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close video China likely targeted a very wide swath of critical infrastructure: Jonathan DT Ward

Atlas Organization founder Jonathan D.T. Ward breaks down the latest political and economic tensions between the U.S. and China.

The U.S. is pushing back on China’s ban on memory chips from Micron Technology, which was announced last week and based on vague national security concerns.

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo spoke Saturday at a news conference following a multinational trade meeting on the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework and said the U.S. government "firmly opposes" China’s ban on Micron and "won’t tolerate" the restrictions.

Raimondo added that China’s import restrictions "target a single U.S. company without any basis in fact, and we see it as plain and simple economic coercion and we won’t tolerate it, nor do we think it will be successful."

China accused Micron, which is a leading U.S. producer of semiconductors used in computer memory and data storage hardware, of posing a threat to national security. China’s cybersecurity agency announced on May 21 that, "Operators of critical infrastructure in China should stop purchasing products from Micron," citing "network security risks" that negatively affect "China’s national security."

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Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo says the U.S. “won’t tolerate” China’s restrictions on Micron as the chip war escalates. (Ken Cedeno/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Prior to China’s announcement, the U.S. and G-7 member countries announced new restrictions on China’s access to technology used in chip manufacturing.

"As we said at the G-7 and as we have said consistently, we are closely engaging with partners addressing this specific challenge and all challenges related to China’s non-market practices," Raimondo said. 

Raimondo added that she raised the Micron issue in a meeting with China’s commerce minister, Wang Wentao, in a meeting on Thursday.

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Micron Technology was hit with a ban by China’s cybersecurity regulator. (Jeremy Erickson/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)

In response to China’s announcement of the restrictions last week, Micron told FOX Business in a statement that, "We have received the CAC’s notice following its review of Micron products sold in China. We are evaluating the conclusion and assessing our next steps. We look forward to continuing to engage in discussions with Chinese authorities."

The U.S., Europe and Japan have taken steps over the last year to restrict the export of sophisticated chips that are used in manufacturing processes for cars, smartphones and computers to China over concerns that the Chinese government may use them to advance its military modernization or further internal repression.

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The U.S., Europe and Japan have moved to restrict China’s access to advanced computer chips. (Photo by Milos Bicanski/Getty Images | istock / Getty Images)

Those moves come as the Chinese Communist Party takes an increasingly aggressive stance toward regional neighbors like Taiwan and represses human rights in Hong Kong and Xinjiang.

China views the tech restrictions as an effort to block its development and has retaliated incrementally due to concerns that the trade restrictions may have a negative impact on Chinese companies that manufacture many of the world’s smartphones, computers and other consumer electronic devices.Ticker Security Last Change Change % MU MICRON TECHNOLOGY INC. 73.93 +4.32 +6.21%

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About 10% of Micron’s revenue is derived from China, but the majority of those sales come from non-Chinese firms acquiring chips to use in products manufactured in China. It’s unclear whether the Chinese government’s newly announced restrictions will apply to non-Chinese firms operating in the country.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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Two dead and a million evacuated as Super Typhoon Fung-wong hits Philippines

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Two dead and a million evacuated as Super Typhoon Fung-wong hits Philippines

Two people have died and more than one million people evacuated after a storm bearing down on the Philippines intensified into a super typhoon and made landfall on Sunday.

Fung-wong started battering eastern and central parts of the country, causing power outages, and forcing President Ferdinand Marcos Jr to declare a state of emergency.

One person drowned in Catanduanes and firefighters recovered the body of a woman trapped under the debris of a collapsed home in Catbalogan City, officials said.

A satellite image shows Storm Fung-wong, which has intensified into a super typhoon. Pic: CSU/CIRA & JMA/JAXA/Handout via Reuters
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A satellite image shows Storm Fung-wong, which has intensified into a super typhoon. Pic: CSU/CIRA & JMA/JAXA/Handout via Reuters

A man walks in the rain with an umbrella as Typhoon Fung-wong approaches, in Cauayan, Isabela, Philippines. Pic: Reuters
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A man walks in the rain with an umbrella as Typhoon Fung-wong approaches, in Cauayan, Isabela, Philippines. Pic: Reuters

Evacuations under way in Quezon province. Pic: Philippine Coast Guard via AP
Image:
Evacuations under way in Quezon province. Pic: Philippine Coast Guard via AP

An evacuation centre in Manila. Pic: Reuters
Image:
An evacuation centre in Manila. Pic: Reuters

Packing sustained winds of 115mph and gusts of up to 140mph, Super Typhoon Fung-wong made landfall in Aurora province in central Luzon.

Those living in high-risk villages in northeastern provinces were told to evacuate, including in Bicol, a coastal region vulnerable to Pacific cyclones and mudflows from Mayon, one of the country’s most active volcanoes.

Defence secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr warned Fung-wong could affect a vast expanse of the country, including the capital Manila, and Cebu, the central province hit hardest by the deadly Typhoon Kalmaegi just days ago.

More than 200 people were killed in the earlier typhoon, and around 100 are still missing.

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Filipinos stranded on roofs amid Typhoon floods

Mr Teodoro Jr urged residents to heed evacuation orders, warning refusing to comply was dangerous and unlawful.

“We ask people to pre-emptively evacuate so that we don’t end up having to conduct rescues at the last minute, which could put the lives of police, soldiers, firefighters and coast guard personnel at risk,” he said in a public address.

More than 30 million people could be exposed to hazards posed by Fung-wong, the Office of Civil Defence said.

The projection of the route that will be taken by Super Typhoon Fung-wong by Japan's national weather agency. Pic: JMA
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The projection of the route that will be taken by Super Typhoon Fung-wong by Japan’s national weather agency. Pic: JMA

In Isabela in northern Luzon, dozens of families were sheltering at a basketball court repurposed as an evacuation centre.

“We’re scared,” said Christopher Sanchez, 50, who fled his home with his family. “We’re here with our grandchildren and our kids. The whole family is in the evacuation area.”

Nearly 400 domestic and international flights have been cancelled, according to the civil aviation regulator.

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Deadly tornado tears through southern Brazil

Deadly tornado in Brazil

Meanwhile, a powerful tornado ripped through the southern state of Parana in Brazil – killing at least six and injuring more than 750 people, state officials said on Saturday.

The tornado left a trail of destruction, downing trees, overturning vehicles and damaging buildings.

Roads were also blocked and power lines damaged, with authorities saying around 1,000 people were displaced,

“We will continue to assist the people of Parana and provide all the help needed,” President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva wrote on X.

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UK deploying specialist RAF team to defend Belgium from ‘rogue’ drones

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UK deploying specialist RAF team to defend Belgium from 'rogue' drones

The UK is deploying a specialist Royal Air Force team to help defend Belgium’s skies following a series of sightings of “rogue” drones, the defence secretary and his military chief have revealed.

The ground-based unit will be equipped with kit that can track and take down unmanned aerial systems.

It is not yet clear who is responsible for the drone incursions, which forced the country’s main airport near Brussels to close temporarily and have also impacted Belgian military bases.

However, there are suspicions that they could be linked to Russia.

Other NATO nations have also experienced similar problems, including Denmark and Germany.

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Air Chief Marshal Sir Rich Knighton, speaking to Trevor Phillips on Sky News, said his Belgian counterpart had called him to request British support.

Queen Camilla looks at counter-drone equipment during a visit to RAF Leeming, Northallerton, in September 2024. Pic: PA
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Queen Camilla looks at counter-drone equipment during a visit to RAF Leeming, Northallerton, in September 2024. Pic: PA

“I had my Belgian opposite number – the chief of the defence staff – in touch with me this week, seeking our help to track and potentially defeat the drones,” he said.

“We agreed with the defence secretary on Friday that we would send our people and our equipment into Belgium to help them with the current problem they have got there.”

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Queen Camilla, who is an honorary air commodore, inspects counter-drone equipment. Pic: PA
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Queen Camilla, who is an honorary air commodore, inspects counter-drone equipment. Pic: PA

John Healey, the defence secretary, said: “When our NATO allies call, we step up. Belgium requested urgent support to counter rogue drone activity at their military bases, so I’ve directed a small team of RAF specialists to deploy immediately.

“As hybrid threats grow, our strength lies in our alliances and our collective resolve to defend, deter and protect our critical infrastructure and airspace.”

The RAF team is trained and equipped to combat drones.

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Three dead and 15 injured in Tenerife tidal surge

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Three dead and 15 injured in Tenerife tidal surge

Three people have died after they were swept into the sea off the coast of Tenerife during treacherous weather, officials said on Sunday.

Strong waves pulled them into the Atlantic Ocean during a tidal surge on Saturday.

A man who had fallen into the water at Charco del Viento, a rocky beauty spot in the north of the island not far from Icod de los Vinos, was airlifted to hospital and was pronounced dead on arrival, Spanish media reported.

In a separate incident, a man was found floating off Cabezo beach in El Medano in the south of the island.

Lifeguards and paramedics were unable to resuscitate him and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

A woman suffered a heart attack and died when a wave swept several people into the sea at Puerto de la Cruz in northern Tenerife. Three people were seriously injured and taken to hospital for treatment.

The victim was a 79-year-old Dutch woman, according to El Dia.

The Spanish newspaper reported the deceased at Charco del Viento was a 43-year-old man from La Orotava, a town in northern Tenerife, while the identity of the man who died at Cabezo beach had not been released.

Around 15 people were injured in four different incidents along the coast of the island of Tenerife on Saturday, according to emergency services.

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Authorities had warned people of a tidal surge and strong winds, advising them not to walk along coastal paths and avoid putting themselves at risk by taking photos and videos of the rough seas.

The Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago off the west coast of Africa that includes Tenerife, are on alert for coastal hazards, officials said.

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