Tag: Raimondo

Categories
-Top News Arab News UAE News

MBZ, Raimondo discuss technology investment

The discussions also touched on the importance of investment in artificial intelligence and advanced technologies..reports Asian Lite News

UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has met with Gina Raimondo, Secretary of Commerce of the United States, to discuss areas of collaboration between the two countries.
The meeting highlighted the ongoing development of UAE-US relations in the fields of economics, trade, investment, and technology, which align with both nations’ shared vision for achieving sustainable economic prosperity.
The discussions also touched on the importance of investment in artificial intelligence and advanced technologies to ensure a more prosperous, growth-oriented, and sustainable future for all.

The two sides explored the recent announcement by UAE-based technology firm MGX regarding its global partnership with several American companies to invest in AI infrastructure. This initiative reflects the UAE’s development vision, in which technology and AI play a central role.

Attendees of the meeting included H.H. Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Ruler of Abu Dhabi and National Security Adviser; H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Court for Special Affairs; Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Tahnoun Al Nahyan, Advisor for Special Affairs at the Presidential Court; Ali bin Hammad Al Shamsi, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council for National Security; Mohamed Hassan Alsuwaidi, Minister of Investment; Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Executive Affairs Authority; Yousef Al Otaiba, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to the United States of America; and a number of senior officials.

US Senators call on UAE President

As part of his official visit to the United States, UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has met with a number of US Senators. Topics of discussion included opportunities to develop UAE-US relations at various levels, as well as other issues of mutual interest.

In separate meetings with Senator Mark Warner, Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence; Senator Markwayne Mullin; Senator Joni Ernst; Senator Tom Cotton; and Senator John Thune, His Highness expressed his pleasure at meeting the Senators and noted that the US Congress has always played a vital role in strengthening relations between the UAE and the US.

His Highness emphasised that his visit comes in the context of a shared commitment to advancing bilateral cooperation and elevating these relations to serve the mutual interests of both countries, particularly in key areas such as the economy, trade and investment, climate action, artificial intelligence, renewable energy, and sustainability. He highlighted that ties between the two countries are based on solid foundations of trust, mutual respect, and common interests, noting that the US remains a key ally of the UAE and has been a central tenet of its foreign policy for more than 50 years.

His Highness also pointed to the importance the UAE places on dialogue and consultation with the US regarding Middle Eastern issues, recognising the crucial role the US plays in supporting stability and peace in this strategically important part of the world. He reaffirmed the UAE’s commitment to countering extremism, violence, and terrorism, and its willingness to work alongside the US in addressing these challenges.

His Highness reiterated the UAE’s steadfast support for US initiatives and efforts to end the war in Gaza, and its hope that Congress will play a meaningful role in furthering these endeavours.

ALSO READ: UAE, US sign deal to boost customs cooperation

Categories
-Top News China

Chinese hackers breach Secy Raimondo’s emails

File photo of U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. (Photo credit: Secretary Gina Raimondo Facebook account)

Multiple officials said the attack was aimed at individual email accounts, rather than a large-scale exfiltration of data, which Chinese hackers are suspected of having done before…reports Asian Lite News

Chinese hackers breached the email of Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and State Department officials in the weeks before State Secretary Antony Blinken visited Beijing in June, New York Times reported citing US officials.

The investigation is underway but the US officials, on Wednesday, downplayed the idea that the Chinese hackers, who are likely to be part of the military or spy services, have stolen the sensitive information, insisting that no classified email or cloud systems were penetrated. The State Department’s cybersecurity team first discovered the intrusion.

Raimondo, who has been one of the most outspoken critics of Beijing in the administration, was among the targets, according to two U.S. officials.

Recently, she tightened export controls on China, threatening to cut off the country’s supply of US semiconductor technology if it provides the chips to Russia. Raimondo is also expected to visit China by the end of the summer, reported New York Times.

Based on their preliminary investigation, officials believe she was the only cabinet-level official to be successfully hacked. The hackers were not able to acquire emails in Blinken’s Microsoft 365 account, even as they got access to other State Department email boxes, officials said.

Multiple officials said the attack was aimed at individual email accounts, rather than a large-scale exfiltration of data, which Chinese hackers are suspected of having done before.

US President Joe Biden’s administration officials declined to give a full accounting of which the hackers had targeted officials.

Earlier, on Tuesday, Microsoft revealed that the Chinese hackers with the intention to collect intelligence on the US have gained access to government email accounts.

The attack was targeted, according to a person briefed on the intrusion into the government networks, with the hackers going after specific accounts rather than carrying out a broad-brush intrusion that would suck up enormous amounts of data, as per the New York Times.

It is pertinent to mention that the State Department discovered the intrusion on June 16 and informed Microsoft that day, just ahead of Blinken’s trip to Beijing, a US official said. He departed from Washington that evening.

After Blinken, Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen also visited Beijing. President Biden and Xi Jinping, Chinese Premier, agreed in a meeting in Bali, Indonesia, last November to try to stabilize relations, but tensions between the two nations ramped up when the Pentagon discovered and shot down a Chinese spy balloon that was floating over the continental United States in early February.

After the discovery of the spy balloon hovering in US skies, Blinken’s visit to China in February was cancelled. In a statement on Wednesday, the State Department said that after detecting “anomalous activity,” the government took steps to secure the systems and “will continue to closely monitor and quickly respond to any further activity.”

After the State Department reported the hack to Microsoft, the company found that the hackers had also targeted some 25 organizations, including government agencies, according to New York Times. (ANI)

ALSO READ-Russia blames US, Apple for hacking thousands of iPhones

Categories
-Top News India News

Raimondo: ‘Holi was a fantastic experience’

On Wednesday, Raimondo participated in Holi festivities at Rajnath Singh’s New Delhi residence…reports Asian Lite News

United States Secretary of Commerce, Gina Raimondo, on Thursday said celebrating Holi in India was a fantastic experience for her.

She also thanked Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal for hosting her. “I’m here in New Delhi. And it is really an honour to be here and I want to thank all of the ministers who have so graciously hosted me while I’ve been here, especially Minister Piyush Goyal my counterpart, also special thanks to Minister Singh, who invited me to his home yesterday with his family to celebrate Holi with him, which was a fantastic experience and a great way to learn from experience an important part of your culture,” Raimondo said.

On Wednesday, Raimondo participated in Holi festivities at Rajnath Singh’s New Delhi residence.

“Our partnership with India is one of our most consequential relationships and I think one of our most promising bilateral relationships as we look forward. I think we share a common set of values grounded around our democratic traditions, along with a commitment to promoting free open rules. based order to bolster security and prosperity,” she added.

The top US official highlighted that both countries also share a real opportunity to expand their economic relationships, reaffirming their roles as trusted partners to each other, creating jobs in both countries establishing more resilient and secure supply chains.

“I am very encouraged by the progress that we are making. Minister Goyal and I will convene a meeting tomorrow on Friday of the US-India commercial dialogue and the US-India CEO Forum. I’m thrilled to say that can 10 CEOs of leading tech companies travelled with me for the forum and are here in person their role in working together with their Indian CEO counterpart is to develop recommendations for how the two governments can expand commercial ties and create more economic opportunity in both of our countries,” Raimondo mentioned in her telephonic press conference on Thursday. (ANI)

ALSO READ-Albanese calls India top-tier security partner