Covering The Multicultural Asian American Community in Georgia
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www.gasiantimes.com March 15-31, 2019
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March 15-31, 2019 Georgia Asian Times
Georgia Asian Times March 15-31, 2019
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Mitsubishi Electric Classic Date: April 15-21, 2019 Venue: TPC Sugarloaf For tickets & more info: www.mitsubishielectricclassic.com GAT 25 Most Influential Asian Americans in Georgia Awards Date: Thursday, July 11, 2019 Time: 6:30 pm Venue: Sonesta Gwinnett Place Hong Kong Dragon Boat Atlanta Festival Date: Saturday, Sept 7, 2019 Time: 7:00 am - 6:00 pm Venue: Lake Lanier Olympic Kayak Center For more info: www.dragonboatatlanta.com 2019 JapanFest Date: Sat-Sun, Sept 21-22, 2019 Time: 10:00 am-6:00 pm Venue: Infinite Energy Center For more info: japanfest.org
2019 Atlant Asian Film Festival Date: Oct 11-26, 2019 Venues: multiple venues For more info: www.ATLaff.org
Contact: Jennifer Rose and Rose Pak ATLANTA • 770.457.8118 iig-insurance.com
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March 15-31, 2019 Georgia Asian Times
METRO ASIAN NEWS $35 million drugs, guns, vehicles and cash confiscated in massive drug bust in Gwinnett Duluth, March 21, 2019 — Gwinnett County Police announce a long-term criminal investigation has resulted in the dismantling of two drug trafficking organizations, the closure of multiple drug houses, confiscation of drugs, guns and cash and the arrest of 16 individuals. GCPD report that the members of the organizations had embedded themselves into the community. The case is still active, but so far detectives have disabled five marijuana grow houses and executed 15 search warrants in Gwinnett, Henry, and Clayton counties. “To those passing by, no one would have suspected that these five marijuana grow houses were harboring criminal activity. There was an average of 340-1,500 plants at each home,” GCPD public information officer Cpl. Michele Pihera said in a press release. “The drug trafficking organizations utilized sophisticated equipment to manufacture high-grade marijuana. The largest grow house was an 8,500 square-foot home in Norcross. The detectives learned that the operation was tied to a larger international organization serving not only Gwinnett County and the metro-Atlanta area but also the southeast United States.” Pihera said on Thursday, March 14, detectives assigned to the Narcotics Unit located and seized marijuana grow houses at the following locations: 748 Bartow Drive, Dacula 6015 Williams Road, Norcross 456 Hastings Way, Jonesboro 2202 South Ola Road, Locust Grove 1536 Pine Circle, Lawrenceville In addition, suspects and/or evidence have been located at the following locations: 804 Austin Court, Lawrenceville 2757 Abilene Trail, Snellville 4672 Orange Jungle Way, Lilburn
3305 Paces Landing Drive, Lawrenceville 3118 Pittard Hill Point, Duluth 1949 Durwood Lane, Duluth As of today, 3,174 marijuana plants have been recovered as well as a significant amount of additional evidence including THC candies, THC oil, cocaine, illegal mushrooms, 22 firearms, $676,517.00 cash, and 6 vehicles. The estimated street value of the marijuana and other drugs is about $35 million. “The detectives assigned to the Narcotics Unit truly committed themselves to this criminal investigation,” said Major Cleo Atwater, commander of the Special Investigations Section. “Because of their hard work, a significant amount of drugs will be kept out of our neighborhoods and schools.” “The work of the detectives, in this case, is a shining example of the dedication our officers have to serving the community,” said GCPD Chief Butch Ayers. The Gwinnett County Police Department worked with several other local and federal agencies, including the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office, Gwinnett Metro Drug Task Force, FBI, and the DEA. The following people have been charged in connection with this criminal investigation: Aiqiu Luo—39, Norcross 16-13-30 (j) Possession, Possession, Manufacture, Distribution, or Sale of Controlled Substances or Marijuana Bui Men—52, Dacula 16-13-30 (j) Possession, Possession, Manufacture, Distribution, or Sale of Controlled Substances or Marijuana Duy Nguyen—26, Lilburn 16-13-30 VGCSA Possession of Marijuana Jia Zhao—42, Duluth 16-13-30 (a) Possession of a Schedule I Controlled Substance
16-13-30 (a) Possession of a Schedule I Controlled Substance 16-13-30 (j) VGCSA Possession of Marijuana with Intent to Distribute 16-11-106 Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony Jin Huang—45, Lilburn 16-13-33 Attempt or Conspiracy to Violate Georgia Controlled Substance Act 16-13-31 VGCSA Trafficking in Marijuana Jun Huang—42, Lilburn 16-13-30 (b) Possession of a Schedule I or II Controlled Substance with the Intent to Distribute with Intent to Distribute 16-13-30 (b) Possession of a Schedule III, IV, or V Controlled Substance with the Intent to Distribute with Intent to Distribute 16-13-30 (a) Possession of a Schedule II Controlled Substance 16-13-30 (a) Possession of a Schedule II Controlled Substance Linlin Teng—30, Lawrenceville 16-13-33 Attempt or Conspiracy to Violate Georgia Controlled Substance Act Man Lam—34, Duluth 16-13-30 (j) VGCSA Possession of Marijuana with Intent to Distribute Michael Luong—27, Tucker 16-13-30 (a) Possession of a Schedule I Controlled Substance 16-13-30 (b) Possession of a Schedule I or II Controlled Substance with the Intent to Distribute with Intent to Distribute
Phuong Tran—54, Lawrenceville 16-13-33 Attempt or Conspiracy to Violate Georgia Controlled Substance Act 16-13-31 VGCSA Trafficking in Marijuana Shy Yong—37, Lilburn 16-13-30 VGCSA Possession of Marijuana Terry Liu—32, Duluth 16-13-33 Attempt or Conspiracy to Violate Georgia Controlled Substance Act Tommy Luong—31, Tucker 16-13-30 (b) Possession of a Schedule I or II Controlled Substance with the Intent to Distribute with Intent to Distribute 16-13-30 (b) Possession of a Schedule I or II Controlled Substance with the Intent to Distribute with Intent to Distribute 16-11-131 Possession of Firearms by Convicted Felons and First Offender Probationers 16-13-30 VGCSA Possession of Marijuana Tuyen Pham—48, Snellville 16-13-33 Attempt or Conspiracy to Violate Georgia Controlled Substance Act Vuong Luu—54, Jonesboro 16-13-33 Attempt or Conspiracy to Violate Georgia Controlled Substance Act Xinde Li—41, Lawrenceville 16-13-30 (j) Possession, Possession, Manufacture, Distribution, or Sale of Controlled Substances or Marijuana
Georgia Asian Times March 15-31, 2019
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NATION
Trump says he can produce a better healthcare plan than Obamacare Washington DC, March 27, 2019 – U.S. President Donald Trump pledged on Wednesday to deliver a better healthcare system than Obamacare if the Supreme Court tosses out his predecessor’s signature domestic achievement, a potentially hazardous claim as he seeks re-election. Trump defended his administration’s decision to step up its assault on the healthcare law passed under former President Barack Obama, which expanded healthcare coverage to about 20 million Americans. “Obamacare is a disaster. It’s too expensive by far,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “We’re coming up with plans. … And if the Supreme Court rules that Obamacare is out, we will have a plan that’s far better than Obamacare.” The Justice Department on Monday asked the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn Obamacare, as the 2010 Affordable Care Act that overhauled the U.S. healthcare system is popularly known. Justice said it backed a federal judge’s ruling in December that the Affordable Care Act violated the U.S. Constitution because it required people to buy health insurance. Trump had repeatedly called for the replacement of Obamacare during his 2016 presidential campaign. In a tweet in October 2016, he said, “We will have MUCH less expensive and MUCH better healthcare.”
After he entered the White House in January 2017, Trump urged his fellow Republicans to repeal Obamacare, something that they tried and failed repeatedly to do. Republicans have never been able to agree on a replacement plan. Trump predicted on Tuesday that would change, saying Republicans “will soon be known as the party of healthcare.” Top Democrats pounced on the administration’s move, saying their success in winning control of the House of Representatives in the mid-term elections in November showed Americans want them to protect Obamacare against repeated Republican attacks. Believing the healthcare issue can help them defeat Trump’s re-election bid next year, House Democrats unveiled a new proposal on Tuesday that would expand the Affordable Care Act. NO RUSH BY REPUBLICANS “If the Republican Party wants to be, in Donald Trump’s words, the party of healthcare, God help the middle class,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said on Wednesday on the Senate floor. The elimination of Obamacare would send health insurance premiums soaring and revoke coverage for tens of millions of people, he said.
Health insurance has been a rallying cry for Democrats who have launched presidential bids for 2020, though there are differences in what they propose. The “Medicare-for-all” approach first championed by Senator Bernie Sanders is now also embraced by several other contenders for the Democratic nomination. Republicans in Congress seemed to be in no rush to re-engage on the healthcare issue. Senator John Thune, the No. 2 two Republican in the Senate, told reporters on Wednesday that if there is a path forward on healthcare legislation, he assumed the Trump administration would be involved in the process. “We’ll see what he puts forward and his team,” Thune said. Republican Senator Charles Grassley said, “We would have to act accordingly” if the Supreme Court dismantles Obamacare, but he noted there might not be any definitive court action until next year. And he doubted there would be a push for major healthcare legislation in a presidential election year. Trump won a political victory over the weekend when Special Counsel Robert Mueller said his 22-month probe of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election had found no evidence that Trump’s campaign team colluded with Moscow.
But Democrats say a new Republican push to end Obamacare could quickly overshadow that victory. Obamacare survived a 2012 legal challenge at the Supreme Court when a majority of justices ruled the “individual mandate,” which requires individuals to buy insurance or pay a penalty, was a tax that Congress had the authority to impose. In December, U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor in Fort Worth, Texas, ruled the individual mandate could no longer be considered constitutional after Trump signed the $1.5 trillion tax cut package passed by Congress that eliminated the penalties. Obamacare’s supporters point out that in addition to expanding healthcare coverage to millions of Americans, it has made it more affordable for many via subsidized coverage, and prevented insurance companies from denying coverage for pre-existing conditions. Critics view the law as a costly government intrusion into the private marketplace, and complain of high deductibles and premiums that price out some middle-income people who do not get subsidized coverage. – Reuters
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March 15-31, 2019 Georgia Asian Times
BUSINESS
JPMorgan awards research grants, deepening its AI push New York, March 25, 2019 - JPMorgan Chase & Co has awarded 47 financial grants to university faculty and PhD students for artificial intelligence research, ramping up its efforts in the emerging technology, the bank plans to announce later on Monday. Winners of the JPMorgan’s first AI Research Awards will study the use of AI and machine learning in areas including investment advice, risk management, digital assistants and trading behavior. The bank declined to disclose the size of the grants. JPMorgan and other financial institutions have been investing more to develop artificial intelligence-based technology to better process the vast amounts of data they collect and produce, and to become more efficient. But they are struggling to compete for the best computer-science talent with Silicon Valley startups and large technology companies such as Alphabet Inc’s and Amazon.com Inc. Through the awards, the bank hopes to deepen ties with academia following the creation of its AI research division less than a year ago, Manuela Veloso, head of JPMorgan’s AI Research, said in an interview.
Veloso’s 16-member unit helps the bank come up with ways for AI to improve its internal processes, by automating more mundane tasks, and enhance services to clients. The bank spends around $11.5 billion a year on technology and employs more than 50,000 workers in IT. “The world is becoming increasingly digital and there is a lot of data,” Veloso said. “The only way for this data to be truly useful is to have an AI solution to process it.” The division’s areas of research include data and cryptography and ethics and fairness. While the grants do not require PhD fellows to join JPMorgan upon completing their studies, the hope is the awards can help attract talent. “We want AI and other technical students, when they finish, to also consider joining JPMorgan instead of only thinking about the tech companies,” said Veloso, who is on leave from Carnegie Mellon University. - Reuters
Honda to recall about 1 million vehicles in U.S. to replace defective Takata airbags New York, March 12, 2019 – Honda Motor Co said on Tuesday it would recall about 1.1 million Honda and Acura vehicles in the United States to replace defective Takata airbags on the driver’s side. The company said here it was aware of one injury linked to the defect that may have caused the airbag to rupture when it was deployed in a crash. The vehicles involved in the recall were previously repaired using specific Takata desiccated replacement inflators (PSDI-5D) or entire replacement airbag modules containing these inflators. Free repairs of the recalled cars would begin immediately in the United States with replacement parts made by alternate suppliers, Honda said. Honda became aware of the issue after a Honda Odyssey crash, where the front airbag deployed and injured the driver’s arm.
An investigation later showed that manufacturing issues at Takata’s Mexico facility introduced excessive moisture into the inflator during assembly, leading to the problem. The total number of recalled inflators is now about 21 million in about 12.9 million Honda and Acura vehicles that have been subject to recall for replacing Takata front airbag inflators in the United States, the company said. Automakers in the United States repaired more than 7.2 million defective Takata air bag inflators in 2018, as companies have ramped up efforts to track down parts in need of replacement. – Reuters
Georgia Asian Times March 15-31, 2019
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BUSINESS
Apple enters video streaming, updates news, game and payment apps Cupertino, March 25, 2019 - Apple Inc attempted to reintroduce itself on Monday as an entertainment and financial services company that also makes iPhones as it launched a streaming The world’s second-most most valuable technology company lifted the curtain on a television and movie streaming service called Apple TV+ that will stream television shows and movies - both Apple originals and those from other creators - to users of its 1.4 billion gadgets worldwide, smart TVs and other devices. The move could be seen as a first step to challenging streaming video leaders Netflix and Amazon. Apple also introduced a credit card, a video game arcade, and added hundreds of magazines to its news app at Apple’s Cupertino, California, headquarters. As Apple struggles with saturated markets and sales of its iPhone fall, the company is turning more of its attention to services that provide regular subscription revenue.
Hollywood celebrities helped debut the revamped television offering. Apple has commissioned programing from Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg. Throughout the presentation, Apple executives stressed privacy protections for consumers as they shop and consume content across a range of Apple phones, iPads or other hardware. They also emphasized content that would appeal to young audiences, potentially setting the stage for a rivalry with Walt Disney Co. Winfrey announced a global book club. The company, second only to Microsoft Corp in market value among tech giants, led off the event with an announcement that its free news app will now come in a paid-subscription version, called Apple News+, which curates a range of news articles and will include 300 magazines including National Geographic, People, Popular Science, Billboard and the New Yorker. Apple said it would cost $9.99 a month. Apple also introduced a titanium, laser-etched Apple Card backed by
Goldman Sachs Group Inc and Mastercard Inc that can track spending across devices and pay daily cash back on purchases. Cook also said Apple Pay, its digital wallet, will soon be usable on public transit systems in Portland, Oregon, Chicago and New York City. Apple Pay will be available in more than 40 countries by the end of the year. CROWDED FIELD With its new media push, Apple joins a crowded field where rivals such as Amazon.com’s Prime Video and Netflix Inc have spent heavily to capture viewer attention and dollars with award-winning series and films. The big tech war for viewers ignited a consolidation wave among traditional media companies preparing to join the fray. Walt Disney Co, which bought 21st Century Fox, and AT&T Inc, which purchased Time Warner Inc, plan to launch or test new streaming video services this year. Revenue from its “services” segment - which includes the App Store,
iCloud and content businesses such as Apple Music - grew 24 percent to $37.1 billion in fiscal 2018. The segment accounted for only about 14 percent of Apple’s overall $265.6 billion in revenue, but investors have pinned their hopes for growth on the segment. The company also introduced Apple Arcade, a game subscription service that will work on phones, tablets and desktop computers and include games from a range of developers. - Reuters
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March 15-31, 2019 Georgia Asian Times
ART
Hemingway centre opens in Cuba to preserve writer’s work SAN FRANCISCO DE PAULA, March 31 — A restoration centre to preserve the work of Ernest Hemingway opened in Cuba yesterday, highlighting an area of cooperation with the United States even as bilateral ties between the old Cold War foes have chilled again. Hemingway, who won the Nobel prize for Literature in 1954, wrote some of his greatest books during the 21 years he lived at Finca Vigia, or Lookout Farm, now a museum in San Francisco de Paula on the outskirts of Havana. The restoration centre built by the Cuban National Cultural Heritage Council and Finca Vigia Foundation
of the United States is located on the six-hectare property where Hemingway lived in a tree-shaded, airy Spanish-style home. “When we come together, when we work together, we can do positive and amazing things,” Jim McGovern, a US congressman for Massachusetts who wants better US-Cuban relations, said at a ribbon-cutting ceremony. McGovern said the project would have been much easier were it not for the decades-old US trade embargo on Cuba, that President Donald Trump has tightened since coming to power.
Hemingway moved to Finca Vigia in 1939, the year before For Whom the Bell Tolls was published, and wrote The Old Man and the Sea, A Moveable Feast and Islands in the Stream while he was there, according to local scholars. He left Cuba in 1960, more than a year after the Cuban revolution and less than a year before he killed himself in Idaho at age 61 amid a struggle with depression. The writer left thousands of documents in Cuba, ranging from manuscripts of some of his works to letters, as well as photographs and annotated books.
The restoration centre, which received financing from the Ford Foundation, American Express Philanthropy and the AT&T Foundation among others, includes laboratories and an air-conditioned vault. The Cuban National Cultural Heritage Council and Finca Vigia Foundation had previously signed three cooperation agreements to conserve and disseminate the legacy of Hemingway. — Reuters
Georgia Asian Times March 15-31, 2019
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LIFESTYLE
Paris catches Asian tigers in most expensive city race TBILISI, March 19 — Paris and Hong Kong for the first time joined Singapore as the world’s most expensive cities to live in, a study revealed today, with utilities and transport driving up the cost of living. Zurich, Geneva and Japan’s Osaka trailed closely, with emerging market cities like Istanbul and Moscow plummeting down the ranking due to high inflation and currency depreciation, said the Economist Intelligence Unit’s bi-annual survey of 133 cities. It was the first time in more than 30 years that three cities shared the top spot, a sign that pricey global cities are growing more alike, said the report’s author, Roxana Slavcheva. “Converging costs in traditionally more expensive cities...
is a testament to globalisation and the similarity of tastes and shopping patterns,” she said in a statement. “Even in locations where shopping for groceries may be relatively cheaper, utilities or transportation prices drive up overall cost of living,” she said. Rising costs in cities are often driven by a vibrant job market attracting skilled workers with high wages, said Anthony Breach, an analyst with the British think tank Centre for Cities — which was not involved in the study. Urban planners need to plan ahead and build more housing to keep prices affordable and overall costs down, Breach told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
For the EIU survey researchers compared the cost of more than 150 items such as cars, food, rent, transport and clothing in 133 cities. A woman’s haircut was about US$15 in Bangalore, India, compared to US$210 in New York, for example, while a bottle of beer was about half a dollar in Lagos, Nigeria, and more than US$3 in Zurich. British cities recovered a few positions a year after reaching the cheapest level in more than two decades due to Brexit uncertainty, with London ranking 22nd and Manchester 51st, up eight and five spots respectively. Political turmoil in Venezuela plummeted Caracas to the bottom of the ranking, followed by Damascus, Syria, with Karachi, Pakistan, Buenos Aires, Argenti-
na, and New Delhi also featuring among the 10 cheapest cities. But a city’s drop in the index does not necessarily mean life automatically gets cheaper for people living there, as prices adjust to inflation often quicker than wages, said Gunes Cansiz of the World Resources Institute (WRI), a think tank. “The cost of living in Istanbul, for example, might seem to have decreased, but since household expenses have increased, this has no positive reflection on the daily life of Istanbulites,” said Cansiz, director at WRI’s Turkey Sustainable Cities programme.
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March 15-31, 2019 Georgia Asian Times
HEALTH
Smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity linked with brain shrinkage, according to new study
EDINBURGH, March 11 — New UK research has found that unhealthy lifestyle factors and conditions such as smoking, high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes appear to also be linked with having an unhealthier brain. Led by researchers at the University of Edinburgh, the new study looked at MRI scans of the brains of 9,772 people aged between 44 and 79 who were taking part in the UK Biobank study -- a large long-term study which includes genomic data on more than half a million UK residents as well as data on brain imaging, their general health, and medical information. The researchers looked at the possible association between seven vascular risk factors -- risk factors which affect the health of our blood vessels -- and any changes in the structures of parts of the brain. The vascular risk factors included smoking, high blood pressure, high pulse pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol lev-
els, waist-hip ratio, and obesity, which was measured by body mass index (BMI). All have previously been linked to problems with the blood supply to the brain, which can potentially lead to reduced blood flow to the brain and the brain changes seen in dementia. The findings, published in the European Heart Journal, showed that all of the other vascular risk factors except for high cholesterol were linked to greater brain shrinkage, less grey matter and less healthy white matter. Moreover, the more vascular risk factors a person had, the worse their brain health. “We found that higher vascular risk is linked to worse brain structure, even in adults who were otherwise healthy. These links were just as strong for people in middle-age as they were for those in later life, and the addition of each risk factor increased the size of the association with worse brain health,”
commented lead researcher Dr. Simon Cox. “Importantly, the associations between risk factors and brain health and structure were not evenly spread across the whole brain; rather, the areas affected were mainly those known to be linked to our more complex thinking skills and to those areas that show changes in dementia and ‘typical’ Alzheimer’s disease.” Dr. Cox added that the findings suggest that making lifestyle changes to improve these vascular risk factors could also have an effect on cognitive aging and dementia risk.
“Lifestyle factors are much easier to change than things like your genetic code -- both of which seem to affect susceptibility to worse brain and cognitive ageing. Because we found the associations were just as strong in mid-life as they were in later life, it suggests that addressing these factors early might mitigate future negative effects. These findings might provide an additional motivation to improve vascular health beyond respiratory and cardiovascular benefits.”
Georgia Asian Times March 15-31, 2019
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FASHION
John Varvatos creates menswear capsule inspired by ‘Game of Thrones’ NEW YORK, March 14 ― American designer John Varvatos has joined forces with HBO for a menswear capsule themed on the hit TV show, Game of Thrones, Women’s Wear Daily (WWD) reported yesterday. The collaboration will go on sale in selected stores and online from today. Ahead of the eighth and final season of Game of Thrones, which kicks off April 14 on HBO, fans can shop a men’s ready-towear collection themed on the fantasy medieval world of their favourite show, created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss. The capsule hails from the luxury menswear label John Varvatos. Comprising just 11 pieces, the capsule features all manner of references to the hit HBO series, such as the now iconic iron
throne motif. The collection includes T-shirts, pants, a crossbody bag, and ― the pièce de résistance ― a hand-dyed leather jacket. Priced from US$98 to US$2,698, the capsule is due out from today in selected John Varvatos stores, at Bloomingdale’s in the USA, Harry Rosen in Canada, El Palacio in Mexico, and online at www.johnvarvatos.com. The internationally successful Game of Thrones TV show is based on a series of novels by George R. R. Martin. Since its launch in 2011, the drama has proved popular with critics and audiences alike and has won a host of awards.
Salvatore Ferragamo will present its next menswear collection at Pitti Uomo Florence, March 31, 2019 — Florence fashion label Salvatore Ferragamo will unveil its spring-summer 2020 menswear collection in its home city of Florence at Pitti Immagine Uomo (June 11-14 2019). Salvatore Ferragamo will be a special guest at the next Pitti Uomo, the leading men’s fashion event, and will present a 100% menswear line this June 11th at the opening of the Florence show. With this menswear-focused show, the Italian fashion house has changed the format of these events. Until now it has shown its womenswear and menswear together in a single show organized in Milan. The company will capitalize on this new format under the creative direc-
tion of Paul Andrew to deliver its new definition of masculine luxury. “Florence has always been a creative and inspirational platform for Salvatore Ferragamo and for our founder. Pitti Uomo is therefore the natural location for expressing the contemporary vision that represents us today: strong cultural continuity between different generations, with a constant eye to the future,” said Paul Andrew, the label’s creative director. Givenchy will also be a prestigious guest at the 96th edition of Pitti Immagine Uomo. Clare Waight Keller, its artistic director, will present her exclusively male line on June 12.
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March 15-31, 2019 Georgia Asian Times
ENTERTAINMENT
House of Khan: Pakistani finds fame as ‘Game of Thrones’ doppelganger Rawalpindi, March 23, 2019 -- Pakistani waiter Rozi Khan had never heard of the Game of Thrones – or its hugely popular character Tyrion Lannister – until his striking resemblance to the dwarf anti-hero got heads turning at home. The 25-year-old so resembles actor Peter Dinklage – who has played the witty and wily nobleman since the hit series’ first season in 2010 – that he gets regularly stopped by strangers desperate for a picture. “I don’t mind. A lot of my pictures have been taken, that’s why I have become very famous
everywhere,” he said. Not only are Khan and Dinklage’s faces strikingly similar, they are also the same height at around 135cm. Photographs of the pair have unsurprisingly made their way onto social media showing the doppelgangers side-by-side. “Wherever I go, someone says to me: ‘Sir, who is this man with you on Facebook’, I say that he is my friend. ‘He looks like you’. I tell them he is my brother. It’s not a bad thing,” said Khan.
The television series has won 47 Emmys – more than any other fictional show in history – along with a Golden Globe for Dinklage, 49, for best supporting actor in 2012. A much anticipated final series is set to premiere on April 17. Khan works at a small Kashmiri restaurant down a narrow line in Rawalpindi, serving customers hearty dishes such as mutton and spinach curries. Owner Malik Aslam Pervez described him as a hard-worker – and also a drawcard for the eatery. “When he takes a day off or gets sick, people look for him and ask where did he go? They get upset. They love him. There is always a crowd here but it has boomed because of him,” he said.
Born in Mansehra in northern Pakistan, Khan says he would love to meet Dinklage, describing him as a friend and brother. “I love him very much, he is my friend… he is my height so I like him a lot,” said Khan. For customers, seeing Tyrion Lannister in the flesh is also a thrill. “When I saw him, I’m happy, I feel that I met with Lannister in real [life],” said Zain Hadri, 20. “Game of Thrones” tells the story of noble families vying for control of the Iron Throne, all the while keeping one eye on the “White Walkers” leading hordes of the undead toward an invasion from the North.
Georgia Asian Times March 15-31, 2019
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SPORTS
After Ronaldo bruising, Japan’s Shoji now eyes stopping Mbappe TOULOUSE: Japan defender Gen Shoji has already endured a bruising experience against one global superstar in Cristiano Ronaldo but hopes that experience will work in his favour when he confronts another in the shape of French World Cup winner Kylian Mbappe on Sunday. Shoji gets his chance to shut out Mbappe, one of football’s hottest properties, when his Toulouse team take on mighty Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1. The 26-year-old, who arrived in France in the winter transfer window, came off worse when Ronaldo bagged a hat-trick in a 4-2 win for Real Madrid over Kashima Antlers at the 2016 World Club Cup. “With my Japanese club, we tried to stop Ronaldo collectively. In France, when we defend, I feel as if the individual duel is more important so I will have to adapt the way I do things against Mbappe and the others,” said Shoji.
“To compare Ronaldo and Mbappe, I will have to have played both of them. I should have a better idea after the game but it will be complicated.” Shoji, a native of Kobe, left Kashima Antlers – his only previous club – after 11 years and has helped Toulouse to a respectable mid-table place in Ligue 1. “I wanted to have new experiences,” said Japanese international Shoji who admitted he has had to quickly adapt to a vastly different culture in France. “You have to get out of your shyness. In Japan, if you are a little reserved someone will come to you; here, if you don’t make the effort, no one will come to you.” To help him integrate in La Ville Rose (The Pink City), Toulouse have drafted in Japanese compatriot Toru Ota, who has played in the women’s teams at Lyon and PSG. She interprets for Shoji in the dressing room and translates tactical tips being passed on to the pitch from the bench. A French teacher is also in the process of being hired.
Shoji opted against joining Toulouse after the World Cup last summer because he wanted to help Kashima win the Asian Champions League for the first time.
French quality With that ambition achieved in November, Shoji was free to move to France in a three-million-euro deal. “He learns very quickly. He has been a good purchase,” said Toulouse coach Alain Casanova. For his part, Shoji believes that from a technical perspective “the Japanese championship is perhaps better” but “Ligue 1 is superior when you add in the speed and physicality”. “I was very surprised by the quality of French football,” added the 15-time capped international who was left heartbroken by Japan’s World Cup elimination in a 3-2 last-16 loss to Belgium in Russia last summer after they had led 2-0.
“But you will see and I do not know when, maybe it will be after me, but one day, Japan will go very, very far at the World Cup,” he predicted. In his brief Ligue 1 career, Shoji has endured some sobering experiences – a 5-0 rout at the hands of Lyon was particularly painful. “In Japan, with Kashima, we won all the time. I have never thought that I have made a bad choice. I don’t have any experience of a team that has these kind of difficulties. It’s important to have this kind of experience.” Casanova is confident that Shoji will be a success story in France. To help his new recruit, he has even picked up a smattering of Japanese. “I have mastered the main words – hello and goodbye!”
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March 15-31, 2019 Georgia Asian Times
SPORTS
McIlroy eyes ‘awesome’ Grand Slam with Masters win Miami, March 7, 2019 -- Rory McIlroy said Wednesday achieving a career Grand Slam at the Masters next month would be “awesome” for golf as he warms up for Augusta at this week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational. The 29-year-old Northern Irishman could become only the sixth player to win all four major titles with a victory at the Masters, an elite club that both Jordan Spieth and Phil Mickelson can also enter this season. Talking to reporters at Bay Hill on Wednesday, McIlroy said any player who manages to enter the pantheon alongside Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods would deliver a boost to the sport. “I mean, how good would that be for golf? That would be awesome,” McIlroy said ahead of Thursday’s opening round in Orlando. “But I think just because it is a small
list it would be just that bit cooler to join. “It’s all about exposure and golf would be right in the centre of all sports stories if that were to happen, which is great for everyone involved in the game.” McIlroy, who tees off alongside reigning Masters champion Patrick Reed and Marc Leishman on Thursday, has made four previous attempts to complete his set of majors but come up short on each occasion. And that doesn’t count McIlroy’s epic 2011 Masters collapse, where he led entering the final round but struggled to an 80 on Sunday and only finished in a share of 15th place. However, the world number six believes he is more mentally attuned to the challenge of adding the Masters to his collection of four major titles. Lincoln inspiration
“It has definitely taken me time to come to terms with the things I’ve needed to deal with inside my own head,” McIlroy said. “And I think sometimes I’m too much of a fan of the game because I know exactly who has won the Grand Slam, and I know exactly the people I would be putting myself alongside. “So there’s maybe a part of that that, if I didn’t know the history of the game and I wasn’t such a fan, it would work in my favor. “But that’s not me. It would be a massive achievement. It would be huge. But again, I can’t think about it in that way. “I just have to go out and play the golf course the way I know that I can play it and hopefully that’s good enough to have the lowest score that week.”
McIlroy also rejected suggestions that achieving the Grand Slam became more challenging each year with every missed opportunity. “No, I’ve become more comfortable with it, I mean, the extra stress that I put myself under that first couple of years, 2015 and 2016, of trying to. I’ve become more comfortable with it,” McIlroy said. “I guess I’ve become a lot more comfortable with the fact that I’m going to fail more times than I succeed at that certain, whatever, conquest or whatever you want to call it. “So I’ve become comfortable with the fact I’ve tried four times, I’ve failed. But Abraham Lincoln lost the first 13 elections he was ever in. He wound up being the President of the United States. “So I still got a bit of time.”
Georgia Asian Times March 15-31, 2019
Page 15
MISC ASIA
Cambodia not Chinese ‘colony’, says premier Phnom Penh, March 15, 2019 -- Cambodia broke ground Friday on a US$2 billion Chinese-funded expressway – the country’s first – as strongman premier Hun Sen denied his country was in danger of becoming a colony of Beijing. Once complete in 2023 the expressway will connect the capital Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville, a southern resort and seaport that has become a honeypot for Chinese gamblers and investors. The near 200km (124 mile) road is being constructed by the China Road and Bridge Corporation and is a part of China’s ambitious Belt and Road project. “This road will cost around US$2 billion… this is a tremendous project,” Hun Sen said during a groundbreaking ceremony in Kampong Speu province, adding the expressway is “the first one” in Cambodia. But he defended the Chinese investment. Critics say “China is colonialising Cambodia… although China wishes to control Cambodia, Cambodia will not let it do so,” Hun Sen said.
Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou, who attended the ceremony, also brushed off concerns over Beijing’s influence. “Some groups with ill-will have turned white-to-black, colouring Chinese investment as a trap,” he said through a translator. “In fact, the Chinese investment is not a trap, it is not even a threat, but it is a help” in Cambodia’s development, he added. Beijing’s communist rulers have lavished the poor but strategically useful kingdom with aid and loans. Hun Sen regularly praises Beijing’s “no strings attached” aid, compared to help from the United States and European Union, which is often accompanied by calls to address corruption and human rights abuses. The largest investor in Cambodia, China has pumped billions of yuan into the economy. Hun Sen has also repeatedly denied rumours that a Chinese naval base is set to be established on Cambodian soil, giving ships ready access to the disputed South China Sea.
North withdraws from inter-Korean liaison office North Korea withdrew from an office it set up about six months ago with South Korea that allowed the rivals to communicate around the clock, dealing a blow to President Moon Jae-in’s policy of rapprochement.
The ministry added other communication channels are still open. South Korea’s defence ministry separately confirmed reports of having proposed holding military talks with North Korea.
The two Koreas agreed to open the office during a historic April summit between Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to ease tensions between the two countries still technically at war. The decision to withdraw comes weeks after a nuclear summit between Kim and President Donald Trump broke down over sanctions squeezing North Korea’s struggling economy.
Moon’s government had pinned hopes in the Kim-Trump summit for restarting two inter-Korea projects frozen due to political acrimony – a joint factory park in Gaeseong and a mountain resort in North Korea.
North Korea told South Korea Friday it will stop participating in the joint liaison office in the North Korean border city of Gaeseong, South Korea’s Unification Ministry said. North Korea said it is “pulling out with instructions from the superior authority,” according to the ministry.
The Gaeseong factory complex, which was supposed to be a model of economic cooperation for a unified Korea, closed about three years ago. Kim has also said he wants it open again, which would provide his cash-starved government with hard currency.
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March 15-31, 2019 Georgia Asian Times
Misc Asia
Thai king attends cremation of Leicester City owner Vichai Bangkon, March 21, 2019 -- Thailand’s king presided over the cremation of former Leicester City owner and duty-free magnate Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha at a Buddhist temple Thursday in a ceremony that brought together the Thai business and political elites. The 60-year-old Thai founder of duty-free giant King Power died in October in a helicopter crash after watching his beloved football club play. His sudden death stunned Thais and football fans who followed his fairytale-like ascent, while also raising questions about the future of his company’s near-monopoly over Thailand’s duty-free sector. His weeklong funeral in November had royal sponsorship for three days and King Maha Vajiralongkorn presided over Thursday’s cremation rites at Wat Thepsirin, one of Bangkok’s oldest temples. Standing on an elevated podium, the king lit the fire for Vichai’s crematorium. Before the king’s arrival, Vichai’s elder son Apichet entered the temple with a shorn head wearing saffron robes – follow-
ing the Buddhist tradition of the eldest son being temporarily ordained after the death of a patriarch. Leading the rest of the family was youngest son Aiyawatt, better known by his nickname “Top” and the vice chairman of Leicester City, carrying offerings. More than 40 players and members of Leicester City football club – including star striker Jamie Vardy, captain Wes Morgan and new manager Brendan Rodgers – arrived the day before from England to pay their final respects. Anutin Charnvirakul, leader of the Bhumjaithai Party and a prime ministerial candidate in elections being held on Sunday, stood with Vichai’s family, along with former politician-turned-sports mogul Newin Chidchob and national police chief Chakthip Chaijinda. The well-connected Vichai was Thailand’s fifth wealthiest man, and his four children stand to inherit a shopping empire now worth some US$5.2 billion according to Forbes. His company’s rapid rise from a single downtown Bangkok
store to commanding a near monopoly in the country’s airports can be attributed more to Vichai’s knack for winning – and keeping – the favour of Thailand’s elite.
calling for the concession to be split up among different companies, Thailand’s junta chief Prayut Chan-O-Cha urged AoT to find “a suitable process to be fair”.
This includes the monarchy, whose links to him were reflected in the name of his company and the former king’s act of royally bestowing a surname which translates to “auspicious and prosperous light”.
On Monday, an AoT official said it would postpone the release of its terms of reference for the bidding, and would “open for more recommendations …to comply with the government”.
But in recent weeks, stateowned Airports of Thailand (AoT) is facing intense pressure to break up the monopoly after King Power’s hold on it ends in 2020, and a bidding auction is to start this year. Following outcry from rivals
Thailand’s Mall Group, shopping empire Central Group – both backed by billionaires – are eyeing entry into duty-free while South Korean giant Lotte is also in the hunt.
Georgia Asian Times March 15-31, 2019
Page 17
Misc Asia
Traffic-choked Jakarta battles epic gridlock with new MRT Jakarta commuter Irnawati can spend up to four hours daily in her car, but now she and millions of others may get some relief as the traffic-clogged Southeast Asian city opens its first mass rapid-transit system. On Sunday, Jakarta will inaugurate the US$1.1 billion project seen as crucial to tackling some of the world’s worst congestion, which can turn commutes into hours-long endurance tests. For Irnawati, the new line means she might now be able to move back to her suburban home on the edge of the Indonesian capital. After getting fed up with the gridlock, she resorted to renting a room near the office during the week rather than face a torturous drive in the vast metropolis of 30 million. “I can hardly wait until the MRT starts operating,” the 36-year-old, who goes by one name, told AFP. “It’ll save me lots of time and make my commute much more convenient and safe.” Over the past decade, rising incomes in the country of 260 million has created a ballooning middle class and sent vehicle ownership soaring.
But it’s also brought hazardous air pollution and costs billions annually in economic losses as cars crawl along its roadways in the steamy tropical heat – alongside an underused bus system. The 16km line will stretch from central Hotel Indonesia to Jakarta’s south, almost six years after construction began on the Japanese-backed project. It aims to cut travel times between the two points to just 30 minutes from about two hours. Construction on a second line linking downtown to Jakarta’s northern port is also kicking off Sunday with completion set for around 2024, with more lines envisioned in future. A separate elevated rail network is being built to link satellite cities with Jakarta, nicknamed the Big Durian after the pungent fruit that bitterly divides fans and its detractors. The public transit projects are part of a sweeping infrastructure push that president Joko Widodo hopes will boost Indonesia’s fortunes – and get him re-elected in national elections next month.
But transport analysts cautioned that the new line and cheap prices won’t be a cure for a city with few decent sidewalks and a vehicle friendly culture. “The MRT won’t immediately ease the traffic because changing the culture and attitudes isn’t easy,” said Hendi Bowoputro, a public transit expert at the University of Brawijaya. And the 130,000 expected daily passengers for the line represents only about 10% of those who already cram into a decades-old commuter rail network. Incentives to cut down on vehicle use – or punitive measures such as increased parking costs and expanding Jakarta’s oddeven license plate system which restricts cars on certain days – could create lasting change, analysts said. Environmentalists hope that the new line will cut traffic-linked carbon emissions by about half. It could also make a dent in annual economic losses of some 65 trillion rupiah (US $4.6 billion) linked to road congestion, according to government figures. Once the second line is completed, Jakarta might be closer to a city like Paris,
where residents spend a small chunk of their monthly income on public transit, creating a strong incentive to ditch their vehicles, said Djoko Setijowarno, a transport analyst at Soegijapranata University. “But for this to happen, all of the public transit would need to be integrated with residential areas,” Setijowarno said. Despite high hopes among enthusiastic commuters, even Irnawati has some doubts about how well connected she’ll be to public transit. “I’d probably end up paying to take a motorbike taxi from the last station to my house,” she said. “That would be pretty inconvenient and not very comfortable, especially when it rains.” - Reuters
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March 15-31, 2019 Georgia Asian Times
TRAVEL
Finland hires ‘happiness guides’ to help tourists this summer New York, March 15, 2019 -- It’s become the 21st-century version of the holy grail, that elusive quest for happiness. This week, in the latest World Happiness Report published by the UN, Finland topped the charts for the second year in a row to claim the title of happiest place in the world. Finland is capitalising on the renewal of its reputation as a tourism strategy to bring tired, harried, and stressed-out visitors to the land of happy with a “Rent a Finn” program that pairs ordinary Finns with tourists. For three days this summer, select candidates will travel to
remote, quiet patches of Finland’s wilderness where they’ll forage for wild berries and mushrooms, build fireplaces, roast sausages over open flames, and dip into a traditional Finnish sauna with their local Finnish hosts – also known as Happiness Guides. Because the secret, Finns say, is actually quite simple. “Our secret is in our nature, very literally. When others go to therapy, Finns put on a pair of rubber boots and head to the woods,” reads the promotional material for the campaign. To be selected for the free three-day trip, applicants are asked to film a short video
about why they want to visit Finland. The contest closes April 14 and the trip is for June-August. The strategy is not unlike a campaign launched back in 2011, when Iceland popularised the concept of pairing tourists with locals by encouraging Icelanders to open their homes to visitors. The campaign was led by the country’s president himself. In 2016, Sweden became the first country in the world to launch an open phone line connecting callers with random Swedes.
Callers could ask locals for restaurant recommendations, tourist activities, or just shoot the breeze. Can’t make it to Finland? The tourism office also shared these six steps to be as happy as a Finn: – Sweat it out in a sauna. – Take a walk in the forest. – Swim in icy waters. – Go berry picking. – Watch the Northern Lights. – Seek out large spaces.