Georgia Asian Times March 15-31, 2016

Covering The Multicultural Asian American Community in Georgia

www.gasiantimes.com March 15-31, 2016

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March 15-31, 2016 Georgia Asian Times

Georgia Asian Times March 15-31, 2016

Publisher: Li Wong Account Manager: Adrian West Contributors: Andrian Putra, May Lee, Mark Ho, Helen Nguyen Photographer: Ben Hioe

Tel: 678-971-9388 Advertising: gat@gasiantimes.com Editorial: info@gasiantimes.com URL: www.gasiantimes.com Mailing Address: P.O. Box 4502 Suwanee GA 30024 Copyright Georgia Asian Times 2004-2016

All Rights Reserved: including those to reproduce this printing or parts thereof in any form without permission in writing from Georgia Asian Times. Established in 2004, the Georgia Asian Times is published by Asiamax Inc. All facts, opinions, and statements appearing within this publication are those of writers and editors themseleves, and are in no way to be construed as statements, positions, endorsements by Georgia Asian Times or its officers.

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GAT Calendar of Events GAT welcome submission of announcement pertaining to community related events.

Please email event, date, venue, and time to gat@gasiantimes.com.

GAT does not guarantee insertion of event announcement and has the right to deny any posting.

India and the U.S.: A Defining Partnership of the 21st century Presented by Center for International Business Education and Research and the Center for International Strategy, Technology, and Policy, Georgia Tech Date: Thursday, March 31, 2016 venue: 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm Venue: Scheller College Building-Room 314 For more info: Chris McDErmott at chris.mcdermott@gatech.edu Korean American Scholarship Foundation ~ Spring Concert Date: Sunday, April 3, 2016 Time: 6:00 pm Venue: Korean Community Presvyterian Church of Atlanta 2534 Duluth Highway, Duluth GA 30097 Admission: $20.00 For more info: www.kasf.org Symposium on Asia-USA Partnership Opportunities (SAUPO) Date: Friday, April 22, 2016

Time: 7:00 am - 6:00 pm Venue: Renaissance Atlanta Waverly Hotel, 2450 Cobb Galleria Parkway, Atlanta, GA Registration: $199.00 (early bird by April 1) For more info: www.kennesaw.edu/ saupo/

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March 15-31, 2016 Georgia Asian Times

METRO ASIAN NEWS

United Vietnamese American Community of Georgia seeks unity and new direction for its community Duluth, March 13, 2016 — A newly formed organization named United Vietnamese American Community of Georgia (UVACGA) hold its first town hall reception at a local restaurant. The event also introduces its Board of officers for 2016.

P1060946The mission of the newly formed organization is to unite and to develop mainstream Vietnamese American leaders in politics, government, business through modern education and cultural identity, according to Dr. Hai Ho, Chairman of the organization.

“We are working towards a cultural paradigm shift in developing Vietnamese American leaders in Georgia. With the help of our capable team, we

hope to help build a ‘world-class’ community in the process,” adds Dr. Ho, speaking to Georgia Asian Times at the sideline.

Amongst the UVAC team of officers and Board members are well-known established physicians, lawyers, professionals, engineers, entrepreneurs, and educators.

The newly formed organization plans to hold regular networking leadership events and to partner with other Asian organizations for development.

For more information: visit www.uvacga.org

New Asian Studies Major at Kennesaw State University approved by Board of Regents Atlanta, March 9, 2016 — The governing body of the Georgia’s University System of Georgia approved a new Bachelor of Arts in Asian Studies proposed by Kennesaw State University.

The new Bachelor of Arts in Asian Studies, the only one of its kind in Georgia, will provide career opportunities for students in the global economy. With the university-wide course offerings, the four concentrations in Asian Studies, and Asian language requirement, combined with the current offerings by the Asian Studies Program at Kennesaw State University.

The Bachelor of Arts in Asian Studies at KSU is a 123-credit interdisciplinary undergraduate

degree, which requires students to achieve intermediate proficiency in one Asian language (Chinese, Japanese, Korean or other), to complete study abroad/internship in/about Asia, and to take courses in a career-oriented concentrations: Asian Culture, History and Politics, Asian Business, or Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL).

KSU is planning to start offering the new degree of BA in Asian Studies in Fall 2016.

Georgia Asian Times March 15-31, 2016

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March 15-31, 2016 Georgia Asian Times

BUSINESS Bangladesh heist exposes Philippine dirty money secrets Manila, March 20, 2016 — When mystery hackers launched a stunning raid on Bangladesh’s foreign reserves, a plot worthy of a John le Carre spy novel was sparked in the Philippines, exposing the Southeast Asian nation as a dirty money haven.

The $81 million stolen from the Bangladesh central bank’s American accounts last month was immediately sent via electronic transfer to the Philippines’ RCBC bank, with the thieves deliberately targeting their laundering location.

The Philippines has some of the world’s strictest bank secrecy laws to protect account holders, while its casinos are exempt from rules altogether aimed at preventing money laundering.

“It’s a big operation. This could not have been done out of the Philippines alone,” Senator Ralph Recto said.

Hanoi, March 17, 2016 — The world’s leading mobile phone manufacturer Apple Inc. plans to invest up to US$1 billion to build an Asia-focused database centre in Vietnam, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported citing local media.

Apple products are distributed by its authorized sellers and mobile network operators, such as FPT Shop and MobiFone. About half of the existing Apple products currently in the country are carried into Vietnam via hand luggage.

The Senate inquiry and another probe by the Philippines’ Anti-Money Laundering Council have hit several major hurdles, including a security camera at the bank not working when the money was shifted.

The new facility is scheduled to operate as a Research & Development (R&D) centre of the firm. This will be the first project Apple has ever initiated in Vietnam.

Last year, Apple Inc. spent more than US$8 billion for R&D activities worldwide. This amount is equivalent to three per cent of Apple’s 2015 revenue.

The project is currently still in the planning stage. Apple is considering locations for the facility, possibly in Hanoi, according to baodautu.vn.

Currently, Apple has R&D centers in the US, the UK, China, Taiwan and Israel. Apple is also building a new R & D centre in Japan and is expected to open another in India in June.

inquiry this week into the affair are yet to determine whether she was a scapegoat or not, but are convinced she was not the mastermind.

Accusations and counter-accusations between Deguito and RCBC management have further confused investigators.

‘Money trail’

“The Philippines is very attractive (for dirty money) because our laws have gaping holes. It’s easy to launder money here,” said Senator Sergio Osmena, who is pushing for stronger anti-money laundering laws.

A final roadblock has emerged at the casinos, with the money apparently vanishing in mountains of gambling chips and mysterious middlemen.

Still, if the thieves were to get away with their audacious heist, the money had to be moved quickly through the banking system and into the casinos.

“Our money trail ended at the casinos,” Julia Abad, deputy director of the anti-money laundering council, told senators Tuesday.

And it did.

Authorities took four days to order a recall of the money.

But by then it had vanished — leaving in its place a tale of death threats, bribes, shady business figures and a bank manager who could be the villain or a victim.

“I did not do anything wrong. If this is a nightmare, I want to wake up now,” the manager of RCBC bank, Maia Deguito, told ABS-CBN television this week after authorities stopped her at Manila airport from trying to leave the country.

On February 5, the same day Bangladesh Bank was hacked, the money was sent electronically to four accounts in Deguito’s RCBC branch in the financial capital of Makati, according to testimony to the Senate inquiry.

Those accounts appeared to have been set up solely for that purpose because they were done using aliases, the Senate inquiry heard.

After that, the bulk of the money was transferred into accounts of a local ethnic Chinese businessmen, William Go, who has since protested his innocence. He said his signature was forged to set up the accounts.

“I live everyday in fear.”

With authorities in Bangladesh and elsewhere bamboozled over who masterminded the cyber-heist, Deguito’s role as manager of the bank that accepted and shifted the money has come under intense scrutiny.

She has accused the bank’s president, Lorenzo Tan, of ordering her to move Bangladesh heist exposes Philippine dirty money secrets the money. He has fiercely denied the accusations.

Philippine senators who launched an

Apple to invest $1 Billion in Vietnam data center

From there, the money was briefly held

by Philrem, a foreign exchange brokerage.

Philrem President Salud Bautista told the Senate inquiry $30 million went to a man named Weikang Xu. He was described as a casino junket operator but senators have said they know little more about him other than he is of

Chinese origin.

The anti-money laundering council

The US technology giant hinted at its increasing interest in the Vietnamese market when it established its wholly-owned subsidiary, Apple Vietnam LLC, in Ho Chi Minh City last October.

The firm is headed by Gene Daniel Levoff, Apple Inc’s vice president of corporate law and corporate governance, who is also in charge of Apple’s international operations.

Apple recently announced vacancies for both an iPhone distribution director and iOS retail director in Vietnam, fanning hopes that the US multinational firm will soon open stores in the Southeast Asian country.

said another $29 million ended up in Solaire, a casino on a glittering Manila bayside strip that the Philippines hopes will become one of the world’s biggest gambling destinations.

That money was exchanged into chips but could only be turned back into cash after being played in the casino, its management told the Senate inquiry.

Another $21 million was sent to Eastern Hawaii Leisure, which runs a sparsely furnished casino with Chinese-only television in Santa Ana, a sleepy town in the far northern Philip-

Before Apple, many major global electronics manufacturers built their R&D centers in Vietnam, including Samsung Electronics, Hewlett-Packard, Panasonic, and Nissan Techno.

At present, Samsung Electronics is Apple’s biggest rival in the mobile phone market. Samsung is in the final stages of building an R&D centre in Hanoi for US$300 million.

The new centre will replace Samsung’s existing R&D centre in the PVI Tower in Hanoi.

pines, according to the council.

Senator Osmena said the case was likely just the tip of the iceberg.

“This could have happened hundreds of times already,” he said.

“We discovered this one only because someone complained. But normally, if a drug dealer from Burma (Myanmar) or China would send money here, no one would complain.”

Georgia Asian Times March 15-31, 2016

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March 15-31, 2016 Georgia Asian Times

RECIPE

Galangal: The most basic building block of Southeast Asian cooking Los Angeles, March 21, 2016 — With its gnarled body, fibrous, greenish-pink shoots and coarse, reddish-brown skin, galangal ranks high on my list of peculiar-looking ingredients. Thanks to its sweetly tart and peppery flavor, its piney aroma and the unique tang that it adds to foods, it also snags a top spot on my line-up of favored spices.

Galangal hails from southern China.

Its name, though, originates from an Arabic word adapted from the Chinese phrase “ginger of Kau-liang”; this reputedly was an ancient part of Guangdong, near the South China Sea, where the plant grew. By the ninth century, galangal was a popular spice in the Middle East, which is how it garnered its Arabic moniker. Obviously, it had hit its stride even earlier in China.

A member of the ginger family, galangal possesses hard, moist, yellowish flesh that’s reminiscent of ginger in texture. Like its fellow rhizome, it’s used in fresh, dried and powdered forms. Unlike ginger, dried galangal is employed only as a last resort, when fresh isn’t available. Fortunately, if you can’t track down a fresh chunk in the produce aisle, you can find jars of sliced or minced galangal in the Asian section of many supermarkets.

I first came across fresh galangal at the Ben Thành market in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. There, baskets of the crooked, mauve-tinged stems were on offer at virtually every produce stand.

Had I been traveling solo, I might have written off these odd-looking nubs as plant cuttings or compostable vegetable scraps and thought nothing further of them. Thankfully, my Vietnamese stepfather-in-law, who had accompanied me to the bustling market, filled me in on the exotic edibles.

Galangal a staple in many Asian cuisines Galangal, he explained, was not just the start of a flowering plant but also a spicy, citrusy seasoning utilized by Vietnamese cooks. After peeling and thinly slicing it, they add it to stir fries and soups.

In addition to its use in Vietnamese cooking, galangal appears in Cambodian, Thai, Indonesian, Malaysian, Southern Chinese and South Indian cuisines. In Cambodia it plays a major role in the herb paste known as kroeung. A distinctly Cambodian condiment, kroeung consists of fresh lemongrass, galangal, turmeric, kaffir lime leaves and garlic. After pounding the ingredients together with a mortar and pestle, cooks spice up curries, soups, stews and the steamed fish dish known as amok tre with this chunky, fragrant paste.

In Indonesia, cooks include it in nasi goreng, or fried rice with meat and vegetables, the fiery meat dish rendang and Javanese curries. Thai cooks feature it in tom kha gai, a velvety soup of chicken, galangal, chillies and coconut milk.

This piquant spice goes well with a variety of foods, including beef, chicken, pork, seafood, chilli peppers, cilantro, coconut milk, garlic, lemongrass, lime, Chinese long beans and rice. It adds zing to salads and baked goods as well as to the aforementioned soups, stir fries and curries.

In South-east Asia, galangal goes by many different names. Blue, Laos, Thai and Siamese ginger as well as the Malay term lengkuas all refer to galangal.

Keep this in mind the next time that you read over the ingredient list for a South-east Asian recipe.

1 teaspoon ground turmeric 2 teaspoons firmly packed brown sugar 1 tablespoon fish sauce 1 tablespoon lime juice ½ cup coconut milk 2 pounds (16 to 20 count) shrimp, defrosted and peeled 2 limes, quartered, for serving Directions

Likewise, when shopping at your local Asian market or specialty grocery store, you should take a few things into consideration. When selecting fresh galangal, look for plump flesh and smooth, firm skin. Avoid shrivelled, damaged or mouldy skin. Choose a young, pinkish root; it will be more tender and manageable. Galangal is, by nature, tough and requires a sharp knife for cutting.

Once you’ve picked your produce, take it home and place it in a plastic bag before refrigerating. The plastic will ensure that it doesn’t dry out. Galangal will keep in the refrigerator for up to one week. It can also be slipped into a plastic, resealable bag and stored in the freezer.

Tart ‘n’ Spicy Shrimp Skewers Serves 4 Ingredients: 1-inch piece galangal, peeled and minced (about 2 tablespoons) 2 red chilli peppers, de-seeded and chopped 2 shallots, chopped

1. Using a mortar and pestle, mash the galangal, chillies, shallots, garlic, salt, turmeric and brown sugar until a thick paste forms. Spoon the paste into a large bowl.

2. Add the fish sauce, lime juice and coconut milk and whisk together until well-combined.

3. Add the shrimp to the marinade and toss until coated completely. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for a minimum of two hours and maximum of six hours.

4. When you’re ready to cook the shrimp, preheat a charcoal or gas grill on medium-high.

5. Shake the excess marinade off the shrimp and thread them onto metal or bamboo skewers. (Note: If using bamboo skewers, you will need to soak them in water for 30 minutes before skewering the shrimp.)

6. Place a lightly oiled sheet of foil on the grill and lay the shrimp skewers on top of it. Grill the shrimp on one side for 2 minutes. Flip over the skewers and grill on the other side for an additional 2 to 3 minutes, until the shrimp have turned coral in color.

5 garlic cloves, chopped 7. Serve hot with wedges of lime. ½ teaspoon salt

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EVENT

March 15-31, 2016 Georgia Asian Times

Ambassador Jose Cuisia, Jr farewell reception hosted by PACCGA March 8, 2016

Ambassador Cuisia delivers his remark at the farewell reception.

Five times World heavyweight Champ Evander Holyfield and Honorary Consul General of the Philippines Ray Donato.

Georgia Asian Times March 15-31, 2016

Event

United Vietnamese Community of Georgia - Installation of Board & Officers March 12, 2016 I Luv Bowling

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Georgia Asian Times March 15-31, 2016

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Fashion

Chanel adds its quilted motif to “Les Eternelles” watches Paris, March 14, 2016 — For the second consecutive year, the French luxury label has unveiled new watches for the “Les Éternelles de Chanel” high jewellery collection ahead of the Baselworld watch and jewelery fair, which runs March 17 to 24 in Basel, Switzerland. The two 2016 additions are inspired by the brand’s iconic quilting.

Like the “Signature de Chanel” high jewelery collection, presented at the end of January, these two new “Éternelles de Chanel” watches are inspired by the emblematic quilted motif that’s become a trademark of the French fashion house. Chanel’s famous quilting, inspired by the equestrian world, was first seen on the “2.55” handbag, before being brought to a host of the brand’s accessories and designs. Today, quilting has become an integral part of Chanel’s brand identity.

Chanel’s high jewelery studio has designed two couture-inspired watch-

es, matching squares of diamonds in quilted-style patterns with high-end watch-making techniques.

The “Signature Diamond Secret Watch” is a graphic-style cuff in 18-karat white gold with a quilted motif finished with round diamonds plus 16 triangular diamonds cut to measure on the setting. A 5.26-karat briolette diamond takes pride of place in the centre of the watch. This lifts up with a simple press to reveal a round watch dial with hours and minutes functions.

The other new model in store for Baselworld is the “Signature Morganite Secret Watch,” a supple 18-karat white gold cuff with a quilted motif of rounded squares set with glistening diamonds. Here, the dial is hidden behind a 43.66-karat pink morganite pyramid.

The Baselworld watch and jewelery show runs March 17 to 24, 2016, in Basel, Switzerland.

Nike’s introduces self-tying shoe New York, March 17, 2016 — US sporting goods giant Nike unveiled yesterday its first shoe that ties itself, the HyperAdapt 1.0, which will go on sale at the end of 2016.

Sensors at the heel level activate the lacing when a foot slips into the shoe.

Two buttons on the side of the shoe can be pressed to loosen or tighten the lacing.

Nike calls the feature “adaptive lacing.” Nike’s star designer Tinker Hatfield said at the New York presentation that the company is working on other innovations that will provide automatic adjustments.

Nike launched in 2015 a limited-edition shoe with so-called “power laces” that adapt to the wearer’s motion, the

Nike Mag, inspired by the film Back to the Future, Part II. It will only be available via auction this year, with all proceeds going to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, a non-profit launched by the actor who played Marty McFly in the movie.

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March 15-31, 2016

Georgia Asian Times

LIFESTYLE

Fashion scouts taking Japan’s underground labels global Tokyo, March 17, 2016 — Far from the flashbulbs of Tokyo fashion week, Yoshio Yokobori is juggling multiple roles — talent scout, cultural interpreter, dealmaker — in a quest to help foreign buyers navigate a labyrinthine design landscape and access Japan’s most exciting underground labels.

Although Tokyo’s streets offer up a wealth of inspiration for global trend spotters, Japanese designers have struggled to make a dent abroad in recent years to follow in the hallowed footsteps of influential and successful designers such as Issey Miyake and Yohji Yamamoto.

And while local labels continue to earn respect for their quality, technical skill and creative design, many fail to translate that reputation into global sales.

It’s a problem industry insider Yokobori knows well.

“If someone running a store in Singapore, for example, wants to place an order with a Japanese designer, it is impossible,” Yokobori said.

“The designers don’t speak English, they often can’t write an invoice or make decisions quickly... and many have no knowledge of overseas markets or why they matter,” he told AFP on the sidelines of fashion week.

A booming domestic market once meant Japanese labels had little reason to ponder global expansion.

But chronically low birth rates have resulted in a decline in local consumption, prompting the fashion fraternity to begin looking outward for future customers.

The lull has seen Tokyo government officials and the Japan External Trade Organization sponsor visits by fashion buyers from leading concept stores, including Colette in Paris and Andreas Murkudis in Berlin, in a bid to stir up business overseas.

Secrecy rules For those designers willing to dive into unfamiliar waters, consultants like Yokobori can mean the difference between sink or swim, thanks to a Rolodex packed with contacts and an insight into what makes Japanese brands tick overseas.

The 37-year-old, whose responsibilities cover everything from brokering business deals to ensuring that designers file invoices and answer store-owners’ emails on time, works in six countries on a punishing schedule that saw him take 117 flights last year.

He launched his company a decade ago, intending to work as a domestic distributor for Japanese brands, but later realised that economic opportunities lay elsewhere — in countries with consumers hungry for fashion and branded goods.

While Yokobori works with stores based in China, Singapore, Indonesia and other Asian countries, veteran

fashion consultant and journalist Masahiro Kubo takes Japanese brands to Paris, hosting pop-up shops and running a fashion news website called “Journal Cubocci”.

A founder of Tokyo’s International Fashion Fair, a trade show which attracted around 15,000 visitors last year, Kubo worked as Paris bureau chief for Japan’s top fashion daily, Senken Shimbun, before setting up a consultancy.

“The most satisfying part of the job for me is incubating a small brand and watching it grow,” he said.

Local labels such as DISCOVERED and divka, the latter a former client of Yokobori, are now stocked in leading boutiques across the US and Asia, signaling that a shift is underway, as well as success for the consultants working behind the scenes.

Neither Kubo nor Yokobori were willing to reveal details of who they represent, citing non-disclosure agreements with stores.

For fashion hunter Yokobori, who spent his teenage years working several part-time jobs in order to afford T-shirts sold at cutting-edge boutiques in Tokyo’s vibrant Harajuku neighborhood, business is on the up.

Furthermore, in a business focused on finding underground labels, maintaining an air of secrecy is seen as the key to exclusivity.

“When I started working with overseas clients, I worked with just one store my first year, so we have experienced a big increase,” he said.

“My priority is to find brands that people haven’t heard of yet,” said Kubo.

“Japanese fashion designers have to go outside (Japan)... but many don’t bother. That needs to change.”

Georgia Asian Times March 15-31, 2016

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SPORTS Fifa announces new sponsorship deal, says more on the way Zurich, March 19 — Fifa president Gianni Infantino sa, 2016id a wind of change was blowing through soccer’s scandal-plagued world governing body after announcing a sponsorship deal with China’s Wanda Group today.

Fifa has been battered by a series of scandals and the deal, which runs until 2030 and includes the next four World Cups, came one day after the Swissbased federation announced a US$122 million loss for 2015, its first deficit since 2002.

Dortmund v Liverpool draw nightmare for Klopp

The deal could help Infantino, elected last month to replace the disgraced Sepp Blatter, fulfil ambitious promises of greater funding for Fifa’s 209 member associations which he made during his campaign.

first leg on April 7 before hosting the return match at Anfield seven days later.

Fifa has been thrown into turmoil in the last year with criminal investigations underway into the sport in the United States, where several dozen former soccer officials have been indicted, and Switzerland.

Sevilla, bidding to win the trophy for the third successive season, will tackle La Liga rivals Athletic Bilbao while Villarreal take on Sparta Prague and Braga face Shakhtar Donetsk.

It is 50 years since the two teams met in the final of the now-defunct European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1966, Dortmund winning 2-1.

Blatter has been banned by the federation’s own ethics committee for six years after being engulfed by the scandal.

The Germans reached the last eight by defeating another English club, Tottenham Hotspur, in the last 16.

After Liverpool knocked out bitter rivals Manchester United yesterday, Klopp told reporters: “I hope we don’t get Dortmund.”

Sevilla have won their last two La Liga fixtures against Bilbao 2-0 but the teams have never met before in European competition.

“I cannot change the past but I can influence the future and make sure we will face all the challenges,” said Infantino after chairing his first executive committee meeting.

The charismatic German spent seven seasons at Dortmund, leading them to two Bundesliga titles, German Cup glory and the 2013 Champions League final where they lost to Bayern Munich.

Villarreal and Sparta have also never been drawn together before while Ukrainians Shakhtar, who won the Uefa Cup in 2009, beat Braga of Portugal twice in the group stage of the 2010-11Champions League. — Reuters

ZURICH, March 18 — Juergen Klopp’s Europa League nightmare came to pass today when his Liverpool side were drawn to meet his former club Borussia Dortmund in next month’s quarter-finals.

“He comes back!” said Dortmund playmaker Ilkay Guendogan on Twitter after hearing news of the draw.

Liverpool, without a major trophy since they lifted the League Cup in 2012, will travel to Germany for the

Wanda Group, China’s largest commercial property company, last year bought a 20 percent stake in Spanish club Atletico Madrid and Blatter’s nephew Philippe Blatter is chief executive of its subsidiary Wanda Sports Holding.

A source close to the deal said the sponsorship amount by Wanda will be “hundreds of millions of dollars”.

Wanda, who also bought Swiss sports marketing company Infront Sports & Media AG last year, said it will hold a press conference on Mon-

day to give more details on the deal.

“I’m very aware of the potential situations that can exist when you have partners who may have subsidiaries, who have other commercial relationships as well,” said Infantino.

“In these circumstances, it’s even more important to do the right thing and to make sure that the contracts that you sign are really checked and we make sure that they are compliant with the highest standard.”

On Tuesday, Fifa applied to United States authorities for tens of millions of dollars in compensation from ex-officials indicted there, a move Infantino said marked a change in attitude.

“Fifa is moving from the defence to the attack and it must be clear to everyone who abuses Fifa and abuses football to enrich themselves that they will not only be excluded from football but you will have to give the money back,” said Infantino.

Fifa has struggled to find new sponsors since the current crisis erupted in May and has failed to replace top-tier partners Sony and Emirates after their deals expired at the end of 2014.

Despite its recent troubles, Fifa on Thursday revised its forecast revenue for the 2015-18 cycle upwards from US$5 billion to US$5.65 billion.

Fifa sources have said the federation faces a shortfall of about US$500 million in its predictions if it fails to reach the targets set for sponsorship revenue.

“I have to say that the wind has changed now,” Infantino said. “The relationship with the partners is one of my key priorities.

“I will restore the trust in Fifa and this means we will attract new partners, new sponsors and there will be some more positive news to announce in the coming weeks in this respect.”

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March 15-31, 2016 Georgia Asian Times

SPORTS Formula One coming back bigger and busier than ever London, March 14, 2016 — More races, more teams, a trio of rookies and more complicated new rules, Formula One roars back to life with a fresh coat of paint in Melbourne next weekend, but facing many familiar problems and questions. williams_f1First among them is the unknown level of motivation that defending three-time world champion Lewis Hamilton will take into the 2016 season as he seeks a hat-trick of successive title triumphs with the all-conquering Mercedes team.

Hamilton, champion in 2008, 2014 and 2015, appeared to lose his “mojo” at the end of last year once he had clinched the title with three races to go and that allowed his teammate Nico Rosberg to seize the momentum going into the European winter.

Pre-season testing in Spain has given few clues on how the Briton and the German will size up when they race in earnest for the first time at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on March 20 and, beyond that, it is virtually impossible what may lie ahead.

While Mercedes delivered impressive reliability and endurance, as well as solid speed and performance, at the two weeks of testing in Spain, Ferrari were faster with both four-time champion Sebastian Vettel and his team-mate Kimi Raikkonen topping the times.

That suggests much of the same this year with Ferrari closing the gap and Vettel, in his second season with the scarlet scuderia, mounting a more serious challenge to the pace-setting Mercedes outfit.

For the champions, the main problem may be in managing the relationship between their globe-trotting superstar champion, who may be distracted, and his frustrated, but wholly committed, team-mate as Ferrari close in.

Behind them, the unchanged Wil-

liams and Red Bull teams are likely leaders of the chasing pack while the field will welcome the arrival of the new Haas team, the first American outfit to race in F1 in three decades.

With Dallara chassis and Ferrari power-units, and with Frenchman Romain Grosjean as lead driver alongside Mexican Esteban Gutierrez, they are aiming to make a solid mid-field start and may upset the returning Renault squad, following their take-over of Lotus.

It will also be intriguing to see if the McLaren-Honda team, which experienced a deeply disappointing 2015 season, continues to struggle — a story that could lead to tensions as two-time champion Fernando Alonso and the 2009 champion Jenson Button lose patience.

Renault’s return has ushered in team changes including the departure of Grosjean and the arrival of British newcomer Jolyon Palmer while Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado has been replaced by Dane Kevin Magnussen.

Haryanto, backed by significant Indonesian sponsorship, has captured his country’s imagination already and will further establish F1 in Southeast Asia.

March 20: Australia (Melbourne) April 3: Bahrain (Sakhir)

The calendar has expanded to an unprecedented 21 events, including a first visit to a new street circuit at Baku in Azerbaijan where the European Grand Prix will be held in June.

April 17: China (Shanghai)

This event and the return of the German Grand Prix have been added to last year’s 19 races to create a demanding schedule.

May 29: Monaco (Monte Carlo)

May 1: Russia (Sochi) May 15: Spain (Barcelona)

June 12: Canada (Montreal) June 19: Europe (Baku, Azerbaijan)

While this will exhaust many people involved, it has given F1’s “sports tourist fans” a wider range of races to choose from in a season that will see a range of minor technical changes.

July 3: Austria (Spielberg) July 10: Britain (Silverstone) July 24: Hungary (Hungaroring)

Alterations to the exhaust systems are expected to make the engines sound louder — after widespread complaints orchestrated by the sport’s commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone — and new tyre rules have given the teams a wider choice of Pirelli rubber.

July 31: Germany (Hockenheim) Aug 28: Belgium (Spa-Francorchamps) Sept 4: Italy (Monza) Sept 18: Singapore (Singapore)

Renault’s return also means that their engines continue to be used though in 2016 with the aid of performance tweaking from Ilmor Engineering.

For Red Bull, the power units are being badged by Tag-Heuer while their “siblings” Toro Rosso, with an unchanged driver line-up, have switched from Renault to Ferrari power.

The other two rookies will be the Manor Racing pairing of German prodigy Pascal Wehrlein and Indonesia’s first F1 driver Rio Haryanto in a Mercedes-powered team that is intent on making serious progress from the back.

Following the departures of team bosses John Booth and Graeme Lowdon, Manor have recruited former McLaren manager Dave Ryan and former Ferrari technical staff Pat Fry and Nikolas Tombazis.

This allows for three dry compounds for each driver, instead of two, and will usher in more variations in strategy, tactics and pit-stops. A new “ultrasoft” tyre for street tracks is also being introduced.

Qualifying sessions are also changing with the use of an elimination system that will see a driver knocked out every 90 seconds in each of the three qualifying segments, Q1, Q2 and Q3.

It guarantees that only two cars will be left on track in the final minutes of Q3 — and that the front row of the grid is decided when the chequered flag drops and not in the minutes afterwards as in previous years.

Like many other changes, it is cosmetic and will not hide a likely ongoing debate within the sport about its future shape and structure.

Formula One race schedule for 2016

Oct 2: Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) Oct 9: Japan (Suzuka) Oct 23: United States (Austin) Oct 30: Mexico (Mexico City) Nov 13: Brazil (Sao Paulo) Nov 27: Abu Dhabi (Yas Marina) Note: The German Grand Prix makes its return after last year’s absence with for the first time a new venue in Baku which stages the European Grand Prix on June 19.

The United States Grand Prix on October 23 got the green light last week after financial doubts were resolved.

Georgia Asian Times March 15-31, 2016

Page 15

HEALTH Experimental blood test may find multiple diseases Miami, March 15 — An experimental blood test may one day be able to detect a range of diseases including cancer and multiple sclerosis, based on signatures of DNA from dying cells, researchers said yesterday.

The work, described in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a peer-reviewed US journal, is still in its early stages, but opens up vast possibilities, the study authors said.

“We view this is as a breakthrough with huge potential, but it will not be realised very soon,” said co-author Yuval Dor, a professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

“We are working hard on this but this is far from clinical use,” Dor said in an email So far, the method has been tested on 320 patients and controls, and has shown success in finding diseases such as pancreatic cancer, pancreatitis, diabetes, traumatic brain injury and multiple sclerosis.

When cells die, it can mean a disease is just beginning to take hold in the body — perhaps a tumor is forming, or an autoimmune or neurodegenerative illness.

Scientists have already known for some time that dying cells release fragmented DNA into the circulating blood.

The new method can identify a unique chemical modification called methylation.

These methylation patterns reveal the specific identity of cells.

“Our work demonstrates that the tissue origins of circulating DNA can be measured in humans,” said co-author Ruth Shemer of the Hebrew University.

“This represents a new method for sensitive detection of cell death in specific tissues, and an exciting approach for diagnostic medicine,” she said.

Researchers stressed that far more

work is needed before the test can be brought to the public.

Also, the range of diseases that can be detected is small, so far.

And it remains unclear how much the testing might cost. Dor said the technology is based on next-generation DNA sequencing, which is becoming less expensive every year.

“I expect the cost will not be a major factor,” Dor said.

“There are still technical improvements needed, and more testing on larger populations, in particular in a setting that can actually predict disease.” — Reuters

Half of Americans’ calories come from “ultra-processed” foods New York, March 14, 2016 — More than half of the average American diet is composed of so-called ultra-processed foods, a new study finds.

And these foods make up 90 per cent of the excess sugar calories that Americans consume, the researchers reported.

Ultra-processed foods are concoctions of several ingredients, including salt, sugar, oils and fats. They also contain chemicals not generally used in cooking, such as flavourings, emulsifiers and other additives designed to mimic real foods, the researchers said.

“Decreasing the consumption of ultra-processed foods may be an effective way of reducing the excessive added sugar intake in the US,” said lead researcher Euridice Martinez Steele.

She’s from the department of nutrition in the School of Public Health at the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil.

Ultra-processed foods include sodas, sweet or savory packaged snacks, candy and desserts, packaged baked goods, instant noodles and soups, and reconstituted meat products, such as chicken and fish nuggets, she said.

By contrast, “processed” foods are

foods made with added salt, sugar or other substances normally used in food to unprocessed or minimally processed foods, such as canned foods or simple breads and cheese, the study authors said.

The researchers reviewed information from more than 9,000 people.

They all took part in the 2009-10 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Study volunteers provided information about their diets.

Too much sugar increases the risk for weight gain, obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and tooth decay, Steele said.

The researchers found that added sugars make up more than one in five calories in the average ultra-processed food product. That’s as much as eight times higher than the calories from added sugars found in other foods, Steele said.

“There is one relatively simple way to avoid excessive added sugar — not replacing real food, such as minimally processed foods and freshly-prepared dishes and meals, with ultra-processed food and drink products,” she said.

In other words, drink water, pasteurised fresh milk and freshly squeezed fruit juices. And, don’t drink soft drinks, sweetened milk drinks and reconstituted, flavoured fruit juices.

People should avoid products that don’t require preparation, such as packaged soups, instant noodles, prepared frozen dishes and sandwiches, cold cuts and sausages, ready-to-eat sauces and cake mixes, Steele said.

The report was published online March 9 in the journal BMJ Open.

The recommended upper limit of calories from sugar is 10 per cent of daily calories, the researchers noted. In people who ate the most ultra-processed food, more than 80 per cent exceeded the upper limit of sugar.

Only people who ate the least ultra-processed foods had below the recommended levels of sugar, the researchers said.

“What many consumers do not realise is that added sugars come in many forms in many highly processed foods that include desserts and sweets, but that also include foods like sausages, cereal bars, ketchup, French fries, salad dressings and frozen pizzas,” said Samantha Heller. She’s a senior clini-

cal nutritionist at New York University Medical Centre in New York City.

This survey highlights the extraordinary amount of ultra-processed foods in the American diet, and the over-thetop amount of sugar and salt and fat found in these foods, she said.

One serving of a frozen French bread pizza contains 830 milligrammes of salt, four different kinds of added sugars, trans fats and 21 grammes of total fat, Heller pointed out.

“Another, more nefarious and insidious problem lurks in these foods as well,” she said. “Ultra-processed foods are chemically designed by the food companies to induce cravings for those foods, and sugar, fat and sodium are a big part of those formulas.”

The only way to break the chemical food cravings, and slash the intake of chemicals, calories, added sugars, fat and sodium, is to make more food at home from scratch, Heller said.

“If you made your own homemade French bread vegetable pizza, which would not take much time, you would use about 15 unprocessed or minimally processed ingredients, compared with the more than 60 ultra-processed

Page 16

March 15-31, 2016 Georgia Asian Times

Misc Asia

Taiwan president-elect unveil new cabinet and Premier Taipei, March 15, 2016 — Taiwan president-elect Tsai Ing-wen pledged on Tuesday her first cabinet would focus on the economic and financial issues, but avoided discussing China following a barrage of warnings directed at her by Beijing over the past week or so.

Tsai, from the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), was elected by a landslide in January but does not assume office until May. She formally announced former finance minister Lin Chuan as her premier, describing him as a good choice.

“I assure you that Lin’s cabinet will not only be a financial and economic cabinet, but also a cabinet with execution and communication ability,” she told reporters.

She left soon afterwards without taking questions from the media and made no mention of China during her formal remarks.

Tsai’s election came at a tricky time for Taiwan’s export-dependent economy, which barely emerged from recession in the fourth quarter. China, with which her DPP has an uneasy relationship, is Taiwan’s top trading partner and Taiwan’s favorite investment destination.

China considers self-ruled Taiwan a wayward province, to be brought under its control by force if necessary. Defeated Nationalist forces fled to Taiwan in 1949 after the Chinese civil war.

Beijing has repeatedly warned against any moves towards indepen-

dence since wins by Tsai and her DPP in presidential and parliamentary elections.

Top officials and leaders have lined up to offer warnings to the proudly democratic island since China’s annual meeting of parliament began earlier this month.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said last week China would never allow the historical tragedy of Taiwan being “split” off from the rest of the country to happen again, warning the island against any moves towards formal independence.

Japan ruled Taiwan as a colony for about five decades until the end of World War Two. China’s last dynasty, the Qing, had ceded Taiwan to Japan

in 1895 after losing the first Sino-Japanese war.

Tsai has said she would maintain peace with China, and Chinese staterun media have also noted her pledges to maintain the “status quo” with China.

– Reuters (Reporting by Faith Hung; Editing by Ben Blanchard and Paul Tait)

Georgia Asian Times March 15-31, 2016

Page 17

Misc Asia

Civilian president elected in Myanmar’s historic vote Naypydaw, March 15 — Myanmar’s lawmakers today elected a close aide and longtime friend of Aung San Suu Kyi to become the country’s first civilian president in decades, a historic moment for the formerly junta-run nation.

Htin_KyawHtin Kyaw, 69, hailed his elevation to the top post as “Suu Kyi’s victory”, a clear nod to her plan for him to serve as a proxy for the Nobel laureate who is constitutionally barred from becoming president.

MPs erupted into applause after victory was announced following a lengthy ballot count by hand in the capital Naypyidaw in which Htin Kyaw took 360 of 652 votes cast.

Myanmar is in the grip of a stunning transformation from an isolated and repressed pariah state to a rapidly opening aspiring democracy.

Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy won a thumping victory at the polls in November, allowing her party to dominate Myanmar’s two legislative houses.

But the military remains a powerful force in the Southeast Asian nation and has refused to change a clause in the junta-era constitution that bars Suu Kyi from top political office.

The veteran activist has instead vowed to rule “above” the next leader.

Her choice of Htin Kyaw to act in her place is seen as a testament to her absolute faith in his loyalty.

figure in the decades-long democracy struggle.

“This is sister Aung San Suu Kyi’s victory,” the newly elected president told reporters after the vote. “Thank you.”

Her party’s huge election victory was seen as a further endorsement of her political star power, as millions were swept to polling stations by the NLD’s simple message of change.

Many challenges Htin Kyaw will take office on 1 April, replacing incumbent Thein Sein’s five years of army-backed quasi-civilian leadership that has been lauded for steering the nation out from the shadow of outright military rule.

The two other candidates who were also running in today’s election will now become the country’s joint vice presidents.

They are retired general Myint Swe, an army-backed candidate who remains on Washington’s sanctions list and won 213 votes, and ethnic Chin MP Henry Van Thio, who gathered 79 votes.

Most of Myint Swe’s votes came from the army’s parliamentary bloc, which is reserved a quarter of seats in parliament, and from military-backed parties.

Suu Kyi, 70, has unrivalled popularity both as the daughter of the country’s independence hero and as a central

But the military still retains significant power, including control of the vital home, defence and border ministries.

Months of negotiations with army chief Min Aung Hlaing failed to remove the obstacles blocking Suu Kyi from power.

It is not yet clear what role she plans to take or how she will manage her relationship with the new president.

While little known outside Myanmar, Htin Kyaw, commands considerable respect inside the country, partly because his father was a legendary writer and early member of the NLD. Chosen on He is married to sitting NLD MP Su Su Lwin, whose late father was the party’s respected spokesman, and he helps run Suu Kyi’s charitable foundation.

Though he has never stood for political office himself, Suu Kyi’s seal of

approval appears to have ingratiated the president-in-waiting to her numerous supporters.

“He was chosen by Mother Suu. Now he is our president. He will be a good president because he has been working with Mother Suu for many years,” said Daw Mya, 60, a vegetable vendor in Yangon, where crowds gathered in teashops to watch the vote on television.

A new cabinet, set to be announced at the end of the month, is expected to include figures from across the political spectrum as Suu Kyi looks to promote national reconciliation.

It will swiftly set about facing the country’s many challenges, including poverty, civil wars in ethnic minority borderlands and decrepit infrastructure.

Senior party figures say one of the government’s first tasks will be to whittle down myriad ministries by combining overlapping portfolios.

The military’s choice of Myint Swe, seen as a hardliner and close ally of former junta leader Than Shwe, however is proving controversial in a nation still smarting from half a century of army dominance.

Page 18

March 15-31, 2016 Georgia Asian Times

TECH

Sony to release PlayStation virtual reality gear in October San Francisco, March 16, 2016 - Sony said it plans to make virtual reality mainstream with the October release of PlayStation VR headgear priced at US$399.

“Virtual reality represents a new frontier for gaming; one that will forever change the way users interact with games,” Sony Computer Entertainment chief executive Andrew House said during a press event here.

“PlayStation will be leading the charge...and is best placed to bring virtual reality to the mainstream.”

Sony chose October for the launch of PlayStation VR to allow time for making enough units to meet anticipated demand and to let developers get games ready for the headsets, according to House.

The virtual reality headsets are designed to plug into PlayStation 4 (PS4) consoles.

Sony touted PS4 as its fastest selling console ever, with more than 36 million of them bought since they hit the market in late 2013.

Facebook-owned virtual reality start Oculus is set to begin shipping its Rift headsets later this month.

Oculus has been talking orders for Rift at a price of US$599 and has worked with computer makers to certify machines as powerful enough to handle the technology.

Pre-orders have also been taken on bundles combining Rift with compatible gaming computers starting about US$1,500.

Buying a PS 4 and PlayStation VR would add up to about half that price.

“We are proud of the price point we have been able to achieve,” House said of PlayStation VR.

Nintendo realizes can’t fight the tide, releases smartphone game at last Tokyo, March 17, 2016 — Nintendo today rolled out its first smartphone game after years of refusing to stray from a consoles-only policy as it tries to better compete with rivals.

The Japanese company has struggled as Sony and Microsoft outpaced it in console sales, while the three companies are also fighting off a trend toward cheap — even free — downloadable games for smartphones and other mobile devices.

Kyoto-based Nintendo had been criticised for its longstanding refusal to license some of its iconic brands for use on mobile applications.

Now, free-to-play Miitomo allows players to create their own “Mii” avatars, customise their outfit through in-app purchases and interact with characters created by other people or friends.

Mii avatars also ask questions to players such as “What did you do on the weekend?” and “What is your favourite food?” with the answers shared with other characters.

The release of the smartphone game “is another step forward” for Nintendo to increase the number of people who play games, said a spokesman

The game was only released in Japan initially but will be rolled out in 15 other countries including the United States and France in eight languages this month, he said.

The move comes after the maker of the Super Mario and Pokemon franchises last year announced a tie-up with Tokyo-based mobile gaming company DeNA to develop games for smartphones.

Nintendo also bought a stake in DeNA as part of a deal to develop smartphone games based on its host of popular characters, possibly including Super Mario and Donkey Kong.

Then Nintendo President Satoru Iwata, a leading figure in the videogame industry who died from cancer in July at the age of 55, had said the Nintendo-DeNA tie-up would help tap a new customer base.