Author: Staff Reporter

Padma Lakshmi Honored at Creative Coalition Television Humanitarian Awards

Staff ReporterCulture, Women 0

Padma Lakshmi, host of the Bravo TV show, “Top Chef,” is among those who are the winners of the seventh annual Creative Coalition Television Humanitarian Awards. Lakshmi has been nominated for an Emmy in the category of Outstanding Host for a Reality-Competition Program. At the Creative Coalition Television Humanitarian Awards, held in-person on Sept. 18 in Los Angeles, Lakshmi appeared virtually to accept the award for her work with the Endometriosis Foundation of America.

“I wanted to start the foundation so that we could raise awareness so that we could increase funding on a federal level, so that we could lobby insurance companies to pay for women getting checked out properly,” she was quoted as saying by Variety. “I don’t want any young woman in the next generation to go through what I and millions of women have gone through.”

Among this year’s honorees, Borstein were recognized for her work with the National Hemophilia Foundation; Hartley will be recognized for his work with Operation Therapy; Lakshmi was recognized for her work with the Endometriosis Foundation Of America; Rodriguez was recognized for her activism on behalf of the transgender community; and Snow was recognized for her work with September Letters. Emmy-nominated actor Yvette Nicole Brown received the Your Voice Carries Weight Award for her advocacy in obesity awareness.

“The stars honored at The Creative Coalition’s TV Humanitarian Awards represent some of today’s most impactful artists using their platforms to move positive change forward,” said The Creative Coalition CEO Robin Bronk. “In the wake of the pandemic, it’s now more important than ever that we seize on the power of the arts to make a difference — and The Creative Coalition will continue to lead the way.”

Padma Lakshmi is a model, actress and television host. Her parents divorced when she was just two years old and Lakshmi was raised in the United States with her mother. After a modeling agent discovered her in Spain, Lakshmi modeled for famous designers and appeared in a few movies. Known for her love of food, she has published several cookbooks and hosted the reality show Top Chef.

Lakshmi attended Clark University in Massachusetts, starting as a psychology major before graduating in 1992 with a bachelor’s degree in theater. While studying abroad in Spain, Lakshmi was spotted by a modeling scout in a Madrid bar. She soon began traveling the world as a model for designers like Armani, Versace and Ralph Lauren. “I was the first Indian model to have a career in Paris, Milan and New York,” she said. Her studies and background prepared her well for an international career—in addition to English, Lakshmi speaks Spanish, Italian, Hindi and Tamil.

An Animated Film To Chronicle Life Of ‘Sikh Captain America’ In Aftermath Of 9/11

Staff ReporterCulture, Entertainment 0

(RNS) — Vishavjit Singh is publicly known for his Captain America persona — a Sikh man equipped with his turban and beard — fighting against bigotry, intolerance and perceptions of what an American should look like. But Singh, the only member of his family born in the U.S., didn’t always feel he could embrace his identity this way. Singh took off his beard and turban and gave up his Sikh identity while in college after experiencing bullying and stereotyping when he moved back to the U.S. from India.

Now, an animated feature, “American Sikh,” is set to chronicle his life, from his time in India, where his family survived the 1984 anti-Sikh bloodshed, to his move back to the U.S., where he rediscovered his Sikh identity, only to be tested once again while working near New York City after the Sept. 11 attacks

Singh, on his website, said that while in college in California, he fell in love with reading about Eastern philosophy, especially Buddhism and Taoism. “That finally led me to the faith of my parents, the Sikh path,” he said. In a dream, Singh’s grandfather visits him with the Sikh holy book, reminding him of his family’s heritage. Singh, in 2001, tied his turban for the first time in 10 years.  Then 9/11 happened, which Singh said, “profoundly altered the course of my life.” It was in this aftermath that Singh, who was working as a software engineer, started drawing cartoons focusing on Sikh experiences and contradictions, and from that emerged the turban-wearing Sikh Captain America.

“American Sikh” is being created in partnership with Singh as the producer and Los Angeles-based director Ryan Westra. It will be animated by Studio Showoff, a Melbourne-based production house founded by Ivan Dixon and Sean Zwan that has produced work for Childish Gambino, HBO and Cartoon Network. “There is not a lot of representation of people who look like me in the American entertainment landscape. Because that story hasn’t been told, it leads to a persistent level of ignorance,” Singh said in the Kickstarter video. “So that negative impact on fellow American lives can be countered by telling stories of Sikhs in America.”

The film also highlights the violence Sikhs experienced in the aftermath of Sept. 11. Sikhs are commonly mistaken for Muslims because of their turbans and often experience anti-Muslim discrimination. The animated film depicts Sikhs being physically beaten, having their turbans lit on fire and being shot and killed. “That is a story that is not very well known,” Singh said in the Kickstarter video. Singh recognizes these images are painful, but, he said, “These are our experiences.”“We have to tell these stories,” Singh added.

FIACONA Is Grateful to Biden, Harris For Emphasizing Need For Democratic Values In India

Staff ReporterCommunity, Nation India, Religion 0

The Federation of Indian American Christian Organizations (FIACONA) has expressed gratitude to Vice President Harris for telling Prime Minister Modi, “I know from personal experience and from my family, of the commitment of the Indian people to democracy and to freedom, and to the work that may be done and can be done, to imagine and then actually achieve our vision for democratic principles and institutions”. “While we greatly applaud the Vice President’s powerful testimony and her heartfelt remarks, we also feel that Mr. Modi may not have understood the gravity of what she was trying to convey to him,” a statement issued by FIACONA said. “It is not the first time that Mr. Modi and his team have completely missed the point of suggestions coming from American leaders, including the then Vice-President Biden and President Obama on past occasions,” FIACONA pointed out.

FIACONA has urged the President Biden and Vice President Harris “to be more direct and explicit in expressing that India should not and could not afford to go down the path of religious nationalism at the expense of pluralist democratic principles that values Christian and other religious segments of the population. Should Modi and his party choose to continue down this path of religious nationalism despite warnings from leaders of the free world, there is no reason to assume that India would end up any better than Pakistan, Sri Lanka, or Myanmar in that region, thus jeopardizing the stability and commerce in the Indo-Pacific region.”

In a statement issued here, FIACONA pointed out that, India is going through unprecedented challenges under Prime Minister Modi’s watch. “We are concerned that some of those challenges have the potential to cause civil unrest in many parts of the Union where it has seriously undermined the democratic values and institutions in the name of religious majoritarianism.” Reports indicate that Modi’s hardline Hindu nationalist policies have seriously threatened the fundamentals of a multi-faith, multi-linguistic, and multi-racial equilibrium among different sections/regions of the Union. These aggressive domestic policies of the government of the Union of India headed by Modi are already stifling growth and threaten stability in many parts of India. Only those who are aligned with the hardcore Hindu nationalism, both in India and abroad refuse to acknowledge this fact, FIACONA stated.

“A continued push for aggressive domestic policies by the Hindu nationalists would have far-reaching implications not only within the Union of India but also across the region. It has the potential to adversely impact the US business interests in the region as well,” FIACONA cautioned. “The United States cannot afford to make similar strategic mistakes over and over. Ignoring the tell-tale signs of an increasingly radicalized society, or the deterioration of liberal democratic values in a country like India just to achieve short-term strategic goals will only turn out to be an expensive mistake for the US in the long run,” FIACONA warned.

Urging the US policymakers “to take serious cognizance of the style of functioning and perceived goals of the governments in member countries instead of just accepting their talking points however rationale it may sound,” FIACONA stated,  “The safety and security of over 100 million Christians and their continued existence in the Union of India without daily harassment from Hindu nationalist vigilante groups (supported and encouraged by Mr. Modi’s party officials) are inextricably tied to the respect for democratic values by successive governments there.”

FIACONA urged “the Biden Administration is direct and honest with their Indian counterparts in saying that the Union of India must stop sliding down its current path. Measures need to be taken to ensure that. The Hindu nationalist leaders must be told publicly in unambiguous terms that there will be consequences for continuing to encourage and lead India down the path of religious radicalism and vigilantism. They need to be told that all kinds of rationale and false narratives offered to the International community by the Modi government must stop.”

Asia Will Represent Half Of The World’s Consumer Spending By 2032

Staff ReporterFinance/Economy 0

Despite COVID-19, the global consumer class—those who are middle class or rich—is rising fast. In an earlier post, we showed that we are experiencing a truly secular shift in the size of this global consumer class. COVID-19 is a transitory setback of one or two years in this long-term shift. Since 2000, the global consumer class grew by more than 4 percent each year, reaching a new milestone of 4 billion people—for the first time—in 2020 or 2021. At the beginning of this century, the middle class was mostly a Western phenomenon. Consumer companies were selling their goods in OECD countries, especially the USA and Europe. Today, the consumer class is global and increasingly Asian. Spending by the Asian middle class exceeds that in Europe and North America combined.

We define the global consumer class as anyone living in a household spending at least $11 per day per person, of which the global middle class ($11-$110 per day) represents the lion’s share with 3.75 billion people. It is very important to define the global consumer class correctly and allow for comparability across countries and over time. Incorrect definitions could cost companies billions, as Nestle experienced painfully in Africa. The company based its decision to expand on announcements of a rapid rise of Africa’s middle class. While Africa’s middle class has indeed been rising rapidly, the threshold of $3 per day in consumer spending was too low to gain traction with products that are enjoyed by American or European consumers.

Cornel Krummenacher, then chief executive for Nestle’s equatorial Africa region, noted that “we thought this would be the next Asia, but we have realized the middle class here in the region is extremely small.” Even today, Africa’s consumer class is only 283 million people strong according to projections by World Data Lab, growing at 4.1 percent per year. However, there is an untapped potential in Africa below the middle-class threshold. If companies want to benefit from Africa’s growth in this decade, a focus closer to the bottom of the pyramid would yield more success.

Under current projections, Asia will represent half of the world’s consumer spending by 2032. By contrast, Asia’s consumer class is advancing strongly. Since 2016, half of the global consumer class has been Asian. Today, out of the 4 billion global middle-class consumers, 2.2 billion live in Asia. However, while Asia has more than half of the world’s consumers, they only represent approximately 41 percent of consumer spending ($26 trillion out of $63 trillion in 2011 purchasing power parity, see Table 1). Under current projections, Asia will represent half of the world’s consumer spending by 2032.

Table 1. Asia’s consumer class power

  Asia Rest of the world TOTAL Asia’s share
Consumer class (billion) 2.2 1.8 4.0 55%
Spending of the consumer class (trillion $) 26 37 63 41%

Source: World Data Lab’s MarketPro; 2021 projections.

Today, there are 13 Asian economies in the top 30. The composition of these top 30 countries will not change until 2030. However, there are big shifts within the top 30: Only 7 countries are expected to keep their position; 14 countries will lose position while 9 countries gain positions (see Figure 1). To assess which countries will move up in the consumer class tally, we used our unique modeling capacity to project the change of the consumer class between 2020 and 2030.

Figure 1. The top 30 consumer markets of this decade
Daily spending of more than $11 (2011 PPP)

Everyone is familiar with consumer class growth in China and India. In Europe and North America, the numbers in the consumer class will stagnate and growth will come about only because households will become richer.But there are other countries, too, growing under the radar, which are forecast to have very large increases, in the tens of millions, in the numbers in the consumer class in 2030.

Here is an overview of the five top movers:

  1. Bangladesh (+17 positions), from place 28 to 11; future consumer class: 85 million (+50 million)
    Global share of consumer class: 0.8 percent (2020), 1.6 percent (2030).     Bangladesh’s consumer class is projected to more than double by 2030: Today, 35 million people in Bangladesh spend more than $11 a day. By 2030, it will be 85 million!
  2. Pakistan (+8 positions), from place 15 to 7; future consumer class: 121 million (+56 million)
    Global share of consumer class: 6 percent (2020), 2.3 percent (2030).     Pakistan will add 56 million new consumers by 2030, for a total of 121 million. This means that in 2030, for the first time, every other Pakistani will be able to spend more than $11 per day.
  3. Vietnam (+7 positions), from place 26 to 19; future consumer class: 56 million (+21 million)
    Global share of consumer class: 9 percent (2020), 1.1 percent (2030).     Vietnam’s consumer class will grow from 35 million to 56 million within this decade, which is a success story particularly of the middle-aged generation: Consumers between 45 and 65 years of age will contribute nearly 25 percent of Vietnam’s spending, as opposed to 20 percent today.
  4. Philippines (+6 positions), from place 20 to 14; future consumer class: 79 million (+38 million)
    Global share of consumer class: 1 percent (2020), 1.5 percent (2030)    . The Filipino consumer class is projected to grow steadily, from 41 million today to 79 million in 2030. By then, more than two-thirds of the Filipino population will spend more than $11 per day.
  5. Indonesia (+2 positions), from place 6 to 4; future consumer class: 199 million (+76 million)
    Global share of consumer class: 2 percent (2020), 3.8 percent (2030).     While Indonesia is only moving up two places, it is experiencing a large gain of consumer class growth. Starting from an already large base of 123 million, Indonesia will have almost 200 million consumers in 2030, making it the fourth-largest consumer market in the world.

The big message of this analysis is that the consumer class is spreading across the world, and that many emerging markets will have large consumer markets where supply-chain-scale economies, digital platforms, and local preferences will need to be better understood and developed.

U.S. Is On An Era Of Relentless Diplomacy-Biden At UN

Staff ReporterNation, Nation USA 0

Biden called the next 10 years a “decisive decade for our world” that will determine the global community’s future, and declared the planet stands at an “inflection point in history.”

Detailing his new approach to engage the world, Joe Biden, President of the United States told leaders of the world at the &6th annual session of the United Nations General Body on September 21, 2021that the United States is committed to working with the world in leading humanity out of the major problems that we have to confront, including the Covid 19 Pandemic and Climate Change.  Speaking at the world body for the first time as president, Biden used the world stage to outline his administration’s aspirations for cooperation with the nation’s allies and called on nations to work together against COVID-19, climate change, human rights violations, and “new threats” from emerging technology.

BidenBiden used his address to describe a world where American civic leadership, rather than military power, acts as the driving force to resolve persistent problems like coronavirus, climate change, and cyberwar. Sharing his vision for leading the United States into a new era of diplomacy as he sought to reassure allies — some freshly skeptical — he was moving past the “America First” era of foreign policy, his predecessor had advocated for in the past four years. And while he didn’t single out China as the dominant global threat, he insisted the US would seek to counter rising autocracies while avoiding “a new Cold War.” Biden called the next 10 years a “decisive decade for our world” that will determine the global community’s future, and declared the planet stands at an “inflection point in history.”

It was an altogether different message from his predecessor, whose mix of isolationism and confrontation caused deep rifts with other nations. Instead, Biden delivered a more traditional address hailing the United Nations’ mission of multilateralism and proclaiming a new chapter was beginning after he decided to end the war in Afghanistan. Biden said the U.S. “will lead on all of the greatest challenges of our time, from COVID to climate, peace and security, human dignity and human rights, but we will not go it alone.” The approach is a departure from that of the Trump administration, which embraced an “America first”-style of diplomacy that put nationalism ahead of multilateral efforts.

The global community’s response to pressing challenges like the climate crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic will “reverberate for generations yet to come,” Biden argued. But he said these challenges must be addressed with technological innovation and global cooperation, not war.”We’ve ended 20 years of conflict in Afghanistan, and as we close this period of relentless war, we’re opening a new era of relentless diplomacy, of using the power of our development aid to invest in new ways of lifting people up around the world,” Biden said.

The speech was a return to many of the themes Biden has spoken about since entering the White House in January, framing the future of global relations as democracy versus autocracy and emphasizing the US’ plans to strengthen relationships with its allies. That commitment is something many European nations are questioning in the wake of a diplomatic kerfuffle with the French over a new security partnership with the United Kingdom and Australia that cost the US’ longest ally billions in a deal for submarines. Foreign capitals have also questioned the mostly unilateral decision by the Biden administration to pull out of Afghanistan by the end of August after 20 years of war, leading to a chaotic withdrawal.

Biden did not address the submarine issue in his speech, but did defend his decision to leave Afghanistan. “As we close this era of endless war we are opening an era of endless diplomacy,” he said. Biden said the US is turning its focus to the Indo-Pacific region and is “fixing our eyes on devoting our resources to the challenges that hold the keys to our collective future.” The President said those challenges include: “Ending this pandemic, addressing the climate crisis, managing the shifts in global power dynamics, shaping the rules of the world on vital issues like trade, cyber and emerging technologies, and facing the threat of terrorism as it stands today.”

As a part of that shift in attention, the President made clear that he will be looking to use American diplomatic and scientific skills over military power as crises pop up around the globe. U.S. military power must be our last resort, not our first, and should not be used in response to every problem we see in the world, Biden said. Indeed, many of our greatest concerns today cannot be solved or even addressed by force of arms. Bombs and bullets cannot protect against Covid-19 or its future variants.”

“I stand here today for the first time in 20 years with the United States, not at war. We’ve turned the page,” Biden said. Despite some fears from its allies, Biden said the U.S. is committed to working with partners around the world to address challenges together, and stressed the importance of working through multilateral institutions such as the United Nations. “It is a fundamental truth of the 21st century that in each of our countries and as a global community, our own success is linked to others succeeding as well. To deliver for our own people we must also engage deeply with the rest of the world,” Biden said.

Biden pointed to the US shipping more than 160 million Covid-19 doses to countries around the world and putting more than $15 billion toward the global Covid response. He added that he would be announcing additional Covid-19 commitments on Wednesday at the US-hosted global Covid-19 summit. “We’ve lost so much to this devastating pandemic that continues to claim lives around the world and impact so much on our existence. We’re mourning more than 4.5 million people, people of every nation, from every background. Each death is an individual heartbreak. But our shared grief is a poignant reminder that our collective future will hinge on our ability to recognize our common humanity and to act together,” Biden said.

He stressed the urgent need to act to combat the climate crisis and noted his administration had pledged to double the public international financing to help developing nations tackle the climate crisis. Biden said he would work with Congress to double that number again, which would “make the United States the leader in public climate finance.” Biden urged countries around the world to “bring their highest possible ambitions to the table” when world leaders gather in Glasgow later this year for the COP 26 UN Climate Change Conference.

He pointed to the goal he set out earlier this year to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about half from 2005 levels in 2030. Last week, Biden announced the US and European Union had launched a global pledge to reduce emissions of methane by nearly 30% by the end of the decade. The President said the US would continue to uphold the “long-standing rules and norms that have formed the guardrails of international engagement for decades that have been essential to the development of nations around the world.”

Modi, Joe Biden To Discuss Ways To Combat Terrorism

Staff ReporterNation India, Nation USA 0

Cementing bilateral ties, stabilization of Afghanistan, counterterrorism, Indo-Pacific and climate change are expected to be on the agenda when Prime Minister Narendra Modi goes on a three-day visit to the US this week.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden, during their bilateral meeting on September 24 in Washington, are expected to discuss ways to stem radicalization and combat terrorism, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said on Tuesday, September 21, 2021. Modi and Biden are also expected to discuss ways to bolster defence and trade ties between the two countries, he added. “PM Modi and President Biden expected to discuss ways to stem radicalisation and combat terrorism. They are also expected to discuss ways to bolster defence and trade ties. Regional developments are also expected to figure in bilateral meeting,” Shringla said.

Modi_Joe_BidenHe added, “Modi and Biden will review the robust and multifaceted ties between the India and the US. They will also deliberate on ways to further enrich India-US global partnership.” As per a tentative schedule, PM Modi’s visit will take place between September 22-27. During his trip, the Prime Minister is expected to visit both Washington and New York.

PM Modi, Joe Biden to discuss ways to fight ‘common enemy terrorism’, says senior US official here in DC, adding that they would discuss ways to working together to fight a common enemy of terrorism. During a briefing, the official said: “This will be the first face-to-face meeting [of President Biden] with Prime Minister Modi on Friday, and it will be an opportunity to really step up from the perspective of our global partnership with India, working together to defend a free and open Indo-Pacific and our two countries were both essential in the global fight against COVID-19. And by taking conservative action to deal with the climate crisis. “

Biden will host Modi for their first in-person bilateral meeting at the White House on September 24. Later on the same day, Modi is expected to participate in the first in-person Quad — India, US, Australia, and Japan — leaders’ summit in Washington on September 24 being hosted by US President Joe Biden at the White House. Apart from addressing the crisis unfolding in Afghanistan, the two sides will also be working on an ambitious agenda concerning the Indo-Pacific region.

A statement by White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said that “President Biden is looking forward to welcoming to the White House Prime Minister Scott Morrison of Australia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, and Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga of Japan.” Modi will later address the General Debate of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on September 25 in New York. This will be Modi’s first visit to the United States since President Joe Biden assumed charge early this year. The two have met virtually on at least three occasions – the Quad summit in March, the climate change summit in April, and the G-7 summit in June this year.

Modi was supposed to travel to the UK for the G-7 summit where he could have met Biden, but had to cancel the trip due to the second Covid-19 wave across India. Centre says it will resume vaccine export, ahead of Modi’s US visit India will resume the export of Covid-19 vaccines in October to fulfil the country’s commitment to the WHO-supported COVAX programme, union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya announced on Monday. “The surplus supply of vaccines will be used to fulfil our commitment towards the world for the collective fight against Covid-19,” he said.

Meanwhile, India expects a supply of 300 million doses of the Covid vaccines in October from different makers, the minister added. Separately, news agency Reuters report that India could receive 43.5 million doses of Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine next month. India had stopped vaccine exports in April amidst the devastating second wave, allowing it to accelerate the vaccination of its population but derailing the COVAX program that supplies vaccines to low- and middle-income countries. COVAX depends on the Serum Institute of India-made AstraZeneca doses to meet its goals.

The decision to resume exports comes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US, where he will address the UN General Assembly as well as sit with fellow leaders of the Quad group. Vaccine distribution is to be on the agenda at both the UN meet and Quad summit. PM is to address the UN on September 25. At the Quad summit, the leaders will review the “vaccine initiative” announced in March, the ministry of external affairs had said. Reports say, a plan to distribute vaccine doses to Indo-Pacific nations, largely by leveraging India’s production capabilities, is on the agenda.

Following the Quad virtual summit, the US said it will provide financial support to help Hyderabad-based Biological E to produce a billion doses of the Covid vaccine by the end of 2022. Modi’s visit to the US is his first visit abroad in six months—the prime minister had visited Bangladesh in March for the 50th anniversary celebrations of Bangladesh’s emergence as a separate country. Modi was supposed to visit Europe in May but the trip was called off after India was hit by a particularly brutal second wave of covid-19 infections.

The US statement said that the “Biden-Harris Administration has made elevating the Quad a priority, as seen through the first-ever Quad Leaders-level engagement in March, which was virtual, and now this Summit, which will be in-person. Hosting the leaders of the Quad demonstrates the Biden-Harris Administration’s priority of engaging in the Indo-Pacific, including through new multilateral configurations to meet the challenges of the 21st century.”

Indian Students Are A Strong Bridge Between India And USA

Staff ReporterCommunity, Education, News, Youth 0

In a new initiative to connect the nearly 200,00 Indian students with the Indian American community and the Indian missions, GOPIO-Manhattan and the Indian Consulate in New York hosts Meet & Greet Event Welcome Event in New York.

“Indian Students continue to be a strong bridge between India and USA,” Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu told students from India who had come together at Meet and Greet welcome event organized by the GOPIO-Manhattan (NYC) in cooperation with Consulate General of India in New York for the Students from India studying in the Northeast region in the United States. Organized with the objective of connecting the students to the community and providing mentoring opportunities as well as to raise awareness of Consular services to students from the Indian Consulate, the event held at the Indian Consulate in New York on Friday, September 17th was attended by students from 21 universities, mostly from the Northeast participated in person or virtually.

The Indian Ambassador addressed the students via a video message. He told them: “Delighted to welcome the students virtually!  The education and knowledge partnership are an area that holds great potential in our bilateral relations. During my visits across US, I’ve always made it a point to visit universities and visit faculty and students there.” He further added “We have an active student hub and a dedicated student wing at the Embassy. You can count on them for any assistance.” The chief guest/host for the evening Ambassador Randhir Kumar Jaiswal, commented, “Welcome to all the students from India with open heart as you pursue your future studies here in the North-East region and help in the growth of economy here in USA and back home in India.”

Ambassador Jaiswal further highlighted the goal to expand this program to include more students, from the pool of 200,000 students that come to the USA for further studies, to attend in person more interactive sessions and gain exposure to various services offered by the Consulate for the benefit of the students from registration at the Consular Portal, to cultural events to mental health support initiatives. The program started with a welcome by GOPIO International Chairman Dr. Thomas Abraham, who also serves as an advisor to GOPIO-Manhattan. Dr. Abraham encouraged the speakers to mentor, motivate and guide the students. Dr. Abraham said, “In the 1960s and ‘70s when a foreign student joined a university, he/she was given host family, now with connected world and social media, the host family concept went away and the 4.5 million Indian Americans could serve as the host family to the new students.”

GOPIO-Manhattan Executive Vice President Professor Rajasekhar Vangapaty moderated the first panel on mentoring students in the current market environment and added his learnings to the students using his unique perspective as a Registrar of Fashion Institute of Technology, the MIT of Fashion. There were four panelists in this session who are asked to comment on several questions. Abha Kumar, Business transformation leader/Board member Notify.io Advisory Board Shopelier, Former CIO- Corporate & International Vanguard, shared her experiences with the students and said, “The way we worked in the past will not be relevant post-COVID…we now will look for employees who have the ability to have a wide perspective and connect the dots.”

Kumar further added that students should master the technology component; the companies also look for certain emotional intelligence when they hire. Lastly, in corporate America, your work doesn’t speak for you, you need to speak for yourself. Prasan Kumar, Senior VP & Strategy Director at Publicis Group & Lecturer at Glasgow Caledonian New York College added “When you’re in a classroom, experiment as much as you can.” He elaborated, “bringing more than a text book education is significantly important, get your perspective as per your interest, helps you being a problem solver and think long-term for career choice reflecting from his personal experience of moving 4 careers in 2 decades from IT to advertising now.”

Neil Datta, Head of Due Diligence at Forbes Family Trust & Co-Founder Meritas provided insights in the current market context and said, “You’re either a fintech company or you don’t know it yet.” He further added, “The ability to be a problem solver is a crucial skill that helps you in whatever you choose to work in.” Joe Simon, CIO at Entain which is involved in Sports Betting, echoed the thoughts of the speakers and added, “Cultural sensitivity is crucial.” He further added that in order to succeed, one needs to be fairly convinced about what one is trying to do and that the two most underrated skills in corporate America are patience and persistence.”

The second panel on F1 to H1B via OPT was moderated by Aseem Trivedi, Manager of Data Analytics at Ernst and Young. He shared his unique path to Green Card as an experience for the students. He reminded the students “One should start thinking now what after H1B?” Akshat Singh, a recent economics graduate of Columbia University brought his experience with Students and shared the idea “Get started on OTP process asap and do not wait for 6-months or so.” Ankit Chaudhari, Associate Vice President at JP Morgan Chase commented about his personal journey from F1 to OPT to H1-B to Green Card and suggested students “ask your employer whether they will sponsor your visa or not, but you give your best services.”

Apeksha Tewari, Master of Laws from Penn State Law and Lawyer, shared her personal views to the students as part of the panel said, “Now that you are here, outside of your studies, you need to network with your professors, peers, everyone & communication is the key, ask for things.” Siddharth Jain, GOPIO Manhattan Board Member & Program Coordinator; conducted the questions & answers session and concluded with vote of thanks to Chief Guest/Host Ambassador Shri Randhir Kumar Jaiswal, Dy. Consul Shri Varun Jeph, Consul for Political, Education and Culture Shri Vipul Dev, Consul for Community Affairs Shri A. K. Vijayakrishnan and the consulate staff. Other GOPIO-Manhattan officials present at the meeting included Vice President Vimal Goyle, and Co-Secretaries Dr. Lisa George and Bhavya Gupta.

“The students had an excellent time networking with students from different universities as well as with speakers and the Consulate and GOPIO officials and we plan to do a much bigger event next year hopefully after the Covid restrictions are over,” Dr. Thomas Abraham added.

COVID Has Killed More Americans Than The Spanish Flu Did In 1918-19

Staff ReporterCommunity, Health 0

COVID-19 Pandemic has claimed as many as 696,867 lives in the United States, which is more than the number of people killed by the Spanish Flu Pandemic of 1918-19.

As of September 22nd, COVID-19 Pandemic has claimed as many as 696,867 lives in the United States, which is more than the number of people killed by the Spanish Flu Pandemic of 1918-19. As per the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Spanish Flu had killed 675,000 Americans a century ago. The Spanish flu’s U.S. death toll is a rough guess, given the incomplete records of the era and the poor scientific understanding of what caused the illness.

Across the world, the 1918-19 influenza pandemic killed 50 million victims globally at a time when the world had one-quarter the population it does now. Global deaths from COVID-19 now stand at more than 4.6 million. For now, the pandemic still has the United States and other parts of the world firmly in its jaws. While the delta-fueled surge in infections may have peaked, U.S. deaths are running at over 1,900 a day on average, the highest level since early March, and the country’s overall toll topped 675,000 on Monday, September 20th, according to the count kept by Johns Hopkins University, though the real number is believed to be higher.

Winter may bring a new surge, with the University of Washington’s influential model projecting an additional 100,000 or so Americans will die of COVID-19 by Jan. 1, which would bring the overall U.S. toll to 776,000. Historian and author John Barry, author of “The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History,” writes, “It was considerably worse than we’ve seen now — there were special trains to carry away the dead,” during the century-old plague with its 675,000 deaths against the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.

The U.S. population a century ago was just one-third of what it is today, meaning the flu cut a much bigger, more lethal swath through the country. But the COVID-19 crisis is by any measure a colossal tragedy in its own right, especially given the incredible advances in scientific knowledge since then and the failure to take maximum advantage of the vaccines available this time. Like the Spanish flu, the coronavirus may never entirely disappear from our midst. Instead, scientists hope it becomes a mild seasonal bug as human immunity strengthens through vaccination and repeated infection. That could take time.  “We hope it will be like getting a cold, but there’s no guarantee,” said Emory University biologist Rustom Antia, who suggests an optimistic scenario in which this could happen over a few years.

The ebbing of COVID-19 could happen if the virus progressively weakens as it mutates and more and more humans’ immune systems learn to attack it. Vaccination and surviving infection are the main ways the immune system improves. Breast-fed infants also gain some immunity from their mothers. Under that optimistic scenario, schoolchildren would get mild illness that trains their immune systems. As they grow up, the children would carry the immune response memory, so that when they are old and vulnerable, the coronavirus would be no more dangerous than cold viruses.

The same goes for today’s vaccinated teens: Their immune systems would get stronger through the shots and mild infections. “We will all get infected,” Antia predicted. “What’s important is whether the infections are severe.” Something similar happened with the H1N1 flu virus, the culprit in the 1918-19 pandemic. It encountered too many people who were immune, and it also eventually weakened through mutation. H1N1 still circulates today, but immunity acquired through infection and vaccination has triumphed.

Getting an annual flu shot now protects against H1N1 and several other strains of flu. To be sure, flu kills between 12,000 and 61,000 Americans each year, but on average, it is a seasonal problem and a manageable one. Before COVID-19, the 1918-19 flu was universally considered the worst pandemic disease in human history. Whether the current scourge ultimately proves deadlier is unclear. In many ways, the 1918-19 flu — which was wrongly named Spanish flu because it first received widespread news coverage in Spain — was worse.

Spread by the mobility of World War I, it killed young, healthy adults in vast numbers. No vaccine existed to slow it, and there were no antibiotics to treat secondary bacterial infections. And, of course, the world was much smaller. Yet jet travel and mass migrations threaten to increase the toll of the current pandemic. Much of the world is unvaccinated. And the coronavirus has been full of surprises. Just under 64% of the U.S. population has received as least one dose of the vaccine, with state rates ranging from a high of approximately 77% in Vermont and Massachusetts to lows around 46% to 49% in Idaho, Wyoming, West Virginia and Mississippi.

Globally, about 43% of the population has received at least one dose, according to Our World in Data, with some African countries just beginning to give their first shots. “We know that all pandemics come to an end,” said Dr. Jeremy Brown, director of emergency care research at the National Institutes of Health, who wrote a book on influenza. “They can do terrible things while they’re raging.” COVID-19 could have been far less lethal in the U.S. if more people had gotten vaccinated faster, “and we still have an opportunity to turn it around,” Brown said. “We often lose sight of how lucky we are to take these things for granted.”

The current vaccines work extremely well in preventing severe disease and death from the variants of the virus that have emerged so far. It will be crucial for scientists to make sure the ever-mutating virus hasn’t changed enough to evade vaccines or to cause severe illness in unvaccinated children, Antia said. If the virus changes significantly, a new vaccine using the technology behind the Pfizer and Moderna shots could be produced in 110 days, a Pfizer executive said Wednesday. The company is studying whether annual shots with the current vaccine will be required to keep immunity high.

One plus: The coronavirus mutates at a slower pace than flu viruses, making it a more stable target for vaccination, said Ann Marie Kimball, a retired University of Washington professor of epidemiology. So, will the current pandemic unseat the 1918-19 flu pandemic as the worst in human history?

U.S. Allows Vaccinated Travelers from the E.U. and U.K

Staff ReporterImmigration, Tourism, Travel 0

After nearly 18 months of barring almost all travelers who are foreign nationals from entering the country, U.S. travel restrictions are being rolled back. The U.S. said Sept. 20 it will ease airline restrictions this fall on travel to the country for people who have vaccination proof and a negative COVID-19 test, replacing a hodgepodge of rules that had kept out many non-citizens and irritated allies in Europe and beyond where virus cases are far lower. The changes, to take effect in November, will allow families and others who have been separated by the travel restrictions for 18 months to plan for long-awaited reunifications and allow foreigners with work permits to get back to their jobs in the U.S.

As per reports, fully vaccinated travelers from E.U. countries and the U.K. will be allowed to enter the U.S. by November, according to the Financial Times. The new travel policy also reportedly allows U.S. entry for travelers who are part of clinical trials for vaccines not yet approved in the U.K., the Times report says—a rule that would render about 40,000 additional people eligible for travel to the U.S.  The new E.U. and U.K. travel policies are expected to be part of larger sweeping changes to the travel bans that have disallowed most foreign national visitors to the U.S., with few exceptions made for the immediate families of American citizens, green card holders, and other select exemptions.

“In early November, we’ll be putting in place strict protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19 from passengers flying internationally into the United States by requiring that adult foreign nationals traveling to the United States be fully vaccinated,” said White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki during a briefing on Monday. The U.S. travel restrictions were first imposed by former President Donald Trump in early 2020 as the coronavirus took hold in the country.

Two months after it green lit Americans for travel, the European Union has reverted its recommendation amid rising coronavirus cases. The decision to reopen U.S. borders to foreign visitors was applauded across the travel industry as a milestone on the path to restoring pre-pandemic operations. “This is a major turning point in the management of the virus and will accelerate the recovery of the millions of travel-related jobs that have been lost due to international travel restrictions,” Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, said in a statement.

U.S. airlines—one of the sectors hardest hit by the international travel restrictions—are “eager to safely reunite the countless families, friends, and colleagues who have not seen each other in nearly two years, if not longer,” Nicholas E. Calio, president of lobbying group Airlines for America, said in a statement. “Today’s announcement marks a positive step in our nation’s recovery, and we look forward to working with the Administration over the coming weeks to implement this new global system.”

Jeffrey Zients, the White House’s COVID-19 response coordinator, told NBC News that the vaccine requirement will eventually apply to all foreign nationals entering the U.S., who will also need to be tested for the virus three days before departing for the U.S. and show a negative test result upon arrival. Unvaccinated Americans will need to test one day before departure and be tested again upon arrival, the report says. Currently there are no plans for a vaccine requirement for domestic air travel, but according to NBC, Zients said nothing is off the table.  Last week, Anthony Fauci, the top infectious disease doctor in the U.S., made a similar comment about a potential vaccine requirement for domestic air travel. “It’s on the table,” he said in a podcast interview. “We haven’t decided yet.”

What’s UK’s New Covid-19 Travel Rules Mean For A Flyer From India?

Staff ReporterImmigration, Travel 0

The UK has changed its Covid-19 travel rules, placing Indians who are vaccinated with Covishield in the category of ‘unvaccinated’. While it has relaxed the rules for those vaccinated with two doses Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, the same version of the vaccine being manufactured in India by Pune-based Serum Institute of India has been kept out of the list.

What are the UK’s current travel rules?

The UK currently has a system that designates countries in ‘red’, ‘amber’ and ‘green’ list. If a person has been in a ‘red list’ country in the 10 days before arrival in the UK, she has to quarantine for 10 days in a quarantine hotel; and take a Covid-19 test on or before day 2 or after day 8 of quarantining. Even fully vaccinated people have to follow these rules: The penalty is up to £10,000 for violation of quarantine rules, and £5,000 for arriving without a prior negative test.

India features in the ‘amber list’.

If a person has been in an ‘amber list’ country in the 10 days before arrival in England, she has to take a Covid-19 test in the three days before travelling to England. If a traveler arrives without proof of a negative Covid-19 test before departure, the fine is £500. After arrival, the traveler has to take a Covid-19 test on day 2. The prior test is necessary for fully vaccinated travelers, too — but they are exempt from quarantine if they have taken the full course of an ‘authorized’ vaccine. ‘Authorized’ includes two doses of the Pfizer, Moderna, or AstraZeneca vaccine (traveler must have the final dose at least 14 days before arrival in England), or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

If the traveller from the amber list is not fully vaccinated with the authorized vaccine, she has to quarantine on arrival at home or in the place where she is staying; take a test on or before day 2 of arrival; and take another test on or after day 8. If the traveler tests positive for Covid-19, she and the household must quarantine for 10 days from the day of the test. If tests on the traveller’s samples detect a ‘variant of concern’, all her contacts too will be asked to take a test. Travellers from ‘green list’ countries too need to take a test Covid-19 test three days before the trip to England; and book a day-2 test after arrival in England. There is blanket exemption from quarantine for the green list, unless the test result is positive on day 2.

What about travelers from India?

The list of authorized vaccines recognizes the full course of the Oxford/AstraZeneca, Pfizer BioNTech, Moderna or Janssen vaccines from a relevant public health body in Australia, Antigua, and Barbuda, Barbados, Bahrain, Brunei, Canada, Dominica, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, Malaysia, New Zealand, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea or Taiwan – and even mixing of two-dose vaccines (Oxford/AstraZeneca, Pfizer BioNTech, Moderna). Although, India’s vaccination drive predominantly uses Covishield, a version of the AstraZeneca vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, India has been kept out of the list.

What does excluding Covishield mean?

This effectively means that Indians administered with Covishield, the same vaccine as the UK’s AstraZeneca, have to take a pre-departure Covid-19 test in the 3 days before travelling to England; book and pay for day-2 and day-8 tests to be taken in England; and quarantine at home for 10 days. The traveller can end the quarantine early, if she can pay for a private Covid-19 test through a ‘test to release’ scheme. For instance, if she arrives in England on a Monday, Tuesday will be her first full day of quarantine, and she can opt for a second test not earlier than the fifth day, which will be Saturday. If the result for the day-5 test is negative, she can stop quarantine, but she will still need to take the compulsory day-8 test.

What happens hereafter, then?

Government sources said they are invoking the reciprocity principle. They said a ‘note verbale’ has been sent to the UK Embassy, where they have said UK citizens will also be subject to 10 days’ quarantine. Government sources also told The Indian Express that the UK decision is not related to the addition of Serum Institute of India as an alternative manufacturing site on the ‘Vaxzevria’ licence granted to the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Senior Congress leaders Shashi Tharoor and Jairam Ramesh Monday spoke out against the UK government’s decision to consider people vaccinated in India, Africa, South America and several other countries as unvaccinated, and make them go through a 10-day quarantine. Tharoor, Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha MP, has pulled put of a debate at Cambridge Union and withdrawn from the events for the launch of the UK edition of his book “The Battle of Belonging”. Quoting a thread of tweets by UK news analyst Alex Macheras, Tharoor wrote: “Because of this I have pulled out of a debate at the @cambridgeunion & out of launch events for the UK edition of my book #TheBattleOfBelonging (published there as #TheStruggleForIndiasSoul). It is offensive to ask fully vaccinated Indians to quarantine. The Brits are reviewing!”

Rajya Sabha Congress MP Jairam Ramesh too termed the country’s new travel policy “absolutely bizarre”. Quoting the same thread, he wrote: “Absolutely bizarre considering Covishield was originally developed in the UK and The Serum Institute, Pune has supplied to that country too! This smacks of racism.” India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has raised with the UK Foreign Secretary Elizabeth Truss her country’s rules that require vaccinated Indian travellers to be quarantined and urged an early resolution of the issue. “Urged early resolution of quarantine issue in mutual interest,” he tweeted after meeting Truss in New York on Monday as he began holding bilateral meetings with leaders from around the world.

Immigration Overhaul Won’t Be Part of the $3.5 Trillion Infrastructure Plan

Staff ReporterImmigration, Nation USA, Travel 0

The Senate’s wonk-in-chief has once again shown who’s really in charge as lawmakers try to push $3.5 trillion in spending through an arcane budget rule. On Sunday, Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough foiled Democrats’ efforts to include long-sought changes to immigration laws in the enormous spending package winding its way through Congress. Democrats have been moving forward with plans to tuck a sweeping immigration overhaul into the package and pass it along partisan lines with only Democratic votes . But MacDonough stepped in with a polite but pointed piece of advice to lawmakers: This is too big of a change to take advantage of the budget trick known as reconciliation; the bill being considered, she wrote, carries “tremendous and enduring policy change that dwarfs its budgetary impact.”

In other words, she said, lawmakers cannot squeeze giving eight million immigrants a pathway to legal citizenship into a legislative loophole that allows lawmakers to conduct budget revisions without a super-majority 60 votes. In the most routine of times, the rule is a way for staff to reconcile Senate and House edits of the budget without re-running the entire legislative tape from the beginning.  This year, it’s already been used to shepherd a $1.9 trillion pandemic relief package. Now, Democrats were looking to use the same loophole to insert into a $3.5 trillion follow-on provisions that would have opened the door for legal status to immigrants who came to the country illegally as children, those who were granted entry for humanitarian reasons, farmworkers and other essential workers like those in hospitals, nursing homes and grocery stores.

The setback was not unexpected. “I always knew this would be a long process,” said Sen. Robert Menendez, the Senate’s highest-ranking Latino who has been advocating for the package of immigration changes. “I and my Democratic colleagues intend to continue working until we get to yes with the Parliamentarian.” The budget trickery Democrats are planning to use has very specific rules, including a requirement that the tool be employed only to deal with federal spending and revenue. Those limits have thwarted earlier efforts to slip things into budget bills: earlier this year, Democrats were not allowed to tack an increase to the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour onto the $1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill, and in 2017 Republicans’ were unable to use a tax-cuts package to end a ban on churches playing politics while keeping their tax-exempt status. Democrats had considered trying to use the process to advance a voting-rights bill, but ultimately saw that as unlikely to win MacDonough’s approval.

MacDonough has been persuaded to change her mind before. Last year, Sens. Chuck Grassley and Ron Wyden—the top Republican and Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee—argued that part of Sen. Josh Hawley’s proposal to leave the World Trade Organization was inappropriate for a vote because it had not gone through their panel. MacDonough initially sided with Hawley but two weeks later changed her ruling. But that’s very much the exception and far from the norm.

MacDonough has already handed Senate Democrats a big win, issuing an advisory earlier this year that they could reopen a budget bill to fold in a package to spend $1.9 trillion along party lines to ease pandemic woes. In the past, lawmakers were given one chance per budget year to send things into law with just 51 votes, but MacDonough said they could treat themselves to multiple bites of the legislative apple if they treated the add-ons as amendments to the budget. Absent that, they’d have to wait until the new budget year opens on Oct. 1.

As the presiding officer of the Senate, Vice President Kamala Harris can, of course, overrule the Parliamentarian. The last time it was done was in 1975, when Vice President Nelson Rockefeller presided over a change in the number of votes to end a filibuster from 66 to 60 in a fully-staffed Senate. Democrats could also fire MacDonough, and there’s more-recent precedent for this. Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott did so in 2001 to pass the Bush-era tax cuts through the loophole now in question.

White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain says the Biden team isn’t looking at those options, though it’s worth noting that President Gerald Ford didn’t know Rockefeller was going to go rogue on the rostrum. There is nothing that gives Biden or his deputies any power over what Harris does in her twin role as the Senate’s chief. But it’s tough to imagine Harris unilaterally going against the norms of a body where she served as a Senator for four years and where Biden served for 36.

Absent any drastic action, Democrats’ immigration reforms face an uncertain future. In 2013 , the Senate passed a massive and comprehensive immigration bill with 14 Republicans supporting it. But of those original 14, just five remain in the Senate: Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Sen. John Hoeven of North Dakota, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida. In fact, those last two helped write the bill and—in a sign of how the Republican Party has changed in recent years—Rubio had to distance himself from it during his 2016 race for the White House, calling it a mistake.

That bill never had a chance at a vote in the then-Republican controlled House, and that was before President Donald Trump made immigrant-bashing a central plank to both of his White House runs. Any hope of passing changes to the nation’s immigration laws with Republican votes now is almost zero. Trump may be gone, and this weekend’s rally in support of the insurrection he inspired may have been a failure, but the mark he leaves on this country is not fading any time soon.

Pfizer Vaccine Has “Robust” Immune Response Among 5-11 Year Olds

Staff ReporterHealth, Science, Youth 0

While it’s true that younger kids generally don’t suffer serious illness from COVID-19, anything we can do to protect our kids—and help prevent them from spreading the virus to others—is a good thing. So far, about 5 million U.S. children have tested positive, per the American Academy of Pediatrics, while nearly 500 have died.

The US, where Covid-19 is now officially the deadliest epidemic since the Spanish Flu of 1918 with over 675,000 deaths, has also seen a rather high number of infections among children. For the week ended September 9, new infections among children totaled 243,000 and constitute 30% of all new infections in the country. Up until January this year, children made up just 15% of new Covid-19 infections in the US.

Some of that long-awaited good news arrived this morning: After several months of waiting, Pfizer has announced that the Covid-19 vaccine by Pfizer and BioNTech generates a “robust” immune response among 5-11 year olds, according to data released by the company on September 20th — moving a step closer to start of vaccination of sub-12 year olds by the end of next month.

Pfizer said today that the vaccine it makes alongside BioNTech is safe and effective in kids aged 5-11, and it will soon seek approval from U.S. regulators to start doling out shots for that age group. The pediatric version of the shot contains just one-third the dose of the adult version, but still generates a strong antibody response with only minor, if any, side effects, Pfizer Senior Vice President Dr. Bill Gruber told the Associated Press. “I think we really hit the sweet spot,” Gruber said. (Vaccine maker Moderna is also testing its shot in children, and data from studies on kids as young as six months could be available before year’s end.)

There are limitations to Pfizer’s data. For one thing, the company only studied about 2,300 kids. That’s enough to show vaccinated kids were producing similar antibody levels as inoculated teens and adults—which is seen as a decent proxy for performance—but there weren’t enough cases among the participants to judge performance directly. Furthermore, the data has yet to be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal.

Still, Pfizer plans to formally submit its 5-11 year-old vaccine for U.S. approval by the end of September. It will then take regulators at least a few weeks to make a decision. But if all goes well, kids aged 5-11 could be eligible for their first dose by Halloween—a treat, indeed.

The results, which were based on a clinical trial of over 2,200 children, involved administering 10 microgrammes of the vaccine — which is one third of the amount of dose administered to teens and adults — three weeks apart.

However, even as the company claims the side effects observed in children were similar to those observed in adults, such as fatigue, headache, muscle pain, chills, fever and nausea, it has not yet made public all details of side effects experienced by children in the trial, including whether or not they experienced myocarditis, a rare heart condition affecting some teens and adults.

The final nod from the US FDA is expected to take four to six weeks after it receives and reviews all the data submitted by Pfizer and BioNTech, whose vaccine is already approved for use in children above 12. Pfizer also expects to submit data for clinical trials among children between the ages of 6 months to 5 years by the end of next month.

FDA Recommends Covid Booster Doses For Vulnerable Population Only

Staff ReporterCommunity, Health 0

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) committee voted unanimously Friday, last week to recommend booster doses of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine for those over age 65 and those at higher risk of exposure to the virus, including healthcare, frontline and essential workers, under emergency use authorization, but stopped short of recommending boosters for the general population.  Pfizer-BioNTech had originally requested that the FDA consider full approval of a booster dose for all people who have been vaccinated with its shot. The 18 members of the committee voted initially 16 to 2 against that move, citing the lack of strong enough data on safety and effectiveness of boosting the general population at this time. The FDA then reworded Pfizer-BioNTech’s original request to include only those at highest risk of COVID-19, which earned a unanimous vote in favor.

Although the result wasn’t what Pfizer-BioNTech expected, Kathrin Jansen, senior vice president and head of vaccine research and development at Pfizer, said in a statement that “these data, and the larger body of scientific evidence presented at the meeting, underscore our belief that boosters will be a critical tool in the ongoing effort to control the spread of this virus. We thank the committee for their thoughtful review of the data and will work with the FDA following today’s meeting to address the committee’s questions, as we continue to believe in the benefits of a booster dose for a broader population.”

The FDA’s acting commissioner, Janet Woodcock, will take the committee’s recommendation into consideration before making a final decision. If the FDA follows the advice, then the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) will review the data and make a recommendation to doctors and health care workers about how the booster will be administered. One important question the ACIP must address, for example, is whether Pfizer-BioNTech’s booster dose should be limited to those who have already received two doses of the companies’ vaccine, since the data reviewed by the FDA committee only included a small subset of those recipients and not people who received the other authorized shots from Moderna and Johnson & Johnson-Janssen.

The committee advised that most of the U.S. population will have to wait to get a booster dose, guidance that directly contradicts the recommendation by U.S. President Joe Biden’s health team, which planned to start widely rolling out boosters on Sept. 20, pending FDA authorization or approval. The decision heightens the growing tension over the booster question, as public health officials, infectious disease specialists and policy makers disagree about exactly how useful another dose of COVID-19 vaccine can be. The FDA committee members noted that while there is evidence that vaccine-induced immunity wanes over time, giving fully vaccinated people another dose of vaccine will likely have little impact on actually controlling the pandemic in the U.S., since most new cases and severe illnesses are driven by the unvaccinated.

The White House, however, escalated the debate when it announced in August that it supported rolling out a booster dose for the general population beginning Sept. 20, even before the FDA had reviewed the safety and efficacy of doing so. It was a surprising pre-emptive move that the administration said was primarily an attempt to get ahead of the logistics of administering another dose, and to prepare states and local health authorities, but many felt was more driven by political rather than scientific justification. Over Friday’s day-long meeting, the committee members debated the strength and quality of data showing waning protection among everyone who has been vaccinated so far, and what it means for controlling transmission and spread of COVID-19. The panel members heard from Israeli public health officials, who have the most in depth, although still incomplete, data on waning immunity and the impact of a booster dose, as well as U.S. CDC researchers who understand the dynamics of the U.S. pandemic.

In making its case for a booster, Pfizer-BioNTech acknowledged that about a month after the second of the two doses in the regimen, its vaccine is 96% efficacious in protecting people from symptoms of COVID-19. About two to four months later, that efficacy slips to 90%, and by six months, it drops to 84%—about a 6% decline every two months. And while Pfizer-BioNTech provided data showing an additional dose of its vaccine could increase levels of neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, it did not provide answers to questions about how well that protection could stop transmission of the disease, among other things, to the committee’s satisfaction. The lack of adequate safety data of the third dose among younger people, who are at higher risk of developing rare inflammation of heart tissue, was also among the reasons the committee decided not to recommend the booster at this time for the general population, citing the need for more evidence to support safety, to guide mixing and matching doses, and the impact a booster dose would have on transmission of the virus.

The information on mixing and matching doses is coming shortly from various studies investigating what types of immune reactions people generate if they receive one type of vaccine and get boosted with another; the results have been submitted to a journal but not published yet. Data on the safety could be collected in coming months as more younger get vaccinated and are followed, and scientists in Israel are also studying how a third dose affects transmission of the virus in the population.

Pfizer-BioNTech maintains that protection from its vaccine remains high enough to shield people from severe illness and in most cases, hospitalization and death; most vaccinated people who get infected experience mild disease. But there are worrying signs that with the Delta variant, the more transmissible variant that is now the dominant virus behind new infections, even that trend is changing. In Israel, more vaccinated people getting breakthrough infections are also getting more severe disease. Pfizer scientists say that the data suggest not that Delta is finding ways to escape the vaccine defenses, but that the protection from the vaccine is weakening.

The data showed that overall, after the first dose of the two-dose regimen, levels of antibodies that can neutralize SARS-CoV-2 remain low, which is why the company and the FDA initially recommended a second dose, three weeks later, when the vaccine was first authorized in Dec. 2020. The first dose helped to prime the immune system and educate immune cells to recognize the COVID-19 virus, while the second dose activated those cells more robustly.

Taken together, Pfizer-BioNTech maintained the data, as well as the continuing threat of Delta and potentially other new variants, warrant a booster. The FDA, however, countered that existing protection, especially against more severe disease, remains sufficient, and that the data don’t show that the decline in immunity necessarily puts people at risk. Members of the panel also raised concerns about the strength of evidence supporting a booster dose at this time, at least for the general population, noting the relatively small number of people in the Pfizer-BioNTech study and the short period of follow up especially for younger people. “It feels like there is a lot of data circulating that would be helpful to our discussion but is not available at this moment because it will be presented soon, so at this moment it is difficult to make a decision on [general] booster doses today,” said Dr. Steven Pergam, medical director at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance.

The committee members noted that because the recommendation is under EUA, it could be revised as more data come in to support the need to broaden the groups eligible for a booster dose. For now, they say, the focus should be on continuing to reach people who haven’t been vaccinated at all; that will likely have the biggest impact on slowing the spread of the virus and ultimately getting the COVID-19 pandemic under control.

Hindu Groups To Observe October As Hindu Heritage Month

Staff ReporterCulture, Religion 0

Some Hindu dharma-based organizations from around the world, announced the addition of another major festival, an entire month of festivals, in October as the Hindu Heritage Month. Hindus represent one of the newest and the fastest growing immigrant communities in the United States and Canada. Backed by a rock-solid family structure and love for education, they are fully integrated into every aspect of their adopted society, enriching it with not only outstanding professional contributions but also rich cultural heritage, organizers said in a statement. From the elegant ethnic wear to delicious food to festivals like Holi and Diwali, their diverse and rich culture has impressed all in the Western world.

Based on the “open source” model, the celebration of Hindu Heritage Month will be a showcase for the diversity that is so fundamental to Hindu civilization. Each participating organization will decide the manner as well as the schedule of their event(s). On a given day, there may be several events taking place in different parts of the United States and Canada. Celebrations may take many forms – cultural programs, fashion shows, webinars, multi-day conferences, walkathons and more, the choices being limited only by our imagination. Some events may be conducted in- person but the majority will be virtual, given the Covid-19 situation.

Participation is open to all organizations, businesses and individuals that identify with the Sanatan (everlasting) values embodied in Hindu dharma. More than 30 organizations have already joined hands in this exciting celebration of our shared heritage; many more are expected to join in the near future. Sanjay Kaul, Vice President – World Hindu Council of America, one of the organizers of this event said, “Hindu heritage and culture is thousands of years old, it is our duty to share it with the world and pass it on to our next generations for them so that they take pride in their roots.

Dr. Jai Bansal, Vice President – World Hindu Council of America, and one of the organizers of this event, underscores the fact that the Hindu community is, by nature, rather unassuming. However, with second and third generations now making their mark in their adopted lands, the time has come for the Hindu community to come out of their shell and talk about its rich cultural heritage and important role in making the multitude of contributions to every aspect of the fabric of the adopted lands.

Welcoming the decision of the organizers to hold this month-long event, President of the Hindu Student Council (HSC) Arnav Kejriwal said, “HSC is extremely excited about the Hindu Heritage Month. The American experience is all about sharing and learning each of our unique cultures, traditions and histories. We will get to see so many communities graciously tell their unique stories in the course of a dedicated history and awareness month, and I am ecstatic about the prospect of seeing the Hindu American community offering our own stories in return.”

Putting the celebration in perspective, General Secretary of the World Hindu Council of America (VHPA) Amitabh VW Mittal said, “The Vedic Sanatan Dharma — which is, with a limited capacity of understanding, referred to as Hinduism — represents the only continuous civilization that has survived the test of time for tens of thousands of years. There is no single book that one can consult to get what the Hindu philosophy is, as it is constantly evolving and its contribution to the human civilization is unmeasurable; its vibrance in fact runs the risk of being misinterpreted. The Hindu Heritage Month will give an opportunity to the world to understand how open and free this philosophy is, which is quite often limited misrepresented by the tag ‘religion’.”

Seeing this as the community’s chance to communicate to the world in general and the United States and Canada in particular, President of Hindu University of America Kalyan Viswanathan said, “The Hindu Heritage Month is a great opportunity for the Hindu community to remember our collective journey so far — from the ancient Vedic times, our own golden eras, through the trials and tribulations of conquests and colonization — and look optimistically forward at the opportunity we have for recovering and rearticulating the Hindu worldview for future generations. Amidst the celebrations, I hope we can reflect on what it means to be Hindu in the modern world: whether it is just a matter of being of a certain ethnicity or we have something to say, something to contribute that may just be of immeasurable value to all of humanity.”

General Secretary of Coalition of Hindus of North America (COHNA) Shobha Swami made a point about the diversity of the culture that is going to be celebrated the whole of October. “Multi- generational Hindus from different parts of the world who call the US their home add to the color of the ethnic tapestry here. They would like to showcase their vibrance in arts, dance, music, yoga, meditation, mindfulness, Ayurveda and food in all its richness for this month-long celebration in October,” she said.

Any organization that wishes to participate in the HHM celebration is requested to register as a partner on our website: www.hindumonth.org.

Michael Maliakel, Shoba Narayan To Play Lead Roles In ‘Aladdin’ On Broadway

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The Disney hit, “Aladdin,” will soon return to Broadway, with Indian American actor Michael Maliakel in the title role and Indian American actress Shoba Narayan taking over the role of Princess Jasmine. The musical will resume performances at the New Amsterdam Theatre in New York Sept. 28.The stage production, based on the beloved 1992 animated hit, opened on Broadway to critical acclaim at the New Amsterdam Theatre in March 2014. The ensemble cast includes Michael James Scott as Genie; Jonathan Freeman as Jafar; Zach Bencal as Babkak; and Milo Alosi as Kassim.

Maliakel makes his Broadway debut after appearing on the 25th anniversary national tour of The Phantom of the Opera. His previous credits include “NYC: Anything Can Happen,” “The Songs of Maury Yeston,” Mira Nair’s “Monsoon Wedding” at Berkeley Rep and the CBS shows, “Bull” and “FBI.” Narayan made her Broadway debut with “Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812,” at the time becoming the first South Asian female in a principal role on Broadway in over a decade. She previously starred as Eliza in “Hamilton” (national tour) and as Nessarose in “Wicked” (Broadway). Her TV/film credits include “Growing Up Smith,” “Quantico,” “Halal in the Family,” “Gossip Girl” and “Mistress America.”

She is a prize-winning Bharatanatyam dancer and teacher, having performed throughout the U.S. and India. On the first day of rehearsal Aug. 23, Narayan took to Instagram to share that she was struggling to find the right words to capture what this moment feels like. “Sometimes words just can’t do justice to emotions,” she wrote. “…I am so unbelievably grateful I get to do what I love most. I am grateful I get to be in the room where it happens, with the most brilliantly talented community of individuals, creating art that makes people feel deeply and think critically…Jasmine, I’m all yours girl.”

In a previous post, she wrote that as a little girl Princess Jasmine was the only character she saw in popular American media who looked like her. “As artists we all have that story, that moment, that character that inspired us to go down this wild, creative path. Disney played a huge role in that inspiration for me. The princesses were role models of strength, courage and intellect. Then of course there was Princess Jasmine.”She continued: “Princess Jasmine was special to me. She stood out as a Princess with a self-determination, progressive mindset and a desire to lead a kingdom traditionally ruled by men…. At a time when there was little representation in our media, the film gave audiences a glimpse of the vibrant South Asian and Middle Eastern cultures and those who inhabit them. Getting to portray her now feels full circle. I am beyond honored to tell her story as we usher in a new Broadway.”

India Critical Of New York Times Article on India’s Covid Response

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Addressing a media briefing on the prevailing Covid situation in the country, the director general of the Indian Council of Medical Research, Balram Bhargava, Sept. 16 termed a recent New York Times article on India’s Covid response as “provocative” and “attention-seeking.”

The article published in New York Times had claimed that the “ICMR tailored its findings to fit Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s optimistic narrative despite a looming crisis.” Responding to a question, Bhargava said, “This is a provocative and attention-seeking article published at a time when India is doing good and our vaccination drive is also excellent. It is aimed at diverting attention. All the issues raised are dead ones and probably do not merit any attention.”

“We greatly value journalistic and editorial freedom. But at the same time we must also realize that all of us, including the Union government and the state governments, are fully engaged in fighting the pandemic and all our energy and time is devoted to that,” said Union Health Secretary, Rajesh Bhushan.”We cannot afford to get diverted by things that can be addressed at a later date, or which are not a priority from the public health point of view,” Bhushan added. Condemning the article, NITI Aayog member (Health) V.K. Paul said, “We condemn such distorted and out of context reporting. This is not desirable.”

Mindy Kaling, Sudha Reddy Stun at Met Gala 2021

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Fashion’s biggest extravaganza, The Met Gala 2021, made a comeback with a vengeance after a skip in 2020 due to the pandemic. The theme for this year’s gala was ‘In America: A Lexicon of Fashion’, and as usual in attendance were a long list of celebrities including actors, musicians and sportspersons. Many fashion houses and celebrities chose to dazzle with the dark side of fashion as capes, leather, face masks and all kinds of drama unfolded at the event, with black ruling the red carpet with its darker vibe. Met Gala regulars like Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna, Sharon Stone, Emily Blunt, Irina Shayk, Gigi Hadid and the Kardashian-Jenner siblings were spotted alongside debutantes like 18-year-old British tennis star Emma Raducanu who recently won the U.S. Open, Rose Leslie from “The Game of Thrones,” gymnast Nia Dennis and Justin and Hailey Beiber who walked the Met carpet together for the first time.

Indian American producer, actress, director Mindy Kaling also walked the Met carpet, wearing a Tory Burch-designed elegant silk dress with a high-low hemline, deep V-neck and cinching leather waist belt, according to vogue.in  The event, hosted by Vogue’s Dame Anna Wintour, is held annually at The Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art in New York City. At this year’s event, also known as the “Costume Institute Benefit,” there was Indian representation once again. Joining the megawatt celebrities was philanthropist and business tycoon Sudha Reddy. Wife of billionaire Megha Krishna Reddy of Hyderabad, this was Sudha Reddy’s maiden outing at the glamorous soiree. As a supporter of the fine arts and widely known for her charitable disposition, her presence at the 2021 Met Gala came as no surprise.

An avid connoisseur of art and fashion, Sudha Reddy is considered amongst the well-heeled jetsetters of South India. In the past Indian celebrities like Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone, Isha Ambani and Natasha Poonawala have graced the event. Sudha Reddy has moved from ‘check philanthropy’ to ‘hands-on philanthropy’, as the Sudha Reddy Foundation has socially and economically empowered hundreds of people in Telangana. When she’s not spearheading the Megha Group of Industries and TruJet Airlines, she’s working towards affordable healthcare and accessible education. Widely celebrated for her charitable disposition, she was the only Indian to be invited to the Global Gift Gala and nominated for The Global Gift Empowerment of Women Award. With a commitment and vision to continually pledge out of her personal wealth, she handed over grants to two charities: ‘Action Against Hunger and Fight Hunger Foundation’ and ‘Breast Cancer Research Foundation’ in Paris with Elizabeth Hurley in attendance.

Normally held on the first Monday in May, for the first time since its inception, the Met Gala included two exhibitions. The first exhibition was held Sept. 13 at the Met, timed to coincide with the close of New York Fashion Week. Held annually to support the Met’s Costume Institute in New York City, the second half of the event will take place in May 2022. Each year, the Met Gala has a specific dress code that ties into the museum’s latest fashion exhibition theme. “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion” was the first exhibit’s theme and will open in the Anna Wintour Costume Center on Sept. 18; the second exhibit, “In America: An Anthology of Fashion,” in May 2022, will illustrate through style 300 years of historic narratives, both personal and political.

Keeping up with the year’s theme, Reddy donned her haute couture look by Indian designer duo Falguni Shane Peacock, who have dressed the likes of Beyonce, Madonna, Katy Perry, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Kim Kardashian, and Lady Gaga. Inspired by the American Revolution, the metallic gold body-hugging gown with its ‘au courant’ cuts entail a shimmering 4-meter flared trail that imbibes a medley of hues borrowed from the American flag and varnished with refined 3D adornments of Swarovski crystals, sequins and bugle beads. Falguni Shane Peacock, who has dressed Sudha Reddy on multiple milestone celebrations in the past, said, “It took us numerous sessions and more than 250 hours of labor to put together this spectacular statement work of art for our dear friend Sudha. We have focused on a lot of detailing and we employed the services of our skilled atelier artisans in order to ensure the outfit does full justice to Sudha’s eclectic persona. We have created a novel edgy military-inspired look that blends well with the overall theme of the Met Gala.”

Jewelry designer and gem maestro Farah Khan designed a custom-designed statement ear piece called ‘Dreamy Decadence’ to complete Reddy’s red-carpet look.Elaborating further about her eclectic creation, Farah Ali Khan added, “Drawing inspiration from the stars in the American flags that symbolize the 50 glorious independent states of America, I designed a sensual ear cuff with diamond-encrusted stars. I wanted to highlight Sudha’s expressive eyes and the contours of her face so I created this bejeweled piece that starts from her cheek and extends to her hair, culminating as a string of scintillating bezel set diamonds. It is crafted in 18-kt gold with 35 carats of VVS diamonds.”

Priyanka Chopra’s Show, ‘The Activist’ Changes After Criticism

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Priyanka Chopra Jonas has apologised over her role on upcoming TV show The Activist, after the series received criticism online. Following the backlash, CBS announced this week that The Activist would be changing format from a reality show to a documentary special. Now, Priyanka, who was originally set to be a judge and co-host on the show along with Usher and Julianne Hough, has responded to the criticism herself. In a statement shared on Instagram, Priyanka apologised for her involvement in the series, saying, “The show got it wrong, and I’m sorry that my participation in it disappointed many of you,” telling critics, “You were heard”.

According to Variety, the makers of the upcoming project have shifted its five-episode format to a one-time documentary special. For the unversed, “The Activist” aims to pit several activists and public figures against each other in order to promote their causes on social media with the goal of securing the highest amount of funding to win the game. Many social media users have called out the competitive series, which has Chopra, Usher, and Julianne Hough as hosts. They slammed the show for being tone-deaf and insensitive. Amid the ongoing criticism, CBS and producing partners Global Citizen and Live Nation issued a statement announcing the change in the show’s format.

“‘The Activist’ was designed to show a wide audience the passion, long hours, and ingenuity that activists put into changing the world, hopefully inspiring others to do the same. However, it has become apparent the format of the show as announced distracts from the vital work these incredible activists do in their communities every day. The push for global change is not a competition and requires a global effort,” the statement read. “As a result, we are changing the format to remove the competitive element and reimagining the concept into a primetime documentary special (air date to be announced); it will showcase the tireless work of six activists and the impact they have advocating for causes they deeply believe in. Each activist will be awarded a cash grant for the organization of their choice, as was planned for the original show,” the statement continued.

Global Citizen has apologized to people for hurting their sentiments. “Global activism centers on collaboration and cooperation, not competition. We apologize to the activists, hosts, and the larger activist community – we got it wrong. It is our responsibility to use this platform in the most effective way to realize change and elevate the incredible activists dedicating their lives to progress all around the world,” the organization said in a separate statement. The documentary version is expected to focus on the same activists but without the challenges or evaluations.

Kamala Harris, Narendra Modi, Mamata Banerjee, Manjusha Kulkarni On TIME’s List of ‘100 Most Influential People’

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Vice President Kamala Harris and community activist Manjusha Kulkarni, co-founder of the Web portal Stop AAPI Hate, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee are among those of Indian Origin  in Time Magazine’s list of “100 Most Influential People” released Sept. 15, 2021. While Kulkarni is listed among Icons, Harris figures among Leaders with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Pune-based Adar Poonawalla, chief executive officer of the Serum Institute of India, which has manufactured more than 100 million doses of the Oxford/Astra Zeneca Covid-19 vaccine each month since April is the other Indian on the list. He figures among Pioneers. Poonawalla was listed in the Pioneers section, alongside singer Billie Eilish, attorney Ben Crump, who represented George Floyd’s family in a wrongful death suit, and several others.

Kulkarni and Stop AAPI Hate co-founders Cynthia Choi and Russell Jeung were named in the “Icons” section of the list, alongside Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, pop singers Britney Spears and Dolly Parton, Sherrilyn Ifill, president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund; and Russian opposition leader Alexie Navalny, among others. “In a turbulent year, as the U.S. has seen a surge in racist, anti-Asian attacks—from terrifying assaults on senior citizens to the tragic mass shooting in Atlanta—no coalition has been more impactful in raising awareness of this violence than Stop AAPI Hate.” wrote poet Kathy Park Hong, in Time Magazine’s tribute to the founders of Stop AAPI Hate.

“Since its start, the organization has logged more than 9,000 anti-Asian acts of hate, harassment, discrimination and assault across the country,” Hong said, noting that the Web portal allows Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to file firsthand accounts of racism they had experienced. And its leaders have locked arms with other BIPOC organizations to find restorative justice measures so that civil rights—for all vulnerable groups—receive the protection they deserve,” wrote Hong. The portal allows victims of hate crimes and bias-motivated incidents to report the attack in one of several languages, including Hindi, Punjabi, and Urdu.  “This represents the strength of our community members who bravely shared their stories with us. My hope is that we’re embarking on a movement, bringing all parts of our community together,” she said.

The hate violence against the community has lessened somewhat as President Joe Biden took office and declared that AAPI hate would not be tolerated. However, said Kulkarni, the Biden administration has — to a lesser extent — engaged in some finger-pointing regarding the Covid-19 pandemic, as did his predecessor Donald Trump. Specifically, Biden asked the intelligence community to look into rumors of the coronavirus being released by a lab in China. “He gave credence to outrageous claims which could put people at harm,” stated Kulkarni. Modi, Banerjee, and Harris were listed in the Leaders section of the list, alongside Biden, Trump, journalist Tucker Carlson, Stacey Abrams, who narrowly lost her bid to become the governor of Georgia; Congresswoman Liz Cheney, a Republican from Wyoming who supported the impeachment of Trump; Centers for Disease Control director Rochelle Walensky; and White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain, among others.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wrote the tribute to Harris. “When Kamala Harris became Vice President, America took a glorious step into the future. Children in America were awakened to new possibilities. People around the world saw America in a new light. There was joy in the air, not just because Kamala Harris was the first woman and first Black person and first Asian person to become Vice President, but because the country saw what Joe Biden knew: that Kamala Harris was the best.” “I have known the Vice President for a long time. We are Californians with a common motivation: family. The Vice President’s mother raised her two daughters as she worked as a scientist to cure breast cancer. Her mother’s self-determination drives the Vice President’s work—whether that is providing tangible relief to families, lifting up women in the workforce or defending the right to vote. The Vice President wants everyone to have the opportunity to determine their future,” wrote Pelosi.

Several Indo-Canadians Elected To Parliament, As Trudeau Returns To Power

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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s gamble to seek a majority by calling a snap election did not pay off as he had expected, although he is returning to power in Canada as its Prime Minister after the elections were announced on Tuesday, September 21, 2021.  That is Trudeau’s third federal election win, however his critics say the ballot was a waste of time. The Liberals led by Trudeau received essentially the most seats of any get together. Trudeau’s Liberals had been elected in 156 seats one less than they received in 2019, and 14 short of the 170 needed for a majority within the Home of Commons, based on Canadian media stories.

The main opposition Conservative Party ended up with a tally of 122 seats one up from the dissolved House. This is Trudeau’s third federal election win, but his critics say the poll was a waste of time. As many as 17 Indo-Canadians were elected to the Canadian Parliament during the elections held on Monday, September 20th.  The Jagmeet Singh-led New Democratic Party (NDP) will again hold the balance of power as it increased its tally from 24 to 27. NDP leader Jagmeet Singh also retained his Burnaby South seat in British Columbia. Among the 17 Indo-Canadian winners are Jagmeet Singh, former Minister Tim Uppal and three current Cabinet Ministers Harjit Singh Sajjan, Bardish Chagger and Anita Anand. Defense Minister Harjit Singh Sajjan again won from Vancouver South by beating Sukhbir Gill of the Conservative Party.

The Liberals’ Anand was declared the winner in Oakville with an almost 46 per cent vote share; a big improvement for Canada’s vaccine minister. Anand was a rookie MP after profitable in 2019 when she was appointed, Metropolis Information Toronto reported. She rapidly grew to become in control of the nation’s efforts to safe COVID-19 vaccines and was usually on the marketing campaign path with Trudeau, it stated. “I am simply ecstatic, she stated, thanking the volunteers who had labored extraordinarily laborious as a crew for 5 weeks straight,” she was quoted as saying by the Oakville Information. Chagger, Minister of Diversity, too retained her Waterloo seat as did Public Service Minister Anand her Oakville seat.

In British Columbia, three-time Liberal Party MP Sukh Dhaliwal retained his Surrey-Newton seat by beating fellow Punjabi Avneet Johal of the NDP. Two-time Liberal Party MP Randeep Singh Sarai also won the Surrey Centre seat by beating Sonia Andhi of the NDP. In Quebec, the sitting Indo-Canadian Anju Dhillon retained her Dorval Lachine LaSalle seat. In Alberta, Jasraj Singh Hallan retained the Calgary Forest Lawn seat, but his fellow Conservative MP Jag Sahota lost to fellow Sikh George Chahal of the Liberal Party. Uppal is back once again after retaining the Edmonton Mill Woods seat for the Conservative party. He is the brother-in-law of Congress MLA from Jalandhar Cantt, Pargat Singh.

In Ontario, the Punjabi-dominated city of Brampton again re-elected all the four sitting Indo-Canadian MPs, Maninder Sidhu, Ruby Sahota, Sonia Sidhu and Kamal Khera, against fellow Indo-Canadians Naval Bajaj, Medha Joshi, Ramandeep Brar and Gurprit Gill, respectively. The winners belong to Trudeau’s Liberal Party. Chandra Arya too retained the Napean seat in Ontario. Lawyer Iqwinder Gaheer, who won the Mississauga-Malton seat for the Liberal Party, will be one of the youngest MPs to go the House of Commons in Ottawa. Sitting Conservative Party MP Bob Saroya was another known Indo-Canadian face to lose on Monday.

Modi To Visit US Next Week- Quad Summit

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the United States from September 23 to 25 to participate in the Quad Summit and to address the United Nations General Assembly, reports here suggested. Modi, who will be making only his second visit abroad since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic last year, is also expected to hold a bilateral meeting with US President Joe Biden in Washington.

Modi will join Biden and his Australian and Japanese counterparts, Scott Morrison and Yoshihide Suga at the White House on September 24 – six months after their first virtual Quad Summit on March 12, when the four leaders of the Quad hold their first in-person summit, signaling Washington’s focus on the Indo-Pacific region in the face of China’s growing economic and military clout, PTI reported. Known as the ‘Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, the representatives for the four-member nations — US, India, Australia and Japan — have met periodically since its establishment in 2007.

Quad-Summit-PM-ModiModi will then travel to New York, where he will address the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Saturday morning. On September 25, Mr. Modi is scheduled to be the first speaker at the U.N. The theme for the general debate is: “Building resilience through hope to recover from COVID-19, rebuild sustainably, respond to the needs of the planet, respect the rights of people and revitalize the United Nations.”

The general debate is being held partly virtually this year owing to the COVID-19 situation. Modi is one of about 109 leaders to address the General Assembly in person, while 60 will deliver virtual addresses, PTI reported. The situation in Afghanistan and ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific in the face of continuing concerns about China’s aggression across the region are expected to be in focus during the first-ever in-person Quad Summit. Among other issues expected to figure prominently in the Quad Summit are ways to given fresh impetus to the ambitious Quad vaccine partnership, which was announced in March and envisages the distribution of one billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines across the Indo-Pacific, and the situation in Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover on August 15.

“The Biden-Harris administration has made elevating the Quad a priority, as seen through the first-ever Quad leaders-level engagement in March, which was virtual, and now this summit, which will be in-person,” White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said. Hosting the Quad leaders demonstrates the US administration’s “priority of engaging in the Indo-Pacific, including through new multilateral configurations to meet the challenges of the 21st century,” she added. They will also discuss partnering on emerging technologies and cyberspace, she said. “President Joseph R Biden, Jr will host the first-ever Quad Leaders Summit at the White House on September 24. President Biden is looking forward to welcoming to the White House Prime Minister Scott Morrison of Australia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, and Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga of Japan,” Psaki said.

The deliberations at the Quad Summit are expected to shape the approach of the four countries on the crucial issue of any recognition of the Taliban set up in Kabul. The four leaders will also exchange views on global issues such as critical and emerging technologies, connectivity and infrastructure, cyber security, maritime security, humanitarian assistance, and disaster relief, climate change, and education. In New Delhi, the Ministry of External Affairs said the four leaders will review progress made since their first virtual Summit on March 12 and discuss regional issues of shared interest. The Summit would provide a valuable opportunity for dialogue and interactions among the leaders, anchored in their shared vision of ensuring a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific region, the MEA said in a press release on Tuesday.

Australian Prime Minister Morrison said, “The Quad represents four great democracies working in partnership for an Indo-Pacific region that is open, inclusive, resilient, and anchored by shared principles.” Biden’s Indo-Pacific coordinator, Kurt Campbell, said in July the long-planned in-person meeting should bring “decisive” commitments on vaccine diplomacy and infrastructure. Psaki said the Quad Leaders would “be focused on deepening our ties and advancing practical cooperation on areas such as combating COVID-19, addressing the climate crisis, partnering on emerging technologies and cyberspace, and promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific.”

The Quad meeting comes after Biden’s image has taken a battering over the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan. US officials have said ending America’s longest war will allow the administration to divert resources and attention to tackling China-related issues. India has insisted the world community’s approach to Afghanistan should be in line with UN Security Council resolution 2593 which demands Afghan soil must not be used for sheltering, training, planning or financing terrorist acts, and specifically raises the activities of proscribed groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed.

Former ambassador Arun Singh, who served as India’s envoy to the US during 2015-16 and is a member of the National Security Advisory Board (NSAB), said: “The scheduling of the in-person Quad Summit is a deliberate signal that the US attaches importance to this structure for building relationships with India, Australia and Japan.” Senator Bill Hagerty, a Republican, and former U.S. ambassador to Japan welcomed the plan to host the Quad leaders. “Biden’s Afghanistan withdrawal debacle made India’s neighborhood more dangerous & raises legitimate questions for Japan and Australia as well, so it’s good we will be hosting Quad partners soon,” he said on Twitter. “We must repair & renew our alliances, and this one is key.”

Modi last visited the United States two years ago, in September 2019, when Donald Trump was the President to address the “Howdy, Modi!” event in Houston, Texas. PM Modi’s “Abki Baar, Trump Sarkar” call at the event didn’t go down well the Democratic Party at the time. And now, reaching out to Biden-led Democratic administration could be quite “an effort.”

John Kerry Lauds India’s Efforts To Address Climate Change

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The US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry congratulated India for its ambitious climate targets and said that India has demonstrated that economic development and clean energy can go hand-in hand.

The US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry on Monday, September 13th  congratulated India for its ambitious climate targets and said that the developing country in the Global South has demonstrated that economic development and clean energy can go hand-in hand. Kerry also met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Union Power Minister RK Singh to discuss climate goals. India and the US have a major opportunity to work together on climate change in a way that will expand bilateral trade and investment in clean energy products and services, US presidential envoy for climate John Kerry said on Monday.

John Kerry along with Indian officials announced the Climate Action and Finance Mobilization dialogue, one of the two main tracks of the US-India Agenda 2030 Partnership that US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Modi announced at the Leaders Summit on Climate in April this year. The CAFMD has three parts – the first being the climate action segment under which the US and India would develop proposals to curb emissions, Kerry said. The second was finance mobilization which would focus on attracting capital and technologies for India to scale up its renewable energy generation to its announced generation target of 450 GigaWatts. Over the past months, six of the largest banks in America had publicaly committed to investing a minimum of $ 4.16 trillion in the next 10 years to make the transition happen, the US envoy said.  The third was climate adaptation and resilience that included efforts like extending India’s forest cover, he said.

The CAFMD is part of the India-US Climate and Clean Energy Agenda 2030 Partnership launched at the Leaders’ Summit on Climate in April 2021 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden. A second strand is the US-India Strategic Clean Energy Partnership (SCEP), helmed by Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas and Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri on the Indian side and the US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm. Puri and Granholm launched the revamped SCEP virtually last week.    Commending India for its goal to produce 450 GW of energy from renewable sources by 2030, Kerry said “India is a world leader in demonstrating that economic development and clean energy is not a zero sum choice … you can have it both at the same time.”

Last month, India’s Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav spoke to Kerry on the phone and tweeted afterwards that they “discussed at length how the largest and oldest democracies can set examples for other countries on Climate Action. India stands committed to working with the US on Clean Energy”. On another front of the war on climate change, India’s Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri worked with US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm on developing clean energy, the other track of the India-US partnership.

On Thursday, Puri and Granholm co-chaired the first ministerial meeting of revamped India-US Strategic Clean Energy Partnership (SCEP) “to advance the climate and clean energy goals of both countries”. India’s Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry said: “The two sides announced addition of a fifth Pillar on Emerging Fuels, which signals joint resolve to promote cleaner energy fuels. A new India-US Task Force on Biofuels was also announced to build on the scope of work on cooperation in biofuels sector.

This is Kerry’s second visit to India as Biden’s point-person on climate change, a priority area for the President. Announcing the visit, the State Department said: “The Special Envoy’s travel will bolster the US’ bilateral and multilateral climate efforts ahead of the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which will be held October 31 to November 12 in Glasgow.”

Hindutva Is Not Hindu Religion

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Dismantling Global Hindutva, a series of virtual conferences, seeks to analyze and educate the public as to how Hindutva is destroying India, undermining India’s secular and democratic traditions and threatening to stifle academic freedom in India.

Dismantling Global Hindutva, a series of virtual conferences, supported by over 50 leading academic institutions and groups in the US, which began on Sept. 10, seeks to analyze and educate the public as to how Hindutva has destroyed a nation that is known for its tolerance and diversity. The organizers of the conference claim that a far-right Hindu ideology is undermining India’s secular and democratic traditions and threatening to stifle academic freedom in India, the U.S. and around the globe. The series of events include nine panels, with topics such as “Caste and Hindutva” and “Islamophobia, White Supremacy and Hindutva.”

The organizers claim, Hindutva Is Not Hinduism. In a statement signed by nearly 1,000 leading professionals and academicians stated: “As scholars and members of academic communities around the world, we strongly condemn the campaign of harassment and intimidation against the Dismantling Global Hindutva conference, and stand in solidarity with the 49+ universities and 60+ departments and centers sponsoring the event.” They opposed the “besieging of cosponsoring institutions by political extremists who have disingenuously sought to smear the conference as “Hinduphobic” or “anti-Hindu.” We firmly reject these misleading attempts to conflate Hindutva and Hinduism.”

Organizers say more than 50 groups representing journalists, activists and universities from the U.S. and Canada, including Harvard, Princeton and the University of California are part of the conference, who want everyone to understand that the Hindu faith is distinct from Hindutva ideology.

However, to the opponents of the conference, it is an exercise in Hinduphobia. Hindu supremacists have made a concerted effort over several decades to equate their manufactured term “Hindutva” with Hinduism. From the early twentieth century onwards, they have worked hard to shield themselves from legitimate critique for their extremism by claiming to speak for a persecuted Hindu community, despite Hindus being a sizable majority in India. Most recently, they have been leveraging the language of being a religious minority in the United States to evade criticism of their supremacist ideologies.

The distinction between “Hindutva” and Hinduism has been stark: Hindutva is a political philosophy styled after European fascism of the early twentieth century, an ideology that privileges a cult of personality and authoritarian leadership. By contrast, Hinduism is a term used to describe a wide range of religious practices and beliefs that are heterodox, and like the practices and beliefs of any major religion with hundreds of millions of followers, continuously under contestation, and often contradictory. Hinduism has rightly been critiqued for the deep inequities in Indian society, most importantly for the caste system. Many Hindu reformers have also offered these critiques.

Hundreds of leading thought leaders claim: “The purpose of the Dismantling Global Hindutva conference is to bring together leading scholars in South Asian studies and public commentators on Indian society and politics from around the world in order to discuss the global phenomenon of Hindutva. The conference is guided by an ethical commitment to protecting the rights of minorities, dissidents, and ordinary people whose very existence is under attack by Hindutva’s proponents. This agenda epitomizes the vital social and intellectual work that universities are designed to foster, and it must be protected by the principles of academic freedom. The campaign of intimidation carried out by Hindutva affiliates cannot be allowed to take root in the academy in the US, Europe, or around the world. Free speech must be protected. The attacks on academics, students, professors, and all conference participants must stop.”

In the Indian subcontinent, Hindusim has also been shaped by syncretic faiths such as Sufism, which is a form of mysticism that broke away from orthodox Islam, and by poets and visionaries who adopted it into local idioms. The Bhakti movement which spread from South India to the North and East is one example—its most famous poet, Kabir, was venerated by Muslims and Hindus alike.  Hindus, Muslims, and Christians have a history of praying at Sufi shrines, as well as in temples, mosques, and gurudwaras and other shrines. There is also much borrowing from Hinduism into other religions practiced in India. These are the rich histories of Hinduism that Hindutva seeks to obliterate and disavow.

Hindutva refuses these critiques, as well as such syncretic faiths, and instead doubles down on using supremacist tools in the service of a toxic and genocidal unifying theory of a “Hindu Rashtra” or Hindu nation. In other words, instead of recognizing the plurality and the changes and debates within Hinduism, Hindutva demands an unquestioned allegiance to a myth-oriented, hate-mongering dogma that reifies and sanctions its violent modes of operation.

To equate Hinduism and Hindutva is to fall into the narrow, bigoted, and reductionist fiction that instrumentalizes Hinduism by erasing the diverse ppractices of the religion, the debates within the fold, as well as its conversations with other faiths. If the poet A. K. Ramanujan reminds us about the importance of acknowledging “three hundred Ramayanas,” then Hindutva seeks to obliterate that complexity into a monolithic fascism.

According to Suhag Shukla, executive director of the Hindu American Foundation, which has condemned the conference, the term Hindutva still means different things to Hindus, from the spiritual to the political. “Yet, by some activists, the term is being misused as a pejorative against the Indian and Hindu ways of life and is focused on political ideology,” said Shukla.  HAF and other Hindu American advocacy groups worry that the conference blurs the lines between legitimate criticism of India’s policies and anti-Hindu hate. Shukla compares the critiques of Hindutva to criticisms of Israel that veer into antisemitism.

“Hindutva” was first used in the 1890s by Bengali writer Chandranath Basu, who championed a strongly scripture-based, conservative Hinduism. A 1923 pamphlet, “Hindutva: Who Is a Hindu?” by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, framed Hinduism as a political and cultural identity as well as a religious one. Since the mid-20th century, the chief proponent of this vision of Hindutva has been the Hindu nationalist group Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, known as RSS or the Sangh, which has been banned repeatedly for hard-line militant activities throughout its history.

“Hindutva is not the same as Hinduism at all; Hindutva is an authoritarian and majoritarian ideology that insists that Hindus and Hinduism define India,” said Rohit Chopra, an associate professor of communication at Santa Clara University in California and one of the organizers of the conference. “In this view Muslims, Christians and members of other faiths are outsiders.” In the seven years since Modi, a former member of RSS, has been prime minister, there has been a resurgence of Hindu nationalism, and minority groups have come under pressure, drawing criticism that he has a Hindutva agenda.

In recent years, debates over Hindutva have erupted among Hindu American communities, as Hindus in the United States and in India have defended or attacked Modi’s politics. In 2018, American academia became a battleground after Audrey Truschke, a historian of South Asia at Rutgers University, made what many Hindus call offensive comments about the depiction of deities from Hindu scripture. Truschke and other academics have received death threats in the ensuing social media tussle. In April, Rutgers hosted an Understanding Hinduphobia conference, attended by the university’s president that led the university’s student association to adopt a working definition of Hinduphobia.

In recent months, a group of academics who call themselves the South Asia Scholar Activist Collective and who include Truschke issued a “Hindutva Harassment Field Manual” aimed at helping academics fend off attacks on their scholarship. In response, other Hindu groups claimed the authors were attempting to silence academic freedom on campuses. Now, organizers of the Dismantling Global Hindutva conference say they have been victims of a smear campaign.  “The internet is being used to silence critics of the Hindutva ideology who are involved in this conference,” said Chopra. “This has ranged from organized petitions to letter campaigns and petitions that claim falsely that this conference will lead to genocide. Some of those involved in the conference have received death and other vile threats.”

In a statement posted on the website, the organizers stated: “We are aware of an ongoing campaign against this conference by the Hindu Right which includes the use of troll armies to mimic a grassroots response. As members of the South Asian diaspora, we would like to contest their claims of “Hinduphobia”, and offer an important clarification: We understand “Hinduism” to refer to the religion, while “Hindutva” refers to a violent political ideology that promotes an exclusionary vision of India as a Hindu homeland where non-Hindu minorities and caste-oppressed communities can only be second-class citizens. We consider the Hindu Right’s attempt to conflate Hindutva with Hinduism to be in bad faith, designed to manipulate religious sensitivities in order to shield themselves from criticism. As South Asians, we would like to underline that a critique of Hindutva does not constitute an attack on Hinduism, nor is it Hinduphobia.”

‘Hollywood to the Himalayas: A Journey of Healing and Transformation,’ Book Released

Staff ReporterCulture, Religion, Women 0

“Through the powerful, totally unexpected experience of Oneness with the divine that I had on the banks of the Ganga river, I realized that I am part of the sacred perfection of the universe, that I am One with all,” says Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati.

During a solemn ceremony on Sept. 9, 2021 at the Indian Consulate in New York, an enlightening memoir of a reluctant spiritual seeker who finds much more than she bargained for when she travels to India, was released. In her address during the release of the much acclaimed bookk, “Hollywood to the Himalayas: A Journey of Healing and Transformation’ by Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati shared with the audience her experiences and perceptions and how the power of faith had transformed her life: “Having grown up in Hollywood with all the opportunity and all the privilege, what I didn’t have was faith or a connection to God.  Through the powerful, totally unexpected experience of Oneness with the divine that I had on the banks of the Ganga river, I realized that I am part of the sacred perfection of the universe, that I am One with all,” she told the audience.

The event was attended, among others, by the Secretary-General, Religions for Peace Prof. Azza Karam; secretary-general, Global Interfaith WASH Alliance, Parmarth Niketan; Special Adviser to the Secretary-General of the UN and head of the United Nations Office of Genocide Prevention, Alice Nderitu; President of Parmarth Niketan and founder and chair of Global Interfaith WASH Alliance, Swami Chidanand Saraswati; India’s Minister of State for External Affairs & Culture, Meenakshi Lekhi; Consul General of India to New York Randhir Jaiswal; President/Founder of the International Academy for Multicultural Cooperation, President of the Light of Awareness International Spiritual Family Audrey Kitagawa, JD; Padma Shri Dr. Sudhir Parikh, chairman of Parikh Worldwide Media and ITV Gold; and Jonathan Granoff, president, Global Security Institute.

Described as “a special confluence of faith, culture and leadership, where leaders from the United Nations, from Government and from Interfaith came together to celebrate the power of faith to heal and transform ourselves, our communities and our world,” the event was organized jointly by Religions for Peace, Indian Consulate and American Indian Public Affairs Committee with Global Interfaith WASH Alliance and Divine Shakti Foundation, Parmarth Niketan.

The book describes the journey of American-born Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati and the unexpected way her life was transformed when, twenty-five years ago, she traveled to India with a backpack, “and had an experience of the Divine on the sacred river Ganga. Faith, and a connection to God, became that which freed her from personal suffering and that which has led to her meaningful international work as a faith leader in the development sector, planting and nourishing seeds for peace, focusing on world health, water, sanitation and hygiene, and the rights and empowerment of women and girls.”

After the ceremonial lighting of the lamp and recitation of auspicious prayers, Sadhvi Bhagawatiji presented each of the dignitaries on the dais a copy of Hollywood to the Himalayas. Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture Meenakshi Lekhi praised the Indian-American community for its devotion to the well-being of India. “Let me say at the outset how proud I am of all of you. We, in India, are extremely grateful to our diaspora which carries on all the traditional functions and are the ‘Ambassadors of India’ while the formal Ambassadors have formal jobs to do. But the ‘informal ambassadors’ carry the job far, far, far better and reach out to people,” Lekhi said. “The values that India stands for are exhibited by people who are away from their homes, but carry their hearts on their sleeves and always believe in and stand up for Mother India,,” she added.

Swami Chidanand Saraswati, in his speech, said he had seen how faith can harm people but also heal them.  “Faith can (also) divide or unite. The choice is ours – how we use it!” He highlighted how the power of faith had been used for practical purposes. “We used the power of faith to make people know that open defecation is total devastation. We used the power of faith to help people understand they need to build toilets, not only temples. We used the power of faith to keep our rivers and river banks clean,” Swami Saraswatiji added, calling it fitting that the East and the West have come together at the meeting to celebrate Sadhviji’s new book. “For 25 years she has been a bridge of the East and the West, of science and spirituality and now of the United Nations and United Creations!”

Alice Nderitu praised Sadhvi Bhagawati saying she “represents those religious leaders and actors who are taking a strong stand on the protection and promotion of human rights and on the prevention of atrocity crimes at international and local levels. Sadhvi Bhagawati embodies the quintessence of the local peacebuilders.   As United Nations Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, I will continue to partner with Sadhvi Bhagawati and other women religious actors to advance the prevention of atrocity crimes globally.” Nderitu said, offering the full support of her office.

As a Stanford grad, in the midst of getting a PhD in psychology, Sadhvi Saraswati was comfortable with her life. Despite years of grappling with an eating disorder and trauma from her early childhood, she felt as if she was successfully navigating her way through early adulthood. When she agreed to travel to India to appease her husband—and because she loved the food—Sadhvi would have never imagined that she would be embarking on a journey of healing and awakening.

Hollywood to the Himalayas describes Sadhvi’s odyssey towards divine enlightenment and inspiration through her extraordinary connection with her guru and renewed confidence in the pleasure and joy that life can bring. Now one of the preeminent female spiritual teachers in the world, Sadhvi recounts her journey with wit, honesty, and clarity and, along the way, offers teachings to help us all step onto our own path of awakening and discover the truth of who we really are—embodiments of the Divine.

In her response, Sadhvi Bhagawati said that her experience and awareness transformed her life. She said, “Now, I’ve been so blessed to be able to share the power of faith with so many others and to use it for so much good, ranging from women’s empowerment and equality to environmental protection to water preservation.”

Christian Leaders Unite To Issue Stark Warning Over Climate Crisis

Staff ReporterEnvironment, Global, Religion 0

Pope Francis, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, and the archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, call on the world population – “whatever their beliefs or worldview” – to “listen to the cry of the Earth and of people who are poor.”

Global Christian leaders have joined forces to warn that the world is facing a critical moment as the climate crisis threatens the future of the planet. In an unprecedented joint declaration, Pope Francis, the leader of the Roman Catholic church, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of the Orthodox church, and the archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, who is the leader of the global Anglican communion, call on the world population – “whatever their beliefs or worldview” – to “listen to the cry of the Earth and of people who are poor”.

Their statement says: “Today, we are paying the price [of the climate emergency] … Tomorrow could be worse.” It concludes: “This is a critical moment. Our children’s future and the future of our common home depend on it.” The faith leaders have asked people to pray for world leaders ahead of Cop26, the global environment summit in Glasgow this autumn, and for individuals to make “meaningful sacrifices for the sake of the planet, working together and taking responsibility for how we use our resources”.

People with “far-reaching responsibilities” should lead the transition to just and sustainable economies. They said: “We stand before a harsh justice: biodiversity loss, environmental degradation and climate change are the inevitable consequences of our actions, since we have greedily consumed more of the Earth’s resources than the planet can endure. But we also face a profound injustice: the people bearing the most catastrophic consequences of these abuses are the poorest on the planet and have been the least responsible for causing them.”

The world is “already witnessing the consequences of our refusal to protect and preserve [the planet]. Now, in this moment, we have an opportunity to repent, to turn around in resolve, to head in the opposite direction. We must pursue generosity and fairness in the ways that we live, work and use money, instead of selfish gain.”

For the sake of today’s children, “we must choose to eat, travel, spend, invest and live differently, thinking not only of immediate interest and gains but also of future benefits. We repent of our generation’s sin.” They said this was the first time the three faith leaders “feel compelled to address together the urgency of environmental sustainability”. The pope, who is planning to make a brief appearance at the Cop26 summit in November, has highlighted the problem of climate breakdown and environmental sustainability since becoming pope in 2013. In 2015, he issued a powerful encyclical, Laudato Si’, which emphasized overconsumption, corporate greed and individual responsibility.

Commemorating National Suicide Prevention Week, AAPI’s Webinar Offers Effective Ways To Prevent Suicide

Staff ReporterCommunity, Education, Health 0

“National Suicide Prevention Week, which begins on September 5 and ends on September 11 this year, is an annual campaign observed in the United States to educate and inform the general public about suicide prevention and the warning signs of suicide,” said Dr. Anupama Gotimukula, President of American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) during a webinar on “Precision Medicine for Mental Health: How to Save and Improve Lives” organized by AAPI in collaboration with MindX Sciences Inc., on Wednesday Sept. 8, 2021.

The educational webinar attended by dozens of AAPI members from around the nation was organized in observance of the National Suicide Prevention Week, “which aims to reduce the stigma surrounding suicide and encourage the pursuit of mental health assistance because going to therapy should be as normalized as going to the gym.” Dr. Ravi Kolli, President-Elect of AAPI moderated the session, which had eminent speakers, including Dr. Jerome Adams, former United States Surgeon General and Dr. Alexander Niculescu, co-founder of Mindx Sciences and Professor of Psychiatry and Medical Neuroscience at Indiana University School of Medicine; and Sunil Hazaray, CEO of MindX Sciences.     In his introductory remarks, Dr. Koli drew the attention of the audience to the fact that “Almost 800,000 people die every year due to suicide, which means one death every 40 seconds, according to the WHO.” He said, “Mental health issues like depression are known to be the leading cause for attempting suicide. Suicide often occurs in a moment of unbearable pain or deep despair. Millions of Americans consider suicide, make a suicide plan, or attempt suicide every year — especially young Americans for whom suicide is the second leading cause of death.” By drawing attention to the problem of suicide in the United States, the campaign also strives to reduce the stigma surrounding the topic, as well as encourage the pursuit of mental health assistance and support people who have attempted suicide,” Dr. Kolli, a certified psychiatrist told the AAPI members.

Dr. Jerome Adams, the United States Surgeon General under President Trump, while addressing the audience on “Precision Medicine for Mental Health: The Time Has Come” drew attention of the participants to the reality that how mental health and social disparity are leading healthcare needs around the nation. “In 2019, suicide was the 10th leading cause of death in the United States, and the second leading cause of death for young people between the ages of 10 and 34,” Dr. Adams pointed out. While commemorating World Suicide Prevention Week, “We remember the many lives that are lost and those who survived suicide attempt and we strive to create hope through action,” said Dr. Adams.

Dr. Adams referred to the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention (Action Alliance), and his call as the Surgeon General of the United State to Implement the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention. “More than 20 years ago, Surgeon General David Satcher issued the landmark report The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent Suicide, recognizing suicide as a major public health issue and calling for a national response. The National Strategy for Suicide Prevention (National Strategy), first released in 2001 and updated in collaboration with the Action Alliance in 2012, identifies 13 goals and 60 objectives that address every aspect of suicide prevention—from fostering healthy and empowered individuals, families, and communities to providing effective prevention programs and clinical care,” Dr. Adams said.

Dr. Adams pointed out that “we know more about suicide and how it can be prevented today than we did in 1999. We understand that like other public health problems, such as obesity and cancer, suicide is influenced by many factors. As a result, suicide prevention efforts must engage all sectors, including public health, mental health, health care, social services, our military and Veterans, business, entertainment, media, faith communities, and education. These efforts must be informed by data, guided by the needs of the groups affected, and shaped by the voices of people who have experienced suicidal thoughts, plans, attempts, and losses.”

“Suicide is preventable and it continues to remain a growing public health issue,” he said. As many as 43,000 died of suicide in 2019 in the United States. While the suicide rate decreased in 2020, overdose attempt increased by 30%. Suicide is a burden on the nation, costing $93 billion annually. Early detection is cheap. They are preventable. Precision medicine needs to be embraced by assessing the symptoms which will help in decreasing uncertainty, he said. “Never has the need been a greater need and more tools available today than ever,” Dr. Admas said.

Dr. Adams referred to the vast and highly effective research and ongoing programs led by MindX Sciences, which has established a Mental Health Transformation Advisory Board, being co-led by Dr. Jerome Adams, who provides strategic advice on maximizing societal impact, addressing health disparities, and helping improve military mental health. In his address, Dr. Alexander B Niculescu III, focused on “Precision Medicine for Mental Health: From Dream to Science to Clinical Practice,” the tools available today, how we can access them and save lives. MindX Scinces offers “a complete set of tools to assess, diagnose, prevent suicide and treat mental health issues that lead to suicide,” he said.

Over 10 million people in US have suicidal thoughts, he said. How do you know among these 10 million, who will attempt and how many will die of suicide? “We need better tools to identify risk factors and how to decrease the risks and effectively intervene and of the ways to prevent suicide.” In this context, MindX’s research in identifying the tools and resources that will address the needs and help clients in real world will be enormously effective, he said. Dr. Alexander referred to a new study from the Indiana University School of Medicine that has found a way to test someone’s blood to gauge a patient’s depression, the risk of them developing severe depression in the future and the risk of future bipolar disorder, and thus opening the door for changes in diagnosing and treating mental illness.

“Blood biomarkers are emerging as important tools in disorders where subjective self-report by an individual, or a clinical impression of a health care professional, are not always reliable. These blood tests can open the door to precise, personalized matching with medications, and objective monitoring of response to treatment,” said Dr. Niculescu, who led the study and is a professor of psychiatry at the school.  “Through this work, we wanted to develop blood tests for depression and for bipolar disorder, to distinguish between the two, and to match people to the right treatments,” he told the audience. “This is part of our effort to bring psychiatry from the 19th century into the 21st century. To help it become like other contemporary fields such as oncology. Ultimately, the mission is to save and improve lives,” Dr. Niculescu added.

The Life x Mind App by MindX Sciences is meant to be a dashboard for your Life and Mind, a way to track how you feel and what you do, and see how they impact each other, he said. This will help you Know Thyself, Improve Thyself, as the ancient philosophers dreamed of, and live a happier, more hopeful, and more meaningful life. This app can also be used by doctors, psychologists, and coaches with their clients. Ten percent of the proceeds from each app will be donated to mental health support organizations. The SX Prevent Digital Test by MindX Sciences helps doctors and health organizations to identify and reduce suicide risk. It is based on solid research. Studies describing its components have been published in peer reviewed scientific and medical journals, Dr. Niculescu added.

Sunil Hazaray, CEO of MindX Sciences spoke on “how can my patients access Midx Precision Medicine for Mental Health products.” He provided practical logistics of finding and accessing the services by Minx and the cost as well as ways to access their services. “The MindX Dashboard by MindX Sciences is an optional product that helps doctors and health organizations track and integrate de-identified test information from other MindX products,” he said. MindX Blood Tests by MindX Sciences are being performed in a CLIA setting to track and identify suicidality risk, pain, PTSD, mood (depression/bipolar), memory/Alzheimer’s, and longevity. Efforts are being carried out to code the treatment and have them covered by the Insurance companies, thus reducing out of pocket expenses to clients/families, and thus helping prevent suicide and live healthier and safer lives.

In her closing remarks, Dr. Gotimukula, reminded AAPI fraternity of the importance of National Suicide Prevention Week, which “is an annual week-long campaign in the United States to inform and engage health professionals and the general public about suicide prevention and warning signs of suicide. She urged all “AAPI members, community organizations, the state and families to work together to work together in creating hope through action and committing to preventing suicide across America and around the world.” American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI,) the largest ethnic organization in the United States, representing nearly 100,000 physicians and Fellows of Indian origin in the United States. For more details on AAPI and its programs, please visit: www.aapiusa.org

UN Condemns Taliban’s Brutal Crackdown On Protests

Staff ReporterGlobal 0

The United Nations has condemned the Taliban for what its “increasingly violent response” to dissent, weeks after the group’s rapid takeover of Afghanistan.  Demonstrations have taken place across Afghanistan since the fall of Kabul on 15 August, demanding respect for women’s rights and greater freedoms. Taliban fighters have used batons, whips, and live ammunition against protesters, the UN said in its report. “We call on the Taliban to immediately cease the use of force towards, and the arbitrary detention of, those exercising their right to peaceful assembly and the journalists covering the protests,” a spokeswoman for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said in a press statement.

Taliban fighters swept across Afghanistan in August, capturing provincial centers and eventually the capital Kabul itself in less than two weeks.  The US then led an airlift from the capital’s international airport, evacuating more than 120,000 people before pulling out its own forces on 31 August. The Taliban takeover follows two decades of US military operations in Afghanistan, after American and allied forces ousted the group from power in 2001 following the 9/11 attacks.

UN spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani criticised the Taliban’s crackdown on demonstrations in a press briefing last week.  Demonstrations have grown since 15 August, she said. But on Wednesday the Taliban banned unauthorized gatherings, and they ordered telecommunications companies to shut off mobile internet in Kabul.  It is crucial the group listen to Afghan women and men on the streets “during this time of great uncertainty”, she said.

The press statement also noted the deaths of at least four people – including a boy – and the violent dispersal of demonstrators in recent weeks.  It also criticized violence against journalists. Reporters told the BBC this week they had been beaten, detained and flogged by the Taliban when they tried to cover the protests. The UN report comes amid growing concerns about Afghanistan in the wake of the Taliban takeover.  The UN’s World Food Programme said 93% of households in the country were not eating enough food. A drought has exacerbated supply problems, causing the loss of some 40% of the wheat crop.

The Wall Street Journal reports that aid workers fear the entire population could fall into poverty within months.  And UN body UNESCO warns that the country faces a “generational catastrophe” in education, after two decades of progress for children – especially girls. Unconfirmed reports suggest the Taliban plan to hold a ceremony to inaugurate their new government on Saturday, after announcing its leadership this week.  It is the day the US will hold events to mark the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks.

Close to 3,000 people died that day. Islamist militant group al-Qaeda masterminded the attack, led by Osama Bin Laden – who was at the time in Afghanistan under the protection of the Taliban.  Ken McCallum, director general of the UK intelligence agency MI5, has told the BBC that the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan has likely “emboldened” UK terrorists.  President Joe Biden had initially set 11 September 11 as the deadline for the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, before the Taliban takeover forced the US to speed up its withdrawal.

Janet Yellen Warns, US Could Default On National Debt In October

Staff ReporterFinance/Economy 0

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has warned congressional leaders that the U.S. is on track to default on the national debt in October if the White House and Congress are unable to raise the debt limit. In a letter, Yellen said that the Treasury Department would likely run out of cash and exhaust “extraordinary” measures to keep the federal government within its legal borrowing limit at some point next month.

“Once all available measures and cash on hand are fully exhausted, the United States of America would be unable to meet its obligations for the first time in our history,” Yellen said. “Given this uncertainty, the Treasury Department is not able to provide a specific estimate of how long the extraordinary measures will last. However, based on our best and most recent information, the most likely outcome is that cash and extraordinary measures will be exhausted during the month of October,” she continued. Yellen wrote the letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

The Treasury Department has taken so-called extraordinary measures to prevent the U.S. from defaulting on the national debt since the federal debt limit was reimposed on Aug. 1. If the Treasury Department runs out of ways to stave off a default without borrowing more money, the inability of the U.S. to pay its debts could send debilitating shockwaves through the financial system. Yellen urged lawmakers for months to raise the debt limit before it was reimposed in August, warning that a delay could “cause irreparable damage to the U.S. economy and global financial markets.” She has since pleaded with Congress to give Treasury the ability to pay debts already approved by previous presidents and congressional majorities.

“Waiting until the last minute to suspend or increase the debt limit can cause serious harm to business and consumer confidence, raise short-term borrowing costs for taxpayers, and negatively impact the credit rating of the United States,” Yellen wrote. “At a time when American families, communities, and businesses are still suffering from the effects of the ongoing global pandemic, it would be particularly irresponsible to put the full faith and credit of the United States at risk.” Even so, Democrats and Republicans are locked in a stalemate over who bears responsibility for protecting the full faith and credit of the U.S. The White House and Democratic leaders are planning to tie a debt limit increase to another must-pass government funding bill, daring Republicans to trigger both a government shutdown and a default by opposing the measure.

“We fully expect Congress to act promptly to suspend the debt limit and protect the full faith and credit of the United States and we expect them to do that in a bipartisan way just as they did three times during the prior administration,” said a White House official. But Republicans have refused to raise the debt ceiling unless spending cuts and debt reduction programs are attached.

FBI Says, Hate Crimes Against Indian Americans Continue to Rise

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The Justice Department, in released new data on hate crimes in 2020, compiled from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports, which captured just a fraction of bias-motivated attacks self-reported by Asian Americans. Nonetheless, the UCR data, released annually by the Justice Department and the FBI, showed a marked rise in bias-motivated crimes against Indian Americans, specifically Sikhs, Muslims and Hindus. Seventy-one Sikh Americans were victims of a hate crime in 2020; 47 offenders targeted the community in 67 attacks, as reported by the FBI. This marks a huge jump from 2019: 50 Sikh Americans were the target of hate crimes.

Alarmingly, the number of hate crimes against Hindu Americans has jumped by more than 500 percent, from just two in 2019, to 11 in 2020. Six offenders participated in 11 attacks against Hindu Americans. The FBI logged 15 hate-motivated attacks against Buddhists in 2020. Surprisingly, the number of hate crimes against Muslim Americans dropped by half: 121 offenders participated in 104 attacks against Muslims, rendering 124 victims.

The FBI has dis-aggregated data for Hindus and Sikhs since 2016. A total of 324 hate-related incidents targeting Asian Americans were reported by the FBI, a tiny fraction of the self-reported incidents collected on the Web portal Stop AAPI Hate, which was launched last year as the Asian American community increasingly became the target of violence amid the Covid pandemic. Former President Donald Trump demonized Asian Americans for “creating” Covid, repeatedly calling it the “China virus” and “Kung flu.” As of the end of June, Stop AAPI Hate had collected more than 6,600 reports of bias on its portal, in several languages, including Hindi, Punjabi, and Urdu.

Local law enforcement agencies around the country voluntarily submit their data to the FBI for the Uniform Crime Report. Reporting is not mandated: less than 12 percent of law enforcement agencies around the country submit their hate crime incidents to the FBI. Former FBI agent Michael German, currently a fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice’s Liberty and National Security program, noted at a press briefing last year that the vast majority of hate crimes go unreported. Prosecutors are reluctant to charge an offender with a hate crime, as the burden of proof — that the crime began with the intent of hate — is difficult to prove.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison explained the difficulty of charging a hate crime during an interview with the CBS news show “60 Minutes,” in which he discussed his prosecution of former police officer Derek Chauvin, who was convicted of the murder of George Floyd. Ellison was asked why he did not charge Chauvin with a hate crime. “Hate crimes are crimes which have the explicit motive of bias,” said Ellison. “There was no evidence that Chauvin had factored in Floyd’s race.” “We needed a witness to say ‘Chauvin made a racist comment.’ We didn’t have that,” said Ellison, who, in 2006, became the first Muslim American member of Congress. For 2020, 10,532 hate offenses were reported to the FBI, with 10,681 victims by 6,431 known offenders; more than 55 percent of the perpetrators were White.

Of those offenses, 4,939 were motivated by race or ethnicity, while 1,174 were motivated by religion. The 2020 data reflects a slight drop in hate crimes motivated by religion: in 2019, 1,521 incidents were motivated by religion. Race and ethnicity bias was by far the largest motivator for committing a hate crime, according to FBI data. Almost one-third of attacks occurred near the victim’s residence. Fewer than 5 percent were at or near places of worship. African Americans were the largest population to be targeted in hate crimes.

U S. Attorney General Merrick Garland issued a statement Aug. 30 affirming the Justice Department’s commitment to prosecuting and reducing the number of hate crimes. “Preventing and responding to hate crimes and hate incidents is one of the Justice Department’s highest priorities. The FBI Hate Crime Statistics for 2020 demonstrates the urgent need for a comprehensive response,” he said, noting that there was a 6 percent increase in hate crime reports and a rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans. “These numbers confirm what we have already seen and heard from communities, advocates and law enforcement agencies around the country. And these numbers do not account for the many hate crimes that go unreported,” he said.

The Justice Department is aiming to improve incident reporting, increasing law enforcement training and coordination at all levels of government, prioritizing community outreach and making better use of civil enforcement mechanisms. “All of these steps share common objectives: deterring hate crimes and bias-related incidents, addressing them when they occur, supporting those victimized by them and reducing the pernicious effects these incidents have on our society,” said Garland. The organization OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates remarked on the undercount of hate crimes targeting Asian Americans. “With thousands of self-reported hate incidents collected by community nonprofits over the past year, the FBI’s total appears significantly low,” said the organization, noting that the number of reporting agencies has declined, as in previous years.

“The FBI’s annual report remains our most reliable snapshot of hate crimes. However, the historic reporting gap continues to undermine its usefulness—and frankly, its credibility,” said OCA’s national president Linda Ng in a press statement. “As long as law enforcement agencies are not required to collect and report hate crimes data to the federal government, the FBI’s statistics will fail to capture the true scope of violence, harassment, and assault against Asian American communities.” “Without complete, mandatory state and local participation in the FBI’s data collection process, our understanding of anti-Asian hate crimes remains cloudy at best,” added OCA’s deputy executive director Thu Nguyen.

UAE Lifts Travel Restrictions For Indians

Staff ReporterImmigration, Travel 0

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has said that it is lifting restrictions from September 12 on entry for residents who have been fully vaccinated with a shot approved by the World Health Organization (WHO). It said that residents from India can fly into the UAE from September 12.  It has also allowed residents from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Namibia, Zambia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Sierra Leone, Liberia, South Africa, Nigeria and Afghanistan as well to fly into the UAE from September 12.

It also includes residents who stayed abroad for over six months, according to the NCEMA. “Those who are fully vaccinated with any WHO-approved vaccines and who have been staying in one of the countries in the suspended list for more than six months since the suspension decision was issued for each country, can come to the country under a new entry permit and rectify their status after entry,” the NCEMA said in a statement.

The passengers will be required to follow certain procedures to enter the UAE again:

— Apply via the website of the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (ICA) and complete the vaccination application in order to get the necessary approval. They must present the approved vaccination certificate before their departure to the UAE.

— Provide a negative PCR test result, taken within 48 hours before their departure at an approved lab that has a QR code.

— Take a Rapid PCR test before boarding and another PCR test on the fourth and eight day of arrival while complying with all precautionary measures in place.

Dubai is due to open the Expo 2020 World Fair on October 1, for which it has been preparing for almost a decade, after a year-long delay due to the pandemic. The nation which is a regional business and tourism hub is relying on Expo 2020 World Fair to give its economy a boost.

The organizers said they expected that the remaining flight restrictions imposed by the government will be lifted in time for Expo 2020. The UAE’s National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority on Twitter however said that approval needs to be sought from the government and various PCR tests will be conducted before entering the country. The NCEMA said that children under 16 years old are exempt from these procedures. All other previously announced precautionary measures for unvaccinated people coming from the above-mentioned countries remain in place, it added.

$400-Billion New City In The American Desert Planned

Staff ReporterBusiness, Finance/Economy 0

The cleanliness of Tokyo, the diversity of New York and the social services of Stockholm: Billionaire Marc Lore has outlined his vision for a 5-million-person “new city in America” and appointed a world-famous architect to design it. Now, he just needs somewhere to build it — and $400 billion in funding. The former Walmart executive last week unveiled plans for Telosa, a sustainable metropolis that he hopes to create, from scratch, in the American desert. The ambitious 150,000-acre proposal promises eco-friendly architecture, sustainable energy production and a purportedly drought-resistant water system. A so-called “15-minute city design” will allow residents to access their workplaces, schools and amenities within a quarter-hour commute of their homes.

Although planners are still scouting for locations, possible targets include Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Arizona, Texas and the Appalachian region, according to the project’s official website. The announcement was accompanied by a series of digital renderings by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), the architecture firm hired to bring Lore’s utopian dream to life. The images show residential buildings covered with greenery and imagined residents enjoying abundant open space. With fossil-fuel-powered vehicles banned in the city, autonomous vehicles are pictured traveling down sun-lit streets alongside scooters and pedestrians.

Another image depicts a proposed skyscraper, dubbed Equitism Tower, which is described as “a beacon for the city.” The building features elevated water storage, aeroponic farms and an energy-producing photovoltaic roof that allow it to “share and distribute all it produces.” The first phase of construction, which would accommodate 50,000 residents across 1,500 acres, comes with an estimated cost of $25 billion. The whole project would be expected to exceed $400 billion, with the city reaching its target population of 5 million within 40 years. Funding will come from “various sources,” project organizers said, including private investors, philanthropists, federal and state grants, and economic development subsidies. Planners hope to approach state officials “very soon,” with a view to welcoming the first residents by 2030.

A new urban model In addition to innovative urban design, the project also promises transparent governance and what it calls a “new model for society.” Taking its name from the ancient Greek word “telos” (a term used by the philosopher Aristotle to describe an inherent or higher purpose), the city would allow residents to “participate in the decision-making and budgeting process.” A community endowment will meanwhile offer residents shared ownership of the land. In a promotional video, Lore described his proposal as the “most open, most fair and most inclusive city in the world.” Lore founded jet.com before selling it to Walmart and joining the retail giant as head of US e-commerce in 2016. He left the company earlier this year, saying that his retirement plans included working on a reality TV show, advising startups and building a “city of the future.”

On Telosa’s official website, Lore explains that he was inspired by American economist and social theorist Henry George. The investor cites capitalism’s “significant flaws,” attributing many of them to “the land ownership model that America was built on.” “Cities that have been built to date from scratch are more like real estate projects,” Lore said in a promotional video for the project. “They don’t start with people at the center. Because if you started with people at the center, you would immediately think, ‘OK, what’s the mission and what are the values?’

BIG’s founder, Danish architect Bjarke Ingels, is meanwhile quoted as saying that Telosa “embodies the social and environmental care of Scandinavian culture, and the freedom and opportunity of a more American culture.” It is not the first new city being planned by Ingels’ firm, which famously installed a ski slope on top of a Copenhagen power plant and has co-designed Google’s new headquarters in London and California. In January 2020, Japanese carmaker Toyota revealed that it had commissioned BIG to create a master plan for a new 2,000-person city in the foothills of Mount Fuji. Although significantly smaller than Telosa, the project, dubbed Woven City, promises autonomous vehicle testing, smart technology and robot-assisted living.

Youth Winning Big At US Open Tournament 2021

Staff ReporterProfile, Sports, Youth 0

One year after the US Open Tournament was held behind closed doors due to the coronavirus pandemic, the US Open made its triumphant return to the sporting scene, bringing spectators at full capacity and creating countless iconic moments that will forever be embedded in the fabric of US Open lore. One of the most prestigious in the sports arena held in New York during the weekend of September 11th, created history in every possible way.

The 2021 US Open women’s singles final represented the culmination of one of the most memorable fortnights of women’s tennis in recent memory, maybe in history. And when all was said and done, it was Emma Raducanu, from virtually out of nowhere, with a ranking of 150 and playing in just her second Grand Slam main draw, who brought it home.

Raducanu endeared herself to the New York faithful as she went on an improbable run for the ages. There was a fairy tale air to her stunning success. She was gracious, she was intelligent; thoughtful and keen to soak up and appreciate the moment with just the right mix of reverence and rebelliousness. In the end, Raducanu made legions of tennis fans stop and appreciate more than just her tennis. They reveled in the genuine joy that she exuded in her moment of triumph, as she lay on her back, hands covering her eyes as the Arthur Ashe Stadium cacophony washed over her in waves. And they were in awe of her composure and ability to beat back the pressure as she powered her way to an iconic NY moment that will be forever cherished.

Opposite her was the Nineteen-year-old Leylah Fernandez of Canada, who came in the spotlight at the U.S. Open in New York. She didn’t get the title, but boy did 19-year-old Leylah Fernandez win hearts and minds at this year’s US Open. The Canadian left her heart and soul on the court, and threw her iconic fist in the air with verve as she reeled off improbable victories over top-notch talents, one after the other to reach the final. Forged from grit, fire, determination, self-belief, Fernandez was a magnetic attraction for her rapidly growing fanbaseーas she caught fire, we got inspired. And the super southpaw saved her most special moment for last. Even heartbroken in defeat after losing in the final, Fernandez made a stirring tribute to the city of New York on 9/11 that will never be forgotten.

Fernandez, the daughter of an Ecuadorian father and Filipino-Canadian mother, told ESPN she credits her dad for inspiration. He’s been coaching her since she was 6 years old.  “Today he told me to go out there, have fun, fight for every ball, fight for every point,” she said.  “Today’s your first quarterfinals, don’t make it your last. Don’t make it your last match over here. Fight for your dream.”

A stunning coming of age that has been three years in the making occurred in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday, September 12th as Russia’s Daniil Medvedev capped off the tournament by winning his first Grand Slam title two years after he had won over New York with his grit and swagger during his run to the 2019 final, which ended in a five-set loss to Rafael Nadal.

It feels like we are just at the start of an enduring relationship between Medvedev and the US Open. New York loves a winner, and Medvedev is proving to be just thatーhas now won 18 of his last 20 matches at the Open. Sunday’s feel-good Medvedev moment was colored nicely by the warm reception the crowd gave to Novak Djokovic. Though the Serb fell at the last hurdle in his Grand Slam quest, he was warmly applauded for his efforts, and the three-time champion, moved to tears, told the crowd that he had never felt so good in New York.

Setting the tone for teenagers on week one was a player with a streamlined game and a lust for battle the likes of which we have not seen from a teenager at the US Open in many years. Carlos Alcaraz didn’t come to New York to dip his toes into the shallow water, he came for a deep dive. Total immersion, self-believe an uncompromised lust for battle. It showed in the third round when the Spaniard toppled No.3-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas in a hotly contested battle in Arthur Ashe Stadium. The kid whipped the crowd into a frenzy, and they backed him with fervor in the Round of 16 as he defeated Peter Gojowczyk to become the youngest men’s singles quarterfinalist in US Open history.

“Tonight even though I have not won the match my heart is filled with joy because you made me feel very special,” Djokovic said as the crowd erupted. “You guys touched my soulーI’ve never felt like this in New York.”

India Is Largest Troop Contributor To UN Peacekeeping

Staff ReporterGlobal, Nation India 0

Highlighting the importance of the UN peacekeeping missions, Union Minister of State for External Affairs Meenakshi Lekhi Sept. 8th informed the member states that India is the largest troop contributor to the peacekeeping operations since their inception. Addressing the UNSC Open Debate on “UN Peacekeeping Operations: Transitions,” Lekhi said, “India is the largest troop contributor to the UN peacekeeping operations in cumulative terms since their inception, having deployed more than 250,000 peacekeepers across 49 UN missions. This bears testimony to India’s commitment towards contributing a reliable, well-trained and highly professional peacekeeping force.”

“As of today, nearly 5,500 Indian peacekeepers are deployed across nine UN missions,” she said. India takes pride in the fact that the first-ever all-women peacekeeping contingent was from India and stationed in Liberia, Lekhi added. “Due to their dedication, professionalism and motivation, the all-female FPU proved to be strong, visible role models, gaining world-wide attention and illustrating the significant contribution that women can make towards global peace and security.” She said that UN Peacekeeping Missions have been playing an important role in bringing about peace and stability in countries of deployment, despite numerous operational challenges. “One of the major operational challenges that continue to hamper peacekeeping operations has been the transition phase from peacekeeping to peacebuilding,” Lekhi noted.

“The drawdown of a UN Peacekeeping Operation and its reconfiguration into a minimal modified UN presence represents a critical phase for the success of a UN Peacekeeping Mission. For the host country, on one hand this signals progress towards political stability and new development opportunities, but on the other hand, it also presents a real risk of the country relapsing into conflict.” Lekhi stated that the transition of peacekeeping operations and peacebuilding depend on several factors, including the way such transitions are envisaged, planned and executed by the UN. “To be successful, this critical phase needs the active collaboration of all stakeholders.”

The minister offered several observations for better transition from peacekeeping to peacebuilding. “First, effective mandate delivery of the UN peacekeeping missions is critical to achieve the benchmarks for transition. The peacekeeping missions should be given clear, focused, sequenced, prioritized and practically achievable mandates, and most importantly, these should be matched by adequate resources.”  Secondly, she said it is important that mission transitions are well planned, taking into account the objective assessment of various factors in the host country. “The drawdown of a peacekeeping mission should not be driven by the temptation for austerity. The cost of relapsing is always much higher than the short-term savings.”

“Third, the primary responsibility to protect civilians across its territory lies with the host state. The Council should encourage and support the efforts of the host state towards the effective implementation of a national plan for civilian protection.” Lekhi stated that political stakeholders should strive for the creation of political and administrative institutions that improve governance, inclusiveness, and provide equal political opportunities for women, youth as well as the marginalized and the underprivileged. “Peacekeeping and peacebuilding are not mutually exclusive. It is important to actively support the post-conflict peacebuilding and recovery initiatives of the host states,” she added.

A.R. Rahman And Gulzar Join For Subrata Roy Biopic

Staff ReporterCinema, Entertainment 0

Oscar-winner AR Rahman has created mellifluous music that has made international headlines and Padma Bhushan and Oscar winner Gulzar has written unforgettable lyrics defining India over the decades. Now, Sandeep Singh under his banner Legend Global Studio has brought both these legends together for his upcoming prestigious project – the biopic on business tycoon Subrata Roy. News of the Subrata Roy Biopic first broke last month when it was announced that Sandeep Singh had acquired the rights of the film. The film is reported to be one that will span several continents and traverse the tycoon’s journey over the decades. Title and cast of the biopic is expected to be announced shortly.

Rahman said: “Gulzar Saab’s soulful lyrics are extremely inspiring for a musician and I hope I can do justice to the lyrics and the story. I am looking forward to this collaboration.” Gulzar added: “It will be wonderful to collaborate with Rahman again. Subrata Roy’s life is enigmatic and inspiring. Rahman is a wonderful artist and musician and I look forward to this collaboration.” Subrata Roy is the Chairman of Sahara India Pariwar. He and his two companies were barred by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) in 2010.

According to reports, the regulatory body made accusations against the group that they had raised several crores through optionally fully convertible debentures (OFCDs) that SEBI considered wrong. Roy was then jailed for over two years. Roy has been out on parole since 2016. News of the Subrata Roy biopic came out last month when it was announced that Sandeep Singh had acquired the rights of the film, which is being produced by Sandeep Singh. The movie is reported to be one that will span several continents and traverse the tycoon’s journey over the decades. The title and cast of the biopic is expected to be announced shortly.

Singh states, “It gives me unbelievable joy to bring these legends of lyrics and music together for a project that is extremely close to my heart. I have been an ardent admirer of the work of Rahman-ji and Gulzar-saab. Their contribution to cinema cannot be measured and I am humbled that they are a part of my project. Subrata Roy-sir’s life is a tremendous story of grit, determination and success and it needs the support of these two geniuses to realize this dream. I am humbled and overwhelmed.”

A.R. Rahman-Gulzar films:

“Dil Se…” (1998)

“Saathiya” (2002)

“Guru” (2007)

“Slumdog Millionaire” (2008)

“Yuvvraaj” (2008)

“Raavan” (2010)

Jab Tak Hai Jaan” (2012)

“OK Jaanu” (2017)

AAHOA Welcomes New EIDL Enhancements

Staff ReporterTourism 0

America’s hoteliers welcomed the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) announcement of a much-needed expansion of the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program that will provide small business owners with additional resources as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to hinder the nation’s economic recovery. For the past several months, AAHOA advocated with the Biden administration

Since the start of the pandemic, AAHOA worked with the SBA, key congressional committees, and individual Members of Congress to advocate for more relief when it comes to an increase in EIDL caps and parity between the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and EIDL with regards to a waiver of the affiliation rules. The EIDL program provides economic relief to small businesses and nonprofit organizations that are currently experiencing a temporary loss of revenue. These loans help businesses cover financial obligations and operating expenses they otherwise would have met if not for a disaster.

The EIDL enhancements announced by SBA include:

Raising the threshold up to $2 million per property

Raising the aggregate loan cap up to $10 million

A waiver of affiliation rules (permits assistance at multiple properties)

A waiver of the credit-elsewhere requirement

Priority for NAICS Code 72 businesses

A 30-year fixed amortization period with a low 3.75% interest rate

Funds can now be used to pay down prior commercial debt and make monthly payments toward federal debt (including principal and interest payments) “This is a significant achievement for the lodging industry and small businesses across the country,” said AAHOA Chair Vinay Patel. “The lodging sector is not projected to recover until late 2023 or early 2024, but the continued spread of the Delta variant is stalling the economic recovery. These changes to the EIDL program will free up additional resources for small businesses that are still struggling.”

“We applaud President Biden and SBA Administrator Guzman for taking these critical steps to strengthen small businesses and protect the foundations of our economy,” said AAHOA Interim President & CEO Ken Greene. “From the jobs they create to the businesses they support, hotels are economic engines in communities across the nation. These EIDL enhancements will ensure that hoteliers can keep the lights on and continue to welcome guests as we work towards recovery.”

Tomorrow, September 10, at 1:00 PM EDT, AAHOA will host a webinar about the updates to the EIDL program. A panel of SBA officials will discuss the changes and field questions from participants. To register for the webinar, click here.

AAHOA is the largest hotel owners association in the world. The nearly 20,000 AAHOA Members own 60 percent of hotels in the United States. With billions of dollars in property assets and over one million employees, AAHOA Members are core economic contributors in virtually every community. AAHOA is a proud defender of free enterprise and the foremost current-day example of realizing the American dream.

Biden Unveils Plan As US Records Over 40 Million Covid Cases

Staff ReporterNation USA 0

On the heels of the escalating Covid Delta variant crisis, President Joe Biden today announced the launch of a new aggressive six-pronged battle plan that will impact an estimated 100 million Americans and companies and organizations across the country. The New York Times noted that, “The sweeping actions are the most expansive Mr. Biden has taken to control the pandemic since he assumed the presidency in January, and will affect almost every aspect of American society.”

Meanwhile, reports suggest, the total number of Covid-19 cases in the US topped 40 million on last week, as per data from the Johns Hopkins University. US Covid-19 case count rose to 40,003,101, with a total of 648,935 deaths as of Monday last week, showed the data, Xinhua news agency reported.

California topped the state-level caseload list, with 4,421,247 cases. Texas confirmed the second most cases of 3,706,980, followed by Florida with 3,352,451 cases, New York with 2,304,955 cases, and Illinois with more than 1.5 million cases. Other states with over 1 million cases include Georgia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, North Carolina, New Jersey, Tennessee, Michigan and Arizona, according to the university’s tally. The US remains the nation worst hit by the pandemic, with the world’s most cases and deaths, making up more than 18 per cent of the global caseload and nearly 14 per cent of the global deaths. US Covid-19 caseload reached 10 million on November 9, 2020, crossed 20 million on January 1, 2021, and exceeded 30 million on March 24.

Biden told the nation during a special address last week that all federal government employees and contractors will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. In addition, all private businesses with 100 or more employees must require their employees to be vaccinated or undergo weekly testing. Employers will be required to offer paid time off for vaccination. About 17 million health care workers in hospitals, clinics, and other facilities that accept Medicare and Medicaid payments must get vaccinated. Employees of Head Start early childhood education and other federal education programs must get vaccinated, and he urged all governors to require vaccination for school district employees.

It is estimated that this new requirement will cover about 80 million workers, and businesses that do not comply could face substantial fees up to $14,000. President Biden is also calling on large entertainment venues such as sports arenas, large concert halls, and other venues where large groups of people gather to require patrons be vaccinated or show a negative test for entry. The President also announced several actions to increase testing, including mobilizing industry to expand easy-to-use testing production, making at-home tests more affordable, and expanding free pharmacy testing. Masking will still be required for interstate travel through January 18, 2022, and fines will double for those not in compliance.

“President Biden is implementing a six-pronged, comprehensive national strategy” to combat COVID-19, the White House announced Thursday. Detailed on the White House website on a page titled “PATH OUT OF THE PANDEMIC” and subtitled “PRESIDENT BIDEN’S COVID-19 ACTION PLAN,” President Biden lays out six strategies. Each strategy employs specific federal government tactics, ranging from “requiring” employee and employer behaviors to actions that Biden is “calling on” states and employers to take:

Vaccinating the Unvaccinated:

  • “Requiring All Employers with 100+ Employees to Ensure their Workers are Vaccinated or Tested Weekly”
  • “Requiring Vaccinations for all Federal Workers and for Millions of Contractors that Do Business with the Federal Government”
  • “Requiring COVID-19 Vaccinations for Over 17 Million Health Care Workers at Medicare and Medicaid Participating Hospitals and Other Health Care Settings”
  • “Calling on Large Entertainment Venues to Require Proof of Vaccinations or Testing for Entry”
  • “Requiring Employers to Provide Paid Time-Off to Get Vaccinated”

Further Protecting the Vaccinated:

  • “Providing Easy Access to Booster Shots for All Eligible Americans”
  •  “Ensuring Americans Know Where to Get a Booster”

Keeping Schools Safely Open:

  • “Requiring Staff in Head Start Programs, Department of Defense Schools, and Bureau of Indian Education-Operated Schools to be Vaccinated”
  • “Calling on All States to Adopt Vaccine Requirements for All School Employees”
  • “Providing Additional Funding to School Districts for Safe School Reopening, Including Backfilling Salaries and Other Funding Withheld by States for Implementing COVID Safety Measures”
  • “Using the Department of Education’s Full Legal Authority to Protect Students’ Access to In-Person Instruction”
  • “Getting Students and School Staff Tested Regularly”
  • “Providing Every Resource to the FDA to Support Timely Review of Vaccines for Individuals Under the Age of 12”

Increasing Testing & Requiring Masking:

  • “Mobilizing Industry to Expand Easy-to-Use Testing Production”
  • “Making At-Home Tests More Affordable”
  • “Expanding Free, Pharmacy Testing”
  • “Continuing to Require Masking for Interstate Travel and Double Fines”
  • “Continue to Require Masking on Federal Property”

Protecting Our Economic Recovery:

  • “New Support for Small Businesses Impacted by COVID-⁠19”
  • “Streamlining the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loan Forgiveness Process”
  • “Launching the Community Navigator Program to Connect Small Businesses to the Help They Need”

Improving Care for those with COVID-19:

  • “Increasing Support for COVID-Burdened Hospitals”
  • “Getting Life-Saving Monoclonal Antibody Treatment to Those Who Need It”
  • “Expanding the Pool of Health Care Professionals Providing Treatment by Deploying Federal Monoclonal Antibody Strike Teams”

Hurricane Ida Inflicts Misery Across Many States In US

Staff ReporterCommunity, Environment 0

From Louisiana to New York, communities are trying to piece lives back together more than a week after Hurricane Ida slammed into the Gulf Coast on August 29th. Heavy rains, devastating winds, flooded streets, death and destruction all around—the horrific conditions are being experienced by millions of Americans in nearly a dozen coastal states as Ida continued to play havoc last week. Ida made landfall on the anniversary of Katrina, the dangerous Category 3 storm that devastated Louisiana and Mississippi 16 years ago, killing more than 1,800 people and causing $125 billion in damage.

Hurricane Ida roared ashore in Louisiana on Sunday at Category 4 strength, with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph. In fact, as the eyewall of Ida hammered the Louisiana coast, a ship about 50 miles south-southwest of New Orleans clocked a peak wind gust of 172 mph, which is just shy of the strongest measured wind from a hurricane in the US. Ida was downgraded to a tropical storm moved farther inland over southeastern Louisiana and into southwestern Mississippi, the National Hurricane Center said.

As of early Monday last week, more than 1 million Louisiana utility customers are without power, according to PowerOutage.us. On Sunday evening, New Orleans said the entire city lost power after “catastrophic transmission damage.” Four deaths have been confirmed in Louisiana as crews began fanning out in boats and off-road vehicles to search communities cut off by the giant storm. A man was also missing after apparently being killed by an alligator. Even though Hurricane Ida was most devastating in Louisiana state and its neighbors in the south where entire localities were totally destroyed, its deadliest human toll was in the New York region where at least 42 people were killed — 25 in New Jersey, 16 in New York City and one in Connecticut.

A stunned U.S. East Coast faced a rising death toll, surging rivers and tornado damage on September 2nd with record-breaking rain, killing at least 46 people in their homes and cars. As many as 23 people died in New Jersey, Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy said. At least 13 people were killed in New York City, police said, 11 of them in flooded basement apartments, which often serve as relatively affordable homes in one of the nation’s most expensive housing markets. Suburban Westchester County reported three deaths. Officials said at least five people died in Pennsylvania, including one killed by a falling tree and another who drowned in his car after helping his wife to escape. A Connecticut state police sergeant, Brian Mohl, perished after his cruiser was swept away. Another death was reported in Maryland.

Four people of Indian origin and a Nepali family of three have died in New York from the flooding caused by Hurricane Ida. Phamatee Ramskriet, 43, and her son Krishah, 22, drowned when their basement flat flooded in New York City on September 1. Mingma Sherpa, 48, and Ang Gelu Lama, 52, and their infant son Lobsang Lama, 2, also drowned when the waters from the record-setting downpour in the city inundated their basement flat. In neighboring New Jersey, Malathi Kanche, 46, drowned after she was swept away when her car stalled on a flooded road. Also in New Jersey, Danush Reddy, 31, was sucked into a 36-inch sewer pipe by the floods.

Ida’s soggy remnants merged with a storm front and soaked the Interstate 95 corridor, meteorologists said. Similar weather has followed hurricanes before, but experts said it was slightly exacerbated by climate change — warmer air holds more rain — and urban settings, where expansive pavement prevents water from seeping into the ground. The National Hurricane Center had warned since Tuesday of the potential for “significant and life-threatening flash flooding” and major river flooding in the mid-Atlantic region and New England.  Still, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the storm’s strength took them by surprise.

“We did not know that between 8:50 and 9:50 p.m. last night, that the heavens would literally open up and bring Niagara Falls level of water to the streets of New York,” said Hochul. New York City’s Central Park ended up getting 3.15 inches in just one hour, surpassing the previous one-hour high of 1.94 inches (5 cm) during Tropical Storm Henri on Aug. 21. Wednesday’s storm ultimately dumped over 9 inches (23 cm) of rain in parts of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and nearly as much on New York City’s Staten Island.  In Washington, President Joe Biden assured Northeast residents that federal first responders were on the ground to help clean up.

In New York, nearly 500 vehicles were abandoned on flooded highways, garbage bobbed in streaming streets and water cascaded into the city’s subway tunnels, trapping at least 17 trains and disrupting service all day. The National Weather Service said the ferocious storm also spawned at least 10 tornadoes from Maryland to Massachusetts, including a 150-mph (241 kph) twister that splintered homes and toppled silos in Mullica Hill, New Jersey, south of Philadelphia. Record flooding along the Schuylkill River in Pennsylvania inundated homes, highways and commercial buildings, even as meteorologists warned that rivers likely won’t crest for a few more days. The riverside community of Manayunk remained largely under water.

The Schuyilkill reached levels not seen in over 100 years in Philadelphia, where firefighters were still getting calls about minor building collapses and people stuck in flooded cars Thursday morning. The managers of a 941-unit apartment complex near the river ordered residents to evacuate, citing “deteriorating” conditions after water rushed into the parking garage and pool areas. Due to climate change, destruction like that seen in both the Gulf and East Coast from extreme weather will be “our new normal,” Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell warned Sunday. “This is the crisis of our generation, these impacts that we are seeing from climate change, and we have to act now to try to protect against the future risks that we are going to face,” Criswell said during an interview on Sunday morning.

After surveying the damage in Louisiana Friday, President Joe Biden will travel to New Jersey and New York on Tuesday to assess the impact on the East Coast, where the storm claimed the lives of at least 50 people. Mayor of Paterson in New Jersey, André Sayegh lamented the destruction, telling CNN, “As if a once in a century virus wasn’t enough, we had a once in a century storm.”

SRK, Nayanthara To Star In Tamil Director Atlee’s Next Film

Staff ReporterCinema 0

Bollywood Superstar Shah Rukh Khan and Nayanathara, popularly known as the ‘lady superstar’ of South Indian cinema were reportedly spotted in Pune, shooting for their much-talked about film together. The two prolific actors have come together for Tamil director Atlee’s next project.

The news has been doing the rounds for quite some time, but now it is being reported that SRK, who was in Spain shooting for Siddharth Anand’s ‘Pathan,’ has started work on the film in Pune.SRK is said to be playing a double role — that of a father and a son. This, incidentally, won’t be Atlee’s first film featuring Bollywood stars. His 2019 Tamil sports action film, ‘Bigil,’ a Vijay-Nayanthara star vehicle, had Jackie Shroff as one of the principal actors. Atlee is famous for his 2017 action thriller, ‘Mersal,’ with A.R. Rahman’s music and a star cast comprising Vijay, S.R. Suryan, Samantha Akkineni and Kajal Aggarwal.

The film’s cast also includes Sanya Malhotra, who played Babita Kumari in ‘Dangal’ and later also essayed memorable roles in ‘Shakuntala Devi’ and ‘Ludo.’ Also cast in it is Sunil Grover, seen most recently in the web series ‘Tandav,’ but who first came to the people’s notice as Gutthi in ‘Comedy Nights by Kapil.’

This film marks the first collaboration of Atlee with Shah Rukh, who will also be seen in YRF’s ‘Pathan’. It is believed Shah rukh khan will once again unite with Om Shanti Om co-star Deepika Padukone for Pathan. Reportedly, Shah Rukh and Deepika will shoot crucial parts of their film in Spain in addition to a massively mounted song. “Pathan” also stars John Abraham. Other details about the movie are still under wraps.

Lawmakers Urge To End Green Card Backlog

Staff ReporterImmigration 0

The lengthy wait time for Green Card has substantial consequences for the hundreds of thousands of legal immigrants to the United States as well as to the US economy. For sdome, the wait time runs beyond their lifetime. Some are expected to wait upto 100 years to get Green card approvals, under current law. The United States issues a limited number of Green Cards each year. There are annual quotas both for the various types of Family-based Green Cards (480,000) and Employment-based Green Cards (140,000). In addition, there is a per country percentage limitation in each category tied to the fiscal year of the USCIS which ends on September 30th.

Under these quota rules, unused Green Cards in the Family-based categories are added to the Employment-based categories and vice versa. Typically, a very large percentage of Family-based Green Cards are issued by U.S. Consulates abroad (through the Immigrant Visa application process) and a very large percentage of Employment-based Green Cards are issued by the USCIS in the United States through the Adjustment of Status application process. Due to such restrictions, the American economy is unable to access the full international talent pool of high-skilled workers already present and working in the United States today – indeed, the very scientists, inventors, health care workers, entrepreneurs, and other professionals that give the United States its edge over its global competitors today, the lawmakers write.

U.S. Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi, Kathy Manning and Deborah K. Ross led a coalition of 40 Congressmen, writing to the Congressional leadership on Aug. 31 calling for an end to employment-based Green Card backlogs as part of a reconciliation package. The letter, sent to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, requested that the budget reconciliation package provide relief to the 1.2 million individuals stuck in the employment-based green card backlog, strengthening our economy in the process. Under the current system, no more than 7 percent of employment-based green cards are available to individuals from a single country. As a result, individuals from countries with large populations – such as India and China – face decades-long wait times to achieve lawful permanent resident status, according to the news release issued by Krishnamoorthi’s office.

In order to fully unlock the economic potential of high-skilled immigrants, a pathway to lawful permanent residence must be cleared and the system must be reformed. Reforming this immigration system will be especially helpful to the United States as its economy and workforce continues to recover from the pandemic, it said. “Failure to provide a path to lawful permanent residence for the 1.2 million people in the employment-based green card backlog, most of whom are H-1B visa holders, would be tantamount to staging an economic recovery with one hand tied behind our back,” the representatives wrote in the letter. “Permanently relegating H-1B holders to nonimmigrant status while China, Russia, and other major powers are ascendant on the world stage – and hungry to be home to the innovators of the 21st century – is simply nonsensical. This can and must be addressed in the budget reconciliation package currently under negotiation,” it added.

As a co-chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Immigration Task Force, Krishnamoorthi (D-Illinois) has remained committed to advancing immigration reform throughout his time in Congress, including as an original cosponsor of the Fairness for High Skilled Immigrants Act, which passed the House last Congress, the news release notes.Among the other signatories of the letter sent to Pelosi and Schumer were Reps. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash.; and Ro Khanna, D-Calif.

India Wins Record 19 Medals At Tokyo Paralympics 2020

Staff ReporterSports, Youth 0

For India, like the Olympics last month, the Tokyo Paralympics ended with a gold medal that added glitter to its best-ever showing. With 19 medals overall, India finished 24th on the medals tally. However, there is more to the para-leap of a nation that had a grand total of just 12 medals before Tokyo: a harder push by the government, timely hand-holding by private players, mushrooming of exclusive arenas and incentives, and most significantly, a level playing field for para and able-bodied athletes.

The tally also included eight silver and six bronze medals but most importantly, it was a performance during which history was scripted almost everyday with the contingent living up to the ‘Spirit in Motion’ motto of the Games.
  1. Avani Lakhera, Shooting (Gold and Bronze)

The 19-year-old Lekhara became the first Indian woman to win a Games gold (10m air rifle) and later added a bronze in 50m rifle 3 positions to ensure that her name would now be part of every India-centric Paralympic quiz.  It was an inspiring show by the teenager who was paralysed waist down after being injured in a car accident in 2012. And to think of it, all her father had hoped to achieve by taking her to the shooting range was for Lekhara to get over the anger she had internalised after the accident which left her wheelchair-bound.

  1. Sumit Antil, Javelin Thrower, Gold

Nearly half (8) of India’s haul this time came from the track-and-field arena with javelin thrower Sumit Antil shining the brightest with a gold en route which he shattered his own world record five times over. Antil was pursuing a career in wrestling, as his family wanted, before a bike accident led to the amputation of his left leg, changing the course of his life forever.

  1. Manish Narwal, Shooting, Gold

Another shooting star rose on the horizon with Manish Narwal, all of 19, already a world champion and now a Paralympic champion as well. Narwal’s right hand is impaired and he originally wanted to be a footballer but fate had other plans for the Lionel Messi fan.

  1. Pramod Bhagat, Badminton, Gold

Bhagat won the Men’s Singles SL3 event badminton gold medal match against Great Britain’s Daniel Bethell at the Tokyo Paralympics on Saturday. This is India’s first medal in badminton at the Paralympics Games. Bhagat was 8 points behind in the second game before making a comeback and wrapping up the match 21-14, 21-17. The 33-year-old Bhagat from Bhubaneswar also remains in contention for a bronze medal in mixed doubles SL3-SU5 class. Bhagat and his partner Palak Kohli will square off against Japanese pair of Daisuke Fujihara and Akiko Sugino in the bronze medal play off on Sunday.

  1. Krishna Nagar, Badminton, Gold

Krishna Nagar won the second Para-Badminton gold for India on Sunday as he beat Hong Kong’s Chu Man Kai 21-17, 16-21, 21-17 in the men’s singles SH6 final. He becomes the first-ever SH6 gold medallist in the history of the Indian Paralympics. This is India’s nineteenth medal and the fifth gold in the event. It was a tight contest right from the start between Nagar and Man Kai Chu. In the first game, Kai Chu headed into the mid-game interval with a slender lead but Nagar came back well to win the first game 21-17. In the second game, the Hong Kong player built a lead and it seemed like Nagar’s game dropped a bit in the first half of the second game. Chu Man Kai continued with his momentum and came back strongly and eventually won the game 21-16.

  1. Bhavinaben Patel, Table Tennis, Silver

Indian table tennis player Bhavinaben Patel signed off with a historic silver medal in her maiden Paralympic Games after going down 0-3 to world number one Chinese paddler Ying Zhou in the women’s singles class 4 final on August 29. The 34-year-old Patel’s impressive run at the Games ended with a 7-11 5-11 6-11 loss to Zhou, a two-time gold medalist, in the women’s singles summit clash which lasted 19 minutes.

  1. Nishad Kumar, High Jump, Silver

India’s Nishad Kumar clinched a silver medal in the men’s high jump T47 event in the Tokyo Paralympics with an Asian record effort on Sunday. Kumar cleared 2.06m to win the silver and set an Asian record. American Dallas Wise was also awarded a silver as he and Kumar cleared the same height of 2.06m.Another American, Roderick Townsend won the gold with a world record jump of 2.15m.

  1. Yogesh Kathuniya, Discus Thrower, Silver

The Indian Paralympic discus throw athlete, who represented India this year, won a silver medal in the men’s discus throw F56 event. He suffers from Guillain Barre syndrome, a rare neurological disorder, and was confined to a wheelchair in 2006. However, he started to walk after his mother gave him physiotherapy. He started in para sports in 2017 while studying at Delhi’s Kirori Mal College.

  1. Devendra Jhajharia, Javelin Thrower, Silver

Two-time gold-winning javelin throw veteran Devendra Jhajharia clinched a stupendous third Paralympic medal, a silver this time. The F46 classification is for athletes with arm deficiency, impaired muscle power or impaired passive range of movement in arms, with athletes competing in a standing position. The 40-year-old Jhajahria, already India’s greatest Paralympian after winning gold medals in the 2004 and 2016 Games, pulled off a new personal best throw of 64.35m for the silver. Jhajahria, who lost his left hand after accidentally touching an electric wire while climbing a tree at the age of eight, bettered his own earlier world record (63.97m) but gold winner Sri Lankan Dinesh Priyan Herath Mudiyanselage (67.79m), who set a new world record, was too good for the entire field.

  1. Mariyappan Thangavelu, Long Jump, Silver

India’s Mariyappan Thangavelu won silver in the men’s high jump finalin Class T42. Mariyappan Thangavelu clinched silver after leaping the mark of 1.86m. This is his second medal at the Games, having already won a gold in Rio 2016. Mariyappan and USA’s Sam Grewe soon completed the 1.86m mark on their third attempt as Sharad had to be satisfied with a bronze after seeing three red flags.

  1. Singhraj Adhana, Shooter, Silver and Bronze

Singhraj clinched the Silver medal in the P4 – Mixed 50m Pistol SH1 final on Saturday. He grabbed his second medal of the Tokyo Paralympics with 216.7 points. National Anthem was played when the Singhraj and Manish Narwal were being awarded the medals. Singhraj said he was delighted to see India’s national flag flying high during the national anthem. Earlier this week, Singhraj clinched a bronze medal in the P1 men’s 10m Air Pistol SH1 final.

  1. Praveen Kumar, High Jump, Silver

Praveen Kumar clinched the silver medal in the men’s high jump T64 event of the Paralympics, taking the country’s haul to 11 in the ongoing Games. The 18-year-old Kumar, competing in his debut Paralympics, set a new Asian record with a 2.07m jump to finish behind Great Britain’s Jonathan Broom-Edwards, who notched up his season’s best of 2.10m for the gold.

  1. Suhas Yathiraj, Badminton, Silver

India’s Suhas Lalinakere Yathiraj ended his campaign with a historic silver after going down fighting against top seed Lucas Mazur of France in the men’s singles SL4 class final at the Tokyo Paralympics on Sunday. The 38-year-old Noida district magistrate, who has an impairment in one of his ankles, led 11-10 at the decider, but just couldn’t dial down the aggression, getting carried away in the big points. Lucas Mazur kept his calm and raced to win decider 21-15. The left-handed angles and end-game poise helped as the Frenchman claimed gold.

  1. Sunder Singh Gurjar, Javelin Throw, Bronze

Sundar Singh Gurjar also chipped in with a bronze, finishing behind Jhajharia in the men’s javelin throw F46 final. The 25-year-old Gurjar, who lost his left hand in 2015 after a metal sheet fell on him at his friend’s house, was third with a best effort of 64.01m. The Jaipur-based Gurjar had won gold in the 2017 and 2019 World Para Athletics Championships. He had also won a silver in the 2018 Jakarta Para Asian Games. Earlier, discus thrower Kathuniya clinched a silver medal in the men’s F56 event.

  1. Sharad Kumar, High jump, Bronze

Sharad Kumar won bronze in the men’s high jump final at the National Stadium in Tokyo in Class T42. Sharad Kumar grabbed bronze after scaling his season best mark of 1.83m. Muzaffarpur’s Sharad became Bihar’s first-ever Paralympic medallist after he won a bronze medal in the F42 category of men’s high jump in the Tokyo Para Games.

  1. Harvinder Singh, Archery, Bronze

Harvinder Singh notched up India’s first ever archery medal in the Paralympics, holding his nerves to down Kim Min Su of Korea in a thrilling shoot-off for the men’s individual recurve bronze in the Paralympic Games. World No.23 Singh was the first athlete from India to win a gold medal at a major para competition in the 2018 Asian Games. An economics scholar from the Punjabi University, Patiala, Singh collected three shoot-off wins on the day starting with his triumphs in the opening rounds.

  1. Manoj Sarkar, Badminton, Bronze

Manoj Sarkar won the bronze medal after beating Daisuke Fujihara 22-20, 21-13 in the men’s singles SL3 event at the Tokyo Paralympics on Saturday. The 31-year-old won in straight games, sealing a 22-20 21-13 win on Saturday. Sarkar crashed to an 8-21 10-21 defeat in the semifinals against Great Britain’s Daniel Bethell, but bounced back strongly to coast past Fujihara. Sarkar won the first game in 22 minutes and the second in 19 minutes.

PM Modi Likely To Visit US In September

Staff ReporterNation India, Nation USA 0

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to travel to Washington DC and New York in the United States around September end, reports said on Saturday. If the plan materialises, this will mark Modi’s first official visit to the US ever since Biden took the charge of the country. Even as preparations are underway for PM Modi’s visit to the US, no official confirmation has been issued so far. If the schedule works out as per ongoing discussions, the window of opportunity that is being explored is September 22-27, said sources. The last time PM Modi came to the US saw a great fanfare amidst the growing public friendship display of former President Trump and Modi. This time, however, with President Joe Biden at the helm there may not be such an outward display of star-studded show, but many experts expect to have some significant steps taken towards strengthening the relationships between the two countries.

This will be Modi’s first in-person meeting with Biden. The two have met virtually on at least three occasions — the Quad summit in March, the climate change summit in April, and the G-7 summit in June this year. Modi was supposed to travel to the UK for the G-7 summit where he could have met Biden, but had to cancel the trip due to the second Covid-19 wave across India. With the situation in Afghanistan unfolding rapidly, Modi’s visit is significant. Besides meeting Biden, he is expected to have important meetings with the top echelons of the US administration.

Modi last visited the US in September 2019, when then US President Donald Trump had addressed the Howdy Modi event — the Prime Minister’s “abki baar Trump sarkar” line had not gone down well with the Democratic party’s establishment. Two years since, it will be an effort to reach out to the Democratic establishment, which has been quite vocal about the human rights situation in Jammu and Kashmir. On the strategic side, the two sides will work on an ambitious agenda on the Indo-Pacific – with the Chinese challenge being one of the shared concerns. In this context, an in-person Quad leaders’ summit is being planned in Washington DC, around the same time as Modi’s visit. But Japanese PM Yoshihide Suga’s decision on Friday to step down after a one-year tenure has put a spanner in the works. Sources said that while an in-person summit for all the Quad leaders looks like a remote possibility, a “hybrid format” could be an option, where at least two leaders – Modi and Biden – join in person, while Australia’s Scott Morrison and Japan’s Suga join virtually.

According to reports, after Washington, PM Modi will visit New York to attend the annual high-level United Nations General Assembly session. India is a non-permanent member of the UN security council and its month-long presidency has just ended. Afghanistan, which has plunged into crisis following the Taliban takeover, will be the key topic at the UNGA this time. In a bid to give shape to the PM’s agenda, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla has met top Biden administration officials in Washington DC, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Deputy Secretary Wendy Sherman, and held substantive discussions with them on the strategic bilateral ties and regional and global issues like the current situation in Afghanistan. The Biden administration has made cooperation with India a key aspect of its overall foreign policy priorities in the Indo-Pacific, a region that has witnessed growing Chinese military assertiveness.

The United States has been seeking to convene the in-person summit of Quad leaders to advance practical cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, as well as to send a strong signal about Washington’s commitment to the group. In March, President Biden organized the first summit of Quad leaders in the virtual format that promised to fight for an Indo-Pacific region that is free, open, inclusive, anchored in democratic values ​​and not constrained by coercion, sending an apparent message to China. In Washington, while talking to reporters, foreign secretary Shringla indicated that there is a possibility of a Quad meet.

“I mean, look, I can’t comment on that, but the fact of the matter is that if there is a summit, Prime Minister has already said that he would, he would be happy to attend that summit. I think other leaders have also said that they will be ready so it all it’s all a question of, you know, getting the leaders together and going ahead,” he said. “If the leaders come in they would come because of this (Quad) meeting, as you know the UNGA is this time is a truncated version, it’s a hybrid version. Very few heads of state and government will actually attend it. So, attending that meeting in person is not a great priority. But then again, I mean, it’s a fluid situation so let’s see how that goes,” he added.

Anu Natarajan To Lead Facebook’s $1 Billion Affordable Housing Initiative

Staff ReporterCommunity, Media, Profile 0

Former Fremont, California Vice Mayor and city council woman Anu Natarajan has been named by Facebook to head up its affordable housing initiative, which will allocate $1 billion in grants over 10 years to housing projects in California. The Indian American former official came on board as project lead in July, after consulting on the initiative for more than a year. “The Covid pandemic has really put the spotlight on the lack of housing in the state, which has been 40 years in the making,” Natarajan told India-West.

A survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau between last November found that over two million renter households in California reported “little to no confidence” in their ability to pay next month’s rent. Federal and state moratoriums have staved off evictions through the pandemic, but those are due to expire next month. Moreover, only a small fraction of $47 billion in federal funds has actually been doled out to renters in need and small landlords. In California, almost 30 percent of renters pay more than half their salary in rent, and almost 40 percent of homeowners pay more than 30 to 50 percent of their incomes to mortgages, according to data from the California Budget and Policy Center.

California has more than half of all unsheltered homeless people in the country, with an estimated 108,432 people living on the streets. Los Angeles County alone is home to almost 58,000 homeless people, according to 2019 data from Housing and Urban Development. In San Francisco, a family of four making over $100,000 per year is considered low-income, said Facebook in a press release. Natarajan noted the lack of supply at all levels of housing: for every 100 jobs created in the state, only 30 housing units are created, on average. “Not in My Backyard” protests from existing residents, as well as the increasing costs of materials have made building new housing so much harder, she said.

The Facebook housing initiative was announced on Oct. 22, 2019. An initial round of funding — $150 million — was announced last December to create 2,000 units of housing for very low-income people. Facebook partnered with Destination Home, a nonprofit organization leading efforts to end homelessness in Santa Clara County, which contributed an additional $5 million to the fund. Natarajan said that funds were also allocated to help with technical assistance for California’s Project Homekey, an $800 million initiative which bought up existing hotels and motels to create 6,000 units of permanent housing for unsheltered people. (See earlier India-West story: https://bit.ly/38td7mU)

“The COVID crisis demands we all step up and do more to protect the most vulnerable. I challenge other private sector corporations to follow suit and provide additional low-cost capital to create thousands more homeless housing units all across California,” said California Governor Gavin Newsom, as Facebook announced the grant last December. Facebook’s next round of grants are expected to be announced sometime during the week of Aug. 30, according to Natarajan. The areas of most need in the state include the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles County, San Diego, and the Inland Empire in Southern California.

Natarajan will also lead Facebook’s $25 million initiative to build teacher and essential worker housing on public land for school districts in San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties. The $1 billion initiative also allocates $250 million to a partnership with the State of California for mixed-income housing on excess state-owned land in communities where housing is scarce. This public-private partnership ensures that incremental new housing supply is brought to the market segments that need it most, said Facebook Chief Financial Officer David Wehner in a press statement.

Natarajan earned her master’s degree in Urban Design and Planning from the University of Washington. She served on the Fremont City Council from 2004 to 2014. She brings a three-pronged view to civic infrastructure development, considering the impact to climate change, addressing social justice concerns about equity in housing, and access to mobility and transportation.

Hillary Clinton Turns Thriller Writer with ‘State of Terror’

Staff ReporterProfile, Women 0

Former United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, following in the footsteps of her husband, has embarked on her journey as a thriller writer. ‘State of Terror’ is Hillary Clinton’s upcoming international political thriller, set in the “Byzantine” world of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran. It takes off with a “baffling text from an anonymous source” received by an Indian American Foreign Service Officer, Anahita Dahir. Hillary, who was trumped in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, has co-authored the book with the New York Times best-seller Canadian novelist Louise Penny. The uncannily timed book, published by Simon & Schuster, is set to release on Oct. 12.

According to a preview of the novel available on the Simon & Schuster website, the story begins with the election of a new U.S. president, who appoints his political rival, Ellen Adams, as his secretary of state (Hillary, remember, had contested in the Democratic Party primaries against Barack Obama in the run-up to the 2008 elections). And then comes the text message to Dahir (who could be modelled after one of Hillary’s closest aides, Pakistani American Huma Abedin), which was actually a coded warning.

What follows is a series of terrorist attacks on American targets and the start of “an international chess game involving the … Byzantine politics of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran; the race to develop nuclear weapons in the region; the Russian mob; a burgeoning terrorist organization; and an American government set back on its heels in the international arena.” The last bit sounds too much like the present state of the Joe Biden administration. Pitted against this “intricate, carefully constructed conspiracy” are three individuals sucked into this explosive situation: the “passionate young FSO; a dedicated journalist; and a smart, determined, but as yet untested new secretary of state.”

Will they be able to save the world? To find the answer, one has to wait for the book to be out. Hillary’s collaborator, Penny, is best known for her Quebec-based mystery novels centered on the work of her fictional character, Francophone chief inspector Armand Gamache. Former U.S. president Bill Clinton’s last book as a thriller writer was ‘The President’s Daughter’, about a former president and ex-Navy SEAL, whose daughter is missing, which followed ‘The President is Missing’ (2018), both in collaboration with James Patterson, one of the world’s biggest-selling authors. It was released in June 2021.

Patterson, the former president’s collaborator, has written chart-topping books such as ‘Alex Cross’, ‘Michael Bennett’, ‘Women’s Murder Club’, ‘Maximum Ride’, and many other books spanning across genres, from romance to thrillers and non-fiction. Hillary, like her husband, has been a prolific writer, whose first book was the best-selling ‘It Takes A Village’ (1995), followed by many others on different subjects, including her account of her tenure as the 67th U.S. secretary of state, ‘Hard Choices’.

Students From India Develop Plant-Based Air Purifier

Staff ReporterEnvironment, Science, Youth 0

In a development that may help in addressing the issue of indoor air purification amid the ongoing pandemic, an Indian startup has developed the world’s first ‘Plant based’ smart air-purifier “Ubreathe Life” that uses breathing plants for the filtration of contaminants. Young scientists at the Indian Institutes of Technology, Ropar and Kanpur and Faculty of Management Studies of Delhi University have developed the living-plant based air purifier “Ubreathe Life” that amplifies the air purification process in the indoor spaces. “These indoor spaces can either be hospitals, schools, offices and your homes,” says a scientist.

The IIT Ropar’s startup company, ‘Urban Air Laboratory’ claims the air purifier to be the world’s first, state-of-the-art ‘Smart Bio-Filter’ that can make breathing fresh. It has been incubated at IIT Ropar, which is a designated iHub – AWaDH (Agriculture and Water Technology Development Hub) by the Department of Science and Technology. A World Health Organization (WHO) report points out that indoor air spaces are five times more polluted than outdoor air spaces. That is a cause of concern, especially in the present Covid pandemic times. Research, recently published in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), calls upon the governments to alter building designs by fixing air changes per hour (a measure of room ventilation with outdoor air). The ‘Ubreathe Life’ can be a solution to this concern.

Sanjay Maurya, CEO, Ubreathe claims, “The product has certain biophilic benefits, such as supporting cognitive function, physical health, and psychological well-being. Thus, it’s like having a bit of Amazon forest in your room. The consumer need not water the plant regularly as there is a built-in water reservoir with a capacity of 150ml which acts as a buffer for plant requirements,” he explained. He further said that the device supplies water to the roots whenever it gets too dry. Explaining the working of the device Maurya further said, “‘Ubreathe Life’ effectively improves indoor air quality by removing particulate, gaseous and biological contaminants while increasing the oxygen levels in the indoor space through specific plants, UV disinfection and a stack of Pre-filter, Charcoal filter and HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter fitted in a specially designed wooden box. There is a centrifugal fan that creates a suction pressure inside the purifier, and releases purified air, formed at the roots, through the outlet in a 360degree direction. The specific plants tested for air-purification include Peace Lily, Snake Plant, Spider plant etc. and all have given good results in purifying indoor air.”

The product has already been tested. Scientists said that ‘Ubreathe Life’ can be a game-changer for maintaining clean air indoors. They argued that the new research had suggested that Covid-19 vaccination by itself may not guarantee safety at workplaces, schools and even closed fully air-conditioned homes unless air filtration, air purification and indoor ventilation becomes part of the building design. “The results of testing, conducted by National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories and the Laboratory of IIT Ropar maintains that the AQI (Air Quality Index) for a room size of 150sqft drops from 311 to 39 in 15 minutes after using ‘Ubreathe Life,” Director, IIT, Ropar, Professor Rajeev Ahuja said.

Dr Vinay and Dr Deepesh Agarwal from AIIMS, New Delhi said that the ‘Ubreathe Life’ infuses oxygen in the room making it conducive to patients with breathing issues, a department of science note said. Budding Indian scientists have developed a living plant-based air purifier named ‘Ubreathe Life’, which amplifies the air purification process in indoor spaces. These indoor spaces can be hospitals, schools, offices or even people’s homes. The state-of-the-art ‘Smart Bio-Filter’ can make breathing fresh, claimed Urban Air Laboratory, a startup incubated at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Ropar. The budding scientists are from IIT Ropar, IIT Kanpur and the Faculty of Management Studies, Delhi University.

“The technology works through the air-purifying natural leafy plant. The room air interacts with leaves and goes to the soil-root zone where maximum pollutants are purified. The novel technology used in this product is ‘Urban Munnar Effect’ along with patent-pending ‘Breathing Roots’ to exponentially amplify the phyto-remediation process of the plants. Phyto-remediation is a process by which plants effectively remove pollutants from the air,” said a release from the Ministry of Science and Technology. ‘Ubreathe Life’ effectively improves indoor air quality by removing particulate, gaseous and biological contaminants. It also increases the indoor space’s oxygen levels through specific plants, UV disinfection, and a stack of pre-filter, charcoal filter and HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter fitted in a specially designed wooden box.

A centrifugal fan creates a suction pressure inside the purifier and releases purified air, formed at the roots, through the outlet in a 360-degree direction. The specific plants tested for air purification include peace lily, snake plant, spider plant etc., and all have given good results in purifying indoor air quality, the release added.

Texas’ Abortion Ban Is Most Restrictive Ever

Staff ReporterCommunity, Health, Women 0

Texas law that bans abortion as early as six weeks into pregnancy took effect at midnight on Wednesday after the Supreme Court failed to act on emergency requests from abortion providers. Nearly 24 hours later, the court said late Wednesday night it split 5-4 and denied the providers’ emergency request to block the law. The unsigned order, issued by the Supreme Court’s conservative majority, said their decision focused on procedural issues and did not amount to a ruling on the constitutionality of the law, and that other appeals could be pursued.

However, even if the ban is ultimately blocked, it will have a lasting impact on Texas and provide a roadmap for other conservative states to enact similar abortion restrictions. Senate Bill 8, signed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in May, bars abortions once a doctor can detect fetal cardiac activity, which is often before many people know they are pregnant. The ban would prevent at least 85% of abortions sought in Texas, according to abortion rights advocates and providers. It is now the most restrictive abortion law in the nation; at least 12 other states have passed six-week abortion bans, but all have been blocked from going into effect.  “Texas politicians will have effectively overturned Roe v. Wade,” Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, said shortly before the law went into effect, referring to the landmark 1973 decision that established the constitutionally protected right to abortion before a fetus is viable.

The Texas law uses a different tactic than many of the other abortion restrictions passed by Republican state legislatures in recent years—which is precisely what has made it difficult for courts to block it. The law signals a new frontier in the national fight over abortion and could mark a critical new legal strategy for conservative legislatures in how they write restrictive abortion laws in the future. John Seago, legislative director for Texas Right to Life, which helped write the legislation, says he has already heard from other states that are interested in copying this approach and the group is drafting legislation for some of them already. “This promises an alternative to that typical path that pro-life laws go down,” he says. “This is a valid public policy tool and we’re excited to see how it works.”

Instead of allowing government officials to enforce the abortion ban as they do with most laws, this law says that private citizens can step in by suing abortion providers and anyone who “aids and abets” a patient obtaining an abortion after six weeks. That means clinics and their staffs could be sued, as well as patients’ family members, or anyone who drives someone to a clinic, provides financial assistance, offers religious or genetic counseling or even “intends” to do any of those actions. The plaintiffs do not need to have any connection to the person they suspect of violating the law, and if they win, the law says they are entitled to damages of at least $10,000 plus legal fees. Because so many people can now legally bring these abortion lawsuits in Texas, courts could theoretically be overwhelmed with cases. “It does open the floodgates to lawsuits, and even frivolous lawsuits, just to harass abortion providers,” says Brigitte Amiri, deputy director of the Reproductive Freedom Project at the ACLU, which is part of the coalition of abortion providers and advocates challenging the law.

But the way the law is written also makes it difficult to challenge. Usually, when a state passes a new law restricting abortion access, abortion rights groups and providers sue state officials alleging they are violating people’s constitutionally protected rights. In this case, there is no specific individual tasked with enforcing the law, so there was no obvious entity for the providers to sue. The ACLU, the Center for Reproductive Rights and a collection of other groups and abortion providers filed suit this summer against a slew of officials they said would be responsible for enforcing the law, but a series of complex procedural developments left them asking the Supreme Court for a last-minute intervention.

“The Constitution, including Roe v. Wade, only applies against the government, it doesn’t apply against private individuals,” says Laurence Tribe, a leading constitutional law expert at Harvard. “That’s what makes this really dangerous. It’s a kind of vigilante justice, circumventing all of the mechanisms we have for making sure that the law is enforced fairly, and that it’s not enforced in a way that violates people’s rights.” Even if the courts temporarily block the law, complications remain. The law includes a provision that says providers could still be sued for violating the law if a court decision is eventually reversed and the law goes back into effect, meaning providers could be sued over an action that was technically legal at the time.

For now the law stands in Texas. Texas Right to Life has set up a website to solicit tips about people who allegedly violate the law and collect information from those who want to help the group enforce it. The website has been flooded with fake information from those who support abortion rights, but Seago says that has not hampered the group’s efforts. “We’ve set up the tip line, we’ve built the networks, we’ve been working with pro-life attorneys and activists around the state, so that if [providers] decide that they’re going to try to commit illegal abortions anyway, we will be prepared to do what the law authorizes us to do, which is to bring private lawsuits holding them accountable,” Seago says.

The law will “immediately and catastrophically reduce abortion access in Texas,” the group of providers said in its emergency filing to the Supreme Court on Monday. “Patients who can scrape together resources will be forced to attempt to leave the state to obtain an abortion, and many will be delayed until later in pregnancy. The remaining Texans who need an abortion will be forced to remain pregnant against their will or to attempt to end their pregnancies without medical supervision.” The Supreme Court’s five most reliably conservative justices voted to reject the emergency filing. Chief Justice John Roberts joined the three liberal justices in dissent. Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Stephen Breyer and Elena Kagan each wrote separate opinions saying they would have blocked the law because it is an unconstitutional ban on abortion.

Abortion providers and abortion rights advocates say the law will disproportionately impact low-income patients who already often struggle to access health care. The average distance a Texas patient will have to travel to obtain an abortion will now rise from 12 to 248 miles, a 20-fold increase, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights.

Is Breakfast Really Good For You?

Staff ReporterHealth, Lifestyle 0

You’ve heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But you’ve also probably heard that it’s fine to skip. A 2019 research review published in The BMJ only adds to the debate: It analyzed 13 breakfast studies and found that eating a morning meal was not a reliable way to lose weight, and that skipping breakfast likely does not lead to weight gain. So should you say goodbye to your eggs and toast? Here’s what the science says about breakfast.

Does eating breakfast help you lose weight?

The weight-loss question has been central to the breakfast debate for years, in part because several high-profile studies — some of which were funded by cereal companies, including Quaker and Kellogg — claimed that eating early in the day was necessary for controlling weight. When looking at research that isn’t funded by the food industry, however, the answer is less clear. Some studies have found that breakfast eaters tend to weigh less than people who skip the meal and burn more calories throughout the day. But it’s possible that lifestyle and socioeconomic factors may be driving forces here, making a person more likely to eat breakfast and also have better overall health. For example, making time for breakfast is easier for people with 9-to-5 jobs than it is for night shift workers (who research has shown face a range of health risks). Other research, including the new review, has found no strong connection between breakfast and weight loss. One paper from 2017 actually found that skipping breakfast may lead to more calorie burning — but also higher levels of inflammation in the body.

Despite all the back and forth, Sharon Collison, a registered dietitian nutritionist and a clinical instructor in nutrition at the University of Delaware, says she’s not aware of any studies that have shown that eating breakfast can make you gain weight — so there’s likely no harm in eating it. Anecdotally, Collison says she’s seen from her clients that “people who struggle with weight tend to eat more of their calories later in the day and less earlier in the day. People who don’t eat enough earlier in the day may have increased hunger and increased cravings later in the day and will end up eating more.” But more research is needed.

Is it unhealthy to skip breakfast?

Weight loss aside, Collison says she’s “totally pro-breakfast” and encourages the vast majority of her clients to eat it, for a range of reasons. “People who consume breakfast regularly often have increased physical activity. They have better dietary profiles and lower intake of snacks,” Collison says. “Skipping breakfast is associated with increased disease risk — not only obesity but diabetes, heart disease and just lower dietary quality.” One small study from 2017 suggested that breakfast-eating could improve a range of metabolic health markers, potentially improving the body’s ability to burn fat and fight chronic conditions like type 2 diabetes — at least among people who were already lean. More research is needed to know how different types of people respond to fasting, the scientists say. But what if you’re truly not hungry in the morning? Collison says that may be indicative of other problematic eating habits, like snacking at night. “If you eliminate that snacking and then wake up hungry and eat a good breakfast, your overall dietary pattern is going to be so much better, and your health status is going to be better,” Collison says.

What’s the healthiest breakfast?

Even if you’ve decided to eat breakfast, a question remains: what should you eat? A donut and coffee, Collison says, are not going to give you the same benefits as a well-balanced plate. Collison says a good morning meal incorporates four things: protein, whole grains, healthy fat and a fruit or vegetable. Research has shown that protein and fat can increase satiety and cut down on unnecessary snacking later, while whole grains and produce add nutritious fiber, vitamins and minerals. Collison recommends Greek yogurt with nuts, berries and whole-grain cereal or farro; scrambled eggs with veggies, plus toast with avocado and fruit on the side; or oatmeal made with milk, nut butter and fruit. Generally, she says she steers clients away from smoothies or juices. “I do encourage people to eat their breakfast, because you just don’t get the same sense of fullness” with a liquid.

When should you eat breakfast?

The exact timing will vary depending on a person’s needs and schedule, but Collison says a good rule of thumb is to eat within an hour of waking. “It’s kind of like putting gas in your car,” Collison says. If you’re going to work out in the morning, plan to eat something beforehand. “The quality of your workout could be compromised if you don’t fuel your body before,” Collison says. “The closer it is to the physical activity, the more you want carbohydrates and less fat and fiber, because that will take longer to digest.” Collison recommends a banana, oatmeal or cereal. If you’ve done a vigorous workout, like running, for 45 minutes or more, you’ll likely need to eat again afterward for recovery. Something that replenishes fluid, carbs and protein — like chocolate milk — is a good option, as is a banana with peanut butter or cheese, crackers and fruit. A recovery meal probably isn’t necessary if you’ve done lighter exercise, like walking, Collison says.

COVID-19 Vaccines Are Effective At Reducing Severe Illness And Hospitalization

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New evidence on breakthrough infections indicates people who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 after 1 or 2 vaccine doses had significantly lower odds of severe disease, hospitalization, or Long COVID than unvaccinated. http://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(21)00460-6/fulltext

  • After two vaccines doses, the odds of hospitalisation were reduced by more than two-thirds and breakthrough infections were almost two times more likely to be completely asymptomatic.
  • The odds of long COVID-19 (symptoms continuing for 28 days or more after testing positive) were also reduced by more than half for people who received two vaccine doses.
  • People over age 60 who were frail or had underlying conditions had higher odds of a breakthrough infection, especially after only one dose.
  • The findings could have implications for health policies around timing between vaccine doses, potential COVID-19 vaccine booster shots, and for continuing personal protective measures, including mask-wearing and social distancing.

People who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 after one or two vaccine doses had significantly lower odds of severe disease or hospitalisation than unvaccinated people, according to a large-scale study investigating COVID-19 breakthrough infections published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal.   Researchers also found that the odds of experiencing long COVID (illness lasting 28 days or more after a positive test) were cut in half for people who received two vaccines doses.

People most vulnerable to a breakthrough infection after their first vaccine dose included frail older adults (60 years and older), and older adults living with underlying conditions such as obesity, heart disease, kidney disease, and lung disease. In all age groups, people living in deprived areas, such as densely populated urban settings, were more likely to experience a breakthrough infection. These factors were most significantly associated with a post-vaccination infection after receiving the first vaccine dose and before receiving a second dose.

“We are at a critical point in the pandemic as we see cases rising worldwide due to the delta variant. Breakthrough infections are expected and don’t diminish the fact that these vaccines are doing exactly what they were designed to do—save lives and prevent serious illness. Other research has shown a mortality rate as high as 27% for hospitalised COVID-19 patients.

We can greatly reduce that number by keeping people out of the hospital in the first place through vaccination. Our findings highlight the crucial role vaccines play in larger efforts to prevent COVID-19 infections, which should still include other personal protective measures such as mask-wearing, frequent testing, and social distancing,” says study co-lead author Dr Claire Steves of King’s College London, UK. [1]

Stellar Collision Triggered Supernova Explosion

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Newswise — Astronomers have found dramatic evidence that a black hole or neutron star spiraled its way into the core of a companion star and caused that companion to explode as a supernova. The astronomers were tipped off by data from the Very Large Array Sky Survey (VLASS), a multi-year project using the National Science Foundation’s Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA). “Theorists had predicted that this could happen, but this is the first time we’ve actually seen such an event,” said Dillon Dong, a graduate student at Caltech and lead author on a paper reporting the discovery in the journal Science.

The first clue came when the scientists examined images from VLASS, which began observations in 2017, and found an object brightly emitting radio waves but which had not appeared in an earlier VLA sky survey, called Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty centimeters (FIRST). They made subsequent observations of the object, designated VT 1210+4956, using the VLA and the Keck telescope in Hawaii. They determined that the bright radio emission was coming from the outskirts of a dwarf, star-forming galaxy some 480 million light-years from Earth. They later found that an instrument aboard the International Space Station had detected a burst of X-rays coming from the object in 2014.

The data from all these observations allowed the astronomers to piece together the fascinating history of a centuries-long death dance between two massive stars. Like most stars that are much more massive than our Sun, these two were born as a binary pair, closely orbiting each other. One of them was more massive than the other and evolved through its normal, nuclear fusion-powered lifetime more quickly and exploded as a supernova, leaving behind either a black hole or a superdense neutron star. The black hole or neutron star’s orbit grew steadily closer to its companion, and about 300 years ago it entered the companion’s atmosphere, starting the death dance. At this point, the interaction began spraying gas away from the companion into space. The ejected gas, spiraling outward, formed an expanding, donut-shaped ring, called a torus, around the pair.

Eventually, the black hole or neutron star made its way inward to the companion star’s core, disrupting the nuclear fusion producing the energy that kept the core from collapsing of its own gravity. As the core collapsed, it briefly formed a disk of material closely orbiting the intruder and propelled a jet of material outward from the disk at speeds approaching that of light, drilling its way through the star. “That jet is what produced the X-rays seen by the MAXI instrument aboard the International Space Station, and this confirms the date of this event in 2014,” Dong said. The collapse of the star’s core caused it to explode as a supernova, following its sibling’s earlier explosion. “The companion star was going to explode eventually, but this merger accelerated the process,” Dong said.

The material ejected by the 2014 supernova explosion moved much faster than the material thrown off earlier from the companion star, and by the time VLASS observed the object, the supernova blast was colliding with that material, causing powerful shocks that produced the bright radio emission seen by the VLA. “All the pieces of this puzzle fit together to tell this amazing story,” said Gregg Hallinan of Caltech. “The remnant of a star that exploded a long time ago plunged into its companion, causing it, too, to explode,” he added. The key to the discovery, Hallinan said, was VLASS, which is imaging the entire sky visible at the VLA’s latitude — about 80 percent of the sky — three times over seven years. One of the objectives of doing VLASS that way is to discover transient objects, such as supernova explosions, that emit brightly at radio wavelengths. This supernova, caused by a stellar merger, however, was a surprise. “Of all the things we thought we would discover with VLASS, this was not one of them,” Hallinan said. The National Radio Astronomy Observatory is a facility of the National Science Foundation, operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc.

Why Is Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga Resigning

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Yoshihide Suga is bowing out as prime minister of Japan, amid increasing anger over his government’s handling of COVID-19 in the wake of the Tokyo Olympics. He announced Friday that he will not seek re-election as leader of the Liberal Democrat Party (LDP) at the end of September. Suga, 72, became prime minister just one year ago after long-serving Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stepped down over health concerns. He said during a party meeting Friday on that he wanted to focus on the coronavirus pandemic instead of continuing on as the head of the LDP. With a general election upcoming in the fall, Suga’s resignation paves the way for a new leader of the world’s third-largest economy.

Why is Suga stepping aside after just a year in office?

Suga’s popularity has plummeted over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic; Japan is currently battling its largest wave of the virus since the pandemic began. “Suga’s insincere and ambiguous comments and actions on containing the pandemic every single day have made Japanese citizens very frustrated,” says Yoshikazu Kato, a research fellow at the Rakuten Securities Economic Research Institute in Tokyo. “The public nowadays basically does not trust the government at all.” Suga hoped the Olympics would help boost his popularity, but despite a record medal count for Japan, his ratings sank even lower. The number of COVID-19 cases has surged to all-time highs in recent weeks in Japan, due to the more contagious Delta variant. The Japanese public, angry over Suga’s decision to hold the international event in the midst of a pandemic, has increasingly ignored government pleas to stay at home. Support for the Prime Minister was below 30% in both July and August, according to polls by local media.

“Suga has long been under pressure due to criticism of his coronavirus response and a host of other issues,” says Kristi Govella, the Deputy Director of the Asia Program at the German Marshall Fund of the United States. “But the ground really shifted over the last couple of weeks and his support from within the party eroded quickly.” Experts say that LDP members began to worry that having Suga as party leader could cost them seats in the general election, which must be held before the end of November. “My guess is that he was persuaded” to step aside, says Jeff Kingston, the Director of Asian Studies at Temple University Japan.

Who will be Japan’s next prime minister?

Fumio Kishida, a frontrunner to win the Liberal Democratic Party’s (LDP) leadership election and become Japan’s next prime minister, is pictured on Sept. 14, 2020 in Tokyo, Japan. Eugene Hoshiko–Pool/Getty Images Japan has a parliamentary system, and the LDP and its allies have a strong majority in the lower house of the legislature, the National Diet—which means whomever wins the LDP leadership race will become the next prime minister. However, the new leader will have only a few weeks before he or she will have to face Japanese voters in a general election. Despite Suga’s deep unpopularity, the LDP still dominates politics in Japan, so whomever is picked in the party leadership election is likely to win a four-year term in office.

Several contenders have already indicated they were interested in running for LDP leadership. With Suga gone, even more candidates may emerge, and it’s unclear who is likely to come out on top, observers say. Former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida—who had already said that he would challenge Suga for the party’s presidency—is currently the frontrunner, but that could change quickly as others enter the race, Govella says. Kingston says that although Kishida really wants the job and has made some big promises, like a huge coronavirus stimulus package, he has “zero charisma.” “He’s just an unimpressive guy,” says Kingston. A recent poll by Nikkei Asia found that Taro Kono, a former foreign minister and the country’s vaccine czar, and Shigeru Ishiba, former secretary-general of the ruling party, were ranked as top choices for the LDP’s next presidency. But Kingston says Kono’s is involvement with the vaccination drive—which many in Japan perceived as too slow to start—may hurt his chances, and it’s not clear if Ishiba wants the job.

Japan’s Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Sanae Takaichi has expressed interest in running for the LDP’s top spot, and former defense minister Tomomi Inada has indicated her interest in the past. Kato, of the Rakuten Securities Economic Research Institute, says that although some experts believe Takaichi might be Japan’s first female Prime Minister, she’s unlikely to win this round. Observers have also named Shinjiro Koizumi, the country’s charismatic environment minister and son of former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi as a possible contender, but Kingston says the 40-year-old politician is “just too young.” “Suga’s resignation opens up the race. A lot of people who were hanging back… now, these people are probably going to be reconsidering,” says Kingston.

What does this mean for Japan?

Suga served as his predecessor’s cabinet secretary for eight years before he became prime minister. His decision to step aside marks the end of an era for Japan. “Suga’s resignation actually means the end of the longest administration in Japanese constitutional history—Abe’s administration,” Kato says. Despite uncertainty over who will take over the LDP from Suga, experts say that the change in leadership might not be all that significant. “I think there are signs that the LDP is going to retain its majority, but they figure they’ll do better under a fresh face, rather than Suga who’s been looking pretty weary lately,” says Kingston. Says Govella: “Despite Suga’s departure, we are likely to see a great deal of continuity in Japanese politics given the dominance of the LDP and the need for the next prime minister to focus on Japan’s coronavirus response.” (Courtesy: TIME)

HAF On A Campaign To Dismantle Negative Image Of Hinduism

Staff ReporterCulture, Religion 0

An Indian American advocacy group is keen on spreading awareness on the raising ‘Hinduphobia’, that has been scaring the community across the world. One of the main perpetrators of this new fear is the popularity of Narendra Modi-led BJP party, which has been force-feeding the idea of Hinduism. In order to clear this negative image of the Hindus, Hindu American Foundation (HAF) is heading a campaign targeting universities across the US inviting them for a virtual conference titled Dismantling Global Hindutva (DGH), scheduled for September 10–12.

The petition to university and college authorities raises concerns over Hinduphobia. “The DGH organizers trade on the prestige of your institution’s name to host, not an academic conference, but a partisan event related to politics in India. The event platforms activists with extensive histories of amplifying Hinduphobic discourse even while denying the existence of Hinduphobia,” the petition states.A prominent Indian American state senator from Ohio, Niraj Antani, has thanked HAF for leading the charge against this bigotry, in a statement. He has himself strongly condemned hosting the ‘Dismantling Global Hindutva’ conference.

HAF’s executive director, Suhag Shukla told reports that while the organization was not asking that the event be canceled or that scholar-activists from the institutions not be allowed to participate; but institutionally, there was a duty to encourage a diversity of viewpoints alongside academic freedom and free speech. “We need to be sure that Hindu students, staff, and faculty at each of these institutions are supported through all of this. The recent example of Rashmi Samant, a student from India in the UK, being stripped of her position as the student union president at Oxford University is an overt example of the harm this kind of political activism promulgated by scholar-activists can result in,” Shukla said.

The initial effort by HAF to send emails to university presidents delivered slightly more than 928,000 emails in the span of 48 hours. The response was so robust that HAF was forced to move to collect signatures for a petition to be delivered to the same group of university administrators. “We support the rights of academics in their individual capacity to engage in political activism concerning India. But leave universities, and by extension university departments, centers, and institutes out because, aside from potentially violating tax-exempt status, it stifles open enquiry,” said Shukla. “Students and faculty must have the freedom to explore questions, posit ideas, and express opinions without being viewpoint policed or fear of being labeled a “supremacist” or “extremist” by the loudest amongst them and then paying a professional price.” Four universities responded to HAF’s campaign and confirmed their name and logo was used in an unauthorized manner and that event organizer were requested to remove the logos. These include Boston College, Dalhousie University, Princeton University, and the University of Massachusetts, Boston.

According to HAF: “What was alarming about this event, was the way in which they try to mask the latent Hinduphobia of the stated purpose of the event, the speakers, and the topics. The Hindutva harassment manual actively denies Hinduphobia when there is incontrovertible evidence of anti-Hindu hatred.” The organization has launched a multi-pronged effort on this issue, both national and local in America, which includes an unprecedented response through letter-writing campaigns, petitions and individual stakeholder outreach to students, faculty, alumni and donors of the universities. “We urge universities to take this entire episode seriously and understand that their faculty irresponsibly and falsely labeling tens of thousands of people exercising their own right to free speech and assembly as “fascists” and “supremacists” is endangering an ethno-religious minority in the US,” Shukla said.

Today, Dharma-based organizations including those of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist and Jain traditions from around the world, are pleased to announce the addition of another major festival, indeed an entire month of festivals, in October as the Hindu Heritage Month. Hindus represent one of the newest and the fastest growing immigrant communities in the United States and Canada. Backed by a rock-solid family structure and love for education, they are fully integrated into every aspect of their adopted society, enriching it with not only outstanding professional contributions but also rich cultural heritage. From the elegant ethnic wear to delicious food to festivals like Holi and Diwali, their diverse and rich culture has impressed all in the Western world.

Based on the “open source” model, the celebration of Hindu Heritage Month will be a showcase for the diversity that is so fundamental to Hindu civilization. Each participating organization will decide the manner as well as the schedule of their event(s). On a given day, there may be several events taking place in different parts of the United States and Canada. Celebrations may take many forms – cultural programs, fashion shows, webinars, multi-day conferences, walkathons and more, the choices being limited only by our imagination. Some events may be conducted in-person but the majority will be virtual, given the Covid-19 situation. Participation is open to all organizations, businesses and individuals that identify with the Sanatan (everlasting) values embodied in Hindu dharma. More than 30 organizations have already joined hands in this exciting celebration of our shared heritage; many more are expected to join in the near future.

Dr. Jai Bansal, Vice President – World Hindu Council of America, and one of the organizers of this event, underscores the fact that the Hindu community is, by nature, rather unassuming. However, with second and third generations now making their mark in their adopted lands, the time has come for the Hindu community to come out of their shell and talk about its rich cultural heritage and important role in making the multitude of contributions to every aspect of the fabric of the adopted lands. Welcoming the decision of the organizers to hold this month-long event, President of the Hindu Student Council (HSC) Arnav Kejriwal said, “HSC is extremely excited about the Hindu Heritage Month. The American experience is all about sharing and learning each of our unique cultures, traditions and histories. We will get to see so many communities graciously tell their unique stories in the course of a dedicated history and awareness month, and I am ecstatic about the prospect of seeing the Hindu American community offering our own stories in return.”

Putting the celebration in perspective, General Secretary of the World Hindu Council of America (VHPA) Amitabh VW Mittal said, “The Vedic Sanatan Dharma — which is, with a limited capacity of understanding, referred to as Hinduism — represents the only continuous civilization that has survived the test of time for tens of thousands of years. There is no single book that one can consult to get what the Hindu philosophy is, as it is constantly evolving and its contribution to the human civilization is unmeasurable; its vibrance in fact runs the risk of being misinterpreted. The Hindu Heritage Month will give an opportunity to the world to understand how open and free this philosophy is, which is quite often limited misrepresented by the tag ‘religion’.”

Seeing this as the community’s chance to communicate to the world in general and the United States and Canada in particular, President of Hindu University of America Kalyan Viswanathan said, “The Hindu Heritage Month is a great opportunity for the Hindu community to remember our collective  journey so far — from the ancient Vedic times, our own golden eras, through the trials and tribulations of conquests and colonization — and look optimistically forward at the opportunity we have for recovering and rearticulating the Hindu worldview for future generations. Amidst the celebrations, I hope we can reflect on what it means to be Hindu in the modern world: whether it is just a matter of being of a certain ethnicity or we have something to say, something to contribute that may just be of immeasurable value to all of humanity.”

General Secretary of Coalition of Hindus of North America (COHNA) Shobha Swami made a point about the diversity of the culture that is going to be celebrated the whole of October. “Multi- generational Hindus from different parts of the world who call the US their home add to the color of the ethnic tapestry here. They would like to showcase their vibrance in arts, dance, music, yoga, meditation, mindfulness, Ayurveda and food in all its richness for this month-long celebration in October,” she said. Any organization that wishes to participate in the HHM celebration is requested to register as a partner on our website: www.hindumonth.org.

Dismantling Global Hindutva Conference Planned at Over 50 Universities Creates Controversy

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An international conference entitled “Dismantling Global Hindutva: Multidisciplinary Perspective,” which is co-sponsored by over 70 centers and departments at more than 50 universities, forced Hindus groups to urge it supporters to sign a letter to request sponsoring universities to disavow the “Anti-Hindu Conference” scheduled for Sept. 10-12, 2021. “The organizers of the Dismantling Global Hindutva conference are proud to announce that, despite a massive campaign of disinformation, support for this timely conference on Hindutva ideology has only grown,” organizers of the Dismantling Global Hindutva Conference said on their website. “When the attack began, the conference was backed by 45+ departments and centers from 41 universities. Now, we have the support of 70+ cosponsoring entities from 53 universities. More cosponsors are expected to join.” For a list of all cosponsors see: www.dismantlinghindutva.com.

Meanwhile, Hindu Mandir Executives’ Conference, known as HMEC, is continuing with its campaign to stop the conference. “Hindutva is Hindu + Tattva, or essence of Hindu dharma.  It is a manifestation of Hindu dharma in our daily lives inspiring us to reach out in compassion to all creatures beyond our individual selves.  There is, however, a concerted effort to malign this term and under its guise to attack Hindus,” HMEC said. “For example, the previous attempt in this series was, “Holi Against Hindutva” on campuses two years ago.  The same group is already contemplating, “Diwali Against Hindutva”.  This attack on Hindutva is along the lines of various attempts to divide American Hindus based on “caste”. Conference organizers are hosting panels on a number of topics, including Caste, Gender and Sexuality, Political Economy and Propaganda, among others. “Trolls belonging to extremist groups have openly threatened violence against speakers and their families. We unilaterally condemn all such efforts to intimidate and harass individuals,” conference organizers have said.

“Given that so much misinformation has been spread, we want to reiterate: No speaker is being paid to take part in the conference. Speakers have been invited on the strength of their scholarly research or their work as public intellectuals.” “All speakers are experts on South Asia. Within that framework, the conference program covers a range of topics and questions, as can be seen on our website. This conference is an entirely academic endeavor, organized by professors who study India and are based at the various North American and European universities listed on our website.” Cosponsoring faculty include: Gyanendra Pandey (Emory), Partha Chatterjee (Columbia), Sudipta Kaviraj (Columbia), Ashley Cohen (USC), Anustup Basu (UIUC), Zahid R. Chaudhary (Princeton), Ben Conisbee Baer (Princeton), Anjali Arondekar (UC Santa Cruz), Poulomi Saha (UC Berkeley), Suchitra Vijayan (Polis Project), Gyan Prakash (Princeton), Chandrima Chakraborty (McMaster), Ajay Parasram (Dalhousie).

“The conference aims to examine the beliefs and actions that constitute Hindutva, a political ideology that originated in the early twentieth century. Hindutva seeks to reduce the myriad practices of Hinduism to a singular notion of Hindu power in a putatively Hindu motherland. The conference will highlight the transnational and global implications of Hindutva, including its growing reach in the Indian diaspora. Panels (listed on our website) will explore a variety of interlinked topics that address the phenomenon of Hindutva,” conference organizers said.  “Scholars, journalists, and activists will examine the historical development of Hindutva, the fascist dimensions of the ideology, its alignment with other supremacist movements, and its stakes across a range of political, socio-cultural, and economic issues. The conference will also examine histories of dissent against Hindutva. Dalit and Feminist traditions have long resisted the singular narrative of Hinduism adopted by Hindutva ideologues. A broader coalition of activists from progressive communities have mobilized to enable both material and ideological divestment from Hindutva. Drawing inspiration from such collectivities, we expect to discuss resources for anti-Hindutva pedagogy.”

Conference organizers said that nearly 1,000 academics and intellectuals have declared their support for the conference, including Partha Chatterjee, Thomas Blom Hansen, Veena Das, Arjun Appadurai, Sheldon Pollock, Judith Butler, Angela Davis, Cornel West, and Arundhati Roy.

“The conference has also received letters of support from over 40 community organizations in the global Indian diaspora, as well as letters of support from scholars of genocide, mass violence, and human rights. All letters of support are available on the conference website. Not a single serious scholar has opposed the conference, or indeed supported the canard that Hinduism is under attack.” Hindu group HMEC said that it is shocking that the “Dismantling Global Hindutva” event is supposedly sponsored by forty-five Universities and/or various departments or institutes within these universities. “The Universities are supposed to be space spaces for Hindu youth.  However, there is no question that this conference will make it much less safe for them,” HMEC said, urging it supporters and followers to sign a  collective letter on behalf of temple or as a temple leader.  The letter is available at: https://hmec.info/hmecletter

Pope Francis Rules Out Early Resignation

Staff ReporterProfile, Religion 0

“Whenever a pope is ill, there is always a breeze or a hurricane of conclave,” the 84-year-old Francis quipped during the interview with Carlos Herrera of the Spanish radio COPE that aired Wednesday (Sept. 1). Later in the interview, the pope acknowledged that “the danger is always there” for his words to be interpreted mistakenly. “I don’t know where they got it from last week that I was going to resign!” Francis said, adding that the thought “didn’t even cross my mind.” Still, the pope voiced gratitude for the health professionals who treated him during his surgery and recovery. “Thank God it was taken in time, and here I am,” Francis said, noting that it was a Vatican nurse who first diagnosed the ailment that required surgery. “It is the second time in my life that a nurse has saved my life,” he said, recalling that a nurse in Argentina administered antibiotics for him when he was sick with the flu in 1957.

In an hour-long, wide-ranging interview, Pope Francis addressed the consequences of the U.S. retreat from Afghanistan, relations with China and his ongoing efforts to reform the Catholic Church, while dismissing rumors that he would be the second pope in eight years to resign. The rumors began circling in Italian and Latin American media outlets after a planned surgery on July 6 to remove part of his left colon and the following hospital stay of a total of 11 days. The pope will be traveling to Hungary and Slovakia Sept. 12-15 and is scheduled to visit Glasgow, Scotland, for the COP26 summit on the environment. Francis said he hopes the meeting of world leaders “will now raise its sights a bit and bring us more in line” with environmental goals, after the tepid reception of the Paris Agreement signed in 2016.

The pope also addressed the “difficult situation” in Afghanistan, which has spiraled into chaos after the retreat of U.S. troops in mid-August. Since then, the Catholic Church has been active in providing charitable aid and humanitarian corridors to help Afghans seeking a safe haven elsewhere. “Not all eventualities were taken into account here … or it seems, I don’t want to judge,” Francis said, suggesting that there may have been “a lot of deception perhaps on the part of the new authorities” in the war-torn country. The pope repeated his call for Catholic faithful to commit to “prayer, penance and fasting, which is what is asked for in moments of crisis.”

The pope quoted Russian President Vladimir Putin, though he mistakenly attributed his words to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, stating that “it is necessary to put an end to the irresponsible policy of intervening from outside and building democracy in other countries, ignoring the traditions of the peoples.” The misquoted words were “concise and conclusive,” the pope said, and rang with “wisdom.” A large part of the interview was dedicated to Francis’ financial and administrative reforms at the Vatican. His efforts, and those of his predecessors, will be enshrined in a long awaited apostolic constitution, “Praedicate Evangelium” (Preach the Gospel).“It’s nearly finished, but it got delayed with this thing about my illness,” the pope said, adding that people mustn’t hold their breath in the hopes of something new.

Asked whether the devil is responsible for the corruption being investigated at the Vatican, Francis said that “the devil runs around everywhere, but I’m most afraid of the polite devils.” On July 27, the Vatican began a trial against 10 individuals accused of fraud, money laundering and embezzlement, among other crimes. Among them is Cardinal Angelo Becciu, once the third-highest-ranking prelate at the Vatican.   “I hope with all my heart that he is innocent,” Francis said of Becciu, whom he stripped of his cardinal rights but not his title in September of last year. The pope said that he has regard for Becciu personally and views him as a collaborator, but that ultimately “justice will decide.” “I am not afraid of transparency or the truth. Sometimes it hurts, and a lot, but the truth is what sets us free,” the pope said about his decision to proceed in the trial. “Let’s hope that these steps we are taking in Vatican justice will help to make these events happen less and less,” he added.

He addressed the tensions surrounding his latest decree, “Traditionis Custodes,” which greatly restricted the celebration of the pre-Vatican II Mass in Latin. Explaining the process of discernment that preceded the document, the pope said that bishops found that the traditional Mass was being transformed “from a pastoral thing to ideology.” According to the pontiff, the old Latin rite was no longer serving communities in transition from an old way of doing things to the modern liturgy that emerged from the Second Vatican Council, but to indoctrinate young priests. “We had to react with clear norms,” Francis said, “clear norms that put a limit to those who had not lived that experience.”

The pope also briefly addressed the diplomatic relationship between the Vatican and China, which recently renewed a provisional agreement that also tackles the controversial issue of bishop appointments. “China is not easy, but I am convinced that we should not give up dialogue,” the pope said, while admitting that “you can be deceived in dialogue, you can make mistakes, all that … but it is the way.” Francis said that “slowly” progress has been made in the tense relationship with Beijing, “but these are also steps that can be questionable and the results on one side or the other.”

Thiru Vignarajah Named CEO Of Capital Plus Financial

Staff ReporterFinance/Economy, Profile 0

Sri Lankan American Thiru Vignarajah, who recently fell short in the race for the Baltimore, Maryland, mayoral race last year, was named to a post in the financial industry. Vignarajah, the former federal and state prosecutor who has run high-profile campaigns for mayor of Baltimore and Baltimore City state’s attorney in recent years, Aug. 30 was named the chief executive officer at Capital Plus Financial, a community development financial institution and subsidiary of Crossroads Systems, Inc.

“Thiru’s personal journey and record of leadership and service embody the values that define Capital Plus,” former Capital Plus Financial CEO Eric Donnelly, who will remain CEO of the holding company, Crossroads Systems Inc., said in a statement. “It is hard to imagine a better person to help write the next chapter of our remarkable story.” Capital Plus bills itself as a company dedicated to closing the wealth gap in the U.S., according to a local Patch report.

The company said its loan portfolio balance grew to more than $130 million over the past year, and that it helped small businesses survive the pandemic by approving nearly 480,000 federal Paycheck Protection Program loans amounting to $7.6 billion, more than 80 percent of which went directly to companies and independent contractors of color, the report notes.

“Capital Plus has emerged as a national leader in tackling the barriers that fuel the racial wealth gap, from access to capital and low financial literacy to discrimination in mortgage lending and lack of credit history,” Vignarajah said in a statement. “This is a pioneering community financial institution that is not just talking about these longstanding problems, but finding ways to solve them. I am honored by the opportunity to build on this success and continue this mission-driven work,” he said.

Arctic Warming Can Cause Severe Winter Weather

Staff ReporterEnvironment, Science 0

A new study has now pointed out that these changes in the Arctic region induced by anthropogenic global warming have disrupted a wind system called Stratospheric Polar Vortex (SPV). In the recent past, the Arctic region has warmed rapidly and studies have shown that the temperatures in the region have risen about twice as fast as global temperatures. This phenomenon is termed Arctic amplification and multiple factors including increased greenhouse gas emissions and atmospheric transport of heat to the region play important roles. Recently, researchers from India and Brazil noted that this Arctic warming was behind the heatwaves in India. The warming was found to have an impact on the frequency and intensity of heat waves. Though very counterintuitive, there have also been a few studies stating that this Arctic warming has propelled the cold winter spells in North America.

A new study has now pointed out that these changes in the Arctic region induced by anthropogenic global warming have disrupted a wind system called Stratospheric Polar Vortex (SPV). This stretching of SPV can lead to extreme cold events in parts of Asia and North America. The report published Friday in Science adds that this SPV disruption was behind the February 2021 Texas cold wave. “The SPV consists of strong westerly winds from 10km to 50km above the surface. It peaks at around 50 m/s on average near 50km and is strongest in mid-winter, however, on occasion it can weaken, and sometimes the winds reverse direction entirely,” explains one of the authors Prof. Chaim Garfinkel in an email to indianexpress.com. He is the Head of the Graduate Program in Atmospheric Science at Hebrew University, Israel. He adds that these stretching events almost certainly occurred before greenhouse gas emissions began increasing, but the current emissions are leading to an increase in the occurrence of these types of events.

Lead author Judah Cohen told theguardian.com: “When the polar vortex is nice and circular, that’s a sign all the cold air is bottled up over the Arctic…When it stretches like this, a piece of it goes into Asia and a piece of it goes towards eastern North America. So that’s what we’re seeing. And that was what happened with the Texas cold wave.” A reversal of the polar vortex is known to bring warm winter temperatures in Southern Asia. When asked if the disruption can have an effect on India, Dr Cohen told indianexpress.com that the polar vortex stretching events are associated with relatively cold temperatures in Central and East Asia but there are no strong signals in India. “If anything these events might slightly favour relatively mild temperatures,” he adds.

The team is currently studying the various dynamics of this disruption. “Our modelling work needs to be elaborated to explore stronger forcings that might occur by the end of the century,” adds Prof. Garfinkel. The team writes that by identifying the precursor pattern to these stretching events, we can extend the warning lead time of cold extremes in Asia, Canada, and the United States. “Preparing for only a decrease in severe winter weather can compound the human and economic cost when severe winter weather does occur,” concludes the report.

 

Virat Kohli Wins Max In SENA Countries After Triumph At The Oval

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India captain Virat Kohli achieved a remarkable milestone on Monday. As India defeated England in the fourth Test by 157 runs at The Oval, he became the Asian captain with most number of wins (6) in SENA countries. He is already the most successful Indian Test captain, having surpassed MS Dhoni in 2019. Over the course of his captaincy career, Kohli has recorded three Test wins in the UK, two in Australia and one in South Africa. Former Pakistan captains Javed Miadad and Wasim Akram had won four matches each in SENA countries.

India defeated England by 157 runs in the fourth Test at The Oval to take an unbeatable 2-1 lead in the five-match series. England began the final day at 77/0, needing 291 runs to win. Openers Haseeb Hameed and Rory Burns got to their fifties but once they were dismissed, it was all downhill for England. In the second session, England lost four wickets for six runs en route to losing 6 for just 62 runs. Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja, two wickets each, were the wreckers-in-chief in that afternoon session, cleaning up England’s middle-order with a fuss. At the end, it was Umesh Yadav’s three-for that cleaned up England’s tail and sealed a famous win for India. Amidst all this, let’s not forget Shardul Thakur’s brace, which included the all-important scalps of Burns and Joe Root.

Over the course of his captaincy career, Kohli has recorded three Test wins in the UK, two in Australia and one in South Africa. Kohli now also holds the record of most Test win by an Asian captain in and against England. With the victory at The Oval on Sunday, Kohli surpassed the likes of Imran Khan, Javed Miadad, Kapil Dev, Misbah-ul-Haq and Wasim Akram to achieve this feat.

Asian Captains with most Test wins in and against England
Virat Kohli 3
Imran Khan 2
Javed Miadad 2
Kapil Dev 2
Misbah-ul-Haq 2
Wasim Akram 2

Zoya Afroz Crowned As The Miss India International 2021

Staff ReporterEntertainment, Fashion, Women 0

Twenty-six-year-old Zoya Afroz from Mumbai was crowned as the Miss India International 2021 during a glittering pageant, organized by Glamanand Supermodel India on August 21 at Kingdom of Dreams, Gurugram, Haryana, India. Zoya also bagged three sub-titles, namely ‘Best in Evening Gown’ and ‘Miss Glamorous Eyes’ and ‘Top Model’. Zoya Afroz, who promotes Girl child education and financial independence, and wants women to acquire basic knowledge and the right to opportunity, will now represent India at Miss International in November 2021 in Yokohama City, Japan.  Zoya Afroz’s journey in showbiz started early. She started working as a child artiste in the television series Kora Kagaz in 1998 and went onto do hit films such as Hum Saath Saath Hain (1999), Mann (1999) and Kuch Naa Kaho (2003).

The 24 stunning national finalists from different parts of India who had competed at the prestigious pageant included Zoya Afroz, Archana Ravi, Aishwarya Dikshit, Naina Vijay Sharma, Tanya Sinha, Sejal Renake, Himani Gaikwad, Megha Shetty, Megha Julka, Deeksha Narang, Shivani Tak, Saachi Gurav, Asmita Chakraborty, Tanu Shree, Shweta Shinde, Hannah Tamalapakula, Susang Sherpa, Disha Shamwani, Isha Vaidya, Annu Bhati, Arushi Singh, Divija Gambhir, Shalini Rana, Anisha Sharmathe. Divija Gambhir was crowned Miss India Multinational 2021 and Tanya Sinha was crowned Miss India Globe 2021. Asmita Chakraborty and Anisha Sharma were crowned as the first and second runner-ups, at the end of the event, respectively. Divija Gambhir is a 21-year-old who started her own community which helps the stray dogs find shelter and food. She aims to become the voice of the voiceless, is a trained dancer and enjoys modelling. Tanya Sinha will represent India at Miss Globe International. She’s 23-year-old from Jharkhand and holds the advocacy of addressing the issue of untouchability especially in rural areas.

Glamanand Supermodel India is one of the three major pageants of India having one of the Big four franchise under the national pageant. Glamanand is a national preliminary to the biggest International pageants in the world, including Miss International, Miss Multinational, Miss Earth, Miss Grand International, Miss Intercontinental, Miss Globe International, Miss and other international pageants. The competition was judged by Editor-in-Chief of TMM Magazine Kartikya Arora, Businessman Yash Raj Tongia, Amit Karkhanis, Miss India International 2019 Simrithi Bathija, Miss India Multinational 2019 Tanvi Malhara, Rekha Vohra and Varun Katyal.

Zoya Afroz was born in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India to her parents, Shadaab Afroz and Saleha Afroz. She studied at R N Shah High School in Mumbai and earned her bachelor’s degree in commerce from Mithibai College in Vile Parle, Mumbai, India. Zoya started her career from Indian commercials, films and television series. In 1999, she starred in the films “Hum Saath Saath Hain” and “Mann.” In 2000, she starred in the TV series “Jai Mata Ki.” Along with that in 2001, she played Mukta in the Hindi film “Sant Gyaneshwar. Continually in 2003, she played Aarya in the Hindi film “Kuch Naa Kaho.” In 2004, she played Dimples in the TV series “Son Pari.”In 2005, she played the title role in the English film “From Tia With Love.” In 2012, she played Channo in the Punjabi film “Sadi Gali Aaya Karo.”

She was Femina Miss Indore in 2013 and at Femina Miss India 2013, s he was second runner-up. She was named Beauty Queen of the Year at the 2013 Bharat Ratna Dr Ambedkar Awards. Joining the Miss International pageant has always been dream of Zoya. In fact, she has been waiting for this opportunity since 2013. Zoya took to her social media to share her crowning news as she wrote, “Proud to announce – I will be representing INDIA at the 60th Miss International. So grateful for this opportunity to live my dream. Thank you Glamanand Supermodel India.”

Ending 20-Years-Old War, All American Troops Leave Afghanistan

Staff ReporterGlobal, Nation USA 0

The last US military planes have left Afghanistan, Commander of US Central Command, Gen. Frank McKenzie announced Monday, August 30th at the Pentagon. The US departure marks the end of a fraught, chaotic and bloody exit from the United States’ longest war.”I’m here to announce the completion of our withdrawal from Afghanistan, and the end of the military mission to evacuate American citizens, third country nationals, and vulnerable Afghans,” McKenzie told reporters. “The last C-17 lifted off from Hamid Karzai International Airport on August 30th, this afternoon, at 3:29 p.m. East Coast time, and the last manned aircraft is now clearing the airspace above Afghanistan.”

Nearly 20 years after the US invaded Afghanistan to avenge the terror attacks of September 11, 2001, and strike at al Qaeda and the Taliban, which hosted Osama bin Laden, another American administration is leaving the country in the control of Taliban militants who still maintain close ties to al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations. President Joe Biden said the mission was accomplished years ago, with the killing of Osama bin Laden and the degrading of Al Qaeda. He said he would no longer put American troops in the middle of a civil war.

The US will only engage with the Taliban government if it is in “our vital national interest”, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said. He said Washington will not work with the Taliban “on the basis of trust or faith” but on what it does with respect to its commitments for free travel for Afghans, protecting the rights of different groups including women, and preventing terror groups from gaining a stronghold. “Any legitimacy will have to be earned,” he said. The departure marks the first time in nearly two decades that the US and its allies have not had troops on the ground in Afghanistan and — after $2 trillion in spending and nearly 2,000 US troops killed in action — the pullout raises questions about the utility of a war that saw the service of parents and then their grown children.

With no US diplomats remaining in the country a senior State Department official said that they expected the US Embassy in Kabul to suspend embassy operations upon the end of the military retrograde but said “that doesn’t mean that we are suspending any commitments to American citizens in Afghanistan, to at risk Afghans, to the Afghan people.” Even as Biden pulls the US from the country, Afghanistan looks likely to shadow him politically and engage him militarily — on Monday, White House officials said the President is continuing the hunt for terrorists in the country, telling his military commanders to “stop at nothing” to avenge the deaths of 13 US service members at Kabul airport last week.

Enter your email to sign up for CNN’s The Point with Chris Cillizza. More than 122,000 people have been airlifted from Hamid Karzai International Airport since July, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters, including 5,400 Americans. A senior State Department official said the department believes there are fewer than 250 American citizens currently in Afghanistan who may wish to leave, as US officials stressed a Taliban commitment to let Afghans leave the country after the US and allies’ withdrawal. The State Department official put the number of American citizens who have left the country through evacuation flights or other means closer to 6,000. In the 24 hours leading up to Monday morning, 26 military C-17 aircraft lifted off from Kabul carrying 1,200 evacuees, according to Gen. Hank Taylor, the deputy director of regional operations for the Joint Staff, who spoke alongside Kirby at a Pentagon briefing earlier Monday.

In total, 28 flights departed from Kabul airport in that 24-hour window, Taylor said.

In the same 24-hour period, the US conducted a drone strike that killed multiple civilians, including children, the Kabul airport was targeted by rocket fire, and military officials continued to warn of active, specific threats to the evacuation effort. The “threat stream is still real. It’s still active, and, in many cases, it’s still specific,” Kirby said at the Monday morning briefing when asked if another attack on the airport was still likely. Taylor added that military operations were continuing with a focus on the security of the US troops in Kabul, and the military would have capability to evacuate Afghans until the very end.

“We’re taking it very seriously and we will right up until the end,” Kirby said.

Along with the military exit, the US is pulling out all diplomatic representation, leaving open the question of whether it will formally recognize the Taliban as the rulers of Afghanistan. The formal military and diplomatic “retrograde” is ending even as the US leaves behind Americans, some of whom did not want to leave and others who may have already left, according to State Department officials, as well as vulnerable Afghans who worked for the US military and now face possible Taliban retaliation. That tragically unfinished business will become part of the broader political challenge that Biden faces as he enters the second half of his first year in office.  The airlift, which started as a seemingly haphazard and hastily organized effort, was scarred by the deaths of 13 service members last week and the death sentence hanging over Afghan translators who helped US troops and diplomats but were unable to escape the country. In addition, Biden’s decision to leave will be shadowed by questions about whether and how well the threat of terrorism emanating from Afghanistan has really been addressed.

The President has already committed to prolonging some US engagement with Afghanistan, telling his military commanders that they should “stop at nothing” to make ISIS pay for the service members’ deaths.  I can tell you that the President has made clear to his commanders that they should stop at nothing to make ISIS pay for the deaths of those American service members at the Kabul airport,” Psaki said at a White House press briefing. Former President Donald Trump had  praised withdrawing US troops from Afghanistan, while knocking his successor’s timeline for doing so. Though the former President offered his support of President Joe Biden’s plans to bring home American troops, he urged his successor to draw an end to America’s longest war well before the September 11 deadline that Biden set last week.

Trump said that while leaving Afghanistan is “a wonderful and positive thing to do,” he had set a May 1 withdrawal deadline and added that “we should keep as close to that schedule as possible.” “I wish Joe Biden wouldn’t use September 11 as the date to withdraw our troops from Afghanistan, for two reasons. First, we can and should get out earlier. Nineteen years is enough, in fact, far too much and way too long,” Trump said, adding: “September 11 represents a very sad event and period for our Country and should remain a day of reflection and remembrance honoring those great souls we lost.” Trump is the latest former commander in chief to weigh in on Biden’s plan, with both former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama having spoken to Biden ahead of his announcement last week. Obama praised Biden’s decision to end the nearly 20-year war, which has spanned all four administrations.

US forces finally withdrew from Afghanistan on Monday, a day ahead of the deadline set by Joe Biden, bringing to an end a deployment which began in the wake of the September 11 attacks two decades ago. The end of the Western military presence – the UK had already pulled out its remaining troops – also concluded the airborne evacuation effort from Kabul, leaving Afghans wanting to escape the Taliban facing an uncertain future. For the 38 million Afghans that remain in the country, there is significant uncertainty over what kind of rule the Taliban will impose. Will they bring back the harsh rules and punishments that characterised their last spell in charge of the country. Many Afghans look at Taliban rule in rural areas and fear that they have not changed, but that they’ve somehow got even worse.

The Taliban proclaimed “full independence” for Afghanistan after the US withdrawal.

The new regime in Afghanistan faces pressure to respect human rights and provide safe passage for those who wish to escape its rule following the passage of a UN Security Council resolution. The council adopted a resolution in New York – with Russia and China abstaining rather than wielding their vetoes – in what the UK hopes is a step towards a unified international response. But the resolution effectively acknowledges that it is now up to the Taliban to decide whether people can leave Afghanistan. The UK’s ambassador to the UN, Dame Barbara Woodward, stressed that “a co-ordinated approach will be vital to counter any extremist threat emanating from Afghanistan”. The humanitarian situation also needs to be urgently addressed – with complete access for UN agencies and aid organizations – and the progress made on human rights in the 20 years since the US-led coalition became involved in Afghanistan must also be protected, she said.

“Today’s resolution is an important step towards a unified international response to the situation in Afghanistan,” Dame Barbara said. “We will continue to build on this to ensure the council holds the Taliban accountable on its commitments. The Taliban will be judged by the international community on the basis of their actions on the ground, not their words.”

Mother Teresa’s Birth Anniversary Celebrated

Staff ReporterCommunity, Profile, Religion, Women 0

Millions of people around the globe celebrated the birth anniversary of Mother Teresa. Sister Mary Prema, Superior General of Missionaries of Charity, the order founded by Saint Teresa, lit candles as members of the Congregation prayed by her tomb in Kolkata, India, Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021. Thursday marked the birth anniversary of Nobel laureate Mother Teresa, a Catholic nun who spent 45-years serving the poor, the sick, the orphaned, and the dying. Founder of Missionaries of Charity, Mother Teresa was born on August 26, 1910. She left her home when she was mere 18 and devoted most part of life working for poor and downtrodden. The missionary founded by her looks after people who are dying of HIV/AIDS, leprosy and tuberculosis. In 1950, she started her own order, “The Missionaries of Charity” after receiving nod from the Holy See. The primary task of the society was to care for those persons nobody wanted to look after. Fifteen years later, the society became an International Religious Family.

Mother Teresa also known as Saint Teresa of Calcutta, but her original name was Anjeze Gonxhe Bojaxhiu. The word “Anjeze” means “a little flower” in Albanian. In 1928, when Mother Teresa was just 18 years old, she left her family to devote her life into social service. She had joined the Sisters of Loreto at Loreto Abbey in Rathfarnhan, Ireland to learn English with the view of becoming a missionary. She never saw her mother or sister after leaving home. Mother Teresa arrived in India in 1929, when she was mere 19. She spent most of her life in India. Mother Teresa was baptized in Skopje a day after her birth. She later started to consider the day of her baptised, August 27, as her “true birthday”.

After arriving in India, Mother Teresa began her novitiate (the period of training and preparation that a Christian novice or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether he or she is called to vowed religious life) in Darjeeling. Mother Teresa learned Bengali and taught at St. Teresa’s School near her convent. She took her religious vows on May 24, 1931 and chose to be named after Therese de Lisieux, the patron saint of missionaries. Though a nun in the convent had already chosen the name, Agnes opted for its Spanish spelling – Teresa. Mother Teresa was disturbed by the poverty surrounding her in Calcutta. On September 10, 1946, Mother Teresa experienced what she later described as “the call within the call” when she travelled by train to the Loreto Convent in Darjeeling from Calcutta for her annual retreat.

Mother Teresa began missionary work with the poor in 1948. She replaced her traditional Loreto habit with a simple white cotton sari that had a blue border. Mother Teresa adopted Indian citizenship. She also spent several months in Patna to attain basic medical training at Holy Family Hospital and ventured to slums. In 1950, Mother Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity, a religious congregation. While teaching poor children in Calcutta, Mother Teresa did not have any supplies or equipment to impart knowledge, yet she managed to teach the children to read and write by writing in the dirt with wooden stick

Mother Teresa rescued 37 children trapped in a front line hospital by brokering a temporary cease-fire between Israel and Palestine. Accompanied by Red Cross workers, she traveled through the war zone to the destroyed hospital to evacuate the young patients. She was fluent in 5 languages – English, Hindi, Bengali, Albanian, and Serbian. During her humanitarian missions, Mother Teresa suffered from numerous diseases and injuries. She had pneumonia, malaria, suffered two heart attacks, and even broke her collar bone. She worked for orphans, AIDS patients, refugees, blind, disabled, alcoholics, poor, homeless, victims of floods and epidemics and famine. Mother Teresa received more than 120 honors and awards during her lifetime including the Ramon Magsaysay Peace Prize in 1962 and Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. Mother Teresa was canonized at a ceremony on September 4, 2016 in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican City.

Independents’ Views On The Economy Pose A Political Risk To Joe Biden

Staff ReporterNation USA 0

Unless you’re a die-hard political science nerd, the date of Aug. 16 probably means nothing to you. I know that I missed it as Kabul fell, Americans struggled to get fellow citizens and allies in the 20 years of war in Afghanistan out of the country and the Dow here at home dropped by almost 1 percentage point in one day of trading on Wall Street. But on that day, by a margin of 0.1%, President Joe Biden’s job approval number, for the first time as President, dropped below 50% in the FiveThirtyEight poll of polls. In other words, it was the first crack in what had to that point suggested Biden had the support of at least half of the country he was leading. And it’s one of those moments when any leader expecting to slide into re-elect mode as early as November of next year starts to get worried.

On its own, the polling slip was—and remains—inconsequential. But it does speak to a humming concern among some Democrats that Biden’s popularity isn’t absolute. The very narrow dip suggests that a break from the Donald Trump-era bombast was welcome for many Americans, but may be insufficient to guarantee a re-election. The economy is on pace to have its strongest calendar-year showing since 1984. But voters don’t believe it: An AP poll from June found 54% of Americans think the economy is in poor shape. If that economic reality isn’t matched with voters’ perceptions, it could leave Democrats in control of the White House, the House and the Senate while holding a rich but rancid bag. The quick collapse of Afghanistan, coming so close to the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, hasn’t helped Biden’s standing. New polling from USA Today, released just Tuesday, found three-quarters of Americans expect Afghanistan to once again become a safe haven for those who would launch terror attacks against the United States. The bombing outside Hamid Karzai International Airport’s Abbey Gate today will do nothing to counter those persistent fears that two decades of Americans’ work in that country have been for naught.

But if you dig a little deeper and a little closer to home, it’s less the implosion half a world away and more the worries around the corner in Americans’ own neighborhoods that are hurting Biden. In particular, independent voters—those who align with neither party—are skittish. In April, 61% of indies approved of Biden’s job performance, according to NBC News’ polling . That figure now stands at 46%. His handling of COVID-19 during that same period among the same independent voters collapsed from 81% to 52%. And his handling of the economy fell from 60% to 45%. Without independents, Biden couldn’t have won in 2020. That bloc, which accounted for 26% of the vote, broke for Biden last year by a 13-point margin.

If the electorate next year looks like it did in 2018, the last midterm vote, independents will account for an even larger chunk. Three years ago, as Democrats took control of the House, indies were 30% of the electorate and broke to Team Blue by 12 points. Democrats at the moment have a razor-thin eight-seat advantage in the House, an upper hand that disappears in an instant if redistricting goes as many Democrats expect. In fact, gerrymandering four Southern states alone could hand Republicans the gavel again in the House. The Senate is split evenly at 50-50, with Vice President Kamala Harris breaking the tie in Democrats’ favor.

History isn’t on Team Blue’s side. In fact, the party that controls the White House typically takes a slagging in its first at-bat under a new President. Democrats picked up a net 41 House seats during Trump’s one midterm test. Republicans picked up 63 seats in Barack Obama’s first electoral report card, and 54 during Bill Clinton’s. (The one notable outlier was 2002, when George W. Bush’s post-9/11 polling glow had even the most partisan Democrats biting their tongue and waving Old Glory. Republicans in that year picked up eight House seats.)

That’s why the White House is so eager to land the ongoing talks about a net $4 trillion in new infrastructure spending. An accord among feuding Democratic factions seems to have been reached this week with some procedural votes that set up a fall passage of twin infrastructure bills. The White House plans to sell them hard. But they also need to be very careful in how they pitch the spending: pumping that much cash into an economy could feed real and perceived fears of inflation .

Both impressions about the state of the economy can be true . While college-educated workers have been able to make the transition to working from home, less-educated workers have seen their jobs in sectors like services and hospitality evaporate. The disappearance of some 8 million jobs during the pandemic has disproportionately hit racial minorities, new college grads and women, especially single mothers who have returned to home to provide childcare. Layer the political coalitions of both parties over this landscape and it’s immediately clear why Democrats have a looming crisis unless they can convince their allies that the recovery has been equitable. First, though, the need to buoy their party’s leader into personal recovery mode. After all, FiveThirtyEight’s meta-poll has him with less than 1 percentage point to spare before he becomes more unpopular than popular.

Dr. B.K. Misra First Indian Receives Lifetime Achievement Award from American Association of Neurological Surgeons

Staff ReporterHealth, Science 0

Well-known Mumbai-based neurosurgeon Dr. B.K. Misra has been conferred the prestigious American Association of Neurological Surgeons’ ‘International Lifetime Achievement Award in Neurosurgery’, an official said here Aug. 26. Misra is the head of the Department of Surgery and Division of Neurosurgery and Gamma Knife Radiosurgery at the P.D. Hinduja Hospital here. He received the International Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) at its Annual Scientific Meeting 2021, Orlando. He is the first Indian ever to be bestowed with this award. The felicitation ceremony was conducted through an online event amidst the pandemic. AANS is the world’s apex body of neurosurgeons. “We have the best of tech, infrastructure and skills at par with the best in the world to treat the most complex neurosurgical conditions and even have the potential to become the destination for neurological treatment,” Misra said on receiving the award.

The hospital’s CEO, Gautam Khanna, lauded Misra’s medical accomplishments and accolades as a testament to his dedication and treating thousands of patients under his care. Misra, president of the Asian Australasian Society of Neurological Surgeons and the World Federation of Skull Base Societies, is also first vice president of the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies. AANS, the world’s most prestigious apex body of neurosurgeons, has bestowed its highest international distinction honoring Dr. Misra’s lifetime of achievements in neurosurgery in India and globally. Dr. Misra is Honorary President of Asian Australasian Society of Neurological Surgeons (AASNS), is the 1st Vice President of World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies (WFNS), and President of the World Federation of Skull Base Societies, all leading international neurosurgical societies.

Dr. Misra has a long list of “firsts” to his name. He was the first to execute Image-Guided Aneurysm Microsurgery globally and the first in South Asia to perform Gamma Knife Radiosurgery. Acoustic Neuroma Surgery, Vascular Neurosurgery (Aneurysm, AVM), Skull Base Surgery, Pituitary Surgery, Gamma Knife Radiosurgery, Awake Craniotomy, Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery, and Surgery of Complex Brain and Spine Disorder are among Dr. B. K. Misra’s areas of expertise in neurosurgical patient care. He was the first neurosurgeon to do Awake Craniotomy for brain tumours in India. He’s also the recipient of the prestigious Dr. B C Roy National Award as Eminent Medical Person of the Year, 2018 (the Highest Medical Award in India).

On the occasion of receiving the award, Dr. B K Misra said, “It’s my privilege and honor to receive the International Lifetime Achievement award from AANS. A recognition like this, from peers, means a lot to me personally and professionally and inspires me further. I would like to express my gratitude to my family and P.D Hinduja Hospital for their constant support and to my patients for having bestowed their trust on me. Today in India, we have the best of technology, infrastructure and skills, at par with the best in the world, to treat the most complex neurosurgical conditions. We have the potential to become a destination for neurological treatment .” With a long string of credits and firsts, he was the first in the world to execute an Image-Guided Aneurysm Microsurgery, first in South Asia to perform a Gamma Knife Radiosurgery, and first in India to perform an Awake Craniotomy for brain tumors. Earlier, Misra received the Dr. B.C. Roy National Award-2018, and contributes through numerous publications to improve the quality of education in neurosurgery and facilitate spreading the treatment for neurosurgical patients in poor countries globally.

Teens In US Are Optimistic About Future

Staff ReporterCommunity, Youth 0

Grigsby’s largely upbeat attitude about the future, combined with a world-weary realism that seems mature beyond her years, is echoed in the findings of a national Washington Post-Ipsos poll of teens ages 14 to 18. While still hopeful about what lies ahead, many teens do not view the current moment so favorably. Fifty-one percent say that now is a bad time to be growing up, compared with 31 percent who answered that way 16 years ago, in a poll of teens conducted by The Post, the Kaiser Family Foundation and Harvard University. Their parents are even more negative, with more than 6 in 10 saying it’s a bad time for teenagers to be growing up.

These young Americans, who are coming of age amid a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic, political and social unrest, growing economic inequality and rising crime, are keenly aware of the country’s problems. Majorities view political divisions, racial discrimination, the cost of health care and gun violence as “major threats” to their generation, according to the new Post-Ipsos poll. Nearly half also rank climate change as a major threat. Some are already trying to make a difference. Heily DeJesus, who lives in Lebanon, Pa., said she dashed from her brother’s high school graduation to a Black Lives Matter protest, where they all took a knee for a selfie as her brother raised his fist in the air. “It felt great to know that we’re a part of making a change for the world,” she remembered. “Even if it’s a small town, we’re still making a change.” The survey of 1,349 teens was conducted online in May and June primarily through Ipsos’s randomly recruited panel of U.S. households. Overall results have a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points, and the relatively large sample allows comparison of White, Black, Hispanic and Asian teens.

These young people are part of what is likely the most diverse cohort in the nation’s history. New Census Bureau data shows that the country’s under-18 population is majority-minority for the first time, with White children making up 47.3 percent of that age group compared with 53.5 percent in 2010. Their childhoods have been marked by racial justice protests and a growing societal acceptance of LGBTQ people. Most also perceive significant discrimination against a wide range of groups in American society. Black and transgender people topped the list, with about 6 in 10 teens saying Black people are treated unfairly very or somewhat often and an almost equal share saying the same thing about transgender people. But even given such looming challenges, the optimism of teens runs through the poll findings, especially when it comes to what the future holds for their own lives.

Nine in 10 teens say they are very or fairly likely to achieve a good standard of living as an adult, while nearly half still believe their opportunities to succeed in life are better than their parents’ were. About 4 in 10 believe they are about the same, while fewer than 2 in 10 say their opportunities to succeed in life are worse. Vincent Bornhorst has a rosy view of his future. The 18-year-old, who just graduated from Thomas S. Wootton High School in Rockville, Md., is a freshman at Virginia Tech, majoring in computer science. Earning a college diploma is a top priority, he says, which puts him among the roughly 8 in 10 teens who describe this goal as important. He expects to have about the same opportunity to succeed as his mother, a physician, and his father, a stay-at-home dad. What he doesn’t anticipate: one day becoming rich or famous, especially since he thinks the latter would entail public speaking, which he hates. ‘Overall, even with the omnipresence of social media stars who make achieving celebrity and wealth look as easy as racking up TikTok likes, a significantly smaller percentage of teens today believe they will become rich.

About half think it’s very or fairly likely that they will be rich one day, compared with more than 6 in 10 in 2005. White teens like Bornhorst are among the least likely to expect to become wealthy – with 44 percent predicting they will likely become rich. That number rises slightly to 49 percent for Hispanic teens. By contrast, about three-quarters of Black teens and two-thirds of Asian teens believe they will be rich one day. (Presumably, the notion of the top 1 percent hasn’t quite sunk in yet.) Bornhorst is also among the more than 9 in 10 teens who say it is important to achieve career success and to have enough free time to do the things they want. Some might view the two goals as contradictory, but Bornhorst thinks one requires the other. “I view free time as important to being successful,” he said. “If you’re just working hard all the time 24/7, you’re fairly likely to tire out.” DeJesus experienced that tension firsthand. The high school senior held two jobs to make her car payments during the pandemic on top of hustling at school. “Working all the time was really rough on my mental health.”

In fact, she said, “the whole year was horrible.”

In all, 45 percent of teens say the worst pandemic in a century has had a negative impact on their mental health, while another 45 percent say it had no impact at all and 10 percent say it had a positive impact. Four in 10 teens also report that the spread of the coronavirus had a negative impact on their relationships with friends. About half of teens say pandemic hurt their academics; more say bonds with parents got better than worse Emily Guzman, a 17-year-old senior from New York City, said she fell out with a friend at the beginning of the pandemic, and the social distancing made it harder to reconcile. “One of my friends had to put us into a group chat, and we talked about it,” Guzman said. She said she and her friends communicated during their pandemic isolation via texting and FaceTime. “It was stressful,” she said. “We all went from seeing each other every day to a whole year without seeing them.” Owen Porter, a rising senior in Davis, W.Va., was among those who found a way to stay in touch through gaming — Call of Duty and Minecraft were two of his favorites — and watching movies together on Discord.

“We would stay up till like 2 in the morning watching ‘American Horror Story,’ ” Porter said.

A surprising silver lining: Nearly 4 in 10 teens say the pandemic has had a positive impact on their relationships with their parents, compared with about 1 in 10 who say it had a negative impact and roughly half who say it had no impact. For once, the whole family was at home instead of running off in different directions. There were long stretches of not much to do and more time to talk, some teens said. Steven Townley, a 10th-grader in Augusta, Ga., said his family bonded even more tightly during the pandemic. “I got to spend more time with them and I got to get closer with them,” he said. Even when all of them contracted covid-19 and isolated in their home “we made the best of it.” They all recovered, he said. School did not fare as well with the teens surveyed; about half said the pandemic had a negative impact on their academics. The technology was glitchy at times, remote learning invited slacking for some teens, while others thought teachers weren’t up to the task.

“It felt like we didn’t get enough material. It seemed to change how much they taught us,” said Abigail A., a high school student in North Dakota whose parents allowed her to speak on the condition of partial anonymity because they were concerned about her responses lingering on the Internet. DeJesus said she struggled but still managed to maintain her grades. Pandemic or not, DeJesus believes that if she keeps pushing, she will graduate from college and succeed in life. Her dream: to be a lawyer. “I feel like in the past a lot of people didn’t go to college, they stayed in their towns and said, ‘This is what I’m going to do for the rest of my life,’” said DeJesus, the Puerto Rican daughter of a mechanic who didn’t attend college and a stay-at-home mother who did. “A lot of people [my parents’ age] are struggling right now.” More than half of Hispanic teens like DeJesus, as well as similar majorities of Asian and Black teens, say it is “very important” to graduate from college, compared with about 4 in 10 White teens. The disparity is greater among lower-income households.

Teens who say graduating from college is very important are more likely to believe that the country’s best days are ahead of us, at 48 percent, compared with those who consider it less important, at 39 percent. Overall, a majority of teens — 56 percent — say they believe that the country’s best years are behind us, a shift from 2005, when roughly the same percentage said the country’s best years were still ahead of us. White teens are more apt to believe that the American glory days are gone.

Bornhorst believes life will only get better, largely due to technology and innovation, he said.“We are progressing quite a bit,” he said. “Technology will help us accomplish more things. People will have more spare time.” And yet Americans might be their own worst enemies — quite literally — when it comes to the country’s future, he said. “I feel like the U.S. has a lot of potential that we’re not using to the fullest,” he said. “We’re too divided politically and that is very much slowing down progress.” Bornhorst sees the country’s diversity as a competitive strength and, conversely, racial discrimination as a “major threat” to his generation, he said. His opinions are shared with a majority of his peers. About 6 in 10 teens say political divisions are a major threat to their generation. About the same share the view that racial discrimination as a major threat. The percentages differ widely between White teens and teens of other races and ethnicities. About 2 in 5 White teens say racial discrimination is a major threat, compared with more than 4 in 5 Black teens and more than two-thirds of Hispanic and Asian teens. Roughly 7 in 10 teens whose parents were not born in the United States perceive racial discrimination as a major threat.

Townley is struck by how quick some Americans are to judge — not only people of color but Whites, too, he said. “Some people do things they shouldn’t, and people see that and automatically think that everybody who looks like that person acts the same way. … It’s like judging a book by its cover,” said Townley, who is of Vietnamese descent and one of several children of color adopted by his White parents. Tha’keysha Murphy, an African American senior in Copperas Cove, Tex., believes that Whites are rarely treated unfairly, a view shared by 56 percent of all teens polled, including 43 percent of White teens and large majorities of minority teens. Murphy, 17, said she has noticed that’s particularly true at her school when punishment is meted out. She recalled a recent argument between a White student and an Asian student that turned into a physical fight. Although Murphy perceived that both students played an equal role, “the White person got off easier.”

About 1 in 5 teens say they have been treated unfairly over the past year due to their race and ethnicity. DeJesus had such an experience. She said she was speaking in Spanish with a family member on the phone while shopping at a local outlet mall when a White person screamed at her to “go back to my country,” she said. “It’s always the same thing,” DeJesus said. “They say our people should go back to our country, but I don’t think they know Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory.” DeJesus put her anti-racist views into action last year by joining the Black Lives Matter protest, among the 12 percent of teens who said they have attended a BLM rally. Sixty-one percent said they support the movement, according to the teen survey, about the same percentage of adults who said they did in a 2020 Washington Post-ABC News poll. Grigsby, the teen from rural Minnesota who describes her heritage as African American,

European, Jewish and Indigenous, said her consciousness was raised about racism long before Floyd’s murder. As a 10-year-old in her predominantly White elementary school, she said she was “bullied and called the n-word” and physically attacked by her classmates. Her family’s protests were ignored, Grigsby said, so they filed a discrimination complaint with the state Department of Human Rights in 2015, which ended with a settlement in 2018. “It definitely hardened my character and made me more resilient and aware,” said Grigsby, who in the wake of Floyd’s murder co-led a walkout at her school and formed an advocacy group that, among other goals, seeks to ensure the hiring of more teachers of color. Abigail, who is White, believes that the discrimination can work both ways. It seems that barely a few days go by, she said, before she reads news that a member of a minority group has accused a White person of racism. She blames the media for creating division by too often pointing out the racial backgrounds of alleged victims and perpetrators.

She used to think more like a Democrat, she said, but gradually has come to adopt the perspective of her father, who is conservative. Perhaps not surprising for a generation that is particularly close to their elders, teens frequently echo their parents’ political beliefs. Two-thirds of teens whose parents lean toward the Democratic Party also say they lean that way, while about 6 in 10 teens whose parents lean Republican say they also lean Republican. Just 3 percent of teens say they lean toward the rival political party of their parents. Teens’ political leanings also affected their responses. For example, 72 percent of teens who said they were closer to the Democratic Party perceived climate change as a major threat, while only 17 percent of Republican-leaning teens did. “God creates the climate,” said Townley, who like his Reformed Baptist parents considers himself conservative. Teens’ political beliefs heavily influence what they think of President Biden and former president Donald Trump. A large majority of Democratic-leaning teens say Biden is doing a good job and that Trump did a bad job, and a large majority of Republican-leaning teens say the opposite.

Trump “built the economy better and made sure we had our vaccine so that people could make the decision about whether to take it,” Abigail said. Meanwhile, Biden is handling immigration poorly, she said. “He stopped building the wall and now a lot of people are getting in.” But Abigail does not believe such differences of opinion need to lead to political divisions, which she considers a “major threat” to her generation, a view shared by roughly two-thirds of both Republican and Democratic-leaning teens. “I know that people say there is a big gap between the two,” she said, “but I feel like there could be more common ground.” Grigsby sees a third path, along with roughly half of teens who say they do not lean toward either major political party. “Democrats are a lot of talk and don’t do very much,” said Grigsby, who leans socialist like her mother. “The Republicans, they do things, but they do things that harm the culture and marginalized people.” To Grigsby, Biden is best defined by what he’s not: Trump.

A self-described news junkie, Grigsby quickly rattled off what she perceives as Trump’s transgressions, from his handling of the pandemic — “He lied about it and called it a hoax” — to his attitudes on race. “He said ‘when the looting starts, the shooting starts.’ But if I understand correctly, he did not denounce what Kyle Rittenhouse did in Kenosha, Wisconsin.” And, finally: “He incited an insurrection and endangered his own vice president.” As she watched Trump’s supporters storm the Capitol on Jan. 6, Grigsby said, “I just remember thinking that this whole country is in shambles.” She worried that perhaps the racism of the past would become a fixture in the future. In the months since, the teen has come to think of the forces of white supremacy and the countervailing power of anti-racism as two magnets held in suspension, neither overtaking the other. Yet Grigsby remains mostly optimistic that teens like her — neither Democrats nor Republicans but fully committed to equality — might be the ones to finally break the logjam. (Courtesy: Washington Post)

AAPI Launches Adopt-A-Village, A Rural Health Initiative In India Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu & Consul Generals From All 5 Consulates In US Applaud AAPI’s Efforts

Staff ReporterCommunity, Health 0

Continuing with its magnificent efforts to help their motherland, members of American Associati9on of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), the premier medical organization in the United States initiated Adopt-A-Village, a Rural Health Initiative in India during a virtual launch event on Friday, August 27, 2021. Chaired by, Dr. Satheesh Kathula, the much needed and popular program has Dr. Anupama Gotimukula, Dr. Jagan Ailinani and Dr. Ram Singh as members of the Committee.

In a rare show of support for AAPI, honorable Consul Generals of Chicago, New York, Houston, Atlanta and the Deputy CG of San Francisco participated live during the launch of this noble initiative. Ambassador of India to US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu joined the meeting with his message and lauded the numerous efforts of AAPI for India, especially during the pandemic.

Dr. Anupama Gotimukula, President, AAPI, in her welcome address, referred to the objectives of Adopt-A-Village. “A lot of efforts is being put into this initiative, “Adopt a Village” Project where AAPI in collaboration with Global TeleClinics, Inc., plans to adopt 75 villages in honor of 75 years of India’s independence,” she said.  “As India celebrates her 75th anniversary Independence Day celebrations, AAPI has planned to adopt 75 villages in India spread across the states of Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Telangana, where the rural people of India will be offered ‘Free Health Screenings in 75 Rural Villages’ for Anemia (CBC), DM (HbA1C), High Cholesterol, CKD, Malnutrition, Kidney Disease, Malnutrition, Obesity, and Hypoxemia.  Results analyzed by GTC and further action recommended by their team of experts will be also, followed up. This is a small contribution from AAPI to Mother India in celebration of Azadi Ka  Amrut Mahotsav.” Dr. Anupama thanked the AAPI members for their generous support for this noble work of AAPI and for sponsoring their ancestral villages and going back to their roots.

In his opening remarks, Dr. Satheesh Kathula, Chairman of AAPI’s Adopt A Village Program pointed out about the need for this noble initiative. He said, India has nearly 700,000 villages. Three out of four Indians and about 77 percent of the poor live in villages. The majority of the population has no access to safe drinking water and sanitation. The needs in these rural areas are unlimited and the scope to work are endless. “By adopting one village at a time and working with the government and NGOs, NRIs can make a difference,” he said. Dr. Kathula referred to some of the programs in place in several rural villages, including supply of Cloth mask, clean drinking water and free health care screening that has benefitted thousands of people Across India.

Dr. Ravi Kolli, President-Elect of AAPI, said, “While India has made substantial progress in health care as evidenced  by the fact that life expectancy in India at birth now is 71 years as opposed to 58 years in 1990 and 41 years in 1960, there are significant gaps and divergence in health metrics in different regions in India. India, thus needs to redouble and continue its efforts and dedicate resources to tackle these perennial challenges. The post graduate training of physicians specializing in Family Medicine in every teaching institution will create a motivated and well trained family physicians to address these deficits and deliver accessible, affordable, economical and continuous preventive and primary care to rural as well urban poor populations to raise health outcomes substantially all across India,” he said.

“An individual can make a tremendous difference in the lives of many in India by adopting a village,” said Dr. Jagan Ailinani, who was instrumental in founding this noble program and set an example by adopting his own birth village in the state of Telangana in India. “A majority of the NRI’s hail from villages and would like to do their part to bring progress to villages in our state and country.”

Dr. Ram Singh said: “NRIs can adopt the village they hail from originally and make a significant contribution towards its development. There is a real will and desire on the part of governments, both at the state and the center to work with NRIs and NGOs to bring development to rural India.”

Dr. Kusum Punjabi, Chair of AAPI BOT said, “Many of these projects and programs need regular funding, and management of resources. We are grateful to dozens of AAPI members who have committed to Adopting a village in India with an ongoing commitment for investment.”

Ambassador Taranjit Singh, in his message to AAPI members, said, “As India is entering 75th year of independence, honoring men and women, who fought for the freedom, we rededicate ourselves to build an India where the dreams and aspirations of India’s 13 billion people are realized.” He urged the Diaspora community to come forward to honor INDIA by joining in the year-long celebrations.

Dr. Jayesh Shah, past President of AAPI, introduced Consul General of India in Houston, Aseem Mahajan. In his address on “Indo-US Relationship In Healthcare -Rural Health Perspective” Ambassador Mahajan told the AAPI members: “You are true the heroes and partners with us, and you make us proud, especially during the critically vital Covid times.” Urging the Diaspora to contribute towards strengthening of India’s partnership with the US, Mr. Mahajan focused on India-US partnership on various health related issues, while stressing the many healthcare initiatives by the Government of India. “AAPI can play a big role in rural health, which has been a priority for the Government of India,” he said. He thanked and appreciated the many Doctors, who are already doing similar noble initiatives, helping the rural communities have access to clean drinking water. “We can work together, collaborating and sharing of knowledge and expertise, including Medical Education,” he told AAPI.

Dr.  Suresh Reddy, past President of AAPI and currently an elected Trustee of Oakbrook Village in Illinois, after introducing the Consul General of India in Chicago, Amit Kumar, announced that he is adopting his native village in the state of Telengana. In his address, Mr. Kumar spoke about “Rural Health In India, The Current Situation,” and focused on technological areas in healthcare development in the rural parts of India. “Your activities and the message to spread awareness on Covid and for providing PPEs to India are highly appreciated,” he told AAPI members, pointing to the fact that India has vaccinated over 600 million people and he hoped that India will offer vaccines to majority of India’s vast population soon.

Introduced by Dr. Sudhakar Jonnalagadda, immediate past President of India, Consul General of India in Atlanta Dr. Swati Kulkarni focused on “How AAPI and Doctors can Help India.” She said, “It’s important and laudable that you have undertaken to help India during the 75th anniversary of India’s Independence. Dr. Kulkarni shared her views on how AAPI and the government of India can collaborate in: Diplomacy for development, where “India needs overseas expertise, and you are best suited to offer,” she said, while calling upon Indian American Doctors to be part of India’s efforts to enhance the GDP. “India’s healthcare industry is growing rapidly there is more scope for growth with expanded pharma industry and medical tourism. She stressed the need for AAPI’s role in enhancing India-US political partnership, where AAPI is “a major stake holder,” she said.

Dr. Mukesh Nigam introduced Consul General of India in New York, Randhir Jaiswal. In his address on “Rural Health in India: The Challenges and Solutions” Ambassador Jaiswal said, “This noble initiative by AAPI has become more meaningful especially during the 75th anniversary of India’s Independence.” Reminding AAPI members of Modi’s call to rebuild a new India, he said, “AAPI’s initiative is even more meaningful and fits well into PM’s vision for India.” He said, ‘We applaud and thank AAPI for coming forward to help India, especially during the covid pandemic.”

Dr. Sujeeth Punnam, a renowned cardiologist introduced Deputy Consul General of India in San Francisco, Rajesh Naik. While speaking on “Rural Health, What India can learn from Developed Nations” Mr. Naik said, “AAPI has provided tremendous support as India and Indian community were struggling with the challenges of Covid. You rose to the occasion and came forward to help and support, which have been highly appreciated by the Diaspora.” During the 2nd Covid surge, AAPI stepped forward and have sent out Millions of Dollars of medical supplies to Indi, he said. While pointing to the many challenges of healthcare in rural India, Mr. Naik urged how AAPI could offer tele medical consultation in rural India, especially focusing on the preventive aspect of health in India. .

Dr. Anjana Samadder, Vice President of AAPI, said, “By adopting one village at a time and working with the government and NGOs, NRIs can make a huge difference in the lives of millions of people in India. Each project will involve a tripartite partnership between the NRI, state government and a local NGO.”

Dr. Krishan Kumar, Treasurer of AAPI pointed out, “The cost for adopting a village depends on various factors, including the population of the villages, the services that are required and what one is willing to commit to for the welfare and progress of the village one is committing to adopt.”

Dr. Lokesh Edara, chair for AAPI’s global initiative, while focusing on International medicine and how India is lagging behind in medical care, while urging the Government of India, pointed to how India needs to focus on Post Graduate Medical professionals rather than having Doctors with under graduate degree alone.

Dr. Gokula Murthy spoke about “Adopt-A-Village” by Global tele-clinics and shared with the audience as to how his firm has strived on ‘Blending medicine and technology,” while pointing to the “great opportunity to enhance the effectiveness of tele-health through awareness, education and sustainable development in all villages.”

There is no instant solution for rural India’s myriad problems. But by adopting one village at a time and working with the government and NGOs, NRIs can make a difference. Over time, an improved village could lead to an improved region, state and country.

Physicians of Indian origin are well known around the world for their compassion, passion for patient care, medical skills, research, and leadership. They have excelled in their fields of medicine, and thus have earned a name for themselves through hard work, commitment and dedication to their profession and the people they are committed to serve. Not satisfied with their own professional growth and the service they provide to their patients around the world, they are in the forefront, sharing their knowledge and expertise with others, especially those physicians and leaders in the medical field from India.

Dr. Gotimukula, urged “AAPI members to consider joining this movement and adopt a village. May be your own village of origin. AAPI will work with you in coordinating the efforts and through the support system we have in several states, will help you achieve this goal of giving back to our motherland.” AAPI members/families can sponsor a Village by emailing to: aapipresident@aapiusa.org and info@aapiusa.org.  For more details, please do visit: www. aapiusa.org

India Bans International Flights Until September End

Staff ReporterImmigration, Travel 0

Commercial international flights have remained suspended since March 23, 2020, to check the spread of the Covid-19 infection. International commercial flights will remain suspended till September 30 owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Centre said on Sunday. Indian aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), extends the ban on scheduled international flights to and from the country until September 30, 2021.  “In partial modification of circular dated 26-06-2020, the competent authority has further extended the validity of circular issued on the subject cited above regarding Scheduled International commercial passenger services to/from India till 2359 hrs IST of 30 September 2021,” stated the order issued by the DGCA on August 29, 2021.

The restriction does not apply to international cargo operations. Exceptions are also made to international flights under travel bubble agreements or flights approved by the DGCA. India currently has travel bubble agreements with 28 countries, the Indian Civil Aviation Ministry website indicates. The DGCA also said that scheduled international flights might be allowed on selected routes on a case-to-case basis. Commercial international flights have remained suspended since March 23, 2020, to check the spread of the Covid-19 infection. The Indian government had initially imposed international travel restrictions in March 2020, which have since been prolonged by almost 18 months Special international flights were also operating under the ‘Vande Bharat Mission’ since May 2020 to bring home thousands of Indian nationals stranded abroad due to the coronavirus lockdown.

The restrictions were later eased for certain countries with which India has had an air bubble arrangement during the past year. The air bubble pact between the two countries allows the operation of special international flights by the national carrier between their territories. India was considering lifting the restrictions on international commercial flights on August 31. However, the ban was extended as a threat of a third wave of infections looms large. This comes on a day when India reported 45,083 new cases and 460 deaths in the last 24 hours. The active cases have also increased to over 3.6 lakh.

Facial Recognition Expanded In India While Concerns Over Lack Of Law Protecting Data Grows

Staff ReporterTechnology 0

Recently across some of India’s busiest airports and train stations, facial recognition technology (FRT) software systems are being hooked up with a progressively spreading network of closed-circuit cameras by multiple state-owned agencies to pan through databases of photos to identify people on a real-time basis. The systems seek to achieve a range of objectives: better identification of criminals, law enforcement use at railway stations, passenger check-ins at airports, biometric attendance at companies, and even student authentication mechanisms. Across some of India’s busiest airports and train stations, facial recognition technology (FRT) software systems are being hooked up with a progressively spreading network of closed-circuit cameras by multiple state-owned agencies to pan though databases of photos to identify people on a real-time basis.

The growing list of users of this technology, which started with the Home Ministry’s National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) and various police forces, now includes the Airports Authority of India, the Indian Railways, public sector utilities, and the state-owned agency mandated to issue a unique identity to all residents of India. FRT software vendors include both domestic firms and global companies. The systems seek to achieve a range of objectives: better identification of criminals, law enforcement use at railway stations, passenger check-ins at airports, biometric attendance at companies, and even student authentication mechanisms. To enhance safety and security, various authorities have installed CCTV cameras in public places. However, once a database of images is consolidated, procurement of facial recognition technology fed with this data shifts the goalpost for citizens in terms of privacy. Experts have called for data privacy laws. FRT systems are in the process of being deployed at airports in Kolkata, Varanasi, Pune, Vijayawada, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad as part of a trial under the Ministry of Civil Aviation’s Digi Yatra initiative.

For four of these airports — Kolkata, Varanasi, Pune and Vijayawada — that are managed by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), Japanese electronics company NEC has been roped in for the implementation. The project is expected to start by the end of this year. AAI said it is currently testing the solution at Varanasi airport. “The solution is designed as per prevailing industry standards with respect to data security & privacy. The consent of the user is taken before the biometrics are captured as part of the enrolment process to Digi Yatra program,” an AAI spokesperson said. As part of a broader Indian Railways plan to install facial recognition tech at railway stations to “identify criminals”, Western Railway has commissioned 470 video cameras featuring real-time FRT developed by the Russian video analytics firm NtechLab, which has been certified by the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO), a technical adviser and consultant to the Indian Railways.

The camera system, which is said to ensure simultaneous recognition of up to 50 people in a single frame, will be used on the busiest section of the network. The video analytics system can be used to “shape strategy” by counting passenger traffic on the network at any given time, alongside the stated objective of “identifying criminals” and “searching for missing persons”, according to the systems vendor. “Our video analytics technology employs high-precision, real-time face recognition mode, in the video stream. Images are compared with a database of wanted individuals. If there is a match, it notifies law enforcement immediately. The entire process, from the appearance of the person in front of a camera to law enforcement receiving a signal, takes less than three seconds. This enables a fast response to situations as they develop,” according to Andrei Telenkov, CEO of NtechLab.

The NCRB, which compiles crime statistics and maintains a database, is deploying “an automatic FRT system” aimed at facilitating “better identification of criminals, unidentified dead bodies & missing/found children and persons”. The Home Ministry has said that the automatic FRT system will use “police records and will be accessible only to Law Enforcement Agencies”. However, in March 2018, the Delhi Police, which comes under the Home Ministry, acquired an automated facial recognition software as a tool to identify lost boys and girls by matching photos, the data from which are learnt to have been subsequently fed into the automated facial recognition system to identify people who repeatedly turned up at protests, and who were photographed during the riots of last year. The software deployed by Delhi Police is learnt to have been supplied by the Delhi-based tech company Innefu Lab, which describes itself as a security, analytics, and intelligence firm. The company lists Delhi Police as a client on its website, in addition to “more than a dozen LEA departments” where its solutions have been deployed.

In December 2018, Uttar Pradesh Police deployed a software called Trinetra developed by Gurgaon-based company Staqu to “zero in on the criminal” in a quick and targeted manner using techniques such as facial recognition, biometric record analysis, etc. The database at the time was created using criminal records of the state police, the prisons department, and the Government Railway Police. Besides law-enforcement agencies, utilities too are leveraging the technology. State-owned NTPC Ltd has started implementing FRT alongside biometrics to capture the attendance of employees. As per NTPC’s policy, consent of employees “shall not be” required for implementation of FRT. A red flag that has been raised is that the extensive use of FRT systems is taking place in the absence of data protection laws that would mandate necessary safeguards in the collection and storage of user data.

This is especially significant because other government agencies planning to deploy FRT systems include those with a much wider ambit — such as the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), which is developing the Aadhaar-based Face Authentication in Proof of Concept (PoC) phase to supplement authentication mechanisms in addition to biometric and iris-based authentication procedures. Also, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is using facial recognition for one-to-one face matching as one of the authentication mechanisms for issuing digital marksheets to students. The Ministry of Education has informed Parliament that there is no collection or storage of biometric facial data, and the use of the application is based on the consent of the individual. A government official involved in the exercise said FRT is “distinct” from face authentication mechanisms being used by CBSE for digital marksheets. Apart from the fact that these systems are currently operating in a legal vacuum given that India does not yet have specific laws with regard to FRT and personal data protection, experts have also flagged the issue of lack of informed consent.

While individuals in a CCTV-surveilled area may be aware they are under surveillance, the use of images gathered from CCTV networks in conjunction with FRT would mean their images will be stored for longer, if not permanently. “This data will also be used to extract particular data points such as the facial features and other biometrics, which the individual has not consented to sharing when entering a CCTV-surveilled zone, and these data points can be used to track future movements of the person. Therefore, integration of FRT with a network of CCTV cameras would make real time surveillance extremely easy,” the non-profit Internet Freedom Foundation wrote in a blog post on surveillance-related privacy concerns. Footage collected through CCTVs are governed by rules and regulations laid down by various states and local law enforcement authorities, and include aspects such as the time the footage is stored for and the uses to which it is put.

However, for all CCTV cameras, privacy is governed by provisions in The Information Technology Act, 2000, which prescribes “punishment for violation of privacy” for any person who “intentionally or knowingly captures, publishes or transmits the image of a private area of any person without his or her consent, under circumstances violating the privacy of that person”. The Indian Express reached out by email to the Railway Board, NTPC, and the Ministry of Education requesting comments for this report, but got no responses.

(Courtesy: The Indian Express)

Changes In Higher Education In India

Staff ReporterEducation 0

Delhi University has approved a four-year undergraduate course from next year as part of the new National Education Policy. How do this and other concepts in the NEP aim to achieve multidisciplinary? The new National Education Policy is in the news again with Delhi University (DU) approving the introduction of the four-year undergraduate programme from next year, amid opposition from teachers. The NEP proposes several reforms for higher education. A look at how, if implemented in letter and spirit, the NEP can change the classroom experience:

Multidisciplinary

Higher education in India is focused on producing disciplinary experts. But the new NEP proposes to break disciplinary boundaries. What this means is that B Tech students, for example, would no longer limit themselves to their engineering branch. Instead, their programmes will have a more significant component of arts and humanities. “Students of arts and humanities will aim to learn more science, and all will make an effort to incorporate more vocational subjects and soft skills,” the policy states.

IIT-Bombay’s new Liberal Arts, Sciences, and Engineering (LASE) Programme is one example of how the NEP’s vision translates on ground. The LASE programme, which has been introduced this year, gives students the option to graduate with a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in five fields or “concentrations” — engineering sciences, natural sciences, social sciences, art and design. The fifth option permits the student to design her own concentration. LASE students will study a set of foundation courses in their second year such as modern South Asian history, history of science, contemporary digital societies, current social structures, reading and writing literature, in addition to their STEM courses. While multidisciplinary is the final destination, the four-year undergraduate programme suggested in the NEP document is a means to that end.

Undergraduate programs in India, except professional degrees such as B Tech and MBBS, usually last three years. The new policy proposes to “adjust” the length of degree programmes to allow students “to experience the full range of holistic and multidisciplinary education in addition to a focus on the chosen major and minors as per the choices of the student”. While the NEP doesn’t call for scrapping of the three-year format, it states that the four-year multidisciplinary Bachelor’s programme “shall be the preferred option”. While students pursuing undergraduate education will be studying an extra year, they will also have the option to leave before that with “appropriate certification”. Quitting after the first year will earn you a certificate, after the second year a diploma, and after the third a Bachelor’s degree. Completing the entire programme would lead to a bachelor’s degree “with Research” if the student completes “a rigorous research project” in her major area(s) of study. Delhi University is the first higher education institution to implement this NEP suggestion. Starting next year, DU students can opt for either a three-year honours programme, or a four-year honours programme, or a four-year honours programme with research. They can also exit with appropriate certification.

Academic Bank of Credit

The University Grants Commission (UGC) had introduced a choice-based credit system (CBCS) before the NEP. Under this system, you earn credits for each course you take during your degree studies. The Academic Bank of Credit (ABC) proposed by the NEP is where higher education institutions will digitally deposit credits earned by students for courses they studied. So, how will this affect the classroom experience? On ground, the ABC is expected to aid the multiple entry and exit system as well as multidisciplinary in higher education. In other words, a student’s deposit of credits in the ABC (read: her prior learning represented in course units) should help her move laterally from one higher education institution to another, if needed. Designating credits to each course would also mean that courses or projects in areas such as community engagement and service, environmental education, sciences, mathematics, art, sports and value-based education would carry weight. This, according to the NEP, would go a long way in “attainment of a holistic and multidisciplinary education”.

Regional languages

The new education policy lays emphasis on promoting Indian languages, arts and culture through education. One of the ways it proposes to do so is by getting higher education institutions to adopt regional languages or the local tongue as the medium of instruction in the classroom. To begin with, the government has allowed 14 engineering colleges to teach selected engineering programmes in five languages: Marathi, Tamil, Bengali, Telugu and Hindi. This, the policy states, will help increase the Gross Enrolment Ratio in higher education as students who are not proficient in English will be encouraged to pursue further studies in regional languages.

National Entrance Test

Another proposal that could change the higher education experience of students is a single university entrance exam conducted by the National Testing Agency. If this is implemented, students will not have to appear for multiple entrance tests. “The high quality, range, and flexibility of the NTA testing services will enable most universities to use these common entrance exams — rather than having hundreds of universities each devising their own entrance exams — thereby drastically reducing the burden on students, universities and colleges, and the entire education system. It will be left up to individual universities and colleges to use NTA assessments for their admissions,” the policy states.

“Bromance To Breakup” On ZEES Global

Staff ReporterCinema, Entertainment 0

ZEE5 Global, the world’s largest platform for South Asian content, is all set to bring the intriguing and untold Lee-Hesh Bromance to Breakup story to your screens. ZEE5 Global has partnered with award-winning filmmaker duo Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari and Nitesh Tiwari to helm ‘BREAK POINT’, a 7-part series based on the iconic on-court partnership between living legends, Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi and their off-court lives.   The makers revealed the first poster of the ZEE5 Original series and looks like the many questions that fans had regarding the Lee-Hesh relationship and breakup will soon be answered!  Commenting on helming ‘BREAK POINT’, Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari and Nitesh Tiwari in a joint statement said, “It’s great to bring to screen a series like this on a home-grown video streaming platform like ZEE5. Working with icons like Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes has been surreal and to bring their untold story to screen is something that we will cherish forever.”

Leander Paes shares, “I enjoyed this walk down memory lane shooting for ‘BREAK POINT’ with wonderful storytellers like Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, Nitesh Tiwari in collaboration with ZEE5.  While Mahesh and my on-court partnership was widely covered, and our off-court chemistry was largely speculated. This is the first time that our fans will get to see and hear it all, first-hand. Mahesh and I worked really hard to put India on the top of world tennis and we are glad that we are getting a chance to present our story to the world, like never before. Enjoy our journey.”  Mahesh Bhupathi shares, “It is no secret that I am reserved when it comes to communicating, so this is a big step for me to relive the journey and put it all out there in the most candid and honest manner. But, at the same time, I am happy that our fans will get to see our journey which was a mix of sweat, perseverance, brotherhood and at times blood and tears as well. This is surely going to be a treat for all, and I am thankful to Ashwiny, Nitesh and ZEE5 for giving it everything.”

For decades, Indians have celebrated the country’s biggest tennis heroes who made India proud by winning many iconic matches and have also speculated about their much public split. However, for the first time, the speculations will be put to rest as Paes and Bhupathi get candid and honest about their bromance and breakup and tell the world – what happened, how it happened and why it happened! ‘BREAK POINT’ will not only construct their epic tennis matches but also deconstruct their relationship, both on and off the court.  ‘BREAK POINT’ is a telling narrative on their friendship, brotherhood, partnership, belief, hard work and ambitions which made them one of the most feared doubles pair during the late 1990s, and even ranked world number 1 in the year 1999. But it also throws light on their bitter breakup and how they couldn’t hold on to their meteoric rise. Above all, it’s a tale of two friends who had planned for success but not for life after success.

‘BREAK POINT’ marks ZEE5’s first partnership with filmmakers, Ashwini Iyer Tiwari and Nitesh Tiwari under their banner Earthsky Pictures who are known for their exceptional movies such as Dangal, Panga, Chhichhore, Nil Battey Sannata, and many more. This is also the first time that Ashwini Iyer Tiwari and Nitesh Tiwari will be co-directing a project. The seven-episode series will be exclusively available on ZEE5 soon.   Users can download the ZEE5 app from Google Play Store / iOS App Store, on Roku devices, Samsung Smart TVs, Apple TVs, Android TVs, and Amazon Fire Stick. ZEE5 is also available on www.ZEE5.com.

ZEE5 is the digital entertainment destination launched by Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL), a global Media and Entertainment powerhouse. The platform launched across 190+ countries in October 2018 and has content across 18 languages: Hindi, English, Bengali, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Oriya, Bhojpuri, Gujarati, Punjabi, including six international languages Malay, Thai, Bahasa, Urdu, Bangla and Arabic. ZEE5 is home to 130,000+ hours of On Demand Content. The platform brings together the best of Originals, Movies and TV Shows, Music, Cineplays and Health and Lifestyle content all in one single destination. ZEE5 offers key features like 15 navigational languages, content download option, seamless video playback and Voice Search.  Users can download the ZEE5 app from Google Play Store / iOS App Store, on Roku devices, Samsung Smart TVs, Apple TVs, Android TVs, and Amazon Fire Stick. ZEE5 is also available on www.ZEE5.com.

Twitter As ‘Porn Hub’ Allowing Psy-War Targeting Communal Harmony

Staff ReporterMedia 0

Twitter is the ‘porn hub’ of social media, DisinfoLab said in a new report. Shockingly, despite Indian laws and Twitter’s own policies, even child porn and rape videos are freely available. Worse, Twitter’s lax policy has allowed a massive psy-war targeting communal harmony, the report said. Twitter has a full-fledged porn industry — from live web cam to other ‘off-line services’. Numerous NSFW content selling websites openly advertise themselves on Twitter, including those who show their registration in India, it added.These activities are not run in hiding but in broad day light, advertising with hashtags! Live porn is openly sold on Twitter using the IndianCamGirl hashtag involving a nexus of ‘service providers’, it said.

The fact that the hashtag started in 2017, involves several Influencers, and is used regularly is a testament to Twitter’s unwillingness to address these concerns. In the garb of such ‘services’, personal data of the users are being mined, to be used for criminal activities from ‘sextortion’ to rape, to sexual exploitation of minors, leading to grave consequences, including suicides. Anti-social/anti-India elements are taking advantage of this ‘free porn’ environment of Twitter, weaponising the content. An elaborate psy-war is being waged to damage India’s communal harmony, particularly between Hindus and Muslims, the report said. “Hundreds of fake handles are running coordinated campaigns, dehumanising the women of both religions. These handles pretend to be Hindus (#hstuds) when demeaning Muslim girls (#mslut); and Muslim (#mstud), while demeaning Hindu girls (#hslut),” it added.

The behavioral pattern of these handles – creation date, activity, location and hashtag – clearly establishes an organized campaign designed to harm social harmony. Surprisingly, despite obvious Coordinated Inauthentic Behavior (CIB), Twitter doesn’t seem to take any actions, the report said. Twitter, the US based for-profit company, seems obliged to follow only US laws, while showing complete dis-regard to India’s IT Rules, which prohibits adult content on social media. Twitter doesn’t even make any attempt to implement the laws, doable with basic location filter, the report said. Contrast it with other social media platforms which do far better content management, and continue to strive to keep social media space clean. Shockingly, Twitter seems blind to even most obscene contents, including child porn despite a ‘child sexual exploitation policy’.

Twitter claims to have a ‘zero tolerance’ policy towards child pornography – and yet seems to make zero efforts to counter this menace. It’s important to remember that this content is available to even under age users, as Twitter doesn’t filter ‘sensitive content’ to even young users, the report said. Equally shocking is freely available ‘rape videos’ on Twitter, which is prohibited even under Twitter’s policy of ‘gory content’. Even those video posts, which have words that could trigger filter mechanism are freely available, including the gang-rape video of a young girl, the report said. Twitter has also failed to filter obscene content for young users. Even a minor user on Twitter can access most obscene content if they wish to. Worth noting that Twitter could easily filter particular kind of content on age and location restriction, if it wished to, DisinfoLab said. “To access Twitter Hub, one need not even own a Twitter account. An open Google search could land anyone, even a minor, to most gory and vulgar contents available on Twitter with just a click on ‘view sensitive content’. Seems #Google also needs to take measures to control it,” the report added.

The DisinfoLab said in a report that adult content industry’s symbiotic relation with Twitter goes both ways: The presence of pornography lures and keeps engaged a number of users; and secondly, it also helps create an economic eco-system, which is more loyal as user, and hence increases Twitter’s number of ‘active users’. The report said several users/accounts openly sell porn on Twitter. The mechanism is simple: The seller accounts show porn clips, thereby ‘attracting’ customers and creating a ‘brand’. Then they send messages, asking money in exchange of large amount of porn. This conversation moves to DMs. In DMs they then share the links for the pornographic content. Not surpassingly, the links at times redirects to malicious websites.

Twitter doesn’t allow for ad promotion for pornographic content, but there are multiple ‘porn services’ websites that get promoted on Twitter. Interestingly, the report came across instances where same set of people/organizations running multiple websites/platforms on Twitter – without any filtering/restrictions. For example, two different websites (www.flitz.in and www.bindastimes.com) were asking for subscription money for giving access to their content. Only fans’ accounts promote their content on Twitter by sharing their website links. Interestingly, as some of the activities are illegal in India, they claim their location to be outside India, while proving contact details and address in India.

For example, a casual look at one of the websites revealed that these sites are registered in Kolkata, and their details have both address and contact numbers from Kolkata. It is therefore again surprising how Twitter doesn’t even scan the basic data of a website’s registration, the report said. It further said that some of the porn content accounts lure the users into filling forms, asking for personal details for a range of things – from ‘one-night stand’ to chats, video and calls etc. However, in order to access these services, the users have to fill forms, such as Google forms, which is not monitored by anyone, not even by Twitter.

Among the data collected through such means are mobile numbers and email ids; personal profile (age, marriage status), professional profile and payment details. The personal data so gathered could be exploited from blackmailing to phishing to selling to third parties. A number of such instances have also been reported in public, and there is a possibility that many more would be getting into traps but are not coming out openly due to public embarrassment, the report said. Other than the verified (Bluetick) services provided by Twitter to adult content handles/platforms, there is a full-fledged industry flourishing on Twitter which strives to provide authentication services to porn service providers. ‘Live webcam services’ are one of the most popular services on Twitter to sell porn. Thousands of users are offering these services openly on Twitter – selling links/means to access this service. However, every economic system needs trust, which is acquired through means of standardisation. The porn industry on Twitter too has developed its own systems of trust through standardisation, DisinfoLab said. Shockingly, despite Indian laws and Twitter’s own policies, even child porn and rape videos are freely available. Worse, Twitter’s lax policy has allowed a massive psy-war targeting communal harmony, the report said. (IANS)

England Beat India By An Innings And 76 Runs To Level The Series

Staff ReporterSports 0

Joe Root held back and allowed Ollie Robinson to lead England off with a souvenir stump in his left hand, cap in the other, to lap up the acclaim of Headingley after a startling victory by an innings and 76 runs. Root had just made history, becoming England’s most successful Test captain with 27 wins, overtaking his boyhood hero Michael Vaughan, but he recognised he should step back for this was a victory set up by his bowlers. Robinson deserved his moment. “Sensational throughout the whole game,” was Root’s snap verdict moments after levelling the series and it was hard to disagree despite his own brilliant century strengthening England’s grip. Root was relieved though. It is six months since he levelled Vaughan’s record and this result stopped a seven match winless streak.

Robinson took five for 65 including four for 25 from an eight-over spell with the second new ball in the morning that destroyed India’s resilience, ensured the match was over 10 minutes before lunch and left Yorkshire having to fork out 50 per cent refunds. The ECB will be happy. This was all over in 112 balls. Surely someone can market that as a new version of Test cricket. How the mood had changed from Monday when the teams were netting at Headingley and Root learned he had lost another bowler – Mark Wood – and admitted he had to remind himself he was living his boyhood dream as England captain while coming to terms with the Lord’s defeat.

“When I was 10 years old I couldn’t think of anything else I wanted to do.” In truth, the break refreshed England, gave them time to regroup and remind themselves India’s batting had looked vulnerable in both Tests. They took advantage of good bowling conditions on day one, dismissing India for 78 and played on Virat Kohli’s hubris when he opted to bat first, ignoring 20 years of results at Headingley. Robinson admitted afterwards he had only learned to bowl the wobble seam delivery that served him well here by speaking to James Anderson in the week leading up to the Test. He is clearly a remarkably quick learner for he has taken to Test cricket like a natural, with 23 wickets at 17 in his four matches to date, with seven for 81 here.

He has endured the ups and downs already after his suspension for racist tweets but proved his maturity by focussing completely on his bowling despite the storm around him. He must have enjoyed his man-of-the-match award at Headingley which he left under a dark cloud as a youngster when Yorkshire despaired at his lack of professionalism. Members of the India squad were in the nets while the post-match presentation was taking place and Kohli was going through his interviews. He knows his middle order is in deep trouble, himself included. Cheteshwar Puajra made 91 but did not add to his overnight total and Kohli nicked off again playing in the channel outside off stump, where he averages 7.25 in this series.

India collapsed from 215 for three at the start of play to 278 all out in 18.3 overs with only Ravindra Jadeja scoring more than six runs on Saturday.   Robinson and Anderson looked as if they were sore on Friday night, both leaving the field for treatment as India rallied. But with the new ball due in their hand, they were refreshed and started with three maidens to crank up the pressure. Robinson, for the second time in the innings, worked his way through an eight-over spell and this time it was hot, the sun beating down for the first time in the match. He struck first from the Kirkstall Lane End, angling the ball into Pujara who shouldered arms and was struck on the pads. It was given not out, but England reviewed and Root leapt in the air, punching his fists towards the packed out Emerald Stand when it was given out, the relief obvious given Pujara’s stickability. Robinson (left) celebrates taking the wicket of Cheteshwar Pujara after review Credit:PA. On 46, Kohli turned and walked when he was given out off the outside edge but partner Ajkinkya Rahane called him back to review. It was wise. Kohli had clipped his pad and was not out.

But it did not matter. Kohli reached fifty, drove Robinson for four but next ball fiddled at a wobble seam delivery which bounced, held its line and took the outside edge with Root pouching a good catch at first slip. Kohli, head bowed, walked off slowly. He had fallen into the trap again. Joe Root wheels away after claiming the catch to dismiss Virat Kohli Credit: GETTY IMAGES

Anderson will need to produce a book as thick as Wisden to record all his records and he added another one when Rahane dangled the bat and edged behind, another India batsmen playing at a ball he should have left. It was Anderson’s 400th Test wicket in England. Only Muttiah Muralitharan had taken 400 wickets in one country before. More importantly to Anderson, it was his first second-innings wicket of the summer and now England could realistically look forward to the afternoon off. Rishabh Pant has no defence to speak of in these situations, the ball seaming and swinging just enough to challenge the edge. He is batting a place too high, especially in England, and it has to be rectified. He charged down to two of his seven balls and it was never going to last. He chased a wide ball and edged Robinson to third slip for one.

Robinson thought he had his fifth wicket when Mohammed Shami was given lbw playing across the line, but it was going over the top of leg stump on review. Root cleverly turned to Moeen Ali, who has a hold over Shami, and bowled him with his second ball, a perfect offbreak that spun between bat and pad. Root gave Robinson one more over, desperately wanting him to take a fifth wicket. Ishant Sharma obliged, propping forward to edge behind for two. There would be no tailend resistance this time,  England homing in on the offstump relentlessly. Robinson deserved his break after nearly 90 minutes of bowling, stepping aside for Craig Overton to wrap up a decent Test return with the final two wickets, striking twice in three balls to remove Jadeja for 30 and last man Mohammed Siraj, both caught off the edge. Surrey, always canny commercial operators, announced straightaway there are tickets available for all five days of the fourth Test. Be quick, grab a seat. This series is brilliantly set up by two

Ten overs into the morning, Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli have already both been dismissed. The second new ball is swinging and seaming; James Anderson and Ollie Robinson are bowling with immaculate control. Batting in Test cricket in England is seldom so challenging.   To Rishabh Pant there is only one response: charge. And so when he receives his first delivery from Anderson, Pant shuffles down the wicket. To his second ball, he does the same, and steers a single into the on side. From his third ball, against Robinson, Pant again advances, only this time with palpable intent, and attempts to smear him through the on side for a boundary. His bat only connects with air.  It seems the acme of recklessness; you can almost sense the tut-tutting as Pant moves up the pitch. The idea of Pant’s impetuosity obscures the rationale to what Pant is doing: by advancing, he hopes to negate seam movement.

In Test cricket, there exists a curious hierarchy of dismissal. A batsman dismissed defending is sparred opprobrium; one who is removed attacking is vilified, even if he scored more runs. For a top-order batsmen to be dismissed attacking early on in an innings is seen as not merely a cricketing fallibility but a moral one: evidence of a lack of character, a dearth of judgement and sheer arrogance. There is an alternative view. Part of the rich tapestry of Test cricket is that it is a game for all sorts; there is no one set way to approach an innings, as the brilliant, contrasting partnerships shared by Pujara and Pant during India’s victory in Australia last winter attest.  Pant’s propensity to attack is rooted in the simple belief that this is the best way for him to score runs. The rationale is two-fold. Firstly, Pant has an extraordinary array of attacking shots; when he last encountered Anderson with the second new ball, in Ahmedabad in March, Pant reverse-scooped him for four. Secondly, Pant resembles a man who does not trust his defence in English conditions. What can look like bravado is also a mask for insecurity.  Perversely, Pant’s dismissal also provides some vindication for his method. After his first three balls, he returns to a slightly more conventional approach to batting against the moving ball in England. He bats a little outside his crease, but does not advanced further towards the ball as the ball is bowled. And, rather than attempt to swish against the line, instead Pant reverts to defence.

From his fourth ball with this more conventional approach, Pant pokes forward at a delivery pushed across him from Robinson. It is angled across Pant at a line that he could have left alone; instead, his circumspect prod only steers the ball into the slips. All that reverting to orthodoxy has done is get Pant dismissed. There are very legitimate qualms with Pant’s approach in the second innings at Headingley: trying to hoick his third ball, when Anderson and Robinson seemed to be nearing the end of their spells, hardly gave himself the best chance. Pant’s real problem, though, was less of method than the durability of his defence. In seven Tests in England, he has been dismissed defending every 27 balls, compared to 49 balls for all batsmen in the top six in this time.  So when he defends the ball in England, Pant is almost twice as likely to be dismissed as the average top-order batsman. Seen through this light, Pant’s embrace of attacking is not so much a deliberate choice as a reflection of a lack of alternatives.

None of this obscures that Pant is an extraordinary cricketer. Aged 23, he averages 40, and has hit Test centuries in England, Australia and India. In consecutive weeks in Australia in January, India needed over 300 in the final innings; Pant responded with 97 and 89*, two innings of remarkable audacity and self-belief, to help India clinch a draw and a win and seal their heist in Australia. But against the seaming and swinging ball, Pant’s method has been altogether less robust: he now averages just 22.6 in seven Tests in England, and floundered in New Zealand too. For all the temptations to castigate his approach, Pant’s bigger problem is simply his porous defence – and the white heat of a five-match Test series is no time to change a player’s technique. And so perhaps India would be wiser to hope that, with a little fortune, a phenomenal talent can trust in his method and score runs in his own unique way.

(Courtesy: The Independent)

India To Launch Mega Tourism Event In Leh

Staff ReporterTourism, Travel 0

To promote Ladakh as a tourist destination with focus on adventure and culture, a three-day tourism event — ‘Ladakh: New Start, New Goals — will commence from Thursday in Leh, the Union Tourism Ministry said last week. The Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, Radha Krishna Mathur, and Union Minister for Tourism and Culture, G. Kishan Reddy, will address the event being organised from August 26-28. Reddy will virtually address the event, which will also be attended by Ladakh MP Jamyang Tsering Namgyal.

The objective of the event is to promote Ladakh as a tourist destination with focus on aspects of adventure, culture and responsible tourism. The event aims to provide indigenous product knowledge to the industry stakeholders and also a platform to local stakeholders for interaction with the tour operators from the rest of the country. The three-day event will include activities like exhibition, panel discussions, B2B meetings, technical tours and cultural evenings to showcase the tourism facilities and products of Ladakh.

During the event, ‘A Tourism Vision for Ladakh’ document would be unveiled which focuses on the overall development of the region. The document envisions promoting tourism in the backdrop of sustainable ecological practices, building on local materials and human resources. The Ministry of Tourism is organizing the three-day event in collaboration with Ladakh’s department of tourism and the Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI).

In a statement, the ministry said, “Domestic tourism plays an important role in the overall development of the tourism sector in India. The ministry undertakes various promotional activities for the promotion of domestic tourism and these activities are primarily aimed at increasing awareness about tourism destinations and products, promoting domestic tourism with focus on priority areas like the Northeast, Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir. “The ministry has been promoting Ladakh in domestic as well as international markets through various campaigns and initiatives such as ‘Dekho Apna Desh’ wherein a dedicated webinar on Ladakh was conducted. Promotion of Ladakh is also undertaken through the ‘Incredible India’ website, social media platforms of the ministry etc.”

In Ladakh, Airbnb & SEWA Hosts Will Offer A Unique And Immersive Experience

Staff ReporterTourism, Travel 0

Airbnb will train Self Employed Women’s Association of India (SEWA) members on home sharing, hospitality, quality standards and responsible hosting practices under the ‘Hum Sab Ek’ (We are One) initiative, while fostering digital inclusion and enabling these women Hosts to connect with a global community of travelers. Together they represent 1.5 million self-employed women living mostly in India’s rural areas, and have now extended their partnership to onboard SEWA members from Ladakh as hosts on the Airbnb platform. This partnership will expand livelihood opportunities for women in rural Ladakh and form part of broader efforts to rebuild tourism in a way that delivers positive outcomes for communities.

Ladakh is well-known as a pristine and unique hub for culture and ecotourism. SEWA hosts in Ladakh will offer a unique and immersive experience in the ancient village of Phayang in Leh Ladakh. These hosts will also be leading the way on energy efficiency and responsible resource use through accommodations with amenities such as newly installed solar lights. Women make up a significant portion of Airbnb’s Host community in India. As of August 11 this year, new women Hosts in India with one listing have earned almost Rs 30 million since the start of the pandemic and women make up almost 30 per cent of our entire Indian Host community. Through home sharing, women hosts are able to significantly augment their earnings and some women entrepreneurs have embraced being home hosts full-time.

This extended collaboration was announced at a seminar titled ‘Ladakh: New Start, New Goals’ organized by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. Rupinder Brar, Additional Director General, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, said: “The Airbnb-SEWA partnership is an excellent example of how the benefits of tourism can better serve communities and help rebuild tourism across the country, especially in Ladakh. The region is a significant draw for domestic and international tourists, and these partnerships enable not only a wealth of tourism experiences, but economically empower communities with the help of platforms such as Airbnb.”

Hosts on Airbnb to secure their financial independence and bring valuable tourism dollars into their communities. As part of our broader efforts to help rebuild tourism for the benefit of local communities, we aim to work together with these micro-entrepreneurs to promote sustainable and responsible travel and stays that contribute to resilient local economies and support jobs. Airbnb will continue to work closely with these women Hosts through training and best-practice sharing,” said Amanpreet Bajaj, General Manager — Airbnb India, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

“‘Hum Sab Ek’ is our rural innovation. We have worked together with Airbnb to create meaningful livelihood opportunities for our women members. Gandhiji’s Oceanic Circle perspective advocates helping each other rather than competing with each other. Together with Airbnb, our goal is to build a strong community of SEWA hosts who can learn from one another, constantly improve hosting standards, and together create a more welcoming environment for Indian women in hospitality,” said Reema Nanavaty, Director, SEWA.

US Unsure On Covid Origins

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The US intelligence community has failed to reach a consensus on the origin of Covid-19 disease, while ruling out the possibility that China developed the virus as a biological weapon, according to key takeaways from a classified report delivered to President Joe Biden this week. Biden had, in May, ordered the country’s intelligence community “redouble their efforts” and report the origins of the pandemic within 90 days. Their report was delivered to the White House on Tuesday. While most of the new information gathered remains classified, some was released this week as an unclassified summary of assessment on Covid-19 origins.

The intelligence community “assesses that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, probably emerged and infected humans through an initial small-scale exposure that occurred no later than November 2019,” said the unclassified summary, compiled by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. “We judge the virus was not developed as a biological weapon,” it added. Majority of agencies also assessed with low confidence that SARS-CoV-2 probably was not genetically engineered; however, two agencies believe there was not sufficient evidence to make an assessment either way.

One intelligence agency said it assessed with moderate confidence that the first human infection with SARS-CoV-2 most likely was the result of a laboratory-associated incident, while four agencies noted with low confidence that the initial SARS-CoV-2 infection was caused naturally. The report did not name the agencies. “After examining all available intelligence reporting and other information, the IC remains divided on the most likely origin of Covid-19. All agencies assess that two hypotheses are plausible: natural exposure to an infected animal and a laboratory-associated incident,” the report said.

The report also noted that China’s officials did not have foreknowledge of the virus before the initial outbreak of Covid-19 emerged. At the same time the agencies also noted a lack of clinical samples or a complete understanding of epidemiological data from the earliest Covid cases. “If we obtain information on the earliest cases that identified a location of interest or occupational exposure, it may alter our evaluation of hypotheses,” the agencies added in the report. The agencies asked for more cooperation from China to reach a conclusive assessment of the origins of Covid-19. Beijing, however, continues to hinder the global investigation, resist sharing information and blame other countries, including the US.

“These actions reflect, in part, China’s government’s own uncertainty about where an investigation could lead as well as its frustration that the international community is using the issue to exert political pressure on China,” the agencies wrote in the report. Meanwhile, China’s foreign minister has dismissed the report as “anti-science”. In a statement after the report was published, Biden criticized China for not cooperating with the investigation. “Critical information about the origins of this pandemic exists in the People’s Republic of China, yet from the beginning, government officials in China have worked to prevent international investigators and members of the global public health community from accessing it,” Biden was quoted as saying. “The world deserves answers, and I will not rest until we get them,” he added.

COVID-19 Is Most Transmissible 2 Days Before And 3 Days After Symptoms Appear

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Newswise — Each wave of the pandemic has underscored just how gravely contagious COVID-19 is, but there is less clarity among experts on exactly when—and to what extent—infected individuals are most likely to spread the virus. Now, a new study co-led by a Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) researcher has found that individuals infected with the virus are most contagious two days before, and three days after, they develop symptoms. Published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, the study also found that infected individuals were more likely to be asymptomatic if they contracted the virus from a primary case (the first infected person in an outbreak) who was also asymptomatic.

“In previous studies, viral load has been used as an indirect measure of transmission,” says Dr. Leonardo Martinez, assistant professor of epidemiology at BUSPH, and who co-led the study with Dr. Yang Ge, research assistant in the Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics at the University of Georgia College of Public Health. “We wanted to see if results from these past studies, which show that that COVID cases are most transmissible a few days before and after symptom onset, could be confirmed by looking at secondary cases among close contacts.”

Martinez and colleagues conducted contact tracing and studied COVID-19 transmission among approximately 9,000 close contacts of primary cases in the Zhejiang province of China from January 2020 to August 2020. “Close” contacts included household contacts (defined as individuals who lived in the same household or who dined together), co-workers, people in hospital settings, and riders in shared vehicles. The researchers monitored infected individuals for at least 90 days after their initial positive COVID test results to distinguish between asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic cases. Of the individuals identified as primary cases, 89 percent developed mild or moderate symptoms, and only 11 percent were asymptomatic—and no one developed severe symptoms. Household members of primary cases, as well as people who were exposed to primary cases multiple times or for longer durations of time, had higher infection rates than other close contacts. But regardless of these risk factors, close contacts were more likely to contract COVID-19 from the primary infected individual if they were exposed shortly before or after the individual developed noticeable symptoms.

“Our results suggest that the timing of exposure relative to primary-case symptoms is important for transmission, and this understanding provides further evidence that rapid testing and quarantine after someone is feeling sick is a critical step to control the epidemic,” Dr. Martinez says. In comparison to mild and moderate symptomatic individuals, asymptomatic primary individuals were much less likely to transmit COVID to close contacts—but if they did, the contacts were also less likely to experience noticeable symptoms. “This study further emphasizes the need for vaccination, which reduces clinical severity among people that develop COVID,” says Dr. Martinez.

The study’s senior authors were Dr. Ye Shen of the Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics at UGA College of Public Health, and Dr. Feng Ling of the Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Hangzhou, China. The study was co-authored by researchers at SPH, UGA, the Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the University of Texas School of Public Health, and Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine.

Founded in 1976, Boston University School of Public Health is one of the top five ranked private schools of public health in the world. It offers master’s- and doctoral-level education in public health. The faculty in six departments conduct policy-changing public health research around the world, with the mission of improving the health of populations—especially the disadvantaged, underserved, and vulnerable—locally and globally.

Chronicling 500 Years Of Indian Immigration To Britain

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This is a chronicle of five-hundred years of Indian immigration to Britain as it explores the adventures of the imperial capital and how its saga fuelled the journey of Indian independence. In September 1600, Queen Elizabeth and London are made to believe that the East India Company will change England’s fortunes forever. With William Shakespeare’s death, the heart of Albion starts throbbing with four centuries of an extraordinary Indian settlement that author Arup K. Chatterjee unfolds in “Indians in London” (Bloomsbury). In five acts that follow, we are taken past the churches destroyed by the fire of Pudding Lane; the late eighteenth-century curry houses in Mayfair and Marylebone; and the coming of Indian lascars, ayahs, delegates, students and lawyers in London.

From the baptism of Peter Pope (in the year Shakespeare died) to the death of Catherine of Bengal; the chronicles of Joseph Emin, Abu Taleb and Mirza Ihtishamuddin to Sake Dean Mahomet’s Hindoostane Coffee House; Gandhi’s experiments in Holborn to the recovery of the lost manuscript of Tagore’s Gitanjali in Baker Street; Jinnah’s trysts with Shakespeare to Nehru’s duels with destiny; Princess Sophia’s defiance of the royalty to Anand establishing the Progressive Writers’ Association in Soho; Aurobindo Ghose’s Victorian idylls to Subhas Chandra Bose’s interwar days; the four Indian politicians who sat at Westminster to the blood pacts for Pakistan; India in the shockwaves at Whitehall to India in the radiowaves at the BBC; the intrigues of India House and India League to hundreds of East Bengali restaurateurs seasoning curries and kebabs around Brick Lane�the book details all this and more. “Indians in London” is a scintillating adventure across the Thames, the Embankment, the Southwarks, Bloomsburys, Kensingtons, Piccadillys, Wembleys and Brick Lanes that saw a nation-a cultural, historical and literary revolution that redefined London over half a millennium of Indian migrations-reborn as independent India.

Arup K. Chatterjee is an Associate Professor at O.P. Jindal Global University. In 2014, he was a recipient of the Charles Wallace fellowship, to United Kingdom. His interests are in the history of British imperialism, politics and philosophy; British cultural and historical encounters with India; and colonial and postcolonial historiography of India; Vedanta and Nondualism; and Indian philosophy and psychoanalysis.

United Airlines Plans To Purchase 15 Supersonic Overture Jets From Boom Supersonic

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The US airline is the first to announce plans to go supersonic, reviving dreams from the late 1960s when British Airways and Air France offered transatlantic flights aboard the Concorde. Only 20 were built during the aircraft’s 24-year operational life. The Overture, which would seat between 65 and 88 passengers, would cut flight time in half over a conventional commercial airliner, with a top speed of Mach 1.7, or 1,304 mph. A flight from New York to London would take just 3.5 hours, according to Boom, and Los Angeles to Sydney would be about eight hours. Unlike the Concorde, which was neither fuel-efficient nor quiet, the Overture will be designed to be “net-carbon zero,” and will cut emissions, according to Boom, by running on sustainable aviation fuel. The first aircraft is slated to roll out in 2025, fly in 2026 and carry its first passengers by 2029.

“United continues on its trajectory to build a more innovative, sustainable airline and today’s advancements in technology are making it more viable to include supersonic planes,” said United CEO Scott Kirby. “Boom’s vision for the future of commercial aviation, combined with the industry’s most robust route network in the world, will give business and leisure travelers access to a stellar flight experience.” The announcement is not the first of an intended partnership between a supersonic firm and a large aviation company.

Both Flexjet and NetJets announced that they planned to buy business jets from Aerion. The Reno-based company had the fastest, most ambitious rollout of its AS2, while also planning to break ground on a new research and production campus near Orlando sometime this year. Last week, it abruptly said it was shutting down because it couldn’t secure long-term funding. Boom seems to be farther along in its development stages than its former competitor. It rolled out a third-scale demonstrator aircraft, the XB1, last year. Boom CEO Blake Scholl recently told a Congressional panel that it plans to fly it for the first time by the end of 2021 or in early 2022.

Overture will be designed with in-seat entertainment screens, large personal space and contactless technology. “At speeds twice as fast, United passengers will experience all the advantages of life lived in person, from deeper, more productive business relationships to longer, more relaxing vacations to far-off destinations,” said Scholl in announcing the deal. United also has the option to buy 35 more Overtures. Scholl recently said that the Overture represents the first dramatic speed gains in new aircraft since the Concorde. “We see ourselves as picking up where Concorde left off, and fixing the most important things which are economic and environmental sustainability,” he told CNN recently, adding: “Either we fail or we change the world.”

Want To Connect Diaspora To Indian Researchers: Science And Tech Ministry

Staff ReporterImmigration, Science 0

Stressing the important role that the Indian diaspora could play in connecting with Indian academia and Industry, a top official said the government is determined to connect them with Indian researchers. “Given the constraints and cultural differences in research ambience of two countries, we can work through mutual collaborations with the help of government initiatives such as VAJRA, SPARC etc. particularly in futuristic technologies like cyber-physical system, quantum, hydrogen, electric mobility, in which several Indian scientists are also doing substantial work,” Science and Technology Secretary, Professor Ashutosh Sharma, said during his recent interaction with several Indian origin presidents of US-universities.

The Science and Technology Ministry is determined to connect the Indian diaspora with Indian researchers, and DST has had several dialogues with the National Science Foundation and the US Department of Energy on the development of bilateral scientific cooperation, he said, as per an official release. Sharma has been periodically interacting with Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) in Science, Technology, Engineering, Medicine, and Mathematics (STEMM). On August 20, 2021, he, along with University Grants Commission Chairman, Professor D.P. Singh had interacted with 11 Presidents/Chancellors of US Universities in which India’s Ambassador in the United States Taranjeet Singh Sandhu had also participated.

DST’s Head, International Cooperation, S.K. Varshney pointed out that in STEMM areas, the first significant step was taken by organising the Vaishwik Bharatiya Vaigyanik (VAIBHAV) summit in 2020, and now an online portal, Pravasi Bharatiya Academic and Scientific Sampark (PRABHASS) has also been launched to connect Indian diaspora with Indian academic and research institutes. Prof Singh shared his insights on the new National Educational Policy. During the interaction, Indian diaspora suggested that frequent actions need to be taken on collaborations along with a set timelines and defined focus areas. They proposed upgrading the healthcare system and promotion of medical sciences along with technical education so as to develop cooperation in certain focus areas like health care, artificial intelligence machine learning, agriculture, and so on, the release added.

The meeting was attended by Prof Satish K Tripathi of the State University of New York, Buffalo, Prof Pradeep Khosla of the University of California, San Diego, Prof Michael Rao of the Virginia Commonwealth University, Prof Kumble Subbaswamy of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Prof Ashish Vaidya of the Northern Kentucky University, Prof Renu Khator of University of Houston, Prof Neeli Bendapudi of the University of Louisville, Kentucky, Prof Venkat Reddy of the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, Prof Mauli Agrawal of University of Missouri, Kansas City, Prof Mantosh Dewan of the Upstate Medical University, SUNY, and Prof Mahesh Daas of the Boston Architectural College, Boston.

New York has her first ever woman Governor

Staff ReporterNation USA, Profile, Women 0

Kathy Hochul was sworn in as New York’s first-ever female governor of the state of New York, on August 25, 2021, as the state prepares to move on from the decade-long tenure of the embattled Andrew Cuomo. After Cuomo’s resignation became official at 11:59 p.m.. At 12:01 a.m, by the state’s chief judge, Janet DiFiore, Hochul has sworn as first woman Governor of New York. Tuesday in the State Capitol in Albany.

First Woman Governor of New York “I’ll tell New Yorkers I’m up to the task. And I’m really proud to be able to serve as their governor and I won’t let them down,” she said. Hochul’s ascent to the top job was a history-making moment in a capital. Where women have only recently begun chipping away at a notoriously male-dominated political culture. Kathy Hochul, serving as New York’s lieutenant governor, has catapulted into the national spotlight when Gov. Andrew Cuomo abruptly announced his resignation amid a growing sexual harassment scandal 2 weeks ago.

A more formal ceremonial swearing-in took place Tuesday at 10 a.m. Along with Hochul’s family members and the state’s two other top politicians, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, in attendance as she took the oath of office. “This is an emotional moment for me. But it is one that I’ve prepared for,” the first woman Governor of New York said afterward. The trio of top politicians in Albany has for decades been known as the “three men in a room,” famous for cutting closed-door deals on legislative and budget matters. With Hochul joining Stewart-Cousins in top posts, the dynamic now becomes two women and a man.

For the first time, a majority of the most powerful figures in the New York state government will be women, including state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Attorney General Letitia James, and the chief judge, DiFiore. The state Assembly is led by a man, Speaker Carl Heastie. Hochul, the first woman Governor of New York said she was meeting with the pair right after the swearing-in. And told reporters she’d also spoken with President Joe Biden and they discussed a “number of issues”. “He pledged his full support for my administration,” she said. Also, Hochul said that she is ready to lead New York, which is still battling the Covid pandemic. Also is in the midst of a fragile economic recovery.

Hochul, the first woman Governor of New York, 62, is the ninth woman currently serving as a governor across the United States, which ties a record set in 2004. Also,  she made her first formal address as governor Tuesday afternoon. There she laid out her priorities, including a mask mandate and a vaccine requirement for all school personnel. Along “with an option to test out weekly, at least for now” .“As someone who has served at all levels of government and is next in the line of succession. I am prepared to lead as New York State’s 57th Governor,” she said. Cuomo’s resignation comes after an independent investigation. It has overseen by state Attorney General Letitia James. Thus concluded there was credible evidence he’d sexually harassed at least 11 women.

In his farewell remarks, Cuomo struck a defiant tone, saying the attorney general’s report that triggered his resignation has designed to be “a political firecracker on an explosive topic, and it did work. Also, there was a political and media stampede,” he said. Cuomo’s resignation won’t end his legal problems. Also, an aide who said Cuomo groped her breast has filed a complaint with the Albany County Sheriff’s Office. Separately, Cuomo was facing a legislative investigation into whether he misled the public about COVD-19 deaths in nursing homes to protect his reputation as a pandemic leader. Even, improperly got help from state employees in writing a book that may net him $5 million.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Tuesday said, he spoke to Hochul and he has “full confidence” that she will create a “professional and capable administration.” New York’s junior U.S. senator, Kirsten Gillibrand said that Hochul will be an “extraordinary governor.” “She understands the complexities and needs of our state having been both a congresswoman and having been lieutenant governor for the last several years,” Gillibrand said.

“She is ready and able and capable of being an extraordinary first woman Governor of New York. Also, I look forward to supporting her and helping her as she turns towards governing our state, in a very difficult and challenging time,” the senator said. In 2011, Hochul has elected to Congress in a largely Republican district that spanned from Buffalo to Rochester, according to the Times profile.

Hochul became the first Democrat to represent the district in 40 years. And her victory has viewed as a referendum on Republican plans led by Paul Ryan, the former speaker of the House of Representatives, to bankrupt Medicare, according to her campaign website. After Hochul has defeated in her campaign for reelection to Congress in 2012. she has tapped by Cuomo to be his running mate during his first reelection campaign as governor.

Hochul will need to quickly build her own team of advisers to steer the administration for at least the next 16 months. Hochul, who said she didn’t work closely with Cuomo. And hasn’t aware of the harassment allegations before they became public. Then he has vowed no one will ever call her workplace “toxic”. “I have a different approach to governing,” Hochul said Wednesday. Adding, “I get the job done because I don’t have time for distractions, particularly coming into this position.”

Dr. Vivek Murthy Defends US Booster Shot Plan

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By now, many public health experts, and the public for that matter, have accepted that vaccinated people may need another dose (US Booster Shots) of whichever COVID-19 shot they received in order to better protect against new variants of COVID-19.

US Booster Shot COVID-19U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy has defended the Biden administration’s plans to begin rolling out vaccine boosters shots for Americans as early as next month, despite criticism from the World Health Organization and others that the U.S. should not offer shot boosters to Americans while many countries lag in vaccine access.”We have to protect American lives and we have to help vaccinate the world. Because that is the only way this pandemic ends,” Murthy told ABC “This Week” co-anchor, Martha Raddatz.

Murthy conceded that — assuming vaccine supply does not change — “taking more vaccines for Americans in the form of boosters will take away from the rest of the world,” but said the focus has been on increasing the supply and pointed to the U.S. donation of more than 120 million vaccine doses to other countries and its 500-million-dose commitment.

It is recorded the highest daily COVID-19 America active case count in nearly seven months last week, with just over 163,000 new cases reported, according to the CDC.

While only US booster shots of Pfizer and Moderna have been announced, Murthy said they are waiting on efficacy data for a second Johnson & Johnson shot. “We anticipate the people who receive J&J will likely need booster shots as well,” Murthy said.

Asked about the safety of taking a third US booster shot. Murthy emphasized that the booster vaccine shots distribution plan is “contingent on the (Food and Drug Administration). And the (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Advisory Committee doing their full and independent evaluation”. “Safety is absolutely essential in this process. And we would not execute a plan if the FDA did not weigh in. And say that that third booster shot was. In fact, safe,” Murthy said. “But again, keep in mind this — that we have a tremendous amount of experience with these vaccines so far.”

Amid the surge, U.S. vaccination rates have also increased. White House COVID-19 data director Cyrus Shahpar said Saturday marked the third day in a row. And that the U.S. has administered more than 1 million COVID-19 vaccine doses.

The White House announced the news on Friday. It is that at least 200 million Americans can vaccinate with at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose. The FDA has yet to determine that US booster shots are both safe and needed. But Fauci stressed that staying ahead of the virus as well as preparing for booster shots is the best way to tamp down the growing threat of the Delta variant. “If you wait for something bad to happen before you respond to it. Then you find yourself considerably behind in the full capability of your response,” he said. “You don’t want to find yourself behind and playing catch up. Better to stay ahead of it than chasing after it.”

The data on which health officials based their updated US booster shot recommendation included results from a New York City study that showed the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines in preventing infection with SARS-CoV-2 dropped from 91.7% in May to 79.8% by the end of July, by which time the Delta variant was the dominant strain in the area.

In another national study of nursing home residents conducted by the National Healthcare Safety Network, researchers found that vaccine effectiveness in protecting people from getting infected with SARS-CoV-2 was 74.7% prior to the emergence of the Delta variant, but dropped to 53.1% by the end of July. In addition to the data generated within the U.S., health officials have also been poring over information from Israel, which has been serving as a vaccination bellwether for the world. Since health officials, there were able to quickly vaccinate a significant percentage of the population.

The idea of the US booster dose is to bring people’s immune defenses—specifically antibodies—back up to the level generated soon after the last vaccine dose. It’s a well-established principle in immunology that antibodies tend to decline in number over time. Whether it is after people get vaccinate or get naturally infect with a virus. The vaccines has never designed to protect completely against the virus. It is only for from getting severely ill after get infect.

The FDA is pushing to issue full approval for Pfizer-BioNTech’s two-dose COVID-19 vaccine, further expediting an earlier timeline for licensing the shot. Dr. Murthy said he “wouldn’t be surprised” if the FDA issue a full approval of the Pfizer vaccine soon. Even that approval may convince some individuals on the fence about vaccination. And this is for getting the shot and encouraging companies and schools to implement vaccine mandates.

“I think you’ll see more universities and workplaces. Those were considering putting in requirements for vaccines to create safer places to learn and work. You’ll see more of them likely moving forward on their plans to require vaccines in the workplace and school,” Dr. Murthy said.

On rising pediatric cases and hospitalizations, Dr. Murthy encouraged adults to get vaccinated to protect children who are ineligible and highlighted measures schools can take to limit the likelihood of COVID transmission. “I really feel strongly that it is our moral responsibility. As this society to do everything we can to protect our children,” Murthy responded.  “And that means that number one, all of us got vaccinate as adults and adolescents is important because kids who are too young to get vaccinate. But it’s also why making sure we are taking every measure possible in schools. And to ensure that our kids are safe is so important,” Murthy added. “Those include masks, improving ventilation, doing regular testing, and ensuring that our children are outdoors as much as possible.”

Biden Is Firm On Aug. Deadline For US troops Withdrawal

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President Biden said on Tuesday that this week that he still expects to meet the August 31st deadline to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan. But that he was working with the Pentagon to develop contingency plans in the event that operations need to be extended.

US troops withdraw from Afghanistan US armySpeaking from the White House, President Biden said that the timeline depended on the Taliban’s continued cooperation in allowing people to access the Kabul airport. Biden said he asked the Pentagon and the State Department to prepare contingency plans. And that is to stay in Afghanistan longer if it becomes necessary. But that he was mindful of the increased risk of military conflict. “We are currently on a pace to finish by August the 31st. The sooner we can finish, the better,” Biden said. “Each day of operations brings added risk to our current US troops in Afghanistan

While promising to bring all Americans home, Biden told American’s awaiting US troops leave Afghanistan “we will get you home”. During a statement at the White House, the president pledged to evacuate every American that wants to leave the country. They planned to evacuate them along with those who have aided US troops in Afghanistan in their anti-terrorism operations.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that there are approximately 1,500 people who may be Americans left in Afghanistan, adding that when evacuation operations began, there was a population of as many as 6,000 American citizens in the country who wanted to leave.

Blinken said the US has “evacuated at least 4,500 American citizens and likely more”. Since August 14, and more than 500 had evacuated on the last day alone. “Over the past 24 hours we’ve been in direct contact with approximately 500 additional Americans. Meanwhile, provided specific instructions on how to get to the airport safely,” he said speaking at the State Department. Since mid-August, the U.S. has evacuated or aided in the evacuation of about 82,000 people on U.S. military and coalition flights, the official said on Wednesday.

The United States is using 18 commercial aircraft to help transport people who have evacuated from Afghanistan. Moving them from temporary locations after they have landed from Kabul, the Pentagon said on Sunday. The move highlights the difficulty Washington is having in carrying out the evacuation of U.S. citizens and at-risk Afghans following the Taliban’s swift takeover marking the third time the U.S. military has employed civilian aircraft. Biden has faced criticism at home and abroad for his handling of then US troops withdrawal from Afghanistan after the Taliban rapidly took control of the country, sending Americans and Afghans who aided the war effort scrambling to leave the country and escape the hard-line group.

Former Vice President Mike Pence has blamed Biden’s breach of Trump’s agreement with the Taliban. This is for the current situation of US troops left Afghanistan. Last year, Trump agreed with the Taliban not to clash with the U.S. military. And allow terrorists to establish a safe haven, and negotiate with Afghan leaders to form a new government. In addition, Trump had promised the Taliban that he would slowly withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan if the Taliban ever breach the agreement. Pence reiterated that Biden’s breach of contract and withdrawal of US troops without any precaution was severe misconduct.

Analysts have for years warned that the American withdrawal would destabilize Afghan forces trained at great U.S. expense and still heavily reliant on U.S. airpower and intelligence gathering, current, and former officials said. Withdrawal of US troops also would risk damaging the morale of Afghan units who had fought alongside U.S. And coalition forces for two decades and would be left to face a resurgent Taliban on their own. A public threat assessment in April warned that Afghan forces “will struggle to hold the Taliban at bay if the coalition withdraws support.”

Meanwhile, an internal State Department memo last month warned top agency officials of the potential collapse of Kabul soon after the U.S.’s Aug. 31 troop withdrawal deadline in Afghanistan, according to a U.S. official and a person familiar with the document. The classified cable represents the clearest evidence. Yet that the administration had warned by its own officials on the ground that the Taliban’s advance was imminent. And Afghanistan’s military may be unable to stop it. The cable, sent via the State Department’s confidential dissent channel, warned of rapid territorial gains by the Taliban. And the subsequent collapse of Afghan security forces, and offered recommendations on ways to mitigate the crisis. Also, speed up an evacuation, media reports stated.

The cable, dated July 13, also called for the State Department to use tougher language in describing the atrocities being committed by the Taliban, one of the people said. In all, 23 U.S. Embassy staffers, all Americans, signed the July 13 cable, reports stated. The U.S. official said there was a rush to deliver it, given circumstances on the ground in Kabul. The cable has sent to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Director of Policy Planning Salman Ahmed. Very few people in the country are safe right now. American allies are a target. They are considering the women who went to work or school as a threat. Children are at risk. And Christians—who already had to practice their faith in secret—now face even greater persecution.

Joe Biden Poll Drops- Mishandling Of Afghanistan Withdrawal

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Since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan, President Joe Biden’s approval rating has dropped by 7 points, to 46%, according to an August 16 Reuters/Ipsos poll—the lowest since he took office. Biden poll averages from two other trackers, 538 and Real Clear Politics, have also dropped below 50% for the first time in his term. There even seems to be waning support for withdrawal itself, which the majority of Americans supported.

Biden’s approval rating hitting the lowest point in his presidency this week at less than 50 percent. A Hill-HarrisX poll conducted August 20 to August 21 released data on Monday that showed Biden poll stood at 49 percent, The Hill reported. According to some reports, quoting a new poll, the Biden poll has plummeted to just 41 percent. And it is following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan. 55 percent of people surveyed in a USA Today-Suffolk University poll disapproved of President Biden’s job while in office and 41 percent approved meanwhile.

Nearly two-thirds of the people (62 percent) said they disapproved of Biden’s handling of the withdrawal of the US military from Afghanistan, The Hill reported. Only 26 percent said they approved of the withdrawal. Meanwhile, 12 percent said they were undecided on the topic. And about 82 percent of those surveyed said the issue was either “very” or “somewhat” important to them.

In April, a Morning Consult/Politico survey found that 69% of voters supported Biden’s self-imposed September 11 deadline to leave Afghanistan. A Morning Consult poll released August 16 found that number had dropped 20 points, to 49%.

As the U.S. looks ahead to the 2022 midterm elections, and even the 2024 presidential election. The analysts point out that, his approval ratings will have a serious impact on the elections. Biden’s allies will point to his achievements in helping the nation. For example, recover from a once-in-a-century pandemic that spawned an economic crisis. This is done by hoping that voters will care more about that than a controversial move abroad. Republicans will seize on the Taliban’s takeover after Biden’s messy retreat from Afghanistan to cast doubt on Biden’s portrayal of himself as an experienced statesman with deep foreign policy credentials who would bring competence back to the White House.

The withdrawal of the US army from the US war in Afghanistan could become an indelible stain on Biden’s legacy. And remains the most pressing issue for voters in the midterm elections next year. Or it could fade from voters’ minds in the coming months and years as they focus more on the COVID-19 pandemic and economic issues. Pollsters and experts say it is too early to tell. But what is clear, they say, is that after early months of success on vaccinations and legislation. Biden has reached the most difficult moment of his presidency so far.

“I don’t think they were counting on coronavirus getting worse. So that was already one kind of front in the battlefield that they were having to deal with,” says Lydia Saad, Director of U.S. Social Research at Gallup. “And now suddenly they’ve got [Afghanistan]… It’s a challenging environment”. Republican pollster Frank Luntz argues that if Americans are left behind in Afghanistan. Then the situation could be as catastrophic for Biden as the Iranian hostage crisis was for Jimmy Carter in 1979, which many believe cost him reelection. “The American image and reputation abroad are taking a hit every single day,” Luntz says.

“His honeymoon with voters has slowly been ending over the last 30 days”. Dritan Nesho, chief pollster and CEO at HarrisX, told Hill. “Now, the mishandled Afghanistan pullout, which voters view as a crisis of Biden’s own making. Despite an overwhelming majority agreeing to pull US troops out of the county, has put Biden poll approval underwater.”

The other key question is whether voters will forgive the execution of the withdrawal of the US invasion of Afghanistan. To reward the larger goal of ending a 20-year war. “We’re getting out of an unpopular war abroad”, says Larry Sabato, founder, and director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. “We’re getting out of it in a messy fashion, but we’re getting out of it.” “I’m not saying Biden will be boosted by it,” Sabato says, “but I am saying, if he is hurt by it, it will be temporary and this will be replaced by other issues that go to the heart of American life, like the pandemic [and] the economy.”

This is ultimately what Biden’s allies hope. “I think Kabul falling [to the Taliban] quickly just confirmed for the voters what they already thought, which is, ‘This is a forever war. We don’t want any more money and troops there. We can’t make any more difference that we’ve already tried. And we need to take care of the home,’” says Celinda Lake, a Democratic pollster who advised Biden’s presidential campaign. “I think the focus for voters, and particularly blue-collar voters and older voters, is more around surging COVID. Not only this but also the shaky economy, getting kids safely back to school, rising crime rates. So things like that I think will push it out, no matter what the CNN or Fox coverage is.”

AKMG’s 42nd Annual Convention Held in Atlanta

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(Atlanta, GA: August 25, 2021) The 42nd annual Association of Kerala Medical Graduates (AKMG) convention was held from Friday, August 13 to Sunday, August 15. It was held at the Inter-Continental Buckhead Hotel in Atlanta, GA. Attended by 425 fully vaccinated Doctors of Kerala origin and their families from the US and Canada. The annual convention was the best forum for friends to get together, converse, reminisce about their past medical college campus life. Also, it includes singing old and new songs, network and be enriched and entertained.

AKMG annual conventionIn his presidential address, while expressing gratitude to the members of AKMG “for giving me the opportunity this year to be the President of our wondrous organization”. Dr. Subrahmanya Bhat said, “I worked very hard to make sure that this year’s AKMG was the best it could be. Likewise, our executive team has worked very hard to make sure the convention would be successful and profitable. Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic.”

Enumerating some of the accomplishments under the current leadership, Dr. Bhat said, “We have added close to 400 new life members to the AKMG organization. We have started a mentorship program for young physicians who are working on improving their craft,” said. Pointing to the several charitable events and programs AKMG has organized, Dr. Bhat said, “We have supported several food banks that have fed the hungry. In addition, our teams raised enough funds to feed 10,000 homeless people last Christmas.”

Back home in Kerala, with the generous contributions from AKMG members, Dr. Bhat and his team have “raised over $200,000 for Covid relief in Kerala. And provided PPEs and Pulse oximeters to Healthcare workers and Hospitals in Kerala. Furthermore, we have started a new telehealth service called Dronacare, in partnership with Innovation Incubator Inc. This is with the intent of providing free healthcare consultation to people in Kerala. ” In addition, AKMG has initiated the steps to bridge Kerala CDC and Atlanta CDC under the direction of Dr. MV Pillai, Past President of AKMG.

AKMG membersWhile inaugurating the convention with the traditional lighting of the lamp, in her keynote address, Dr. Swathi Kulkarni, Consul General of India in Atlanta, described the Indian American Physician community as a “Testament to the greatest growth story”. While emphasizing the role of physicians during the pandemic, Dr. Kulkarni praised their contributions and achievements. Dr. Kulkarni shared with the audience about the many programs and plans offered by the Government of India. Those are to alleviate the sufferings of the people of India during the pandemic. In addition, Dr. Kulkarni stressed the importance of the Indo-US Strategic Alliance, especially in the health sector. While pointing out India’s contributions to providing the world with quality drugs for lower prices.

Dr. Vikas Kapil from the CDC delivered the keynote address. Dr. Asha Thomas, an IAS officer and head of Health and Human Services and Medical education in Kerala, attended the convention.  Governor of Georgia, Brian Kemp, Dr. Vivek Murthy, US Surgeon General, and the Chief Minister of Kerala sent best wishes and greetings to the delegates at the convention.  In his message, Kerala’s Chief Minister, Pinarayi style=”float: left; margin: 0px 15px 15px 0px;”Vijayan, praised the achievements of the Indian doctors using the knowledge gained from India. He also congratulated AKMG for being the oldest medical organization with 42 years of history. And for its members being the ambassadors of Kerala.

AKMG Association awardsBeing away from home, the participants were led to celebrate Onam with traditional festivities. It including a reception to King Mahabali with thalapoli and chenda melam followed by an Onam feast. The Fashion show, choreographed by Anu Bhat, displayed the best of Indian attire elegantly adorned by beautiful young women as they cat walked to the audience’s delight. Mamta Mohandas, a famous actress from the Malayalam Cinema world, was an added attraction during the Fashion Parade.

The Campus Comedy Night, which has come to be known as an integral part of the annual event since it had started way back in 1986, was a treat to the hearts and souls of the participants during the AKMG Convention in Atlanta as it showcased the diverse talents in music, art and acting by the members of AKMG fraternity. “The AKMG, the pioneering organization of Indian physicians in the US, formed three years earlier than the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, AKMG inspired the formation of AAPI,” Dr. Sudhakar Jonnalagadda, Immediate Past President of AAPI, said.

An elegantly done annual Souvenir was released during the convention. Dr. Annapurna Bhat, Chair of the AKMG Convention Souvenir Committee Chair, said, “I am most honored and delighted to be a part of AKMG, or the Association of Kerala Medical Graduates, North America, a wonderful secular organization serving and empowering Indian healthcare professionals of Kerala origin in USA and Canada.”

Annual convention colleaguesDr. Sunil Kumar, Chair, AKMG Humanitarian Services, thanked AKMG members as they “stepped up to the plate when our motherland was crying for help. I have always been proud of AKMG’s commitment to charity and even more today with your actions. As you know, when the COVID second wave started threatening India, we came together and helped our people prevent a catastrophe. As a result, we were able to reach an agreement with the international charity organization GLOBAL MEDIC to match our donations with $100,000 worth of PPE equipment.”

Dr. Lizy Thaliath, AKMG Convention Chair 2021, said, “As the convention committee chair, it is my honor to welcome all distinguished guests, family members, and participants of the AKMG 42nd convention in Atlanta. We have gone through a pandemic that has destroyed millions of lives and upended many global economies, and for the brunt of it, we healthcare workers have been fighting on the frontline. We pay respect to all who lost their lives in this fight in the hope of keeping the fight going strong.”

At the fabulous Saturday Nite Gala, Dr. Bhat handed over the charge to incoming president Dr. Nigil Haroon, who in his inaugural address, said, “I am humbled and honored by the opportunity to serve as your president for its 42nd year. As I undertake to represent the AKMG as its President for 2021-22,” he said and promised to work to strengthen the organization and enhance its relationship with organizations of other medical professionals. As always, AKMG will continue focusing on charitable activities and helping the medical colleges back in Kerala. For more details, please visit www.akmg.org.

Afghan Withdrawal Focus Of Kamala Harris’ Asia Visit

Staff ReporterGlobal, Nation USA 0

Kamala Harris’ first trip to Asia as vice president was meant to signal the United States’ staunch commitment to partners. They are in the Indo-Pacific region in the face of a rising China. Instead, Harris’ three-day stop in Singapore quickly turned into a platform for the media to question her on the U.S.’ reliability as a security partner as Washington’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan continued.

Kamala-Harris-UNN-News-OnlineUS Vice President Kamala Harris arrived in Singapore on Sunday, kicking off her trip to Southeast Asia where she is expected to offer reassurances of Washington’s commitment to the region. The vice-president’s visit comes just days after the chaotic withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan and the subsequent takeover of the country by the Taliban. The return to power of the hardline Islamists in the conflict-ridden country has dented the United States’ credibility and cast a shadow over its resolve to defend its values.

The trip also provides Harris, an Asian-American whose mother was of Indian origin, a forum to assert herself directly in foreign affairs. The longtime district attorney and former senator are largely untested in diplomacy and foreign policy.

Before leaving on the 1st ever Asia visit, Harris said Friday that the nations she will visit “are the seat of the Indo-Pacific region. We have interests there that relate to both security interests, economic interests, and, more recently, global health interests.” In prepared remarks to rolling cameras, both Harris and Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong focused on cooperation on COVID prevention and regional stability, but in an open question and answer session that followed, reporters focused on Afghanistan, not the intended themes of Harris’ trip.  The Singaporean leader revealed that his government had offered Washington a tanker transport plane. It is in support of efforts to evacuate thousands of Americans and their allies from Afghanistan.

Singapore’s prime minister told Vice President Kamala Harris that the rest of the world will be watching closely to see what the US does next on the world stage following its chaotic retreat from Afghanistan.

First US VP in Vietnam

Harris is scheduled to arrive in Hanoi late Tuesday, becoming the first US vice president to visit Vietnam. She will hold government meetings in Vietnam. Also, attend the opening of a Southeast Asian branch of the US Centre for Disease Control. However, her visit to the communist country has particularly criticized for being tone-deaf. As the US struggles to evacuate Americans and Afghan allies out of Kabul. Visuals of the chaotic US evacuation from Kabul last week drew comparisons. It is with a similar image of Saigon in 1975. Where US helicopters ferried the last evacuees from the embassy roof. “A particular high priority is making sure that we evacuate American citizens, Afghans who worked with us. Also Afghans at risk, including women and children,” Harris told reporters before her departure.

During her visit to Vietnam, Harris is planning to hold a virtual meeting with ASEAN health ministers. And cite the launch of a regional office of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Gregory Poling, a senior fellow for Southeast Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He said showing a commitment to the region on the pandemic is key for Harris’ trip. “I think on COVID, the administration realizes that this is the singular issue,” he said. “If they’re not seen as leading vaccine distribution in the region. Then nothing else they do in Asia matters. Or at least nothing else they do is going to find a willing audience”.

The U.S. has provided more than 23 million vaccine doses to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Also, tens of millions of dollars in personal protective equipment, laboratory equipment, and other supplies to fight the virus.

‘Pookalam’ Or Floral Carpet During Onam Celebrations

Staff ReporterCulture 0

Just as the monsoon bids adieu to the land of South India, the air filled with vigor, joy, and happiness with the arrival of Onam. We know it as a significant festival celebrated majorly in Kerala. From the intricately decorated elephants to the wild Pulikali dancers. And from the gigantic snake boats lined up at the shore to the gorgeous floral decorations. This festival paints the state in more colors than you can imagine.

Onam pookalam Kerala festivalMarking the end of monsoons and welcoming the harvest season, this Kerala festival, Onam 2021 is a Hindu festival celebrated annually. It is celebrating all over India with its origin in the Kerala state. One of the biggest festivals of the state, the Onam festival is celebrating for 10 days. Normally it is during the Malayalam month of Chingam. It fills the heart of people with gaiety and brings them together to be a part of this vibrant and cultural festival.
The festivities of Onam reflect the traditions and culture of Kerala in the most unique way. While we celebrating Onam, Onam attire is an important factor. Onam saree is so special in that. From August 12, 2021, to August 23, 2021, the Onam festival date 2021 has celebrated around the world.

The Onam celebrations see the making of pookalam or athapookalam, a rangoli made with fresh flowers in various intricate designs. As the Onam festivities draw to a close with Thiruonam, here’s what to know about the importance of pookalam which is also called pookolam. Pookalams or Onam athams are generally circular in shape.

‘Poo’ stands for flower and ‘Kolam’ stands for decorative designs or rangoli, made using fresh flowers and petals. In home and around public places we have to design pookalams. This is in honor of King Mahabali who believed to return to his people every year. The legend goes that as per the boon granted by Lord Vishnu’s avatar Vamana, King Mahabali who has sent to the Nether World or Pataal Lok, could only pay a visit to his kingdom and people annually. Therefore, to celebrate his return, people put floral carpets or pookalam.

While a traditional pookalam consists of 10 flowers, people nowadays said to use all kinds of flowers which are available in the market. And with that, they make multiple rings dedicated to several deities. As per tradition, each of the floral rings has dedicated to deities. Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi, their sons Ganesha and Kartikeya, Lord Brahma, Vamana Avatar of Lord Vishnu, and King Mahabali are those deities. The floral patterns have profound meaning.

Onam festival history dates back to the Sangam period when Onam was used to be celebrated for a month. According to the ancient legends, we celebrate this festival of rain flowers to commemorate the arrival of Asura King Mahabali’s annual visit from Patala (the world underneath). The time when the demon king Mahabali (grandson of Prahlad), who was known for his generosity rules in Kerala, the story revolves around. His growing popularity became a threat for the gods and they came to Lord Vishnu for seeking help. Sensing their concern, Lord Vishnu disguised himself as a poor Brahmin called Vamana.

When he arrived at the kingdom of the demon king. He asked Mahabali to grant him the land which he can cover within three feet. Being a kind-hearted and charitable person, the king granted his wish. And soon the Vamana started to grow in size and his first and second steps covered the sky and earth. As the brahmin was about to take the third step, the demon king stepped up. And asked him to keep his last step on his head which lead him to Patala. However, for the good deeds of Mahabali, Lord Vishnu granted him a boon that he can annually visit his people which led to the celebration of the Onam festival in India.

We celebrate the harvest festival Onam in the month of Chingam and lasts for 10 days. The festival comprises numerous fun activities like Vallam Kali (boat races), Pulikali (tiger dances), Onathappan (worship), during these 10 days. A festive spread in the form of Onam Sadhya is a must-have part of the celebrations.

Dr. George M. Abraham, President Of ACP, Praised By AAPI Leadership

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It is matter of great pride for all of us that Dr. George Abraham has been elected president of American College of Physicians (ACP) the largest association of American internal medicine physicians with a membership of nearly 170,000 physicians,” said Dr. Anupama Gotimukula, President of American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) the largest ethnic medical association in the United States.

A resident of Shrewsbury, MA, Dr. Abraham is a Professor of Medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Chief of Medicine and Emeritus President of the Medical staff at Saint Vincent Hospital, and Adjunct Professor of Medicine at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Services.

Prior to his term as President-elect, he recently served as Chair of ACP’s Board of Governors and as Governor of ACP’s Massachusetts Chapter prior to that. Dr. Abraham is a Fellow of ACP (FACP), an honorary designation that recognizes ongoing individual service and contributions to the practice of medicine. Dr. Abraham had served as a WHO fellow in HIV disease in Uganda, as well as an ID fellow at the Communicable Disease Center in Singapore. In the past, he has volunteered with Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity, and also has led medical mission trips to rural Louisiana and Mexico, with his church.

Several AAPI leaders and past Presidents of AAPI, including Dr. Naresh Parikh and Dr. Narendra Kumar, who hails from the same state of Kerala in India as Dr. Abraham, have expressed their congratulations to Dr. Abraham. Dr. Kumar said, “In its long 105 years history, George Abraham is the first physician of Indian origin to have this honor and lead ACP. We express our congratulations, want to wish him the very best and offer our support in his endeavors.”

“The election of Dr. George Abraham to be the President of ACP is a testament to the leadership qualities, vision and passion Indian American physicians have come to be asscociuated with in the United States,” added Dr. Naresh Parikh. “I am proud of our community of Indian physicians for all the progress that we have made over the years,” said Dr. Kusum Punjabi, Chair of AAPI BOT. “In patient care, administration, leadership, or academics, we have excelled in the respective fields, holding important positions across the United States and the world.”

Dr. Ravi Kolli, President-Elect of AAPI, that represents over 100,000 physicians of Indian origin in the United States, said, “We are proud of Dr. Abraham and his many accomplishments and look forward to working with him and ACP, as the nation and the entire world seeks to find best possible solutions to tackle the pandemic that has taken the lives of millions of people around the world.”

Lauding Dr. Abraham “who has been a key advocate on Covid and infectious diseases,” Dr. Anjana Samadder, Vice President of AAPI said, “Dr. Abraham’s commitment, ethics, quiet leadership style and impeccable credentials make him the smart choice for this leadership role.” “Dr. Abraham represents the over 100,000 Indian American physicians,” Dr. Satheesh Kathula, Secretary of AAPI said. “Having a wide range of experiences and passion for science-based approach, Dr. Abraham will bring in new perspectives to the many healthcare issues that require immediate attention and concrete action plan to tackle the pandemic.”

Dr. Krishan Kumar, Treasurer of AAPI, while offering fullest cooperation from the Indian American Physician community, said, “We at AAPI, look forward to working closely with Dr. Abraham and ACP, especially in our collective efforts to end this deadly pandemic.” George M. Abraham, MD, MPH, FACP, FIDSA, has been named President of the American College of Physicians (ACP) representing nearly 170,000 internal medicine physicians (internists), related subspecialists, and medical students. His term began on May 2nd at the conclusion of ACP’s Annual Business Meeting.

Dr. Abraham earned his medical degree from the Christian Medical College in India and has a Master’s Degree in Public Health from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health.  He completed his internal medicine residency and chief residency at Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester and then earned an MPH in Infectious Disease Epidemiology from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. He is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Medical Specialties in Infectious Disease. He is also certified by the American Board of Ambulatory and Urgent Care Medicine, and the American Association of Medical Review Officers. Dr. Abraham’s areas of professional interest and expertise include internal medicine and infectious disease.

Dr. Abraham has numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals, as well as at national and international meetings. He has also written prolifically on issues of public health in the media. He has lectured on healthcare issues throughout Central Massachusetts. Dr. Abraham is a past-president of the Worcester District Medical Society. He also serves as a Trustee of the Massachusetts Medical Society, as the Secretary/Treasurer for the American College of Physicians and as the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts. Additional memberships include the American College of Physicians (where he is a Fellow), the American Medical Association and the Massachusetts Medical Society.

As the Medical Director of Central MA Independent Physician Association (CMIPA) for 7 years, till 2012, he has worked extensively on health IT, quality management and care coordination issues. Dr. Abraham is a past-president of the Worcester District Medical Society. He also serves as a Trustee of the Massachusetts Medical Society, as the Governor-Elect for the American College of Physicians and as the Immediate Past-Chair of the Board of Directors of the Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts. Additional memberships include the American College of Physicians (where he is a Fellow), the American Medical Association and the Massachusetts Medical Society. Dr. Abraham, who maintains a practice at Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester, MA, also volunteers at a number of free clinics in the city of Worcester.

“Dr. Abraham has been an integral physician leader at Saint Vincent Hospital for years and his work during the COVID-19 pandemic was invaluable,” said Saint Vincent Hospital CEO Carolyn Jackson. “The Saint Vincent Hospital team is proud of Dr. Abraham and his contributions to the medical community and the patients we care for. He is incredibly deserving of this appointment and will serve the American College of Physicians well.” Founded in 1915 to promote the science and practice of medicine, and since then has supported internists in their quest for excellence, American College of Physicians is the largest medical specialty organization in the United States with members in more than 145 countries worldwide. With the mission to enhance the quality and effectiveness of health care by fostering excellence and professionalism in the practice of medicine. ACP is a diverse community of internal medicine specialists and subspecialists united by a commitment to excellence.

The growing influence of physicians of Indian heritage is evident, as increasingly physicians of Indian origin hold critical positions in the healthcare, academic, research and administrative positions across the nation. Serving 1 in every 7 patients in the US, AAPI members care for millions of patients every day, while several of them have risen to hold high flying jobs, shaping the policies and programs and inventions that shape the landscape of healthcare in the US and around the  world. For more details on AAPI, please visit: www.aapiusa.org

Attorney Sanjay Wadhwa Named Deputy Director of SEC’s Enforcement Division

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The Securities and Exchange Commission has announced the appointment of Sanjay Wadhwa as deputy director of the Division of Enforcement. The Indian American attorney most recently served as the senior associate director of the Division of Enforcement in the New York Regional Office, where he managed more than 150 personnel in enforcing federal securities laws. His new role is effective immediately, said the SEC press release on August 18th.

“Over the hundreds of investigations he has overseen, Sanjay has helped the SEC root out wrongdoing, pursue charges against those who seek to manipulate or defraud investors, and partner with criminal authorities to prosecute bad actors,” said SEC chair Gary Gensler. “Sanjay’s breadth of experience and dedication to protecting investors make him well qualified to serve as deputy director of the Enforcement Division. I look forward to working with him in his new role.” “Sanjay brings a tenacious approach to our work, and he is passionate about protecting American investors,” said Gurbir Grewal, the SEC’s Director of Enforcement. “I am eager to work closely with him in his new role.”

“It has been an honor to serve alongside the SEC’s esteemed Enforcement staff for the past 18 years,” said Wadhwa. “I look forward to working with Gurbir and the entire Enforcement Division to oversee investigations and litigation matters to help protect investors and promote integrity in the marketplace by holding wrongdoers accountable.” Wadhwa joined the SEC as a staff attorney in 2003. As co-head of Enforcement in the SEC’s New York office, he was responsible for the day-to-day functions of that office’s enforcement program. He also previously served in additional roles in the Enforcement Division, including deputy chief of the Market Abuse Unit and assistant director in NYRO. Prior to joining the SEC in 2003, Wadhwa served as a tax associate at Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. Wadhwa has a B.B.A. from Florida Atlantic University, a J.D. from South Texas College of Law Houston, and an LL.M. in taxation from New York University School of Law.

India To Sign Mou With Florida International University On Himalayan Geology

Staff ReporterEnvironment, Science 0

The Government of India have given approval for signing of a MoU between the Geological Survey of India (GSI) and Florida International University, the US, for cooperation in the field of geology.

Chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Cabinet gave its approval for signing the MoU between the GSI, under the Ministry of Mines, and the varsity’s board of trustees on behalf of its Department of Earth and Environment, a government statement said. The identified area of cooperation between the two participants would include development of geological knowledge, research regarding geologic and tectonic environment of post collisions magmatism in India-Asia collisional margin, geologic history and tectonics of the Eastern Himalayan Syntaxis and developing cooperative projects in the fields of regional geological, geochemical, petrological and multi-isotopic studies related to the evolution of post collisional magmatic belts.

The MoU will provide an institutional mechanism between Geological Survey of India (GSI) and the Florida International University (FIU) on cooperation in the field of Geology.The objectives of the MoU are to understand the geologic and tectonic environment of the generation and emplacement of post-collisional magmatism in India-Asia Collision margin in particular and to construct a model of post-collisional magma genesis in continental collision zones in general and to construct the geologic and tectonics of the Eastern Himalayan Syntaxis.

The identified area of cooperation between the two Participants will be as follows:

  • Development of the geological knowledge, research regarding geologic and tectonic environment of post collisions magmatism in India-Asia collisional margin, geologic history and tectonics of the Eastern Himalayan Syntaxis.
  • Developing cooperative projects in the fields of regional geological, geochemical, petrological and multi-isotopic studies related to the evolution of post collisional magmatic belts.

Shashi Tharoor Cleared By Delhi Court In Sunanda Pushkar Death Case

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In a big relief for Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, a Delhi court Aug. 18 discharged him in the Sunanda Pushkar death case. Special judge Geetanjali Goel said, “The accused is discharged.” The order was pronounced in the presence of Tharoor, senior advocate Vikas Pahwa appearing on behalf of Tharoor, and additional public prosecutor Atul Shrivastava.

Tharoor, who attended the court proceedings virtually, thanked the court for discharging him of all offenses. “It had been seven and half years and it was a torture. I’m so grateful,” he said. Tharoor had been accused of subjecting his late wife to cruelty and abetting her suicide by Delhi Police, which had filed a detailed chargesheet in the matter.  Pushkar’s body was discovered in a room of a five-star hotel in the capital on January 17, 2014. An FIR was registered by police a year later, on January 1, 2015, against unknown persons for murder. Tharoor was later booked under IPC Sections 498-A (subjecting a woman to cruelty) and 306 (abetment to suicide).

After the pronouncement of the judgment, senior advocate Vikas Pahwa, appearing for Tharoor, said that the charges of abetment of suicide and cruelty levelled by police against his client were “absurd and preposterous”. “I am delighted to hear the pronouncement of discharge for Dr Shashi Tharoor. It was a long battle of seven years. Ultimately, justice has prevailed. He had faith in the judicial system right from the beginning. I had always advised Dr Tharoor not to make any public statement as the matter was sub judice… Even the most essential ingredients of the offences were not present in this case,” he said. Earlier on April 29, May 19 and June 16, the order was deferred due to the pandemic impacting the judicial work. The order pronouncement was adjourned again on July 2, after the court received an application from the prosecution seeking one week’s time to file written submissions.

Pushkar was found dead on the evening of Jan. 17, 2014. Initially, Delhi police investigated the same as a murder, with an FIR registered under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), charging Tharoor under Sections 306 (abetment of suicide) and 498A (cruelty by husband). Shrivastava had argued that before her death, Pushkar had sustained injuries on her body, and they were reflected in the post-mortem report. He submitted that 27 tablets of Alprax were found in her room, although it was not clear as to how many pills she had consumed

Karan Johar, Sonu Sood Collaborate With National Geographic For Exciting Projects

Staff ReporterCinema, Culture 0

On the occasion of World Photography Day Aug. 19, National Geographic, a brand known for its iconic imagery and some of the best pictures from across the world, has teased us with something special that they are launching. The brand has teamed up with Karan Johar, the ace filmmaker, for a project around photography and videography.

The film opens on a calm evening on a serene beach. We hear the sounds of waves gently crashing on the shore, seagulls cooing, and other ambient sounds. It is then that the frame spans out and we see Karan Johar saying: “Some sights take you places.” The teaser then ends with Karan Johar mentioning: “Something inspiring, clicking soon. Stay tuned!” On India’s Independence Day, Sonu Sood – actor, film producer, model, humanitarian, and philanthropist – had a special surprise announcement for all his fans! He announced a what-looks-to-be-like new project titled ‘It Happens Only in India’ with National Geographic India.

The official Instagram page of National Geography India posted the video of their collaboration with Sonu Sood and captioned it, “Get ready to witness some exciting stories about India with @sonu_sood on It Happens Only in India, coming soon on National Geographic”. In a special teaser video released across television and National Geographic social media handles, we can see Sonu wishing everyone a Happy Independence Day before announcing he will soon be launching a new property called It Happens Only in India on National Geographic.While he didn’t announce the official launch date and the concept, it definitely looks to be an interesting property that will revolve around India as a country and we are sure his fans can’t wait to hear more on this soon!

Avantika Vandanapu’s Hollywood Debut “Spin” Released

Staff ReporterEntertainment, Women 0

Avantika Vandanapu has made her Hollywood debut with the recently released film ‘Spin’. In ‘Spin’, Avantika plays the role of Rhea, an Indian-American teenager who learns that she has a passion for creating DJ mixes. The actress underwent thorough preparations for her role. Written by Carley Steiner (Play Date) and Josh Cagan (The Duff), Spin follows effervescent 15-year-old Rhea Kumar (Vandanapu), who lives with her tight-knit multigenerational family. After her mother’s death, she has been her father’s emotional rock, and her life revolves around her family’s restaurant, her eclectic group of friends, and her after-school coding club. Everything changes when she falls for aspiring DJ Max and a long lost passion for music is reignited. Rhea discovers that she has a natural gift for creating beats and producing music that blends her Indian heritage, but must find the courage to follow her true inner talent. Zanne Devine (Secret Society of Second Born Royals, Easy A, I, Tonya) serves as executive producer.

The 16-year-old Indian origin actress did several Telugu films before bagging the role in the international project. Talking about how she bagged the lead role of Rhea in ‘Spin’, Avantika told IANS: “I had actually auditioned for this movie when I was 12. It was my first Hollywood audition. I was still working in India at that time. Unfortunately, the project was kept on hold then. It came back in the beginning of last year. It was my first Hollywood movie, which was like a full-circle moment for me.” As a child artiste, Avantika made her debut when she was 10 with the Telugu film ‘Brahmotsavam’ starring Mahesh Babu and Kajal Agarwal, among others. “I was originally a dancer, so it was easy to go from one expressive art to another. I look up to Viola Davis, Meryl Streep Sridevi for inspiration,” she said.

“There were a lot of aspects to Rhea that were new to me. She is a coder and a waitress. I had to learn how to do the table and learn that with authenticity. She is also a DJ, so one-and-a-half months prior to filming, I started learning how to DJ and it was really interesting to learn a new skill. Those were the two skills that went into developing the character,” she said. The young actress shared that it was easy for her to resonate with her character. “We are very similar in our energy. It was great to play a character whom I connected with. We both have our artistic career fields. She is also good with her fashion, blending Indian and American styles. Rhea is quite comfortable with her Indian American identity, as am I.” She continued, “I grew up with music. I am a dancer so I have always worked with rhythms and beats. It’s great to play such a character who is in close connectivity with music.”

Avantika also shared her experience of working with Abhay Deol, who plays her father in the film. “I grew up watching his movies. Finally being able to work with him and being attached to such a monumental film is amazing to me. I am always nervous, so to have him around was great.” Living in America, Avantika had her share of struggles being an Indian. “I grew comfortable being an Indian, even though I had my fair share of experiences and struggles,” she signed off. Avantika’s upcoming films are ‘Boomika’ in Tamil and ‘Senior Year’ in English.

U.S. Eases Travel Advisory For India To Second-Lowest Level

Staff ReporterImmigration, Travel 0

The U.S. State Department Aug. 16 eased its travel advisories for India, taking it to its second-lowest level, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the South Asian nation now has a “moderate level of COVID-19.” “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a level 2 travel health notice for India due to COVID-19, indicating a moderate level of COVID-19 in the country. Your risk of contracting COVID-19 and developing severe symptoms may be lower if you are fully vaccinated with an FDA authorized vaccine. Before planning any international travel, please review the CDC’s specific recommendations for vaccinated and unvaccinated travelers,” the State Department said in a statement.

It also urged American citizens not to travel to Jammu and Kashmir, except for the eastern Ladakh region and its capital of Leh, due to terrorism and civil unrest. They have also been advised not to travel within the India-Pakistan border due to the potential for armed conflict. “Terrorist attacks and violent civil unrest are possible in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Avoid all travel to this state (with the exception of visits to the eastern Ladakh region and its capital, Leh),” it said, adding, “India and Pakistan maintain a strong military presence on both sides of the border.” In April, the U.S. issued a level 4 travel health notice for India as the country was reeling under the second wave of COVID-19.

Several US Cities Mandate Vaccination Proof For Indoor Activities

Staff ReporterCommunity, Health 0

Many US cities have made it mandatory for citizens to show their Covid-19 vaccination proof for indoor activities in a renewed effort to curb the further spread of the disease, according to authorities.

 

In New York City, the ‘Key to NYC Pass’ mandate began on Monday, which requires diners to show proof of at least one vaccination dose in order to dine indoors at restaurants, reports Xinhua news agency.

 

New York City was amongst the first in the US to announce that public indoor venues, such as restaurants, bars, gyms and performance and entertainment facilities, would require proof of vaccination.

 

Full enforcement however, won’t kick in until September 13, while San Francisco and New Orleans have since followed suit. “The move comes as the Delta variant continues to spread throughout the country, and the battered hospitality industry figures out a way to recover from a year of shutdowns and countless regulatory changes,” catering website ny.eater.com said on Monday.

 

As for New York State, governor Kathy Hochul said on Sunday that she was not ruling out the possibility of mandating a vaccine for indoor activities amid a surge in Covid-19 cases brought about by the Delta variant. “I’m open to all options,” she told CNN. “I’ll be looking at the possibility of mandates, but not saying they’re in or out until I know all the facts.”

 

She also clarified her support of mask mandates for children in school as a necessary safety step for helping New York get through a new wave of Covid-19 infections.

 

A lagging vaccination campaign and the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant are driving a surge in Covid-19 hospitalisations in the US, reported The New York Times on Monday.

The trend is particularly notable among children and younger adults. From August 5 to 11, 263 children were admitted to hospitals every day on average, compared to 217 in early January, the last peak.

 

Average daily admissions rose to a record among 18- to 49-year-olds, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Meanwhile, the country has administered 356,433,665 doses of Covid-19 vaccines till date and distributed 415,957,645 doses, said the CDC, adding that 198,088,722 people have received at least one dose while 168,362,058 people are fully vaccinated. (IANS)

Life Begins At 60; No Work, Only Leisure, These Are The Best Years, After All!

Staff ReporterCommunity, Lifestyle 0

With a strong focus on ageing positively, senior citizens want to explore new career avenues, pursue their passions, and at the same time engage in social good more actively. Contrary to widespread belief, today’s senior citizens are far from retirement.

In celebration of World Senior Citizen’s Day (August 21), Columbia Pacific Communities, India’s largest senior living community operator, launched India’s first ever report on the golden agers, The Positive Ageing Report. Supported by extensive desk research, the report, aims to examine traditional notions and understand evolving needs of seniors while giving key insights on the changing aspirations, needs of senior citizens and their view of ageing in the 21st century.

People older than 60 years account for 8 per cent of the Indian population. However, by 2050, the number of elderly will almost double, with over 319 million people aged over 60. This necessitates reimagining of our existing infrastructure and services to support positive ageing and better senior care for the ageing population. In the given scenario, the findings of the Report will help enhance our understanding and drive conversations around what senior citizens feel about ageing and the kind of support they need from society. The Report is based on face-to-face and telephonic interviews conducted by Innovative Research Services (India) Pvt. Ltd.

Some of the key findings from the report are as follows:

* For people over 60, men (31 per cent ) identify themselves with their careers (compared to 19 per cent women), women (30 per cent ) believe their identity comes from their passions and interests (compared to 23 per cent men).

* The proportion of women over 60 (36 per cent ) who spend over four hours daily on social media is greater than millennial and Gen Z men (22 per cent ) and more than double of millennial and Gen Z women (15 per cent).

* More than two out of five respondents over 60 (45 per cent ) agree with the statement — ‘Life begins at 60; no work, only leisure, these are the best years, after all!’

* Nearly a third (31 per cent ) of the respondents believe that it is only after 60 that they would have all the time and the wisdom to achieve their ambitions.

According to Mohit Nirula, CEO, Columbia Pacific Communities, “The philosophy of positive ageing is central to all our efforts at Columbia Pacific Communities. We strive towards creating an ecosystem that fosters a healthy ageing experience for the elderly. Considering several factors of the rapidly transforming world and the significant shift in our population demographic, we wanted to ascertain the future needs of seniors better. “Therefore, we commissioned a survey on positive ageing, examining people across age groups within three broad frameworks — identity, technology and health. The findings of the survey have been eye-opening and have challenged pre-existing notions. The report reveals Indian seniors to be as independent, focused, enterprising and aspirational as any other age group. It is our pleasure to release “:The Positive Ageing Report and we are confident that it will provide key perspectives to policy makers and other stakeholders and help them strengthen their efforts towards the health and well-being of the elderly,” Mohit Nirula said. On the occasion, putting the spotlight on the issue of loneliness among the elderly, Columbia Pacific Communities, launched the initiative #ReplyDon’tReject with the critically acclaimed senior actor, Boman Irani.

The initiative calls out to the younger generations, by offering a unique perspective, and appeals them to avoid treating frequent video, photo, or good morning messages from senior citizens as mere forwards and view the mere act of frequent messaging as the desire to connect and share as well as the struggle to fight their solitude. (IANS)

Who Are The Taliban, And What Do They Want?

Staff ReporterGlobal, Nation USA 0

The Taliban arose in 1994 amid the turmoil that followed the withdrawal of Soviet forces from Afghanistan in 1989. The group was rooted in rural areas of Kandahar province, in the country’s ethnic-Pashtun heartland in the south.

It was surprising, because until taking up arms just a year before, many of the fighters had been little more than religious pupils. Their very name meant “students.” The Taliban, they called themselves. A quarter-century later, after outlasting an international military coalition in a war that cost tens of thousands of lives, the onetime students are now rulers of the land. Again. Here is a look at the origin of the Taliban; how they managed to take over Afghanistan not once, but twice; what they did when they first took control — and what that might reveal about their plans for this time.

When did the Taliban first emerge?

The Taliban arose in 1994 amid the turmoil that followed the withdrawal of Soviet forces from Afghanistan in 1989. The group was rooted in rural areas of Kandahar province, in the country’s ethnic-Pashtun heartland in the south. The Soviet Union had invaded in 1979 to prop up the Communist government in Afghanistan, and eventually met the fate of big powers past and present that have tried to impose their will on the country: It was driven out.The Soviets were defeated by Islamic fighters known as the mujahedeen, a patchwork of insurgent factions supported by a U.S. government only too happy to wage a proxy war against its Cold War rival. But the joy over that victory was short-lived, as the various factions fell out and began fighting for control. The country fell into warlordism, and a brutal civil war. Against this backdrop, the Taliban, with their promise to put Islamic values first and to battle the corruption that drove the warlords’ fighting, quickly attracted a following. Over months of intense fighting, they took over most of the country.

How did the Taliban rule?

In 1996, the Taliban declared an Islamic Emirate, imposing a harsh interpretation of the Quran and enforcing it with brutal public punishments, including floggings, amputations and mass executions. And they strictly curtailed the role of women, keeping them out of schools. They also made clear that rival religious practices would not be tolerated: In early 2001, the Taliban destroyed towering statues known as the Great Buddhas of Bamiyan, objects of awe around the globe. The Taliban considered them blasphemous, and boasted that their destruction was holy. “It is easier to destroy than to build,” observed the militants’ minister of information and culture. There was a framework of a modern government, including ministries and a bureaucracy. But at the street level, it was religious edict, and the whim of individual commanders, that dictated everyday life for Afghans. They did not control the entire country, however. The north, where many of the mujahedeen commanders had taken up occupancy, remained a bastion of resistance.

What does Taliban rule mean for women?

The Taliban were founded in an ideology dictating that women should play only the most circumscribed roles in society. The last time they ruled, they barred women and girls from taking most jobs or even going to school. And women caught outside the home with their faces uncovered risked severe punishment. Unmarried women and men seen together also faced punishment. After the Taliban government was toppled by an American-led coalition, women made many gains in Afghanistan. But two decades later, as the U.S. negotiated a troop withdrawal agreement with the Taliban, many Afghan women feared that all of that ground would be lost. And as the militants take power, there have been ample signs that those fears are well-grounded.

In just one example, Taliban fighters entered a bank in Kandahar during fighting in July and ordered nine women working there to leave and said that male relatives should take their place, Reuters reported. And in the northern city of Kunduz this month, the city’s new Taliban rulers ordered women who had worked for the government to leave their jobs and never return. “It’s really strange to not be allowed to get to work, but now this is what it is,” one of the bank workers in Kandahar said.

Why did the U.S. invade Afghanistan?

When they were in power, the Taliban made Afghanistan a safe harbor for Osama bin Laden, a Saudi Arabia-born former mujahedeen fighter, while he built up a terrorist group with global designs: al-Qaida. On Sept. 11, 2001, the group struck a blow that rattled the world, toppling the World Trade Center towers in New York and damaging the Pentagon in Washington. Thousands were killed. President George W. Bush demanded that the Taliban hand over al-Qaida and bin Laden. When the Taliban balked, the United States invaded. Unleashing a heavy airstrike campaign, and joined by former mujahedeen groups within the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance coalition, the U.S. and its allies soon toppled the Taliban government. Most of the al-Qaida and Taliban officials who survived fled to Pakistan. Twenty years later, some of those same Taliban officials were among the delegation that struck a deal for the United States to leave Afghanistan, and they will number among the country’s new rulers.

What happened to the Taliban after their 2001 defeat?

With the shelter and assistance of Pakistan’s military — the same force receiving heavy financial aid from the United States to help hunt down al-Qaida — the Taliban reformed as a guerrilla insurgency. The U.S. began pouring resources into a new war in Iraq, and American officials told the world that Afghanistan was well on its way to becoming a Western-style democracy with modern institutions. But many Afghans were coming to feel that those foreign institutions were just another way for corrupt leaders to steal money. In the countryside, the Taliban began gaining ground, and support, particularly in rural areas. Their numbers grew — some fighters were intimidated into joining, others happy to volunteer, almost all of them better paid than local policemen. And the group found a rich recruiting vein among the Afghan diaspora in Pakistan, from families who had fled previous violence as refugees and were brought up in religious schools.

“Six years after being driven from power, the Taliban are demonstrating a resilience and a ferocity that are raising alarm,” The Times reported in 2008, noting that “a relatively ragtag insurgency has managed to keep the world’s most powerful armies at bay.” The Taliban weathered the storm when President Barack Obama vastly expanded the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan, up to around 100,000 troops in 2010. And when the Americans began drawing down a few years later, the insurgents began gaining ground again. It was a campaign of persistence, with the Taliban betting that the United States would lose patience and leave.

They were right. More than 2,400 American lives later, $2 trillion later, tens of thousands of Afghan civilian and security forces deaths later, President Donald Trump made a deal with the Taliban and declared that American forces would leave Afghanistan by mid-2021. President Joe Biden endorsed the approach, and presided over an uncompromising troop withdrawal even as the Taliban began gobbling up whole districts, and then cities. This week, just nine days after the Taliban seized their first provincial capital, the insurgents walked into the capital, Kabul. Taliban rule of Afghanistan has resumed.

What will the Taliban do next?

Taliban leaders have so far seemed to avoid inflammatory rhetoric, and have called on commanders to rule fairly and avoid reprisals and abuse. They have issued assurances that people will be safe. The early days of Taliban control have, in fact, seemed restrained in some places. But enough reports of brutality and intimidation have surfaced to send waves of refugees to Kabul ahead of the group’s advance. And now, the capital’s airport has become a scene of desperation and chaos, as thousands of Afghans try to flee the country at any cost. In Kunduz, the first major provincial capital to fall to the Taliban, residents were unconvinced by promises of peace from their new rulers.“I am afraid, because I do not know what will happen and what they will do,” one resident said. “We have to smile at them, because we are scared, but deeply we are unhappy.”

 

How Drugs Funded The Taliban’s 20-Year War With The US

Staff ReporterGlobal 0

Where did the Taliban find funds to sustain themselves over a two-decade war with the US? With the Americans gone and the Afghan opposition collapsed, what military assets do the Taliban have?

In returning to power in Kabul over the weekend, the Taliban demonstrated both the success of a lightning military offensive against Afghanistan’s then government, as well as their remarkable resilience in the face of onslaughts by the world’s most powerful military for 20 years.

When they were driven out of Kabul in November 2001, the Taliban had been in power for a little over five years, and in existence for only seven. What makes them the fighting force that outlasted the United States in its longest ever war, and defeated the Afghans who received equipment and training worth over $80 billion from the Americans? Where have the Taliban found the funds to sustain themselves over a two-decade war with an adversary with almost limitless resources? Flourishing drug trade In a May 2020 report, the United Nations Security Council estimated that “overall Taliban annual combined revenues range from $300 million to upwards of $1.5 billion per annum”. It said that while the figures for 2019 were lower, officials “were careful to note that the Taliban used resources effectively and efficiently and were not experiencing a cash crisis”.

The primary source of the Taliban’s funds has been the drug trade, as report after report has shown over two decades. Their income suffered in recent years because of the “reduction in poppy cultivation and revenue, less taxable income from aid and development projects, and increased spending on “governance” projects”, the UNSC report said. However, “while heroin cultivation and production have provided the bulk of Taliban revenue for many years, the emergence of methamphetamine in Afghanistan is giving impetus to a major new drug industry with significant profit margins,” the report noted.

According to the report, “interdiction of methamphetamine was first recorded by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in 2014 (9 kg) and has continued on a sharp upward trajectory, with 650 kg interdicted in the first half of 2019”. Methamphetamine, the report said, “was stated to be more profitable than heroin because its ingredients are low-cost and it does not require large laboratories”. The Taliban, it said, “were reported to be in control of 60 per cent of methamphetamine laboratories in the key producing provinces of Farah and Nimruz”.

The report quoted officials as saying “the system of heroin smuggling and taxation organised by the Taliban…stretched across eight of Nangarhar’s southern districts from Hisarak to Dur Baba, on the border with Pakistan”. “In each district, smugglers paid a tax to district Taliban commanders of 200 Pakistan rupees (approximately $1.30), or its equivalent in afghanis, per kilogram of heroin. Smugglers were provided documentation by each Taliban commander certifying payment of tax before proceeding to the next district and repeating the same process. Afghan officials stated that the smuggling routes thus helped to financially empower each district Taliban commander.”

In a report published last year, UNODC said “Afghanistan, the country where most opium is produced, which has accounted for approximately 84 per cent of global opium production over the past five years, supplies markets in neighbouring countries, Europe, the Near and Middle East, South Asia and Africa and to a small degree North America (notably Canada) and Oceania.” In September 2020, Radio Free Europe reported on a confidential report commissioned by NATO, which concluded that the Taliban “has achieved, or is close to achieving, financial and military independence”, which “enables [it] to self-fund its insurgency without the need for support from governments or citizens of other countries”. Besides the illicit drug trade — overseen by Mullah Muhammad Yaqoob, the son of Taliban founder Mullah Muhammad Omar, a shadowy figure who is expected to play an important role in the new government — the Taliban had “expanded its financial power in recent years through increased profits from illegal mining and exports”, the report said.

It estimated that the militant movement earned “a staggering US $1.6 billion” in the year ending March 2020. Of this, $ 416 million came from the drug trade; over $ 450 million from the illegal mining of iron ore, marble, copper, gold, zinc, and rare earth metals; and $ 160 million from extortion and taxes in the areas and on the highways it controlled. It also got $ 240 million in donations, largely from Persian Gulf nations. To launder the money it earned, it imported and exported consumer goods worth $ 240 million. The Taliban also own properties worth $ 80 million in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the report said. Weapons from Pak and loot The Taliban do not appear to have had any dearth of weapons to fight the Afghan and US forces. Support from Pakistan has always been key, but the Taliban did not rely on any single source of arms and ammunition.

Journalists such as Gretchen Peters, Steve Coll, and others have repeatedly pointed to the support of the ISI and Pakistan army to the Taliban, directly and through the Haqqani network, a sprawling Islamist mafia based in Pakistan’s tribal areas and in Afghanistan, comprising fighters, extremist religious schools, and shady businesses with powerful connections to Arab countries in the Gulf and in Pakistan. American leaders and generals have openly accused Pakistan of diverting to the Taliban funds that it received to fight against the fundamentalist movement.There are other players too. In September 2017, then Afghan Army Chief General Sharif Yaftali told the BBC that he had documents to prove that Iran was “supplying weapons and military equipment to the Taliban in western Afghanistan”.

A November 2019 report by the US Defense Intelligence Agency noted that since “at least 2007, Iran has provided calibrated support — including weapons, training, and funding — to the Taliban to counter US and Western influence in Afghanistan, combat ISIS-Khorasan, and increase Tehran’s influence in any post-reconciliation government”. Beyond these external avenues, the Taliban has also been able to arm itself with the weapons and ammunition that the US has provided to the Afghan forces over the years. America’s Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), a Congress-backed watchdog, noted in an analysis in 2013 that nearly 43 per cent of the firearms — 2,03,888 of the 4,74,823 — provided to the Afghan forces were unaccounted for. “Given the Afghan government’s limited ability to account for or properly dispose of these weapons, there is a real potential for these weapons to fall into the hands of insurgents, which will pose additional risks to US personnel, the ANSF, and Afghan civilians,” the analysis said.

US military assets with Taliban No figures are available for what kind of American military assets, and in what numbers, have fallen into Taliban hands. The US Government Accountability Office said in a report in 2017 that between 2003 and 2016 the US funded 75,898 vehicles, 5,99,690 weapons, 208 aircraft, and 16,191 pieces of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance equipment for the Afghan forces. In the last few years, 7,000 machine guns, 4,700 Humvees, and over 20,000 grenades have been given to the Afghan forces, SIGAR data show. SIGAR’s July quarterly report mentioned that the Afghan Air Force had a total of 167 aircraft, including jets and helicopters that were “usable/in-country” as of June 30. This included 23 A-19 aircraft, 10 AC-208 aircraft, 23 C-208 aircraft, and three C-130 aircraft, besides 32 Mi-17, 43 MD-530, and 33 UH-60 helicopters.

On August 17, two days after the Taliban took control of Kabul, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said, “We don’t have a complete picture, obviously, of where every article of defence materials has gone but certainly, a fair amount of it has fallen into the hands of the Taliban.” Stijn Mitzer and Joost Oliemans, conflict analysts specialising in modern-day weaponry and military tactics who have worked for websites such as Janes, Bellingcat and NK News, have used open-source intelligence to track the equipment that is proven to have fallen into Taliban’s hands. According to them, the Taliban now possess two warjets, 24 helicopters, and seven Boeing Insitu ScanEagle Unmanned Vehicles that were with the Afghan forces earlier. Additionally, according to them, between June and August 14 the Taliban captured 12 tanks, 51 armoured fighting vehicles, 61 artillery and mortar, eight anti-aircraft guns, and 1,980 trucks, jeeps, and vehicles, including over 700 Humvees.

All of this — in addition to the fact that the forces of the erstwhile Afghan government have surrendered everywhere in the country and the old Northern Alliance opposition is a shadow of its former self — makes the Taliban more powerful than it ever was. It is now “much more militarily powerful”, Jonathan Schroden, a military operations analyst who directs the Countering Threats and Challenges Program at the CNA Corporation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research and analysis organization based in Arlington, Virginia, told The Indian Express. “It effectively converts them from a lightly armed guerrilla movement to a pseudo-conventional army.” According to Dr Schroden, among the military equipment that the Taliban now has, the D-30 howitzers are probably the most lethal. “It is concerning both as a waste of US taxpayer money and as a potential source of weapons for the myriad terrorist groups that have ties to the Taliban,” he said. And “there is a non-zero possibility of groups like al-Qaeda or the Pakistani Taliban getting their hands on some of the weapons.”

2 Billion Google Chrome Users Accounts Potential For Hacks

Staff ReporterMedia, Technology 0

Google Chrome has over two billion users worldwide and dominates the web browser market. But this also makes it the prime target of hackers and now Google has issued its fourth urgent upgrade warning in two months. In an official blog post, Google has revealed seven ‘High’ rated security threats have been discovered in Chrome with the vulnerabilities impacting Chrome users on all major operating systems: Windows, MacOS and Linux. Google is currently giving little away about the flaws.

This is standard practice as the company attempts to limit information to stop the spread of these vulnerabilities to hackers and buy time for users to protect themselves. Consequently, this is all Chrome users have to go on right now:

  • High — CVE-2021-30598: Type Confusion in V8. Reported by Manfred Paul
  • High — CVE-2021-30599: Type Confusion in V8. Reported by Manfred Paul
  • High — CVE-2021-30600: Use after free in Printing. Reported by 360 Alpha Lab
  • High — CVE-2021-30601: Use after free in Extensions API. Reported by 360 Alpha Lab
  • High — CVE-2021-30602: Use after free in WebRTC. Reported by Cisco Talos
  • High — CVE-2021-30603: Race in WebAudio. Reported by Google Project Zero
  • High — CVE-2021-30604: Use after free in ANGLE. Reported by SecunologyLab

What I can tell you is “Type Confusion in V8” is the open source JavaScript engine at the heart of Chrome.  “WebRTC” (Web real-time communications) is tech which enables you to transfer audio and video streaming data between browsers and mobile applications. “ANGLE” (Almost Native Graphics Layer Engine) is Google’s open source, cross-platform graphics engine abstraction layer. Printing and Extensions are self explanatory. Historically, all of these have been used by hackers to execute code to take control of a target’s computer. Chrome’s most recent zero-day hack (where hackers are known to be exploiting a vulnerability before Google is able to patch it) was a V8 flaw.

To combat these new threats, all Chrome users should navigate to Settings > Help > About Google Chrome. If your browser version on Linux, macOS and Windows is listed as 92.0.4515.159 or above you are safe. If not, the About screen should prompt you to update and restart your browser. You should do this immediately. It is to Google’s credit that fixes for high level attacks are typically released within days of their discovery but their effectiveness still relies upon billions of users updating and restarting their browsers.  Chrome is a superb browser, but attacks are growing and there have already been eight zero day Chrome hacks this year. It is now vital to keep Chrome up-to-date at all times. Go check it now. (Courtesy: FORBES)

Gandhian Society And GOPIO Organize Indian Independence Day, Raise Funds For Ambulances For Rural India

Staff ReporterCommunity, Culture 0

The Gandhian Society (New Jersey) along with GOPIO chapters (Manhattan and Central Jersey) hosted an event to celebrate Indian Independence Day – Swaraj with Bapu and Vinoba at the Royal Albert Palace, Fords, New Jersey on August 15th attended by dignitaries and with a Khadi Fashion Show and a Musical Competition based on Patriotic songs and those based on Gandhian Ideology.

The event also raised funds for providing ambulances to help the secondary health sector in rural and tribal areas of India. Gandhian Society founder Bhadra Butala said that the society has committed to provide 50 ambulances this year, which will be run and maintained by Gandhian groups in the rural and tribal areas. The event on August 15th raised funds for 10 ambulances.

The ceremonial program started with Gandhiji’s favorite Vaishnav Bhajan. The chief guest at the event was Mr. A.K. Vijayakrishnan, Consul for Community Affairs at the Indian Consulate. Other dignitaries were GOPIO International Chairman Dr. Thomas Abraham, NJ State Representative Raj Mukerji, Democratic Party nominee for Mayor in Edison Sam Joshi, former Assemblyman and NJ Assembly Speaker and current Public Utilities Commissioner Upendra Chivukula,

Indian Consul Vijayakrishnan appreciated the work done by Gandhian Society and GOPIO in keeping the Gandhian philosophy and values alive. He also said that Mahatma Gandhi’s belief in non-violence had also inspired the modern leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. in the US and Nelson Mandela in South Africa “The Gandhian Society was playing an important role in making the younger generation aware of the values and principles of the Mahatma Gandhi and the importance of non-violence,” Said Vijayakrishnan.  The Consul also thanked both the organizations for their valuable contribution during the COVID crises in India. GOPIO Chairman Dr. Thomas Abraham said that while Mahatma Gandhi’s non-violent Satyagraha movement brought independence to India, many in India and outside doubted whether the new republic will sustain itself, due to widespread ignorance, poverty and divisiveness of our people, however, India made progress under a democratic rule in all the seven decades and now moving forward to become the third largest economy in the world in this decade.

“When India was hit badly with the second wave of Covid, the Indian Diaspora came forward to help by sending oxygen concentrators and medical supplies and GOPIO chapters are supporting the noble cause of the Gandhian Society to provide ambulances to underserved rural and tribal areas,” Dr. Abraham added. Rep. Raj Mukerji said, “Mahatma Gandhi has been an inspiration to many leaders in the USA like Martin Luther King, President Obama and he himself is a big admirer of the Mahatma for the values that he propagated during his lifetime.”NJ Utilities Commissioner Chivukula said “the teachings of Mahatma are still relevant today and that the values system of the mahatma is identified with the Diaspora.” Chivukula hoped that the future generation will continue to uphold and keep these values of the greatest man from India.

Democratic mayoral candidate Sam Joshi has said that he is committed to ensuring that the Gandhi Museum comes up in Edison, New Jersey and he will extend all support to the project. He also said he will help with the logistics in land and resources needed for the project. Gandhian Society Director Rajendar Dichpally poke about the work of the Gandhian Society during the pandemic and sending oxygen concentrators during the second wave of the pandemic, especially to rural and tribal areas. He also said that the Gandhian Society is planning to send 50ambulances to rural and tribal areas in India and he announced that the society was able to get 10 commitments for ambulances so far.

New Jersey State Senator Vin Gopal was represented by his staff. There were many community leaders who participated at the celebration including GOPIO International Coordinator-at-Large Asha Samant, hoteliers Maganbhai Patel and Dalpat Patel, GOPIO-Manhattan Executive VP Prof. Rajasekhar Vangapaty and Dr. Ravinder K. Thota of American Telugu Association (ATA). The Fashion show was coordinated by Sonal Gadhvi and Aric Damiani. The show stopper and main model for the fashion show was Aryan Vaid (Former Mr. World) and participated by many Indian American Children. The fashion show was done to promote Khadi fabric, which was the fabric preferred by Mahatma Gandhi and was the fabric used by all Satyagrahis during Indian Freedom struggle, in a modern manner so that the younger generation could identify with the fabric and continue to wear the fabric.

The Music Competition was Organized by famous Singer Varsha Joshi and had Bollywood Lyricist Swanand Kirkire as one of the main judges for the show. The music competition had over 40 children participate from different cities in America. The local judges were Gerry Cutinoh, Anirban Roy Chowdhary. The event saw 10 people coming forward to donate ambulances with their generous donations. Those who donated ambulances include Bhadra Butala, Hasmukh Patel, Krishna Pirlamarla, Dr. Prabhu Rachakonda, Maganbhai Patel, Gita Butala and others. The event had an excellent pictorial exhibition of Mahatma Gandhi and quotes from his life and other leaders that took him as their inspiration. A simple breakfast and lunch were served at the event. The Gandhian Society Team comprised of Dr. Deepak Naran, Rajendar Dichpally, Balaji Jilla, Mahesh Wani, Shiva Kumar, Sravan Natakala and GOPIO team included Dr. Asha Samant, Prof. Rajasekhar Vangapaty, Siddarth Jain, Chitraranjan Sahay Belwariar, Kunal Mehta, Dr. Tushar Patel, Vijay Garg and Shivendra Sofat.

Over 2,000 Sign Petition Against “Dismantling Global Hindutva”

Staff ReporterCommunity 0

In response to the event “Dismantling Global Hindutva” purportedly cosponsored the Departments and Institutes at forty prominent Universities in the US in September 2021, American Hindus Against Defamation (AHAD) has initiated an online petition and issued the following statement.  This petition has already garnered 2000 signatures.  These signatures and associated comments are being sent to all the Universities co-sponsoring the event requesting them to disassociate themselves from this Hinduphobic event.

“Dismantling Global Hindutva” yet another attempt by some of the best known Hinduphobic academicians and their allies to systematically delegitimize Hindu dharma at the academic institutions in the US.  We request the sponsoring universities to take immediate action to prevent vilification and intimidation of students, faculty of Hindu heritage as well as those of Indian origin under the guise of an event titled, “Dismantling Hindutva,” supposedly cosponsored by your institution. The word Hindutva, as defined by the Supreme Court of India (Ramesh Yeshwant Prabhoo case [1996 SCC (1) 130]) means: “The words ‘Hinduism’ or ‘Hindutva’ are not necessarily to be understood and construed narrowly, confined only to the strict Hindu religious practices unrelated to the culture and ethos of the people of India, depicting the way of life of the Indian people.”

“Considering the terms ‘Hinduism’ or ‘Hindutva’ per se as depicting hostility, enmity or intolerance towards other religious faiths or professing communalism, proceeds form an improper appreciation and perception of the true meaning of these expressions emerging from the detailed discussion in earlier judgments of this court. Misuse of these expressions to promote communalism cannot alter the true meaning of these terms. The mischief resulting from the misuse of the terms by anyone in his speech has to be checked and not its permissible use.” “It is a fallacy and an error of law to proceed on the assumption that any reference to Hindutva or Hinduism in a speech makes it automatically a speech based on the Hindu religion as opposed to other religions or that the use of words ‘Hindutva’ or ‘Hinduism’ per se depicts an attitude hostile to all persons practising any religion other than the Hindu religion.”

We believe that this event is being timed to take attention away from the tragic events unfolding in Afghanistan and the larger region.  At a time when many Hindus in America are working hard to address the issue of persecuted religious minorities, facing an existential threat in Afghanistan, this event targeting Hindus is aimed to distract from the critical humanitarian work that is the need of the hour. American Hindus are also focused on highlighting the plight of Hindu girls in Sindh, Pakistan.  For decades, on an average, three girls a day, some as young as 12-years of age are abducted, forcibly converted and married off to Muslim men decades older than them.  This campaign named CHINGARI, Coalition for Hindu Girls Abducted and their Rights has been gaining tremendous momentum.  We believe that many of the organizers of “Dismantling Hindutva” are aligned with the perpetrators of these heinous acts and their enablers, who want to divert the attention from increasing awareness about this human rights issue. We expect that purportedly co-sponsoring institutions will immediately disassociate themselves from this event and reassure the Hindu students, faculty and staff that their institutions are safe spaces for all religious minorities.

Key Leader Statements:

Ajay Shah, the President of VHPA and Convenor of AHAD said: Dismantling Global Hindutva event has been organized from September 10 to September 12.  It is no coincidence that the event has been timed to take place on Anniversary of September 11 terror attack, the largest on the American soil by the radical Islamic terrorists.  It should be clear that the organizers of this event have a nefarious motive of deflecting the attention away from the radical Islamic terrorism to the peaceful Hindu community by vilifying the essence of Hindu spiritual practices, culture and way of life, embodied in Hindutva.  At a time when thousands of Muslims from Afghanistan are seeking refuge from Islamic terrorism to predominantly Hindu India, to label Hindutva as a radical extremist philosophy is not just ironic but malevolent

Commenting on the event, Utsav Chakrabarti, Executive Director, HinduPACT stated: At a time when radical Islamists in the Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, are emboldened by Taliban’s victory in Afghanistan, and are openly threatening India and its Hindu population, this event by Taliban apologists targeting Hindus, is worrisome. It shows that many Universities in the United States have become de-facto platform for the promotion of intolerance and violent extremism.

Amitabh Mittal, General Secretary of VHPA said: How one can uproot that which is eternal? What threat is Hindutva, an expression of Hindu dharma, the all-encompassing religion and philosophy that ever existed? Why do the Marxist-Leninists and their allies feel threatened by the most accepting religion that has always stood for freedom?  It is a shame that these misguided people are talking about dismantling the faith that has survived the onslaught of invaders and colonialist for many millennia. These neo-detractors of the Hindu dharma will be another footnote in history.  We welcome their assault, Santana Dharma that is Hindu is the soul of humanity as said in the Bhagwad Gita “No weapon can harm it, fire cannot burn it, air cannot dry it and water cannot wet it”

American Hindus Against Defamation (AHAD) is the first and the most prominent Hindu organization against defamation in the USA.  An initiative of World Hindu Council of America (VHPA), AHAD has been actively monitoring mass media, products, public places etc. to ensure respectful and accurate representation of Hindu dharma, culture, images and icons.  Active since 1997, hundreds of thousands of Hindus have participated in various advocacy activities led by AHAD.

Hindu Policy Research and Advocacy Collective, USA – HinduPACT USA is an initiative of the World Hindu Council of America (VHPA). HinduPACT (hindupact.org) aims to bring Hindu ethos and dharmic values of unity in diversity, plurality, compassion and, mutual respect amongst religions to policy and advocacy for human rights, environmental protection, racial and gender equality, and, interfaith dialog.  HinduPACT activities include voter education (hinduvote.org), CHINGARI (Coalition for HINdu Girls Abducted and their RIghts), HAHRI (Hindus Advancing Human Rights Internationally) and weekly live show on contemporary American Hindu issues The HinduLounge

World Hindu Council of America (VHPA) is the most prominent organization of Hindus in the USA.  Founded in 1970, it has chapters across the country.   VHPA runs educational programs for Hindu children and youth in addition to community service (Seva) activities, and initiatives such as Hindu Mandir Executives’ Conference (HMEC), Hindu Womens’ Network, American Hindus Against Defamation (AHAD), Hindu Policy Research and Advocacy Collective (HinduPACT).

 

Filmmaker Mukesh Modi Wins At India Fest

Staff ReporterEntertainment 0

Indian-American filmmaker Mukesh Modi, who made his Hollywood debut with the movie The Elevator, has won three prizes at the Standalone Film Festival & Awards held August 12 at the TCL Chinese Theatres in Hollywood, California. This year the SFFA, an international independent festival for filmmakers, content creators, actors and technicians, nominated 84 films in 28 categories. The Elevator, featuring Eric Roberts and Eugenia Kuzmina received the top three awards — Best Film, Best Actor and Best Director. “It’s a huge achievement for me and the movie is really good — not just that I am lucky,” Modi (seen in white in photograph above) told indica News.

The film, directed by Modi and co-directed by Jack Cook, tells the true story about a family’s search for answers when their beloved husband and father doesn’t return from work on his daughter’s birthday. “When we had the premiere, 30 percent of the audience had tears in their eyes; it’s a great family movie,” he said. “The movie is based on true events and it forces us to think about life’s uncertainty. A small event can change a life forever. The movie portrays family values, love, and bonding between family members very well. A must watch movie with the whole family.”

Gujarat-born Modi said he loves glamour but his passion is to give back globally through film and service. His main business is men’s wear sold at US discounted stores under the brands Pure Vintage and Lucky Horse. “That is the main business; movies is my passion,” Modi said. Prior to The Elevator, he directed and wrote The Vision, a short movie about Modi’s journey to the US and giving back to his homeland. I am the producer and the documentary is about what I do and my little bit of journey and the main thing is to inspire the people,” he said. “If I can do it, I think other people can do it.”

He said back home in Gujarat he helps poor people suffering from eye problems b y offering them free treatment. He started writing the script for The Elevator in 2015. The shooting was done in 2019 before the pandemic but got completed this year in June. “The reason for the delay is pandemic but I did not compromise on quality,” Modi said. The commercial release of the film is on hold due to pandemic. Asked would you be able to break even, Modi said: “I don’t know right now, but the question is not of money but to give a message — do what you want. Of course you want money but do the business that inspires other people and takes care of other people,” he said. “This is the way I live my life.”

Thunberg Warns, World Leaders Have No Excuse On Climate Change

Staff ReporterEnvironment, Youth 0

Greta Thunberg said that the recently released UNICEF index indicated that children would be the worst affected. The world’s children cannot afford more empty promises at this year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), youth activists including Greta Thunberg said, after a UN report found virtually no child will escape the impact of global warming.

In the first index of its kind, published on Friday, UN children’s agency UNICEF found that almost all the world’s 2.2 billion children are exposed to at least one climate or environmental risk, from catastrophic floods to toxic air. Last week a UN climate panel of the world’s top atmospheric scientists warned that global warming is dangerously close to spiralling out of control, with deadly heat waves, hurricanes and other extreme events likely to keep getting worse.

Ms Thunberg, 18, said the UNICEF index confirmed children would be the worst affected, and when world leaders meet in Glasgow in November for COP26 they needed to act rather than just talk. “I don’t expect them to do that, but I would be more than happy if they could prove me wrong,” she told journalists ahead of the index’s publication on the third anniversary of Fridays For Future, a now-global youth movement that started with her solo protest outside her Swedish school.

Ms Thunberg was joined by young activists around the world including Mitzi Jonelle Tan, 23, from the Philippines, who spoke of doing homework by candlelight as typhoons raged outside or fearing drowning in her bed as floodwaters filled her room. After months of extreme weather and dire warnings from scientists, world leaders’ “empty promises and vague plans” were no longer enough, Ms Tan said. “There’s no excuse for this COP… to not be the one that changes things.”

Henrietta Fore, UNICEF executive director said young people globally were leading by example, pointing to a survey by the organisation that found nine in ten of them in 21 countries felt it was their responsibility to tackle climate change. They were more at risk than adults in the “increasingly unrecognisable” world they stood to inherit, she said, being less able to survive extreme weather events and more susceptible to toxic chemicals, temperature changes and disease. The UNICEF index showed around one billion children in 33 mostly African low-emission countries faced a “deadly combination” of extreme weather and existing issues like poverty, making them uniquely vulnerable.

Anju Bobby George Says, Shaili Can Break Her National Record

Staff ReporterSports, Women, Youth 0

Shaili, 17, won the silver medal at the World U20 Championships in Nairobi with a jump of 6.59 metres (wind assisted), finishing behind European junior champion Maja Askag of Sweden by one centimeter last week. Her previous best was 6.48 metres, but a wind speed of 2.2 metres per second means her best jump on Sunday won’t be entered in the record books though she finished second. Anju Bobby George, the 2003 World Championship bronze medallist, is certain about Shaili Singh breaking her long-standing national record of 6.83 metres.

The 17-year-old from Jhansi, who trains in Bengaluru, has the potential to win an Olympic medal, Anju believes. “She can improve on the national record. Our main target for Shaili is to help her finish on the podium at the Olympic Games, which is the most valuable thing. If our trainee can win a medal, I will consider it as my own,” Anju says. Anju set the national record at the 2004 Athens Olympics where she finished fifth. Shali is mentored by Anju and coached by her husband Robert Bobby George, a high-performance coach with the Sports Authority of India (SAI).

Shaili came under Robert’s wings when she was 14, much earlier than Anju who was about 20 when Robert started coaching her. Getting formal coaching early meant Shaili didn’t pick up any technical flaws which are difficult to correct as one grows older. “I was able to achieve whatever I could because of Robert. I had a taped leg and only one kidney. So if you look at it, Shaili has great potential,” Anju adds. A young Shaili could have gone unnoticed at a junior championship nearly four years ago if not for Robert looking beyond the medallists.

Elaine Thompson-Herah Is Second Fastest Runner In Women’s 100m History

Staff ReporterSports, Women 0

Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah ran the second fastest women’s 100m of all time at the Eugene Diamond League. The Jamaican, who retained her 100m-200m title double in Tokyo, clocked a new world lead of 10.54 seconds. Only American Florence Griffith-Joyner has run faster, when she set her world record of 10.49 secs in 1988. Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith finished third in the 200m as she continues her return from the hamstring injury that blighted her Olympic campaign.

The race was won by Switzerland’s Mujinga Kambundji, with American Gabrielle Thomas finishing 0.08 secs ahead of world champion Asher-Smith. In the 100m, Thompson-Herah’s Jamaican compatriots Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson were second and third respectively in a repeat of the Tokyo podium American Sha’Carri Richardson, who missed the Olympics because of a one-month suspension after testing positive for marijuana, finished last. “It was a great return back to the sport,” the 21-year-old said. “I wanted to be able to come and perform. Having the month off, dealing with all I had to deal with, I’m not upset with myself at all. “This is one race, I’m not done. You know what I’m capable of. Count me out if you want to, because I’m here to stay.”

Earlier this season, Fraser-Pryce ran 10.63 secs to become the second fastest woman in history behind Griffith-Joyner, only to see her time usurped by 29-year-old Thompson-Herah with 10.61 secs as she retained her Olympic title in Tokyo. Records tumbled in all corners of the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, with Olympic medallists continuing their fine form back on the Diamond League tour. Tokyo bronze medallist Andre de Grasse won the men’s 100m in 9.74 secs, with Americans Fred Kerley – the Olympic silver medal winner – and Ronnie Baker crossing the line in second and third.

In the men’s 200m, American Olympic bronze medallist Noah Lyles set a new meeting record and world lead of 19.52 secs. Athing Mu followed up her women’s 800m gold in Tokyo with victory in the non-Diamond League event in Eugene, setting a new world lead of one minute 55.04 secs in a race that saw Britain’s Olympic silver medallist Keely Hodgkinson place fifth and Jemma Reekie eighth. Norway’s Olympic 1500m champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen was victorious over one mile in a new world leading time of three minutes 47.24 secs, while two-time Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon of Kenya won the 1500m, with Laura Muir, who won silver in Tokyo, only managing 12th.

Olympic silver medallist Dalilah Muhammad set a new meeting record of 52.77 secs in the 400m hurdles, while Kenya’s Norah Jeruto won the women’s 3,000m steeplechase and Uganda’s 5,000m gold medallist Joshua Cheptegei set a new two-mile world lead of eight minutes 9.55 secs. In the field events, Olympic pole vault champion Katie Nageotte, also of the US, won with a jump of 4.82m, again finishing ahead of Tokyo silver medallist Holly Bradshaw. Portugal’s triple jump Olympic champion Pedro Pichardo continued his winning form at Hayward Field, while Ukraine’s Iryna Gerashchenko, fourth in Tokyo, won the women’s high jump. Two-time Olympic shot put champion Ryan Crouser of the US set a new Diamond League record of 23.15m. Elsewhere, Elliot Giles finished fourth in the men’s 800m – won by Canada’s Marco Arop – while British team-mate Oliver Dustin slipped down into seventh after leading into the final straight.

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