The Indian Panorama

Tag: Indian-Origin

  • Indian American Sri Srinivasan could be Scalia’s possible replacement in the US Supreme Court

    Indian American Sri Srinivasan could be Scalia’s possible replacement in the US Supreme Court

    Indian American Judge Sri Srinivasan name is already floating in the top corridors of the White House as the next Supreme Court Justice, as per meadia reports. The 48 year old Indian-origin American citizen could be the first Indian American to serve on the Supreme Court, as well as one of the younger nominees in recent memory.

    After the death of justice Antonin Scalia earlier today, Feb 13, speculation is rampant that D.C. circuit court judge Sri Srinivasan is on President Obama’s shortlist to fill Scalia’s vacant seat on the bench.

    Judge Srinivasan was confirmed to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2013 during the Obama administration and has been described by The New Yorker as “the nominee in waiting.”

    The D.C. Circuit Court, formally The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, is the federal appellate court for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. It is seen by many observers as a test pool for potential SCOTUS nominees. The court hears cases that have to do with independent federal agencies — like the Environmental Protection Agency, for example.

    Many people on Twitter are already suggesting that Srinivasan is the most likely replacement for Scalia.

    According to a release by The White House at the time of his nomination, Srinivasan “began his legal career by serving as a law clerk for Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit .”

    Srinivasan also spent a year as a fellow in the office of the Solicitor General and clerked for Sandra Day O’Conner, The White House said.

    After serving as an associate at O’Melveny & Myers LLP, Srinivasan returned to the Solicitor General’s Office to work as an Assistant to the Solicitor General.

    While serving in that post, Srinivasan represented the United States “in litigation before the Supreme Court,” according to The White House.

    As The New Yorker noted, Srinivasan ” is currently the Obama Administration’s principal deputy solicitor general.”

    The Stanford educated potential nominee received his bachelor degree, law degree and J.D. from California school. While Srinivasan was born in Chandigarh, India he grew up in Lawrence, Kansas, according to The White House.

     

  • Indian-Origin Cottalango Leon Wins Oscar for scientific and technical achievement

    Indian-Origin Cottalango Leon Wins Oscar for scientific and technical achievement

    The 44-year-old technician of Indian roots Cottalango Leon has been chosen for this year’s Oscar for scientific and technical achievement.

    The Indian American has won the award under the ‘Scientific and Technical Achievements’ category for the design, engineering and continuous development of Sony Pictures Imageworks.

    The academy award recognises the collaborative tool he and his two team members developed for Sony. Dubbed as “itview” the software makes review of movie segments by artists at various levels a lot easier during film making.

    “It feels good. We started in 1996 and I was the main contributor for eight years. Often actors used to tell us they loved our product though commercial software is available,” Mr Cottalango, a software engineer, told NDTV from Los Angeles.

    Born in Tamil Nadu’s Tuticorin district, Mr Cottalango grew up in Coimbatore. He moved to the US to pursue his Masters in 1994.

    There’s excitement at his hometown Coimbatore. His mother L Rajam, a retired teacher, said: “It’s a proud moment for us when the world recognises my son’s contribution. We are ordinary people. Both me and my late husband were teachers.”

    Unlike the regular academy awards for films, awardees in this category would receive just a certificate.

    The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will present 10 scientific and technical achievements during its annual Scientific and Technical Awards Presentation on February 13.

    The main Oscar Award ceremony will take place on February 28, 2016.

  • 14 Indian-Origin Students Picked to Compete in Top US Science Contest

    14 Indian-Origin Students Picked to Compete in Top US Science Contest

    NEW YORK TIP): Fourteen students from the Indian diaspora have been selected to compete for $1 million in prizes at the prestigious Intel Science Talent Search Competition this year by fielding high-level projects ranging from cancer vaccines to complex mathematical theories.

    They are among the 40 US high school students who made it to the finals of the competition sponsored by Intel Corporation and conducted by the Society for Science & the Public.

    Announcing finalists chosen from among 300 semi-finalists from across the nation on Wednesday, January 20 the president of the society, Maya Ajmera, said, “Finalists of the Intel Science Talent Search are the innovators of the future.”

    “Their research projects range from highly theoretical basic research to innovative practical applications aimed at solving the most vexing problems,” she added.

    Last year two Indian-Americans won second place medals and two others, third place medals in the competition.

    The finalists will travel to Washington in March for the competition that will award a total of more than $1 million in prizes from the Intel Foundation.

    The previous winners of the Science Talent Search competition include 12 Nobel laureates, two Fields Medals awardees and 18 MacArthur Foundation “Genius” Fellows.

  • Dr. Narendra Nagareddy a.k.a ‘Dr Death’ Arrested After 36 Patients Die

    Dr. Narendra Nagareddy a.k.a ‘Dr Death’ Arrested After 36 Patients Die

    WASHINGTON:  An Indian-origin psychiatrist dubbed “Dr Death” by police has been arrested in the US after 36 of his patients died with at least 12 killed by overdose on prescription medication.

    Narendra Nagareddy, a psychiatrist in Clayton County, Georgia, has been put behind bars on suspicion of over- prescribing prescription medication and running a ‘pill mill’.

    Nearly 40 federal and local agents raided Dr Nagareddy’s offices and later moved on to his home to seize more assets.

    “He’s a psychiatrist in Jonesboro who has been over-prescribing opiates and benzodiazepine and the last several years has had a multitude of overdoses and overdose deaths,” Clayton County Police Chief Mike Register told WSB-TV Channel 2 News.

    Agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Clayton County District Attorney’s office, the Clayton County Police Department and the Georgia Department of Community Supervision converged on Dr Nagareddy’s office on Thursday armed with a search warrant and an arrest warrant for the psychiatrist.

    “He’s charged with prescribing pain medication which is outside his profession as a psychiatrist and not for a legitimate purpose for the patient,” said Clayton County District Attorney Tracy Graham Lawson.

    According to legal documents, “36 of Dr Nagareddy’s patients have died while being prescribed controlled substances from Dr Nagareddy, 12 of which have been confirmed by investigators through autopsy reports to have been the result of prescription drug intoxication.”

    “Former and current patients have admitted to obtaining controlled substance prescriptions from Dr Nagareddy without having a legitimate medical need,” the documents said.

    “People come to this person for help, and instead of getting help, they’re met with deadly consequences,” Clayton County Police Chief Register was quoted as saying. “If the allegations are true, he is Dr Death, no doubt about it.”

    The district attorney’s office said they also filed a RICO civil action to seize Nagareddy’s assets.

    One of Dr Nagareddy’s patient has been identified as Audrey Austin, a 29-year-old mother of two. She died of a fatal prescription drug overdose just days after she visited Dr Nagareddy.

    “She was an addict and he made it very easy for her,” Audrey’s mother Ruth Carr was quoted as saying by New York Daily News.

    “Americans are abusing prescription drugs at a truly alarming level,” said Clyde E Shelley Jr with the DEA.

    “Doctors hold a position of public trust and to betray that position cannot be tolerated,” Ms Shelly said.

  • Indian American 7-Eleven Store Owner Gets $1 Million For Selling Record Jackpot Ticket

    Indian American 7-Eleven Store Owner Gets $1 Million For Selling Record Jackpot Ticket

    WASHINGTON:  An Indian-origin convenience store owner in the US has become a celebrity overnight after he sold one of the three Powerball winning lotteries with a record jackpot of $1.6 billion.

    Lottery officials confirmed one jackpot-winning ticket was sold at Balbir Atwal’s store located at Chino Hills in California. Two others were sold in Tennessee and Florida.

    Mr Atwal received a $1 million cheque as retailer bonus for selling the winning ticket.

    Mr Atwal said he was surprised to learn his store was one of the lucky ones, calling the group of revellers “a big family.” “I didn’t believe it and then I looked at it carefully again,” Mr Atwal said.

    City officials described Mr Atwal as a cornerstone in the community, after he was among the first business owners to set up shop in the city after its incorporation.

    Mr Atwal said he planned to give a part of his winnings to charity and share the rest with his employees and family. “This is a land of opportunity,” said Atwal.

    “Anybody who comes, you will achieve your dreams.” Mr Atwal came to the US from Punjab, India in the early 80s, and opened four 7-Eleven stores, including the Chino Hills location about 24 years ago.

    “I 100 per cent believe he deserves this,” Sonia Atwal, one of his three daughters, was quoted by NBC News as saying.

    “He pretty much set his foot here and helped our family make it- the American dream.” Shortly after the announcement on Wednesday, a huge crowd packed the 7-Eleven chanting “Chino Hills” to celebrate the historic win in the usually-quiet suburb city of about 75,000 residents.

    Although the large group did not win big, they said it was exciting to know the winner was from their community. “We’re all just very excited that one of us could be the winners, and it’s just very exciting for everyone,” Delaney Gurol said.

    More than 30 media trucks were parked outside the Chino Hills store to cover the event.

    It was not immediately known who the winning ticket was sold to, and lottery officials said he or she had one year from Wednesday to come forward.

    In addition to the winning jackpot tickets, lottery officials said eight tickets that won $2 million were sold in seven states, and 73 that netted $1 million were sold in 23 states.

    The jackpot on Wednesday was not just the largest in Powerball history, New York State lottery officials said, but also the largest of any lottery game in the United States. The jackpot started at $40 million on November 7 and rolled over 19 times, with no one matching all six numbers.

  • Indian-origin family firm eyes Tata Steel Scottish plants

    Indian-origin family firm eyes Tata Steel Scottish plants

    An Indian-origin family owned steel firm, Liberty House, is said to be a new potential buyer of two of Tata Steel’s Scottish plants, on the verge of closure due to the crisis in the industry.

    Liberty House, headed by managing director Sanjeev Gupta, had recently acquired a number of units of another UK-based steel firm, Caparo Industries, owned by noted NRI industrialist Lord Swraj Paul.

    While the company has refused to comment at this stage, Scotland’s business minister has indicated that a potential deal may be in the works for acquiring the Dalzell and Clydebridge plants in Scotland’s Lanarkshire region.

    “I met Liberty management last week to outline the range of potential support that would be available from the Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise should it succeed in a buyout,” minister Fergus Ewing.

    “I also emphasised that the Scottish steel taskforce continues to work constructively to ensure a viable future for the plants, with action being taken forward on energy costs, business rates, procurement and on environmental issues,” added Ewing, who will be heading a meeting of the steel taskforce today to work out the details of a potential deal.

    The two plants were believed to be part of another potential deal being discussed between Indian steel giant Tata Steel and London-based private equity firm Greybull Capital.

    But steel unions have expressed concerns that the two Scottish plants may not necessarily be part of the final package, making Liberty’s interest a renewed hope for the 270 workers employed by the two plants.

    The news comes as media reports indicated that Tata Steel is edging closer to a deal with Greybull Capital to acquire its long products division, which mainly includes a plant atScunthorpein east England.

    The British steel industry has been undergoing turmoil as a result of cheap Chinese imports and a collapse in steel prices.

  • Indra Nooyi Becomes ‘Most Generous Graduate’ Of Yale School Of Management

    Indra Nooyi Becomes ‘Most Generous Graduate’ Of Yale School Of Management

    PepsiCo’s India-born CEO Indra Nooyi has become the biggest alumni donor and the first woman to endow deanship at a top business school, after she gifted an undisclosed amount to prestigious Yale school of management.

    60-year-old Ms Nooyi gifted an amount, which was not made public, to the deanship of the school and inaugurated the Fifth Decade Innovation Fund, the Yale School of Management said.

    With this gift, Ms Nooyi becomes the “most generous graduate” of Yale School of Management in terms of lifetime giving to the school and she is the first woman to endow the deanship at a top business school, it said.

    Ms Nooyi said her experience at the Yale School of Management “forever altered the course of my life” and her gift “pales in comparison with the gift that Yale gave me-the fundamental understanding that leadership requires an expansive worldview and a deep appreciation of the many points of intersection between business and society.”

    “Business issues are never just business issues, and my most ardent hope is that this endowment will teach future generations of leaders that the most successful companies of tomorrow will do more than make money. They will make a difference and create shareholder value by improving the quality of life in every market in which they operate,” Ms Nooyi said.

    Ms Nooyi joins several prominent persons of Indian-origin who have donated generously to US universities. In October last year, Ms Nooyi’s sister Chandrika Tandon and her husband Ranjan had made a USD 100 million gift to the New York University’s School of Engineering, one of the largest philanthropic gifts by a member of the Indian-American community.

    As part of a long record of support for the Yale School of Management, Ms Nooyi has previously made substantial contributions to the construction of the Edward P Evans Hall, including gifts to name the Ms Nooyi Classroom and the Isaacson Classroom in memory of Professor Larry Isaacson.

    Commenting on the gift, Yale University president Peter Salovey said Ms Nooyi’s “sense of purpose, deep engagement with civic life, and pursuit of excellence exemplify the kind of leadership in service to society that we hope all Yale graduates will achieve.”

    “The world needs skillful, purposeful, and dedicated leaders in every field and every sector, and Indra’s name is synonymous with those core values of the university,” Salovey said.

    Edward Snyder is the inaugural dean Indra K Nooyi Dean and has led the Yale School of Management since 2011. He was recently appointed to a second five-year term as dean.

    “Indra Nooyi has become a leading voice among Fortune 500 CEOs in no small part because of her willingness to take a stand on the broader purpose of the corporation, while delivering top-echelon performance,” Snyder said.

    The Fifth Decade Innovation Fund is named in recognition of the fact that the school is entering its fifth decade; the first class entered the Yale School of Management in 1976.

  • Indian-Origin Man Suspected To Be ‘New Jihadi John’ In ISIS Video

    Indian-Origin Man Suspected To Be ‘New Jihadi John’ In ISIS Video

    LONDON:  The terrorist who has been dubbed “new Jihadi John” and appeared in the latest ISIS video threatening attacks on the UK is suspected to be an Indian-origin British Muslim convert, media reports said today.

    Suspected ISIS terrorist Abu Rumaysah, who was born as Siddhartha Dhar holding his newborn son in one hand and an AK-47 assault rifle in the other. (File Photo)
    Suspected ISIS terrorist Abu Rumaysah, who was born as Siddhartha Dhar holding his newborn son in one hand and an AK-47 assault rifle in the other. (File Photo)

    Abu Rumaysah, who was born as Siddhartha Dhar, had skipped bail and fled Britain in 2014 with his wife and their four children allegedly to join ISIS in Syria.

    Born a Hindu, the 32-year-old ran a business renting out bouncy castles in London before converting to Islam and joining the radical Islamist group Al Muhajiroun.

    An official source told the BBC that Dhar is the focus of investigations into the video, which purports to show the killing of five men ISIS says were spying for the UK.

    Dhar’s mother and sister have also watched the video, released by ISIS on Sunday, and noticed similarities between the voice of the masked terrorist, being referred to as the “new Jihadi John” by the British media.

    “I heard the voice, yes, but I don’t know, I’m not sure of the voice. These are the most difficult questions to answer. I just cannot say. I’m not sure within myself whether it is the truth or not,” his mother Sobita Dhar told ‘The Daily Telegraph’.

    His sister, Konika Dhar, from north London, said: “I believed the audio to resemble, from what I remember, the voice of my brother but having viewed the short clip in detail, I wasn’t entirely convinced which put me at ease.

    “I can’t believe it. This is just so shocking for me. I don’t know what the authorities are doing to confirm the identity, but I need to know if it is.”

    She said her brother had converted to Islam more than 10 years ago and her memories of him are from when they were children and teenagers.

    “He was a very pleasant boy, and I know it may be hard to believe, but he still is, and I still believe that he still can be that person,” she added.

    One of Dhar’s former business associates told the BBC he had “no doubt” the voice on the video was that of Dhar, who had been arrested on suspicion of encouraging terrorism by the British police but was later able to travel to Syria after being bailed.

    His former neighbours from Walthamstow in east London claimed Dhar’s wife was more devout than him and suggest she may have put him on the path to extremism.

    In the months leading up to his arrest Dhar was accused of calling for the imposition of Sharia law in Britain.

    [yuzo_related]

  • Indian-Origin Central Bank Governor Fired For Being ‘Discourteous’

    Indian-Origin Central Bank Governor Fired For Being ‘Discourteous’

    Jwala Rambarran, Indian-origin Central Bank Governor of Trinidad and Tobago, has been removed for being “discourteous” to the government by making public details about foreign exchange and recession.

    The 47-year-old embattled governor, the second person of Indian-origin to get the nod for this position, was in controversy after he announced on December 4 that the twin-island republic is officially in a recession and disclosed the names of companies that are the biggest foreign exchange buyers.

    Acting president Christine Kangaloo signed off on the dismissal in the absence of President Anthony Carmona who is overseas.

    “Cabinet took the decision after very careful deliberations,” Minister of Finance Colm Imbert was quoted as saying by caribbean360 as saying.

    Mr Rambarran was expelled on a recommendation from Cabinet, the minister said. Former bank deputy governor Alvin Hilaire has been named as his replacement.

    The minister was among those who harshly criticised Mr Rambarran for the statements he made as he addressed the Fifth Monetary Policy Forum.

    Imbert said the Governor was “discourteous” for making the announcement before communicating the situation to government first, in keeping with the Central Bank Act.

    The Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce had accused Mr Rambarran of betraying business’ confidence by giving the details of foreign exchange purchasers.

    Former prime minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who appointed Mr Rambarran three years ago amid criticism that he was chosen over officials with better qualifications, accused the People’s National Movement (PNM) administration of victimisation.

    “I am shocked, but not surprised at the decision of the Government of Trinidad and Tobago to instruct the acting president to fire Central Bank Governor Jwala Rambaran,” she said in a statement.

    She accused the government of entrapment, contending that Mr Rambarran made the disclosures which have now cost him his job only after Ms Imbert asked the Central Bank to provide information on how the recent release of foreign exchange was distributed and indicated that such information would be made public.

    Updated : NEW YORK Updated 12/28/2015 14:50:47 EST

  • Indian American Mother Jailed For Child Abuse in North Carolina

    Indian American Mother Jailed For Child Abuse in North Carolina

    WASHINGTON:  An Indian-origin mother has been arrested in the US on charges of causing serious injuries to her five-week-old girl child that left her with broken ribs and leg.

    Rinkuben Patel, 25, who was arrested on Tuesday, is now in the Cumberland County jail in North Carolina under a USD 10,000 bond, police said.

    Police said EMS responded to the family’s Mont Drive apartment regarding a call of the baby having seizures about 9:30 p.m. on Nov. 25. She was then taken to Duke Medical Center / Cape Fear Valley Medical Center for more treatment. After further examination, doctors found rib fractures, ankle fractures, and a femur fracture.

    According to the Spring Lake Police Department in North Carolina, the baby has now been released from the hospital and is now in the Social Services’ custody. Ms Patel, her husband, and their child lived in the apartment with another couple.

    “I have sympathy for any infant and the children who can’t defend themselves,” Curtis Worthy, who rented the apartment to the Patels, was quoted as saying by a local news channel.

    “You really feel sorry for them,” he said, adding that the Patel couple moved into the apartment about two years ago.

    Curtis Worthy said there were no adverse warning signs prior to the Thanksgiving Eve incident.

  • Indian-Origin Official To Lead Multination Initiative

    Indian-Origin Official To Lead Multination Initiative

    WASHINGTON:  Sanjay Pradhan, an Indian-origin World Bank official, has been selected to lead a multination initiative focused on improving government transparency, accountability and responsiveness to citizens.

    Mr Pradhan will lead the Open Government Partnership Support Unit and report to an international Steering Committee of 11 governments and 11 civil society leaders, OFP said in a statement.

    Launched by eight heads of state at the UN General Assembly in 2011, OGP currently includes 69 countries, half a dozen multilateral organisations and hundreds of civil society groups, it said.

    “My long-standing passion for how open government can transform the lives of millions around the globe has led me directly to OGP,” said Mr Pradhan.

    Mr Pradhan has held three Vice President positions sin 1986 at the World Bank Group (WBG) where he led the development of its Governance and Anticorruption Strategy, helped launch Global Partnership for Social Accountability incubated ICT-mediated citizen feedback, launched Open Contracting with Partners, and rolled out a flagship Collaborative Leadership for Development program to help leaders in government and civil society undertake collaborative actions.

    Ayanda Dlodlo, Steering Committee Government co-chair and South Africa’s deputy minister for public service administration added: “I am confident that through Sanjay’s leadership, the OGP will advance its role as a vehicle for transforming the lives of millions around the world through open, parliamentary governance.”

  • Scholarship Set Up To Honour Indian American

    Scholarship Set Up To Honour Indian American

    WASHINGTON:  The US town of Spotswood in New Jersey will set up a scholarship fund to honour the memory of an Indian-origin emergency medical technician, who died in the line of duty in July this year, a media report said.

    Hinal Patel, 22, was enroute with her partner to assist on a routine call in a neighbouring town when her ambulance was struck by a car. Ms Patel died in the crash while her partner and the woman who hit the ambulance survived, American news website, tapinto.net, reported on Sunday.

    It was Ms Patel’s last shift at the Spotswood Emergency Medical Services. She was leaving her position to continue her education at the Graduate School of Biomedical Science at Rutgers University.

    Ms Patel hoped to one day become a doctor.

    The scholarship will keep Ms Patel’s memory alive and it will be awarded annually to a deserving senior at Spotswood High School every spring on awards night.

    The organisers of the Kloos Family Lights, another yearly tradition that supports “a worthy cause”, has invited donations for Ms Patel’s scholarship fund.

  • Indo-Canadian Woman Stabs Drug Store Employee in Toronto

    TORONTO:  A 40-year-old Indian-origin woman is facing murder charges for stabbing to a woman death in the heart of Toronto, police said.

    Rohinie Bisesar stabbed the victim at a Shoppers Drug Mart in Toronto’s financial district last Friday.

    The victim was rushed to a hospital where she succumbed to her injuries on Thursday.

    The Indian-origin woman was arrested on Tuesday and charged with attempted murder. Police said she did not know her victim.

    Since the victim has died, Mr Bisesar will now face first-degree murder charges.

    A business graduate from the prestigious York University of Toronto, Mr Bisesar has held many jobs in Toronto’s financial district.

  • Rakesh Punn Gets 30 Years Jail For Child Sex Exploitation

    Rakesh Punn Gets 30 Years Jail For Child Sex Exploitation

    NEW YORK: A 57-year-old Indian-origin pediatrician in the US has been jailed for 30 years for sexual exploitation of a child and producing child pornography.

    Rakesh Punn
    Rakesh Punn

    Rakesh Punn, of New York had pleaded guilty in April last year to producing child pornography, Assistant Attorney General Leslie Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said yesterday.

    Mr Punn admitted that in September 2007, he sexually exploited a minor paediatric patient during a medical appointment at his home-office.

    Mr Punn falsely diagnosed the child with an illness so that he could obtain unfettered access to her without her parents being present and then drugged and secretly photographed the girl.

    At sentencing, the court found that Mr Punn engaged in a pattern of similar conduct with other patients and enhanced his sentence accordingly.

    Mr Punn awaits sentencing on state charges also related to this conduct. He was arrested in July 2010 on preliminary charges of videotaping patients.

    He was initially charged with abusing three children under the guise of giving them medical treatment. He admitted in April 2014 to sexually abusing an 11-year-old girl who was a patient in his office in Bethpage.

  • Indian-Origin Scientist Developes New 3D Software to Track Embryonic Development

    Indian-Origin Scientist Developes New 3D Software to Track Embryonic Development

    WASHINGTON:  An Indian-origin scientist has developed a new, open-source software that can help track the embryonic development and movement of neuronal cells throughout the body of the worm, and is now available to scientists.

    The software is described in a paper published in the open access journal, eLife on December 3rd by researchers at the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) and the Center for Information Technology (CIT); along with Memorial Sloan-Kettering Institute, New York City; Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut; Zhejiang University, China; and the University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington. NIBIB is part of the National Institutes of Health.
    Although scientists have identified a number of important proteins that determine how neurons navigate during brain formation, it is largely unknown how all of these proteins interact in a living organism.

    “Understanding why and how neurons form and the path they take to reach their final destination could one day give us valuable information about how proteins and other molecular factors interact during neuronal development,” explained Hari Shroff, head of the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) research team.

    The new technology will be pivotal in their project to create a 4D neurodevelopmental “worm atlas” that attempts to catalog the formation of the worm nervous system.

    This catalog will be the first comprehensive view of how an entire nervous system develops.

    According to Mr Shroff, it will be helpful in understanding the fundamental mechanisms by which all nervous systems, including ours, assemble.

    They also expect that some of the concepts developed, such as the approach taken to combine neuronal data from multiple embryos, can be applied to additional model organisms besides the worm.

    “We do not yet understand neurodevelopment even in the context of the humble worm but we’re using it as a simple model of how these factors work together to drive the development of the worm brain and neuronal structure,” he informed.

    “We are hoping that by doing so, some of the lessons will translate all the way up to humans,” Mr Shroff added.

    The worm known as C elegans has only 302 neurons, 222 of which form while the worm is still an embryo.

    The worm even has its own versions of many of the same proteins used to direct brain formation in more complex organisms such as flies, mice, or humans.

  • 11-Year-Old Indian-Origin Girl Gets Top Score in Mensa

    11-Year-Old Indian-Origin Girl Gets Top Score in Mensa

    LONDON:  A 11-year-old Indian-origin girl, Anushka Binoy, is one of Britain’s brainiest students. She bagged the highest possible score in the IQ test of Mensa, the largest high IQ society in the world.

    Binoy has joined the one per cent of all entrants to attain the highest mark in the Cattell III B paper supervised by Mensa, the society for people with high IQs.

    Anushka scored 162 to gain membership of the exclusive society, where entry is reserved for Britain’s brainiest 2 per cent.

    Proud father Binoy Joseph, Kerala-born IT consultant, said he always knew his daughter was smart but hadn’t realised quite how remarkable.

    “She loves reading quite advanced books and she memorises a lot of what she reads, so I knew she was pretty special but I was amazed when we got the results back. We’re very proud of her,” he told Get West London.

    “There was no pressure on her, there was no extra preparation, except to prepare for her 11+ examination. She loves reading quite advanced books and she memorises a lot of what she reads. So I knew she was pretty special but I was amazed when we got the results back. We’re very proud of her,” Joseph told HT.

    Hailing from Kottayam district, Anushka’s family has been living in Isleworth in London in 2007. She is a student of St Mary’s Catholic Primary School in Isleworth, west London counts tennis, swimming and playing the violin among her hobbies.

    A Mensa spokesperson said it did not keep a record of members’ IQs so it was impossible to say how rare an achievement this is, but she said it was certainly “exceptional”.

    Cattell III B has 150 questions, often assessing comprehension through passages of texts, while the maximum score that can be achieved is 161 for adults, and 162 for under-18s.

    Both Hawking and Einstein are thought to have an IQ of 160.

    Mensa is believed to be the largest and oldest high IQ society in the world. Membership is open to anyone who can demonstrate an IQ in the top 2 per cent of the population, measured by a recognised or approved IQ testing process.

  • Madhesi leaders submit 11-point demand to PM Oli to end stir

    KATHMANDU (TIP): Nepal’s Indian-origin Madhesi leaders on Monday submitted their 11-point demand to the goverment during their first meeting with Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to end the political logjam, but no breakthrough emerged from the tripartite talks attended by Opposition Nepali Congress.

    After the talks, the government and the Madhesis said there was no agreement but the talks were headed in positive direction and they have agreed to meet again on December 2.

    The government and opposition parties will sit for talks again ahead of the Wednesday meeting to forge a common stance on the demands presented by the Madhesi parties.

    During the meeting today “both the sides agreed to resolve the issues relating to the Madhesi parties through bilateral and trilateral dialogue,” said Oli’s press advisor Pramod Dahal. This was the first meeting between Oli and representatives of agitating Madhesi parties.

    Oli drew the attention of Madhesi leaders to the serious crisis facing the country due to the nearly three-month-long agitation by them near the border trading points with India. (PTI)

  • Two Indian-Americans among richest entrepreneurs under 40

    Two Indian-Americans among richest entrepreneurs under 40

    Two Indian-origin businessmen have been ranked by Forbes magazine among the richest entrepreneurs in America under the age of 40, a list that has been topped by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

    Vivek Ramaswamy
    Vivek Ramaswamy

    Vivek Ramaswamy, 30, a former hedge fund manager, has been ranked 33rd on the list with a net worth of $500 million. Forbes said his source of wealth is investments.

    On the 40th spot is 29-year old Apoorva Mehta, the founder and CEO of Instacart, the web-based grocery delivery service.

    Mehta’s net worth is $400 million.

    Zuckerberg leads the pack with a net worth of $47.1 billion, more than four times as much as the second person in the ranks, his cofounder and college friend Dustin Moskovitz.

    At number three is Jan Koum, who came to America at age 16.

    He started WhatsApp, now the world’s biggest mobile messaging service with 800 million users in 2009 and sold it to Facebook for about $22 billion in cash and stock in 2014.

    Forbes said California techies dominate the first ever list of the nation’s 40 most successful young entrepreneurs under the age of 40, “reaffirming the American Dream and proving yet again that there is no better way right now to get rich fast than to go west and convince venture investors to back your most ambitious ideas.”

    Elizabeth Holmes is the only woman to make the ‘America’s Richest Entrepreneurs Under 40’.

    Holmes quit Stanford at age 19 to start blood testing company Theranos.

    However recently in a setback, the FDA told Holmes that her company was using an unapproved blood collection device.

    All of the young entrepreneurs in the list have net worths of $400 million or more and 34 made their money in the tech sector.

    Twenty-one are billionaires and many either created or work for some of the hottest tech companies, including Uber, AirBnB, Fitbit, GitHub, Instacart and Pinterest.

    The list’s youngest member is Palmer Luckey, who was just 21 years old when he sold his virtual reality equipment company, Oculus, to Facebook for $2.3 billion in July 2014.

    Luckey’s net worth is $700 million and is one of half a dozen in the ranks who are still in their 20s, Forbes said.

  • Andhra-Born Minister Dipika Damerla Blazes a Trail in Canada

    Andhra-Born Minister Dipika Damerla Blazes a Trail in Canada

    TORONTO:  Andhra-born Dipika Damerla, who is the first Indian-origin woman minister in Canada’s biggest province of Ontario, is blazing a trail in community service.

    If thanks to her efforts Indian-Canadians in the neighbouring Mississauga just enjoyed their first-ever Diwali fireworks, the community may soon have dedicated places for cremation and disposal of the ashes.

    “Now I am working with the authorities for getting dedicated cremation grounds for Hindus and Sikhs and the spots where they can scatter the ashes. Though the Indo-Canadian population is increasing rapidly, there is no community-specific cremation place and spots for disposing of the ashes,” says Ms Damerla, who is Ontario’s associate minister for long-term care with a budget of almost $4 billion.

    Secunderabad-born Ms Damerla is the first Andhra woman to hold any ministerial position in North America. “Maybe perhaps I am the first Andhra woman to hold a ministerial position outside India,” says the young minister who was appointed to the position last year after her Liberal Party was re-elected to the office.

    Daughter of an armyman, she came to Canada in 1991 after finishing her under-graduation. On completing her MBA from the famous Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, she served as a corporate executive with the country’s two top banks – the Royal Bank of Canada and the Bank of Nova Scotia – before quitting to raise her daughter.

    She is also a former TV journalist who has worked with Toronto-based OMNI TV channel which serves Canada’s south Asian communities. In fact, it was her interaction as a journalist with politicians which led her to joining the office of the then Premier Dalton McGuinty in 2007 and then enter politics.

    “We Indians have robust interest in politics. Look how many Indo-Canadians have been elected as MPs this time. The reason is that it is very difficult for middle class people to break into politics in India. But when these same people come here as immigrants, they can enter politics easily,” says Ms Damerla, sitting in the office of her constituency of Mississauga East-Cooksville on the outskirts of Toronto.

    In 2011, Ms Damerla says, she decided to enter electoral politics and seek elections to serve the community. “It was not easy, particularly when you are a first-generation immigrant and a woman. But I grew up confident in my identity and I had that strong robust self-esteem,” she says.

    She won her first election to the Ontario provincial parliament (equal to state assembly in India) and got re-elected in 2014.

    Ms Damerla says she is excited to visit India in February with Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne. “We will be going to Hyderabad, Mumbai, Chandigarh and Amritsar from February 1. Canada and our Ontario province have so much to offer to India for its smart-city concept, water management, and clean technology needs. When we met Prime Minister Modi here in Toronto in April, he asked our Premier: ‘When can you come?’.’

  • Indian-origin barrister sworn in as Judge in UK

    LONDON (TIP): Kalyani Kaul, a prominent barrister of Indian-origin who has handled high-profile cases, has been sworn in as a Circuit Judge in the UK.

    54-year-old Kalyani, who has spent much of the past 32 years defending serious and high-profile cases, is known for her extensive and wide-ranging experience in heavy-weight criminal defence work.

    She was called to the Bar in 1983 and became a Recorder in 2009. As a Recorder she prepared cases for trial and presided over hearings in county courts.

    She took Silk in 2011 — in order to “take silk” a lawyer usually has to serve as a barrister or a Scottish advocate for at least 10 years.

    Kalyani was sworn in as a Circuit Judge on Monday and will be sitting at Snaresbrook Crown Court with immediate effect.

    In the last 10 years, she has prosecuted offences of murder, manslaughter, serious sexual offences and fraud.

    Kalyani was the third highest-paid barrister in terms of legal aid payments in 2005. She studied law from the London School of Economics (LSE).

  • Indian-origin father killed wife, twins over family row in UK

    LONDON: An Indian-origin father who was found hanging here earlier this year strangled his wife and twin teenage daughters before committing suicide following a violent row over his in-laws allegedly “cheating” him out of money, a UK court has been told. Rethish Pullarkattil Kunjunny murdered wife Shighi Padmanabhan and his 13-year-old daughters Niya and Neha at their family home in Essex, north-east of London, in May. Two days later, the 44-year-old’s body was found near a reservoir in east London with a note which said: “My mother in-law cheated me.”

    During an inquest last week at Walthamstow Coroners Court, it emerged that in the week before the murders Kunjunny attacked 37-year-old Shighi following a dispute about a property in India. Detective Sergeant John Logan, who investigated the deaths, said: “She (Shighi) had been punched and kicked and she had done the same back in retaliation.”

    Then on the day of the murders, May 10, a friend went round to the family home in the afternoon when Shighi said the “marriage was over” and they would be getting a divorce. “During that visit Kunjunny said words to the effect of ‘if she wants a divorce that is what she can have’.

  • Indian-origin woman charged with making false declarations of salaries

    Indian-origin woman charged with making false declarations of salaries

    SINGAPORE (TIP): An Indian-origin woman director of a Singapore company was on Nov 12 charged with making false declarations of foreign employees’ salaries to the government to obtain Employment Passes (EPs).

    Parmjit Kaur, a former director of bar and dining chain Harry’s International, was charged with 20 counts of making false declaration of salaries in the work pass applications to the Controller of Work Passes.

    The Ministry of Manpower said Kaur made the declaration between April 8 and September 2, 2013. Investigations reported that Kaur instructed her subordinates to declare that the fixed monthly salaries of the foreign employees would be 3,100 dollars, salary requirement to obtain EPs.

    Kaur allegedly knew that the 20 foreign employees would be paid less than what was declared in their work pass applications, the ministry said.

    Her case has been adjourned to December 10.

    If found guilty, she faces a maximum fine of 20,000 dollars and could be jailed for up to two years.

    The ministry said it conducts stringent checks to detect and enforce against false applications.

    The ministry is currently investigating other similar false declaration cases involving 241 foreigners hired by 95 employers.

    The EPs allows foreign professionals, managers and executives to work in Singapore. Candidates need to earn at least 3,300 dollars qualifications.

    In April 2014, the ministry charged eight employers who were franchisees of convenience store 7-Eleven for making false declarations and fined them between 8,000 dollars and 56,000 dollars.

    In November 2014, the ministry also recovered 32,000 dollars as fine from the director of Indian restaurant Blue Diamond for making false declarations.

  • Indo-Canadian Sikh Lawmaker Navdeep Bains Likely to Get Ministerial Berth

    Indo-Canadian Sikh Lawmaker Navdeep Bains Likely to Get Ministerial Berth

    TORONTO:  Navdeep Bains, 38-year-old Indian-origin Canadian Sikh MP who played a key role in prime minister-designate Justin Trudeau’s leadership bid in 2013, is likely to get a ministerial berth, Toronto Star reports. The Prime Minister-elect Justin Trudeau has chosen his cabinet and the members-to-be have been sworn to secrecy until the swearing-in on November 4.

    Speculation is rife that Mr Bains, a Liberal Member of Parliament (MP) from Mississauga city, may end up getting a ministry as Trudeau has already chosen ministers for his upcoming cabinet, according to The Star newspaper.

    Mr Bains, who played a key role in Mr Trudeau’s leadership bid in 2013, is presently a distinguished visiting professor at Ryerson University – Ted Rogers School of Management and holds an MBA with a specialization in Finance.

    As an MP for Mississauga-Brampton South from 2004 to 2011, Mr Bains also served as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister in 2005.

    The Liberals won a majority government and 184 seats in the October 19 election.

    According to The Star factors to select members for the cabinet included “the size of the cabinet, gender equality, ethnic diversity, regional distribution and a balance of new and veteran MPs, but leaning to young and new versus old and experienced.”

    The cabinet is expected to have 28 members.

    In contrast, Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s cabinet had 39 ministers, including 26 senior ministers and 12 junior ministers of state.

    The Star suggests the cabinet will have 10 members from Ontario, six from Quebec, five from Atlantic Canada, three from B.C. and one each from Manitoba, Alberta and Saskatchewan and one representing the three northern territories.

    According to The Star:

    * Ralph Goodale is expected to be announced as deputy prime minister and House leader.

    * Scott Brison is expected to become finance minister.

    * Stéphane Dion, former Liberal party leader, is expected be named environment minister.

    * Chrystia Freeland (Toronto) could be foreign affairs or international trade minister. Marc Garneau could also be chosen foreign affairs minister.
    Mr Trudeau’s first big international test will come at the UN climate change conference in Paris from November 30 to December 11.

  • Indian American teen Natasha Subhash wins singles and doubles titles at Atlanta ITF tournament

    Indian American teen Natasha Subhash wins singles and doubles titles at Atlanta ITF tournament

    An Indian-American teen may soon feature in International Tennis Federation (ITF) top 200 rankings after she won the girls’ singles and doubles titles at the 2015 Atlanta ITF tournament.

    The first Indian-origin player to achieve the double feat in an international tennis tournament, 14-year-old Natasha Subhash, from Virginia, played on hard courts at the Life Time Athletic and Tennis club at Peachtree Corners in Georgia, The American Bazaar online reported on Monday.

    Subhash won the girls’ singles title in the ITF tournament on Sunday and beat Layne Sleeth of Canada, 14, in straight sets 6-3, 6-1, in the final.

    She clinched the girls’ doubles title on Saturday with her partner Ann Li ( USA) by defeating Ali Collins of Britain and River Hart of Canada in the final 6-2, 6-4.

    Subhash and Li are now on a 10-0 streak in the doubles after they won their second consecutive ITF tournament on Sunday.

    The duo has also clinched the Pan American title as well.

    She dropped only one set in the entire tournament on her way to the singles and doubles championship.

    “I’m happy I won the singles and the doubles title,” said Subhash.

    Earlier this year, Subhash featured in the 2015 US Open after getting a wild card entry.

    She is the first ranked player in Under-14 and Under-16 category in the US and is the youngest Indian-origin player ever to play for the Junior girls title in the Grand Slam event.

    “The US Open gave me a lot of confidence. My movement on court and consistency overall has improved,” she added.

    Subhash was born to Keralite couple Subhash Kongassery and Sulekha Subhash, who migrated to the US in 1997.

    Subhash started playing tennis at the age of five and is a big fan of Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer.

  • Sixth Grader Indian American Sells cryptographically Secure Passwords

    Sixth Grader Indian American Sells cryptographically Secure Passwords

    NEW YORK:  An enterprising 11-year-old Indian-origin girl in the US has started her own business selling cryptographically secure passwords generated by dice rolls at USD 2 each.

    Mira Modi, a sixth grader in New York City, runs a small business at www.dicewarepasswords.com where she helps customers to have stronger and more secure passwords by generating passphrases by hand. As the name implies, she uses the system known as “diceware” which involves rolling “real” six-sided dice in order to generate random numbers which she then matches to an English word from a list that she keeps in a binder.

    Diceware is a well-known decades-old system for coming up with passwords. It involves rolling a dice as a way to generate random numbers that are matched to a long list of English words.

    “You roll a die 5 times and write down each number. Then you look up the resulting five-digit number in the Diceware dictionary, which contains a numbered list of short words,” as explained on her official site.

    When an order comes in, Modi would roll the physical dice and then look up for the words in her Diceware list, which she even labeled with the words “top secret” on the front page. After finding the word, she writes it down by hand. Once she has completed the string of words (6 words to be exact), she sends the copy to the customer by postal mail. She assures the safety of sending the copy through mail by stating that it cannot be searched without a warrant.

    Those words are then combined into a non-sensical string that exhibits true randomness and is therefore difficult to crack. These passphrases have proven relatively easy for humans to memorise.

    “This whole concept of making your own passwords and being super secure and stuff, I don’t think my friends understand that, but I think it’s cool,” Mira told ‘Ars Technica’.

    “I think [good passwords are] important,” said Modi. “Now we have such good computers, people can hack into anything so much more quickly. We have so much more on our social media. We post a lot more social media – when people hack into that it’s not really sad, but when people [try to] hack into your bank account or your e-mail, it’s really important to have a strong password. We’re all on the Internet now.”

    Mira’s mother, Julia Angwin, a veteran journalist and author of Dragnet Nation, employed her daughter to generate Diceware passphrases as a part of research for her book.

    That is when Mira had the idea to turn it into a small business.