Indian-American appointed to Virginia advisory board for Asians

Indian-American appointed to Virginia advisory board for Asians

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Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin has appointed Indian-American healthcare professional Srilekha Palle to the Virginia Asian Advisory Board (VAAB).

In her new role, Palle will advise and inform the Governor on issues facing the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) constituents, and advocate for the interests of the community.

She will also advise the Governor on ways to improve economic and cultural links between the Commonwealth and Asian nations, with a focus on the areas of commerce and trade, art and education and general government.

“Today, I am grateful to announce the following administration and board appointments. I am confident that with their help we will be able to strengthen the spirit of Virginia and accomplish great things for our Commonwealth,” Youngkin in a statement.

Palle, a doctor with over 23 years of experience in leadership roles in the healthcare sector, was the Fairfax Republican nominee for Sully District Supervisor in 2019.

She is also a visiting fellow at the Independent Women’s Forum, where she contributes by writing policy papers on current issues healthcare faces, from cost to affordability and price transparency.

Currently she serves in a volunteer capacity as a Rehabilitation Division Head for the Healthcare Council, an organisation of Providers of Care consisting of hospitals and allied healthcare facilities located in the Mid-Atlantic region.

She earned her Doctor of Physical Therapy from Boston University and an MBA, focusing on healthcare administration.

This Indian-American to receive National Humanities medal from Joe Biden

This Indian-American to receive National Humanities medal from Joe Biden

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US President Joe Biden will present the 2021 National Humanities Medals, in conjunction with the National Medals of Arts on Tuesday i.e. 21 March. Indian-American Vera Mindy Chokalingam, professionally known as Mindy Kaling will awarded the 2021 National Humanities Medal among others.

Among other recipients are Judith Francisca Baca, Fred Eychaner, Jose Feliciano, Gladys Knight, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Antonio Martorell-Cardona, Joan Shigekawa, Bruce Springsteen, Vera Wang, The Billie Holiday Theatre, and the International Association of Blacks in Dance.

The National Medal of Arts is the highest award given to artists, arts patrons, and groups by the US government and honors exemplary individuals and organisations that have advanced the arts in America and offered inspiration to others through their distinguished achievement, support, or patronage.

It honors individuals or groups whose work has deepened the nation’s understanding of the humanities and broadened citizens’ engagement with history, literature, languages, philosophy, and other humanities subjects, the White House said.

Meanwhile, Biden would present both the awards to more than a dozen recipients at the White House on Tuesday. “Imbued with humor and heart, Mindy Kaling’s work across television, film, and books inspires and delights—capturing and uplifting the experiences of women and girls across our Nation,” the White House said, releasing the list of 2021 National Medal of Arts Recipients.

The recipients for 2021 National Humanities Medal are Richard Blanco, Johnnetta Betsch Cole, Walter Isaacson, Earl Lewis, Henrietta Mann, Ann Patchett, Bryan Stevenson, Amy Tan, Tara Westover, Colson Whitehead and Native America Calling.

The President previously awarded a National Humanities Medal to Sir Elton John in September 2022, during a White House event, “A Night When Hope and History Rhyme.” First Lady Jill Biden will attend the ceremony as well, the White House said.

All you need to know about Mindy Kaling:

Mindy Kaling is a writer, producer and actor.

She was born on 24 June 1979 and is a daughter of Indian immigrants.

Mindy Kaling is an Emmy-nominated writer, producer, New York Times best-selling author, director, and actor.

She was the creator of “The Mindy Project,” a Hulu original comedy series that she starred in and executive produced from 2012-2017.

She is best known for her work on the critically acclaimed, Emmy Award-winning NBC show The Office.

Mindy has also lent her voice to multiple blockbuster animated comedies including the Oscar-winning Pixar film, “Inside Out.”

She has also co-created and co-written the popular Netflix show Never Have I Ever, the series about a first-generation Indian American teenager.

She has also acted in comedy films like The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005), No Strings Attached (2011), License to Wed (2007), The Five-Year Engagement (2012), The Night Before (2015), A Wrinkle in Time and Ocean’s 8 (both 2018), and Late Night (2019) among others.

Man United bidders set to make latest takeover offers

Man United bidders set to make latest takeover offers

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After a series of high level meetings last week, a second round of bids to buy Manchester United are due Wednesday. Representatives of Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani toured Old Trafford and the club’s training ground last Thursday, meeting with United executives. Jim Ratcliffe held talks with the Premier League club on Friday and was pictured being greeted by chief executive Richard Arnold. American investment firm Elliott Management has also held meetings with a view to providing capital for takeover bids or other finance options.’

Representatives of Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani toured Old Trafford and the club’s training ground last Thursday, meeting with United executives. Jim Ratcliffe held talks with the Premier League club on Friday and was pictured being greeted by chief executive Richard Arnold. American investment firm Elliott Management has also held meetings with a view to providing capital for takeover bids or other finance options.

Indicative offers were submitted to American merchant bank Raine last month, with Sheikh Jassim and Ratcliffe confirming their intention to buy out the Glazer family, the current owners of United.

The next stage of the process included a closer look at United’s business and meetings with key executives before making renewed bids.

Sheikh Jassim is chairman of Qatar Islamic Bank and the son of a former Qatari prime minister. He is aiming to take 100% ownership of United and is intent on investing in the club’s stadium and training facilities. He sent real estate advisors as part of his delegation last week.

Ratcliffe is the billionaire owner of petrochemicals giant INEOS and is bidding for majority ownership after launching a failed attempt to buy Chelsea last year.

United is expected to become the most expensive sports team in history, with the price estimated to reach up to $6 billion.

Last year, Raine handled the sale of Chelsea to Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital for about $3 billion. The Denver Broncos were sold to Walmart heir Rob Walton and his daughter and son-in-law for a record $4.65 billion last year.

United’s prospective new owners could also have to spend about $1 billion to redevelop the stadium.

Sheikh Jassim and Ratcliffe remain the only bidders to publicly declare their interest in the 20-time English league champions. There is still a possibility that the Glazers could opt against a full sale of the club as they explore “strategic alternatives.”

Mumbai Indians buys New York team franchise in Major League Cricket

Mumbai Indians buys New York team franchise in Major League Cricket

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Mumbai Indians, owned by Reliance Industries Limited, has announced that it has acquired a fifth cricket franchise – ‘MI New York’ for the New York team of Major League Cricket (MLC).

Major League Cricket will be the first professional Twenty20 cricket championship in the United States. The inaugural season of Major League Cricket will kick off in the summer of 2023. The first season is set to take place over three weeks at Grand Prairie Stadium in Grand Prairie, Texas, near Dallas.

The tournament is a professional Twenty20 cricket operated by American Cricket Enterprises (ACE) and sanctioned by USA Cricket. The league is likely to begin in July and will have six teams named after US cities. The tournament will be a single entity.

Director of Reliance Industries, Nita. M. Ambani said, “I am thrilled to welcome our New York franchise to the growing MI Family. With our entry into the first T20 franchise cricket league in the US, I hope we are able to establish Mumbai Indians as a global brand of fearless and entertaining cricket. This is another new beginning for us and I look forward to the exciting journey ahead.“

This team will be the fifth franchise after Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League, MI Cape Town in the SA20 league, MI Emirates in the ILT20 league, and Mumbai Indians in the Women’s Premier League.

But some of these cricket leagues which have been recently launched have received a lukewarm response from Indian viewers. According to a recent story that Mint wrote, Indian viewers are heavily skewed towards watching only the Indian Premier League and Legends League Cricket only. As per viewership data sourced from Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) subscribers, the opening match of the last Legends League Cricket (LLC)—a T20 cricket tournament featuring recently retired cricketers—recorded a TV rating or TVR of 0.51—the percentage of the audience which saw the entire match. It considered the current TV universe size of 800 million across 210 million addressable TV homes.

In comparison, Big Bash League, Pakistan Super League and SAT20 opening matches recorded a TVR of 0.05 each. Caribbean Premier League was at 0.01, while Lanka Premier League could get 0.04 TVR for the opening match.

Priyanka Chopra On Biggest Obstacle She Faced In Hollywood: As An Indian Actor…

Priyanka Chopra On Biggest Obstacle She Faced In Hollywood: As An Indian Actor…

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Priyanka Chopra has become a global sensation with her Hollywood films like The Matrix Resurrections, Isn’t It Romantic and Baywatch, among others. As the diva is all set to release the thriller series Citadel on OTT, she recalled the obstacles she faced as an Indian actress in Hollywood. She disclosed that there was a perception that if she led an American TV show, only South Asian audience would be interested to watch her.

In an interview with Bloomberg, Priyanka Chopra said, “I think what really changed is streaming. When streaming came in, the need for globalisation became just important. The biggest obstacle that I think I faced as an Indian actor was the limited view of what I was capable of.”

The Citadel actress further continued by saying, “It has been a massive change and I am very, very proud to have colleagues and peers that have the strength and the bravery to be able to swim through a dense water that has kept us out for a very long time, and actually demand a seat at the table. When it comes to the arts, we are always going to push the envelope to make sure more inclusion happens.”

Priyanka Chopra’s upcoming projects
Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra has been in the film industry for two decades now and has also become a global icon after the success of her show Quantico. She then continued to work on other projects and also shared a screen with Dwayne Johnson. Talking about her upcoming projects, the actress will soon be seen in Citadel alongside Richard Madden and Roland Moller. The series will release on April 28.

After that, Priyanka will be seen in Love Again with Sam Heughan and Dion. The movie will release on May 12. She will also be seen in Jee Le Zara, Kalpana Chawla Biopic, and Cowboy Ninja Viking, among others projects.