vol-9-issue-4 may 22 may 27, 2016
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The South Asian Timese x c e l l e n c e i n j o u r n a l i s m
excellence in journalism ART & CULTURE 15 TRAVEL 18
Vol.9 No. 4 May 21-27, 2016 80 Cents New York Edition Follow us on TheSouthAsianTimes.info
SCITECH 26
Cairo Egypt's aviation minister
said that a terrorist attack was
more likely to have taken down
the missing EgyptAir aircraft early
Thursday morning than a technical
failure.
There were no known security
concerns about passengers aboard
the missing plane but further
checks are underway, he told a
news conference. The EgyptAir
flight MS804 from Paris to Cairo
SPIRITUAL AWARENESS 30
Terror suspected in
tragedy of EgyptAir
flight from ParisBrussels Senior European Union
officials are alarmed over state‑
ments made by Pakistan Punjab's
Law Minister Rana Sanaullah in
which he has admitted that
Pakistan is involved with terror
groups like the Jamaat‑ud‑Dawah
(JuD) and the Jaish e Mohammad
(JeM). The European Union hasbeen cracking down on militant
groups and the comments made
by the law minister of Pakistan's
Punjab province has both shocked
EU mulls sanctions
on Pak for supporting
terror groups
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is garlanded by BJP presidentAmit Shah and senior leader and Home Minister Rajnath Singh
before a meeting at the party office in New Delhi.
Didiʼs development mantra worked as herparty wrested 211 seats of the 294 seats in
West Bengal assembly. (Photos: PTI)
Washington
Donald Trump con‑
tinues to do about as well as his
predecessor from four years ago.
But Hillary Clinton is missing the
mark. Badly.
As Mitt Romney locked up the
Republican nomination after 14
weeks of contests, he saw his rat‑
ings rise as Republican rallied
behind their standard bearer, giv‑
ing him a 4‑point bounce and
New Delhi West Bengal's ruling
Trinamool Congress on Thursday
crushed the opposition and Tamil
Nadu's AIADMK proved exit polls
wrong by retaining power in
assembly elections, the biggest
popularity test after the 2014 Lok
Sabha polls. The BJP stormed to
power in Assam while the Left
made a comeback in Kerala amid a
washout in West Bengal.
The Congress was the worst hit
in the five‑state election, losing
power both in Assam, which it had
ruled for 15 long years, and
Kerala, where it was confident of
winning its second term. The
Congress‑DMK alliance was, how‑
ever, ahead of the ruling All India
N.R. Congress in Puducherry.
The BJP also made history in
Kerala where its veteran O.
Rajagopal, 86, was elected from
Nemom in Thiruvananthapuram.
He will be the first ever BJP mem‑
ber in the Kerala assembly.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
promptly congratulated West
Bengal Chief Minister Mamata
Banerjee and her Tamil Nadu
counterpart J. Jayalalithaa.
"Across India, people are placing
their faith in (the) BJP and see it as
the party that can usher in all‑
round and inclusive development,"
he tweeted.
Riding on the development
plank, Banerjee led the Trinamool
to a landslide win, winning 211 or
more than two‑thirds of the seats
in the 294‑member Bengal assem‑
bly. The Congress‑Left combine,
which had hoped to unseat
Banerjee, was left gasping. The
Congress was poised to win 44
seats while the Left, headed by the
CPI‑M, just 30 seats, a far cry from
the times it had vice‑like grip over
West Bengal.
As Trinamool supporters cele‑
brated wildly, Banerjee said a cam‑
paign of slander and lies led to her
party's sweeping win. "This is for
the first time in 49 years that such
BJP expands base,Congress contracts
Continued on page 4
Mamata sweeps Bengal, Jaya retainspower in TN, Left regains Kerala: Poll results
Pakistan Punjab's law ministeradmitted Islamabad is involvedwith terror groups JuD and JeM
Trump gets his bumpwhile Hillary loses ground
Detailed poll results: pages 11 12
Continued on page 4
Detailed story on page 20
LLI N E RESULTS
TMC 211Cong 44
LEFT 33
BJP+ 6
Others 0
WEST BENGAL
(294 / 294)
LLI N E RESULTS
ADMK 134DMK+ 98
PMK 0
DMDK+ 0
Others 0
TAMIL NADU
(232 / 234)
LLI N E RESULTS
Cong+ 17NRC 8
ADMK 4
DMDK+ 0
Others 1
PUDUCHERRY
(30 / 30)
LLI N E RESULTS
LDF 91UDF 47
BJP+ 1
Others 1
KERALA
(140 / 140)
LLI N E RESULTS
BJP+ 86Cong+ 26
AUDF+ 13
Others 1
ASSAM
(126 / 126)
Donald Trump getting the better of GOP as seen by Hindustan Times cartoonist Shreyas Navare.
(Graphic courtesy CBSN)
Continued on page 4
Continued on page 4
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TheSouthAsianTimes.info May 21-27, 2016
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3May 21-27, 2016TheSouthAsianTimes.info TR I S TATE COMMUNI TY
Washington Since the
beginning of the highly
unpredictable 2016
election cycle, the US‑
India Political Action
Committee (USINPAC)
has been hosting inter‑
active Presidential
Dialogue series with
Democratic and
R e p u b l i c a n
Presidential campaigns
to engage and discuss
issues important to the
Indian American com‑
munity. In that series
USINPAC, a bipartisan
body that works to
promote India‑US ties,
held a Google hangout on May
17th with the Campaign of
Donald J. Trump, the presumptive
Republican nominee, represented
by Trump surrogate,
Congressman Duncan D. Hunter
(R‑CA‑50th District).
The Google hangout was
chaired by Manish Antani and
Sanjay Puri and drew Indian
Americans across the country,
eager to know more about Donald
Trumpʼs policies pertaining to US‑
India Relations, Immigration,
Terrorism, Economy and
Education among others.
Hunter tried to articulate what
Trumpʼs administration would
mean for India and for Indian‑
Americans. But he ended up
repeatedly stressing that Trumpʼs
positions on various issues ,
including those relating to India
would become clearer in a couple
of months.
Earlier USINPAC had interac‑
tions with the campaigns of
Senator Ted Cruz and Gov. John
Kasich, and is in talks with the
campaigns of Secretary Hillary
Clinton and Senator Bernie
Sanders for participation.
New Delhi The World Bank Board
approved on May 16 a $ 625 mil‑
lion loan to support the Government
of Indiaʼs program to generate elec‑
tricity from widespread installation
of rooftop solar photo‑voltaic (PV).
The Board also approved a co‑
financing loan of $ 120 million on
concessional terms and a $ 5 million
grant from Climate Investment
Fundʼs (CIF) Clean Technology Fund.
The project will finance the instal‑lation of at least 400 MW of Grid
Connected Rooftop Solar
Photovoltaic (GRPV) across India.
These solar PV installations will pro‑
vide clean, renewable energy, and
reduce GHG emissions by displacing
thermal generation.
The project will be implemented
by the State Bank of India, which
will on‑lend funds to solar PV devel‑
opers/aggregators and end‑users,
who wish to invest in mainly com‑
mercial and industrial rooftop PV
systems. Financing will be provided
to those with sound technical capac‑
ity, relevant experience, and credit‑
worthiness as per SBI standards.India is one of the lowest per capi‑
ta consumers of electricity in the
world. Over 200 million people
remain unconnected to the electrici‑
ty grid, and those who are, continue
to face frequent disruptions. Power
shortages also affect industrial out‑
put with many industries and manu‑
facturers relying on expensive and
polluting diesel‑based back‑up
power supplies.Aided by government policy and
declining costs, rooftop solar has
the potential to transform the ener‑
gy sector. The overall potential
demand for rooftop solar is estimat‑
ed at about 124,000 MW.
“India is endowed with huge solar
energy potential, and the World
Bank is strongly supportive of the
governmentʼs plans to harness this
potential and increase Indiaʼs solar
PV capacity to 100 GW. This project
will support this target, by providing
financing to some of the 40 GW of
solar PV which will be placed on
rooftops,” said Onno Ruhl, World
Bank Country Director in India.The loan, from the International
Bank for Reconstruction and
Development (IBRD), has a 19.5
year grace period, and a maturity of
20 years. Loan from CIFʼs Clean
Technology Fund, has a 10 year
grace period, and a maturity of 40
years.
Washington The Obama admin‑
istration has opposed the
Republican‑controlled Congressʼs
move to block $450 million in aid
to Pakistan for failing to “demon‑
strate its commitment” and taking
action against the Haqqani net‑
work.A White House statement in this
regard came as the bill made its
way to the House of
Representatives from House
Armed Services Committee.
The White House asserted that
it shares the view of the lawmak‑
ers with regard to the Haqqani
network, but such a move would
“unnecessarily complicate
progress” in bilateral ties. The
House is likely to vote on the bill
later this week.
According to the National
Defense Authorization Act 2017,
of the total amount of reimburse‑
ment and support authorized for
Pakistan during the period begin‑
ning on October 1 this year, and
ending on December 31, 2017,
$450 million would not be eligi‑
ble for a national security waiver
unless the Secretary of Defense
certifies that Pakistan continues
to conduct operations against
Haqqanis.
The Administration objects to
the particular section of the bill,
“which would make $450 million
of CSF (Coalition Support Fund) to
Pakistan ineligible for theSecretary of Defenseʼs waiver
authority unless the Secretary
provides a certification to the
Congressional defense commit‑
tees,” the White House said.
“We share the Committeeʼs con‑
cerns regarding the threat posed
to our forces and interests in
Afghanistan by the Haqqani
Network, and we continue to
engage with Pakistan at the high‑
est levels regarding the need for
concerted action specifically
against the group,” it said. It
added: “However, the restriction
would unnecessarily complicate
progress in our bilateral relation‑
ship on this issue and would limit
the Secretary of Defenseʼs ability
to act in the U.S. national security
interest.”
Under this new proposed provi‑
sion, the Defense Secretary alsoneeds to certify that Pakistan is
demonstrating commitment to
prevent the Haqqani Network
from using North Waziristan as a
safe haven and is actively coordi‑
nating with Afghanistan to
restrict the movement of terror‑
ists, including the Haqqani
Network, along the Pakistan‑
Afghanistan border.
“The United States views its
relationships with India and
Pakistan individually and not as a
“zero‑sum game”, the Pentagon
has said.
Reluctant handshake: America has a complicated relationship
with Pakistan. (Photo courtesy Reuters)
Congressman Duncan D. Hunter was a
Donald Trump surrogate at the Google
hangout with Indian Americans.
US House moves to block aid to Pak, White House objects
World Bank gives $625 M loan
to India for solar powerUSINPAC interacts
with Trump campaignNew York The National Asian
Pacific American Womenʼs
Forum (NAPAWF) and
womenʼs rights activists plan
to gather in Indianapolis ,
Indiana, in support of Purvi
Patel on May 23 for her hear‑
ing before the Indiana Court of
Appeals.
NAPAWF joined other AsianAmerican and womenʼs health
leaders in filing an amicus
brief in support of Patel, a 33‑
year old Indian American, who
is the first woman in the U.S.
to be convicted and sent to
prison for feticide along with
the contradictory charge of
child neglect in connection
with an attempt to terminate
her own pregnancy. Patel was
sentenced to 20 years for child
neglect and 6 years for feti‑
cide.
“Purvi Patel is being singled
out because of myths and
racist stereotypes about Asian
American women and their
pregnancies,” said Miriam
Yeung, executive director of
the NAPAWF. “Women across
the country are now at risk of
being arrested for the out‑
comes of their pregnancies.”
Womenʼs groupsback Purvi Patelto fight'feticide' rap
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BJP expands base,Congress contractsContinued from page
a massive mandate has been given
to a single party," said Banerjee,
whose party hopes to win a whop‑
ping 212 seats.
Tamil Nadu produced a spectac‑
ular result. The AIADMK was set to
grab 126 of the 234 seats, leaving
the DMK‑Congress combine with102 seats, but far more than what
it won in 2011. Almost all other
parties were wiped out.
An elated Jayalalithaa said:
"There are not enough words in
dictionary to adequately express
my feelings of gratitude to the
people of Tamil Nadu."
Most exit polls had predicted
that the AIADMK would be unseat‑
ed. There were noisy celebrations
outside Jayalalithaa's residence in
Chennai. Holding her portraits,
supporters danced to music and
burst firecrackers.
But Chennai, battered by floods
in December, dumped the
AIADMK. Its candidates trailed in
12 of the 16 constituencies.
Jayala lithaa, however, was set to
win from Radhakrishnan Nagar in
the city. In a much‑awaited victory,
the BJP was poised to take power
in Assam, with its candidates and
allies leading in 85 of the 126
seats. The stunning performance
buried the Congress, which is set
to win only 24 seats. The All India
United Democratic Front (AIUDF),
which had hoped to play the king‑
maker if there was a hung verdict,
led in 13 constituencies.
A beaming Sarbananda Sonowal,
who will be Assam's chief minister,
said that sealing the winding
India‑Bangladesh border to end
infiltration would be his govern‑
ment's major challenge.
Keeping alive Kerala's tradition
of ousting the government in
every election, the Congress‑led
UDF suffered a stunning rout,
which its leader and Chief Minister
Oommen Chandy said he had
never expected. The Left
Democratic Front (LDF) was lead‑
ing in 91 of the 140 seats and the
UDF in 47. "This is a vote against
the corrupt and those who failed
to protect the dignity of women,"
said CPI‑M leader and former chief
minister V.S. Achuthanandan.
An apparently shattered
Congress vice president Rahul
Gandhi said the party will work"harder" to gain the trust of the
people. "We will work harder till
we win the confidence and trust of
the people," he tweeted after the
Congress was voted out in Assam
and Kerala. ( IANS)
Trump gets his bumpwhile Hillary loses groundContinued from page
bringing the race against
President Obama into a tie. In the
latest Fox News poll, Trump got
exactly the same 4‑point boost out
of his primary victory after his 13‑
week battle. But Trump swung
from a 7‑point deficit to a 3‑pointlead in a head‑to‑head matchup
with Hillary Clinton.
The difference, of course, is that
Democrats were solidly behind
Obama but are far less united for
Clinton. Clintonʼs numbers fell 6
points from last month, while at
the same point four years ago,
Obama was holding steady.
And thatʼs still true today. Just
74 percent of Democrats
expressed a favorable view of
Clinton compared to 89 percent
for Obama.
Team Clinton is betting on the
fact that the prospect of a Trump
presidency will be enough to uniteDemocrats and retake the lead.
And surely, the remaining 25
weeks until the election will give
Democrats a good chance to get
together.
But while Trump taking the lead
in the early going may chasten
some Democrats, it also adds to a
narrative that says Clinton is a
loser. She lost in 2008, she has
continued to struggle with a long‑
shot challenger in primaries and
now is suddenly trailing Trump.
Voter psychology can be hard to
decipher, but we do know that
there is a general distaste for sup‑
porting losing candidates and a
preference for being on the win‑
ning team. Trump proved that in
the primary contests.
With a lull in the primary calen‑dar, Clinton has one more chance
to try to unite her party: The suite
of contests on June 7. Sheʼs
favored to win big in California
and New Jersey, but would be well
served by placing an exclamation
point, rather than an ellipsis, on
her primary victories.
Waiting until the Democratic
National Convention invites the
hardening of that “loser” narrative.
She needs to get Democrats
together sooner than that.
It may be harder for Clinton to
get a post‑primary bump than it
was for Trump given the long, long
yea rs of Democ ratsʼ fam ili ar itywith her, but sheʼs going to need to
find a way to make it happen.
(Source: Fox News)
Terror suspected in tragedyof EgyptAir flight from ParisContinued from page
with 66 passengers and crew on
board crashed in the
Mediterranean Sea, Egyptian avia‑
tion officials said.
The minister said however that it
was still too early to draw any con‑
clusions as to the cause of the
plane's disappearance.
EgyptAir Flight 804 was lost
from radar at 2:45am local timewhen it was flying at 37,000 feet,
the airline said.
It said the Airbus A320 had van‑
ished 10 miles after it entered
Egyptian airspace, around 280km
off the country's coastline north of
the Mediterranean port city of
Alexandria. Egypt's state news
agency quoted Prime Minister
Sherif Ismail as saying he can't
“rule out” any possibility when
asked whether a terrorist attack is
behind the missing plane. He said
there was no “distress call” but
there was a “signal” received from
the plane. The aviation officials
later said the plane crashed and
that a search for debris was now
underway. The “possibility that the
plane crashed has been con‑
firmed,” as the plane hasn't landedin any of the nearby airports, said
the officials, who spoke on condi‑
tion of anonymity because they
were not authorized to speak to
the media. The official said a sig‑
nal had been picked up from the
plane two hours after it disap‑
peared from radar, thought to
have been an emergency beacon.
Egyptian military aircraft and
navy ships were taking part in a
search operation off Egypt 's
Mediterranean coast to locate the
plane. Debris spotted bobbing in
the sea south of the Greek island
of Karpathos was initially thought
to be from the crash, but was not.The plane was carrying 56 pas‑
sengers, including one child and
two babies, and 10 crew members.
The pilot had 6,000 flight hours.
EgyptAir later said those on
board included 15 French passen‑
gers, 30 Egyptians, one Briton, two
Iraqis, one Kuwaiti, one Saudi, one
Sudanese, one Chadian, one
Portuguese, one Belgian, one
Algerian and one Canadian.
Earlier, the airline said 69 people
were on board. Relatives of pas‑
sengers on the vanished EgyptAir
flight have started arriving at
Charles de Gaulle Airport outside
Paris, where their loved ones
boarded the aircraft. GOPʼs pre‑sumptive presidential nominee
Donald Trump has said, maybe
premature ly, "A plane got blown
out of the sky. And if anything, if
anybody thinks it wasnʼt blown out
of the sky, you are 100 percent
wrong, folks." (Source: AP)
EU mulls sanctions on Pak for supporting terror groupsContinued from page
officials and leaders to the point
that they have started a "a process
to slam economic sanctions on
Pakistan " if the linkage to terror
groups as admitted by Rana
Sanaullah turn out to be accurate.The EU has asked its representa‑
tives in Pakistan to investigate the
comments made by Rana
Sanaullah questioning "how can
you prosecute a group with whom
the state itself has been involved
with?" (IANS)
'Merger of six banks tocost SBI $250 million'
hennai
Global credit rating agency Moody's Investors Service on
Friday said the merger idea mooted by State Bank of India (SBI) of six
banks with itself would cost around Rs. 16.6 billion ($250 million)
and will have limited impact on its credit metrics.The agency also said the opposition to the merger by the employee
unions also poses considerable risk that potential synergies of the
merger may not materialize.
The six banks comprise five associate banks, namely State Bank of
Bikaner and Jaipur (SBJJ), State Bank of Hyderabad (SBH), State Bank
of Mysore (SBM), State Bank of Patiala (SBP) and State Bank of
Travancore (SBT), plus Bharatiya Mahila Bank Limited (BMB).
"Based on current stock market prices, the acquisition of the
remaining outstanding shares in SBJJ, SBM and SBT will cost SBI
about Rs.16.6 billion ($250 million)," Moody's said.
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5May 21-27, 2016TheSouthAsianTimes.info TR I S TATE COMMUNI TY
New York A third of high‑achiev‑
ing female physicians or scientists
in the US have been victims of sex‑
ual harassment, say researchersled by an Indian‑origin scientist.
The findings showed that women
were more likely than men to
report both perceptions and expe‑
riences with gender bias.
Gender bias was perceived by 70
percent of women as against 22
percent of men and 66 percent of
women said they experienced gen‑
der bias compared to 10 percent
of men.
In addition, 30 percent of
women compared to four percent
of men said they had experienced
sexual harassment in their profes‑
sional careers.
"The perception among many of us is that this type of behavior is a
thing of the past. So it's heartening
to see quite how many relatively
yo un g wo me n in th is sa mp le
reported experiences with harass‑
ment and discrimination," said
study author Reshma Jagsi, associ‑
ate professor at the University of
Michigan Medical School. "This is a
sobering reminder that our society
has a long way to go before we
achieve gender equity," Jagsi
added.
The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical
Association, showed that the situa‑
tion reflects a larger societal prob‑
lem. Women who experience these
types of harassment may be less
likely to report these incidents if
they feel they are unique and aber‑
rational. "We need to recognize the
degree to which sexual harassment
and gender inequality continue to
be an issue in academic medicine,"
Jagsi noted. Researchers surveyed
1,066 men and women who had
received a career developmentaward between 2006‑2009 from
the National Institutes of Health.
The physicians were asked a
number of questions about their
career experiences, including
questions about gender bias, gen‑
der advantage and sexual harass‑
ment. (IANS)
H o u s t o n : An Indian‑
American biotechnolo‑
gist has receivedUniversity of Houston's
highest teaching award
for her sustained and
significant contributions
to education.
Rupa Iyer, an Indian‑
American Associate
Dean, Research and Graduate Studies
at the University of Houston's
College of Technology, has been pre‑
sented the "Distinguished Leadership
in Teaching Excellence Award".
It is the highest award given in
teaching and the only one given in
this category by the varsity.
"My journey from being an inter‑
national graduate teaching assistantto having the privilege and honor to
lead the biotech program at UH has
been extremely humbling and
rewarding," Iyer said.
"My students continue to inspire
me and motivate me to seek new
ideas and strategies to develop and
foster their academic success," Iyer
told PTI.
The award is given to
a previous recipient of the varsity's 'Teaching
Excellence Award', pre‑
sented to a person who
has ten or more years
of teaching experience
and has made sus‑
tained and significant
contributions to education. As the
founding director of the biotechnolo‑
gy program in the College of
Technology since its inception, Iyer
is well regarded for her strong com‑
mitment towards impacting students
who benefit from her efforts to
incorporate hands‑on experience
with problem‑based learning and lec‑
tures. The students receive lectureformat training on diverse biotech‑
nology systems and develop presen‑
tation skills, enabling them to thrive
in the workplace. Iyer has been part
of the college since 2005 as a cre‑
dentialed associate professor was
named Associate Dean of Research
and Graduate Studies in 2014.
Washington DC: Indian‑American
sports anchor Kevin Negandhi
would host this year's National
Spelling Bee competition, becoming
the first Indian‑origin to present
the prestigious event.
The spelling competition has pro‑duced Indian‑American champions
for eight consecutive years, and 13
of the past 17 a run that began in
1999. However, this is for the first
time that an Indian‑American
would be hosting the prestigious
event, that has been dominated by
the Indian American students for
the past several years. This year's
competition will be held May 24 to
26. Negandhi's parents migrated to
the US from Mumbai. He grew up
in Philadelphia. He worked with
Philadelphia Inquirer and USA
Today.Negandhi became the second
Indian‑American to be a local
sports anchor in the country, serv‑
ing as sports anchor and later
sports director at KTVO‑TV from
1998‑99. Negandhi is currently
working as an sports anchor for
ESPN. (PTI)
(Photo courtesy: ascopost.com)
30 percent of female doctorsin US sexually harassed: Study
P a r i s : As celebrity chef Vikas
Khanna premiered his documentary"Kitchens of Gratitude" at the ongo‑
ing 69th Cannes Film Festival on
Saturday, celebrities congratulated
him on the feat.
It was unveiled by Mohan Kumar,
India's Ambassador to France along
with Leena Jaisani, senior director ‑
Media and Entertainment division
at Ficci, at the India Pavilion at the
fest.
"Michelin starred Chef Vikas
Khanna is not just a culinary
ambassador of India but is also
helping create awareness of our
culture globally. For Indians, food is
a sacred expression of sharing and
caring and with 'Kitchens of Gratitude', he has personified it.
"This is a small step but will go a
long way in building bridges
amongst communities and nations,"
Kumar said in a statement. For the
occasion, Khanna wore Giorgio
Armani, Corneliani as well as a
Tissot watch. The documentary is
the chef's ideology that food has
always been the thread which
brings people together and that it
transcends all barriers of caste,
creed, faith ‑‑ thus, encouragingpeople to share.
While researching on how food
was cooked in the Harappan civili‑
sation, Khanna discovered that
daily cooking was a communal
activity in those times and he did
not find a single reference to the
use of small cooking pots, which
bears out this finding.
The fact that everyone used to gettogether for cooking and eating
asserts his belief that the "unifying
power of food was stronger even
before religion came into being."
Khanna then created, directed
and shot a 15 minute documentary
which captures this belief. The doc‑
umentary feature personalities like
Dalai Lama, Deepak Chopra, Mata
Amritanandmayi (spiritual leader)
and Pastor Craig Mayes of the New
York Mission among others.
"'Kitchens of Gratitude' for me is
solely about how food has always
been the thread that brings people
together encourage people to share.
The documentary examines howshared food experiences help break
the walls that divide people.
"I firmly believe that our children
must know that every faith wel‑
comes everyone. No faith ever pro‑
motes discrimination. It is food that
binds us together, and it must con‑
tinue that way," Khanna said. (IANS)
Chef Vikas Khanna screensdocumentary on food at Cannes
"This is a soberingreminder that oursociety has a long way
to go before we achievegender equity,"saysReshma Jagsi, associate
professor at theUniversity of MichiganMedical School &researcher.
Kevin
Negandhi
(Photo courtesy:
cbslocal.
baltimore.com)
Sports anchor KevinNegandhi to host this
year's Spelling Bee contest
Rupa Iyer receives University Of
Houston's highest teaching award
Khanna's documentary'Kitchens of Gratitude' was unveiled
by Indian Ambassador MohanKumar with Leena Jaisani,
sr. director ‑ Media andEntertaiment, FICCI at India Pavilion
Rupa Iyer
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8/16/2019 Vol-9-Issue-4 May 22 May 27, 2016
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6 May 21-27, 2016 TheSouthAsianTimes.info TR I S TATE COMMUNI TY
Staten Island NY: The Cardiac Catheteri‑
zation Lab of the Richmond University
Medical Center was dedicated April 15 in
honor of Dr. Samala Swamy, who has
pledged $250,000 to support the capital
campaign for a new Emergency Depart‑
ment.
Swamy has been a leading cardiologist
on Staten Island for more than 35 years.
The Indian American physician emi‑
grated from India to the United States to
assume a residency position at St. Vin‑
centʼs Medical Center and became the
hospitalʼs first cardiology fellow in 1974.
Swamy was also one of the first cardiolo‑
gists on Staten Island to use cardiaccatheterization for the diagnosis of coro‑
nary heart disease for the benefit of his
patients.
Today, Swamy serves Richmond Univer‑
sity Medical Center as director of its Car‑
diac Catherization Lab.
In recognition of his contribution to the
betterment of cardiac care in the borough,
Swamy was awarded the “Humanitarian
Award” by the former St. Vincentʼs Med‑
ical Center, and the “Excellence in Medi‑
cine” award by the Staten Island chapter
of the American Heart Association.
Swamy is board certified in medicine,
cardiology, nuclear medicine and inter‑
ventional cardiology. Over the years, he
has trained many cardiology fellows.
New York A Cos Cob, Conn.‑based Democrat,
Mudita Bhargava, has announced she is chal‑
lenging incumbent Republican Fred Camillo
for the 151st District state representative
seat.Camillo has sat in the seat since 2008
when he was first elected to the district
which includes residents of Greenwich, Conn.
However, Bhargava believes it is time for a
“positive change,” the Indian American can‑
didate said in a Greenwich Daily Voice report.
“We have to significantly improve the eco‑
nomic environment in Connecticut for our
businesses and families to stay and to thrive,”
she added in the Daily Voice report. “There
needs to be a fresh, proactive and effective
approach to how we deal with the challenges
facing our state, starting with the budget.”
The state House candidate has spent a ca‑
reer in the financial sector, serving a number
of major organizations. In 2015, she redi‑
rected her focus on public service and non‑profit work, according to the report.
Bhargava said she plans to use her finan‑
cial experience to help better serve Green‑
wich residents.
Currently, Bhargava serves as a board
member of The Parity Partnership, a non‑
profit that she co‑founded which supports
gender equity. She also is a founding board
member of the India Cultural Center of
Greenwich, a board member of the Urban
League of Southern Connecticut and an am‑
bassador for the Clinton Foundation.
Additionally, she volunteers for numerous
organizations, including the Magic Bus glob‑
al childhood education organization, Inspiri‑
ca Womenʼs shelter and the Robin Hood
Foundation.
Among those supporting Bhargavaʼs candi‑
dacy for the 151st District are Congressman
Jim Himes and Sen. Richard Blumenthal.Bhargava has also been an advocate for
family friendly policies in the workplace,
supporting these policies through her work
in nonprofits as well as legislative sessions in
Hartford.
“My mother was a working single parent of
three. Raising children of my own has helped
me realize how incredible my mother was to
have endured her struggles while always be‑
ing our pillar,” she added in the report. “A
strong family unit is so important to me and
is key to the success of our community. I
want to make sure the needs of Greenwich
families are fairly represented in Hartford.
And as part of the majority caucus, I will do
that.” The primary election is scheduled for
Aug. 9.
New York Bruhud NY Seniors leader
Shashikant Patel and Gopi Udeshi arranged a
colorful raas‑garba ramzat on May 7 at Hindu
Community Center with the support of their
15 sister organizations at a time when the city
is celebrating the month of May as Asian
American and Pacific heritage month. Ten sen‑
ior organizations took part presenting Indiaʼs
heritage of raas garba with the support of 93
ladies on the stage. Local artists from Long Is‑
land to Staten Island took part in this event.
Speech by Shashikant Patel and Gopi Udeshiwith the importance of
raas garba from ancient time, from a street
event to global event followed by national an‑
them to non stop event of Garba
started with the Ganesh Vandana by Manjri
Parikh, Shambu Natanam by Sophia Salingaros
and Bollywood medley by Jyotika Patel.Classi‑
cal Kathak melody Pravaah by Hita Soni. Son‑
al and Dimple Shah presented saiyer halo ne
jaie aaj. RANA performed Padhareo mare desh
re Rajasthan. Indo American Sr. Center pre‑
sented ame mayara re Gokul gamna.
India Home performed on mai to bhul chali
babulka desh while Alka Dave Group danced
on aavo to ramva ne, among several other per‑
formances.All the participants and choreographers
were awarded a beautiful sari by from Bruhud
NY Seniors. Event ended with vote of thanks
by Gopi Udeshi.
Cardiac Cath Labnamed after
Dr. Samala Swamy
Mudita Bhargava in race for Greenwich,
Connecticut, State House seat
Bruhud Seniors organize acolorful RaasGarba Ramzat
Dr Samala Swamy
Mudita Bhargava(Photo courtesy: indiawest.com)
Performance by Gayatri Pariwar of Long Island
After I served mycountry, I needed help
feeding my family,SNAP HELPED.- MIGUEL, U.S. NAVY VETERAN
The Bronx
WATCH OUR STORY AT FoodHelp.nyc
Now it’s easier to apply online at FoodHelp.nyc
ACCESSNYC
Call 311 for more info
easier tow it’No
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-
8/16/2019 Vol-9-Issue-4 May 22 May 27, 2016
7/32
7May 21-27, 2016TheSouthAsianTimes.info NAT I ONAL COMMUNI TY
Washington: Indian‑
American politician SwatiDandekar has been nomi‑
nated by the US Senate to
the post of Executive
Director to the Asian
Development Bank which
has ambassadorial rank.
The first‑ever Indian‑
American to be elected to
Iowa House of
Representatives in 2003,
Ms Dandekar, would replace Robert M
Orr, who has held this position since
2010.
Dandekar, 65, was also the first Indian‑
born American citizen to win a state legis‑
lature seat in the United States. Obama
had nominated Dandekar to the top USposition in Asian Development Bank
(ADB) in November last year. A member
of the Iowa House of Representatives for
from 2003 to 2009, Dandekar was also
member of the Iowa Senate from 2009 to
2011. Thereafter she served on the Iowa
Utilities Board from 2011
to 2013. From 2000 to2003, she was a member of
the Vision Iowa Board of
Directors.
Dandekar also served on
the Linn‑Mar Community
School District Board of
Education from 1996 to
2002 and was a member
of the Iowa Association of
School Boards from 2000
to 2002. Ms Dandekar received a BS from
Nagpur University and a Post‑Graduate
Diploma from Bombay University.
Married to Arvind Dandekar, in 2014
she tried to run for the US House of
Representatives from Iowa's 1st
Congressional District, but lost in the pri‑maries. Dandekar and her husband
Arvind migrated to the United States in
1973. Arvind Dandekar is the CEO and
president of Fastek International, located
in Hiawatha, Iowa.
(PTI)
Obama appointsSALDEFʼs Manjit Singh tokey administration postWashington DC: President Barack Obama has appointed an
Indian‑American engineer to a key administration post, the
White House said.
Manjit Singh, co‑founder of
the Sikh American Legal
Defense and Education Fund
has been appointed as the
member of President's
Advisory Council on Faith‑
Based and Neighborhood
Partnerships.
"These fine public servants
bring a depth of experience
and tremendous dedication to
their important roles. I look forward to working with them,"
President Obama said in a statement.
President of Agilious, a software technology consulting firm
he founded in 2013, Singh is also the co‑founder and chairman
of the Board of Directors of the Sikh American Legal Defense
and Education Fund, a national Sikh American media, policy
and education organization.
He served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Guru
Gobind Singh Foundation and also as a Member‑at‑Large of The
Board of the Interfaith Conference of Metropolitan in
Washington. Singh received a Master of Science degree from
the State University of New York at Albany and a Bachelor of
Engineering from the University of Bombay in India.
Washington DC: A 65‑year‑old Indian
American scientist will receive the presti‑
gious 'National Medal of Science' award
from President Barack Obama this week,the White House has said.
Rakesh K Jain, a professor of tumor biol‑
ogy at Massachusetts General Hospital inthe Harvard Medical School, will receive
the award from Obama along with 16
other recipients of the 'National Medals of
Science and National Medals of Technology and Innovation' on May 19.
The award function was initially sched‑
uled for January 22 but was postponed
due to a major snow storm.Awarded annually, the Medal of Science
recognizes individuals who have made
outstanding contributions to science, engi‑
neering and mathematics.The National Medal of Technology and
Innovation recognizes those who havemade lasting contributions to America'scompetitiveness and quality of life and
helped strengthen nation's technological
workforce.
Ja in , an II T‑ Ka np ur al um nu s, ha sreceived numerous awards for his work
on tumor biology, particularly research on
the link between tumor blood vessels and
improving the effects of chemotherapyand radiation treatment.
He received his B Tech degree from theIIT‑Kanpur in Chemical Engineering in1972.
The National Medal of Science was cre‑
ated by statute in 1959 and is adminis‑
tered for the White House by the NationalScience Foundation. (PTI)
Senate nominates SwatiDandekar as AsianDevelopment Bank director
Swati Dandekar(Image : newsworldindia.in)
Rakesh K Jain(Photo courtesy: indianexpress.com)
Washington DC: A 15‑year‑old Indian‑
American boy has won the prestigious
'Intel Foundation Young ScientistAward' for developing a low‑cost elec‑tronically‑aided knee brace that
allows a person with a weakened leg
to walk more naturally. SyamantakPayra, a Texas resident, won the
$50,000 award along with 17‑year‑
old Kathy Liu. The award was given byIntel Corporation and the Society for
Science and the Public (SSP) at the2016 'Intel International Science and
Engineering Fair' in Arizona last week.
"Our top winners this year ‑Syamantak and Kathy ‑ clearly demon‑
strate that age has no bearing on your
ability to conduct research and comeup with solutions to important prob‑
lems," said Maya Ajmera, SSP presi‑dent and chief executive.
"We congratulate them not only for
their success, but on their dedicationand hard work. They and the rest of
the Intel ISEF finalists are the rising
stars of STEM and we look forward towatching them pursue their passions
and in turn make the world a better
place for future generations," Ajmera
said.When Payra tested his prototype
with two individuals partially disabled
by polio, it almost immediatelyrestored a more natural gait and
increased mobility, according to astatement.
"Intel congratulates this year's win‑
ners and hopes that their work willinspire other young innovators to
apply their curiosity and ingenuity to
today's global challenges," IntelFoundat ion president and Intel
Corporation vice president of human
resources and director of corporate
affairs Rosalind Hudnell said in a
statement.This year's Intel Internat ional
Science and Engineering Fair featured
more than 1,700 young scientists
selected from 419 affiliate fairs heldin 77 countries.
A team of students from India also
attended the event . Five IndianAmericans also figured in the 22 "Best
of Category" winners and each
received a $5,000 prize.These winners included Rajeev Jha
(Hawaii) in the Behavioral and SocialSciences category, Marissa
Sumathipala (Virginia) in the Cellular
and Molecular Biology, SwethaRevanur (California) in Computational
Biology and Bioinformatics, Tiasha Jo ar da r (T ex as ) in th e En er gy :Physical category and Prashant
Godishala (Minnesota) in theTranslational Medical Science. Under
the Intel and Indo‑US Science &
Technology Forum, three studentswon the award for a visit to India.
(PTI)
Syamantak Payra (first from right)won the award for developing a low‑cost electronically aided knee brace
(Image courtesy: intel.com) Manjit Singh
(Photo: saldef.org)
Teen Syamantak Payra wins Intel Young Scientist Award
Rakesh Jain to be conferredNational Medal of Science
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8 May 21-27 2016 TheSouthAsianTimes.info NAT I ONAL COMMUNI TY
New York: Even after fifteen years
of the 9/11 tragedy, Sikhs in the
US feel they are more likely to
face profiling, bigotry and back‑
lash than the average American
because of the two distinct sym‑
bols of their identity‑the beard
and the turban.
To spread better awarenessabout their religion, a new Sikh art
exhibit will be held in New York
later this year to showcase the
pride taken by the community in
their religious and cultural prac‑
tices.
UK‑based photographers Amit
and Naroop will click portraits of
Sikh Americans under 'The Sikh
Project' mounted by The Sikh
Coalition. These portraits will be
unveiled around the 15th anniver‑
sary of 9/11.
The Coalition is the largest Sikh
American advocacy and communi‑
ty development organization in
the US and works towards therealization of civil and human
rights for all people, particularly
Sikhs.After their critically
acclaimed exhibit in the UK, the
two photographers, who are proud
of their Sikh heritage, said they are
"very excited" about their upcom‑
ing exhibition. "We are very excit‑
ed! In the US, it will serve as an
educational piece as well as an art
project as the awareness of the
Sikh identity is still misunder‑
stood; so we are hoping it will
have a wider impact," the two pho‑
tographers said in an email inter‑
view from New York.
The photography exhibit, whichexplores the beauty, style and
symbolism of the Sikh articles of
faith, will include both turbaned
men and women and will feature a
combination of iconic Sikh
Americans and a few selected win‑
ners.
Speaking about how the idea of
'The Sikh Project' came to them,
the two photographers said it was
in 2013 that it struck them when
they "noticed men of different
backgrounds and ages growing
beards for fashion, as part of their
identity."
"Being Sikh photographers, we
wanted to show them that in ourculture, the beard has been a part
of the Sikh identity for hundreds
of years," they said. They said
their UK exhibition got "over‑
whelming response" and was
"appreciated" and "respected" for
its message and the way it was
executed. (IANS)
Washington DC: The US Senate has
confirmed the nomination of Deven J
Parekh, Indian‑American by
President Barack Obama to the
board of directors of the Overseas
Private Investment Corporation.
Nominated by the US President
Barack Obama in August 2014,
Parekh is currently a managing
director at Insight Venture Partners,
a position he has held since 2001.
Overseas Private Investment
Corporation (OPIC) is the US govern‑
ment's development finance institu‑
tion. It mobilizes private capital to
help solve critical development chal‑
lenges and, in doing so, advances US
foreign policy.
A major fund raiser for Obama's
presidential campaigns, Parekh held
a number of roles at Berenson
Minella & Company between 1992
and 2000, including Principal and
Vice President. Previously, from
1991 to 1992, he was a financial
analyst for the Blackstone Group.
He has served as a Member of the
Technological Advisory Council of
the Federal Communications
Commission since 2011. He is a
Member of the Board of Publicolor,
which he chaired from 2007 to
2012. Parekh is Treasurer and
Member of the Board of Governors
of the National Academy Museum, a
Member of the Board of the Tisch
MS Research Center of New York,
and a Member of the Greater NY
Partnership.
He is also a Member of the Council
on Foreign Relations and the
Economic Club of New York.
From 2010 to 2012, he was a
Member of the Advisory Board of the
Export‑Import Bank of the United
States. In 2006, he was named a
Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen
Institute. Mr Parekh received a BS
from the Wharton School of the
University of Pennsylvania.
Deven Parekh
(Photo courtesy: Forbes)
Senate confirms DevenParekh for key post in OPIC Washington DC: First
Lady Michelle Obama
looked stunning in
Indian‑American fash‑
ion designer NaeemKhan's creation on
Friday at the state din‑
ner hosted by US
President Barack
Obama in honor of
leaders from Nordic
countries.
Michelle wore a
blush‑colored gown by
the New York based
designer which fea‑
tured a bodice, full
skirt and one‑shoulder detailing.
Naeem Khan has been one of the
favorite designers of Mrs Obama,
as she first wore his creation to
her first state dinner back in2009.
The state dinner is usually for
one Head of State. However, the
President honored five countries
this time, including Sweden,
Iceland, Finland, Denmark and
Norway.
"She looks great," Obama saidcomplementing his wife as they
welcomed the guests at the North
Portico of the White House. ( IANS)
Michelle Obama stuns in designer
Naeem Khan for a state dinner
New York: For Freida Pinto, diver‑
sity is not about being "black orbrown" or isn't just confined to
what one sees on camera but is
what goes behind it. The US‑basedIndian actress, who found fame
with the Oscar winning "Slumdog
Mill ionaire" , says unless thedebate on diversity extends
beyond skin color, it is "pointlessand redundant."
From veteran actors like Shashi
Kapoor, Kabir Bedi, AmitabhBachchan, Anupam Kher, Anil
Kapoor and Lillete Dubey to
names like Irrfan Khan, NimratKaur, Priyanka Chopra and
Deepika Padukone ‑‑ Indian actorshave made their mark in foreign
filmdom.
While most of them have evadedstereotypical presentation, Freida
feels there's a need to broaden the
definition of 'diversity'."Everybody wants to talk about
diversity, but I like to broaden thedefinition. It is not just diversity in
terms of ethnicity and skin color,
as in black or brown. It hasbecome a redundant conversation.
It is not about representing peo‑
ple on sexual orientation. Thatshould never be a barrier for the
kind of roles that people play,"Freida told IANS.
She added: "I think diversity is acompulsory subject matter and,
yes , there is a certa in issue in
films. But look at the world... Itdoes not look like a white persons'
world. There are all different
kinds of people in it and all differ‑ent kinds of actors and lan‑
guages."The 31‑year‑old, who has
already worked with the likes of
actor Christian Bale and filmmak‑
er Woody Allen, feels there is aneed to focus on other important
aspects of filmmaking than justsee what meets the eye.
She said: "It is not only the rep‑
resentation that you see on cam‑era; what about the people who
write, what about the people who
direct, what about the people whoproduce? So for me, diversity
becomes a very pointless conver‑sation after a while if people are
only talking about and sticking to
color of skin."Color of the skin is not diversi‑
ty."
As far as her current work slateis concerned, Freida will be voic‑
ing Mowgli's adoptive mother in"Jungle Book: Origins", Warner
Brothers' motion capture live‑
action adventure. She will also beseen in "Yamasong: March of the
Hollows".
Other than that, she is alsopitching in to bring women
empowerment in the industry viaa non‑profit production company
called We Do It Together. She also
attended the ongoing Cannes FilmFestival for the same.
First Lady Michelle Obama in a blush coloredgown by Naeem Khan (Image : popsugar.com)
Art exhibit to spread awarenessabout Sikh identity in the US
Freida Pinto
(Image: wikimedia.org)
Diversity not all about skincolour, ethnicity: Freida Pinto
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8/16/2019 Vol-9-Issue-4 May 22 May 27, 2016
9/32
9May 21-27, 2016TheSouthAsianTimes.info U S AFFA I RS
Washington It was really just a
matter of t ime. With theDemocratic presidential primary
in its twilight, frustration within
the ranks over the party's han‑
dl ing of the primary process
spilled out this week as Bernie
Sanders supporters lashed out at
party leaders, arguing that their
candidate has been treated unfair‑
ly. The public outpouring of anger
began last weekend at the Nevada
Democratic Party convention,
where Sanders supporters who
said Hillary Clinton's backers had
subverted party rules shouted
down pro‑Clinton speakers and
sent threatening messages to
state party Chairwoman Roberta
Lange after posting her phone
number and address on social
media.
That led Democratic National
Committee Chairwoman Debbie
Wasserman Schultz, Senate
Minority Leader Harry Reid and
other top party leaders to demand
an apology and publicly ruminate
on the possibility of violence at
the Democratic National
Convention in July as they pre‑
pare for a general election battle
with Donald Trump.
Obama administration officials
on Wednesday played down con‑
cerns about escalating tensions,
likening the race to the 2008 pri‑
mary fight between Clinton and
then‑Sen. Barack Obama.
But Sanders isn't backing down.
A campaign spokesman said
Wednesday that the campaign
was "looking into" whether to ask
for a recount in Kentucky, where
Sanders narrowly lost on Tuesday
night, and he fired up his crowd
in Southern California Tuesday
night by cal l ing out the
Democratic establishment.
The Sanders campaign on
Tuesday did condemn unruly
behavior from supporters and
those who made threats to party
leaders, but made clear it is stick‑
ing with its stance that the party
is subverting the process in a way
that benefits Clinton.
"These claims that our cam‑
paign is sort of fomenting vio‑
lence in some way are absolute
nonsense," Sanders campaign
manager Jeff Weaver told CNN's
Wolf Bl i tzer Tuesday night ,
adding that the campaign
"absolutely, categorically" con‑
demns any threatening behavior.
The breakdown in civility comes
after what has otherwise been a
comparatively polite campaign
season for Democrats, but the
frustration exposes a rift in the
party and undercuts the notion
that Clinton will be able to march
into the Democratic convention
this summer with a party unified
behind her.
‑CNN
New York In a bid to ward off
accusations of editorial bias
against conservative news organi‑
zations in its popular 'Trending
Topics', Facebook CEO Mark
Zuckerberg on Wednesday hosteda dozen leading conservatives to
talk about how Facebook contin‑
ues to be a platform for all ideas
across the political spectrum.
"We have built Facebook to be a
platform for all ideas. Our commu‑
nity's success depends on every‑
one feeling comfortable sharing
anything they want. It doesn't
make sense for our mission or our
business to suppress political con‑
tent or prevent anyone from see‑
ing what matters most to them,"
the 32‑year‑old Facebook founder
posted.
"Silicon Valley has a reputation
for being liberal. But the Facebookcommunity includes more than
1.6 billion people of every back‑
ground and ideology ‑‑ from liber‑
al to conservative and everything
in between," he added.
A report in technology website
Gizmodo accused Facebook of edi‑torial bias against conservative
news organizations, which led to a
call for a Congressional inquiry
from Senator John Thune (Rep)
from South Dakota and the chair
of US Senate Commerce
Committee which has jurisdiction
over media issues.
"The reality is, conservatives and
Republicans have always been an
important part of Facebook.
Donald Trump has more fans on
Facebook than any other presiden‑
tial candidate. And Fox News
drives more interactions on its
Facebook page than any other
news outlet in the world. It's noteven close," Zuckerberg wrote.
Millions more to get overtime paymentWashington The Labor Department has agreed to increase overtime
rates for workers amid a continuing shrinking of the middle class. The
rule will increase protection of over 4.2 million workers by doubling the
payment threshold for working over 40 hours a week from $455 per
week to $913 dollars, Xinhua news agency reported.
The threshold will be automatically improved every three years from
January 1, 2020, according to the rule which will come into effect on
December 1 this year. The move is expected to boost wages for workers
by $12 billion over the next 10 years, said the White House, adding that
overtime protections in the US had eroded as a result of inflation and
lobbyists' efforts to weaken them over the past 40 years.
The US middle class has been losing ground. The share of middle class
to the whole US population fell from 55 percent in 2000 to 51 percentin 2014, said a survey by Pew Research Centre. ‑IANS
Republicans trust
Trump more than
Paul Ryan: pollWashington A new poll found on
Tuesday that rank‑and‑file
Republicans dif fer from party
elites who see House Speaker Paul
Ryan as the GOP leader.
Nearly six in 10 Republican and
Republican‑leaning registered vot‑
ers say they trust Trump, the pre‑
sumptive GOP presidential nomi‑
nee, over Ryan to lead the GOP,Xinhua quoted
NBC/SurveyMonkey Weekly
Election Tracking poll released on
Tuesday.Nearly four in 10 trust the
speaker more, said the poll.
Asked about response to the poll
result at a news conference here,
Ryan said he had no issue with the
result. "I hope it's Donald Trump.
He's getting the nomination," said
Ryan. The poll came just days after
Ryan and Trump held their first
formal meeting since the New York
billionaire developer became the
GOP's presumptive nominee.
So far, Ryan, GOP's highest‑rank‑
ing officeholder, had still withhelda formal endorsement of Trump,
insisting that he would not "fake"
GOP unity after a chaotic and divi‑
sive primary season.
Zuckerberg tries toassuage conservatives
Sanders won Oregon, and Hillary squeaked through in Kentucky.(Photo courtesy CNN)
Now Sanders vs
Democratic leaders
Washington Donald Trump called
her a "lightweight" and a "bimbo"
and, after a dustup back in August,
he set the twitter afire by saying
"You could see there was blood
coming out of her eyes, blood com‑
ing out of her, wherever."
Nine months after their 'katti'
(not on talking terms) since that
famous feud with the now pre‑
sumptive Republican nominee,fearless Fox anchor Megyn Kelly
set out for a face‑off with the
"boor", as the venerable Time has
called the Manhattan mogul, in his
own lair. No apologies were "given,
required or requested" as the not
so presidential but never boring
nominee sat down for what was
billed as a tete‑a‑tete with "no
restrictions" to be aired on her
own new special show "Megyn
Kelly Presents" on another big pri‑
mary night. As anchors reported
breathlessly about another close
encounter between a "bad delegate
math" Bernie Sanders and a presi‑
dential but boring Hillary Clintonor Trump again crushing a non‑
existent opposition, it was "Kelly vs
Trump" night on the tube.
As pundits pontificated on anoth‑
er Trump bombshell about his will‑
ingness to speak with North
Korean leader Kim Jong Un or a
petrified Republican boss Reince
Priebus asking Mitt Romney to
abort his suicidal mission to stop
Trump, "KT" won the battle of eye‑
balls hands down.
Kelly said she did not want it tobe about her, but sitting across the
billionaire in Trump Tower, she
invited him to "talk about us" revis‑
iting her question that had ignited
their feud about him calling "the
women you don't like 'fat pigs,'
'dogs,' 'slobs' and 'disgusting ani‑
mals.' "
An almost shy Trump said softly
he felt it had not been fair, before
Kelly jumped in: "You know, it's not
a cocktail party" only to have the
mogul acknowledge the debate"might have been a favor" to him
by preparing him for the worst.
Kelly also complained about
Trump calling her a bimbo. "Well,
that was a retweet," he said and
asked sheepishly, "Did I say that?"
"Yeah. Many times," Kelly shot
back. "Ooh. OK. Excuse me," Trump
grinned. Kelly grinned back.
"It's not about me. It's not about
me. It's about the messaging. To
young girls and to other women,"
she said. Trump responded in typi‑
cal fashion that he was a counter
puncher and "It's a modern dayform of fighting back."
Surely he could have been a little
more "presidential," and used dif‑
ferent language at t imes, said
Trump. "But if I would not have
fought back the way I fought back,
I don't think I would have been
successful."
"I like our relationship right
now," said Trump as they parted
company with a firm handshake
with her thanking him for plugging
her new book set for release a
week after the November 8 presi‑
dential poll so as not to influence
the outcome!
He did not quite say it but hemight as well have tweeted, "You
could see there was honey coming
out of her lips, honey coming out
of her wherever!"
Foxʼs Megyn Kelly has faceoff with Trump
The Trump interview by wannabe Barbara Walters, Megyn Kelly, was adamp squib. (Photo courtesy AP)
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8/16/2019 Vol-9-Issue-4 May 22 May 27, 2016
10/32
Washington In the week since Donald Trump
effectively secured the Republican presiden‑
tial nomination, a great deal of ink and air‑
time have been devoted to explaining why he
will have a difficult time winning the presi‑
dency in the autumn.
The Republican Party is too badly divided.
His rhetoric is too incendiary. Republican
voters may be "idiots", but the general public
is wiser. The US electoral map, which places a
premium on winning key high‑population
"swing" states, is t ilted against the
Republican Party.
About that last point. On Tuesday a surveyof three key swing states ‑ Florida, Ohio and
Pennsylvania ‑ revealed a virtual dead heat
between the two likely standard‑bearers.
Those states ‑ which account for 67 elec‑
toral votes ‑ all went for Democrat Barack
Obama in 2008 and 2012. Add them to the
states Republican Mitt Romney carried in
2012, and it delivers 273 electoral votes ‑
three more than the 270 necessary to win
the presidency.
Throw in a national tracking poll released
on Wednesday that has Donald Trump surg‑
ing to within striking distance of Hillary
Clinton, and it's a recipe for acute hyperventi‑
lation on the part of Democrats.
But… but… but… cooler‑heads respond.
The Reuters/Ipsos national poll, whichhas Mrs Clinton ahead 41% to Mr Trump's
40% and 19% undecided, was conducted
online. That Quinnipiac swing‑state poll
oversampled white voters ‑ a demographic
group that is more inclined to Republicans.
In addition, it doesn't represent that big a
shift from the group's battleground‑state poll
from last autumn, which undermines the the‑
ory that Mr Trump's support is growing.
The news caused election guru Nate Silver
to go on a Twitter tirade, asserting that it's
way too early to start gaming out the state‑
by‑state electoral map based on opinion
polls.
"The election will go through a lot of twists
and turns, and polls are noisy," he writes.
"Don't sweat individual polls or short‑term
fluctuations."
Sweating polls is what US pundits and com‑
mentators do, however. And at the very least,
signs that Mr Trump is within reach of Mrs
Clinton should cast doubts on the early pre‑dictions that the Democrats will win in the
autumn by historic, Goldwater‑esque mar‑
gins. Mr Trump has a pathway to the presi‑
dency.
He may not get there. It is not the most
likely outcome. But it's real.
That linchpin of a Trump victory centers on
the so‑called Rust Belt ‑ states like the afore‑
mentioned Pennsylvania and Ohio, as well as
Michigan and Wisconsin. Even if Florida, due
to its rapidly growing Hispanic population,
goes to Mrs Clinton, Mr Trump could still win
if he sweeps those states.
It's a strategy that Mr Trump already
appears to understand. "We'll win places that
a lot of people say you're not going to win,
that as a Republican you can't win," Mr
Trump said at an April rally in Indiana.
"Michigan is a great example; nobody else
will go to Michigan. We're going to be
encamped in Michigan because I think I can
win it."
The challenge for Mr Trump is that the
mid‑west, particularly, Wisconsin and
Michigan, have served as a Democratic fire‑
wall that Republicans have been unable to
penetrate since 1988.
"These states constantly intrigue
Republican presidential strategists because
the Democratic advantage in them dependslargely on an act of political levitation: the
ability to consistently win a slightly greater
share of working‑class white voters here than
almost anywhere else," writes the Atlantic's
Ronald Brownstein.
If Mr Trump is to find success, then, he
likely will have to finally win over this stub‑
born portion of the mid‑western electorate
or, perhaps, energize what Sean Trende of
RealClear Politics has called the "missing
white voters".
Trende points to a national drop‑off more
than 3.5 million white voters from the elec‑
tions of 2008 to 2012, when population
growth should have resulted in an increase of
1.5 million.
These voters, he theorized, were largely
working‑class whites who had previously
supported iconoclasts like Ross Perot, the
1992 anti‑free‑trade independent candidate.
It's the type of voter that Mr Trump, with
his populist economic pitch, has been turning
out in the Republican primaries.
In 2012 Mr Obama beat Mr Romney by
roughly 5 million votes. If Mr Trump can
bring those disaffected white voters back to
the polls in 2016, it would cut into that mar‑
gin. If Mrs Clinton is unable to produce the
record‑setting turnout among young andminority voters that Mr Obama achieved, the
gap shrinks further still.
That's a lot of "if's", of course. Young and
minority voters ‑ particularly Hispanics ‑ may
yet turn out to the polls in high numbers, if
only to cast ballots against Mr Trump. There
are already indications of record‑setting
Hispanic voter registration in places like
California.
There's also the risk that Mr Trump's
reliance on populist rhetoric and controver‑
sial views on immigration could lead white‑
collar voters to favor Mrs Clinton. For every
disaffected member of the working‑class he
brings in, he could lose a suburban mum or
college‑educated businessman.
Even giving Mr Trump the benefit of thedoubt, and viewing the recent polls as a trend
and not a blip, there are still more electoral
scenarios that end up with Mrs Clinton in the
White House come 2017.
For Mr Trump, the political stars have to
re‑align in his favor. For Mrs Clinton, a gener‑
al‑election status quo likely means victory.
Courtesy BBC
N e w D e l h i They all want him to lose.
“Forget about the world, Trump is a disaster
for America,” said former rural development
minister and Rajya Sabha MP
Jairam Ramesh. “For the
sake of the US, Hillary
Clinton should win.I wish so because
I am more inter‑
ested in seeing
somebody who
understands
issues.”
H i n d u s t a n
Times spoke to
MPs from differ‑
ent political par‑
ties after Trump
became the sole candi‑
date from his party fol‑
lowing Ted Cruzʼs decision not
to run for nomination.
“Donald Trumpʼs emergence as a serious
presidential candidate seems to be in linewith the worldwide political trend in favor of
individuals holding extremist views. We have
a similar situation in India. Itʼs very unfortu‑
nate,” Janata Dal (United) leader and national
spokesperson, KC Tyagi said, drawing a
parallel between the Americanʼs campaign
and the BJP‑RSSʼ style of propaganda.
The CPI(M), which regards any US electionwith skepticism, found this yearʼs run up to
the White Houseʼs top job no exception. The
partyʼs politburo member, Md Salim said,
“The desperation of Donald Trump clearly
shows a right‑wing shift in his polity amid
the slowdown in the US economy. It is unfor‑
tunate but if someone takes extreme posi‑
tions, he gets a clientele.”Although his party has always maintained
a cautious approach in observing political
developments in the US, Salim added,
“Hillary may have an edge. And if we see the
US polls from the Indian perspective,
Hillaryʼs capabilit ies, her vision have
already been tested.”
Trumpʼs take on Muslims has earned him
no love here in India too. Referring to
Trumpʼs announcement to ban the entry of
Muslims for a year till “things sorted out”,Samajwadi Party (SP) spokesperson Rajesh
Dixit said, “The SP does not support
Trumpʼs ideology or philosophy. His hate
speeches against Muslims are unaccept‑
able.”
Biju Janata Dal leader in the Lok Sabha,
Bhartruhari Mahtab, also slammed Trumpsʼ
propaganda as “a classic midland American
mindset”.
“They only think about themselves and
donʼt know anything beyond American land‑
scape.”
HT tried to contact BJP leaders for their
comments, but the ruling party preferred to
remain silent on the issue. “We donʼt want to
say (anything) as we are a ruling party and
whoever comes to power, we have to dealwith him,” a BJP spokesperson said.
The Bahujan Samaj Partyʼs spokesperson,
Ambeth Rajan, also refused to comment.
Hindustan Times
10 May 21-27, 2016 TheSouthAsianTimes.info U S AFFA I RS
How Donald Trump captures the White HouseBBC analysis gives the Republican presumptive nominee
better chances of winning the White House thanthe US media will have us believe.
Indian MPsroot for
Clinton over
Trump in White
House race
Donald Trump may be polarizing voter
bases and political groups in his
country, but has united MPs across
political lines in India against him.
Only BJP is keeping mum on him.
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8/16/2019 Vol-9-Issue-4 May 22 May 27, 2016
11/32
11May 21-27, 2016TheSouthAsianTimes.info I ND IA
BJP gets Assam for the first time while Left grabs Kerala
New Delhi West Bengal's ruling Trinamool
Congress crushed the opposition and Tamil
Nadu's AIADMK proved exit polls wrong byretaining power in assembly elections, the
biggest popularity test after the 2014 Lok
Sabha polls. The BJP stormed to power in
Assam while the Left made a comeback in
Kerala amid a washout in West Bengal.
The Congress was the worst hit in the five‑
state election, losing power both in Assam,
which it had ruled for 15 long years, and
Kerala, where it was confident of winning its
second term. The Congress‑DMK alliance was,
however, ahead of the ruling All India N.R.
Congress in Puducherry.
The Bharatiya Janata Party also made histo‑
ry in Kerala where its veteran O. Rajagopal, 86,
was elected from Nemom in
Thiruvananthapuram. He will be the first ever
BJP member in the Kerala assembly.Prime Minister Narendra Modi promptly
congratulated West Bengal Chief Minister
Mamata Banerjee and her Tamil Nadu counter‑
part J. Jayalalithaa.
"Across India, people are placing their faith
in (the) BJP and see it as the party that can
usher in all‑round and inclusive development,"
he tweeted. Riding on the development plank,
Banerjee led the Trinamool to a landslide win,
leading in 214 or more than two‑thirds of theseats in the 294‑member Bengal assembly. The
Congress‑Left combine, which had hoped to
unseat Banerjee, was left gasping. The
Congress was poised to win 44 seats while the
Left, headed by the CPI‑M, just 30 seats, a far
cry from the times it had vice‑like grip over
West Bengal.
As Trinamool supporters celebrated wildly,
Banerjee said a campaign of slander and lies
led to her party's sweeping win. "People do notlike such campaigns. There were all sorts of
alliances against us. But people have ultimately
made their choice.
"This is for the first time in 49 years that
such a massive mandate has been given to a
single party," said Banerjee, whose party hopes
to win a whopping 212 seats. Tamil Nadu pro‑
duced a spectacular result. The AIADMK was
set to grab 126 of the 234 seats, leaving the
DMK‑Congress combine with 102 seats, but far
more than what it won in 2011. Almost all
other parties were wiped out. An elated
Jayalalithaa said: "There are not enough words
in dictionary to adequately express my feelingsof gratitude to the people of Tamil Nadu."
Most exit polls had predicted that the
AIADMK would be unseated.
There were noisy celebrations outside
Jayalal ithaa's residence in Chennai. Holding
her portraits, supporters danced to music and
burst firecrackers.
But Chennai, battered by floods in December,
dumped the AIADMK. Its candidates trailed in
12 of the 16 constituencies. Jayalalithaa, how‑
ever, was set to win from Radhakrishnan Nagar
in the city.
In a much‑awaited victory, the BJP was
poised to take power in Assam, with its candi‑
dates and allies leading in 85 of the 126 seats
The stunning performance buried the
Congress, which is set to win only 24 seats.The All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF),
which had hoped to play the kingmaker if
there was a hung verdict, led in 13 constituen‑
cies. Keeping alive Kerala's tradition of ousting
the government in every election, the
Congress‑led UDF suffered a stunning rout,
which its leader and Chief Minister Oommen
Chandy said he had never expected.
By Amulya Ganguli
Since the Left Democratic Party
(LDF) has lived up to the expec‑tation of replac ing the
Congress‑led United Democratic
Front (UDF) every alternate year in
Kerala, there is nothing unusual
about its victory. The real winner,
therefore, in the latest round of
elections is the Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP), which has finally
achieved its objective of capturing
power in Assam, a goal which it had
been pursuing since the time of the
anti‑immigration agitation of the
1980s, for which Arun Shourie
(then in the BJP) had set the ball
rolling with his vociferous support
of the All Assam Students Union
(AASU).Since then, the BJP has been
knocking at the door of the
Guwahati secretariat with the help
of AASU's successor, Asom Gana
Parishad (AGP) ‑ the two parties of
the Hindu middle class ‑ but was
kept at bay by the Congress' Tarun
Gogoi who won three successive
terms.
The BJP's success this time is
based on two factors. One is the
anti‑incumbency feelings against
Gogoi and the other is his, and the
Congress high command's, failureto accommodate the ambitious
Himanta Biswa Sarma in the party's
scheme of things with the result
that he moved to the BJP.
The post‑poll point of interest is
whether Sarma will be able to get
along with the equally ambitious
Sarbananda Sonowal, the BJP's
chief ministerial candidate, or
whether there will be a repeat of
Sarma's earlier fraught relationship
of Gogoi with Sonowal as well.
For the present, however, the BJP
will be delighted that the nightmareof the electoral setbacks in Delhi
and Bihar last year has been offset
by the victory in Assam.
Even then, its celebrations cannot
be wholehearted in view of its fail‑
ures in Delhi's municipal elections
where the Congress has benefitted
from the Aam Admi Party's (AAP)
setbacks caused by its failure to ful‑
fil its extravagant promises.
Since the Delhi outcome can be
seen to provide an inkling of howthe electoral winds are blowing for
the BJP in the Hindi belt, the party
has reasons to be worried about
next year's Uttar Pradesh elections
which cannot be mitigated by the
victory in a distant north‑eastern
state. Unlike the Delhi damper in
BJP's Assam victory, Chief Minister
Mamata Banerjee has shown that
poriborton or not, she remains West
Bengal's uncrowned queen.
Notwithstanding the perceived disil‑
lusionment with her highly person‑
alized, authoritarian and cadre‑driv‑
en governance among the intelli‑
gentsia, she has shown that her
overall influence remains intact,irrespective of whether or not any
development has taken place in the
industrial sector.
Arguably, it was too much to
expect the Left to erase the memo‑
ries of its stifling, Stalinist reign of
three decades in the company of a
palpably sinking Congress.
Like the feudalist, family‑oriented
party, the Communists will have to
resign themselves to spending time
in the wilderness in West Bengal forthe next five years. Their only sol‑
ace is the success in Kerala.
For the Congress, however, it is
darkness all around except for the
faint glimmer in Delhi. At the higher
level of state elections, however, the
party is in the dumps. It has lost
Assam ‑ or threw it away by mishan‑
dling the Himanta Biswa Sarma
issue ‑ and has failed to recover in
West Bengal.
The tales of woe of the 131‑year‑
old formerly Grand Old Party sug‑
gest that its present leadership ‑ the
mother‑and‑son duo of Sonia and
Rahul Gandhi ‑ are devoid of ideas
about how to breathe life into themoribund organization.
Since a defeat in Uttar Pradesh
next year looms before the
Congress, its only hope is to per‑
form well in Punjab, but there it
may face a tougher fight from the
AAP than from the Akali Dal‑BJP
combine.
Jaya, Mamata retain power
BJP, Mamata are real winners
AIADMK supremo and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. (Photo: IANS)
Trinamool Congress workers celebrate inKolkata. (Photo: IANS)
BJP supporters celebrating at the BJP central partyoffice at New Delhi. (Photo: IANS)
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8/16/2019 Vol-9-Issue-4 May 22 May 27, 2016
12/32
New Delhi The five assembly elec‑
tion results proved right all exit
polls, except in Tamil Nadu. As pre‑
dicted, the Congress got drubbing
in Kerala and Assam, the Left made
a comeback in the southern state,
BJP marked a maiden win in thenortheastern state, and Mamata
Banerjee retained power in West
Bengal.
However, predictions on anti‑
incumbency factor working
against AIADMK chief J.
Jaya la li thaa were wide of f the
mark as the Tamil Nadu chief min‑
ister retained the government ‑‑
albeit with a reduced majority in
the 234‑member Tamil Nadu
assembly.
Five pollsters had released their
survey results on Monday ‑‑ the
last day of the staggered elections
held in Assam, West Bengal, Tamil
Nadu, and Kerala, and the union
territory of Puducherry.
Except for the CVoter predic‑
tions, all agencies predicted a clear
win for the DMK‑Congress alliance
in Tamil Nadu, riding on what was
perceived to be a strong anti‑
incumbency wave against
Jayalalithaa.
CVoter, however, predicted a
clean sweep for the AIADMK with
139 seats, leaving the DMK‑
Congress alliance at the second
place with 78 seats. As the final
results emerged Thursday, the
AIADMK was set to win 133 seats
and the Congress‑DMK combine98. The AIADMK had 203 and
DMK alliance had 31 members in
the outgoing assembly.
India Today‑Axis had forecast
the AIADMK was likely to get 89 to
101 seats. NewsX‑Today's
Chanakya gave it 90 seats, ABP
News‑Nielsen 95‑99 seats, and
News Nation 95‑99.
In West Bengal, the exit polls
had unanimously forecast Chief
Minister Mamata Banerjee will
retain power but with a slightly
reduced majority.
However, not only did she