Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Feb 13th, Tuesday making this his seventh trip to the nation. Modi’s original visit to UAE was in 2015, making it then the first visit by an Indian prime minister in 34 years.

Upon landing in Abu Dhabi, Modi was received by Emirati President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, whom Modi called his brother. 

An Indian-origin man died after being assaulted in downtown Washington. 41-year-old Vivek Chander Taneja died after allegedly being hit on the head during an altercation outside a restaurant. He worked as an executive in Virginia.

Vivek Taneja, 41, got into a fight with another man early the morning of Feb. 2. While exchanging blows, the man knocked Taneja to the ground, police said. He hit his head on the concrete and lost consciousness.

‘To Kill a Tiger’ is documentary film by Indian-origin Canadian director, Nisha Pahuja that has been nominated for Best Documentary Feature at Oscars 2024, the ceremony for which will take place in March. ‘To Kill a Tiger’ made it to the 96th Oscars nomination list in the Best Documentary Feature category.

IndianDiaspora.org recently reported 7 deaths of Indian students in USA as we commence this year.

Zakir Hussan and Shankar Mahadevan put India on world stage at the 66th Grammy awards in Los Angeles this week. Their fusion band Shakti, led by singer Shankar Mahadevan and Zakir Hussain, secured the Best Global Music Album award for their latest release, 'This Moment,' at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. 

The Grammy announcement was shared on X, and the official post from the Grammys exclaimed, "Congrats Best Global Music Album winner - 'This Moment' Shakti. #GRAMMYs." 

Oscar nominated British actor Dev Patel is creating buzz by the launch of his upcoming action-thriller directorial debut: Monkey Man. 

Not only is this Dev Patel's feature directorial debut – he also produced the movie, wrote the script, and stars in the lead role. The cast includes Sharlto Copley, Sobhita Dhulipala, Pitobash, Vipin Sharma, Ashwini Kalsekar, Makarand Deshpande, Adithi Kalkunte, Sikandar Kher.

Varun Ghosh created history by becoming the first Indian-born member of the Australian Senate.

As the 38-year-old Varun Ghosh secures this nomination, he sets history by becoming the first Indian-origin person in Australia to gain a seat in the senate.  He is representing Western Australia for the Labor Party. Varun had joined the Labor party at age of 17, after his parents had moved to Australia from India.

While USA remains the most popular destination for Indian students to study abroad, at least seven deaths of Indian or Indian-origin students in USA this year has raised concerns for student safety among the Indian Diaspora.

Sameer Kamath (Indiana)

The wait for final clarity on fees increases from USCIS is finally over. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is moving forward with a significant fee increase for various immigration application categories. 

The new prices are set to take effect on April 1, 2024. This change represents the first major fee adjustment since 2016 and addresses the agency’s operational and financial challenges. This increase has substantial implications, particularly for family-based immigration applications, among the most affected categories.

USCIS has announced changes to their H1-B visa selection rule for 2024. Registrations will now be selected based on unique beneficiaries, reducing the potential for fraud, and ensuring equal chances of selection of participants in the lottery.

The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. Technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India.