Monday, September 18, 2023

Elon Musk once reportedly hung up on a Tesla worker inside a burning factory and said 'don't bother me'

Pete Syme
Mon, September 18, 2023

Elon Musk.Christian Marquard/Getty Images


  • Elon Musk once hung up on a Tesla worker who called from a burning factory, per the Daily Mail.

  • The historian Niall Ferguson recounted how he met with the billionaire for drinks when the video call came.

  • When the worker was unsure how important the fire was, Musk said: "Then don't bother me."

Elon Musk once hung up on a Tesla worker who video called him from inside a burning factory, according to a report in the Daily Mail.

The historian Niall Ferguson was writing for the outlet about his experiences meeting with Musk, comparing him to a modern-day Napoleon.

He included an anecdote where Musk and Ferguson met up for a drink in Menlo Park back in 2017.

Ferguson's 18-year-old son was about to travel to Africa and sought advice from the South Africa-born billionaire.

But the historian says Musk was "preoccupied," especially when a video call came through from one of his Tesla factories, which seemed to be on fire.

"Is it important?" Musk asked the worker, according to Ferguson.

And when the man in the apparently burning factory was unsure in his response, Musk snapped back: "Then don't bother me," and hung up.

In an X post responding to Ferguson's article, Musk did not deny the incident.

Although he did accuse Ferguson of embellishing the extent of his relationship with the billionaire, saying they had only met up six times over the past ten years. The article's headline describes Ferguson as a "friend and confidant" to Musk.

"The article misses the mark," Musk wrote on X.

Musk's impatience is also described in several episodes featured in Walter Isaacson's recent biography of the Tesla CEO.

One SpaceX engineer described being called back to work despite having drunk some wine, but they were fearful of facing Musk's wrath if they didn't show up. "I worried about getting pulled over for drunk driving, but that seemed less of a risk than ignoring Elon," he told Isaacson.

And last Christmas Eve, Musk spent the day moving servers at an X data center after threatening to fire an employee who said the job would take at least six months, rather than the 90 days he wanted.

Tesla did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

    Elon Musk mocked Ukraine's summer counteroffensive in a stinging post on X: 'So much death for so little'

Kwan Wei Kevin Tan
Sun, September 17, 2023



Elon Musk.Chesnot via Getty Images


  • Elon Musk expressed his disappointment in Ukraine's summer counteroffensive in an X post on Sunday.

  • "So much death for so little," Musk wrote in his post.

  • The billionaire has been previously accused of pushing pro-Russian sentiments.

Elon Musk — who Ukrainian officials recently blasted for blocking an attack on Russia's Black Sea Fleet — derided the success of Ukraine's summer counteroffensive on Sunday.

"So much death for so little," Musk wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday.

Musk was responding to venture capitalist David Sacks' thread on the topic.

Sacks first started the thread on June 19, arguing that the counteroffensive "is failing to achieve any of its originally stated objectives" of rolling back Russia's territorial gains and kickstarting peace negotiations.

Sacks has been updating his thread frequently with articles on the subject. The September 17 post Musk was responding to appeared to be a map of Ukraine, with the caption: "UPDATE: "Ukrainian territorial gains from their much-vaunted counteroffensive [highlighted in blue] are so miniscule they can barely be seen on a map."

Musk, for his part, has weighed in many times on the war in Ukraine.

In October 2022, Musk posted a peace plan proposal on X. This plan involved Ukraine recognizing Russia's annexation of Crimea and "remaining neutral" by not joining NATO.

Musk's idea drew widespread condemnation from Ukrainian officials at the time, with Ukrainian diplomat Andrii Melnyk telling the billionaire to "fuck off." Anton Gerashchenko, an advisor to the minister of internal affairs in Ukraine, said Musk's pro-Russia stance made it seem like the Russians had hacked his social media account.

Musk also effectively sabotaged a Ukrainian attack on Russia's navy vessels last year when he refused to turn on access to the SpaceX-run Starlink satellites, per an excerpt from the Walter Isaacson-penned biography about Musk.

Ukraine launched its counteroffensive on Russia in June, per the Council on Foreign Relations. War analyst Jan Kallberg at the Center for European Policy Analysis said last month that the counteroffensive was making incremental but "substantial progress."

Representatives for Musk did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider sent outside regular business hours.



WOMEN, LIFE, FREEDOM

Activists in Europe mark the anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death in police custody in Iran

LONDON (AP) — Hundreds gathered in central London on Saturday to mark the anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman who died in police custody in Iran last year, sparking worldwide protests against the country's conservative Islamic theocracy.

Chanting “Women! Life! Freedom!,'' the crowds held her portrait and rallied around the memory of a young woman who died on Sept. 16, 2022, after she was arrested for allegedly violating Iran’s mandatory headscarf law. Similar protests took place in Italy, Germany and France.

“We’re calling on everyone to remember those killed, but also continue the fight, because this fight has to go to the end. Mahsa Jina Amini and the many others cannot have died in vain,″ said Maryam Namazie, an Iranian human rights activist in the U.K. “We have to have a better society as the result of this huge, Herculean fight.″

In Iran, authorities sought to prevent the anniversary from reigniting the protests that gripped the country last year. Amini’s father was detained outside his home after the family indicated that they planned to gather at her grave for a traditional service of commemoration, the Kurdish rights group Hengaw said. People in downtown Tehran reported a heavy security presence, and security forces were seen in western Iran, where the Kurdish minority staged large protests last year.

Hengaw reported a widespread general strike in Kurdish areas on Saturday, circulating video and photos that appeared to show streets largely empty and shops shuttered. Human Rights Activists in Iran, another group that closely follows events within the country, also reported the general strike. There was no acknowledgement of the strike in state media.

Hengaw reported that a man was in critical condition after being shot by security forces near Saqqez, in the Kurdish region. The semi-official Fars news agency said that he was shot after ignoring orders to stop at a checkpoint and that his condition was stable.

Videos on social media purported to show tear gas being fired in Mashhad and Karaj, a satellite city of Tehran. The New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran also reported the tear gas being used. Iranian state media did not acknowledge any such incidents.

Amini, a Kurdish-Iranian woman from the western region, died three days after she was arrested by morality police, allegedly for violating laws that require women to cover their hair in public. While authorities said that she suffered a heart attack, Amini’s supporters said she was beaten by police and died as a result of her injuries.

Her death triggered protests that spread across the country and rapidly escalated into calls for the overthrow of Iran’s four-decade-old Islamic theocracy.

Authorities responded with a violent crackdown in which more than 500 people were killed and in excess of 22,000 others were detained, according to rights groups. The demonstrations largely died down early this year, but there are still widespread signs of discontent. For several months, women could be seen openly flaunting the headscarf rule in Tehran and other cities, prompting a renewed crackdown over the summer.

Activists around the world sought to renew the protests on the anniversary of Amini’s death.

On Saturday, about 100 protesters gathered in front of the Iranian Embassy in Rome under the “Women, life, freedom,” banner.

“Now it is important that all the world start again to demonstrate in the streets, because what we want is to isolate this regime and in particular we want to push all the states not to have political and economic agreements with Iran,” protester Lucia Massi said.

In Paris, Mayor Anne Hidalgo announced that a garden in the French capital now carried Amini's name. The mayor called Amini an Iranian resistance hero and said Paris “honors her memory and her battle, as well as those of women who fight for their freedom in Iran and elsewhere.”

The Villemin Garden that now also bears Amini’s name is in Paris' 10th district, next to a canal with popular boat tours for tourists.

Iran blamed last year’s protests on the United States and other foreign powers, without providing evidence, and has since tried to downplay the unrest even as it moves to prevent any resurgence.

The protests were partly fueled by the widespread economic pain Iranians have suffered since then-President Donald Trump withdrew from a nuclear deal with world powers and reimposed crippling sanctions on Iran. But that suffering also may have made it difficult to sustain prolonged demonstrations, as many Iranians struggle to make ends meet.

President Joe Biden issued a lengthy statement on Friday acknowledging the anniversary of Amini’s death, and the United States announced new sanctions on Iranian officials and entities. U.K. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly also noted the anniversary and imposed new sanctions on Iranian officials.

Soheila Sokhanvari, an Iranian-British artist, moved to the U.K. to study a year before the 1979 revolution that brought Iran’s conservative Islamic leaders to power. She was in London preparing for a solo exhibition on pre-revolutionary feminist icons last year when she heard about Amini’s death.

The protests that followed marked the first time the world has seen “a revolution which is instigated by women,” she told The Associated Press earlier this month.

“But I think what’s really important about this protest is that Iranian men, for the first time in the history of Iran, they’re actually standing with women and they’re supporting the women and they’re showing respect for the women,” she said. “That’s very original and it’s never happened in the history of Iran.”

___

Kwiyeon Ha in London, Paolo Santalucia in Rome, John Leicester in Le Pecq, France, and Emily Schultheis in Berlin, contributed to this report.

Sporadic protests continue in Iran as Mahsa Amini anniversary passes

Reuters
Sun, September 17, 2023 

FILE PHOTO: Protest over the death of Mahsa Amini, in Tehran


DUBAI (Reuters) - Sporadic protests continued in Iran on Sunday amid a widespread crackdown by security forces a year after a young Kurdish woman's death in custody set off some of the worst political unrest in four decades.

The death on Sept. 16 last year of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman arrested by the morality police for allegedly flouting mandatory dress codes, triggered months of some of the biggest protests against the Islamic Republic's Shi'ite clerical rule ever seen and drew international condemnation.

On Saturday, Mahsa's father, Amjad Amini, was arrested briefly and warned against marking the anniversary of his daughter's death, the Kurdistan Human Rights Network said, and the family was not able to hold a planned vigil at her grave.

A social media video on Sunday showed protesters in the western city of Hamadan, clapping and shouting "Death to Islamic Republic", while another video showed protesters running away after apparent shooting by security forces. Reuters could not immediately authenticate the videos.

Following the publication of the videos, the semi-official Tasnim agency carried a video appearing to show that the streets of Hamadan were calm.

Rights groups, including the activist HRANA news agency, reported that a number of people were arrested in the Kurdish cities of Saqez and Sanandaj. State media reported detentions of dozens of "terrorists" including an individual allegedly planning a suicide attack.

Meanwhile, authorities said unidentified gunmen in southern Iran on Saturday opened fire on the Basij paramilitary volunteer militia, which has played a prominent role in the crackdown, killing one and wounding three. It was not immediately clear if the incident was linked to the current unrest.

Iran's intelligence minister warned that Iran may take unspecified action against overseas media which Tehran accuses of fomenting violent unrest in the country.

Iran International, a London-based television station critical of the Iranian government, in February said it was moving its live broadcasting studios to the United States following threats it faced in Britain.

"(Iran) International is a terrorist network, and we will take action wherever and whenever we recognise any terrorist act," the semi-official news agency Fars quoted the minister, Esmail Khatib, as saying.

AMINI 'INSPIRED A MOVEMENT'

In the demonstrations that followed Amini's death more than 500 people, including 71 minors, were killed, hundreds injured and thousands arrested, rights groups said. Iran carried out seven executions linked to the unrest.

U.S. President Joe Biden in a statement on Friday said Amini "inspired a historic movement ... that has impacted Iran and influenced people across the globe." Hundreds of Amini's supporters rallied in front of the White House on Saturday.

Iran's Foreign Ministry rejected as "double standards and lies" Western expressions of support for women's rights in Iran.

In a report last month, Amnesty International said Iranian authorities "have been subjecting victims' families to arbitrary arrest and detention, imposing cruel restrictions on peaceful gatherings at grave sites, and destroying victims' gravestones".

Many journalists, lawyers, activists, students, academics, artists, public figures and members of ethnic minorities accused of links with the protest wave, as well as relatives of protesters killed in the unrest, have been arrested, summoned, threatened or fired from jobs in the past few weeks, according to Iranian and Western human rights groups.

Iran blames the unrest on its Western foes and rejects criticism of its legal system, saying it is based on a lack of understanding by rights groups of its Islamic laws.

(Reporting by Dubai newsroom; Editing by Conor Humphries)

Space Drugs Factory Denied Reentry to Earth
Passant Rabie
Mon, September 18, 2023 

Varda’s in-space manufacturing capsule.

After manufacturing crystals of an HIV drug in space, the first orbital factory is stuck in orbit after being denied reentry back to Earth due to safety concerns.

The U.S. Air Force denied a request from Varda Space Industries to land its in-space manufacturing capsule at a Utah training area, while the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) did not grant the company permission to reenter Earth’s atmosphere, leaving its spacecraft hanging as the company scrambles to find a solution, TechCrunch first reported. A spokesperson from the FAA told TechCrunch in an emailed statement that the company’s request was not granted at this time “due to the overall safety, risk and impact analysis.”

“It’s a very different type of re-entry capsule. If you think about it, both Dragon and Starliner, these are [SpaceX] vehicles that are $100 million-plus, minimum, to build, and billion-dollar-plus total programs. These are meant to carry humans, have active control, fully pressurized environments,” Asparouhov is quoted as saying in an interview in Ars Technica. “We are effectively the polar opposite type of re-entry vehicle. If those are luxurious limousines, we’re building like a 1986 Toyota Corolla that is meant to be less than a million bucks a pop, quickly refurbished, and then shot right back into space.”

Varda’s in-space manufacturing capsule is a byproduct of a growing space industry, which grants easier access to low Earth orbit. The current regulatory debacle is a also the result of a young space industry, one in which proper regulations of spacecraft are still taking shape.



AMERIKAN WAR ON HUMAN RIGHTS
Kansas Librarians Sue After Being Fired Over Autism Display Mistaken for LGBTQ+ Support

Christopher Wiggins
Mon, September 18, 2023

Brandy Lancaster and Kari Wheeler


Two Kansas librarians have been fired after conservative officials in their town mistook a multi-colored display as something for Pride and the "LGBTQ agenda."

Now they're suing, the Washington Post reports.

In June, Kari Wheeler and Brandy Lancaster, librarians at the Sterling Free Public Library in Sterling, a small community in central Kansas, created two displays celebrating and raising awareness about autism and neurodiversity. The displays featured rainbow colors and messages advocating for diversity and understanding, including quotes like “We all think differently” and “In diversity is beauty and strength,” according to the paper.

The displays were part of the nationwide summer reading program themed “All Together Now.”

However, according to a lawsuit filed on Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for Kansas, the displays were misconstrued by a board member as promoting an “LGBTQ agenda,” leading to Wheeler and Lancaster’s termination. The lawsuit alleges that board member Michelle Miller waged an “illegal campaign” to censor the displays based on her misconception, implicating the library’s board, the city, and the mayor in violating the librarians’ rights to free speech.

Wheeler, who had taken the role of library director in August 2022, and Lancaster, hired in March as Wheeler’s aide and acting assistant librarian, claimed their initiative was misunderstood as taking a stand on LGBTQ+ issues rather than its intention to support neurodiversity. They said the installation was rooted in inclusivity and referenced a Harvard Medical School article in the suit, emphasizing that neurodiversity recognizes various ways individuals interact with their surroundings, challenging the notion of a singular “right” way of thinking and learning.

Tensions escalated quickly after a temporary library employee misconceived a multicolored infinity symbol representing LGBTQ+ Pride, triggering a series of text exchanges involving Miller. Within hours, Miller communicated her disdain for the display to Wheeler, mentioning the “conservative” nature of the town and her unwillingness to have the library “make political statements.”

Despite the explanation provided by Lancaster regarding the symbol’s representation of neurodiversity and autism, Miller purportedly leveraged her position on the board to rally support for the removal of the display, an action that seemingly disregarded the librarians’ focus on inclusivity and the celebration of differences.

The events culminated in two special board meetings in July, the first of which saw Wheeler and Lancaster providing information on state laws protecting library materials from censorship due to differing viewpoints, according to the Post. The second meeting resulted in the firing of both librarians, with board president Jeremy Stinemetz allegedly stating Wheeler had “lost the confidence of the board to effectively perform her position.”

The concerned board members and Sterling’s City Manager, Craig Crossette, opted not to comment on the ongoing litigation to the paper, maintaining their positions without public explanations regarding the incident.

Nearly ten weeks after their dismissal, Wheeler and Lancaster initiated legal proceedings, defending their right to free speech and opposing what they claimed was a termination anchored in misconception and prejudice. The lawsuit remains pending.

Libraries across the country have been attacked by far-right local residents and political leaders over LGBTQ+ books, Pride displays and the like.



Kansas board that fired librarians also boycotted 4th of July parade over Pride float | Opinion

Dion Lefler
Thu, September 14, 2023 

Dion Lefler/The Wichita Eagle


The tale of two librarians fired by a homophobic library board in Sterling just escalated.

Now, the board will have to defend its bigotry in court.

Fired librarian Kari Wheeler, her assistant Brandy Lancaster, and other concerned citizens have filed suit against the library board, three of its members, and the city government, claiming that the rights of everyone have been violated by the open, over-the-top and vicious anti-LGBTQ censorship that occurred at the Sterling library three months ago.

And that, friends and neighbors, is a really, really good thing.

And before you jump to the conclusion (as some assuredly will) that this is just me supporting a liberal cause, I can assure you I’d be every bit as infuriated if a Bernie-backing board banned books by Donald Trump.

That’s not how free societies do business. It never has been. It never will be.

And the board of the “Sterling Free Public Library” is very much in need of a reminder that the “free” in the library’s name doesn’t just refer to the cost of checking out a book.

I wrote about this controversy when it first came up, but the lawsuit spells out the details of the lengths this board was willing to go to in their crusade against anything that might be interpreted as not prejudiced enough against LGBTQ individuals.

We already knew about board member Michelle Miller clashing with the librarians, who balked at Miller’s demand that the library ban all displays of rainbows during Pride Month. The rainbows at issue were a collage of a girl in a wheelchair sitting in front of one and the international logo of autism awareness, a rainbow-colored infinity symbol.

And we knew that after Wheeler found a donor to buy the library a complete set of this year’s William Allen White Award children’s books, Miller and other board members pressured her to hide “Flight of the Puffin” in her desk drawer and not check it out to anybody because it contains a non-binary character.

What we didn’t know was that this board’s anti-LGBTQ bigotry extended all the way to dishonoring America by boycotting the town’s Fourth of July celebration.

From the lawsuit: “The Library Board had always supported either the parade or the celebration afterward. Miller and other board members discussed that this year’s Fourth of July parade would include a ‘Pride’ float. That was the only reason anyone suggested that the Library Board not support the parade as it had in the past. After the anti-Pride, anti-LBGT statements, the board voted not to support the Fourth of July parade. No board member challenged the anti-Pride statements as the basis for refusing to support the parade.”

Somehow, that seems more disrespectful to the U.S.A. than some members of the women’s soccer team not singing the Star Spangled Banner or Colin Kaepernick kneeling on a football field, but I’ll leave it to uber-conservative Americans to work out that little bit of cognitive dissonance.

Also, the lawsuit reveals that board minutes were altered from their original form to claim that Wheeler was “combative” with Miller while arguing over the rainbow pictures.

If she was, good for her.

With all the book-banning going on around the country, this is a battle than desperately needs to be fought — and won.

The best thing about this lawsuit is that it includes not only the librarians, but also library patrons claiming their right to read what they want, and to be represented in library displays, is being infringed by the board.

It cuts to the heart of ongoing efforts of fundamentalist extremists to marginalize their fellow human beings and suppress the voices of anyone who dares to disagree with their constrained world view.

“Public libraries are public forums,” the lawsuit says. “When the government that runs them begins to make decisions based on content, that government runs afoul of the First Amendment. Patrons of public libraries have a First Amendment right to information unburdened by the efforts of those in charge of materials and displays to indoctrinate others to their personal viewpoints.”

The fervent hope here is that this lawsuit sends a loud, clear message to local governments throughout the nation that a public library’s not to be used as a tool to advance its controlling members’ personal, political and religious beliefs.

The views of the Sterling Free Library board — repugnant though they may be — should be represented there.

But so should everyone else’s.
Working to remove Russia from global uranium market – Ukraine's Energy Minister

Ukrainska Pravda
Mon, September 18, 2023



Ukraine is working to increase uranium production, which will be a step towards ousting Russia from global markets in this sector.

Source: Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko

Quote: "Unfortunately, Russia still controls a significant part of the global uranium market. This slows down the issue of imposing sanctions, as many companies have contracts with the Russians for uranium supplies. However, we are working hard to push them out of this market and to increase uranium production in Ukraine."

Details: Halushchenko said that Ukraine has already concluded a number of agreements with international companies in this area, in particular with Canada's CAMECO.

As part of this cooperation, the first batch of Ukrainian uranium mined at the Eastern Mining and Processing Plant (VostGOK) was recently loaded and shipped to Canada, where it will be used to produce nuclear fuel for the needs of Ukrainian nuclear power plants.

Ukraine also received a £192 million loan guarantee from the UK government in cooperation with Urenco. This is a loan to provide Energoatom, Ukraine’s national nuclear energy company, with uranium enrichment services.

"Uranium production is a component of national security for us," Halushchenko emphasised.

Halushchenko also pointed out that a few days ago, the first batch of nuclear fuel developed by the American company Westinghouse Electric Sweden AB and specialists of Ukraine’s Energoatom was loaded into the VVER-440 reactor of the Rivne Nuclear Power Plant. This put an end to Russia's monopoly on the nuclear fuel market.

Background:

Ukraine has started exporting all of its extracted uranium to Canada. At CAMECO's facilities, Ukrainian uranium will be used to produce nuclear fuel for the needs of Ukrainian nuclear power plants (NPPs).

CAMECO will supply 100% of Energoatom's uranium hexafluoride needs for the Rivne, Khmelnytskyi and Pivdennoukrainsk (South Ukrainian) NPPs from 2024 to 2035.

CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M
'You Can't Make This Up,' Chamath Palihapitiya Says 

As $20 Billion Edtech Startup Byju's Sued For Hiding $533 Million in Florida IHOP-Based Hedgefund

Caleb Naysmith
Mon, September 18, 2023


In a shocking revelation, Indian edtech giant Byju's is accused of stashing $533 million in Camshaft Capital Fund, a relatively obscure hedge fund that once listed its primary business address at an IHOP in Miami. Putting the money at IHOP was brought to light by lenders attempting to recover the money.

According to the lenders' lawsuit, Byju's reportedly transferred over $500 million last year to Camshaft Capital Fund, an investment entity set up by William C. Morton at age 23. Morton's fund received the money even though he allegedly lacked formal investment training. After the transfer, Morton reportedly added several luxury cars to his portfolio, including a 2023 Ferrari Roma, a 2020 Lamborghini Huracán EVO and a 2014 Rolls-Royce Wraith, according to court documents.

This startling development adds to the already tumultuous saga between Byju's and its lenders. The bone of contention is the $533 million, which the lenders assert is collateral for a $1.2 billion loan. With lenders labeling the loan in default, Byju's has fired back, accusing them of employing predatory lending practices.

In recent court filings in Miami-Dade County, the lenders argued that Byju's has taken considerable measures to hide the whereabouts of the $533 million, primarily to hinder and delay the recovery process by the creditors. Amid these allegations, Byju's has made an unexpected proposal to repurchase the loan within a six-month window, possibly by liquidating some of its international assets to potential private equity and strategic buyers. However, Byju's said it hasn’t been officially notified about the Florida court proceedings.

Despite being a hedge fund, Camshaft seems to cater to smaller investors, further deepening the intrigue. A 2020 Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing disclosed Camshaft's principal business location as an IHOP address at 285 NW 42nd Ave. in Miami. The current occupant at the address, a bustling IHOP, seemed oblivious to any hedge fund connections.

While the server at the IHOP expressed disbelief about its purported ties to a hedge fund, another entity associated with Camshaft had its business address at the upscale Porsche Design Tower in Sunny Isles Beach, Florida — the condo building where global soccer sensation Lionel Messi resides. In a separate lawsuit, Camshaft claimed its principal business location as the Virgin Islands.

This ongoing monetary tussle, termed the Cash Fight, is now center stage, with lenders aggressively pursuing the alleged hidden cash. Byju's has defended its stance, stating that the money transfer was permissible under the loan agreement's terms.

The recent lawsuit aims to track the money and recover any superfluous management fees paid to Camshaft, which had yet to respond to these claims.

Byju's, which has been on the radar of industry heavyweights such as the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Silver Lake Management and Naspers Ltd., was valued at $20 billion last year. The valuation came under the spotlight when merger discussions with a special-purpose acquisition company were underway.

Prominent investor Chamath Palihapitiya weighed in on the unfolding drama, highlighting Byju's journey from securing billion-dollar investments and going global to facing resignations and now the financial allegations.
Orsted CEO says US offshore wind targets still possible but not easy

U.S. Coast Guard patrol boat passes a barge carrying support jackets and platforms for wind turbines in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean off Block Island



By Scott DiSavino and Nichola Groom

(Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden's plan to deploy 30,000 megawatts (MW) of offshore wind by 2030 is still possible, although not easy, the CEO of Orsted, the world's largest offshore wind developer, said on Monday at the Climate Week NYC event in New York.

The remarks by Orsted CEO Mads Nipper come as soaring costs and supply chain delays have increasingly cast doubt on the Biden administration's goal, a cornerstone of its plan to fight climate change. The Danish company said at the end of August that it may see U.S. impairments of $2.3 billion due to the market challenges.

"We’ve seen dark clouds gather," Nipper said, noting that interest rates going from largely 0% to 4%, which is having a "very dramatic impact on renewables because the fuel of the renewable industry is capital."

"We don’t need gas or oil or coal. It's capital and that overnight has become significantly more expensive," Nipper said.

Other challenges include "financially fragile" supply chains, "relatively uncertain policy frameworks," and rising costs for "everything we need" from turbines to foundations and substations, Nipper said.

Policymakers and the industry need to accept that "for a little while the price of renewable power will have to go up, but we will bring it down again," Nipper said.

The Biden administration has passed lucrative subsidies aimed at helping companies build new offshore wind power capacity to help decarbonize the power sector and revitalize domestic manufacturing.

But offshore wind developers have said that certain tax credits in the Inflation Reduction Act, Biden's landmark climate change law, are insufficient and are lobbying for less stringent rules around qualifying for the credits.

Last week, the governors of six Northeastern states urged Biden to direct his administration to take actions to support struggling offshore wind projects.

In a letter to Biden, the governors of Maryland, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island asked for leniency in qualifying offshore wind projects for new clean energy tax credits, speedier permitting, and the establishment of a program to direct a portion of the revenue generated by federal offshore wind leases to states.

"Without federal action, offshore wind deployment in the U.S. is at serious risk of stalling because States' ratepayers may be unable to absorb these significant new costs alone," the governors said in the letter.


Offshore wind is crucial to the targets of Northeast states who want to move away from fossil fuel-fired electricity. Many have mandates to install large amounts of the technology in the coming decade.

(Reporting by Scott DiSavino in New York and Nichola Groom in Los Angeles; Additional reporting by Shariq Khan; Editing by Mark Porter and Marguerita Choy)

Mon, September 18, 2023 
A railroad worker died after being struck by a remote-controlled train. Unions have concerns

JOSH FUNK
Mon, September 18, 2023

A railroad worker died over the weekend after he was struck by a remote-controlled train in a CSX railyard in Ohio, raising concerns among unions about such technology.

The death highlights the need for an in-depth review of the use of remote-controlled locomotives, the Transportation Communications Union and Brotherhood of Railway Carmen said in a news release Sunday. Every major railroad has used such locomotives inside, and increasingly outside of, railyards across the country for years.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the death, which happened shortly before 4 a.m. Sunday in Walbridge, Ohio. Spokesperson Keith Holloway said the worker was struck and fatally injured when he walked into the path of a moving locomotive that was being operated by remote control.

Fred Anderson is the third carman killed in an incident involving a remote-controlled locomotive, the unions said.

“Enough is enough. A full-scale review of the use and practices around remote-control locomotives is long overdue. CSX — and every railroad — must evaluate their use of these supposed technological advancements to ensure they are actually making our members safer, and not merely replacing people to continue lining the pockets of Wall Street,” Transportation Communications Union National President Artie Maratea said in the news release.

CSX officials at the railroad's headquarters in Jacksonville, Florida, confirmed the accident but declined to discuss the details of Anderson's death because it is still being investigated.

“CSX mourns the loss of this employee and our thoughts are with his family and loved ones. The safety of our railroaders is our highest priority. CSX is working with officials to determine exactly what happened,” spokesperson Sheriee Bowman said.

The Federal Railroad Administration has approved the use of remote-controlled locomotives since 2005. They are primarily used inside railyards to help assemble trains. Regulators issued guidelines for railroads back then calling for precautions, including ensuring the trains don't operate at speeds above 15 mph, but there aren't detailed regulations on exactly how they can be used.

Typically, a railroad worker stationed on the ground near a train controls its movements with a remote, although sometimes that worker rides aboard the train while it is moving.

Railroad safety has been a key concern nationwide this year ever since a Norfolk Southern train derailed and caught fire in eastern Ohio in February. That crash prompted evacuations, lingering health concerns, a massive ongoing cleanup and calls for reforms.

CSX is one of the nation’s largest railroads, operating trains in 23 Eastern states and two Canadian provinces.

‘Enough is enough’: Union calls for safety review after death of CSX carman

Joanna Marsh
Mon, September 18, 2023 
FreightWaves

CSX is looking into the circumstances that caused a fatality at its Ohio rail yard Sunday.
(Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

The rail union representing a carman who was fatally injured while working at a CSX rail yard in Ohio on Sunday is calling for the rail industry to examine its procedures on operating remote-controlled locomotives.

The Transportation Communications Union (TCU/IAM) and Brotherhood of Railway Carmen (BRC) identified the CSX employee as Fred Anderson. Other information, such as how long he worked at CSX, was not given.

“These tragedies are very painful reminders that the work our members perform is dangerous and unforgiving. My deepest condolences go out to the family and coworkers of Brother Anderson, and our union stands ready to assist in any way possible,” TCU/IAM National President Artie Maratea said in a Sunday statement.

Maratea said the incident could have involved a remote-controlled locomotive. If so, this would be the third carman fatality involving the remote-controlled locomotives, according to Maratea. He didn’t specify when those other incidents occurred.

CSX experienced other fatalities this summer; those involved conductor trainees in two separate instances. CSX, safety regulators and others are looking into the circumstances surrounding those two accidents, which occurred within 60 days of each other.

“Enough is enough. A full-scale review of the use and practices around remote-control locomotives is long overdue. CSX — and every railroad — must evaluate their use of these supposed technological advancements to ensure they are actually making our members safer, and not merely replacing people to continue lining the pockets of Wall Street,” Maratea said.

CSX (NASDAQ: CSX) confirmed that the employee was fatally injured while working at the Wallbridge, Ohio, yard, but the company’s statement didn’t include the employee’s name nor the circumstances surrounding the fatality.

“CSX mourns the loss of this employee and our thoughts are with his family and loved ones. The safety of our railroaders is our highest priority. CSX is working with officials to determine exactly what happened,” the company said in a statement.

The National Transportation Safety Board said in a Sunday tweet that it is investigating the accident.

BRC representatives will also be involved in the investigation of the incident. BRC is affiliated with TCU/IAM.

“BRC members show up to work every day, work safely and expect to be able to return home to their families at the end of the day,” BRC General President Don Grissom said. “This tragic loss reminds us that we must continue the fight to ensure that worker safety is a top priority. Myself and the entire BRC offer our deepest condolences to the family of Brother Anderson.”

NTSB probe of CSX fatality to focus on employee training, close clearances

Rail union calls for more extensive conductor training following 2 deaths

CSX plans extra training after deaths of 2 conductor trainees




Inside South Africa's Operation Dudula: 'Why we hate foreigners'

FOREIGNERS BEING PREDOMINATELY ZIMBABWAIANS

Ayanda Charlie in Johannesburg & Tamasin Ford in London - BBC Africa Eye
Mon, September 18, 2023 

Zandile Dabula at Operation Dudula conference in Johannesburg, South Africa - May 2023


South African anti-migrant group Operation Dudula has become notorious for raiding businesses belonging to foreign nationals and forcing shops to close. BBC Africa Eye has gained rare access to members of the country's most-prominent anti-migrant street movement.


In a school kitchen in Kwa Thema, a township east of Johannesburg, Dimakatso Makoena is busy making sandwiches. The 57-year-old single parent of three has been a cook there for more than 10 years.

"To tell you the truth, I hate foreigners. How I wish they could just pack and go and leave our country," she says, fighting back tears.

It is hard to understand the strength of this hate until Ms Makoena pulls out her phone to show a picture of her son. Emaciated with a glazed look in his eyes, angry burn scars spread over his body, up his arms and across his face.

"He started smoking drugs when he was 14 years old," she says, explaining how her son often goes out to steal things to feed his habit. One day he had tried to take some power cables to sell when he got electrocuted and burned.


Dimakatso Makoena blames foreigners for selling drugs to her son and destroying his life

Her son uses crystal meth and nyaope, a highly addictive street drug that has devastated communities across South Africa. It is not until she blames foreigners for selling the drugs that her reasoning and support for Operation Dudula becomes clear.

"Dudula, that's the only thing that keeps me going," she tells the BBC.

Operation Dudula was set-up in Soweto two years ago, the first group to formalise what had been sporadic waves of xenophobia-fuelled vigilante attacks in South Africa that date back to shortly after white-minority rule ended in 1994. It calls itself a civic movement, running on an anti-migrant platform, with the word "dudula" meaning "to force out" in Zulu.

Soweto was at the forefront of anti-apartheid resistance and home to Nelson Mandela, South Africa's first democratically elected president. Now, the township has become the home of the country's most-prominent anti-migrant group.

With one in three South Africans out of work in one of the most unequal societies in the world, foreigners in general have become an easy target.

But the number of migrants living in South Africa has been grossly exaggerated. According to a 2022 report by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), an independent research organisation based in the capital, Pretoria, there are about 3.95 million migrants in South Africa, making up 6.5% of the population, a figure in line with international norms. This number includes all immigrants, irrespective of legal status or where they come from.

The xenophobic rhetoric used by some public officials, politicians and anti-migrant groups has helped fuel the myth that the country is overrun with migrants. The South African Social Attitudes Survey for 2021 found that almost half of the population of 60 million people believed there were between 17 and 40 million immigrants in the country.

Current polling suggests support for the governing African National Congress (ANC), the party once led by Mr Mandela, could fall below 50% for the first time.

Operation Dudula has ambitions to fill that vacuum and has now transformed itself from a local anti-migrant group into a national political party, stating its aims to contest next year's general election.


"We must be realistic here that most of the problems that we have are caused by the influx of foreign nationals. Our country is a mess"", Source: Zandile Dabula, Source description: Operation Dudula president, Image: Zandile Dabula

Zandile Dabula, who was voted in as president of Operation Dudula in June 2023, is calm, charismatic and emphatic about the group's message: "foreigners" are the root cause of South Africa's economic hardship.

When it is put to her that this campaign is based solely on hate, she tells the BBC: "We must be realistic here that most of the problems that we have are caused by the influx of foreign nationals.

"Our country is a mess. Foreign nationals are working on a 20-year plan of taking over South Africa."

When challenged on the veracity of this 20-year plan, she admits it was a rumour but says she believes it is true.

"You see drugs everywhere and most of the drug addicts are South African rather than foreign nationals. So, what's happening? Are they feeding our own brothers and sisters so that it can be easy for them to take over?" she says.

Yet the anger meted out to migrants can be on those who are in the country legally and working in legal occupations. A Nigerian market trader, who was the target of a raid by Operation Dudula members in Johannesburg earlier in the year, tells the BBC that the two women who tasered him and destroyed his clothes by throwing them in the gutter did not stop to ask questions.

As they shot he says they swore at him, saying: "You must go to Nigeria… We are Dudula, we are South African."

With no stock, he is now sleeping on the streets: "I vote in this country. I am a citizen here. I've never seen a country treating people like this. If I'm doing something illegal, fine. Deport me. But I'm not doing anything illegal. Now you make my life miserable, I can't pay my rent. I want to go, it's too much."

Operation Dudula maintains it is concern over the huge influx of drugs into South Africa's most deprived communities that is their most pressing complaint, but there is no data to back up the claim that people who sell drugs are not South African citizens.

Comparative statistics are not available for drug crimes, though the ISS report quotes the justice minister as saying that immigrants made up 8.5% of all convicted cases in 2019 and 7.1% in 2020. The ISS adds that 2.3% of inmates incarcerated each year are undocumented foreigners.

In Diepkloof, in eastern Soweto, the BBC joins a so-called Dudula taskforce. Men in trucks are going to confront a Mozambican shopkeeper who a South African landlady alleges has not paid his rent.

It is supposed to be a negotiation but quickly descends into a confrontation where one of the men, Mandla Lenkosi, threatens to beat him up. When the BBC asks them about their thuggish behaviour, they maintain they are enforcing the law.

Mr Lenkosi, also from Soweto and out of work, takes part in raids on migrant homes and workplaces, people who are suspected of anything from drug dealing to remaining in the country past their visa date.

"We grew up in apartheid times, where things were much better than what it is now"", Source: Mandla Lenkosi, Source description: Operation Dudula member, Image: Mandla Lenkosi

"We grew up in apartheid times, where things were much better than what it is now," he says, pointing to the drug problems. "The law was the law [then]."

His fellow Dudula supporter, Cedric Stone, agrees: "South Africa needs to go back to the old South Africa that we know.

"Our fathers started the tuck shops but today all those tuck shops are all foreigners, especially, Bangladeshis, Somali and Ethiopians. Why?"

President Cyril Ramaphosa has spoken out against anti-migrant protests, and condemned vigilante groups for harassing and attacking migrants. He has likened their behaviour to strategies adopted by the apartheid regime to oppress black communities.

In 2019 he launched the National Action Plan to combat racism and xenophobia, yet campaigners want the government do more.

Annie Michaels, an activist from the Johannesburg Migrants Advisory Panel, says South Africans are blaming the wrong people for their ills and should in fact admire migrants for their survival skills.

"Stop sitting and complaining and dying in that corner and waiting for the government that is failing you on a daily basis," she tells the BBC.

"The migrants… are the poorest of the poor. They would rather go to them and rattle them, instead of rattling the cages of the guys living in the glass houses."

For her part, Ms Dabula says critics of Operation Dudula who maintain it is a collective of violent vigilantes are wrong.

"We don't promote violence and we don't want people to feel harassed," but adds: "We cannot be overtaken by foreign nationals and do nothing about it."

Hundreds of supporters travelled to attend its first national conference in Johannesburg in May, where members voted to register the group as a political party.


Operation Dudula gives Dimakatso Makoena a sense of purpose and hope about the future

Waving South African flags, dancing and singing their way through the streets to the City Hall, it feels like a celebration.

However, the songs they are singing carry a threatening message: "Burn the foreigner. We will go to the garage, buy some petrol and burn the foreigner."

The military clothing harks back to South Africa's liberation struggle. It all communicates a readiness for battle.

Ms Makoena is also there, smiling and dressed in her party T-shirt. "Operation Dudula is going to make history today," she says.

On stage, Isaac Lesole, Operation Dudula's technical adviser, has a question for the cheering supporters: "Do we make peace with illegal foreigners?"

"No," the audience shout back in unison.

According to South African law, registering a party does not mean it will automatically qualify to contest an election - it has hoops to go through.

Operation Dudula does not have a manifesto or any policy other than its stance on foreigners, though Ms Dabula maintains it has a presence in every province except Northern Cape.

Supporters of the new party who spoke to the BBC appear to genuinely want things to be fixed in their communities. They reflect a change of mood in South Africa's political landscape with people fed up with the status quo.

However, a toxic mix of poverty, drugs and fear has resulted in a blame game where migrants have become the scapegoats.

You can watch the full BBC Africa Eye documentary Fear and Loathing in South Africa here on the BBC Africa YouTube channel.
Youth arrested over ‘shocking and unacceptable’ attack on Sikh teenager in Canada

Maroosha Muzaffar
Fri, September 15, 2023 


Representational photo: A man waves the Chaur Sahib, paying respect to the sacred scripture, during evening prayer at Gurdwara Millwoods, a Sikh house of worship, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada on 20 July 2022
(AP)


The brutal assault on a 17-year-old Sikh boy in Canada has led to the arrest of a suspect and prompted “deep concern” from a rights organisation.

The boy was attacked in Kelowna city in British Columbia on Monday afternoon in what was said to be the second such attack on a Sikh youth in the area this year.

The World Sikh Organization of Canada (WSOC) said the boy was attacked while riding a bus around 3.45pm and was later pepper sprayed as well.

Kelowna’s Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said in a statement on Thursday that there was “no doubt that the victim was bear sprayed and assaulted by the accused; this has been made quite clear”.

“Two individuals approached the student and first barred his entry onto the bus and then, once allowing him to board, began to threaten him with a lighter and (began to) photograph and record him from a close distance with their phones,” WSOC said in its own statement earlier on Wednesday.

“When the Sikh student turned away, the attackers’ phone fell from their hands and they began to kick and punch the Sikh student in front of the bus driver. The bus driver did not intervene, and, in fact, ordered the Sikh student and his attackers off the bus at the Rutland and Robson stop,” it said.

The WSOC said the attackers continued to assault the teenager. The boy was also bear sprayed, it said, and it was only when bystanders stepped in that the assault came to an end.

The student’s identity was not revealed by police or local media. The Sikh student is reportedly new to Canada.

The WSOC said this was the second attack on a Sikh in Kelowna this year, citing a previous attack that had taken place in March.

“Monday’s attack on a Sikh high school student in Kelowna is shocking and unacceptable,” said Guntaas Kaur, WSOC vice-president for British Columbia.

“The Sikh high school student is recovering from his injuries and from the pepper spray but cannot understand why he was assaulted,” Ms Kaur said. “He is afraid to return to school for fear of being attacked again.”

The Kelowna RCMP earlier said it had launched an investigation into the case. The police force said it was collecting video evidence and “taking steps to determine the motivation of this crime”.

The police force also said in its updated statement that a suspect was arrested on Wednesday and reports said the accused was produced before a court a day later.

“To protect the integrity of this investigation and the judicial process involving a youth, no further details regarding the youth or their statement will be provided,” senior police official Michael Gauthier said.

“Investigators will be conducting video analysis and reviewing additional evidence to determine what transpired on the bus prior to all parties being directed off the bus,” he said.

“This evidence will be important for police and prosecutors to understand what led up to the assault with a weapon and the motivation for the crime. There is no doubt that the victim was bear sprayed and assaulted by the accused; this has been made quite clear.

“While the effects of bear spray are extremely painful and may only be temporary, the effects of this young man’s decisions will last much much longer,” he said.

“We condemn any acts of violence in our community and are thoroughly investigating this matter.”