Hyderabad: Hyderabad will host a two-day inception meeting of the Startup 20 Engagement Group, set up under India’s G20 presidency, from Saturday.
G20 is a grouping of developed and developing nations. India is holding its presidency for this year.
Startup 20 is an important engagement group and Hyderabad has a culture of innovation, G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant told reporters on Friday.
Startup20 has three different tracks, namely, foundation and alliance, finance and inclusivity, and sustainability, said Anurag Jain, Secretary, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade.
Startup20 aspires to create a global narrative for supporting startups and enabling synergies between startups, corporates, investors, innovation agencies and other key ecosystem stakeholders, an official release said.
The purpose of this group is to provide a common platform for startups from G20 member countries to come together to develop actionable guidance in the form of building enabler capacities, identification of funding gaps, enhancement of employment opportunities, achievement of SDG targets and climate resilience, and growth of an inclusive ecosystem, it said.
The Startup20 activities will span over five events. The Inception Meet of Startup20 will be held in Hyderabad on Saturday and Sunday (January 28 and 29).
The summit event will take place in July in Gurugram with three intervening events planned in different parts of the country.
Hyderabad: The Telangana chief minister and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi’s (BRS) supremo K Chandrashekhar Rao will be holding the Parliamentary party meeting on Sunday.
The meeting is scheduled to commence post lunch at 1 pm in Pragati Bhavan where KCR will ask the party MPs to raise the issues that need discussion in the parliament and implement strategies to be followed to resolve them.
The BRS members will further discuss the party strategy for the upcoming budget session of the Parliament scheduled to commence on January 31 while the union budget will be presented on February 1.
McCarthy’s mention came after the California Republican touched on a topic popular with much of his party: booting Reps. Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell, both California Democrats, off the House Intelligence Committee. A select panel like Intelligence is different from most other House committees, in that the speaker has unilateral power to appoint the chair and control the membership.
But during Wednesday’s closed-door meeting, McCarthy also raised his vow to remove Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) from the House Foreign Affairs Committee, which would require a full House vote that could occur as soon as next week. McCarthy didn’t wade into whether the GOP has the votes to do so yet, according to one of the Republicans who attended on Wednesday; two GOP members have publicly vowed to oppose removing Omar, and at least two other Republicans have told POLITICO they are undecided.
Meanwhile, McCarthy and his leadership team have said little about Santos as the headline-grabbing New Yorker’s personal scandals continue to mount. A handful of Santos’ GOP colleagues, mostly from his state’s delegation, have called for his resignation — a rare rebuke that demonstrates his political toxicity back home.
And Santos was in attendance for McCarthy’s remarks, leaving the weekly conference meeting as a flock of cameras and reporters chased after him. Conference members had little response to McCarthy’s mention of Santos, and the three Republicans who attended noted how briefly the topic was addressed.
Despite the calls for Santos to resign, there is a growing acceptance among House Republicans that the apparent serial fabricator will stick around for as long as possible given their party’s paper-thin majority. Many lawmakers in both parties privately acknowledge it is unlikely Santos would step down on his own accord.
While both parties have started preliminary discussions about a special election should Santos be forced to step aside — a risky prospect for Republicans in such battleground turf — lawmakers and campaign officials say they’re not expecting one this year, though the dynamics could well shift if the incumbent’s problems get even worse.
Although Santos could still face legal consequences for discrepancies in his campaign finance reports in particular, any probe of them would likely take years to result in any actions.
Jesús Rodriguez contributed to this report.
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( With inputs from : www.politico.com )
Ankara: Turkey has postponed a trilateral meeting with Sweden and Finland on their NATO bids following the burning of a copy of the Quran in Sweden, the state-run TRT network reported.
The meeting was slated to take place in February, the report said, citing anonymous Turkish diplomatic sources.
The decision came a day after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Sweden not to expect Turkey’s support on its NATO bid after Rasmus Paludan, the head of the Danish far-right political party Hard Line, burned a copy of the Quran on Saturday outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm, Sweden.
Sweden and Finland submitted their formal requests to join the NATO in May 2022, which were initially objected by Turkey, a NATO member, citing their support for anti-Turkish Kurdish organisations and political dissidents, Xinhua news agency reported.
A month later, Turkey, Sweden and Finland reached a memorandum of understanding (MoU) ahead of the NATO summit held in Madrid, Spain.
In the MoU, Ankara agreed to lift its veto on the NATO bids by Finland and Sweden, which in return pledged to support Turkey’s fight against terrorism and address its “pending deportation or extradition requests of terror suspects expeditiously and thoroughly”.
The Turkish parliament has not ratified the Nordic countries’ NATO bids so far, citing that they have yet to meet Turkey’s requests.
(Except for the headline, the story has not been edited by Siasat staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
The vision document, which highlights the values and aspirations will take JU to greater heights: LG
Council accords in-principle approval for various agendas put forth in the meeting to bring a paradigm shift in overall functioning of the University
JAMMU, JANUARY 21: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha chaired the 87th meeting of the University Council of the University of Jammu at Raj Bhavan today.
During the meeting, deliberations were held on various agenda items to bring a paradigm shift in overall functioning of the university.
Prof. Umesh Rai, Vice Chancellor, University of Jammu presented the vision document of the University highlighting the new initiatives for building a Culture of Start-ups & Innovation, dissolving boundaries evolving education, promoting Trans-disciplinary & Holistic Education, establishing Skill Incubation Innovation and Entrepreneurship Centre, promoting quality research and education for societal relevance & engagement, introducing new academic programmes, transferring knowledge into action, promoting National Integration and sports, Alumni/Student Recognitions, Good Practices and enhancing Global visibility of the University.
The Lt Governor said, the vision document presented by the Vice Chancellor Jammu University outlines the values and aspiration and it will take the Jammu University to greater heights and realize the ultimate goal of academic excellence.
The Lt Governor emphasized on outcome assessment and increasing graduate employability. He also called for a study based on the vision document’s objective to assess the impact on economic growth and social progress.
We are moving ahead with new resolve in education sector. We have high expectations from the Higher Education Council in developing a roadmap to restore the ancient glory of Jammu Kashmir in the education sector and using knowledge to enhance its growth and development, observed the Lt Governor.
The Lt Governor, who is the Chancellor of the University, also reviewed the measures taken for effective implementation of National Education Policy-2020.
The Lt Governor directed the University administration to ensure that the reservation policy of the UT Government is fully implemented.
The Lt Governor sought active participation of Universities and reputed educational institutions in the successful conduct of the ensuing G20 event in Jammu Kashmir. He further asked the universities to conduct seminars and discussions on G20 conference.
The Lt Governor also invited valuable suggestions from the members of the council for effective and result-oriented execution of the vision document.
A threadbare discussion was held on Digital & Green Initiatives; reforms in examinations; promotion of Regional Languages, Culture, Art & Heritage; Capacity Building of Faculty; strengthening Industry Academia Society Interface; promoting Experiential Learning; Curriculum Development as per requirement of the market; hand-holding in Skill Development & Entrepreneurship and future requirements of the University.
Empowering Women by way of establishing the ‘Non-Collegiate Women’s Education Board’ to promote capacity building, literacy and employment among the young girls/women and developing University of Jammu as a vibrant & thriving hub of cultural & co-curricular activities were also discussed.
The Council further held discussion on a common admission portal for all the universities of the J&K UT; sharing of human resources between universities; 360 degree feedback system; identifying gaps in implementation of NEP-2020; creation of digital database of universities; sharing of resources; adherence to the biometric attendance; Nasha Mukti Abhiyaan etc.
Sh Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar, Advisor to Lt Governor; Dr Arun Kumar Mehta; Chief Secretary; Sh Alok Kumar, Principal Secretary, Higher Education Department; Prof Umesh Rai, Vice Chancellor, Jammu University and all the Council Members were present in the meeting.
Hyderabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Hyderabad on February 13 to inaugurate or lay the foundation stone for various projects and address a public meeting.
He was scheduled to visit the city on January 19 but the visit was postponed.
The Prime Minister was to flag off the Secunderabad-Visakhapatnam Vande Bharat train and dedicate it to the nation and lay the foundation stone for several projects worth more than Rs 7,000 crore. While the visit was postponed, the Prime Minister virtually flagged off the train on January 15.
He will launch the other projects during his visit on February 13.
He will lay the foundation stone for the modernization of Secunderabad Railway Station at a cost of Rs 699 crore and the railway periodic overhauling workshop at Kazipet at a cost of Rs 521 crore.
The Prime Minister will also dedicate to the nation Secunderabad-Mahabubnagar Railway doubling line of 85 kilometers. The cost of the project is Rs 1,410 crore.
He will also launch work on widening and strengthening to 2/4 lane 60 km of the Mahabubnagar-Chincholi section of National Highway 167N. The work is to be taken up at an estimated cost of Rs 704 crore.
Foundation stone will also be laid for widening and strengthening to 4 lane/2 lane of 42.57 km of the existing Mahabubnagar-Chincholi section. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 632 crore.
Modi will also lay the foundation stone for Rs 513 crore project to widen two lanes 45.95 km of the Nizampet-Narayankhed-Bidar section of NH-161B.
The Prime Minister is also likely to unveil projects worth Rs 2,597 crore at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Hyderabad. The projects include academic buildings, hostel buildings, faculty and staff towers, a technology research park, a convention center, a knowledge center, a guest house, a lecture hall complex, and a healthcare facility.
After attending various programs, he will address a public meeting at Parade Grounds in Secunderabad.
Belgian police seized nearly €1.5m in cash from homes and hotels in Brussels last month, allegedly paid by Qatar to sway decisions in the European parliament. Now a series of reports have suggested what that money may have been attempting to buy.
Investigators have homed in on a meeting of the European parliament’s subcommittee on human rights on 14 November 2022, where Qatar’s minister for labour, Ali bin Samikh al-Marri, defended his country’s record on workers’ rights.
The meeting took place days before the World Cup in Qatar began. Marri told MEPs that reforms “have been undertaken in a short space of time so it is only natural we face difficulties”, and he criticised what he called “racism” against his country.
It was a difficult crowd. MEPs from left and right lined up to criticise Qatar’s labour rights record. One football-loving MEP said he would not watch a single game, while another denounced the tournament as “the World Cup of shame”.
Behind the scenes, it seems, Pier Antonio Panzeri, an Italian former MEP who is alleged to have taken large payments from Qatar and Morocco, was attempting to pull the strings. In a significant development on Tuesday, he struck a deal with prosecutors, agreeing to provide information on whom he bribed and the modus operandi of the corruption network, in exchange for a lighter prison sentence.
Some confidential details from the investigation have already been reported. According to a judicial document cited by Belgium’s Le Soir newspaper, Panzeri wrote Marri’s speech for the 14 November hearing, advised him on how to position himself and called on old friends in the parliament to ask questions “to lead the minister of Qatar on a known path”.
Panzeri is one of four people charged with money laundering, corruption and membership of a criminal organisation.
Seated inside the modern, wood-panelled committee room 3G-3 in Brussels on 14 November was his close confidant and former assistant Francesco Giorgi, an Italian parliament staffer, who has also been detained pending trial.
A few weeks earlier, the pair are said to have met a Qatari delegation, including Marri, at the Steigenberger Wiltcher’s, a plush five-star Brussels hotel. CCTV from the investigation shows the pair taking the lifts to a private meeting in suite 412 on 9 October. “The aim was to prepare the minister for this hearing scheduled at the parliament. By prepare, I mean explain to him the European point of view and how he should react,” Giorgi told investigators, according to testimony cited by Le Soir.
The meeting broke up after an hour and a half. CCTV showed the Italians leaving with “a bag thicker than when they arrived”, according to the investigation report cited by Le Soir.
Panzeri correctly anticipated damning criticism of Qatar’s record on migrant workers’ rights from several MEPs when the subcommittee met, and he allegedly made plans.
According to the judicial document cited by Le Soir, Panzeri contacted serving MEPs, including Belgium’s Marc Tarabella and Italy’s Andrea Cozzolino, asking them to intervene in the debate. Both are members of the parliament’s Socialists and Democrat group, the former political home of Eva Kaili, a Greek MEP also charged in the case.
The Greek MEP Eva Kaili at a meeting with Ali bin Samikh al-Marri, Qatar’s labour minister, in Qatar in October. Photograph: Reuters
This week, the European parliament’s president, Roberta Metsola, launched a process to remove immunity from Tarabella and Cozzolino, after a request from Belgian investigators.
In the meeting, Cozzolino apparently veered off script by asking the Qatari minister to provide further clarity on wages and working conditions, but ended by asking how the European parliament could be more involved in overseeing labour standards in Qatar. Tarabella denounced his fellow MEPs, alleging they had failed to criticise Russia and China over the Sochi Winter Olympics and Beijing summer Games. He accused critical MEPs of basing their assertions on outdated information, urging them “to actually respect [Qatar’s] journey”.
Neither responded to a request for comment from the Guardian, but both have denied any wrongdoing in the Belgian and Italian press through their lawyers.
Tarabella’s lawyer, Maxim Toller, has said his client failed to declare a trip to Qatar in February 2020, but that the MEP planned to rectify this. “Mr Tarabella is very, very clear that he has never received the slightest promise, slightest money or slightest gift in any form whatsoever” to support Qatar, Toller told Belgian TV last weekend.
Cozzolino has also declared his “total innocence” through his lawyers, describing the request to lift his immunity as based on “a hypothesis of the investigation”.
Authorities are also said to have examined the role of the person chairing the subcommittee that day, the Belgian Socialist MEP Marie Arena. She quit that position last week after it emerged she had failed to declare a visit to Doha in May 2022 paid for by the Qatari government. According to a leaked extract from the investigation team, “Marie Arena benefits from Panzeri’s advice and influence, while the latter uses Arena’s position as chair of the human rights subcommittee to exert his influence.”
Marie Arena, formerly chair of the subcommittee. Photograph: Thierry Monasse/Getty Images
Some people at the meeting, who declined to comment publicly, have raised concerns about Arena’s approach. She allegedly ran the meeting to a strict limit, cutting off some critics who overran their time, while not imposing constraints on the Qatari minister.
Claudio Francavilla, a senior EU advocate at Human Rights Watch, who was at the meeting, said: “Regrettably, minister Marri seemed to be under no time constraint during the hearing, whereas Human Rights Watch representative Minky Worden only had five minutes to present and one minute to respond. But I have no element to connect such perhaps deferential attitude to any corruption of sorts, and time is always a constraint during committee hearings.”
Miguel Urbán Crespo, a leftwing Spanish MEP, told the Guardian he was “not surprised at all” that investigators were studying the 14 November meeting. There were many interventions from MEPs who were “very accommodating” towards Qatar, he said. And he noted what he saw as an unusually large delegation from Qatar’s mission to the EU. “The impression I have is that this meeting is very significant for Qatar,” he said.
But Urbán Crespo had no criticism of Arena. He said her chairing of the meeting was “normal” and she allowed his critical intervention to overrun.
Arena did not respond to an email and phone calls to her office went unanswered, but in a media statement she has declared her innocence. “I proclaim loud and clear that I am in no way involved in this affair,” she said. She has also described the 14 November hearing as a “transparent and uncomfortable exercise for the Qatari authorities” and said it was “totally impossible” that Panzeri had got something from her, either as committee chair or as an MEP. In a statement to Politico, she blamed her office for failing to declare the May 2022 Doha trip.
A lawyer for Panzeri did not respond to requests for comment, and Giorgi’s legal representative declined to comment. Lawyers for Kaili have denied all charges against her.
Neither Qatari officials in Brussels nor the labour ministry in Doha responded to questions about the 14 November meeting, but Qatar has previously rejected all allegations. “Any association of the Qatari government with the reported claims is baseless and gravely misinformed,” Qatar’s ministry of foreign affairs said last month.
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( With inputs from : www.theguardian.com )
