United Airlines reached an out-of-court settlement Thursday with a doctor who was dragged off one of its flights after he refused to give up his seat. The airline and Dr. David Dao’s lawyers agreed not to disclose the amount of money he will receive. United put out a brief statement saying it reached an “amicable resolution of the unfortunate incident.” United changes policy The airline said earlier Thursday that from now on, no passenger would be forced to give up his seat except in cases of safety and security. Those who volunteer to surrender their seats when a flight is overbooked would get up to $10,000 in compensation. “Every customer deserves to be treated with the highest levels of service and the deepest sense of dignity and respect,” United chief Oscar Munoz said. “Two weeks ago, we failed to meet that standard and we profoundly apologize.” Chicago aviation police dragged Dao up the aisle of the packed plane when United needed to make room for airline employees. Three other passengers volunteered to give up their seats, but Dao was picked out at random and refused to leave, saying he had to get home to treat patients. Congress gets involved His nose was broken, some teeth were knocked out, and he suffered a concussion. Cellphone video captured the scene. Dao, with blood streaming down his face, could be heard screaming with other shocked passengers. The incident prompted calls in Congress to bring back government airline regulation. Some lawmakers demanded outlawing the …
Investors Have High Hopes for Ghana, Says Finance Minister
Ghana’s finance minister says investors were optimistic in meetings with senior government officials who accompanied Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia to the World Bank spring meetings in Washington. In an interview with VOA, Ken Ofori-Atta said investors detected a new energy, and a sense of hope in a team that is focused on getting Ghana out of its current predicament. He also said that with a new government in place, the world is ready to see Ghana shine again in a much more stable West Africa. “We came in on a platform of change and real hope that we will revitalize the economy and create jobs and there would be growth,” Ofori-Atta said. “But we met some pretty difficult challenges with regards to fiscal deficit close to 9 percent, lots of unemployment, growth of 3.4 percent, which was very low, and the discovery of some 7 billion Cedis [$1.3 billion] arrears that we all did not know about. Foreign exchange was low, and you also had the exchange rate in a pretty difficult situation. So we had to contend with all of that since we came [to power].” But opposition groups say the new administration should get to work rather than complain about the state of affairs. They contend that Ghanaians displayed confidence in them by rejecting the previous government for failing to improve the lives of its citizens. Ofori-Atta said that in just over 100 days, the government outlined its plans to jump-start the economy in a budget, which was …
DNA From Dirt: Tracing Ancient Humans Found in ‘Empty’ Caves
No bones? No problem! Scientists say they’ve figured out a way to extract tiny traces of ancient human DNA from dirt in caves that lack skeletal remains. The technique could be valuable for reconstructing human evolutionary history, according to the study published Thursday in the journal Science. That’s because fossilized bones, currently the main source of ancient DNA, are scarce even at sites where circumstantial evidence points to a prehistoric human presence. “There are many caves where stone tools are found but no bones,” said Matthias Meyer, a geneticist at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, who co-authored the study. The researchers collected 85 sediment samples from seven caves in Europe and Russia that humans are known to have entered or even lived in between 14,000 and 550,000 years ago. By refining a method previously used to find plant and animal DNA, they were able to search specifically for genetic material belonging to ancient humans and other mammals. Scientists focused on mitochondrial DNA, which is passed down the maternal line, because it is particularly suited to telling apart closely related species. And by analyzing damaged molecules they were able to separate ancient genetic material from any contamination left behind by modern visitors The researchers found evidence of 12 mammal families including extinct species such as woolly mammoth, woolly rhinoceros, cave bear and cave hyena. By further enriching the samples for human-like DNA, however, the scientists were able to detect genetic traces of Denisovans — a mysterious …
Narrow Turkish Referendum Victory Reveals Economic Concerns
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s referendum victory to extend his powers was bittersweet. For the first time he lost in Turkey’s main cities, including Istanbul, which has been his electoral power base since 1994. In the aftermath of his narrow win he has ordered a party investigation into the vote. The drop in support coincides with an economic slowdown, an ominous sign given the president is facing crucial polls in two years. Erdogan’s unprecedented electoral successes were largely achieved in a period of economic boom, but those halcyon days appear to be waning. “Currently, inflation rate is at 11.3 percent and is expected to increase further to around 12 percent in the coming months,” observes Inan Demir, an economist for Nomura Bank, “It would constitute the highest inflation rate since before the global financial crisis in 2009. Also, unemployment is at multi-year highs. So we are talking about a significant jump in the inflation and unemployment rate.” The impact of the economic slowdown has been felt the most in western Turkey, where more than 70 percent of the country’s economic production is located, and most closely linked to European markets. The same region saw some of the biggest drops in support for the president in the referendum vote. While the Turkish economy is predicted to grow faster than that of Europe, it is still below the rate needed to absorb new entrants into the labor market. Disaffected youth A striking development of the referendum was the youth vote, …
NASA Craft Reaches Uncharted Territory Between Saturn, its Rings
NASA’s Cassini spacecraft sailed into uncharted territory Wednesday between the planet Saturn and the rings that encircle it, and emerged Thursday unscathed. The Cassini craft is the first and only spacecraft to ever venture into the gap between Saturn and its rings. It sent back its first signal early Thursday morning, about 20 hours after the crossing took place. “I am delighted to report that Cassini shot through the gap just as we planned and has come out the other side in excellent shape,” said Cassini project manager Earl Maize of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. Scientists lost contact with the ship during the passing because its antenna had to be shifted to protect the scientific equipment from potentially damaging material floating in Saturn’s rings. The rings of Saturn are made up of moving particles of ice and space debris. NASA scientists plan on performing 21 more crossings between now and September. The next scheduled crossing is set for May 2. Cassini has been orbiting Saturn since 2004, but it is running low on fuel, so scientists decided to conduct the ring crossings before the spacecraft becomes inoperable in the near future. …
Trump Agrees to ‘Renegotiate’ Trade Deal with Mexico, Canada
President Donald Trump says phone conversations Wednesday with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau persuaded him not to imminently withdraw the United States from their countries’ three-way trade pact. “They asked me to renegotiate. I will,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “I decided rather than terminating NAFTA, which would be a pretty big shock to the system, we will renegotiate.” Trump, sitting Thursday alongside Argentinian President Mauricio Macri, said, “I was going to terminate NAFTA as of two to three days from now.” But, he added, “If I’m unable to make a fair deal … for our workers and our companies, we will terminate NAFTA.” He reiterated his long-standing assertion that the 1994 trade agreement has been “very good for Canada. It has been very good for Mexico. But it has been horrible for the United States.” The U.S. president’s softening tone on what is perceived as America’s most crucial trade pact is being well-received. “I am relieved,” said Notre Dame University professor of finance Jeffrey Bergstrand, who notes trade agreements “not only lower tariffs, but create stability in the global value chain.” Trump has already withdrawn the United States from the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement negotiated by his predecessor, Barack Obama, although that deal had not been ratified by Congress. A Mexican government statement on Wednesday’s phone call between Trump and Pena Nieto stated the leaders agreed on the convenience of maintaining NAFTA and working with Canada to bring …
White House Backs Off as Lawmakers Work to Avert Shutdown
Lawmakers are nearing agreement on sweeping spending legislation to keep the lights on in government, after the White House backed off a threat to withhold payments that help lower-income Americans pay their medical bills. It was the latest concession by the White House, which had earlier dropped a demand for money for President Donald Trump’s border wall. Even with Republicans in control of both chambers of Congress and the White House, the Trump administration is learning that Democrats retain significant leverage when their votes are needed on must-pass legislation. A temporary funding bill expires Friday at midnight, and GOP leaders late Wednesday unveiled another short-term spending bill to prevent a government shutdown this weekend, something Republicans are determined to avoid. There appears little chance of that as lawmakers worked to resolve final stumbling blocks on issues like the environment, though a short-term extension of existing funding levels is likely. “The fundamental issue is keeping the government open, that’s our focus,” said Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., a top member of the vote-counting team in the House. At the same time, House Republicans had a breakthrough on their moribund health care legislation as a key group of conservatives, the House Freedom Caucus, announced it would support a revised version of the bill. Freedom Caucus opposition was a key ingredient in the legislation’s collapse a month ago, a humiliating episode for Republicans that called into question their ability to govern given that they’ve been promising for seven years …
«Газпром» збільшив суму вимог до «Нафтогазу» до 37 мільярдів доларів
Російський газовий монополіст «Газпром» збільшив суму вимог до Національної акціонерної компанії «Нафтогаз України» в арбітражі Стокгольма ще більш як на 5,3 мільярда доларів, до 37 мільярдів доларів. Це випливає зі поданого «Газпромом» звіту за міжнародними стандартами фінансової звітності, повідомляють російські інформагенції. Уточнена сума, як стверджує російська сторона, «включає вимоги з оплати заборгованості за поставлений в травні-червні 2014 року газ, оплату за зобов’язанням «бери або плати» за 2012–2016 роки та пені за прострочення оплати». У повідомленні також ідеться, що арбітражне рішення в Стокгольмі буде ухвалене 30 червня. На початку квітня голова правління «Нафтогазу України» Андрій Коболєв заявив, що остання інформація зі Стокгольмського арбітражу, який розглядає суперечки між «Нафтогазом» і російським газовим монополістом «Газпромом», оптимістична для української сторони. «Нафтогаз» і «Газпром» подали одне на одного кілька взаємних позовів стосовно газових контрактів 2009 року про постачання і про транзит газу і стосовно їхнього виконання (чи невиконання, як стверджують сторони) до Арбітражного інституту Торгової палати Стокгольма, як передбачено цими контрактами. Загальна сума позовів – десятки мільярдів доларів. …
Low-cost Drug Could Save Thousands of Mothers’ Lives Across Developing World
A low-cost and widely available drug could save the lives of 1 in 3 mothers who would otherwise bleed to death after childbirth, according to a new study. Severe bleeding, known as postpartum hemorrhage, or PPH, is the leading cause of maternal death worldwide, killing more than 100,000 women every year. Even for mothers who survive, it is a painful and traumatic experience. The world’s poorest countries, especially in Africa and India, are the worst hit. Drug from 1960s But there is new hope. In the 1960s, Japanese researchers developed a drug called tranexamic acid, which works by stopping blood clots from breaking down. But they could not persuade doctors to try the drug for treating PPH. The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine has done just that, in a trial involving 20,000 women in 21 countries, mainly in Africa and Asia. The results show tranexamic acid reduces the risk of bleeding to death by almost a third, with no side effects for either mothers or babies. Dr. Nike Bello, a consultant obstetrician and gynecologist in Nigeria, said that “if a drug can prevent hysterectomies, a drug can prevent death, a drug can minimize the amount of blood we need, then that is a good thing, all over the world.” Refinements needed But there are challenges to getting the drug where it is needed. First, the doctors must know about its effectiveness, said professor Ian Roberts of the London tropical medicine school, who led the latest research. “We want …
Top US, WHO Doctors Address Vaccine Safety
Anti-vaccine activists endured a cold, rainy day in Washington one recent Friday, to rally against childhood vaccines. Gabriele Cashman drove for five hours to support the anti-vaccine cause. She and her husband don’t want anyone to force anything on their children when they have them. “As parents, it’s our decision whether or not we want to vaccinate,” she said. Watch: Top Doctors Address Vaccine Safety The anti-vaccine movement has gained so much momentum that doctors like Peter Hotez are alarmed. Hotez works on vaccines at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. “We now, in the state of Texas, have 50,000 kids whose parents are opting them out of getting vaccinated,” he said. Hotez said these children generally live in communities near each other. He is concerned that only an outbreak of measles will convince these parents that vaccines save lives and prevent disability. The activists don’t believe the science. Instead, they believe vaccines can cause anything from autism to severe allergies. But Dr. Anthony Fauci at the National Institutes of Health says while children can have an adverse reaction, it’s so rare, that it’s unmeasurable. Fauci heads the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and oversees the development of vaccines. Side effects that children may have are usually minor, according to Dr. Linda Fu, a pediatrician at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington. “The most common side effects to any of these vaccines are pain at the injection site and fever for 24 to 48 hours,” Fu said. …
Top Doctors Address Vaccine Safety
Rain didn’t stop dozens of activists from gathering in Washington on a recent Friday to rally against childhood vaccines. They want President Trump to establish a committee to look into vaccine safety. VOA’s Carol Pearson spoke to the activists and to some of the world’s top doctors about vaccine safety. …
Scientists Report Progress on Malaria Treatment Tests
Scientists at the University of Cape Town in South Africa say they have tested a new experimental drug they believe could not only treat but also eradicate malaria, a deadly disease that strikes 200 million people each year. The compound has worked successfully in mice and monkeys. If it proves successful in humans, it could become a significant breakthrough in the treatment of the deadly disease. Zlatica Hoke has more. …
White House: US Not Withdrawing From NAFTA Now
After reports that President Donald Trump was considering an executive order to withdraw the United States from the North American Free Trade Agreement, the White House said Wednesday that Trump agreed not to take such action after phone calls with the leaders of Canada and Mexico. Since launching his bid for president, Trump has repeatedly criticized the nation’s trade deals, especially NAFTA, saying the agreement signed in 1994 has been a “disaster” and allowed many U.S. jobs to shift to Mexico. “President Trump agreed to not terminate NAFTA at this time, and the leaders agreed to proceed swiftly, according to their required internal procedures, to enable renegotiation of the NAFTA deal to the benefit of all three countries,” the White House said. The statement further said Trump is honored to work with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, and that he believes the renegotiation process will make the three countries stronger. A Mexican government statement confirmed the phone call between Trump and Peña Nieto, saying the leaders agreed on the convenience of maintaining NAFTA and working with Canada to bring about successful negotiations for the benefit of the three nations. Earlier Wednesday, a Canadian foreign ministry spokesman said Canada is “ready to come to the table at any time.” Trump targeted Canada this week for what he said was unfair trade practices, and ordered a new 20 percent tariff on Canadian lumber exports. Many Mexican officials have called NAFTA a disappointment, saying it has brought …
Plan to Give Health Care to Every Californian Moves Forward
California lawmakers pushed forward Wednesday with a proposal that would substantially remake the health care system of the nation’s most populous state by replacing insurance companies with government-funded health care for everyone. The idea known as single-payer health care has long been popular on the left and is getting a new look in California as President Donald Trump looks to replace former President Barack Obama’s health care law. The proposal, promoted by the state’s powerful nursing union and two Democratic senators, is a longshot. But supporters hope the time is right to persuade lawmakers in California, where Democrats like to push the boundaries of liberal public policy and are eager to stand up to the Republican president. “It is time to say once and for all that health care is a right, not a privilege for those who can afford it,” said Democratic Sen. Ricardo Lara of Bell Gardens, who wrote the bill along with Democratic Sen. Toni Atkins of San Diego. Hundreds of nurses clad in red rallied in support of the measure and marched to the state Capitol in Sacramento, packing the hallways before a Senate Health Committee hearing. They were joined by Democratic activists and supporters of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who advocated single-payer health care in his unsuccessful presidential campaign and has introduced federal legislation. Democrats on the panel voted to advance the measure. No out-of-pocket costs The measure would guarantee health coverage with no out-of-pocket costs for all California residents, including people living in the …
US Central Bank Could Lean Against Trump Tax Cut
President Donald Trump’s plan to slash business and household taxes could shift the U.S. economy into higher gear, but it may have one effect the White House would not welcome — interest rates ratcheted higher than expected by a wary central bank. The Trump administration says hundreds of billions of dollars fed into the economy via deep cuts in business taxes and more generous exemptions for individuals will unleash a wave of investment and make the U.S. economy more competitive than ever. But the plan, if approved in the form Trump officials outlined on Wednesday, could add inflationary fuel to an economy already running near full capacity, a risk Federal Reserve officials have been warning about since Trump got elected. Confronted with the prospect of massive cuts that would slash the corporate tax rate to 15 percent from 35 percent and overhaul the personal tax code, Fed officials will need to start debating if they can maintain a measured pace of rate hikes or they might need to move faster, say analysts and economists who follow the U.S. central bank. Fed’s inflation goal is 2 percent The Fed aims to hold inflation at around 2 percent, and is close to that threshold, with its target short term rate expected to rise two more times, to about 1.5 percentage points, by the end of the year. Trump has said he hopes low rates will continue, a potential source of friction with the Fed if officials do decide they need to move …
Ivanka Trump, World Bank Discuss Women Entrepreneur Fund
Ivanka Trump has been involved in discussions with the World Bank about establishing a funding operation to support female entrepreneurs, bank and administration officials said Wednesday. The officials stressed that nothing has been set up yet and that talks are ongoing about how this would be structured. They said it could be a World Bank-run “facility,” which accepts contributions from governments and private donors and then provides funding and support to women in developing countries. According to a senior administration official, Trump recently pitched the idea to World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim. The administration official, who sought anonymity because the project is in its early stages, said Trump would have no official authority over the fund and would not solicit contributions, but would be a “strong advocate.” …
Mnuchin: Trump Has ‘No Intention’ of Releasing Tax Returns
President Donald Trump “has no intention” of releasing his tax returns to the public, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said Wednesday, asserting Americans have “plenty of information” about the president’s financial matters. For decades, presidents have released their tax returns. But Trump has so far refused, suggesting he would share the tax documents only after the Internal Revenue Service completes an “audit” of them. He’s never disclosed proof of an audit. Mnuchin appeared to close the door completely Wednesday. “The president has no intention. The president has released plenty of information and I think has given more financial disclosure than anybody else. I think the American population has plenty of information,” he said, inaccurately characterizing the president’s disclosures. The comment came as the secretary briefed reporters on the president’s new proposal to overhaul taxes. Democrats have sought to use the tax debate to pressure Trump to release his returns, arguing the information is necessary to evaluate how Trump’s tax proposals would affect his personal wealth and his business’ bottom line. Mnuchin declined to comment on how Trump would benefit from his proposals. He and other administration officials left the room as reporters shouted questions about how the plan would affect the Trump family. Trump, a billionaire, owns a global real estate, marketing and property management company, which at the start of his presidency he placed in a trust that he can revoke at any time. His daughter and son-in-law, White House advisers, are also holding onto significant business assets. And …
Trump’s Cuts to US Refugee Program Lead to 300-plus Layoffs
The president’s desire to cut refugees is also costing U.S. jobs. A reduction in refugee resettlement that began after an executive order by President Donald Trump in late January has led to at least 300 layoffs in the U.S. nonprofit sector and nearly 500 positions abroad, according to data collected by VOA. In some cases, the jobs slashed were held by resettled refugees. A review of news releases, media reports, and information obtained from a survey sent by VOA to the nine primary resettlement agencies shows that seven of those organizations contracted by the government to coordinate refugees’ first months and years of living in the United States have had layoffs at their headquarters and local offices around the country, or at affiliate and partner organizations. VOA documented more than 300 part-time and full-time positions cut in the United States, including: Sources: World Relief; Church World Service (CWS); Exodus; Catholic Charities of Tennessee; Community Refugee and Immigration Services; Catholic Charities-San Antonio; US Together; Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan; Refugee Empowerment Center in Omaha; Catholic Charities in Cleveland Additional organizations reported cutting employees’ hours and not filling vacancies to trim budgets. “Our budget as a refugee resettlement agency was heavily dependent on the government funding and the suspension and reduction of U.S. admissions for 2017 as well as [the] same dim prospect for 2018 has caused a huge negative impact on agencies like ours,” Aklilu Adeye, Executive Director of the Ethiopian Community Association of Chicago, …
Україна і Білорусь домовились про співпрацю щодо поставок електроенергії та нафтопродуктів – Порошенко
Україна домовилась про збільшення експорту електроенергії в Білорусь, а також про зростання імпорту звідти нафтопродуктів, повідомив український президент Петро Порошенко за результатами зустрічі із білоруським колегою Олександром Лукашенком. «Домовились ми і про взаємодію у галузі енергетичної безпеки, присутності Білорусі на ринку нафтопродуктів України – збереження цієї присутності і її зростання. Домовились і дали відповідні доручення щодо можливості експорту електроенергії української для білоруських користувачів», – сказав Порошенко. Окрім того він зазначив, що Олександр Лукашенко погодився відвідати Україну влітку з офіційним візитом. Як повідомлялось раніше, в «Укренерго» планували відновити постачання струму у Білорусь і Молдову у квітні цього року. Петро Порошенко та Олександр Лукашенко 26 квітня взяли участь у заходах у зв’язку з черговою річницею аварії на Чорнобильській атомній електростанції. У листопаді минулого року на Чорнобильській АЕС завершили насувати арку нового безпечного конфайнменту на об’єкт «Укриття» четвертого енергоблоку, що був зруйнований під час ядерної катастрофи 26 квітня 1986 року. Встановлення нового укриття дало змогу перейти до робіт із демонтажу конструкцій, вилучення і подальшої утилізації паливовмісних і радіоактивних матеріалів. Будівництво арки розпочалося у 2012 році. …
Romania: Hundreds of Taxis, Buses Protest Uber
Some 200 taxis and buses have parked outside the government offices in Romania’s capital, Bucharest, demanding that Uber and other online taxi services be outlawed in the country. Transport in the already crowded city was disrupted Wednesday morning as the protest, scheduled to last until the evening, got underway. Drivers arrived early and parked their yellow taxis and blew vuvuzela horns in protest. Some met Premier Sorin Grindeanu to present their demands. Bogdan Dinca, a transport union leader, told The Associated Press that they want the government to approve an emergency ordinance “to eradicate the piracy” they accuse Uber of. The ordinance awaits final approval by the prime minister. The Confederation of Licensed Transport Operators says it wants “online technology platforms that provide unauthorized taxi services to be outlawed,” to protect licensed carriers. Uber says it is a ride-sharing service with transparent costs and its drivers pay taxes. It says some 250,000 clients have used its services in the Romanian capital and other major cities in the past two years. …
Experts Discuss Danger from Space Debris
Scientists meeting at the 7th European Conference on Space Debris, held in Darmstadt, Germany, say the density of space trash orbiting earth in some areas is so high that it may soon become dangerous to fly through it. VOA’s George Putic reports. …
A Glimpse Inside the VR Hospital of the Future
The future is full of virtual reality games, and applications. But one place where its utility is clearly going to have a positive impact is in the world of medicine. In London, the Virtual Reality Show is displaying some of the technologies that will change the way medicine, surgery, and even psychotherapy are practiced in the future. VOA’s Kevin Enochs reports …
Bison Births Are First in Canadian National Park Area in 140 Years
Bison calves have been born in the area that makes up Alberta’s Banff National Park for the first time in 140 years, Parks Canada officials said Tuesday, marking a milestone in attempts to reintroduce a wild herd to the area. Conservation officers said three calves had been born since Saturday in the remote Panther Valley on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains and that seven more were expected. Western Alberta is dealing with unseasonably cold spring weather, but Bill Hunt, resource conservation manager for Banff National Park, said the calves were well-equipped to deal with harsh conditions. “Last night, we had 2 to 3 feet (60 to 90 centimeters) of snow, but fortunately bison are very well-adapted, so these little calves drop out, get their legs straightaway, start nursing and do fine,” Hunt said. Parks Canada released a 16-strong herd of plains bison, including 10 pregnant females, in the country’s oldest national park in February. They are keeping them under observation until summer 2018, when the animals will be released into the full 460-square-mile (1,189-square-kilometer) reintroduction zone after the females calve again next spring. Bison herds of up to 30 million animals once migrated freely across North America. The shaggy, hump-shouldered animals, also widely known as buffalo, were nearly hunted to extinction in the late 19th century. Rangers estimate that bison have not grazed in Banff National Park since before it was established in 1885. …
Canada Increasingly Draws Trump’s Ire
President Donald Trump and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross on Tuesday said they did not fear a trade war with Canada after American punitive action on lumber and milk. “They have a tremendous surplus with the United States,” Trump said, adding “people don’t realize Canada’s been very rough on the United States. … They’ve outsmarted our politicians for many years.” Trump added that he wanted “a very big tax” on Canadian lumber and timber. He made the comments at a meeting with American farmers where he signed an executive order aimed at helping agriculture and rural areas. Trump also talked to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Tuesday. Trudeau “refuted the baseless allegations by the U.S. Department of Commerce and the decision to impose unfair duties,” according to a summary of the call released by Trudeau’s office. “The prime minister stressed that the government of Canada will vigorously defend the interests of the Canadian softwood industry, as we have successfully done in all past lumber disputes with the U.S.,” the statement said. The White House later issued its own brief, three-sentence readout of the call, which it called “very amicable.” The Canadian dollar fell to a 14-month low against the greenback after the United States imposed preliminary tariffs averaging 20 percent — more than $1 billion of countervailing duties — on imported Canadian softwood. Earlier in the day, Trump vowed moves to protect the American dairy industry. On Tuesday morning, he tweeted: “Canada has made business for our dairy farmers in …