Apple is planning to build another corporate campus and hire 20,000 workers during the next five years as part of a $350 billion commitment to the U.S. economy. The pledge announced Wednesday is an offshoot from the sweeping overhaul of the U.S. tax code championed by President Donald Trump and approved by Congress last month. Besides dramatically lowering the standard corporate tax rate, the reforms offer a one-time break on cash being held overseas. Apple plans to take advantage of that provision to bring back more than $250 billion in offshore cash, generating a tax bill of roughly $38 billion. The Cupertino, California, company says it will announce the location of a second campus devoted to customer support later this year. …
Group Pinpoints Riches Hidden in Europe’s Mountains of Waste
Researchers have completed the first survey of valuable materials they say are waiting to be mined from Europe’s vast landfills and scrapyards. A group of 17 organizations on Wednesday launched an online database for “urban mining” detailing precious raw materials slumbering in discarded batteries, electronics and cars across the continent. The project, known by the acronym ProSUM, aims to highlight where billions of euros (dollars) worth of aluminum, copper and gold could be retrieved each year. The group, which includes the United Nations University, said vehicles are an increasingly rich source of raw materials including lithium — from electric cars — steel and magnesium. Smartphones, meanwhile, have concentrations of gold that are more than 25 times as high as the richest underground ores and are far easier to extract. …
Government: At Least $125 Bln Needed to Fund India’s Renewables Dream
India will need at least $125 billion to fund its ambitious plan to increase the share of renewable power supply in the country’s grid by 2022, a top government official told Reuters, underlining the immense financing challenge ahead. The South Asian nation is one of the world’s most important growth markets for renewable energy. Millions of Indians are not yet linked up to the power grid but as the country of more than a billion people prospers, it is experiencing surging demand. To put India’s $125 billion requirement in context, global corporate funding for the solar industry – the world’s fastest-growing electricity source — was a tenth of that amount in 2017 at $12.8 billion, research firm Mercom said. In 2015, India said investment of $100 billion in the seven years to 2022 would be needed to meet its renewable energy goals. Installed renewable power capacity is currently about 60 gigawats (GW), and India plans to complete the bidding process by the end of 2019/20 to add a further 115 GW of installed renewable energy capacity by 2022. To do that, Anand Kumar, secretary at the ministry of new and renewable energy, said investment of at least $125 billion would be needed. India, which receives twice as much sunshine as European countries, wants to make solar central to its renewable expansion. It expects renewable energy to make up 40 percent of installed power capacity by 2030, compared with 18.2 percent at the end of 2017. Kumar said that $125 billion …
Century After Pandemic, Science Takes Its Best Shot at Flu
The descriptions are haunting. Some victims felt fine in the morning and were dead by night. Faces turned blue as patients coughed up blood. Stacked bodies outnumbered coffins. A century after one of history’s most catastrophic disease outbreaks, scientists are rethinking how to guard against another super-flu like the 1918 influenza that killed tens of millions as it swept the globe. There’s no way to predict what strain of the shape-shifting flu virus could trigger another pandemic or, given modern medical tools, how bad it might be. But researchers hope they’re finally closing in on stronger flu shots, ways to boost much-needed protection against ordinary winter influenza and guard against future pandemics at the same time. “We have to do better and by better, we mean a universal flu vaccine. A vaccine that is going to protect you against essentially all, or most, strains of flu,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health. Labs around the country are hunting for a super-shot that could eliminate the annual fall vaccination in favor of one every five years or 10 years, or maybe, eventually, a childhood immunization that could last for life. Fauci is designating a universal flu vaccine a top priority for NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Last summer, he brought together more than 150 leading researchers to map a path. A few attempts are entering first-stage human safety testing. Still, it’s a tall order. Despite 100 years of science, the flu virus too often …
Southeast Alaska King Salmon Forecasts Lowest Since 1970s
The state Department of Fish and Game has released the lowest forecasts for Southeast Alaska king salmon since record keeping began in the 1970s. King salmon numbers have been dwindling for years, but researchers don’t have a lot of answers as to why, KTOO Public Media in Juneau reported Tuesday. Federal fisheries biologist Jim Murphy said there is concern that the 2013 “blob” of warm water played a role because it wreaked havoc on salmon feeding in the open ocean. But Murphy said king salmon numbers started decreasing long before 2013. Other theories point to more predators in the ocean, but Murphy said he hasn’t seen any king salmon in predators’ stomachs in his 15 years. “It does really point to our lack of understanding in the underlying ecology,” Murphy said. “I think it’s good to kind of put some resources into understanding. It’s probably not going to bring fish back but it helps to be able to sort out very difficult decisions that are made.” Proposals to offset the low forecasts are expected to be discussed at the next state Board of Fisheries meeting in Sitka. At least 30 proposals have been made and more could emerge during the meeting. Fish and Game managers recommended listing king salmon as a fish stock of concern, which could trigger stronger restrictions. Dale Kelley, executive director of the Alaska Trollers Association, said “fishermen are extremely concerned about the effects of conservation management on their businesses, our long-term survival depends on the health …
Conflict Among World Powers a Growing Concern, Experts Say
A survey by the World Economic Forum finds that more than nine in 10 experts are worried about worsening economic or political confrontation between world powers, amid a trend toward “charismatic strongman politics.” The WEF, the organizer of the annual Davos conference that convenes next week, cites a “deteriorating geopolitical landscape” and increasing cyber threats as key factors behind a pessimistic outlook this year – adding to continued and pre-eminent worries about the environment. Its Global Risks Report released Wednesday is based on a survey of nearly 1,000 experts and decision-makers from business, academia and other fields about 30 risks over a 10-year horizon. The report notes that a global economic rebound can help solve some problems, but it also pointed to increasingly complex challenges. “Global risks, nowadays, are so interconnected that they can threaten the very systems on which our societies, economies, and international relations are based,” said Alison Martin, chief risk officer at Zurich Insurance Group, which contributed to the report, at a London news conference. Margareta Drzeniek-Hanouz, a WEF executive committee member focusing on economic progress, called the results “striking.” She noted that on “political and economic confrontations, 93 percent of the respondents think they will increase somewhat or significantly … in the coming year.” WEF said four in five survey respondents expect rising risks “associated with war involving major powers.” The report said geopolitical risks have been exacerbated by falling commitment to “rules-based multilateralism.” It noted how President Donald Trump “delivered on some of his unilateralist …
Коболєв не вважає «негативним аспектом» зобов’язання закупівлі газу в «Газпрому»
Голова правління національної акціонерної компанії «Нафтогаз України» Андрій Коболєв не вважає, що зобов’язання закупівлі газу в «Газпрому» є «негативним аспектом». «З цього року буде необхідно вибирати мінімальні обсяги (закупівлі газу в «Газпрому», визначені Стокгольмським арбітражем – ред.). Ми в «Нафтогазі» не маємо підстав вважати негативним аспектом зобов’язання «Газпрому» продати нам 5 мільярдів кубометрів газу за ціною, нижчою за європейську. Це позитивний аспект як з точки зору НАК, так і кінцевих споживачів», – сказав Коболєв. Він додав, що «Нафтогаз України» продовжить закупівлі газу в Європі. 22 грудня 2017 року «Нафтогаз» повідомив, що Стокгольмський арбітраж відхилив вимоги російської компанії «Газпром» до «Нафтогазу України» щодо принципу «бери або плати» на суму 56 мільярдів доларів за 2009-2017 роки. Як заявляли в українській компанії, «Нафтогаз» також домігся зменшення майбутніх обов’язкових річних обсягів закупівлі газу в «Газпрому» більш ніж у 10 разів відповідно до фактичних потреб в імпорті газу. Водночас у російському «Газпромі» заявили, що Стокгольмський арбітраж зобов’язав компанію «Нафтогаз України» сплатити два мільярди доларів простроченої заборгованості й щорічно відбирати й оплачувати 5 мільярдів кубометрів газу. 31 травня 2017 року «Нафтогаз України» заявив, що отримав окреме рішення Стокгольмського арбітражу у провадженні проти «Газпрому» за контрактом на постачання газу. За повідомленням компанії, Стокгольмський арбітраж задовольнив вимогу «Нафтогазу» щодо перегляду ціни в контракті на постачання газу з «Газпромом» із урахуванням ринкових умов, а також скасував вимоги російського монополіста за умовою «бери або плати» і повністю скасував заборону на реекспорт Україною газу. За принципом «бери або плати», прописаним у контракті 2009 року, Україна мала щороку купувати 52 мільярди кубометрів газу …
Bitcoin Slumps to $10,000 After Losing Half its value
Bitcoin slid to $10,000 on Wednesday for the first time since Dec. 1, leaving the cryptocurrency down by close to half from its peak hit last month. Bitcoin, the largest and most prominent cryptocurrency, fell more than 11 percent to hit $10,000 on the Luxembourg-based Bitstamp exchange, amid worries about a regulatory clampdown. The cryptocurrency touched a peak of almost $20,000 in December — and indeed crossed over that threshold on some exchanges — but has since been roiled by several large sell-offs. …
New U.S. Fitness Fad Claims to Burn Fat All Day
Wearable technology is finding its way into many workouts. The thinking is that constantly monitoring their body can help people get the most out of their time at the gym. That’s the idea behind Orange theory, the newest U.S. fitness fad. VOA’s Kevin Enochs reports. …
Prominent AIDS Crusader Mathilde Krim Dies at Age 91
Mathilde Krim, a prominent AIDS researcher who galvanized worldwide support in the early fight against the deadly disease, has died. She was 91. Krim was founding chairman of The Foundation for AIDS Research, or amfAR. The nonprofit says she died at her home in King’s Point, New York, on Monday. amfAR Chief Executive Officer Kevin Robert Frost says in a statement “so many people alive today literally owe their lives” to her. Krim was a geneticist with experience in cancer research when AIDS first surfaced in the early 1980s. Over the next several decades, she mobilized a vast army of celebrities and others to help raise money and to lessen the disease’s stigma. In 2000, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the U.S. …
Lifelike Robots Made in Hong Kong Are Meant to Win Over Humans
David Hanson envisions a future in which robots powered by artificial intelligence evolve to become “super-intelligent genius machines” that might help solve some of mankind’s most challenging problems. If only it were as simple as that. The Texas-born former sculptor at Walt Disney Imagineering and his Hong Kong-based startup Hanson Robotics are combining AI with southern China’s expertise in toy design, electronics and manufacturing to craft humanoid “social robots” with faces designed to be lifelike and appealing enough to win trust from humans who interact with them. Hanson, 49, is perhaps best known as the creator of Sophia, a talk show-going robot partly modeled on Audrey Hepburn that he calls his “masterpiece.” Akin to an animated mannequin, she seems as much a product of his background in theatrics as an example of advanced technology. ‘Is it weird?’ “You’re talking to me right now, which is very ‘Blade Runner,’ no?” Sophia said during a recent visit to Hanson Robotics’ headquarters in a suburban Hong Kong science park, its home since shortly after Hanson relocated here in 2013. “Do you ever look around you and think, ‘Wow, I’m living in a real-world science fiction novel’?” she asked. “Is it weird to be talking to a robot right now?” Hanson Robotics has made about a dozen copies of Sophia, who like any human is a work in progress. A multinational team of scientists and engineers are fine-tuning her appearance and the algorithms that enable her to smile, blink and refine her understanding and …
Chinese Demand Drives Construction Boom in Cambodia
The value of construction projects in Cambodia rose more than 22 percent to $6.4 billion in 2017 from the previous year, according to official figures released Tuesday that showed the impact of a boom driven by Chinese investors. The Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction said it approved a total of 3,052 projects, covering more than 10 million square meters (108 million square feet) last year. The ministry did not give a breakdown by residential and commercial projects, nor did it give the nationality of the developers. But the high level of Chinese investment is evident from the skyscrapers that have shot up with apartments and condominiums in Phnom Penh, and the hotels and casinos being built to serve Chinese buyers in the resort city of Sihanoukville. Many of the apartments and condominiums were being built for Chinese investors, said Chrek Soknim, CEO of real estate firm Century21 Mekong. “People who buy these properties don’t live here, they buy as investments,” he told Reuters. China is by far the biggest foreign investor in Cambodia — accounting for some 30 percent of recorded investment in 2016, according to official figures. China’s Prince Real Estate and Yue Tai Group were both scheduled to launch major projects in 2018, said Tom O’Sullivan, CEO of realestate.com.kh. But he added there was a growing market for local buyers too, with condominium sales in the $22,000 to $90,000 range. “The reality is that Phnom Penh needs more homes to cater for the middle-income earner,” …
Brazil’s Caixa Suspends VPs After Presidential Order
Brazilian state lender Caixa Economic Federal suspended four of its vice presidents on Tuesday after President Michel Temer called on them to step down and defend themselves from accusations of wrongdoing. Caixa said it would follow the presidential order, without commenting on specific allegations after a string of corruption investigations involving loans and investments by public pension funds. Temer’s order, directed to his finance minister and Caixa’s chief executive, follows similar demands by federal prosecutors last month, which the government initially ignored, sources told Reuters last week. The prosecutor-general’s office repeated those calls on Tuesday, threatening President Michel Temer with administrative measures should all Caixa vice presidents not be replaced by a February 26 deadline. Four of Caixa’s 12 vice presidents, along with Chief Executive Gilberto Occhi, have been caught up in a wave of graft investigations that have swept Latin America’s largest economy in recent years. In August, Caixa started an independent investigation into the corruption allegations. In December, Caixa said in a quarterly earnings statement that it had not concluded the process. Reporting by Ricardo Brito; Additional reporting by Aluisio Alves; Writing by Bruno Federowski and Carolina Mandl; Editing by Leslie Adler and Bill Trott. …
Yemen Seeks Saudi Cash as Plunging Currency Deepens War Woes
The Saudi-backed government that rules parts of Yemen said Tuesday that it urgently needed a $2 billion deposit pledged by Riyadh in November to stabilize a currency that hit new lows this week and save its people from starvation. Yemen has been divided by nearly three years of civil war between an internationally recognized government based in the south and the Iran-aligned Houthi movement that controls the north, including the capital, Sanaa. The conflict has unleashed a humanitarian crisis, including a deadly cholera epidemic, and an economic collapse that the United Nations says has the potential to cause one of the deadliest famines of modern times. Authorities sought to boost liquidity by printing money, but the rial plunged from 250 to the dollar to 350 after the first batch of newly printed notes was rolled out last year. The rial traded for 440 to the dollar by year’s end and this week was near 500. A large deposit from Saudi Arabia would give the authorities the financial means to stabilize the currency and make it possible for people to buy food, the government says. “First and foremost is saving the Yemeni rial from total collapse, now and tomorrow. Saving the rial means saving Yemenis from inevitable hunger,” Prime Minister Ahmed Obeid bin Daghr said on Twitter. Stepped-up communications State news agency Saba quoted government spokesman Rajeh Badi as saying on Monday that the authorities were “intensifying communication” with the Saudis, to “expedite the completion of the Saudi depository procedures.” Saudi officials did …
Big Brands From Banks to Casinos Unite to Fight Slavery in Asia
From hotel chains to clothing brands, a group of companies in Asia is hoping that a corporate-backed movement to end modern slavery will succeed where activists have failed. The casino and hotel giant MGM China Holdings Ltd. recently signed the “business pledge against modern slavery,” an initiative of the Hong Kong-based non-profit, the Mekong Club. “We believe by taking a public stance we may also contribute to encouraging others to join the fight,” said Grant Bowie, MGM’s CEO. “There needs to be more business engagement across the region,” he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by email. “After all two thirds of the world’s slaves are reported to be in Asia.” Most slaves are women, girls About 40 million people were trapped as slaves in 2016 — mostly women and girls — in forced labor and forced marriages, according to the first joint effort by key rights groups to count the number of victims worldwide, published in September. Forced labor was most prevalent in Asia, where four out of every 1,000 people were victims of the crime, found the report by the International Labor Organization (ILO) and human rights group Walk Free Foundation. Activists have fought for years to end the trade and their main tool has been to “name and shame” companies, but it hasn’t worked, according to Mekong Club CEO Matt Friedman. He said that only about 66,000 people were freed from slavery last year, globally. While activists often see the business community as the enemy, there is actually …
World’s Largest Sea Turtle Could Come off US ‘Endangered’ List
Federal ocean managers say it might be time to move the East Coast population of the world’s largest turtle from the United States’ list of endangered animals. An arm of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has received a petition from a fishing group asking that the Northwest Atlantic Ocean’s leatherback sea turtles be listed as “threatened,” but not endangered, under the Endangered Species Act. The giant reptiles, which can weigh 2,000 pounds, would remain protected under federal law, but their status would be moved down a notch. NOAA officials have said the agency has reviewed the petition from New Jersey-based Blue Water Fishermen’s Association and found “substantial scientific and commercial information” that the move might be warranted. The agency now has about eight months to make a decision about the status of the turtles. Leatherbacks live all over the world’s oceans and have been listed as endangered by the U.S. since 1970. Deciding whether the listing should be changed will require determining the stability of the population, said Jennifer Schultz, a fisheries biologist with NOAA Fisheries. “We’ll look at scientific papers, we look at the best available scientific and commercial data,” she said. “And then we’ll say, `What does the status look like? How are they doing?”‘ The fishing group that requested the change wants the Northwestern Atlantic’s leatherback population to be considered a distinct segment of the population. That segment would include all of the leatherbacks that nest on beaches in the eastern U.S. states. But NOAA Fisheries …
Infants in War-torn Yemen Dying at Alarmingly High Rate
A report by the U.N. children’s fund finds babies born in war-torn Yemen are dying at an alarmingly high rate because of the collapsing health system, lack of food and clean water. The U.N. children’s fund reports more than three million children have been born in Yemen since the country’s civil war escalated in March 2015. The agency’s report, called “Born into War”, describes the violent, hopeless situation of displacement, disease, poverty and hunger into which these children are born. UNICEF says most of the estimated 3,000 babies born every day are delivered outside a health center, with no skilled birth attendant present. It reports 40 percent of the births are premature and 30 percent suffer from low birth weight. Most worrying of all, it notes, is 25 percent of the newborns die within their first month because of infections and a variety of deprivations. UNICEF spokesman Christophe Boulierac says undernutrition plays a big role in those deaths. He says around 1.8 million children are acutely malnourished and about 400,000 are severely, acutely malnourished. “A child who is suffering from severe acute malnutrition is nine times more likely to die than a child who is correctly nourished,” said Boulierac. “So, these children are in danger.” The report finds at least 5,000 children have been killed or maimed in the violence. That means an average of five children have lost their lives or been injured every day since the Saudi-led coalition began bombing Houthi rebels in support of the Yemeni government …
WHO: All of Sao Paulo State at Risk for Yellow Fever
The World Health Organization has added all of Sao Paulo state to its list of areas at risk for yellow fever. That puts the megacity of Sao Paulo on the list and means that the organization is recommending that all international visitors to the state be vaccinated. Tuesday’s announcement comes as an outbreak is gathering steam in Brazil ahead of Carnival, a major draw for foreign tourists. The WHO says 11 human cases have been confirmed through last week and hundreds more found in monkeys. Much of Brazil is considered at risk for yellow fever, but the coast was largely considered safe. Last year, however, Brazil saw an unusually large outbreak of the disease, including in areas not previously at risk. In response, Brazil rushed to vaccinate millions of people. …
Коломойський про звіт компанії Kroll щодо «Приватбанку»: маячня
Колишній акціонер «Приватбанку» Ігор Коломойський назвав «маячнею» опубліковані Національним банком України результати розслідування компанії Kroll про махінації у фінансовій установі до її націоналізації у грудні 2016 року. «Маячня, яку немає сенсу коментувати. Основне питання – куди і коли вивели гроші. Особливо сподобалася сентенція, що колишній менеджмент працював в інтересах акціонера. А в чиїх інтересах він мав працювати – в інтересах Порошенка або Гонтаревої з Рожковою (президента України Петра Порошенка, голови НБУ Валерії Гонтаревої та її заступника Катерини Рожкової – ред.)?» – сказав Коломойський у коментарі ТСН.ua. 16 січня Національний банк України опублікував результати розслідування компанії Kroll, які, на думку НБУ, підтверджують, що «Приватбанк» був «об’єктом масштабних та скоординованих шахрайських дій» як мінімум протягом десяти років до націоналізації. Відповідно до даних розслідування до націоналізації у грудні 2016 року понад 95% корпоративного кредитного портфеля передали сторонам, пов’язаним із колишніми акціонерами та групами афілійованих з ними осіб. Як заявили в НБУ, наприкінці 2016 року 75% кредитного портфеля було консолідовано в кредити 36 позичальникам, пов’язаним з колишніми акціонерами та групами афілійованих з ними осіб. Більшість із них не погашаються і є простроченими, що призвело до збитків банку щонайменше в 5,5 мільярда доларів США. Національний банк, посилаючись на розслідування Kroll, заявляє, що «існують чіткі ознаки», що кредитні кошти були використані для придбання активів та фінансування бізнесу в Україні та за кордоном на користь екс-акціонерів та груп афілійованих з ними осіб. У НБУ зазначили, що на думку розслідувачів, механізми, які використовувалися для маскування джерел та реального призначення кредитів, мають характерні риси скоординованої схеми відмивання грошових коштів. У грудні …
НБУ: компанія Kroll підтвердила, що «Приватбанк» був об’єктом масштабних махінацій
Результати розслідування компанії Kroll підтверджують, що «Приватбанк» був «об’єктом масштабних і скоординованих шахрайських дій» як мінімум упродовж десяти років до націоналізації, повідомила прес-служба Національного банку України. У НБУ заявляють, що банку завдали збитків щонайменше на суму в 5,5 мільярда доларів США. Відповідно до даних розслідування до націоналізації у грудні 2016 року понад 95% корпоративного кредитного портфеля передали сторонам, пов’язаним з колишніми акціонерами та групами афілійованих з ними осіб. «Наприкінці 2016 року 75% кредитного портфеля було консолідовано в кредити 36 позичальникам, пов’язаним з колишніми акціонерами та групами афілійованих з ними осіб. Більшість із них не погашаються і є простроченими, що призвело до збитків банку щонайменше в 5,5 мільярда доларів США», – пише прес-служба Національного банку. Згідно з повідомленням, «існують чіткі ознаки», що кредитні кошти були використані для придбання активів та фінансування бізнесу в Україні та за кордоном на користь екс-акціонерів та груп афілійованих з ними осіб. У НБУ додають, що на думку розслідувачів, механізми, які використовувалися для маскування джерел та реального призначення кредитів, мають характерні риси скоординованої схеми відмивання грошових коштів. Крім того, у Національному банку України з посиланням на дані розслідування заявляють, що «центральним елементом організованої махінації з кредитним портфелем та виведенням коштів була тіньова банківська структура всередині ПАТ «Приватбанк». «Ця секретна структура забезпечувала проведення платежів і сприяла руху коштів за сотнями кредитних договорів на мільярди доларів США в інтересах осіб, пов’язаних з колишніми акціонерами та групами афілійованих з ними осіб. До цієї тіньової банківської структури були залучені сотні працівників ПАТ «Приватбанк», – йдеться в повідомленні. На думку Kroll, …
Japan City Uses Emergency System to Recall Blowfish Packages
A city in central Japan used its emergency loudspeaker system in an attempt to recall four packages of blowfish meat after discovering a fifth one contained the potentially deadly liver. No one has died. The fish, known as fugu, is an expensive winter delicacy but requires a license to prepare because of the dangers of mishandling. The fugu’s liver is mostly toxic and banned. Regional health officials said Tuesday a supermarket in Gamagori sold five packages of assorted blowfish meat on Monday. The inclusion of the liver in the package could have contaminated the other meat with the fugu poison. Health authorities found that the store had been selling the liver of the particular kind of blowfish, called “yorito fugu,” or blunthead puffer, for years because it’s nearly non-toxic, health ministry official Yohei Ohashi said. No health problems have been reported from past consumption of the liver sold at the store, he said. The illegal sales surfaced Monday when a buyer of one package took it to a health center. With four other packages sold but unaccounted for, city officials alerted residents via the emergency loudspeakers normally used for earthquakes and other disasters. Two packages have since been returned. The health ministry ordered the store to recall all the blowfish packages and suspend their sale, but the store told officials that it will no longer sell blowfish, Ohashi said. …
Україна спожила 3 мільярди кубометрів газу за три місяці опалювального сезону – «Укртрансгаз»
За три місяці від початку в середині жовтня опалювального сезону Україна спожила близько трьох мільярдів кубометрів газу із закачаних майже 17 мільярдів кубометрів газу. Про це свідчать дані оператора газотранспортної системи України державної компанії «Укртрансгаз». Станом 14 січня загальний обсяг газу в українських підземних сховищах становив 13 мільярдів 947 мільйонів кубометрів. Міністр енергетики і вугільної промисловості Ігор Насалик заявляв про плани нагромадження 17 мільярдів кубометрів для проходження опалювального сезону 2017-2018 років. При підготовці до опалювального періоду 2016-2017 років профільне міністерство також наполягало на необхідності нагромадити 17 мільярдів кубометрів газу, але керівництво «Нафтогазу України» запевняло, що 14,5 мільярда кубометрів буде цілком достатньо. У результаті торік в опалювальний сезон Україна ввійшла із запасами «блакитного палива» на рівні 14,7 і завершила сезон на рівні 8,4 мільярда кубометрів. За інформацією Міненерго, в цьому сезоні в українські ПСГ закачали 8,8 мільярда кубів газу, і станом на 24 жовтня загальний обсяг становив понад 16,9 мільярда кубів. (Близько 5 мільярдів – це технічний газ, необхідний для функціонування сховищ). Опалювальний сезон в Україні зазвичай стартує в середині жовтня. За багаторічними стандартами, він розпочинається тоді, коли середньодобова температура повітря впродовж трьох діб становить вісім або менше градусів. Тривалість опалювального сезону становить близько півроку, але в Києві у 2017 році комунальники через суттєве потепління вимкнули опалення 1 квітня. Натомість у Львові опалювальний період фінішував лише 25 квітня, хоча перед тим навесні комунальні служби двічі вимикали тепло. …
Global Carmakers to Invest at Least $90B in Electric Vehicles
Ford’s plan to double its electrified vehicle spending is part of an investment tsunami in batteries and electric cars by global automakers that now totals $90 billion and is still growing, a Reuters analysis shows. That money is pouring in to a tiny sector that amounts to less than 1 percent of the 90 million vehicles sold each year and where Elon Musk’s Tesla, with sales of only three models totaling just over 100,000 vehicles in 2017, was a dominant player. With the world’s top automakers poised to introduce dozens of new battery electric and hybrid gasoline-electric models over the next five years — many of them in China — executives continue to ask: Who will buy all those vehicles? “We’re all in,” Ford Motor Executive Chairman Bill Ford Jr. said of the company’s $11 billion investment, announced on Sunday at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. “The only question is, will the customers be there with us?” “Tesla faces real competition,” said Mike Jackson, chief executive of AutoNation Inc, the largest U.S. auto retailing chain. By 2030, Jackson said he expects electric vehicles could account for 15-20 percent of New vehicle sales in the United States. Investments in electrified vehicles announced to date include at least $19 billion by automakers in the United States, $21 billion in China and $52 billion in Germany. But U.S. and German auto executives said in interviews on the sidelines of the Detroit auto show that the bulk of those investments are …
Rural Women in India, Elderly in Japan Open Homes to Airbnb Guests
Mobile apps that help women in the Indian countryside and tiny villages in Japan to open their homes to visitors from across the world are generating incomes, revitalizing remote communities and helping to curb migration to cities. A women’s organization in the western Indian state of Gujarat has tied up with Airbnb, the short-term home rental service, to train rural women to be hosts and list their homes on its site. A year in, the number of women earning from home sharing has doubled, according to the Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), which has about 2 million members, mostly in villages. “At first, we weren’t sure how the women would fare and if people would respond to homestays in these areas,” said Reema Nanavaty, a director at SEWA. “But once they began getting guests, the women invested in upgrading their homes and started using Google Translate to communicate with guests. It has become a significant source of income for them,” she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Guests to the colorful homes are treated to home-cooked Gujarati food, and can participate in kite flying and garba dancing with sticks in traditional costume, she said. The partnership will extend to 14 more states, aiming to boost incomes of women in rural areas and help boost tourism in otherwise neglected areas, she said. Cheap smartphones are also aiding those looking for work, with job matching sites helping even illiterate job seekers from rural Cambodia to India find employers without middlemen who may dupe …