kozhikode l thursday l october 10, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION Trio win Nobel chemistry Prize for work on protein structure David Baker, Demis Hassabis and John Jumper were honoured for their work in predicting and even designing the structure of proteins David Baker John Jumper Demis Hassabis Baker awarded for designing new proteins Using AI to predict protein structure Baker designed a new protein in 2003 and his research group has since produced several new proteins, including those that can be used as pharmaceuticals, vaccines, nanomaterials and tiny sensors. “David Baker has succeeded with the almost impossible feat of building entirely new kinds of proteins,” the Nobel Committee said in its statement | P9 ■ ■ Hassabis and Jumper created an artificial intelligence model that has been able to predict the complex structure of over 200 million proteins The shape of proteins is key as it determines their function. Heiner Linke, chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry, said the two solved a 50-year-old problem: predicting proteins’ complex structures 2020 when Hassabis and Jumper first used AI to predict protein structure CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI Knives out for Congress from INDIA bloc allies after Haryana debacle Shiv Sena (UBT), AAP, TMC lead the attack, say grand old party’s arrogance led to defeat PR E E T HA N AIR @ New Delhi THE Congress on Wednesday came under fire from its INDIA bloc allies who squarely blamed the grand old party for the poll debacle in Haryana, with several leaders accusing it of being ‘arrogant, overconfident and entitled’ and giving less space to its regional allies. Launching a scathing attack, the Shiv Sena (UBT) attributed the Congress’s poor show to the ‘overconfidence and arrogance’ of the party’s state leadership. In an editorial of Sena’s mouthpiece Saamana, it asked the Congress leadership to introspect and learn from its mistakes. The jibe comes at a time when Congress and the alliance partners are engaged in seatsharing talks ahead of the Maharashtra elections, scheduled for later this year. “The INDIA alliance could not win in Haryana because the Congress felt they would win on their own and they did not need any other partner in power. If they had shared seats with the SP, AAP or other smaller parties, the results would have Congress leaders Pawan Khera, Ashok Gehlot, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Jairam Ramesh, K C Venugopal and others after meeting the Election Commission of India | Parveen Negi been different,” said Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut. The Congress’ Haryana unit had unit refused to accommodate the AAP and the SP though , senior leader Rahul Gandhi was in favour of it. The party suffered another setback as its Uttar Pradesh ally Samajwadi Par ty on Wednesday released a list of six candidates for the upcoming Assembly bypolls. Sources said Congress leaders were upset about the SP’s unilateral move as it came in the middle of ongoing talks. Meanwhile, leaders of AAP and TMC were unsparing towards the Congress. AAP leaders also ruled out any truck with the Congress in Delhi assembly elections, scheduled for early next year. Taking potshots at Congress, AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha penned a poem on X: “If you had cared about my wishes, it would have been a different matter, If you had taken care of our desires, it would have been a different evening. Today he too must be regretting leaving me, If we had walked together it would have been something else.” Several Opposition leaders including Congress’ Jammu and Kashmir ally Omar Abdullah, the Left parties, and Bihar ally RJD targeted the Congress and asked it to introspect and change its strategies. “Congress will have to go deep into it and find the reasons for its defeat,” Abdullah said. TMC MP Saket Gokhale said the attitude of not accommodating regional parties even in places where they felt they were winning, led to the shocking electoral setback. Court orders probe against CM on Cong leader’s plea E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @Kochi The Ernakulam Chief Judicial Magistrate Court has ordered an inquiry under Section 202(1) of the CrPC against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for his remarks on the assault on Youth Congress workers last year. The probe was ordered on the basis of a complaint filed by Ernakulam DCC President Mohammed Shiyas. In November last year, YC workers were beaten up by DYFI men for waving black flags at the vehicle carrying the CM to a venue of Nava Kerala Sadas, the government’s public outreach programme. The next day, Pinarayi had defended the DYFI, saying they were trying to save the lives of YC activists. Shiyas alleged Pinarayi’s remarks incited criminal activities and hence, a case had to be registered against him. He said following the remark, YC workers were attacked regularly. The court, while considering the plea on October 3, ordered the Ernakulam Central police to conduct an investigation and file a report on December 7. Police said they are awaiting the court’s direction to proceed with the probe. They said an inquiry will be conducted into the complaint and a report filed in court, based on which a decision would be taken on registering an FIR. TM Krishna’s MS misogyny S Gurumurthy calls out the conferring of the ‘Sangita Kalanidhi MS Subbulakshmi Award’ on TM Krishna despite the latter’s misogynistic tirade against MS, who Nehru said was the Queen of Music Page 7 W ar o f w o rds c o n t i n u es Guv’s charge baseless, says Pinarayi; CM lacks credibility, retorts Khan E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e B enn K o c h u v eed a n @ Mumbai @T’Puram The chief minister and the governor sparred for the second day straight with Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday conveying his “protest” to the Raj Bhavan over Arif Mohammed Khan’s allegation that the CM had something to hide on alleged ant i - n a t i o n a l a c t iv i t i e s. Shortly after, Khan asserted his allegation and said Pinarayi lacked credibility . In a hard-hitting reply to the governor’s letter, Pinarayi said the allegation “of having something for me to hide is wholly unwarranted. I take strong exception to the said statement and, with utmost respect, place my protest before your goodself for making such farfetched and baseless allegations.” The CM said he had not issued any statement on antinational or anti-state activities in the controversial interview that appeared in an English newspaper. “The daily has publicly acknowledged their error and expressed regrets for the same. Thus, it is now in public domain that I have not made any such statement in the interview. The denial on the part of my office and expression of regret by the newspaper are also in the public domain. In the said circumstances, I am of the opinion that there is no point in raking up a comment, which was not mine,” he said. Pinarayi said he did RBI keeps repo rate unchanged at 6.5% for 10th time in a row I take strong exception to the statement (of him having something to hide) and, with utmost respect, place my protest before your goodself for making such farfetched and baseless allegations He (the CM) says he has not engaged any PR agency. The newspaper said the interview was arranged by a PR agency. If he has not engaged the PR agency why didn’t he file a suit against the newspaper Pinarayi Vijayan, in letter to Khan Arif Mohammed Khan, Governor not mention about any antinational activity at the press conference either. He only gave some statistical details on the interception and seizure by state police of smuggled gold, which has come through some of the airports in Kerala. It was the action taken by the police authorities in this regard that was explained before the media. “Gold smuggling is an activity which jeopardises the national economy and also is one of the causes of tax leakage to the Union and the state. I made a general statement in the press briefing that the said activities are crimes against the nation and that the state government is determined to take stern and stringent action against such tendencies,” ● More on P4 he said. The Reserve Bank of India on Wednesday kept the repo rate unchanged at 6.5%, for the 10th time in a row, but changed its stance to ‘neutral’ that may lead to a cut in the forthcoming policies. According to analysts, the change in stance is the first step towards a rate cut and signals the beginning of the easing cycle as early as December. However, RBI governor Shaktikanta Das, who completes his five-year term in December, refused to accept the policy stance change is a pivot. “The prevailing and expected inflationgrowth balance has created conditions for a shift in the monetary policy stance as there is greater confidence on last mile of disinflation,” he said. The banking Shaktikanta Das regulator also retained the retail inflation projection at 4.5% for 2024-25, with Das stressing the central bank will have to closely monitor the price situation and keep the ‘inflation horse’ under tight leash lest it may bolt again. RBI maintained status quo despite the US Federal Reserve lowering the benchmark rates by 50 basis points last month. The central banks of some developed nations have also reduced their interest rates. This was the first meeting after the RBI’s monetary policy committee was reconstituted last month. The three newly appointed external members are Ram Singh, Saugata Bhattacharya and Nagesh Kumar. Actor T P Madhavan passes away E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @Kollam Curious looks A monkey approaches a girl eating snacks inside a vehicle parked at the Parambikulam Tiger Reserve in Palakkad | E Gokul Kerala’s 1st woman IPS R Sreelekha joins BJP, mum on electoral foray E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @T’Puram R Sreelekha, the first woman IPS officer from Kerala and also the state’s first woman officer to adorn the Director General of Police (DGP) post, joined the BJP on Wednesday . She is the third ex-DGP-rank officer to have joined the BJP in the state, after T P Senkumar, who joined the party after his retirement in 2017, and Jacob Thomas, who became a BJP member in 2021 and contested unsuccessfully from the Irinjalakuda assembly constituency on a BJP ticket the same year. Sreelekha received the party membership from BJP state president K Surendran at her residence at Easwara Vilasam in the state capital. Sreelekha, who retired from service in December 2020, said she joined the party owing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s charisma and BJP’s ideology She said . BJP leaders had approached her to join the party and she took the decision after contemplating on it for three weeks. “I had been an impartial of- EXPRESS READ Ratan Tata no more Mumbai: Ratan Tata, the chairman emeritus of Tata Sons, passed away at the age of 86 on Wednesday. He died in Mumbai, at Breach Candy Hospital, where he had been admitted on the morning of October 7 due to age-related ailments. Veteran Malayalam actor T P Madhavan, known for his character roles that left a lasting impression on viewers, passed away on Wednesday. He was 86. Madhavan acted in more than 600 films during a career spanning five decades. He was the first general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) and also served as its secretary . Madhavan breathed his last at 10.46am at NS Hospital in Kollam where he was undergoing treatment for a gastrointestinal issue. In the last week of September, he experienced severe vomiting and was rushed to EMS Hospital in Pathanapuram. Though he was dis- charged after a day, Madhavan’s condition worsened after which he was admitted to NS Hospital. He underwent stomach surgery on October 3, and was placed on ventilator support. “He was suffering from gastrointestinal issues, and a cyst was found in his intestine, necessitating surgery After the . operation, his condition worsened, and he passed away,” said Susan Thomas, General Superintendent at Gandhi Bhavan, an old-age home in Pathanapuram where Madhavan spent his last years. The body will be kept at Gandhi Bhavan from 9am to 1pm on Thursday for the public to pay homage. The mortal remains will be taken to Bharat Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram for another public viewing from 3.30pm to 4.30pm. The funeral will be held at Santhikavadam at 5pm. Madhavan was bor n in Thiruvananthapuram and held a PG degree in sociology . His acting career began relatively late, at age 40, and he made his debut in Raagam in 1975. His entry into cinema was facilitated by actor Madhu. Initially known for playing negative roles, Madhavan transitioned to comedy and character roles, earning wide ● More on P4 appreciation.  d u e pr o c ed u re Former DGP R Sreelekha joins BJP in the presence of party state president K Surendran in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday | B P Deepu ficer in my 33-and-a-half years of service. After retirement, based on my experience, I realise this (joining the BJP) is my best way to serve the people,” she told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram. She refused to comment on whether she would enter parliamentary politics or not. Surendran said Sreelekha’s credentials as a top ranking police official were known to all. He said he was proud to hand over the party’s membership to Sreelekha during the Navaratri season, when women are worshipped as an epitome of ● More on P4 ‘Shakti’.  Drama over Atishi’s ‘eviction’ from official house An u p Ve r m a @ New Delhi The never-ending political tussle between Delhi’s AAP government and the Lieutenant Governor has a new flashpoint: the Delhi chief minister’s official residence. Delhi Chief Minister Atishi’s office on Wednesday alleged that her official residence at 6, Flagstaff Road was forcibly vacated by Lieutenant Governor (L-G) V K Saxena on orders from the BJP . “For the first time in the history of the country, the Chief Minister’s residence was vacated. On the instructions of the BJP, L-G forcibly removed CM A man carrying goods on a cart leaves the residence of Delhi CM | PTI Atishi’s belongings from the CM residence. LG is preparing to allot the CM residence to a big BJP leader. The BJP which , has been out of power in Delhi for 27 years, is now trying to oc- cupy the CM residence,” the Chief Minister’s Office alleged in the statement. AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said, “Despite official correspondence, the CM residence had not been allotted to Atishi, who is the rightful allottee as CM of Delhi. Although a temporary office was set up at the residence and meetings were held, the staff was later evacuated, and it was declared that the office would not operate from there.” Sources at the L-G’s office, however, said the owner of the CM’s residence is the Public Works Department, which takes possession of the resi- dence after it is vacated, makes inventory of goods kept there, and then, allots it to the next chief minister. “This house has not been allotted to CM Atishi yet and her allotted residence is still 17 AB Mathura Road. CM Atishi herself kept her belongings in that house without allotment and then removed it herself. This bungalow will be allotted to the CM immediately after duly preparing the inventory,” the sources said. The BJP claimed that the bungalow was not handed over to the Public Works Department and its keys were still with Kejriwal.