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713-774-5140 VOICE OF ASIAOver 27 years of dedicated service to the community

Vol. 28 No. 28 Friday, July 10, 2015 • Published Weekly from Houston • 713-774-5140 24 Pages ( 2 sections) 50 cents E-mail: [email protected]

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L-R: Russia’s Vladimir Putin, India’s Narendra Modi, Brazil’s Dilma Rousseff, China’s Xi Jinping and South Africa’s Jacob Zuma join hands during the 6th BRICS summit in the Brazilian city of Fortaleza in 2014 (AFP Photo/Nelson Almeida)

by Maria ANTONOVAUfa, Russia | AFP |

Wednesday 7/8/2015 - Rus-sian President Vladimir Pu-tin on Wednesday welcomed the leaders of emerging powers for a summit Mos-cow hopes will show it not isolated despite the standoff with the West over Ukraine.

The Kremlin sees BRICS -- a group of emerging econ-omies that includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa -- as a growing economic and political in-fluence to challenge Western hegemony.

Moscow’s ties with BRICS have become more vital amid the damage in-

Putin welcomes BRICS leaders amid standoff with West

flicted on Russia’s economy by Western sanctions, and Putin’s exclusion from the Group of Eight gathering, which met last month as the G7.

BRICS “illustrates a new polycentric system of interna-tional relations” demonstrat-ing the increasing influence of “new centres of power,” For-eign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in a statement published Wednesday.

Held this year in the city of Ufa some 1,100 kilometres (680 miles) east of Moscow, the summit itself starts Thurs-day, following a day of bilateral meetings between Putin and the other leaders.

“I won’t hide that we are especially happy to see our friends from China,” Putin told Chinese President Xi Jinping ahead of talks.

“We are well aware of the difficulties we have to face ec-onomically and in global poli-tics, but by joining efforts we will without a doubt overcome all problems,” he added.

Putin also met with India’s Narendra Modi, South Africa’s Jacob Zuma and is set to speak with Brazil’s Dilma Rouss-eff after hosting a dinner with BRICS leaders.

Center for Gayatri Consciousness opens in Katy with grand celebrations

AAPI Launches Scientific, Academic Research Foundation (SARF)

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Dr. Seema Jain with Dr. Ajay Lodha, President-Elect of AAPI and Dr. Gautam Samadder, Vice President of AAPI

by Ajay Ghosh

NEW YORK, NY: In a cer-emony attended by physi-cians, community leaders

and international media, leaders of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), launched the

Scientific, Academic Research Foun-dation (SARF) initiative at the Indian Consulate in New York on July 3.

“It has been a dream for me for the past 10 years,” said Dr. Seema Jain, President of AAPI. “SARF has been

Continued on page

Ladies and young girls carry the kalash on their heads during the Kalash Yatra, an integral part of the celebrations. Photo credit: Gautam Jani

READ REPORT ON PAGE 5

VOICE OF ASIA 2 FRIDAY, July 10, 2015OP-ED/COMMENTARY/ANALYSISV AOICE OF SIA

Publisher: Koshy ThomasAssociate Publisher: Sherly PhilipEditor-in-Chief: Shobana MurateeAustin Correspondent: Sherine ThomasPrint & Media Marketing: Jacob DavidMarketing: Susan Pothanikat Production: AR VadlamaniOffice Manager: Priyan Mathew Digital Coordinator Harsha Mary Pradeep Columnists:Legal: Richard M. AldermanLegal: Sharlene Sharmila RichardsResearch: Prof. Meenakshi BhattacharjeeHealth Insurance: Sudhir MathuriaAstrology: Hardik Vyas

VoiceofAsiaOnline.com

Editor: Online & Newsletter : Shobana Muratee

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. Pub-lished weekly by Free Press LLC, 8303 SW Freeway, Suite # 325, Houston, TX 77074. Tel: 713-774-5140. Fax: 713-774-5143. Email for editorial submissions: [email protected]; Email for advertising inquiries and submissions: [email protected]

It is the policy of Voice of Asia to publish letters to the editor which evidence a variety of viewpoints. The opinions expressed in any particular letter to the editor are not necessarily those of the management. Voice of Asia welcomes letters in reply to issues raised in letters to editor. In as much letters to the editor are not articles written or researched by members of Voice of Asia, it is not the policy of the Voice of Asia to perform any investigation or confirmation of any facts or allegations contained in letters to the editor. Moreover, Voice of Asia reserves the right to edit letters to the editor as necessary to correct errors of fact, punctuation, spelling and to comply with space constraints.

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STORY OF MAHATMA GANDHI

The beginning of Gandhi’s Spartan life-style Part VIII

In 1906, an ordinance by the Transvaal govern-ment required all Indians

— men women and children — to register themselves and obtain a personal certificate bearing their name and thumb impression.

The Indians decided not to submit to this humiliating and insulting measure. They re-solved to fight it. Gandhi saw here the need for passive re-sistance or satyagraha. He ex-plained to the people his con-cept of satyagraha. First, he said, they must be prepared to observe absolute nonviolence. The authorities would take all measures to put down the agitation. They might use vio-lence, arrest people and send them to jail, but all this must be faced without resistance.

“Merely disobeying the gov-ernment’s laws will not be enough,” Gandhi told them. “You must have no hatred in your hearts and you must cast away all fear.” Now read on.

The Government ignored all Indian protests against the ordinance and it came into force. The Indians decided to disobey the provisions of the ‘Black Act.’ Hundreds of In-dians were arrested, tried, and jailed. They all pleaded guilty and went to jail without put-ting up any defence. Gandhi too was imprisoned. Then one day he was taken out of prison and sent to Pretoria to see Gen-eral Smuts.

“This movement you have started,” Smuts said, “must stop at once. It is not in me to dislike In-dians, but they must obey the law.”

“I would rather die than submit to this law,” Gandhi replied. “It is meant to humil-iate the Indians.”

After some argu-ment, however, they reached a compro-mise. Gandhi prom-ised to end the sa-tyagraha if the act was repealed and the prisoners released. Smuts agreed to do this provided the In-dians would register of their own accord. On this agreement, they parted.

Back in Johannes-burg, Gandhi called a meeting of the In-dians. “We must now register voluntarily to show that we do not intend to bring a single Indian to the Transvaal by fraud,” he said. “If we show our goodwill by prompt regis-tration, General Smuts will see to it that the “Black Act” is re-pealed.”

Most of the Indians agreed with Gandhi, but a Pathan named Mir Alam shouted at him: “It was you who told us that fingerprints were required only from criminals. It was you

who said we must disobey the “Black Act.” How does all that fit into your attitude today?”

Early the next morning Gan-dhi, with his fellow satyagra-his, set out for the registration office. But on the way Mir Alam attacked him with a heavy stick. Gandhi fell down unconscious. Mir Alam and his associates went on beating him until he was rescued by some friends. When Gandhi recovered consciousness, he

found himself on a couch in the house of an Englishman whom he hardly knew.

Struggling to sit up, Gandhi said in a weak voice, “Do not blame Mir Alam, for he did not understand.”

Then he insisted that a clerk from the registration office should come to take his thumb impression and make out his certificate. In this way Gan-dhi was duly registered. Many Indians followed Gandhi by registering voluntarily. But General Smuts did not repeal the “Black Act.”

The Indians, disappointed at the Government’s attitude, demanded a return of their ap-plications for voluntary regis-tration. The Transvaal govern-ment did not budge.

Gandhi, who had by then re-covered from his injuries, gave an ultimatum: If the Black Act is not repealed before a fixed date, the certificates collected by the Indians will be burnt. When he found that the Gov-ernment ignored this threat, Gandhi started another satya-graha movement.

A big bonfire was lit and more than two thousand certif-icates were burnt. Many Indi-ans openly crossed the border into the Transvaal, where their presence was illegal. Gandhi and many of his compatriots were imprisoned several times in the course of the agitation. When Gandhi came out of jail for the third time, the Indians

held a meeting and decided to send a deputation to England to acquaint the British Govern-ment with the real situation in South Africa.

Gandhi and Seth Haji Habib were asked to go to London and present the grievances of the Indians. Accordingly they went, but the mission failed. They returned with grim de-termination to fight to the bit-ter end. Gandhi then made a big decision. He gave up his practice as a lawyer. He felt he could not go on earning his living by law when he was de-fying it.

Hermann Kallenbach, a white farmer, was so impressed with the peaceful way of life at Phoenix that he offered Gan-dhi his own big farm near Jo-hannesburg to start another colony. He suggested that all those who had lost their jobs and homes by their participa-tion in the satyagraha could settle there.

The new colony was es-tablished in 1910 and named “Tolstoy Farm” after the great Russian writer whom Gandhi much admired. Here people who were different in nation-ality, religion, and color lived together like one family. They worked hard and shared the fruits of their labor.

Gandhi spent much of his time at Tolstoy Farm. He was engaged in teaching the chil-dren and in other constructive activities.

Gandhi’s efforts to persuade General Smuts to change the attitude of the Government to-wards the Indians had failed. Meanwhile, the struggle con-tinued against the Black Act and the poll-tax. And now hundreds of Indian women, including Kasturbai, joined the movement.

There had been a recent court decision in South Africa holding that Indian marriages were not recognized by law. The women could not brook this attack on family ties. They openly broke the law and were imprisoned in large numbers. In the coal mines at Newcastle, in Natal, Indian workers went on strike protesting against the repression.

The arrests, the deportation of passive resisters, and the un-told sufferings of Indian fami-lies angered the people of In-dia. A large amount of money was collected for the relief of the victims. Many satyagrahis were beaten and flogged, and some were even killed. Gandhi, who felt intensely the humilia-tion his people suffered, took a triple vow of self-suffering. He decided to dress like a poor laborer, to walk barefoot, and to have only one meal a day, till the poll-tax and other injus-tices were abolished.

Gandhi found the Govern-ment relentless. There was no solution in sight. He had to take further measures.

— To be continued

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Gandhi as a Satyagrahi in South Africa ... he gave up his law practice, and vowed to dress like a poor laborer, to walk barefoot, and to have only one meal a day, till the injustices were abolished.

by Chandra K. Mittal, Ph.D.

A time comes in the existence of every nation when it has

to take stock of its governing structures and institutions, and objectively evaluate their effec-tiveness against the contempo-rary needs and times. For India that time is now, after 65 years of constitutional democracy in action under the Westminster Parliamentary system of gov-ernment which is proving to be incompatible with present times and is consistently failing to meet the governing demands of the nation. The result is chaos, public apathy, policy paralysis, mass corruption, inefficient and ineffective governance, and public demoralization.

The Parliamentary system of government was borrowed by India from its colonial Masters, the British who had experi-enced success with this system in their own country given their history, economics and politi-cal realities. The Indian leader-ship of the time, primarily led by Jawaharlal Nehru, opted for this model simply because In-dia had been under British co-lonial rule for almost 250 years and maintaining the British system of governance provided a smoother transition for the new independent India. It was in contrast to British colonies that opted for alternate govern-

Modern India Needs Presidential Form of Government - A Model for National Stability, Prosperity and Progressing systems upon independence and ended up with significant internal political upheavals that created instability and destruc-tion of civil society.

The British governing model might have served India well for about 25 years (one-generation) in the aftermath of the indepen-dence when India witnessed stable national governments, it has been shaky, at best, for the past 40 years starting with 1975, when the Parliamentary system could not accommodate the reality of political diversity of India. This led the President of India in 1975 to take an un-precedented step of declaring Emergency Rule under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi along with suspension of people’s Constitutional rights. But, in-deed, this was the failure of the Parliamentary system of governance in India, which has continued consistently since then as reflected by various co-alition national governments in one way or the other.

For the past 40 years, the co-alition national governments in India have been a reality under the Parliamentary system. Such governments were not formed just due to lack of the single party majority in Lok Sabha (Indian Parliament), which was although the case, but more to accommodate the political diversity in the national gov-ernment. This compulsion has

been proven best by the 2014 National Democratic Alliance (NDA) coalition government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who despite having Bhartiya Janata Party’s (BJP) absolute majority in Lok Sabha, opted to go for the coalition made up of diverse political parties.

But the coalition govern-ments, while a political neces-sity, have been typically been marred with instability, policy paralysis, and ineffective gov-ernance. Paradoxically, the causes for this “undesirable” situation have been the maturity of the Indian society over time. These include enhanced po-litical consciousness among In-dia’s citizens, growing middle class, technological advance-ments, increased consumerism, etc. It is the political assertive-ness of the diverse groups that has given India fractured po-litical mandates in several past elections resulting in coalition governments with instability in the executive branch of succes-sive governments.

There is no country as big or as culturally diverse as India that has or can have the suc-cessful single party govern-ment under the Westminster parliamentary system. The converse is, in fact, also true. Most successful Parliamentary democracies are those that are typically small population base and have cultural homogene-

ity. This system is typically not suited to genuinely accommo-date political diversity. This is best exemplified by West Euro-pean democracies.

The present challenge for In-dia is to create an institutional governing structure that can respond to present societal de-mands of India, accommodates its political diversity as well as assures stability in the execu-tive branch of the government. This is important for policy implementation and economic growth over a sustained period of time, national security and stability of the civil society.

For a country with India’s unique characteristics, only the Presidential form of national government can fulfill this promise. This will, however, require a national internal dia-logue and debate to amend the current constitution. It is only through such innovativeness, leadership, and vision that India can move forward and make it the significant entity that it de-serves to be among the global community.

Dr. Chandra Mittal is Pro-fessor at Houston Community College and Co-Founder of Indo-American Association, Houston. He can be contact on [email protected] or followed on twitter @drchan-dramittal.

Chandra K. Mittal, Ph.D.


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HOUSTON - Sri Govindaji Gaudiya Matha hosted its grand annual festival on

July 4th & 5th to celebrate the second anniversary of the installation of the Deities of Sri Sri Radha Govindaji, Sri Sri Gaura Nitai and Sri Sri Sita Rama Laksmana Hanumanji.

The celebrations started on July 4th with Mangal Aarti at 5:30 am. This was followed by kirtan, bhajans and Srimad Bhagavat Katha. Their Lord-ships, dressed in a beautiful pink dress, mesmerized hundreds of devo-tees who visited the temple through-out the day.

The main celebration started at 5 PM with chanting of bhajans and Hare Krishna mahamantra. This was followed by an enlivening discourse by His Holiness BV Dandi Maha-raja who explained that the Deity of the Lord is not an inert, non-living statue. The Lord actually resides in His Deity and reciprocates profusely with those devotees who serve Him with love and affection. After this, His Holiness BV Tirtha Maharaja eloquently explained the meaning of Gaudiya as those who follow Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and do not

Sri Govindaji Gaudiya Matha celebrates 2nd Anniversary

Devotees offer Mangal Aarti during the celebrations. Photo credit: Vishnujan

Priests performing an elaborate yagna, were joined by devotees. Photo credit: Vishnujan

Beautifully adorned deities of Sri Sri Radha Govindaji

worship Krishna alone but with His eternal pleasure potency, Sri Radha. He further explained that Matha is a

place where one has the facility to at-tend spiritual classes and understand Vedic injunctions under the guidance

of bonafide teachers. That’s why our temple is called a Matha.

The discourses were followed by a cultural program presented by the Gurukula students and the congrega-tion members. This includes two dra-mas, devotional songs and dances. A very special Krishna bhajan was sung by the South Indian devotees that in-cluded prayers in four different lan-

guages. After this, Vishnu das

Prabhu presented the An-nual Report of the temple wherein he highlighted the progress the temple has made in the last year. He emphasized that the main achievement of the temple was the significant increase in the participation of the congregational members in various services and ac-tivities at the temple. He also presented the temple expansion plans which in-clude a new Altar and Srila Gurudeva’s vigraha; adding space for the prasadam hall; a new & larger gift shop; additional class rooms, residential rooms and park-ing spaces. Several people pledged donations for the various projects. This will enable the temple to start the new construction work soon. (If you would like to make a pledge, please con-tact Vishnu Prabhu at con-

tact details given below).The program was concluded with

‘Vote of Thanks’ delivered by the tem-ple president, Tarun Krishna Prabhu. He thanked numerous devotees and members who have been serving the temple selflessly. He also specifically recognized certain individuals who have rendered exceptional services.

This was followed by an ecstatic aarti and a delicious vegetarian feast.

The program continued the next day morning with a Vaishnava Ma-ha-Yajna that was officiated by His Holiness Tirtha Maharaja. Over 150 devotees took part in the two-and-half hour long Yajna and offered oblations to the fire with chanting of ‘Svaha’. Throughout the Yajna, Ma-haraja described the meaning of vari-ous mantras and rituals. He explained that the purpose of the Yajna was to please the Lordships and pray for Their causeless mercy and devotion as well as removal of all bad effects and obstacles in our lives. He also prayed for everlasting peace and hap-piness for everyone – those who were present as well as those who were not present. The Yajna was followed by Bhoga Aarti and another elaborate vegetarian feast.

Sri Govindaji Gaudiya Matha tem-ple is located at 16628 Kieth Harrow Blvd, Houston, TX 77084. Every Sunday bhajans and kirtan start at 5 PM; Spiritual Discourse (English) at 6 PM; Aarti at 7 PM followed by de-licious healthy prasadam. Gurukula for children in grades K-12 is at 5:45 PM. Hindi classes (levels 1 and 2) are at 5 PM. For more information, please visit our website: www.sggm.org or call (832) 464-4686.


Q. I live in a two-bedroom apartment. I pay my rent on time and I am a good tenant. I do not have insurance. Recently, a fire at my complex burned part of my apartment and damaged my property. The apartment owner says he will repair the apartment but is not responsible for my property. What can I do?

A. The apartment owner may be correct--it depends on the facts. Simply because there was a fire at the complex does not mean the apartment owner is legally responsible for the damage to your apartment. Basically, for the apartment to be responsible it will be necessary for you to show some “fault” on the part of the apartment. In most cases, the basis for this “fault” is negligence. Under the law of negligence, an apartment owner must take reasonable steps to maintain the apartment and must act reasonably to remedy any problem. If he does not and your property is damaged as a result, he could be liable.

For example, if the fire were caused by an act of God or some other accident outside of the control of the owner, the owner would have no responsibility. On the other hand, if there was a problem with the electrical wiring and the apartment owner did not properly repair it, the owner could be liable if a fire resulted and damaged your apartment.

Unfortunately, you have learned too late the value of renter’s insurance. Just as a homeowner should have homeowner’s insurance to cover damage to the home, renters should have renter’s insurance to protect against situations such as this one. In fact, many landlords now require a tenant to have renter’s insurance.

Q. I pay my rent in cash each month. Does my landlord have to give me a receipt?A. If you pay cash, the law requires the landlord to provide you with a receipt for payment.Q. I have a small construction business. I have not been paid for a job. How long do I have

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Q. I went through a divorce. I kept the car and he kept the truck. The decree says we will each make the payments for the vehicle we kept. I paid off my car; he did not pay for the truck, and it was repossessed. The debt collectors keep calling me because the loan was in both of our names. Am I still liable for his debt?

A. When you were divorced, the court decided who would pay the bills. The divorce decree, however, is between you and your spouse, not the lender. If you were responsible for the truck loan before the divorce, you still owe it after the divorce. If you pay, however, you have the right to be reimbursed by your ex-spouse based on the divorce decree.

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Q: I heard that Citizens of Nepal can now file for Temporary Protected Status. What is Temporary Protected Status?

A: Citizens of Nepal or those who last habitually resided in Nepal and who are cur-rently residing in the US may now apply for what is known as Temporary Protected Status (TPS). Nepal was designated for Temporary Protected Status effective June 24th, 2015. This is because due to the recent devastating earthquakes in Nepal, conditions in that country are temporarily deemed inadequate to handle the safe return of its own citizens.

Q: When can a citizen of Nepal file for Temporary Protected Status? A: Those who are eligible must file the application for Temporary Protected Status

within what is known as the initial registration period. In the case for Nepal, the initial regis-tration period is between June 24th, 2015 thru December 21st, 2015.

Q: To be eligible for Temporary Protected Status for Nepal, what do I need to show?A: You will need to first show that you are a citizen of Nepal; have been continuously

residing in and physically present in the US since at least June 24th, 2015 and file the applica-tion within the designated initial registration period between June 24th, 2015 and December 21st, 2015. You also cannot have been convicted of any felony or two or more misdemeanors in the United States.

Q; What are the benefits of having Temporary Protected Status?A: Although Temporary Protected Status (TPS) on its own does not lead to permanent

residence status as such, a TPS designee will be temporarily protected from deportation or removal. He or she will be able to get Employment Authorization which will allow him or her to legally work in the US. In addition to that, he or she may also be able to apply for advance parole to enable travel outside the US.

Q: What immigration forms do I use to apply for Temporary Protected Status?A: To register, you must file Form I-821 Application for Temporary Protected Statusa

together with Form I-765 Application for Employment Authorization. The filing fee amount and filing address can be found at www.uscis.gov under Forms I-821 Application for Tempo-rary Protected Status.

Q: What documentation do I need to submit for Temporary Protected Status?A: You will need documentation establishing your nationality or citizenship and iden-

tity (for example biographic page of your Nepalese Passport); proof of the date of your en-try to the US (for example copy of your I-94 Arrival/Departure record or other document evidencing your presence here in the US such as US vaccination records etc); and finally, evidence of your continuous residence and physical presence here in the US since June 24th, 2015 (for example medical records, school records, employment records, etc). If you have been arrested or convicted of a criminal offence, then you will also need to provide a certified copy of your arrest report, court dispositions and sentencing orders.

Q: Can a holder of Temporary Protected Status get a Social Security Number and also a Driver License?

A: Yes, once the Employment Authorization card has been issued, the TPS designee can apply for a Social Security Number and in Texas, he or she may also apply for a Texas Driver License.

Q: When does the Temporary Protected Status for Nepal expire?A: For right now, it appears that Nepali TPS will expire on December 24th, 2016 un-

less an announcement for extension is made at a later date and re-registration permitted.

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 mem-ber of the US Supreme Court. You may contact her at telephone number 713-623-8088 or by email at [email protected] to schedule a free consultation to discuss your case.

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VOICE OF ASIA 5 FRIDAY, July 10, 2015COMMUNITY

A section of the devotees who at the inaugural ceremony of the Center. Photo Credit : Gautam Jani

The grand opening and pran pratishtha cer-emony for the new

temple of ma Gayatri in Katy called “The Center for Gayatri Consciousness” took place very successfully in the presence of five saints from Shantikunj ash-ram, Haridwar India. Resp. Dr. O.P Sharma ji, Resp. Shri V.P. Tripathi ji, Resp. Shri Shantilal Patel ji, Resp. Shri Ramesh Ti-wari ji and Resp. Shri Pushkar Singh Raj ji from Shantikunj had travelled especially for the ceremony from India. The respected saints poured their heart and soul in the ceremony and really channelized the di-vine energy in the program. Everyone could feel the subtle presence of divinity very dis-tinctively and the atmosphere created during the whole cer-emony was charged with spiri-tual vibrations.

Bhaagvat Katha SaptahThe extensive celebrations

began with a seven days Bhag-vat Katha conducted by Resp. Rashmiben Patel. Her katha was full of devotional bhajans in her graceful voice, teachings relevant for today’s time and the timeless tales of all 24 ava-tars of the Lord. The seven day event saw a great turnout from the local Katy community. Din-ner Prasad was served for all seven days.

Kalash Yatra & Deep YagyaThe main event started on

June 26 with kalash yatra where many ladies bore the holy ka-lash on their heads. Kalash represents the universe where all the divine energies of God work in synchronization and complement each other. Simi-larly beginning a ceremony with a kalash yatra signifies that all of us should come together, co-operate and work towards a single goal. The honor of bear-ing the Kalash on the head is given only to the ladies since only they are considered strong enough to bear such a signifi-cant responsibility of carrying all the energies of God on their heads. Kalash yatra was fol-lowed by a cultural program by the Bal-sanskarshala kids of the temple. Through the dance per-formances the kids welcomed everyone to the event and also

Center for Gayatri Consciousness opens in Katy with grand celebrations

explained the significance of Gayatri Mantra. The next pro-gram in the evening was deep yagya, which is a ritual where many deeps are lighted and bhaav-aahutis of Gayatri man-tra are offered to the deeps. 108 deeps were lit and in the beau-tiful light filled environment Gayatri mantra aahutis were given by the devotees. The shantikunj team sang very me-lodious and impactful pragya geets, which mesmerized the attendees. Adarniya Dr. Pranav Pandyaji, who had to cancel his visit due to health issues, had sent a video message for the at-tendees which was played dur-ing the ceremony.

Pran Pratishtha & Gayatri Maha yagya

Next day, on June 27, 2015 the pran pratishtha ceremony was conducted where the divine en-ergy of Maa Gayatri, Lord Ha-numan and Lord Ganesh were invoked in the idols. Resp. Dr. O.P. Sharmaji who was a medi-cal doctor and a radiologist by education before he committed his life to spirituality, explained each and every ritual scien-tifically to the devotees which created a very keen interest to-wards the ceremony especially in the youth. After the invoca-tion a 24 kundi yagya, where all attendees gave their ahutis, was conducted. Hon. Consul-ate General of India in Houston Shri. Parvathaneni Harish was the chief guest for the event. He arrived with his family and took

part with full enthusiasm in the yagya. An annakut was also or-ganized to welcome Maa Gaya-tri in the temple. A book stall showcasing a wide range of literature written by the founder of Gayatri Pariwar Pt. Shriiram Sharma Acharya covering a va-riety of topics related to science & spirituality was also set up on both days.

About Center for Gayatri Consciousness

Gayatri Pariwar aims to bring heaven on earth by awakening divinity in man and is inspired by the motto “Hum badlenge, yug badlega (when we trans-form, the world transforms)” In order to achieve this goal we are building a unique place which

will be a place of worship as well as a place to learn the skills required to transform one’s per-sonality. With this in mind, we have planned to install the idol of Ma Gayatri, the goddess of righteous intellect, Lord Hanu-man, the highest ideal of devo-tion and Lord Ganesh, the giver of discriminatory knowledge. Along with this, we will also have space for various activities that will help the devotees in sculpting their personalities and developing themselves into what truly can be called a divine hu-man being, because we believe that “Apna sudhaar hi sansaar ki sabse badi seva hai (reforming oneself is the biggest service to the world)”. These are some of the activities we are planning to organize at our new temple: • Bal-sanskar classes for kids for ages 4-15 • Workshops & Seminars for youth and work-ing professionals • Spiritual discourses, meditation & Gita classes • A platform to celebrate Indian cultural festivals • Gaya-tri Havan, Satyanarayan katha • Punsavan, Naamkaran, Vidya-aarambha, Annpraashan & other sanskars. (For more infor-mation contact Mahesh Patel @ 201 982 6028 or temple at 281 717 4895 or visit http://texas.awgp.org ) The address is 20914 Park Row in Katy between Ma-son Road and Westgreen and is open from 7:30 am to 8 pm daily, closed only between 1 pm and 4 pm -weekdays. Open all day,weekends, Arti timings, 8 am and 7 pm.

Consul General Harish Parathaneni and family participating in the celebrations. Photo Credit : Gautam Jani.


SUGAR LAND—(July 2, 2015) — If you ex-perience heart attack

symptoms, call 9-1-1 immedi-ately. In a cardiac emergency, a fast, comprehensive response can be the difference between life and death. That’s why for Fort Bend County residents there’s only one place you need to be – Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital.

Houston Methodist Sugar Land is opening a newly ex-panded, state-of-the-art Heart & Vascular Center to expedite care for cardiac patients. As a nationally accredited Chest Pain Center, Houston Method-ist Sugar Land demonstrates the highest level of expertise in treating heart attack patients, exceeding national standards in the most critical components of cardiac care.

In fact, patients are typically evaluated and treated in the hospital’s cardiac catheteriza-tion lab in less than one hour after arriving at the emergency room, well below the national average. The hospital’s Emer-gency Cardiac Response Team is specially trained to stabilize heart attack patients as quickly as possible after they arrive at the emergency room.

Houston Methodist Sugar Land is also the only facility in Fort Bend County that performs open-heart surgery, including the most complex cases.

“When a heart attack patient arrives in our ER, we are pre-pared and ready to respond immediately to provide the proper level of care, including both intervention via cardiac catheterization, or surgery if necessary,” said B. Keith Ellis, M.D., Medical Director of the Chest Pain Center at Houston Methodist Sugar Land. “Other facilities in the area have cardi-ac emergency services but lack the surgical component, which is critical. We are the only hos-pital in this area to have 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week coverage with both interven-tional cardiologists and cardiac surgeons – all supported by the latest and most sophisticated technology and facilities.”

HMSL Hospital’s new Heart & Vascular Center Offers Fort Bend’s Best Resources For Cardiac Care

L-R: B. Keith Ellis, M.D.; Htut Win, M.D.; Yassir Sonbol, M.D.; Uttam Tripathy, M.D. and Kesa-van Shan, M.D.

The new Heart & Vascular Center, which opens in Au-gust, now brings together all the hospital’s cardiac resources in a specially designed facility adjacent to the hospital’s emer-gency room.

The Heart & Vascular Center includes a 19-bed observation unit – where patients can be closely monitored by highly-trained and experienced physi-cians, nurses and support staff – and four state-of-the-art car-diac catheterization labs.

“In a cardiac emergency, min-utes count,” said Ellis. “Our new facility is designed to en-able us to quickly diagnose pa-tients and carry out the proper course of treatment, all right here under one roof.”

Patients undergoing non-emergency procedures also benefit from the expertise and leading technology at Hous-ton Methodist Sugar Land. “If there is a complication during a planned cath lab procedure, for example, other hospitals would have to transport you by heli-copter or ambulance to another facility,” said Ellis. “That takes away precious time, which can increase the damage to your heart. We handle everything

right here in the Heart & Vas-cular Center with a team of ex-perienced specialists including cardiologists, interventional cardiologists, cardiovascular/thoracic surgeons and cardiac anesthesiologists – most of whom worked for many years in the Texas Medical Center.”

For more information about our new Heart & Vascular Cen-ter, visit houstonmethodist.org/sugarland or call 281.274.7500 for a physician referral. Visit our Facebook page at fb.com/methodistsugarland for the lat-est news, events and informa-tion.

INSIST ON HOUSTON METHODIST SUGAR LAND HOSPITAL!

Call 9-1-1 immediately and ask to be taken to Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital if you experience any of the fol-lowing heart attack symptoms:

• Chest pain or pressure, which may radiate down arm

• Shortness of breath• Nausea, vomiting and/or se-

vere indigestion• Break out in a cold sweat.

July 7, 2015 (Austin, TX) When My Plates first released 7-letter plates for a limited time back in 2011, Texans got to tell stories on their personalized plates in a way they’d not been able to before. Now the state’s official vendor for specialty license plates has decided to move away from their 7-day limited events and make 7-let-ter plates available on a daily basis, to allow Texans that ex-tra level of 7-letter personal-ized freedom, forever!

Since My Plates first released 7 letter plates over four years ago, they have sold more than 13,900 in Texas. Considering that there are literally millions of combinations you can cre-ate when using up to 7 alpha-numeric characters on a plate, from full words to multiple shorter words, as well as using plate speak and numerals, the personalized message possibil-ities are seemingly endless.

Whether you’re an ALL STAR, a TOP COOK, or even a TRUCKER, My Plates is con-fident they have an available MESSAGE for you. Whether YOU LIKE to go BOATING or prefer RUNNING, or may-be a plate for GOLFERS and HUNTERS, the good news is that 7-letters will become avail-able on an everyday basis from July 7, 2015 until well, FOR-EVER!

So, if you’re the BIGGEST or the BADDEST, or maybe you’re the COOLEST or you think you’re THE BEST? One thing FOR SURE is that you’d better be the FASTEST to get the plate YOU WANT, as that would just be AWESOME.

To create a 7-letter personal-ized plate, simply visit the My Plates home page www.my-plates.com seven days a week.

Texas re-leases 7-let-ter personal-ized license plates for good!


WASHINGTON DC - The Embassy of India, Washington DC extended an invitation to ‘Indian Roots, American Soil’ Being Organized by Confed-eration of Indian Industry (CII) on Tuesday, July 14, 2015 from 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm.

The event is to highlight the investments and contributions of Indian companies in the US, as well as the mutually benefi-cial bilateral trade relationship. The event will be held on Tues-day, July 14, 2015 from 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm in Room HVC 201 A&B on the House side of the Capitol Visitor’s Center (CVC).

In addition to heads of Indian companies with large US in-vestment footprints, Mr. Arun K Singh, the Ambassador of India to the United States will also join the event. There will also be a high level CII CEOs delegation in attendance, led by Mr. Chandrajit Banerjee, Direc-tor General, CII and Mr. Sumit Mazumder, President, CII and Chairman & Managing Direc-tor, TIL Limited, the Embassy informed in a press release.

Several Members of the House and Senate shall be pres-ent at the event, including the Co-Chairs of the Senate India Caucus, Senator John Cornyn (Texas) and Senator Mark War-ner (Virginia), as well as Con-gressman Ami Bera (Califor-nia) and Congressman George Holding (North Carolina), Co-Chairs of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans.

Other confirmed members of Congress include Congress-woman Donna F. Edward, Con-gressman Elijah E. Cummings, Congressman Erik Paulsen,

AAPI Launches Scientific, Academic Research Foundation (SARF)

founded to support and pro-mote excellence in medicine, advance key research and aca-demic initiatives and establish-ing a robust and credible pro-cess of recognizing significant contributions of Indian Ameri-can Physicians with excellence awards.”

Indian-Americans account for nearly nine percent of the nation’s physicians and provide healthcare to over 40 million patients in the US. Forbes mag-azine describes the overrepre-sentation of Indian-Americans in the medical field as “strik-ing“. In practical terms, one out of seven doctors is likely to be of Indian heritage.

“There is a need for great-

er visibility and cohesion of these physicians. Their com-bined intellectual and techni-cal strength can also be a vital force in the development of the healthcare sector, including re-search and academics,” said Dr. Jain. “AAPI, through this new initiative, brings their collec-tive power on one platform to help shape healthcare in under-served areas and work towards quality healthcare for all.”

The first ever SARF Inaugu-ral Awards Gala will be held on August 14, 2015 at the Pierre Hotel in New York. The SARF awards are for individuals who distinguish themselves at the cutting edge of their field.

Consul General of India, New York, Dnyaneshwar Mulay de-scribed the Indian American

community as “fertile ground” where AAPI has grown to be a “Banyan tree” and SARF is a “beautiful flower” in his ad-dress to the gathering.

“Physicians of Indian origin have made significant contri-butions to healthcare systems worldwide,” said Anwar Feroz, honorary advisor to the organi-zation. “AAPI, while serving as a forum and an advocate for these clinicians to mobi-lize their collective experience and expertise to help address global health issues with focus on the healthcare needs of this adopted land of theirs; assisting development of quality health care with affordable access for all.”

SARF Award Categories in-clude: Lifetime Excellence for

Research & Innovation, Excel-lence in Leadership to Young Physician Award, Excellence in Global Health, Physician of the Year and Hall of Fame in-ductee.

A high powered panel of judges comprised of Dr. Peter Carmel (ex-President, Ameri-can Medical Association), Dr. Elena Rios (National Hispanic Medical Association), Dr. Sey-mour Schwartz (Distinguished Alumni Professor, University of Rochester) Dr. Joseph Chalil (Chief Strategic Advisor, Pro-voctus), Dr. Devi Nambia-parambil (Assistant Professor, NYU School of Medicine), Dr. Edith Mitchell (NMA President-Elect), Freda Lewis Hall (Chief Medical Officer, Pfizer), Dr. Luis Salmun (Ex-

Continued from page 1

ecutive Director, Boeringher Ingelheim), Rajeev Bambiri (CEO, India Abroad) and Paul Stoffel (Chief Scientific Offi-cer, Johnson & Johnson) will choose the winners.

Confederation of Indian Industry to host ‘Indian Roots, American Soil’

Congressman Pete Sessions, Congresswoman Cynthia Lum-mis, Congressman Joseph Kennedy, Congressman Brad Ashford, Congressman Derek Kilmer, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, Congresswoman Grace Meng, Congresswoman Susan DelBene and Congress-man Dave Trott.

As you know, the recent his-toric second visit of President Obama to India in early 2015 and that of Prime Minister Modi in 2014 has infused the much needed momentum in the US-India Bilateral relation-ship that today encompasses converging interests and coop-eration across a wide spectrum of sectors. The July 14th event aims to highlight the Indian FDI story within the context of the larger US-India economic and trade partnership.

CII will also release the next edition of report “Indian Roots American soil” which high-lights the growing presence of Indian companies in the United States at this event.

The July 14th event will bring the leaders of Indian businesses in the US to interface with Members of the House and Senate and a cross section of officials on a range of issues in our business relationship.

Over 23 Indian companies have agreed to participate in the event which includes Bank of Baroda, Birlasoft, Cyient, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, Es-sel Propack, Exim Bank, ICICI Bank, Infosys, ITC Infotech, Larsen & Tourbo, Mahindra USA, Mindteck, NIIT, Pira-mal Healthcare, State Bank of India, Sun Pharma, Taj Hotels and Resorts, TATA Communi-cations, TATA Group, TATA Consultancy Services, Torrent Pharma, Wipro and Wockhardt

Those interested to attend please send your confirmation to Isha Gulati at [email protected]

Dr. Seema Jain, AAPI president and Ambassador Dnyaneshwar Mulay with some of the AAPI leaders during the launch.


SUGAR LAND, TX ¬– Sugar Land City Council recently ap-

proved an 8 percent residen-tial homestead exemption, ef-fective Jan. 1, 2015.

The measure was intended to help offset rising residential property appraisals set by the Fort Bend Central Appraisal District. The City has no con-trol over appraisals.

The increased exemption represents an estimated city-wide savings to residents of $229,000 or $11 per year on the average home value of $350,000. The savings are based on the City’s current tax rate of 31.595 cents.

“We remain most proud of the fact that we are consistent-ly able to successfully deliver major projects and quality-of-life improvements while hav-ing one of the lowest tax rates in the state of Texas,” said City Manager Allen Bogard. “It is this emphasis on value for tax dollars that may just be our greatest accomplishment of all.”

In 2007, the homestead ex-emption was increased from 1 to 5 percent and then to 7 percent in 2008 in response to rising appraisals. There is a minimum exemption of $5,000 per homeowner.

In evaluating any recom-mended change to the home-stead exemption, the City’s long term financial health is the top priority. The City has

COMMUNITY

made significant strides in the last few years toward diversi-fying revenues between sales tax and property tax collec-tions. The City has recognized that over reliance on sales tax to fund governmental opera-tions should be avoided since sales tax can be a volatile and elastic revenue stream.

The fiscal year 2015-16 budget and five-year fore-cast are being prepared with conservative estimates in tax revenues -- based on a flat tax rate and 3 percent growth in values -- with voter-approved increases in the tax rate antici-pated in fiscal year 2017 and fiscal year 2019 to support bond projects.

The use of the homestead exemption to manage residen-tial tax bill growth allows the City Council to target the tax breaks to homeowners in the City while maintaining reve-nue streams from commercial properties that would be lost if the tax rate were adjusted. Additional value growth over the estimates provides an op-portunity to offset the tax rate increase needed to implement the bond projects or an option to accelerate other projects in the CIP.

“By increasing the home-stead exemption, the City Council can target tax relief to homeowners who have seen significant increases in valua-tion from the Central Apprais-al District during the last two years,” said Bogard.

Sugar Land Increases Homestead Exemption

SUGAR LAND, TX – Sugar Land is looking for volunteers inter-

ested in giving their time, en-ergy and expertise to serve as members on the City’s boards and commissions, groups that provide valuable insight and advice on various issues and events.

City Council has opened the recruitment process for the Planning and Zoning Commis-sion; Building Standards Com-mission; and Parks, Art, Recre-ation, Culture, and Streetscapes and Tree Advisory Board.

All applications must be sub-mitted electronically by July 20 at 5 p.m. through the Serve Sugar Land website at https://volunteer.sugarlandtx.gov/.

Each board and commission exercises a number of advisory and quasi-judicial powers and functions that are essential to the operation of city govern-ment. Serving on one of the City boards can be a very rewarding and hands-on experience.

In August, City Council will review all applications and se-lect nominees for further con-sideration. Appointments and reappointments to boards and commissions will be made in September 2015.

For more information on the board and commission applica-tion, nomination, interview and appointment process, contact the Office of the City Secre-tary at 281-275-2730 or email [email protected].

Serve Your City Govern-ment, Apply for Boards and Commissions

HOUSTON – This year marks the 50th Anniversary of the Older American’s Act which was signed into law by Presi-dent Lyndon B. Johnson. The measure is the first of its kind dedicated to providing services for older Americans. It helps seniors live independently by supporting services including Meals-on-Wheels, in-home care, transportation, elder abuse prevention and caregivers who make it possible for seniors to live in their homes. The law also helps save federal and state tax dollars by keeping seniors out of costly nursing homes and preventing unnecessary hospital re-admissions.

AARP founder Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus was instrumental in helping make this law a real-ity. But the bill’s congressional authorization expired in 2011, leaving the future of these life-saving programs at risk. AARP is asking Congress to pass the Older Americans Act so we can protect access to critical servic-

AARP, Neighborhood Centers urge reauthorization of Old-er Americans Act on occa-sion of its 50th anniversary

es that help millions of seniors live with dignity and indepen-dence as they age.

Join AARP Texas and the Neighborhood Centers as we commemorate the passing of the Older Americans Act at the J.W. Peavy Center, 3814 Market Street, Houston, Texas 77020 on Tuesday, July 14, 10 a.m. – 12 noon.

The program will include a discussion of the Older Ameri-cans Act, what we can do to help preserve it, and a tour of the J.W. Peavy Senior Center. The center is the only stand-alone senior center in the city of Houston which serves a weekday lunch, has an internet cafe, fitness center, and arts and crafts room. The services are available to Houston adults 60 and older.

AARP is a nonprofit, nonpar-tisan organization with a mem-bership of nearly 38 million, including more than 2.2 million Texans.

AUSTIN, Texas – A State/FEMA Disas-ter Recovery Center

(DRC) is now open in Walker County for homeowners, rent-ers and business owners who sustained damage as a result of the severe storms, tornadoes

9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday

9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, closed Sunday

The DRC will cease opera-tions at 6 p.m. on Friday, July 17

People who had storm dam-age can register for FEMA assistance online at www.Di-sasterAssistance.gov or call 800-621-3362 toll free from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily until further notice. Multilingual operators are available.

Disaster assistance appli-cants who have a speech dis-ability or hearing loss and use TTY should call 800-462-7585 directly; for those who use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 800-621-3362. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

(local time) seven days a week until further notice.

Visiting with a recovery spe-cialist is not a requirement for survivors who want disaster assistance, but the centers are an excellent way for people to get answers to their questions about disaster aid and help ap-plying for it. Some of the ser-vices may include:

Guidance regarding disaster recovery

Clarification of any written correspondence received

Housing Assistance and Rental Resources information

Answers to questions, reso-lutions to problems and refer-rals to agencies that may pro-vide further assistance

Status of applications being processed by FEMA

Assistance for eligible sur-vivors can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, and for other serious

disaster-related needs, such as medical and dental expenses or funeral and burial costs. Low-interest disaster loans from SBA may be available to cover losses not fully com-pensated by insurance or other resources and do not duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations.

Eligible survivors should register with FEMA even if they have insurance. FEMA cannot duplicate insurance payments, but under-insured applicants may receive help after their insurance claims have been settled.

For more information on Texas recovery, visit the di-saster web page at www.fema.gov/disaster/4223. Twitter at https://www.twitter.com/fe-maregion6 and the Texas Di-vision of Emergency Manage-ment website, https://www.txdps.state.tx.us/dem.

Disaster Recovery Center Opens in Walker County for Texas Flood Survivors

and flooding from May 4 to June 19.

Specialists from the State of Texas, the Federal Emer-gency Management Agency (FEMA), the U.S. Small Busi-ness Administration (SBA),

nongovernmental organiza-tions and the local community are on hand to answer ques-tions and provide informa-tion on the types of assistance available to survivors. Servic-es are provided in English and Spanish.

The recovery center serves survivors from any of the 36 counties designated for Indi-vidual Assistance who need one-on-one help. State and federal professionals will be available to assist eligible sur-vivors get help as quickly as possible.

Location and hours of opera-tion

Old Walker County Annex Building

Early Voting Room1301 Sam Houston Ave. (be-

tween 12th and 13th Streets)Huntsville, TX 77340

VOICE OF ASIA 9 FRIDAY, July 10, 2015ASIA

NEW DELHI - Wom-en’s rights activists in India hailed Thursday

a Supreme Court ruling reject-ing judge-ordered mediation between rapists and their vic-tims, a legal move they said was common in the conserva-tive country.

The Supreme Court issued the warning after a public outcry over a judge’s decision to grant a convicted rapist bail to allow him to try to negotiate with his victim in the hope of marriage.

The Supreme Court said judg-es should steer away from or-dering mediation which would not only be a “spectacular er-ror” but a blow to the dignity of women.

“These are offences which suffocate the breath of life and sully the reputation” of women, Justices Dipak Misra and P.C Pant said in their written judge-ment on Wednesday.

“The conception of compro-mise, under no circumstances,

can be thought of in a case of rape or attempt to rape.”

Ranjana Kumari, one of In-dia’s leading women activists, applauded the ruling, saying judges in lower courts often suggested mediation as a means of dispute resolution rather than meting out justice.

“Any mediation between rap-ists and the survivor is illegal. We welcome it and hope the lower courts abide by the rul-ing,” Kumari told AFP.

Lawyer and activist Vrinda Grower said the ruling was un-ambiguous and a warning to lower courts that tried to use mediation in future.

The Supreme Court’s rul-ing comes after a Madras High Court judge advised a rapist, who he gave interim bail to, to mediate with his victim who was 15 at the time of the attack and had given birth to a child.

Women having children out

Women activists hail Indian top court’s rape ruling

MUMBAI/JAIPUR: BJP MP Hema Ma-lini today blamed

the father of the four-year-old girl for the child’s death in the road accident involving the ac-tress’ Mercedes, saying had he followed traffic rules, his daugh-ter’s life could have been saved, comments which evoked angry reaction from him.

The actress, who received in-juries in the mishap, said, “My heart goes out to the child who unnecessarily lost her life and the family members who have been injured in the accident.”

“How I wish the girl’s father had followed traffic rules, then this accident could have been averted and the little one’s life saved,” she tweeted.

Sonam was killed while five

of wedlock is taboo in many parts of India where marriages are often arranged between families.

The Supreme Court’s ruling was made while upholding an appeal against a different High Court’s decision to set free an-other rapist by changing the of-fence to assault.

The court made the decision on suggestions the criminal was planning to reach a settle-ment with his victim’s family in the central state of Madhya Pradesh.

Sexual violence remains a major problem in India more than two years after the fatal gang rape of a student in New Delhi in December 2012 un-leashed public outrage about the treatment of women.

India’s notoriously slow legal system takes years to dispense justice, even for crimes such as rape and murder, with many victims forced to withdraw their cases or reach a settlement.

Hema Malini blames girl’s father for her death in road mishap

others were injured including the actress when Hema’s Mercedes collided with another car on July 2 in Rajasthan’s Dausa district.

The 66-year-old actress had undergone surgery for her wounds in a hospital in Jaipur last week.

The victim’s father Hanuman Mahajan alleged that it was Hema’s Mercedes which was speeding above 100 km per hour when his car was hit.

“I feel very sad that Hemaji, an MP, has such a small ‘soch’ (thinking) that she tweeted that I was not following traffic rules,” Mahajan, who is conva-lescing in Trauma Hospital in the Pink City, told PTI.

“Big people can say any-

thing from anywhere... If she has courage... she should come before me and say what she has to. I like to know from her one traffic rule that I violated... whether I was driving at very high speed, or whether I was on the wrong side, or I did not give an indicator... or I did not put seat belt,” he said.

“My mistake was that I was driving at a very slow speed and her car was at high speed,” he said, adding, “Why was her driver arrested and released on bail. We have filed the case with the Kotwali Police Station in Dausa district.”

Soon after the mishap, Ma-hajan had said that Sonam could have been saved had she been rushed to the hospital with the actress. (PTI)

Myanmar to hold general election on November 8

by Hla-Hla HTAY

YANGON, Myanmar | AFP - Myanmar on Wednesday set Novem-

ber 8 as the date for a historic general election, expected to be the first contested by Aung San Suu Kyi’s opposition in a quarter of a century.

The announcement from the country’s election commis-sion fires the starting gun for the much-anticipated poll in the former junta-run nation, which has launched a series of reforms since the end of outright military rule in 2011.

The vote, seen as a crucial test of the country’s democratic prog-ress, will determine the elected contingent in the fledgling par-liament with a president selected by the legislature later. Suu Kyi is barred by the constitution from taking the top job.

The Nobel laureate’s National League for Democracy (NLD) party did not immediately con-firm it would participate in the polls, although it is widely ex-pected to make huge gains at the ballot box.

“We cannot say whether we will take part right now. We need to hold a meeting to make a deci-sion,” spokesman Nyan Win told AFP.

The NLD has gone house-to-house in recent days urging peo-ple to check official voter lists and raising concerns that those displayed across the country are riddled with inaccuracies.

Election officials conceded that the lists contain errors, blaming technical faults and staff short-ages but insisting that there is still time to iron out many of the flaws.

The Union Election Commis-sion said on its website that the parliamentary election would take place on November 8, a Sunday, with candidates given between July 20 and August 8 to register.

The United States welcomed

the announcement.

“We think that a credible par-liamentary election is an impor-tant step,” State Department dep-uty spokesman Mark Toner said at a daily briefing, adding that the US was providing technical as-sistance and funding to support the polls.

- ‘Voting is important’ -

For Myanmar’s roughly 30 mil-lion voters the election presents a rare chance to cast their votes in a nationwide poll contested by the country’s main opposition.

The NLD won national polls in 1990 by a landslide, while Suu Kyi was under house arrest. But it was prevented from tak-ing power by the military, who plunged the country into isolation for decades.

The democracy icon spent some 15 years under house arrest and was also locked up during the last general election in 2010, which was boycotted by the NLD and marred by accusations of cheating.

But the veteran campaigner and 44 of her party members now sit in parliament following a 2012 by-election held as part of sweep-ing reforms under a quasi-civilian government dominated by former generals that replaced nearly half a century of military rule.

“I will vote for the party that will do good for the country,” Kyaw Kyaw Naing, a sailor, told AFP in downtown Yangon.

Retired soldier Maung Nai said it would be his third time voting in a nationwide poll.

“Voting is important,” he said.

- Stalling reforms - The current government under

President Thein Sein, a former general, has been credited with ending draconian media censor-ship, freeing political prisoners and launching economic reforms that have seen the lifting of most Western sanctions.

But Suu Kyi and rights cam-paigners have increasingly warned that reforms have stalled or even reversed in some areas, with dozens of student protesters behind bars and the tightening of media freedoms.

Last month she vowed not to “back down” from the election despite defeat in a parliamentary vote aimed at ending the mili-tary’s effective veto on constitu-tional change.

Myanmar’s parliament con-tinues to be dominated by the army, with a quarter of the seats reserved for unelected soldiers. This provision means any major charter change needs a majority of more than 75 percent -- giving the military the final say.

The result of the recent vote virtually extinguished Suu Kyi’s chances of the presidency at this stage because of a provision ex-cluding those with foreign chil-dren from the top office. Her sons are British.

With Suu Kyi barred from the top job and no obvious second candidate within the NLD, ob-servers predict the party could end up supporting a presidential candidate outside its ranks.

Experts fear that horsetrad-ing between the election and the announcement of presidential candidates several months later could trigger instability in the na-tion, where the military has a his-tory of crushing dissent.

“If we won a majority, we can arrange to form a government with other people... We need to compromise,” said the spokes-man Nyan Win in an interview.

He said people in Myanmar were “very disappointed” that Suu Kyi’s route to the presidency remains blocked.

The NLD, which has come under fire for failing to outline specific policy ideas as the poll looms, said it was poised to re-lease a much-awaited statement on the economy, health, security and education.

VOICE OF ASIA 10 FRIDAY, July 10, 2015WORLD/US

Also expected late evening is the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who will meet Putin on Thursday afternoon, right after the BRICS summit.

Taking place at the same time in Ufa is a meeting of the re-gional security grouping, the Shanghai Cooperation Organi-sation (SCO), to which Iran has applied.

BRICS “augurs the formation of a new world, in which the West will not dominate,” Fyo-dor Lukyanov, the chairman of the Council on Foreign and Defence Policy, wrote in Rossi-iskaya Gazeta state daily.

Critics however say that while the summit is symbolically im-portant for Russia, BRICS is not a strong political force due to the very different agendas and priorities of its members.

The summit is “compensa-tion for one and a half years of a diplomatic blockade,” wrote Alexander Gabuyev of the Car-

negie Moscow Center.

But, he added, “Moscow is likely alone in its euphoria about the double summit and emerging new geopolitical con-structs.”

Russia looks east for money

Among the tangible results of BRICS’s emergence has been the establishment of a BRICS bank to finance infrastructure projects in member states and developing countries.

The bank, which was offi-cially launched Tuesday, will start funding proposals early next year, said Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov.

Sanctions have cut off access to Western borrowing for Rus-sia, and Siluanov said that com-panies like oil giant Rosneft may now turn to the BRICS bank for funding.

“The bank is an instrument for development, for economic growth,” Siluanov said, while ruling out any bailout loans to

WASHINGTON - US law enforcement officials warned

Wednesday that criminals and terror suspects would benefit from stronger data encryption, and called for service providers to retain access to such protect-ed data.

Calling inviolable data a “real national security problem,” Deputy Attorney General Sally Quillian Yates said President Barack Obama’s administration has not ruled out legislation for companies to keep hold of the key into such data.

But “a more productive ap-proach is to work with industry to find solutions for each com-pany rather than a one-size-fits-all,” she told lawmakers.

FBI Director James Comey and other US officials have expressed concern for months since Google and Apple an-nounced plans to lock com-munications, leaving keys only in users’ hands, in a way that

US warns encryption hampering anti-terror fight

Greece.

Thirsty for cash, recession-hit Russia has also been asking China to lift existing restric-tions for Chinese investors on participating in foreign finan-cial markets, Siluanov said.

“We are talking about gradu-al lifting of barriers for invest-ing by Chinese financial insti-tutes... it would help develop the economy of our two coun-tries,” he said.

In a major boost to trade with India, Russia’s oil giant Ros-neft on Wednesday signed a deal with Essar group to supply 100 million tonnes of oil over the next decade to a refinery in India’s Vadinar, and inked a preliminary agreement to buy a stake of up to 49 percent in the refinery.

Leaders on Thursday will discuss regional and global is-sues, including the Syria con-flict, threat of the Islamic State group, the situation in Greece and Iran’s nuclear programme.

FBI Director James Comey (R) and Deputy Attorney General Sally Quillian Yates are sworn-in before the Senate Judiciary Committee on July 8, 2015 on Capitol Hill. Photo By Mandel Ngan

would prevent access by law enforcement even with a war-rant.

Those moves came after an outcry over revelations from former intelligence contrac-tor Edward Snowden expos-ing vast electronic surveillance programs by the US and its al-lies.

Law enforcement officials say the more robust encryption could hamper the efforts of US law enforcement and intelli-gence operations by allowing militants from the Islamic State group to avoid detection.

And criminals can also use the tools to communicate with impunity, they say.

“Our tools are becoming in-creasingly ineffective,” Comey acknowledged in testimony be-fore the Senate Judiciary Com-mittee.

He noted that the Islamic State group uses Twitter to

reach and inspire followers on US soil, before using secure mobile messaging applications to discuss potential operations.

“This an enormous problem,” said Comey, adding that FBI might not be able to stop IS at-tacks on US soil “indefinitely” if the problem is not resolved.

Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt has warned that there is no backdoor that only gives access to “good guys” and not “bad guys.”

But Comey rejected the argu-ment, pointing to the creativity of Silicon Valley.

“Silicon Valley is full of folks who when they stood in their garage years ago were told ‘your dreams are too hard to admire...’ They didn’t listen,” he said.

“I don’t think it’s been given a hard, honest look,” Comey added, referring to encryption alternatives.

Putin welcomes BRICS leaders....

Continued from Page 1

A worker seen making preparations prior to BRICS summit.

Washington, DC - White House Champions of

Change for Precision Medicine will honor the work being done by patients, researchers, inno-vators, and advocates who are advancing our understanding of health and disease by har-nessing data to take account in-dividual differences in people’s genes, environments, and life-styles into account to improve patients’ health.

Anish Sebastian is the CEO and co-founder of Babyscripts Inc. Babycripts is the leading mobile therapeutics company in pre-natal care. Under his lead-ership, the company has raised more than 2 million dollars in capital, developed and clinical-ly validated the first in kind risk stratified approach toward pre-

OSLO, Norway | AFP | 7/8/2015 - Paki-stani Prime Minister

Nawaz Sharif and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai held their first official meeting on Wednesday after both at-tended a UN education summit in Oslo.

The 17-year-old activist, who was shot and nearly killed by the Taliban in Pakistan in Oc-tober 2012 for insisting girls had a right to an education, said Sharif told her his government would support her if she decid-ed to visit the country.

“He said my country is al-ways there for me. And I said that it is my responsibility as a Pakistani to return to Pakistan and help people there,” Mala-la, who has made her home in Britain, told public broadcaster NRK, adding that any visit would have to coincide with her school holidays.

Pakistan’s education system, child labour and child marriage were also among the issues dis-cussed, she added.

The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) party post-ed a picture of the meeting on its official Twitter account.

Pakistani PM Sharif meets Malala in Oslo

Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai attends the Oslo Summit on Education for Development in Norway, on July, 7, 2015 (AFP Photo/Vegard Wivestad Grott)

The prime minister and the teen met briefly on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September 2013, but this was their first official meeting.

Both were in Oslo after at-tending the two-day Oslo Sum-mit on Education for Devel-opment, where Malala urged world leaders to cut “eight days of military spending” to give all children access to 12 years of free education.

Sharif and his Indian coun-terpart Narendra Modi last year declined to attend the Nobel Peace Prize awards ceremony,

where she collected the prize she shared with Indian child rights activist Kailash Sat-yarthi.

Malala became a global icon after the Taliban attack in 2012.

She recovered after being flown for extensive surgery to Birmingham, central England, and has since continued both her education and activism.

But she remains a figure of hate for many Pakistanis who resent having the country’s problems aired abroad.

Anish Sebastian, 8 others honored as Champions of Change

natal care and commercia l -ized its prod-uct in multiple markets. In addition to his p rofess iona l responsibil i-ties, Anish is an advocate of the consumer healthcare rev-olution serving as the lead or-ganizer of the Quantified Self group in Wash-ington D.C. As organizer, he leads the effort in establishing and growing the quantified-self movement (a data driven approach to self-knowledge) in

Anish Sebastian

the Washington metropolitan area.


by Sanchali Basu

Houstonians will have the pleasure and honor of experi-encing music director Debojy-oti Mishra’s compositions at the upcoming North American Bengali Conference (NABC) to be held at the George Brown Convention center from July 10-12. In the initial planning stages, the cultural and execu-tive committees were overjoyed to know that he had agreed to be the director of not only the opening ceremony, but also the closing ceremony of this an-nual convention which attracts Bengalis from all over the year

NABC HIGHLIGHTSCOMMUNITY

for a fun filled weekend of arts, culture and entertainment. The opening ceremony is being co-directed by the ever-lively, energetic Tanusree Shankar, who he considers to be like his Guru. He added it would not be the same without her.

Debojyoti was fortunate to start his career as the leg-endary music composer Salil Chowdhury’s chief assistant for 14 long years, and befit-tingly, the closing ceremony will pay tribute to him. He also played the violin for Satyajit Ray’s movies. He has com-posed more than 500 ad jingles

and many of his songs have become very popular in Bengal for his accurate, controlled use of instruments and the voice. He particularly thanked the role that Rituparno Ghosh and Su-man Mukhopadhyay played in his musical journey.

This is his first NABC in-volvement and he is nothing but praise for the Houston team that he is working with. It came as a pleasant surprise to him that this experience has been so fulfilling and has outlived all his expectations. He selected the singers through an audition process and saw them bloom and flourish under his able, dis-ciplined guidance.

The choir has been rehears-ing over the past few months and he believes that some of the singers could have made it their profession and toured the world and sing at an interna-tional level. He showed special appreciation for Shyama Mish-ra, who was at the helm of the choir during his absence. She took it upon herself to assist him by coordinating, energiz-ing and communicating with the entire group. Shamik Bose and Sudipta Datta were also commended for their excellent rendition of, “Aajaan aamaar.”

He quoted, “Never in my life have I seen such a lively,

by Sanchali Basu

On talking to Tanusree Shan-kar, one would not know the Indian dance royalty that

she belongs to. Although hailing from the family of the late Uday Shankar, Ananda Shankar and Ravi Shankar, her modesty and humility are indeed striking. She carries herself with such poise and graciousness, that one and all are immediately charmed by her personality.

It is no surprise that that the group of dancers learning the choreography for the North American Bengali Con-ference opening ceremony in Houston absolutely dote on her. The confer-ence to be held from July 10-12 at the George Brown Convention Center will feature artists, singers, dancers, actors form movies and the stage, lit-erary figures, medical professionals,

Dance,the passion of my life – Tanusree

Music- The Magic of Debojyoti Mishra

vibrant, enthusiastic profes-sional group of singers who are not actually getting paid at the end of the day.” He was also inspired by the theater group led by Manas Saha and Rahul Chakrabarti and treasured the interactions and synchronicity of mental wavelength.

Raja Banga got the ball roll-ing to get Debojyoti to take charge and there has been no turning back ever since. Tapan Das with his excellent com-munication skills kept the communication going and the culmination will be a harmoni-ous fruition of drama, song and dance.

Debojyoti has worked with the French, Italian and Prague operas, as a music composer, but working with the local Houston team as a unit has been more rewarding, rejuvenating and energizing. He promised that he will always be there for his entire team and he wants to motivate each and everyone on his team to pursue the passion for singing and take leader-ship roles as professionals. He wants their journey to begin on the brightest note.

For further details please visit www.nabc2015.org

artisans, vendors, spiritual motivators, Ayurvedic and Yoga experts, business enthusiasts from all over the world. They will all congregate in the Space City for those 3 days to reconnect with the homeland (Bengal and India) and celebrate the heritage. It is hoped that it will bring value to donors and spon-sors from the US, India and beyond to contribute something concrete to the global community and Bengal– thus realizing the goal and potential of the global platform of the conference.

Tanusree in association with De-

bojyoti Mishra have taken on the monumental responsibility of coordi-nating the audiovisual extravaganza of the opening ceremony involving 80 or more artists from Houston and Kolka-ta. Tanusree has brought 7 profession-al seasoned dancers from her troupe Krishna, Debjit, Surojit, Gobinda, Indranil, Arnab and Kunal to train the local dance enthusiasts.

The rehearsals begin with a rigor-ous but fulfilling warm up everyday and the routine is different every time (you can see a small video clip of it in the online newspaper version). The importance given to detailing and isolating every part of the body is commendable and the dance style is unique in its own right. Every dance movement is so graceful, and her be-lief in the philosophy, “Practice makes perfect” makes every student go that extra mile.

All the dances are group dances and

she stresses on the team work and right positioning, to make the beauti-ful flowing choreography work. The dancers who are from all different backgrounds of dance styles at differ-ent levels of expertise have all been assigned dances based on their capa-bilities and everyone is enjoying danc-ing and training under her.

This is Tanusree’s third NABC in-volvement in the last 4 years and she is thoroughly enjoying the experience of co-partnering with Debojyoti. She has taken a month off to spend time here in Houston totally dedicating herself and her dance troupe to the successful production of the opening ceremony. It will portray all the different influ-ences that played a part in evolving the music of Bengal and will include all genres of music. It will be a balanced amalgamation of dances songs, skits and recitations.

In a quiet moment with Tanusree, I could not but be captivated by her grace, passion and dedication towards dance. It almost felt like dance oozes out of her every pore. She has given her life to dance and her Tanushree Shankar Dance Company is one of the leading exponents of contemporary dance forms in India. She has devel-oped her own “Shankar technique of new dance,” which is Indian in origin and spirit, modern in presentation, universal and timeless in appeal.

Houstonians are indeed lucky to have her in their midst. Please visit www.nabc2015.org for further details.

Photo credit: Shovan Ganguly

Tanusree Shankar. Photo credit: Jayanta Bandyopadhyay.

Tanusree and her professional dancers troupe from Kolkata, India. Photo credit: Jayanta Bandyopadhyay.

VOICE OF ASIA 13 FRIDAY, July 10, 2015V AOICE OF SIA

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California-based Beyond Meat uses soya and pea protein for its products, including Beyond Beef Crumbles, which can be used to make tacos

by Rob Lever

WASHINGTON - A wave of Silicon Valley-style disruption is hitting the

food industry.

Lab-grown meat, vegan cheese and “animal free” milk and eggs are headed for consumers, often with backing from the tech sector and its financial allies.

These products could fill an impor-tant need while reducing environ-mental problems such as energy and land use for traditional food indus-tries, according to backers.

This new group of startups is es-sentially hacking the food sector with new ideas and technologies about food and with strong ties to Silicon Valley.

Some are using plant protein to substitute for animal products while others are producing foods biologi-cally through so-called “cellular ag-riculture.”

At least $138 million in investment poured into the segment of “sus-tainable protein” startups in 2014, according to the research firm Ag-Funder. Another research firm, CB Insights, calculates at least $221 mil-lion invested in the sector over the past 18 months.

More deals appear to be cook-ing, with participation from major Silicon Valley players like Google Ventures and equity firm Andreessen Horowitz.

- ‘Disrupting’ food -

“I think this new industry will be disruptive,” said Isha Datar, execu-tive director of the nonprofit group New Harvest, which promotes cellu-lar agriculture, or the use of stem or other cells to produce replications of animal products.

Hacking the food chain, Silicon Valley styleThe tech sector is spearheading this

effort, Datar says, with most of the traditional food industry stuck in “a deeply ingrained system that makes it less amenable to change.”

Brooklyn-based startup Modern Meadow is developing an edible cul-tured meat prototype along with bio-engineered leather products, which do not require animal slaughter. The company has funding from tech ven-ture firms Sequoia Capital and Artis Ventures.

“This is bio-fabrication, where cells themselves can be used to grow biological products like tissues and organs,” said Andras Forgacs, chief executive of the firm, at a recent TED conference.

“Perhaps biofabrication is a natural evolution of manufacturing for man-kind. It’s environmentally respon-sible, efficient and humane.”

In 2013, Mark Post, a professor of tissue engineering at Netherlands-based Maastricht University present-ed the first lab-grown hamburger.

The product, backed by Google co-founder Sergey Brin, was derided as a “Frankenburger” but nonethe-less sparked interest in lab-produced foods.

San Francisco-based Clara Foods is using a similar in-vitro technique to produce “animal free” egg whites, while in the same city lab-produced milk is on its way from a startup called Muufri.

“These products are just as versa-tile as the real ones,” says Gilonne d’Origny of New Harvest.

“An egg white (produced through cellular agriculture) can be used to make meringue ... If you create a flank steak this way it will have the cells lined up in the same way as a real flank steak, so it will be identi-cal.”

- Environmental challenge -

Among the prominent investors in this sector is Microsoft founder Bill Gates, who sees the industry as help-ing fight against a key environmental challenge.

“How can we make enough meat without destroying the planet?” Gates said on his blog.

He added that he is “hopeful about the future of meat substitutes. I have invested in some companies working on this and am impressed with the results so far.”

Gates is among the backers of Hampton Creek Foods, a San Fran-cisco startup which makes plant-based egg substitutes for its may-onnaise and cookie dough, and Impossible Foods, which produces vegetable-based meat and cheese substitutes.

While meat sub-stitutes have been around for years, today’s startups are aiming to use technology and innovation that have worked in Silicon Valley.

C a l i f o r n i a -

based Beyond Meat, which uses soy and pea protein for its products including “Swedish meatballs” and “Southwest chicken strips,” says this type of food offers a more sustain-able model.

“Our core mission is to seek mass market solutions to replace animal protein with plant protein,” said Be-yond Meat co-founder Brent Taylor, who claims the product creates the “fiber-like structures and texture or meat.”

Taylor told AFP new ideas are needed because “the rate of meat consumption in markets like China is rising at such a rapid clip that we can’t keep up.”

Beyond Meat backers include Ob-vious Ventures, an investment group including Twitter co-founders Evan Williams and Biz Stone and the prominent California tech equity firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.

Other startups in the sector in-clude Daiya Foods (vegan cheese), Exo (cricket flour protein bars) and Soylent (powdered meal replace-ments.)

Chris Dixon at the investment firm Andreessen Horowitz was bullish on Soylent in a blog post earlier this year explaining the firm’s $20 mil-

lion investment.

“We have all sorts of food-related problems in the world -- malnutri-tion, diabetes, and obesity, to name a few,” Dixon said in a blog post.

“Part of the solution to these prob-lems is providing people with better scientific research, and more food choices that are convenient, nutri-tious, and affordable.”

Yet it remains unclear if the gen-eral public will accept these manu-factured food substitutes.

D’Origny said there are signs the public will take to the new foods.

“Think of what goes into a Chick-en McNugget, but people still buy them,” she said.

While progress is being made, d’Origny said “the engineering prob-lems are bigger than the scientific ones. It’s a question of making foods that are palatable and acceptable.”

Others are skeptical.

“The people who are doing these things are evidently not foodies,” said Marion Nestle, professor of food studies at New York University.

“They eat to live but do not live to eat, apparently.”

TOKYO - Japa-nese consum-ers are used to

paying through the nose for fruit, and now the summer’s here there’s another way for them to empty their wallets: cube and heart-shaped watermelons.

But this pricey pro-duce is not intended to tempt your taste buds -- it’s more ornament than the perfect picnic food.

Over at the Shibuya Nishimura luxury fruit shop in downtown To-kyo, a cube-shaped wa-termelon, about the size of a baby’s head, sells for 12,960 yen ($105).

Not to your liking? Well, how about a heart- or pyramid-shaped melon to sit on that chic coffee table in your liv-ing room.

“This fruit is meant to be a feast for your eyes, but they don’t taste very good,” admitted the shop’s senior man-aging director Mototaka Nishimura.

“They should be displayed as orna-ments, maybe mixed with flowers.”

Farmers plant young watermelons inside acrylic containers to get the de-

Square fruit: Odd shaped melons herald Japan summer

sired shape.While the price may sound high,

it’s actually something of a bargain in Japan where people traditionally exchange gifts, including expensive fruit, with clients and relatives a cou-ple of times a year.

A deep-pocketed Japanese depart-ment store in April shelled out an eye-watering 300,000 yen for a pair of

mangoes, a record price for the second year in a row.

This year’s must-have luxury fruit is a particular brand of strawberry, with a single berry currently selling for around $415.

However, all pale in comparison with the tear-inducing $25,000 price tag for a pair of cantaloupe melons auctioned in 2008.

Senior managing director Mototaka Nishimura of the Shibuya Nishimura luxury fruit shop dis-plays square, pyramid and heart-shaped watermelons at the company’s main store in Tokyo, on July 1, 2015 (AFP Photo/Toru Yamanaka)WASHINGTON - They

might be so popular as to be almost an exten-

sion of people’s arms, but most Americans ditch their smartphones and return to the trusty computer when buying online.

That was the finding of a Gallup survey released Tuesday which said that 74 percent of adults in the Unit-ed States with smartphones usually turn to their computers for making purchases on the Internet.

The situation is similar when

Of the six online activities Gallup measured, using social media such as Facebook or Twitter is the only activity Americans say they conduct more by smartphone than computer (AFP Photo/John Moore).

Americans ditch smartphones when buying online: survey

browsing products online or com-paring prices: 62 percent do so on their computers, while only 21 per-cent use their smartphones.

Of the six online activities Gallup measured, using social media such as Facebook or Twitter is the only activity Americans say they con-duct more by smartphone (44 per-cent) than computer (24 percent).

The survey was conducted via the Internet in April-May with 15,776 US adults who said they had a smartphone.

VOICE OF ASIA 14 FRIDAY, July 10, 2015SCIENCE & TECH

by Peter HUTCHISON

MUMBAI, India - Move over selfie, In-dia is embracing the

“velfie” with Bollywood stars, sporting heroes and even politi-cians taking and posting videos of themselves online using a range of new mobile apps.

From lip-synching famous movie scenes and quizzing po-litical leaders to interviewing job candidates, Indian tech firms are betting on the latest craze to grip social media -- the video selfie.

“2014 was about selfies... 2015 is for #velfies!” screams the blurb for Velfie, a smartphone app similar to Dubsmash where users mime songs or quotes to pre-recorded audio before post-ing the clips on social networks.

German-developed Dubsmash has rapidly become a global phenomenon since its launch in November and has been down-loaded more than 50 million times across 192 countries, ac-cording to its website.

The global craze is sweeping the Indian film industry, with numerous stars entertaining le-gions of loyal fans with dubbed videos which are uploaded to popular sharing platforms Face-book and Instagram.

Actors Salman Khan and Ran-veer Singh, and actresses Sonak-shi Sinha and Richa Chadda are just some of the Bollywood stars to have embraced it, lip-synch-ing everything from Hindi film dialogue to lyrics from Western songs.

A short clip of Khan and Sinha miming lines from a 1971 Indi-an movie has been liked more than 71,000 times on Instagram, while hundreds approved of Chadda’s turn from controver-sial American hip-hop song “Baby Got Back”.

Rammohan Sundaram, co-founder of India’s Velfie, which was launched in April, said vid-eos were a more entertaining way for Bollywood royalty and other celebrities to engage with their audiences.

- A Twitter made of ‘velfies’ - “A selfie is only one picture but a ‘velfie’ can speak of emotions

When a selfie is not enough: India abuzz over ‘velfie’ craze

Employees of Indian tech company Frankly.me use phones to test their app at an office in Noida on the outskirts of New Delhi on June 30, 2015 (AFP Photo/Money Sharma)

that you just can’t render in a single photo,” Sundaram told AFP.

“Selfies will remain because pictures will always be there but we’re creating a whole new space that’s more exciting, more engaging and more social in na-ture,” he added.

Film star Akshay Kumar used Velfie recently to promote his film “Gabbar is Back” by asking fans to dub their favourite line from the movie to win a chance to meet him.

Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh is also a fan -- his lip-synching of one of Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan’s most well-known movie lines has been liked 12,000 times on Face-book.

The app -- which is free and limits videos to ten seconds in length -- has been downloaded 200,000 times and is already operating in around 140 coun-tries, according to Sundaram.

He said its pause-and-play feature and the fact many of the videos are accompanied by subtitles differentiates it from Dubsmash.

“We’ve also made a lot of en-hancement filters that make the videos look really good,” the tech developer added.

Sundaram said Velfie plans to expand to become a “video social network” in the coming months, essentially a Twitter-like timeline consisting solely of video selfies.

Users will also be able to live-stream on the platform and Sundaram hopes brands will use it to advertise, generating revenue.

- Quizzing politicians - Another new Indian-based

app available on Android and iOS is Frankly.me, which al-lows netizens to pose questions to celebrities, sports stars and politicians who then answer with video selfies.

Users of the app, launched in January, are also able to vote for certain questions to be an-swered, increasing the likeli-hood of a response, according to co-founder Nikunj Jain who says Frankly.me is aiding de-mocracy in India.

In Delhi elections earlier this year, Aam Aadmi Party candi-dates including leader Arvind Kejriwal fielded thousands of queries directly from voters and then posted videos of them-selves replying.

“For the first time in the his-tory of this country we had a state election where candidates were using this platform to talk directly to the electorate and people voted based on the re-sponses,” Jain told AFP.

He said more than 400,000 questions have been asked and around 30,000 have been an-swered so far on Frankly.me.

“Casting directors are also us-ing it to do auditions and com-panies are using it for hiring,” Jain added.

NEW DELHI, In-dia | AFP | Friday 7/3/2015 - Narendra

Modi’s appeal to parents to post snapshots on social me-dia with their daughters to tackle India’s skewed sex ra-tio has gone viral with sport-ing stars and business leaders among those taking up the initiative.

#SelfieWithDaughter was trending in India after the Internet-savvy prime minis-ter launched the campaign on Sunday during his monthly radio address to promote gen-der equality in the deeply pa-triarchal country.

“I urge all of you, share a #SelfieWithDaughter,” Modi posted on Twitter after the show, giving credit to the head of a village in Haryana, the state with the lowest ratio of female to male births, for the idea.

Government ministers, business leaders including in-dustrialist Naveen Jindal have posted pictures along with sporting stars such as cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar smil-ing with his daughter Sara.

Since storming to power at last year’s general election, Modi has sought to position himself as a champion of women’s rights, emphasising education for girls and an end to female foeticide in a coun-try where boys are more de-

India PM Modi’s #SelfieWith-Daughter appeal goes viral

sirable than girls.

Modi, with 13 million fol-lowers on Twitter, often uses social media to promote his initiatives, while he sought to win over voters during the election with his #SelfieWith-Modi campaign.

But some women’s activ-ists have branded the online campaign a gimmick, saying Modi’s government in fact slashed funding on “every-thing that deals with women” in its last budget.

“A campaign can’t be re-stricted to social media, you need to take women out, have them reclaim public space, have them disrupt comfort spaces of patriarchy,” Kavita Krishnan, secretary of the All India Progressive Women’s Association, told AFP.

“Otherwise it’s all rub-bish.”

Sexual violence continues to be a major problem in India more than two years after the fatal gang rape of a student in New Delhi that unleashed public outrage about treat-ment of women.

Last year, the United Na-tions warned that India’s de-clining sex ratio had reached emergency proportions.

Pre-natal sex determination is illegal in India and carries a sentence of up to five years in prison.

Nevertheless, a 2011 study in the British medical journal The Lancet found that up to 12 million Indian girls had been aborted in the previous three decades in India.

Pilots Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg celebrate the successful landing of Solar Impulse 2 in Hawaii. — AFP

by Marie-Noëlle BLESSIG

GENEVA, Switzerland - At 62 years of age, Swiss Solar Impulse

2 pilot Andre Borschberg has made aviation history with a re-cord breaking solo flight across the Pacific that he has called “an interior journey”.

After travelling more than 8,000 kilometres (4,900 miles) on the latest leg of the round-the-world trip, he arrived in Hawaii Friday.

His Pacific flight from Japan totalled 118 hours , almost five full days, smashing the previ-ous record for the longest non-stop solo flight of 76 hours and 45 minutes set by Us adventur-er Steve Fossett in 2006.

The Swiss pilot’s arduous journey was by no means in the lap of luxury. His plane runs on solar power alone, so its weight had to be kept to a minimum.

Borschberg flew alone in a cockpit where he could only sit or lie down, and slept for intervals of 20 minutes with a vibrating armband waking him up in case of an anomaly.

Before taking off , the pilot said that this journey would be an “extraordinary occasion to discover myself”.

When he landed he tweeted “it’s a dream coming true”.

Borschberg partnered with Swiss psychiatrist and balloon-ist Bertrand Piccard to launch the unprecedented flight around the world on a plane powered exclusively by solar energy.

Solar Impulse 2 set off from Abu Dhabi earlier this year in a multi-leg attempt to fly around

Solar Impulse 2 pilot becomes aviation legend

the world without using any fuel.

The plane will now be flown across the United States and eventually, if all goes accord-ing to plan, land back in Abu Dhabi next March.

It has 17,000 solar cells and onboard rechargeable lithium batteries, allowing it to fly through the night.

Its wingspan is longer than that of a jumbo jet but it weighs only 2.3 tonnes -- about the same as a car.

A passion for aviation

The pilot, born in Zurich, is no stranger to adventure. Fif-teen years ago, he narrowly escaped an avalanche, and then in 2013 he was involved in a helicopter crash, which left him with minor injuries.

He earned his degree in me-chanics and thermodynamics from the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne in Swit-zerland, following up with master’s degrees from MIT in the US and HEC Lausanne.

Borschberg has previously worked as an army pilot and consultant for Swiss firm McK-insey, before dabbling in en-trepreneurship, co-founding a company specialising in micro-processors.

He supervised the construc-tion of the first Solar Impulse plane, and in 2010 for the first time in history flew 26 hours straight using only solar en-ergy.

In 2013, over a period of two months, the dynamic aviation duo made the journey across the US.

Beginning on March 12, the two men began another journey with the Solar Impulse 2, with Borschberg piloting the plane and Piccard in charge on the ground.

Finding strength with yoga

With an imposing stature and an athletic build, Borschberg attributes his mental strength to yoga and meditation, which he practises in his garden at his home on the shores of the idyl-lic Lake Geneva.

Borschberg didn’t let the tiny cockpit of the Solar Impulse plane stop him from practis-ing yoga. The pilot transformed his tiny bench into a yoga mat, using specialised postures cus-tom-tailored for him by his per-sonal yogi, Sanjeev Bhanot.

“Yoga is a great support for this flight above the Pacific: it positively affects my mood and mindset” Borschberg tweeted Thursday with a photo of him-self in a pose.

After starting off without a hitch, Borschberg experienced a medical problem with one of his eyes, which forced him to cut his flight over Asia short and return to Switzerland for several days.

Along with the medical prob-lems, the flight experienced several delays due to weather, and was forced to stop in Japan before beginning the leg of the journey to Hawaii.

Borschberg landed shortly after dawn Friday at Kalaeloa Airport on the main Hawaiian island of Oahu, finishing his historic flight across the Pacific and flying straight into the re-cord books.

Kamal Thapa with daughters.

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PANAJI: Even saints struggle. ‘The Letters’, a feature film on the life

of Mother Teresa, based on the letters she wrote to her spiritual director, and revealing her feel-ings of isolation and abandon-ment while she worked with the poor, is due for its US re-lease on August 21 this year.

The personal letters written by the Nobel Prize-winning Albanian nun who worked tirelessly in Kolkata’s slums were released ten years after her death in 2007 and drive the film’s storyline.

Most of the film was shot in Goa with filming also done in Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi and London. A number of locals were roped into the cast too. Around 600 extras gathered on one side of Inox courtyard in Panaji to shoot the 1947 Inde-pendence scene. On the other side of the courtyard, the mod-ern cinema building was used as the exterior for the Nobel Prize ceremony. Many slum scenes were also shot in Goa and the crew felt they would be welcome because of Goa’s large Catholic population.

Acclaimed British actress Juliet Stevenson of ‘Bend It Like Beckham’ and ‘Mona Lisa Smile’ fame plays Mother Teresa with Max Von Sydow acting as her long-time friend and spiritual director Fr Celeste van Exem, and Rutger Hauer playing the role of Fr Benjamin Praagh, the Vatican postulator for Mother Teresa’s cause for sainthood.

William Riead, writer and director of the biopic, was pro-foundly affected by the horror of 9/11 and wanted to make a film that would reflect some-thing good to combat the ex-treme evil of that day. “I could think of nothing that represent-ed ‘good’ more than Mother Teresa. I was also influenced by the epic biopic ‘Gandhi’ and wanted to make a biopic that would impact the audience in a very positive and uplifting way as ‘Gandhi’ did,” Riead told TOI.

Despite letters describing the spiritual struggle Mother Tere-sa experienced, Riead believes the nun never lost faith. “She just felt God had abandoned her, which was easy to see. She spent her days in the slums of Calcutta (then) witnessing hun-ger and starvation on a daily ba-

Goa-shot movie set for US box office release in Aug.

sis and was probably constantly asking herself where God was. Some people will tell me she suffered a crisis of faith but she only felt abandoned. Many saints do, it’s called ‘The Dark Night of the Soul’,” says Riead, who intends to donate a portion of the film’s profits to the Mis-sionaries of Charity founded by Mother Teresa.

Juliet Stevenson was treated like a saint while filming a biopic on the Nobel Peace Prize winner Mother Teresa

BERLIN - The 18th century Spanish-built San Antonio Mis-

sions in Texas in the United States, including Alamo, were awarded world heritage status by the UN’s cultural body on Sunday.

UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee approved the list-ing of the five Spanish Ro-man Catholic sites built in and around what is now the city of San Antonio, including the Alamo fort, where in 1836 some 180 Texans fighting for independence from Mexico fought to the death against Mexican General Santa An-na’s army of several thousand soldiers.

A replica of the Hermione, the 18th century ship that brought French General Lafayette to America, sails near the Statue of Liberty in New York, while leading a flotilla marking the US Independence Day (AFP Photo/Jewel Samad)

NEW YORK - A replica of the Hermione, the 18th century ship that

brought French General Lafay-ette to America, sailed the wa-ters off New York on Saturday, leading a flotilla marking the Independence Day holiday.

The faithful reproduction of the majestic French frigate glided past New York’s famed Verrazano bridge, where it was joined by scores of other boats and ships.

The flotilla then made its way toward Liberty Island in

Replica French ship Hermione salutes America’s Liberty statue

He felt a tremendous sense of loss when Mother Teresa died and fearing future genera-tions would never know who she was, he decided to make the film. “I wanted to bring her back to life for the new and future generations to be influ-enced by her example. Juliet Stevenson indeed brings her back to life,” he says.

New York Harbor past a sym-bol of the two nations’ endur-ing friendship -- the towering Statue of Liberty, a gift to the US from France in 1884.

The Hermione replica -- which took almost two decades to build -- departed France’s western coast in mid-April, retracing a 3,700-mile (6,000-kilometer) journey across the Atlantic.

It arrived in New York earlier this week for July Fourth fes-tivities and had been docked at Pier 15 in south Manhattan on

the East River.

The original three-masted Hermione brought General Lafayette to America to rally US patriots fighting for inde-pendence from Britain.

The ship arrived in the US nearly a month ago, stopping first in Yorktown, Virginia, where American forces led by General George Washington and French soldiers scored a decisive victory over the Brit-ish in 1781, prompting their capitulation. The original Her-mione was used in that battle.

On its way to New York, the ship stopped again in Mount Vernon, Virginia, just outside Washington, then in Annapolis and Baltimore, both in Mary-land, and in Philadelphia. It will move on to Boston and then to Canada.

New York was the last city liberated by Washington’s troops, in 1783.

The metropolis now known as the Big Apple served briefly as US capital, from 1785 to 1790.

The site comprises archi-tectural and archaeological structures, farmland, residen-cies, churches and granaries, as well as water distribution systems, UNESCO said.

The complexes “illustrate the Spanish Crown’s efforts to colonize, evangelize and defend the northern frontier of New Spain,” UNESCO said.

It said the San Antonio Mis-sions were also an example of the interweaving of Spanish and Coahuiltecan cultures, including the decorative el-ements of churches, which combined Catholic symbols with indigenous designs in-spired by nature.

Meditation

US Alamo fort awarded World Heritage status

Poster of The Letters


Friday, July 10, 2015 Section 2 Email: [email protected] Tel: 713-774-5140

Young Life

Aging is typically studied in the elderly, but a study released Monday said different rates of aging can be detected as early as the mid-20s (AFP Photo/Bruce Bennett)

MIAMI - Aging is typ-ically studied in the elderly, but a study

released Monday said different rates of aging can be detected as early as the mid-20s.

The findings in the Proceed-ings of the National Academy of Sciences’ July 6 issue are based on a group of 954 people born in New Zealand in 1972 or 1973.

Researchers collected data on the subjects’ kidney, liver and lung function, dental health, the blood vessels in the eyes as well as their metabolism and immune system function at age 26, 32 and 38.

They also measured cho-lesterol, fitness levels and the length of the telomeres, which are the protective caps at the end of chromosomes that have been found to shorten with age.

Using a total of 18 biologi-cal measurements, researchers determined a “biological age” for each participant at age 38 -- with some registering under 30 and others appearing to be nearly 60.

When scientists looked close-ly at the ones who had aged more quickly, they found signs of deterioration were apparent at age 26, the age when the first set of biological measurements were taken.

Most of those in the group were aging at the expected rate of one biological year per

Signs of aging appear in mid-20s, study finds

by Umang Thanki and Jackson Courter Americorps VISTA

Being a refugee is no easy task – having to adjust to a com-pletely new environment,

learn another language, earn a living from scratch, and provide for family members is just a glimpse of the chal-lenges that refugees constantly face. This is especially true for Houston’s growing and diverse refugee popula-tion. It is for this reason that the city’s chapter of Sewa International USA has wholeheartedly taken on the challenge of alleviating the burdens of refugee life through a variety of projects and programs. From its origins in 2003, the Hindu-based non-profit organi-zation now has an extensive support network with the city’s refugee popu-lation as it strives to empower them to attain a better quality of life. In partic-ular, the organization has excelled in promoting education within the youth, specifically through its ASPIRE Tuto-rial Program.

ASPIRE (Assuring Student Perfor-mance In Refugee Education) is the current system of tutorials provided by Sewa with the purpose of help-ing refugee and underprivileged chil-dren to catch up with their classmates and grade expectations. Since Fall of 2014 the tutorial program has slowly grown and is now a year-round aspect of Sewa’s mission statement that pro-vides students with invaluable one-on-one tutoring in essential elementary proficiency.

Additionally, it has a formal struc-ture that is conducive to learning and supplements school education with in-novative and evolving teaching styles and activities. This aspect of the pro-gram is crucial because refugee chil-dren usually lack such structure in refugee camps. With a focus on the concepts rather than the need to com-plete school assignments, ASPIRE

gives students the necessary tools to give them control of their education.

But the program itself serves a deeper purpose – to free children from the vicious cycle of poverty; to make children self-sufficient early on in their lives. In other words, it intends to tackle the root of poverty, which is a lack of education. A common issue faced by students is that due to their economic conditions, parents tend to place more attention on employment than on parental time. Consequently, Sewa serves as the transitory liaison and mentor. The organization rec-ognizes that there is a direct correla-tion between education and quality of life; thus, to increase the latter, basic educational foundations (i.e. reading, speaking, and mathematics) must be bolstered. The benefit of such an ap-proach is that it greatly increases the chances that each child has the op-portunity to continue his or her edu-cational endeavors. For this reason,

Sewa wishes to continue the beneficial program into the future.

State Farm’s recent competition known as Neighborhood Assist pro-vided a significant opportunity for Sewa as it challenged community members to vouch for a cause and earn $25,000 that can be used to promote it. The general procedure involved se-lecting an area to support and provid-ing a grant statement that explained the organization’s purpose for apply-ing. Determined with its ongoing AS-PIRE program, Sewa’s position advo-cated for education. After submitting the application, Sewa was placed in the top 400 of the approximately 4000 that had applied across the different categories. At that point, an exclusive Facebook voting system was instilled in the sense that the number of “likes” on an organization’s page would deter-mine their chances of winning – which means being in the top 40 in the lead-erboard during the end of the voting

period.A f t e r

Sewa was s e l e c t e d in the first phase, the Facebook voting pro-cess set off as organi-zations members spread the informa-tion of their cause to the greater com-munity. And with the immense support of friends and family from the USA, Canada, UK, Australia, Japan, and In-dia, Sewa secured a healthy rank of 19 when the polls closed. It was also the only charity from Texas to have made it to the top 40.

The additional money gained from this grant is extremely important as it will allow Sewa to buttress the infra-structure of the tutoring program as a whole as well as to have a continuous volunteering pool throughout the year. In other words, the money will ensure a smooth and productive continuation of the ASPIRE program and hence the betterment of the lives of refugee chil-dren in the years ahead.

Testimonials reflect that the refugee community is very thankful for the ef-forts of Sewa volunteers and that re-sults are definitely visible as students that were once struggling are now on par with or have surpassed their classmates in school. What is more significant is that educating a single generation can greatly increase the chances that future generations will also be educated, thereby weakening the chains of poverty. Such outcomes are most desirable and therefore mo-tivate the organization to continue its educational commitment.

Sewa also connects with refugee families on a personal level to form a very strong familial bond that makes it unique in its purpose and practice.

The goal isn’t to simply help refugees, but to get to know them for who they are. Consequently, combining family bonds and the drive for educational advancement yields a very unique mission.

Integral to the mission of the Hous-ton chapter of Sewa International is its partnership with the AmeriCorps VIS-TA program, which for 50 years has been sending volunteers, known as VISTAs, to work in nonprofit organi-zations around the country. Their goal is to build the capacity of the organi-zations they work for. Being a VISTA is more than a job, it is a lifestyle. VISTAs live among the populations they serve, and are paid a poverty-level living allowance. The growth of the ASPIRE program is a direct result of the Sewa VISTAs’ dedication to understanding the plight of the refu-gees in Houston and implementation of methods to give them the tools to bring themselves out of poverty. Such growth would be impossible without the VISTAs’ ground-level perspective on poverty that leads them to make community service a way of life.

The future of Sewa is very promis-ing as it already has established cen-ters all around the world and is grow-ing significantly as new challenges to humanity arise. Although societal ide-alism cannot be practically realized, Sewa’s efforts are definitely approach-ing the end goal of a happy world, one step at a time.

To know more about Aspire tutorials visit www.sewausa.org

Intensive Facebook Campaign helps SEWA International’s ASPIRE

Tutorials win a grant of $25,000

chronological year, or even less.

Others were aging as fast as three biological years per chronological year.

Those whose bodies were ag-ing faster also “scored worse on tests typically given to peo-ple over 60, including tests of balance and coordination and solving unfamiliar problems,” said the study.

And when a group of univer-

sity students at Duke was asked to look at pictures of people in the group, they consistently rat-ed as older those whose bodies were aging more quickly than the rest.

Study authors said their find-ings pave the way for future tests that may be easier and cheaper to implement, so that people can find out how fast they are aging in their 20s, when they might be able to do something about it and possibly

prevent age-related diseases.Previous research has shown

that genes account for only about 20 percent of aging, leav-ing the rest up to health behav-iors and the environment.

“That gives us some hope that medicine might be able to slow aging and give people more healthy active years,” said senior author Terrie Mof-fitt, professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke Uni-versity.

Over 400 Sites Serv-ing Meals & Snacks During Summer

Across the nation and in Texas, millions of children benefit

from the healthy food they re-ceive from the Summer Food Service Program. The Hous-ton Parks and Recreation Department (H.P.A.R.D.) has been providing these FREE meals to Houston area youth (ages 1-18) since 1980. On Monday, July 6, 2015, H.P.A.R.D.; U.S. Congress-man Gene Green, District 29; Mayor Annise Parker; Hous-ton City Councilman Ed Gon-zales, District H; Bill Lud-wig Regional Administrator USDA Food and Nutrition Service, Southwest Region; Jeremy Everett, Director of the Texas Hunger Initiative/National Commission on Hunger, and representatives from the Texas Hunger Co-alition and the Houston Inde-pendent School District will join together to underscore the importance of reducing hunger in America through the U.S.D.A. Child and Adult Care Food Program and the Child Nutrition Act.

“We are able to provide these meals that directly im-pact the quality of life for these children today and for all of us in the future because of the U.S.D.A.’s Child Nu-trition Act. Without the fund-ing received through this program, millions of children would go hungry across the nation and specifically here in Houston,” said Joe Turn-er, Director, Houston Parks and Recreation Department. “When children are served healthy meals at Houston parks and at any of our part-ners’ sites, we are not only helping address their imme-diate hunger need, we are all working to engage these chil-dren in other educational and enrichment activities.”

According to Best Practice Reports from the No Kid Hungry Center, only 40% of low-income families report being aware of locations for free summer meals and 17% of children receive those meals nationwide. Lack of awareness, stigma towards using the program, and lack of transportation to sites are a few of the barriers these fami-lies and their children face in getting summer meals. In Texas, participation is even lower, with just 13% of chil-dren participating in the Sum-mer Meals Program. This re-sults in over 2 million Texas children facing hunger inse-curity over the summer.

“As the H.I.S.D. sum-mer school session comes to an end in the next couple of weeks, we want to ensure that the word gets out to fami-lies that there are over 400 sites ready to provide their children with summer meals through August,” continued Turner. “Finding a Summer Food Service Program site is as easy as calling 2-1-1 or texting FOODTX to 877-877. We hope that families across Houston will get the word and find a site near them so that no child is left hungry this summer.”

The Houston Parks and Recreation Department has sponsored the Summer Food Service Program since 1980. The program is funded by the U.S.D.A. Child and Adult Care Food Program and the Child Nutrition Act and is administered by the Texas Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Division. The meals are available free of charge to youth ages 1 - 18 at more than 400 sites across the Greater Houston area. No registration is required. To find a Summer Food Ser-vice Program site in Houston, families can call 2-1-1 or text FOODTX to 877-877 or visit www.summermeals.org.

U.S.D.A. Child Nutrition Act Provides Vital Funds for H.P.A.R.D. Summer Food Service Program


Bollywood Masala Friday, July 10, 2015 Section 2 Email: [email protected] Tel: 713-774-5140

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In the 30-seconds teaser of the song titled “Mera Naam Mary”, Kareena is seen in a seductive ava-tar, shimmering in a silver outfit.

Bollywood star Akshay Kumar on Monday teased fans by sharing a sneak-peek of Kareena Kapoor’s

sizzling item number from his upcoming film Brothers.

In the 30-seconds teaser of the song titled Mera Naam Mary, Kareena is seen in a seductive avatar, shimmering in a silver outfit.

“Here’s the exclusive teaser of #Mera-NaamMary from @Brothers2015. En-joy!,” Akshay, 47, posted on twitter.

The action-drama has been directed by Karan Malhotra and is an official remake of the 2011 Hollywood film Warrior.

Besides Akshay, Brothers also stars Sidharth Malhotra, Jacqueline Fernan-dez and Jackie Shroff.

The movie will hit theatres on August 14.

Gurgaon: Actor Shahid Kapoor and Mira Rajput pose for photographers after their wedding cer-emony in Gurgaon, on Tuesday.

Shahid Kapoor weds Mira Rajput in a low key affair

NEW DELHI, Jul 7 (PTI) Bollywood actor Shahid Ka-poor and Mira Rajput on Tues-day tied the knot in a low-key ceremony at a farm house on the outskirts of the national capital, attended by close rela-tives and friends.

Shahid, 34, son of veteran ac-tor Pankaj Kapur and ex-wife Neelima Azeem, exchanged wedding vows with 21-year-old Mira according to the tradi-tions of the Radha Soami sect as their parents are followers of the group, which follows teach-ings of all religions.

Mira did her English (Hon-ours) this year from Delhi Uni-versity’s Lady Shri Ram Col-lege.

The “Haider” star opted for a white kurta-pyjama and a safa (turban) while Mira wore a green and pink salwar-kurta with a heavy embellished du-patta wrapped around her head. She teamed it up with a state-ment maang tikka on her fore-head and minimal make-up.

This was an arranged mar-riage for Shahid and Mira and the ceremony was attended by 40 guests.

Mumbai-based Shahid ar-rived in Delhi on Monday while his parents were in the city before to oversee the wed-ding preparations.

The wedding celebrations started last evening with a san-geet ceremony, where Shahid was seen matching steps with Mira on his hit wedding song “Saj Dhaj ke” from “Mausam”, directed by his father.

The actor, who was previous-ly in a relationship with actress Kareena Kapoor Khan for over three years and later linked to his co-stars Vidya Balan, Priyanka Chopra, Anushka Sharma and Bipasha Basu, had announced about his marriage to Mira in a Mumbai event in March this year.

Shahid kept the details of his wedding under wraps, saying it

is “my personal space”.

“She (Mira) is a normal girl and I am a normal guy, and we should treat it like something normal and regular. It’s my per-sonal space and I won’t get into the details,” he had said.

A dinner is being hosted at a five-star hotel tonight in which about 250 guests have been in-vited.

This will be followed by a re-ception in Mumbai on July 12, for which there will be a sepa-rate invite - also designed by Delhi-based card maker Rav-ish Kapoor, who worked on the wedding invite.

Shahid will be next seen in Vikas Bahl’s “Shaandaar” op-posite Alia Bhatt and “Udta Punjab”, which is produced by Vikramaditya Motwane.

Apart from his film assign-ments, the newly wedded actor will be seen as a judge on the celebrity dance reality show “Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 8”.

‘Sultan’ is going to be a stressful film: Salman

MUMBAI, Jul 7 - Superstar Salman Khan says his next

year release “Sultan” is going to be a stressful film for him.

Salman, 49, who will be donning a physically strong character for the film, said the film involves a lot of action scenes.

“I have to work a lot for this film. It is going to be a stress-ful film. In November, I start shooting for it. There is lot of action in it.. Wrestling types... Weights... Lot of muscles. I have to be very strong,” Sal-man said in an interview here.

“So it is not about body, it is not necessary that he will be

ripped in six packs but he is very strong,” he said.

Salman and producer Aditya Chopra have decided to re-lease “Sultan” on Eid 2016.

The film produced by Yash Raj Films will be directed by Ali Abbas Zafar.

Salman has often said that Hollywood action star Syl-vester Stallone has always in-spired him in his life.

On would you like to re-make Stallone’s “Rocky” se-ries, the “Dabangg” star said, “No. I mean it has been made not once but so many times. Everyone has seen it. It will be very difficult to compete with

what they have done.”

Other actors who are don-ning the boxer gloves, are su-perstars Akshay Kumar and Aamir Khan.

While Akshay plays a boxer in Karan Malhotra’s “Broth-ers”, Aamir is getting ready to play a wrestler in Nitish Ti-wari’s “Dangal”.

“It is a beautiful film (Dan-gal). He is playing a father of two in that film. I have no chil-dren in ‘Sultan’.

Ours is a sports film but there is action, there is a love story. There is no negative force.. He just has opponents,” Salman said. (PTI)

Salman Khan, who will be donning a physically strong character for ‘Sultan’, said the film involves a lot of action scenes.

Akshay shares teaser of Kareena’s song in ‘Brothers’

Mumbai, Jul 7 - Super-star Hrithik Roshan says it was Holly-

wood star Sylvester Stallone, who inspired him to become a stronger person in his life.

The 41-year-old “Bang Bang!” actor took to the micro-blogging site Twitter to wish his idol hap-py birthday and thank him for

Hrithik thanks Sylvester Stallone for inspiring himbeing his inspiration.

“It was also @TheSlyStallone birthday! Give it up for the man who inspired the thin weak me to be strong one day. Can’t thank him enough. Happy Birthday!”

Stallone, 68, celebrated his birthday yesterday.

The “Krrish” actor is currently

shooting for Ashutosh Gowar-iker’s epic adventure-romance “Mohenjo Daro” opposite ac-tress Pooja Hegde, who makes her Bollywood debut with the film.

The film, which has its music by AR Rahman, is scheduled to release on 12 August 2016. (PTI)

Akshay Kumar


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In addition to the uses of the cash value of a life insurance policy, the cash value in a life insurance policy supports var-ious other features, including the policy loan provision, the non-forfeiture options, and surrender options. In a whole life insurance policy, the cash value increases according to a guaranteed schedule until, at the insured’s age 100, it equals the policy’s face amount and is paid to the policy-owner as an endowment.

A level premium whole life insurance policy’s guaranteed cash value is developed as a result of the premium in the early years being greater than the premium needed to pay the insurer’s expenses and to meet mortality costs. Because the premium is greater than needed, the balance is ap-plied to a premium reserve. The policy’s guaranteed cash value approximates that pre-mium reserve.

Universal life insurance guarantees are different. Un-like traditional whole life in-surance policies in which the policy’s cash value is guaran-teed, the cash value in univer-sal life insurance policies is not guaranteed at all. Instead, in a declared-rate universal life insurance policy, an in-surer guarantees to credit in-terest to any cash value at its declared rate, but, in any case, not less than a minimum in-terest rate guaranteed in the policy. That minimum interest rate may generally be any rate from 1 percent to 4 percent.

In the case of an indexed universal life insurance pol-icy, an insurer credits inter-est to funds allocated to an index strategy based on the change in the closing level of a specified stock market index. Moreover, the insurer guarantees that credited in-terest will not be less than a minimum interest rate speci-fied in the policy. In indexed universal life insurance poli-cies, the guaranteed interest rate is normally slightly less than in declared-rate univer-sal life insurance policies.

Universal Life Interest Crediting Rates

Declared-rate universal life insurance policies typi-cally have three interest credit rates: (1) guaranteed rate, (2) current rate, and (3) assumed

rate. The universal life insur-ance policy’s guaranteed inter-est crediting rate is simply that interest rate that the insurer guarantees at a minimum it will credit to the policy’s cash value.

The insurer must credit inter-est to the policy’s cash value at least equal to its guaranteed interest crediting rate, even though it may be earning less than that amount on its invest-ed assets. It is not unusual for a declared-rate universal life insurance policy to contain an interest crediting rate guaran-tee of 3 percent or 4 percent.

It is seldom, however, that policy-owners envision their universal life insurance policy insurer crediting only the guar-anteed rate. A much more im-portant interest crediting rate from a competitive perspec-tive is the insurer’s current in-terest crediting rate, which is set by the insurer.

The current interest crediting rate on universal life insurance policies is the crediting rate declared by the insurer. The current rate is not guaranteed and can be expected to change periodically. The current inter-est crediting rate, while gener-ally reflecting the interest rates in the economy, can be based on a number of benchmarks, including the rate paid on gov-ernment Treasury Bills, the performance of a particular in-dex, or the interest rate earned by the insurer on its portfolio of assets.

For more info and to plan, protect and purchase life in-surance from any major com-pany contact Sudhir Mathuria 713-771-2900.

by Joris FIORITI

ZINDER, southern Ni-ger - Mourdja’s nose has been eaten away,

like one lip and part of her up-per gum, leaving the 13-year-old girl atrociously disfigured by noma, a disease that thrives on malnutrition.

“It was better before,” the teenager says shyly and simply in the arid heartland of Niger, one of the world’s poorest na-tions, clearly ill at ease and fid-dling with her bracelets.

Mourdja can no longer look people in the eye, her face rav-aged by the polymicrobial in-fection, which began by mak-ing her inflamed gums bleed. Just three days later, rapid tis-sue damage stole her beauty -- along with her childhood.

“The problem is that this is a very fast-acting disease,” says nurse Fati Badamasi, who works for the Swiss NGO Sen-tinelles, active in Niger since 1992.

“The necrosis takes hold in 72 hours. If the patient comes to us with a blackish patch (on the face) it’s already too late.”

Ali Adah, who oversees the charity’s work in the country on the southern edge of the Sahara, speaks of the fearful stench of noma, which “smells of decay, like a corpse”.

“When I come to the office and we have a new case, I smell it straight away,” he says.

- ‘Disease born of poverty’ -

Mourdja’s flesh gave off that odour after she caught the in-fection sometimes called oro-facial gangrene, which can break out where food is short and lacks key vitamins and wa-

Malnutrition brings a terrible disease to children in Niger

ter is polluted.

Noma also strikes when natu-ral immunity is at its lowest.

The teenager comes from a “very poor” family in the cen-tral Tahoua province, according to Aboubakar Moussa Mato, a social worker with Sentinelles. She lives with her parents and “about 10 brothers and sisters” in a straw hut “with no water or electricity”.

“Noma is caused by malnu-trition and a lack of hygiene,” nurse Badamasi says. “It is a disease born of poverty. Well, in Niger there is plenty of pov-erty.”

Niger is prone to food crises and holds the lowest place on the comprehensive Human De-velopment Index drawn up each year by the United Nations De-velopment Programme.

The birth rate is nonethe-less a record 7.6 babies per woman, according to the UN, but in June 2014 more than 15 percent of children under five were famished. Between 4,000 and 6,000 infants die of malnu-trition each year.

Most African countries have

faced noma, like Laos in Asia and some South American na-tions, but Niger accounts for a large part of the 140,000 to 180,000 people infected every year worldwide, according to the UN World Health Orga-nization, whose last complete data dates from 1998.

The last cases in Europe were recorded during the Second World War in Nazi concentra-tion camps where Allied troops saw the appalling conditions first-hand towards the end of the conflict, says WHO expert Benoit Varenne. “That gives an idea of the kind of infection we’re up against.”

Reliable noma statistics for Niger are unavailable, but “90 percent of children die before receiving basic care”, says Ibrahim Hamadou, who coordi-nates the National Programme Against Disease. “That means we only know the remaining 10 percent.”

- ‘Half a miracle’ -

With help from Sentinelles, Mourdja will soon be flown to Geneva, where surgeons will rebuild her nose and her mouth. The girl will spend between six months to a year in the Swiss lakeside city for operations

HEALTHY LIVINGV AOICE OF SIA

Friday, July 10, 2015 Section 2 Email: [email protected] Tel: 713-774-5140

Paris, France | AFP | Monday 7/6/2015 - 11:13 GMT | 405 words

A molecule that accumulates in the blood with age may be linked to cognitive decline, said scientists Monday who mooted hopes of a memory-restoring treatment.

The protein, dubbed B2M, is found in higher concentra-tions in the blood and cerebral spinal fluid of ageing humans, they said.

And in mice, inhibiting B2M improved learning and memo-ry in lab experiments.

“We are very excited about the findings because it indi-cates that there are two ways to potentially reverse age-related cognitive impairments,” study co-author Saul Villeda of the University of California San Francisco told AFP.

“One is to introduce pro-youthful blood factors and the other is to therapeutically target pro-ageing factors” like B2M, he said by email.

Villeda had participated in another study, published last year, which found that injec-tions of juvenile mouse blood boosted learning and memory in older rodents.

Scientists measure the ani-mals’ ability to remember cues indicating the position of hid-den platforms in water, similar to having to recall physical landmarks to remember where you left your car in a parking lot -- a function that declines with age.

Old mice who received young blood in the first study could find the hidden plat-forms easier -- though it was not clear why or how.

Ageing is associated with a progressive decline in cogni-tive function, and slower re-generation of message-relay-ing neurons in the brain.

“Ageing remains the most dominant risk factor for de-mentia-related neurodegen-erative diseases, such as Al-zheimer’s disease,” wrote the authors of the new research published in the journal Nature Medicine.

“As such, it is imperative to gain mechanistic insight into what drives ageing... in the brain in order to counteract vulnerability to cognitive dys-function.”

From the latest work, it ap-

MIAMI, 7/1/2015 - Liraglutide, an injectable diabetes

drug that US regulators ap-proved last year for weight loss, helped obese people lose an average of 18 pounds (eight kilograms), a yearlong study said Wednesday.

Most patients were able to keep the weight off for the du-ration of the 56-week study on the drug marketed as Saxenda by Novo Nordisk, according to the findings published in the New England Journal of Medi-cine.

The randomized, controlled trial was conducted at 191 sites in 27 countries in Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Australia.

Patients in the study were 18 and older and each had a body mass index of 30 or higher.

BMI is calculated by weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters. The healthy range for most people is 19-25 BMI.

Of the 3,731 people in the study, about two thirds were given the drug plus training to improve their lifestyle habits,

Diabetes drug helps people lose weight: study

Liraglutide, an injectable diabetes drug that US regulators approved last year for weight loss, helped obese people lose an average of 18 pounds, a yearlong study said (AFP Photo/William Thomas Cain)

and the rest followed the same lifestyle intervention but were given a placebo.

The trial was double-blind, meaning that neither patients or doctors knew if they were dealing with the real drug or the placebo.

Those who received the drug were given a higher dose (three milligrams) than is prescribed for diabetes patients (1.8 milli-grams), and were injected with the drug under the skin daily.

People in the placebo group lost an average of six pounds. Those who were given the drug averaged about three times more weight loss.

A total of 63 percent of those in the liraglutide group lost at least five percent of their body weight, compared to 27 percent in the placebo group.

Kevin Williams, chief of en-docrinology, diabetes and me-tabolism at Temple University Health, described the weight loss in the liraglutide group as “significant.”

Williams was not involved in the study.

Side effects included gastro-intestinal distress, gallstones and a slight increase in breast cancer risk.

Researchers said more study is needed on the breast cancer findings, and said it was pos-sible that weight loss enabled more tumors to be found.

“This is another approach in tackling the obesity epidemic in our country,” said Elias Siraj, director of the Diabetes Program at Temple University Hospital, who along with Wil-liams penned an accompanying editorial in the journal.

“Fortunately, even modest weight loss of five percent to 10 percent makes nearly all medi-cal issues more manageable.”

Liraglutide has been used at a lower dose for treating dia-betes in recent years, and some patients noticed it appeared to help them lose weight.

About 35 percent of adult Americans, or about 100 mil-lion people, live with obesity.

Two other anti-obesity drugs were launched in the United States in 2012, but the treat-ments carry side effects and are not widely used.

and reeducation before coming home.

Seymi, who lost the whole left side of his face to noma, has already been to Switzerland. Skin and muscle tissue lifted close to his thorax has been grafted over a gaping wound, but the boy remains badly dis-figured. The disease ate away one of his eyes.

“What we do is half a miracle, but it’s a very long way from perfect,” says Brigitte Pittet, a surgeon and professor in the Geneva University Hospitals

public sector group.

“It is very complex to recon-struct a nose in three dimen-sions with mucous membranes, the oral walls, the lips,” Pittet adds, though there have been improvements down the years. Surgery practised on less badly affected children leaves hardly any trace of the damage.

Operations are extremely ex-pensive and Niger’s authorities are counting on a preventive information campaign and an-tibiotics.

“We show mothers frightful pictures to shock them” and in-cite them to take infected chil-dren for the swiftest possible care, Hamadou, a physician, says. “When noma is detected early enough, the results are spectacular.”

This method works. Thanks to a rapid response, about 30 children treated at the end of May at Sentinelle’s centre in the southern town of Zinder suffered no more than inflam-mations of the gums. But peaks of noma are expected with the coming rainy season.

pears that B2M, a protein in-volved in immunity, may help explain the young blood effect on memory.

B2M injections impaired the learning ability, memory, and neuron growth of lab mice, the team wrote. But the effect was “reversible” by stopping the injections.

In another experiment, the scientists eliminated B2M genetically in mice, and “ob-served that the old mice lack-ing B2M did not develop

memory loss,” said Villeda.

This all implied the molecule “could be targeted to potential-ly restore cognitive ability in the elderly,” he added.

The next step would be to develop a molecule that can ei-ther block the protein, or help remove it from old human blood.

B2M has previously also been found in elevated levels in the cerebral spinal fluid of dementia patients.

Molecule clue to memory decline: study

A young girl operated after suffering noma disease, poses for a photo at the health centre of the NGO Sentinelles, in Zinder, southern Niger (AFP Photo/Issouf Sanogo)


Friday, July 10, 2015 Section 2 Email: [email protected] Tel: 713-774-5140 Business

V AOICE OF SIAONLINE.COM

voiceofasiaonline.com

NEW YORK, 7/3/2015 - US health insurance giant Aetna will buy

rival Humana for $37 billion (33.3 billion euros), a statement issued Friday by both compa-nies said, creating a group with estimated annual sales of $115 billion.

Aetna, the second-largest US health insurance player in mar-ket capitalisation terms, said it will pay $230 dollars per Hu-mana share in a cash and stock deal to create a new entity with around 33 million customers.

According to agreements approved by both boards, the transaction will leave Aetna

by Paul HANDLEY

WA S H I N G T O N , (AFP), 7/2/2015 - The US economy

churned out a solid 223,000 net new jobs in June, the Labor Department said Thursday, but wages remained flat, under-scoring continued weaknesses in the economy.

In a decidedly mixed report on the jobs market, the depart-ment said the unemployment rate fell to 5.3 percent, the low-est level since April 2008.

Yet that gain came more from people dropping out of the jobs market than from new hiring by companies and governments.

Data from the volatile house-hold survey showed the labor force shrank by 432,000 people in the month, largely explain-ing the 0.2 percentage point fall in the jobless rate.

At the same time, job creation numbers for April and May from the more consistent estab-lishment survey were reduced by a total of 60,000 positions.

And average hourly earnings were flat from May at $24.95, and up a modest 2.0 percent year-on-year, lower than what most analysts had been expect-ing after the steady hiring gains of the past year.

While the numbers did not undermine the general picture of steady, moderate growth in the economy, analysts said they were not strong enough to con-firm that the Federal Reserve, as has been expected, will be-gin raising zero-level interest rates in the coming months.

US health insurance giant Aetna to buy Humana for $37 bn

shareholders owning around 74 percent of the new group, and investors with Humana stock with 26 percent.

The Aetna offer was consid-erably higher than Humana’s $187.50 share price at Wall Street’s close Thursday.

The move followed frenzied activity in the US health insur-ance market moving towards consolidation under changes made by President Barack Obama’s landmark Affordable Care Act.

At the end of June, Cigna re-jected a $54 billion buyout of-fer by rival Anthem as part of

efforts by insurance companies to increase their size as a means of obtaining stronger negotiat-ing positions with health care providers.

Aetna chairman Mark T. Ber-tolini described the Humana deal as partially reflecting those changes in the sector, but also aiming to provide improved service to clients at affordable prices.

If the deal is completed as expected during the second half of 2016, Aetna says its debt-to-capital ratio will rise to 46 per-cent -- a level company direc-tors say they will bring down to 40 percent within two years.

US job creation solid in June, but data shows weaknesses

The Labor Department said the unemployment rate fell to 5.3 percent, the lowest level since April 2008 (AFP Photo/Karen Bleier)

“We believe this report keeps the Fed on track for tightening at the September meeting, but there will be two more employ-ment reports between now and then,” said Jim O’Sullivan of High Frequency economics.

Market response was mixed, with a long holiday weekend and the Greek bailout refer-endum also shaping reactions. The dollar was slightly higher against the euro at $1.1085, while US bond yields fell, the 10-year Treasury yield drop-ping to 2.39 percent from 2.45 percent.

US stocks ended slightly lower, with the S&P 500 slipping a bare 0.03 percent.

- Participation rate sinks -

Hiring in June was strongest in health care and business ser-vices, as has been the case over the past few years, but stalled in construction, the auto indus-try and government.

There was a drop in the num-ber of long-term unemployed, by 381,000, but much of that could have been people giving up their job search and leav-ing the active workforce alto-gether.

Indeed, there was a fall in the labor force participation rate to 62.6 percent, the lowest level since 1977.

But against these points was the fact that the US economy has produced an average of 208,000 jobs each month so far this year.

“The trend in employment growth remains more than

strong enough to keep the un-employment rate... trending down, which should eventu-ally lead to more clear-cut acceleration in wages,” said O’Sullivan.

Ian Shepherdson of Panthe-on Macroeconomics said the mixed report does not negate the key issue for the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy.

“What counts is the trend in unemployment, which contin-ues to fall rapidly,” he said.

At 5.3 percent, Shepherd-son noted, the jobless rate is already inside the Federal Re-serve’s forecast for the end of this year, and he predicted that the job reports for the coming months will be stronger than in June.

“Policymakers are now set up nicely to tighten soon on the basis that the labor market is normalizing faster than they expected,” he said.

Kim Chase at BBVA was more cautious, arguing that low inflation indicates continued weakness in wages, which the Fed wants to see rise.

“This dynamic of wage growth and inflation has cer-tainly played an important role in holding back the first federal funds rate hike thus far,” noted Chase.

“However, we expect that stronger components of the la-bor market will eventually help offset stubborn wage growth, and therefore we maintain our projections for the first rate hike in September 2015.”

[email protected]

by Rob Lever

WA S H -INGTON - Micro-

soft announced plans Wednesday to cut 7,800 jobs and write down the value of its struggling mobile phone division ac-quired last year from Nokia by some $7.6 billion -- fresh evi-dence of its woes in the global smartphone market.

The announcement represents the second major round of layoffs in a year for the US tech giant, which cut some 18,000 jobs a year ago as part of its effort to integrate the Finnish-based phone group.

Microsoft said in a statement that it would “restructure the company’s phone hardware business to better focus and align resources.”

The cuts will also require Mi-crosoft to take a restructuring charge of between $750 million and $850 million, the statement said.

In 2013, Microsoft announced its plan to buy the Nokia unit for some $7.2 billion, and it closed the deal in 2014, noting that some “adjustments” would push the cost slightly higher.

Microsoft has failed to get much traction for its Windows Phone platform even with the acquisition of Nokia. A survey by IDC said Windows was ex-pected to capture just 3.2 per-cent of the global smartphone market this year.

Chief executive Satya Nadel-la said Microsoft would keep its own line of smartphones but implement a broader strategy that refocuses the company.

“I am committed to our first-party devices including phones. However, we need to focus our phone efforts in the near term while driving reinvention,” Na-della said in a memo to staff.

“We are moving from a strat-egy to grow a standalone phone business to a strategy to grow and create a vibrant Windows

Microsoft cuts 7,800 jobs, reorganizes phone unit

ecosystem that includes our first-party device family.”

The cuts will include some 2,300 positions in Finland, the home of Nokia, according to an official statement from Hel-sinki.

The statement said the gov-ernment “is disappointed with Microsoft’s decision” and called a special ministerial meeting to consider assistance for those affected.

“Loss of so many jobs is very sad for the whole society and for individuals affected,” the statement said. “It is, howev-er, positive that Microsoft has promised to bear its corporate social responsibility beyond the level required by law.”

Microsoft had about 118,000 employees worldwide at the end of March, according to its website, with about half in the United States.

It plans to start rolling out Windows 10 in late July, intro-ducing a new operating system which can be used to power not only personal computers but a range of mobile devices.

While it still dominates the market for personal computers, Microsoft has struggled in the market for mobile devices, the majority of which are powered by the Google Android system or Apple’s iOS.

- ‘Expensive mistake’ - Independent tech analyst Jeff

Kagan said the latest news un-derscores the folly of the Nokia acquisition by then-CEO Steve Ballmer.

“This was a very expensive mistake both in terms of cash and time for Microsoft,” Kagan said.

“I think Windows 10 may be Microsoft’s first real chance at growth in many years. It will also work with mobile and will be very interested to see if they can pull all the pieces together going forward.”

Ross MacMillan at RBC Capital Markets said the lat-est move is “part of a broader change within the company to align the Windows and Devices group.”

“We have argued for an exit of Phone, but today’s moves significantly lower the drag from the business on earnings and cash flows,” the analyst said in a note to clients.

Last month, Microsoft an-nounced a shakeup of top management including the de-parture of Stephen Elop, the former Nokia chief who came on board with the US giant’s acquisition of the Finnish firm’s handset unit.

Nadella, who became CEO in 2014, is seeking to reinvigo-rate a company that had been the world’s largest but which has lagged in recent years as Google and Apple have taken leadership of the tech sector.

Microsoft announced plans Wednesday to cut 7,800 jobs along with a re-organization of its Windows Phone unit which has struggled in the mobile market.

VOICE OF ASIA 20 FRIDAY, July 10, 2015FEATURE

State-of-the-art online money transfer platform makes digital transactions easier than ever before

DALLAS (June 17, 2015) — MoneyGram (NASDAQ: MGI), a global provider of innovative money transfer services, announces today the re-launch of the new MoneyGram.com and mobile app in the United States (available for Apple® and Android™ devices). The new MoneyGram.com brings to life the complete re-imagination of MoneyGram’s online experience.

The platform is the first online service of its kind to enable customers to send money to approximately 200 countries and territories without needing to create an account. In addition, new features and function-ality now allow customers to check the status of online and offline transfers with a new “Track a Transfer” tool, complete transactions quickly and seamlessly, and use phones or tablets to send money anytime, to anywhere in the world.

“Our customers send money to family and friends to provide for life’s essentials, fund emergency cash needs and celebrate big moments. We are excited to make these transactions as seamless as possible,” says Pamela H. Patsley, MoneyGram’s chairman and chief executive officer. “Behind our transactions, there are human stories that we want to facilitate. Every element of the design of the new MoneyGram.com started with the customer in mind. The new platform is currently available for sending money that originates in the U.S. and is designed to scale globally. We look forward to rolling out this new experience in additional countries.”

The state-of-the-art platform allows MoneyGram to rapidly update and introduce features, delivering a superior online customer experience. In addition to guest sending and transfer tracking, users will also benefit from enhanced security and risk management protection systems, and quick-click re-sends for frequent users, as well as instant ACH transfers as a funding option.

“The new MoneyGram.com is the next evolution of global money transfers,” says Alex Hoffmann, MoneyGram executive vice president of business development and global product. “We created a new experience based on direct customer feedback. MoneyGram’s focus on the customer, our trusted brand, and our global settlement engine are key factors driving the success of our new online platform and over-all self-service transformation.”

About MoneyGram International, Inc.MoneyGram is a global provider of innovative money transfer services and is recognized worldwide

as a financial connection to friends and family. Whether online, or through a mobile device, at a kiosk or in a local store, we connect consumers any way that is convenient for them. We also provide bill pay-ment services, issue money orders and process official checks in select markets. More information about MoneyGram International, Inc. is available at moneygram.com.

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Media Contact:Michelle [email protected] 214-979-1418

Apple and the Apple logo are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc.

Google Play is a trademark of Google Inc.

MoneyGram Unveils Sleek, Reimagined Online Platform

A Buddhist monastery in Bangladesh is serving food to hun-

dreds of poor Muslims during Ramadan, in a rare example of social harmony between the religions in the South Asian nation.

Dharmarajika, in the capital Dhaka, has become a hit on social media since it started distributing daily food packs for Muslims who break their fast during the Islamic month at sunset, known as Iftar.

“Buddhism taught us that serving humanity is the ulti-mate religion. We are feeding the poor Muslims who cannot afford to buy proper meals to break their fast,” Suddhananda Mahathero, the head monk of the monastery, told AFP.

When AFP visited on Mon-day evening, more than 300 Muslims were waiting at the gate of the monastery in Dha-ka’s Basabo neighbourhood to receive some Iftar delicacies.

“I can eat some good food served with love and care,” said 70-year-old Amena Kha-tun, who added that she had walked several kilometres to get there.

As a young monk distributed tickets to hungry Muslims, po-lice were on hand to ensure the

Bangladeshi Buddhist monks feed fasting Muslims over Ramadan

Bangladeshi street vendors prepare Iftar food for breaking the daytime fast on the first day of Ramadan, the holy fasting month of Islam, at a traditional bazaar in the old part of Dhaka on July 19, 2015 (AFP Photo/Munir Uz Zaman)

process remained orderly.

“This is such a wonderful example of religious harmony: showing respect and affection to the fasting neighbours with-out thinking of the difference of religions,” said policeman Asad Uzzaman.

Muslims make up around 90 percent of Bangladesh’s 160 million population, with a tiny community of Buddhists re-siding mostly in the country’s southeastern districts border-ing Myanmar.

In September 2012, tens of thousands of Muslims van-dalised and torched nearly a dozen Buddhist temples in the south of the country following allegations that a Buddhist man had desecrated the Koran.

Many Muslims took to social media to thank the Dharmara-jika monastery for their food distribution, posting photos on Facebook of the yellow-clad monks handing out supplies. Others praised the monks on Twitter.

“I really appreciate the ini-tiative and thank them,” Nur Hossain, a banker, told AFP.

The monastery was estab-lished in 1949 and is home to more than 700 orphans who study at a free school it runs.

Hundreds in India celebrate Dalai Lama’s 80th birthday

Tibetan children sing a Tibetan song during the celebration of Dalai Lama’s 80th birthday in New Delhi on July 6, 2015 (AFP Photo/Prakash Singh)

by Michael THURSTON

Anaheim, United States | AFP Fellow No-bel Peace laureates

joined thousands of followers of the Dalai Lama Sunday to celebrate the Tibetan spiritual leader’s 80th birthday, kicking off a three-day honorary bash in California.

A string of minor celebrities also paid tribute to the crim-son-robed 14th Dalai Lama ahead of his birthday Monday, although protesters also gath-ered outside the event south of Los Angeles.

“He always says he is just a simple Buddhist monk,” said anti-landmines campaigner Jodi Williams, who won the Nobel Peace prize in 1997, who sang a snippet of Happy Birthday to him.

“He may be a simple Bud-dhist monk, but he is the most rocking, compassionate simple Buddhist monk I know.”

The Dalai Lama was guest of honor at the Global Com-

Nobel tributes at Dalai Lama 80th birthday bash in US

passion Summit at the Honda Center in Anaheim, speaking on “awakening compassion” and the “transformative power of creativity and art.”

About 18,000 followers packed into the conference center gave him a standing ovation during the three-hour event, at which he was pre-sented with an eight-foot (2.4-meter) high birthday cake.

“The Dalai Lama does not want any physical gifts. For him, this birthday is just like any other day,” said Lama Tenzin Dhonden, founder of Friends of the Dalai Lama.

“However, if we can help to create a more compassion-ate, kind planet, that would be the most beautiful gift of all,” added the Buddhist monk, who broke down in tears at one point in his tribute.

Other speakers included rapper MC Hammer, veteran talk show host Larry King and online entrepreneur Arianna Huffington, as well as TV ac-

tors Josh Radnor and Wilmer Valderrama.

“Whenever I get tired or I lose hope, I remember you,” said Iranian human rights cam-paigner and 2003 Nobel Peace prize winner Shirin Ebadi.

“For 60 years, you have been fighting for the rights of the people of Tibet without be-coming tired and without los-ing hope.”

- ‘Liar’ - But not everyone is celebrat-

ing his birthday in California.Protests were staged out-

side by Shugden Buddhists, who revere a deity denounced since 1996 by the Dalai Lama -- whom they accuse of reli-gious persecution.

Several hundred demonstra-tors gathered outside the Hon-da Center, with some holding placards that read “Stop ly-ing!” and “Hypocrisy.”

“The false Dalai Lama... changes Buddhism into politi-cal gain through lying,” said

The Dalai Lama reacts as his birthday cake is wheeled out on stage following a performance for him by children at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, on July 5, 2015 (AFP Photo/Frederic J. Brown)

one leaflet handed out by pro-testers.

China accuses the Dalai Lama of trying to split Tibet from the rest of China and has called him a “wolf in sheep’s clothing.”

In 2011, the Dalai Lama delegated his political respon-sibilities to a prime minister elected by Tibetan exiles in an attempt to lessen his own totemic status and secure the movement’s future after his death.

But he remains the most powerful rallying point for Tibetans, both in exile and in their homeland.

The elderly monk’s promo-tion of non-violence along with his ready laugh have made him a global peace icon and kept Tibet firmly in the

spotlight.He has been a unifying force

for Tibetans inside and outside the mountainous region, even if he has little to show for his decades of lobbying.

Formal negotiations with Beijing broke down in 2010 after making no headway.

Last year, the Dalai Lama told German newspaper Welt am Sonntag that doctors had told him he could live to 100, adding, “in my dreams, I will die at the age of 113 years.”

On Monday, the Tibetan religious figurehead will dis-cuss climate change and “wis-dom, vision and experience,” including with other Nobel laureates, while on Tuesday events wrap up with a session on youth leadership.

The Dalai Lama marked

his official 80th birthday last month -- on June 21 according to the Tibetan lunar calendar -- in Dharamsala, his hometown in exile in India.

The 80-year-old, whose English is sometimes disjoint-ed, said that everyone had the potential for compassion, in-cluding violent extremists.

“We all come from our mother. We all have the deep experience, we all appreciate the mother’s reaction. Some, also including the so-called terrorists... they also have the potential to develop compas-sion,” he said.

“Some of the people who utilize hatred... If we express (a) message of love, message of compassion, then these peo-ple... they realize peace is the only way for (the) survival of humanity.”

VOICE OF ASIA 21 FRIDAY, July 10, 2015HOROSCOPEYour Horoscope for the Week of July 10, 2015

Aries (A,L,E) 21 March to 20 AprilGain valuable information. You are a survivor. Try looking up in reference books

or on the internet. Remind others of how inventive you can be when you have to be. Enjoy the learning and bring the light to those who share your ideas. Check security issues and viable solutions will come to you. Everything will seem to be going in the

opposite direction from what you had anticipated. Instead of letting it get to you, look on the bright side and be dazzled by what you see.

Taurus (B,V,U) 21 April to 20 MayConnect with a new network of learning. Once you do, you’ll feel more confident in

who you are. Volunteer work looks good on your resume, which can not only help oth-ers, but yourself, as well. By removing money from the equation, you allow yourself new avenues of exploration and expression. New friends can lead you to new avenues

of social & professional exposure. Be yourself & you’ll be accepted & loved by all. Encourage others to pursue their talents. Community spirit might be upstaged by individuals who lacks rational.

Gemini (K,CHH,GH) 21 May to 20 JuneUse your wit & wisdom to help make others feel comfortable with new ideas. Invite

others to join you while you step into a new realm of learning. Stress your indepen-dence, creativity and style. Your personality will be bubbling. Take on the leadership role & make sure you listen your own words. Relax and make yourself feel at home.

Be aware of the limits to which a business relationship can be stretched. Be open to new experiences, and remember to say thank you. By week’s end you’ll have an extra burst of energy.

Cancer (D,H) 21 June to 22 JulyYou’ll be able to achieve your immediate goals if you learn to listen closely to oth-

ers. Verify your information and obtain written reference material. There’s no reason to take everything quite so personally. Don’t jump to any conclusions right away, allow some time to soften your overall view of things. You’ll need the time to digest your

thoughts & emotions. Patience will be required in order to understand others perspective. Reconnect with what excites you and rejoin the life that’s going on outside your door.

Leo (M) 23 July to 22 AugustPut things into a better perspective. Accent is on using your personality to open new

doors of opportunity. Your cycle is high. You need to be cautious about who you trust with your personal & financial matters. Time is on your side, so don’t rush any big deci-sions. Remember that a relationship is as much about friendship as it is about obliga-

tion. If you and your partner aren’t having fun, it’s time to ask why. If the two of you were too much alike, there’d be no spark. Use your imagination & you’ll come up the winner.

Virgo (P) 23 August to 22 SeptemberNew beginnings and a reconnection to the past. You could ruin your chances by using your

most effective ammunition too early in the week. Rude or impulsive behavior is not easily excused. Regrets have a way of softening the hard edges. An old wound may be slow to heal. No one ever said it was going to be easy, but you know it’ll be worth it. Open your eyes to

the reality that exists not what you perceive through your rose colored glasses. Look deeper and you will be able to make needed changes. Family affairs will work out if you look at the situation through others eyes.

Libra (R,T) 23 Sept to 22 OctYour ability to accept others misgivings honestly. The attention you receive will be en-

couraging rather than distracting. Your judgments could play a big role in their lives. A high level of confidence will announce to others that you’re ready to get down to business. Communicate your intentions clearly from the very beginning. The secret to your success will lie in finding a compatible partner to bounce off of. If you continue to argue on every

point, then you may need to look elsewhere.

Scorpio (N,Y) 23 Oct to 21 NovTransform information and data into a valuable opportunity. Take the time you need to

streamline procedures and improve techniques. Once you do, you’ll be able to reap rewards beyond your expectations. Gather together with others who share your passion and want to succeed. Your ability to encourage them will pay off in many ways. Their gratitude will be

overwhelming and surprising. Family members will try to bring you into their web. Be careful with whom you share personal secrets, as the consequences of your actions could tarnish your reputation.

Sagittarius (BH,F,DH,TH) 22 Nov to 21 DecSchedule your ability to have discipline in your life. This is the way to achieve your imme-

diate goals. Talk to a trusted friend about their experiences. If possible, try to get an extension on your deadline. Hasty actions could be worse for you than not acting at all. If you have more time, try to devote it to getting it right. Someone close to you will disappoint you. There’s

no point in pretending to be objective, but at least you can be fair with your feelings. Partners in an intense friendship have many ways to communicate.

Capricorn (KH,J) 22 Dec to 20 JanSee some changes in your career objectives. Your skills are a valuable asset to any

team on which you’re a player. Hold off on making your report final until you have lis-tened to others concerns. There will also be changes in your domestic affairs. A chance meeting will be the start of a fresh new relationship. Spend some quality time & realize

how special you feel. Your entire outlook will be transformed. Gatherings may be heated, refuse to take sides in family disagreements. It’ll only cause you to make bad feelings.

Aquarius (G,S,SH) 21 Jan to 19 FebProve that good relationships can bring out your true self. Your energy level will soar

hShare your creative ideas. Everyone will be fascinated with your conversations. Your showmanship & flair may be questioned by those in authority. Exhibit the benefits of the new venture. Peers may try to question your motives, respond with positive financial data. Collect & study the facts, you may be tested to remember, later. Don’t be too ready

to accuse someone without knowing the facts, but you probably shouldn’t trust everything you hear.

Pisces (D,CH,Z) 20 Feb to 20 MarchOpportunities for travel, romance & communications. Whether it be for business or for plea-

sure, take advantage of the situation before you. Set the standards, keep the flow positive & don’t try to preach your morals to others. Keep your private life private and your social life social. Your excess energy might put you in danger of saying or doing something inappropri-ate. Others may not be in a mood to have their limitations challenged. Romance your opponent

until they are firmly in your camp. The closer you get to someone, the less your differences matter. Mutual literary interest could bond a relationship.

by Hardik Vyas, Astrologer Cell : 832-298-9950

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Assignment Desk InternKTRK-TV, the ABC Owned station located in Houston, TX is accepting applications for a assign-ment desk interns for the upcoming semester. Internships are available to undergrads currently enrolled college students in their junior or senior year pursuing careers in the television/media field and must receive college credit for the internship. The successful applicant will be responsible for assisting the assignment desk, which includes but is not limited to making beat-checks, answer-ing phones, monitoring police and fire radios, getting information and developing stories. The candidate should be detail-oriented and able to handle many different responsibilities at the same time. The ideal intern knows how to multi-task and set priorities. Good news judgment and strong communication skills are essential, along with strong writing skills. The candidate should have a good working knowledge with the use of social media for news gathering. Must be willing to work evenings and weekends. 286505BR. Please upload a cover letter, your resume outlining other in-ternships, degrees earned, work experience, related clubs and organizations, current major course of study, expected graduation date and extracurricular activities. Equal Opportunity Employer – Female/ Minority/ Veteran/ Disability. No Telephone Calls.

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