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Saturday, February 15, 2025

Munich Security Conference 2025


   On Saturday, debates will take place on the state of the international order as well as regional conflicts and crises. The future of the transatlantic partnership will also be a focus of the second day of the conference.

The MSC 2025 comes at a pivotal moment of change: a new US administration takes office in January, a new cycle of European legislature in Brussels and German parliamentary elections follow just one week after the conference.

After an opening by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on February 14, hundreds of decision-makers and opinion leaders from different regions of the world will discuss the world's security policy challenges under the chairmanship of Christoph Heusgen.

On Friday, the conference’s main program will start with a focus on global security challenges, including global governance, democratic resilience, climate security, and many more topics. On Saturday, debates will take place on the state of the international order as well as regional conflicts and crises. The future of the transatlantic partnership will also be a focus of the second day of the conference. On Sunday, the conference will wrap up with discussions on Europe’s role in the world.

The MSC 2025 will once again serve as a marketplace for ideas and create space for as many relevant and consequential debates as possible. As in previous years, the conference’s program consists of three parts: the main program curated by the MSC, around 200 official side events, and dozens of public outreach events. The day before the conference, the Minister of Finance of the Federal Republic of Germany, Jörg Kukies, will bring together ministers and high representatives from international institutions for the 4th No Money for Terror Ministerial Conference on Counter-Terrorism Financing.

At the end of the third and last conference day, Jens Stoltenberg will succeed Christoph Heusgen as the new Chair of the MSC.🔺

Friday, February 14, 2025

தையிட்டி விகாரை விவகாரத்தை விரைவில் தீர்த்து வைப்போம்- அமைச்சர் இ , சந்திரசேகர்

``விகாரை கட்டப்பட்டுள்ள காணியை மாத்திரம் தருமாறும், விகாரையை சுற்றியுள்ள ஏனைய காணிகளை மக்களிடம் மீள கையளிக்க தயாராக உள்ளதாகவும் விகாராதிபதி தெரிவித்துள்ளார்``. 

கடற்தொழில் அமைச்சர் இ ,  சந்திரசேகர்  



றக்கத்தில் உள்ள இனவாதத்தை மீண்டும் எழும்ப அனுமதிக்க முடியாது. அதனால் தையிட்டி விகாரை விவகாரத்தை விரைவில் தீர்த்து வைப்போம் என கடற்தொழில் அமைச்சர் இ ,  சந்திரசேகர் தெரிவித்துள்ளார். 

யாழ்ப்பாண மாவட்டத்தில் 2025 ஆம் ஆண்டிற்கான பன்முகப்படுத்தப்பட்ட வரவு செலவு வேலைத்திட்டங்களை நடைமுறைப்படுத்தல் தொடர்பான கலந்துரையாடல் இன்றைய தினம் வெள்ளிக்கிழமை மாவட்ட ஒருங்கிணைப்புக் குழுத் தலைவர், கடற்றொழி்ல் அமைச்சர் இராமலிங்கம் சந்திரசேகர் தலைமையில் நடைபெற்றது. 

அதன் பின்னர் ஊடகங்களுக்கு கருத்து தெரிவிக்கும் போதே அவ்வாறு தெரிவித்தார். 

மேலும் தெரிவிக்கையில், 

தையிட்டி விகாரை விவகாரம் விரைவில் முடிக்கப்பட வேண்டும். இல்லையெனில் எதிர்காலத்தில் பாரிய விளைவுகளை அது ஏற்படுத்தும். 

உறக்கத்தில் உள்ள இனவாதத்தை மீண்டும் எழும்ப விட கூடாது.  அதனால் அடிப்படையில் இவ்வாறான பிரச்சனைகள் உருவாகுவதை அனுமதிக்க முடியாது. 

விகாரை விவாகரத்தில் பாதிக்கப்பட்ட காணி உரிமையாளர்கள் , அப்பிரதேச மக்கள் , மத தலைவர்கள் , சிவில் சமூக பிரதிநிதிகள் உள்ளிட்ட தரப்பினர்களுடன் விரைவில் பேசவுள்ளோம். 

விகாரை கட்டப்பட்டுள்ள காணியை மாத்திரம் தருமாறும், விகாரையை சுற்றியுள்ள ஏனைய காணிகளை மக்களிடம் மீள கையளிக்க தயாராக உள்ளதாகவும் விகாராதிபதி தெரிவித்துள்ளார். 

எனவே விகாரை விவாகரத்தில் யாருக்கும் பாதிப்பில்லாத வகையில் அதனை தீர்க்க விரைந்து நடவடிக்கை எடுப்போம் என தெரிவித்தார். 

White House bars AP reporter from Oval Office because of AP style policy on ‘Gulf of America’


White House bars AP reporter from Oval Office because of AP style policy on ‘Gulf of America’

By  DAVID BAUDER, February 12, 2025

NEW YORK (AP) — The White House blocked an Associated Press reporter from an event in the Oval Office on Tuesday after demanding the news agency alter its style on the Gulf of Mexico, which President Donald Trump has ordered renamed the Gulf of America.

The reporter, whom the AP would not identify, tried to enter the White House event as usual Tuesday afternoon and was turned away. Later, a second AP reporter was barred from a late-evening event in the White House’s Diplomatic Reception Room.

The highly unusual ban, which Trump administration officials had threatened earlier Tuesday unless the AP changed the style on the Gulf, could have constitutional free-speech implications.

Julie Pace, AP’s senior vice president and executive editor, called the administration’s move unacceptable.

“It is alarming that the Trump administration would punish AP for its independent journalism,” Pace said in a statement. “Limiting our access to the Oval Office based on the content of AP’s speech not only severely impedes the public’s access to independent news, it plainly violates the First Amendment.”

The Trump administration made no immediate announcements about the moves, and there was no indication any other journalists were affected. Trump has long had an adversarial relationship with the media. On Friday, the administration ejected a second group of news organizations from Pentagon office space.

Before his Jan. 20 inauguration, Trump announced plans to change the Gulf of Mexico’s name to the “Gulf of America” — and signed an executive order to do so as soon as he was in office. Mexico’s president responded sarcastically and others noted that the name change would probably not affect global usage.

Besides the United States, the body of water — named the Gulf of Mexico for more than 400 years — also borders Mexico.

The AP said last month, three days after Trump’s inauguration, that it would continue to refer to the Gulf of Mexico while noting Trump’s decision to rename it as well. As a global news agency that disseminates news around the world, the AP says it must ensure that place names and geography are easily recognizable to all audiences.



AP style is not only used by the agency. The AP Stylebook is relied on by thousands of journalists and other writers globally.

Barring the AP reporter was an affront to the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which bars the government from impeding the freedom of the press, said Tim Richardson, program director of journalism and misinformation for PEN America.

The White House Correspondents Association called the White House move unacceptable and called on the administration to change course.

“The White House cannot dictate how news organizations report the news, nor should it penalize working journalists because it is unhappy with their editors’ decision,” said Eugene Daniels, WHCA’s president.

This week, Google Maps began using “Gulf of America,” saying it had a “longstanding practice” of following the U.S. government’s lead on such matters. The other leading online map provider, Apple Maps, was still using “Gulf of Mexico” earlier Tuesday but by early evening had changed to “Gulf of America” on some browsers, though at least one search produced results for both.

Trump also decreed that the mountain in Alaska known as Mount McKinley and then by its Indigenous name, Denali, be shifted back to commemorating the 25th president. President Barack Obama had ordered it renamed Denali in 2015. AP said last month it will use the official name change to Mount McKinley because the area lies solely in the United States and Trump has the authority to change federal geographical names within the country.🔺

Thursday, February 13, 2025

India, US agree to resolve trade and tariff rows after Trump-Modi talks

India, US agree to resolve trade and tariff rows after Trump-Modi talks

U.S. President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister
Narendra Modi shake hands,at the White House in
Washington, D.C.,U.S., February 13, 2025.
REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque


WASHINGTON, Feb 13 (Reuters) - India and the U.S. agreed on Thursday to start talks to clinch an early trade deal and resolve their standoff over tariffs as New Delhi promised to buy more U.S. oil, gas and military equipment and fight illegal immigration.

The series of agreements emerged after talks between U.S. President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House, just hours after Trump railed against the climate for U.S. businesses in India and unveiled a roadmap for reciprocal tariffs on countries that put duties on U.S. imports.

Trump calls India tariffs 'unfair', limits access to U.S.
India, U.S. set for early trade talks
Initial segments of trade deal to be negotiated by fall 2025
India to raise U.S. energy purchases to $25 bln from $15 bln
Two countries agree to aggressively address illegal immigration
"Prime Minister Modi recently announced the reductions to India's unfair, very strong tariffs that limit us access to the Indian market, very strongly," Trump said. "And really it's a big problem I must say."

The deal to resolve trade concerns could be done within the next seven months, said India's Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.

A joint statement after the meeting said Washington welcomed New Delhi's recent steps to lower tariffs on select U.S. products and increase market access to U.S. farm products, while seeking to negotiate the initial segments of a trade deal by the fall of 2025.

While both leaders "had their perspectives" on tariffs, "what is more remarkable...is the fact that we have a way forward on this issue," Misri said.

Some of the leaders' agreements are aspirational: India wants to increase by "billions of dollars" its purchases of U.S. defense equipment and may make Washington the "number one supplier" of oil and gas, Trump said at a joint press conference with Modi.

And Delhi wants to double trade with Washington by 2030, Modi said. Long-planned cooperation on nuclear energy, also discussed by the leaders, faces ongoing legal challenges.

"We're also paving the way to ultimately provide India with the F-35 stealth fighters," said Trump.

Misri, the Indian official, later said the F-35 deal was a proposal at this point, with no formal process underway. The White House did not respond to a request for comment on any deal.

WHAT TRUMP WANTS

Although Trump had a warm relationship with Modi in his first term, he again said on Thursday that India's tariffs were "very high" and promised to match them, even after his earlier levies on steel and aluminum hit metal-producing India particularly hard.

"We are being reciprocal with India," Trump said during the press conference. "Whatever India charges, we charge them."

Elon Musk meets Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 13, 2025, in this picture obtained from social media.@narendramodi via X/via REUTERS

Modi vowed to protect India's interests.

"One thing that I deeply appreciate, and I learn from President Trump, is that he keeps the national interest supreme," Modi said. "Like him, I also keep the national interest of India at the top of everything else."

The two leaders praised each other and agreed to deepen security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, a thinly veiled reference to competition with China, as well as to start joint production on technologies like artificial intelligence.

Asked before the meeting about the steps India was taking, one source described it as a "gift" for Trump designed to lower trade tensions. A Trump aide said that the president sees defense and energy sales to India lowering the U.S. trade deficit.

India's energy purchases from the U.S. could go up to $25 billion in the near future from $15 billion last year, India's Misri said, adding that this could contribute to reducing the trade deficit.

Tariffs will continue to dominate the two countries' relationship, said Richard Rossow, head of the India program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a think tank.

"It's going to be a boxing match," he said. "India is willing to take a few hits, but there's a limit."

The U.S. has a $45.6 billion trade deficit with India. Overall, the U.S. trade-weighted average tariff rate has been about 2.2%, according to World Trade Organization data, compared with India's 12%.

New Delhi promised to buy more U.S. oil, gas and military equipment and fight illegal immigration.

FIGHT ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

Trump wants more help from India on unauthorized immigration. India is a major source of immigrants to the United States, including a large number in the tech industry on work visas and others in the U.S. illegally.

The joint statement said the two countries agreed to aggressively address illegal immigration and human trafficking by strengthening law enforcement cooperation.

India may prove critical to Trump's strategy to thwart China, which many in his administration see as the top U.S. rival. India is wary of neighboring China's military buildup and competes for many of the same markets.

Modi also worries that Trump could cut a deal with China that excludes India, according to Mukesh Aghi, president of the U.S.-India Strategic Partnership Forum lobbying group.

India has continued its ties with Russia as it carries out its war with Ukraine. India has remained a major consumer of Russian energy, for instance, while the West has worked to cut its own consumption since the war started.

"The world had this thinking that India somehow is a neutral country in this whole process," said Modi. "But this is not true. India has a side, and that side is of peace."🔺

NATO Membership for Ukraine Not Realistic-US



NATO Membership for Ukraine Not Realistic, Says Hegseth

NATO Touts European Spending on Ukraine as It Awaits Hegseth

  • Rutte says non-US allies gave 60% of Ukraine money in 2024 
  • Trump’s Pentagon chief Hegseth makes first visit to Brussels 

By Andrea Palasciano February 12, 2025 
  • European NATO members are aiming to demonstrate to the Trump administration the full scope of their financial support for Ukraine as they’re set to meet the new US Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth.
  • Pete Hegseth, left, with German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius,
    ahead of a NATO defence ministers' meeting in Brussels,
    on Feb. 12.

    Photographer: Johanna Geron/AFP/Getty Images

    With the future of the US’s aid commitment to Kyiv unclear, NATO defense ministers are hoping to learn more about President Donald Trump’s demands on the alliance when they meet in Brussels this week.(12-02-2025)
  • Allies are expecting Trump to keep pushing for more European spending and fairer burden sharing, as well as calling for a swift end to the war in Ukraine, but they’re also hoping to hear that the US commitment to the alliance won’t waver, according to several diplomats.
  • Hegseth will take part in a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group on Wednesday and then in a full gathering of the alliance’s defense ministers on Thursday. Their Ukrainian counterpart, Rustem Umerov, is also expected to join.
  • NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte touted a 20% increase in defense spending from non-US NATO allies last year, compared to 2023. He told reporters Wednesday that these non-US allies gave more than half of some €50 billion ($51.9 billion) in aid delivered to Ukraine last year.
  • During his first presidency, Trump frequently criticized Europe for lackluster defense spending, and those attacks have continued through recent weeks.
  • Trump recently said that NATO countries should spend 5% of their gross domestic product on defense, a figure no single ally reaches, not even the US. The alliance is expected to revise its current spending target of 2% in the coming months, which many, but not all members, now meet.
  • Internally, NATO planners estimate that between 3.5% and 3.7% of GDP would be needed to satisfy all the military requirements for the alliance’s defense plans, according to people familiar with the matter.
  • Separately, foreign ministers from France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, as well as top EU diplomat Kaja Kallas and new defense commissioner Andrius Kubilius, are due to discuss Ukraine in Paris on Wednesday evening.🔺
  • Source:Bloomberg

Tuesday, February 11, 2025

Trump tariffs on aluminum, steel draw strong backlash


Trump tariffs on aluminum, steel draw strong backlash

Published: Feb 12, 2025


US President Donald Trump's decision to impose a 25 percent tariff on all steel and aluminum imports "without exceptions or exemptions" has drawn strong reactions from major US trading partners, with some of its traditional allies vowing firm countermeasures. 

This adds to growing global trade uncertainties as the Trump administration continues to wield the "tariff stick," breaking the fundamental principles of global trade, a Chinese trade expert said on Tuesday, refuting claims that Chinese steel and aluminum are at the heart of the tariffs by pointing out they target all US imports.   

After repeated threats, Trump on Monday US time signed proclamations raising tariff rates on steel and aluminum to 25 percent. A White House official confirmed the measures would take effect on March 4, Reuters reported.

"It's 25 [percent] without exceptions or exemptions. That's all countries, no matter where it comes from, all countries," Trump said, according to Reuters.  

Strong reaction

The move immediately sparked harsh criticism and pledges of countermeasures from major US trading partners. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday that the bloc will respond with "firm and proportionate countermeasures," according to a statement released by the European Commission on Tuesday.

"I deeply regret the US decision to impose tariffs on European steel and aluminum exports. Tariffs are taxes - bad for business, worse for consumers. Unjustified tariffs on the EU will not go unanswered - they will trigger firm and proportionate countermeasures. The EU will act to safeguard its economic interests. We will protect our workers, businesses and consumers," she said in the statement.

EU trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič also spoke about US tariffs in the European Parliament on Tuesday, calling them "economically counterproductive," "bad for businesses, worse for consumers," and "raising costs for [US] businesses and fueling inflation," the Guardian reported.

He said the bloc was "assessing the scope of the measures announced overnight," but "will be responding in a firm and proportionate way with countermeasures."

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Tuesday that "If the US does not give us any other choice, the EU will respond as one. As the largest market in the world, with 450 million citizens, we have the strength to do so. But I hope that we are spared the misguided path of tariffs and countertariffs. In the end, trade wars always cost both sides prosperity," the Guardian reported.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Tuesday has assured that he will defend, together with the EU, the interests of Spanish companies and workers in the face of the "trade war" opened by the US government which, in his opinion, will not benefit "anyone," according to a report by europapress.es.

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the tariffs "unacceptable".  

Canadian Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne said in a post on X on Tuesday that steel and aluminum tariffs on Canada, the US' closest ally, would be totally unjustified. 

"Canadian steel and aluminum support key industries in the US from defense, shipbuilding, energy to automotive... We will continue to stand up for Canada, support our workers, and defend our industries as we have always done and always will," Champagne said.

Meanwhile, some of the US' major trading partners are trying to find a deal. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters on Tuesday that he has spoken to President Donald Trump and "presented Australia's case" for an exemption from the 25 percent tariff on aluminum and steel, according to the Xinhua News Agency. 

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is preparing additional tariff cuts ahead of a meeting this week with Trump that could boost American exports to India and avoid a potential trade war, government officials said, Reuters reported on Monday.

"These countries made prompt responses because the US' latest move will have a negative impact on their trade and industries. In addition, this indicates that allies or not, the US government is inclined to leverage tariffs on countries that may have the so-called damage to the country's economy and industry," Zhou Mi, a senior research fellow at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

While the US claims it is protecting its domestic steel and aluminum industries, it is actually shielding outdated and uncompetitive sectors, Gao Lingyun, an expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

As a result, the US is blocking products where other countries have a comparative advantage. However, it lacks the conditions at home needed for its steel and aluminum industries to grow, so no amount of protection will make a difference, Gao said.

Even worse, the move, breaking the fundamental principles of global trade, will escalate global trade uncertainty and have a destructive impact on the world's trade order, Zhou warned.

Even as the US tariffs promoted firm responses from many so-called US allies, The New York Times claimed that "China is at the heart of Trump tariffs on steel and aluminum."

In response, Zhou noted that the US move targets all countries, instead of only aiming at China. 

In addition, the scale of China's steel and aluminum exports is relatively limited, Gao noted.

For a long time, the export ratio of Chinese steel has remained at about 5 percent, much lower than that of other steel-producing countries such as Japan and South Korea, an official from China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said earlier.

Commenting on the US' steel and aluminum tariffs at a regular press conference on Monday, Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said that protectionism leads nowhere, and trade and tariff wars have no winners. 

On Tuesday, Chan Kwok-ki, chief secretary for administration of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government, criticized the US' tariff measures for not complying with WTO rules on Tuesday, saying that the SAR will file a complaint with the WTO regarding this unreasonable arrangement.

Greater uncertainty

In addition to the steel and aluminum tariffs, Trump said that he would follow Monday's action with announcements about reciprocal tariffs on all countries that impose duties on US goods over the next two days, and said he was also looking at tariffs on cars, semiconductors and pharmaceuticals, according to Reuters.

Zhou noted that the move is just an excuse for the US to reduce its own tariff concession obligations. Under the framework of multilateralism, the US has benefited from tariff concessions for a long time.

More importantly, focusing solely on reciprocity does not necessarily benefit the US' own trade balance, industries or other problems, Gao said, adding that "every country has its own comparative advantages. In the context of international trade, the idea is that I offer what I'm good at, and you offer what you're good at, so we can all benefit."

If the US rigidly insists on absolute reciprocity, it essentially breaks a fundamental principle of international trade, Gao noted.🔺
--------------------------------------------

World leaders seek common ground at Paris AI summit

World leaders seek common ground at Paris AI summit

China has always participated in global cooperation and governance on AI with a highly responsible attitude

Published: Feb 12, 2025
The Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Summit, which has brought together global leaders, technology industry executives and top researchers in Paris, held formal talks on Tuesday amid the divergence on the AI governance and regulation, with relevant parties striving to find common ground on rapidly evolving field of AI. On Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi co-hosted the summit.Vice Premier of the State Council Zhang Guoqing, who attended the summit as President Xi Jinping's special representative, delivered a speech on Monday, during which Zhang said that AI has become an important driving force for the new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation. China has always participated in global cooperation and governance on AI with a highly responsible attitude, he underlined, Xinhua News Agency reported on Tuesday.
French President Emmanuel Macron (front C) poses for a group picture with world leaders and attendees at the
end of the plenary session of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Summit, at the Grand Palais, in Paris,
on February 11, 2025. Photo: AFP


China, France, Germany and India were among 61 signatories who agreed it is a priority that "AI is open, inclusive, transparent, ethical, safe, secure and trustworthy, taking into account international frameworks for all" and "making AI sustainable for people and the planet."The statement sets an ambition to reduce digital divides by promoting AI accessibility, and ensuring the tech's development is "transparent", "safe" as well as "secure and trustworthy", reported BBC.The US and Britain have not signed the Paris AI Summit's declaration entitled "Statement on Inclusive and Sustainable Artificial Intelligence," per Reuters. The two countries did not immediately explain their reasons for not adding their names to the document, according to the Guardian.At the summit, Modi had called for "collective, global efforts to establish governance and standards that uphold our shared values, address risks and build trust," according to CNA. "Excessive regulation ... could kill a transformative sector just as it's taking off," US Vice President JD Vance told global leaders and tech industry chiefs at the French capital's Grand Palais, per CNA. French President Macron said there was a "need for rules" to govern artificial intelligence, in an apparent rebuff to Vance who had criticized excessive regulation, according to AFP. Amid the global attention on China's AI development, The China AI Safety and Development Association (CNAISDA) hosted a side event titled Progress in AI Technology and its Application on Tuesday, putting China's advancements in AI development, governance measures and its vision for international cooperation into the spotlight. If all countries in the world can leverage their comparative advantages and collaborate effectively based on technological and industrial principles, it would be the optimal choice, Shen Yi, a professor at Fudan University, told the Global Times.Hegemony remains the biggest obstacle in the development of AI. Such cooperation is currently being blocked and separated due to this hegemonic mindset, Shen said. Chinese technology should be treated fairly and objectively. Accusations that attempt to smear the Chinese tech company stem from biased attitudes toward China's development, Zhang Linghan, from China University of Political Science and Law and a Chinese expert on the High-Level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence, who is also attending the summit in Paris, told the Global Times.Zhang said China has always advocated enhancing the representation and voices of developing countries in global AI governance, ensuring equal rights, equal opportunities and equal rules for AI development and governance of all countries, carrying out international cooperation and assistance for developing countries, and constantly bridging the intelligence gap and governance capacity gap.According to China's vision, AI has a wide range of possible applications in the future, and it should become one of the core sources of new quality productive forces, and at the same time, the value created by AI must be distributed in a more equitable way in order to realize the benefits of AI for humanity, Shen stressed. Ensuring equal access between countries and between different groups within a country will prevent exacerbating wealth inequality, leading to scenarios where AI "consumes" human opportunities, fostering new technological and power oligarchs, and eroding global security and development, Shen added.🔺

Batalanda debate: JVP’s role likely to be discussed

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