Japan expands sanctions over Russia’s war in Ukraine
Tokyo adds 57 Russian new organisations to its trade blacklist in latest measures to punish Moscow. Japan has expanded its sanctions targeting Russia over its war in Ukraine, banning Russian diamonds for non-industrial use and adding dozens of firms and organisations to its trade blacklist. The expanded export blacklist announced on Friday includes 57 organisations in Russia and six organisations in the United Arab Emirates, Syria, Uzbekistan and Armenia. The latest measures bring the total number of Russian organisations under sanctions to 494. Twenty-seven entities from Belarus, one of Russia’s closest allies, have also been sanctioned. The expanded sanctions come after the Group of Seven (G7) countries earlier this month held a virtual summit with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to show solidarity with Kyiv. Under Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Japan has taken a tougher stand against Moscow than any other country in the region, where governments have been hesitant to take sides in the war. During the G7 summit in Hiroshima in May, Kishida pledged “unwavering solidarity” with Ukraine while condemning attempts anywhere to use force to change the status quo. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a high-profile visit to Hiroshima during that summit to urge the international community to do everything it can to ensure Russia is the “last aggressor”. Tokyo, a key US ally and the only Asian member of the G7, has cast Moscow’s invasion as a threat to peace everywhere and linked the fate of Ukraine to the security of nearby Taiwan, which China has threatened to “reunify” with the Chinese mainland if necessary. Moscow last year blacklisted more than 380 Japanese parliamentarians in retaliation for Tokyo’s stance on the war, accusing the lawmakers of “adopting an unfriendly, anti-Russian position notably by expressing unfounded accusations against our country concerning the special military operation in Ukraine”. Adblock test (Why?)
US highlights AI as risk to financial system for first time
Financial Stability Oversight Council says emerging technology poses ‘safety-and-soundness risks’ as well as benefits. Financial regulators in the United States have named artificial intelligence (AI) as a risk to the financial system for the first time. In its latest annual report, the Financial Stability Oversight Council said the growing use of AI in financial services is a “vulnerability” that should be monitored. While AI offers the promise of reducing costs, improving efficiency, identifying more complex relationships and improving performance and accuracy, it can also “introduce certain risks, including safety-and-soundness risks like cyber and model risks,” the FSOC said in its annual report released on Thursday. The FSOC, which was established in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis to identify excessive risks in the financial system, said developments in AI should be monitored to ensure that oversight mechanisms “account for emerging risks” while facilitating “efficiency and innovation”. Authorities must also “deepen expertise and capacity” to monitor the field, the FSOC said. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who chairs the FSOC, said that the uptake of AI may increase as the financial industry adopts emerging technologies and the council will play a role in monitoring “emerging risks”. “Supporting responsible innovation in this area can allow the financial system to reap benefits like increased efficiency, but there are also existing principles and rules for risk management that should be applied,” Yellen said. US President Joe Biden in October issued a sweeping executive order on AI that focused largely on the technology’s potential implications for national security and discrimination. Governments and academics worldwide have expressed concerns about the break-neck speed of AI development, amid ethical questions spanning individual privacy, national security and copyright infringement. In a recent survey carried out by Stanford University researchers, tech workers involved in AI research warned that their employers were failing to put in place ethical safeguards despite their public pledges to prioritise safety. Last week, European Union policymakers agreed on landmark legislation that will require AI developers to disclose data used to train their systems and carry out testing of high-risk products. Adblock test (Why?)
Parliament security breach mastermind Lalit Jha burned mobile phones of his associates in attempt to destroy evidence
Delhi police are verifying all the claims made by Jha. Jha was also present outside the parliament and captured the video of two of his accomplices with the intent to publicise it.
Parliament Security Breach: Two more detained, six teams of special cell to lead probe
The detained persons are identified as Mahesh and Kailash, both residents of Rajasthan and have an alleged association with a social media group called ‘Justice for Azad Bhagat Singh’.
Delhi shivers as minimum temperature hits 4.9 degrees, fog affects visibility in North and Northeast India
Several parts of north and northeast India experienced fog on Friday morning, affecting visibility and disrupting normal life.
‘Never had any expectations…’: Rajasthan Deputy CM-designate Prem Chand Bairwa
Ahead of the oath-taking ceremony on Friday, Deputy CM-designate Prem Chand Bairwa offered prayers at Moti Dungri Ganesh temple in Jaipur.
Delhi AQI: Air quality shows slight improvement, shifts from ‘Very Poor’ to ‘Poor’ category
The air quality in New Moti Bagh was also in the ‘Poor’ category, with an AQI of 294.
Sen Ted Cruz calls out VP Kamala Harris for Palestinian sympathy push: ‘Undermining Israel’
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, called out Vice President Kamala Harris for allegedly pushing President Biden and other administration officials to be more sympathetic towards Palestinians. His comments come after Politico reported Thursday that Harris has recently been pushing those in the Biden administration, including Biden himself, to be more sympathetic towards Palestinians and show more concern for the damage in Gaza. One person close to the vice president’s office told the outlet that the U.S. should start being “tougher” on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In a statement to Fox News, Cruz said “Since day 1 Biden administration officials have been pathologically obsessed with undermining Israel. Unfortunately and infuriatingly, that obsession continues in the aftermath of Hamas’s atrocities on October 7. The costs for America and Israel’s national security are catastrophic.” WHITE HOUSE REFUTES REPORT OF BIDEN-HARRIS SPLIT ON PALESTINIANS The source allegedly said that Harris has been “more forceful at seeking a long-term peace and two-state solution.” Harris’ Press Secretary Kirsten Allen told the outlet “there is no daylight between the president and the vice president, nor has there been,” adding the vice president and Biden “have been clear: Israel has a right and responsibility to defend itself; humanitarian aid must be allowed to flow into Gaza; innocent civilians must be protected; and the United States remains committed to a two-state solution.” WHITE HOUSE SILENT ON REPORTED BIDEN ADMINISTRATION STAFFERS PROTESTING PRESIDENT’S ISRAEL POLICY “I would caution the media about citing anonymous sources in the ‘orbit’ about sensitive national security conversations between the president and vice president that take place in the Oval Office,” Allen said. The report comes after Biden said during a fundraiser on Tuesday that Israel is losing global support. “And, folks, look, if you think about it, one of the things that Bibi understands, I think, now — but I’m not sure Ben-Gvir and his War Cabinet do, who I’ve spoken to several times — is that Israel’s security can rest on the United States, but right now it has more than the United States,” Biden said. “It has the European Union, it has Europe, it has most of the world supporting it. But they’re starting to lose that support by the indiscriminate bombing that takes place.”
Manipur: Bodies of 64 victims handed over to families after 7 months of violence
According to a report by a Supreme Court-constituted committee to look into the violence, 175 deaths were reported during the clashes and 169 bodies were identified.
Delhi Police Special Cell to recreate scene of Parliament security breach
This will help the police to find out how the accused entered the Parliament building with colour spray and how they executed their plan, sources from the Special Cell said.