‘Putin’s Superyacht’ Grabbed by Italian Authorities Before It Could Sail Away

Daniel Kreps

ROLLING STONE 
Fri, May 6, 2022,

Superyacht "The Scheherazade" Moored In Italian Marina - Credit: Getty Images

A superyacht believed to be owned by Russian president Vladimir Putin was “frozen” by Italian authorities Friday before the ship could set sail from port.

The $700 million, 459-foot Scheherazade, worth approximately $700 million, had been under investigation since March, when Italian authorities boarded the ship as part of the European Union’s sanctions against Russian oligarchs in response to the invasion of Ukraine.


While Scheherazade’s ownership was under question, anti-corruption journalists working with jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny long claimed that the ship belonged to Putin; U.S. officials also linked the Scheherazade to Putin, the New York Times reported.

A subsequent report by Italian newspaper La Stampa connected the Scheherazade through shell companies to Russian oligarch Eduard Yurievich Khudainatov, former president of Russian oil company Rosneft, though his “ownership” is believed to obfuscate the real owner of the ship.

(Forbes notes that Khudainatov — who does not face EU sanctions — is also accused of being a “proxy” owner of the Amadea, a superyacht owned by sanctioned Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov.)

The investigation into the Scheherazade — dry-docked at the Marina di Carrara since September for maintenance — hastened in recent days as it appeared the ship was preparing to imminently set sail, which would have removed it from the jurisdiction of EU sanctions. Before that could happen, however, the Italian Minister of Economy and Finance announced a “freezing decree” of the Scheherazade before it could leave the dock.

In announcing the freeze, the Minister of Economy and Finance Daniele Franco said their investigation found “the presence of significant economic and business links of the beneficial owner of the boat Scheherazade with prominent elements of the Russian government.”

If Putin did in fact own the Scheherazade, he didn’t have much time to enjoy it: Forbes reports that the ship was built in 2020, and that some of its perks included an on-ship movie theater, beauty salon, spa and helicopter pad.

The Scheherazade is the latest superyacht targeted in the ongoing sanctions against Russian oligarchs, following the seizure of Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov’s custom-built 512-foot yacht Dilbar as well as the Amore Vero, a superyacht belonging to Igor Sechin, the Russian oil oligarch dubbed “Darth Vader.”

More from Rolling Stone

Russian Oligarch's Superyacht Reportedly Seized in Germany

French Authorities Seize Superyacht Belonging to Russia's 'Darth Vader' Oligarch

Documents found by Fiji on superyacht implicate its Russian owner - FBI

Thu, May 5, 2022
By Kirsty Needham

SYDNEY (Reuters) -Fiji authorities searching a yacht they seized on behalf of the United States as it presses Russia over the invasion of Ukraine have found documents implicating its suspected owner, Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov, in breaking U.S. law, the FBI said.

The Amadea arrived in Fiji on April 13, after an 18-day voyage from Mexico, and has since been the focus of a U.S. bid to seize it as part of U.S. sanctions against Russia.

Fiji police and FBI agents seized the Amadea at a wharf on Thursday, two days after a Fiji court granted a U.S. warrant that linked it to money laundering.

Fiji's High Court on Friday refused a stay application by the vessel's registered owner, Millemarin Investments, to stop U.S. authorities removing it from Fiji, Fiji's public prosecutor said in a statement.

The $300 million superyacht had been handed over to U.S. authorities, it said.

The FBI said in an affidavit attached to the U.S. seizure warrant that Fiji authorities had found documents on the Amadea showing breaches of U.S. law because Kerimov was sanctioned by the United States in 2018.

"There is probable cause to believe that Kerimov and those acting on his behalf and for his benefit caused U.S. dollar transactions for the operation and maintenance of the Amadea to be sent through U.S. financial institutions, after a time which Kerimov was designated by the Treasury Department," the FBI said.

The vessel had running costs of $25 million to $30 million, it said.

Lawyers for its registered owner, Cayman Islands company Millemarin Investments, have denied it is owned by Kerimov. The vessel's lawyer, Feizal Haniff, declined to comment to Reuters on Friday.

The U.S. alleges Kerimov has beneficially owned the Amadea since August 2021 but evidence for this claim was redacted in the warrant.

The FBI said the Amadea had tried to avoid being seized "almost immediately" after Russian troops entered Ukraine.

"Amadea turned off its automated information systems (AIS) on February 24, 2022, almost immediately after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine," the FBI said.

Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a "special operation" to disarm Ukraine and protect it from fascists. Ukraine and the West say the fascist allegation is baseless and that the war is an unprovoked act of aggression.

The vessel's paperwork showed the next destination would be the Philippines but the FBI believed it was headed to the Russian Pacific port of Vladivostok.

Many Russian oligarchs have attempted to move their yachts to Russia to escape U.S. sanctions since March, the FBI said.

The U.S. Justice Department's Taskforce KleptoCapture has focused on seizing yachts and other luxury assets to put the finances of Russian oligarchs under strain in a bid to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine.

FBI Director Christopher Wray, commenting on the seizure of the Amadea in Fiji, said in a statement: "The FBI, along with our international partners, will continue to seek out those individuals who contribute to the advancement of Russia's malign activities and ensure they are brought to justice, regardless of where, or how, they attempt to hide."

(Reporting by Kirsty Needham;Editing by Robert Birsel)

Russian soldiers accused of raping women, men and children in Ukraine

Garin Flowers

·National Reporter and Producer

Fri, May 6, 2022, 

Amid the devastation wrought by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, accusations are emerging that Russian soldiers are raping and sexually assaulting women and girls, according to multiple authorities.

This week Ukraine and United Nations officials addressed new information that men and boys are also reporting rape by Russian soldiers.

“I have received reports, not yet verified ... about sexual violence cases [involving] men and boys in Ukraine,” said Pramila Patten, United Nations special representative on sexual violence in conflict, at a press conference Tuesday in Kyiv.

She continued: “It’s hard for women and girls to report [rape] because of stigma amongst other reasons, but it’s often even harder for men and boys to report ... we have to create that safe space for all victims to report cases of sexual violence.”

Pramila Patten, U.N. special representative on sexual violence in conflict, and Olha Stefanishyna, deputy Ukrainian prime minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration, at a joint briefing in Kyiv on Tuesday. (Ukrinform/Shutterstock)

In some grim testimonies, victims have reported being assaulted at gunpoint, gang-raped or forced to be watched by their loved ones as the assault occurred.

Oleksandra Matviichuk, a Kyiv-based human rights lawyer and head of the Ukrainian Center for Civil Liberties, spoke to Yahoo News about the allegations of rampant sexual violence, including rape, inflicted upon Ukrainian civilians by Russian forces. She said she’s heard stories of rape from Ukrainian officials and from her own sources with the Euromaidan SOS civic initiative, which was created following the 2013 peaceful demonstrations and violent crackdown that eventually led to the ouster of former Russian-backed Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych.

“Three days ago, one of our lawyers contacted me and [asked me] whether we have some special instruction for how to take testimonies from a man who was raped because he faced with this in his practice, and he wants to be prepared how to speak with people who suffered from sexual violence, and I provide these guidelines,” she told Yahoo News in a Zoom interview on Thursday.

Oleksandra Matviichuk, a Kyiv-based human rights lawyer and head of the Ukrainian Center for Civil Liberties. (Yahoo News)

Mounting evidence is supporting reports of horrible crimes allegedly being committed by Russian soldiers.

Lyudmyla Denisova, Ukraine’s ombudsman for human rights, said she has documented around two dozen cases of women and teens raped in Bucha, a Kyiv suburb that Russian troops withdrew from.

“About 25 girls and women aged 14 to 24 were systematically raped during the occupation in the basement of one house in Bucha. Nine of them are pregnant,” she said, according to a BBC report.

Noting that they receive reports on support help lines and on the Telegram app, she added: “A 25-year-old woman called to tell us her 16-year-old sister was raped in the street in front of her. She said they were screaming ‘This will happen to every Nazi prostitute’ as they raped her sister.”

Pro-Russian troops drive tanks near the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine, on April 17. (Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters)

Denisova told another terrifying story out of Bucha on her Facebook page. On April 8 she posted, “A boy, 11, raped in front of his mom’s eyes - she was tied to a chair to watch.” This is one of many updates she gives daily about children raped, stripped from their parents or killed.

Russia has denied the allegations of rape by its soldiers. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said “it’s a lie” when asked about sexual crimes in Bucha.

Matviichuk described the difficulty of investigating this “very specific crime” of rape due to the ongoing conflict, lack of proper infrastructure, victims being stuck in occupied territories, and a reluctance on the part of victims to share their stories. She said they work with and refer sexual violence victims to the right organizations and try to supply them with the best information possible.

“Sexual violence is the most hidden crime ... and survivors from sexual violence very often [don’t] report to police, even after liberation of territory, and don’t want to speak with human rights defenders about this horrible experience,” she said.

“In this memo, we put the contact of medical and psychological assist initiatives who can provide assistance in [a] confidential way,” without having to report to the authorities, Matviichuk said, “which is extremely important and has to be a priority first to provide assistance.” She added that if victims do want to provide testimony, it’s best for them to have all of this information.

Ukraine Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova at a news briefing in Irpin, Ukraine, on Tuesday. (Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters)

In Ukraine, some authorities and experts allege Russian soldiers are using rape in a number of ways — as a scare tactic, as a way to occupy an area and as an act of genocide. As much as rape is an atrocity at the hands of an individual, it could have a different impact in times of war.

Ukraine Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova said authorities are collecting information on war crimes, including rape and torture, by Russian forces. According to Reuters, when asked about rape as a Russian strategy in the war, she said, “I am sure actually that it was a strategy.

“This is, of course, to scare civil society ... to do everything to capitulate.”

Matviichuk added: “My estimation, as a human rights lawyer, sexual violence is used by Russian soldiers as a part of terror in order to quickly obtain and save the control over their occupied area.”

 AFRICA NOT UKRAINE

Putin’s Private Army Accused of Raping New Moms on Maternity Ward

Philip Obaji Jr.

DAILY BEAST
Fri, May 6, 2022

Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Getty/Security Service of Ukraine

ABUJA, Nigeria—Russian mercenaries from the notoriously brutal Wagner Group, which some have called Vladimir Putin’s “private army,” allegedly raped women admitted to a maternity ward in a hospital in the Central African Republic (CAR), according to military officials who spoke to The Daily Beast.

On the night of April 10, three Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group, which is also active in Ukraine right now, allegedly staged the attacks at a hospital in the Henri Izamo military camp in the capital Bangui.

Officials stationed in CAR’s military headquarters, but who keep an eye on the activities of so-called Russian “military instructors,” told The Daily Beast that the men forced themselves on women—a couple of whom had just given birth—who were receiving treatment in the infirmary's maternity ward.


“[The military headquarters] received a report last month from the [hospital] center detailing how three Russian instructors stormed the maternity ward and began to sexually assault women on admission,” one of the officials told The Daily Beast on the condition of anonymity, as he wasn’t authorized to speak to the press.

Many of the mercenaries operating in Africa under Wagner—a private military company run by Yevgeny Prigozhin, one of President Putin’s closest associates—were withdrawn to help fight the war in Ukraine—as first reported by The Daily Beast—but there are still plenty in operation on the continent.

Notorious Russian Mercenaries Pulled Out of Africa Ready for Ukraine

“Among the victims, the military was informed, are two mothers who had just given birth to babies and health workers on duty,” said the official, who added that the military “is convinced that the report is genuine.”

Another official in CAR’s military headquarters with knowledge of the operations of Wagner mercenaries in the restive African nation told The Daily Beast that it was the third time the military had received a report about Russian mercenaries invading the maternity ward of the infirmary and sexually assaulting women.

On all three occasions, according to the official, investigators found the allegations to be “genuine,” but taking action against the mercenaries was almost impossible as officers are “scared of angering the Russians.”

A human rights campaigner who has spoken to a victim of a previous rape at the Henri Izamo military camp informed The Daily Beast that the Russian mercenaries who assaulted her when she was receiving treatment at the infirmary sometime last year arrived late at night, dragged her out of her bed, and began to rape her on the floor.

“She was so sick and was sleeping when the Russians arrived,” said Cédric Niamathé, a Bangui-based human rights activist who helps connect victims of various abuses to human rights lawyers. “All she could remember was opening her eyes and seeing a naked white soldier, who had covered her mouth with his hand, on top of her, raping her.”

A couple of regional publications—quoting eyewitnesses—have given accounts of how the most recent incident occurred.

HumAngle, a West and Central Africa-focused news site headquartered in Nigeria, quoted a gendarme who was on duty on that day as saying that the Russians arrived at the infirmary's maternity ward “with pistols and whisky in their hands” and met the two women who had just given birth, as well as some other female health workers, in the room.

“They started indecently touching the women and signaling for sex from the two women who had just put to bed,” said the gendarme. He also alleged that the Russians tried to rape the nurse on duty who had confronted them saying the women had just given birth and still had blood on them. “She struggled to free herself [and] ran to the labour room,” he reportedly said.

“As this was going on,” said the gendarme, a “nurse aide who happened to be an adjutant-chef (Chief Warrant Officer) and who was still in the maternity tried to beg the Russians to be human but they turned on her and sexually abused her one after the other.”

Corbeau News Centrafrique, one of CAR’s best-known independent news outlets, which spoke to an eyewitness, reported that the sexual assault on the nurse aide lasted for hours, with each mercenary allegedly taking turns to abuse her. The news outlet also reported that one of the women who had just given birth said her ordeal was painful and humiliating.

Victims of rape hardly ever get justice in CAR. Over four years ago, Human Rights Watch documented 305 cases of rape and sexual slavery carried out against women and girls by members of armed groups between early 2013 and mid-2017. Of the 296 victims interviewed, only 11 of the 296 women interviewed said they made an attempt to file a criminal complaint. No members of armed groups was ever arrested or tried for committing sexual violence, according to the organization. Instead, the number of victims continued to grow.

In 2020, the Gender-Based Violence Information Management System—a monitoring system maintained by humanitarian partners including UNFPA—recorded 2,281 cases of sexual violence. More than a third of those brutalities were committed by members of armed groups.

As for those women reported to have been raped at the Henri Izamo military camp by Wagner mercenaries, there would be no surprise if justice isn’t served. Even those with the power to either take action or recommend that action be taken are unconvinced that anyone will be punished.

“Disciplining a Russian instructor who has committed a crime is not what the military can confidently act on,” a senior CAR military official told The Daily Beast privately. “Only the president can decide on how to deal with the Russians.”

Russian troops killing civilians in Central African Republic, rights group says

Issued on: 03/05/2022

01:34   Russian and Central African Republic flags are waved by demonstrators gathered in Bangui on March 5, 2022 during a rally in support of Russia. 

Text by: NEWS WIRES|
Video by: Vedika BAHL  

Human Rights Watch on Tuesday said there was "compelling evidence" that Russian paramilitary troops were committing serious rights abuses and killing civilians in the Central African Republic.

A civil war in the CAR that began in 2013, pitting numerous militias against a state on the verge of collapse, had eased considerably in recent years.

But about a year ago, fighting resumed abruptly when rebels launched an offensive to overthrow President Faustin Archange Touadera.

After the president called on Moscow for help, hundreds of Russian paramilitary forces helped push back the rebels, who still hold sway over swathes of the country.

The private military contractors are often described as belonging to the "Wagner group" - a Russian entity with no known legal status.

"Forces in the Central African Republic, whom witnesses identified as Russian, appear to have summarily executed, tortured, and beaten civilians since 2019," Human Rights Watch said.

"Several Western governments, and United Nations experts and special rapporteurs have found evidence that the forces linked to Russia operating in the Central African Republic include a significant number of members of the Wagner Group, a Russian private military security contractor with apparent links to the Russian government," it added.

The UN, NGOs and CAR's former colonial ruler France accuse both the army and rebels of committing crimes against civilians.

"The Central African government has every right to request international security assistance, but it can't allow foreign forces to kill and otherwise abuse civilians with impunity," HRW's Ida Sawyer said.

"To demonstrate its respect for the rule of law, and to put an end to these abuses, the government should immediately investigate and prosecute all forces, including Russia-linked forces, responsible for murder, unlawful detention, and torture," Sawyer said.

HRW said Russian-speaking men shot dead 12 unarmed men arrested at a checkpoint near Bossangoa, northwest of the capital Bangui, on July 21 last year.

The New York-based group also spoke of arbitrary detentions, tortures and summary killings of men randomly arrested in the street in the central town of Alindao in June last year.

HRW said it also "documented cases of detention and torture by Russia-linked forces in Bambari in 2019".

It said it had written to the CAR and Russian governments but received no reply.

Last month, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, denounced "serious human rights violations" in the Central African Republic, including killings and sexual violence against civilians, committed by rebel groups but also by the military and their Russian allies.

(AFP)

Ethiopia war: Evidence of mass killing being burned - witness

Many Tigrayans fled the region when the civil war broke out in November 2020


Lucy Kassa - Journalist

Fri, May 6, 2022

The remains of hundreds of people are being deliberately destroyed in an organised campaign to dispose of evidence of ethnic cleansing in the west of Ethiopia's Tigray region, according to interviews with 15 eyewitnesses.

The allegations follow multiple reports of the targeting of the Tigrayan population during the civil war. They also come in advance of the possible deployment of a UN independent investigation team which will be led by former International Criminal Court prosecutor Fatou Bensouda.

People belonging to security forces from the neighbouring Amhara region, which are occupying western Tigray, have been identified as digging up fresh mass graves, exhuming hundreds of bodies, burning them and then transporting what remains out of the region, the eyewitnesses said in telephone interviews.


The authorities have acknowledged that graves have been dug up but say that they show evidence that Tigrayan forces had been carrying out its own campaign of ethnically motivated killing in recent decades. Researchers from Gondar University have also been uncovering mass grave sites that they have linked to the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF).

All sides in the on-going civil war have been accused of carrying out mass killings.

But in a recent report, rights groups Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch accused Amhara officials and security forces of being behind a campaign of ethnic cleansing against Tigrayans in the area.

The fighting, which began in November 2020, followed a dispute between Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's federal government and the TPLF, Tigray's dominant political party.

Remnants from the civil war can be seen across northern Ethiopia

Last December, the UN human rights council passed a resolution to establish an independent investigation into atrocities committed by all warring parties in the conflict.

The Ethiopian government objected to the resolution and vowed not to co-operate, saying the resolution was an "instrument of political pressure".

In a vote in March, Ethiopia's bid to block funding for the investigative panel failed. Russia and China had backed the Ethiopian government's attempt to block funding.
Remains burned

Eyewitnesses have said that three days after the funding was approved, the campaign to destroy evidence of atrocities was launched in western Tigray.

"In the plot of land behind Hamele Hamushte school in Humera town, 200 bodies of ethnic Tigrayan civilians were buried in two mass graves. These were civilians massacred in the early months of the war," said an eyewitness from the Welkyat ethinc group who lives in Humera.

Whereas Tigrayans either fled the area during the fighting or are in detention, members of the Welkyat ethnic group remained and have provided the eyewitness reports.

"On 4 April, the Amhara militias and the Fano [militia] youth group exhumed the remains. They gathered wood, sprayed something we never saw before and burned the remains they collected. The remains crumbled and turned into ash."

This testimony was consistent with what other eyewitnesses said about the same incident .

Amhara militia and Fano youth destroyed the remains of bodies buried in another part of Humera, witnesses have said.

"The bodies belonged to civilians who were paraded from detention camps. There were around 100 bodies buried en masse behind the land of the public office of the Humera Agricultural Institute," said another witness.

"They took the remains to the compound of the institute and turned them into ash using wood, fire, and chemicals that we don't know. As they were doing that their faces were covered by masks and they wore gloves."

Map

Adebay is another town in western Tigray where eyewitnesses have described the disposal of evidence by moving human remains.

"On the morning of 10 April, the Amhara militias dug up the four mass graves in the St Abune Argawi church," a resident of Adebay said.

"There were 150 bodies of civilians killed in the August wave of ethnic cleansing. They loaded the bodies into a lorry. We don't know where they took the remains."

Eyewitnesses said that on the same day another mass grave located behind the local government administrative office of Adebay was dug up. Thirty-nine civilians had allegedly been buried there in October 2021 after being rounded up in the town of Adi Goshu and then caught trying to flee.

According to the testimonies the remains were loaded onto a lorry and moved to an unknown place.

In another town, Beaker, which is located between Tirkan and Rawyan, other eyewitnesses described similar activity.

"The bodies belonged to 70 civilians who had been arrested in Beaker. They were massacred nine months ago," a resident said.

"On 11 April the Amhara militia exhumed them and took them to Sanja, a town in the Amhara region."

Witnesses said the campaign of the disposal of evidence started on 4 April and was supervised by experts from Gondar University, which is in Amhara region.

"It all started following the visit of experts from Gondar University. When they came, they came with trucks that were loaded with chemicals in white jerry cans. The experts were in the town for a few days giving training to the Amhara militia on how to dispose of the remains and then they returned," an eyewitness said.

Three residents said that militia members had been publicly talking about the involvement of Gondar University and showing off about how the evidence of the killings would not be discovered.

The university has not responded to a request for comment on the allegations.

But last month, the state broadcaster reported that researchers from Gondar University had been working on 12 mass grave sites in the area and had found evidence that the TPLF had been involved in acts of genocide.

Experts have confirmed that it is possible to dispose of human remains using certain chemicals.

Andrea Sella, professor of inorganic chemistry at University College London, said cremation was possible as long as a high enough temperature was reached.

Gebrekidan Gebresilassie, a doctor in chemical engineering at the RWTH Aachen University in Germany, also said it was possible to destroy forensic evidence with the help of chemicals that are readily available.

"These chemicals destroy the forensic evidence... But from a chemical point of view even the ashes can show some evidence. It is difficult to destroy it all," he said.

The prime minister's office has not responded to a request for comment, however a senior Amhara official and the speaker of the federal parliament, Agegnehu Teshager, denied the accusations that evidence was being systematically destroyed.

He did say that exhumations were going on but that the bodies that were being removed were those of ethnic Amharas who had been killed over the past 40 years.

"It was not possible to exhume the mass graves and show it to the world until these days because the TPLF was ruling the country," he said. The TPLF had been the dominant party in the coalition that governed Ethiopia from the 1990s until 2018, when Mr Abiy came to power.

Mr Agegnehu also rejected the reports of ethnic cleansing in western Tigray including those from Amnesty and Human Rights Watch. He described them as a lie.

"They are sensational reports which do not take into account the reality on the ground," he said.

More on Ethiopia's civil war:

How a massacre in Ethiopia’s sacred city unfolded


Ethiopia using rape as strategy of war - Amnesty


Why the Ethiopia conflict matters to the world


Watch: The hidden side of Ethiopia's civil war

This NASA image of solar flares on the Sun looks like a crazy sci-fi movie

Joshua Hawkins
Fri, May 6, 2022,


A massive solar flare erupted from the surface of the Sun earlier this week. The X-class flare is just the latest eruption from the Sun that has captured NASA’s attention. This time, though, NASA managed to capture an image of the solar flare as it happened. It’s a stunning image, and one that looks like it was ripped right out of a science fiction movie.

Check out this image of a solar flare as it happens



The solar flare peaked around 9:25 a.m. EDT on May 3, 2022, NASA says. The space agency’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured the image of the solar flare. The observatory constantly watches the Sun for events like this.

It’s all part of the space agency’s attempts to learn more about our Sun, and to prepare should any of these solar flares erupt towards Earth.

This flare follows a few others which have happened this week. In fact, at the end of April, the Sun blasted out the most powerful solar flare in the last five years. Where the last X-class flare was classified as an X2.2, this new flare was only an X1.1.

X-class solar flares are the most intense flares that the Sun creates. As such, it is always worth keeping an eye on them when they happen. At the time that NASA captured the image of this solar flare, the Space Weather Prediction Center noted a possible strong radio blackout.

What happens when a solar flare hits Earth?

Earth magnetic field with solar flare could cause electron rain

This image of a solar flare might be breathtaking, but solar flares can be scary events. While the energy from these events can’t penetrate Earth’s atmosphere, they can create some unwanted side effects. Chief among these side effects is the radio blackouts that I mentioned previously.

When a solar flare hits the Earth, the energy from the flare can cause issues with satellites, GPS systems, and even high-altitude communication systems. Ultimately, though, we have a long time before we should have to worry about the Sun erupting with enough power to destroy the Earth.

The image of this solar flare is just another reminder that the Sun’s current solar cycle is picking up. NASA and other space agencies expect the solar cycle to peak sometime in the mid-2020s. When that happens, we’ll probably see more X-class solar flares hitting.

It’s hard to say whether any of those eruptions of plasma energy will be pointed toward the Earth.

Previously, we’ve seen massive bursts of plasma energy erupt from the Sun millions of miles into space. With so much power stored in our star, it’s only a matter of time until these solar flares become more frequent.

Michigan car owner sued after Jeep kills mechanic during oil change

Landon Mion
Sat, May 7, 2022, 1:52 AM·3 min read

A Michigan man who left his car at a dealership for an oil change and tire rotation is being sued after his vehicle was involved in the death of one of the dealership's employees.

Sergio Enrique Diaz-Navarro took his red 2019 Wrangler to a Chrysler Jeep Dodge dealership on March 13, 2020, and 19-year-old lube technician Daniel Thompson worked on the car. After the service was complete, the vehicle "lurched forward" as the young employee attempted to operate it, crushing 42-year-old mechanic Jeffrey Hawkins against a cabinet, court records show.

Thompson had lowered the Jeep from the vehicle lift, and then tried to start the car and let it idle to ensure there were no oil leaks around the filter, according to court records.

"Thompson reached into the vehicle and pressed brake with his right foot, keeping his other foot on the floor," the plaintiff summary reads. "He pressed the start button. When the vehicle did not start, he took his foot off the brake and depressed the clutch pedal. He again hit the start button. This time the Jeep started. He removed his foot from the clutch, still standing outside the vehicle. The vehicle lurched forward."

Hawkins was taken to the hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries, according to The Kansas City Star.

Diaz-Navarro and Thompson were both sued in a Michigan circuit court in March 2021.

New Jeep vehicles parked outside a Chrystler, Jeep, Dodge and RAM dealership in South Edmonton. On Wednesday, 24 August 2021, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

 (Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Attorney David Femminineo, who is representing Hawkins' estate, told FOX 2 that Thompson did not know how to drive the vehicle's manual transmission and did not have a license. The attorney also said the dealership cannot be sued because of a legal standard preventing an employee from suing their boss for negligence, which, in this case, would be the hiring of someone who should not have been driving.

Because the incident happened at work and involved two employees, the boss cannot be sued, FOX 2 notes.

Diaz-Navarro's attorney told FOX 2 he plans to fight the case in a trial later this month.

"When you hand your car over to anybody including the valet or the person at the service desk at your local dealership, you better be able to trust that person," the attorney said.

Femminineo told McClatchy News that the car owner is responsible for Hawkins' death in the same way that someone who lent another person their vehicle would be liable for any injuries caused by the driver. He said a person who lends their car is liable for negligent acts because they gave the other person permission to use their vehicle.

According to a summary filed in court on March 1, the court has ordered the Rochester Hills Chrysler Jeep Dodge dealership, where the incident occurred, to indemnify Diaz-Navarro if he is found liable of negligence.

"So in reality, the owner is going to be held responsible, but the dealership’s insurance company is paying," Femminineo told McClatchy News. He said he hopes a verdict in excess of $15 million is awarded.

To counter China, Biden launches 3D printing initiative with GE Aviation and other large firms

Sat, May 7, 2022, 

US President Joe Biden's administration announced on Friday a new initiative that would boost manufacturing of 3D printed products by domestic small- and medium-enterprises (SMEs), an effort that the White House hopes will work in conjunction with legislation meant to boost US competitiveness against China.

Dubbed "Additive Manufacturing Forward" or "AM Forward", the initiative involves voluntary commitments from some of America's largest manufacturers, including aerospace giant GE Aviation and leading defence contractor Raytheon, to source more 3D printed parts from smaller companies.

The larger companies would pledge to help train workers at these SMEs to make the products and help develop common development and certification standards for "additive manufacturing", otherwise known as 3D printing.

Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.

US President Joe Biden, from left, speaks to Senator Rob Portman, a Republican from Ohio, and Senator Sherrod Brown, a Democrat from Ohio, at the United Performance Metals manufacturing facility in Hamilton, Ohio on Friday. 

Photo: Gaelen Morse/Bloomberg 

Extending 3D printing capabilities to more companies in the high-tech supply chain, the administration reasons, would lower costs and increase the competitiveness of US SMEs and reduce dependence the large manufacturers and defence contractors have on overseas companies.

At an event attended by executives from some of America's largest manufacturers, Biden touted the potential 3D printing has to offer economically and from a national security perspective.

"The executives here today have agreed to launch a new compact between large, iconic manufacturers and smaller American suppliers, a commitment by these large companies to help those smaller ones adapt new technologies so we can continue to be the leading exporter of aircrafts and engines in areas like medical devices, clean energy technologies and so much more," he said.

While Biden's policies have diverged from the priorities of his immediate predecessor, former president Donald Trump, particularly on social issues and the environment, he has so far kept hard-line policies on China intact, including efforts to reduce American reliance on manufacturing in the country.

The US leader also reiterated a call for Congress to speed up passage of legislation that would provide billions of US dollars in funding for domestic semiconductor manufacturing and other provisions meant to counter China.

"We were ranked number one in the world in [research and development] three decades ago," Biden said. "Now we're ranked number nine in the world. China was number eight in the world 30 years ago. Now they're number two in the world. We've got to up our game."

What the White House refers to as the Bipartisan Innovation Act is what will emerge from Congress, assuming that the House of Representatives and the Senate manage to agree on provisions in China-related bills that each chamber has already passed.

The House passed its America Competes Act in February last year and the Senate passed its US Innovation and Competition Act four months later.

Provisions for 3D printing in USICA are part of some US$23 billion worth of funding that the bill would allocate for the development of high-tech priorities including aeronautics and space technology.



"Advanced materials and manufacturing processes, including additive manufacturing, to reduce the cost of manufacturing scale-up and certification for use in general aviation, commercial aviation, and military aeronautics" are called for under the heading of "experimental aircraft projects".

In-situ additive manufacturing shows up in the legislation under the "Mars-forward technologies" heading along with other technologies including nuclear propulsion and cryogenic fluid management.

As part of AM Forward, GE Aviation will target SME suppliers to compete on 50 per cent of its requests for products made using 3D printing or related technologies, and will target 30 per cent of its total external sourcing of additively manufactured parts from domestic SMEs, according to the White House fact sheet.

Lockheed Martin, another participant in the initiative, will work with its SME suppliers to conduct research to improve the performance of additive manufacturing AM techniques specifically focused on the use of 3D printing as an alternative to the manufacture of products through the more traditional use of castings and forgings, it said.

Honeywell and Siemens Energy are also among the inaugural participants in AM Forward.

In a report on 3D printing prepared for US lawmakers in 2019, the Congressional Research Service - Congress's public policy research arm - noted that 3D printing can be faster, cheaper, and more flexible than conventional production methods given 3D printers' lower prices, easily modifiable digital designs, and ability to integrate multiple distinct manufacturing processes into a single operation.

The White House pledged support for AM Forward SMEs involved in the initiative through federal programmes.

For example, the Small Business Administration would extend loans and Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) programme "can support the widespread deployment of new additive capabilities across US industry", it said.

Additional reporting by Robert Delaney

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2022 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Workers at Apple China Plant Clash With Guards Over Lockdowns


Bloomberg News
Fri, May 6, 2022, 3:32 AM·2 min read

(Bloomberg) -- Hundreds of workers at a technology factory in China clashed with authorities and flooded past isolation barriers after weeks under lockdown, a stunning breakdown in the Communist Party’s efforts to contain Covid-19 infections.

The Shanghai factory, which is owned by Taiwan’s Quanta Computer Inc. and makes devices for Apple Inc. among others, has been operating under tight restrictions since the beginning of April. In a video shared on Twitter and YouTube, workers rushed through barriers and tangled with guards in white protective gear who tried to keep them inside.

Quanta employees confirmed the clash occurred Thursday evening, while the company did not immediately provide comment. One worker said that people are worried about further tightening because there are positive Covid cases on the campus. The government is taking a central role in managing the plant’s operations, said another employee on-site.

The incident underscores the rising challenges for President Xi Jinping’s hardline strategy in containing the pandemic. China has imposed sweeping lockdowns to quarantine the infected and prevent Covid’s spread, an approach that has sparked unusual protests and complaints in the 25-million strong city of Shanghai. The policy has also threatened China’s economy, jeopardizing its ability to reach a target growth rate of 5.5%.

China’s main strategy for minimizing damage to its economy amid the rolling lockdowns is for companies and factories to operate in a “closed loop” system, in which workers live and sleep on-site or in nearby accommodation that they’re shuttled to. This has helped Shanghai restart production at more than 70% of its industrial manufacturing facilities, while 90% of 660 “key” industrial companies have resumed output, officials said this week.

But it’s unclear how long the closed loops can be sustained, given the resources required to feed and house thousands of workers at a time. The system also requires that workers avoid contact with anyone outside the loop, including family members. The majority of Japanese factories in Shanghai haven’t yet resumed operating despite the city’s assurances that production is getting back on track.

Tensions at the Quanta factory in the Songjiang district of Shanghai boiled over after workers tried to return to dormitories after their shifts, according to Taiwanese media outlet UDN. More than 100 jumped over a gate and ran past the staff without regard for their guidance, it said.

People are getting tired and frustrated under the controls, one of the workers said.

Operations at the facility returned to normal by Friday morning, another worker said.

Quanta is a critical partner for Apple, generating more than 50% of its revenue from the Cupertino, Calif.-based company as it assembles MacBooks and other devices. The Taiwanese company also does work for HP Inc., Dell Technologies Inc. and Microsoft Corp., according to Bloomberg supply chain data.

U.S. Energy Department to commit $2.25 billion to carbon storage program

FILE PHOTO: A flare burns off excess gas from a gas plant in the Permian Basin oil production area near WinkThu, May 5, 2022

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Energy intends to commit $2.25 billion for projects to store carbon dioxide underground and help fight climate change, it said on Thursday.

The funding for carbon storage validation and testing over the next five years will come from the bipartisan infrastructure bill signed by President Joe Biden last year.

"The goal here is that at the end of the day, you do actually have commercially available facilities for storage," said Emily Grubert, deputy assistant secretary for carbon management at the department.

Grubert said the money would come "quickly" but gave no further details on timing.

The program will look at storing carbon from projects including capturing emission from power plants and other industrial sites or removing carbon directly from the air. It will look at potential storage sites both onshore and offshore, such as at depleted oil and natural gas fields under the seabed in the Gulf of Mexico.

(THUS ALLOWING THE METHANE TO BE USED FOR FRACKING )

Capturing carbon emissions from power plants adds costs to the generation of electricity and companies typically want subsidies to help cover the expense.

Direct capture, a nascent technology to suck carbon dioxide directly from ambient air, can cost up to $600 per tonne of carbon captured.

But backers say the money beginning to pour into the technologies will lead to advances and cost cuts.

Grubert said advances in storing carbon underground on a virtually permanent basis without leaks can give companies confidence to move ahead with capturing the gas.

"We're likely to see a lot of opportunities for transitioning fossil fuel companies and fossil fuel workers in this space because a lot of the same types of skill sets are quite similar," Grubert said.

Biden's goal of decarbonizing the economy by 2050 could face a setback if his wider climate legislation is not passed by Congress.

Many scientists say the first priority to curb climate change is to avoid emissions to begin with, but that carbon storage will likely be necessary to avoid the worst impacts from greenhouse gases.

(Reporting by Timothy Gardner; Editing by Tom Hogue)

3D PRINTING
Biden plugs manufacturing initiative at Ohio metal company
   

AAMER MADHANI
Fri, May 6, 2022, 

HAMILTON, Ohio (AP) — President Joe Biden pledged Friday that 3D printing technology would help return factory jobs to the U.S. and reduce inflationary pressures as he traveled to an industrial Midwestern state with a Senate seat in play to make his case for the future of manufacturing.

Inflation at a 40-year high and Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine have caused growing uneasiness about the economy among voters. Biden is staking his presidency in part on the promise that his policies on matters ranging from infrastructure to computer chips can create a more resilient economy.

“The pandemic and the economic crisis that we inherited and Putin’s war in Ukraine have all shown the vulnerability when we become too reliant on things made overseas,” Biden said. “We learned the hard way that we can’t fight inflation if supply chains buckle and send prices through the roof every time there’s a disruption.”

Biden went to United Performance Metals in Hamilton to highlight commitments by five leading U.S. manufacturers to boost their reliance on small and medium American firms for 3D printing. GE Aviation, Honeywell, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and Siemens Energy have agreed to take part in the program. The president toured the factory with executives.

The promise of 3D printing is that it could reverse the outsourcing of factory jobs and industrial production, allowing for more components to be manufactured in the U.S. An analysis by the consulting firm Kearney estimated that the technology could produce $600 billion to $900 billion in economic value by enabling more production domestically.

The president also pressed Congress to approve a stalled competition and innovation bill that the Democratic president says is critical to bolstering domestic manufacturing and helping solve a semiconductor shortage that has delayed production of life-saving medical devices, smartphones, video game consoles, laptops and other modern conveniences.

“Pass the damn bill and send it to me,” Biden said Friday in his remarks.

Biden was in Ohio — where an open Senate seat is up for grabs with the retirement of Republican Rob Portman — shortly after its primary elections. Rep. Tim Ryan easily won the Democratic nomination Tuesday and will face Republican JD Vance, author of the memoir “Hillbilly Elegy.” Ohio would be a difficult pickup for Democrats, as the state backed former President Donald Trump in the 2020 election by 8 points.

GE Aviation and Raytheon set a goal of looking to small and medium firms for 50% of their requests for quotes for products requiring 3D printing or related technologies.

Siemens Energy committed to targeting 20% to 40% of externally sourced 3D print parts and will work with 10 to 20 small and medium firms to help improve their capability. Lockheed Martin has agreed to work with smaller suppliers on research to improve the use of 3D printing as an alternative to castings and forgings. Honeywell is offering technical assistance including part design, data generation, machine operation and post-processing to small and medium suppliers it works with.

The semiconductor chip problem has been building since coronavirus pandemic-related lockdowns shut down major Asian chip factories more than two years ago. Now it could extend past this year, despite the semiconductor industry’s efforts to catch up with demand.

There is bipartisan support for boosting domestic chip production, but lawmakers in the Senate and the House still need to negotiate over differences.



The House in February passed a version of the legislation that could pump $52 billion in grants and subsidies to the semiconductor industry to help boost U.S. production. The bill must now be reconciled with a Senate version passed eight months ago.

House Democrats also tucked in other priorities that have raised Republican concerns about the bill’s cost and scope.

The bill includes $8 billion for a fund that helps developing countries adjust to climate change; $3 billion for facilities to make the U.S. less reliant on Chinese solar components; $4 billion to help communities with significantly higher unemployment than the national average; and $10.5 billion for states to stockpile drugs and medical equipment.

President Joe Biden speaks at United Performance Metals in Hamilton, Ohio, Friday, May 6, 2022. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
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Associated Press writer Kevin Freking contributed to this report.