Category: World Opinion

** IMF Chief Economist Gita Gopinath to leave job and return to Harvard University

She had joined the IMF as the Chief Economist in January 2019

IMF’s Chief Economist Gita Gopinath will leave her job in January next year and return to the prestigious Harvard University, according to the global financial institution.

The 49-year-old prominent Indian-American economist had joined the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as the Chief Economist in January 2019.

She was the John Zwaanstra Professor of International Studies and Economics at Harvard University when she joined the Washington-based global lender.

Mysuru-born Gopinath is the first-ever woman Chief Economist of the IMF.

** Singing her way to success

This 10-year-old singing sensation is releasing her new single for which she will collaborate with Grammy nominee, Shontelle Layne

 Megan Rakesh, the little Bengaluru-based pop sensation has had a flurry of a month with the formation of her band, the release of her first single, and Grammy-nominated artiste Shontelle Layne, one of her role models and inspirations, announcing a remix of her single. All this just days before her 10th birthday.

** GII to open office in Bengaluru

The State Government on Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Gulf Islamic Investment (GII) group that has shown interest to invest in the State. The GII will open its office in Bengaluru to further strengthen Indo-UAE investment ties, a release from the office of Industries Minister Murugesh Nirani, said.

The MoU was signed in Dubai during the DubaiExpo on Monday in the presence of Mr. Nirani and Higher Education Minister C.N. Ashwathnarayan. “GII’s decision to foray into Karnataka will further strengthen investment ties between India and UAE. GII’s presence in Bengaluru will pave the way for more investments, trade and creation of jobs,” Mr. Nirani said.

** ‘No Presents Please’ wins American translation award

Tejaswini Niranjana had translated the original Kannada short stories collection written by Jayant Kaikini to English

No Presents Please: Mumbai Stories, a collection of short stories by Jayant Kaikini translated from Kannada by Tejaswini Niranjana, has won American Literary Translators Association’s National Translation Award for 2021 for prose.

** A gecko named Jackie Chan in the Western Ghats

A new revision of Cnemaspis gecko in the Western Ghats has described 12 new species

A new revision of Cnemaspis geckos (day gecko) in the Western Ghats has described 12 new species, including ones named, among others, after Jackie Chan and dragons from Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings. Of the 12 species, 10 were found in southern Western Ghats.

The paper, ‘Diversifying on the Ark: multiple new endemic lineages of dwarf geckos from the Western Ghats provide insights into the systematics and biogeography of South Asian Cnemaspis (Reptilia: Squamata)’, authored by Saunak Pal, from the Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai, Princia D’Souza and Kartik Shanker from the Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science (IISc.), Bengaluru; and Zeeshan A. Mirza from the National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bengaluru, was published in Zoological Research recently.

** Five scientists, engineers get IISc’s Distinguished Alumnus Award

This year’s awardees are Dr Anuradha M Annaswamy, a senior research scientist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Professor Sajal K Das of Missouri University of Science and Technology, Professor T Pradeep of IIT Madras, Professor C S Raghavendra of the University of Southern California and Dr Ritu Shrivastava, a former vice president of Technology Development at SanDisk Corporation.

** Fifth grader’s click of web-weaving spider wins global award

Vidyun R Hebbar.

A fifth grader from the city who snapped the picture of a web-weaving spider against a splash of colours has won the international ‘Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year’ award.

** AASSC ties up with Bengaluru-based company to launch drone learning course

ndian youth will soon be skilled to capitalise on developments in the drone industry. The Aerospace and Aviation Sector Skill Council (AASSC) apex body set-up under the Government-led initiative of “Skill India” to train the Indian workforce has signed an MoU with a Bengaluru-based Drone Learning and Research Company. 

“With Drones being one of the fastest growing industries in India , AASSC and we have jointly developed a Drone professional certificate course for our youth to get them ready for future jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities,” said  Capt Gaurav Nath, Founder & CEO, ClearSkies Aviation OPC Pvt Ltd, a Drone Learning & Research Company founded by Industry leaders and academician focused on Unmanned Aviation sector.

** Udupi: MAHE felicitates Sub Kashinath Naik Commonwealth medallist, Ekalavya Awardee

Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) felicitated Sub Kashinath Naik- an Ekalavya Awardee and 2010 Commonwealth games medallist who has also trained the Olympian medallist Neeraj Chopra.