HOTEL RWANDA

Rwanda detention abuses make jail 'place of fear', HRW report says

 

AFP

Issued on: 15/10/2024 -

Video by:Nadia MASSIH

Rwandan authorities are perpetrating serious human rights abuses in detention facilities, including torturing inmates, Human Rights Watch said Tuesday, denouncing a lack of accountability for those responsible. Under President Paul Kagame's three-decade rule, political dissent and free speech have been crushed, with international campaigners long decrying the shrinking civil rights space in the small east African country. HRW's report is based on interviews between 2019 and 2024 with almost 30 people, including former inmates, as well as court documents and interviews shared online. For more, FRANCE 24's Nadia Massih is joined by Clémentine de Montjoye, Senior Researcher in the Africa division of Human Rights Watch.

Draft UN climate pact leaves open thorny question of money

Paris (AFP) – The latest draft of a UN climate deal published Tuesday narrows the options for increasing funding to poorer countries, but leaves unresolved the thorny question of how much they should receive.

Nations meeting at the COP29 climate summit in Azerbaijan in November are supposed to agree how much money should go to poorer countries to help them combat global warming © TOFIK BABAYEV / AFP

Nations at the COP29 summit in November are aiming for a new finance goal to replace the $100 billion a year that rich countries pledged to help the developing world tackle global warming.

That goal expires in 2025 and is considered well below what the world's most climate vulnerable nations need to prepare for the future and reduce their own planet-heating emissions.

Rich country donors, including the United States and European Union, have agreed to keep paying climate finance, but have baulked at demands for $1 trillion a year or more.

They have not made an offer, but COP29 hosts Azerbaijan on Monday indicated that hundreds of billions of dollars in public money would be a "realistic" target.


The latest draft of the funding pact, released by the UN climate secretariat, refines an earlier version by putting three distinct pathways on the table but leaves much unsettled.

The first option presents the deal sought by developing countries -- namely that rich, industrialised nations most responsible for climate change to date pay from their budgets.

This would entail annual payments up to $2 trillion a year in "grant-equivalent terms" over an unspecified timeframe, the draft stated.

The second option "encourages" other countries to share the burden, a key demand of developed countries, especially those weathering budget and political pressure at home.

This proposal calls for "all sources" of finance -- public and private -- to play a part.

The third options puts forward a mix of the other two.

The question of how much rich nations are actually willing to pay -- no concrete figure has been put forward during months of protracted negotiations -- remains open.

The EU, the largest contributor of climate finance, on Monday announced its negotiating position for COP29 but did not propose an amount.

It said however that "public finance alone cannot deliver the levels of finance needed" and that private investment would need to make up the majority.

Azerbaijan will host the COP29 summit between November 11 - 22 in Baku.

© 2024 AFP

Boeing to raise up to $25 bn as strike weighs on finances

New York (AFP) – US aircraft manufacturer Boeing unveiled measures meant to replenish its cash flow Tuesday, including an intention to raise up to $25 billion, as it navigates recurrent production problems and a major US strike.

Boeing has recently announced a series of belt-tightening measures and production delays © Jason Redmond / AFP


In a regulatory filing, the aviation giant indicated plans to raise the funds by selling stock and debt.

It also earlier announced that it was in an agreement to obtain $10 billion in credit from multiple banks.

The moves come amid a machinist strike in the Seattle region which effectively shut down assembly plants for the 737 MAX and 777.

About 33,000 Boeing workers in the Pacific Northwest have been on strike for nearly a month in a fight focused on higher wages and improved retirement benefits.


Workers complain of more than a decade of near-flat wages during a period when inflation has risen.

Boeing staff with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), walked off the job on September 13 after overwhelmingly rejecting a contract offer.

The direct financial impact of the first month of the strike cost Boeing more than $3 billion, according to Anderson Economic Group.
Stalled negotiations

The IAM said in a statement last week that it is "ready and willing to resume negotiations at any time."

But it added Monday: "While it is important to return to the table, the Union remains firm on securing an agreement that truly reflects the respect our members have earned and deserve."

Last week, Boeing said it planned to cut 10 percent of its workforce as it projected a large third-quarter loss in the wake of the labor action.

The cuts of 17,000 positions globally will include executives, managers and employees, according to Chief Executive Kelly Ortberg, who added that the company must "reset our workforce levels to align with our financial reality."

Details of the cuts are expected to come this week.

The work stoppage has only added to the company's litany of problems.

As a result of the strike, Boeing has said it is pushing back first delivery of the 777X to 2026 from 2025. The much-delayed jet was originally supposed to enter service in January 2020.

Boeing sank into further turmoil in January when a panel blew out mid-flight on an Alaska Airlines plane, necessitating an emergency landing on a 737 MAX, the aircraft involved in two fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019.

That led to the Federal Aviation Administration tightening oversight of Boeing's production processes, capping the company's output. Production on the MAX is now halted due to the IAM strike.

© 2024 AFP

WHIPSAWING

Strike-hit Boeing leaves experts puzzled by strategy


By AFP
October 14, 2024


Despite contract negotiations that began in May and intensified in mid-September, the disagreement between Boeing and the IAM machinists' union persists, with relations appearing to be at an all-time low - 

Copyright GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File STEPHEN BRASHEAR

Elodie MAZEIN

A historic round of cost-cutting measures at Boeing has left experts perplexed and wondering whether the aviation giant, plagued by a month-long strike, is sacrificing its future.

“I’m not sure I see the bigger plan here,” Richard Aboulafia, a consultant with AeroDynamic, told AFP.

“Getting rid of a lot of talent when there’s a serious aerospace talent shortage doesn’t seem like the smartest move,” he added.

The company announced a series of belt-tightening measures and production delays on Friday, as the strike of 33,000 workers has added to Boeing’s litany of problems.

Boeing staff with the International Association of Machinists (IAM) and Aerospace Workers walked off the job on September 13 after overwhelmingly rejecting a contract offer.

Boeing plans to reduce its workforce by around 10 percent over the next few months. It employed almost 171,000 people by the end of 2023, including 41,000 outside the United States.

“There may be some fat, but the idea that there’s 10 percent fat, I can’t imagine in what universe that could be true,” said Aboulafia.

According to analysts at TD Cowen, the group is carrying out a “strategic reset” to raise capital and fill its coffers by as much as $10 billion, in the absence of aircraft deliveries.

Boeing has been struggling after the crashes of 2018 and 2019 (346 deaths in total) and the Covid-19 pandemic. The company’s cash position is rapidly diminishing as the strike continues.

Despite negotiations that began in May and intensified since mid-September, the disagreement between the IAM machinists’ union and Boeing persists, with relations appearing to be at an all-time low.

Boeing withdrew its latest offer after a third round of government-mediated talks last week and filed an accusation of unfair labor practice with the federal labor agency (NLRB), matching a similar move by the union in September.



– Need cash –



According to Melius Research, a fundraising effort would “strengthen Boeing’s negotiating position,” as it would remove the urgency of finding an agreement to restart production.

The direct financial impact of the first month of the strike reached $5 billion, including $3.26 billion for Boeing, according to Anderson Economic Group.

The remainder included losses on industry wages, suppliers, Boeing customers and the Seattle area beyond those directly hit by the strike.

Another option for recovering fresh cash is to sell off non-strategic assets, noted TD Cowen, which identified some $20 billion dollars in potential value.

Emirates airline boss Tim Clark told specialist website The Air Current, “Unless the company is able to raise funds… I see an imminent investment downgrade with a Chapter 11 (bankruptcy proceeding) looming on the horizon.”

Negotiations are stalling over pay raises – Boeing has gone from a 25 percent increase to 30 percent over four years, while the union is demanding 40 percent.

The union also wants the reinstatement of a pension scheme that was abolished in 2008, which is a nonstarter for Boeing.



– Siege mentality –



Melius Research suggested that the strike is not really a surprise, as it is “a symptom of a bigger problem.”

Workers feel they have made many sacrifices for Boeing over the past 20 years.

Meanwhile, between 2010 and 2019, the group paid out $68 billion to shareholders in dividends and share buybacks.

Boeing also announced $5 billion in pre-tax charges in the third quarter — to be published on October 23 — partly due to the strike, as well as the halt in production of the 767 Freighter.

The union insisted that “Machinists did not cause” the job cuts or the halt to the 767 program, stating that the walkout was “a direct outcome of poor decision-making by Boeing’s executives.”

For its part, Boeing said: “We really want to reach an agreement that offers our employees better pay and market-leading benefits,” accusing the IAM of making “misleading” statements.

Both sides are “preparing for a siege,” said consultant Aboulafia.

K-pop star tells South Korea lawmakers of workplace bullying

Agence France-Presse
October 15, 2024 

K-pop star Hanni testified that she overheard a manager of another idol group linked to her parent agency instructing members of another girl group to spurn her (KIM Min-Hee/AFP

A member of chart-topping K-pop group NewJeans tearfully testified to South Korean lawmakers Tuesday as part of an enquiry into workplace harassment, amid a boardroom drama over her super producer.

In recent years, South Korea's K-pop industry has become a global juggernaut powered by the success of groups like BTS, but domestically it is known for imposing strict standards and controls on fledgling stars.

Rising K-pop idols are expected to adhere to their powerful agency's behavior and appearance guidelines, with many stars describing receiving extreme backlash from fans over perceived mistakes in their personal lives, for example dating.

Hanni, 20, who is Vietnamese-Australian, testified that she overheard a manager of another idol group linked to her parent agency instructing members of another girl group to spurn her.

"I saw a manager along with three members from another group and said hello... When the manager saw me, she told the members to 'ignore her as if you didn't see her,'" she told lawmakers.

"I could not understand why I had to go through this."

The alleged event took place amid a dispute between NewJeans' producer and mastermind, Min Hee-jin, and HYBE, the South Korean agency that manages BTS, after HYBE filed a legal complaint against Min for breach of trust in business.

Min, who headed the HYBE subsidiary ADOR which manages NewJeans, was replaced as ADOR's president in August amid the boardroom conflict.

During the livestream in which Hanni had raised the harassment claim, all NewJeans' members demanded that Min be reinstated as ADOR's CEO.

Multiple court cases on the issue are ongoing.

- Unfair treatment -

Hanni acknowledged that the ongoing dispute between the parent company and Min was related to the bullying she had experienced.


"It couldn't have been unrelated. But they didn't need to bring that issue into the workplace," she said.

"I felt I couldn't just sit idly by while such behaviour continued to repeat," she added, noting NewJeans members had been subjected to other unfair treatment by HYBE, such as discrediting their performance in Japan.

ADOR CEO Kim Ju-young, who succeeded Min, told lawmakers that while she personally believed Hanni's account, no CCTV evidence was available to support it.


Hanni's testimony was given to South Korean lawmakers who serve on the parliamentary committee overseeing workplace conditions and safety, which is not an investigative body.

ADOR's Min, who joined the industry in the early 2000s, is widely regarded as one of the most successful producers in the K-pop scene, having worked with stars such as Girls' Generation, EXO and SHINee, among others.

NewJeans, produced by Min, is among HYBE's most successful K-pop groups, alongside BTS, which is currently on a hiatus as some members perform South Korea's mandatory military service.


BTS member J Hope is scheduled to finish his military service this Thursday.

"I am grateful for the attention people have shown to this issue. I hope my fellow colleagues and (K-pop) trainees won't have to experience such concerns," Hanni said tearfully in her closing remarks.

EMOTIONAL PLAGUE

'Lethal syndrome': Epidemiologist says MAGA 'disease' causes Trump followers' violence

Matthew Chapman

RAW STORY
October 15, 2024 

Supporters of Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. president Donald Trump raise MAGA hats, on the day Trump returns for a rally at the site of the July assassination attempt against him, in Butler, Pennsylvania, U.S., October 5, 2024. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

Former President Donald Trump's movement should be considered a contagious disease with a primary symptom of violence, an epidemiologist argued Tuesday.

Dr. Gary Slutkin, who says his work abroad gave him 15 years' experience dealing with dictatorships, compared Trump's MAGA movement to a pathological phenomenon in conversation with Salon's Chauncey DeVega.

"In these countries, you can’t speak or act freely and don’t want to live there," Slutkin said. "Life is fear. People fear the government, their neighbors and even their family and friends. Businesses and the press can be taken away. People become suddenly imprisoned or disappear."

Slutkin argued the same kind of "epidemic" fear and hate that keeps people in line under such regimes has built the MAGA movement.

"I understand MAGA as an epidemic disease, infecting many through what I call 'brain flaws,'" he said. "There are brain pathways for copying and following others — in the cortex, dopamine system, and pain centers, to motivate conformity and violence ... Violence is a disease, and specifically, a contagious disease. The disease spreads through these brain processes."

In essence, Slutkin believes Trump's movement "is a dangerous and lethal syndrome of what I describe as 'Authoritarian Violence Disorder.'"

Under this interpretation, Trump is a "massive superspreader" using "streams of lies" to reprogram people's brains into a pathological state, causing them to "abandon their own decision-making and obey," the epidemiologist argued.

An Election Day victory for Vice President Kamala Harris could help contain the disease and allow the nation to heal, Slutkin argued — but the disease could worsen should Trump win.

"There will be more state violence, violence from private militia groups and other violence including mass deportations and promised detention or concentration camps," he argued.

 

New phase in safety work on Chernobyl's original shelter

Monday, 14 October 2024

The next phase of the project has begun to study which parts of the shelter built rapidly around Chernobyl's unit 4 after the 1986 accident need immediate dismantling and which bits need stabilisation.

The original shelter is now within the New Safe Confinement (Image: CHNPP)

The project, funded through the International Chernobyl Cooperation Account, aims to determine the scope of early deconstruction work for unstable Shelter structures and provide an initial cost estimate and enable the beginning of design work for the next stage, which includes the dismantling of the unstable Shelter structures.

The original shelter over the destroyed unit 4 at Chernobyl was constructed in a matter of just months, and the international Shelter Implementation Plan in the 1990s had three phases - firstly to stabilise it and secondly to build a larger secure construction to enclose it - the New Safe Confinement which was completed in 2017 to pave the way for the dismantling and decommissioning stage.

The Shelter Object - also known as the 'sarcophagus' - still contains the molten core of the reactor and an estimated 200 tonnes of highly radioactive material. The stability of the structure has developed into one of the major risk factors at the site. A project to shore up the structure was completed in mid-2008, but at that time the maximum life of the stabilised structures was determined as the end of 2023.

The licence for the storage of radioactive waste within the shelter was extended last year from 2023 to 2029, with a 2025 deadline for the development of a new design for the dismantling of "unstable structures with an unacceptably high probability of collapse", and a 31 October 2029 deadline for completion of the dismantling.

According to World Nuclear Association, the hermetically-sealed New Safe Confinement allows "engineers to remotely dismantle the 1986 structure that has shielded the remains of the reactor from the weather since the weeks after the accident. It will enable the eventual removal of the fuel-containing materials in the bottom of the reactor building and accommodate their characterisation, compaction, and packing for disposal. This task represents the most important step in eliminating nuclear hazard at the site - and the real start of dismantling".

The New Safe Confinement (NSC) is the largest moveable land-based structure built - with a span of 257 metres, a length of 162 metres, a height of 108 metres and a total weight of 36,000 tonnes equipped - and with a lifetime of 100 years, it has been designed to allow for the eventual dismantling of the ageing makeshift shelter from 1986 and the management of radioactive waste. It has also been designed to withstand temperatures ranging from -43°C to +45°C, a class-three tornado, and an earthquake with a magnitude of 6 on the Richter scale.

The International Chernobyl Cooperation Account was established in November 2020 by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development at the Ukrainian government's request to support a comprehensive plan for Chernobyl.

UTEM-Engineering LLC has been selected as the consultant. The work also includes "revising the criteria and requirements for the NSC infrastructure to support the dismantling of unstable structures in the Shelter. This also involves developing all necessary technical specifications, including for lifting equipment, systems for processing contaminated dismantled structures, their further transportation, engineering and control systems for" the second stage of the project and "additional radiation monitoring equipment, radiation-protected personnel transfer boxes, and other related documentation".

 

Pickering units' operation assured as OPG plans for refurb

Monday, 14 October 2024

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission has approved Ontario Power Generation's request to continue operating Pickering units 5-8 to the end of 2026, ensuring the units can continue in operation until they are taken offline for refurbishment. Unit 1 ceased commercial operations on 30 September and unit 4 will close by the end of this year.

Submissions from Ontario Power Generation (OPG), Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) staff and 54 intervenors during a public hearing in Pickering in June 2024 were considered by CNSC before authorising the units to operate until 31 December 2026, up to a maximum of 305,000 equivalent full power hours (EFPH). OPG was previously authorised to operate the units until 31 December this year, up to a maximum of 295,000 EFPH. The amended licence includes a new condition requiring OPG to implement and maintain an enhanced fitness-for-service programme, the CNSC said.

OPG's Pickering Nuclear Generating Station comprises two reactor facilities with a total of eight Candu reactor units. Units 5-8 - sometimes referred to as Pickering B - began operating between 1983 and 1986. Units 1 and 4 - part of the four-unit Pickering A plant which began operations in the early 1970s and was laid up in 1997 - underwent refurbishment before returning to service in the 2003 (unit 4) and 2005 (unit 1).

Pickering unit 1 was taken offline and out of service on 30 September as planned, and will now be dewatered and placed in safe storage. Unit 4 will be taken out of service at the end of December, as OPG continues to plan for the refurbishment of units 5-8.

The CNSC's decision will help meet Ontario’s rising need for electricity, particularly as the province's other nuclear stations undergo refurbishment, OPG said.

"This is another great milestone for Pickering Nuclear and all our station staff, who have worked hard to help Pickering achieve some of its best performance in its history in recent years," OPG Chief Nuclear Officer Steve Gregoris said.

Plans to refurbish units 5-8 were formalised at the start of this year, when the provincial government announced its support for the project. OPG's timeline envisages putting the entire station into a "layup state" in 2026 so that refurbishment activities can begin. All four refurbished reactors will be back in service by the mid-2030s.

OPG is currently refurbishing four Candu units at its Darlington site, aiming to complete the project in 2026, and is also planning to build up to four BWRX-300 small modular reactors (SMRs) at its Darlington New Nuclear project.

At least 20 killed in armed attack on miners in Pakistan

Staff Writer | October 11, 2024 |

Authorities have launched a manhunt for the perpetrators of the attack. (Reference US Army photo by Pfc. Joshua Kruger | Flickr Commons.)

At least 20 miners were killed, and seven others injured, after unidentified gunmen attacked a coal mine in Pakistan’s southwestern province of Balochistan, according to police reports quoted by local media.


The attack took place in the mineral-rich Duki district of Balochistan, a region that borders both Afghanistan and Iran.

The attackers stormed the miners’ accommodations late Thursday night, rounded up the workers, and opened fire, police official Hamayun Khan Nasir said, according to The Express Tribune. They also fired rockets and grenades, damaging mining equipment before fleeing the scene.

The assault has sparked widespread condemnation, with authorities launching a manhunt for the perpetrators.

So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which is the deadliest in weeks.

The violence comes just days before a major security summit in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, and as the country hosts a Saudi delegation interested in mining investments.

It also coincides with the signing of $2 billion worth of agreements between Saudi and Pakistani businessmen for investments in various sectors, including mining.

Balochistan, rich in oil and minerals, has long been a hotbed of separatists. These groups accuse the federal government of exploiting the province’s resources without benefiting local communities.

Several of their attacks have been directed at migrant workers, many of whom are employed by smaller, privately run mines.

Noel Tata takes the reins at powerful charity arm of India’s Tata group

Reuters | October 11, 2024 | 

Ratan Tata in 2011. (Image: Wmgwarwick | Wikimedia Commons.)

The half-brother of Ratan Tata was appointed on Friday as the head of the powerful and influential philanthropic arm of India’s Tata group, giving him indirect control of the $165 billion conglomerate.


Tata Trusts said Noel Tata, 67, will be its new chairman after the death this week of Ratan Tata, one of India’s best-known corporate titans. The decision followed “many old-timers” in the group wanting him to lead the venture, said one Tata executive.


The parent company, Tata Sons, oversees 30 firms across consumer goods, hotels, automobiles and airlines and has become a global juggernaut over the years, with brands such as Jaguar Land Rover and Tetley Tea in its stable.

It owns Tata Consultancy Services, Taj Hotels and Air India, and counts Starbucks and Airbus as partners in India.

Tata Trusts has a 66% ownership of Tata Sons, giving it power over big investment, philanthropic and strategic decisions by the conglomerate, company executives say.

Noel Tata, who is half-French, was already among the many trustees of the philanthropic arm, and also vice chairman of Tata Steel and chairman of Tata’s popular retail fashion brand Trent.

“Noel is well versed with how Tata businesses are run. In retail, many people thought how will Tata compete with the big retailers. Noel has shown it,” said Sanjay Singh, a former Tata Sons executive who retired in 2019.

“He has kept a low profile so the outer world doesn’t know him well, but he is quintessential Tata.”

The trust earns dividends from Tata Sons but has no direct say over its operations. However, it appoints a third of the directors to Tata Sons who have veto power over board decisions.

The chairman of Tata Trusts “is powerful enough to decide board and key personnel” appointments at Tata Sons, a second senior company executive said.

While Tata Sons is not compelled to seek advice or guidance from the philanthropic arm, it’s an “unsaid understanding” that there is consultation between leadership on both sides, the first executive added.

Noel’s journey

The Tata group was set up in 1868 by Ratan’s great grandfather, Jamsetji Tata.

A few years later, Jamsetji started charity work that has since expanded to sectors such as healthcare and sports, through many of the trusts in the philanthropic arm.

Ratan Tata started working at the family firm in 1962 and became the chairman of Tata Sons in 1991, taking the group to new heights while gaining a reputation as an extremely shy, soft-spoken executive with sharp business acumen.

Noel Tata is a graduate of Sussex University who has been associated with the group for more than 40 years. He serves on the board of various Tata companies.

As a previous managing director of Tata International, Noel grew the turnover of the trading arm to more than $3 billion from $500 million, a Tata Group website said.

The Tatas belong to the tiny Parsi community, which has included some of India’s biggest business names, top nuclear scientists, world-class musicians and senior military officers.

Parsis follow the Zoroastrian faith, an ancient pre-Islamic religion of Iran. Some of its tenets, such as charity and doing good to others, have long been woven into the Tata heritage and business ethos.

Much of the dividend paid out by Tata Sons gets funneled into charitable trusts involved in philanthropic work.

Although the trusts’ influence over the group is not often on display, the starkest such example was in 2016, when Ratan Tata had a falling out with Tata Sons chairman Cyrus Mistry that led to the latter’s ouster.

Mistry, another Parsi billionaire whose family owns a stake of about 18% in Tata Sons, died in a car accident in 2022.

One of his former advisers told Reuters this week that the Tata Trusts “without a doubt” exert unparalleled power over Tata Sons’ functions, adding that they “work behind a veil.”

Noel is an Irish citizen married to Mistry’s sister.

(By Aditya Kalra, Aditi Shah, Krishn Kaushik and Tanvi Mehta; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and Frances Kerry)