Beyond Layoff

The FBI’s Boston office says it has shut down a call centre operation in India that allegedly defrauded hundreds of elderly victims in the United States and abroad out of millions of dollars through tech-support scams. The action follows a years-long investigation into a cross-border fraud network that authorities say used deceptive phone calls, fake technical warnings and telecom infrastructure to exploit vulnerable victims. According to reporting on the case, the investigation began in 2020 and eventually led to convictions of five India-based telemarketing fraudsters. Authorities also say two senior U.S. executives admitted to turning a blind eye to the scheme, after their company allegedly provided telecom services that helped route scam calls. The fraud reportedly worked by tricking victims into believing they had urgent computer or security problems, then persuading them to pay for fake support services. Many of the victims were older adults, a group that investigators say was es...

Q Manivannan, a Tamil Nadu–born non‑binary trans person who moved to Scotland on a student visa, was elected as a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Edinburgh & Lothians East regional list for the Scottish Greens — a result that has already sparked debate about representation, immigration rules and civic inclusion in the UK.  Background and biography Q Manivannan was born in Tamil Nadu and moved to the UK on a student visa in recent years to pursue postgraduate study, later enrolling in doctoral work and becoming politically active in Scotland. They stood for the Scottish Greens on the Edinburgh & Lothians East regional list and secured election to Holyrood; they are reported to be among the first two transgender MSPs elected to the devolved parliament.  Why the election is notable? Manivannan is an Indian national who does not hold permanent UK residency or British citizenship and was on a student visa when elected — an unusual circumstance that has promp...

As someone who's worked from home for a large multinational company over the past six years, ever since the pandemic hit, I've watched the work-from-home (WFH) debate swing like a pendulum. The latest twist came from Prime Minister Narendra Modi amid the ongoing Middle East crisis in mid-2026. His straightforward appeal to Indians included four key asks: skip gold purchases for a year, avoid non-essential overseas travel, embrace WFH with online meetings and video calls, and opt for public transport or electric vehicles (EVs). Logical moves to conserve resources in tough times. The WFH part resonates deeply with me. Social media exploded with mixed reactions, and headlines today scream that IT firms might resist full remote work. But my own story tells a different tale—one of brutal commutes traded for seamless productivity. Picture this: Before WFH, I worked at ITPL in east Bengaluru, a 22 km trek from my home in Hebbal, north Bengaluru. That distance? A gruelling 1.5 to 2 hou...

Students go nuts after donor announces during his commencement speech that he is paying off all of their senior year debts. Anil Kochhar and his wife decided to give the gift to all ~200 graduates in N.C. State's family. Article Indian-American philanthropist Anil Kochhar and his wife Marilyn made headlines by paying off the final-year student loans for 176 graduates of North Carolina State University's Wilson College of Textiles. This generous act, announced during the college's commencement on May 8, 2026, honored Kochhar's late father and provided life-changing relief amid America's $1.7 trillion student debt crisis. The Surprise Announcement Anil Kochhar delivered the stunning news while speaking at Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh, North Carolina. He stated, "It is my privilege to announce today that, in honour of my father Prakash Chand Kochhar, Marilyn and I are providing a graduation gift to cover all the final-year education loans incurred by Wilson Colleg...

  Top paying "AI Training" gig jobs in Feb 2026 that you can work on remotely   Management Consultants | Hourly contract Remote | $90-$200 per hour    management consultants  working on a research project  for one of the world’s top AI companies.  This project involves using your analytical skills as a management consultant to review and edit tasks written by people from a large range of other occupations; so you will serve a reviewer function, rather than making your own tasks. The tasks you will be editing will not be management consulting tasks - we’ve just found that management consultants are often highly effective reviewers! Applicants must: Have  3+ years full-time work experience  as a management consultant; and Be based in the US, UK, or Canada Here are more details about the role: We aim to make  the hourly compensation rate offered to you competitive based on your professional background and geographic location  (ple...

India's Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has ushered in a digital era for Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) services with the notification of the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2026, on Thursday. These rules, effective immediately, modernize OCI registration, cancellation, and related citizenship processes under the Citizenship Act, 1955. Signed by Nitesh Kumar Vyas, Additional Secretary in the MHA, the amendments build on the principal Citizenship Rules notified in February 2009 and last updated in March 2024. The changes aim to streamline procedures, reduce paperwork, and enhance efficiency for the millions of OCI cardholders—primarily people of Indian origin living abroad. By mandating online submissions and electronic records, the government aligns OCI services with India's broader Digital India initiative. Major Digital Overhaul for OCI Services The cornerstone of the amendments is the full digitization of OCI registration and cancellation. All applications for OCI cardhol...