The Beginning Of The End Of Globalization
Editor OilPrice.com
Sat, March 26, 2022
There is an eternal debate among various experts as to when globalization actually started; whether it was with the Silk Road, the Vikings, Columbus's voyage, or even before then, with the earliest human migratory routes.
Now, it’s no longer relevant when it started. Instead, the new question is whether Russian President Vladimir Putin will end it.
Russia’s war on Ukraine and the Western sanctions that necessarily followed, could have a lasting impact on globalization, a process that regardless of when the first seeds were planted, really became entrenched a few decades ago.
Globalization was under attack on some level prior to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Most significantly, the global pandemic let us all see very clearly the vulnerabilities, especially with supply chains and our dependence on their global nature.
Now, everyone is desperately calling for “independence”, whether it is of energy or other resources.
In Q2 2020, at the dramatic start of the pandemic, global trade was down 18.5%, compared to the same period the previous year.
Since then, the global economy has started to recover, only to be hit again by a war on the European continent–a war that could shake the balance of power.
Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, thinks we are now seeing the beginning of the end of globalization.
In a letter to shareholders, Fink wrote that Russia's "decoupling from the global economy" following its assault on Ukraine has caused governments and companies to examine their reliance on other nations.
"The Russian invasion of Ukraine has put an end to the globalization we have experienced over the last three decades," Fink wrote.
For its part, BlackRock, which oversees more than $10 trillion, has already suspended the purchase of any Russian securities in its active or index portfolios.
Oaktree Capital Management founder Howard Marks shares Fink’s opinion, even if his take is less dramatic. He is warning investors that countries are going to start a major push to return to localized sourcing.
“Rather than the cheapest, easiest and greenest sources, there’ll probably be more of a premium on the safest and surest,” Marks said.
St. Louis Federal Reserve President James Bullard seems something similar. The direct macroeconomic effects on the US economy from Russia's invasion are not that large, Bullard says, but “Russia's war will mean less globalization, more fragmentation around the world.”
Aside from oil and gas, Russia is one of the world's largest suppliers of metals. Currently, governments and large corporations that imposed sanctions on Russia are now scrambling to obtain alternative supplies. Supplies in turn are tightening, resulting in dramatic upward price swings and costs that are passed on to consumers.
The pandemic, along with geopolitical tensions with China and a US-China trade battle, had already driven many businesses to explore bringing their operations and relevant input materials closer to home, including some attempts to reverse the outsourcing of manufacturing.
Inter-dependence, however, is so great and so entrenched, that it will take just as long to undo globalization as it took to build it in the first place–unless it’s simply forced apart by war.
Semiconductors, which are undergoing a supply squeeze amid soaring demand, are a case in point. For two years the American auto industry has been suffering from this shortage and dependence on Asia hasn’t been sufficiently addressed, with efforts just now getting underway to secure domestic supply.
Now, Intel, the largest chipmaker in the United States, has announced (only recently) that it will spend $20 billion to build two semiconductor factories at home, but they won’t begin production until 2025.
Several automakers and battery manufacturers are also planning to make dozens of new electric vehicle battery factories in the United States within the next five years.
Similar announcements have been made recently in the solar and biotech industries.
Three decades ago, the US produced about 37% of the world's semiconductors, compared to 12 percent nowadays. Profit got in the way of strategic planning here. Cheap costs were chosen over independence, and that is the sacrifice of globalization.
By Michael Kern via Safehaven.com
Sunday, March 27, 2022
HEAD HUNTING
Exclusive-Sierra Space taps Boeing veteran as CFO after hefty capital raise -sources
Artist's rendering of Sierra Space's Dream Chaser space plane
Fri, March 25, 2022, 1:01 PM·2 min read
By Eric M. Johnson
SEATTLE (Reuters) - Months after receiving a major infusion of capital, Sierra Nevada Corp's space unit, Sierra Space, has tapped a veteran Boeing Co executive to helm its finances as it races to develop its flagship space plane and studies a public offering, two people familiar with the matter said.
Outgoing Sierra Space CFO Robert Rodgers pitched investors and led due diligence efforts for around a year leading up to the landmark $1.4 billion capital round it announced in November, according to his LinkedIn profile. Sierra said it was the second-largest private capital infusion ever in the aerospace and defense sector and boosted Sierra's value to $4.5 billion.
Replacing Rodgers will be 10-year Boeing Co veteran Troy Lahr, who departed as CFO of the aerospace company's defense, space and security unit in recent weeks.
A Boeing spokesperson confirmed Lahr had left the company in recent weeks but declined further comment.
A Sierra Space spokesperson confirmed in a statement that Lahr would join the company soon.
"Sierra Space is assembling a world class management team, including Troy, that sees many lucrative opportunities in the marketplace for investors, while at the same time driving innovation and fueling our mission to explore space and benefit life on Earth," the Sierra Space spokesperson said.
The spokesperson declined further comment.
The reason for Rodgers' departure was not immediately clear. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Industry sources say Sierra is exploring a potential public offering among other options in the next two to three years but say that no decision has been made.
The financial leadership change comes as the Louisville, Colorado-based company races to develop a reusable space plane dubbed Dream Chaser to handle cargo resupply missions to the International Space Station (ISS) starting in early 2023.
Sierra Space says Dream Chaser's ability to land on a traditional runway gives it an edge over rival solutions for delicate scientific research cargo. Rivals including Elon Musk's SpaceX are already carrying people and cargo to the ISS.
Sierra envisions a future where a fleet of its space planes - similar to the Space Shuttle, but much smaller - ferry humans and cargo from space ports across the world to a bustling new space economy.
"We are building the next generation of space transportation systems and in-space infrastructures and destinations that will enable humanity to build and sustain thriving civilizations beyond Earth," Sierra Space Chief Executive Officer Tom Vice said last year.
Sierra Space has also forged a partnership with billionaire entrepreneur Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin to develop and operate a commercial space station in low earth orbit. Backers for the so-called orbital reef project include Boeing and Redwire Space.
(Reporting by Eric M. Johnson in Seattle; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
Exclusive-Sierra Space taps Boeing veteran as CFO after hefty capital raise -sources
Artist's rendering of Sierra Space's Dream Chaser space plane
Fri, March 25, 2022, 1:01 PM·2 min read
By Eric M. Johnson
SEATTLE (Reuters) - Months after receiving a major infusion of capital, Sierra Nevada Corp's space unit, Sierra Space, has tapped a veteran Boeing Co executive to helm its finances as it races to develop its flagship space plane and studies a public offering, two people familiar with the matter said.
Outgoing Sierra Space CFO Robert Rodgers pitched investors and led due diligence efforts for around a year leading up to the landmark $1.4 billion capital round it announced in November, according to his LinkedIn profile. Sierra said it was the second-largest private capital infusion ever in the aerospace and defense sector and boosted Sierra's value to $4.5 billion.
Replacing Rodgers will be 10-year Boeing Co veteran Troy Lahr, who departed as CFO of the aerospace company's defense, space and security unit in recent weeks.
A Boeing spokesperson confirmed Lahr had left the company in recent weeks but declined further comment.
A Sierra Space spokesperson confirmed in a statement that Lahr would join the company soon.
"Sierra Space is assembling a world class management team, including Troy, that sees many lucrative opportunities in the marketplace for investors, while at the same time driving innovation and fueling our mission to explore space and benefit life on Earth," the Sierra Space spokesperson said.
The spokesperson declined further comment.
The reason for Rodgers' departure was not immediately clear. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Industry sources say Sierra is exploring a potential public offering among other options in the next two to three years but say that no decision has been made.
The financial leadership change comes as the Louisville, Colorado-based company races to develop a reusable space plane dubbed Dream Chaser to handle cargo resupply missions to the International Space Station (ISS) starting in early 2023.
Sierra Space says Dream Chaser's ability to land on a traditional runway gives it an edge over rival solutions for delicate scientific research cargo. Rivals including Elon Musk's SpaceX are already carrying people and cargo to the ISS.
Sierra envisions a future where a fleet of its space planes - similar to the Space Shuttle, but much smaller - ferry humans and cargo from space ports across the world to a bustling new space economy.
"We are building the next generation of space transportation systems and in-space infrastructures and destinations that will enable humanity to build and sustain thriving civilizations beyond Earth," Sierra Space Chief Executive Officer Tom Vice said last year.
Sierra Space has also forged a partnership with billionaire entrepreneur Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin to develop and operate a commercial space station in low earth orbit. Backers for the so-called orbital reef project include Boeing and Redwire Space.
(Reporting by Eric M. Johnson in Seattle; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
US plan to provide 15bn cubic meters of natural gas to EU alarms climate groups
Oliver Milman
Fri, March 25, 2022
Photograph: Rob Carr/AP
A major deal that will see the US ramp up its supply of gas to Europe in an attempt to shift away from Russian fossil fuel imports risks “disaster” for the climate crisis, environmental groups have warned.
Under the agreement, unveiled on Friday, the US will provide an extra 15bn cubic meters of liquified natural gas (LNG) to the European Union this year. This represents about a tenth of the gas the EU now gets from Russia, which provides 40% of the bloc’s total gas supply.
Related: Biden and EU agree landmark gas deal to break Kremlin’s hold
The increased gas exports from the US will escalate further, with the EU aiming to get 50bn cubic meters of gas a year from America and other countries in order to reduce its reliance upon Russia after its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
Joe Biden, who announced the deal during a trip to Brussels, said the increased supply will ensure “families in Europe can get through this winter” while also hampering Vladimir Putin, who has used gas income to “drive his war machine”.
But environmental groups have reacted to the agreement with alarm, arguing that it will help embed years of future gas use at a time when scientists say the world must rapidly phase out the use of fossil fuels to avoid catastrophic climate change.
“We should be rapidly transitioning to affordable clean energy, not doubling down on fossil fuels,” said Kelly Sheehan, senior director of energy campaigns at the Sierra Club. “Reducing reliance on fossil fuels is the only way to stop being vulnerable to the whims of greedy industries and geopolitics.”
The US has in recent years become a net exporter of energy, with fracking technology helping draw upon its huge reserves of gas. When frozen into LNG, this gas can be loaded on to ships and exported around the world. The US is already running at near capacity for the amount it is able to ship out.
However, there are 16 proposed LNG terminals dotted along the US’s Gulf of Mexico coast that have already been awarded the necessary federal permits to proceed with construction. The deal with the EU could make these projects, which would take several years to build and operate, possibly for decades to come, appear more viable than previously.
“Allowing for the expansion of new and expanded gas export facilities would lock in decades of reliance on risky, volatile fossil fuels and spell disaster for our climate and already overburdened Gulf coast communities,” said Sheehan.
Biden has insisted the plan will not compromise his climate goals, claiming that the war in Ukraine will act as a “catalyst” for the deployment of renewable energy.
The US and EU have pledged to work together to push forward approvals for solar and wind projects, plug leaks from gas pipelines that spew methane, a potent greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere and work on energy efficiency measures that will reduce demand for fossil fuels.
But climate activists warn time is running out to avoid disastrous global heating. The International Energy Agency has said that no new fossil fuel infrastructure can be built worldwide if the planet is to avoid 1.5C of heating above the pre-industrial era, a point beyond which scientists say will dramatically increase dangerous heatwaves, flooding, droughts, wildfires and displacement of people.
“Pushing new toxic export facilities and decades more methane gas is a death sentence for those on the frontlines of the climate emergency, and it won’t solve Europe’s current crisis,” said Kassie Siegel, director of the Center for Biological Diversity’s Climate Law Institute.
“Approving more export terminals, pipelines and fossil fuel production only throws fuel on the fire of our burning world.”
Oliver Milman
Fri, March 25, 2022
Photograph: Rob Carr/AP
A major deal that will see the US ramp up its supply of gas to Europe in an attempt to shift away from Russian fossil fuel imports risks “disaster” for the climate crisis, environmental groups have warned.
Under the agreement, unveiled on Friday, the US will provide an extra 15bn cubic meters of liquified natural gas (LNG) to the European Union this year. This represents about a tenth of the gas the EU now gets from Russia, which provides 40% of the bloc’s total gas supply.
Related: Biden and EU agree landmark gas deal to break Kremlin’s hold
The increased gas exports from the US will escalate further, with the EU aiming to get 50bn cubic meters of gas a year from America and other countries in order to reduce its reliance upon Russia after its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
Joe Biden, who announced the deal during a trip to Brussels, said the increased supply will ensure “families in Europe can get through this winter” while also hampering Vladimir Putin, who has used gas income to “drive his war machine”.
But environmental groups have reacted to the agreement with alarm, arguing that it will help embed years of future gas use at a time when scientists say the world must rapidly phase out the use of fossil fuels to avoid catastrophic climate change.
“We should be rapidly transitioning to affordable clean energy, not doubling down on fossil fuels,” said Kelly Sheehan, senior director of energy campaigns at the Sierra Club. “Reducing reliance on fossil fuels is the only way to stop being vulnerable to the whims of greedy industries and geopolitics.”
The US has in recent years become a net exporter of energy, with fracking technology helping draw upon its huge reserves of gas. When frozen into LNG, this gas can be loaded on to ships and exported around the world. The US is already running at near capacity for the amount it is able to ship out.
However, there are 16 proposed LNG terminals dotted along the US’s Gulf of Mexico coast that have already been awarded the necessary federal permits to proceed with construction. The deal with the EU could make these projects, which would take several years to build and operate, possibly for decades to come, appear more viable than previously.
“Allowing for the expansion of new and expanded gas export facilities would lock in decades of reliance on risky, volatile fossil fuels and spell disaster for our climate and already overburdened Gulf coast communities,” said Sheehan.
Biden has insisted the plan will not compromise his climate goals, claiming that the war in Ukraine will act as a “catalyst” for the deployment of renewable energy.
The US and EU have pledged to work together to push forward approvals for solar and wind projects, plug leaks from gas pipelines that spew methane, a potent greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere and work on energy efficiency measures that will reduce demand for fossil fuels.
But climate activists warn time is running out to avoid disastrous global heating. The International Energy Agency has said that no new fossil fuel infrastructure can be built worldwide if the planet is to avoid 1.5C of heating above the pre-industrial era, a point beyond which scientists say will dramatically increase dangerous heatwaves, flooding, droughts, wildfires and displacement of people.
“Pushing new toxic export facilities and decades more methane gas is a death sentence for those on the frontlines of the climate emergency, and it won’t solve Europe’s current crisis,” said Kassie Siegel, director of the Center for Biological Diversity’s Climate Law Institute.
“Approving more export terminals, pipelines and fossil fuel production only throws fuel on the fire of our burning world.”
Musk Has a New Message for Ukrainians Fighting Russian Invasion
The CEO of Tesla and SpaceX has become one of Ukraine's
biggest supporters since the unprovoked Russian invasion.
Since the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine by Russia on February 24, Elon Musk has established himself as an important supporter of Ukraine.
He has publicly expressed this support, a rare thing for a CEO of multinationals like Tesla (TSLA) - Get Tesla Inc Report and SpaceX. In doing so, he enabled other CEOs to do the same.
Besides words, the billionaire has also taken various actions to help Ukraine and Ukrainians even though he is aware that he does not hold the key to ending this war. Musk sent multiple shipments of Starlink terminals -- the satellite internet service offered by his space company SpaceX -- to Ukraine.
These terminals allow remote areas, towns, and villages destroyed by Russian bombing and Ukrainians in general to stay connected to the world. They essentially allow the country whose communications infrastructure was destroyed by the Russian army to continue to have access to a fast, secure and independent internet.
This is very important because in an armed conflict each side tries to make its own propaganda to gain the sympathy of the world. Everything must therefore be done to prevent one side from winning the communication war. By sending Starlink terminals to Ukraine, Musk allows ordinary Ukrainians to continue to tell the inside story of their daily lives and avoid Moscow dictating and shaping the narrative
VALERY HACHE/AFP via Getty Images
Russia Uses Massive Cyberattacks in Ukraine
The billionaire also quietly sent some Tesla Powerwalls, an integrated battery system that stores solar energy, to Ukraine to help the war-torn country.
But in addition to the war on the ground, Russia has engaged in another confrontation and this one concerns cyberattacks, in particular against communication infrastructures.
U.S. intelligence analysts have concluded that Russian military spy hackers were behind a cyberattack on a satellite broadband service that disrupted Ukraine’s military communications at the start of the war last month, according to The Washington Post.
Last month, before the invasion, Russian government hackers had probably broadly penetrated Ukrainian military, energy and other critical computer networks to collect intelligence and position themselves to potentially disrupt the systems.
The recent outages, which began Feb. 24 — the day Russia invaded Ukraine — resulted from the hack of satellite modems belonging to tens of thousands of people in Ukraine and other countries in Europe, an official with the U.S. firm Viasat, headquartered in Carlsbad, Calif, told The Post. Agencies affected included civilians as well as Ukraine’s military and other government agencies, Ukrainian officials told the newspaper.
The Viasat official told the Post that distributors would be shipped new modems to be provided to those affected by the cyberattack.
These cyberattacks raise questions about the vulnerability of other broadband services with poorly-maintained firmware on their customer network infrastructure.
Paul Hennessy/NurPhoto via Getty
Starlink Terminals Not Hacked by Russians Yet
But despite their power, these Russian cyberattacks have yet to affect Starlink internet stations which help Ukrainians stay in touch with the world, Musk just said.
"Starlink, at least so far, has resisted all hacking & jamming attempts," Musk stated on Twitter on March 25.
This statement by Musk is something of a relief for Ukraine and Ukrainians as it suggests that Russia does not control all communications to and from Ukraine. This is an important point because this conflict which has already caused hundreds of deaths and the displacement of millions of others is here to stay. No doubt the communication war will also intensify.
Starlink technology is being used by civilians in areas under attack that have lost Internet service, and by government officials.
"A new batch of Starlink stations!" Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov posted on Twitter on March 18, with a photo showing the hardware. "While Russia is blocking access to the Internet, Ukraine is becoming more open to the entire world. Ukraine is the truth. The truth always wins. Thank you, @elonmusk, the Government of Poland, and Orlen."
American President Joe Biden said this week that the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, and the resulting sanctions on aggressor Russia, may lead to a rash of cybersecurity breaches unleashed by the Kremlin and other quasi-official sources in Russia.
Biden said that his administration has "evolving intelligence" that cyber warfare will be part of Russia's striking back against American sanctions.
"It’s part of Russia’s playbook. Today, my Administration is reiterating those warnings based on evolving intelligence that the Russian Government is exploring options for potential cyberattack," Biden said.
Russian forces are kidnapping Ukrainian journalists, holding them hostage, and torturing them in captivity, nonprofit says
Joshua Zitser
Sat, March 26, 2022
Russian forces are kidnapping journalists and holding them hostage, according to Reporters Without Borders.
At least two journalists were tortured while in captivity, RSF said.
An editor says her 75-year-old father is a hostage as punishment for her criticism of Putin's invasion.
Russian forces are kidnapping Ukrainian journalists, holding them hostage, and torturing them, the nonprofit Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said on Friday, per NPR.
Journalists and their relatives are being abducted to prevent them from reporting the facts on the unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine, RSF added.
"By taking hostages, after bombing TV towers and shooting at cars marked 'Press,' the Russian authorities are demonstrating their determination to censor all reporting that contradicts their military propaganda," said Jeanne Cavelier, head of RSF's Eastern Europe and Central Asia desk.
"We strongly condemn these acts of intimidation and call on the Russian authorities to stop targeting journalists. They will have to answer for their actions before international courts," Cavelier continued.
At least 36 cases of civilian detentions in Ukraine have been verified by the UN, a spokesperson for the UN's Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights (UNOHR) told BBC News.
The targeted people are "mostly" journalists and those who have been "vocal about their pro-Ukrainian positions," the spokesperson said on Friday.
In the occupied city of Melitopol, where the mayor was kidnapped and then released, four journalists were detained and later released, according to Ukraine's National Union of Journalists, per BBC News.
In Melitopol, a journalist says her father is being held hostage to intimidate her into submission.
Svetlana Zalizetskaya, the editor of newspaper Golovna Gazeta Melitopola and the RIA-Melitopol news website, has accused Russian troops of abducting her 75-year-old father as punishment for her criticism of the Russian invasion.
Zalizetskaya was told that her dad would only be released if she turned herself in, she wrote on Facebook.
Another journalist, war photographer and documentarian Maks Levin, has been missing since March 13, The Daily Beast reported.
Levin's colleague Markiian Lyseiko wrote on Facebook that "it is assumed that he may have been injured or captured by Russian troops."
His phone has been offline since the morning of March 13, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
"We are deeply concerned about the disappearance of Ukrainian journalist Maks Levin, and call on anyone with information on his whereabouts to come forward immediately," said CPJ's Europe and Central Asia program coordinator Gulnoza Said.
"Far too many journalists have gone missing while covering Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and all parties to the conflict should ensure that the press can work safely and without fear of abduction," Said continued.
Last week, the office of the Prosecutor General in Ukraine accused Russian security and military forces of kidnapping a Ukrainian journalist covering the Russian offensive.
Journalist Victoria Roschyna was detained for 10 days and then released after she posted a video saying the Russians "saved her life," Insider previously reported. Her publisher claimed the video was a condition of her release.
In the Kherson region, RSF said that journalist Oleg Baturin was held and tortured for eight days and then released. An unnamed Radio France fixer was held for nine days, according to RSF, and was beaten with an iron bar and tortured with electricity.
A report by the Institute of Mass Information has accused Russia of committing 148 crimes against journalists and the media in Ukraine since the start of the invasion.
Joshua Zitser
Sat, March 26, 2022
Russian forces are kidnapping journalists and holding them hostage, according to Reporters Without Borders.
At least two journalists were tortured while in captivity, RSF said.
An editor says her 75-year-old father is a hostage as punishment for her criticism of Putin's invasion.
Russian forces are kidnapping Ukrainian journalists, holding them hostage, and torturing them, the nonprofit Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said on Friday, per NPR.
Journalists and their relatives are being abducted to prevent them from reporting the facts on the unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine, RSF added.
"By taking hostages, after bombing TV towers and shooting at cars marked 'Press,' the Russian authorities are demonstrating their determination to censor all reporting that contradicts their military propaganda," said Jeanne Cavelier, head of RSF's Eastern Europe and Central Asia desk.
"We strongly condemn these acts of intimidation and call on the Russian authorities to stop targeting journalists. They will have to answer for their actions before international courts," Cavelier continued.
At least 36 cases of civilian detentions in Ukraine have been verified by the UN, a spokesperson for the UN's Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights (UNOHR) told BBC News.
The targeted people are "mostly" journalists and those who have been "vocal about their pro-Ukrainian positions," the spokesperson said on Friday.
In the occupied city of Melitopol, where the mayor was kidnapped and then released, four journalists were detained and later released, according to Ukraine's National Union of Journalists, per BBC News.
In Melitopol, a journalist says her father is being held hostage to intimidate her into submission.
Svetlana Zalizetskaya, the editor of newspaper Golovna Gazeta Melitopola and the RIA-Melitopol news website, has accused Russian troops of abducting her 75-year-old father as punishment for her criticism of the Russian invasion.
Zalizetskaya was told that her dad would only be released if she turned herself in, she wrote on Facebook.
Another journalist, war photographer and documentarian Maks Levin, has been missing since March 13, The Daily Beast reported.
Levin's colleague Markiian Lyseiko wrote on Facebook that "it is assumed that he may have been injured or captured by Russian troops."
His phone has been offline since the morning of March 13, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
"We are deeply concerned about the disappearance of Ukrainian journalist Maks Levin, and call on anyone with information on his whereabouts to come forward immediately," said CPJ's Europe and Central Asia program coordinator Gulnoza Said.
"Far too many journalists have gone missing while covering Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and all parties to the conflict should ensure that the press can work safely and without fear of abduction," Said continued.
Last week, the office of the Prosecutor General in Ukraine accused Russian security and military forces of kidnapping a Ukrainian journalist covering the Russian offensive.
Journalist Victoria Roschyna was detained for 10 days and then released after she posted a video saying the Russians "saved her life," Insider previously reported. Her publisher claimed the video was a condition of her release.
In the Kherson region, RSF said that journalist Oleg Baturin was held and tortured for eight days and then released. An unnamed Radio France fixer was held for nine days, according to RSF, and was beaten with an iron bar and tortured with electricity.
A report by the Institute of Mass Information has accused Russia of committing 148 crimes against journalists and the media in Ukraine since the start of the invasion.
Ukrainians protest as Russians move into city north of Kyiv
Sat, March 26, 2022,
A sign the color of the Ukrainian flag with a peace symbol
Ukrainians in a city north of Kyiv took to the streets to protest as Russians began to take over the area.
Videos and pictures captured by CNN showed a crowd of around several hundred people headed to the main square in the city of Slavutych on Saturday.
Mayor Yuri Fomichev called on residents to show up to the square with Ukrainian symbols and speak out against Russia's invasion.
Protesters brought a flag to the main square and chanted "Slavutych is Ukraine" and "Glory to Ukraine," according to CNN.
Fomichev posted on Facebook Friday that "Our defenders defended bravely and selflessly! But we do not have equal strength! Unfortunately, we have our dead."
After the city was taken over, Oleksandr Pavliuk, head of the Kyiv regional administration, said the mayor was kidnapped by the Russian forces.
CNN reported amid that the demonstrations, gunfire could be heard and the square was hit by three stun grenades.
The news comes a day after U.S. officials reported that Russian forces are no longer in full control of Kherson, the first Ukrainian city captured by Kremlin troops at the start of the war.
"We've seen reports of resistance there in areas that were previously reported to be in Russian control," a senior Defense official told reporters on Friday. "We can't corroborate exactly who is in control of Kherson, but the point is it doesn't appear to be as solidly in Russian control as it was before ... we would argue that Kherson is actually contested territory again."
The Ukrainian military has fought hard to defend its country, fending off Russian forces from the capital city of Kyiv and keeping the Kremlin from making large military gains.
Sat, March 26, 2022,
A sign the color of the Ukrainian flag with a peace symbol
Ukrainians in a city north of Kyiv took to the streets to protest as Russians began to take over the area.
Videos and pictures captured by CNN showed a crowd of around several hundred people headed to the main square in the city of Slavutych on Saturday.
Mayor Yuri Fomichev called on residents to show up to the square with Ukrainian symbols and speak out against Russia's invasion.
Protesters brought a flag to the main square and chanted "Slavutych is Ukraine" and "Glory to Ukraine," according to CNN.
Fomichev posted on Facebook Friday that "Our defenders defended bravely and selflessly! But we do not have equal strength! Unfortunately, we have our dead."
After the city was taken over, Oleksandr Pavliuk, head of the Kyiv regional administration, said the mayor was kidnapped by the Russian forces.
CNN reported amid that the demonstrations, gunfire could be heard and the square was hit by three stun grenades.
The news comes a day after U.S. officials reported that Russian forces are no longer in full control of Kherson, the first Ukrainian city captured by Kremlin troops at the start of the war.
"We've seen reports of resistance there in areas that were previously reported to be in Russian control," a senior Defense official told reporters on Friday. "We can't corroborate exactly who is in control of Kherson, but the point is it doesn't appear to be as solidly in Russian control as it was before ... we would argue that Kherson is actually contested territory again."
The Ukrainian military has fought hard to defend its country, fending off Russian forces from the capital city of Kyiv and keeping the Kremlin from making large military gains.
Great white sharks may have secret social lives that make them even more terrifying
Joshua Hawkins
Sat, March 26, 2022
Scientists may have discovered the secret social lives of great white sharks, a new study reveals. While tracking multiple great whites, a team of researchers says it found that some would stick together for more than an hour when patrolling areas around Guadalupe Island. The reason they roam in groups may be simple, yet scary. Apparently, the sharks may have discovered that they can kill larger prey when they work as a team.
The results were published in a new study.
How researchers discovered the secret social lives of great white sharks
But how exactly did these researchers stumble upon this revelation? The group of researchers, including Florida International University marine scientist Yannis Papastamatiou, say they wanted to learn more about the white sharks that gather around Guadalupe Island each year. The waters around the island are teeming with tuna and seals, which makes it a living buffet for the sharks.
To study them, the team created a “super social tag”. This tag allowed them to track the sharks. They were also able to capture video footage of them using an array of different sensors. These sensors showed them depth, direction, and even how quickly the sharks turned when swimming. The secret weapon of the tracker, though, was the sensor that detected nearby sharks with tags issued during previous studies.
The new tags were designed to collect data for up to five days. Then, once the five days were completed, the tags would pop off the dorsal fin and float to the surface of the water for collecting. Altogether the team tagged six great white sharks, three males and three females, throughout a four-year period.
What researchers learned from the social tags
great white shark
Following a study into the data collected by the “super social tags”, researchers discovered that some sharks would gather in groups to patrol around the island. Many of the interactions were short, never lasting more than seven minutes or so.
However, some sharks chose to stay together and hunt for more than an hour.
This data about the secret social lives of great white sharks is a huge step towards understanding how these marine predators live. There’s a lot we still don’t understand about these animals because it’s so difficult to study them without being noticed. For example, in 2018, scientists were trying to understand why a bunch of sharks kept gathering at one spot in the middle of nowhere.
The tracker also gave the researchers a good look at the shark’s different hunting habits. For example, some great whites preferred to hunt in deeper water, while others stayed in shallow areas. Even more, some chose to hunt at night, while others hunted during the day.
The footage of the sharks hunting also showed multiple attempts where the prey managed to get away from the sharks. This isn’t abnormal, as predators do not always manage to catch their prey when hunting. However, Papastamatiou says it could help prove why great white sharks congregate together at times (via Phys.org).
Ultimately, though, there’s still a lot that we don’t understand. Technology may have helped give us a glimpse at the secret social lives of great white sharks, but we still don’t know why these sharks choose to be social.
Papastamatiou says they aren’t necessarily doing it to work together. Instead, it may just be a way of sharing information, should one shark manage to kill some large prey while the others were unsuccessful.
Joshua Hawkins
Sat, March 26, 2022
Scientists may have discovered the secret social lives of great white sharks, a new study reveals. While tracking multiple great whites, a team of researchers says it found that some would stick together for more than an hour when patrolling areas around Guadalupe Island. The reason they roam in groups may be simple, yet scary. Apparently, the sharks may have discovered that they can kill larger prey when they work as a team.
The results were published in a new study.
How researchers discovered the secret social lives of great white sharks
But how exactly did these researchers stumble upon this revelation? The group of researchers, including Florida International University marine scientist Yannis Papastamatiou, say they wanted to learn more about the white sharks that gather around Guadalupe Island each year. The waters around the island are teeming with tuna and seals, which makes it a living buffet for the sharks.
To study them, the team created a “super social tag”. This tag allowed them to track the sharks. They were also able to capture video footage of them using an array of different sensors. These sensors showed them depth, direction, and even how quickly the sharks turned when swimming. The secret weapon of the tracker, though, was the sensor that detected nearby sharks with tags issued during previous studies.
The new tags were designed to collect data for up to five days. Then, once the five days were completed, the tags would pop off the dorsal fin and float to the surface of the water for collecting. Altogether the team tagged six great white sharks, three males and three females, throughout a four-year period.
What researchers learned from the social tags
great white shark
Following a study into the data collected by the “super social tags”, researchers discovered that some sharks would gather in groups to patrol around the island. Many of the interactions were short, never lasting more than seven minutes or so.
However, some sharks chose to stay together and hunt for more than an hour.
This data about the secret social lives of great white sharks is a huge step towards understanding how these marine predators live. There’s a lot we still don’t understand about these animals because it’s so difficult to study them without being noticed. For example, in 2018, scientists were trying to understand why a bunch of sharks kept gathering at one spot in the middle of nowhere.
The tracker also gave the researchers a good look at the shark’s different hunting habits. For example, some great whites preferred to hunt in deeper water, while others stayed in shallow areas. Even more, some chose to hunt at night, while others hunted during the day.
The footage of the sharks hunting also showed multiple attempts where the prey managed to get away from the sharks. This isn’t abnormal, as predators do not always manage to catch their prey when hunting. However, Papastamatiou says it could help prove why great white sharks congregate together at times (via Phys.org).
Ultimately, though, there’s still a lot that we don’t understand. Technology may have helped give us a glimpse at the secret social lives of great white sharks, but we still don’t know why these sharks choose to be social.
Papastamatiou says they aren’t necessarily doing it to work together. Instead, it may just be a way of sharing information, should one shark manage to kill some large prey while the others were unsuccessful.
Officials: Taliban blocked unaccompanied women from flights
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Afghan women chant and hold signs of protest during a demonstration in Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, March 26, 2022. Afghanistan's Taliban rulers refused to allow dozens of women to board several flights, including some overseas, because they were traveling without a male guardian, two Afghan airline officials said Saturday.
Afghan women chant and hold signs of protest during a demonstration in Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, March 26, 2022. Afghanistan's Taliban rulers refused to allow dozens of women to board several flights, including some overseas, because they were traveling without a male guardian, two Afghan airline officials said Saturday.
(AP Photo/Mohammed Shoaib Amin)
KATHY GANNON
Sat, March 26, 2022
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) — Afghanistan's Taliban rulers refused to allow dozens of women to board several flights, including some overseas, because they were traveling without a male guardian, two Afghan airline officials said Saturday.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of repercussions from the Taliban, said dozens of women who arrived at Kabul's international airport Friday to board domestic and international flights were told they couldn't do so without a male guardian.
Some of the women were dual nationals returning to their homes overseas, including some from Canada, according to one of the officials. Women were denied boarding on flights to Islamabad, Dubai and Turkey on Kam Air and the state-owned Ariana Airline, said the officials.
The order came from the Taliban leadership, said one official.
By Saturday, some women traveling alone were given permission to board an Ariana Airlines flight to western Herat province, the official said. However, by the time the permission was granted they had missed their flight, he said.
The airport's president and police chief, both from the Taliban movement and both Islamic clerics, were meeting Saturday with airline officials.
“They are trying to solve it,” the official said.
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It was still unclear whether the Taliban would exempt air travel from an order issued months ago requiring women traveling more than 45 miles (72 kilometers) to be accompanied by a male relative.
Taliban officials contacted by The Associated Press did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Since taking power last August, the Taliban leadership have been squabbling among themselves as they struggle to transition from war to governing. It has pit hard-liners — like acting Prime Minister Mullah Hasan Akhund, who is deeply rooted in the old guard — against the more pragmatic among them, like Sirajuddin Haqqani. He took over leadership of the powerful Haqqani network from his father Jalaluddin Haqanni. The elder Haqqani, who died several years ago, is from Akhund's generation, who ruled Afghanistan under the strict and unchallenged leadership of Mullah Mohammad Omar.
Infuriating many Afghans is the knowledge that many of the Taliban of the younger generation, like Sirajuddin Haqqani, are educating their girls in Pakistan, while in Afghanistan women and girls have been targeted by their repressive edicts since taking power.
This latest assault on women's rights in Taliban-run Afghanistan denying women air travel, comes just days after the all-male religiously driven government broke its promise to allow girls to return to school after the sixth grade.
The move enraged the international community, which has been reluctant to recognize the Taliban-run government since the Taliban swept into power last August, fearing they would revert to their harsh rule of the 1990s. The Taliban's refusal to open up education to all Afghan children also infuriated large swaths of the Afghan population. On Saturday, dozens of girls demonstrated in the Afghan capital demanding the right to go to school.
After the Taliban's ban on girls education beyond the sixth grade, women's rights activist Mahbouba Seraj went on Afghanistan's TOLO TV to ask: “How do we as a nation trust you with your words anymore? What should we do to please you? Should we all die?”
An Afghan charity called PenPath, which runs dozens of "secret' schools with thousands of volunteers, is planning to stage countrywide protests to demand the Taliban reverse its order, said Matiullah Wesa, PenPath founder.
On Saturday at the Doha Forum 2022 in Qatar, Roya Mahboob, an Afghan businesswoman who founded an all-girl robotics team in Afghanistan, was given the Forum Award for her work and commitment to girls education.
U.S. special representative for Afghanistan Tom West canceled meetings with the Taliban at the Doha Forum after classes for older girls were halted.
Deputy U.S. State Department spokesperson Jalina Porter said in a statement that “We have canceled some of our engagements, including planned meetings in Doha and around the Doha Forum, and have made clear that we see this decision as a potential turning point in our engagement.
"The decision by the Taliban, if it is not swiftly reversed, will profoundly harm the Afghan people, the country’s prospects for economic growth, and the Taliban’s ambition to improve their relations with the international community,” she said.
West acknowledged that the Taliban had made promises since their takeover to allow girls and women to go to school. He said that both the U.S. and the international community received “the necessary assurances” that was going to happen.
“I was surprised at the turnaround this past Wednesday and I think you’ve seen the world react in condemning this move,” West said. “It is a breach, first and foremost, of the Afghan people’s trust because they made the commitment.”
He added: “I believe hope is not lost. I’ve talked to a lot of Afghans here who also believe that. I’m hopeful that we will see a reversal of this decision in the coming days.”
In an interview after receiving the Doha Forum award, Mahboob called on the many global leaders and policy makers attending the forum to press the Taliban to open schools for all Afghan children.
The robotics team fled Afghanistan when the Taliban returned to power but Mahboob said she still hoped a science and technology center she had hoped to build in Afghanistan for girls could still be constructed.
“I hope that the international community, the Muslim communities (have not) forgotten about Afghanistan and (will) not abandon us,” she said. "Afghanistan is a poor country. It doesn’t have enough resources. And if you take (away) our knowledge, I don’t know what’s going to happen."
___
Associated Press writer Lujain Jo in Doha, Qatar, contributed to this report.
KATHY GANNON
Sat, March 26, 2022
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) — Afghanistan's Taliban rulers refused to allow dozens of women to board several flights, including some overseas, because they were traveling without a male guardian, two Afghan airline officials said Saturday.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of repercussions from the Taliban, said dozens of women who arrived at Kabul's international airport Friday to board domestic and international flights were told they couldn't do so without a male guardian.
Some of the women were dual nationals returning to their homes overseas, including some from Canada, according to one of the officials. Women were denied boarding on flights to Islamabad, Dubai and Turkey on Kam Air and the state-owned Ariana Airline, said the officials.
The order came from the Taliban leadership, said one official.
By Saturday, some women traveling alone were given permission to board an Ariana Airlines flight to western Herat province, the official said. However, by the time the permission was granted they had missed their flight, he said.
The airport's president and police chief, both from the Taliban movement and both Islamic clerics, were meeting Saturday with airline officials.
“They are trying to solve it,” the official said.
.png)
Taliban officials contacted by The Associated Press did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Since taking power last August, the Taliban leadership have been squabbling among themselves as they struggle to transition from war to governing. It has pit hard-liners — like acting Prime Minister Mullah Hasan Akhund, who is deeply rooted in the old guard — against the more pragmatic among them, like Sirajuddin Haqqani. He took over leadership of the powerful Haqqani network from his father Jalaluddin Haqanni. The elder Haqqani, who died several years ago, is from Akhund's generation, who ruled Afghanistan under the strict and unchallenged leadership of Mullah Mohammad Omar.
Infuriating many Afghans is the knowledge that many of the Taliban of the younger generation, like Sirajuddin Haqqani, are educating their girls in Pakistan, while in Afghanistan women and girls have been targeted by their repressive edicts since taking power.
This latest assault on women's rights in Taliban-run Afghanistan denying women air travel, comes just days after the all-male religiously driven government broke its promise to allow girls to return to school after the sixth grade.
The move enraged the international community, which has been reluctant to recognize the Taliban-run government since the Taliban swept into power last August, fearing they would revert to their harsh rule of the 1990s. The Taliban's refusal to open up education to all Afghan children also infuriated large swaths of the Afghan population. On Saturday, dozens of girls demonstrated in the Afghan capital demanding the right to go to school.
After the Taliban's ban on girls education beyond the sixth grade, women's rights activist Mahbouba Seraj went on Afghanistan's TOLO TV to ask: “How do we as a nation trust you with your words anymore? What should we do to please you? Should we all die?”
An Afghan charity called PenPath, which runs dozens of "secret' schools with thousands of volunteers, is planning to stage countrywide protests to demand the Taliban reverse its order, said Matiullah Wesa, PenPath founder.
On Saturday at the Doha Forum 2022 in Qatar, Roya Mahboob, an Afghan businesswoman who founded an all-girl robotics team in Afghanistan, was given the Forum Award for her work and commitment to girls education.
U.S. special representative for Afghanistan Tom West canceled meetings with the Taliban at the Doha Forum after classes for older girls were halted.
Deputy U.S. State Department spokesperson Jalina Porter said in a statement that “We have canceled some of our engagements, including planned meetings in Doha and around the Doha Forum, and have made clear that we see this decision as a potential turning point in our engagement.
"The decision by the Taliban, if it is not swiftly reversed, will profoundly harm the Afghan people, the country’s prospects for economic growth, and the Taliban’s ambition to improve their relations with the international community,” she said.
West acknowledged that the Taliban had made promises since their takeover to allow girls and women to go to school. He said that both the U.S. and the international community received “the necessary assurances” that was going to happen.
“I was surprised at the turnaround this past Wednesday and I think you’ve seen the world react in condemning this move,” West said. “It is a breach, first and foremost, of the Afghan people’s trust because they made the commitment.”
He added: “I believe hope is not lost. I’ve talked to a lot of Afghans here who also believe that. I’m hopeful that we will see a reversal of this decision in the coming days.”
In an interview after receiving the Doha Forum award, Mahboob called on the many global leaders and policy makers attending the forum to press the Taliban to open schools for all Afghan children.
The robotics team fled Afghanistan when the Taliban returned to power but Mahboob said she still hoped a science and technology center she had hoped to build in Afghanistan for girls could still be constructed.
“I hope that the international community, the Muslim communities (have not) forgotten about Afghanistan and (will) not abandon us,” she said. "Afghanistan is a poor country. It doesn’t have enough resources. And if you take (away) our knowledge, I don’t know what’s going to happen."
___
Associated Press writer Lujain Jo in Doha, Qatar, contributed to this report.
Nevada casino to pay $8M for serving chemicals, not beer
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A jury in Las Vegas has awarded $8 million to a middle school special education teacher who sued after being permanently injured when he was served cleaning solvents instead of tap beer at a casino bar.
Lon Enwright, 38, used to also work as a wine steward at Las Vegas Strip restaurants but lost his sense of taste due to the December 2018 injury at a Barley’s Casino & Brewing Co. in Henderson, his attorney, Andre Lagomarsino, said Friday.
Enwright, a Ph.D., continues to teach and coach basketball, but has stomach and esophageal ulcers and is at increased of risk of cancer, Lagomarsino said. The attorney characterized the jury award as compensation for “the loss of enjoyment of life.”
A spokesman for Station Casinos, corporate parent of Barley’s, did not immediately respond to messages about the verdict that was reached March 18 in Clark County District Court.
Enwright’s attorneys, including Rahul Ravipudi, said Barley’s admitted liability and offered $300,000 in damages before trial.
Enwright's negligence lawsuit said he was sickened and experienced convulsions after he asked for a sample of Honey Blonde ale on tap and was served caustic chemicals commonly used to clean beer taps and lines.
His lawyers said bar employees knew the beer lines were out of service for cleaning.
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