BILLIONAIRES HIDE AWAY
New Zealand: The ideal spot to ride out the apocalypse?

Google's Larry Page has been granted New Zealand residency, boosting the country’s image as a refuge for tech billionaires. Is it all because the Pacific island nation is the best place to shelter from societal collapse?


A view of Lake Wanaka, close to where Peter Thiel's ranch is located on New Zealand's South Island

"Saying you're 'buying a house in New Zealand' is kind of a wink, wink, say no more." So said Reid Hoffmann, LinkedIn co-founder, in an article in The New Yorker that caused a stir in 2017.

Three years before the pandemic was defined, the article "Doomsday Prep for the Super-Rich" outlined the extent to which high-net-worth people were preparing for an apparently impending apocalypse. "We're buying a house in New Zealand" was code for "we're gearing up for Armageddon."

New Zealand is the most isolated rich country in the world and just last month was named by researchers from the Anglia Ruskin University in the United Kingdom as the best place to survive global societal collapse.

It has long held that status among those interested in such things. The idea that the country is laden with secret luxury survival bunkers is even an internet meme. So when a famous billionaire announces plans to move there, that does draw some attention.

Last week it was revealed that Larry Page, the co-founder of Google and the world's sixth-richest person with a fortune of around $122 billion (€104.1 billion), had obtained New Zealand residency. This under a special category for investors, which requires them to pump 10 million New Zealand dollars ($6.9 million, €5.9 million) into the country over a three-year period.
Thiel tales

Page's motivations may have nothing to do with apocalypse survival planning. But this story does recall the tale of New Zealand's most famous billionaire-investor-survivalist: Peter Thiel.


Many consider remarkable the story of billionaire Peter Thiel's road to New Zealand citizenship

Thiel made his name by founding PayPal, and his megafortune by buying 10% of Facebook for just $500,000 in 2004 — a stake he ultimately sold for more than $1 billion.

The bizarre story of his relationship with New Zealand is perhaps the main reason the country is so strongly associated with the idea of being a refuge for Silicon Valley's elite.

Thiel is known among other things for his unusual political views. He has spoken of how influenced he is by the 1997 book "The Sovereign Individual: How to Survive and Thrive during the Collapse of the Welfare State."

That book argues that democratic nation-states will ultimately become obsolete, and that a "cognitive elite," with vast wealth and resources, will no longer be subject to government regulation and become the primary shapers of governance. Thiel's own book, "Zero to One," expands on some of these ideas at length.

Shortly after Barack Obama's victory in the 2008 presidential election in the United States, Thiel's interest in New Zealand stepped up. He said in 2011 that "no other country aligns more with my view of the future than New Zealand."

Around this time, he was secretly applying for New Zealand citizenship. Despite having spent barely any time in the country, his application was granted. However, that all remained a secret for six years.

In 2016, Silicon Valley entrepreneur Sam Altman revealed in an interview in The New Yorker he had made an agreement with Thiel, that in the event of some global catastrophe, they would fly together to a property Thiel owned in New Zealand.


New Zealand's isolation, wealth, liberal democracy and apparent insulation from the ravages of climate change have fostered its image as a survivalist bolthole

This led New Zealand Herald investigative reporter Matt Nippert to look into what property Thiel owned. It turned out that Thiel had bought a 477-acre (193-hectare) former sheep ranch on New Zealand's sparsely populated South Island, as well as a luxury townhouse in nearby Queenstown.

Nippert's work ultimately revealed that Thiel had been granted citizenship — news that sparked major controversy in the country.
Thiel's Kiwi passion peters out

Yet by the time of that revelation in 2017, Thiel's interest in New Zealand had already cooled significantly. Thiel was a major Donald Trump supporter, and his election appeared to refresh Thiel's faith in the US.

His huge ranch at Damper Bay on South Island, far from being a survivalist compound, has been left largely untouched over the years. No planning applications have been made and Thiel has spent barely any time in the country in recent years. His townhouse has recently gone up for sale.

As part of his route to citizenship, Thiel had pledged to invest heavily in New Zealand's tech sector, which he has called underrated and underfunded.

He heavily and successfully backed local accounting software startup Xero and retail software firm Fend; but as New Zealand investigative reporter Nippert told DW, once his citizenship was granted, Thiel's financial commitment to New Zealand also cooled significantly and is dormant at present.
Bunker of the mind

For Nippert, Thiel's interest in New Zealand did not stem from a burning belief in the country's tech sector or necessarily from seeing it as an ideal apocalypse safe haven.


Larry Page, the world's sixth-richest man, has recently been granted New Zealand residency

"You don't need an actual bunker here because it is a legal bunker," Nippert told DW. "New Zealand is a great place [...] we don't have armed mobs or warlords. We have a fairly well regarded, uncorrupt public service. There is low firearms ownership."

"It's a bunker of the mind. It's a fall back plan if the IRS comes after you. I suspect that may be the motivation."
Escaping the apocalypse (or the taxman)

Precisely what Thiel's ultimate New Zealand plans are remain unclear. But the image of the country as an ideal bolthole for the American super-rich to escape to has been bolstered during the pandemic, with reports of well-heeled US citizens activating long-held Kiwi escape plans once the coronavirus hit.

The news of Page's residency adds to this mystique. Nippert suspects Page just wants easy access in and out of the country.

He has continued to investigate the extent to which overseas investors, like Thiel or Page, have established links to New Zealand. Nippert said that people he trusts say this continues happening, although he himself has found little evidence it is as widespread as reported.

Meanwhile, New Zealand continues to be seen as the place to be when the world finally comes crashing down.

"The way these guys operate, hedge fund managers [...] they assess risk and what will happen if certain unlikely events happen, and how can you be positioned to survive and make a profit from it."

"Does he [Thiel] have an inside line on the end of the world? I think anyone reading the news over the last few years would be concerned about the direction things are going."

Tenacious Unicorn Ranch: Sanctuary and target

The Tenacious Unicorn Ranch has become a haven for transgender individuals but not everyone is a fan. Now, residents are arming themselves as death threats mount.


Going public as protection
Meanwhile, residents of the ranch are turning to the media to report hostility. They hope the increased attention will deter their harassers. In addition, they have installed cameras, obtained protective waistcoats, started building a higher fence and intensified weapons training. Whether the Unicorn Ranch can remain a safe haven is uncertain.

PHOTOS
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An alpaca ranch as refuge

In 2018, Peggy Logue founded the Tenacious Unicorn Ranch as a sanctuary for the LGBTI+ community. Logan, transgender herself, founded the alpaca farm to provide a home and work for those still marginalized by society. Here they are free to love who they want and be who they are.

Turkey: Anti-foreigner sentiment boils over in Ankara riots

There are approximately 4 million refugees in Turkey, and they are increasingly the objects of hostility — as the recent riots in Ankara have shown. Experts warn that the situation is likely to escalate in future


Young Turks making the far-right extremist 'wolf salute'

 SEE GREY WOLVES TURKEY

It all began on Tuesday evening when a street fight erupted between two groups of youths in Altindag, a district of the Turkish capital, Ankara. In the violent confrontation between some Syrian migrants and a group of Turkish locals, two Turks were stabbed. A few hours later, one of them, 18-year-old Emirhan Yalcin, died in hospital.

The event sparked a wave of xenophobia that resembled a pogrom. On Thursday night, hundreds of people poured onto the streets of Altindag. There, they vandalized and ransacked stores, homes and cars belonging to Syrian immigrants.

These ugly scenes could be followed live on Twitter: Numerous videos were posted on the social network showing the angry mob vandalizing Syrian property and shouting xenophobic slogans. Some of the rioters make the so-called "wolf salute" with their hands, the symbol of Turkey's right-wing extremist movement "UIlkucu," also known as the "Gray Wolves."



Meanwhile, xenophobic posts spread across social networks with hashtags like "We don't want any Syrians," "We don't want any Afghans," and "Turkey for the Turks."

Weak economy fueling discontent

For a long time, the Turkish government and population were tolerant of the millions of refugees and migrants in their country. In the past few years, though, the mood has changed. One of the main reasons for the increase in hostility toward migrants is that Turkey has been trapped in a prolonged economic and monetary crisis since the fall of 2018. This difficult situation has amplified existential fears in Turkish society and struggles over the distribution of wealth.

The xenophobic riots in Ankara came as no surprise to sociologist Ulas Sunata. She says they cannot be attributed solely to the bad economic situation. "Tensions between refugees and locals were never properly defused," she explains. "There have been a lot of mistakes in immigration policy. It was non-transparent and poorly communicated."

Sunata anticipates worse hostilities to come, warning that politicians who kept emphasizing that immigrants would soon be sent back have encouraged this response.

The mood has changed for the worse toward refugees in Turkey

Metin Corabatir, the president of the Research Center for Asylum and Immigration (IGAM), also holds politicians and their harsh rhetoric partly responsible. He, too, points out that many have repeatedly stressed their intention to send the refugees back soon. "They already have an eye on the 2023 elections," he explains.

Politicians promising deportations

He is referring primarily to the largest opposition party, the CHP, which recently ratcheted its anti-refugee rhetoric up a notch. CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu declared that if his party came to power he would send all refugees back to their countries of origin.

There are an estimated 3.6 million Syrian refugees and migrants in Turkey, as well as refugees from Afghanistan, many of whom fled the radical Islamist Taliban militia. Hundreds of thousands are living in Turkey illegally, earn little and cannot access the health care system.

Opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu wants refugees to leave Turkey

Are the Taliban causing new mass immigration?

Since the recent withdrawal of NATO troops from Afghanistan, the Taliban have managed to retake large parts of the country from the central government. Many Turks now fear that Turkey must expect a fresh wave of immigration. In addition, the Turkish government has been offering its services to the United States as a force to protect the civilian Afghan population. For example, President Erdogan plans to deploy Turkish soldiers to secure Kabul's Hamid Karzai Airport.

Washington, it seems, is happy to accept this offer. Last week, the US State Department announced a Refugee Action Plan for those Afghans who have cooperated with Washington and may therefore be persecuted by the Taliban. The program envisages temporary resettlement for them in Turkey.

This does beg the question of how much safer it will be for Afghan refugees there, given the intensity of the xenophobia that flared up in Ankara on Thursday.

This article has been translated from German.

Multi-billion-dollar reconstruction projects await in post-war Libya

Issued on: 15/08/2021 -

Libya's oil and gas wealth make it a potential bonanza for foreign construction firms as it makes up for a decade of lost investment Mahmud TURKIA AFP



Tripoli (AFP)

A decade after Libya descended into chaos, a host of countries are eyeing potential multi-billion-dollar infrastructure projects in the oil-rich nation if stability is assured.

Economist Kamal Mansouri expects Libya's reconstruction drive to be one of the biggest in the Middle East and North Africa.

He estimates "more than 100 billion dollars" are needed to rebuild Libya, which has been gripped by violence and political turmoil since dictator Moamer Kadhafi was toppled in a 2011 uprising.

Former colonial power Italy, neighbouring Egypt and Turkey are tipped to be awarded the lion's share of reconstruction deals.

In the capital Tripoli, dozens of rusted cranes and unfinished buildings dot the seafront, testimony to hundreds of abandoned projects worth billions of dollars launched between 2000 and 2010.

After Kadhafi's overthrow, Libya fell under the control of a complex, ever-shifting patchwork of militias and foreign mercenaries backing rival administrations.

While Turkey has supported the Tripoli government, eastern-based strongman Khalifa Haftar, who battled but failed to seize the capital, has had the backing of Russia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt.

But a UN-backed ceasefire was agreed last October, paving the way for the establishment in March of an interim administration.

The new government led by Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah is tasked with organising presidential and parliamentary elections in December if a legal framework is agreed on time.

- Courted by business teams -

The new administration has been courted by Western and regional leaders who have visited Libya with large business delegations in tow.

This unfinished Tripoli hotel is one of many construction projects that were halted by the turmoil that has gripped Libya since the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi Mahmud TURKIA AFP

Italy's Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio was accompanied by the chief of Italian energy giant ENI.

In May, Dbeibah, an engineer and businessman, visited Rome and agreed with his Italian counterpart Mario Draghi to expand collaboration on energy projects.

Italy aims to defend its commercial interests in the nation with Africa's largest oil reserves, an energy sector where Eni has been the leading foreign player since 1959.

The firm reportedly proposes building a photovoltaic solar plant in southern Libya.

In June, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez also visited with a business team, while Dbeibah has travelled to Paris.

As Dbeibah's administration takes part in several business forums, Turkey, Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria are also in the running for lucrative contracts.

A delegation from Russia's energy group Tatneft visited Tripoli in June to study oil exploration projects.

- Questions over funding, stability -

"Libya hasn't built a thing in 10 years," said Global Initiative senior fellow and Libya expert Jalel Harchaoui.

Apartment blocks lie unfinished in the Libyan coastal town of Tajura, another victim of the decade-long halt to infrastucture spending that now makes the country a magnet for foreign contractors Mahmud TURKIA AFP

"It's a rich country which hasn't maintained its infrastructure."

A decade of violence has ravaged its airports, roads and the electricity network.

While there is no shortage of major projects and international suitors, questions remain over funding and whether instability will return.

Divisions have devastated Libya's economy and complicated management of its oil revenues, weakening its foreign currency reserves.

On the political and economic fronts, a 2021 budget has yet to be approved and UN-led efforts to organise elections appear to be floundering.

© 2021 AFP

In Sudan, Tigrayans fear the worst as bodies wash up in river


Issued on: 15/08/2021 

In Wad al-Hiliou, a village in the eastern Sudanese state of Kassala, Tigrayan refugees gather on the banks of the Setit River bordering Ethiopia ASHRAF SHAZLY AFP

Wad al-Hiliou (Sudan) (AFP)

In an east Sudan town, Tigrayan Gabratansay Gabrakhristos panics whenever his phone rings: it could be grim news of yet more bodies washing up on the banks of a river bordering Ethiopia.

Gabratansay says he has been receiving such phone calls since late July, when Sudanese villagers found the first corpse floating down the Setit River, known as the Tekeze in Ethiopia.

Since then, he says, a stream of calls has followed, bringing news of even more gruesome


"It has been the case for weeks now. Once a new body is found, they call me and other Tigrayans here," Gabratansay told AFP at Wad al-Hiliou, a village in the eastern Sudanese state of Kassala.

"We may not know them personally, but they are the bodies of our people," says the 40-year-old farmer.

Gabratansay and others like him who recover the bodies fear they are evidence of mass executions by government-allied troops in Tigray, a small but historically powerful region of northern Ethiopia that has been ravaged by more than nine months of fighting between the army and battle-hardened local forces.

Allegations have swirled of atrocities, ethnic cleansing and mass killings, including a massacre in the town of Humera, in western Tigray. All have been dismissed by the Ethiopian government as "fabricated".

A Tigrayan refugee places a makeshift cross on the banks of the Setit River bordering Ethiopia ASHRAF SHAZLY AFP

Along with other Tigrayans, Gabratansay says he has helped to retrieve and bury some 50 bodies found in the river, including five women.

Many of the corpses bore gunshot wounds, others appeared to have suffered burns, deep slashes, or had body parts missing, and almost all had their hands tied behind their back, he says.

- 'Hands tied' -

Gabratansay says that based on information received from Humera, "around 150 Tigrayan prisoners were executed by federal forces with their hands tied behind their back".

These accounts came from Tigrayans who fled Humera as well as people still in the town who spoke of hearing "screams and gunshots", he says.

The UNHCR, like other aid agencies, said earlier this month that it had 'no access to the Ethiopian side of the border' ASHRAF SHAZLY AFP

"We think there are more bodies in the river but we have not found them yet."

Tigrayan Kahsay Gabrselsey, who took part in the search for bodies, believes they belong to the Tigrayans allegedly executed in Humera.

"We have heard that federal forces killed dozens of Tigrayan prisoners... and threw them in the river," he says. "We think these are their bodies."

Although the men have little evidence to support their claims, they say some of the bodies had tattoos written in their language -- Tigrinya.

"One body had a tattoo of the words 'I love you' on his arm, and another had the name of his beloved carved on his arm as well," says Tigrayan Gebremaden Gabro.

Tigray has been wracked by violence since November, when Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed sent in troops to oust the region's ruling party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front, a move he says was in response to TPLF attacks on army camps.

Thousands have been killed, and tens of thousands forced to flee into Sudan.

Weeks into the fighting, Abiy -- winner of the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize -- declared victory after his forces captured the Tigray capital, Mekele.

In June, a stunning turn of events unfolded when the TPLF regained control over Mekele and much of Tigray.

The fighting spread, however, as western Tigray remained under the control of allied government forces, and the TPLF pushed east and south into the neighbouring Afar and Amhara regions.

- Shallow sand graves -

The men shared with AFP images of what appeared to be several bodies floating on the surface before being carried away on mats and buried in shallow sand graves on the banks of a river.

"We wished we could take them somewhere better to be buried, but we couldn't," Gabratansay says, pointing to large stones he placed atop the grave of the first body he buried.

Tigrayan refugee Gabratansay Gabrakhristos says he has helped to retrieve and bury around 50 bodies found in the river ASHRAF SHAZLY AFP

"The bodies were too decomposed and smelled and we had little means to carry them."

The UN refugee agency, the UNHCR, confirmed the discovery of one body and several fresh graves but said it could neither confirm the identity of those buried nor how they died.

The UNHCR, like other aid agencies, said in early August that it had "no access to the Ethiopian side of the border."

Humanitarian needs have swelled in Tigray with aid workers struggling to reach people who have become stranded by the conflict.

In July, the UN warned that 400,000 people had "crossed the threshold into famine", with another 1.8 million on the brink of following them.

Amnesty International this month accused forces allied with Addis Ababa of hundreds of cases of sexual violence and rape, some involving sexual slavery and mutilation.

Ethiopia accused Amnesty of bad methodology and waging "sensationalised attacks and smear campaigns" against it.

But Tigrayans living in Sudan fear the worst for their families trapped in the region.

"My family was unable to escape since they live in a village far from the border," says Legese Mallow who hails from Adigrat in Tigray.

"We just wish the war would stop so we can go there and see who died and who is still alive."

© 2021 AFP

Hong Kong group behind huge democracy rallies disbands amid China's clampdown

Issued on: 15/08/2021 

District councillor Tsang Kin-shing (L), convener of Civil Human Rights Front Figo Chan (2nd L) and former lawmaker Leung Kwok-hung (C), also known as Long Hair, Tang Sai Lai (2nd R) and Avery Ng (R) arrive at a district court in Wan Chai on February 25, 2021, to enter a plea on charges of inciting an unauthorised assembly at a protest on July 19, 2019. © Isaac Lawrence, AFP

The Hong Kong protest coalition that organised record-breaking democracy rallies two years ago said Sunday it was disbanding in the face of China's sweeping clampdown on dissent in the city.

The dissolution comes as China remoulds Hong Kong in its own authoritarian image and purges the city of any person or group deemed disloyal or unpatriotic.

The Civil Human Rights Front (CHRF) was a major player in the months of democracy protests that convulsed Hong Kong in 2019.

But the group said Beijing's subsequent crackdown on democracy supporters and a de facto ban on protests had left it with little future.

"All member groups have been suppressed and civil society is facing an unprecedented severe challenge," the Civil Human Rights Front wrote in a statement announcing why it was disbanding

Its remaining HK$1.6 million ($205,000) in assets would be donated to "appropriate groups", the statement added.

The 2019 protests began in response to a deeply unpopular law that would have allowed extraditions from the semi-autonomous city to authoritarian mainland China.

But they soon morphed into calls for greater democracy and police accountability after huge crowds were dispersed with tear gas and rubber bullets.

The CHRF, founded in 2002, espoused non-violence and routinely got crowds of hundreds of thousands strong onto the streets.

Some estimates said more than a million people marched at some rallies, in a city of 7.3 million residents.

But the deliberately leaderless democracy movement became increasingly fierce as clashes escalated between riot police and smaller groups of more hardcore, often young, protesters.

Security law

China's response to protesters has been to dismiss their demands and portray them as part of a foreign plot to destabilise the motherland.

A sweeping national security law was imposed on the city last year that criminalised much dissent and has seen many of the city's democracy leaders jailed for fled overseas.

More than 30 civil society groups have already disbanded, fearful that national security police will come for them next, according to a tally kept by AFP.

Earlier this week the city's biggest union -- the Professional Teachers Union (PTU) -- said it was shutting down after nearly 50 years of operation.

Most of the CHRF's prominent activists, including former leaders Jimmy Sham and Figo Chan, are already behind bars for organising the protests or on national security charges.

But a small group of activists had kept the organisation going at least in name.

National security police had already begun an investigation into the umbrella group over its finances and whether it was properly registered.

Earlier this week police chief Raymond Siu also told a pro-Beijing newspaper the CHRF might have broken the national security law with its 2019 rallies.

Those comments caused alarm because the law -- enacted on 30 June 2020 -- is not supposed to be retroactive.

Both the CHRF and the PTU decisions to disband came after multiple pieces were run in China's state media attacking the organisations and calling for Hong Kong authorities to do more to dismantle them.

"For any anti-China and trouble-making forces, it's just a matter of time for them to court their own ruin," China's top state media People's Daily said in a commentary on the PTU on Tuesday.

State media have also singled out two other organisations in recent weeks.

They are the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China -- which has historically organised the city's now-banned vigils marking Beijing's deadly Tiananmen Square crackdown -- and the city's biggest pro-democracy labour coalition the Confederation of Trade Unions.

(AFP)


Hong Kong group behind huge democracy rallies disbands
Issued on: 15/08/2021 - 

The CHRF routinely got crowds of hundreds of thousands, if not more than a million, onto the streets of Hong Kong Philip FONG AFP/File

Hong Kong (AFP)

The Hong Kong protest coalition that organised record-breaking democracy rallies two years ago said Sunday it was disbanding in the face of China's sweeping clampdown on dissent in the city.

The dissolution comes as China remoulds Hong Kong in its own authoritarian image and purges the city of any person or group deemed disloyal or unpatriotic.

The Civil Human Rights Front (CHRF) was a major player in the months of democracy protests that convulsed Hong Kong in 2019

But the group said Beijing's subsequent crackdown on democracy supporters and a de facto ban on protests had left it with little future.

"All member groups have been suppressed and civil society is facing an unprecedented severe challenge," the Civil Human Rights Front wrote in a statement announcing why it was disbanding.

Its remaining HK$1.6 million ($205,000) in assets would be donated to "appropriate groups", the statement added.

The 2019 protests began in response to a deeply unpopular law that would have allowed extraditions from the semi-autonomous city to authoritarian mainland China.

But they soon morphed into calls for greater democracy and police accountability after huge crowds were dispersed with tear gas and rubber bullets.

The CHRF, founded in 2002, espoused non-violence and routinely got crowds of hundreds of thousands strong onto the streets.

Some estimates said more than a million people marched at some rallies, in a city of 7.3 million residents.

But the deliberately leaderless democracy movement became increasingly fierce as clashes escalated between riot police and smaller groups of more hardcore, often young, protesters.

- Security law -

China's response to protesters has been to dismiss their demands and portray them as part of a foreign plot to destabilise the motherland.

A sweeping national security law was imposed on the city last year that criminalised much dissent and has seen many of the city's democracy leaders jailed for fled overseas.

More than 30 civil society groups have already disbanded, fearful that national security police will come for them next, according to a tally kept by AFP.

Earlier this week the city's biggest union -- the Professional Teachers Union (PTU) -- said it was shutting down after nearly 50 years of operation.

Most of the CHRF's prominent activists, including former leaders Jimmy Sham and Figo Chan, are already behind bars for organising the protests or on national security charges.

But a small group of activists had kept the organisation going at least in name.

National security police had already begun an investigation into the umbrella group over its finances and whether it was properly registered.

Earlier this week police chief Raymond Siu also told a pro-Beijing newspaper the CHRF might have broken the national security law with its 2019 rallies.

Those comments caused alarm because the law -- enacted on 30 June 2020 -- is not supposed to be retroactive.

Both the CHRF and the PTU decisions to disband came after multiple pieces were run in China's state media attacking the organisations and calling for Hong Kong authorities to do more to dismantle them.

"For any anti-China and trouble-making forces, it's just a matter of time for them to court their own ruin," China's top state media People's Daily said in a commentary on the PTU on Tuesday.

State media have also singled out two other organisations in recent weeks.

They are the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China -- which has historically organised the city's now-banned vigils marking Beijing's deadly Tiananmen Square crackdown -- and the city's biggest pro-democracy labour coalition the Confederation of Trade Unions.

© 2021 AFP

Discovering Slovenia's underground labyrinths, one cave at a time

Issued on: 15/08/2021 - 

Slovenia is rich in caves, which are a major draw for tourists Jure Makovec AFP

Orlek (Slovenia) (AFP)

The grass flickered gently above a crack in the limestone and Ludvik Husu instinctively knew he had found what he was searching for: a new cave in Slovenia's dramatic Karst region.

The seasoned cave enthusiast, with more than 50 years' experience, told AFP that "the conditions were perfect... all the signs pointed to something beneath" as he felt the air current push up from below.

The 63-year-old had come across a new, 60-metre (196-foot) deep limestone cave, a discovery that made the headlines this summer in a country that prides itself in its 14,000 underground grottoes.

Seasoned caver Ludvik Husu, 63, has found a new, 60-metre (196-foot) deep limestone cave in Slovenia's dramatic Karst region Jure Makovec AFP

The tiny Alpine nation is unusually rich in caves, which are a major tourist attraction. One even houses an entire castle and another was used the European Space Agency to help train astronauts.

- Biological treasure trove -

Perhaps best known is the Postojna cave system, the longest in Europe, unearthed by another amateur enthusiast two centuries ago.

When local lamplighter Luka Cec decided to explore a hidden crack while scouting out the Postojna area for a visit by Austrian Emperor Franz, he is reputed to have said that he had stumbled on "a new world... a paradise!"

The Postojna system extends for 24 kilometres (15 miles) and has offered up valuable finds for biologists.

Two centuries ago, the Postojna cave system, the longest in Europe, was unearthed by an amateur enthusiast Jure Makovec AFP

Stanislav Glazar, a Postojna cave guide and speleology enthusiast, told AFP that more than 150 species have been discovered in the system.

Among them is the Proteus anguinus or "little dragon", an ancient aquatic salamander that can live up to 100 years and was previously considered living proof that dragons had once existed.

A cave-dwelling beetle -– the slender neck beetle or Leptodirus hochenwartii -- was also found here, reputedly by Cec.

An ancient aquatic salamander that can live up to 100 years is among the species to have been found in the Postojna cave system Jure Makovec AFP

Glazar sid Postojna is one of the richest caves in the world "in limestone formations, with a dense concentration of stalactites, columns, pillars".

The cave, situated some 50 kilometres south of the capital Ljubljana, was also home to the world's first cave tourist train, which began transporting visitors in 1872.

- 'No fear!' -

Elsewhere in the Karst region, the cave systems are of historical, cultural and even extraterrestrial interest.

The dramatic, medieval Predjama castle was built in a cave mouth to make access difficult and to provide an escape route through a shaft in the rock face.

The medieval Predjama castle was built in a cave mouth to make access difficult and provide an escape route through a shaft in the rock face Jure Makovec AFP

The Vilenica cave, which Slovenes have been exploring since 1633, is known for the annual eponymous literary prize awarded in its interior.

And the UNESCO-listed Skocjan system was where the European Space Agency sent some astronauts to prepare for life in space.

"Astronauts know that the Karst world is exceptional, in a similar way to the environment in space: you don't know what to expect at your next step," said Skocjan Caves supervisor Tomaz Zorman.

But for Husu, it's the hunt which proves most rewarding.

The UNESCO-listed Skocjan cave system has hosted astronauts sent there by the European Space Agency to prepare for life in space Jure Makovec AFP

The "ideal time for cave searching is the winter" when the air above ground is cooler than that in the caves.

Once he knows there is something beneath, he digs around the crack to widen it and alerts fellow cavers to help gain access.

He then uses ropes and a lamp to descend into what are vertical entrances in most caves, known as "chimneys".

But doesn't he feel any trepidation at entering such unexplored depths?

"You enter a cave out of curiosity, there is no fear! Those who feel fear should stay home," he said.

© 2021 AFP

Boeing astronaut capsule grounded for months by valve issue

BOEING SUCKS ON THE TAXPAYERS TEAT


In this June 2, 2021 photo made available by NASA, technicians prepare Boeing's CST-100 Starliner for the company's Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2) in the Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. On Friday, Aug. 13, 2021, Boeing and NASA officials said the capsule is grounded for months and possibly even until next year because of a vexing valve problem. (NASA via AP)

MARCIA DUNN
Fri, August 13, 2021
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Boeing’s astronaut capsule is grounded for months and possibly even until next year because of a vexing valve problem.

Boeing and NASA officials said Friday that the Starliner capsule will be removed from the top of its rocket and returned to its Kennedy Space Center hangar for more extensive repairs.

Starliner was poised to blast off on a repeat test flight to the International Space Station last week — carrying a mannequin but no astronauts — when the trouble arose. A similar capsule was plagued by software issues in 2019 that prevented it from reaching the space station.


“We're obviously disappointed,” said John Vollmer, vice president and program manager of Boeing’s commercial crew program. "We will fly this test when we’re ready to fly it and it’s safe to do so."

Kathy Lueders, head of NASA's human exploration office, said it's "another example of why these demo missions are so very important to us ... to make sure we have the system wrung out before we put our crews on.”

Boeing's performance is in stark contrast to that of SpaceX, NASA's other contracted taxi service. SpaceX has flown 10 astronauts to the space station in just over a year, with four more due to launch aboard the company's Dragon capsule at the end of October. Elon Musk's company will mark another first next month when it launches a billionaire into orbit with three guests, two of them contest winners.

Vollmer said moisture in the air somehow infiltrated 13 valves in the capsule’s propulsion system. That moisture combined with a corrosive fuel-burning chemical that had gotten past seals, preventing the valves from opening as required before the Aug. 3 launch attempt.

As of Friday, nine of the valves had been fixed. The other four require more invasive work.

Rain from a severe thunderstorm penetrated some of the capsule's thrusters at the pad, but engineers do not believe that is the same moisture that caused the valves to stick. Engineers are trying to determine how and when the moisture got there; it could have been during assembly or much later, Vollmer said.

The 13 in question are among dozens of valves that are tied into thrusters needed to get the capsule into the proper orbit and to the space station, and to also re-enter the atmosphere at flight's end. All the valves worked fine five weeks earlier and performed well in the 2019 test flight, Vollmer said.

Vollmer said it's too soon to know whether the valves will need to be replaced or even redesigned. Aerojet Rocketdyne supplied the valves, along with the rest of the propulsion system.

Given all the uncertainty, Vollmer was reluctant to say when Starliner might be ready for another launch attempt. Boeing will need to work around other space station traffic, as well as a NASA asteroid mission that's due to launch on the same kind of rocket from the same pad in October.

“Probably too early to say whether it's this year or not,” Vollmer told reporters.

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

PERMANENT ARMS ECONOMY #MIC

BITCOIN EMITS LESS THAN 2% OF THE WORLD’S MILITARY-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX CARBON EMISSIONS

Drumbeat grows louder for BHP to exit petroleum

Sonali Paul and Melanie Burton
Fri, August 13, 2021, 

FILE PHOTO: The North West Shelf Gas Project is seen at sunset in Burrup at the Pilbarra region in Western Australia


MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Expectations are growing that BHP Group Ltd will deliver a verdict on the future of its petroleum business at its results next week, as it comes under increasing pressure to cut its fossil fuel footprint.

The world's biggest miner has been facing calls to detail how and when it will exit fossil fuels, with activist investor Market Forces filing a resolution on the topic this week for annual meetings in October and November.


BHP's decision this month to approve $802 million in development spending on oil projects in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico - just days before a new report that issued dire warnings about human contribution to climate change - has only ratcheted up pressure from some investors.

"It's clear something is brewing," said Simon Mawhinney, Chief Investment Officer at Allan Gray Australia.

BHP declined to comment on market speculation.

Analysts value BHP's petroleum business, made up of assets in Australia, the Gulf of Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago and Algeria, at $10 billion to $17 billion. The division contributed 5% of BHP's underlying earnings of $14.7 billion in the first half to end-December, compared with 70% for iron ore.

Investors are split on their fit within BHP's portfolio, especially as the company focuses on new economy materials such as copper, nickel and potash.

An exit from petroleum would constitute "a major shift" in BHP's environmental, social and governance (ESG) credentials and overall strategy towards fossil fuels, Morgan Stanley analyst Rahul Anand said in a recent note.

AUSTRALIA AND THE REST

BHP's late-life, mainly low-return energy assets in Australia are seen as particularly ripe for a sale amid high oil and gas prices.

"For BHP, if you look at its Australian (energy) assets, if they could exit those in a meaningful way for something approximating value, that would be a good outcome," said Brenton Saunders, a portfolio manager with shareholder Pendal Group.

Credit Suisse and Citi value the Australian energy assets - including the Bass Strait, Northwest Shelf LNG and the Scarborough gas field - at $3 billion to $5 billion.

Woodside Petroleum Ltd is seen as the most logical buyer as they would boost its free cash flow and increase its stakes in key projects, although not all investors favour such a tie-up given the asset mix and likely need for an equity raising.

Woodside declined to comment.

BHP would also have to take a discount on any sale given some heavy decommissioning liabilities, said Credit Suisse analyst Saul Kavonic, although a sale could boost its ESG rating and attract new shareholders.

"BHP could sell these for discounts but still increase share value though a re-rating on the rest of their business," he said.

Elsewhere, investors say BHP's petroleum assets are more attractive.

The most valuable are its stakes in oil fields in the Gulf of Mexico, valued at $10.4 billion by Wood Mackenzie, which made up about 25% of the company's 103 million barrels of oil equivalent output the year to June 2021.

"The rest of the portfolio, there are parts that are high growth, high returning. They've done a lot of work on them and shareholders have had to wear some of the bad times. They are good assets," said Pendal Group's Saunders.

BHP is due to deliver its annual results on Tuesday at 0700 GMT.

(Reporting by Melanie Burton and Sonali Paul; editing by Richard Pullin)

RIP
Grammy-winning folk singer-songwriter Nanci Griffith dies

© Provided by The Canadian Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Nanci Griffith, the Grammy-winning folk singer-songwriter from Texas whose literary songs like “Love at the Five and Dime” celebrated the South, has died. She was 68.

Her management company, Gold Mountain Entertainment, said Griffith died Friday but did not provide a cause of death.

“It was Nanci’s wish that no further formal statement or press release happen for a week following her passing,” Gold Mountain Entertainment said in a statement.

Griffith worked closely with other folk singers, helping the early careers of artists like Lyle Lovett and Emmylou Harris. She had a high-pitched voice, and her singing was effortlessly smooth with a twangy Texas accent as she sang about Dust Bowl farmers and empty Woolworth general stores.

Griffith was also known for her recording of “From a Distance,” which would later become a well-known Bette Midler tune. The song appeared on Griffith's first major label release, “Lone Star State of Mind" in 1987.

Her 1993 album “Other Voices, Other Rooms,” earned a Grammy for best contemporary folk album. Named after a Truman Capote novel, the album features Griffith singing with Harris, John Prine, Arlo Guthrie and Guy Clark on classic folk songs.

In 2008, Griffith won the Lifetime Achievement Trailblazer Award from the Americana Music Association.

Country singer Suzy Bogguss, who had a Top 10 hit with Griffith's song “Outbound Plane,” posted a remembrance to her friend on Instagram.

“I feel blessed to have many memories of our times together along with most everything she ever recorded. I’m going to spend the day reveling in the articulate masterful legacy she’s left us,” Bogguss wrote.

Darius Rucker called Griffith one of his idols and why he moved to Nashville.

"Singing with her was my favorite things to do,” he wrote on Twitter.

Keeping in line with the tradition of folk music, Griffith often wrote social commentary into her songs, such as the anti-racist ode “It's a Hard Life Wherever You Go,” and the economic impact on rural farmers in the 1980s on “Trouble in the Fields.”

“I wrote it because my family were farmers in West Texas during the Great Depression,” Griffith told the Los Angeles Times in a 1990 interview. “It was written basically as a show of support for my generation of farmers.”

Griffith gained many fans in Ireland and Northern Ireland, where she would often tour.

Kristin M. Hall, The Associated Press

Nanci Griffith: Folk and country singer-songwriter dies aged 68

IMAGE Nanci Griffith, a Grammy-winning folk and country music singer-songwriter, has died aged 68.

Her death was confirmed by management and her record label on Friday, without a cause of death being given.

The genre-straddling artist's best known songs include Love at the Five and Dime and the Outbound Plane, which others saw mainstream success with.

She is considered influential and recorded duets with artists like Willie Nelson across her long career.

Born in Seguin, Texas in 1953, Griffith began performing and releasing folk music while working as a nursery teacher in Austin in the 1970s.

She moved to Nashville in 1985, where she landed her first major record deal.

Griffith found country success with her recording of Nancy Gold's From a Distance, years before Bette Midler's version became a major hit.

Her style of music, which Griffith herself described as "folkabilly", was considered unique and blended musical genres.

She won a Grammy award in 1994 for her album Other Voices, Other Rooms which was made up of cover songs and musical collaborations.

She previously survived two bouts of cancer in the 1990s and continued to tour and produce music - with her final album released in 2012.

"It was Nanci's wish that no further formal statement or press release happen for a week following her passing," Gold Mountain Entertainment said in a statement.

Artists from the music world paid tribute after news of her death broke on Friday.

Country artist Suzy Bogguss shared a photograph of Griffith on Instagram and said her "heart was aching" with the loss.

Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, described Griffith as "a master songwriter who took every opportunity to champion kindred spirits".