News India-Times

Padma Shri award winner is felicitated

2010-03-19T01:22:00.000-07:00

Dr. Sudhir Parikh, publisher of News India Times and recipient of one of India's highest civilian awards for his philanthropic work and commitment to improving U.S.- India relations, was feted by a number of community groups and professional organizations in the tri-state area.

He will be given the Padma Shri by India's President Pratibha Patil at a formal ceremony April 4 in New Delhi.

Dr. Parikh, a noted allergist and an authority in the field of allergy, asthma and immunology, is also the chairman and publisher of New York-based Parikh Worldwide Media, Inc., which publishes three periodicals Desi Talk, News India Times and The Indian American.

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Two Indians in top five Forbes Billionaires list

2010-03-18T00:40:00.000-07:00

Two Indians have made it to the top five in the Forbes Billionaires list published in the magazine's March 29 issue. Mukesh Ambani of petrochemicals, oil and gas company Reliance Industries ranked fourth with a fortune of $29 billion, and steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal ranked fifth with $28.7 billion.

According to Forbes, the number of billionaires in India doubled in 2009. It lists 49 Indian billionaires, up from 24 the previous year.

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Obama asks Clinton to push forward on Nuclear deal

2010-03-17T00:00:00.000-07:00

President Obama has authorized Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to carry out some of the functions involved in certifying the U.S.-India nuclear deal.

In a March 10 memo, the president delegated some of the duties under one of the clauses of the U.S.-India Nuclear Cooperation Approval and Nonproliferation Enhancement Act, technically known as Public Law 110-369.

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New York life commercial nominated for Emmy award

2010-03-15T00:33:00.000-07:00

A New York Life Insurance Company television campaign has been nominated for a New York Emmy Award.

The four-commercial campaign, "Life is Beautiful with ...The Company You Keep", which aired in the U.S. last year, is among four to be nominated in the Commercials: Campaign category, a press release said.

This is the fourth New York Emmy nomination for New York Life's Asian-Indian Market Division, the release said. T

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Fossil snake from India fed on hatchling dinosaurs

2010-03-12T00:00:00.000-08:00

Dhananjay Mohabey, who unearthed a snake fossil going back at least 67 million years, and was joined by an international paleontological team to study it, has published findings that are making headlines in numerous U.S. and global media.

The remains of a fossil unearthed in 67 million year old sediments from Gujarat, provide a rare glimpse at an unusual feeding behavior in ancient snakes.

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First royalist strike shuts down Nepal capital

2010-03-05T00:10:00.000-08:00

Shops closed and vehicles stayed off the roads in Kathmandu on Feb. 22 in response to a strike called by a party supporting Nepal's deposed king, the first closure by the royalists since the monarchy was abolished.

A special constituent assembly dominated by the Maoist former rebels abolished the 239-year-old monarchy in 2008, turning the majority-Hindu nation into a secular republic and ending a decade long civil war that caused more than 13,000 deaths.

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India, Pakistan hold formal talks

2010-03-04T00:07:00.000-08:00

Nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan met Feb. 25 for their first formal talks since the deadly siege on Mumbai in 2008.

Officials described the session as a cautious step in restoring trust between the two nations, who promised only that they would keep in touch, while agreeing that much mutual suspicion remains.

Neither side gave a date for a follow-up meeting after Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao met Pakistani Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir for more than three hours in a former palace amid the heavily guarded seat of government.

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Obama appointee's past statements attract criticism

2010-03-03T00:09:00.000-08:00

Just days after President Barack Obama appointed White House counsel Rashad Hussain as his special envoy to the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), Hussain is under the gun for statements he made in 2004, against U.S. treatment of a Muslim professor suspected of being associated with terror networks.

The Florida professor, Sami Al-Arian, later pleaded guilty to one count of aiding a terrorist organization and was sentenced to 57 months in prison, The online news source, Politico, unearthed a video showing Hussain at a Muslim students association meeting in Chicago, where he criticized the Bush administration's cases against Al-Arian and other Muslim terror suspects as "politically motivated persecutions."

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Tendulkar's double century seals one-day series

2010-03-02T00:00:00.000-08:00

Sachin Tendulkar scored one-day international cricket's first double century to set up a 153-run win and a series victory for India over South Africa on Feb. 24.

Tendulkar, who opens in one- dayers, smashed 200 not out off 147 balls to help India post 401-3 and take a winning 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

South Africa were bowled out for 248 with AB de Villiers hitting a defiant 114 not out in the day- night match at the Captain Roop Singh Stadium.

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Maruti to hire 3,000 people over 3 years

2010-02-26T00:09:00.000-08:00

Maruti Suzuki, will hire 3,000 people over the next three years as the leading Indian carmaker expands its operations in the fast-growing market, a senior official said on Feb. 19.

S.Y. Siddiqui, head of human resources at Maruti, which is 54.2 percent owned by Suzuki Motor Corp, said the company would add 500 staff to its research and development (R&D) and design departments, including about 20 from Europe and Japan.

"The idea behind hiring from overseas is driven by their specialized skill sets in design.

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Balaji temple hosts 3-day Shivaratri celebrations

2010-02-25T00:47:00.000-08:00

Sri Venkateswara Swami Temple in Aurora, Ill., celebrated Maha Shivaratri from Feb. 12-14. "Maha Sivarathri is a very important event for the devotees of Lord Shiva," temple Chairman Yalaverthi Ramaraju said. "Hindus pray to Parameswara with utmost devotion during this special period with fasting and staying awake all night chanting prayers on Shivaratri Day."

The celebrations began at the temple, popularly known as the Balaji temple, on Feb. 12 with the Rudra Homam. This was followed by the Ekadasa Rudra Japam and special Ksheera abhishekam offered by devotes.

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Data show rise in number of illegal immigrants from India

2010-02-24T00:00:00.000-08:00

Ilegal immigration from India has risen over the last decade according to the Department of Homeland Security. However, very few of these illegal immigrants have been apprehended and even fewer convicted on criminal grounds.

According to data provided by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), India was among the top 10 countries sending "unauthorized immigrants," as the agency calls them.

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Neera Tanden set to leave Obama administration

2010-02-23T04:05:00.000-08:00

Neera Tanden, senior adviser to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, is leaving the Obama administration to return to the Center for American Progress (CAP), a liberal policy think tank she was associated from the very outset with founder John Podesta, President Bill Clinton's chief of staff from 1998-2001.

The CAP announced her appointment on its Web site Feb. 19. The news was first carried by The New Republic, a CAP publication, in its Feb. 18 online issue. Tanden, one of the key figures who policed the health-care bill through Congress, had been hopeful of the legislation getting approved when she spoke to News India Times before the Christmas break

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Police say CCTV gives some clues on Pune bombing

2010-02-22T00:00:00.000-08:00

Police were questioning several people on Feb. 16 in connection with a bomb attack that killed 11 people in Pune after viewing closed-circuit television footage, officials said.

However, Satyapal Singh, the police chief in the city of Pune, declined to confirm media reports that 3-4 people had been taken into custody.

The bomb, which exploded in a bakery in Pune that is popular among Western and Indian tourists, contained ammonium nitrate and RDX, a powerful explosive used by the military, Singh told reporters.

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South Asian comics take center stage on Broadway

2010-02-17T00:07:00.000-08:00

In what is a first, a Broadway theater is hosting a stand-up comedy show dedicated to South Asian comics. Caroline's on Broadway, a comedy nightclub in Midtown Manhattan has teamed up with Engendered, a nonprofit rights organization, to host a live comedy show called Indophile that will feature a diverse group of comedians of South Asian origin. It marks another step up in the increasing visibility ethnic minorities are getting in the mainstream entertainment industry. A few weeks ago, South Asian Muslim comics were among a group of Muslim artists performing at the historic Apollo Theater in Harlem.

While Indians have been performing on and off Broadway, this is the first time a club will host an event dedicated to South Asians, Vidur Kapur, a gay standup comic told News India Times.

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Hrithik Roshan's bilingual `Kites' set for May release

2010-02-16T00:00:00.000-08:00

Hrithik Roshan's highly anticipated film, "Kites," will release worldwide in Hindi and English versions May 21 in over 60 countries.

The trailer of the Hindi version of the film was released on more than 1,700 screens worldwide Feb. 12, to coincide with the Valentine's Day weekend, a press release from Reliance Entertainment said.

Described as a romantic saga that goes beyond barriers, boundaries and cultures, the film starts Roshan opposite Mexican bombshell Barbara Mori.

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Khan vs Sena

2010-02-15T00:02:00.000-08:00

It could have been a scene from a Bollywood film: Rampaging rioters wreaking havoc across the city, police forces patrolling the streets and fear and uncertainty taking root. Unfortunately, it was a sad reality in Mumbai, India's financial capital and home of the country's beloved film industry.

Activists of the right-wing Shiv Sena party, that claims to represent the "Marathi manoos," or ordinary Maharashtrians, went on a rampage to prevent the screening of "My Name Is Khan," a film starring Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan. The actor earned the Sainiks' ire because of comments over the selection of Pakistani cricketers for the Indian Premier League (IPL).

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Britain, India near accord on civil nuclear cooperation

2010-02-12T00:00:00.000-08:00

Britain and India have reached an outline agreement on nuclear energy cooperation and are looking at expanding ties in defense manufacturing, British Business Secretary Peter Mandelson said on Feb.4.

"We've got an agreed text on civil nuclear cooperation. This is a very, very significant advance," Mandelson told reporters after talks with Indian Commerce Minister Anand Sharma.

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Hindi film nominated for Oscars in short film category

2010-02-11T00:08:00.000-08:00

A film that depicts poverty in India has once again made it to the Academy Awards. American director Gregg Helvey's Hindi film "Kavi" has been nominated in the short film (live action) category.

Produced by Guneet Monga, Harish Amin and Helvey, the film tells the story of a young boy who is forced to work in a brick kiln instead of going to school or playing cricket.

"Does slavery still exist?" is the tagline of the film that stars Sagar Salunke as the title character, Kavi.

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Mullen urges India-Pakistan talks on Kashmir, offers help

2010-02-10T00:04:00.000-08:00

Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has recommended Washington encourage India and Pakistan to resume talks to resolve the Kashmir issue through circumspect diplomacy.

Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Mullen noted the Pakistan Afghanistan border remained "the epicenter of global terrorism," and the al-Qaida and its affiliated movements in the region, remained "real and persistent" threats.

Making a case for arming and training the Pakistani military, Mullen said Washington must

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`Frontier Gandhi' brings Pashtun peace icon to life

2010-02-09T00:09:00.000-08:00

Badshah Khan was so close o Mahatma Gandhi they hared reading glasses, inspiring jokes about their shared vision, but unlike his friend, the Pashtun champion of non-violent struggle has been almost forgotten by his people.

Now Canadian filmmaker Teri McLuhan hopes to drag the man dubbed "Frontier Gandhi," and his role in winning independence from British rule, back into the limelight.

Khan's message of peace, which won him a Nobel prize nomination in 1985, is still vital both in the conflicted areas where he spent most of his life, and in the West where it can help explode stereotypes about the Muslim world, she says.

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Intel Inside

2010-02-08T00:12:00.000-08:00

Six Indian American high school students from around the country are among the 40 finalists named by the Intel Science Talent Search committee Jan. 27. Their projects span space science, mathematics, chemistry and physics and, this March, they will face a virtual inquisition in Washington when highly qualified judges will grade their projects. The top prize is $100,000 from the Intel Foundation.

Considered the most prestigious, the competition attracts thousands of applicants from around the country. The list is whittled down to a roster of 300 best projects. Those semifinalists undergo further scrutiny from a panel of judges and a shortlist of 40 is drawn up. The Intel Science Talent Search is a program of the Society for Science & the Public. Over the last decade, several Indian Americans have featured in the top 40.

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Sailing solo around the world

2010-02-05T00:15:00.000-08:00

Commander Dilip Donde of the Indian Navy is on a quest to become the first solo sailor from India to complete a circumnavigation of the globe.

The 42-year-old Donde has reached the halfway mark of his nine-month "Sagar Parikrama" journey. Having started from Mumbai in August 2009, his `Mhadei' vessel passed through Fremantle (Australia) and Christchurch (New Zealand) and has now reached the Falkland Islands.

Here are excerpts from Donde's blog.

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Muslim artists from across country perform at Apollo Theater

2010-02-04T00:00:00.000-08:00

The Inner-city Muslim Action Network (IMAN) hosted a diverse crowd of 1,500 at the legendary Apollo Theater in New York Jan.23 for a performance by Muslim artists from across the country and world.

The sold-out show was a special edition of IMAN's signature arts and culture event, Community Café, a press release said.

It was one of the first Muslim led arts and culture events at the Apollo,

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Infosys Technologies rides early recovery wave

2010-02-03T00:01:00.000-08:00

India's Infosys Technologies (INFY.BO) finds itself in a sweet spot as recovery hopes take hold, with customers showing a new urgency to outsource operations, its chief executive said on Jan. 27.

India's No. 2 outsourcer was hit hard early in the downturn, reflecting its heavy exposure to the United States and financial services. But it is now coming out of the trough ahead of many other international companies.

"You are seeing a pent-up demand of projects coming our way," Kris Gopalakrishnan told Reuters on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF).

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