ATA head Karnik resigns; airline enters bankruptcy

INDIANAPOLIS – Subodh Karnik has stepped down as the head of ATA Airlines Inc. and the discount air carrier is out of business. Karnik, 48, an aviation-industry veteran who took over as ATA’s president and chief executive officer Jan. 1, 2007, resigned from the company March 17.

WELLESLEY, Mass. – Entrepreneurial and academic hotbed Babson College honored Indian telecom pioneer Sunil Bharti Mittal last month by inducting him into the Babson Academy of Distinguished Entrepreneurs.

Symphony Services new CFO jumps at chance to join evolving Calif. software business

PALO ALTO, Calif. – S.L. Narayanan, the new chief financial officer of Symphony Services Corp., said he had one main point of motivation for taking the job at this small but growing engineering services company – his desire to help a small company evolve.

BOSTON – The United States must encourage innovation and embrace the rise of emerging markets like India, China and Russia if it is to succeed in the rapidly evolving global economy, noted economist and former Harvard University president Lawrence H. Summers told political and business leaders who gathered last month in Boston for a summit on the global economy.

VC Report

Helping the environment might be enough motivation for many consumers to recycle, but one New York-based company is offering coffee, yogurt and even groceries to reward citizens who act as good environmental stewards, and in the process has captured the attention of venture capitalists. RecycleBank Inc., a company that partners with municipalities to offer rewards to residents who recycle, recently secured $30 million in venture capital in its second round of funding.

NEW YORK – Gopal Raju, publisher of Indian ethnic press including India Abroad newspaper and the Indo-Asian News Service, died last month in New York after complications from a bout of jaundice. He was 80.

Instructional-video Web site seeks YouTube-like loyalty

NEW YORK, N.Y. – Sanjay Raman, a co-founder and vice president of product development for Howcast Media, believes his company has the answers people are looking for.

Rock concert, promotions signify presence in country

SANTA MONICA, Calif. – The world's most popular social-networking Web site has developed a portal specifically for Indian Web users. MySpace India officially launched April 17 as a dedicated online community for Indians, offering content such as music and television programming.

WASHINGTON – The Export-Import Bank of the United States recently approved a $2.2 billion Indian infrastructure funding facility that will support U.S. exports to Indian projects in sectors such as power and renewable energy generation, oil and gas development, small aircraft, airport development and health care.

TORONTO – Star Hospitals.net, a medical tourism company that arranges the hospitals, doctors, airlines and hotels for people looking for surgeries overseas, recently opened an office in Toronto.

Bill to raise H-1B cap goes before Congress; Big wigs jockey on both sides of argument

A bill before the U.S. House of Representatives could allow thousands more highly educated Indians to work in the United States.

National Immigration Project attorney battles against unfair deportation, questionable interrogation action

WASHINGTON – Paromita Shah has dedicated her work to fighting for immigrants in the United States facing detention or deportation.

MENLO PARK, Calif. — Despite mixed economic reports, nearly half (45 percent) of law firms and corporate legal departments expect to hire additional lawyers in the next 12 months, a new survey from Robert Half Legal shows.

Starting this month, applicants filing multiple petitions for H-1B visas, or temporary visas given to foreign skilled workers, will have them thrown out and their fees will not be returned.

Patel coordinates efforts against child sex offenses

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — Think that federal prosecution is a job for men? Then meet Krishna Patel, assistant U.S. attorney for Connecticut. She works on criminal cases that could make even grown men weep with rage.

The success of a permanent resident application hinges on the clear and persuasive presentation of intricate provisions in the immigration laws. Immigration Law Associates recently represented an Indian national in such a case and the U.S consulate in Mumbai reversed its decision in favor of our client. Here is a synopsis of the facts of the case; the client’s name has of course been changed to protect her privacy.

SAN ANTONIO – When officials at the Asian American Hotel Owners Association arrived in San Antonio in late March for the organization’s annual convention and trade show, their biggest concern was making sure the event ran smoothly.

WASHINGTON – The Franchising Association of India led a 25-member trade delegation to the United States last month to attend the International Franchise Expo 2008 in Washington from April 11 to April 13.

New properties just latest in company’s buying spree

ATLANTA – Kronos Hotels LLC has acquired eight new hotels valued at approximately $45 million.