Infosys gets US court subpoena on visa issue

BANGALORE: IT major Infosys on Tuesday said it has received a subpoena from a lower court in the US asking it to provide sponsorship details of B1 visas. These visas are meant for staff visiting the country for meetings, conferences and business negotiations. A subpoena is a writ issued by a court of justice requiring a person to appear before the court at a specified time.

"We intend to comply with the subpoena and to cooperate with the grand jury's investigation. At this time, we are not able to comment further on this grand jury investigation, but do want to reiterate that we take our legal compliance obligations very seriously," Infosys said in a statement.

The subpoena comes at a time when Infosys faces a lawsuit by its employee Jack Palmer, who filed a complaint with a US court stating that the company was sending employees on B1 visas to work full time in the US. Palmer, in his lawsuit, has alleged that this was done to overcome H1-B visa caps. H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US employers to temporarily employ foreign workers in certain high skilled occupations.

Som Mittal, chairman of IT industry body Nasscom, said the subpoena was normal and expected considering that it was taken up by an employee and the law has to follow its due course.

"We do not know what will happen as visa issues are very complex. However we are confident that Infosys will provide all the data that is required by the court," Mittal said.

Recently, Infosys said its business could be affected if the US decides to restrict the visa programme as a fallout of the case.

"In the event that the US government undertakes any actions which limit the B1 business visa programme or other visa programme that we utilize, this could materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations," Infosys had said in a filing to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

In its annual report released earlier this month, Infosys said that a US senator has submitted a letter to the US secretary of state and secretary of homeland security asking them to review the B1 business visa programme.

Indian IT companies have been under attack periodically by US government representatives for what they call misuse of visa. The attacks have intensified since the recession of 2008-09 and the rise in joblessness in the US. Som Mittal has previously said that the US needs to evolve a specialized work visa that will remove all ambiguities. 

US employee accuses Infosys of visa, tax fraud

BANGALORE: In a year when sustained unemployment in the US is threatening to raise the rhetoric against India's outsourcing sector,Infosys Technologies is facing tax and visa fraud charges in the top market for software exports after an employee filed a case against the company last week.

Jack Palmer, who has been working with the company as a principal consultant since August 2008, has filed a complaint with the AlabamaCourt saying the company was sending employees on B1 visas to work full time in the US, though the visa is only meant for visitors who come for meetings, conferences and business negotiations.

In his complaint, he has also accused Infosys of not paying federal and state taxes in the US. The US is the most crucial market for Infosys from where it draws over 60 per cent of its revenues. About 15,000 are employed by the company in that country.

Palmer said Infosys had asked him to come down to its headquarters in Bangalore to devise ways to overcome the restrictions on H1B visas that had been put in 2009. He was also asked to write "welcome letters" for Indian employees so they could come on B1 visas.

An Infosys spokesperson said he could not comment on the matter as it was subjudice and the company would defend itself.

Palmer said he had taken up the matter with the company's corporate counsel Jeff Friedel and that subsequently a manager from India confirmed the violations but asked him to keep things quite. Friedel also confirmed the fraud to him, Palmer said in his complaint.

Palmer said he had also filed a complaint with the 'Whistleblower team' which did not investigate the matter thoroughly and that he had been receiving threatening phone calls from the company and was "subjected to constant harassment, threats, and retaliation".

A company executive said on condition of anonymity that this was a case filed by a disgruntled employee and that a company as transparent as Infosys did not have reason to worry. The executive also said he did not see this impacting the company's image in the US in any way.

Experts say Indian players need to be more careful of how they are using these visas than ever before as matters such as these could make the regulations around visas even tighter.

"If, in fact, the US policy regarding work visas is getting tighter, the integrity of outsourcing companies in applying for visas becomes even more important. Even the appearance of misuse or 'stretching' the rules can have consequences and could create a self-fulfilling direction of even tighter rules in the future. Taming the system will only make the system more difficult to work with in the long run. Therefore, companies that maintain the highest level of integrity in approaching the visa issue will likely benefit in the long run," Rodney Nelsestuen, senior research director at research & consulting firm Towergroup said.

Immigration experts such as Morley J Nair say US consulates have already made it tougher for Indian professionals to get work permits. "Going by anecdotal evidence, the rate of denials seems to have gone up substantially at US consulates, especially at consulates in India. Even if visas are issued, often they are issued only after applicants are put through a gruelling process to present more elaborate evidence about the US employment," Nair said.

He added that Indian companies will need to hire more locally in order to avoid regulatory and other challenges.

"The logical conclusion is that if employers are able to hire candidates from US campuses, the 'hazards' of US consulate interviews and overbearing questioning at US entry points can be avoided, at least in the short term, i.e., until they have to travel overseas again and obtain visas to re-enter the US," he said.

Artiste waits for visa while his show goes on in the US

MUMBAI: Prominent theatre and film personality, Salim Arif, has accused the US consulate of keeping his visa application pending for nearly a month.

Arif, assistant director of films like Maachis, Hu Tu Tu, Chanakya and Fiza, was supposed to go to the US for the staging of his play, Ghazal Ka Safar, hosted by the Indo-American Society of Houston. However, the first show on April 1 had to be staged without its star performer.

The rest of the team members-five in all-have had no problem in getting their visas and have left for the US.

Arif suspects that his frequent visits to the Middle East and other west Asian countries have a lot to do with the delay in him being granted the visa.

"I went to the US consulate for the second time on Tuesday and was grilled on my visit to Pakistan. I told them that I had gone to Pakistan before my first visit to the US in 2004. The interviewer then asked me if I had visited countries like Afghanistan and Iran knowing well that there were no visa stamps of those countries on my passport," Arif told TOI after he returned from the consulate on Tuesday.

"I was made to write on a piece of paper the list of the countries I had travelled to. She later said that my visa application remained pending and that I would be informed about the status through their website. I told her that they could have been apprised me of the situation in the first interview itself. All I got was 'I am sorry sir'," Arif added.

A consulate spokesperson refused to get into the details of the case. "We do not comment on individual visa applications," she said.

"The tour is more than half way through but I am still in India. The organizers of the show are somehow managing it with singers filling in for me," Arif said. "Had the consulate told me or my host that I was not eligible to travel to the US, someone else could have taken my place and my host would not have suffered losses. I could have also used my time better," he added.

Arif first went to the US consulate on March 28 and, after the initial interview, he was told that his visa application would remain pending as some queries were to be made. "I have written to them, asking if my being Muslim was the problem," Arif said. 

British long jump champ jumps over three cars

British long jump champion J.J. Jegede prepares for the London 2012 Games in dramatic fashion

British long jump champion J.J. Jegede jumped over three MINIs this week as part of a promotional event for a new, 2012 limited edition of the vehicle.

Placed side-by-side, the cars spanned six meters. Jegede's personal best in the long jump is 8.04 meters (26.37 feet). A similar jump would have earned him eighth place at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

British long jump champion J.J. Jegede prepares for the London 2012 Games in dramatic fashion

Canadian Visitor - Things to know

Passports & Visas

US Visitors to Canada

Soon Americans returning home via land and sea from any international destination will need to show a passport or other secure travel document.

As of Jan. 23, 2007, a new American law, theWestern Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), requires anyone, including US citizens, entering or re-entering the United States by air to have a passport or a NEXUS card when used at a NEXUS kiosk at designated airports.

By June 1, 2009, anyone, including US citizens, entering or re-entering the United States by land and sea will need to have a passport or other appropriate, secure document.

Visit the U.S. Department of State websitefrequently for international travel updates.

For detailed information about obtaining or renewing your US passport, visit the U.S. Department of State, National Passport Information Center website, or access US passport application services from the United States Postal Service.

The NEXUS program is open to citizens or permanent residents of Canada and the United States, and citizens of a country other than Canada and the United States who plan to temporarily reside lawfully in Canada or the United States. For information on how to apply, visit the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website.

For detailed information on entry requirements, including medical exams, working or studying in Canada, and what you are permitted to bring into Canada, visit the Government of Canada'sRequirements to Enter Canada page.

International Visitors to Canada

International visitors to Canada (not US citizens or US permanent residents) must carry a valid passport and, if required, a visa. Citizens from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Mexico, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia and others do not require a visa to enter Canada. Visit the Citizenship and Immigration Canadawebsite for a complete listing of countries whose citizens require visas to enter Canada.

All other visitors should contact their Canadian consulate or embassy to learn what documents are required. Contact information for Canadian embassies around the world can be found at theForeign Affairs and International Trade Canadawebsite.

To learn more about Canadian customs regulations, visit the Canada Border Services Agency website.

Passports & Visas FAQ

1. Do I need a passport to enter Canada?

US citizens only need a document such as a birth certificate and government-issued photo identification (e.g., driver's license) to enter Canada. However, as of Jan. 23, 2007, a new American law, the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), requires anyone, including US citizens, entering or re-entering the United States by air to have a passport or a NEXUS card when used at a NEXUS kiosk at designated airports.

By June 1, 2009, anyone, including US citizens, entering or re-entering the United States byland and sea will need to have a passport or other appropriate, secure document.

International visitors to Canada who are not US citizens must carry a valid passport and visa (if required). Citizens from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Mexico, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia and others do not require a visa to enter Canada. Visit Citizenship and Immigration Canada online for a complete listing.

2. What are the requirements for children entering Canada?

If you are travelling with children, you must carry identification, such as a birth certificate, proof of citizenship or student visa for each child under 18 years old. Divorced parents who share custody of their children should carry copies of the legal custody documents and a letter of authorization from the other custodial parent allowing the child to be taken out of the country. Adults who are not parents or guardians must have written permission from the parents or guardians to accompany the children. When travelling with a group of vehicles, parents or guardians should travel in the same vehicle as the children for border crossing.

Customs officers are often looking for missing children and may ask questions about the children who are travelling with you.

3. New US passport rules will come into effect soon. Will these rules affect my trip to Canada?

Yes. As of Jan. 23, 2007, a new American law, the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), requires anyone, including US citizens, entering or re-entering the United States by air to have a passport or a NEXUS card when used at a NEXUS kiosk at designated airports.

By June 1, 2009, anyone, including US citizens, entering or re-entering the United States by land and sea will need to have a passport or other appropriate, secure document.

Visit the U.S. Department of State website frequently for international travel updates.

4. When the new US passport rules come into effect, will my children require passports?

Currently, all children, regardless of age (including newborns and infants), must have their own passport to enter the United States by air. US travellers to Canada are reminded that divorced parents who share custody of their children should carry copies of the legal custody documents and a letter of authorization from the other custodial parent for children less than 18 years old. Adults who are not parents or guardians must have written permission from the parents or guardians to accompany the children. When travelling with a group of vehicles, parents or guardians should travel in the same vehicle as the children for border crossing.

5. Where can American travellers get a US passport?

First-time passport applicants need to apply in person to one of 8,000 passport acceptance facilities located throughout the United States. Applicants should bring two regulation-size photographs of themselves, proof of US citizenship and a valid form of photo identification, such as a driver's license.

US passport renewals can be done by mail if the recent passport is available to submit, is not damaged, was issued within the past 15 years and you were over age 16 when it was issued.  Applicants must either still have the same last name or can show legal proof of name change.

For detailed information about obtaining or renewing your US passport, visit the U.S. Department of State, National Passport Information Center website, or access US passport application services from the United States Postal Service.

For more information visit:

U.S. Department of State

Countries Requiring Visas

Canadian Visa Offices

Canada International Website

Canada Border Services Agency

Immigration to Canada

What Ottawa’s new copyright laws will mean for Canadians

The Harper government reintroduced its copyright bill in the House of Commons Thursday indicating it hopes to enshrine it into law by Christmas.

Bill C-32, the Copyright Modernization Act, seeks to put more teeth in copyright laws for those who make software, movies and other creative works, while at the same relaxing some of the more outdated provisions.

"Canadians will soon have modern copyright laws that protect and help create jobs, promote innovation, and attract new investment to Canada," Industry Minister Christian Paradis said in a statement.

"We are confident that this bill will make Canada's copyright laws forward-looking and responsive in this fast-paced digital world."

Here's what the bill will mean for consumers:

The law will legalize everyday consumer practices, such as using a personal video recorder to record a TV show for later viewing or copying music from a purchased CD to an MP3 player. These are not allowed under the current law.

Bill C-32 would make it legal for consumers to make a back-up copy of content to protect against loss or damage.

The law includes a YouTube  provision where users can take content and "remix" it for non-commercial purposes.

Libraries will no longer be required to deliver interlibrary loan material in paper form. Electronic desktop delivery of materials such as scholarly or scientific journal articles will be permitted.

The legislation will include provisions that make it possible for copyright enforcers/holders to demand ISP (your address) information from Internet providers, like Rogers or Shaw, when they suspect a customer may be involved with illegal downloading.

Under the law, Canadians will not be allowed to break digital locks, even if it's for personal use. This includes picking a lock on a DVD purchased overseas to watch at home or to transfer a purchased e-book to read on another personal device.

Individuals found violating copyright law could be liable for penalties between $100 and $5,000, which is below the current $20,000 maximum.

Edmonton's West Edmonton Mall mall turns 30

West Edmonton Mall turned 30 years old Thursday, but there were no balloons, cake or banners to mark the occasion. Instead, its family owners want to emphasize the mall's efforts to refresh its image.

"Better to focus on every step forward as opposed to what we've accomplished in the past." mall president Don Ghermezian told CBC News Wednesday.

Don, 35, is the son of Eskander Ghermezian, one of four brothers who built the mall on the outskirts of Edmonton. Don and his brother David now handle the shopping centre's daily operations.

"When you take a step back and look at all the things that you're expected to do and manage and work on and control, it can be an overwhelming experience," Don said from his office, overlooking the mall's faux European streetscape.

West Edmonton Mall no longer holds the title of world's biggest shopping centre, but business experts said the fact that stores turn immense profits is a testament to the Ghermezians' ability to reinvent.

"I don't see in the foreseeable future that the mall is at risk," University of Alberta retail expert Paul McElhone told CBC News.

Don Ghermezian claims his stores make as much as $1,000 a year per square foot versus the Canadian average of $580.

McElhone said another key to the mall's success has been its blend of shopping and entertainment, which includes a 12.3-million litre wave pool, an indoor lake, skating rink and amusement park.

"Anybody could build a mall, anybody can build a structure. But it's like Disney. There aren't that many people that can infuse the magic into the space."

Don Ghermezian said there are no immediate plans to build new attractions. But earlier this spring, the mall launched a multi-million-dollar facelift on the exterior and interior of the 48-block complex, including fountains and seating.

"They're going into a phase now I would think of rebuilding almost constantly now," said former Edmonton city councillor and executive director of the Downtown Business Association, Jim Taylor.

Ghermezian said another focus is to lure major retailers. Last year, Victoria's Secret opened its first Canadian store at the mall, while J. Crew and Quebec fashion giant Simon's are expected to open next year.

"Truth is, I don't really have to sell," Ghermezian said. "They come knocking."

Paul McElhone said West Edmonton Mall's continued success is remarkable while other mega-mall projects suffer huge vacancies, such as the world's biggest mall in Dongguan, China, which is reportedly 99 per cent empty.

There have been darker sides to West Edmonton Mall's three decades as North America's biggest shopping centre.

In 1986, three people died in a rollercoaster crash at the mall. In the 1990s, the Ghermezian family weathered a $300-million loan scandal and the protests of animal rights activists following the death of dolphins.

While in the 2000s, security was a top concern after 13-year-old Nina Courtepatte was lured from the mall and slain at a golf course.

"When you put 30 million people through a centre in a one-year period, there's crime. It happens everywhere," said Don Ghermezian, pointing out that the mall has a state-of-the-art security system with around 200 cameras.

"There isn't one area of the shopping centre that you would walk through where you're not being videotaped," said Ghermezian. "With the exception of the bathrooms."

Ghermezian said the family's business interests will continue to expand beyond Edmonton, including to its other mall projects: the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, and the American Dream mall in New Jersey.

He said he's already getting help from an unexpected source.

"My son already instead of this year going to summer camp, he's 11 years old and spent every day this summer at work with me," he said.

"I hope that he'll continue on and maybe go from generation to generation. Who knows?"

Canadians to build 'largest mall on Earth'

Taking West Edmonton mall to New Jersey

The Alberta family behind the West Edmonton mall has eyes on an even more ambitious plan. 

The Europa Boulevard section in West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton, Alberta on Thursday, August 9, 2007. The shopping area houses high end clothing stores such as Henry Singer, High Grade Clothing, and much more...

The American Dream is endlessly malleable. That’s what makes it great, really. As a slogan, it can speak to free enterprise, or immigration or the God-given right to appear on reality TV. If you stretch it far enough, the American Dream can be whatever you want it to be. Even if you’re not American. Even if your dream is a super-mall with a ski hill on a swamp in New Jersey.

Alberta’s Ghermezian family opened the West Edmonton Mall 30 years ago this month. At the time, it was the largest retail complex in the world. Eventually it grew to include a skating rink, an amusement park and a wave pool. In a lot of ways, it reimagined what a mall could be. For a while, it also looked like it would be the first of many to come. The Ghermezians—father Jacob and sons Eskander, Nader, Bahman and Raphael—helped open the Mall of America, a behemoth of similar scope, in Minnesota in 1992. They had dreams of megamalls in Maryland and Las Vegas. But those projects foundered. In the meantime, other malls overtook the Ghermezian set. Today the West Edmonton Mall is either the third or the fifth largest in the world, depending on who’s measuring. The Mall of America is way down the list, behind rivals in Dubai and Beijing.

But now the Ghermezians have plans to get their title back. In May, their Triple Five development company signed a contract to take over what, if all goes as planned, would become the largest mall complex on Earth. The Ghermezian blueprints call for 700,000 square metres of entertainment and retail space on a controversial plot in the wetlands of New Jersey. About US $2 billion has already been spent on the project, with another $1.7 billion scheduled to come. Along with Triple Five staples such as minigolf and a water park, the complex will boast a skydiving centre and North America’s first indoor ski hill. Sketches of the site look almost eerily like parts of the West Edmonton Mall. But Triple Five says the project is all red, white and blue. In fact, the Ghermezians have dubbed it “The American Dream at Meadowlands,” a name they say speaks to “opportunity”—for jobs and tourists and tax revenue—but that one local columnist called “not just dumb [but] downright blasphemy.”

The Meadowlands project was controversial long before the Ghermezians became involved. Originally pitched by a Japanese company, it went through two other developers before creditors took it over after the market crashed in 2008. It currently sits, unfinished, off the New Jersey turnpike. It’s a lightning rod for critics left and right, not to mention the many who find the development at least a little bit garish. (State Gov. Chris Christie has called it “the ugliest damn building in New Jersey and maybe America.”)

But controversy was never likely to keep the Ghermezians away. Over the years the family has outlasted accusations of bribery, flirtations with bankruptcy, and a court case or three. They’ve been called “reclusive,” “elusive” and “secretive”—not to mention “combative,” “formidable” and “notoriously aggravating”—at least as negotiators. And yet, for all that, they continue to thrive.

The American Dream at Meadowlands comes with some built-in handicaps. But no project is perfect. Even the Ghermezians’ signature development, the West Edmonton Mall, wasn’t built without hiccups. The mall was heavily leveraged from the start. The company needed five tiers of mortgages worth nearly half a billion dollars to get it off the ground. When the economy stuttered in the 1990s, the mall suffered and the loans inched toward default. The Ghermezians looked set to lose the facility in 1994 before Alberta Treasury Branches stepped in with a deal to refinance the mall. ATB would later allege in court that the brothers landed that deal by bribing the ATB superintendent. The Ghermezians denied the allegations and counter-sued. The two sides settled out of court in 2002. No criminal charges were laid against the brothers.

They were accused of making dodgy payouts again in 2006, when a former Las Vegas politician testified that Triple Five Nevada Development Corp. paid her $3,000 a month over a period of years after she voted in favour of their proposed casino project. The accusation came in the midst of a larger graft investigation unrelated to Triple Five and from a woman already convicted of corruption. The Ghermezians and their lawyers dismissed the claim. Neither the Ghermezians nor the company was ever charged.

The Ghermezian family has a reputation for avoiding interviews and much of their story comes off as at least half myth. One associate told the Globe and Mail in 1991 he arrived at a meeting with the Ghermezian brothers once and found them at a table eating chicken. The brothers worked at the birds throughout the session. They never offered him a seat. “It was really quite unbelievable,” he told the paper. A Triple Five spokesman was asked about the current structure of the family business for this story, but he did not respond.

Stories of the Ghermezians’ hard-nosed business style, though, are grounded in fact. In 1999, the family went to court to force their partners in the Mall of America to sell out their claims. They won that suit and took full control of the retail palace soon after.

That’s not to say they always win. Triple Five’s Great Mall of Las Vegas died on the planning table.The American Dream, meanwhile, was originally supposed to be a super-mall in a Maryland suburb. The project needed public money to move forward, though, and local politicians balked.

Version two of the Ghermezians’ American Dream faces its own share of obstacles. The development has been “entangled with New Jersey politics” from the very beginning, says Terry Golway, who teaches American history at the nearby Kean University. Plans for a complex in the area were first hatched in 1996. They shuddered through three developers before grinding to a halt in 2009.

What was left was a “monstrosity,” in the words of one New York reporter, a 185,000 sq.-m mall with no tenants and a parking lot sinking into a swamp. So much public money has been pumped into the development already that the Nation magazine dubbed it “the longest-running losing battle America’s ever fought, except for the Afghan war.”

Which is where the Ghermezians come in.

Last May, Gov. Christie held a press conference in the mall to announce a deal that will see Triple Five not only complete the project, but expand it. The Ghermezians have pledged to make the mall a beacon for tourists and locals alike. To help fund the deal, Christie promised somewhere between $200 million and $350 million in state help, mostly through deferred tax relief.

Triple Five boasts that the project will bring billions of dollars in benefits to the area while pumping tens of thousands of new jobs into the local economy. But critics have not been kind to the deal so far. “If there is a project that can happen there that can succeed, fine,” says David Smiley, a professor of architecture and urban studies at Barnard College. “But it has proceeded as if it’s a kind of half-public project and that’s where I think it steps over the line.” Smiley thinks finite state dollars would be better spent helping smaller, more local businesses thrive. If American Dream can’t stand alone, he believes, it shouldn’t stand at all. One local environmentalist, meanwhile, has already dubbed the project “American Nightmare,” while others question whether the area, less than 20 km from Manhattan, needs a new shopping centre larger than the Pentagon.

But American Dream, like the West Edmonton Mall, isn’t just about shopping. It’s supposed to be a destination, an attraction unto itself. “It will help drive tourists from New York as well as New Jersey,” says Dan Jasper, a spokesman for Triple Five’s Mall of America. As for those who don’t want public money spent on the deal, Jasper says any “significant project, and this is a significant project, takes a public-private partnership to work.” Triple Five hopes to open American Dream in late 2013. In the meantime, the company is working to make the building more eco-friendly, Jasper says.

As for the Ghermezians, two of them were on hand for Christie’s press conference in May. Nader Ghermanian, the elder statesman, spoke for Triple Five. His nephew Paul, part of the next generation, led reporters on a tour. At one point, Paul was asked about the mall’s name. “The tourists who come here are going to say, ‘This is America!’ ” he said by way of explanation, according to New Yorkmagazine. And in a way, he’s right. That’s what makes America great, after all. If you can pull it off, it’s whatever you want it to be. And in that world, the Ghermezians are more American than most.

Bulgarian nationalists hold anti-Roma rally

Hundreds of Bulgarian nationalists staged a large anti-Roma rally Saturday as political leaders and security chiefs sought to douse tensions after a week of nationwide demonstrations and sporadic violence.

The demonstrators, numbering close to 2,000 according to AFP estimates, marched through central Sofia carrying the national flag and chanted nationalist and anti-Roma slogans. Around 15 people were arrested.

Several hundred supporters of the far-right Ataka party gathered in front of the presidential palace in T-shirts that read "I don't want to live in a Gypsy state" and with a banner saying "Gypsy criminality is a danger to the state."

Party leader Volen Siderov, who is running for president on October 23, called for the death penalty to be brought back, for Roma "ghettos to be dismantled" and for the formation of militias.

The protest came as the prime minister and president, Boyko Borisov and Georgy Parvanov, convened a meeting of the national security council to discuss ways of reducing tensions.

Parvanov after the talks called on the media and politicians to "put an end to the language of hatred pushed to the extreme" and vowed that the government would probe the finances of people who lived "a life of luxury."

The latest unrest was originally sparked by the killing a week ago of a youth hit by a van driven by relatives of "King Kiro", a Roma clan boss in the southern village of Katunitsa.

After locals and people from the surrounding area went on the rampage on Sunday, rallies with anti-minority and even Nazi slogans have taken place across the southern European country on a nightly basis.

Police have this week briefly detained several hundred nationalist demonstrators, many armed with knives and batons, who chanted racist slogans and tried to infiltrate Roma areas, notably in Varna in the east.

Planned peaceful "Roma Pride" marches this weekend were called off for fear of violence, although young Roma and non-Roma on Saturday handed out flowers to passers-by to express their desire for closer integration.

Bulgaria's 700,000-strong Roma minority, nine percent of the population, lives mostly in depressed areas with even higher rates of poverty and unemployment and lower levels of education than the national average.

Public frustration against corruption, a yawning gap between rich and poor and the weakness of the justice system, has helped to turn people against them, as well as against Bulgaria's Turkish minority, experts say.

What hasn't helped is that many figures like "King Kiro" throughout the ex-communist country are seen by many people as being outside the law.

A hoped-for improvement since Hungary joined the European Union in 2007 in tackling corruption and improving the lot of the country's Roma minority has not materialised.

"Tolerance isn't taught at school, nor at home," said Krassimir Kanev from rights group the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee, saying people in the EU's poorest country "are easily manipulated."

"Those behind the social unrest are young people frustrated by the lack of opportunities resorting to aggression and nationalism as somewhere to belong," analyst Antonina Jeliazkova told the Capital weekly.

The outbreak of tensions amid campaigning for presidential and local elections on October 23.

Several organisations including Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and Amnesty International have called for the Bulgarian government to take urgent action.

The disturbances "underline the urgency of combating racially-motivated extremism and making progress with the integration of Europe’s Roma populations," the OSCE said.

Patriarch Maxim, head the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, on Friday appealed to Bulgarians "to not let anger drag them into violence."

Canada Address

Canada Address:-
8820, Jasper Avenue
Edmonton, Alberta T5H 4E8
Canada

How Much Would Steve Jobs Be Worth Today?

Small business owners and future entrepreneurs take note. If you thought starting and growing a business was easy for some, look no further than the story of Steve Jobs and Apple. It is a story of innovation that is so drama-filled that film studios have made big money producing made-for-TV dramas around it.

Apple
Steve Jobs as well as his two partners, Steve Wozniak and Mike Markkula, started with barely anything. In order to raise funds, Wozniak sold his prized calculator for US$250 and Steve Jobs sold his Volkswagen bus for $1,500. From there, more investors came on the scene. There were differences in opinion, and eventually Steve Jobs left to start his own company called NeXT Computers after being forced out of the company.

Although they wouldn't admit it, Apple quickly figured out that they needed Steve Jobs. In a interestingly timed acquisition, Apple purchased Jobs' company NeXT computers, bringing Jobs back to the company where he would later become CEO working for $1 per year in compensation.

How valuable was his initial $1,500 investment? When the stock went public on Dec. 12, 1980, Jobs owned 7.5 million shares. With an IPO price of $22 per share that makes his $1,500 investment in 1976 worth $217 million in 1980! Of course, the share price only went up from there. Since then Apple has done three two-for-one stock splits, essentially turning that $22 IPO price into a split adjusted price of $2.75. Doing a bit of math, we can assume Jobs would have had 78,909,091 shares of Apple. At a $400 share price today, Steve Jobs would be worth about $31.6 billion if he held all of his initial shares versus an estimated $2.2 billion in Apple stock today (at $400 with 5.426 million shares of Apple). Of course, we all know that didn't happen. When Jobs was ousted out of Apple in 1985 he sold all but one share so he could still get the annual report. It was not until he came back in 1997 that he was rewarded additional shares in Apple.

PixarIn 1986, Jobs made what might be the best investment of his life. For $5 million, Jobs bought a small animation company run by George Lucas called Pixar. It was barely a company. Instead, it was a group of animators who were becoming interested in computer generated 3D animation instead of the traditional animation cells. Nine years later, their movie, "Toy Story," was released to critical acclaim. This proved to be the perfect time to make Pixar a publicly traded company. In the same year, Pixar issued an IPO on the public market. On its first day it priced at $22 per share (the same as the Apple IPO) making Jobs a billionaire for the first time.

Later, Pixar was sold to Disney in a deal worth $7.4 billion or $59.76 per share netting Jobs 138 million shares of Disney stock today worth approximately $4.3 billion. Along with the sale of Pixar, Jobs gained a seat on the Disney board and increased his net worth to more than $5.1 billion at the time making him the 43rd richest American according to Forbes Magazine.

The Bottom LineAlthough Jobs recently resigned as CEO of Apple, he still holds seats on both the Apple and Disney board as well as creative influence on Apple products. Today, the largest part of his net worth comes from the sale of Pixar to Disney, with a total net worth of about $6.5 billion to $7 billion today. If he had not sold any of his Apple shares back in 1985, he would be worth an astonishing $36 billion placing him fifth on the Forbes "top billionaire list" compared to 110th today. Then again, money is not the key motivator for Steve.

Steve Jobs ' legacy: Changing Apple from company with cult-like appeal to cultural phenomenon

SAN FRANCISCO - It's easy to forget now, but Apple's magnetism was once confined to a cult-like following of geeks seduced by the elegance and simplicity of the company's computers.

Over the past decade, though, Apple has emerged as a trendsetter and a wealth-making machine — the rare company that appeals to the cool cats hanging out in hip cafes and the fat cats looking to make another killing on Wall Street.

In the process, Apple has left an indelible mark that extends far beyond that first personal computer Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak introduced 35 years ago. Since then, Apple has transformed the music, retailing, marketing and cellphone industries. Now, it's engineering yet another evolution in computing with the increasingly popular iPad tablet.

Those achievements have endeared Apple to the masses, turning its product announcements into the technology industry's latter-day version of a Beatles concert and turning its familiar logo into a sign of exquisite taste.

Part visionary, showman and uncompromising taskmaster, Jobs assembled a team that had an incredible knack for anticipating consumer trends and popularizing them by designing devices that were easy — and delightful — to use. It seemed as if the second coming of Walt Disney and the rest of the "imagineers" who built Disneyland during the mid-1950s had come to Silicon Valley to lead the way into the 21st century.

In the past decade, the iPod , iPhone and iPad have transformed society, enabling people to bring along their favourite music, books, videos and websites almost everywhere they go. In the process they inspired countless imitators and ensured that Jobs, who resigned Wednesday, will be remembered as one of the most successful CEOs in American history.

None of it would have happened if Jobs hadn't returned to Apple in 1996 after being pushed out of the company in the mid-1980s by John Sculley, a CEO that Jobs had lured away from Pepsico Inc. by asking, "Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water or do you want a chance to change the world?"

Jobs' wizardry rescued a company on the precipice of bankruptcy and elevated it into the second most valuable business in America. It now has a market value of nearly $350 billion, behind only Exxon Mobil Corp. — a company whose fortunes are tied to wildly fluctuating oil prices rather than the beauty of a good idea.

Anyone who had the foresight to dip into their retirement accounts to buy $100,000 worth of Apple stock on the day Jobs became the company's CEO in September 1997 would be set for life: that investment would be worth more than $6.8 million now.

Just as many love affairs can be fleeting, so can the aura of seemingly invincible companies. It happened to IBM Corp., the computer monolith that Jobs likened to an Orwellian "Big Brother" in a 1984 TV commercial. More recently, auto maker General Motors Corp. needed a bailout from U.S. taxpayers — a far cry from its heyday as the biggest company in the world.

The last test of Jobs' genius may come as he tries to pass on his magical touch to his successor. He believes he has found the right guy in Tim Cook, with whom he has worked closely since 1998. The collaboration doesn't necessarily have to stop because Jobs will still hold an influential role as Apple's chairman.

By all accounts, Cook is a top-notch executive who has proven that he knows how to pull the levers of Apple's mystique. He has run the company during Jobs' three leaves of absence since 2004.

Still, it's hard not to shake the feeling that this may be the beginning of the end of an era — both for technological zealots trying to figure out when the iPhone 5 is coming out and nervous investors wondering whether to buy or sell the company's stock.

"Oh my goodness, I was terribly shocked!" said Chris Perez, 32, as he stood outside an Apple store in north Phoenix on Wednesday night. "He was the man that came up with everything 'i.'"

Neelima Mishra the Magsaysay winner fails to get US visa

MUMBAI: The American consulate on Friday denied Magsaysay award winner Neelima Mishra a visa as she did not have "strong social, economic and family ties" outside the US. Mishra said she applied for a visa last month after she was invited to address the 9th conference of the Indian Development Coalition of America.

"I sat for the visa interview on Friday, and I was asked why I wanted to visit the US. I mentioned the conference as well as the fact that I had won the Magsaysay award this year. But those interviewing me said they did not know what the Magsaysay award was," she said.

According to the letter, all applying for a non-immigrant visa are presumed to be intending immigrants. In other words, the letter implied that Mishra, who won the award for her work in the field of rural micro-credit in the villages of Maharashtra, intended to sneak into the US, never to return.

However, Mishra got a call from the consulate in the evening, asking her to visit the office with her rejection letter on Monday.

Exclusive: India - 64 years later

In 1947, a cry went across the earth that there had come to birth a new nation, herself born of ancient civilization, and tested by the rod of a colonial oppressor. Her rivers were vast and mystic; her landscape fabulously fecund; her beaches the places from which the setting sun gently gave way to encroaching night. Her shores were a beacon for lonely wanderers, from hippies to Himalayan climbers. Her jungles teemed with life of all kinds, their form too wondrous to imagine.

In her early days, her light did flicker, tested as she was by the mass migration of men, the shepherding apart of those who bore witness to the oneness of god, and those whose deities were as multitudinous as the waves of the sea. But it came to be that as many as did stay behind, and as many as did begin to call it a newfound home, they became a part of the spirit and the essence of the nation, and did form the foundation of a future world power.

For her flickering light would not be distinguished, her vast promise not left unfulfilled.
She came to know struggle, but not defeat. She knew divisions, but not a breaking apart. For her conviction in the goodness and the promise of her people was strong and certain.

And lo, she would witness Indira Gandhi on Oct 31, 1984, Babri Masjid in 1992, Gujarat in 2002, and Mumbai in 2008, and her spirit would be tested, somewhat dampened, but never broken. For she had become a strong nation, prepared for anything, but expecting the best, believing that she was destined to make a difference among nations.

And she did send forth her sons and her daughters, children born of a subcontinent's dreams, and the world over they became the engineers, the IT professionals, and the architects who led the way in building, connecting, and designing in their adopted homelands. And on her own soil was given the sometimes ruthless blessing of intense competition, and her institutions of technology became the envy of the world. And her great cities became hubs international commerce, and call centers, thousands and thousands of eager minds ready to solve the discrepancies, large and small, peculiar to the technologies wrought by men. And her confidence in continued success became as certain as the knowledge that the rice paddies will yield rice, her belief in her ongoing economic growth as firm as the certainty that the dawn will yield light.

Thus she knew difficulties only as a necessity to become triumphant, viewing them as the fire that refines gold.

Today the good fight is waged against graft, through hunger strikes, and by means of thousands of voices raised in unison, demanding accountability in government. Her people do not grow weary in this good fight, for they know the accomplishments of 64 years, many of which were deemed impossible to achieve, before they were achieved.

For within her has come forth the most remarkable miracle of all - the miracle of unity. From 1.2 billion people, and 1600 different languages, vast differences in culture and religion, there was ingrained in each individual a powerful sense of identity, a palpable sense of pride in the country that bore them.

And so she continues forth, confident that her best days are yet ahead, unabashed and unbowed, a very young and very vibrant 64 years old, attentive to the lessons of the past, conscious of the promise of the present, alert to the potential of the future.

Anand Sharma draws US attention to increase in visa rejection rates

WASHINGTON: Indian Commerce and Industry minister Anand Sharma has drawn the attention of United States towards the recent increment in the rates of visa rejection.

India has asked US to look into the problems faced by its IT industry in obtaining professional visas with reports flowing that there has been an increase in visa rejection rates and complaints that visa interviews had become more like interrogation.

According to an official release at the India-US CEO's forum in Washington, "the minister drew attention to the estimates by the Indian industry that the uptake of H1B visa this year has been less than half of annual prescribed limit, and the rejection rates have gone up." 

Release of Indians facing death penalty in Sharjah gets delayed again

SHARJAH: The case involving the release of 17Indians facing death penalty in Sharjah for murdering a Pakistani national has taken another turn. The colleagues of the murdered Pakistani are now demanding that they be compensated just like the victim's family.

The Indians are in jail since 2009 for the murder of Misri Khan, a Pakistani citizen, and are awaiting death sentence awarded by a Dubaicourt on March 18, 2010. The jailed Indians were hoping for their release after they paid 3.43 million Dirham to the family members of Misri Khan. His family had submitted application granting pardon to the convicts on July 27, 2011. This cleared the way for their release.

The release is being mediated by the Dubai-based Indian Punjabi Society. Talking to Dainik Bhaskar over phone, S P Singh Oberoi, the founder member of the society, said that during the brawl in which Misri Khan was killed, his friends Mushtaq Ahmad and Shahid Iqbal, suffered injuries. They have now filed a petition in a Dubai Court asking for compensation. If the court accepts their petition, a new date for hearing the case will be given. 

Indian girl crosses English Channel

LONDON: A teenage Indian girl crossed theEnglish Channel today in a relay swim making her among the youngest to undertake the endeavour.

Ramya Chinthapally, daughter of Rajashekar, Minister, political, Press and Information at the Indian High Commission to the UK here, teamed up with five English swimmers.

They started off from Dover mid day yesterday and reached the French Coast just after one am today, the Channel Swim Association said.

After the feat, Ramya, who celebrated her 18th birthday on 7th this month, said, "more than endurance, it was more a test of will power, swimming through jelly fish at night in cold waters".

She aspires to swim solo next time. Her coach and mentor, Fiona Southwell, who is also the Secretary of the Brighton Swim Club feels, "Ramya is so eager and such an extremely strong swimmer; it was also a rare thing that I did not need to correct her stroke; she was at ease in the sea."

They had ventured a week ago, but then the swim had to be aborted. The observer from the Channel Swim Association, accidentally fell down and he had to be evacuated for medical treatment.

Ramya, who is studying the final year A level in London is among the youngest Indian girls to be a channel swimmer.

English Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about 560 km long and varies in width from 240 km at its widest, to only 34 km in the Strait of Dover. 

Sewa International helping Texas families displaced by wild fires

BASTROP, TX: Nearly 1500 homes have been destroyed, about 45 square miles have been blackened and at least two people have died in the wildfires in and around Bastrop, Texas, just outside Austin. Lost lives, destroyed communities, and grief-stricken families have caused deep sorrow and many people are desperately seeking help.

SEWA International, USA wants to provide relief to the suffering and helplessness of the families affected by wild fires. It is asking its volunteers to immediately contribute to relief operations in the affected areas. SEWA volunteers in Houston and Austin are galvanizing the support for local fire departments by collecting items such as clothing, toiletries, bedding, pillows, cots, sleeping bags, teddy bears or small toys for children and dog/cat food.
Sewa International is also joining hands with Indo-American organizations to gather funds and in-kind donations for families displaced by the wild fires. President of India Cultural Center-Houston, Mr. Raj Bhalla and, Executive Director of Indo-American Charity Foundation, Mr. Surender Talwar, agreed to join efforts with Sewa International to gather help for families affected the fire.

SEWA, a non-profit organization, is asking individuals, companies and other organizations to generously donate their time and tax-deductible monetary contributions to SEWA. These donations help step up the ongoing relief efforts and to provide compassionate assistance to families devastated by the Texas fires.

SEWA International believes that "Service to humanity is service to God" and calls on people to contact their local SEWA chapters or one of SEWA's national Texas Fire Relief coordinators Vasudev Singh (512-554-6498) or Sharad Amin (713-854-0633) to get involved in the relief efforts. 

Twenty seven Indian illegal workers held in two raids in UK

LONDON: Twenty seven illegal workers from India have been arrested in two recent enforcement operations in London and Manchester, according to a press release by the British High Commission. The UK Border Agency is now working to remove them from the UK as soon as possible.

On 22 September UK Border Agency officers visited an Asian supermarket in Southall, West London, to check that the staff had the legal right to work. A total of twenty five staff, including twenty three Indian nationals, were found to have no right to be in the UK and were arrested.

A UK Border Agency spokesperson said:

"It is the legal responsibility of all businesses to check their employees have the right to work in the UK.

"Where we find people who are in the UK illegally, we will seek to remove them. But we also want to send out a strong message to employers. More raids like this are planned."

On 16 September, UK Border Agency officers visited a building site in Manchester and arrested 4 Indian men who had no right to work in the UK.

The supermarket and the agency employing the construction workers now face fines of up to £10,000 for each illegal worker, unless they can prove that they carried out the correct pre-employment checks.

Sikhs protest in London against "intimidation, disrespect" during airports' turban searches

LONDON: Sikhs have been protesting atLondon Parliament Square against "intimidation and disrespect" of their turbans being searched at European airports.

The protest was organized by a cable TV station based in Birmingham and London, the Sikh Channel, and similar protests were held inBrussels, Rome and Madrid, The Independent reports.

The turban, known as a Dastar, is regarded as a symbol of Sikh identity.

A Sikh Channel employee, Amar Deep Singh, travelled from Derby to participate in the protest.

"We are used to the Government being tolerant, Britain has been very tolerant. But after 9/11 we are being mistaken as other communities who wear turbans. We're being told to take them off, almost as if it's as easy as a mobile phone. But we are not supposed to, it's a religious symbol," he said.

Saudi Arabia brings cultural, religious exotica to India

Sugary dates, Persian calligraphy, colourful contemporary art, henna designs and holy Zamzam water from Mecca are some of the exotic flavours from Saudi Arabia in the culture corridor of the capital this week.
A week-long Saudi Arabia cultural showcase - one of the biggest ever in India - is on here from Sep 27-Oct 1 with an arts blitz at the Lalit Kala Akademi. Presented by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), the festival is the first initiative of the cultural wing of the ministry of external affairs to build better people-to-people bridges between India and Saudi Arabia.
In a touching gesture, the culture showcase 'performed a Haj ritual' by offering guests holy water from the Zamzam Well, a sacred spring located 18 km from the black stone at Kaaba, a building, on the complex of Masjid-al-Haram. The water was offered in miniature jars by holy men - dressed in traditional robes - who look after the well in Mecca. Haj pilgrims drink water from the well in a religious ritual during the annual pilgrimage. "The well dates back to the era of prophet Abraham. It was ordained by god to spring forth at Mecca for the well-being of the people. In course of time, it disappeared and was resurrected before the birth of prophet Mohammed. The people and now the government of Saudi Arabia have cared for it down the ages. The government has mapped it and located its source feeds. The water is very very clean..."Imad Zamzami, whose family has traditionally cared for the well, said.
"My grandfather and father have looked after the well before me," Zamzami said. The ICCR this year inaugurated its overseas cell in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. An 88-member delegation of artists, performers, scholars and officials is representing the kingdom in India.
"The cultural event comprising multiple components is being held in India indicates the growing profile of cultural diplomacy between the two countries. We opened our cultural wing in Riyadhthis year and we plan to host Indian cultural events in South Africa. After all this period, there is nothing better than culture to understand each other," Suresh Goel, the director-general of ICCR, said.
The week-long Arabian art exhibition at the Lalit Kala Akademi has brought more than 150 heritage photographs, Persian and Arabic calligrahic art, digital art, multi-media art, paintings, sculpture, animation and comic book art from South Arabia from India. "Art is appreciated in Saudi Arabia.
Almost every household has an amateur or professional artist - and boasts of a work of art as accessory. Women can pursue arts provided they do not offend religious sensitivities. We cannot draw suggestive human figures," Amal Mohammed al Zahirani, an artist and interior designer from Jeddah, said.
Zahirani uses glue, varnish, antiques, acrylic and metal for her three-dimensional abstract art and sculptures. She estimated that the kingdom had 200 women artists who have made a name for themselves. Inaugurating the showcase, Sanjay Singh, secretary, east, in the ministry of external affairs said, "India and Saudi Arabia enjoy cordial socio-cultural relations".
He said more than 1.8 lakh pilgrims want to visit Mecca for Haj this year. Singh also traced the history of bilateral ties between India and Saudi Arabia since the first Indian prime ministerJawaharlal Nehru visited the country in 1956.
"We hope to organise more such cultural festivals in India. We are talking to people in India - this relation will continue," Saleh-bin-Abdul Aziz al-Meghaileth, deputy minister of international culture relations, Saudi Arabia, said. Saleh is heading the Saudi delegation.