Physicist Stephen Hawking died March 14, 2018, at his home in Cambridge, England. He was one of the most respected and best-known scientists in modern history. Arash Arabasadi reports. …
Hawking’s Robotic Voice Became His Trademark
Stephen Hawking’s computer-generated voice was known to millions of people around the world, a robotic drawl that somehow enhanced the profound impact of the cosmological secrets he revealed. The technology behind his means of communication was upgraded through the years, offering him the chance to sound less like a machine, but he insisted on sticking to the original voice because it had effectively become his own. The renowned theoretical physicist, who died Wednesday at age 76, lost his ability to speak more than three decades ago after a tracheotomy linked to complications in the motor neuron disease he was diagnosed with at age 21. He later told the BBC he had considered committing suicide by not breathing after the operation, but he said the “reflex to breathe was too strong.” Hawking started to communicate again using his eyebrows to indicate letters on a spelling card. A Cambridge University colleague, Martin King, contacted U.S. company Words Plus, which had developed a program to allow a user to select words using a hand clicker, according to a 2014 report in Wired magazine. It was linked to an early speech synthesizer, which turned Hawking’s text into spoken language. In 1997, PC chipmaker Intel Corp. stepped in to improve Hawking’s computer-based communication system, and in 2014 it upgraded the technology to make it faster and easier for Hawking to communicate. It used algorithms developed by SwiftKey, a British software company acquired by Microsoft, best known for its predictive text technology used in smartphones. Senior software engineer Joe Osborne said he soon realized the impact SwiftKey’s natural language and artificial intelligence technology could have on Hawking’s communication. “It was …
US Pursues WTO Action on Indian Export Subsidies
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said Wednesday that the United States would challenge Indian government export subsidies because they hurt American workers and manufacturers. Lighthizer said he had requested “dispute settlement consultations” with the Indian government at the World Trade Organization because the subsidies allow India to sell goods at lower prices. He said his office “will continue to hold our trading partners accountable by vigorously enforcing U.S. rights under our trade agreements and by promoting fair and reciprocal trade through all available tools, including the WTO.” The announcement is the latest step in President Donald Trump’s trade offensive.The White House has announced tariffs on imported steel and aluminum as well as on imports of solar panels and washing machines. Lighthizer’s office said India offers benefits valued at $7 billion annually to domestic exporters, such as duty, tax and fee exemptions. Producers of steel, information technology and textiles are among the recipients. Consultations are the first step in WTO’s dispute settlement process, but Trump has said he does not favor resorting to dispute resolutions at the WTO, where he contends the United States is at a disadvantage. The administration has instead concentrated efforts on tariffs and remedies as allowed under domestic U.S. law. …
Lawsuits Accuse Automakers of Faulty Air Bags, Recall Delays
General Motors, Fiat Chrysler, Volkswagen and Mercedes all knew of problems with dangerous exploding Takata air bag inflators years before issuing recalls, according to three class actions filed Wednesday with the federal court in Miami. The lawsuits cite company documents obtained through previous legal actions against other automakers over faulty Takata inflators. The plaintiffs allege that automakers were informed of inflator defects during tests but delayed taking action. Allegations against GM are among the most serious. Takata documents showed that GM employees expressed concerns about inflators rupturing as early as 2003. Messages were left Wednesday seeking comment from GM, VW and Mercedes. Fiat Chrysler declined comment, saying it had not been served with the lawsuit. Takata uses the chemical ammonium nitrate to create small explosions to inflate air bags. But the chemical can deteriorate when exposed to high temperatures and airborne moisture. That causes it to explode with too much force, blowing apart a metal canister and hurling shrapnel. At least 22 people have died worldwide and more than 180 have been hurt. The problem touched off the largest series of automotive recalls in U.S. history, with 19 automakers having to recall up to 69 million inflators in 42 million vehicles. The problem brought a criminal conviction and fine against Takata and forced the Japanese company into bankruptcy protection. The lawsuits, which consolidate individual claims that were filed previously, allege that owners paid higher prices for their vehicles than they would have if the defect had been disclosed. They allege …
«Нафтогаз»: проінформуємо «Газпром» про відмову розірвати контракти
Національна акціонерна компанія «Нафтогаз України» підтвердила намір у березні провести зустріч з представниками російського «Газпрому». «До кінця місяця має відбутися «зустріч на Ельбі» (або на якійсь іншій красивій річці) з нашою дорогенькою монополією», – поінформував «Нафтогаз» у Facebook. «Нафтогаз» проінформує «Газпром» на зустрічі, що не згоден розірвати контракти. «Крім того, ми надіслали «Газпрому» вимоги щодо перегляду тарифу. На зустрічі, звісно, буде обговорюватися виконання рішень арбітражу», – цитує «Нафтогаз» слова свого комерційного директора Юрія Вітренка. 28 лютого компанія НАК «Нафтогаз України» повідомила про перемогу в Стокгольмському арбітражі над російським газовим монополістом, компанією «Газпромом» у суперечці щодо компенсації за недопоставлені «Газпромом» обсяги газу для транзиту. «Газпром» заявив про незгоду з рішенням Стокгольмського арбітражу, а згодом оголосив намір розірвати контракт, термін якого збігає наприкінці 2019 року. Фахівці вважають, що в разі небажання «Нафтогазу» припиняти дію контракту судова тяганина триватиме не один рік. …
Doctors Hunt for Hidden Cancers with Glowing Dyes
It was an ordinary surgery to remove a tumor – until doctors turned off the lights and the patient’s chest started to glow. A spot over his heart shined purplish pink. Another shimmered in a lung. They were hidden cancers revealed by fluorescent dye, an advance that soon may transform how hundreds of thousands of operations are done each year. Surgery has long been the best way to cure cancer. If the disease recurs, it’s usually because stray tumor cells were left behind or others lurked undetected. Yet there’s no good way for surgeons to tell what is cancer and what is not. They look and feel for defects, but good and bad tissue often seem the same. Now, dyes are being tested to make cancer cells light up so doctors can cut them out and give patients a better shot at survival. With dyes, “it’s almost like we have bionic vision,” said Dr. Sunil Singhal at the University of Pennsylvania. “We can be sure we’re not taking too much or too little.” The dyes are experimental but advancing quickly. Two are in late-stage studies aimed at winning Food and Drug Administration approval. Johnson & Johnson just invested $40 million in one, and federal grants support some of the work. “We think this is so important. Patients’ lives will be improved by this,” said Paula Jacobs, an imaging expert at the National Cancer Institute. In five or so years, “there will be a palette of these,” she predicts. Making cells …
НБУ припинить друкувати банкноти номіналом 1, 2, 5 і 10 гривень і випустить відповідні монети
Національний банк України (НБУ) повідомляє, що припиняє випуск паперових банкнот номіналом 1, 2, 5 і 10 гривень і випускає відповідні монети. Про це 14 березня повідомив виконувач обов’язків голови НБУ Яків Смолій, презентуючи нові обігові монети номінальною вартістю 1, 2, 5 і 10 гривень. За його словами, монети будуть вводитися в обіг поетапно: перший етап – 27 квітня цього року будуть введені в обіг монети номінальною вартістю 1 і 2 гривні; другий етап відбудеться пізніше, монети номінальною вартістю 5 і 10 гривні вводитимуться в обіг у 2019 – 2020 роках. «Українці зможуть розраховуватися одночасно і новими монетами, і банкнотами відповідних номіналів необмежений період часу – доки монети поступово не замістять банкноти в обігу. Тобто паперові гроші номіналом 1, 2, 5 і 10 гривні будуть в обігу паралельно з металевими, до останньої паперової гривні. Вилучати з обігу банкноти номіналом 1, 2, 5 та 10 гривень Національний банк не буде, але припинить друкувати ці банкноти і додатково поповнювати ними грошовий обіг», – повідомили в НБУ. Крім того, у банку додали, що вирішили припинити карбувати монети дрібних номіналів: 1, 2, 5 і 25 копійок. «Усі ці номінали розмінних монет будуть і далі перебувати в обігу, однак в подальшому готівковий обіг не поповнюватиметься новими монетами зазначених номіналів», – сказав Смолій. Для спрощення розрахунків у Нацбанку пропонують правила округлення загальної суми покупки: сума, що закінчується на 1-4 копійки, округлюється у бік зменшення до найближчої суми, що закінчується на 0 копійок; сума, що закінчується на 5-9 копійок, округлюється у бік збільшення до найближчої суми, що закінчується …
Theoretical Physicist Stephen Hawking Dies at 76
World-renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking, who sought to understand a range of cosmic topics from the beginning of the universe to the intricacies of black holes, died Wednesday at the age of 76. A family spokesman said he died peacefully at his home in the city of Cambridge where he worked for decades as the Lucasian Professorship of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge. “He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years,” Hawking’s children, Lucy, Robert and Tim, said in a statement. He was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis at the age of 21, a disease that eventually confined him to a wheelchair and took away this ability to speak, leaving Hawking to communicate through a voice synthesizer. Doctors predicted he would only live a few years, but he instead thrived, focusing on his work that included seeking to bridge the gap between Albert Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity that describes the motion of large objects and the Theory of Quantum Mechanics dealing with subatomic particles. “My goal is simple. It is a complete understanding of the universe, why it is as it is and why it exists at all,” Hawking said. His 1988 book “A Brief History of Time” became an international bestseller and brought him widespread fame. One of his most famous accomplishments came in his research on black holes, showing that small amounts of radiation could escape their gravitational pull. The phenomenon is now commonly known …
For Poor Venezuelans, a Box of Food May Sway Vote for Maduro
A bag of rice on a hungry family’s kitchen table could be the key to Nicolas Maduro retaining the support of poor Venezuelans in May’s presidential election. For millions of Venezuelans suffering an unprecedented economic crisis, a monthly handout of a box of heavily-subsidized basic food supplies by Maduro’s unpopular government has offered a tenuous lifeline in their once-prosperous OPEC nation. The 55-year-old successor to Hugo Chavez introduced the so-called CLAP boxes in 2016 in a signature policy of his rule, continuing the socialist government’s strategy of seeking public support with cash bonuses and other giveaways. Now, running for re-election on May 20, Maduro says the CLAPs are his “most powerful weapon” to combat an “economic war” being waged by Washington, which brands him a “dictator” and has imposed sanctions. Mariana, a single mother who lives in the poor hillside neighborhood of Petare in the capital Caracas, says the handouts will decide her vote. “I and other women I know are going to vote for Maduro because he’s promising to keep giving CLAPs, which at least help fix some problems,” said the 30-year-old cook, who asked not to give her surname for fear of losing the benefit. “When you earn minimum wage, which doesn’t cover exorbitant prices, the box helps.” Maduro’s rule since 2013 has coincided with a deep recession caused by a plunge in global oil prices and failed state-led economic policies. Yet the worse the economy gets, the more dependent some poor Venezuelans become on the state. Life …
Growing Food at -30, The Chef on an Arctic Self-sufficiency Mission
In one of the planet’s most northerly settlements, in a tiny Arctic town of about 2,000 people, Benjamin Vidmar’s domed greenhouse stands out like an alien structure in the snow-cloaked landscape. This is where in summer the American chef grows tomatoes, onions, chilies and other vegetables, taking advantage of the season’s 24 hours of daily sunlight. During winter’s four months of darkness, when temperatures can reach -30 Celsius (-22°F), Vidmar tends to microgreens – the leaves and shoots of young salad plants – and dozens of quails in two rooms beneath his home. He is the sole supplier of locally-grown food in the Norwegian town of Longyearbyen in the Svalbard archipelago. The North Pole is about 1,050 kilometers (650 miles) to the north; mainland Norway is about as far south. Growing food in such conditions can be “mission impossible” but it is necessary, Vidmar told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. He hopes to set an example for other remote towns in the region. “We are so dependent on imports. Everything is by boat and plane,” said Vidmar, who comes from Cleveland, Ohio, and who has lived here for nearly a decade. That makes the town vulnerable, he said. In 2010, stores in Longyearbyen stood empty after an Icelandic volcano erupted, bringing air transport to a halt. And the cost of imported food and its quality “is often disappointing.” His company, Polar Permaculture, aims to produce enough food for the town and process all its organic and biological waste. It sounds ambitious, …
Can Pop-Ups Pave the Way to Thriving Public Space in World’s Cities?
On a patch of gravel that was once a nondescript bus stop in Kuala Lumpur’s old city, passersby can now find brightly-painted wooden pallets that double as seating and shelves stocked with free books for the taking. At least, for the time being. The transformation is temporary, a monthlong demonstration to judge the public’s reaction to the idea of turning a slice of the sprawling Malaysian capital no bigger than a small hotel room into a permanent public space. This try-it-before-you-buy-it approach is known as a pop-up. Pop-ups have become popular in many cities, often the brainchild of local residents in an effort to improve their neighborhoods or turn derelict spaces into community hubs. They include cycling activists who paint bike lanes without government approval to push for safer streets, retailers who launch temporary shops in repurposed shipping containers to revitalize flagging high streets or food trucks gathered in empty parking lots. “We’ve found by working with cities sometimes they are a little bit wary about having to put a lot of investment into public spaces,” said Cecilia Anderson, who leads the public space program at UN-Habitat, the U.N.’s lead agency on urban issues. “Sometimes it helps to do a small pop-up public space just to showcase on a temporary level what kinds of benefits it has for the city, the citizens, and that neighborhood.” Public space has been shrinking in the world’s fast-growing cities, where almost 70 percent of the population is expected to live by 2050, compared to …
Behind the Broadcom Deal Block: Rising Telecom Tensions
Behind the U.S. move to block Singapore-based Broadcom’s hostile bid for U.S. chipmaker Qualcomm lies a new global struggle for influence over next-generation communications technology — and fears that whoever takes the lead could exploit that advantage for economic gain, theft and espionage. In the Broadcom-Qualcomm deal, the focus is on so-called “5G” wireless technology, which promises data speeds that rival those of landline broadband now. Its proponents insist that 5G, the next step up from the “4G” networks that now serve most smartphones, will become a critical part of the infrastructure powering everything from self-driving cars to the connected home. 5G remains in the early stages of development. Companies including Qualcomm, based in San Diego, and China’s Huawei have been investing heavily to stake their claim in the underlying technology. Such beachheads can be enormously valuable; control over basic technologies and their patents can yield huge fortunes in computer chips, software and related equipment. “These transitions come along almost every decade or so,” said Jon Erensen, research director for semiconductors at research firm Gartner. “The government is being very careful to ensure the U.S. keeps its leadership role developing these standards.” President Donald Trump said late Monday that a takeover of Qualcomm would imperil national security, effectively ending Broadcom’s $117 billion buyout bid. Broadcom said that it is studying the order and that it doesn’t believe it poses any national security threat to the U.S. Higher stakes It’s the second recent U.S. warning shot across the bow of foreign …
Starbucks Signs Licensing Agreement With Brazil Investment Firm
Sao Paulo investment firm SouthRock Capital has signed an agreement with Starbucks that gives it the right to develop and operate branches of the Seattle-based chain in Brazil, the companies said late on Monday. With the agreement, whose value was not disclosed, all of Starbucks’ retail operations in Latin America are now wholly licensed rather than directly managed, the companies said. SouthRock founder Ken Pope said in a statement the fund would eye expansion opportunities in new and existing markets. Starbucks now has 113 stores across the populous states of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. “With Starbucks, we see continued opportunities for growth in existing markets … as well as new markets like Brasilia and the South,” he said. SouthRock, founded in 2015, also owns Brazil Airport Restaurants, which operates in the country’s biggest airports. Shares in Starbucks opened up 0.5 percent but closed down 0.58 percent. The S&P 500 Index fell 0.64 percent. …
Cholera Outbreak Sparks Blame Game in Malawi
Malawi continues to register new cases of cholera in an outbreak that has now reached half of the country’s 28 districts. However, the government and communities trade blame over containment efforts. According to the latest figures from the Ministry of Health 23 people have died from cholera since the first case was recorded in November. The number of infected people has now ballooned to 739 from 157 in January. Ministry spokesperson Joshua Malango told VOA that a major cause of the rising number of cases is because of people’s beliefs in superstitions. “Some [people] are still believing that having cholera is not to do with hygiene, it’s to do with witchcraft or some traditional beliefs,” he said. ” So, instead of rushing to the hospital, they rush to seek traditional medicine which cannot help.” Malango says, for example, one patient died last Thursday in the capital, Lilongwe, because he refused to go to the hospital for medical help. Malango also says churches that prohibit their sick members from getting medical help have contributed to the death toll. He says authorities recently rescued and took to the hospital some cholera patients who were being prayed for at a church in Salima district, central Malawi. “They are members of Zion Church who resorted to go to churches for prayers and the like. So, three of them died and using police force we managed to rescue seven [cholera patients] who were at the church,” he …
Amid Trump Visit, it’s Business As Usual for Border Towns
The daily commute from Mexico to California farms is the same as it was before Donald Trump became president. Hundreds of Mexicans cross the border and line the sidewalks of Calexico’s tiny downtown by 4 a.m., napping on cardboard sheets and blankets or sipping coffee from a 24-hour doughnut shop until buses leave for the fields. For decades, cross-border commuters have picked lettuce, carrots, broccoli, onions, cauliflower and other vegetables that make California’s Imperial Valley “America’s Salad Bowl” from December through March. As Trump visits the border Tuesday, the harvest is a reminder of how little has changed despite heated immigration rhetoric in Washington. Trump will inspect eight prototypes for a future 30-foot border wall that were built in San Diego last fall. He made a “big, beautiful wall” a centerpiece of his campaign and said Mexico would pay for it. But border barriers extend the same 654 miles (1,046 kilometers) they did under President Barack Obama and so far Trump hasn’t gotten Mexico or Congress to pay for a new wall. Trump also pledged to expand the Border Patrol by 5,000 agents, but staffing fell during his first year in office farther below a congressional mandate because the government has been unable to keep pace with attrition and retirements. There were 19,437 agents at the end of September, down from 19,828 a year earlier. In Tijuana, tens of thousands of commuters still line up weekday mornings for San Diego at the nation’s busiest border crossing, some for jobs in …
Stone Age People in South Africa Unharmed by Supervolcano Eruption
A supervolcano eruption about 74,000 years ago on Indonesia’s island of Sumatra caused a large-scale environmental calamity that may have decimated Stone Age human populations in parts of the world. But some populations, it seems, endured it unscathed. Scientists on Monday said excavations at two nearby archeological sites on South Africa’s southern coast turned up microscopic shards of volcanic glass from the Mount Toba eruption, which occurred about 5,500 miles (9,000 km) away. While some research indicates the eruption may have triggered a decades-long “volcanic winter” that damaged ecosystems and deprived people of food resources, the scientists found evidence that the hunter-gatherers at these sites continued to thrive. The shards were found at a rock shelter located on a promontory called Pinnacle Point near the town of Mossel Bay where people lived, cooked food and slept, and at an open-air site 6 miles (10 km) away where people fashioned tools of stone, bone and wood. The rock shelter was inhabited from 90,000 to 50,000 years ago. The researchers found no signs of abandonment at the time of the eruption, but rather evidence of business as usual. “It is very possible that populations elsewhere suffered badly,” said paleoanthropologist Curtis Marean of Arizona State University’s Institute of Human Origins and Nelson Mandela University’s Center for Coastal Palaeoscience in South Africa. The researchers said the seaside location may have provided a refuge, with marine food sources like shellfish less sensitive than inland plants and animals to an eruption’s environmental effects. Mount Toba belched …
Chilean Financial Minister: Pinera to Impose Austerity But Not ‘Mega-adjustments’
Chile’s new government is preparing belt-tightening measures after inheriting a larger-than-anticipated fiscal deficit from its predecessor, but the measures will stop short of “mega-adjustments,” Finance Minister Felipe Larrain said on Monday. Conservative billionaire Sebastian Pinera took office on Sunday vowing to combat economic “stagnation” and calling for a return to “fiscal equilibrium” as he seeks to transform Chile into a developed nation within a decade. “We’re in a period of tight budgets, with levels of public debt that have doubled, which means we must begin with austerity measures, followed by a reassigning resources, in order to finance the president’s program,” Larrain told reporters as he entered the finance ministry for his first day on the job. Shortly before leaving office, outgoing President Michelle Bachelet’s government reported it had left a fiscal deficit of 2.1 percent of gross domestic product, instead of 1.7 percent as targeted. Chile’s Congress this year authorized an increase in public spending of 3.9 percent, which Pinera had previously criticized as “high.” “These austerity measures, and the wise use of resources, are always welcome and are necessary. But we’re not talking about mega-adjustments, we’re talking about austerity measures,” Larrain said. During his campaign, Pinera, who also governed from 2010 to 2014, said he hoped to guide the country to fiscal equilibrium within six to eight years. …
Trump Blocks Broadcom Takeover of Qualcomm
U.S. President Donald Trump is blocking Singapore-based Broadcom, maker of computer and smartphone chips, from taking over U.S. chipmaker Qualcomm. Trump cited national security grounds in stopping the takeover, following the recommendation of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). The committee reviews national security implications when foreign entities purchase U.S. corporations. The president’s order said there is “credible evidence” that the takeover “might take action that threatens to impair the national security of the United States.” Broadcom made an unsolicited bid last year to take over Qualcomm for $117 billion. The company has been in the process of moving its legal headquarters from Singapore to the United States to help it win approval for the takeover. Qualcomm, which is based in San Diego, has emerged as one of the biggest competitors to Chinese companies, such as Huawei Technologies, making it an attractive asset for potential buyers in the semiconductor industry. Companies in the industry are racing against each other to develop 5G wireless technology to transmit data at faster speeds. …
Eurozone to Unlock New Loans to Greece, Working on Debt Relief
Eurozone creditors are expected to disburse new loans to Greece this month and are working on debt relief measures, the head of the bloc’s finance ministers said on Monday, steps that should help underpin its economic recovery. Greece’s 86-billion-euro bailout program, its third since 2010, is due to end in August and international lenders are debating how to ensure the country makes its exit on a sustainable footing. Among options under consideration in Brussels are support measures that could run into tens of billions of euros and help ease servicing costs on a public debt pile that, in terms of economic output, is among the biggest in the world. Greece’s economy expanded by 1.6 percent last year after emerging from a long recession. The European Commission forecast growth of 2.5 percent this year and next, but that rate could slow if reforms stall after strict monitoring by the lenders ceases. The eurozone bailout fund is expected to pay out a 5.7 billion euro loan later in March, Eurogroup head Mario Centeno told a news conference following the finance ministers’ monthly meeting, after Greece met commitments under the third review of its rescue program. To successfully exit the program, a fourth review of 88 reform actions must be completed before August. This would allow Greece to access other loans. “I am confident Greece will implement all remaining deliverables to conclude the program successfully,” Centeno said. They include new privatizations and reform of the gas and electricity markets, which he said were …
US Barbershop Study Trimmed Black Men’s Hair and Blood Pressure
Trim your hair, your beard, your blood pressure? Black men reduced one of their biggest medical risks through a novel project that shows the power of familiar faces and trusted places to improve health. The project had pharmacists work with dozens of Los Angeles barbershops to test and treat clients. The results, reported Monday at a cardiology conference, have doctors planning to expand the project to more cities nationwide. “There’s open communication in a barbershop. There’s a relationship, a trust,” said Eric Muhammad, owner of A New You Barbershop, one of the barbers who participated. “We have a lot more influence than just the doctor walking in the door.” Black men have high rates of high blood pressure — a top reading over 130 or a bottom one over 80 — and the problems it can cause, such as strokes and heart attacks. Only half of Americans with high pressure have it under control; many don’t even know they have the condition. Churches, beauty salons and other community spots have been used to reach groups that often lack access to doctors, to promote cancer screenings and other services. Dr. Ronald Victor, a cardiologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, wanted to reach black men. “Barbershops are a uniquely popular meeting place for African-American men,” and many have gone every other week to the same barber for many years, he said. “It almost has a social club feel to it, a delightful, friendly environment” that makes it ideal for improving health. Victor did …
Business Lobby: Mexico Front-Runner Must Respect Oil, Airport Contracts
Mexico’s powerful CCE business lobby on Monday urged the leftist front-runner for a July 1 presidential election to stop questioning major planks of the government’s economic agenda lest it damage investment. Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who has led opinion polls by a wide margin for weeks, has gradually moderated his rhetoric and his leading advisers have sought to reassure investors that he will not be an economic liability as president. However, his threats to scrap a new Mexico City airport already under construction and review oil and gas exploration and production contracts issued under a 2013-14 energy reform still worry some investors. “As we’ve said, you can’t ask the private sector to take part in building a better country at the same time as undermining certainty and the rule of law as conditions for fostering investment,” Juan Pablo Castanon, president of the powerful CCE lobby, an umbrella group for business groups, said at an event in Mexico City. “For this reason, we businessfolk demand guarantees that the contracts awarded under the energy reform and for the new airport will be respected,” he added. “In a country governed by the rule of law, contracts are honored, and cannot be subject to the will or interpretation of a sitting government.” Lopez Obrador’s top energy adviser has said that while publicly available versions of the energy contracts appear to be without problems, further investigation was needed to ensure corruption had not tainted the awarding process. The business community was also worried there were …
Protesting Farmers in Mumbai Win Assurances on Loan Waivers, Land Rights
It took a trek of about 180 kilometers to India’s financial capital, Mumbai, for tens of thousands of farmers in the Maharashtra state to win assurances of respite from loans and ownership rights over forest land they are tilling. Named the “Long March,” the farmers’ protest in one of India’s most prosperous states highlighted how the country’s growing economy has failed to improve farm incomes. Wearing red caps and waving red flags, the protesters, who included men, and women both young and old, walked for six days to reach a central park early Monday in Mumbai. The farmers had vowed to camp in the city until their demands were met and march to the state assembly building. After meeting farmers’ representatives, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis announced a series of steps to alleviate the distress in the state’s rural sector. This included granting ownership rights to forest land they had been tilling for decades. “We have met almost all their demands,” Fadnavis said. “Within the next six months, we will accept the claims made and transfer the forest land according to the law,” he said. Fadnavis said a scheme to waive off agricultural loans in the aftermath of crop failures will be expanded to include more farmers. The government had announced a loan waiver plan of about $5 billion last year, but that failed to give relief to all the distressed farmers. Most of the farmers who reached Mumbai were either landless, who have been …
Міжбанк: долар упав нижче за 26 гривень
Українська валюта продовжує посилюватися на міжбанківському валютному ринку. За результатами торгів 12 березня долар пробив униз ще одну психологічно важливу позначку – 26 гривень за одиницю американської валюти. «На 16:00 зареєстровано 454 угоди на суму 367,8 мільйона доларів за середньозваженим курсом 25,9246», – вказує сайт «Мінфін», який відстежує перебіг торгів. Сесія 12 березня, як і більшість попередніх упродовж понад місяця, розпочалася зі значного переважання пропозиції долара над попитом. Національний банк України оголосив аукціон і викупив понад 59 мільйонів доларів за ціною відтинання не вище ніж 25 гривень 95 копійок. Гривня на міжбанку посилюється вже близько півтора місяця. Продовження тенденції цього тижня фахівці пояснюють кількома чинниками, серед яких нове розміщення Міністерством фінансів облігацій внутрішньої державної позики, для купівлі яких нерезиденти заводять валюту. Ще одним чинником є те, що після чотирьох днів свят, з яких 8 і 9 березня були робочими днями в ЄС і США, 12 березня була зарахована валютна виручка українським експортерам за цей період. Також на курс тисне низька ліквідність у банківській системі. …
Trump Says US to Discuss European Tariffs That Hurt American Economy
President Donald Trump said Monday the U.S. will be talking with European officials about eliminating tariffs it believes hurt the American economy. Trump, in a Twitter remark, said Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross plans to talk with European Union officials about what the president described as “large Tariffs and Barriers they use against the U.S.A.” He said the levies are “not fair to our farmers and manufacturers.” His tweet echoed comments this past weekend, when he said Europe has “wonderful countries who treat the U.S. very badly on trade.” Trump, representing the world’s single largest economy, and officials of the 28-nation EU, collectively the biggest economy, have sparred over Trump’s imposition of a new 25 percent tariff on steel imports to the U.S. and 10 percent on aluminum imports. In response, EU officials have threatened to add taxes to an array of signature U.S. exports, including Harley Davidson motorcycles, blue jeans, bourbon, cranberries and orange juice. Trump in turn has suggested that if the Europeans boost tariffs on U.S. products he would impose new levies on popular German cars exported to the U.S. Europe’s top trade official, Cecilia Malmstroem, said trade is being used “as a weapon to threaten and intimidate us.” “But we are not afraid, we will stand up to the bullies,” she said. Top U.S. and EU trade officials met Saturday in Brussels, but failed to iron out their differences. Malmstroem said talks would continue this week. …