Covering The Multicultural Asian American Community in Georgia
www.gasiantimes.com April 15-30, 2013 Vol 10 No 8
Boston Marathon Bombing
Georgia Asian Times April 15-30, 2013
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GAT Calendar of Events (For latest & updated events, visit www.gasiantimes.com)
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Symposium on Asia-USA Partnership Opportunities (SAUPO) Date: Friday, April 19, 2013 Venue: St. Regis Hotel, Atlanta For more info: visit www.kennesaw.edu/saupo Indonesia Friendly Golf Tournament Organized by Consulate General Indonesia Date: Sunday April 21, 2013 Tee Time: 1:00 pm Venue: Hamilton Mill Golf Club - Canongate Golf Club Good Shepherd Services Atlanta 20th Anniversary Celebration Date: April 27, 2013 Time: 3:00pm -5:00pm Venue: Good Shepherd Center 2426 Shallowford Ter., Chamblee, GA 30341 APAC 28th Annual Unity Gala & Scholarship Award Banquet Date: Saturday, May 4, 2013 Time: 6:30 pm Venue: Atlanta Marriott Gwinnett Place For more info: 770-722-8486 USPAACC-SE Annual Business Meeting Date: Wednesday May 8, 2013 Time: 8:00 am - 1:00 pm Venue: Turner Broadcasting System Inc. 101 Marietta Street NW, Centennial Tower, 20th Floor, Connector A&B, Atlanta GA 30303 For more info: www.uspaaccse.com
“Discovering the FIlipino American Experience� Date: May 18, 2013 Time: 9:00 am - 4:00 pm Venue: National Archives Atlanta, 5780 Jonesboro Rd. Morrow, GA 30260 For more info: www.filamexpereince.com 18th Annual Savannah Asian Festival Date: Saturday, June 22, 2013 Time: 11:00 am - 5:00 pm Venue: Savannah Civic Center MLK Arena For more info: www.savannahga. gov
18th Atlanta Dragon Boat Festival Date: Saturday Sept 14, 2013 Time: 7:00 am - 5:00 pm Venue: Clarks Bridge, Lake Lanier Olympic Rowing Facility For more info: www.dragonboatatlanta.com 9th Atlanta Asian Film Festival Date: Oct 11-25, 2013 Volunteers needed. Apply: info@atlaff.org For more info: www.atlaff.org
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April 15-30, 2013 Georgia Asian Times
METRO ASIAN NEWS English Language School Officials Caught in Federal Immigration Fraud Duluth, April 11, 2013 — The leader of College Prep Academy in Duluth, Georgia and other school officials have been indicted by Federal authority on charges of bringing illegal immigrants into the country by issuing fraudulent student visas. Some of the students allegedly charged are working as prostitutes in local bars. “These defendants are charged with using a student visa program as a front to cashing in on bringing immigrants here to work in local bars,” said United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates. “From manufacturing false documents, to charging thousands of dollars in tuition payments to maintain the immigrants on their rolls, the defendants are charged with subverting the purpose of the student VISA program for profit.” According to United States Attorney Yates, the charges and other information presented in court; Dong Seok Yi, 52, of Duluth, Ga., is the President and CEO of the English language school named College Prep Academy. He also owns the Korean Times Atlanta, a newspaper company. In 2009, Yi filed an application with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Student and Exchange Visitor Program, and obtained approval for College Prep Academy to enroll foreign-born students and issue I-20 forms, which enables students to stay in the United States. Foreign-born students who are issued I-20s from universities and other institutions of higher education can get F-1 student visas permitting them to remain in the United States during the time of their schooling. Once Yi obtained Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification for College Prep Academy, he and his co-defendants allegedly began facilitating the issuance of F-1 student visas to foreign-born individuals who were not entitled to, or eligible for, the visas. Yi allegedly conspired with Korean bar owners to enroll females into the school with the understanding that the females would not attend classes
as required but would instead work as prostitutes in the bars. College Prep Academy issued them fraudulent I-20s that included false financial information. Co-defendant Sook An Kil, a/k/a Stacy Kil, 41, of Duluth, Ga., who is the Academic Coordinator and Designated School Official for College Prep Academy, signed the I-20s under penalty of perjury. She also certified in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, a computerized system maintained by the Department of Homeland Security, that College Prep Academy’s “students” were active and attending class even though most never attended. Student and Exchange Visitor Information System records show that the school claimed enrollment of up to 100 students when less than half that number were attending class. Many simply began living and working in the country after obtaining a student visa from College Prep Academy. Yi and co-defendant Chang Seon Song, 51, of Suwanee, Ga., the Academic Director for CPA, referred individuals to another co-defendant, Sang Houn Kim a/k/a Chris Park, 53, of Diamond Bar, Calif., to obtain false documents to support their F-1 visa applications. Kim allegedly manufactured and provided fraudulent passports, I-94 forms, school transcripts, bank statements, family registries, and other false documents to illegal immigrants to use in support of applications for F-1 visas. Kim charged the students thousands of dollars for the fraudulent documents. Yi and College Prep Academy profited by charging thousands in quarterly tuition payments for maintaining the immigrant on the student rolls. A federal grand jury indicted the defendants on March 5, 2013, and returned a superseding indictment against them on April 2, 2013. Federal agents also executed a federal search warrant at the school on Wednesday and seized bank accounts associated with the school.
TECO’s DG Hopeful For Strengthening Economic Ties With Georgia Atlanta, April 11, 2013 — The Taipei Economic and Trade Office of Atlanta welcomes Mr. Steven Huei-Yuan Tai as its new Director General on March 27. Director General Tai is replacing Ms. Anna Kao, who has returned to Taiwan to be spokesperson for the republic’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Speaking in an exclusive interview with Georgia Asian Times, Director General Steven Tai expressed his hopes and views for his tenure in Atlanta.
time, it was Taiwan’s first consulate in the former Eastern bloc countries,” explains Tai. The latest assignment in Atlanta was his second tour of duty in North America as he had previously served as Division Director of TECO Seattle.
Prior to his latest assignment in Atlanta, Steven Tai served as Deputy Director General of Department of International Affairs and Economic Cooperation at Taiwan’s important Ministry of Foreign Affairs. His insights and geopolitical knowledge is strongly shaped by his experience and overseas assignment.
“My main goal is to promote and to strengthen the relationship between Taiwan and the six southern states including Georgia,” said Tai.
The recent warm spring weather has sprouted the greenery and cherry blossom trees in metro Atlanta. “I am totally impressed with the greenery when I first arrived,” comments Tai on his first impression of the city. “I started my career with the TECO office in Budapest, Hungary. At that
TECO Atlanta’s jurisdiction covers Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Kentucky.
With his strong background in promoting economic cooperation, Tai looks forward to enhance economic and trade ties with the six states especially in the areas of hi-technology, agriculture, and environmental technologies. He is also pleased that negotiations for the U.S.-Taiwan Free Trade Agreement is on track and he is hopeful that a deal can be finalized soon. Taiwan’s trade volume with U.S.
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April 15-30, 2013
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HEADLINE Three dead, over 100 hurt in Boston Marathon bomb blasts BOSTON, Massachusetts, April 16, 2013 (AFP) - Two bomb blasts struck one of America’s top sporting events Monday, killing at least three and wounding more than 100 as the Boston Marathon erupted in a maelstrom of blood, screams, smoke and panic. The twin explosions 13 seconds apart came more than a decade after nearly 3,000 people were killed in suicide airliner strikes on New York, Washington and Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001. President Barack Obama went on national television to warn against “jumping to conclusions” but a senior White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said such an attack was “clearly an act of terror.”
Continue from Page 4 reached $56 Billion in 2012 compared to $62 Billion in 2011. “I remain optimistic that the numbers will increase as the overall economy has improved,” adds Tai. Taiwan has been officially included in the United States Visa Waiver Program (VWP), allowing Taiwanese passport holders to travel to U.S. for stays of up to 90 days without obtaining a visa, the U.S. government announced in October 2012. Taiwan is the 37th country to join the VWP. The nation is also the seventh country in Asia, following Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Brunei, Australia and New Zealand, to be included in the VWP. “With the announcement of visa waiver program, we foresee an increased in Taiwanese tourist to this region,” said a hopeful Tai. He is also optimistic with Atlanta’s plans on an Aerotropolis project near Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and Savannah’s deep port expansion.
“Air freight-forwarded and ocean cargos are critical to Taiwanese companies. These projects will provide more trades and movement of goods through Atlanta and Savannah,” said Tai. Taiwan is also developing an Aerotropolis project at Taoyuan near Taipei. He is hopeful to develop a positive economic relationship with Georgian companies to benefit from the Taoyuan Aerotropolis project. Director General Tai looks forward to getting acquainted with citizens, community, and business leaders in the state in the coming weeks. On the personal side, Director General Tai is married with a daughter. His passion is reading, music, Chinese calligraphy, and golf. “My golf game is a bit rusty. I hope to play more as I heard that Georgia has many wonderful golf courses.”
Special agent Rick DesLauriers, who heads the FBI’s Boston bureau, told reporters: “It is a criminal investigation that is a potential terrorist investigation.” Security was stepped up in major cities across the United States amid fears of a repeat of the September 11 attacks. Obama said those behind the blasts will “feel the full weight of justice.” At the blast scene, a horrific chorus of high-pitched wailing and screaming rang out as bewildered runners and spectators fled the carnage and debris. An eight-year-old boy was reportedly among the dead. The Boston Globe identified him as Martin Richard, whose father William was running in the race. His mother and a sister were gravely injured while a second sister was unharmed. More than 100 people were wounded, Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick said, without giving an exact figure. The Globe said more than 140 were hurt. Surgeons worked into the night on
the wounded from the two powerful blasts, which were about 100 yards from each other. Police and doctors quoted by US media said ball bearings had been packed into the bombs causing horrific injuries. Some people had arms and legs torn off at the scene. Several victims had “traumatic amputations” at the race medical tent or in hospitals, said Alasdair Conn, head of emergency medicine at the city’s Massachusetts General Hospital. Five other hospitals were also used for the victims. More than 27,000 runners participated in the 26.2 mile (42 kilometer) race that is one of the world’s most prestigious marathons. Tens of thousands of people were packed around the finish. Secretary of State John Kerry, a former Massachusetts senator who has often fired the starting gun for the wheelchair portion of the race, was informed of the explosions as he returned from a 10-day trip, a senior state department official said. The blast and clouds of smoke tore through crowds on Boston’s Boylston Street and blew out nearby shop windows. Streets around the bomb sites were kept closed as forensic experts moved in. Video footage on American TV showed the detonation behind a row of national flags. One 78-year-old runner was blown to the ground and many bloodied spectators were pushed by the force of the blast through barriers onto the street. Bill Iffrig, the runner who fell, said “the shockwave must have hit me. My legs felt like noodles.” But he got up and walked away again and told his
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April 15-30, 2013 Georgia Asian Times
BUSINESS India’s industrial data highlight ‘dismal’ economy
NEW DELHI, April 12, 2013 India’s industrial output rose just 0.6 percent in February, official figures showed Friday, adding to a string of weak economic data and bolstering the case for more interest rate cuts.
Even in the flagship services sector, IT outsourcer Infosys reported weakerthan-expected fourth-quarter results on Friday and forecast slow growth for the year ahead, leading to a 21-percent fall in its share price.
While the output increase at factories, mines and utilities defied analysts’ forecasts of a 1.0-percent decline, it was much slower than January’s 2.4 percent gain and a sign Asia’s thirdlargest economy remains in trouble.
Offering a glimmer of hope, the industrial data showed output of capital goods such as machinery and equipment -- seen as a barometer of investment intentions -- rose 9.5 percent after shrinking 1.7 percent in January.
“It says quite a lot when we celebrate a 0.6 percent year-on-year industrial production output (rise), but this is testament to how low expectations have sunk,” wrote Credit Suisse economist Robert Prior-Wandesforde.
The government forecasts the economy will grow by around six percent in this financial year starting April 1 after estimated expansion of five percent last year, its slowest pace in a decade.
Manufacturing, which accounts for three-quarters of India’s Index of Industrial Production, grew 2.2 percent in February from a year earlier but output of consumer durables such as refrigerators and stoves fell by 2.7 percent. “India’s industrial sector remains very weak, mirroring the performance of the rest of the economy,” said Glenn Levine, economist at Moody’s Analytics. Soft domestic demand was highlighted by figures this week showing car sales in the once fast-growing vehicle market suffered their first annual fall in a decade. The economy’s weakness, on top of a slight easing of consumer prices, bolstered hopes of a further interest rate cut at the central bank’s May 3 meeting on top of two reductions earlier this year, economists said. The output numbers “clearly point to a dismal state of affairs in the economy, requiring urgent and bold steps,” said the head of industry body ASSOCHAM Rajkumar Dhoot.
The Congress-led government has been battered by a spate of corruption scandals and is keen to revive growth before facing voters in polls due in early next year. The economy has been hit by high interest rates in the face of stubbornly strong inflation, falling exports and slow investment caused by fears about corruption and disappointment with the government’s reform programme. Analysts say industrial output will remain tepid due to soft global demand as well as supply bottlenecks caused by dilapidated highways, ports and other infrastructure. Business has urged the government to accelerate reforms to open the economy wider to foreign investment and to speed up infrastructure project clearances. It has also been calling for aggressive rate cuts to boost consumption. But inflation makes big rate cuts impossible, the bank has said, underscored by the Consumer Price Index on Friday showing retail inflation slipped in March for the first time in six months but still in double digits at 10.39 percent.
North Korea dismisses South’s dialogue offer on Kaesong SEOUL, April 14, 2013 (AFP) - North Korea dismissed on Sunday the South’s offer for dialogue on the future of the Kaesong joint industrial zone, calling the offer an “empty” political gesture. The North announced the withdrawal of its 53,000 workers and the suspension of operations at Kaesong at the beginning of the week, as military tensions on the Korean peninsula soared. Seoul last Thursday called for Pyongyang to “come to the dialogue table” to revive the complex, a rare symbol of cross-border economic cooperation and crucial hard currency source for the North. But Pyongyang dismissed the offer by the South’s Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-Jae as a “meaningless” and “cunning” gesture aimed at concealing its true intentions to invade the North. “We found the offer an empty, meaningless act,” a spokesman of the North’s Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea said in an interview with the state media KCNA.
The official cited the South’s ongoing joint military drill with its ally, the United States, and a call for the North to give up its nuclear ambitions as obstacles preventing talks. “If the South is genuine about having talks...it should first abandon the confrontational posture,” the spokesman said. Neither side has allowed previous crises to significantly affect the complex, which was built in 2004 and produces good ranging from shoes to watches and is seen as a bellwether for stability on the Korean peninsula. Tensions have been running high after a recent series of apocalyptic threats from the North in response to fresh UN sanctions imposed after it staged a long-range rocket launch and a third nuclear test.
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BUSINESS
Strong growth in Asia but overheating a risk: World Bank SINGAPORE, April 15, 2013 (AFP) - East Asian and Pacific economies will grow 7.8 percent this year on robust domestic demand, the World Bank said Monday, but it warned countries to guard against overheating in credit and asset prices. The forecast is up from 7.5 percent last year, but the bank said in its latest East Asia and Pacific Update report that expansion would then drop to 7.6 percent next year. Domestic demand will underpin the rise after the region contributed 40 percent of global growth last year. Global risks arising from the eurozone debt crisis and US fiscal showdown have abated and there are signs of an economic turnaround in advanced economies, which bodes well for Asia’s exports, the bank added. However, one emerging issue is “the risk of overheating” in some of the region’s larger economies, it said. Near-zero interest rates and easy monetary policies in the US, the European Union and Japan have led to a massive exodus of money from these countries into emerging markets, including those in Asia, where they can get higher returns. The inflow has boosted property and stock prices but there are fears of an asset bubble that could collapse once the funds are withdrawn as quickly as they came in. Combined with the funds influx, domestic stimulus measures -- including low interest rates -- implemented by governments to boost demand as exports waned have led to higher levels of debt and inflation. “Continued demand-boosting measures may now be counter-productive as it could add to inflationary pressure,” said Bert Hofman, the bank’s chief regional economist.
“A strong rebound in capital inflows to the region induced by protracted rounds of quantitative easing in the US, EU and Japan, may amplify credit and asset price risks,” he added. Gross capital flows into the region amounted to $46.8 billion in the first three months of this year, up 86.3 percent from a year ago, the bank said. It also said that in the same period the amount of cash that found its way into Asian stock markets more than doubled year on year to $13.2 billion from $5.6 billion. “The risk of an asset boom in the markets in which global liquidity spills over is emerging, with asset valuations moving ahead of fundamentals and possibly a correction down the road,” the bank said. “Stock market indices have surged by 56 percent in the Philippines and 48 percent in Thailand in the past 14 months alone,” it noted. Debt accumulation by governments, companies and households has also increased, the bank said. The bank urged governments in the region to channel the funds to productive activities by investing the money in infrastructure and human capital to sustain high growth. “Beyond raising the level and quality of investment, the region must regain its focus on improving productivity,” the bank said. It urged policymakers to be prepared to withdraw the domestic stimulus measures as the global economy recovers.
China growth slows to 7.7% in first quarter BEIJING, April 15, 2013 (AFP) Growth in China slowed to 7.7 percent in the first quarter, data showed Monday, below forecasts and fueling fears a recent pick-up in the world’s number-two economy is faltering on weak overseas demand. The figure for January-March from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) compared with a median 8.0 percent forecast in a poll of economists by AFP and marked a slowdown from 7.9 percent in the previous quarter. Observers have expressed optimism China’s economy will be a driver of a global recovery and the pick-up at the end of last year -- which snapped seven straight quarters of slowing -- reinforced those hopes. But analysts said Monday’s data and a series of other downbeat figures recently point to a weak outlook and questioned whether policymakers would be able to address it. The GDP statistics unsettled investors, who pushed the Shanghai Composite Index down more than one percent to close at its lowest level since the end of December. In a statement the NBS cited “the complicated and volatile economic environment at home and abroad”, adding that China’s ruling Communist Party and government were committed to “making progress while ensuring stability”. NBS spokesman Sheng Laiyun told reporters the global economy saw “profound adjustment” in the first quarter of 2013, blaming aggressive monetary easing policies overseas for strengthening China’s yuan currency and hitting exports. “The recovery has been slow, in particular some developed countries have carried out quantitative easing policies,” he said. “This has created bigger pressure for
the appreciation of currencies in developing countries and this has made it more difficult to increase exports.” Sheng did not name any countries but central banks in the United States and Japan have unveiled measures to support their economies with aggressive monetary easing. Wendy Chen, a Shanghai-based economist at Nomura Securities, told AFP: “The (GDP) figure was lower than market expectations, indicating the recovery in the real economy was not on a solid foundation and remained weak.” She said that given concerns about inflation rising in the next few months it was unlikely the central bank will move to stimulate the economy by cutting interest rates “as loosening monetary policy may bring greater inflationary risks”. China’s economy grew 7.8 percent in 2012, its slowest rate in 13 years, and authorities have kept their growth target for this year at a conservative 7.5 percent. Monday’s figures followed statistics last week showing China recorded a trade deficit of $880 million in March owing to softening demand in key US and European markets, while belowforecast inflation pointed to weakness at home. Policymakers have vowed to rebalance the economy away from a reliance on the traditional growth drivers of investment and exports, and towards consumer demand. Fixed-asset investment, a key measure of government spending on infrastructure, jumped 20.9 percent year on year in the first quarter, the NBS said. But compared with the 21.2 percent growth for the first two months of the year, the cumulative data for the first quarter indicate the pace is slowing.
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FEATURE Rubio vows tough, long path to US citizenship WASHINGTON, April 14, 2013 - US Senator Marco Rubio, the Republican point man for immigration reform, said Sunday a new bill would carve a long, arduous path to citizenship for the country’s 11 million illegal immigrants.
“In exchange for all of that, we are going to get the toughest enforcement measures in the history of this country. We are going to secure the border to the extent that’s possible,” Rubio told ABC News’s “This Week.”
Appearing on a string of Sunday talk shows, Rubio appeared keen to reassure hardline Republicans opposed to the idea of amnesty, promising a winding uphill climb to citizenship tethered to tighter border security.
The senator explained that after applying for temporary legal status that would permit them to work in the United States, undocumented immigrants would then have to wait for at least 10 years to apply for a green card.
Rubio, a Cuban-American seen as a possible 2016 White House candidate, said many immigrants would not qualify, and that those who did would have to pay taxes and fines and wait more than a decade before applying for citizenship.
Once a green card is acquired, immigrants can generally apply for citizenship after another three years.
Even then, the path to citizenship would be tied to a major increase in border security, a high-tech verification system to track individuals who overstay their visas and mechanisms to prevent illegal immigrants from working. “For those undocumented in this country, not only will they have to wait more than 10 years, they will have to wait until those... things are fully implemented,” he told CNN’s “State of the Union.” “We’re not awarding anybody anything. All we’re doing is giving people the opportunity to eventually earn access to our new, improved and modernized legal immigration system.” “You won’t be able to find work in the US if you are not legally here. That’s why that ‘e-verify’ part of it is so important,” Rubio said, adding that undocumented workers would be also barred from social and health programs.
Rubio has been working with a bipartisan group of senators -- the so-called Gang of Eight -- hoping to enact the most sweeping immigration reform in a quarter-century, with a Senate bill expected to be introduced within days. “I see nothing in the way,” prominent Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer, another member of the Gang of Eight, told ABC. “I think you’ll see a major agreement that’s balanced but fair, that will have the widespread support of the American people,” he said, suggesting the legislation could be introduced on Tuesday. Rubio said he was “very optimistic” that draft legislation would be presented soon, but that there would be a “lengthy process” in which lawmakers would debate and amend the bill. The first Senate hearing on the issue is scheduled to take place Wednesday. Republicans long opposed to amnesty have softened their position in the wake of their defeat in last year’s
election, when the Hispanic vote swung overwhelmingly in favor of Democratic President Barack Obama. Senator John McCain, another member of the Gang of Eight who has said his fellow Republicans must address immigration if they hope to win national elections, said he was “guardedly optimistic” the reform effort would succeed. “A lot of my conservative colleagues have significant questions, and they’re legitimate. This is a start of a process,” he told CNN. Another bipartisan immigration bill is meanwhile being crafted in the Republican-led House of Representatives, amid public sentiment that appears increasingly to favor a comprehensive solution.
According to a March 21 survey, six out of 10 Americans support a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. The last major immigration reform dates back to 1986 when, with Republican icon Ronald Reagan in the White House, some 2.7 million illegal immigrants were granted amnesty. The United States currently deports about 400,000 people annually.
Georgia Asian Times April 15-30, 2013
ART
ABU DHABI, April 16, 2013 (AFP) - The Louvre Abu Dhabi gallery on Tuesday unveiled more than 130 artworks from the museum’s first permanent collection, ranging from paintings by Picasso and Mondrian to Islamic miniatures. “In this exhibition, we have the chance to demonstrate the universal aspect by putting in parallel sculptures or paintings from different civilisations from a similar period of time,” senior project manager Celine Hullo Pouyat. Ancient sections of the holy Muslim book, the Koran, stand alongside a 16th century statue of “Christ Showing His Wounds” and a Torah at the exhibition which will open to the public on April 22. “There are no red lines in this exhibition,” said Olivier Gabet, deputy head of the curatorial department in charge of decorative arts at the Agence France-Museums. Among the famous pieces is Picasso’s “Portrait of a Lady”, Edouard Manet’s “The Gypsy” and works by Paul Gauguin, Rene Magritte, Cy Twombly and Paul Klee.
Abu Dhabi Louvre displays first art collection
Oil-rich Gulf emirate Abu Dhabi has paid around $1.3 billion to use the Louvre name for 30 years and to tap the renowned Paris museum for artworks and expertise during this period. The deal stirred a debate in the French art world, with critics saying the Louvre is selling its soul as they questioned Abu Dhabi’s treatment of dissidents and immigrant workers employed in the construction of the project. The Abu Dhabi Louvre building was designed by French architect Jean Nouvel. Abu Dhabi has launched an ambitious development plan, Abu Dhabi 2030, aimed at modernising the emirate and diversifying its economy. Despite the global financial crisis and its severe impact on neighbouring Dubai, construction has continued in Abu Dhabi, although at a much slower pace than planned. The opening of the Louvre Abu Dhabi was delayed by three years.
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FBI to go to ‘ends of the Earth’ to find Boston bombers BOSTON, Massachusetts, April 16, 2013 (AFP) - Investigators on Tuesday pledged to go “to the ends of the Earth” to find those behind the Boston Marathon bombings that killed three people and wounded more than 170, many with horrific injuries. Boston’s Boylston Street, scene of the finish line carnage on Monday, remained sealed off as investigators sought leads in the worst attack in the United States since the September 11, 2001 atrocities.
legs felt like noodles.” But he got up and walked away again and told his story to many US media. But other witnesses near the bombs told how bodies had been piled up on top of each other. “We saw people with their legs blown off,” said Mark Hagopian, owner of the Charlesmark Hotel, from the basement of a restaurant where he had sought shelter. “A person next to me had his legs blown off at the knee -- he was still alive.” “It was very loud. You could feel the ground shake,” added Dan Lamparello, another witness. NBC News, citing officials, reported that police had found “multiple explosive devices” in Boston, raising the possibility of a coordinated attack. No group has claimed responsibility so far for the incident, and at least one group, the Pakistani Taliban, which claimed the 2010 Times Square bomb plot, denied being involved. “We believe in attacking US and its allies but we are not involved in this attack,” Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan.
US media reported that police were talking to a 20-year-old Saudi man who was near the scene of the explosion, but authorities have emphasized that they have made no arrests and were questioning many people. Meanwhile, police warned there would be heightened security around Boston on Tuesday with random checks of backpacks and bags on buses and commuter trains. Many streets would also remain closed. Governor Patrick said late Monday “the city of Boston is open and will be open tomorrow, but it will not be business as usual.” Security was stepped up in New York and Washington -- both sites of 9/11 attacks -- as well as in Los Angeles and San Francisco.
President Barack Obama vowed that the attackers “will feel the full weight of justice”, police searched the apartment of one “person of interest” and a Saudi man remained under guard in hospital. But there were no convincing answers for a city in mourning. No suspect was in custody though several people were being questioned in the Boston area, but the hunt was expected to expand to other countries, police and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) officials said. “This will be a worldwide investigation,” said Rick DesLauriers, head of the FBI’s Boston office. “We will go to the ends of the Earth to identify the subject or subjects responsible for this despicable crime,” he added. “We are using full capacities of the FBI, to its fullest worldwide extent.”
New York police boosted security at hotels and other city landmarks. The Boston blasts rattled US markets, sending the Dow and the S&P 500 down at the close.
The two bombs, which were 13 seconds and about 100 meters (yards) apart, killed three people and injured 176, with 17 people in critical condition, Boston police commissioner Ed Davis told reporters.
The national flag over the white dome of the US Capitol in Washington was lowered to half-mast in honor of the blast victims.
The dead and injured were aged between two and 71 and included nine children. Among the dead was an eight-yearold boy, Martin Richard, who had been waiting at the finish for his father to cross the line. His mother suffered
grievous brain injuries and his sister lost a leg. The bombs sent metal shrapnel flying into the crowd of thousands of people packing Boylston Street, ripping the limbs of many victims, doctors said. Liz Norden tearfully told the Boston Globe how two of her sons, both in their 30s, lost legs in the blast. Most of the 23,000 runners in the 26.2-mile (42-kilometer) race had finished when the first bomb went off behind a row of national flags, sending out a powerful shockwave. One 78-year-old runner, Bill Igriff, was blown to the ground and many bloodied spectators were pushed by the force through barriers onto the street. Igriff got up again and walked away with just scratches. “We saw people with their legs blown off,” said Mark Hagopian, owner of the Charlesmark Hotel near the scene. “A person next to me had his legs blown off at the knee -- he was still alive.” Boston relived the horror in the many videos taken with telephone cameras that investigators also pored over in the hunt. Police appealed for the public to send in pictures or videos. While vigils and other remembrance ceremonies were to be held, armed National Guard troops and police patrolled Boston commuter trains and buses and authorities warned that tight security would be imposed for several days. “There were no intelligence warnings that we know of,” said Representative Peter King, a member of the House Intelligence Committee who gave details of the huge hunt launched by US authorities. “The war on terrorism is far from over, whether it is Islamic jihadists or right-wing extremists,” he added.
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FOCUS
Got baby milk? Chinese dealers strip shelves worldwide BEIJING, April 12, 2013 (AFP) - Blamed for empty shop shelves from Europe to Australia, networks of baby formula traffickers are shipping milk powder to Chinese parents fearful of local products, and working ever harder to meet demand. Chinese parents haunted by scandals involving poisoned baby milk will pay premium prices -- three or four times as much as domestic brands -- for formula from Europe, where stores are limiting sales in the wake of the shortages. Even the Chinese buyers are complaining. “Its getting harder to find milk powder, for each box I have to walk further,” said a woman surnamed Shao, who lives in Germany and advertises baby formula online. She is one of a small army of vendors working from homes across Europe, emptying shelves and causing shops to impose limits on purchases. China’s equivalent of eBay, Taobao, has more than 4,000 listings for milk powder products from Germany, with a similar number from Britain and nearly 3,000 from France. “I started off sending the powder to family and friends,” said Shao, a stayat-home mother who says she makes a “small amount” from the business. “Mothers usually order six to eight boxes at a time, because it takes a month to arrive and they want to keep a constant supply,” she said. Other vendors ran larger-scale operations, with one Chinese company owner surnamed He boasting that he employs 10 German staff. Demand is driven by memories of a 2008 scandal over Chinese baby formula tainted with the industrial chemical melamine which killed six children
and affected more than 300,000 others. Distrust was fortified last year when another domestic manufacturer’s formula was found to be contaminated with carcinogens, despite official pledges to clean up the industry. Breastfeeding rates in China are low -- only 28 percent according to a 2012 UNICEF report -- due to time limits on maternity leave and aggressive marketing of formula. But buyers are skeptical of any products sold in China, including foreign brands packaged for the Chinese market. China is “by far” the world’s largest market for formula, says consumer research group Euromonitor. “Chinese young parents perceive international brands, especially imported brands in original packaging, to be healthier,” said analyst Vera Wang. The Chinese websites charge hefty mark-ups, sometimes approaching 100 percent, on the retail price, such as German brand Aptamil advertised at around 220 yuan ($35) for a 600g (21 ounce) box. Shipping fees can double those prices again, while customs checks and import duties in China can add another 30 percent, according to Chinese reports. In contrast, a central Beijing supermarket sells Chinese-made Yili formula at 150 yuan for 900g.
empty shelves... all bought by Chinese people.” German media have seized on photos of shop shelves stripped bare, with Bild, Europe’s highest circulation newspaper, announcing in January: “Angry mothers stand in front of empty Aptamil shelves... because Chinese buy up our milk powder!” Milupa, which makes Aptamil, apologized for the shortages, citing “exports to Asia” as the reason. “We don’t encourage these exports and we don’t sell to Asia. These customers buy directly from German supermarkets,” it said on its website. Closer to mainland China, anger about visitor purchases in Hong Kong saw the city ban travellers taking out more than 1.8 kilograms of formula, with banners at the border warning of HK$500,000 (US$64,000) fines and two-year jail sentences for offenders.
The rising Chinese demand has led to shortages across Europe.
European stores have also begun to limit sales, with German pharmacy chain DM banning customers from buying more than three boxes of Aptamil at a time.
One German exporter posted a picture of empty supermarket shelves online writing: “I counted with the shop manager, there were eight metres of
In Britain, major supermarket chains are reportedly limiting customers to two cans of formula per day at manufacturers’ requests, with Milupa’s par-
ent company Danone saying the move was to prevent bulk-buying for “unofficial exports to China”. A Chinese customer was recently forced out of a branch of a British supermarket after staff said he had bought more than 100 boxes of formula in a single week, according to the 21st Century Business Herald, a Chinese newspaper. In Australia, a major run on Karicare formula reportedly linked to an influx of Chinese tourists over Christmas saw some supermarkets and pharmacies introduce rationing and purchase limits in January. In Germany, a vendor based near Frankfurt echoed others across the country: “It’s becoming much harder to buy milk powder. Last time I went shopping I could only buy 12 boxes, so I’ve stopped trading.” But Shao said the shortages and restrictions would not stop her. “If one supermarket is sold out, I’ll walk to another,” she said. “I do it for the mothers, and for the children. As a mother myself, I know how important milk powder is.”
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April 15-30, 2013 Georgia Asian Times
TECH New digital library brings culture, history online WASHINGTON, April 13, 2013 (AFP) - A new “digital public library” set to launch this month aims to provide an alternative to Google for those looking for American cultural information online. Visitors will be able to view, for example, letters penned by George Washington, a copy of the Declaration of Independence in the handwriting of Thomas Jefferson, and ambrotype and daguerreotype images of Abraham Lincoln. The Digital Public Library of America site dp.la will launch April 18 with more than two million objects -- including digital renderings of photos, books, manuscripts and other items from places such as the Smithsonian Institution, along with museums, libraries and historical institutions around the country. “We are bringing together the richest of America’s archives and museums, and making them easily searchable for teachers, scholars, journalists and others,” said Dan Cohen, the DPLA executive director. Thomas Jefferson’s 1790 letter accepting his appointment as secretary of state to Washington is among the documents. One can find Matthew Brady’s early Lincoln photographs and historical maps of the Americas from the David Rumsey Map Collection. The site created through the impetus of Harvard University’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society is modeled after the Europeana library in Europe and the Australian National Library’s Trove project. Cohen said DPLA can be used as a search portal for researchers, as an alternative to a search engine like
Google because it is a self-contained site with many objects that might not be available by Web search. “I think we are going to have a lot better descriptions that won’t come through in a Google search,” said Cohen. “It will be a far superior experience.” For students as researchers, DPLA can be an alternative to Wikipedia, because the new library will be a primary resource. “Wikipedia is a secondary source, but we are going to have the stuff,” Cohen said. “But I think Wikipedia will be a great partner.” For now, the library is not duplicating the efforts of Google Books -- a project digitizing millions of works which has provoked controversy -- but will “explore models for digital lending of in-copyright materials,” according to the DPLA website. Cohen said DPLA will be “a lot more comprehensive” than Google books, with “the full array of materials including music, photography, all kinds of art and manuscripts.” He said the material will be online “in an open fashion, and not a gated fashion.” Cohen said the site will be mobilefriendly and enable people to use their locations to find information such as “what New York City looked like in the 1840s” or “finding things in your area.” An advantage to the library is that it will include materials which may not be on the Web but “sitting on hard drives” in local museums or historical societies, Cohen said.
“We are knitting together those collections,” he added. Cohen said that in addition to being a portal, the new library will be “a platform that other people will be able to build upon,” particularly software developers and researchers. A joint project with Europeana will tell the story of European emigration to the United States during the 19th and 20th centuries with photographs, manuscripts and other documents. Robert Darnton, the Harvard University librarian and a member of the DPLA steering committee, said the exhibit “inaugurates an alliance that will multiply the benefits of the Internet for generation after generation, everywhere in the world.” Materials for the exhibit come from the Bibliotheque Nationale de France, the National Gallery of Ireland, the
Jewish Museum of London, the Royal Library of the Netherlands, the Saxon State Library and the Norwegian Photo Archives. The project has received funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities and private philanthropies including the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and Knight Foundation. The Digital Public Library is raising funds and is “open to other kinds of partnerships,” Cohen said. Cohen is leaving his position of history professor at George Mason University, saying he will be concentrating on “the greatest digital history project of all time.”
Georgia Asian Times April 15-30, 2013
Page 13
SPORTS
Indonesia’s John retains crown in technical draw JAKARTA, April 15, 2013 (AFP) Undefeated World Boxing Association featherweight champion Chris John of Indonesia Sunday retained his title in a technical draw after a head butt left a deep cut over his right eye.
Bryant suffers ‘probable’ torn Achilles LOS ANGELES, April 12, 2013 (AFP) - Kobe Bryant declared his season over after scoring 34 points before leaving the game with a likely torn Achilles tendon, as the Los Angeles Lakers kept their playoff hopes alive with a 118-116 win over Golden State.
The Lakers still managed to secure the victory at Staples Center arena without Bryant, as Steve Blake made two free throws with 42 seconds remaining before they held off Golden State to stay in the hunt for a postseason spot.
Bryant said he felt a “pop” as he tried to beat Harrison Barnes to the outside with just over three minutes left in the fourth quarter of Friday night’s tight National Basketball Association contest.
With just three games left in the season heading into Friday’s contest, the fifth leading scorer in NBA history had been on a punishing pace trying to carry the Lakers on his back down the stretch.
“I felt like I got kicked. It is a move I make a million times and pop,” Bryant said. “Just a freak situation I guess.”
He tried playing entire quarters Friday without taking a break and it finally caught up to him in the third quarter when he injured his knee and foot on separate plays.
Lakers spokesman John Black said after the game that Bryant had a “probable torn Achilles.” “Bryant will undergo an MRI examination tomorrow to confirm the diagnosis,” Black said. The all-star guard and future Hall of Famer went one further insisting he already knows the extent of the injury and his season is over. “I can’t walk. I tried to put pressure on my heel to see if I can do it that way and there is nothing there,” Bryant said. “I had no Achilles, that is the sensation. MRI, surgery and then recovery.”
But he stayed in the contest until 3:08 in the fourth when he collided with Barnes, drawing a foul. He hobbled to the stripe and sank two free throws to tie the game 109-109 and then limped off the court for the final time and headed straight to the dressing room. “I hate it. I hate it for Kobe. I hate it for LA,” said Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni. D’Antoni said he had reluctantly allowed Bryant to dictate his own minutes in games this season. He said he tried, but couldn’t convince Bryant to take more time off.
The bout with Japan’s Satoshi Hosono at the indoor tennis stadium in Jakarta was stopped by the referee at two minutes and 12 seconds into round three after a head butt by Hosono left John with a bloody gash over his right eye. John, 33, defended his title for the 18th time after a tie was declared. With the latest result, his record stands at 48 wins, three draws and no losses -- putting him within reach of the benchmark set by Mexican great Ricardo Lopez, who retired undefeated with 51 victories.
“I hope to compete again to satisfy my fans in Indonesia,” he added. Sunday’s result left Hosono, ranked sixth in the WBA, with 23 wins, including 17 KOs against two defeats and a draw. In a more exciting bout, Indonesia’s second biggest boxing star Daud Yordan lost his International Boxing Organization featherweight title to underdog Simpiwe Vetyeka from South Africa. They fought neck and neck at a hectic pace until Vetyeka scored a TKO in the 12th and final round after he floored Daud and the referee stopped the fight.
“Honestly, I’m not satisfied with my performance. But I suffered a serious injury that forced me to stop,” he told the stadium packed with cheering Indonesian fans.
“He wouldn’t budge on it. Part of me didn’t want him to budge either,” D’Antoni said Friday. “You can second guess it. He is an incredible player. It happened and we will go forward.
“I can’t be with them out on the floor but I can use my intellect to break down film and help as much as I can from sideline,” Bryant said.
“We made decisions collectively and tried to make the best ones we can. But right now it didn’t turn out great.”
“I never had to deal with something like this. It is a new experience for me.”
The injury comes during Los Angeles’ critical playoff run in which the team currently remains one game ahead of Utah for the eighth and final post-season spot in the Western Conference.
Bryant insists he is going to return from this stronger than ever.
Bryant says the Lakers can still make the playoffs and he feels he can now help the team by taking on a mentor role.
“It is fuelling me. I can feel it already,” he said. “Players at this stage of their careers pop an Achilles and the pundits say they never come back the same. I can hear it now.”
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April 15-30, 2013 Georgia Asian Times
SPORTS Australia savors ‘historic day’ after Scott triumph
SYDNEY, April 15, 2013 - Sportsmad Australia on Monday celebrated Adam Scott’s breakthrough triumph in the Masters, claiming it as an historic moment for the nation and Greg Norman said there were more to come.
Scott, 32, beat Argentina’s Angel Cabrera at the second playoff hole to become the first Australian to win the Masters at Georgia’s Augusta National.
Guan-mania off to slow start in China BEIJING, April 15, 2013 - Chinese golf prodigy Guan Tianlang stunned the world with his historic debut at the Masters, but the 14-year-old’s star is only just beginning to shine in his home country. Despite leaving an indelible mark on the tournament as its youngest ever player and the youngest to make the cut, the schoolboy had a respectable, if not major impact on China’s media and popular Internet chat rooms.
“It’s an encouraging trend in line with China’s general development.” Guan, from the southern province of Guangdong, posted a message on his verified account on Sina Weibo, China’s version of Twitter, on Saturday, thanking his parents and saying he hopes to “continue to create miracles”. The message was re-posted some 1,300 times by 1:00 pm on Monday.
Only a fraction of Chinese sports fans follow golf, which remains a minority sport played largely by the country’s emerging affluent class. Due to the 12hour time difference, the Masters also took place overnight in China.
China’s sporting superstars commonly have several million followers on the popular website, with Olympic champion swimmer Sun Yang attracting some 12 million. Guan currently has 28,000 followers.
While the state-run Global Times carried a prominent story on pages one and two of its English-language edition on Monday, many Chinese-language newspapers instead focused on domestic football and Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix.
But his achievements at the Masters occasionally made it into Weibo’s list of ‘hot topics’ over the weekend.
The Global Times article carried an interview with an academic which highlighted Guan’s training background, which was outside the traditional state-run system which produces most of China’s sporting stars. “Sports enthusiasts can achieve success and fulfilment through different channels, such as sports clubs, college training or even individual training supported by the family,” Ren Hai, a professor at Olympic studies at Beijing Sport University told the newspaper.
Guan carded rounds of 73, 75, 77 and 75 at par-72 Augusta National, without one double-bogey or threeputt, in a performance which earned him resounding praise along with the Silver Cup as the Masters’ best-placed amateur. “I think it will invite more young kids in China to start playing golf and it’s really helpful. I look forward to it,” said the teenager, who has said he will also try to qualify for the US and British Opens.
Norman, who endured Masters heartbreak with three runner-up finishes at Augusta in the 1980-90s and whose influence was hailed by Scott after his triumph, led the tributes and said his victory will help him win more majors. “I have been a huge believer in Adam and I am so proud of him, as is the rest of Australia,” Norman said on his Facebook page. “Adam is a great player and I’m confident this victory will catapult him to win more majors. It will not surprise me if he wins more major championships than any other Australian golfer in history.” Prime Minister Julia Gillard said “by any measure it is an historical day for Australian sport”. “Adam Scott’s triumph at Augusta immediately joins the ranks of the truly great Australian sporting moments,” she said in a statement. Nine months after making bogeys on the last four holes to squander a British Open lead at Royal Lytham and two years after sharing second at the Masters, Scott won his first major title in commanding fashion. Australians gathered around television sets across the country urging on Scott who ended a jinx that saw Australians eight times finish runner-up at the Masters. Sports Minister Kate Lundy called it “fantastic news for not only Adam, but all those who played on Augusta before him and for all those young Australians
who will follow in his path”.
“With golf now an Olympic sport for the 2016 Rio Games, today’s victory will no doubt help to inspire the next generation of Australian golfers,” she said. Geoff Ogilvy, the last Australian to win a major at the 2006 US Open, simply tweeted: “Yes!!! I reckon it’s time for a beer.” Steve Elkington, who was the Australian winner of the 1995 US PGA Championship was also ecstatic, tweeting: “Waltzing Matilda ... Waltzing Matilda ..you’ll go a Waltzing Matilda with me...” Leading golf journalist Martin Blake called Scott’s winning putt one of the standout moments in Australian sport. “Adam Scott goes into the pantheon of Australian sporting greats, right up with (Rod) Laver, (Dawn) Fraser, (Donald) Bradman. (Masters) Hoodoo broken,” he tweeted. Australian golfing administrators were thrilled that their leading player will now enjoy overdue recognition on the world sporting stage. “Throughout his career Adam has been an incredible ambassador for Australian golf and he continues to come home and support the PGA Tour of Australasia year after year,” PGA of Australia chief Brian Thorburn said. “For years he’s carried the weight of expectation and answered countless questions about when his time would come. Finally, it’s here, and I congratulate him on behalf of the entire golf community.” Australians had won all the other majors, but Augusta continued to elude the nation’s golfers until Scott’s breakthrough and figures from other sports hailed his achievement. Formula One driver Mark Webber said years of hard work had paid off for his countryman.
Georgia Asian Times April 15-30, 2013
Page 15
HEALTH WHO urges more effort to beat high blood pressure GENEVA, April 03, 2013 - Individuals and governments need to step up their efforts to battle high blood pressure, which is estimated to affect more than one in three adults aged over 25, the World Health Organization said Wednesday. Around a billion people around the globe suffer from the condition, also known as hypertension, the United Nations health agency said. The condition is one of the most important contributors to heart disease and stroke, which together make up the world’s number one cause of premature death and disability. Researchers estimate that high blood pressure contributes to nearly 9.4 million deaths from cardiovascular disease each year, the WHO said.
In lab, ‘bio-kidney’ offers hope for renal patients PARIS, April 14, 2013 (AFP) - Researchers in the United States on Sunday said they had bio-engineered a kidney and transplanted it into rats, marking a step forward in a quest to help patients suffering from kidney failure. The prototype proves that a “bio-kidney” can work, emulating breakthroughs elsewhere to build replacement structures for livers, hearts and lungs, they said. Described in the journal Nature Medicine, the work entailed taking a rat kidney and stripping out its living cells using a detergent solution, leaving behind a shell made of collagen. The next step was to repopulate this empty structure with living cells, comprising human endothelial cells, which line the walls of blood vessels in the kidney, and kidney cells taken from newborn rats.
The trick was then to “seed” these cells in the correct part of the kidney, using a muscle duct called the ureter as a tube. The team transplanted the organ into living rats from which a kidney had been removed. The new kidney started filtering blood and producing urine through the ureter as soon as the bloody supply was restored, and there was no evidence of bleeding or clots. Further work is needed to fine-tune the cell types to improve organ function, and many hurdles must be overcome before any tests on humans can go ahead, the scientists cautioned.
Harald Ott of the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Regenerative Medicine said the goal was to help the millions of people with kidney failure whose lives are crimped by dialysis. “If this technology can be scaled to human-sized grafts, patients suffering from renal failure who are currently waiting for donor kidneys or who are not transplant candidates could theoretically receive new organs derived from their own cells” to prevent rejection by the immune system, he said.
The researchers stripped cells from pig and human kidneys to test the first phase of the procedure on these organs, but have not taken this further for now.
It also increases the risk of conditions such as kidney failure and blindness. “Our aim today is to make people aware of the need to know their blood pressure, to take high blood pressure seriously, and then to take control,” the WHO’s director general, Margaret Chan, said in a statement. Detecting high blood pressure is the first step in preventing and controlling it, the agency underlined. People can cut the risks by consuming less salt, eating a balanced diet, engaging in regular physical activity, avoiding tobacco use and cutting down on drinking, it said. According to WHO data, the prevalence of hypertension is highest in Africa, where it affects 46 percent of adults, while the lowest prevalence is in the Americas, where 35 percent have it. High-income countries overall have a lower prevalence of hypertension, 35
percent of adults, than their low- and middle-income counterparts, where 40 percent are affected. That difference is thanks to targeted health policies and better access to care, the WHO said.
Indo-Canadian student gives boost to cancer treatment OTTAWA, April 9, 2013 (AFP) - A Canadian high school student has improved an ineffective experimental cancer therapy with a simple tweak -- pairing it with antibiotics -- earning accolades Tuesday from a panel of eminent scientists. Cancer “photothermal therapy” -- or PTT -- involves injecting a patient with gold nanoparticles. These then accumulate in tumors and, when heated using light, attack the cancer cells. The idea has shown promise but is not very effective because the cancer cells fight back, producing heat-shock proteins to protect themselves. India-born high school student Arjun Nair, 16, showed how an antibiotic (17-AAG) may overcome the defenses deployed by cancer cells and make the treatment more effective. The discovery earned Nair the top prize in the 20th Sanofi BioGENEius Challenge Canada, after he spent two years working on his idea at the University of Calgary’s Nanoscience Labs in Alberta.
“Proof-of-concepts were developed and tested in order to demonstrate the viability of PTT,” Nair said in a statement. “Moreover, after analyzing the literature a mathematical model was developed to evaluate a theoretical synergetic treatment.” In an interview, Nair said he began looking into this after his grandmother was diagnosed with cancer. “She suffered a lot through therapy, so I was looking at cancer in general and read a lot about treatments,” he said. At the same time, Nair noticed cancer projects had become staples of science fairs across Canada, and so decided to take on the challenge himself. A total of 208 high school students collaborating on 123 projects, all mentored in professional labs over several months, took part in the annual competition. In addition to a Can$5,000 (US$4,919) award for his discovery, Nair also won a Can$1,000 (US$984) prize for the project
with the greatest commercial potential. “It’s the start of a fantastic research career for this young man,” said Jon Fairest, president of biotech Sanofi Canada after presenting Nair with the awards. More work is needed before Nair’s paired therapy reaches a stage in which it can be commercialized, but he insists that it is a viable cancer treatment option and one that he aims to continue working on. Prizes were also awarded for research into how genetic mutations naturally help some HIV patients escape symptoms, how to tailor stem cell treatments for Parkinson’s disease, a potential new therapy to reduce the severity of diabetes, and a possible novel tactic to fight the world’s deadliest brain cancer.
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April 15-30, 2013 Georgia Asian Times
Misc Asia Psy’s ‘Gentleman’ video reaches 10 mln YouTube hits SEOUL, April 14, 2013 - “Gangnam Style” star Psy’s new music video had been watched more than 10 million times on YouTube less than 24 hours after he unveiled his much-anticipated new dance in Seoul, the website showed Sunday.
Japan races to read new Murakami novel TOKYO, April 12, 2013 (AFP) - Japanese salarymen interrupted their commutes to buy Haruki Murakami’s new novel Friday, as papers and broadcasters raced to give the first review of one of the most eagerly anticipated books of the year.
Breakfast television programs showed journalists who had been at their desks all night reading.
Stores opened early in Tokyo, boasting special stands stacked high with the hardback books, as businessmen, housewives and students rushed to get a copy.
The Asahi Shimbun posted what it called a “super-quick” review on its website at 7:46 am.
But the new novel, “Shikisai wo Motanai Tazaki Tsukuru to Kare no Junrei no Toshi (Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage)”, was unveiled first to a dedicated band of followers at midnight. Readers flocked to Tokyo’s Daikanyama T-Site bookstore, which flung open its doors at exactly 12 am, bringing Murakami into that select band of authors -- including Harry Potter creator JK Rowling -- who can command late night loyalty. Sanseido bookstore temporarily became “Murakami Haruki-do (store)”, installing a new name board to mark the release of the eagerly awaited novel. Fans were told virtually nothing about the book ahead of the release, adding to the mystique of an author who delights in setting riddles for characters and readers alike. A skim reading of the work by an AFP journalist reveals it is the story of a young man struggling with an ordeal in his past, who uses the support offered by a romance to get back on his feet. The mass-circulation Yomiuri Shimbun managed a short article on the 370-page book in its later Friday morning editions.
“It’s gripping,” said one NHK reporter, adding he was mid-way through.
“This is a story about a man who tries to get back into his life again,” the review said. “You see the strength of a person who tries to overcome the feelings of loss and loneliness that he had amassed deep inside of himself,” the Asahi said. By Friday evening, online book reviewer Kazunari Yonemitsu revealed more about the story’s plot including the secret of “colorless Tsukuru Tazaki” and an astonishing development involving a murder. “I don’t think I would be critizised if I say this is the first mystery novel by Murakami,” Yonemitsu wrote. The book’s cover -- featuring American artist Morris Louis’s “Pillar of Fire” -- was also the subject of debate on the micro-blog Twitter.
The South Korean pop star on Saturday performed for the first time the new hip-swinging dance aimed at replicating the global success of “Gangnam Style” and its famed horseriding moves in his latest single called “Gentleman”. The video, released a day after the song hit online stores worldwide, registered 10.7 million hits in the 15 hours after its debut at a packed concert in the South Korean capital as curious fans flocked to the video-sharing site. It shows Psy, wearing his signature sunglasses, dancing at various locations in and around Seoul including a high-end clothing store, restaurant and swimming pool. The story line features the singer teasing and playing practical jokes on women, such as pulling their chairs away as they are about to sit, before meeting his match.
riding dance, that pushed him to global stardom last year after it was posted on YouTube and turned into a viral sensation. A satire on the luxury lifestyle of Seoul’s upscale Gangnam district, it has become the most-watched YouTube video of all time, registering more than 1.5 billion views since it debuted last July. The song topped charts around the world, and inspired a horde of online tributes and parodies, as well as flash mobs of thousands of dancing fans in cities such as Paris and Milan. Reactions to the latest electro-dance song were mixed but video -- showing the quirky singer’s signature selfmocking humor as well as the new hip-swiveling dance -- left more fans impressed. “The beat is quite catchy! I’m sitting here shaking my hips side to side even though i have no idea what he’s saying,” said one Youtube comment.
It was the video of “Gangnam Style”, and in particular Psy’s signature horse-
“Mark my words. This WILL be the second video to make it 1,000,000,000,” said another commentator, while some others said “R.I.P, Harlem Shake,” in reference to another viral hit that swept the world recently.
Hungarian composer Franz Liszt.
makes spaghetti,” he said.
Twitter users praised the author for the excitement he had been able to engender with the book in a nation of people hooked on smart phones and video games.
Murakami’s last work, the three-part “1Q84”, baffled and delighted readers with its parallel universes in which the lives of a female murderer and a male novelist intertwine.
Ryosuke Kawai, 26, who was one of the first to get his copy at the midnight event said he had been caught off guard by its colorful stripes.
But there was also something of a backlash against the secrecy, dismissed as little more than a marketing ploy for an author whose works often revolve around alienation and character quirks.
“The title says ‘colorless’. What does this illustration mean? I cannot wait to read it,” he said excitedly.
One Twitter user complained that even without reading the book he knew what it would be about.
Some observers had speculated the title may be a deliberate echo of a collection of piano pieces called “Years of Pilgrimage” by
“I know the story already. It’s about a man who is smart but lonely without friends but somehow attracts women and
“1Q84”, which can be read as “1984” in Japanese -- a deliberate nod to George Orwell’s dystopian tale -- proved a worldwide phenomenon, with the last installment published in Japanese three years ago. Murakami’s novels, which have drawn international acclaim and been translated into around 40 languages, include “Norwegian Wood”, “Kafka on the Shore” and “The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle”.
Georgia Asian Times April 15-30, 2013
Page 17
Misc Asia Harlem Shake meme hits Japan bathhouse and shrine TOKYO, April 14, 2013 (AFP) - Japanese exhibitionists took the Harlem Shake into a bathhouse and a centuries old shrine on Sunday as they brought the YouTube phenomenon to Tokyo. Even as the meme appeared to be all but played out elsewhere on the Internet, dozens of people came to show off their gyrating and humping. Following the familiar format, several men -- all covering their modesty -- are seen scrubbing themselves in a traditional communal bathhouse, ignoring the man with a loincloth who emerges from the water to perform solo. Suddenly the music kicks in and -- with a simple edit -- the entire room is wearing outlandish costumes and grinding in time to the beat.
The group of men and women then moved on to repeat the exercise at Akasaka Hikawa Jinja, a Shinto sanctuary in the Japanese capital. “This is a phenomenon that is going viral abroad, and we wanted to show what we in Japan can offer,” said Keisuke Tanaka, 24, a businessman who helped organize the filming. “We got a good group of attention seekers. I think we are in the groove. We are gunning for 10 million views,” said Tanaka, adding that the group hoped to upload the video within a week. The Harlem Shake meme has been one of the biggest crazes to sweep the Internet this year, with the original low- or no-budget videos uploaded in their thousands by all demographics around the world.
Nepalese presenter sets talk show world record KATHMANDU, April 14, 2013 (AFP) - A Nepalese presenter has set the world record for the longest television talk show by staying on air for 62 hours and 12 minutes, organizers said Sunday. Rabi Lamichhane, a 36-year-old based in the US, returned to Kathmandu to stage the “Lord Buddha Was Born in Nepal” program, which took the Guinness world record late Saturday night. “Our campaign was aimed to spread the message to the world that the Buddha was born in Nepal,” said Anil Joshi, Chairman of News24, the television station broadcasting the program told AFP, adding that the program promoted tourism destinations such as Mount Everest.
One hundred guests, ranging from former Maoist rebel leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal, to the Indian ambassador to Nepal, to Nepalese television celebrities and common people joined Lamichhane during the program. Lamichhane’s performance broke the record previously held by Pavlo Kuzheyev and Tetiana Danylenko for a 52-hour broadcast to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of Ukraine’s independence in 2011. According to Guinness World Records rules, Lamichhane was allowed five minutes every hour for a break. Organizers said he ate some meals while interviewing guests, banked several of the slots for a longer rest pe-
Police release pair held over Taiwan train scare
TAIPEI, April 15, 2013 (AFP) - Two men arrested over an incident in which two suitcases loaded with petrol were planted on a high-speed train in Taiwan have been released without charge, police said Monday.
The duo, who are brothers identified only by their surname Lai, were arrested at their home in central Taichung city on Sunday but were released early Monday morning after questioning, police said. A police officer, who asked not to be named, said the pair had been ruled out as possible suspects. Interior Minister Lee Hong-yuan said he expected further arrests soon. “My understanding is that police have collected sufficient information on the suspects. The police should be able to catch them soon,” Lee told reporters. The incident happened on Friday when the two unattended suitcases were found
riod and otherwise survived on energy drinks. The show was recorded in the Nepali language with English subtitles from the News24 studio in Kathmandu, and was live-streamed on the channel’s website and several partner websites.
on board a train bound for the capital Taipei, prompting the evacuation of more than 600 passengers. Two other suitcases, also containing petrol, were found in lawmaker Lu Chia-chen’s office in New Taipei city. Lu cited Lee as saying that the two incidents were being treated as connected. After discovering the two suitcases on the train, rail operator Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. evacuated passengers at Taoyuan station near Taipei and police removed the bags for investigation. Officers searched the train for evidence and the platform for Taipei-bound trains was temporarily closed during the removal of the suitcases, the company said. It said it had not received any threats prior to the incident.