Leading India-born structural biologist, John Kuriyan, has been named the next dean of the Vanderbilt School of Medicine Basic Sciences, joining a growing number of Indian-Americans heading top US schools and colleges. Kuriyan's appointment, effective January 1, 2023, will advance the university's goal of expanding its global research impact by leveraging fundamental investigations in molecular, cellular and developmental biology into foundational advances in drug discovery, pharmacology and genetic engineering, Vanderbilt said in a statement.The Vanderbilt School of Medicine Basic Sciences is based in the US state of Tennessee. A Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator for more than 30 years, Kuriyan studied at the University of Madras before transferring to Juniata College in Pennsylvania.
Indian dies of ‘gunshot wound’ in the US
A 25-year-old man from Telangana, identified as Sai Charan Nakka, who was found injured inside an SUV after sustaining an apparent gunshot wound to his head has died, according to authorities in Maryland. Sai Charan was immediately rushed to the University of Maryland R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Centre, where he was pronounced dead a little later, the report said. Baltimore police have launched a homicide investigation. His father N Narasimha said his son flew to the US in 2020. After completing his MS course and was working in Maryland for the last six months.
Afghan floods kill 400
The Taliban-led government in Afghanistan has confirmed that 400 people have died in the recent floods triggered by incessant rain across the country. The floods hit the provinces of Kunar, Nangarhar, Nuristan, Laghman, Panjshir, Parwan, Kabul, Kapisa, Maidan Wardak, Bamiyan, Ghazni, Logar, Samangan, Sar-e-Pul, Takhar, Paktia, Khost and Daikundi, as well as the Salang areas, a report said. The wounded have been evacuated to the hospitals. The people whose residences were damaged in the floods have been evacuated and provided with tents,” Mawlawi Sharfuddin Muslim, the deputy Minister of Natural Disaster Management, said in a statement.
Israel lawmakers make move to dissolve House
Israeli lawmakers voted in favor of dissolving parliament in a preliminary vote, setting the wheels in motion to send the country to its fifth national election in just over three years. The motion was the first step in a series of votes before the formal disbanding of the government. It came two days after PM Naftali Bennett announced he was disbanding his unraveling governing coalition of eight ideologically diverse parties just over a year after he took office. A series of proposals for dissolving parliament were passed by a vast majority of the 120 members of Knesset, the Israeli parliament. But a final vote on at least one of the motions is still required in order to dissolve parliament, and that is expected to be held next week.
Taiwan scrambles jets to warn Chinese planes
Taiwan scrambled jets to warn away 29 Chinese aircraft in its air defence zone, including bombers that flew south of the island and into the Pacific, in the latest uptick in tensions and largest incursion since late May. Taiwan calls China’s repeated nearby military activities “grey zone” warfare, designed to both wear out Taiwanese forces by making them repeatedly scramble, and also to test Taiwanese responses. The latest Chinese mission included 17 fighters and six H-6 bombers, as well as electronic warfare, early warning, anti-submarine and aerial refuelling aircraft, Taiwan’s defence ministry said.
Man on stabbing rampage hurts 4 in NZ
A man wounded four people in a stabbing rampage stopped by bystanders who brought him to the ground in a New Zealand city neighborhood, police said. Police District Commander Naila Hassan said the attack in Auckland was random and the suspect was in custody. She said there was no indication the attack was a hate crime, as the victims were of different genders, ethnicities and ages. “This was an extremely fast-moving incident, where our police staff responded quickly, apprehended the offender,” Hassan said. She said the victims suffered moderate injuries.
Vienna becomes ‘most liveable city’ again
The Austrian capital Vienna has made a comeback as the world’s most liveable city, according to a report from the Economist. The Ukrainian capital Kyiv was not included this year after Russia invaded the country in late February, while Russian cities Moscow and St Petersburg fell in the rankings over “censorship” and the impact of Western sanctions. Vienna snatched the top spot from Auckland, which tumbled down to 34th place due to coronavirus pandemic restrictions, according to the annual report by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).
US Supreme Court expands gun rights
In a major expansion of gun rights, the US Supreme Court said that Americans have a right to carry firearms in public. The justices’ 6-3 decision follows a series of recent mass shootings and is expected to ultimately allow more people to legally carry guns on the streets of the nation’s largest cities - including New York, Los Angeles and Boston - and elsewhere. The ruling comes as Congress is working toward passage of gun legislation following mass shootings in Texas, New York and California. Justice Clarence Thomas wrote for the majority that the Constitution protects “an individual’s right to carry a handgun for self-defense outside the home”.
Jabs cut global Covid toll by 19.8 mn: Lancet
Covid jabs have prevented an estimated 19.8 million deaths worldwide in the first year of the vaccine programme, reducing the potential global death toll during the pandemic by 63% during that period, a mathematical modelling study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases estimates. Based on estimates of excess deaths from 185 countries and territories, the study pegged there would have been 31.4 million potential deaths due to Covid-19 during the same period in the absence of vaccination.
