Tag: US

US Imposes Sanctions On Six Chinese Companies

US Imposes Sanctions On Six Chinese Companies

By LokMarg

The Biden administration has imposed new sanctions on China, targeting the country’s several companies for supporting Beijing’s military modernization efforts, as part of its response to a Chinese spy balloon that traversed U.S. airspace last week, The New York Times reported.

The Commerce Department added five Chinese companies and one research institute to its so-called entity list, which will prevent companies from selling them American parts and technologies without a special license. Officials said the six entities had supported Chinese military programs related to airships and balloons used for intelligence and reconnaissance, the publication reported.

Earlier this week, the US Commerce Department added five Chinese companies and one research institute connected to Beijing’s aerospace programs including airships and balloons to an export blacklist.

The Commerce Department said the six entities were supporting “China’s military modernization efforts, specifically the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) aerospace programs including airships and balloons.”

The Chinese government has tried to downplay the incident, arguing that the balloon was a civilian device for monitoring weather.

The entities that the United States targeted Friday were Beijing Nanjiang Aerospace Technology Company, Dongguan Lingkong Remote Sensing Technology Company, Eagles Men Aviation Science and Technology Group Company, Guangzhou Tian-Hai-Xiang Aviation Technology Company, Shanxi Eagles Men Aviation Science and Technology Group Company and China Electronics Technology Group Corporation 48th Research Institute, The New York Times reported.

The Commerce Department did not specify whether the companies and the institute had played a direct role in developing or operating the balloon that flew across the United States. But the Biden administration said earlier this week that it would consider taking action against any entities that had aided the balloon’s flight.

The balloon was shot down by a highly advanced US fighter jet last week. President Joe Biden congratulated US fighter pilots for taking down the balloon in the country’s airspace and above its territorial waters.

The Pentagon decried what it called China’s unacceptable violation of US airspace.

China has expressed regret blaming unfavourable winds for pushing what it calls a “civilian airship” into US airspace.

Beijing China insists the balloon was a “civilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological purposes,” and it unintentionally veered off into US airspace.

Notably, the US shot down the giant balloon, which China claimed to be a civilian airship used for research mainly meteorological, on February 4 after it hovered over the country for a week.

Beijing denies it uses spy balloons and says the craft was for weather research. Subsequently, it accused Washington of sending its own espionage balloons over its territory, which the US denied.

The spate had led US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to cancel a rare visit to China abruptly.

Meanwhile, the Biden administration imposed new sanctions on China, targeting the country’s several companies for supporting Beijing’s military modernization efforts, reported GlobalSecurity.org.

The US Commerce Department on Friday said that it added five Chinese companies and one research institute connected to Beijing’s aerospace programs including airships and balloons to an export blacklist.

The Commerce Department said the six entities supported “China’s military modernization efforts, specifically the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) aerospace programs including airships and balloons.”

The six companies include Beijing Nanjiang Aerospace Technology Co; China Electronics Technology Group Corporation 48th Research Institute; and Dongguan Lingkong Remote Sensing Technology Co.

The other three are Eagles Men Aviation Science and Technology Group Co.; Guangzhou Tian-Hai-Xiang Aviation Technology Co.; along with Shanxi Eagles Men Aviation Science and Technology Group Co. (ANI)

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China Terms US Claims On Spy Balloon ‘Hysterical, Absurd’

China Terms US Claims On Spy Balloon ‘Hysterical, Absurd’

By LokMarg

China on Saturday lambasted the US for claiming its balloons as surveillance objects and termed it as “hysterical and absurd”.

Addressing a gathering of world leaders at the Munich Security Conference, China’s top diplomat Wang Yi alleged the US of trying to “smear” the Asian giant while it itself was implementing policies that ran counter to its paradigms such as free trade.

Washington, he said, had the wrong view of China as a serious geopolitical challenge and a threat to the United States. “This is a misguided perception of China and with this perception, the United States is using all of its means to smear and clamp down China, and is co-opting other countries to do the same,” he said.

He said that US President Joe Biden’s administration has a “misguided” perception of Beijing.

“There are many balloons from many countries in the sky. Do you want to down each and every one of them?” said Wang.

He also urged the US “not to do such preposterous things simply to divert attention from its own domestic problems.”

Notably, the US shot down the giant balloon, which China claimed to be a civilian airship used for research mainly meteorological, on February 4 after it hovered over the country for a week.

Beijing denies it uses spy balloons and says the craft was for weather research. Subsequently, it accused Washington of sending its own espionage balloons over its territory, which the US denied.

The spate had led US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to cancel a rare visit to China abruptly.

Meanwhile, the Biden administration imposed new sanctions on China, targeting the country’s several companies for supporting Beijing’s military modernization efforts, reported GlobalSecurity.org.

The US Commerce Department on Friday said that it added five Chinese companies and one research institute connected to Beijing’s aerospace programs including airships and balloons to an export blacklist.

The Commerce Department said the six entities supported “China’s military modernization efforts, specifically the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) aerospace programs including airships and balloons.”

The six companies include Beijing Nanjiang Aerospace Technology Co; China Electronics Technology Group Corporation 48th Research Institute; and Dongguan Lingkong Remote Sensing Technology Co.

The other three are Eagles Men Aviation Science and Technology Group Co.; Guangzhou Tian-Hai-Xiang Aviation Technology Co.; along with Shanxi Eagles Men Aviation Science and Technology Group Co. (ANI)

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Hamas Palestinian Biden

3 Objects US Shot Down Were Not Likely To Be Spy Devices: Biden

By LokMarg

The Intelligence Community has no indication that the three objects that were shot down in the past days were the surveillance craft from China, United States President Joe Biden said on Thursday.

Biden added that he expects to talk with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Delivering remarks on the United States’ response to recent aerial objects, Biden said, “The Intelligence Community’s current assessment is that these 3 objects were most likely balloons tied to private companies or research institutions studying weather or conducting other scientific research.”

The US shot down the giant balloon, which China claimed to be a civilian airship used for research mainly meteorological, on February 4 after it hovered over the country for a week.

“I want to be clear, we don’t have any evidence that there’s been a sudden increase in the number of objects in the sky. We’re now just seeing more of them partially because of the steps we’ve taken to increase our radars,” he added.

Biden further stated that all those 3 objects can be related to the Chinese spy balloon program or they were surveillance vehicles from any other country.

He suggested that he is not going to shoot down every weather balloon that the US sees but will watch out for future spy balloons.

“Make no mistake, if any object presents a threat to the safety, and security of the American people, I will take it down,” US President added.

Biden suggests the newest objects were not part of a foreign spying program. “The three objects are most likely balloons tied to private companies, recreation or research institutions, studying weather or conducting other scientific research,” he said.

The United States is not looking for a “new Cold War” with China. “We’ll also continue to engage with China, as we have through the past two weeks,” Biden said adding that US diplomats will stay in touch with Chinese counterparts, and he will speak at some point with Xi Jinping, China’s leader.

Biden also made clear that in the future the procedure for taking down unknown objects will be classified, but will be shared with Congress. Earlier, members of Congress were critical of the White House for not sharing more information about the Chinese spy balloon program more quickly. (ANI)

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Second ‘High Altitude Object’ Shot Down Over Alaska: White House

Second ‘High Altitude Object’ Shot Down Over Alaska: White House

By LokMarg

White House on Friday (local time) confirmed that the US shot down a second ‘high altitude object’ over Alaska.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that the Department of Defense shot down a “high altitude object” that was in Alaska’s airspace in the last 24 hours.
“Department of Defence was tracking a high-altitude object over Alaska airspace in the last 24 hours. Fighter aircraft assigned to US Northern Command took down the object within the last hour,” said Kirby.

Kirby said the object was flying at an altitude of 40,000 feet and “posed a reasonable threat to the safety of civilian flight.”

“Out of the recommendation of the Pentagon, President Biden ordered the military to down the object,” said Kirby.

However, he declined to identify the object’s country of origin.

“We’re calling this an object because that’s the best description we have right now,” Kirby said. “We do not know who owns it, whether it’s state-owned or corporate-owned or privately-owned. We just don’t know.”

Kirby said the Biden administration does not know who owns the high-altitude object, saying it’s unclear whether it’s state-owned or privately owned.

He said the object fell within the United States’ territorial space and fell in the Arctic Ocean on the northern side of Alaska.

It comes after the US shot down a Chinese “spy” balloon over its territorial waters last Saturday.

He also said it didn’t appear that it had the ability to independently manoeuvre itself like the Chinese balloon that flew above the US for eight days before the US downed it off the coast of South Carolina.

“The first one was able to manoeuvre, and loiter, slow down, speed up,” Kirby said. “It was very purposeful.”

Kirby added that its debris field was “much, much smaller” than the balloon shot down last week off the coast of South Carolina.

The object, which the US learned about on Thursday evening, was described as “roughly the size of a small car,” Kirby said.

He said a recovery effort will be made to learn more about the object.

Officials did not understand the full purpose of the object, Kirby added, saying the US expects that it will be able to recover the debris.

“A recovery effort will be made and we’re hopeful that it’ll be successful and then we can learn a little bit more about it,” he said.

Kirby also added that the United States will not reach out to China over this new object.

Responding to a question on China purchasing land near US military bases, Kirby said, “We’re always concerned about potential foreign collection near our military sites. We take that seriously, whether that’s terrestrial related or whether it’s from the air.” (ANI)

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Zoom To Lay Off 1,300 Employees

Zoom To Lay Off 1,300 Employees

By LokMarg

Zoom on Tuesday announced that it will lay off about 1,300 employees, or approximately 15 percent of its staff, becoming the latest tech company to announce significant job cuts. In a message to employees on Zoom Blog, Zoom’s Chief Executive Officer Eric Yuan said the layoffs will impact every part of the organization.

“We have made the tough but necessary decision to reduce our team by approximately 15 percent and say goodbye to around 1,300 hardworking, talented colleagues,” Eric Yuan wrote.
Yuan stated that he and other executives will take a significant pay cut. In the message to employees, he admitted to making “mistakes” in how quickly the company grew during the pandemic.

“As the CEO and founder of Zoom, I am accountable for these mistakes and the actions we take today- and I want to show accountability not just in words but in my own actions,” Eric Yuan wrote.

He added, “To that end, I am reducing my salary for the coming fiscal year by 98 percent and foregoing my FY23 corporate bonus. Members of my executive leadership team will reduce their base salaries by 20 percent for the coming fiscal year while also forfeiting their FY23 corporate bonuses.”

In a message to employees, Eric Yuan stated that a US-based employee who is impacted will receive an email to his/her Zoom and personal inboxes in the next 30 minutes. He further stated that non-US employees will be informed after following local requirements.

Eric Yuan wrote, “If you are a US-based employee who is impacted, you will receive an email to your Zoom and personal inboxes in the next 30 minutes that reads [IMPACTED] Departing Zoom: What You Need to Know. Non-US employees will be notified following local requirements.”

“For those Zoomies waking up to this news or reading this after normal work hours, I am sorry you are finding out this way but we felt it was best to notify all impacted Zoomies as soon as possible,” he added.

Yuan stated the company staffed up “rapidly” during the early days of the pandemic to support the increase in demand as people started using Zoom to video chat with friends and colleagues. He wrote, “Within 24 months, Zoom grew 3x in size to manage this demand while enabling continued innovation.”

To those affected by Zoom layoffs in the US, the company will give up to 16 weeks’ salary and healthcare coverage, payment of earned FY’23 annual bonus based on company performance, RSU, and stock option vesting for six months for US employees, and through August 9, 2023, for non-US employees.

Furthermore, outplacement services, including 1:1 coaching, workshops, networking groups, and more will be given to departing employees. Moreover, support for Zoom employees outside the US will be similar. (ANI)

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From CNN to NBC News, the US media is witnessing a tough time as a series of outlets have announced layoffs amid the downfall in the economy, and now, Vox Media is the latest company to be added to this list.

US Media Witness Massive Job Cuts

By LokMarg

From CNN to NBC News, the US media is witnessing a tough time as a series of outlets have announced layoffs amid the downfall in the economy, and now, Vox Media is the latest company to be added to this list.

According to CNN, Vox Media, publisher of news websites like Vox and The Verge has announced that it will lay off 7 per cent of its workforce.
Vox media’s chief executive Jim Bankoff said that the 7 per cent layoff would lead to about 130 people losing their jobs which will also have an impact on the multiple teams, including editorial.

Bankoff told staffers that the cuts were “due to the challenging economic environment impacting our business and industry.”

“We are experiencing and expect more of the same economic and financial pressures that others in the media and tech industries have encountered,” Bankoff said in his memo, as per the report in CNN.

The union representing Vox Media employees said it was “furious” over the announcement.

“We’re furious at the way the company has approached these layoffs, and are currently discussing how to best serve those who just lost their jobs,” the union said in a tweet.

Not only Vox media but CNN, NBC News, MSNBC, Gannett and other news media are also laying off their employees.

On November 30, CNN informed its employees that layoffs had commenced, a move which will impact hundreds of staffers at the global news network and mark the deepest cuts to the organization in years.

Chris Licht, who took over as chief executive of the network in May, described the cuts in an all-staff memo as a “gut punch” to the organization and told employees that “it is incredibly hard to say goodbye to any one member of the CNN team, much less many,” CNN reported.

Employees at the company had been anxiously bracing for the layoffs since Licht informed them last month that “unsettling” changes lie ahead.

Meanwhile, The Washington Post is also expected to announce a staff reduction soon. And companies that haven’t laid off staffers have taken strong measures to reduce spending, according to CNN.

Apart from media organisations, big tech companies have announced the laying off of their employees. Google’s parent company Alphabet on Friday joined Big Tech giants Meta, Amazon, and Microsoft in announcing layoffs.

Alphabet said it had made the decision to eliminate 6 percent of its workforce, which translates to approximately 12,000 jobs, reported CNN.

Entertainment giants, such as Warner Bros. Discovery (CNN’s parent company) and Paramount Global, have also trimmed their workforces. (ANI)

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Massive Job Cuts

Layoff Bulletin: US Media Witnesses Massive Job Cuts

By LokMarg

From CNN to NBC News, the US media is witnessing a tough time as a series of outlets have announced layoffs amid the downfall in the economy, and now, Vox Media is the latest company to be added to this list.

According to CNN, Vox Media, publisher of news websites like Vox and The Verge has announced that it will lay off 7 per cent of its workforce.

Vox media’s chief executive Jim Bankoff said that the 7 per cent layoff would lead to about 130 people losing their jobs which will also have an impact on the multiple teams, including editorial.

Bankoff told staffers that the cuts were “due to the challenging economic environment impacting our business and industry.”

“We are experiencing and expect more of the same economic and financial pressures that others in the media and tech industries have encountered,” Bankoff said in his memo, as per the report in CNN.

The union representing Vox Media employees said it was “furious” over the announcement.

“We’re furious at the way the company has approached these layoffs, and are currently discussing how to best serve those who just lost their jobs,” the union said in a tweet.

Not only Vox media but CNN, NBC News, MSNBC, Gannett and other news media are also laying off their employees.

On November 30, CNN informed its employees that layoffs had commenced, a move which will impact hundreds of staffers at the global news network and mark the deepest cuts to the organization in years.

Chris Licht, who took over as chief executive of the network in May, described the cuts in an all-staff memo as a “gut punch” to the organization and told employees that “it is incredibly hard to say goodbye to any one member of the CNN team, much less many,” CNN reported.

Employees at the company had been anxiously bracing for the layoffs since Licht informed them last month that “unsettling” changes lie ahead.

Meanwhile, The Washington Post is also expected to announce a staff reduction soon. And companies that haven’t laid off staffers have taken strong measures to reduce spending, according to CNN.

Apart from media organisations, big tech companies have announced the laying off of their employees. Google’s parent company Alphabet on Friday joined Big Tech giants Meta, Amazon, and Microsoft in announcing layoffs.

Alphabet said it had made the decision to eliminate 6 per cent of its workforce, which translates to approximately 12,000 jobs, reported CNN.

Entertainment giants, such as Warner Bros. Discovery (CNN’s parent company) and Paramount Global, have also trimmed their workforces. (ANI)

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US: Death Toll Reaches 50 Due To Winter Storm | Lokmarg

US: Death Toll Reaches 50 Due To Winter Storm

By LokMarg

As the US continues to stay in deep freeze, the death toll has reached at least 48 as the blizzard stranded motorists, knocked electricity out for thousands of people and made it difficult for emergency crews to get residents trapped in their cars, Al Jazeera reported on Monday.

The extreme circumstances in western New York were caused by numbing cold, howling winds, and heavy “lake-effect” snow, which was picked up by freezing air flowing over warmer lake waters.
During a press conference on Monday, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz announced that at least 25 people had perished as a result of the storm, which hit the area over the Christmas holiday weekend, reported Al Jazeera.

Hardly hit, Buffalo city of western New York has been highly hit by snow storms. Numerous regions were also left without power as a result of the blizzard.

The storm capped an Arctic freeze and winter storm front that had spanned most of the United States for days, reaching all the way south to the Mexican border. Tens of thousands of homes and businesses remained without power on Monday as rescue and recovery efforts continued, according to Al Jazeera.

Citing the White House statement, The Hill reported on Monday that President Biden spoke by phone with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) and offered federal assistance as New York deals with a massive winter storm that has claimed more than two dozen lives.

“The President shared that his and the First Lady’s prayers are with the people of New York and all those who lost loved ones. He expressed his gratitude to the Governor for her leadership and to the National Guard, law enforcement, and first responders for their tireless work,” the White House said in a statement.

As a consequence of the Arctic blast and the winter storm, numerous people have died and suffered weather-related road accidents or the cold.

The storm has sent temperatures well below freezing across the US and has destroyed Christmas eve for many. As it pounded regions, the storm delivered hurricane-force winds and whiteout conditions.

All kinds of transportation – planes, trains, and vehicles – were disrupted due to the storm this holiday weekend, closing hundreds of miles of road and air travel cancellations.

Total flight delays within, into, or out of the US amounted to about 4,000 as of Saturday morning, according to flight tracking website FlightAware, which showed that total US flight cancellations stood at around 2,000, as per CNN.

Plummeting temperatures were predicted to bring the coldest Christmas Eve on record to several cities from Pennsylvania to Georgia. (ANI)

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Winter Storm US

Death Toll Rises To 26 As Winter Storm Sweeps US

By LokMarg

The death toll of people killed has risen to 26 as frosty winters continue to sweep large parts of the US, The Hill reported on Sunday.

As a consequence of the Arctic blast and the winter storm, numerous people have died as a consequence of weather-related road accidents or the cold.
Buffalo, N.Y. has been the hardest impacted city in the country, with at least seven people confirmed deceased as a result of the storm. As of 7 a.m. Sunday, the National Weather Service reported 43 inches of snow at Buffalo’s airport, The Hill reported.

The storm has sent temperatures well below freezing across the US and has destroyed Christmas eve for many. As it pounded regions, the storm delivered hurricane-force winds and whiteout conditions.

All kinds of transportation – planes, trains, and vehicles – were disrupted due to the storm this holiday weekend, closing hundreds of miles of road and air travel cancellations.

Total flight delays within, into, or out of the US amounted to about 4,000 as of Saturday morning, according to flight tracking website FlightAware, which showed that total US flight cancellations stood at around 2,000, as per CNN.

Plummeting temperatures were predicted to bring the coldest Christmas Eve on record to several cities from Pennsylvania to Georgia.

In New York, flooding along the Long Island Rail Road forced part of the Long Beach branch to temporarily shut down. (ANI)

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