Voice of Asia E-paper October 26, 2018

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VOICE OF ASIA

FRIDAY, October In Section 226, 2018

The Largest Asian-American Newsweekly in Texas

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Trump rallies in Texas for ex-rival Cruz

by Eleonore Sens / with Jerome Cartillier in Washington

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OUSTON | AFP | 10/22/2018 - Donald Trump on Monday stumped for his former rival Ted Cruz, a pair that had long exchanged barbs but now share a Texas rally stage just two weeks before the congressional midterms.

Cruz is all too aware that a presidential seal of approval could help him in his face-off with rising Democrat star Beto O'Rourke.

Grand 7th Duseera and Diwali at Skeeters draws capacity crowds

During the 2016 campaign, Trump infamously insulted the looks of Cruz's wife Heidi, vaguely suggested Cruz's father had played a role in John F. Kennedy's assassination and tagged

During the campaign, Trump infamously insulted the looks of Cruz's wife Heidi, vaguely suggested Cruz's father had played a role in John F. Kennedy's assassination and tagged him with the nickname "Lyin' Ted". (AFP Photo)

Texas Governor Gregg Abbott addressing the gathering at the Diwali festival celebration on 20th Oct. 2018 at Skeeters stadiu m in Sugar Land. Seen with the Gov. is Dr. Arun Verma, (center) founder of the host organization, Shri Sita Ram Foundation and Dr. Durga Agarwal, (far right) trustee India House. Photo by Shri Sita Ram Foundation.

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UGAR LAND - (October 22, 2018 ) - Local community at large thronged to Skeeters stadium in numbers exceeding tens of thousands to celebrate annual Diwali festival, the festival of lights, on 20th Oct. 2018 . (This festival is celebrated by 1.3 billion people in the world).

Beto O'Rourke, the Democrat trying to unseat Republican Senator Ted Cruz in Texas, is seen here campaigning on Sunday, October 21, 2018 at Marriott Town Square, Sugar Land, Texas -some see him as the Democratic Party's brightest new star and a possible presidential contender in 2020. Photo credit: FB post in Sugar Land with Beto!

The political equation is simple: Trump needs Cruz to maintain Republican control of the US Senate, while

him with the nickname "Lyin' Ted." Continued on page 10

First time ever in history, a sitting governor of Texas joined the IndoAmerican community to celebrate an Indian Festival. Representatives of the consulates of India, Indonesia, Brazil, Republic of China and Mexico joined the celebrations.

This was the 7th annual Diwali Dussehra Festival organized by Shri Sita Ram Foundation, a non profit engaged in promoting Vedic culture; the ancient & proud culture and heritage of India. The Foundation also provides funds to support 30 nonprofit organizations annually, provides a limited number of schol-

arships and assists disadvantaged people in the local community.

Celebrations showcased different and unique aspects of India. The entire stadium was decorated inside and out with close to a million multicolored lights which was seen from a distance as people drove in.

The entire concourse was decorated with garlands & flowers to welcome guests in the spirit of “Athiti Devo Bhava”, which mean Guests are to be seen as GOD. High School Volunteers welcomed the visitors with folded hands saying “Namasthe” and applied Tilak on the forehead (applying kumkum/ red powder, on forehead) on every individual who walked in. A huge deity of Hindu God Ganesha who is known to be the remover of obstacles was adorned at the entrance.

Attendees were treated with further visual delights as they walked in

to see 70 beautifully decorated red satin draped shops glittering with lights adorning the entire concourse, selling traditional jewelry, clothing and sundry items briskly, and a food court offering cuisine from different parts of India.

Children had a wonderful time with a variety of treats to engage their interest in e.g. free balloons, face painting, henna, playground, moon walks, petting zoo, pony rides, exploring fire engine and police cruiser. There were games such as shooting the demon with bow and arrow and demon shaped piñatas filled with candy, which the children delighted in breaking with a stick.

Divine meet & Greet was arranged in the concourse wherein audience could interact with artists dressed up as historical characters. Both kids and parents enjoyed taking pictures with them. Beating of musical drums acContinued on page 7

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OP-ED/COMMENTARY/ANALYSIS

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Editor Online: Shobana Muratee Marketing Director: Susan Pothanikat Web Designer: Joey Belleza All rights reserved. No material herein or portions thereof may be published without the consent of the publisher. Voice of Asia assumes no liability resulting from action taken based on the information included herein. Published weekly by Free Press LLC, 8303 SW Freeway, Suite # 325, Houston, TX 77074. Tel: 713774-5140. Fax: 713-774-5143. Email for editorial submissions: voiceasia@aol.com; Email for advertising inquiries and submissions: ads@voiceofasiagroup.com.

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Moral Values versus Strategic Interests: America’s challenge with Saudi Arabia Chandra K. Mittal, B.S., M.S., Ph.D., FCP

by Chandra K. Mittal, Ph.D.

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ver since the disappearance and murder of the Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, on October 2nd, 2018, inside the Saudi Arabian Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, a lot of discussion has ensued among American politicians, Pandits and experts about a befitting response by United States towards Saudi Arabia for Khashoggi’s killing. But there is no clear consensus among people as to the exact nature of American response given the importance of strategic relationship between two nations.

Experts’ views range from imposing severe economic sanctions on the Saudi Kingdom, to stopping exports of American arms to be used against Yemen, to pressing Saudis for replacement of Crown Prince Mohammedbin-Salman, popularly known as MBS, who presently manages and controls affairs of Saudi government. It is widely speculated that such, seemingly planned murder of a Saudi citizen could not have been carried out in a foreign country without the knowledge and consent of the higher ups like Crown Prince. MBS is also known to have ordered, in the past, the arrests and detention of other prominent Saudis.

On its part, the Government of United States is still weighing its options vis-à-vis the present realities of entire Middle Eastern region that is replete with ongoing old conflicts which includes Syrian civil war, an Iran with growing clout due to its quasi-nuclear capabilities, Saudi Arabian involvement in Yemenis civil war, and the continuing IsraelPalestinian conflict. Also factoring-in and limiting American options in Saudi Arabia is the financial and physical fatigue of recently concluded engagement of America in Iraq and Afghanistan. So, desta-

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bilizing Saudi Arabia at this juncture by some punitive action can only add to further American woes in the Middle East.

In his public statements, President Donald Trump has been exercising extreme caution in committing to any particular position or action that he would recommend against Saudi Arabia except to say that “action” would be severe without specifying it. He wants to see the Khashoggi investigation completed before deciding or announcing his actions. In pursuit of this he also sent his Secretary of State Mr. Mike Pompeo to Saudi Arabia on a fact-finding mission in the immediate aftermath of Khashoggi’s disappearance.

But, so far, both President Trump and Secretary Pompeo have been tight-lipped and noncommittal about their stands towards the Saudi regime.

Many have interpreted President Trump’s hesitancy and “wait and see” attitude towards Saudi Arabia as him being insensitive to the plights of journalists or his inclination to favor dictators and authoritarian regimes over the democratic ones. This is also based on his previous public statements where he praised the oppressor over the victim. Hence, some believe that America is attempting to turn a blind eye on the gruesome act of Saudis regime to serve its economic and strategic interest rather than exert its higher moral values on the Kingdom.

Although America has dealt with dictators and authoritarian regimes around the world,

but it has always been with a sense of dilemma and conflict between its own core moral values and strategic interests. As a result, this has also compelled America to walk a “tight rope” for making the relationships work towards mutual benefits. But such strategic relationships have almost always alienated the citizens of those countries since they see America as embracing authoritarianism in self-interest at their expense.

This was best exemplified

by America’s cozy relationship with Shah of Iran in the 1970s, who tortured and oppressed political dissidents while earning praises from America. This resulted in the ouster of Shah and American Embassy being seized with Diplomates taken hostage in 1979.

In case of the present situation with Saudi Arabia, many on the American Left argue that US should exert its value-based moral leadership on Saudi Arabia in order to achieve its strategic objectives in the region. They argue that “transactional” approach, which is typical of Donald Trump, would not serve the long-term American interest in the Middle East. They, instead, propose that America build relationship with the State of Saudi Arabia rather than particular individuals in the establishment. They also insist that America press Saudis for democratic reforms.

While such scholarly proposals may have high moral ground, but these appears way too theoretical and idealistic to be acceptable to Saudi Arabia given its culture, society and political his-

tory. World has witnessed too many times the authoritarian dictators abdicate their powers only to see chaos and anarchy replace them including civil wars. There is no country in the Middle East that has transited to a peaceful and stable parliamentary democracy after a dictator departure. Fact is that nations change organically from within rather than by external pressure.

Once all evidence and circumstances about Jamal Khashoggi’s death become clear to President Donald Trump, he will decide on a response toward Saudi Arabia.

America obviously cannot afford to suggest some radical measures or impose strong economic sanctions or declare it to be a pariah and destabilize Saudi Arabia at this juncture. Alliance between the two countries is too valuable for it.

He is more likely to balance American moral values with its strategic interests, and take actions that are palatable to Saudi regime, and the one that receives least resistance from Saudi society. America would like to continue to build the bilateral relations with Saudi Arabia on the foundation that was laid by President Franklin D. Roosevelt 1930s and continued by all US Presidents who have followed. Only this approach can contribute to economic and security stability in the Middle East or whatever is left of it.

Dr. Chandra Mittal is Professor at Houston Community College, Life-member of Indo-American Press Club, Inc., and Co-Founder of IndoAmerican Association, Inc. Houston. He can be reached at drckmittal@yahoo.com

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Community Email: voiceasia@aol.com

FRIDAY, October 26, 2018

Tel: 713-774-5140

US based NAINA and IANAGH nurses visit Kerala, assist in flood relief efforts

ith Kerala, the ‘God's Own Country’ reeling under the onslaught of floodwaters of epic proportions, with over 500 dead, millions marooned or displaced and thousands taking shelter in camps and emergency shelters, there has never been a more important time to reach out and help our brothers and sisters in distress! As Kerala was affected by the floods and its immeasurable misery and devastation, there was an international interest to assist and re- build Kerala.

vices and distributed care kits with food items, infant formula, clothes, personal hygiene items etc. to over 3,250 people who attended these mission camps. The team also completed 39 surgical procedures successfully. The team spent time in imparting need based health education and well as teachings for life style modification. CPR training was led by Mary Philip, the New York chapter president. Twenty five health care professionals and 20 high school students attended these CPR training sessions.

National Association of Indian Nurses of America (NAINA) woke up to the call and the governing board made two decisions to guide NAINA’s Kerala flood relief efforts.

1. Make financial contributions to the Kerala chief minister’s fund. 2.

Collaborate with the philanthropic organization ‘Let Them Smile Again’ to provide medical relief in affected areas of Kerala. Let them Smile Again’ is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization well –known for its medical mission efforts, especially surgical services. Discussions at the NAINA leadership led to this collaboration which was catalyzed by the Indian American Nurses Association of Greater Houston .NAINA’s timely decision to collaborate with ‘Let Them Smile Again’ helped NAINA volunteers to reach out directly to the victims of the worst flood in Kerala.

Kerala flood is a disaster that created an ongoing need for relief efforts and rebuilding efforts. Though any amount of money cannot replace what was lost, it is reassuring to see the humanitarian efforts.

There has been tremendous support pouring in from people all over the world. NAINA, as an organization did a humble effort to support the relief efforts. NAINA did similar efforts in Haiti in collaboration with Indian American Nurses Association of Greater Houston and with United Light of Hope in January 2018. And, we hope, NAINA will lead similar endeavors in the future where kindness and professional skills will take NAINA to new heights of its continued excellence.

All local chapters of NAINA made financial contributions to NAINA to initiate its Kerala flood relief efforts. Even though, there were several fund raisers for the same cause were underway in their communities and most of the NAINA members have friends and families affected directly, the chapters made great effort raise funds and to contribute to NAINA’s relief fund.

A team of NAINA nurses joined other professionals for the 10- day long medical mission services delivered in several areas of Kerala which were greatly affected by the flood. Accamma Kallel, the Houston chapter president led the nurs-

NAINA and IANAGH nurses team assisting in the Kerala flood relief efforts. ing team for the mission trip from September 15thSeptember 25th, 2018. The team included Mrs. Claramma Mathews, Bilja Sajith, and Rose Giles from Houston, and Mary Philip, Sara Thomas, Grace Alexander and Jincy Chacko from New York. There were few other nurses who joined the team such as Sincy Varghese from Chicago, Suma Pole from California, Halley Le & Rita Wangkhem. NAINA team had family presence in the team to support and assist in this tiring effort.

Mr.Thomas Palathara, Mr. Mathew, and Ms. Riya Alexander also were part of

the team and offered tremendous help to the team.

NAINA team worked with local doctors, surgeons, anesthesiologists, psychologists, social workers, pastors, students and other local volunteers. Over all coordination of the mission trip was by Mr. John W Varghese and Jiju Kulangara, Let Them Smile Foundation Coordinators and Accamma Kallel, the Indain American Nurses Association – Greater Houston (IANAGH) president.

During the 10 day period, the team conducted 16 mission camps in Kerala and provided primary care ser-

320

Indian American nurses serving in Kerala, South India.

VOICE OF ASIA 4

FRIDAY, October 26, 2018

Puja Samithi of Greater Houston celebrates Durga Puja

CENTERED LIVING

Ladies seen greeting each other and applying tilak during the celebrations. Photo credit:Sanchali Basu and Kingshuk Banerjee

by Sanchali Basu nder the able leadership and guidance of Houston’s favorite priest Dr. Bishnupada Goswami, PSGH celebrated Durga Puja at the ISKCON temple grounds the weekend of Nov 19 to 21. The spiritual ambience and setting of the Puja this year, created a divine atmosphere.

The festivities started on Thursday with decorating the dais and the idol of Maa Durga. Friday’s puja included Chandipath, Maha Sashthi and Saptami Puja. Despite being a weekday, several participated in the afternoon pushpanjali, and enjoyed the Arati and Bhog Prasad lunch. The Sandhyarati was followed by an invocatory Devi Vandana

by Salil Banerje and his team.

The rest of the entertainment program featured local Bollywood singing talents, briefly interspersed by a mix of Bollywood dance numbers. The evening rain and cold dampened the spirits and attendance somewhat, but Atanu Das from Atlanta, with his mix of Bengali favorites and Hindi medleys, managed to keep the audience engaged with his powerful singing.

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Saturday morning was glorious with a slight nip in the air to start off Maha Ashtami.

What set this Puja apart was Kumari Puja that ensued a la Belur Math, where 4 young girls ranging from the ages of 5 to 8 were dressed up like the Goddess Durga and worshipped. After the regular pushpanjali and Bhog Prasad, one of the most important rituals of Durga Puja, the Sandhi Puja was peformed. It is done at the exact juncture when Asthami ends and Navami begins, the exact time at which Devi Durga slayed the notorious demons Chando and Munda. An hour of children’s program was followd by extremely talented locals of the likes of Shreya Guhathakurta, with her melodious renditions of Rabindra Sangeet, and Rajneeta Bandopadhyay with her captivating semi classical music. Invited artist from Kolkata, Dr. Kaberi Sen was very impressive with her Odissi dance in honor of Ma Durga and Pallavi. The dynamic duo of Anjan Saha, sitarist and Amit Chatterjee on the tabla, artists from Kolkata, left the audience asking for more.

Our very own Pandit Suman Ghosh delighted the classical music lovers with his impec-

cable offerings of raga Bageshree and others. Such was the tone he set for the evening that the audience was ready to listen to him all night.

Sunday, Mahanavami celebrated Durga's victory over Mahisasura with a Vedic style homa (fire oblation). Vijaya Dashami always brings about an air of sadness amongst Bengalis when Mother Durga leaves her father’s house and is believed to return to Mount Kailasha, her abode with Shiva. It begins with the joyful Sindoor Khela, where women smear vermillion on the the idol’s forehead and feet, before smearing it on each other and offering sweets. Nabapatrika was then immersed to bid adieu to Ma Durga for a year. The evening’s entertainment was provided by local talented artists.

Most of the meals were catered by Govinda’s, ISKCON’s own restaurant and were delicious. PSGH will be celebrating Kali Puja on November 3, at the same location. A ticketed entertainment program will feature Parnava Banerjee from Kolkata.

Please visit www.houstonpujasamithi.org for further information.

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FRIDAY, October 26, 2018

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

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Email: voiceasia@aol.com

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Sri Kulkarni on local immigrant community, the importance of early voting

oting is the bedrock of Democracy. It is a right fought for since the grand experiment of America first began over two hundred years ago. Voting is a right that wars and marches and lawsuits had to protect and expand throughout our nation’s history. Whether it’s with black thumbs, colored pebbles in jars, or ballot boxes, the idea that every human being has a right to have their opinion expressed in how they are governed is the heart of democracy.

On Monday October 22nd until November 6th, we need you to express that right. We need you to vote.

When I first started this campaign, I was advised to ignore the votes of immigrant communities. I was told by elected officials and consultants that don’t bother, they don’t vote.

But after talking to so many of you, it was apparent that maybe our communities don’t vote because we never bothered.

So we ran our campaign the hard way, the right way, by reaching out to people wherever they are and to listen and speak to them in whatever manner they would feel most comfortable with. We went to high schools to listen to young people. We went to temples, mosques, churches, and other places of worship to register voters and pray. We went to HOA meetings and block parties to engage neighbors and friends. We crisscrossed this district with the simple goal to meet and listen to every community regardless of partisanship, faith, ideology, or eth-

Sri Preston Kulkarni (center) on October 17 meet with local community leaders and supporters. (Photo courtesy Kulkarni for Congress) nicity. We are the second most diverse district in the country and it’s time we had a representative who engaged with all of us.

Throughout my fourteen years in the Foreign Service, I was stationed all over the world from Taiwan and Russia to Iraq, Israel, and Jamaica. I have seen democracies fall and nation-states struggle, and although America remains a place of hope and optimism to others around the world, our light is faltering. America is strongest when all of its citizens participate and are engaged with government.

When all of our voices rise

together and speak. When all of us vote.

Texas is one of the two lowest voter turnout states in America. Immigrant communities vote at lower levels than the national average. This year we need to change that.

So as we head into these next few days I’m asking you for your help. I’m asking you to call your friends, drive your neighbors to the polls, and push your family to vote. If you can volunteer or donate, please join us.

America doesn’t have to be divisive. We don’t have to have leaders who spread fear

and stir hate. We can vote and change that. We can choose leaders who inspire, who will ensure government is an advocate for the people not corporations, and who represent the best in all of us. So Vote.

Early voting begins Monday, October 22nd. Vote early.

If you don’t, expect calls from your friends and neighbors until you do because this election is too important for us not to.

We are voting for affordable healthcare for our families; for safe, well-funded schools for our children; for an environment that is protected; for families to be re-united; for criminal justice reform; and

for democracy itself.

Together our votes can change our communities and our country. We can be the next great American story. We can bring reason, compassion, and decency to Congress and fight for true American values.

The values of hope that drew so many of our parents and ancestors to these shores, of optimism that hard work and perseverance could lead to a better life for ourselves and our children, and of safety – because America has always been a nation of refugees and immigrants fleeing famine, war, and hate and seeking a better life.

And so we must vote. It is our right, our civic duty, and our obligation to those who came before us and to one another. So vote.

October 22nd early voting begins. You can vote at any early voting location in the county in which you are a resident. You need your driver’s license or passport as ID. You can find voting locations at mytexasvotes.org.

Thank you for all your support. Now vote.

-Sri Preston Kularni Democratic Nominee for U.S. Congress TX-22

COMMUNITY

VOICE OF ASIA 6

Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital welcomes neurologist Jinal Shah, M.D.

FBISD staff, parents and community members invited to furniture showcase Stakeholders invited to give feedback on future-ready furniture options

Jinal Shah, M.D., neurologist

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UGAR LAND—(October 18, 2018) — Board-certified neurologist Jinal Shah, M.D., is joining the staff of Houston Methodist Sugar Land Neurology Associates, effective Oct. 1. Shah comes to Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital from CHI St. Joseph Hospital in Bryan, Texas.

Shah is a graduate of Saba University School of Medicine in Netherland-Antilles, Caribbean. He completed both his residency and internship at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Mississippi, before joining St. Dominic Hospital, also in Jackson.

“I am pleased to be part of Houston Methodist Sugar Land Neurology Associates,” said Shah. “Houston Methodist Sugar Land has a reputation for delivering complex and sophisticated neurological care here in the Fort Bend community, and I welcome the opportunity to work alongside my new colleagues in serving

our patients.”

Shah will treat common neurological diseases including stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, headaches, Parkinson’s disease, sleep disorders, multiple sclerosis and more. He joins Carisa Liew, D.O., Rony Ninan, M.D., Larry Tran, M.D., and Toby Yaltho, M.D. on staff.

Houston Methodist Sugar Land Neurology Associates is located in Medical Office Building 3 on the Houston Methodist Sugar Land campus, 16605 Southwest Freeway, Suite 600. To make an appointment with Dr. Shah or another neurologist with Houston Methodist Sugar Land Neurology Associates, call 281.201.6052.

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

FORT BEND ISD (October 24, 2018) – Fort Bend ISD is inviting all parents, students and staff members to participate in a Future-Ready Furniture Showcase and provide feedback on various furniture samples.

Fort Bend ISD’s newly-developed educational specifications will guide the design of all new and renovated facilities in Fort Bend ISD, and include updating school furniture in order to create “Future Ready” spaces that support the Fort Bend ISD Profile of a Graduate.

On November 27, 28 and 29, the community will have an opportunity to see various samples of furniture options and provide feedback. The District will then use the feedback as it identifies vendors for future District furniture purchases.

The furniture showcase will take place at Wheeler Field House (16403 Lexington Blvd., Sugar Land 77479) on the following dates and times:

Tues., Nov. 27 – 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Wed., Nov. 28 – 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

FRIDAY, October 26, 2018

A Record-Breaking 13 Asian American Democratic Candidates are Running for Offices!

Let’s elect them in office and support the Democratic Votes!

Content Provided

by Rep. Gene Wu, the 137th District of Texas

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n Sunday, 10/21/2018, OCA-Greater Houston, along with 17 other Asian American civic and grass-root organizations, successfully held a candidate meet and greet event in the Chinese Community Center, Houston, Texas. This was the day before the Early Voting that has started on Monday, 10/21/2018. The event invited 15 Asian American candidates who are running for offices in this 2018 Midterm Election that is happening right now.

This is a record-breaking history-defining moment for Asian Americans, who take a great pride of this accomplishment.

Even more worth-noting, 13 out of 15 candidates are Democrats, 5 are women.

Almost every ethnic background is being represented by these candidates and the organizations, from Indian, Pakistanis, to Chinese, Vietnamese,

and Korean. The positions they run also range from US Congress, Texas House Representatives, Texas Supreme Court to district and county judges.

There is one coherent voice that came out of these candidates and from the organizations, that is, Asian Americans must come out to vote!

They must elect officials who can represent them!

Rep. Gene Wu and Rep. Hubert Vo, who both attended the event, and represent the districts in southwest Houston with a predominant immigrant population, alerted the audience how vulnerable the community is under the current political climate and with a historical low voter turn out among the Asian Americans. “If we don’t vote, we have no voice!” Rep. Wu repeated several times during the meeting.

The awakening of the community cannot be better represented by the candidates who spoke energetically and passionately about the election and the future of the community. Half of them are also judiciary candidates,

who emphasized the important need of Asian American participation and the lack of representation in the Texas court system which has been dominated by the Republican party for the last 40 years. The candidates took particular effort in explaining the position they are running for and how it affects every family on every level, from business transaction, probate handling, to even school bullying.

It is very clear from these candidates and the contrast they showed which party is supporting them, as many of them also spoke about the current anti-immigrant movement and asked people to vote for Straight Democratic Party in this election. In fact, this is the last midterm this option can be exercised before it expires in 2020. Choosing the Straight Democratic Party will allow the most number of Asian American Candidates to be included in the vote.

Thurs., Nov. 29 – 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Meet Houston Asian American Democratic Candidates Running for Texas Offices

2018 Election

Early Voting: 10/22 – 11/2 Election Day: 11/6 Tuesday Vote “Straight Party” R.K. Sandill Justice, Supreme Court, Place 4 http://www.sandillfortexas.com Kathy Cheng Justice, Supreme Court, Place 6 http://chengforjustice.com Alexander Karjeker State Representative, District 129 https://www.alexkforthebay.com Gene Wu State Representative, District 137 http://genefortexas.com

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Democratic Party

Hubert Vo State Representative, District 149

Christine Weems District Judge, 281St Judicial District https://www.weemsforjudge.com

Frances Bourliot Justice, 14Th Court Of Appeals, Place 5 http://francesbourliot.com

KP George Fort Bend County Judge http://www.kpgeorge.com

Rabeea Collier District Judge, 113Th Judicial District https://rabeeacollierforjudge.com

Juli Mathew Fort Bend County Court at Law, #3 https://www.juliforjudge.com

Jason Luong District Judge, 185Th Judicial District https://jasonluongforjudge.com

Leshan D. Jayasekera Justice of the Peace Pct.2 Place.2 http://Jay4Justice.com Brazoria

A record-breaking 15 Asian Americans are running in Houston!

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VOICE OF ASIA 7

FRIDAY, October 26, 2018

Grand 7th Duseera and Diwali at Skeeters .....

Congressman Pete Olson leading the Dussehra Parade as The Parade Marshal Continuedfrom Page 1 companied merriment and dancing by many.

The Constellation field was a visual delight with effigies of demons (to be consumed by fire later) on one hand; a beautiful temple of the prominent Hindu God ‘Ram’ decorated with 6 feet high elephants on either side in the center field; and a towering 25 feet high inflatable replica of Hindu God, Hanuman on the other side. The huge concert style stage built on the 2nd base of the stadium with large LED screens held everyone’s attention, where a number of stage performances continued from 5:00 p.m. onwards.

Several children dressed up as inspirational characters from Indian history, enthusiastically participated in the costume contest. Houston’s best dance schools performed variety of dances in the spirit of Diwali Dussehra Theme. Mesmerizing performances such as Brides of India, 10 Vishnus, Egyptian Spiritual Dance by Tanoura dancer, Action packed Ram leela Yuddh Kand, Eight minute Ramayan Dance kept audience captivated. A helicopter rose petals shower to Coronate GOD Ram grandly concluded stage performances.

The chief guest for the event was Texas Governor Gregg Abbott who flew in from Austin to celebrate Diwali with 10,000 plus attendees at Skeeter’s stadium. He fondly talked about his visit to India earlier this year, his meeting with Prime Minister Modi, and with Indian Industry leaders. He spoke about the growing friendship and trade between India and Texas and the similarities between Indian and Texan values. He talked about values that Diwali stands for, i.e. ‘Victory of good over Evil’, ‘Knowledge over ignorance’, ‘light over darkness’ and ‘hope over despair’. The growing similarity of shared values such as education, entrepreneurship, economic advancement, and compassion will continue to bring the communities of India, Texas and Indian Americans closer to each other.

Congressman Pete Olson was declared as The Parade Marshal for the Dussehra Parade, the highlight of the evening for which audience patiently waited.

Dussehra Parade lead by Congressman Pete Olson holding the Indian flag was followed by community at large. Many Temples, Ismali Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, local groups, cultural organizations, faith and service based organizations delightedly participated in the parade, representing unity in diversity. Floats from 45 different organizations depicted Indian culture, heritage and scenes from Indian History. Wells Fargo stage coach majestically pulled by 4 horses followed by Jagganath Chariot by OCC concluded the spectacular parade.

Priest from different temples in Houston together performed Maha Aarti, the final prayers to conclude the event; a ritual to worship, glorify and thank Lord Ram (God) for the celebrations and for the wellbeing of all living beings in the world. Thousands at the stadium switched on their phone flash lights while kids switched on their finger lights given earlier and participated silently in Maha Aarti.

The event was concluded with the countdown for effigy burning of the demons, followed by remarkable Diwali fireworks to celebrate the ‘Victory of Good over Evil’.

As people filed to leave the stadium at the conclusion of the event around 10:30 p.m., several were heard mentioning that they could hardly wait for next year’s event. This event has become a prominent festival in Houston and attracted a large number of Americans from Fort Bend and adjoining counties as well as visitors from as far away places as Los Angles and New York.

In particular, this event not only featured people from various backgrounds but also made everyone feel welcome. For example, Jessica Gonzalez from the Swami Dayanand Education Foundation noted “This is such

a lively event, and although I am not Indian, I feel like I am a part of it.”

Mr. Ranjit Singh of the Sikh National Center echoed this sentiment by saying “I have celebrated this event since I was a child, and this celebration does a great job of representing various cultures and religions.” When asked about their experience, another visitor said “The Dusherra Diwali mela was the most spectacular event I had ever attended. I have not seen something so big in India too. The maha-aarti was cherry on the cake, thousands of people doing Aarti together reminded me of Shri ganga river Aarti in Haridwar.

This was my first time here and I’m bounded for a lifetime now”.

The event was covered by all local TV News channels, the print media, and a few Indian TV channels.

The Foundation wants to express its thanks all sponsors, volunteers, participating organizations and performers who contributed to make this event a huge success.

Dr. Verma receiving Congressional proclamation from Congressman Al Green.

Artists who performed in the drama Ram leela from the epic Ramayan and other skits as part of the celebrations.

ASIA

VOICE OF ASIA 8

FRIDAY, October 26, 2018

Japan's Abe to make rare China visit as relations thaw

B

EIJING | AFP 10/24/2018 - Japan's Shinzo Abe is due to arrive in China Thursday, the first visit to the Asian giant by a Japanese prime minister since relations between the two countries soured six years ago over a territorial row.

Abe and Chinese president Xi Jinping are expected to discuss how to improve economic cooperation as the world's second and third largest economies prepare to weather a US onslaught of trade measures.

Japanese business is eager for increased access to China's massive market, while Beijing is interested in Japanese technology and corporate knowhow.

The visit is the first by a Japa-

The incident prompted antiJapanese riots in China, and kicked off a frosty spell that has only recently begun to thaw.

Since an awkward 2014 encounter between Abe and Xi on the sidelines of a summit, there have been ministerial visits by both sides and a softening of rhetoric.

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe shake hands with China's President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of a summit last month, as ties between the world's second and third largest economies gradually thaw. (Photo: © Japan Pool via Jiji Press/AFP) nese premier since 2011 and is part of a years-long process of repairing relations in the wake of a disastrous falling-out in 2012,

when Tokyo "nationalised" disputed islands claimed by Beijing.

Abe's three-day trip to Beijing sets up the possibility that the Chinese leader will visit Japan next year.

The two leaders are likely to focus on a range of potential deals, including joint investments in infrastructure in regional nations including Indonesia and the Philippines.

They are also expected to

discuss the territorial issue that put their relationship into a deep freeze.

Just days before Abe's trip, Tokyo lodged an official complaint after Chinese ships cruised around the disputed islands that Tokyo calls the Senkaku and Beijing labels the Diaoyu islands.

China has long denounced Japan for what it says is an insufficiently contrite attitude towards its role in the Second World War. But ahead of the trip, Beijing has taken a more cordial stance than it has in the past.

During Abe's visit, the leaders will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the signing of a treaty

between the two countries that was intended to set the tone for their relations following the Second World War. On Wednesday, Chinese spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular press briefing that China believes the countries are "duty-bound to strengthen communication and cooperation and jointly safeguard international rules and order to promote world peace and development with each undertaking its respective efforts".

Japanese media have reported Abe is hoping the visit will produce a soft power win in the form of some panda diplomacy, with zoos in Sendai and Kobe apparently angling for new additions.

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Republican Party and Asian American Same Values, Same Principles Freedom to Achieve the American Dream Quality Education Low Cost Health Care Traditional Family Values Quality, High paying Jobs

Name (print) Signature & date _____________________________ _________________________________ Date Address _____________________________ _________________________________

SAME VALUE, SAME SAME PRINCIPLES VALUE, SAME PR OUR REPUBLICAN PARTY INCIPLES OUR RE PU Asian American Republican SAMBELIVCAN PART Y Asian Americ Values Values an ALURepEubl, ican Values S Qaulity Education OUR R EPUBValuAesME PRINCIP Qaulity AsiaEd n uc

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Paid for Republican Party of Texas. Not Authorized by any candidate’s committee Paid for Repu blican Party of Texas. Not Authorized by any candidate ’s committee Paid fo r Repu blican Party of Texa s. Not Author ized by any ca ndida te’s co mmitt ee

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I agree to abide by the ICC Bylaws and will disclose any conflict of interest prior to the election.

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SOUTH ASIA

VOICE OF ASIA 9

India removes federal investigators over corruption feud

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EW DEHLI, India| AFP |Wednesday 10/24/2018 - Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government Wednesday removed the chief of India's federal investigation agency and his deputy after months of infighting that saw the pair accusing each other of corruption.

The government took the unusual step of intervening because of "extraordinary and unprecedented circumstances" at the CBI, including Verma refusing to hand over documents as part of a government inquiry into misconduct.

Verma last week launched a bribery investigation into Asthana, accusing him of taking bribes to stymie a probe into an exporter facing charges of money laundering and tax evasion.

Asthana had already accused his boss of taking kickbacks in the same case.

The government, in standing down both men, also quashed Verma's inquiry into alleged corruption involving his deputy and ordered investigators to stand down.

The head of that unit was transferred to a post in the Andaman Islands -- a remote Indian territory in its seas to the east.

Verma has appealed his dismissal at the Supreme Court, which will hear his appeal Friday.

The court has in the past described the CBI -- the Indian equivalent of the FBI -- as a "caged parrot", one constrained in its inquiries by the ruling par-

Saudi Arabia pledges $3 billion to Pakistan amid balance of payment crisis

by Nasir JAFFRY

I

SLAMABAD, Pakistan | AFP | Tuesday 10/23/2018 -Saudi Arabia on Tuesday pledged $3 billion to Pakistan as the South Asian country battles a balance of payment crisis, a statement from Islamabad said.

Alok Verma, the director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and his secondin-command Rakesh Asthana were relieved of duty pending inquiry, the government said in a statement.

Both men had levelled "grave allegations of corruption" against one another, risking a "potential loss of credibility and reputation" to the agency.

FRIDAY, October 26, 2018

Alok Kumar Verma (Photographer: Hindustan Times/Getty Images) ty of the day.

The agency has the authority to pursue high-profile individuals or cases deemed outside the reach of local police.

India's opposition, including the Congress Party, accused Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of overreach and trying to control the agency.

India's Finance Minister Arun Jaitley rebuffed suggestions the government had acted in self interest.

"The CBI is our premier investigative agency. And the maintenance of its institutional integrity is absolutely essential," he told reporters in New Delhi.

The government appointed Asthana to the CBI deputy post last year.

Before that, he spent decades as a high-ranking police official in Gujarat, including during Modi's more than decade-long tenure as chief minister of the state.

It also agreed to provide up to another $3 billion on deferred payment for import of oil, the statement added.

The agreement came between the two countries during a visit by Prime Minister Imran Khan to Riyadh where he met King Salman bin Abdulaziz.

Khan also attended a Saudi Arabian investment conference where the new Pakistani leader launched a charm offensive targeting potential investors as Pakistan continues to seek funding to plug its deteriorating finances.

The summit, nicknamed "Davos in the desert", has been overshadowed by grow-

ing global outrage over the murder of journalist and Saudi government critic Jamal Khashoggi.

The two countries "agreed Saudi Arabia will place a deposit of USD 3 Billion for a period of one year as balance of payment support", said the statement.

"It was also agreed that a one year deferred payment facility for import of oil, up to $3 billion, will be provided by Saudi Arabia.

"This arrangement will be in place for three years, which will be reviewed thereafter."

During his address at the troubled Future Investment Initiative (FII) in Riyadh, Khan confirmed that Pakistan was also in talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) over a new bailout.

The prime minister's attendance at the FII comes as leading policy-makers and corporate chiefs shunned the

conference in response to the death of Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul -- a scandal that has tipped Riyadh into a diplomatic crisis.

Since taking power in August Khan has also sought loans from allies such as China and Saudi Arabia, promised to recover funds stolen by corrupt officials, and embarked on a series of high-profile populist austerity measures.

But help has been in short supply and economists' warnings have grown increasingly urgent.

The Saudi pledge comes days after Pakistan's central bank warned inflation could double in the coming year -hitting 7.5 percent -- while the country’s growth target rate of 6.2 percent would likely be missed.

Pakistani finance minister Asad Umar on Saturday warned the country was fast heading towards bankruptcy.

Flashpoint Indian temple closes without admitting women

N

EW DEHLI, India| AFP |Tuesday 10/23/2018 - The latest window for worship at a flashpoint Indian shrine has closed without a single female devotee of menstruating age being admitted, despite a court order overturning a ban on their presence in the temple.

Mobs of Hindu hardliners prevented women aged 10 to 50 from getting in to the Sabarimala temple complex when it opened last Wednesday for the first time since the Supreme Court reversed a ban on women of menstruating age from worshipping at the temple.

The shrine in southern Kerala state is only open on a handful of auspicious days every year, and a number of Hindu women between these ages had flocked there in the wake of the court order.

But the ruling had enraged traditionalists, including supporters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Protesters, including women and children, massed at the base of the shrine when it opened last week, threatening women trying to reach it.

Some smashed car windows and clashed with police.

Armed police escorted some devotees but none managed to make it to the hilltop temple over the five-day worship period before it closed late Monday. It will not reopen until November.

Sabarimala has become a flashpoint in a battle over gender equality, pitting religious traditionalists against progressive voices pushing for a Indian Hindu devotees are pictured at the Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala more liberal Hinduin the southern state of Kerala, Oct. 18, 2018. (AFP photo) ism.

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VOICE OF ASIA 10

Trump chooses Neil Chatterjee as new energy commission chairman

by Timothy Cama

P

E&E News reported last week that McIntyre had missed the meetings due to health issues.

McIntyre previously announced in March that he had undergone treatment for a cancerous brain tumor last year. In July, he said in a FERC podcast that he suffered compression fractures in two vertebrae and injured his arm.

FERC did not immediately respond to a request for comment, or say if McIntyre plans to stay on the commission.

Trump has the authority to name a new chairman without Senate approval, as long as the chairman is a current commissioner.

T

Photo: © Greg Nash reject Energy Secretary Rick Perry’s landmark proposal to prop up coal and nuclear plants by mandating higher payments for electricity from them.

FERC is meant to have five commissioners. But it is currently one short; Trump has nominated Republican Ber-

nard McNamee for the fifth spot.

If McIntyre were to step down from the commission completely, it would have a Democratic majority, with Democrats Cheryl LaFleur and Richard Glick outweighing Chatterjee.

he number of speakers of Telugu, a south Indian language, has grown by 86% in the last seven years. However, it is still outside the top 20 of the most widelyspoken languages other than English.

Think of the most commonlyspoken languages other than English in the United States and this one from southern India may not spring to mind.

The number of US residents speaking Telugu rose by 86% between 2010 and 2017, according to an online video by the World Economic Forum.

The video referred to a study by the US-based Centre for Immigration Studies, which analysed census data to look at the pace at which languages are being spoken in America.

Trump rallies in Texas......

Continued from Page 1 The 47-year-old junior senator from Texas fired off insults of his own, calling Trump a "pathological liar" and "utterly amoral."

McIntyre and Chatterjee are both Republicans, nominated and confirmed to the commission last year. McIntyre was previously an attorney representing energy companies, including in dealings with FERC. Chatterjee was the top energy adviser to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (RKy.).

But sporting black cowboy boots, Cruz welcomed the president to the Lone Star State on the tarmac as he descended from Air Force One.

Chatterjee is seen as an advocate for coal, owing in part to the fact that he hails from Kentucky. But he has also repeatedly stated his commitment to FERC’s neutrality and its mandate not to favor any energy source over others.

"He defended your jobs. He defended your borders," Trump said later at the rally. "He defends your families and your faith."

Both commissioners were part of the unanimous FERC decision earlier this year to

Telugu is the fastest growing language in the US Study by American think tank finds

resident Trump named Neil Chatterjee to be the chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Wednesday, replacing previous chairman Kevin McIntyre.

The move, announced by the White House, came after McIntyre did not attend two consecutive monthly meetings of the commission, which oversees wholesale electricity markets, natural gas pipelines and other major energy policy areas.

FRIDAY, October 26, 2018

"He's not Lyin' Ted anymore,'" Trump told reporters before leaving for Texas, bestowing Cruz with two new nicknames: "Beautiful Ted" and "Texas Ted."

"We are defending together with other great Republicans your freedom," he said, encouraging Texans to "get out there and vote."

Thousands of Trump supporters arrived hours in advance of the rally -- swarming streets around Houston's Toyota Center stadium in a festival-like atmosphere that was to include live music and food trucks.

Some had camped overnight, bundled up against the frigid temperatures, according to local media.

Trump focused particularly on immigration, a tender point in the border state of Texas.

The rally is timed with the beginning of early voting in the state. Local media reported unexpectedly heavy traffic at polling stations, where some also camped overnight in order to cast their ballots.

With national attention on Houston, O'Rourke campaigned in various spots around the city to boost supporters and encourage them to vote early.

"We are here for everyone," O'Rourke told a crowd in Pasa-

dena, a Houston suburb, "Republicans, Democrats, independents alike."

- Far from a cake-walk Opinion polls still have the ultra-conservative Cruz in the driver's seat, but he is far from the cake-walk win he and the party initially predicted.

"Beto," as supporters of the 46-year-old O'Rourke call him, is making life difficult for Cruz.

While positioning himself firmly on the left, O'Rourke has eschewed the anti-Trump rhetoric systematically rolled out by most of his party -- a move that has won over voters.

Some even say O'Rourke could be the party's savior in the next presidential election in 2020.

Trump has called O'Rourke a "total lightweight" but the Democrat has opted not to trade insults with the president on Twitter.

So what's behind the rise of Telugu?

Telugu is mainly spoken in the south Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. They have a combined population of 84 million people. It's the fourth most spoken language in India, according to the 2011 census.

The study on languages spoken in the US used data from the American Community Survey and compared the number of people who said they spoke a language other than English at home in 2010 and 2017.

Last year there were more than 400,000 Telugu speakers in the US - nearly double the number in 2010.

Out of the top 10 fastest-growing languages in America, seven are from South Asia.

So why Telugu?

A lot of this can be attributed to the links forged between the city of Hyderabad and the US engineering and technology industries, says Prasad Kunisetty, founder of the Telugu People Foundation, a non-profit organisation in the US. Mr Kunisetty moved to the US in 2001 seeking a career in the IT sector.

The rapid growth of information technology in the mid1990s led to a huge demand for software engineers, he said.

Many were recruited from Hyderabad, the biggest Teluguspeaking city. Both Teluguspeaking states together now have more than 800 engineering colleges.

The city has become a major hub for the technology and engineering industry in India and has been sending students to the US in droves.

Can English remain the 'world's favourite' language?

How many words do you need to speak a language?

Down the years Telugu-speaking Americans have continued to hire software engineers from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Many Indians benefit from the

H-1B visa scheme, which provides work visas to thousands of foreigners each year often in the technology sector. An estimated 70% go to Indian workers. It allows recipients of the visas to apply for permanent residency status.

Notable US-based Telugu speakers include the first IndianAmerican Miss America Nina Davuluri and the current Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.

Why a new US visa bill is causing panic in India The rise of Telugu is significant as a percentage increase but it started from a low base compared to other languages.

There were more new speakers of Spanish (up to four million more), Chinese, Arabic and Hindi between 2010 and 2017, according to the Centre for Immigration Studies.

Of the more than 60 million people that speak a language other than English out of the total population of about 320 million, the vast majority speak Spanish.

Out of the most commonly spoken South Asian languages, Hindi is first, followed by Urdu, Gujarati and then Telugu.

The number of people who speak French and German at home has declined. The number of Italian speakers has decreased by more than 200,000 in the last decade.

About 80% of the Teluguspeakers surveyed said they speak English very well.

However, one shortcoming of the census data is that the respondents are asked how well they speak English and not about proficiency in other languages, says Jennifer Leeman, a professor of linguistics at George Mason University.

"It's hard to know the nonEnglish proficiency of those people who speak English well, especially if they were born in the US or immigrated as children."

Source: BBC Telugu

VOICE OF ASIA 11

FRIDAY, October 26, 2018

Voice of Asia to host 2019 Indian American Nurses Legacy Award

T

he purpose of the Indian-American Nurses Legacy Award is to honor, recognize, award and to give the respect due to Indian American Nurses for their sacrifice and service. This will help the next generation to recognize the nurses who walked before all of us to this land of opportunity who are responsible for the rich life the later generation is enjoying now.

If you are not a nurse, please help in reaching someone else you know who is deservng to be awarded. Please participate and support this noble act by registering your name in our form available online at www.voiceofasia.news.

Koshy Thomas Publisher and CEO, Voice of Asia Group You can call me at 832-419-7537

Indian American Nurses Legacy Award (IANLA) Presented by

Celebrating and honoring the services of the 1st generation Indian immigrant nurses who came to North America from 1965-1975.

Your best opportunity to leave a legacy for generations to come.

Be a part of the Commemorative Publication.

A great apportunity for sponsors & advertisers to be recognized.

(Need not be present to receive award)

Please forward this form to all your nurses contacts.

Send form to: nursesawards@gmail.com or register online at voiceofasia.news. or simply email details to nursesawards@gmail.com For more information, please call: 713-774-5140. Submit form by November 30, 2018.

We request every Nurse who came till the end of 1975 to register.

Name: ______________________________________________________________________________ Email: _____________________________________________ Phone No: _________________________ Place of Arrival: _____________________________________ Date of Arrival: _____________________

Voice of Asia address: 8303 Southwest Freeway, Suite 325, Houston, TX 77074

VOICE OF ASIA 12

FRIDAY, October 26, 2018

VOICE OF ASIA 13

www.voiceofasia.news

Business Email: voiceasia@aol.com

Israel wins $777 mn Indian missile defence order

J

ERUSALEM | AFP | Wednesday 10/24/2018 - Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) said Wednesday it had won a $777 million (680 million euro) order from India to buy defence systems for its navy.

60 percent of its defence exports going to the Asia-Pacific region, according to Israeli defence ministry figures.

In April last year, Israel won 1.6 billion euros of orders from India, which it hailed as its largest ever arms export deal.

Russia is still by far India’s largest arms supplier. During a visit last week, President Vlad-

“It constitutes further proof that security is an investment not an expense,” Israeli De-

State-owned IAI, Israel’s largest defence firm, said worldwide sales of the Barak 8 system now totalled more than $6 billion.

Israel is among the world’s top arms dealers, with nearly

But as the United States has imposed sanctions on countries buying Russian military hardware, India has sought to diversify its suppliers.

Washington and New Delhi announced plans last month for joint military exercises in 2019 and the United States is now India’s second-biggest supplier.

fence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said of Wednesday’s deal.

“Israel Aerospace Industries is a pillar of the nation that we must conserve and strengthen,” he added, recalling his opposition to proposals for partial privatisation of the firm.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a “groundbreaking” first ever visit by an Indian premier to Israel in July last year to cement growing defence ties.

Pakistani stocks rebound on Saudi financial deal

K

ARACHI, Pakistan | AFP | Wednesday 10/24/2018 - Pakistani stocks climbed by nearly four percent Wednesday, hours after Saudi Arabia pledged to provide Islamabad with $6 billion in financial assistance to shore up a widening balance of payments crisis.

The benchmark KSE index of the Pakistan Stock Exchange gained 1,462 points or 3.85 percent in intra-day trading to push the index to 39,176 points.

The gains followed a string of losses on the bourse after mixed signals from newlyminted Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government on plans to address the country’s deteriorating finances.

On Tuesday, Khan struck a 12-month deal for a balance of payments lifeline during a visit to Saudi Arabia, which will deposit $3 billion with Pakistan’s central bank and provide a matching deferred payment facility for oil imports.

“The market has welcomed the Saudi package which has eased off the situation Pakistan was faced with of late,” Muzammil Aslam, former chief executive of EFG Hermes Pakistan -- the only foreign brokerage house in the country.

Khan’s government has also entered talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as it seeks a potential bailout package to stem its balance of payment and current account

deficits.

Tuesday’s relief package will likely lessen the amount of funds the country will need to secure from the IMF, analysts said. “Pakistan might get a $6-7 billion financial package from the IMF” in the wake of the Saudi deal, said Aslam.

Tel: 713-774-5140

Trump steps up attacks on Fed Chairman Jerome Powell

by Michael C. Bender

W

A S H I N G TO N — President Trump escalated his attacks on Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, saying the head of the nation’s central bank threatened U.S. economic growth and appeared to enjoy raising interest rates.

“Every time we do something great, he raises the interest rates,” Mr. Trump said, adding that Mr. Powell “almost looks like he’s happy raising interest rates.” The president declined to elaborate, and a spokeswoman for the Fed declined to

imir Putin won an order for the S-400 surface-to-air missile defence system, worth $5.2 billion according to an Indian source.

Section 2

In an interview Tuesday with The Wall Street Journal, Mr. Trump acknowledged the independence the Fed has long enjoyed in setting economic policy, while also making clear he was intentionally sending a direct message to Mr. Powell that he wanted lower interest rates.

The deal with India’s stateowned Bharat Electronics Limited to supply the marine version of the Barak 8 air and missile defence system for seven more warships follows a $630 million (551 million euro) order placed last year.

FRIDAY, October 26, 2018

comment.

cause of low-interest rates.

Mr. Trump said it was “too early to say, but maybe” he regrets nominating Mr. Powell.

In the 30-minute interview in the Oval Office, Mr. Trump also touched on his approach to tariffs, the controversy unfolding over the death of Saudi Arabian dissident Jamal Khashoggi, his eagerness to pass a second tax cut, and his thoughts on his former attorney, Michael Cohen.

Fed officials have raised their benchmark rate three times this year, most recently in September to a range between 2% and 2.25%, and most officials expect to raise it again at their December meeting. Mr. Powell has said the Fed wants to raise rates at least to a so-called neutral level that seeks to neither spur nor slow economic growth.

The president’s caustic comments about Mr. Powell came as Mr. Trump repeatedly described the economy in personal terms.

He referred to economic gains during his time in office as “my numbers,” saying, “I have a hot economy going.” He described his push for growth as a competition with former President Obama’s record, saying that increases under his Democratic predecessor were skewed be-

Asked an open-ended question about what he viewed as the biggest risks to the economy, Mr. Trump gave a single answer: the Fed. “To me the Fed is the biggest risk, because I think interest rates are being raised too quickly,” the president said just before he pushed a red button on his desk, summoning an iced cola delivered to him on a silver platter.

Mr. Trump said that higher interest rates add to the debt and would act as a drag on economic growth.

- Wall Street Journal

US stocks plunge, sending Dow into the red for 2018

N

EW YORK | AFP | 10/24/2018 - US stocks finished a punishing session sharply lower Wednesday, with major indices sinking more than two percent and the Dow and S&P 500 tumbling and wiping out all the 2018 gains.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 2.4 percent to close at 24,583.42, a single day loss of more than 600 points.

The tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index plummeted 4.4 percent to finish at 7,108.40, posting its worst day since 2011, while the broad-based S&P 500 sank 3.1 percent to 2,656.15.

The losses followed a mixed day of corporate earnings that analysts fear signal the economy is exiting the “peak” earnings environment helped by US tax cuts that were enacted late last year.

Investors also have been un-

nerved by comments from industrial companies saying trade conflicts have raised material costs.

“Costs are increasing and it’s often tariff-related. We also reached a potential peak for earnings,” said Nate Thooft, senior managing director at Manulife Mutual Funds.

“Companies that show marginal weakness take a beating.”

The share price declines also came after data on US home sales fell to their slowest pace in nearly two years, and a Federal Reserve report showed firms nationwide are worried about the rising hit from tariffs and widespread labor shortages.

The expectation the Fed will continue to raise interest rates also has buffeted stocks this month, alongside anxiety over the fallout from the murder of Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi and an ongoing

budget dispute between Italy and Brussels.

Technology shares were especially hard hit Wednesday, with Amazon losing 5.9 percent, Facebook 5.4 percent, Google-parent Alphabet 4.8 percent and Netflix 9.4 percent.

Chip companies also sank following a disappointing forecast from Texas Instruments, which dropped 8.2 percent.

Applied Materials lost 5.1 percent, Micron 8.4 percent and Advanced Micro Devices 9.2 percent.

A rare bright spot was Boeing, which advanced 1.3 percent after raising its full-year profit forecast.

But other large industrial companies in the Dow fell, including Caterpillar and 3M which dropped 5.6 percent and 4.2 percent, respectively. The two companies also fell sharply on Tuesday following disappointing results.

An IMF team is set to arrive in Pakistan in early November to begin negotiations.

Since taking power in August, the former cricketer Khan has sought loans from friendly countries such as China and Saudi Arabia, promised to recover funds stolen by corrupt officials, and embarked on a series of high-profile populist austerity measures.

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VOICE OF ASIA 14

FRIDAY, October 26, 2018

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Section 2 www.voiceofasia.news Email: voiceasia@aol.com

‘Halloween’ knocks ‘Venom’ Mark Ruffalo off global box office top spot to play twins in HBO miniseries

Bollywood star couple announce wedding dates

US actor Mark Ruffalo, here seen in Cannes, May 2014, for “Foxcatcher,” which earned him an Oscar nomination. (AFP Photo / Loic Venance)

H

OLLYWOOD - After Ewan McGregor’s double act in “Fargo” and James Franco’s dopplegangers in “The Deuce,” it’s Mark Ruffalo’s turn to play two related characters in HBO’s “I Know This Much Is True.”

Based on the 1998 novel of the same name, “I Know This Much Is True” will see Mark Ruffalo play identical twins Dominick and Thomas Birdsey.

While Dominick has the apparently normal life, Thomas struggles with paranoid schizophrenia and their paths compel Dominick to uncover a sequence of family secrets.

HBO is promoting it as a family saga that “follows the parallel lives of identical twin brothers in an epic story of betrayal, sacrifice, and forgiveness.”

‘Halloween’ tops the global box office.© Courtesy of Universal Pictures International France

L

OS ANGELES - Freshly released in the US, the horror movie -- which sees Jamie Lee Curtis return to the franchise -- tops the global box office for the weekend of October 21, grossing over $90M and knocking “Venom” into second place.

Out October 19 in US theaters, “Halloween” is already proving a hit with moviegoers. The picture, directed by David Gordon Green, tops the North American box office and grossed $91.8M worldwide over the weekend, flying high above “Venom,” which drops to second place in the global ranking with $50.4M. That film, starring Tom Hardy and Michelle Williams, has grossed a total of $461.8M since its theatrical release.

Bradley Cooper’s directorial debut, “A Star is Born,” stays in the top three, grossing $42.1M over the weekend. The Neil Armstrong biop-

ic “First Man,” starring Ryan Gosling and Claire Foy, drops to fourth place grossing almost $22M. Global box-office top 10: 01. Halloween: $91.8M 02. Venom: $50.4M 03. A Star is Born: $42.1M 04. First Man: $21.96M 05. Smallfoot: $20.6M 06. Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween: $15.9M 07. Project Gutenberg: $14.7M 08. The Hate U Give: $7.5M 09. Night School: $6.5M 10. Bad Times At The El Royale: $5.8M - Relaxnews

Prior to becoming a regular in Marvel’s enormous superhero franchise “The Avengers,” Mark Ruffalo has featured in “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” “Zodiac,” and “The Normal Heart.”

The last time he led a TV series was in the March 2000 NYPD drama “The Beat.” He is to appear in the 2019 sequel to “Avengers: Infinity War.” In 2017, Marvel told Ruffalo to go live on Instagram before the world premiere of Thor: Ragnarok. Ruffalo went into the theatre when he was done filming and thought he had ended the livestream, as he was not aware that he had to press a second button to end the livestream.

According to Ruffalo, he did not remove his phone from his pocket due to the cinema phone deactivation policy.

Deepika and Ranveer reportedly started dating five years ago. (File photo)

N

EW DELHI, India | AFP | Bollywood superstars Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh announced Sunday that they are tying the knot, ending months of speculation about their relationship.

The pair confirmed they will be married next month in a statement posted on their official Twitter accounts in Hindi and English.

“With the blessings of our families, gives us immense joy in sharing that our wedding is set to take place on the 14th and 15th of November, 2018,” it stated.

Padukone, 33, and Singh 32, reportedly started dating in 2013 but had kept details of their relationship largely out of the public eye.

Padukone is one of Bollywood’s highest-paid stars and one to break into Hollywood, starring in “xXx: Return of Xander Cage” opposite Vin Diesel.

The soon-to-be-weds have also shared the silver screen together, including a controversial Bollywood epic earlier this year that sparked violent protests in northern India.

Padukone played a legendary Hindu queen and Singh a medieval Muslim ruler in the flick, which angered hardliners, some of whom burned down cinemas and made threats towards the two stars.

Singh debuted in 2010 and has worked in 14 films. Padukone has acted in about 40 movies since 2006.

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LEGAL

VOICE OF ASIA 15

Section 2

Email: voiceasia@aol.com

YOUR IMMIGRATION LAWYER

FAMILY LAW How To Co-Parent Effectively To Support The Children’s Best Interest

Mala Sharma

D

ivorces create stress not only upon the parents, but also on the children. It is critical to do whatever it takes to alleviate the stress and any other adverse consequences on these children.

During and after the divorce, successful co-parenting will help take care of these needs of the children. Although this can be extremely difficult, this strategy will prevail and is necessary.

which is in their best interest. What is ‘in the child’s best interest’ is the determining factor for many decisions regarding the children after separation by the parents. It would be wise for you to take all actions necessary to ensure the best outcome for your children.

Always speak to a qualified attorney to help you through this process.

• Do not hold important information such as education and medical information from your ex. Do not create barriers with your ex from receiving such information and also, encourage your ex to have the opportunity to also properly care for the children themselves.

Without this crucial step in co-parenting, the children will not receive the proper attention and care they require from medical providers and educators. This is in the best interest for your children’s emotional and physical care.

Here are a few tips: • Do not use disparaging or harsh words towards your ex and instead, encourage positive communication. If at all, keep conversations centered on the children. Children are highly affected by parents that argue, use harsh words, or never speak at all. When there is free flow of speech between parents, children will also speak up.

About Mala Sharma 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.

• Encourage your ex to also have a solid relationship with the children and for their families to also have a relationship with the children. This enables the children to feel part of the family and loved. The children’s accessibility to grandparents, cousins, and friends is highly favored by Texas Courts and helps show that the children are in the best environment to benefit from.

• Try to live in close proximity to your ex.

This will not only makes transportation easier, but will also create a more stable environment for the children supporting the children’s emotional wellbeing. Although this is

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.

Great co-parenting will help children get through the divorce and grow healthily,

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Sharlene Sharmila Richards

Q: When was this policy implemented and what is the new policy?

A: The new policy was implemented on August 9th, 2018. It relates to how unlawful presence will accrue for nonimmigrant F and M students and J exchange visitors. Under this policy, F, M and J nonimmigrant visa holders will begin accruing unlawful presence as of August 9th, 2018 for failing to maintain their status unless unlawful presence has already begun to accrue due to a prior determination of violation of status by either an immigration judge who had ordered the individual removed, excluded or deported or by a USCIS official. The importance of this new policy is that nonimmigrant F, M and J visa holders could now find themselves subject to the 3 to 10 year admission bars if they depart the United States after having accrued unlawful presence of more than 180 days and or more than 1 year respectively.

Q: I am an F-1 Student and I had dropped out of school last week because of some personal difficulties I am experiencing. I intend to return to my native country next month.

How much unlawful presence do I have and will it affect my future return to the US? A: Under this new policy, you will begin to accrue unlawful presence the day after you dropped out of school last week and this will continue until the day you depart the United States next month. You will have less than 180 days unlawful presence if you do depart the United States next month. Having less than 180 days unlawful presence theoretically will

ATTORNEYS AND COUNSELORS AT LAW

INTEGRITY

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

ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS ABOUT USCIS NEW POLICY ON UNLAWFUL PRESENCES FOR F, M AND J VISA HOLDERS. not result in future denial of entry but will be a factor to be considered. If you try to seek a future entry to the United States, you are best advised to be prepared to explain what had happened which resulted in you dropping out of school last week.

Q: My sister who was on F-1 status already graduated in May 2018.

She did not return home after her graduation.

When did her unlawful presence begin?

A: Under this new policy, your sister has been accruing unlawful presence since August 9th, 2018.

Q: Can you please explain if I am able to reinstate my student status and whether the time during the reinstatement is counted towards the period of unlawful presence? I had dropped out of school and now I wish to reinstate my student status. My school informed me that I am within the 5 month period for reinstatement. I intend to submit my application for reinstatement before this 5 month period expires.

What happens if my application is denied?

A: Under this policy, the period before the filing of a timely reinstatement application is counted toward the 180 days unlawful presence time.

Because you will be filing a timely application for reinstatement (i.e. within the 5-month period) the period of time while your reinstatement application is pending is tolled. If your reinstatement application is denied, you will begin to accrue unlawful presence again from the date of the denial until the time of your departure from the United States.

more than 8 months now.

The reason for this was because I became pregnant and during the first trimester, I was experiencing very bad morning sickness and then my father passed away and I became very depressed, I was not able attend school. How will filing for reinstatement affect my unlawful presence?

A: Because your reinstatement application is not timely (filed outside of the 5 months period of having lost your student status) the period of time while your application is pending will not be tolled and unlawful presence will continue to accrue.

However, if your application is subsequently approved, your student status has been restored and any period of unlawful presence that has accrued will be ‘wiped off’ retroactively.

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.

You may contact her at telephone number 713623-8088 or by email at srichardslaw@aol.com to schedule a free consultation to discuss your case.

OOF

not always possible, it is the easiest way for the children to be close to both parents and also allows both parents to have access to the children for successful co-parenting.

Courts prefer both parents to have equal access to the children.

Tel: 713-774-5140

Q: I intend to file for reinstatement of my student status. My school informed me that I have been out of status for

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FRIDAY, October 26, 2018

VOICE OF ASIA 16

Young Life

Young people are suing the Trump administration over climate change.

She’s their lawyer.

by John Schwartz

E

UGENE, Oregon, Oct. 23, 2018 - Julia Olson climbed the slope of Spencer Butte, taking the steeper of the two paths. Near the summit, shrouding pines suddenly gave way to a vista of the Cascades. On this day, summer wildfires, their season lengthened by climate change, put a haze in the sky.

The young plaintiffs claim that the government’s actions, and inaction, in the face of global warming violate their “fundamental constitutional rights to freedom from deprivation of life, liberty, and property.” Their age is central to their argument: For older Americans, the potentially catastrophic effects of climate change are a problem, but ultimately an abstract one. Today’s children, however, will be dealing with disaster within their lifetimes; the youngest of the plaintiffs, Levi Draheim, will be just 33 in 2040, the year by which a United Nations scientific panel now expects some of the biggest crises to begin.

But as of now, less than a week before the trial is scheduled to start in Federal District Court in Eugene, whether the young people will get their day in court is still an open question. On Friday, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. granted a Trump administration request to put a brief hold on the proceedings to consider government filings that could derail the case.

It is unclear how long the delay will last, or what the outcome will be. The Supreme Court could even dismiss the litigation, though that would be unusual at this early stage.

The lawsuit, Juliana v. United States, is the most visible case for Ms. Olson and her nonprofit organization, Our Children’s Trust. The group is involved in similar legal actions in almost every state, and other climate suits around the world.

Ms. Olson originally filed the federal suit in 2015 against the Obama administration, demanding faster action from a president already seen as friendly to environmental interests. Working under a legal principle known as the public trust doctrine, which can be used to compel the government to preserve natural resources

Why we need to pay attention to young introverts

A

re you an introvert or extrovert? Do you know where you land on the personality scale? At the end of this article, you can find an interesting test to use for your own understanding.

According to Psychology Today, researchers estimate extroverts make up 50%-74% of the population. On the other spectrum, 16%-50% of the population is made up of introverts.

The words introvert and extrovert were first introduced to society by Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung. Jung described introversion and extroversion as different ways we respond to the outside world.

The climb and return, which she can power through in an hour, is a head-clearing ritual for Ms. Olson, an environmental attorney. It is also a place to compose the soaring language of opening and closing arguments. “I do my legal thinking here,” she said.

If all goes as planned, Ms. Olson will deliver her opening argument on Monday in a landmark federal lawsuit against the Trump administration on behalf of 21 plaintiffs, ages 11 to 22, who are demanding that the government fight climate change. It is a case that could test whether the judicial branch has major role to play in dealing with global warming, and whether there is a constitutional right to a stable and safe climate.

FRIDAY, October 26, 2018

He described introverts as those who prefer small groups rather than large ones. He also stated introverts tend to enjoy quiet activities such as reading, writing, and thinking.

While people can be more introverted or more extroverted, most fall somewhere in the middle.

Julia Olson on a hike near Eugene, Ore. She is representing 21 young people who are suing the federal government. (Photo: Amanda Lucier) for public use, the initial complaint stated that government officials had “willfully ignored” the dangers of burning fossil fuels.

Then came President Trump, whose administration is reversing Obama-era climate policies and encouraging the use of fossil fuels, which greatly contribute to warming. “In the view of the plaintiffs, Obama was moving too slowly, and now Trump is moving backward,” said Michael B. Gerrard, director of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia Law School.

The young plaintiffs have demanded, among other things, that the courts force the government to “implement an enforceable national remedial plan to phase out fossil fuel emissions” in an effort to “stabilize the climate system.” The courts could then supervise the government’s efforts.

The Trump administration’s lawyers are not arguing that climate change is a hoax. Instead, they are making similar arguments to those that the Obama administration made when it, too, tried to dismiss the case: that the young people don’t have standing to sue (a legal formula requiring plaintiffs to show that, among other things, they have suffered a concrete, particular injury because of the actions of the defendant) and that the courts are the wrong place to deal with the issue.

“This lawsuit is an unconstitutional attempt to use a single Oregon court to control the entire nation’s energy and climate policy,” Jeffrey H. Wood, the Justice Department attorney in charge of the division representing the government, said in a statement.

But Judge Ann Aiken, who is scheduled to preside over the trial on Monday, has been receptive to the plaintiffs’ theory of the case. “I have no doubt that the right to a climate system capable of sustaining human life is fundamental to a free and ordered society,” she

said in a November 2016 decision allowing the case to go forward.

Since then, the case has rumbled toward trial. In an earlier order in July, the Supreme Court denied a government request to intervene, but wrote that the breadth of the plaintiffs’ claims was “striking,” which could be taken as a note of skepticism about the case’s prospects should it reach the justices.

Judge Ann Aiken of Federal District Court in Eugene met with a newly naturalized citizen.CreditBrian Davies/The Register-Guard, via Associated Press Trial preparation has been intense at Ms. Olson’s little law firm. Like many law offices, there is a conference room with a long table and computers humming, but there is also chilled kombucha on tap in the kitchen. “I’ve sort of addicted everybody to it,” Ms. Olson said.

Before her sprint up the butte on the day I visited, Ms. Olson had already attended a morning hearing at Eugene’s federal courthouse. Back at the converted 1920s bungalow that houses Our Children’s Trust, she talked with some young plaintiffs who had stayed over from a campground retreat she had held the week before. The subject: what would be expected of them in their depositions.

Philip L. Gregory, another lawyer in the case, described the deposition setup, jumping up and taking positions where the young people would be seated, where their attorney would be, where the questioning attorney would be and where the videographer would be. At that point, he mimicked someone hand-cranking a camera, which got confused giggles from the smartphone generation.

“The most important rule about the deposition is to tell the truth,” Mr. Gregory said.

“A deposition is not a test of understanding the law of ther-

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Are you an introvert or extrovert? (Photo: ISTOCK) If you have not read Susan Cain’s bestseller, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, you may want to take the wellworth time.

In her book, Cain explains, “At least one-third of the people we know are introverts.

They are the ones, who prefer

listening to speaking; who innovate and create but dislike self-promotion; who favor working on their own over working in teams. It is to introverts—Rosa Parks, Chopin, Dr. Seuss, Steve Wozniak—that we owe many of the great contributions to society.”

- Forbes

Youth hostels expand in U.S. by shedding old identity ‘Natural evolution’ from dorm-room setting makes headway in market

By Mengqi Sun

L

ondon-based hospitality group Generator opened its first U.S. property in Miami Beach last month, placing its dorm-roomlike accommodations outside Europe for the first time.

Just don’t call them youth hostels.

While Generator has been operating for 23 years and has 13 locations in popular European destinations like Paris, Barcelona and Amsterdam, its research of the U.S. market found that the term hostel is a turnoff to many American guests.

“The hostel thing doesn’t describe us that way,” said Alastair Thomann, chief executive of Generator Group, noting that its Miami property has more private rooms than the dorm-room settings with bunk beds usually associated with youth hostels. “We’re in the space in between hostel and cool boutique hotels.”

The moves reflect a broader shift in the fast-growing hostel industry away from its barebones past. Traditional hostels are adding more private rooms while some established hotel brands are shrinking their room

modynamics. It’s not a test on the history of World War II.” “Or climate change,” Ms. Olson interjected.

“Or climate change,” he agreed.

- New York Times

size and putting more focus on bars and food to target millennials, betting young travelers would pay a higher price for the hostel culture and experience.

“I think this is a natural evolution for the hostel, and it has just really grown in the past five years,” said David Eisen, director of hotel intelligence at HotStats.

Youth travelers are big business. According to the World Tourism Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations, travelers ages 15 to 29 accounted for an estimated 23% of all international travelers in 2015 and spent a total of $286 billion in 2014. Generator last year had more than two million guests globally.

As these properties become more popular and professional, Mr. Thomann said the number of corporate travelers is growing especially fast.

Generator, which is owned

by London-based real estate investment firm Queensgate Investments LLP, isn’t the only one embracing this market and putting less emphasis on the word “hostel.”

Freehand, a New York-based brand run by hotel company Sydell Group in partnership with private-equity investor Ronald Burkle, has upscale youth hostels in Los Angeles, New York and Chicago. Its first property opened in Miami Beach in 2012, but since then it has focused more on business travelers and private rooms, while decreasing the number of shared accommodations.

Hilton on Tuesday launched its first urban microbrand, called Motto by Hilton, which Chief Executive Christopher Nassetta once referred to as a “hostel on steroids” at a forum in New York last year.

The brand will have hostellike characteristics, such as smaller guest rooms compared with the core Hilton brand, the company said. But it isn’t a hostel and guests wouldn’t be sharing rooms with people they don’t know, Hilton said. The brand is counting on “hypercharged food and beverage opportunities” to make up for the lower rates, Phil Cordell, Hilton’s global head of new brand development, said earlier this year.

“Although Hilton won’t be opening hostels, we have been looking at the market to understand what opportunities there may be for a leading hospitality company,” Mr. Cordell said in an email.

Generator’s Miami Beach property has 344 beds in 105 rooms, and guests could pay as little as $20 for a bed in a dorm-style accommodation with four or six bunk beds or $95 for a private room with en suite bathroom. All rooms have an en suite bathroom.

The company said it expects to open another location in the Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C., next year.

As more hotels and real-estate investors announce these projects, Generator isn’t concerned, saying they have found the attention helpful at this stage. - Wall Street Journal

VOICE OF ASIA 17

FRIDAY, October 26, 2018

October is Learing Disabilities Awareness Month

Section 2

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Tel: 713-774-5140

Doctors warn of global C-section ‘epidemic’

H

by Patrick Galey

P

ealthcare is taking up an increasing share of the U.S. economy, and by 2026 the CMS Office of the Actuary projects that one in every five dollars spent in America will be spent on healthcare. As costs are increasing, we must make the healthcare system more efficient. Significant advancements in biomedicine are changing healthcare delivery for the better, and new technologies can increase efficiency in healthcare by promoting costeffective care and improving outcomes. Therefore, CMS is focused on encouraging innovation. We must ensure that our beneficiaries have access to the latest medical technologies in order to both improve the quality of care and lower costs.

ARIS, France | AFP Worldwide Caesarean section use has nearly doubled in two decades and has reached “epidemic” proportions in some countries, doctors warned Friday, highlighting a huge gap in childbirth care between rich and poor mothers.

They said millions of women each year may be putting themselves and their babies at unnecessary risk by undergoing C-sections at rates “that have virtually nothing to do with evidence-based medicine”.

In 2015, the most recent year for which complete data is available, doctors performed 29.7 million C-sections worldwide -- 21 percent of all births.

This was up from 16 million in 2000, or 12 percent of all births, according to research published in The Lancet.

It is estimated that the operation -- a vital surgical procedure when complications occur during birth -- is necessary 1015 percent of the time.

But the research found wildly varying country rates of Csection use, often according to economic status: in at least 15 countries more than 40 percent births are performed using the practice, often on wealthier women in private facilities.

In Brazil, Egypt and Turkey, more than half of all births are done via C-section.

The Dominican Republic has the highest rate of any nation, with 58.1 percent of all babies delivered using the procedure.

But in close to a quarter of nations surveyed, C-section use is significantly lower than average.

Authors pointed out that while the procedure is generally over-used in many middle- and high-income settings, women in low-income situations often lack necessarily access to what can be a life-saving procedure.

“We would not expect such differences between countries, between women by socioeconomic status or between provinces/states within countries based on obstetric need,” Ties Boerma, professor of public health at the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, and a lead author on the study, told AFP. Jane Sandall, professor of social science and women’s health at King’s College London and a study author, told AFP that there were a variety of reasons women were increasingly opting for surgery.

- Legal concerns These include “a lack of midwives to prevent and detect problems, loss of medical skills to confidently and competently attend a vaginal delivery, as

Modernizing Medicare to Take Advantage of the Latest Technologies

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ore than 3 million women in the United States give birth each year. But obstetricians have differing opinions about when women should begin pushing during labor and whether the timing of pushing increases the likelihood of a cesarean section, which carries a higher risk of complications compared with a vaginal delivery.

Many obstetricians recommend that a woman begin pushing as soon the cervix is fully dilated, while others advise waiting until she feels the urge to push. Until now, doctors have not had conclusive evidence about which approach is better for mothers and their babies.

well as medico-legal issues.”

Doctors are often tempted to organise C-sections to ease the flow of patients through a maternity clinic, and medical professionals are generally less vulnerable to legal action if they choose an operation over a natural birth.

Sandall also said there were often “financial incentives for both doctor and hospital” to perform the procedure.

The study warned that in many settings young doctors were becoming “experts” in C-section while losing confidence in their abilities when it comes to natural birth.

It also identified an emerging gap between wealthy and poorer regions within the same country. In China, C-section rates diverged from 4 percent to 62 percent; in India the range was 7-49 percent.

While the US saw more than a quarter of all births performed by C-section, some states used the procedure more than twice as often as others.

“It is clear that poor countries have low C-section use because access to services is a problem,” said Sandall. “In many of those countries, however, richer women who live in urban areas, have access to private facilities have much higher C-section use.”

- ‘Alarming’ trend C-sections may be marketed by clinics as the “easy” way to give birth, but they are not without risks.

Maternal death and disability rates are higher after C-section than vaginal birth. The procedure scars the womb, which can lead to bleeding, ectopic pregnancies (where the embryo is stuck in the ovaries), as well as still- and premature future births.

The authors suggested better education, more midwiferyled care and improved labour planning as ways of ensuring C-sections are only performed when medically necessary, as well as ensuring women properly understand the risks involved with the procedure.

Today we are announcing a revision of Medicare’s local coverage determination process, which will pave the way to expanded access to new technologies. As part of President Trump’s commitment to strengthening Medicare, we are leaning in to innovation to help drive efficiency and lower costs.

New therapies and technologies are being developed that could not have been imagined in 1965, the year in which the Medicare program was signed into law. However, while medical technology is developing at a rapid pace, Medicare’s payment systems haven’t always been as quick to change. It’s no secret that the government often moves more slowly than private industry — some of our payment policies haven’t been updated in decades. This means that patients may experience unnecessary gaps between FDA approval of a technology and Medicare paying for the technology.

The changes announced today to the local coverage determination process mean that coverage decisions will be more transparent and more responsive to innovators bringing new medical technologies to our Medicare beneficiaries. In this way, the new process will pave the way for expanded access to these technologies.

As part of our Patients Over Paperwork initiative, we have asked for feedback on which Medicare regulations may be Sudhir Mathuria duplicative, outdated or HEALTHLIFE 360 otherwise overly burden713-771-2900 some. Patients Over Paperwork is CMS’s effort under President Trump’s dicustomed to in other parts of rective to “cut the red tape.” our lives. We are approaching One area in which we have this from every angle — as received extensive feedback one example, earlier this year concerns Medicare’s cover- we released the Blue Button age and payment policies 2.0 application programming for innovative therapies and interface (API). This digital devices. We recognize that platform gives Medicare benconfusion exists around some eficiaries their claims data in of Medicare’s policies in this a digital format so they can area, and that certain prod- privately and securely use ucts may not have a clear it in electronic applications pathway to coverage and (“apps”) developed by third payment today. Beyond the parties. These apps can preschanges we’re announcing ent disparate health informatoday, we are considering a tion in a consolidated way to series of additional clarifica- help beneficiaries understand tions and improvements to their health data and better our current policies and pro- manage their health right on cesses. The goals are to en- their smart phones. Hundreds sure that there is an efficient, of app developers are curtransparent process for cov- rently developing programs ering items and services that that use claims data from have the potential to improve Blue Button 2.0. patient care, and that innovaFor more information, tors have incentives to invest in developing new technolo- please refer to the press regies that improve the quality lease: https://www.cms.gov/ blog/modernizing-medicareof care. take-advantage-latest-techCMS also is working to nologies help beneficiaries experience To choose 2019 Medicare a healthcare system that leverages the promise of tech- Plan contact Sudhir Mathuria nology we have grown ac- at 713-771-2900.

“C-section is a type of major surgery, which carries risks that require careful consideration,” said Sandall.

In a comment accompanying the study, Gerard Visser of the University Medical Centre in the Netherlands, called the rise in C-sections “alarming.”

“The medical profession on its own cannot reverse this trend,” he said.

“Joint actions are urgently needed to stop unnecessary C-sections and enable women and families to be confident of receiving the most appropriate care for their circumstances.”

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HEALTH

VOICE OF ASIA 18

Plastics have entered human food chain, study shows

by Marlowe Hood

P

ARIS, France | AFP | Tuesday 10/23/2018 - Bits of plastic have been detected in the faeces of people in Europe, Russia and Japan, according to research claiming to show for the first time the widespread presence of plastics in the human food chain.

behaviour and exposure to microplastics,” said lead author Philipp Schwabl, a researcher at the Medical University of Vienna.

In earlier studies on animals, the highest concentrations of microplastics were found in the stomach and intestines, but smaller amounts have also been detected in blood, lymph

FRIDAY, October 26, 2018

Medical crowdfunding raises millions for dubious cures

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ASHINGTON | AFP | 10/23/2018 - Online appeals to help sick people by raising money for unfounded and sometimes dangerous treatments and purported cures bring in millions of dollars each year, researchers warned Tuesday.

The study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) looked at crowdfunding activity from 2015 to 2017 and “identified more than 1,000 campaigns that raised nearly $6.8 million.”

“This money is wasted at best and harmful at worst,” researchers wrote on the site healthaffairs.org.

Four crowdfunding sites, including the most well-known, GoFundMe, collected the money.

All eight volunteers in a small pilot study were found to have passed several types of plastic, with an average of 20 micro-particles per 10 grams of stool, researchers reported Tuesday at a gastroenterology congress in Vienna.

The scientists speculated that the tiny specks -- ranging in size from 50 to 500 micrometres -- may been ingested via seafood, food wrapping, dust or plastic bottles.

A human hair is roughly 50 to 100 micrometres in width.

“In our laboratory, we were able to detect nine different types of plastics,” said Bettina Liebmann, a researcher at the Federal Environment Agency, which analysed the samples.

The two most common were polypropylene (PP) -- found in bottle caps, rope and strapping -- and polyethylene terephthalate (PET), present in drinking bottles and textile fibres.

The study was limited in scope by focusing only on these five treatments and four crowdfunding platforms.

risks include stroke, tumors, infections, meningitis and other painful conditions.

But the dangers posed by such approaches are real, according to coauthor Ford Vox, a doctor at the Brain Injury Program of the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, Georgia.

And for those who pursue naturopathy or homeopathy for cancer, he added: “You may well die.”

Patients who pursue naturopathic or homeopathic treatments for cancer are five times more likely to die than those who get chemotherapy and other standard treatments, according to a 2017 study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Stem cell injections for brain and spinal cord injury are being studied, but such clinical trials are free-ofcharge to the patients and constrained by strict laws.

But researchers found nine practictioner, identified by name, in eight countries where people intended to visit.

They included “clinics in Germany and Mexico for homeopathic or naturopathic cancer treatments, a New Orleans clinic offering HBOT for brain injury, and clinics in the United States, Panama, Thailand, India, China, and Mexico for stem cell therapies.”

Vox said the problem starts when people “read something online and get really energized about that, outside of the counsel of their physician.”

Researchers focused on homeopathic or naturopathic cancer treatments, hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) for brain injury, stem cell therapies for brain and spinal cord injury and long-term antibiotic therapy for chronic Lyme Disease.

“It’s definitely a big red flag when people say that they’re raising money to go get some experimental stem cell treatment,” Vox told AFP. “They are really playing with fire,” he said of clinics that offer such experimental stem cell injections. Key

The boom of crowdfunding allows everyday people to “really raise funds that you couldn’t have otherwise,” he said.

“Further studies are needed to assess the potential dangers of microplastics for humans.”

mented Alistair Boxall, a professor in environmental science at the University of York in Britain.

are accumulating in the human body.

be.”

Schwabl recruited five women and three men, aged 33 to 65, in Finland, the Netherlands, Britain, Italy, Poland, Russia, Japan and Austria.

“Microplastics have been found in tap water, bottled water, fish and mussel tissue, and even in beer,” he added.

“It is therefore inevitable that at least some of these things will get into our lungs and digestive system.”

“What is unknown is whether the concentration of plastic being ingested is higher than that coming out, due to particles crossing the gut wall,” she said.

Global plastic production has grown rapidly, and is currently more than 400 million tonnes per year.

and the liver.

“There are initial indications that microplastics can damage the gastrointestinal tract by promoting inflammatory reactions or absorbing harmful substances,” Schwabl said.

Each kept a week-long log of what they ate, and then provided a stool sample.

All consumed foods wrapped in plastic and beverages in plastic bottles, and six ate seafood. None were vegetarians.

- Health impacts unknown -

Together with polystyrene (utensils, cups, coolers) and polyethylene (plastic bags), they accounted for more than 95 percent of the particles detected.

Scientists not involved in the study said it was too limited in scope to draw any firm conclusions, especially about health impacts.

“We were unable to establish a reliable connection between nutritional

“I’m not at all surprised, or particularly worried by these findings,” com-

“There is no published evidence to indicate what the health effects might

It is estimated that two to five percent of plastics wind up in the ocean, where much of it breaks down into tiny particles.

Much more research is needed, he said, before we can determine the origin of plastics found in the gut, and especially whether they are harmful.

For Stephanie Wright, a researcher at King’s College London, the real question is whether plastics

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VOICE OF ASIA 19

FRIDAY, October 26, 2018

Home&Real Estate Houston’s industrial real estate market reflects strength in region’s economy

H

ouston’s industrial real estate markets are demonstrating strong gains as significant job growth and Houston’s emergence as a global shipping and logistics center is driving the sector to impressive levels, according to Deal Sikes, a leading Houstonbased real estate valuation and counseling firm.

“Houston has added more than 100,000 new jobs over the last 12 months, which has injected momentum into all sectors of the real estate market.

The demand and activity in the industrial sector has been exceptionally strong and that has been reflected in the valuation of distribution buildings and other industrial properties in the Houston area,” said Mark Sikes, principal with Deal Sikes.

Port Houston ranks number one in the nation in foreign tonnage and has surged to be ranked fifth in container shipping, according to the Port and JOC Piers data. In the first half of the year, Trans-Pacific imports at Port Houston jumped 24 percent, as improvements at the Port facilitated more imports through the expanded Panama Canal. Port Houston, located near Houston’s massive petrochemical complex, is the nation’s dominant exporter of polyethylene resins used for manufacturing plastic products.

“Construction activity has accelerated in Houston’s industrial market, which is pushed along by the tailwind of higher oil prices in the $70 per barrel range,” Sikes said. “The new industrial buildings have been leasing up briskly and the vacancy rate remains fairly low.

The solid fundamentals support the upward movement in

HOUSTON MARKET the recent sales prices that have been reported.”

Investors have a strong interest in the industrial sector, which is also being driven by e-commerce and the need for distribution space for consumer goods, Deal Sikes reported.

“Amazon, Ikea and other consumer goods companies

have new distribution facilities in the Houston area and more are on the way,” said Matthew Deal, principal, Deal Sikes.

“Another wrinkle to this trend is the demand from retailers for ‘last-mile’ distribution space that is located within easy driving distance of residential areas.”

- Business Wire

Houston developers say property types are less distinct

I

f you are not ready to go full throttle into a mixeduse development, gently working in some other uses or design from other property types may be the way to go.

“The lines are blurring of these uses,” Hines Director Kevin Batchelor said. “You see luxury hotels starting to look more like residential projects and residential looking more like hotels. You want to integrate retail for convenience.”

[developers] have,” Alliance Residential Director Luke Phillippi said. “For us, when we are going to look at mixed-use deals, it has to be extremely accretive to the return for us.” Alliance Residental is under contract for a 60-acre residential site that will merge multifamily, senior and single-family housing. “It is about being able to buy at a better basis and flip out and make my investment more profitable,” Phillippi said.

With rising land costs, Phoenix-based Alliance Residential Co., which is primarily focused on multifamily developments, has found projects are more profitable, specifically in the short-term, with an infusion of multiple uses. “Our investor base and the type of capital we have doesn’t allow for us to have as much patience as other

For properties in high-traffic areas, he wants to set aside 5% to 10% of the units for shorterterm leases similar to a hotel with daily or weekly opportunities to maximize revenues. The challenge is operating those units without disturbing the experience for the long-term residents, Phillippi said.

An award-winning writing studio hides quietly in Texas

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arked by elegant simplicity, this steelclad writer’s studio and hunting lookout effortlessly blends into a rocky slope in the Texas Hill Country.

Camouflage was key in the design of Clear Rock Lookout, a minimalist and modern writer’s studio with a hunting blind and observation deck, sited on a 1,000-acre ranch outside Johnson City, Texas.

Hired by a client who had spent years carefully scouting the property for the perfect vantage point, architects Stephanie

and Ryan Lemmo of Austin– based Lemmo Architecture and Design channeled the owner’s meticulous attention to the landscape with a highly detailed structure that makes the most of its cliffside views without detracting from the surroundings.

“The 450-square-foot building is nestled below a limestone cliff-edge, and has to be ‘discovered’ when approached from the top of the mesa,” explain the architects. “This gradual reveal of the building strengthens the unfolding landscape panorama made possible from the unique vantage provided by the struc-

ture.”

Expressed as a “jewel box in the landscape,” Clear Rock Lookout is simply clad in large expanses of double-pane glazing and rusted steel, which will naturally weather over time to blend into the dusty surroundings and conceal the structure’s presence from wildlife.

Restraint was also exercised in the design of the interiors, which are minimally dressed with polished concrete flooring and warm timber materials throughout.

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ART & CULTURE

VOICE OF ASIA 20

India’s women-only comedy show tackles breasts, bras and bias

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FRIDAY, October 26, 2018

Bangladesh music fans mourn rock megastar

en are strictly banned at Femapalooza, a comedy show for Indian women where the punchlines range from breasts and bras to equal pay and censorship.

They are not allowed to attend, perform, or even check tickets at the most recent show at a New Delhi club.

For Femapalooza founder Jeeya Sethi, humour just for women is a way to make progress in deeply patriarchal India, where rape and gender bias are hot-button issues and women are widely expected to adhere to conservative stereotypes.

People gather to take photos of the coffin carrying the body of Bangladeshi rock musician Ayyub Bachchu in Dhaka. © Sam JAHAN / AFP

“Men only talk about men, (Indian Prime Minister Narendra) Modi and masturbation, or they make sexist jokes,” said Sethi, a stand-up comic herself.

Femapalooza has organised more than 35 shows in different cities over the past three years, providing what Sethi calls a safe and friendly environment for women comics.

“Stand-up is all about being unabashed. When there are women around you can say anything at all and not be judged,” she said.

Rights activists have campaigned for years for greater access to public and performing spaces for women in India -- and their safety, given the record of violence against women in the vast South Asian nation.

Some have emerged in recent years, with similar comedy events held in Mumbai and Bangalore.

Women-only shows such as “Leddis Night” by online magazine Ladies Finger and “Disgust Me” by stand-up comedian Sumukhi Suresh have been widely acclaimed.

At Femapalooza’s New Delhi show, 13 comedians, aged between 17 and 37, tried out their jokes on an audience of around 30 women in an intimate, dimly lit room.

Some appeared nervous, but the crowd revelled in every woman-friendly gag.

Priya Elias vented her frus-

T

Jeeya Sethi, Indian founder of ‘Comedy Ladder,’ a comedy-focused events company © Noemi CASSANELLI / AFP tration with thongs. “Women don’t enjoy wearing thongs...

I am pretty sure a man invented them,” the former lawyer joked.

She told AFP that her content is received much more warmly by all-women audiences.

“The energy in the room is different,” she said. “Women are always told they are not funny and that is not true at all.”

- No pressure First-time performer Naomi Barton said she is more comfortable sharing her jokes with a women-only crowd, with no pressure to please men.

“When I talk about PMS (premenstrual syndrome) and how it affects my mental health, landing me in funny situations, a woman will get it,” said Barton, a digital publisher with a major firm.

As in many countries, public discussion of menstruation and sexuality is replete with euphemisms.

At the New Delhi show, Sethi asked some teenagers if they understood her joke about “the

bedroom toy”.

As the teenagers blushed and smiled, she introduced the surprise act of the evening: Aditi Mittal, one of the handful of women to have made an impression in India’s male-dominated comedy scene.

Mittal has a special affection for women-only shows.

“Many men think women are doing stand-up comedy because they are so desperate for attention... Some even say ‘don’t you get enough attention from your boobs’,” quipped Mittal, the first Indian woman to get her own special on Netflix.

Comedy in India can be a boys’ club, acknowledged leading male stand-up Rohan Joshi, a member of the popular All India Bakchod sketch group.

“We live in a culture where for years women’s opinion has never been valued. This is at the heart of comedy,” said Joshi.

Platforms such as Femapalooza have helped bring more women onto the comedy circuit, but there have been objections about its format.

Male comics have complained about the women-only events, even calling them sexist, Sethi said.

In response, her company Comedy Ladder organised an event where both men and women performed.

The show introduced men as male comics on stage and women simply as comics, Sethi said, to show “how weird it sounds”.

The 57-year-old was also credited with introducing the blues music genre to Bangladeshi audiences and created several smash-hit rock tracks with his band Love Runs Blind.

He was declared dead at a Dhaka hospital after a cardiac arrest on Thursday.

- AFP

People walk past an art installation by Thai artist Nino Sarabutra titled ‘What Will We Leave Behind,’ part of the Bangkok Art Biennale 2018, at the Wat Prayurawongsawas Waraviharn temple in Bangkok.© Jewel SAMAD / AFP

“The idea to have a biennale is to ignite and create Bangkok to be not the world centre but at least one of the centres of art destinations,” he said.

Polka dot and pumpkinshaped lanterns by Japan’s

Thousands of people attended his funeral prayers for Bachchu in Dhaka before his body was taken to the port city of Chittagong, his hometown, where he will be laid to rest.

“This is an untimely demise of such a legend,” transport minister Obaidul Quader told reporters as he paid homage to the rock star.

week after announcing plans to release the documentary film “A Head Full of Dreams,” Coldplay have announced they’re also readying a live album and concert film capturing their tour in support of the same album.

A

The combined live album/live concert film release, called the Butterfly package, will feature the album “Live in Buenos Aires,” recorded on November 15, 2017, the final night of the band’s A Head Full Of Dreams Tour.

The

Kusama hang between the floors of Central World, one of Bangkok’s prime shopping destinations.

Over at Wat Arun, tourists next to two large warrior-like figures with Chinese and Thai motifs.

Southeast Asian artists hailing from Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, Cambodia and the Philippines are involved, shining a spotlight on creative talent in the region and Thailand.

Nino, whose skull creation is called “What will we leave behind?” said the Bangkok Art Biennale could make the world aware of the local art scene, while also making it more accessible by bringing it out of high-end galleries.

“I think [the art biennale] is bringing the art closer to the people.”

- AFP

- AFP

24-track album will mark the first time a Coldplay concert has been released in its entirety.

The accompanying two-hour concert film, “Live In São Paulo,” was filmed a week earlier, on November 8, 2017.

“Live in Buenos Aires” was recorded on November 15, 2017, the final night of the band’s A Head Full Of Dreams Tour. (Parlophone Records)

The fibreglass figures are joined together in an installation called ‘Giant Twins’ by Thai artist Komkrit Tepthian.

The sites are spread out across the city at 20 different venues, with many hugging the river in the old part of town while others take on modern Bangkok’s malls and central business district.

Bangladesh’s president, prime minister and culture minister also all paid tribute.

As the evening drew to a close, fathers and husbands lined up outside the club to drive members of the audience back home, partly out of concerns for their safety -- a stark reminder that for many women in India, life is often no laughing matter.

“And for this installation, I want to remind people that any step could be their last. If (they) want to leave something behind, they have to do it today.”

east,” artistic director Apinan Poshyananda told AFP Friday, alluding to the city’s Chao Phraya river and old canals.

“He will be missed!”

Coldplay releasing live album, concert film along with doc

“In Buddhism, we believe that death is around you -- any step could be your last,” said Nino Sarabutra, whose work is one of dozens on display at the maiden event, which kicked off Friday.

“Bangkok has always been envisioned as the Venice of the

“He stood tall and will stand tall with his songs,” said reputed musician Hamin Ahmed.

“It was a novel concept but only a few interesting performances... there were many first-timers,” said Deepshikha Singh, a communications professional in the New Delhi audience.

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The decision to hold the starstudded biennale in the Southeast Asian city was announced at its more famous predecessor in Venice last year.

Ayub Bachchu, widely known as AB among his fans, started his music career in 1978 and was one of the pioneers of the celebrated underground rock music scene in Bangladesh.

Over 10,000 people took to the streets in the capital’s Shahid Minar neighbourhood with flowers to pay homage to the guitar maestro.

Fans grieved on social media over the passing of Bachchu, one of the major patrons of the rock genre in the conservative

ore than 100,000 small white porcelain skulls cover a walkway at a temple in the Thai capital, an evocative installation on mortality featured in the first-ever Bangkok Art Biennale.

Some 75 local and international artists are taking part, with Yayoi Kusama and Marina Abramovic among the highprofile names contributing.

South Asian country.

Femapalooza’s audience has grown as word has spread. It does not always get a five-star rating, however.

‘Venice of the East’ plays host to first Bangkok Art Biennale

The city’s venerated temples, heritage sites and high-end shopping centres are playing host to works from all over the world until February.

housands of Bangladeshi music fans gathered in the capital on Friday to mourn the sudden death of one of the country’s most famous rock stars.

The Butterfly package will likewise include the already announced documentary film “A Head Full of Dreams,” spanning the entire career of the stadiumfilling British rock band. The story will track the band’s full journey, from humble origins to superstardom, while showcasing live footage from their “A Head Full of Dreams” tour, backstage footage and 20 years’ worth of archival materials.

The documentary, live album and concert film will be released on December 7 on CD, DVD, vinyl and digital. The full Butterfly package is available to pre-order as a 2DVD/2CD set or a 2DVD/3 gold vinyl collection, while standalone 2CD edition of “Live In Buenos Aires” is also available.

- Relaxnews

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

VOICE OF ASIA 21

Golfers troubled by Delhi air ahead of Asian Tour event

by Faisal Kamal

N

EW DELHI, India | AFP | Tuesday 10/23/2018 - New Delhi’s polluted air is a concern for golfers at a key Asian Tour event in the Indian capital this week, according to leading player Shiv Kapur.

Hawking’s final book offers brief answers to big questions

ibility was a bit of an issue. You feel a bit of fatigue and stuff.”

He added: “I am like a street dog. I am used to every kind of ailment and air quality that is out there.

FRIDAY, October 26, 2018

mans in intelligence during the next 100 years, but “we will need to ensure that the computers have goals aligned with ours”.

Hawking says the human race had to improve its mental and physical qualities, but a genetically-modified race of superhumans, say with greater memory and disease resistance, would imperil the others.

He says that by the time people realise what is happening with climate change, it may be too late.

“As sportsmen we are made to be hardy, play in whatever course con-

Hawking says the simplest explanation is that God does not exist and there is no reliable evidence for an afterlife, though people could live on through their influence and genes.

He says that in the next 50 years, we will come to understand how life began and possibly discover whether life exists elsewhere in the universe.

“He was deeply worried that at a time when the challenges are global, we were becoming increasingly local in our thinking,” Lucy Hawking said.

Stephen Hawking started work on “Brief Answers to the Big Questions” last year -- but did not finish it before he died in March, aged 76. © AFP

S

The WHO in May listed 14 Indian cities, including Delhi, in the world’s top 15 with the dirtiest air (AFP Photo/Chandan Khanna) Kapur said he would struggle through the Panasonic Open India starting Thursday but foreign players in particular would have a hard time in the growing smog.

“You are spending five hours outdoors in bad air and smog,” the 36-year-old defending champion said.

“You are out there for a long period of time.”

“I think for some of us we are kind of immune to it now. But it’s not a good thing, the visitors and foreigners struggle a bit more,” added Kapur, who is from Delhi.

The Indian capital’s pollution has taken a toll on sport.

Last December Sri Lankan cricketers wore face masks during a Test match in Delhi to protest at the hazardous smog.

International cricket matches are no longer organised in the city during the winter months when the toxic smog is at a peak.

Some runners wore masks during the Delhi half marathon on Sunday, when the US embassy website showed levels of the smallest, most harmful air pollutants reached 199 -- eight times the World Health Organization’s recommended maximum.

“I haven’t found it as bad this year as it was last year,” said Kapur. “Vis-

ditions, whatever weather conditions.

Hopefully we will get through without any issues.”

Another rising Indian golfer Viraj Madappa is also troubled by the pollution.

“It is definitely something to be concerned about. It’s not the most ideal condition to be living in. It will affect us over a long period,” the 21-year-old Madappa told AFP. “But I feel it’s going to be the same for everyone. Some of the Delhi guys are used to it. It’s easier to catch an infection that’s in the air. Some of my friends have got a bad throat or fever,” Madappa, who comes from Bangalore, said.

Madappa said that while wearing a pollution mask remains an option it is not common in golf.

Every winter, air pollution in Delhi soars as cooler air traps harmful particles from crop fires, exhaust fumes, construction dust and industrial emissions.

Smog has climbed in recent weeks as temperatures have fallen and smoke from burning stubble in neighbouring states has reached the capital, mingling with urban pollutants.

The WHO in May listed 14 Indian cities, including Delhi, in the world’s top 15 with the dirtiest air.

Musk says LA Hyperloop tunnel to be unveiled December 10

tephen Hawking’s final work, which tackles issues from the existence of God to the potential for time travel, was launched on Monday by his children, who helped complete the book after the British astrophysics giant’s death.

Hawking was forever being asked the same things and started work on “Brief Answers to the Big Questions” last year -- but did not finish it before he died in March, aged 76.

It has been completed by the theoretical physicist’s family and academic colleagues, with material drawn from his vast personal archive.

“He was regularly asked a set of questions,” his daughter Lucy Hawking said at the Science Museum in London.

The book was an attempt to “bring together the most definitive, clearest, most authentic answers that he gave.

“We all just wish he has here to see it.”

Hawking, who was wheelchair bound due to motor neurone disease, dedicated his life’s work to unravelling the mysteries of the universe.

The cosmologist was propelled to stardom by his 1988 book “A Brief History of Time”, an unlikely worldwide bestseller.

It won over fans from far beyond the rarefied world of astrophysics and prompted people into asking the mastermind his thoughts on broader topics, answered in his final work.

- The big questions The 10 questions Hawking tackles are: -- Is there a God?

N

A hyperloop is a shuttle pod that travels on magnetic rails, somewhat like a train, but which runs in a tube with little or no air. In theory, hyperloops could allow travel faster than the speed of sound.

In a presentation in Los Angeles in May, Musk said vehicles could reach downtown LA from its international airport in under 10 minutes, with a long-term objective of reaching over 300 miles an hour.

Hyperloop is one of Musk’s envelope-pushing ventures, along with SpaceX and Tesla Motors. Shares of Tesla have fallen more than 30 percent since August 7, when he infamously tweeted that he had funding lined up to take Tesla private.

He subsequently paid a $20 million fine to settle after the US Securities and Exchange Commission accused the entrepreneur of fraud.

Another visionary entrepreneur, Richard Branson, who like Musk also is involved in space travel, is backing a Virgin Hyperloop One which has been testing in Nevada and opened a

of us.”

-- What is inside a black hole?

In his final academic paper, Hawking shed new light on black holes and the information paradox, with new work calculating the entropy of black holes.

-- Can we predict the future?

-- Is time travel possible?

-- Will we survive on Earth?

-- Is there other intelligent life in the universe?

-- Should we colonise space?

-- Will artificial intelligence outsmart us?

-- How do we shape the future?

- Multiple challenges In his book, Hawking says humans have no option but to leave Earth, risking being “annihilated” if they do not.

He says computers will overtake hu-

W

Responding to comments on Twitter, Musk said there would be an opening event that night and “free rides for the public next day.”

Supporters of the technology have discussed a vision where a trip between Los Angeles and San Francisco might take 30 minutes instead of five or six hours.

-- How did it all begin?

ASHINGTON | AFP | Tuesday 10/23/2018 - A new US “Space Force” will soon take shape but will at least initially be a step below the proposed sixth branch of the military envisioned

by President Donald Trump, his vice president said Tuesday.

“The first tunnel is almost done,” Musk said on Twitter late Sunday night. “Opens Dec 10.”

In another tweeted response, Musk said the test tunnel has a top speed of 155 miles per hour (250 kilometers).

Stephen Hawking’s final book tackles issues from the existence of God to the potential to time travel © Adrian DENNIS - AFP

Elon Musk shows off his hyperloop shuttle pod prototype to reporters. (AFP) research center in southern Spain.

Virgin Hyperloop One confirmed on Monday that Branson is stepping down from its board of directors, saying the company “needs a more handson chairman.”

Branson’s seat on the board will go to another Virgin Group executive.

No mention was made of a decision last week by Branson to suspend

two directorships linked to tourism projects in Saudi Arabia following the unexplained disappearance in Turkey of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

In a statement last week, Branson said also that his Virgin group would suspend discussions with Saudi Arabia over proposed investment in Virgin Galactic, which is set to carry out its first space flight within weeks.

Apple subscription TV platform to receive global launch

by Thomas Barrabi

A

pple’s subscription TV service will receive a global launch in more than 100 countries, according to a report Tuesday, as the tech giant looks to challenge Netflix’s dominance in the streaming space.

The Information reported that Apple’s platform will roll out globally within months of its U.S. launch, which is set to occur in the first half of 2019. Subscribers will have access to original Apple content, as well as content from other TV networks that will require a secondary subscription and an as-yet unspecified lineup of

Turned into an animation narrated

by Hawking’s artificial voice, it was shown at the book launch.

“It was very emotional. I turned away because I had tears forming,” Lucy Hawking told AFP on hearing her father’s voice again.

“It feels sometimes like he’s still here because we talk about him and hear his voice -- and then we have the reminder that he’s left us.”

- AFP

Trump’s ‘Space Force’ to be built in stages by 2020

EW YORK | AFP | Monday 10/22/2018 - Elon Musk’s Hyperloop ultra high-speed transport system will be unveiled in Los Angeles in early December with free test rides to the public, the entrepreneur announced.

Musk’s venture, “The Boring Company,” has been pushing the underground system as a futuristic concept that could radically speed transport within and between cities.

“It’s a call to unity, to humanity, to bring ourselves back together and really face up to the challenges in front

The White House does not foresee the creation of an independent space force before 2020, said US Vice President Mike Pence, who heads the National Space Council, a government body that was revived last year after a decades-long hiatus.

Pence said the president will soon ask Congress to gather military and civilians working on space security into a unified command, similar to the military’s special forces.

“The National Space Council is making recommendations to the president to essentially begin with establishing a unified Space Command, much in the way that we established a Special Forces command,” Pence said at a space conference organized by the

At launch Apple’s subscription service will lag behind the global reach offered by Netflix and Amazon’s Prime Video service. Both services are available in more than 190 countries, according to The Information.

Apple has reportedly committed $1 billion toward developing original content in 2018. However, the iPhone maker is widely expected to surpass that budget figure. The company has already signed deals with Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon and various other Hollywood personalities.

other shows and movies.

Apple declined to comment.

Apple is one of several companies seeking to challenge Netflix. AT&T is in the process of overhauling HBO with an eye toward streaming audiences, while Disney is set to launch its own branded streaming platform in 2019.

Washington Post.

“Let’s begin by bringing everyone under a unified command,” he said, adding that he’d also like to see a Space Development Agency tasked with new technologies.

According to Pence, about 60,000 people are currently working on space security in the United States, across various branches of the military and intelligence services.

“It will not in the first instance look like other branches of the service that were stood up. It will be a consolidation, we believe, and from there future Congresses and future administrations can grow and expand and nurture ... the Space Force as they see fit,” Pence added.

Congress must approve the proposed plans. Previously, the notion of immediately creating a Space Force on par with the US Army or Air Force sparked controversy among lawmakers, some of whom want space to remain under the guise of the Air Force.

Pence also said the administration would work with Congress, starting next year, to vote on a law creating an independent Space Force by 2020.

The head of the US Air Force said in September that creating a Space Force would cost about $13 billion for a force of 13,000 people in the first five years.

The US military is made up of five branches: the Army, Air Force (which currently oversees space operations), the Navy, Marines and Coast Guard.

Speaking at a meeting of the National Space Council on Tuesday, Pence said, “Space is a war-fighting domain, just like the land, air and sea, and America will be as dominant there as we are here on Earth.”

He named US adversaries as Russia and China, and said potential space threats include anti-satellite weapons, airborne lasers, “highly threatening on-orbit activities and evasive hypersonic missiles.”

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VOICE OF ASIA 22

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It’s important to explore all your options when facing obstacles on the job. If you stick with what’s expected or habitual, you may lose your effectiveness or influence.

21 April to 20 May It will take wisdom to discern the best path now. When faced with multiple options, a slow approach is best. Rushing things would be a mistake. Don’t assume you know everything.

21 May to 20 June The energy now encourages clear communication. Do your best to share your point of view simply.

Avoid nervousness and worry, especially in interviews or with a boss.

21 June to 22 July There is some risk of becoming moody or self-indulgent if you don’t get what you want. Avoiding assignments is the worst possible choice.

Someone too self-centered or focused on personal appearance can be especially irritating.

23 July to 22 August This is a time to be creative when facing obstacles on the job or concerning your career. Focus on making yourself look as good as possible. Well-kept clothing, trimmed hair, and a nice presentation will support your confidence.

23 August to 22 Sept The energy now is quite positive.

Be grateful for what you have and generous with others. It would be a mistake to try to manipulate the people or situations you deal with daily. Someone may need to be the center of attention.

THEME: WAR MOVIES

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Week of OCTOBER 26, 2018 21 March to 20 April

STATEPOINT CROSSWORD

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23 September to 22 Oct This is an important time to take care of yourself. Schedule health exams or meetings with human resources that support your best interests. Take a cautious approach to any untried method.

23 October to 21 Nov This is an excellent time to change jobs or improve your current position. There is also the possibility that a work-related flirtation could become more serious. Be honest if you feel like running away.

22 November to 21 Dec Sharing your opinions about job-related issues should be easier now. It’s best to be honest even if you’re disappointed. Accept that you simply have to wait in certain situations where you want to expand.

22 December to 20 Jan Make amends for anything that isn’t working between you and clients or co-workers now. Carefully listen to what people tell you. Unsettled issues could explode in your face. You want to do more than is possible at the moment.

21 January to 19 Feb Stress can make a small problem seem larger. Talk things out with someone senior or more skillful.

Co-workers may invite you out with them. If possible, say yes to a chance to talk away from the office.

20 February to 20 Mar You’ll need to be patient. The prevailing energy can block or work at cross-purposes to what you hope to accomplish. Potential problems and blind spots mean you need to keep checking with co-workers or customers.

ACROSS 1. Guns N’ Roses guitarist 6. Pep rally syllable 9. Third H in 4-H, sing.

13. Conversation starter 14. Victorian period, e.g.

15. Dugout glider 16. Nun’s attire 17. Winter condition 18. Mad hatter’s act 19. *1970 biopic, winner of 7 Academy Awards 21. *Story of 1940 evacuation 23. Station wagon/off-road vehicle, acr.

24. Aware of 25. Busy airport 28. *”...How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the ____” 30. Julian Barnes’ “The Sense of an ____” 35. Double reed woodwind 37. Cleanse 39. Rope-making plant fiber 40. Traditional learning method 41. Willow twig 43. Choir voice 44. Sacred, in Italian 46. “____ and hearty” 47. *Kurosawa’s “Ran” based on this Shakespearean king 48. Ethanol, a.k.a. ____ alcohol, pl.

50. Russian autocrat 52. Stallone’s nickname 53. Penny-farthing, e.g.

55. Variable, abbr.

57. *”All Quiet on the ____ Front” 61. *Kelly’s who?

64. Binary digits code 65. Lamb’s momma 67. Master of ceremonies 69. Sudden growth 70. Canal locale 71. Unbroken 72. Jekyll’s counterpart 73. Heavy-duty cleanser 74. You shall, contraction

DOWN 1. “Be quiet!”

2. Lambeau Field jump 3. “Fantastic Four” actress 4. Buttonholes, e.g.

5. Small pool 6. Bit attachment 7. ___ de Triomphe 8. Father of the String Quartet 9. Baseball’s Hammerin’ ____ 10. Those against 11. Kind of film 12. 52 cards 15. Rules 20. Convex molding 22. Beehive State native 24. Render unnecessary 25. *Joey was a “War ____” 26. *”U-571” vessel 27. Mess up 29. *It lead to a popular wartime comedy series 31. Call, in the olden days 32. Keys 33. Birth-related 34. *Story of first AfricanAmerican regiment 36. Inspiring fear 38. Aquatic snakes 42. Ransack or plunder 45. Even though 49. *____ Richard Attenborough of “The Great Escape” 51. Make less dense 54. Rest on patellas 56. Young Montague 57. Done in loads 58. ESPN award 59. Gulf War missile 60. Michelin product 61. *From where to eternity?

62. Light beige 63. *Lone Survivor, e.g.

66. Path 68. Building extension

SOLUTION: WAR MOVIES page 23

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VOICE OF ASIA 23

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This Halloween, families are projected to spend $2.6 billion on candy this year, according to the National Retail Federation.

Unfortunately, Halloween can quickly go from spooky to scary with precautions that start right in your own home when it comes to medicine safety.

To avoid ‘candy confusion’—especially with little ones preparing to trick-ortreat—the Up and Away campaign, in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is reminding parents and caregivers of young children to be extra vigilant about safe medicine storage, so kids don’t mistake medicines for a sweet treat. Medications and candy often look, smell and taste alike – making it tough for kids to tell the difference between a gummi bear and multivitamin, or an Altoid and aspirin.

Every year, about 60,000 young children in the U.S. end up in the emergency room after accidentally getting into medicines left within their reach.

“With Halloween just around the corner, it can be easy for young ones to mistake medicine left out on the counter for candy,” says Dan Budnitz, director of the Medication Safety Program at CDC and manager of its PROTECT

Initiative. “With this in mind, it’s important that parents and guardians remember to safely store and keep medicines up and away, and out of sight and reach, from children.”

The Up and Away campaign aims to prevent accidental, unsupervised ingestion of medicine by educating parents and caregivers about safe medicine storage. For a safe Halloween season, they are advising parents and guardians to follow these tips: • As tempting as this can be, never refer to medicine as candy when giving to your child.

• Make sure all medicines are stored safely, up and away and out of sight. This includes at Grandma and Grandpa’s house, too. Nearly one in five grandparents store their overthe-counter medicines in easy to access places. Remind grandparents and babysitters to take the same precautions.

• Be prepared by saving the Poison Help number in your phone—1-800-222-1222—or text “POISON” to 797979 to save the information automatically.

• Find more information and tips on safe medicine storage by visiting UpandAway.org.

This Halloween and yearround, help avoid “candy confusion” by always stowing medicine out of reach.

- (StatePoint)

STATEPOINT CROSSWORD SOLUTION

Theme: WAR MOVIES from Page 22

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VOICE OF ASIA 24

FRIDAY, October 26, 2018