Foreign threats loom ahead of US presidential elections

New York: As the November 3 presidential vote nears, there are fresh signs that the nation’s electoral system is again under attack from foreign adversaries.

Intelligence officials confirmed in recent days that foreign actors are actively seeking to compromise the private communications of “US political campaigns, candidates and other political targets” while working to compromise the nation’s election infrastructure.

Foreign entities are also aggressively spreading disinformation intended to sow voter confusion heading into the fall.

Read More ... Foreign threats loom ahead of US presidential elections

Banning TikTok takes a big tool away from Chinese surveillance work, says top US official

Banning TikTok takes a big tool away from Chinese surveillance work, says top US official

Banning mobile applications such as TikTok by countries like India takes a big tool away from the surveillance work of China, a top White House official said on Tuesday.

The Trump administration is “very seriously taking a look” at TikTok, WeChat and some other apps coming out of China, US National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien told Fox News Radio in an interview.

“India has already banned those apps, as you know. And if they lose India and the United States, they lose some western European countries, that takes a big tool away from the espionage work or the surveillance work of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party),” he said in response to a question on the dangers posed by apps like TikTok.

“The kids who are using TikTok — and it can be a lot of fun — but there are a lot of other social media platforms they could use. TikTok is getting facial recognition on you,” O’Brien said.

“They are getting all of your personal, private data, your most intimate data. They are getting to know who your friends are, who your parents are. They can map all your relationships,” he added.

All the information is going straight to massive super computers in the cloud in China, O’Brien said, adding, “So China is going to know everything about you. They are going to have biometrics on you. You ought to be very careful regarding who you give such personal information to.”

The Trump administration, he said, is looking not just at TikTok but at WeChat and some other Chinese apps as well, because the Chinese are veracious consumers of America’s personal data.

“They will either try and get you to give it to them for free through WeChat or TikTok — if they cannot get it that way, they will steal it,” O’Brien said.

China, he said, has hacked into Marriott and stolen the personal data of hundreds of millions of people, including their passport numbers.

“They have hacked into Experian and other credit rating agencies to get most intimate credit details. They have hacked into Anthem healthcare so that they can get medical details.

“So this is not just an advertiser trying to find out what you are interested in searching for on Google so they can sell you a different brand of car, this is a country that is looking to get every bit of personal, private information they can, so they know everything about you,” O’Brien said.

“There are social credit scores in China. They give people scores based on how compliant they are with Communist Party dictates. They are going to be able to put social credit scores together on all Americans and everyone in the world soon because of artificial intelligence and super computing.

“We need to make sure that does not happen,” the US National Security Advisor said.

US remains India’s top trading partner in 2019-20

US remains India’s top trading partner in 2019-20

New Delhi: The US remained India’s top trading partner for the second consecutive fiscal in 2019-20, which shows increasing economic ties between the two countries.

According to the data of the commerce ministry, in 2019-20, the bilateral trade between the US and India stood at USD 88.75 billion as against USD 87.96 billion in 2018-19.

The US is one of the few countries with which India has a trade surplus. The trade gap between the countries has increased to USD 17.42 billion in 2019-20 from USD 16.86 billion in 2018-19, the data showed.

In 2018-19, the US first surpassed China to become India’s top trading partner.

The bilateral trade between India and China has dipped to USD 81.87 billion in 2019-20 from USD 87.08 billion in 2018-19. The trade deficit between the two neighbours has declined to USD 48.66 billion in 2019-20 from USD 53.57 billion in the previous fiscal.

The data also showed that China was India’s top trading partner since 2013-14 till 2017-18. Before China, UAE was the country’s largest trading nation.

India is also considering certain steps like framing technical regulations and quality control orders for the host of items with a view to cut import dependence on China and boost domestic manufacturing.

Trade experts believe that the trend of widening trade ties between New Delhi and Washington will continue in the coming years also as both the sides are engaged in further deepening the economic ties.

Presence of Indian diaspora in the US is one of the main reasons for increasing bilateral trade, Biswajit Dhar, professor of economics at Jawaharlal Nehru University, said.

“Presence of Indian diaspora is creating demand for Indian goods such as consumer items and we are supplying that. A balanced trade deal will further boost the economic ties,” Dhar said.

India and the US are negotiating a limited trade pact with a view to iron out differences at trade front and boost commercial ties.

Professor at Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) Rakesh Mohan Joshi said that although the trade pact will be mutually beneficial for both the countries, India should be a bit cautious while negotiating the pact with the US in areas such as agriculture, dairy and issues related intellectual property rights.

Ludhiana-based Hand Tools Association President Subhash Chander Ralhan said there is huge potential to boost bilateral trade between the countries on account of increasing anti-China sentiment in both the nations.

“Because of the anti-China sentiment, several US companies are exploring news suppliers in countries like India to cut dependence on China and if it will happen, then it will greatly help India to boost exports to the US,” Ralhan said.

India is seeking relaxation in US visa regime, exemption from high duties imposed by the US on certain steel and aluminium products, and greater market access for its products from sectors such as agriculture, automobile, automobile components and engineering.

On the other hand, the US wants greater market access for its farm and manufacturing products, dairy items, medical devices, and data localisation, apart from a cut on import duties on some information and communication technology products.

Indian-American to be acting head of US agriculture research organisation

Indian-American to be acting head of US agriculture research organisation

Washington DC: Prominent Indian-American scientist Dr Parag Chitnis has been appointed as the Acting Director of the prestigious National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), which drives all federally funded agricultural research in the US.

Chitnis was named Associate Director for Programmes earlier this year and leads implementation of NIFA’s approximately $1.7 billion research projects.

“Dr Chitnis brings more than 31 years of scientific research and experience to the Director’s office,” US Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said while announcing the name of Chitnis as NIFA’s Acting Director.

Chitnis replaces Dr Scott Angle who accepted a position as Vice President of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Florida in Gainesville.

“He (Chitnis) has been instrumental in providing steady leadership and support to NIFA during its transition to Kansas City last fall, in addition to playing a lead role on NIFA’s Project CAF (Collaboratively Achieving Functional Excellence) initiative which aims to help NIFA maximize business operations to better serve its customers,” Perdue said.

Chitnis did his BSc in botany/plant breeding from the Konkan Agricultural University in Maharashtra and an MSc in genetics/biochemistry from New Delhi-based Indian Agricultural Research Institute. He did his PhD in biology from the University of California in Los Angeles.

US sanctions senior Chinese officials over repression of minorities in restive Xinjiang

US sanctions senior Chinese officials over repression of minorities in restive Xinjiang

Washington DC: The US has imposed sanctions and visa restrictions on three senior Chinese officials, including the regional boss of the ruling communist party, for alleged human rights abuses targeting Uyghurs, ethnic Kazakhs, and members of other minority groups in the restive Muslim-majority Xinjiang province.

China is accused of mass detentions, religious persecution and forced sterilisation of Uyghurs and others in the resource-rich northwestern province.

Authorities there are thought to have detained about a million people in re-education camps in recent years for “vocational training” to counter radicalism and separatism in Xinjiang.

The three senior officials named by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in a statement were: Chen Quanguo, the communist party secretary of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and a member of the powerful Politburo; Zhu Hailun, party secretary of the Xinjiang political and legal committee; and Wang Mingshan, party secretary of the Xinjiang public security bureau.

Chen is the highest-ranking Chinese official ever to be hit by US sanctions. He is said to be the architect of China’s harsh policies against minorities and was previously in charge of Tibet.

A former security official in Xinjiang, Huo Liujun has also been named in the list. As a result of the US move, they and their immediate family members are ineligible for entry into America. It is now a crime in the US to conduct financial transactions with all of them, and they will have their US-based assets frozen.

“The United States is taking action today against the horrific and systematic abuses in Xinjiang and calls on all nations who share our concerns about the CCP’s attacks on human rights and fundamental freedoms to join us in condemning this behaviour,” Pompeo said.

In a separate statement, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the US is committed to using the full breadth of its financial powers to hold human rights abusers accountable in Xinjiang and across the world.

“The United States will not stand idly by as the CCP carries out human rights abuses targeting Uyghurs, ethnic Kazakhs, and members of other minority groups in Xinjiang, to include forced labour, arbitrary mass detention, and forced population control, and attempts to erase their culture and Muslim faith,” Pompeo said.

Before ramping up the CCP’s campaign of repression in Xinjiang, Chen oversaw extensive abuses in Tibetan areas, using many of the same horrific practices and policies CCP officials currently employ in Xinjiang, the top American diplomat said.

In recent years, China has faced severe criticism from western countries over persistent reports of the mass detention of Uyghurs and other minorities in Xinjiang.

Tensions between the US and China are already high over the coronavirus pandemic and China’s decision to introduce a controversial national security law in Hong Kong that has faced significant criticism from the West.

Climate change turning clear mountain lakes green in US: Researchers

Climate change turning clear mountain lakes green in US: Researchers

Researchers claim that global warming is turning clear mountain lakes green in western US because of an increase in algae blooms.

Researchers at Colorado State University found that the concentration of algae in two remote mountain doubled in the past 70 years.

Scientists used a tool called a gravity corer to collect sediment cores without  damaging the lakebed. After which they examined algae concentrations in lakes in a mountain range about 100km from Denver.

It is said that the amounts of algae documented in the study would more typically be found in highly polluted areas.

Scientists claim that water and marine algae blooms have a huge negative economic impact,  affecting fisheries, tourism and human well being.

China defends WHO, lashes out at US move to withdraw

China defends WHO, lashes out at US move to withdraw

Beijing: China on Wednesday, July 8 defended the World Health Organization and lashed out at the US decision to withdraw from the UN body.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said that the move was “another demonstration of the US pursuing unilateralism, withdrawing from groups and breaking contracts.”

WHO is “the most authoritative and professional international institution in the field of global public health security,” Zhao said at a daily briefing.

The US departure from the organization “undermines the international anti-epidemic efforts, and in particular has a serious negative impact on developing countries in urgent need of international support,” Zhao said.

US announces new visa restrictions on China over access to Tibet

US announces new visa restrictions on China over access to Tibet

Washington: The US has announced new visa bans on senior Chinese officials involved in restricting access to foreigners to the sensitive region of Tibet and reaffirmed its support for “meaningful autonomy” for Tibetans, opening another point of friction amid tense relations between Washington and Beijing.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he was taking action against an unspecified number of Chinese officials, including from the ruling Communist Party, under a US law that calls on China to let Americans visit Tibet.

“Today I announced visa restrictions on PRC (Peoples Republic of China) officials involved in restricting foreigners’ access to Tibet. We will continue to seek reciprocity in our relationship,” Pompeo tweeted on Tuesday.

Beijing has continued systematically to obstruct travel to the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) and other Tibetan areas by US diplomats and other officials, journalists, and tourists, while Chinese officials and other citizens enjoy far greater access to the United States, he said in a statement.

As such, Pompeo said he is announcing visa restrictions on Chinese government and Chinese Communist Party officials determined to be “substantially involved in the formulation or execution of policies related to access for foreigners to Tibetan areas,” pursuant to the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act of 2018.

The Act was signed into law by President Donald Trump in December 2018. It calls for denying access to the US for Chinese officials known to be involved in restricting visits to Tibet.

Access to Tibetan areas is increasingly vital to regional stability, given the Chinese human rights abuses there, as well as Beijing’s failure to prevent environmental degradation near the headwaters of Asia’s major rivers, he said.

Pompeo said that the US will continue to work to advance the sustainable economic development, environmental conservation, and humanitarian conditions of Tibetan communities within China and abroad.

“We also remain committed to supporting meaningful autonomy for Tibetans, respect for their fundamental and unalienable human rights, and the preservation of their unique religious, cultural, and linguistic identity,” he said.

The Dalai Lama, Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader has been demanding meaningful autonomy for Tibetans. But China has viewed the India-based 85-year-old Dalai Lama as a “separatist.”

“In the spirit of true reciprocity, we will work closely with the US Congress to ensure US citizens have full access to all areas of the People’s Republic of China, including the TAR and other Tibetan areas,” Pompeo said.

The State Department funding for the Tibetan issues for the fiscal year 2021 beginning October 1 has been proposed to be USD17 million and USD1 million for the Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues, according to the budget papers which is now making its way through the Congressional approval process.

Relations between Washington and Beijing have spiralled downward since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, which Trump has blamed on China. The two countries have also sparred over China imposing a new national security law in Hong Kong last month.

Restrictions on American journalists by China and retaliatory actions by the US, and differences over Beijing’s treatment of its Uyghur Muslim population in the restive region of Xinjiang have also contributed to the worsening bilateral ties.

US notifies UN of withdrawal from World Health Organization

US notifies UN of withdrawal from World Health Organization

Washington: The Trump administration has formally notified the United Nations of its withdrawal from the World Health Organization, although the pullout won”t take effect until next year, meaning it could be rescinded under a new administration of if circumstances change.

The withdrawal notification, delivered on Monday, makes good on President Donald Trump”s vow in late May to terminate US participation in the WHO, which he has harshly criticized for its response to the coronavirus pandemic and accused of bowing to Chinese influence. The move was immediately assailed by health officials and critics of the administration.

The withdrawal notice was sent to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday and will take effect in a year, on July 6, 2021, the State Department and the United Nations said on Tuesday.

Guterres, in his capacity as depositary of the 1946 WHO constitution, “is in the process of verifying with the World Health Organization whether all the conditions for such withdrawal are met,” his spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, said.

Under the terms of the withdrawal, the US must meet its financial obligations to the WHO before it can be finalized. The US, which is the agency”s largest donor and provides it with more than USD 400 million per year, currently owes the WHO some USD 200 million in current and past dues.

In late May, less than two weeks after warning the WHO that it had 30 days to reform or lose US support, Trump announced his administration was leaving the organization due to what he said was its inadequate response to the initial outbreak of the coronavirus in China”s Wuhan province late last year.

The president said in a White House announcement that Chinese officials “ignored” their reporting obligations to the WHO and pressured the organization to mislead the public about an outbreak that has now killed more than 130,000 Americans.

“We have detailed the reforms that it must make and engaged with them directly, but they have refused to act,” Trump said at the time. “Because they have failed to make the requested and greatly needed reforms, we will be today terminating the relationship.”

The withdrawal notification was widely denounced as misguided, certain to undermine an important institution that is leading vaccine development efforts and drug trials to address the COVID-19 outbreak.

“The administration”s move to formally withdraw from WHO amid the greatest public health crisis that Americans and the world have faced in a century is short-sighted, unnecessary, and unequivocally dangerous,” said UN Foundation President Elizabeth Cousens.

“WHO is the only body capable of leading and coordinating the global response to COVID-19. Terminating the US relationship would undermine the global effort to beat this virus — putting all of us at risk.” The ONE Campaign, which supports international health projects, called it an “astounding action” that jeopardizes global health.

“Withdrawing from the World Health Organization amidst an unprecedented global pandemic is an astounding action that puts the safety of all Americans and the world at risk.

The US should use its influence to strengthen and reform the WHO, not abandon it at a time when the world needs it most,” ONE president Gayle Smith said.

US hints at banning TikTok, other Chinese apps

US hints at banning TikTok, other Chinese apps

Washington: Days after India banned 59 Chinese mobile apps over security concerns, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that Washington was looking at banning Chinese social media apps, including TikTok.

“We’re taking this very seriously,” Pompeo said in an interview to Fox News.

“With respect to Chinese apps on people’s cell phones, I can assure you the US will get this one right too… I don’t want to get out in front of the President (Donald Trump), but it’s something we’re looking at,” he said in the interview.

It maybe recalled that Pompeo had welcomed India’s move to ban Chinese mobile apps.

“We welcome India’s ban on certain mobile apps that serves as an appendage of the CCP’s (Chinese Communist Party) surveillance state. India’s clean app approach will boost India’s sovereignty. It will also boost India’s integrity and national security,” Pompeo had told reporters at a news conference.

Silicon Valley wants the US to follow India in banning Chinese app TikTok: expert

Silicon Valley wants the US to follow India in banning Chinese app TikTok: expert

Washington: Silicon Valley, the global IT hub, does not feel sorry for TikTok, which has been banned in India, and in fact wants the US to take a similar step against the popular Chinese app, according to a prominent Indian-American venture capitalist.

India on Monday banned 59 apps with Chinese links, including the hugely popular TikTok and UC Browser, for engaging in “activities which are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order”.

The ban came against the backdrop of the current stand-off between Indian and Chinese troops along the Line of Actual control in eastern Ladakh.

Former president of TiE Silicon Valley Venkatesh Shukla said TikTok is fast becoming one of the most influential social media platforms, joining the likes of Twitter, Facebook and Instagram in terms of audience size, demographic engagement and advertising dollars.

TiE is a non-profit organisation for entrepreneurial networking.

“Given this competition for advertising dollars, Silicon Valley does not feel sorry for TikTok,” said Shukla, the Indian-American venture capitalist. Advertising dollars refers to promotional expenditure against the expected revenue to be generated.

“In fact, the sentiment here seems to be that the US should follow suit and ban it (TikTok) in the US as well. After all, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are not allowed to operate in China, so why should TikTok be allowed here?” Shukla asked.

Cuban-American music video director and producer Robby Starbuck said the US should ban the Chinese video-sharing application.

“Ban all apps controlled by China. They’re a national security risk that we can’t afford to take,” Starbuck tweeted.

Business magazine Forbes said TikTok will be adversely hit by these new restrictions on its largest market.

“There was a storm of publicity last week, when TikTok was found by Apple AAPL to be secretly accessing users’ clipboards. TikTok claims that this was an inadvertent technical bug caused by an anti-spam filter, but the backlash was fast and furious,” Forbes wrote.

Last December, the US Army banned the use of TikTok by its soldiers. It called the app a security threat. The US navy has enforced similar restrictions.

In February, TikTok had agreed to pay USD 5.7 million to the US Federal Trade Commission to settle allegations that it illegally collected personal information from children under the age of 13, such as names, email addresses and their location.

Maker of Ben Jerry’s, Dove pulls off from Facebook, Twitter ads in US

Maker of Ben Jerry’s, Dove pulls off from Facebook, Twitter ads in US

San Francisco: The company behind Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, Dove soap, and a host of other consumer products said Friday it will stop advertising on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram in the US through at least the end of the year because of the amount of hate speech online.

Unilever said that the polarized atmosphere in the United States ahead of November’s presidential election placed responsibility on brands to act.

The company, which is based in the Netherlands and Britain, joins a raft of other companies halting advertising on online platforms. Facebook in particular has been the target of an escalating movement to siphon away advertising dollars in a bid to pressure the social media-giant to do more to prevent racist and violent content from being shared on its platform.

“We have decided that starting now through at least the end of the year, we will not run brand advertising in social media newsfeed platforms Facebook, Instagram and Twitter in the U.S.,” Unilever said. “Continuing to advertise on these platforms at this time would not add value to people and society.” Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment. On Thursday, Verizon joined others in the Facebook boycott.

Sarah Personette, vice president of global client solutions at Twitter, said the company’s “mission is to serve the public conversation and ensure Twitter is a place where people can make human connections, seek and receive authentic and credible information, and express themselves freely and safely.”