U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he was “not thrilled” with the Federal Reserve under Chairman Jerome Powell for raising interest rates and said the U.S. central bank should do more to help him to boost the economy. In the middle of international trade disputes, Trump in an interview with Reuters also accused China and Europe of manipulating their respective currencies. American presidents have rarely criticized the Fed in recent decades because its independence has been seen as important for economic stability. Trump has departed from this past practice. The president spooked investors in July when he criticized the U.S. central bank’s over tightening monetary policy. On Monday he said the Fed should be more accommodating on interest rates. “I’m not thrilled with his raising of interest rates, no. I’m not thrilled,” Trump said, referring to Powell. Trump nominated Powell last year to replace former Fed Chair Janet Yellen. U.S. stock prices dipped after Trump’s comments to Reuters and the U.S. dollar edged down against a basket of currencies. Trump, who criticized the Fed when he was a candidate, said other countries benefited from their central banks’ moves during tough trade talks, but the United States was not getting support from the Fed. “We’re negotiating very powerfully and strongly with other nations. We’re going to win. But during this period of time I should be given some help by the Fed. The other countries are accommodated,” Trump said. The Fed has raised interest rates twice this year and is …
China to Keep Providing Aid to Pacific for Sustainable Development
China will continue to provide aid to Tonga and other countries in the Pacific to help them achieve sustainable development, China’s Foreign Ministry said on Monday, amid a mounting debt problem in the region. Tonga’s prime minister on Friday backed down on calls for Pacific island nations to collectively lobby China to forgive their debts, after a source said China had complained about the plan. Tonga is one of eight island nations in the South Pacific carrying significant debt to China, and had started building support to press China to cancel repayments. Pacific nations were due to discuss the plan at a forum of regional leaders scheduled to be held in the tiny island nation of Nauru early next month, Tongan Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pōhiva told Reuters on Thursday. Pōhiva said in a statement on Friday that “after further reflection” he believed the forum was not the proper platform to discuss Chinese debt, and that Pacific nations should each find their own solutions. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said he noted Pōhiva’s statement of “clarification” and his positive appraisal of ties with China. “I would like to stress that China and Tonga are strategic partners of mutual respect and common development,” Lu told a daily news briefing in Beijing. “China will continue to provide support and assistance to Tonga and other Pacific island countries in achieving sustainable development to the best of its ability,” he added, without elaborating. A recent Reuters analysis of the financial books of South Pacific …
With Inflation Soaring, Venezuela Prices Shed Five Zeros
Venezuela on Monday slashed five zeros from prices as part of a broad economic plan that President Nicolas Maduro says will tame hyperinflation but critics call another raft of failed socialist policies that will push the chaotic country deeper into crisis. Streets were quiet and shops were closed due to a national holiday that Maduro decreed for the first day of the new pricing plan for the stricken economy, which the International Monetary Fund has estimated will have 1 million percent inflation by year end. The price change comes with a 3,000 percent minimum wage hike, tax increases meant to shore up state coffers and a plan to peg salaries, prices and the country’s exchange rate to the petro, an elusive state-backed cryptocurrency. Economists say the plan, which was announced last Friday, is likely to escalate the crisis facing the once-prosperous nation that is now suffering from Soviet-style product shortages and a mass exodus of citizens fleeing for other South American countries. Venezuelans were skeptical the plan will turn the economy around. “I can’t find a cash machine because all the banks are closed today,” said Jose Moreno, 71, a retired engineer in the central city of Valencia, complaining of chronically dysfunctional public services. “There’s no money, there’s no water, there’s no electricity – there’s nothing.” After a decade-long oil bonanza that spawned a consumption boom in the OPEC member, many citizens are now reduced to scouring through garbage to find food as monthly salaries currently amount to a few …
US Trade Office Holds Hearings on Plans for More Tariffs Against China
The U.S. Trade Representative’s office Monday began six days of public hearings on President Donald Trump’s plans to impose tariffs on a wider array of Chinese imports, affecting an additional $200 billion worth of Chinese goods. More than 1,300 written comments have been submitted to the trade office, with most businesses opposing the president’s plan. Unlike previous rounds of U.S. tariffs, which mainly targeted Chinese parts, including steel and electronic components, the latest proposals would affect many consumer products directly. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce said in a written statement presented at the hearing Monday that the planned escalation “dramatically expands the harm to American consumers, workers, businesses and the economy.” The hearings come as Trump administration officials and their Chinese counterparts are expected to meet later this week in Washington to discuss the trade dispute. The talks will be the first formal discussions on the matter since June and will be led by David Malpass, U.S. undersecretary of the Treasury for International Affairs, and China’s vice commerce minister Wang Shouwen. Previous rounds of talks have made little progress in resolving the trade dispute. The United States has already imposed tariffs on $34 billion of Chinese products, while levies on a further $16 billion are set to take effect on Thursday. China has responded by imposing retaliatory tariffs against an equivalent amount of U.S. goods. If approved, the latest proposed round of tariffs on Chinese imports is set to take effect in late September. …
Europe Sees Sharp Rise in Measles: 41,000 Cases, 37 Deaths
The World Health Organization says the number of measles cases in Europe jumped sharply during the first six months of 2018 and at least 37 people have died. The U.N. agency’s European office said Monday more than 41,000 measles cases were reported in the region during the first half of the year — more than in all 12-month periods so far this decade. The previous highest annual total was 23,927 cases in 2017. A year earlier, only 5,273 cases were reported. The agency said half — some 23,000 cases — this year occurred in Ukraine, where an insurgency backed by Russia has been fighting the government for four years in the east in a conflict that has killed over 10,000 people. France, Georgia, Greece, Italy, Russia and Serbia also had more than 1,000 measles infections each so far this year. Measles, among the world’s most contagious diseases, is a virus that’s spread in the air through coughing or sneezing. It can be prevented with a vaccine that’s been in use since the 1960s, but health officials say vaccination rates of at least 95 percent are needed to prevent epidemics. Vaccine skepticism remains high in many parts of Europe after past immunization problems. Measles typically begins with a high fever and also causes a rash on the face and neck. While most people who get it recover, measles is one of the leading causes of death among young children, according to the WHO. Italy has introduced a new law requiring parents …
Environmental Project to Save the Forests in Cox’s Bazar Gets Under Way
U.N. agencies and the Bangladesh government have begun distributing liquid petroleum gas stoves in Cox’s Bazar to help prevent further deforestation, which has been accelerating with the huge influx of Rohingya refugees during the past year. Cox’s Bazar is home to large areas of protected forest and an important wildlife habitat. The arrival of more than 700,000 Rohingya refugees fleeing violence and persecution in Myanmar has put enormous pressure on these precious resources. U.N. Migration Agency spokesman, Paul Dillon tells VOA, the refugees have been cutting down the trees and clearing land to build makeshift shelters. He says they and many local villagers also rely almost exclusively on firewood to cook their meals. “Consequently, the forests in that area are being denuded at the rate of roughly four football fields every single day. We are told by the experts at this rate, by 2019 there will be no further forests in that area,” he said. Scientists note deforestation has devastating consequences for the environment leading to soil erosion, fewer crops, increased flooding and, most significantly, the loss of habitat for millions of species. Dillon says disappearing forests are putting great pressure on the animals in the region. “It interrupts migration pathways and regrettably forces these, sort of, artificial confrontations between animals in the wild and communities as they move into areas that have been logged out often-times in search of arable farmland and that type of thing,” he said. The project aims to distribute liquid petroleum gas stoves and gas …
Гривня щодо долара зміцнилася на 20 копійок – дані НБУ
Гривня щодо долара зміцнилася на 20 копійок, свідчать дані на сайті Національного банку України. 21 серпня регулятор встановив курс на рівні 27 гривень 69 копійок за долар. Це перший ріст української національної валюти, починаючи з 9 серпня. Фахівці називали посилення гривні ситуативним і пов’язували його з тим, що 20 серпня – «останній день активних бюджетних проплат у більшості клієнтів». …
Гривня посилюється щодо долара на міжбанку
Національна валюта 20 серпня посилює свої позиції щодо долара США на міжбанківському валютному ринку. Станом на 12:00 котирування змінилися до рівня 27 гривень 66 – 69 копійок з початкового рівня 27 гривень 75 – 78 копійок, повідомляє профільний сайт «Мінфін», який відстежує перебіг торгів. Фахівці називають посилення гривні ситуативним і пов’язують його з тим, що 20 серпня – «останній день активних бюджетних проплат у більшості клієнтів». «У компаній залишається мало часу на розрахунки з державою, і це призводить до зростання потреби в гривні. Частина експортерів збільшить обсяги продажу валюти, чим скористаються як імпортери, так і сам НБУ», – вказано в повідомленні. Після 12:00 Національний банк України оприлюднив довідкове значення курсу гривні до долара США – 27 гривень 71 копійка за одиницю американської валюти. Упродовж усього минулого тижня гривня слабшала шодо долара США, і лише в останні години торгів 17 серпня курс відкотився з рівня понад 27 гривень 90 копійок. Для стримування зростання курсу долара регулятор витратив не менш як 215 мільйонів доларів. У Нацбанку 17 серпня заявили, що «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», – ішлося в повідомленні. …
Державну продовольчо-зернову корпорацію не будуть приватизовувати
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 …