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Bush
congratulates Bobby Jindal
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US
President George W Bush has congratulated
Indian-American Bobby Jindal for having
won the Governor's election in Louisiana,
with the White House saying it was
an "incredible honour". "The President
spoke to Bobby Jindal on Monday, congratulated
him. It was really an excellent win
for Bobby. I think the race was a
little bit tougher than the numbers
showed. I think something that we
were all encouraged about was the
strength of Republicans down on the
ticket who also performed very well,"
White House Deputy Spokesman Tony
Fratto said. Jindal, a conservative
Republican, broke racial barriers
when he soundly and decisively defeated
11 candidates to become the youngest
Governor of the once racially segregated
state. "... first generation Americans
-- speaking as a first generation
American, having the opportunity to
serve your country or your state or
your city is an incredible honour,
and we're obviously very happy for
Bobby Jindal," Fratto said. Jindal
contested for the post on a platform
that pledged clean politics and in
the process became the first Indian
American to lead a state.
Courtesy:
www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com, October
23, 2007
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Indian
American Bobby Jindal elected governor
of Louisiana
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US
Republican Bobby Jindal has won the
Louisiana governor's race - making
him the first-ever politician of Indian
descent to become governor of one
of the 50 US states. Jindal secured
444,550 votes or 53 percent.His nearest
competitors were: Democrat Walter
Boasso with 155,154 votes or 18 percent;
Independent John Georges had 120,103
votes or 14 percent; Democrat Foster
Campbell with 109,375 or 13 percent.
Eight candidates divided the rest.
Jindal was born Piyush Jindal in Baton
Rouge to a Hindu Indian family. As
a youth, he started calling himself
Bobby in an attempt to assimilate
with the US society, and as a teenager
converted to Roman Catholicism. He
studied biology and political science
in college and won a prestigious Rhodes
scholarship to study at New College
in Oxford, England. Jindal went to
work for the prestigious consulting
firm McKinsey & Co. In 1995, the 24-year-old
Jindal was appointed head of the Louisiana
Department of Health & Hospitals,
cementing his reputation as a public
policy "wonk". He served President
George W. Bush as assistant secretary
of the US Department Health and Human
Services from 2001-03, until his first
bid for governor four years ago. After
losing that race, Jindal ran for Congress
in 2004, easily winning in a conservative
district and cruising to re-election
in 2006.
Courtesy:
www.indianmuslims.info, October 21,
2007
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Nigeria:
Indian PM Wants New World Money Order
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Nigeria
and India must work together to reverse
the imbalance in international financial
and trading systems and make them
more development friendly, Indian
Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh
said in Abuja yesterday. Addressing
a joint session of Senators and members
of the House of Representatives, Dr.
Singh said: "The crushing burden of
debt on the poorest of the poor, and
barriers to trade in the form of restricted
market access and distortion in subsidies
need to be removed." According to
him, such partnership is to steer
the global political and economic
agenda towards addressing the legitimate
concerns of developing countries.
He said, "We have vital interest in
preserving and promoting the effective
role of the United Nations. For this,
the structure and functioning of the
organization has to reflect contemporary
global realities. It has to become
a truly representative world body."
Meanwhile, Nigeria and India yesterday
sealed four cooperation agreements
on defence, world affairs and foreign
services as well as protocol for foreign
office consultations. The agreements
were sealed at the Council Chamber
of the Presidential Villa as part
of the three days bilateral talks
between a delegation from the two
countries in Abuja during the visit
of the Indian Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan
Singh who led his country's delegation
while President Umaru Yar'Adua led
the Nigerians. The four Memoranda
of Understanding (MOU) which are now
to be known as the "Abuja Declaration
on Strategic Partnership between India
and Nigeria" are to be closely followed
by an additional nine agreements that
would be finalized and signed within
the next six months. The Memorandum
signed by both leaders yesterday included
that of Foreign Service between the
India Foreign Service Institute and
the Nigerian Foreign Service Academy;
World Affairs (between India Council
for World Affairs and the Nigerian
Institute of Foreign Affairs); Protocol
for Foreign Office Consultations;
and finally the MOU on Defence Cooperation
which was signed by the Permanent
Secretary of the Nigerian Ministry
of Defence and his Indian counterpart.
In a statement issued at the end of
the talks, both countries agreed to
significantly enhance mutually beneficial
trade and investment exchanges in
sectors such as infrastructure including
railways, agriculture, food processing,
small and medium enterprises, power
generation, fertilizers, ICT, pharmaceuticals
automobiles, auto-components and other
sectors; with the fifth meeting of
the joint Commission to be staged
in the next few months. Both sides
agreed to further strengthen and encourage
further cooperation in the oil and
gas sectors, especially related companies
in that sector; and as part of the
agreement, the Indian government has
agreed to establish two IT laboratories
in the Nigeria Defence Academy (NDA).
The two nations are also to collaborate
in the area of peacekeeping under
the United Nations.
Courtesy:
http://allafrica.com, October 16,
2007
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Heathrow
reinstates worker sacked over nose
stud
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A
Hindu worker, who was sacked from
her job at Heathrow airport for wearing
a tiny nose stud, has been reinstated.
Amrit Lalji, an employee of Eurest
which supplies food and services to
British Airway's VIP lounge at Heathrow,
was asked to resume her work after
she won an appeal against the company's
decision on Thursday, the Daily Mail
reported on Friday. "I had great support
from the media, the union and my temple.
It took me three months to get my
job back but I feel I shouldn't have
been put in that position in the first
place. "They agreed that I could start
work again and wear my nose pin because
I do not work in a catering area.
I am happy to get my job back," the
43-year-old mother of three from Stanmore
in North-West London was quoted as
saying. Even the company admitted
it had "misunderstood" the service
rules and her dismissal was "unjustified".
"We have found that the rules relating
to facial piercing are mandatory only
in catering. Though this is not clear
in the handbook, given to all employees,
it is specific in the text of the
company's human resources directory.
"Since Lalji is not engaged in catering,
her dismissal resulted from a misunderstanding
of the rules and is therefore unjustified,"
a spokesperson for Eurest said. It
may be mentioned that another Heathrow
worker Nadia Eweida was suspended
last year by British Airways for wearing
a Christian cross on a necklace. But,
within four months, the company had
backed down after pressure from various
religious groups in the country.
Courtesy:
www.sify.com, October 05, 2007
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Healing
touch or killing touch?
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The
office of the Jammu and Kashmir Chief
Minister has refused to give financial
aid to a 13-year-old boy who is battling
for his life. In fact the government
is playing the Article 370 card saying
they are not bound by the Union Home
Ministry's order to provide aid to
the child. Vipul Kaul, a 13-year-old
son of a Class IV employee in Jammu
and Kashmir's Public Works Department
suffers from multiple diseases and
is alive thanks to drugs that are
costing his family a fortune. Vipul's
mother, Usha Kaul said,"I'm very scared.
If he isn't given medicines, his life
will be in danger". Vipul's family
had petitioned former J&K Chief Minister
Farooq Abdullah's government for aid
and a s sum of Rs 20 Lakh was assured
to them. But when the government changed,
the aid stopped. The Home Ministry
then intervened and advised the state
to continue the aid. But that ray
of hope for the Kaul family now seems
to have been cut short, stifled by
the callous response from Chief Minister
Ghulam Nabi Azad's secretary says,
"The government of Jammu and Kashmir
is not bound to obey the orders of
the Home Department of India due to
article 370 which gives special status
to the state. hence your child's medical
case cannot be settled.'' Vipul's
father, Ashok Kaul said," This is
not a healing touch, but a killing
touch policy. They're playing with
my son's life". The contents of the
letter from the J&K official in reply
to Home Minsitery's letter have also
upset the state government as well.
J&K Health Minister, Mangat Ram Sharma
said," Strict action will be taken
against the Secretary. I think the
man is a 'mental case'. How can anybody
snub the Home Minister's letter?"
The apathy of the J&K state government
has put the life of a hapless 13-year-old
boy at risk.
Courtesy:
http://timesnow.tv, October 04, 2007
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