The Indian Panorama

Month: July 2017

  • Parties issuing whip to face penal action EC on Prez poll

    Parties issuing whip to face penal action EC on Prez poll

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Political parties which issue directions to their members to vote in a particular manner in presidential elections can face penal action, the Election Commission said today.

    It, however, said parties were free to canvas or seek votes of the electors for any candidate or request them or appeal to them to refrain from voting.

    Since there is no whip and the vote in presidential poll is through a secret ballot, voters are free to decide whether they want to cast vote or not.

    The set of clarifications from the commission came after it was approached by some voters who wanted to know whether a member of a political party voting in defiance of the party’s decision would attract disqualification on the ground of defection or the party would be liable to any penalty for asking their members to vote in a particular manner.

    The EC said parties which issue whip or give directions can face action under section 171C of the IPC dealing with “voluntarily interferes or attempts to interfere with the free exercise of any electoral right”.

    The total strength of the electoral college President’s poll comprises all elected MPs and members of legislative assemblies of all states and UTs of Delhi and Puducherry. The total comes to 10,98,903 votes with each MP carrying a vote value of 708.

    The vote weight of an MLA depends on the population of the state he or she represents. A candidate needs 50 per cent plus votes to win the poll. The halfway mark comes at 5,49,452.

  • I cared about EC’s image, not my own, during EVM controversy: Zaidi

    I cared about EC’s image, not my own, during EVM controversy: Zaidi

    NEW DELHI (TIP): It was the Election Commission’s integrity and image and not his personal reputation that he cared about during the entire EVM controversy, former Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Nasim Zaidi has said.

    “I was neither angry nor amused. I was very concerned about the integrity of the Commission, which it enjoys for decades. What was in my mind was how to preserve the integrity of the Commission and to retain and further enhance people’s confidence in the institution. It is not a question of me as an individual,” Zaidi told IANS in an interview when asked if he felt hurt or just laughed at the allegations during the EVM controversy.

    Zaidi, who demitted office on Wednesday, said the entire controversy was “most avoidable” as electronic voting machines (EVMs) were in use for a long time and several expert committees had vouched for their soundness. “I feel that this (EVM) controversy was most avoidable, in the sense that the EC has been a pioneer in deployment of EVMs in consultation with political parties, and with so many technical committees saying that these cannot be tampered with. By using the same EVMs we have conducted 107 assembly elections and three general elections in 2004, 2009, 2014. They have always thrown correct results. This controversy was clearly avoidable,” Zaidi said.

    He said that instead of “levelling wild allegations”, political parties could have brought up specific cases of tampering with proof or credible information. “But we haven’t had any such evidence. We are waiting for it even today,” Zaidi said with a smile.

    Zaidi said the Commission had always been open to suggestions and measures to further enhance the EVMs’ credibility. After results to the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur were declared, in which the BJP swept the crucial state of Uttar Pradesh, some opposition parties raised doubts over the integrity of the EVMs. Many other parties joined the chorus that was sparked by BSP supremo Mayawati, who lost majorly in the state.

    In Punjab, the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party raised the same issue, and also after his party lost the Delhi civic elections. However, the EC was prompt in issuing rebuttals every time such charges were levelled. In June, the EC threw a challenge to political parties to come and hack the machine. Only the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) showed interest in taking up the challenge. The poll panel had put in place several strictures for holding the exercise, after which most parties decided to keep away.

    Source: IANS

  • Achal Joti takes over as CEC

    Achal Joti takes over as CEC

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Achal Kumar Joti today took over as the 21st Chief Election Commissioner (CEC). After taking over, he said his focus would be to “vigorously pursue the mandate of holding free, fair, inclusive and credible polls.

    He said the poll panel’s mission of “no voter is left behind” would continue to be his priority even as the focus area would be to actively promote e-governance for holding state and LS polls. Joti, a 1975-batch Gujarat cadre IAS officer, was the Chief Secretary of the state while Narendra Modi was the CM.

  • In Nitish backing Kovind, BJP sees cracks in alliance

    In Nitish backing Kovind, BJP sees cracks in alliance

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Even as the party attacks Nitish Kumar for not acting against RJD chief Lalu Prasad and his family in alleged graft cases, BJP sees the Bihar CM’s support to NDA presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind as a serious division in the alliance rather than an “isolated” act.

    A senior BJP member said Kumar’s support to Kovind was reminiscent of his stance when he had supported UPA’s presidential nominee Pranab Mukherjee in 2012 despite being part of NDA. Subsequently, Kumar parted ways with the NDA.

    “By support to the NDA nominee, Kumar has expressed displeasure with RJD and Congress and the ‘mahagathbandhan’ will not last six months,” he claimed. The party is keenly seeing what Kumar’s position on the vice-president’s election will be.

    BJP’s optimism is in contrast to remarks by JD(U) members like K C Tyagi, who said Kumar’s support to Kovind did not have political ramifications beyond the presidential poll. However, while reacting to RJD and Congress’s criticism of the CM, even Tyagi has recalled JD(U)’s alliance with BJP when Vajpayee was PM.

    BJP feels the CM is keen to differentiate himself from his partners. “Candidature of Meira Kumar was a known secret. Kumar could have waited for two days. But he had made up his mind and Kovind’s selection made it easy for him,” the BJP member said. He said Meira Kumar’s particular Scheduled Caste was a sizeable one in Bihar and it could have been a poll ploy to support her. “But a large section of JD(U) wanted to join hands with BJP.”

    After support for demonetisation, the latest trigger for Kumar to explore a break-up with the ‘mahagathbandhan’ is premised on several factors, including possibility of legal action against Lalu’s family members. The CM, it is felt, has also realised the futility of forging a grand national alliance against BJP since Congress is unlikely to formally back anyone for PM other than Rahul Gandhi.

    PREZ POLL FIGHT BETWEEN IDEOLOGIES, SAYS MEIRA

    PATNA (TIP): Opposition’s presidential pick Meira Kumar has described her electoral fight with NDA nominee Ram Nath Kovind as a contest between two ideologies — communalism and secularism.

    The former Lok Sabha Speaker was interacting with Bihar’s ruling Congress and RJD legislators at a posh hotel in Patna on Thursday, ten days before the election is to be held on July 17. The other ruling ally, JD (U), has announced support to Kovind.

    “Our country is standing at the crossroads… There’s complete darkness on one side where people are being divided on religious and caste lines and the poor being suppressed for political advantage.

    We (read the parties supporting her) are on the other side, trying to help the suppressed sections. This is what we have been doing since ages,” she said, alleging people today were afraid of even walking beside a cow.

    Thanking RJD chief Lalu Prasad who was the first politician after Congress president Sonia Gandhi to call her, Meira said he told her about his support. “I knew he would support me for I have seen him lead the people of Bihar in stalling nefarious attempts to communalise the country in the past,” she said and hoped history would be repeated with her win.

  • CBI files case against Lalu, family after searching premises over hotel tender irregularities

    CBI files case against Lalu, family after searching premises over hotel tender irregularities

    CBI on July 7 (Friday) carried out searches at the premises of family members of former railway minister Lalu Prasad Yadav in connection with a fresh case of alleged irregularities in awarding the tender for maintenance of hotels.

    A case has been registered against the then railway minister, his wife Rabri Devi, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and his son Tejashwi, the then IRCTC MD, P K Goyal, the wife of Yadav’s confidante Prem Chand Gupta, Sujata, and others, CBI sources said. Gupta is a former Union corporate affairs minister.

    The sources said the FIR relates to allegations of irregularities in the tender for development, maintenance and operation of BNR Hotels in Ranchi and Puri, awarded to the private Sujata Hotels in 2006.

    The BNR Hotels are heritage hotels of the Railways which were taken over by the IRCTC from the public transporter earlier in the same year.

    Searches are being conducted today at 12 locations, including Delhi, Patna, Ranchi, Puri and Gurgaon, they said.

    Source: PTI

  • G20 HAMBURG SUMMIT

    G20 HAMBURG SUMMIT

    The G20 (or G-20 or Group of Twenty) is an international forum for the governments and central bank governors from 20 major economies founded in 1999. The G20 aims to discuss policy issues pertaining to the promotion of international financial stability. It seeks to address issues that go beyond the responsibilities of any one organization.The G20 heads of government or heads of state have periodically conferred at summits since their initial meeting in 2008, and the group also hosts separate meetings of finance ministers and central bank governors.

    Membership of the G20 consists of 19 individual countries plus the European Union (EU). The EU is represented by the European Commission and by the European Central Bank. Collectively, the G20 economies account for around 85% of the gross world product (GWP), 80% of world trade (or, if excluding EU intratrade, 75%), and two-thirds of the world population.

    With the G20 growing in stature after its inaugural leaders’ summit in 2008, its leaders announced on 25 September 2009 that the group would replace the G8 as the main economic council of wealthy nations. Since its inception, the G20’s membership policies have been criticized by numerous intellectuals, and its summits have been a focus for major protests by left-wing groups and anarchists.

    The heads of the G20 nations met semiannually at G20 summits between 2009 and 2010. Since the November 2011 Cannes summit, all G20 summits have been held annually.

    History

    The G20 is the latest in a series of post-World War II initiatives aimed at international coordination of economic policy, which include institutions such as the “Bretton Woods twins”, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, and what is now the World Trade Organization.

    The G20 was foreshadowed at the Cologne Summit of the G7 in June 1999, and formally established at the G7 Finance Ministers’ meeting on 26 September 1999 with an inaugural meeting on 15-16 December 1999 in Berlin. Canadian finance minister Paul Martin was chosen as the first chairman and German finance minister Hans Eichel hosted the inaugural meeting.

    The Brookings Institution claims the group was founded primarily at the initiative of Eichel, the concurrent chair of the G7. Canadian sources identify the G20 as a joint creation of Germany and the United States. The G20 membership was decided by Eichel’s deputy Caio Koch-Weser and then US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers’ deputy Timothy Geithner.

    “Geithner and Koch-Weser went down the list of countries saying, Canada in, Portugal out, South Africa in, Nigeria and Egypt out, and so on; they sent their list to the other G7 finance ministries; and the invitations to the first meeting went out.”

    Early topics

    The G20’s primary focus has been governance of the global economy, and summit themes have varied from year to year. The theme of the 2006 G20 ministerial meeting was “Building and Sustaining Prosperity”. The issues discussed included domestic reforms to achieve “sustained growth”, global energy and resource commodity markets, reform of the World Bank and IMF, and the impact of demographic changes due to an aging world population.

    In 2007, South Africa hosted the secretariat with Trevor A. Manuel, South African Minister of Finance as chairperson of the G20. In 2008, Guido Mantega, Brazil’s Minister of Finance, was the G20 chairperson and proposed dialogue on competition in financial markets, clean energy, economic development and fiscal elements of growth and development.

    On 11 October 2008 after a meeting of G7 finance ministers US President George W. Bush stated that the next meeting of the G20 would be important in finding solutions to the burgeoning economic crisis of 2008.

    WHICH COUNTRIES ARE G20 MEMBERS?

    Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States of America, The European Union, represented by the European Council.

    When and where is the 2017 G20 summit being held?

    This year’s main G20 forum is being held from 7-8 July in Hamburg, Germany. As well as permanent members of the committee, the leaders of Guinea, the Netherlands, Norway, the Philippines, Senegal, Singapore, Spain and Vietnam will also be in attendance.

    This will be the 12th G20 summit and the first time it has been hosted by Germany. It is being hosted at the Hamburg Messe and Congress, a large convention centre which regularly hosts trade fairs.

    There were surreal scenes ahead of the event, as hundreds of activists dressed up as zombies in a “Welcome to hell” demonstration. The protests on the eve of the summit’s opening became more violent, with riot police firing water cannons at demonstrators after they pelted cops with rocks.

    What will be discussed at the G20 meeting?

    Theresa May is set to issue a rallying cry to leaders to develop technology to prevent future “lone wolf” terror attacks following the Manchester and London Bridge atrocities. The Prime Minister will call for new tools to be introduced to spot suspicious transfers of small sums of money in order to detect terrorist funding.

    She will also urge world leaders to share more intelligence on the movement of known jihadi fighters returning from battle in Syria and Iraq. Donald Trump will meet Vladimir Putin at the summit – and the US president offered rare public criticism of Russia’s “destabilising” behaviour ahead of their talks.

    Trump is also set for talks with May, who is poised to challenge him over climate change after he pulled out of the Paris Agreement in June. Their discussions will also focus on missile testing by North Korea in the face of escalating nuclear weapon development from Kim Jong-un’s state in recent months.

    Germany and the US could find themselves on collision course in Hamburg after Angela Merkel signalled that climate change, free trade and migration would be key themes of the summit.

    Summit agenda

    Apart from usual, recurring themes “relating to global economic growth, international trade and financial market regulation”,the G20 Hamburg summit is expected to focus on the following “issues of global significance”:

    More inclusive growth

    Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: In spite of the recent US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, the German presidency wants to make the most of the “renewed public policy interest for environmental sustainability, gender equity and social inclusiveness, in the spirit of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)” – notably through the promotion of renewable energy and further fossil fuel divestment in both industrialised and developing nations.

    Women’s rights and economic empowerment Refugees and European migrant crisis Counter-terrorism and national security

    Cross-cutting policy recommendations Wolfgang Schäuble, the veteran German Federal Minister of Finance, has insisted on the “interconnected” nature of many of the issues facing G20 nations and, thus, on the need to preserve a strong consensus in favor of concerted, crosscuting policy measures: “Globalization has lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty, but there is also a growing rise in frustration in some quarters Development, national security and migration are all interlinked”

  • At least 28 killed in barbaric Mexican prison fight

    At least 28 killed in barbaric Mexican prison fight

    ACAPULCO (TIP): At least 28 inmates were killed when a brutal fight broke out in a prison in the Mexican Pacific resort of Acapulco on July 6, one of the worst outbreaks of violence in the country’s troubled penal system in recent years.

    Acapulco is the biggest city in Guerrero, one of Mexico’s most lawless states and a center of opium poppy production that has been a major concern to US officials. The prison carnage was particularly embarrassing to Mexico as it came the same day US Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly was visiting Guerrero, in Mexico’s southwest.

    Guerrero state security official Roberto Alvarez told reporters the fight broke out between rival gangs in the maximum security wing of the prison. In addition to 28 dead, three people were injured, he said.

    Authorities found bodies throughout the wing, inside and outside the kitchen, as well as the area for conjugal visits, he said. A law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity, and told four of the dead were decapitated.

    Alvarez told Reuters the prison was close to 30 percent over capacity. It was built for 1,624 inmates but had 1,951 men and 110 women behind its walls, he said.

    Despite reports of gunfire in the prison, all the casualties were due to wounds from sharp instruments, such as the improvised weapons that are fashioned by inmates, Alvarez said. Violent crime in Mexico has jumped in recent months and 2017 is on track to be one of its bloodiest on record.

    The number of murder cases in the first 5 months of 2017 jumped nearly 30 percent and murder investigations hit a record high in May. Drug gangs have been battling for control amid a power vacuum following the January deportation of Sinaloa cartel boss Joaquin El Chapo Guzman to the United States.

    The United States and Mexico are discussing how to crack down on the cartels now that most of the established capos have been killed or captured in a decade long, military led campaign.

    Kelly, one of the main links between Mexico’s government and the Trump administration on migration and security cooperation, arrived in Mexico on Wednesday and has held meetings with other top officials, including President Enrique Pena Nieto. He visited a military base outside Acapulco on Thursday to meet Mexico’s army and navy chiefs. Kelly discussed the military’s efforts to battle drug traffickers and observed the deployment of troops to destroy opium poppy fields, the defense ministry said in a statement.

    Acapulco, one of Mexico’s most famous beach resorts, was once a playground for Hollywood stars but in recent years has been roiled by vicious gang warfare. It is now ranked one of the most murderous cities in the world. The past week has been particularly bloody in Mexico.

    On Wednesday, at least 14 people were killed in a shootout in the northern state of Chihuahua, while 17 suspected gang members were shot dead by police late on Friday near Mazatlan in Guzman’s home state of Sinaloa. (Reuters)

  • July 7 New York & Dallas Print Editions

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    E-Editions

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  • Indian American Executives Advance to EY Entrepreneur of the Year National Finals

    Indian American Executives Advance to EY Entrepreneur of the Year National Finals

    DALLAS (TIP): More than a dozen Indian American executives nationwide have been named as regional winners in the 31st annual Ernst and Young U.S. Entrepreneur of the Year competition.

    The winners were selected from countless entrepreneurs, including dozens of Indian Americans, chosen as regional finalists in 25 regions throughout the country.

    At least 13 Indian Americans were named from nine regions, including three from the Southeast region.

    Among the Southeast regional winners were Satya Tiwari, Sidd Ahmed and Asif Ramji.

    Tiwari is the president of White, Ga.-based Surya, a family-run home decor company, since April 2004. He began his career as an investment banker following his graduation from Northwestern University in 2000.

    Ahmed has been the president and CEO at VDart Inc. dating back to April 2008. Prior to that, he was vice president of sales at Systel Inc. Ahmed is a graduate of GCE and earned certificates at Northwestern University’s management school and Dartmouth’s school of business.

    Ramji is the president and CEO of Paymetric. He has held leadership roles at the Greater Atlanta, Ga.-based company since 2009. He previously held leadership roles at RBS WorldPay Inc. and Moneris Solutions. He is a graduate of the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

    Raghu Marwaha and Rohit Marwaha of the Marwaha Group were among the winners in the Orange County region. The family organization owns and operates multiple Subway restaurants in Southern California. Raghu serves as the CEO of the company, where he’s been since January 1994. Rohit is a managing partner at the company, which he joined in August 1994.

    Ameri100 president Giri Devanur and Azure Knowledge Corporation co-founder and executive director Jay Ruparel were among the New Jersey regional winners.

    Devanur, a graduate of the University of Mysore and Columbia University, has been with the enterprise technology management company since September 2010. He has also served as the CEO at TCG-Ivega Corporation from 1997 to 2005 and GC Advanced R&D in Bangalore from 2006 to 2010.

    Ruparel co-founded Azure Knowledge Corporation, a global market research solutions company, in April 2001. In addition to Azure, Ruparel serves in various adviser, chairperson and management roles for different companies. He is a graduate of North Gujarat University and the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore.

    In the Mid-Atlantic region, Altruista Health CEO Ashish Kachru and Fishbowl Inc. CEO and president Dev Ganesan were named regional winners.

    Kachru has served as the CEO at Altruista Health since October 2010. He has been with the company since 2007, previously serving as its chairman and president. The Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology and University of Chicago Booth School of Business graduate has also worked at Cummins Inc., Dunrath Capital, Procter & Gamble and Americhoice.

    Ganesan has served as the president and CEO of Fishbowl since October 2014. He is a University of Mumbai graduate, and is also serving on the boards of DC Central Kitchen and Brandmuscle. He was previously president and CEO of Aptara.

    In the Greater Philadelphia region, Jagath Wanninayake of Suvoda LLC was named a winner. Wanninayake has been the co-founder, chairman and CEO at Suvoda since September 2012. He also serves as the co-founder and executive chairman at Mixette and managing partner at Serendip Ventures. A Swarthmore College graduate, Wanninayake also co-founded Jamity Records and Clarix.

    Ravi Kunduru of Ventech Solutions was named a winner in the Ohio Valley region. Kunduru serves as the president and chief innovation officer of Ventech Solutions, a Columbus, Ohio-based company he founded in 1994. He has served there for 23 years running. The Indian American earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of Madras SRM College of Engineering.

    In the Gulf Coast Region, Swapnil Agarwal was chosen to represent the area as a regional winner. Agarwal serves as the CEO at the Houston-based Nitya Capital, a real estate private equity fund company, where he’s been since 2013. Also since 2013, Agarwal has served as the CEO at Karya Property Management. He has previously worked at Forum Partners, and Simmons and Company International. He earned a bachelor’s from the University of Texas at Austin.

    In the New England Region, Raj Shanmugaraj of Acacia Communications was chosen as a winner. He has been president and CEO at Acacia since February 2010. He has also served as vice president at Alcatel and chief executive at Astral Point Communications. Earlier in his career, he served as a director at Motorola. He earned a degree at the National Institute of Technology.

    SendGrid CEO Sameer Dholakia was named a regional winner in the Mountain Desert region. Dholakia has been the CEO at SendGrid since September 2014. Previously he was group vice president and general manager of cloud platforms group at Citrix Systems, the CEO of VMLogix Inc. and held various leadership roles at Trilogy. He earned a bachelor’s and master’s from Stanford University and an M.B.A. at Harvard Business School.

    In the Southwest, Dr. Sulman Ahmed of DECA Dental was named a winner. Ahmed is the CEO and founder of the DECA Dental Group, which he founded in 2008. He is a graduate of the University of Texas at Dallas and the Tufts School of Dental Medicine.

    Lalit Chordia, CEO of Thar Energy, was named a winner in the Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia region. Chordia has been with Thar since January 2011. The Indian American is a graduate of the Indian Institute of Technology Madras and Carnegie Mellon University.

    Also named a regional winner in the Greater Los Angeles region was KabaFusion Holdings LLC chief executive officer Sohail Massood, a Pakistani American.

    No Indian American or South Asian American entrepreneurs were selected from the Midwest, Central Midwest, Upper Midwest, Florida, Maryland, Michigan and Northwest Ohio, Central Texas, Northern California, Northeast Texas, New York, Utah, San Diego or Pacific Northwest regions.

    The regional winners will now head to the EY U.S. Entrepreneur of the Year national finals in Palm Springs, Calif., this November. The winner of that competition will then represent the country in the EY Entrepreneur of the Year global finals next year.

  • Indian American Comedian Nik Dodani Lands Role in Netflix Film

    Indian American Comedian Nik Dodani Lands Role in Netflix Film

    DALLAS (TIP): Indian American actor Nik Dodani will star in the Netflix film, “Alex Strangelove,” written and directed by Craig Johnson.

    The comedy, according to Deadline, follows high school senior Alex Strangelove’s quest to lose his virginity with his girlfriend, made all the more awkward by his struggle to identify and declare his sexuality.

    Ben Stiller’s Red Hour Films is producing the film, in which Dodani will play Blake, a man of few words who enjoys teasing Alex.

    Born in Dallas, Texas, and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, Dodani, an actor/comedian/activist, now lives in Los Angeles.

    Dodani will soon have a recurring role on “Atypical,” a new Netflix original comedy by Robia Rashid, and will also be appearing in Joshua Leonard’s indie film, “Behold My Heart,” opposite Marisa Tomei, Timothy Olyphant, Charlie Plummer, and Sakina Jaffrey.

    His other TV credits include Comedy Central’s “Idiotsitter,” FreeForm’s “Kevin From Work,” NBC’s “The Player,” and HBO’s “The Comeback.”

    Dodani can be spotted in commercials for Verizon, AT&T, Liberty Mutual, and Wendy’s.

    He is also currently a design and production activist with Art Not War, a cultural impact and PR firm. During the 2016 presidential election, Dodani was an associate producer at MoveOn.org, where he produced videos, graphics, and live events targeting millennial voters, such as the national standup comedy tour, “Laughter Trumps Hate”; a get-out-the-vote PSA called “Millennials Against Trump”; and a sketch, starring Gaby Hoffmann, called “Cash or SuperPAC?”

    Previously, he worked for Elizabeth Warren’s 2012 Senate campaign and for Alicia Keys’ HIV/AIDS awareness initiative.

     

     

     

  • Air India Delhi Washington Inaugural Flight arrives at Dulles Airport few minutes before time

    Air India Delhi Washington Inaugural Flight arrives at Dulles Airport few minutes before time

    WASHINGTON (TIP): Air India Delhi – Washington Inaugural Flight arrives at Dulles Airport few minutes before time as expected on Friday, July 7.

    Air India’s inaugural flight is the first nonstop route between the National Capital Region and New Delhi, directly connecting the world’s strongest democracy and the world’s largest democracy with three weekly round-trip flights.

    The flight received an Escorted Airside Arrival.

    The Press Conference is scheduled to start at 8:30 a.m.

    Here are a few glimpses of the history in the making.

  • Narendra Dahotre Named UNT Interim Associate VP of Research

    Narendra Dahotre Named UNT Interim Associate VP of Research

    DALLAS (TIP): The University of North Texas June 20 named Narendra Dahotre its interim associate vice president of research and innovation.

    Dahotre, who serves as a distinguished research professor in materials science and engineering at the university, will serve a one-year appointment while the university conducts a nationwide search for a permanent replacement for Dave Schultz, who left for a position at Northern Arizona University.

    “I am honored to be able to join the leadership team in UNT’s Office of Research and Innovation,” the Indian American professor said in a statement. “I look forward to supporting and contributing in a positive and impactful way this next year.”

    In the interim role, Dahotre will facilitate research projects that have been funded by the federal government, including UNT’s work funded by the Army Research Lab for a Tactical Shelters project and a Ballistics project.

    Additionally, he will oversee the management of UNT’s shared instrumentation facilities across campus and work with the advisory groups and directors for each facility, as well as serve as chair of the new Research Space Adjudication Subcommittee and assist with the development, approval and implementation of partnership agreements with other universities, national labs and industry.

    “Narendra brings incredible experience and knowledge to the position, which will help guide our division and lead faculty to the next level of research enterprise at UNT,” UNT vice president for research and innovation Tom McCoy said in a university news release. “Narendra will contribute substantially because of his success as a researcher and his knowledge of UNT, and I know he will be a valuable partner to our government and university peers in helping to coordinate important research projects.”

    Dahotre is a former chairman of the UNT College of Engineering’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering.

    A member of the National Academy of Inventors, he is internationally known and recognized in his field for his pioneering contributions to the understanding and engineering of laser-materials in processing and manufacturing, the university said.

    The professor, who has been at UNT since 2010, has 16 U.S. patents to his name and has published nearly 300 articles in professional journals, as well as authored four books and edited 13 other books focused on laser materials processing and manufacturing and surface engineering.

    He is a fellow of nine national and international societies, including the American Society of Materials and American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and is a founding editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Additive and Subtractive Manufacturing and editor of the Journal of Lasers and Optics.

    A graduate of Michigan State University, earning his doctorate and master’s degrees, and the University of Poona in India, where he received his bachelor’s degree, Dahotre previously worked at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee-Knoxville in faculty roles, as well as a director role at the University of Tennessee Space Institute-Tullahoma

  • Texas apparel firm apologizes & removes Lord Ganesha leggings after Hindus object

    Texas apparel firm apologizes & removes Lord Ganesha leggings after Hindus object

    PHARR, TX (TIP):  Texas based athletic clothing company “Miami Fitwear” apologized and removed leggings carrying images of Hindu deity Lord Ganesha from its website after Hindus objected, calling it “highly inappropriate”.

    Raquel Ponce, founder of Miami Fitwear, in emails on July five to distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, who spearheaded the protest, wrote: “…We have removed the leggings from our website…I am truly sorry if I offended anyone with printing those leggings. That was not my intention at all… and again I apologize. The last thing I wanted is to offend anyone.”

    Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, in a statement in Nevada, thanked Miami Fitwear and Ponce for understanding the concerns of Hindu community, which found images of Hindu deity Lord Ganesha on leggings were highly disrespectful.

    Rajan Zed suggested corporations to send their senior executives for training in religious and cultural sensitivity so that they had an understanding of the feelings of customers and communities when introducing new products or launching advertising campaigns.

    Zed had said that Lord Ganesha was highly revered in Hinduism and was meant to be worshipped in temples or home shrines and not to adorn one’s legs. Inappropriate usage of Hindu deities or concepts for commercial or other agenda was not okay as it hurt the devotees.

    Hinduism was the oldest and third largest religion of the world with about 1.1 billion adherents and a rich philosophical thought and it should not be taken frivolously. Symbols of any faith, larger or smaller, should not be mishandled, Rajan Zed had noted.

    Zed had stated that such trivialization of Hindu deities was disturbing to the Hindus world over. Hindus were for free artistic expression and speech as much as anybody else if not more. But faith was something sacred and attempts at trivializing it hurt the followers, Zed added.

    Products of Miami Fitwear; which describes itself as “an athleisure and lifestyle company”; include leggings, capris, pants. Its Mission includes “making you feel good” and it and claims to “handcraft every legging”. The now removed “True Wisdom” Ganesha leggings were priced at $98 and its description included: “We hope our hand-drawn Ganesha leggings help you remember how beautifully strong and wise you are when you decided to use your energy in a positive way.”

    In Hinduism, Lord Ganesha is worshipped as god of wisdom and remover of obstacles and is invoked before the beginning of any major undertaking. There are about three million Hindus in USA.

  • 67 year old Sikh postmaster stabbed; turban ripped off by robber in UK

    67 year old Sikh postmaster stabbed; turban ripped off by robber in UK

    LONDON (TIP): A 67-year-old Sikh postmaster in the UK was stabbed in the neck and head and his turban ripped off by a robber during a violent knife attack. Tarsem Singh Thethy was left with stab wounds as a result of the incident, and his wife Kulwant said he is “not the same person” since the attack at the Post Office in Erdington, Birmingham.

    The incident took place in March but the shocking CCTV footage has been issued by the police now, showing the moment the man lunged at Thethy with a six-inch blade.

    “Normally when somebody comes in, I greet them and say ‘good morning’ or something like that. But before I could speak, he had got in my face and stabbed me in the neck,” Thethy was quoted as saying by Metro.co.uk.

    “It was only a small wound, about 2cm deep, but as you can imagine it was very painful. He was shouting ‘give me the money, give me the keys’. The man was crazy, he was pushing me around and wielding the knife,” he said.

    In the video footage of the incident that happened on March 17, the pair can be seen grappling after the attacker ripped the turban off Thethy’s head.

    His wife managed to trigger the panic alarm from a separate room, leading to the man rushing out of the shop.

    “He kept telling me that he would kill me, but I always believed that I would be ok. Looking back, I’m not sure if he cared about the money. I think he just wanted to kill somebody. Ever since the incident, I have felt scared every day to work in the shop,” Thethy said.

    Describing life after the attack, Kulwant told a TV show that her husband has been hit hard by the assault, “He’s been nervous, he’s not the same person.”

    Police Constable Alan Reeves of West Midlands Police, said, “This man is a particular danger to the public and needs taking off the streets. We want to identify him and arrest him for the protection of the public, given the viciousness and how frenzied the attack was.”

    (Source: PTI)

     

     

     

  • Kohli surpasses Tendulkar for most tons while chasing

    Kohli surpasses Tendulkar for most tons while chasing

    KINGSTON (TIP): India skipper Virat Kohli has broken Sachin Tendulkar’s record for most centuries in One-day Internationals while chasing. Kohli led from the front with a fluent century as India yesterday wrapped up the five-match series 3-1 with a convincing eight-wicket win over the West Indies. This was Kohli’s 28th hundred in One-day cricket, 18 of which have come while chasing. Tendulkar took 232 innings to reach 17, while Kohli has reached the milestone in only 102 innings.

  • CBP Announces Expansion of Global Entry to Indian Citizens

    CBP Announces Expansion of Global Entry to Indian Citizens

    WASHINGTON (TIP): U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on July 3 announced the expansion of Global Entry eligibility to citizens of India. Global Entry, a CBP Trusted Traveler Program, allows for expedited clearance of pre-approved, low-risk travelers. Indian citizens can begin applying for Global Entry through the Global Online Enrollment System (GOES) website. India becomes the 11th country overall whose citizens are eligible to enroll in Global Entry. Ambassador Navtej Sarna, India’s Ambassador
    to the U.S., was the first Indian citizen to enroll in Global Entry.

    “CBP is excited to offer our flagship Trusted Traveler Program to Indian citizens,” said Acting Commissioner Kevin McAleenan. “By expanding Global Entry eligibility, CBP is transforming the international arrivals process, making it more secure, efficient and welcoming, for the millions of Indian citizens who visit the United States each year.”

    Currently available at 53 U.S. airports and 15 Preclearance locations, Global Entry streamlines the international arrivals process at airports for trusted travelers. The more than 4 million Global Entry members bypass traditional CBP inspection lines and use an automated kiosk to complete their admission to the United States. As an added benefit, Global Entry members are also eligible to participate in the TSA Pre✓™ expedited screening program.

    U.S. citizens, U.S nationals and U.S. Lawful Permanent Residents may apply for Global Entry as well as citizens of certain countries with which CBP has trusted traveler arrangements, including Argentina, Colombia, Germany, Mexico, the Netherlands, Panama, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and now India. Canadian citizens and residents enrolled in NEXUS may also use the Global Entry kiosks.

    The non-refundable application fee for a five-year Global Entry membership is $100 and applications must be submitted online. Once the applicant successfully passes a background check, a CBP officer will conduct an interview with the applicant at one of the more than 100 Global Entry Enrollment Centers located throughout the U.S., Canada, and Qatar and then make a final eligibility determination.

    While the goal of Global Entry is to speed travelers through the process, members may be selected for further examination when entering the United States. Any violation of the program’s terms and conditions will result in appropriate enforcement action and revocation of the traveler’s membership privileges.

     

  • Tillerson in focus as ExxonMobil investigation intensifies

    Tillerson in focus as ExxonMobil investigation intensifies

    New York Attorney-General probing if company misled investors on impact of climate change when Secretary of State was its chief executive

    NEW YORK (TIP): Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, may be questioned as New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman expands his sweeping probe into whether Mr. Tillerson’s former employer, ExxonMobil, misled investors about the impact of climate change.

    Mr. Schneiderman’s office considers the nation’s chief diplomat a central figure in a case that pits the ambitious Democrat against a Texas energy giant and has divided attorneys general nationwide.

    It remains unclear whether he will ultimately force Mr. Tillerson to answer questions under oath, but he told The Associated Press he has the legal authority to question the secretary of state, who served as Exxon’s CEO until joining the Trump administration.

    “We haven’t gotten to the point where that’s necessary, but yeah, we have the legal right to conduct depositions. I don’t know that we’re going to have to get to Mr. Tillerson, but sure,” Mr. Schneiderman said when asked whether he has the right to question Mr. Tillerson.

    Mr. Schneiderman opened the Exxon investigation in November 2015, shortly after reaching a settlement with another fossil fuel giant, Peabody Coal. In that case, Mr. Schneiderman’s office determined that the coal company misled shareholders, regulators and the public about the company’s financial risks related to climate change.

    Now, Mr. Schneiderman is using the subpoena power of his office to determine whether Exxon did the same.

    After being forced to produce internal communications about the impact of climate change on its business, Exxon earlier this year acknowledged that Mr. Tillerson used the “Wayne Tracker” alias during email communications. The company says the alias was created to help the former CEO avoid a flood of messages after environmental activists obtained his actual email address.

    Most of the “Tracker” emails have been deleted, Exxon says, citing the company’s practice of automatically deleting emails after a certain period of time. Exxon officials testified that the company allowed several months of Mr. Tillerson’s emails to be deleted even after Mr. Schneiderman’s office flagged them for preservation.

    For now, Exxon says that many of the messages can be retrieved by collecting emails from those he communicated with.

    The New York Attorney General’s office will depose nine Exxon witnesses in the coming weeks in a series of lower-level depositions in a chain that is ultimately expected to lead to Mr. Tillerson. The State Department declined to comment on Mr. Tillerson’s involvement in the Exxon probe. The secretary of state has retained a private attorney to represent him in the matter.

    The judge presiding over Mr. Schneiderman’s investigation, New York Supreme Court Justice Barry Ostrager, has so far allowed the Attorney General to use his broad subpoena power to investigate Exxon. But he has been critical about both sides’ behaviour.

  • Israel backs India’s fight on terror

    Israel backs India’s fight on terror

    CEOs hope to take bilateral trade to $20 billion in 5 years

     

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrapped up a three-day visit to Israel with a meeting with CEOs of various companies who reportedly signed agreements worth about $4.3 billion.

    Businessmen attending the first meeting of the “CEO forum” for India-Israel cooperation, which also met Mr. Modi and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, said the focus was on building ties currently overshadowed by one-way defense trade between the countries. A document of “joint intentions” issued by the forum, organized by FICCI, said that it hoped to take current bilateral trade of about $4-5 billion to $20 billion in five years “if untapped potential is fully harnessed.” The document listed the biggest problems as restrictive “laws for investors” in India, and Indian business visas, which are only granted for one year presently. “The real potential is allowing Israeli technology to access the Indian market by manufacturing products for the world,” Shiv Khemka, Vice-Chairman of the Sun Group that partners with hi-tech Israeli companies like Eccopia that produces robotic non-water cleaners for solar panels at a factory in Haryana, and water purifiers told media.

    “We’ll share our technology with India & provide clean water for millions. I’m proud of Israel!” Mr. Netanyahu wrote in a tweet, adding to a photo of him and Mr. Modi standing in the shallows that there is “nothing like going to the beach with friends.”

    On Wednesday, India and Israel also launched a research and development fund for innovation worth $40 million contributing, $20 million each. While the figure is small, officials say they hope to kickstart the process of helping students to take their inventions to product lines, and that their success would spur more such innovations.

    Earlier, Israel supported India in its fight against terrorism. Israel believes that there is no difference between Pakistan based “Lashkar-e-Taiba” and the Hamas group operating in Israel and Palestine, senior officials in Jerusalem said, pointing out that the Israeli government has unequivocally supported India on the issue of terrorism.

  • MTA finalizes Glen Cove ferry plan for displaced LIRR commuters

    MTA finalizes Glen Cove ferry plan for displaced LIRR commuters

    NEW YORK CITY (TIP): The MTA has finalized one of the last pieces of its plan to transport displaced Long Island Rail Road commuters this summer, and on Wednesday, July 5 announced the names of the two companies that will operate ferries to and from Glen Cove.

    Five days from the beginning of what Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has dubbed “the summer of hell,” the Metropolitan Transportation Authority said National Ferry, of Washington D.C., and Manhattan-based New York Cruise Lines will operate the ferry services to be provided from Glen Cove beginning Monday and lasting through around Labor Day.

     “The capacity of New York Cruise Lines’ vessel is 149 passengers, and it will go to Wall Street/Pier 11,” MTA spokesman Aaron Donovan said in a statement. “National Ferry’s vessel, the Patriot II, has a capacity of 225, and will go to 34th Street.”

    The Wall Street-bound ferry will depart at 6:10 a.m. and arrive at 7:30 a.m. The 34th Street ferry will leave at 6:35 a.m. and arrive at 7:45 a.m. For the return trips, the Wall Street ferry will depart at 4:30 p.m. and arrive at Glen Cove at 5:50 p.m., and the 34th Street ferry will leave at 6:20 p.m. and arrive at 7:30 p.m.

    The ferries are one of the options being provided to commuters as an Amtrak infrastructure renewal plan at Penn Station is forcing the LIRR to reduce rush-hour service to and from the station by about 20 percent. The LIRR will also provide express buses to and from Manhattan and eight locations on Long Island, and will bolster service at its other New York City terminals, Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn and Hunterspoint Avenue in Queens.

    Flaws at Penn will take years to fix

    To encourage commuters to avoid Penn Station in July and August, the MTA is reducing fares to the alternative terminals for July and August. And, addressing one concern raised by riders since the discount was announced, the MTA confirmed Wednesday that, because the service disruptions have not yet begun, the reduced-fare tickets to the alternative terminals will be honored at Penn Station until Sunday.

    “They can go into Penn or they can go to Hunterspoint without any additional cost,” MTA Chairman Joseph Lhota said.

    Beginning Monday, customers wanting to use a ticket to or from Atlantic Terminal or Hunterspoint Avenue will have to pay the difference between a Zone 1 fare and a Zone 3 fare. Once Amtrak’s work begins, Lhota said he would encourage commuters to avoid Penn Station, even if they miss the last train out of Hunterspoint Avenue in the evening.

    “I’d like as many people as possible to avoid Penn Station, which is why we’ve come up with this whole array of options for them,” Lhota said.

  • INOC USA expresses serious concern over the growing mob violence and lawlessness in India

    INOC USA expresses serious concern over the growing mob violence and lawlessness in India

    NEW YORK (TIP): ‘The government of India appears to be failing big time from its constitutional and solemn duty of protecting the lives and property of its citizens.’ ‘The mob rule and vigilante justice currently taking over the country are posing a direct threat to its revered institutions and the rule of law’ said George Abraham, Chairman of the Indian National Overseas Congress, USA.

    We fully support Mrs. Sonia Gandhi’s observation that the culture of violence that is on the rise is being actively supported by those supposed to enforce the law. According to her, the country’s inclusive rule is under attack, and the domestic misrule is one of the big challenges facing the country.

    Mrs. Gandhi said,” The tried and tested the idea of India has been thrown fundamentally into question by rising intolerance, by malevolent forces that tell Indians what they cannot eat, who they cannot love, what they can say, indeed, what thoughts they cannot hold”.

    The Congress President urged people to speak against the wrongs committed, asserting that “if we do not raise our voices, if we do not speak up, our silence will be taken as consent”.

    She cautioned “let us not forget that though their language is modern, they seek to take India backward to further their narrow sectarian vision, their modern jargon conceals pre-modern beliefs.”

    In the latest incident, 16-year-old Junaid Khan was lynched to death in a train by cow vigilantes who accused him of killing cows and eating beef. In Jharkhand’s Dhanbad, Usman Ansari was thrashed by a mob, house set on fire over a dead cow.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi, upon returning from U.S. made a statement that ‘killing in the name of cow is unacceptable.’ However, it is high time that his words are also matched with strong action from the central government.

    The Prime Minister may also share some responsibility in this regard as one of the major themes of the 2014 campaign was a supposed “pink revolution” that Congress was promoting, an insidious plan to slaughter more cows and make money of their meat. It seemed to have played well at that time with his constant charging the opposition of ‘minority appeasement.’

    INOC, USA urges NRIs worldwide to speak up urgently on the need to stop the politics of religious hatemongering and making India a subject of ridicule internationally.

  • Loretta Lynch denies offering assurances to Clinton campaign over email probe

    Loretta Lynch denies offering assurances to Clinton campaign over email probe

    WASHINGTON (TIP): Former Attorney General Loretta Lynch pledged Thursday, July 6, to cooperate with a Senate Judiciary Committee investigation into whether she assured the Hillary Clinton campaign last year that the FBI probe into Clinton’s emails wouldn’t go too far, according to a report in Politico.

    In a statement from her lawyer, Lynch also denied ever making such an assurance to a former Clinton campaign aide, Amanda Renteria — an allegation fueled by a Russian intelligence memo that’s credibility has been called into question.

    “Ms. Lynch does not know Ms. Renteria, did not discuss the Clinton email investigation with Ms. Renteria, and did not communicate to Ms. Renteria, either in words or in substance, that ‘she would not let the FBI investigation into Clinton go too far,’ says a letter Thursday from her attorney, Robert Raben, to the leaders of the Judiciary panel.

    “Likewise,” the letter continues, “to the best of her knowledge and recollection, neither Ms. Lynch nor any representative of the Office of the Attorney General discussed the Clinton email investigation with Ms. Renteria, Representative [Debbie] Wasserman Schultz or her staff, or any DNC official.”

    The letter says Lynch “intends to cooperate fully” with the Senate probe.

    Last month, Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and ranking Democrat Dianne Feinstein of California, along with other members of the panel, sent Lynch a letter seeking answers about the Russian intelligence memo.

    The intelligence memo, which was obtained by the FBI, suggested Lynch had assured Renteria that the investigation into Clinton’s emails would not go too far.

    The existence of the Russian intelligence memo was first disclosed in April by The New York Times, which said it played a role in Comey’s decision last year to bypass the normal chain of command and make a public announcement that the FBI was not recommending criminal charges against Clinton. He reportedly was worried that the Justice Department’s credibility could be called into question if the announcement came from Lynch, and Russia later leaked the document.

    The details about the intelligence memo came to light in a Washington Post report in May that said U.S. intelligence officials believe it might be unreliable or even a fake.

    Renteria and others involved in the issue told the Post they did not know each other and had never gotten such an assurance from Lynch.

  • Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka appointed to a second term as Executive Director of UN Women

    Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka appointed to a second term as Executive Director of UN Women

    UNITED NATIONS (TIP):  The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, on July 5, appointed Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka for a second term as Executive Director of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women (UN Women) for a period of four years.

    “This renewed term is our opportunity to reflect constructively, build our momentum, and surge ahead. In these years we are going to be putting our new Strategic Plan 2018-2021 into practice, supporting Member States and our diverse partners to accelerate their implementation of the 2030 Agenda with gender equality and women’s empowerment and full realization of their rights at its heart; we will celebrate the 10th anniversary of our establishment; and we will drive hard towards this and the other key milestones of 2020 as a firm platform for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030,” said Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka.

    The Secretary-General’s decision came following consultations with Member States and the Executive Board of UN Women. The two-day annual session of the Executive Board had met earlier the previous week to fine-tune the strategic planning for the next four years, expressing its confidence in UN Women’s vital mandate and strong leadership.

    Commenting on progress to date, Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka emphasized the high caliber and commitment of UN Women’s staff: “Their energy and dedication keep us going through all the challenges, and make our organization what it is. Together with Member States and all our partners, we are fiercely ambitious for the women and girls of this world, and positive that greater equality bears fruit for all,” she said.

    Under Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka, UN Women has played a significant role in ensuring that women were put front and center of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and that the responsibility of ending gender inequality became everyone’s responsibility. She established game-changing movements such as HeForShe that engages men and boys.

    She has been influential in transforming conversations and knowledge on the most important issues affecting women’s lives such as discriminatory laws, unequal pay and unpaid care work, violence against women, disenfranchisement, and conflict and humanitarian crises through flagship programming that coordinates response through the UN system. Through this she has broadened the base of both state and non-state actors that influence transformative and irreversible change.

    Before joining UN Women, Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka worked with women and girls in different capacities in civil society and as a public representative. Her work has focused on political and economic rights as well as girls’ education; her experience includes promoting gender equality for women in both the private and the public sectors. She was involved in her country’s struggle against Apartheid. As World YWCA coordinator for young women’s programs, she worked with young women all over the world.

    Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka was the first woman to hold the position of Deputy President of South Africa from 2005 to 2008.  She initially became a Member of Parliament in 1994, chairing the Public Service Portfolio Committee.  She was Deputy Minister in the Department of Trade and Industry (1996-1999), Minister of Minerals and Energy (1999-2005), and briefly served as acting Minister of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology in 2004. In all her portfolios she was actively involved in policy and legislation that impacted positively on the lives of women and girls. She holds a PhD in technology-based education.

    UN Women is the UN organization dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. A global champion for women and girls, UN Women was established to accelerate progress on meeting their needs worldwide. For more information, visit www.unwomen.org. UN Women, 220 East 42nd Street, New York, NY 10017, New York. Tel: +1 646 781-4400. Fax: +1 646 781-4496.

  • The 2017 South Asian Spelling Bee Boston & New Jersey winners announced

    The 2017 South Asian Spelling Bee Boston & New Jersey winners announced

    METUCHEN, NJ (TIP): Continuing its quest for the best speller in the community, the 2017 South Asian Spelling Bee (www.SouthAsianSpellingBee.com) traveled to Massachusetts and New Jersey this past weekend with stops in the Boston and New Brunswick.

    With a huge turnout this year as well, the Bee attracted some top talent as well as young and new spellers that competed for the coveted prizes and titles.

    In the Boston Regional, Sravanth Malla (13) of Haverstraw, New York was the regional champ, Anmol Dash (12) of Buffalo Grove, Illinois, was the first runner up, and Richa Juvekar (13) of Westford, Massachusetts, was second runner up.

    In New Jersey, Sujata Choudhury (10) from Cherry Hill, New Jersey was named regional champ, Abhilash Patel (9) from Harriman, New York was first runner up, and Agranya Ketha (13) of Montville, New Jersey, was the second runner-up.

    The event is open to children of South Asian descent up to 14 years of age. It gives South Asian children a chance to test their spelling skills in their core peer group. Interested spellers need their parent or guardian to register them online at www.southasianspellingbee.com.

    Organized by Touchdown Media Inc., the South Asian Spelling Bee is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year and with regionals being held in 8 locations across the United States. Apart from Boston and New Jersey, regional centers include Chicago, Seattle, Washington D.C. Metro, Charlotte, the Bay Area, and Dallas. All events will be free to attend and open to the public. An international regional in Accra, Ghana was conducted earlier this year, from where spellers of South Asian descent will qualify for the finals.

    “For the past nine years, the Bee has consistently provided a firm platform for the community to come together and hone their craft. It’s become a family activity that contributes towards the overall development of the child. We are proud to enter our Tenth consecutive year and look forward to engaging some of these wonderful spellers,” said Rahul Walia, founder of the South Asian Spelling Bee and CEO of Touchdown Media Inc.

    The top two spellers of each regional competition will advance to the finals to be held in New Jersey in August. Champion’s grand prize of $3,000 will be awarded to the winner at the finals.

    This year, the Bee is proudly powered by Kawan- the world’s most popular Roti paratha brand returns as the powered by sponsor and as always, SONY Entertainment Television Asia is the exclusive broadcast partner for the South Asian Spelling Bee and will be airing the series across 120 countries.

    “Kawan is proud to return as a sponsor and we have tremendous faith in contributing towards crucial family time for the community. We look forward to getting to know the spellers and their families through this wonderful journey,” said Tim Tan, Managing Director Kawan Food.

    “Year over year, the South Asian Spelling Bee has made for great programing that gels with our ethos of compete family entertainment. We are all about family values and encourage platforms such as these that highlight the talent of our community,” said Jaideep Janakiram, Head of North America, Sony Entertainment Television-Asia.

    For a complete schedule, registration and any other information, please visit: www.SouthAsianSpellingBee.com.

    Find us on Facebook at South Asian Spelling Bee and you can follow us on our Twitter handle at Spell South Asian.

    About Sony Entertainment Television Asia:

    Since its launch on the Indian subcontinent in 1995, Sony Entertainment Television (SET) has enjoyed rapid success, leading to the establishment of European, North American and African feeds known as SET Asia.  SET and SET Asia are now available in over 150 countries.  The channels offer their viewers a distinctive blend of entertainment programs twenty-four hours a day, including, soap operas, dramas, sitcoms, concerts, movies, and game shows. For more information, visit www.setasia.tv.

    About Touchdown Media Inc.:

    Touchdown Media Inc. is a specialized South Asian advertising and promotions firm based in New Jersey. Now in its 11th successful year, Touchdown has helped clients- both mainstream and otherwise, reach out to the lucrative South Asian market, Touchdown Media represents more than 35 years of collective experience in this niche market. As a full service ad firm, Touchdown has helped many clients achieve their media and marketing goals within the South Asian Diaspora in the US.

  • Donald Trump is an ‘outright thug,’ says Padma Lakshmi

    Donald Trump is an ‘outright thug,’ says Padma Lakshmi

    The celebrity Indian American chef says the president would rather tweet www videos “than read a security briefing or actual health care bill.”

    NEW YORK (TIP): In fact, even that would be a charitable description judging from the way she described the 45th president of the United States on Monday.

    “So, it’s official, we have an outright thug in the WH who tweets www videos rather than read a security briefing or actual health care bill!”

    So, it’s official, we have an outright thug in the WH who tweets www videos rather than read a security briefing or actual health care bill!

    Lakshmi’s tweet came in response to a doctored video that Trump posted on Saturday where the president is seen body slamming an opponent with a CNN logo imposed on his face.

    Lakshmi, an author and well-known host of Top Chef, a reality competition aired on Bravo, has been quite active on twitter. Lately, she has been campaigning against a Republican effort to repeal Obamacare, especially GOP lawmakers’ attempt to defund Planned Parenthood.

    Recently, the celebrity chef also featured on a video explaining why every woman deserves access to birth control and highlighting the work Planned Parenthood is doing.

    This was not the first time the Indian American aired her contempt for Trump publicly. During the presidential election last year, she had called Trump a buffoon. “Even if he wasn’t the racist buffoon that he is making himself out to be, I probably wouldn’t vote for him,” Lakshmi said, Variety reported. “But as an immigrant, I obviously don’t see his worldview as mine.”

    Laxmi was in India in February to promote her book Love, Loss and What We Ate: A Memoir.

    Trump’s tweet was part of his continuing tirade against CNN and other media organizations.

    A few hours after the controversial CNN tweet, Trump tweeted again saying, “At some point the Fake News will be forced to discuss our great jobs numbers, strong economy, success with ISIS, the border & so much else!”

    In response to Trump’s tweet, CNN tweeted, “The President is no way form or fashion has ever promoted or encouraged violence. If anything, quite the contrary.”

  • Chairman Crowley Introduces Citizenship Empowerment Act to Provide Voter Registration Forms to New Citizens

    Chairman Crowley Introduces Citizenship Empowerment Act to Provide Voter Registration Forms to New Citizens

    WASHINGTON DC (TIP): House Democratic Chairman Joe Crowley (D-NY) and Congressman Brendan F. Boyle (D-PA) have introduced legislation to require that all newly sworn-in U.S. citizens be uniformly provided voter registration forms at naturalization ceremonies, making it easier for them to exercise their core right as a citizen: the right to vote.

    Currently, only some states and local election officials provide such materials to newly sworn-in citizens. The Citizenship Empowerment Act (H.R. 3113) would require officials to provide voter registration forms in citizenship packets and would allow election officials to set up informational tables outside naturalization ceremonies.

    “We should do everything within our power to make it easier for Americans to vote, as that is the fundamental tool for ensuring a more perfect union,” said Chairman Crowley. “Newly sworn-in Americans have demonstrated their commitment and dedication to our country, and they are often eager to make their voices heard.  Providing voter registration forms at naturalization ceremonies would go a long way into making that a reality. I applaud Congressman Boyle for his leadership on this important issue and hope my colleagues will be inspired by the Independence Day Holiday to support this legislation.”

    “The right to vote is the foundation of our democratic system.  We should make it easier, not harder, for citizens to vote or register to vote whenever possible,” said Congressman Boyle. “We should do all we can to provide all citizens a fair opportunity to participate in our democracy – and in fact encourage them to do so – regardless of the location they happen to be naturalized as a U.S. citizen. The first step of a truly representative democracy is participation. I am proud to introduce this legislation with Joe to cap off Immigrant Heritage Month and commemorate July Fourth.”

    The legislation is endorsed by Common Cause and the National Partnership for New Americans.

    “Many immigrants to the United States fought and died for the right to vote,” said Aaron Scherb, director of legislative affairs at Common Cause. “Ensuring that new American citizens can fully participate in our democracy is a common-sense reform, and Common Cause commends Representative Boyle for introducing the Citizenship Empowerment Act.”

    Providing new citizens with voter registration forms at their naturalization ceremonies is allowed but not required by federal law. This is an obvious disparity, whereas one new U.S. citizen can be sworn-in and immediately be given the opportunity to register to vote, while another may have to jump through multiple hoops to track down the necessary paperwork.