Dalai Lama says he hopes to live for another 40 years
The Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader was speaking during a ceremony organised by his followers to offer prayers for his long life, ahead of his 90th birthday on Sunday. The Dalai Lama previously told Reuters in December he might live to 110.
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The Independent
30 minutes ago
- The Independent
France says China used embassies to undermine sales of French fighter jet
China deployed its embassies to spread doubts about the performance of French-made Rafale jets after they saw combat in India and Pakistan 's clashes in May, French military and intelligence officials have concluded, implicating Beijing in an effort to hammer the reputation and sales of France 's flagship fighter. Findings from a French intelligence service seen by The Associated Press say defence attaches in China's foreign embassies led a charge to undermine Rafale sales, seeking to persuade countries that have already ordered the French-made fighter — notably Indonesia — not to buy more and to encourage other potential buyers to choose Chinese-made planes. The findings were shared with AP by a French military official on condition that the official and the intelligence service not be named. Four days of India-Pakistan clashes in May were the most serious confrontation in years between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, and included air combat that involved dozens of aircraft from both sides. Military officials and researchers have since been digging for details of how Pakistan's Chinese-made military hardware — particularly warplanes and air-combat missiles — fared against weaponry that India used in airstrikes on Pakistani targets, notably French-made Rafale fighters. Sales of Rafales and other armaments are big business for France's defence industry and help efforts by the government in Paris to strengthen ties with other nations, including in Asia where China is becoming the dominant regional power. France is fighting what it calls a disinformation campaign against the Rafale Pakistan claimed its air force downed five Indian planes during the fighting, including three Rafales. French officials say that prompted questions about their performance from countries that have bought the fighter from French manufacturer Dassault Aviation. India acknowledged aircraft losses but didn't say how many. French air force chief Gen. Jérôme Bellanger said that he's seen evidence pointing to just 3 Indian losses — a Rafale, a Russian-made Sukhoi and a Mirage 2000, which is an earlier generation French-made jet. It was the first known combat loss of a Rafale, which France has sold to eight countries. 'Of course, all those, the nations that bought Rafales, asked themselves questions,' Bellanger said. French officials have been battling to protect the plane from reputational damage, pushing back against what they allege was a concerted campaign of Rafale-bashing and disinformation online from Pakistan and its ally China. They say the campaign included viral posts on social media, manipulated imagery showing supposed Rafale debris, AI-generated content and video-game depictions to simulate supposed combat. More than 1,000 social media accounts newly created as the India-Pakistan clashes erupted also spread a narrative of Chinese technological superiority, according to French researchers who specialize in online disinformation. French military officials say they haven't been able to link the online Rafale-bashing directly to the Chinese government. Intelligence assessment says Chinese officials lobbied potential clients to ditch French planes But the French intelligence service said Chinese embassy defence attaches echoed the same narrative in meetings they held with security and defence officials from other countries, arguing that Indian Air Force Rafales performed poorly and promoting Chinese-made weaponry. The defence attaches focused their lobbying on countries that have ordered Rafales and other potential customer-nations that are considering purchases, the intelligence service said. It said French officials learned of the meetings from nations that were approached. Asked by AP to comment on the alleged effort to dent the Rafale's appeal, the Ministry of National Defence in Beijing said: 'The relevant claims are pure groundless rumors and slander. China has consistently maintained a prudent and responsible approach to military exports, playing a constructive role in regional and global peace and stability.' In recent years, China has stepped up disinformation campaigns on global social media platforms like X, Instagram or Facebook, using networks of state-sponsored influencers, sites that pose as news organizations, and fake social media accounts to spread narratives from Beijing. France's Defence Ministry said the Rafale was targeted by 'a vast campaign of disinformation" that 'sought to promote the superiority of alternative equipment, notably of Chinese design.' France considers the jet a 'strategic French offering' "The Rafale was not randomly targeted. It is a highly capable fighter jet, exported abroad and deployed in a high-visibility theater," the Defence Ministry wrote on its website. 'The Rafale was also targeted because it represents a strategic French offering. By attacking the aircraft, certain actors sought to undermine the credibility of France and its defence industrial and technological base. The disinformation campaign therefore did not merely target an aircraft, but more broadly a national image of strategic autonomy, industrial reliability, and solid partnerships.' Dassault Aviation has sold 533 Rafales, including 323 for export to Egypt, India, Qatar, Greece, Croatia, the United Arab Emirates, Serbia and Indonesia. Indonesia has ordered 42 planes and is considering buying more. China may be hoping to weaken the security relationships that France is building with Asian nations by spreading worries about the equipment it supplies, said Justin Bronk, an airpower specialist at the Royal United Services Institute, a defence and security think tank in London. 'From a point of view of limiting Western countries' influence in the Indo-Pacific, it would make sense for China to be using the performance of Pakistani weapon systems — or at least purported performance — in downing at least one Rafale as a tool to undermine its attractiveness as an export,' he said. 'They certainly saw an opportunity to damage French sales prospects in the region."
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Delhi government forced to withdraw plan to scrap old cars after public backlash
Delhi 's government has been forced to reverse a controversial plan to effectively ban older vehicles from city roads after public backlash and concerns over how the policy would be implemented. The plan would have seen 'end of life vehicles' – petrol cars over 15 years old and diesel vehicles over 10 – denied fuel at petrol stations using automatic number plate recognition cameras, or ANPR, and, potentially, impounded on the spot. The policy was set to come into effect this week but state environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said last week the government would halt the plan following widespread complaints. Mr Sirsa said the administration would not allow vehicles to be seized and cited 'technological integration challenges' and a lack of coordination with neighbouring states sharing traffic with the capital. The plan to deny fuel to older vehicles ignited anger in particular among middle-class people, a key voting bloc that helped return prime minister Narendra Modi's BJP to power in the city earlier this year after nearly three decades. The Commission for Air Quality Management, a federal body overseeing pollution rules across the wider National Capital Region, had ordered that fuel stations in Delhi begin using ANPR to deny fuel to old vehicles from 1 July. Air pollution has long plagued India 's capital, with some of the world's worst air quality readings recorded in the city each winter, and scrapping old vehicles has been promoted by courts and green tribunals as a way to reduce harmful emissions. While bans on old vehicles have existed since a 2015 court order, the new enforcement method of using fuel station bans based on automatic number plate recognition has triggered strong backlash. Residents voiced concerns about the plan, noting that enforcing it would be extremely difficult in a sprawling city where millions depended on older cars for work and daily life. Delhi authorities had begun limited enforcement but reports of confusion at fuel stations and strong objections from car owners, some of whom cited emotional attachments to their vehicles, quickly turned the matter into a political headache. The plan also sparked a blame game between the ruling party and the opposition, with the Aam Aadmi Party accusing the BJP government of forcing people to buy new cars. 'The BJP government in Delhi, in collaboration with the auto industry, is forcing the middle class to buy new vehicles,' former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia from AAP, alleged. Halting the ban, the government acknowledged that many people had grown angry at the potential for their vehicles to be seized even if well-maintained. The state's chief minister, Rekha Gupta, said her government was committed to controlling air pollution and was working on long-term solutions for clean and sustainable transportation. "However, while implementing any decision, it is equally important to maintain a balance with the social and economic needs of the citizens," she wrote on X. A LocalCircles survey released last week found that 79 per cent of the respondents opposed the new rule. Public frustration had been evident on social media, with many residents highlighting emotional and financial hardships caused by the ban. According to the World Health Organization, air pollution contributes to nearly 1.67 million deaths annually in India, making it one of the country's leading health risks. The State of Global Air 2023 report estimated that air pollution was responsible for about 17 per cent of deaths in India from all causes. Delhi's vehicle ownership has exploded in recent years, with transport department data showing over 12 million registered vehicles in the capital as of 2024, including around 7.6 million two-wheelers and 3.5 million cars. This surging number of vehicles, many of them over a decade old, has been a key contributor to toxic smog episodes blanketing the city each year.
Reuters
3 hours ago
- Reuters
Big tech rules, agriculture among issues in US trade talks with South Korea
SEOUL, July 7 (Reuters) - South Korea was one of the first countries to start U.S. trade talks when both sides agreed in April to craft a package aimed at removing tariffs, but it is now seeking an extension to the 90-day pause on 25% tariffs set to expire on July 9. Trade talks between South Korea and its second-biggest trading partner have so far focused mainly on non-tariff barriers, as the Asian country already imposes near-zero tariffs on U.S. imports under a free trade agreement, according to South Korean officials. Here is a list of some of the issues that have arisen around negotiations: South Korea's trade minister, Yeo Han-koo, has said the digital sector is one of the most important areas during the ongoing tariff negotiations. The government has a number of legislative proposals to regulate giant tech companies at home and abroad, which President Lee Jae Myung has pledged to enact to tackle abuses of market dominance and protect smaller companies. In a letter dated July 1, U.S. Congressman Adrian Smith and 42 colleagues wrote to U.S. trade negotiators that the legislation, which they said mirrors the European Union's "discriminatory Digital Markets Act," would disproportionately target American companies while exempting major Chinese digital giants such as ByteDance, Alibaba ( opens new tab and Temu. South Korea's ruling party is seeking to "slow down" antitrust legislation on tech giants, including U.S.-based Google (GOOGL.O), opens new tab, Apple (AAPL.O), opens new tab, Facebook (META.O), opens new tab and Korea's Naver ( opens new tab and Kakao ( opens new tab, in light of trade issues and its sensitivity, Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Nam-geun told Reuters on Monday. South Korea's requirements on content providers, such as Netflix (NFLX.O), opens new tab, to pay network usage fees and restrictions on the export of location-based data by Google and other suppliers were also mentioned in the U.S. foreign trade barriers report released in March. In 2016, South Korea rejected Google's request for permission to use detailed mapping data in servers outside the country, citing security issues with North Korea. Seoul is set to rule on Google's fresh request on location-based data on August 11. Apple has also reportedly made a similar request on maps. Washington is demanding better access to the agriculture, auto and digital sectors during ongoing negotiations, South Korea's trade minister said. South Korea, the world's biggest buyer of U.S. beef, restricts imports derived from animals older than 30 months, citing concerns over mad cow disease. The U.S. also has long made market access requests for other agricultural items, such as potatoes and apples. There is, however, domestic concern about opening up the market further, after earlier negotiations where Seoul agreed to lower beef tariffs to 0% by 2026 in a bilateral free trade pact in 2007. The trade ministry will emphasise the sensitivity of the agricultural sector at the negotiations, director Chang Sung-gil said at a public hearing on June 30, where farmers' groups attended to protest. South Korea's tariff of more than 500% on rice imports, which was highlighted by U.S. President Donald Trump in a speech, has not been raised during working-level discussions, according to a senior South Korean official. The issues of foreign exchange policy and cost sharing for some 28,500 U.S. troops in South Korea are being discussed via separate finance and defence channels, officials have said. Trade officials have emphasised that industrial cooperation, particularly in the shipbuilding industry, will contribute to the revitalisation of the U.S. manufacturing sector and decrease U.S. trade deficits. Trade Minister Yeo said South Korea plays a leading role in artificial intelligence, chips, batteries, cars and semiconductors. While South Korea is considering more energy purchases, officials have expressed caution when it comes to participation in an Alaska gas project. Although South Korea has shown interest in the $44 billion LNG project in Alaska, the trade minister said the feasibility of the project was still not clear and the U.S. would only provide technical information later in the year.
