Kamis, 16 Desember 2021

US accuses China of developing ‘brain control weaponry’ - Financial Times

The US has put China’s Academy of Military Medical Sciences and 11 affiliated biotechnology research institutes on an export blacklist for allegedly helping the Chinese military to develop “brain-control” weapons.

The US commerce department on Thursday put the research institutes on the “entity list”, which bars US companies from exporting technology that originated in America to the Chinese institutions.

“China is choosing to use these technologies to pursue control over its people and its repression of members of ethnic and religious minority groups,” said Gina Raimondo, US commerce secretary.

A senior US official said China was using emerging biotechnologies to try to develop future military applications that included “gene editing, human performance enhancement [and] brain machine interfaces”.

Michael Orlando, head of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC), recently said the US was warning companies about Chinese efforts to obtain American technology in five key sectors, including biotechnology.

Separately on Thursday, Treasury put DJI, the world’s largest commercial drone manufacturer, and seven other groups on the “Chinese military-industrial complex companies” list for alleged involvement in facilitating the surveillance of Uyghurs in Xinjiang.

US investors are banned from investing in any of the five dozen Chinese groups that are now on the Treasury blacklist.

The targets include Megvii and CloudWalk Technology, two facial recognition software companies, and Dawning Information Industry, a supercomputer manufacturer that operates cloud computing services in Xinjiang.

The others are Xiamen Meiya Pico, a cyber security group that works with law enforcement, Yitu Technology, an AI company, Leon Technology, a cloud computing company, and NetPosa Technologies, a producer of cloud-based surveillance systems.

“Today’s action highlights how private firms in China’s defence and surveillance technology sectors are actively co-operating with the government’s efforts to repress members of ethnic and religious minority groups,” said Brian Nelson, a top Treasury official.

The moves follow the blacklisting last week of SenseTime, a cutting-edge AI company that focuses on facial recognition software.

DJI’s investors include Accel and Kleiner Perkins, two big US venture capital firms. Accel invested $75m in DJI in 2015 and helped set up a $10m fund with backing from DJI to invest in drone technologies.

Kleiner Perkins has sold some of its stake in DJI and plans to comply with the requirement, said one person briefed on the matter. Kleiner did not comment, and Accel did not respond to requests for comment.

GGV Capital, a venture firm with offices in the US and China that has invested in Megvii, said it was, and would remain, in “full compliance with relevant rules and regulations”.

Sensetime’s US investors include Glade Brook Capital Partners, Qualcomm Ventures, Silver Lake and Tiger Global Management. The firms either declined to comment or did not respond to requests for comment.

The dual commerce and Treasury actions are the latest effort by the Biden administration to make it harder for the Chinese military to develop technology that could harm US national security and punish Beijing for its persecution of Uyghurs in Xinjiang.

The Biden administration has accused China of engaging in “genocide” in the northwestern region where more than 1m Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities have been detained in camps and used as forced labour. The White House has announced a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games in response to the situation.

The Senate on Thursday passed legislation that bars US companies from importing goods from the region unless they can prove that no forced labour was used. The White House supports the bill, which has already passed the House of Representatives.

The US official said Chinese authorities were using biometric facial recognition for mass surveillance in Xinjiang and had collected DNA samples from all Xinjiang residents from age 12 to 65.

In addition to the Chinese research institutes, the commerce department placed another 22 Chinese groups on the entity list. Some were targeted because of their role in developing submarine communications cables, which are a focus for China.

Follow Demetri Sevastopulo on Twitter

Adblock test (Why?)


https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiP2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmZ0LmNvbS9jb250ZW50L2Y5NjM3ODI1LTBlOWItNDVkNy1hNDlhLTFlYjUwN2Q0MWU2ONIBAA?oc=5

2021-12-16 19:04:42Z
1197533283

France hardens travel curbs with Britain over Omicron concerns - Reuters

Adblock test (Why?)


https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMie2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnJldXRlcnMuY29tL3dvcmxkL2V1cm9wZS9mcmFuY2Utc2Vlcy1udW1iZXItY292aWQtMTktcGF0aWVudHMtaWN1LWFyb3VuZC00MDAwLWJ5LWNocmlzdG1hcy1ob2xpZGF5cy0yMDIxLTEyLTE1L9IBAA?oc=5

2021-12-16 13:01:00Z
1197815659

France ratchets up travel curbs with Britain over Omicron concerns - Reuters

PARIS, Dec 16 (Reuters) - France announced on Thursday that because of surging COVID-19 cases in Britain only designated categories of people would be allowed to travel between the two countries, and anyone arriving from Britain would have to self-isolate.

Truck drivers will though be exempt from the new rules, the French government said, easing British concerns the restrictions could cause supply chain disruptions.

France said it was acting now because the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus, which scientists say appears to be highly infectious, is spreading rapidly in Britain.

Register now for FREE unlimited access to reuters.com

"Our goal is to limit as much as possible the spread of Omicron across our territory," French government spokesman Gabriel Attal said on BFMTV television station.

"Tourism and business travel for people who are not French nationals or Europeans, people who are not French residents, will be limited," he said.

He said there were currently 240 confirmed Omicron cases in France, far fewer than in Britain.

The new restrictions announced by Paris mean that the only people allowed to travel from France to Britain are British nationals returning home, people attending a funeral of a close relative, people traveling for medical reasons, people carrying out essential work, and some other exceptional cases.

Under the new rules, people are only allowed to travel from Britain to France if they are a French citizen, or a foreigner permanently resident in France, are carrying out essential work, or are in transit for less than 24 hours.

SELF-ISOLATION

Before entering France, travelers will need a negative PCR or antigen test not older than 24 hours. Previously the test could be taken 48 hours before entry.

Once travelers arrive in France, they will have to self-isolate for seven days, though isolation will be lifted after 48 hours if a test conducted in France is negative. That restriction until now applied only to non-vaccinated travelers from Britain.

According to a document published by the French government, the new rules take effect after midnight on Friday night.

A representative for the French transport ministry said truck drivers were among the categories still allowed to travel, and the new testing and self-isolation requirements would not apply to them.

On Thursday morning, a Reuters photographer spotted several miles of trucks queuing up on the main road into the British port of Dover, the busiest departure point for maritime journeys to France. It was not clear what was causing the tail-backs. read more

The latest figures released on Wednesday showed new COVID-19 infections in the United Kingdom reached the highest daily level since the early 2020 start of the pandemic, with more than 78,000 reported. read more

France on Wednesday reported 65,713 new coronavirus infections over 24 hours, bringing total cases since the start of the epidemic to 8.4 million. Total deaths in France since the start of the epidemic reached 120,983.

Register now for FREE unlimited access to reuters.com

Additional reporting by Guy Faulconbridge, Kylie MacLellan and Henry Nicholls, Editing by William Maclean

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Adblock test (Why?)


https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMie2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnJldXRlcnMuY29tL3dvcmxkL2V1cm9wZS9mcmFuY2Utc2Vlcy1udW1iZXItY292aWQtMTktcGF0aWVudHMtaWN1LWFyb3VuZC00MDAwLWJ5LWNocmlzdG1hcy1ob2xpZGF5cy0yMDIxLTEyLTE1L9IBAA?oc=5

2021-12-16 11:40:00Z
1197815659

Rabu, 15 Desember 2021

Germany: Police launch raids after 'threats to kill officials over COVID measures' - Sky News

[unable to retrieve full-text content]

  1. Germany: Police launch raids after 'threats to kill officials over COVID measures'  Sky News
  2. German police raids target ‘anti-vaxxer murder plot’ against state leader  The Guardian
  3. German police probe 'plot by anti-vaxxers to murder governor'  Bradford Telegraph and Argus
  4. German police conduct raids over alleged COVID death threats  The Independent
  5. Germany's vaccination push struggles with shortages and violence  The Irish Times
  6. View Full coverage on Google News

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMidmh0dHBzOi8vbmV3cy5za3kuY29tL3N0b3J5L3BvbGljZS1sYXVuY2gtcmFpZHMtYWZ0ZXItdGhyZWF0cy10by1raWxsLW9mZmljaWFscy1vdmVyLWNvdmlkLW1lYXN1cmVzLWluLWdlcm1hbnktMTI0OTYzMDTSAXpodHRwczovL25ld3Muc2t5LmNvbS9zdG9yeS9hbXAvcG9saWNlLWxhdW5jaC1yYWlkcy1hZnRlci10aHJlYXRzLXRvLWtpbGwtb2ZmaWNpYWxzLW92ZXItY292aWQtbWVhc3VyZXMtaW4tZ2VybWFueS0xMjQ5NjMwNA?oc=5

2021-12-15 11:46:36Z
1208849020

Omicron spreading at unprecedented rate, WHO says - BBC News - BBC News

Adblock test (Why?)


https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiK2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnlvdXR1YmUuY29tL3dhdGNoP3Y9WVN5a0hDRW5vemPSAQA?oc=5

2021-12-15 13:00:16Z
1191888452

Dozens left trapped on roof of Hong Kong's World Trade Centre as fire breaks out - Sky News

About 150 people were left trapped on the roof of Hong Kong's World Trade Centre after a major fire broke out.

The blaze started to rip through the 39-storey skyscraper, which houses both offices and a mall in the commercial and shopping district of Causeway Bay, early on Wednesday afternoon.

A firefighter rescues people trapped in a fire that broke out at the World Trade Centre in Hong Kong, China, December 15, 2021. REUTERS/Lam Yik
Image: A firefighter rescues people trapped in a fire that broke out at the World Trade Centre in Hong Kong
Rescue workers evacuate people from the site after a fire broke out at the World Trade centre in Hong Kong, China, December 15, 2021. REUTERS/Lam Yik
Image: Rescue workers evacuate people from the site

Authorities said the fire was brought under control by 3.06pm (7.06am GMT).

In an update at 3.39pm local time, they said twelve people had been sent to hospital for treatment.

Hong Kong's government said firefighters battled the fire with two water jets and had deployed breathing apparatus.

Firefighters also used an extendable ladder to rescue several people who were trapped on the lower floors of the building.

Local media reported that the fire broke out in a utility room on a lower level of the shopping mall at noon before spreading to bamboo scaffolding surrounding the block.

More on Hong Kong

A firefighter rescues a victim trapped in a fire that broke out at the World Trade centre in Hong Kong, China, December 15, 2021. REUTERS/Lam Yik
Image: A firefighter rescues a victim trapped in the building
Firefighters operate an extendable ladder to rescue people trapped in a fire that broke out at the World Trade Centre in Hong Kong, China, December 15, 2021. REUTERS/Lam Yik
Image: Firefighters operate an extendable ladder to rescue people trapped

The cause of the fire was not immediately clear.

During the incident, the blaze was upgraded to level three on a scale of one to five.

The emergency services cordoned off the area and halted traffic on some major roads next to the building.

Adblock test (Why?)


https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiZmh0dHBzOi8vbmV3cy5za3kuY29tL3N0b3J5L2RvemVucy10cmFwcGVkLWFzLWZpcmUtYnJlYWtzLW91dC1hdC1ob25nLWtvbmdzLXdvcmxkLXRyYWRlLWNlbnRyZS0xMjQ5NjEyM9IBamh0dHBzOi8vbmV3cy5za3kuY29tL3N0b3J5L2FtcC9kb3plbnMtdHJhcHBlZC1hcy1maXJlLWJyZWFrcy1vdXQtYXQtaG9uZy1rb25ncy13b3JsZC10cmFkZS1jZW50cmUtMTI0OTYxMjM?oc=5

2021-12-15 09:11:15Z
1216795328

Selasa, 14 Desember 2021

Belarus: Opposition leader Tikhanovsky jailed for 18 years over protests - BBC News

Sergei Tikhanovsky
Getty Images

A Belarusian opposition leader who rallied mass protests against disputed leader Alexander Lukashenko has been jailed for 18 years.

Sergei Tikhanovsky was convicted of organising riots among other charges following a trial condemned as a sham.

He planned to challenge Mr Lukashenko in the 2020 presidential election, but was detained before the vote.

His wife, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, took on Mr Lukashenko, who claimed victory in the widely discredited poll.

She claimed victory herself in the August election but, fearing for her safety, was forced into exile with her children the next day.

On Tuesday, Ms Tikhanovskaya questioned the validity of the court that tried her husband and told the BBC his sentence amounted to "personal revenge" by Mr Lukashenko.

This video can not be played

To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.

"While hiding the political prisoners in closed trials, he hopes to continue repressions in silence. But the whole world watches. We won't stop," Ms Tikhanovskaya wrote in a tweet.

Ahead of the verdict, she said she would keep "defending the person I love" in a Twitter video, which showed children's drawings in the background.

The 39-year-old is a former teacher who was a stay-at-home mother until she entered the political fray in Belarus and became a pro-democracy icon. She now lives in exile in Lithuania.

Belarusian state news agency Belta said the verdict was delivered at a court in the south-eastern city of Gomel on Tuesday.

A popular YouTube blogger, Tikhanovsky, 43, was convicted of organising mass unrest, inciting hatred and other charges following a months-long trial behind closed doors.

State newspaper Sovetskaya Belarus said five other opposition figures tried alongside Tikhanovsky were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 14 to 16 years. Among them was veteran opposition politician Mikola Statkevich, who was sentenced to 14 years in prison.

Opposition crushed

They are the latest opposition figures to be jailed in Belarus following a brutal crackdown on dissenting voices who challenged Alexander Lukashenko's election win.

All of his prominent opponents have either been jailed or forced to flee the country.

Mr Lukashenko has ruled Belarus since 1994 but his re-election as president last year was deemed illegitimate and not recognised by Western countries.

He defied months of protests last year as opposition politicians and activists were arrested and held in prison, where some were allegedly beaten and tortured.

Tikhanovsky is now one of hundreds of political prisoners thought to be held in Belarusian jails. Among them is protest organiser Maria Kolesnikova, who was found guilty of crimes including plotting to seize power and jailed for 11 years in September.

Another opposition leader and former banker, Viktor Babaryko, was sentenced to 14 years in prison on fraud charges in July.

In an interview in Minsk last month, the BBC's Moscow correspondent Steve Rosenberg asked Mr Lukashenko how many political prisoners were jailed in Belarus.

"We have no political crimes in law," Mr Lukashenko said. "We have no crimes that we've prosecuted under. These are people who have broken Belarusian law."

Without providing evidence, he suggested Ms Kolesnikova was an "agent" of the West and said she had been jailed because she "broke the law".

The crackdown severely strained relations between Belarus and the EU, which has imposed tough sanctions the country. The EU has since accused Belarus of orchestrating a migrant crisis on its eastern borders in revenge for sanctions.

This video can not be played

To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.

Adblock test (Why?)


https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiMGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jby51ay9uZXdzL3dvcmxkLWV1cm9wZS01OTY1MDIzONIBAA?oc=5

2021-12-14 14:14:06Z
1204652749