Indian cricketer Rishabh Pant injured in a major accident On the road near Hammadpur Jhal, near the Narsan boundary of Roorkee, Rishabh car was involved in an accident.:-Free press Journal

 

Rishabh Pant, a member of the Indian cricket team, was involved in a major accident while he was returning from Delhi.

On the road near Hammadpur Jhal, near the Narsan boundary of Roorkee, his car was involved in an accident.

Earlier, Pant was not included in either the ODI or the T20I squad and the BCCI media release didn't clarify if he was injured, rested or dropped.

The wicketkeeper-batter didn't feature in the ODIs in Bangladesh as well before returning for the two-match Test series.

Pele, Brazil's sublimely skilled soccer star who charmed the world, dead at 82

 

Pele, the magical Brazilian soccer star who rose from barefoot poverty to become one of the greatest and best-known athletes in modern history, died at the age of 82, his daughter said on Instagram on Thursday.

He had been in and out of hospital in recent months after a tumor was found on his colon.

Pele, whose given name was Edson Arantes do Nascimento, scored a world record 1,281 goals, and is the only player ever to win the World Cup three times.

Read more at:
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/world-news/pele-brazils-sublimely-skilled-soccer-star-who-charmed-the-world-dead-at-82/articleshow/96605536.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mother Heeraben Modi passed away at the age of 100.:-Mint

 

A glorious century rests at the feet of God, PM Modi said while informing about her demise.

In a heartfelt note, the prime minister wrote, “In Maa I have always felt that trinity, which contains the journey of an ascetic, the symbol of a selfless Karmayogi and a life committed to values." 

In another tweet, the prime minister wrote, “When I met her on her 100th birthday, she said one thing, which is always remembered that is work with intelligence, live life with purity."

TODAY ON DECMEBER 28 TWO GREAT INDIANS WERE BORN.-SHREE DHIRUBHAI AMBANI AND SHREE RATAN TATA.

 

Shree Dhirajlal Hirachand Ambani (28 December 1932 – 6 July 2002), popularly known as Dhirubhai Ambani, was an Indian business tycoon who founded Reliance

                 Shree Ratan Tata Born ;-28 December 1937 the Head of Tata Group of Companies.

PM Modi, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hold talks over phone Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he held a telephonic conversation with Prime Minister Modi and that he counted on India's participation for the implementation of his peace formula :-Business Standard Dec 27,2022

 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday said he held a telephonic conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and that he counted on India's participation for the implementation of his peace formula.

Zelenskyy said he also wished Modi for a successful G20 presidency of India.

"I had a phone call with @PMOIndia Narendra Modi and wished a successful #G20 presidency. It was on this platform that I announced the peace formula and now I count on India's participation in its implementation. I also thanked for humanitarian aid and support in the UN," the Ukrainian president said in a tweet.

There were no immediate details from the Indian side.

Since the Ukraine conflict began in February, Modi spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin as well as Zelenskyy a number of times.

In a phone conversation with Zelenskyy on October 4, Modi said there can be "no military solution" and that India is ready to contribute to any peace efforts.

India is yet to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine and has been maintaining that the crisis must be resolved through diplomacy and dialogue.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

CBI arrests Videocon Group founder Venugopal Dhoot in ICICI loan fraud case Videocon founder sent to custody till December 28, along with ex-ICICI Bank CEO Chanda Kochhar and her husband :-Business Standard Dec 27,2022

 

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday arrested Videocon Group founder Venugopal Dhoot in connection with the ICICI Bank loan fraud case. This came days after the probe agency apprehended ICICI Bank’s former chief executive officer (CEO) and managing director Chanda Kochhar and her husband Deepak Kochhar for alleged irregularities in financial transactions with the now-bankrupt conglomerate.

Dhoot was arrested from Mumbai after a brief questioning session on Monday morning. Later, a special CBI court in Mumbai sent him to the agency’s custody till Wednesday while extending the remand of the Kochhar couple till the same date.

The CBI told the court it wanted to confront Dhoot with the Kochhars. The court noted that the investigation was in the initial stage in respect of a very serious offence, and in such cases, sufficient time was required to be given to the investigating agency to interrogate the accused.

S S Ladda, lawyer for Dhoot, said they had cooperated with the CBI on every summons issued in the past three years. “The summonses under Section 41 of CrPC were issued, and the laws are clear that the accused will not be arrested or else we would have taken anticipatory bail,” Ladda said.

The CBI is planning to file a charge sheet against the three and other suspects soon, officials said. The agency had taken into custody the Kochhars, alleging that they were not cooperating with the investigation and were giving evasive replies.

ALSO READ: From industry icon to defaulter: How Venugopal Dhoot lost his empire

In 2016, a whistle-blower had sought an inquiry into the transactions between ICICI Bank, Videocon Group, and NuPower Renewables — a company promoted by Deepak Kochhar.

The allegations resurfaced in early 2018. It was alleged that a company related to Dhoot invested Rs 64 crore in NuPower in 2010 and later the proprietorship was transferred to a trust owned by Deepak Kochhar for Rs 9 lakh after Videocon received a loan of Rs 3,250 crore from ICICI Bank in 2012.

In 2019, the CBI lodged an FIR against Dhoot, the Kochhars, and the companies including NuPower and Videocon Industries for allegedly cheating ICICI Bank of Rs 1,730 crore under provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act. Loans to Videocon were classified as non-performing assets in 2017.

During the preliminary enquiry, the investigative agency found that six loans worth Rs 1,875 crore were extended to Videocon Group and other companies between 2009 and 2011 in violation of the bank’s credit policies.

Following the allegations, Kochhar had gone on indefinite leave and later stepped down from the post of CEO & MD in 2018. Sandeep Bakhshi replaced Kochhar as CEO & MD of the private sector bank

Joint FD accountholders need to beware of ‘either or survivor’ clause Read more at: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com Dec 26,2022

 

                                                                 Rajat Dutta

                             The author is Founder & initiator, Inheritance Needs Services

Bhopal-based Surajmal Tewari used to take care of his aged father, while his brothers lived in nearby towns. He had invested his own money in bank FDs jointly with his father, and his accountant was the nominee. When his father died intestate, Tewari tried to prematurely withdraw money under the ‘either or survivor’ clause. However, he found that his siblings had served a legal notice, followed by a stay from a district court, registering their stake to the father’s FDs and restraining withdrawals.

Since the documents listed his father as a joint holder, the bank was bound by the court order. This is a problem being faced by many FD joint holders. Fixed deposit forms across banks have standard operating instructions, including ‘either or survivor’, and some banks also have ‘former or survivor’ and ‘later or survivor’ clauses. Depositors are nudged by bank staffers to opt for the ‘either or survivor’ clause, the understanding being that if a joint holder dies, the survivor will get the proceeds. This, however, is misleading. As per the RBI circular dated 9 June 2005, claimants/ legal heir(s) of FD joint account holders can follow a process to recover the amount even if there is no nomination.

 the understanding being that if a joint holder dies, the survivor will get the proceeds. This, however, is misleading. As per the RBI circular dated 9 June 2005, claimants/ legal heir(s) of FD joint account holders can follow a process to recover the amount even if there is no nomination.

Besides, RBI campaigns specify that ‘in case of a joint deposit account, the nominees’ right arises only after the death of all account holders’. In case of ‘either or survivor’, ‘former or survivor’ and ‘later or survivor’, one of the joint holder(s) has to pass away to attract the operation instructions.In ‘former or survivor’, the first joint holder becomes the sole owner if the second joint holder dies, and in case of ‘later or survivor’, the second joint holder becomes the sole owner on the demise of the first joint holder. The problem arises when the FD holder(s) wants to withdraw prematurely and one of the joint holders is incapacitated or passes away. This is because for premature withdrawals, signatures of all joint holders are required.

As per the RBI, if the account was opened with the survivorship clause, the payment of the balance to survivor/nominee of the deceased deposit account holder represents a valid discharge of bank’s liability.However, banks are not processing claims of surviving joint holders. The RBI, in a preamble to its notification dated 14 November 2011, clarified that if any of the joint holders died and there was a need for premature withdrawal, the concurrence of legal heirs of the deceased joint holder was required. This, however, comes with a caveat that banks can allow premature withdrawals provided they have taken a specific joint mandate from the depositors for the said purpose.

As per its 16 August 2012 circular, the central bank aligned the terms on premature withdrawals, as stated in its 4 November 2011 notification, to be incorporated in its circular dated 9 June 2005, and asked the banks to include specific joint mandate from the depositors for the purpose. However, the FD forms of major private and public sector banks have not incorporated the required clause and no bank has taken adequate measures to make customers aware of the requirement.

If the surviving joint holder waits till maturity, he can claim the proceeds only by submitting the death certificate of the deceased joint holder. If, on the date of maturity, the surviving joint holder is also deceased, the nominee becomes the claimant. Legally, nothing changes after the demise of a joint holder and the surviving holder receives the money on maturity. So, what is the rationale for banks to seek consensus from heirs of the deceased joint holder only in case of premature withdrawals?

(THE AUTHOR IS FOUNDER & INITIATOR, INHERITANCE NEEDS SERVICES.)

Read more at:
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/wealth/legal/will/joint-fd-accountholders-need-to-beware-of-either-or-survivor-clause/articleshow/96472486.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

India clears Pralay tactical ballistic missiles for armed forces, to be deployed along China border Read more at: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/india- ET Dec 25,2022

 

The missile was successfully tested twice on consecutive days last year on December 21 and December 22.

In a major decision, the Defence Ministry has cleared the procurement of around 120 Pralay ballistic missiles for the Indian armed forces that will deploy them along the borders with China and Pakistan.

At present, the Pralay ballistic missiles can take out targets from 150 to 500 kms and are extremely difficult to intercept for the enemy through interceptor missiles.

"A high-level meeting of the Defence Ministry cleared the acquisition of around 120 missiles for the armed forces and their deployment along the borders," senior defence sources told ANI here.

The acquisition of these ballistic missiles is being seen as a big development for the country which now has a policy that allows the use of ballistic missiles in tactical roles. Both China and Pakistan have ballistic missiles which are for tactical roles.The missile developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation is being further developed and its range can be extended significantly if the forces want it, the sources said.

The missile system started getting development around 2015 and the development of such a capability was given a push by the late Gen Bipin Rawat as Chief of Army Staff.

The missile was successfully tested twice on consecutive days last year on December 21 and December 22.

'Pralay' is a quasi-ballistic surface-to-surface missile. The advanced missile has been developed in a way to be able to defeat interceptor missiles. It has the ability to change its path after covering a certain range in midair.

'Pralay' is powered by a solid propellant rocket motor and other new technologies. The missile guidance system includes state-of-the-art navigation and integrated avionics.

The missile would be first inducted into the Indian Air Force likely to be followed by the Indian Army.

The proposal has been cleared at the Defence Ministry level and has paved the way for manufacturing and induction into the armed forces.

Defence watchers say such a missile system can be used for taking out long-range enemy air defence systems and also other high-value installations and weaponry.

The proposal to induct these missiles has been cleared at a time when the defence forces are working towards creating a dedicated rocket force which can take out enemy targets from long range. The Chinese military already has a dedicated rocket force. (ANI)

Read more at:
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/india-clears-pralay-tactical-ballistic-missiles-for-armed-forces-to-be-deployed-along-china-border/articleshow/96500010.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

Mcap of 10 most valued firms erodes by Rs 1.68 trn; Reliance biggest drag The combined market valuation of the top 10 valued firms eroded by Rs 1,68,552.42 crore last week, with Reliance Industries taking the biggest hit in an overall weak broader market :-Business Standard Dec 25,2022

 

The combined market valuation of the top 10 valued firms eroded by Rs 1,68,552.42 crore last week, with Reliance Industries taking the biggest hit in an overall weak broader market.

Last week, the Sensex tumbled 1,492.52 points or 2.43 per cent. Market sentiment remained weak amid surging COVID cases in China and a few other nations, while stronger US growth data cemented expectations of the Federal Reserve continuing with its hawkish stance.

Reliance Industries' valuation tanked Rs 42,994.44 crore to Rs 16,92,411.37 crore. State Bank of India's market valuation tumbled Rs 26,193.74 crore to Rs 5,12,228.09 crore.

The valuation of HDFC Bank eroded by Rs 22,755.96 crore to Rs 8,90,970.33 crore and that of Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) plunged Rs 18,690.03 crore to Rs 4,16,848.97 crore.

The market capitalisation (mcap) of ICICI Bank diminished by Rs 16,014.14 crore to Rs 6,13,366.40 crore and that of Hindustan Unilever declined by Rs 11,877.18 crore to Rs 6,15,557.67 crore.

The mcap of Infosys slumped Rs 10,436.04 crore to Rs 6,30,181.15 crore and that of HDFC went lower by Rs 8,181.86 crore to Rs 4,78,278.62 crore.

Bharti Airtel's mcap declined by Rs 7,457.25 crore to Rs 4,49,868.21 crore and that of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) dipped Rs 3,951.78 crore to Rs 11,80,885.65 crore.

In the ranking of top-10 companies, Reliance Industries retained the title of the most valued firm followed by TCS, HDFC Bank, Infosys, Hindustan Unilever, ICICI Bank, State Bank of India, HDFC, Bharti Airtel and LIC.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Ashwini Vaishnaw sacks 10 DoT officials with corruption allegations Read more at: https://telecom.economictimes.indiatimes

 

New Delhi: Communications minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has approved the forced retirement of 10 senior officials of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) for alleged non-performance and corruption-related instances.

Another 50 officers are under the scanner for similar action, if found guilty, government officials in the know said.

The sacked officials were posted at  DoT’s offices at several places, they said.

Of the officials who have been forced to retire, nine are working under the the junior administrative grade (JAG) and one was a senior administrative grade (SAG) officer,” an official privy to the details told ET.

Officers with experience of less than 16 years come under JAG, while those in the senior grade have a longer experience. The SAG level is equivalent to joint secretary in government departments, while JAG is at the director level.

The officials said this was the first time that officers in DoT had been given forced  retirement under Section 56 (J) of the Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 1972.Under this section, the government has the right to retire its officials prematurely on the ground of lack of integrity and ineffectiveness, in public public interest.

The action comes in the wake of Vaishnaw’s mandate to perform or perish. The minister is working on streamlining and simplifying various processes in a time-bound manner. “Performance of all the officers is being tracked, with zero tolerance for corruption,” said an official.

Prior to the latest action, some officials of state-run telecom firm Bharat Sanchar Nigam were forced to retire for alleged non-performance. In September, one senior BSNL official, who was caught napping literally in Vaishnaw's meeting after the Cabinet cleared a Rs 1.64 lakh-crore package for the public sector enterprise, was given voluntary retirement from service.

Vaishnaw, who also holds the charge as railways and IT minister, had cleared the forced retirements for about 40 officials in the railways department for alleged non-performance and doubtful integrity. They included a secretary-level officers.

As per a DoT official, the minister has clearly told all staff that they must work in a transparent and time-bound manner.

Read more at:
https://telecom.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/telecom-minister-vaishnaw-ousts-10-senior-dot-officers-with-doubtful-integrity/96479148

SUNDAY SPECIAL :-VERY HILARIOUS :-OLD DUDES RULE

 STUD ROOSTER

A farmer went out one day and bought a brand new stud rooster for  his chicken coop. The new rooster struts over to the old rooster and  says,'OK old fart, Time for you to retire.'

The old rooster replies, 'Come on, surely you cannot handle ALL of these chickens. Look what it has done to me. Can't you just let me have the two old hens over in the corner?'

       The young rooster says, 'Beat it: You are washed up, and I am taking over.' 
The old rooster says, 'I tell you what, young stud. I will race you around the farmhouse. Whoever wins gets the  exclusive domain over the entire chicken coop.'

       The young rooster laughs. 'You know you don't stand a chance, old man.       So, just to be fair, I will give you a head start.' 

The old rooster takes off running. About 15 seconds later the  young rooster takes off running after him.


They round the front porch of the farmhouse and the young rooster has closed the gap.
The farmer, meanwhile, is sitting in his usual spot on the front porch when he sees the roosters running by.
The Old Rooster is squawking and running as hard as he can. 

The Farmer grabs his shotgun and  - BLAM - He blows the young rooster to bits. The farmer sadly shakes his  head and says, 'Dammit... Third gay rooster I bought this month.'

Moral of this Story?...

Don't mess with the OLD FARTS - 
Age, skill, wisdom, and a little treachery,
Always overcome youth and arrogance!
OLD DUDES RULE !!!

REMEMBERING LATE SHRI ATAL BIHARI VAJPAYEE THE 10TH PRIME MINISTER OF INDIA ON HIS BIRTHDAY TODAY ON DEC 25

 

Atal Bihari Vajpayee (Hindustani pronunciation: 25 December 1924 – 16 August 2018) was an Indian politician and statesman who served three terms as the 10th Prime Minister of India, first for a term of 13 days in 1996, then for a period of 13 months from 1998 to 1999, followed by a full term from 1999 to 2004. Vajpayee was one of the co-founders and a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He was a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, a Hindu nationalist volunteer organisation. He was the first Indian prime minister not of the Indian National Congress to serve a full term in office. He was also a renowned poet and a writer.

He was a member of the Indian Parliament for over five decades, having been elected ten times to the Lok Sabha, the lower house, and twice to the Rajya Sabha, the upper house. He served as the Member of Parliament for Lucknow, retiring from active politics in 2009 due to health concerns. He was among the founding members of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS), of which he was president from 1968 to 1972. The BJS merged with several other parties to form the Janata Party, which won the 1977 general election. In March 1977, Vajpayee became the Minister of External Affairs in the cabinet of Prime Minister Morarji Desai. He resigned in 1979, and the Janata alliance collapsed soon after. Former members of the BJS formed the BJP in 1980, with Vajpayee its first president.

During his tenure as prime minister, India carried out the Pokhran-II nuclear tests in 1998. Vajpayee sought to improve diplomatic relations with Pakistan, travelling to Lahore by bus to meet with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. After the 1999 Kargil War with Pakistan, he sought to restore relations through engagement with President Pervez Musharraf, inviting him to India for a summit at Agra.

The administration of Narendra Modi declared in 2014 that Vajpayee's birthday, 25 December, would be marked as Good Governance Day. In 2015, he was conferred India's highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, by the president of India, Pranab Mukherjee. He died in 2018 of age-related illness.

Source :-Wikipedia

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL

 

INDIANS ARE ADVISED NOT TO GET CONFUSED BY NEWS CHANNELS -RATHER LEAVE THE NATION TO THE BEST WHO ARE RUNNING IT.

1. If u watch NDTV - You will think India is taken over by Fascists, there is going to be civil war and China is about to reach Gurugram.

2. If u watch ZeeTV, Republic, News X, Republic Bharat, India TV- You will think India is the new major Military-Economic World Leader and we will soon take over CHINA

3. If you read newspapers, you don't know whether God or Govt. is running the country.

4. If you watch stock market, you don't know whether economy is sinking or reviving.

5. If you watch local channels, you feel as though the world is going to end tomorrow due to corona virus as there will be no population left

7. If you go on the road, you see so many people and traffic as though there is absolutely no problem and there is nothing like virus... 

8. If you read Whatsapp you will find the world is facing every conceivable problem, and also there is an expert to provide solution to every problem inspite of the fact that they are not able to come out of their OWN SIMILAR PROBLEMS.

9. If u read/watch all of the above - You will be a confused man:
So don't read/watch anything - spend time only with friends and family.........

..... and leave The Nation to the best who are running it. They know their names but job better than you

Please choose your options wisely. Issued in public interest.

18 die as monster storm brings rain, snow, cold across US :-ET DEC 25, 2022

 

                                                          Picture source -Business Standard 

A frigid winter storm killed at least 18 people as it swept across the country, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses and leaving millions of people on edge about the possibility of Christmas Eve blackouts.

The storm unleashed its full fury on Buffalo, New York, with hurricane-force winds causing whiteout conditions. Emergency response efforts were paralyzed, and the city’s international airport was shut down.

Across the U.S., officials have attributed deaths to exposure, car crashes, a falling tree limb and other effects of the storm. At least three people died in the Buffalo area, including two who suffered medical emergencies in their homes and couldn’t be saved because emergency crews were unable to reach them amid historic blizzard conditions.

Deep snow, single-digit temperatures and day-old power outages sent Buffalo residents scrambling Saturday to get out of their houses to anywhere that had heat. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said the Buffalo Niagara International Airport would be closed through Monday morning and almost every fire truck in the city was stranded in the snow.

“No matter how many emergency vehicles we have, they cannot get through the conditions as we speak,” Hochul said.

Blinding blizzards, freezing rain and frigid cold also knocked out power in places from Maine to Seattle, while a major electricity grid operator warned the 65 million people it serves across the eastern U.S. that rolling blackouts might be required.

Pennsylvania-based PJM Interconnection said power plants are having difficulty operating in the frigid weather and has asked residents in 13 states to conserve electricity through at least Christmas morning. The Tennessee Valley Authority, which provides electricity to 10 million people in the state and parts of six surrounding ones, directed local power companies to implement planned interruptions but ended the measure by Saturday afternoon. The start of the NFL’s Tennessee Titans’ game in Nashville was delayed an hour by a planned power outage.

Across the six New England states, more than 273,000 customers remained without power on Saturday, with Maine the hardest hit and some utilities saying it could be days before electricity is restored.

In North Carolina, 169,000 customers were without power as of the afternoon, down from a peak of more than 485,000, but utility officials said rolling blackouts would continue for “the next few days.”

Those without power included James Reynolds of Greensboro, who said his housemate, a 70-year-old with diabetes and severe arthritis, spent the morning bundled beside a kerosene heater with indoor temperatures “hovering in the 50s.”

In the Buffalo suburb of Cheektowaga, two people died in their homes Friday when emergency crews could not reach them in time to treat their medical conditions, according to Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz. He said another person died in Buffalo and said the blizzard may be “the worst storm in our community’s history.”

It was taking ambulances over three hours to do one trip to a hospital, Poloncarz said.

Forecasters said 28 inches (71 centimeters) of snow accumulated as of Saturday in Buffalo. Last month, areas just south of the city saw a record 6 feet of snow (about 1.8 meters) from a single storm.

The latest storm knocked out the furnace in the Buffalo home of Brian LaPrade, who woke up Saturday morning to indoor temperatures dipping below 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius).

I had to go out and dig out the vents,” LaPrade said. “As it was, the snow was taller than my snow blower.”

Plows were on the roads, but large snow drifts, abandoned cars and downed power lines were slowing progress.

On the Ohio Turnpike, four died in a pileup involving some 50 vehicles. A Kansas City, Missouri, driver was killed Thursday after skidding into a creek, and three others died Wednesday in separate crashes on icy northern Kansas roads.

A utility worker in Ohio was also killed Friday while trying to restore power, according to the Buckeye Rural Electric Cooperative. It said the 22-year-old died in “an electrical contact incident” near Pedro in Lawrence County.

A woman in Vermont died in a hospital Friday after a tree broke in the high winds and fell on her. Police in Colorado Springs said they found the body of a person who appeared to be homeless as subzero temperatures and snow descended on the region. Near Janesville, Wisconsin, a 57-year-old woman died Friday after falling through the ice on a river, the Rock County Sheriff’s Office announced.

Along Interstate 71 in Kentucky, Terry Henderson and her husband, Rick, were stuck for 34 hours in a massive traffic jam caused by several accidents. The truck drivers weathered the wait in a rig outfitted with a diesel heater, a toilet and a refrigerator but nonetheless regretted trying to drive from Alabama to their home near Akron, Ohio, for Christmas.

“We should have stayed,” Terry Henderson said after they got moving again Saturday.

The storm was nearly unprecedented in its scope, stretching from the Great Lakes near Canada to the Rio Grande along the border with Mexico. About 60% of the U.S. population faced some sort of winter weather advisory or warning, and temperatures plummeted drastically below normal from east of the Rocky Mountains to the Appalachians, the National Weather Service said.

As millions of Americans were traveling ahead of Christmas, more than 2,360 flights within, into or out of the U.S. were canceled Saturday, according to the tracking site FlightAware.

In Mexico, migrants camped near the U.S. border were facing unusually cold temperatures as they awaited a U.S. Supreme Court decision on pandemic-era restrictions that prevent many from seeking asylum.

Forecasters said a bomb cyclone — when atmospheric pressure drops very quickly in a strong storm — had developed near the Great Lakes, stirring up blizzard conditions, including heavy winds and snow.

Western New York often sees dramatic lake-effect snow, which is caused by cool air picking up moisture from the warm water, then dumping it on the land. But even area residents found conditions Christmas Eve to be dire.

Latricia Stroud and her two daughters, 1 and 12, were stranded without heat or power in their Buffalo house since Friday afternoon, with the snow too deep to leave.

“I have to go over a snowbank to get out,” Stroud told the AP. “There’s a warming center, I just need a ride to get there.”

Read more at:
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/world-news/18-die-as-monster-storm-brings-rain-snow-cold-across-us/articleshow/96488749.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

United States lays out options for laid-off non-immigrant workers to remain in the country Read more at: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com

 

Amid mass layoffs at major tech companies, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has released a complete guide for nonimmigrant workers whose employment has terminated, either voluntarily or involuntarily.

These workers may have several options for remaining in the United States in a period of authorized stay based on existing rules and regulations.

60-Day Grace Period

Regulations permit a discretionary grace period that allows workers in E-1, E-2, E-3, H-1B, H-1B1, L-1, O-1, or TN classifications (and their dependents) to be considered as having maintained status following the termination of employment for up to 60 consecutive calendar days or until the end of the authorized validity period, whichever is shorter.

During this period, workers may be able to maintain their nonimmigrant status if a new employer timely files a petition on their behalf with an extension of stay request (e.g., an H-1B change of employer petition for a worker in H-1B status).

Also, workers can remain in the United States in a period of authorized stay if they timely file an application to change to a new nonimmigrant status (such as B-2 visitor nonimmigrant status) or an application for adjustment of status, if eligible.

Workers who are unable to timely file a change of status application, or find a new employer who timely files a change of employer petition for the worker, may be required to depart the United States at the end of this grace period.

Portability to a New Employer

Portability rules permit workers currently in H-1B status to begin working for a new employer as soon as the employer properly files a new H-1B petition with USCIS, without waiting for the petition to be approved.

Also, a worker with an adjustment of status application (Form I-485) that has been pending for at least 180 days with an underlying valid immigrant visa petition (Form I-140) has the ability to transfer the underlying immigrant visa petition to a new offer of employment in the same or similar occupational classification with the same or a new employer. This is commonly referred to as “porting.”

Change of Status

Workers may use the up to 60-day discretionary grace period to apply to change their nonimmigrant status, which may include changing status to become the dependent of a spouse (e.g., H-4, L-2). Some individuals in a dependent nonimmigrant status may be eligible for employment authorization incident to status, including spouses of E-1, E-2, E-3, or L-1 nonimmigrants.

In addition, some spouses of H-1B workers may be eligible for work employment authorization if certain requirements are met.

Other possible nonimmigrant options include student status (F-1) or visitor status (B-1 or B-2).

However, it is important to note that by statute, B-1 and B-2 nonimmigrant visitors are specifically precluded from “performing skilled or unskilled labor” in the United States.

Certain F-1 students, by regulation, may engage in limited employment.

Change of Status and Employer

Workers may use the up to 60-day discretionary grace period to seek a new employer-sponsored nonimmigrant status in the same or different status. For example, depending on the specific facts presented, an L-1 worker may be eligible for new employment under the TN, E-3, or H-1B1 classifications.

The timely filing of a non-frivolous change of status application will prevent the accrual of unlawful presence until the application is adjudicated (see above). Such a filing alone will not, however, confer employment authorization in the new position during the pendency of the application, and will not extend employment authorization if the original classification is no longer valid. Some petitions may be eligible for premium processing for an additional fee.

Adjustment of Status

Some workers may be eligible to file a self-petitioned immigrant visa petition concurrently with an adjustment of status application. Examples of immigrant classifications that are eligible for self-petitioning include EB-1 Extraordinary Ability, EB-2 National Interest Waiver, or EB-5 Immigrant Investors. Workers with a pending adjustment application are generally eligible to remain in the United States and obtain an Employment Authorization Document (EAD).

Period of Authorized Stay - Compelling Circumstances Employment Authorization Document

Workers who are the beneficiary of an approved employment-based immigrant visa petition (Form I-140) may be eligible for a compelling circumstances EAD for up to one year if they:

• do not have an immigrant visa available to them in the Department of State’s Visa Bulletin
• face compelling circumstances.
• A compelling circumstances EAD is a discretionary stopgap measure intended to assist certain individuals on the path to lawful permanent residence by preventing the need to abruptly leave the United States.
  
  
  Workers who begin working on a compelling circumstances EAD will no longer be maintaining nonimmigrant status but generally will be considered to be in a period of authorized stay and will not accrue unlawful presence in the United States while the EAD is valid.
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• Expedite Criteria
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• Some circumstances may warrant expedited adjudication, including applications to change status to a dependent status that includes eligibility for employment authorization. For example, an application to change status from H-1B to L-2 may be eligible for expedited adjudication to prevent severe financial loss.
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• Departure from the United States
  Workers may choose to depart the United States. For H-1B and O workers who chose to depart the United States after involuntary cessation of employment, the reasonable costs of transportation to the worker’s last place of foreign residence must be borne by the H-1B employer or by the O employer and O petitioner, as applicable.
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• Once abroad, H-1B holders may seek U.S. employment and readmission to the United States for any remaining period of their H-1B status. Those seeking another classification for which they may be eligible can complete the application or petition process abroad and seek readmission to the United States.
  
  
  Read more at:
  https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/nri/work/united-states-lays-out-options-for-laid-off-non-immigrant-workers-to-remain-in-the-country/articleshow/96444606.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst