No business with Chinese tech giant Huawei says Trump

Washington, Aug 10: US President Donald Trump on Saturday said America will not do any business with Chinese tech giant Huawei.

The Trump administration believes that giving access to the state-controlled Huawei on 5G would risk America's national security. As such the US is not only denying Huawei access inside the country but also is asking other countries to follow suit.

"We're not going to do business with Huawei. We're not doing business with them. And I really made the decision," Trump told reporters at the White House.

"It's much simpler not to do any business with Huawei. So, we're not doing business with Huawei. That doesn't mean we won't agree to something if and when we make a trade deal, but we're not going to be doing business with Huawei," he added.

US Senator Marco Rubio welcomed the new interim rule, which bans the US government agencies from purchasing equipment from Huawei and other specified Chinese companies. This enters into effect on August 13.

The interim rule is pursuant to the Fiscal Year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act's prohibition against the federal government's procurement of telecommunications equipment, video surveillance equipment and services of five Chinese companies, including Huawei.

"We must be clear-eyed about the real and long-term risks posed by Huawei and other Chinese state-directed companies. Securing our nation's telecommunications and critical infrastructure from foreign adversaries is a critical priority for our country and the American people," Rubio said.

"Beyond fully and faithfully executing the laws passed by the Congress, the Executive Branch must work with Congress to do much more to defend America's national and economic security from the Chinese government and Communist Party's threats including keeping Huawei on the Entity List and not watering down enforcement through sweetheart licenses allowing the US tech sector to export to and build up Huawei," he added.

Senator Rick Scott said it was "good" to see that the administration took further steps to ban business transactions between the US and Huawei.

"Huawei is a national security threat and we must make sure they have no access to the US market," he said.

Congressman Bradley Byrne applauded Trump for getting tough on China.

"I will always work with President Trump to stand up for American workers and hold China accountable!" he said.

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Powerful solar storm hits earth; will it disrupt communication, power grids?

News Network

May 11,2024

Washington, May 11: The most powerful solar storm in more than two decades struck Earth on Friday, triggering spectacular celestial light shows from Tasmania to Britain -- and threatening possible disruptions to satellites and power grids as it persists into the weekend.

The first of several coronal mass ejections (CMEs) -- expulsions of plasma and magnetic fields from the Sun -- came just after 1600 GMT, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s Space Weather Prediction Center.

It was later upgraded to an "extreme" geomagnetic storm -- the first since the "Halloween Storms" of October 2003 caused blackouts in Sweden and damaged power infrastructure in South Africa. More CMEs are expected to pummel the planet in the coming days.

Social media lit up with people posting pictures of auroras from northern Europe and Australasia.

"We've just woken the kids to go watch the Northern Lights in the back garden! Clearly visible with the naked eye," Iain Mansfield in Hertford, England, told AFP.

That sense of wonder was shared in Australia's island state of Tasmania.

"Absolutely biblical skies in Tasmania at 4 am this morning. I'm leaving today and knew I could not pass up this opportunity," photographer Sean O' Riordan posted on social media platform X alongside a photo.

Authorities notified satellite operators, airlines, and the power grid to take precautionary steps for potential disruptions caused by changes to Earth's magnetic field.

Elon Musk, whose Starlink satellite internet operator has some 5,000 satellites in low Earth orbit, described the solar storm as the "biggest in a long time."

"Starlink satellites are under a lot of pressure, but holding up so far," Musk posted on his X platform.

Unlike solar flares, which travel at the speed of light and reach Earth in around eight minutes, CMEs travel at a more sedate pace, with officials putting the current average at 800 kilometers (500 miles) per second.

The CMEs emanated from a massive sunspot cluster that is 17 times wider than our planet. The Sun is approaching the peak of an 11-year cycle that brings heightened activity.

'Go outside tonight and look'

Mathew Owens, a professor of space physics at the University of Reading, told AFP that how far the effects would be felt over the planet's northern and southern latitudes would depend on the storm's final strength.

"Go outside tonight and look would be my advice because if you see the aurora, it's quite a spectacular thing," he said. People with eclipse glasses can also look for the sunspot cluster during the day.

In the United States, this could include places such as Northern California and Alabama, officials said.

NOAA's Brent Gordon encouraged the public to try to capture the night sky with phone cameras even if they couldn't see auroras with their naked eyes.

"Just go out your back door and take a picture with the newer cell phones and you'd be amazed at what you see in that picture versus what you see with your eyes."

Spacecraft and pigeons

Fluctuating magnetic fields associated with geomagnetic storms induce currents in long wires, including power lines, which can potentially lead to blackouts. Long pipelines can also become electrified, leading to engineering problems.

Spacecraft are also at risk from high doses of radiation, although the atmosphere prevents this from reaching Earth.

NASA has a dedicated team looking into astronaut safety and can ask astronauts on the International Space Station to move to places within the outpost that are better shielded.

Following one particularly strong flare peak, the US Space Weather Prediction Center said users of high-frequency radio signals "may experience temporary degradation or complete loss of signal on much of the sunlit side of Earth."

Even pigeons and other species that have internal biological compasses could also be affected. Pigeon handlers have noted a reduction in birds coming home during geomagnetic storms, according to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Officials said people should have the normal backup plans in place for power outages, such as having flashlights, batteries, and radios at hand.

The most powerful geomagnetic storm in recorded history, known as the Carrington Event after British astronomer Richard Carrington, occurred in September 1859.

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