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FRIDAY, April 26, In Section 2 2019
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Pratham Houston raises a record $4.5 million at anniversary gala
A
n Electrifying Evening Celebrates 20 Years of Transformative Change On Saturday, April 20, 2019, more than 900 guests attended the dazzling Pratham Houston ‘Sold Out’ gala - celebrating 20 years of Pratham USA and raising a record-breaking $4.5 million – the largest amount by an Indian-American charity.
Pratham is dedicated to improving the quality of education for underserved children and youth in India and has reached over 60 million individuals since its inception. The elegant Hilton America’s ballroom played host to an insightful and engaging evening kicked off by a touching video tribute to gala honoree Vijay Goradia - local businessman and humanitarian, who estab-
Nabila Mansoor files for candidacy for Sugar Land City Council District 2
lished Pratham USA in 1999 after visiting a small preschool in the slums of Mumbai. One of the highlights of the night was a lively conversation between Goradia and Pratham co-founder and president Dr. Madhav Chavan, former University of Houston professor. “Like I would bet on an established company over a startup, by investing in an NGO Continued on Page 4
Silent streets after dozens of children killed in Sri Lanka attacks by Peter HUTCHISON
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EGOMBO, Sri Lanka | AFP | 4/24/2019 - The streets of Sri Lanka's Katuwapitiya should be full of the sound of children's games. But after deadly Easter attacks that killed at least 45 children, they have
Nabila Mansoor SUGAR LAND, TX – Nabila Mansoor has filed her affidavit of candidacy for Sugar Land City Council, District 2. The district is made up of rapidly growing neighborhoods within the City of Sugar Land such as Telfair and the newly an-
nexed New Territory subdivision. The election, on Saturday May 4, 2018, will be the first opportunity for the newly redistricted Sugar Land to elect local representatives. Continued on Page 2
Sapphira, Vijay and Marie Goradia. Photo credit: Bijay Dixit/Unique Photo Images
fallen silent. "These streets are usually full of children playing," said Suraj Fernando, whose own 12-year-old grandson Enosh was among those killed. "Now everybody is inside because they are sad and scared."
The community is in the town of Negombo, where a suicide bomber targeted Easter services at the St Sebastian's church, one of three churches and three hotels hit on Sunday. But the blast at St Sebastian's is believed to be the single deadliest of all the attacks,
and the toll it has taken in Katuwapitiya is clear. Almost every street has a story of shattering sorrow. There is 43-year-old Anusha Kumari, transformed by the attack from a mother-of-two into Continued on Page 9
IACF Awards Scholarships to 30 Outstanding HS Students of FBISD and AISD Report on Page 6
Indo American Charity Foundation Directors presenting the scholarship check. Photo:Roy Photography
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OP-ED/COMMENTARY/ANALYSIS by Reed Abelson (The New York Times, April 21, 2019) or a patient’s knee replacement, Medicare will pay a hospital $17,000. The same hospital can get more than twice as much, or about $37,000, for the same surgery on a patient with private insurance. Or take another example: One hospital would get about $4,200 from Medicare for removing someone’s gallbladder. The same hospital would get $7,400 from commercial insurers. The yawning gap between payments to hospitals by Medicare and by private health insurers for the same medical services may prove the biggest obstacle for advocates of “Medicare for all,” a government-run system. If Medicare for all abolished private insurance and reduced rates to Medicare levels — at least 40 percent lower, by one estimate — there would most likely be significant changes throughout the health care industry, which makes up 18 percent of the nation’s economy and is one of the nation’s largest employers. Some hospitals, especially struggling rural centers, would close virtually overnight, according to policy experts. Others, they say, would try to offset the steep cuts by laying off hundreds of thousands of workers and abandoning lower-paying services like mental health. The prospect of such violent upheaval for existing institutions has begun to stiffen opposition to Medicare for all proposals and to rattle health care stocks. Some officials caution that hospitals providing care should not be penalized in an overhaul. Dr. Adam Gaffney, the president of Physicians for a National Health Program, warned advocates of a single-payer system like Medicare for all not to seize this opportunity to extract huge savings from hospitals. “The line here can’t be and shouldn’t be soak the hospitals,” he said. “You don’t need insurance companies for Medicare for all,” Dr. Gaffney added. “You need hospitals.” Soaring hospital bills and disparities in care, though, have stoked consumer outrage and helped to fuel populist support for proposals that would upend the current system. Many people with insurance cannot afford a knee replacement or care for their diabetes because their insurance has high deductibles. Proponents of overhauling the nation’s health care argue that hospitals are charging too much and could lower their prices without sacrificing the quality of their care. High drug prices, surprise hospital bills and other financial burdens from the overwhelming cost of health care have caught the attention (and drawn the ire) of many in Congress, with a variety of proposals under consideration this year. But those in favor of the most far-reaching changes, including Senator Bernie Sanders, who unveiled his latest Medicare for all plan as part of his presidential campaign, have remained largely silent on the question of how the nation’s 5,300 hospitals would be paid for patient care. If they are paid more than Medicare rates, the final price tag for the program could balloon from the already stratospheric estimate of upward of $30 trillion over a decade. Senator Sanders has not said what he thinks his plan will cost, and some proponents of Medicare for all say these plans would cost less than the current system. The nation’s major health insurers are sounding the alarms, and pointing to the potential impact on hospitals and doctors. David Wichmann, the chief executive of UnitedHealth Group, the giant insurer, told investors that these proposals would “destabilize the nation’s health system and limit the ability of clinicians to practice medicine at their best.” Hospitals could lose as much as $151 billion in annual revenues, a 16 percent decline, under Medicare for all, according to Dr. Kevin Schulman, a professor of medicine at Stanford University and one of the authors of a recent article in JAMA looking at the possible effects on hospitals. “There’s a hospital in every congressional district,” he said. Passing a Medicare for all proposal in which hospitals are paid Medicare rates “is going to be a really hard proposi-
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Visit us at VoiceofAsia.news Nabila Mansoor files for candidacy for .... Continued from Page 1 Nabila, a practicing attorney and community advocate, announced her candidacy to a packed and jubilant audience in her Sugar Land home. “I’m not a part of the elite, I don’t come from money. I come from the community that I serve and that’s why I am doing this. This community is my neighborhood, where my husband and I moved seventeen years ago to build a life. This is the community where my children go to Fort Bend public schools”, explained Nabila. “I want to make sure our communities are properly represented at the City level, that we stand up for what is right, and that every little girl knows that the sky is the limit and there is nothing hindering her, that is why I am doing this.” Nabila advocates a five point plan for ensuring Sugar Land continues its sustained growth. “Sugar Land has always been regarded as one of the best places to live in the country thanks to the wonderful people that make up this city. We need to ensure that their values continue to be represented: thoughtful and managed development, lower property taxes which are responsibly allocated, a commitment to supporting businesses small and large, top-notch schools, and safe and welcoming neighborhoods with dedicated community and green spaces.” Nabila has her roots in com-
munity building, and has experience working for several organizations: • As a member of the Houston Organizing Movement for Equity (HOME), Nabila has worked to ensure neighborhoods were able to receive adequate resources in the wake of Hurricane Harvey and improve how disaster recovery efforts are carried out • As a lead for the Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom, and as a member of the Fort Bend County interfaith committee, she works to foster understanding between communities through interfaith events and volunteer initiatives • As a Youth Leadership Organizer for Mi Familia Vota and OCA-Greater Houston, and as Executive Director for EmgageUSA, she created and implemented programs to train high school and college students to be more civically engaged and provide trainings to prepare them for leadership roles Nabila received her J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center and currently resides in Sugar Land with her husband and three children. Those interested in learning more about Nabila’s campaign or getting involved can go to her website, www.nabilaforsugarland.com, or follow her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @NabilaForSugarLand.
FRIDAY, April 26, 2019
Hospitals Stand to Lose Billions Under ‘Medicare for All’
tion.” Richard Anderson, the chief executive of St. Luke’s University Health Network, called the proposals “naïve.” Hospitals depend on insurers’ higher payments to deliver top-quality care because government programs pay so little, he said. “I have no time for all the politicians who use the health care system as a crash-test dummy for their election goals,” Mr. Anderson said. The American Hospital Association, an industry trade group, is starting to lobby against the Medicare for all proposals. Unlike the doctors’ groups, hospitals are not divided. “There is total unanimity,” said Tom Nickels, an executive vice president for the association.“We agree with their intent to expand coverage to more people,” he said. “We don’t think this is the way to do it. It would have a devastating effect on hospitals and on the system over all.” Payment-to-Cost Ratios Insurers pay higher rates to hospitals than the government programs Medicare and Medicaid for the same patient care. Rural hospitals, which have been closing around the country as patient numbers dwindle, would be hit hard, he said, because they lack the financial cushion of larger systems. Big hospital systems haggle constantly with Medicare over what they are paid, and often battle the government over charges of overbilling. On average, the government program pays hospitals about 87 cents for every dollar of their costs, compared with private insurers that pay $1.45. Some hospitals make money on Medicare, but most rely on higher private payments to cover their overall costs. Medicare, which accounts for about 40 percent of hospital costs compared with 33 percent for private insurers, is the biggest source of hospital reimbursements. The majority of hospitals are nonprofit or government-owned.
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The profit margins on Medicare are “razor thin,” said Laura Kaiser, the chief executive of SSM Health, a Catholic health system. In some markets, her hospitals lose money providing care under the program. She says the industry is working to bring costs down. “We’re all uber-responsible and very fixated on managing our costs and not being wasteful,” Ms. Kaiser said. Over the years, as hospitals have merged, many have raised the prices they charge to private insurers. “If you’re in a consolidated market, you are a monopolist and are setting the price,” said Mark Miller, a former executive director for the group that advises Congress on Medicare payments. He describes the prices paid by private insurers as “completely unjustified and out of control.” Many hospitals have invested heavily in amenities like single rooms for patients and sophisticated medical equipment to attract privately insured patients. They are also major employers. “You would have to have a very different cost structure to survive,” said Melinda Buntin, the chairwoman for health policy at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. “Everyone being on Medicare would have a large impact on their bottom line.” People who have Medicare, mainly those over 65 years old, can enjoy those private rooms or better care because the hospitals believed it was worth making the investments to attract private patients, said Craig Garthwaite, a health economist at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. If all hospitals were paid the same Medicare rate, the industry “should really collapse down to a similar set of hospitals,” he said. Whether hospitals would be able to adapt to sharply lower payments is unclear. “It would force health care systems to go on a very serious diet,” said Stuart Altman, a health policy professor at
Brandeis University. “I have no idea what would happen. Nor does anyone else.” But proponents should not expect to save as much money as they hope if they cut hospital payments. Some hospitals could replace their missing revenue by charging more for the same care or by ordering more billable tests and procedures, said Dr. Stephen Klasko, the chief executive of Jefferson Health. “You’d be amazed,’ he said. While both the Medicarefor-all bill introduced by Representative Pramila Jayapal, Democrat of Washington, and the Sanders bill call for a government-run insurance program, the Jayapal proposal would replace existing Medicare payments with a whole new system of regional budgets. “We need to change not just who pays the bill but how we pay the bill,” said Dr. Gaffney, who advised Ms. Jayapal on her proposal. Hospitals would be able to achieve substantial savings by scaling back administrative costs, the byproduct of a system that deals with multiple insurance carriers, Dr. Gaffney said. Under the Jayapal bill, hospitals would no longer be paid above their costs, and the money for new equipment and other investments would come from a separate pool of money. But the Sanders bill, which is supported by some Democratic presidential candidates including Senators Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Cory Booker of New Jersey, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Kamala Harris of California, does not envision a whole new payment system but an expansion of the existing Medicare program. Payments would largely be based on what Medicare currently pays hospitals. Some Democrats have also proposed more incremental plans. Some would expand Medicare to cover people over the age of 50, while others wouldn’t do away with private health insurers, including those that now offer Medicare plans. Even under Medicare for all, lawmakers could decide to pay hospitals a new government rate that equals what they are being paid now from both private and public insurers, said Dr. David Blumenthal, a former Obama official and the president of the Commonwealth Fund. “It would greatly reduce the opposition,” he said. “The general rule is the more you leave things alone, the easier it is.”
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Hoboken, New Jersey Mayor meets with Houston's Sikh Community and Mayor Sylvester Turner
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner welcoming Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla. Photo credit - Derrick Leadon
H
OUSTON - Ravi Singh Bhalla, the Mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey, shared his uplifting life journey with a diverse audience of local business leaders, elected officials, and the Greater Houston Sikh community during a visit to the Bayou City this weekend. Mayor Bhalla, a devout member of the Hoboken Sikh community, was elected that city’s 39th Mayor in November 2017 by focusing on improving Hoboken’s quality of life in fiscally responsible manner. The soft-spoken Bhalla, a self-described introvert, spoke of overcoming racial and religious bias to earn his seat at the head of the table and has delivered results to his constituents, “At the end of the day the constituents are interested in authentic leaders who are bold, compassionate, will be straight with the voters and are willing to make some hard decisions for the benefit of entities they are elected to serve.”
Mayor Bhalla earned his undergraduate degree from the University of California at Berkeley, a Master of Science in Public Administration and Public Policy at the London School of Economics (L.S.E.), and a Juris Doctorate (J.D) from Tulane Law School in New Orleans. He is married to Bindya a human rights lawyer. The couple has two children, 11-year-old Arza Kaur and Shabegh, 6. IACCGH Power Dialogue with Mayor Bhalla Mayor Bhalla's luncheon visit was organized by the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Houston (IACCGH) on April 20 at Kiran's led by Swapan Dhairyawan, IACCGH president and Exe. Dir. Jagdip Ahluwalia. Among the events Bhalla attended included a power dialogue luncheon with Illinois’ Eighth District Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi and Fort Bend County (Texas), Judge K.P. George.
Mayor Bhalla at the IACCGH The Power Dialogue luncheon seen with Swapan Dhairyawan , Jagdip Ahluwalia Fort bend County Judge KP George, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi and Bobby Singh .
Mayor Bhalla meets with Mayor Turner Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner personally welcomed his counterpart during an evening reception in River Oaks co-hosted by a diverse group of elected officials and community organizations including Interfaith Ministries and the Anti-Defamation League. “I am honored to welcome City of Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla to the most diverse city in the nation,” Mayor Turner said. “[He] and I grew up on the shoulders of our parents who worked hard, played by the rules, and allowed us to dream big. They ensured we had the best and live the American promise.” Bhalla said it was an honor to receive Mayor Turner’s warm welcome and expressed his thanks to the entire Indian & Sikh Community, “I am humbled & grateful for your support” of the trip. Visit to Sikh Center of
Mayor Ravinder S Bhalla with members of the Sikh Center of Houston Houston Sunday morning, Mayor Bhalla joined congregants at the Sikh Center of Houston, the oldest Gurdwara in the region. During services, Bhalla reminded them that Sikh values are American values and that service and faith were not in conflict with each other noting
that America “allow(s) each one of us to be ourselves without compromising in our belief system and being resilient in service to others.” He also sat for a Q/A with the congregation’s youth during Sunday school where he answered a wide range of questions about being the
CEO of the City of Hoboken to his personal experience bullying as he was growing up. He also urged them to participate and demand to be heard, “We need to think big but start small and work at the grassroots level first to hone our skills and then build on our experience and rolodex to run for elected offices,” Bhalla concluded.
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FRIDAY, April 26, 2019
Pratham Houston raises a record $4.5 million at anniversary gala
Left to Right: Swatantra and Bimla Jain, Manish Jain, Anil Kapoor, Ajay Jain, Audra Jain. Photos by Bijay Dixit/Unique Photo Images.
Fashion show by Anita Dongre. Photo credit: Bijay Dixit/Unique Photo Images
Pratham Houston Board Members with celebrity guest Anil Kapoor. Photo credit: Bijay Dixit/Unique Photo Images. Pratham Houston President Asha Dhume with husband Pankaj Continued from Page 1 like Pratham, I am investing in the future of tens of millions of children,” explained Goradia, who pledged $1 million at the benefit. “It has a proven track record, continues to be well managed and grow.” Local luminaries and gala underwriters Bimla and Swatantra Jain, who were also recognized for their longstanding commitment to education, made a commitment of $1 million to support the construction of a vocational training center in North India. “This is our city’s 20th annual gala, and every year we see an increase in participation and enthusiasm for Pratham’s innovative programs,” said chapter president Asha Dhume. “Many people are astounded when they learn that of the 26 million Indian children who enter first grade each year, nearly half will reach fifth grade unable to read or write. Pratham is working to solve this learning crisis.” Celebrity guest Anil Kapoor was visibly moved by the tremendous show of support: “It’s a privilege, it’s an honor, it’s an emotional moment for me to be here listening, observing, absorbing emotionally the kind of work Pratham has done for 20 years!” exclaimed the Bollywood superstar. "I’m feeling really very small compared to all of you and all the people who have done so much for such a noble cause and for such a great organization. It proves that Pratham is one of the world’s best organizations.” The event, hosted by mistress of ceremonies Nicole O’Brian Lassiter, featured inspirational speeches including a sincere address by local businessman Ali Dhanani who contributed $1 million last year to Pratham. Program beneficiary Mamta Dawar’s heartfelt message encouraged the audience to support Pratham so girls like her can find their voice and strength. The magical night wrapped up with lively entertainment from the dance group Rhythm India and a fashion show by leading Indian designer Anita Dongre presented by Raaz. A sumptuous plated dinner provided by Daawat catering was appreciated by all the guests. The gala co-chairs were Peggy and Avinash Ahuja, Indrani and Hemant Goradia, and Shital and Bhavesh Patel. Prominent attendees included Consul General Dr Anupam Ray, Illinois Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, Andrea and Bill White, Anne and Albert Chao as well as many other community leaders and philanthropists. Corporate sponsors who have been supporting Pratham’s transformative work for over a decade included Wells Fargo, Ascend Performance Materials, Packwell, Amegy Bank of Texas, Bank of America, Merrill
Lynch, Fidelity Family Office Services, and PKF of Texas, all of which have been supporting Pratham’s transformative work
for a decade. ABOUT PRATHAM Established in the slums of Mumbai in 1995, Pratham is
now one of India's largest non-governmental education organizations, having affected the lives of more than 58 million underprivileged children in the past two decades. To
achieve its mission of "every child in school and learning well," Pratham develops practical solutions to address gaps in the education system and works in collaboration with
India's governments, communities, educators, and industry to increase learning outcomes and influence education policy. For more information, visit prathamusa.org.
VOICE OF ASIA 5
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Joyalukkas A.S. Rao Nagar, Hyderabad was inaugurated by Bollywood star Kajol Devgan
H
YDERABAD, April 2019: The world’s favourite jeweller, Joyalukkas, with further expansion in India inaugurated their brand-new showroom in A.S. Rao Nagar, Hyderabad. The showroom was inaugurated on 17th April 2019 and Joyalukkas Brand Ambassador, iconic Bollywood star, KajolDevgan inaugurated the showroom. Kajol also unveiled the much awaited Akshaya Tritiya Collections during her visit.
and hence we are spreading our presence to make Joyalukkas accessible to every jewellery lover around the world. I cordially invite all the residents in and around A.S. Rao Nagar to visit our new showroom, explore our exclusive traditional Hyderabadi jewellery collection and take advantage of our best in products, services and our ‘Free Sure Gifts’ offer.”
“I am extremely excited to be a part Joyalukkas. I am not only honored to inaugurate the new showroom but also unveiled the auspicious Akshaya Tritiya collections. Other than this, I had the pleasure of meeting thousands of jewellery lovers who come for the grand opening.”
“Hyderabad is special for us. Our customers’ support and patronage has encouraged us to expand our presence here” said Joy Alukkas, Chairman & MD, Joyalukkas Group.
The new showroom offer its customers the same worldclass shopping jewellery experience expected from brand Joyalukkas. For diamond lovers, the new showroom has a dedicated floor for diamond jewellery, covering the latest in trend, style and design. To celebrate the opening, Joyalukkas has a ‘Free Sure Gifts’ offer to reward every customer for their purchase.
Kajol Devgan the Joyalukkas Brand Ambassador said,
Mr. Joy Alukkas, Chairman & MD, Joyalukkas Group said
Washington, United States | AFP | Monday 4/22/2019 12:40 UTC-6 | 394 words
tirement and disability benefits.
Joyalukkas Brand Ambassador, Bollywood star Kajol Devgan seen inaugurating the showroom.
“The brand-new showroom in A.S. Rao Nagar, Hyderabad
US Social Security costs to surpass income next year The cost of Social Security, the US public retirement system, will outstrip its revenues next year for the first time in nearly four decades, its trustees said Monday. This will begin eroding the roughly $3 trillion trust fund for Social Security, putting it on track to be depleted by 2035 -- a year later than a prior forecast, the board of trustees said in an annual report. More than 60 million Americans currently depend on the Depression-era program for re-
But demographic shifts, including an aging US population, are driving up the cost of the bedrock US retirement system, leaving it with increasingly shaky finances. In their annual report, the trustees called on Congress to develop fixes “in a timely way” so that changes can be phased in gradually, allowing workers to adjust. The slight improvement in the timeline for Social Security finances reflects last year’s stronger economic and job growth and gains from “Obamacare,” the healthcare system
put in place by Democratic lawmakers in 2010, Stephen Goss, Social Security’s chief actuary, told reporters. A sharp drop in applications and benefit payouts for disabilities helped improve the outlook for a component disability fund, which is now expected to be solvent until 2052 -- 20 years longer than a prior forecast. Low unemployment, wider health insurance coverage and the spread of jobs less prone to workplace accidents means Continued on Page 10
is a step further to our vision 2020 of having 200 show-
rooms across the world. Our vision is to ornament the world
During the inaugural ‘Free Sure Gifts’ offer period, customers will also be presented with free home appliances on every purchase. Customers can avail the exclusive celebratory offer across all showrooms in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Apart from the above offer, patrons can also enjoy free maintenance and a one-year free insurance on all jewellery purchased at Joyalukkas.
North America driving global oil and gas pipeline 'boom' by Patrick GALEY Paris, France | AFP | 4/24/2019 - The global pace of new oil and gas pipeline construction has tripled in less than two decades, a multi-billiondollar boom in infrastructure that experts warned Thursday could torpedo hopes for limiting global warming. In the first worldwide survey of its kind, the Global Fossil Infrastructure Tracker identified a potential investor bubble ready to burst as renewable energy prices plummet and climate regulations begin to bite. It paints a picture of fossil fuel companies rushing to com-
plete projects in order to lock countries and investors into oil and gas use for decades, even as calls for drastic cuts to greenhouse gas emissions grow louder. "Everyone knows there's a drilling boom in North America -- but they don't look at the infrastructure," said Ted Nace, executive director of Global Energy Monitor, a network of fossil fuel industry trackers. "When you drill a well you have it for a year or two, but building infrastructure is building things that are going to be around for 40 or 50 years," he told AFP.
The analysis -- which used open-source data to map hundreds of new delivery plans around the world -- found that fully a third of more than 180,000 kilometres (110,000 miles) of oil and gas pipelines in development were in North America. By the metric of overall number of projects, 51.5 percent were planned for the continent. The accelerated rate of new pipeline construction echoes the recent US coal-mining crash, which saw investors left on the hook after American coal prices cratered due to a rapid increase Continued on Page 10
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FRIDAY, April 26, 2019
IACF Awards Scholarships to 30 Outstanding HS Students of FBISD and AISD
Venkat Iyer, IACF President welcoming the gathering. Photos credit: Roy Photography. by Shobana Muratee
S
UGAR LAND – The Indo-American Charity Foundation (IACF) held its Annual Scholarship Awards ceremony on April 17 at the Fort Bend ISD Administration Board Room in Sugar Land. This year, IACF awarded scholarships amounting to $35,000 to a total of 30 outstanding, well deserving senior high school students from Fort Bend ISD and Alief ISD. The ceremony was held before an august audience of teachers, administrators, elected officials, community leaders, parents and IACF supporters and guests that filled the board room to its capacity. Indo-American Charity Foundation (IACF) has over the past three decades worked closely with the Indo American community to contribute to the betterment of Houston Metropolitan area. This foundation focuses the needs of the society in the areas of education, family, general needy and healthcare (EFGH). “We live here We give here”, is what it believes in and true to their beliefs the IACF presents scholarships to talented and deserving collegebound students, each year, after a vigorous selection process. The event was chaired by K.P George, FBISD County Judge and co-chaired by Juli Mathew, Judge of County Court at Law Number 3. Also present were FBISD Board of Trustees Mr. Jim Rice and Mr. Dave Rosenthal, The scholarships awarded were based on selection by grade point average, SAT/ACT scores, personal essay, recommendation letters, and need to students that had applied. An intensive process of selection was led by Scholarship Committee Chair Dr. Purvi Parikh and a team of IACF Directors: Rajesh Dikonda, Joseph Ellankil,Venkat Iyer, Shobana Muratee, Hasu Patel, Mahesh Wadhwa, and Nanda Vura who were assisted by volunteers. The team did an exceptional job on the lengthy and meticulous processes of selection and review of the 68 applicants received this year. Recipients indicated their interests that ranged from medicine, biochemistry, animal science, business, political science, public health, nutrition, engineering, liberal arts and so on. Speaking on the occasion Venkat Iyer, President of IACF said, “Education to a society is like roots to a tree, and we at IACF feel extremely honored to be a part of this process”, highlighting the importance of education in the growth of our society. Presenter Rajinder Soni, mentioned that IACF started this program a few years back with a budget of $2000 and efforts were on to broaden the horizons to include other school districts from the Houston community. IACF President Elect, Joseph Ellankil proposed the vote of thanks. The event was captured by Roy Photography. The Emcees for the evening were Nanda Vura, IACF Past President and Nini Ellankil, IACF supporter. Below is the list of the recipients and presenters: 2019 IACF Scholarship Recipients: FBISD: Vasquez, Leslie, Hasan, Isra, Momin, Insha, Letbetter, Ryleigh, Grimaldo, Lucero, Kayembe, Naomi, Huynh, Celine, Zhao, Jack, Mandala, Mariana Miranda, Mansilla, Susana*, Lopez, Abraham, Pham, Ashley, Akparu, Chiamaka, Estrada, Abigail and Memon, Muhammedhassaan.
AISD: Oladunjoye, Jeuloba Marvelous, Mahabir, Raveena, Velasquez, Miguel Angel, Cornejo, Eric, Solis, Natalie*, Hyde, Emanuella, Phi, Baohan, Onabolu, Abinibola, Al Hasan, Mohammad, CarpioPaex, Briana, Dinh, Tien, Ogiamien, Connie, Brito, April Nicole, and Mbaeri, Precious. Presenters included: KP George – Fort Bend County Judge; Juli Mathew - Judge of County Court at Law Number 3; Jim Rice - FBISD Board Trustee; Dave Rosenthal – FBISD Board Trustee; Hasu Patel, Tariq Mohammad - Hanmi Bank President; Sidney Evans- Senior Advisor NRG Energy; Harry Brendgen President Spartan Technologies ; Bal Sareen – CEO Brask Inc; Sajid Khan – CEO Curve Hospitality, Prasun Jalal – IACF Board Member; Sudheer Bodaraju – Group Director Minute Maid, Jawahar Malhotra – Publisher Indo American News, Kamala Raghavan – IACF Past President ; Prem
Nini Ellankil, was the Emcee.
KP George, Fort Bend County Judge presenting a certificate to a student.
Cholia- IACF BOD; Venkat Iyer- IACF President; Nanda Vura – IACF Past President ; Mahesh Desai – CPA and Financial Advisor; Joseph Ellankil- IACF President Elect; Rajesh Dikonda- IACF BOD; Dr. Ramesh Cherivirala - Eagle Strategies, Past President IACF, Dr. Terry Sheneman (Director FBISD, and a few others. Through scholarships, the IACF supports the hardworking, vastly talented students aspiring to become health care professionals, entrepreneurs, and engineers. The IACF hopes to make a difference in the future of these bright students. For more on IACF visit their website www.iacfhouston.com/ (With input from IACF).
Juli Mathew, Judge of County Court at Law Number 3 addressing the gathering .
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Sad Demise
Sonal Bhuchar
Sonal Bhuchar (June 30,1960 - April 20, 2019)
S
onal Bhuchar, 58, passed away peacefully in her home on April 20, 2019 after a valiant battle against lung cancer. She was surrounded by her family.
Sonal was born in Mumbai, India on June 30, 1960, to Ramesh and Manju Parekh. She earned her education and studied to practice physical therapy in Mumbai before moving to Sugar Land in 1984 with her husband, Subodh, a family medicine and pediatric physician. Sonal and her husband then lived in New York and Lubbock before returning to Sugar Land in 1992. Along with establishing her own practice, she managed her husband’s office, raised three children, and served on various charitable boards in the community. In addition, Sonal was elected and served on the Fort Bend ISD Board of Trustees for six years, two as president. She cited holding that office among her biggest accomplishments because it helped raise increase political and civic engagement for the Indo-American community in Fort Bend. Later, Sonal was appointed to the One Star National Service Commission Board by Governor Greg Abbott in 2014. She served in many leadership roles, and up until her death, was actively involved in the Child Advocates of Fort Bend board and the City of Sugar Land Board Parks, Art, Recreation, Culture, and Streetscapes (PARCS). She was a board member for the Literacy Council of Fort Bend, ACCESS Health, Sugar Land Cultural Arts, Sugar Land Heritage, the Indo-American Charity Foundation and the Texas Medical Association Alliance. Sonal leaves behind her husband Subodh; her eldest daughter Sunaina Likhari and son-in-law Gaurav Likhari; her son Sameer Bhuchar; her youngest daughter Supriya Bhuchar; and her grandchildren Isha and Shyam Likhari. The funeral service and viewing have been set for Saturday, April 27, 11 a.m. at the Sugar Land Mortuary, 1818 Eldridge Road, Sugar Land, Texas 77478. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests making a donation to the Fort Bend Education Fund, a cause very dear to Sonal’s heart, which will provide grant funding to the teachers and students of Fort Bend ISD.
FRIDAY, April 26, 2019
Local Agencies Unite in Effort to Locate Missing Persons Attend Missing in Harris County Day, Saturday, April 27 For those with missing loved ones and those who would advocate for them, an annual event April 27th in Houston is the place to be for resources, awareness, and more.
identifying features (e.g., tattoos or birthmarks) or personal items (e.g., favorite earrings or shirt)
April 27, 2019, is Missing in Harris County Day (MIHCD). To celebrate and commemorate this occasion, local, state and national agencies with a mission to find missing persons ask you to attend Missing in Harris County Day on Saturday, April 27th, , from 10 AM to 3 PM at the Children’s Assessment Center, 2500 Bolsover Street, Houston, TX 77005. MIHCD’s mission is to help those with missing loved ones make connections that can help bring the missing home.
• Police reports or other identifying documents that can be scanned and placed on file
Families and friends of missing persons as well as interested members of the community are encouraged to attend the event to learn how to navigate the missing persons system. Agencies at the event to assist families and friends of missing persons include social service agencies and various missing persons networks, such as Texas Center for the Missing.
• X-rays, dental or medical records
• Two biological relatives from the mother’s side of the missing loved one to voluntarily submit DNA samples, if desired More information is available at: http://centerforthemissing.org/missing-in-harriscounty-day/. Attendees are welcome to
wear memorial t-shirts and bring posters, photos, or literature to display to commemorate their missing loved ones on the “Wall of the Missing.” The “Wall of the Missing” is a centralized location at the event for all attendees to view missing persons information. Documents placed on the board will not be returned after the event. About Missing in Harris County Day Partners in the Missing in Harris County Day event include the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, Houston Police Department, Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences,
Texas Center for the Missing, and The Children’s Assessment Center. Other collaborators and in-kind sponsors of the event include: Brooks County Sheriff’s Office, Harris County Community Services Department, the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs), South Texas Human Rights Center, Texas EquuSearch, and The UPS Store at Silverlake. Law enforcement connected to the event will not be checking for citizenship documentation or for arrest warrants. Join the social conversation: #MissingInHC. For questions, contact support@tcftm.org or 713.599.0235.
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The event will feature: • Local law enforcement agencies accepting missing persons reports and updates from families of the missing • Trained DNA collection specialists collecting voluntary family reference DNA cheek swabs to upload into a missing persons database • Bilingual guides assisting all attendees in the completion of a missing persons report or directing attendees to resources • Private roundtable discussion for family members with a missing loved one • Panel discussions addressing missing persons issues and more! Families or friends should plan to bring information to the event for data entry or information update in the national missing persons database, including: • Photos of the missing with
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VOICE OF ASIA 8
Music for Meditation and Healing Concert
H
OUSTON - Datta Yoga Center presents for the first time a unique and mesmerizing Music for Meditation and Healing concert by Dr. Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji whose pioneering work in music therapy is based on the ancient Raga Ragini Vidya (science of Ragas and Raginis) and principles of Nada Chikitsa (Principles of Healing through Sound), this concept ably brings out the therapeutic dimension of Music in addition to its entertaining ability. He is also the author of the compendium “Raga Ragini Nada Yoga” which is an interdisciplinary work on musicology, Yoga, bio-psychic mechanisms and the healing abilities of nature. He has been conducting immense research in the fields of spiritual music therapy and the spiritual use of Nada for the welfare of humanity. He is accompanied by his celestial music troupe. The human body has 72,000 astral nerves (nadis) and 14 major nerves, that incessantly vibrate in a specific rhythmic pattern. Disturbance in this rhythmic pattern is the root cause of disease. Sri Swamiji’s music soothes the nerves and helps them to vibrate at the proper rate and rhythm. His music cleanses the person
FRIDAY, April 26, 2019
VT Seva Earth day science fair 2019 :by Ranganath Kandala
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n Sunday April 21st the Houston Chapter of VT SEVA celebrated its second annual Earth Day Science Fair. Spearheaded by VT Seva CoBranch Director Ms. Swetha Sirivolu, over 85 registrants enrolled to participate in this multifaceted program designed in a competitive format. The fair was open to students from pre-school to 10th grade. There was a costume contest for pre-school to 2nd grade students, tri-fold poster competition for 3rd through 8th grade, a power point demonstration for 9th and 10th grade high school students, and an impromptu speech contest on Earth Dayrelated topics. An esteemed panel of judges presided over the contest. Dr. Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji from within and helps mind achieve new potential giving new dimensions to meaning of life. Music when tuned to our nervous system produces miracles. His meditation & healing concerts have taken place in famous venues (Royal Albert Hall, Lincoln Center, Sydney Opera House and many more) around the world. Sri Swamiji hold 9 Guinness World Records centered around peace and is very active in various
charitable causes. Datta Yoga Center invites everyone to attend and experience this unique concert happening on 29 JUNE 2019 7:00 PM at JONES HALL FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS. FREE concert, register your spot NOW at www. HoustonHealingConcert.org
VT Seva focuses on promoting youth leadership and involvement in community service and philanthropic activities. The VT Seva youth volunteer team assisted in program arrangements and some took to the stage as emcees for the Earth Day program. The Earth Day program began with a poignant skit presented by Prajna students. This was followed by the costume contest, a delight to the audience with a colorful display on a myriad of topics related to the Earth
Day. An outstanding feature of the contest was that most costumes were made from recycled material. One of the most creative costumes was that of “Plastic Yamraj”, who, to the amazement of the audience, said “If you use plastic, I will take you to my world!”. During the impromptu speech contest, students boldly stood up to express their views on various Earth Day-related topics given by the judges. This was followed by an awards ceremony with awards for each category presented by the event’s special guests, who then gave a message to the audience and complimented the youth for their commitment to such an important cause. The Event Sponsors and Partners were recognized for their support of this program. Under the able guidance of event lead Mrs. Swetha Sirivolu and her
team comprised of Mr. Krishna Chokkarapu, Mrs. Swathi Suryawanshi, Mrs. Swetha Khade, Mr. Praveen Sirivolu, Mrs. Prasanna Vaishnava, Dr. Renu Tamirisa and Dr. Aparna Tamirisa, it took the work of numerous volunteers to make this event possible. The commitment of these volunteers was truly the key to the success of this event. VT SEVA, spearheaded by His Holiness Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji, has as one of its focus areas Environmental Awareness and Protection of Mother Earth. As part of this, the VT SEVA Houston Earth Day event is an annual program and now looks forward to a great event in 2020! Picture credit: Ishika Ratnala (name is also on the pics as Gayatri Ratnala)
Datta Yoga Center Houston cordially invites you to Yoga Siddhi Raga Sagara, a Music for Meditation & Healing Concert by
His Holiness Dr. Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji Founder and Pontiff of Avadhoota Datta Peetham, Mysuru, India
Yoga Siddhi Raga Sagara
on Saturday, June 29, 2019 at 7:00 PM
Jones Hall For The Performing Arts 615 Louisiana St, Houston, TX 77002 Free Admission! Register to reserve your spot! Email: info@HoustonHealingConcert.org Phone: 1-833-GIM-HEAL, www.dychouston.org
SOUTH ASIA
VOICE OF ASIA 9
Zahran Hashim: radical Islamist linked to Sri Lanka blasts by Abhaya SRIVASTAVA
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OLOMBO, Sri Lanka | AFP | 4/24/2019 - For years, Sri Lanka's Muslim community warned authorities about a firebrand cleric. Now it seems Zahran Hashim may have played a key role in one of the worst attacks in the country's history. A video released by the Islamic State group after it claimed responsibility
for bombs that killed 359 people, appears to prominently feature Hashim. The round-faced cleric is the only one of the eight figures whose face is uncovered. Dressed in a black tunic and headscarf, and carrying a rifle, Hashim is seen in the IS video leading seven people in a pledge of allegiance to the group's chief Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi.
India announces a Gandhithemed exhibition at the Venice Biennale
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In a statement, joint secretary of India's Ministry of Culture, Nirupama Kotru, said that the exhibition intends to "offer conceptual investigations into his philosophical ideas and their place in today's complex world, in which violence and intolerance are still prevalent." "The installations and art works at the India Pavilion in the Venice Bi-
Hashim was identified, albeit with his name misspelled as Hashmi, by police as heading NTJ. The IS video was the first concrete evidence of the apparently central role played by Hashim in the Easter attacks. - 'A loner' Hashim was a virtual unknown before the onslaught -- even inside Sri Lanka.
In one, the cleric with an unkempt black beard, delivers an extremist diatribe against non-Muslims, with a crudely photoshopped backdrop of flags in flames.
Entitled "Our Time for Future Caring," the Indian pavilion's presentation will feature the work of Nandalal Bose, Atul Dodiya, GR Iranna, Rummana Hussain, Jitish Kallat, Shakuntala Kulkarni, and Ashim Purkayastha. It will also display the artworks of two late contemporary artists, Nandalal Bose (1882-1966) and Rummana Hussain (1952-1999).
Hilmy Ahamed, vice-president of the Muslim Council of Sri Lanka, said he had gone to local authorities with concerns about Hashim three years ago. "This person was a loner and he had radicalised young people in the guise of conducting Koran classes," he told AFP. "But nobody thought these people were capable of carrying out an attack of such magnitude." Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi Š AFP Photo. ennale are an expression of the universal Gandhian values of truth, nonviolence, compassion towards fellow beings and nature, self-reliance, simplicity, and sustainability," he added. "Our Time for Future Caring" will be on view at the Indian pavilion during the 58th edition of the Venice Biennale, opening on May 11 and running through November 24. - Relaxnews
Silent streets after dozens of children killed in Sri Lanka attacks
Sri Lanka's government has accused Hashim indirectly, saying the Islamist group he was believed to lead -- the National Thowheeth Jama'ath -- carried out the attacks.
He had attracted several thousand followers on social media sites, including YouTube and Facebook, where he posted incendiary sermons.
fter an eight-year hiatus, India returns to the Venice Biennale with an exhibition celebrating the 150th birth anniversary of independence leader Mahatma Gandhi.
Co-organized by the India Ministry of Culture and the non-governmental organization the Confederation of Indian Industry, the exhibition was curated by the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art in New Delhi. It will feature video, mixed-media installations, painting, sculpture, and photography that celebrate Gandhi's life and legacy.
The other seven all wear the same black tunics but their faces are obscured by black-and-white chequered scarves.
FRIDAY, April 26, 2019
Ahamed said Hashim, who has also gone by the names Mohamed Zahran and Moulavi Hashim, was around 40 years old and from the east coast region of Batticaloa. The only one of the attacks on Sunday to hit outside of the Colombo area was at the Zion Church in Batticaloa. - Dead or alive? "Zahran belonged to an average Muslim middle-class family. He was a drop-out," said Ahamed, adding that the cleric had studied at an Islamic college in Kattankudy, a Mus-
Ranjeewa Silva's 12-year-old son died in the Easter Sunday attacks (AFP Photo/ LAKRUWAN WANNIARACHCHI) Continued from Page 1 a grieving widow. She lost her husband Dulip, her 13-year-old son Vimukthi and her 21-year-old daughter Sajeni. "We were such a close family but now there is only me left," she said, sobbing and beating her chest in anguish. Her sister-in-law lived next door with her three children aged between seven and 13. They were all killed as well. lim-majority city in eastern Sri Lanka. He was considered a menace by the local Muslim community and caused trouble at Kattankudy's Thowheeth mosque. "The mosque saw continuous conflict with the traditional mosque goers. Once Zahran took a sword out to kill people belonging to the traditional Muslim mosque," Ahamed said. Local media said Hashim formed the NTJ in Kattankudy in 2014. There was still confusion Wednesday about whether that group, or a splinter organisation, carried out the Easter attack. "There has been a group that has split from the main body," of the NTJ, Deputy Defence Minister Ruwan Wijewardene said.
- Shellshocked The United Nations' children's agency UNICEF says at least 45 children were killed in the Sunday blasts, 27 of them in Negombo. Among them was 13-year-old Shine Fernando, who was laid to rest on Wednesday afternoon. Before her burial, she lay in an open casket, wearing a pink dress, with rosary beads tucked into her hands clasped together over her chest. Her father Tushara was unable to speak. Residents went house-to-house offering condolences and trying to support parents dealing with the unimaginable pain of outliving their children. Enosh's distraught father Ranjeewa Silva, his left ear and arm bearing bandages from the blast, sobbed as he showed off his son's drawings of animals, cars, landscapes and sunsets. He recalled a happy-go-lucky child who was loved by everyone. "He was very intelligent and creative. He loved football and knew all the players from around the world. His favourite was Lionel Messi." His mother sat looking shellshocked. Family members said she hadn't eaten or spoken since her son's death. Later she lay slumped against a wall in the living room as mourners chanted prayers.
US/WORLD
VOICE OF ASIA 10
US denies possessing advance US Social Security .... intel on Sri Lanka attacks
Masters champion Woods to return to Japan for PGA Tour event
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OLOMBO| AFP | 4/24/2019 - The US ambassador to Sri Lanka has denied the United States had prior knowledge of the Easter militant attacks that it passed to the Colombo government, CNN television reported Wednesday. "We had no prior knowledge of these attacks," US ambassador Alaina Teplitz told the US channel in an interview on the suicide attacks on Sunday that killed 359 people, including at least four Americans. A Sri Lankan minister had said earlier this week that India and the United States had provided information before the bombings on three churches
Tiger Woods is heading back to Japan for the first time in more than a decade (AFP Photo/ANDY LYONS)
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OKYO, Japan | AFP | 4/24/2019 - seven operations had led to an 11-year major drought. But his fairytale fifth green jacket has put Woods firmly back in pursuit of the all-time record of 18 major wins by Jack Nicklaus. The ZOZO Championship will be held from October 24-27 at the Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club near Tokyo as the second of three big prize money Asian events on the early part of the 2019-2020 US PGA Tour calendar. It will offer a purse of $9.75 million -- a record for Japan -- and replaces Malaysia's CIMB Classic.
The other two events on the Tour's Asian swing are the CJ Cup in South Korea, which was launched in 2017, and the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai, China. Woods has tasted success in Japan before, winning back-to-back trophies at the Dunlop Phoenix in 2004 and 2005. He missing out on a hat-trick of Japan titles in a 2006 playoff loss to Ireland's Padraig Harrington. Golf is one of Japan's most popular sports and the PGA are hoping to boost their presence ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which will feature the sport at the Kasumigaseki course, where US President Donald Trump played on a trip to the country.
'Dallas' TV star Ken Kercheval dies
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OS ANGELES | AFP 4/24/2019 - Actor Ken Kercheval, who played the role of Texas oilman Cliff Barnes opposite Larry Hagman's devious J.R. Ewing on the hit TV series "Dallas," has died at age 83. A spokeswoman at Frist Funeral Home in Kercheval's hometown of Clinton, Indiana, confirmed the death to AFP and said his burial will be private. She did not provide further details.
Actor Ken Kercheval at the Television Academy 70th Anniversary Celebration
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died on Sunday at his home after a long illness.
and three hotels which authorities have blamed on a local Islamist group. "Well I can’t speak for others. I don’t know what other sources of information the government of Sri Lanka might have had. I can just tell you that we had no prior knowledge," the ambassador told CNN. "The Sri Lankan government has admitted lapses in their intelligence gathering and information sharing," Teplitz added. Sri Lankan authorities have started an investigation into how warnings about possible attacks were not passed to top ministers.
Arab League pledges $100 million to Palestinians, rejects Trump's 'deal'
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Continued from Page 5 fewer people are applying for disability coverage, officials said. But matters have not improved for the trust fund supporting Medicare and Medicaid which provide health insurance for the oldest and poorest Americans respectively. It will be exhausted in seven years at the current rate, according to the report, matching last year’s forecast. Health insurance costs as a share of GDP should rise from 3.7 percent last year to 5.9 percent in 2038. Cutting costs by 19 percent or raising employer and worker contributions to 3.8 percent from 2.9 percent would help save Medicare from insolvency, according to Paul Spitalnic, chief actuary for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Social Security and Medicare (which covers Americans 65 and older) are the two largest expenses in the federal budget, representing about 45 percent of all outlays not including debt service.
AIRO, Egypt | AFP | 4/22/2019 - The Arab League has pledged to pay $100 million a month to the Palestinian Authority to plug the gap left when Israel blocked tax transfers earlier in the year.
The peace plan is being developed by Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, whose close ties to right-wing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have heightened Palestinian suspicions.
"We confirm that Arab countries will support the Palestinian state's budget... (to) resist the political and financial pressure it faces," the League said Sunday following a meeting in Cairo.
North America driving global ...
Israel collects taxes on behalf of the PA, but withheld $138 million in transfers in February over Palestinian payments to political prisoners jailed for attacks against Israelis. The Arab League's move comes as the Trump administration prepares to unveil a much-touted "Deal of the Century" for peace between the Palestinians and Israel in the coming months.
Local news reports said Kercheval
FRIDAY, April 26, 2019
The Palestinian leadership, which has boycotted Washington over a series of moves including recognising the bitterly disputed city of Jerusalem as capital of Israel, says it can no longer trust the United States as a broker. The Arab League said the deal "will not succeed in achieving long-lasting and comprehensive peace in the Middle East".
About 176 million American workers contribute toward the system’s expenses while 52.7 million Americans receive retirement benefits and 59.9 million are covered by Medicare.
Continued from Page 5
survey found.
in the domestic production of coal in China, once a major client.
Investment in current and future infrastructure in the United States and Canada totalled close to $1 trillion.
Nace said that the changing costs of energy production should make investors think twice before putting their money in fossil fuel infrastructure. "The idea is you will pick up natural gas and oil in America, ship it across the sea and they will (in Asia) be using that in their power plants instead of their own coal and instead of their renewables," he said. "That's where it gets a little questionable. Those economics are changing really quickly." - 'Not locked in' Pipeline construction has tripled since 1996, with natural gas outnumbering oil projects four-to-one, the
In October, the United Nation's expert panel on climate change said drastic cuts in fossil fuels -- including an 87-percent fall in oil by 2050 in at least two scenarios -- are needed to hit the Paris climate deal goals. That accord enjoins nations to limit global temperature rises to well-under two degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) -- a target in serious jeopardy as emissions continue to rise amid soaring energy demand. Thursday's report spoke of a "perfect storm" for oil and gas investors as legislation, shifting public opinion, energy prices, and pressure on public subsidies all play on the mind of investors.
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Nabila Mansoor is a mom, lawyer & grassroots organizer who has a history of building communities, through advocacy and volunteerism.
ELECTION DAY LOCATIONS: May 4th: 7 AM to 7 PM Museum of Natural Science - 13016 University Blvd. Maryam Islamic Center - 504 Sartartia Rd. River Park Recreation Ctr. - 5875 Summit Creek Dr. Sartartia Middle School - 8125 Homeward Way
EARLY VOTING LOCATIONS: April 22nd-30th Apr 22-26: 10AM-7PM Apr 27: 8AM-5PM Apr 28: CLOSED Apr 29-30: 7AM-7PM Sartartia Middle School - 8125 Homeward Way Sugar Land Fire Station No7 - 1301 Chatham Ave. Sugar Land City Hall - 2700 Town Center Blvd.
She is your voice for a better Sugar Land. Building a better future with integrity, leadership, and transparency.
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Pol. Adv. Paid for by Nabila Mansoor for Sugar Land Campaign, AJ Durrani, Treasurer. In-kind donation
VOICE OF ASIA 11
Fort Bend View
FRIDAY, April 26, 2019
Sugar Land, Katy, Stafford, Missouri City, Richmond, Rosenberg and Meadows Place
Email: voiceasia@aol.com
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Judge KP George Appoints Qualified, Democratic Tax Assessor-Collector
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ORT BEND COUNTY, TXIn addition to recent changes made to the leadership at the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) and the restructuring of the Fire Marshall’s Office under the newly created Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management, all of which are fueled by the Judge’s vision for a more effective, efficient and engaging County government, County Judge KP George and the Commissioners Court have appointed longtime Fort Bend County Tax Office employee Carrie Surratt as new Tax Assessor-Collector (D) until the next General Election. Mrs. Surratt replaces Patsy Schultz, longtime Tax Assessor-Collector who will be retiring at the end of April. “By appointing Mrs. Surratt to her respective role, the Tax Assessor-Collector’s Office will be one of the best run county offices of their kind. Carrie is a true expert and professional that brings a wealth of knowledge to Fort Bend County Tax Office. Our residents will benefit from her decades of experience in the tax and accounting fields. Coupled with her leadership abilities, the Fort Bend County Tax Assessor Collector’s Office will provide the best service possible to the diverse residents of our community,” stated Fort Bend County Judge KP George. The Tax Assessor-Collector’s Office provides friendly, efficient and professional tax collection services for taxpayers of Fort Bend County as
Sam Popuri, a candidate for FBISD Trustee Position #3
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Citizen oversight of local government is the cornerstone of democracy in the United States. School board members are locally elected officials entrusted with governing a community’s public schools and its budget. FBISD’s Board of Trustees, comprised of seven local citizens, provides an important public service to the Fort Bend community and serves without compensation. The Board members work together as a governance team with the district’ superintendent to represent the values, beliefs and priorities of all residents of the district, and are voted in by all residents of the district. The Board provides policies and oversight, as well as full control of budget spending and rezoning decisions. Trustees are elected to serve for three-year terms on a rotating basis.
Carrie Surratt and County Judge KP George
well as tax research and information referral. As an agent for the state, the Tax Assessor-Collector also collects automobile/truck and trailer taxes, vehicle registration fees and beer/wine
Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital
By taking care of their own needs, caregivers can better care for those
Fort Bend ISD Board of Trustee Elections
ort Bend Independent School District, the seventh largest independent school district in Texas will be voting for open Trustee Positions 3, 5 & 7 on May 4th, 2019. Early voting is April 22nd to 30th.
& liquor fees. Additional information regarding the Fort Bend Tax AssessorCollectors can be found at: https:// www.fortbendcountytx.gov/government/departments/financial-administration/tax-assessor-collector.
staying motivated and dealing with feelings of anger, guilt and depression, building confidence and ability to cope with the demands of caregiving.
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Tel: 713-774-5140
Elections on May 4th, 2019. Early voting is April 22nd to 30th.
Powerful Tools for Caregivers® — Six Week Course
UGAR LAND—(April 24, 2019) — Caregivers, people who take on the selfless role of caring for a loved one, have the great responsibility of making sure their loved one’s basic needs are met, which requires work and dedication. Sometimes, however, it is the caregiver who needs help.
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who depend on them. Powerful Tools for Caregivers® is an educational program offered at Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital to help family and friends caring for adults with long-term health conditions. The free course consists of six weekly classes, each focusing on different tools that help guide them through the caregiving journey. Caregivers will learn about setting goals,
CALL @866 -723-9393 WWW.TRAVELGUZS.COM
The sixweek course begins Tuesday, July 9 and runs through Tu e s d a y, Aug. 13. Classes are held each Tuesday from 3–4:30 p.m. in the Brazos Pavilion Chapel, first floor, at Houston Methodist Sugar Land. Registration is required. For more information or to register, contact the Spiritual Care & Values Integration Department at snbowman@houstonmethodist.org or 281.274.7164. Seating is limited.
Unlike past FBISD elections were incumbents were running unopposed, this year the ballot is unusually crowded with sixteen candidates in the race. Let’s look at some of the candidates:
Sam Popuri, a candidate for Position #3 To minimize much of recent residents’ outrage, Sam believes the focus needs to be on Stability, Transparency and Equity. A stable FBISD fosters safe, predictable and inspiring environment for students and teachers, eliminates violence, reduces dropouts, and shape productive citizens of tomorrow. Data transparency is essential for FBISD’s administration to make educated and accurate decisions. Equity is
Sam Popuri providing students with optimal conditions and facilities for nurturing intellectual curiosity, while being sensitive of their background and learning needs. Over the last decade, Sam has been passionately volunteering to coach kids in STEAM challenges, Destination Imagination (DI), sports, physical fitness routines, and multi-culture events. He holds both B.S. & M.S. in Computer Science. Sam is a trained Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and is an expert in process improvement and revenue leak optimization in large organizations, which he aspires to bring his skillset to FBISD processes and fund management aiming to reduce waste and improve efficiency and effectiveness.Students are his most important customers if elected as a FBISD Board of Trustee. Sam is a proud resident of Fort Bend County for the past nine years. He is passionate about raising his kids in this county and admires the cultural diversity and caring residents of Fort Bend county, who give education and safety of their kids the topmost priority.
VOICE OF ASIA 12
FRIDAY, April 26, 2019
BOLLYWOOD - HOLLYWOOD Section 2
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Polanski sues US motion picture academy for reinstatement
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OS ANGELES | AFP | 4/20/2019 - Oscar-winning film director Roman Polanski is suing the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, demanding his reinstatement nearly a year after the organization expelled him amid the #MeToo movement. Polanski, who in 1977 pleaded guilty in California to statutory rape, argued in a court filing in Los Angeles that the academy wrongly denied him a hearing when it voted in May to oust him amid the nationwide furor sparked by sexual-abuse revelations against famed producer Harvey Weinstein. The complaint, filed to the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles on Thursday, says the academy’s board of governors convened on January 26 to re-examine its decision, and confirmed it. Polanski had been a member since 1968. “The procedures taken to expel Mr Polanski were fair and reasonable,” an academy spokesperson said in a statement cited by Variety. “The Academy stands behind its decision as appropriate.” It did not elaborate. The academy in 2003 had awarded
Director Roman Polanski is suing the US Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to reverse his expulsion, saying he was never given a hearing AFP/File Polanski an Oscar for directing “The Piano.” His many other films include “Rosemary’s Baby” and “Chinatown,” which was nominated for 11 Oscars. Polanski pleaded guilty in 1977 to having had unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl, later identified as
Lil Dicky drops the music video of his environmental anthem, “Earth”
Samantha Geimer. After serving 42 days in a California prison while undergoing psychiatric evaluation, he fled to France, saying he feared the judge in the case might renege on a plea deal and send him back to jail. Because he fled the US, charges are still pending against him there. He is a dual French-Polish citizen and has spent much of his life in France. - ‘Cruel action’ Asked for comment, Polanski attorney Harland Braun sent a link Saturday to an article saying that Geimer, who is now 54, supports Polanski’s desire for reinstatement. The Academy’s expulsion of Polanski was “an ugly and cruel action,” she told Vanity Fair last year. But attorney Braun said Polanski just wanted “a fair hearing.” “You have an offense that’s 40 years old, in which he has admitted his guilt, he has apologized to the victim, he has done more time than the law requires and the victim has come forward and begged the courts to put an end to it,” Braun told the Los Angeles Times. “What else do they want from an 85-year-old man?”
Rapper Lil Dicky’s new song “Earth” is a call to action of sorts, urging humans to care for the planet better. (YouTube) The American comedian-rapper released the song and the accompanying animated video on Friday -- just three days before Earth Day. Produced by Benny Blanco and Cashmere, “Earth” is a desperate call to save the environment, advocating for climate-change action. This call to action features the vocals of more than 30 A-list artists, including Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Leonardo DiCaprio, Sia, Wiz Khalifa and Ed Sheeran. Lil Dicky also unveiled the single’s accompanying animated video. Directed by Nigel Tierney and Federico Heller, the visual sees the guest artists voicing various animals around the world -- with Halsey impersonating a lion cub and Charlie Puth playing a gi-
raffe. The rapper also hints at Kanye West, whose avatar is voiced by comedian Kevin Hart.
(L-R) B’wood actors Tara Sutaria, Tiger Shroff and Ananya Panday during the trailer launch of their upcoming Bollywood film ‘Student Of The Year 2’, in Mumbai, on April 12, 2019. AFP Photo.
Student of the Year 2 song launch: Ananya and Tara Sutaria impressive
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tudent of the Year 2 song launch: Actors Tiger Shroff, Ananya Panday and Tara Sutaria not only enthralled with their performances at the launch of the song, they also wowed with their fashion choices. The stars of Karan Johar’s Student of the Year 2 – Tiger Shroff, Ananya Panday and Tara Sutaria – recently attended the launch of their new song The Jawaani in Mumbai. While the stars enthralled with their performances, they also forced the fashion
police to sit up and take notice. Both Panday and Sutaria looked stunning at the launch. Styled by celebrity stylist Ami Patel, Panday made quite a statement in a sequin mini dress from the label Needle & Thread. Letting the outfit to do all the talking, her look was completed with hair styled in soft waves, glitter eye make-up and blush pink lipstick. The outfit might seem like a bit much for a morning event, but the starlet did a good job in pulling it off. Source: HT
Horror film ‘Curse’ leads the pack on a very slow weekend
In an interview with TIME magazine, Lil Dicky -- born David Burd -- explained the genesis of “Earth”: “The idea didn’t start out as this grand thing. It really kind of started out as, ‘I love animals. I’d love to make a song where different artists play the role of different animals’.” “As I started playing with it, I had this very vague understanding that there was an environmental issue on earth. I didn’t know the details, and as I did my research, I was just blown away by the facts at hand .... What started as a silly joke of an idea along the way became the most important thing I’ll ever do”, he added.
Indian poll watchdog stops web series on Modi
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EW DELHI, India | AFP | Saturday 4/20/2019 - India’s poll watchdog Saturday ordered producers to stop streaming a web series on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, weeks after it banned a Bollywood film and clamped down on a TV channel devoted to the right-wing premier. The Election Commission of India -an autonomous body tasked with overseeing the world’s biggest democratic exercise -- said the online web series was in violation of its rules. Under Indian election regulations, the publication of any content which is deemed as campaign material or propaganda is not allowed during the voting period. Any political advertising must also
be approved by the election authorities so that all spending is accounted for. India’s mammoth six-week vote began on April 11 and will run until May 19, with results due on May 23. When it ordered a halt to the streaming of the online series, the commission said any biopic material which has the “potential to disturb the level playing field” should not be displayed until after the polls have closed. The series, titled “Modi: Journey of a Common Man” is produced by Eros Now and traces Modi’s journey from childhood to becoming the prime minister of the world’s largest democracy. Earlier this month, the commission banned the release of a flattering movie about Modi until after voting finishes.
For Warner Bros., the release this weekend of ‘The Curse of La Llorona’ brought good news and bad: the horror film topped all comers in North American theaters, but it did so on the worst weekend overall in years. (twitter.com/lalloronamovie/File)
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or Warner Bros., the release this weekend of “The Curse of La Llorona” brought good news and bad: the horror film topped all comers in North American theaters, but it did so on the worst weekend overall in years. “Curse,” part of the fright-based Conjuring Universe film franchise, took in an estimated $26.5 million for the three-day weekend, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations said Sunday. But the overall box-office total of $112 million was the lowest for an Easter weekend since 2005, the Com-
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score site said, with no new blockbusters coming out.
witty superhero (Zachary Levi) when the secret word is pronounced.
“Curse” stars Linda Cardellini, Raymond Cruz and Patricia Velasquez in the story of a mother in 1970s Los Angeles trying to protect her children from a ghost -- a story loosely based on the “Weeping Woman” tale from Mexican folkore.
Disney’s new “Breakthrough” took in $11.1 million, considered a solid start for a faith-based movie. It tells the story of a mother (Chrissy Metz) who refuses to abandon hope after her adopted son (Marcel Ruiz) falls into an icy lake and goes into a coma. NBA star Stephen Curry produced the film, his first such effort.
In second place this weekend was Warner Bros.’ lighthearted superhero tale “Shazam!”, which took in $17.3 million after topping the box office for two straight weeks. It stars Asher Angel as Billy Baston, an unhappy foster kid who becomes a muscular and
Disney’s “Captain Marvel” placed fourth at $9.1 million, up a surprising two spots despite being in its seventh week in release. The blockbuster, now well past the $1 billion mark worldwide, stars Brie Larson as a former fighter pilot who gains superpowers and is plunged into a galactic conflict. And in fifth was Universal’s “Little,” at $8.5 million. The idea for the comedy -- which has a grown-up (Regina Hall) trapped in a 13-year-old version of her own body (Marsai Martin of “black-ish” fame) -- came from young Martin herself, who was inspired at age 10 when she saw the Tom Hanks hit “Big,” in which a child is trapped in his adult body.
LEGAL
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Section 2
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FRIDAY, April 26, 2019
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by Sharlene Sharmila Richards, Immigration Lawyer Email at srichardslaw@aol.com
DIVISION OF RETIRMENT ACCOUNTS DURING DIVORCES
There are many considerations when dividing retirement accounts in a divorce including taxes penalties, liquidity, and enforceability. According to the Texas Law, Texas is a no-fault, community property state when it comes to divorces and division of marital property. Thus, all community property, or all personal and real property that a couple acquires during their marriage, is considered equally owned and subject to a ‘fair and just’ division for divorces. Retirement accounts, including but not limited to, pension plans, 401K’s, IRA’s are considered community property subject to division. In order to divide a pension plan or 401(k) retirement plan, it is necessary that the spouse’s attorney obtain a Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO). The QDRO tells the plan administrator how the benefits will be paid to the other spouse. Without this legal order, the plan administrator will not be able to distribute the plan benefits to the non-employee spouse through a
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divorce decree solely. Thus, if a divorce decree orders a spouse receive a total sum from the retirement account without a QDRO, it most likely will not be enforced by a plan administrator, leaving the spouse without their share of the plan. Consequently, it is necessary to submit the QDRO to the plan administrator prior to finalizing the divorce in order to make any necessary changes if the plan is not accepted immediately.
division is finalized in a divorce decree, it may not be revised.
Further, each retirement plan is unique where some are tax-deferred and others are funded post-tax. The value of the plan is reduced if it is tax-deferred. As such, both parties should be aware of the real value of the account given these factors. Further, spouses should determine the liquidity of each retirement account and not assume it is readily available. Depending on the plan, there may be taxes if a plan needs to be divided and distributed before the disbursement date. As such, when determining division of assets, spouses should be aware and consider the lower value of retirement plans in order to have a fair and just division and not give up more than their fair share of the retirement benefit. Thus, spouses should determine their need for liquidity in order to handle post-divorce finances. Further, once the
Mala Sharma has been practicing family law and personal injury with her family at the Law Offices of Sharma & Associates, founded in 1997. Mala is President Emeritus of the Houston Northwest Bar Association, Board member of the Houston Trial Lawyers Association and South Asian Bar Association. She is also a member of the Houston Bar Association.
Because of the high complexity of marital property division including retirement plans in divorces, it is necessary each party engage an experienced attorney to avoid mistakes and protect all interests for a fair and reasonable division. About Mala Sharma
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 281-893-8644 or by email at mala@sharmalaws.net to schedule a free consultation to discuss your case.
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ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS ABOUT E-2 TREATY INVESTOR NONIMMIGRANT VISA
Sharlene Sharmila Richards
Q: I am currently visiting the United States as a B-1/ B2 Visitor. I am a citizen of Japan. I am looking to invest in a Japanese restaurant business here in the United States. I wish to own the business 100 percent. I do not have $500,000.00 or more to invest. My idea is to invest about $150,000.00 to $200,000.00. What kind of visa can I apply for? Please advise the general requirements for the visa.
is employed to determine if an investment is ‘substantial’. It is the amount of investment normally considered sufficient to ensure the likelihood of the business succeeding. The amount of investment will also depend on the type of business. Some businesses will require a higher investment amount that other businesses. The source of your investment can come from savings generated from previous employment, sales of assets, secured loans and even gifts. Non-marginality means that the business must not only generate present and future living for the investor and his or her family but also be capable of providing job opportunities for others. The intent to depart requirement will require that the investor make a statement about his intentions to depart the US.
A: It is possible that you can apply for an E-2 Treaty Investor Visa. If you are a citizen of a country with which the United States maintains a treaty of commerce and navigation, you may be eligible to apply for a Treaty Trader (E-1) or Treaty Investor (E-2) Visa. This is a nonimmigrant visa which is valid for two years and renewable every two years for an indefinite period of time provided that you continue to operate and direct the operations of the business in which you have invested and comply with the requirements for extension of the E-2 Treaty Investor Visa. In order to apply for this visa, the following must be shown: The business must be wholly owned or at least 50% owned by the national of the Treaty country; the investor must hold the nationality of the treaty of friendship, commerce, navigation or Bilateral Investment Treaty between the US and the investor’s country; the investment in the business must be ‘substantial’; the investment funds must come from legal sources and not through criminal activity; the funds must be ‘at risk’; the business cannot be marginal; the investor is there to solely develop and direct the operations of the business in which he has invested and the investor must have the intent to depart the US. In your case, Japan is an E-2 Treaty country and owning the business 100 percent as a Japanese national will be acceptable. In terms of the investment amount, it has to be ‘substantial”. There is no set amount for what constitutes a ‘substantial’ investment. As a guideline, the relative/proportionality test
Q: For E-2 Visa, how do I show that my investment is from savings through employment? A: It depends on the country from which you come from. Some countries have tax returns which will show the income earned is from employment. For other countries, where tax returns are non-existent, you may have to obtain a letter of verification from your previous employer as to what your earnings were per month and for how long you worked at that job. You may also have to provide bank statements which show that your claimed salary from the employment was credited to the account on a monthly basis. Q: How to show that the investment will be non-marginal? A: You will provide a 5 year business plan which will show revenue, expenditure projections as well as employment projections. Q: My father wants to gift to me some money for investing in an E-2 business. Can I use this money for investing? What do I need to provide to prove that the money is now legally mine? A: The E-2 Treaty Investor in such a case will be required to obtain a letter from
the giftor explaining the nature of the gift and that the giftor is not expecting anything back in return and will not have any interest in the E-2 business. The giftor will also have to prove how he or she came across the gifted funds and provide documentation to show the flow of the funds from him to you, the E-2 Treaty investor. Q: What kind of documents will I need to file for E-2 treaty Investor Visa in the US? What is the Filing Fee? A: The new commercial enterprise will petition for the E-2 investor using Form I-129 Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker. The petition will include all necessary paperwork about the nationality of the E-2 Treaty Investor, documentation about the ownership of the business and its incorporation, documents evidencing the source of funds, documentation showing the investment had taken place and that the investment is at risk, a 5 year business plan with profit and employment projections and documents showing that the enterprise is bona fide and operating. The Filing Fee is $460.00 and if Premium Processing is requested, add an additional $1,410.00. 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.
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Young Life
VOICE OF ASIA 14
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FRIDAY, April 26, 2019
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ASGH Annual AYM (Arya Yuva andal) Car Wash Seva by Sid Arora AYM Vice President of Communications ASGH, AYM.
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n the chilly morning of Sunday, April 14th, Arya Youth Mandal (AYM) students and parent volunteers rose up bright and early in order to set about on a bold task: washing cars. The AYM car wash seva is an event that attracts almost all of the members every year with the avid participation and excitement of working alongside friends. Although it had been a large success last year, this did not define the standards for this year, as all the students agreed that they should raise more donations than they had ever before. With all the volunteers pitching in with different supplies and equipment, stations were soon established in order to keep the car line efficientvacuuming, soaping, washing, and drying. As one car left, another one drove in, yet laughter still stayed on the air
Carwash in progress
Arya Youth Mandal students and parent volunteers participating in the carwash fundraiser on Sunday, April 14, 2019
as everyone worked diligently to get the job done. The originally brisk morning had turned quickly into a bright and sunny day, and through this, the volunteers were able to bond through this meaningful yet fun task. Sure enough, with the amount of preparation and planning put in this year, a record amount of $1170 was raised by the AYM through
the several car washes and gracious donations. Every student who took part learned the importance of working with their peers, and this definitely showed through the amazing work that was put in. It is with no uncertainty that the AYM will be back next year to raise even more money for another great cause, and most importantly, wash more cars!
YLDP had another successful year with the graduating class of 2018-2019
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ndia’s Counsul General Dr. Anupam Ray was the speaker and he was phenomenal in connecting with the students with historical events and leadership skills.
Mission and Vision of YLDP- Youth Leadership Development Program of Houston is a non-profit organization that helps school juniors and seniors from the Greater Houston Area, of Indo-American (India) origin to develop leadership skills and attributes through established successful local organizations, accomplished leaders and community service projects. Our Vision is to nurture emerging Indo-American Leaders to succeed in business, philanthropy, science, culture and government. Admissions for the year 2019-2020 is available on our website: http://www.yldphouston.org/admissions.html Last date for the application is April 30,2019.
YLDP Graduating classs of 2019.
YLDP Board of Directors with Consul General Dr. Ray.
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VOICE OF ASIA 15
FRIDAY, April 26, 2019
April is Type 2 Diabetes Prevention Month
April is Autism Awareness Month
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Three-person baby born in medical ‘revolution’
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team of Greek and Spanish doctors announced Thursday the birth of a baby using DNA from three people after a controversial fertility treatment that has provoked intense ethical debate.
Proposal would increase access by expanding Medicare coverage to additional diagnostic applications
The team used an egg from the infertile mother, the father’s sperm and another woman’s egg to conceive the baby boy, transferring genetic material with chromosomes from the mother to the egg of a donor whose own genetic material had been removed in a process its creators hailed as a medical “revolution”.
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A similar DNA-switching technique was used in Mexico in 2016 to avoid transmission of a mother’s hereditary illness to her child. But the case in Greece is the first time an IVF (in vitro fertilisation) technique using DNA from three people has been deployed to allow a mother otherwise unable to conceive to have a child. The baby, born Thursday and weighing in at 2.96 kilos (6.5 pounds), was delivered by a 32-year-old Greek woman who had undergone several unsuccessful attempts at in vitro fertilisation, Greece’s Institute of Life said in a statement. Institute of Life president Dr Panagiotis Psathas, stated: “Today, for the first time in the world, a woman’s inalienable right to become a mother with her own genetic material became a reality. “As Greek scientists, we are very proud to announce an international innovation in assisted reproduction, and we are now in a position to make it possible for women with multiple IVF failures or rare mitochondrial genetic diseases to have a healthy child.” Dr Psathas added: “Our commitment is to continue to help even more
A case in Greece is the first time an IVF (in vitro fertilisation) technique using DNA from three people has been deployed to allow a mother otherwise unable to conceive to have a child. © ArtMarie / Istock.com couples facing fertility issues to have children with their own DNA, without having recourse to egg donors.”
- ‘Will help countless women’ His scientific collaborator of the Institute of Life, Dr Nuno Costa-Borges, also hailed the news. “The completely successful and safe implementation of the Maternal Spindle Transfer method -- for the first time in medical history -- is a revolution in assisted reproduction,” Dr Costa-Borges said. He added that “this exceptional result will help countless women to realise their dream of becoming mothers with their own genetic material.” In the Mexican case, the mother had been suffering from Leigh syndrome, a rare illness which affects the devel-
oping nervous system and can be fatal. In her case, the disorder had previously caused the deaths of two of her children. Using the triple DNA technique to aid in infertility cases raises complex ethical issues, however. Tim Child, Oxford University professor and medical director of the Fertility Partnership, expressed his concern. “I’m concerned that there’s no proven need for the patient to have her genetic material removed from her eggs and transferred into the eggs of a donor. “The risks of the technique aren’t entirely known, though may be considered acceptable if being used to treat mitochondrial disease, but not in this situation,” said Child. - AFP
US records 695 measles cases, most since 2000 Measles cases rose 300 percent worldwide through the first three months of 2019 compared to the same period last year, according to the WHO. © South_agency / Istock.com
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CMS Proposes Expanding Coverage of Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (ABPM)
EW YORK, United States | AFP | Wednesday 4/24/2019 - The United States recorded 695 cases of measles in 2019, the most of any year since the disease was declared eliminated in 2000, health authorities said Wednesday.
“The high number of cases in 2019 is primarily the result of a few large outbreaks -- one in Washington State and two large outbreaks in New York that started in late 2018,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement.
he Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed to update its national coverage policy for Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (ABPM). ABPM is a non-invasive diagnostic test that uses a device to track blood pressure over 24-hour cycles. Ambulatory monitoring allows blood pressure to be measured over entire days rather than at a single moment in time. ABPM may measure blood pressure more accurately and lead to the diagnosis of high blood pressure (hypertension) in patients who would not otherwise have been identified as having the condition.
“With the prevalence of chronic diseases – including high blood pressure – increasing among Medicare beneficiaries, it is critical that our agency closely monitor the evidence for interventions that could improve health outcomes for patients with these conditions,” said CMS Administrator Seema Verma. “Today’s proposal to expand coverage of Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring is supported by many years of evidence and would help ensure that beneficiaries have their blood pressure measured accurately, so they can receive the care that is best for them.” The current national coverage determination for ABPM, issued in 2001, covers the diagnostic test only for those patients with suspected “white coat hypertension” who are not currently being treated for high blood pressure under specific conditions. White coat hypertension occurs when a patient’s anxiety from being in a clinical setting causes an increase in blood pressure beyond what occurs outside the clinical setting. CMS received a request from stakeholders to reconsider this national coverage determination. Consistent with multi-society professional guidelines, CMS is proposing to update the current national coverage determination to expand ac-
Sudhir Mathuria HEALTHLIFE 360 713-771-2900 cess to ABPM to include coverage for cases of suspected “masked hypertension.” Masked hypertension occurs when blood pressure measurements in a doctor’s office are lower than measurements outside a doctor’s office. In addition, the decision proposes to lower the blood pressure threshold from the current policy of 140/90 to 130/80 to align with the latest society recommendations regarding the criteria for hypertension. CMS is seeking comments on the proposed national coverage determination. All public comments may be submitted at https://www.cms. gov/medicare-coverage-database/ indexes/nca-open-for-public-comment-index.aspx. A final decision will be issued no later than 60 days after the conclusion of the 30-day public comment period. Source: CMS News Blood pressure can hamper important functions such as by arteries, heart, kidney, brain, eyes etc. driving up one’s health insurance premium and other cost sharing required under health insurance policy. To choose suitable Medicare Advantage Plan, Medicare supplement plan or Medicare Prescription drug plan including Small group or individual health plan contact Sudhir Mathuria at 713-771-2900.
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VOICE OF ASIA 16
FRIDAY, April 26, 2019
Speak your mind: brain implant Half of statins patients don’t hit ‘healthy’ cholesterol levels translates thought to speech
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illions of patients around the world taking statins to lower the risk of heart disease fail to achieve the recommended levels of cholesterol reduction after two years of treatment, new research said Monday.
by Patrick GALEY
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ARIS | AFP | 4/24/2019 People unable to communicate due to injury or brain damage may one day speak again, after scientists on Wednesday unveiled a revolutionary implant that decodes words directly from a person’s thoughts. Several neurological conditions can ruin a patient’s ability to articulate, and many currently Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, said they had successfully reconstructed “synthetic” speech using an implant to scan the brain rely on communication signals of volunteers as they read several hundred sentences aloud AFP/File devices that use head or eye movements to spell out words one painstakThe recordings are uncanny: a ing letter at a time. little fuzzy, yes, but the simulat- to a database that could evenResearchers at the University ed sentences mimic those spo- tually allow users to discern of California, San Francisco, ken by the volunteers so closely more complicated statements. said they had successfully re- that most words can be clearly “We used sentences that are constructed “synthetic” speech understood. particularly geared towards using an implant to scan the While the experiment was covering all of the phonetic brain signals of volunteers as conducted only with people who contexts of the English lanthey read several hundred sen- could speak, the team found that guage,” he said. “But they are tences aloud. speech could be synthesised only learned so they can be While they stress the tech- from participants even when generalised from.” nology is in its early stages, it they only mimed the sentences. The researchers identified a nonetheless has the potential to “Very few of us have any idea type of “shared” neural code transpose thoughts of mute pa- of what’s going in our mouths among participants, suggesting tients in real time. when we speak,” said Edward that the parts of the brain triggered by trying to articulate a Instead of trying to directly Chang, lead study author. word or phrase are the same in translate the electrical activity “The brain translates those to speech, the team behind the thoughts into movements of the everyone. study, published in the journal vocal tract and that’s what we’re Chang said this had potential Nature, adopted a three-stage trying to decode.” to act as a starting point for paapproach. tients re-learning to talk after This could potential open the First, they asked participants way for an implant that can injury, who could train to conto read out sentences as an translate into words the brain trol their own simulated voice implant on the brain surface activity of patients who know from the patterns learned from monitored neural activity while how to speak but have lost the able speakers. the acoustic sound of the words ability to do so. Writing in a linked comment was recorded. piece, Chethan Pandarinath - ‘Those thieves stole jewels’ - and Yahia Ali, from the GeorThey then transformed those The sentences used in the gia Institute of Technology, signals to represent the physical movement required for study were simple, declarative Atlanta, called the study “comspeech -- specific articulations statements, including: “Ship pelling”. of the jaw, mouth and tongue building is a most fascinating “With continued progress, -- before converting these into process”, and “Those thieves we can hope that individustole thirty jewels.” synthetic sentences. als with speech impairments Gopala Anumanchipalli, co- will regain the ability to freely Finally, they crowd-sourced volunteers to identify words author of the study, told AFP speak their mings and reconand sentences from the com- that the words used would add nect with the world around them,” they wrote. puterised speech.
Bare-faced cheat: Women ‘better at hiding infidelity’
Statins -- a class of medicines designed to reduce cholesterol linked to heart disease and strokes -- are among the most commonly prescribed drugs in the United States and Britain. The cholesterol-lowering industry is worth billions of dollars, but guidelines over who should take statins are often unclear. A team of researchers in Britain reviewed public health records of 165,000 patients taking the medicine and found that fewer than one in two reached the recommended “healthy” 40 percent cholesterol reduction within two years. “Statins do work and are effective, but some trials have highlighted there have been variations in responses among some patients,” said Ralph Kwame Akyea, research associate at the University of Nottingham’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. “But we’ve shown there are some people not reaching this (safe cholesterol level) and the reducing of their risk is lower,” he told AFP. Akyea’s study, published in the journal Heart, found that people on average started taking statins aged 62. It found nearly 23,000 cases of cardiovascular disease within six years of statin treatment among patients. In total, 51 percent of patients had an insufficient drop in cholesterol even while taking the drugs.
Statins -- a class of medicines designed to reduce cholesterol linked to heart disease and strokes -- are among the most commonly prescribed drugs in the United States and Britain. © AFP Photo/Paul J. Richards Akyea stressed that the study -- the largest of its kind to date -- could not establish why some patients responded positively to statins while others didn’t.
gested that better guidance and monitoring was needed to ensure those given statins were taking the correct doses for the prescribed amount of time.
“Probably some people would have stopped taking their medication, maybe they had side effects,” he said.
Writing in a linked editorial, Marcio Bittencourt, from Sao Paulo’s University Hospital, said the study’s results were “clearly alarming”.
“There might also be a role played by genetic variation. Not everyone responds to the medication and there are currently studies looking at the genetics of drug response.”
He stressed, however, that statins had been shown to significantly reduce the likelihood of heart attacks and strokes in a large percentage of at-risk patients.
- Millions more patients expected -
“Patients and society should be educated on the scientific evidence documenting the benefits of lipid lowering therapy,” said Bittencourt.
Recent changes to prescription guidelines are set to see statins given to more than 55 million people in the US and 12 million people in Britain in the next few years. Akyea and his team sug-
“Anti-statin propaganda based on pseudoscience should be strongly disavowed.” - AFP
Beyond ‘Love Island’: TV crosses a new sex frontier
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elevision is going into places you never dreamt possible with shows in which mums make porn, spy on the sex lives of their children and where couples reveal their most intimate secrets. A raft of daring new formats at MIPTV, the world’s top TV market in the French Riviera resort of Cannes, stampede over the old televisual boundaries and into the bedroom and the most private corners of our psyches. With the racy dating show “Love Island” now one of the world’s fastest-selling formats, producers are getting serious about sex.
Scientists have revealed that women can judge whether a man is likely to be unfaithful just by looking at his face but men are less able to spot a cheating woman. © Vladimir Vladimirov / IStock.com
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ou can’t hide your lying eyes: scientists have revealed that women can judge whether a man is likely to be unfaithful just by looking at his face but men are less able to spot a cheating woman. Researchers at the University of Western Australia took a group of 1,500 people and showed them pictures of 189 Caucasian adults (101 men and 88 women), having first asked them if they had been unfaithful to their partners. Respondents were then asked to rank these faces on a scale of one to 10, where one is “not at all likely to be unfaithful” and 10 is “extremely likely” to play the field. The result, published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, was that “both men and women were accurate in assessing men’s, but not women’s, likelihood to cheat and poach.” The scientists wanted to examine not only whether men and women could spot poten-
tial infidelity in each other but also whether it was possible to detect a possible “poacher” of the same sex. They cited research showing that 70 percent of people across more than 50 cultures report an attempt to poach someone else’s partner and 60 percent saying they were successful. The results were “not as expected”, the scientists admitted. Men were able to spot potential poachers among other men but even when other women were judging, the female of the species was inscrutable. “Taken together, both men and women showed abovechance accuracy for men’s faces but not women’s faces. Therefore, perceived unfaithfulness may indeed contain some kernel of truth in male faces,” the scientists wrote. What makes women suspect men might sleep around? According to the survey, it mainly boils down to per-
ceived masculinity, although the researchers came up with another unexpected result, suggesting it’s not the bestlooking men that play away the most. “Surprisingly, even though more attractive men were rated as more unfaithful, they were less likely to engage in actual mate poaching,” the study said. Despite the findings, one of the scientists involved in the report cautioned against jumping to conclusions on a first date. Although men are marginally more likely to betray infidelity with their features, it is still difficult to spot possible cheats from one individual’s face, said Yong Zhi Foo. “If we are to rely solely on our first impressions to detect cheaters/poachers, then we will make substantial errors,” Foo told AFP. “Our results must not be taken to mean that first impressions can be used in any everyday situations,” he added. -AFP
“Mums Make Porn”, which began last month on Britain’s Channel 4, has a group of mothers -- horrified at the porn their children are watching -- try their hand at making more wholesome homemade skin flicks. But their eye-popping adventures into ethical porn pale in comparison to another new British show called “Parental Guidance” where parents spy on their children’s sex lives with hidden cameras when they go on holiday. “I should not be watching this!” screamed one appalled mother as her little darling cavorted in a jacuzzi with her new heavily-tattooed beau. The producers said the format allows parents to see if “their children’s new partners are suitable, because unlike the young couples, they are not convinced their kids have found the right one.” In a squirm-induced finale, the generations sit down together to watch the secretly shot footage. - ‘Sex On the Couch’ Serious peace-keeping may be required. Which is where the new US show “Family or Fiance”
With the racy dating show ‘Love Island’ now one of the world’s fastest-selling formats, television producers are getting serious about sex. (ITV/-)
comes in, said analyst Virginia Mouseler of the leading TV database, The Wit. “Families who disapprove of the person their newly-engaged children want to marry must spend three days with them in a house trying to sort their problems out before the children have to decide between their family and their fiance.” It might all have been nipped in the bud had the mother signed up for the new British show, “21 Again”, where mums are made over to pass as twentysomethings so they can go out dating with their offsprings. Makers Fremantle said “mothers going undercover helps them understand how their daughters live.” The country that brought the world “Love Island” is about to break further taboos with the explicit new BBC show “Sex On the Couch”. But unlike the dating show, this one does not set out to titilate, said Mouseler. - ‘Shocking but uplifting’ “Couples try to solve their problematic sex lives by talking their issues through with sex therapists,” with their intimate discussions filmed. The BBC insisted that the
show is as uplifting and illuminating as it is shocking, with a level of frankness not seen before on television. “Couples are given exercises to try at home as they try to revitalise their relationship or to face a crunch point,” it said. They could also try “Dance Therapy”, a Dutch format also being sold at MIPTV, where couples in crisis can try to get their mojo back by dancing away their troubles. The producers claim that ballroom dancing has helped people falling out of love “get back in synch”. But there is always the risk that one partner would walk leaving the other standing on the dancefloor. If only “Dating Detective”, a new South Korean-British coproduction, had been around, they might have been spared the anguish. It uses the full gamut of police investigation techniques to determine whether a new partner is suitable, going through their Internet browser history as well as their cupboards and fridges, even taking hair and stain samples from their carpet. If they pass muster, they get to go on a date -- in a police interrogation room. What could be more romantic? -AFP
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
VOICE OF ASIA 17
Surround yourself with dozens of lovable robots at the Lovot Museum
FRIDAY, April 26, 2019
Samsung delays launch of folding Galaxy smartphone by Glenn CHAPMAN
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AN FRANCISCO, | AFP | Samsung on Monday said it is delaying the launch of its folding smartphone after trouble with handsets sent to reviewers. Some reviewers who got their hands on the Galaxy Fold early reported problems with screens breaking. Samsung said it decided to put off this week’s planned release of the Fold after some reviews “showed us how the device needs further improvements.” The South Korean consumer electronics giant planned to announce a new release date for the Galaxy Fold in the coming weeks.
Lovots galore at the Lovot Museum. © Courtesy of Groove X Lovot Museum
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o give future owners the opportunity to test out and connect with Groove X’s lovable Lovot companion home robots, the company created a Lovot Museum in Tokyo where you can see how they work, how they can be customized, and how you can own one when they’re launched next year. In February, Groove X opened up the Lovot Museum, a place
where people can connect with the companion home robot that was designed “to be loved by you.” The museum is free to visit, and you can reserve your place in advance to avoid any waits. Since the end of February, 3,000 people have tested the robots, gone to exhibits explaining how Lovot works on a technological level, ate Lovot-themed snacks, and
watched presentations on what it’s like to live with the bot. The museum is free for everyone and is open on Fridays from 6pm to 11pm, Saturdays from 10am to 6pm, and Sundays from 10am to 6pm. According to Groove X, 98% of visitors said they were “satisfied” with their visit. Lovot can be preordered now but will not start shipping until the fall of next year.
China’s Huawei to launch 5G at Africa Cup of Nations
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AIRO, Egypt | AFP | 4/21/2019 - Huawei will roll out 5G phone network for the first time during this summer’s Africa Cup of Nations, Egypt’s minister of communications and information technology said on Sunday. The Chinese firm will introduce the technology at the 74,000-capacity Cairo International Stadium which is set to host 10 games including the final during the competition. “Egypt wishes to cooperate
with Huawei in the field of artifical intelligence, technology transfer and with 5G,” Amr Talaat said. Huawei is the leading manufacturer of equipment for nextgeneration 5G mobile signal with almost instantaneous data transfer that will become the nervous system of Europe’s economy, in strategic sectors like energy, transport, banking and health care. However, some Western nations have barred it amid fears Beijing could gain access to sensitive communications and
critical infrastructure but Huawei denies all these accusations. The biennial Cup of Nations takes place between June 21 and July 19 in the north African country. Defending champions and original hosts Cameroon are in a tricky group alongside Ghana, Benin and Guinea-Bissau. Egypt was awarded the staging rights in January, following the decision to strip Cameroon of the finals due to delays in preparation.
Climate change protesters halt London street blockade
Initial analysis of reported problems with Galaxy Fold screens showed they could be “associated with impact on the top and bottom exposed areas of the hinge,” Samsung said. There was also an instance where unspecified “substances” were found inside a Galaxy Fold smartphone with a troubled display, according to the company. “We will take measures to strengthen the display protection,” Samsung said. “We will also enhance the guidance on care and use of the display including the protective layer.” A handful of US-based reporters were given the flagship Galaxy Fold phones, priced at $1,980, ahead of the model’s official release, and they reported screen issues within
Samsung originally planned to release the Galaxy Fold on April 26. © Courtesy of Samsung days of using the devices. “The screen on my Galaxy Fold review unit is completely broken and unusable just two days in,” Bloomberg’s Mark Gunman tweeted. And Dieter Bohn of The Verge said: “Something happened to my Galaxy Fold screen and caused a bulge... It’s broken.” Samsung spent nearly eight years developing the Galaxy Fold, which is part of the
Block China Mobile from US, FCC chairman says
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AN FRANCISCO | AFP | 4/17/2019 - The chairman of the top US telecoms regulator on Wednesday announced his opposition to allowing China Mobile to operate in the United States, citing risks to American national security.
Republicans, the five-member FCC next month is due to vote on an order that, if approved, would deny China Mobile’s request to operate.
The statement from Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai could mark the beginning of the end for the Chinese telecoms giant’s eightyear effort to crack the US market.
Evidence, including that submitted by other federal agencies, Pai added, made it “clear that China Mobile’s application to provide telecommunications services in our country raises substantial and serious national security and law enforcement risks.”
China Mobile -- the world’s largest mobile operator with nearly 930 million customers as of February -- first filed an application for permission to operate in the United States in 2011. Composed of Democrats and
“Safeguarding our communications networks is critical to our national security,” Pai said in a statement.
Chinese tech firms -- such as Huawei and ZTE -- have faced stiff resistance from US government agencies, which have described them as security threats.
leading smartphone maker’s strategy to propel growth with groundbreaking gadgets. The firm had earlier suggested some reviewers encountered screen failures because a protective layer intended to remain in place on the display was accidentally removed by reviewers. - Adding to Samsung woes Samsung is the world’s biggest smartphone maker, and earlier this month launched the 5G version of its top-end Galaxy S10 device. But despite the recent announcements about its new high-end devices, Samsung has warned of a more than 60 percent plunge in first-quarter operating profit in the face of weakening markets. The firm is also no stranger to device issues. Its reputation suffered a major blow after a damaging worldwide recall of its Galaxy Note 7 devices over exploding batteries in 2016, which cost the firm billions of dollars and shattered its global brand image. Samsung originally planned to release the Galaxy Fold as scheduled on April 26. While Samsung’s device was not the first folding handset, the smartphone giant was expected to help spark demand and potentially revive a sector that has been struggling for new innovations. Other folding devices have been introduced by startup Royole and by Chinese-based Huawei.
‘Big-hearted’ US technician among Sri Lanka dead
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ASHINGTON, AFP | A “bighearted” technician who was visiting Sri Lanka for work was among at least four Americans killed in the Easter attacks on churches and hotels, his employer said Monday. Dieter Kowalski, who worked for British educational and publishing company Pearson, wrote a final Facebook posting as he flew out Friday from his base in Denver. Climate change activists at the Extinction Rebellion group’s environmental protest camp in Marble Arch central London . by Dmitry ZAKS
L
ONDON | AFP | Some of London’s busiest streets re-opened Monday for the first time in a week as climate change protesters regrouped and plotted a new course after police made over 1,000 arrests. The so-called Extinction Rebellion took over the heart of the UK capital in a bid to focus global attention on rising temperatures and sea levels caused by greenhouse gas emissions. The grassroots group was established last year in Britain by academics and has used social media to become one of the fastest-growing environmental movements in the world.
But it abandoned four of the five main protests sites over the weekend in response to a more forceful police approach and an outcry from local businesses that claimed a heavy loss in sales. London Mayor Sadiq Khan also warned Sunday that protests were starting to overstretch the police and limiting their ability to respond to daily crime. “It simply isn’t right to put Londoners’ safety at risk like this,” Khan said. - Phase Two Extinction Rebellion organisers retreated by Monday to Marble Arch -- a monument on the edge of Hyde Park that allows limited protests to contin-
ue without disrupting traffic. The site has been sanctioned by the police. “After leaving four of five locations in good order, rebels will meet at Marble Arch on Monday to decide where they go next,” the group said in a statement. It added that its seven-day campaign has helped it raise nearly £300,000 ($390,000, 345,000 euros) and gain 30,000 new members. The police said they had made 1,065 arrests and charged 53 people since the first protests took over a bridge and renowned London intersections such as Piccadilly and Oxford Circus.
“And the fun begins. Love these work trips. 24 hours of flying. See you soon Sri Lanka!” wrote the 40-year-old Wisconsin native. In a message to employees, Pearson CEO John Fallon said that Kowalski had just arrived at his hotel in Colombo on Sunday when he was killed in one of a series of coordinated explosions. Kowalski had planned to spend a week in Colombo to work on technical issues with local engineers, with whom he had become “good friends” after a previous trip, Fallon said. “Colleagues who knew Dieter well talk about how much fun he was to be around, how big-hearted and full-spirited he was,” Fallon wrote. Kowalski would take up “our ugliest and most challenging of engineering problems” and
Dieter Kowalski.Facebook help fix them “with joy, happiness and grace,” he wrote. “We’re angry that a good man, who took simple pleasure in fixing things, has been killed, along with many others, by evil men and women who know only how to destroy.” Sri Lankan authorities said that a radical Islamist group carried out the attacks on hotels and churches, which killed nearly 300 people, including 37 foreigners. A State Department official
said Monday that at least four Americans were among the dead, with several others seriously injured. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo both said that they had telephoned Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. Trump tweeted that he told Wickremesinghe that “the United States stands by him and his country in the fight against terrorism.”
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STATEPOINT CROSSWORD THEME: SOUTH OF THE BORDER
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
Texas
Week of April 26, 2019 21 March to 20 April
astrology.com
23 September to 22 Oct
Thursday and Friday are especially molasses-filled days, but, like molasses, they are not without a certain amount of sweetness. You will reap rewards for your perseverance. Saturday and Sunday, by comparison, are strapped-to-a-rocket speedy. Expect your hair to get wild.
Thursday, your mind is still on other people (attachments and alliances are strong themes), and Friday finds you scrambling to find a creative way to tell someone how much you appreciate them. Saturday and Sunday, expressing yourself comes more easily. You’ll come up with so many new ideas.
Thursday and Friday find you happy as well, appreciative of everything you have, wondering if you’ve become a glutton what with all the excess that surrounds you. Nevertheless, this weekend you will be in the mood to shop.
Thursday is better suited to working things out -- although, to your frustration, the best solution most likely requires that you give in at some point. Boldness is key to getting beyond the obstacles Friday has in store for you, but this weekend you’re better off proceeding on tiptoe.
21 April to 20 May
21 May to 20 June Thursday is a more introspective day (you will have to call on inner resources to get everything handled), and Friday involves an awkward squabble with someone nearby (a coworker or a neighbor). But Saturday and Sunday are bursting with goodness and, possibly, romance.
21 June to 22 July Friday is full of crazy ideas and a sense of urgency about generating newer and crazier ideas. Saturday is the kind of day when you’ll walk to the store and, on a whim, decide to keep walking -- just to see how far you can get, to make an adventure of your afternoon.
23 July to 22 August Thursday you won’t have much room for thoughts except those related to work. But Friday is a total mixed bag: Celebrities, the law, your boss, your ego -- all of these things may figure in. The weekend, conversely, is about none of those things. The weekend is about friends, dreams, and hopes.
23 August to 22 Sept It isn’t until Wednesday that you begin to feel truly compatible with others this week. Thursday and Friday find you getting a lot done -- and finding more and more things to do (one door, alas, leads to another) -and the weekend is loaded with potential. It will be a great weekend or a nothing weekend, depending entirely on you.
23 October to 21 Nov
22 November to 21 Dec
Thursday and Friday you’d be wise to take a step back and look at everything through wider goggles. On Saturday there is so much going on that you’ll have no chance at depth or meaning in your social interactions -- but you’ll be so busy this won’t even occur to you. Sunday’s busy too.
22 December to 20 Jan Thursday or Friday evening might be right for a small trip somewhere, for a couple of hours or overnight. Camping? A motel with a pool in a no-name town? The weekend returns you very much to the real world, full of flaky people, talkative strangers and faithful, brilliant friends.
21 January to 19 Feb Thursday, your self-discovery takes on even more dimensions, and on Friday you are baffled not only by your own strangeness but by the strangeness of life itself. It’s a wild week for you, internally. And then it becomes wild externally: An out-of-leftfield love affair rocks your weekend.
20 February to 20 Mar Put down your thoughts in writing. Play an album you know by heart. On Friday, nothing is as strong as the pull of your heart, which may explain why, on Saturday, you’ll open up a book of poetry. Sunday isn’t a boring day, but you should try to keep the activities cerebral rather than athletic
ACROSS 1. Winter warmer 6. *Tú, north of the border 9. Put six feet under 13. Computer programmer 14. Supermarket circulars, e.g. 15. “He loves me...” flower part 16. *Santa Anna’s 1836 victory locale 17. Pod dweller 18. All worked up 19. *Filling+corn dough+corn husk, pl. 21. Like Dorothy Gale’s dress 23. Selfie, e.g. 24. Cheese on Peloponnese 25. Eye Network 28. *Day of the Dead-inspired Oscar-winner 30. Attempted 35. Hipbones 37. Between Thailand and Vietnam 39. El Dorado-related 40. Lymphatic swelling 41. Archipelago parts 43. Unload on eBay 44. Hue perception 46. Bald eagle’s nest 47. Caffeine-containing nut tree 48. “____ ____! This is the police!” 50. Bank on 52. Aptitude test 53. Like a doily 55. Margaret, for short 57. *Made from agave 61. *Popular huevos accompaniment 65. Driver’s 180 66. Flying saucer acronym 68. Mythological princess of Colchis 69. Repenting 70. Collagen target 71. More capable 72. Tiny sips 73. Skeleton in a lock 74. Must-haves
DOWN 1. Jazz singing 2. Coca follower 3. Comic Sandler 4. Chart anew 5. Lark about 6. Puppy barks 7. Keats’ poem 8. Cell phone bill item 9. Frigid shipping hazard 10. Butch Cassidy’s home state 11. Pro ____ 12. Big Bang’s original matter 15. *Blind man’s target 20. Cause for food recall 22. “____ Now or Never” 24. Tom’s craziness? 25. *____ de Mayo 26. Soft single in baseball 27. Move sideways 29. *”Mi ____ es su...” 31. Biscuit 32. Sandwiches for dessert 33. *Zapata’s collaborator 34. Audience’s approval 36. Long, long time 38. Bone-dry 42. Airy fairy 45. Exercising authority 49. One of peeps 51. Tower of London guard 54. Sealing product 56. Freshwater diving bird 57. ____ of events 58. Red carpet purse 59. Witty remark 60. RIP pots 61. “____ that” on walkie-talkie 62. In neutral 63. Gardener’s purchase 64. Crew propellers 67. “Jack and the Beanstalk” exclamation
SOLUTION: SOUTH OF THE BORDER on Page 19
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FRIDAY, April 26, 2019
Home&Real Estate U.S. New-Home Sales Rise to 16-Month High, Topping Estimates
have lured more buyers. A Mortgage Bankers Association report earlier this month showed applications for loans to buy U.S. homes rose to the highest level in almost nine years.New-home purchases account for about 10 percent of the market and are calculated when contracts are signed. They are considered a timelier barometer than purchases of previously-owned homes, which are calculated when contracts close.
Construction workers. Photo: Bloomberg
by Reade Pickert (Bloomberg April 23, 2019 ) ales of new U.S. homes unexpectedly rose in March to a 16-month high, with a third straight increase that reflects a boost from lower borrowing costs. Single-family home sales rose 4.5 percent to a 692,000 annualized pace that exceeded all estimates in Bloom-
S
berg’s survey, while February’s figure was revised down slightly, government data showed Tuesday. The median sales price decreased 9.7 percent from a year earlier to a two-year low of $302,700. Key Insights The surprisingly strong reading -- the second-best pace of the economic expansion -- suggests lower mortgage rates, rising wages and
the Federal Reserve’s pause on borrowing costs are helping the housing market regain its footing after stumbling last year. Still, other March data have been less upbeat, as existing home sales missed estimates and housing starts slumped to the slowest pace since May 2017.The number of properties sold for which construction hadn’t yet started grew to 200,000, the most since November 2017, indicating lower mortgage rates
Get More Purchases of new homes climbed in three of four regions, led by a 17.6 percent jump in the Midwest. The Northeast saw a 22.2 percent drop, the steepest since July. Economists in Bloomberg’s survey projected sales falling to a 649,000 pace, with forecasts ranging from 601,000 to 680,000.The supply of homes at the current sales rate fell to 6 months from 6.3 months in February. While the num-
IMPERIAL
ber of new homes for sale at the end of the period was little changed at 344,000, the number of completed homes for sale rose to 77,000, the most since 2010.The March figures mark a return to the original schedule following delays from the government shutdown that ended in January. The report is published jointly by the Census Bureau and Department of Housing and Urban Development. SOURCE: Bloomberg
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Google’s installation for Milan Design Week measures which interiors make you feel good
F
or the upcoming Salone del Mobile, Google presents the installation “A Space for Being,” which explores the impact of different aesthetic environments on our biology and well-being. The three-room installation, displayed in Spazio Maiocchi, ventures into neuroaesthetics -which is a field of neuroscience research investigating how the brain responds to beauty. “A Space for Being” comprises three different room environments for visitors to wander around. Designed by architect Suchi Reddy, each interior features a specific selection of furniture pieces by Scandinavian brand Muuto. Named “Essential”, “Vital” and “Transformative,” the spaces feature subtle variations of lighting, scent, music, artwork and materials -- creating distinct sensory experiences. Before entering, each visitor will be equipped with a wearable band designed by Google Hardware. The band includes sensors that measure biometric data, including the wearer’s heart activity, breathing rate, skin temperature and body motion. At the end of the installation, the results are analyzed with the help of an algorithm developed in conjunction with Johns Hopkins’s Arts + Mind.
Rendering of Google’s installation “A Space for Being” on view at the 2019 Salone del Mobile © Image Courtesy of Google Design Studio and Reddymade Architecture.
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OR Click a photo of this form, email to: ads@voiceofasiagroup.com Muuto announces A Space for Being, an exhibition in collaboration with Google Design Studio, Reddymade Architecture and the International Arts + Mind Lab at Johns Hopkins University. © Image Courtesy of Google Design Studio and Reddymade Architecture.
Name: __________________________________________ Address: ________________________________________ City: ______________ State:___________ Zip:___________ Ph: ______________ E-mail:_________________________
“There are very different vibes, so to speak, amplified for differences. It’s all very subtle. Of course people are going to walk into a room and say, ‘I really like this.’ But I hope the band might show their psychology was more comfortable in a different room,” Google’s vice president and head of hardware design, Ivy Ross, in a statement. “A Space for Being” will mark Google’s second appearance at Milan’s Salone del Mobile, opening on April 9. Last year, the company presented its debut exhibition “Software” that displayed the tech hardware amongst everyday objects.
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We thank you for your support! Incorporating neuroaesthetic principles, the exhibit also includes specially curated Muuto furnishings, Google’s thoughtfully designed hardware products, as well as interior and architectural designs by Reddymade. “A Space for Being” will be on view at Spazio Maiocchi in
Milan, from April 9 to 14. - Relaxnews
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