Priyanka Chopra Jonas to U.S. VP Kamala Harris: We are both daughters of India, in a way

Priyanka Chopra Jonas to U.S. VP Kamala Harris: We are both daughters of India, in a way

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Priyanka Chopra Jonas, who is now settled in Los Angeles, was invited by the Democratic National Committee’s Women’s Leadership Forum last Friday to interview Ms. Harris for a fireside chat.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and actor Priyanka Chopra Jonas reflected on their Indian connections, marriage equality, the war in Ukraine and climate change, as they shared a stage during a leadership forum.

Ms. Chopra Jonas, who is now settled in Los Angeles, was invited by the Democratic National Committee’s Women’s Leadership Forum last Friday to interview Ms. Harris for a fireside chat.
The actor kicked off the conversation with their Indian connection.

“I think we’re both daughters of India, in a way,” Ms. Chopra Jonas told the room full of prominent Democrats invited to the conference from across the country.

“You’re a proud American-born daughter of an Indian mom and a Jamaican father. I am an Indian born of two physicians as parents and a recent immigrant to this country who totally still believes in the wholehearted…American Dream,” she said.

Ms. Harris, 57, was born at Oakland in California. Her mother Shyamala Gopalan migrated to the U.S. from Tamil Nadu, while her father, Donald J. Harris, moved to the U.S. from Jamaica.

She is the first woman, the first Black American, and the first South Asian American to be elected U.S. Vice President.

The U.S., Ms. Chopra Jonas said, is regarded as a beacon of hope, freedom, and choice for the whole world.

“And these tenets are being endlessly assaulted right now,” she said.

The actor, producer and philanthropist said after working for over 20 years in films, it was only this year that she got paid equal to her male co-stars.

Ms. Chopra Jonas was most recently seen in Keanu Reeves-led “The Matrix Resurrections”. She will next star in The Russo Brothers’ series “Citadel” and “It’s All Coming Back To Me”, opposite Sam Heughan.

Ms. Chopra Jonas, 40, also touched upon the issue of marriage equality. She is married to American singer Nick Jonas, with whom she welcomed a baby girl in January 2022.

In her remarks, Ms. Harris acknowledged that right now they are living in an unsettled world.

“I’ve been travelling around the world as Vice President. I’ve directly talked with 100 world leaders in person or by phone,” she said, adding “things that we long took for granted are now up for debate and question”.

“You look, for example, at Russia’s unprovoked war in Ukraine. We thought it was pretty well settled–the issue of territorial integrity and sovereignty — and now that is up for some debate, given what’s happening there,” Ms. Harris said.

Ms. Harris then quickly turned to domestic issues in the U.S.

“We look in our own country. We thought, surely with the Voting Rights Act and all that it stood for, we assumed and thought the issue of voting rights in America was settled,” the U.S. Vice President added.

“Then we had the Shelby v. Holder decision. And then after the 2020 election, when more people voted and more young people voted than ever before, states around our country started systematically and intentionally making it more difficult for people to vote,” Ms. Harris said.

The Voting Rights Act was passed in 1965 to ensure state and local governments do not pass laws or policies that deny American citizens the equal right to vote based on race. On June 25, 2013, the Supreme Court swept away a key provision of this landmark civil rights law in Shelby County v Holder.

“We thought a woman’s right–a constitutional right–to make decisions about her own body was settled. No longer,” said Ms. Harris.

The U.S. Supreme Court recently overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that had provided a constitutional right to abortion.

Agreeing with her, Ms. Chopra Jonas said, “Absolutely. You’re so right. There’s so much to navigate right now.” The actor also touched upon the climate change issue as she acknowledged the relief efforts in hurricane-hit Florida.

“Extreme weather conditions like this are becoming more frequent and more severe. And I wanted to acknowledge the administration for passing the biggest climate legislation in history earlier this year because it is a fact that America’s leadership sets an example to other major economies around the world, which are truly dragging their feet when it comes to doing their bit,” Ms. Chopra Jonas, the UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, said.

“The crisis is real, and the clock is ticking. And the urgency with which we must act is without any question,” Ms. Harris responded, stressing on adapting to extreme weather conditions.

“On the point that you made about disparities, you know, back when I was the district attorney of San Francisco, I started one of the first environmental justice units of any District Attorney’s office in the country focused on this issue,” she said.

“As you have described rightly, it is our lowest income communities and our communities of colour that are most impacted by these extreme conditions and impacted by issues that are not of their own making,” Ms. Harris said.

America To Jalandhar By Car Covering More Than 20 Thousand Kms; Meet The Man Who Achieved The Feat

America To Jalandhar By Car Covering More Than 20 Thousand Kms; Meet The Man Who Achieved The Feat

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If there is passion, a person can do anything. Lakhwinder Singh, who lives in America, is also such a passionate person. He covered the distance from America to Jalandhar by his car. He completed this journey in about one and a half months. During this, he met with people from all countries on the way. Lakhwinder Singh says that this wish of his was in his heart since the time of Corona. But, it is now complete. He migrated to America in 1985 and has been living there since then, as reported by aajtak.

Lakhwinder Singh told, “When I shared my desire to travel to Jalandhar from America by road with my family members, they refused. But, later somehow I convinced the family. After that I got the documents prepared and set out on America to Jalandhar journey.”

Car delivered to England by ship

Lakhwinder Singh traveled 20 countries and covered more than 20 thousand kilometers in 34 days. First of all, he got the car loaded onto a ship from America from where it was sent to England and reached Belgium by boarding a train from England.

From here he traveled on his own and reached Pakistan via Paris, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, Turkey, and then Iran. During this, he met many people and talked to them.

Car covered a distance of 20 thousand km

Lakhwinder Singh’s car has driven more than 20 thousand kilometers on this journey. During this, he passed through 22 countries. Lakhwinder Singh told that there was no permission to drive a USA car in Iran. Therefore, he tied it with a rope with another car and dragged it to the border. There was no problem in traveling by American car in the countries of Europe.

People were very nice and friendly on the way

Lakhwinder Singh says that many beautiful memories have been added to this journey. Seeing the California number car, everyone used to come to me and take selfies with me. On the way, people were very friendly.

He said that he is a pure vegetarian. Because of this, there was a problem with eating at many places so he consumed only fruits. His longest stay was in Pakistan. Lakhwinder Singh said that his family members were very worried and scared and told him that if he goes there, he will be killed.

Lakhwinder said, “I stayed in Pakistan for 13 to 14 days. The people there gave me a lot of love. They thought that I had come from their other Punjab and I was their brother. They would wash the dishes and especially prepare pure vegetarian food for me.”

Indian-American Dr Vivek Murthy Is US Representative On WHO Executive Board

Indian-American Dr Vivek Murthy Is US Representative On WHO Executive Board

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President Joe Biden nominated Vivek Murthy to serve as America’s representative on the executive board of the World Health Organization.

Dr. Murthy will serve in the new position alongside his continued duties as the Surgeon General, the White House said in a statement.

He was confirmed by the US Senate in March 2021 to serve as the 21st Surgeon General of the country. He previously served as the 19th Surgeon General under President Barack Obama.

As the nation’s doctor, the Surgeon General’s mission is to help lay the foundation for a healthier country, relying on the best scientific information available to provide clear, consistent and equitable guidance and resources for the public.

“While serving as the 21st Surgeon General, Dr. Murthy is focused on drawing attention to and working across government to address a number of critical public health issues, including the growing proliferation of health misinformation, the ongoing youth mental health crisis, well-being and burnout in the health worker community, and social isolation and loneliness,” said the White House.

As the Vice Admiral of the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, D.r Murthy also commands a uniformed service of over 6,000 dedicated public health officers, serving the most underserved and vulnerable populations.

“The first Surgeon General of Indian descent, Dr Murthy, was raised in Miami and is a graduate of Harvard, the Yale School of Medicine, and the Yale School of Management. A renowned physician, research scientist, entrepreneur and author, he lives in Washington, DC with his wife Dr Alice Chen, and their two children,” the White House said.

“It’s Been A Good Formula”: Tim Cook Reveals 4 Traits Apple Looks For In Job Candidates

“It’s Been A Good Formula”: Tim Cook Reveals 4 Traits Apple Looks For In Job Candidates

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Apple CEO Tim Cook recently revealed the four qualities his company looks for in candidates during the hiring process.

Mr Cook was invited to the University of Naples Federico II’s commencement ceremony last week. At the event, the Apple chief told the graduates from the Italian university that he believes Apple’s success depends on its culture and who it hires. Mr Cook said that Apple typically seeks out employees with four shared skills – the ability to collaborate, creativity, curiosity and expertise.

“It’s been a very good formula for us,” Mr Cook said, as per CNBC. He noted that the traits mentioned above also contribute to ambitious, yet supportive workplace culture. “It’s not like somebody goes in a corner or closet and figures out (how to build technology) by themselves,” he stated.

Further, as he spoke, the Apple chief ranked the skill sets in order. He explained that the reason collaboration is imperative is because it combines all three of the other skills.

“We look for… the fundamental feeling that if I share my idea with you, that that idea will grow and get bigger and get better,” Mr Cook said, adding, “And that [collaborative] process is how Apple creates products”.

Creativity and curiosity come next. As per CNBC, he stated that Apple looks for people who think differently. Someone who “can look at a problem and not be caught up in the dogma of how that problem has always been (solved),” he said.

Speaking about curiosity, the Apple chief added, “It’s a cliche, but there are no dumb questions. It’s amazing when somebody starts to ask questions as a kid would do.”

Meanwhile, this comes days after Mr Cook said that there are still “not enough women at the table” at the world’s tech firms – including his own. Speaking to BBC, he stated that “technology will not achieve nearly what it could achieve” without a more diverse workforce. He said there were “no good excuses” for the lack of women in the sector.

Four Indian American Teens Win Gloria Barron Prize For Young Heroes

Four Indian American Teens Win Gloria Barron Prize For Young Heroes

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Indian-American teenagers have received the Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes for making a positive difference in people’s lives, communities, and the environment. The winners include Karina Samuel, 17, from Florida; Karun Kaushik, 17, from California; Laalitya Acharya, 18, from Ohio; and Sri Nihal Tammana, 13, from New Jersey. Established in 2001 by author TA Barron, the Barron Prize is a non-profit organisation annually honouring 25 outstanding young leaders from ages 8 to 18. The award celebrates inspiring, public-spirited young people from diverse backgrounds all across North America.

Every year, 15 top winners are each awarded $10,000 to support their service work or higher education. Karina Samuel was honoured for founding the Florida chapter of Bye Bye Plastic Bags (BBPB), a student-led non-profit committed to reducing the amount of plastic on the planet. In the past three years, she has mobilised more than 1,000 volunteers to join over 175 coastal cleanups across the state.

Karun Kaushik has created X-Check-MD, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) software that can diagnose Covid-19 and pneumonia with 99 per cent accuracy in under one minute. Laalitya Acharya has invented Nereid – a low-cost, globally applicable device that can detect water contamination within seconds. Her system uses Artificial Intelligence and can be placed directly into water pipes to detect microbial water contamination at low concentrations before it spreads. Nihal Tammana’s non-profit, Recycle My Battery, installs free battery recycling bins and educates young people and adults about battery recycling. In just three years he has built a team of 220 student volunteers across the globe who have recycled nearly 200,000 batteries and educated millions of people. Since its inception, the Barron Prize has awarded more than half a million dollars to hundreds of young leaders and has won the support of the National Geographic Education Foundation, Girl Scouts of the USA, and the National Youth Leadership Council, among other organisations.