A whale chorus reveals how climate change may be shifting migration



Issued on: 21/04/2021 - 

Loss of sea ice could be a factor in the unusual bowhead whale behaviour observed by scientists MARIO TAMA GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File

Tokyo (AFP)

Eerie wails, explosive trumpets and ghostly moans. The sounds from the underwater recorders had a story to tell, even without a single intelligible word: the whales had stayed put.

The recordings gathered during the 2018-2019 winter in the freezing cold Arctic waters off Canada proved that a population of bowhead whales had skipped their usual migration south.

Scientists believe this behaviour -- never previously detected -- could be driven by the effects of climate change, and be a potential harbinger of shifting dynamics across the region's ecosystem.

Ordinarily, the approximately 20,000 bowheads that make up the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort (BCB) population around Canada have a fairly predictable migration pattern spanning 6,000 kilometres (3,700 miles).

They spend the winter in part of the Bering Sea, which lies between Russia and Alaska, and head north then east to the Beaufort Sea and Canada's Amundsen Gulf in the summer, before returning in the autumn.

But in winter 2018-2019, something different happened. Residents in the Canadian region reported seeing bowheads long after they would normally have disappeared south.

A team of scientists decided to comb through hours of audio recorded by underwater devices that are dotted around the region for regular data collection, listening for unusual sounds.

They found them: the distinctive calls of bowhead whales that should have been in their southern winter grounds but had stayed put.

Assisted by a trained computer programme, they even found recordings of bowheads singing, a behaviour believed to be associated with mating, which has never been recorded in the summer grounds before.

The whale noises appeared in between 0.5 to 3.0 percent of recording files collected between October to April at four summer spots.

The finding was highly unusual: recordings from some of the same and separate sites in the summer grounds in previous years picked up no whale sounds after October or December, depending on the location.

"The evidence is clear that BCB bowheads overwintered in their summer foraging region in the eastern Beaufort Sea and Amundsen Gulf during the 2018-2019 winter and as far as we know, this is the first time it has been reported," says the study published Wednesday in the Royal Society Open Science journal.

- 'Ecosystem shift under way' -

Less clear however is why this happened, with the authors positing various theories mostly linked to climate change.

One possible factor could be shifting ice cover, with less ice than usual seen in the summer grounds during the 2018-2019 winter season.

But the record minimum ice concentration actually came in 2015-2016.

That suggests "ice, and particularly timing and locations, is important but not the only factor," said Stephen Insley of the Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, who helped lead the study.

Another possible explanation is "predator avoidance," with the bowheads steering clear of orca whales that are more frequently seen in some areas as warming seas lead to decreased ice cover.

Other phenomena linked to climate change could also be at play, like the increasingly erratic and early summer plankton bloom -- whales could be spending winter in their summer grounds to ensure they catch the key food source, the scientists suggest.

Insley suspects water temperature is playing a key role in the unusual behaviour, with bowheads known to avoid water outside a narrow range of around -0.5 to 2 degrees centigrade.

If the bowheads are responding to the effects of climate change, they would be far from alone, Insley told AFP.

"The whole region is undergoing dramatic change and we're just seeing the beginning of it. Many sub-Arctic species are moving north," he said.

"It's a complete ecosystem shift under way and there will be winners and losers."

The team is continuing to record in the region and hopes to correlate its data with information about ocean temperatures to determine any link.

"If the avoidance of warm ocean temperatures were the primary driver of this anomalous behaviour, it may be a significant warning sign for bowhead whales," the study cautions.

© 2021 AFP

China’s Xi to attend US-hosted climate summit, in first meeting with Biden



Issued on: 21/04/2021 - 04:59

Journalists watch a screen showing China's President Xi Jinping delivering a speech during the opening of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference 2021 in Boao, south China's Hainan province on April 20, 2021. © AFP

Text by :NEWS WIRES


China’s President Xi Jinping will attend US President Joe Biden’s virtual climate summit this week, Beijing said Wednesday, as the world’s top polluting nations seek rare common ground despite wider political tensions.

Biden has invited 40 world leaders including Xi and Russia’s Vladimir Putin to the meet starting on Earth Day, meant to mark Washington’s return to the front lines of the fight against climate change after former president Donald Trump disengaged from the process.

The virtual summit will be the first meeting between the two leaders since Biden became president.

Xi will give an “important speech” at the meeting, said the Chinese foreign ministry, days after a trip to Shanghai by US climate envoy John Kerry—the first official from Biden’s administration to visit China.

Kerry and Chinese counterpart Xie Zhenhua had said they were “committed to cooperating” on tackling the climate crisis, even as sky-high tensions remain on multiple other fronts.

>> Exclusive: 'All countries need to do better,' US climate envoy John Kerry tells FRANCE 24

Washington and Beijing’s pledge to cooperate comes amid acrimony over accusations about China’s policies in Hong Kong and its treatment of Uyghurs in its northwestern Xinjiang region—criticisms Beijing rejects as interference in its domestic affairs.

No global solution on climate change is likely without both the US and China on board, since the world’s top two economies together account for nearly half of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions.

‘Truant’ returns to class

Biden has made climate a top priority, turning the page from his predecessor Donald Trump, who was closely aligned with the fossil fuel industry.

The US president has rejoined the 2015 Paris accord, which Kerry negotiated as secretary of state and which committed nations to take action to keep temperature rises at no more than two degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels.

China—the world’s top carbon emitter—has vowed to reach peak emissions by 2030 and become carbon neutral thirty years later.

Meanwhile Biden is expected this week to announce new US targets on reducing carbon emissions as part of the summit amid mounting global alarm over record-breaking temperatures and increasingly frequent natural disasters.

Beijing has said the US needs to take more responsibility on climate change, with foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying calling Washington’s return to the Paris accord “a truant getting back to class”.

Xi joined another virtual climate summit with France and Germany last week, where he said developed countries should “set an example” in reducing emissions and support developing nations’ responses to climate change, state news agency Xinhua reported.

(AFP)

THE FAILED STATE
Colombia greenlights private sector to buy and apply Covid-19 vaccines



Issued on: 21/04/2021 - 
An indigenous nurse of the Misak ethnic group inoculates an elderly indigenous man with a Sinovac vaccine against COVID-19 in the Guambia indigenous reservation, rural area of Silvia, department of Cauca, Colombia, on April 14, 2021 Luis ROBAYO AFP
2 min
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Bogota (AFP)

Colombia on Tuesday gave the green light for the private sector to buy and distribute coronavirus vaccines under certain conditions, in a bid to expand the country's slow-moving immunization campaign.

President Ivan Duque said in his daily television address that after several studies, the ministry of health had drafted a resolution "that enables the purchase [of vaccines] and the contribution of the private sector to the national vaccination plan."

Any party buying vaccines must be endorsed by the health ministry and guarantee delivery using their own logistics chains so as not to be a burden on the public sector. They must also abide by guidelines to ensure the most vulnerable sectors of the community are the first to receive the shots.

"This should not be a matter of business, intermediaries, or unknown persons... but rather be carried out through specialized distributors," Duque said.

With 50 million inhabitants, Colombia has vaccinated 3.8 million people with at least one dose in more than two months of its mass immunization campaign.

On Tuesday, the country reached a new record of deaths (429) for the second day in a row, as a third wave of the pandemic threatens to swamp the hospital system.

Health Minister Fernando Ruiz said the private sector will be able to purchase vaccines as of Wednesday, but their distribution will only be allowed when the government advances to the third stage of vaccinations that includes people between 16 and 59 years old who are affected by some co-morbidity.

So far in Colombia, health personnel and adults over 80 have been immunized, and the campaign is currently focusing on people over 70. The current stage is the second, and will eventually cover people aged 60 and over, but it is not clear when it will be completed.

© 2021 AFP

CONTRADICTIONS OF CAPITALISM

Millions of Americans are jobless, yet firms struggle to hire



Issued on: 21/04/2021 - 

As the US economy recovers from the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic, job openings are prevalent, but applicants are less so Olivier DOULIERY AFP/File

Washington (AFP)

More than a year into the Covid-19 pandemic, millions of American remain jobless, but even as the economy reopens some employers are finding hiring an unexpected challenge.

From fears of being infected with the coronavirus to trouble finding childcare to the lure of generous unemployment benefits, some jobless Americans are holding off on re-entering the workforce.

"It's a paradox for the Covid crisis," said Gregory Daco, chief US economist at Oxford Economics. "We have, and risk having over the coming months, an imbalance between job openings and demand."

The US economy has begun to recover as Covid-19 vaccines allow businesses to return to normal, and companies are starting to recruit to meet growing demand.

But not all unemployed workers are ready to return to their jobs, analysts say.

"The main issue is we still have a pandemic, and there is huge concern among job seekers about workplace health and safety," said Julia Pollak, an economist for job search website ZipRecruiter.

A quarter of the US population is fully vaccinated, well ahead of Europe and many other major economies, but three-quarters of the country nonetheless remains at risk of contracting Covid-19.

And childcare is another challenge for working parents, since only a little more than half of the nation's schools are back to full-time classes after the pandemic forced them to close or modify operations, according to FutureEd, a think tank at Georgetown University.

- Search for 'better conditions' -

The Covid-19 pandemic destroyed 22 million jobs in the world's largest economy, of which more than half, 14 million, have been restored.

However, nearly 17 million people are still receiving government unemployment aid, including self-employed workers, and many are working part-time because they cannot find full-time work.

But Daco said worker shortages are being seen across multiple sectors, including some of those hardest hit by the waves of layoffs, like retail, food service, hospitality and entertainment.

In a survey of US businesses conducted between late February and early April, the Federal Reserve noted "hiring remained a widespread challenge, particularly for low-wage or hourly workers, restraining job growth in some cases."

A hotelier surveyed by the Federal Reserve bank in Richmond, Virginia reported that "they were able to hire some front desk workers but had unfilled cleaning staff positions and little interest from workers in those jobs."

The central bank's Chicago branch reported a number of factors keeping unemployed workers at home, including "financial support from the government," like the extra $300 weekly benefit jobless employees will receive through August.

The Chicago Fed cited other complications in the hiring process including finding childcare, concerns about the virus, difficulty obtaining public transportation and "job search fatigue."

ZipRecruiter's Pollak said some workers also are fearful that if they take a job, they will simply be let go again.

"Many people experienced getting laid off as a really hard blow," she said, comparing the situation to people "who got divorced now being scared to go back into the dating market and get married again."

"They're not in a rush to put themselves back in a vulnerable position, especially since the extended and expanded benefits are giving them a little bit of time," Pollak said.

- Coaxing workers -

Some Americans have taken to working from home, which makes it easier to combine work with family life and not spend time commuting.

"Many people are not prepared to go back old jobs they had," Pollak said, and are instead holding out for remote work opportunities.

This trend has hit the restaurant industry in particular, which is hoping to see a rebound in the spring and summer after the pandemic forced many to close starting in March 2020.

"As the weather improves and more state restrictions are lifted, restaurant traffic will increase and that will create a greater need for employees," Hudson Riehle, who heads research for the National Restaurant Association, told AFP.

"With fewer people in the workforce, the stimulus supports still in place, worker safety concerns and much greater competition with other industries for workers," Riehle predicted some eateries may offer higher pay or additional benefits and opportunities to coax workers.

Amazon, Costco, Target and Walmart -- which run some of the largest distribution firms in the United States -- already announced pay increases.

© 2021 AFP

PROMOTED C

Documentary tells 'unknown' story of Titanic's Chinese survivors


Issued on: 21/04/2021 - 

Eight Chinese were aboard the Titanic when it sank after hitting an iceberg. Six, most of them sailors but not working on the ship, made it out alive PETER MUHLY AFP/File

Shanghai (AFP)

A new documentary film has revealed the "completely unknown" story of six Chinese men who survived the sinking of the Titanic and adds a new chapter to the history of the world's most famous ship.

With Oscar-winning director James Cameron as executive producer, "The Six" has earned glowing reviews in China and at one point trended on the country's Twitter-like Weibo after its release on Friday.

Director Arthur Jones hopes it will have the same impact when it is screened overseas and finally dispel myths that have endured for more than a century.

For the Briton and lead researcher Steven Schwankert, "The Six" gives a voice, life and faces to a small band of Chinese men who were among about 700 people to survive the Titanic's sinking in 1912.

Jones said that a painstaking project stretched over several countries and years began as little more than a joke between the long-time friends, both of whom are based in China.

"Steven came to me and said that we should do the Chinese Titanic story with the Chinese guys who were on the Titanic," Jones, 47, told AFP at his studio in Shanghai.

"I thought he was joking because I thought it was just one of those things that we would laugh about.

"I looked it up, and it was true. But initially my thought was: I don't know if the world needs another Titanic film or another Titanic documentary."

Jones said they knew they were onto something when they mentioned it to Chinese friends.

"They were just amazed that there's this completely unknown story from Titanic, it just seemed an extraordinary thing," he said.

- Last survivor -

"The Six" sees Schwankert and his fellow researchers pore over archives and meet descendants across continents as they try to piece together what happened to the men after surviving the most famous sinking of all time.

"It became fairly epic in terms of the research," said Jones.

Eight Chinese were aboard the fateful vessel, in third class, when it sank after hitting an iceberg. Six, most of them sailors but not working on the Titanic, made it out alive on life rafts.

Cameron, who won best director and best picture at the Oscars for his 1997 smash-hit "Titanic", was fully supportive of the documentary and allowed Jones to show a scene which was not included in the cinema version of the blockbuster.

In the cut scene, an Asian-looking man hanging on for life on a piece of wood is plucked from the freezing water, perhaps becoming the last person to be saved.

When Schwankert and his team tracked down the man's son in real life, it turned out that he knew almost nothing of what his late father had endured because he never really spoke about it.

As they delved further into what became of the six men, word spread of their project, drawing more people to come forward with information. Even now fresh details are coming to light.

- Parallels with today -

A strong element of the film is the prejudice that Chinese immigrant workers like the seamen faced as they sought new lives in the West.

The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 prohibited Chinese labourers from the United States, slamming the door on their "American Dream". The men arrived in New York with the other survivors but were shipped out of the country less than 24 hours later.

The parallels between anti-Asian sentiment then and now, in particular in the United States, are not lost on Jones and Schwankert.

"People -- whether it's in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom or anywhere else -- didn't suddenly develop these negative feelings in the last two or three months," Schwankert, 50, said by video call from Luoyang, in the central province of Henan.

"These are deep-seated problems."

The film also debunks claims that the Chinese men sneaked onto the lifeboat that saved them by disguising themselves as women or hiding on the raft.

Chinese viewers are happy that their countrymen's true survival story has now been told.

"Above anything else, audiences here are saying thank you for filling in this little bit of unwritten history, or maybe badly written history," Jones said.

© 2021 AFP

Large-scale Huthi offensive roils Yemen's oil-rich Marib


Issued on: 21/04/2021 - 

Heavy fighting has raged near the Yemeni city of Marib as Huthi rebels press their offensive on the government's last northern toehold - AFP

Marib (Yemen) (AFP)

Peering through binoculars, a Yemeni commander scans a forbidding desert moonscape for lurking Huthi rebels, who are ramping up a bloody offensive to seize the strategic oil-rich region of Marib.

The outcome of the scorched-earth battles raging around Marib city, the Saudi-backed Yemeni government's last northern stronghold, could significantly alter the future course of a conflict now in its seventh year.

The loss of Marib, gripped by a worsening humanitarian crisis, would be a heavy blow to the government, giving the Iran-backed rebels more leverage in any future negotiations or even spur them to push further south, observers say.

Hundreds of combatants have been killed since the large-scale offensive began in February, according to local sources.

Loyalist commanders say the rebels are sending wave after wave of fighters towards frontlines around Marib city, the regional capital, from seemingly inexhaustible reserves.

"The Huthi strategy is... aimed at exhausting (us)," a Yemeni commander told AFP at the sand-swept Al-Kanais battlefront in the north of the city, where loyalist soldiers crouched in sandbag-ringed foxholes and heavy machine guns were loaded on the rear of pickup trucks.

In a pattern emerging across multiple frontlines, the commander said the Huthis are pushing zealous waves of young recruits, many of them children, with the goal of wearing out loyalist forces and depleting their ammunition.

Hours-long gun battles are typically followed by a brief lull to collect the dead bodies.

Then a more lethal wave of experienced Huthi fighters moves in under the cover of constant shelling, the commander said of a desperate rebel strategy that is heaping pressure on loyalist forces.

"The Huthis don't care how many of their men die," he added, a point echoed by other Yemeni officials, including Marib's governor Sultan al-Aradah.

"They are sacrificing the people of Yemen... But they will not be able to reach Marib no matter the price we have to pay," added the commander, who requested that his name be withheld.

- 'Sacrifice young men' -

Marib is already paying a huge price since the Huthis, who set their sights on taking the area last year, relaunched their offensive in February on the back of large reinforcements.

The city of Marib and some outlying areas make up the last pockets of government-held territory in the north, the rest of which is under rebel control, including the capital Sanaa.

Non-aligned observers of the conflict are alarmed at the high casualties around Marib, with one international official telling AFP "the Huthis seem to have a lot of fighters to throw into the battle".

"At the end of the day, the Huthis will say, 'We still have fighters... and we can sacrifice people and young men'," this official said.

An AFP journalist travelled to Marib from Saudi Arabia in an Apache helicopter at the invitation of the Riyadh-led military coalition battling the rebels.

The low-flying aircraft hovered above sprawling oil fields, a natural gas bottling plant and a modern dam that supplies freshwater to the parched region, assets that make Marib a prized target.

The city itself is splashed with posters of fallen commanders and brimming with checkpoints that watch against Huthi infiltrators and sleeper cells.

Marib is home to hundreds of thousands of civilians already uprooted by Yemen's ongoing conflict –- and they face the prospect of being displaced again in a country with fewer and fewer safe havens.

"My husband has lost his mind" due to war and constant displacement, said Hala al-Aswad, a 40-year-old mother of four sheltering in Al-Suweida, one of the nearly 140 camps that have sprung up in Marib.

"He keeps beating the children."

The escalation in hostilities has displaced 13,600 people in Marib this year, according to the UN refugee agency, putting a heavy strain on the city in the midst of a second coronavirus wave.

Lacking clean water and electricity, the makeshift settlements are overflowing and camp residents say they have repeatedly come under Huthi shelling.

One woman in Al-Suweida, on the edge of the city, said she suffered a miscarriage due to the strains of war.

Another woman parted her toddler's hair to reveal a shrapnel wound on her scalp. As she spoke, one child held up a piece of twisted metal from what she said was the wreckage of a shell that hit her camp.

- 'Sons of desert' -

"A ceasefire is necessary," pleaded Arafat Asubari, a 31-year-old camp resident, who is a father of six.

If the fighting doesn't stop, he said, "we will all die here".

In March, the Huthis rejected Riyadh's call for a nationwide ceasefire. They have instead escalated missile and drone strikes deep inside Saudi Arabia, which provides air support to Marib's loyalist forces.

Officials in Saudi Arabia criticise US President Joe Biden's decision to rescind a terrorist designation imposed on the Huthis by his predecessor Donald Trump, saying the concession has emboldened the rebels.

Western officials defend Biden's decision, saying the designation, which came late in the Trump presidency, would have worsened Yemen's humanitarian crisis by further impeding access, while doing nothing to blunt the Huthis' military ambitions.

But one Western official said he slammed the Marib offensive as a "big mistake" during direct talks with Huthi negotiators, drawing parallels with stalemated fighting during World War I that only added to widespread suffering.

The plea, the official told AFP, fell on deaf ears.

Meanwhile, Marib's tribes have responded to local calls to send their men to reinforce frontlines alongside the loyalists, with many saying that the terrain offered them an edge over the Huthis, known to be more adept at mountain warfare.

Describing themselves as "sons of the desert", many Marib tribesmen see a military advantage in a largely flat desert landscape dotted with scrubby bushes.

"Let them (Huthis) come," said the frontline commander, quoting a tribal elder from Marib.

"We will kill them all."

© 2021 AFP

Graveyard of the bikes: China's failed share-cycle scheme from above

Issued on: 21/04/2021 -

Damaged or abandoned low-cost shared bikes in China often end up in 'graveyards' like this one STR AFP

Beijing (AFP)

Handlebars tight in snaking rows of colour, thousands of abandoned bicycles line an open field outside the city of Shenyang, relics of a shared bike mania that has overwhelmed China's cities.

The turquoise, blue and yellow bicycles, arranged in long lines, some piled on top of each other, bear the logos of the companies that dominate China's bike-sharing sector -- Hellobike, Didi and Meituan.

Low cost-shared bikes, which users can unlock using apps and park virtually anywhere, burst onto Chinese streets in the middle of the last decade with investors rushing to fund bike startups like the now-defunct Ofo and Mobike

But the two-wheelers soon took over pavements and spilled over into bike lanes and streets, parked haphazardly by users who sometimes simply tossed the bikes into shrubbery, creating a headache for urban authorities and pedestrians.

Many bikes suffered damage or were stolen, while some were even repurposed into makeshift barricades when Covid-19 broke out last year.

The problem is a familiar one to cities around the world battling to round up stray bikes, from metro stations in Washington DC to the bottom of Melbourne's river.

Aerial photographs from the suburbs of Shenyang, Liaoning province, show a bicycle graveyard, one of many which began appearing as early as 2018 as tech start-up darling Ofo imploded, defaulting on debts as its users claimed back rental deposits.

Mountains of damaged bikes belonging to other companies have also been discarded rather than repaired, in contrast to the "green" image usually associated with urban cycling.

The bikes now jostle for space on Chinese streets with hordes of shared electronic scooters, which have also made their appearance elsewhere in the world including Paris and California.

Chinese cities have vowed to curb the chaotic fleets of bikes, with Beijing saying it will remove 44,000 bikes from the city centre this year in order to cap bike numbers at under 800,000, according to state media.

© 2021 AFP

South Korea court dismisses 'comfort women' case against Japan

Issued on: 21/04/2021 -

The issue of wartime sex slavery has been at the core of frosty ties between Seoul and Tokyo in recent years Jung Yeon-je AFP/File



Seoul (AFP)

A South Korean court on Wednesday dismissed a case brought by a handful of World War II sex slaves and their families against the Japanese government, saying Tokyo enjoyed "sovereign immunity" over the issue, reports said.

The ruling comes after the same court in January ordered Tokyo to compensate a dozen women forced to serve Japanese troops -- euphemistically labelled "comfort women" -- marking the first civilian legal victory against Tokyo in South Korea.

The different verdict could pave the way for an improvement in frosty ties between the neighbours, analysts said.

The comfort women question and other issues stemming from Japan's 20th-century colonial rule over Korea has bedevilled their relations, despite a 1965 treaty which declared claims between them and their nationals had been settled.

Tokyo and Seoul are both major US allies, democracies and market economies, but their rift -- which has worsened significantly in recent years -- presents US President Joe Biden with a foreign policy headache as he seeks to build a common front on China and nuclear-armed North Korea.

The Seoul Central District Court dismissed Wednesday's case after "reaching the decision that sovereign immunity must be applied to the Japanese government", Yonhap news agency reported.

"Diplomatic conflict will be inevitable in the process of sentencing and enforcing if the exception of sovereign immunity is recognised," the court said according to Yonhap.

The victims suffered "immense pain", it added, but said the issue should be solved through "efforts including diplomatic negotiations".

One plaintiff, a former comfort woman now in her 90s, was shaken by the ruling and left the courtroom before the hearing ended.

"This is really outrageous," Lee Yong-soo told reporters outside.

"But whether the result is good or bad, I will take the case to the International Court of Justice."

Her lawyer Lee Sang-hui said the plaintiffs and legal team would discuss whether to appeal, adding: "I would like to express my regret once again that the ruling was made contrary to the direction toward guaranteeing individual human rights."

- Improving ties? -

Analysts said the ruling will be a "plus" for improving ties between South Korea and Japan, whose disputes have spread to affect trade and security in recent years.

Biden held his first summit with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga at the weekend and will meet with South Korean President Moon Jae-in next month.

"Diplomatically, it could serve as a pillar for taking relations in the direction for improvement," said Lee Won-deog of Kookmin University.

But while the decision will be welcomed by Japan, the professor said it could heighten South Korean resentment over the comfort women issue.

Mainstream historians say up to 200,000 women, mostly from Korea but also other parts of Asia including China were forced to work in Japanese military brothels during World War II.

The Japanese government denies it is directly responsible for the wartime abuses, maintaining that the victims were recruited by civilians and that the military brothels were commercially operated.

© 2021 AFP

EU unveils AI rules to temper Big Brother fears



Issued on: 21/04/2021 

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said rules are needed to ward off abuses in the artificial intelligence sector Kenzo TRIBOUILLARD AFP/File


Brussels (AFP)

The EU unveils a plan Wednesday to regulate the sprawling field of artificial intelligence, aimed at making Europe a leader in the new tech revolution while reassuring the public against "Big Brother"-like abuses.

"Whether it's precision farming in agriculture, more accurate medical diagnosis or safe autonomous driving -- artificial intelligence will open up new worlds for us. But this world also needs rules," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in her state-of-the-union speech in September.

"We want a set of rules that puts people at the centre."


The Commission, the EU's executive arm, has been preparing the proposal for over a year and a debate involving the European Parliament and 27 member states is to go on for months more before a definitive text is in force.

The rules are part of the EU's effort to set the terms on AI and catch up with the US and China in a sector that spans from voice recognition to insurance and law enforcement.

The bloc is trying to learn the lessons after largely missing out on the internet revolution and failing to produce any major competitors to match the giants of Silicon Valley or their Chinese counterparts.

But there have been competing concerns over the plans from both big tech and civil liberties groups arguing that the EU is either overreaching or not going far enough.

- 'High-risk' -

The draft regulation, seen by AFP, will create a ban on a very limited number of uses that threaten the EU's fundamental rights.

This would make "generalised surveillance" of the population off-limits as well as any tech "used to manipulate the behaviour, opinions or decisions" of citizens.

Anything resembling a social rating of individuals based on their behaviour or personality would also be prohibited, the draft said.

Military applications of artificial intelligence will not be covered by the rules, and special authorisations are envisioned to cover anti-terrorism activities and public security.

Infringements, depending on their seriousness, may bring companies fines of up to four percent of global turnover.

To promote innovation, Brussels wants to provide a clear legal framework for companies across the bloc's 27 member states.

To this end, the draft regulation says companies will require a special authorisation for applications deemed "high-risk" before they reach the market.

High-risk systems would include "remote biometric identification of persons in public places" as well as "security elements in critical public infrastructure".

Other uses, not classified as "high risk", will have no additional regulatory constraints beyond existing ones.

- Difficult balance -

Google and other tech giants are taking the EU's AI strategy very seriously as Europe often sets a standard on how tech is regulated around the world.

Last year, Google warned that the EU's definition of artificial intelligence was too broad and that Brussels must refrain from over-regulating a crucial technology.

Alexandre de Streel, co-director of the Centre on Regulation in Europe (Cerre) think tank, said there is a difficult balance to be struck between protection and innovation.

The text "sets a relatively open framework and everything will depend on how it is interpreted," he told AFP.

Tech lobbyist Christian Borggreen, from the Computer and Communications Industry Association, welcomed the EU's "risk-based approach" to regulating AI.

"It would be a wise and strategic approach," he said.

But for some civil liberties activists the new rules do not go far enough in curbing potential abuses in the cutting-edge technologies that look set have a far-reaching impact on everyday life.

"It still allows some problematic uses, such as mass biometric surveillance," said Orsolya Reich of umbrella group Liberties.

"The EU must take a stronger position... and ban indiscriminate surveillance of the population without allowing exceptions."

© 2021 AFP

Myanmar junta has 'no heart for humanity', says Karen leader as ethnic groups join forces

Issued on: 20/04/2021 - 

© France 24 screengrab

Text by:FRANCE 24|

Video by:FRANCE 24

Unrest continues in Myanmar where more than 700 civilians have been killed since the February 1st military coup that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi. The protest movement is developing on the political front with opponents of the military junta announcing the formation on Friday of a National Unity Government, including members of Suu Kyi’s ousted Cabinet and representatives of ethnic minority groups and other allies.

The Karen National Union in the east, on the border with Thailand, has offered shelter to fleeing protesters in the territory it controls.

Major-General Nerdah Mya, head of the Karen National Defence Organisation, spoke to FRANCE 24 about the developments in Myanmar. A leader of the Karen National Liberation Army, the oldest guerilla group still fighting in Myanmar, he described the situation in the country as "very critical" and called on the international community to act immediately to end the killing. He stressed that the people of Myanmar are not giving up the fight and discussed efforts to coordinate with other ethnic groups and democratic forces to bring an end to the military regime.

"We have been fighting for self-determination and freedom and an autonomous state for people for so many years. It has been more than 17 years already. And we are also working together with other ethnic groups who have the same goals and objectives like us," the major-general told FRANCE 24. "We are holding hands and fighting against the current military regime," he says. "They are so brutal. They have no heart for humanity."


To watch the interview, click on the player