Lashkar’s Headley will plead guilty in US today

Pakistani-American David Headley, a terror suspect in the Mumbai attacks, will plead guilty before a US court tomorrow, a move that may get him a lighter sentence than the maximum death penalty. Headley, who was arrested by the FBI in October last year, will move a plea bargain which will be heard by US District Judge Harry Leinenweber tomorrow. "Yes, he will plead guilty," John Theis, Headley's lawyer, told PTI. He declined to comment on whether Headley would be pleading guilty to all or some of the charges against him.
 
The 49-year-old Lashkar-e-Toiba operative had pleaded not guilty to the 12-count superseding indictment filed against him on January 14. He had got away with a lesser sentence after he was arrested in 1998 for smuggling heroin into the US from Pakistan as he cooperated with the investigation in the case. He was sentenced to less than two years in prison and thereafter went to Pakistan to conduct undercover surveillance operations for the Drug Enforcement Administration. Son of a Pakistani diplomat and a Philadelphia socialite, Headley, a Chicago resident, faces six counts of conspiracy involving bombing public places in India, murdering and maiming persons in India and providing material support to foreign terrorist plots and LeT; and six counts of aiding and abetting the murder of US citizens in India.

Indian-American professor wins $500,000 US science award

Indian-American computer scientist Subhash Khot, most well known for his "Unique Games Conjecture", has received the prestigious National Science Foundation's (NSF) $500,000 Alan T. Waterman Award. The award is given annually to an outstanding young researcher in any field of science and engineering supported by the NSF. The honour includes a grant of $500,000 over three years for scientific research or advanced study in any field of science.
An Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay graduate, Khot is associate professor at the New York University's Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences. A theoretical computer scientist, he works in an area called "Computational Complexity" which seeks to understand the power and limits of efficient computation.
 
"Subhash Khot is a gifted and ambitious young scientist," said NSF Director Arden L. Bement, Jr. "He courageously tackles some of the most challenging computational problems, all the while advancing computer security, with vast consequences for the broader security of our personal identities, commercial interests, societal institutions...even for national security as a whole. "Subhash is a brilliant theoretical computer scientist and is most well known for his Unique Games Conjecture," added Jeannette Wing, assistant director for NSF's Computer Information Science and Engineering (CISE) directorate. "He has made many unexpected and original contributions to computational complexity and his work draws connections among optimisation, computer science, and mathematics."
 
Khot has made significant inroads to identifying "computational intractability" or problems that cannot be solved fast. He has uncovered a problem about probabilistic games called "the Unique Games Problem". His work shows that it lies at the core of a variety of intractable computational problems, NSF said. Khot has received an NSF Career Award, a Sloan Foundation Fellowship, and a Microsoft New Faculty Fellowship. With his colleagues at NYU, Princeton, Rutgers University, and the Institute for Advanced Study, he is part of a $10-million NSF "Expeditions in Computing" grant under which the researchers are seeking to bridge fundamental gaps in our understanding of computational intractability. Khot did his doctorate in computer science from Princeton University in 2003. Currently, an associate professor in the Department of Computer Science at the Courant Institute, Khot was previously an assistant professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology (2004-07).

IIM Calcutta graduate to get high salaries

KOLKATA: Indian Institute of Management-Calcutta (IIM-C) has turned out to be the first choice of recruiters with the best pay packets in this year's campus placements. One of its students has bagged a record $350,000 (Rs 1.6 crore) offer from a global investment bank based in South East Asia and two more have been offered packages of over Rs 1 crore.
 
What's more, IIM-C got 91 slot-zero offers (when the largest firms give out the best salaries). That's the highest among all IIMs on Day 1 and 2, say sources. IIM-Bangalore, the second best, is way behind with 64 offers, and IIM-Ahmedabad students got 50 offers during the first two days of placements based on the newly introduced 'cohort system'. These figures exclude pre-placement offers. The three in the crore-plus bracket will join as associates of investment banks in London and Singapore.
 
There were initial hints that IIM-Ahmedabad had bagged the highest offer of Rs 1.44 crore while IIM-Bangalore's best pay packet was Rs 1.14 crore this year. Later, sources in IIM-C confirmed that one of its students has bagged the highest offer — a staggering Rs 1.6 crore a year. The highest domestic package bagged by an IIM-C student is more than Rs 60 lakh annually for an I-bank's Mumbai office.
 
Officials, however, refused to confirm the figures or reveal the names of the students. The IIM-C placement process kicked off on Saturday, with financial bigwigs and global consulting firms opening the account. UBS, the Swiss investment bank, hired exclusively from IIM-C. Temasek Holdings, the investment arm of the Singapore government, drew the largest number of its recruits from IIM-C compared to other B-schools in the country. So did Oliver Wyman, a US-based consulting firm, which hired IIM-C students for its offices in New York, London, Singapore and Dubai.

Sonia Gandhi, Nooyi in Asia's 8 top power women

WASHINGTON: Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Pepsico's India-born CEO Indra Nooyi and ICICI Bank chief Chanda Kochhar figure in CNN's list of eight of Asia's top power women.

Taking a "look at the key women who are shaping Asia's political and economic landscape" on the occasion of 100th International Women's Day, the CNN's list is headed by China's "Paper Queen" Zhang Yin.

Indra Nooyi, in the second place, "lords over some 185,000 corporate minions in close to 200 countries", notes CNN. "Nooyi's hard-as-nails leadership and her sense of fun (one-time lead guitarist in an all-girls rock band still performs regularly at corporate functions) has earned her spots on many 'best leader' lists in the US," it adds.

"Converted Indian Sonia Gandhi's story reads like a soap opera," says CNN of the third-placed Italy born president of the Indian National Congress and chairperson of ruling United Progressive Alliance.

"Born Edvige Antonia Albina Maino in Italy, she met future husband and Indian political aristocrat Rajiv Gandhi at Cambridge and tied the knot four years later. Rajiv became India's prime minister but was assassinated in 1991.

"Years later (Sonia) Gandhi entered politics as a primary member of the Congress before rising through the ranks to become party leader in 1998.

"Under her leadership, the Congress become the Lok Sabha's single largest political party."

Fifth placed "Chandra Kochhar is no stranger to 'key women' lists," notes CNN. The head of ICICI Bank -- India's second largest bank -- has frequently been named in Fortune's "Most Powerful Women in Business" list. Last year she figured among Forbes' "World's 100 Most Powerful Women".

"Little wonder, considering how the mother of two is responsible for some 15 million customers in India, which makes up a third of India's retail lending," it says.

Others on the list are Ho Ching (4), wife of Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and CEO of Singapore's government-owned investment company Temasek, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina (6), Hyun Jeong-eun (7), chairwoman of massive South Korean conglomerate Hyundai, and Indonesia's Finance Minister Sri Indrawati (8).

In US, Muslim women challenge mosque gender separation

WASHINGTON: A group of Muslim women have risked arrest as they sought to pray in the main area of the Islamic Centre of Washington -- an area ordinarily reserved exclusively for men.

"Wooden barriers have to be taken down and women have to be allowed to join, to pray behind the men in the main praying area. That's our request," said Fatima Thompson, an American Muslim who converted to the faith 18 years ago.

"We are against gender segregation, against the fact that women are put aside or in a totally different room at the mosque," added Thompson, who led the group of female protestors, all self-identified progressive Muslims.

The yesterday protest was the second time women have sought to share the main prayer area at the mosque in Washington DC, after a group of 20 women first tried in February.

"The general issue we are pushing is gender segregation and the ramifications it fosters. It's not healthy, and not reflective of our society here. It's very reflective of very restrictive, ultra orthodox societies," Thompson added.

Their hair covered with headscarves, the group of six women entered the mosque's prayer area via the main door usually reserved for men and walked through to the room where around 20 men had already arrived. Women and children ordinarily enter the Washington mosque, located in the city's embassy district, through a small door hidden behind a screen.

'US-China relationship has to get back to business quickly'

The relationship between China and the United States, which has gone through a bumpy ride, has to get back on track as soon as possible, a top Obama Administration official has said.

"We've gone through a bit of a bumpy path here, and I think there's an interest both within the United States and China to get back to business as usual as quickly as possible," Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs P J Crowley said.

The acknowledgment comes in the wake of the differences between the two countries and even exchange of words on key issues like human rights, arms sale to Taiwan, the Dalai Lama meeting President Obama and Iran.

US Deputy Secretary of State Jim Steinberg is visiting Beijing this week to discuss with Chinese officials on a wide range of issues.

"We have a very broad, deep, complex relationship with China. There are many areas where we have achieved a consensus view. North Korea would be a great example of that. There are some areas where we do not yet have a convergent view. Iran might be an example of that," Crowley said.

"We have different perceptions of our national interest, you know, when you talk about dialogue with the Dalai Lama, for example, or you talk about regional security issues, perhaps involving Taiwan," Crowley said, adding that he expects that the US Deputy Secretary will talk about the full range of these issues.

"We have a common interest in stability in the region; we have a common interest in working together on issues like climate and the environment. We have a common interest in working on issues such as piracy in and around the Horn of Africa," he said.

The US-China relationship, which has recently seen some issues crop up, could be refocused with both the countries having the opportunity to understand each others perspective and views, Crowley added.

Another Indian-American chosen by Obama administration

WASHINGTON: In yet another appointment of Indian-Americans in the Obama administration, an eminent attorney from the community has been chosen for the US President's Advisory Committee on the Arts. Obama has appointed eminent Indian-American attorney, Amy K Singh, as President's Advisory Committee on the Arts for the prestigious John F Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, the White House has said. Based in Obama's home town Chicago, Singh practises in areas of entertainment, advertising and marketing, and provides counsel to clients on event production and promotion, television production, talent and other matters.

Before starting her own practice, she held several positions, including as general counsel/senior vice president of DDB Chicago Inc, and as an associate in the Chicago office of the firm now known as Sidley Austin LLP. Singh was a member of the junior board of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and is currently on the board of the Mikva Challenge. She works to support the arts and youth which develops civic leadership in Chicago's high school youth, the White House added.

Indian Budget 2010: Cheers to middle class, jitters for 'aam admi'

The elephant has been synonymous with India from time immemorial, through history, mythology and belief. For decades, the Indian economy, too, came to be likened to an elephant, but in a pejorative, lumbering sense. Today, as the balance of global power shifts to the East, and India is regarded with awe for weathering the financial storm better than most, the elephant analogy is back – but with the positive attributes of size, stability, solidity and strength. With our economy projected to become the second largest in the world, after China and ahead of even the US, there's a growing sense that we're riding a quiet but powerful giant, one that needs to be taken care of if we want it to travel far and carry over a billion people on its back. Just as the elephant-god is worshipped by millions as remover of obstacles and bearer of good fortune, our Budgets are awaited with a prayer that they will lead us to a better tomorrow. Will this Budget make a difference to our lives, will it help the elephant dance?
NEW DELHI: When finance minister Pranab Mukherjee presented the interim budget last year on the eve of elections, the phrase 'aam admi' figured five times in his speech starting with the opening paragraph. In his latest Budget speech on Friday, the aam admi figured only twice and had to wait till well into the speech to be invoked.
Is this more than just trivia? It might well be. The salaried middle class can celebrate an entirely unexpected windfall of up to Rs 56,000 per annum from the reworked personal income tax slabs and a new tax exemption option. Most Indian corporates have reason to be happy with the surcharge on corporate tax coming down from 10% to 7.5%, even if some among them will be unhappy about the minimum alternate tax (MAT) being hiked from 15% to 18%.
Reformers will welcome the declaration of intent implied in a disinvestment target of Rs 40,000 crore for the coming year — and another Rs 14,000 crore in the one month left in this year — and the assertion that the return to fiscal rectitude has begun with the deficit being pruned to 5.5% of GDP. The proposal to issue new banking licences to the private sector after a gap of over 10 years should also please business groups that have been hankering for entry into the sector.
In contrast, the aam admi might wonder why the 'flagship' rural employment scheme (NREGS) has been given just 2.5% more than in last year's budget and the ambitious Bharat Nirman has got just 6% over the budgetary allocation last year. In real terms, adjusting for inflation, both would amount to a cut in outlays.
The aam admi is also hardly likely to be pleased with the hike in fuel prices by way of excise and customs duty increases on crude oil and petroleum products — which alone are estimated to yield the government an additional Rs 26,100 crore in the coming year. This is bound to stoke fears of further inflation. The fact that excise duty hikes are more or less across the board — in a partial exit from the stimulus package rolled out through late 2008 and early 2009 — does not help.
Mukherjee's announcement that excise duty on petrol and diesel will go up by one rupee per litre prompted what might well be the first-ever boycott of a budget speech, or a part of it, by the Opposition. That's a sign that these parties believe they can gain some political traction on the issue.
True, the middle class too will not be spared the impact of these duty hikes, which the FM later insisted would directly raise the inflation rate by just 0.4%. It can also point to the fact that the extended coverage of service tax to things like domestic air travel and under-construction houses will do it no favours. But it would be difficult to dispute that on balance the Budget has saved more money for this section than it has taken away.
As for corporates, the 175-point rise in the Sensex on the day was a fair indicator of how the markets perceive the overall impact of the Budget on India Inc. While excise duty hikes are never good news for industry, the much lower-than-expected borrowings of the government — projected at Rs 3.45 lakh crore — means business need not fear being either crowded out of the credit market, or being hit by the kind of rise in interest rates that a larger borrowing programme would have meant by increasing the demand for credit.
The FM is clearly betting on growth to help him raise revenues on the scale he expects, while the fact that the pay commission arrears and farm loan waiver are no longer a millstone around his neck has helped enormously in keeping expenditure from rising too much.
The direct tax changes for individuals and corporates, he said, would cost him Rs 26,000 crore over the year, while the excise, customs and service tax changes would get him an additional Rs 46,500 crore, thus yielding a net Rs 20,500 crore. On the corporate tax front, a higher MAT will fetch him Rs 6,000 crore, while lower surcharge will lose him Rs 5,000 crore — a modest additional burden of Rs 1,000 crore on India Inc.
Mukherjee said in his speech that the proposed move to a goods and service tax (GST) would have to wait till April next year and that he would also introduce the proposed new direct tax code, which is premised on lower rates with fewer exemptions, from April 2011.
Later in the day, he told a TV channel that while he was sure about the introduction of the direct tax code next year, since that was within his purview, GST coming into force would require the concurrence of the states and hence was something he couldn't guarantee.

First India-Pakistan Talks Since Mumbai Attacks

India and Pakistan's top diplomats met today for the nuclear neighbor's first formal talks since the Mumbai terror attack more than a year ago, a preliminary summit that resumed a basic dialogue but did not accomplish anything substantive.

Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao, left, shakes hand with her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir before the start of a delegation level meeting, in New Delhi, Thursday, Feb. 25, 2010. India and Pakistan held high-level peace talks Thursday for the first time since the 2008 Mumbai attacks in an effort to rebuild confidence and reduce tensions between the nuclear-armed rivals.
(Manish Swarup/AP Photo)As expected the two countries brought two different agendas to the New Delhi meeting, with India focusing almost exclusively on terrorism and Pakistan looking for a wider dialogue that includes the disputed territory of Kashmir.

U.S. officials have encouraged India -- the somewhat less willing partner in this new dialogue -- to come to the table, hoping a thaw on Pakistan's eastern border would allow Pakistan's overstretched army to focus on Taliban safe havens near the Afghan border. The U.S. says it needs Pakistan to crack down on Taliban groups that use Pakistan as a safe haven if the U.S. surge in Afghanistan is going to be successful.

But the terrorism that India is most worried about involves a jihadi group called Lashkar-e-Taiba, which even Pakistan admits was responsible for the Mumbai attacks. The United States recently declared that Lashkar-e-Taiba was expanding its operations to include targets in Europe.

Indian officials accused Pakistan of failing to crack down on the group, pointing out that immediately after these talks were first discussed, Jamaat-ud-Dawa, the supposed charity arm behind Lashkar-e-Taiba, reemerged in public.

The group sent out its first press releases in almost a year and held multiple rallies to mark a Pakistani holiday that celebrates solidarity with Muslim Kashmiris. Indian officials accuse Pakistan of unleashing the group into the public as a way to send a message to India that cross-border attacks -- which India says are state-sponsored -- were still possible.

Sachin becomes first batsman to score 200 in an ODI

GWALIOR: Milestone man Sachin Tendulkar re-wrote the record books on Wednesday, hammering the first double century in the history of one-day cricket to add another feather to his well-adorned cap.

The capacity crowd at the Captain Roop Singh Stadium witnessed history on Wednesday as Tendulkar, statistically the greatest batsman the game has ever seen, pushed a Charl Langeveldt delivery through the off-side and ran a single to achieve a feat which no other cricketer has achieved.

One-day international cricket, since its 1971 inception, had to wait nearly four decades to see a batsman score 200. The previous best mark was shared by Zimbabwean Charles Coventry (194 not out against Bangladesh in 2009) and Pakistan's Saeed Anwar (194 against India in 1997).

As the crowd erupted with unbridled joy, Tendulkar, tired but composed, took off his helmet, looked skyward, closed his eyes to offer a silent prayer.

His captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni came down from the striker's end to shake hands and hug him.

And as Tendulkar set on his way back to the pavilion after the completion of the Indian innings, a tumultuous celebration greeted him.

The crowd gave him a standing ovation as the entire stadium erupted in euphoria while his teammates were simply ecstatic as they clapped and hugged each other, basking in the glory of their senior teammates.

Tendulkar batted like a man with a mission on Wednesday and the South African bowlers simply had no clue where to bowl.

Once he crossed the 150-mark, the crowd anticipated something special and Tendulkar did not let them down.

A six off Roelof van der Merwe took him past Kapil Dev's 175 not out and in the next over, he hit Jacques Kallis for a four to equal his previous best of 186 not out that had come against New Zealand in Hyderabad in 1999.

The crowd got restless as Tendulkar approached the 194-run mark and a couple off Wayne Parnell saw him eclipse it.

His teammates and spectators were on the edge of their seat with a double century round the corner but with Dhoni going berserk at the striker's end and facing most of the deliveries, it was an agonising wait for all.

Dhoni took singles off the final deliveries of the 47th-49th overs and Tendulkar finally took strike with four balls left in the innings.

The first ball he received from Langeveldt was steered past point and Tendulkar ran for a single to remain unbeaten after an unforgettable unbeaten 200 that came off just 147 balls with 25 fours and three sixes in it.

It was yet another milestone for the man, who has some 30,000 international runs under his belt, including 93 centuries (47 in Tests and 46 in ODIs).

Pakistan-based group claims India bombing: report

NEW DELHI — A previously unknown Islamist group that said it had splintered from a larger Pakistan-based outfit has claimed responsibility for a weekend attack in India, a newspaper reported Wednesday.
The Hindu, a respected Indian newspaper, said it had been contacted by someone claiming to be a spokesman for a group called Lashkar-e-Taiba al-Almi which said it had carried out the bombing
Police said Wednesday the toll from the blast at the German Bakery restaurant in the western city of Pune had risen to 11, with the number of injured rising to 60 after new victims were discovered in local hospitals.
The latest fatality was a 20-year-old engineering student who died from burns at a hospital in Pune on Tuesday night.
The Hindu said an individual codenamed Abu Jindal rang the paper's Islamabad correspondent and said the attack was in response to India's "refusal" to discuss the disputed region of Kashmir, claimed by Pakistan and India, in peace talks due to resume this month.
The caller said Lashkar-e-Taiba al-Almi had split from the larger Lashkar-e-Taiba because the latter "took its orders from Pakistan's intelligence agency", The Hindu reported.
The banned Lashkar-e-Taiba is blamed by India for the attacks on Mumbai in November 2008 which killed 166 people and led to a suspension of dialogue between India and Pakistan.
The Pune bombing was the first major attack on Indian soil since the 2008 Mumbai carnage and four men have since been detained by Indian police for questioning.
Foreign secretaries from India and Pakistan are to hold peace talks in New Delhi on February 25.
The Hindu said the call to its correspondent came from an area with a telephone code common to the restive Waziristan tribal area, a stronghold for militants, and the neighbouring volatile Northwest Frontier Province.
The caller said he was ringing from Miramshah in North Waziristan.

India describes Nepal President's visit as historic

New Delhi, Feb 18: New Delhi on Thursday described Nepal President Ram Baran Yadav's four-day India visit as historic.
At the invitation of President Pratibha Patil, President Yadav paid a State visit to India from February 15 to 18. This was Yadav's first visit abroad after assuming the office of the Nepal's President.
India and Nepal share a unique relationship of friendship and cooperation characterised by open borders, deep-rooted people-to-people contacts and extensive cooperation, an MEA statement said.
The visit of President Yadav to India has helped further strengthen the friendly ties that exist between both the countries. The visit was in keeping with the tradition of regular high-level exchange of visits between the two countries.
President Yadav during his visit met with the Indian President Pratibha Patil and conveyed that India's relations with Nepal were unique and special in every sense.
President Patil reiterated India's commitment to assist Nepal and its friendly people in keeping with their wishes and priorities. Reciprocating the sentiments, the President Yadav conveyed his deep appreciation for India's support for the development of Nepal and highlighted that Nepal and India were bound by ancient history, geography, culture, and religion and shared values.
A banquet was hosted by President Patil in honour of Yadav.
Besides, President Yadav and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh exchanged views and held discussions on issues of mutual interest and concern. Both expressed their satisfaction at the progress in implementation of decisions taken during the visit of Nepal's Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal to India in August 2009.
President Yadav emphasised the importance of close relations between India and Nepal and expressed his heartfelt gratitude for the continued support from India for the economic development of Nepal.
While Prime Minister Singh conveyed that India attached the highest priority to further strengthening relations with Nepal in every sphere and expressed full support for the ongoing peace process and efforts to bring about economic transformation in Nepal.
Dr. Sing said that India would be happy to extend any assistance that Nepal would like India to render in this regard and hosted a lunch in honour of the President Yadav. To facilitate economic and infrastructure development in Nepal, Singh announced extension of a new concessional Line of Credit for US 250 million dollars.
Prime Minister Singh conveyed that India would supply 50,000 metric tonnes of wheat, 25,000 metric tonnes of rice and 10,000 metric tonnes of yellow peas dal to Nepal, in response to Nepal's request for supply of food items. He also conveyed India's readiness to supply 200,000 metric tonnes of wheat, if required by Nepal.
During President Yadav's visit both the countries signed Air Services Agreement (ASA) and Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for extension of railway lines to five cross-border points along the Indo-Nepal border, on the establishment of Nepal-Bharat Maitri Polytechnic at Hetauda and on the establishment of Nepal-Bharat Maitri Sabha Griha in Birgunj.
 

Bombing at bakery in western India kills 8; tourists were apparent targets

A powerful blast at a popular bakery frequented by tourists killed eight people and injured 33 in the western Indian city of Pune on Saturday, the first attack since the deadly 2008 Mumbai siege that appears to have targeted foreigners.
The explosion took place a little after 7 p.m. at the German Bakery in Koregaon Park, a crowded, upscale neighborhood near the Osho Ashram, a spiritual center with many Western followers. The ashram was one of the locations canvassed as a potential target by David Coleman Headley, who is now on trial in Chicago for plotting terrorist acts.
Eyewitnesses told reporters on the scene that there was an unidentified bag at the bakery, which is also near a Chabad House, a Jewish outreach center similar to the one targeted in the Mumbai siege.
"We could hear the blast," Rabbi Betzalel Kupchik said in a telephone interview. "Thank God we are fine. We will continue our work here."
Early reports say four foreign women were among the dead. Officials were seeking to determine their nationalities and those of the other dead and the injured.
The bombing came just one day after Pakistan agreed to resume high-level talks with India, the first such dialogue between the nuclear-armed powers since relations were frozen after the Mumbai massacre.
In New Delhi, the secretary in the Home Affairs Ministry, Gopal Pillai, confirmed that the explosion was an act of terrorism and said a team from the National Investigation Agency was en route to Pune.
Authorities are also investigating who was behind the attack.

My Name Is Khan : Review - Five Stars

Story: Rizwan Khan, afflicted with Asperger's Syndrome, sets out on a historic journey to meet the US President, when his world takes a somersault after 9/11. His wife, Mandira, meanwhile tries to cope with her grief and come to terms with the new racially-divided reality.

Movie Review: Ok, let's get this straight from the very beginning. It's Khan, from the epiglotis (read deep, inner recesses), not `kaan' from the any-which-way, upper surface. In other words, it's the K-factor -- Karan (Johar) and Khan (Shah Rukh) -- like you've never seen, sampled and savoured before. My Name is Khan is indubitably one of the most meaningful and moving films to be rolled out from the Bollywood mills in recent times. It completely reinvents both the actor and the film maker and creates a new bench mark for the duo who has given India some of the crunchiest popcorn flicks. This time round, it's a whole new mantra for the two moguls and the Indian movie industry per se which might henceforth go something like: My name is Bollywood and I'm not just an entertainer. I have a whole lot to say and I'll say it in style....

The high point of the film are its performances. Shah Rukh Khan's Rizwan Khan and Kajol's Mandira cannot easily be forgotten and you end up carrying them out of the audi with you. As is Zarina Wahab's Ammi who articulates an almost perfect prototype of the perfect Indian as Shah Rukh Khan's mom: completely rooted in her culture and yet, completely secular. Add to this the film maker's eye for detail which not only sweeps across contemporary history, but also creates startling vignettes with scenes that question, challenge, debate and debunk established myths, and you have a cinema that inspires, moves, motivates and forces you to think. All this, even as it entertains. For, nowhere does the film get heavy or pedantic, despite taking on the arduous task of telling you, in plain terms, that tolerance is the indispensable virtue for the 21st century which can have no place for fundoos, regionalists, communalists, casteists, gender, class and cultural chauvinists. Let them all rest in peace while the rest of the world moves forward.

But more than everything, it is the searing simplicity of Karan Johar's narration that scintillates. Choosing a protagonist who suffers from Asperger's Syndrome seems to be a deliberate move on the part of the film maker and it works like a master stroke. One of the most seminal scenes in the film entails a young Shah Rukh (Tanay Chheda) turning back from his balcony, spewing the hate-filled abuses he's just heard in the streets below which are getting violent and bloodied with an ongoing communal riot. His mother takes him in, draws a match stick figure with a stick and another with a lollypop and asks the young Rizwan to pick out who's the Hindu and who's the Muslim from the picture. Can't tell...both are the same...the stick man is bad, the lollypop man is good...mutters Rizzu. And that remains the most important lesson of his life which a mumbling, fumbling, awkward, socially inept hero carries like a golden talisman through his monumental life. One which simply says: the world is divided into good men and bad men. Period. No other differences matter. Isn't that a lesson we'd like everyone to learn. And if it means getting back to the basics, to mum's bedside tutorials, so be it.

My Name is Khan unfolds essentially as a love story. Rizwan, the boy-with-a-difference, grows up with his mother and younger brother in the back alleys of Mumbai. He is forced to join his brother (Jimmy Shergill, rightfully jealous with all the attention his elder sibling gets) in the US and sell his beauty products as part of the family business. On one such business meet, he meets up with the spirited hair dresser, Mandira who happens to be a single mom too.

Needless to say, he wants to move in with Mandira and her 13-year-old son, Sam, urging her to marry him and convincing her he won't take too much place because he's thin and undemanding. Cute! The entire love story proceeds like a dream: full of beans and beauty and before you know, it's tragedy time. The world discovers a new dateline -- 9/11 -- and hurtles towards divide and doom. Rizwan and his family are forced to bear the brunt of racial prejudice in an intensely personal way that brings down their citadel. Time for the handyman who "can repair anything" to move out on an impossible journey that hopes to end with setting the world right. All this, while wife Mandira devilishly battles her own demons and society fights its own ills.

The film takes on an expansive canvas: 9/11, post 9/11, racial abuse, draconian homeland security laws, a hysterical US jurisprudence, hurricane Katrina....Yet, it rarely loses focus -- just here and there, post-interval -- and remains primarily the story of a good man who wants to live in a good world with good people around him. The film is brimming over with scenes that relentlessly move you to tears, not because they are sad, but because they are uplifting, inspirational and just sometimes heart-rending. Performance-wise, this undoubtedly towers as Shah Rukh's best act. He never once loses grip on his character, despite the mannerisms, the awkward body language and the distinct speech style. Definitely, this one's a few miles ahead of even Tom Hank's Forrest Gump. Kajol's Mandira is a complete winner, with the actor pitching in such a restrained act in one of the most difficult scenes of the film, she simply blows you away. Zarina Wahab is unforgettable in a cameo and the kids are super. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's music score is apt, while Ravi Chandran's camera captures San Francisco like never before. But eventually it's Rizwan Khan who walks out with you, branding all the fundamentalists as `Liars' and telling all those who doubt his integrity: My Name is Khan and I am not a terrorist, a non-Mumbaikar, or an unpatriotic Indian.

A word about
Performances: Shah Rukh is stupendous, Kajol mesmerising, Zarina Wahab moving and the kids -- Tanay and Yuvaan -- are brilliant. Not once does Shah Rukh lose his grip on the distinct character who has a distinct body language and a completely unchartered emotional graph.

Direction: Karan Johar comes of age. He tells a complex story with sparkling simplicity, without forgetting that cinema is primarily meant to entertain.

Story: Karan Johar and Shibani Batijha's script is expansive, covering several events that have made headlines in the recent past. Yet, it essentially remains a moving love story that moves you no end.

Dialogue: Niranjan Iyengar and Shibani Bathija have demystfied contemporary strife with polish, restraint and research.

Music: Shankar-Ehsan-Loy's audio track is brimming over with soulful, uplifting tracks like Noor-e-Khuda.

Cinematography: Ravi K Chandran creates a dreamy San Fransisco on canvas even as his Mumbai remains so real, so downtown, so back-alleyed.

Styling: Manish Malhotra and Shiraz Siddiqui go cosmo and chic with Kajol and nerdish with SRK. Perfectly apt.

NRI accuses Amnesty of favouring 'pro-Taliban activists'

An NRI working for Amnesty International on Sunday accused the global human rights body of putting the rights of al-Qaeda terror suspects above those of their victims.

Gita Sahgal, the head of the gender unit of Amnesty's International secretariat, alleged that putting the human rights of al-Qaeda terror suspects above those of their victims had "damaged"' the organisation.

She believes that collaborating with Moazzam Begg, a former British inmate at Guantanamo Bay, "fundamentally damages" the organisation's reputation.

Sahgal describes Begg as "Britain's most famous supporter of the Taliban". He has championed the rights of jailed al-Qaeda members and hate preachers, including Anwar al-Awlaki, the alleged spiritual mentor of the Christmas Day Detroit plane bomber.

Amnesty this weekend said it had launched an internal inquiry after Sahgal raised her concerns with bosses, including Allen and Chaudio Cordone, the interim secretary-general.

In an email sent to Amnesty's top bosses, Sahgal suggested the charity has mistakenly allied itself with Begg and his "jihadi" group, Cageprisoners, out of fear of being branded racist and Islamophobic.

Anne Fitzgerald, policy director of Amnesty's international secretariat, said the charity had formed a relationship with Begg because he was a "compelling speaker" on detention. She said he had been paid expenses for his attendance at its events.

Overhaul in Aus immigration rules to affect 20,000 applicants

In a bid to curb ‘back door´ permanent residency through its skilled migration scheme, Australian government has decided to overhaul the immigration rules which is likely to affect over 20,000 visa applicants, including Indians.

The changes would focus on overhauling of the queueing system that identifies occupations in demand and creates a points system.

The Immigration Minister would have the new legal authority to set a maximum number of visas for a single occupation. The state governments would be asked to develop new migration plans.

The Australian immigration department would tightened the rules from today, The Age reported.

Foreign students, who have a qualification for an occupation which is no longer in demand, could apply for a temporary 18-month visa.

This would allow them to gain work experience and give a foreign graduate time to find an employer willing to sponsor their application as a skilled migrant, and if they failed in their attempt they will have to return to their country of origin.

The cancelled applications apply to all offshore general skilled migration claims lodged before September 2007. For onshore overseas students, government would introduce transitional arrangements to apply until 2012.

India Inc upbeat on hiring; 71% cos hiring

New Delhi: India Inc's hiring activity has increased considerably since September last year and the current recruitment level is one of the highest globally, says a survey by international recruitment firm Antal. The quarterly global survey asked more than 6,000 firms in 30 countries that whether they were hiring at managerial and professional level and planned to do so in the coming quarter as well.
As much as 71 per cent of Indian companies surveyed said they were currently hiring compared to around half in September, the survey revealed.
Nigeria (79 per cent) is the only country to have a higher rate of hiring than India's.
"Confidence is back at its peak in the Indian job markets, its happy days again for job seekers," Antal International Managing Partner Joseph Devasia said.
Further, the survey stated that Indian firms plan on increasing their hiring activity even more, with 78 per cent expecting to hire managerial staff over the next three months. "Combined with a very low rate of letting people go (16 per cent and set to drop by a further three per cent) the results indicate a strong employment market which is improving all the time," the Antal report noted about India.
China and Pakistan also have high rates of hiring at 71 per cent and 70 per cent, respectively. Although China predicts an increase in recruitment activity, Pakistan forecasts a drop of 25 per cent.
"Manufacturing & auto sectors along with the traditional IT, FMCG, pharma companies have ramped up hiring, against what we witnessed in our previous survey. Increased hiring indicates that the need for exceptional talent is now ever more," Devasia added.
Antal said that globally although a few countries are still seeing a decline in the employment market, the global picture has definitely improved once again. "As a result we are already seeing the first clear signs of organisations thinking in terms of the 'war for talent' once more with more robust businesses making early moves to snap up the best people in their markets before general recovery becomes too apparent," Antal CEO Tony Goodwin said.

Siemens eyes up India's renewables

German engineering group Siemens is to invest $346m in India's renewables sector over the next three years.
In an interview with the Financial Times Peter Löscher, Siemens' chief executive, said the firm will increase its Indian workforce by about 50 per cent to 25,000 people.
About a third of the new investment would be directed towards the development of wind turbine technology with an expected product launch by 2012, with some of the money going towards solar development also.
"We are taking advantage of the Indian growth opportunity and adding specifically tailored products. These are in addition to our high-end technology global portfolio," Mr Löscher said.
India already has 10,000MW of wind capacity and is considered to be one the fastest growing markets in the world. The government is currently considering adopting official renewables targets.
The administration also recently unveiled a plan to give out $5bn in subsidies to utilities every year for the next 20 years for solar power.
The company plans to put a turbine manufacturing plant near Tamil Nadu and Gujarat on India's west coast, where it expected new wind farm developments to be built.
The initial focus would be on serving the domestic market, but India's low engineering and labour costs could make it the base for a turbine export business at a later date, Löscher said.
Suzlon Energy, which commenced operations in south India in 1995 with just 20 people, now has a manufacturing capacity of 4200MW a year and about 10 per cent of the global wind turbine market.

India hands over $ 5 million in aid to Haiti

India has handed over $ 5 million to Haiti's UN envoy Leo Merores, as aid for the victims of the devastating earthquake that hit the Caribbean nation in January.

India is now considering the second phase of its response that will be geared towards reconstruction and rebuilding of Haiti's infrastructure and economy.

The ambassadors of both the countries discussed areas in which India would be able to best serve Haiti's need in the coming months.

India's envoy to the UN, Hardeep Singh Puri told PTI that New Delhi was "seriously studying" the situation and was considering providing the "Jaipur foot and low cost housing among other things."

Describing the international outpouring of aid as overwhelming Merores said that Haiti "deeply appreciated the very generous contribution of the government (Indian)."

"It will go into the emergency fund account to help the earthquake victims but at this point I cannot say precisely what will be done with it," he told PTI.

Responding to concerns that has been expressed about tracking the aid, Merores, noted that his government "in due time would set up an ad hoc committee" to show how the money was spent. The Indian side also noted that it would perform due diligence.

Several countries have made pledges to Haiti through different mechanisms bilaterally, through UN agencies or the UN flash appeal. China has contributed four million dollars in aid while Saudi Arabia has contributed $ 50 million.

The UN launched a flash appeal of $ 575 million out of which, UN's emergency relief coordinator, John Holmes, noted that 80 per cent of it had been met and overall the world body through its different agencies had received $ 2 billion.

Indian students in trouble as UK halts visa operations

CHANDIGARH: Some have paid their tuition fees, others have their acceptance letters in their hands. But now hundreds of Indian students may not be able to study in the UK thanks to a sudden decision to temporarily stop accepting student visa applications at its three centres in north India.

As there is no guarantee of getting their tuition fees back, which students have already paid in some cases, the fear of losing lakhs of rupees is looming over their head.

"The admissions process is an arrangement only between the student and the college and we cannot intervene. However we hope that genuine colleges will understand this situation but we cannot play any role in it," Nigel Casey, British deputy high commissioner, said.

This indefinite suspension, put in force from Monday, was the direct result of a 10-time increase in student visa applications during the period October to December 2009, at three visa application centres of Chandigarh, Jalandhar and New Delhi.

Last year, 13,500 applications were received during this period whereas only 1,800 and 1,200 were received in 2008 and 2007, respectively.

"We will again review the situation by the end of this month. Then depending on our evaluation, we will decide when to resume accepting applications again," said Casey.

Casey said that this suspension was necessary to scrutinize the situation and to save genuine applicants as there were some cases where people were abusing the student visa norms.

"Some unscrupulous agents mislead youth by telling them that they can easily attain PR (permanent residency) through student visas, which is totally wrong," he pointed out.

As per official records, Britain's visa operation in India is its largest in the world.

A R Rahman strikes Grammys gold

LOS ANGELES: Indian composer A R Rahman scored a double triumph at the Grammy Awards here, scooping two early honours for his music from Oscar-winning film "Slumdog Millionaire".

Rahman won the first Grammy of the pre-show at the Staples Center in the best compilation soundtrack for a motion picture category before his "Jai Ho" won in the best motion picture song category moments later.

"This is insane, god is great again," Rahman said as he accepted his second award before a VIP audience.

Rahman's rivals in the soundtrack category included Steve Jordan for "Cadillac Records," Quentin Tarantino for "Inglourious Basterds", and the producers of "Twilight" and "True Blood."

In the best song category Rahman's beaten rivals included Bruce Springsteen for his song "The Wrestler", from the Oscar-nominated movie of the same name.

The Grammy success comes after Rahman earned two Oscars for his music in "Slumdog Millionaire" at last year's Academy Awards.

The talented music maestro picked up the best original score statuette before scooping the best song Oscar.

Lanka President Rajapaksa wins re-election

COLOMBO: Incumbent Mahinda Rajapska on Wednesday emerged victorious in the bitterly-fought first post-LTTE era presidential elections against former army chief Sarath Fonseka after counting showed that he had secured nearly 60 per cent of the total votes polled, according to his office.
64-year-old Rajapaksa polled 60 lakh votes or 58.8 percent of the total ballots cast while Fonseka, the joint opposition candidate, secured 41 lakh or 40.8 per cent, sources in the president's office said.
"By all accounts, His Excellency Mahinda Rajapaksa has won the presidential elections as one only needs over 50 per cent of the votes," Presidential office sources told PTI.
On 59-year-old Fonseka's charges of poll rigging, the sources said it was "absolutely untrue" and pointed out that even former prime minister and opposition UNP chief Ranil Wicremasinghe had given a clean chit on the issue.
Wicremasinghe told reporters that the polls were by and large peaceful and free of any rigging.

India to send two astronauts into space in 2016

BANGALORE: India will launch its first manned mission in 2016 with two astronauts for a week-long odyssey in space, a top Indian space agency official said on Wednesday.
"We are planning a human space flight in 2016, with two astronauts who will spend seven days in the earth's lower orbit," Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman K. Radhakrishnan told reporters here.
Space scientists and senior officials of the state-run ISRO are preparing a pre-project report to build the infrastructure and facilities for the mission, estimated to cost a whopping Rs.124 billion ($2.76 billion).
The Planning Commission had in principle approved the human space flight project in February 2009. Its Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia then said more funds would be allocated in two phases during the Eleventh Plan (2007-12) and Twelfth Plan (2012-17).
"We will design and develop the space module for the manned mission in the next four years. Two astronauts will be selected to train for the space flight," Radhakrishnan said on the margins of a space event.
The government had allocated Rs.950 million (Rs.95 crore/$10 million) for pre-project initiatives in 2007-08.
The space agency will set up a full-fledged training facility in this tech hub for training the astronauts and building a third launch pad at its spaceport at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh, about 80 km northeast of Chennai.
"Spacecraft for the proposed manned mission will have extra facilities like entry into crew capsule and an escape chute," the chairman said after releasing a book titled "Moon Mission: Exploring the Moon with Chandrayaan-1".
The book was authored by S.K. Das, former member (finance) of the space department.
To demonstrate its re-entry technology prowess, ISRO had launched in 2007 a 600 kg space capsule recovery experiment (SRE) using the polar satellite launch vehicle (PSLV) rocket and was successful in bringing it back to the earth safely 12 days later.

India celebrates 60 years as Republic

New Delhi: India is celebrating 60 years of becoming a Republic on Tuesday with President Pratibha Patil presiding over the ceremony at Rajpath in New Delhi.President Pratibha Patil arrived along with the Chief Guest South Korean President Lee Myung Bak at Rajpath escorted by the President's 46 bodyguards on horses.

Even though the capital was enveloped in thick fog yet the military and paramilitary contingents marched perfectly through the Rajpath with President Patil, who is also the Supreme Commander of Armed Forces taking the salute. The majestic Republic Day ceremony started with the 21 gun salute after which President Patil hoisted the flag.

At about 1000 hrs IST President Patil presented Ashok Chakras to Major D Sreeram Kumar of 30 Assam Rifles, Major Rohit Sharma (posthumous) of 1 Para (Special Forces) and Havildar Rajesh Kumar (Posthumous) of 11th Battalion, The Rajputana Rifles. The Republic Day parade was led by General officer Commanding, Delhi Area Lt. Gen. Kanwal Jeet Singh Oberoi.

The 21 tableaux, representing 12 states as well as Central Ministries and Departments showcased the nation's culture, art forms, Scientific and technological progress and rich resources. Vice President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Defence Minister AK Antony, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee and the country's top political and military brass were present to witness the parade.

Before the ceremony at Rajpath the Prime Minister and the three Service Chiefs paid homage at the Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate. There has been tight security across all major Indian cities. Security has been put on highest alert in the capital, Assam and Jammu and Kashmir.

H-1B visa-holders being deported from port of landing!

Several Indians who arrived with an H-1B visa at Newark and John F Kennedy airports were deported based on a new rule, immigration attorneys and activists have reported. The new rule stipulates that those who arrive on a work visa should 'arrive at the place of work'. The rule could seal the fate of thousands of Indians who have applied for Green Card too. It could bring an end to consultation, termed by some as 'body-shopping'. Airport deportations have frightened those on work visas and many have canceled their travel plans, too.  
Read the full article at http://business.rediff.com/slide-show/2010/jan/25/slide-show-1-h-1b-visa-holders-being-deported-from-port-of-landing.htm
 

130 Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan awardees

NEW DELHI: Achievers whose works were recognized globally through major international awards last year -- Nobel laureate scientist Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, Magsaysay awardee social worker Deep Joshi and Oscar winners musician A R Rahman and sound recordist Resul Pokutty -- are among the list of 130 persons for the prestigious Padma awards this year.

Former Reserve Bank of India governor Y V Reddy, film stars Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan and Rekha, eminent theatre personalities Zohra Segal and Ebrahim Alkazi and Dr Ramakant Panda, the surgeon who operated on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last year, are other prominent personalities who found a place in the Padma awardee list.

The government has, however, not found anyone for the highest civilian award Bharat Ratna.

While thirteen in the list are either foreigners, NRIs or People of Indian Origins (PIOs), 17 awardees are women from various fields. Out of the total 130 Padma awardees, while six are to be conferred with Padma Vibhushan for "exceptional and distinguished service", 43 are selected for Padma Bhushan for "distinguished service of high order" and 81 for Padma Shri for "distinguished service in any field".

The list has one controversial figure -- Sant Singh Chatwal -- as well. The US-based hotelier Chatwal -- who had faced trials for alleged bank fraud in India -- is to be conferred with Padma Bhushan.

It is learnt that the name of Chatwal, who is also fundraiser for former US President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, was not initially recommended by the award committee, raising speculation that he might have found place in the list of awardees through some intervention from the top.

Home ministry spokesperson, however, refused to comment whether Chatwal's name was recommended by the award committee or not.

Incidentally, the businessman Chatwal, who was acquitted by special Mumbai court in 2008, is chosen for his distinguished service of high order in the field of public affairs.

Retired IPS officer and former CBI chief D R Karthikeyan, who headed the Special Investigation Team which probed the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, is also selected for the Padma Shri award.

Cricketer Virendra Sehwag, Hockey national player Ignace Tirkey, Formula 1 driver Narain Kartikeyan, Badminton star Saina Nehwal, Boxer Vijender Singh and Sachin Tendulkar's "guru" Ramakant Achrekar have been selected for Padma Shri awards in sports category.

Deep Joshi -- a social worker who was awarded Magsaysay award in 2009 for his works for development of rural communities -- and retired doctor of the Border Security Force (BSF) Laxmi Chand Gupta are too chosen for Padma Shri award.

Tamil film music composer Ilaiyaraaja, who set music for Hindi films like `Cheeni Kum' and 'Paa', Hindustan classical vocalist Pandit Chhannulal Mishra, dancer Mallika Sarabhai, former Cabinet Secretary and now Member in the Planning Commission B K Chaturvedi have been chosen for Padma Bhushan along with former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary Moosa Raza and former Vice Chancellor of Goa University P R Dubhashi for civil service.

Noted US-based journalist Farid Zakaria gets Padma Bhushan in journalism category while Prof Tan Chung and Prof A J Paulraj get the award in literature and education and science and engineering respectively. Both are also from the US.

In the art category, Akbar Padamsee, Kumudini Lakhia, Nookala Chinna Satyanarayana, Puttaraj Gavai, Ram Kumar, Shrinivas Vinayak Khale and Ustad Sultan Khan are being conferred with the Padma Bhushan awards.

Another Planning Commission member Abhijit Sen and S K Bandyopadhyay have been named in the public affairs category of Padma Bhushan.

Indian School of Business ranked 12 in Global B-school rankings

Hyderabad, January 25, 2010: The Indian School of Business (ISB) has been ranked No: 12 in the global B-school rankings released today by the Financial Times, London. This is the third successive year that the ISB has featured among the top 20, in the list of top 100 B-schools in the world. Previously, ISB was ranked 15th in 2009 and 20th in 2008.

"We began with the idea of creating a school in India that would rank among the best in the world. Today, I am delighted that the ISB is consolidating its position as a top-ranked global business school. To receive this news on the eve of the completion of 60 years of the Indian Republic makes it all the more special. I congratulate the entire ISB community on this success" said Rajat Gupta, Chairman, ISB.

Echoing this sentiment, Ajit Rangnekar, Dean, ISB said, "This is indeed a proud moment for the ISB. Our goal has always been to pursue excellence in education and research. As an outcome of this effort, we accept any ranking that we get with humility, and rededicate ourselves to this goal. I would like to thank our alumni, our faculty, students, staff, our board, our associate schools, industry and our well wishers for contributing to this continuing success."

The ISB was established in 2001 with the launch of its pioneering Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGPM). From an initial class of 126 students, the school has grown successively over the years, and currently has 570 students in the class of 2010. The school has over 2300 alumni who are making a strong impact in business and industry. The school has also established itself as a leader in Executive Education through its programmes designed and delivered for private and public sector corporations, small and medium enterprises, and central and state governments. The ISB faculty research papers are consistently published by top ranked peer reviewed international journals.

After a successful first phase of growth, the ISB has now entered its second phase of growth and expansion. It recently launched its second Post Graduate Programme in Management for Senior Executives (PGPMAX), which has generated a lot of interest among senior business professionals. It will soon set up its second campus in Mohali, Punjab. The first academic session at the ISB campus in Mohali is expected to commence in 2012.  

India can become 3rd largest economy by 2012: PwC

NEW DELHI: The US financial crisis may have expedited a shift in global economic power. According to a report by global consultancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), India could become the world’s third largest economy by purchasing power parity (PPP), overtaking Japan in 2012.

This would be almost 20 years ahead of Goldman Sachs' projection of 2032 in its BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) report.

India is also expected to grow faster than China after 2020. China, which was projected to become the world’s largest economy by 2041, now looks set to achieve the distinction sometime around 2020, the PwC report said.

"While the exact date is open to doubt, it seems highly likely that, by 2030, China will clearly be the largest economy in the world on PPP," writes PwC head of macroeconomics John Hawksworth in the report.

US mission alerts citizens about new Indian visa rules

Mumbai: The US Mission in India wishes to inform US citizens that the Government of India is implementing new regulations that affect visa holders, periods of authorized stay, and registration in India. The US Embassy and Consulates in India have received reports from individuals about inconsistent implementation of the new rules, which have not been widely publicized and are subject to change.

The revised regulations primarily affect travelers, who wish to enter India within two months of their last departure from India. To date, these changes have mostly affected tourist (T) visa holders, but the US Mission has also received reports pertaining to other visa types. Initial information from the Government of India indicated that revised visa regulations would primarily affect travelers with tourist visas, who had been in India for more than 90 days before travel abroad or more than 180 days in the past year. However, the US Mission has received confirmation that foreign passports are now stamped on exit to indicate that the bearer cannot re-enter India within two months of exit unless special permission is obtained from an Indian Embassy, Consulate, or High Commission abroad, regardless of the validity of visa or length of stay in India. Travelers have reported being denied re-entry after exiting India for business or family emergencies, or for tourist travel to nearby countries, even if their initial visit to India was for only a few days. Prior guidance and procedures that allowed re-entry to India after stays of up to 180 days are no longer in effect.

Some Americans entering or re-entering India on tourist visas have been instructed at the port of entry to register with the local Foreigners Registration Office (FRO). The procedures and requirements for registration can be complex. Travelers are advised to follow directions as stipulated on their visas regarding registration procedures, irrespective of their visa category.

Here are some examples of problems Americans have had trying to navigate the recent visa changes:

One American family, visiting India on ten-year, multiple entry tourist visas for several weeks, had to return briefly to the US to attend a funeral. They were not permitted to re-enter India. Another American family, taking a side trip to Sri Lanka from India, was told that they needed to apply for permission to re-enter India at the Indian High Commission in Colombo. An American on a business visa had plans for his children, who are attending a university in the US to visit him in India during their school holiday. His children entered on tourist visas, stayed three days in India, and were informed upon their departure for a side trip to Thailand that they would not be allowed to re-enter to continue the rest of their planned vacation with their family. One American in India on a business visa was informed that she would not be allowed to depart India until she had registered with the Foreign Registration Office (FRO), even though she had only been in India for seven days and her passport was stamped "Registration not required if stay is less than 14 days."

These new visa and registration regulations are being implemented inconsistently and are not finalized. American citizens traveling to, or departing from India are urged to review travel plans in light of these changing procedures and to contact the nearest Indian Embassy, High Commission or Consulate overseas (http://goidirectory. nic.in/missions.htm) or the nearest Foreigners Registra-tion Office in India (http://www.immigrationindia.nic.in/) to determine proper procedures to follow.

US citizens living or traveling abroad are encouraged to register with the nearest US Embassy or Consulate through the State Department’s travel registration Web site at https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/ so that they can obtain updated information on travel and security. Americans without Internet access may register directly with the nearest US Embassy or Consulate. By registering, American citizens make it easier for the Embassy or Consulate to contact them in case of emergency. For additional information, please refer to "A Safe Trip Abroad" found at http://travel.state .gov.

For the latest security information, Americans traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department’s Internet Web site at http://travel. state.gov where the current Worldwide Caution, Travel Warnings, and Travel Alerts can be found. Up-to-date information on security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the United States and Canada or, for callers outside the United States and Canada, a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except US federal holidays). Americans are also encouraged to read the Country Specific Information for India, available on the Embassy’s Web site at
http://newdelhi.usembassy .gov, and also at http://travel .state.gov.

US citizens may contact the American Citizens Services Unit of the Embassy or the Consulates General for further information:

— The US Embassy in New Delhi is located at Shanti Path, Chanakya Puri 110021; telephone +91-11-2419-8000; fax +91-11-2419-8407. The Embassy’s Internet home page address is http://newdelhi.usembassy.gov.

— The US Consulate General in Mumbai (Bombay) is located at Lincoln House, 78 Bhulabhai Desai Road, 400026, telephone +91-22-2363-3611; fax +91-22-2363-0350. The Internet home page address is http://mumbai.usconsulate.gov.

— The US Consulate General in Chennai (Madras) is at 220 Anna Salai, Gemini Circle, 600006, telephone +91-44-2857-4000; fax +91-44-2811-2027. The Internet home page address is http://chennai.usconsulate .gov.

— The US Consulate General in Kolkata (Calcutta) is at 5/1 Ho Chi Minh Sarani, 700071; telephone +91-33-3984-2400; fax +91-33-2282-2335. The Internet home page address is http://kolkata .usconsulate.gov.

— The US Consulate General in Hyderabad is at Paigah Palace, 1-8-323, Chiran Fort Lane, Begumpet, Secunderabad 500 003; telephone: +91 (40) 4033-8300. The Internet home page address is http://hyderabad .usconsulate.gov.

Haiti quake: Thousands feared dead, many trapped

Port-Au-Prince, Haiti Dazed survivors wandered past dead bodies in rubble-strewn streets on Wednesday, crying for loved ones, and rescuers desperately searched collapsed buildings as fear rose that the death toll from Haiti's devastating earthquake could reach into the tens of thousands. The first cargo planes with food, water, medical supplies, shelter and sniffer dogs headed to the Western Hemisphere's poorest nation a day after the magnitude-7 quake flattened much of the capital of 2 million people.  

Tuesday's earthquake brought down buildings great and small - from shacks in shantytowns to President Rene Preval's gleaming white National Palace, where a dome tilted ominously above the manicured grounds.

 

Hospitals, schools and the main prison collapsed. The capital's Roman Catholic archbishop was killed when his office and the main cathedral fell. The head of the U.N. peacekeeping mission was missing in the ruins of the organization's multistory headquarters. Police officers turned their pickup trucks into ambulances to carry the injured. Wisnel Occilus, a 24-year-old student, was wedged between two other survivors in a truck bed headed to a police station. He was in an English class when the earth shook at 4:53 p.m. and the building collapsed.

 

"The professor is dead. Some of the students are dead, too," said Occilus, who suspected he had several broken bones. "Everything hurts." Other survivors carried injured to hospitals in wheelbarrows and on stretchers fashioned from doors.

5000 disenfranchised Indians can return to UK

LONDON: At least 5,000 Indians, disenfranchised by the UK's recent diktats on immigration policy that forced them to return to the mother country, are to be allowed to re-enter Britain, in the latest twist in the two-year-old wrangle over holders of Highly-Skilled Migrant Programme (HSMP ) visas.

The British government published its new guidelines on the rights available to non-European immigrant workers on Wednesday. The guidelines offer full protection to non-European holders of HSMP visas, of whom at least 30,000 are estimated to be Indian.

Amit Kapadia, director of the non-profit campaigning organization HSMP Forum Ltd, told TOI the British government "had finally played fair with non-European workers, but then they had no choice".

Kapadia and the HSMP Forum Ltd, who led a long and tortuous 14-month-long campaign for equal rights, worsted the British government in early April when the High Court in London decisively ruled the immigration changes "unlawful" and a rank "abuse of (administrative) power".

The High Court judgement dismissed the UK government's argument that it was in the "public interest...the national interest" retrospectively to apply changes to HSMP visas.

The April ruling, by Judge Sir George Newman, meant that Britain would be forced to grant entry, residence and/or settlement to non-European Union nationals who entered the UK under the 2002 HSMP rules.

Accordingly, the British government has now decreed a fresh look at categories of non-European migrants, including Indian and other non-European HSMP visa-holders forced to leave the UK after the new, restrictive guidelines were put in place in November 2006.

Kapadia said the government's "new Policy Guidance covers migrants who were admitted under the HSMP scheme before 5th December 2006. Various categories of migrants are covered under the policy including those who were refused extension under the unlawful rules, those migrants who did not apply for extension and migrants who have either switched immigration categories to more restrictive visa regimes or those who left the UK".

In November 2006, the British government introduced a new, retrospectively-imposed Points-Based System, which effectively disenfranchised large swathes of the 49,000 non-Europeans who successfully entered the UK under the scheme between January 2002 and late 2006.

The HSMP Forum said it was "delighted to have achieved our objective in fighting the manifest injustice of retrospectively applied legislation".

Commentators said the extent of British government unbending could be gauged from the fact the new guidelines decreed that non-European "migrants whose extensions were refused after the November 2006 unlawful changes will not have to pay application fee again for a review of the decision under the old criteria".

Additionally, Indian HSMP visa-holders forced to leave the UK earlier this year, after the new rules were stringently implemented, will be allowed back without fuss. They can also offset the length of their India sojourn against the HSMP visa requirements leading to full and permanent settlement in the UK.

Kapadia said the British government had admittedly done everything it could to facilitate the return of non-European HSMP visa-holders. But he added, "they had no choice. We had told them we would take them to court otherwise".

New UK visa restrictions on Indian professionals soon

LONDON: Amidst rising unemployment, Britain is putting in place new immigration restrictions on professionals from India and other non-EU countries so that existing jobs are first offered to local workers.

From April, the basic requirements to enter Britain under the Tier 1 category of the points-based immigration system will be raised. Over 25,000 people, including many from India, entered Britain under Tier 1 last year.

The qualification and minimum salary levels for Indian and non-EU professionals will be raised to masters degree and 20,000 pounds from the current requirement of undergraduate degree and 17,000 pounds.

Home secretary Jacqui Smith is expected to announce the new measures soon as part of a 10-point plan which aims to cut overall levels of immigration by next year.

She told The Sunday Telegraph: "We have put immigration controls in place that allow us to raise or lower the bar on the migrants who can come to the UK. We have always said it is important to be selective about who comes here to work."

"We have already put a stop to low-skilled labour entering the UK from outside Europe. Now in response to the global recession and the downturn that has hit British workers, we are setting out how we will now be even more selective," Smith said.

UK gets tough on marriage-for-visa scam

LONDON: Following widespread bogus marriages with the aim of gaining residence, the British government is considering bringing biometric checks on foreign nationals. Many Indians are involved in this 'unofficial' immigration process.

"Just because someone is married does not mean at all that their immigration status is granted," immigration minister Phil Woolas told the BBC.

With a general election due in spring and indigenous Britons agitated by an unending flood of migrants amid unemployment of 2.4 million, the incumbent Labour administration is compelled to act on the issue.

In 2005, the Home office decided that foreigners needed permission to get married in the UK. In fact, if a person did not enjoy right of residence, they were generally denied approval. Within months of this stipulation, the number of reported cases of abuse fell from more than 3,500 in 2004 to less than 500 in 2005.

In 2008, the House of Lords struck down the scheme, saying it breached human rights. Immigration minister Phil Woolas said the government regretted the Lords’ ruling and was looking at the law once again.

Meanwhile, suspected bogus marriages have risen again. In 2008, 344 cases were reported by marriage registrars. In the 11 months up to November 2009, the figure had increased to 529.

Pressure on the British government mounted on Thursday night when the BBC aired an undercover investigation on violation of the system on prime time.

Hiring a bona fide Indian student, Jaspal, who pretended to be an illegal immigrant, BBC filmed secretly at various locations, including the registrar’s office in the London borough of Brent. There, a Pakistani man was applying to marry a Lithuanian woman. Neither spoke much English, let alone each other’s language. The former disappeared the moment the superintendent registrar confronted the couple.

Jaspal's probe also took him to Nirmal in the west London suburb of Hayes. Nirmal directed him to a gang in Birmingham with a significant number of people of sub-continental origin.

Indian chefs wanted, but no IT workers : UK Panel

LONDON: Indian chefs will be allowed to work in Britain's multi-million pound Indian restaurant industry but Indian IT workers are no longer required here, a key government committee on immigration here said on Tuesday.

The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) of the Home Office revised its list of occupations and skills that are in short supply in UK, which enables employers to recruit skilled workers from India and other countries outside the European Union.

The revised list includes skilled chefs, secondary school teachers of Maths and Sciences, consultants and senior specialist nurses, some engineering occupations, including civil and chemical engineers. The recommendations made by the committee are usually accepted by the government.

People from the Indian restaurant industry recently took to the streets in London and Glasgow to protest against new immigration measures that prevented them from recruiting chefs from the Indian sub-continent.

Several representations were also made to the government by MPs and association of restaurant owners. The MAC report published on Tuesday includes "skilled chefs" as one of the shortage occupations, meeting the main demand of the industry.

However, it will not be easy for Indian IT workers to find job in Britain due to the surplus in the employment market in the country and the EU. Non-EU workers will only be allowed to work in the shortage occupations listed by the MAC.

Next Bill Gates could be from India!

Washington : A sizeable number of Americans believe that the next Bill Gates would come from India or China as the two Asian giants are fast marching ahead on the global platform, a new US survey has revealed. "When asked where the 'next Bill Gates will come from,' 40 per cent of Americans predicted either India or China," said a national survey released by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) on the sidelines of the world's largest consumer technology tradeshow at Las Vegas.

The vast majority of them, about 96 per cent, believe that innovation was critical to the future success of the US as a world economic leader but they were concerned that the rising federal deficit would jeopardize prosperity of future generations, the survey said.

The economic survey, conducted by Zogby International, found that 68 per cent of Americans think innovation was key to the future success of their place of employment, with 50 per cent maintaining that innovation was important for their job remaining in the US.

After the World Economic Forum reported that the US has lost its global competitiveness ranking while India, China and Brazil have gained, 74 per cent of Americans said it was unlikely the US would regain its status next year.

Indian-origin man set on fire in Melbourne

Melbourne : A 29-year-old Indian-origin man was set ablaze by a group of four attackers in Melbourne on Saturday, a week after a student from the country was stabbed to death amid a slew of assaults on the community in Australia.
The man, who suffered 15 per cent burns including on his arms, chest and face, was admitted to 'The Alfred' hospital after he was attacked shortly before 2 am local time (0730 HRS IST) in Melbourne's Essendon area.

The man, who was not identified, and his wife left a dinner party in Essendon, in the city's northwest, between 1.30 am and 2 am and drove to their nearby home in Grice Crescent. He dropped his wife at home and had gone to park his car when he was attacked, local media reported.

Police said that as he was getting out of the car, four men attacked him, pushing him back against the vehicle and pouring an unknown fluid on him. One of the men then ignited the fluid with a lighter before all the attackers fled.

The victim, who is now in a stable condition in the hospital, ran from the car while peeling off his clothes, 'The Age' reported.

The attack comes a week after the stabbing death of 21-year-old Indian graduate Nitin Garg in a Yarraville park while he was on his way to his part-time job in a restaurant.

The body of another Indian youth, 25-year-old Ranjodh Singh, was found beside Wilga Road in Willbriggie in the neighbouring state of New South Wales on December 29. The incident was reported earlier this week.

A police spokeswoman said investigators do not yet know any motive or circumstances surrounding today's Essendon attack.

"They don't believe it was racially motivated at this stage," she said.

The ABC reported that the man is of Indian origin but said police do not know whether he is an Australian citizen.

The incident is being investigated by the arson and explosives squad.

Police appealed for public assistance to locate the victim's clothes, which he shed as he fled the scene.

NRIs to get voting rights by next LS polls: Mr.Singh

NRIs will be able to vote in the next general elections, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told the annual gathering of the Indian diaspora amid indications that the long-held promise may be comimg to fruition with government planning to change the definition of who is a "citizen".
Addressing the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, Singh said, "I recognise the legitimate desire of Indians living abroad to exercise their franchise and to have a say in who governs India... In fact, I would go a step further and ask why more overseas Indians should not return home to join politics and public life as they are increasingly doing in business and academia."
The law ministry is currently working on amending the definition of the Indian citizen in the Representation of Peoples Act from the current "ordinary resident" to a term that includes those living overseas.
Voting rights could be extended to Indian passport holders while holders of Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) cards would not be eligible. "We seek the active involvement of overseas Indian communities in accelerating the pace of our economic and social development," Singh said.
He also promised a social security net for overseas Indians to tide over economic distress -- an assurance clearly motivated by the concern for NRIs, many of whom have been hit hard by the global economic downturn.
Describing India as a "slow moving elephant", he said, "I recognise the frustration well-wishers feel when they lament why things don't work faster or why well formulated plans and policies don't get implemented as well as they should be." This was a price India paid for its inclusive approach, but that was a price worth paying, he added. "It is equally true that with each step forward we leave behind a deep imprint. Underlying our system is an inherent political and economic resilience that gives our country and its institutions great strength and buoyancy."
Singh called on the Indian diaspora to step up their investments in India, asking them to take a "careful look" at the country of their origin. He pointed out that he expected India would clock 9-10% growth in a couple of years on the back of a strong economic revival.

India seen as key small-car production base

New Delhi : As global automakers boost their presence in the thriving Indian market, they will turn the country into a stage for novel experiments in lowering production costs to levels not seen before.
Indian customers' unmatched sensitivity to pricing has meant the market has been dominated for nearly 30 years by Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. The unit of Japan's Suzuki Motor Corp has been able to build $5,000 cars such as the Maruti800 hatchback by using old, fully depreciated equipment provided by its parent in the 1980s.
Tata Motors took the low-cost theme to the next level with the release last year of the $2,000 Nano, which has achieved only modest success so far.
While the 10 new compact cars launched at the Delhi auto show this week will not be matching that level of pricing, rivals are seeking to inch closer.
Japanese automakers, for one, will enter uncharted territory by expanding parts procurement to Indian suppliers for goods such as sheet steel normally imported from Japan.
"The key to lowering costs was to look for locally available materials," said Yoshinori Noritake, chief engineer of Toyota Motor's Etios family car, one of the highlights of the Auto Expo this week.
The Etios is expected to be the cheapest offering in Toyota's global line-up when it goes on sale in late 2010 in India, with parts sourced from suppliers aligned with Maruti Suzuki and Tata Motors, such as Tata Steel, Noritake said.
Toyota said it has not set a price for the Etios. But most expect it to compete head-on with Honda Motor's hatchback based on the New Small Concept also unveiled at the auto show and which Honda said would cost less than 500,000 Indian rupees ($10,990).

Define NRI cinema, say filmmakers

NEW DELHI - The Pravasi Film Festival 2010 ended here Wednesday with the screening of “Chehere” by Rohit Kaushik and a panel discussion on “NRI Films - The Road Ahead”. Panelists asked organisers to stipulate guidelines on what should be categorised as NRI cinema.


The session was attended by filmmaker Mira Nair, director Basu Chatterjee, Dhananjoy, the contributing editor of Pravasi Today, and film critic Aruna Vasudev.

Addressing the session, Chatterjee said the festival must “specify guidelines on the kind of films that would qualify as NRI cinema so that movies are not disqualified from the panel at the last moment”.

“I would like to know whether a movie which has been conceived in India and made abroad qualifies as an NRI film. Three movies have been removed from the panel because they could not fulfill the criteria of NRI cinema,” Chatterjee said.

He urged an action plan “to recommend to the organisers on what should constitute non-resident Indian cinema”.

Echoing Chatterjee’s plea, Vasudev said: “If a director is Palestinian, lives in France and gets funds for his movies from US and other countries of Europe, how would you describe the movie?” She was referring to filmmaker Rashid Masharawi.

Mira Nair, who operates in three continents - Africa (Uganda), India and North America - said she has an Indian passport and will never give it up.

“I used to be pretty sensitive about being called an NRI for a long time. But I think the feel of the movie should have the feel of the journey to the destination and there should be some kind of definition to clarify ideas vis-a-vis movies made by people living abroad,” Nair said.

Pravasi (non-resident Indian) films should have some homeland routes, “but the definition of what constitutes an NRI movie is still very fuzzy”, said the Washington-based contributing editor to Pravasi Today, Dhananjoy.

“Not many pravasi movies are made in India but for many overseas Indians, films are a passion and they make more crossover movies. In the area around Washington where I stay, nearly 100 movies are made every year of which 10-12 make it to the local television.

“What about the rest? They can look forward to be screened in India and gross revenues if the organisers of the festival and the Indian government lay down some points on NRI movies and provide a support system,” Dhananjoy said.

The festival screened 43 movies, both feature films and documentaries. There were six panel discussions on various aspects of NRI cinema.

Pravasi meet begins, property-related issues dominate Day 1

A plethora of issues ranging from cheating by builders to complexities involved in succession and inheritance of properties dominated the first day of the annual Pravasi Bhartiya Divas attended by nearly 1,500 delegates from over 40 countries.

Issues like red tape in approval of investment proposals and bottlenecks in acquiring land for various projects were also raised strongly by the delegates who called for simplifying procedures to facilitate their involvement in India's development.

A group of NRIs from the US, the UK, Australia and some Gulf countries strongly raised the issue of non-delivery of flats sold to them by Maytas Properties, the real estate firm promoted by kin of disgraced Satyam founder B Ramalinga Raju.

"More than one year has passed but not a single brick moved into Maytas Hill County in Hyderabad. Over 300 NRIs are trapped into this tragedy and the government has done nothing," claimed Srinivas Reddy, an NRI from Britain.

Assuring the diaspora of all possible help, Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi, Corporate Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid and Minister of State for External Affairs Praneet Kaur said the government would address all the grievances of NRIs and PIOs.

They were speaking at a conference on property- related disputes of the diaspora community.

Indians Top Foreign Student Group

For the eighth consecutive year, India sent the largest number of foreign students to the United States, topping 100,000 for the first time for any country, according to the 2009 annual report of the Institute of International Education Open Doors.

Texas (11,987) has the largest Indian student population, followed by California (11,462) and New York (10,716). However, the proportion of Indians in the foreign student body is highest in Connecticut (30%), followed by New Jersey (24%) and Alabama (23%). Indians are the leading foreign student group in 17 states and the second largest group in 14 others. Indeed, they are among the top 5 foreign student groups in all but four states (West Virginia, Washington, Hawaii and Alaska).

The institute does not report country breakdowns for individual universities, but the University of Southern California had the largest number of foreign students (7,482), followed by New York University and Columbia University.

There is little reciprocal interest in Indian education in the United States. India ranks as the 17th most popular choice among U.S. students studying abroad. Even though India experienced the greatest growth in U.S. student enrollment (20 percent) between 2007 to 2008, just 1.2 percent of the U.S. students in study abroad programs headed to India, a quarter those selecting China. The United Kingdom, Italy and Spain are the most popular destinations for U.S. students, according to Open Doors.

Prasad Thotakura honored with Bharat Gaurav Award

India International Friendship Society (IIFS), New Delhi has announced globally reputed 'Bharat Gaurav Awards' for the year 2010. Prasad Thotakura, a well known NRI community leader from Dallas is one of the recipients of this prestigious award for his community service achievements.

Shopaholic NRI VP of US firm in soup over $4.5m fraud

WASHINGTON: She was with an American corporation that made the Koss stereo headphones for nearly 18 years and worked her way up becoming vice-president of finance; she earned a six-figure salary, was the wife of a well-heeled physician, and they owned a million-dollar suburban home. She was an adjunct professor at a well-known university and a pillar of local civil scene, supporting local charity events and helping the poor. Sujata Sachdeva's life defined immigrant-Indians' success in the United States.
 
Yet, last week, in a case that had the American corporate world aghast, Sachdeva, 46, stood accused of embezzling up to $4.5 million from Milwaukee-based Koss Corporation. She spent most of the money at high-end stores, buying expensive clothing and accessories.
 
How could she, you ask? Although the sum involved is small beer by modern American corporate standards, it's her likely defence that has everyone slack-jawed: it's 'oniomania' or simply, an addiction to shopping. According to a criminal complaint last week, Sachdeva spent hundreds of thousands of dollars at boutique stores in and around Milwaukee over the last two years, buying expensive items some of which she did not even unpack fully, much less use. The spending spree included $1.3 million at a store called Valentia and $600,000 each at Au Courant and Zita.
 
Her urge to splurge came to light when she put the tab on her American Express card and paid it off by transferring money from accounts of Koss Corporation, where she literally held the purse strings. American Express executives reportedly contacted the CEO of Koss and told him that Sachdeva was paying down her balances with large wire transfers from a Koss bank account. Koss CEO Michael Koss then personally went to Sachdeva's office and found many American Express credit card statements and several large piles of women's clothing with attached price tags, some for more than $2,000.
 
Confronted by FBI agents at her Mequon home last Monday, Sachdeva acknowledged she had bought clothing, jewellery and other personal items with money she diverted from Koss Corp, according to local media reports.
She said she carried out the scheme on her own, directing her assistant to make the fraudulent wire transfers. Sachdeva apparently said she concealed the transfers by falsifying the balance in Koss' bank account.
While Sachdeva's spending extended over two years, the fraudulent wire transfers occurred over just three months last fall, according to the complaint. Because of Sachdeva's shenanigans and her position as VP finance, who signed the company's financial statements, Koss, a publicly traded firm, has had to halt trading till its books are re-examined. Some reports suggest Sachdeva's embezzlement may go further back in the company's history and may run up to $20 million.
 
A loss of $4.5 million could be huge for Koss, which, despite its brand name, is a relatively small company with annual revenues of less than $40 million and only around 75 employees. For the Indian community, the story is a salutary reminder that its widely-chronicled success is spotted with a few odd contretemps.

Indian workers sold like cattle in Saudi Arabia: Stowaway

JAIPUR: Habib Hussain of Moradabad, who hid in a toilet on an Air India flight from Saudi Arabia to return to his own country, says he did so for his two children, his pregnant wife, and an ailing mother. After his bizarre experience, Habib says he has realised that 'aadhi roti' (half a piece of bread) at home is better than one in an alien land. He also said Indian labour is sold like cattle in that country.

He had sold his two `bigha' land for Rs 1.25 lakh and left behind just about Rs 11,000 for his family after paying the agent. He now tearfully says, "There was no point in staying in Saudi. I just had to return. My wife was two months pregnant when I left and will have a baby any time now. My family was hungry here; I was hungry there. I was better off earning Rs 80 a day and feeding my family rather than living on a promise of Rs 15,000-20,000 and not getting a paisa.

"I know there could have been serious problems during the flight, but I had confidence in my countrymen. Moreover, I was ready to face any consequence in India which would have been better than living in Saudi Arabia," he says.

"After grazing goats until noon, I offered namaz. In the evening, after helping a Haji with his bags, I slipped into a toilet in the lower deck of the aircraft. Forty-five minutes after the plane took off, an air hostess saw me. After she heard my story, she gave me a seat and food," said Habib.

All that Habib got to eat in the six months that he was away was one roti and a bowl of dal worth Re 1 each day - bought from the money that the Hajis tipped him with. "I didn't get a penny from my employer and started saving whatever I could to get back to my country. I could manage to save Rs 800 and thought if my passport was returned to me, I could board a flight to India. But whenever we asked for our passports, we were kicked and thrashed and made to work for over 14 to 18 hours a day," he said.

"Indian labour is sold in Saudi like cattle and thousands of Indians from UP and Bengal are suffering there. They are helpless without their passports," said Habib. "My agent (Imran) got an assignment to provide 50 labourers from India. We were recruited and sent in groups of five, 10 and 20. After landing, I was made to work in Jeddah for a month. I grazed goats during the day and worked as a cleaner at the airport in the evenings. I worked for 14-18 hours a day. Thereafter, I was sold to a `khafil' or agent in Medina who required 500 people. In Medina, I worked for over 15 hours daily. I wept and wondered how my family was doing back home," he said.

"My father passed away two years back and my mother is ill and needs medication. I just want to get back home. I hope my case will be seen with empathy. Who will feed my children if I am put behind bars?" he asked.

Indian youth dies in Oz after being attacked

Melbourne A 21-year-old Indian youth with permanent residency in Australia was on Sunday fatally stabbed in the abdomen by unidentified assailants here while on his way to work, the first death in a slew of vicious attacks on the community members. Nitin Garg, who migrated from Punjab, was attacked in a park when he was walking towards fast-food joint Hungry Jack's restaurant, where he worked part-time.

He staggered into the restaurant on the corner of Somerville Road and Geelong Road, West Footscray, about 10 pm local time last night (0330 HRS IST this morning) and pleaded for help before collapsing.

He was taken to the Royal Melbourne Hospital but later died, according to TV reports. Police said the youth from Newport had travelled to Yarraville train station about 9.30 pm local time (0300 HRS IST), then walked along Anderson Street to Cruickshank Park, where he was stabbed in the abdomen.

He managed to stumble some 300 metres to the Hungry Jack's restaurant. Homicide Squad Senior Sergeant Dave Snare described it as a vicious attack. He said at this stage there was no known motive and there was no evidence the youth was targeted because of his race.

"I think to draw any conclusion as to the motive may interfere with the investigation and would be presumptuous at this stage," he said.

Muslim-Hindu punk rock bands part of new movement

WAYLAND, Mass. : A small but growing South Asian and Middle Eastern punk rock movement is attracting children of Muslim and Hindu immigrants and sparking new bands across America. Bands like The Kominas (kuh-MEE'-nahs), based in Wayland, Mass., are trying to use their music to explore their identities as Americans and fight stereotypes about South Asian immigrants.


A documentary entitled "Taqwacore: (TAH'-kwah-cor) The Birth of Punk Islam" explores the creation of the new movement and how people are responding to the bands' music. Basim Usmani (BAH'-sim OOS'-mah-nee), a guitarist for The Kominas, said the band tries to keep their lyrics playful but with subtle messages.


Pakistani-Canadian filmmaker Omar Majeed says the film is set for release in the U.S. this year.