Aimed at Enhancing an Innovation Ecosystem to Address Industry Challenges Faced by Clients

Infosys, a global leader in consulting and technology services, today announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with The State of Israel, to establish and enhance cooperation in industrial research and development. This MoU is a part of the ‘Global Enterprise Collaboration Program’ developed by the Office of the Chief Scientist of Israel to accelerate innovation through a global ecosystem.

The MoU creates a framework for industrial cooperation between Infosys and Israeli corporations in the emerging technology areas of cloud, information security, sensors, analytics, and sustainability. With a strong global client base across industry segments and proven expertise in driving innovation-led growth for businesses, Infosys will bring valuable insights in defining pertinent challenges and solutions across various industries.

Infosys Labs, the research and innovation arm of Infosys, drives research across the ‘Building Tomorrow’s Enterprise’ mega trends that have the potential to transform client business. Committed to the principle of ‘Innovation Co-creation’, Infosys Labs strengthens its existing innovation ecosystem of clients, partners and industry consortia through this MoU.

Speaking on the occasion, Subu Goparaju, Senior Vice President and Head of Infosys Labs said, “This collaboration aligns with our vision to bring together different innovation networks from around the world and make them relevant to our clients. At Infosys, we are looking at leveraging the innovation ecosystem in Israel, as part of evaluating early stage technologies that are relevant for clients to build tomorrow’s enterprises.”

Read More: Infosys And The Office Of The Chief Scientist Of Israel Sign MoU To Drive Industrial Research And Development

What is Infosys? Who owns the Indian IT giant? How is it linked to the Prime Minister?

Rishi Sunak is continuing to face scrutiny over his family’s financial affairs following a recent row over his wife’s investments.

The Prime Minister is being investigated by a parliamentary watchdog over his failure to declare Akshata Murty’s shareholding in a childcare business.

This is among a number of shareholdings Ms Murty holds both directly and through her venture capital investment company, Catamaran Ventures UK.

But the bulk of her wealth most likely comes from her shares in Infosys, the Indian IT giant.

What is Infosys?

Infosys is a global technology company headquartered in Bangalore.

It is India’s second-largest IT services exporter and is estimated to be worth $62billion (£50billion).

According to the company’s website, it is ‘a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting’ and works across more than 50 countries.

It has more than 340,000 employees and more than 1,800 clients.

What are the PM’s links to Infosys?

Infosys was founded in 1981 by N.R. Narayana Murthy, the PM’s father-in-law.

He has two children – daughter Akshata and son Rohan – with his wife Sudha.

According to Forbes, the 76-year-old is personally worth $4billion (£3.2bn) and is among the top 725 richest people in the world.

All of the family own shares in Infosys, according to the company’s latest annual report, with Akshata holding almost 39 million (or 0.93%) of Infosys shares.

This means her stake in the company is worth around $575million (£460m).

Ms Murty was recently estimated to have lost almost £50million in a single day when the value of Infosys shares plummeted earlier this month.

This came after it posted weak quarterly results and poor revenue growth forecasts.

How much does the PM’s wife earn from her Infosys shares?

According to its annual results published this month, Infosys will make two dividend payments to shareholders this financial year.

This means Ms Murty is set for payments of around £6.3m and £6.6m from the company – pushing her earnings from her Infosys shares to almost £13m over 12 months.

Read More: What is Infosys? Who owns the Indian IT giant? How is it linked to the Prime Minister?

Washington reportedly wants to fortify bases in the region first

Israel has agreed to delay its planned invasion of Gaza, after the US asked for time to deploy air defenses to bases around the Middle East, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Wednesday. 

Washington has persuaded West Jerusalem to “hold off” the planned operation until “later this week,” unnamed US and Israeli officials told the newspaper. Meanwhile, the Pentagon has reportedly been “scrambling” to deploy a dozen or so air defense systems to bases in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan and Syria. 

Israeli officials told the WSJ that diplomatic efforts to free hostages still held by Hamas, and the provision of humanitarian aid to Gaza, also factored in the decision to delay the attack.

Drone and rocket strikes have targeted American troops at least ten times in Iraq and three times in Syria over the past seven days. The US Central Command (CENTCOM) initially reported no damage or casualties from the strikes. However, on Tuesday CENTCOM told NBC News that the October 18 drone strike on the Al-Tanf outpost in Syria caused “minor injuries” to 20 troops.

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Several previously unknown militias have taken responsibility for the strikes. The US has accused Iran and its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of “supporting” the militants, but has not provided any evidence of Iranian culpability.

Israel declared war on Hamas after the Palestinian group’s October 7 incursion, which resulted in the deaths of around 1,400 Israelis. Another 200 were taken captive. The government in West Jerusalem has vowed to “dismantle” Hamas and forever change the face of Gaza, and has launched heavy artillery and air strikes against the territory in preparation for a ground invasion.

The US has endorsed Israel’s war plans and pledged billions of dollars in military aid. The Pentagon has also deployed two aircraft carrier strike groups and a Marine expeditionary force to the eastern Mediterranean.

Republican lawmakers have reportedly signaled they will either sink President Joe Biden’s proposal or make drastic changes to it

US President Joe Biden’s $106 billion national security funding request, which includes aid for Ukraine and Israel, is in “big trouble” as senators prepare to block or significantly alter the bill, Politico reported on Tuesday. 

The outlet noted that many in the Senate, including Republican supporters of Biden’s initiative, are “uncharacteristically pessimistic” about the bill’s chances. “The package that the White House sent over really is dead,” South Dakota Senator Mike Rounds was quoted as saying. “The appropriators in the Senate can begin by basically starting over.”

The bill was introduced by the Biden administration last week, seeking legislative approval to provide an additional $61.4 billion to support Ukraine in its conflict with Russia and $14.3 billion in aid to Israel in its war with Hamas. Biden also wants $9.2 billion for humanitarian aid in Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine, as well as $7.4 billion to counter China’s influence. The administration included a further $13.6 billion in funding for border security.

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Politico noted that while Democrats hold the majority in the Senate, they still need nine or more Republican votes to get a bill passed through the chamber. However, it seems that Republican lawmakers are unsatisfied with the current version of Biden’s proposal, with Minority Leader Mitch McConnell stating that a number of GOP senators want stronger border security as well as “other changes.” 

Politico added that some Republicans are unsure about linking aid to Israel with ongoing funding for Ukraine. A growing number of conservative lawmakers have vehemently opposed sending any further support to Kiev.

“They should be separated out,” insisted Republican Florida Senator Marco Rubio, noting that the Israeli component of Biden’s bill has “almost overwhelming support” and could quickly be passed.

South Carolina’s Lindsey Graham, however, has insisted that Biden’s package should move forward as a whole. “Those are four national security issues, and we should deal with them as a unit,” he insisted.

To date, Washington has approved at least $113 billion in aid to Ukraine, according to recent calculations from the US State Department Office of Inspector General. However, House Republicans have increasingly pushed back against additional aid, going as far as threatening a government shutdown last month over the inclusion of Ukraine in a government spending bill. 

Funding for Kiev was ultimately dropped from the stopgap spending package, but US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy lost his position after ‘Ukraine skeptics’ accused him of striking a secret deal with the Biden administration to keep the money flowing.

Officials say they have noted a surge in antisemitic incidents in Germany in recent weeks amid the Israel-Hamas conflict

Germany’s interior minister, Nancy Faeser, said on Wednesday that a law being considered by the EU state’s parliament would see people found to have engaged in antisemitic acts banned from obtaining citizenship.

“Our draft for the new citizenship law, which we will now discuss in the Bundestag, provided a clear exclusion of antisemites,” Faeser said on Wednesday following a meeting with Israel’s ambassador to Germany, Ron Prosor.

Faeser added that authorities remain “extremely vigilant” about potential threats posed by supporters of the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Germany and that any person found to have violated such regulations would be “prosecuted with the full force of the law.”

Faeser’s comments follow a statement she made on Friday in which she called for Hamas supporters to be deported from Germany. “If we are able to deport Hamas supporters, we must do this,” Faeser said after holding talks with officials at the country’s Federal Criminal Police Office in Wiesbaden.

“Our security authorities have currently placed an even stronger focus on the Islamist scene,” she added, also referencing the recent incident in Brussels in which two Swedish people were shot dead and a third injured by a suspected Tunisian extremist.

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Faeser also called for Germans to be vigilant in reporting to authorities of pro-Hamas “propaganda.” Last week, officers in the country searched the home of a 38-year-old German man who had allegedly posted to social media in support of Hamas’ October 7 attack in Israel.

Concerns are amplifying in Germany over a swell in suspected antisemitic incidents, including an attempted petrol bomb attack on a synagogue in its capital, Berlin. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators have also been involved in clashes with police in Berlin and other cities.

Last week, Faeser told reporters that “preliminary figures” from German authorities indicated that more than 1,100 offenses had been recorded in the country in relation to the Hamas offensive. These included “bodily harm, breaches of the peace, incitement to hatred, and damage to property,” police official Juergen Peter added.

However, some members of Germany’s Palestinian population have claimed that laws outlawing demonstrations serve to silence what is already a minority community.

The Biden administration says it is pushing to avoid regional escalation while fully backing Israel’s bombing campaign.

As fighting ratchets up in the Middle East, Palestinian activists in the US say they are experiencing growing hostility.

An Israeli air raid has killed daughter, wife, son, of Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent Wael Al-Dahdouh.

Actress Michelle Williams voicing Britney’s impression of Justin’s ‘blaccent’ takes the internet by storm.

The vote will almost certainly lead to a by-election in Peter Bone’s Wellingborough constituency.

With fighting intensifying in Donetsk and Kherson, officials are forcibly ordering people to leave.