If the West decides to officially deploy troops to Ukraine or recruit mercenaries from European Union (EU) states, this would be a “direct escalation,” she said…reports Asian Lite News
The presence of Western troops in Ukraine in any form would lead to a “direct escalation” of the situation, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said.
The Spokesperson added on Wednesday that with every new shipment of weapons, Western nations are already escalating the war, Xinhua news agency reported.
If the West decides to officially deploy troops to Ukraine or recruit mercenaries from European Union (EU) states, this would be a “direct escalation,” she said.
Nonetheless, she also noted that “it was no secret” that military personnel from a number of NATO countries are already present in Ukraine and assisting the country’s armed forces in various ways.
During a conference in Paris on Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron said that while there was no official consensus among European leaders, the possibility of sending Western troops to Ukraine “should not be ruled out”.
Macron also announced that a new coalition would be set up to supply Kiev with medium- and long-range weapons.
The turmoil in the Red Sea has forced shipping companies to divert merchant vessels…reports Asian Lite News
A frigate of the Hellenic Navy was sailing as part of a European Union (EU) maritime security operation to protect free navigation in the Red Sea, the Greek government said.
The vessel “Hydra” departed from the naval station of Salamina Island near Athens on Monday evening, heading toward the Red Sea, as the government decided to participate in the EU naval mission, codenamed “ASPIDES” (meaning “shields” in Greek), Greek government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis said on Tuesday.
Last week, the Council of the EU announced the “ASPIDES” operation, with the aim of safeguarding its commercial and security interests in the Red Sea and the Gulf, will be headquartered in Larissa city in central Greece, Xinhua news agency reported.
Greek-owned commercial vessels have been among those targeted by Yemen’s armed Houthi group since the flare-ups in the Gaza Strip. The Houthis, who control part of Yemen, have been attacking ships bound for Israel or linked to Israel, a move the group claims to show solidarity with Palestinians and press for a ceasefire in Gaza.
The turmoil in the Red Sea has forced shipping companies to divert merchant vessels.
EU Commissioner for Economy, Paolo Gentiloni, said recently that delivery time for shipments between Asia and the EU has increased by 10-15 days, and costs for such shipments up by around 400 per cent.
While primarily targeting Russians and Russian entities, US and EU sanctions also included mainland Chinese individuals and firms, including those in Hong Kong, for aiding the Russian military.
The sanctions imposed by the US and the European Union on Friday, against several people and companies for supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine also included several companies from China, the Voice of America (VOA) reported.
Although most of the sanctions were against Russians and Russian firms, the US and EU measures also included Chinese individuals and companies based in mainland Chinese cities as well as Hong Kong for supplying the Russian military.
Moreover, they also included sanctions against Russian prison officials over the suspicious death of opposition leader Alexey Navalny.
Russia’s foreign ministry denounced the sanctions as “illegal” and said it would respond by banning some EU citizens who provided military assistance to Ukraine from entering Russia, according to VOA.
Chinese officials did not issue an immediate response to the sanctions.
However, China’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Mao Ning, commented on the expected sanctions on Tuesday at a regular briefing and said China follows an “objective and impartial position on the Ukraine crisis” and has “worked actively to promote peace talks.”
She further said that they “have not sat idly by, still less exploited the situation for selfish gains.”
China’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Mao Ning (Screengrab from X)
Moreover, Ukrainian officials and media reports have also accused Chinese companies of supplying key electronics and dual-use technologies, including drone components, to Russia’s military since its invasion of Ukraine two years ago. However, Beijing has denied their claim, according to VOA.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen preempted Friday’s official announcement on social media, stating, “I welcome the agreement on our 13th sanctions package against Russia. We must keep degrading Putin’s war machine. With 2000 listings in total, we keep the pressure high on the Kremlin. We are also further cutting Russia’s access to drones.”
Reportedly, the sanctioned individuals and companies are banned from doing business with US or European firms.
However, legal and political analysts disagreed on the effectiveness of the sanctions.
Lawyer Mark Handley, a partner at the Philadelphia-headquartered law firm Duane Morris LLP, said being sanctioned will certainly affect their international business. “Things like international insurance companies or shipping could get very complicated once they are on the sanctions list.”
However, Pieter Cleppe, editor-in-chief for BrusselsReport.eu, told VOA, “Historical research has shown that sanctions mostly fail, especially when prolonged, as is the case with Russia. The targeted country learns to cope with them.”
He added, “While sanctions may impoverish ordinary Russians, they have failed to halt the Russian offensive, which should be the goal.”
The Yermak-McFaul International Working Group on Russian Sanctions and the Ukrainian think tank KSE Institute published a report in January, showing that sanctioned technology has still been reaching Russia’s military through third-country intermediaries, which the EU and the US hope the fresh measures will stop.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.(photo;twitter.com/vonderleyen)
Junhua Zhang, senior assistant researcher at the Brussels-based European Institute for Asian Studies, said the EU’s highest expectation “is for China to align with the EU in resisting Russia’s aggression, which is unrealistic. The EU’s minimum expectation is for Chinese companies not to work for Russia, but strictly speaking, only fools would have such an expectation.”
“Just consider (Chinese President) Xi Jinping sees Putin as his best friend, and those below him will act accordingly, a point that Europeans also recognize,” Zhang added, as reported by VOA.
However, others argued that sanctions on Chinese firms could push Beijing to reconsider.
Aliona Hlivco, a former Ukrainian lawmaker and managing director at the London-based think tank the Henry Jackson Society, said that sanctions against Chinese companies could prove useful in deterring Russia’s war on Ukraine.
“China is currently attempting to improve relations with the West, so reinforcing China’s compliance with international norms could be opportune,” Hlivco said.
It is pertinent to mention that the EU is China’s second-largest trading bloc partner after the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
In 2023, while Russia lost most of its European market owing to the sanctions, the bilateral trade between China and Russia hit a record high of USD 240 billion, a year-on-year increase of 26.3 per cent, VOA reported.
However, trade between the US and China in 2023 fell for the first time since 2019 by 11 per cent to USD 664 billion, according to customs data.
According to the Commerce Department, the US imported more goods from Mexico than China for the first time in 20 years. (ANI)
European Union flags fly outside the European Commission building in Brussels, Belgium, on June 9, 2021. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong/IANS)
The EU’s Foreign Affairs Council meeting emphasized the need to enhance cooperation between the EU and Japan to elevate their partnership to a higher level…reports Asian Lite News
The European Union (EU) on Monday decided to engage in negotiations with Japan to establish a security and defence partnership agreement to elevate bilateral relations to a higher level amid China’s maritime assertiveness, Kyodo News reported citing an EU document.
The proposed agreement between the EU and Japan seeks to enhance cooperation in various domains, including maritime security, intelligence sharing, and addressing hybrid attacks – a novel form of warfare blending military and non-military strategies, such as disinformation campaigns, to achieve strategic goals.
According to Kyodo News, the move comes after Japan and the EU vowed to “develop further (their) security partnership” in a joint statement following their summit meeting last July amid concerns about China’s growing clout in the East and South China seas.
Calling Japan a “key partner in the Indo-Pacific” region, the document said the two sides are “longstanding partners in the field of peace, security and defence and have significantly developed their relationship in these areas over the past few years.
The EU’s Foreign Affairs Council meeting emphasized the need to enhance cooperation between the EU and Japan to elevate their partnership to a higher level.
Among the 14 areas identified for potential collaboration with Japan, maritime security features prominently, including joint exercises in the Indo-Pacific region and supporting the maritime security capabilities of Southeast Asian nations, Kyodo News said.
Additionally, the EU aims to collaborate with Japan in responding to cyber threats, safeguarding critical infrastructure, and coordinating efforts in counterterrorism, space security, and defence, it said.
During its summit last year, the EU emphasized the strategic importance of the East and South China Seas for regional and global security and prosperity, expressing concerns over escalating tensions in the Taiwan Strait.
The decision to pursue a security agreement underscores the EU’s commitment to bolstering regional stability and security in collaboration with key partners like Japan amid evolving geopolitical dynamics. (ANI)
European Union flags fly outside the European Commission building in Brussels, Belgium, on June 9, 2021. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong/IANS)
A Frontex agreement, albeit limited in scope, would be the third move by Sunak as prime minister to repair day-to-day practical relations between the EU and the UK…reports Asian Lite News
Rishi Sunak is on the verge of securing an agreement for cooperation between the UK and the EU’s border protection agency, Frontex in a further sign of thawing post-Brexit relations.
The deal is expected to mirror other agreements Frontex has with “third country” states, including one with Albania, which agreed to renew its 2019 accord.
It would lead to the sharing of intelligence of migration trends but would not address the small boats crisis involving people crossing the Channel by irregular means.
Sources say the pact will be discussed next week by the Frontex management board, which meets about six times a year. The deal could be signed this month.
A spokesperson for Sunak said negotiations were taking place and the text of a deal had not been agreed. “Obviously we hope to achieve a deal that works for us and our European neighbours,” the spokesperson said.
A Frontex agreement, albeit limited in scope, would be the third move by Sunak as prime minister to repair day-to-day practical relations between the EU and the UK.
In February he and the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, came to an agreement to resolve the row over the post-Brexit trading arrangements in Northern Ireland, with significant compromises by Brussels.
The Windsor agreement cleared the way for the UK’s return to the €85bn (£73bn) Horizon science research programme which was agreed last week to a jubilant response from the science and academic communities.
Relations between Sunak and Von der Leyen are said to be flourishing and sources said the Horizon deal underlined a welcome pragmatism from Downing Street.
Government sources said they believed the normalisation of relations would “unlock” the Frontex deal but emphasised there was nothing in the agreement that would address the small boats crisis or Suella Braverman’s desire to return irregular migrants to mainland Europe.
There are also reservations at the EU about Braverman’s wish to leave the European convention on human rights, which could put at risk the chapter on policing in the 2020 trade and cooperation agreement.
If the UK left the ECHR, the EU could pull the plug on the policing chapter, ending the sharing of DNA data, criminal records and fingerprint databases.
The justice and home affairs committee in the House of Lords has already written to Braverman to express concern that the new illegal migration legislation could lead to the “termination and/or suspension” of the security cooperation elements of the trade deal.
EU flags are seen outside the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium, Jan. 6, 2023.(Xinhua/Zheng Huansong/IANS)
Reflecting lower energy prices, the commission revised its inflation forecast sharply down from 3.2 percent — although it still remains above the ECB’s two-percent target…reports Asian Lite News
The forecasts by the EU’s executive arm demonstrate the impact of the European Central Bank’s interest rate-hiking campaign last year: a welcome fall in inflation, predicted to drop to 2.7 percent, but also worryingly sluggish growth, expected to reach just 0.8 percent.
Although the Frankfurt-based ECB has held rates steady so far in 2024, it is widely expected to begin cutting rates later this year in the face of slowing consumer prices and a weakening eurozone economy.
Inflation soared in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, sending energy prices sky-high as Europe scrambled to find alternative power sources.
Reflecting lower energy prices, the commission revised its inflation forecast sharply down from 3.2 percent — although it still remains above the ECB’s two-percent target.
“Lower energy commodity prices, weaker economic momentum and recent inflation outturns set inflation on a lower path, lower than was anticipated last autumn,” the EU’s economy commissioner, Paolo Gentiloni, told reporters in Brussels.
The commission’s 2024 growth forecast for the 20-country eurozone, at 0.8 percent, also marks a sharp downward revision from the previous forecast of 1.2 percent.
“After narrowly avoiding a technical recession in the second half of last year, prospects for the EU economy in the first quarter of 2024 remain weak,” it said.
But Gentiloni tempered the gloomy outlook by stressing that “the conditions for a gradual acceleration of economic activity this year are still in place.”
Brussels expects growth to reach 1.5 percent next year, with Gentiloni pointing to “a strong labour market, easing inflation, rising wages, the expected gradual easing of credit conditions” as factors likely to support growth.
For now, however, EU officials consider that the eurozone is underperforming compared to the rest of the world. The United States’ full-year economic growth accelerated to 2.5 percent last year.
The reason for this, Gentiloni said, was that US consumers benefited from a larger pandemic stimulus than in Europe, adding that the bloc was also hit harder by the impact of the war in Ukraine on energy prices.
European Union flags fly outside the European Commission building in Brussels, Belgium, on June 9, 2021. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong/IANS)
Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal said that there is no free trade agreement (FTA) in which India will go against the generic drug industry. ..reports Asian Lite News
India will continue to protect the interests of its generic drug firms and has rejected European Free Trade Association (EFTA) nations’ demand to keep “data exclusivity” as a part of the intellectual property (IP) chapter under a proposed bilateral trade deal, a top government official said on Thursday.
Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal said that there is no free trade agreement (FTA) in which India will go against the generic drug industry. EFTA comprises Iceland, Switzerland, Norway and Liechtenstein.
“They want there should be data exclusivity, but we rejected their demand. We are with our generic industry. There is no fear for the Indian generic industry (from this agreement). In fact, it is our very important objective to see that the generic drug industry flourishes,” Barthway told reporters.
For over a decade, India has been against the inclusion of data exclusivity provisions in FTAs to protect the interest of the domestic generic drug industry. Through data exclusivity, technical data generated by innovator companies get protection, which stops their competitors from getting cheaper versions of the medicine for a certain time period or till the innovator companies have ‘exclusivity rights’.
Even in the past, India’s discussions on IPR have been a contentious issue in FTA negotiations with countries such as Japan, the United Kingdom (UK) and trade blocs such as the European Union (EU).
According to international medical humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/ Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Public Eye, and Delhi Network of Positive People, the draft leaked chapter on IP has provisions on data exclusivity, which can hamper the production of cheap, lifesaving generic medicines from India.
“This would result in generic manufacturers either needing to wait out the exclusivity period or repeat expensive clinical trials. In cases where a new medicine is patented, data exclusivity could block compulsory licences that may be granted to generic manufacturers to produce medicines at lower prices,” said a statement from MSF on Wednesday.
All advertisers who wish to run election ads in the EU on Google platforms are required to go through a verification process and have an in-ad disclosure that clearly shows who paid for the ad…reports Asian Lite News
Google has announced to support the European parliamentary elections by surfacing high-quality information to voters, safeguarding its platforms from abuse and equipping campaigns with the best-in-class security tools and training.
On June 6-9, voters across the 27 member states of the European Union will take to the polls to elect Members of European Parliament (MEPs).
“Across our efforts, we’ll have an increased focus on the role of artificial intelligence (AI) and the part it can play in the misinformation landscape — while also leveraging AI models to augment our abuse-fighting efforts,” said Annette Kroeber-Riel, Vice President, Government Affairs and Public Policy for Europe.
In the coming months, when people search for topics like ‘how to vote,’ they will find details about how they can vote — such as ID requirements, registration, voting deadlines, voting abroad and guidance for different means of voting, like in person or via mail
“We’re collaborating with the European Parliament which aggregates information from Electoral Commissions and authorities in the 27 EU member states,” said Google.
All advertisers who wish to run election ads in the EU on Google platforms are required to go through a verification process and have an in-ad disclosure that clearly shows who paid for the ad.
“These ads are published in our Political Ads Transparency Report, where anyone can look up information such as how much was spent and where it was shown. We also limit how advertisers can target election ads,” the company informed.
The company said that to help enforce its policies, AI models are enhancing abuse-fighting efforts. “With recent advances in our Large Language Models (LLMs), we’re building faster and more adaptable enforcement systems that enable us to remain nimble and take action even more quickly when new threats emerge,” Google said.
Like any emerging technology, AI presents new opportunities as well as challenges. For example, generative AI makes it easier than ever to create new content, but it can also raise questions about trustworthiness of information, like “deepfakes.”
“We have policies across our products and services that address misinformation and disinformation in the context of AI,” Google added.
Google joins coalition to bring transparency to digital content
The Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA), a global standards body advancing transparency online through certifying the provenance of digital content, on Friday announced that Google has joined as a steering committee member and support Content Credentials to bring transparency to digital content in the AI era.
Google will collaborate with other steering committee members like Adobe, BBC, Intel, Microsoft, Publicis Groupe, Sony, and Truepic to develop the technical standard for Content Credentials.
Content Credentials is the C2PA’s technical standard for tamper-resistant metadata that can be attached to digital content, showing how and when the content was created or modified.
“In the critical context of this year’s global elections where the threat of misinformation looms larger than ever, the urgency to increase trust in the digital ecosystem has never been more pressing,” Dana Rao, General Counsel and Chief Trust Officer, Adobe and Co-founder of the C2PA, said in a statement.
“Google’s membership will help accelerate the adoption of Content Credentials everywhere, from content creation to consumption,” he added.
Additionally, Google’s participation, which includes YouTube, will help increase awareness of Content Credentials as a key resource to help people understand the content they’re viewing and trust the digital ecosystem.
“At Google, a critical part of our responsible approach to AI involves working with others in the industry to help increase transparency around digital content,” said Laurie Richardson, VP of Trust and Safety at Google.
“It builds on our work in this space — including Google DeepMind’s SynthID, Search’s About this Image and YouTube’s labels denoting content that is altered or synthetic — to provide important context to people, helping them make more informed decisions,” she added.
Content Credentials are essentially a “nutrition label” for digital content — showing when a piece of content is created and modified.
Content Credentials are free, open-source technology leveraging the C2PA open technical standard that anyone can incorporate into their own products and platforms.
According to Euro News, these are the first guidelines to mitigate systemic risks on their platforms ahead of the European Parliament elections in June…reports Asian Lite News
The European Union has asked digital platforms like Facebook, Google, TikTok and X (Twitter) to give feedback on first-ever draft guidelines to maintain integrity of elections.
The draft guidelines include recommendations to avoid “democratic risks from generative AI and deepfakes”, along with content moderation and political ads transparency.
Online platforms are invited to give feedback to draft election guidelines under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) on the integrity of elections, said the European Commission.
The public consultation is open for feedback until March 7.
“With the Digital Services Act, Europe is the first continent with a law to address systemic risks on online platforms that can have real-world negative effects on our democratic societies,” said Thierry Breton, the EU’s commissioner for internal market.
“2024 is a significant year for elections. That is why we are making full use of all the tools offered by the DSA to ensure platforms comply with their obligations and are not misused to manipulate our elections, while safeguarding freedom of expression,” Breton added.
According to Euro News, these are the first guidelines to mitigate systemic risks on their platforms ahead of the European Parliament elections in June.
“With the Digital Services Act, we have concrete tools to work together with online platforms. We can address the emerging online risks to electoral processes, like deep fakes,” said Margrethe Vestager, the Commission’s Vice President.
“We can enable people, in a safe way, to engage, discuss and make up their minds without illegal interference,” Vestager added.
“Generative AI can notably be used to mislead voters or to manipulate electoral processes by creating and disseminating inauthentic, misleading synthetic content regarding political actors, false depiction of events, election polls, contexts or narratives,” according to draft guidelines.
Generative AI systems can also produce incorrect, incoherent, or fabricated information, so called ‘hallucinations,’ that misrepresent the reality, and which can potentially mislead voters.
The draft election security guidelines include the recommendation that tech giants put in place “reasonable, proportionate, and effective” mitigation measures tailored to risks related to the creation and “potential large-scale dissemination” of AI-generated fakes.
EU-India Human Rights Dialogue. (Photo:Ugo Astuto Twitter)
Violent extremists have exploited these inexpensive and adaptable consumer devices for different purposes, including reconnaissance and violent attacks…reports Asian Lite News
The first ever European Union (EU)-India Track 1.5 dialogue on countering the use of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) by extremists and non-state actors will take place in New Delhi on Thursday.
The day-long EU-India roundtable seeks to better understand the range of current and emerging threats particularly involved with consumer-grade UAS technology. Participants from the EU and India will also discuss best practices regarding regulatory, tactical and investigative responses to addressing UAS threats in both regions, according to an official release.
Commercial UAS has been developing rapidly in recent years, both in terms of technological sophistication and consumer availability. Violent extremists have exploited these inexpensive and adaptable consumer devices for different purposes, including reconnaissance and violent attacks.
This roundtable is part of a series of ongoing counterterrorism engagements between the EU and India, building on recent activities under the EU project Enhancing Security Cooperation In and With Asia (ESIWA). In the field of counter-terrorism and preventing violent extremism (CT-PVE), activities have included successful chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) risk management training for Indian security practitioners, and moderated expert discussions on countering online extremism, the release added.
“Security and terrorist threats are increasingly of an hybrid nature. The use of commercial drones is a case in point. If a relatively cheap device can carry and fly a pizza or biryani, then clearly, they can also be used for carrying more nefarious payloads, such as weapons or explosives” EU Ambassador to India Herve Delphin said.
“Sharing knowledge and experiences between us, the EU and India, is highly relevant and crucial to counter drones’ threats that we each face, in this rapidly evolving field. This seminar testifies to EU and India’s general joint commitment to intensify dialogue and cooperation on security issues,” he added.
Seizing the opportunity to exploit these relatively inexpensive and adaptable devices, terrorist organisations and individual violent extremists across the world have deployed ‘off-the-shelf’ drones. The swift rise of this phenomenon and the evolving technologies involved mean that threat assessments and mitigation strategies are recent and ongoing. Sharing information with peers is therefore vital in forging a common response to ensure our security and defence.
This EU-India roundtable has been organised by the ESIWA project, in partnership with the National Security Guard of India, and the EU Delegation to India. Highlighting the Team Europe approach, expert inputs will be provided from the EU’s Directorate General of Migration and Home Affairs (DG Home), Spain’s Ministry of the Interior, Hungary’s national police (Rendorseg), along with the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCCT), it also said.
The ESIWA project is co-funded by the European Union, the German Federal Foreign Office and the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. It works to enhance the EU’s security and defence cooperation with the Indo-Pacific in four thematic areas: counter-terrorism and preventing violent extremism, crisis management, cyber security and maritime security. The project is co-implemented by the German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ) & Expertise France.
ESIWA’s activities in counter-terrorism and preventing violent extremism (CT-PVE) aims to contribute to information exchange, capacity building and mutual learning.
In October 2023, the EU Commission issued a Communication to the Council and European Parliament on countering potential threats posed by drones. The document sets out the EU’s commercial drone policy for the next several years.
The communication specifically aims to “provide a comprehensive and harmonised policy framework; build a common understanding of applicable procedures to face the continuously evolving threats possibly posed by drones; and take into account the rapid developments in technology”. (ANI)
