TAX FREE LUXURY CAPITALI$M
French LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault is world's richest man at $201 billion


French billionaire Bernard Arnault has become the world's richest person, with a net worth of $201 billion, according to Bloomberg's Billionaires Index. 

Pool photo by Albin Lohr-Jones/UPI | License Photo

April 5 (UPI) -- French billionaire Bernard Arnault's net worth has topped $200 billion making him the world's richest person and just the third person to ever amass that much money. Arnault started the luxury goods company LVMH.

Bloomberg's Billionaires Index ranked Arnault ahead of both Bezos and Musk as of Tuesday, with a total net worth of $201 billion. That index shows Arnault with a $25 billion greater net worth than Elon Musk and $73 billion more than Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

Arnault, 74, is just the third person to have a fortune above $200 billion. Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos both reached that milestone before dropping below that amount as tech company stocks dropped.

Musk's wealth also declined after he purchased Twitter for $44 billion in October and said last month that its value had fallen to $20 billion.

Bill Gates and Warren Buffet round out the top five richest people in the world.

Arnault is chairman and CEO of LVMH, owner of Louis Vitton, Christian Dior and Moët & Chandon. He co-founded LVMH 35 years ago and is the majority shareholder. His wealth increased by $2.4 billion on Tuesday.

LVMH stock prices have gone up by 150 percent in the past three years. According to Business Insider, Arnault's wealth has doubled since 2020.

Rihanna partnered with Arnault's LVMH in 2019 on a new fashion label. But less than two years after that deal, LVMH said it was putting Rihanna's Fenty fashion house "on hold."

Rihanna became a billionaire herself in 2021.

THE CRYPTO FREE MARKET AKA CRIMNAL CAPITALISM
International police action takes down Genesis Market for cybercrimes


Police in Britain have arrested 24 people in connection to an international law enforcement action against 'Genesis Market," an online forum that sold stolen information. 

Photo courtesy of U.K. National Crime Agency

April 5 (UPI) -- Law enforcement agencies from 17 nations have taken down Genesis Market, one of the world's largest online marketplaces for stolen financial information.

U.S. and British law enforcement officials made dozens of arrests and seized domain names, and the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Genesis Market.

"Working across 45 of our FBI Field Offices and alongside our international partners, the Justice Department has launched an unprecedented takedown of a major criminal marketplace that enabled cybercriminals to victimize individuals, businesses, and governments around the world," U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a news release Wednesday.

"Our seizure of Genesis Market should serve as a warning to cybercriminals who operate or use these criminal marketplaces: the Justice Department and our international partners will shut down your illegal activities, find you, and bring you to justice."

United States, Britain sanction seven Russians for cybercrimes

According to Britain's National Crime Agency, the Genesis Market hosted approximately 80 million stolen credentials. The platform would provide customers with bots that would mimic victims' login information and cookies to allow fraudsters to access victims' accounts, including financial information.

"Genesis Marketplace was unique in that it provided users with a custom browser, which would mimic that of their victim. This allowed the criminals to essentially masquerade as the victim, making it look like they were accessing their accounts from the usual location and operating system, thus not triggering security measures," The National Crime Agency said in a news release Wednesday.

The police operation involved Britain's National Crime Agency and was lead by the FBI and Dutch police.

"Behind every cybercriminal or fraudster is the technical infrastructure that provides then with the tools to execute their attacks and the means to benefit financially from their offending," said Rob Jones of Britain's National Crime Agency.

"Genesis Market was a prime example of such a service and was one of the most significant platforms on the criminal market," he continued.

At least 24 people were arrested in Britain, according to the National Crime Agency. Across multiple countries, over 120 people were arrested in connection with the joint police action.

On Tuesday, U.S. law enforcement seized 11 web domains associated with Genesis Market in an action dubbed "Operation Cookie Monster."

Additionally, the U.S. Treasury Department designated Genesis Market "for being responsible for or complicit in, or having engaged in, directly or indirectly, cyber-enabled activities ... that are reasonably likely to result in, or have materially contributed to, a significant threat to national security, foreign policy, or economic health or financial stability of the United States.

"The United States and our international partners will not allow illicit marketplaces to operate with impunity," said Brian Nelson, Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence.

 

PRIMITIVE ACCUMULATION OF CAPITAL

Global takedown of cybercriminals behind malware operation

By ERIC TUCKER and FRANK BAJAK

April 5, 2023


WASHINGTON (AP) — Law enforcement agencies in the United States and Europe said Wednesday that they have taken down a major online marketplace for stolen login credentials that had given cybercriminals access to millions of compromised accounts since its 2018 launch.

Officials seized 11 domain names tied to the Genesis Market and arrested about 120 users across the world, including some in the U.S., according to the FBI and Justice Department, which participated in the operation.

The market “falsely promised a new age of anonymity and impunity, but in the end only provided a new way for the Department to identify, locate, and arrest on-line criminals,” Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said in a statement.

Genesis Market had provided users with access to data taken from more than 1.5 million computers infected with malicious software, with over 80 million account access credentials, the Justice Department said.

“Operation Cookie Monster,” the effort by law enforcement agencies in 17 countries, disrupted the largest marketplace of its kind, officials said.

“Cookie” refers to the web browser cookies that let people log onto websites without the need for multifactor authentication. Criminal users of Genesis Market could purchase software scripts from it, including browser cookies and fingerprints that track a user’s online activity.

The market, a “one-stop shop for account takeovers,” was advertised on several predominantly Russian-speaking underground forums, the cybersecurity firm Trellix, which assisted in the investigation, said in a research report.

“While underground marketplaces that sell stolen credentials aren’t a new thing, Genesis Market was one of the first that focused on fingerprints and browser cookies to enable account takeovers despite growing MFA adoption,” the Trellix researchers said. A specialized browser it offered customers made “account takeover child’s play for criminals,” their report says.

Trellix said it observed more than 450,000 infected machines in examining the marketplace.

Trellix’s threat intelligence lead, John Fokker, said the takedown would “have a notable impact on the activities of cybercriminals focused on stolen credential usage for the rest of the year. ”

He said in an online chat that he did not believe the people who ran the site would be arrested because they are in Russia.

Typically after such takedowns, the criminals regroup at other sites.

Dutch police put up a webpage to allow members of the public to enter their email address to determine whether their data was for sale on Genesis Market. The Justice Department said it had provided victim information for a website so that people could check if their accounts had been compromised.

___

Bajak reported from Boston.

Labor data show the economy is slowing, ADP says

Private payroll processor ADP reported job growth in March was about half the level from February and annual wages are on the decline, pointing to a slowing economy. 

File photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo

April 5 (UPI) -- Private sector employees in March added about 100,000 fewer jobs to their payrolls than they did the prior month, showing the economy is slowing down, payroll processor ADP said Wednesday.

"Our March payroll data is one of several signals that the economy is slowing," said Nela Richardson, the chief economist at ADP. "Employers are pulling back from a year of strong hiring and pay growth, after a three-month plateau, is inching down."

Data show private-sector employment increased by 145,000 last month, lower than the 240,000 in new hires in February. Data from the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary, or JOLTS, from Tuesday showed job openings slumped to a two-year low at 9.9 million as of the last full day in February.

By sector, ADP data show manufacturing suffered the most in the industry sector, shedding 30,000 jobs last month. In the services sector, jobs in finance fell by 51,000.

ADP does not provide granular analysis of activity in any particular sector, though a March survey from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas found that manufacturing activity was mixed, though the general perception was that business conditions were on the decline.

The financial sector buckled last month, meanwhile, after the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank in California sparked concerns about a global banking crisis.

The Federal Reserve, however, raised interest rates again last month because inflation is still running about three times above its target rate of 2% annually.

"The job market is beginning to find its balance as consumer demand ebbs and the cost of borrowing goes up," ADP's report read.

Compounding the emerging weakness in labor, ADP reported that annual pay increased by 6.9% last month, down from 7.2% in February.

Markets were in the red in early trading Wednesday. The Dow was down 0.6% and the tech-heavy NASDAQ was off by 0.62% as of 9:50 a.m. EDT. The S&P was lower by 0.14%.

Applications for jobless aid rising but still at low levels

By MATT OTT

A hiring sign for tree care service work is posted in Wheeling, Ill., Sunday, March 19, 2023. On Thursday, the Labor Department reports on the number of people who applied for unemployment benefits last week. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

The number of Americans seeking unemployment aid was higher over the past few months than the government had initially reported, reflecting a modest rise in layoffs as the economy has slowed in the face of higher interest rates.

The Labor Department reported Thursday that the number of applications has exceeded 200,000 since early February — above previous estimates, though still relatively low by historical standards.

The department has revised its estimates of the number of weekly applications for jobless benefits under a new formula it is using to reflect seasonal adjustments. The new formula is intended to more accurately capture seasonal patterns in job losses.

For the week that ended April 1, the number of Americans applying for jobless aid was 228,000, the government estimated. That was down from 246,000 in the previous week and 247,000 in the week before that. Using its new seasonal adjustment formula, the government revised up each of those figures by nearly 50,000.

“The trend in seasonally adjusted initial claims is noticeably higher than previously estimated, which does suggest that the flurry of layoff announcements so far this year has begun to show up in these data,” Stephen Stanley, chief U.S. economist of Santander U.S. Capital Markets, wrote in a research note.

First-time applications for unemployment benefits serve as a proxy for the number of job cuts because most people who are laid off file for jobless aid. About 1.82 million people were receiving jobless aid in the week that ended March 25, an increase of 6,000 from the week before.

The job market appears to be finally showing some signs of softening, more than a year after the Federal Reserve began an aggressive campaign to cool inflation by steadily raising its benchmark borrowing rate.

On Tuesday, the Labor Department reported that U.S. job openings slipped to 9.9 million in February, the fewest since May 2021. And on Wednesday, the payroll firm ADP reported that the nation’s private employers added 145,000 jobs in March, down sharply from 261,000 in February. Pay raises also weakened for workers, according to the ADP Research Institute.

ADP’s figures often diverge, from month to month, from the government’s more comprehensive jobs report, which provides a more granular review of the labor market, though the two tend to converge over time. On Friday, when the government issues the March jobs report, analysts expect it to show that employers added a solid 240,000 jobs last month.

In February, the government reported, employers added a robust 311,000 jobs, fewer than January’s huge gain but enough to keep pressure on the Fed to keep raising rates to fight inflation. The unemployment rate rose to 3.6%, from a 53-year low of 3.4%.

In its latest quarterly projections, the Fed predicts that the unemployment rate will rise to 4.5% by year’s end, a sizable increase historically associated with recessions.

Layoffs have been mounting in the technology sector, where many companies hired aggressively during the pandemic. IBM, Microsoft, Salesforce, Twitter and DoorDash have all announced layoffs in recent months. Amazon and Facebook have each announced two sets of job cuts since November.

U.S. energy data suggests a cooling economy


Market watchers see signs of a cooling economy in data figures from the federal government. Implied demand was off from year-ago levels, according to the Energy Department. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

April 5 (UPI) -- Implied demand for refined petroleum products such as gasoline show the U.S. economy may be cooling off, analysis of recent federal data found.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration, the Energy Department's data cruncher, showed total commercial crude oil inventories declined by 3.7 million barrels from week-ago level

An emailed report from S&P Global Commodity Insights said the decline in crude oil inventories suggested refineries were busy. S&P estimates refineries put 1 million barrels per day more through their systems than they did during the week ending March 3, which would explain some of the inventory decline.

Inclement weather in Texas late last year limited refinery activity before a regular period of late-winter maintenance that coincides with a shift to a summer blend of gasoline, which requires additional processing steps to keep it from evaporating during warmer months.

RELATED Consumer-level inflation declines, but Biden says the fight isn't over

While S&P data pointed to a larger draw on commercial storage levels than the government, the agency said that any decline was likely the result of increased refinery activity. Federal data show refineries were working at 89.6% of their full capacity last week, compared with a run rate of 86% for the seven-day period ending March 3.

On the demand side, federal data show the total amount of refined petroleum products sent to the market over the four-week period ending March 31 averaged 20.1 million barrels per day, down 1.5% from year-ago levels.

Analysts use that data point as a proxy for demand. Tom Kloza, the head of the Oil Price Information Service, said that data shows a clear economic decline.

"If you believe gasoline demand is well above last year, you may be deluding yourself," he said from his official account on Twitter.

Demand could be on the decline because of an uptick in retail gasoline prices, which at $3.53 for a national average are 13 cents per gallon more than this time last month, according to AAA.

Recent data from the labor sector, meanwhile, showed the economy is cooling off.

RELATED  U.S. GDP revised down to 2.6% as consumer spending falls

"Our March payroll data is one of several signals that the economy is slowing," said Nela Richardson, the chief economist at ADP. "Employers are pulling back from a year of strong hiring and pay growth, after a three-month plateau, is inching down."

In a first, IEA-lauded, industrial-scale heat pump coming to Massachusetts

Rather than rely on natural gas for heat, heat pumps -- which transfer heat from one place to another -- are emerging as a tool in the pursuit of a net-zero economy. 

Photo by Gary C. Caskey/UPI | 


April 5 (UPI) -- U.S. based Vicinity Energy said it was teaming up with Germany's MAN Energy Solutions to build what it believes will be the largest industrial-scale heat pump in the country, a pump that will help lower emissions from heating.

Vicinity said the facility will be built at its Kendall Station power facility in Cambridge, Mass. It will be powered by renewable energy derived from the nearby Charles River to create steam.

Bill DiCroce, president and CEO of Vicinity Energy, said the company has made strides in other areas and the partnership with MAN means it can do more, from harvesting the power of rivers to working to address climate change.

"Vicinity's first heat pump complex in Cambridge, which draws from proven examples in Europe, will be the largest in the U.S.," he said.

U.S. grant money targets methane leaks from gas pipelines

The International Energy Agency reported last month that energy-related emissions of CO2, a potent greenhouse gas, increased by 0.9% year-on-year in 2022 to reach a new high of more than 36.8 billion tons. Clean energy -- from renewable energy to heat pumps -- helped prevent some 550 million tons of CO2 from reaching the atmosphere, however.

Heat pumps work by transferring heat rather than burning fuels, making them more environmentally-friendly than a gas furnace.

IEA found that global sales of heat pumps increased by 11% last year, though much of those sales were in Europe. Sales should increase to account for 20% of total heating needs in buildings by 2030 to keep climate goals within reach.

"The heating sector accounts for 30-40% of global CO2 emissions," said Uwe Lauber, the top official at MAN Energy Solutions. "The global energy transition cannot succeed without decarbonizing heat."

Vicinity aims to have the industrial scale pump system installed by 2026.

Google says its new AI supercomputer faster, more efficient, than others



Google has announced that a new supercomputer it is developing for AI systems is faster and more efficient than its main competitor, Nvidia. 

April 5 (UPI) -- Google has released information on its new AI supercomputer, saying it is more powerful than Nvidia, its main competitor.

The Google supercomputer is based on Tensor Processing Units, which work together to develop the AI system.

According to Google researchers, the TPU v4 supercomputer, is "1.2x-1.7x faster and uses 1.3x-1.9x less powerful than the Nvidia A100."

While Google creates, and conducts research on, AI systems, Nvidia dominates about 90% of the market.

At a recent company meeting, Google employees raised concerns about falling behind competitors in the AI market, despite the fact that Google has been working on AI systems for years.

AI systems such as ChatGPT require thousands of chips to complete the machine learning required to prep the systems over extended periods of time.

The sheer volume of computers needed to operate AI systems is a major challenge for the industry, expending a great deal of power.

Google hopes their new product will be far more efficient, saying their system has more than 4,000 TPUs to train AI systems.

Google currently is testing an AI system called Google Bard, known alternately as Apprentice Bard.

Piranha-like pacu fish caught in South Carolina lake

April 5 (UPI) -- A teenager fishing in a South Carolina lake made a "once-in-a-lifetime" catch -- a South American pacu fish.

Drew Patrick, 15, of Anderson, said he was fishing in Lake Hartwell when he reeled in the pacu, a piranha cousin famous for its human-like teeth.

Patrick told WYFF-TV it was a "once-in-a-lifetime catch."

Ross Self with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources confirmed the fish reeled in by Patrick was a South American pacu. He said the fish are occasionally found in South Carolina waters after being illegally released.

"This type of fish is periodically caught in Hartwell," Self said. "This is a popular aquarium species that can outgrow the owner's aquarium."

Self said it is illegal to release pacu into South Carolina's waters, but the species is not believed to pose a significant threat to the local ecosystem.

Pacu are related to piranhas, but the species are vegetarians, primarily feeding on tree nuts. The fish have an unearned reputation for biting the testicles of swimmers, but the myth started as a joke by Peter Rask Moller, a professor at the Copenhagen Museum of Natural History, after a pacu was caught by a fisherman in Denmark.

William Fink, a piranha researcher at the University of Michigan, said there have been no recorded instances of pacu fish biting humans, genitals or otherwise.

Facts largely ineffective in countering conspiracy theorists, research says

Conspiracy theories have become more prevalent than ever (and especially in the political realm, pictured). And researchers now say combatting conspiracies with factual evidence is largely ineffective in quashing conspiracy beliefs. File Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

April 5 (UPI) -- Conspiracy theories have become more prevalent than ever, and according to researchers, combatting conspiracies with factual evidence is largely ineffective in quashing conspiracy beliefs.

Researchers from University College Cork studied the effectiveness of several intervention methods, including presenting rational arguments, and found most methods do not work once conspiracies take hold.

The findings were published in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS One.

Conspiracy beliefs were described in the study as beliefs that "explain important events as secret plots by powerful and malevolent groups." Examples included conspiracies about the 1969 moon landing being fake and recent conspiracies that created fear over the COVID-19 vaccine.

"While the intuitive solution to countering unfounded conspiracy beliefs is to present facts and arguments that contradict the conspiracy explanation, our review indicates that this approach is among the least effective," Cian O'Mahony, lead researcher from the UCC School of Applied Psychology, said in a statement.

The most effective approach was to arm subjects with critical thinking skills before they were exposed to conspiracy beliefs. This method, referred to as "conspiracy inoculation," involved a three-month course on the differences between scientific evidence and pseudoscience.

In all, only about half of all approaches yielded any positive results. Presenting arguments that attempted to appeal to a person's empathy showed slight success. Ridiculing a conspiracy theorists' beliefs similarly made a small impact.

"Our analysis highlights that fostering analytical mindsets and explicitly teaching critical thinking skills is a more promising method for challenging conspiracy beliefs," O'Mahony added. "While there is no currently silver bullet that can completely mitigate misinformation spread by conspiracy beliefs, our review highlights some promising trends for future research."

U$A FOR PROFIT HEALTHCARE 

Cost keeps many women from follow-up after abnormal mammogram
By Cara Murez, HealthDay News

Just over one-fifth of U.S. women surveyed by researchers said they would skip additional testing if they had to pay a deductible or co-pay. Photo by Rhoda Baer/Wikimedia Commons


A new study shows that money, or lack of it, can stand in the way of follow-up testing after an abnormal mammogram result.

Just over one-fifth of U.S. women surveyed by researchers said they would skip additional testing if they had to pay a deductible or co-pay.

Of 714 women who responded when asked if they'd have follow-up imaging if they had to pay for all or part of it, 21% said they would skip imaging, 59% said they would not skip imaging and 19.5% were undecided.

"Currently, there is no out-of-pocket payment or co-payment for screening mammography since it's covered under the ACA [Affordable Care Act]," said study lead author Dr. Michael Ngo, a radiology resident at Boston Medical Center. "However, any follow-up diagnostic imaging for an abnormal finding seen on screening mammography may require the patient to pay a co-payment or deductible, depending on their healthcare plan."

High-deductible health plans (HDHPs) have become popular since the Affordable Care Act (ACA) began, and so healthcare costs and insurance premiums have increased in recent years.

HDHPs are thought to lower overall healthcare costs by making individuals more aware of their medical expenses. The higher deductible also lowers monthly insurance premiums.

However, HDHPs also have a high out-of-pocket deductible cost - a minimum of $1,500 for individuals and $3,000 for families.

Many don't follow up with colonoscopy after positive stool test for cancer

The Boston survey also included demographic questions on race, education level, annual household income and insurance payor.

"The patients who were more likely to say they would skip diagnostic imaging tended to be racial/ethnic minorities, have a lower educational level, have a lower-income household, are on Medicaid or have no insurance at all," Ngo said in a news release from the Radiological Society of North America.

About 33% of Hispanic women said they would skip additional imaging. So did 31% of those who had a high school education or less, 27% of those with a household income of less than $35,000, and 31.5% who were on Medicaid or uninsured.

High costs keep some women from follow-up screening for breast cancer

"Prior research has shown that these groups tend to already have lower adherence to preventative services, including breast cancer screening, and tend to have worse breast cancer outcomes," Ngo said. "Based on these results, these out-of-pocket payments may account for at least a part of the delay in seeking care. This, in turn, leads to delays in breast cancer diagnosis and treatment, increases overall breast cancer mortality and exacerbates existing gaps in breast cancer care in women who already have financial barriers in care."

About 18% of women said they would skip even the initial mammogram if they knew they would have to pay for a follow-up screening. Nearly 66% said they would not skip this initial screening and 16% were undecided, the investigators found.

The findings were published Tuesday in the journal Radiology.

The researchers said identifying socioeconomic barriers to healthcare is critical to addressing disparities and providing better outcomes for vulnerable patients.

"We hope these results can be used to advocate for legislation to eliminate out-of-pocket expenditure for screening diagnostic imaging follow-up, to alleviate the existing healthcare disparities," Ngo said.

Another study in a much larger group, published online recently in JAMA Network Open, also found that women with high deductibles were less likely to access follow-up screening.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on mammograms.

Copyright © 2023 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Air pollution associated with lower COVID-19 vaccine efficacy

Researchers in Spain and Germany found that the COVID-19 vaccines were less effective for people exposed to consistent air pollution. 

File Photo by Abhishek/UPI | License Photo


April 5 (UPI) -- People exposed to air pollution at higher levels before the COVID-19 pandemic experienced lower antibody responses from vaccines, making them more vulnerable, according to a new Spanish and Germany study.

The study, led by the Barcelona Institute for GlobalHealth, or ISGlobal, in collaboration with the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute, or IGTP, was published Wednesday in the scientific journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

The researchers analyzed data from 927 participants ages 40 to 65 who answered questionnaires and gave blood samples in the summer of 2020 right after the first lockdown.

In the spring of 2021, after participants received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccines made by AstraZeneca, Pfizer or Moderna, the research team measured antibodies to five viral antigens. Exposure to fine particulate matter, or PM2.5, black carbon, or BC, nitrogen dioxide, NO2, and ozone, O3, was estimated for each participant based on his or her address before the pandemic.

The results from the examination showed that in uninfected individuals, pre-pandemic exposure to the tested pollutant was associated with a 5% to 10% reduction in vaccine-induced spike antibodies. They said the decrease in efficacy was seen through all three vaccines.

"Air pollution can induce chronic inflammation, which has been associated with a negative effect on vaccine efficacy," said Carlota Dobaño, co-senior author of the study, together with Cathryn Tonne. "Our findings are consistent with evidence that persistent organic pollutants reduce vaccine responses in children."

Air pollution has been associated with a wide range of negative health issues, including lung cancer, cardiovascular and respiratory disease, and diabetes.

Monoclonal antibodies reduce hospitalizations, deaths from COVID-19

"Air pollutants have been shown to affect immune responses," ISGlobal researcher Manolis Kogevinas said. "So, in this study we wished to determine whether air pollution also affects antibody responses to COVID-19 vaccines."

The researchers said those previously infected with COVID-19 had higher vaccine responses, which could explain why the effect of pollutants was only observed in people without prior infection. They said additional investigations should be done on the long-term exposure to air pollution on hybrid immunity.

British government to place some asylum seekers on a barge

British Home Secretary Suella Braverman approved a plan to house single male asylum seekers on a barge off the Dorset coast.

Tolga Akmen/EPA-EFE


April 5 (UPI) -- Britain's Home Office said on Wednesday that it will place 500 immigrants seeking asylum and other refugees on a barge along the Dorset coast over complaints from locals.

The government said the Bibby Stockholm, which will house single men, will be anchored in Portland Port. The barge, which is Barbados registered, can sleep about 500 along with having "basic and functional accommodations."

The Home Office, under Minister Suella Braverman, said the barge would "reduce the unsustainable pressure on the U.K.'s asylum system and cut the cost to the taxpayer caused by the significant increase in Channel crossings. Currently, hotel accommodation for asylum seekers is costing [$7.47 million] a day."

Officials added that the barge will have healthcare provisions, catering facilities and around-the-clock security. It said men who have had their asylum claims refused and have exhausted appeal options will be removed from Britain.

"The Home Secretary and I have been clear that the use of expensive hotels to house those making unnecessary and dangerous journeys must stop," Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick said in a statement. "We will not elevate the interests of illegal migrants over the British people we are elected to serve."

Immigrant rights groups and local lawmakers have been largely opposed to the barge, which had been used by the Netherlands for asylum seekers.

Enver Soloman, chief executive of the Refugee Council, said the barge "does not provide what they need nor the respect, dignity and support they deserve."

Steve Valdez-Symonds, from Amnesty International Britain, said moving immigrants to a barge offshore has more to do with politics than actually solving issues around Britain's growing migration challenges.

"Along with the disastrous Rwanda scheme, all talk of barges, cruise ships and former military barracks should be abandoned," Valdez-Symonds said. "Anyone seeking asylum in this country should be housed in decent accommodation with proper facilities and, crucially, their claims should be properly and consistently processed."

UK Charters Bibby Accommodation Barge to House Asylum Seekers

Bibby Stockholm can accommodate up to 500 people (Bibby Marine)

PUBLISHED APR 5, 2023 8:24 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

Faced with rising costs and what UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has called an unsustainable situation, the UK’s Home Office confirmed today that it is chartering an accommodation vessel to provide housing for migrants caught attempting to enter the country in small boats. The government said it recognizes that using alternative sites and vessels involves difficult decisions, but that urgent action is needed to reduce expensive hotel use and the attraction of coming to the UK illegally.

The Home Office chartered the Bibby Stockholm, an accommodation vessel built in 1976 and which has previously been used in similar capacities in Germany and the Netherlands as well as to house construction workers in the offshore gas and wind sectors. The vessel is operated by Bibby Marine which says it was recently refurbished and is currently available. The vessel has been chartered for at least 18 months and will be docked at Portland Port, in Dorset, England. 

“We have to use alternative accommodation options, as our European neighbors are doing – including the use of barges and ferries to save the British taxpayer money and to prevent the UK becoming a magnet for asylum shoppers in Europe,” said the UK’s Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick announcing this plan. “All accommodation will meet our legal obligations and we will work closely with the local community to address their concerns, including through financial support.”

Sunak has taken an aggressive stance against the influx of migrants ahead of elections which are largely expected to take place in 2024. The UK has struggled for years with how to handle the people mostly crossing the English Channel illegally in small boats. Government data shows that approximately 4,000 migrants in 97 boats have been detected since the start of 2023. In the last week, 224 people were detected on seven boats. News of the plan to use accommodation barges leaked out in the press last week.

The government is placing a priority on taking steps to stop the boats. The Home Secretary has said that they must reduce the unsustainable pressure on the UK’s asylum system and lower the cost to taxpayers. The government reports it is spending £6 million (approximately $7.5 million) a day for hotel accommodations.

They justify the use of the accommodation vessel highlighting similar programs elsewhere in Europe. Both the Netherlands and Scotland they point out chartered ferries in 2022 to accommodate Ukrainian refugees. 

The Bibby Stockholm is 306 feet long with three decks of accommodations and 222 cabins. It is 10,659 gross tons and has a maximum capacity of 500 people. It has onboard boilers for hot water and heat and connections for shore power and sewerage. 

Officials for Portland Port said they were “keen to play our part in the national effort to house,” the asylum seekers. They said they would be working with local agencies, including health and emergency services, to prepare for the arrival of the Bibby Stockholm.

The government plans to accommodate about 500 single adult males on the vessel while their asylum claims are being processed. They said the vessel will provide “basic and functional accommodation” and healthcare, as well as catering facilities. They will also have 24/7 security aboard. People whose asylum claims are refused and have exhausted their appeal rights, however, will be removed from the UK.

In addition to the accommodation barge, the government last week said it plans to begin moving asylum seekers from hotels to surplus military sites as part of its efforts to secure alternative, more appropriate accommodations other than costly hotels. No timing was announced for when the Bibby Stockholm would arrive in the UK with the government only saying that migrants are due to be moved to the vessel in the coming months.