US basketball star Griner, facing Russian jail term, sends thanks for support


 Court hearing of U.S. basketball player Brittney Griner

Tue, October 18, 2022 at 10:31 AM·2 min read


MOSCOW (Reuters) - American WNBA basketball star Brittney Griner, whose appeal against a Russian jail term is due to be heard next week, sent her supporters a message of thanks on Tuesday, her 32nd birthday.

The two-time Olympic gold medallist was arrested on Feb. 17 at a Moscow airport with vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage, and was sentenced on Aug. 4 to nine years in a penal colony on drug smuggling charges. Her appeal is due to be heard next Tuesday.

"All the support and love are definitely helping me," Griner was quoted as saying by her lawyers Maria Blagovolina and Alexander Boykov, who spent several hours with her in the Moscow pre-trial detention centre where she is being held.

Griner pleaded guilty at her trial but said she had made an "honest mistake" and not meant to break the law. Cannabis is illegal in Russia for both medicinal and recreational purposes.

"Today is of course a difficult day for Brittney," said Blagovolina, who is representing Griner in court.

"Not only is this her birthday in jail away from her family, team mates and friends, but she is very stressed in anticipation of the appeal hearing on Oct. 25."

Washington says Griner was wrongfully detained and has offered to exchange her for Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer serving a 25-year prison sentence in the United States. It said last week it had had no consular access to her since August.

Moscow has also suggested it is open to a prisoner swap.

Bill Richardson, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations who travelled to Moscow in September, has said he believes Griner and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan could both be released by the end of the year.

(Reporting by Filipp Lebedev; Editing by Kevin Liffey and Angus MacSwan)

Brittney Griner Turns 32 Years Old in Russian Prison


Natasha Dye
Tue, October 18, 2022 

US' Women's National Basketball Association (NBA) basketball player Brittney Griner, who was detained at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport and later charged with illegal possession of cannabis, arrives to a hearing at the Khimki Court, outside Moscow on August 4, 2022. - Lawyers for US basketball star Brittney Griner, who is standing trial in Russia on drug charges, said on July 26, 2022 they hoped she would receive a "lenient" sentence.
KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty

On Brittney Griner's 243rd day imprisoned in Russia, she'll be hitting her 32nd birthday.

The WNBA star — who was arrested at a Moscow airport on Feb. 17 — turns 32 years old on Tuesday.

Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison on Aug. 4 on charges of smuggling drugs into the country, just below the maximum sentence of 10 years. After the trial, her lawyer, Maria Blagovolina had said the sentence was "absolutely unreasonable."

The athlete's lawyers filed an appeal, and hearings for that will begin Oct. 25.

Blagovolina had previously told PEOPLE that they don't know if the appeal will be successful — and historically, appeals have not done much to change Russian prison sentences — but said that they have to try.

US' Women's National Basketball Association (NBA) basketball player Brittney Griner, who was detained at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport and later charged with illegal possession of cannabis, holds a picture of her team as she stands inside a defendants' cage before a court hearing in Khimki outside Moscow, on August 4, 2022. - Lawyers for US basketball star Brittney Griner, who is standing trial in Russia on drug charges, said on July 26, 2022 they hoped she would receive a "lenient" sentence.
EVGENIA NOVOZHENINA/POOL/AFP via Getty Brittney Griner holds up a photo of her teammates while in court


RELATED: Inside the Russian Penal Colony Where Brittney Griner Will Serve Her 9-Year Prison Sentence

"We need to use every legal opportunity that we have, and appeal is one of these opportunities," she said.

For now, Griner is likely living in a detention center that is part of the prison penal colony as she awaits her hearing, and for any news on a potential prisoner exchange between Russia and the U.S.

Griner's wife, Cherelle, spoke publicly for the first time since the sentencing on Oct. 5 with CBS Morning's Gayle King and voiced her concern about her wife's ordeal, saying Brittney is a "hostage."

"On its face it just seems like my wife is a hostage. To know that our government and the foreign government is sitting down and negotiating for her release? She's a hostage," Cherelle said.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

���������������� ��. ������������/Instagram. President Joe Biden Meets with Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan's Family Members. https://www.instagram.com/p/CioXEJrr6G6/.

Cherelle T. Griner/Instagram

A meeting last month at the White House solidified to her that President Biden is making efforts to secure her wife's release. Cherelle told King, "He's doing what he can. But there's another party in this situation, and we also are dealing with the need for Russia to have mercy on B.G. as well."

RELATED: Brittney Griner's Wife Cherelle Says the WNBA Star Is 'At Her Absolute Weakest' Right Now in Russia

"I have heard so many stories about this exact situation happening with Americans going through Russia and at the airport they were told, 'Pay a fine and go on with your day.' But because B.G. is Brittney Griner, I do think this got really complicated really quickly," Cherelle told King.

Cherelle emphasized that she is well aware that crime deserves punishment, especially since she works in the legal field, but "it must be balanced."

HINDUTVA IS FASCISM

Bilkis Bano: India PM Modi's government okayed rapists' release

Geeta Pandey - BBC News, Delhi
Tue, October 18, 2022

Bilkis Bano has said she wants her attackers to understand the severity of their crime

The government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the premature release of 11 men who were convicted for the gangrape of a pregnant Muslim woman and murder of 14 members of her family, including her three-year-old daughter, according to a court document.

The convicts were part of a Hindu mob that attacked Bilkis Bano and her family during the 2002 anti-Muslim riots in the western state of Gujarat.

The release of the men, who were serving life sentences for rape and murder, and the heroes' welcome they were accorded had caused global outrage.

Many were especially aghast as the convicts had walked free on 15 August - the day India was celebrating its independence day and just hours after Mr Modi had given a speech asking citizens to respect women.


A viral video showed the men lined up outside the Godhra jail while relatives gave them sweets and touched their feet to show respect.

State officials at the time said a government panel had approved the application for remission as the men - first convicted by a trial court in 2008 - had spent more than 14 years in jail, and after considering other factors such as their age and good behaviour in prison.

But on Monday, the Gujarat government submitted a document in the Supreme Court revealing that they had sought the federal government's approval - which was granted by the home ministry, led by Amit Shah, in July.

The approval had come despite opposition from a court and federal prosecutors who had said they should not be "released prematurely and no leniency may be shown" to them as their crime was "heinous, grave and serious".

The top court is hearing several petitions challenging the convicts' release.

The article contains details that some readers may find disturbing

Days after her attackers were freed, Bilkis Bano issued a statement calling the decision to free the men "unjust" and said it had "shaken" her faith in justice.

"When I heard that the convicts who had devastated my family and life had walked free, I was bereft of words. I am still numb," she said.

"How can justice for any woman end like this? I trusted the highest courts in our land. I trusted the system, and I was learning slowly to live with my trauma. The release of these convicts has taken from me my peace and shaken my faith in justice," she wrote, appealing to the Gujarat government to "undo this harm" and "give me back my right to live without fear and in peace".

The decision had caused massive outrage in India. It was criticised by opposition parties, activists and several journalists, who said it discriminated against India's minority Muslims. Attacks on the community have risen sharply since the BJP formed the federal government in 2014.

More than 6,000 activists, historians and citizens issued a statement urging the Supreme Court to revoke the early release of the convicts, describing it as a "grave miscarriage of justice".

Many also pointed out that the release was in contravention of guidelines issued by both the federal government and the Gujarat state government - both say that rape and murder convicts cannot be granted remission. Life terms in these crimes are usually served until death in India.

The biggest setback from the state government's decision has been for Bilkis Bano and her family.

The anger and despondence of the family is easy to understand considering the magnitude of the crime and the protracted battle they had to fight for justice.

The riots began after a fire on a passenger train in Godhra town killed 60 Hindu pilgrims

The attack on Bilkis Bano and her family was one of the most horrific crimes during the riots, which began after 60 Hindu pilgrims died in a fire on a passenger train in Godhra town.

Blaming Muslims for starting the fire, Hindu mobs went on a rampage, attacking Muslim neighbourhoods. Over three days, more than 1,000 people died, most of them Muslims.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was then Gujarat chief minister, was criticised for not doing enough to prevent the carnage. He has always denied wrongdoing and has not apologised for the riots.

In 2013, a Supreme Court panel also said that there was insufficient evidence to prosecute him. But critics have continued to blame him for the riots happening on his watch.

Over the years, the courts have convicted dozens of people for involvement in the riots, but some high-profile accused got bail or were exonerated by higher courts.

This included Maya Kodnani, an ex-minister and aide to Mr Modi, whom a trial court had called "the kingpin of the riots".

And now the men who wronged Bilkis Bano have also been set free.

I met Bilkis Bano in May 2017 at a safe house in Delhi, just days after the Bombay High Court had confirmed the life sentences of the 11 convicted in her case.

Fighting back tears, she recounted the horrors of the attack.

For three days in 2002, Hindu mobs went on a rampage in Gujarat

The morning after the train fire, Bilkis Bano - then 19 and pregnant with her second child - was visiting her parents in a village called Randhikpur near Godhra with her three-year-old daughter.

"I was in the kitchen making lunch, when my aunt and her children came running. They said their homes were being set on fire and we had to leave immediately," she told me. "We left with just the clothes we were wearing, we didn't even have the time to put on our slippers."

Bilkis Bano was in a group of 17 Muslims that included her daughter, her mother, a pregnant cousin, her younger siblings, nieces and nephews, and two adult men.

Over the next few days, they travelled from village to village, seeking shelter in mosques or subsisting on the kindness of Hindu neighbours.

India Supreme Court rejects riots plea against Modi

Life sentences over 2002 India massacre

On the morning of 3 March, as they set out to go to a nearby village where they believed they would be safer, a group of men stopped them.

"They attacked us with swords and sticks. One of them snatched my daughter from my lap and threw her on the ground, bashing her head into a rock."

Her attackers were her neighbours in the village, men she had seen almost daily while growing up. They tore off her clothes and several of them raped her, ignoring her pleas for mercy.

Her cousin, who had delivered a baby two days earlier while they were on the run, was raped and murdered and her newborn was killed.

Bilkis Bano survived because she lost consciousness and her attackers left, believing she was dead. Two boys - seven and four - were the only other survivors of the massacre.

Mr Modi was chief minister of Gujarat state when the riots took place

Bilkis Bano's fight for justice was long and nightmarish. It has been well documented that some police and state officials tried to intimidate her, evidence was destroyed and the dead were buried without post-mortems. The doctors who examined her said she hadn't been raped, and she received death threats.

The first arrests in the case were made only in 2004 after India's Supreme Court handed over the case to federal investigators. The top court also agreed that courts in Gujarat could not deliver her justice and transferred her case to Mumbai.

Her fight for justice was also disruptive for her family - they've had to move home nearly a dozen times.

"We still can't go home because we're afraid. Police and the state administration have always helped our attackers. When we are in Gujarat, we still cover our faces, we never give out our address," her husband had told me.

Gujarat's leader 'allowed' riots

India riots whistleblower gets life in jail

During trial, there were calls for the death penalty for Bilkis Bano's attackers, including from herself.

But after the high court in Mumbai sentenced them to life, she told me she was "not interested in revenge" and "just want them to understand what they've done".

"I hope they will one day realise the enormity of their crime, how they killed small children and raped women."

But, she added, she wanted them "to spend their entire lives in jail".

After their release, Mr Rasool told the Indian Express newspaper that his wife was "distressed and melancholic".

"The battle we fought for so many years has been wrapped up in one moment," he said.

"We have not even had the time to process this news and we know that the convicts have already reached their homes."

Concern about climate change shrinks globally as threat grows - study


 Climate activists block motorway in Rome

Tue, October 18, 2022 

By Riham Alkousaa

BERLIN (Reuters) - Concerns about climate change shrank across the world last year, a survey shows, with fewer than half those questioned believing it posed a "very serious threat" to their countries in the next 20 years.

Only 20% of people in China, the world's biggest polluter, said they believed that climate change was a very serious threat, down 3 percentage points from the previous poll in 2019, the survey by Gallup World Risk Poll showed on Wednesday.

Globally, the figure fell by 1.5 percentage points to 48.7% in 2021, it said.

The COVID-19 pandemic and concerns about more immediate issues such as health and livelihoods may partly explain the drop, the survey, based on over 125,000 interviews in 121 countries, showed.

Climate change awareness rose slightly in the United States in 2021, the second biggest global polluter, to 51.5%, it added.

Regions with the highest ecological threats are on average the least concerned about climate change, with only 27.4% of the Middle East and North Africa and 39.1% of South Asian respondents concerned about the risks.

The findings come ahead of the next round of global climate talks when countries meet in Egypt in November for COP27.

But despite the shrinking concern, the ecological bill of climate change is growing globally.

A study by the Institute for Economics and Peace of 228 countries and territories found that 750 million people globally are now affected by undernourishment and climate change as well as rising inflation, and Russia's war in Ukraine will exacerbate food insecurity in the future.

More than 1.4 billion people in 83 countries face extreme "water stress", where more than 20% of the population do not have access to clean drinking water, the study showed.

Several European countries are expected to experience critical clean water shortages by 2040, including Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, and Portugal, the report found, which will also hit most of the sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and North Africa.

Annually, air pollution has cost the world $8.1 trillion, or 6.1% of global gross domestic product, causing between 6 to 9 million death, the study showed, adding that the average global cost of natural disasters reached $200 billion annually, four times higher than in the 1980s.

"Negotiators at COP27 need to consider the ways in which climate change is exacerbating the impacts of ecological threats ... and how the international community can mitigate them," Steve Killelea, the founder of the Sydney-based institute, said.

(Reporting by Riham Alkousaa; Editing by Nick Macfie)

NJ sues oil, gas companies, alleging they deceived public over climate change



Scott Fallon, NorthJersey.com
Tue, October 18, 2022 at 3:35 PM·4 min read

Gov. Phil Murphy's administration sued five fossil fuel companies and their trade group Tuesday for "systematically concealing" information that the burning of oil and gas has contributed to a warming planet and more intense storms that have hammered New Jersey in recent years.

The lawsuit, filed in Mercer County, alleges that Exxon Mobil, Shell Oil, Chevron, BP, ConocoPhillips and the American Petroleum Institute have known for decades that fossil fuels are a major cause of climate change.

But instead of warning the public, they waged a public relations campaign to sow doubt "with the goal of confusing the public, delaying the transition to a lower carbon economy and future, increasing their own profits, and further deepening dependence on their products," according to the lawsuit.

'Clock is ticking':NJ moves toward divesting its pension fund from fossil fuel companies

Scott Lauermann, a spokesman for the American Petroleum Insititute, did not address any of the allegations.

“The record of the past two decades demonstrates that the industry has achieved its goal of providing affordable, reliable American energy to U.S. consumers while substantially reducing emissions and our environmental footprint," he said in a statement.

Global carbon dioxide emissions have increased by about 90% since 1970, with emissions from fossil fuel combustion and industry contributing about 78% of the total greenhouse gas emissions increase from 1970 to 2011, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The lawsuit comes just weeks before the 10th anniversary of Superstorm Sandy, whose record storm surge devastated the Jersey Shore and many riverfront communities in North Jersey, including Little Ferry, Moonachie and Hoboken.

It was announced at a news conference at Liberty State Park in Jersey City, which was inundated with Sandy floodwaters, by Attorney General Matthew Platkin; Shawn LaTourette, commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection; andCari Fais, acting director of the Division of Consumer Affairs.

New Jersey joins a number of cities and states that have filed similar lawsuits against fossil fuel companies in recent years, including Delaware, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

The overwhelming majority of scientists, peer-reviewed studies and government agencies have shown that the planet is warming due in large part to human activity. Burning fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas and gasoline has increased the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, preventing heat from escaping into space.

Scientists for fossil fuel companies have known for decades that carbon dioxide produced by their products could affect global climate, news reports have shown.

Mike Kelly:As Ian looms, are NY, NJ losing the battle against climate change? — Mike Kelly

"The industry took these internal scientific findings seriously, investing heavily to protect its own assets and infrastructure from rising seas, stronger storms, and other climate change impacts," New Jersey's lawsuit reads. "But rather than warn consumers and the public, fossil fuel companies and their surrogates mounted a disinformation campaign to discredit the scientific consensus on climate change."

New Jersey has experienced an increase in temperature of at least 3 degrees Fahrenheit over the past century, according to scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. All of New Jersey's 10 warmest years have come since 1990.

While scientists cannot say climate change is the root cause for a single weather event such as Sandy, they say a warming ocean will create more intense and frequent storms with damaging wind, larger volumes of rain and more potent storm surges. New Jersey was hit by Tropical Storms Fay and Isaias in 2020 and Henri and Ida in 2021, the latter of which killed 30 people.

More:Bergen County teens hopeful yet worried as they educate others on climate change

The lawsuit is seeking a yet-to-be-determined amount in natural resource damages for the loss of wetlands in New Jersey, saying taxpayers should not pay to protect communities from climate-related harms.

Platkin likened the lawsuit to others brought by states against tobacco and opioid manufacturers that brought back hundreds of millions of dollars. "We’re suing the largest companies in the world, and the damages are going to be significant," he said.

Some Republican lawmakers and business groups criticized the move saying it will hurt consumers. Advocates say it will help speed the transition to renewable energy like solar and wind.

"Climate change is an important issue, but remedies require a unified national and international approach coupled with technological advancements from our business and manufacturing communities," said Ray Cantor, an executive at the New Jersey Business and Industry Association.

The Murphy administration is not the first New Jersey entity to make this move. Two years ago, Hoboken sued Exxon Mobil, the American Petroleum Institute and others over climate change damage, saying the entities had engaged in a "decades-long campaign of misinformation related to climate change and its devastating impact" on the city.

Tuesday's legal action coincides with a push by the Democratic-controlled Legislature to pull investments made with New Jersey's $92 billion pension fund from fossil fuel companies. Divest NJ, a group advocating for the measure, estimates that those investments are worth $3 million to $4 million based on documents it has obtained.

This story will be updated.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ sues oil, gas industry, alleging climate change deceit

New Jersey sues five oil companies, trade group for allegedly concealing role in climate change

   

Zack Budryk
Tue, October 18, 2022 at 2:33 PM·3 min read

New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin (D) on Tuesday announced a lawsuit against five fossil fuel companies and the American Petroleum Institute (API), alleging they misled the public on their products’ role in climate change.

In the lawsuit, Platkin and the state Department of Environmental Protection and Division of Consumer Affairs alleged Chevron, Exxon Mobil, BP, ConocoPhillips, Shell and API “systematically” concealed and denied knowledge of fossil fuels’ role in climate change. The lawsuit further accuses the defendants of mounting public relations campaigns to cast doubt on the facts of climate change despite their knowledge of the industry’s contributions to it.

The lawsuit cites documented instances of implied knowledge of climate change by the defendants dating back decades, such as investments in raised oil platforms to account for sea-level rise and a 1973 Exxon patent for a cargo ship that could break through sea ice. Even further back, the plaintiffs allege, the company that would eventually become ConocoPhillips obtained a patent in 1966 for an early form of carbon sequestration technology.

Emissions from greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, are the predominant driver of climate change.

The plaintiffs further accuse the defendants of ongoing greenwashing, or misrepresenting the environmental benefits of their products and services, despite an analysis indicating that between 2010 and 2018, none of the companies spent more than 2.3 percent of total capital on low-carbon energy.

“Based on their own research, these companies understood decades ago that their products were causing climate change and would have devastating environmental impacts down the road,” Platkin said in a statement. “They went to great lengths to hide the truth and mislead the people of New Jersey, and the world. In short, these companies put their profits ahead of our safety. It’s long overdue that the facts be aired in a New Jersey court, and the perpetrators of the disinformation campaign pay for the harms they’ve caused.”

Reached for comment, an API spokesperson told The Hill, “The record of the past two decades demonstrates that the industry has achieved its goal of providing affordable, reliable American energy to U.S. consumers while substantially reducing emissions and our environmental footprint. Any suggestion to the contrary is false.”

Chevron counsel Theodore J. Boutrous Jr., of Gibson, Dunn, and Crutcher said in a statement to The Hill called the complaint “a special-interest lawsuit asking the Superior Court of New Jersey to punish a select group of energy companies for a problem that is the result of worldwide conduct stretching back to the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.”

“These suits serve only to divert attention and resources away from the collaborative, international efforts that are critical to developing a meaningful solution to climate change,” the spokesperson added.

An Exxon Mobil spokesperson, meanwhile, told The Hill, “Legal proceedings like this waste millions of dollars of taxpayer money and do nothing to advance meaningful actions that reduce the risks of climate change. Exxon Mobil will continue to invest in efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while meeting society’s growing demand for energy.”

A ConocoPhillips spokesperson told The Hill the company does not comment on ongoing litigation. The Hill has also reached out to BP and Shell for comment.

 The Hill.

SUPER IMPERIALI$M

‘Bad situation’: Soaring US dollar spreads pain worldwide

2/15

Strong Dollar Global Impact 

Workers gather as they wait for customers outside a secondhand car parts shop in the industrial area of the capital Nairobi, Kenya, Friday, Oct. 7, 2022. In a gritty neighborhood of Nairobi known for fixing cars and selling auto parts, businesses are struggling and customers are unhappy.

 (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

PAUL WISEMAN, KELVIN CHAN, SAMY MAGDY and AYSE WIETING
Mon, October 17, 2022 

The cost of living in Cairo has soared so much that security guard Mustafa Gamal had to send his wife and year-old daughter to live with his parents in a village 70 miles south of the Egyptian capital to save money.

Gamal, 28, stayed behind, working two jobs, sharing an apartment with other young people and eliminating meat from his diet. “The prices of everything have been doubled," he said. "There was no alternative.''

Around the world, people are sharing Gamal's pain and frustration. An auto parts dealer in Nairobi, a seller of baby clothes in Istanbul and a wine importer in Manchester, England, have the same complaint: A surging U.S. dollar makes their local currencies weaker, contributing to skyrocketing prices for everyday goods and services. This is compounding financial distress at a time when families are already facing food and energy crunches tied to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

“A strong dollar makes a bad situation worse in the rest of the world,’’ says Eswar Prasad, a professor of trade policy at Cornell University. Many economists worry that the sharp rise of the dollar is increasing the likelihood of a global recession sometime next year.

The dollar is up 18% this year and last month hit a 20-year high, according to the benchmark ICE U.S. Dollar Index, which measures the dollar against a basket of key currencies.

The reasons for the dollar’s rise are no mystery. To combat soaring U.S. inflation, the Federal Reserve has raised its benchmark short-term interest rate five times this year and is signaling more hikes are likely. That has led to higher rates on a wide range of U.S. government and corporate bonds, luring investors and driving up the U.S. currency.

Most other currencies are much weaker by comparison, especially in poor countries. The Indian rupee has dropped nearly 10% this year against the dollar, the Egyptian pound 20%, the Turkish lira an astounding 28%.

Celal Kaleli, 60, sells infant clothing and diaper bags in Istanbul. Because he needs more lira to buy imported zippers and liners priced in dollars, he has to raise prices for the Turkish customers who struggle to pay him in the much-diminished local currency.

“We’re waiting for the new year," he said. "We’ll look into our finances, and we’ll downsize accordingly. There’s nothing else we can do.''

Rich countries aren't immune. In Europe, which was already teetering toward recession amid soaring energy prices, one euro is worth less than a $1 for the first time in 20 years, and the British pound has plunged 18% from a year ago. The pound recently flirted with dollar parity after Britain's new prime minister, Liz Truss, announced huge tax cuts that roiled financial markets and led to the ouster of her Treasury secretary.

Ordinarily, countries could get some benefit from falling currencies because it makes their products cheaper and more competitive overseas. But at the moment, any gain from higher exports is muted because economic growth is sputtering almost everywhere.

A rising dollar is causing pain overseas in a number of ways:

— It makes other countries' imports more expensive, adding to existing inflationary pressures.

— It squeezes companies, consumers and governments that borrowed in dollars. That's because more local currency is needed to convert into dollars when making loan payments.

— It forces central banks in other countries to raise interest rates to try and prop up their currencies and keep money from fleeing their borders. But those higher rates also weaken economic growth and drive up unemployment.

Put simply: “The dollar’s appreciation is bad news for the global economy,’’ says Capital Economics’ Ariane Curtis. “It is another reason why we expect the global economy to fall into recession next year.’’

In a gritty neighborhood of Nairobi known for fixing cars and selling auto parts, businesses are struggling and customers unhappy. With the Kenyan shilling down 6% this year, the cost of fuel and imported spare parts is soaring so much that some people are choosing to ditch their cars and take public transportation.

“This has been the worst,” said Michael Gachie, purchasing manager with Shamas Auto Parts. “Customers are complaining a lot.’’

Gyrating currencies have caused economic pain around the world many times before. During the Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s, for instance, Indonesian companies borrowed heavily in dollars during boom times — then were wiped out when the Indonesian rupiah crashed against the dollar. A few years earlier, a plunging peso delivered similar pain to Mexican businesses and consumers.

The soaring dollar in 2022 is uniquely painful, however. It is adding to global inflationary pressures at a time when prices were already soaring. Disruptions to energy and agriculture markets caused by the Ukraine war magnified supply constraints stemming from the COVID-19 recession and recovery.

In Manila, Raymond Manaog, 29, who drives the colorful Philippine mini-bus known as a jeepney, complains that inflation — and especially the rising price of diesel — is forcing him to work more to get by.

“What we have to do to earn enough for our daily expenses," he said. “If before we traveled our routes five times, now we do it six times.”

In the Indian capital New Delhi, Ravindra Mehta has thrived for decades as a broker for American almond and pistachio exporters. But a record drop in the rupee — on top of higher raw material and shipping costs — has made the nuts much costlier for Indian consumers.

In August, India imported 400 containers of almonds, down from 1,250 containers a year earlier, Mehta said.

“If the consumer is not buying, it affects the entire supply chain, including people like me,’’ he said.

Kingsland Drinks, one of the United Kingdom’s biggest wine bottlers, was already getting squeezed by higher costs for shipping containers, bottles, caps and energy. Now, the rocketing dollar is driving up the price of the wine it buys from vineyards in the United States — and even from Chile and Argentina, which like many countries rely on the dollar for global trade.

Kingsland has offset some of its currency costs by taking out contracts to buy dollars at a fixed price. But at some point, “those hedges run out and you have to reflect the reality of a weaker sterling against the U.S. dollar,” said Ed Baker, the company's managing director.

Translation: Soon customers will just have to pay more for their wine.

____

Wiseman reported from Washington, Chan from London, Magdy from Cairo and Wieting from Istanbul. Cara Anna and Desmond Tiro in Nairobi; Mehmet Guzel in Istanbul; Krutika Pathi in New Delhi; and Joeal Calupitan in Manila contributed to this story.

Chapter 12: "Necessity" of Imperialism, and "Ultra-imperialism"

1. Ultra-Imperialism | libcom.org

   https://libcom.org/library/ultra-imperialism-kautsky

   7/24/2005 · Karl Kautsky - Ultra-imperialism 'The article below was complete several weeks before the outbreak of the War It was intended for out number which was to have greeted the planned Congress of the International. Like so much else this Congress has been brought to nothing by the events of the last days. Yet although purely theoretical in nature ...

2. 1. Karl Kautsky - The Platypus Affiliated Society

      https://platypus1917.org/.../kautskykarl_ultraimperialism1914_NLR05… · PDF file

      Karl Kautsky 

India says Pernod delaying $244 million tax demand probe


Pernod Ricard's brand names are seen inside its India office in Gurugram


Tue, October 18, 2022 
By Abhirup Roy and Aditya Kalra

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Indian authorities have asked a court to quash Pernod Ricard's bid to halt proceedings related to a $244 million tax demand, accusing the French spirit giant of being a "habitual litigant" and conspiring to "defraud" the government, legal documents show.

The Oct. 3 Mumbai court filing by India's customs authority, which has not been reported previously, underlines the growing dispute between Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government and Pernod's local unit over how the company valued some of its imports for over a decade.

The customs authority says Pernod did so to evade full payment of import taxes.

The tussle comes when Pernod Ricard is facing business and regulatory stress in India, one of its key growth markets where it accounts for a 17% share. It has previously told Modi that long-running disputes over the valuation of liquor imports had "inhibited fresh investments" in India.

After India demanded back taxes from the maker of Chivas Regal and Absolut vodka in June, Pernod challenged it in court, saying the investigation should be put on hold as it relied on incorrect industry data, and the process was "neither fair nor reasonable."

In the 43-page October filing, India's customs authority said the French company was resorting to "delay tactics" by approaching a court for relief, instead of responding to the government's tax demand notice.

It accused the company of a conspiracy "to defraud the Govt. of India of its legitimate revenue."

Pernod has been "a habitual litigant and always attempts to abuse the due process of law," the filing added, referring to some previous tax demands Pernod challenged in India.

Asked for comment, Pernod referred Reuters to a previously issued statement, which said the company is actively working on demonstrating its position to Indian authorities and has "always endeavoured to act with full transparency and in compliance with customs and regulatory requirements."

It declined further comment due to ongoing litigation and because the filing by the customs authority wasn't public. The court case will next be heard on Oct. 20 in Mumbai.

The Indian investigation assessed Pernod India's import bills of liquor concentrates from a group subsidiary, UK-based Chivas Brothers, and found they were undervalued for years.

To compensate for the undervalued imports, Pernod paid "hefty" dividends to the group's holding company, Pernod Ricard in France, which also owns Chivas Brothers, the investigation found. Import duties on liquor concentrates are 150% while dividends attract lower taxes.

The long-standing tax disputes Pernod faces in India has led to business uncertainty - in July, the company wrote a letter to a federal tax authority saying the company was "facing significant business continuity challenges", asking for a resolution.

Last week, Pernod said its India CEO, Thibault Cuny, had stepped down due to health reasons.

(Reporting by Abhirup Roy in Mumbai and Aditya Kalra in New Delhi; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)

Explainer-What's driving Haiti's humanitarian crisis?


 Demonstrators block roads to protest fuel shortages, in Port-au-Prince

Tue, October 18, 2022 

(Reuters) - Haiti is facing a humanitarian crisis, with shortages of food, fuel and water causing catastrophic hunger, and the government pleading for military assistance from abroad.

WHAT IS CAUSING THE CRISIS?

The trigger for the current crisis is the blockade of a key fuel terminal by armed gangs that began in September. That has led to shortages of gasoline and diesel and halted most transport, in turn creating shortages of basic goods, including clean water.

WHO ARE THE GANGS LEADING THE BLOCKADE?

The blockade is being led by a coalition of gangs called G9, which controls areas in and around the capital Port-au-Prince. The group's leader, Jimmy "Barbecue" Cherizier, is a former police officer who has been the target of sanctions by the U.S. Treasury Department for his role in a 2018 massacre.


He and other gang leaders are considered the de facto authority in areas including Cite Soleil, a poor coastal town that has suffered brutal outbreaks of gang violence this year. It was also where the first cases were reported in an outbreak of cholera in October.

WHAT DO THE GANGS WANT?

The G9 on Sept. 12 dug trenches outside the main entrance of the Varreux fuel terminal to protest an announcement by Prime Minister Ariel Henry that the government was cutting fuel subsidies. Barbecue, who said higher fuel costs would harm the Haitian people, appeared in October in an online video at the entrance to the terminal demanding that Henry resign.

WHY ARE THE GANGS SO POWERFUL?

Haitian gangs have expanded their control over the country's territory since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise.

The killing, which involved Colombian mercenaries, created a political power vacuum. Henry has governed on an interim basis since, even though the constitution calls for both a president and prime minister.

Haiti was already in political crisis before the assassination, having failed to hold scheduled elections in 2019. It no longer has a functioning parliament because the terms of lawmakers have expired, but few believe an election can be held under the current circumstances.

WHAT HAS BEEN THE IMPACT OF THE BLOCKADE?

The fuel shortages have halted most economic activities.

Hospitals have either shut their doors or curtailed their operations because they cannot power diesel generators, which are necessary to maintain stable electricity in Haiti because the power grid is unreliable.

The United Nations says Haiti is witnessing catastrophic hunger, with more than 4 million Haitians facing acute food insecurity.

Civil unrest is on the rise, and anti-government protests have at times devolved into looting. Haitians report increased incidence of gun battles in residential areas that are waged between rival gangs or with police.

The gangs are using sexual violence, including against children and the elderly, in order to instill fear in the local population, the United Nations said.

HOW HAS THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY REACTED?

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has proposed a "rapid action force" to confront the gangs and reopen the terminal, while the United States and Mexico have proposed a security mission that would be led by an unnamed "partner country."

That came after Haiti asked for international military assistance.

Allies including Canada and the United States have promised to provide security assistance to Haiti, but have not offered to send troops. The Bahamas has said it would send troops if asked to do so.

Most countries appear wary of military involvement.

A U.N. stabilization force that operated in Haiti between 2004 and 2017 faced intense criticism, including over its role in a deadly cholera outbreak.

(Reporting by Harold Isaac in Port-au-Prince and Brian Ellsworth in Miami, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)

Retired military officials are finding high-paying jobs with the Saudi government and can make up up to 7-figure salaries working for other foreign governments: WaPo


Lloyd Lee
Tue, October 18, 2022 

Michael Flynn testifying on Capitol Hill on February 11, 2014.

 Flynn was one of hundreds of retired military personnel who 

took jobs from foreign governments.

Lauren Victoria Burke/AP

Hundreds of retired military officials took jobs in foreign governments since 2015, per WaPo report.

They often accept highly lucrative positions that pay up to seven figures in salary and benefits.

Some of the countries these veterans work for have committed human rights violations, per WaPo.

Hundreds of retired military officials took high-paying jobs in foreign governments, at times making up to seven figures in salary and benefits, despite how some of the countries have been accused of human rights violations, according to a report.

A new investigation by The Washington Post found that more than 500 retired military personnel have taken jobs with foreign governments since 2015, and a majority of the positions were located in North Africa or the Middle East, including consulting jobs for Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Defense.


The jobs are also highly lucrative, The Post found through a Freedom of Information Act request.

Australia's government, for example, offered former senior US Navy officials more than $10 million for consulting deals. In Azerbaijan, one retired US Air Force general was offered a consulting job with a pay of $5,000 a day.

In comparison, an active four-star general with more than two decades of experience receives up to $203,698 a year in basic pay, according to The Post.

Saudi Arabia, which has been repeatedly accused of human rights violations, has hired at least 15 retired US generals and admirals as consultants for the country's Defense Ministry, The Post reported.

One former Navy Seal was hired as a special operations advisor for $258,000 a year.

Saudi Arabia's offense against outside dissenters also has not stopped US military officers from taking work from the country.

In 2018, Jamal Khashoggi, a columnist for The Post, was killed inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. The country's officials later admitted that Saudi agents carried out a "rogue operation" without the knowledge of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. However, the CIA determined that the crown prince ordered the assassination.

Still, dozens of military personnel have accepted jobs contracted from Saudi Arabia since Khashoggi's killing.

Retired general James L. Jones, who served as national security advisor during the Obama administration, has two Virginia-based consulting firms — Ironhand Security LLC and Jones Group International LLC — that have contracts with Saudi Arabia.

In an interview with The Post, Jones said that he was encouraged by the Trump administration to accept more contracts from the country's Defense Ministry. According to Jones, his companies have four such contracts, with 53 US citizens in Riyadh. Eight are retired generals and admirals, and 32 are former lower-ranking military personnel, The Post reported.

"Nobody ever came to us and said, 'Hey, we think you ought to pull out,'" Jones told The Post. "I don't know what the alternative would have been if we had pulled away. I was worried that (the Saudis) would possibly drift off to other relationships with the Chinese and the Russians, and I didn't think that would be very good."

Charles Wald, a retired four-star Air Force general, who accepted a job to work in Riyadh for one of Jones' firms said there was considerable debate on whether to stop working for Saudi Arabi after Khashoggi's killing.

"We asked ourselves, are we basically turning a blind eye toward immorality? Or supporting a legitimate government," Wald told The Post. The firm decided to stay.

Other military personnel has taken jobs in Indonesia or the United Arab Emirates.

Under the Emoluments Clause Restrictions, the Consitution states that retired US military personnel, which generally applies to those who served at least 20 years in uniform and are eligible to receive a pension, cannot receive consulting fees, gifts, jobs, or titles from foreign governments without expressed approval from Congress.

The Post found however that approval is almost always granted. Out of the 500 requests since 2015, about 95% were approved. The Post also reported that some people negotiated jobs with foreign governments during active service.

There is no penalty for violating the law and enforcement is rare, according to the publication.

One of the more prolific cases of a former US military officer being penalized for accepting fees from a foreign government was Michael Flynn, the former national security advisor to Donald Trump.

An investigation by the Defense Department found that Flynn received about $450,000 from Russian and Turkish sources in 2015, a year after he retired from the Army, according to The Post.

Flynn pled guilty in December 2017 for lying to the FBI about his ties to a Russian ambassador. Trump pardoned Flynn in November 2020.

CHILD BRIDES OK IN U$A
Idaho Supreme Court won't weigh legality of child marriage

Erin Carver stands outside her attorney's office in Boise, Idaho, Monday, Feb. 28, 2022. A legal loophole that allows parents of teens to nullify child custody agreements by arranging child marriages will remain in effect under a ruling from the Idaho Supreme Court on Tuesday, Oct. 18. The case arose from a custody battle between Carver and her ex-husband, William Hornish, who planned to move to Florida and wanted to take their 16-year-old daughter along. Hornish was accused of setting up a “sham marriage” between his daughter and another teen as a way to end the custody fight.

AP Photo/Rebecca Boone

REBECCA BOONE
Tue, October 18, 2022

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A legal loophole in Idaho that allows parents of teens to nullify child custody agreements by arranging child marriages will remain in effect, under a ruling from the state Supreme Court on Tuesday.

In a split decision, the high court declined to decide whether Idaho's child marriage law — which allows 16- and 17-year-olds to marry if one parent agrees to the union — is unconstitutional. Instead, the justices said that once a child is emancipated by marriage, the family court loses jurisdiction over custody matters.

The case arose from a custody battle between a Boise woman and her ex-husband, who planned to move to Florida and wanted to take their 16-year-old daughter along. The ex-husband was accused of setting up a “sham marriage” between his daughter and another teen as a way to end the custody fight.

It's not a rare scenario — all but seven states allow minors below the age of 18 to marry, according to Unchained At Last, an organization that opposes child marriage. Nevada, Idaho, Arkansas and Kentucky have the highest rates of child marriage per capita, according to the organization. Although minors are generally considered legally emancipated once they are married, they generally still have limited legal rights and so may be unable to file for divorce or seek a protective order.


Erin Carver and William Hornish divorced in 2012, and only their youngest was still living at home last year when both sides began disputing the custody arrangements.

Carver said she learned Hornish was planning a “sham marriage” for the teen to end the custody battle, and asked the family court magistrate to stop the marriage plans. Several days later, the magistrate judge agreed, but it was too late. The teen had already married.

The high court heard arguments in March, and Carver's attorney contended that the child marriage law is unconstitutional because it allows one parent to terminate another parent's rights without due process. Hornish's attorney, Geoffrey Goss, countered that his client had acted legally and followed state law.

In Tuesday's ruling, a majority of the Supreme Court justices said that because the marriage had occurred before an initial ruling was made, the family court lost jurisdiction. Once a child is married, they are emancipated and no longer subject to child custody arrangements, the high court said.

The justices also declined to weigh whether the law is legal under the state constitution, saying in part that neither side provided enough legal arguments on the matter. The high court did find, however, that the law was not clearly unconstitutional.

Justices Gregory Moeller and John Stegner dissented from the majority opinion, finding that the lower court could have done more to “address the outrageous actions of a father,” by making the initial order retroactive. That would have allowed Carver to seek an annulment of the marriage as the custodial parent.

“Father has not only made a mockery of our marriage laws, he has also exposed his 16-year-old Daughter to the potential life altering consequences of an ill-conceived and hasty marriage of convenience,” Moeller wrote in the dissent.

The Associated Press could not find contact information for Hornish, and his attorneys did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Neither Carver nor her attorney immediately responded to a request for comment.

Other Idaho families have been watching the case closely.

Ryan Small, a Boise man who has been embroiled in a similar custody battle, said he was disappointed by the ruling. Small was trying to keep his ex-wife from moving out of state with their son last winter when he learned the 16-year-old boy had been secretly married off to another teen with his mother's permission.

Small hasn't seen the teen since Nov. 15, 2021, and because the boy is considered self-emancipated, Small has little ability to track him down or bring him back to Idaho.

“I am disappointed that the Supreme Court decided to punt the issue of the constitutionality of the law,” Small said on Tuesday. “The role of a parent is to protect their child, and the court not taking up the constitutionality of the law will allow abusive parents to use their children as pawns to sidestep the protection of the court.”

'Powerful explosions' behind Nord Stream leaks, Danish police say


Nord Stream gas leak

Tue, October 18, 2022 
By Stine Jacobsen

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - A preliminary investigation of damages to the two Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Danish part of the Baltic Sea shows that the leaks were caused by "powerful explosions", Copenhagen Police said on Tuesday.

Swedish and Danish authorities are investigating four holes in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, which link Russia and Germany via the Baltic Sea and have become a flashpoint in the Ukraine crisis.

Further investigations into the Sept. 26 ruptures in Denmark's exclusive economic zone will be handled jointly by Copenhagen Police and the country's Security and Intelligence Service.

World leaders have called the damages an act of sabotage but it still remains unclear who might be behind the detonations.

The Danish findings appeared to be similar to those of Swedish prosecutors, who said two other holes in the pipelines also seemed to have been caused by explosions and that the case was being investigated as an act of gross sabotage.

A section measuring at least 50 metres (164 feet) is missing from the ruptured Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline, Swedish daily Expressen reported on Tuesday after filming what it said were the first publicly released images of the damage.

Reuters could not independently verify that the images published by the newspaper were of Nord Stream 1.

Seismologists in Denmark have previously said they had registered tremors in the vicinity of the leaks measuring as much as 2.3 on the Richter scale and that the signals did not resemble those from earthquakes.

Danish police could not say when the investigation is expected to be concluded.

"It is still too early to say anything about the framework under which the international cooperation with e.g. Sweden and Germany will run, as it depends on several factors," Copenhagen Police said in a statement.

(Reporting by Stine Jacobsen, editing by Terje Solsvik and Ed Osmond)