Space dust could carry alien life across the galaxy

March 23, 2023

Astrobiologists should examine space dust and other exoplanetary debris to search for the existence of life beyond Earth, a new study suggests.

Up to 100,000 pieces of life-carrying dust particles could be making their way to Earth every year, according to the study, which was authored by Tomonori Totani, an astronomy professor at the University of Tokyo. 

When a big asteroid slams into a planet, the impact can have cosmic repercussions — just ask the dinosaurs. (Or don’t; they’re extinct, killed off by a space rock that hit Earth 66 million years ago.) These cataclysmic collisions can create hemisphere-size craters and spread debris across entire planets and out into interstellar space. 

Related: The search for alien life (reference)

This piece of interplanetary dust is thought to be part of the early solar system and was found in Earth’s atmosphere, demonstrating lightweight particles could survive atmospheric entry as they do not generate much heat from friction. (Image credit: NASA)

In the new paper (opens in new tab), which was published online Wednesday (March 22) in the International Journal of Astrobiology, Totani argues that the debris ejected into space from a large enough impact on a life-inhabited planet could carry evidence of that life out into space with it.

Theoretically, fossilized microorganisms or other indications of life could be preserved on planetary ejecta as they careen away from their home planet, pending their survival through the harsh environment of outer space. Some of these debris particles could find their way to the surfaces of other life-sustaining planets, like Earth, where they could potentially establish a foothold — or, perhaps, be studied for evidence of alien life. 

This idea is similar in some respects to the panspermia hypothesis, which presumes life is ubiquitous and is proliferated throughout the galaxy from one planetary body to another. Totani cites this near the beginning of his paper, alongside the observation that Mars meteorites have been found here on Earth. “My paper explores this idea using available data on the different aspects of this scenario,” Totani said in a press release (opens in new tab). 

Not all debris from an exoplanet can be ejected with enough velocity that it not only escapes the gravity of its planet but also that planet’s host star; rather, escapees must be tiny. Totani calculates that fragments around one micrometer (one one-thousandth of a millimeter) wide would be big enough to host something like a single-celled organism, and small enough to reach interstellar speeds. 

“The distances and times involved can be vast, and both reduce the chance any ejecta containing life signs from another world could even reach us,” Totani said. “Add to that the number of phenomena in space that can destroy small objects due to heat or radiation, and the chances get even lower.” 

Despite the odds, however, Totani’s calculations show that up to 100,000 such pieces of space dust might possibly land on Earth each year, and may be present and well-preserved within Antarctic ice or on the seafloor. 

Those specimens may be relatively easy to recover, compared to space dust with evidence of microbial life still floating around in space. But that latter scenario isn’t impossible either. 

“Discerning extrasolar material from material originating in our own solar system is still a complex matter,” the press release states, but also points out that aerogel technologies that capture space dust exist today. 

Both the paper and the press release conclude with Totani urging scientists in adjacent fields to pick up this research and explore the possibilities it may add to the search for life outside our solar system. 

 Perseverance rover captures drifting predawn clouds on Mars (photo)

March 23, 2023

At least one interplanetary weather report dropped on World Meteorological Day.

NASA’s Perseverance rover imaged drifting predawn clouds on the Red Planet recently, taking a brief break from its ongoing search for signs of ancient Mars life. Mars is a dry and dusty planet, but billions of years ago water likely pooled and flowed in many areas on its surface, providing a potential life-friendly spot for microbes.

The new cloud images, released by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory today (March 23), were taken with one of the rover’s navigation cameras just before Martian sunrise on March 18. That was the 738th Martian day, or sol, of Perseverance’s mission; a sol is just a little longer (24 hours, 37 minutes) than a day on Earth.

Related: How NASA will launch Mars samples off the Red Planet

The brief NASA release describing the clouds had no further information about what exactly is being studied. 

Last year, however, NASA initiated a citizen science project probing Martian clouds, which are made up of carbon dioxide, also known as dry ice. Studying the clouds provides a window into conditions in the planet’s middle atmosphere, at roughly 30 to 50 miles (50 to 80 kilometers) in altitude, officials said at the time.

Perseverance recently arrived at a new area nicknamed “Berea,” where it is just about to further scrutinize an intriguing layered rock, mission officials tweeted yesterday  (March 22). More generally, Perseverance and a little helicopter called Ingenuity are exploring an ancient river delta in Jezero Crater that may have hosted ancient life. Ingenuity will likely reach 50 flights, 10 times its original manifest, in the coming days or weeks.

Related: Fly over Perseverance rover’s Mars stomping grounds in new video

Perseverance is also gathering samples for future return to Earth, a campaign that’s a joint effort of NASA and the European Space Agency. That campaign’s formulation is still being determined, however. The baseline plan released last year called for Perseverance to carry its samples over to a rocket-toting lander, which is scheduled to launch toward Mars in 2028.  If the rover is unable to do that, two small helicopters aboard the lander will pick up the lightsaber-shaped sample tubes that Perseverance has placed on the surface as a backup plan.

But now NASA’s Science Mission Directorate is considering changes to reduce the cost, such as having only a single helicopter fly aboard the lander in 2028, according to a livestreamed town hall meeting held earlier today that addressed NASA fiscal 2024 budget negotiations that are ongoing.

On our own planet, World Meteorological Day is celebrated annually on March 23 to commemorate the founding of the World Meteorological Organization on that day in 1950. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recently warned once again of dire consequences if humans ignore the perils of global warming.

Elizabeth Howell is the co-author of “Why Am I Taller ?” (ECW Press, 2022; with Canadian astronaut Dave Williams), a book about space medicine. Follow her on Twitter @howellspace  Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom

Saudi, UAE investors plan to invest in SpaceX - The Information

SpaceX logo and Elon Musk photo are seen in this illustration taken, 

December 19, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

23 Mar 2023 

:A unit of Saudi Arabia's investment fund and an Abu Dhabi-based company are planning to invest in a multi-billion dollar funding round for Elon Musk-led SpaceX, The Information reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the discussions.

The funding round is expected to value the rocket maker at about $140 billion, the report added.

SpaceX raised $2 billion in 2022 and $2.6 billion in 2020, according to venture capital firm Space Capital.

The company and Morgan Stanley's representatives have told investors that Saudi Arabia's Water and Electricity Holding Company, part of the country's sovereign wealth fund, and United Arab Emirates' Alpha Dhabi are part of the funding round, according to the report.


SpaceX, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund and Alpha Dhabi did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Source: Reuters

Oil Spills and Near Misses: More Ghost Tankers Ship Sanctioned Fuel - Latest Tweet by Reuters

 Team Latestly| Mar 23, 2023 

Argentina Orders Public Sector to Give up Dollar Bonds in Debt Shake-Up

By Reuters
March 23, 2023

 A customer pays for pork meat in a local market, as Argentina's annual inflation rate tore past 100% in February, the country's statistics agency said on Tuesday, the first time it has hit triple figures since a period of hyperinflation in 1991, over three decades ago, in Buenos Aires, Argentina March 14, 2023. 

REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian/File PhotoREUTERS

By Eliana Raszewski

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentina ordered public sector bodies on Thursday to sell or exchange their holdings of 11 sovereign dollar bonds in a bid to reorganize its debt as inflation soared above 100% and its foreign reserves dropped.

A presidential decree in Argentina's official gazette said public sector bodies would have to sell or auction five local law dollar bonds maturing between 2029 and 2041, and to swap six foreign law dollar bonds for peso debt.

The order makes official plans announced earlier in the week, which had dragged down the value of Argentina's sovereign bonds. These are already in distressed debt territory after a ninth sovereign default and a major debt restructuring in 2020.

Sovereign bond prices edged down further on Thursday, with some of the affected bonds dropping as much as 5%. Some analysts warned the measures could bring short-term gain for the government, but mean losses for state bodies longer-term.

"This swap is the same as sweeping the garbage under the rug," economist Martín Redrado, a former central bank chief, said in televised comments.

Argentina, which has long struggled with debt crises and has a $44 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) program, is racing to shore up state coffers that have been hit by drought impacting grains sales and high global prices.

The government said its aim was to reduce exchange rate volatility, which has seen a huge gap open between the official peso-dollar exchange rate and parallel foreign exchange markets, and to absorb a surplus of pesos that worsens inflation.

"These measures will make it possible to have greater availability of instruments to stabilize the markets if necessary, absorb possible monetary surpluses and to continue fighting inflation," the government said in the decree.

The IMF said it was assessing the measures, though cautioned that while "prudent debt management" was needed, it should not be done in way that would "add to vulnerabilities down the road."

Public sector bodies will have to sell the local law dollar bonds and exchange foreign law dollar bonds maturing between 2029 and 2046 for debt payable in pesos issued by the Treasury.

The new bond would have maturity up to 13 years and be denominated in dollars but paid in pesos.

It would accrue interest on the capital adjusted for inflation at a rate of 3%, or alternatively on the capital denominated in U.S. dollars converted to pesos at the exchange rate just before the date of payment plus a 3% annual coupon.

Some analysts criticized the move, saying it would hurt the so-called Sustainability Guarantee Fund (FGS) of the pension system, though officials moved to address those fears.

An economy ministry official, declining to be named, said the FGS would get 30% of the proceeds from selling the local law bonds as well as the new bond in exchange for the foreign law debt that would be adjusted for inflation and devaluation.

"(It) gives the FGS greater stability and security, since it is not a volatile bond," the official said, adding that the planned new debt instrument was "a low-risk bond, since it has a very low probability of being defaulted."

(Reporting by Eliana Raszewski; Additional reporting by Jorge Otaola; Editing by Adam Jourdan and Alexander Smith)

Australia's Albanese reveals referendum question on Indigenous recognition

Credit: REUTERS/DAVID GRAY

March 22, 2023 
Written by Renju Jose for Reuters ->

SYDNEY, March 23 (Reuters) - The Australian government on Thursday revealed the question it wants to put to a vote in a proposed federal referendum later this year to constitutionally recognise its Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Australians will be asked to vote between October and December on amending the constitution to create a consultative committee in parliament called Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. It would provide non-binding advice to parliament on matters that affect First Nations people.

"For many ... this moment has been a very long time in the making," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said during a televised media conference.

"Yet, they have shown such patience and optimism through this process and that spirit of cooperation and thoughtful, respectful dialogue, has been so important at arriving at this point in such a united fashion."

"If not now, when??", a visibly emotional Albanese said, pausing several times while reading a prepared statement.

Albanese said the referendum question to be put to Australians will be: "A Proposed Law: to alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. Do you approve this proposed alteration?"

Albanese has staked much of his political capital on the referendum. Since Australia became an independent country in 1901, there have been 44 proposals for constitutional change in 19 referendums, and only eight have been approved.

Five things to know about Australia's planned Indigenous referendum

Feb 24, 2023 at 6:24 

By Praveen Menon

Feb 23 (Reuters) -Australia's government plans to hold a referendum between August and December this year on recognising the nation's Indigenous people in its constitution.

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, who represent about 3.2% of Australia's population, are currently not mentioned in the constitution.

Here are five things to know about the referendum:

PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE CONSTITUTION

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has proposed adding these three sentences to the constitution:

* There shall be a body, to be called the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.

* The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice may make representations to Parliament and the Executive Government on matters relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

* The Parliament shall, subject to this Constitution, have power to make laws with respect to the composition, functions, powers and procedures of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.

WHAT IS THE PROPOSED REFERENDUM QUESTION?

Albanese has said the referendum question to be put to Australians should be as simple and clear as: "Do you support an alteration to the Constitution that establishes an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice?"

The question has not been finalised and more clarity on this is expected in the coming months.

HOW DOES THE REFERENDUM WORK?

The government will introduce a bill in parliament in March outlining the proposed changes to the constitution.

This will be scrutinised by a parliamentary committee.

Once approved in parliament, it will be sent to the Governor General, the local representative of the British monarch, who issues a writ for a referendum.


HOW MANY VOTES ARE NEEDED?

To change the constitution, the government must secure what is known as a double majority in the referendum.

That means more than 50% voters must vote in favour nationally, plus a majority of voters in a majority of the states must back the change.

Votes of people living in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), the Northern Territory regions, and any of Australia's external territories, count towards the national majority only.

Poll turnout will be high as voting is compulsory.

HOW HAVE PAST REFERENDUMS FARED?

There have been 44 proposals for constitutional change in 19 referendums, and only 8 of these proposals have been approved.

In the last referendum in 1999, Australians voted against changing the constitution to establish the Commonwealth of Australia as a republic with the British monarch and Governor-General being replaced by a President appointed by a two-thirds majority of members of parliament


Reporting by Praveen Menon; Editing by Himani Sarkar

NOTHING TO DO WITH  NATIONAL SECURITY

Utah governor signs bill to curb children’s social media use

The sweeping restrictions aim to curtail kid and teen use of social media apps such as Instagram and TikTok

By Naomi Nix, Cat Zakrzewski and Heather Kelly

WASHINGTON POST
Updated March 24, 2023 

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) signed two bills into law Thursday that would impose sweeping restrictions on kid and teen use of social media apps such as Instagram and TikTok — a move proponents say will protect youth from the detrimental effects of internet platforms.

One law aims to force social media companies to verify that users who are Utah residents are over the age of 18. The bill also requires platforms to obtain parental consent before letting minors use their services, and guardians must be given access to their child’s account. A default curfew must also be set.

The Utah regulations are some of the most aggressive laws passed by any state to curb the use of social media by young people, at a time when experts have been raising alarm bells about worsening mental health among American adolescents. Congress has struggled to pass stricter bills on online child safety despite bipartisan concern about the effects social media has on kids.

The two bills previously passed in Utah’s state legislature.

Americans have concerns over TikTok, poll finds

“We’re no longer willing to let social media companies continue to harm the mental health of our youth,” Cox tweeted Thursday. “Utah’s leading the way in holding social media companies accountable — and we’re not slowing down anytime soon.”

The bill’s passage coincided with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew’s first appearance before Congress, during which he faced extensive grilling by lawmakers who say they are worried that the extraordinarily popular video app is hurting the welfare of children. They also said the company represented a national security threat because it is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance.

Tech companies have been facing increasing scrutiny by lawmakers and advocates over the effect of their services on adolescents. Last year, California state lawmakers passed the California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act, which requires digital platforms to vet whether new products may pose harm to minors and to offer privacy guardrails to younger users by default. But the tech industry group NetChoice sued to block the law, arguing that it violates the First Amendment and that tech companies have the right under the Constitution to make “editorial decisions” about what content they publish or remove.

Efforts to bolster federal rules governing how tech companies handle minors’ data and protect their mental and physical safety have stalled. Late last year, Senate lawmakers attempted to urge Congress to pass new online privacy and safety protections for children as part of an omnibus spending package.

Under the new Utah measures, tech companies must block children’s access to social media apps between 10:30 p.m. and 6:30 a.m., although parents would be allowed to adjust those limits. The platforms also must prohibit direct messaging by anyone the child hasn’t followed or friended, and they must block underage accounts from search results.

The Utah restrictions additionally bar companies from collecting children’s data and targeting their accounts with advertising. The effort also attempts to prohibit tech companies from designing features in their services that would lead to social media addiction among kids.

Privacy advocates say the bills go too far, and could put LGBTQ children or kids living in abusive homes at risk.

“These bills radically undermine the constitutional and human rights of young people in Utah, but they also just don’t really make any sense,” said Evan Greer, director of digital advocacy group Fight for the Future. “I’m not sure anyone has actually thought about how any of this will work in practice. How will a tech company determine whether someone is someone else’s parent or legal guardian? What about in situations where there is a custody battle or allegations of abuse, and an abusive parent is attempting to obtain access t a child’s social media messages?

Common Sense Media, a media advocacy group for families, has a mixed reaction to Thursdays news. In a statement on its site, the group says it supports one of the laws Utah passed, HB 311, which requires design changes to protect minors. The group does not support the second law, SB 152, which gives parents monitoring capabilities and requires parental consent to create social media accounts.

“Unfortunately, Governor Cox also signed SB 152 into law, which would give parents access to their minor children’s posts and all the messages they send and receive. This would deprive kids of the online privacy protections we advocate for.”

Industry groups have signaled that they have First Amendment concerns about the rules. NetChoice vice president and general counsel Carl Szabo said the group was evaluating next steps on the Utah law and was talking to other allies in the tech industry.

“This law violates the First Amendment by infringing on adults’ lawful access to constitutionally protected speech while mandating massive data collection and tracking of all Utahns,” Szabo said. In the past, NetChoice has teamed up with industry groups to challenge social media laws in Florida and Texas.

Social media platforms have been increasingly facing scrutiny for exposing young people to toxic content and dangerous predators. Earlier this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that nearly 1 in 3 high school girls reported in 2021 that they seriously considered suicide — up nearly 60 percent from a decade ago. And some experts and schools argue that social media is contributing to a mental health crisis among young people.

It’s unclear how tech companies would be able to enforce the age restrictions on their apps. The social media companies already bar children under the age of 13 from using most of their services, but advocates, parents and experts say kids can easily bypass those rules by lying about their age or using an older person’s account.

Tech companies such as Meta, TikTok and Snapchat have also increasingly been tailoring their services to offer more parental control and moderation for minors.

Meta global head of safety Antigone Davis said in a statement that the company has already invested in “age verification technology” to ensure “teens have age-appropriate experiences” on its social networks. On Instagram, the company automatically set teens’ accounts to private when they join and send notifications encouraging them to take regular breaks.

“We don’t allow content that promotes suicide, self-harm or eating disorders, and of the content we remove or take action on, we identify over 99% of it before it’s reported to us,” Davis said. “We’ll continue to work closely with experts, policymakers and parents on these important issues.”

Snap declined to comment.

Utah Law Could Curb Use of TikTok and Instagram by Children and Teens

The law, which prohibits social networks from allowing minors to have accounts without parental consent, may come as welcome news to many families even as it raises privacy concerns.

In January, Lucy Loewen, 13, testified in a hearing in Salt Lake City about social media use among youths.

Credit...Jeffrey D. Allred/Deseret News

By Natasha Singer

NEW YORK TIMES
Natasha Singer, a technology reporter, has covered children’s privacy since 2012.
March 23, 2023

Gov. Spencer J. Cox of Utah signed a sweeping social media bill on Thursday afternoon that could dramatically limit youth access to apps like TikTok and Instagram, potentially upending how many minors in the state use the internet.

The Utah Legislature passed the measure this month, despite opposition from tech industry groups and civil liberties experts. It is the first state law in the nation that will prohibit social media services from allowing users under 18 to have accounts without the explicit consent of a parent or guardian.

The new measure will also require social networks to give Utah parents access to their children’s posts, messages and responses. And it will require social media services to block Utah minors from accessing their accounts from 10:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m., a default setting that only a parent or guardian will be able to modify.

Michael K. McKell, a Republican member of the Utah Senate who sponsored the bill, said the statute was intended to address a “mental health crisis” among American teenagers as well as protect younger users from bullying and child sexual exploitation.

“We think social media is a contributing factor,” Senator McKell said in a phone interview on Thursday. “We want to tackle that issue.”

While the measure may come as welcome news for many parents, civil liberties experts and tech industry groups said it raised significant privacy and free speech concerns. Some warned that the new law, which will require social networks to verify users’ ages and obtain parental consent for those under 18, could cut off young people in Utah from major online platforms and infringe on parental rights to decide how their children used the internet.

Governor Cox also signed a second bill on Thursday that will prohibit social media companies from employing features or design techniques that could cause a minor to form an “addiction” to their online platforms.

The Utah measures come at a moment of heightened public concern and political action over powerful social media algorithms that may entice young people to spend hours online.

Over the last few years, popular social networking services have come under scrutiny for recommending content on self-harm to young people and exposing children to predators. Instagram, TikTok and other companies have responded by increasing controls for parents, including time limits and messaging restrictions.

Efforts to minimize online risks to young people have attracted widespread, bipartisan support. In his State of the Union address last month, President Joe Biden called on Congress to pass legislation restricting how tech companies may track teenagers and children online.

State legislatures have already introduced a number of bills intended to limit mental health and safety risks that social networks, multiplayer video games and other online services may pose to some children and teenagers. Last year, California enacted a sweeping online safety law that will require many social networks, video games and other services to install the equivalent of seatbelts and airbags for younger users.

Among other things, the California measure will require such services to turn on the highest privacy settings by default for users under 18. It also requires social networks and other services to turn off features by default that could pose risks to younger people, like “friend finders” that allow adult strangers to contact children.

But the Utah law far outstrips the California online safety effort, imposing broad constraints and enabling parental surveillance that could alter how many teenagers in Utah use the internet. Sarah Coyne, a professor of child development at Brigham Young University, in Provo, Utah, warned that the measure could inadvertently boomerang, exacerbating youth mental health issues by cutting off vulnerable young people from important sources of information and support.

“We know that marginalized youth, such as L.G.B.T.Q. kids, use social media in some really important ways to find belonging and support, especially when they don’t have family support,” said Dr. Coyne, who has studied how time spent on social media affects adolescents.

“So if you’ve got a 17-year-old who is really struggling with mental health turning to social media to find a place to belong, and their parents are cutting it off or looking at their messages, that can have a really significant negative impact,” she said.

Senator McKell said that the bill was intended to help parents protect their children online and that potential benefits far outweighed potential drawbacks. In addition to requiring parental consent, the bill will prohibit social networks from allowing strangers to message young people, ban targeted advertising and limit companies’ collection and use of young people’s personal data.

“If a parent wants to give their kids free rein online, under our bill they are going to have the ability to do that,” Senator McKell said. “But we want parents to be involved in the process, and we’re not going to apologize for that.”

The Utah measure, which applies to social networks with at least five million account holders worldwide, is scheduled to take effect on March 1, 2024.

The Arkansas Legislature has introduced a similar bill that would require social network platforms to verify users’ ages and obtain explicit parental consent for people under 18.

 A bill introduced in Texas is even more stringent: It would ban social media accounts for minors.

Natasha Singer writes about technology, business and society. She is currently reporting on the far-reaching ways that tech companies and their tools are reshaping public schools, higher education and job opportunities. @natashanyt

A version of this article appears in print on March 24, 2023, Section B, Page 1 of the New York edition with the headline: Utah Limits Social Media For Youths.

The Rise of TikTok

 

The popular video app is changing social media, one quick video at a time.

If you’ve constantly heard TikTok mentioned by your friends (and children) but have been unsure how it works, this latecomer’s guide is for you.

The app is known for its viral dance challenges and catchy trends. But its algorithm has been blamed for amplifying misinformation and harmful content.

Sabrina Brier is finding success on TikTok by parodying the life of a 20-something in New York who’s trying to shed her basic suburban past.

Governments around the world have escalated efforts to ban TikTok. Here’s why.

In a corner of the platform sometimes known as #DatingTok, young women are finding comfort and cachet by turning dating mishaps into viral content.

As tech workers continue to get laid off, some have turned to TikTok to vent about their former employers, expose perceived wrongdoings and find their next gig.

A new vocabulary has emerged on TikTok as creators try to get around algorithms and strict content moderation. They call it algospeak.

ROXHAM ROAD CLOSED
Biden, Trudeau reach deal to stop asylum seekers at unofficial border crossings

The pact is likely to be announced by Biden during his Ottawa visit

Web Desk Updated: March 24, 2023

WEARING PARTY COLOURS

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden pose for members of the media as they arrive to visit with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau at Rideau Cottage in Canada | AP

United States (US) President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have reached a deal to reject asylum seekers at unofficial border crossings.

Biden had arrived in Canada on Thursday for talks with his Canadian counterpart on various global challenges including the war in Ukraine, climate change, trade, migration and assertive China.

According to reports, the two nations reached an agreement to update rules for migrants seeking asylum.

The pact will be officially announced by Biden during his Ottawa visit on Friday.

The US has seen a rise in migrant crossings there from Canada.

Reportedly, the migration deal eliminates a loophole under the existing rules that will allow both countries to turn away asylum seekers at the borders. It has made thousands of people cross through the unofficial checkpoints into Canada from US and seeking asylum.

As part of the agreement, Canada is expected to announce that 15,000 migrants from the Western Hemisphere will be given slots to apply to enter the country, reported Associated Press (AP).

The new policy will apply to people without US or Canadian citizenship and those caught within 14 days of crossing the border between the two nations.

After the Chinese spy balloon incident last month, national security and air defences are top priority.

Canada plans to update its radar systems and has agreed to an accelerated timeline for spending billions more on military upgrades for NORAD, which monitors the skies above the continent, according to the senior Canadian government official, reported AP.

As pet the 2002 agreement between the US and Canada, people seeking asylum must apply in the first country they arrive in. Migrants who go to an official crossing are returned to the U.S. and told to apply there. But those who arrive in Canada at a location other than a port of entry are allowed to stay and request protection, as has been happening on Roxham Road between Champlain, New York, and Quebec, reported AP.

According to John Kirby, spokesman for the White House National Security Council, the visit is about taking stock of the relationship between both the nations. “We're going to talk about our two democracies stepping up to meet the challenges of our time,” he added.

Among other matters of discussions would also include tapping critical minerals that will enable the production of electric vehicles, and military and economic commitments at a moment that observers say is the most dangerous since World War II.

Biden will address Parliament and Trudeau will host him for a state dinner Friday evening. Since Biden became president, it's his first visit to Canada.

US due diligence firm Mintz Group says staff detained in China after office raid

24 Mar 2023 

WASHINGTON :U.S. corporate due diligence firm Mintz Group said on Thursday its Beijing office was raided by authorities and five Chinese staff were detained, stoking worry among foreign companies in China just as its capital hosts an international economic forum.

News of the raid and detentions comes as Sino-U.S. relations have spiraled downwards following months of diplomatic tensions, including over the U.S. military downing in February of a suspected Chinese spy balloon and a planned U.S. transit next week by the president of Taiwan, the self-governed island China claims as its territory.

"We can confirm that Chinese authorities have detained the five staff in Mintz Group's Beijing office, all of them Chinese nationals, and have closed our operations there," the company said in an emailed statement to Reuters.

The company said it was ready to work with Chinese authorities to "resolve any misunderstanding that may have led to these events", and that its top concern was the safety and wellbeing of colleagues in China.

"Mintz Group has not received any official legal notice regarding a case against the company and has requested that the authorities release its employees," the company said.

A source at the New York-headquartered firm earlier told Reuters on condition of anonymity that the company's local legal counsel said the raid occurred on the afternoon of March 20, and that the employees were being held incommunicado somewhere outside of Beijing.

The Chinese foreign ministry and the Beijing public security bureau did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

'RED ALERTS'

As per Mintz Group's website, the Beijing office is its only one in mainland China. The website says the company specialises in background checking, fact gathering and internal investigations and has 18 offices around the world and hundreds of employees.

Randal Phillips, a partner at the firm who heads its Asia operations but is based outside of China, is listed on its website as the Central Intelligence Agency's former chief representative in China.

Phillips worked in Beijing for years after leaving the CIA. There was no indication the incident was related to him.

The news of the raid and detentions comes as Beijing is gearing up to hold the three-day China Development Forum from Saturday, where executives from multinationals and representatives from international organisations will be among the more than 100 overseas delegates present.

One U.S. business community person told Reuters the Mintz Group incident sent a "remarkable signal" that Beijing wants foreign money and technology but that it won't accept credible U.S. firms conducting due diligence on Chinese partners or the business environment.

"Red alerts should be going off in all boardrooms right now about risks in China," the source, who did not wish to be identified due to the sensitive nature of the matter, said.

Western due diligence companies have gotten into trouble with Chinese authorities before. British corporate investigator Peter Humphrey and his American wife Yu Yingzeng, who ran risk consultancy ChinaWhys, were detained in 2013 following work they did for British pharmaceuticals giant GSK.


Source: Reuters

World Athletics Council excludes transgender women from female events

Ruling applies to athletes who have transitioned after puberty

Levels of permitted plasma testosterone also reduced by half

Sean Ingle

THE GUARDIAN

Thu 23 Mar 2023 

World Athletics has voted to ban transgender women from elite female competitions if they have undergone male puberty, in a decision the governing body said had been taken to “protect the future of the female category”.

Speaking after the ruling, which comes into effect on 31 March, the World Athletics president, Seb Coe, accepted that the decision would be contentious but said his sport had been guided by the “overarching principle” of fairness, as well as the science around physical performance and male advantage.

“Decisions are always difficult when they involve conflicting needs and rights between different groups, but we continue to take the view that we must maintain fairness for female athletes above all other considerations,” he said. “We believe the integrity of the female category in athletics is paramount.”

However Coe also stressed that he would set up a working group that would consult with transgender athletes and review any fresh research that emerged. “We’re not saying no forever,” he said.

Sports have been increasingly wrestling with the thorny issue of transgender participation in recent years, notably when New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard qualified for the Tokyo Olympics in having transitioned in her 30s.

Since Tokyo, the majority of sports have opted to allow trans women to compete if they lower their testosterone to 5 nanomoles per litre for 12 months. However emerging science showing that transgender women retain an advantage in strength, endurance, power, lung capacity – even after suppressing testosterone – had led World Athletics to propose a lower testosterone limit for at least 24 months in January.

However, Coe said there was “little support” for such a policy, with athletes and federations making it clear they wanted to prioritise fairness for female sport over inclusion.

“We entered into a consultation some months ago because we wanted to provoke debate,” he said. “It was really important that we heard from all our stakeholders, including the athletes, the coaches and member federations. And my goodness, we heard from them.”

Athletics becomes the latest sport to ban transgender women from female sport, following World Rugby in 2020 and World Swimming and the Rugby Football League last year. Swimming’s decision came shortly after Lia Thomas, who had been a moderate college swimmer as a male competitor in the United States, won an NCAA national college female title in 2022.

World Athletics’ decision is likely to be opposed by LGBTQ+ groups such as Stonewall. Speaking last month they urged sports to be as inclusive as possible. “The trans population may be small, but they have every right to participate in sports and enjoy the many physical, mental and community benefits of sports,” it said. “The scientific evidence base on trans people in sport is developing but is far from conclusive.”

However the move was welcomed by the campaign group Fair Play For Women. “It is the right thing for women and girls, in line with all the scientific evidence and common sense,” it said. “We now expect to see national federations follow the lead given to them by World Athletics, to restore the talent pathway for girls and young women, and to reinstate fair sport for women of all ages.”

In another significant decision, World Athletics also announced that all athletes with a difference in sex development would be barred from competing internationally in all events unless they reduced their testosterone to 2.5 2.5 nanomoles per litre for a minimum of six months.

Until now athletes with a DSD, who include former Olympic women’s champion Caster Semenya and Christine Mboma, the silver medallist in the 200m at the Tokyo Games, have been allowed to compete without medication except in events ranging from 400m to a mile.

However in 2019 the court of arbitration for sport ruled that 46 XY 5-ARD individuals with a difference of sex development, such as Semenya, “enjoy a significant sporting advantage … over 46 XX competitors without such DSD” due to biology.

Coe said that athletes with a DSD would now have to lower their testosterone for at least six months, which means they will miss this summer’s World Championships in Budapest.

“We have been prepared to take these issues head on,” added Coe. “In the past they would have been allowed to drift or be kicked into the long grass. That is not the nature of my leadership and it is certainly not the instincts of my council.”

In another statement, Lord Coe said that Russian athletes would remain barred from track and field “for the foreseeable future” because of the country’s invasion of Ukraine – despite the International Olympic Committee exploring a pathway for Russian and Belarusian athletes.