Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said on Wednesday the kingdom will continue with reforms and spending on infrastructure, predicting the economy will grow by 2.5 percent this year. Speaking at an investment conference in Riyadh, the crown prince also said he expected economic growth next year to be higher. Higher oil prices has helped Saudi Arabia’s economy grow in the second quarter at its fastest pace for over a year, according to official data. Gross domestic product, adjusted for inflation, expanded 1.6 percent from a year earlier in the April-June quarter. That was up from 1.2 percent in the first quarter and the fastest growth since the fourth quarter of 2016. The pick-up was mainly due to the government sector, where growth jumped to 4.0 percent from 2.7 percent as authorities boosted spending, the data showed. The crown prince also said the kingdom would press ahead with a war on terrorism. …
Child Death Toll Hits 7 in Viral Outbreak at NJ Rehab Center
Another child has died following a severe viral outbreak at a New Jersey rehabilitation center for “medically fragile children,” bringing the death toll to seven, the facility said Wednesday. There have been 18 cases overall of adenovirus at the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in Haskell, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) northwest of New York, the state Health Department said. The 227-bed, for-profit facility cares for children and elderly residents. The agency had said Tuesday six children had died this month. But the center said it learned Tuesday night that another child had died. The strain afflicting the children is usually associated with acute respiratory illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which on its website instructs health workers to report unusual clusters to state or local health departments. The Health Department hasn’t released the names or the ages of the victims. The CDC is providing technical assistance to the state. In the past 10 years, cases of severe illness and death from the type of infection found at the facility have been reported in the United States, though it’s unclear how many deaths there have been. The center’s website says it helps educate “medically fragile children.” The facility was instructed not to admit new patients until the outbreak ends, and the Health Department said the number of new cases appears to be decreasing. …
3 Endemic Countries Hold the Key to a Polio-Free World
As another World Polio Day comes around, the World Health Organization reports three polio endemic countries— Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria — hold the key to the global eradication of this crippling disease. About one-half million children were becoming paralyzed by polio every year when the World Health Organization began its global polio eradication campaign three decades ago. Today, that number has been reduced by more than 99 percent. WHO reports fewer than 30 cases of the disease this year, many of them in countries that had been considered polio-free. Spokesman for the Polio Eradication Initiative Oliver Rosenbauer tells VOA outbreaks have occurred in Niger, Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Kenya and Papua New Guinea. “This really, really underscores the risk that we have this disease — that it will continue to reappear, reemerge in areas that have already eradicated this disease. We see this time and again,” said Rosenbauer. “It is not the first time that we are facing new outbreaks again and we are confident, we know what it takes to stop these outbreaks again.” Rosenbauer says these countries are implementing emergency measures to stop the outbreak. But, he warns the risk of the wild polio virus spreading across borders will continue until the disease is eradicated in the three endemic states of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria. “These three countries hold the key to a polio-free world,” said Rosenbauer. “They have been battling this disease so very long, but they are making actually tremendous progress this year. Never …
Rust Belt’s Got Talent, But No Money
Julius Wakam worked in auto manufacturing for 11 years before being laid off in 2008. Today, the married father of three has a job at a hardware store to make ends meet until he can secure another well-paying position in his field. Like many workers in America’s so-called Rust Belt, Wakam lost his manufacturing job not only to an influx of robots, but also because the jobs were shipped overseas where labor is cheaper. “For me and my co-workers, they shipped the jobs overseas to Mexico, Brazil, China and a few went to India,” Wakam says. Today, the Rust Belt is perhaps best-known for its declining industry, aging and shuttered factories, and falling population, primarily in the Midwest and Great Lakes region. But the Midwest region was once known for the booming steel production and heavy industry that powered the nation for several generations. And it could be in a position to do so again. “Probably the greatest driver of our opportunity in a changed economy from the factory era is this innovation infrastructure where we have 20-plus of the largest research universities on earth,” says John Austin, director of the Michigan Economic Center. “That’s more than any other region. The West Coast has 13. The East Coast has 15. No place in Europe has this concentration of large scale universities that produce thousands upon thousands of STEM, MBAs, engineers and medical talent.” The Midwest is also home to more than 200 of the nation’s Fortune 500 companies. Austin says America’s Heartland …
UK Watchdog: Smugglers to Exploit Border if no Brexit Deal
Smugglers and other organized criminals are likely to exploit gaps in border enforcement if Britain leaves the European Union without an agreement, a watchdog warned Wednesday, amid a growing chorus of warnings about the disruptive impact of a “no-deal” Brexit. Britain is due to leave the EU on March 29, but London and Brussels have not reached an agreement on divorce terms and a smooth transition to a new relationship. The stalemate has heightened fears that the U.K. might leave without a deal in place, leading to chaos at ports and economic turmoil. The National Audit Office said in a report that political uncertainty and delays in negotiations with the EU have hampered preparations for new border arrangements, and the government is now racing to bolster computer systems, increase staffing and build new infrastructure to track goods. The office said that 11 of 12 major projects may not be delivered on time or at “acceptable quality,” with those who rely on the border “paying the price.” It added that “organized criminals and others are likely to be quick to exploit any perceived weaknesses or gaps in the enforcement regime.” “This, combined with the U.K.’s potential loss of access to EU security, law enforcement and criminal justice tools, could create security weaknesses which the government would need to address urgently,” the office’s report said. Meanwhile, the Financial Times reported that Transport Secretary Chris Grayling had raised at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday the idea of chartering ships …
No US High-ranking Officials to Attend China Investment Fair
The U.S. will not send a high-ranking official to attend a major investment fair in China next month, the U.S. Embassy said Wednesday, in a move underscoring worsening trade frictions between the world’s two largest economies. “China needs to make the necessary reforms to end its unfair practices that are harming the world economy,” an embassy spokesperson said, speaking on routine condition of anonymity. “The U.S. government has no current plans for high-level U.S. government participation” in the expo, the official told The Associated Press. “We encourage China to level the playing the field for U.S. goods and services.” State media reported the first-ever China International Import Expo scheduled for Nov. 5-10 in the financial hub of Shanghai has attracted more than 2,800 companies from 130 nations. The fair aims to advertise China’s importance as a market for foreign goods and recent moves to encourage trade and investment amid accusations that it discriminates against foreign companies and unfairly demands they hand over crucial technology. The event comes as the U.S. has raised tariffs to up to 25 percent on $250 billion of Chinese goods with the possibility of more such measures to come. Beijing has responded with its own tariff hikes on $110 billion of American imports. “China’s return to the path of economic reform and sincere commitment to market-based trade and investment norms would be good for the United States, the world and ultimately good for China,” the embassy spokesperson said. Neither Beijing …
Гройсман пообіцяв, що цього опалювального сезону більше не будуть підвищувати ціну на газ
У поточному опалювальному сезоні ціну на газ підвищувати не будуть. Про це на засіданні уряду сказав прем’єр-міністр України Володимир Гройсман. «У цьому опалювальному сезоні ціна на газ підвищуватися не буде. А наша програма субсидій дозволяє захистити всіх тих, хто цього потребує», – зазначив глава уряду. 19 жовтня прем’єр-міністр Володимир Гройсман повідомив, що з 1 листопада 2018 року ціни на газ для населення в Україні зростуть на 23,5%. У Кабміні таке рішення назвали «вимушеним кроком» і заявили, що в перебігу переговорів із кредиторами взагалі йшлося про подорожчання на 60%. Справа ціни на газ для населення ключова для того, щоб Міжнародний валютний фонд відновив фінансування України. Україна в рамках співпраці з МВФ зобов’язалася перейти до ринкових цін, але влітку і восени 2017 року відмовилася виконувати ці зобов’язання. Читайте також: Газ на 23,5% дорожче для населення – це запобіжник економічної кризи – Парубій підтримав Гройсмана 19 жовтня Міжнародний валютний фонд погодив із українською владою нову програму резервної підтримки замість чинної програми розширеного фінансування. Обсяг нової програми – 3,9 мільярда доларів. Згідно з повідомленням, вона має стати основою для економічної політики уряду в 2019 році – передбачається, що ця політика буде зосереджена на зниженні інфляції та реформах оподаткування, фінансового і енергетичного секторів. Після того, як Верховна Рада затвердить бюджет на 2019 рік з урахуванням рекомендацій МВФ, угоду має розглянути Виконавча рада фонду. …
Islamic Banking Grows in Africa Amid Booming Muslim Population
Islamic-style banking is on the rise worldwide, showing especially strong growth in Africa recently, according to the rating agency Moody’s. This type of banking system doesn’t charge or pay interest, uses physical assets to underpin transactions, and does not invest in so-called “sin” industries like alcohol, pork and gambling. In South Africa, the continent’s financial hub, Islamic banking is gaining popularity among the minority Muslim community. VOA’s Anita Powell reports in Johannesburg. …
US Lawmaker Vows to Work Toward New Trump Tax Cut
The top Republican lawmaker on tax policy in the U.S. House of Representatives said Tuesday that he was working with the White House and Treasury to develop a new 10 percent middle-class tax cut plan that President Donald Trump began touting over the weekend. Rep. Kevin Brady of Texas, who chairs the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, said the plan would be crafted in “coming weeks” and would advance in Congress if Republicans retained control of the House and Senate in midterm elections on Nov. 6. “President Trump believes American families deserve to keep more of what they work so hard to earn. We agree,” Brady said in a statement. In what is widely seen by lobbyists as the latest Republican campaign message on taxes, Trump told reporters on Tuesday at the White House that the plan would emerge soon. “This will be on top of the tax reduction that the middle class has already gotten. And we’re putting in a resolution, probably this week,” the president said. Surprised Trump’s comments came a day after congressional and administrative staff appeared to be caught off guard by word of a new tax cut, which surfaced on Saturday. The White House on Tuesday described the new tax cut as an agenda item for 2019 and suggested it could be offset by cuts in spending. Republicans are in a pitched battle to retain control of the House and Senate against an energized Democratic voting base that has made contests competitive even in some Republican strongholds. “What President Trump is doing on the [campaign] trail is he’s just describing what he wants …
Syria’s Food Production Hits 29-Year Low
A report by the Food and Agriculture Organization and World Food Program finds extreme weather conditions in Syria have caused the lowest production of wheat and barley for nearly three decades in this war-torn country. Still, the Syrian government has managed to pacify most of country after more than seven years of brutal, murderous conflict that has reportedly killed more than 350,000 people. Because of improved security, more people are returning to their places of origin. But the report says despite improved access to agricultural land in some areas, erratic weather has caused a sharp decline in crop production this year, compared to last. It says large areas of rainfed cereals have failed because of a long dry period early in the season. This was followed by unseasonably late heavy rains and high temperatures, which seriously diminished irrigated cereal yields. Spokesman for the World Food Program, Herve Verhoosel, told VOA this extremely bad harvest will impact badly upon a population that already is short of food. “We are talking about a third of the production compared to three years ago, then probably everybody will be affected either by the higher price of cereals on the market or by lack of cereal. Then that will probably affect everybody because they will not have the cereal, or they will need to pay more to have them,” Verhoosel said. The report finds market access and trade has improved considerably throughout the country. It says humanitarian access to people in hard to reach places …
Desperate & Duped? GoFundMe Means Big Bucks for Dubious Care
People seeking dubious, potentially harmful treatment for cancer and other ailments raised nearly $7 million over two years from crowdfunding sites, a study found. Echoing recent research on campaigns for stem cell therapies, the findings raise more questions about an increasingly popular way to help pay for costly, and sometimes unproven, medical care. Soliciting money on GoFundMe and other sites eliminates doctors, hospitals, insurance companies and other “gatekeepers” that can be a barrier to expensive treatment, said lead author Dr. Ford Vox, an ethicist and brain injury expert at Shepherd Center rehabilitation hospital in Atlanta. He calls it “the democratization of economic power through social media” but says it can pose an ethical dilemma. Online fundraising “has a big bright side” when it helps patients pay for legitimate care, he said. “Communities are really being able to rally around people in rough times. That’s fantastic, but there is this very clear dark side” when treatments sought are worthless or even dangerous. His study was published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. GoFundMe says campaigns for medical care are increasing and are among the most numerous on its site. They include solicitations for conventional treatment and for unproven alternative therapies. “We always encourage people to fully research whatever it is they are raising money for and to be absolutely transparent on their GoFundMe page, so donors can make an informed decision on what they’re donating to,” GoFundMe said in an emailed statement. The researchers examined campaigns posted from …
First Sign Language Starbucks Opens in Washington DC
Coffee drinkers in the nation’s capital can now order that tall pumpkin spice iced skim latte in sign language. Starbucks has opened its first U.S. “signing store” to better serve hard of hearing customers. The store in Washington is just blocks from Gallaudet University, one of the nation’s oldest universities serving deaf and hard of hearing students. Marlee Matlin, the only deaf actor to win an Academy Award, posted an Instagram video of herself ordering a drink early Tuesday. “The sign for the week is COFFEE,” she wrote. Starbucks announced in July that it would hire 20 to 25 deaf or hard of hearing baristas to work at the store. The store is modeled after a similar Starbucks signing store which opened in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2016. …
Researchers Discover Microplastics in 100 Percent of People Studied
In the first study of its kind, Austrian researchers have tracked the movement of microplastics into human beings. The results show that the plastic that is a ubiquitous element of human life is now also a constant element in the human body. The research was presented at this week at UEG Week in Vienna, Austria, the largest gastroenterology meeting in Europe. Follow the plastics Two Austrian researchers, Dr. Philipp Schwabl from the Medical University of Vienna, and Dr. Bettina Liebmann, from the Environment Agency Austria, studied participants from countries including Finland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, the UK and Austria. Microplastics are particles of plastic less than 5 mm in size. They are often tiny plastic beads that are put in cosmetic products. A few nations, including the U.S., the UK and South Korea, have banned microbeads. But microplastics also are created when larger pieces of plastic break down over time, and plastic in general is everywhere. The U.N. estimates that about 8 million metric tons of plastic end up in the world’s oceans every year. And the World Economic Forum estimated that Americans threw away over 33 million metric tons of plastic in 2014. But this study, which was small, suggests that plastic, whether it’s bad for us or not, is already in all of us. Study participants were asked to keep a food diary for seven days prior to taking part in the test. Then they turned over stool samples to the researchers who then looked for …
Wall Street Indices Fall; Oil Tumbles on Demand Worries
Wall Street indexes fell in Tuesday’s volatile session, though they pared losses sharply by the closing bell as investors looked for bargains. Oil dropped sharply on demand worries. After falling as much as 2.3 percent in the morning, the S&P 500 gradually regained ground as the day wore on. Oil prices plunged about 5 percent to two-month lows as the equities sell-off raised worries about demand growth and Saudi Arabia said it could supply more crude quickly if needed, easing concerns ahead of U.S. sanctions on Iran. Benchmark U.S. Treasury prices rose, sending yields to their lowest levels in almost three weeks as declining stocks worldwide fed demand for low-risk debt. The U.S. dollar recovered some of its early losses in the afternoon as the stock sell-off eased, but the greenback remained down against other safe-haven currencies. On top of geopolitical worries and Nov. 6 U.S. congressional elections, Oliver Pursche, chief market strategist at Bruderman Asset Management in New York, cited an uncertain growth outlook amid a U.S.-China trade war. “There’s the question of impact on global growth from tariffs and the ongoing trade war. [U.S.] President [Donald] Trump and [Chinese] President Xi [Jinping] have agreed to meet during the G-20 summit, but that’s post-election,” Pursche said. “It’s clear that nothing is going to happen for three to four weeks.” But after hitting a low of 2,691.43 around 10:20 a.m. ET (1420 GMT), the S&P gradually revived, though trading was volatile. ‘Temporary correction’ “Earnings as a whole have been good. … The market doesn’t appear overly expensive. It’s setting up to be a good buying opportunity,” said Gary Bradshaw, portfolio …
Apple Offers a Range of iPhones, From $450 to $1,100
Apple’s new iPhone XR has most of the features found in the top-of-the-line iPhone XS Max, but not its $1,100 price tag. The XR offers the right trade-offs for just $750. For something cheaper, you’ll need to look in the iPhone history bin. Older models are still quite good. If you’re shopping for a new phone, it pays to think hard about what you really want and what you’re willing to pay for it. Improvements over the previous generation tend to be incremental, but can add up over time — and so do the sums you’ll pay for them. IPHONE 7 ($449) The big jump in iPhone cameras came a generation earlier with the iPhone 6S, when Apple went from 8 megapixels to 12 megapixels in resolution. With the iPhone 7, the front camera goes from 5 megapixels to 7 megapixels, so selfies don’t feel as inferior. The iPhone 7 is Apple’s first to lose the standard headphone jack. Headphones go into its Lightning port, which is used for both charging and data transfer. It’s a pain when you want to listen to music while recharging the phone. For that, you need $159 wireless earphones called AirPods. Apple no longer includes an adapter for standard headphones; one will set you back $9 if you need it. IPHONE 7 PLUS ($569) This larger version of the iPhone 7 has a second camera lens in the back, allowing for twice the magnification without any degradation in image quality. It also lets the …
Medical Drugs Hit Zimbabwe’s Black Market
Zimbabwe’s economic crisis has resulted in an acute shortage of essential medical drugs. Officials say the shortage has pushed some people to turn to the black market for medicines — and authorities are worried those drugs do more harm than good. Columbus Mavhunga reports from Harare for VOA News. …
Омелян очікує, що колію від київського вокзалу до «Борисполя» відкриють наприкінці листопада
Залізничну колію від київського вокзалу до аеропорту «Бориспіль» можуть відкрити наприкінці листопада, заявив міністр інфраструктури України Володимир Омелян в інтерв’ю телеканалу «Прямий». «Роботи йдуть в доброму графіку, я думаю, що наприкінці листопада, як і було нам обіцяно прем’єр-міністром, ми зможемо відкрити цей об’єкт. Ми бачимо, що бюджет виявився меншим, ніж було оголошено. Якщо попередня цифра була близько 800 мільйонів гривень, то це зараз складає менше 600 [мільйонів] це – добрий підхід, бо гармонійний розвиток аеропорту «Бориспіль» залежить від того, наскільки є якісним сполучення, і важливо, що тепер буде альтернатива», – розповів Омелян. У лютому Кабінет міністрів України підтримав будівництво швидкого залізничного сполучення між Києвом та аеропортом «Бориспіль». В уряді очікують, що рейс дозволить дістатися зі столиці до летовища за 35 хвилин. «Укрзалізниця» заявила, що підготувала п’ять рейкових автобусів, які курсуватимуть між столичним вокзалом та аеропортом «Бориспіль». …
У G7 привітали домовленість між МВФ та Києвом щодо нової програми stand-by
Це «ключовий крок на шляху забезпечення майбутньої економічної стабільності України та продовження економічного зростання» – заява …
Christie’s Auctioning Hawking’s Items
Several possessions of the late physicist’s Stephen Hawking will be included in an upcoming auction at Christie’s, the famed auction house. Included among the items belonging to the iconic scientist will be one of his wheelchairs, one of five copies of his Cambridge University Ph.D. thesis “Properties of Expanding Universes,” and a script from one of his appearances on the television show “The Simpsons.” At age 22, Hawking was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, just as he was beginning his doctoral work at Cambridge. Thomas Venning, head of books and manuscripts at Christie’s, said Hawking was so despondent over the diagnosis that he “gave up his studies for a time.” Hawking, however, returned to school, Venning said, and his thesis “was the fruit of his reapplying himself to his scientific work.” Hawking kept his thesis beside him for the rest of his life, according to Venning. Hawking was one of the few scientists who have reached celebrity status. He is probably best known for his best-selling book “A Brief History of Time” and for his appearances on “The Simpsons.” His daughter Lucy said the auction gives “admirers of his work the chance to acquire a memento of our father’s extraordinary life in the shape of a small selection of evocative and fascinating items.” The physicist’s children hope to preserve his scientific archive. The Associated Press reports that Christie’s is handling negotiations to hand over the archive to British authorities in lieu of inheritance tax. Hawking’s items will be …
Foreigners Sold Net $1.1 BLN of Saudi Stocks in Week to Oct 18
Foreigners sold a net 4.01 billion riyal ($1.07 billion) in Saudi stocks in the week ending Oct. 18, exchange data showed on Sunday – one of the biggest selloff since the market opened to direct foreign buying in mid-2015. The selloff came during a week when investors were rattled by Saudi Arabia’s deteriorating relations with foreign powers following the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Riyadh said on Saturday that Khashoggi died in a fight inside its Istanbul consulate, its first acknowledgment of his death after denying for two weeks that it was involved in his disappearance. A breakdown of the data showed foreigners sold 5 billion riyals worth of stocks and bought 991.3 million worth. The Saudi stock market is down about 4 percent since Khashoggi’s disappeared. The market had started to weaken before the incident as foreign funds slowed their buying after MSCI’s announcement in June that the kingdom will be included in its global emerging market benchmark next year. As of Sunday, the Saudi index was up 5 percent so far this year, but down 5 percent this quarter. ($1 = 3.7518 riyals) …
Typhus Cases Rise in Los Angeles, Several Other US Cities
Typhus, a bacterial infection that is sometimes life threatening, is on the rise in Los Angeles and several other U.S. cities. Public health officials say homelessness is making the problem worse and that the disease, which is associated with poverty and poor sanitation, is making a comeback in the United States. Los Angeles County has seen 64 cases of typhus this year, compared with 53 at the same point last year and double the typical number, with a six-case cluster among the homeless in L.A. this year. Two cities in the county that have separate counts are also seeing higher numbers: Long Beach with 13 cases, up from five last year, and Pasadena with 20, a more than three-fold increase from 2017. At a clinic in the L.A. neighborhood called Skid Row, Dr. Lisa Abdishoo of Los Angeles Christian Health Centers is on the lookout for symptoms. “It’s a nonspecific fever,” she said, “body aches, sometimes a headache, sometimes a rash.” This kind of typhus is spread by fleas on rats, opossums, or even pets and is known as murine typhus, from the Latin word for “mouse.” The risk is higher when people live on the streets in proximity to garbage, but the disease seems to be spreading through the Southern United States. Not the typhus of WWI “It’s never been considered a very common disease,” said Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, “but we seem to see it …
Typhus on Rise in Los Angeles, Several Other US Cities
Typhus, a bacterial infection that is sometimes life-threatening, is on the rise in Los Angeles and several other U.S. cities. Public health officials say homelessness is making the problem worse. Mike O’Sullivan reports that this disease associated with poverty and poor sanitation is making a comeback in the United States. …
Public Trust in Vaccines Plummets After Philippines Dengue Crisis
The ability to fight any future outbreaks of disease could be at risk, following a huge loss of public confidence in vaccines in the Philippines. That’s according to a new report from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. The drop in trust could also affect the rollout of future vaccination programs, and researchers say the case of the Philippines holds lessons for other countries trying to tackle deadly diseases, as Henry Ridgwell reports. …
Immunotherapy Shows Modest Progress Against Breast Cancer
For the first time, one of the new immunotherapy drugs has shown promise against breast cancer in a large study that combined it with chemotherapy to treat an aggressive form of the disease. But the benefit for most women was small, raising questions about whether the treatment is worth its high cost and side effects. Results were discussed Saturday at a cancer conference in Munich and published by the New England Journal of Medicine. Drugs called checkpoint inhibitors have transformed treatment of many types of cancer by removing a chemical brake that keeps the immune system from killing tumor cells. Their discovery recently earned scientists a Nobel Prize. Until now, though, they haven’t proved valuable against breast cancer. In the study The new study tested one from Roche called Tecentriq plus chemo versus chemo alone in 902 women with advanced triple-negative breast cancer. About 15 percent of cases are this type, their growth is not fueled by the hormones estrogen or progesterone, or the gene that Herceptin targets, making them hard to treat. Women in the study who received Tecentriq plus chemo went two months longer on average without their cancer worsening compared with those on chemo alone, a modest benefit. The combo did not significantly improve survival in an early look before long-term follow-up is complete. Failed protein test Previous studies found that immunotherapies work best in patients with high levels of a protein that the drugs target, and the plan for the breast cancer study called for analyzing …