WASHINGTON — The U.S. has updated a decades-old science and technology agreement with China to reflect their growing rivalry for technological dominance. The new agreement, signed Friday after many months of negotiations, has a narrower scope and additional safeguards to minimize the risk to national security.
The State Department said the agreement sustains intellectual property protections, establishes new guardrails to protect the safety and security of researchers and “advances U.S. interests through newly established and strengthened provisions on transparency and data reciprocity.”
It covers only basic research and does not facilitate the development of critical and emerging technologies, the department said. This includes technologies related to artificial intelligence and quantum computing, which are considered crucial for economic strength and military supremacy.
The first such agreement was signed in January 1979 when the two countries established diplomatic ties to counter the influence of the Soviet Union and when China severely lagged behind the U.S. and other Western nations in science and technology.
The agreement was last extended in 2018, and given temporary extensions last year and this year to allow for negotiations. Washington had come to view the agreement as failing to reflect the shift in U.S.-China relations and China’s emergence as a heavyweight in the field. The new agreement extends cooperation for five years.
As the tech war between the two countries has escalated, the U.S. has banned exports of advanced chips to China and restricted U.S. investments in certain technologies that could boost China’s military capabilities. Cooperation in science and technology chilled in universities and research institutions after a Trump-era program was introduced to curb China’s spying. The program was ended in 2022 after multiple unsuccessful prosecutions of researchers and because of concerns that it had prompted racial profiling.
Deborah Seligsohn, an assistant professor of political science at Villanova University, said the new agreement would lead to fewer government-to-government programs, but, through its limited scope and stronger safeguards, it would allow for the cooperation to be sustained “through a more difficult relationship.”
Earlier this year, Rep. Andy Barr, a Kentucky Republican, said the decades-long cooperation had resulted in the U.S. “providing all sorts of scientific and technical knowledge to Chinese scientists in what would amount to the greatest outpouring of American scientific and technology expertise in history.”
Rep. Gregory Meeks, a Democrat from New York, argued that the U.S. and the global community also have benefited from research collaborations that have “prevented diseases, reduced pollution, and deepened our understanding of the Earth’s history.”
But Meeks said he favored congressional oversight to ensure projects under the agreement would be in line with U.S. values and interests.
TNT Sports presenter Laura Woods hit out at a Labour peer on social media on Wednesday as she waded into a debate on transgender athletes in sport.
During a debate in the House of Lords on Tuesday, Labour spokeswoman Fiona Twycross was asked about fairness, safety and equality for women in sport after boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting won gold medals at the Paris Olympics despite allegedly failing gender tests last year.
Addressing the gender row in boxing, Twycross revealed the government had not spoken to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) or boxing authorities as she claimed reporting around the fighters was ‘highly speculative’.
Twycross added: ‘The Sports Council guidance recognises the need for solutions for different sports based on the points that the noble lady raises. They found two diametrically opposed camps which I think are reflected in the Chamber today when it came to inclusion of trans women.
‘And the guidance found that you can’t easily reconcile inclusion with fairness and safety in relation to sport, and it is more straightforward with male sport. The Sports Council also recognised, which I feel strongly your Lordship’s House should as well, that society is changing, and simply keeping the existing arrangements in sport won’t accommodate inclusion and actually won’t serve anyone well.’
Laura Woods has hit out at a Labour peer’s response during a debate on transgender athletes in sport
Labour peer Fiona Twycross (pictured) revealed the government had not spoken to the IOC or boxing authorities after Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-Tin won gold medals at the Paris Olympics despite allegedly failing gender tests last year
Imane Khelif struck gold in the women’s welterweight division at the Paris Olympics this year
Lin Yu-Ting also won a women’s boxing gold medal at this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris
Woods revealed in July that she is expecting her first child with Love Island star Adam Collard, and she received death threats to her unborn baby the last time she spoke out on transgender athletes in sport, but she has decided to speak out again
Irritating debate on #ImaneKhelif boxing scandal today in the Lords. Labour’s @HayteratLords asked a serious q about♀fairness and safety, minister implied that it was fake news and first q from Tory Lord Forsyth was a joke about Mike Amesbury. Oh how they laughed… a disgrace. pic.twitter.com/8NEAdfju3J
Woods is expecting her first child with former Love Island star Adam Collard and received death threats to her unborn baby the last time she spoke out on the transgender debate, but she still took to X to slam Twycross’s response on Wednesday afternoon in a series of posts.
Her first post read: ‘Crazy discussion in the House of Lords around women’s sport. @Baronessjenkin highlighted a UN study published in August calculated: “By March this year over 600 female athletes in more than 400 events were defeated by trans-identifying males who took a total of 890 medals.”
‘“I’m not aware of that report” was the response from @fionatwycross. The report is entitled: “Violence Against Women and Girls in Sport.” Why isn’t she aware of it?’
Woods continued: ‘Fairness and safety MUST be the MOST important factors in sport. At ALL levels. Including and especially grass routes. This can not keep happening.
‘Transgender people SHOULD absolutely have a place in sport, but NOT at the expense of safety or fairness for women. And it is not up to women to find that solution. These categories should be protected.’
Woods also got involved in boxing’s gender row when the Olympics took place in August after Khelif and Lin went all the way in Paris to claim gold.
On the final day of Olympic competition, The Telegraph’s Oliver Brown published an article titled: ‘Blinded by ideology: Inside boxing row that undermined IOC and tarnished Olympics’.
Woods’ original reply to a Telegraph article in August sparked a mass debate in her comment section
Brown declared in the article that IOC president Thomas Bach had ‘failed in his duty to protect female athletes by allowing Khelif and Lin to win gold despite failing sex tests’.
A day after the article was published, Woods replied to a post by the author on X as she wrote: ‘Great article Oli’, followed by an applause emoji.
This comment sparked hundreds of replies to Woods, who then argued with several fans via the social media network.
A different comment aimed at Woods read: ‘Actually it isn’t, do a bit more research!’ Woods hit back: ‘Which part?’
Another fan simply wrote: ‘Ewww’, to which Woods replied: ‘What’s eww, Jamie? Be more specific’.
One of the longer tweets aimed at Woods read: ‘Pretty poor – She’s had tests to prove her gender and she was born a woman. No actual evidence of her failing XY tests as well’.
Woods demanded more information as she wrote: ‘Which tests were those and where’s the evidence of that?’
Two days later, Woods revealed she had received online death threats to her unborn baby.
‘Since I replied to this article I’ve had numerous death threats to myself and my unborn child,’ wrote Woods. ‘Questions on my own gender (I’m pregnant so guess that clears that one up) calls for my employers to sack me, threats to my home.
‘I’ve been called a racist, a bigot and a sexist as well as various insults – ****, s**g etc.
Woods took to social media app X to share the abuse that she had been receiving after wading in on the Olympic boxing gender row
‘I’ve also been asked why I haven’t raised any concerns on this topic before? See above for your answer.
‘When there are discrepancies with test results – which could impact the safety of another human being, in an environment that above all else should be fair – questions are quite rightly going to be asked. The answers are still unclear, otherwise this topic would be closed.’
Despite the backlash that she received last time, Woods has decided to express her outspoken views on transgender athletes in sport once more, insisting that women’s rights must be ‘protected’.
SAN FRANCISCO — Google is still thriving while the company navigates through a pivotal shift to artificial intelligence and battles regulators trying to topple its internet empire.
The latest evidence of Google’s prosperity emerged Tuesday with the release of its corporate parent Alphabet Inc.’s results for the July-September period. Both Alphabet’s profit and revenue increased at a brisker pace than industry analysts anticipated, thanks primarily to a moneymaking machine powered by Google’s ubiquitous search engine.
Alphabet earned $26.3 billion, or $2.12 per share during the most recent quarter, a 34% increase from a year ago. Revenue rose 15% from the same time last year to $88.27 billion.
The profits would have been even higher if Google wasn’t pouring so much money into building up its AI arsenal in a technological arms race that includes other industry heavyweights Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, Facebook parent Meta Platforms and rising star OpenAI. The AI investments are the primary reason Google’s capital expenditures in the past quarter soared 62% from the same time last year to $13.1 billion.
Investors seemed pleased with the performance as Alphabet’s stock price climbed nearly 4% in extended trading after the numbers came out.
But a 4-year-old antitrust case brought by the U.S. Department of Justice has cast a cloud of uncertainty over Google’s future.
Besides the legal assault on its search engine, Google also has been ordered to tear down the barriers protecting its Play Store for Android smartphone apps. That ruling came earlier this month after a jury decided that operation also was an illegal monopoly. Google is also nearing the end of another antitrust trial in Virginia revolving around the technology underlying its digital ad network.
As if the regulatory headaches aren’t enough, Google is also in the midst of a major makeover of its search engine that is putting an increasing emphasis on highlight results produced by artificial intelligence in response to competitive threats to alternative options relying on the same potentially revolutionary technology.
For now, at least, Google remains a financial behemoth.
“The momentum across the company is extraordinary,” Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said in a statement.
Some, among the generally more publicised, have focused their athletic endeavours on one discipline and look primed to excel in their chosen field.
Matt and Jack Whitlock, Harriet Gall, Ashton Young. These names often come to mind when looking at the region’s ‘next in line’ — young stars on the verge of breaking out.
Beneath the surface, though, are a group of youngsters plugging away at multiple trades, and doing a more-than-handy job of keeping their options open as far as what they might choose to pursue later in their development.
There are many deserving names on the board and it’s impossible to run the rule over them all in one go, but here’s a crop that looks can’t-miss:
5. Kaleb Gilmour (Waaia Football Club/Waaia Cricket Club)
Kaleb Gilmour has been rising the ranks in the red and black all year round since first stepping on to the scene at under-14 level.
2023-24 was a comprehensively successful summer of cricket for Gilmour, who made under-age and Haisman Shield appearances with Waaia in a convincing minor premiership side.
He went on to balance those commitments with Northern Rivers appearances and a handful of junior games with St Kilda in a sub-division of Victorian Premier Cricket, following the well-worn path of many local prodigies.
No rest for the in-demand Gilmour, though, who then became an ever-present figure in Waaia’s senior Picola District League side, receiving his first senior premiership medal in the Bombers’ comfortable grand final win over Katandra.
There’s plenty of development ahead, but there will surely be a fascinating tug-of-war between the two sports for his services down the line.
4. Claudia Plattfuss (Mooroopna Netball Club/Nathalia Women’s Football Club/Murray Bushrangers)
Plattfuss is another who has done a tremendous job of keeping her options open through a busy season.
The Mooroopna goaler bounced between divisions rapidly in the Cats’ 2024 campaign, starring at 17-and-under level while notching solid hauls in B-grade and making a handful of appearances off the bench at A-grade level, including both finals against Euroa.
Featuring regularly among the votes at junior level, she won her share of plaudits in the Goulburn Murray Women’s League representing Nathalia, where she made five appearances and — sure enough — featured among her side’s best players every time.
Seven appearances at Coates Talent League level for the Bushrangers didn’t go astray either on what became a series of vbusy weekends for the Cats prospect.
The Plattfuss name is one with fingerprints all over the local junior sporting scene, and Claudia looms as one with a high ceiling.
3. Oscar Lambourn (Old Students Cricket Club/Shepparton Football Club)
Oscar Lambourn stood up opposite the Ovens and Murray.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
Young Bear Oscar Lambourn flew into prominence during the most recent Cricket Shepparton Haisman Shield campaign as a regular shining light of the Old Students line-up.
The talented all-rounder spent the vast majority of last campaign in the top half of the Students order, notching two half-centuries in the opening month to go with a knock of 45 in the higher-grade T20 competition, doing plenty of pinch-bowling with top figures of 3-28 against Shepparton United.
Lambourn moved to another level this year, though, after making his senior debut in the Goulburn Valley League as part of a rampant Shepparton outfit — though Monday’s presentation night showed he was leading the under-18 votes through six rounds before making the jump.
First appearing in a crushing round-seven win over Benalla after already featuring in the under-18 interleague clash for the GVL, Lambourn came through the season prior to grand final day averaging 13 touches, three intercepts and disposing at a sharp 79 per cent efficiency from his nine appearances.
With another Haisman campaign just around the corner and a big grand final at Deakin this weekend, he figures to go from strength to strength for some time yet.
Mooroopna’s Amani Issell has achieved highly in blue and white all year round.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
It’s a bountiful time to be part of Mooroopna’s netball brigade, and Amani Issell is emerging towards the front of the charge.
A burgeoning star all-rounder in the Goulburn Murray Cricket realm with the Cats over the summer, Issell’s highlights including a dizzying two-over bowling spell that yielded 5-8 against Echuca White, as well as three different unbeaten scores of 25 or greater in a runner-up side.
Switching back to the netball courts, Issell earned the chance to feature in the 17-and-under interleague side against the Ovens and Murray early in the season, then going on to play a prominent role in a fearsome Mooroopna outfit that suffered only one defeat in the regular season.
With Issell also on the list of juniors who could cap off big years with GVL premierships, there’s a lot to like about her trajectory.
1. Maisy Byrne (Echuca United Junior Football Club/Echuca Netball Club/Echuca Cricket Club)
This starlet just has a knack for winning — it’s that simple.
Maisy Byrne’s knack for achievement is almost unmatched among local juniors, having accomplished plenty in an incredible past 12 months.
The triple threat first took out honours with Echuca Green in the Goulburn Murray Cricket women’s grand final in February, retiring not out in the decider with 33 as her side cruised home.
She then lined up alongside Issell — whose Mooroopna cricket side she defeated in the summer — with the 17-and-under GVL interleague side in May.
Following on from that, she repeatedly threw herself in harm’s way to help Echuca United secure a memorable Goulburn Murray Youth Girls premiership in August over Shepparton United, before reaching the league semis back on the courts with the Murray Bombers later in the year having already featured in a trio of A-grade hit-outs for the defending premiers.
There’s a bright future ahead for the universally talented youngster — though one could confidently suggest there are a few.
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, the world’s wealthiest individual with a net worth of $251 billion has been assigned the codename “Voyager” by his security team.
What Happened: Musk’s security detail functions similarly to a small-scale Secret Service. The tech billionaire is protected more like a state leader than a corporate executive, with up to 20 security professionals accompanying him at times, reported the New York Times on Friday.
They frequently carry firearms and have a medical professional on hand for the tech mogul’s assistance.
As Musk’s wealth and popularity have increased, so have the threats against him. His security team has had to evolve to handle stalkers and death threats, a significant departure from the harmless fan messages he used to receive.
The report indicates that Musk’s security expenses amount to millions of dollars each year, paid to various security firms including Gavin de Becker & Associates and his own private security company, Foundation Security.
The report also detailed an incident where a man was apprehended near Tesla’s Austin factory, accused of planning a “mass casualty event.” Musk’s security was fully mobilized for the event, with over three dozen Tesla security officials stationed throughout the room.
The report suggests that the threats to his safety have led Musk to become more fearful and his lifestyle more isolated. He is rarely without bodyguards, even when he is at his social media company, X, formerly Twitter.
Why It Matters: Musk’s security concerns have been escalating over time. In December 2022, he expressed agreement with a post on Twitter that he had become “public enemy number one to some very very bad people.”
Previously, Musk has also revealed that his son X’s vehicle was followed by a “crazy stalker” who jumped on the car’s hood, thinking Musk was inside.
In January 2023, Musk posted a seemingly sarcastic tweet about his possible death under mysterious circumstances after sharing an alleged note by Russian space agency chief Dmitry Rogozin that mentioned him and the Pentagon.
