Фонд держмайна скасував приватизацію публічного акціонерного товариства «Державна продовольчо-зернова корпорація України», повідомляє офіційне видання ФДМ «Відомості приватизації». Згідно з повідомленням від 20 серпня, відповідний наказ регіонального відділення Фонду був затверджений ще 7 серпня. «Скасовано рішення про приватизацію державного пакета акцій публічного акціонерного товариства «Державна продовольчо-зернова корпорація України» … у кількості 8677 170 штук, що становить 100% статутного капіталу товариства», – йдеться в повідомленні. Читайте також: «Перший лот малої приватизації виставили на продаж – Трубаров» Фонд державного майна вирішив приватизувати ДПЗКУ в грудні 2016 року. Продаж акцій був запланований на 2017 рік. Публічне акціонерне товариство «Державна продовольчо-зернова корпорація України» – національний оператор зернового ринку України, лідер у сфері зберігання, переробки, перевалки та експорту зернових. Корпорація створена в 2010 році, їй належить 10% сертифікованих елеваторних потужностей України. «Державна продовольчо-зернова корпорація України», серед іншого, займається закупівлею та експортом зернових культур і продуктів їх переробки. …
Australian PM Scraps Plan to Legalize Carbon Emissions Cuts
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has abandoned plans to enshrine the nation’s targeted limits of greenhouse gas emissions into law in the face of an angry revolt by his party’s staunch conservatives. Australia set a target to cut carbon emissions by 26 percent below 2005 by the year 2030, as part of the 2015 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, commonly known as the Paris Agreement. Turnbull sought to include the targets in the government’s National Energy Guarantee, but he conceded Monday that he could not get the legislation through the House of Representatives, where his Liberal Party holds a fragile one-seat majority. The conservative opposition, led by former Prime Minister Tony Abbott, argue that the government should be focused on cutting soaring electricity prices. The internal revolt has led to speculation that Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton will challenge Turnbull for leadership of the Liberal Party, which both men have denied. It also comes amid a new voter survey showing the government trailing the opposition Labor Party 55 percent to 45 percent. The next national elections are scheduled to be held next May. …
Euro Fund: Greece Has Officially Exited Bailout Program
“For the first time since early 2010, Greece can stand on its own feet,” the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) rescue fund said as Athens exited its final, three-year international bailout program on Monday. The ESM allocated about $71 billion over the past three years, after an agreement was reached in August 2015 to help the country cope with fallout from an ongoing debt crisis. “Today we can safely conclude the ESM program with no more follow-up rescue programs,” Mario Centeno, the chairman of the ESM’s board of governors, said in a statement. “This was possible thanks to the extraordinary effort of the Greek people, the good cooperation with the current Greek government and the support of European partners through loans and debt relief.” In 2010, Greece was declared at risk of default after struggling with massive debt, loss of investment and huge unemployment. Overall, nearly $300 billion in emergency loans were provided in three consecutive bailout packages from a European Union bailout fund and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). In exchange, Athens was required to put in place severe austerity-based measures and reforms. The completion of the loan program is a major accomplishment for Greece, but the country still faces an uphill battle to regain its economic stability. The office of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras described the final bailout loan last week as the “last act in the drama. Now a new page of progress, justice and growth can be turned.” “Greece has managed to stand on her feet …
Scientists Create ‘Electronic Skin’ To Restore Sense of Pain
A prosthetic hand might look like a hand and move like a hand. But can it ever feel like a hand? Johns Hopkins University graduate student Luke Osborn says yes. As Faith Lapidus reports, Osborn has developed an “electronic skin” that can help amputees feel pressure and even pain – once more. …
Україна є лідером з виробництва меду в Європі і п’ята у світі – Климпуш-Цинцадзе
«Наша країна виробляє понад 100 тисяч тонн на рік, тобто 6% світового меду» …
Maduro Unveils New Banknote, Other Economic Reforms
Uncertainty reigned in Venezuela Saturday after President Nicolas Maduro unveiled a major economic reform plan aimed at halting the spiraling hyperinflation that has thrown the oil-rich, cash-poor South American country into chaos. Ahead of a major currency overhaul Monday, when Caracas will start issuing new banknotes after slashing five zeroes off the crippled bolivar, Maduro detailed other measures he hopes will pull Venezuela out of crisis. Those measures include a massive minimum wage hike, the fifth so far this year. But analysts say the radical overhaul could only serve to make matters worse. “There will be a lot of confusion in the next few days, for consumers and the private sector,” said the director of the Ecoanalitica consultancy, Asdrubal Oliveros. “It’s a chaotic scenario.” ‘Pure lie’ The embattled Maduro, a former bus driver and union leader, said the country needed to show “fiscal discipline” and stop the excessive money printing that has been regular practice in recent years. The new currency, the sovereign bolivar — to distinguish from the current, and ironically named, strong bolivar — will be anchored to the country’s widely discredited cryptocurrency, the petro. Each petro will be worth about $60, based on the price of a barrel of Venezuela’s oil. In the new currency, that will be 3,600 sovereign bolivars, signaling a massive devaluation. In turn, the minimum wage will be fixed at half a petro (1,800 sovereign bolivars), starting Monday. That is about $28, more than 34 times the previous level of less than a …
Scientists Extract Uranium Powder from Seawater with Yarn
The world’s oceans are filled with trace amounts of uranium, the primary fuel for nuclear power reactors. The trick is extracting it from the seawater. Now, scientists in the U.S. say they have done that using yarn, and extracted 5 grams of the powdered form of uranium used to produce reactor fuel. Faith Lapidus reports. …
Turkey’s Economic Crisis Rattles Global Markets
A budding trade war between the U.S. and Turkey over a detained American pastor is having global consequences. A sharp drop in Turkey’s lira, inflation and the threat of loan defaults, could drag down other economies, particularly in emerging markets. Turkey’s troubles are causing ripple effects in countries as far away as Argentina and Indonesia, while weighing on Asian currency rates and triggering currency fluctuations. VOA’s Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine reports from Washington. …
Researchers Plot Maps, Collect Data to Fight Future Infectious Disease Outbreaks
With the Democratic Republic of Congo facing its second major Ebola outbreak this year, emergency responders have worked to contain the spread of the disease. Scientists, meanwhile, are testing the effectiveness of experimental vaccines in the field. Alongside these efforts, researchers in the DRC are collecting data that will improve how we respond to, and prevent, future outbreaks of Ebola and other infectious diseases. Their work involves building a comprehensive picture of how diseases like Ebola spread by tracking cases and mapping where people live, work and seek health care. Over time, a more sophisticated understanding of the environments through which contagious diseases spread will lead to faster, more effective treatment. Long-term response efforts Anne Rimoin is an associate professor of epidemiology at the UCLA School of Public Health. She’s also the director of the UCLA-DRC Health Research and Training Program, an effort based in Kinshasa, Congo, that’s been underway for 16 years. Rimoin returned to the U.S. last month from fieldwork in the DRC. She told VOA that her group is collecting data that will benefit responses to not just Ebola but emerging infectious diseases as well as. “In an outbreak, you have to understand where people are and what their patterns of travel are. Where they’re going, where they’re working, where their fields are,” Rimoin said. “If you don’t know where things are, it becomes very difficult to define a response.” Collecting this kind of data is especially important in a country like Congo, where small, unmapped villages …
Economic Fears Grip Turkey
Turkey’s currency this month has suffered heavy falls triggered by U.S.-Turkish tensions over the ongoing detention of an American pastor. Washington’s threat to impose new economic sanctions sparked another steep currency drop Friday. Dorian Jones reports on the economic fall out for people in Istanbul. …
Tesla Stock Drops; Musk Under Fire
Tesla shares dropped nearly 9 percent in value Friday, amid reports of CEO and co-founder Elon Musk meeting with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Musk wrote on Twitter last week of his plans to take the company private for a price of $420 per share, writing that he had “funding secured.” On Monday, in a blog post, Musk admitted that was not true, as he was still waiting on a finalized deal with his investors, a Saudi Arabian foreign investment fund. “I continue to have discussions with the Saudi fund, and I also am having discussions with a number of other investors, which is something that I always planned to do since I would like for Tesla to continue to have a broad investor base,” Musk wrote. Since Musk’s original tweet, the company’s shares have dropped 12 percent overall, and reports of subpoenas being issued by the SEC have sent the company into turmoil. In a New York Times interview Thursday, Musk said, “This past year has been the most difficult and painful year of my career.” The Times also reported that members of Tesla’s board are concerned with Musk’s drug use, notably his use of the sleep aid Ambien, which some believe have contributed to Musk’s controversial Twitter statements. Last month, Musk came under fire for calling one of the cave divers who rescued 12 Thai soccer players and their coach a pedophile, citing no evidence. He later apologized for that remark. …
Stocks Jump as Hopes Rise for Progress on China Trade Talks
Stocks rose late in the day Friday as investors welcomed signs of progress in resolving the trade dispute between the U.S. and China. The Wall Street Journal reported that the countries hope to have a resolution by November. Industrial, health care and basic materials companies made some of the biggest gains. The report came a day after China said it will send an envoy to Washington for the first talks between the countries since early June. Marina Severinovsky, an investment strategist at Schroders, said stocks could jump if the U.S. and China make real progress toward a trade agreement. But stocks in emerging markets might make even bigger gains. “The rally that could come, if there is a better outcome, would be in emerging markets,” she said. “China has suffered pretty greatly … the U.S. has held up pretty well.” The late gains came in spite of weak results for several chipmakers. Electric car maker Tesla took its biggest drop in two years on reports of a wider government investigation into the company and concerns about CEO Elon Musk’s health. The S&P 500 index rose 9.44 points, or 0.3 percent, at 2,850.13. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 110.59 points, or 0.4 percent, to 25,669.32. The Nasdaq composite edged up 9.81 points, or 0.1 percent, to 7,816.33. The Russell 2000 index of smaller-company stocks gained 7.19 points, or 0.4 percent, to 1,692.95. The Wall Street Journal cited officials in both the U.S. and China as it said negotiators want to …
НБУ: 250 млн доларів продали на міжбанку цього тижня для підтримки курсу гривні
Для підтримки курсу гривні Національний банк України продав цього тижня на міжбанківському валютному ринку 215 мільйонів доларів, про це йдеться в коментарі НБУ на офіційному сайті. Збільшення попиту на іноземну валюту в Нацбанку пояснюють сезонними, ситуативними та психологічними чинниками на заявляють про відсутність фундаментальних причин для знецінення гривні. «Пропозиція іноземної валюти з боку головних експортних галузей (гірничо-металургійний комплекс, АПК) залишається на достатньо високому рівні, що свідчить про відсутність фундаментальних причин для знецінення гривні. Натомість спостерігається збільшення попиту на іноземну валюту на міжбанківському валютному ринку через сезонні, ситуативні та психологічні чинники», – йдеться в повідомленні. Серед сезонних чинників в Нацбанку назвали збільшення попиту з боку імпортерів енергоресурсів, які потребують валюти для розрахунків за газ та за нафтопродукти (для раннього початку збирання врожаю) та з боку імпортерів товарів та послуг споживчого спрямування (електроніка, харчові продукти, туризм тощо), що, на думку регулятора, «є наслідком зростання доходів населення». Крім того, під впливом негативних очікувань вже традиційно напередодні осені зменшується пропозиція валюти з боку населення на готівковому ринку, зазначили в НБУ. Для згладжування надмірних коливань обмінного курсу гривні цього тижня НБУ щодня виходив на міжбанківський ринок з продажем іноземної валюти. Загалом за цей тиждень Національний банк під час валютних інтервенцій продав 215 мільйонів доларів. Читайте також: Нацбанк про приїзд місії МВФ: це матиме позитивний вплив на стан валютного ринку «Зокрема, сьогодні (17 серпня) було проведено аукціон з продажу $50 млн, у ході якого було отримано заявок на купівлю на суму $32,7 млн. За результатами аукціону регулятор продав $24,8 млн за середньозваженим курсом 27,93 грн/дол. Завдяки проведенню аукціону попит на …
Benjamin Smith New CEO of Air France-KLM; Unions Concerned
Unions at Air France-KLM voiced concern after the company appointed Benjamin Smith as the new CEO with the support of the French state. The company said Thursday that Smith, who is 46 and was previously Air Canada’s chief operating officer, will fill the role by Sept. 30. Vincent Salles, unionist at CGT-Air France union, said on France Info radio that unions fear Smith’s mission is to implement plans that would “deteriorate working conditions and wages.” The previous CEO, Jean-Marc Janaillac, resigned in May after Air France employees held 13 days of strike over pay and rejected the company’s wage proposal, considered too low. Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire welcomed an “opportunity” for Air France-KLM and expressed his confidence in Smith’s ability to “re-establish social dialogue.” …
Trump Asks SEC to Review Practicality of Quarterly Corporate Reports
President Donald Trump says he’s asking federal regulators to look into the effectiveness of the quarterly financial reports that publicly traded companies are required to file. In a tweet early Friday, Trump said that after speaking with “some of the world’s top business leaders,” he’s asked the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to determine whether shifting to a six-month reporting regimen would make more sense. The SEC requires such companies to share profit, revenue and other figures publicly every three months. Some believe executives are making decisions based on short-term thinking to satisfy the market at the expense of the long-term viability of their companies. There are also tremendous expenses tied to preparing quarterly and annual reports. …
Security Issues Constrain DR Congo Ebola Operation
The World Health Organization says security issues could hamper efforts to contain an Ebola outbreak in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The outbreak is in conflict-ridden North Kivu province, where some areas are too dangerous for health care workers to go. As of Wednesday, about two weeks after the Ebola outbreak was declared in North Kivu province, there were 78 confirmed and probable cases of the viral disease, including 44 deaths. That is nearly double the number of cases reported during a recent and separate Ebola outbreak in Equateur Province. Health workers have fanned out in North Kivu, tracking down contacts of Ebola victims and giving them an experimental vaccine. But WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic says more cases of Ebola are expected to be seen in the coming days and weeks. “It will get worse before it gets better,” he said. “We do not know if we are having all transmission chains identified. We expect to see more cases as a result of earlier infections and these infections are developing into illness.” He tells VOA that health workers are able to move around freely in the towns of Mangina and Beni, which are the epicenters of the disease. It is the other parts of the province that have the WHO worried. “There are areas just next to Mangina that are level four on the UNDSS Security scale, which means that it is an area not to go to … We still do not have a full epidemiological picture, so …
Asian Currencies Slip on Trade Fears as Authorities Try to Avert Crisis
Many of Asia’s currencies are losing value against the U.S. dollar this year as China and the United States fight over trade, but analysts say policymakers are handling the dip better now than during past down cycles. China, India, Indonesia and Myanmar, to name just a few, have seen their currencies lose value since the start of 2018. The Indian rupee hit an all-time low in June, and the Chinese yuan lost 3.2 percent over the year through June. Economists point to a range of problems, including possible contagion from financial woes in Turkey and concerns about investing in Asia due to the Sino-U.S. trade war expected to hit China next week with tariffs on goods worth $16 billion. “It’s just basically that everything we’ve worried about now and then sort of converged together,” said Song Seng Wun, an economist in the private banking unit of CIMB in Singapore. But monetary authorities in Asia have learned from currency dips in 2013, 2015 and 2016, economists believe. Causes for decline No single cause is pushing currency prices lower around Asia, analysts say. Rising oil prices have knocked back the rupee as Indians pay more to import it, media in the country say. Domestic media in Myanmar blame a surge in imports into the fast-growing Southeast Asian country, plus people’s hoarding of U.S. dollars. In Vietnam, the brokerage Bao Viet Securities blames a 1.3 percent dip in the dong currency due to pressure from similar slips elsewhere in Asia, including the Chinese …
НБУ понизив курс гривні до долара на 22 копійки
Національний банк України суттєво понизив офіційний курс гривні. Згідно зі встановленим на 20 серпня курсом, падіння складає 22 копійки. Якщо сьогодні за американський долар була встановлена ціна 27 гривень 67 копійок, то на понеділок – 27,89. Раніше сьогодні регулятор повідомляв, що продав банкам на валютному аукціоні майже 25 мільйонів доларів. У НБУ пояснили, що зберігають активну присутність на міжбанківському валютному ринку для згладжування надмірних коливань обмінного курсу гривні, «які посилилися поточного тижня у зв’язку із подальшим перевищенням попиту на валюту над її пропозицією». Читайте також: Нацбанк про приїзд місії МВФ: це матиме позитивний вплив на стан валютного ринку «Дається взнаки сезонне збільшення попиту з боку імпортерів енергоресурсів, які потребують валюту для розрахунків за газ і за нафтопродукти (для раннього початку збирання врожаю) і з боку імпортерів товарів і послуг споживчого спрямування (електроніка, харчові продукти, туризм тощо), що є наслідком зростання доходів населення. Крім того, під впливом негативних очікувань вже традиційно напередодні осені зменшується пропозиція валюти з боку населення на готівковому ринку, що позначається на спрямованості операцій банків на міжбанківському валютному ринку», – заявляють у Нацбанку. Про вихід на міжбанківський ринок із продажем валюти Національний банк України оголосив 2 серпня. У банку заявляли, що зробили це для стримування зростання курсу долара. Саме 2 серпня курс гривні до долара вперше з 27 лютого досяг позначки у 27 гривень за долар. …
Retailers Count on Unique Back to School Supplies to Attract Kids, Parents
As summer comes to a close and kids prepare to head back to school, retailers are counting on novelty items such as scented markers and glitter glue to help win back some of the market share they’ve lost to iPads and popular electronic gadgets. VOA’s Jill Craig takes a look at retailers back to school strategy. …
Ag Minister: Ban on Glyphosate Would Be ‘Disaster’ for Brazil Agriculture
A potential ban on the popular herbicide glyphosate in Brazil over concerns it may cause cancer in humans would be a “disaster” for the country’s agricultural industry, Agriculture Minister Blairo Maggi said on Thursday. A Brazilian court ruled on Aug. 3 that new products containing the chemical could not be registered in the country and existing registrations would be suspended starting from September, until health authority Anvisa issues a decision on its re-evaluation of glyphosate’s safety. Maggi said that glyphosate is used on around 95 percent of soy, corn and cotton harvested in the country and that there is no readily available substitute. Brazil is the world’s top exporter of soy and a major producer and exporter of corn. “Glyphosate makes it viable for us to plant and grow crops. What is the alternative?” Maggi said at an event in Rio de Janeiro. Brazil’s Solicitor General’s office has said it is preparing an appeal to the court decision with the Agriculture Ministry’s backing. Maggi said he is confident the ruling will be overturned on appeal. The Brazilian court case is part of a global pushback against the chemical. A U.S. judge ruled last week that Monsanto must pay $289 million in damages to a man who alleged its glyphosate-based products like Roundup caused his cancer. Monsanto, taken over earlier this year by Bayer AG , said in a statement that more than 800 reviews, including those by the U.S. environmental and health authorities, support that glyphosate does not cause cancer. …
New Generic EpiPen Wins FDA Approval
U.S. health officials Thursday approved a new generic version of EpiPen, the emergency allergy medication that triggered a public backlash because of its rising price tag. The new version from Teva Pharmaceuticals is the first that will be interchangeable with the original penlike injector sold by Mylan. The Food and Drug Administration announced the approval in a statement. EpiPen injections are stocked by schools and parents nationwide to treat children with severe allergies. They are used in emergencies to stop potentially fatal allergic reactions to insect bites and stings and foods like nuts and eggs. EpiPen maker Mylan has dominated the $1 billion market for the shots for two decades. Several other companies sell competing shots containing the drug epinephrine, but they aren’t heavily marketed or prescribed by doctors. In 2016, Congress blasted Mylan in letters and hearings for raising EpiPen’s to $600 for a two-pack, a five-fold increase over nearly a decade. The company responded by launching its own lower-cost generic version for $300. Mylan continues to sell both versions at those prices, according to data from Elsevier’s Gold Standard Drug Database. Teva’s generic shot will be the first version that pharmacists can substitute even when doctors prescribe the original EpiPen. A Teva spokeswoman declined to comment on the drug’s price but said it would launch “in the coming months.” Generic drugs can be priced as much as 80 percent lower than the original product. But those price cuts usually appear after several companies have launched competing versions. Teva’s …
Finance Minister: Turkey Will Emerge Stronger from Lira Crisis Despite Row with US
Finance Minister Berat Albayrak assured international investors on Thursday that Turkey would emerge stronger from its currency crisis, insisting its banks were healthy and signalling it could ride out a dispute with the United States. In a conference call with thousands of investors and economists, Albayrak — who is President Tayyip Erdogan’s son-in-law — said Turkey fully understood and recognised all its domestic challenges but was dealing with what he described as a market anomaly. With Ankara locked in a complex rift with Washington, he also played down a decision by President Donald Trump to double tariffs on imports of Turkish metals. Washington later said it was ready to impose further economic sanctions on Turkey. Many countries had been the target of similar U.S. trade measures, Albayrak said, and Turkey would navigate this period with other parties such as Germany, Russia and China. Turkey, he said, has no plans to seek help from the International Monetary Fund or impose capital controls to stop money flowing abroad in response to the recent collapse of its lira currency. Before he spoke, the lira strengthened more than 3 percent, despite signs that the dispute with the United States is as wide as ever. The lira held steady during Albayrak’s conference call but later weakened when Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the United States was prepared to levy more sanctions on Turkey if detained American pastor Andrew Brunson was not freed. The Turkish currency was trading at 5.85 at 1740 GMT, more than 1 …
Antibodies Could Knock Out Ebola Virus
In 1995, a patient sick with the Ebola virus, in what was then called Zaire and is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, miraculously recovered from this deadly disease. At that time, when the virus first jumped from animals to man, Ebola meant almost certain death. Doctors found that this patient had antibodies to fight the virus in his bloodstream even after he recovered. Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, invited the patient to the U.S., where researchers cloned the cell that had helped him beat Ebola. “We brought the person back to the United States to draw his blood and try to clone the B cells that make the antibodies that this person had produced … to then, essentially, clear his virus and, hopefully, protect him against any future exposure,” Fauci told VOA. Because the NIH scientists made numerous copies of that cell, it is called a monoclonal antibody — in this case, mAB114. It’s hoped that it can be used to target the Zaire strain of Ebola currently spreading in eastern Congo. Fauci said mAB114 is still experimental. “We have done a number of tests in an animal model and have shown that when you infect an animal up to five days after they become infected, and you passively transfer this antibody, you can actually protect the animals from getting sick and they recover,” he said. Not all treatments that work in animals work in …
Measles Outbreak Hits 21 US States, CDC Says
More than 100 cases of measles have been diagnosed this year in 21 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday. As of July 14, 107 people had contracted the viral infection in Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and the nation’s capital. Measles is a highly contagious virus that spreads through the air via coughing and sneezing. The illness starts with a fever, runny nose, cough, red eyes and a sore throat. It’s followed by a rash that spreads over the body. While the disease is treatable, the CDC said, one or two out of every 1,000 children who get measles die from complications. This year’s outbreak is on pace to surpass last year’s, when 118 people from 15 states and the District of Columbia were reported to have measles. In 2016, 86 people from 19 states contracted the illness. The CDC said the majority of people who contracted measles were unvaccinated. Prevention is key, because the virus can be spread easily. The measles virus can live for up to two hours in an airspace where the infected person coughed or sneezed, according to the CDC. Measles is so contagious that if one person has it, 90 percent of unimmunized people in close contact with the infected person will also become infected. In 2015, the United States experienced a large, multistate measles …