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☆ UAE oil chief is ‘the perfect person’ to lead UN climate talks, COP28 director general says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The UAE will host the COP28 climate summit from Nov. 30 through to Dec. 12. The director general of COP28 on Thursday defended the appointment of oil executive Sultan al-Jaber, describing the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company CEO as the "perfect person" to lead the climate talks. The UAE, the third-largest oil-producing member of the OPEC alliance, will host the COP28 climate summit from Nov. 30 through to Dec. 12. Asked by CNBC's Dan Murphy to respond to the calls to remove al-Jaber as president-designate of the summit, COP28 Director General Majid al-Suwaidi said: "This is a discussion that we've seen a lot in the media. "As the UAE we've been really focused on how do we deliver the results we need for COP28 and I know that Dr. Sultan is the perfect person to do that.

Persons: Sultan al, Jaber, COP28, Joe Biden, Ursula von der Leyen, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, CNBC's Dan Murphy, Majid al, Suwaidi, we've, —, they're, Sultan Organizations: Abu, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, European, United, U.S, UAE we've Locations: UAE, COP28, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

NATO Airborne Warning and Control Systems (AWACS) surveillance aircraft will watch the skies over the summit venue through Friday, the alliance said in a statement. Missile debris from the war in Ukraine has been found in Moldova several times since Russia invaded 15 months ago. "NATO AWACS can detect aircraft, missiles and drones hundreds of kilometres away, making them an important early warning capability," NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu said. The summit will also touch on a range of strategic issues, ranging from energy to cybersecurity and migration. Reporting by John Irish, Andrew Gray and Alexander Tanas; writing by John Irish; editing by Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Josep Borrell, Nicu Popescu, Ana Revenco, Oana Lungescu, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Maia Sandu, Ursula von der, Albin Kurti, Aleksandar Vucic, ” Borrell, Emmanuel Macron, Olaf Scholz, John Irish, Andrew Gray, Alexander Tanas, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: High Representative, European Union for Foreign Affairs, Moldova's, Russia, NATO, Kyiv, Control Systems, European, Kosovo, EU, Thomson Locations: Chisinau, Moldova, Ukraine, Kosovo, Moldovan, Romania, Russia, Ursula von der Leyen, KOSOVO, Slovakia, defusing, Serbian, Europe, Azerbaijan, Armenia

"Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war," more than 350 signatories wrote in a letter published by the nonprofit Center for AI Safety (CAIS). As well as Altman, they included the CEOs of AI firms DeepMind and Anthropic, and executives from Microsoft (MSFT.O) and Google (GOOGL.O). Elon Musk and a group of AI experts and industry executives were the first ones to cite potential risks to society in April. AI pioneer Hinton earlier told Reuters that AI could pose a "more urgent" threat to humanity than climate change. Last week OpenAI CEO Sam Altman referred to EU AI - the first efforts to create a regulation for AI - as over-regulation and threatened to leave Europe.

☆ EU's von der Leyen to meet OpenAI CEO Altman on Thursday
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BRUSSELS, May 30 (Reuters) - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will meet the chief executive of OpenAI, Sam Altman, on Thursday, a commission spokesperson said on Tuesday without giving further detail. Altman last week said the ChatGPT maker might consider leaving Europe if it won't be able to comply with the bloc's upcoming artificial intelligence (AI) regulations. Reporting by Bart Meijer, editing by Tassilo HummelOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ European officials are quietly preparing for the possibility Biden loses the next election
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Silvia Amaro | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

U.S. President Joe Biden (R) meets with President of European Commission Ursula von der Leyen (L) in the White House. This became ever more clear with Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with European leaders welcoming the financial and military support from the largest economy in the world. But it's possible that the current agreement, and working practices, will all come to an end if there's a new president in the White House. The European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, was not immediately available for comment when contacted by CNBC. Ron DeSantis, who is expected to launch his bid for the 2024 presidential campaign later this month, has said he believes the U.S. shouldn't get further involved in the Ukraine war.

☆ South Korea, EU agree to boost security ties amid Ukraine, North Korea tension
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SEOUL, May 22 (Reuters) - South Korea and the European Union agreed on Monday to step up cooperation on security amid tension over Russia's invasion of Ukraine and North Korean nuclear threats. He also wants cooperation to curb North Korea's nuclear ambitions. They also criticised North Korea's ongoing efforts to develop its nuclear arsenal and Pyongyang's threats of the possible use of nuclear weapons against South Korea. South Korea is a staunch U.S. ally and hosts some 28,000 U.S. troops. It has also developed a crucial economic relationship with China, South Korea's largest trading partner.

The agreement came after the European Union, which participates in the G7, inched closer this month to passing legislation to regulate AI technology, potentially the world's first comprehensive AI law that could form a precedent among the advanced economies. The G7 leaders said they "need to immediately take stock of the opportunities and challenges of generative AI", a subset of the technology popularised by the ChatGPT app. A month later, EU lawmakers urged world leaders to find ways to control AI technologies, saying they were developing faster than expected. The United States so far has taken a cautious approach on governing AI, with President Joe Biden last month saying it remained to be seen whether AI is dangerous. While acknowledging differences on how AI should be regulated, the G7 leaders agreed on Friday to create a ministerial forum dubbed the "Hiroshima AI process" to discuss issues around generative AI, such as copyrights and disinformation, by the end of this year.

☆ G-7 aims to rein in risks from China, awaits Zelenskyy
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is due to arrive in Hiroshima on Saturday to drum up support for his country's defence effort. The G7 nations are looking to "de-risk, not decouple" from China, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters in Hiroshima. In a draft of the final communique seen by Reuters, G7 leaders agreed that China's status as the world's second-largest economy meant they had to continue to cooperate. "We do not seek to thwart China's economic progress and development," the leaders said in the draft, which is subject to change. China has voiced concern that the summit would turn into a "political show" against Beijing.

TOKYO, May 20 (Reuters) - Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) nations on Saturday called for the development and adoption of international technical standards for trustworthy artificial intelligence (AI) as lawmakers of the rich countries focus on the new technology. The agreement came after European Union, which is represented at the G7, inched closer this month to passing legislation to regulate AI technology, potentially the world's first comprehensive AI law. The G7 leaders mentioned generative AI, the subset popularised by the ChatGPT app, saying they "need to immediately take stock of the opportunities and challenges of generative AI." The heads of government agreed on Friday to create a ministerial forum dubbed the "Hiroshima AI process" to discuss issues around generative AI tools, such as intellectual property rights and disinformation, by the end of this year. The summit followed a G7 digital ministers' meeting last month, where the countries - the U.S., Japan, Germany, Britain, France, Italy and Canada - said they should adopt "risk-based" AI regulation.

☆ How ‘Decoupling’ From China Became ‘De-risking’
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Damien Cave | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It reflects an evolution in the discussion over how to deal with a rising, assertive China. But the word also has a vexing history in financial policy — and since the debate over de-risking will continue, we all might as well get up to speed. How De-risking Went Viral“De-risking” relations with China caught on after a speech by the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, on March 30, when she explained why she’d be traveling to Beijing with President Emmanuel Macron of France, and why Europe would not follow the calls for decoupling that began under President Trump. “I believe it is neither viable — nor in Europe’s interest — to decouple from China,” she said. This is why we need to focus on de-risk — not decouple.”

☆ G7 leaders gather on China's doorstep to seek unified response to Beijing
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

‘Economic coercion’Another important theme of the summit will be economic security, including how to counter China’s economic pressure tactics. As the G7 summit gets underway, Chinese officials will be closely watching from Beijing and will not hide their displeasure, experts say. In the lead-up to the summit, Beijing has already berated a statement by G7 foreign ministers. Similarly, Beijing also lashed out at accusations of its “economic coercion,” claiming it is the “victim of US economic coercion” rather than a perpetrator. And while China is not invited to Hiroshima, it is hosting its own summit with Central Asia countries, experts noted.

Seoul, South Korea CNN —Ukraine’s first lady Olena Zelenska asked South Korea to provide non-lethal military hardware when she met with President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul on Tuesday, both countries have reported. But an official from Yoon’s office said Zelenska stopped short of asking for lethal weapons, acknowledging that South Korea would have found it difficult to oblige had any such request been made. Since the war broke out in Ukraine, South Korea has maintained its stance of not providing lethal weapons to a warring country, although Yoon has hinted at a possible major policy shift. The Ukrainian first lady handed Yoon “a personal letter and an invitation from the president of Ukraine” to visit her country, the Ukrainian side said. Last year, she met US first lady Jill Biden privately at the White House to discuss American support for Ukraine.

☆ Li Hui: Beijing attempts to play peacemaker with planned trip by special envoy to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

A source within the Ukrainian government told CNN earlier this week that a Chinese envoy would be in Kyiv Tuesday and Wednesday, though Ukraine has not released further details. Beijing’s ties with Moscow have been under close scrutiny over the past week as European officials discussed a recalibration of the bloc’s China strategy. On Monday ahead of Li’s expected arrival in Ukraine, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen called for Ukraine’s peace plan to be the basis of efforts to resolve the conflict. It is therefore the one that should set out the core principles for a just peace,” she said in Brussels. Ukraine, the US and more than 100 nations have called for peace predicated on the unconditional withdrawal of Russia troops from Ukrainian territory.

☆ Top Chinese envoy to visit Ukraine, Russia on 'peace' mission
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BEIJING, May 15 (Reuters) - A top Chinese envoy will begin a tour of Ukraine, Russia and other European cities on Monday in a trip Beijing says is aimed at discussing a "political settlement" to the Ukraine crisis. "The visit ... is a testament to China's efforts towards promoting peace talks, and fully demonstrates China's firm commitment to peace," foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a daily briefing. He is the most senior Chinese official to visit Ukraine since Russia invaded in February 2022, and his trip could coincide with the beginnings of a long anticipated counteroffensive by Ukraine to recapture territory seized by Russia. Ukraine is scheduled to be Li's first stop on his trip, according to two sources familiar with the matter. The visit comes weeks after Chinese President Xi Jinping held a phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy in late April, in the first talks between the two leaders since the war began.

☆ Zelenskiy collects Charlemagne Prize on behalf of Ukrainian people
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Zelenskiy flew to the western city of Aachen with Chancellor Olaf Scholz following talks in the German capital. He received a standing ovation at a ceremony in the Coronation room of Aachen town hall, where he was awarded the prize, which celebrates services to European unification. "Ukrainians will always make Europe stronger," Zelenskiy said in English before switching to Ukrainian to address the gathering that included European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. The Ukrainian people, under Zelenskiy's leadership, are fighting not only for their country "but also Europe and European values", the prize committee said in a statement. Previous recipients of the prize include French President Emmanuel Macron and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

☆ No quick deal in sight as EU countries start talks on new Russia sanctions
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Gabriela Baczynska | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Widely differing perspectives mean a quick deal is not expected, several diplomats said. She added the EU would stop transit via Russia of more of its exports, including advanced tech products and aircraft parts. Diplomatic sources familiar with the proposal - drafted by von der Leyen's Commission - said it also included blacklisting "tens" of new companies, including from China, Iran, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. NO SWIFT DEAL SEENAll 27 EU countries must agree for new sanctions to take effect in what would be the bloc's 11th round of such measures since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. A diplomatic source from an EU country hawkish on Russia was frustrated the Commission's proposal did not include stopping Russian diamond imports or nuclear energy cooperation.

☆ Russia's war on Ukraine latest: Russia marks Victory Day with new attacks on Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

* European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hailed Ukraine as "the beating heart of today's European values" in a deeply symbolic visit to Kyiv on Tuesday as Russia marked its World War Two Victory Day. CONFLICT* Russia's defence ministry said its forces had launched missile strikes at targets across Ukraine overnight, disrupting Kyiv's supplies of ammunition to the frontline and troop movements. * Ukraine said its air defences shot down 23 of 25 missiles, fired chiefly at Kyiv, and there were no reported casualties. * Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin made a cryptic, profanity-laced comment about those in charge of Russia's war on Ukraine. INTERNATIONAL* Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang said Beijing would maintain lines of communication with all parties to the war in Ukraine, including Germany, in seeking a ceasefire.

☆ Victory Day analysis: Putin tried to project strength, but Moscow parade revealed only his isolation
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Nathan Hodge | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —For Russian President Vladimir Putin, this year’s Victory Day parade in Red Square was a chance to continue his war on history. It has become a pawn to their cruel and selfish plans.”Despite the pomp of the parade, Putin cuts an increasingly isolated figure. In Russia, Putin and his regime have destroyed these values. A lone Soviet-era T-34 tank leads the procession in Moscow in contrast to the large array of military hardware on display on previous Victory Day parades. “Victory Day is the victory of our grandfathers,” he said.

☆ Siemens, SAP say EU draft Data Act puts trade secrets at risk
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A sign with the logo of Siemens company is on display outside its office in Moscow, Russia, May 12, 2022. REUTERS/Evgenia NovozheninaBRUSSELS, May 8 (Reuters) - German business software maker SAP (SAPG.DE) and German engineering company Siemens (SIEGn.DE) have joined U.S. tech giants in criticising draft EU laws on the use of data generated by smart gadgets and other consumer goods. EU countries and EU lawmakers are working on the details of the Data Act, proposed by the European Commission last year before it can be adopted as legislation. U.S. criticisms have included that the proposed law is too restrictive, while the German companies say a provision forcing companies to share data with third parties to provide aftermarket or other data-driven services could endanger trade secrets. "Effectively, this could mean that EU companies will have to disclose data to third-country competitors, notably those not operating in Europe and against which the Data Act's safeguards would be ineffective," they said.

☆ AI pioneer says its threat to world may be 'more urgent' than climate change
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Martin Coulter | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, May 5 (Reuters) - Artificial intelligence could pose a "more urgent" threat to humanity than climate change, AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton told Reuters in an interview on Friday. "I wouldn't like to devalue climate change. I wouldn't like to say, 'You shouldn't worry about climate change.' He added: "With climate change, it's very easy to recommend what you should do: you just stop burning carbon. Signatories included Stability AI CEO Emad Mostaque, researchers at Alphabet-owned DeepMind, and fellow AI pioneers Yoshua Bengio and Stuart Russell.

☆ Ukraine's Zelenskiy visits war crimes court in The Hague seeking justice
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Tosterling Bart H. Meijer | Bart H. Meijer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

AMSTERDAM, May 4 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Thursday visited the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, which in March issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for suspected deportation of children from Ukraine. Zelenskiy, dressed in his trademark khaki, was welcomed at the court by its president, judge Piotr Hofmanski. In his first official trip to the country, Zelenskiy was due to deliver a speech later in the morning, also in The Hague, titled "No Peace Without Justice for Ukraine". The Ukrainian leader has visited several foreign capitals including London, Paris and Washington since Russia's 2022 invasion. The ICC can prosecute genocide in Ukraine but has no jurisdiction over alleged crimes of aggression by Russia there.

☆ EU's von der Leyen hails Infineon factory as chip production milestone for Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DRESDEN, Germany May 2 (Reuters) - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday hailed the construction of a new factory by Germany's Infineon (IFXGn.DE) a milestone in mass chip production as Europe tries to capture a larger slice of the strategic industry. Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony of Infineon's factory in the German city of Dresden, von der Leyen said it was a step in Europe's goal of doubling its share of global chip production to 20% by 2030 by quadrupling its current capacity. But she warned that Europe was still too dependent for raw materials on individual suppliers, citing in particular that China has a 76% share of producing the silicon metals needed in chip production. This is why it is vital that we in Europe strengthen the supply chains of our most important goods and technologies," von der Leyen said in a speech. Infineon expects production at the 5-billion-euro semiconductor plant, the largest investment in the company's history, to start in 2026.

☆ Deal reached in principle to resume Ukraine grain transit with 5 EU countries
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/IllustrationBRUSSELS, April 28 (Reuters) - The European Commission said on Friday it had reached a deal in principle to allow the transit of Ukrainian grain to resume through five European Union countries that had imposed restrictions. European Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis tweeted that the EU executive had reached "an agreement in principle" with the five countries "to address concerns of both farmers in neighbouring EU countries and Ukraine". The deal also includes a support package worth 100 million euros ($110.25 million) for local farmers, Dombrovskis said. The five countries became transit routes for Ukrainian grain that could not be exported through the country's Black Sea ports because of Russia's February 2022 invasion. Bottlenecks then trapped millions of tons of grains in countries bordering Ukraine, forcing local farmers to compete with an influx of cheap Ukrainian imports that they said distorted prices and demand.

Zelensky, who has long expressed interest in speaking with Xi, said he had “a long and meaningful phone call” with the Chinese leader. Wednesday’s phone call is the first time Xi has spoken to Zelensky since Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year. China’s positioning as a mediator was also viewed critically as Xi visited Moscow but had still yet to speak with Zelensky. “Xi Jinping doesn’t want to put political capital behind an effort that then blows up in his face. In this case, this could mean Putin indicated to Xi that he was willing to talk to Kyiv, Menon added.

☆ Macron, Biden talk, but statements differ on Taiwan
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, April 20 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron spoke with his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden on Thursday, but statements the two leaders released differed over Taiwan just 10 days after Macron had drawn criticism with allies over the issue. A readout from the French presidency made no direct mention of Taiwan, merely saying that both sides desired to "support international law, including freedom of navigation, throughout the Indo-Pacific region." The White House statement was in stark contrast, saying the two leaders "had reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait." The French presidency also said it had presented "results obtained" from the China trip to Biden, although it did not elaborate on what those results were. Contrary to the White House statement, the French presidency said China had a role to play in the medium term to ending the war in Ukraine.

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