrow’s character Pheobe’s infamously terrible folk ditty.

    “Smelly cat!” Kudrow shot back.

    And for their co-star Jennifer Aniston, Cox prompted: “We had lunch with her every day.”

    Kudrow also did her best Joey impression when asked about Matt LeBlanc’s character’s trademark pick-up line.

    Kudrow played kooky Phoebe Buffay, while Cox played uptight Monica Geller on the sitcom, which ran from 1994 to 2004.

  • Angelina Jolie Quits Movie To Avoid Working With Brad Pitt

    Angelina Jolie Quits Movie To Avoid Working With Brad Pitt

    Actress-director Angelina Jolie has reportedly quit a Hollywood movie so she doesn’t have to work with her estranged husband Brad Pitt.

    The Hollywood couple, who have worked on two films together “Mr & Mrs Smith” as well as “By The Sea”, reportedly spent several years on trying to get “Africa” into production, reports mirror.co.uk.

    The film is about archaeologist Richard Leakey, who championed the end of elephant poaching.

    “This movie has been a nightmare to get off the ground from the beginning. Until the last few weeks, Angelina was resolute in her intent to get it made, but now she doesn’t want to direct it at all,” the source told Heat Street site.

    “Brad Pitt was still interested in acting in the movie — for him it was ‘Seven Years in Tibet’ set in Africa and he wasn’t ready to give up on it. But Angelina now doesn’t want to have any kind of relationship with him, personal or professional.”

    It was reported that the couple, who had been together for over 10 years, were set to begin work on the film next year with Pitt starring in the movie.

    “Africa” has been in pre-production for several years and it’s been claimed that there has been several creative differences between Jolie and Skydance Productions, who is producing the movie.

    It has been suggested that Jolie did not like the idea of a love story that was pitched to her, while it was also claimed that financial woes marred the project.

    The reports that Jolie has quit the project comes after it was claimed that Pitt is desperate to see their six children and has reportedly begged his estranged wife: “Please just let me see my kids”.

    Jolie, who is said to be staying at a top secret location with the family, is said to be stopping the 52-year-old from visiting their children allegedly until the FBI investigation has been completed.

  • Alcohol Addiction May Impact Neurocognitive Skills In Elderly

    Alcohol Addiction May Impact Neurocognitive Skills In Elderly

    Excess consumption of alcohol can cause neurophysiological and cognitive changes ranging from disrupted sleep to more serious neurotoxic effects, a study has found.

    The negative consequences of heavy alcohol consumption on neurocognitive function gets worse with advanced age, the study said.

    Results showed that heavy drinking in older adults could lead to poorer global cognitive function, learning, memory and motor function.

    Although the acute consumption of excessive quantities of alcohol causes neurophysiological and cognitive alterations, as people reach advanced age, they are more prone to cognitive decline, more due to the heavy dependence of alcohol, the researchers observed.

    “These data suggest that while heavy current alcohol consumption is associated with significant impairment in a number of neurocognitive domains, history of alcohol dependence, even in the absence of heavy current alcohol use, is associated with lasting negative consequences for neurocognitive function,” said Adam J. Woods from the University of Florida in the US.

    For the study, the team recruited 66 participants (35 women, 31 men) from the Brown University Center for AIDS Research, to undergo a comprehensive neurocognitive battery of testing.

    Heavy drinkers were classified using National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism criteria and structured clinical interviews and, further, were compared to non-drinkers and moderate drinkers.

    Nearly 53 per cent showed had a lifetime history of alcohol dependence (AD).

    Neurocognitive data were grouped according to global cognitive function, attention/executive function, learning, memory, motor function, verbal function, and speed of processing.

    The findings were published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.

  • Indian Air Force gets Rafale edge

    Indian Air Force gets Rafale edge

    In a major boost to the Indian Air Force, India has signed a formal agreement with France to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets for $8.7bn, in a major defense deal.

    The deal was signed by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and his visiting French counterpart Jean Yves Le Drian today sixteen months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced India’s plans to buy 36 Rafale fighter aircraft in fly away condition during his trip to France.

    The delivery of the jets will start in 36 months and will be completed in 66 months.

    India is looking to modernise its Soviet-era military and the deal is the result of years of negotiation.

    “You can only ever be completely sure once has been signed and that’s what happened today,” Mr Le Drian told AFP news agency after Friday’s signing ceremony.

    The first Rafales are expected to be delivered by 2019 and India is set to have all 36 jets within six years.

    Friday’s deal is a substantial reduction from the 126 planes that India originally planned to buy, but is still the biggest-ever foreign order of Rafale fighters, AFP says.

    French President Francois Hollande has hailed it as “a mark of the recognition by a major military power of the operational performance, the technical quality and the competitiveness of the French aviation industry”.

    Here’s what you need to know about the Rafale jet

    • The combat aircraft comes equipped with state-of-the-art missiles like ‘Meteor’ and ‘Scalp’ that will give IAF a capability that had been sorely missing in its arsenal.
    • Its Beyond Visual Range (BVR) Meteor air-to-air missile with a range in excess of 150 km makes the Rafale a strategic weapon in the hands of IAF
    • ‘Scalp’, a long-range air-to-ground cruise missile with a range in excess of 300 km, also gives IAF an edge over its adversaries.
    • According to Dassault Aviation, the Rafale can carry out both air-to-ground strikes, as well as air-to-air attacks and interceptions during the same sortie.
    • Stating that the Rafale has ‘Omnirole’ capability, Dassault Aviation claims that the aircraft can perform several actions at the same time, such as firing air-to-air missiles during a very low altitude penetration phase.
  • 5 killed at Macy’s in Cascade Mall, Burlington, Suspect in Custody within 24 hours

    5 killed at Macy’s in Cascade Mall, Burlington, Suspect in Custody within 24 hours

    After a shooting at the Cascade mall in Burlington in Washington, which killed Five people – a teenage girl, three women and a man – inside Macy’s department store on Friday; Arcan Cetin was arrested in his hometown Oak Harbor on Saturday, nearly 24 hours after the attack, 40 minutes’ drive away.

    Police said in court papers that all five victims were shot within a minute and the rifle was left on a cosmetics counter before the gunman fled.

    At a news conference, police said Cetin had been identified as a suspect after a car connected to him was seen on security camera footage at the shopping centre.

    Lt Mike Hawley, of Island County sheriff’s department, said the car was later spotted in Oak Harbor. He said he had been on his way to the scene when he saw the suspect by the side of a road and arrested him.

    Lt Hawley said the man “said nothing, he was zombie-like” and was not carrying a weapon.

    Who is Arcan Cetin

    ARCAN CETIN
    ARCAN CETIN

    Arcan Cetin was born in Turkey and is a legal US permanent resident, officials say.

    Investigators say they are not ruling out any motives, including terrorism.

    Cetin’s stepfather says he has a history of mental health issues.

    According to the Associated Press, Cetin’s postings online included references to a serial killer and Adolf Hitler, as well as pictures of so-called Islamic State’s leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomenei.

    Court documents filed by prosecutors allege that Cetin confessed to shooting all five victims with a rifle.

     

  • Prolonged sitting behind 4% deaths worldwide: Study

    Prolonged sitting behind 4% deaths worldwide: Study

    WASHINGTON: Nearly four per cent of all deaths worldwide – or 433,000 per year – are due to the fact that people spend more than three hours a day sitting down, a new study conducted in 54 countries has claimed.

    Researchers, including those from San Jorge University in Spain, estimated the proportion of deaths attributable to the ‘chair effect’ using data from 2002 to 2011.

    “It is important to minimise sedentary behaviour in order to prevent premature deaths around the world,” said lead author of the study Leandro Rezende from the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil.

    He noted that “cutting down on the amount of time we sit could increase life expectancy by 0.20 years in the countries analysed.”

    The results show that over 60 per cent of people worldwide spend more than three hours a day sitting down – the average in adults is 4.7 hours per day – and this is the culprit behind 3.8 per cent of deaths (about 433,000 deaths per year).

    Among the territories studied, there were more deaths in the regions of the Western Pacific, followed by European countries, the Eastern Mediterranean, America and Southeast Asia.

    The highest rates were found in Lebanon (11.6 per cent), the Netherlands (7.6 per cent) and Denmark (6.9 per cent), while the lowest rates were in Mexico (0.6 per cent), Myanmar (1.3 per cent) and Bhutan (1.6 per cent).

    Spain falls within the average range with 3.7 per cent of deaths due to this ‘chair effect’.

    The researchers calculate that reducing the amount of time we sit by about two hours (50 per cent) would mean a 2.3 per cent decrease in mortality (three times less), although it is not possible to confirm whether this is a causal relationship.

    Even a more modest reduction in sitting time, by 10 per cent or half an hour per day, could have an immediate impact on all causes of mortality (0.6 per cent) in the countries evaluated.

    According to several studies published in 2012 by the journal Lancet, as many as 31 per cent of the world population does not meet the current recommendations for physical activity, researchers said.

    In addition, a lack of exercise is associated with major noncommunicable diseases and with deaths of any cause – inactivity is the culprit behind six to nine per cent of total worldwide deaths.

    Today’s lifestyle has an impact on these numbers. In fact, various studies over the last decade have demonstrated how the excessive amount of time we spend sitting down may increase the risk of death, regardless of whether or not we exercise, researchers said.

    The study was published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

  • Hackers publish apparent scan of Michelle Obama’s passport

    Hackers publish apparent scan of Michelle Obama’s passport

    The White House says it is investigating a “cyber breach” after what appeared to be a scan of Michelle Obama’s passport was published online.

    The scan appeared to have been taken from a Gmail account belonging to a White House employee, a spokesman said.

    Other confidential information was published online, including travel details, names, social security numbers and birth dates of members of staff.

    The White House said it had not yet verified the documents.

    DCLeaks.com, a hacker group which last week published personal emails from an account belonging to former US Secretary of State Colin Powell’s emails, claimed responsibility for the hack.

    The US attorney general, Loretta Lynch, said the incident was “something that we are looking into”. White House press secretary Josh Earnest said the breach “should be a wake-up call for all of us”.

    Mr Earnest said that the employee targeted by the hackers was a contract worker and not a permanent member of staff.

    He said: “At this point I cannot announce any sort of conclusion that’s been reached about the individual or individuals that may have been responsible for the cyber breach that resulted in this information being leaked.”

    “The Secret Service is concerned any time unauthorised information that might pertain to one of the individuals we protect, or our operations, is allegedly disclosed,” said communications director Cathy Milhoan.

    In July, hackers released a string of emails from the Democratic National Committee (DNC), prompting the resignation of chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz. State-sponsored Russian hackers have been accused of behind the DNC leaks.

    And on Friday, internet giant Yahoo confirmed that hackers stole information from about 500 million users in 2014, in what appears to be the largest publicly disclosed cyber-breach in history.

    he Secret Service, which is responsible for protecting the President and First Lady, said it was “concerned” about the apparent hacking.

  • India hits back at Pakistan at UNGA; Terms it a Terrorist State

    India hits back at Pakistan at UNGA; Terms it a Terrorist State

    UNITED NATIONS (TIP): Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif raked up the Kashmir issue on Wednesday, September 21, at the United Nations General Assembly, glorifying slain Hizbul commander Burhan Wani as a “young leader” and demanding an “independent inquiry into the extra-judicial killings”.

    India’s response has been swift.Replying to Nawaz Sharif’s statement at the General Debate of 71st UNGA, India’s First Secretary Eenam Gambhir directly took on Pakistan calling it a terrorist state and a global epicenter of terrorism.

    “The worst violation of human rights is terrorism. When practiced as an instrument of state policy it is a war crime,” said Gambir in India’s right of reply to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s speech, in which he had raised the human rights situation in Jammu and Kashmir.

    Gambhir’s response to what she described as Pakistan’s “long tirade” about the situation in J and K, expressed earlier in a speech by the country’s prime minister Nawaz Sharif, was short, furious, and unprecedented in its intensity and descriptions.

    It also indicated a new Indian resolve to have Pakistan formally designated a nuclear proliferating terrorist state based on Islamabad’s use of terrorism as state policy and evidence of its nurturing of terror groups.

    Reminding the UN of how so many terrorist attacks, including that on 9/11 in U.S., led to Pakistan, she said, “The land of Taxila, one of the greatest learning centers of ancient times, is now host to the Ivy League of terrorism.” There was a specific reference to the hunt for Osama bin Laden leading to Abbottabad, Pakistan, where he was found and killed next to a Pakistan military garrison. Several other major terrorists including Mullah Omar, Ramzi Yousef, and Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, not to speak of numerous foot soldiers, including last week’s New York bomber, have found refuge and inspiration in Pakistan.

    “It attracts aspirants and apprentices from all over the world. The effect of its toxic curriculum are felt across the globe,” Gambhir explained, as India for the first time brought to the world’s attention the fallout of Pakistan’s nurturing of terrorist groups that the U.N itself has recorded and proscribed.

    “It is ironical therefore that we have seen today the preaching of human rights and ostensible support for self-determination by a country which has established itself as the global epicenter of terrorism,” she added in a reference to Sharif’s remarks on Jammu and Kashmir.

    More humiliation followed as Gambhir also raised the issue of the international aid to Pakistan being diverted for terrorism, raising the possibility that New Delhi will now begin a campaign to cut off assistance on which Islamabad subsists.

  • Navtej Sarna appointed Ambassador to the US: Sandhu goes to Sri Lanka

    Navtej Sarna is the new envoy to the US
    Navtej Sarna is the new envoy to the US

    NEW DELHI (TIP): India’s High Commissioner to UK Navtej Sarna was on Thursday, September 22, appointed Ambassador to the US, a high-profile posting where he will face the task of engaging with a new administration in Washington following the November 8 Presidential poll.

    Sarna, an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer of the 1980-batch, was serving as Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs before he was posted in London in January. He succeeds Arun Singh, who is due for retirement.

    The 59-year-old diplomat was among the longest-serving spokespersons of the MEA. He had held the post between 2002 and 2008.

    “He is expected to take up the assignment shortly,” the External Affairs Ministry said.

    In Washington, Sarna’s main task will be to ensure continuity in Indo-US relations when a new dispensation takes charge.

    Sarna has authored many fiction and non-fiction books, with the most recent being ‘Second Thoughts: On Books, Authors and the Writerly Life’ released last year. He was also India’s Ambassador to Israel from 2008 to 2012.

    For two years from August 2012, Sarna had served as additional secretary in-charge of international organizations in the MEA.

    Sarna had served at various Indian missions including in Moscow, Warsaw, Tehran, Geneva, Thimphu and Washington.

    Mr. Sandhu
    Mr. Sandhu

    The government has also appointed 1988-batch IFS officer Taranjit Singh Sandhu as the next High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka. He will replace Yash Sinha tipped to be Indian High Commissioner to the UK. Sandhu had a stint at Washington as Deputy Ambassador.

    Mr. Sinha is a seasoned diplomat and, in his career spanning 35 years, he has handled several important assignments at the MEA and in Indian diplomatic missions in South Asia, the Middle East, Europe and South America.

    (Source PTI)

  • Diwali Stamp to be Unveiled October 5: Air India announces Raffle for free travel to India

    Diwali Stamp to be Unveiled October 5: Air India announces Raffle for free travel to India

    NEW YORK CITY (TIP): Almost a decade long struggles to have a US postal stamp to commemorate the best known Indian festival bore fruit in August when the USPS conveyed to Ranju Batra, Chair of the Diwali Stamp Project that a Forever stamp will be issued to commemorate Diwali. The unveiling of the commemorative stamp was fixed for October 5.

    The Diwali Stamp. The Diya is photographed by Sally Andersen-Bruce of New Milford, CT and the stamp has been designed by Greg Breeding of Charlottesville, VA while William J. Gicker of Washington, DC is the project's art director. Photo / courtesy USPS
    The Diwali Stamp. The Diya is photographed by Sally Andersen-Bruce of New Milford, CT and the stamp has been designed by Greg Breeding of Charlottesville, VA while William J. Gicker of
    Washington, DC is the project’s art director.
    Photo / courtesy USPS

    The USPS decision received the expected welcome from those who had been working to have it issued, and the community. On August 23, Ranju Batra, Chair of the Diwali Stamp Project and Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney who had moved tin the Congress the bill for the Diwali Stamp, invited members of the community to formally announce that the USPS had agreed to release a Diwali commemorative stamp.

    And now the Consulate General of India, New York, in association with the United States Postal Service (USPS) and the Indian community is hosting the inaugural ceremony of Diwali Stamp release around noon on October 5 at its premises (3 East 64 Street, New York). Following the ceremony, purchase and cancellation of the stamps for collectors and customers will be facilitated at the Consulate. This was announced by Ranju Batra, in the presence of the Consul General Riva Ganguly Das, at a press conference at the Consulate, September 21.

    Speaking on the occasion, Raju Batra described the efforts which went in to realizing her cherished dream of having a Diwali stamp issued. She said, many before her had tried and failed. But she was resolved to go all the way and rest not till the stamp was issued. She ascribed success in her effort to many who lent their support to her mission. Beginning with the encouragement and support she got from her husband, Ravi Batra, she went on to describe how Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney proved to be the chief catalyst. She named a couple of other politicians and some community leaders who, she said, were a great support. She thanked them all.

    In her address to the gathered media, Consul General Das said the release of the Diwali Stamp was a recognition of the contribution and the strength of the Indian American community. She said she was happy and proud at the achievement made possible with the concerted effort of the community and under the leadership provided by Ranju and Ravi Batra.

    The Regional Manager of Air India Vandana Sharma who could not make it to the press conference on account of an injury was represented by the District Manager, Sales Mohan Kothekar who read out Ms Sharma’s message. A part of the message dealt with the Air India’s offer to give 10 tickets for free travel to India to buyers of the Diwali stamp through a raffle draw on October 5 at the Consulate.

    Commodore (Retired) Rajeev Sharma was also present at the event.

    Air India is sponsoring 10 free round trip tickets to India to drive up the Diwali stamp sales at the launch. “Every person who comes to the Oct 5 dedication and buys even 1 set of 20 stamps or buys by pre-order will have a chance to win 1 round trip ticket to India! In addition, those who buy multiples of 10 sheets of stamps will get one chance per 10 Sheets; the more sheets you buy, more chances you get,” informed Ranju Batra. In addition, anyone who buys $10,000 or more worth of Diwali stamps by Pre-Sale will get 1 round trip ticket (limited to first 7 free India tickets).

    Around the time of the dedication ceremony attended by high officials from United States Postal Services (USPS), Diwali Stamp sales and Pre-Sale Orders Pick Up will begin. Winners of the free Air India roundtrip tickets will be selected and announced on the same day.

    The Stamp Purchase Form
    The Stamp Purchase Form

    Ravi Batra clarified that only Pre-Order Retail Forms received by the Diwali Stamp Project by October 3 are eligible for Air India Free Raffle Roundtrip Ticket per the rules.

    “Only Pre-Order Retail Forms received by Diwali Stamp Project on or before October 3, 2016 are eligible for Air India Free Raffle Roundtrip Ticket per the rules. Raffle Drawing will occur on 10/5/16 at CGI – 3 East 64 Street, Manhattan. Attendance at the historic Diwali Stamp Dedication is most welcome and encouraged as our Community’s show of force and heartfelt thanks to USPS for the Diwali Stamp and for Air India’s support of the historic Diwali Stamp”, said Ravi Batra.

    Ravi Batra cautioned: “Do not mail this Pre-Order form to USPS, as you will not be eligible for the Air India Free Raffle.”  The form must be mailed by September 27, 2016 to:

    Ranju Batra

    Chair, Diwali Stamp Project

    The Batra Building

    142 Lexington Ave

    New York, NY 10016.

    All questions, please contact Ranju Batra via email ranjubatra@aol.com or cell 9148825670.

    Diwali Stamp Project committee. L to R: Ravi Batra, Ranju Batra, Mohan Kothekar, Srujal Parikh, Rajeev Sharma
    Diwali Stamp Project committee. L to R: Ravi Batra, Ranju Batra, Mohan Kothekar, Srujal Parikh, Rajeev Sharma

    TV Asia is also promoting sales of the Diwali stamp with the Pre-Sale TV Asia Tour in New Jersey, Washington DC, Atlanta, Chicago, Houston and San Francisco.

    The Forever Stamp with which the U.S. Postal Service will commemorate the joyous festival of Diwali is aesthetically designed & features a traditional diya, an oil lamp, set on sparkling gold background. The photograph of the diya, which is symbolic of Diwali, was shot by Sally Andersen-Bruce of New Milford, Connecticut. The design is by Greg Breeding of Charlottesville, Virginia. William J. Gicker from Washington, DC, is the project’s art director.

    At the Wednesday press conference at the consulate, Ravi Batra, Chair, Nat’l Advisory Council South Asian Affairs, said, “From Indian tea starring in the Boston Tea Party in 1773, the start of the American Revolution, destiny has beckoned United States and India to be the closest allies. It may have taken over 200 years, the end of the Cold War and the Civil Nuclear Deal, but the Forever Diwali Stamp represents nothing short of respectful inclusive indivisibility: E Pluribus Unum -within America and between two sovereigns. That the Diwali Stamp Project’s campaign successfully sought hardworking Rep. Carolyn Maloney’s national leadership, and later even President Obama’s and Prime Minister Modi’s support speaks to soft power’s beneficial effects in nations and communities embracing as a vehicle for greater peace & security around the world.”

  • A Day of Protests in front of the United Nations

    A Day of Protests in front of the United Nations

    NEW YORK (TIP): September 21 was a day of protests in front of the United Nations. The most important, from the point of view of Indian American community were the protests against Pakistan, organized by Balochis and Indian Americans.

    There was another organized by the Bangladeshi BNP against Sheikh Hasina. Yet another was a protest organized against the Chinese government by the practitioners of Falun Dafa who alleged persecution of “100 million people” at the hands of the Chinese regime. Yet another, a little distance away on 2ndAvenue, was a protest against Iranian regime.

    We are presenting here the stories in brief in pictures. However, the protests against Pakistan by the Balochis and the Indian Americans are more detailed.

    BALOCHIS AND INDIAN AMERICANS PROTEST AGAINST PAKISTAN


    Several Baloch and Indian activists held large-scale demonstrations outside the UN headquarters here while Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif addressed the UN General Assembly as they were joined by other groups demanding that it stop “exporting” terror into India.

    The protestors converged across the street from the world body’s headquarters to condemn atrocities and human rights violations by Pakistan just as Mr. Sharif was addressing the General Debate of the General Assembly.

    The crowd shouted slogans of ‘Free Balochistan’, ‘Down Down Pakistan’, ‘Save World from Pakistan Terror’ as they waved banners and placards that read ‘US Government stop giving funds to Pakistan’, ‘Kashmiri Hindus are Humans, Wake up to their sufferings’, ‘Remove Pakistan from the UN’, ‘Stop Atrocities in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir’ and ‘Killing Fields of Pakistan -Sindh and Balochistan’.

    “Pakistan is a terror state and does not want the people of Balochistan to live in peace,” Ahmar Musti Khan, founder of the American Friends of Balochistan told Press Trust of India.

    He said Pakistan and its leaders are committing crimes against the residents of Kashmir, demanding that the country stop “exporting terror and let its neighbors live in peace”.

    He added the Pakistani leadership should respect the right to self-determination of the Baloch people.

    Mr. Khan said the Baloch people are “indebted” to Prime Minister Narendra Modi “for speaking out for Balochistan’s right and the right of the Baloch people to be the masters of our own destiny”.

    He slammed the Pakistani army for its brutalities against “innocent Balochis”, saying “the Pakistan Army is ISIS in uniform”.

    The Baloch National Movement (BNM) condemned the Pakistani atrocities and the ‘ongoing military operations’ in Sindh and Balochistan.

    “Baloch and Sindhi people appeal to the freedom loving citizens of America and the world to support our demands for freedom, peace, and justice. We, the victims of Pakistani state aggression and crimes against humanity, want to tell the world that ‘Pakistan is a nuclear-armed terrorist state’ and must be stopped,” the group said.

    Condemning the “barbaric” terror attack on the Uri camp in Kashmir and Pathankot air base, BNM said such attacks are part of Pakistan’s policy of “aggression, employing terrorist methods and outfits to escalate war in the region”.

    It said the Baloch people are grateful for the support extended by the Indian Prime Minister at “such a critical juncture when our nation is struggling to be free from the illegal military occupation of Pakistan since 1948”.

    Jayesh Patel, the former President of the Overseas Friends of BJP, said Pakistan should stop terrorism against India, saying countless innocent lives have been lost due to attacks in Kashmir, mostly recently on the army base in Uri that killed 18 soldiers.

    “The families of our soldiers are the worst sufferers,” he said.

  • Indian American Sikh Woman Soldier is Army’s ‘Un-official Diplomat’

    Indian American Sikh Woman Soldier is Army’s ‘Un-official Diplomat’

    CHAUBATIA, UTTARAKHAND (TIP): An Indian American US Army staffer Balreet Kaur Khaira is changing the way Indians are seen and has grown more than an asset for the force, especially when they are in conflict zones in Iraq or Afghanistan or in India for a joint military exercise.

    Her expertise in Hindi and Urdu has helped her act as an interpreter between US and Indian forces, and locals which in turn has given her the unofficial tag of a Diplomat.

    More than 400 US Army personnel and the Congo Brigade of the Indian Army are getting familiar with each other’s organizational structure, weapons, equipment and tactical drills at the 12th edition of ‘Yudh Abhyas’, the joint military exercise between the forces at Chaubatia in Uttarakhand.

    In addition to her tasks as a staffer, Balreet doubles up as an interpreter between US and Indian soldiers.

    Soldiers from either side look for her whenever they have problems communicating with their counterparts.

    Born in Moga in Punjab, and raised in Chandigarh, the 27-year-old’s fluency in Urdu came handy during her posting in strife-torn Iraq and Afghanistan.

    “I know Hindi and Urdu, and that helped me a lot in Afghanistan. I was able to connect with the locals and they too were happy to communicate,” Balreet told HT.

    Fellow troopers have nicknamed her and her sister Jasleen, who also works in the force, as ‘cultural diplomats’.

    But it has not been an easy journey for her in the US force, being an Indian and a woman. “Then there were only few Indians working in the US force (when I joined in 2004). Being a woman, it was not easy to adjust.”

    Her family moved to the US a week before the September 9, 2001, attack on the two World Trade Centres in New York. Balreet was 14 and Jasleen 12 then.

    “My father is in port business and kept on moving to different countries before deciding to finally settle down in the US. We reached America a week before 9/11. Post the attack, Indians and Sikhs in particular faced lots of issues,” she said.

    Raised in Chandigarh for most of their childhood, it took the young girls a while before they adopted the American culture while not forgetting their Indian traditions.Balreet joined the US Army’s medical wing at the age of 16 as a soldier and later moved to the infantry division.

    Jasleen followed her sister’s footsteps. Over the years, Balreet has been promoted to the rank of staffer.

    Kaur sisters had participated in three joint military exercises — one in US, two in India — including the one held at Chaubatia in 2014.

    As the army’s ‘diplomat’, Balreet is happy that perceptions towards Indians have changed, at least among their colleagues.

  • Indian American Jennifer Rajkumar fails to make it to the general elections

    Indian American Jennifer Rajkumar fails to make it to the general elections

    NEW YORK (TIP): Jenifer Rajkumar, a Democrat running in the state’s 65th Assembly District, candidate for the New York State Assembly, has lost the race in the Democratic primaries held on September 13.

    She was against an array of strong candidates to fill the seat vacated by the powerful NY State Assembly Speaker, Sheldon Silver. Rajkumar, a longtime resident of the area and a Democratic District Leader for three terms, managed to split some of the voting blocks, to garner a second place finish.

    “I am enormously proud of the campaign we ran, and very grateful for the outpouring of support I received from our Desi community everywhere,” Rajkumar told the media. “This was a tough race in a tough district.”

    The winner, Yuh-Line Niou won 2,742 votes, 31.55 percent, and Rajkumar came in 2nd with 1,612 or 18.55 percent of the vote. Ranged behind her were Paul Newell with 1,381 (15.89 percent); Alive Cancel, 1,069 (12.30 percent; Don Lee, 984 votes (11.32 percent); and Gigi Li, 827 votes, 9.51 percent.

    This heavily Democratic downtown Manhattan district made up of diverse ethnic communities and a mix of upper and lower income populations, assures a winner of the primary a seat in the state Assembly almost automatically. But just 8,692 Democrats cast votes in a district where registered Democrats number 43,094.

    “With all of New York’s powerbrokers supporting other candidates, I still came in a very respectable second place in a six candidate field thanks to votes from throughout Lower Manhattan’s diverse neighborhoods,” Rajkumar said.

  • Two Indian American IIT Madras alumni donate $1mn to their alma mater to promote research

    Two Indian American IIT Madras alumni donate $1mn to their alma mater to promote research

    CHENNAI (TIP): Two alumni of IIT-Madras based in the Silicon Valley in the United States – Anand Rajaraman and Venky Harinarayanan – have donated $ 1 million, sponsoring the Visiting Chairs in Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) in their endeavor to promote lead research on data-driven approaches and outstanding talent.

    The Visiting Chair Programme was announced at 42nd international conference on Very Large Data Bases in New Delhi on Wednesday, September 7.

    The Chair Professor is expected to collaborate extensively with faculty at IIT-Madras engaged in aligned fields of research, and also help the Institute build up capability in this emerging area, besides get involved in a range of activities including teaching or co-teaching of UG and graduate courses, co-advising IITM students, and assisting in recruitment of post-doctoral fellows.

    In order to ensure that the Chairs are of high quality, an advisory committee has been constituted to help the CSE Department in screening and selection of the Chair Professor, IIT Madras said in a statement.

    Three eminent scientists – Prof. Jeffrey Ullman at Stanford University, Prof. Randy Katz at UC-Berkeley and Prof. Hari Balakrishnan at MIT – have already indicated their willingness to serve as Chairs at the launch of the programme.

    Prof Katz said “this new Visiting Chair programme will spark a great connection between the international Computer Science research community and one of the leading centers of Computer Science education and research in India. I’m looking forward to an exciting and substantive engagement in this rapidly developing center of the computer science world”. The Head of the Department of CSE at IIT Madras, Prof Krishna Sivalingam and Prof R. Nagarajan, Dean, International & Alumni Relations, welcomed the endowment.