NRI Top Stories ( Page 37 of 47 )

Hindujas ranked Britain's richest Asians April 12, 2014 16:08

Hinduja brothers are the wealthiest among Asians in the United Kingdom. The Hindujas were declared Britain's richest Asians in 2014 on Friday night. The group has a total worth of 13.5 billion pounds, which is 1 billion pounds more than last year. The Hinduja Group won the outstanding achievement of Asian Business of the Year award at a grand Asian Business Awards 2014 function held at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge Hotel. Hinduja group co-chairman G P Hinduja received the award from the chief guest Michael Gove, MP, Britain's Secretary of State for Education. India's High Commissioner Ranjan Mathai was also present at the gala event as the guest of honour. At the event the Hinduja group was also declared the richest Asian in UK by Gove. The Hinduja group has business interests in banking, oil and manufacturing among its several ventures. This is the second consecutive year that the group topped in the Asian Rich List. Steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal, whose wealth is valued at 12 billion pounds, was placed just behind the Hinduja Group. Swraj Paul and Angad Paul (Steel) ranked 10th in the richest list with a wealth valued at 750 million pounds. Mining giant Anil Agrawal ranked third (2.4 billion pounds) and Sri Prakash Lohia (Petrochemicals and textiles) (2 billion pounds) was placed at the fourth position. The cumulative wealth of 101 Asians, who figured in the list, is valued to be close to 52 billion pounds. (Picture Source: static5.therichestimages.com) (AW: Pratima Tigga)

US Sikhs to honour Oak Creek police officer April 09, 2014 15:11

Oak Creek police officer Brian Murphy will be honoured by a US-based Sikh organization. Murphy had displayed exemplary service and sacrifice during a shooting incident at a Wisconsin Gurudwara two years ago. During the deadly Oak Creek shooting Murphy was shot 15 times - 12 hit him while three got lodged into his protective vest. The Gurudwara shooting left six Sikh worshippers dead and three others injured. The deadly shooting took place on August 5, 2012 at the Sikh Temple of Oak Creek in Wisconsin. Guru Gobind Singh Foundation issued a statement on Tuesday saying that the first officer on the scene will be honoured with a 'seva' award on Vaisakhi Day at a Gurdwara. Inder Paul Singh Gadh, chairman of the Foundation said that the Sikh community is grateful to Murphy for his sacrifice and exemplary service in upholding law and order, and for protecting the lives of people in Oak Creek including that of the members of Sikh community in Wisconsin. Murphy's actions had been instrumental in preventing a bigger massacre of Sikhs inside the Gurdwara on the fateful day, said Gadh. Murphy, who agreed to accepted the award, will attend the ceremony with his family. The 52-year-old man is travelling from Wisconsin to Washington for the ceremony. He has recovered from his wounds. (Picture Source: thedailyworld.com ) (AW: Pratima Tigga)

Indo-Canadian businessman acquires Maharaja Ranjit Singh's sword April 07, 2014 14:43

Maharaja Ranjit Singh's sword has been acquired by Bob Dhillon, an Indo-Canadian businessman based in Calgary. The curved sword of Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1799-1849) is 33.5-inch long and is a part of Sikh history. The heritage sword was sold by Mullock, the London-based auction house, on April 3. Dhillon is elated to be the winner of the sword that attracted hundreds of bidders from all over the world. The price of the sword has not been revealed, but the auction house has authenticated it to be genuine. According to reports Dhillon, a real estate developer, is the first Sikh billionaire in Canada. Dhillon says that initially there were more than 700 bidders for Maharaja Ranjit Singh's sword. On April 2, a sealed bidding took place, said Dhillon. Many of the bidders wanted to remain anonymous, so a sealed bid was undertaken. And on April 3 he was informed to be the winner of the sealed bid. According to Dhillon, there were almost 175 international bidders for the prized piece of history. Dhillon, who is the president of Mainstreet Equity Corporation, didn't divulge the price he paid but he revealed that it was a substantial amount. He said that he was "absolutely elated" to have a piece of history, as Maharaja Ranjit Singh had been the greatest ruler of Punjab. (AW: Pratima Tigga)

NRI held for smuggling gold April 04, 2014 15:51

A London based NRI has been arrested for smuggling gold at the Indo-Nepal border. The man named Dipak Bajaj was taken into custody at Sonauli area near Indo-Nepal border. The man was taken into custody on Thursday night after over 4 kg gold was allegedly recovered from his possession. The gold recovered is valued to be over Rs 1.46 crore. SSB commandant K S Bankhothi said that the NRI is based in London. The 43-year-old man has been handed over to customs authorities for further interrogation. According to the Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC), a Mumbai-based body of the Indian Commerce Ministry, gold smuggling has increased by almost 300% from March 2013 to April 2014. Smuggling of gold into the country was mainly triggered by an increase in import duty on gold jewellery that was introduced last year in June last year. Import duty on gold was increased three times by the Govertment, to rest at 15%, in order to reduce demand for the yellow metal and to rein in a current account deficit that in in 2012-13 had reached an all time high of $88bn (£53bn). (Picture Source: kaw.stb.s-msn.com) (AW: Pratima Tigga)

'Chai pe charcha' events in US April 02, 2014 15:59

BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi has a great support base in the United States among Indian Americans. The Overseas Friends of BJP (OFBJP) has taken a cue from his "chai pe charcha" at home and is organising hundreds of such events in the US. OFBJP has also been calling up people in India to try and garner support for the BJP. Such enthusiasm has not been evident among overseas Indians in recent times, said OFBJP US president Chandrakant Patel. He has been travelling across the length and breadth of US to meet non-resident Indians with his "Modi for PM" campaign. OFBJP and some other organisations have come together prior to the general elections in India for organising "chai pe charcha" events at over 100 places in the US. Even in small citeis, with less than a few hundred Indian Americans, the "chai pe charcha" event is being held. More than 100 "chai pe charcha" events in US have already been held in the last three months. Some of the cities where these events were held include Los Angeles, Chicago, Pennsylvania, Boston, Memphis, Washington DC metropolitan area, Edison, Jersey City, New Brunswick, Parsippany, Mahwah in New Jersey, Tampa, Melbourne and Orlando in Florida, Houston and Dallas in Texas. Besides the "chai pe charcha" programmes, OFBJP has organised two groups of volunteers - one group will make phone calls to people in India while the second group will be involved in social media activity. (Picture Source: livemint.com) (AW: Pratima Tigga)

Indian man accused of molesting 7-year-old in Dubai, jailed April 01, 2014 15:50

An Indian man accused of molesting a 7-year-old girl in Dubai was jailed on Monday. The 25-year-old man molested the minor girl in alift, according to reports in local media. The Dubai Court of First Instance sentenced the accused man, who is a cafeteria cleaner, and has been identified as AA. Presiding judge Maher Salama Al Mahdi also ordered the accused to be deported soon after the completion of his jail term of three months. However, the defendant denied the allegations against him. According to records the accused had asked his co-workers to tell the girl's mother that he was sorry and also to plead for forgiveness. The prosecutors charged the accused of taking advantage of the minor Algerian girl when she accompanied the cafeteria cleaner to get the change for an order her mother had placed on December 2013. The girls mother reportedly ordered a meal from the cafeteria for the victim. The accused delivered the meal and the victim's mother paid him 50 Dirham. But he didn't have change. So the defendant took the victim with him to give the balance for the 40 Dirham to her. The girl returned after fifteen minutes, crying and scared. On being enquired by her mother she told her what had happened. The victim said that the accused touched her and kissed her neck. The woman immediately went downstairs with her daughter to the cafeteria and confronted the defendant. The accused seemed afraid and confused when he saw the girl with her mother. The sentence can be appealed within 15 days. (Picture Source: 3.bp.blogspot.com) (AW: Pratima Tigga)

Indian man stranded in UAE airport for 5 days March 27, 2014 14:48

Little did Mohammed Ali know that forgeting his passport behind in the plane would see him stranded in the connecting airport for five days. The Indian man from Kerala had to wait for five days at Abu Dhabi airport before an Emergency Certificate was issued to him by the Indian Embassy. On March 6, Mohammed Ali had a flight from Calicut to Riyadh via Abu Dhabi. The flight was delayed due to fog and reached Abu Dhabi airport after the scheduled time. When they reached Abu Dhabi airport, Riyadh-bound passengers were told to board a connecting flight. But after waiting for some time in the connecting aircraft, they were asked to deboard again for unknown reasons. When they deboarded again, Ali realised that he had left his passport on the seat of the plane in an envelope. But he could not retrieve his passport as security rules prevent passengers to board the plane again. Ali needed an emergency certificate, which was issued after five days after the Abu Dhabi Police and his friends in Riyadh informed the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi about his plight. (AW: Pratima Tigga)

Indian embassy forbids women workers from striking in Saudi Arabia March 24, 2014 16:28

Indian women workers have been warned against going on a strike in Saudi Arabia by the Indian embassy there. The women have complained of not being paid their salary for the last nine months. The Indian embassy has stated that some "self-styled social activists" are instigating women workers of India to go on a strike. According to the Indian embassy, these illegal agents spoil the goodwill that Indians enjoy in Saudi. It was found that the same illegal agents had earlier instigated Indian workers to give negative statements against the Saudi Arabia government and posted them on social media, Indian embassy stated. The embassy also alerted Indian workers to stay away from such nefarious social workers. The embassy impressed upon the Indian workers that they live in a foreign land and have to follow the rules and regulations of that country. People found to be violating local laws and taking part in strikes may be penalizes, imprisoned or deported by the Saudi government. Indian workers in Saudi were given assurance by the Indian embassy that there is a proper mechanism to take up issues with the authorities and will be dealt with accordingly. Indian embassy issued the statement following a strike by a group of Indian women, who worked as cleaners in a Riyadh hospital, for facing discrimination and not getting their salaries for the last nine months. (Picture Source: images4.fanpop.com) (AW: Pratima Tigga)

Indian-origin girl rescued from swimming pool in Australia March 17, 2014 15:17

Picture is Representational Indian-origin girl was rescued from a swimming pool in Australia. The six-year-old girl had gone to a swimming pool at Winston Hills in Sydney on Friday with her mother.The women had taken her three daughters to the pool along with a relative. The girl did not know swimming, reported the Sydney Morning Herald. Incidentally, the girl was saved from drowning in the same pool where her younger sister had almost drowned two years ago, at the age of 15 months. The incident has left her younger sibling with brain damage and the child is learning to walk all over again. The girl was immediately admitted to a hospital after her mother gave cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The girl's father, who gave his surname as Singh, stated that no water was found in his daughter's lungs by the hospital staff. He believed that his girl might be suffering from a mild seizure. Singh further added that it was purely bad luck that his daughter was in the pool when the mishap took place. (Picture Source: auto.pege.org) (AW: Pratima Tigga)

Visa on arrival for Indians attending Bahrain grand prix March 12, 2014 15:34

Indians planning to attend the Bahrain grand prix for the formula one event scheduled next month will be granted visa on arrival, announced the Bahrain government. India is one of the 46 countries, whose name appeared in the list released. The contest is scheduled to take place from April 4 to April 6. According to a statement released by the organisers, an F1 visa on arrival can be obtained by expatriates living in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries to attend the Bahrain grand prix, the Bahrain News Agency reported. Organisers suggested that citizens of GCC countries can avail the online service to get visas prior to their arrival. However, people from other countries would require a guarantor to get their visa. A Bahraini commercial entity or a Bahraini citizen can be a guarantor for these countries. (Picture Source: f1fanatic.co.uk) (AW: Pratima Tigga)

Indian passports stolen in San Francisco March 11, 2014 15:13

Almost 70 Indian passports were stolen from a private company in San Francisco, according to reports. The company named BLS International processes visa and passport related services that were assigned the task by the Indian Consulate in San Francisco, US. The San Francisco police department in investigating the incident that involves a serious breach of security as the passports can be misused. The state department has been informed about the theft, both by the Indian Consulate and the San Francisco police. The incident took place in November last year at the BLS International's San Francisco Office. The stolen passports have been cancelled by the Indian Consulate in San Francisco. A consulate official reportedly said that the stolen passports cannot be misused as they are machine-readable throughout the world. Local police had started investigation of the case on December 2, 2013. The passports were stolen from a locked safe along with cash and checks, according to a BLS employee. (AW: Pratima Tigga)

Indian origin 'curry queen' seeking partners in Britain March 10, 2014 15:59

Perween Warsi, popularly known as curry queen in Britain is looking for partners to expand her ready-made Indian meals business. The Indian-origin British entrepreneur has been supplying ready-to-eat Indian meals to supermarkets and pubs since 1986. Perween was inspired to start S&A Foods in 1986 after eating a samosa bought from a supermarket. She was dismayed at the quality of the popular Indian snack and decided to start her local Indian takeaway. The next year she got a big break after successfully persuading various large grocery chains to include her food in several taste tests. Warsi started her curries business from home. However, when she became popular and defeated established food manufacturers during the taste tests, she opened a factory. Perween Warsi was recognized for her efforts and honoured with a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2002. At present Warsi's food empire employs 600 staff, and supplies Indian curry dishes to the supermarkets in UK. Chain Asda is S&A Foods' biggest customer. The Derby-based caterer, who migrated to the UK from India in the 1970s, now wants fresh funds to set up new production facilities and expansion of her firm. (Picture Source: ukmalayalee.com) (AW: Pratima Tigga)