NEW YORK – Film mogul Harvey Weinstein’s former Indian American assistant, Sandeep Rehal, has sued him, The Weinstein Company and the firm’s executives for unspecified damages, according to a Page Six report.

Rehal “was required to be involved in and aware of the preparation for, and clean up after, Harvey Weinstein’s extremely prolific sexual encounters” and “was forced to do to aid Harvey Weinstein’s sexual encounters was to clean up the semen on the couch in Harvey Weinstein’s office… on a regular basis,” the lawsuit states.

According to the lawsuit, she also had to manage “the stock of Caverject shots for his erectile dysfunction” which were stored in a cabinet behind her desk and when Weinstein’s doctor stopped prescribing it to him, he paid Rehal a $500 bonus to find him a replacement supply.

According to the Page Six report, the lawsuit further states that “every time Harvey Weinstein went to meet a woman at a hotel, in the office, or elsewhere, which occurred on average at least three times a week when he was in New York, Rehal was required as part of her job to provide [him] with a shot, which she placed in his jacket pocket or in a brown paper bag,” the lawsuit states adding that after he administered the injection, he would have sex with a stable of “girls,” that Rehal maintained in a list called “Harvey’s Friends,” and would have to retrieve the used syringes and condoms from hotel rooms before housekeeping personnel got to them.

In the lawsuit, Rehal also complained that Weinstein touched her thigh when she wore skirts to work and when she switched to wearing pants, he began rubbing her between her thighs but when Rehal began sitting cross-legged to prevent this from happening, Weinstein began touching the back of her legs and butt and allegedly complained saying “you used to dress so cute and now what’s going on?”

Page Six reported that Weinstein often complimented Rehal for her looks and “leered at her” calling her a “cunt” or “pussy” at times in front of other company staff to remind them who was the boss and on numerous occasions asked “what’s wrong Sandeep, is the tampon up too far today?”

Court papers state that “he bragged about his power, stating to Rehal and other employees, ‘I am Harvey Weinstein and you are at Weinstein University. I decide whether or not you graduate.”

She even had to type emails which he dictated while naked, according to the lawsuit.

Rehal started working for The Weinstein Company in 2013 and quit two years later in February 2015 and “although Harvey Weinstein told Ms. Rehal when he hired her that “he was ‘a tough guy and hard to work for,’ she could never have imagined how awful and terrifying her job would be.” the lawsuit states.

“As a result of the hostile work environment caused by the incessant sexual harassment, Ms. Rehal has suffered, and continues to suffer from severe emotional distress, anxiety, depression, humiliation, fear, anguish and loss of self-esteem,” the filing states in the Page Six report.

Page Six also reports that Weinstein’s spokeswoman has said: “Mr. Weinstein categorically denies these claims and his lawyers will respond in the appropriate legal forum with evidence proving they are untrue.”

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President Donald Trump sought the firing of Robert Mueller III last June, shortly after the special counsel took over the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, and he backed off only after White House Counsel Donald McGahn threatened to resign over the move.

The extraordinary showdown was confirmed by two people familiar with the episode, which was first reported by the New York Times.

McGahn did not deliver his resignation threat directly to Trump, but was serious about his threat to leave, according to a person familiar with the episode.

The president’s effort came in the weeks after Mueller’s appointment last May to lead the probe into whether Trump’s campaign coordinated with Russian attempts to tilt the election. Mueller was tapped for the role by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein after Trump fired FBI Director James Comey.

The special counsel probe has quickly expanded to include an exploration of whether Trump has attempted to obstruct the ongoing investigation – a line of inquiry that could now include the president’s threatens to fire Mueller himself.

Peter Carr, a spokesman for the special counsel’s office, declined to comment. McGahn did not respond to requests for comment.

A White House spokesman referred questions to Ty Cobb, the attorney coordinating the administration’s response to the Russia investigations, who did not immediately respond to requests for comment. John Dowd, an attorney for the president, declined to comment.

Democrats late Thursday renewed their calls for Congress to pass legislation to protect Mueller and future special counsels from being fired by the president. At least two such bills have been introduced in recent months by members of both parties.

Sen. Mark Warner, Va., the ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, which is conducting its own investigation of Russian interference, said in a statement that “firing the Special Counsel is a red line that the President cannot cross. Any attempt to remove the Special Counsel, pardon key witnesses, or otherwise interfere in the investigation, would be a gross abuse of power, and all members of Congress, from both parties, have a responsibility to our Constitution and to our country to make that clear immediately.”

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., a former state attorney general, described Trump’s attempt to oust Mueller as “remarkable and stunning,” adding in an interview, “it shows the need immediately to protect the special counsel.”

Republican Rep. Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania said in an interview that McGahn “prevented an Archibald Cox moment,” referring to the special prosecutor ordered fired by President Richard M. Nixon during the Watergate investigation.

“I believe now that this revelation has been made public, that there will be increasing pressure to protect Mueller,” Dent added.

Trump was initially calm when Mueller was appointed, surprising White House aides, according to a senior administration official.

But in the weeks that followed, the president spoke with a number of friends and advisers who convinced him that Mueller would dig through his private finances and look beyond questions of collusion with Russians. They warned that the probe could last years and would ruin his first term in office.

At the time, Trump’s legal team was urging him to take an aggressive posture toward the special counsel and was compiling arguments about why Mueller could not be impartial. Among the points cited: an allegation that Mueller had gotten into a dispute over membership fees before he resigned from a Trump-owned golf course in northern Virginia in 2011.

The dispute was hardly a dispute at all. According to a person familiar matter, Mueller had sent a letter requesting a dues refund in accordance with normal club practice and never heard back.

Trump’s ire at Mueller rose to such a level that then-White House strategist Stephen Bannon and then-Chief of Staff Reince Priebus grew “incredibly concerned” that he was going to fire Mueller and sought to enlist others to intervene with the president, according to a Trump adviser who requested anonymity to describe private conversations.

Both of the men were deeply worried about the possibility and discussed how to keep him from making such a move, this person said.

Priebus and Bannon did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

In one meeting with other advisers, Bannon raised the concern that if Trump fired Mueller it could trigger a challenge to his presidency based on the 25th Amendment, which lays out the process of who would succeed a president in case of incapacitation.

Despite internal objections, Trump decided to assert that Mueller had unacceptable conflicts of interest and moved to remove him from his position, according to the people familiar with the discussions.

In response, McGahn said he would not remain at the White House if Trump went through with the move, according to a senior administration official.

The president, in turn, backed off.

Since then, Trump brought in a new legal team that has counseled cooperation with Mueller. He has continued to fume about the investigation, even as his lawyers have publicly pledged to work with the special counsel. On Thursday, Dowd released a memo outlining the administration’s commitment to transparency, noting that more than 20 White House officials have voluntarily given interviews.

But the revelation that Trump tried to fire Mueller could be a critical piece of evidence for the special counsel as he tries to build an obstruction case, said white-collar criminal defense attorney Jacob Frenkel, who previously worked in the Office of Independent Counsel.

“In the jigsaw puzzle of circumstantial evidence of criminal intent, these are more pieces that Mueller certainly would use,” Frenkel said. “You build it around the timing.”

The president’s attorneys will likely try to argue that Trump was merely responding to current events, without intending to impede anything, Frenkel added.

“The defense would be this was merely an emotional response that’s reflective of the frustration about the ongoing investigation and its distraction from the ability to govern,” he said.

The post Trump moved to fire Mueller in June, bringing White House counsel to the brink of leaving appeared first on News India Times.

WASHINGTON

The long-awaited game of the year is here and whether or not your team will vie for the Lombardi Trophy, one thing holds true — there will be lots of cheers, some tears and a whole lot of food. While enjoying some of the 1 billion chicken wings consumed on Super Bowl Sunday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) wants to remind fans not to let foodborne illness sideline them once the game is over.

“Millions of people get sick from food poisoning each year, with 128,000 being hospitalized,” said Acting FSIS Administrator Paul Kiecker. “Super Bowl parties present more opportunities for food poisoning because of large crowds and the length of the game. By following a few simple tips, you can keep your family and friends safe.”

Follow USDA’s winning plays to combat foodborne illness at your Super Bowl party.

Clean Play: Wash your hands, but not those wings. According to the National Chicken Council, more than 1.3 billion chicken wings will be consumed this Super Bowl, but washing those wings is not recommended because bacteria in raw meat and poultry juices can splash and spread to other foods, utensils and surfaces, contaminating them. Be sure to wash your hands with warm water and soap before cooking, but keep the wings dry.

Play Defense: Don’t cross contaminate. When you are shopping at the grocery store keep raw meat, poultry, eggs and seafood in separate plastic bags to prevent their juices from dripping onto other foods. Always remember to use a separate cutting board for fresh fruits and vegetables and for raw meats.

Intercept Bacteria: Raw meat, poultry, seafood and egg products need to be cooked to the right internal temperature. Use a food thermometer to ensure foods have reached a high enough temperature to kill any harmful bacteria that may be present. Chicken wings are safe to eat when they have reached an internal temperature of 165°F. Take the temperature of multiple wings in the thickest part of the wing being careful to avoid the bone.

Cool Play: Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold. Keep food hot (above 140°F), in a slow cooker or chafing dish, or keep it in the oven and swap it out every hour. Keep cold foods cold (at 40°F or below), by placing salads, dips, and salsa in a tray of ice. When setting food out, be sure to serve cold foods in small portions.

Avoid the Danger Zone: Don’t leave food sitting out. Most bacteria grow rapidly at temperature between 40°F and 140°F. That temperature range is known as the “Danger Zone.” Refrigerate food promptly. Do not leave food at room temperature for more than 2 hours.

Need more food safety information? Call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at (1-888-674-6854) Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET, or email or chat at AskKaren.gov

The post This Super Bowl USDA Recommends the Winning Play Against BAC! appeared first on News India Times.

It’s time for the big game, which also means it’s time to host your friends for your annual Super Bowl party! And where there’s a Super Bowl viewing party, there’s also plenty of food. By following these food safety rules from our game-winning playbook, you’ll provide the best defense to avoid letting your teammates get sacked by foodborne illness this Super Bowl. You may also get voted as MVP for best Super Bowl party host!

Clean: Lead a Good Warm-Up

Begin your party food prep by washing hands with warm, soapy water for at least 20 seconds.

Wash and sanitize dishware and utensils before using them to prepare, warm, cook or serve any foods.

Separate: Keep Up the Defense

Don’t allow a pass interference to contaminate your ready-to-eat foods.

Keep all raw meat and poultry away from ready to eat foods while preparing and mixing items.

Use clean and different utensils for each dish, and avoid using your own personal utensil to serve yourself foods from the buffet.

Cook: Avoid a False Start

Use a food thermometer to ensure that all meats, poultry and other cooked food items have been cooked to a safe internal temperature before serving. Any previously cooked foods being reheated must be reheated to a safe internal temperature of 165°F, or steaming hot before serving. Making sure food items are properly heated and cooked will kill bacteria that may try to tackle your guests. Here are the recommended internal temperatures for some Super Bowl party favorites:

Chicken wings = 165°F
Burgers and sliders = 160°F
Chili and other reheated foods = 165°F

Chill: Watch the Clock

Once kickoff happens, partygoers and hosts are focused on the game (or patiently waiting until the halftime show); however, don’t let the play clock expire on those party foods, and consider putting foods out in batches to ensure they aren’t staying out longer than the two-hour time limit.

Before halftime, take a TIMEOUT. Check your food with a food thermometer to make sure hot foods are still hot and cold foods are still cold. Ensure that you’re keeping crockpots with your buffalo chicken dip or spinach and artichoke dip on the “warm” or “low” setting, always use a cold source (such as a bowl of ice), below cold foods and check throughout the party to make sure dips and cheeses are still cold.

Stop the Clock

After foods have been sitting at room temperature for 2 hours, either place foods in the refrigerator, change the cold sources or throw out foods you know have been sitting since pre-game coverage.

Bacteria love temperatures between 40°F and 140°F, and will grow rapidly if they are in this temperature environment for more than 2 hours. Read more about the Danger Zone.

Scoring the Game-Winning Touchdown

The game is over, but that doesn’t mean you have to lose your food or your health! By following these tips at your Super Bowl party or gathering, you may be celebrating more than just a team victory. Overall, remember to keep an eye on party foods and their temperatures, even when you’re celebrating touchdowns.

Need more food safety information? Call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at (1-888-674-6854) Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET, or email or chat at AskKaren.gov

The post Don’t Let the End Zone Become the Danger Zone: Your Guide to Hosting a Penalty Free Super Bowl Party appeared first on News India Times.

There are three disclaimers before even a frame of “Padmaavat” is shown on screen. All kinds of adjectives and verbs are used to make sure the audience knows the film is based on Malik Muhammad Jayasi’s epic poem, “Padmavat”, and that the film does not intend to hurt anyone’s sentiment. That’s understandable given that street protests against the film have turned increasingly violent, with reports of vandalism around a number of multiplexes in Gujarat on Tuesday, and more protests planned by Hindu groups who accuse director Sanjay Leela Bhansali of distorting history.

Much like his last film, “Bajirao Mastani”, Bhansali again chooses to showcase his own particular version of history, one that is airbrushed and beautified, almost beyond recognition. Palaces are majestic and alit at all times, characters are dressed in the most ethereal of clothes, and there is the customary operatic dance sequence that is beautifully choreographed.

As a cinematic spectacle, “Padmaavat” cannot be faulted – it is singularly beautiful – but the beauty, unlike its titular character, is merely skin deep. Queen Padmavati (Deepika Padukone), whose story the film purports to tell, is anything but a superficial beauty. She values virtue over looks, and can plan wars and anticipate an enemy’s moves better than her warrior husband. Yet, we only get a glimpse of what is supposed to be a multidimensional personality. For the most part, the queen is reduced to a one-tone portrait of devotion to her Rajput husband, Rawal Ratan Singh (Shahid Kapoor).

Ratan Singh is even more vanilla than Padmavati, content with spouting platitudes about valour and honour. In contrast with the unscrupulous Alauddin Khilji, he sounds even more prudish and condescending. Together with Padmavati, Ratan Singh weighs down the film.

Stripped away of all the paraphernalia, “Padmaavat” is at its heart the story of Queen Padmavati and the Muslim invader Alauddin Khilji, who, on hearing about her beauty, wages two wars and kills countless people just so he can “conquer” her. But unlike Bhansali’s earlier films, where he was able to find emotional depth even in opulent historical romances, this one falls short.

Padukone and Kapoor’s tepid screen chemistry is as much to blame for this, as is Bhansali’s apparent obsession with Khilji, who is the centre of his eyes and, therefore, of the film. To make a man as repulsive as Khilji a main character and to etch him out with such detail is perhaps Bhansali’s biggest achievement.

Khilji is depraved, crazed, perverted and violent, and yet he is the most interesting character in the film. Credit for that goes to Ranveer Singh, who gives in to Khilji’s unhinged personality and makes it his own. His scenes with Jim Sarbh (who plays his aide and consort) are an unabashed portrayal of male romance, something we have never seen before in Hindi cinema. This is a strong, author-backed role, but Singh elevates it further by injecting his own brand of energy and a disregard for rules to give us an antihero who is different from the cookie-cutter villains we see on screen.

It is Singh’s performance that is the highlight of the film. If it wasn’t for the villain of the piece, this historic epic wouldn’t have stood the test of time.

The post ‘Padmaavat’ Bhansali’s Airbrushed And Beautified Version Of History appeared first on News India Times.

NEW YORK – It was not just a clash of ideology, globalization espoused by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi vs. President Donald Trump’s ‘Make America Great Again’ wealth drive through protectionism, which were fascinating bookends at Davos. Not that the two met at the snow-clad Alpine resort town in Switzerland, just like bookends don’t. But if they were to, there was chance of frostbite in diplomatic relations. Modi, perhaps, would have liked to keep his mouth shut with Trump, not expose his Indian ‘accent’ anymore, or felt uneasy speaking to Trump.

In his Opening Plenary address, Modi compared protectionism to terrorism. It was a direct rebuke to the Trump Administration’s drive to oust immigrants.

Trump, exuberant from his tax reforms, boost to corporates, a zooming stock market, lower unemployment rates, and having weathered the fallout from the news of an extra-marital dalliance with a porn star, stuck to his nationalistic policy stance, loosely translated as ‘America first, others be damned unless you invest in us’, in the closing address, at Davos.

“Now is the perfect time to bring your business, your jobs and your investments to the United States,” Trump told the gathering in Davos, on Friday. He also talked tough on “predatory” trade practices, warning that US would not tolerate it.

Mind you, the goal of the annual Davos conference is to promote globalization.

Modi wasn’t in the room to mull over this stark opposite stance by his new-found foe of Pakistan. He was busy mingling with ASEAN leaders at India’s Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi.

Bonhomie and light banter between radical opposites is ok within the confines of Davos. Nodding heads, even if not agreeing to the other’s position, acceptable. Not in real life. If not next week, or next month, or next year, this clash of ideas between Modi and Trump will make them wince twice before going for a hug. The embrace will lack warmth for sure. Relations will sour at some levels, especially dispute on work visas, US’ treatment of skilled Indian workers.

But perhaps, even more incendiary than the two poles-apart positions by India and the US, was news that broke out a day before Modi took to the mike in Davos: the Washington Post reported Trump allegedly puts on an Indian accent when he repeats comments made by Modi.

Trump allegedly imitated the accent of Modi, repeating what the latter told him in reference to US help in Afghanistan: “Never has a country given so much away for so little in return”.

It’s by now established that Trump likes his boys’ locker room talk, doesn’t hold back disdain and contempt for issues even before Democrats. From his salacious gossip about women with Billy Bush to opening up what he really thinks about ‘shithole’ or ‘shithouse’ countries, there is plenty to harp on.

Yet, the mocking of Modi comes as a surprise. Or perhaps not – whichever way you look at it, considering that Trump in his campaign trail, in 2016, imitated an Indian call center worker.

Frank Islam, an Indian American bundler for the Democrats, who has raised more than $100,000 for Hillary Clinton, had then called the imitation of an Indian call center worker by Trump as “demeaning and demonizing” to him, in a report in The Hindustan Times.

Illinois Democrat Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi tweeted his displeasure on Trump’s imitation of Modi: “I was appalled to read that President Trump reportedly affected an Indian accent to imitate Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Americans are not defined by their accents, but by their commitment to this nation’s values and ideals.”

Trump is not the first to mock an Indian accent, or make a derogatory comment on it.

Joe Biden, in his 2008 presidential run, had made an innocuous enough remark which he later apologized for, that “you cannot go to a 7-Eleven or a Dunkin’ Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent.”

However, it’s one thing to imitate an Indian accent, and quite another to imitate a sagacious world leader like Modi, who the US talk of as one of their most important allies. Who Trump has publicly announced as a friend. It’s demeaning, shows lack of respect for Modi, and for India.

Perhaps, it’s just as well Trump and Modi didn’t meet at Davos.

(Sujeet Rajan is Executive Editor, Parikh Worldwide Media. Email him: sujeet@newsindiatimes.com Follow him on twitter @SujeetRajan1)

The post Modi and Trump bookend Davos, Indian ‘accent’ in between appeared first on News India Times.

If you had any doubt that an open-face sandwich is suitable and filling enough for dinner, this one is bound to convince you. Besides the crisped bacon and quick-cooking chicken cutlets, you’ve got a hidden protein in the mash of chickpeas that is added to the avocado spread. It is creamy and crunchy and tomato-juicy, all in one bite, especially when you toast those thick slices of bread.

And as meaty as this sandwich is, at least one prominent Washington Post Food vegetarian has weighed in to say it could still work without the pork and poultry. So customization is an option.

When ultra-thin cuts of chicken are not available, a sharp knife can divide a boneless, skinless chicken breast into two or three thin pieces. We do not recommend using chicken tenders, which don’t provide the sandwich coverage and good chew needed here.

For easiest eating, we recommend a knife and fork for this sandwich – or at least a judicious cut in half before you dig in.

Chicken, Bacon and Avocado Sandwiches

4 servings, Healthy

We preferred the bread toasted; you can do this while the bacon’s in the pan. If you can’t find thin chicken cutlets, buy 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves that are on the small side; cut them in half horizontally.

Serve with baked sweet potato fries.

Adapted from “The Essential Diabetes Cookbook: Good Healthy Eating From Around the World,” by Antony Worrall Thompson with Louise Blair (Kyle, 2010).

Ingredients:

• 4 slices thick-cut bacon (5 ounces total)
• 8 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast cutlets (may substitute 2 chicken breast halves; see headnote)
• Kosher salt
• 7 ounces (half a can) no-salt-added chickpeas
• Leaves from 2 stems fresh flat-leaf parsley or cilantro, plus a few sprigs for garnish
• 1 ripe avocado
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• Crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 lime
• 2 Campari or Kumato tomatoes
• 4 slices whole-grain or multigrain country-style bread (5 1/2 ounces total; see headnote)

Steps: 

Line a plate with paper towels. Cut each bacon slice crosswise in half. Arrange in a large nonstick skillet. Cook over medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes, until crisped. Drain on the plate.

Season the chicken lightly with salt and immediately place in the same pan; cook (medium heat) for about 3 minutes on each side, until lightly browned and cooked through. Transfer to a plate.

Drain and rinse the chickpeas, then place in a mixing bowl. Coarsely chop the parsley or cilantro leaves; add to the bowl. Peel, pit the avocado; add to the same bowl, along with the cumin, a pinch each of the salt and crushed red pepper flakes, and the juice of the lime half. Use a potato masher or large fork to mash the mixture into a chunky paste. Taste, and add more salt and/or crushed red pepper flakes, as needed.

Cut the tomatoes into 1/4-inch slices, and season them lightly with salt. Let them sit for 5 minutes, then begin to build the sandwiches: Spread equal amounts of the avocado-chickpea mash on each piece of bread, then a few tomato slices. Next, the bacon and then the chicken. Top with parsley or cilantro sprigs.

Nutrition | Per serving: 450 calories, 26 g protein, 35 g carbohydrates, 23 g fat, 6 g saturated fat, 65 mg cholesterol, 470 mg sodium, 8 g dietary fiber, 5 g sugar

The post The Chicken Sandwich That Has It All appeared first on News India Times.

Vin Gopal grew up on a diet seeped in politics that his parents cultivated at home. The news was on all the time, discussions on politics frequent. He recalls watching the State of the Union presidential speech with his grandfather. It was almost a given that he would gravitate to politics whichever field he went into. So when he opened a small business in Hazlet Township, he was immediately drawn to the fight against giving breaks to big business. It was probably why he got elected as the president of the Hazlet Township Business Association, and led a victorious lobbying effort that successfully blocked authorities from giving massive tax incentives to Walmart for opening a branch in town.

All politics is local as the saying goes. Gopal embodies that dictum. The lifelong Monmouth County resident, born in Neptune Township and raised in Freehold, climbed the political ladder, and ran for State Senate after garnering years of experience, and building a network of support during his work as the chair of the county’s Democratic Party Committee.

He is a standing example of the type of Indian-American that the Indian American Impact Project and Indian American Impact Fund want to support.

The personable Vin Gopal is today the first Indian-American to be elected to the New Jersey State Senate. His first recommendation to the community which has a running complaint about not having a seat at the table, is to “assimilate, assimilate, assimilate.”

“If I had any advice it would be – it’s important to assimilate. Keep what makes you proud of your culture, keep traditions, religious views, whatever, but get involved in — how a school is run, how the board functions, how a police chief is appointed,” and that’s apart from arts, sports, history and culture of the country you live in,” Gopal told this correspondent soon after he was sworn in on Jan. 16. “It’s what my parents always instilled in me.”

Alongside his political interest, Gopal spent years building his business from the ground up and now has fourteen employees, based out of his Tinton Falls and Hazlet offices. He is also the founder and president of a non-profit dedicated to helping Monmouth County charities and individuals in need.

Gopal served in the past on the Board of Directors for the Monmouth County Chamber of Commerce, where he chaired the Chamber’s Government Affairs Committee. He was also a board member of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Monmouth County, and a volunteer EMT for the Colts Neck and Freehold First Aid squads. He continues to be a volunteer with the Long Branch Fire Department.

As a Senator barely weeks into his new office, Gopal is vice-chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, and serves on the Senate Economic Growth Committee and Senate Health, Human Services, and Senior Citizens Committee.

The post From The Ground Up: Vin Gopal’s Lessons For Up-and-Coming Politicians appeared first on News India Times.

NEW YORK – Indian American doctor Vamsimadhav C. Korrapati of Basking Ridge, New Jersey was charged with molesting a then-11-year-old boy, now 12 and then-7-year-old girl, now 8, between 2008 and 2014. Recently, he took a plea deal, and pleaded no contest to recklessly endangering the children and will now serve two years of probation, according to a Lehigh Valley Live report.

According to The Morning Call, Korrapati still faces the potential loss of his Green Card as well as his ability to practice medicine in the U.S.

“That would be up to the determination of the medical board. I would hope they would review the transcripts to reach a determination that’s most appropriate for the care of his patients,” said Assistant District Attorney Laura Majewski.

In 2015, Korrapati, 43, was charged by Colonial Regional police after the two children disclosed to county caseworkers that he had been sexually abusing them in Hanover Township, police said, according to The Morning Call.

But Majewski outlined the allegations saying that in a multi-year span ending in 2014, Korrapati engaged in “reckless behavior” that put the children “in danger of serious bodily injury” and by pleading no contest, Korrapati did not admit guilt, according to The Morning Call.

He however, said that prosecutors could prove the endangerment beyond a reasonable doubt and his attorney, Brian McMonagle, told The Morning Call that the plea deal came as his client wanted to spare the children from having to testify at trial.

According to The Morning Call, at a preliminary hearing, one of the children testified that Korrapati fondled him and forced him to touch Korrapati’s genitals.

The boy went on to saying that Korrapati performed similar acts on the other child, a girl.

Both children were in court, and they submitted written statements to Judge F.P. Kimberly McFadden, which were to remain sealed from the public.

According to The Morning Call, in the plea agreement, Majewski states that she “takes into consideration the children being spared the torment of going through a trial, as would have been the case here.”

According to The Morning Call, under McFadden’s sentence, Korrapati must also undergo intensive counseling, can have no contact with the children and no unsupervised contact with other minors,

According to a Lehigh Valley Live report, Korrapati took a similar plea deal in November 2016 but backed out of it in March 2017.

The Colonial Regional Police said that Korrapati’s medical license has been suspended as the outcome of the case is still pending.

According to The Morning Call, Korrapati completed his internal medicine residency at St. Luke’s University Hospital in Fountain Hill and also worked in Easton Hospital in Wilson before working at several Lehigh Valley hospitals.

The post Vamsimadhav C. Korrapati pleads no contest to recklessly endangering children appeared first on News India Times.

Appearing on the storied world economic stage in Davos, Switzerland, Modi staked out his role as a crusader for globalization, against protectionism and for tackling climate change. He held out the promise of a $5 trillion Indian economy by 2025, asserting the “License Raj” had been done away with and India is open for business.

During his whirlwind 24-hour visit to the World Economic Forum, Jan. 23, Modi also met several government and economic leaders. While experts and observers believe he did an effective job of pitching the opportunity of India, they differ on the impact of his Davos sojourn.

Taking up the WEF theme of Davos, Greeting a Shared Future in a Fractured World, Modi said at the international level, “the fractures and fault lines are really frightening.”

On climate change, he said, India is aware of its responsibilities , and “we are willing to take the lead in mitigating its effects.”

On international trade, he warned, “Instead of globalization, the power of protectionism is raising its head.” He also mourned the lack of consensus among nations. “We are seeing new types of tariff, non-tariff based barriers being imposed. Bilateral, multilateral negotiations appear to have come to a halt,” he noted. He urged countries to follow India’s philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, the world is one family.

It led to a telling headline in Bloomberg news which read, “Thanks to Trump, Meet the new leaders on global trade,” pointing to Modi and Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the first who spoke against protectionism and the other for women’s equality.

“It was a brilliant elevation of India’s profile on the world stage. It was very important that world leaders saw Modi’s brand of populism and nationalism, not seen before in Davos,” said Ron Somers, founder of India First Group in Washington, D.C. Modi’s message at Davos on opening borders, becoming more globally engaged, not looking inward, “is a forceful ‘Call to Action’ vociferously declaring that ‘India is Open for Business’ and is well-prepared to be the exemplar for other nations around the globe,” Somers asserted.

India is the ‘innovation backbone’ of every company in the U.S. and even Europe, Somers says. Proving his point was the presence of 3 Indian-origin business leaders out of the 15, who met President Donald Trump for dinner in Davos on Jan. 25. They represent multi nationals from three European countries: Rajeev Suri, CEO of Finland’s Nokia Corporation; Vas Narasimhan, CEO of Switzerland’s Novartis AG, and Punit Renjen, CEO of Britain’s Deloitte Global.

U.S. Business

The first Indian head of government to address the world body in its 48 years, Modi led a huge government and business delegation to the WEF, reminiscent of the early 1990s, when India’s liberalization was taking off and its economic reforms were the talk of Davos. Since 1991 when economic liberalization was kick-started, the engine of India’s growth has been “unstoppable,” said Somers who lived in India in the 1990s. “I have just come back from India and I have never seen such a churning, economic boom before.”

Rick Rossow, the Wadhwani Chair and senior advisor on U.S.-India Policy Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies at Washington, D.C. praised Modi’s drive and accomplishments so far, but contended nothing new happened in Davos.

“The business community by and large,looking at the speech, didn’t see a lot of substance, any specifics on reforms as he had done before,” said Rossow, who used to be the director of the U.S.-India Business Council. “The big ideas have happened. The question is ‘what’s next on the docket?’ Davos was the opportunity to refresh the bucket.”

Rossow was also skeptical about Modi words against protectionism, saying India was one of the most protectionist countries in the world, a point Somers differed on.

“The reality is, it’s never been better. As a business person, I’ve never seen this ease of business before. Everyone I know who has come, has done well in India.” In addition, “The fact is, every state within India is progressing across all communities. If you sit in a rickshaw or a bus, you will see universal support for the leader,” he added.

Today, India is the fastest growing economy in the world projected to grow at the good clip of 7.4 percent of GDP annually by the International Monetary Fund.

Rossow said he would like to see India “take a real interest in integrating with the rest of the world,” even as Somers said Modi’s declarations in favor of globalization and against protectionism were seen favorably by American industry leaders like Jamie Dimon of JP Morgan Chase, and Lloyd Blankfein of Goldman Sachs. “They are celebrating that this populist leader is calling for globalization and raising people out of poverty around the globe,” Somers said.

Praising Modi’s “personal touch” and face time with foreign leadersand business executives, which were “great” as always, Rossow said the main concern going forward is that the United States “keeps trade concerns in one bucket and security concerns in another” visa-a-vis India.

At a recent Asia Society meeting in New York City, entitled, India 2018, Alyssa Ayres of the Council on Foreign Relations, said “Don’t let anyone tell you India can’t become global.”

News India Times publisher, Dr.Sudhir Parikh, recipient of India’s Padma Shri award, who recently announced the formation of the Parikh Foundation for India’s Global Development, said Modi opening the plenary session was a matter of great pride for India. “He told the world India is ready to be a world leader and that he is for globalization, and that India was open for business,” Parikh said. He pointed to the more attractive foreign direct investment regulations announced by New Delhi as proof of the continuing liberalization.

Last year, Chinese President Xi Jin Ping was the star of Davos.

Contrasting him and Modi, Somers said, “Xi Jin Ping can say anything he wants but you can’t even use Google in China.” Even if Modi had just said ‘Namaste’ (at Davos), it would have been important, but he went further than that, Somers said. “… when a Prime Minister is able to call for globalization and free markets, when a leader says … let’s open our borders, let’s get more engaged, let’s not look inwards, it’s a declaration and call for action,” Somers reiterated.

After Modi’s meeting with the International Business Council, where Indian-American CEOS like Satya Nadella of Microsoft, were also present, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs tweeted Modi’s words – “the world applauds 1.3 billion people of India at the WEF in Davos, and appreciate the remarkable transformation in improving the business climate.”

India Reactions

Modi has taken a “pro-active” role on the global stage, “Right now, it’s about trying to shape things, not take leadership,” said C. Raja Mohan of Carnegie Endowment, India. “India now presents a more attractive picture in terms of economic growth,” he added.

Some CEOs especially those from India, liked what they heard from Modi. Uday Kotak, managing director, Kotak Mahindra Bank, is quoted saying in Businesstoday.in that he was “enthused” by Modi’s position on protectionism. “His statement that we’re making the world narrow by going for protectionism, and that it is here that India will stand out was a big statement … . It was all about environment, call for inclusiveness, and anti-protectionism. So in essence he hit all the right buttons,”Kotak is quoted saying.

Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra, tweeted, “Every global CEO was floored by the personal touches in your hospitality. I am proud to be on the board of Invest India.”

Ajay Singh, chairman and managing director of SpiceJet, noted Modi had juxtaposed the wisdom of old India with the new India of digital, big data, and artificial intelligence.

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The U.S. is in talks with private companies to build a secure 5G network amid concerns about China and cybersecurity, said two administration officials familiar with the plans.

Talks are preliminary, and key decisions over funding and control haven’t been reached, said the people, who discussed the deliberations on condition of anonymity. The government aims to decide on a plan by the end of September and build it out over the next few years, said one of the officials.

If the U.S. opts for one secure network rather than multiple systems, the main unresolved questions would be what portion of the project would be taxpayer funded, and whether it would be owned by the government, a private consortium or some combination of public and private entities, one of the officials said.

If the federal government directly participates in building a wireless network intended for commercial use, it’d be a departure from the decades-long tradition of auctioning licenses to telecommunications companies to build their own networks.

A handful of carriers, including Verizon, have already been moving from trials to deployments of the next-generation wireless network known as 5G. Most mobile-phone companies are targeting 2020 for the initial roll-out of the technology, which promises 10 times faster speeds and lower latency, or lag time, in transferring data when it’s requested.

The Trump administration is in contact with U.S., European and Asian companies, but not Chinese firms, one of the officials said.

Engineers are still trying to figure out how to make 5G work. Rain, fog and trees have long been the enemy of high-frequency radio waves. Given the relatively short, fragile nature of 5G signals, carriers have to configure networks differently. They’re shifting more of the network hardware from tall towers that are scattered to spread signals over broad areas, to smaller, more clustered sites like rooftops and street poles.

Axios, citing sensitive documents it had obtained, reported earlier Sunday that Trump national security officials are considering a takeover of part of the nation’s mobile network to guard against China. The best way to protect against China — the “dominant malicious actor in the Information Domain” — is for the U.S. to build a network itself and then rent access to carriers such as AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile US, Axios quoted a memo as saying.

One of the officials dismissed the notion of a “takeover” referenced by Axios as not part of the administration’s thinking.

“Thanks to multibillion-dollar investments made by American companies, the work to launch 5G service in the United States is already well down the road,” AT&T said in a statement. “We have no doubt that America will lead the 5G revolution.”

The company didn’t comment on whether it was in talks about a government-run network. Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile didn’t respond to requests for comment late Sunday.

According to the documents, a secure 5G network is critical to create a secure pathway for new technologies like self-driving cars and virtual reality, Axios reported.

U.S. lawmakers have sounded alarms about the growing power of Huawei, the Chinese network equipment maker that’s expanded its market share around the globe, with its products operating networks in Europe and Latin America. A government-backed plan to accelerate the development of 5G in the U.S. would require support from Huawei’s top rivals, such as Nokia Oyj and Ericsson AB.

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NEW YORK – R&B artist Bruno Mars won the top prize at the Grammy Awards on Sunday in another victory for pop-driven music over rap, now the most popular genre in the United States.

Mars won six Grammys including song of the year for his hit single “That’s What I Like,” and both record and album of the year for “24K Magic.”

His win denied rappers Kendrick Lamar and Jay-Z the honour of becoming the first hip-hop artist in 14 years to win the coveted album of the year award.

“These songs were written with nothing but joy, with love, and that’s all I wanted to bring with this album, seeing everybody dancing,” Mars, 32, said.

He also paid tribute to his album of the year rivals – Jay-Z, Lamar, Childish Gambino and Lorde – saying: “Thank you, guys, for blessing the world with your music.”

Lamar, 30, regarded as one of the most innovative rappers of his generation, won five prizes mostly in rap categories for his album “DAMN.” and single “Humble.” Rap became the biggest music genre in the United States in 2017, Nielsen Music reported.

Veteran Jay-Z, whose soul-baring album “4:44” had gone into the show with a leading eight nominations, won nothing and chose not to perform at the three-hour show.

The losses by Lamar and Jay-Z in the top categories marked another year when pop music won over more socially incisive work. Adele beat Beyonce in 2017, and in 2016 Lamar lost album of the year to Taylor Swift.

Lamar opened Sunday’s show at New York’s Madison Square Garden with a medley of his hits, accompanied by dancers in military fatigues and later dressed in red hoodies as they mimicked being shot.

TIME’S UP AND TRUMP

On the red carpet, dozens of musicians wore or held white roses to support women’s equality and freedom from sexual harassment, a theme echoed on stage in an emotional performance by pop singer Kesha of her single “Praying.” [L2N1PO03V]

Actress and singer Janelle Monae said the music business had to address issues of equal pay for women, abuse of power and harassment.

“We come in peace but we mean business. And to those who would dare try to silence us, we offer you two words: Time’s up,” Monae said in a reference to the Time’s Up movement spreading from Hollywood to the music business.

On a night when male artists dominated the winners list, R&B newcomer SZA, the most-nominated woman with five nods, left empty-handed.

Politics surfaced throughout the show.

A pre-taped parody sketch saw Hillary Clinton, John Legend, Cher, Cardi B and Snoop Dogg read excerpts from the critical book “Fire and Fury” about U.S. President Donald Trump’s first year in office, ostensibly as contenders for a future spoken word Grammy prize. [L2N1PO03Y]

Pop singer Camila Cabello, whose parents are Cuban immigrants, spoke in support of the so-called Dreamers – young immigrants brought to the United States illegally when they were children and whose future in the country is in doubt.

Best new artist winner Alessia Cara, along with Khalid and Logic, sang their song “1-800-273-8255” with a group of suicide survivors in a tribute to rock singers Chester Bennington and Chris Cornell, both of whom took their own lives last year.

Logic ended the performance with a freestyle rap supporting the black community, women and immigrants.

“You are not shitholes,” he said, referring to reported remarks by Trump about African countries earlier this month.

“Bring us your tired, your poor and any immigrant who seeks refuge,” he added.

British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran beat Kesha to win two Grammys for his best-selling album “Divide” and single “The Shape of You” but did not attend Sunday’s ceremony.

Latin global dance hit “Despacito” also failed to take home a Grammy despite smashing sales records last year.

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About two and a half hours into the Grammy Awards on Sunday night, the show was mostly politics-free – but that changed in a big way, as several music stars and Hillary Clinton joined in a prerecorded skit that mocked President Donald Trump.

“Some people don’t know this, but you don’t always need to be a musician to win a Grammy. In fact, every year, the Recording Academy has honored the best spoken word album,” host James Corden informed viewers. “Over the years, the award has gone to some of the world’s most inspiring voices. Bill Clinton has won a Grammy. Barack Obama has won a Grammy. Hillary Clinton, Jimmy Carter, Al Gore – they all have Grammys.

“We know that our current president does love winning awards, and the good news for him is he may just be the subject of next year’s winner,” Corden continued. “The question I’ve got is: Who will be the narrator?”

Cut to: A fake audition for the spoken word version of “Fire and Fury,” an explosive book by Michael Wolff that described chaos in the White House and reportedly infuriated Trump.

John Legend kicked things off by reading an excerpt. “Trump won’t read anything. He gets up halfway through meetings with world leaders because he is bored -”

“Cut!” Corden yelled. “Sorry . . . it just feels a bit too smooth. I don’t think it’s going to work. Next.”

Next in line: Cher. “His comb-over; the color was a product called Just for Men. The longer it was left on, the darker it got,” she read. “Impatience resulted in Trump’s orange-blond hair color.”

“Cut,” Corden said.

Snoop Dogg took his turn: “Trump did not enjoy his own inauguration. He started to get angry and hurt that stars were determined to embarrass him.” Snoop Dogg paused and looked up. “I definitely wasn’t there.”

“Cut,” Corden sighed.

Rapper Cardi B read the part about Trump eating cheeseburgers in bed and was astonished. (“Why am I even reading this (expletive)? I can’t believe that he really – this is how he lives his life?”) DJ Khaled got the line about Trump criticizing the housekeeping staff for picking his shirt off the floor.

Then there was one more auditioner.

“He had a longtime fear of being poisoned,” a voice intoned behind a raised book, before the cover was quickly lowered to reveal it was Hillary Clinton. The Grammy audience cheered loudly at the surprise. “One reason why he likes to eat at McDonald’s. Nobody knew he was coming and the food was safely pre-made.”

“That’s it! We’ve got it,” Corden declared. “That’s the one.”

“You think so?!” Clinton asked.

“Oh, yeah,” Corden said.

“The Grammy is in the bag?” she said.

“In the bag,” Corden assured her.

End of sketch. Corden smiled on stage as the audience applauded. “That might have been the biggest cheer of the night,” he said.

However, not everyone was amused.

In a tweet, Trump’s son, Donald Jr., mocked Clinton’s cameo at the Grammys as a “great consolation prize” after losing the presidential race.

Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, offered another jab.

“I have always loved the Grammys but to have artists read the Fire and Fury book killed it. Don’t ruin great music with trash,” she tweeted, adding that it “ruined” the show. “Some of us love music without the politics thrown in it.”

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WASHINGTON – When President Donald Trump steps into the well of the House next Tuesday to give his first formal State of the Union address, he will be performing one of the most familiar presidential rituals.

But for nearly half of the nation’s history, the idea of a president personally delivering a speech on Congress’s turf was considered an act so presumptuous as to be nearly unthinkable.

The president who broke the mold – and introduced the kind of speech that modern Americans expect to hear each year – was Woodrow Wilson.

Wilson tested out the idea barely a month after his 1913 inauguration, when he traveled to Capitol Hill to give a speech on tariffs.

“Washington is amazed,” The Washington Post pronounced in a headline, over a story that noted no president since John Adams had done such a thing.

“Disbelief was expressed in congressional circles when the report that the President would read his message in person to the Congress was first circulated,” the Post reported, but assured its readers that such spectacles were “not to become a habit.”

Wilson had other ideas. Eight months later on December, 2, 2013, he returned to Capitol Hill “in pursuance of my constitutional duty to ‘give to the Congress information of the state of the Union.'” It is indeed spelled out in Article II of the Constitution, that the president “shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.”

But Thomas Jefferson, inaugurated in 1801, had discontinued the practice of doing it in person – in part to avoid the ordeal of slogging the muddy thoroughfare of Pennsylvania Avenue to the new Capitol, and also, perhaps, because he was terrified of public speaking.

Wilson’s decision to deliver the message as a speech was more than just an attention-grabbing move. It also reflected his view of how a president should use his power.

“He deliberately wanted to break the precedent,” said John Milton Cooper Jr., a University of Wisconsin history professor emeritus and author of a 2009 biography.

Wilson believed that framers of the Constitution had made a mistake in delineating such a strong separation of powers among the three branches of government, Cooper explained.

Along with most Progressives of the era, he believed that a melding of the roles to be more democratic, because it would be more responsive to public opinion.

The 28th president also upended the order that had existed throughout most of the 19th century, in which most policy-making began with Congress. He employed his State of the Union address to set in motion out an agenda of his own.

“As a legislative presence, he ranks up there with FDR and LBJ,” Cooper said.

Wilson’s abilities as a prophet, however, were not so great. He opened his speech with a declaration, as most presidents have since, of how well the nation was doing under his watch.

“The country, I am thankful to say, is at peace with all the world, and many happy manifestations multiply about us of a growing cordiality and sense of community of interest among the nations, foreshadowing an age of settled peace and good will,” Wilson declared.

Less than four years later, the United States would enter World War I.

Wilson would give five more State of the Union addresses, but was unable to do so in his final two years, after a debilitating stroke.

“That hurt. That hurt a lot for him,” Cooper said.

But subsequent presidents, with the exception of Herbert Hoover, liked the idea of the speech, and picked up the practice.

It was made all the more appealing by the advent of mass media, which turned what once was a message to Congress into an opportunity for a president to spell out his priorities and vision directly to the American people, instantaneously and unfiltered.

Warren Harding gave his to a limited radio audience in 1922, and Calvin Coolidge was the first to be able to broadcast it to a national one in 1923. Harry Truman took his to the new medium of television in 1947; a half-century later, Bill Clinton’s was live-streamed on the internet.

Wilson closed his first State of the Union address by expressing his hopes that the executive and legislative branches of government would continue to work closely together.

“Surely it is a proper and pertinent part of my report on ‘the state of the Union’ to express my admiration for the diligence, the good temper, and the full comprehension of public duty which has already been manifested by both the houses,” he said. “And I hope that it may not be deemed an impertinent intrusion of myself into the picture if I say with how much and how constant satisfaction I have availed myself of the privilege of putting my time and energy at their disposal alike in counsel and in action.”

In other words: See you next year.

Part of a continuing series about facets of the past that remain relevant.

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NEW DELHI – At least 47 million children under the age of five live in areas facing severe air pollution with dangerous effluent density, a report said on Monday.

The report by Greenpeace-India, based on data from state and central pollution control boards, asserted that as many as 47 million children live in areas with pollutant PM10, or particulate matter in the air with diameter less than 10 microns, exceeding the safe limits.

Of these 47 million children, all under five years of age, 17 million live in areas with PM10 twice the permissible standards or safe limit.

National capital Delhi, along with Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar and Maharashtra, are the places where children are “worst affected”.

“Together these states are home to 12.9 million children, who are below or up to five years of age, trapped in bad air exceeding by more than twice the annual standard,” the report said.

The report analyses PM10 annual average recorded for 280 cities, which account for 630 million, or 53 per cent citizens of the country’s total population.

Interestingly, the condition or air quality under which rest 47 per cent of population resides is unknown.

“A massive part of the population, 580 million or 47 per cent are living in areas where no air quality data is available,” the report pointed out.

Delhi remained the worst-affected city with annual PM10 levels exceeding approximately five times the national ambient air quality standards.

The safe limit for PM10 as per national standards is 60 microgrammes per cubic meters (annual average).

“That only 16 per cent of the population inhabiting the districts have real-time air quality data available portrays how in-humanly we are responding to the national health crises in front of us,” said Sunil Dahiya, Senior Campaigner, Greenpeace India.

Dahiya added that even the manual data collected for 300 cities and towns was not shared in a timely manner and in a format understood easily by general public.

Further, Delhi with 290 units was the worst-polluted city in terms of ranking of the cities based on PM10, followed by Faridabad (272 units), Bhiwadi (262 units) and Patna (261 units).

“Surprisingly, Dehradun in Uttrakhand, once thought to be a salubrious preserve of retiring elite, also made it to the top 10 list of worst polluted cities with 238 µg/m3 annual average of PM10,” the report pointed out.

The report asserted that less than 20 per cent Indian cities were complying with the national standards of pollution.

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UNITED NATIONS

United States Permanent Representative Nikki Haley has condemned as “highly offensive” and “disgusting” rumours spread about her personal life by opponents of President Donald Trump that highlight the ugly underside of American politics.

The Indian-American member of Trump’s cabinet told Politico that rumours of her having an affair with the President were “absolutely not true.”

The rumours illustrate a persistent problem of US politics where character assassination is used especially against women and minorities by the entire political spectrum — and not just the Republicans.

The former South Carolina Governor is an inviting target for attacks by Trump’s opponents as she is both a woman and an Indian-American and has been the victim of such campaigns in the past.

“Every time this has happened, it only makes me fight harder,” she declared in the interview with Politico that was published on Friday.

“And I do it for the sake of other women that are behind me because they should never think that they have to put their head down and cower out of fear that somebody’s gonna do something to you.”

Politico, an influential media covering politics, reported that she said author Michael Wolf’s “insinuation is similar to other attacks that she and other successful women have faced when they’ve been forced to swat down suggestions they’ve slept their way to the top.”

Politico attributed the online speculation about her and Trump to Wolf, who recently published “Fire and Fury”, a book critical of Trump and claiming to give the inside story of the White House.

Wolf “dropped hints on HBO’s ‘Real Time with Bill Maher’ last week when he said he was “absolutely sure” Trump is having an affair — “just not sure enough to write about it in his book,” Politico said.

“Wolff went on to say that discriminating readers would be able to determine the President’s paramour by giving his book a close reading: ‘Now that I’ve told you, when you hit that paragraph, you’re gonna say, Bingo.”

Politico said: “Readers quickly homed in on a single sentence” in the book where Wolff writes “The president had been spending a notable amount of private time with Haley on Air Force One and was seen to be grooming her for a national political future.”

“I have literally been on Air Force One once and there were several people in the room when I was there,” she told Politico, referring to a flight from Washington to Long Island in late July.

“He (Wolf) says that I’ve been talking a lot with the President in the Oval (Office) about my political future. I’ve never talked once to the President about my future and I am never alone with him.”

Haley told Politico: “It goes to a bigger issue that we need to always be conscious of: At every point in my life, I’ve noticed that if you speak your mind and you’re strong about it and you say what you believe, there is a small percentage of people that resent that and the way they deal with it is to try and throw arrows, lies or not.”

“I saw this as a legislator. I saw this when I was Governor. I see it now. I see them do it to other women,” she added.

When she ran for the office of Governor of South Carolina in 2010, two men, one of them linked to her political opponent, claimed to have had affairs with her.

The voters in the conservative state roundly rejected the filthy campaign and elected her for two terms, making her the first woman and first non-white to become its Governor.

Haley, who initially opposed Trump’s bid for Republican Party nomination, supported him in the election after he became the party’s candidate.

She was reported to have been one of those considered by Trump for Secretary of State, but ultimately got the UN job, making her the first Indian-American to get a cabinet-level post.

While critics homed in on her lack of international experience, at the UN she has been pushing Trump’s hawkish agenda. Although she lost the General Assembly vote criticising Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, she managed to get strict sanctions against North Korea for its nuclear programme and to trim the UN budget.

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in)

IANS

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NEW YORK – “The word tribute is cliché in the performing arts world,” says Heena Patel, the executive producer and artistic director of Bollywood Boulevard, a show that takes the audience through the journey of the Hindi film industry.

Patel told News India Times that she has been performing her entire life and is now a cultural connector for South Asian performing arts.

“I grew up watching Bollywood movies and I thought why not make it my career,” she said, adding that when not working on the show, she helps other artists build their career as South Asian performers “because these are artists who need to be heard.”

As a high school student, Patel used to participate on her raas-garba team in Toronto, Canada and from there she ended up participating on other dance teams that went on to winning several competitions.

After earning her degree in environmental engineering, Patel went to India where she helped to build toilets in rural areas.

But she still kept in touch with the performing arts world and learned tabla for 10 years. That’s where she met Rushi Vakil, a music director who composes his own music.

“We had the same teacher,” said Patel, adding that the major thrill they had in common was their passion for Bollywood.

So they decided to create a show called Bollywood Boulevard, tying together music, dance and multimedia into a 90-minute presentation that showcases the evolution of Bollywood from its inception in 1913 to today.

“Each sequence of dance represents a different type of era and the dance it brought into the industry, for example qawwalis and mujra,” Patel added.

The Show

Bollywood Boulevard started out as an idea in the latter half of 2016 and became a reality in the summer of 2017 when it premiered outdoors in New York City.

“We didn’t know it would be such a huge success right away,” Patel said, as she was unaware of the impact Bollywood had on others’ lives, not just Indians but other nationalities as well.

“While growing up in Toronto, it was the magic and influence of Bollywood along with the learning of Indian classical music that grounded me culturally.  That is why I came up with the idea of a show that teaches everyone the history and evolution of Bollywood.  Bollywood is the soundtrack of the world. It has shaped us to be who we are today,” said Patel, who loves dancing to Madhuri Dixit’s songs from the 1990s.

But she says she couldn’t have done it alone.

“Half of the credit goes to (Rushi) Vakil,” she said.

Vakil, in an interview to News India Times, talked about the significance of Bollywood Boulevard.

“In the 90-minute production, we show how the industry has evolved and reached to the level it has today. We want the audience to feel like they are watching a live movie while experiencing the journey of Bollywood,” said Vakil, saying that when it comes to the music for the show, “we mix our creativity with the original soundtrack.”

Patel added: “We try to stay true to the original while adding our own creativity to each act,” eplaining how the multimedia aspect of the show is used to introduce each era of Bollywood as well as highlight the significant events which took place throughout the years in Bollywood.

“Our team doesn’t consist of a bunch of good dancers and musicians; in fact, it consists of talented artists who share the same passion for Bollywood as we do, who appreciate Bollywood for what it was back in the golden days and for what it is now,” said Vakil, adding how he himself loves the music of R.D. Burman, “that man was crazy, he just composed anything.”

Vakil said he got into composing music when he began muting his favorite show Tom & Jerry and make his own musical soundtrack to the comedy created by Tom & Jerry on the screen.

Bridging the Gap

Patel said it was her parents who pushed her to embrace her culture while living in Toronto, something that she is thankful for today.

This was part of the reason why she ended up going to India in the first place.

It is also what helped her collaborate with Vakil as well.

“Here at Bollywood Boulevard, our team is made up of artists from India and the United States,” Patel said, adding how this bridges the cultural gap between the two countries and how she wants to help other South Asian artists start and maintain their careers in the performing arts world.

Although, some may think that it is full of glitz, glamour and gossip, Bollywood is truly the best way any Indian-American can learn about their culture and help bridge that awkward cultural gap that exists between generations in many families.

Bollywood Boulevard will be showcased at Byham Theater in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on February 22, New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, New Jersey on February 24 and Bromeley Family Theater in Bradford, Pennsylvania on March 24.

Patel and Vakil intend to expand Bollywood Boulevard by doing many more shows in the future throughout the United States and eventually, throughout the world.

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NEW YORK – An Indian American promoter, Minnie Sethi, hosted a “Meet and Greet” with model and Bollywood actor Deepak Parashar on Sunday, January 28, at Akbar Restaurant in Edison, New Jersey where about 150 people came to meet the star.

“It was basically for the Indian American community to meet the star and get to know him better and ask questions,” Sethi told News India Times, in a phone interview.

“This is my first event and it was a super duper hit. I was pleased to see members from the Indian as well as Pakistan community all under one roof,” she added.

Sethi wants to do many more “Meet and Greets” with Bollywood stars who women “idolize”, she said.

“I want to bring back those stars that have been hidden, into the limelight again,” she said.

Known mostly for his film Nikaah which released in 1982 and also starred Raj Babbar and Salma Agha, Parashar told News India Times how he became a model in the first place, before he got into the acting realm.

“My dad wanted me to join the army. He also said that he wouldn’t pay for me to go to university, so I started doing hotel management to support myself. Then one day in Delhi, I saw a few people in the hotel waiting for a personality contest. I walked into the room, confident enough to win the title and I did. After I won, my photo was on the front pages of many mainstream newspapers and magazines in India. From there I went to Mumbai and won the Mr. India title,” Parashar told News India Times, in a phone interview.

Parashar was crowned by famous Bollywood stars like Zeenat Aman and Dev Anand, and has walked the ramp 7,000 times.

Since he had already been exposed to the media as a model, it was easy for him to become an actor; in fact, he even got to choose the films he wanted to do, something which is very rare.

“I decided to take my modeling career a step further and become an actor since I was already exposed to the media,” he said.

Parashar then went on to acting in over 35 films in the 1980s and 90s with stars like Rekha, Rakhee, Parveen Babi, Poonam Dhillon, Rati Agnihotri and Sarika Rameshwari to name a few.

He also acted in over 50 TV serials including reality television show Bigg Boss Season 1 though he was evicted in the second week.

This is not the first time Parashar has visited the United States.

“I came about 12 to 14 years ago, but that was only for a short time. Right now, I have been here for about two weeks and will be staying for about two to three months,” he said.

“I thought it would be cold here, especially this time of year, but at the end of the day I don’t feel so cold because everyone here has a warm heart,” he added.

“It is my warm, genuine heart which is full of love and girls are waiting to be loved and appreciated by it,” Parashar said, adding that he thinks it is his personal touch from within that reflects his personality.

Parashar said he will be acting in and directing four short films in New York City.

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The 69th Republic Day of India was celebrated in Washington, DC, the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations and Indian consulates all across the United States – in New York City, San Francisco, Chicago, Houston, and Atlanta, on January 26, 2018.

In Washington, DC, India’s Ambassador to the US Navtej Sarna paid floral tributes at the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in front of the Embassy. Thereafter, Sarna unfurled the national flag and the national anthem was sung.

Sarna addressed the gathering and read out the address of the President of India. This was followed by singing of patriotic songs by young Indian Americans. Over 200 members of the Indian American community attended the celebrations.

In New York, India’s Ambassador to the Permanent Mission to the United Nations, Syed Akbaruddin, unfurled the Indian flag at the Mission in the morning, and then in the evening, hosted a reception, co-hosted by the Indian Consulate in New York.

The New York Consulate held a flag hoisting ceremony at its premises, in the morning. Diego Gomez Pickering, the Consul General of Mexico in New York, was the guest of honor.

At the celebrations at the United Nations, about 200 people gathered in the Delegates Dining Room overlooking the Hudson River.

Guests included the Under Secretary-General of the United Nations Miguel De Serpa Soares, Under Secretary-General for the United Nations Department of Field Support, Atul Khare,  United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, the Lieutenant Governor of New York Kathy Hochul, and President of United Nations General Assembly Miroslav Lajčák.

PTI reported ambassadors of four of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council – Russia, China, France and Britain attended the meet. The US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, was out of town, but sent one of her top diplomats to the event.

Maleeha Lodhi, the Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the UN, surprised many by her presence at India’s Republic Day celebrations at the UN, which was marked by an impressive dance performance at the UN Delegates Dining Room, reported PTI.

“Though far from India’s shores, the young sing about the ‘land that nourished and nurtured’ as we celebrate India’s #Republicday2018@IndiaUNNewYork,” Syed Akbaruddin, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, said in a tweet.

Illinois Lt. Gov. Evelyn Sanguinetti joined the Republic Day celebrations in Chicago along with Indian Americans.

Officials of the Indian Consulate in Houston posted a special video on twitter “Jai Hind. Happy Republic Day”. Congressman Pete Olson appeared in a traditional kurta at the Consulate and joined Indian Americans in the Republic day celebrations in the Indian Consulate in Houston, reported PTI.

“Great to celebrate the 69th India Republic Day at the Consulate General of India this morning!” said Olson.

“#OTD in 1950, the largest democracy on earth was born when the Indian constitution was adopted. I look forward to many more years of friendship between our two great countries!” Olson tweeted.

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NEW YORK – Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmaavat starring Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor and Ranveer Singh has made $4.4 million in its opening weekend at the North American box office, with $.5 million on Thursday, with a total of $4.9 million over Thursday-Sunday.

The last Bollywood film to be so successful at the North American box office was Aamir Khan’s Dangal in 2016 which made $4.1 miilion in its opening weekend and PK in 2014 which made $3.6 million in its opening weekend.

Padmaavat also set a new record for being the highest grossing Bollywood movie in a single day making $1.85 million just on Saturday, Jan. 27.

Padmaavat is now playing in 326 theaters across the United States and Canada in 2D, 3D, and IMAX 3D formats.

The highly controversial film is about Queen Padmavati (Padukone), the wife of Maharawal Ratan Singh (Kapoor) of the Kingdom of Chittor and how her beauty enthralled Allaudin Khilji (Singh) the reigning sultan of Hindustan.

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