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☆ Exclusive: White House sets deadline for purging TikTok from federal devices
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 27 (Reuters) - The White House on Monday gave government agencies 30 days to ensure they do not have Chinese-owned app TikTok on federal devices and systems. TikTok did not immediately comment on the White House memo. Many government agencies including the White House, Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and the State Department had banned TikTok from government devices before the vote. "My bill empowers the administration to ban TikTok or any software applications that threaten U.S. national security," Representative Mike McCaul, the committee chair, said. The White House memo said within 90 days, agencies must address any use of TikTok by IT vendors through contracts and with 120 days agencies will include a new prohibition on TikTok in all new solicitations.

☆ Exclusive: White House gives agencies 30 days to impose federal device TikTok ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 27 (Reuters) - The White House on Monday gave government agencies 30 days to ensure they do not have Chinese-owned app TikTok on federal devices and systems. The action does not affect the more than 100 million Americans who use TikTok on private or company-owned devices. Many government agencies including the White House, Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and the State Department had banned TikTok from government devices before the vote. The memo said within 90 days, agencies must address any use of TikTok by IT vendors through contracts and with 120 days agencies will include a new prohibition on TikTok in all new solicitations. The federal contractor ban applies to equipment used in government work but does not "include any equipment acquired by a federal contractor incidental to a federal contract."

☆ 3D printer company to pay U.S. up to $27 mln for violating export curbs to China
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Karen Freifeld | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 27 (Reuters) - 3D Systems Corp on Monday agreed to pay up to $27 million to settle with the U.S. for illegally exporting to China controlled design drawings for military electronics and spacecraft, among other violations. Besides the Commerce Department, the company also settled with the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of State. The Commerce Department penalty is for $2.8 million. In addition to the aerospace documents, the Commerce Department said, 3D Systems exported metal alloy powder to China without a license, although it is restricted for national security and nuclear nonproliferation reasons. "The company is pleased to have reached a settlement with the agencies and remains committed to continuing to enhance its export controls program," 3D Systems said in a statement.

☆ Exclusive: U.S. to vet human rights more closely before approving arms deals, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Patricia Zengerle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Defense companies and activists scrutinize such policies for insight into the administration's posture as it balances commercial interests of exporters like Lockheed Martin Co (LMT.N) and Raytheon Technologies (RTX.N) against the country's stated commitment to human rights. One change is how the CAT policy addresses the possibility that arms from the United States could be used for major human rights violations, the officials said. Previous CAT policy had said such transfers would not be authorized only when Washington had "actual knowledge" that the arms would be used in such actions. "We are looking at a policy of prevention when there is a risk of violation of human rights," one of the officials said. For example, Senator Bob Menendez, Democratic chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, opposes the sale of Lockheed Martin F-16 aircraft to Turkey for reasons including disregard for human rights.

It was created by OpenAI, a private company backed by Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O), and made available to the public for free. Its ubiquity has generated fear that generative AI such as ChatGPT could be used to spread disinformation, while educators worry it will be used by students to cheat. A second congressional aide described the discussions as focusing on the speed of changes in AI and how it could be used. In an interview with Time, Mira Murati, OpenAI's chief technology officer, said the company welcomed input, including from regulators and governments. "The whole value proposition of these types of AI systems is that they can generate content at scales and speeds that humans simply can't," he said.

The ban is expected to apply to some investments tied to chip production, two of the sources said. China hawks in Washington blame American investors for transferring capital and valuable know-how to Chinese tech companies that could help advance Beijing's military capabilities. The White House declined to comment and the Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. That could include the long-awaited outbound investment order. Efforts to incorporate an outbound investment screening plan in legislation failed last year in Congress.

☆ U.S., India partnership targets arms and AI to compete with China
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Trevor Hunnicutt | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, Jan 31 (Reuters) - The White House is launching a partnership with India on Tuesday that President Joe Biden hopes will help the countries compete against China on military equipment, semiconductors and artificial intelligence (AI). Yet the White House faces an uphill battle on each front, including U.S. restrictions on military technology transfer and visas for immigrant workers, along with India's longstanding dependence on Moscow for military hardware, issues it hopes to now address. But Washington has held its tongue, nudging the country on Russia while condoning India's more hawkish stance on China. General Electric Co (GE.N), meanwhile, is asking the U.S. government for permission to produce jet engines with India that would power aircraft operated and produced by India, according to the White House, which says a review is underway. Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Chris Sanders, Josie Kao and Himani SarkarOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

One company is injecting liquid clay into California desert to trap moisture and help fruit to grow, while another in Malaysia boosts soil with droppings from fly larvae. Biochar, liquid clay and fly larvae droppings are all in limited commercial production. Some, like liquid clay and biochar add nutrients while also improving the ground's ability to retain water, and require fewer applications than fertilizer. Norway-based Desert Control has spent 18 years and $25 million developing liquid clay to boost soil. In Malaysia, Nutrition Technologies produces "soil conditioner" from frass - the waste and skin of Black Soldier Fly larvae.

☆ Britain sounds alarm on Russia-based hacking group
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( James Pearson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Jan 26 (Reuters) - A Russia-based hacking group named Cold River is behind an expansive and ongoing information-gathering campaign that has struck various targets in government, politics, academia, defence, journalism, and activism, Britain said on Thursday. "There is often some correspondence between attacker and target, sometimes over an extended period, as the attacker builds rapport," the advisory said. A second, Iran-based, group known as Charming Kitten has deployed the same "spear-phishing" techniques to gather information, according to the NCSC. Iran's mission to the United Nations in New York said the Iranian government had no knowledge of the group. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Cold River has escalated its hacking campaign against Kyiv's allies, cybersecurity researchers and western government officials told Reuters.

☆ Factbox: What is a chip making tool?
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WHAT ARE CHIP-MAKING TOOLS? A single chip factory can contain 1,000 or more tools, each tuned to a different step in the process. The biggest and most sophisticated lithography machines require three Boeing 747s to carry them in sections and can cost as much as $160 million. The raft of measures, if effective, could hobble China's chip manufacturing industry by forcing American and foreign companies that use U.S. technology to cut off support for some of China's leading factories and chip designers. But to be effective, the United States needs the Netherlands and Japan to jump on board with similar restrictions.

The lawsuit tackles a business at Google that is responsible for 80 percent of its revenue. The Justice Department asked the court to compel Google to break up its ad technology business. Eight states joined the department in Tuesday's lawsuit, including Google's home state of California. The lawsuit says "Google has thwarted meaningful competition and deterred innovation in the digital advertising industry." In addition to its well-known search, which is free, Google makes revenue through its interlocking ad tech businesses, which connect advertisers with newspapers, websites and other firms looking to host them.

☆ U.S. Attorney General Garland says Google has used anticompetitive tactics for 15 years
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, Jan 24 (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said on Tuesday, after the Justice Department filed an antitrust lawsuit against Alphabet's (GOOGL.O) Google, that the Big Tech company has sought to defeat its rivals in the online advertising business using anticompetitive tactics for 15 years. Garland added that as a result of Google's practices the United States has suffered as an advertiser, overpaying for ads. Reporting by Chris Sanders and Diane BartzOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Airfares from China are now 160% higher than before the pandemic, data from travel firm ForwardKeys shows, due to limited supply. Since Jan. 4, Air China (601111.SS), Hainan Airlines (600221.SS) and China Southern Airlines (600029.SS) have filed schedules with the U.S. Department of Transportation proposing to increase flights to as much as daily on some routes. Foreign carriers seeking to add flights to China require approvals from the Civil Aviation Administration of China, which did not respond to a request for comment. However, other flights were paused as it assessed market demand and government regulations. Many Western airlines parked large planes when international traffic plunged and production of new twin-aisle jets has been limited.

[1/5] Supporters of Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro demonstrate against President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva as security forces operate, outside Brazil?s National Congress in Brasilia, Brazil, January 8, 2023. Launched in November 2020 and run by Brazil's central bank, Pix is free of charge for individuals, allowing them to instantly transfer money to others via online banking apps. Since its launch, over 133 million Brazilians and almost 12 million companies have made or received Pix transfers, according to the central bank. INVESTIGATIVE TRAILPolice, money-laundering experts and central bank officials said Pix donations will be central to investigators' efforts to uncover who orchestrated the insurrection. Pix transfers are covered by bank secrecy laws, and police can only access a suspect's transaction history with judicial authorization.

☆ FAA has struggled to modernize computer, air traffic operations
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The FAA has struggled to modernize some long-standing parts of air traffic control. A 2021 Transportation Department Office of Inspection General (OIG) report repeatedly cited challenges in the FAA's multi-billion dollar Next Generation Air Transportation System (Next) infrastructure project. In October, for example, the FAA said it was working to end a long-ridiculed, decades-old practice of air traffic controllers using paper flight strips to keep track of aircraft. ERAM in 2015 replaced the 40-year-old En Route Host computer and backup system used at 20 FAA Air Route Traffic Control Centers nationwide. House Transportation Committee chair Sam Graves, a Republican, labeled as "inexcusable" FAA’s failure to properly maintain and operate the air traffic control system.

LONDON/WASHINGTON, Jan 6 (Reuters) - A Russian hacking team known as Cold River targeted three nuclear research laboratories in the United States this past summer, according to internet records reviewed by Reuters and five cyber security experts. Cold River has escalated its hacking campaign against Kyiv's allies since the invasion of Ukraine, according to cybersecurity researchers and western government officials. 'INTELLIGENCE COLLECTION'In May, Cold River broke into and leaked emails belonging to the former head of Britain's MI6 spy service. Reuters was unable independently to confirm why Cold River targeted the NGOs. "Google has tied this individual to the Russian hacking group Cold River and their early operations," he said.

☆ 'Coup-mongering' Bolsonarista's battle cry reveals a radicalized Brazil
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Gabriel Stargardter | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

Lots of people realized this wasn't a safe place," said Lucas Mello, a 22-year-old TikToker who has lived in the camp since Dec. 5. Three days after the riots, Moraes released Baldin, sent him home with an ankle bracelet, and barred him from talking to the media. "The heavily violent (protests) ... occurred in exactly the same context that motivated the temporary arrest of Milton Baldin," Moraes wrote in his sealed ruling. Bolsonaristas deride Moraes as an unelected despot who has censored free speech and trampled on the president's executive power. On Dec. 9, Bolsonaro broke weeks of post-election silence with an ambiguous message many viewed as encouragement to his protesting supporters.

☆ Drag queens take on Tennessee bill seeking to restrict their performances
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Andrew Davis | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

At 5 Points Diner & Bar in Nashville, Tenn., drag performer Veronika Electronika can often be seen strutting between brunch tables. The measure, known as Senate Bill 3, was introduced by Tennessee Republican Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson in November. Tennessee has proposed 31 anti-LGBTQ bills this year, the most of any state, according to Freedom for All Americans. “We tip our servers, we tip our bartenders, we tip our hair stylists, and we tip our drag queens,” she said. As for Veronika, she said she’s determined to rally enough opposition to scuttle Tennessee’s drag bill before it becomes state law.

Nokia CEO Pekka Lundmark echoed that sentiment in a interview: "Our exit will be complete. "This will allow us to organise modern production of telecoms equipment in Russia," he said, without naming the operators or producers. Government programs to promote Russian equipment have helped telecoms operators become less reliant on Nokia and Ericsson over the past several years and Russian producers have increased their market share this year to 25.2% from 11.6% in 2021. Russian telecom operators stockpiled foreign-made parts in February and March ahead of sanctions, two of the industry sources said, but inventory will drop after Nokia and Ericsson pull the plug Dec. 31. Consolidation between Russian operators at the behest of the government might also allow them to share equipment and resources to make the networks last longer, industry sources added.

☆ For Biden and Zelenskiy, U.S. visit highlights trust after friction
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/5] U.S. President Joe Biden welcomes Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on the South Lawn at the White House in Washington, U.S., December 21, 2022. "Friction is inevitable even between close allies in wartime," said International Crisis Group U.N. Director Richard Gowan. So I don't think we should necessarily let day-to-day friction obscure how much help the U.S. has given Ukraine," Gowan said. MORE WEAPONS, PLEASEThe United States has provided Ukraine with $19.3 billion in military help during the war. Beyond this, the visit underlines a belief that both Biden and Zelenskiy hold - that the United States remains the leader of the free world, said Daniel Fried, former U.S. ambassador to Poland and a fellow at the Atlantic Council.

"The jury is still out," on which technology will dominate, said Dr. Sadik Esener, director of the Cancer Early Detection Advanced Research Center at the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute in Portland, Oregon. He added it could take as long as 20 years to show that an early cancer detection test saved lives. If proven to work, early cancer detection tests could help doctors identify cancer risk in patients long before symptoms or other indicators develop. DIFFERENT APPROACHESSeveral of the leading contenders take vastly different approaches to cancer detection and it is not yet clear which methods will prove most useful or when. Some are working on blood tests to detect different markers of early cancer, including proteins.

☆ Biden blacklists China's YMTC, crackdowns on AI chip sector
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Alexandra Alper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 15 (Reuters) - The Biden administration on Thursday added Chinese memory chipmaker YMTC and 21 "major" Chinese players in the artificial intelligence chip industry to a trade blacklist, broadening its crackdown on China's chip industry. It also comes as Congress prepares to finalize legislation to bar the U.S. government from buying products that contain semiconductors made by YMTC, Chinese memory chipmaker CXMT or China's top chip manufacturer SMIC. The Commerce Department on Thursday also targeted nine Chinese entities for allegedly seeking to support China's military modernization, including Shanghai Micro Electronics Equipment Group Co Ltd (SMEE), China's only lithography company. Two of the Chinese companies removed from the unverified list - YMTC and SMEE- were added to the entity list. Being added to the unverified list forces U.S. suppliers to perform greater due diligence before shipping to the targeted companies.

☆ Biden to blacklist China's YMTC, crackdown on AI chip sector
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Alexandra Alper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 15 (Reuters) - The Biden administration on Thursday plans to add Chinese memory chipmaker YMTC and 21 "major" Chinese players in the artificial intelligence chip industry to a trade blacklist, broadening its crackdown on China's chip industry, the Commerce Department said. A total of 35 Chinese entities will be added to the trade blacklist, known as the entity list. The Biden administration plans to remove 26 Chinese entities from the so-called unverified list thanks to successful site visits. Being added to the unverified list forces U.S. suppliers to perform greater due diligence before shipping to the targeted companies. Commerce Department officials have attributed greater cooperation from Beijing in site checks to a new rule announced in October.

WASHINGTON, Dec 14 (Reuters) - The Biden administration plans to remove some Chinese entities from a red flag trade list, a U.S. official told Reuters on Wednesday amid closer cooperation with Beijing. The plan to remove them soon from the so-called "unverified" list is thanks to greater willingness from the Chinese government to permit U.S. site visits, the person said. The decision, which mean U.S. exporters will no longer have to conduct additional due diligence before sending goods to the Chinese entities, may not herald a broader thaw. Companies are added to the unverified list because the United States cannot complete on-site visits to determine whether they can be trusted to receive sensitive U.S. technology exports. In October, YMTC was added to the unverified list along with dozens of other Chinese entities, fueling widespread speculation that the company would be added to the entity list.

The exemption allowed Alameda to keep borrowing funds from FTX irrespective of the value of the collateral securing those loans. The other was a mechanism whereby FTX customers deposited over $8 billion in traditional currency into bank accounts secretly controlled by Alameda. Indeed, he told investors that Alameda received no preferential treatment from FTX, the SEC complaint said. This would allow Alameda to keep borrowing more FTX funds without the need to provide more collateral. Bankman-Fried's house of cards "began to crumble" in May 2022, the SEC complaint said.

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