Category Archives: News

C.H. Robinson Names Damon Lee as Chief Financial Officer

(C.H. Robinson)

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C.H. Robinson Worldwide announced the appointment of Damon Lee as its new chief financial officer June 6.

Lee will assume the role the day after second-quarter financial results are filed. His appointment comes following a comprehensive search for a candidate with experience leading transformations, demonstrated leadership and strategic capabilities. He is currently serving as vice president and chief financial officer for GE Commercial Engines and Services.

“We are excited to have Damon join our senior leadership team,” C.H. Robinson CEO Dave Bozeman said. “Damon’s extensive experience and expertise align perfectly with the high standards and forward-thinking mindset we prioritize at Robinson. He is a highly accomplished finance leader, and his ability to create and execute a comprehensive strategy is a core strength.”

Mike Zechmeister had been serving as the chief financial officer when he announced his retirement Dec. 21. He is remaining in the position for now to facilitate the transition.

“Damon’s deep experience with lean [methodology] and continuous improvement will be a significant benefit in further reinforcing our new operating model and executing our enterprise strategy,” Bozeman said. “He also has built and led high-performing teams, fostered collaboration and developed personal connections that have enabled him to accelerate change.”

C.H. Robinson ranks No. 2 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest logistics companies in North America. — Transport Topics

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The next CVSA trucker’s blitz is only a few weeks away

The next Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance enforcement blitz (CVSA) is less than one month away.

Operation Safe Driver Week is scheduled to take place in the U.S.A., Mexico and Canada from July 7-13, 2024.

During the CVSA Operation Safety Driver Week, law-enforcement agencies will be on patrol to catch drivers of commercial motor vehicles and passenger vehicles engaging in unsafe driving behavior, such as speeding or distracted driving, driving too closely, driving drunk or under the influence of drugs, etc. Violators will be stopped and warned or given a ticket.

The CVSA stated that “Operation Safe Driver Week is designed to improve the safety on our roads through proactive driver education and outreach, and by addressing dangerous driving behaviors with responsive traffic enforcement when drivers engage in dangerous driving behavior on our highways.”

Operation Safe Driver Week will focus on reckless, careless or dangerous driving. This is defined as “operating a vehicle without due attention and care or reasonable consideration for others motorists or road users.”

11 448 commercial vehicle traffic checks were conducted during Operation Safe Driver Week last year. A total of 2,634 tickets/citations and 4,592 warnings were issued to commercial motor vehicle operators.

After Operation Safe Driver Week, truckers still have to endure one more CVSA blitz by 2024.

Brake safety week is scheduled from August 25 to 31, 2024. During Brake safety week, commercial motor vehicle inspections are conducted on large trucks and busses throughout North America. Inspectors look for brake-system violations.

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B.C. opens truck inspection station near Terrace

Just east of Terrace along Highway 16, in northwestern British Columbia, a new commercial vehicle inspection station opened ahead of schedule.

The facility uses advanced transportation technology to speed up the inspection process of commercial vehicles. According to a Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure press release, it also provides a resting area for drivers, particularly those operating longhaul truck.

“This new inspection facility means that commercial transport operators have a clean, safe place to rest and the people of the northern region can now get the goods and services they need,” said Rob Fleming. Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure “It means safer road for everyone.”

(Photo: B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure

Commercial drivers will find the new station equipped with advanced technology such as overheight detectors and automatic vehicle identification (AVI). It also includes weigh-in motion (WIM), which allows them to check the height, weight, and safety credentials of registered cars at highway speeds, without having to stop. The new tire classification and anomaly system also improves safety, by detecting underinflated or missing tires.

The opening of this facility will enhance mobility for local and long-haul drivers,” said Pablo Rodriguez. It will improve supply chain efficiency and reduce traffic disruptions, as well as improve driver safety on the important Highway. 16 trade corridor in British Columbia.”

Parking spaces

Rest areas will be available for long-haul drivers. During office hours, washrooms will be available. Rest-area toilets are also always accessible. The new station will reduce traffic disruptions and delays for local and commercial drivers because it is located further from the highway. The release stated that 16/37 intersections would be affected.

The new inspection station will enhance safety for all road users in the northern region. The B.C. The BCTA President and CEO, Dave Earle said that the Trucking Association was delighted to see this development become a reality. This will allow drivers and carriers to have access to advanced technology that will ensure their loads are safe. It also serves as a rest area.

Reefer plugs and Wi-Fi

The facility will also include parking for public vehicles and oversize vehicles. It will support short-term (five stalls) and overnight truck parking (10-stalls), refrigeration unit connectors, Wi-Fi, and oversize vehicle staging for interregional transport trips.

The $34.3 million project was funded jointly by Transport Canada and the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. Transport Canada contributed $15.1 million and the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure provided $19.2 millions. Construction was completed six months earlier than expected.

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How to harness AI and Zero Trust segmentation to boost cyber defenses

Modern cyber threats have become increasingly sophisticated, posing significant risks to federal agencies and critical infrastructure organizations alike. Critical infrastructure organizations face numerous challenges, including outdated systems and insufficiently patched software, which make them attractive targets for cyber attackers.

These weaknesses often arise due to the complexity of maintaining and updating legacy systems which often lack basic security controls, as well as the challenges of ensuring comprehensive security measures across expansive and interconnected IT enterprises. As artificial intelligence continues to advance, its use in the federal space is becoming more prevalent, leading agencies to increase their use of the technology as part of their cyber defenses.

However, recent research reveals that although 80 percent of cybersecurity decision-makers believe accelerating AI adoption is vital for their organization’s resilience against emerging threats, only 31 percent report that their organization currently utilizes AI for cybersecurity. Notably, 54 percent of leaders who have implemented AI say that it has helped to accelerate incident response times, highlighting AI’s potential as a powerful defensive tool.

AI serves as both a formidable defense mechanism for protecting sensitive data and a potent tool for cyber attackers. AI’s ability to continuously learn and improve from each interaction makes it an invaluable asset in defending against evolving threats. However, malicious actors also exploit AI to develop sophisticated cyberattacks, targeting vulnerabilities and bypassing traditional defenses with alarming precision.

Maximizing AI’s defensive capabilities With ZTS

To combat evolving threats and address vulnerabilities, AI and Zero Trust Segmentation offer a path forward. AI rapidly automates tasks, detects threats, and provides predictive analytics – analyzing vast amounts data in real-time to identify and mitigate anomalies quickly. ZTS complements AI by ensuring continuous verification of every access request within an enterprise, segmenting the applications with strict access controls and monitoring, thus limiting lateral movement by attackers and containing breaches.

AI’s defensive capabilities can be maximized when integrated with ZTS. Since ZTS involves continuously verifying and monitoring all user and device activities within a enterprise, no entity is trusted by default, even if it is already inside the enterprise. The integration of AI and ZTS means that even if an attacker manages to infiltrate the enterprise, their ability to move laterally and escalate privileges is severely limited.

While ZTS alone provides robust defenses by restricting access and enforcing strict verification protocols, the addition of AI enhances these capabilities by automating threat detection and response, identifying potential breaches in real time, and adapting to new attack vectors dynamically. Auto-labeling, for example, enhances AI’s effectiveness by streamlining data classification, reducing manual intervention, and allowing faster, more accurate anomaly detection. This leads to improved operational efficiency and heightened security as AI systems better recognize patterns, predict issues, and implement safeguards in real-time.

Together, AI and ZTS form a proactive, comprehensive defense strategy for critical infrastructure organizations, enhancing resilience against sophisticated cyber adversaries and helping organizations to stay one step ahead of attackers.

Pushing for responsible AI in critical infrastructure

Deploying AI across critical infrastructure organizations demands a strong commitment to ethics, focusing on transparency, fairness, and accountability. Transparency ensures AI systems are understandable and trustworthy. Fairness aims to prevent biases so that no one group is disadvantaged. Accountability requires organizations to take responsibility for AI outcomes, with protocols to address errors and mechanisms for stakeholders to raise concerns.

To deploy AI responsibly across critical infrastructures, organizations should adhere to several best practices. The Department of Homeland Security has ramped up its focus on AI with its new Artificial Intelligence Safety and Security Board, which offers recommendations for safely preventing and preparing for AI-related disruptions to critical services; addressing AI risk and threats; trainings, deployments, and usage of AI; responsibly leveraging AI while protecting individuals’ privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties. Proactive approaches like these are essential to stay ahead of adversaries exploiting AI for malicious purposes.

To effectively harness AI’s defensive capabilities and protect critical infrastructure, responsibly integrating AI with ZTS is essential. This integration creates a dynamic defense mechanism that is difficult for attackers to bypass. AI’s continuous monitoring and real-time threat analysis enhance the ability to swiftly identify and respond to threats, forming a robust cybersecurity posture.

Combining AI’s real-time data processing and predictive analytics with ZTS’ stringent access controls significantly boosts resilience against evolving cyber threats. This approach addresses current vulnerabilities and anticipates future challenges, ensuring the security of critical infrastructure in a complex threat landscape.

Gary Barlet is federal chief technology officer at Illumio.

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Are container prices from Asia to Europe heading to $20,000?

Container rates have risen rapidly in recent months due to the Red Sea disruptions. Longer waits at ports and longer sailing distances are also contributing factors. The situation is so tense that Sea-Intelligence believes that some cargo rates on certain Asia-to-Europe routes may be as high as $20,000 per 40-foot shipping container. These prices were reached during the heights of the Covid-19 Pandemic.

In a note, Alan Murphy, CEO of Sea-Intelligence said that the easiest way to answer the question “How high can rates go?” is to refer to the highest level seen during pandemic. “This does not, however, account for the increased round Africa sailing distances which were not present during the pandemic.”

Drewry’s World Container Index calculated that the overall spot rate peaked at $10 377 per 40 foot equivalent unit (FEU), with the Shanghai to New York average reaching $16,138. The next month, the Shanghai-to-Rotterdam prices hit their own top at $14,807 per container, while FEUs on the Shanghai-to-Genoa route peaked at $13,765 on average. The public index is still based upon averages provided by forwarders and shippers, so it’s safe to assume that many individual rates for cargo shipments are higher.

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Murphy says that if the rate per nautical mile reached pandemic levels, the spot rates for a container shipping from Shanghai to Rotterdam will be $18,900. The spot rates could increase to $21,600 per FEU if shipped from Shanghai Genoa.

Murphy calculated the number of U.S. Cents per FEU for each nautical mile (nm), which was traveled during the pandemic. This came down to 140 cents/FEU/nm for the Rotterdam route. However, the number was closer 160 cents/FEU/nm for the Genoa trade lanes.

“If we extrapolate this data as an indication of the high market rates that can be achieved based on the pandemic rise in rates, then we can apply the new (longer sailing distances) and calculate how high spot rates per [FEU] can go, if the crisis persists,” Murphy stated.

The U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency recently assessed the Red Sea ship diversions and found that the alternate shipping routes around Africa added approximately 11,000 nautical mile for each voyage as well as $1,000,000 in fuel costs.

The WCI, a measure of ocean spot rates along eight major trade routes, rose 2 percent on Thursday, to $4,801 for a 40-foot container. Since April 25, when spot rates averaged $2.706 per 40-foot container, prices have risen 77.4 percent.

These figures are even higher when containers originate from Shanghai. The average cost of a container from Shanghai to New York is $7,299, while the trip to Genoa is $6,862. A container from Shanghai to Rotterdam will cost $6,177, while cargo traveling the trans-Pacific Los Angeles route costs on average $6,032.

The Shanghai Containerized Freight Index also increased by 6.1 percent in a week, reaching 3,379 points on Friday, its highest level since August 2022. This index covers 13 trade routes out of the port which is the largest port in the world based on the 20-foot equivalent unit (TEU) handled.

In a blog post published on Friday, Xeneta stated that spot rates for major trades from the Far East would increase again on June 15 but at a slower pace than in May and early-June. Xeneta predicts that spot rates for major trades from the Far East will increase again on June 15, but at a less dramatic rate than in May and early June.

In a recent post, Xeneta’s chief analyst Peter Sand said: “Any sign that the growth in spot rates is slowing down will be welcomed by the shippers. However, this is a very challenging situation, and it is likely to continue to be so.” “The market is still growing and some shippers still face the prospect of being unable to ship containers under existing long-term agreements and having their cargo rolled.”

Sand said that the container ship ecosystem was “still at severe levels,” due to a combination of the Red Sea skirmish and the congestion in ports in the Mediterranean, Asia, and equipment shortages, as well as shippers’ front-loading of imports before the peak shipping season from August to October. He said that the current East Coast port negotiations are at a standstill will only increase the pressure.

Sand’s opinion differed slightly from Murphy’s. He said that it was “unlikely, but not impossible,” for spot rates to reach the levels seen in the Covid-19 pandemic. He also noted that current factors make it hard to predict the market accurately.

“For example, a potential truce between Israel & Hamas would change the entire picture if it helped to stop attacks on container vessels by Houthi militia & saw a large-scale re-entry of carriers into the Red Sea Region,” Sand said.

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Horizon3.ai appoints Jill Passalacqua as Chief Legal Officer

Horizon3.ai, a leading provider of autonomous security solutions, today announced the appointment of Jill Passalacqua as Chief Legal Officer (CLO), effective immediately.

As Chief Legal Officer, Jill leads Horizon3.ai’s legal department, bringing extensive experience in advising prominent public and private technology companies. Her expertise is crucial for Horizon3.ai during its rapid growth phase, driven by the global adoption of their autonomous penetration testing solution, NodeZero.

Before joining Horizon3.ai, Jill was the Chief Legal Officer at JumpCloud, where she played a pivotal role in shaping the company’s legal framework. She also held General Counsel positions at Harness and Avi Networks where she led the corporate legal strategy and operations, and facilitated substantial growth, including a successful acquisition by VMware.

“We are confident that Jill’s legal expertise will be crucial in advising the company on key plans, guidelines, and compliance requirements. Known for her strategic legal approach to protecting and promoting companies’ interests, operations, and expansion, Jill’s appointment to the leadership team bolsters Horizon3.ai’s status as a trustworthy and compliant cybersecurity provider,” stated Ilya Kirnos, Board Member at SignalFire.

Before Avi Networks, Jill was at FireEye, where she managed the commercial team, built the global compliance and legal operations functions, and managed international expansion and M&A integration. Prior to FireEye, Jill spent 12 years at NetApp and was a key contributor to the growth and expansion of the legal department. She was responsible for corporate securities, public company reporting and compliance, commercial contracts, and building the company-wide commercial legal team.

“As Horizon3.ai continues its advancement as a leader in the security industry, Jill will be a key advisor for our CEO, executive team, and Board of Directors through the next stage of their stellar growth. Being appointed as Horizon3.ai’s Chief Legal Officer during this pivotal moment, her strong track record of protecting the interests of companies, their customers, and their investors is distinguished,” said Michael Robinson, Board Member at Craft Ventures.

“Jill is stepping into a vital role where her legal expertise is unsurpassed, significantly strengthening our leadership team,” remarked Horizon3.ai’s CEO and Co-founder, Snehal Antani. “In recent months, Horizon3.ai has launched several key initiatives, including Rapid Response Service, Phishing Impact Testing, and Pentesting Services for Compliance. As demand for NodeZero continues to surge, expanding our global executive management team is crucial. We are confident in Jill’s deep understanding of innovative security companies like Horizon3.ai from a legal standpoint.”

Jill serves on the board of directors of the Palisades Tahoe Community Foundation and has offered invaluable guidance as an advisor to several early-stage technology companies. Jill received her B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles and her J.D. (Juris Doctor) from Santa Clara University.

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Inside Turtlemint: CTO Prajakt Deolasee on Innovating Insurance with AI, Cloud, and Cybersecurity

In an exclusive interview, Prajakt Deolasee, Chief Technology Officer(CTO) at Turtlemint, provides an in-depth look into the technological innovations driving the company’s success in the insurtech industry. From leveraging AI and machine learning to implementing robust cybersecurity measures and cloud technology, Deolasee shares how Turtlemint is enhancing the insurance experience for consumers and advisors alike. He also discusses recent projects, challenges faced, and the positive impact of these advancements on business operations and customer satisfaction.

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Can you share with us the current technological landscape at Turtlemint and the key technologies you are leveraging to drive innovation?

Prajakt Deolasee: As an insurtech, we leverage a variety of innovative technologies to enhance the insurance buying and management experience for both consumers and insurance advisors. Below are some key aspects of Turtlemint’s technology landscape:

1. Digital Platform and Mobile Applications: We offer a comprehensive digital platform that has aggregated supply of various insurance types from insurance companies which facilitates the comparison, purchase, and management of insurance policies, leads, and business via web and mobile applications.
2. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning: AI and ML are at the core of Turtlemint’s operations, enabling personalized product recommendations, marketing content recommendations, etc., based on user profiles and preferences.
3. Data Analytics: Very early on, Turtlemint invested in bringing data from all sources to build a business intelligence platform. Turtlemint leverages data analytics to gain insights into customer behavior, market trends, and operational efficiency. This also allows us to optimize our marketing strategies to better meet customer needs and improve service delivery.
4. Cloud Technology: Utilizing cloud services ensures that we can scale our operations efficiently and maintain data security. We are also cloud-agnostic so while we get all the benefits of the cloud, we are not dependent on the provider.
5. Cybersecurity Measures: Given the sensitivity of personal and financial information processed, we employ robust cybersecurity measures to protect against data breaches and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.
6. Integration Capabilities: The platform’s ability to integrate with various third-party services and APIs enhances its functionality, allowing for features such as instant policy issuance, real-time pricing adjustments, and more efficient claims processing. We invested in making the process of integrations smooth and predictable.

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As the Chief Technology Officer, what are your primary responsibilities, and how do you prioritize your tasks to ensure alignment with Turtlemint’s business goals?

Prajakt Deolasee: As someone overseeing technology at Turtlemint, my role revolves around shaping our technological direction to meet current needs and prepare for future challenges – setting the technology vision in line with our business strategy, leading and developing our tech team to foster innovation, managing technology deployment, optimizing for operational efficiency, overseeing budget allocation to ensure value, prioritizing risk management like cybersecurity, maintaining strong relationships with other business units, and staying updated on tech advancements for potential business benefits. To ensure our technology initiatives align with Turtlemint’s objectives, we prioritize based on a few core principles. We engage with other functions to understand their needs, employ agile project management for flexibility, optimize resources regularly, and gather feedback to adjust priorities as needed.

Can you tell us about any recent projects or developments at Turtlemint that you are particularly excited about?

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Prajakt Deolasee: There are multiple projects but a few we are particularly excited about are as follows:

a. Embedded Insurance Platform: A full-stack product that has the capability to set up a pricing engine, underwriting rules, and exploring these are APIs and widgets to sell insurance along with other transactions. Some potential use-cases of this are extended warranty, group insurance, sachet products, attachment products.
b. Generative AI Bot: An assistant co-pilot for a sales manager to help with knowledge base queries and repetitive tasks.
c. Martech automation to complete the funnel from customer acquisition to payouts in real-time.
d. Automatic KYC and verification.
e. Developer suite for ease of integrations.
f. Sales management application for better visibility of information and smooth dissipation of data and information across the organization.

What impact do you expect these recent developments to have on your customers and the overall business operations of Turtlemint?

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Prajakt Deolasee: These recent developments have had a significant impact on both our advisors and Turtlemint’s business. For advisors, these technological advances have provided a seamless and efficient experience, and enabled faster insurance quotes and claim processes. They have also resulted in a productivity boost for sales managers. By handling routine tasks, enabling sales managers to focus on high-value activities, thus enabling efficient scalability and revenue optimization. On the Business side, these developments have helped us in consolidating our position as technology leaders amongst insurtechs and enabling the distribution of new categories of products. These have significantly reduced the cost of doing business and improved efficiency for operations and sales.

Could you elaborate on any new technologies or innovative solutions that Turtlemint has recently integrated into its platform?

Prajakt Deolasee: We have recently leveraged advanced Generative AI (GenAI) and AI/ML technologies to develop sophisticated solutions that streamline operations and enhance decision-making processes. These innovations have enabled us to solve complex problems more effectively and offer more personalized and efficient services to our customers. Additionally, we have developed a specialized developer tool designed for the seamless integration of insurer APIs, which has greatly simplified and improved project management. This tool has significantly boosted developer productivity, making our platform more efficient and robust, and ensuring a smoother and more scalable integration process for our technology partners.

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What were some of the challenges faced during the development and implementation of these recent projects, and how were they overcome?

Prajakt Deolasee: During the development and implementation of our AI and ML and other innovative solutions, we faced some challenges, including integration with legacy systems, data quality issues, regulatory compliance, change management, and scalability concerns. We overcame these by creating robust integration tools, enhancing data cleaning processes, embedding compliance checks, providing comprehensive training, and using scalable cloud-based infrastructure.

How have your customers responded to these new developments, and how do you gather and incorporate their feedback into future projects?

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Prajakt Deolasee: Our advisors have responded positively to these new developments, appreciating the enhanced efficiency and improved service quality, and leading to an increase in online adoption. We gather their feedback through various channels such as CSAT surveys and direct communications. By actively listening to their suggestions and concerns, we refine our offerings and incorporate their insights into the future roadmap, ensuring that we continually meet their needs as well as support business needs.”

What key performance metrics are you using to evaluate the success of these new projects, and how are they performing so far?

Prajakt Deolasee: To evaluate the success of our new projects, we track key metrics such as Customer Satisfaction (CSAT), Net Promoter Score (NPS), adoption and usage rates, resolution time, and operational efficiencies. So far, CSAT and NPS scores have increased, reflecting high customer satisfaction and loyalty. The generative AI bot shows high adoption and usage rates with reduced resolution times, enhancing customer support. The developer suite has improved operational efficiencies, speeding up integration and deployment processes. Overall, these metrics indicate positive reception and effectiveness, with ongoing efforts to improve further.

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As Baltimore shipping channel reopens, DOT estimates at least $1.7B to rebuild bridge

BALTIMORE — The Port of Baltimore’s federal channel was safely reopened to its original dimensions of 700 feet wide by 500 feet deep without any major injuries, The White House said.

Work continues to remove debris outside of the McHenry Federal Channel, and a safety zone will be maintained to protect workers. Deep draft vessels will be required to have a single escort tug until the work is complete.

The preliminary costs to rebuild the bridge as quoted by the Department of Transportation are between $1.7 billion and $1.9 billion, officials said.

A 984-foot-long cargo ship, the Dali, struck the Key Bridge on March 26, triggering a collapse that killed six workers and affected entry into the port. The ship was refloated and moved from the crash site on May 20.

Around 50,000 tons of steel were cleared, equivalent to 3,800 fully loaded dump trucks, according to Major General Butch Graham of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Graham credited crane operators, divers, mariners, and salvage workers for their efforts, stating they have been working below, underneath, and on the Patapsco River since March 30.

The White House released a statement early Wednesday commending the work of those in the Unified Command responsible for helping to reopen the full navigation channel to vessel traffic.

“Our hearts remain with the families of the victims of the bridge collapse, and we will continue to stand with the community throughout this period of recovery,” the statement said. “Thank you to the people of Baltimore for showing us what it means to be Maryland tough and Baltimore strong. Baltimore can count on us to stick with them every step of the way, and we will continue to have your back until the bridge is rebuilt.”

According to Secretary Pete Buttigieg, traffic redirected to other ports earlier should now be able to pass through.

“Our belief and expectation is that all of those disruptions and adaptations, as important as they were, were temporary and that traffic that would have been going to Baltimore the day before this happened, belongs in Baltimore today,” the secretary said.

He added, “We have every indication that that is what is taking place, but we’ll be reinforcing that expectation as we speak with players up and down the supply chains, including a conversation that we plan to have later this week.”

Buttigieg said the port opening’s major impact would be on local workers, especially the International Longshoremen’s Association workers, as they were not working with ships not arriving at the Port of Baltimore.

“We felt enormous urgency about making sure that we did everything we could to get back to normal there,” he said. “And now those workers can count on that business returning. It’s been a gradual process, and some of them have been working for some time. Now we can say that it is fully back to normal.”

Buttigieg reiterated President Joe Biden’s intention to secure federal funding for rebuilding the bridge and added that the Maryland delegation is leading a process in Congress to make that happen.

ABC New’s Lauren Minore contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2024 ABC News Internet Ventures.

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Fiji’s Cybersecurity strengthens among AI-driven progress toward Sustainable Development Goals

Fiji’s Cybersecurity strengthens among AI-driven progress toward Sustainable Development Goals – Kamikamica

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade, Co-operatives, Small and Medium Enterprises and Communications, Manoa Kamikamica. [Image: Fiji Government]

New and emerging technologies and frontier technologies like Artificial Intelligence have the potential to bring the country back on track regarding the fulfilment of the Sustainable Development Goals. This has been highlighted by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade, Co-operatives, Small and Medium Enterprises and Communications, Manoa Kamikamica while officiating the launching of the Workshop on Introducing the Convention on Cybercrime to Members of Parliament.

Kamikamica says potential benefits like an increase in poverty alleviation, climate action, increasing crop yields, medical breakthroughs, clean energy and providing seamless, transparent and inclusive government digital services.

He says Cyber threats are a global crisis and we are also seeing an increase in Cyber threats in Fiji.

He says to combat Cybercrime they have an enduring partner – the Council of Europe and as a country, they have focused on putting in place layers upon layers of bolstering our Cybersecurity resilience while they harness the opportunities of digital technologies.

The Deputy Prime Minister says the Legislature plays a pivotal role in ensuring a safe, secure and enabling Cyber landscape, as a legislature, the Cybercrime Act 2021 was passed and enacted. He says as a nation, our efforts have been multi-pronged in several ways. The Minister for Trade says this robust and adaptive law was a key outcome of their partnership with the Council of Europe as they prepare to take the necessary accession steps.

Kamikamica says as communicated in his last Ministerial Statement to Parliament, the Fiji Police Force and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution are the 24/7 Network Points of Contact for Fiji.

He also highlighted this will allow for prompt contact with their counterparts for assistance and support where data and electronic evidence are stored in servers outside of Fiji.

Kamikamica further says this will boost the local capabilities and capacities to respond to new and emerging threats that we see with the malicious use of artificial intelligence malware and ransomware, to name a few.

He believed we need to advocate for these simple Cyber hygiene practices for our people and communities.

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ICYMI: Secretary Buttigieg Op-Ed: What We Owe the People of East Palestine

5 min read

Apr 10, 2024

Today, in a new op-ed published in TIME, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg emphasized what is at stake in the safety of our nation’s railroad system and once again called on Congress to pass the bipartisan Railway Safety Act, comprehensive legislation that would hold industry accountable to workers and communities across the U.S.

Last week, Secretary Buttigieg announced a historic final rule to require Class I freight trains to have at least two crew members — creating the first federal regulation for safe crew sizes. Read about DOT’s efforts to strengthen rail safety here.

Read the full piece below:

TIME: What We Owe the People of East Palestine

Ever since the derailment of a freight train and its aftermath last year in East Palestine, Ohio, Americans have been awakened to the troubled reality of rail safety. While the headlines around that incident have faded, the Biden Administration’s commitment to action has not. When President Biden visited, his message to the community was clear: we will stay as long as it takes, we will continue to hold Norfolk Southern accountable, and we will push the entire industry to be safer.

The thing I remember best from my own visit to East Palestine is the decency and resilience of the residents who were working in and around the nearby church that doubled as a community response center. Since that visit, I’ve kept up with some of those I met on that trip. Again and again, two themes ring clear: their determination not to be defined by this derailment, and their insistence that the community‘s experience not be forgotten. Holding in mind the voices of East Palestine and of every American community that sits along a railroad, I have spent the year since that incident challenging the rail industry, Congress, and our own Department to do everything possible to make our railroads safer.

My Department has pushed forward on safety measures, including last week’s major announcement that our Federal Railroad Administration finalized a long-sought rule to establish minimum safety requirements for the size of train crews. Most Americans would be surprised to learn that before this rule, there was nothing to prevent a railroad from unilaterally reducing the crew size aboard a train to just one person — even on a two-mile-long train — without even notifying our Department. Fixing this has long been a railroad safety priority, and despite industry opposition, it is finally a reality.

This is just the latest step that we have taken with the authorities we have as an administration. From the first days of the Biden Administration, and with renewed urgency since the Norfolk Southern derailment in East Palestine, we have used our funding and regulatory authority to improve safety and force railroad companies to do better.

In addition to the safe crew size rule we just finalized, our Federal Railroad Administration has completed 7,500 focused inspections along high-hazard flammable train routes. We’ve issued safety advisories and advanced policies to make operations safer, addressing tank car types, train lengths, hazmat spills, and worker protections.

We developed a new rule to require railroads to provide real-time information to first responders when a hazmat incident occurs — and we made $30 million available to support training for first responders.

Meanwhile, we have been using the resources of the Biden infrastructure package to improve the physical infrastructure of America’s rail networks. Under President Biden’s leadership, we have awarded billions to modernize rail infrastructure and improve hundreds of dangerous highway-rail crossings.

We’ve also taken action to help improve conditions for those working in the industry. And after significant pressure on industry from President Biden, labor unions, and our department, approximately 89% of Class I freight railroad workers now have paid sick days, up from less than 5% around a little more than a year ago.

While we are proud of this ongoing work, the reality is that many important changes cannot happen without legislative change — which is why I am urgently renewing my call on Congress to step up.

Just over a year ago, in the wake of the East Palestine disaster, the bipartisan Railway Safety Act was introduced in Congress, with support from our administration. Yet the law has been stalled ever since by the railroad industry lobby and its Congressional allies.

This legislation is long overdue. It would phase in safer tank cars, require defect detectors, expand the list of hazardous materials that qualify for stricter safety precautions, and more.

The provisions of this law are commonsensical. For example, under existing law, the maximum fine we can impose — even for an egregious rail safety violation that gets someone killed — is less than $250,000. This is a trivial sum for a railroad corporation posting profits in the billions each year. In other areas, like airline passenger protection, our administration has demonstrated that fines can change the behavior of corporations — but only if they are tough enough. The Railway Safety Act would increase the cap on fines against railroads so that they can actually change the companies’ approach.

This provision, and many others in the proposed new law, would give us a stronger hand to keep Americans safe and hold industry to a higher standard. It would save lives.

The railroad industry is aggressively lobbying against the legislation. And some of the same Republican Representatives and Senators who were loudest in professing outrage over the derailment one year ago have gone uncharacteristically silent on the subject, now that their votes are needed to pass it into law.

It doesn’t have to be this way. At other moments in the past, Congress has demonstrated the capacity to stand up to the multi-billion-dollar railroad corporations and enact meaningful safety reforms. The early part of this century saw a number of high-profile freight rail incidents across the U.S. and Canada, including mass-casualty incidents like one in Quebec that left 47 people dead and leveled a town, and another in South Carolina that killed ten people and sent hundreds to the hospital with chlorine exposure. Those events led to significant new rail safety changes — with real results, including a reduction in derailments.

But as attention faded on those incidents, the railroad industry was consistently able to weaken or delay important safety provisions. Today, while lower than it was at its peak, the rate of derailments remains unacceptable. America has averaged multiple train derailments per day for as long as I’ve been alive. It is an unacceptable status quo.

Experience has shown that freight railroading, which is an immensely profitable business, will be better off when the country holds it to a higher standard. The Biden Administration is taking every needed step that does not require an Act of Congress — but now Congress must act.

The choice is clear: Congress can side with the railroad industry lobby that wants to water down efforts to strengthen safety requirements, or it can step up and pass the Railway Safety Act.

We owe this to the people of East Palestine, who have long been calling for this legislation to pass. If we get this right, their community will be known not only for the derailment that upended everyday life there, but for the lifesaving reforms that came next.

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