The Press Roundup

 

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The Press Roundup

Curated Summary of What Matters

February 17, 2024 (Saturday)

How Russian state media portrayed the death of Alexei Navalny (BBC)

• On state TV channels - the media with the largest audiences in Russia - there was minimal coverage of Navalny's death, and initial reports were uncooperative and sketchy. On the two most popular channels, Channel One and Russia 1, it took almost 45 minutes and an hour respectively after the death was announced before it was talked about.
• In these reports, there was no information about who Alexei Navalny was or why he was in prison. One presenter did not even give the opposition figure's full name, saying simply "Navalny", although he did tell viewers that there would be the "most thorough investigation" into the death.
• When a liberal politician appearing on another popular state TV channel tried to express his condolences over Navalny's death, he was interrupted by the programme's host, asking what this had to do with the topic under discussion.
• The picture on social media is quite different. The news travelled across all platforms, such as X, where it was the main topic. Posts about Navalny were among the most viewed on Telegram, garnering hundreds of thousands and sometimes over a million views in a matter of hours.
• Several pro-government figures hinted that the sudden death of Putin's most prominent critic in Russia would benefit not the president, but the West or the Russian opposition. RT editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan was quick to mock the West's reaction. "I'm not even going to explain to them that everyone has long forgotten Navalny, that it makes no sense to kill him, especially before the elections, that it is favourable to completely opposite forces," she said.
• Channel One presenter Anatoly Kuzichev also said that even his associates had "safely forgotten about Navalny" and suggested that his death could have been an "accident" or possibly an act of "terrible sabotage."
• In the same vein, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova suggested there was something "self-deprecating" in the speed of Western leaders' reaction.  next phase and the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.

UNSC expansion should not create ‘historic injustice’ (The Express Tribune)

• Pakistan opposes adding new permanent members to the UN Security Council, as it believes it will worsen the council's paralysis and prevent smaller states from serving on it.
• The L69 Model proposed by a group of Asian, African, Latin American, Caribbean, and Pacific Island states suggests expanding the council with both permanent and non-permanent seats to ensure equitable geographical representation.
• Pakistan's main concern with the L69 Model is the expansion of permanent seats, which it believes is the cause of the council's paralysis.
• Full-scale negotiations to reform the Security Council began in 2009, focusing on categories of membership, veto power, regional representation, size of an enlarged council, and working methods.
• The Group of Four (India, Brazil, Germany, and Japan) is campaigning for permanent seats and seeks to expand the council by 10 seats, with six additional permanent and four non-permanent members.

Pakistan to attend crucial Afghan meeting in Doha (The Express Tribune)

• Pakistan will attend a United Nations-sponsored conference in Doha to discuss engagement with the Afghan Taliban government.
• The conference aims to discuss approaches for international engagement with Afghanistan in a more coherent and structured manner.
• Pakistan's participation in the meeting is part of its efforts to actively engage with the international community and strengthen efforts for lasting peace and prosperity in Afghanistan.
• The conference will include special envoys from UN member states, international organizations, representatives from Afghan civil society, women's groups, and Taliban officials.
• The conference is a critical opportunity for donors and the region to chart next steps on how to improve the situation in Afghanistan and engage with the Taliban regime.
• The conference will discuss the ongoing humanitarian and human rights crises in Afghanistan.
• The Afghan Taliban government has been invited to the conference, but its participation is not certain yet.

Erdogan in Egypt: Strategic Implications for Turkey and Egypt (Geopolitical Monitor)

• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Cairo on a state visit to address the normalization of relations between Egypt and Turkey and expand bilateral relations. This visit is significant as it is Erdogan's first visit to Egypt in almost a decade.
• There has been a gradual thawing in Egypt-Turkey relations over the past three years, with tangible outcomes such as elevating diplomatic relations to ambassadorial status. Direct talks between Erdogan and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi took place in September 2023, leading to Erdogan's visit to Cairo.
• Disaster diplomacy has played a role in improving relations, with President El-Sisi expressing solidarity with Turkey after an earthquake and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry visiting Turkey to show support. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also made a follow-up trip to Cairo.

Afghanistan Will Never Recognize Durand Line as Border: Stanikzai (Tolo News)

• Afghanistan's deputy minister of foreign affairs, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, stated that Afghanistan will never recognize the Durand Line as a border and considers its territory to be on the other side of the line. He emphasized that the requirement of visas and passports to travel to Afghanistan is not acceptable to the Afghan people.
• Stanikzai claimed that foreigners are working to weaken the Islamic Emirate, but he asserted that there is no opponent that can be trained against the Islamic Emirate. He warned foreigners not to try to weaken or destroy the Islamic Emirate, as they cannot succeed due to the unity and lack of opponents against them.

Iran unveils homegrown anti-ballistic missile, air defense systems (Xiinhua)

• The Iranian Defense Ministry unveiled the domestically-developed "Arman" anti-ballistic missile system and "Azarakhsh" air defense system.
• The Arman system is a medium-range, high-altitude tactical system that can detect and destroy targets within a range of 120 km. It can be ready for operation in less than three minutes.
• The Azarakhsh system is capable of safeguarding critical facilities from drone and micro air vehicle threats. It uses advanced radar and optical search systems and can be deployed on various vehicles for day and night operations.
• The Arman system is equipped with homegrown Sayyad-3 missiles and has two versions with different radar systems. The Azarakhsh system's missiles have heat-seeking capabilities.
  
  

Tech firms sign ‘reasonable precautions’ to stop AI-generated election chaos (The Guardian)

• Major technology companies, including Adobe, Amazon, Google, IBM, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, and TikTok, have signed a voluntary pact to adopt "reasonable precautions" to prevent the use of AI tools to disrupt democratic elections worldwide.
• The companies aim to address AI-generated deepfakes that deceive voters by targeting realistic AI-generated images, audio, and video that alter the appearance, voice, or actions of political candidates and provide false information to voters.
• The accord does not involve a ban or removal of deepfakes but focuses on detecting and labeling deceptive AI content on their platforms. The companies will share best practices and respond swiftly and proportionately when such content spreads.
• The commitments in the accord are voluntary and lack binding requirements, which disappointed advocates seeking stronger assurances.
• The agreement was welcomed by political leaders, including Vera Jourova, the European Commission vice-president, who emphasized the need for responsible use of AI tools and warned about the potential impact of AI-fueled disinformation on democracy.
• AI-generated election interference attempts have already been observed, such as AI robocalls mimicking Joe Biden's voice discouraging voting and AI-generated audio recordings impersonating a candidate discussing election rigging.

Is This a Sputnik Moment? (The New York Times)

• There are veiled comments on Capitol Hill regarding an unnamed and "serious national security threat" that is suspected to be a new Russian space-based antisatellite capability, possibly a space-based nuclear weapon.
• The system is not active, and its capabilities have not been detailed. However, if it is what the White House suggests, it could be a significant threat and a violation of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty.
• The placement of nuclear weapons or any other weapons of mass destruction in orbit around Earth is prohibited by the Outer Space Treaty, to which Russia is a party.
• The development of a Russian nuclear weapon capable of targeting satellites could have a destabilizing impact on the geostrategic landscape and put American assets at risk.