Latest news with #internationalconference
The Guardian
15 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
I used to run the Foreign Office. This is my advice for today's extraordinary White House meeting
Last week's extraordinary summit meeting in Alaska is being followed today by an even more extraordinary international conference in Washington. None of the participants knew they were going to take part two days ago. In recent decades, diplomacy has been increasingly conducted in ad hoc contact groups – but the group of seven countries (the US, Ukraine, the UK, Germany, Finland, Italy and France) and two international organisations (Nato and the EU) has never met in this way before. Officials will be preparing in the usual way, assembling briefing packs and writing talking points, aiming to please their bosses and, hopefully, allowing them to make the most effective intervention. They should take a deep breath and think differently. The precedents of European Councils and Nato summits – and even Donald Trump bilaterals – are misleading enough to be actively unhelpful. As former colleagues from Washington to Kyiv, via London, Paris, Brussels, Rome, Berlin and Helsinki, prep their principals, I urge them to discard the traditional approach. The usual format of each leader making a statement (however brief) just won't cut it. There are three key groupings in the meeting – the US, Ukraine and Europe. Europe should have a single spokesperson. Most European participants might be prepared to concede to that approach, as long as their leader is the chosen one. But only two are really in the frame. The meeting will be conducted entirely in English with an interpreter for Volodymyr Zelenskyy. But there will be only two native English speakers, with Keir Starmer as the only European. Two others have spoken English for so long that they count as near-native speakers: Finland's president, Alexander Stubb, and Nato's secretary general, Mark Rutte. Stubb represents the smallest participant, often an advantage when corralling bigger beasts, while Rutte represents Europe's military alliance. The others speak well enough for most meetings but Trump's quirkiness could wrong-foot them. Emmanuel Macron, Ursula von der Leyen, Friedrich Merz and Giorgia Meloni speak well enough to make any point they want to make, but not necessarily in the best way to make it. Trump takes offence easily. So, Rutte or Starmer should speak for Europe. Whoever speaks needs to make their points without notes, look Trump in the eye, be prepared to be interrupted but disciplined enough not to lose the thread – and to resume their presentation when the president has subsided. The European message needs to build on the Alaska summit. European publics and pundits have declared Vladimir Putin the winner, and poured scorn on Trump's kowtowing and conspicuous lack of success; some politicians have joined in. Britons might think their government craven for seeing the meeting as the start of a promising initiative, but that's really the only sensible diplomatic take. The most promising result of the Anchorage summit was Trump's conclusion that aiming for a ceasefire was not good enough; we need to move smartly to a full agreement. The Europeans could signal their willingness to play a full part in implementing such an agreement. That role, above everything else, will be providing concrete security guarantees. Putin is highly likely to reject that. But what if the comprehensive agreement also had something important for him? Putin's two key territorial requirements are the land bridge to Crimea and the whole of Donbas. He has the first but not the second. Ukraine would hate giving up land that Russia has never conquered. But the aim here is peace, and peace always requires concessions. Ukraine has, of course, a great interest in ending the fighting. It wants to do that – with honour – and it wants no resumption. The precedent is the winter war of 1939-40. At the outset, Finland looked completely outgunned by the Soviet Union. But, like the Ukrainians, they fought bravely. Like the Ukrainians, they did much better than any outsider predicted. But in the end, they ceded more land than the Soviets were occupying in order to make peace – 11% of their territory, including Karelia (inspiration for their national composer's most famous piece of music). In 1940, Finland had reason to fear that the Soviets would be back for more. Operation Barbarossa came to their rescue one year later, when the Soviet Union was the target of the biggest land invasion in history. In 2025, Ukraine needs something more immediate. Membership of Nato is the most obvious 'something'. Zelenskyy won't like any of this. He would have to consult his cabinet and parliament before conceding any of it. But he would be able to outline the bare bones of a deal to bring to an end the bloodiest conflict in Europe since the end of the second world war, a prize worth taking. Putin, too, wouldn't like it. A Ukraine whose security is guaranteed by a power other than Moscow is inimical to him. But if Russia rejects an offer everyone else can grudgingly accept, Trump would see Putin for what he has been to date: the problem. He would have the knowledge and justification for upping the US's contribution to Ukraine's defence. Today's meeting in Washington is one of the oddest in modern diplomacy. But European leaders can turn oddness into opportunity. Lord McDonald of Salford was permanent secretary at the Foreign Office, 2015-2020, and is now a crossbench peer
The Guardian
08-08-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Eight bat researchers mostly from Asia and Africa refused entry into Australia to attend global scientific event
Organisers of an international research conference have criticised a last-minute Australian government decision to deny visas to eight invited researchers, mostly from Asia and Africa. Prof Justin Welbergen, chair of the 20th International Bat Research Conference in Cairns, said the decision to deny the researchers entry without option to appeal had disrupted the event, which is a key forum for global collaboration on bat research and conservation. He said the eight researchers from Kenya, Uganda, India, Pakistan and Georgia were 'recognised contributors to the global field of bat research and conservation'. Among them is a well-renowned bat researcher who did his PhD in Australia. The refusals came amid reports in the AFR that the immigration minister, Tony Burke, had denied dozens of visas on the basis of social cohesion. When asked why the delegates' visas were denied, a spokesperson for the Department of Home Affairs said it could not comment on individual cases for privacy reasons. Sign up: AU Breaking News email 'All non-citizens applying for visas to enter Australia are considered on an individual basis and against legal requirements set out in Australia's migration legislation,' the spokesperson said. 'This includes requirements that all applicants undertake and meet (where relevant) health, character and security checks.' The International Bat Research Conference dates back to 1968 and is held once every three years. The last time Australia hosted the event was Sydney in 1989. About 500 delegates from research institutions, governments, industry and conservation organisations from 59 countries were attending the week-long conference, held on 3–8 August in Queensland. On Thursday, a letter to Burke from the organising committee was gathering support and signatures from almost 150 delegates. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion The letter expressed the committee's 'deep concern and disappointment' about the decisions to deny the visas, which it said risked damaging Australia's reputation as a hub for international exchange in science. 'Scientific progress depends on the open exchange of knowledge across borders, including in areas such as zoonotic disease surveillance, biodiversity conservation and ecological sustainability – all topics with direct relevance to Australia's own interests,' the letter said. 'We stand in solidarity with our valued colleagues who were denied entry, and we request the government takes immediate steps to rectify these actions in future proceedings.'
Times of Oman
08-07-2025
- Business
- Times of Oman
Conference explores the role of emerging technologies in higher education
Muscat: The second edition of an international conference titled 'Emerging Technologies in Multidisciplinary Fields' kicked off in Muscat on Tuesday. The conference explores the role of emerging technologies in developing higher education and shaping the future of universities with the context of digital transition. The opening ceremony of the two-day conference was held under the auspices of HH Sayyid Nadir bin Al Julanda bin Majid Al Said as Secretary General at the Diwan of Royal Court. The conference is being attended by 35 local and international specialists who exchange views about issues related to emerging technology in the field of education and the latest trends in modern technology applications. The tasks of the conference include five sessions. The first session discusses the future of digital applications, artificial intelligence (AI), financial innovation and visions in Omani higher education institutions. The second session highlights the digital transition in education and human-based AI solutions. The third session explores solutions of innovative learning, notably through the integration of AI, the Internet of Things and virtual environments. The fourth session explores technology, ethics and innovation in the digital age. The fifth session focuses on the role of AI in linguistics and educational narratives, from classrooms to gaming consoles. In addition, the conference will include a review of AI applications in industry, security and storytelling. Three virtual sessions will be held as part of the conference. They will be titled as follows: 'Strategic Transformation from Green Competencies to Smart Decision-Making'; 'Artificial Intelligence, Industry 4.0 and Advanced Intelligence Systems for Resilience, Security, and Interoperability' and 'Digital Transition and Human-based Innovation in Health, Justice, and Markets'. On the sidelines of the conference, a student exhibition is being held. The exhibition showcases specialised projects and highlights student innovations and practical applications of emerging technologies in various fields, including humanities, IT, business administration, economics and English language studies. -ONA
Russia Today
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Russia to share ‘multipolar world' education model with friendly nations
Moscow will introduce an education model designed to help students contribute to building a 'multipolar world,' Russian Education Minister Aleksey Kravtsov said ahead of an international conference in the city of Kazan. More than 20 education ministers are expected to attend the two-day 'Shaping the Future' forum, which begins on Wednesday, according to the organizers. Russia seeks to cooperate with 'friendly countries' by sharing its experience in teacher training, curriculum development, and school construction, Kravtsov told reporters on Tuesday. 'Russia's school system ranks among the top ten globally in terms of quality, and among the top three for gold medals won at international academic Olympiads,' he said. 'It is essential that our students learn about other countries, build international friendships, and contribute to shaping a multipolar world. The future depends on it,' the minister added. Kravtsov said he plans to unveil an 'ideal school model' called the Eurasian Lyceum, which could be adopted by other nations. 'We are proposing an alternative system for assessing education quality based on three principles: non-politicization, relevance to present-day needs, and transparency,' he said.
