Trump taps Indian-American to head nuclear energy division
Washington, Oct 4: US President Donald Trump has nominated prominent Indian-American nuclear expert Rita Baranwal to head the nuclear energy division at the Department of Energy.
If approved by the Senate, Baranwal will be an assistant secretary of energy, responsible for nuclear technology research and the development and management of the department's nuclear technology infrastructure, the White House said in a statement.
Baranwal currently serves as the Director of the Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) initiative.
Previously, she served as Director of Technology Development & Application at Westinghouse and was a manager in Materials Technology at Bechtel Bettis, where she led research and development in nuclear fuel materials for US naval reactors.
Baranwal earned her BA in Materials Science and Engineering from MIT and PhD from the University of Michigan. She serves on advisory boards for MIT's Materials Research Laboratory and UC Berkeley's Nuclear Engineering Department.
Last week, Trump had signed into law the Nuclear Energy Innovation Capabilities Act which will speed up the development of advanced reactors in the United States. The law eliminates some of the financial and technological barriers standing in the way of nuclear innovation.
In a recent presentation, Baranwal said that US nuclear industry is equipped to lead the world in deployment of innovative nuclear technologies to supply urgently needed abundant clean energy both domestically and globally.
"The unconventional and energetic spirit that created the commercial nuclear energy industry will again transform our country. New, smaller and more efficient reactors are being developed to combat climate change and meet the energy demand," she said in a blogpost last week.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Bengaluru: Man held for killing uncle over house dispute, tried to pass it off as accidental death
Bengaluru (PTI): A 22-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly killing his uncle following a dispute over vacating a house and attempting to pass off the death as accidental, police said on Wednesday.
The accused has been identified as Masroor Ahmed.
The victim, Inayath Pasha, was living alone on the ground floor of his sister’s house in Austin Town on a lease basis. Police said he had a disability in his left leg due to polio since birth, and earned his livelihood as a two-wheeler mechanic.
According to the complaint, on the evening of March 1, Pasha’s son visited him at home and found him lying unresponsive.
On checking, he discovered that his father had died. A case of unnatural death was initially registered at the Viveknagar police station.
During further investigation, police questioned Pasha’s sister, her son, and other relatives.
A relative raised suspicion about the circumstances of the death, following which a murder case was registered, a senior police officer said.
During interrogation, it emerged that an argument had taken place on March 1 between Pasha and his nephew, Ahmed, over vacating the house.
Police said that during the altercation, Ahmed allegedly assaulted Pasha, causing him to lose consciousness and collapse.
The accused then placed him on the bed and left the scene, police added.
