Platform formed for free legal support to NRIs in Saudi Arabia
Bobby Jindal hits campaign trail for touring Romney
Woman seeks NRI husband's arrest
BHUBANESWAR,July 30,2012: The wife of an NRI executive staged a wildcat agitation in front of her husband's house at Sundarpada in the city on Friday, demanding his arrest for allegedly ditching her a few months after marriage.The woman, Rima Patnaik, had tied the knot with Canada-settled Pratyush Patnaik on February 8, 2011. Pratyush, who has been staying in Canada for the last eight years, is at present working as a sales manager in a chocolate company there.Rima, who is an MBA pass-out, said she received a jolt when Pratyush refused to take her to Canada after marriage. "My husband just dumped me here. After that, his parents started torturing me and threw me out of the house," she told.The woman finally managed to reach Canada after five months in July 2011. "Initially, he was sympathetic towards me and allowed me to stay there. But a few days later, he started abusing me mentally and physically and asked me to leave. On September 21, 2011, he filed a divorce petition in a Canada court and dropped me in Mumbai on September 23," she said.
Rima, a resident of Jharpada area in Bhubaneswar, alleged that though Mahila police lodged cases against Pratyush and his parents on charges of dowry torture, nobody has been arrested yet. She had lodged the complaint on November 9. The woman alleged that police agreed to register a complaint only after she met the DCP.DCP Nitinjeet Singh said the accused were booked under Section 498 (enticing or taking away or detaining with criminal intent a married woman) of IPC. "It was a clear case of marital discord. Her in-laws managed to get anticipatory bail. We are facing difficulty to arrest her husband because he stays in Canada," the DCP said. "Steps are being taken to take the help of the Canadian embassy to catch hold of the accused," he added.Singh said police would obtain a search warrant from court to seize the "dowry" articles (as claimed by complainant) from her in-law's house. "Though our staff today tried to conduct a search, her in-laws did not cooperate with us. We will again raid the house with a search warrant. We are also taking steps to ensure that she stays in her in-law's house safely," the DCP said.While Pratyush could not be reached for his version, his family members here refused to speak on the issue.
Rima, a resident of Jharpada area in Bhubaneswar, alleged that though Mahila police lodged cases against Pratyush and his parents on charges of dowry torture, nobody has been arrested yet. She had lodged the complaint on November 9. The woman alleged that police agreed to register a complaint only after she met the DCP.DCP Nitinjeet Singh said the accused were booked under Section 498 (enticing or taking away or detaining with criminal intent a married woman) of IPC. "It was a clear case of marital discord. Her in-laws managed to get anticipatory bail. We are facing difficulty to arrest her husband because he stays in Canada," the DCP said. "Steps are being taken to take the help of the Canadian embassy to catch hold of the accused," he added.Singh said police would obtain a search warrant from court to seize the "dowry" articles (as claimed by complainant) from her in-law's house. "Though our staff today tried to conduct a search, her in-laws did not cooperate with us. We will again raid the house with a search warrant. We are also taking steps to ensure that she stays in her in-law's house safely," the DCP said.While Pratyush could not be reached for his version, his family members here refused to speak on the issue.
Tulsi Gabbard: First Hindu in race for US House
WASHINGTON,July30,2012: Tulsi Gabbard, who trailed behind her nearest rival by over 40 points a few months ago in the race for the Congressional seat from Honolulu, has now taken a narrow but crucial lead of five points in the latest polls, brightening prospects for the first Hindu to be elected to the US House of Representatives. In a dramatic turnaround, 31-year-old Tulsi has eclipsed Mufi Hannemann and is now the frontrunner in the race to succeed Representatives Mazie Hirono in House, said the prestigious Mellman Group, releasing its latest round of opinion polls. The seat became vacant as Hirono has opted to run for the US senate this year. Ahead of the Democratic primary election in Hawaii's second congressional district on August 11, Tulsi, a Honolulu city council woman, now holds a five-point lead over Hannemann, former Honolulu mayor — 37% for Tulsi and 32% from Hannemann, said the Mellman Group. "This represents a sea change in the race since our previous poll, conducted in April, where Hannemann led Tulsi by 26 points.
Indeed, Tulsi's share of the vote has increased 21 points, while Hannemann has actually shed 10 points in the last three months," the group said. A confident Tulsi says she is on her way to victory, though she conceded that it would be a close race. Proud of her Hindu religion, she is not Indian nor of Indian heritage. Her father Mike Gabbard is currently Hawaii state senator and mother Carol Porter Gabbard is an educator and business owner. Currently a Company Commander with the Hawaii Army National Guard, who has volunteered to serve on two deployments to the Middle East, Tulsi was Hawaii's youngest state representative in 2002 and is the youngest woman in the USA to be elected to such a position. The turnaround has raised prospects of her being elected to the House.
Top UK honours for NRI man
Leading NRI Lord Khalid Hameed has been given the Freedom of the City of London award in recognition of his work within the medical profession and in promotion of interfaith relations. India's first PM Jawaharlal Nehru was also conferred the honour when he visited London in 1956.
Indeed, Tulsi's share of the vote has increased 21 points, while Hannemann has actually shed 10 points in the last three months," the group said. A confident Tulsi says she is on her way to victory, though she conceded that it would be a close race. Proud of her Hindu religion, she is not Indian nor of Indian heritage. Her father Mike Gabbard is currently Hawaii state senator and mother Carol Porter Gabbard is an educator and business owner. Currently a Company Commander with the Hawaii Army National Guard, who has volunteered to serve on two deployments to the Middle East, Tulsi was Hawaii's youngest state representative in 2002 and is the youngest woman in the USA to be elected to such a position. The turnaround has raised prospects of her being elected to the House.
Top UK honours for NRI man
Leading NRI Lord Khalid Hameed has been given the Freedom of the City of London award in recognition of his work within the medical profession and in promotion of interfaith relations. India's first PM Jawaharlal Nehru was also conferred the honour when he visited London in 1956.
US seizes stolen statues from Indian art dealer
NEW YORK,July30,2012:: US authorities have seized several stolen sandstone and bronze statues and other cultural artefacts with an estimated value of more than $20 million from a storage facility allegedly belonging to an Indian art dealer. The Manhattan District Attorney's Office has also issued an arrest warrant for Subhash Kapoor, the owner of Art of the Past Gallery for alleged possession of stolen property, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) said in a statement. Among the artefacts seized by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents were three Chola period bronzes, depicting Uma Parvati, Sivagami Amman; and Murugan, which are suspected of having been stolen directly from temples in India's Tamil Nadu state. Other seized items include a sandstone statue depicting Kubera, chief of the Yakshas, from the Indian Gupta period; a grey schist statue depicting Herkules-Vajrapani from the Kandahran Kushan period; and a sculpture depicting Shakyamuni Buddham from the Indian Chola period. Some of the seized stolen artefacts have been displayed in major international museums worldwide. Other pieces that match those listed as stolen are still openly on display in some museums, HSI said. "The statues and sculptures recovered today are worth millions in the antiquities business, but they are priceless to the nations that they were robbed from," said James T. Hayes Jr., special agent in charge of HSI New York. HSI said in February 2007, the Indian consulate contacted it requesting assistance in the investigation of the potential smuggling of Indian antiquities into New York. The Indian consulate advised HSI that an import and export company was expecting the arrival of a shipment containing seven crates manifested as "Marble Garden Table Sets".
The consulate believed these crates contained stolen Indian antiquities. This merchandize was allegedly imported by Kapoor. By the end of January 2012, HSI special agents had seized dozens of antiquities with an estimated value of nearly $10 million. These included one five foot tall head of a Buddha weighing about 1,600 pounds; and one life sized stone figure weighing about 500 pounds, seized from a storage unit allegedly leased by Kapoor in New York. Kapoor, who was the subject of an Interpol Red Notice, was arrested in late 2011 at Frankfurt International Airport. On July 14, 2012, Kapoor was extradited to India, where he faced criminal charges.
The consulate believed these crates contained stolen Indian antiquities. This merchandize was allegedly imported by Kapoor. By the end of January 2012, HSI special agents had seized dozens of antiquities with an estimated value of nearly $10 million. These included one five foot tall head of a Buddha weighing about 1,600 pounds; and one life sized stone figure weighing about 500 pounds, seized from a storage unit allegedly leased by Kapoor in New York. Kapoor, who was the subject of an Interpol Red Notice, was arrested in late 2011 at Frankfurt International Airport. On July 14, 2012, Kapoor was extradited to India, where he faced criminal charges.
Indian-American Snigdha Nandipati wins US spelling contest
Washington, June,2012:: Snigdha Nandipati, a 14-year-old Indian American girl spelled the French for ambush, “guetapens”, right to be crowned the 2012 Scripps National Spelling Bee champion. “It’s a miracle,” said Nandipati as she pipped fellow Indian-American Stuti Mishra, 14, of West Melbourne, Florida who stumbled over “schwarmerei”, German for extravagant enthusiasm, in the last round of the final at a convention centre outside Washington Thursday night. Nandipati gets $30,000 in cash, a trophy, a $2,500 savings bond, a $5,000 scholarship, $2,600 in reference works from the Encyclopedia Britannica and an online language course.
With Arvind Mahankali, 12, of Bayside Hills, New York, a finalist for the last two years, the three Indian American children were the only spellers left in the last round. Six others also made the finals. Forty-one spellers, meanwhile, heard the dreaded bell that signals an incorrect spelling. Those included one of the favorites, 10-year-old Vanya Shivashankar of Olathe, Kansas. The younger sister of the 2009 champion got the only perfect score in the preliminary rounds. Breezily confident through the first two semifinal rounds, Shivashankar was flummoxed by “pejerrey”, a small fish. She went with “perjere”. Another Indian American fifth-time competitor, Rahul Malayappan, also did not make the finals. The finals did not include the youngest speller in bee history, six-year-old Lori Anne Madison of Lake Ridge, Virginia, who was eliminated during the preliminary rounds when she misspelled one of her two words — “ingulvies” (the crop, or craw, of birds) — and then fell short on her written test.
With Arvind Mahankali, 12, of Bayside Hills, New York, a finalist for the last two years, the three Indian American children were the only spellers left in the last round. Six others also made the finals. Forty-one spellers, meanwhile, heard the dreaded bell that signals an incorrect spelling. Those included one of the favorites, 10-year-old Vanya Shivashankar of Olathe, Kansas. The younger sister of the 2009 champion got the only perfect score in the preliminary rounds. Breezily confident through the first two semifinal rounds, Shivashankar was flummoxed by “pejerrey”, a small fish. She went with “perjere”. Another Indian American fifth-time competitor, Rahul Malayappan, also did not make the finals. The finals did not include the youngest speller in bee history, six-year-old Lori Anne Madison of Lake Ridge, Virginia, who was eliminated during the preliminary rounds when she misspelled one of her two words — “ingulvies” (the crop, or craw, of birds) — and then fell short on her written test.Over Rs 2,400 crore lying in inoperative bank accounts: RBI
New Delhi,July 29,2012: More than Rs 2,400 crore is lying as unclaimed deposits in the over one crore bank accounts across the country, RBI has said in an RTI reply. According to the data revealed by the 
bankers’ bank, the State Bank group has over Rs 233 crore unclaimed funds in its 10 lakh accounts, public sector banks over Rs 1,900 crore in about 86 lakh accounts, private sector banks over Rs 233 crore in more than 14 lakh accounts and foreign banks over Rs 69 crore in over 46 thousand accounts till December 31, 2011. The RBI in a circular had asked banks to treat savings as well as current accounts as inoperative or dormant if there are no transactions in the account for over a period of two years, it said. According to RBI, there should not be any charge for activation of an inoperative account and the bank’s interest on savings accounts should be credited on regular basis whether the account is operative or not. If a fixed deposit receipt matures and proceeds are unpaid, the amount left unclaimed with the bank will attract savings bank rate of interest, the RBI told activist Subhash Agrawal in response to his RTI query. It had also asked the banks to make efforts to find the whereabouts of the customers or legal heirs in respect to existing accounts which have already been transferred to the ‘inoperative accounts’ ledger.
bankers’ bank, the State Bank group has over Rs 233 crore unclaimed funds in its 10 lakh accounts, public sector banks over Rs 1,900 crore in about 86 lakh accounts, private sector banks over Rs 233 crore in more than 14 lakh accounts and foreign banks over Rs 69 crore in over 46 thousand accounts till December 31, 2011. The RBI in a circular had asked banks to treat savings as well as current accounts as inoperative or dormant if there are no transactions in the account for over a period of two years, it said. According to RBI, there should not be any charge for activation of an inoperative account and the bank’s interest on savings accounts should be credited on regular basis whether the account is operative or not. If a fixed deposit receipt matures and proceeds are unpaid, the amount left unclaimed with the bank will attract savings bank rate of interest, the RBI told activist Subhash Agrawal in response to his RTI query. It had also asked the banks to make efforts to find the whereabouts of the customers or legal heirs in respect to existing accounts which have already been transferred to the ‘inoperative accounts’ ledger.Four young Indian-American scientists honoured by Obama
Washington, July 28,2012: Four Indian-American researchers figure among 96 named by President Barack Obama as recipients of the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers, the highest US 
honour for young professionals. “Discoveries in science and technology not only strengthen our economy, they inspire us as a people.” Obama said announcing the awards Monday. “The impressive accomplishments of today’s awardees so early in their careers promise even greater advances in the years ahead.” The honoured Indian-Americans were Biju Parekkadan of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Pawan Sinha and Parag A. Pathak, both Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Sridevi Vedula Sarma of Johns Hopkins University. The Presidential early career awards embody the high priority the Obama Administration places on producing outstanding scientists and engineers to advance the nation’s goals, tackle grand challenges, and contribute to the American economy, the White House announcement said. Awardees employed or funded by various government agencies are selected for their pursuit of innovative research at the frontiers of science and technology and their commitment to community service as demonstrated through scientific leadership, public education, or community outreach, it said. The awards were established by President Bill Clinton in 1996.
honour for young professionals. “Discoveries in science and technology not only strengthen our economy, they inspire us as a people.” Obama said announcing the awards Monday. “The impressive accomplishments of today’s awardees so early in their careers promise even greater advances in the years ahead.” The honoured Indian-Americans were Biju Parekkadan of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Pawan Sinha and Parag A. Pathak, both Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Sridevi Vedula Sarma of Johns Hopkins University. The Presidential early career awards embody the high priority the Obama Administration places on producing outstanding scientists and engineers to advance the nation’s goals, tackle grand challenges, and contribute to the American economy, the White House announcement said. Awardees employed or funded by various government agencies are selected for their pursuit of innovative research at the frontiers of science and technology and their commitment to community service as demonstrated through scientific leadership, public education, or community outreach, it said. The awards were established by President Bill Clinton in 1996.Visa problems impacting trade, investments: India to UK
London,July 28,2012: India has raised with the UK the issue ofvisa problems being faced by its professionals and the way they are impacting bilateral trade and investments. At a meeting with British 
Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills Vince Cable, Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma has said, “The bilateral trade and investment between the two nations is getting impacted by difficulties in obtaining visas.” Sharma said India wants to make sure that business visitors are able to travel to the UK without facing visa related troubles. He said the IT industry in particular is getting impacted by such issues as delivery of services is dependent on the movement of professionals at short notice. Sharma impressed upon the UK government to carefully take into account the gains arising to the UK economy from the contributions by the highly skilled workers from India. “…any unreasonable cap would affect the productivity of around 700 Indian companies which provide substantial employment in the UK,” he said. In April, the UK stopped the facility of Post Study Work Visa to Indians and other non-EU students. It allowed them to work for two years after graduation/post-graduation. UK, Germany and several other European countries are following tough visa regimes for professionals and students from developing countries. India has raised this issue on many occasions with these countries. Sharma also raised the issue of visa with British Foreign Secretary William Hague, who has assured him of looking into the issue at the earliest. Meanwhile, George Osborne MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer, UK in his meeting with Sharma assured to provide an open investment climate for Indian businesses. On India-EU free trade pact, Osborne said that UK remains a strong advocate of the deal and will provide all help India and the 27-nation bloc are committed to finalising a balanced agreement by 2012. Osborne also called for an early and amicable solution to the Vodafone issue. Following an amendment to the Income-Tax Act with retrospective effect, the UK-based Vodafone may be asked to pay Rs 20,000 crore tax, including interest and penalty, for its 2007 acquisition of Hong Kong basedHutchison Telecom, including its India assets. Sharma, meanwhile, invited British companies to invest in the National Manufacturing and Investment Zone (NMIZ) as partner. Hague asked his office to examine the opportunities for NMIZ in the UK. India has notified about 10 NMIZs, which will have world-class infrastructure for units. It aims to enhance manufacturing sector in India. In 2010-11, trade between India and the UK was USD 12.68 billion.
Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills Vince Cable, Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma has said, “The bilateral trade and investment between the two nations is getting impacted by difficulties in obtaining visas.” Sharma said India wants to make sure that business visitors are able to travel to the UK without facing visa related troubles. He said the IT industry in particular is getting impacted by such issues as delivery of services is dependent on the movement of professionals at short notice. Sharma impressed upon the UK government to carefully take into account the gains arising to the UK economy from the contributions by the highly skilled workers from India. “…any unreasonable cap would affect the productivity of around 700 Indian companies which provide substantial employment in the UK,” he said. In April, the UK stopped the facility of Post Study Work Visa to Indians and other non-EU students. It allowed them to work for two years after graduation/post-graduation. UK, Germany and several other European countries are following tough visa regimes for professionals and students from developing countries. India has raised this issue on many occasions with these countries. Sharma also raised the issue of visa with British Foreign Secretary William Hague, who has assured him of looking into the issue at the earliest. Meanwhile, George Osborne MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer, UK in his meeting with Sharma assured to provide an open investment climate for Indian businesses. On India-EU free trade pact, Osborne said that UK remains a strong advocate of the deal and will provide all help India and the 27-nation bloc are committed to finalising a balanced agreement by 2012. Osborne also called for an early and amicable solution to the Vodafone issue. Following an amendment to the Income-Tax Act with retrospective effect, the UK-based Vodafone may be asked to pay Rs 20,000 crore tax, including interest and penalty, for its 2007 acquisition of Hong Kong basedHutchison Telecom, including its India assets. Sharma, meanwhile, invited British companies to invest in the National Manufacturing and Investment Zone (NMIZ) as partner. Hague asked his office to examine the opportunities for NMIZ in the UK. India has notified about 10 NMIZs, which will have world-class infrastructure for units. It aims to enhance manufacturing sector in India. In 2010-11, trade between India and the UK was USD 12.68 billion.Indian-American law student sues Preet Bharara
New York, July 28,2012: A second-year Indian-American law student has filed a lawsuit against Manhattan’s famed Indian-American US district attorney Preet Bharara and the US Marshals Service for seizing her phone illegally. The lawsuit filed July 10 by Benula Bensam accuses Bharara of instigating 
involvement of the US Marshals leading to the illegal seizure of her cell phone during the high-profile insider trading trial of former Goldman Sachs director Rajat Gupta, according to JD Journal. According to court rules, members of the public are not allowed to bring cell phones into the US District Court in Manhattan and need to leave their electronic devices with the security when entering the building, the legal news journal said. The event happened after Bensam started writing letters to Judge Jed Rakoff during Gupta’s trial. Bensam claims she was attending the Gupta trial as a law student “to understand the process of litigation”, but to understand things better she began writing letters to the judge. When the fact of the law student trying to communicate with the judge in the high-profile matter came to notice of the marshals, according to the complaint of Bensam, the marshals told court security to seize her cell phone and keep it overnight, the Journal said. The lawsuit mentioned that Bensam’s phone had been returned the next day, but there was a probability that it had been turned on and searched. Undeterred by the event of having her cell phone seized overnight June 4, the law student tried June 6 to deliver a fourth letter to Rakoff. On that day, the judge called her before the bench and asked her to refrain from communicating with him, because it might seem as if she were trying to influence the outcome of the case. However, Bensam maintains that the US Marshal’s Service illegally seized her phone, and “the US Marshals are to be held responsible for actions taken by court security officers for their role in the seizure of my phone”. The lawsuit accused concerned officers of “unreasonable search and seizure”. It also claimed “it is not a crime for a disinterested party to write letters to a judge on the subject of a trial”.
involvement of the US Marshals leading to the illegal seizure of her cell phone during the high-profile insider trading trial of former Goldman Sachs director Rajat Gupta, according to JD Journal. According to court rules, members of the public are not allowed to bring cell phones into the US District Court in Manhattan and need to leave their electronic devices with the security when entering the building, the legal news journal said. The event happened after Bensam started writing letters to Judge Jed Rakoff during Gupta’s trial. Bensam claims she was attending the Gupta trial as a law student “to understand the process of litigation”, but to understand things better she began writing letters to the judge. When the fact of the law student trying to communicate with the judge in the high-profile matter came to notice of the marshals, according to the complaint of Bensam, the marshals told court security to seize her cell phone and keep it overnight, the Journal said. The lawsuit mentioned that Bensam’s phone had been returned the next day, but there was a probability that it had been turned on and searched. Undeterred by the event of having her cell phone seized overnight June 4, the law student tried June 6 to deliver a fourth letter to Rakoff. On that day, the judge called her before the bench and asked her to refrain from communicating with him, because it might seem as if she were trying to influence the outcome of the case. However, Bensam maintains that the US Marshal’s Service illegally seized her phone, and “the US Marshals are to be held responsible for actions taken by court security officers for their role in the seizure of my phone”. The lawsuit accused concerned officers of “unreasonable search and seizure”. It also claimed “it is not a crime for a disinterested party to write letters to a judge on the subject of a trial”.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)