Category: PIO’s

** 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.

** Telugu man appointed Chief Operating Officer of U.S. Trade and Development Agency

Former diplomat and prominent Telugu in the United States, Vinai Thummalapally, has been appointed as the Deputy Director and Chief Operating Officer of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA).

The appointment was made by U.S. President Joe Biden. Mr. Thumalapally was the first Indian-American to serve as a U.S. Ambassador when he was appointed as the Ambassador to Belize. He also served as the Executive Director of SelectUSA, a U.S. Department of Commerce initiative that facilitates job-creating business investment into the country, from 2013 to 2017.

** Jaishankar unveils plaque at ‘Bhoodan Grove’ in Israel

Dr. S. Jaishankar also visited the Indian Cemetery at Talpiot in Jerusalem and paid homage to the brave Indian soldiers who made the supreme sacrifie during World War I.   | Photo Credit: PTI

** Jaishankar hails manifold contribution of Indian Jewish community to Indo-Israel ties

This is my third visit to Israel in the last four years. But every time I return, I leave with the sense of an unfinished journey. Like India, this too is a place that requires a lifetime to discover and understand. I am, therefore, happy to be back here, in a land with which we have centuries old ties, and amidst you who are the umbilical cord nourishing these ties,” Mr. Jaishankar said addressing the Indian Jewish community in Israel and a gathering of Indologists.

** Dubai expat’s rare collection of Apple products traces evolution of tech giant

Jimmy Grewal claims he has every major Apple product that was ever launched since the company was founded in 1976.

** Meet Debanjali Kamstra, the UAE’s first Mrs World contestant

It’s a good time to be a beauty queen in the UAE. Following the historic announcement  earlier this month that the UAE will be sending its first contestant to the Miss Universe pageant , a Dubai entrepreneur and mother-of-two will soon make history as the first to represent the Emirates at another global competition: the Mrs World contest.

Debanjali Kamstra, 35, an Indian businesswoman who’s called the UAE home for the past 13 years, will be among 72 contestants who compete for the crown, which the organisation says “celebrates the uniqueness of married women”.

To be held in Las Vegas in January, Kamstra says she was taken aback by the enthusiastic response she received from the organisers in September.

** How a UK-India project attempts to dramatically improve mental health in a suicide-prone Kerala

A team of scholars and theatre artistes led by UK-based professor of mental health, Dr Raghu Raghavan of the De Montfort University in Leicester, has been trying to spread mental health literacy in Kerala for the past three years.

** Vir Das on his International Emmy nomination for For India

Vir has reason to rejoice. His Netflix Special Vir Das: For India has just landed a biggie — an International Emmy nomination in the Best Comedy segment.

Aired on the streaming platform early last year, For India had Vir going back to his roots, evoking nostalgia with the likes of Chyawanprash, Parle-G, Old Monk and Tinkle comics. But in what is his most political piece yet, he also navigated the tricky terrain of Indian politics, touching upon everything from right-wing nationalism to Section 377 to Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi. Between bites and laughs, t2 chatted with Vir.

** Bengaluru-based lawyer is chairman of NYC Bar’s rights panel

Bengaluru-based lawyer Ramya Jawahar Kudekallu has been appointed as the chairperson of the New York City Bar’s International Human Rights Committee.

Ramya’s granduncle was Attorney General of India, while her father Jawahar Kudekallu and her uncle are also advocates