The media outlet Devex first reported McCain was set to be tapped for the role.
While McCain has participated in decades of humanitarian work, her appointment last year as U.S. ambassador to three U.N. food and agriculture agencies marked her first formal role in food policy. In that post, which is based in Rome, she has been part of a small cadre of U.S. diplomats working to limit the damage from Russia’s war in Ukraine, which has sent global food prices sky-rocketing and threatened to destabilize dozens of fragile countries already on the brink of widespread hunger. McCain described her initial months in the job as “a baptism by fire,” in an interview with POLITICO last year.
McCain said in an interview with POLITICO last month that she saw “room for improvement from the Middle East” in contributing to global food aid amid the fast-moving crisis. Asked about China’s role in global food security and U.S. criticism of Beijing for not doing more, McCain urged the Chinese government to be engaged. But she added, “There’s always strings attached with China.”
McCain will replace David Beasley, the World Food Program’s current executive director and the former Republican governor of South Carolina. People close to Beasley say he would likely consider pursuing a Senate bid in his home state, should Sen. Tim Scott (R) run for president in 2024 or Sen. Lindsey Graham (R) retire in the next few years.
McCain met Wednesday with Beasley and top United Nations food program officials, including Qu Dongyu, the director general of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization.
A person close to McCain had described the prospect of leading the World Food Program as a “role of a lifetime” for her.
[ad_2]
#Cindy #McCain #tapped #World #Food #Program
( With inputs from : www.politico.com )
Istanbul: Turkey’s largest city Istanbul has launched a program to provide rapid scans of buildings as many people worry about the safety of their residences in the wake of devastating February 6 earthquakes that killed more than 53,500 in the country and neighbouring Syria
As Turkey’s financial and cultural hub with over 16 million residents, Istanbul is located at the west end of the North Anatolian Fault Line, which has produced many major earthquakes throughout history, reports Xinhua news agency.
The city government launched the scanning program in a bid to soothe the nerves of local residents.
The service, which includes measuring the consistency of concrete and counting the number of rebars with X-ray scan, will evaluate the strength of the ground and rate the safety level of the checked building accordingly.
Ozlem Tut, head of the Municipality’s Earthquake Risk Management and Urban Improvement Department, told reporters that they received 85,000 applications for the test since the deadly tremors.
The municipal teams prioritise structures built before 2000, checking 150 buildings per day.
If the concrete’s strength is reported as “weak”, then it will be reinforced. If reinforcement is not possible, then the building will be demolished before a new one is built.
In case of demolition, the city provides up to 4,500 Turkish liras ($238) in rental assistance to its residents.
In 1999, a 7.4 magnitude earthquake rattled the industrialized Marmara region, home to Istanbul, killing more than 17,000 people and leaving some 300,000 homeless.
The devastation forced authorities to adopt regulations with nominal construction quality after 2000.
Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu urged residents to cooperate on the issue, as there is considerable work in the megalopolis of over 1.16 million buildings.
According to the 2021 building inventory, about half of the buildings do not meet earthquake resistance standards.
“This is a call for mobilization,” Imamoglu announced on his social media accounts. “Thousands of buildings in Istanbul must be demolished and constructed to be earthquake-proof.”
Meanwhile, Istanbul University Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty Hospital suspended all the health and education services in its 17 buildings in the compound in the Fatih district on the city’s European side after an earthquake risk examination.
On Monday, Faculty President Nuri Aydin told reporters that the test results revealed that the buildings were at risk and the evacuation had started.
This state-owned hospital is one of the most comprehensive health facilities in the city.
In the wake of the deadly tremors in early February, many Istanbul residents plan to move to earthquake-proof buildings, while the authorities are scrambling to evaluate the buildings’ strength.
As a result, the rents of new apartments have skyrocketed in the city recently, increasing by 10 to 20 per cent in the past 15 days.
Registration starts this Monday and runs until March 31, 2023; each selected will receive BRL 50,000
A CNI (National Confederation of Industry) and the Sebrae launched this Monday (27.feb.2023) a public call to qualify 10 environments that promote innovation. The initiative takes place under the Internationalization Program of both entities.
Each selected will receive R$ 50,000. Entries to compete are open until March 31 at program website.
According to a press release (full – 329 KB), the purpose of the action is “consolidating what is most disruptive in the country and promoting its inclusion in an international innovation management platform”.
To participate, those interested must be headquartered in Brazil and must meet startups and ICTs (Science and Technology Institutions), public or private, through mapping and registration. The complete rules can be found at initiative notice.
Spaces conducive to innovation and entrepreneurship are considered innovation environments. They are responsible for linking companies, government, institutions and other categories.
The work in these environments can take place in two spheres:
innovation ecosystems:
junction of infrastructure with institutional and cultural arrangements;
attract entrepreneurs and financial resources;
examples: smart cities, innovation districts and technology hubs.
business generation mechanisms:
promoters of innovative ventures;
support the development of new technology-based companies.
“Support for mapping Brazilian disruptive technologies will allow for the country’s international insertion and visibility. Showing the world Brazil as an innovative country is a priority both for CNI, as well as for Business Mobilization for Innovation”, said the Director of Innovation at CNI, Gianna Sagazio.
The current call is the 2nd under the CNI and Sebrae agreement. The partnership lasts for 3 years and stipulates the opening of 6 calls for companies.
The 1st call was launched on November 25, 2022 with a focus on qualifying and training startupsthrough virtual programs. At the end of the stage, 7 startups will be selected to participate in a 10-day residency program in New York. Entitled “Land-to-Launch”, takes place from July to June 2023.
#Program #contribute #BRL #innovation #projects
[ad_2]
#Program #contribute #BRL #innovation #projects
( With inputs from : pledgetimes.com )
The bumper draw for Siasat shopping Dhoom was conducted at Lalit Kala Thoranum, Nampally followed by a cultural and comedy programme. The draw was picked by M/s Taqiuddin Shaji and Amer Ali Khan for Renault Car and Hero Glamour mororbike. The entire hall was jam packed and the audience enjoyed a good night of songs, comedy and Qawwali. Mr. Zahid Ali Khan, editor Siasat and Mr. Iftekhar Hussain can also been in the picture.Photo:Laeeq
Siasat Dhoom ‘Fungama’ entertainment programme to be held on February 19th at Lalitha Kala Thoranam, Public Garden, Nampally Hyderabad
Joe Biden has broken his silence on unknown aerial objects shot down over North America during the past week, assessing that they were “most likely” operated by private companies or research institutions rather than China.
The US president’s tentative conclusion is likely to fuel criticism that his orders to take down the objects were an overreaction amid political pressure over the discovery of a suspected Chinese spy balloon that transited much of the country.
Biden spoke for eight minutes at the Eisenhower executive office building on Thursday after Republicans and some Democrats expressed concerns that his unwillingness to comment on the issue could allow conspiracy theories to thrive.
“We don’t yet know exactly what these three objects were but nothing right now suggests they were related to China’s spy balloon program or that they were surveillance vehicles from any other country,” the president told reporters, against a backdrop of flags and the presidential seal.
“The intelligence community’s current assessment is that these three objects were most likely balloons tied to private companies, recreation or research institutions studying weather or conducting other scientific research.”
Earlier this month an American fighter jet downed a balloon sent by the Chinese government off the coast of South Carolina. The incident prompted accusations from Republicans that Biden had been too slow to react and should have shot it down before it passed over the continental US.
When three additional unidentified objects were spotted on Friday off the coast of Alaska, on Saturday over Canada and on Sunday over Lake Huron, Biden was quick to order that they be taken down.
But on Thursday, with efforts to relocate the wreckage hampered by weather, he acknowledged that many objects are sent up by countries, companies and research organisations for reasons that are “not nefarious”, including legitimate scientific research.
“I want to be clear,” Biden said. “We don’t have any evidence that there has been a sudden increase in the number of objects in the sky. We’re now just seeing more of them partially because the steps we’ve taken to increase our radars.”
The president, who has directed national security adviser Jake Sullivan to lead an “interagency team” to review procedures, said the US is developing “sharper rules” to track, monitor and potentially shoot down unknown aerial objects.
These rules would help “distinguish between those that are likely to pose safety and security risks that necessitate action and those that do not,” he added. “Make no mistake, if any object presents a threat to the safety and security of the American people I will take it down.”
The downing of the Chinese surveillance craft was the first known peacetime shoot down of an unauthorised object in US airspace and continues to send out diplomatic ripples.
The White House national security council has said the balloon had the ability to collect communications and that China has previously flown similar surveillance balloons over dozens of countries on multiple continents, including some of the US’s closest allies.
The US blacklisted six Chinese entities it said were linked to Beijing’s aerospace programmes.
China has denied that the balloon was a surveillance airship. Wang Wenbin, a foreign ministry spokesperson, told a press conference that the balloon’s entry into US airspace was “an unintended, unexpected and isolated event”, adding: “China has repeatedly communicated this to the US side, yet the US overreacted by abusing the use of force and escalating the situation.
“It also used the incident as an excuse to impose illegal sanctions over Chinese companies and institutions. China is strongly opposed to this and will take countermeasures in accordance with law against relevant US entities that have undermined China’s sovereignty and security to firmly safeguard China’s sovereignty and legitimate rights and interests.”
US relations withChina have been tested over the last year due to tensions over cybersecurity, competition in the technology sector, the looming threat to Taiwan and China’s failure to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
On Thursday Biden criticised China’s surveillance programme, saying the “violation of our sovereignty is unacceptable,” but said he looks to maintain open lines of communication with Beijing. “We’re not looking for a new cold war.”
Secretary of state Antony Blinken postponed his first planned trip to China as the balloon was flying over the US and a new meeting with his Chinese counterpart has yet to be scheduled.
“I expect to be speaking with President Xi and I hope we can get to the bottom of this,” Biden said. “But I make no apologies for taking down that balloon.”
Senators from both sides of the aisle have complained about being denied detailed information. John Cornyn, a Republican senator for Texas, told the Politico website that the White House was “creating a bigger problem for themselves by the lack of transparency because people’s minds, their imaginations begin to run wild. I think they’re behind the curve on this and they really need to be more transparent.”
On Monday, just to be sure, the White House felt compelled to announce that there was no indication of “aliens or extraterrestrial activity”.
[ad_2]
#Biden #latest #objects #shot #linked #China #spy #program
( With inputs from : www.theguardian.com )
SRINAGAR: Institute of Mental Health and Neuroscience, Kashmir (IMHANS-K) Department of Child psychiatry on Wednesday organized one day capacity building program for Pediatricians on Child and Adolescent Mental Health, in collaboration with Directorate of Health Services Kashmir under the initiative of “Waliv Kath Karaw”.
According to statement, more than fifty Pediatricians, Medical officers, consultants from different districts of the Kashmir valley joined the program.
During the program a team of resource persons from Department of Child Psychiatry IMHANS along with Dr Majid Shafi the nodal officer from District Mental Health Program at Directorate of Health Services Kashmir, reads the statement.
Dr Abrar Ahmad Consultant Psychiatrist IMHANS-K, Dr Bilal Ahmad and Jagmeet Singh the Clinical Psychologists from IMHANS-K, trained the pediatricians about the overall paradigm of mental health particularly about the approach to Child Psychiatry through community Pediatricians, Learning Disability, approach to Hyperactivity among Children and to build the referral pathways for the better interest of Child mental Health, it reads.
Dr Zaid Wani , Head of Child Psychiatry IMHANS-K, while lauding the efforts of the team and Directorate of Health Services Kashmir said that such programmes especially when pediatricians who are the frontline doctors in the treatment of children, can play a vital role with better results in catering child mental health at communities
Dr Majid Shafi in his session educated the fellow doctors about the importance of role of pediatricians in diagnosis, handling and referring of children with mental health issues.
Syed Mujtaba coordinator of the training program in his concluding remarks added that, the department of Child psychiatry is trying to sensitize, enhance the capacity of each and every stake holder dealing with the children within their spaces so there can be a better promotion and protection of child mental health, reads the statement.
Hyderabad: From its start in January 2023, the Telangana government’ flagship program Kanti Velugu, has aided in the eye-screening of as many as 3,71,458 people.
Of those screened, 1,66,274 males and 2,03,140 females. Further, reading glasses have been distributed to 1,28,995 people free of cost till now.
Prescription glasses were distributed to 61,930 people. 1,80,431 people were found to have no eye diseases. Eye screening was conducted for 19,701 people on Friday and reading glasses were distributed to 5,153 people.
Prescription glasses will also be provided to 2,516 people soon.
The state government took up universal eye screening by covering the entire population of the state under the name “Kanti Velugu”. The programme was launched on January 18, 2023 and aims to conduct eye screening and vision test for all citizens of the state as well as providing spectacles free of cost and providing medicines for common eye ailments.
Kanti Velugu also aims to educate people on prevention of serious disabling eye diseases.
A person smiles as he receives reading glasses as part of the Kanti Velugu scheme
Hyderabad: From its start in January 2023, the Telangana government’ flagship program Kanti Velugu, has aided in the eye-screening of as many as 33,60,301 people.
Reading glasses have been distributed to 6,76, 372 people free of cost till now.
Prescription glasses were distributed to 6,76, 732 people in the state of which 22,22,669 people were found to have no eye diseases.
Eye screening was conducted for 19,701 people on Friday and reading glasses were distributed to 5,153 people.
The state government took up universal eye screening by covering the entire population of the state under the name “Kanti Velugu”. The programme was launched on January 18, 2023 and aims to conduct eye screening and vision test for all citizens of the state as well as providing spectacles free of cost and providing medicines for common eye ailments.
Kanti Velugu also aims to educate people on prevention of serious disabling eye diseases.
Hyderabad: The 125th Du Ba Du Mulaqat Program organized by Siasat and Millat Fund will be held on Sunday, February 12, from 10 am to 4 pm at NS Palace Function Hall, Near Masjid Lal Bagh, Zinda Tilismat Road, Amberpet, Hyderabad.
Maulana Mufti Saadat Hussain, Muhammad Arif Hussain, Muhammad Abid Hussain, Muhammad Akbar Hussain, Owners of NS Palace will be the chief guests. Syed Tajuddin, President of Lalaguda Old Boys Association (LOBA), Muhammad Jahangir Secretary LOBA (Convener), Muhammad Usman, Organizing Secretary LOBA and others will also attend.
Parents and guardians are advised to keep additional copies of biodata and photographs of their loved ones for ready reference. Parents who are attending this program for the first time have to pay a registration fee of Rs. 500. A registration card will be issued for follow up visits at the office of the Siasat Daily on all working days between 11 am to 4 pm.
At this program there will be counters for graduates, postgraduate, MBBS, MD, BDS, pharmacy, diploma holders, late marriage, a separate counter for differently-abled will also be there. Online registration facility has been set up for parents who want to search alliance while sitting at home, a separate counter has been set up in the function hall.
More details can be obtained from the program coordinator Khalid Mohiuddin Asad on 9848004353-9391160364.
Hyderabad: The ASPIRE at the University of Hyderabad (UoH) and Entrepreneur Zone–TEZ, a start-up kick starter have invited applications for the start-up launcher programme.
According to a press release, the three months programme will have a combination of master classes and one-on-one mentorship (both online and offline). The programme covers PoC/ Idea/ Market Validation, Customer Discovery, Business Models, MVP, Regulatory Compliances, Go-to-Market Strategy, Finance & Funding, Business Plan & Pitch deck.
Well-established entrepreneurs, industrialists and investors will be mentors and bring out the entrepreneurs of tomorrow through a structured programme. Students, researchers, innovators, SMEs, professionals, techies, consultants, etc are qualifed to attend the programme.
The programme has already mentored and supported over 250 start-up founders. The new batch will commence on March 4 and run through May 27. The method of selection is based on the innovative ideas presented.
The last date for submitting applications on the website tezaccelator.com is February 15. For any information or support write to tez.co.in@gmail.com or call 7660857600.
