USA – The United States finalised a rule Tuesday effectively barring Chinese technology from cars in the American market, taking aim at software and hardware from the world’s second biggest economy on national security risks. The announcement comes as outgoing President Joe Biden wraps up efforts to step up curbs on Chinese-made technology, and after a months-long regulatory process. The rule also follows an announcement this month that Washington is mulling new rules to address risks posed by drones with tech from adversaries like China and Russia. “Cars today aren’t just steel on wheels — they’re computers,” said Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo of the rule that also targets Russian technology.

“This is a targeted approach to ensure we keep PRC and Russian-manufactured technologies off American roads,” she added, referring to the People’s Republic of China. National Economic Advisor Lael Brainard added that “China is trying to dominate the future of the auto industry,” but connected vehicles containing software and hardware systems linked to foreign rivals could risk the misuse of sensitive data or interference. (Jamaicaobserver)

FREETOWN  –  Sierra Leone has declared a public health emergency after two cases of mpox were reported. The West African country’s health minister announced the move on Monday after the second case of the deadly viral disease was confirmed. “The confirmation of two cases of mpox in the country has prompted immediate action as mandated by the Public Health Act,” Health Minister Austin Demby told reporters in the capital, Freetown. “On behalf of the government of Sierra Leone, I am declaring a public health emergency.” Last week, Sierra Leone reported its first confirmed case of mpox since the African Union’s health watchdog declared a public health emergency over the growing mpox outbreak on the continent last year. A second case was confirmed after a 21-year-old man showed symptoms on January 6, the National Public Health Agency said on social media. Neither case had known recent contact with infected animals or other sick individuals, the Ministry of Health and Sanitation said.

Only the first case involved recent travel, limited to the airport town of Lungi in the northern Port Loko District between December 26 and January 6. Both patients are receiving treatment at a hospital in Freetown. The public health emergency “allows us to act immediately to mobilise the resources needed to contain the disease, prevent further spread and provide care to those affected”, the minister said. Demby also announced increased border surveillance and testing, as well as the launch of a national awareness campaign. He added that Sierra Leone’s medical system was ready to respond to cases, pointing to experience gained during the Ebola and COVID-19 outbreaks. “We urge all citizens to remain calm, stay informed and report any suspected cases promptly to healthcare authorities,” Demby said.

Mpox is caused by a virus from the same family as smallpox, manifesting in a high fever and skin lesions, called vesicles. Also known as monkeypox, it was first identified by scientists in 1958 when outbreaks of a “pox-like” disease in monkeys occurred. Until recently, most human cases were seen in people in Central and West Africa who had close contact with infected animals. In 2022, the virus was confirmed for the first time to spread via sex, as outbreaks were triggered in more than 70 countries across the world that had not reported mpox previously. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has borne the brunt of the epidemic, with a vast majority of the roughly 43,000 suspected cases and 1,000 deaths in Africa this year.

A decade ago, Sierra Leone was the epicentre of the Ebola outbreak that ravaged West Africa in an epidemic killing some 4,000 people, including nearly 7 percent of the country’s health workers, between 2014 and 2016. (Al Jazeera)

Photo: Mpox particles found within an infected cell. (AP)

Venezuelan military authorities reportedly detained a “Guyana-flagged” tanker last Sunday that illegally entered Venezuela’s waters. Venezuela media reports detailed that the vessel was held at Port Guamache, Nueva Esparta, Venezuela without the necessary permits to navigate the country’s territorial waters.  The country’s military authorities identified the vessel as “Four Plus” with and IMO registration number, 920393, with a crew of Chinese nationals on board.

An investigation was immediately launched by a mixed commission of joint services officials which include a commander of the Pampatar Main Coast Guard Station, troops assigned to the General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence (Dgcim), the Regional Anti-Drug Intelligence Unit 71, Migration of the Bolivarian National Police and the National Institute of Aquatic Spaces (INEA). In a statement last Monday evening, the Maritime Administration Department advised that the chemical tanker, “Four Plus” bearing IMO No. 9203920, which was recently detained by Venezuelan authorities for unauthorised entry into that State’s waters was falsely flying the Guyana flag. “The vessel is not registered in Guyana, so it is not authorised to fly the Guyana flag or claim Guyanese nationality. MARAD wishes to remind stakeholders and the public that it operates a closed Ships’ Registry, and does not offer a flag of convenience.”

MARAD reminded that recent media reports highlighted the sanctioning of five oil tankers linked to a Syrian conglomerate with ties to Iran and Venezuela by the United States Treasury Department. These vessels also bore false registration documents. “The issues of fraudulently registered vessels and the operation of a global shadow fleet remain on the radar of the global maritime community. The IMO at the 112th Session of its Legal Committee, scheduled for March this year, is expected to further develop measures to prevent these unlawful practices,” MARAD said in its statement.  (Kaieteur News)

Photo: The detained vessel. (Kaieteur News)