US embassy yesterday announced a new visa processing system to simplify fee payment and appointment schedules.

From later this month, applicants will be able to pay visa application fee via various electronic means, including electronic fund transfer, mobile phones.

They can also pick up their documents from any of the 33 pick-up locations in the country.

Applicants will be able to schedule their own appointments online or calling into a call centre.

"It is our goal to make our visa process as efficient as possible to meet the increased demand for US visas worldwide…we are offering appointments by phone for the first time. The new global appointment schedule will offer group and expedited appointments," Julia Stanley, Minister Counselor for Consular Affairs of the US Embassy, said.

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After markets took a sceptical view over European Central Bank’s ability to unveil a concrete plan to help debt-laden euro zone economies, domestic shares also lost their value.

The euro had been rallying on hopes of some concrete steps from the ECB after its meeting on Thursday, but closer to the date investors grew cautious and preferred to cut back on their long positions on the single currency.

A bout of risk aversion was seen across regional share markets as investors traded nervously ahead of the ECB meeting and the U.S. jobs report.

"Market is skeptical of the ECB’s bond-buying plan, but any positive move from (ECB President) Draghi will help risk sentiment," said Vikas Babu Chittiprolu, a foreign exchange dealer with state-run Andhra Bank.

"There was oil demand also seen today along with the risk aversion globally, which hurt the rupee," he added.

Oil refiners are the largest buyers of dollars in the domestic currency market.

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Vikram Bajwa, president of the Indian Overseas Congress has said that NRI Punjabis in these countries are being targeted.

Addressing the press in Chandigarh, accused that Canadian MPs, including Neena Grewal and Sukh Dhaliwal, are frequently visiting Pakistan to collect funds to support their electioneering, and to keep the Khalistan movement alive.

Bajwa even cited Gurudwaras where Khalistan seals had been put up.

He wants to meet Akal Takht head priest Joginder Singh to make an appeal to issue a “hukamnaama” (edict) banning the use of Khalistan seals in Sikh shrines.

He also accused that Pakistanin agents are spreading distorted information about the Sikhs in Punjab, and the on-going proxy movement for an independent Khalistan was polluting the minds of many second generation Sikhs in Canada and the US.

More on this story here

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Police had information that NRI Satnam Singh Sattu, originally from Kala Bakra village near Jalandhar had links with international drug smugglers.

A SUV was intercepted at a check post near Kandhala Guru village. A total of 1.5 kilo of cocaine was recovered from this vehicle.

Canadian citizen John Mansah was interrogated, and his accomplice Sattu fled the spot.

Mansah told police that he had brought the consignment here from St Martin Island via the Netherlands.

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Indians have traditionally supported democrats. And this year is no exception. They seem to have opened their wallets to contribute Obama’s re-election campaign.

However earlier indication suggests that their contribution is lesser than they made in his 2008 campaign.

Romney campaign has revealed Dr Akshay Desai from Florida to be their lone Indian fund raiser who has succeeded in raising $1 million for the campaign.

However Obama team has made public at least 6 Indian Americans who have helped raise between half million to $1 million for the campaign so far.

They are: Rajiv Fernando (Chicago), Shefali Razdan Duggal (San Francisco), Reshma Saujani (New York), Raj Goyle (New York), Kamil Hasan (Saratoga in California) and Ajita Razi (California).

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Out of these 2,600 students in the university from outside EU, 350 are from India.

It has appeared that they have now been offered places by other universities. Authorities had put in place a task force to deal with the situation, and it has contacted and identified suitable courses at alternative universities so that the students can resume their studies without interruption.

The London Metropolitan University lost its license after the UK Border Agency found ‘systemic and serious errors’ in the university’s recruitment of international students.

After the fall out, many universities, including University of East London, Middlesex University, University of Bedfordshire and Leicester based De Montfort University expressed interest in accepting these students.

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The women police said Santosh Raj, 32, who came to Hyderabad a few days ago from Australia to attend his father’s ceremony, was arrested based on the complaint given by his wife Srujana Santoshi, a B Tech graduate from Visakhapatnam. The couple got married in 2008.

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In a suicide note, he said that he was deeply unhappy with his marital life. He belonged to Karempudi in Guntur.

Software engineer, Kumar was working in Chile in South America, and had just returned from there, according to reports.

Anil’s brother- in-law found him in the car in front of his house. The car’s windows were open and the deceased was lying in the front seat.

Anil had got married a year ago and was living in the US with his wife. He was visiting India without his relatives’ knowledge. He arrived from US on Saturday, stayed in hotel, then rented a car and drove to his sister’s house without her knowledge. Outside the house, he consumed poison.

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The university will no longer be allowed to sponsor visas after the border agency found that it was not tracking course attendance. Many students were not supposed to be in UK anyway, reports say.

Students have just 60 days to find alternative universities prepared to take them in, or face deportation.

However the Higher Education Funding Council for England said that the decision "will not affect existing or future international students at other universities. No other UK university has had its licence to sponsor international students revoked, and UKBA’s decision does not in any way reflect concern about licensing arrangements at other universities in the UK."

More here

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So far, no Indian court has allowed anyone to present themselves via any other means but to be there physically.

However, in one of the first cases of its kind, the Calcutta high court recently permitted a US based NRI doctor to oppose a petition through video conferencing.

Justice Aniruddha Bose allowed Dr Kunal Saha to give oral submissions through Skype and participate in live court hearings where two doctors from the State have challenged cancellation of their medical license by the Medical Council of India.

Till now video conferencing as a tool has been primarily utilized for examination of witness or recording of evidence but not for allowing a litigant to argue his case.

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