Keeping healthy could become more costly as climate change and water scarcity cause a huge drop in the global production of vegetables and legumes, scientists said Monday. The amount of vegetables produced could fall by more than a third, especially in hot regions like southern Europe and swaths of Africa and South Asia, said researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. By analyzing studies across 40 countries, with some dating as far back as 1975, they found that hikes in greenhouses gases, water scarcity and global temperatures lowered the amount of vegetables and legumes produced. Such drastic changes could drive up the prices of vegetables, which would affect poorer communities the most, according to the study, which was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. “If we take a ‘business as usual’ approach, environmental changes will substantially reduce the global availability of these important foods,” said Alan Dangour, a co-author of the paper, in a statement. Scientists have warned that world temperatures are likely to rise by 2 degrees to 4.9 degrees Celsius this century compared with pre-industrial times. This could lead to dangerous weather patterns — including more frequent and powerful droughts, floods and storms — increasing the pressure on agriculture. Food production itself is a major contributor to climate change. Agriculture, forestry and changes in land use together produce nearly a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions, making them the second-largest emitter after the energy sector, said the United Nations Food and …
Vaccines Make Major Dent in Child Deaths from Pneumonia, Meningitis
A vaccine against bacterial pneumonia and another against meningitis have saved 1.45 million children’s lives this century, according to a new study. The diseases the vaccines prevent are now concentrated in a handful of countries where the medications are not yet widely available or were only recently introduced, the research says. Pneumonia is the leading cause of death among children worldwide. The bacteria targeted by the shots, Haemophilus influenzae type b (known as Hib) and Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus), are major causes of pneumonia and also cause meningitis. Together, the two bacteria claimed nearly 1.1 million lives in 2000, before the vaccines were widely available, according to the World Health Organization. Vaccines against the bacteria are not new, but funding to provide them in low-income countries only became available recently. To estimate their impact, the researchers started with country-by-country data from the WHO on pneumonia and meningitis cases and deaths, as well as vaccine coverage estimates. They factored in data from dozens of clinical studies on infections caused by the two bacteria to create estimates of illness and death from the diseases in 2000 and 2015. They found deaths from Hib fell by 90 percent in 2015, saving an estimated 1.2 million lives since 2000. Pneumococcus deaths fell by just over half, accounting for approximately 250,000 lives saved. The research appears in the journal The Lancet Global Health. “What was interesting was to see the rate at which some of these deaths have been prevented in the last several years,” said …
Paraguay Declared Malaria-Free Amid Concerns Disease Rising Again
Paraguay is officially free of malaria, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday, making it the first country in the Americas in 45 years to have wiped out the deadly disease which is back on the rise globally. Nearly half a million people — most of them babies and children in Africa — died in 2016 from mosquito-borne malaria, while at least 216 million were infected, an increase of five percent over 2015, WHO said. With no recorded cases of malaria in five years, Paraguay became the first country in the region to have eliminated malaria since Cuba in 1973, the WHO said. It was the first country to be declared malaria free since Sri Lanka in 2016. “It gives me great pleasure today to certify that Paraguay is officially free of malaria,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of WHO, said in a statement. “Success stories like Paraguay’s show what is possible. If malaria can be eliminated in one country, it can be eliminated in all countries.” While significant progress has been made over the past 20 years in reducing malaria cases and deaths, in 2016, for the first time in a decade, the number of malaria cases rose and in some areas there was a resurgence, the WHO said. Health experts say this was partly to blame on a growing resistance to the sprays and drugs used to attack the mosquito that transmits the disease and the parasite that causes it. They also say it is partly due to …
Фонд держмайна дозволив приватизацію 22 великих об’єктів – Трубаров
Фонд держмайна розпочав «велику приватизацію», повідомив на своїй сторінці у Facebook виконувач обов’язків керівника фонду Віталій Трубаров. «Шляху назад немає. Фонд підписав 22 накази про приватизацію об‘єктів великої приватизації. Це перший великий перелік підприємств для продажу за останні щонайменше 10 років. Найближчим часом розпочинаємо оголошення конкурсу на відбір радників, аби вже восени вийти на фінішну пряму», – зазначив він. У травні уряд ухвали перелік із 23-х об’єктів великої приватизації на 2018-й рік. До об’єктів великої приватизації належать об’єкти державної або комунальної власності (єдині майнові комплекси державних підприємств та пакети акцій (часток) суб’єктів господарювання, у статутному капіталі яких більше 50 % акцій (часток) належать державі), вартість активів яких згідно з даними фінансової звітності за останній звітний рік перевищує 250 мільйонів гривень. Зокрема, в ухваленому переліку є кілька обленерго та ТЕЦ, «Азовмаш» та «Одеський припортовий». Верховна Рада 18 січня схвалила законопроект про приватизацію державного майна. Як вказувалося в пояснювальній записці, враховуючи те, що понад 90% державних активів введено в експлуатацію 50–150 років тому, затримка з приватизацією цих об’єктів призводить до їх подальшого руйнування, зниження інвестиційної привабливості. Раніше у Фонді державного майна повідомляли, що держава планує отримати від приватизації майже 22,5 мільярдів гривень. …
НБУ подав нові позови проти Коломойського до судів Швейцарії та України
Національний банк України подав нові позови в суди Швейцарії та України проти одного з колишніх акціонерів «Приватбанку» Ігоря Коломойського. Про це повідомляє прес-служба НБУ. Судові справи стосуються виконання Коломойським його зобов’язань за наданими у 2016 році особистими поруками на користь Національного банку, повідомляє регулятор. «Мета позовів – забезпечити погашення кредитів рефінансування, які Національний банк надав «Приватбанку» в період між 2008 та 2015 роками», – зазначається в повідомленні НБУ. Загалом йдеться про погашення Ігорем Коломойським заборгованості за п’ятьма кредитними угодами на суму близько 10 мільярдів гривень. Читайте також: Коломойський після 8 місяців у Женеві: «Поїхати сьогодні в Україну було б украй необдумано» Перший позов Нацбанк подав за місцем проживання Коломойського в Швейцарії – до суду першої інстанції в Женеві. Другий пакет позовів подано за місцем знаходження майна Коломойського в Україні – до Господарського суду Дніпропетровської області. У Нацбанку наголосили, що Коломойський продемонстрував небажання виконувати взяті на себе зобов’язання добровільно, тому регулятор готовий вести судові справи проти бізнесмена як в Україні, так і за кордоном. У грудні 2016 року уряд України за пропозицією Нацбанку й акціонерів «Приватбанку», найбільшими з яких на той час були Ігор Коломойський і Геннадій Боголюбов, ухвалив рішення про націоналізацію цієї найбільшої на українському ринку фінустанови. Банк перейшов у державну власність, на його докапіталізацію загалом держава витратила понад 155 мільярдів гривень. 1 липня 2017 року збіг термін, коли екс-акціонери «Приватбанку» повинні були реструктуризувати кредити пов’язаних з ними компаній, проте вони цього не зробили. …
«Укрзалізниця» анонсує 23 літніх потяги до моря
«Укрзалізниця» повідомила про 23 потяги до Чорного та Азовського морів, які курсуватимуть по Україні протягом літа. Про це йдеться на сайті підприємства. «Зокрема, 8 поїздів призначено до Одеси, 5 – до Херсона, по 3 – до Генічеська та Бердянська. Також у збільшили періодичність курсування популярних графікових поїздів», – зазначено у повідомленні. Виконувач голови правління ПАТ «Укрзалізниця» Євген Кравцов оприлюднив перелік на своїй сторінці у Facebook. Раніше перевізник повідомляв, що на літо призначив 5 пар додаткових поїздів до Одеси, а ще трьом поїздам збільшила періодичність курсування. «Укрзалізниця» є національним перевізником вантажів та пасажирів в Україні. …
Trump Says Friends, Enemies Cannot Take Advantage of US on Trade
President Donald Trump tweeted out more criticism of U.S. trade partners Monday, including allies in Europe and Canada, adding to his declarations that the United States will no longer tolerate what he has called “trade abuse.” “Sorry, we cannot let our friends, or enemies, take advantage of us on Trade anymore. We must put the American worker first!” Trump said. That was part of a string of messages in which the president asserted the United States “pays close the the entire cost of NATO” while other member countries take advantage of the U.S. on trade. “We protect Europe (which is good) at great financial loss, and then get unfairly clobbered on Trade,” he said. “Change is coming!” NATO members, in general, make direct financial contributions based on their economic output, and as a result of being the world’s biggest economy the United States does contribute a larger amount than other nations. Indirectly, NATO members contribute to the alliance through the size of their military budgets, and the United States also spends more on defense than any other nation. Trump tweeted from Singapore where he traveled for a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un after attending a meeting of G-7 leaders in Canada. After Trump left, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called Trump’s decision to impose invoke national security grounds to impose new tariffs on aluminum and steel “insulting” because of the long history of Canadian troops supporting the United States in conflicts. Trudeau also pledged to respond with …
Swiss Voters Reject Campaign to Radically Alter Banking System
A radical plan to transform Switzerland’s financial landscape by barring commercial banks from electronically creating money when they lend was resoundingly rejected by Swiss voters on Sunday. More than three quarters rejected the so-called Sovereign Money initiative, according to the official result released from the Swiss government. All of the country’s self-governing cantons also voted against in the poll, which needed a majority from Switzerland’s 26 cantons as well as a simple majority of voters to succeed. Concerns about the potential risks to the Swiss economy by introducing a “vollgeld” or “real money” system appear to have convinced voters to reject the proposals. The Swiss government, which had opposed the plan because of the uncertainties it would unleash, said it was pleased with the result. “Implementing such a scheme, which would have raised so many questions, would have been hardly possible without years of trouble,” Finance Minister Ueli Maurer said. “Swiss people in general don’t like taking risks, and …the people have seen no benefit from these proposals. You can also see that our banking system functions…The suspicions against the banks have been largely eliminated.” The vote, called under Switzerland’s system of direct democracy after gathering more than 100,000 signatures, wanted to make the Swiss National Bank (SNB) the only body authorized to create money in the country. Contrary to common belief, most money in the world is not produced by central banks but is instead created electronically by commercial lenders when they lend beyond the deposits they hold for …
Hurricane Bud Intensifying Off Mexico’s Pacific Coast
Tropical Storm Bud intensified late Sunday afternoon into a Category 1 hurricane some 254 miles (410 km) west of the Pacific coast of Mexico, the country’s weather service said. With maximum sustained winds of 75 miles (121 km) per hour and gusts of 93 miles (150 km) per hour, Bud was moving northwest at 9.3 miles (15 km) per hour. The storm is the second of the 2018 Pacific hurricane season after Tropical Storm Aletta, which is moving west away from land. On the Atlantic side, Subtropical Storm Alberto slammed into the Mexican Caribbean in late May, forcing the evacuation of oil workers in the Gulf of Mexico and killing almost 10 people in Cuba and in the U.S. Southeast. Within hours, Bud was due to generate intense storms in the Mexican states that border the Pacific Ocean, such as Jalisco, Colima and Guerrero. The Miami-based U.S. National Hurricane Center said Bud would start to weaken by late Tuesday or early Wednesday. There are no oil installations on the Pacific side of Mexico. Although authorities established a surveillance zone to follow the trajectory of the hurricane northward along Mexico’s western coast, there were no evacuations of tourist spots like Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas. “People in the zones of the states with forecast of rains, wind and waves, including maritime navigation, are recommended to take extreme precautions and to comply with the recommendations issued by the authorities,” Mexico’s meteorological service said in a statement. …
Impossible Makes Plant-based, Meat Free Burger Possible
After years of research and 400 million dollars from investors, Impossible Foods has produced the hottest new item on the vegan market, meat-free burgers. The goal of the California-based start-up is to make an all-natural organic product that could deliver the pleasure people get from eating meat, but with no cholesterol, antibiotics, hormones, harmful bacteria… or meat. Faiza Elmasry has the story. Faith Lapidus narrates. …
Study Discourages Chemotherapy for Some Breast Cancer Patients
The University of Hawaii Cancer Center is the leader in a groundbreaking national study that found that early-stage breast cancer patients with the most common form of the disease do not benefit from chemotherapy. The center helped develop the largest breast cancer study, enrolling 172 Hawaii patients onto the TailorX clinical trial, which found that hormone therapy alone produced results as good as both chemotherapy and hormone treatment for 70 percent of women post-surgery, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported. “We’re able now to spare a large group of women side effects of chemotherapy,” said Dr. Randall Holcombe, director of the University of Hawaii Cancer Center. “We now know with this study that women in this intermediate group will have the same chance of a cure by treating with a hormone pill alone. There are some side effects to hormone pills but a lot less than chemotherapy.” It could significantly change the standard of care, he added. The five-year survival rate was 98 percent for women who received hormone pills alone and 98.1 percent for those who received both therapies. At nine years, the rates were 93.9 percent and 93.8 percent, respectively. The findings were based on 10,273 women who participated in the study from 2006 to 2010. ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group based in Philadelphia conducted the clinical trial, supported by the National Cancer Institute, a number of foundations and sales of the breast cancer research postage stamp, which provided more than $5 million. …
New Italian Economy Minister Vows to Stay in Euro, Cut Debt Level
Italy’s new coalition government has no intention of leaving the euro and plans to focus on cutting debt levels, Economy Minister Giovanni Tria said on Sunday, looking to reassure nervous financial markets. Italian government bonds have come under concerted selling pressure on fears the government will embark on a spending splurge that Italy can ill-afford and markets are wary that euro-skeptics within the coalition might try to push Italy out of the eurozone. In his first interview since taking office a week ago, Tria told Corriere della Sera newspaper that the coalition wanted to boost growth through investment and structural reforms. “Our goal is [to lift] growth and employment. But we do not plan on reviving growth through deficit spending,” Tria said, adding that he would present new economic forecasts and government goals in September. “These will be fully coherent with the objective of continuing on the path of lowering the debt/GDP ratio,” he said. The government, comprising the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement and far-right League, initially named as economy minister a man who had called the euro an “historic error”. He was eventually handed a less important portfolio after the head of state refused to accept his nomination. Tria, a little-known economics professor who is not affiliated to any party, said the coalition was committed to remaining within the single currency. “The position of the government is clear and unanimous. There is no question of leaving the euro,” he said. “The government is determined to prevent in any way the …
Half the World’s 152 Million Child Laborers Do Hazardous Work
The International Labor Organization reports 152 million children are victims of child labor, with nearly half forced to work in hazardous, unhealthy conditions that can result in death and injury. Twenty years ago, hundreds of people, including children, participated in the Global March against Child Labor. They came to the International Labor Conference in Geneva demanding a Convention on the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labor. Basu Rai from Nepal was the youngest of the marchers. Now, a grown man he recalls clambering on table tops chanting slogans. “Go, Go Global March. Stop, Stop Child Labor. We want education. No more tools in tiny hands. We want books and we want toys,” he said. Rai was orphaned at age four. Homeless and without anyone to look after him, he became a street gangster, a rag picker, a delivery boy. He did anything to survive. Now, as an adult, he has become a Child Rights Activist. “But, still I am afraid because I am a father to a two-month old daughter and then because the world is not safe for the children. So, this is our collective responsibility to work together for the sake of the childhood…But, still there are 152 million children who are languishing in a kind of slavery,” said Rai. Kailash Satyarthi, an Indian children’s rights activist and Nobel peace prize laureate, led the 1998 Global March of enslaved and trafficked children. He said progress has been made since then, but much remains to be done. …
XI Takes Swipe at G-7 Summit In SCO Remarks
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)is holding its first summit since India and Pakistan joined the bloc which is widely seem by observers as a means for blocking American influence in Central Asia. The founding members of the alliance are China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. The summit is being held in the eastern Chinese coastal city of Qingdao. Chinese President Xi Jingping told the group in opening remarks Sunday, “We should reject selfish, short-sighted, narrow and closed-off policies.We must maintain the rules of the World Trade Organization, support the multilateral trade system and build an open global economy.” Political analysts see the Chinese leader’s remarks as a thinly veiled reference to the chaos at the recent G-7 summit in Canada where the U.S. and its allies were divided by escalating trade tensions. After leaving the G-7 meeting, U.S. President Donald Trump described Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as “meek and mild” and “dishonest & weak.” Trump also withdrew his endorsement of the G-7 summit’s communique. …
Girls Education Fund Announced at G-7
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Saturday that nearly $3 billion in pledges has been raised to help fund the education of vulnerable girls and women around the world. Canada will contribute $300 million to the campaign. Germany, Japan, Britain and the World Bank are among the additional supporters. The prime minister made the announcement on the last day of the G-7 summit which was held in Quebec. Women’s groups that had met with Trudeau on the sidelines of the summit welcomed the news of the generous pledges that exceeded the groups’ expectations. “It gives young women in developing countries the opportunity to pursue careers instead of early marriage and child labor,” said Nobel Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, who was shot in the head in Pakistan because of her campaign for the right of girls to receive an education. Yousafzai, currently a student at Oxford University, said the pledges give “all of us the chance to create a safer, healthier and wealthier world.” According to a government statement, the funds will be used to equip girls and women, including refugees, with the skills needed for the jobs of the future. David Morley, president of UNICEF Canada, said “UNICEF believes that the right to education is as fundamental as the right to food or shelter, and provides girls with the skills they need to break the cycle of crisis and poverty.” …
UK to Force Big Companies to Publish Worker-to-Boss Pay Gap
Britain’s biggest companies will from 2020 be legally required to publish the gap between the salaries of their chief executives and what they pay their average U.K. workers, under proposed government rules. Business Minister Greg Clark said that the government would set out new laws in Parliament on Monday directing that U.K.-listed companies with more than 250 employees would have to reveal their pay gaps and justify their CEOs’ salaries. “We understand the anger of workers and shareholders when bosses’ pay is out of step with company performance,” Clark said in a statement Sunday. He said the new laws would improve transparency and boost accountability for both shareholders and workers, as well as helping to “build a fairer economy.” The new measures, which are subject to parliamentary approval, are part of the government’s “Industrial Strategy” and would come into effect January 1, 2019, meaning companies would start reporting in 2020. When these rules were first proposed last year, they were criticized by union leaders, who said they fell short of Prime Minister Theresa May’s promise early on in her tenure to tackle soaring executive pay. ‘Unacceptable face’ of capitalism She came to power after the 2016 Brexit vote vowing to tackle what she called the “unacceptable face” of capitalism, including pay gaps and mismanaged takeovers, which had driven a wedge between British bosses and their workers. But some campaigners and investors have questioned whether the greater transparency provided by disclosures about boss-to-worker pay ratios would be enough to force companies to curb pay excesses. Matthew Fell, chief U.K. policy director at the Confederation of British Industry, a British employers group, said that the new legislation …
Rise in US Suicides Highlights Need for New Depression Drugs
A spike in suicide rates in the United States has cast fresh light on the need for more effective treatments for major depression, with researchers saying it is a tricky development area that has largely been abandoned by big pharmaceutical companies. U.S. health authorities said this week that there had been a sharp rise in suicide rates across the country since the beginning of the century and called for a comprehensive approach to addressing depression. The report was issued the same week as the high-profile suicides of celebrities Anthony Bourdain and Kate Spade. Reuters was not able to determine whether either Bourdain or Spade were getting drug treatment. Representatives could not immediately be reached for comment. Kate Spade’s husband, Andy Spade, said in a statement this week that she had suffered from depression for many years and was working closely with her doctors. With the availability of numerous cheap generic antidepressants, many of which offer only marginal benefit, developing medicines for depression is a tough sell. Far more cancer drugs Drugmakers have 140 therapies in development targeting mental health issues, including 39 aimed at depression, according to the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America trade group. That compares with the industry’s work on 1,100 experimental cancer drugs, which can command some of the highest prices. “Psychiatry has become a disfavored area for investment,” said Harry Tracy, whose newsletter, NeuroPerspective, tracks developments in drug treatments for psychiatric problems. “Insurers say, ‘Why should we pay more for a new treatment?’ ” Some say anti-depressant drugs take too long to become effective, if they are effective at all. About half of people with depression fail to respond …
Salmonella Linked to Pre-cut Melon Sickens 60 in Midwest
Health officials say a salmonella outbreak linked to pre-cut melon has sickened 60 people in five Midwestern states. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Caito Foods LLC on Friday recalled pre-cut watermelon, honeydew melon, cantaloupe and fruit medleys containing at least one of those melons that were produced at its facility in Indianapolis. It said the five states where people were sickened were Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri and Ohio. The CDC said the fruit was also distributed to stores in Georgia, Kentucky and North Carolina. It was sold in clear plastic clamshell containers at Costco, Jay C, Kroger, Payless, Owen’s, Sprouts, Trader Joe’s, Walgreens, Walmart and Whole Foods/Amazon. Officials said people should throw away or return recalled products. The CDC said 31 of the people sickened had been hospitalized, but that there had been no deaths reported. Those sickened often develop diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after eating the contaminated food. The illness often lasts four to seven days. …
UK’s May Orders Retreat to Sort Out Brexit Details
Prime Minister Theresa May will gather together squabbling British ministers at her country residence after this month’s European Union summit to settle on details of a much-anticipated Brexit policy paper. May has yet to agree on some of the fundamental details of what type of trading relationship she wants to have with the European Union after Britain leaves next March. As a result, talks with the EU have all but ground to a halt, raising fears among businesses and in Brussels that Britain could end up crashing out of the bloc without an agreed-upon deal. “There’s going to be a lot happening over the next few weeks. You know, people want us to get on with it, and that’s exactly what we’re doing,” May told reporters on her way to a G-7 summit in Canada. May will look to the June 28-29 EU summit as a chance to pin down some of the most troublesome details of Britain’s exit agreement and pave the way for more intensive talks on the all-important future economic partnership between the world’s fifth-largest economy and the world’s biggest trading bloc. But senior ministers are still at odds about what type of post-Brexit customs arrangement will be best for Britain, meaning talks on the future are unlikely to move far in June. Before leaving for Canada, May was forced into crisis talks with her Brexit minister who had challenged her so-called backstop plan to ensure no hard border on the island of Ireland. Then her foreign minister, Boris Johnson, was recorded saying there could be a Brexit meltdown. ‘Away day’ With that in mind, May said …
Голова НБУ: отримання п’ятого траншу МВФ ми очікуємо до осені
Національний банк України очікує отримати до осені п’ятий транш від Міжнародного валютного фонду, повідомив голова НБУ Яків Смолій в інтерв’ю «Дзеркалу тижня». «Четвертий перегляд програми і отримання п’ятого траншу МВФ ми очікуємо до осені. Україна брала на себе певні зобов’язання. Понад рік ми чекаємо перегляду з низки причин. Перша – формування ціни на газ за принципом імпортного паритету. Під це зобов’язання фінансування вже надійшло. Але ми його досі не виконали. Причини зрозумілі – піднімати тарифи на газ перед виборами ніхто не погоджується», – розповів Смолій. Читайте також: Що чекає на гривню, ціни в магазинах та економіку без наступного траншу МВФ? Другим зобов’язанням він назвав Антикорупційний суд, за створення якого Верховна Рада проголосувала 7 червня. «Після узгодження всіх питань і прийняття рішення зазвичай десь через тиждень-два в Київ прибуває місія Фонду. Вона тут працює близько двох тижнів, після чого їде у Вашингтон і готує документи на засідання ради директорів. Це ще близько двох тижнів. Після прийняття рішення радою директорів потрібно ще кілька тижнів для його оформлення і перерахування коштів. Таким чином, суто для проходження всіх процедур потрібно близько двох місяців. Тобто так, до осені це (транш МВФ – ред.) можливо», – зазначив Смолій. У березні 2015 року між МВФ і Україною була затверджена чотирирічна програма розширеного фінансування на суму близько 17,5 мільярда доларів США. Наразі МВФ надав Україні за цією програмою близько 8 мільярдів 380 мільйонів доларів. Міністерство фінансів України очікувало на надходження нового траншу кредиту МВФ на початку 2018 року. У квітні в НБУ заявили, що очікують траншу від Міжнародного валютного …
Experts: Suicide Can Be Prevented
More people are committing suicide than ever before, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control reports, but suicide isn’t uniquely an American issue. The World Health Organization estimates that every 40 seconds, someone in the world ends his or her life. Experts say the key to preventing suicide is to get help early and to reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness and suicide. Dorothy Paugh was 9 years old when her father took his life. “I count that day as the last day of my childhood,” she said, “because from that moment on, I had no sense of security.” Paugh’s father is buried at Arlington Cemetery, a place reserved for war heroes. “It’s important to me that people not label those who die by suicide as cowards,” she said, “because my father was brave. He fought in World War II and … I think he just got overwhelmed.” Nearly 50 years later, Dorothy Paugh’s life was shaken again by yet another suicide. “I lost my son in 2012,” she said. “This is my favorite picture of Peter because he has a hint of a smile. It’s so understated, but he has piercing blue eyes. He’s paying attention. He’s looking at the world with love, I think.” Each year, some 800,000 people worldwide die as a result of suicide — and that number does not include the countless others who attempt it. The World Health Organization says this translates to one self-inflicted death every 40 seconds. But the impact on families, societies …
Trump Rails at Trudeau, Says US Won’t Sign G-7 Communique
U.S. President Donald Trump said Saturday that he had instructed his representatives not to sign a communique by all seven leaders attending the G-7 summit in Canada, citing statements by Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made after he left. “Very dishonest and & weak,” Trump tweeted in response to Trudeau’s remark that the new U.S. tariffs on aluminum and steel were “insulting.” “Based on Justin’s false statements at his news conference, and the fact that Canada is charging massive Tariffs to our U.S. farmers, workers, and companies, I have instructed our U.S. Reps not to endorse the Communique as we look at Tariffs on automobiles flooding the U.S. Market!” Trump added. Retaliatory measures Trudeau closed the summit Saturday by refusing to budge on positions that place him at odds with Trump, particularly new tariffs on steel and aluminum that have irritated Canada and the European Union. He said in closing remarks that Canada would proceed with retaliatory measures on U.S. goods as early as July 1. “I highlighted directly to the president that Canadians did not take it lightly that the United States has moved forward with significant tariffs,” Trudeau said in the news conference following the two-day summit. “Canadians, we’re polite, we’re reasonable, but we will also not be pushed around.” British Prime Minister Theresa May echoed Trudeau, pledging to retaliate for tariffs on EU goods. “The loss of trade through tariffs undermines competition, reduces productivity, removes the incentive to innovate and ultimately makes everyone poorer,” she said. “And in response, the …
Macron’s Campaign Economists Warn French Leader Over Rich-Friendly Policies
French President Emmanuel Macron’s economic policy is viewed as favoring the rich and must change to address inequalities, according to a memo written by three economists who worked on his campaign program, Le Monde newspaper said on Saturday. The criticism is the latest sign of the trouble created by Macron’s economic reforms among the center-left supporters who propelled him to power last year. In the confidential memo sent to Macron and plastered across Le Monde’s front page, the economists said his policy was failing to convince “even the most ardent supporters.” “Many supporters of the then-candidate express their fear of a lurch to the right motivated by the temptation to steal the political space left vacant by a struggling conservative party,” the economists wrote. Jean Pisani-Ferry, the Sciences Po Paris university professor who coordinated Macron’s economic program and is an influential voice in Franco-German academic circles, is one of the authors. He declined to comment when contacted by Reuters. The other two, Philippe Martin, a former Macron adviser who heads France’s Council of Economic Analysis (CAE), and Philippe Aghion of the elite College de France, did not return Reuters’ requests for comment. Macron, who campaigned on a promise to be “neither left nor right”, moved swiftly in his first year to loosen labor rules and slash a wealth tax, earning himself the nickname “president of the rich.” The economists said there was a risk the French would find these measures unfair and think the government is deaf to the needs …
Australian Bank Hit With $530 Million Fine for Money-Laundering
Australia’s Commonwealth Bank has agreed to pay a $530 million fine for breaching anti-money laundering and counterterrorism financing laws. The scandal relates to more than 53,000 suspect transactions that the bank did not immediately report to authorities. If approved by the Federal Court, this will be the largest civil penalty in Australian corporate history. At the heart of the case were so-called smart cash machines that allowed customers to anonymously deposit and transfer money. Thousands of suspect transactions of more than $7,600 each were not referred to the authorities as required by law. An investigation by the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (AUSTRAC), the federal financial intelligence agency, along with state and federal police found the machines were being used to launder the proceeds of crime. Australian Treasurer Scott Morrison says the bank must now rebuild its reputation. “It is for them to rebuild that trust, it is for them to make these admissions, it is for them to incur these penalties and get on with the job of restoring trust in the conduct of the CBA and this, I think, is another important step toward doing that,” Morrison said. The Commonwealth Bank said its actions were not deliberate but it understood “the seriousness of the mistakes” it had made. It had reportedly been anticipating a fine of about $285 million. “For AUSTRAC, it is able to demonstrate that there has been serious failings by Commonwealth Bank (CBA), one of our major financial institutions,” said Ian Ramsey, a director …