Leo Varadkar begins second inning as Irish Prime Minister

Varadkar has Indian roots as his father Ashok is from Maharashtra and his mother Miriam is Irish. He is also amongst the few openly gay leaders of the world.

Smooth handover of power midway in coalition deals is a risky proposition in this part of the world, but not in Ireland as Leo Eric Varadkar was sworn in as Ireland’s prime minister on Saturday. This is his second stint as PM; he first occupied the hot seat in 2017.

The 43-year-old Varadkar is an Irish Fine Gael leader who served as deputy PM and minister for enterprise in the outgoing government since 2020. He succeeded Michael Martin, who will function as deputy PM under Varadkar. Eighty-seven members of Irish Parliament voted to elect Varadkar as PM, while 62 were against it.

On June 26, 2020, a first-ever coalition government was formed that comprised Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and the Green Party. As part of the arrangement, Fianna Fáil leader Michael Martin was to hold office of PM until December 16 and then hand over the baton to Varadkar.

Varadkar has Indian roots as his father Ashok is from Maharashtra and mother Miriam is Irish. He is also amongst the few openly gay leaders of the world and lives with his partner Matthew Barrett, who is a qualified medical practitioner like Varadkar.

It was during a radio interview on January 18, 2015 (his 36th birthday) that Varadkar came out as being gay. “It’s not something that defines me. I’m not a half-Indian politician, or a doctor politician or a gay politician for that matter. It’s just part of who I am, it doesn’t define me, it is part of my character I suppose,” he had said. He has also been an advocate of same-sex marriage.

He has studied medicine and completed his internship at KEM Hospital in Mumbai. Varadkar has been regularly visiting India, specially Maharashtra. His last trip to India was in 2019 with his partner.Sources said Varadkar would like to visit India as soon as possible depending on scheduling issues since India is already caught up with various events around the G20.

There are many issues that Varadkar will have to deal with in his present term. These includes issues surrounding the Northern Ireland Protocol—the part of Brexit treaty which Varadkar negotiated in 2019 to keep the region within the European Union’s customs block—which remains unresolved.

Ireland is also grappling with a cost of living crisis, high energy bills and an influx of refugees from Ukraine.Housing will be one of the new government’s major policy priorities as it looks to deliver progress ahead of an election due by March 2025. The shortage of homes has been building up for a decade and with forecasts showing a decline in new construction next year. One of Varadkar’s first pieces of legislation will be a planning bill.

newindianexpress.com

    Railways bags nine awards for conservation of energy

    The Kacheguda station bagged the first and the Guntakal Railway Station bagged the second award for adopting the best practices for energy conservation.

    Indian Railways has won nine National Energy Conservation Awards for the year 2022, with the South Central Railway (SCR) bagging the first and second prize in railway station category.  These awards were given for the best energy management practices and presented by President Droupadi Murmu at a function held by Bureau of Energy Efficiency under the aegis of Ministry of Power. 

    According to an official statement of the Ministry of Railway, the South Central Railway bagged the first and the second awards for energy conservation measures in railway station category. The Kacheguda station bagged the first and the Guntakal Railway Station bagged the second award for adopting the best practices for energy conservation.

    The certificates of merit were awarded to the Kanpur Central Railway station under the Northern Central Railway, the Rajahmundry railway station and the Tenali Railway station. Under the buildings category, Ajmer workshop of North Western Railway was awarded the first prize. Certificate of merit was awarded to the Railway hospital Guntakal  (SCR), Electric Traction Training Centre, Vijayawada (SCR) and Divisional Railway Hospital, Pratapnagar (Western Railway).

    newindianexpress.com

    In a first, deaf advocate Saudamini Pethe enrols with Bar Council of Delhi

    The 45-year-old woman lawyer would be arguing her matters in courts through the medium of an Indian Sign Language (ISL) interpreter and seeks to be an inspiration for the deaf youth.

    Saudamini Pethe — the first deaf advocate enrolled with the Bar Council of Delhi — wants to work for the rights of the hearing impaired and help them gain access to education, healthcare and justice.

    The 45-year-old woman lawyer would be arguing her matters in courts through the medium of an Indian Sign Language (ISL) interpreter and seeks to be an inspiration for the deaf youth to join the legal profession and contribute to the cause of their community.

    Pethe, who suffered hearing loss after being infected with meningitis at the age of nine and subsequently taking strong medicines, feels that words like ‘disability’ and ‘impairment’ have negative connotations.

    “My aim is to use my law degree to advocate for the cause of deaf rights. To make it possible for the deaf community in India to gain access in every aspect of life, be it education, health care, or career and most importantly get access to justice,” she said.

    “I also want to spread more awareness, and empower the deaf by equipping them with the knowledge of their legal rights and become capable of ensuring that these rights are fulfilled. I want to inspire more deaf youth to join the legal profession and contribute to the cause of the deaf,” Pethe, who communicated with PTI through WhatsApp messages, said.

    Senior advocate K K Manan, chairman of the Bar Council of Delhi, said “We have given the licence to her to practice, which is rarely given in such a situation. But we would like to settle her so that she can stand on her own feet. So that she can do things on her own. She can earn a livelihood for herself and her family. We have taken all these things into consideration and that is why we did it”.

    Born in Mumbai’s Dombivli, Pethe said she has faced many communication barriers and majority of these challenges arose due to lack of accessibility in schools, colleges, public transport or even hiring a cab.

    Explaining the challenges she faced to get enrolled as a lawyer, Pethe said from collecting provisional certificate to enrolling at the Bar no communication access was available.

    “I had to borrow my son’s precious pre-exam time and take him to interpret for my formalities and filings at the university, at the court to prepare affidavits, and arranging meetings with authorities concerned. I was surprised to find that there was neither any category for the disabled in the bar council form nor any relevant quota. I seriously feel this needs to be addressed on a national level,” she said.

    Pethe, who did her masters in English from Mumbai University in 2000, said she learnt the ISL after 2008 while working as a documentation executive at the Noida Deaf Society.

    Prior to learning ISL, she used to communicate by reading lips or sometimes by writing.

    Presently, she is the director at All India Foundation of Deaf Women and a trustee at the Access Mantra Foundation.

    She pursued LLB at the Institute of Law and Research, Faridabad and completed her course in August this year, after which she got enrolled with the Bar in November.

    newindianexpress.com

    Indian PhD student at Cambridge University solves 2,500-year-old Sanskrit puzzle

    Rishi Rajpopat solved the 2,500-year-old Sanskrit puzzle by decoding a rule taught by Panini, known as the father of linguistics.

    A grammatical problem that has defeated Sanskrit scholars since the 5th Century BC has finally been solved by an Indian PhD student at the University of Cambridge, it emerged as his thesis was published on Thursday.

    Rishi Rajpopat made the breakthrough by decoding a rule taught by Panini, known as the father of linguistics, and is now encapsulated in his thesis entitled ‘In Panini, We Trust: Discovering the Algorithm for Rule Conflict Resolution in the Astadhyayi’.

    According to the university, leading Sanskrit experts have described Rajpopat’s discovery as “revolutionary” and it could now mean that Panini’s grammar can also be taught to computers for the first time.

    “I had a eureka moment in Cambridge,” recalls Rajpopat.

    “After nine months of trying to crack this problem, I was almost ready to quit, I was getting nowhere. So, I closed the books for a month and just enjoyed the summer, swimming, cycling, cooking, praying and meditating. Then, begrudgingly I went back to work, and, within minutes, as I turned the pages, these patterns started emerging, and it all started to make sense. There was a lot more work to do but I’d found the biggest part of the puzzle,” said the 27-year-old scholar.

    Over the next few weeks, he was so excited that he couldn’t sleep and would spend hours in the library, including in the middle of the night, to check what he’d found and solve related problems. It would take another two and half years before he would get to the finish line.

    “Panini had an extraordinary mind and he built a machine unrivalled in human history. He didn’t expect us to add new ideas to his rules. The more we fiddle with Panini’s grammar, the more it eludes us,” says Rajpopat.

    The 2,500-year-old algorithm decoded by him makes it possible, for the first time, to accurately use Panini’s so-called “language machine”.

    Rajpopat’s discovery makes it possible to “derive” any Sanskrit word, to construct millions of grammatically correct words, using Panini’s revered language machine, which is widely considered to be one of the greatest intellectual achievements in history.

    Panini’s system – 4,000 rules detailed in his renowned work, the Astadhyayi, which is thought to have been written around 500 BC – is meant to work like a machine. Feed in the base and suffix of a word and it should turn them into grammatically correct words and sentences through a step-by-step process.

    Until now, however, there has been a big problem. Often, two or more of Panini’s rules are simultaneously applicable at the same step leaving scholars to agonise over which one to choose. Solving so-called “rule conflicts”, which affect millions of Sanskrit words including certain forms of “mantra” and “guru”, requires an algorithm. Rajpopat’s research shows that Panini’s so-called language machine is also self-sufficient.

    “My student Rishi has cracked it – he has found an extraordinarily elegant solution to a problem that has perplexed scholars for centuries. This discovery will revolutionise the study of Sanskrit at a time when interest in the language is on the rise,” said Professor Vincenzo Vergiani, Sanskrit professor and Rajpopat’s PhD supervisor.

    Six months before Rajpopat made his discovery, Professor Vergiani gave him some prescient advice: “If the solution is complicated, you are probably wrong”. A major implication of Rajpopat’s discovery is that now there is the algorithm that runs Panini’s grammar, it could potentially teach this grammar to computers.

    “Computer scientists working on Natural Language Processing gave up on rule-based approaches over 50 years ago. So teaching computers how to combine the speaker’s intention with Panini’s rule-based grammar to produce human speech would be a major milestone in the history of human interaction with machines, as well as in India’s intellectual history,” said Rajpopat.

    Sanskrit is an ancient and classical Indo-European language from South Asia. While only spoken in India by an estimated 25,000 people today, it has influenced many other languages and cultures around the world.

    “Some of the most ancient wisdom of India has been produced in Sanskrit and we still don’t fully understand what our ancestors achieved. We’ve often been led to believe that we’re not important, that we haven’t brought enough to the table. I hope this discovery will infuse students in India with confidence, pride, and hope that they too can achieve great things,” added Rajpopat.

    thehindu.com

    Steel city’s powerlifters make nation proud in New Zealand

    Secure four gold medals each at Commonwealth C’ship held from Nov 28 to Dec 4.

    Two powerlifters from Visakhapatnam made the country proud as they won four gold medals each during the Commonwealth Powerlifting and Bench Press Championship held in New Zealand from November 28 to December 4.

    M Durga Prasad, a final year BA student, and B Anil Kumar, a first-year MBA student, won gold in bench press, squat, deadlift and overall championship in the 93 kg and 83 kg categories, respectively. Both the champions’ journeys may be different, but the feeling of joy they felt while representing their country on a foreign land and acing at it was the same.

    Hailing from a farmer’s family, Anil never dreamt of becoming a powerlifter until his college lecturer encouraged him.  Summing up his journey, Anil said, “The last four years have been really difficult in terms of training and recovering from injuries. I did not realise that winning the medals in New Zealand was a great feat until I returned home and was welcomed by overwhelming appreciation and encouragement.”

    In 2019, Anil had injured his wrists during training and was on bed rest for three months.Speaking about his international win, he said, “I have won several medals at the national level, but nothing matches the feeling of representing the country and winning medals on a foreign land.”

    South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, North America, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Canada, England, Scotland, and Sri Lanka were among the other countries that took part in the powerlifting championship.
    In the case of Durga Prasad, he watched his uncle powerlift and always wanted to try his luck at it. He started training at the age of 16.

    “The weight of the bars seem nothing when compared to the happiness of representing my country amongst a number of foreign countries. I always wanted to succeed in the sport, but never expected it to be this big. We fail a lot of times in this journey, but that should not stop or create a negative impact on our willpower,” Prasad said and added, “To excel in powerlifting, one must have the zeal and patience. It is not something that can be achieved over night. It comes with practise, patience, and a proper diet. Frequent injuries should not discourage one from quitting in between.”

    “I come from a marginalised background. A single training kit costs nearly `2 lakh. Spending lakhs of rupees to compete in such competitions is a burden for me and my family. Gaining international recognition brings happiness, but it should not be at the expense of incurring debt,” Anil rued.

    Both Anil and Prasad aim to take part in the World Junior Powerlifting Championships scheduled to be held next year.In recognition of their achievements, Dr Lankapalli Bullayya College is supporting the two powerlifters by providing them with free education until they complete their post-graduation.

    newindianexpress.com

    P.T. Usha becomes first woman Indian Olympic Association president

    P.T. Usha, fondly known as the ‘Payyoli Express’, is being seen as a candidate of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, which had nominated her as a Rajya Sabha member in July.

    Ushering in a new era in the country’s sports administration, the legendary P.T. Usha was on December 10 elected as the first woman president of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).

    The 58-year-old Ms. Usha, a multiple Asian Games gold medallist and fourth-place finisher in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics 400m hurdles final, was declared elected unopposed for the top post in the polls.

    The elections were held under the supervision of Supreme Court-appointed retired SC judge L Nageswara Rao.

    The election of Ms. Usha to the top job marked an end to the long drawn crisis in the faction-ridden IOA, which was warned of a possible suspension by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) if elections are not held this month.

    The polls were originally due to be held in December 2021.

    Ms. Usha’s anointment to the top post was a forgone conclusion late last month after she emerged as the lone candidate for the top post.

    Nobody was willing to fight against Ms. Usha, who was nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in July.

    Ms. Usha, fondly known as the ‘Payyoli Express’, is being seen as a candidate of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, which had nominated her as a Rajya Sabha member in July.

    She also became the first Olympian and first international medallist to head the IOA in its 95-year-old history, adding another feather in her cap after dominating Indian and Asian athletics for two decades before retiring in 2000 with a bagful of international medals.

    Ms. Usha is the first sportsperson to have represented the country and also become IOA chief since Maharaja Yadavindra Singh, who played a Test match in 1934. Singh was the third IOA president who held office from 1938 to 1960.

    thehindu.com

    Sundar Pichai awarded with Padma Bhushan, says, ‘India is a part of me…’

    India’s Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu handed over the award to Pichai.

    Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai was awarded the Padma Bhushan – India’s third-highest civilian award – for 2022 in the Trade and Industry category on Friday in the presence of his close family members in San Francisco. India’s Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu handed over the award to Pichai and said that his “inspirational journey reaffirms Indian talent’s contribution to global innovation”.

    “Delighted to hand over Padma Bhushan to Google CEO Sundar Pichai in San Francisco. His inspirational journey from Madurai to Mountain View, strengthening India-America economic and tech ties, reaffirms Indian talent’s contribution to global innovation,” Sandhu wrote on Twitter.

    Upon receiving the prestigious award, Pichai in his blog said India is a part of him.

    “India is a part of me and I carry it with me wherever I go. I was fortunate to grow up in a family that cherished learning and knowledge, with parents who sacrificed a lot to make sure I had opportunities to explore my interests,” he said.

    Pichai added, “I am deeply grateful to the Indian government and the people of India for this immense honour. It is incredibly meaningful to be honoured in this way by the country that shaped me.”

    Pichai also recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of technology to combine the 3s -speed, simplicity, and service.

    “We recently announced that we’ll be investing USD 10 billion in India’s digital future, working to enable more affordable internet access, building products for India’s unique needs, helping businesses of all sizes in their digital transformation, and using AI to tackle big societal challenges,” the Google CEO said.

    “I look forward to continuing the great partnership between Google and India, as we work together to bring the benefits of technology to more people,” Pichai added.

    (With inputs from agencies)

    hindustantimes.com

    India’s ‘generous humanitarian support’ for Afghanistan draws US envoy’s praise

    The US envoy also mentioned about meeting Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, the chairman of the National Reconciliation Committee.

    India’s support for Afghanistan – at a time when the neighboring country is struggling with multiple civic and economic concerns under the Taliban rule – has drawn praise from an envoy from the United States. New Delhi had re-established its presence in Kabul, months after pulling out.

    Thomas West, the US special representative for Afghanistan, during his India visit discussed issues related to the conflict-ridden country that evoke global concerns. He met Deputy National Security Advisor Vikram Misri and Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Joint Secretary (PAI) JP Singh. “1/2 Great to see @VikramMisri, @MEAIndia JP Singh and other Indian colleagues in Delhi to discuss shared interests in Afghanistan. As fellow friend of Afghan ppl, US deeply appreciates India’s generous humanitarian support and commitment to Afghans’ fundamental rights. (sic),” Thomas West wrote in one of the tweets. While this is West’s third visit to the country, it is his first visit after India re-established its diplomatic presence in the country.

    The US envoy also mentioned about meeting Dr. Abdullah, the chairman of the National Reconciliation Committee, in Afghanistan. “Also valuable to meet with @DrabdullahCE about urgent need for national political dialogue among Afghans. There is consensus in int’l community on this imperative, which Afghans must lead and shape,” he further added.

    Apart from India, Japan and the United Arab Emirates are also included in his three-nation visit. He is said to be engaging with the Afghan diaspora, including human rights, business, political, and media leaders on how to address these challenges, news agency ANI reported.

    This visit comes as the UN mission in Afghanistan has urged the Taliban to take immediate steps to end violence against women.

    Meanwhile, security concerns linked to Afghanistan also remain on top of agenda as National Security Adviser Ajit Doval meets his counterparts from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan on Tuesday.

    (With inputs from ANI)

    hindustantimes.com

    Drugs regulator approves first indigenous TB testing kit

    TB is an infectious disease, and according to the government data, India reported 1.93 million new TB cases in 2021.

    India’s national drugs regulator has approved Pune based Mylab’s test kit to detect tuberculosis (TB) , making it the first made in India test kit to be approved for TB diagnosis, the company announced on Tuesday.

    The kit simultaneously detects drug resistance to the two most commonly used drugs in TB treatment— Rifampicin and Isoniazid, the company added.

    TB is an infectious disease, and according to the government data, India reported 1.93 million new TB cases in 2021, making it one of the major public health concerns in the country. India currently uses imported test kits; most of them come from US and Europe.

    Apart from the central drugs standard control organization (CDSCO), the kit has also received approval from the national TB expert committee and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

    “We are addressing several problems simultaneously here. First being able to speed up testing by automated systems that can do multiple tests at one time. Secondly, there is scarce trained manpower for RT-PCR testing, which India can now overcome with fully automated system which does not need highly technical person to handle samples and reagents,” said Hasmukh Rawal, managing director, Mylab.

    According to people familiar with the matter, this kit is more automated that others in the market and reduces the need for high expertise to run the test. Also, the kit can be stored at Indian room temperature; thus catering to look temperature requirements.

    The kit is priced around ₹650 per unit, which is almost comparable to the prices of others in the market.

    “We have technology to detect TB and drug resistance in the form of genexpert that’s a cartridge based nucleic acid amplification test. But this is an expensive test in the private sector and the advantage of made-in-India kit will be its low cost. We will still have to be sure how reliable the technology is,” said Dr Vikas Maurya, director, department of Pulmonology, Fortis Healthcare.

    According to the company, the kit has been approved after rigorous and large scale field trials and recommended by TB Expert Committee under the aegis of ICMR. Multicentre centre evaluation study and field feasibility testing studies were also carried out for the test kit.

    Emphasizing on the important point of drug resistance, Rawal said, “There is a huge problem of resistance to drugs when it comes to TB. Until now, India had to conduct 2 tests: one to detect TB first and to check drug resistance – that against only one drug (Rifampicin). With Mylab’s PathoDetect™ kit, in a single test – patients can know their active TB infection as well as drug resistance to 2 most common drugs – Isoniazid and Rifampacin – so that they take treatment that will actually work. This is a milestone moment in India’s TB Testing.”

    The test kits have been designed to work in ambient temperatures compared to existing PCR options which need 2-8 degree cold storage. Mylab Compact device systems do not require special infrastructure for operations and feasibility studies done on mobile van in rural areas indicate them to be very robust, said the company.

    hindustantimes.com

    Sushmita Shukla appointed first Vice President, Chief Operating Officer of Federal Reserve Bank of New York

    The Indian-origin veteran of the insurance industry is the second-ranking officer at the prominent institution.

    Sushmita Shukla, an Indian-origin veteran of the insurance industry, has been appointed as First Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, making her the second-ranking officer at the prominent institution.

    The appointment was approved by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the New York Fed said in a statement Thursday.

    Shukla, 54, has been appointed by the Board of Directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York as First Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, effective March 2023.

    As First Vice President, Shukla, who has an MBA from New York University and a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Mumbai, will be the New York Fed’s second-ranking officer.

    Shukla said in the statement that she is honoured to have the opportunity to work for a mission-driven organisation like the New York Fed.

    “I look forward to applying all that I’ve learned in my career – including my technology, operations, and risk-focused experiences – to furthering the key activities and supporting the dedicated leadership of this critical institution.” President and Chief Executive Officer of the New York Fed John Williams described Shukla as a dynamic, inspiring and highly effective leader who brings extensive experience leading large-scale enterprises and transformation initiatives to the Bank.

    He said Shukla has an “in-depth knowledge of technology and agile innovation methods and is passionate about creating a truly diverse and inclusive culture.” Together with the Bank’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Shukla will establish, communicate, and execute the strategic direction of the organisation and will also serve as an alternate voting member of the Federal Open Market Committee, the statement said.

    Chair of the New York Fed’s Board of Directors and Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of Comunilife Rosa Gil said that Shukla has “deep expertise and leadership acumen” that will support the Bank in achieving its mission and strategic priorities.

    According to Shukla’s profile on the New York Fed website, she has served in leadership roles in the insurance industry for nearly 20 years and has extensive experience leading large-scale enterprise transformation initiatives, as well as in-depth knowledge of technology and Agile innovation methods.

    Most recently, Shukla, who lives in Connecticut, was Senior Vice President and Chief Operations Officer for International Accident & Health at Chubb, the world’s largest publicly traded property and casualty insurance company, where she led operations, claims technology, and strategic programmes for the international accident and health business in 51 countries.

    In that role, she drove operational efficiencies and transformed customer service and the customer experience, the profile said.

    Previously, Shukla led an enterprise‐wide transformation program at Healthfirst, where she started as Vice President of Enterprise Business Solutions in 2016 and then served as interim Senior Vice President of Enterprise Transformation in 2017.

    Shukla has also held positions at Liberty Mutual, Merrill Lynch, and GiantBear Inc., a wireless technology and application service provider in New York.

    The Federal Reserve Bank of New York is one of 12 regional Reserve Banks which, together with the Board of Governors in Washington, DC, make up the Federal Reserve System.

    The New York Fed oversees the Second Federal Reserve District, which includes New York state, the 12 northern counties of New Jersey, Fairfield County in Connecticut, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.

    Though it serves a geographically small area compared with those of other Federal Reserve Banks, the New York Fed is the largest Reserve Bank in terms of assets and volume of activity, according to its website. 

    Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.

    telegraphindia.com