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workfromhom · 4 years ago

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Courier raises $10.1M Series A to help developers integrate multi-channel notifications

Courier is an API platform with a no-code twist that helps developers add multi-channel user notifications to their applications. The company today announced that it has raised a $10.1 million Series A funding round led by Bessemer Venture Partners. Matrix Partners, Twilio and Slack Fund also participated in this round.

Previously, the company raised a $2.3 million seed round led by Matrix Partners, with participation from Y Combinator. That round, which closed in April 2019, was previously unreported. Bessemer Venture Partners’ Byron Deeter and Matrix Partners’ Patrick Malatack, the previous VP of Product at Twilio, will join Courier’s Board of Directors.

“While at Twilio, I saw developers wrestling with integrating multiple channels together into a single experience,” says Malatack in today’s announcement. “Courier’s vision of a single platform for connecting and managing multiple channels really compliments the channel explosion I was seeing customers struggle with.”

Image Credits: Courier

Courier founder and CEO Troy Goode previously led an engineering group at marketing automation firm Eloqua, which was acquired by Oracle in 2012, and as the CTO and Head of Product at logistics software provider Winmore. Eloqua is clearly where he drew his inspiration for Courier from, though, which he built out during his time at Y Combinator.

“And one of the things that I noticed and became very frustrated by was that with Eloqua, Marketo, HubSpot, there were a ton of different tools for marketing teams to use to communicate with prospects and our leads,” Goode told me. “But as soon as somebody became a customer, as soon as somebody became a user, we weren’t using those platforms. All of a sudden, we were manually plugging in infrastructure level systems like SendGrid and Twilio.”

Twilio launches SendGrid Ads and new cross-channel messaging API

The idea behind Courier is to provide development teams with a one-stop service for all their notification and communication infrastructure needs without having to build it from scratch. As Goode noted, large companies like Airbnb and LinkedIn can afford to build and maintain these systems to send out transactional emails to their users, often with teams that have dozens of engineers on them. Small teams can build less sophisticated solutions, but there’s really no need for every company to reinvent the wheel.

Today, Courier integrates with the likes of Slack, Microsoft Teams, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, SendGrid, Postmark, Mailgun, MessageBird, Twilio and Nexmo, among others.

One thing that makes the service stand out is that it offers both a no-code system for users to build their massaging flows and templates, as well as the APIs for developers to integrate these into their applications. That means anybody within a company can, for example, build rules to route messages through specific channels and providers based on their needs, on top of managing the content and the branding of the messages that are being sent.

Image Credits: Courier

“You’ve got this broad array of potential providers,” Good said. “And what you need to do is figure out, okay, which provider am I going to use? And sometimes, especially at large organizations, the answer is multiple providers. And or email, you might need a backup email service in case your primary goes down, or you need to warm up an IP pool for SMS . You might have different providers per geography for both deliverability and price reasons. That’s really hard stuff to build yourself.”

But in addition, different recipients also have different preferences, too, and while users can build rules around that today, the company is looking at how to automate this process over time so that it can, for example, automatically ping users on the channel where they are most likely to respond (or purchase something) at a given time of the day.

Goode noted that it may be hard to convert big businesses to move to its platform given that they have already invested a lot into their own systems. But like Stripe, which faced a similar problem given that most potential users weren’t waiting to rip out their existing payment infrastructure, he believes that partnering with companies early and having patience will pay off in the long run.

Twilio closes acquisition of email specialist SendGrid in all-stock deal now worth $3B

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un-enfant-immature · 4 years ago

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Courier raises $10.1M Series A to help developers integrate multi-channel notifications

Image Credits: Courier

Twilio launches SendGrid Ads and new cross-channel messaging API

Today, Courier integrates with the likes of Slack, Microsoft Teams, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, SendGrid, Postmark, Mailgun, MessageBird, Twilio and Nexmo, among others.

Image Credits: Courier

Twilio closes acquisition of email specialist SendGrid in all-stock deal now worth $3B

#TechCrunch

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mikemortgage · 6 years ago

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Winmore Launches New Bid and Tender Management Software for Global Logistics Market

SAN FRANCISCO — Winmore unveiled its flagship software solution today that helps the world’s freight forwarders and freight brokers streamline, accelerate and optimize their bid and tender response processes, accelerating customer acquisition, boosting win rates while improving gross margin. The new solution provides commercial leaders with a digital platform to manage the qualification and response of transportation bids and tenders, a critical but time-consuming process today which is largely administered manually using spreadsheets.

“An efficient bid and tender process is critical to the success of today’s third-party logistics service provider,” said Pete Cittadini, CEO of Winmore. “Our cloud-based solution helps freight forwarders and freight brokers prioritize and increase the win rates of the tenders that drive the most margin, align with their capacity, represent the lowest risk and have the highest likelihood of driving downstream spot market business which is often quite profitable.”

Using Winmore’s bid and tender management software, 3PLs can tap into RFP workflows which incorporate the logistics industry’s best practices to gain end-to-end process visibility; this expedites the response process and ensures that bids are submitted on-schedule.

The software also helps logistics service providers flag RFPs and tenders which may price checks for incumbent service providers; analysts suggest 18% of RFPs and tenders fall into this category which consume resources, erode margin and risk commoditizing the industry.

“Winmore’s software plays a critical role as the digital foundation of our tender process,” said Michael Lutjann, Chief Information Officer of Imperial Logistics, a Duisberg, Germany-based logistics and supply chain solution provider. “With Winmore, we respond faster with higher quality bids that make real and lasting contributions to our commercial goals.”

The Bid and Tender management software launched today enables:

Data-Driven Bid and Tender Qualification: Bid Scoring shows 3PLs which RFQs and tenders will drive the highest margin and value, helping avoid low-probability and unprofitable bids.

Bid Process Visibility: Logistics leaders will know the status of every bid. The software provides clear insights so the sales, finance, legal, IT, carrier and product teams know what’s expected when, and if any bottlenecks threaten the process.

Increased Accountability: Enable team members to collaborate, exchange ideas, ask questions, set alerts, manage tasks and obtain approvals—whenever and wherever they want.

Winmore is designed to increase hit rates, lower cost-to-respond and help customers win more bids.

Winmore runs on Amazon AWS, the World’s most trusted, secure, scalable cloud-based infrastructure. Winmore is a managed environment that provides immediate value for customers on day one, without requiring IT help.

Availability: Winmore is available immediately

About the Global Logistics Industry: Transparency Market Research (TMR) values the current logistics market at $8.1T and forecasts it to grow to $15.5T in 2023.

About Winmore

Winmore is helmed by Silicon Valley software veterans and Logistics Industry experts, with a combined experience spanning decades in bringing cutting edge, disruptive technologies to market. Winmore is laser focused on being the World Leader in Bid and Tender Management for Freight Forwarders and Brokers. Learn more at winmore.app

Watch the Winmore video: winmore.app/blogs#videos

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190113005044/en/

Contacts

Mark Gamble Director, Winmore Product Marketing +1-831-233-1776 [email protected]

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digitallyunpluggedmagazine · 6 years ago

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Winmore Launches New Bid and Tender Management Software for Global Logistics Market SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--lt;a href=" target="_blank"gt;#3pllt;/agt;--Winmore Launches New Bid and Tender Management Software for logistics service providers to increase their Tender/RFP win rates and improve margins

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winmoreacademy · 2 years ago

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The Importance of Co-Curricular Activities in CBSE Schools in Whitefield, Bangalore

CBSE schools in Whitefield, Bangalore, are known for their academic excellence, but there is more to education than just academics. Co-curricular activities play a crucial role in shaping a student's personality and character, and that is why they are an integral part of the curriculum at Winmore Academy.

Co-curricular activities refer to activities that are undertaken alongside academic studies. These activities include sports, cultural events, debates, quizzes, and community service. They provide a platform for students to showcase their talents and interests, develop new skills, and learn valuable life lessons.

At Winmore Academy, we believe that co-curricular activities are just as important as academics, and we encourage our students to participate in a wide range of activities. Here are some reasons why co-curricular activities are so important:

1. Holistic development: Co-curricular activities help in the overall development of a student's personality. They teach important life skills like teamwork, leadership, time management, and communication, which cannot be learned in a classroom.

2. Health and fitness: Sports and physical activities are an essential part of co-curricular activities. They help students maintain good health, develop motor skills, and learn the importance of discipline and perseverance.

3. Creativity and self-expression: Cultural events, music, dance, and drama are excellent ways for students to express themselves creatively. These activities also promote cultural awareness and tolerance.

4. Academic performance: Research has shown that students who participate in co-curricular activities perform better academically. This is because these activities help in developing cognitive skills like problem-solving, critical thinking, and decision-making.

At Winmore Academy, we offer a wide range of co-curricular activities to our students. Our sports facilities include a swimming pool, basketball court, football field, and a state-of-the-art gymnasium. We also have a well-equipped auditorium for cultural events and a spacious library for students to indulge in their reading habits.

We encourage our students to participate in various inter-school competitions and events to showcase their talents and develop their skills. Our teachers and coaches provide guidance and support to our students, helping them reach their full potential.

In conclusion, co-curricular activities play a vital role in the holistic development of a student. At Winmore Academy, we understand the importance of co-curricular activities, and we strive to provide our students with the best possible platform to showcase their talents and skills. If you are looking for CBSE schools near Whitefield, Bangalore, that offer a well-rounded education, Winmore Academy is the perfect choice.

To Know More:

https://www.winmoreacademy.com/cbse-board-schools-whitefield-bangalore/

#cbse schools in bangalore

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whittlebaggett8 · 6 years ago

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Hong Kong and the US-China New Cold War

In excess of the earlier couple of months, Hong Kong, a former British colony and now a distinctive administrative area under Chinese sovereignty, has emerged on the radar of the United States.

On February 27, 2019, the U.S. consul basic in Hong Kong, Kurt Tong, shipped an abnormal speech “cautioning” about the sustainability of Hong Kong’s autonomy under the “one state, two systems” (OCTS) design. In his speech, Tong highlighted the great importance of maintaining Hong Kong’s autonomy in the “free and open Indo-Pacific” (FOIP) location. On March 21, 2019, the U.S. State Division posted its annual report on Hong Kong, which uncovered that the region’s autonomy has been “diminished” in consequence of China’s interventions, nevertheless it was continue to “sufficient” to justify continued differential therapy from the United States. On April 25, 2019, the Condition Department issued a large-profile statement expressing its concerns on the proposed Extradition Bill, which, when handed, will authorize the Hong Kong governing administration to extradite men and women to China and place an stop to Hong Kong’s 178 12 months-extended different lawful jurisdiction. On May 4, 2019, Tong issued a extra immediate warning in a media job interview, expressing that “the issue of the U.S. is if the distinctions in between Hong Kong and the mainland are blurred and the OCTS framework is less clear, then may perhaps be there would want to be changes in U.S. plan.”

People may be stunned by Washington’s notice to Hong Kong, a territory only 1,106 square kilometers in dimension. But if a single seems to be nearer at the United States’ extensive, but normally under-talked over, geopolitical pursuits in Hong Kong then we need to not be shocking to see Washington stage in — notably as the U.S. and China move toward a new Cold War.

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U.S. Interests in Hong Kong

The U.S. presence in Hong Kong could be traced again to 1843, when it set up its first consulatebut U.S. pursuits in Hong Kong only grew to become distinguished throughout the Cold War time period, when the United States replaced Britain as the dominant geopolitical ability in Asia. During Globe War II, Washington at first took the view that Britain should return Hong Kong to China, then underneath Kuomintang command, but the increase of “Red China” in 1949 changed its placement toward Hong Kong. Found along the “Bamboo Curtain” that demarcated communist governments and the “Free World” in Asia, Hong Kong was seen by the United States as a friendly outpost in the Cold War.

In its 1960 confidential report, the U.S. Countrywide Security Council mentioned that the overriding objective of the United States was “(c)ontinuation of Hong Kong’s standing as a Absolutely free Planet outpost.” For this objective, Washington adopted a two-pronged solution: On the a person hand the United States supported the British Hong Kong govt to consolidate its rule by improving upon its protection (providing a joint strategic deterrent with Britain against Chinese attack) and supporting its industrialization (bettering the nicely-staying of the Chinese refugee inhabitants). On the other hand, the United States made use of the position of British Hong Kong as a individual jurisdiction positioned in proximity to the People’s Republic of China to go after its strategic aims, this kind of as establishing the United States’ premier abroad intelligence equipment in the U.S. consulate-normal in Hong Kong (which housed a huge-scale CIA station and FBI attaché) and conducting anti-communist propaganda by means of the U.S. Information Assistance (attractive to mainland Chinese, Hong Kongers, abroad Chinese, and Asian audience).

In the publish-Cold War period of time, the typical effect was that Hong Kong’s price to the United States had turn into financial — Hong Kong is now the United States’ 19th most significant trade lover (and the solitary-greatest contributor to the U.S. trade surplus) and a key company procedure foundation for U.S. firms in Asia (U.S. corporations rated 1st between non-nearby organizations, acquiring 290 regional headquarters and 434 regional offices in Hong Kong in 2018). Yet, a close evaluation will expose that Hong Kong is however actively playing a sizeable position in endorsing U.S. strategic passions in Asia.

Right after the 1997 handover again to Chinese control, presented the strategic locale of Hong Kong, the U.S. consulate-typical in the territory stored reporting instantly to the Condition Office in Washington, fairly than to the U.S. embassy in Beijing The U.S. Navy continue to routinely will make port calls to Hong Kong due to the fact it is the “closest to deployment tracks” of U.S. vessels U.S. C-17 armed service aircraft often function in Hong Kong’s airport to deliver materials to the U.S. consulate-typical. Most notably, distinctive U.S. administrations still implicitly deal with Hong Kong as a “Free World outpost,” keeping on to the expectation that following reverting to China Hong Kong would grow to be a “change agent” driving China’s liberalization. For instance, U.S. President Bill Clinton praised Hong Kong as “a catalyst of democratic values” when producing a speech about U.S. plan toward China on May 28, 1993 the very same theme has also been repeated in a new speech manufactured by Kurt Tong, who emphasized the “demonstration power” of Hong Kong in demonstrating China international very best procedures.

The United States’ intensive geopolitical pursuits in Hong Kong were institutionalized by the 1992 U.S.-Hong Kong Plan Act (USHKPA). The USHKPA recognizes Hong Kong as a nonsovereign entity distinct from China below U.S. laws (in conditions of trade, financial commitment, immigration, transport, global agreements and membership, and so on.) and signifies U.S. guidance for its democratization. The USHKPA also mandates the Condition Department to keep a near eye on the condition of Hong Kong’s autonomy, with the president remaining authorized to suspend element or all of the differential treatment method must it be considered “not adequately autonomous.” The USHKPA for that reason provides Washington with a plan software to action into Hong Kong affairs immediately after the handover, if vital.

Chinese Passions in Hong Kong

We can only have a comprehensive geopolitical image if we also look at China’s interests in Hong Kong given that the Chilly War.

Hong Kong has usually been observed by Beijing as crucial to the survival of the Chinese Group Bash (CCP) routine. In February 1949, prior to the founding of the People’s Republic of China, Mao Zedong experienced now made a decision not to retake Hong Kong and as a substitute leave it to the British, a coverage later on formally termed by Zhou Enlai as “long-phrase planning, whole utilization.” By keeping Hong Kong as a separate jurisdiction in the identify of British Hong Kong, China successfully circumvented the blockade imposed by the United States due to the fact 1949. In the course of the Chilly War period, Hong Kong functioned as the single-most significant contributor of overseas trade to China (estimated at above 173 million lbs in 1966, about a 3rd of the total) the only entrepôt for “smuggling” sanctioned Western know-how, tools, and medications to China and exporting Chinese food items products and solutions a business operation foundation for Chinese enterprises and an intelligence center for Chinese agents. Without the need of Hong Kong, it is questionable no matter whether the CCP could have survived the U.S. blockade and the Sino-Soviet split from the 1950s to ‘60s.

Hong Kong however features as the one most critical capital service provider to China by serving as the biggest supply of inward immediate financial commitment (typically constituting 60 to 70 percent of China’s FDI), a big listing position for Chinese businesses (a overall of 1,146 H-shares, Red-chips and Mainland private enterprises have been outlined in Hong Kong’s main board in 2018), and an significant resource of bank financial loans (in 2018 the whole quantity of Hong Kong banks’ internet claims on lender and nonbank consumers in China exceeded HK$713 billion).

The irreplaceable benefit of Hong Kong to China was evidently the purpose behind Beijing’s determination in the 1980s to prolong Hong Kong’s position as a different jurisdiction past 1997 in the identify of the “Hong Kong Unique Administrative Region” (HKSAR). From the Deng Xiaoping routine to the Xi Jinping routine, Hong Kong has proven by itself as indispensable to Beijing’s survival.

In modern years, as China has aggressively expanded its impact, Beijing leaders are making an attempt to change Hong Kong into a “Red China outpost” mainly because its internationally-regarded position as a individual jurisdiction presents the best car or truck for offshore Chinese affect operations. For illustration, several Chinese companies have reworked by themselves into “Hong Kong companies” for the objective of exporting China’s outward direct financial investment (in 2017 HK$179 billion flowed from China to Hong Kong), including the infamous Nicaragua canal offer executed by Chinese businessman Wang Jing via a Hong Kong-registered enterprise known as HK Nicaragua Canal Progress Expense in 2013.

Hong Kong’s position as a individual customs territory and an unbiased delivery registry also serves China’s passions effectively by permitting it to circumvent U.S. export controls (e.g. China ordered U.S.-built satellites via a Hong Kong-registered firm named Asia Satellite Telecommunications) and sanctions imposed by the UN (e.g. oil smuggling by a Hong Kong-registered ship referred to as Lighthouse Winmore to a North Korean vessel in December 2017). Even HKSAR passports and Hong Kong’s separate membership in international corporations have been identified to be useful for China to broaden its impact, as shown by the frequent use of HKSAR passports by mainland elites these kinds of as Huawei’s main economic officer Meng Wanzhou (who was discovered to maintain three HKSAR passports with distinct numbers). Hong Kong’s independent position also successfully provides China a next vote in international organizations, as demonstrated in the vote to revoke Taichung’s hosting legal rights for the East Asian Youth Game titles in July 2018 (China and its two SARs, Hong Kong and Macau, all voted in favor of calling off the online games).

Past but not the least, just after the United States begun to strain ZTE and Huawei in April 2018, Beijing right away declared in Might 2018 its final decision to make Hong Kong the nationwide innovation hub. The open secret of this announcement is Beijing’s program to make use of Hong Kong’s independent status to import Western technological innovation for this objective Beijing also correspondingly expedited its prepare to incorporate Hong Kong into its far more immediate jurisdiction via the Greater Bay Region (GBA) prepare. In accordance to China’s GBA Define Enhancement Strategy, Hong Kong will be put underneath the leadership of a superior-stage GBA major team chaired by Chinese Vice Leading Han Zheng, meaning that the territory’s autonomy could be much more “fully utilized” by Beijing.

Obviously, in the process of transforming Hong Kong into a “Red China outpost,” China is seeking to adjust the “inner content” of Hong Kong’s autonomy without breaking the “outer shell” of the OCTS product — to use the official line of Beijing, this indicates that “the central govt physical exercises all round jurisdiction over the HKSAR,” as promulgated by PRC Point out Council’s 2014 White Paper. In other text, China does not intend to wholly get rid of the OCTS product, but it is aiming to hollow out the autonomy of Hong Kong so that the OCTS design could be “fully utilized” for its very own pursuits. This geopolitical history points out China’s significant-handed solution to suppress Hong Kong’s democratic movement in modern yrs. Any go toward a larger diploma of democratic self-govt will disrupt Beijing’s approach to renovate Hong Kong into a software for PRC impact.

Hong Kong at the Forefront of U.S.-China Struggles

The key lesson that could be drawn from the over geopolitical background is that Hong Kong has often been at the forefront of U.S.-China struggles.

In the bipolar Chilly War time period, when the United States adopted a containment policy to look at the spread of communism from the Soviet Union and its allies, such as China, Washington positioned Hong Kong as a “Free Environment outpost” less than this umbrella coverage. Concurrently, China resisted U.S. containment policy by “fully utilizing” the standing of Hong Kong to bypass the U.S. blockade.

Considering that the check out of President Richard Nixon to China in 1972, diverse U.S. presidents from Jimmy Carter to Barack Obama have sought to “engage China in the hope that it would turn into greater integrated into the international community.” In this gentle, Hong Kong’s purpose in U.S. coverage advanced into some variety of modify agent encouraging to liberalize China beneath the American engagement plan concurrently China is thoroughly informed of the U.S. endeavor to advertise “peaceful evolution” of the CCP regime and that Hong Kong is a “Trojan Horse” of the entire U.S. approach. Hence in the early write-up-handover period of time, China adopted a defensive tactic, attempting to reduce the “well water” of Hong Kong from intruding into the “river water” of China. Additional than 4 a long time just after 1972, it is obvious that the U.S. engagement coverage has unsuccessful to liberalize China and the U.S. expectation that Hong Kong could be its transform agent proved to be a fantasy. As a substitute, China emerged as a new superpower under the unprecedented model of “authoritarian capitalism” and in current many years Beijing also gained floor by transforming Hong Kong into its very own Trojan Horse.

The Trump administration, due to the fact taking workplace in January 2017, has altered the path of U.S. coverage towards China by abandoning the standard engagement strategy and exploring a aggressive technique, confronting Beijing on various fronts from trade and technology to intelligence and military services affairs. But just one essential concern remains unanswered: What is the position of Hong Kong in the new China plan of the Trump administration?

U.S. Solutions in Hong Kong

Conceptually, there are three broad alternatives for the United States.

Initial, Washington can maintain its current “principled fingers-off tactic,” i.e. issuing warnings to China about the erosion of Hong Kong’s autonomy but having no motion underneath the USHKPA. This approach is easy to understand supplied that the United States acknowledges Hong Kong as section of the sovereign territory of China and restrains from owning any immediate involvement in Hong Kong affairs. But the draw back of this selection is also evident. The United States has adopted this solution since the 2014 Umbrella Motion, but its repeated warnings so much have not aided avoid the constant erosion of Hong Kong’s autonomy. In actuality, Washington is now facing the chance of getting a toothless tiger on the Hong Kong challenge as China finds that its warnings are not backed by any action. Most importantly, below this possibility China will be in a position to conveniently change Hong Kong into a “Red China outpost” and the territory’s differential therapy will turn into the most important loophole of any U.S. sanctions imposed on China.

2nd, the United States can impose territory-vast sanctions by suspending section or all of the differential treatment granted to Hong Kong less than the USHKPA. This possibility could be rapidly executed under the current USHKPA by way of presidential govt orders. This would make sense if the United States sees the OCTS product as becoming a risk to its nationwide passions and it does not have the leverage (or it is now way too late) to end China from reworking Hong Kong. This alternative, even if adopted partially (e.g. imposing a technologies export ban), will drastically undermine Hong Kong’s purpose as an global monetary middle and consequently deal a intense blow to the Chinese financial state, presented China’s irreplaceable reliance on Hong Kong’s monetary sector. On the other hand, this is a “nuclear option” because its territory-wide mother nature will not only harm Beijing and its neighborhood collaborators in Hong Kong, but also all the citizens of Hong Kong who, for a long time, have stored battling for democratic self-government. Also, suspending part or all of the differential treatment for Hong Kong under the USHKPA will correctly imply that the United States is using the guide to practice a “one country, one system” coverage toward Hong Kong, which is a deviation from the longstanding policy to assist Hong Kong’s autonomy under the OCTS design. That would also be contradictory to Washington’s attempt to incorporate Hong Kong into the FOIP framework as pointed out by Kurt Tong.

Third, the United States can impose specific/entity-specific sanctions for infringement of Hong Kong’s autonomy under the USHKPA, this kind of as freezing the assets and denying entry of people professional-CCP folks/entities who are observed by Washington as undermining Hong Kong’s autonomy. Procedurally, this could be done by incorporating related provisions into the present USHKPA or adopting the pending Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act. The rationale of this solution is to distinguish pro-CCP people/entities from the citizens of Hong Kong. This technique also recognizes that most of Beijing’s interventions — these kinds of as the disqualification of democrats by district officers, the rejection of Victor Mallet’s visa renewal by immigration officers, the ban on Hong Kong National Get together by police officers and the passage of a co-location arrangement by professional-CCP legislators — were being really carried out by regional collaborators in the HKSAR government and Legislative Council. This selection would destroy two birds with a single stone: It would boost the charge for professional-CCP regional collaborators to execute Beijing’s interventions, offering an powerful check out towards more erosion of Hong Kong’s autonomy it would also complement advocacy for democratic self-governing administration by Hong Kong democrats, reviving Hong Kong’s placement as a “Free Globe outpost” at the forefront of FOIP. But it is pretty much selected that China would have a robust response to this selection, setting up Hong Kong a battlefield for a U.S.-China showdown. Except if the United States has a clear, feasible strategy to sustain Hong Kong’s autonomy in the extended operate and has the resolve to push ahead, adopting this solution may only inject political instability into the territory.

Wherever Are the Voices of Hong Kongers?

In this emerging U.S.-China new Cold War, where by are the voices of Hong Kongers? Really should Hong Kong’s folks align with the United States or China, or undertake some sort of nonalignment? Room for small entities is normally confined beneath the geopolitical online games of the significant powers, but there are also many historic illustrations of the “leverages of the weak” like Austria and British Hong Kong in the Cold War.

In any case, Hong Kongers must not be mere spectators, usually they will grow to be pawns on the geopolitical chessboard they have to get their voices read and defend Hong Kong as an internationalized autonomous region open up to the entire environment. Of course, the HKSAR now is not British Hong Kong and the regional context has modified rather substantially. But no make any difference how narrow the bridge is, Hong Kongers ought to test to cross it.

Brian C.H. Fong is a comparative political scientist from The Education College of Hong Kong. He is now modifying a guide volume entitled China’s Impact: Centre-Periphery Tug of War Across the Indo-Pacific (with Andrew J. Nathan and Wu Jiehmin).

The post Hong Kong and the US-China New Cold War appeared first on Defence Online.

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wionews · 7 years ago

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South Korea seizes second ship suspected of providing oil to North Korea

South Korean authorities have seized a Panama-flagged vessel suspected of transferring oil products to North Korea in violation of international sanctions, a customs official said on Sunday.

The seizure was the second to be revealed by South Korea within a few days, as the United Nations steps up efforts to squeeze essential oil supplies to the reclusive North following its nuclear or ballistic missile tests.

The ship, KOTI, was seized at Pyeongtaek-Dangjin port, the official told Reuters, without elaborating, due to the sensitivity of the issue. The port is on the west coast, south of Incheon.

A marine official also confirmed the seizure, which he said was done "recently".

The KOTI's estimated time of arrival at the port was December 19, according to VesselFinder Ltd., a tracking service provider,

The ship can carry 5,100 tonnes of oil and has a crew mostly from China and Myanmar, Yonhap News Agency reported, adding that South Korea's intelligence and customs officials are conducting a joint probe into the vessel.

A Foreign Ministry spokesman confirmed the probe, declining to provide details.

"The government has been in close consultations with related countries and ministries to thoroughly implement the sanctions by the U.N. Security Council," the spokesman said.

PROPOSED BLACKLISTING

On Friday, South Korea said that in late November it seized the Hong Kong-flagged Lighthouse Winmore, which is suspected of transferring as much as 600 tons of oil to the North Korea-flagged Sam Jong 2.

The U.N. Security Council last month unanimously imposed new sanctions on North Korea for a recent intercontinental ballistic missile test, seeking to limit its access to refined petroleum products and crude oil.

The United States has also proposed that the United Nations Security Council blacklist 10 ships for transporting banned items from North Korea, according to documents seen by Reuters on Tuesday.

The Lighthouse Winmore is one of the 10 ships proposed to be blacklisted. The KOTI does not seem to be included on the list.

On Thursday, China blocked a U.S. effort at the United Nations to blacklist six foreign-flagged ships, a U.N. Security Council diplomat said.

China's Foreign Ministry, responding to a question from Reuters on the blocking, said Beijing always fully and strictly implemented Security Council resolutions.

"At the same time, any measures taken by the Security Council must have a basis in conclusive and actual proof. China will continue to participate in the work of the relevant Security Council sanctions committee on this principle," it said in a short statement, without elaborating.

China also denied reports it had been illicitly selling oil products to North Korea in defiance of U.N. sanctions, after U.S. President Donald Trump said he was unhappy that China had allowed oil to reach the isolated nation.

Russian tankers have supplied fuel to North Korea on at least three occasions in recent months by transferring cargoes at sea, breaching U.N. sanctions, sources told Reuters.

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megadarkbouquettidalwavethings · 7 years ago

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South Korea seizes second ship suspected of providing oil to North Korea

SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korean authorities have seized a Panama-flagged vessel suspected of transferring oil products to North Korea in violation of international sanctions, a customs official said on Sunday.

The ship, KOTI, was seized at Pyeongtaek-Dangjin port, the official told Reuters, without elaborating, due to the sensitivity of the issue. The port is on the west coast, south of Incheon.

A marine official also confirmed the seizure, which he said was done “recently”.

The KOTI’s estimated time of arrival at the port was Dec. 19, according to VesselFinder Ltd., a tracking service provider,

The ship can carry 5,100 tonnes of oil and has a crew mostly from China and Myanmar, Yonhap News Agency reported, adding that South Korea’s intelligence and customs officials are conducting a joint probe into the vessel.

A Foreign Ministry spokesman confirmed the probe, declining to provide details.

“The government has been in close consultations with related countries and ministries to thoroughly implement the sanctions by the U.N. Security Council,” the spokesman said.

PROPOSED BLACKLISTING

The United States has also proposed that the United Nations Security Council blacklist 10 ships for transporting banned items from North Korea, according to documents seen by Reuters on Tuesday.

The Lighthouse Winmore is one of the 10 ships proposed to be blacklisted. The KOTI does not seem to be included on the list.

On Thursday, China blocked a U.S. effort at the United Nations to blacklist six foreign-flagged ships, a U.N. Security Council diplomat said.

China’s Foreign Ministry, responding to a question from Reuters on the blocking, said Beijing always fully and strictly implemented Security Council resolutions.

“At the same time, any measures taken by the Security Council must have a basis in conclusive and actual proof. China will continue to participate in the work of the relevant Security Council sanctions committee on this principle,” it said in a short statement, without elaborating.

Russian tankers have supplied fuel to North Korea on at least three occasions in recent months by transferring cargoes at sea, breaching U.N. sanctions, sources told Reuters.

Reporting by Yuna Park and Hyunjoo Jin; Additional reporting by Hyonhee Shin in SEOUL and Ben Blanchard in BEIJING; Editing by Kim Coghill and Richard Borsuk

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The post South Korea seizes second ship suspected of providing oil to North Korea appeared first on Sports News, Transfers, Scores | Watch Live Sport.

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newsfundastuff · 7 years ago

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The crew of a Hong Kong-registered ship have been detained for questioning in South Korea since their tanker was impounded in November for transferring oil to a North Korean vessel and breaching UN sanctions, customs officials said Saturday. The Lighthouse Winmore, which was chartered by a Taiwanese company, was impounded by South Korean customs authorities at the port of Yeosu on November 24 following an inspection. "Since then, inspectors have been coming on board and questioning the crew", a Korea Customs Service official told AFP.

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engsinanalani · 7 years ago

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theprower · 7 years ago

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Real World Ham Radio Exercise – When All Else Fails…

I’ve had many people ask me, “So why did you get into Ham Radio?”

I tell them, “I got into it for local, regional, national, and global communications, among other things.”

Then they come back and say things like, “Get a cell phone or smart phone. Why use 50-100 year old technology?”

Sometimes, being “old fashioned” pays off.

Approximately on 2:30 AM EDT on July 7, 2017, a strong wind event occured taking out huge healthy trees, lots of power lines, leaves, etc. Sadly a lot of structures were damanged including a house in Grand Haven that sadly ended someone’s life.

I remember sitting in my basement listening to the strong west winds pushing on the glass of our walkout slider. I remember thinking, “Well, I’m sure I’ll lose my antennas or porch or worse…”

I was on my radio at the time checked into our SKYWARN net for Ottawa County. Before I continue, I want to give a huge shoutout to all the spotters and our net control that evening. The net ran super smoothly and considering it lasted from 2:30 AM until around 4:45 AM, we had about 8-10 people checked in giving reports from various areas in the county. Great job to the Ottawa County Skywarn Team! One of our spotters clocked a 69 MPH wind gust at his home station! Some areas had winds over 90MPH!

If you ever want to listen to the Holland Repeater that also serves as the Ottawa County Skywarn Repeater, Click Here. There’s a good net that meets on Monday night at 7:30 PM ET. So feel free to listen on in.

Anyway, after the worst of the storm passed, I walked outside to survey the damage (around 4AM) around the neighborhood. Other than a couple large branches, lots of twigs and tree debris, our yard and home was spared, including my antennas. I know others in my area did not fare so well. One of my neighbor’s HF antennas did not survie. It was crushed by a large tree. I did find some large umbrellas in the middle of the street so I moved those off to the side of the road. We were also the fortunate street in our area not to lose power but only for a few seconds during the storm event. Most people were without power for 72 hours! My sister and her husband were without power for approx 18 hours.

However, also around 4AM, I lost our Comcast connection so there went our TV, phone & internet service. Fortunately I had my cell phone so I could still text, make calls, and get online and I can “tether” my phone to my computer for internet access as well. But I knew that the cell tower must have lost electricity because my cellular performace was horrible. I only live about a half mile away from the closest tower. And after looking at an outage map, the tower was right in the middle of an outage zone. It was only a matter of time before the backup power failed at the cell site & that would end my cellular connectivity.

Sure enough, about 12 hours after the storm came through, the cell site’s emergency power died. It sucked because I was just in the middle of catching Pokemon. Haha! I also took that time to walk around the neighborhood to see the damage. I heard lots of generators running. You could tell who didn’t have power that’s for sure. I saw a huge tree down in someone’s yard. That was sad to see.

Here’s a photo I shot of someone’s downed tree.

So how did I survive being without internet and cell service for so long? That’s where Ham Radio comes into play.

I was able to talk to others as far south as Glenn, as far north as Muskegon, West as Holland, and East as Grand Rapids. I was able to get information about what roads were passible and where power lines were down, as well as find out what places had power.

I know most of the fast food places in the area did not have power. Only one McDonalds was open and the lines were out the door since most people didn’t have power and needed to eat. They even had to have other McDonalds in other counties come in to resupply them because they were going through inventory so fast.

Back to Ham Radio, so how did this “old fashioned” technology help me? Sure I was able to talk to people but what about letting family and friends know you were ok? And how could you inform them if they don’t have radios or are not licensed?

There are many ways, probably too many to mention, but there’s the NTS (National Traffic System) and others like it. It is fast and reliable but not instant as in the following below.

Thanks to VHF Packet, HF Winmor, and APRS, I was able to communicate with family and friends efficiently!

I was able to send email to my mom & dad to let them know I was fine and that we had no damage at the house using VHF Packet & HF Winor. Here’s a video tutorial showing HF Winmor and VHF Packet in action.

And I was also able to use a text messaging service to text family & friends using APRS on my radio! Video on that!

So as you can see, there are many ways to communicate with non-hams in an emergency situation.

Since I have been licensed, I’ve been participating in a event called Field Day. Individuals and clubs get together to test out equipment and make sure everything is in working order and ready just in case there is a disaster of any kind and we’re called upon to help serve the community. It’s also a fun time socializing and eating some delicious food! Yum!

Here’s what a Field Day station can look like:

If you want to learn more about ham radio and get licensed, go ahead and click here! You never know when being licensed can come in handy. It’s a good way to volunteer for your community & help others communicate around the globe. Also, if you want to see Ham Radio in action, find a Field Day site near you and check it on out. Everyone is welcome. You can even jump on the air and make some QSOs (Contacts) with someone next to you to show you the ropes. Field Day is always the Fourth weekend of June.

And lastly, all of the methods of communication I have mentioned, with the exeption of HF Winmor, only need a Technician License. That’s the first out of three licenses. The exam is easy. 35 questions total, multiple choice and get 27 correct to pass. If you want to use HF Winmor, you’ll need to upgrade from Technician to General, which is also a 35 question multiple choice exam and 27 correct to pass.

From AARL:

The Technician class license is the entry-level license of choice for most new ham radio operators. To earn the Technician license requires passing one examination totaling 35 questions on radio theory, regulations and operating practices. The license gives access to all Amateur Radio frequencies above 30 megahertz, allowing these licensees the ability to communicate locally and most often within North America. It also allows for some limited privileges on the HF (also called “short wave”) bands used for international communications

The General class license grants some operating privileges on all Amateur Radio bands and all operating modes. This license opens the door to world-wide communications. Earning the General class license requires passing a 35 question examination. General class licensees must also have passed the Technician written examination.

The Amateur Extra class license conveys all available U.S. Amateur Radio operating privileges on all bands and all modes. Earning the license is more difficult; it requires passing a thorough 50 question examination. Extra class licensees must also have passed all previous license class written examinations.

I hope you find this useful and see how Amateur Radio can assist in emergency communications. No so old fashioned after all!

73s! & see you on the air!

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