Baltimore Shutdown Drives More Ro/Ro Traffic to Port of Brunswick

Courtesy GPA

PUBLISHED APR 17, 2024 11:35 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

The shutdown of Baltimore's inner harbor has been a disaster for local shipping interests, and has disrupted the logistics networks of countless shippers. But it has also provided a boost in traffic for other East Coast ports, like Brunswick, Georgia, Baltimore's nearest competitor by volume in the American ro/ro market. 

Brunswick was already quite busy: over the last nine months, volume was up by 16 percent. In March, Brunswick set a new record by handling 52 vessels and 77,000 units of cars, trucks and equipment. This month, the number could hit 87,000, the port told the New York Times.

“March was the busiest month ever for Ro/Ro cargo in Brunswick, with organic growth and new customers driving increases in both autos and high and heavy equipment,” said Georgia Ports Authority President and CEO Griff Lynch. “Import and export trade has increased as auto makers expanded production and Colonel’s Island processors have captured additional market share in the South Atlantic region.”

Brunswick is handling some of the farm machinery export cargoes that would normally pass through Baltimore - including a large volume of John Deere tractors for customers in Asia. “If we didn’t have Brunswick, I think the supply chain would be in a bad way on the auto side,” Lynch told the Times. 

Brunswick's capacity is finite in the immediate term, but it is growing rapidly to accommodate its expanding car business. The GPA is in the middle of adding another 120 acres of parking space and 640,000 square feet of car processing space, and both will be ready by late summer, the port says. After that, the focus will turn to adding a fourth berth, which will speed up vessel handling. 
 

 

Consortium to Decarbonize Corridor Between Canada, Japan, and South Korea

The effort looks to launch a green corridor between Canada, Japan and South Korea for commodity shipments (Vancouver file photo)

PUBLISHED APR 17, 2024 5:29 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

 

As momentum gains for the concept of green corridors, a consortium of carriers, terminals, and ports from North America, Asia, and Europe aims to work together to decarbonize the value chain for commodities between North America and Asia. Initiated in June 2023 with discussions between Canada and Japan at the G7 Transport Ministers Summit, the North Pacific Green Corridor Consortium’s founders represent approximately a quarter of the 100 million tonnes of bulk commodities shipped from Canada’s Prince Rupert and Vancouver ports.

The participants will apply their collective expertise to develop a corridor for the decarbonized transportation of multiple commodities, including agricultural products, metal concentrates, and steelmaking coal. They look to become a catalyst for decarbonization efforts, exploring new markets for low-carbon fuels in North America and Asia, exploring propulsion options, and showcasing how carbon reduction initiatives can strengthen commercial partnerships.

The NPGCC brings together diverse sections of the value chain including bulk commodity producers, railway and intermodal transportation providers, marine vessel owners and operators, port facilities and port authorities, and clean technology providers. Its activities will focus on pathways to optimize energy efficiency with the specific goal of advancing projects and infrastructure required to achieve meaningful emissions reductions in the near term. Consideration will be given to the potential production, storage, and bunkering of lower-carbon fuels and propulsion options for use by NPGCC members and other parties.

The nine founding members are Canadian National Railway Company, Mitsubishi Canada, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, NYK Bulk & Projects Carriers, Oldendorff Carriers, Prince Rupert Port Authority, Teck Resources Limited, Trigon Pacific Terminals, and Vancouver Fraser Port Authority. The NPGCC highlights that it is open to additional members and partners, in particular end-use customers, to contribute to the development and implementation of the green trade corridor. 

The concept of green corridors to accelerate global decarbonization for the shipping industry was formalized at the COP26 conference in Glasgow in November 2021. At the conference, 22 nations pledged to support the creation of at least half a dozen green corridors by the middle of the decade, with an ambition to scale up and expand the scope of the initiative by 2030. Since then plans have been announced for efforts along shipping key routes to provide the infrastructure and support to drive decarbonization efforts.

 

Ontario Shipyards Shuts Down its Thunder Bay Facility

Fabmar Thunder Bay (file image courtesy Ontario Shipyards)

PUBLISHED APR 17, 2024 4:32 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

Canadian firm Ontario Shipyards has decided to shutter its plant at Thunder Bay, citing a shortage of workers and a slow market. 

In 2020, Ontario Shipyards (then known as Heddle Shipyards) entered an agreement with Vancouver shipbuilder Seaspan to construct blocks for the future two-ship Polar Icebreaker program, part of Canada's National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS). The following year, Heddle bought a yard in Thunder Bay - Fabmar Metals - and equipped it for building ship modules. 

Because of delays at Seaspan, the Canadian government reopened the NSS to a new round of shipyard bids, intending to bring in more capacity to build the icebreaker program. It selected Quebec's Davie Shipyards to join the effort, and it awarded one polar icebreaker to Seaspan and one polar icebreaker to Davie. Seaspan has been progressing with R&D operations to support its side of the project, including building a test block, and it plans to begin building the first production block this year. 

The impact of the divided icebreaker contract on Ontario Shipyards is unclear, but Ontario has decided to mothball its facility at Thunder Bay. The site remains fully equipped and ready to turn on again at a moment's notice, but 15 workers were laid off, according to local media. 

Ontario Shipyards also operates two other locations in Port Weller and Hamilton, Ontario. It has invested heavily in equipment and workforce training at these sites, and they remain open. 

Tech exec predicts ‘AI girlfriends’ will create $1B business: ‘Comfort at the end of the day’

Ariel Zilber
Mon, April 15, 2024



It’s only a matter of time before someone builds the next billion-dollar dating app that will pair real-life users with artificial intelligence-created girlfriends, according to a tech executive.

Greg Isenberg, CEO of Late Checkout, wrote a blog post on X in which he shared that he met a man in Miami who “admitted to me that he spends $10,000/month” on “AI girlfriends.”

“I thought he was kidding,” Isenberg wrote. “But, he’s a 24 year old single guy who loves it.”


AI-generated virtual girlfriends are on the cusp of becoming a billion-dollar industry, according to a tech executive. Conversation, X/Kimochii Ai


When Isenberg asked him what he loved about it, the Miami man is quoted as saying: “Some people play video games, I play with AI girlfriends.”

Isenberg said that he was told by the man: “I love that I could use voice notes now with my AI girlfriends.”

“I get to customize my AI girlfriend,” the man told Isenberg. “Likes, dislikes etc. It’s comfort at the end of the day.”

The Miami man stated his preference for two websites — Candy.ai and Kupid.ai.

Tech executive Greg Isenberg said he met someone who spends $10,000 a month on his virtual AI girlfriend. 

Candy.ai bills itself as “the ultimate AI girlfriend experience” which offers “virtual companions for immersive and personalized chats.”

Kupid AI says that it uses AI algorithms to generate virtual and fictional characters — or “companions” — with whom one can communicate through voice notes.

“It’s kinda like dating apps. You’re not on only one,” the Miami man said.

Isenberg said he was left “speechless” by the encounter and predicted that “someone will build the AI-version of Match Group and make $1B+.”

Match Group is the parent company of dating apps such as Tinder, Match.com, Hinge, OkCupid and Plenty of Fish.

AI-generated girlfriends are becoming increasingly popular, according to surveys. Fa

Websites like Romance.AI offer up virtual dating partners using technology that can mimic real-life human interactions.

An app such as Romantic AI “helps you create the perfect girlfriend with whom you share interests and views. You can talk about everything, get support and feel needed.”

Another app, Forever Companion, offers users the opportunity to chat with bots based on popular social media influencers.

Replika, the AI chatbot software, offers users the chance to create their own boyfriend or husband for just a few hundred dollars.

Platforms such as Nomi.ai and Soulmate even encourage erotic role play.

Users can personalize AI chatbot’s avatar and give it personality traits depending on whether they want a friend, mentor or romantic partner.

The nature of the messages could resemble “sexting” so any erotic conversation would have to include explicit instructions on what the user would like to happen.

Some one in five Americans say they have chatted flirtatiously with an AI bot. 

Unlike Replika, which has filters to stop people from using overtly sexual language, Nomi.ai allows users to tailor the AI bot to their preferences by deciding which clothing the avatar wears and how open they are to sexual activity.

Users also have the option of making their chatbots submissive or dominant.

A group of Gen Z TikTok users reported that they were “falling for” DAN, ChatGPT’s alter ego with a flirty macho male voice that some have compared to Christian Grey from “Fifty Shades of Grey.”

A recent survey from Infobip found that nearly 20% of Americans have flirted with chat bots. Nearly half of them — 47.2% — did so out of curiosity while 23.9% said they were lonely and seeking interactions.

Nearly 17% said they were “AI-phished” — meaning they did not realize they were talking to a chat bot.

The survey also found that 12.2% were seeking sexual chat within a private space.

New leader of Jesse Jackson's civil rights organization steps down just months on the job

SOPHIA TAREEN
Updated Tue, April 16, 2024

 The Rev. Frederick D. Haynes III speaks to reporters, Feb. 1, 2024, in Dallas. Hayes, a Dallas pastor who took over leadership of the Rev. Jesse Jackson’s longtime civil rights organization resigned Tuesday, April 16, after less than three months on the job. 

(AP Photo/LM Otero, File)

CHICAGO (AP) — A Dallas pastor who took over leadership of the Rev. Jesse Jackson’s longtime civil rights organization resigned Tuesday just months after he took the job.

The Rev. Frederick Haynes III told The Associated Press that he submitted a letter with his resignation as head of the Chicago-based Rainbow PUSH Coalition, effective immediately.

“After a time of prayer and consultation, I felt it was best to step down as president and CEO of Rainbow PUSH,” he said by phone from Texas. “I am forever honored that the Rev. Jackson graciously considered me worthy of following him as president of the organization that he founded.”

Haynes, 63, said he felt it was “necessary” to move on in light of “challenges that continue to exist,” but declined to elaborate further. His resignation letter, written on Rainbow PUSH letterhead, also did not go into details about his decision.

In a statement issued late Tuesday, Jackson said the organization accepted Haynes' resignation and they would remain “partners in the fight for peace, civil rights and economic justice.”

Jackson said his son, Yusef Jackson, an attorney, would continue to serve as the organization's chief operating officer. He did not mention the prospects of choosing another president and CEO.

"We will carry on the vital work of protecting, defending, and gaining civil rights by leveling the economic and educational playing fields," Jesse Jackson said. “Our commitment to promoting peace and justice around the world remains unwavering.”

The civil rights leader announced in July that he would step down from the organization he founded more than 50 years ago, and he introduced Haynes as his successor.

Haynes, the pastor at Friendship-West Baptist Church in Dallas, was formally installed as president and CEO in a February ceremony in that city. He planned to lead Rainbow PUSH, which advocates for social justice and political activism, from Texas. He has been senior pastor since 1983 at Friendship-West, which has about 13,000 members, according to the church.

Haynes said that even though the formal takeover was in February, he hit the ground running over the summer with duties in the office and hoped he could collaborate with Rainbow PUSH and Jackson in the future.

“He remains one of my heroes. He remains one of the great leaders of all time,” Haynes said.

In his resignation letter, he said he plans to continue his work “in the fight for liberation and freedom.”

Jackson — who was pivotal in the modern Civil Rights Movement — has faced numerous health issues in recent years and has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

Still, the 82-year-old two-time presidential candidate hasn’t shied away from the public eye.

Jackson appeared at a packed Chicago City Council meeting in January to support a controversial resolution for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war.

TRANSPHOBIA KILLS

Idaho's ban on youth gender-affirming care has families desperately scrambling for solutions

CLAIRE RUSH
Updated Tue, April 16, 2024 

FILE - The Idaho State Capitol in Boise, Idaho, is seen on June 13, 2019. The U.S. Supreme Court's decision on Monday, April 15, 2024, allows the state to put in place a 2023 law that subjects physicians to up to 10 years in prison if they provide hormones, puberty blockers or other gender-affirming care to people under age 18. A federal judge in Idaho had previously blocked the law in its entirety. (AP Photo/Keith Ridler, File)More


Forced to hide her true self, Joe Horras’ transgender daughter struggled with depression and anxiety until three years ago, when she began to take medication to block the onset of puberty. The gender-affirming treatment helped the now-16-year-old find happiness again, her father said.

A decision by the U.S. Supreme Court late Monday allowing Idaho to enforce its ban on such care for minors could jeopardize her wellbeing once again. Horras is scrambling to figure out next steps and is considering leaving Idaho, where he's lived his whole life, to move to another state.

"It would be devastating for her," Horras, who lives in Boise, told The Associated Press. “If she doesn’t have access to that, it will damage her mental health."


Horras is among the Idaho parents desperate to find solutions after their trans children lost access to the gender-affirming care they were receiving. The U.S. Supreme Court's decision allows the state to put in place a 2023 law that subjects physicians to up to 10 years in prison if they provide hormones, puberty blockers or other gender-affirming care to people under age 18. A federal judge in Idaho had previously blocked the law in its entirety.

The ruling will hold while lawsuits against the law proceed through the lower courts, although the two transgender teens who sued to challenge the law will still be able to obtain care.

At least 24 states have adopted bans on gender-affirming care for minors in recent years, and most of them face legal challenges. Twenty other states are currently enforcing the bans.

Monday’s ruling was the first time the U.S. Supreme Court waded into the issue. The court’s 6-3 ruling steered clear of whether the ban itself is constitutional. Instead, the justices went deep into whether it’s appropriate to put enforcement of a law on hold for everyone, or just those who sue over it, while it works its way through the courts.

In his concurring opinion, Justice Neil Gorsuch said “lower courts would be wise to take heed” and limit use of “universal injunctions” blocking all enforcement of laws that face legal challenges. In a dissent, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said the court should not decide the fate of those actions without reading legal briefs and hearing arguments on the issue.

Rights groups in Idaho are supporting families to make sure they're aware the measure has taken effect. The American Civil Liberties Union of Idaho said it plans to hold a virtual event over Zoom with licensed counselors and legal experts to help people process the shock and answer any questions they may have about the law.

“Yesterday was really just an outpouring of fear, questions, people trying to figure out how this is going to affect them personally,” said Jenna Damron, the group's advocacy fellow. “Getting information out quickly that is accurate is kind of our first priority.”

Paul Southwick, legal director for ACLU of Idaho, said the group wants families to know what their options are.

“Gender-affirming medical care is now immediately illegal for minors in the state of Idaho. However, care remains legal for adults, and it’s also legal for minors to seek gender-affirming medical care out of state,” he said.

In Boise, Horras' 16-year-old daughter wears an estrogen patch and receives estrogen injections every six months. Her last shot was in December and Horras now has two months to find a new out-of-state provider who can continue administering the medication. The situation has left him feeling scared, he said, and angry toward the state politicians who passed the law last year.

“It's cruel,” he said.

Advocates, meanwhile, worry that lower-income families won't be able to afford to travel across state lines for care. Arya Shae Walker, a transgender man and activist in the small city of Twin Falls in rural southern Idaho, said he was concerned that people would alter the doses of their current prescriptions in order to make them last longer. His advocacy group has already taken down information on its website on gender-affirming care providers for young people in the area out of concern of potential legal consequences.

The broader issue of bans on gender-affirming care for minors could eventually be before the U.S. Supreme Court again. Last year, a ban on gender-affirming care for minors in Arkansas was shot down by a federal judge, while those in Kentucky and Tennessee were allowed to be enforced by an appeals court after being put on hold by lower-court judges. Montana’s law is not being enforced because of a ruling from a state judge.

Laws barring transgender youth from playing on sports teams that align with their gender identity are also being challenged across the country. An appeals court on Tuesday ruled that West Virginia’s transgender sports ban violates the rights of a teen athlete under Title IX, the federal civil rights law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in schools. Hours later, an Ohio law that bars transgender girls from girls scholastic sports competitions was put on hold by a judge. Set to take effect next week, the law also bans gender-affirming care for transgender youth.

Those who support the bans say they want to protect children and have concerns about the treatments themselves.

Gender-affirming care for youth is supported by major medical organizations, including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Psychiatric Association. However, England is limiting the ability of people younger than 16 to begin a medical gender transition.

The National Health Service England recently cemented a policy first issued on an interim basis almost a year ago that sets a minimum age at which puberty blockers can be started, along with other requirements. NHS England says there is not enough evidence about their long-term effects, including “sexual, cognitive or broader developmental outcomes.”

Medical professionals define gender dysphoria as psychological distress experienced by those whose gender expression does not match their gender identity. Experts say gender-affirming therapy can lead to lower rates of depression, suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts among transgender people.

Chelsea Gaona-Lincoln, executive director of Idaho-based advocacy group Add The Words, said she's anticipating “a pretty horrendous ripple effect.” But seeing her community uniting in support has given her a glimmer of hope.

“There are people coming together, and it’s so important, for especially our youth, to feel seen and affirmed as they are," she said.

Southwick, the legal director of ACLU of Idaho, said the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is expected to hold a hearing this summer on its lawsuit challenging the law.

___

Associated Press writer Geoff Mulvihill in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, contributed.

Taiwan Moves to Boost Its Global Standing with Chip Diplomacy

Just over the past week, the National Science and Technology Council announced two tech deals. It signed a science, technology and innovation arrangement with Canada while it will set up an office in Prague to help foster Czech chip design engineers.

Jane Lanhee Lee

Wed, Apr 17, 2024,


(Bloomberg) -- Taiwan is ramping up international cooperation deals with countries like Canada and France in recent months as it parlays its role as the world’s chip kingpin to boost its global standing.

Just over the past week, the National Science and Technology Council announced two tech deals. It signed a science, technology and innovation arrangement with Canada to jointly grow talent training, while it will set up an office in Prague to help foster Czech chip design engineers.

Taipei’s chip diplomacy drive is its latest effort to break through China’s stern opposition to any formal exchanges with other nations and global powers. China claims Taiwan as part of its territory, and it has ratcheted up military threats against the island of 23 million after Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan as US House speaker in August 2022.

“The situation of Taiwan was very difficult in the past, but in recent years we’re getting better and better because a lot of countries discover the existence of Taiwan mostly because of semiconductors,” NSTC Minister Wu Tsung-Tsong said in an interview with Bloomberg News.

The island, separated from China by the 180-kilometer-wide Taiwan Strait, has become a powerhouse of advanced electronics engineering, with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. rising to become Asia’s most valuable company. TSMC and a coterie of local chipmaking suppliers have carved out an indispensable role in the global electronics supply chain, and other nations have begun to offer subsidies to get them to export some of that knowhow and production overseas. Japan recently completed a TSMC factory in Kumamoto, while the US authorized $11.6 billion in grants and loans for an ambitious TSMC project in Arizona.

France and Germany last year signed science and technology cooperation agreements with Taiwan. France said it was cooperating in areas of research including quantum computing, artificial intelligence and green industries. Taiwan started the string of international pacts with the US, its key security and trade partner, in late 2020. Wu said similar arrangements with other countries are coming soon. Germany has also joined the US and Japan in pursuing plans for a TSMC facility within its borders.

Both the Czech Republic and France are also looking to leverage TSMC’s growing presence in Europe to their advantage. David Steinke, the top Czech representative in Taipei, has been busy convincing TSMC suppliers to set up operations in his country, while his French peer Franck Paris has been pushing for more collaboration between Taiwan and CEA-Leti, a top chip research institute in Grenoble.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

Why does voting last six weeks in India’s general election?

The size of the country and its electorate is the chief reason why the general election takes so long.

Reuters Published April 17, 2024 

India is set to begin the world’s largest general elections on Friday, held in terrain sweeping from the icy Himalayas to humid jungles, with nearly a billion people eligible to choose 543 members of the lower house of parliament.

Opinion polls suggest an easy victory for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party when the results are announced on June 4. But more than six weeks will elapse from the time the first vote is cast on April 19 until it is counted.

Here is why the exercise takes so long.
Number of days

The election cycle sprawls over 44 days, long even by India’s standards, as the 2019 vote lasted 39 days.

This year’s elections will be India’s second longest after the first exercise following independence in 1947 from colonial ruler Britain, which ran for four months from October 25, 1951 to February 21, 1952.

There are seven voting days this year, with Friday’s first phase seeing people cast ballots for 102 constituencies nationwide.

The last polling date is June 1, covering 57 seats. All votes will be counted together on June 4.
Voter numbers

The size of the country and its electorate is the chief reason why the general election takes so long.

India’s eligible voters, at 968.6 million, number more than twice the European Union’s population of 448m. The figure has grown eight per cent since the 2019 elections.

With an estimated population of more than 1.4 billion, India overtook China last year as the world’s most populous country.
Geographical spread

Some of India’s 28 states and eight federally governed territories complete voting in just one phase, but in larger states, some constituencies vote on different dates.

For example, the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, with a population of more than 230m and 80 members of parliament — more than any other state — will vote in parts in every phase.

The Election Commission manages this massive exercise by carving out smaller voting boroughs, limiting each polling station to no more than 1,500 registered voters.

That requires the watchdog to set up 1.05m polling stations this year, in locations such as government buildings and schools closest to the most voters.

They are sited in terrain ranging from icy Himalayan heights in the north to dense central Indian jungles and remote deserts in the western state of Rajasthan.
Security arrangements

Incidents of violence and vote-rigging have marred India’s election history, but there are drastically fewer instances today.

Nevertheless, to ensure the elections are free, fair and held without fear, more than 300,000 federal security personnel back up the police forces controlled by state governments.

The intervals between voting allow these personnel time to move around the country, usually by rail. They guard election officials taking voting machines to polling stations and keep the devices secure until counting day, to maintain the integrity of the elections.

Header image: A worker fixes a flag of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on a hoarding prior to the public meeting of election candidate and Minister of Education Brijmohan Agrawal in Raipur on April 15. — AFP

PAKISTAN
Amid ban, X says working with govt to ‘understand concerns’

Dawn.com Published April 18, 2024

A man uses the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, on his phone at a market in Islamabad on April 17. — AFP

Social media platform X, which has been disrupted in Pakistan since February, has said that it continues to work with the government to “understand their concerns”.

The brief statement was made by X’s Global Government Affairs late on Wednesday night, the first comments since the site was disrupted.




Access to X has been disrupted since February 17, when former Rawal­pindi commissioner Liaquat Chattha accused the chief election commissioner and chief justice of Pakistan of being involved in rigging the February 8 general elections.

Rights bodies and journalists’ organisations have condemned the muzzling of social media, while internet service providers have also lamented losses due to disruptions. The United States had also called on Pakistan to lift restrictions on social media platforms.

In March, the interior ministry had informed the Sindh High Court (SHC) that the social media platform was blocked pending further orders on the reports of intelligence agencies.

The interior ministry’s admission came days after Information Minister Attaullah Tarar acknowledged that X was “already banned” when the new government took over the reins from the caretaker set-up, saying there was no official notification for the clampdown.

On Wednesday, the SHC directed the interior ministry to either justify the shutdown of X or rescind its Feb 17 letter directing the telecom regulator to ban the site.

“The SHC has given the government one week to withdraw the letter, failing which, on the next date, they will pass appropriate orders,” Abdul Moiz Jaferii, a lawyer challenging the ban, told AFP.

Meanwhile, the ministry also submitted a detailed report before the Islamabad High Court (IHC), insisting that the site was banned “in the interest of upholding national security, maintaining public order, and preserving the integrity of our nation”.

The report, submitted before IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq, said the social media platform was not registered in Pakistan nor was it under any obligation to comply with Pakistani laws.

It claimed that X had “not complied with the requests of Pakistani authorities” after the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA)’s cybercrime wing forwarded numerous requests via the Pakistan Telecommun­ication Authority (PTA) to take “significant action to block accounts involved in a defamatory campaign against the honourable Chief Justice of Pakistan”.

Noting that the FIA’s wing had initiated several FIRs against hundreds of Twitter accounts, the interior ministry asserted that the “lack of cooperation from Twitter/X authorities in addressing content that violates Pakistani laws and values further justifies the need for regulatory measures, including the temporary ban”.

“The government of Pakistan has no alternative but to temporarily block access/suspend the operation of this platform within Pakistan,” it said.

The report said the interior ministry had on Feb 17 asked for blocking of X immediately till further orders on the reports of intelligence agencies.

“The decision to impose a ban on Twitter/X in Pakistan was made in the interest of upholding national security, maintaining public order, and preserving the integrity of our nation,” it contended, adding that the decision was taken after considering “various confidential reports received from intelligence and security agencies of Pakistan”.

It emphasised that “hostile elements operating on Twitter/X have nefarious intentions to create an environment of chaos and instability, with the ultimate goal of destabilising the country and plunging it into some form of anarchy”.

“The ban on Twitter serves as a necessary step to disrupt the activities of these elements and prevent them from achieving their destructive objectives,” the report said.

It noted that X was neither registered in Pakistan nor had it signed an agreement to abide by local laws. It said the platform’s “failure to establish a legal presence or engage in meaningful cooperation with Pakistani authorities underscores the need for regulatory measures to ensure accountability and adherence to national laws”.

“The ban on Twitter/X serves as a necessary step to address this regulatory vacuum and compel the platform to respect the sovereignty and legal jurisdiction of Pakistan,” the interior ministry added.

It said social media platforms were extensively used to propagate extremist ideologies and fake information, adding that some miscreants were using social media as a tool to create a law and order situation and destabilise Pakistan.

It said the ban on X was not to restrict access to information but to streamline the use of social media platforms, and the interior ministry was under obligation to protect citizens’ rights and national interests.

It pointed out that TikTok was also banned earlier and was only restored after it agreed to abide by the law of the land.

Additional input from AFP

China accuses US of hypocrisy over Biden’s ‘xenophobic’ claims

AFP Published April 18, 2024 

US President Joe Biden delivers remarks at United Steelworkers headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on April 17. — Reuters

Beijing on Thursday accused the United States of hypocrisy in response to accusations by President Joe Biden that China is “xenophobic” and “cheating” on trade.

“I would like to ask him: are you talking about China or the US itself?” foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said when asked about the comments.

In a speech on Wednesday to union members, Biden called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing it of cheating as he courted blue-collar voters on an election campaign trip to the battleground state of Pennsylvania.

“They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” the 81-year-old Biden said to cheers at the headquarters of the United Steelworkers union in Pittsburgh.

The Democrat said Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidising them so heavily”.

Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminium if Beijing was confirmed to be using anti-competitive practices.

“They’re xenophobic,” he added. “They’ve got real problems. I’m not looking for a fight with China, I’m looking for competition — but fair competition.”




Beijing and Washington have clashed in recent years on flashpoint issues from technology and trade to human rights as well as over the self-ruled island of Taiwan and the disputed South China Sea.

Relations have stabilised somewhat since Presidents Biden and Xi Jinping met in San Francisco in November for talks that both sides described as a qualified success.

The two held a follow-up telephone call this month, where they clashed over US trade restrictions on technology and on Taiwan, which Beijing claims.

But they also agreed that two high-level US officials would soon travel to China — US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen visited last week, with top diplomat Antony Blinken due in Beijing soon.

The US also this week announced a probe into China’s trade practices in the shipbuilding, maritime and logistics sectors.

China’s commerce ministry hit back, saying the probe was “full of false accusations, misinterpreting normal trade and investment activities as harming US national security and corporate interests, and blaming China for its own industrial problems”.

US to Investigate China's Shipbuilding as Biden Calls for New Steel Tariffs

China and CSSC have emerged as the world's leading shipbuilders (CSSC)

PUBLISHED APR 17, 2024 12:41 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

President Joe Biden and the U.S. Trade Representative confirmed today that they are initiating an investigation into China’s shipbuilding practices. News of the investigation comes as President Biden and the White House will tell steelworkers that they are also calling for a tripling of tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum. He is also promising to block efforts by China and others to circumvent U.S. restrictions by importing products through Mexico.

The White House said the administration recognizes the growing concerns that unfair Chinese trade practices, including flooding the market with below-market-cost steel, are distorting the global shipbuilding market and eroding competition. While highlighting that the U.S. trade deficit with China is the lowest it has been in a decade, the administration is also accusing China of unfair competition saying China is undercutting U.S. products with artificially lower-priced alternatives. They cite the critical nature of steel in U.S. commercial and naval shipbuilding calling steel the backbone of the American economy. 

The concerns over China subsidies and state control of the shipbuilding industry were outlined in a petition to the U.S. Trade Representative from five labor unions. Filed in March, the unions formally requested an investigation into Chinese acts, policies, and practices in the maritime, logistics, and shipbuilding sectors.

“The petition presents serious and concerning allegations of [China’s] longstanding efforts to dominate the maritime, logistics, and shipbuilding sectors, cataloging the PRC’s use of unfair, non-market policies and practices to achieve those goals,” said U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Katherine Tai. The announcement marks the start of a process of comments and hearings into China’s shipbuilding programs and could see tariffs imposed on Chinese-built ships calling at U.S. ports.

Administration officials are saying that China accounts for more than half the world’s steel exports. They said the Chinese have created overcapacity with non-market investments in the steel and aluminum industries.

“The steel and aluminum industries face a significant challenge from Chinese exports which are among the most emissions-intensive products in the world,” the White House wrote in its briefing document. It accuses China of “distorting the global shipbuilding market and eroding competition.”

China’s commerce ministry responded immediately to the accusations saying the initiative was “full of false accusations, misinterpreting normal trade and investment activities.” They repeated the Chinese position that the U.S. administration is playing the “China card” for its political aspirations. 

The White House cites over 30 anti-dumping and countervailing duties on steel-related products already imposed by the U.S. Department of Commerce. President Biden said he was not seeking a trade war, but said steps would be taken against countries and importers that flood the market with cheap products.

President Biden said they would also be working with Mexico to jointly prevent China and other countries from evasion of tariffs on steel and aluminum by importing products into the United States from Mexico.