Russian oligarch's superyacht seized in Fiji three years ago to be auctioned in US
The 348-foot (106m) Amadea has a helipad, pool, jacuzzi, gym, spa, beauty salon, and eight staterooms that can accommodate 16 guests, according to amadeaauction.com.
The yacht, which has been
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NZ Herald
19 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Clown mask-wearing fugitive identified as suspect in German family murder
Meisner's body was found 600m away from the crime scene, partially underwater in a river, this week, bringing to an end a four-month-long manhunt. A firearm, possibly used to commit the murders, was found next to Meisner's remains. Detectives said that because the body was badly decomposed, the cause and exact time of death can no longer be determined. Police do not yet know if Meisner took his own life, died from injuries sustained during the crime, or whether there was another cause of death. But they do believe they have their killer. Meisner, who has been nicknamed the 'Westerwald Killer' by the German press, was believed to have fled through a window and was the focus of an international manhunt for nearly four months. Videos on social media of Meisner show him maniacally laughing behind a clown mask in a video posted online on April 26, nearly three weeks after the murders. Another video posted the same day shows him stripped to his underwear and pouring buckets of ice water over his head. It is unclear whether the TikTok account was run by Meisner himself or posted on his behalf. Meisner, a father of five, had previously spent time in prison after headbutting and stabbing his ex-wife. Overwhelming evidence points to Meisner A spokesman for Koblenz Police said: 'Since the overwhelming evidence clearly points to the person who has been sought for months as the perpetrator, and there are no indications of other perpetrators, the investigation comes to an end with the death of the only possible suspect.' Mario Mannweiler, senior public prosecutor, added: 'The fact that the whereabouts of the suspected perpetrator remained unknown for months has troubled us. 'The fact that the suspect is no longer alive was an obvious option for many reasons, but without a body, other options had to be pursued. In any case, I'm relieved that this has now come to an end.' The body was found on swampy farmland between Weitefeld and Neunkhausen in Altenkirchen, a west German district near the city of Cologne. Police had issued an arrest warrant for Meisner with a reward of up to €10,000 leading to his capture. Interpol confirmed that a Red Notice had been issued for his arrest after a request by German authorities. The notice listed his place of birth as Nowokusminka in Kazakhstan. Koblenz Police issued an arrest warrant for Meisner along with a reward of up to €10,000 ($19.5k) leading to his capture. Photo / Supplied A physical description issued by authorities described Meisner as 5ft 7in tall, weighing 75kg, of Kazakh descent, with blue-grey eyes, brown hair, scarring on his arms and face, and a tattoo on the back of his left hand that spells 'Katja' in Russian. In 2011, Meisner was sentenced to four years and nine months in prison after attempting to murder his ex-wife, Theresa. According to reports, during a heated argument 14 years ago, he headbutted her, then pulled a knife from the knife block and stabbed her in the back. Meisner is said to have run into a shed to grab a second knife and resume the attack, but was stopped by one of his sons. Asked neighbour if he could lick her Theresa managed to escape with non-life-threatening injuries. His mother, Alwina, 82, who lives in a neighbouring town to Weitefeld, said in an interview three days after the attack that her son had likely gone to ground nearby. She told Bild newspaper: 'Alexander built a house here, he has five children and ten grandchildren. He's been to prison before. I don't know what's going on in his mind. 'No, I won't let him in if he's standing at the door and ringing the bell. But I'm almost certain he's hiding somewhere nearby.' Melanie Hoechtlen, the suspect's 46-year-old neighbour, recounted being harassed by Meisner. She told Bild: 'I moved here with my husband in October 2023. I thought he deserved a second chance. He ambushed my dog and me on the path. Then he came close and asked if he could lick me. 'I reported him back then. He said he had been a lone fighter in his homeland of Kazakhstan and knew how to survive in the forest for weeks. I told the tip line that they should search the forest.' A tribute to the family published by relatives in a council newsletter in May reads: 'Incredibly incomprehensible, none of us can and will ever understand. Voices that were familiar to us are silent. 'The people who were always there are no longer here. What remains are happy memories that no one can take away from us. 'In the name of all members of the Sigismund family and the Schulze family. The funeral, with subsequent urn burials, took place in the presence of the closest family and friends.'
NZ Herald
21 hours ago
- NZ Herald
US ties with India trampled as Trump hunts goal of ending Russia's war in Ukraine
This week, Trump seemed ready to ditch that relationship. He doubled already hefty tariffs on Indian exports to the US for its steadfast refusal to stop buying oil from Russia, in an effort to pressure Russia to end the war. Trump has accused India of helping Russia finance its war on Ukraine through oil purchases; India has said it needs cheap oil to meet the energy needs of its fast-growing economy. India called the additional tariffs 'unfair, unjustified, and unreasonable', pointing out that it was being punished for doing something — buying Russian oil at a discounted price — that other nations have done, although it didn't mention names. China is the largest buyer of Russian oil, and Turkey has also deepened its energy links with Russia since the start of the war in Ukraine, without incurring similar penalties. Analysts said Trump's pressure tactics could damage the long-standing ties between India and the US. 'We are better off together than apart,' said Atul Keshap, a retired US diplomat and president of the US-India Business Council. 'The partnership forged by our elected leaders over the past 25 years is worth preserving and has achieved considerable mutual prosperity and advanced our shared strategic interests.' It's difficult to quantify what exactly America would lose if its relationship with India cools. India is a valuable strategic partner for the US, acting as a counterweight to China. It is also important to many American companies, including Apple, which has shifted some manufacturing of its products to India from China. Ajay Srivastava, a former trade official at the Global Trade Research Initiative, a New Delhi-based think-tank, said the US action 'will push India to reconsider its strategic alignment, deepening ties with Russia, China, and many other countries'. India and the US, with Japan and Australia, are part of a diplomatic partnership called the Quad, set up largely to counter China's growing influence in the Indo-Pacific region. India is planning to host the Quad Leaders' Summit later this year. Trump was expected to attend, although it's now unclear if he will. For India, the costs of a damaged relationship may prove to be higher. Trump's move puts Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a bind. Russia is the source of 45% of its oil imports. If India stops buying Russian oil, accepting higher prices for consumers and domestic manufacturing, it would be politically damaging for Modi's Government. If it ignores Trump's threat and continues buying Russian oil, the hit to India's economy will be far costlier. The higher tariffs could cut India's more than US$86 billion in exports to the US by half, according to the Global Trade Research Initiative, an Indian research group. The US is India's biggest trading partner, and exports account for nearly 20% of India's economy. India ranks only 10th among American trade partners in goods. India has also come to value American backing for its bid to be recognised as a global superpower. Modi has touted his relationship with Trump, courting the US President during his first term in office and calling him a 'true friend'. But that friendship, as many American allies have learned, may mean little when Trump's own priorities are at stake. US President Donald Trump is open to meeting Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the White House said yesterday. Photo / Olga Maltseva, Brendan Smialowski, Frederick Florin / AFP In recent weeks, Trump announced that he had struck deals with Japan, South Korea and the European Union, but even after months of negotiation, India had not reached an agreement. India was reluctant to make concessions on politically sensitive sectors like dairy and agriculture. India also publicly denied Trump's repeated claims that he helped broker a ceasefire between India and Pakistan after a brief, four-day conflict between the two neighbours in May. India has maintained that the ceasefire was negotiated bilaterally with Pakistan, and Indian leaders bristled at Trump's willingness to insert himself into that bitter rivalry. It is not yet clear whether the punitive tariffs Trump has threatened will ever take effect. In the executive order he issued, Trump said the tariffs would be implemented within a month, but he could modify the order if circumstances changed. The order included a provision that the US would look at other countries' purchases of Russian oil as well. So far, there is no indication that Trump intends to take a similar approach to China. Chinese and US officials are in the middle of sensitive negotiations about potential trade agreements after an initial round of retaliatory tariffs threatened to destabilise the global economy. With his tariff moves against India, Trump is keeping his eye on big strategic goals — a deal with China and keeping the pressure on Moscow before a potential meeting with the leaders of Russia and Ukraine, which he disclosed yesterday. Far from being 'a dead economy', as Trump called it, India is the fastest-growing large economy in the world. But its place on the President's list of priorities may be much less certain. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. Written by: Anupreeta Das Photograph by: Saumya Khandelwal ©2025 THE NEW YORK TIMES
NZ Herald
a day ago
- NZ Herald
America's punishing new tariffs now operational on more than 90 countries
Trump's tariffs have indeed helped generate money — roughly US$152 billion ($255b) in customs collections through July, recent data show — but his policies have not been without consequence. A growing number of businesses have warned recently that they may no longer be able to stomach the rising costs of key foreign components. As a result, prices have started to climb. The latest monthly measure of inflation showed that appliances, clothing and furnishings became more expensive in June. The economy has grown but at an anaemic pace, and some analysts predict little improvement through the remainder of the year. The labour market has experienced its own strains, with hiring sharply slowing in July. Olu Sonola, the head of US economic research at Fitch Ratings, said the economy was just 'starting to see' the effects of the tariffs that Trump announced in the northern spring, adding that with Trump's newest duties now in place, Americans would 'see that magnified' in coming months. The tariffs start at 15%, targeting imports from countries including Bolivia, Ecuador, Iceland, and Nigeria. Others, like Taiwan, have a 20% tax applied to items sold to US buyers. Trump also imposed a much higher 50% tariff on some goods from Brazil. He has cast it as punishment for Brazil's decision to prosecute his political ally Jair Bolsonaro, the country's former president, for seeking to stay in power after losing an election. And today, Trump said he would raise tariffs on India to 50% by late August for buying Russian oil. The President has signalled he could impose similar penalties on other countries, as he looks for ways to use trade policy to pressure Russia into halting its war against Ukraine. In general, the duties do not apply to foreign goods that have been loaded onto ships just before the deadline. Those products in transit won't be subject to new taxes so long as they enter the US before early October, perhaps opening the door for importers to amass more inventory before the steepest rates cut into their bottom lines. Many smaller countries' exports have faced 10% tariffs since the President first announced, then suspended, his initial tranche of policies in April. Others have staved off eye-watering rates after brokering deals with the US that set their tariffs generally between 15% and 20%. That includes the 27-member EU, as well as Japan, South Korea and Vietnam. Each of those governments promised to open its market to US goods, and in some cases they pledged to invest billions of dollars in American industries. But the exact terms of those deals remain murky. Separately, Trump imposed a 35% tariff on goods from Canada not covered by the existing US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement. The Canadian levies took effect on Friday. Similarly high rates have been suspended for Mexico while the two sides keep talking. And duties on Chinese goods remain at 30% under an agreement brokered between the superpowers this year, though the truce is set to expire on Tuesday. The rates that took effect today are unlikely to be the final chapter in Trump's expanding trade war, which faces a series of legal challenges in federal courts. He still plans to impose additional tariffs on foreign-made medicines, computer chips, and other products. Trump said the forthcoming tariffs on semiconductors, which have not been formally announced, would be set at 100%. The President shared his thinking at a White House event alongside Tim Cook, the chief executive of Apple, which had pledged to invest an additional US$100b in the US. Trump signalled that the taxes may be relaxed on companies seeking to produce more of the critical high-tech chips domestically. Tim Cook, chief executive officer of Apple Inc., in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, today. Photo / Getty Images The President also dismissed evidence that his policies may be upsetting the US economy, claiming instead that 'costs are way down' and that the country would experience 'unprecedented' growth. He previously insisted that foreigners were bearing the brunt of his tariffs, and he moved last week to fire the top official who oversees the government's jobs report, claiming without evidence that its data had been rigged to harm him politically. The President's new tariffs send the average US effective tariff rate to above 18%, the highest level since 1934, according to the Budget Lab at Yale University. For American households, those duties may add up to price increases, resulting in an average annual loss of US$2400, the Yale research centre found. And for the broader economy, it could translate to a drop in output, shaving off half a percentage point in growth starting in 2025. Mark Zandi, chief economist for Moody's Analytics, said the tariffs threatened to create an environment that was 'very stagflation-esque', referring to the risk of a stagnant economy with inflationary prices. That, he said, would add to the challenge facing the Federal Reserve at a time when Trump is demanding lower interest rates. 'Growth is slowing,' Zandi said. 'It's happening, and it's going to become much more obvious.' So far, the US economy has sidestepped the most dire predictions of a recession. But many experts say it was always going to be a matter of time before tariffs unleashed real, noticeable effects, especially because many businesses stockpiled imports before the steepest rates took effect. Matthew Martin, a senior economist at Oxford Economics, said businesses had worked their way through those inventories since the President announced, but quickly suspended, his original slate of steep tariffs in April. With tariffs climbing again, Marin continued, so will prices: 'That is something that's going to accelerate over the next couple months'. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. Written by: Tony Romm ©2025 THE NEW YORK TIMES
