The number of people dying from heat waves is likely to rise sharply in some regions by 2080 if policymakers fail to take mitigating steps in climate and health policies, according to the results of a study released Tuesday. Deaths caused by heat waves could increase dramatically in tropical and subtropical regions, the study found, followed closely by Australia, Europe and the United States. Published in the journal PLOS Medicine, the study’s results suggest stricter mitigation policies should be applied to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, because lower greenhouse gas emissions are linked with fewer deaths due to heat waves. Antonio Gasparrini, an expert from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine who co-led the research, noted that several countries around the world are currently being hit by deadly heat waves and said it was “highly likely” that heat wave frequency and severity would increase under a changing climate. “The good news is that if we mitigate greenhouse gas emissions … then the projected impact will be much reduced,” he said. The researchers said they hoped their research, which used mathematical modeling, would help decision-makers in planning strategies for climate change. Different scenarios The model used different scenarios characterized by levels of greenhouse gas emissions, preparedness and adaption strategies, as well as population density to estimate the number of deaths related to heat waves in 412 communities across 20 countries from 2031 to 2080. The results found that compared with the period 1971 to 2020 and under the extreme scenario, the …
Cases of Tick-Borne Meat Allergy May Be on the Rise
As Americans head outdoors for barbeques or hiking in the woods, danger might be lurking in the grass. The bite of the lone star tick, which lives in many eastern U.S. states, has been known to cause an allergic reaction to red meat. New research suggests that meat allergy may be on the rise. Mammalian meat allergy, also known as the alpha-gal allergy, refers to an allergic reaction caused by a complex sugar found in many mammalian cell membranes. The galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose sugar isn’t found in primates (including humans), but is common to red meats such as pork and beef. Symptoms of meat allergy can include hives, stomach trouble, and a sudden drop in blood pressure. It can lead to anaphylaxis, a severe and potentially life-threatening allergic reaction. New research by Dr. Jay Lieberman at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center finds one-third of anaphylaxis cases in a recent 10-year period were caused by this arachnid-induced allergy. Lieberman and his co-authors were interested in assessing the breakdown of various causes of anaphylaxis, including the alpha-gal (red meat) allergy. Anaphylaxis is usually defined as a reaction involving at least two different organ systems. “For example, if you have full body hives and you vomit,” Lieberman said, “that can be anaphylaxis, as long as you know that it’s not associated with an infection or virus.” The researchers evaluated 218 cases of anaphylaxis in patients ranging from as young as 9 years old to 78-year-old retirees who visited their university-affiliated Tennessee clinic over …
НБУ пояснив, чому падає гривня
Національний банк України пояснив 31 липня причини курсових коливань, які спостерігаються на валютному ринку другий тиждень поспіль. Серед причин, які спричинили падіння гривні щодо долара США, регулятор назвав «активне проведення компаніями операцій з перерахування дивідендів за кордон (з початку липня з цією метою було куплено майже 300 мільйонів доларів США) та вихід нерезидентами з облігацій внутрішньої державної позики (з початку липня обсяг ОВДП в портфелях нерезидентів скоротився майже на 1,3 мільярда гривень)». «На курсову динаміку минулого тижня також впливали значні обсяги повернення ПДВ наприкінці місяця, що значно зменшує обсяг вільного продажу валюти, а також збільшення попиту на готівкову валюту, зокрема зі сторони тіньового аграрного сектору у зв’язку з початком сезону», – ідеться в повідомленні. Нацбанк вказує, що з початку минулого тижня продав 148 мільйонів доларів. «Зокрема, сьогодні НБУ оголосив аукціон з продажу 50 мільйонів доларів США… За результатами аукціону НБУ продав 28,1 мільйонів доларів США за ціною відсікання 26,86 гривні за долар», – інформує НБУ. 24 липня вперше за чотири місяці Національний банк України встановив офіційний курс на рівні понад 26 з половиною гривень за долар – 26,58. Відтоді курс продовжив зростання, 31 липня станом на 13:00 на міжбанківському валютному ринку зареєстровано 340 угод на суму понад 190 мільйонів доларів за середньозваженим курсом 26 гривень 86 копійок за долар, повідомляє профільний сайт «Мінфін». …
Tehran: Trump Wrong to Expect Saudis to Cover Loss of Iran Oil Supply
Iran said on Tuesday U.S. President Donald Trump was mistaken to expect Saudi Arabia and other oil producers to compensate for supply losses caused by U.S. sanctions on Iran, after OPEC production rose only modestly in July. The comments, from Iran’s OPEC governor, came a day after a Reuters survey showed OPEC production rose by 70,000 barrels per day in July. Saudi production increased but was offset by a decline in Iranian supply due to the restart of U.S. sanctions, the survey found. “It seems President Trump has been taken hostage by Saudi Arabia and a few producers when they claimed they can replace 2.5 million barrels per day of Iranian exports, encouraging him to take action against Iran,” Hossein Kazempour Ardebili told Reuters. “Now they and Russia sell more oil and more expensively. Not even from their incremental production but their stocks.” He said oil prices, which Trump has been pressuring the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to bring down by raising output, will rise unless the United States grants waivers to buyers of Iranian crude. “They are also calling for the use of the U.S. SPR [Strategic Petroleum Reserve]. This will also mean higher prices. U.S. waivers to our clients if they come is due to the failure of bluffers [Saudi and the other producers] and, if not given, will again push the prices higher,” he said. “So they hanged him [Trump] on the wall. Now they want to have a mega OPEC, congratulations to President Trump, …
50 Years on, McDonald’s and Fast-Food Evolve Around Big Mac
McDonald’s is fighting to hold onto customers as the Big Mac turns 50, but it isn’t changing the makings of its most famous burger. The company is celebrating the 1968 national launch of the double-decker sandwich whose ingredients of “two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions and a sesame seed bun” were seared into American memories by a TV jingle. But the milestone comes as the company reduces its number of U.S. stores. McDonald’s said Thursday that customers are visiting less often. Other trendy burger options are reaching into the heartland. The “Golden Arches” still have a massive global reach, and the McDonald’s brand of cheeseburgers, chicken nuggets and french fries remains recognizable around the world. But on its critical home turf, the company is toiling to stay relevant. Kale now appears in salads, fresh has replaced frozen beef patties in Quarter Pounders, and some stores now offer ordering kiosks, food delivery and barista-style cafes. The milestone for the Big Mac shows how much McDonald’s and the rest of fast-food have evolved around it. “Clearly, we’ve gotten a little more sophisticated in our menu development,” McDonald’s CEO Steve Easterbrook said in a phone interview. As with many of its popular and long-lasting menu items, the idea for the Big Mac came from a franchisee. In 1967, Michael James “Jim” Delligatti lobbied the company to let him test the burger at his Pittsburgh restaurants. Later, he acknowledged the Big Mac’s similarity to a popular sandwich sold by the Big …
Accusations Fly as US Firms Seek to Avoid Trump’s Steel Tariff
U.S. companies seeking to be exempted from President Donald Trump’s tariff on imported steel are accusing American steel manufacturers of spreading inaccurate and misleading information, and they fear it may torpedo their requests. Robert Miller, president and CEO of NLMK USA, said objections raised by U.S. Steel and Nucor to his bid for a waiver are “literal untruths.” He said his company, which imports huge slabs of steel from Russia, has already paid $80 million in duties and will be forced out of business if it isn’t excused from the 25 percent tariff. U.S. Steel and Nucor are two of the country’s largest steel producers. “They ought to be ashamed of themselves,” said Miller, who employs more than 1,100 people at mills in Pennsylvania and Indiana. Miller’s resentment, echoed by several other executives, is evidence of the backlash over how the Commerce Department is evaluating their requests to avoid the duty on steel imports. They fear the agency will be swayed by opposition from U.S. Steel, Nucor and other domestic steel suppliers that say they’ve been unfairly hurt by a glut of imports and back Trump’s tariff. U.S. Steel said its objections are based on detailed information about the dimensions and chemistry of the steel included in the requests. “We read what is publicly posted and respond,” said spokeswoman Meghan Cox. Nucor did not reply to requests for comment. The 20,000-plus waiver applications that the Commerce Department has received illustrate the chaos and uncertainty ignited by Trump’s trade war against …
WHO: Breastfed Newborns Get Best Start in Life
Breastfeeding babies within an hour of birth significantly increases their chances of survival, the World Health Organization reports, citing data from 76 countries that find that mother’s milk is rich in health-giving nutrients and antibodies. However, only 40 percent of infants are breastfed in the first hour of life, according to WHO’s infant and young child feeding specialist, Laurence Grummer-Strawn. “The delay of breastfeeding puts the babies at increased risk of infection and ultimately increases their risk of death. Just delaying beyond the first hour can increase mortality by about one-third, and waiting until the second day doubles the rate of mortality,” he said. The worst rates are found in East Asia and the Pacific, where only 32 percent of babies are breastfed in the first hour after birth, Grummer-Strawn said. He added that the numbers are much better in Africa, with eastern and southern Africa seeing average rates of 65 percent. “What is interesting is this varies tremendously from country to country,” he said. “As we look across Africa, you can see some countries that have very low rates, as low as 20 percent, but other countries, as high as 90 percent. Similarly, in Asia, a substantial difference from one country to another country in these rates.” Grummer-Strawn says the difference in rates is not driven by regional patterns, but is mainly driven by the kind of education and medical care prevalent within a country. The report warns that formula or other drinks must not be given to newborns …
Trump Suspends Duty-free Status for Rwanda’s Apparel Exports to US
U.S. President Donald Trump has suspended Rwanda’s ability to ship apparel products duty-free to the United States due to a trade dispute over Rwanda’s increased tariffs on American used clothing and footwear, the U.S. Trade Representative’s office said on Monday. The ban, ordered by Trump in a proclamation that followed a 60-day notification period, will maintain Rwanda’s other duty-free benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act. “We regret this outcome and hope it is temporary,” Deputy USTR C.J. Mahoney said in a statement. He adding that the move would affect about $1.5 million in annual Rwandan exports, or only about three percent of the country’s total exports to the United States. …
US Warns Against IMF Bailing Out Pakistan’s Loans From China
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has warned against providing an International Monetary Fund bailout for Pakistan’s new government that includes funding to pay off Chinese lenders. In an interview with CNBC television on July 30, Pompeo said the United States looked forward to engagement with the government of Pakistan’s expected new prime minister, Imran Khan, but said there is “no rationale” for a bailout that pays off Chinese loans to Pakistan. “Make no mistake. We will be watching what the IMF does,” Pompeo said. “There’s no rationale for IMF tax dollars, and associated with that American dollars that are part of the IMF funding, for those to go to bail out Chinese bondholders or China itself,” Pompeo said. The Financial Times reported on July 29 that senior Pakistani finance officials were drawing up options for Khan to seek an IMF bailout of up to $12 billion. An IMF spokeswoman said the international lending agency has not as yet received an aid request from Pakistan nor had discussions with Pakistani officials about their intentions. Pakistan has had 14 IMF financing programs since 1980. Pakistan is struggling to avert a currency crisis that has presented the new government with one of its biggest challenges. Many analysts expect that another IMF bailout, the second in five years, will be needed to plug an external financing gap. Pakistan, which has taken around $5 billion in loans from China and its banks to fund major infrastructure projects, had sought another $1 billion in loans …
Lopez Obrador Looks to Tree Planting to Create Mexico Jobs
Mexican President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador says he wants to create 400,000 jobs by planting 1 million hectares (2.47 million acres) with timber and fruit trees. Lopez Obrador said in a video posted Sunday that he wants to plant half the total amount in 2019, focusing on timber species like cedar and mahogany. The other half would be planted in 2020. Referring to the Usumacinta river basin near the border with Guatemala, Lopez Obrador said 50,000 to 100,000 hectares could be planted there. He said the upper canopy of timber species could provide cover for cacao plantings beneath. Cacao is the source of chocolate. Lopez Obrador sees the planting program as a way to offer rural Mexicans work in their home communities, so they do not have to emigrate. …
Мінекономрозвитку: група експертів СОТ «частково підтримала» позицію України в справі проти Росії
Група експертів Світової організації торгівлі «частково підтримала» позицію України в справі проти Росії щодо обмеження імпорту залізничного обладнання, повідомила прес-служба Міністерства економічного розвитку. У відомстві зазначили, що група експертів підтвердила порушення Росією окремих положень Генеральної угоди з тарифів і торгівлі 1994 року та Угоди про технічні бар’єри у торгівлі. «Це перший запит, який Україна направила у Світову організацію торгівлі для протистояння торговельній агресії Росії, зокрема її непрозорим, невиправданим та таким, що носять дискримінаційний характер, діям стосовно товарів українського походження», – заступник міністра Наталія Микольська. За її словами, Росія необґрунтовано призупинила дію виданих українським виробникам сертифікатів відповідності, обмежила у видачі нових сертифікатів та не визнає сертифікати, видані у сертифікаційних органах Митного союзу. Згідно з повідомленням, у межах справи Україна доводила, що призупинення дії сертифікатів відповідності (14 приписів) та неприйняття до розгляду заявки на проведення сертифікації (3 рішення) призвело до дискримінації, невиправданих перешкод у торгівлі та недотримання встановленої процедури оцінки відповідності товару. Група експертів погодилася з Україною, що видавши 14 приписів про призупинення сертифікатів відповідності, Росія застосувала процедуру оцінки відповідності таким чином, що умови доступу до ринку для українських, російських та європейських виробників залізничної продукції, були не однаковими, дискримінаційними для України. Крім того, група експертів підтвердила, що Росія порушила свої зобов’язання (відповідно до статті III:4 ГАТТ 1994 (Національний режим) стосовно невизнання сертифікатів, виданих українським виробникам в інших країнах Митного союзу, що це, у свою чергу, створює переваги для національних виробників. Також група експертів СОТ визнала, що Росія порушила зобов’язання за статтею I:1 ГАТТ 1994 (Загальний режим найбільшого сприяння). Україною було доведено, що Росією неправомірно …
Impact of Trade Tariffs on European Companies
Some European companies are rethinking their strategies to cushion the impact of trade tensions between the world’s two biggest economies, the United States and China. The focus will switch back to China after a truce on tariffs emerged from U.S. President Donald Trump’s meeting with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on July 25. Trump and Juncker agreed to suspend any new tariffs on the European Union, including a proposed 25 percent levy on auto imports, and hold talks over duties on imports of European steel and aluminum. However, Trump retained the power to impose tariffs if no progress is made. In the case of China, Trump threatened that he was ready to impose tariffs on an additional $500 billion of imports. The United States has already imposed tariffs on $34 billion of Chinese imports. In return, China has levied taxes on the same value of U.S. products. Below are recent comments from European companies on trade tensions: Russian steelmaker MMK has delayed the launch of a project in Turkey, which was expected to add $90-$100 million to its core earnings, due to uncertainty created by global trade wars, the company said. Siemens Healthineers plans to cushion the impact of U.S.-China trade tensions by changing its supply routes to ship goods from its European factories. The firm expects tariffs to have a low single digit million euro impact on Healthineers’ results this year, which could rise to a double-digit million euro effect next year. German automaker BMW said it would increase …
Study: World’s Largest King Penguin Colony Declines Sharply
The world’s largest colony of king penguins has declined by nearly 90 percent in 35 years, according to an alarming study published in Antarctic Science. In the 1980s the colony on Pig Island in the sub-Antarctic archipelago of Crozet, about halfway between the tip of Africa and Antarctica, was estimated to contain some two million of the flightless birds. But recent satellite images show the “colony has declined by 88 percent, from about 500,000 breeding pairs to 60,000 pairs,” the study found. “It is completely unexpected, and particularly significant since this colony represented nearly one third of the king penguins in the world,” said lead author Henri Weimerskirch, an ecologist at the Center for Biological Studies in Chize, France, who first saw the colony in 1982. The reason for the dramatic decline is still a mystery to the scientists. Weimerskirch speculated that it could have been affected by a particularly strong El Nino weather event that warmed the southern Indian Ocean in 1997. The event temporarily pushed the fish and squid on which king penguins depend beyond their foraging range. “This resulted in population decline and poor breeding success” for all the king penguin colonies in the region, Weimerskirch said. While the other colonies in the region have bounced back, the one on Pig Island continues to decline, stumping scientists. But until Weimerskirch and other researchers return to Pig Island — hopefully, he said, in early 2019 — they won’t know for sure. …
Taxi Strike Targeting Uber Brings Chaos to Spanish Cities
Spanish taxi drivers blocked major city streets including Barcelona’s Gran Via and Madrid’s Castellana on Monday in a protest to pressure the government to curb licenses to online ride-hailing services such as Uber. Union representatives were due to meet officials of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s government later in the day to try to resolve the dispute, in which taxi drivers have choked main roads and snarled airports, bus and train stations since Saturday. Along with counterparts in many other European countries, Spain’s taxi drivers say that ride-hailing apps have made it impossible to compete. “Uber and Cabify are putting the viability of the taxi sector and 130,000 jobs at risk … The union considers this unfair competition intolerable,” the UGT union said in a statement. Union representatives say the current law of one ride-hailing license for every 30 taxi licenses is not being respected and want an end to the practice of transferring ride-hailing permits between drivers. With backers including Goldman Sachs and BlackRock and valued at more than $70 billion, Uber has faced protests, bans and restrictions around the world as it challenges traditional taxi operators, angering some unions. London cab drivers are examining the possibility of bringing a class action suit against Uber after the mobile app was granted a temporary license renewal to operate in the British capital. …
Turkish Steel Makers Eye Exports to West Africa Amid US Tariff Setbacks
Turkish steel makers are looking to expand in West Africa and other emerging markets in response to tariffs and planned quotas which threaten their sales to the United States and the European Union, a senior sector official said. Namik Ekinci, board chairman for the Turkish Steel Exporters Association (TSEA), told Reuters that Turkey was looking to boost its trade with West Africa and sub-Saharan countries, where there is demand for the less capital-intensive steel products that Turkey mainly exports. “Looking at the product types these countries consume, it’s products that we have the capability to produce like rebar and pipes. Therefore, these countries are markets where we have a chance,” Ekinci said. “This is why the market we are working with in the first stage is West Africa,” he said, adding that the Caribbean, South America and Southeast Asia were the next targets. According to TSEA data, more capital-intensive products, used in the automotive and white goods sectors, account for a quarter of Turkey’s steel production, while products like rebar and pipes account for 53 percent. The world’s eighth biggest steel producer, Turkey ranks second in global exports of rebar, figures from the World Steel Association show. In a move that ignited fears of a global trade war, U.S. President Donald Trump in March imposed a 25 percent tariff on steel imports and a 10 percent tariff on aluminum imports, leading to a 56 percent slump in Turkey’s exports to the United States between January and May. In early July …
Ross: US Eases Export Controls for High-tech Sales to India
The United States has eased export controls for high technology product sales to India, granting it the same access as NATO allies, Australia, Japan and South Korea, U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said on Monday. Ross, speaking at U.S. Chamber of Commerce event, said the move to grant Strategic Trade Authorization status STA1 to India reflects its efforts to improve its own export control regime, its adherence to multilateral export rules and its growing status as a U.S. defense partner. “STA1 provides India greater supply chain efficiency, both for defense, and for other high-tech products,” Ross said, adding that the elevated status would have affected about $9.7 billion worth of Indian goods purchases over the past seven years. …
Japan Scientists to Use ‘Reprogrammed’ Stem Cells to Fight Parkinson’s
Japanese scientists said Monday they will start clinical trials next month on a treatment for Parkinson’s disease, transplanting “reprogrammed” stem cells into brains, seeking a breakthrough in treating the neurodegenerative disorder. Parkinson’s is caused by a lack of dopamine made by brain cells, and researchers have long hoped to use stem cells to restore normal production of the neurotransmitter chemical. The clinical trials come after researchers at Japan’s Kyoto University successfully used human-induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) to restore functioning brain cells in monkeys last year. So-called iPS cells are made by removing mature cells from an individual — often from the skin or blood — and reprogramming them to behave like embryonic stem cells. They can then be coaxed into dopamine-producing brain cells. “This will be the world’s first clinical trial using iPS cells on Parkinson’s disease,” Jun Takahashi, professor at Kyoto University’s Centre for iPS Cell Research and Application, told a news conference. The center is headed by Shinya Yamanaka, who in 2012 shared a Nobel Prize for medicine with a British scientist, John Gurdon, for the discovery that adult cells can be transformed back into embryo-like cells. “We intend to carry on conducting our research carefully, yet expeditiously, in coordination with Kyoto University Hospital, so that new treatment using iPS cells will be brought to patients as soon as possible,” Yamanaka said in a statement. The fact that the clinical trial uses iPS cells rather than human embryonic cells means the treatment would be acceptable in countries …
Can Soundwaves Crack the Brain’s Barrier to Alzheimer’s Meds?
The so-called blood-brain barrier around our brains prevents germs and other damaging substances from leaching in through the bloodstream. But it also blocks drugs for Alzheimer’s, brain tumors and other neurological diseases from getting to where they’re needed. Faith Lapidus has details about how researchers are trying to find a way through the barrier. …
White House Economic Adviser Sees Sustainable US Growth
White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said Sunday he believes the 4.1 percent growth the U.S. recorded in the last three months is sustainable in the coming months despite skepticism expressed by independent economists. “There’s just a lot of good things going on,” Kudlow told CNN. He said President Donald Trump “deserves a victory lap,” with “low tax rates, rolling back regulations, opening up energy, for example. Trade reform I think is already paying off. The fundamentals of the economy look really good.” He said “business investment spending is really booming. That’s a productivity creator. That’s a job creator. That’s a wage creator for ordinary mainstream folks, terribly important.” Kudlow said the five calendar quarters occurring fully during Trump’s 18-month presidency have now been recorded with average economic growth of 2.9 percent for the world’s largest economy. “I don’t see why we can’t run this for several quarters,” Kudlow said. As the 4.1 percent growth rate for the April-to-June period was announced Friday, Trump boasted that the U.S. was on track to hit its highest annual growth rate in its gross domestic product in 13 years and predicted that as the country reaches new trade deals with other countries, the U.S. would exceed its second quarter advance. “These numbers are very, very sustainable,” he said. “This isn’t a one-time shot.” On Sunday, Trump said on Twitter, “The biggest and best results coming out of the good GDP report was that the quarterly Trade Deficit has been reduced by $52 Billion …
G-20 Ag Ministers Slam Protectionism, Pledge WTO Reforms
Agriculture ministers from the G-20 countries criticized protectionism in a joint statement Saturday and vowed to reform World Trade Organization (WTO) rules, but did not detail what steps they would take to improve the food trade system. In the statement, they said they were “concerned about the increasing use of protectionist nontariff trade measures, inconsistently with WTO rules.” The ministers from countries including the United States and China, in Buenos Aires for the G-20 meeting of agriculture ministers, said in the statement they had affirmed their commitment not to adopt “unnecessary obstacles” to trade, and affirmed their rights and obligations under WTO agreements. The meeting came amid rising trade tensions that have rocked agricultural markets. China and other top U.S. trade partners have placed retaliatory tariffs on American farmers after the Trump administration put duties on Chinese goods as well as steel and aluminum from the European Union, Canada and Mexico. U.S. growers are expected to take an estimated $11 billion hit due to China’s retaliatory tariffs. Last week, the Trump administration said it would pay up to $12 billion to help farmers weather the trade war. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue told Reuters in an interview on the sidelines of the meeting that Trump’s plan would include between $7 billion and $8 billion in direct cash relief that U.S. farmers could see as early as late September. Despite the payments, the measures are “not going to make farmers whole,” Perdue said. Citing the Trump administration’s relief measures, German Agriculture Minister Julia Kloeckner said farmers “don’t need aid, [they] need trade.” “We had a very frank discussion about the fact that we don’t want …
AP Fact Check: Trump Falsely Claims Historic Turnaround
President Donald Trump falsely claimed he’s pulled off “an economic turnaround of historic proportions.” Speaking at the White House Friday after the government reported that the economy grew at an annual rate of 4.1 percent in the second quarter, Trump declared that the gains were sustainable and would only accelerate. Few economists outside the administration agree with this claim. His remarks followed events Thursday in Iowa and Illinois, where Trump falsely repeated a claim that the U.S. economy is the best “we’ve ever had” and incorrectly asserted that Canada’s trade market is “totally closed.” WATCH: Trump Says Economy Numbers Sustainable, But Experts Doubtful A look at the claims: Historic turnaround TRUMP: “We’ve accomplished an economic turnaround of historic proportions.” — remarks Friday at the White House. THE FACTS: Trump didn’t inherit a fixer-upper economy. The U.S. economy just entered its 10th year of growth, a recovery that began under President Barack Obama, who inherited the Great Recession. The data show that the falling unemployment rate and gains in home values reflect the duration of the recovery, rather than any major changes made since 2017 by the Trump administration. While Trump praised the 4.1 percent annual growth rate in the second quarter, it exceeded that level four times during the Obama presidency. But quarterly figures are volatile and strength in one quarter can be reversed in the next. While Obama never achieved the 3 percent annual growth that Trump hopes to see, he came close. The economy grew 2.9 percent …
Robotic Tools Could Revolutionize Cancer Screening
Not counting certain types of skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women in the U.S. and worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. Now researchers in Europe have come up with a robotic device that may speed detection of cancer tumors, potentially saving thousands of lives. VOA’s Julie Taboh has more. …
Trump Says Economy Numbers Sustainable, But Experts Doubtful
Friday’s positive numbers on the U.S. economic growth are “very, very sustainable,” according to U.S. President Donald Trump. His comments came after figures showed U.S. GDP growth hit 4.1 percent in the second quarter. The question is whether that growth is sustainable, as VOA’s Bill Gallo reports from the White House. …
Lunar Eclipse, Blood Moon Delight Skywatchers in Cairo
Astronomers and local residents gathered to gaze in awe at the longest lunar eclipse of the 21st century: 1 hour, 43 minutes. During eclipses, the moon turns a red or brownish color because the light that reaches it passes through the earth’s atmosphere. In Cairo, astronomers with their telescopes volunteered to wow stargazers …