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Kathmandu, Nepal (AHN) – Nepali Diasporas living in New York face a language barrier, creating a major challenge that causes immigrants to miss out on jobs and other opportunities in the United States.

Most of the Nepalis who reached the U.S. in search of green pastures are at the receiving end of downward socio-economic mobility, forcing them to lower their living standards in order to survive and support family members back home, a study has revealed.

“While in Nepal, people have dreams of doing well in the U.S. However, there is a huge difference between what you think of America and when you actually come here,” says New York-based non-profit organisation Adhikaar. “People have to work really hard to survive here.”

“Even if you are educated, you won’t be able to find a job of your choice if you don’t have the [right] documents,” a Nepali worker told the group. “You can earn money here, but not respect.”

Much of the problems faced by the Nepali-speaking community in New York City are typical of those faced by emerging communities. The federal minimum wage of $7.25 is not enough to survive and support a family in New York City, the report adds. Making matters worse, migrant workers in the informal sector are often exploited by the employers and are paid below the legal minimum wage.

The report titled “Snapshots of the Nepali-speaking Community in New York City: Demographics and Challenges” reveals that language barrier has become a major challenge for most of the Nepali-speaking people in finding jobs and other services. For example, many Nepalis in the U.S. do not have health insurance, and almost three-fourths of them face challenges in obtaining healthcare.

Many Nepali migrants are unable to transfer their work experience, skills and education from Nepal. Over half of the Nepalis in New York were involved in business or a professional sector in Nepal. While most Nepali immigrants are able to find jobs in New York, they are often low-wage jobs consuming long hours and providing few benefits. While immigration status is a reason for Nepali immigrants doing low-wage jobs, it is not the only one, the report adds. “Nearly half of the respondents to survey have the legal right to work in the U.S., yet most of them faced challenges.”

The most common types of job for men are works in restaurant, gas station, taxi or limousine and moving industry, while women often work as domestic workers and at nail salons or beauty parlours. Report has it that those who intend to earn degrees find themselves unable to attain their goal due to the number of hours they must work to pay for their education and living expenses.

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Washington, D.C., United States (AHN) – Vermont’s Independent Sen. Bernard Sanders spent over eight hours denouncing the new agreement to extend Bush-era tax cuts to millions of Americans.

Speaking on the floor of the U.S. Senate, Sanders spoke out against President Barack Obama’s efforts, saying the deal only increases America’s debt and fails to solve the underlying economic issues that mire the country.

Reading letters from constituents, Sanders took aim at Obama, Senate Republicans, China and others.

“I’m not here to set any great records or to make a spectacle. I am simply here today to take as long as I can to explain to the American people the fact that we have got to do a lot better than this agreement provides,” Sanders said.

Nonetheless, the deal will move forward and is likely to clear Congress before the holidays.

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The end of the federally subsidized Build America Bonds may push up municipal yields and put more pressure on state and cities

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The U.S. and South Korea have reached an agreement on America’s largest trade pact in more than a decade.

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Washington, D.C., United States (AHN) – United States officials in 1999 were pushing for a propaganda war ,especially in Afghanistan and Pakistan, against Osama bin Laden before the deadly terror attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, according to a “confidential” cable released by the WikiLeaks.

The summary of the cable noted, “It is our impression that the USG (United States Government) is not doing as well as it might projecting public diplomacy on Usama Bin Laden (UBL),” adding, “We would like to suggest that Washington consider a review of this public diplomacy effort.”

Cautioning that pending distribution of UBL “wanted” posters and matchbooks in Pakistan may increase UBL’s stature as a kind of folk hero”, the State Department cable dated January 26, 1999. noted, “We frequently hear reports that some in the lower middle and lower classes, both urban and rural, consider UBL (Usama bin Laden) an ‘Islamic Hero’, because the US has named him ‘Public Enemy Number One’.”

“That said it’s our impression that the majority of Muslims, at least in Pakistan, do not necessarily support this view,” it stressed.

The cable outlined “effective methods” for a propaganda war against bin Laden through the Voice of America language services, interviews with bin Laden’s Muslim victims, commissioned articles in the local press and by virtual presence on the Internet.

Arguing in favor of an anti-bin Laden website, the cable said, “Although that would appear to be counterintuitive – that the masses don’t use the Internet – almost all Islamic and Islamist groups do indeed have internet access and use it extensively.”

“We are unlikely to make much inroad with UBL’s hard-core supporters because they are true-believers absolutists and tend to think and react emotionally: Facts are less important to them than emotions,” it said, noting, “They are not open to persuasion.”

However, the American diplomat in Islamabad argued about a majority of Pakistanis, saying, “This middle ground, or at least somewhat susceptible to reason, or at least to other information, should be our primary target.”

“The message crafted for them would also be welcomed by educated, westward-looking elite of both Pakistan and Afghanistan, who feel threatened by UBL’s advocacy and violence and theological obscurantism,” the cable said.

“The focus of any enhanced USG public diplomacy effort should be to portray UBL and others around him as criminals, both by international and by Islamic standards. Where possible, responsibility of the movement al Qaeda should be emphasized, not just UBL (bin Laden) as an individual,” it said.

For the audiences in Afghanistan, the cable said, “When we focus on bin Laden, and especially for Afghan consumption, we should make three points: 1) The U.S. is not against Afghanistan and the Afghan people, 2) The U.S. is not against any particular any Afghan political faction, and 3) The U.S. wants UBL expelled from Afghanistan to a place where he can be brought to justice.”

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If you are looking to reduce your monthly mortgage payments, you can consider refinancing your home loan to a lower interest rate or from an adjustable-rate into a fixed rate loan by learning more about Bank of America refinance programs. Bank of America offers good refinancing programs to suit your needs. Furthermore, the bank also has good rates and excellent customer service. The bank takes good care of its returning clients so if you are searching for a mortgage or a refinancing scheme, you may do well to sign up with this bank.

So, how do you know if you qualify for refinancing? Well, you can refinance your mortgage if you have already built up at least 10% of the equity of your home. After all, refinancing means you are cashing out on the equity of your home. That’s why you need to have at least 10% of equity before you can refinance your mortgage. Also, most banks will look at your home equity before considering your application for refinancing. This is because the lender wants to use your home equity as collateral for the loan. You will also need to be current on your home loan payments and not defaulting in the payments.

Next, you can learn what is Bank of America Refinance program and how many programs the bank offers. So, even if you do not have enough equity in your home and have been current on your mortgage payments for at least 12 months, you may still be eligible for refinancing under the bank’s Home Affordable Refinance program. This program is part of the federal government’s Making Home Affordable program and it was developed to help those who can’t qualify for a traditional refinance. The program will be able to help reduce the monthly mortgage payments for borrowers. However, you are only eligible under this program if your loan is owned by Fannie Mae (Federal National Mortgage Association) or Freddie Mac (Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation). Other than this, your first mortgage has to be 105% or less of your home value, your home is a single-family home unit and you have not been more than 30 days late on your monthly mortgage payments for at least 12 months.

To apply for the Home Affordable Refinance program, you can call the bank and inform it of your current financial information so that it could check on your eligibility for it. The bank may also appraise your home, pull up a credit report to verify your financial situation and then it will notify you of your eligibility within 75 days of your initial call. It will take the bank another 75 days to evaluate your application and once it makes a decision, it will send you a letter. If you have been approved, you will get a call from the bank to schedule the closing of the loan. The closing process is similar to what you experience when you apply for the first mortgage when you purchased your home. You will need to sign the closing documents and you will also be required to pay the closing costs, unless it can be financed into the loan amount.

There are also other Bank of America lender refinance programs such as interest-only refinance loans, jumbo loans, combo loans and other specialized loan programs to suit your specific financial needs and situation. With so many specialized programs including fixed-rate and adjustable rate refinancing schemes available at the bank, it is really worth your while to check it out in your search for a mortgage refinance program.

Washington, D.C., United States (AHN) – The White House on Friday for second year in a row hosted an event to mark Guru Nanak’s Birth Anniversary which was observed around the world on Sunday.

President Barack Obama, himself away at the NATO Summit in Lisbon, Portugal issued a statement recognizing Sikhism as a humanistic, egalitarian, and a faith that enshrines the concept of service to others.

Sending his “best wishes to all those observing this extraordinary occasion,” President Obama noted, “Sikhism’s principles of equality, service, interfaith cooperation and respect are principles shared by all Americans.”

“As Sikhs celebrate the birth of Guru Nanak, people of good will everywhere can identify with his teachings on the equality of all humankind and the need for compassion in our service to others,” said the president.

“This is also an opportunity to recognize the many contributions that Sikh Americans have made to our nation, and to reflect on the pluralism that is a hallmark of America,” Obama added in his message to the Sikh community.

Senior officials led by Christina M. Tchen, head of the White House office of Public Engagement, welcomed the guests saying, “President Obama has deep regards for the Sikh community and we are eager to work with you all.”

The program featured traditional kirtan (hymn singing) by Nirmal Singh Nagpuri, Sukhjeevan Singh and Sucha Singh of the Golden Temple, Amritsar, India.

Bandana Kaur Malik, Program Director of EcoSikh, spoke on Guru Nanak’s philosophy of equality, humility and service while Karandeep Singh from Pennsylvania addressed Guru Nanak’s perspective of building society with respect and acceptance of all faiths and groups.

On behalf of the Sikh community, the Kaur Foundation welcomed President Obama’s greetings to all Sikhs on the joyous occasion of the Birth Anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, saying, “The Kaur Foundation focuses on promoting a progressive understanding and acceptance of diversity.”

Expressing delight on the celebrations held in the White House, the Kaur Foundation said it looked forward “to opportunities of working with the White House and the President to help promote respect and universal brotherhood.”

“We will convey President Obama’s greetings to our congregation and look forward to working with the President to help promote equality for all Americans,” said the Guru Nanak Foundation of America.

United Sikhs, a global humanitarian organization in a statement said, “We hope the President and the administration will continue to highlight the contributions but also the challenges the Sikh community faces in the current environment.”

The Sikh Council on Religion and Education (SCORE) added in a statement, “This is once again an acknowledgement of Sikh community’s vibrant presence in America.”

Sikhs and Obama were recently in media spotlight before the presidential visit to India.

The media reports had alleged that the president cancelled his visit to the holy Sikh shrine Golden Temple, Amritsar in the northern Indian state of Punjab amid fears of being branded a Muslim as he had to cover his head while visiting the interior of the shrine.

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A bipartisan panel set up by President Barack Obama to reduce America’s burgeoning deficit has proposed slashing spending at the Pentagon and wiping out more than $100 billion a year in popular tax breaks

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Pakistan has condemned America’s support for India’s bid to earn a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council. The Pakistani Foreign Ministry said officials were disappointed with U.S. President Barack Obama’s public declaration of support during a trip to India.

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Mountain View, CA, United States (AHN) – For the second year in a row Google is offering free Wi-Fi service in the skies during the holidays. Millions of passengers on AirTran, Delta, and Virgin America flights will have access to surfing the Web for free on flights between Nov. 22 and Jan. 2, 2011.

AirTran, Delta, and Virgin America have all outfitted their entire domestic fleets with Wi-Fi capability, totaling more than 700 planes. 

Google is hoping that the Gogo Inflight promotion will boost users of Google Chrome. 

“Not too long ago, flying home for the holidays meant disconnecting for several hours until you touched down at your destination,” said Sundar Pichai, Google’c vice president of product management for Chrome.

“Today, Wi-Fi technologies allow us to stay connected even at 30,000 feet above the ground, so we can read the news, browse the web and send that last-minute planning email before the family reunion.”

All three airlines have fleet-wide Wi-Fi that typically costs between $6 and $13.

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