KOCHI l thursday l october 10, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l LATE 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 28 December 1937 — 9 October 2024 tata, ratan G u r b i r S i ng h @ Mumbai INDIA’s best known industrialist and chairman emeritus of Tata Sons, Ratan Tata, 86, passed away at South Mumbai’s Breach Candy Hospital late on Wednesday night leaving a vacuum in the formidable $100 billion Tata Group. Confir ming persistent speculation that the ailing cor porate leader had breathed his last, Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran announced: “It is with a profound sense of loss that we bid farewell to Mr Ratan Naval Tata, a truly uncommon leader whose immeasurable contributions have shaped not only the Tata Group but also the very fabric of our nation.” Paying condolences to the industrialist, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a post on X said: “He provided stable leadership to one of India’s oldest and most prestigious business houses.” As late as on Monday, when he was admitted to hospital, Ratan Tata took to X to scotch speculation about his ill health saying he was going in for a routine medical check-up. Ratan Tata started his career in the Tata Group in 1961 managing operations on the shop floor of Tata Continued on: P10 Steel.  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 @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. Sreelekha received the party membership from BJP state president K Surendran at her residence at Easwara Vilasam in the state capital. Sreelekha, Former DGP R Sreelekha joins BJP in the presence of party state president K Surendran on Wednesday | B P Deepu 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 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 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 E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @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 anti-national activities. Shortly after, Khan asserted his allegation and said Pinarayi lacked credibility . In a hard-hitting reply to the governor’s letter, Pinarayi said contemplating on it for three weeks. “I had been an impartial officer 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 epito● More on P4 me of ‘Shakti’.  EXPRESS READ CM accused of hatching conspiracy Legislation for Mollywood on cards T’Puram: For the third consecutive day in the state assembly, the LDF government agreed to discuss and address the adjournment motion of the Opposition, this time related to the disruption of the Thrissur Pooram. P4 T’Puram: The state government will bring in comprehensive legislation to ensure complete protection to all stakeholders in Malayalam film industry, Minister for Cultural Affairs Saji Cherian told the assembly on Wednesday. P5 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 anti-national or anti-state activities in the controversial interview that appeared in an English newspaper. “The daily has publicly acknowledged their error and ex- Pinarayi Vijayan E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @Kollam Court orders probe against Pinarayi 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. 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 and a report filed in court, based on which a decision would be taken on registering an FIR. 16 pages, including 4 pages of KOCHI Express In the last week of September, he experienced severe vomiting and was rushed to EMS Hospital in Pathanapuram. Though he was discharged after a day Madhavan’s condition wors, ened 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. Arif Mohammed Khan pressed 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 re- Veteran actor T P Madhavan, 86, bids farewell 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. Benn K o c h u v ee d a n @ Mumbai 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. H o w e ve r, RBI governor Shaktikanta Das, who c o m p l e t e s Shaktikanta Das his five-year term in December, refused to accept the policy stance change is a pivot. “The prevailing and expected inflation-growth balance has created conditions for a shift in the monetary policy stance as there is greater confidence on last mile of disinflation,” he said. Guv’s charge baseless, says Pinarayi; CM lacks credibility, retorts Khan Ex-DGP R Sreelekha joins BJP E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e 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 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. RBI keeps repo rate unchanged for 10th time 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 born 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.  gret 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 not mention about any anti-national 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 ac- tion 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 ster n and stringent action against such tendencies,” he ● More on P4 said.