The Indian Panorama

Year: 2017

  • August 11 New York & Dallas Print Editions

    August 11 New York & Dallas Print Editions

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    Print Replica ~ Digitally

    E-Editions

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  • Trump immigration plan to cost 4.6 million jobs, Ivy League study finds

    Trump immigration plan to cost 4.6 million jobs, Ivy League study finds

    President Trump is endorsing an immigration plan that will hurt job growth and the U.S. economy overall, according to two recent studies.

    In a report published Thursday, August 10, the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School said the immigration plan, dubbed the RAISE Act, would result in 4.6 million lost jobs by the year 2040. It also found that the U.S. economy would be 2% smaller than it would be under the current immigration policy during that time.

    Last week, Trump threw his support behind the RAISE Act, a bill crafted by Republican Senators David Perdue and Tom Cotton. The proposal seeks to cut legal immigration to the U.S. by 50% within a decade.

    “If you have fewer workers, we will have less economic growth,” said Kimberly Burham, a managing director at the Penn Wharton Budget Model, a nonpartisan research team at UPenn.

    Related: Trump immigration policy poses risk to job market

    Economists say the U.S. economy depends on foreign workers to grow the labor force and maintain growth. Since 2000, Baby Boomers have been retiring at a much faster pace than the U.S. job market has been growing, according to data from the Atlanta Federal Reserve and Labor Department.

    There were 27 million foreign-born workers in the United States last year, government figures show.

    “Immigrants, especially new immigrants, are highly productive and if we decrease that number, that will harm economic growth in the short and long run,” said Burham.

    The White House claimed the Wharton study had “major methodological faults” and that the economic gains it assumes come “at the expense of American workers.”

    “The estimates show that the job ‘losses’ under their RAISE Act model are far smaller than the reduction of foreign workers – effectively meaning a net increase in available jobs for Americans. The passage of the RAISE Act would raise wages and increase economic opportunity for Americans who have been left behind under the failed policies of past administrations,” a White House official told CNNMoney.

    The RAISE Act seeks to limit the ability of immigrants to get permanent residency in the form of green cards, restricts immediate family members who can be sponsored for visas and eliminates the international diversity lottery. Instead of replacing those green cards, it would overhaul the employment-based visa system, switching over to a point-based system that places heavy emphasis on higher education, salary and English-language skills.

    Another analysis, shared first with CNN, found that blocking low-skilled immigrants from entering or staying in the country could also have vast ramifications for small business creation in the U.S.

    Low-skilled immigrants have started millions of small businesses in the U.S., despite having less than a bachelor’s degree, according to New American Economy, an advocacy group founded by Michael Bloomberg.

    According to the group’s analysis of Census Bureau data, more than 2.1 million immigrant entrepreneurs in the U.S. don’t have a bachelor’s degree. Of those 2.1 million, 445,000 had businesses in construction and more than 100,000 were in landscaping or building services.

    Under the RAISE Act’s point system, it would be almost impossible for an immigrant with just a high school education to qualify for long-term residency in the U.S.

    Related: How to earn ‘points’ to come to the U.S. under Trump’s immigration plan

    The group also pointed to past studies that have found that in 2010, one in 10 Americans in the private sector were employed by an immigrant-owned business, that immigrants are twice as likely as U.S.-born Americans to start their own business and that immigrants own more than one-quarter of Main Street businesses in the U.S., including over half of grocery stores and one-third of restaurants.

    Supporters of the bill argue that it will raise wages for working Americans and increase the portion of college-educated immigrants who enter the country legally.

    “We will build an immigration system that raises working wages, creates jobs, and gives every American a fair shot at creating wealth, whether your family came over on the Mayflower or just took the oath of citizenship,” Cotton said when introducing the bill last week.

    Despite the White House’s support, the bill has little chance of passing in its current form. Many Republicans who support a merit-based system would prefer one that also values low-skilled immigrants, especially lawmakers with heavy agricultural constituencies.

    When asked about the bill, Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn called it a conversation starter and a “beginning not the end.”

    (Source: CNNMoney New York)

  • Doyen of Indian American community Bansi Shah Passes away

    Doyen of Indian American community Bansi Shah Passes away

    Bansi Shah, lovingly addressed as Bansi Bhai, a perfect gentleman, chose to say good bye for ever to his numerous friends and relations on August 10. He was 76.

    Bansi Shah was a popular person, known for his zest for life and friendliness. He was one of the architects of the Society of Indian American Engineers and Architects having been its president for a couple of years. He was in to construction and real estate business.

    For information on his last rites, please call his wife Kalpana Ben Patel or son, Akash Shah at 646-270-3680.

  • Mitch hunt is on

    Mitch hunt is on

    BEDMINSTER, NJ (TIP): President Trump continued to publicly criticize Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for the party’s failure to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. During a brief press appearance, he declined to say whether McConnell should resign, but told reporters they should ask him again down the road.

    President Donald Trump ramped up his attacks on Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) Thursday, August 10, suggesting the Senate Majority Leader should step down if Republicans continue failing to pass measures at the top of the party’s legislative agenda.

    “If he doesn’t get repeal and replace done and if he doesn’t get taxes done, meaning cuts and reform, and if he doesn’t get a very easy one to get done, infrastructure, if he doesn’t get them done, then you can ask me that question,” Trump told reporters from his Bedminster golf course in New Jersey.

    The president has been feuding with McConnell this week, after the Senate’s top Republican on Monday expressed frustration at Trump’s relative inexperience in Washington, along with his “excessive expectations” for passing legislation in such a short period of time.

    “Our new president has, of course, not been in this line of work before, and I think had excessive expectations about how quickly things happen in the democratic process,” McConnell said at a Rotary Club meeting in his home state of Kentucky.

    McConnell also complained that it was “extremely irritating” that Congress was being blamed for failing to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

    In response, Trump has taken to Twitter the past several days to blast McConnell.

    Senator Mitch McConnell said I had “excessive expectations,” but I don’t think so. After 7 years of hearing Repeal & Replace, why not done?
     — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 9, 2017
    Can you believe that Mitch McConnell, who has screamed Repeal & Replace for 7 years, couldn’t get it done. Must Repeal & Replace ObamaCare!
    — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 10, 2017
    Mitch, get back to work and put Repeal & Replace, Tax Reform & Cuts and a great Infrastructure Bill on my desk for signing. You can do it!
     — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 10, 2017
  • FBI agents searched Manafort’s home

    FBI agents searched Manafort’s home

    WASHINGTON (TIP):  FBI agents looking for financial documents have searched one of the homes of President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, whose past foreign political work has been swept into the investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 election. A Manafort spokesman confirmed the search Wednesday, August 9.

    Manafort spokesman Jason Maloni said in a statement that FBI agents had obtained a warrant and searched one of Manafort’s homes, but he would not say when the search occurred or what it was for.

    “Mr Manafort has consistently cooperated with law enforcement and other serious inquiries and did so on this occasion as well,” Maloni said.

    The Associated Press has reported that the warrant for the search on July 26 at Manafort’s home in Alexandria, Virginia, sought information including tax documents and banking records. The Washington Post first reported the raid.

    Manafort has been a subject of a longstanding FBI investigation into his dealings in Ukraine and work for the country’s former president, Viktor Yanukovych. That investigation has been incorporated into the probe led by special counsel Robert Mueller, who is also scrutinizing Manafort’s role in the Trump campaign as he looks into Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election and any possible collusion with Trump associates.

    Manafort, who led the Trump campaign for several months, has denied any wrongdoing. He also spoke behind closed doors to Senate investigators for an interview just one day before the search of his home.

    The use of a search warrant indicates that law enforcement officials have convinced a judge there is probable cause to believe a crime may have been committed. A house raid can be seen as an aggressive tactic given that Manafort has been cooperating with congressional investigators and has turned over hundreds of pages of documents. It could indicate law enforcement was looking for records beyond what Manafort provided.

    Word of the raid is the latest revelation about Mueller’s investigation, which had been operating in relative secrecy compared with numerous congressional probes looking at the election. In recent days, it’s become clear the former FBI director is using a grand jury in Washington in addition to one in the Eastern District of Virginia, where investigators also have been looking into former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn.

    In recent months, Flynn and Manafort have turned over documents to congressional committees investigating the election interference.

    One focus of the multiple probes, including Mueller’s, is a June 2016 meeting Manafort attended with Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and Donald Trump Jr. That meeting, held at Trump Tower in New York, was described to Trump Jr in emails as part of a Russian government effort to help the Trump campaign by passing along information that could be used against Democrat Hillary Clinton.

    During his Senate intelligence committee interview, Manafort provided his recollection of the Trump Tower meeting and turned over contemporaneous notes he took during the gathering. The interview was confined to that meeting.

    Manafort has also turned over other documents to the Senate intelligence committee as well as about 400 pages of records to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

    Meanwhile, the Judiciary Committee said Wednesday it has also received about 250 pages of documents from Trump Jr and about 20,000 pages from the Trump campaign.

    The content of the documents was not immediately clear. The committee said it received the Manafort and Trump campaign documents on Aug. 2 and the records from Trump Jr on August 4.

    Judiciary committee leaders have also been in talks with Trump Jr and Manafort about private interviews. The committee initially called for them to testify publicly, but lawmakers have since said they were negotiating the terms of their appearances.

  • Trump’s daughter Ivanka to visit India on Modi’s invitation in November

    Trump’s daughter Ivanka to visit India on Modi’s invitation in November

    NEW DELHI (TIP): US President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka will visit India to take part in Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES), which is scheduled to be held in Hyderabad in late November.

    Notably, Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his US visit had invited Ivanka to lead the US delegation for global entrepreneurship forum.

    The daughter of US President had then thanked the Indian Prime Minister for inviting her to lead the US delegation to the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in India.

    An American businesswomen and former fashion model, Ivanka Trump is also an assistant to her father.

    The 35-year-old has maintained that she tries to “stay out of ‘politics’” despite occupying a key advisory role to her father along with her husband Jared Kushner.

    Ivanka, whose net worth is estimated to be some USD 300 million and who — like her husband — receives no salary for her advisory activities, emphasized that she gives her open and sincere opinion on assorted issues and is sometimes in agreement with Trump, although at other times they do not agree.

  • Dallas doctor gets 35 years in prison for $375M medical fraud

    Dallas doctor gets 35 years in prison for $375M medical fraud

    DALLAS (TIP)- A 60-year-old Dallas-area doctor has been sentenced to 35 years in prison for helping defraud Medicare and Medicaid out of almost $375 million.

    A federal judge also ordered Dr. Jacques (ZHAWK) Roy on Wednesday to pay more than $268 million in restitution. A jury in April 2016 convicted the Rockwall physician of nine of 10 counts of defrauding a health care benefit program.

    Roy owned Medistat Group Associates in the Dallas suburb of DeSoto.

    Authorities say Roy and six co-defendants certified 11,000 Medicare beneficiaries through more than 500 home health providers between January 2006 and November 2011. Those numbers would have made Roy’s Medicare practice the busiest in the country.

  • Venkaiah Naidu takes oath as 13th Vice President of India

    Venkaiah Naidu takes oath as 13th Vice President of India

     NEW DELHI (TIP):  M Venkaiah Naidu was on Friday, August 11, sworn in as the 13th Vice President of India.

    President Ram Nath Kovind administered him the oath of office and secrecy at Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi.

    Following the ceremonial reception Naidu will take over as the speaker of the Rajya Sabha in the Parliament.

    Earlier on Friday, he visited Rajghat to pay floral tribute to the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi.

    National Democratic Alliance (NDA) nominee and former union minister Naidu was elected as the 13th Vice President of India with 516 votes.

    Opposition nominee Gopalkrishna Gandhi secured 244 votes out of 760 valid votes.

    Born at Chavatapalem in the Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh on July 1, 1949, Naidu is the second Vice-president from Andhra Pradesh.

    Before joining active politics, Naidu was much of a social worker. After completing his graduation, Naidu pursued law from Andhra University in Visakhapatnam.

    Venkaiah Naidu’s entry into politics was marked by his active participation in ‘Jai Andhra Movement’ of 1972. He was a swayamsevak in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyut Parish ad (ABVP) in 1973 during his college days.

    After the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was formed in 1980, he became Vice president of its youth wing. He was leader of the BJP Legislature Party in Andhra Pradesh, state general secretary and state unit chief.

    He won the Andhra Pradesh assembly elections twice in 1978 and 1983 from Udayagiri constituency and was made national president in 2002.

    Naidu was elected as a member of the Rajya Sabha from Karnataka in 1998 and was re-elected twice in 2004 and 2010 from Karnataka.

    He served as the Minister of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation and Information and Broadcasting in Prime Minister Narendra Modi Government before he was nominated for the post of Vice President.

  • Trump warns North Korea of “fire and fury”: North Korea mocks Trump, hones Guam strike plans

    Trump warns North Korea of “fire and fury”: North Korea mocks Trump, hones Guam strike plans

    WASHINGTON (TIP): Nuclear-armed North Korea mocked President Donald Trump as “bereft of reason” on Thursday, August 10, raising the stakes in their stand-off with an unusually detailed plan to send a salvo of missiles towards the US territory of Guam.

    The scheme to target the island, a key US military stronghold, was intended to “signal a crucial warning” as “only absolute force” would have an effect on the US leader, North Korea said.

    The declaration came after Trump said on Twitter that America’s nuclear arsenal was “far stronger and more powerful than ever before”.

    Earlier, Trump stunned the world with a bold-faced message to leader Kim Jong-Un that appeared to borrow from Pyongyang’s own rhetorical arsenal, saying the North Korea faced “fire and fury like the world has never seen”.

    The war of words over Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programs is raising fears of a miscalculation that could lead to catastrophic consequences on the Korean peninsula and beyond.

    Last month North Korea carried out two successful tests of an intercontinental ballistic missile, bringing much of the US mainland within its range.

    Trump’s “fire and fury” remarks were “a load of nonsense”, said General Kim Rak-Gyom, the commander of North Korea’s missile forces, according to Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency.

    “Sound dialogue is not possible with such a guy bereft of reason,” he added in a statement.

    The military would complete the Guam plan by mid-August and submit it to Kim Jong-Un for consideration, he said.

    The distinctively precise statement said the four missiles would be launched simultaneously and overfly the Japanese prefectures of Shimane, Hiroshima and Koichi.

    They would have a flight time of 17 minutes 45 seconds, travel 3,356.7 kilometers (around 2,086 miles) and come down 30 to 40 kilometers away from Guam, it said — which would put the impact points just outside US territorial waters.

    Japan, which has in the past warned it would shoot down any North Korean missiles that threaten its territory, responded quickly to insist it can “never tolerate” provocations from the reclusive state.

    The western Pacific island of Guam is home to US strategic assets including long-range bombers and military jets and submarines, which are regularly deployed for shows of force in and near the Korean peninsula, to Pyongyang’s fury.

    Two supersonic US bombers took off from the island on a fly-over mission to Korea early this week.

    Analysts said a North Korean launch towards Guam would put the US in a dilemma: if it did not attempt to intercept the missiles, its credibility would be damaged and the North would feel emboldened to carry out a full-range ICBM test.

    But if an intercept was attempted and any of the rockets got through it would undermine the effectiveness of the United States’ ballistic missile defense.

    “This is a coercive threat to halt B-1 flights,” Adam Mount, senior fellow of the Center for American Progress said on Twitter.

    “Unlike Trump’s vague, incendiary threat, DPRK’s is coercive, clear, specific, and has credible escalation potential. Response is difficult.”

    Thousands of North Koreans marched through central Pyongyang Wednesday, August 9, waving clenched fists, as authorities put on a show of support for their stance.

    One banner proclaimed: “10 million hearts burn with vows to defend the fatherland until death.”

    Seoul’s military said the North would face “strong and resolute retaliation” in the event of an attack.

    Tensions on the Korean peninsula tend to increase when Seoul and Washington launch major military joint exercises, and the next, Ulchi Freedom Guardian, is set to kick off around August 21.

    US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Wednesday warned the North to “stand down” in its pursuit of nuclear weapons, saying Pyongyang “should cease any consideration of actions that would lead to the end of its regime and the destruction of its people”.

    But Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said he did not believe “there is any imminent threat” to Guam or other US targets, and expressed hope that diplomatic pressure would prevail in the crisis.

    The United Nations imposed a seventh set of sanctions on Pyongyang at the weekend that could cost North Korea $1 billion a year, with even the regime’s main ally China voting for the US-drafted proposal.

  • Indian American Pathologist sued for misdiagnosis

    Indian American Pathologist sued for misdiagnosis

    KANSAS CITY (TIP): An Indian American pathologist in Kansas is facing a lawsuit by a Kansas-based woman who has alleged that she was wrongly diagnosed with having a pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor, which resulted in unnecessary removal of parts of her organs. Wendy Ann Noon Berner of Kansas has filed a case against Dr. Meenakshi Singh, former chairwoman of the pathology department in University of Kansas Hospital. Berner’s lawsuit, which was filed on August 1 in Wyandotte County District Court, names Singh and Dr. Timothy M. Schmitt, who performed her surgery, as defendants, along with the hospital, the University of Kansas Medical Center and the University of Kansas Physicians.

    The lawsuit accuses Dr. Meenakshi Singh, who was leading the pathology department at the time, of making the misdiagnosis and then taking steps to cover up the mistake.

    Berner was allegedly misdiagnosed as having a pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor, following which she underwent a surgery to remove a part of the pancreas and several other internal organs in September 2015, since the condition is believed to be fatal within five years in most cases. The 46-year-old resident of Shawnee says she got to know of the issue only when another pathologist, Dr. Lowell Tilzer, filed a case against the hospital over a year ago, claiming that he was targeted when he discussed the case with the Joint Commission that accredits and certifies hospitals. Tilzer later dropped the case.

    The misdiagnosis, according to the lawsuit, came to light when other doctors of the pathology department studied tissue samples from her pancreas after the surgery and found that the organ was not cancerous. The same conclusion was reached by an outside pathologist, it said.

    Hospital spokesman Dennis McCulloch said in a statement that the health of its patients remains its top priority. “We need to be respectful of patient privacy and confidentiality, and because of that we are limited in what we can say on this matter,” read the statement. “That said, we do believe that our physicians and staff acted appropriately and with the best interests of our patient in mind.”

    Singh remains on staff but is no longer chairwoman of the pathology department, according to the medical center’s website.

    Read more at Medical Dialogues: Indian American Pathologist sued for misdiagnosis, coverup https://medicaldialogues.in/indian-american-pathologist-sued-for-misdiagnosis-coverup/
    Copyright 2017@ Medical Dialogues

  • Indian American physician arrested for groping minor girl in United Airlines flight

    Indian American physician arrested for groping minor girl in United Airlines flight

    NEWARK, NJ (TIP): An Indian American doctor has been arrested by police for allegedly groping a 16-year-old girl onboard a United Airlines New Jersey-bound flight.

    According to police, the minor girl was sitting next to Dr Vijayakumar Krishnappa on July 23 when he inappropriately touched her while she was sleeping.

    The girl woke up after she felt the doctor’s hand on her thigh, following which he suddenly removed it and the girl went back to sleep without raising alarm only to find the man groping her again when she woke up.

    After the second incident, the girl reported the incident to the cabin crew and she was allowed to change her seat for the rest of her journey.

    The minor girl belongs to Washington State and as soon as the flight landed at Newark Liberty International Airport, she called her parents to inform them about the harassment but by the time the doctor had left the airport.

    The girl’s parents filed a complaint against airline authorities for letting the accused flee the airport despite the complaint of the minor girl. The incident caused yet another embarrassment for United Airlines, which has been in news for all the bad reasons in recent times.

    ABC reported that the case was investigated by FBI and they tracked down Krishnappa using the flight details, a day after the incident.

    According to the report, Krishnappa was arrested and charged with knowingly engaging in sexual contact with a minor female.

    Krisnhappa is studying medicine in the US and according to court records he has been released on $50,000 bail bond and he is not allowed to have any contact with the minor while the criminal case is pending.

    John Yauch, the doctor’s court-appointed lawyer, told Washington Post that his client “adamantly denies the charges and deserves to be considered an innocent man.”

    “The safety and security of our customers is our top priority. We take these allegations seriously and continue to work closely with the proper authorities as part of their review,” a spokesperson for United Airlines said in a statement.

  • Indian American Man Fined for Filing False VISA Applications

    Indian American Man Fined for Filing False VISA Applications

    MANCHESTER, NH (TIP): Indian American entrepreneur Rohit Saksena, 42, of Manchester, New Hampshire, was sentenced August 8 to serve three years of probation and pay a $40,000 fine for filing false visa applications, Acting United States Attorney John J. Farley announced.

     According to court documents, Saksena is the president and chief executive officer of Saks IT Group LLC, a company based in Manchester, New Hampshire. Saks IT Group contracts with other companies to provide information technology consulting services and places its employees with other companies to provide professional technology services. From approximately March 2014 through approximately December 2015, Saksena filed 45 fraudulent visa applications with United State Citizenship and Immigration Services falsely claiming that Saks IT Group was hiring foreign workers to provide professional services to a company in Cupertino, California. The California Company had not entered into a contract with Saks IT Group and had no jobs available for the foreign workers. Saksena knew that the foreign workers would not be employed at the California Company.

     Saksena filed the false visa applications under the H-1B visa program. That program allows American businesses to temporarily employ foreign workers with specialized or technical expertise in a particular field like accounting, engineering, or computer science when qualified U.S. workers cannot be found to fill those positions. Under the H-1B visa program, a U.S. employer may employ a highly educated foreign worker subject to strict conditions, which include a demonstrated need for the foreign worker to fill a vacant position and assurance that the U.S. company will employ the foreign worker. Saksena filed visa applications that falsely claimed jobs awaited the foreign workers at the California company. He supported those applications with bogus Independent Contractor Agreements between the California company and Saks IT Group and with sham Work Orders that purported to show that the foreign worker would provide professional services for the California company. Some of the false visa applications resulted in foreign workers receiving H-1B visas. Many of the fraudulent applications were denied once Saksena’s deception came to light.

     Saksena previously pleaded guilty on May 1, 2017, to making false statements to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.

  • Indian-American rams vehicle into Disney World bus

    Indian-American rams vehicle into Disney World bus

    ORLANDO, FL (TIP): An Indian-American allegedly rammed his vehicle into a Disney World bus after jumping a red light in Florida, leaving five persons injured, media reports said on Monday, August 7.

    Ritesh Bhagani, 34, of Florida’s Winter Garden was driving on Buena Vista Drive around 6:30 PM (local time) when he ran the red light and collided with the bus in Osceola county, highway patrol Sergeant Kim Montes was quoted as saying by The Orlando Sentinel.

    Five persons were injured after his vehicle rammed the Disney World bus carrying 19 people, the report said.

    Bhagani and a woman in his vehicle were injured.

    The driver of the Disney World bus, Collins Yakep, 47, of Orlando was taken to a nearby hospital with serious injuries.

    Two others on the bus were also injured, the report added.

  • Indian American Executive agrees to plead guilty to Price-Fixing Conspiracy

    Indian American Executive agrees to plead guilty to Price-Fixing Conspiracy

    HOUSTON (TIP): An e-commerce company and its top executive of Indian origin have agreed to plead guilty to conspiring to fix prices for customized promotional products sold online to customers in the United States. Zaappaaz Inc. (d/b/a WB Promotions Inc., Wrist-Band.com and Customlanyard.net) and its president Azim Makanojiya agreed to plead guilty to a one-count criminal violation of the Sherman Act.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez, Acting Assistant Attorney General Andrew Finch of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division and Special Agent in Charge Perrye K. Turner of the FBI’s Houston Field Division made the announcement.

    According to the felony charges filed today in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas in Houston, the conspirators attended meetings and communicated in person and online. The investigation has revealed that the conspirators used social media platforms and encrypted messaging applications, such as Facebook, Skype and WhatsApp, to reach and implement their illegal agreements. Specifically, the defendants and their co-conspirators agreed, from as early as 2014 until June 2016, to fix the prices of customized promotional products sold online, including wristbands and lanyards. In addition to agreeing to plead guilty, Zaappaaz has agreed to pay a $1.9 million criminal fine.

    “As today’s charges show, criminals cannot evade detection by conspiring online and using encrypted messaging,” said Finch. “In addition, today’s charges are a clear sign of the Division’s commitment to uncovering and prosecuting collusion that affects internet sales. American consumers have the right to a marketplace free of unlawful collusion, whether they are shopping at retail stores or online.”

    “Schemes like the defendants’ cause financial harm to consumers who purchase goods and services and to businesses who sell goods and services in compliance with the laws of the United States,” said Martinez. “The United States will continue to investigate and prosecute individuals and businesses who seek to gain an illegal unfair advantage.”

    “The FBI stands ready to protect consumers from unscrupulous business practices,” said Turner. “Antitrust laws help protect the competitive process for the benefit of all consumers.”

    Makanojiya is charged with price fixing in violation of the Sherman Act which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a maximum fine of $1 million for individuals. The maximum fine for an individual may be increased to twice the gain derived from the crime or twice the loss suffered by the victims of the crime if either of those amounts is greater than the statutory maximum fine.

  • 7,620 Indian nationals lodged in foreign jails, highest in Saudi Arabia

    7,620 Indian nationals lodged in foreign jails, highest in Saudi Arabia

    Lodged in 86 jails abroad, at least 50 are women

    NEW DELHI (TIP):  As many as 7,620 Indian nationals are lodged in foreign jails, with the highest number in Saudi Arabia. Of them, at least 50 are women

    In response to a question raised in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, August 9, minister of state for external affairs M J Akbar said due to strong privacy laws prevailing in many countries, local authorities do not share information on prisoners unless the person concerned consents to the disclosure of such information.

    Of the 7,620 prisoners lodged in 86 jails, at least 50 are women, shows data available with the government. Most of these women are in prisons in south-east Asia, neighboring Sri Lanka, China and Nepal, the Gulf countries, the US and UK.

    The Gulf countries account for 56% of all Indian nationals in foreign jails. The prisons in Saudi Arabia have the highest number of Indian nationals, with 2,084 of them confined on charges of financial fraud, burglary and bribery.

    A number of them have also been arrested for drinking and selling alcohol in the country. It is illegal to produce, import or consume alcohol in Saudi Arabia.

    In countries in south-east Asia – Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia – most of the 500 immured Indian nationals were charged with offences related to drug and human trafficking and immigration and visa violation.

    In Pakistan, according to a list handed over by the government to the India envoy in Islamabad, at least 546 Indian nationals, including nearly 500 fishermen, are in Pakistani jails.

    Fishermen in the southern parts of India have also entered troubled waters and landed in jails in alien soil, especially in Sri Lankan jails. Tamil Nadu prisoners were tracked in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei and Ethiopia too.

    In Australia and Canada, countries that see high migration from India, 115 prisoners are Indian nationals. Most of their offences relate to murder, sexual assault, money laundering and road accidents.

    Most European countries like Germany, Italy, Greece and France did not furnish details of Indian nationals in their prisons.

    The minister said since the enactment of the repatriation of Prisoners Act, 2003, 170 applications for repatriation had been received and 61 Indian prisoners had been repatriated from foreign prisons.

    So far, India has signed treaties with 30 countries, under which Indian prisoners have been brought back. Besides this, India has also ratified the Inter American Convention by which India can receive and send requests to member countries for release of prisoners.

  • Russia takes over US compound in Moscow in retaliation over sanctions

    MOSCOW (TIP): Russian authorities on Wednesday took over a summer-house compound in Moscow leased by the US embassy, five days after the Kremlin ordered Washington to slash its diplomatic presence in Russia.

    In retaliation for new US sanctions, President Vladimir Putin has ordered the United States to cut around 60 percent of its diplomatic staff in Russia by Sept. 1, and said Moscow would seize a dacha country villa used by US embassy staff and a warehouse.
    US employees cleared out the dacha on Tuesday and a Reuters journalist who visited the property on Wednesday saw a large metal padlock securing the front gate.

    The one-storey building and courtyard, previously used by diplomatic staff at weekends and to host embassy parties, was empty and cleared of barbecue equipment and garden furniture.

    Two policemen in a car in front of the main entrance said they had been instructed to guard the property and did not expect any visits from US or Russian officials.

    “I don’t know when this situation will change,” one of the policemen said. Maria Olson, a spokeswoman for the US embassy, had no immediate comment when contacted by Reuters.

    She was quoted by Russia’s Interfax news agency as saying the embassy had retrieved all its possessions from the villa, and from the warehouse. Putin said on Sunday Russia had
    ordered the United States to cut 755 of its 1,200 diplomatic staff in its embassy and consular operations, though many of those let go will be Russian citizens, with the United States allowed to choose who leaves.

    The ultimatum issued by the Russian leader is a display to voters at
    home that he is prepared to stand up to Washington – but is also carefully calibrated to avoid directly affecting the US investment he needs, or burning his bridges with US President Donald Trump.

    One local Russian employee at the embassy, who declined to be named when speaking to the media, said staff were still in the dark about their future employment.

    “They say they will have to cut a lot of jobs – not just diplomats and technical staff, but also in the ancillary services, including drivers, janitors and cooks,” he said. “I hope I won’t be in trouble, but who knows.” (Reuters)

  • China-India border spat casts shadow ahead of BRICS summit

    China-India border spat casts shadow ahead of BRICS summit

    BEIJING (TIP): China is taking an increasingly tough line on a border row with India amid a rising crescendo of nationalism in state media, and President Xi Jinping looks set for an awkward encounter with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a multilateral summit next month.

    Diplomats say Beijing would like to resolve the border issue before a summit of the BRICS nations – that also groups Brazil, Russia and South Africa – in the Chinese city of Xiamen in early September, and ensure nothing dampens what China wants to be a show of cooperation and friendship among developing countries.

    But that could be tough. On Wednesday, China ramped up the rhetoric, accusing India of “concocting” excuses over the illegal entry of the South Asian nation’s military into Chinese territory.

    “China will take all necessary measures to safeguard its legitimate and lawful rights and interests,” the foreign ministry said.

    The two sides’ troops are confronting each other close to a valley controlled by China that separates India from its close ally, Bhutan, and gives China access to the so-called Chicken’s Neck, a thin strip of land connecting India and its remote northeastern regions.

    Most previous standoffs, such as one in 2014 just ahead of a rare trip to India for Xi, were resolved with both sides withdrawing their forces. There has been no shooting since a brief border war in 1962.

    Talks are happening behind the scenes, but with little apparent progress. Meantime, Chinese and India media have been taking a strident approach, with a Chinese state-run newspaper last week saying China could use force. “The problem is the media on both sides are whipping things up. This makes it hard for China or India to back down,” said a Beijing-based source who is familiar with the discussions between the two sides.

    The Indian government has asked political parties to refrain from politicising the issue and allow diplomacy to work. “Show what we are made of” : China’s defence ministry last week also warned India not to harbour any illusions about the Chinese military’s ability to defend its territory.

    A source with ties to the military, who spoke recently to a senior Chinese officer involved in the stand off, said China has no appetite for conflict with India but could not be seen to be weak. “Nobody wants to fight about this, but if India keeps making trouble then we’ll have to show them what we’re made of,” the source said, citing the conversation with the senior officer.

    China has repeatedly called on India to withdraw its forces. An Indian government source closely tracking the standoff said there was no change in the ground situation in Doklam, with the two sides remaining in a standoff.

    Indian military expert Nitin Gokhale said India was prepared for a long haul. “The decision is to stay resolute on the ground and reasonable in diplomacy,” Gokhale said.

    China has been briefing foreign diplomats on the stand off, saying it wants a resolution but that its patience won’t last for ever. “There’s no easy solution,” said an Asian diplomat, who attended a briefing, referring to both sides’ insistence that they are in the right. For the time being, China looks ready to keep things calm, said another Asian diplomat, familiar with China’s thinking on the issue. “China really wants to resolve this ahead of the BRICS summit. It doesn’t want anything to affect the atmosphere,” the diplomat said. “The gloves could come off after the summit though.” (Reuters)

  • Italy begins naval mission to help Libya curb migrant flows

    Italy begins naval mission to help Libya curb migrant flows

    ROME (TIP): Italy began a limited naval mission on August 2 to help Libya’s coastguard curb migrant flows, which have become a source of political friction before national elections expected early next year.

    An Italian patrol boat entered Libyan waters and headed towards the port of Tripoli within minutes of a vote in Italy’s parliament authorising the deployment. A second vessel was expected to join it in the coming days.

    Italy announced the operation last week, saying it had been requested by Libya’s UN-backed government. It initially hoped to send six ships into Libyan territorial waters, but the plans had to be scaled back following protests from Tripoli.

    “(We will) provide logistical, technical and operational support for Libyan naval vessels, helping them and supporting them in shared and coordinated actions,” Defence Minister Roberta Pinotti said ahead of Wednesday’s vote.

    “There will be no harm done or slight given to Libyan sovereignty, because, if anything, our aim is to strengthen Libyan sovereignty,” she told parliament, stressing that Italy had no intention of imposing a blockade on Libya’s coast.

    In Tripoli, a poster of resistance hero Omar al-Mukhtar, who battled Italian rule in Libya in the 1920s, was hung near the capital’s main square with the inscription “No to a return to colonization”. The Italian move also triggered irate statements from factions in eastern Libya that oppose the UN backed government. An eastern-based parliament warned against “attempts by Italy … to return tens of thousands of illegal immigrants to Libya”. Khalifa Haftar, a military commander aligned with the chamber, ordered his forces to repel “any naval vessel that enters national waters without permission from the army”, according to the Facebook page of Haftar’s Libyan National Army.

    Italy’s lower house voted by 328 to 113 in favour of the mission, while the upper house voted by 191 to 47. After a surge in migrant arrivals from Libya at the start of the year, the number of newcomers has slowed. The Interior Ministry said on Wednesday that 95,215 people had reached Italy so far in 2017, down 2.7 percent from the same period in 2016.

    Some 2,230 migrants, most of them Africans fleeing poverty and violence at home, died in the first seven months of 2017 trying to make the sea crossing. The Human Rights Watch group said Italy’s move may endanger migrants. “After years of saving lives at sea, Italy is preparing to help Libyan forces who are known to detain people in conditions that expose them to a real risk of torture, sexual violence, and forced labour,” HRW said in a statement.

    Elections Ahead Almost 600,000 migrants have arrived in Italy over the past four years, putting Italy’s network of reception centres under huge strain and causing increasing political tensions.

    Italy is due to hold national elections by next May, with voting widely expected in early 2018, and the migrant issue is expected to top the political agenda. Rightist parties accuse the centre-left government of doing nothing to halt the influx.

    “The (migrant boats) will not be being pushed back to the Libyan shore, so we don’t understand what we are going to be doing there,” Giancarlo Giorgetti, deputy head of the opposition Northern League party, told reporters in parliament.

    Italy hopes the Libyan coastguard can help prevent flimsy migrant boats from putting to sea and has been at the forefront of efforts to make the small force more effective, training its members and upgrading its fleet.

    Rome has also put pressure on nongovernmental organisations that have played an increasingly important role in picking up migrants off the Libyan coast and bringing them to Italy.

    The government has introduced a code of conduct for the NGOs and has demanded that armed police travel on their boats to help root out people smugglers. Only three of eight humanitarian groups operating in the southern Mediterranean agreed this week to the Italian terms.

    A boat operated by German NGO Jugend Rettet, one of the five groups that did not sign up, was seized by the Italian coastguard on Wednesday on the order of Sicilian magistrates on suspicion it had aided illegal immigration. There was no immediate comment from Jugend Rettet. (Reuters)

  • India submits Mallya’s extradition paperwork to his legal team

    India submits Mallya’s extradition paperwork to his legal team

    LONDON (TIP): The Indian government has submitted the requisite “opening note” and paperwork related to Vijay Mallya’s extradition case to the liquor baron’s legal team within the UK court deadline on August 4.

    Chief Magistrate Emma Louise Arbuthnot, presiding at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London at the last hearing in the case on July 6, had set July 31 as the deadline for the Indian side – represented by the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) – to provide Mallya’s defence team with a detailed opening note on the case.

    The 61-year-old tycoon is sought by Indian authorities for allegedly defaulting on several bank loans amounting to nearly Rs 9,000 crores.

    “All matters are on track,” official sources confirmed to PTI today. The next hearing to assess the progress in the case will be held at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on September 14.

    Mallya, who has been in self-imposed exile in the UK since March 2016, was arrested by Scotland Yard on an extradition warrant on April 18 and is currently out on bail.

    The CPS, arguing on behalf of the Indian government earlier this month, had told the court that they had “excellent cooperation” with the Indian authorities in the case and now had sufficient material to establish a prima facie case for the extradition of the former chief of erstwhile Kingfisher Airlines.

    “We have completed a review of materials and I am happy to state that we have had excellent cooperation with the Indian authorities in this case. We are ready and willing to proceed and would invite the court to fix a hearing date at the earliest,” CPS barrister Mark Summers had said.

    The judge agreed with the CPS to “progress with some rigour” and retained December 4 as the date for a final hearing in the case. If the Chief Magistrate rules in favour of extradition at the end of the trial, the UK home secretary must order Mallya’s extradition within two months of the appropriate day.

    However, the case can go through a series of appeals before arriving at a conclusion. India and the UK have an Extradition Treaty, signed in 1992, and Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi had recently indicated it was working fine.

    We are on the verge of extraditing an individual from India to the UK in the next week or 10 days. The extradition treaty is working just fine and there is no difficulty in the extradition treaty.We have extraditions already successfully completed,” Mehrishi had said during his UK visit earlier this month.

    So far only one extradition has taken place from the UK to India under the India-UK extradition treaty – that of Samirbhai Vinubhai Patel. “He was extradited with the due process of law. We do understand that extradition does take time and there are multiple levels of appeal in either country and it is not the easiest of processes to complete. But being a liberal democracy that we are, we have to allow for the law taking its own course,” Mehrishi added.

    Mallya’s extradition is also believed to have featured during bilateral talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Theresa May on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Germany earlier this month. (PTI)

  • Army Major, Jawan Killed In Gunbattle With Terrorists in Kashmir’s Shopian

    Army Major, Jawan Killed In Gunbattle With Terrorists in Kashmir’s Shopian

    SRINAGAR (TIP): Two soldiers including an Army Major were killed when terrorists opened fire on a search party of security forces this morning in south Kashmir’s Shopian district, police said. Another jawan was also injured in the gunfight.

    A search operation was launched by Army in Zaipora area of Shopian district on Wednesday night after they received intelligence inputs about the presence of terrorists in the vicinity, a senior cop said. During the search operation, the terrorists fired upon the party in which three armymen were injured. The injured were rushed to the Army hospital in Srinagar, where two of them, including the major, died of their injuries, police said.

    “One jawan was killed in that initial burst of firing by the terrorists. One major sustained grievous and critical injuries, he was shifted to the hospital where he succumbed to his injuries,” Inspector General Kashmir Muneer Khan said.

    At the Army’s 15 Corps headquarter in Srinagar, it was an emotional farewell to Major Kamlesh Pandey and Sepoy Tenzim Chhultim at a wreath laying function. Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh were also present.

    In a separate incident, two Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists were killed in a joint operation by the police and the Army this morning in Gopalpora village in Kulgam district. One of those killed, Aaqib, was involved in an attack on a bank cash van in May in which five policemen and two bank guards were killed. He was also involved in weapon snatching, police said.

    Police say the second terrorist, Suhail, was involved in instigating people and firing indiscriminately upon security personnel from the mob.

    The security forces have recovered two weapons from the site of the encounter, the official said. Sources say there are 90 active terrorists in south Kashmir. The strategy of the security forces has been to target terrorist leaders while maintaining an active presence in areas considered safe havens for them.

    “We are getting good and specific information and we are acting on them. These operations will go on till we eliminate the whole leadership of the terrorist outfits,” Muneer Khan said. Source: NDTV

  • Japan aids India in its Act East policy

    Japan aids India in its Act East policy

    NEW DELHI (TIP): In a sign of growing Japanese involvement in improving infrastructure in India, the two countries Thursday launched a cooperation forum for development of India’s north-east.

    The move is significant also because of India’s decision to ignore China’s OBOR initiative as the China Pakistan Economic Corridor, a showpiece project of OBOR, impinges on India’s sovereignty, passing as it does through the disputed Gilgit- Baltistan region.

    The India-Japan Cooperation Forum for Development of North East was officially inaugurated by the Japanese embassy and ministry of development of north-eastern region.

    According to Japan, the development of north-east is a priority for India and a key to promoting its Act East Policy.

  • DECLARE IF YOU’RE VIRGIN: BIHAR HOSPITAL TO STAFF

    DECLARE IF YOU’RE VIRGIN: BIHAR HOSPITAL TO STAFF

    PATNA (TIP): Bihar’s premier government hospital, the Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS), kicked up a row by asking its new recruits to declare if they were “virgins” or married, but later replaced the word with “unmarried”.

    Amid the furore, the Health Minister, sought to explain away the gaffe, saying the dictionary meaning of the word virgin was ‘kunwari’ or unmarried, which was not objectionable. The marital declaration form given to the recruits had asked them to declare whether “he/she was a bachelor/widower/virgin”.

    The form also asked male recruits to mention whether they had one wife or more. “After the matter came to my notice, I ordered the word ‘virgin’ be deleted and in its place “unmarried” be used, which is the standard practice,” Health Minister Mangal Pandey said.

    Talking to a TV channel, he had said, “I consulted the dictionary for the meaning of virgin and found that in Hindi,it means Kanya, Kunwari or Kanya rashi, which are not objectionable… But in view of the opposition, I got the word deleted and replaced.” Source: PTI

  • IT’S NAIDU VS GANDHI IN V-P POLL ON SATURDAY

    IT’S NAIDU VS GANDHI IN V-P POLL ON SATURDAY

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Ruling NDA candidate M Venkaiah Naidu is tipped to be India’s next vice president as members of Parliament gear up to cast their ballot on Saturday. The name of the next vice president will be known on Saturday evening after members of Parliament cast their ballot during the day in Parliament House.

    The ruling NDA, which has a majority in the Lok Sabha, will find it easy to place its candidate as the next vice president. The opposition has fielded Gopal Krishna Gandhi against Naidu.

    The BJD and the JD(U) which had supported NDA nominee Ramnath Kovind for the post of president, have decided to back opposition nominee Gandhi.

    Though the JD(U) has broken ties with ‘mahagathbandhan’ and joined hands with the BJP to form a new government in Bihar, it has decided to vote for Gandhi, a former governor of West Bengal.

    Members of Parliament will use special pens for marking their choice in the election to be held between 10 am and 5 pm.

    The counting of votes will commence after polling and the results will be declared by 7 pm, Election Commission officials said quoting precedents. No whip can be issued by political parties as the election is through a secret ballot.

    The term of the present incumbent Hamid Ansari, who has held the post for two consecutive terms, is coming to an end on August 10.

    The electoral college which elects the vice president, who is also the ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, consists of elected and nominated members of Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha.

    The total strength of the two Houses is 790, but there are two vacancies in the Lok Sabha and one in the Rajya Sabha. BJP MP in Lok Sabha Chhedi Paswan is barred from casting vote following a judicial pronouncement.

    In the 545-member Lok Sabha, the BJP has 281 members. The NDA led by BJP, has 338 members. In the 243-member Rajya Sabha, the BJP as of now has 56 members, while the Congress with 59 is the single largest party. With its recent wins in the recent assembly polls, the BJP is set to emerge as the single largest party in the Rajya Sabha too next year and the NDA’s tally would be close to 100.

    It would, however, still be short of a majority in the upper house. The one who bags 50 per cent plus one vote of the total valid votes cast will win the poll. Source: PTI

  • ED lawyer asks Shabir Shah to chant ‘Bharat Mata ki jai’ in court

    ED lawyer asks Shabir Shah to chant ‘Bharat Mata ki jai’ in court

    NEW DELHI (TIP): A Delhi court snubbed on Thursday an Enforcement Directorate (ED) prosecutor for asking Kashmiri separatist leader Shabir Shah to chant ‘bharat mata ki jai’ to prove that he believes in the Indian Constitution.

    The remark came after a defence counsel said Shah had been behind bars for many years and deprived of his constitutional rights. Allowing the ED to interrogate Shah for six more days, additional sessions Judge Sidharth Sharma chided the lawyer for his remark, warning that the courtroom was not a “television studio”.

    During the proceedings, the ED submitted that foreign funds were used for terror activities in Kashmir, including stone pelting on the personnel of security forces. The agency told the court that the source of funding of Shah’s properties, worth hundreds of crores of rupees, had to be unearthed.

    The prosecutor told the court that Shah, arrested on July 25 in the money laundering, was “totally non-cooperative” during his questioning by the ED.

    However, the counsel appearing for Shah alleged that his client was being pressured and compelled to give various statements during his custody by ED officials. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has been tough on separatists regarding the alleged funding by Pakistan for illegal activities in Kashmir.

    Shah was arrested by the ED a day after several Hurriyat leaders were taken into custody in a case of alleged terror funding in the Valley to fuel unrest.

  • PAKISTAN CONSTRUCTING 6 DAMS IN POK WITH CHINA’S ASSISTANCE: GOVERNMENT

    PAKISTAN CONSTRUCTING 6 DAMS IN POK WITH CHINA’S ASSISTANCE: GOVERNMENT

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Pakistan is constructing six dams on the Indus river in PoK with China’s assistance, Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh said in a written reply in Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

    Government has issued demarches to both Islamabad and Beijing over the constructions stating that it is in violation of India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, the Rajya Sabha was informed.

    “India has a clear and consistent position that these territories are illegally occupied by Pakistan and that any collaborative activity there is in violation of India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” VK Singh said. “Accordingly, we have made demarches to both Pakistan and China conveying the position. The government will continue to maintain this position,” Singh added.