Trans in Afghanistan: A mortal danger under the Taliban

Danish is transgender, Khalid is gay. But in Afghanistan under the Taliban rule, LGBTQ people face the death penalty. So their only option is to flee the country. Here's their story.



On August 15, the Taliban retook control of Afghanistan

Danish has been living in semidarkness for weeks. Since the Taliban's takeover in mid-August, he has been hiding in the windowless back room of a friend's now-closed shop in Kabul. He no longer dares go outside. Under the Islamist Taliban, he and many like him face the death penalty.

Assigned female at birth and raised as a girl, Danish has known since he was 13 that he was in the wrong body. A body that he "hates," he says. In the photos that he sends, he emphatically wears masculine clothing and a short haircut.

Now he just kills time, "just breathing in a room like a prison." At night he takes sleeping pills to calm his ruminations. "My mind is stuck. I am getting mad overthinking." Most of all, he writes, he would like to stand by the sea and just scream until his throat is sore.


Danish only has contact with the outside world via his mobile phone — with very few people. His closest confidante is Khalid, a good friend who is gay and, like Danish, in his mid-20s. DW has been in daily contact with both of them via an encrypted message service since the beginning of September. Their names have been changed for safety reasons.

Attacked in the street

Khalid has taken precautions. As the Taliban advanced on Kabul, he swapped his jeans and a hooded jacket for traditional Afghan clothing. He even grew a beard — so as not to attract attention.

But he's really a feminine guy, he says. And he knows that this alone can be dangerous for him.


Khalid dares not venture outside, where Taliban fighters patrol the streets of Kabul

On August 15, the day the Islamists took Kabul, he left his room to run errands. He thought he was well prepared. But his precautionary measures were not enough.

In the middle of the street, he felt a sudden pain in his right shoulder. "Then there was this Talib. I did not see him. He had a plastic pipe which is used for water. It was really thick and heavy. He hit me on my right shoulder. It hurt a lot, my eyes were full of tears. Then he used some curse words in Pashto, basically, he said: 'Why are you walking so feminine, don't you know how to walk [properly]?'"

Khalid has stayed at home since then.

Brutal punishment under the Taliban

Under the Taliban, LGBTQ people like Khalid and Danish fear for their lives. For a man who has sex with another man there are only two possible punishments — and both are lethal, according to a Taliban judge who spoke with German tabloid newspaper Bild in an exclusive interview a few weeks before the takeover: "Either stoning or he has to be behind a wall that falls on him. The wall must be 2 1/2 to 3 meters [ca. 8 to 9 feet — Editor's note] high."

Mullah Nooruddin Turabi, one of the founders of the Taliban, wants to bring back executions and amputations

At the end of September, Mullah Nooruddin Turabi, a senior founding member of the Taliban, told The Associated Press news agency that the government would reintroduce executions and hand amputations, just like they did in the 1990s.

Back then, Turabi was the justice minister in the Taliban government. According to an Australian government report, homosexuals in Afghanistan were executed regularly between 1996 and the fall of the Taliban in autumn 2001.
Discrimination and violence

Under President Hamid Karzai and his successor, Ashraf Ghani, LGBTQ people were no longer threatened with the death penalty. However, according to Afghan criminal law, sexual relationships outside of marriage between a man and a woman were fundamentally prohibited and punishable.

In 2018, a new law criminalizing homosexuality was passed under Ghani. Thereafter, homosexual physical relationships were punishable by up to two years in prison.

Everyday discrimination against LGBTQ individuals is ubiquitous, as is violence against them. Both Danish and Khalid experienced this firsthand. Both were beaten mercilessly by their families and were outcasts because of their sexual orientation. Both have few people they trust.

Watch video01:48 Taliban to reinstate executions, amputations

Dating under a false name

There is no openly queer community in Kabul, explains Khalid in a telephone conversation over an encrypted messenger service. Everything takes place in secret for safety reasons, he says. Dating works mainly through a specific app. Everyone is there under a false name and with a fake photo, which can be that of a celebrity like Hollywood actor Tom Cruise.

Has he ever been in a relationship? Khalid starts laughing briefly at this question. No, he then says, so far only no-strings-attached acquaintances. "It is [a] no-commitment situation, we are really good friends, and we do stuff."

LIFE IN AFGHANISTAN UNDER THE TALIBAN

New but old dress code

Although it is not yet mandatory for women to wear a burqa, many do so out of fear of reprisals. This Afghan woman is visiting a local market with her children. There is a large supply of second-hand clothes as many refugees have left their clothes behind.

123456789

Harassment in everyday life

Sideways glances, comments, insults: Khalid has experienced all these again and again on the streets of Kabul.

Khalid is educated and has a degree in economics, but he still can't find a job. He tells DW that he has been invited to numerous interviews. He had all the necessary qualifications, but that made no difference.

"They were asking me very personal questions and they were just making fun of me. They were not asking me any questions about what I do. They didn't want to hear that I am a Google certified data analyst," he says. Khalid believes his feminine appearance was the reason for the rejections.
Losing the will to live

In mid-September, Khalid became very worried about Danish. His friend's mental situation had seemed to deteriorate.

The loneliness, the darkness, the uncertainty and the constant fear of death got to him more and more. At this point in time, Danish had not seen anyone for 36 days, and had only eaten water and dry biscuits.

Watch video 01:35 Taliban impose beard-trimming ban

Danish sent DW photos of himself: Tattoos decorate his arms, hands and neck. About three years ago he got his first tattoo — an act which is something of a taboo in conservative Afghan society, he explains. And now strictly prohibited under the Taliban.

One of his tattoos shows the nickname of the woman he loves. He was in a secret relationship with her for two years; they were happy. Then her parents found out that their daughter was dating a trans man, and she was forcibly married off to someone else. He hasn't heard from her for a year.

In other photos, reddish-purple bruises and welts are clearly visible on the skin of his upper arms back and thighs, some up to 20 centimeters (8 inches) long. "That was my father," he says. He has not seen his family since the day he was beaten up.
A sudden ray of hope

Danish's tone is often desperate. He just wishes that everything were over, he writes. He has no more energy to be optimistic.

But then, at the end of September, things suddenly happened very quickly. Danish and Khalid made it onto evacuation lists of foreign NGOs that specifically look after LGBTQ people in need. On September 25, 41 days after the Taliban came to power, the two friends boarded a Pakistan International Airlines plane that took them to Islamabad.

"I literally feel like a bird whose wings are open and just need to fly," Khalid says in a voice message, describing his feelings at that moment.

Danish sent this picture from the tarmac in Kabul shortly before his plane took off

Dreams of the future

In Pakistan, Danish and Khalid are now staying in safe houses until their documents have been checked and they can fill out their immigration applications for third countries.

Danish would like to go to the United States. His dream is to be a musician. "I want to be a rock star. I would love to have a rock concert in the middle of New York City one day and chat with the crowd and sing," he says.

Khalid would like to go to Canada. Gay acquaintances told him that the LGBTQ community there was treated with respect and that everyone could live in dignity.

Khalid has already fulfilled a small wish: he painted his fingernails in yellow, orange, pink and blue. Nail polish makes him happy. Now, after a long time, he dares to wear it again. When he saw the colorful bottles in a shop in Islamabad, he got them right away. "I could not stop myself when I saw those."

This article has been translated from German.

How violence and abuse drove a transgender migrant back to Pakistan

Watch video 03:22

Romesa Ahmed, a transgender woman from Pakistan, tells the story of her failed attempt to flee to Europe. Shunned by her family, raped and tortured by those meant to help her, Romesa's journey shows the particular hardship suffered by transgender people.

Date 01.10.2021

Author Anooshay Abid, Afifa Nasrullah (Lahore)

German youth voted for change — but what does that really mean?

In last weekend's German election, the neoliberal FDP was the most popular party for first-time voters, along with the environmentalist Greens. For some, this was no surprise.



Germany's first-time voters are not impressed by the traditional 'big tent parties'

Eighteen-year-old Oskar from Saxony headed to the polls for the first time last Sunday. He followed the trend of his generation and did not cast his ballot for either of the two big tent parties of Germany, the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) and the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) — and instead plumped for the business-focused Free Democrats (FDP).

The FDP is one of two parties that have been dubbed the kingmakers in the coalition talks to form Germany's new government, along with the Greens. Both enjoyed broad support from young voters.

It may come as no surprise that young people voted for the Green Party in large numbers. After all, youth have repeatedly said in polls that climate protection is the most important thing to them and the Fridays for Future school strike movement, spearheaded by Swedish teen activist Greta Thunberg, has been enormously popular in Europe's largest economy.

But the FDP also did well among young people and first-time voters. For those under the age of 24 they came a close second to the Greens, and among first-time voters they narrowly beat out the environmentalist party to be the most popular choice, with 24% of the vote share. That's compared to 11.5% in the electorate as a whole.

Watch video02:58 First-time voters unhappy with election result

Oskar said pensions were one of the reasons he voted for the FDP. The Free Democrats believe the current statutory pension insurance system has failed. They want to bolster it by introducing a statutory equity pension based on the Swedish model.

"I think it's incredibly important to a lot of young people how pensions are going to work," said Oskar. When it comes to pensions as a young person today, "you're bound to end up with the FDP."

Jona from North-Rhine Westphalia, another first-time voter, went for the Green Party but is not surprised by the success of the FDP.

"It's because of the young, digital image of the FDP," he said, citing their savvy social media use and embracing of memes and other online forms of communication. "They're also progressive on social issues, pro-LGBTQ for example, which is important for young voters."

"I don't think the FDP is a bad option in principle. But they have the problem that they are not a party for the less advantaged; they are neoliberal," he said.

"But I can also understand that many young people are annoyed with the Greens," he added, given their policies that have been perceived as limiting freedoms and dominated by restrictions and regulations.

Watch video 02:06 Greens, FDP get boost from younger voters

Explaining the youth vote

The high youth support for the Greens and the FDP did not surprise sociologist Norbert Schäuble, of the Sinus Institute for Market and Social Research. "Young people are just as diverse as the population as a whole," he said.

The Sinus Institute has produced a model to explain the distribution of the German population's social backgrounds, which identifies groups that are concerned with "reorientation." This includes the so-called Expeditive Milieu and the Neo-Ecological Milieu. According to Schäuble, these are the "future milieus" — in other words, the trendsetters.

Both groups are united by concerns and thoughts about the future, but they differ in their ideas on how to shape it, Schäuble said.

"The Neo-Ecologicals' focus on climate protection, sustainability and normative requirements up to and including renunciation. The Expeditives are more focused on digital innovation and technologies, personal responsibility and freedom," he said. "These visions of society are most likely to be attributed to the Greens and the FDP, who are convincing with their respective narratives of the future."

The campaign messages promoted by the FDP and the Green Party appealed most to younger voters
Coalition options?

Oskar and Jona may have voted for different parties, but they are equally pleased with the prospect of both of their favored parties entering government.

"Now with strong Greens and a strong FDP and a relatively weak CDU and SPD, the coalition partners' policy ideas will be high on the agenda," Oskar said, mentioning climate protection legislation as a key issue. He would prefer a coalition of the CDU/CSU-Greens-FDP, but acknowledges that it is unlikely.

Jona supports a coalition of Social Democrats, Greens and FDP, but is wary of the possibility that the FDP and Greens might decide to cooperate with the CDU/CSU instead.

"I think it's a bit cheeky that the FDP said straight away they'd also talk to the CDU/CSU, even though they didn't win," he added. The FDP has historically been the preferred coalition partner for the CDU/CSU.

But, for both the CDU/CSU and, to a lesser extent, the SPD, this election has shown that their voter base is aging, with the parties winning a respective 38% and 35% share of the over-70 vote. The younger generation's preferences will shape elections to come.

This article has been translated from German.

US charges Canadian  SAUDI who narrated Islamic State videos

Issued on: 02/10/2021 

A US Justice Department statement said Mohammed Khalifa, who narrated violent IS videos, was recently handed over to US authorities and charged 

MANDEL NGAN AFP/File


Washington (AFP)

A Canadian jihadist who fought for the Islamic State group and narrated violent propaganda videos has been taken into custody by the United States and charged, the Justice Department said Saturday.

Mohammed Khalifa, 38 and born in Saudi Arabia, was captured during a firefight in January 2019 by Kurdish-dominated Syrian forces allied with the United States.

He was handed over "recently" to US authorities and charged in Virginia with conspiring to provide material support to IS resulting in death, says a Justice Department statement.

Khalifa left Canada in 2013 to join the Islamic State group in Syria, and by the next year had become a key member of its propaganda team because of his fluent English and Arabic, according to the statement.

He allegedly served as a lead translator in Islamic State propaganda production and as the English-speaking narrator on two violent recruitment videos.

This cell was behind videos showing the beheadings of foreigners including the US journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, who died in 2014.

He faces a possible life sentence in the United States. Canada additionally hopes to charge him, according to media there.

In an exchange of emails cited in the charge sheet, Khalifa defended the IS killings he was associated with.

"Mohammed Khalifa not only fought for ISIS on the battlefield in Syria, but he was also the voice behind the violence," said Acting US Attorney Raj Parekh for the Eastern District of Virginia, using another acronym for the Islamic State group.

According to the indictment, Khalifa's "primary focus" was "enticing ISIS supporters to travel to ISIS-controlled areas to join ISIS or to conduct attacks in the West, including in the United States."

The jihadist group, classified as a terrorist organization by US authorities, is responsible for a wave of deadly attacks in Western countries.

Its emergence prompted intervention by a US-led international military coalition, which succeeded in defeating the self-proclaimed "caliphate" even though IS is still present in many additional countries, particularly in Africa and Asia, and continues to pose a threat according to US and European intelligence services.

- 'Glorified' murders, cruelty -

In a 2019 interview with Canada's CBC from his Syrian prison, Khalifa showed no regret for his actions. He said he wanted to return to Canada with his wife and their three children, but on the condition that he would not be tried there.

"Through his alleged leading role in translating, narrating, and advancing ISIS's online propaganda, Khalifa promoted the terrorist group, furthered its worldwide recruitment efforts, and expanded the reach of videos that glorified the horrific murders and indiscriminate cruelty of ISIS," Parekh said.

This is the first known indictment of a foreign IS fighter in America since President Joe Biden took power in January.

Two members of the notorious Islamic State kidnapping cell dubbed the "Beatles," Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh, are currently in the hands of US authorities after being transferred to the United States from Iraq nearly a year ago.

The pair are accused of involvement in the murders of Foley and Sotloff, as well as those of relief workers Peter Kassig and Kayla Mueller.

Kotey, a former British national who was stripped of his citizenship, pleaded guilty in early September to charges of conspiring to murder the four American hostages.

© 2021 AFP

In Venezuela, a village on stilts slowly succumbs to mud

Issued on: 03/10/2021 

TOMMOROWS NEWS TODAY

The stilt homes in the Venezuelan village of Congo Mirador are now effectively in a swamp with snakes, toads and parasites that are irrevocably changing the ecosystem Federico PARRA AFP


Congo Mirador (Venezuela) (AFP)

Congo Mirador was once an idyllic spot: a community of homes on stilts that seemed to float on the calm waters of a lagoon in western Venezuela. Now, the community is inundated with mud, a victim of silt generated by the Catatumbo river.

Most of its residents have left, and Congo Mirador is slowly fading away.

The river's source is in Colombia, and it flows into Venezuela's Lake Maracaibo, one of the biggest lakes in South America.

The Catatumbo's path has been diverted numerous times over the years, slowly sending muddy sediment, plant life, tree branches and other debris into the village -- to the point where it has been overwhelmed by the mess.

Where once there were fish, now there are weeds.

"There was a magnificent lake, and now it's become a jungle," laments Euclides Villasmil, one of the few residents of Congo Mirador who has remained there.

Only about 10 families, out of 200 who once lived there, are still in their homes. The village once was buoyant and loud; now, it's dead quiet.

No one knows exactly when the invasion of Congo Mirador actually began, but residents say sedimentation was already starting to ruin the pristine waters back in 2013, when tiny mud islands formed.

An aerial view of the village captured by a camera drone leaves the false impression that Congo Mirador exists in the middle of a lush green field -- in fact, it's a swamp and life is increasingly difficult.

An aerial view of Congo Mirador makes it seem like the village is in the middle of a green field, not in the water 

Federico PARRA AFP

Along with the mud, there are snakes, toads and other creatures, and parasites that have progressively changed the ecosystem to such an extent that the village is a ghost town.

- 'Little Venice' -

Only a few pillars remain of the medical clinic that once served the village's 700 residents. Some homes have been ransacked, stripped of anything of value: from the doors to the windows, even the faucets and pipes.

Only a handful of resident remain in Congo Mirador 

Federico PARRA AFP

Some people even dismantled their homes to rebuild them on a neighboring lagoon.

Janeth Diaz, 59, is among those who abandoned her home. She now lives in Puerto Concha, a three-hour journey by boat from Congo Mirador, which she reminisces about fondly.

"June 1, 2016 was one of the saddest days of my life," she said, referring to the date she left the village.

Diaz says Congo Mirador was her "little Venice" where "we were all one big family."

But when the mud came, she said, "I felt like it had a hold on me."

Her mother died only a few months after they left Congo Mirador.

Douglas Camarillo, 62, refuses to leave. Submerged in mud up to his chest, with sweat on his brow, he spent two weeks clearing a path of just 130 meters (yards) so that he and his neighbors could use their boats.

"I'm not going to let my village die. As long as I am alive, the village will not die," he pledged.

The church has remained intact, even if it's been several years since anyone celebrated Mass there.

A rusted chalice sits atop the altar adorned with plastic flowers that have survived the ravages of time, all under the watchful gaze of a statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the patron saint of seafaring communities.

A view of the altar of the church in Congo Mirador,

 which is still standing but is not used 

Federico PARRA AFP

The exodus from Congo Mirador has made life even harder, as the power plant that provided electricity to the village has not been operational for years, and the telephone antenna does not work.

Fuel, which used to be nearly free in this oil-producing nation, has been hard to acquire and expensive in recent years as Venezuela spiraled into political and economic uncertainty.

"My mother died in Maracaibo, two (of my eight brothers) and myself could not go to her burial because we didn't have any gas," said Erwin Gotera, 33, who was born in the area.

Gotera, a father himself, says half of what he makes from fishing is now used to pay for fuel.

"Here, gas is killing us," he said.

© 2021 AFP

Venezuelan couple goes all out for smiling but endangered sloths

Issued on: 03/10/2021 
TOMMOROWS NEWS TODAY

A sloth rests in a shelter in San Antonio de los Altos, a suburb of Venezuela's capital 

Yuri CORTEZ AFP

San Antonio de Los Altos (Venezuela) (AFP)

Haydee Rodriguez has just set free a sloth named Maruja 58 in a forested area outside Caracas and is watching her get settled.

"Look how pretty! It's dancing in the trees," said Rodriguez, who along with her husband Juan Carlos shares a passion for the lethargic mammals that spend a lot of time hanging upside down from treetops.

Maruja 58 is the 58th sloth the couple has rescued, cared for and freed through the Chuwie Foundation, the organization they founded that works to help these animals native to the rainforests of Central and South America.

Chuwie was the first sloth they rescued, and his face provides the logo of the foundation, located in San Antonio de los Altos, a suburb of Venezuela's capital.

"We also want to help with research. To know how many sloths there are, for instance, and how they live," said Juan Carlos Rodriguez.

There are no official figures for the sloth population in Venezuela, but deforestation in Latin America has reduced the size of the animals' habitat, says the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

The Chuwie Foundation helps to rescue sloths that have been injured

 Yuri CORTEZ AFP

The International Union for Conservation of Nature says the pygmy three-toed sloth is in danger of extinction, and another species -- the maned three-toed sloth -- is considered "vulnerable."

Near Caracas, the sloths face three main threats: dogs that attack them, getting hit by cars and, above all, high voltage wires that run through forested areas. The sloths try to cling to them and are electrocuted.

That is what happened to Chuwie. He lost part of his left arm and suffered severe burns. The Rodriguez family, who had turned the injured animal over to a vet, adopted him.

To raise awareness of the story, Haydee, who works in the news media, and Juan Carlos, a graphic designer, created a social media account -- @Chuwieelgalan -- that now has almost 10,000 followers on Instagram.

They learned from environmental specialists in Costa Rica how to care for these animals, and in just a few months, the Rodriguez family started going out to help injured ones.

Chuwie was the first sloth that Haydee and Juan Carlos Rodriguez rescued 

Yuri CORTEZ AFP

"Without even trying, we became sloth rescuers," said Haydee.

She and Juan Carlos have kept their day jobs, but the sloths now take up most of their time.

They currently have six sloths with them at home recovering so they can be released. One was severely bitten by dogs, a baby one was found without its mother and another suffered a shock from a high voltage cable. The couple wants to build a bigger facility to shelter more animals.

- 'Curse of the eternal smile' -

Juan Carlos goes out every day to find fresh leaves from specific trees to feed the sloths he is hosting, and says he needs 1.6 kilograms (3.5 pounds) of them.

Juan Carlos Rodriguez checks that a sloth they rescued outside a 

house in San Antonio de los Altos, Venezuela is in good condition 

Yuri CORTEZ AFP

To pay for all of this, Haydee Rodriguez developed and now sells things with Chuwie's face on them, such as caps, coffee mugs, T-shirts and earrings.

"People are really moved by Chuwie. He is a survivor," says Juan Carlos, "but we will never be able to release him." The animal is severely disabled now.

On their website, the couple carefully avoids posting photos of them with Chuwie in their arms.

"They are not pets or stuffed animals," said Juan Carlos.

"Sloths have the curse of the eternal smile. Even when they are in agony, it looks like they are smiling," he said, adding that people who want to domesticate them are one of the dangers facing these creatures.

When a telephone rings out of the blue, they learn there is a sloth in jeopardy. Juan Carlos and Haydee jump into their car and race to a nearby neighborhood.

A sloth climbs a vine after being rescued and released in a suitable habitat in San Antonio de los Altos, Venezuela 

Yuri CORTEZ AFP

A sloth is hanging from high up in a palm tree after fleeing from a dog that bit it on the leg, explains the dog owner, Maria Antonia Mugica.

"It went up and up, and has been there since yesterday," said Mugica. "I called so it can be rescued."

Juan Carlos manages to bring the sloth down. The animal is fine, but they must move it away from the residential area.

A few kilometers away, the couple sees an area with no high voltage wires and with the kind of trees that sloths like. They free this newly assisted one. Her name is Maruja 58.

© 2021 AFP

CULT OF PERSONALITY
Decade after Jobs' death, has Apple traded magic for profit?

Issued on: 03/10/2021 -

TOMMOROWS NEWS TODAY 

Ten years after Apple founder Steve Jobs' death, the company is a profit machine but some say it has lost its creative magic

 Josh Edelson AFP

San Francisco (AFP)

Ten years after Apple founder Steve Jobs' death, the firm has grown into a colossus of devices and services that is the world's most valuable company, but the tech legend's diehard fans lament its lost aura of revolution.

"Apple doesn't innovate anymore" or "Steve Jobs is turning in his grave" are the type of disillusioned tweets that pop up especially during product launches led by Tim Cook, who took Apple's reins in August 2011.

On the surface, Jobs -- who died October 5, 2011 after a battle with pancreatic cancer -- left the company DNA imbued with his demanding intensity.

At every launch, Cook delivers the same hyperbolic turns of phrase that Jobs once did to unveil even incremental changes to the cameras or chips in its range of phones, tablets and other devices.

But are these game-changing innovations in the post-Jobs era?

"Apple lost the ability to bring out products that could revolutionize a market," said Tech industry analyst Rob Enderle of Enderle Group.

"They became a financially-focused company very effective at milking its faithful users," he added.

The company has impacted hundreds of millions of lives since its 1976 founding in a garage, with devices like the iPod launched in 2011 and the 2007 release of the iPhone that put the internet in people's pockets.

Apple chief executive Steve Jobs unveils the iPhone 2007 

TONY AVELAR AFP

Since then, Apple has released an internet-connected time piece, the Apple Watch.

"The measure of Apple is always innovation, that's what people focus on... another aspect of a company being successful is its ability to change themselves," noted analyst Carolina Milanesi.

Apple has indeed diversified by adding many services carefully integrated into its devices: music, payments, videos and games.

The company had to learn a world outside of the hardware business, a strategy Milanesi described as "more ropes that bring people to Apple... and keep them here."

It's a direction that would probably not have been rejected by Jobs, who always tried to control his customers' experience from start to finish, according to the biography written by Walter Isaacson.

In any case, the company under Cook has delighted Wall Street: the Apple brand was worth about $350 billion ten years ago -- and is worth $2.358 trillion today.

"In our opinion (Apple is) going to $3 trillion over the next six to nine months," predicted analyst Dan Ives.

Like many observers of the Californian behemoth, and unlike some fans of Jobs, he believes that Apple has never stopped inventing.

In particular, he cites the development of the M1 chip, which replaces Intel in some new devices.

"I think Apple evolved with time and so has Cook, and I think the one thing that Jobs was a huge believer in was innovation organically," said Ives.

The face of Apple co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs is created with adhesive notes on the window of an Apple Store in Munich on October 18, 2011 

CHRISTOF STACHE AFP

He noted the iPhone will continue to be the "heart and lungs" of Apple's growth story for years to come, but he sees a virtual reality headset and even an Apple car by 2024.

It's hard for the nostalgic detractors alike to deny that Cook and his teams have navigated contrary currents in recent years.

The global chip shortage doesn't seem to have much affected the company's ability to meet demand.

It's political compromises to retain the Chinese market, contrary to its privacy commitments, has been contained to upsetting its critics.

Apple has also been relatively unscathed so far on the anti-trust front compared to fellow giants Google and Facebook, despite being forced to loosen control over its App Store.

But it is in the sights of European and US regulators who view the behemoth's dominance and global reach with extreme suspicion.

There are also thorny issues like the recent emergency software fix to protect against a breach by the potent Pegasus spyware, and Apple's sudden decision to delay an anti-child abuse measure that drew criticism from privacy advocates.

Some observers say Jobs' tempestuous manner would not have suited the management of such delicate matters.

Apple CEO Tim Cook holds the iPhone 13 Pro Max and Apple Watch Series 7 during a special event at Apple Park in Cupertino, California 

Handout Apple Inc./AFP

"The last ten years, I don't think Jobs' style would have survived," said Milanesi, referring to his famously volcanic persona.

"In my view, Cook is a better leader for where we are in the market environment and as a society," she added.

© 2021 AFP

Why California is shutting down its last nuclear plant

LONG READ

As blackouts and flex hours roil California, the state and the local utility responsible for its last nuclear power plant, Diablo Canyon, are pushing ahead with plans to shut it down.

This despite the fact that nuclear energy is clean carbon-free energy, and that the plant was built to operate for decades more.

Underlying the puzzling decision is a complicated morass of local politics, utility economics, and fear.

© Provided by CNBC Aerial view of the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant which sits on the edge of the Pacific Ocean at Avila Beach in San Luis Obispo County, California on March 17, 2011.

Catherine Clifford 

California is not keeping up with the energy demands of its residents.

In August 2020, hundreds of thousands of California residents experienced rolling electricity blackouts during a heat wave that maxed out the state's energy grid.

The California Independent System Operator issues flex alerts asking consumers to cut back on electricity usage and move electricity usage to off-peak hours, typically after 9 p.m. There were 5 flex alerts issued in 2020 and there have been 8 in 2021, according to CAISO records.

On Friday, Sept. 10, the U.S. Department of Energy granted the state an emergency order to allow natural gas power plants to operate without pollution restrictions so that California can meet its energy obligations. The order is in effect until Nov. 9.

At the same time, the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant, owned by Pacific Gas and Electric and located near Avila Beach in San Luis Obispo County, is in the middle of a decade-long decommissioning process that will take the state's last nuclear power plant offline. The regulatory licenses for reactor Unit 1 and Unit 2, which commenced operation in 1984 and 1985 will expire in November 2024 and August 2025, respectively.

Diablo Canyon is the state's only operating nuclear power plant; three others are in various stages of being decommissioned. The plant provides about 9% of California's power, according to the California Energy Commission, compared with 37% from natural gas, 33% from renewables, 13.5% from hydropower, and 3% from coal.

Nuclear power is clean energy, meaning that the generation of power does not emit any greenhouse gas emissions, which cause global warming and climate change. Constructing a new power plant does result in carbon emissions, but operating a plant that is already built does not.

California is a strong advocate of clean energy. In 2018, the state passed a law requiring the state to operate with 100% zero-carbon electricity by 2045.

The picture is confusing: California is closing its last operating nuclear power plant, which is a source of clean power, as it faces an energy emergency and a mandate to eliminate carbon emissions.

Why?

The explanations vary depending on which of the stakeholders you ask. But underlying the statewide diplomatic chess is a deeply held anti-nuclear agenda in the state.

"The politics against nuclear power in California are more powerful and organized than the politics in favor of a climate policy," David Victor, professor of innovation and public policy at the School of Global Policy and Strategy at UC San Diego, told CNBC.
Earthquake country

Diablo is located near several fault lines, cracks in the earth's crust that are potential locations for earthquakes.

Concerns about nuclear plants and earthquakes grew after the 2011 disaster at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant in Japan. On March 11, 2011, a 9.0-magnitude earthquake struck Japan, causing a 45-foot-high tsunami. Cooling systems failed and the plant released radioactive material in the area.

In July 2013, the then on-site Nuclear Regulatory Commission inspector for Diablo Canyon, Michael Peck, issued a report questioning whether the nuclear power plant should be shuttered while further investigation was done on fault lines near the plant. The confidential report was obtained and published by the Associated Press, and resulted in an extensive review process.

The Hosgri fault line, located about 3 miles away from Diablo Canyon, was discovered in the 1970s when construction was in early stages and the NRC was able to make changes to the research and construction plans. Peck's filing brought attention to another collection of nearby fault lines — the Shoreline, Los Osos and San Luis Bay.

All of these discussions of safety are set against a backdrop of shifting sentiment about nuclear energy in the United States.

"Since Three Mile Island and then Chernobyl there has been a political swing against nuclear—since the late 1970s," Victor told CNBC. "Analysts call this 'dread risk' — a risk that some people assign to a technology merely because it exists. When people have a 'dread' mental model of risk it doesn't really matter what kind of objective analysis shows safety level. People fear it."

© Provided by CNBC SAN LUIS OBISPO, CALIFORNIA -JUNE 30: Anti nuclear supporters at Diablo Canyon anti-nuclear protest, June 30, 1979 in San Luis Obispo, California. (Photo by Getty Images/Bob Riha, Jr.)

For citizens who live nearby, the fear is tangible.

"I've basically grown up here. I've been here all my adult life," Heidi Harmon, the most recent mayor of San Luis Obispo, told CNBC.

"I have adult kids now, but especially after 9/11, my daughter, who was quite young then, was terrified of Diablo Canyon and became essentially obsessed and very anxious knowing that there was this potential security threat right here," Harmon told CNBC.

In San Luis Obispo County, a network of loud sirens called the Early Warning System Sirens is in place to warn nearby residents if something bad is happening at the nuclear power plant. Those sirens are tested regularly, and hearing them is unsettling.

"That is a very clear reminder that we are living in the midst of a potentially incredibly dangerous nuclear power plant in which we will bear the burden of that nuclear waste for the rest of our lives," Harmon says.

Also, Harmon doesn't trust PG&E, the owner of Diablo Canyon, which has a spotted history. In 2019, the utility reached a $13.5 billion settlement to resolve legal claims that its equipment had caused various fires around the state, and in August 2020 it pleaded guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter stemming from a fire caused by a power line it had failed to repair.

"I know that PG&E does its level best to create safety at that plant," Harmon told CNBC. "But we also see across the state, the lack of responsibility, and that has led to people's deaths in other areas, especially with lines and fires," she said.

© Provided by CNBC Heidi Harmon, former mayor of San Luis Obispo

While living in the shadow of Diablo Canyon is scary, she is also well aware of the dangers of climate change.

"I've got an adult kid who was texting me in the middle of the night asking me if this is the apocalypse after the IPCC report came out, asking me if I have hope, asking me if it's going to be okay. And I cannot tell my kid that it's going to be okay, anymore," Harmon told CNBC.

But PG&E is adamant that the plant is not shutting down because of safety concerns.

The utility has a team of geoscience professionals, the Long Term Seismic Program, who partner with independent seismic experts to ensure the facility remains safe, Suzanne Hosn, a spokesperson for PG&E, told CNBC.

© Provided by CNBC The main entrance into the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power plant in San Luis Obispo, Calif., as seen on Tues. March 31, 2015.

"The seismic region around Diablo Canyon is one of the most studied and understood areas in the nation," Hosn said. "The NRC's oversight includes the ongoing assessment of Diablo Canyon's seismic design, and the potential strength of nearby faults. The NRC continues to find the plant remains seismically safe."

A former technical executive who helped operate the plant also vouched for its safety.

"The Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant is an incredible, marvel of technology, and has provided clean, affordable and reliable power to Californians for almost four decades with the capability to do it for another four decades," Ed Halpin, who was the Chief Nuclear Officer of PG&E from 2012 until he retied in 2017, told CNBC.

"Diablo can run for 80 years," Halpin told CNBC. "Its life is being cut short by at least 20 years and with a second license extension 40 years, or four decades."
Local power-buying groups don't want nuclear

PG&E offered a very different reason for closing Diablo Canyon when it set the wheels in motion in 2016.

According to legal documents PG&E submitted to the California Public Utilities Commission, the utility anticipated lower demand — not for energy in general, but for nuclear energy specifically.

One reason is a growing number of California residents buying power through local energy purchasing groups called community choice aggregators, the 2016 legal documents say. Many of those organizations simply refuse to buy nuclear.

There are 23 local CCAs in California serving more than 11 million customers. In 2010, less than 1% of California's population had access to a CCA, according to a UCLA analysis published in October. That's up to more than 30%, the report said.

The Redwood Coast Energy Authority, a CCA serving Humboldt County, strongly prefers renewable energy sources over nuclear, Executive Director Matthew Marshall told CNBC.

"Nuclear power is more expensive, it generates toxic waste that will persist and need to be stored for generations, and the facilities pose community and environmental risks associated with the potential for catastrophic accidents resulting from a natural disaster, equipment failure, human error, or terrorism," said Marshall, who's also the president of the trade association for all CCAs in California.

Consequently, the Redwood Coast Energy Authority has refused all power from Diablo Canyon.

There are financial factors at play, too. CCAs that have refused nuclear power stand to benefit financially when Diablo shuts down. That's because they are currently paying a Power Charge Indifference Adjustmentfee for energy resources that were in the PG&E portfolio for the region before it switched over to a CCA. Once Diablo is gone, that fee will be reduced.

Meanwhile, CCAs are aggressively investing in renewable energy construction. Another CCA in California, Central Coast Community Energy, which also decided not to buy nuclear power from Diablo Canyon, has instead invested in new forms of energy.

© Provided by CNBC PALM SPRINGS, CA - MARCH 27: Giant wind turbines are powered by strong winds in front of solar panels on March 27, 2013 in Palm Springs, California. According to reports, California continues to lead the nation in green technology and has the lowest greenhouse gas emissions per capita, even with a growing economy and population.

(Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

"As part of its energy portfolio in addition to solar and wind, CCCE is contracting for two baseload (available 24/7) geothermal projects and large scale battery storage which makes abundant daytime renewable energy dispatchable (available) during the peak evening hours," said the organization's CEO, Tom Habashi.

Technically, California's 2018 clean energy law requires 60% of that zero-carbon energy come from renewables like wind and solar, and leaves room open for the remaining 40% to come from a variety of clean sources. But functionally, "other policies in California basically exclude new nuclear," Victor told CNBC.

The utility can't afford to ignore the local political will.

"In a regulated utility, the most important relationship you have is with your regulator. And so it's the way the politics gets expressed," Victor told CNBC. "It's not like Facebook, where the company has protesters on the street, people are angry at it, but then it just continues doing what it was doing because it's got shareholders and it's making a ton of money. These are highly regulated firms. And so they're much more exposed to politics of the state than you would think of as a normal firm."
Cost uncertainty and momentum

Apart from declining demand for nuclear power, PG&E's 2016 report also noted California's state-wide focus on renewables, like wind and solar.

As the percentage of renewables continues to climb, PG&E reasoned, California will collect most of its energy when the sun shines, flooding the electricity grid with surges of power cyclically. At the times when the electricity grid is being turbocharged by solar power, the constant fixed supply of nuclear energy will actually become a financial handicap.

When California generates so much energy that it maxes out its grid capacity, prices of electricity become negative — utilities essentially have to pay other states to take that energy, but are willing to do so because it's often cheaper than bringing energy plants offline. Although the state is facing well-publicized energy shortages now, that wasn't the case in 2016.

PG&E also cited the cost to continue operating Diablo, including compliance with environmental laws in the state. For example, the plant was has a system called "once-through cooling," which uses water from the Pacific Ocean to cool down its reactors. That means it has to pump warmed ocean water back out to the coastal waters near Diablo, which alarms local environmental groups.

Finally, once the wheels are in motion to shut a nuclear plant down, it's expensive and complicated process to reverse.

Diablo was set on the path to be decommissioned in 2016 and will operate until 2025. Then, the fuel has to be removed from the site.

"For a plant that has been operational, deconstruction can't really begin until the fuel is removed from the reactor and the pools, which takes a couple years at least," Victor told CNBC. Only then can deconstruction begin.

Usually, it takes about a decade to bring a nuclear plant offline, Victor told CNBC, although that time is coming down.

"Dismantling a nuclear plant safely is almost as hard and as expensive as building one because the plant was designed to be indestructible," he said.
Politics favor renewables

All of these factors combine with a political climate that is almost entirely focused on renewables.

In addition to his academic roles, Victor chairs the volunteer panel that is helping to oversee and steward the closing of another nuclear power plant in California at San Onofre. There, an expensive repair would have been necessary to renew the plant's operating license, he said

.

© Provided by CNBC Kern County, CA - March 23: LADWPs Pine Tree Wind Farm and Solar Power Plant in the Tehachapi Mountains Tehachapi Mountains on Tuesday, March 23, 2021 in Kern County, CA.

(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

"The situation of Diablo is in some sense more tragic, because in Diablo you have a plant that's operating well," Victor said. "A lot of increasingly politically powerful groups in California believe that [addressing climate change] can be done mainly or exclusively with renewable power. And there's no real place for nuclear in that kind of world."

The pro-nuclear constituents are still trying. For example, Californians for Green Nuclear Power is an advocacy organization working to promote Diablo Canyon to stay open, as is Mothers for Nuclear.

"It's frustrating. It's something that I've spent well in excess of 10,000 hours on this project pro bono," said Gene Nelson, the legal assistant for the independent nonprofit Californians for Green Nuclear Power.

"But it's so important to our future as a species — that's why I'm making this investment. And we have other people that are making comparable investments of time, some at the legal level, and some in working on other policies," Nelson said.

Even if California can eventually build enough renewables to meet the energy demands of the state, there are still unknowns, Victor said.

"The problem in the grid is not just the total volume of electricity that matters. It's exactly when the power is available, and whether the power can be turned on and off exactly as needed to keep the grid stabilized," he told CNBC. "And there, we don't know."

"It might be expensive. It might be difficult. It might be that we miss our targets," Victor told CNBC. "Nobody really knows."

For now, as California works to ramp up its renewable energy resources, it will depend on its ability to import power, said Mark Z. Jacobson, a professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford. Historically, the state has imported hydropower from the Pacific Northwest and Canada, and other sources of power from across the West.

"California will be increasing renewable energy every year from now on," Jacobson told CNBC. "Given California's ability to import from out of state, there should not be shortfalls during the buildout."

Uma Thurman opens up about her teenage abortion to support women through the Texas ban

'Choosing not to keep that early pregnancy allowed me to grow up and become the mother I wanted and needed to be.'

Corrina Allen
Published September 22, 2021

Uma Thurman is opening up about a deeply personal experience in the hope that it will draw attention and support for women in Texas. People who can get pregnant have effectively been denied access to abortion care thanks to a new law that bans abortion-inducing drugs after seven weeks of pregnancy and medical abortions as early as six weeks after fertilization.

"I started my acting career at 15, working in an environment where I was often the only kid in the room," wrote Thurman in an op-ed for the Washington Post (via People). "In my late teens, I was accidentally impregnated by a much older man. I was living out of a suitcase in Europe, far from my family, and about to start a job. I struggled to figure out what to do."

With the support of her parents, Thurman decided to terminate the pregnancy. "My heart was broken nonetheless," she wrote. The actor describes the experience as being a physically and emotionally painful one. "It hurt terribly, but I didn't complain. I had internalized so much shame that I felt I deserved the pain," she admitted.

Thurman, who has three children (two with Ethan Hawke and one with French financier Arpad Busson) said that her choice, however, allowed her to become the mother that she is today.

"The abortion I had as a teenager was the hardest decision of my life, one that caused me anguish then and that saddens me even now, but it was the path to the life full of joy and love that I have experienced," she wrote. "Choosing not to keep that early pregnancy allowed me to grow up and become the mother I wanted and needed to be."

In addition to denying access to care, the Texas law also sets up a framework allowing ordinary citizens to pursue legal action against anyone seen assisting a woman who is seeking an abortion — this could range from medical doctors to taxi drivers. Uber and Lyft have already pledged to pay legal fees for any of their drivers who come up against this new legislation. One San Antonio doctor has already come forward in the media to say he has performed an illegal abortion, writing that he “acted because I had a duty of care to this patient, as I do for all patients, and because she has a fundamental right to receive this care.”

Thurman ended her piece with a message to the women of Texas and the US in general who, she says, have been unconstitutionally denied their rights.

“The Texas abortion law was allowed to take effect without argument by the Supreme Court, which, due in no small part to its lack of ideological diversity, is a staging ground for a human rights crisis for American women," she explained. "To all of you — to women and girls of Texas, afraid of being traumatized and hounded by predatory bounty hunters; to all women outraged by having our bodies' rights taken by the state; and to all of you who are made vulnerable and subjected to shame because you have a uterus — I say: I see you. Have courage. You are beautiful. You remind me of my daughters."

CRIMINAL CRYPTO CAPITALI$M

CFTC fines crypto exchange Kraken $1.25 million for offering some products illegally

cshumba@insider.com (Camomile Shumba)

© Primakov Kraken Primakov

The CFTC ordered Kraken to pay $1.25 million for facilitating margined retail commodity transactions in digital assets.

The order also said the company failed to register as a futures commission merchant (FCM).

CFTC said Kraken offered this service to customers who were not eligible between June 2020 to July 2021.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) on Tuesday ordered crypto exchange Kraken to pay $1.25 million in fines for offering some products illegally.

The commodities and foreign exchange regulator said Kraken had been fined for facilitating margined retail commodity transactions in digital assets including bitcoin to customers who were not eligible between June 2020 to July 2021.

The order also said the company failed to register as a futures commission merchant (FCM).

Kraken is one of the biggest cryptocurrency exchanges in the world. Exchanges have been penalized in the past for offering products that did not comply with existing regulations, for example.

"We appreciate that today's settlement acknowledges our cooperation and engagement on the issue. We are committed to working with regulators to try to ensure the rules governing digital assets create a level playing field globally -- one that allows the crypto space in the U.S. to flourish, while protecting the interests of individuals and the integrity of the industry," Kraken said in an emailed statement to Insider.

"As a firm committed to reasonable regulation, we engaged with the CFTC about its proposed margin trading guidance and sought clarity about what the guidance would permit. In June of this year, we started limiting our margin products in the US to eligible clients prior to entering into this settlement with the CFTC," the company said.

"This action is part of the CFTC's broader effort to protect US customers," Vincent McGonagle, acting director of enforcement, said in the CFTC order.

"Margined, leveraged or financed digital asset trading offered to retail US customers must occur on properly registered and regulated exchanges in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations," McGonagle said.

The CFTC regulates the US derivatives market, with commodities, foreign exchange, fixed income and some crypto assets also falling under its remit.

The regulator cited a case in which a customer purchased a digital asset using borrowed funds from the exchange, which then supplied the digital asset or currency to the seller, known as margin trading.

The CFTC said Kraken asked its customers to exit their positions and return the funds they received on margin within 28 days or face being unable to transfer them. In the absence of repayment, Kraken would request that position be liquidated, or liquidate forcibly, if the value of the collateral dipped below a certain threshold, which is common practice across exchanges.

"As a result, actual delivery of the purchased assets failed to occur. These transactions were unlawful because they were required to take place on a designated contract market and did not," the order said.

Nigerian artist says British Museum accepts his gift, keeps looted bronzes

Estelle Shirbon
Thu, September 30, 2021

LONDON (Reuters) -An artist from Benin City in Nigeria said the British Museum had accepted his gift of a bronze plaque in what he felt was a possible first step towards the museum's return of the priceless Benin Bronzes that were looted by British troops in 1897.

However, the museum told him however an exchange of new for looted artworks was impossible, he said.

Osarobo Zeickner-Okoro, a founding member of Ahiamwen, a new guild of Benin City bronze casters and artists, had offered his creation to encourage the museum to give back the sculptures but also to demand acknowledgment of the city's modern-day culture.

After meeting with two curators from the museum's Africa department, he told Reuters on Thursday they had accepted his gift and expressed an interest in acquiring several works by other Ahiamwen artists.

The museum said it was grateful for the meeting with Zeickner-Okoro but: "At this stage, there have been no formal discussions about acquiring these objects for the collection."

Zeickner-Okoro said he was delighted that his gift, a 2-metre-by-2-metre plaque with carvings depicting historical events in Benin City, had been accepted even though the museum ruled out an exchange.

"It's disappointing but this is the first step," he said.

Created from brass and bronze in the once mighty Kingdom of Benin from at least the 16th century onwards, the Benin Bronzes are among Africa's most culturally significant artefacts. European museums that house them have faced years of criticism because of their status as loot and symbols of colonial greed.

"Part of the crime that's been committed is that Benin has been portrayed as this dead civilisation," said Zeickner-Okoro. "The reparation is not just returning the Bronzes. It's also acknowledging us, that we're a living civilisation."

He said the acceptance of his plaque and proposed acquisition of other works, including a life-size ram made from spark plugs by Kelly Omodamwen and some Benin women's heads by Andrew Edjobeguo, went a long way towards righting that wrong.

"It's historic, it's really significant. I think it's definitely going to open the door for the return of the loot," he said.

Germany has said it wants to return Benin Bronzes from its museums to Nigeria. The British Museum, which holds the largest and most significant collection of the items, has made no clear commitment despite demands from the Oba, or king, of Benin.

Asked about its talks with Zeickner-Okoro, the museum said it was discussing new plans for the display of African collections with a wide network of colleagues and "considering a number of different elements around any future displays".

(Reporting by Estelle Shirbon, Editing by Alexandra Hudson and Angus MacSwan)

FILE PHOTO: The work depicting Oba Ewuare Ogidigan, ruler of Benin Kingdom 1440-1473 is seen on display during the unveiling of Lucas Osarobo- Okoro's largest bronze work in BeninMore