A police officer stands guard outside the New York Port Authority Bus Terminal after reports of an explosion in New York City, New York, U.S., December 11, 2017. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson
An explosion on Monday shook the area near New York’s Port Authority Bus Terminal, one of the city’s busiest commuter hubs, and authorities said a suspect, identified as Akayed Ullah, and three other people were injured. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio called the explosion “an attempted terrorist attack.”
The following are some of the other attacks carried out in New York in recent years:
Oct. 31, 2017 – Sayfullo Saipov drove a truck down a lower Manhattan bike lane, killing eight people, including five Argentinians who were in the city to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their high school graduation. A police officer shot Saipov, 29, and arrested him. The Uzbek immigrant has pleaded not guilty to murder, attempted murder and other counts.
March 20, 2017 – James Harris Jackson, a 28-year-old white man, stabbed Timothy Caughman, an African-American, multiple times with a sword. Caughman later died of his injuries and Jackson told police he traveled to the city from Maryland to kill black men.
September 2016 – Three bombs exploded in the New York area, two in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood and one in New Jersey, wounding 31 people. Several unexploded bombs were also found. The suspect, Ahmad Khan Rahimi of New Jersey, was captured after a shootout with police. Rahimi, who was born in Afghanistan, was influenced by anti-American materials believed to be produced by Islamist militant group al Qaeda, prosecutors said.
May 2010 – Times Square was evacuated when a car bomb that failed to explode was found in a sport utility vehicle. Faisal Shahzad, a naturalized American and Taliban-trained militant, later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life imprisonment.
March 2008 – An individual detonated a small pipe bomb in front of the U.S. Armed Forces recruiting station in Times Square. No one was injured.
December 2004 – A firebomb exploded on a crowded subway train in lower Manhattan, injuring 48 people. Six days earlier, a firebomb went off on a subway in Manhattan’s Harlem section, injuring two teen-agers. Edward Leary, 50, of Scotch Plains, New Jersey, was sentenced to 94 years in prison in the two bombings. The second bomb went off at his feet, leaving him critically burned.
Sept. 11, 2001 – Members of al Qaeda flew two passenger planes into the north and south towers of Manhattan’s World Trade Center. The attacks, which involved a third plane that crashed into the Pentagon just outside Washington and a plane that crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, killed 2,996 people and injured over 6,000 others. The death toll included more than 2,700 people who were in the World Trade Center and on the ground.
1997 – Palestinian teacher Ali Hassan Abu Kamal opened fire on the observation deck of the Empire State Building in February, killing one person and wounding six others before shooting himself.
1994 – Lebanese-born immigrant Rashid Baz shot at a van of Orthodox Jewish students on the Brooklyn Bridge, killing one and wounding three others.
1993 – Militants detonated a truck bomb below the North Tower of the World Trade Center in February, killing six people and injuring over a thousand.
The festive season is well and truly here with a dazzling new selection of jewellery from the world’s favourite jeweller and an even more spectacular gift giveaway. Gifts of Joy comes in time for the traditional gift-giving that comes with the holidays, with hundreds of the latest Samsung and iPhone models up for grabs.
Joyalukkas makes choosing gifts and what to wear for all the festivities easier with over a million designs and special offers available across the premier jewellery retailer’s 130 showrooms in 11 countries.
“Family and connecting with loved ones are values close to the heart of the Joyalukkas Group,” says Mr. Joy Alukkas, Chairman & MD, Joyalukkas Group. “There’s nothing more important than spreading joy to family and friends and we do our part by offering great gift ideas and rewarding deals on jewellery in all our showrooms all season long.”
Gifts of Joy is happening simultaneously across Joyalukkas USA showrooms in Houston, New Jersey and Chicago. For a minimum purchase of diamond, polki and pearl jewellery customers get a free Samsung 8 or iPhone X, amongst the most wanted gifts of 2017. Visitors also have the chance to usher in the New Year with dazzling new jewellery with a special old gold exchange offer.
Gifts of Joy is ongoing till 7th January 2018.
About Joyalukkas Group: Joyalukkas Group is a multi-billion dollar global conglomerate, with varied business interests. The group operates its various business operations across UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, Singapore, Malaysia, London and India. The group businesses include jewellery, money exchange, fashion & textiles, luxury air charters, malls and realty. Joyalukkas employs over 7,000 professionals across the world, and is one of the most awarded and recognised jewellery retail chains in the world.
The showroom being inaugurated by Sri. Vijay Prakash Jain (Secretary General, Bhartiya Udyog Vyapar Mandal) in the presence of P. D. Jose (Executive Director), P. D. Francis (DGM – Retail} and other dignitaries.
DELHI
Joyalukkas has launched its new showroom in the bustling metropolis of South Extension, Delhi. The new showroom was inaugurated by Sri. Vijay Prakash Jain (Secretary General, Bhartiya Udyog Vyapar Mandal) on December 9, 2017 at 11:00 am which was an exciting affair attended by local dignitaries, VIPs and chief executives of the Joyalukkas Group.
Set at the heart of the exciting neighbourhood of South Extension, Delhi Joyalukkas will be a sparkling new jewellery shopping destination to captivate the residents’ hearts.
Joyalukkas South Extension features the brand’s signature jewellery collections, spacious interiors, ample parking space and a professional service team offering customers the very best of the world’s favourite jeweller.
“We are delighted to open our doors in South Extension,“ said Mr. Joy Alukkas, Chairman and MD of Joyalukkas Group. “This exciting neighborhood is set to be amongst the country’s premier shopping and lifestyle districts, and we are looking forward to offering its residents the signature jewellery and award-winning service the world has come to expect from Joyalukas.
Joyalukkas South Extension will feature over a million jewellery designs showcasing a mix of traditional, ethno contemporary and international influences. It will carry an exclusive line of Joyalukkas brands, such as Veda Temple Jewellery, Pride Diamonds, Eleganza Polki Diamonds, Masaaki Pearls, Zenina Turkish Jewellery, Li’I Joy Kids Jewellery, the Apurva Antique collection & Ratna Precious Stone Jewellery, along with renowned names in gold, diamond, precious stones, platinum and pearl jewellery.
About Joyalukkas Group: Joyalukkas Group is a multi-billion dollar global conglomerate, with varied business interests. The group operates its various business operations across UAE, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, Singapore, Malaysia, UK and India. The group businesses include Jewellery, Money Exchange, Fashion & Silks, Luxury Air Charters, Malls and Realty. Joyalukkas employs over 8,000 professionals across the world, and is one of the most awarded and recognized Jewellery retail chains in the world.
Mohammed Akbar recovering in the hospital after suffering from a gunshot wound to the cheek. Courtesy: Twitter)
Mohammed Akbar, 30, an Indian student from Meerpet, Hyderabad is undergoing treatment after he was shot in the neighborhood of Albany Park in Chicago last week.
The Quint reported that according to Akbar’s father, Mohammed Yousuf, the student was shot in the cheek, after an argument broke out with the unidentified assailants in a parking lot at around 8:45 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 6.
After hearing the gunshot, local residents rushed to Akbar’s help and took him to the Illinois Masonic Medical Center.
Akbar’s family told The Quint that he was pursuing master’s degree in computer systems networking and telecommunications, the family has now applied for an emergency visa and is asking the Indian government to act on the incident.
The Hindustan Times reports that police have not declared the incident as a hate crime.
“The case is classified as aggravated battery with handgun. Area North Detectives are still investigating. No further details,” Chicago police said in a statement.
Indian-American singer Vijeta is waiting for the release of her untitled debut EP.
The singer, who is from Chicago and lives in Atlanta, Georgia, is currently performing her single “Wait for the Night” as part of her promotional tour.
Vijeta told Rolling Out, an Atlanta-based entertainment magazine focusing on Black culture, “I feel I deliver a very rhythmic, melodic and powerful experience when people watch me perform. I pride myself on my music being fun, colorful and emotional. I want to be to my Indian people what Selena was to her fans.”
In an extensive interview to Rolling Out, the Indian-American artiste dwelt on what inspired her. She “fell in love with music though dance. As a child, I think I was always trying to find the balance between my Indian culture and my American roots. Then finally I found my balance through music,” she added.
She said she was “definitely” inspired by her Indian roots and American pop culture. “I want to represent a boundless number of ambitious women across multiple cultures. Part of me is very philanthropic. I ultimately want to be able to use my story and growing platform to inspire young girls, and at the same time break stereotypes that women all over the world face,” Vijeta told Rolling Out.
While Vijeta was attending Northern Illinois University she met actress, dancer, choreographer, television director, and television producer Debbie Allen, the star of the 1980s musical “Fame”, and it changed her life, she said. “she (Allen) loved my spirit when I danced” and offered me a full scholarship to train at her prestigious dance academy,” Vijeta revealed to Rolling Out.
In Los Angeles, Vijeta finally found her niche through an L.A. based all-girl group which she says, inspired her to transition from a dancer to a singer and ultimately to become a solo artist, and deciding to launch her solo career.
Time magazine is honoring Ian Grillot for taking a bullet for Indian techie Srinivas Kuchibhotla, while trying to intervene during a racially-motivated shooting in Kansas this February.
Grillot, 24 at the time of the shooting incident, was injured while trying to stop a Navy veteran Adam Purinton, who yelled to Kuchibhotla and his friend Alok Madasani to “get out of my country.” The incident took place at a bar in Olathe, Kansas, where Purinton shot and killed Kuchibhotla, and injured Madasani and Grillot.
Grillot’s name will be featured in Time magazine’s “5 Heroes Who Gave Us Hope in 2017” category.
“I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself if I didn’t do anything. Without all the prayers and positive support from everybody, I wouldn’t be doing as well as I am right now,” Grillot is quoted saying in a Dec. 7 story published by Time. “It has been a wonderful year and a blessing to be alive,” Grillot added.
Grillot was honored by the Indian American community in Houston earlier this year, where they raised $100,000 to help him buy a house in his hometown in Kansas. The Indian government also gave him an award in recognition of his heroic attempt.
The Sikh Human Development Foundation of Washington D.C. rose over $210,000 at their gala held on Dec. 6 at the Gaithersburg Hilton in Maryland, for the underprivileged youth in Punjab, who are trying to pursue a higher education.
Over 350 people attended the gala which was graced by Bollywood actor and Punjabi comedian, Gurpreet Ghuggi.
“You all are lighting candles in many homes in Punjab and this is the best possible Sewa one can render. In actuality, you are fulfilling the dream of Guru Nanak who had said, ‘Vidiya vichari taan Parupkari’ – True education makes one benevolent. Guru Nanak will be proud of you all and those who are supporting this cause,” Ghuggi said.
“Your assistance is lifting young people out of poverty, tragedy and painful circumstances. SHDF has so far given more than 5000 scholarships. Of these, 2,700 have already graduated and found good jobs. They have become doctors, engineers, scientists and the like. Some of them are now helping other needy children. This is one of the major impacts. SHDF now has 7 centers in Punjab and Delhi. All of these centers are being managed by volunteers such as college professors and students. This program is executed in partnership with the sister organization, Nishkam Sikh Welfare Council based in New Delhi,” Gajinder Singh Ahuja, the Chairman of SHDF, told the audience.
“In my humble view, this is no small achievement. You inspired us to do this work. Also, we have a very committed team of Board members and a Program Manager who are working long hours because they all feel the pain of these needy children,” he added.
Jasdeep Singh Juneja, an IT professional from Dallas, Texas, recounted his own story as a recipient of SHDF scholarship.
“If there was no SHDF then I will not be in USA and I would have been lost in life. My family was not able to support me. It is only because of financial assistance at a very crucial time that I was able to become a professional. I am now able to support the education of my own younger brother,” said Juneja, who now runs a major operation for AT&T.
Asking the audience for donations, Dr. Manmohan Singh Kumar said “education is the key to bringing positive change among the youth in Punjab. This has the aggregate effect and it transforms families and the communities. Punjab has gone down in many aspects and especially in education. This kind of initiative is so critical for the future of the community and the state.”
“The supporters of this cause can be proud of the fact that they are holding the hands of the students who are dreaming to stand on their own feet. SHDF is perhaps the only organization which provides scholarships to students for higher education. It is a small effort but the need is immense in Punjab,” Dr. Rajwant Singh added.
Entertainment was provided by Raginder, also known as “Violinder” who enthralled the audience with his solo rendition in the beginning on Raag Charukeshi.
The SHDF scholarship has given out $2 million scholarships to bright but poor students in Punjab and the surrounding areas since 2001.
Estimated payout marks milestone 150th consecutive year of dividend payouts; underscores exceptional policyowner value, strong financial position
SPRINGFIELD, MA
Demonstrating the longstanding commitment to its policyowners and customers, Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) announced today that its Board of Directors has approved an estimated $1.6 billion dividend payout in 2018 to eligible participating policyowners and members. The landmark accomplishment marks 150 consecutive years that MassMutual will be paying a dividend.
“This is truly a significant achievement that illustrates MassMutual’s strength and stability as a mutual company – a century and a half of sharing our success with our eligible participating policyowners and members through a consistent annual dividend payout,” said Roger Crandall, MassMutual Chairman, President and CEO.
Crandall added, “Against the backdrop of a prolonged low interest rate environment, this accomplishment embodies MassMutual’s competitive advantage – particularly the contribution of earnings from our diverse portfolio of businesses, which include our institutional, workplace and international insurance businesses, as well as global asset management subsidiaries OppenheimerFunds, Inc. and Barings. Combined, these enable us to provide exceptional value to our policyowners and help them secure their future and protect the ones they love.”
The 2018 estimated payout reflects a dividend interest rate(1) of 6.40 percent for eligible participating policies. While dividends are not guaranteed, MassMutual has paid them to eligible participating policyowners every year since 1869. In fact, with the 2018 estimated payout, MassMutual will have paid more than $14 billion in dividends since 2009.
Over the past decade, MassMutual has also paid more than $35 billion in insurance and annuity benefits – including $5 billion in 2016, the most the company has ever paid in a year – delivering on its obligations to its policyowners and customers. Additionally, in 2016, MassMutual achieved its 11th straight year of record weighted whole life insurance sales(2), while total adjusted capital has reached nearly $18 billion (as of September 30, 2017).
Moreover, MassMutual’s financial strength ratings(3) remain among the highest of any company in any industry, illustrating its strong operating fundamentals and a prudent, long-term investment philosophy.
“This estimated dividend payout once again demonstrates our ability to honor our commitments,” said Mike Fanning, head of MassMutual U.S. “It is also yet another way we help our policyowners protect their families, support their communities and help one another. Still, there are millions of individuals and families who are financially underprepared(4) and, through our expanded tools and channels, we have an opportunity to make our solutions more accessible to a broader range of people.”
About MassMutual MassMutual is a leading mutual life insurance company that is run for the benefit of its members and participating policyowners. MassMutual offers a wide range of financial products and services, including life insurance, disability income insurance, long term care insurance, annuities, retirement plans and other employee benefits. For more information, visit www.massmutual.com
(1) The dividend and dividend interest rate (DIR) are determined annually, subject to change and are not guaranteed. Dividends for eligible participating life insurance policies primarily consist of investment, mortality and expense components. The DIR is used to determine the investment component of the dividend. It is not the rate of return on the policy and should not be the sole basis for comparing insurers or policy performance.
(2) Sales are classified as weighted sales, which are based on weighted annualized new premium, with single premium payments weighted at 10 percent.
(3) Financial strength ratings for MassMutual and its subsidiaries, C.M. Life Insurance Company and MML Bay State Life Insurance Company are as follows: A.M. Best Company, A++ (Superior); Fitch Ratings, AA+ (Exceptionally Strong); Moody’s Investors Service, Aa2 (Excellent); and Standard & Poor’s, AA+ (Very Strong). Ratings are as of November 6, 2017, and are subject to change.
(4) LIMRA Facts of Life and Annuities 2017 Update
NEW YORK – Indian American Divyang Parikh’s home in Short Hills, New Jersey, was awarded as one of the best homes by the New Jersey Builders Association and was also featured in the magazine, Design NJ.
Parikh told Desi Talk that he was excited and honored to have his home awarded by the New Jersey Builders Association, who also told him that his home was the best home in the $3 million range and was the best house they had seen overall.
Living Room Credit: Peter Rymwid, Hightail
Not only did Parikh work with designer Diane Gote for two years to design the home, he himself pitched in on designing it as he really had the desire to do so.
“She could visualize the design before it was even done,” Parikh recalled about Gote, adding that she was the president of the NJ Chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers and the owner of Design Works in Summit, NJ.
Dining Room Credit: Peter Rymwid, Hightail
Parikh is the brother of Padma Shri Dr. Sudhir Parikh, founder and chairman of Parikh Worldwide Media. Divyang Parikh himself is a painter too, and loves to draw sketches.
“I used to go to the New York Library on 42nd Street and look at books on architecture and got interested in one about 16th and 17th century England, so I picked up a few ideas from there” for the design of his home, he said.
Parikh has designed his home with “a combination of English and Roman/Classical” structure. He designed the family room in an Indian style.
Family Room Credit: Peter Rymwid, Hightail
“I want to feel like I am on vacation everyday when I’m at home but the family room is where I spend the most time and so I wanted to make sure that the design of the family room cherished our culture and reminded me of India,” Parikh told Desi Talk, highlighting the custom-designed swing which he had imported from Ahmedabad, India. “My wife likes that room very much,” he added.
Parikh described the main floor of his home having an open design since “you can see each room from the main entrance as there is no physical door leading to each of the main rooms. The house has sunlight coming through it all day and the glass doors allow you to see through to the backyard”, adding that, “the kitchen cabinets are designed in 17th century English style.”
Kitchen Credit: Peter Rymwid, Hightail
Besides the standard rooms, some unique features of his home are a walk-out basement, a movie theater, in-floor heating, furniture customized in England and a one-piece, three-story staircase.
He also told Design NJ that he “wanted an amazing ‘wow’ factor when you enter the foyer,” referring to the one-piece staircase. “I thought that when my daughter gets married I want her to come down that staircase, in the real sense, our dream came true.”
Divyang Parikh along with his wife and son on their one-piece, three-story staircase. Credit: Peter Rymwid, Hightail
The holidays are all about sharing, having fun and, of course…food!!! I bet you will agree that a good holiday get-together always includes delicious traditional dishes or special recipes.
If you are hosting a holiday party this winter you have probably already started thinking about treating your guests to a delectable menu. There are endless recipes and traditional holiday dishes that will reappear or make a debut at your dinner table; however, foodborne illnesses should not be part of the feast. While food is something to look forward to this season, foodborne illnesses is not.
If you decide that your side dishes will have the company of a delicious roast, such as turkey, ham or lamb, each of them need to be cooked properly to kill harmful bacteria that may be present. The only way to be sure that meat and poultry is safe to eat is by cooking it to the recommended internal temperature, measured by a food thermometer.
For help in the kitchen with approximate cooking times to use in meal planning, visit USDA’s Holiday Roasting Chart. For reasons of personal preference, consumers may choose to cook meat to higher temperatures. By following this chart you can accomplish a safe and delicious holiday meal for all your guests.
Consumers with questions about food safety can call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) or chat live with a food safety specialist in English or Spanish at AskKaren.gov, available from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday. AskKaren also provides food safety information 24/7.
Sher Mohammed Rajput, co-founder and trustee of Indo American Center, Chicago, and trustee of East West University, Chicago, second from left, is seen receiving the Community Service Award from India’s Consul General in Chicago Neeta Bhushan, Also in photo are Dr Nakedar, convenor of the American Federation of Muslims of Indian Origin, AFMI, at the recednt Chicago AFMI Convention, and AFMI’s incoming President Dr Kutb Uddin Ahmed.
Sher Mohammed Rajput, a community activist living in Chicagoland, was recently honored by two organizations at their annual galas – the American Federation of Muslims of Indian Origin (AFMI), and the Indo American Center (IAC).
Both honored him for his Life-Time Service to benefit the Chicago community as well as community-based organizations over more than 30 years.
Rajput has been the Trustee of the Indo American Center, and is credited with bringing community support to the center at the time when government support ran dry.
The AFMI, which held its 25th Year Annual Convention in Chicago, also recognized Rajput’s assistance in putting the event together.
Rajput has worked to build links between different faiths in Chicagoland, according to a press release. Originally from Bikaner, Rajasthan, he was recognized by the Maharajah Dungar Singh College which presented him with the Best NRI Natives Award.
In the past, Chicago’s Geetha Mandalam, a Hindu religious organization, presented him an Outstanding Community Service Award, the press release said. He is a founding member of the board of trustees of East West University, Chicago, and Indo American Center, Chicago.
Mrighdeep Singh Lamba’s 2013 film “Fukrey” (slang for slackers) was a fairly funny, if not particularly memorable film about four friends and their misadventures. Memory is obviously misleading, because Lamba thought his source material was worthy of a sequel.
The film picks up a year later with the four friends – Hunny (Pulkit Samrat) Choocha (Varun Sharma), Lali (Manjot Singh) and Zafar (Ali Fazal) – having apparently gotten over their encounter with Bholi Punjaban (Richa Chadha), the gangster whom they helped put in jail.
The four friends rely on Choocha’s dreams and premonitions to predict lottery numbers, running a side business that helps keep the money coming.
But when Punjaban gets out of prison with the help of a crooked politician, she rounds up the four friends and makes them pay. The film hurtles from one half-baked plot point to the other. We see CGI-enhanced tigers, Choocha’s attempts at romancing Punjaban, but none of them contribute to genuine moments of humor in the film. The only person who seems to be having fun is Pankaj Tripathi, who plays Pandit, an acquaintance of the four protagonists. Tripathi is perfect with his deadpan humor, bringing a semblance of sense to what is otherwise a tepid script from the start.
Sharma and Samrat hog all the lines, but are unable to generate a single laugh, and Fazal and Singh seem content to cower in the sidelines and hope no one notices them.
This is a dull month for Bollywood, and “Fukrey Returns” just adds to the gloom.
Mitu Bhowmick Lange, the festival director of the annual Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM), has been recognized with the 2017 Jill Robb Award from Film Victoria on behalf of the government here.
She has received the Jill Robb Screen leadership Award for outstanding leadership, mentorship and service to the Screen Industry, read a statement.
“I feel very humbled and honored at receiving this amazing recognition. Cinema and art are the biggest cultural bridges between countries, communities and people. We feel very blessed to be able to contribute in a small way and are very encouraged to do more,” Lange said in a statement.
Lange is also the founder of Mind blowing Films, a Melbourne-based film company specializing in the distribution of Indian films throughout Australia, new Zealand and Fiji. She has been contributing to the global outreach of Indian cinema with IFFM, which has had a close association with renowned names from the industry.
Mumbai: Actor Dharmendra attends director Mohan Kumar’s prayer meet in Mumbai on Nov 13, 2017. (Photo: IANS)
Dharmendra turned 82 on Friday, and Bollywood’s ‘yamla, pagla, deewana’ has no plans to slow down. The veteran actor says he doesn’t want to be a lazy person and wants to continue working.
“My passion and love is to work. I love work. Without work, I will be a lazy person. I don’t want to be lazy. I want to stay active,” Dharmendra told IANS when he was in the capital to shoot international film “Dream Catcher” earlier this year.
Dharmendra, who traces his roots to Punjab, entered showbiz in 1960 with “Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere” going on to create an image of Bollywood’s He-Man, after Dara Singh.
The veteran, who will soon complete 60 years in the industry, has entertained audiences with movies of all genres — from the intense “Bandini” and “Satyakam” to potboilers like “raja Jani” and “Pratigya”, and as a comic artist with perfect timing in “Sholay” and “Chupke Chupke”.
He proved his skills as an actor with “Anupama” and “Yakeen”. In recent times, he was seen in “Life In A… Metro”, “Apne” and “Yamla, Pagla, Deewana”.
Dharmendra, married to Bollywood’s “Dream Girl” Hema Malini, is known for his simplicity, humility and for staying connected to his roots.
He says he doesn’t like comparison between actors.
“I don’t compare. I don’t want to say anything about anyone. We talk about ourselves. We don’t compare ourselves with others. Why should we? “The love that we get from people is enough for us.”
Dharmendra’s sons Sunny and Bobby look up to him.
“My dad is my inspiration. My dad has worked from the age of maybe ten or 12. He has come from a small village. He worked in a factory and he used to tell people with whom he used to work that he wants to become an actor.
“His dream was always to be an actor. He ran away from home and he has worked all through his life. And someone like that, at the age of 82, still wants to work is an inspiration in itself.”
Bobby, who made his debut with “Barsaat” in 1995, added: “I can never reach the level my father did.”
Currently, Dharmendra is busy with “Yamla Pagla Deewana: Phir Se”.
Police officers stand guard outside the New York Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City, U.S. December 11, 2017 after reports of an explosion. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson
NEW YORK – It’s an anomaly: for all practical reasons, Bangladeshis should be the last of the majority-Muslim nations in the world to harbor hatred for the United States.
Bangladesh ranks third amongst nations in Asia to receive the highest aid from the US State Department, next only to Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The US has come to the aid of Bangladesh umpteen times when the country faced a humanitarian crisis, ravaged by floods and drought.
The US is also Bangladesh’s largest trading partner, importing $1.1 billion in goods from America and sending $5.3 billion in products stateside in 2014, according to the State Department.
It’s no wonder that overall Bangladeshis have high regard and respect for the US, according to an annual Pew Research poll. They rank only next to India, in South Asia, for their favorable outlook on the US.
However, the truth is also that Akayed Ullah, 27, is the fourth terrorist from Bangladesh who entered the US as an immigrant, harbored hatred, intended to cause immense harm to his adopted country, kill and maim innocent people.
Breitbart reported that before Ullah, in 2015, 24-year-old Bangladeshi national Rahatul Ashikim Khan was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for providing material support to terrorists with the al-Shabaab terrorist organization.
Between 2011 and 2012, Khan worked to coordinate overseas travel for an undercover Federal Bureau of Investigation agent whom he believed was a violent jihadist. Khan even made arrangements to place the undercover agent into an Al-Shabaab pipeline that was run by Gufran Ahmed Kauser Mohammed and Mohamed Hussen Said.
Khan also led a group of Islamic terrorist-sympathizers in Austin, Texas, who pledged loyalty to then-Taliban leader Mullah Omar.
In 2013, 21-year-old Bangladeshi national Quazi Mohammad Rezwanul Ahsan Nafis was convicted and sentenced for planning what he thought was a 1,000-pound bomb at the New York Federal Reserve Bank in Lower Manhattan’s financial district.
Nafis entered the US on an F-1 student visa, with immediate intent to conduct a terrorist attack for the al-Qaeda terrorist organization, reported Breitbart.
After arriving in the U.S. in 2012, Nafis tried to recruit fellow Islamic extremists in New York to form a terrorist cell in the country that would regularly plot terrorist attacks against Americans. One of the individuals Nafis attempted to recruit was actually working as an undercover FBI source.
Between 2012 and 2013, Nafis planned the attack, seeking out several high-profile locations, including the New York Stock Exchange. The FBI ultimately thwarted the terrorist plan after the undercover agent supplied Nafis with a fake bomb and arrested him at the scene of the planned attack.
In 2006, Bangladeshi-born 49-year-old Mohammed M. Hossain was convicted and sentenced to 15 years in prison after helping an FBI informant with a plot to sell weapons to terrorists.
Hossain was the leader of a mosque in Albany when he was involved in a fictitious plot contrived by the FBI to aid foreign terrorists after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York City.
Since 2005, the US has admitted and resettled 141,501 Bangladeshi nationals through the family-based ‘immigration chain’ system. In 2016 alone, more than 18,000 Bangladeshi nationals entered the US via that route.
The Bangladeshi government was quick to condemn the terrorist attack by Ullah.
“A terrorist is a terrorist irrespective of his or her ethnicity or religion, and must be brought to justice,” a spokesman for the country’s embassy in Washington said in an emailed statement, reported Reuters.
According to a July 2017 Pew Research Center poll, 41% of Muslim-Americans are of Middle Eastern origin, 28% are from South Asia, and 20% are African-American.
NEW YORK – It’s not known whether Akayed Ullah, the Bangladeshi national from Brooklyn, New York, who failed in his attempt to kill innocent people under Times Square, on Monday morning, 7:20 a.m., by detonating a bomb strapped to his body, saw a structure of a sleigh and reindeer perched on the crisscrossed steel and iron façade of the Port Authority Bus Terminal, set up as holiday décor.
But what’s known now is that the 27-year-old Ullah was enraged by Christmas holiday images inside the subway corridors that weave under Times Square linking the 7th, 8th and Broadway Avenues, which handles some 220,00 commuters daily. He made a crude pipe bomb filled with screws, a 9-volt battery and Christmas lights, at home. When he exploded it prematurely underground, a total of six people were injured, with him the only one who was seriously injured.
Ullah confessed after being apprehended and later hospitalized at Bellevue Hospital with severe burns and lacerations, to being inspired and radicalized by ISIS propaganda, enraged by American air strikes in some Muslim-majority nations in the Middle East, including Syria; wanted to create mayhem in America, his adopted home for almost seven years, after he emigrated from Dhaka, in February, 2011, on a F-4 family-based Green Card sponsored by a relative.
According to a criminal complaint filed Tuesday, Ullah, who was confident of his mission as a suicide bomber, posted a message to President Donald Trump on his Facebook page just before the bungled subway attack, “Trump you failed to protect your nation.” He also posted a second message that “he believed would be understood by members and supporters of ISIS to convey that Ullah carried out the attack in the name of ISIS,” the complaint said.
“I did it for the Islamic State,” he allegedly told investigators who interviewed him at the hospital after he waived his Miranda rights, reported NBC News. Among his belongings was a passport with the handwritten note: “O America, die in your rage.”
Ullah’s attack came on the heels of a Muslim day of rage in Dhaka, last week, where thousands of Muslims protested over Trump’s declaration of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
Ullah didn’t have a criminal record, either in the US or Bangladesh, apart from some traffic citations. He held a New York City ‘For-Hire Vehicle Driver’s License’ from March 2012 through March 2015, at which time it lapsed and was not renewed, said Allan Fromberg, a spokesman for the Taxi and Limousine Commission.
Ullah even followed family tradition: got married in 2016, on a visit back home, and fathered a child, who was born on June 10 this year, according to Mohammed Saiful Islam, a Bangladeshi counterterrorism deputy police commissioner.
Ullah’s wife, Jannatul Ferdous Jui, as well as his parents-in-law, Zulfiqar Haider and Mahfuza Akhter, were detained at their home in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka on Tuesday and taken into custody for questioning, Islam said. In Ocean Parkway, Brooklyn, his parents and some other individuals were taken in for questioning. His father ran a grocery store, according to Daily Mail.
After police descended on three residences in Brooklyn that were linked to Ullah, his family released a statement through the Council on American-Islamic Relations, reported NBC.
“We are heartbroken by the violence that was targeted at our city today, and by the allegations being made against a member of our family,” the statement said. “But we are also outraged by the behavior of law enforcement officials who have held children as small as 4 years old out in the cold and who held a teenager out of high school classes to interrogate him without a lawyer, without his parents.”
For beleaguered New Yorkers, the news of the futile attempt of the suicide bomber came as a relief. They have been struck by a spate of murderous attacks, including the horrendous action of Uzbeki national Sayfullo Saipov who rammed a truck through a bike path for several blocks, on Halloween, killed eight people and injured two dozen others, on October 31. It was the deadliest terror attack in New York City since the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center.
However, there was also a sense of resignation and dread by some residents and commuters in the aftermath of Ullah’s attack, that this was just the new normal.
“God knows, when the next attack will happen, it’s just becoming too much of a regular thing,” a man, who wished to remain unidentified, told this writer, as he passed by Port Authority, hours after the attack which prompted a massive lockdown by local law enforcement officials, near Times Square.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said it all too clearly, at a news conference, on Monday.
“This is New York, the reality is that we are a target by many who would like to make a statement against democracy, against freedom,” Cuomo said.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio voiced his relief at the press conference: “Thank God the perpetrator did not achieve his ultimate goals.”
Some prominent Bangladeshi Americans in the New York Tristate area expressed their surprise and outrage at the news of Ullah’s attack
Abu Taher, the editor of Bangla Patrika, a community newspaper based in New York City, said in an interview to News India Times that the Bangladeshi community is “in shock and is fearful.”
“There is a lot of confusion in the community, and people are very scared of what will happen next,” said Taher, inferring to fear of racial attacks in retaliation. He informed that the community planned to demonstrate against the action of Ullah, show to mainstream America that they condemn his actions.
Shahin Khalique, a Bengali immigrant who was elected to the Paterson city council, New Jersey, in 2016, told NJ.com: “This is an isolated incident. We are law-abiding citizens. There isn’t any connection to anybody in Paterson. I don’t think there will be any backlash.”
Prior to Khalique’s victory in 2016, another Bengali immigrant, Mohammed Akhtaruzzman, held the city’s 2nd Ward city council seat.
“This is not something you see in our community,” Akhtaruzzaman said of Monday’s attack. “We don’t have that problem.”
Wajahat Ali, a Contributing Oped Writer for nytimes.com, and Emmy-nominated producer, who helped launch the Al Jazeera America network as co-host of Al Jazeera America’s The Stream, tweeted after Ullah’s attack: “There are more than 75,000 immigrants in New York from Bangladesh, a country of 163 million. Like Akayed Ullah, the Port Authority terror suspect. Also, like your cab driver, favorite street food seller, co-worker, school colleague, neighbors, partners, friends.”
He sent out another tweet targeted at Trump’s policies: “#AkayedUllah was in this country for 7 years. So much for that Muslim Ban and Wall, right? Also his country of origin isn’t one of the countries on the Ban. But yes…somehow those ineffective and counter-productive security measures will make us safer.”
Simran Jeet Singh, Assistant Professor in the Department of Religion at Trinity University and Senior Religion Fellow for the Sikh Coalition, captured the fear of people of brown skin in America, with this tweet on Ullah’s attack (truncated), “…incidents like these have been followed by violence against innocent brown Americans. Please remember to stand against hate if you witness it.”
The mainstream narrative in the wake of Ullah’s attack, however, quickly turned to the issue of family-based ‘chain migration’ Green Cards, an issue Trump has recently spoken about, that he wanted to end it, in favor of merit-based family immigration.
White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders spoke about the immigration issue, on Monday, hours after the attack, indicating which way the Trump administration would go about in efforts to clamp down on future terrorist attacks.
“The President is certainly concerned that Congress, particularly Democrats, have failed to take action in some places where we feel we could have prevented this,” Sanders said. “Specifically, the President’s policy has called for an end to chain migration and if that had been in place, that would have prevented this individual from coming to the United States.”
She added: “The President is certainly concerned that Congress, particularly Democrats, have failed to take action in some places where we feel we could have prevented this. Specifically, the President’s policy has called for an end to chain migration and if that had been in place, that would have prevented this individual from coming to the United States.”
About 9.3 million foreign nationals have come to the U.S. as chain migrants between 2005 and 2016, Breitbart News reported. In that same period, 13.06 million foreign nationals have entered the U.S. through the legal immigration system, as every seven out of 10 new arrivals come to the country for nothing other than family reunification.
This makes chain migration the largest driver of immigration to the U.S. — making up more than 70 percent — with every two new arrivals bringing seven foreign relatives with them.
Even as the news of the attack by Ullah tried to gain traction with the heat of the Alabama Senate election, New York City quickly settled into its festival mood by late afternoon Monday.
Times Square bustled with activity, huge crowds thronged it; there was hardly any space for pedestrians to move past the Saks Fifth Avenue store, where people jostled to take photographs and video of the festive window decorations.
Monday evening, at the Arthur Ross Book Award Ceremony and reception, at the Council on Foreign Relations, the attack didn’t merit any talk or open discussion, with Robert Worth, a writer for New York Times Magazine and author of ‘A Rage for Order: The Middle East in Turmoil, From Tahrir Square to ISIS’, who won the Silver Medal, sticking to the Arab uprising in his speech, not delving into the fostering ‘Muslim uprising’ in the wake of Trump’s announcement on Jerusalem.
Bangladeshi American Imran G. Chowdhury, Assistant Professor of Management, Lubin School of Business, at Pace University, who was present at the awards, along with this writer, told News India Times, that “it is disturbing that we have had two terrorist attacks in New York in less than two months. In both instances, the attackers were young men in their late twenties, and seem to have self-radicalized by accessing ISIS-related materials on the internet.”
Chowdhury narrated his assimilation in America: “My parents, my younger brother, and I settled in Astoria, Queens in 1985, when I was 5 years old. We arrived from Dhaka back then, and now feel so much a part of New York and the United States, our home. So to hear that the national origin of the attacker is Bangladeshi was shocking. In my family’s thirty-two years in the United States we have known Bangladeshi-Americans to be family- and community-oriented, eager to serve others, interested in the education and professional success of their children, and pious in their beliefs, but primarily pursuing religious life individually and within the community.”
He added: “I, and I am sure the broader Bangladeshi-American community shares my view, condemn the actions in the subway system near Port Authority yesterday morning in the strongest possible terms. There is no place for this kind of action in a free and open society such as ours.”
NEW YORK – The International Mission of Mercy held a fundraising event attended by a crowd of 250 people, in Edison New Jersey.
The attendees at Mirage Banquet Hall, on Oak Tree Road, were treated to a wine tasting session, with a variety of gourmet food.
Raffles were held and presentations of the charity’s past works were delivered by various speakers. Attendees included Congressman Frank Pallone Jr., Mayor Tomas Lankey (Edison), Raymond Fredricks, CEO, JFK Hospital, Township Council President Ajay Patil (Edison), and other dignitaries.
Presentations were also given by IMMUSA Executive team members, including Vice President Jagdish Bharara, Vice President Dr. Bhudev Sharma, President and CEO Sandeep Sharma, and Founder and Chairman Emeritus Satish Mehtani.
Mehtani offered a standing prayer for Ambassador Ruth A. Davis (Ret.) who was not able to lead the event as she was hospitalized for a medical emergency. Davis has been a driving force in her role as Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of IMMUSA.
Juhi Mehta Desai, Mrs. India New Jersey 2017, delighted guests drawing raffle prizes, posing for photos, leading the dance floor for an hour and charming all in attendance.
The night raised over $25,000 with the majority going to help fellow citizens in Puerto Rico. As of this date an estimated 50 Percent still have no electricity in the Island Commonwealth. IMMUSA has already sent medicine, diapers, baby products, toys and other supplies to Harvey and Irma Hurricane victims and continues it’s ongoing support.
The International Mission of Mercy USA, Inc. (or IMMUSA) is a Certified 501(c)(3) US tax-exempt nonprofit organization whose goal is to provide humanitarian aid to victims of disasters, alleviate hunger and poverty, support education and well-being of people around the world. IMMUSA was founded in 1991 by Mr. Satish Mehtani, a veteran of disaster relief missions in Kuwait (Gulf War), New York (9/11), Japan (2011 tsunami), Nigeria (2014 National Disaster), and Nepal (2015 earthquake). Please visit www.IMMUSA.org for more information about the ongoing works of this 100 percent volunteer charity based in Edison, New Jersey.
Nominations for the 45th (29th January – 22 February 2018) and 46th (12th February – 8th March, 2018) editions of the Know India Program with Partner States Rajasthan & Madhya Pradesh are currently taking place. A flagship program of the Ministry of External Affairs, it is a three-week orientation program for Diaspora youth conducted with a view to promote awareness on different facets of life in India and the progress made by the country in various fields e.g. economic, industrial, education, science & technology, communication & information. KIP provide a unique forum for students & young professionals of Indian origin to visit India, share their views, expectations & experiences and to develop closer bonds with the contemporary India. This program is open to youth of Indian origin (excluding non-resident Indians) from all over the world with preference to 3rd generation onwards who never visited India before.
Know India Program is a 25 days program (excluding international travel) including 2-day orientation program in New Delhi. Participants will meet opinion makers, leaders, officials to get an overview of India’s economy, society and ongoing growth and development story.
Participants are provided local hospitality like boarding and internal transportation in India, return air tickets from their country of residence to India provided participants bear 10% of the cost of total air fare. Gratis visa shall be granted to participants by the Indian Missions/Posts abroad.
Minimum qualification required for participating in KIP is graduation from a recognized University /Institute or enrolled for graduation and ability to speak in English. The applicant should not have visited India through any previous Program of Government of India. Those who have not visited India before will be given preference.
Applicant must provide documentary evidence to prove Indian origin or an undertaking about Indian origin which must be countersigned by Indian Embassy/High Commission/Consul General.
The deadline for 45th and 46th KIP registration is December 15th, 2017. Details about the Program, including application, can be found on www.kip.gov.in
Kolkata: Indian batsman Rohit Sharma in action during the 4th ODI between India and Sri Lanka at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, on Nov 13, 2014. (Photo: Kuntal Chakrabarty/IANS)
MUMBAI – Opener Rohit Sharma smashed his third one-day international double century to set up India’s comprehensive 141-run win against Sri Lanka in the second match of the series at Mohali on Wednesday.
Leading the hosts in the absence of rested skipper Virat Kohli, Rohit laid waste to the Sri Lankan bowling with an unbeaten 208 off 153 deliveries to help India post 392 for four in their 50 overs.
India leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal then took three for 60 as the hosts restricted Sri Lanka to 251 for eight in their 50 overs to square the three-match series at 1-1.
Former Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews remained unbeaten after a dogged 111 for his second ODI century but the touring side never had a realistic chance in their steep chase.
Sri Lanka, who lost the three-test series 1-0 against India, had been hoping for a repeat of the series opener in Dharamsala on Sunday, when India were bundled out for 112 in a seven-wicket defeat.
With India slumping to 29 for seven in their previous game while batting first, Sri Lanka captain Thisara Perera had no hesitation in putting the hosts in after winning the toss.
But Rohit, who notched up his 16th hundred in the 50-over format, and fellow opener Shikhar Dhawan denied them any early success with a watchful start.
The 30-year-old added 115 with Dhawan, who made 68, to build a solid base for India and then added 213 for the second with fellow Mumbai batsman Shreyas Iyer, who scored 88 in what was his second ODI.
The right-handed batsman hit 13 fours and 12 sixes with his first 100 coming off 115 deliveries in the 40th over. Rohit then tore into Sri Lanka’s bowlers and India scored 147 in their last 10 overs.
It was the seventh time a batsman had scored 200 or more in ODIs with Rohit’s 264 against the same opponents in Kolkata in 2014 being the highest individual score in the 50-over format.
Sri Lanka paceman Nuwan Pradeep went for 106 runs off his 10 overs, while Perera gave away 80 off his eight overs of seam bowling.
The third and final ODI will be played at Visakhapatnam on Sunday before the two teams meet in a three-match Twenty20 series.
WASHINGTON – In an interview Monday about the coming FCC vote over whether to repeal landmark net neutrality rules, agency chairman Ajit Pai took aim at a different group – the Web platforms themselves. Content providers such as Facebook, Google and Twitter, Pai said, deserve more scrutiny over their decisions to restrict political content with pro-Trump and conservative messaging.
Pai’s comments on the Fox News show “Tucker Carlson Tonight” come days before a major vote in which the chairman and his fellow Republicans on the Federal Communications Commission are expected to eliminate the Obama-era rules that were designed to ensure that Internet service providers treat all Web traffic equally.
Host Tucker Carlson told Pai that he didn’t have a firm position on net neutrality. But he used the interview to highlight what he described as a media environment dominated by giant tech companies, firms that he has recently criticized. “A lot of people, a lot of famous people, have very strong opinions about net neutrality,” Carlson said. “They warn if it’s repealed a handful of tech companies will have total control of the Internet. Wait, doesn’t that already describe the status quo?”
If net neutrality is dismantled, Carlson asked Pai, what, if anything, would prevent Internet providers from censoring Fox News over complains about hate speech? Pai said that the FCC requires transparency, mandating that companies such as Comcast and Verizon disclose such actions and that a different agency, the Federal Trade Commission, would oversee that kind of content restriction.
Defending his push to repeal net neutrality, Pai then shifted the focus from Internet service providers to Web platforms, which he said are already impinging on free expression online.
“You’ve actually put your finger on something that’s very important that I’ve talked about: Where is the threat to the free and open Internet?” Pai asked. “One of the things that people have suggested is it’s not Internet service providers, it’s some of the content companies that decide what you see on the Internet and, more importantly, what you don’t see. Where’s the transparency there? Shouldn’t we have a conversation that involves them, as well?”
Pai noted that there have been rumblings in Congress about the lack of transparency from Web platforms when they decide to remove or restrict political posts and videos. “I, too, have raised some of these concerns,” he said.
He cited Twitter’s move to block a campaign video ad by Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., who spoke about her effort to “stop the sale of baby body parts” in a reference to false claims about Planned Parenthood. Pai also mentioned YouTube’s crackdown on some pro-Trump and right-wing Internet personalities, whose videos were recently stripped of advertising for violating the company’s terms of service.
“A lot of these decisions impinge on the free expression online that we’ve all come to cherish. But there is no real transparency into how these decisions are being made,” Pai said.
Carlson said it seemed to him that significant amounts of money have been spent to lobby public opinion. He asked Pai if the big tech companies were behind it.
“I’m not sure who exactly is funding all of these things,” Pai said. “What I can say is that the hysteria has reached a pitch which is completely disproportionate to the facts. As I said, we weren’t living in a broken Internet in 2015. All of these harms that these celebrities and whatnot are talking about are all hypothetical. There’s no market failure here. Internet service providers are not and have not blocked content willy-nilly.”
Carlson wrapped up the segment by saying, “We know Facebook, Google and Twitter have blocked content willy-nilly, and continue to.” Pai nodded.
