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☆ TikTok may have a path forward in the US without a sale or ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Ashley Rodriguez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A bipartisan bill reintroduced this week would regulate how companies including TikTok share US data. TikTok has faced increased scrutiny around its ties to China, as well as calls for a US sale or ban. TikTok may have a path forward in the US without a sale or ban. TikTok has faced increased scrutiny from US lawmakers around its ties to China, where its parent company, ByteDance, is based. At the core of the issue are concerns that TikTok's Beijing-based parent company could be compelled to give the Chinese Community Party access to US user data.

Persons: TikTok, Sen, Ron Wyden, Cynthia Lummis, Biden, ByteDance, walling, It's, Wyden Organizations: Republican, CNN, Street, Foreign Investment, Congress, Wall, Chinese Community Party, CCP, Oracle Locations: China, Oregon, Wyoming, Montana, TikTok, Beijing, Texas, Russia

☆ US lawmakers seek new law to protect TikTok user information
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, June 14 (Reuters) - A bipartisan group of six senators and two members of the House of Representatives on Wednesday introduced legislation to protect Americans’ data from being used by U.S. adversaries. TikTok denies any improper data use and says it has spent more than $1.5 billion on data security measures. TikTok said on Wednesday it is "well underway in cutting off access to protected U.S. user data to any employee — wherever they are." The bill also would regulate exports of personal data by data brokers and firms like TikTok directly to restricted foreign governments. It would apply export control penalties to senior executives who knew or should have known that employees were directed to illegally export Americans’ personal data.

Persons: Ron Wyden, TikTok, Joe Biden, Warner, David Shepardson, Jonathan Oatis, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Senate, U.S, Commerce Department, U.S ., Democratic, Thomson Locations: China, U.S, Montana

☆ New bipartisan bill in Senate could address TikTok security concerns without a ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Much of the existing legislation addressing TikTok at the federal and state level has focused on bans of the app. Wednesday’s legislation, known as the Protecting Americans’ Data From Foreign Surveillance Act, does not identify TikTok by name. TikTok has faced criticism from US officials who say the company’s links to China pose a national security risk. Congress has made several attempts in recent months to address data transfers to foreign adversaries. In February, House lawmakers advanced a bill that would all but require the Biden administration to ban TikTok over national security concerns about the app.

Persons: Oregon Democratic Sen, Ron Wyden, Wyoming Republican Sen, Cynthia Lummis, —, ” Wyden, Wyden, TikTok, ByteDance, Biden, Justin Sherman, ” Sherman, Rhode Island Democratic Sen, Sheldon Whitehouse, Sheldon Whitehouse , Tennessee Republican Sen, Bill Hagerty, New Mexico Democratic Sen, Martin Heinrich, Florida Republican Sen, Marco Rubio, Warren Davidson, Anna Eshoo Organizations: CNN, Oregon Democratic, Wyoming Republican, ByteDance, Commerce Department, Oracle, Texas, Commerce, Duke University’s Sanford School of Public, Rhode, Rhode Island Democratic, Sheldon Whitehouse , Tennessee Republican, New Mexico Democratic, Florida Republican, Ohio Republican, California Democratic Locations: China, United States, Russia, Rhode Island, Sheldon Whitehouse , Tennessee, New Mexico, Florida

☆ Ukraine needs American-made F-16s if it's going to stop Russia's invasion once and for all, a defense expert says. NATO now seems to be giving in.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Ukraine could finally get the F-16 fighter jets it's been begging for. Still, the jets are vital for Ukraine's war efforts, defense experts told Insider, giving Kyiv the firepower it needs to bolster its current and future fleets. Ukraine sees the fighter jets as indispensable, Jones said, and it is thinking on a longer-term basis than friendly nations in the West. "The sooner we get fighters into the hands of Ukraine's combat-experienced fighter pilots, the greater Ukraine's chances of success," Deptula said. Matthew LotzThe debate over whether to send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine has lasted months.

☆ Ukraine's Western partners are short on weapons and can't churn them out fast enough to fuel a counterpunch for long, defense experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine's Western partners are short on weapons and can't make them fast enough to meet Kyiv's needs. Experts told The Washington Post that NATO countries have been too slow to manufacture munitions. Countries are facing dwindling stockpiles and can't manufacture weapons fast enough to support Kyiv's ambitions to launch a counteroffensive against Russian forces, according to the Washington Post. Defense experts told the Washington Post that many of Ukraine's NATO partners — especially European nations — haven't mobilized their defense industries to meet battlefield needs for artillery, tanks, air defense systems, and ammunition. Germany offered the fast and lethal Leopard tanks to Ukraine in January, followed by US Abrams tanks that have a record of shattering Soviet-era armor.

☆ The one crucial industry where China is crushing America in the Tech Cold War
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Linette Lopez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

As of now, CATL has 13 factories worldwide that supply batteries for Tesla, Toyota, and Daimler. And thanks to its ownership of its battery supply chain, it's able to make cars cheaply. Stevenson-Yang sees parts of China's battery supply chain as the next glut it will need to dump. But the potential of a battery supply glut tomorrow doesn't help carmakers meet their needs today. "But if we're looking at evolutionary improvements, China Battery Inc. will still dominate.

☆ Russia's economic war against with the West is entering a dangerous new stage, scholar says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Filip De Mott | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia's economic war against with the West is entering a dangerous new stage, Alexandra Prokopenko wrote. "Russia's economic confrontation with the west following the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine is entering a dangerous new stage," she warned. After Moscow suffered court defeats that kept Russian assets frozen in Europe, the Kremlin has since established a legal framework to temporarily nationalize foreign assets in Russia, Prokopenko added. "So far, neither Russia nor Europe has a comprehensive strategy on how to deal with the stranded assets," she said. The appetite of Putin's cronies to seize western assets in Russia will only add insult to injury."

☆ Rich world has three ways to win over global South
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Hugo Dixon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Another reason to care about developing countries is that their actions will help determine whether the planet fries. Even rich democracies in temperate regions will feel the consequences, mainly in the form of mass migration unlike anything they have yet experienced. THREE P’SThe rich democracies’ goal should not be to pull the global South into their camp in advance of a possible clash with China. When it comes to promoting prosperity, rich democracies are similarly vulnerable to accusations of double standards. As one developing world observer told former U.S. Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers: “When we’re engaged with the Chinese, we get an airport.

☆ Victory Day analysis: Putin tried to project strength, but Moscow parade revealed only his isolation
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Nathan Hodge | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —For Russian President Vladimir Putin, this year’s Victory Day parade in Red Square was a chance to continue his war on history. It has become a pawn to their cruel and selfish plans.”Despite the pomp of the parade, Putin cuts an increasingly isolated figure. In Russia, Putin and his regime have destroyed these values. A lone Soviet-era T-34 tank leads the procession in Moscow in contrast to the large array of military hardware on display on previous Victory Day parades. “Victory Day is the victory of our grandfathers,” he said.

☆ Japan changes aid rules; to fund defence projects of friendly nations
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, April 5 (Reuters) - Japan on Wednesday said it plans to offer friendly nations financial assistance to help them bolster their defences, marking Tokyo's first unambiguous departure from rules that forbid using international aid for military purposes. Japan's Overseas Security Assistance (OSA) will be operated separately from the Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) programme that for decades has funded roads, dams and other civilian infrastructure projects, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said at a regular news conference. The Philippines and Bangladesh are likely to be included as the first recipients of the aid, a government source involved in talks said to Reuters. In principle, only developing countries will be eligible to receive the aid given it will be provided as grants, according to the foreign ministry. Reporting by Tim Kelly, Yukiko Toyoda, Sakura Murakami, and Chang-Ran Kim; Editing by Tom Hogue, Christian Schmollinger and Raju GopalakrishnanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ To Counter China, U.S. and Allies Seek to Make Militaries ‘Interchangeable’
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-12 | by ( Mike Cherney | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A U.S. Marine and an Australian soldier taking part in an exercise in Townsville, Australia. When the top general for the U.S. Air Force in the Pacific traveled overseas recently to meet with U.S. allies, responsibility for 46,000 personnel across the region fell to an unusual second-in-command: an air vice-marshal from the Australian air force. The Australian officer was appointed recently to be one of two deputy commanders for the U.S. Air Force in the region at its base in Hawaii. Although it isn’t unusual for people from friendly nations to embed in the U.S. military, it is the first time an allied officer has held such a top operational role in the U.S. Air Force’s Pacific command.

☆ Taiwan is bolstering military exchanges with U.S., President Tsai says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Sarah Wu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen meets U.S. Representative Ro Khanna (D-CA), a member of the U.S. House China Select Committee, and other members of the U.S. delegation at the presidential office in Taipei, Taiwan, in this handout photo released February 21, 2023. TAIPEI, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Taiwan is bolstering its military ties with the United States and will cooperate even more closely with it and other friendly nations to deal with "authoritarian expansionism", President Tsai Ing-wen told visiting U.S. lawmakers on Tuesday. While the United States no longer maintains military bases in Taiwan, the two have a good military relationship that has become closer as China steps up pressure to try and force Taiwan to accept Chinese sovereignty. "Taiwan and the United States continue to bolster military exchanges, and going forward Taiwan will cooperate even more actively with the United States and other democratic partners to confront such global challenges as authoritarian expansionism and climate change," Tsai told the lawmakers at her office in Taipei. In August, China staged military exercises near Taiwan to express anger at then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taipei.

☆ WTO Rules Against U.S. Tariffs on Imported Steel, Aluminum
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Yuka Hayashi | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

U.S. tariffs on imported steel and aluminum were imposed during the administration of former President Donald Trump. WASHINGTON—The World Trade Organization said Friday its dispute-settlement panels found the U.S. violated international trade rules with its tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, in a case that pit Washington against China as well as several friendly nations. The ruling covers the import duties that former President Donald Trump imposed in 2018 on national security grounds, citing the need to protect domestic manufacturers from global overproduction of the metals.

☆ Russia sees drop in cross-border payments using dollars, euros
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Cars are parked in front of Russia's Central Bank headquarters in Moscow, Russia March 29, 2021. Russia is seeking to reduce transactions with what it terms "toxic" currencies - those of countries that have imposed sanctions on Russia, in particular the dollar and euro. Use of China's yuan by Russian companies increased dramatically since Feb. 24, when Russia sent thousands of troops into Ukraine. Russians have bought 139.6 billion roubles ($2.28 billion)worth of Chinese yuan so far this year, the central bank estimated. "The challenge for Russian banks is the limited scope of opportunities in interest-bearing yuan investments," it said.

☆ Explainer: Why the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act has Europe up in arms
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Leigh Thomas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

While EU countries welcome the new commitment to energy transition, they fear the $430 billion Inflation Reduction Act will put their companies at an unfair disadvantage. EU countries are worried their companies will suffer because of U.S. tax breaks for components used in renewable energy technologies like electric cars on condition they are made in North America. EU countries consider that 200 billion euros ($207 billion) out of the total is tied to locally produced content provisions that potentially violate World Trade Organization (WTO) rules. However, a riposte from Europe would likely face resistance from more traditionally free trade friendly nations such as the Netherlands and Sweden. France has led calls for Europe to respond with state support of its own for European companies, including through a "buy European act" and large-scale subsidies.

☆ Australia to become 'more assertive' on foreign investment in critical minerals
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Australia, a major supplier of minerals key to the energy transition like rare earths, has more to gain by encouraging investment from allies to build up its minerals processing industry, Chalmers said at a conference in Sydney. "Foreign investment is a good thing when it’s in our national interest," Chalmers said. "But as investment interest grows, and as the sources of that investment interest grow, we’ll need to be more assertive about encouraging investment that clearly aligns with our national interest in the longer term." The Labor government which took power in May is buttressing Australia's policy to build out a critical minerals processing supply chain. Australia is revising its critical minerals strategy and has been positioning itself as a green superpower, backed by its mineral endowments.

☆ Some of Russia's closest allies abstained at the UN rather than support its claim to have annexed parts of Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

UN members voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to condemn Russia's annexation of Ukrainian regions. 143 nations voted in support, agreeing to condemn Russia's annexation, while 35 abstained. Experts say Russia's invasion of Ukraine has pushed them further from Russia. Russia tried to make Wednesday's vote a secret ballot, which would have obscured which nations voted with Russia. It did so after conducting referendums in the four regions — Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia — which Ukraine and Western nations dismissed as a sham.

☆ Ukraine's troops have been highly effective with the M777 howitzer, but US troops can turn it into a 'giant sniper rifle'
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-18 | by ( Alex Hollings | Sandboxx News | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

US troops also have a new targeting system that makes the M777 even more precise. LCpl Samantha L. Jones/USMCIn 1979, the M198 155mm medium-towed howitzer entered service for the United States. While it would take two C-130s to deliver an M198 artillery system to the battlefield, the entire M777 setup could arrive in just one. That's more than all of the 155mm artillery rounds fired by the entire US military in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. US soldiers with the Joint Effects Targeting System Target Laser Designation System at Fort Greely in Alaska.

☆ 26 May - Independence Day of Georgia
▼ + stars: | 2021-05-26 | by ( ) www.ipn.md time to read: +6 min

26 May - Independence Day of Georgia2021 marks 103 years of the Democratic Republic of Georgia as well as 30th anniversary of the restoration of independence from the Soviet Union. The new chapter of Georgian history is directly linked to May 26, 1918, when Georgia gained freedom from the Russian Empire and established the First Democratic Republic of Georgia. On 26 May 1918, Georgia’s independence was declared by the First Meeting of the National Council of Georgia. Despite the short period of its existence (1918-1921), the Democratic Republic of Georgia had a significant impact on the development of the Georgian statehood in a long run. Since the start of the Russia’s invasion and occupation of Georgia, international community has witnessed unprecedented ethnic cleansing of Georgians and continues violation of human right.

Organizations: Democratic, First Democratic, National Council of, Georgian, Independence, Independent Georgia, Russian Federation, State, EU, NATO Locations: Georgia, Democratic Republic of Georgia, Soviet Union, Russian, First Democratic Republic of Georgia, National Council of Georgia, Russia, Abkhazia, Tskhinvali, Moldova, Republic of Moldova

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