Against the backdrop of the Ukraine war, wholesale gas prices spiked, resulting in more expensive electricity…reports Asian Lite News
“Skyrocketing” energy prices expose the limits of the European Union’s (EU) electricity market design, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said while announcing plans for a structural reform.
The market “was developed under completely different circumstances”, von der Leyen said on Monday.
“That’s why we, the commission, are now working on an emergency intervention and a structural reform of the electricity market,” she said, without elaborating on the changes under consideration.
The EU has grappled with surging energy prices for the last six months in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
An emergency meeting of EU energy ministers is planned for September 9.
Electricity prices in the European market are set by the most expensive energy source needed in production, currently gas-fired power plants.
Against the backdrop of the Ukraine war, wholesale gas prices spiked, resulting in more expensive electricity.
A reform of the European electricity market could revise this so-called merit order mechanism and allow consumers to pay less for cheaper electricity generated with solar and wind energy.
German Economy Minister Robert Ha beck also recently announced market reforms to separate customer prices for electricity from the rising cost of gas.
Praising EU efforts to end a chronic over reliance on Russian fossil fuels, von der Leyen cautioned against developing a new dependency on China for strategic raw materials like Lithium for batteries.
“Out of the 30 critical raw materials today, 10 are mostly sourced from China. So we have to avoid falling into the same dependency as with oil and gas,” von der Leyen said.
Borrell said it was necessary to review some visa processes to certain groups of Russians but rejected a blanket ban…reports Asian Lite News
The European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has said that a complete ban on Russians entering the bloc was “not a good idea”, amid reports that member states were preparing to suspend a visa agreement with Moscow.
“I am not in favour of stopping delivering visas to all Russians,” Borrell told Austrian broadcaster ORF in an interview.
He said he didn’t believe that cutting off contact with Russian civilians would have positive results, and he also said he did not believe the idea would achieve the required unanimity among member states.
Borrell said it was necessary to review some visa processes to certain groups of Russians but rejected a blanket ban.
“We have to be selective, we cannot take a general measure,” he said, adding that he was sure there would be a balanced approach from EU foreign ministers due to meet in the coming week.
The idea of restricting Russian tourists to the EU has emerged recently after countries witnessed Russians arriving for summer holidays via neighbouring EU countries.
A visa issued by any one country grants access to all 26 members of the Schengen passport-free zone.
The Financial Times had earlier reported that EU member states were preparing to suspend a 2007 visa facilitation agreement with Russia over the Ukraine war.
EU foreign ministers are set to give the suspension political backing at a two-day informal meeting in Prague on Tuesday and Wednesday, the British newspaper said, citing three officials involved in the talks.
The move would widen the partial suspension imposed in February for Russian government officials and business leaders to now include civilian Russian applicants for EU visas, the Financial Times said.
Suspensions make the EU visa process more complicated, more expensive and more bureaucratic, as well as increasing waiting times for approval, according to European Commission guidelines.
Further measures to restrict EU travel for Russian nationals, such as a limit on the amount of EU visas to be issued or to ban travel entirely, have not been decided, the Financial Times said, citing the officials participating in the negotiations.
The Czech Republic, Finland and Estonia, after imposing their own visa restrictions, have pushed for an EU-wide decision and called for a total ban on Russian nationals travelling to the bloc.
Germany and the commission, however, have urged caution against banning tourist visas or prohibiting Russian nationals from travelling to the bloc completely. Critics have also raised humanitarian concerns.
The European Union has already slapped Russia with multiple rounds of political and economic sanctions after February’s invasion of Ukraine including a ban on Russian airlines from EU airspace.
The Czech Republic, Finland and Estonia, after imposing their own visa restrictions, have pushed for an EU-wide decision and called for a total ban on Russian nationals travelling to the bloc…reports Asian Lite News
EU member states are preparing to suspend a 2007 visa facilitation agreement with Russia over the Ukraine war, a British daily reported on Sunday.
EU foreign ministers are set to give the suspension political backing at a two-day informal meeting in Prague on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Financial Times said, citing three officials involved in the talks.
The move widens the partial suspension imposed in February for Russian government officials and business leaders to now include civilian Russian applicants for EU visas, the Financial Times was quoted as saying by dpa news agency.
Suspensions make the EU visa process more complicated, more expensive and more bureaucratic, as well as also increase the waiting time for approval, according to European Commission guidelines.
Further measures to restrict EU travel for Russian nationals, such as a limit on the amount of EU visas to be issued or to ban travel entirely, have not been decided, the report said, citing the officials participating in the negotiations.
The Czech Republic, Finland and Estonia, after imposing their own visa restrictions, have pushed for an EU-wide decision and called for a total ban on Russian nationals travelling to the bloc.
Germany and the commission, however, have urged caution against banning tourist visas or prohibiting Russian nationals from travelling to the bloc completely. Critics have also raised humanitarian concerns.
The European Union has already slapped Russia with multiple rounds of political and economic sanctions after February’s invasion of Ukraine including a ban on Russian airlines from EU airspace.
The idea of restricting Russian tourists to the EU has emerged recently after countries witnessed Russians arriving for summer holidays via neighbouring EU countries.
A visa issued by any one country grants access to all 26 members of the Schengen passport-free zone.
Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) and France’s CNIL are following up on the whistleblower complaint….reports Asian Lite News
Twitter is now facing privacy probes in the European Union (EU) after the whistleblower complaint from its former head of security, Peiter “Mudge” Zatko, created a storm worldwide.
Zatko’s complaints had references to European regulators, alleging that Twitter misled or intended to mislead regional oversight bodies over its compliance with local laws.
According to TechCrunch, Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) and France’s CNIL are following up on the whistleblower complaint.
“If the accusations are true, the CNIL could carry out checks that could lead to an order to comply or a sanction if breaches are found. In the absence of a breach, the procedure would be terminated,” said the French watchdog.
In his complaint, Zatko said that in early 2022, “the Irish-DPC and French-CNIL were expected to ask similar questions, and a senior privacy employee told Mudge that Twitter was going to attempt the same deception”.
“Unless circumstances have changed since Mudge was fired in January, then Twitter’s continued operation of many of its basic products is most likely unlawful and could be subject to an injunction, which could take down most or all of the Twitter platform,” it added.
Meanwhile, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has also asked Twitter to explain its user metrics after Tesla CEO Elon Musk complained.
“We note your estimate that the average number of false or spam accounts during fiscal 2021 continues to represent fewer than 5 per cent of mDAU,” the commission wrote to Twitter.
“To the extent material, please disclose the methodology used in calculating these figures and the underlying judgements and assumptions used by management,” the SEC added.
No country has recognised the Taliban’s de facto government and women have taken to the streets in Afghanistan to denounce the restrictions on their rights to education, work and freedom of movement…reports Asian Lite news
The Taliban have “severely violated and abused the rights of Afghan women and girls” in Afghanistan, an EU spokesperson said on Sunday ahead of the first anniversary of Taliban rule.
“The Taliban have failed to establish an inclusive political system, thereby denying the aspirations of the Afghan people,” EU foreign affairs spokesperson Nabila Massrali said in a statement.
On Monday, Afghanistan is to mark one year since the Taliban takeover last August, with basic women’s rights suppressed, media freedom curtailed and large swathes of the country plunged into poverty, dpa news agency reported.
No country has recognised the Taliban’s de facto government and women have taken to the streets in Afghanistan to denounce the restrictions on their rights to education, work and freedom of movement.
On Saturday, a peaceful protest by dozens of women who were marching in the streets of Kabul chanting “Food, work, and freedom” was again attacked and stopped by Taliban forces, like previous demonstrations.
The European Union also condemned the treatment of the Hazaras and the Shia population in Afghanistan and the “systemic abuse of their economic, social, cultural, civil and political rights.”
Reaffirming its commitment to the Afghan people, the EU called on the Taliban – “Afghanistan’s de facto authorities” – to repeal policies violating the country’s human rights obligations.
“Afghanistan must not remain a safe haven for terrorists, nor a threat to international security,” the statement added.
The Taliban seized back power in Kabul on August 15, 2021, after the United State’s decision to withdraw from Afghanistan leading NATO to end a 20-year mission in the country.
The House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on Friday and an approval is considered likely…reports Asian Lite news
The European Commission has criticized parts of a massive legislative package on tax and climate proposed by US President Joe Biden and making its way through Congress.
If passed, the law would provide tax credits for buyers of electric cars if a certain percentage of battery components originated in the US, dpa news agency reported.
“The European Union is deeply concerned by this new potential trans-Atlantic trade barrier that the US is currently discussing,” Miriam Garcia Ferrer, a spokesperson for the European Commission, told reporters in Brussels on Thursday.
“We think that (the bill) is discriminatory, that it’s discriminating against foreign producers in relation to US producers,” Garcia Ferrer said.
She added that according to the commission, the proposed law would violate trade rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
“We continue to urge the United States to remove these discriminatory elements from the bill and ensure it is fully in compliance with the WTO,” Garcia Ferrer said.
US media had reported that the conditions for tax benefits were added to the bill at the request of Democratic Senator Joe Manchin.
The Democrats needed the backing of the senator from West Virginia to have a majority in favour of the new law and had to make concessions.
On Sunday, the Senate approved the legislation.
The House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on Friday and an approval is considered likely.
Meanwhile on Tuesday, President Biden signed the historic $280 billion CHIPS and Science Act into law that includes $52 billion to boost domestic semiconductor manufacturing.
The CHIPS and Science Act is the Biden administration’s bet to incentivise chipmakers to reverse course and build fabs in the US and cut the dependence on China.
The bill also creates a 25 per cent tax credit for semiconductor manufacturing, earmarks $1.5 billion for technology development for US firms dependent on foreign telecommunications, according to Forbes.
Meanwhile, South Korea is reviewing its possible participation in the US-led semiconductor alliance from the perspective of national interest and has no intent to build an exclusive grouping against China.
An emergency mechanism to trigger a bloc-wide alert in the event of widespread gas shortages is also included to make the gas-savings targets mandatory, reports Asian Lite Newsdesk
An emergency European Union (EU) gas conservation plan, prompted by fears of a cut-off of Russian gas supplies, will enter into force at the start of next week after the bloc’s member states completed a final procedural step, the Czech EU Presidency announced.
The plan provides for a voluntary 15 per cent reduction in EU member states’ gas consumption between August 1, 2022 and March 31, 2023, compared to the average consumption in the same period over the past five years, reports dpa news agency.
An emergency mechanism to trigger a bloc-wide alert in the event of widespread gas shortages is also included to make the gas-savings targets mandatory.
The aim of the consumption cuts is to ensure emergency transfers of gas to member states who face shortages if supplies fall to critical levels, in a move to reduce Russia’s leverage over the EU.
EU member states agreed the plan in July as Russia cut gas deliveries to the bloc, citing maintenance and technical issues linked to Western sanctions imposed on Moscow for invading Ukraine.
Picture shows Nord Stream pipeline equipments before the opening ceremony of the North Stream second gas link in Portovaya bay, near the town of Vyborg in northwestern Russia. (Xinhua_IANS)
The EU regards the decision as retaliation for the punitive measures and politically motivated.
Germany in particular is under pressure to save gas amid severely restricted Russian supplies.
Based on European Commission data, dpa has calculated that Germany needs to reduce its gas consumption by more than any other EU state in order to achieve the bloc’s agreed savings target of 15 per cent.
In order to reach the EU target, Germany must save 10 billion cubic metres of natural gas between the beginning of August and March next year, the equivalent to the average annual gas consumption of 5 million four-person households.
European security is at stake as several illegal migrants from Pakistan were reportedly looking for opportunities to make quick money through crime. With official in league, trafficked Pakistanis in Europe engage in terrorism and crime. 11 people trafficked by Dr Israr Husain, a BS-21 officer at the Foreign Office, is at the heart of the new scandal. This is the latest development in a series of incidents spread over the last few years wherein, as per official Pakistani estimates, about 40,000 Pakistani nationals enter Europe every year, travelling via Iran and Turkey … writes Dr Sakariya Kareem
Many European Governments have taken notice of the security-related issues with Pakistani illegal immigrants engaged in crime to make quick money. They also attend private conclaves organised by Islamist extremist bodies and get influenced there to take up violence, reports said.
The Pakistan Government is yet to probe a high-ranking diplomat who is at the heart of a human trafficking scandal, having facilitated visas from several European Embassies in Islamabad for 11 ineligible persons.
Dr Israr Husain, a BS-21 officer at the Foreign Office (File)
Dr Israr Husain was additional secretary (Europe) at the relevant time when he sent messages and emails supporting visa applications of those who either disappeared or sought asylum in different European cities, Pakistani newspaper The News International newspaper reported.
The newspaper in a report on August 2 quoted unnamed government officials who said this was a fit case for a thorough probe, but there had been no word from the government.
This is the latest development in a series of incidents spread over the last few years wherein, as per official Pakistani estimates, about 40,000 Pakistani nationals enter Europe every year, travelling via Iran and Turkey. The European authorities are unable to treat activities by these illegals as petty crimes since, for instance, a group in Turkey was found taking pictures of women for local female trafficking rackets.
There have been reports of Pakistani diplomats and officials abroad themselves engaged in crime. In October 2018, Pakistani bureaucrat Zarar Haider Khan was caught on camera stealing the wallet of a Kuwaiti delegate. Haider Khan was arrested after the incident which took place at the Pakistan-Kuwait joint ministerial meeting. On April 27 last year, two diplomats from Pakistan’s Embassy in South Korea were caught shoplifting at a store in Seoul and were arrested.
The latest scandal came to light on the basis of a complaint by a travel agent who submitted detailed correspondence. He had arranged travel documents and the stay in Europe for the 11 Pakistani nationals who paid PKR 1.5 million each on the promise of getting jobs. On failing to get them, they sought asylum.
The newspaper quoted the travel agent/complainant, Tariq Javid Khan, who dated back his story to the time Husain was in the Czech Republic when he “made an offer to me to facilitate the issuance of visit, work and residency visas for Italy, the Czech Republic, Spain, Poland and South Korea. He also introduced me to the ambassadors of these countries in Pakistan.”
Reading through the complaint is like touring the world of human smuggling and the way it works.
Khan wrote to the government that he had a complete record of all payments made to Hussain in the form of bank receipts. Khan attached several of them as evidence, which has been seen by The News. In addition, Khan mentioned having videos/ voice/ text messages exchanged between him and Husain. The visas couldn’t be issued and Husain refused to return the money and allegedly threatened Khan of dire consequences in case the word went out. However, in the meanwhile, another opportunity arose.
Husain requisitioned a group of Qawwal from Pakistan in Prague. Khan said he arranged their tickets, accommodations and all other expenses there in Prague.
“Behind this show was an ulterior motive. A group of 10 Pakistanis also accompanied the cultural troupe. As many as Rs.1.5 million were collected from each of them with the promise that they would get work and residency permits in Prague, according to Khan’s complaint. Husain didn’t keep the promise and they were forced to seek asylum.
Khan then mentions Husain’s past behaviour that he came to know through his colleagues. He alleged that Husain was “a persona non-grata in several of the countries in his previous postings.” Khan has mentioned a few ambassadors who, he hopes, would give further credence to the charges he has levelled against Husain.
Please contact, his complaint reads, “the ambassador of Italy, the ambassador of the Czech Republic and the Ambassador of Spain “who will be happy to confirm Mr Hussain’s disorderly conduct and they will provide evidence regarding his continuous requests for the illegal issuances of visas.”
The ambassador of the Czech Republic in Pakistan and the ambassador of Pakistan in the Czech Republic, according to Khan, made a formal complaint to the foreign office regarding Hussain’s deceptive conduct. “An investigation was carried out by the Foreign Office, however, Mr Husain was exonerated due to his batch-mates being the investigators of the case,” Khan wrote.
Incidentally, Khan is “doing the same” this time, The News observed, as Khan has since withdrawn his complaint in what seems a compromise and settlement, or even an attempt by the government to hush up the case.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs ordered a fact-finding inquiry to determine the veracity of allegations levelled by Khan, he has withdrawn his complaint apparently in an out-of-office settlement with Husain. Whether the ministry will proceed further on this remains to be known, The News reported.
“Since the allegations are specific in nature and evidence has also been shared, it is yet to be seen what the ministry does. Ideally, it should hold an inquiry. The ministry can’t stop doing that on the whims of a complainant. Rather, he should also be investigated,” an official told The news.
Husain didn’t answer the questions sent by The News.
However, hopes are currently pinned on the agreement with Russia enabling a resumption of regular Ukrainian agricultural exports via the Black Sea…reports Asian Lite News
Despite the resumption of grain exports from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports under a UN and Turkish-brokered deal between Moscow and Kiev, the European Union (EU) intends to continue its efforts to create alternative freight routes for Ukrainian grain exports.
Despite the re-opening of maritime routes, an immediate return to pre-war levels of Ukrainian exports remains challenging and alternative export routes are still crucial, an EU Commission official said.
European Commissioner for Transport Adina Valean stressed that there was “room for improvement”, in the alternative routes being worked on, citing a lack of freight wagons, barge operators and storage facilities for Ukrainian produce.
According to the European Commission, Ukraine was the world’s largest exporter of sunflower oil, the third largest exporter of rapeseed and barley, the fourth largest exporter of maize, and the fifth largest exporter of wheat before the beginning of Ukraine’s invasion by Russia in February.
However, hopes are currently pinned on the agreement with Russia enabling a resumption of regular Ukrainian agricultural exports via the Black Sea.
We continue to help export Ukraine’s grain.
In face of rising prices, we:
☑️pledged €500m to support EU farmers ☑️support EU consumers by reducing VAT rates and containing retail prices ☑️temporarily derogated crop rotation rules to harness 1.5m hectares of land#FoodSecurity
— European Commission 🇪🇺 (@EU_Commission) July 25, 2022
According to EU figures, before the war, up to 5 million tonnes of grain passed through Ukraine’s Black Sea ports each month.
Reaching that level again in the near future is considered highly unlikely, however, with the first ship to leave the port of Odessa under the UN deal carrying just 26,000 tonnes of maize.
Mr Bashir Assad, a Srinagar-based senior journalist and researcher engaged in peace-building initiatives in Jammu and Kashmir, said the Pakistani narrative on Kashmir is getting an edge over the real stories … reports Asian Lite News
A prominent Kashmiri author told the diaspora to stem the Pakistani propaganda to denigrate the image of the Valley in the global arena.
Mr Bashir Assad, the author of three famous books on Kashmir – K File: The Conspiracy of Silence and Kashmir – The War of Narratives – An Insider’s Perspective and Kashmir beyond Article 370, told a London gathering that Pakistan is using a two-pronged strategy to fuel terrorism in Kashmir.
“The Pakistani propaganda is spreading the idea of the Islamic Caliphate to radicalise the youths in the Valley. They are using the outdated UN resolutions and plebiscite calls to muster support from the global audience. It is high time to stem the false narratives on Valley.”
The event was organised by South Central Asia Academic Forum (SCAAF UK) in London to discuss Bashir’s new book “Kashmir – The War of Narratives – An Insider’s Perspective.”
Woking Councillor Josh Brown, with Sonal Sher, Bashir Assad, Bisma Nazir
Mr Vinod Tikoo, founder member of the Jammu and Kashmir Study Centre in London, welcomed the gathering.
Ms Bismah Mir, the editor of The Kashmir Central, also addressed the gathering. She said the militants are using rape as a weapon to terrorise women and children in the Valley. “They are forcing youngsters to join the militant by threatening their mothers and sisters.”
Mr Assad, a Srinagar-based senior journalist and researcher engaged in peace-building initiatives in Jammu and Kashmir, said the Pakistani narrative on Kashmir is getting an edge over the real stories.
Bashir Assad’s new book – Kashmir- The War of Narratives
“The stereotypical Kashmir narrative runs on a grinding machine of disinformation, half-truths, and concocted accounts unrelentingly flowing from Pakistan,” said Mr Assad. “This is an obfuscation of truth. Through the cruel, merciless arms of terrorism, atrocities, and pain have been inflicted upon the Kashmiris. Hair-raising terrorist atrocities over more than 30 years tell the story of how Pakistan has ripped apart the life and happiness of Kashmiris.”
He urged the Kashmiri diaspora from the Valley to come forward and stem the misinformation campaign of Pakistan. He also revealed that the high number of Mirpuri immigrants in countries like the UK makes the Pakistani version dominant in the media and political circle. Some leaders are creating vote banks and setting personal agendas by using Kashmir cards.
Bashir Assad, Bisma Nazir with Bob Blackman MP
“Everybody wrote about Kashmir,” said Mr Assad. “There will be oceans of content about Kashmir. Most of them are confining to certain narratives. My concern in is about the society and the society has been destroyed by these narratives. The eco-system created by these narratives.”
Mr Assad said the militants are relying on the creation of an Islamic Caliphate in the Valley to garner support at the local level. They are exploiting the outdated UN statements to grab attention on the International arena.
He also said the revocation of Article 370 has changed the power balance in the union territory. But, the Muftis are still wielding power in certain areas. This has to change.
Mr Bashir said there won’t be peace in Valley unless all stakeholders – the Kashmiris themselves, the Indian state and the political parties in Kashmir get together and negotiate peace with the militants. The ideology of holy Jihad and the aspiration for the kingdom of God has now co-opted women and teenagers as their strongest campaigners in Kashmir, turning paradise into hell. The change from a political problem to a religious matter needs to be understood and strategically challenged.
Mr Burzine Waghmar, Royal United Services Institute, said the global communities are not updated on the latest stance on Kashmir by the United Nations. He said the international body has already announced that the call for the plebiscite is obsolete. The Clinton administration had also clarified the US stance on Kashmir during the President’s tour in India.
Woking Councillor Josh Brown, with Sonal Sher, Bashir Assad, Bisma NazirVinod Tikoo, founder member of the Jammu and Kashmir Study Centre in London, delivering the welcome speech
Bashir Assad, Bisma Nazir with Bob Blackman MP
