Category: PIO’s

** Indian-origin journalist wins Pulitzer Prize for exposing China’s vast infrastructure for detaining Muslims

Megha Rajagopalan from BuzzFeed News is among two Indian-origin journalists who won the U.S.’ top journalism award on Friday

Megha Rajagopalan, an Indian-origin journalist, along with two contributors has won the Pulitzer Prize for innovative investigative reports that exposed a vast infrastructure of prisons and mass internment camps secretly built by China for detaining hundreds of thousands of Muslims in its restive Xinjiang region.

Tampa Bay Times’ Neil Bedi won for local reporting. Ms. Bedi along with Kathleen McGrory has been awarded the prize for the series exposing a Sheriff’s Office initiative that used computer modelling to identify people believed to be future crime suspects. About 1,000 people were monitored under the programme, including children.

Mr. Bedi is an investigative reporter for the Tampa Bay Times

** Ajman: Thumbay Hospital crosses 4 million patient visits from 175 nationalities

Thumbay Hospital, the first academic hospital established by Thumbay Group under its healthcare division, celebrated with joy of crossing treatment of 4 million patient visits from 175 nationalities, Dr Thumbay Moideen, founder president said, “It was a great achievement by our team of healthcare professionals who have put all their efforts to serve the community.

** Pentagon spokesman condoles death of India America Today editor

Tejinder Singh, the founder editor of the Washington-based India America Today newspaper has died, according to a tweet from the publication.

On Tuesday, Pentagon Spokesperson John Kirby paid tributes to Singh calling him “a real gentleman, good reporter, damn good reporter.”

He said at his regular news briefing, “We’d here at the Pentagon would like to take a moment to — to express our condolences and sympathies for the passing of Mr. Tejinder Singh.”

** United States Surgeon General Dr Vivek Murthy donates 1.4 crore worth equipment

United States surgeon general Dr Vivek Murthy has donated Covid related medical equipment to small hospitals in Mandya and Kodagu districts.

Murthy a native of Hallegere in Mandya district contributing through his Scope Foundation.

** Indian origin individuals in US donate two oxygen concentrators to Vaishali PHC

Settled in the US, Sanjay Gupta, Manika Agrawal, Ankit Agarwal, Chaitali, Vikas Malik and Kavindra Taliyan formed a voluntary group called “CovidCare4U.Org” in Madison to help people and health care centres located in rural areas of India that provide free treatment to Covid-19 patients. 

** Sari aficionados led by Kerala doc promote Chendamangalam in US

Dr. Chino Mannikarottu of Scripps memorial hospital, San Diego, USA, has always been enthusiastic about India’s classic apparel, sari. This time she mixes her passion with a social cause by promoting Chendamangalam fabrics for a photoshoot.

** Indian English is a Prakrit, not a creole, says linguist Peggy Mohan

Her new book speaks of how Indian languages evolved via generations of migratory patterns

Migration has shaped the arc of Indian history in myriad ways, from the day the Vedic Aryans first alighted from their chariots to the arrival of Namboothiri Brahmins in Kerala to the Persianised Turkic conquerors of the Middle Ages.

For linguist Peggy Mohan, all this finds a strong echo in the evolution of the subcontinent’s languages. In her new book, Wanderers, Kings, Merchants: The Story of India Through Its Languages, she delves into the often surprising sounds and structures of what we conventionally call Indo-Aryan and Dravidian languages, and relates these to the deep pasts of their speakers.

** Govind Kant, stalwart of solar industry in Australia, dies of Covid-19 in India

Kant, father of two, is believed to be the second Australian to have died in India of Covid-19. Earlier this month, a 59-year-old Australian permanent resident had died after contracting Covid-19 in India.

** Indian-origin researcher makes splitters for ventilator

iSAVE re-purposes flow valves to support two patients

A team of researchers in the United States has come up with splitters for ventilators that will address the shortage of the life-saving equipment. The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation, Bengaluru, recently approved the equipment. IndVentr is the Indian partner making the device.

Earlier this year, Shriya S. Srinivasan and her team were in discussion with Indian health officials. But the interest in their equipment was low.

Dr. Srinivasan, a biomedical engineer, is the daughter of immigrant parents. She visits India frequently to give bharatanatyam performances. She did her Ph.D in medical engineering and medical physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard Medical School. She took up Project Prana on the sidelines of her ongoing post-doctoral work.