After a meeting between President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the President’s residence in Delaware, the U.S. Commerce Department announced on Monday that it is pursuing a ban on the sale of autonomous and connected vehicles in the U.S. that contain Chinese and Russian software or hardware. The move aims to safeguard national security and protect American drivers.

PM Modi called the discussions with Biden “fruitful,” highlighting that they addressed both global and regional issues. Notably, Biden expressed U.S. support for India’s bid for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council and congratulated Modi on his historic visits to Poland and the UK.

The restrictions on software will be enforced starting with the 2027 model year, while the hardware prohibitions will take effect in 2030, or January 1, 2029, for vehicles without a specific model year. The Commerce Department emphasized the urgency of this action due to the risks posed by modern vehicle technologies—such as microphones, cameras, GPS, and Bluetooth—which could be exploited by foreign adversaries to access sensitive personal information, like home addresses or school locations.

In extreme cases, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo warned, foreign actors could gain control of multiple vehicles, causing crashes or road blockages. “This is purely a national security measure,” Raimondo stated, noting that there are currently few Chinese or Russian cars in the U.S. but referencing Europe’s experience as a cautionary tale, where Chinese electric vehicles have quickly captured market share.

Janka Oertel, Director of the Asia Program at the European Council on Foreign Relations, pointed out that the issue of who controls data and software updates is deeply intertwined with national security, cybersecurity, and privacy. Some vehicle contracts have already shown that data ends up in China.

The proposed rule would ban the import and sale of vehicles equipped with Chinese or Russian-made software or hardware that enables external communication, including via Bluetooth, cellular, satellite, or Wi-Fi. It would also prohibit autonomous vehicles using such technologies, even if manufactured in the U.S., but would exclude non-road vehicles like those used for agriculture or mining.

Commerce officials have consulted with major global automakers and industry associations to understand the complexities of supply chains, and they are now inviting public comments on the rule, which will be finalized within 30 days of publication. This effort follows other recent moves by the Biden administration to reduce U.S. dependence on Chinese products, including electric vehicles, and bolster domestic industries.

Indian-American venture capitalist and Kamala Harris supporter, Vinod Khosla, has responded to tech billionaire Elon Musk after Musk accused him of putting a “no plebs allowed” sign on a public beach near his California home.

On Sunday, Musk shared an image of a sign that read, “No plebs allowed,” on a beach with the name “Vinay Khosla” written underneath. However, the authenticity of the sign could not be independently verified by HT.

In a follow-up post, the Tesla CEO claimed, “Vinod says we should send tens of thousands of unvetted migrants to small towns across America, but he didn’t want to let the public walk on his beach.” Musk referenced a Bloomberg report about Khosla’s failed legal battle to restrict access to Martins Beach, a popular surfing destination near his residence.

“I’m throwing a party on Vinod’s beach! For cuisine, I’m thinking BBQ,” Musk added, taking a jab at the businessman.

‘Fraudulent Photo’

In response, Khosla, co-founder of Sun Microsystems and founder of Khosla Ventures, accused Musk of spreading misinformation, stating the photo was “AI-generated” and demanded an apology.

“You owe me an apology for spreading falsehoods. This post should have a community comment as it’s a fraudulent photo. I believe it’s AI-generated, but you can verify that. It’s important we have rational debates without personal attacks,” Khosla replied, asserting that he had never erected such a sign or anything similar.

In his extended post, Khosla also criticized Musk’s recent support for Republican candidate and former president Donald Trump ahead of the November elections.

“(I can throw personal truths at you, unlike your false photo). While we agree on many things—like illegal immigration, climate change, and meritocracy (with compassion)—we disagree on major issues like who is best suited to save democracy and the importance of values in selecting a President,” Khosla wrote.

The Martins Beach Dispute

Khosla, 69, continued by clarifying the legal details of the Martins Beach controversy. In 2008, after purchasing property near the beach, he installed a gate blocking public access. While his legal team argued the gate was lawful since it was on private property, critics and local groups filed lawsuits, demanding the gate’s removal.

“Every court ruling regarding public access through my property has affirmed my right to consider it private, with no public access through it to the beach. The only case I lost was about closing the gate for a prior paid parking business, with the state preventing me from applying for a permit while still requiring one to shut it down. Very typical of the California Coastal Commission,” Khosla explained.

On September 23, concerns about escalating conflict in the Middle East led several international airlines to suspend flights to the region or avoid affected airspace.

Here is a list of airlines that have modified their services to and from the area:

• Air Algerie: The Algerian airline has halted flights to and from Lebanon until further notice.
• AirBaltic: Latvia’s AirBaltic announced on September 16 that it plans to resume its Riga-Tel Aviv flights on September 17.
• Air France-KLM: Air France suspended flights to Beirut and Tel Aviv until September 19. As of September 23, its website shows that flights to Beirut are canceled until at least September 24, while Tel Aviv flights have resumed. KLM, however, has canceled all Tel Aviv flights until October 26. The group’s low-cost carrier, Transavia, canceled flights to Tel Aviv until March 31, 2025, and to Amman and Beirut until November 3.
• Air India: The Indian national carrier suspended its scheduled flights to and from Tel Aviv indefinitely.
• Cathay Pacific: The Hong Kong airline canceled all Tel Aviv flights until March 27, 2025.
• Delta Air Lines: The U.S. airline paused its New York-Tel Aviv route until December 31.
• EasyJet: The UK-based budget carrier suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv in April and plans to resume on March 30, 2025.
• IAG: Vueling, the Spanish low-cost carrier owned by IAG, canceled flights to Tel Aviv until January 12, 2025, and to Amman indefinitely.
• LOT Polish Airlines: While LOT suspended flights to Lebanon indefinitely, flights to Tel Aviv are continuing as usual.
• Lufthansa Group: The German group suspended all flights to Tel Aviv and Tehran until September 24 and to Beirut until October 26.
• Ryanair: The European low-cost airline canceled its Tel Aviv flights until October 26, citing “operational restrictions.”
• Sundair: The German airline canceled its Bremen-Beirut flights until October 23.
• SunExpress: A joint venture between Turkish Airlines and Lufthansa, SunExpress suspended flights to Beirut through December 17.
• United Airlines: The U.S.-based airline suspended flights to Tel Aviv indefinitely due to security concerns.
• Lebanese Airspace Alerts: The UK government advised British airlines not to enter Lebanese airspace from August 8 to November 4 due to potential aviation risks from military activity.