Maduro: Venezuela Gasoline Prices Should Rise to International Levels

selleco

Venezuela’s heavily subsidized domestic gasoline prices should rise to international levels to avoid billions of dollars in annual losses due to fuel smuggling, President Nicolas Maduro said in a televised address on Monday. “Gasoline must be sold at an international price to stop smuggling to Colombia and the Caribbean,” Maduro said in a televised address. Venezuela, like most oil-producing countries, has for decades subsidized fuel as a benefit to consumers. But its fuel prices have remained nearly flat for years despite hyperinflation that the International Monetary Fund has projected would reach 1,000,000 percent this year. That means that for the price of a cup of coffee, a driver can now fill the tank of a small SUV nearly 9,000 times. Recently, the average price of a coffee with milk was 2.2 million bolivars, or about 50 cents, local media has reported. Smugglers do brisk business reselling fuel in neighboring countries. Maduro said the government would still provide “direct subsidies” to citizens holding the “fatherland card,” a state-issued identification card that the government uses to provide bonuses and track use of social services. He said the subsidy was only available to those who registered their cars in a vehicle census being conducted by the state. …

Mexico’s Lopez Obrador Pledges More Than $11B for Refineries

selleco

Mexican President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Monday his administration will invest more than $11 billion to boost refining capacity in order to curb growing fuel imports. Lopez Obrador, who will take office on Dec. 1, told reporters his government plans to invest $2.6 billion to modernize existing domestic refineries owned and operated by national oil company Pemex, and spend another $8.4 billion to build a new one within three years. The $8.4-billion figure is higher than a $6 billion estimate provided by a key energy advisor during the campaign. Lopez Obrador, set to become Mexico’s first leftist president in decades, did not detail how the projects would be financed or whether private capital would be involved, but he has often said he will not raise taxes or grow government debt. Mexico is among Latin America’s largest crude exporters, but is also the biggest importer of U.S. refined products. The country’s next president has pledged to lift refining capacity, which he says has declined due to corruption and neglect. Pemex, formally known as Petroleos Mexicanos, has six domestic refineries with a total processing capacity of some 1.6 million barrels per day (bpd), but the facilities are only operating at about 40 percent of capacity so far this year. Meanwhile, gasoline and diesel imports have sky-rocketed in recent months amid planned and unplanned refinery stoppages. Pemex has posted losses in its refining division for years but Lopez Obrador aims to boost crude processing enough to halt imports within three years. …

Tesla’s Slow Disclosure Raises Governance, Social Media Concerns

selleco

Tesla’s handling of Chief Executive Elon Musk’s proposal to take the carmaker private and its failure to promptly file a formal disclosure has raised governance concerns and sparked questions about how companies use social media. Musk stunned investors last Tuesday by announcing on Twitter that he was considering taking Tesla private in a potential $72 billion transaction and that “funding” had been “secured.” Tesla’s shares closed up 11 percent before retrenching after the Wall Street Journal reported that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) had asked Tesla why Musk announced his plans on Twitter and whether his statement was truthful. Musk provided no details of his funding until Monday, when he said in a blog on Tesla’s website that he was in discussions with Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund and other potential backers but that financing was not yet nailed down. Musk said his tweet and blogs were issued in his personal capacity as a private bidder for Tesla’s stock. A Tesla spokesman pointed Reuters to Musk’s blog in response to a request for comment. Putting aside whether Musk misled anyone, the unorthodox manner in which he announced the news and Tesla’s failure to promptly clarify the situation with a regulatory filing is a corporate governance lapse that raises questions about how companies use social media to release market-moving news, securities lawyers said. “Management buyouts or other take-private transactions already suffer from serious information asymmetry between management and public shareholders,” said Gabriel Rauterberg, a University of Michigan law professor. …

Multi-gene Test May Find Risk for Heart Disease and More

sellheal

You know your cholesterol, your blood pressure … your heart gene score? Researchers say a new way of analyzing genetic test data may one day help identify people at high risk of a youthful heart attack in time to help. Today, gene testing mostly focuses on rare mutations in one or a few genes, like those that cause cystic fibrosis or sickle cell disease, or the BRCA gene responsible for a small fraction of breast cancer. It is less useful for some of the most common diseases, such as heart disease or diabetes, because they are influenced by vast numbers of genes-gone-wrong working together in complicated ways. Monday, researchers reported a new way to measure millions of small genetic variations that add up to cause harm, letting them calculate someone’s inherited risk for the most common form of heart disease and four other serious disorders. The potential cardiac impact: They estimated that up to 25 million Americans may have triple the average person’s risk for coronary artery disease even if they haven’t yet developed warning signs like high cholesterol. “What I foresee is in five years, each person will know this risk number, this ‘polygenic risk score,’ similar to the way each person knows his or her cholesterol,” said Dr. Sekar Kathiresan who led the research team from the Broad Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. If the approach pans out and doctors adopt it, a bad score wouldn’t mean you’d get a disease, just that your genetic …

Bloomberg: Російські мільярдери втратили $3,1 млрд за один день 

sellbiz

Російські мільярдери втратили більше трьох мільярдів доларів за один день п’ятниці, 10 серпня, повідомляє агентство Bloomberg. Таке падіння статків відбулося на фоні повідомлень про те, що економічний радник президента Росії Володимира Путіна Андрій Белоусов запропонував підвищити податки для найбільших металургійних і гірничодобувних компаній РФ.  Як стало відомо, пропозиція передбачає залучити до казни додатково понад 500 мільярдів рублів, які необхідні для реалізації травневих указів президента Путіна.  Акції 14 компаній, яких Белоусов згадав у своєму листі, різко впали в ціні, а від спільних проектів з декількома з них відмовилися потенційні інвестори.  Індекс Bloomberg Billionaires, який відстежує розмір статків мільярдерів у режимі реального часу, показує, що найбільше від нової податкової ідеї постраждав власник Новолипецького металургійного комбінату Володимир Лісін, який втратив близько 832 мільйонів доларів, або 4% від свого капіталу. Власник Магнітогорського металургійного комбінату Віктор Рашников втратив 446 мільйонів доларів, власник «Сєвєрсталі» Олексій Мордашов – 444 мільйонів доларів. Фінансових збитків, згідно зі списком Bloomberg, також зазнали Генадій Тимченко, Алішер Усманов, Роман Абрамович і Володимир Потанін.  Раніше Радіо Свобода повідомляло, що курс рубля оновив черговий дворічний мінімум. На відкритті торгів Московської біржі в понеділок, 13 серпня, долар перевищив позначку в 68 рублів. Курс євро також виріс майже на рубль. …

Нацбанк про приїзд місії МВФ: це матиме позитивний вплив на стан валютного ринку

sellbiz

Національний банк України вітає візит місії Міжнародного валютного фонду в Київ, запланований на початок вересня. Як повідомляє прес-служба банку, там вважають це свідченням незмінності курсу України на проведення реформ і поліпшення перспектив виділення фінансової допомоги фонду. «Приїзд місії МВФ в Київ – крок до зниження невизначеності щодо подальшого розвитку ситуації в українській економіці та поліпшення очікувань учасників ринку», – заявив голова Національного банку Яків Смолій. Як заявляють у НБУ, наближення перспективи отримання фінансування від МВФ матиме позитивний вплив на стан валютного ринку України, а також покращить можливості уряду залучити на міжнародних ринках капіталу боргові ресурси, необхідні для здійснення пікових виплат за державним боргом у 2018-2020 роках, на прийнятних умовах, попри послаблення апетиту інвесторів до активів ринків, що розвиваються. У МВФ 13 серпня повідомили, що місія МВФ працюватиме в Києві в період із 6 до 19 вересня «для обговорення останніх економічних подій і економічної політики». Візит відбудеться на тлі падіння за останній період курсу національної валюти. Так, регулятор і на завтра опустив гривню ще на 10 копійок по відношенню до долара в порівнянні з нинішнім робочим днем – 27 гривень 34 копійки за долар. Читайте також: Потрібна підтримка МВФ, бо Україна на межі глибокої економічної кризи – експерти У МВФ неодноразово заявляли, що Україні для отримання чергового траншу необхідно ухвалити закон про Антикорупційний суд і привести ціни на газ до рівня ринкових. У березні 2015 року між МВФ і Україною була затверджена чотирирічна програма розширеного фінансування на суму близько 17,5 мільярда доларів США. Наразі МВФ надав Україні за цією програмою близько 8 …

Calls for Action on Toxics White House Called ‘PR Nightmare’

sellheal

Lauren Woeher wonders if her 16-month-old daughter has been harmed by tap water contaminated with toxic industrial compounds used in products like nonstick cookware, carpets, firefighting foam and fast-food wrappers. Henry Betz, at 76, rattles around his house alone at night, thinking about the water his family unknowingly drank for years that was tainted by the same contaminants, and the pancreatic cancers that killed wife Betty Jean and two others in his household. Tim Hagey, manager of a local water utility, recalls how he used to assure people that the local public water was safe. That was before testing showed it had some of the highest levels of the toxic compounds of any public water system in the U.S.   “You all made me out to be a liar,” Hagey, general water and sewer manager in the eastern Pennsylvania town of Warminster, told Environmental Protection Agency officials at a hearing last month. The meeting drew residents and officials from Horsham and other affected towns in eastern Pennsylvania, and officials from some of the other dozens of states dealing with the same contaminants.   At “community engagement sessions” around the country this summer like the one in Horsham, residents and state, local and military officials are demanding that the EPA act quickly — and decisively — to clean up local water systems testing positive for dangerous levels of the chemicals, perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS.   The Trump administration called the contamination “a potential public relations nightmare” earlier this year after federal …

Місія МВФ прибуде до Києва у вересні – фонд

sellbiz

Місія Міжнародного валютного фонду працюватиме в Києві в період із 6 до 19 вересня, заявив постійний представник фонду в Україні Йоста Люнгман. «За зверненням української влади, місія МВФ відвідає Київ в період з 6 до 19 вересня 2018 року для обговорення останніх економічних подій і економічної політики», – наведені його слова в прес-релізі фонду. За словами Люнгмана, серед питань, про які йтиметься, буде також фінансова допомога від МВФ на підтримку політики, спрямованої на забезпечення макроекономічної стабільності в Україні і подальшого руху економіки країни в напрямку сталого й інклюзивного зростання. У червні прем’єр-міністр України Володимир Гройсман визнав, що підвищення цін на газ для населення залишається серед вимог Міжнародного валютного фонду, і додав, що уряд не має «простої відповіді» на це питання. Читайте також: Потрібна підтримка МВФ, бо Україна на межі глибокої економічної кризи – експерти У квітні Міжнародний валютний фонд заявив, що Україні потрібно деполітизувати процес формування цін на енергоресурси. У МВФ неодноразово заявляли, що Україні для отримання чергового траншу необхідно ухвалити закон про Антикорупційний суд і привести ціни на газ до рівня ринкових. У березні 2015 року між МВФ і Україною була затверджена чотирирічна програма розширеного фінансування на суму близько 17,5 мільярда доларів США. Наразі МВФ надав Україні за цією програмою близько 8 мільярдів 380 мільйонів доларів. Міністерство фінансів України очікувало на надходження нового траншу кредиту МВФ на початку 2018 року. У квітні в Нацбанку заявили, що очікують траншу від Міжнародного валютного фонду в третьому кварталі. …

Khamenei: Mismanagement More Harmful Than US Sanctions

selleco

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Monday government mismanagement has hurt Iran’s economy more than U.S. sanctions. U.S. President Donald Trump last week reimposed a set of sanctions that had been lifted as part of the 2015 nuclear deal Iran struck with world powers to limit the country’s nuclear program in exchange for relief from measures that had badly hurt its economy. Those sanctions target Iran’s automotive sector, its trade in gold and other precious metals, along with its currency, the Iranian rial, and other financial transactions. Trump has threatened another round of sanctions on November 5 against Iran’s energy-related transactions and business that foreign financial institutions conduct with the Central Bank of Iran. Khamenei said Monday with better management Iran can resist the U.S. sanctions and overcome them. Trump has been a frequent critic of the Iran nuclear deal and put the sanctions back in place after pulling the United States from the agreement. He says Iran must change the way it operates, including its activities in Syria and Yemen. Iran and the other signatories of the nuclear deal have said they intend to continue to abide by the agreement. …

Turkey Announces ‘Action Plan’ to Ease Market Concerns

selleco

Asian and European markets were rattled by the Turkish lira’s record low of 7.24 to the dollar overnight. The markets began to recover Monday, however, when Turkey’s Central Bank said it was ready to take “all necessary measures” to help Turkish banks manage their liquidity. The bank’s announcement followed the finance minister’s disclosure that Turkey has prepared an “action plan” scheduled to roll out Monday that is intended to ease market concerns that led to the slump in the value of Turkish currency. The lira recovered to 6.61 to the dollar following the Central Bank’s announcement. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, embroiled in a bitter dispute with the U.S., a NATO ally, contended Sunday the plunging value of his country’s lira currency amounted to a “political plot” against Turkey. Erdogan, speaking to political supporters in the Black Sea resort of Trabzon, said, “The aim of the operation is to make Turkey surrender in all areas, from finance to politics. We are once again facing a political, underhand plot. With God’s permission we will overcome this.” U.S. President Donald Trump has feuded with Erdogan over several issues, including the detention of an American pastor in Turkey, whom Turkey has held since 2016 and accused of espionage. Turkey last month released the evangelical preacher from a prison, but is still detaining him under house arrest pending his trial, despite the demands of the U.S. With the dispute intensifying, Trump on Friday doubled steel and aluminum tariffs on Turkey, sending the beleaguered lira …

Російський рубль падає через санкції США

sellbiz

Курс рубля оновив черговий дворічний мінімум. На відкритті торгів Московської біржі в понеділок, 13 серпня, долар перевищив позначку в 68 рублів. Курс євро також виріс майже на рубль. Ключовим фактором падіння рубля лишаються санкції Сполучених Штатів. Російська валюта почала дешевшати після того, як ЗМІ опублікували проект нових обмежень, який підготували американські сенатори. Санкції можуть зачепити проведення доларових опреацій для державних банків, заборону на інвестиції в російський державний борг та обмеження на експорт технологій для нафтогазової промисловості. Читайте також: «Санкції США розгойдують Росію (світова преса)» Крім того, минулого тижня Держдепартамент США оголосив про нові санкії через отруєння колишнього офіцера ГРУ Сергія Скрипаля та його доньки Юлії в британському місті Солсбері. Вашингтон звинувачує в причетності до нападу Моску. Нові обмеження набудуть чинності 22 серпня. Зокрема вводиться заборона на експорт до Росії товарів, які використовуються в сфері національної безпеки. Раніше в МЗС Росії заявили, що готують «контрзаходи» у відповідь на санкційні обмеження США. …

Washington DC Reconsiders Cashless Approach

selleco

American businesses have long been preparing for a cashless economy as the use of credit and debit cards, instead of cash, become more widespread. But the move towards a cashless economy may have hit a snag in the nation’s capital. Some Washington DC council members say the cashless trend has gone too far. And if a new bill, introduced by DC Council member David Grosso, passes — some cashless businesses could end up paying big fines. Mariia Prus has the story narrated by Joy Wagner. …

Erdogan Claims Lira Plunge a ‘Political Plot’ Against Turkey

selleco

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, embroiled in a bitter dispute with the U.S., a NATO ally, contended Sunday the plunging value of his country’s lira currency amounted to a “political plot” against Turkey. Erdogan, speaking to political supporters in the Black Sea resort of Trabzon, said, “The aim of the operation is to make Turkey surrender in all areas, from finance to politics. We are once again facing a political, underhand plot. With God’s permission we will overcome this.” U.S. President Donald Trump has feuded with Erdogan over several issues, including the detention of an American pastor in Turkey, whom Turkey has held since 2016 and accused of espionage. Turkey last month released the evangelical preacher from a prison, but is still detaining him under house arrest pending his trial, despite the demands of the U.S. With the dispute intensifying, Trump on Friday doubled steel and aluminum tariffs on Turkey, sending the beleaguered lira plunging 16 percent, part of a 40 percent plummet for the currency this year. In early Asian trading Monday, the lira fell to a record low of 7.06 against the dollar. “What is the reason for all this storm in a tea cup?” Erdogan said. “There is no economic reason for this … This is called carrying out an operation against Turkey.” Erdogan renewed his call for Turks to sell dollars and buy lira to boost the currency, while telling business owners to not stockpile the American currency. “I am specifically addressing our manufacturers: Do not …

UN Stepping Up Ebola Screening of Refugees Fleeing DR Congo

sellheal

The U.N. refugee agency reports it is stepping up efforts to reduce the risk of the spread of the deadly Ebola virus as refugees flee DR Congo. Latest estimates put the number of confirmed and probable cases of Ebola in eastern DRC at 49, including 38 deaths. The U.N. refugee agency is working closely with DRC authorities and other agencies on actions to contain Ebola on the national and regional level. But, its main focus is to monitor possible Ebola infections among refugees fleeing across the border, mainly to Uganda, from conflict ridden North Kivu and Ituri. UNHCR spokesman, William Spindler says the number of newly arriving refugees into Uganda from these two Ebola affected provinces increased during July from 170 a day to 250 a day. He says the majority currently is crossing at the Kisoro border point. “So UNHCR is working with WHO, UNICEF and other partners and with the Ministry of Health of Uganda to intensify screening for Ebola at all border entry points. And, additional health workers have been deployed in the border districts to improve response capacity,” he said. Spindler notes the World Health Organization is not recommending any restriction on the movement of people. Therefore, he says UNHCR is urging countries neighboring DRC to allow refugees in need of protection to enter their territory and to include them into preparedness and response plans and activities. The UNHCR says refugees are at the same risk of contracting and transmitting the Ebola virus disease as local …

NASA Sends Parker Solar Probe to ‘Go Touch the Sun’

sellheal

A NASA spacecraft rocketed toward the sun Sunday on an unprecedented quest to get closer to our star than anything ever sent before. The Parker Solar Probe will fly straight through the wispy edges of the corona, or outer solar atmosphere, that was visible during last August’s total solar eclipse. It eventually will get within 3.8 million (6 million kilometers) of the sun’s surface, staying comfortably cool despite the extreme heat and radiation, and allowing scientists to vicariously explore the sun in a way never before possible. No wonder scientists consider it the coolest, hottest mission under the sun, and what better day to launch to the sun than Sunday as NASA noted. “Fly baby girl, fly!!” project scientist Nicola Fox of Johns Hopkins University tweeted just before liftoff. She urged it to “go touch the sun!” Protected by a revolutionary new carbon heat shield and other high-tech wonders, the spacecraft will zip past Venus in October. That will set up the first solar encounter in November. Altogether, the Parker probe will make 24 close approaches to the sun on the seven-year, $1.5 billion undertaking. ​Parker watches namesake go For the second straight day, thousands of spectators jammed the launch site in the middle of the night as well as surrounding towns, including 91-year-old astrophysicist Eugene Parker for whom the spacecraft is named. He proposed the existence of solar wind, a steady, supersonic stream of particles blasting off the sun, 60 years ago. “All I can say is, ‘Wow, here …

Eco-Friendly Soccer Club Aims to Inspire Others to Make Meaningful Choices

sellheal

Talk about going green. One British soccer team has made it its goal to become the first professional sports team in the world to be certified carbon neutral. It’s an official designation recently awarded to the team by the Secretary in charge of Climate Change at the United Nations. But that’s not all. The team may also be the world’s first 100 percent vegan football club. VOA Correspondent Mariama Diallo has more. …

Abundance of Seahorses in Northeastern Greece Thrills Divers, Scientists

sellheal

There’s an abundance of seahorses in a remote gulf off the coast of northeastern Greece … and scientists are not exactly sure why. Although seahorses exist in Greece’s seas, scientists say it’s unusual to find a stable and continued presence for a protected species ravaged by overfishing throughout the Mediterranean Sea. Local divers are enthralled by the elegant creatures and are going to great lengths to document their presence and advocate for their protection. VOA’s Julie Taboh has more. …

Iran: French Firm Out of South Pars Gas Project, China’s Is In

selleco

Iran’s official IRNA news agency is reporting that China’s state-owned petroleum corporation has taken a majority share of the country’s South Pars gas project after French oil and gas company Total announced it would pull out because renewed U.S. economic sanctions against Iran. The Saturday report quotes Mohammad Mostafavi, an official in Iran’s state oil company, as saying CNPC now owns 80 percent of the shares in the $5 billion project, having bought shares from Total. CNPC originally had about 30 percent of shares in the project. The renewal of U.S. sanctions took effect on Tuesday. …

Confusion Reigns in Italy Over Child Vaccination Mandate

sellheal

Italians are divided between those who think parents should have the right to decide whether to vaccinate their children and those who feel immunization programs must be decided by the government, which they believe has better access to information. Vaccine regulations differ widely across Europe, and the current situation in Italy is in limbo. Italians enrolling their children in state-run nursery schools currently are uncertain if they need to provide evidence their children have had 10 vaccinations required by a law that came into effect in March. A week ago, the upper house of parliament voted through an amendment to remove that obligation. But to become law, it must also be approved by the lower house. Parents have been told that for the time being they can simply provide a self-signed declaration that their children have been vaccinated. Many remain unclear whether their children will be allowed to go to school if they fail to provide a declaration or other evidence of the vaccinations. A surge of more than 5,000 measles cases last year – the second largest outbreak in Europe – led the government run then by the Democratic Party to pass a bill requiring mandatory vaccinations. However, in the run-up to general elections this year, the 5-Star Movement led by Luigi Di Maio and the League led by Matteo Salvini said they would do away with the law. Now in power, they appear to be keeping their promise Speaking at a recent political rally near Florence, Salvini admitted …

France Fumes at Proposed Post-Brexit EU Sea Trade Links

selleco

France deems unacceptable a European Commission proposal to exclude French ports from a rerouting of a strategic trade corridor between Ireland and mainland Europe after Brexit, the government said. At the moment much of Ireland’s trade with the continent goes via Britain in trucks. However, with less than eight months to go until Britain leaves the European Union, there is still little clarity on its future trade relations with the bloc and on the nature of the Irish Republic’s border with the British province of Northern Ireland. The new route put forward by the commission would connect Ireland by sea with Dutch and Belgian ports, including Zeebrugge and Rotterdam. French ports such as Calais and Dunkirk would be bypassed. “France and Ireland maintain important trade channels, both overland via Britain and via direct maritime routes. The geographical proximity between Ireland and France creates an obvious connection to the single market,” French Transport Minister Elisabeth Borne wrote to the EU’s transport commissioner in a letter dated August 10. “Surprisingly, the commission proposal in no way takes this into account. This proposal therefore is not acceptable to France.” At stake are jobs, millions of dollars’ worth of port revenues and possibly EU infrastructure funding. Borne said that French ports had the necessary resources to ensure they could handle the likely increase in trade flows, hinting at concerns about congestion in ports such as Calais, France’s busiest passenger port. …

Cars Powered by New Fuel Type Tested in Australia

sellheal

Australian scientists have test driven two cars powered by a carbon-free fuel derived from ammonia.  A team from the Australian government’s research agency, the CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization), says the pioneering technology will allow highly flammable hydrogen to be safely transported in the form of ammonia and used as a widely available fuel.   Researchers have found a way to use a thin membrane to turn Australian-made hydrogen into ammonia.  This could be shipped safely to markets in Asia, as well as parts of Europe.  At its destination, the liquid ammonia would then be converted back into hydrogen, and used to power cars and buses,  as well as for electricity generation and industrial processes. David Harris, CSIRO research director says “the special thing about the technology that we have is that it allows you to produce very pure hydrogen directly with a membrane system from ammonia.” The technology has the support of Japanese car maker Toyota and South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Company. ‘Watershed moment’ Scientists say hydrogen, a highly-flammable gas that can be volatile and hard to transport safely, creates a low emission fuel for cars.  The Australian team describes the membrane technology that separates hydrogen from other gases as a “watershed moment for energy.” Claire Johnson, the chief executive of Hydrogen Mobility Australia, an industry association, says the pioneering research could forever change the transport sector. “We see that as a really exciting opportunity to decarbonize the transport sector, but also position Australia as one of …