Leaders, on the World Stage – All others

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

P.T. Usha elected as president of Indian Olympic Association

58-year-old Legendary athlete P.T. Usha, a multiple Asian Games gold medallists and a fourth-place finisher in the 1984 Olympics 400m hurdles final, is the President of the Indian Olympic Association.

Legendary athlete P.T. Usha has been elected as the President of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).

Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju, previously the Union Sports Minister, congratulated the athlete on her election. “Congratulations to legendary Golden Girl, Smt. P.T. Usha on being elected as the President of Indian Olympic Association. I also congratulate all the sporting heroes of our country on becoming the office bearers of the prestigious IOA! A nation is proud of them!,” tweeted Mr. Rijiju.

Earlier, Ms. Usha had said that she is filing nomination for the post. “With the warm support of my fellow athletes and National Federations, I am humbled and honoured to accept and file for the nomination of the president of IOA!” PT Usha tweeted on Saturday.

The Sports Authority of India (SAI) also retweeted Mr. Rijiju’s tweet. The star sprinter Usha is one of the greatest athletes to have ever come out of India and brags four gold medals and seven silvers at the Asian Games. She missed out on a podium finish in the women’s 400m hurdles at the Los Angeles 1984 Olympics by 1/100th of a second. Her timing of 55.42s in LA still holds as a national record.

It may be noted that Ms. PT Usha and music maestro Ilaiyaraaja were among prominent personalties nominated to the Rajya Sabha recently.

thehindu.com

Anjan Luthra installed as new Cricket Scotland chair: “Major challenges and opportunities lie ahead”

The former Scotland Under-15, 17 and 19 international, Luthra will take experience in private equity and business into the role. In July, the governing body were found to be institutionally racist.

New Cricket Scotland chair Anjan Luthra has pledged to cleanse the organisation after it was found to be “institutionally racist”.

Luthra has been appointed as Tony Brian’s permanent successor on a two-year deal.

A former Scotland Under-15, 17 and 19 international, Luthra’s main experience comes in private equity and media.

He is the co-founder and chief executive of London-based global media company RAMP. Luthra also created Thrillz, a celebrity video and experience platform.

A chartered accountant having qualified with EY in Scotland, he has experience in restructuring high-profile Scottish firms.

In July, a Plan4Sport Changing The Boundaries report found the governance and leadership of the body, formed in its current guise in 1908, “enabled a culture of racially aggravated micro-aggressions”.

Investigations were triggered after allegations made by former Scotland off-spinner Majid Haq, the country’s leading wicket-taker, and teammate Qasim Sheikh.

Majid told The Cricketer last month the governing body “still don’t get it” after it emerged they were reluctant to suspend a person accused of racial discrimination from their coaching staff for the T20 World Cup.

Prior to the report being made public, the entire Cricket Scotland board resigned and installing a new board is among Luthra’s priorities.

“The Changing the Boundaries report highlighted serious institutional failings and I am committed to implementing the recommendations and findings from the report as we rebuild the organisation, starting with the appointment of independent board members,” he said.

“Major challenges and opportunities lie ahead and I am excited about what the future holds for Cricket Scotland.”

Interim CS ceo Gordon Arthur added: “The chair will lead the governance review that is one of the major recommendations emanating from ‘Changing the Boundaries’ and provides an important bridge to the International Cricket Council, sportscotland and our other stakeholders.”

thecricketer.com

India takes charge of G20 presidency

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday formally took charge of the G20 presidency from Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Bali, with the former assuring it will be inclusive, ambitious, decisive and action-oriented.

“Together with every country’s efforts, we can make the G20 summit a catalyst for global welfare,” Modi said at a brief ceremony. In the Bali Declaration to which India had constructively contributed, members deplored in the strongest terms Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and demanded its complete and unconditional withdrawal from the annexed territories. It also deplored Russia’s veiled threats on the use of nuclear weapons, saying it was inadmissible.

“Today’s era must not be of war,” the declaration said, echoing Modi’s remark during his bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at Samarkand in September. It acknowledged differences among members on the Ukraine war but emphasised the need to adhere to international law, including the protection of civilians caught in conflicts.

Earlier in the day, while addressing a session on digital transformation, Modi said it could be a force multiplier to fight global poverty. “Can we take a pledge together that in the next 10 years we will bring digital transformation into the life of every human being so that no person in the world will be deprived of the benefits of digital technology?’’ Modi added.

On the sidelines of the G20 meet, Modi held bilateral talks with six heads of state — British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian PM Giorgia Meloni, Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loong and Australian PM Antony Albanese.

One interesting talking point was on how Chinese President Xi Jinping went after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over the leaked reports of their bilateral meeting. An agitated Xi was seen saying, “Everything we discuss has been leaked to the paper, that’s not appropriate.” Trudeau responded, saying: “We believe in free and open and frank dialogue.” Xi retorted, “Let us create the conditions first.”

UK, India door opens for 3,000 grads
Britain on Wednesday announced the contours of the UK-India Young Professionals Scheme, under which the UK will offer 3,000 places annually to 18-30-year-old degree-educated Indian nationals to come to the UK to live and work for up to two years. The scheme will be reciprocal. The announcement was made after the first bilateral meeting Modi had with Sunak

newindianexpress.com

UK: Indian-origin Nobel Laureate Venki Ramakrishnan awarded Royal Order Of Merit

Indian-origin Nobel laureate Professor Venki Ramakrishnan has been awarded the Order of Merit — an exclusive mark of honour conferred by the British sovereign — in recognition of his distinguished service to science.

Molecular biologist Ramakrishnan, 70, is among six appointments made to the order by Queen Elizabeth II before her death in September.

“His Majesty The King has been pleased to make six new appointments to the Order of Merit. Appointments to the Order are made in recognition of distinguished service to the Armed Forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture. The individuals were chosen by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth in early September,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement.

“The new appointments are Sir David Adjaye OBE, RA; Professor Dame Elizabeth Anionwu, DBE, FCRN; Baroness Floella Benjamin, DBE; Professor Margaret MacMillan, CHC CC (Canada); Sir Paul Nurse, CH; and Dr Venki Ramakrishnan,” the statement added.

Venkatraman ‘Venki’ Ramakrishnan is a Nobel Prize-winning biologist whose many scientific contributions include his work on the atomic structure of the ribosome, according to British The Royal Society.

Tamil Nadu-born Venki received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on ribosomal structure and was knighted in 2012.

He is a Member of the US National Academy of Sciences, Leopoldina and EMBO, and a Foreign Member of the Indian National Science Academy. He was President of the Royal Society from November 2015 until November 2020.

The Order of Merit, founded in 1902 by King Edward VII, is a special mark of honour conferred by the Sovereign on individuals of exceptional distinction in the armed forces, science, arts, literature, or for the promotion of culture.

Appointments to the Order are in the Sovereign’s personal gift. The Order is restricted to 24 members. (ANI)

newindianexpress.com

UNSC’s Counter Terrorism Committee To Meet In India This Weekend For The First Time

The United Nations Security Council’s Counter Terrorism Committee will meet in India this weekend. At a time when the world is distracted by Russia’s Ukraine war, the two-day anti-terror meeting will help remind the international community that terror groups continue to threaten world peace and though many major groups like the Al Qaeda and ISIS may be lying low at the moment, they can resurface any time. It is important for countries to stay one step ahead and put in place a system to counter the use of new technology by terror outfits. Since 9/11 the UN has been actively engaged in encouraging countries to work together to fight this scourge.

A host of dignitaries, including British foreign secretary James Cleverly, foreign secretary of Gabon who is also president of the United Nations Security Council Michael Moussa ADAMO, Ghana’s foreign minister Shirley Ayorkar Botchwey, UAE’s minister of state for international cooperation Reem Ebrahim Al Hashimy, Albania’s deputy foreign minister of Albani Megi Fino is expected to attend. The UN counter terror delegation headed by under-secretary general Vladimir Voronkov, will also be present. This is the first time that the Special Meeting of the UN Counter Terrorism Committee is meeting in India.

The high profile two-day event will take place in Mumbai and Delhi. Symbolically the meeting will begin with UN members paying homage to the victims of the deadly 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai’s Taj Mahal hotel. India’s foreign minister Subramanyam Jaishankar will attend along with representatives of the UN Security Council. A wreath will be laid in memory of the victims.

Some family members of the victims of the 26/11 attack will speak at the ceremony. “We will be honoured to hear the voices of the victims of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks as well as the 2016 Brussels bombings. The meeting will be followed by an informal session on combating terror financing in the local and regional context,” Ruchira Kamboj, India’s permanent representative to the UN said. She was addressing a news conference in Delhi. She is the chair of the UN Counter Terrorism Committee.

Kamboj also made the point that there can be nor “good or bad terrorists” and pointedly added: “Those who propagate this distinction have an agenda and those who cover up for them are just as culpable.” This was an obvious reference to the China-Pakistan axis, and the fact that China had blocked India’s recent move to sanction some Pakistan based terrorists.

“We cannot think of a better place to hold this meeting than right here in India. Not just because it is the world’s largest democracy, but also because India is a society where a host of cultures and religions coexist and because India is an innovation and technology powerhouse,” ANI quoted David Scharia, the head of the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (UN-CTED), as saying : “Sadly, India is also the right place to hold this meeting because of its own long and tragic experience with terrorism,” he added.

On Saturday the members will travel to Delhi for a high level ministerial plenary session, where Jaishankar and the visiting dignitaries will get down to take stock of the situation. The focus will be on terror financing online , possible use of drones and social media by terror groups.

“The special meeting will serve to reflect on recent developments and the latest evidence-based research regarding the threats posed by the use of these technologies for terrorist purposes as well as global efforts to counter these threats while respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms,” Ruchira Kamboj said.

outlookindia.com

Record 130-plus Indian-Americans at key positions in Biden administration

U.S. President Biden shattered the record of his predecessor Donald Trump, who had appointed more than 80 Indian-Americans

U.S. President Joe Biden has appointed more than 130 Indian-Americans to key positions in his administration so far, the best representation from the community that makes up around one per cent of the American population.

In doing so he has not only fulfilled his promise to the community that he had made as a presidential candidate in 2020, but also shattered the record of his predecessor Donald Trump, who had appointed more than 80 Indian-Americans and his previous boss Barack Obama, who had appointed over 60 Indian-Americans to key positions during his eight years of presidency.

More than 40 Indian-Americans has been elected at various state and federal levels including four in the U.S. House of Representatives. Not to miss the more than 20 Indian-Americans leading top U.S. companies.

While the first-ever presidential appointment was done during the time of Ronald Regan, this time Mr. Biden has appointed Indian-Americans to almost all departments and agencies of his administration.

“Indian-Americans have been imbued with the sense of seva (service) and this is reflected in their enthusiasm to pursue positions in public service instead of the private sector,” Silicon Valley-based entrepreneur, philanthropist and venture capitalist M. R. Rangaswami told PTI.

“The Biden administration has now appointed or nominated the largest group to date and needless to say we are proud of our people and their accomplishments for the United States,” Mr. Rangaswami said. Mr. Rangaswami is founder and head of Indiaspora, a U.S.-based global organization for Indian-origin leaders. Indiaspora keeps a track of Indian-origin leaders.

Mr. Biden, who has maintained a close relationship with the community since his Senator days, often jokes around about his Indian relationship. He made history in 2020 by selecting Indian-origin Kamala Harris as his running mate.

The list of Indian-Americans in the White House as compiled by Indiaspora reflects that there would be only a few meetings inside the White House or in Mr. Biden’s Oval Office that would not have an Indian-American presence.

His speech writer is Vinay Reddy, while his main advisor on COVID-19 is Dr. Ashish Jha, his advisor on climate policy is Sonia Aggarwal, special assistant on criminal justice is Chiraag Bains, Kiran Ahuja heads the Office of Personnel Management, Neera Tanden is his senior advisor, and Rahul Gupta is his drug czar.

Last week when India’s Ambassador to the U.S., Taranjit Singh Sandhu, hosted a reception at India House on the occasion of Independence Day, Indian-Americans from his administration were representing almost all major branches of the U.S. government.

Young Vedant Patel is now the Deputy Spokesperson at the Department of State, while Garima Verma is the Digital Director in the Office of the First Lady. Mr. Biden has also nominated several Indian-Americans to key ambassadorial positions.

According to the list prepared by Indiaspora, more than 40 Indian-Americans have been elected to various offices across the country. Four are in the House of Representatives — Dr. Ami Bera, Ro Khanna, Raja Krishnamoorthi and Pramila Jayapal. This includes four Mayors.

Led by Indian-Americans Sunder Pichai of Google and Satya Nadella of Microsoft, there are over two dozen Indian-Americans heading U.S. companies. Among others include Shantanu Narayen of Adobe, Vivek Lall of General Atomics, Punit Renjen of Deloitte, Raj Subramaniam of FedEx.

Lisa Sthalekar to be first woman president of international cricketers’ association

Lisa Sthalekar, who played for Australia from 2001 to 2013, replaces Vikram Solanki as president of the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations

Former Australia international Lisa Sthalekar is the first woman appointed president of the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations.

Sthalekar, who played for the Australian women’s team from 2001 to 2013 before becoming a broadcast commentator, has replaced Vikram Solanki as president, FICA announced Tuesday.

‘New phase of the game’

“We are entering a new phase of the game which covers more cricket than ever before for our male and female players,” the 42-year-old Sthalekar said in a statement. “More countries are playing the game, which demonstrates that cricket is certainly becoming a global game.

IMF Managing Director Appoints Krishna Srinivasan as Director of the Asia and Pacific Department

Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), announced today her intention to appoint Krishna Srinivasan as Director of the Asia and Pacific Department (APD). Mr. Srinivasan’s appointment as APD Director becomes effective on June 22, 2022. He will succeed Changyong Rhee, whose retirement from the Fund was announced on March 23, 2022.

Mr. Srinivasan, an Indian national, has more than 27 years of Fund experience, starting in the Economist Program in 1994. He is currently a Deputy Director in APD, where he oversees the department’s surveillance work on a number of large and systemically important countries such as China and Korea, and smaller states in the Pacific such as Fiji and Vanuatu. He also oversees APD’s work on key ASEAN countries, namely Malaysia and Singapore, as well-advanced economies, including Australia and New Zealand. During the Global Financial Crisis, while in the Research Department (RES), Mr. Srinivasan led the Fund’s work on the G20 including the preparation of analytical notes for the meetings of the G20 Ministers and Leaders.

“Krishna is a highly regarded member of our Fund family and has made many important and innovative contributions to our mission throughout his career at the Fund. His appointment to the Director position is a culmination of his superior record of leadership across a wide range of departments, including African Department (AFR), European Department (EUR), Monetary and Capital Market Department (MCM), RES, Strategy, Policy and Review Department (SPR), and West Hemisphere Department (WHD). This range of work and experiences is reflective of his career during which he has worked on the full spectrum of the Fund’s membership from low-income countries, to emerging markets, and advanced economies,” said Ms. Georgieva.

Prior to joining the Fund, Mr. Srinivasan was an Assistant Professor of Economics and International Finance at Indiana-Purdue University and a consultant at the World Bank in DC and the Center for Policy Research and Planning Commission in New Delhi. His wide research on Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean, and on climate and other economic and development issues has appeared in books, academic journals, and media publications.

Mr. Srinivasan holds a PhD (Honors) in Economics from Indiana University, a Master’s in Economics from the Delhi School of Economics, and a Bachelor’s (Honors) in Economics from the University of Delhi.

imf.org

Kodagu Origin Doctor To Head American Academy Of Audiology

Having studied at AIISH Mysuru, Dr. Bopanna Ballachanda becomes the first Indian-American to occupy the top post.

Dr. Bopanna Ballachanda is a Professor (Adjunct) at Texas Tech Health Sciences and Chief Audiology Officer at National Hearing and Balance centres in Albuquerque, New Mexico. With more than 30 years of experience, he is now the President-Elect of the American Academy of Audiology (AAA) and he will have a three-year term from October 1, 2022.

Hailing from Kodagu and coming from a humble background, he did his B.Sc. in Speech and Hearing from the All India Institute of Speech and Hearing (AIISH – 1970 batch), then under the University of Mysore. By becoming the first person of colour to head AAA, Dr. Bopanna has become a role model for many.

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