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9:26 AM

Macron weighs kicking Putin out of French Legion of Honour

Ukraine's wartime leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy has now been bestowed with France's highest medal of honour. But there's a problem: Russian President Vladimir Putin has the same medal.

French President Emmanuel Macron pinned the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour medal on Zelenskyy's chest after the two met in the French presidential palace Thursday, a move Macron said was meant to show France's immense" recognition for Ukraine's valor since Russia invaded it a year ago.

Some French legislators and activists have called on Macron to rescind Putin's award because of the war.

9:25 AM

SSLV's second developmental flight with three satellites lifts off from Sriharikota

ISRO'sLV D2 carrying EOS-07 satellite and two co-passenger payloads lifted off from the spaceport here on Friday.

In its second developmental flight,LV D2 carried EOS-07, an earth observation satellite as its main payload and two others--Janus-1 built by US-based Antaris and Chennai-headquartered Space Kidz India's AzaadiSAT-2. This was ISRO's maiden mission this year.

At the end of a six and a half hour countdown, the 34-metre tall rocket lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre here, even as ISRO has pinned hopes on it to lead the space agency to success in tapping the small satellite launch vehicle market.

9:25 AM

Mumbai: Fire breaks out in LIC office, no one hurt

A fire broke out in the Life Insurance Corporation office in Girgaon in south Mumbai, an official said on Friday.

It started in the second floor office of LIC in Marina Mansion building at 9:20pm on Thursday and was doused 15 minutes later, with no report of injuries to anyone, he said.

The cause of the fire is being ascertained.

9:08 AM

Opposition attacks Yogi govt ahead of GIS-23

Just before the Global Investors' Summit (GIS)-2023 kicks off on Friday, opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh have mounted a blistering attack on the Yogi Adityanath-led state government.

Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav said the state government should not discriminate between industrialists.

He described industrialist Gautam Adani as "Vitamin A of the BJP" and added that "excess and loss of Vitamin A has its disadvantages".

9:03 AM

Major traffic curbs in Lucknow for GIS-23, schools closed

Lucknow will face major traffic snarls on Friday as the three-day Global Investors' Summit (GIS)-2023 begins.

With Prime Minister Narendra Modi scheduled to inaugurate the summit, roads to and from the airport will remain inaccessible for traffic movement.

Some 15 city schools will remain closed on Friday due to heavy traffic in view of the Summit.

9:00 AM

PM Modi to flag off two new Vande Bharat trains from Mumbai today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off two new Vande Bharat trains from Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus today.

The new and upgraded version of Vande Bharat Express will run between Mumbai and Solapur and Mumbai and Sainagar Shirdi.

Mumbai-Solapur train, the ninth Vande Bharat train to be launched in the country will connect the country's commercial capital to the City of Textiles and Hutatmas in Maharashtra and ensure faster connectivity to pilgrimage centres such as Siddheshwar in Solapur, Akkalkot, Tuljapur, Pandharpur near Solapur and Alandi near Pune.

8:40 AM

Discovery of rare earths' deposits in Sweden marks 'beginning of the end of Europe's dependence on China": Rpt

With an abundant supply of rare earth, China at present enjoys a near monopoly on the supply of valuable geological assets, increasing the price of rare earth materials at will and using the mineral as a geopolitical tool. One million tonnes of rare earth oxide lie buried deep under the rugged reaches of northern Sweden above the Arctic Circle.

The discovery has been made by a government-owned Sweden iron ore mining company that mines iron ore in the Arctic Circle area, the LKAB. The company has described the find of rare earth as the largest known deposit of its kind in Europe, as per the news report.

"This is the largest known deposit of rare earth elements in our part of the world and it could become a significant building block for producing the critical raw materials that are absolutely crucial to enable the green transition," The Hong Kong Post quoted LKAB CEO Jan Mostrom as saying in a statement.

8:38 AM

Pakistan, IMF fail to reach staff-level pact on bailout package

The deadlock persists between Pakistan and International Monetary Fund as the two sides have failed to reach the staff-level agreement to unlock the USD 1.1 billion loan tranche after 10 days of "tough" talks, The News International reported.

The development comes as negotiations, which took place between IMF and Pakistan from January 31 to February 9, concluded in Islamabad. The IMF's mission had arrived in Islamabad to hold talks with Pakistani authorities.

Pakistan Finance Minister Ishaq Dar was due to hold a press conference for the resumption of the programme. However, he has not made an official announcement regarding the matter.

8:37 AM

20 years later, Senate eyes repeal of Iraq war authorization

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Thursday that the Senate will vote to repeal two decades-old measures giving open-ended approval for military action in Iraq, raising the hopes of a bipartisan group of senators who want to reclaim congressional powers over US military strikes and deployments.

The vote, which would come after consideration in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, could take place just before the 20th anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq. It would repeal the 2002 measure that greenlighted that March 2003 invasion, along with a separate 1991 measure that sanctioned the US-led Gulf War to expel Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's forces from Kuwait.

"Every year we keep this authorization to use military force on the books is another chance for a future president to abuse or misuse it," Schumer said. "War powers belong squarely in the hands of Congress, and that implies that we have a responsibility to prevent future presidents from hijacking this AUMF to bumble us into a new war."

8:36 AM

PayPal forecasts strong full-year profit, says CEO to retire at year-end

PayPal Holdings Inc forecast full-year profit above Wall Street estimates on Thursday and said Chief Executive Dan Schulman will retire at the end of 2023, after nearly eight and a half years at the payment firm's helm.

While macroeconomic pressures have begun to pressure American consumers, particularly those in the lower income bracket, PayPal's customers continue to spend undeterred by decades-high inflation.

Shares in the payments heavyweight were up 2% in extended trading after results.

8:35 AM

UK review warns against anti-India rhetoric over Kashmir, pro-Khalistan extremism

A review into the UK government's scheme set up to prevent terrorism has made recommendations for improvements to tackle Islamist extremism as the "primary threat" to the country and also flagged other areas of growing concern, including the radicalisation of UK Muslims over Kashmir and "potentially toxic" pro-Khalistan extremism.

The review into the government's counter-terrorism early intervention Prevent strategy published this week warned that rhetoric from Pakistan is impacting UK Muslim communities when it comes to "inflaming anti-India sentiment, particularly around the subject of Kashmir".

It also warns against a false narrative being disseminated by a tiny number of pro-Khalistan groups operating in the UK.

8:33 AM

World will see new story of UP's development in GIS 2023: CM Yogi

As the much-awaited three-day Global Investors Summit 2023, is set to kick off on Friday, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday said that the whole world will see a new story of state's development on the day.

"The whole world will see a new story of UP's development on Friday at the GIS 2023 to be held in the capital's Vrindavan. Within the state, there are innumerable investment opportunities," Yogi said during the inauguration of various projects near Amausi Airport, adding that the inauguration of projects worth 159 crores related to the capital a day earlier bears witness to this.

GIS which is aimed at giving a shot in the arm to the Uttar Pradesh government's quest for overall development is scheduled from 10-12 February 2023. It is the flagship investment summit of the government of Uttar Pradesh. It will bring together policymakers, industry leaders, academia, think tanks and leaders from across the world to collectively explore business opportunities and forge partnerships.

8:31 AM

Investing in defense ties with India to uphold favourable balance of power in Indo-Pacific: Pentagon

The US is making investments in defence ties with India to uphold a favourable balance of power in the Indo-Pacific, a top Pentagon official told lawmakers Thursday indicating that strengthening ties with New Delhi is one of the key factors to address the pacing challenge from China.

"Earlier this month, the US Government launched the inaugural technology initiative with India, including in-depth discussions about opportunities for co-production of major defence platforms," Ely Ratner, the Assistant Secretary of Defense, Indo-Pacific Security Affairs, told members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during a Congressional hearing on China.

"We are making significant investments in our defence ties with India to uphold a favourable balance of power in the Indo-Pacific region," he said.

Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said the US has invested in the Quad partnership with India, Australia, and Japan.

8:30 AM

World Bank to provide $1.78 bn to earthquake-hit Turkey for relief and recovery efforts

The World Bank has announced providing $1.78 billion in assistance to Turkey to help with relief and recovery efforts after devastating earthquakes in Turkey and neighbouring Syria.

The death toll following the earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria on Monday has risen to 21,051, CNN reported citing authorities. At least 78,124 people in Syria and Turkey were injured after the quakes, CNN cited the figures from the Turkish government, the White Helmets and Syrian state media.

The World Bank in a press release said that it has started a rapid damage assessment to estimate the magnitude of the disaster and identify priority areas for recovery and reconstruction support, based on its extensive experience in disaster risk management from around the world.

8:28 AM

PM Modi to inaugurate three-day UP Global Investors Summit 2023 on Friday

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will throw open the three-day UP Global Investors’ Summit (GIS) 2023, here on Friday. He is also scheduled to address a select group of industry captains on the sidelines of the event.

 

To prepare for the mega event, Lucknow has been given a facelift. The venue, ‘Vrindavan Yojana’ — spread over nearly 70 acres — will become the ground zero for showcasing ‘Brand UP’ to a galaxy of global and domestic industrialists, investors, and economic think-tanks.

 

UP has so far received investment proposals worth Rs 27 trillion from more than 18,000 companies across different sectors, while the government has already signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with a large number of corporations.