VOA E - Paper 02-28-20

VOICE OF ASIA 1

Serving Harris, Fort Bend and Surrounding Counties for over 30 years

FRIDAY,In February Section28, 2 2020

Connect with us today!

Sugar Land police target impaired drivers over Spring Break

lENTERTAINMENT

Visit us Online at www.voiceofasia.news To Advertise call 713-774-5140

l FORT BEND

Karisma Kapoor’s new debut is a first for the Bollywood legend

FRIDAY, February 28, 2020 l Published Weekly From Houston

l LEGAL

Five completely legal ways to lower your income taxes

Vol. 34 • No. 9 • 16 Pages (2 sections) • 50 cents • 713-774-5140 • www.voiceofasia.news • E-mail: voiceasia@aol.com

Praise, cheering crowds for Trump in India love fest

To sign $3 billion worth of defence deals and discuss a $1.9-billion missile defence shield

by Bhuvan BAGGA with Archana Thiyagarajan HMEDABAD, India | AFP | 2/24/2020 Emerging in a stadium to the appropriate strains of the Village People’s “Macho Man” as 100,000 people cheered on, US President Donald Trump looked like he was at a campaign rally in America’s Midwest.

But the US leader was thousands of miles away, sweltering under India’s scorching heat as he kicked off his first official visit to the nation with a lavish extravaganza at the world’s largest cricket stadium.

Five months after being feted by 50,000 people at a mass rally in Houston, Trump revelled in pomp and pageantry once more as Prime Minister Narendra Modi went all-out to welcome him in his home state of Gujarat.

A huge crowd packed Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad on Monday, dancing to a mixtape of the songs from Trump’s US campaign rallies as they wore masks of Modi and him.

Trump’s penchant for flattery has been noted by many world leaders and Modi -- who also commands crowds of adoring flag-waving supporters at rallies -- used the occasion to put on a spectacle for the visiting president.

Brightly dressed folk dancers and drummers lined the red carpet as Trump stepped off Air Force One, and hoardings trumpeting the pair’s friendship were erected alongside fluttering US and Indian flags.

“We are here to welcome Trump. I am feeling very happy that my city has the honour of hosting both Trump and Modi,” housewife Romila Bain told AFP while she waited for the motorcade.

As people in the stadium cheered on Modi’s every procla-

A

K AUSHAL P ATEL A SSOCIATES F ORENSIC D ATA C ONSULTANT

mation, the Indian leader heaped praise on Trump.

“The whole world knows what President Trump has done to fulfil the dreams of America,” the 69-year-old boomed in Hin-

di behind a large bullet-proof screen.

“India-US relations are no longer just another partnership.

It is a far greater and closer relationship.”

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump listen to India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi as they sit next to a charkha, or spinning wheel, during their visit at Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad on Feb. 24, 2020. MANDEL NGAN, AFP via Getty Images

Delhi riots toll rises to 27, US issues travel advice to citizens

N

EW DELHI | AFP | 2/26/2020 Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for calm Wednesday after Delhi’s worst sectarian violence in decades left at least 27 people dead and prompted demands for a military curfew.

This week’s battles between Hindus and Muslims have seen mobs armed with swords, guns and acid raze parts of a northeastern district of the Indian capital.

The clashes, which also left more than 200 injured, were triggered by protests against a citizenship law seen by many critics as anti-Muslim and part of Modi’s Hindu nationalist agenda.

They exploded into brutal violence on Monday and Tuesday, with residents forced to flee their

homes after seeing dwellings destroyed, a mosque attacked and a tyre market and two schools set ablaze.

“I appeal to my sisters and brothers of Delhi to maintain peace and brotherhood at all times. It is important... calm and normalcy is restored at the earliest,” Modi tweeted on Wednesday.

Delhi’s chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal, a political opponent, called for the army to be deployed and for a curfew to be imposed.

Delhi Police spokesman Mandeep Singh Randhawa told reporters 106 people had been arrested.

The US embassy issued a travel warning advising citizens to exercise caution.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump waves after attending ‘Namaste Trump’ rally at Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera, on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, India, Feb. 24, 2020.President Donald Trump waves after attending ‘Namaste Trump’ rally at Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera, on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, India, Feb. 24, 2020. Twitter.

Pakistan confirms first two cases of coronavirus AFP

Report on page 4

H ARRY P ATEL CFE, CTRS, EA, CBA IRS T AX P RACTIONER

VOICE OF ASIA 2

OP-ED/COMMENTARY/ANALYSIS Stuart Anderson

T

he bad news keeps coming for immigrants. On January 27, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court approved an order to allow the Trump administration to proceed with the public charge rule, which is expected to block many people from immigrating to the United States.

Will the Supreme Court soon do the same with a nationwide injunction against implementing a presidential proclamation to bar new immigrants without health insurance from America?

“Trump administration policies are projected to reduce the annual level of legal immigration to the United States by 30%, resulting in 350,000 fewer legal immigrants receiving permanent residence each year compared to the FY 2016 level,” according to a National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) analysis.

The impact of the reduction in legal immigration will be twofold. First, many American citizens who wish to live with their spouse, child or parent in the United States will not be allowed to do so, creating hardship for potentially hundreds of thousands of people each year.

Second, the economic impact on the U.S. economy will be substantial. “NFAP projects in the long term that the average annual U.S. labor force growth, a key component of economic growth, will be between 35% and 59% lower in America as a result of Trump administration immigration policies, if the policies remain in place,” according to the analysis. “The significant decline in the annual level of legal immigration means lower long-term economic growth may be Donald Trump’s most lasting economic legacy.”

The analysis concluded the reduction in legal immigration could be more than 30% depending on implementation of the public charge rule and if other policies, such as the health insurance proclamation, go into effect.

“The proclamation [issued October 4, 2019] excludes from the United States new lawful immigrants who cannot show the ability to purchase unsubsidized commercial health insurance within 30 days of entry, unless exceptions apply,” said William Stock, a founding member of Klasko Immigration Law Partners, in an interview. “It will prevent otherwise eligible immigrants coming in from abroad from being issued visas to enter the U.S. if they lack the financial ability to purchase unsubsidized health insurance.

That means that prospective immigrants potentially could be barred from the United States unless they can find a way to purchase health insurance outside of

FRIDAY, February 28, 2020

Health Insurance Mandate: The Next Hammer To Fall On Immigrants the Affordable Care Act (ACA) exchanges.”

On November 26, 2019, a district court judge in Oregon granted a motion for a preliminary injunction that prevented the proclamation from going into effect. The plaintiffs, at this point called John Doe #1 et al., seek to be certified as a class. Included in the class would be U.S.-based sponsors and foreign nationals abroad with petitions to immigrate. “[W]hen a plaintiff requests preliminary injunctive relief before class certification has been decided, a court may consider the harm to the putative class and grant classwide appropriate preliminary injunctive relief to preserve the status quo, particularly when, as in this case, there is alleged classwide harm and conduct aimed at a class of persons,” wrote Judge Michael Howard Simon in his opinion and order.

On December 20, 2019, “[L] itigators from the Justice Action Center (JAC), the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), and Innovation Law Lab, with pro bono counsel Sidley Austin LLP and Latino Network as the organizational plaintiff, welcomed the Ninth Circuit 2-1 decision to refuse the federal government an administrative stay pending appeal of the preliminary nationwide injunction in Doe v. Trump,” according to the attorneys for the plaintiffs. “The administration had sought an emergency stay of the injunction granted on November 26, 2019, by the U.S. District Court in Portland, Oregon.”

Isn’t the nationwide injunction in jeopardy of the Supreme Court striking it down the same way the court issued an order allowing the public charge rule to go into effect? “Your instinct should prove

correct,” said Jesse Bless, AILA’s director of litigation, in an interview. “You’re correct to assume the government will seek to push this to the Supreme Court if it is not successful before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.”

Before that happens, a decision is expected any day from the Ninth Circuit on whether to grant the government’s request for a stay of the order for a nationwide injunction. (The prior Ninth Circuit ruling was on an “emergency” stay sought by the government.) If the Ninth Circuit rules in favor of the plaintiffs, then the Trump administration is likely to do what it did with the public charge injunction – ask the Supreme Court to hear on an expedited basis a motion on the government’s request for a stay. That process would take two to four weeks, according to Bless.

(If the Ninth Circuit rules in favor of the government, then the plaintiffs will have the option to appeal as well.)

On February 21, 2020, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor made national news with her dissent in the court’s decision to allow the public charge rule to go into effect in Illinois after the Trump administration declared it was an “emergency” that it be able to do so. “Claiming one emergency after another, the Government has recently sought stays in an unprecedented number of cases,” Sotomayor said. “It is hard to say what is more troubling . . . that the Government would seek this extraordinary relief seemingly as a matter of course, or that the Court would grant it.”

According to the district court’s schedule, the motion for certification of the class may be decided in March 2020. Plaintiff attorneys would like the class to include anyone who sponsored an im-

migrant or is a beneficiary of an immigrant petition who must receive an immigrant visa abroad.

“Anyone who is harmed by the presidential proclamation needs protection,” said Bless.

If the class is certified, then it could help prevent the Supreme Court from intervening on the government’s behalf because a judge would then rule on the likelihood of success on the merits of the case and the typical factors for a stay, according to Bless. That would be different than the types of nationwide injunctions earlier in the process that Justice Neil Gorsuch has criticized.

Recently, in the Guilford College case, U.S. District Judge Loretta C. Biggs granted the motion of universities attempting to block a restrictive U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) memo that could have barred many international students from the United States.

The Trump administration has not pursued any major initiative to help immigrants in the United States obtain health insurance.

However, just like the public charge rule is not about preventing immigrants from entering the U.S. and going on welfare – immigrants are generally ineligible for federal welfare programs during their first 5 years in the United States – the presidential proclamation is not about immigrants having health care coverage.

The goal of the presidential proclamation is to prevent people from immigrating legally to the United States. Courts will soon decide when and if the latest move against immigrants will go into effect.

-FORBES

Down to business for Trump in India

by Jerome Cartillier and Simon Sturdee

N

EW DELHI | AFP | 2/24/2020 - US President Donald Trump moves from sightseeing and speech-making to tough trade talks in India on Tuesday, as First Lady Melania visits a Delhi school to witness a “happiness class”.

Despite sharing strategic concerns over China that have led

to deepening defence ties, relations over trade have worsened under Trump’s “America First” drive to reduce the $25-billion US deficit with India.

Trump arrived on Monday and hailed India and its “tremendously successful” but “very tough” Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a rowdy rally of 100,000 at the world’s largest cricket stadium.

“The life of Prime Minister Modi underscores the limitless promise of this great nation. He started out by his father’s side as a chai wallah -- a tea-seller,” Trump told the rapturous crowd.

Name-checking Bollywood films and Indian cricketers, Trump -- with an eye on elections in November -- paid tribute to the four-million-strong Indian-American diaspora as “truly spectacular people”.

The razzmatazz of the “Namaste Trump” event was recompense for a “Howdy Modi” extravaganza in Houston last year when the two leaders held hands and Trump compared Modi to Elvis Presley.

“Mr Trump has given a tremendous speech and it’s really touched our minds and hearts, and I am sure he has spoken with honesty and integrity,” said Shrilak Shah, one of the spectators.

Trump and Melania -- in an off-white jump suit and sash -then flew to the Taj Mahal, the Islamic mausoleum and monument to love, where they held hands.

“It’s a timeless testament to the rich and diverse beauty of Indian culture! Thank you India,” Trump gushed in the guest book.

- Almond wrestle But behind the bonhomie and photo opportunities, a comprehensive trade deal between the world’s biggest economy and the country projected soon to be its most populous looks remote.

While small fry compared to his trade war with China, the Trump White House has imposed tariffs on Indian steel and aluminium and suspended du-

ty-free access for certain goods.

Modi, who has his own “Make in India” mantra, has responded with higher tariffs on certain US goods like $600 million worth of Californian almonds.

Trump has called India the “tariff king”, and said before his visit that Asia’s third-largest economy had been “hitting us very, very hard for many, many years”.

Away from trade, Trump and Modi will reportedly sign $3 billion worth of defence deals and discuss a $1.9-billion missile defence shield.

This underscores both countries’ concerns about growing Chinese clout. Last year the US and India signed a big military cooperation agreement.

India may also agree to buy five nuclear reactors, the fruit of a landmark but contentious atomic deal signed in the 2000s.

- Mindful India may also bristle if Trump repeats his offer of mediation in the Kashmir dispute with Pakistan, or hits out at a new citizenship law that critics call anti-Muslim.

India has seen weeks of protests and clashes since the law passed in December, leaving more than 30 people dead including a policeman and at least three civilians killed after fresh violence erupted in Delhi on Sunday and Monday.

Against that backdrop, the First Lady was due to visit a school to watch a “happiness class” in which children meditate and focus on mindfulness to make them better pupils and citizens.

The curriculum was launched in 2018 by Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, and has piqued the interest of Melania Trump who has promoted a “Be Best” initiative for US kids.

“It is essentially a curriculum to keep children’s minds focused on work and enable them to live harmoniously with family and society, while, importantly, developing a holistic outlook on life,” said Manish Sisodia, Delhi’s deputy chief minister.

VOICE OF ASIA

VOICE OF ASIA 3

FRIDAY, February 28, 2020

COMMUNITY Second Front Page

Email: voiceasia@aol.com

Tel: 713-774-5140

www.voiceofasiaonline.com

New Consul General urges Indian Americans to take India-US relationship to greater heights

Consul General Aseem R. Mahajan addressing the gathering. Photo credit: Bijay Dixit

by Shobana Muratee

H

OUSTON – On Thursday, February 20, 2020, newly appointed Consul General of India in Houston Aseem Mahajan met with a distinguished group of Indian Americans, widely representing the heads of various Indian American organizations, to share his thoughts and ideas as well as highlight India’s vision. Since assuming charge in January, Mahajan has already covered much ground in terms of outreach and travel especially with the eight states - Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas - falling under his jurisdiction.

Addressing the gathering, Mahajan said, “The consulate looks forward to the support of the Indo-American community and friends of India to strengthen our multi-faceted ties with United States. As part of our activities, we are planning several events to promote trade & investment with focus on specific sectors like energy, healthcare, information technology, manufacturing and other areas. We are also planning a series of cultural and other events. The Consulate would aim to deliver

quality and timely consular services. We solicit support from all of you to take the relations between India and US to greater heights.”

In his remarks Mahajan pointed out that although it is well known about India’s 1.3 billion population, “There are some facts which many people abroad do not know.” He gave an overview of India’s vision and progress going into 2020.

Speaking of its demographics, India is the youngest country in the world and compared to some societies that are aging very rapidly, India’s average age 29 in 2020 will continue to be so with 400 million people under 25 years of age.

The median age in India is 28 compared to 37 in China and US. In terms of its outreach, India has already reached out to 1.2 billion Indians for processing their Aadhar card (like the Social Security card in the US).

“Many people underestimate the level of our social schemes,” Mahajan said and mentioned the numerous social schemes like the Ayushman Bharat, world’s largest health Insurance scheme which had made universal healthcare access to Indian.

Equally significant are the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana which aims to provide

affordable housing to everyone by 2022, the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana that provides a platform for universal access to banking facilities, the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana that has given 50 m LPG connections so far.

There’s a very large presence of Indian academia and Indian students in some of the world class universities, Mahajan said. Further, over the last six years, the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) which is Government of India’s flagship program for achievement of Universalization of Elementary Education (UEE), is opening schools and building infrastructure in areas not reached before.

The SkillIndia program is aiming to create 500 million jobs by 2020. “We had an interaction with Greater Houston Partnership that runs a program called UpSkill Houston,” Mahajan said. “The Government of India is toying with these ideas and we are trying to build more on vocational training which is very common in Europe and you have this system here in Houston.

We are trying to take these lessons to India,” he said.

Women Empowerment Programs like the ‘Beti

Heads of Indo-American organizations and other distinguished guest at the reception. Photo credit: Bijay Dixit bachao and beti padhao padhao’ (Save the daughter, educate the daughter) campaign which was lost since 2016 has been revived and has made considerable outreach all over India.

Mahajan described India - US relationship as “transformational, multifaceted and broad-based relationship.” Modi was here for “Howdy Modi” and there is second reconnect with “Namaste Trump” as Trump is visiting India. India -US trade is about $160 billion which is growing at 10% while investments are about $60 billion, both inward and outward are taking place, Mahajan mentioned.

There is a huge potential for investment in India.

Currently, 2000 American companies are operating in India and around 200 Indian companies are based in the US. “India is the 6th largest trading partner for Houston doing $10 million trade.

“Many are looking at this region as their destination.” In the area of energy, US has already started exporting energy in a big way to India.

The Sera Week that has energy CEOs meeting every year will have delegation of coming from India soon.

Having served as the Ambassador/DPR of India to the World Trade Organization, Geneva prior to assuming charge here, Mahajan said although people say the economy has slow down, India has some advantages. “We are very decoupled from the global shocks. While it is weakness in some areas, it is also a strength,” he said. The recent Coronavirus has disrupted global supply chains.

Countries which are heavily dependent on supply chain are impacted. “In the last couple of years our economy, on an average rate has grown by 6.9%. IMF predicts that this year again the cycle is already bottoming out.”

Mahajan briefly touched

upon Jammu and Kashmir; he said that in the last couple of months almost $12 billion worth of projects in the areas of power, renewable energy, water resources and many others have been undertaken. About six tangible schemes have already been launched. The focus is on the economic development of the people, education, jobs, strengthening infrastructure, new pipeline, light rail rapid transport system which is already under conception, and new IT towers are built for productivity in areas like agra and food processing tourism.

Summing up on the consular activities, Mahajan said, “We serve this large area, we try to deliver quality and timely services.

We have our own system reduce turnaround time.”

Having the right documentation would help speed process especially in emer-

gencies, he pointed out. He urged the community to share their ideas, involve in outreach activities: cultural and social like the International Day of Yoga, promote political outreach which is integral part of the Consulate, and promote India’s initiatives that involve students and artists. The event was concluded with dinner catered by Dawaat.

Mahajan has a Master’s degree in Diplomatic Studies from the University of Oxford (UK), a Master’s degree in Management Studies from Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani (India) and has completed two annual training courses in WTO Law from the Advisory Centre on WTO Law, Geneva. He speaks Japanese apart from English, Hindi and some other Indian languages. He is married with a son and daughter.

VOICE OF ASIA 4

Section 2

FRIDAY, February 28, 2020

Family Health

Email: voiceasia@aol.com

Virus ‘peaked’ in China but could trigger global pandemic: WHO

by Dario Thuburn and Agnes Pedrero with Laurent Thomet in Beijing

G

ENEVA | AFP | Monday 2/24/2020 - The World Health Organization on Monday said the new coronavirus epidemic had “peaked” in China but warned that a surge in cases elsewhere was “deeply concerning” and all countries should prepare for a “potential pandemic”.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the peak in China occurred between January 23 and February 2 and the number of new cases there “has been declining steadily since then”.

“This virus can be contained,” he told reporters in Geneva, praising China for helping to prevent an even bigger spread of the disease through unprecedented lockdowns and quarantines in or near the outbreak’s epicentre.

An acceleration of cases in other parts of the world has prompted similar drastic measures. Italy has locked down 11 towns and South Korea ordered the entire 2.5 million residents of the city of Daegu to remain indoors.

It also caused falls of more than three-percent in several European stock markets -- with Milan plunging 5.4 percent -- and a boost for safe-haven gold amid fears the epidemic could hit a global economic recovery.

The spread of the disease -officially known as COVID-19 -- continued unabated with Afghanistan, Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait and Oman announcing their first cases on Monday.

China also continued its preventive measures against the virus, on Monday postponing its agenda-setting annual parliament meeting for the first time since the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s.

- Cover-up allegations In Iran, the death toll climbed on Monday by four to 12 -- the highest number for any country outside China.

But there were concerns the situation might be worse than officially acknowledged. The semi-official ILNA news agency quoted one local lawmaker in hard-hit Qom -- a religious centre -- who said 50 people had died there.

The Iranian government denied the report, and pledged transparency.

Even so, authorities have only reported 64 infections in Iran, an unusually small number that would mean an extremely high mortality rate.

In China, 2,592 people have

World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus speaks during a press conference in Geneva. (Photo: AFP) died out of 77,000 infections.

fan public panic”.

Michael Ryan, head of WHO’s health emergencies programme, said a team from the UN agency would be arriving in Iran on Tuesday.

“I am deeply concerned at incidents of xenophobia and hatred, discriminatory immigration controls and arbitrary repatriation,” she said.

But he cautioned against drawing any conclusions about the mortality rate. Iran “may only be detecting severe cases” because the epidemic was still at an early stage, he said.

“We need to understand the exact dynamics of what has happened in Iran, but clearly there have been gatherings for religious festivals, and then people coming and then moving afterwards,” he said.

- Avoid ‘public panic’ South Korea has also seen a rapid rise in infections since a cluster sprouted in a religious sect in Daegu last week.

South Korea reported more than 200 infections and two more deaths on Monday, bringing the total cases to more than 830 -- by far the most outside China.

- Football, fashion curbed Fears were also growing in Europe, with Italy reporting four more deaths Monday, bringing the total to seven.

More than 200 people have been infected there, and several Serie A football games were postponed over the weekend.

The famed Venice Carnival was also cut short, and some Milan Fashion Week runway shows were cancelled.

More than 50,000 people in about a dozen northern Italian towns have been told to stay home, and police set up checkpoints to enforce a blockade.

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has said that residents could face weeks of lockdown.

- Economic toll -

Eight people have died from the virus there, and President Moon Jae-in over the weekend raised the country’s virus alert to the highest “red” level.

The virus is taking an increasingly heavy toll on the global economy, with many factories in China closed or subdued due to the quarantines.

As part of the containment efforts, school holidays were extended nationally while the 2.5 million people of Daegu were told to remain indoors.

The International Monetary Fund warned Sunday that the epidemic was putting a “fragile” global economic recovery at risk, while the White House said the shutdowns in China will have an impact on the United States.

Authorities in Hong Kong announced that from Tuesday it would not allow arrivals from South Korea other than returning residents.

Mongolia earlier announced it would not allow flights from South Korea to land.

Speaking in Geneva, South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-hwa warned governments against “taking action that would

Bruce Aylward, leader of an international mission of experts, said it was time for China to start lifting some of the restrictions.

“Obviously they want to get society back to a more normal semblance of what probably is the new normal, because this virus may be around... for months,” Aylward said.

Is vaginal birth after C-Section Safe? uterine incision you had the first time. “Women with high vertical uterine scars have greater risks of a dangerous uterine rupture (a tear in the uterine wall, often on the site of a prior incision) and infection than women who have more modern low-transverse (horizontal) scars,” said Rosalyn Miller, M.D., board-certified OB-GYN with Houston Methodist Obstetrics & Gynecology Associates at Sugar Land. Uterine rupture puts you and your baby at risk.

S

UGAR LAND, Feb. 20, 2020 — If you’ve already delivered a baby via cesarean (C-section), does that predetermine that you must deliver your next child that way too, or is it safe to attempt a conventional birth? You need to weigh these seven factors carefully if you are considering a vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC): 1. The old myth has been busted: Having one C-section birth does not automatically lead to another. Experts cite that about 60-80% of women who choose to have a VBAC succeed (and the success rate is even higher if you had a vaginal delivery before an earlier C-section).

2. A key factor is the type of

3. VBAC brings big benefits, which includes avoiding major surgery, decreased risk of medical complications and infection for both mother and baby, less blood loss, fewer blood transfusions, lower cost and a shorter hospital stay with a quicker postdelivery recovery time overall.

4. Patients who have a failed VBAC (when they must be switched to a C-section midway through delivery) have higher risks of uterine rupture and infection than patients who have a successful VBAC or elective repeat C-section. “As with any attempt to deliver vaginally, your doctor will recommend a C-section midway if there are any signs of fetal distress, if the infant is too large for your pelvis, or if the contractions are not productive and the cervix doesn’t dilate,” Miller added.

5. Experts advise against home VBAC deliveries. You must have

an obstetrician and an anesthesiologist ready to perform an emergency C-section delivery in the event of a uterine tear, which can threaten the lives of both you and your baby.

6. Take your overall health into consideration — your doctor will. C-sections have been more frequently performed for women with medical risk factors or complications of delivery, such as diabetes, eclampsia, genital herpes, high blood pressure, incompetent cervix and uterine bleeding.

7. Neither an elective repeat C-section nor VBAC is risk-free; discuss the matter carefully with your partner and your health care provider.

Explore Your Birthing Options With the adition of 24/7 OB hospitalists and OB emergency services, Houston Methodist Childbirth Center at Sugar Land can now offer VBACs as a birthing option. To schedule an appointment online with Rosalyn Miller, M.D., visit houstonmethodist.org/obgyn or call 281.882.3130. Together, you can discuss birthing options that may be right for you.

To learn more about Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital, visit houstonmethodist.org/sugarland or our Facebook page at fb.com/methodistsugarland for the latest news, events and information.

Tel: 713-774-5140

How to Appeal Higher Medicare premiums

T

he annual income of senior Americans could drop significantly from one year to the next for a variety of reasons. It might be retirement or the death of a spouse, perhaps, or the sale of a business.

Yet it might take Medicare — which charges higher earners more for premiums — a couple years to adjust when income falls below the threshold.

WOMEN’S HEALTH

Rosalyn Miller, M.D.

www.voiceofasia.news

If you’re paying more than the standard amounts for Medicare Part B (outpatient services) and Part D (prescription drugs) through so-called income-related monthly adjustment amounts, or IRMAAs, the difference can reach into the hundreds of dollars per month.

And, the surcharge is often based on your tax return from two years prior — which may not accurately reflect your current financial situation.

For individuals, IRMAAs kick in if your modified adjusted gross income is more than $87,000; for married couples filing joint tax returns, they start above $174,000.

The standard monthly premium for Part B this year is $144.60, which is what most Medicare beneficiaries pay.

(Part A, which is for hospital coverage, typically comes with no premium.) The surcharge for higher earners is from $57.80

to $347, depending on income.

That results in premiums ranging from $202.40 to $491.60.

For Part D, the surcharges range from $12.20 to $76.40.

That’s in addition to any premium you pay, whether through a standalone prescription drug plan or through an Advantage Plan, which typically includes Part D coverage. While the premiums vary for prescription coverage, the average for 2020 is about $42.

As mentioned, the Social Security Administration relies on your most recently filed tax return — which often is from two years prior — when determining whether you’ll be charged the extra amounts. In other words, for 2020, that would have meant your 2018 tax return was used.

The process to prove that your current income is lower involves asking the agency to reconsider their assessment. You also have to fill out a form (SSA-44) and provide supporting documents.

While it depends on your situation, suitable proof may include a more recent tax return, a letter from your former employer stating that you retired, more recent pay stubs or something similar showing evidence that your income has dropped.

The required form includes a list of “life-changing” events that qualify as reasons for reduc-

Sudhir Mathuria HEALTHLIFE 360 713-771-2900

ing or eliminating the IRMAAs, including marriage, death of a spouse, divorce, loss of pension or the fact that you stopped working or reduced your hours.

As long as you meet one of the qualifying reasons most of the time it gets adjusted. If it doesn’t, you can appeal the decision to an administrative law judge, although the process could take time and you’d continue paying those surcharges in the meantime. Additionally, the SSA reevaluates your situation every year. Source: CNBC To choose right Medicare Plan, Long Term Care Plan or Small Group Health Insurance Plan contact Sudhir Mathuria at 713-771-2900.

READ LATEST ON HEALTH INSURANCE by Sudhir Mathuria ONLINE WWW.VOICEOFASIA.NEWS

Pakistan confirms first two cases of coronavirus

K

ARACHI | AFP | Wednesday 2/26/2020 - Pakistan has detected its first two cases of novel coronavirus, a public health advisor to Prime Minister Imran Khan tweeted Wednesday, days after Islamabad closed its land border with Iran, where 19 people have died from the virus.

“I can confirm first two cases of corona virus in Pakistan.

Both cases are being taken care of according to clinical standard protocols & both of them are stable. No need to panic, things are under control”, tweeted health advisor Zafar Mirza.

A statement issued by the Pakistani soldiers wearing facemasks stand at the closed Pakistan-Iran southern Sindh province’s health border in Taftan on February 25 as fears over the spread of the novel department stated that the first coronavirus escalate (AFP Photo/Banaras KHAN) positive case was reported in Karachi in a 22-year-old male with a “history of travel to Iran where There are growing fears in “There is a limited concept of he has acquired the virus.”

Pakistan over how the country prevention unfortunately. I fear The officials didn’t confirm would deal with the outbreak. it’s not well prepared at all for where the second case was re- Islamabad has a history of fail- any health emergency,” Pakiported. However, local media ing to contain infectious diseases stani public health expert Arshad such as polio, tuberculosis and Altaf told AFP. said it was in Islamabad. hepatitis.

Pakistan this week moved With porous borders, creakMeanwhile Pakistan’s neigh- quickly to quarantine at least ing hospitals and large illiterate populations, Pakistan faces a po- bour Iran has emerged as a major 270 people near the Iranian tentially devastating health crisis hotspot, with a total of 139 cases border after a group of pilgrims and 19 deaths. returned and briefly mixed with from the new coronavirus. other residents.

And Afghanistan, which also The virus has spread to more Ziaullah Langove, home minthan 30 countries, killing over shares a border with Pakistan, 2,700 and infecting 80,000, reported its first case of corona- ister in southwestern Balochistan province, said there were mostly in China. But new out- virus on Monday. breaks in Europe, the Middle While Pakistan has closed land nearly 10,000 Pakistanis still in East and in Asia have fanned borders with Iran, it has main- Iran, mostly students and pilfears of the contagion taking tained air travel to and from grims that Iranian officials were hold in poor nations which lack China -- increasingly a source planning to send back in small the healthcare infrastructure to of trade and commerce for the groups. cope. country.

COMMUNITY

VOICE OF ASIA 5

Ekal’s monumental “Parivartan Kumbh” with 110,000 delegates

A Tribute in Memory of Kedaar Kumar

B

Inauguration by CM of U.P. Aditya Yogiji Addressing

F

rom February 16th to 18th, Lucknow, India witnessed the most monumental public Convention in its history that was attended by over 110,000 delegates on expansive ‘Ramabai Park’ grounds. Headlined as “Parivartan Kumbh” (meaning, ‘Transformation’), it was hosted by “Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation” (‘Ekal’, as it is popularly known) to highlight the ‘Parivartan’ (change) it has brought to over 105,000 rural and tribal areas across India.

Although rooted in education, in past 31 years, Ekal has significantly come a long way and evolved into economic empowerment of rural folks, village development, social-life improvement and digital connectivity. Initially, the rural-tribal children struggled to incorporate basic functional literacy in their daily chores. There wasn’t any trace of modernity either, affecting their lives. Now, the little ones, with digital ‘Tablets’ in hand, are aspiring to touch the Moon in their routine folklores. The main objective of this historic gathering was not only to highlight this willful reformation, but also, to emphasize villager’s confident strides towards contemporary ‘main stream’.

February 16th, saw a mammoth rally comprising representation from most of the Ekal villages in day-long awe-inspiring various village artistry sessions. The unprecedented gathering was also addressed by Didi Ma Sadhvi Ritambharaji. Currently, Ekal has 105,000 schools in the same number of rural regions all over India, including Nepal, that are grooming 2.8 Million children each year. Internationally, it has presence in ten countries - biggest among them is in USA. EkalUSA provides, not only financial assistance, but also, gives active support in fields of ‘technology-transfer’ and healthcare.

February 17th was the inauguration day of this congregation and it was officiated by Uttar

Honouring Ekal’s Alumni Pradesh Chief Minister, Hon. Adityanath Yogiji at the huge ‘Ambedkar Auditorium’ in ‘Ram Lohiya College’ in presence of capacity crowd. This day was devoted to honoring outstanding achievements of Ekal alumni who brought social, economic or cultural transformation to their own lives under most hardship conditions and had managed to become the toast of the ranking society.

Board members of Ekal’s international chapters, generous Donors and special-project initiators were also felicitated. This entire event was organized and conducted by village youths. There were numerous stalls on the grounds displaying products from Ekal villages that are now integral part of its cottage industries.

The closing ceremony on February 17th was presided over by Defense Minister, Hon. Rajnathji. During this entire event there were deliberations on where Ekal wants to be in Yr.2025? In 2017, Ekal had already resolved to reach out to all of India’s 650,000-plus rural tribal regions. So, in addition to its main objectives, it was decided on this momentous occasion to make rural areas more ‘women & youth-centric’ to develop village’s and villager’s full potentials. On the social front, Ekal wants to create alco-

hol-free environment and overcome downside of caste, creed & religion, so that Gandhiji’s dream of ‘Su-Swaraj’ (ideal Admin life) becomes a reality. With this task in mind, Ekal has decided to create units of 10 youths in each village, called ‘Swaraj Senani’ (comprehensive nation building teams) that would keep track of progress and development in their village and also tap into governmental schemes & entitlements for the benefit of their brethren. Accordingly, the steps are already being taken at every level of Ekal to handover the baton for the new age to younger generation. A ceremony representing the new dawn was performed by ‘Ekal Abhiyan’ Chairman, Bajrang Bagraji, by handing over the Parivartan-flag to a youth group that defined rural and urban areas. This entire 3-day event had pronounced presence of youths and every aspect of it was flawlessly administered, managed and executed by them.

This year Ekal-USA will showcase an array of diverse rural entertainers with exceptional artistry to perform under the banner of ‘Bharat Ke Rang, Ekal Ke Sang.’

Performances have already started in southern parts of USA. For performance in your town, kindly visit www.ekal.org

READ MORE COMMUNITY NEWS ONLINE WWW.VOICEOFASIA.NEWS

FRIDAY, February 28, 2020

Kedaar Kumar, 38

eloved alumnus, musician, and staff member Kedaar Kumar (Class of ‘03) passed away recently at age 38. Most recently, Kedaar was an equipment room specialist in Academic Technology Facilities. He previously worked at Berklee as a lab monitor. All told, he spent more than five years as a treasured member of our staff.

Kedaar was a musician and music technologist, with experience ranging from electronic music, synthesis, and coding to VJ and projection-mapping work, audiovisual programming, and game development.

He was equally at ease with music composition and production, sound effects, audio, and video software development in Max/ MSP/Jitter, and virtual reality.

Michael Bierylo, chair of the Electronic Production and Design (EPD) Department who taught Kedaar during his time as a student, said, “Kedaar had a passion for technology and curiosity that he shared with everyone he met.” In his role at Berklee, Kedaar was often the unofficial ambassador for EPD. He encouraged students in all aspects of their work in the major, giving them the confidence to strive to reach their goals.

For the students he hired and worked with in the equipment room, he helped them under-

stand how a room filled with such complicated machines could become a rich playground for their sonic imagination.

Kedaar’s enthusiasm was infectious. He was a tour guide and teacher to many. He was an eager student, and soon after leaving Berklee, he began working in the game industry. As he discovered new ways that technology was used in music, he immersed himself in learning. To him, technology was like surfing; he was always looking for the next big wave and riding it as far as it would take him. His journey took him from sound synthesis to music coding, video programming, and performing, as well as to VR and immersive audio. Kedaar inspired those he encountered to be lifelong learners, and one of the lessons he left us with was to make time to learn about the things we love.

Those who knew and worked with Kedaar will remember his generous spirit and selfless sharing of his knowledge and time.

Many students have remarked that he made them feel like a peer, and they looked to Kedaar for that extra bit of support in helping them navigate the lessons learned in class toward their practical application in the labs and studios. In his own way, Kedaar thought of everyone as special. Above all, he was quite humble. He accepted gratitude

and praise with grace, and naturally found a way to acknowledge and connect with everyone he met. He was a team player and cared greatly about our community.

Kedaar studied music synthesis (now EPD) at Berklee from 1999 to 2003. Prior to his employment at Berklee, Kedaar held a variety of positions, including sound designer at Turbine Entertainment, composer and sound designer at Harmonix, and coach/instructor at NuVu Studios. Kedaar was also well known throughout the Boston electronic arts community, working as a freelance musician and technologist, participating in hackathons, and doing various projects at the Together Boston Music Festival and other community events.

A remembrance for Kedaar Kumar, beloved younger son of Dr. Rathna Kumar and the late Anil Kumar, and cherished brother of Chetan, will be held at Berklee on March 7 at 11:00 a.m. in the David Friend Recital Hall, 921 Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts. All are welcome. “For like the lightning to this field “For like the lightning to this field I came, And like the wind I go away Sudden, and swift, and like a passing wind.

But it was writ in Heaven that this should be” Kedaar’s family, in association with the Berklee College, have established The Kedaar Kumar Endowed Scholarship, which will support Berklee students who are financially and academically deserving with the potential to make a significant contribution to society through music. If you would like to contribute to the scholarship fund in memory of Kedaar please visit https://www.berklee.edu/giving/ tribute-memory-kedaar-kumar and use the drop down designation “A Tribute in Memory of Kedaar Kumar. If you would prefer to donate via check please note on the check the “Kedaar Kumar Scholarship” and send to - Berklee College of Music, c/o Quan Yao Lim,1140 Boylston Street MS-161 IA, Boston, MA 02115.

VOICE OF ASIA 6

FRIDAY, February 28, 2020

VOICE OF ASIA 7

FRIDAY, February 28, 2020

VOICE OF ASIA 8

FRIDAY, February 28, 2020

VOICE OF ASIA 9

Fort Bend View

FRIDAY, February 28, 2020

Section 2

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

Email: voiceasia@aol.com

•

www.voiceofasia.news

SLPD targeting impaired driving during Spring Break

S

S

iStock

overtime for year-round speed compliance in targeted areas, an extra resource that does not affect SLPD’s normal operations.

As part of this effort, SLPD also conducts a commercial motor vehicle enforcement.

Speeding continues to be the

Tel: 713-774-5140

Harmony Science Academy – Sugar Land Hosts STEAM & International Festival

ugar Land police will conduct a special drunk driving enforcement initiative from March 6-15.

The enforcement period covers Spring Break and is funded by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) through a Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) grant. The STEP grant provides overtime funds for enhanced DWI enforcement during holidays when there have been more alcohol-related traffic incidents.

“Driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs is not worth the risk,” said Sgt. Daryl Stroud, of SLPD’s traffic division. “You are putting your life and the lives of others on the line.”

Convicted first-time DWI offenders face penalties that include fines up to $2,000, six months in jail and loss of driver’s licenses for up to a year.

The STEP grant also provides

•

UGAR LAND – A fusion of science and culture came together during the Harmony Science Academy – Sugar Land’s STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Mathematics) Festival. Students Kindergarten – 5th grades, presented projects to peers, parents and the community on Saturday, February 8, 2020, along with performances and exhibits showcasing more than 50 countries.

Students amazed crowds with projects that included lighting a hand on fire using butane gas and dish soap, using 3-D printers to create spinning tops and turning milk into plastic. At HArmony Science Academy - Sugar Land the STEAM Festival showcas-

number one factor contributing to accidents within Sugar Land. The police department uses crash data, speed surveys and information supplied by residents to identify those areas where additional enforcement is needed.

Students displaying thier projects at the STEM Festival

Former Texas pastor shoots wife and son dead, takes own life in Richmond’s Greatwood community

by Kasmira Gander RICHMOND - A former Texas pastor shot and killed his wife and 11-year-old son before assaulting his daughter and taking his own life, according to police.

Richard Logan, 53, shot and killed his wife Diana Lynn Logan, 48, and their son Aaron Logan at their home on Evening Light Drive in the community of Greatwood, the police department of the city of Sugar Land, southwest of Houston, said in a statement on Thursday.

Logan then drove to San Marcos, Guadalupe County, around 160 miles away, where he physically assaulted his daughter Ambrielle Logan before ending his life. The assault was not reported to police. A handgun found on the scene in San Marcos is thought to be the same used to kill Diana Logan and Aaron Logan.

According to ABC 13 Eyewitness News, the couple and their son were last seen on February 8 at River Pointe Church in Richmond. Aaron Logan did not attend school on Monday. The former pastor is thought to have taken his life at some time between the night of Monday, February 10, and 8 a.m. Tuesday, February 11.

The family were respected members of their community, ABC affiliate KTRK reported.

A GoFundMe page has been set up on behalf of Ambrielle Logan, and has so far raised over $56,000 since it was set up two days ago.

Sugar Land Police Department has launched an investigation, and is treating the incident as a murder-suicide. Police initially viewed the incident as a double homicide, after finding Richard Logan dead in Guadalupe County “from what appeared to be a suicide.”

Police repeatedly tried and failed to contact his wife, leading officers to ask a family member to contact a neighbor, who provided access to the house where the three lived. Inside, they discovered Diana and Aaron Logan had died of gunshot wounds.

A Fort Bend County medical examiner told CBS-affiliate KHOU11 Richard Logan shot his wife multiple times and their son once.

Sugar Land Police Department spokesman Doug Adolph told CBS-affiliate DFW.com Richard Logan then tried to strangle his daughter in San Marcos, where she goes to college. The ex-pastor

was found dead at the consulting company TAS Environmental Service, south of San Marcos. It is unclear if he was linked to the business.

Adolph told Newsweek the force has not released a motive, and it is unclear why he didn’t kill his daughter.

Pastor Patrick Kelley of River Pointe Church told a news conference on Wednesday: “I think I share with everybody who knew the Logans a real sense of shock that this was so unpredictable.

Kelley told reporters, according to Click Houston, he knew the family for 15 years: “We knew the Logans very, very well. And something like this, their death, as tragic as it is, is something you cannot predict or foresee.”

Richard Logan became a pastor at River Pointe Church in 2009, before leaving to found Attack Poverty in 2011. The non-profit was set up to “attack poverty in their life and community,” according to its website.

Attack Poverty said in a statement on its website: “The Attack Poverty family is in shock to learn of the tragedy involving our Chief Executive Officer, Richard Logan and his family. We are cooperat-

Afreen Merchant, Principal, with staff, Fort Bend County Judge KP George, elected officials and other candidates running for office. es what students have learned throughout the year through a hands-on interactive learning curriculum.

Principal Afreen Merchant and her staff take great pride in showcasing their students’ hard work to the community and stakeholders. Among those in the audience included local dignitaries. Neeta Sane (Democrating with investigators and waiting for more information as we try to process this loss with our staff, volunteers and community. Please keep the Attack Poverty staff and all involved in your prayers.”

Dean King, executive pastor of River Pointe Church, told Click2Houston: “While we still don’t know many details, we are so sad and shocked to learn of the tragedy involving the Logan family.

We ask that everyone pray for the family and friends who are suffering during this time. We are currently looking for ways to support and help our community process this tragedy.”

Aaron Logan was a fifth-grader at Campbell Elementary school.

Lamar Consolidated Independent School District wrote to parents on Tuesday saying it was saddened by his death.

“The Campbell Elementary administration is doing everything we can to provide comfort and assistance to our students in this time of grief,” it said.

Keith Gremillion, who went to a vigil held for the family on Wednesday, told Click2Houston: “Everybody’s heart is broken basically.”

Christine Meeker, who also went to the vigil, said: “I think the hugging and the crying and the loving is all part of it what we had to have. We had to know that we’re all here for each other.”

A memorial service was held on Monday, February 17, at River Pointe Church, according to Attack Poverty.

- Newsweek

ic Candidate, Tax Assessor-Collector, Fort Bend County), Brian Middleton (Fort Bend District Attorney), Doug Boeker (Sugar Land Fire Department Chief), Naushad Kermally (Sugar Land Council for District 2), Jennifer Lane (Sugar Land Council at Large, District 2), KP George (Fort Bend County Judge), Suleman Lalani (Democratic Candidate, State House Rep-

resentative District 26), Sardar Qaisar Imam (Civic Engagement Leader), Ron Reynolds (Representative, State House District 27), Lawrence A. Allen (Democratic Candidate, State House Representative District 26), Terry Wang (Vice President, Community Affairs FBISD) and Leonard Chan (Republican Candidate, State Representative District 26).

Arts, Adventure Set for Sugar Land’s International Art & Kite Festival

S

ugar Land – Families can enjoy a destination of adventure at Sugar Land’s International Art & Kite Festival on March 28, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at The Crown Festival Park, 18355 Southwest Freeway.

This year’s event will highlight family fun opportunities for all to enjoy and will be coupled with great food and a variety of stage performances. Children can experience unlimited rounds of inflatable games and a fun zone complete with photo opportunities, face painting and hands-on art demonstration stations.

Decorative kites will soar across the sky as kite enthusiasts compete in the Most Unique Kite Design Contest. Both kids and adults are encouraged to bring their own kites. Additionally, dance performers will engage attendees in rhythmic dances from America, South America, China and India.

The high-energy, award-winning Latin band Mango Punch! will be the main stage headliner, while visually entertaining costumes will make unforgettable style statements on stage to recognize fashions around the world.

Other festival highlights will include a market, creative art cars and a Fort Bend ISD youth art exhibit. There will also be chalk art and poster drawing contests.

Prizes for first, second and third

place will be awarded in all contest categories.

The festival menu will feature an assortment of food options to include all-American, Mexican, Chinese, Greek, Creole and more to satisfy taste buds.

Due to limited onsite parking, attendees are encouraged to take the shuttle to avoid traffic delays.

Shuttle services are available at Smart Financial Centre in Sugar Land, 18111 Lexington Blvd.

Ride-sharing and taxis will also be welcomed.

For more information about the event or to become an event sponsor, contact Sugar Land Parks and Recreation at (281) 275-2825 or visit the city website at www. sugarlandtx.gov/SpecialEvents.

For other updates, follow Sugar Land Parks and Recreation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @SugarLandParks.

VOICE OF ASIA 10

FRIDAY, February 28, 2020

HOLLYWOOD - BOLLYWOOD

Section 2 •

www.voiceofasia.news

•

Email: voiceasia@aol.com

Looking back on Bollywood actress Sridevi two years after her death in Dubai The Bollywood actress died in Dubai on February 24, 2018 due to accidental drowning

by Bindu Rai,

T

he untimely death of Sridevi in Dubai on the night of February 24, 2018, continues to haunt her fans two years later.

The Bollywood superstar died of accidental drowning while she was in the country to attend a family wedding in Ras Al Khaimah.

The 90s also saw her winning streak continue with films such as ‘Khuda Gawah’, ‘Gumrah’, ‘Laadla’ and ‘Judaai’ in 1997. The actress then took a hiatus from Bollywood to concentrate on raising her two daughters, Janhvi and Khushi Kapoor, who she raised

The untimely death of Sridevi in Dubai on the night of February 24, 2018, continues to haunt her fans two years later. Image Credit: PTI

With close to 300 films to her credit, Sridevi entered the world of acting in South Indian cinema at the age of four with the Tamil film, ‘Kandan Karunai’. She then made her transition to adult roles by the age of 13 with ‘Moondru Mudichu’.

Bollywood actress Karisma Kapoor (l) and producer Ekta Kapoor (R) at the trailer launch of the upcoming Hindi drama web-series ‘Mentalhood’ in Mumbai on February 24, 2020. (Photo: Sujit Jaiswal / AFP)

Mentalhood: Karisma Kapoor’s debut on the digital space

Even at a young age, her talent could not be denied and the actress soon made a transition to Bollywood in 1972 with the film ‘Rani Mera Naam’. But the actress would really come into her own more than a decade later with ‘Himmatwala’ and ‘Sadma’, both of which released in 1983. The latter film also won Sridevi a Filmfare Award nomination for Best Actress.

The actress would go on to make some iconic films through her career, be it 1984’s ‘Inquilaab’ or ‘Tohfa’, or the 1986 iconic film ‘Nagina’. Although, few know that Nagina was in fact offered to actress Jaya Prada first, but due to her fear of snakes, she declined to do the film. Sridevi’s role in ‘Nagina’ continues to entice fans and even sparked a sequel a few years later, which marked the return of the actress in the lead for ‘Nigahen’.

Another iconic role that defined Sridevi’s career was the role of the journalist Seema Sohni in ‘Mr India’. Her comic timing and the film’s memorable songs turned the film into a cult hit overnight.

But it was 1989 that gave Sridevi to of her career’s biggest hits, one being ‘Chandni’ and the other being her double role in the comedy, ‘ChaalBaaz’. Both the films earned her a Filmfare Award nomination for Best Actress but ‘ChaalBaaz’ won out in the end.

M

entalhood is an upcoming Indian Hindi drama web series created by Ekta Kapoor and produced by Rupali Guha under her banner FilmFarm India for the online streaming platform ALT Balaji. It is also available on ZEE5.

The series marks the Web series debut of actress Karishma Kapoor and stars Sanjay Suri, Sandhya

with husband Boney Kapoor.

Following a few sporadic appearances, Sridevi finally made a full-fledged comeback in Bollywood in 2012 with the critically-acclaimed ‘English Vinglish’, which earned the actress a Filmfare Award nomination for Best Actress.

the niece of Tina and Anil Ambani. She was accompanied by her husband Boney Kapoor and younger daughter Khushi Kapoor.

The wedding took place in Ras Al Khaimah, but she later moved into Jumeirah Emirates Towers hotel to extend her stay on in Dubai. Sridevi was aged 54 at the time of death.

In 2017, she followed up her success with ‘Mom’, which was released months before the actress succumbed to her death. The film would go on to win her an Indian National Film Award for Best Actress, along with earning her Filmfare Awards nominations as well.

At the time of death, husband Boney Kapoor was in Dubai and was taken to Bur Dubai Police Station for questioning. Three days later, his son Arjun Kapoor joined his father in Dubai to assist him in making the arrangements to repatriate Sridevi’s body to Mumbai.

In February 2018, Sridevi had flown down to the UAE for the wedding of her nephew Mohit Marwah with Antara Motiwala,

As an awardee of Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian award (for her “distinguished service” through the film industry),

A trailer for the film shows Khurrana sporting a rainbow cape and armed with a megaphone as he announces to anyone listening that his lover’s father suffers from “a disease with no cure”: homophobia.

The scene is played for laughs but unlike earlier Bollywood movies, the gay characters are not the butt of the joke.

The film’s writer and director Hitesh Kewalya told AFP he felt the controversial subject matter had to be treated “in such a way as to make it accessible, and humour seemed to be the natural choice to achieve that”.

Bollywood actor Ayushmann Khurrana

M

UMBAI | AFP | 2/18/2020 - A foot-tapping sequin-doused disco number, a hotpink wedding, and a kiss between the two male leads: Bollywood’s latest release, billed as India’s first gay romcom, is making no bones about its subject matter.

Released on Friday, “Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan” (“Be Extra Careful About Marriage”) stars popular actor Ayushmann Khurrana as a young man buck-

The series revolves around different natures of mothers and showcases how they manoeuvre their way through unreasonable expectations and they try their best to raise their children. The series explores the multitasking nature of different types of mothers and their ways in leading the best upbringing of their children.

A scene from the film ‘English Vinglish’ Sridevi was honoured with a state funeral.

The same year, Sridevi’s older daughter was launched into Bollywood with the film ‘Dhadak’, which the 22-year-old actress dedicated to her mother.

ing social disapproval to be with his beloved -- a time-tested Bollywood plotline, except the object of his affection is male.

India’s Supreme Court scrapped a colonial-era ban on homosexuality in 2018. But the LGBT community remains on the fringes of society -- many face discrimination or even violence, including at the hands of their own families, and their stories are rarely celebrated in mainstream cinema.

Until now.

The movie is a follow-up of sorts to 2017’s “Shubh Mangal Saavdhan” (“Beware of Marriage”) -- a sleeper hit written

by Kewalya that won Khurrana praise for his portrayal of a man dealing with erectile dysfunction.

It is not the only taboo tackled by the 35-year-old star during his career. He has played everything from a money-making sperm donor to a pianist pretending to be blind to a man dealing with premature balding.

- ‘Family entertainer’ The risks have paid off at the box office, prompting the Hindi

Harvey Weinstein convicted of sexual assault and rape in ‘new era’ for #MeToo

Last year, the legendary actress’ wax figure was unveiled by her daughter Janhvi Kapoor at Madame Tussauds in Singapore. Her husband, producer husband Boney Kapoor and his daughters, including Khushi Kapoor, were a part of the moment in Singapore.

Sridevi’s biography was launched by Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone and Boney Kapoor in Delhi on December 1 last year.

-Gulf News

Bollywood’s first gay romcom: loud, proud & sealed with a kiss

by Udita Jhunjhunwala

Mridul, Shilpa Shukla and Shruti Seth.

film industry to pump more funds into movies featuring storylines that challenge traditional norms.

The co-producer of Khurrana’s latest film is T-Series, a Bollywood giant which started with recordings of Hindu devotional songs before hitting the big time with movie soundtracks and becoming the world’s top YouTube channel with 128 million subscribers.

Bhushan Kumar, T-Series’ chairman and managing director, told AFP the company had no hesitation in backing the project.

“When we heard the story, our first reaction was that it’s a perfect family entertainer that subtly speaks about the fact (that) love has no boundaries, no gender,” Kumar said.

Weinstein arrives at the New York City Criminal Court on Jan 21, 2020 in New York City. (AFP Photo)

by Peter HUTCHISON

N

ew York | AFP | 2/24/2020 Harvey Weinstein was convicted Monday of sexual assault and rape but cleared of the most serious predatory sexual assault charges, a verdict hailed as a historic victory by the #MeToo Movement against sexual abuse.

The jury of seven men and five women, delivering their decision before a packed New York courtroom, found the once powerful Hollywood producer guilty of criminal sexual acts in the first degree and rape in the third degree.

However, the 67-year-old Oscar-winner whose films included “Shakespeare In Love” was found not guilty of first-degree rape and predatory sexual as-

sault, charges that could have seen him jailed for life.

He instead faces up to 29 years in prison on the two felony convictions.

The ashen-faced defendant, who attended the trial hunched over a walker, showed little emotion in the moments after the verdict was delivered. He was later taken into custody pending sentencing, which was scheduled for March 11.

His lawyer Donna Rotunno vowed an appeal, saying “the fight is not over” and applauding Weinstein for taking the decision “like a man.”

The mixed verdict offered a large measure of vindication for the dozens of women who made allegations against him.

LEGAL

VOICE OF ASIA 11

Section 2

Email: voiceasia@aol.com

FRIDAY, February 28, 2020

www.voiceofasia.news

YOUR IMMIGRATION LAWYER

Personal Injury:

CLAIMS AGAINST PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND SOVEREIGN IMMUNITY from the operation or use of a motor-driven vehicle or motor-driven equipment; and

Mala Sharma

E

ach year hundreds of children are hurt at school varying from falling down on the school premise, from the negligence of a teacher, recklessness of bus driver, or intent from another student. These injuries are of high concern to parents and although parents may want to file a normal premise liability or personal injury negligence case, there are certain laws in place that may not allow such a claim.

In Texas, there are laws that prevent claims such as these, called sovereign immunity.

Sovereign Immunity is based on English common law and now adopted in American law whereby the state or sovereign is protected by governmental immunity or from having lawsuits and similar claims filed against them. This rule is based on the theory that the state cannot commit any wrong and thus immune from civil or criminal prosecution.

Under the Texas Civil Practices and Remedies Code, Texas has adopted sovereign immunity for two main reasons. First, sovereign immunity would allow the state to be run more efficiently and productively. That is, the government’s interests trump an individual’s interest.

Second, sovereign immunity protects the state from the ‘cost and consequences of imprudent actions of their government”.

The Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 101.021 states: “A governmental unit in the state is liable for: (1) property damage, personal injury, and death proximately caused by the wrongful act or omission or the negligence of an employee acting within his scope of employment if: (A) the property damage, personal injury, or death arises

(B) the employee would be personally liable to the claimant according to Texas law; and (2) personal injury and death so caused by a condition or use of tangible personal or real property if the governmental unit would, were it a private person, be liable to the claimant according to Texas law.”

Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 101.021.

Although schools cannot be sued for a child being injured on school premises, whether by school employees or other students, there are some exceptions. That is, Texas courts have allowed a lawsuit to be brought against schools for any personal injury caused by the negligence of the operator of moving vehicle where that driver would be personally liable. However, these damages are capped at $100,000.00 per incident. That is, if 10 children were hurt in a bus auto accident caused by the negligence of the bus driver, then all ten children would be able to file suit but would be limited to $100,000.00 altogether. That is, if sufficient damages are shown, these ten students would have to split this amount between them.

Further, private and religious schools are not protected by sovereign immunity. If you have a legal question regarding whether you or someone you know are entitled to damages caused by a school employee, please contact a qualified attorney.

About the Author: Mala Sharma has been practicing family law and personal injury with her family at the Law Offices of Sharma & Associates, founded in 1997. Mala has been appointed leadership roles for the American Bar Association GP Solo and GP Solo YLD division, is Board member of the Houston Trial Lawyers Association, Past President of the Houston Northwest Bar Association, and prior board

member of the South Asian Bar Association. She is also a member of the Houston Bar Association. Mala Sharma has been selected to the 2019 Texas Rising Stars by Super Lawyers.

Mala has also been selected as 10 Best Attorneys by the American Institute of Personal Injury Attorney for 2018-2019, Top 40 under 40 by the National Trial Lawyers for 2018-2019, and Texas Top 10 Personal Injury Attorney by Attorney and Practice Magazine for 2019.

This material is available for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice. You should contact an attorney to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem. If you require advice or assistance, you may contact her at office number 281-893-8644 or by email at mala@sharmalaws.net to schedule a free consultation to discuss your case.

About the Author: Mala Sharma has been practicing family law and personal injury with her family at the Law Offices of Sharma & Associates, founded in 1997 with over 42 years of combined experience. Mala is a Board of Advocates for the Houston Trial Lawyers Association, Vice-Chair of the American Bar Association GP Solo YLD, member of the Houston Bar Association, President Emeritus of the Houston Northwest Bar Association, and prior board member of the South Asian Bar Association.

Disclaimer: This material is available for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice. If you require advice on any particular legal question, you may contact Sharma & Associates at 281893-8644 or by email at mala@ sharmalaws.net to schedule a free consultation to discuss your case.

5 Completely legal ways to lower your taxes

by Maurie Backman

W

e all want to pay the IRS as little money as possible. But while there are a number of underhanded -- and illegal -- ways to go about that, like hiding some of your earned income, clearly, you should plan to stick to legitimate tactics to lower your taxes. Here are a few options in that regard.

1. Save in a traditional retirement plan Funding a traditional 401(k) or IRA will help ensure that you have enough money to live on during retirement. But that’s not all -- the money you put into these accounts is income the IRS won’t tax you on, so you’ll reap some immediate savings as well. In 2020, you can contribute up to $19,500 to a 401(k) if you’re under 50, or $26,000 if

you’re 50 or older. With an IRA, these limits stand at $6,000 and $7,000, respectively.

2. Contribute to a health savings account Like traditional retirement plans, health savings account (HSA) contributions serve the very important purpose of exempting a portion of your income from taxes. And the beauty of HSA funds is that they never expire -- you can withdraw from your HSA immediately to cover near-term healthcare expenses, or carry that money forward to future years and use it when you need to. Currently, you can contribute up to $3,550 to an HSA on your own behalf, or up to $7,100 on behalf of your family.

And if you’re 55 or older, you get a $1,000 catch-up in addi-

tion to the limit you qualify for.

3. Take advantage of investment losses Though the stock market has generally been up this year, you may have one or two underperforming investments taking up real estate in your portfolio. If that’s the case, selling them at a loss opens the door to tax savings. First, any investment losses you take can be used to offset capital gains when you sell winning investments for more than what you paid for them.

Furthermore, if your net loss exceeds your gains, you can apply up to $3,000 of your remainder to offset your ordinary income.

And if you’re still left with a loss after that, you can carry it forward into future tax years.

THE SHARMA & SLIDER LAW FIRM

EXPUNGE YOUR CRIMINAL RECORD A criminal record does not have to follow you for the rest of your life. Your dismissed case may be eligible for an expunction, this allows individuals to permanently remove information about an arrest, charge or conviction from their permanent records in certain circumstances.Once a person’s record is expunged, all information is removed from the criminal record and that person can deny the incident ever occurred. * Not all individuals with records eligible for expunction/non-disclosure above qualify to receive an expunction/non-disclosure.

NONDISCLOSURES A person who has successfully completed deferred adjudication and received a discharge and dismissal of the deferred adjudication may apply for a nondisclosure order.

• • • • • •

Remove public records, booking photos & arrest records from your criminal history Criminal Felony & Misdemeanor Offenses Driving while intoxicated, assault, possession of marijuana, theft & much more Flat rates with payment plans available – includes the filing fees Pass background checks for employment Ft. Bend, Harris and surrounding counties in Texas

CALL TODAY TO VERIFY YOUR ELIGIBILITY

Cavita Sharma, Attorney 713-223-1776

Email: sliderlawfirm@gmail.com

Tel: 713-774-5140

by Sharlene Sharmila Richards, Immigration Lawyer Email at srichardslaw@aol.com

ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS ABOUT H-1B SPECIALTY OCCUPATION VISAS AND CURRENT CHANGES Sharlene Sharmila Richards

Q: Visa?

What is the H-1B

A: The H-1B visa is for foreign skilled professionals to wish work in the US on a temporary basis in a ‘specialty occupation’.

A specialty occupation requires theoretical and practical application of a body of specialized knowledge along with at least a US bachelor’s degree or its foreign equivalent. In addition to that, the bachelor’s degree must relate to the intended field of occupation. In some cases, relevant work experience may be used as a substitute for the required bachelor’s degree if the individual does not possess such a degree.

These visas are typically sought by those professionals in the engineering, IT and management fields.

Q: Can I just apply for the H-1B visa myself or do I need my employer to apply for me?

A: You will need to have a job offer from an employer who will then petition for the visa on your behalf.

The job offer must be for a position which normally requires a degree or its equivalent for the position. One good way to find an h-1B visa sponsor would be to search “H-1B visa sponsors database” or “companies that sponsor H-1B visas” or you can specify the location of your search by just searching “H-1B visa sponsors Database Texas” or any other combination of words with the state or city you are interested to find work in.

Q: What is the H-1B visa cap?

A: The H-1B cap refers to the yearly numerical limit set by Congress for the number of foreign workers that can be granted H-1B visas. For each fiscal year, the quota for H-1B visas has been set at 65,000. Another 20,000 visas are set aside for foreign nationals who possess an advanced degree which includes a

4. Be charitable The money you give to charity won’t just help others; it’ll help you lower your taxes, provided you donate to registered organizations (unfortunately, those GoFundMe campaigns generally don’t count for tax write-off purposes). And it’s not just cash donations that will lower your taxes; you can also write off the fair market value of goods you donate. But to be clear, the fair market value is what those

US Master’s degree or higher.

6,800 visas are also set aside for citizens of Singapore and Chile. If you are applying for the H-1B visa for the first time, you will be subject to this numerical limitation of 65,000 visas unless you come within the advanced degree or Master’s cap or your petitioning employer is categorized as a cap exempt organization. For the H-1B 2021 Fiscal Year, USCIS will change the order in which the lottery for the visa will take place. Under the new selection process, the regular lottery for the 65,000 visas will be conducted first for all cap subject registrations. Then all unselected Master’s degree registrations will be entered into the Master’s cap lottery.

This is supposed to increase the percentage of Master’s degrees being selected.

Q: What kinds of petitions are cap exempt from the annual H-1B visa cap?

A: If you already have the H-1B non-immigrant visa and you are just applying to extend the period of validity for the visa, or you’re a changing H-1B employers, you are exempt from the quota. Jobs for institutions of higher education or those that are related or affiliated nonprofit entities as well as nonprofit research organizations or governmental research organizations are all cap exempt. For example, if you are applying for a teaching position in a public school with University affiliation, your petition may be cap exempt.

Q: I heard that now Employers have to apply earlier for the visa. What kind of process is involved for H-1B cap cases?

A: For the upcoming Fiscal Year 2021 H-1B cap season, USCIS has implemented a new electronic pre-registration requirement as a pre-requisite for the lottery process and filing of an H-1B petition. Petitioners seeking to file an H-1B cap subject petition must pay a $10 fee per electronic registration submitted to USCIS for the H-1B cap selection process.

The registration process will

items would sell for in their used condition. If you donate a 12-year-old piece of furniture to charity that initially cost you $800, you can’t claim that full $800 on your taxes.

5. Keep detailed records of your business expenses If you’re self-employed, any expense you incur in the course of doing business is a potential write-off. If you’re a freelance

be opened from March 1st, 2020 through March 20th, 2020. Those who pre-registered will then be entered into the lottery. Once the lottery has been conducted, and the registration is selected, USCIS will notify the employer to file the full H-1B petition within a 60-days filing period. The employer then files the Labor Condition Application and includes the certified LCA with the H-1B package to be filed with USCIS for adjudication.

Q: What happens if my pre-registration was not selected by in the lottery?

A: Under this new $10.00 pre-registration rule, if you are subject to the H-1B cap and if your registration was not selected under the lottery, there is nothing further you can do. Your employer has the option re-file the H-1B petition for you for the next fiscal year or consider other possible visa options.

Disclaimer Any advice provided in this article is general in nature and not intended to constitute legal advice for any specific case. Please consult with an immigration lawyer about the specific circumstances of your case.

My Bio Sharlene Sharmila Richards is a licensed Immigration Lawyer practicing in Houston, Texas. She is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. She was admitted to the New York State Bar in 2000 and is a member of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals and a member of the US Supreme Court. If you require advice or assistance, you may contact her at telephone number 713-623-8088 or by email at srichardslaw@ aol.com to schedule a free consultation to discuss your case.

graphic designer, for example, you can deduct the cost of a new laptop, travel to and from clients, and office supplies. If you drive for a rideshare company, you can deduct expenses related to your vehicle like gas, tolls, and car washes. The key, however, is to maintain detailed records so that you not only know how much to claim, but have proof of your deductions in case the IRS comes asking for it. The less money you pay the IRS, the more you get to enjoy yourself.

- Motley Fool

Young Life

VOICE OF ASIA 12

Section 2

Email: voiceasia@aol.com

Melania Trump says she is inspired by happiness curriculum

www.voiceofasia.news

FRIDAY, February 28, 2020

Tel: 713-774-5140

How young professionals shaped a Texas city’s luxurious office space Companies that will be the most successful in recruiting young talent are already thinking about how to up the ante once again.

by Ryan Hoops

D

Sporting a traditional red ‘tilak’ dot on her forehead and wearing a garland of marigolds, Melania watched children at the school play, do yoga, and perform a bhangra dance. Image Credit: AFP

U

S First Lady Melania Trump on Tuesday said she was inspired by the Happiness Curriculum after attending a ‘Happiness Class’ at a south Delhi government school.

“Thank you for welcoming me.

This is my first visit to India. People here are so welcoming and kind,” she said.

She said it is “very inspiring” that students begin their day with

practising mindfulness and connecting with nature”.

“A healthy, positive example has been set for educators to ensure a promising future,” she said.

The US first lady, Melania Trump, greets teachers and pupils during her visit to Sarvodaya Co-Ed Senior Secondary School in New Delhi on February 25, 2020. AFP

US students accused of Italy cop murder brace for trial

A photograph taken of one of the suspects, Gabriel Natale-Hjorth, blindfolded during interrogation, appeared in media reports, causing outrage (AFP Photo/Vincenzo Pinto)

by Ella Ide / Alexandria Sage

R

OME Italy | AFP | Monday 2/23/2020 - Two US students go on trial in Italy on Wednesday over the fatal stabbing last year of a policeman in Rome during a botched drug bust.

Finnegan Lee Elder and Gabriel Natale-Hjorth, teenagers at the time of the attack last July, have been charged with killing newlywed Mario Cerciello Rega, 35, who was stabbed 11 times. They face a life sentence if convicted.

The pair are expected in court for the first hearing in a case that has garnered heated media coverage in Italy and strong public sympathy for Cerciello, who had just returned to work from his honeymoon when he was killed.

But the case has been marked by inconsistencies as well as missteps by police -- including the blindfolding of Natale-Hjorth during his police interrogation, which caused outrage. Comparisons have been made to the high-profile trial of

Amanda Knox, a US student convicted and later acquitted of a 2007 murder in Italy.

Californian native Elder, who was in Rome on holiday with high-school friend Natale-Hjorth, has admitted to stabbing Cerciello with a 7-inch (18 cm) combat knife, but told investigators he thought he and his friend were being attacked by drug dealers.

Cerciello and his partner Andrea Varriale had been tasked with intercepting the teens after an intermediary on a drug deal reported them to the police hours earlier for stealing his bag when they were sold aspirin in the place of cocaine.

The officers knew where they would be, because the intermediary had agreed to hand over money and cocaine in exchange for his bag at a designated meeting place in an upscale neighbourhood near the teenagers’ hotel.

The handover never took place, and the young men and key prosecution witness Varriale

have given conflicting accounts of what happened next.

- Maximum penalty Elder, now age 20, told police they were jumped from behind by the officers as they rounded a corner in a dark street, and believed they were thugs sent by the drug intermediary.

Varriale has said he and Cerciello, both in plain clothes and unarmed, told the young men they were police, but that Elder pulled out a knife and attacked Cerciello, while Natale-Hjorth wrestled with Varriale.

The teens then fled to their nearby hotel, where police later found the military knife hidden behind a ceiling panel. Surveillance footage capturing the police arriving and the young men fleeing indicated the attack lasted just 32 seconds.

Under Italian law, Natale-Hjorth, who was 18 years old last July, faces the same charge of “voluntary homicide” with a special circumstance of killing a police officer even though he did not stab Cerciello.

Both young men are also charged with attempted extortion. They face a maximum penalty of life imprisonment in isolation.

- No badges? The prosecution plans to display in court Instagram photos of Elder posing with a knife and wads of cash, a judicial source told AFP, painting him as a rich kid with a taste for drugs and violence who once seriously injured another teen during an illegal boxing match while in high school in San Francisco.

A source close to the Elder family told AFP that the teen was “hit and kicked and spat on” by police during his interrogation.

ALLAS - Imagine it’s 2010, and you just graduated from college.

Brandishing your fresh business degree, you decide a job in finance is your path. However, Dallas is coming off the Great Recession, and the job market is still at a relative crawl. Your expectations are—understandably—reasonably low.

You send out resumes to several banks and financial services firms in Dallas, most of which are located in Downtown Dallas.

You schedule interviews. A quick walk around the office of a prospective employer reveals a sea of drywall and 6-foot-tall cubes—one of which is reserved for the position you’re angling for. The cube has no natural light and certainly no view of the outside world. That’s reserved for the executives and their private offices.

What are your prospects outside of Downtown? Well, in 2010, Uptown is in its infancy—very uncharted territory for young professionals.

Legacy as an office market practically doesn’t exist. You consider applying to some of the firms in the Crescent—after all, at that time, it’s hands down the most attractive office building in the city—but you think, “Fat chance. That place is reserved for the elite of elite jobs.”

So you happily accept that Downtown job and eagerly take your place in the sea of cubicles.

Like other new hires who are fresh out of college, you clock 12-hour days, only stopping for lunch breaks in the building’s tiny deli or at a nearby fast-food restaurant.

That’s just how it was back then. But 2010 was also a year that kicked off a decade of unprecedented change in Dallas.

And thanks to that rapid, almost unbelievable amount of change, things have certainly shifted for today’s office workers. There’s no doubt that the experience of a recent college graduate in 2010 versus today is vastly different.

Fast forward from 2010 to 2020: Three million square feet of Class A trophy office space is developed in Uptown. An astonishing 15 million square feet of new space appears in Legacy. Meanwhile, the labor pool shrinks, and businesses in nearly every industry grow hungry for talented young employees.

The hunt is on.

In 2020, companies flock to your college campus to recruit you—even before you have your degree in hand. You schedule interviews with your pick of between 10 companies or firms of your choice. And then prepare for months of wining and dining to entice you into employment.

The company knows they will only have you for, at most, three years—but they will take what they can get, considering this is the most competitive workforce environment of all time.

Your first interview—in the heart of Uptown—inspires you.

You enter the brand-new office building lobby, noting the valet outside and custom art on the walls. The office has more

“It is a big appreciation for us that the work of AAP government in education sector, especially Happiness Classes, is being recognised in the world,” he said.

The Delhi government introduced the ‘happiness curriculum’ in July 2018.

As part of the curriculum, students studying in classes I-VIII in Delhi government schools attend a 45-minute ‘happiness class’ every day, participating in activities like storytelling, meditation and question and answer sessions.

For nursery and kindergarten students, the classes are held twice a week.

iStock

combinations of expertly-curated workspaces than you thought could exist. The number of restaurants within walking distance astounds you. You are offered an espresso from the employee Nespresso machine and are left to bask in the multi-million-dollar office space for a few minutes before the hiring team comes to get you.

You’re given a tour of your future workspace and are amazed to see it features Herman Miller furniture. The walls are chest high, creating an open, energetic vibe. The desk can rise and fall at your leisure, ensuring you would be comfortable throughout the workday. Perhaps best of all, you would have one of the best views in the office—with plenty of natural light.

The company regales you with a competitive compensation plan, flexible work hours (you can work from home 4060 percent of the time!), and a clearly articulated plan for you to make partner within eight years. Max. (But you don’t tell them you plan to start your own company well before then.)

By the end of the week, you have offers from your top choices. Compensation is important—but flexibility and balance are perhaps even more precious.

You make your decision based on that, but the incredible office, the Nespresso, the views of Uptown? Those can’t hurt.

With effective 2 percent unemployment, this 2020 example is playing out nearly uniformly in the Dallas corporate hiring scene. As companies maneuver to be more and more competi-

tive to hire talent, it’s critical to find as many “edges” over your competition—including amenities, flexible hours and workspaces, and walkable locations—as possible.

Today, some companies are getting even more innovative in their quest to attract recent graduates.

For example, a growing number of law firms have begun incorporating “associate neighborhoods” as a stepping stone from college into the workforce. The work area, or “neighborhood,” is a dedicated space for the newest associates.

It’s in the best part of the office space and rich with exclusive amenities. Fellow recent graduates surround each associate in a culture-supportive and highly attractive work environment.

Need to use a private office?

No problem; choose any of the dozens available as part of the firm’s hoteling workplace strategy.

In Dallas’ incredible economy, today’s new graduates have a wealth of opportunities before them. Now more than ever, young professionals and veterans alike are living in a brave and exciting new world of luxurious office space, world-class amenities, and urban environments that focus on walkability and quality of life. We’ve come a long way in the last decade.

As we look ahead to the next 10 years and beyond, those companies that will be the most successful in recruiting young talent are already thinking about how to up the ante once again.

- D Magazine

Alcohol ads encouraging youth to drink, study says

E

xposure to alcohol advertising changes teens’ attitudes about alcohol and can cause them to start drinking, finds a new analysis led by NYU School of Global Public Health and NYU Grossman School of Medicine.

The study, which appears in a special supplement of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, uses a framework developed to show causality between tobacco advertising and youth smoking and applies it to alcohol advertising.

Advertising has long influenced how people purchase and consume goods. Youth are particularly vulnerable to the influence of advertising due to their potential for forming brand loyalties at an early age, limited skepticism, and high use of social media--where alcohol marketing is increasingly found.

Teen alcohol use is a major public health problem, with negative consequences ranging from injuries, including those from car crashes, to risky sexual behavior, to damage to the developing brain. Research shows that teen exposure to advertising is associated with drinking attitudes and behavior, but it has been unclear if these associations are causal.

There is scientific consensus that advertising by the tobacco industry--which has had a long history of marketing directly to youth--causes teen smoking.

The National Cancer Institute, Master Settlement Agreement, and Surgeon General’s 2012 Report on Preventing Tobacco Use Among Youth and Young Adults all agree that the evidence is strong enough to say that there is a causal relationship; the Surgeon General used a four-level hierarchy system to classify the strength of causal inferences based on available evidence, as well as statistical estimation and hypothesis testing of association.

“The conclusion that the association between exposure to tobacco advertising and adolescent tobacco use are causal allowed for policy development that justified further regulation of tobacco advertising aimed at youth,” said Michael Weitzman, MD, professor of pediatrics and environmental health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and NYU School of Global Public Health. “The conclusion also set the framework to investigate a potentially analogous relationship with alcohol.”

These findings indicate that exposure to alcohol advertising causes increased teen alcohol use.

“The association of alcohol and tobacco advertising exposure and adolescent perceptions, knowledge of, and use of these substances are remarkably similar, adding to the much-needed evidence that the association between alcohol advertising and teen alcohol use is causal in nature,” concluded Weitzman.

- NYU

VOICE OF ASIA 13

Section 2

Business

Email: voiceasia@aol.com

www.voiceofasia.news

FRIDAY, February 28, 2020

Tel: 713-774-5140

Saudi G20 gathering weighs corona- US economy faces long-lasting virus threat to global economy damage from trade war: Fed official

W

ASHINGTON | AFP | Monday 2/24/2020 - The trade conflict of the past two years likely left a mark on the US economy, even with the recent agreement to defuse the situation, a Federal Reserve official said Monday.

by Anuj Chopra

R

IYADH, Saudi Arabia | AFP | Saturday 2/22/2020 - The deadly coronavirus epidemic will dent global growth, the IMF warned Saturday, as G20 finance ministers and central bank governors weighed its economic ripple effects at a two-day gathering in Riyadh.

The outbreak will shave about 0.1 percentage points from global growth and constrain China’s growth to 5.6 percent this year, IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva told luminaries from the leading 20 economies in the Saudi capital.

The gathering comes amid growing alarm over the new vi- World Bank CEO Kristalina Georgieva. (Image Credit AP) rus as Chinese authorities lock down millions of people to prevent its spread, with major French Finance Minister Bruno on international taxation on Satknock-on effects economically. urday, focused on the challenges Le Maire.

The virus has now claimed “The question remains open: arising from the digitalisation of 2,345 lives in China, cutting off whether it will be a V-shape the global economy. transportation, disrupting trade with a quick recovery of the “There is a consensus among and fanning investor alarm as world economy or whether it the G20 members on the necesbusinesses are forced to close would lead to a L-shape with a sity of getting this new internatheir doors. persistent slowdown in world tional taxation system for the “Global growth would be growth,” Le Maire told reporters. sake of fairness and efficiency,” said Le Maire. about 0.1 percentage points low“This is the key question.” er,” Georgieva said.

He urged the gathered leaders A senior US treasury official to reach a compromise solution “But we are also looking at said Washington was “closely more dire scenarios where the watching” the developments re- by the end of the year over the spread of the virus continues for lating to the virus and assessing digital tax on giants such as Apple, Facebook and Google, longer and more globally, and its effects. which has emerged as a key the growth consequences are China has said it will not be bone of contention between the more protracted.” sending any leaders from Beijing US and France.

At the meeting in Saudi Ara- for the Riyadh gathering, chaired Presidents Emmanuel Macron bia, the first Arab nation to hold by the kingdom’s finance minthe G20 presidency, financial ister Mohammed al-Jadaan and and Donald Trump have agreed leaders also discussed money central bank governor Ahmed to extend negotiations on the proposed French tax on digilaundering, digital currencies al-Kholifey. tal giants to the end of the year, and ways to achieve a global taxBut it said the Chinese ambaspostponing Washington’s threat ation system for the digital era. sador in the kingdom will instead of sanctions against Paris.

But at the core of the dis- lead a small delegation.

Human rights groups have cussions was an action plan to - ‘Co-ordinated answer’ urged G20 member states to exshield the world economy -- alThe G20 organisers also hosted ert pressure on the kingdom over ready facing a slowdown -- from a ministerial-level symposium its intensifying crackdown on the impact of the outbreak, said dissent.

Trump economic advisor sees no US recession ahead

W

ASHINGTON | AFP | Tuesday 2/25/2020 - President Donald Trump’s chief economic advisor said Tuesday he sees no downturn looming for the US economy, even as the coronavirus epidemic hits the Chinese economy and Germany and Japan flirt with recession.

ty means businesses that had put plans on hold might now be more likely to invest, some foreign companies “have reoriented their supply chains away from US firms, which means these exports may be permanently lost.”

Sluggish investment, too, is a source of concern.

“Without investment in new technologies and capital, productivity will continue to be weak, dampening the economy’s growth potential and living standards.”

Mester, a voting member of the Fed’s interest rate setting committee this year, was rela-

tively upbeat about the economy, which she said should continue to perform well with a strong job market and growth around two percent, slightly slower than last year.

The epidemic in China casts a cloud of uncertainty over the outlook, she cautioned, and is hard to compare with past health issues, like the SARS epidemic in 2003, which caused a minor slowing in the US economy.

“China was not as big a player in the global economy back then as it is today, so there is the potential for a larger impact,” if supply chains are disrupted or investment postponed, she said.

Bob Iger steps aside as Disney CEO

S

AN FRANCISCO | AFP | 2/25/2020 - Walt Disney said Tuesday chief Bob Iger was handing off the top executive post after building the media-entertainment powerhouse into the undisputed Hollywood leader.

Disney’s board named Bob Chapek the new chief executive at Disney, effective immediately. Iger will assume the role of executive chairman.

Chapek has spent 27 years at Disney.

“With the successful launch of Disney’s direct-to-consumer businesses and the integration of Twenty First Century Fox

N

He also downplayed the economic impact of the coronavirus, saying, “I don’t think it’s going to be an economic tragedy at all.”

President Donald Trump’s chief economic advisor Larry Kudlow called on investors to take advantage of lower prices as markets plunge amid coronavirus concerns (AFP Photo/MANDEL NGAN)

“The numbers are saying the US (is) holding up nicely,” Kudlow said, adding “China is going to take an awfully big hit.”

pared for an increase in cases of COVID-19.

He estimated it will take another two to three weeks for the situation to become clear and welcomed the call by US health authorities for local governments, business and schools to be pre-

Loretta Mester of the Federal Reserve (Image Credit AP)

Disney CEO Bob Iger

well underway, I believe this is the optimal time to transition

to a new CEO,” Iger said in a statement.

US stocks suffer 2nd straight rout on virus fears

In an interview broadcast on CNBC, Director of the National Economic Council Larry Kudlow replied “yes, we can,” when asked if the United States could continue growing should a recession hit the rest of the world.

He pointed to indicators from regional central banks and new US consumer confidence figures released Tuesday that show continued economic health and no disruption in supplies even as production from some Chinese factories is halted over the virus.

The outbreak of the new coronavirus in China adds another risk factor to the outlook, which otherwise seemed poised to provide steady growth, said Loretta Mester, president of the Federal Reserve’s regional bank in Cleveland.

“At this point, it is difficult to assess the magnitude of the economic effects, but this new source of uncertainty is something I will be carefully monitoring,” she said of the epidemic.

With the partial agreement signed with China to call a truce in the dispute with Beijing -despite leaving many tariffs in place -- as well as a new continental free trade pact with Canada and Mexico, Mester said the trade picture is “somewhat better” heading into 2020.

“Nevertheless, some long-lasting effects arising from the trade war are likely,” she said in a speech to the National Association for Business Economics.

While the reduced uncertain-

He also downplayed speculation that the Federal Reserve would make an emergency rate cut to support the economy.

“I’m not hearing that either publically or privately. We’re in touch with the Fed people all the time,” he said. “I’m not hearing the Fed is going to make any panic move.”

Speaking at a conference in Washington on Tuesday, Fed Vice Chair Richard Clarida said that “if developments emerge that, in

the future, trigger a material reassessment of our outlook, we will respond accordingly.”

“It is still too soon to even speculate about either the size or the persistence” of the virus’s effects on the global economy, “or whether they will lead to a material change in the outlook,” he said.

Wall Street closed sharply down for the second day in a row, but Kudlow earlier in the day said he saw no cause for alarm, instead calling on investors to take advantage of low prices, echoing comments by Trump the day before.

EW YORK | AFP | 2/25/2020 - Wall Street stocks suffered a second straight rout Tuesday, with losses picking up after US health officials warned the coronavirus was likely to hit the world’s biggest economy.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 3.2 percent, or about 880 points, to 27,081.36.

The broad-based S&P 500 sank 3.0 percent to 3,128.21, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index lost 2.8 percent to 8,965.61.

After starting the session higher, major US indices quickly reversed course and tumbled further after American health authorities urged local governments, businesses, and schools to develop contingency plans for an expected larger outbreak in the US. “Ultimately, we expect we will see community spread in this country,” said Nancy Messonnier, a senior official with the Centers for Disease Control and Preven-

tion (CDC).

“It’s not so much a question of if this will happen anymore, but rather more a question of exactly when this will happen, and how many people in this country will have severe illness.”

US stocks had been stable and throughout most of February, lingering near record highs, even as Chinese cases of coronavirus have soared and the virus has spread to more countries.

But investors have been unnerved the last couple of days following larger outbreaks in Italy and South Korea, among other places outside of China.

“Bit by bit, US investors are seeing the prospects for global growth diminish,” said Gregori Volokhine of Meeschaert Financial Services.

“With the news of the last three or four days, it’s hard to be optimistic.”

In spite of the CDC statements, White House economic counselor

Larry Kudlow said US economic data remained solid and that the ailment remained “very tightly contained in the United States,” he said on CNBC. “It’s mostly centered in China,” Kudlow said, citing data showing the US economy on track for 2.1 percent growth in the first quarter and citing recent reassuring economic reports.

Data released Tuesday showed US consumer confidence rose slightly in February, although the report lagged analyst expectations.

While equity losses were widespread, petroleum-linked companies were especially big losers, with Devon Energy and Occidental Petroleum dropping more than seven percent.

Large banks including Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase dropped more than four percent as Treasury bond yields continued to fall, a dynamic that typically hits bank profits.

TRAVEL

VOICE OF ASIA 14

FRIDAY, February 28, 2020

Paris braces for tourism hit as virus keeps Chinese at home

UK to start issuing postBrexit blue passports

L

ONDON | AFP | Saturday 2/21/2020 - Britain will issue blue passports next month for the first time in almost three decades following its departure from the European Union, the government said on Saturday.

The new blue cover passports will be issued and delivered early next month, said the interior ministry, replacing the burgundy passports that were introduced in 1988.

They are ironically being made in Poland after the contract was controversially awarded to French multinational Thales.

“Leaving the European Union gave us a unique opportunity to restore our national identity and forge a new path in the world,” said interior minister Priti Patel.

“By returning to the iconic blue and gold design, the British passport will once again be entwined with our national identity and I cannot wait to travel on one,” she added.

The issue became another battleground of the Brexit war after the government announced in 2017 it would return to traditional blue passports “to restore national identity”.

P

ARIS | AFP | 2/24/2020 - The new coronavirus outbreak is depriving Paris hotels, restaurants and retailers of big-spending Chinese visitors, the latest challenge for a French tourism industry facing headwinds from homegrown protests and Brexit, officials said Monday.

“For now, airline forecasts suggest a 60 percent drop in Chinese visitors for February, March and April compared with the same period last year,” said Valerie Pecresse, president of the Ile-deFrance region that encompasses the French capital.

“Yet Asian clients are absolutely crucial for us,” she said while presenting 2019 tourism figures for the region.

Around 950,000 Chinese visited Paris last year, making them the fifth-largest source of tourists by nationality, according to the CRT regional tourism committee.

But they were the second-biggest spenders overall, shelling out one billion euros ($1.1 billion) on hotel rooms, restaurants, museum visits and shopping sprees.

The GNC hotels association has already warned of a surge in cancellations by Chinese clients, especially by tour groups, whose cancellation rates reached 80 per-

US warns against cruise ship travel in Asia over coronavirus

W

ASHINGTON | AFP | Americans should avoid traveling by cruise liner within Asia because the vessels act as amplifiers of the novel coronavirus, a senior US official said Friday, adding that future evacuations of ship passengers were not guaranteed.

The warning came as the number of confirmed cases of people on US soil who have been infected with the pathogen rose to 34, 21 of them repatriated from abroad.

Around 950,000 Chinese visited Paris last year. Photo: AFP cent in January and nearly 100 percent for February.

Pecresse compared the current virus scare to the SRAS outbreak, “which had a very strong impact on Asian tourist travel, with 300,000 fewer visitors in 2003 from 2002.”

If an epidemic is declared in other Asian countries or in Europe, “the situation would become even more alarming,” she said.

Last year, Paris and its surrounding region chalked up 50 million visitors, up slightly from 2018, while overall spending was stable at nearly 22 billion euros, the CRT said.

“The uncertainties linked to Brexit, the protests in France, the weaker economic climate in Europe and global trade tensions dissuaded some groups, notably from Britain, China, and the Middle East,” it said.

More than 300 Americans were flown back from the Diamond Princess cruise ship off the Japanese coast earlier this week, and there have also been several flights bringing home citizens from the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the virus first emerged in December.

Ian Brownlee, a senior State Department official, said in a briefing that the government had “advised all US citizens to reconsider travel by cruise ship to, or within Asia.”

“While the US government has successfully evacuated hundreds of hundreds of our citizens in recent weeks, such repatriation flights do not reflect our standard

practice and should not be relied upon as an option for US citizens under potential risk of quarantine by local authorities,” he added.

Eighteen of the passengers from the Diamond Princess ship have so far tested positive for the virus and were being treated, either at a medical center in Nebraska or at hospitals near air bases in California and Texas. Three people repatriated from Wuhan have also tested positive.

Nancy Messonnier, a senior official with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said she expected the number of cases to rise among those who had returned from the Diamond Princess, because of their close proximity to one another while on board the ship.

There are also many Americans with the COVID-19 illness who are hospitalized in Japan, several of whom are seriously ill, she added.

“We’re not seeing community spread here in the United States yet, but it’s very possible, even likely that it may eventually happen,” she warned.

STATEPOINT CROSSWORD THEME:CANDY

Week of Febuary 28, 2020 HOROSCOPE.COM

21 March to 20 April On the one hand, you may be eager to forge ahead with goals and key plans, while on the other, you could be in a more reflective and dreamy mood.

Fortunately, positive aspects can help you combine both qualities to make this a productive week. Don’t discount those intuitive nudges or powerful dreams.

21 April to 20 May You could be spurred on by old friends and new to move out of your comfort zone. With the sun and retrograde Mercury forging angles to feisty Mars, you might even team up with them for a trip or to take advantage of an opportunity. It could work out very well if you adopt a practical approach and take care of the details.

21 May to 20 June This is a great opportunity to pool resources so you can accomplish more together than you might alone. You can benefit from others’ practical skills and know-how by getting them on board with your plans. With the sun and chatty Mercury, your guide planet, linking to dynamic Mars in a more intense zone, connecting with the right people can make the difference between success and mediocrity.

21 June to 22 July

Teaming up with another to go on an inspirational trip could be very good for you. You may have ideas about traveling to various countries, perhaps taking a course or workshop or taking on a new opportunity together. Whatever it is, this week can help you get your plans off the ground and get you up and running. Your sensitive and psychic abilities can complement the other person’s down-toearth perspective, making this a very enjoyable time.

23 July to 22 August The idea that giving more might see you receiving more could take hold and find you eager to explore business ideas where you can practice this. Positive aspects can encourage you to try something that benefits others in a positive way yet also brings in the profits. As far as money is concerned, go easy when making big decisions.

23 August to 22 Sept This can be an opportunity for you and another or others to team up and happily work on a creative idea or other key project. Your down-to-earth know-how and their imaginative ideas could make this a success. There is potential for romance, and it might be with someone you already know. It could even be an ex, old flame, or someone who reminds you of one.

23 September to 22 Oct Lifestyle issues may be very much on your mind, and this coming week could see you putting ideas into action. With the sun and lively Mercury forging a positive angle to fiery Mars in your domestic zone, you might be ready to reorganize your kitchen and other areas of your home to accommodate some changes.

23 October to 21 Nov Both creative and romantic opportunities can be yours around the start of the week, when positive aspects can see you and another getting along very well. It’s possible that you’ve met this person before and perhaps not really noticed them. This time seems to be different, though. Chatting to each other can reveal how much you have in common.

22 November to 21 Dec Are you ready to splurge on your home or a family project? This week could see you eager to work out the costs and start. Perhaps you have a remodeling or DIY plan that can add new features or a refreshing ambience to your home.

Avoid going with the tried and trusted, and be willing to use your imagination to produce a result that’s beautiful and unique.

22 December to 20 Jan A blend of your practical experience and someone else’s imaginative and visionary thinking can produce something quite amazing. You might be working on a website, blog, or online business together or perhaps putting your efforts into a creative writing project. Whatever you’re doing, the start of this week can see you getting along very well together.

21 January to 19 Feb You could find that subtler resources, such as inner strength, powerful guidance from dreams, psychic abilities, and a rich imagination contribute to your ability to make money and perhaps enhance your income. Intuitive nudges can also be powerful and very helpful in this regard. Making time to register these subtle gifts and use them wisely could leave you happier and richer.

20 February to 20 Mar This week could bring plenty of positive and uplifting interactions with friends. You may collaborate with them on all kinds of ideas and projects, but one or two could really grab your attention. With the sun and talkative Mercury in your sign forging a positive angle with fervent Mars, your visionary ideas combined with their depth of experience could see you doing very well.

ACROSS 1. Unfathomably deep chasm 6. Lawyer group 9. Factoid 13. Non-flat area 14. Loquacious person’s gift 15. Member of clergy 16. Kitty sounds 17. Mesozoic one 18. All thumbs 19. *Who’s Pieces?

21. *Life ____ 23. Comic book cry 24. Evening in Roma 25. Boar’s mate 28. Bank deposit 30. Actress Ali or singer Tim 35. Flying saucers 37. Yeahs’ opposers 39. One of the Muses 40. Ancient region of western Europe 41. *Sweet bear 43. In a little while, old-fashioned 44. Like a neon sign 46. Fashion’s “New Look” inventor 47. Weasel’s cousin 48. Cash in credit card points, e.g.

50. “Good grief!”

52. The Old Man’s turf 53. Tucked in 55. Sine ____ non 57. *”Gimme a break” bar 60. *Egg with a surprise 63. Southwestern hut 64. Step on it 66. Small Asian ungulate 68. What radiology and biology have in common 69. Chihuahua’s cry 70. a.k.a. Ernest?

71. Japanese money, pl.

72. Blitzed 73. Industrious

DOWN 1. Similar to an adder 2. View from a moving train 3. Yesteryear 4. Shopping ____ 5. Creates disorder 6. Forever and a day 7. *Hershey made the first American milk chocolate one 8. Belittle 9. Have supper 10. Tennis serving whiz 11. Memorial Day solo 12. “The ____ of Racing in the Rain” 15. Fast and lively 20. Increasing 22. Location of ulna 24. Hindered 25. *Principal candy ingredient 26. Allowed into a bar, e.g.

27. Past tense of will 29. Glorify 31. SI unit of mass 32. Raja’s wife, pl.

33. Do penance 34. *Famous fictional bar 36. ____ gin 38. Smoke plus fog 42. Baghdad resident 45. Not strongly 49. CEO’s deg.

51. Fertilized 54. C2H5 56. “J’____” by #46 Across 57. Green superfood 58. Desktop picture 59. Facebook photo links 60. Not disregarded, as in a promise 61. Marine eagle 62. Surprise at a speakeasy 63. *Almond-induced state 65. Cardinal 3 67. Bovine hangout

SOLUTION: CANDY on Page 15

VOICE OF ASIA 15

B

SMALL BUSINESSES / CLASSIFIEDS

FRIDAY, February 28, 2020

D

BUSINESS DIRECTORY

ACCOUNTANTS 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

Accurate Book-Keeping Svcs Inc

Payroll processing & Payroll tax payments l Filing 940, 941, 1099, TWC reports l Filing of Sales Tax & Franchise Tax Return Manish Gaglani Ph: 346-317-7409.

Email: accuratebookkeeping2018@gmail.com 7011 Harwin Dr Suite 230 Houston, TX 77036 l

COMPUTER SERVICES

RESTAURANTS India’s Restaurant & Catering

Networking and Computer Repair

For special parties and corporate events.

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

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

Ph: 713-266-0131/0805

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

Madhuram Mirch Masala 10758 FM 1960 West Houston, TX 77070

281.955.9878 216.338.3940 (cell)

Selling Your Business?

We can help you get faster results though our online listing.

Call 713-774-5140

Shiva Indian Restaurant & Catering

Selling Your Business?

Call 713-774-5140

Email Obituaries to us at: voiceasia@aol.com Deadline for publication: Tuesdays by 5pm.

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

List Your Business CALL TODAY 713-774-5140

Crime Stoppers and HPD searching for fugitive on child assault charges

H

OUSTON - Crime Stoppers and the Houston Police Department’s Special Victims Division need the public’s assistance locating fugitive Jovon Johnson, who is wanted for the charge of Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child.

On Saturday, November 2, 2018, Houston Police received a report of Sexual Assault.. During the investigation, the child victim made an outcry of sexual abuse. Detectives learned that the fugitive Jovon Johnson sexually abused the victim.

Fugitive Jovon Johnson is a black male, 39 years old, approximately 5’07”, 200 lbs., with brown eyes and short black hair.

Crime Stoppers may pay up to $5,000 for in-

CAREGIVER NEEDED

formation leading to the identification, charging and/or arrest of the suspect(s) in this case.

Information may be reported by calling 713222-TIPS (8477), submitted online at www. crime-stoppers.org or through the Crime Stoppers mobile app. Only tips and calls DIRECTLY TO Crime Stoppers are anonymous and eligible for a cash reward.

Crime Stoppers of Houston is Houston’s top non-profit dedicated to public safety and since 1980 has remained committed to its mission to solve and prevent serious crime in the Greater Houston Area in partnership with citizens, media and the criminal justice system.

When you find some time, READ!

READ DAILY! 15 - 30 minutes of reading daily helps your brain focus better. Grab a novel!

A Community message from Voice of Asia Group

Seeking female live-in caregiver/ companion in West Houston.

On weekends only (arrive by 8:00 am on Saturday and leave Monday morning).

Room and meals provided.

- Responsibilities include: - Care of elderly mother - Light Cooking - Light housekeeping Must communicate in Hindi, Urdu or English. Drivers License a plus

For more information, please text or leave a message at 281.808.5116.

Accounting Assistant

T

ax Consulting Firm’s accepting resumes from qualified entry level accounting graduate for “Accounting Assistant” Position.

The position challenge to all aggressive accounting graduates who would like to apply their accounting knowledge.

Please forward your resume for review to: P. O. Box 36770, Houston, TX 77236-6770.

E-mail: HarryTax@aol.com

STATEPOINT CROSSWORD SOLUTION

Answers: CANDY from Page 14

VOICE OF ASIA 16

FRIDAY, February 28, 2020