Rewards totaling up to GBP 30K have been offered by an independent UK charity Crimestoppers and the Sikh Federation UK for information leading to the conviction of those responsible for the 'racially-motivated' rape of a Sikh woman in the West Midlands on 9 Sep. Alan Edwards, West Midlands regional manager at Crimestoppers said, 'We believe someone out there knows something and we want to encourage them to come forward anonymously. The reward is offered to prompt anyone with information to speak up. No matter how small the detail.' In a statement released through the Sikh Federation, the sufferer expressed her gratitude to the Sikh community. 'I want to sincerely thank everyone for supporting me and my family during this very difficult time.' On 14 Sep, West Midlands police said a man in his 30s had been detained as part of inquiries into the assault. Anti-racism organizations representing UK’s South Asian communities have demanded justice and raised the incident in the UK Parliament as an ‘absolutely appalling’ crime. Meanwhile,the US President Donald Trump issued a new presidential proclamation that introduces a major overhaul to the H-1B visa programme, imposing a steep USD 100K fee on H-1B visa applications, raising fresh questions about whether this is a much-needed correction or a potentially crippling blow to America's technology talent pipeline. The new fee takes effect from 21 Sep. A senior US administration official later said the fee applies only to new applicants and not to existing H-1B visa holders. About 70% of H1-B applicants are from India and blocking the exodus will affect the Indian IT industry which is already facing more supply than available jobs. The Indian government expressed serious concern over the raise in H-1B visa fee, calling it a potential disruption for skilled Indian professionals. Most Panjabi-Sikh migrants who aim to be truck drivers in the US need the H2-B visa and not the H1-B. They are not affected by this change but their US visa process is frozen over the Florida turnpike accident (earlier coverage).
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