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Houston gears for grand Diwali! Indian American Abhijit Banerjee

shares Nobel Prize with wife, fellow economist for work on poverty

AFP File Photo

Indian origin man turns himself in to police with relative's body in car, confesses to killing 3 others

R

OSEVILLE, Calif.

— Oct 15, 2019 (AP) - A man who showed up at a Northern California police station with a dead body in his car confessed to killing four family members, three of whom were found inside his apartment, police said Tuesday.

Hangud is facing four murder charges, Simon said. He is in custody in Placer County.

Shankar Hangud, 53, was arrested Monday after he turned himself in to Mount Shasta police and told investigators he had killed the man in his car, Roseville Police Capt. Josh Simon said. Police said he also confessed to killing three other people at his apartment in Roseville, about

Hangud left his home in Roseville with the relative found in his car last week, and they traveled to several places in Northern California and ended up in Mount Shasta, Simon said.

Officers found the bodies of an adult and two juveniles Monday at Hangud's Roseville apartment after Mount Shasta police told them of Hangud's statement, Simon said.

Shankar Nagappa Hangud (Photo: Roseville Police Dept) 260 miles (420 kilometers) south of Mount Shasta.

Continued on Page 10

Esther Duflo, Michael Kremer and Abhijit Banerjee, who have just won the Nobel memorial prize for Economics Composite: Getty Images

by Johannes LEDEL

S

TOCKHOLM | AFP | Monday 10/14/2019 - A trio of Americans on Monday won the Nobel Economics Prize for their work in the fight against poverty, including Esther Duflo, the youngest-ever economics laureate and only the second woman to win the prize.

Duflo -- a 46-year-old French-American professor who has served as an advisor to ex-US president Barack Obama -- shared the Nobel

with her husband, Indian-born Abhijit Banerjee and fellow American Michael Kremer "for their experimental approach to alleviating global poverty," the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said.

"This year's laureates have introduced a new approach to obtaining reliable answers about the best ways to fight global poverty," the jury said.

The science academy said that "more than 700 million people still subsist on extremely low incomes", and that around five million children

under the age of five still die every year from preventable or curable diseases.

The trio found efficient ways of combating poverty by breaking down difficult issues into smaller, more manageable questions, which can then be answered through field experiments, the jury said.

Duflo is only the second woman to win the Nobel Economics Prize in its 50-year existence, following American Elinor Ostrom in 2009.

Continued on Page 10

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he Norwegian Nobel Committee’s decision to award this year’s Peace Prize to Abiy Ahmed, the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, is both a recognition of his efforts for peace in East Africa and a reminder of the challenges ahead for him.

Mr. Abiy, who became Prime Minister in April 2018 after his predecessor Hailemariam Desalegn resigned amid a political crisis and social unrest, has taken steps to politically stabilise the country and establish peace on its borders. The committee recognised in particular his “decisive initiative to resolve the border conflict with neighbouring Eritrea”.

Eritrea, which got independence from Ethiopia in 1991, has fought a disastrous border war during 1998-2000 with its big neighbour. It split thousands of families and killed about 80,000 people.

In Eritrea, the dictatorship used the prolonged border conflict as a convenient excuse for conscription and repression of its critics, which led to a mass refugee outflow. Mr. Abiy, immediately after assuming office, took steps to resume the stalled peace process. He led Ethiopia’s first state visit to Eritrea and met its President, Isaias Afwerki. Within days both countries declared the end of the border war.

by Kelsey Broderick

T

hough the United States and China reached a new trade truce at the end of last week, the enduring controversy over Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey’s tweet in support of Hong Kong protestors points to an irreversible fraying in the economic ties between the two countries.

By demanding an apology for Morey’s tweet and canceling several lucrative deals with the Rockets, China may have gone too far in its efforts to control the messaging of foreign firms.

It has in the past targeted firms as varied as Gap, Marriott and United Airlines for failing to respect domestic political sensitivities.

But there is a long tradition of activism by U.S. athletes, and in recent years National Basketball Association players and coaches have been outspoken on political and social issues.

That made the NBA’s initial climbdown and apology particularly jarring. The swift backlash from U.S. fans and lawmakers eventually forced the league to issue a second statement in support of free speech, though LeBron James Monday further fanned the controversy with statements criticizing Morey for not being more “careful” with what he tweets.

The danger for China and for U.S.-China economic ties more broadly is that organizations finding themselves in the same situation may have to juggle not only Chinese but also American values when considering their operations in China.

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U.S. attitudes toward China are changing, with more questions being asked about the compromises made to maintain access to the country’s huge market. President Trump’s hardline on trade is the culmination of years of mounting frustration with the uneven playing field for foreign firms operating in China. Democrats and Republicans in Congress have found common cause in support for Hong Kong, Taiwan and Xinjiang, and continued press coverage of the demands of Hong Kong protestors for greater freedoms have captured the attention of the public.

At the same time, China under President Xi Jinping has grown increasingly intolerant of internal dissent and external criticism. Authorities respond aggressively to any perceived threats to the Communist Party’s legitimacy or the country’s sovereignty. They say that tensions in Hong Kong (and Taiwan and Xinjiang) are internal matters that foreigners have no business commenting on.

Beijing has also taken pains to inflame nationalist sentiment to bolster popular support for its policies, and many of the violations of domestic norms by foreign companies are called out first by members of the public in online forums.

Moreover, China is increas-

for Ethiopia PM

Abiy Ahmed must view the Nobel as a call to end inter-ethnic conflicts in Ethiopia grip and called for a panEthiopian identity and a freer economy and polity. But his reform agenda was challenged by ethno-nationalists both within and outside his party. His government remained a spectator when ethnic violence was unleashed in several parts of the country over the past year, and sub-nationalisms emerged stronger.

Abiy Ahmed is applying his manifest skills to the vital purpose of transforming Ethiopia into a prosperous society ( Photo © AFP/ Getty Images) Mr. Abiy, 43, had also initiated reforms at home, such as lifting the ban on opposition political parties, releasing political prisoners and jailed journalists and removing media curbs.

Half of his Cabinet members are women and his government has welcomed the dissidents who were living in exile to return. More important, Mr. Abiy, himself hailing from the

Oromo ethnic group, persuaded the Oromo Liberation Front to join a wide-ranging peace process with the government.

But his biggest challenge is to calm ethnic tensions in his conflict-ridden country. Ethiopia is a multi-ethnic federation ruled by the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front with a tight grip.

Mr. Abiy has loosened this

The Oromia and Amhara regions remain tense. Ethnic Gedeos and Gujis are in conflict in the south. Earlier this year, at least 5,22,000 Ethiopians were displaced by ethnic conflicts. With the country set to go to elections next year, many fear that violence could escalate. Mr. Abiy has to arrest this slide of Ethiopia into an inter-ethnic civil war. Being a Nobel peace prize winner, he should come up with a national action plan to end violence, ease ethnic tensions and resettle the thousands displaced by the violence. That should be as important for him as ending the war with Eritrea.

Source: The Hindu

China's spat with NBA highlights forces driving US-China divorce on more structural issues at the root of the conflict such as forced technology transfer by foreign firms operating in China, subsidies given to domestic firms and state-directed industrial policies. But it won’t be easy for either side to make substantive compromises given the hardening of public opinion in both countries.

© Getty Images

ingly positioning itself in opposition to the U.S. on the global stage. Whereas the U.S. has traditionally championed free enterprise and universal human rights, China defends its statedriven brand of capitalism and non-interference in the domestic affairs of other countries.

It wants its system recognized as an equal to that of the U.S. and has been projecting its economic power outward – for example, through the Belt and Road Initiative – to achieve this aim.

Against this backdrop, it

seems unlikely the latest truce in the U.S.-China trade conflict will be able to reverse the steady deterioration in the bilateral relationship. In a deal that was months in the making, the U.S. agreed to hold off on a new round of tariff escalation in exchange for a series of small concessions on China’s part. These included a commitment to buy more U.S. agricultural goods and further open its markets to foreign financial services firms.

The U.S. and China also agreed to continue discussion

Getting tough on China is a rare area of bipartisan consensus today in U.S. politics, whereas a Chinese belief that the U.S. is trying to contain China’s rise with new rules on trade is fueling nationalist sentiment.

Further decoupling of the two countries’ economies seems inevitable, with companies increasingly being forced to choose between one value system and another.

Kelsey Broderick is an analyst in Eurasia Group’s Asia practice. She previously researched macroeconomic developments and trends in China at the World Bank.

- The Hill

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JVB Houston celebrates its 10th Anniversary with divinity and fervor

by Shashank Jain

audience through the hilarious acts by talented and homegrown actors from JVB Houston. The message, “Do good to others and good will happen to you!” was well driven by lead cast Sudhir Daga, Ajay Gandhi, and Jigar Dedhia, and well supported by Amit Sacheti, Kinjal Chheda, Monika Daga, Mayank Jain, Deepesh Jain, Sameer Parakh, Shanti Gala, Sampat Parakh, Varsha Sacheti and Shivani Jain. The play was guided by Samani Punya Pragyaji, produced and directed

by Pradeep Jain, and sound and light arrangements were managed by Shanti and Geeta Gala. The evening ended with recitation of Mangal Paath by Samaniji.

J

VB Houston’s triple event 10th Anniversary celebrations were observed with pooja rituals, a grand cultural evening, and with the 1st iteration of the Meditation speaker panel.

The weekend long celebrations began early on Saturday October 12th morning with the Annual Adhar Abhishek Pooja.

Samanijis' Punya Pragya ji and Jigyasa Pragya ji started festivities with Navkar Mantra.

Sh. Jayesh Khona, of California, lead the extensive pooja and related ceremonies guiding devotees through the meaningful rituals with deep explanations. Many patrons of the center participated in the Adhar Abhishek Pooja and various other rituals that are performed as part of the four-hour long ceremony; which culminated when the symbolic flag was hoisted on top of the temple structure. The ceremony was followed by a sumptuous lunch sponsored by Shanti and Geeta Gala.

Guests were served an early dinner at 5:30 p.m. following which they attended the grand cultural program that began with a pious Jain Prayer - The Navkar Mantra. JVB board member Pramod Bengani, served as the Master of Ceremonies for the evening. He reminded the audience that this occasion was three celebrations in one - 20th anniversary of JVB Houston's existence, 10th anniversary of the current facility, and the birth centenary of Jain Monk - Acharya Mahapragya ji. He also reminisced upon how the organization took shape 20 years ago with its founder hosts - Sh. Sunil Mehta along with the vision of its leaders; and the many Samanijis that were stationed in Houston during that time.

JVB Houston's newly crowned Bhajan Idols 2019 Mahi Tomar and Soma Chatterjee performed soulful bhajans creating wonderful vibrations in the Pyramid hall. They were accompanied by Smriti Shrivastava on harmonium and Parshuram Das on flute. After

JVB Houston's members, volunteers and participants with Samanijis at the 10th Anniversary celebrations . Photos by Navin Mediwala the melodious start, JVB Gyanshala kids ages 4 - 14 demonstrated Yoga poses, some synchronized with music, were a treat to watch. This program was conceptualized by Samani Jigyasa Pragya ji and supported parent volunteers.

JVB's past President Nikhil Jain, presented a slide show recapturing the past 10 years of the facility followed by a short discourse by Samani Punya Pragya ji highlighting the day of celebration. Current President, Shashank Jain, recognized key volunteers of and program leads of the Annual Day celebrations.

Vice Presidents: Ashok Jain and Gaurav Jhaveri, cultural program lead Seema Jain were also recognized.

Decorations were led by Shashi Jain with assistance from Vinnie Verma and countless others.

Media coverage was by Samji Dedhia, Navin Mediwala, Abhishek Baradia and food arrangements were coordinated

by Sharada Gadiya.

The highlight of the evening, the play "Swarg Mein Ek Hi Seat Khali Hai - Kaun Banega Daavedar?" began with melodious flute by Parshuram Das and vocals by Deepti Kanhere and an entertaining dance performance by Aayushi Gandhi and Esha Bora. Play's storyteller, Seema Jain engaged the

JVB Vice President Gaurav Jhaveri concluded the three sessions with a Q & A followed by refreshments sponsored by Abhishek and Chetna Baradia and Nayana Mehta.

Chairman Swatantra Jain and other members partake in the Arti during the celebrations.

A section of the audience during the presentation

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On Sunday October 13th turned out to be another gorgeous day that set the stage for the 1st Triveni Sangam (3 independent thoughts brought together in one session) on “Meditation: Stress Management & Beyond.” Guest speakers: Dr. Hansa Rawal from Brahma Kumaris Texas and Dr. Harish Chandra from Arya Samaj of Greater Houston were impactful topped with an apt conclusion by JVB’s very own Samani Punya Pragya ji.

Speakers were recognized by Chairman Sh. Swatantra Jain and Board Member Sh. Alok Jain.

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Over 150 from the mainstream Houston community including patrons from Brahma Kumaris, Arya Samaj, Jain Society of Houston, Sewa International, HSS etc. attended the event, which brought the two-day celebrations to a fitting conclusion.

JVB Preksha Meditation Center is home to a specially designed Preksha Dhyan ‘Pyramid’ Meditation Hall and is located at 14102 Schiller Rd, Houston, TX 77082. For more information please visit www.

JVBHouston.org or call 281596-9642.

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Trio win medicine Nobel for work on how cells adapt to oxygen

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How Medicare Premium and Deductibles are Changing in 2020 There are several changes for Medicare enrollees in 2020: Part B premiums

T

he standard premium for Medicare Part B is $135.50/month for 2019, but it’s projected to increase to $144.30/month in 2020 (this won’t be finalized until the fall of 2020)

Gregg Semenza, Peter Ratcliffe and William Kaelin won the Nobel Medicine Prize for discoveries about cells and oxygen (AFP Photo/Jonathan NACKSTRAND)

by Pia OHLIN in Stockholm with Patrick GALEY in Paris

S

TOCKHOLM, Sweden | AFP | Monday 10/7/2019 - Three researchers from the United States and Britain on Monday shared the Nobel Medicine Prize for research into how human cells sense and adapt to changing oxygen levels, opening up new strategies to fight such diseases as cancer and anaemia.

Americans William Kaelin and Gregg Semenza, and Britain's Peter Ratcliffe, split the nine million Swedish kronor ($914,000, 833,000 euros) award.

While the fact that humans need oxygen to survive has been understood for centuries, how the body registers and responds to oxygen was little known prior to the trio's pioneering work.

Semenza studied a gene known as EPO which causes the body to create more red blood cells and isolated the specific DNA segments that help it to adapt to low oxygen levels.

Ratcliffe and Semenza then applied this knowledge to show that the oxygen sensing mechanism was present in virtually all human tissues.

Kaelin identified another gene, present in patients with a genetic disorder that puts them at far greater risk of certain cancers. The gene rewires the body's ability to prevent the onset of cancer, and it plays a key role in how cancer cells respond to low oxygen levels.

Their work has shed new light on the specific, cell-level

processes the body undergoes when low on oxygen -- from helping our muscles function during exercise to adapting to life at high altitude.

Cells' oxygen-sensing ability is also essential during foetal development and in creating new blood vessels.

A large number of diseases are linked to EPO, including renal failure and severe anaemia.

Cancerous tumours use the body's oxygen-regulating tools to hijack blood vessel formation and allow the cancer cells to spread. The Nobel committee said Monday that several trials were underway developing drugs to interrupt this process, potentially short-circuiting tumour growth.

For treatment of anaemia -where the body lacks sufficient red blood cells to carry enough oxygen to tissues -- medicines seek to stimulate EPO creation.

One such drug has already been approved in China.

This essentially tricks the body into thinking it is at higher altitude, prompting the creation of new red blood cells.

Kaelin, 61, works at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston and is a professor at Harvard Medical School in the United States.

Semenza, 63, is director of the Vascular Research Program at the Johns Hopkins Institute for Cell Engineering.

Ratcliffe, 65, is director of clinical research at the Francis Crick Institute in London, and director of the Target Discovery Institute in Oxford.

India on the frontline of the fight against tuberculosis

by Alexandre Marchand

N

EW DELHI | AFP | Tuesday 10/8/2019 - All the symptoms were there but it still took four doctors and several months of waiting before Bharti Kapar's cough and stomach pains were diagnosed as tuberculosis.

Hailing from a poor town outside the smog-choked capital of New Delhi, Bharti, 24, was one of the 2.7 million new cases of tuberculosis last year in India -- home to more than a quarter of the world's cases of the deadly disease.

After five months of rigorous medical treatment and taking several pills a day, she was declared cured in April but still has to force herself to venture out of the small home she shares with her mother, two brothers and a sister-in-law.

"Sometimes I feel that my breathing is difficult, it's not normal. I do not have any energy, I do not want to go out, I do not want to do anything," she said.

A major killer in the West until the mid-twentieth century, tuberculosis remains a menace in developing countries and killed 421,000 in India in 2017 according to the World Health Organization -more than AIDS and malaria combined.

Johneca Broussard, D.O. joins Houston Methodist Primary Care Group at Riverstone

S

UGAR LAND –(October 15, 2019) – Houston Methodist Primary Care Group is pleased to announce Johneca Broussard, D.O., is now welcoming patients at the Riverstone practice, located at 18717 S. University Blvd., Suite 105, Sugar Land, Texas 77479.

Broussard is a board-certified family physician providing preventive, chronic and acute care for adult men and women.

Her clinical expertise includes complete physicals, health screenings, routine immunizations, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes management, thyroid concerns, rash and skin problems, men health, women’s health and well-woman care – including Pap smears.

Broussard received her medical degree from Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences in Tulsa, Oklahoma and completed her residency in family medicine through the Department of Family and Community Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine.

“I’m excited to offer my

Johneca Broussard, D.O., Family Medicine

expertise to serve the Riverstone community with Houston Methodist Primary Care Group,” Broussard said. “I look forward to building relationships and collaborating with my patients in achieving their best possible health.”

To schedule an appointment with Dr. Johneca Broussard, or to find a Houston Methodist Primary Care

Group physician at another Fort Bend County location, visit houstonmethodist.org/pcg/southwest or call 281.930.6639.

For more information on Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital visit houstonmethodist.org/sugarland or visit fb.com/methodistsugarland for the latest news, events and information.

The Social Security cost of living adjustment (COLA) is expected to be about 1.6 percent for 2020, which will increase the average retiree’s total benefit by about $23/ month. That’s more than enough to cover the roughly $9 increase in premiums for Part B, which means that the premium increase is likely to apply to nearly all Part B enrollees.

If a Social Security recipient’s COLA isn’t enough to cover the full premium increase for Part B, that person’s Part B premium can only increase by the amount of the COLA. Part B Deductible.

For 2019, however, it increased to $185. And for 2020, it’s projected to increase to $197, although the exact amount won’t be finalized until the fall of 2019.

Part A premiums, deductible, and coinsurance Medicare Part A covers hospitalization costs. For most enrollees, there’s no premium for Part A. But people who don’t have 40 quarters of work history (or a spouse with 40 quarters of work history) must pay premiums for Part A coverage.

Those premiums have trended upwards over time,

although they’re lower in 2019 than they were in 2010.

They’re projected to increase in 2020, however: The premium for people with 30+ (but less than 40) quarters of work history is projected to be $253/month in 2020, up from $240/month in 2019.

And for people with fewer than 30 quarters of work history, the premium for Part A is projected to be $460/ month in 2020, up from $437/month in 2019 (these numbers are from the Medicare Trustees’ 2019 report, the exact amounts will be published by CMS in the fall of 2019).

Part A has a deductible that applies to each benefit period (rather than a calendar year deductible like Part B or private insurance plans), and it generally increases each year. In 2019 it is $1,364, but it’s projected to increase to $1,420 in 2020. The increase in the Part A deductible will apply to all enrollees, although many enrollees have supplemental coverage that pays all or part of the Part A deductible.

The Part A deductible covers the enrollee’s first 60 inpatient days during a benefit period. If the enrollee needs additional inpatient coverage during that same benefit period, there’s a daily coinsurance charge. In 2019, it’s $341 per day for the 61st through 90th day of inpatient care, and that’s projected to increase to $355 in 2020.

The coinsurance for lifetime reserve days is $682 per day in 2019, and that’s projected to increase to $710 in 2020.

Sudhir Mathuria HEALTHLIFE 360 713-771-2900

For care received in skilled nursing facilities, the first 20 days are covered with the Part A deductible that was paid for the inpatient hospital stay that preceded the stay in the skilled nursing facility (Medicare only covers skilled nursing facility care if the patient had an inpatient hospital stay of at least three days before being transferred to a skilled nursing facility). But there’s a coinsurance that applies to days 21 through 100 in a skilled nursing facility. In 2019, it’s $170.50 per day, and that’s projected to increase to $177.50 per day in 2020.

All of these projections are on page 188 of the 2019 Medicare Trustees’ Report; CMS will confirm the official amounts in the fall of 2019 Source: Medicare source org To enroll in 2020 Medicare Advantage Plans, Medicare Supplement Plans, or Medicare Prescription Plans contact contact Sudhir Mathuria at 713-771-2900.

Senior Living

VOICE OF ASIA 5

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Apartment Hunting With a Disability

by Ron Leshnower

I

f you have a disability, an apartment search can be a challenge. You might need an apartment that has special features, which means you don't want to waste time reviewing listings or visiting buildings that don't fit the bill.

Also, federal law protects apartment hunters with disabilities, so it's important to become familiar with your rights before you begin to look for an apartment.

Here's some helpful information to be aware of if you're apartment hunting with a disability: Understand What Type of Disability Qualifies for Protection Disabilities qualify for protection under federal law if they meet the definition in the Fair Housing Act (FHA).

The definition might be broader or narrower than you think, and it's important to know whether you're entitled to legal rights under the FHA. If you believe that you or your future roommate has a disability, find out how to determine if it qualifies.

Get Familiar With Apartment Hunters' Disability Rights The FHA aims to ensure that your landlord treats you the same regardless of whether you have a disability.

This way, you can enjoy your apartment -- and the experience of finding the right one -- like everyone else.

There are certain things a landlord must and mustn't do under the FHA when it comes to dealing with prospective tenants who have a disability.

Learn How to Find Accessible Apartments Efficiently Not every apartment hunter with a physical disability needs accessible features.

But if you're one of many apartment hunters who do need to find an accessible apartment, there are several Web resources aimed at helping you run an efficient search.

Find out how to use these resources to your advantage and avoid wasting time with apartments that don't fit your needs.

Get Reasonable Accommodation Requests Granted The FHA requires landlords to grant apartment hunters reasonable accommodations that they need for a disability. For example, you might need to keep a guide dog in your apartment despite a landlord's no-pets rule, or you might need to access common areas in a motorized wheelchair, even though the rules ban electric vehicles from those areas.

If you're interested in an apartment and need to ask for an accommodation, here's what you should know.

Watch Out for Illegal Steering Apartment

hunters

who

have a disability should beware of "steering." A less direct form of discrimination, steering occurs when a landlord tries to limit someone's housing choices by guiding or encouraging the person to look elsewhere because she has a disability (or is a member of another protected class).

For example, a landlord might illegally decide to put all tenants who use wheelchairs in one building, which means any apartment hunter who uses a wheelchair wouldn't learn about vacancies in all parts of the apartment complex.

Learn how to identify and avoid illegal steering during your apartment search.

Consider Filing a Fair Housing Complaint If you keep the above tips and information in mind as you conduct an apartment search and believe that a landlord, broker, or other real estate professional has discriminated against you on account of your disability, you can consider pursuing a fair housing complaint against the person.

The FHA lets you pursue a claim by filing a complaint with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which saves renters time and money as well as the need to hire an attorney.

If you decide to file a claim, here are the steps you'll need to take.

SOURCE: The Spruce

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Non-Surgical Heart Valve Gives Patients New Lease on Life

W

hen walking up the stairs and playing golf started to become difficult even on a good day, retired Navy Captain Allen Brady attributed the change to aging. Having spent six years as a prisoner of war, Brady was no stranger to living with a challenge. But, when he couldn’t finish a round of golf without feeling fatigued and short of breath, he and his wife knew something was wrong and decided to visit a cardiologist. Brady was diagnosed with a severe form of aortic stenosis, the most common valvular heart disease affecting an estimated 1.5 million Americans.

Brady is among the 7 percent of people over the age of 65 affected by this condition. Aortic stenosis is characterized by significant narrowing of the aortic valve opening, which restricts blood flow and is often accompanied by symptoms such as shortness of breath, chest pain, pressure or tightness, fatigue, feeling lightheaded or dizzy, and difficulty when exercising or completing day-to-day activities. If left untreated, it can eventually lead to heart failure, severe infection and even sudden death.

While historically, the only treatment option available to patients involved valve replacement via open-heart surgery, a less invasive procedure called transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has become a more mainstream solution for those who are too sick to undergo traditional surgery. Patients who have a TAVR procedure typically experience a faster recovery time and less discomfort.

Allen Brady enjoys relaxing outside with his wife, Dianne.

“At 89 years old, I was very concerned about any kind of heart surgery,” Brady explained “But my doctor reassured me that my age would not be a problem, and I knew I had to take action if I wanted to get back to my life.”

Dr. Christopher Meduri of Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta recommended that Brady undergo TAVR with the Boston Scientific LOTUS Edge Aortic Valve System. This next-generation TAVR technology was recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for patients with severe aortic stenosis who are at high risk for open heart surgery.

“Complete control over the procedure and confidence in the final result are incredibly important. We’ve had very good results with this new technology and it offers a minimally invasive, patient-centered treatment for those with aortic stenosis wanting to get back to their life as quickly as possible,” says Dr. Meduri.

Thanks to the valve’s design that makes it uniquely repositionable during TAVR, physicians can precisely place the new valve into an optimal position within the heart to restore proper valve function. And because not everyone’s aortic valve is the same size, the device is designed to conform to the patient, which minimizes any leakage of blood around the outside of the valve that could lead to future complications.

“I feel like I have a new lease on life,” says Brady, now 90.

“With my heart in good health, I have so much energy to do the things I’ve always loved, like golfing and spending time outdoors with my wife. I’m so grateful for the peace of mind this procedure has given me.”

For more information about severe aortic stenosis, TAVR and the LOTUS Edge valve, visit TreatTheHeart.com.

If you think you may be experiencing symptoms of aortic valve disease, talk to your doctor right away. (StatePoint)

COMMUNITY

VOICE OF ASIA 6

FRIDAY, October 18, 2019

Navarathri Kolu at Sri Meenakshi Temple

The nine days of celebration of Navarathri is dedicated to Goddess Durga.

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EARLAND - Sri Meenakshi Temple in Pearland, the first Shakthi temple outside India, is perhaps at its most resplendent ambiance and activities during Navarathri times. This year, that excellence was advanced a notch further with an exquisite display of Kolu, with the dazzling Alankarams at the Saivaite and Vaishnavaite Sannidhis, the cultural programs by established and budding talents of the community and the ever increasing number of devotees visiting the temple.

The nine days of celebration during Navarathri is dedicated to Goddess Durga, the deity of power, Goddess Lakshmi, the deity of wealth and Goddess Saraswathi, the deity of knowledge. The first three days of worship are symbolic commitment to energy that triumphs over all that is evil, while the second section is to acquire materialistic and spiritual wealth to nurture existence, and the last three days are dedicated to knowledge and Arts. The Alankarams on the Saivaite side were with themes of Sri Raja Rajeshwari, Meenakshi Jananam, Meenakshi Thirukalyanam, Meenakshi Pattabhishekam, Meenakshi Digvijayam, Dakshina Moorthy, Kundathoranukku Annamittal, Mahishsura Mardhini, and Siva Pujai. On the Vaishnavaite side, they were Sri Vaikunta Nathan, Sri

A elaborate display of Hindu deities was part of the Navarathri celebrations.

Lakshmi Narayan, Sri Venugopalan, Sri Vamana Moorthy, Sri Rama Pattabhishekam, Sri Mohini Avatharam, Sri Gagendra Mokham, Sri Kalinga Narthanam, and Sri Saraswathy.

Each day our erudite priests created the phenomenal displays with the help of our creative artisans and offered the visiting devotees an educational yet sublime experience.

As the yardstick demonstration of Navarathri is through the display of Kolu, and as Sri Meenakshi Temple is the abode of Goddess Meenakshi, this year, we chose the theme, “STHREE SHAKTHI”, The Power of Feminine, as an appropriate gesture and offer to our presiding deity, the supreme Divine Feminine Power responsible for creation, protection and Liberation. The symbolic understanding of Hindu Pantheon where the male deities represent the Matter and the female that of Energy, the concept very much aligns with the modern understanding of physical and metaphysical phenomena of the universe.

Meticulously conceived by the temple chairman Padmini Nathan and director Nachal Sethuraman, and painstakingly crafted by our most ingenious Silpis, the elaborate Kolu was laboriously constructed through many weeks and dis-

Hundreds of devotees offered prayers on the auspicious occasion

played in the spacious premises of the Ganesh Temple. The focus of the theme is portraying the feminine energy as highlighted through the values of

A depiction of the scenes from the epic Ramayana. devotion, forgiveness, fiery courage to uphold righteousness, revolt for self-respect, and sacrifice for integrity that imbibe and empower the traditions and heritage of India.

Through the stories of Andal, Kannaki, Sita, and Draupadi, the display generously narrates the essence of the principles.

Another popular highlight of the Kolu was of ‘chiranjeevi’

3222 Mercer St. | Houston, TX 77027 | (713) 623-0005

Hanuman, his exploits conveying his ultimate devotion, intelligence and strength. If the set-up of the ‘Rural Scenes’ of Tamilnadu with the theppakulam, temple premises and the village settings kindle our nostalgic sentiments, the sleeping Kumbhakarna, Gajendra Moksham, Brahmotsavam and the likes elicit an array of familiar emotions.

As the steady stream of devotees enthusiastically examine, appreciate and discover from the excellent Kolu displays, the reality that such traditional, Indian, cultural extravagance is happening in the Texas cowboy country, is certainly bound to be an astounding realization, perhaps only to be conceived as one of absolute divine allowance.

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VOICE OF ASIA 7

The Urgency To Fund The Violence Against Women Act

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OUSTON, Oct. 16, 2019- The Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2019 (VAWA), passed through the House of Representatives on April 4, 2019, H.R. 1585, and was subsequently placed on the Senate legislative calendar. To date, the Senate has yet to act on this bill, which remains on Senator Mitch McConnell’s desk. The undersigned member organizations release the following statement: Since first being established in 1994, The Violence Against Women Act has received bipartisan support for reauthorization numerous times. This critical and lifesaving legislation maintains the safety, resources, and protections that have been critical to all survivors, particularly those of color and from other marginalized communities.

VAWA has been instrumental in shifting the discourse of domestic violence to a public platform and changing the dialogue from intimate partner violence to gender-based violence, thus evolving into a more holistic purview. Without VAWA’s reauthorization, funding to many vital programs will cease. The public health crisis related to domestic and sexual violence is not ending. The impact and aftermath of these crimes have direct and indirect consequences in our communities. For example, in 54% of mass shootings, the victims included the shooter’s current or former spouse or intimate partner, or another family member.

Further, the intergenerational nature of violence creates a cycle of abuse. When compared to children who grow up in non-abusive homes, children who witness violence are more likely to grow up to be abusers or be abused as adults. The lack of action in signing this urgent bill is furthering the belief that these survivors are expendable and have no value.

Our organizations represent survivors of South Asian origin and similar immigrant communities throughout the United States. We are deeply disappointed in the Senate’s delay in advancing this important bill forward. Interventions for survivors of domestic, dating, sexual violence and human trafficking are imperative to protect and preserve the basic human rights of survivors.

“When abuse takes place, it negatively impacts all communities. Gender-based violence, abuse, oppression, and bigotry are interconnected, particularly at the intersections of racism, misogyny, xenophobia, homophobia, transphobia, and other forms of oppression. This is especially true for marginalized communities, including South Asian and other immigrant communities,” says Rachna Khare, Executive Director of Daya, a nonprofit supporting South Asian survivors of abuse in Houston.

The Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2019 would: ● Strengthen protections

privacy

● Improve public safety among Native communities and ability to prosecute nonnative offenders for sexual assault, trafficking, stalking, and child abuse ● Fund population-specific programming, including programs designed to meet the needs of communities of color, LGBTQ people, older adults, rural communities, people with disabilities, young adults, ● Improve enforcement of current federal domestic violence-related firearms laws and close loopholes to reduce firearm-involved abuse and intimate partner homicide. ● Acknowledge the trauma of incarceration on

women and their family members, especially their children, and improve health care services and trauma-informed responses to better prepare incarcerated women to return to their communities.

FRIDAY, October 18, 2019

Ambassador Shringla visits Sikh Association of Baltimore gurudwara

● Expand VAWA's ability to respond to sexual harassment. ● Add new definitions including Abuse in Later Life; Alternative Justice Response; Digital Services; Forced Marriage; Economic Abuse; and Technological Abuse and update the definition of domestic violence. ● Improve the Criminal Justice Response grant program to implement alternative justice responses The impacts of gender-based abuse on survivors can be farreaching with the impact felt economically and psychologically for generations. But the protections under VAWA have been a lifeline for survivors over the past two decades. As organizations connecting South Asian American survivors with resources, we see an urgency in reauthorizing this act – VAWA. VAWA has always had bipartisan support as issues of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking impact all communities. It has been a vehicle for new improvements to strengthen the protections available to survivors. With each iteration, lawmakers have incorporated new provisions into VAWA that are informed by the latest research and best practices for addressing gender-based violence.

The government must respond to these emerging issues and continue building upon the momentum of the past 25 years to further improve its comprehensive public health response to gender-based violence.

Today, we stand firmly with

Ambassador Harsh V Shringla visited the Sikh Association of Baltimore Gurdwara on October 13, 2019 and took part in Sikh Ardas (prayers).

Addressing the gathering, Ambassador spoke about the significant steps taken by the Government of India to address the longstanding concerns and grievances of the Sikh community. He also highlighted the programs being organized by the Embassy and various Consulates in USA to commemorate the 550th Birth Anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. The representatives of the Sikh community felicitated the Ambassador and lauded the initiatives undertaken by the government for the benefit of the Sikh diaspora. Photo: Embassy of India Washington DC.

survivors in all communities who face abuse. As the Senate considers its version of H.R. 1585, it must pass a bill that doesn’t choose between services for victims or training for law enforcement or prevention programs. ALL of it is requisite. Victims and survivors should not live in the shadow of fear from their oppressors.

The time is now to re-authorize this bill.

Action Items: ●

Contact your Senator

●

Volunteer or Donate

to your local South Asian Women’s Organization and/or a local agenda addressing domestic violence or sexual assault. ● Become an advocate and share this message with your community. ● Organize in your community, campus, place of worship against gender-based violence Signatories Daya, Houston TX (www.dayahouston.org)

Rasksha, Atlanta GA (www. raksha.org) Sakhi for South Asian Women, New York NY (www.sakhi.org) Apna Ghar, Inc. (Our Home), Chicago IL (www.apnaghar.org) Valley Crisis Center, Merced CA (www.valleycrisiscenter.org) South Asian Network, Artesia CA ( www.southasiannetwork. org) Manavi, New Brunswick NJ (www.manavi.org) Chetna, Dallas TX (http://www. chetna-dfw.org)

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FRIDAY, October 18, 2019

Coming Together in the Age of 60 US deans, CEOs write to US Division – Future of American President to ease H-1B curbs Participatory Democracy The letter said the US doesn't have the capacity to train enough people with required hightech skills, and without a change in approach, this would hinder growth.

In 2019, the US saw a 13.7% decline in international business school applications.

By By Priyanka Sangani PUNE: Oct 16, 2019,- US President Donald Trump has been urged to reform the H1-B visa process and to do away with country-specific limits.

From left- Advisory Baird member Chad Tradgakis, National Program Chair Joseph Melookaran.

AACR Founder Dr Joy Cherian and other speakers and panelists

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ASHINGTON DCOctober 2, 2019: The Washington DC based Association of Americans for Civic Responsibility (AACR) in association with The George Mason University Department of Communication Insight Committee held its Bi-annual Roundtable on “Coming together in the Age of Division - Social Media, Civic Engagement and the Future of American Participatory Democracy” at George Mason University’s Fairfax campus on October 2, 2019.

AACR had similar conferences at Las Vegas, Nevada; Syracuse University (Washington DC Campus); Overland Park, Kansas, and Kellogg School of Management, Chicago.

The conference was attended by academia, journalists from news organizations, community leaders and graduate students. This year’s panelists were an outstanding group of thought leaders who triggered a very active intellectual conversation and deliberation.

The graduate students from George Mason university will be compiling a Whitepaper on this symposium and make it available as a resource for researchers, legislative groups and communities. This event was organized by Chad Tragakis, Chairman of Mason Communication Insight Committee and Joseph Melookaran, National Program Chair for AACR. Chad Tragakis kicked off the event that was well attended.

The first session covered “Advocacy, Activism and Opinion: The many forms and varying influences of online civic engagement”. The panelists examined the emergence of divisive social media in America and gave a contextual analy-

sis of the arguments that portray this as a cause or if they are the effect of political and socio-cultural conflict in the U.S. David Miller, a faculty of GMU moderated the session and the panelists were Eric Shiraev, Mason Schar School of Policy and Government & Co-founder of the Research Lab for Character Assassination and Reputation Politics (CARP), Sergei Samoilenko, Mason Communication Department Faculty & CARP Cofounder and Matthew Felling, Strategic Communications Director, Office of U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) The second sesson was moderated by Lindsay Burr, CEO of Yarbrough Group and dealt with the topic of “Social Networking Sites and Political Activity: Platforms for progress or havens for hate. The panelists presented their life experiences and current events to point to the gravity of the current problem of hatred and vilification as well as misinformation. The panelists were Asra Nomani, Journalist, author and former Georgetown University Professor, Solon Simmons, Mason Associate Professor, School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, and Joel Harding, a commentator and consultant on Information Operations and Cyber Warfare. The discussion ensued were very lively and was focused on whether the society can maintain civility and polity and leave it for being a self-correcting one or do governments, through legislative means, need to establish rules, limits and regulations and move to establish consequences for abuse of the freedom and ensuring transparency. The deliberations considered limits on First Amendment that is being misused by some bad actors. Also, the

need to reform Section 230 of the Communications and Decency Act of 1996. The current rules impede transparency and honesty and allows the bad actors to hide behind the organizations/groups who need not disclose their identity. Also, not having consequences for causing damages encourages them to continue their attacks and misinformation campaign with no civility of social considerations.

The third session was moderated by Dr. Michael Schneider, former director of Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University. The presenters were Jordan Allott, Documentary Filmmaker and Director, Steven Springer, Editor, News Standards & Best Practices, Voice of America. The Presentation were focused on the limits of online political speech and virtual civics and if it can be regulated, should it be, and if so… how. The panelists expressed their ideas and thoughts in the context of intellectual discussion that are taking place along with the regulatory moves by global governments. The participants and panelists had a very productive deliberation on the limits and regulations and best practices to guide users of social media. Who sets the rules for conflict and competition in the cyber realm?

Dr. Joy Cherian advocated the need for having more forums and framework to exchange experiences to advance the need for civility and decorum in the social media space that will foster bringing people together maintaining restraint and decency in communication. Dr. Cherian thanked all the speakers for an excellent discourse and deliberation during the event.

A group of more than 60 US business school deans and CEOs have written an open letter to Trump and other leaders, saying the country does not have the high-skill talent it needs and the drop in student admissions over the past three years is acting as a deterrent to get qualified immigrants into the US. The letter, spearheaded by the Graduate Management Admissions Council (GMAC), said the US does not have the capacity to train enough people with the required high-tech skills, and without a change in approach, this would hinder economic growth.

“The fact that our economy

has created an estimated three million open STEM jobs is a positive. It speaks to the vibrancy and opportunities available in a healthy, growing economy.

Yet the fact that those jobs are unfilled — and that the US is not producing enough people with the skills to fill them — is not just a negative, it’s a crisis.

We are needlessly capping our growth and can do better.”

The letter was published in the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday.

The GMAC, which also published a white paper, ‘Early Warning Signals Winners and Losers in the Global Race for Talent’, highlighted the imbalance between applicants for the H-1B visa and the available visas.

“Following the expiration in 2004 of the 195,000 cap, the number of H-1B visas now annually available has diminished to an adjusted cap of 85,000. Issued on a firstcome, first-served basis, every year the demand for H-1B visas outweighs the supply. For instance, in 2019 190,098 H-1B petitions were filed for 85,000 visas.”

The letter has suggested removing country caps and reforming the H-1B visa programme, and creating a ‘heartland’ visa that would encourage immigration to regions within the US that could most use these people. Deans from the business schools of Stanford,

Duke, Yale and Columbia, as well as CEOs of companies such as Barings and Ingersoll Rand are signatories to the letter.

Shivendra Singh, vice-president, global trade development at industry body Nasscom, said the skills gap in the US was key. “With almost zero unemployment, short-term, highskill visas play a critical role in bridging that gap. Even as companies are investing in reskilling initiatives, those will take time and, meanwhile, you need highly skilled people in order to maintain your competitive edge globally,” he said.

The white paper said percentage of Indians sending their scores from GMAT exam to US business schools fell to 45% in 2018 from 57% in testing year 2014. In 2019, the US saw a 13.7% decline in international business school applications, even as Canada and Europe recorded an increase. According to the Open Doors 2018 report, the growth pace in the number of Indian students studying in US has slowed, at 5.4% in 2018 over 12.3% the previous year.

“We feel it is critical we share this information now with policy makers as talent will be the most important factor in determining who wins and loses economically in the future,” said Bill Boulding, chair of GMAC Board and dean of Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.

Global PIO body to honour 3 Indian-Americans for contribution in health sector H R Shah, Chairman and CEO of TV Asia, will be honoured for promoting health awareness among the Indian diaspora.

The Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) will present the Health Council Award to the recipients during the Health Council Summit, organised by it, on Saturday, according to a press release.

PTI|Oct 11, 2019, - Washington: An international body of people of Indian origin will honour three Indian-Americans for their contribution in the health field as well as for promoting health awareness among the diaspora.

The Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) will present the Health Council Award to the recipients during the Health Council Summit, organised by it, on Saturday, according to a press release.

The GOPIO will also honour US-based firm Sabinsa Corporation, founded in 1988

by Indian-origin Muhammed Majeed, for its achievement and contributions in the health supplements sector.

H R Shah, Chairman and CEO of TV Asia, will be honoured for promoting health awareness among the Indian diaspora.

Image credit:Pankaj-TV Asia While Rahul Shukla, CEO of S S White Technologies and Shukla Medical, will receive the award in manufacturing of latest medical equipment category; Hitesh Bhatt, CEO of Bhatt Foundation Inc, will get the honour in healthcare technology category.

The GOPIO health summit aims at improving the health of people of Indian diaspora across the world by raising awareness of the current and emerging health issues affecting them and by promoting preventive practices and sharing information to better manage chronic diseases, the release said.

The speakers at the summit will discuss on the diseases, which are prone to the Indian diaspora, and how to treat or prevent them using modern and alternative medicine, it said.

Indian-born Nobel prize- Reduction winner comes from 'family in E-Tourist Visa Fees of economists' Banerjee, who won the prize along with Esther Duflo and Michael Kremer, has been critical of the Modi government, saying some of its economic decisions, Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo, two of the three winners of the 2019 Nobel such as banning Prize in Economics, stand together at a news conference at the Massachusetts high-value curInstitute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S., October 14, rency notes, were 2019. REUTERS/Brian Snyder “weird”.

by Sanjeev Miglani, Alexandra Ulmer

N

EW DELHI (Reuters) - Indian politicians and academics cheered the Nobel economics prize awarded on Monday to Indian-born American Abhijit Banerjee, whose proud mother told visitors crowding into her apartment that he came from “a family of economists”.

Nirmala Banerjee showed journalists a copy of her son’s book “Poor Economics” as bouquets arrived at her home

in the city of Kolkata and friends and family called to congratulate her.

“We are a family of economists, his father, me ... everyone is an economist,” she said.

“But we worked in different fields. We had discussions and debates on many issues.”

Banerjee was recognised for his work on fighting poverty and some said the award was a repudiation of policies pursued

by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In March, he joined 107 economists and social scientists in seeking an end to political interference in India’s statistics institutions, saying the integrity of economic data must be protected after allegations that growth had been inflated and figures showing unemployment at a 45-year high suppressed.

Nonetheless, Modi offered praise. “Congratulations to Abhijit Banerjee ... He has made notable contributions in the field of poverty alleviation,” he

said in a Tweet.

Others were more ebullient.

“Big day for every Indian.

Heartiest congratulations to eminent economist Abhijit Banerjee ... Work on poverty alleviation gets highest endorsement,” Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said.

The leader of India’s main opposition Congress party said Banerjee, who is based in the United States, had helped the party draft the minimum income scheme to fight poverty on which it fought elections earlier this year.

But the Congress suffered a resounding defeat at the hands of Modi’s nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party which ran a campaign focused on national security.

Banerjee had helped conceptualise a programme that had the power to destroy poverty and boost the economy, Gandhi said.

“Instead we now have Modinomics, that’s destroying the economy and boosting poverty.”

Banerjee told India’s online news outlet The Wire in 2017 that the Modi government didn’t seem to have any new economic plan, despite its promise to transform India and free it from the yoke of government.

“Having said that, there are a couple of weird things that the government did, one of those things was demonetization. I don’t think there was any serious economics in it, and there was no particular reason it would do much good,” he said.

The shock ban on currency notes in 2016, which Modi hailed as part of a broader fight against corruption, is widely seen to have contributed to the economic slowdown along with a hastily implemented national goods and service tax.

W

ASHINGTON DC - Embassy of India in US announced that the Government of India has decided to reduce the eTourist Visa fees for foreign nationals including US nationals, as per details given below: The fee for one-year e-Tourist Visa has been reduced from US$80 to US$40; A 30-day e-Tourist Visa has been introduced with a fee of US$25, which will be applicable during the period July to March; During the April to June period, the fee for a 30-day e-Tourist Visa has been further reduced from US$25 to US$10; The fee for a Five-year eTourist Visa would be US$80.

The procedure for e-Tourist Visa application remains the same. Details available at https://indianvisaonline.gov. in/evisa/tvoa.html .

SOUTH ASIA

VOICE OF ASIA 9

FRIDAY, October 18, 2019

Britain's William and Kate 'Miracle survival' for newmeet Pakistan PM Khan born found in Indian grave

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UCKNOW, India | AFP | Wednesday 10/16/2019 -Doctors on Wednesday hailed as a "miracle" the survival of a newborn girl found several days after being buried alive, as police hunted for her parents who have been charged with attempted murder.

The nearly eight-day-old baby was found in a clay pot by a father Thursday when he was digging a grave for his own newborn daughter, who had died the day before, in a village in northern Uttar Pradesh state.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan (L) recalled "the love and affection" Pakistanis felt for Princess Diana, the mother of Prince William (R), who is visiting with his wife Kate (AFP Photo/STR)

by Aamir QURESHI and Muhammad DAUD

kameez, the traditional Pakistani long shirt with trousers.

SLAMABAD | AFP | Tuesday 10/15/2019 Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan gave a warm welcome in Islamabad Tuesday to Britain's Prince William, the son of his late friend Princess Diana, who is on his first official trip to the country with his wife Kate.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were greeted with handshakes by a smiling Khan, who first met William when the prince was a young boy, on the steps at the prime minister's house in the capital.

But the Duke opted for Western attire again -- a dark suit and tie.

Pakistani media simultaneously aired archive images of Diana with Khan -- then a World Cup-winning cricketer who had just launched his political career -- during her own visits to Pakistan more than 20 years ago.

The couple launched their five-day tour of the deeply patriarchal South Asian country by signalling their support for women's education with a visit to a girls' school in Islamabad.

I

During the meeting with the royals, Khan recalled "the love and affection among the people of Pakistan for Princess Diana" thanks to her support for charitable causes, according to a statement released by his office.

Kate wore a traditional Pakistani dress in vibrant green and white with a dark green dupatta, or long scarf, draped over her shoulder -- a change from earlier in the day when she was dressed in a royal blue shalwar

The couple lunched with Khan before he headed to Saudi Arabia Tuesday afternoon, where he is expected to continue his mission to help defuse tensions in the Gulf by facilitating talks between Riyadh and Tehran.

It came after a busy morning for Kate and William, the first British royals to come to Pakistan since William's father Charles visited with his wife Camilla in 2006.

They dropped in on a mathematics class, where televised images showed them sitting with some of the young students, whose blue uniforms matched the Duchess's dress.

A video tweeted by a British reporter accompanying the couple showed William smiling as he was told the girls were "big fans" of his mother, who died in a car crash in 1997.

"That's very sweet of you," he could be heard saying in the video. "I was a big fan of my

India's top court halts tree felling after protests

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UMBAI, India | AFP | Monday 10/7/2019 - A mass felling of trees in one of the world's most-polluted megacities was halted by India's top court Monday, amid protests their removal would strip the city of a precious "green lung".

Some 2,700 trees were being cut down in the financial capital Mumbai to make way for a depot for subway carriages in the city of nearly 20 million people.

But the felling angered locals, with Bollywood stars and residents joining regular demonstrations that grew over the weekend after workers started removing the trees at night.

More than two dozen activists were arrested during weekend protests were all later released on bail, police said.

Following an emergency hearing called after petitions from activists, the Supreme Court said no more trees in the suburb of Aarey were to be felled until a next court session on October 21.

The date is also when crucial state elections are to be held, with the dispute taking on political significance.

The Shiv Sena, a powerful local ally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, has criticised the national government over the felling.

The subway project has

sharply divided opinion and triggered a nationwide debate over conservation and need for development.

Supporters say Mumbai -- ranked the world's fourth most polluted megacity by the World Health Organisation last year -- badly needs new transport, citing its overburdened colonial-era railway system used by some 7.5 million people every day.

Officials have defended the construction, saying only 30 hectares (74 acres) of the 1,300 that make up Aarey -- a lush, green oasis close to the Sanjay Gandhi National Park -- were being cleared.

Part of the dispute over the development is whether the area should fall under forest protection laws that cover the national park.

Police have barricaded all access points to Aarey, and on Monday stopped activists and journalists from entering the area.

Environmental activist Puja Damadia told AFP that after the decision was handed down, residents reported "hearing chainsaw noises, which means the trees are still being cut".

"We cannot go inside to even vet the information. Mumbai police has not been letting us organise protests anywhere in the city... despite procuring permissions in advance," she said.

mother too."

- Tight security William and Kate spent roughly half an hour at the government-run school before they were waved off by smiling students.

They were whisked away under heavy security to visit the Margallas, the Himalayan foothills that nestle Islamabad, where they could be seen walking with conservationists in the sun.

Kensington palace said they worked with more children from local schools to set up a leopard camera trap in the hills.

William and Kate also met President Arif Alvi, and attended an evening reception where the couple arrived in a colourful rickshaw at the foot of the Pakistani national monument.

The premature infant weighing just 1.1 kilogrammes (2.4 pounds) was taken to a government hospital in a critical condition with severe dehydration and blood infections before being transferred to a private hospital.

"It's a miracle that she survived being buried for so long," her doctor Ravi Khanna said.

"The baby must've remained buried for 2.5 to three days because she was very emaciated from her cheeks to her neck, her stomach and legs."

The baby girl, who is in an incubator, is now 'out of danger' and responding to antibiotic treatment, doctors say (AFP Photo/Rohit UMRAO)

proved a little as well."

Doctors and police said the baby could have been buried for more than two days in the pot, which had some holes in it.

Lead investigating officer Pradeep Singh said his team was searching villages near where she was found and asking about recent pregnancies.

"We have filed an attemptto-murder case and one for endangering the life of the child against unnamed parents," Singh told AFP.

The girl, who is in an incubator, was now "out of danger" and responding to antibiotic treatment, he said.

He added that she would be sent to a government-run adoption home after she is discharged from hospital.

"We are feeding her milk via a tube and also slowly increasing the quantity of milk being fed to her," Khanna added.

But a local politician from the national government's ruling party, Rajesh Kumar Mishra, who is paying for her treatment in the private facility, said he would adopt the girl he called a "miracle".

"The baby's weight has improved from before and is currently 1.2 kilos and the baby's condition has im-

"Can you imagine a newborn surviving such a situa-

tion for so many days? She is God-sent and I have decided to adopt her," Mishra told AFP. The lawmaker made national headlines in July when his daughter, then aged 23, accused him of sending his henchmen to kill her and her husband over their intercaste marriage.

The couple publicly severed their relationship with him and remain in hiding.

Male children are traditionally seen as breadwinners in India, while girls are still regarded as a financial burden by many families as they require hefty dowries to be married off.

Sex-selective abortion, infanticide and the death of girls through neglect have left the country with a huge and alarming gender imbalance.

The skewed sex ratio stood at 940 females for every 1,000 males according to the 2011 census.

WORLD/ US

VOICE OF ASIA 10

US's Pence and Pompeo head to Turkey seeking ceasefire

W

ASHINGTON, | AFP | Thursday 10/16/2019 - US Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo departed for Turkey on Wednesday, seeking to secure a ceasefire in the Turkish invasion of northern Syria.

Pence's office said the US would pursue "punishing economic sanctions" unless there was an immediate ceasefire.

After the trip to Turkey, Pompeo will stop in Jerusalem Friday to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss Syria and the "need to counter the Iranian regime's destabilizing behavior in the region," according to a statement from the State Department.

"

Our mission set is to see if we can get a ceasefire, see if we can get this brokered," Pompeo told reporters on his plane.

Pence and Pompeo, who travelled on different planes, were scheduled to hold talks on Thursday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, but Erdogan has said he will not meet them.

Erdogan has also vowed that Turkey's operation -- which was facilitated by the withdrawal of US troops from northern Syria -- would con-

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (R) and US Vice President Mike Pence (L), pictured on September 20, 2019, were scheduled to hold talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, but Erdogan has said he will not meet them tinue.

US President Donald Trump, facing with mounting criticism

over the abrupt pullout, has denied he gave Erdogan a "green light" to launch operations against the Kurds.

Iran is an arch-foe for the Trump administration, which pulled out of a multinational deal on curbing Tehran's nuclear program and instead slapped punishing sanctions.

Later Friday, Pompeo will also meet with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels, the statement said.

Turkey defiant on Syria offensive as US demands ceasefire

by Luana Sarmini-Buonaccorsi with Nazeer al-Khatib in Ras al-Ain Graphic Content

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EYLANPINAR, Turkey | AFP | Wednesday 10/16/2019 -Turkey rebuffed international pressure to curb its deadly offensive against Kurdish forces in Syria on Wednesday as US President Donald Trump dispatched his deputy Mike Pence to Ankara to demand a ceasefire.

But President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed that Turkey's operation -- which has been facilitated by the withdrawal of US troops from northern Syria -- would continue.

On another front, Kurdish forces struck a desperate deal with Damascus and stepped aside to allow Syrian regime troops and allied Russian soldiers enter the border town of Kobane on Wednesday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Kobane is a highly symbolic town for Syria's Kurds, whose forces had in 2015 wrested the town from Islamic State (IS) group control in an epic battle backed by the US-led coalition.

Days after US troops abruptly began withdrawing, clashes continued across the region on

Thursday, with Kurdish fighters in the border town of Ras al-Ain burning tyres in a bid to blind Ankara's warplanes and digging in against a ground offensive by Turkish-backed Syrian rebels.

The Turkish operation, now in its second week, has triggered a flurry of diplomacy among major powers.

Trump sent Pence along with his top diplomat Mike Pompeo to Turkey amid the greatest crisis in relations for decades between the NATO allies, with talks due in Ankara early Thursday.

Facing a barrage of criticism in Washington for abandoning the Kurds, Trump has slapped sanctions on three Turkish ministers and raised tariffs on its steel industry.

Pence's office said the US would pursue "punishing economic sanctions" unless there was "an immediate ceasefire".

"Don't be a fool," Trump warned Erdogan in an extraordinary letter sent the day Turkey launched its incursion into northeastern Syria -- warning history risked branding him a "devil."

In language shorn of diplomatic niceties Trump began the letter, dated October 9, with an outright threat.

"You don't want to be respon-

sible for slaughtering thousands of people, and I don't want to be responsible for destroying the Turkish economy -- and I will." he wrote in the missive, whose authenticity was confirmed to AFP by the White House.

bloody insurgency inside Turkey since 1984.

But Erdogan told the Turkish parliament that the only way to solve Syria's problems was for the Kurdish forces to "lay down their arms... destroy all their traps and get out of the safe zone that we have designated."

The Kremlin and the Turkish presidency said Erdogan would meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in the coming days, as both sides seek to prevent a war between Turkey and Syria.

- Trump says Kurds 'protected' Trump again dismissed the idea that pulling out 1,000 troops -- practically the entire US contingent in the region -had been a betrayal of Kurdish militants who bore the brunt of the fight against IS in recent years.

"The Kurds are very well protected," Trump told reporters at the White House. "By the way, they are not angels."

Trump also said he believed the Kurdish PKK are "more dangerous of a terrorist threat" than IS, echoing Erdogan's rhetoric.

Ankara says Syria's main Kurdish force, the People's Protection Units (YPG), is a "terrorist" offshoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has waged a

Moscow has stepped into the void left by the US withdrawal, deploying patrols to prevent clashes between Syrian and Turkish forces.

The Turkish government can count on widespread support for its operation at home, where a decades-long bloody insurgency by Kurdish militants has killed tens of thousands of people.

But Western powers fear it will endanger the battle against IS. Thousands of IS prisoners are held in Kurdish-run camps in the region.

India – US joint military exercise ‘Vajra Prahar’ to be held in Seattle

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ASHINGTON DC, October 12, 2019 - The 10th edition of the joint military exercise ‘Vajra Prahar’ between India and the US will be held at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) in Seattle. A 45-member Special Forces team from Indian Army will train alongside US Special Forces from 13 – 28 October 2019.

‘Vajra Prahar’ is a Special

any details on how they died.

It appeared the victims were killed over a few days, though detectives were still trying to piece together when they died, Simon said.

Detectives have interviewed Hangud, but they have not determined a motive, he said.

"We're still working to put that timeline together," he said. "We can confirm the victim he had in his vehicle in Mount Shasta was an adult male of East Indian descent."

Simon asked the public to reach out to the Roseville Police Department if they recently saw Hangud's red Mazda 6 sedan or if they know the family.

Officials were working to identify the victims. An autopsy will determine how they died, Simon said. He declined to say if the juveniles were children or teenagers or give

Continued from Page 1 Banerjee and Duflo are professors at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), while Kremer is a professor at Harvard University, all based in Boston.

Her tests, which have been likened to clinical trials for drugs, seek to identify and demonstrate which investments are worth making and have the biggest impact on the lives of the most deprived.

"Economics have a lot to say why the times are hard and what to do about it," Duflo said at a press conference at MIT in Boston.

"The two groups that did relatively well in the world economy are the ultra-rich and the ultra-poor."

But she noted that even when basic material comforts are covered for people in developed economies "their full life might have the same level of misery and unhappiness that some of the extremely poor people we study."

Banerjee said governments have not taken seriously the harm inflicted from globalisation.

"The policy response to the pain caused by globalisation was inadequate often been the wrong direction," he said.

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"There's a lot of stones that have been unturned that these detectives still need to look into before making a real determination about what the motivation was, what led the suspect to do the things that he did," Simon said.

Tax records showed that Hangud faced an IRS tax lien of $178,00. Hangud's only prior interaction with law enforcement in Placer County was for speeding in 2016, the Sacramento Bee reported.

Hangud's LinkedIn profile shows he is a data specialist and had worked for several companies in Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Indian American Abhijit Banerjee shares Nobel ...

The UN Security Council warned in a unanimously adopted statement of a risk of "dispersion" of jihadist prisoners, but stopped short of calling for an end to Turkey's offensive.

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Bilateral military exercises and defence exchanges are an important aspect of deepening bilateral defence cooperation between India and USA

Continued from Page 1

Europe has taken an increasingly tough line with Turkey and several countries, including Britain, France and Germany, have imposed arms embargoes on Turkey over the operation.

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Forces joint training exercise conducted alternately in India and the US. These exercises will enable sharing of best practices and experience in areas such as joint mission planning capabilities and operational tactics.

Indian origin man turns himself in to police ...

Duflo has made her name conducting research, together with her husband, who was her PhD supervisor, on poor communities in India and Africa, seeking to weigh the impact of policies such as incentivising teachers to show up for work or measures to empower women.

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FRIDAY, October 18, 2019

Duflo told the Nobel committee in a phone interview that she didn't think it was possible to win the prize "before being significantly older than any of the three of us."

three-quarters of economics laureates have been American white males over the age of 55.

French President Emmanuel Macron hailed the "magnificent" Nobel awarded to Duflo, writing on Twitter that her work "shows that research in this field can have a concrete impact on the well-being of humanity".

Duflo said her husband and fellow laureate had "gone back to sleep" after receiving the call from the academy.

Banerjee in a later interview confessed he was not "an early morning person".

But he said he was "delighted" that research into alleviating poverty had received some attention.

The son of two economists, Banerjee grew up in Kolkata in eastern India, and has been a vocal critic of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Ahead of elections earlier this year -- that saw Modi cruise to a second term -- Banerjee advised the opposition Congress party on its proposed guaranteed basic income guarantee scheme for tens of millions of India's poorest.

In the 1990s, Kremer used field experiments to test interventions to improve school results in western Kenya.

He has also helped develop programmes to incentivise the distribution of vaccines for diseases in the developing world.

Unlike the other Nobels awarded since 1901, the Economics Prize was not created by the prizes' founder, philanthropist and dynamite inventor Alfred Nobel, in his 1895 will. It was created in 1968 to mark the 300th anniversary of Sweden's central bank, and first awarded in 1969.

Banerjee is 58 and Kremer is 54.

Each of the Nobels comes with a prize sum of nine million Swedish kronor ($914,000, 833,000 euros), to be shared if there is more than one winner in the discipline.

Addressing the fact that so few female economists have been honoured, Duflo said this was also a reflection of the field in general.

But unluckily for recent winners, the prize's value has lost around $185,000 in the past two years, due to the depreciation of the Swedish krona.

"There are not enough women in the economics profession period, so you see this problem at all levels," Duflo told the Nobel Prize website.

This year's Nobel laureates will receive their awards at ceremonies in Stockholm and Oslo on December 10, the anniversary of the 1896 death of Alfred Nobel.

In the past 20 years, more than

Fort Bend View

VOICE OF ASIA 11

Sugar Land, Katy, Stafford, Missouri City, Richmond, Rosenberg and Meadows Place

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Man burglarizes three Sugar Land churches

S

UGAR LAND , TX - Sugar Land police are looking for a man involved in burglaries at three local churches.

Security cameras at Faith Lutheran and St. Theresa captured video of a man at both churches. He appears to be a black male in his mid to late 20s with a goatee-style beard and a stocky

A

This happened around 12 a.m. at the home on Glen Rosa Drive and Cansfield Way.

build. He was wearing a long-sleeve grey sweatshirt and sweat pants.

Based on video from a nearby school, police believe the man was driving a four-door Chevrolet Impala, possibly an LTZ or SS model.

Dist. Att. Brian M. Middleton announces Hate Crimes Forum

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ICHMOND, TX (October 15, 2019,) – District Attorney Brian M. Middleton announces a Hate Crimes Forum will be held on Monday, October 28, 2019, hosted by the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Citizen Engagement Committee.

The District Attorney’s Citizen Engagement Committee was formed to more easily connect the District Attorney’s Office to the public and includes representatives from the both office and the community.

“Communication is key, and as a public servant, I want to encourage the free

The sheriff's office said 29-yearold Brenton Estorffe heard a window break in the back of the house. He went to check it out and confronted the two people who broke into the home, according to officials.

flow of ideas, concerns, and expectations of the public with the office of the District Attorney,” said Middleton.

Facilitated by the United States Department of Justice Community Relations Service, the forum will include presentations on hate crime laws, the challenge of diversity in the community, and resources for the community in the aftermath of hate crimes.

“I am committed to keeping Fort Bend County safe and being smart on crime,” continued Middleton. “This forum is part of my promise to utilize best practices to ensure that justice is achieved in our criminal justice system.”

Anyone with information should call the Sugar Land Police Department at (281) 275-2540 or Fort Bend County Crime Stoppers at (281) 342-TIPS (8477). Surveillance video posted at www.sugarlandtx.gov/burglary194704

K

aty Community 'Chip Clinic will offer $5.00 microchips for pets with FREE lifetime registration on Saturday, October 26 from 9 a.m. - 11 a.m. at Hodges Bend Middle School in Mission Bend! The group is pleased to be joined by student members of PALS (Peer Assistance and Leadership) who will be volunteering their time and effort for this community activity. The PALS program is open to students ranging from 8th through 12th grade. PALS work with at risk students and serve as mentors in the Fort Bend ISD and are responsible for countless activities at each campus. KCCC looks forward to working with this young group of leaders to serve the Mission Bend-area community!

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That's when Estorffe was shot and killed.

Estorffe's wife called 911 to report the intruders who killed her husband.

She and the children, ages 1 and 3, were not hurt.

Deputies told ABC13 the wife said

she saw the two intruders.

Detectives were working Wednesday to get a description of them. They also canvassed the neighborhood and checked for surveillance cameras.

It wasn't known if the killing was random or a targeted attack.

Sheriff Troy Nehls said his department will put all of their resources toward finding who murdered Estorffe.

"It's sad, sad. We have a homeowner here in Fort Bend County who's no longer with us. A father of two small children, breaks your heart," Nehls said. "Pray for this young wife and her two small children because they are without their father. He was there to protect his family."

Authorities don't believe anything was taken from the home. Neighbors told Eyewitness News the family moved into the home this year.

- KPRC Channel 13

$5 Microchip event for pets on 10/26

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Dad murdered by intruders while inside home with family father was shot to death by intruders inside his home where his wife and two small children were sleeping overnight in Fort Bend County, deputies said.

Screen grab from Surveillance video posted by SLPD

Section 2

Tel: 713-774-5140

by Katherine Marchand

The burglaries occurred at Sugar Land Family Church, 1110 Burney Road, St. Theresa's Catholic Church, 705 St. Theresa Blvd., and Faith Lutheran Church, 800 Brooks Street, sometime during the night of Sept. 14 and the following morning.

In each instance, exterior windows were broken, and interior offices and storage rooms were ransacked. A screw driver and tire tool were used to force entry into interior rooms, causing extensive damage. A small amount of cash was reported missing from one of the churches.

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FRIDAY, October 18, 2019

of RABIES VACCINATION (paperwork -- not just the collar tag) for the safety of our volunteers and other attendees. Cats and rabbits should be in secure carriers, dogs should be on a non-slip lead, no retractable leashes, please! This is for personal pets only.

Families do not need to live in Mission Bend to take advantage of this offer.

For more information on this event, or to see the upcoming calendar, please like/follow the group at: https:// www.facebook.com/KatyCommunityChipClinic WHERE & WHEN: October 26, 2019 9 a.m. – 11 a.m.

Hodges Bend Middle School 16510 Bissonnet St, Houston, TX 77083

VOICE OF ASIA 12

FRIDAY, October 18, 2019

BOLLYWOOD - HOLLYWOOD Section 2

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With more women voices, Tannishtha Chatterjee says 'shift' underway in Bollywood

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USAN, South Korea | AFP | Sunday 10/6/2019 - Acclaimed actress Tannishtha Chatterjee believes Bollywood is undergoing a subtle shift at Asia's biggest film festival as the work of more Indian women -- and more stories about Indian women –- are hitting the silver screen.

"We are being heard more and more," said Chatterjee, who has captured the international spotlight for her roles in the likes of "Brick Lane", "Anna Karenina" and "Lion".

Bollywood produces around 2,000 movies per year and Chatterjee said while an overhaul of the male dominance might be some way off, there were positive signs.

"Definitely there is a shift," she said. "[Women directors] are still seen as being indie so the challenge ahead is to be in the mainstream and to become part of pop culture... and not just be seen as something unusual or new."

Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan reacts during the trailer launch of upcoming American film 'Maleficent: Mistress of Evil' for which she dubbed the Hindi voice of American actress Angelina Jolie, in Mumbai on October 14, 2019.

(Photo:Sujit Jaiswal / AFP)

Aishwarya to voice Angelina's character in 'Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil' Hindi version

Chatterjee has brought "Roam Rome Mein" her debut as a director, to the 24th Busan International Film Festival where it had its world premiere Saturday.

The film stars box office draw Nawazuddin Siddiqui as a man who heads to Italy to find a runaway sister, played by Chatterjee. Once he finds her he discovers she is living a life that forces him to question his own beliefs.

N

EW DEHLI - There is a piece of good news for fans of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan!

The Bollywood diva has been roped in to lend her voice for Hindi version of Disney's 'Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil.'

"I wanted to show a male character whose experiences unshackle his own patriarchal ideas," said Chatterjee.

"It is still a story about a strong woman and the choices she makes but I wanted to show how these can be accepted when often they are just not.

It's a feminist film but it doesn’t have a female protagonist. I didn't want to show a troubled woman so much as to trouble a man."

- English, Hindi, Italian Chatterjee wrote the screenplay after a chance meeting -– and then dinner -– with an old couple during a trip to Venice and said she has "always been a story-teller at heart" even though up until now she's been best known for her work in front of the camera.

In 2011 she joined Bollywood royalty by picking up a prestigious National Film Award in India for her role in the drama "Dekh Indian Circus".

"I like to use my imagination," she said. "But it was not easy to get support for the film because it doesn’t fit

fantasy.

'Maleficent: Mistress of Evil' is a sequel to the 2014 film 'Maleficent', in which fans witnessed the events that made the evil witch curse a baby princess, Aurora.

Indian film actress Tannishtha Chatterjee into any slot."

her work.

"Roam Rome Mein" features the work of one of the rising stars of Bollywood cinematography in Sunita Radia but the director revealed the intention was to make a film that looked "for all the world just like a Bollywood film but is not actually a Bollywood film."

Another Indian production generating interest is the Alankrita Shrivastava-directed "Dolly Kitty and Those Twinkling Stars", also centred around a woman determined to break free from the country's conservative societal norms.

"It goes into reality and surrealism and it's in English, Hindi and Italian," said Chatterjee. "So it's not really like anything any studio in India has seen.

I wanted it to have that bright bold look but to have a story-telling style that was very different."

There's been a buzz building about the film over BIFF’s opening weekend, with Chatterjee already picking up the festival's Asian Star Award for

Chatterjee said both films showed women in her homeland increasingly wanted to use their positions to expand India's "cinematic language."

"The lives of women across society are still repressed," she said. "We are not really yet getting access to those stories. The more women writers and directors that we have, with a world view that is different, then you will see the industry and the world shift. We are at the beginning of that right now."

Poster image of the upcoming Angelina Jolie starring sequel.

The 'Devdas' actor will voice the central character 'Maleficent' in the Hindi, played by Angelina Jolie in the original version of the much-awaited

With Joachim Ronning directing the flick, Joe Roth, Angelina Jolie and Duncan Henderson are bankrolling this installment. (ANI)

MAMI Film Festival in Mumbai — red carpet in pictures B-town beauties turn up in their stylish best at the 21st Jio MAMI Film Festival in Mumbai

Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt poses for photographs as she attends the 'Jio MAMI' 21st Mumbai Film Festival in Mumbai on October 13, 2019. (Photos: Sujit Jaiswal / AFP)

N

EW DELHI - The 21st edition of the JIO MAMI Mumbai Film Festival begin with a star-studded red carpet on Sunday night.

Several Bollywood celebrities such as Kareena Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Alia Bhatt, Janhvi Kapoor and Ananya Panday dazzled on the red carpet at the annual International film

Actress Kareena Kapoor Khan poses for photographs as she attends Deepika Padukone poses at Red Carpet of Jio Mami in Mumbai on Sunday. the 'Jio MAMI' 21st Mumbai Film Festival in Mumbai.

festival. Deepika was appointed as the new chairperson of MAMI (The Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image) earlier this year. The position was previously held by producer Kiran Rao (Aamir Khan's wife). Deepika Padukone arrived at the film fest in a one-shoulder polka dot dress by Dubai-based designer Marmar Halim while Kareena made a stylish entry in a black-and-white Judy Zhang jump-

suit.

Janhvi Kapoor turned heads in a white printed shirt and a high waist metallic silver skirt. She finished the look with white stilettos. Ananya Panday opted for a beige-coloured jacket dress by Russia-based designer Ulyana Sergeenko.

Actress Konkona Sen Sharma kept it simple yet elegant. She wore a black

top and paired it with brown palazzo pants. Karan Johar's fashion game was on point. He was dressed in a black shirt, black trousers and a quirky black jacket.

Mrunal Thakur, who was last seen in Hrithik Roshan's Super 30, wore a turtleneck top and a long skirt while Radhika Madan blended the traditional and the contemporary with her look.

The opening ceremony of MAMI film festival ended with a chat session with Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor and Karan Johar. In the session, Karan recalled his first meetings with Alia and Kareena while Alia talked about how Kareena has always inspired her.

"She's always been super, super motivating and a great inspiration for all of us," Alia said at the MAMI Film Festival.

- AFP

VOICE OF ASIA 13

FRIDAY, October 18, 2019

HOLLYWOOD - BOLLYWOOD Section 2

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Online streaming giants battle for Asian audiences

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De Niro talks Trump and acting technique at London Film Fest

Actress Gal Gadot arrives at the premiere Of Warner Bros. Pictures' "Wonder Woman" at the Pantages Theatre on May 25, 2017 in Hollywood, California

Kerpow! Must girl superheroes fight like the boys?

by Fiachra Gibbons

C

ANNES, France | AFP | Meet the new girl cartoon superhero: someone who takes no nonsense from anyone and revels in a good fight as much as the boys.

That is how Lauren Faust, the executive producer of the new hit television series, "DC Super Hero Girls", sees her.

But Hollywood stars Angelina Jolie and Elle Fanning seemed to take a different tack this weekend, days before the premiere of their new movie, "Maleficent: Mistress of Evil".

They insist that girls being strong is about more than being physically tough.

Jolie said that strong women are often portrayed as having to "beat the man, or she has to be like the man, or she has to somehow not need the man."

But Faust told the world's biggest gathering of makers of children's entertainment in the south of France that is not just boys who want to watch their superheroes face off against each other.

"Too many shows for girls are less about entertaining them or reflecting them and come across as lectures on how we expect girls to behave," she argued at MIPJunior in Cannes, which ends Sunday.

Faust admitted that "some of the fights get extreme" in her Cartoon Network show, a rebooted version of a DC superhero series now on Netflix.

"Girls have been short-changed in the cool stakes" for years by traditional television, said Faust, an Emmy winner who previously worked on "My Little Pony" and "Super Best Friends Forever".

"Girls are portrayed as perfect angels all the time," she said.

"That is why (their shows) end up being very soft and very nice and everyone is very concerned about everybody else's feelings all the time," the producer added.

But that is not what young teenage girls want from their superheroes, Faust insisted.

"It is important to a degree but not really exciting to watch, and is that something that is going to follow you growing up in your life?"

Instead Faust said Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Batgirl and the vegan environmental superhero Green Lantern must overcome their own flaws and weaknesses as well as their daily teenage struggles before they take on evil.

"Our superheroes also have teenage supervillains, and we do not hold back," she said. "We have episodes when they (the baddies) are trying to kill people.

"In the pilot, when Wonder Woman and Supergirl meet for the first time they get in a fight and Wonder Woman literally pounds Supergirl's face into the floor."

In another, Supergirl is "knocked across the floor and has a huge shiner for the rest of the episode . Wow!

Asia is seen as an important part of the global streaming industry's growth plan

by Mathew SCOTT

B

USAN, South Korea | AFP | Acclaimed director David Michod's epic "The King" was one of four major Netflix productions screened at Asia's largest film festival this week, underlining how streaming services are increasingly challenging Hollywood and traditional media for the attention of artists -- and viewers.

Asia is seen as an important part of the global streaming industry's growth plan. In conjunction with the main event, Busan International Film Festival also hosted its first Asia Contents Awards reflecting how the market is rapidly changing.

"They gave us the resources and the freedom to make this properly," Michod said of working with Netflix.

"I like that I don't feel I am sacrificing myself at the altar of the box office," he added.

So called over-the-top (OTT) platforms or video-on-demand (VOD) –- online services that viewers can access directly such as Amazon Prime, YouTube, Hulu and Apple TV -- are booming.

Hollywood stars including Julia Roberts, Rooney Mara, Brad Pitt and Will Smith, have embraced streaming as audiences grow.

"If people want to can go see (films) on the big screen they can, but my TV at home is amazing," Michod explained.

Disney and Apple are set to launch their platforms across Asia Pacific this year, capitalising on growing mobile usage and rapidly improving access to faster speed internet.

Robert De Niro dropped the F-bomb during his interview on CNN. (Photo: REUTERS/Carlo Allegri)

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ONDON | AFP | Legendary Hollywood actor Robert De Niro renewed his criticism of Donald Trump on Friday, telling a London audience the US president was trying to "destroy" American institutions "to save himself".

In a wide-ranging question-and-answer event at the London Film Festival, De Niro said Trump was attempting to "upend" Americans' views of typically non-partisan entities like the CIA and FBI. "We have to defend these institutions -- plus the fourth estate, the press -- because he's trying to destroy them and for only one reason: to save himself," the New York-born actor told film enthusiasts in the British capital.

"Everything's been turned upside down because of Trump, because he's such a dirty player," he added, as the discussion touched on his 2006 movie "The Good Shepherd" about the rise of the CIA from the ashes of World War II. "He won't get away with it forever but he's getting away with saying these things about every institution."

Trump is mired in an intensifying impeachment investigation -- only the fourth president to face such a probe -after a CIA whistleblower in the White

‘El Camino’ movie review: New addition to ‘Breaking Bad’ series

by Srinivasan Ramani, The Hindu

set out and brought to closure, the future of Pinkman, as also the criminal lawyer Saul Goodman (the tremendous Bob Odenkirk), was left unaddressed at the end of Breaking Bad. The ongoing and brilliant spin-off prequel, Better Call Saul has provided us the history of Goodman and is still building up to how the promising attorney and erstwhile harmless conman turned heel completely. But there was still a void in the storyline of the other primary character Pinkman. This has been satisfactorily addressed in Netflix’s El Camino: A Breaking Bad movie.

D

irector Vince Gilligan returns with Aaron Paul and several old favourites in an entertaining, if not necessary closure to the series The term ‘character arc’ is an oftused trope in cinema. Good story-telling is all about depicting the character arcs, this is even more so in cinema and television shows based on crime.

One of the main reasons for the success of the show Breaking Bad, created by Vince Gilligan, was the unique characterisation of its protagonists.

The rest of the storyline is, after all, either predictable or well-known: gangs, distribution networks, policing, and so on.

Breaking Bad was all about the transformation of Walter White (Bryan Cranston in one of the all-time great television performances) — from a mild-mannered chemistry teacher who takes to cooking meth in desperation to pay for his cancer treatment and to secure the future of his family — into Heisenberg, the egotistical, manipulative kingpin of the largest meth-drug running empire in the United States.

In the series, White eventually succumbed to cancer, but not before settling his scores with a white suprema-

‘El Camino’: Aaron Paul delivers yet another knockout performance as Jesse Pinkman | Photo Credit: Netflix cist gang who took over his empire and securing his children’s future, and finishing his most redemptive act — freeing his former partner and fellow meth cook, Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) from the role of a “slave cook”.

One of the most memorable scenes

in the climax of the show was that of Pinkman whooping in joy, as he drove away from the facility that chained him in a concrete cage and made him manufacture the drug under severe duress.

While White’s arc was successfully

Pinkman’s character arc in Breaking Bad was somewhat the opposite of White’s. While White sought more and more power and pursued evil increasingly not just as means but as an end in itself, Pinkman was increasingly riven with guilt and remorse, as he sought to move away from a career in crime and his meth addiction. White manipulates Pinkman to stay within the illegal fold before his universe implodes, only to result in the former becoming a fugitive and the latter becoming a captive.

Gilligan wanted to present the clear and present evil in American society, even in the unlikeliest of sources. Most of the flawed characters on Breaking

House revealed an alleged abuse of power.

De Niro has been a frequent critic of Trump, using an expletive to condemn the American president at the televised Tony Awards in June 2018, and receiving a standing ovation.

- 'It's pretty disgusting' Speaking in London ahead of his new Martin Scorcese-directed movie "The Irishman" closing the city's 12day film festival, De Niro assailed Republicans for supporting the under-fire US leader.

"It's pretty disgusting we've got Republicans there who are just so afraid to do anything, so afraid to stand up," he said, to applause from those attending.

De Niro, whose award-winning career began on Broadway before he discovered cinema at age 20, faced questions from several budding actors looking for tips on his legendary performances.

The double Oscar-winner -- for "The Godfather Part II" in 1974 and "Raging Bull" in 1980 -- revealed he had occasionally used the so-called "animal exercise" in which actors channel an animal to play a character.

"I thought of Travis as a crab," he said of his iconic portrayal of Travis Bickle -- a mentally unstable Vietnam war veteran driving a yellow cab in New York -- in the 1976 film "Taxi Driver".

"I haven't done that much recently, but it's something to do (to) make yourself think about this character.

"It can give you behavioural things."

Asked about how he stays in character with a camera inches from his face, De Niro said he channels the energy of the moment.

"When the camera is closer to you and it's the moment, somehow the energy will change even more and you do it the best you can do it," he advised following a question from an aspiring student.

"You try and be as honest as you can at that moment."

Bad were guilty of some vice or the other; some, a minor peccadillo, others, gruesome and horrific crimes. But more importantly, his subliminal idea was that every action by every character on the show has consequences that are not of their intention. So while White dies of cancer, alone and estranged from his family, all of his associates in the drug trade encounter death and punishment in different ways. But Pinkman is subjected to the worst punishment – forced to see his love interest killed in front of him as the white supremacists use murder to blackmail him to work as a slave for them.

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Fans, celebrities mourn death of K-pop star Sulli

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A Young Global Scholar explores entrepreneurship at Yale

by Brita Belli

N

EW HAVEN, Connecticut - Phyllis Mugadza ’21 B.S. says she wasn’t entirely familiar with the U.S. college experience when attending high school in Zimbabwe, but when she learned about the Yale Young African Scholars (YYAS) program, she applied and was accepted. “It was the first time I heard about the liberal arts,” Mugadza says. “It began my journey into American education.”

The body of Sulli, a former member of top girl group f(x), was discovered on Oct 14 by her manager at her home on the outskirts of Seoul. (Photo: Jelly_jilli/Instagram)

S

EOUL, South Korea | AFP | Tuesday 10/15/2019 - Fans and fellow performers on Tuesday mourned the death of a K-pop star who had long been the target of online bullying, some calling for greater mental health support for those working in the country's notoriously competitive show business industry.

The body of Sulli, a former member of top girl group f(x), was discovered Monday by her manager at her home on the outskirts of Seoul.

"There has been no evidence of an outsider having broken in, or any other crimes committed by another person," an official from Seongnam Sujeong Police Agency told AFP. "Suicide is among the possible causes."

Authorities said the 25-yearold had been suffering from "severe depression".

South Korea has one of the world's highest rates of suicide which, according to recent government figures, is among the top causes of death for those under 40.

"I wish I could hope for Sulli to be the last idol to die from suicide and mental illness," tweeted one fan.

"But knowing how cruel society is, I can't help but be afraid about who's going to be the next one."

Beneath the glitz and glamour, the K-pop industry is known for its cut-throat competitiveness, a lack of privacy, online bullying and relentless public pressure to maintain a wholesome image at all times and at any cost.

- Mental health taboo K-pop stars like Sulli are picked up by agencies at a young age -- usually in their early- or mid-teens -- and their lives then taken over by gruelling singing and dancing training.

Taboos about mental illness dissuade many South Koreans from seeking help.

Sulli's death echoes that of fellow K-pop star Jonghyun, who took his life in 2017 after battling with depression.

"I hope Jin-ri is now in a place where she can do whatever she wants," Goo wrote on Instagram -- using Sulli's real name and sharing photos of the two of them together.

Sulli, who started her career as a child actress at age 11, made her debut in 2009 for f(x), which quickly became one of K-pop's top girl groups.

Known for behaviour considered controversial in South Korea -- including her refusal to wear a bra in public -- she had been relentlessly bullied online throughout her career, with many sexually abusive comments.

She recently hosted a TV series where celebrities discussed their experiences of online abuse. She had also candidly shared her experience struggling with panic disorder and social phobia.

Both were members of the SM Entertainment stable, one of the country's biggest talent agencies.

Her outspokenness resonated with many young South Korean women who have been leading a new wave of feminists fighting a patriarchal society obsessed with looks.

K-pop singer Goo Hara, a close friend of the late star, was also sent to hospital last year after a suspected suicide attempt. Goo had been abused by her ex who threatened to post her spycam sex vidoes online.

"Being one of the first female artists in K-pop to talk about mental health and feminism is amazing. I love you so much Sulli - I hope in heaven you are finally free," a fan wrote in a tweet.

One in six college students has reported unwanted sexual contact, survey shows

by Deirdre Fernandes

O

ne in six college students have experienced unwanted sexual contact, a new survey has found, a slight increase from four years ago despite efforts by campuses to curb sexual misconduct.

Among the 33 university campuses surveyed, 16.5 percent of students reported they experienced some form of nonconsensual sexual contact since entering school, up from 14.8 percent in 2015, according to the Association of American Universities. More than 180,000 students nationwide participated in the survey this year, including those at Harvard University, MIT, and Boston University.

At Harvard, 12.4 percent of undergraduate and graduate students reported experiencing penetration or sexual touching by force, coercion, or without their agreement, a similar rate to 2015. Nearly 80 percent of the incidents involved alcohol and in three-quarters of the cases, the offender was another Harvard student, according to the report.

Since the last survey in 2015, Harvard has devoted more resources to preventing sexual assaults and harassment, including boosting its Title IX office to increase training and investigate allegations.

Yet students remain skeptical that their complaints will be taken seriously and are reluctant to take advantage of resources, Harvard’s deputy provost Peggy Newell and business school professor Kathleen L. McGinn wrote in

Harvard University (Photo: Michael Fein | Getty Images) a letter presenting the results to President Larry Bacow.

“While there are reasons to be optimistic that our efforts are having an impact, the results of the Harvard 2019 AAU survey suggest that there is still much work to be done,” they wrote. The two women helped oversee the survey at Harvard.

At Boston University, which participated in the survey for the first time, nearly 24 percent of undergraduate women and 8 percent of men, reported experiencing non-consensual sexual contact, according to its report.

More than 7 percent of Boston University graduate women were victims of such incidents, the report found.

Results for MIT were not immediately available.

In the wake of the #MeToo movement, college campuses have placed renewed focus on sexual assault and harassment. At universities across the country, professors have been pushed out in recent years over allegations of sexual misconduct, with some of the claims

dating back decades.

Earlier this year, Harvard took the unusual step of stripping a former provost, Jorge Dominguez, of privileges granted to retired faculty after an internal investigation found a pattern of sexual misconduct over four decades.

At Dartmouth College, three psychology professors retired or resigned after students brought allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct against them. At MIT, a professor at the university’s Media Lab was removed in recent weeks over complaints of sexual misconduct.

Meanwhile, US Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has proposed reversing some of the Title IX sexual assault guidelines implemented by the Obama administration.

Under the proposals, universities would need a higher bar of evidence before they could take action and would be limited to investigating only those cases that occurred on campus.

- Boston Globe

What started as an introduction to college-level courses

by Yale professors in her home country led to matriculation at Yale — bringing her closer, each step of the way, to her dream of becoming an entrepreneur.

Following her experience with the YYAS, Mugadza applied for the Yale Young Global Scholars (YYGS) program, an intensive, competitive summer enrichment program for promising high school students from over 125 countries. It was her first time traveling to the United States, and she says: “I fell in love with Yale, and the program. It was very diverse — there were people there from all over the world. They were very active in their communities, and they were very accomplished.” She chose a track in innovation and entrepreneurship, and over the course of the two-week program learned the language of entrepreneurship and was able to simulate building and running a startup.

YYGS is a pre-college program that serves 2,400 students over the course of 12 sessions.

“It’s one of the most globally diverse summer programs in the world,” says Zeva Manvi, associate director of admissions at YYGS. “The idea is to bring together a group of high school students from around

Phyllis Mugadza ’21 B.S. (Photo: Yale) the world to tackle global issues and challenges, introduce them to premier lectures, and see what happens.” Applications for this summer’s program are now open, with an early action deadline of Nov. 12.

Mugadza and other Global Scholars, during her first trip to Yale as part of the YYGS program.

Mugadza and other Global Scholars, during her first trip to Yale as part of the YYGS program.

Like many alumni of the program, Mugadza applied to Yale. An important part of YYGS is exposing students to the college admissions process in order to improve their chances of getting into any top tier university — including Yale, where she was ultimately accepted. Of Yale’s 5,964 current undergraduates, around 300 are alumni of YYGS. Many of them, Mugadza among them, will go on to be ambassadors and instructors for future YYGS students.

“I’m currently helping 12 students from Zimbabwe with the

college application process,” Mugadza says. “I’m trying to help make the American educational experience translatable.”

She’s also continued to explore the Yale entrepreneurship ecosystem — signing up for intensives at the Tsai Center for Innovative Thinking at Yale (Tsai CITY) and attending a conference at Yale School of Management called PeriodCon around “the business of menstruation,” which inspired her first startup idea. She’s currently developing a product that uses acupressure to relive menstrual cramps.

Her mentor, Alyssa Siefert ’11 M.S., ’12 M.Phil., ’15 Ph.D., a clinical data analyst at Foresite Capital, previously served as the engineering director for the Yale Center for Biomedical Innovation and Technology.

“I’m trying to make a universal product,” says Mugadza, who is participating in Tsai CITY’s Accelerator Program to develop her venture.

Yale, she says, has given her the resources to follow her passion wherever it may lead. “Everything is very accessible,” she says.

Impact of police stops on youth's mental health: report

S

AN ANTONIO - New research looks into the impact police stops have on the mental health of youth. Assistant professors Dylan Jackson, Chantal Fahmy and Alexander Testa in the UTSA Department of Criminology & Criminal Justice collaborated with professor Michael Vaughn in the College for Public Health and Social Justice at St. Louis University to conduct a study that reveals that youth experiencing intrusive police stops are at risk of heightened emotional distress.

According to the study, intrusive stops were defined by frisking, harsh language, searches, racial slurs, threat of force, and use of force. The study examines the connection between features of police stops and youths' emotional distress during the stop, social stigma after the stop, and posttraumatic stress after the stop.

The researchers found that youth who were stopped more often by police officers were more likely to report emotional trauma. Their findings show that youth's perceptions of their negative encounters with officers could also be harmful to their mental health.

The data were collected between 2014-2017 from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS), a large, national study of atrisk families and their children born between 1998 and 2000.

Data for this study involved 918 youth who reported being stopped by police during their lifetime.

"We found that 27% of this urban-born sample of at-risk youth reported being stopped by police by age 15" said Jackson. "While not all encounters were experienced as hostile or threatening, our results suggest that when stops were characterized by a greater number of intrusive officer behaviors, youth perceptions of heightened social stigma and experiences of post-traumatic stress were more likely to follow" he

Photo: iStock added.

linquency.

Emotional distress was measured by asking youth whether they felt safe, scared or angry during the police encounter.

Youth also reported feelings of stigma following the stop, for example, if they avoided people for fear of others thinking of them in a negative way, if people have used the incident to make fun of them, and if they hid the fact that they were stopped from friends and family.

"It may be that being stopped in the school setting, which is known for its structure and conventionality, is experienced as more shameful for these youth" said Jackson.

To measure post-traumatic stress following the stop, youth were asked whether the situation brings back negative feelings of being stopped, whether or not images of the stop pop into their head, and whether or not they suffer from physical reactions such as sweating, trouble breathing, or having a pounding heart.

The researchers uncovered another detail overlooked by other research., They found that youth who were stopped by police officers at school reported more emotional distress and negative reactions than those who were stopped in other locations. This was especially true in the case of youth with little to no history of de-

Researchers conclude that youth may benefit when social workers, school counselors and mental health providers intervene to offer care and services to help youth deal with feelings of shame and trauma after police stops. In addition, efforts to enhance police-community relations -especially policeyouth relations -- may help to minimize the adverse health consequences of police stops among youth.

"Ultimately, our study suggests that police-youth relations are in need of improvement, particularly in an era characterized by an upsurge in officers stationed at schools" said Fahmy.

"For example, to help alleviate some of the distress among youth who have been stopped, officers can engage in comprehensive preparatory awareness training on what the procedures are when stopping someone suspected of a crime."

- Science Daily

VOICE OF ASIA 15

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Consumers are still spending, says JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon

Important for India to keep fiscal deficit in check: IMF chief economist

Also warns of a likely recession ahead

On the projections in the World Economic Outlook report, Gopinath said appropriate steps have been taken.

by Paul R. La Monica

N

EW YORK, Wednesday, October 10 Consumers are still spending, according to JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon.

But Dimon added that the US trade war with China is weighing on corporate sentiment.

During a conference call with reporters after the bank's third quarter earnings release Tuesday, Dimon said that geopolitics are reducing confidence, but that the US consumer is doing fine. He added that it's too soon to say if trade tensions will eventually lead to a recession.

Fortunately for JPMorgan Chase, the geopolitical concerns aren't hurting its overall results.

The bank reported revenue of $29.3 billion in the third quarter and a profit of $9.1 billion.

Both sales and earnings rose 8% from a year ago and topped Wall Street's forecasts. Shares of JPMorgan Chase (JPM) rose 2% in early trading on the news.

The trade war with China also doesn't appear to be jeopardizing JPMorgan Chase's plans to take a controlling stake in China International Fund Management (CIFM), an asset management business that the bank currently owns 49% of, either.

JPMorgan won an auction in August for an additional 2% interest in CIFM. The purchase still needs to be approved by US and China regulators. Dimon said Tuesday that he's still confident a deal will get done -- despite lingering trade war worries. But he conceded that anything can change as USChina trade negotiations continue.

JPMorgan's giant retail banking franchise is also going strong. Dimon added in a press release that the bank posted solid gains in consumer deposits and its lending business. Even though lower interest rates squeeze banks' profit margins, Dimon noted that the Fed's rate cuts also helped "drive healthy volumes" for mortgages, auto loans and credit cards.

The bank also benefited from a boom in bond trading revenue during the quarter, as well

W

ASHINGTON, PTI Oct 16, 2019, - It is important for India to keep fiscal deficit in check, even though its revenue projections look optimistic, Chief Economist of the International Monetary Fund or IMF Gita Gopinath has said.

Jamie Dimon, Chairman and CEO of JPMorgan Chase & Co. in Beverly Hills, CA, May 1. (Photo: Mike Blake/Reuters) as strong growth in its investment banking business due to an uptick in stock and debt underwriting fees.

But there are growing concerns about how the bank may fare if the market for new stock offerings continues to slow down in the wake of the botched WeWork IPO. JPMorgan Chase was the lead underwriter for the co-working company, which has put its stock sale on hold amid concerns about its financial health and corporate governance.

Chief financial officer Jennifer Piepszak said during the conference call that there were some notable initial public offering disappointments in recent months, but would not comment specifically when asked about WeWork.

Still, it appears that as long as consumers are taking out more loans, JPMorgan Chase's over-

all results may hold up well no matter what happens with the IPO market.

JPMorgan Chase's healthy results are in stark contrast to more disappointing earnings from rivals Citigroup (C), Wells Fargo (WFC) and Goldman Sachs (GS), which also reported earnings Tuesday morning. Shares of those three banks all fell in early trading but have rebounded to their previous levels.

But the broader market was in rally mode Tuesday, thanks in part to the solid results from JPMorgan Chase, which is a member of the Dow. Two other Dow components, health care companies Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) and UnitedHealth (UNH), both rallied after reporting earnings that topped forecasts and bullish outlooks.

- CNN News

Retail sales unexpectedly drop

U

.S. retail sales unexpectedly declined in September for the first time in seven months, according to data released Wednesday, suggesting that consumers — the main pillar of economic growth — are starting to become shaky. This potentially bolsters the case for the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates again.

The value of overall sales fell 0.3% in September from

Gita Gopinath, IMF Chief Economist and Director of the Research Department, speaks at a briefing during the IMF and World Bank Fall Meetings on October 15, 2019 in Washington, DC - The world economy is slowing to its weakest pace since the global financial crisis, amid continuing trade conflicts that have undercut business confidence and investment, the IMF said Tuesday. (Photo: AFP via Getty Images.)

As against India's real growth rate of 6.8 per cent in 2018, the IMF in its latest World Economic Outlook, released on Tuesday, projected the country's growth rate at 6.1 per cent in 2019 and noted that the Indian economy is expected to pick up at 7 per cent in 2020.

clude cleaning up of balance sheets of regular commercial banks, Gopinath said.

In India's case, there has been a negative impact on growth that has come from financial vulnerabilities and the nonbank financial sector, and the impact on consumer borrowing and borrowing of small and medium enterprises, Gopinath said.

Even though it's lower than the very high standards at which the world was accustomed to looking at India, he said.

In our projections we have that India will recover to 7 per cent growth in 2020. And the premise is that these particular bottlenecks will clear up, she said.

India's growth rate above 6 per cent is still notable and extremely important in a country that has such a large population. We have a forecast for further pick up the next year, also helped by tax cuts on the corporate trunk, Milesi-Ferretti said.

On the fiscal side for India, there have been some recent measures, including the corporate tax cut. There has not been an announcement about how that will be offset to revenues at this point, Gopinath said.

The prominent Indian-American economist was speaking to reporters ahead of the annual meeting of the IMF and the World Bank.

On the projections in the World Economic Outlook report, Gopinath said appropriate steps have been taken.

At the same time, there are many macroeconomic challenges the deputy director said as he emphasised the need to keep fiscal deficit under control.

It looks optimistic, the revenue projections going forward.

But it is important for India to keep the fiscal deficit in check, she said.

Appreciative of the recent steps being taken by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to address the economic challenges being faced by India, she said there is still a lot more that needs to be done.

Of course, India and Pakistan are not immune to global geopolitical tensions and to trade tensions that can take a toll on their manufacturing activity and demand for their exports, said the IMF official when asked about the economic impact of India-Pakistan tensions.

Responding to a question, Deputy Director in the IMF Research Department Gian Maria Milesi-Ferretti said the overall growth remains very strong in India by the standards of the world economy.

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Artificial meat is now made in space, coming to a supermarket near you

by Juliette Michel

N

EW YORK | AFP | Friday 10/10/2019 - Creating meat from cells is no longer the realm of science fiction: a Russian cosmonaut did it aboard the International Space Station, and it is just a matter of time before these products arrive in supermarkets.

Another obstacle is regulation, which remains imprecise.

In the United States, for example, the government outlined a regulatory framework that shared oversight of cell-based foods between the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration, but it is not yet finalized.

FRIDAY, October 18, 2019

Tailgating 101: Recipes for Success

B

efore the action and drama on the field comes the action in the stadium lot, and if you’re looking to be the most valuable player of the tailgate party, college football legends say it’s all about the food, friends, and fans.

“Whether it’s bonding with other fans who become fast friends, or devouring some of the best food around, there is nothing like a college football tailgate to bring fans together and get them hyped for the game!” said Eddie George, retired running back and Heisman Trophy winner, who stars as the “Doctor” on Dr Pepper’s episodic marketing series, “Fansville.”

“Tailgating is the fabric of college football. In my travels both back home to Norman, Oklahoma, or away, the sacred art of hosting a tailgate or visiting another’s is quite honestly the best part of preparing for the moment we wait all week to enjoy -- the sights, sounds and flavor of Saturdays with our favorite people, supporting our favorite teams,” says retired linebacker and two-time All-American, Brian Bosworth, who stars as the “Sheriff.”

Mark Post, a professor at Maastricht University, holds the world's first lab-grown beef burger. ( Photo: Press Association/AFP/File) Tests carried out in space in September led to the production of beef, rabbit and fish tissue using a 3D printer.

This new technology "could make long-term travel possible and renew space exploration," to Mars for example, said Didier Toubia, the head of the Israeli startup Aleph Farms, which provided cells for the tests.

"But our goal is to sell meat on Earth," he told AFP. The idea "is not to replace traditional agriculture," he said. "It's about being a better alternative to factory farming."

- What's in a name? The first burger designed with cow stem cells was made by Mark Post, a Dutch scientist from Maastricht University, and presented in 2013. Several startups have since taken to the niche market.

The cost of production is still very high, and none of the products are available for sale.

The name for the meat products is still up for debate: laboratory, artificial, cell-based, cultivated.

But tastings have already taken place, and industry players are banking on small-scale commercialization taking place fairly quickly.

"It is likely to be this year," Josh Tetrick, the head of California's JUST company, which is growing meat from cells, said at a conference in San Francisco.

"Not on the market in four thousand Walmarts or in all McDonald's, but in a handful of restaurants," Tetrick said.

"The question is what do you want to put out at what cost," said Niya Gupta, founder and CEO of Fork & Goode, which is growing meat from cells in New York.

"As an industry, we are finally making progress on the science. The next step is really making progress on the engineering challenges."

The arrival of laboratory-grown meat on supermarket shelves at reasonable prices could happen in five to 20 years, according to estimates.

But it would need more investment, according to several observers. The sector attracted a total of only $73 million in 2018, according to The Good Food Institute, an organization promoting alternatives to meat and fish.

- Labeling For supporters, cell-based meat and fish products can transform the production system sustainably by avoiding the raising and killing of animals.

However, questions remain about the real environmental impact, particularly in terms of energy consumption, as well as about safety.

But "the market opportunity is enormous, especially for seafood," said Lou Cooperhouse, the CEO of startup BlueNalu.

"Global demand in the world is at an all-time high," he said of seafood, but "we have a supply problem" with overfishing, climate change and a very variable supply, coupled with "an issue with the supply itself" with, for example, the presence of mercury in some fish.

"What if we could add a third leg on the supply chain, wild caught, farm raised, cell-based?"

Created in 2018, BlueNalu is developing a technological platform that can be used to design various seafood products, mainly fish filets without bones or skin.

Scientific literature on stem cells, biological engineering or organic tissue printing already existed, said BlueNalu's chief technology officer Chris Dammann.

"We need to put the technology back together and optimize it," Dammann said.

The rise of cell-based proteins is not a major source of concern for traditional agriculture.

"It is something we need to monitor," said Scott Bennett, the director of congressional relations for the Farm Bureau organization, which represents farmers and ranchers.

Bennett said he feels "our energy would be much better spent in focusing (on) increasing the overall market shares for proteins, especially in developing countries."

"Some people for social reasons will want to buy this product. But there will always remain a market for conventional meat," he said.

"We feel as it should not be called meat, because we don't want to confuse the consumer as to what this really is. We want to make sure the labelling is very clear," Bennett added.

Inside the rise of Cubaninspired craft cocktail bars

by Brett Moskowitz

T

here’s a saying in Cuba, ‘Vamos a resolver’—‘let’s figure it out.’ You gotta do what you can with what you got.” That's bartender Ricky Gomez, who opened a Cuban-inspired cocktail bar called Palomar, in Portland, Oregon, less than a month ago. He's one of a handful of bartenders across the U.S. paying homage to Cuba's rich cocktail culture these days by opening bars from San Francisco to New Orleans.

As Nick Detrich, who opened a Cuban bar in NOLA this March, puts it, “There is certainly the allure of Cuba as a sort of forbidden fruit, and Cuban rums and drinks are the apple of that tree." Sure, everyone loves a daiquiri, but there's more to this resurgence than just the drinks.

- The Cult of the Cantinero To understand Cuban cocktail culture, you need to start with the can-

tinero, the term for a professionally trained bartender that has come to mean so much more. Cantineros were shaking drinks with citrus peels in the tin, using ice in novel ways, and combining an array of ingredients in mixed drinks long before mixology became the buzzword it is today. It's a tradition that has been taken seriously since before the bartenders association Club de Cantineros de Cuba first formed in 1924, and, one that, in an unlikely turn of events, is seeing a resurgence in the U.S. today.

- A Passion That Gives Back Laci made her passion a reality by founding Fit4Dance—a studio that empowers other women to live their best lives.

The opening of Cuba to more U.S. visitors, along with an interest in rumbased cocktails, created something of a perfect storm for Cuban drinking culture to permeate the U.S. as it has of late. What not everyone knows,

In the meantime, spice up your tailgates with the official drink of “Fansville,” Dr Pepper, both as an ice-cold drink or used in your favorite tailgate snacks, like Skillet Burgers or this fan-favorite recipe for Checkered Flag Chili. With just six quick and easy steps, you can be the tailgate party MVP!

• 1 tablespoon cumin • 6 large fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped (or 2 8-oz. cans tomatoes) • 1 small can green chilies • 2 teaspoons salt • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar • 2 12-oz. cans Dr Pepper

Ingredients:

• 2 cups water

• 3 pounds ground beef

• 4 tablespoons chicken stock

• 3 pounds ground pork

• 2 cans kidney beans, drained

• 3 tablespoons bacon drippings

• 2 jalapeños, finely diced

• 2 large onions, chopped

• 1 6-oz. can tomato paste

• 1 bell pepper, chopped

• 8 tablespoons chili powder

• 3 tablespoons red pepper • 5 cloves garlic, minced • 1 teaspoon oregano

Directions: • Render fat from bacon (save fat from cooked bacon).

• Sauté all vegetables and garlic in rendered fat.

• Separately brown all beef and pork; drain excess fat.

• Add beef and pork into the sautéed vegetables.

• Reduce Dr Pepper by 50 percent by bringing to a boil and simmering until quantity is half.

• Add all other ingredients and simmer for 1 to 2 hours.

For more tailgating recipes and resources, visit drpepper.com.

Dedicated football fans know that the best way to start any game is with a great tailgate party. Score a touchdown before kickoff with tips, tricks and recipes from football legends.

Courtesy: StatePoint

This country just won the Pasta World Championship. Hint... It's not Italy

by Maria Yagoda

A

s Japan continues to cement its reputation as a destination for world-class Italian cuisine, the eighth annual Barilla Pasta World Championships just crowned Japanese chef Keita Yuge as its winner.

The global competition, which took place in Paris from October 10 to 11, gathers chefs from around the world to compete in the art of pasta-making.

While the event traditionally takes place in Milan, this year it journeyed to France, with the message that pasta is truly a global food.

Yuge's winning dish was an elegant, creamy gorgonzola penne with a "Japanese perfume." Last year, American chef Carolina Diaz won with her interpretation of spaghetti al pomodoro, making her the first female champion.

Fourteen chefs from around the world competed in three escalating challenges, the last of which was known as The Gran Finale: "The piece of resistance, the work—and the dish—by which the chef will be remembered. The chefs will be invited to reinterpret the Masterpiece of their first challenge, by adding an unexpected twist."

Food & Wine was on the ground at the Paris competition, where attendees (who were able to watch the chefs at work) predicted that either Yuge or Brazilian chef Heaven Delhaye would take the top prize. Delhaye's Gran Finale was complex and satisfying: a capellini with langostine tartare, caviar, bagna cauda, a bit of parsley and algae, and a balsamic reduction with pine nut crunch. Somewhat surprisingly, Italian chef Matteo Carnaghi, of Milan, did not make the final four; the other final four spots went to Canada (Kshiltiz Sethi) and Switzerland (Gabriel Heintjes).

The theme of this year's competition was "The Art of Pasta.”

"Is pasta an art? For us it is," muses the Pasta World Championship web-

however, is the story of Julio Cabrera, a Cuban-born second-generation cantinero who has had an immense influence in bringing the culture to life stateside.

Cabrera, whose father’s café, El Sacrificio, was nationalized by Castro in the 1960s, made a name for himself in Miami with stints at the Delano’s Florida Room, as head bartender at Sra Martinez, and at the Regent Cocktail Club, where he built a following for his drinks and cantinero style. In 2012, he started taking bartenders on trips to Havana, to expose them to the rich cocktail culture there.

“I started in September 2012 with bartenders and rum experts from Mi-

Yuge's winning dish was an elegant, creamy gorgonzola penne with a "Japanese perfume." (Photos courtesy Barilla) site. "Each piece of pasta is a small piece of design that combines beauty and taste. Creating with pasta means playing with the colors of a painting, the grace of a ballet, the sounds of a

symphony. It is form and movement, and creates masterpieces."

ami," he says. “It’s been 15 trips so far with almost 100 bartenders from all over the country and beyond.”

owner of Madrina’s, Gainesville, Florida’s only Cuban cocktail bar, and another son of Cuban immigrants whom Cabrera has taken to Cuba.

The impact has been significant, particularly for bartenders with family ties to Cuba. “As a first-generation Cuban American, I don’t know when I would have gone back if it wasn’t for him organizing those trips,” says Gomez. “My parents really had no plans to go back until the Castro regime was done. It was important for me to get my own perspective without my parents after hearing the stories as a child.”

“He's done more for me personally than anyone outside of my own immediate family,” says TJ Palmieri, the

We're inclined to agree.

- Food and Wine

Cabrera is focused on making personal connections, not just bringing bartenders to Havanah, but introducing them to the cantineros there. For Palmieri, the late “Manuel ‘Manolito’ Carbajo, head bartender at Havanah's famous Floridita—the birthplace of the frozen daiquiri—had a profound impact on his career. And “current Floridita cantinero Alejandro Bolivar is also among the list of the very best bartenders I've ever had the pleasure of sitting in front of,” he says.

- Food and Wine

VOICE OF ASIA 17

FRIDAY, October 18, 2019

Home&Real Estate Houston housing market hums along

H

OUSTON, Oct 11, 2019 - Fall brings cooler weather and usually, a cool down in real estate along with it. But this year, Houston appears to be bucking that trend so far. The latest report from the Houston Association of Realtors (HAR) shows sales of single-family homes in Houston rose 9.5 percent in September compared to a year ago, and home sales are up 3.8 percent for this year to date compared with last year.

There are several factors driving the continued strong local housing market, starting with low mortgage interest rates.

"Our inventory has grown this year, where it hasn't in the past couple of years," says Chaille Ralph, chair of HAR's Multiple Listing Service. "So we've seen more inventory on the market, and we do have a pent-up supply of buyers."

The healthy inventory means

great selection for buyers on the market right now. "With increased inventory and properties that are available for sale in the right condition at the right location, we're seeing properties move quickly," says Ralph.

But there is good news for sellers, as well. The median home price in Houston rose 4.7 percent to $244,000 in September, while the average price rose to just under $299,000, both record highs for September. "I think our average and our median price points continue to make Houston and the greater Houston area a very affordable area to live," says Ralph.

As for what lies ahead, Ralph tells KTRH all signs point to continued strength in the Houston market. "As long as we have strong inventory and low interest rates, I think we're going to continue to see our market grow," she says. - KTRH

Fight over $4 billion in federal flood funds gets personal

H

OUSTON -- The fight over $4 billion in federal flood mitigation funds is getting personal between Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.

13 Investigates first broke the news Friday about Abbott's announcement to give the Texas General Land Office full control of how that money is used, despite Houston hoping to receive some of it directly.

Although the city will likely receive additional help with projects to mitigate against future hurricanes or natural disasters, how much is spent and what contractors are chosen will now be done in Austin not here.

In a tweet Monday night, Turner called the decision a "money grab by the state to spend it in places outside Houston and Harris County."

The state of Texas has taken over spending federal money for flood mitigation. But the state has failed to expedite previous spending—Houston is still getting money for Ike recovery. This is a money grab by the state to spend it in places outside Houston and Harris County. (TWITTER/@ SlyvesterTurner) From his personal account, Abbott fired back, calling the city out for its slow progress in a separate recovery housing program aimed at helping Harvey storm victims. Despite giving Houston the ability to run its own $1.3 billion Harvey housing program on its town, it's only helped a handful of residents.

Mayor you DEMANDED that Houston get its own allocation of over $1 billion in Fed. funds to rebuild housing.

You've rebuilt less than 10.

Where did all the money go?

During that same time the General Land Office has rebuilt almost 1,000.

The GLO didn't slow you down. You did. (TWITTER/@ GregAbbott_TX) Now, the governor's spokesperson is calling for an audit of the Houston's current $1.3 billion Harvey housing recovery program.

In a statement to Oberg on Tuesday, Abbott spokesman John Wittman said Turner has a "history of misrepresenting the facts about the Harvey response."

For example, Wittman said in September 2017, Turner "demanded immediate financial assistance for Houston, predicting that the City would face dire financial consequences if it did not receive an immediate advance of funds."

Wittman says Abbott delivered $105 million in checks to Turner in advanced federal funding.

"Despite the mayor's urgent pleas two years ago, to date the city has only provided documentation for approximately $68 million which will likely result in FEMA demanding a return of the unspent money," Wittman said.

He also said Turner's office asserted the need for $2 billion in funding to rebuild damaged roads after Harvey, but reduced its estimate to $1 million after being pressed to verify the details of that request.

The GLO also told 13 Investigates on Tuesday, "It's not a money grab," adding that there are many different entities eligible for funding specifically for large-scale, high impact projects that will benefit the most people, including projects that cross county lines, not just in Houston.

- KTRK

CLASSIC LIGHT HOUSE

Walls of glass transform a hillside 1956 duplex in California

by Katherine M.

T

wo architects transform a modest midcentury home, incorporating walls of glass that yield 180-degree views of the San Francisco Bay. Perched on a hillside in Oakland, California, this 1956 duplex was reimagined as a contemporary residence by Bay Area architects Bridgett Shank and Megan Carter. As principals of their own firms —Shank of Timbre Architecture and Carter of CB Design—the duo personally took on the purchase and renovation, wanting a project to test out longheld ideas from years of client work.

Three bedrooms are situated on the lower level, with a master suite along the entire right side and two guest bedrooms along the left. Although the master suite has an excellent view, Wei describes how friends gush over the guest bedroom: "Whenever we have someone stay overnight, they are blown away by the space, especially the view, which is the best in the house."

A rear view of the home showcasing the glazed facade. The upper-level living and dining areas feature large sliders that open up to an expansive deck.

To make the most of the home’s dramatic views and sunny disposition, Shank and Carter transformed the home with such features as a glazed rear facade and cupula-like roof structure that they call a ‘light monitor.’

The architects refer to their design as the ‘Plus House,’ named for the floor plan’s cross-like intersection of the horizontal glazing system with the centrally placed vertical staircase and light monitor. Long banks of floor-toFlanking each side of a central window in the living and dining space are two ceiling glass stretch across massive Series 600 Sliding Glass Doors from Western Window Systems. Such both the upper-level living large doors create a strong indoor-outdoor connection for entertaining and enjoyroom and lower-level beding the bay breeze. rooms, flooding the spaces in natural light. With 38 linear feet of glass between barbecue, and we were out on to envelope us. It felt like we the two levels, the archi tects fulfilled their vision using the deck when the fog started were in the clouds," she adds. products from Western Window Systems.

"The original midcentury home had excellent bones but an awkward layout, particularly the top unit. We had this vision to merge the upper and lower levels with a central staircase, while we decided to gut the upper level and created one large living area," describes Carter. "The secondstory ceiling already had this great grid and exposed beams; it was a simple, classic shape that allowed us to turn it into something really beautiful," adds Shank.

"Ultimately, our goal with the renovation was to just get out of the way of the view— not to block or distract from it," says Carter. "Instead of going for bi-folding doors that would open up the entire wall, we felt the grid was a stronger architectural element and decided to go with the individual sliding doors. We really wanted the windows to reinforce the grid but still achieve the expansive glass," adds Shank.

Homeowners Hannah Cho and Mark Wei appreciate how the walls of glass allow them to embrace the scenery and indoor-outdoor living. "We fell in love with the view when we first saw the house, and each day we see something different, from a colorful sunset to foggy morning," says Cho. "We just had some friends over for a

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From the exterior, generously sized windows and doors create sightlines throughout the home. "When you are sitting in the side courtyard, you can look through the large slider in the kitchen and out through the rear glazing to the view. The flexible sizes available from Western allowed us to incorporate glasswork that perfectly fit this space," says Carter.

"There’s a certain aesthetic to Western—especially if we want the contemporary look, with big expanses of glass, thin profiles, and the aluminum system appearance," adds Carter. From looking through the striking glazed facade to capturing an unexpected glance from the courtyard, this modern home yields to its most natural feature: the view.

- Dwell.com

SMALL BUSINESSES

VOICE OF ASIA 18

B

D

BUSINESS DIRECTORY

ACCOUNTANTS BOOK-KEEPING

FRIDAY, October 18, 2019

INCOME TAX

Personal and Business Tax Returns, Payroll Sales Tax, Income Tax Audits and Representations.

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Tel: 832-877-9625 Free Consultation asu2020.com

M.D. Associates LLP A full service CPA firm

2 Locations to serve you Houston 713-774-6533 Spring 281-251-2205

visit us at: www.mdassociatescpas.com

DRIVING ACCOUNTANTS SCHOOL SPRING BRANCH DRIVING SCHOOL Teens & Adults State Certified Instructors 6800 Bintliff Dr., Ste. D, Houston, TX 77074 Call: Tariq Office (281)206-4281 Cell (832)274-4811

COMPUTER SERVICES

RESTAURANTS India’s Restaurant & Catering For special parties and corporate events.

Preferred Wine list, authentic vegetarian & non-vegetarian dishes, finest Indian cuisine with chef’s special dishes

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We cater from 10 people to 800 people for all occasions. We deliver to your venue.

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281.955.9878 216.338.3940 (cell)

Shiva Indian Restaurant & Catering Specializing in North Indian Cuisine, office & Corporate catering 2514 Times Blvd, Rice Village Ph: 713-523-4753 Visit us online: www.shivarestaurant.com

Networking and Computer Repair

Home & Business, on site, Microsoft MCSE & A+ certified, low flat rates, free estimates, pickup & delivery, www.PCNetworkGuru.com Call Amit at 832-971-6807

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STATEPOINT CROSSWORD THEME: HALLOWEEN

List Your Business CALL TODAY 713-774-5140

Week of October 18, 2019 21 March to 20 April If you’re going to get the best out of a relationship, aspects of it might need to change. There could be an imbalance of power in its current format.

Open the way for discussion on this topic and a much better connection can be yours. Relationships continue to be important, but so are the feelings concerning them that often lie just under the surface.

21 April to 20 May Are your routines helping or hindering you? If it’s the latter, this is very much the time to get things sorted out. If your day-to-day tasks are preventing you from reaching for new and bigger opportunities and challenges, an edgy sun-Pluto tie could be a call to action.

Give yourself room to maneuver and you’ll feel much better.

21 May to 20 June Should you take a budding romance further or be patient? With the sun angling toward Pluto at the start of the week, this question may be on your mind. This aspect could see you pushing to move things along, but this might not be wise.

You’ll have a much better chance of success if you can be patient and allow things to develop organically.

21 June to 22 July With a focus on your sector of recreation this week, you might enjoy some leisure activities. This can also be a very exciting time for romance, including possibilities for finding that special person. Flirtations can be understated but powerfully intense. If there is someone you’ve admired from afar, you may no longer be able to hide it.

23 July to 22 August As warrior Mars continues its journey through your sector of talk and thought, you’ll have the energy and dynamism to make a success of your plans.

This is a great time to get organized, attend to administrative tasks, and network with others on your wavelength.

23 August to 22 Sept You now have an opportunity to consider your resources and how you might use them more fruitfully. With fighter Mars now powering through your personal financial zone, you may be ready to resolve issues that have been going on for some time. Aside from this, it might be wise to look at your skills and abilities and how you can make the most of them.

astrology.com Horoscope.com

23 September to 22 Oct You could make a decision early in the week that impacts the family or your home. Have you had enough of someone’s attitude? Now is the time to stand your ground and say what you really think. They might be surprised, but perhaps they had it coming.

It’s time to do what you want regardless of what others might think.

23 October to 21 Nov You continue to be in a quieter phase, with the sun and warrior Mars currently journeying through your spiritual zone.

On Monday, though, you might realize how a past experience is continuing to affect you now. This can be an opportunity to talk things over with a trusted confidant and find a way to heal and resolve the issue.

22 November to 21 Dec Your social life seems to be on a roll, and you could be very proactive about mixing with people on your wavelength. But you might also need to make decisions about how much time you spend with friends and how much time you spend on important plans and goals. Getting the balance right can be difficult, but because this is a time of opportunity for you, you won’t want to miss out.

22 December to 20 Jan You may feel someone in authority needs to change, but perhaps you are the one who needs to be more flexible.

If you can’t agree on a key issue, trying to force things to go your way could make matters worse. As the aspect on Monday is temporary, it might be wise not to rock the boat. See how you feel about things in a few days.

21 January to 19 Feb What is stopping you from embracing a new opportunity? Could it be past experiences? The sun’s edgy angle with volcanic Pluto on Monday could draw your attention to this matter. This can be a chance to discuss things with a life coach who can help you move beyond your limits and fulfill your potential.

20 February to 20 Mar With dynamic Mars and the sun moving through your sector of shared assets and business, the coming week could see you making some key decisions. You can go far this time if you avoid overthinking certain matters and just sort things out. A friend may have a very different opinion on what you should do, but only listen to them if you feel they have a valid point.

ACROSS 1. *Birds of ill omen 6. Comes before flow 9. Hair styling products 13. B on Mendeleev's table 14. Variable, abbr.

15. Lace loop 16. *Cemetery slab 17. Paleozoic or mesozoic 18. Orderly arrangement 19. *Vampire's bed 21. *Trick-or-treating garb 23. Tan purveyor 24. Best ____ secret 25. What highwaymen do 28. Rossini's "La Scala di ____" 30. 1 1/2 calorie breath mint 35. Copycat 37. Rotterdam or Singapore, e.g.

39. Expressing an assertion 40. Wine, to Pliny 41. Hiker's path 43. Ship to Colchis 44. Finish 46. Serengeti antelope 47. Wyatt Earp action?

48. Like Matryoshka inside Matryoshka 50. Bagpiper's tartan 52. Hankering 53. ____ E. Coyote 55. Precedes Sept..

57. *Full of ghosts 61. *Fearful reaction 64. Acquiesce 65. Metal-bearing rock 67. Observatory observations 69. *Parents' post-Halloween nightmare?

70. Epitome of easiness 71. Phrase of explanation 72. House of Lords member 73. Mar. follower 74. Lively

SOLUTION:

DOWN 1. Gayle King's network 2. Drilling grp.

3. Sandwich cookie 4. CNN's Blitzer and Accept guitarist Hoffmann 5. Blunders or bloopers 6. Fifty-fifty 7. Fly hangout?

8. Ankle support, e.g.

9. Horizontal wall beam 10. Common hosiery shade 11. Type of rich soil 12. Eye affliction 15. Anise-flavored spirit 20. All thumbs 22. Make a choice 24. James Corden's kind of singing 25. *"Once upon a midnight dreary" bird 26. Express a thought 27. Gives in 29. Suit material?

31. Republic in Africa 32. Leave slowly 33. Pond buildup 34. *Funny to some, scary to others 36. Overwhelming defeat 38. Cone-shaped quarters 42. Whitman's famous flower 45. Not silver 49. *Marilyn Manson: "Trick or treat till the neighbors gonna ____ of fright" 51. *Traditional alternative to pumpkin 54. Parkinson's disease drug 56. Glittery stone 57. Door fastener 58. Malaria symptom 59. Egg on 60. Not far 61. *Palm reader, e.g.

62. Affirm 63. *Fake face 66. *Gravestone wish 68. Chester White's home

HALLOWEEN on Page 19

CLASSIFIED

VOICE OF ASIA 19

NOTICE:

A

USTIN – A Travis County State District Court issued a Permanent Injunction against a Houston man that prohibits him from providing, or offering to provide, unlicensed electrical and air conditioning contracting in and around the Houston area. If violated, the man may face a finding of contempt and the possibility of penalties and/ or jail time imposed by the Court.

The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation sought District Court intervention against Danny Bryan Smith, who operates under the company names of “Bryan’s HVAC Air Conditioning” and “Bryan’s HVAC Repair,” after Smith ignored repeated attempts to stop him from performing unlicensed activity.

TDLR had issued three agency orders commanding Smith to immediately stop bidding on, or performing, unlicensed electrical and air conditioning work. The agency orders also had imposed $47,000 in penalties against Smith for repeated instances of working without the required license. The orders included: A July 2012 default order resulting from three investigations into consumer and industry complaints of unlicensed air conditioning and electrical contracting, as well as a TDLR sting operation in which Smith submitted a bid for non-exempt electrical and air conditioning work. The default order resulted in a $16,000 penalty and the issuance of a cease and desist to immediately stop per-

FRIDAY, October 18, 2019

Houston man prohibited from providing illegal electrical and air conditioning services in Texas forming, or offering to perform, electrical contracting.

A June 2016 default order resulting from four investigations into industry complaints that Smith was performing, or offering to perform, air conditioning and electrical work.

The default order resulted in a $25,000 penalty and a cease and desist to immediately stop performing, or offering to perform, air conditioning contracting.

An August 2017 default order resulting from two investigations into industry complaints that Smith continued advertising for non-exempt air conditioning and electrical work.

The default order resulted in a $6,000 penalty.

Despite the agency orders, Smith continued bidding on and performing electrical and air conditioning work for unsuspecting Texas consumers.

Between December 2018 and January 2019, TDLR investigators found at least three more instances of Smith continuing to advertise air conditioning services on Craigslist. In April 2019, Smith was netted in a TDLR sting after submitting a written bid offering to perform air conditioning services for a TDLR investigator posing as a consumer.

The District Court’s Permanent Injunction prohibits Smith from performing, or offering to perform, air conditioning contracting anywhere in Texas without a license. It also pro-

hibits him from performing, or offering to perform, electrical contracting anywhere in the state without a license or without prior written approval from TDLR to perform electrical work that is exempted from licensure under the Texas Occupations Code. Additionally, the Court issued a $10,000 civil penalty against Smith for the April 2019 unlicensed activity.

“Mr. Smith’s behavior was ongoing and posed a significant threat to the health, safety, and well-being of Texas consumers,” said Brian E. Francis, TDLR Executive Director.

“TDLR will do what it needs to do to protect Texans from shoddy or dangerous work, and that includes pursuing bad actors in state district court.”

TDLR maintains a public list of people whose licenses have been revoked, who have received cease-and-desist orders, or who have permanent injunctions issued against them, so that consumers can protect themselves against using unlicensed work activities. To see ALL violations, including license revocations, suspensions, and fines, search TDLR’s Administrative Orders database (https://www.tdlr.texas.gov/ cimsfo/fosearch.asp).

About TDLR TDLR provides regulatory oversight for a broad range of occupations, businesses, facilities, and equipment in Texas.

The agency protects the health and safety of Texans by ensuring they are served by qualified, licensed professionals. Inspections of individuals, businesses, and equipment are done on a regular basis to safeguard the public. Currently, the agency regulates 38 business and occupational licensing programs with more than 1,000,000 licensees across the state.

Houston Community College Request for Proposals (RFP) UPK Consulting Services Project No. 20-07

Houston Community College Request for Proposals Wayfinding & Graphics Standards Program Consultant Project No. 20-08

Sealed proposals will be received in Procurement Operations (3100 Main Street, Room No. 11B01, Houston, Texas 77002) until 2:00PM (local time) on

Sealed proposals will be received in Procurement Operations (3100 Main Street, Room No. 11B01, Houston, Texas 77002) until 2:00PM (local time) on Tuesday,

November 12, 2019.

November 12, 2019.

Documents can be obtained at: www. hccs.edu/about-hcc/ procurement/

Documents can be o b t a i n e d a t : w w w. hccs.edu/about-hcc/ procurement/

WANTED

Hit and Run driver who injured victim October 16, 2019

C

rime Stoppers and the Houston Police Department’s Vehicular Crimes Division need the public's assistance identifying the suspect responsible for a Hit and Run- Failure to Stop and Render Aid. On Sunday, September 1, 2019, at approximately 2:53 a.m., the victim was walking in

the 9800 block of Jensen Drive in Houston, Texas. The suspect vehicle, a white flatbed truck (unknown make and model) struck the victim and then fled the scene without rendering aid to the victim. The victim was transported to a local hospital and treated for serious bodily injuries as a result from the incident.

up to $5,000 for information leading to the charging and/ or arrest of the suspect in this case. Information may be reported by calling 713-222TIPS (8477), submitted online at www.crime-stoppers.org or through the Crime Stoppers mobile app. All tipsters remain anonymous.

Crime Stoppers may pay

HPD#1136126-19

To report unlicensed activity, file a complaint online: https://www.tdlr.texas.gov/ complaints/.

www.voiceofasia.news

STATEPOINT CROSSWORD SOLUTION

Theme: HALLOWEEN from Page 18

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ART & CULTURE

VOICE OF ASIA 20

Museum explores spooky science behind 'Frankenstein', 'The Mummy'

FRIDAY, October 18, 2019

Rickshaws get truck art makeover ahead of #RoyalVisitPakistan

Natural History of Horrors includes real historic artifacts mixed with props from classic Universal Horror films, focused on Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy and Creature from the Black Lagoon.

(Photo by Gary Leonard/AFP)

L

OS ANGELES | AFP | Thursday 10/10/2019 - What is the spookiest thing about "Frankenstein," "The Mummy" and "Dracula"?

The hideous monster? The ancient curse? The sharp fangs?

Or the fact that these classic horror films were all rooted in real-life scientific experiments and discoveries?

That is the premise of a new exhibition at Los Angeles' Natural History Museum, showcasing movie props from Hollywood's golden age of horror alongside scientific artefacts that inspired them.

The "Natural History of Horror" -- opening Thursday, as Halloween looms -- displays the cloth wrappings used to mummify Boris Karloff in the 1932 classic movie alongside

real ancient Egyptian corpse bindings from the museum's archeology collection.

Visitors can pull a lever to recreate Luigi Galvani's 18thcentury electrical experiment on twitching frog legs -- which inspired Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" -- while examining the metal shackles used to bind The Monster on-screen in 1931.

"The early electrical work that was done to see if you can re-energize animals and bring them to life was the beginning of 'Frankenstein'," said museum director Lori Bettison-Varga, who moved frog specimens from the institute's herpetology collection to the new exhibition.

"These films are essentially inspired by the natural and

physical world, and the imagination that people had to create stories based on real things," she added.

The exhibition explains how 19th-century diseases such as cholera inspired the Dracula from Bram Stoker's vampire novel we know today.

It also features a silicon copy of the monster suit worn in 1954's "Creature from the Black Lagoon."

Britain's Prince William (R), Duke of Cambridge, and his wife Kate arrived in an auto-rickshaw for a reception in Islamabad (AFP Photo/Aamir Qureshi)

I

SLAMABAD, Pakistan Rickshaws on the streets of Lahore and Rawalpindi gets a makeover as Pakistan is all set to welcome the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in the country on royal visit.

of the two countries with the hashtag #RoyalVisitPakistan to welcome Kate Middleton and Prince William.

Taking to Twitter, the British High Commission in Pakistan shared a video showing preparations in full swing.

He said that the royal couple’s visit would showcase how Pakistan is “a forward looking country”.

Rickshaw, a popular method of travelling in cities, has been adorned with truck art and flags

The couple would like to see the “breadth and depth” of the country, said Drew, adding that

UK envoy Thomas Drew believes the Cambridge’s will “get a very warm welcome”.

the duo would see “the modern leafy capital in Islamabad, the vibrant city of Lahore, the mountainous countryside of the north and the rugged border region of the west”.

“There’s a real sense of buzz

According to curators, the monster was inspired by the discovery of a living coelacanth -- an ancient fish once thought to be extinct, which scientists then believed was the common ancestor of all land animals.

"We have a real one on display in a tank out on the hallway on this floor," said Bettison-Varga.

Atwood, Rushdie vie for Britain's 50th Booker Prize

and anticipation for their visit,” he added.

The royal couple will be arriving today (Monday) in the country for their four-day stay.

It’s the first royal visit to the country in more than 13 years.

Tulips from Amsterdam? A blooming scam, says new probe

Literary giants Margaret Atwood and Salman Rushdie. (File photos)

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ONDON, United Kingdom | AFP | Monday 10/13/2019 - Britain's storied Booker Prize will pit literary giants Margaret Atwood and Salman Rushdie against four emerging stars when it unveils the winner Monday on its 50th anniversary award.

The title of best work of English-language fiction published in the United Kingdom and Ireland has launched careers and courted controversy since its creation in 1969.

Past laureates have ranged from celebrated writers such as Ian McEwan and Julian Barnes to Kazuo Ishiguro and Roddy Doyle.

Paul Beatty became the first American winner when the Booker bowed to pressure and began including authors from outside the British commonwealth, Ireland and Zimbabwe in 2013.

This year's shortlist features six novelists -- four of them women -- born across four continents. It is also no longer called the Man Booker because of a sponsorship change.

The five-judge panel includes the writer-broadcaster Afua Hirsch and the British-Chinese novelist and filmmaker Xiaolu Guo. - 1,000-page sentence Canadian author Atwood's sixth Booker nomination comes for "The Testaments", a best-selling sequel to her 1985

dystopian classic "The Handmaid's Tale".

The Guardian said the book, which picks up the tale of three women 15 years on, presents "Atwood at her best".

"It's a question of things escaping from a book to the real world and the author has zero control," the 79-year-old said upon its release last month.

Nominated for the 1986 prize, "The Handmaid's Tale" became an award-winning TV series in 2017, and sales of the English-language edition have topped eight million copies worldwide.

Rushdie, whose contender is called "Quichotte", won the Booker Prize in 1981 for "Midnight's Children".

His tragicomedy this year, inspired by the classic "Don Quixote", is the story of an ageing travelling salesman who falls in love with a TV star and sets off to drive across America on a quest to prove himself worthy of her hand.

Rushdie told HBO last month that he researched the book by "watching all this reality TV, which (the protagonist) loves.

I began to understand that it could drive a person crazy".

Nigerian author Chigozie Obioma made the shortlist for "An Orchestra of Minorities" -- his second novel after "The Fishermen", which was shortlisted in 2015.

Set in Nigeria -- the author’s homeland -- and Cyprus, it is a

tragic love story with a strong sense of foreboding throughout.

Narrated by the main character’s chi spirit, it is richly poetic and deeply anchored in the mysticism of Nigeria's Igbo people.

Lucy Ellmann challenges readers with "Ducks, Newburyport" -- a story made up almost entirely of one sentence that absorbs readers and is occasionally funny.

It is a stream of thoughts from a woman making pies in her home in Ohio. The musings weave between her family, US politics, her dead parents and pets, pollution in rivers, and are interspersed with references to popular culture.

Anglo-Nigerian author Bernardine Evaristo is shortlisted for "Girl, Woman, Other" -about the lives of black British families with roots across the country, Africa and the Caribbean.

It tells the tale of 12 women that "brims with vitality," according to the Financial Times.

Elif Shafak, the most widely read female author in Turkey, brings Istanbul's underworld to life through the recollections of sex worker Tequila Leila in "10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World".

The entire work describes the last 10 minutes of conscious thought of a dying prostitute that The Times calls "surprisingly uplifting".

A probe found that often only one flower resembled the pictures on the packaging, and that there were fewer bulbs than advertised. (AFP/Aurore Belot)

by Jan Hennop

T

HE HAGUE, Netherlands | AFP | Tuesday 10/15/2019 - Tourists are being ripped off at Amsterdam's famous flower market, with just one percent of all bulbs sold at the floating bazaar ever producing a blossom, investigators said Tuesday.

A probe commissioned by the Dutch capital's municipality and tulip growers also found that often only one flower resembled the pictures on the packaging like colour, and that there were fewer bulbs than advertised.

"The probe showed that there is chronic deception of consumers," at the sale of tulip bulbs at the flower market, the Royal General Bulb Growers' Association (KAVB) said.

"Millions of tourists and day-trippers are being duped," KAVB chairman Rene le Clercq said in a statement.

Amsterdam and the KAVB have now referred the matter to the Dutch consumer watchdog.

The Amsterdam flower market is one of the city's most famous landmarks and dates from around 1862, when flower sellers sailed their barges up the Amstel River and moored them in the "Singel" to sell

their goods.

Its fame inspired the popular song "Tulips from Amsterdam", best known for a 1958 version by British entertainer Max Bygraves.

Today the market comprises of a number of fixed barges with little greenhouses on top.

Vendors not only sell tulip bulbs but also narcissus, snowdrops, carnations, violets, peonies and orchids.

But of 1,363 bulbs bought from the Singel and then planted, just 14 actually bloomed, the investigation said.

Investigators found a similar problem along the so-called "flower bulb boulevard" in Lisse, a bulb-field town south of Amsterdam where the famous Keukenhof gardens are also situated.

Since first imported from the Ottoman Empire 400 years ago, tulips "have become our national symbol and the bulb industry a main player in the Dutch economy," said Le Clercq.

But the "deception about the tulip bulbs is a problem that has been existing for the past 20 years," he added.

- 'Bad bulbs' The victims are often tour-

ists, KAVB director Andre Hoogendijk said.

"A tourist who buys a bad bulb is not likely to come back," he told Amsterdam's local AT5 news channel.

Vendors at the market told AT5 that complaints were known.

"There are indeed stalls here that sell rubbish. That is to everyone's disadvantage, because it portrays the whole flower market in a bad light," one unidentified vendor said.

But a spokesperson for the City of Amsterdam said that all vendors were being investigated "and that the results are shocking."

"So to say that it is only a few stalls is not true," the spokesperson told AFP in an email.

The probe took place earlier in the year during springtime, the spokesperson said.

"The issue is that you shouldn't even sell tulip bulbs during the spring. No decent florist shop in Holland does that."

Tulip bulbs should only be sold between August to December and planted before the start of the (northern hemisphere) winter, in order for the flowers to bloom in spring.