Chinese manufacturers in fighting spirits despite scrapped US orders
On a sweltering spring day, workers at a Christmas tree factory in eastern China rhythmically assembled piles of branches, wiping away sweat as they daubed white-paint snow onto plastic pine needles. Like countless other companies in the manufacturing powerhouse of Zhejiang province, its products are geared largely towards export — a sector freshly menaced by […]
Asset flight challenges US safe haven status
The US has long been considered a financial safe haven. The sell-off of the dollar, stocks and Treasury bonds in a spree sparked by panic at President Donald Trump’s trade war is starting to raise questions about if that’s still true. – What happened this week to US assets? – US equities and the greenback […]
US exempts tech imports in tariff step back
The Trump administration has exempted a raft of consumer electronics from its punishing import tariffs — offering relief to US tech firms and partially dialling down a trade war with China. A notice late Friday by the US Customs and Border Protection office said smartphones, laptops, memory chips and other products would be excluded from […]
Indonesia palm oil firms eye new markets as US trade war casts shadow
Indonesian palm oil companies are seeking new markets in Europe, Africa and the Middle East as they try to protect themselves from the impact of Donald Trump’s trade war, a top industry executive told AFP. Indonesia is the world’s biggest producer of the edible oil — used in making foods such as cakes, chocolate, and […]
China calls on US to ‘completely cancel’ reciprocal tariffs
China on Sunday called on the United States to “completely cancel” its reciprocal tariffs after Washington announced exemptions for consumer electronics and key chipmaking equipment. “We urge the US to… take a big step to correct its mistakes, completely cancel the wrong practice of ‘reciprocal tariffs’ and return to the right path of mutual respect,” […]
US unveils fresh export curbs targeting China’s chip sector
The United States announced new export restrictions Monday taking aim at China’s ability to make advanced semiconductors — used in weapon systems and artificial intelligence — as competition deepens between the world’s two biggest economies. “The United States has taken significant steps to protect our technology from being used by our adversaries in ways that […]
US cites new Russian tactics for decision to supply landmines to Ukraine
The US decision to send anti-personnel landmines to Ukraine — in a major policy shift — was triggered by a change in Russian battlefield tactics favoring infantry over mechanized units, US Defense Secretary Loyd Austin said Wednesday. “They don’t lead with their mechanized forces anymore,” Austin told reporters while on a visit to Laos. “They […]
Medics wait for US FDA decision on FMT treatment
Peggy Lillis Foundation (PLF) has being helping to spread awareness regarding Clostridioides difficile, or ‘C. diff’. In the U.S. there is, currently, a pending decision that could impact the care of patients with C. diff and limit the options they have to prevent recurrent infections. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has until the […]
US unveils national security memorandum on AI
The United States unveiled Thursday a framework to address national security risks posed by artificial intelligence, a year after President Joe Biden issued an executive order on regulating the technology. The National Security Memorandum (NSM) seeks to thread the needle between harnessing the technology to counter the military use of AI by adversaries such as […]
TikTok, Facebook approve ads with US election disinformation, study says
TikTok and Facebook approved advertisements containing blatant US election falsehoods just weeks ahead of the vote, a watchdog investigation revealed Thursday, calling into question the tech platforms’ policies to detect harmful disinformation. The advocacy group Global Witness submitted eight ads containing false election claims to the Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok, the Meta-owned Facebook, and Google-owned YouTube […]
