By Emily Laycock Lawrenceville, May 4, 2024 – Georgia Asian Times held its second annual GAT AAPI Summit with an impressive lineup of panel discussions and community topics. An array of influential Asian American community leaders, entrepreneurs, CEOs, subject experts, and legislatures gathered together to share their knowledge and expertise. The day was split between five panels, Business and Entrepreneurship, Women Empowerment and Leadership, AAPI Legends in Georgia, GA AAPI Caucus Legislative Update, and Intergenerational and Mental Health. Falling on the first Saturday in May, the event ki ..read more

Sugar Hill, May 8, 2024 – Georgia Asian Times is saddened to announce the passing of Yom Razak, the co-founder and former Vice President. Yom has been hospitalized with a long illness. Originally from Malaysia, she co-founded Georgia Asian Times with Publisher Li Wong in 2004. In the early days, GAT was a weekly print publication featuring local AAPI news, community celebrations, horoscopes, and various local content. Yom was instrumental in the marketing growth of the publication. Yom is survived by his two teenage children and former husband. The family requested privacy at the moment and a ..read more

We admit that the roster is incomplete and we may have omitted some well-qualified Asian American Pacific Islander individuals. The list of “most influentials” has been submitted through an online nomination and vetted by our selection criteria.  Some names are familiar but a majority of the honorees deservingly earned their way to the roster. We aim for fresh faces to be recognized for their accomplishments.   Neera Bahl Appellate Judge & Director, Georgia State Board of Workers Compensation Bahl started with a small law firm in 2005 as an Associate and after that in 2007, she b ..read more

Jakarta, Indonesia, April 30, 2024 — Microsoft will invest $1.7 billion over the next four years in new cloud and artificial intelligence infrastructure in Indonesia — the single largest investment in Microsoft’s 29-year history in the country — Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said Tuesday. Microsoft runs one of the world’s largest cloud computing operations and has taken a significant step into artificial intelligence by incorporating an AI chatbot into its search engine, Bing. Its earnings report Thursday said profit rose 20% for the January-March quarter as it tries to position itself as a lead ..read more

It’s wine time. Beer Thirty. Happy hour. Five o’clock somewhere. Maybe it’s also time to rethink drinking? Moderate drinking was once thought to have benefits for the heart, but better research methods have thrown cold water on that. “Drinking less is a great way to be healthier,” said Dr. Timothy Naimi, who directs the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research at the University of Victoria in British Columbia. ARE DRINKING GUIDELINES CHANGING? Guidelines vary a lot from country to country but the overall trend is toward drinking less. The United Kingdom, France, Denmark, Holland and Austr ..read more

Salem, Oregon, April 30, 2024 — Cheng “Charlie” Saephan wore a broad smile and a bright blue sash emblazoned with the words “Iu-Mien USA” as he hoisted an oversized check for $1.3 billion above his head. The 46-year-old immigrant’s luck in winning an enormous Powerball jackpot in Oregon earlier this month — a lump sum payment of $422 million after taxes, which he and his wife will split with a friend — has changed his life. It also raised awareness about Iu Mien people, a southeast Asian ethnic group with origins in China, many of whose members fled from Laos to Thailand and then settled in th ..read more

The Biden administration issued final rules Wednesday to require airlines to automatically issue cash refunds for things like delayed flights and to better disclose fees for baggage or canceling a reservation. The Transportation Department said airlines will be required to provide automatic cash refunds within a few days for canceled flights and “significant” delays. Under current regulations, airlines decide how long a delay must last before triggering refunds. The administration is removing that wiggle room by defining a significant delay as lasting at least three hours for domestic flights ..read more

By Emily Laycock A projected 15 million Asian Americans will be eligible to vote in the upcoming 2024 presidential election, with a large portion being voters under the age of 30. There are a multitude of challenges facing the young Asian American community in Georgia that are impacting their vote in the upcoming election, from a growing distrust of the federal government to the lasting effects of increased racism during COVID-19. Four Asian American students at the University of Georgia, including Albert Chen, Kodai Takano, Arya Kokate, and Pratistha Kunwar, share their perspectives on these ..read more

Peachtree Corners, April 26, 2024 – Julie Su, Acting Secretary of Labor, hosts a conversation on the importance of voting with Georgia AAPI community leaders. She highlighted President Biden and Georgia Democrats’ efforts to engage and uplift the AAPI community in her opening remarks. Several Georgia's AAPI State Legislators were in attendance including Rep. Sam Park, Rep. Long Tran, Rep. Michelle Au, Rep. Marvin Lim, and Kannan Udayarajan, Chairperson of Forsyth County Democrats. The conversation centered around the importance of representation and investment in Asian American communities, wi ..read more

Like many little girls, a young Kristi Yamaguchi loved playing with Barbie. With a schedule packed with ice skating practices, her Barbie dolls became her “best friends.” So, it’s surreal for the decorated Olympian figure skater to now be a Barbie girl herself. “It’s a huge, huge honor. I think a lot of pride comes along with it, not just recognizing the Olympic achievement, but also being recognized during AAPI Month and following in the footsteps of some incredible women that I idolize — Anna May Wong, Maya Angelou and Rosa Parks,” Yamaguchi told The Associated Press. “It’s hard to see me pu ..read more