Washington, May 22 (IANS) A bipartisan immigration reform bill cleared a key hurdle after its authors negotiated a compromise with a Republican senator to relax some restrictions on high-tech companies on hiring foreign techies, many of whom come from India. Members of the Democratic-controlled panel Senate Judiciary Committee approved the measure 13-5 with three Republicans joining 10 Democrats after the so-called "Gang of Eight" Tuesday worked out the compromise with Senator Orrin G. Hatch The measure to deal with the problem of over 11 million illegal immigrants, including some 260,000 Indians, now moves to the Senate floor for consideration
Dubai, May 21 (IANS) The Indian consulate in Jeddah is using diplomatic channels to make passport authorities in Saudi Arabia accept newly-designed Indian passports, which they are refusing saying they were not officially informed about the change. According to Consul General Pranav Ganesh, the consulate is aware of the "unexpected problem", the Arab News reported Tuesday. "The matter has been taken up with the (Indian) embassy in Riyadh that is coordinating with Saudi foreign ministry to officially intimate the change in passport design to passport department authorities," the report quoted Ganesh as saying.
Dubai, May 21 (IANS) An Indian student in a school here was ranked second in this year's Indian School Certificate (ISC) class 12 examination. Kartik Kolachina of Gems Modern Academy scored 98.75 percent to be ranked second in the science stream, the Khaleej Times reported Tuesday
Wellington, May 21 (IASNS) A woman has given evidence in a court in New Zealand implicating four men of Indian origin of raping her in turns in April 2011.
Sydney, May 21 (IANS) Fiji's National Federation Party (NFP), comprising mostly of Indian-origin members, says it is ready for the elections scheduled for 2014 in that south pacific island nation. Party president Raman Pratap said that there was no need for a change in the party's executive line-up and a meeting will be held in June to discuss the party's election strategy.
Singapore, May 21 (IANS) An Indian lorry driver has been jailed by a court in Singapore for causing the death of one person and injuring 14 others due to negligence while driving. Periyasamy Jayaprakash, 25, pleaded guilty to causing the death of Mathialagu Kathiravan, 19, when his lorry collided head-on with another lorry on the Tanah Merah Coast Road here in the morning of July 3 last year, the Straits Times reported Tuesday. An Indian national, Jayaprakash has been sentenced to eight weeks in jail and banned from driving for five years.
London, May 21 (IANS) A Sikh bus driver in Finland is fighting for his right to wear a turban while at work. Gill Sukhdarshan Singh, who works at the Veolia bus company at Vantaa near the Finnish capital of Helsinki, is trying to set a precedent by making the authorities allow him to wear a turban at work, Yle, the Finnish public broadcasting company, reported Tuesday. "I have a right to my turban, and I am a Sikh also," the report quoted Singh as saying.
Lucknow, May 20 (IANS) A NRI, running a NGO here for HIV-AIDS afflicted, was found dead under mysterious circumstances at his rented accomodation here Monday, police said. While police claimed that it appeared to be a case of suicide, the deceased - Shivanand Dunker George Khan - had polythene was wrapped around his face with a rubber band tying it around his neck
Washington, May 20 (IANS) An 18-year-old Indian-origin girl in the US has developed a potentially revolutionary device that can charge a mobile phone in just 20 seconds, a media report said.
Dubai, May 20 (IANS) Passport authorities in Saudi Arabia are refusing to accept new passports issued by Indian missions in that country and submitted by Indian expatriates for updating. The Saudis have refused to transfer data from old passports to the new ones, saying they were officially not informed about the new design of the Indian passports, the Arab News reported Monday. While the old passport had its holder's photograph on the second page, the newly designed one has it on the third page
