New York Times (September 1)
“Chinese cars could be huge in U.S., and that’s the problem, officials say.” The New York Times “test-drove a stunning crossover from Geely that would cost under half of what its rivals charge.” There is no doubt “that Chinese cars, if ever sold in the United States, would give the competition a frightening run for its money. (Its competition would be approaching the luxury tier, like the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV; its price is more in line with a fully equipped Honda Civic.)” This appears to be why a bill is being sponsored in Congress “to permanently ban internet-connected vehicles from China from being sold in this country.”
Tags: Ban, Cars, China, Competition, Congress, Cost, Crossover, Frightening, Geely, Honda Civic, Luxury tier, Mercedes-Benz, Officials, Problem, Rivals, Stunning, Test-drove, U.S.
The Guardian (September 1)
“At this point, it should be clear that AI is a choose-your-own-adventure book where every option ends in disaster.” Despite the growing consensus that we need “to slow down, regulate or even put all of this on pause while we wrap our minds around it,” individual nations are “incentivised to run this foolish race,” The EU alone can pause the insanity. “The future of all chip-based technology is wholly dependent on ASML. A straight ban on exports of ASML’s machines would force the global AI industry to in effect tread water, to jog in place.”
Tags: AI, ASML, Ban, Chip-based technology, Consensus, Dependent, Disaster, EU, Foolish race, Future, Incentivised, Insanity, Nations, Pause, Regulate, Slow down
Wall Street Journal (July 1)
“Once one of the world’s main exporters of petroleum products, Russia has banned exports of gasoline and jet fuel for months as Ukrainian attacks intensified. On Sunday, Putin said he is considering a ban on exporting diesel.” Facing an uneven, but widespread shortage, the government now plans to begin importing oil. Lines for gas currently range from hours-long to overnight or even longer. One local government even “started providing portable toilets alongside mileslong fuel lines.” The situation will probably get worse since “the tempo of Ukrainian attacks” has vastly “outpaced Russia’s ability to maintain its refineries, a task already constrained by international sanctions that ban the import of needed equipment.”
Tags: Attacks, Ban, Diesel, Exports, Gasoline, Government, Hours-long, Importing, Jet fuel, Outpaced, Overnight, Petroleum, Refineries, Russia, Sanctions, Shortage, Ukraine
Reuters (February 4)
“Japan’s exports of agricultural, forestry and fishery products rose 3.7% to a record high in 2024, despite China’s ban on seafood imports following Tokyo Electric Power’s discharge from the Fukushima nuclear power plant.” These exports reached 1.507 trillion yen ($9.7 billion) last year, up nearly from 1.5 trillion yen from 2023. “Exports to China plunged 29.1% to 168.1 billion yen in 2024, but exports to the United States rose 17.8% to 242.9 billion yen, making the U.S. Japan’s top export destination for the first time in 20 years.”
Tags: 2024, 3.7%, Agricultural, Ban, China, Exports, Fishery, Forestry, Fukushima, Imports, Japan, Record high, Seafood, Tepco, U.S.
Le Mode (February 2)
“The first measures of the European AI Act will come into effect on Sunday, February 2.” The first stage “only concerns certain prohibited uses.” More specifically, “this Sunday will see a ban on certain uses of AI deemed unacceptable by the AI Act.” Expanded “implementation of the text, which is the most ambitious in the world at this stage, will be gradual and is still the subject of debate, if not outright challenges.”
Tags: Ambitious, Ban, Challenges, Debate, European AI Act, Gradual, Implementation, Prohibited, Sunday, Unacceptable
Reuters (November 24)
“The German government is working hard to demonstrate the foolishness of the country’s iron-clad ban on large budget deficits.” Though it is suspending the “debt brake” for 2023, “the welcome relief is only temporary, and the harm is done. The budget crisis will cripple the economy for years to come.”
Tags: 2023, Ban, Budget deficits, Cripple, Crisis, Debt brake, Economy, Foolishness, German, Government, Harm, Iron-clad, Relief, Suspending, Temporary
New York Times (September 7)
“Shares in Apple, the world’s most valuable public company, continued to tumble on Thursday” amid reports of a China “ban on iPhones for government workers.” Apple looks poised “to lose $200 billion of market value, with shares falling about 6 percent over two days to roughly $175.” Ultimately, however, “the ripples will be felt more broadly: If one of the most successful operators in the world’s second-largest economy is at risk, can any Western company thrive there?”
Tags: $200 billion, Apple, Ban, China, Economy, Government workers, iPhones, Market value, Ripples, Risk, Shares, Successful, Thrive, Tumble, Valuable, Western company
Reuters (February 4)
“The global trade war is taking an unexpected turn. Beijing may ban the export of technology used to make solar panels, an industry which China dominates by controlling at least 75% of its global supply chain. That has repercussions for the West’s drive to create its own green energy industry.” Any such move is more likely “to slow, not halt” the West’s solar push. “Losing access to Chinese solar technology, such as furnaces for melting silicon, would not be an insurmountable problem.”
Tags: Ban, Beijing, China, Export, Furnaces, Global trade war, Green energy, Repercussions, Silicon, Solar panels, Solar technology, Supply chain, Technology, Unexpected, West
The Guardian (December 11)
Under New Zealand’s ban on smoking, “those aged 14 and under in 2027 will never be able to buy tobacco products legally. The legal smoking age will increase with every year that passes–meaning that in 2073, someone who is 61 will be able to buy cigarettes whereas someone who is 60 will not. But, as the government ramps up anti-drug measures in the UK at the same time, you have to ask – when has criminalising a substance ever worked?”
Tags: Age, Anti-drug, Ban, Cigarettes, Criminalising, Government, Legal, New Zealand, Smoking, Tobacco, UK
New York Times (September 21)
“The halt to the 18-month ban on travel from 33 countries, including members of the European Union, China, Iran, South Africa, Brazil and India, could help rejuvenate a U.S. tourism industry that has been crippled by the pandemic,” which caused travel spending to fall by approximately $500 billion in 2020.
