Громадська рада міжнародних експертів спільно з Вищою кваліфікаційною комісією суддів завершили етап ветування «сумнівних» кандитатів до Антикорупційного суду, залишивши у конкурсі 71 кандидата, повідомляють громадські організації. Таким чином, як зазначає українське представництво Transparency international, на засіданні 28 січня конкурс покинули суддя В’ячеслав Піковський та науковець Ірина Смазнова. Всього, за даними Центру протидії корупції, експерти відсіяли 42 кандидата – 40% зі 113, які перед цим успішно склали тестування. Серед претендентів на посади антикорупційних суддів, яким спочатку висловили сумнів, тільки семеро продовжили змагання. «Президент має призначити суддів не пізніше 30 днів з дня отримання подання Вища рада правосуддя (ВРП) та не має права відмовити у призначенні будь-кого із кандидатів. Очікується, що Петро Порошенко призначить суддів до першого туру президентських виборів — до 31 березня 2019», – зазначають у активісти. Однак до цього, як пояснюють у ЦПК, Вища кваліфікаційна комісія суддів та Вища рада правосуддя можуть виключити кандидатів із сумнівних політичними зв’язками, через те, що їхнє призначенняможе негативно вплинути на довіру до судової влади. Верховна Рада України ухвалила в цілому закон про Вищий антикорупційний суд 7 червня 2018 року. 21 червня Верховна Рада схвалила президентський законопроект про запуск Вищого антикорупційного суду. Ухвалення закону про антикорупційний суд домагалися від України її західні партнери, воно було однією з умов продовження співпраці Києва з Міжнародним валютним фондом. Створення спеціалізованого антикорупційного суду передбачив закон про судоустрій і статус суддів, ухвалений 2016 року. …
Coffee in Seattle Does Not Always Mean Starbucks
The first Starbucks coffee shop opened in Seattle, Washington, in 1971 – and grew into what is perhaps the world’s best known American coffee company. But in Seattle, it is not the only brew in town, and as Natasha Mozgovaya discovered, locals never lost their love and appreciation for an individual approach and experimentation, and small coffee bars mushroomed in the city. Anna Rice has her report. …
Malawi Looks to Cannabis to Supplement Lost Tobacco Earnings
Malawi is the latest African country to look at legalizing cannabis – the plant that produces hemp and marijuana – after similar moves in Lesotho, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. As Malawi’s tobacco industry – the country’s biggest foreign exchange earner – has dwindled due to anti-tobacco campaigns, farmers are now looking to grow cannabis. Lameck Masina reports from Lilongwe. …
Brewing the Perfect Cup of Coffee with Blockchain
Blockchain technology – a high-tech way to securely manage and protect data – is best-known as the driver of the cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Now, a U.S. coffee importer is using it to improve the lives of coffee farmers and some of the poorest communities in Central America. Faith Lapidus reports. …
Гривня подешевшала стосовно долара – курс валют на 28 січня
Гривня втратила три копійки стосовно долара, свідчать дані на сайті Національного банку України. На 28 січня офіційний курс встановлений на рівні 27 гривні 81 копійки за долар. Євро здорожчав на п’ять копійок – до 31 гривні 56 копійок. …
Report: ‘Radical Rethink’ Needed to Tackle Obesity, Hunger, Climate
To defeat the intertwined pandemics of obesity, hunger and climate change, governments must curb the political influence of major corporations, said a major report Monday calling for a ‘global treaty’ similar to one for tobacco control. But this will not happen unless ordinary citizens demand a “radical rethink” of the relationship between policymakers and business, nearly four dozen experts from The Lancet Commission on Obesity concluded. “Powerful opposition from vested interests, lack of political leadership, and insufficient societal demand for change are preventing action,” they said in a statement. Nearly a billion people are hungry and another two billion are eating too much of the wrong foods, causing epidemics of obesity, heart disease and diabetes. Unhealthy diets account for up to 11 million premature deaths every year, according to the most recent Global Disease Burden report. “Malnutrition in all its forms — including undernutrition and obesity — is by far the biggest cause of ill-health and premature death globally,” said Commission co-chair Boyd Swinburn, a professor at the University of Aukland. “Both undernutrition and obesity are expected to be made significantly worse by climate change.” The way in which food is currently produced, distributed and consumed not only fuels the hunger and obesity pandemics, it also generates 25 to 30 percent of planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions. Cattle production alone accounts for more than have of those gases, in the form of methane-laden flatulence and CO2 when forests — especially in Brazil — are cleared to accommodate livestock. A transport system …
Senators Want Update on Progress of Universal Flu Vaccine
Maine’s independent U.S. senator says he’s joining a group of Senate colleagues to call on the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease to provide an update on research into a universal flu vaccine. Sen. Angus King says the initiative is about reducing “the relentless burden the flu places on American families each year.” The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease released a strategic plan for a universal flu vaccine last year. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website says formulation of the flu vaccine is reviewed annually and updated to keep up with changing viruses. As a result, effectiveness can vary year to year. The senators say the institute should describe for them how it has used funding provided by Congress to develop a universal vaccine. …
Leaders Skip Davos Amid Domestic Troubles, Anti-Globalist Backlash
The World Economic Forum summit in Davos, Switzerland, that wrapped up Friday, had some notable absentees, including U.S. President Donald Trump. With a backlash against a perceived ruling elite gaining ground in many countries, analysts say some leaders steered clear of a gathering often seen as an inaccessible club for the world’s super-rich. Others argue it is vital they get together to discuss urgent issues like climate change and world trade. On the surface, though, it was business as usual: On a sealed off, snowbound mountaintop, world leaders rubbed shoulders with global executives, lobbyists and pressure groups. It remains a vital gathering of global decision-makers, said Leslie Vinjamuri, head of the U.S. and the Americas Program at policy group Chatham House. “They’re there to do business, they’re there to engage in an exchange of ideas. And so I think it’s still tremendously important.” President Trump stayed away because of the partial U.S. government shutdown, which ended Friday. China’s President Xi Jinping wasn’t there, neither was Britain’s Theresa May, nor France’s President Emmanuel Macron. “They’re tremendously preoccupied with the troubles they face at home, which isn’t a good sign for globalism. The criticism and the critique that surrounds Davos is extraordinary. People say, ‘You know, it’s where all those people go to have dinner with each other, it has nothing to do with the rest of us.’ And, of course, it’s about a lot more than that, but the optics are tremendously negative at this point in time,” Vinjamuri said. Behind the heavily guarded …
Germany to Phase Out Coal by 2038
A government-appointed commission laid out a plan Saturday for Germany to phase out coal use by 2038. The commission — made up of politicians, climate experts, union representatives and industry figures from coal regions — developed the plan under mounting pressure on Europe’s top economy to step up efforts to combat climate change. “This is a historic day,” the commission’s head, Ronald Pofalla, said after 20 hours of negotiations. The recommendations, which involve at least $45.6 billion in aid to coal-mining states affected by the move, must be reviewed by the German government and 16 regional states. While some government officials lauded the report, energy provider RWE, which runs several coal-fired plants, said the 2038 cutoff date would be “way too early.” Despite its reputation as a green country, Germany relies heavily on coal for its power needs, partly because of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s decision to phase out nuclear power plants by 2022 in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan. Coal accounted for more than 30 percent of Germany’s energy mix in 2018 — significantly higher than the figures in most other European countries. …
Commission: Put People First in Drive to Automate Jobs
The world of work is going through a major transformation. Technological advances are creating new jobs and at the same time leaving many people behind as their skills are no longer needed. A new study by the International Labor Organization’s Global Commission on the Future of Work addresses the many uncertainties arising from this new reality. The International Labor Organization agrees artificial intelligence, automation and robotics will lead to job losses, as people’s skills become obsolete. But it says these same technological advances, along with the greening of economies also will create millions of new jobs. Change is coming The co-chair of the ILO Global Commission on the Future of Work, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, says these advances offer many opportunities. But he warns people must harness the new technologies for the world of work and not be allowed to control the future shape of work. “In the 20th century, we established that labor is not a commodity. In the 21st century, we must also ensure that labor is not a robot. We propose a human in command type of approach ensuring that technology frees workers and improves work rather than reducing their control,” he said. Ramaphosa says change is inevitable and will happen whether people like it or not. “We believe that we would rather be ahead of the curve rather than behind it and get the developments that are unfolding to shape us and to lead us. We need to be ahead so that we can shape …
FDA: More Blood Pressure Drugs May Have Shortages After Recalls
Additional shortages of blood pressure drugs in the United States are possible following recent recalls related to traces of a probable carcinogen found in some versions a particular class of hypertension medicines, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Friday. The drugs, including valsartan, belong to a class of widely-used medicines for treating high blood pressure called angiotensin II receptor blockers, or ARBs. Valsartan is the generic of Novartis’ Diovan. The FDA also said it may have identified the root cause of the potentially cancer-causing impurities but that it is still investigating. The recalls began last summer after the FDA was informed that ingredients used by Chinese manufacturer Zhejiang Huahai Pharmaceuticals Co (Huahai) to produce valsartan contained the impurities. The FDA later halted all imports from one of Huahai’s factories. Other manufacturers have also had to recall valsartan after the impurities were found in their versions of the drug. It is currently listed as in shortage by the FDA. Generic drugs Some generic versions of other ARBS, such as losartan and irbesartan, have also been recalled. The most recent recall was announced earlier this week. The agency said that it determined that the impurities “may be generated when specific chemicals and reaction conditions are present in the manufacturing process” and “may also result from the reuse of materials, such as solvents.” The reuse of solvents is an accepted practice in the industry, but manufacturers are generally expected to ensure that reused materials meet certain safety standards. …
At Davos, Nearly half WTO Members Agree to Talks on new e-Commerce Rules
Impatient with the lack of World Trade Organization rules to cover the explosive growth of e-commerce, 76 countries and regions agreed on Friday to start negotiating this year on a set of open and predictable regulations. The WTO’s 164 members were unable to consolidate some 25 separate e-commerce proposals at the body’s biennial conference at Buenos Aires in December, including a call to set up a central e-commerce negotiating forum. In a gathering on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, ministers from a smaller group of countries including the United States, the European Union and Japan, agreed to work out an agenda for negotiations they hope to kick off this year on setting new e-commerce rules. “The current WTO rules don’t match the needs of the 21st century. You can tell that from the fact there are no solid rules on e-commerce,” Japan’s trade minister Hiroshige Seko told reporters in Davos. Asked whether China could join the negotiations, Seko said: “What’s very important is to first set high-standard rules. If China could join, we would welcome that.” The WTO failed to reach any new agreements at a ministerial conference in December, which ended in discord in the face of stinging U.S. criticism of the group. The stalemate dashed hopes for new deals on regulating the widening presence of e-commerce. The emergence of the coalition willing to press ahead with new e-commerce rules, despite others’ reservations, reinforces a trend toward the fragmentation of WTO negotiations and away from …
Європейський центральний банк припинив друк банкнот номіналом 500 євро
Європейський центральний банк припинив друг банкнот номіналом 500 євро, які були введені в обіг у 2002 році. В оновленій серії «Європа» така банкнота відсутня. Як повідомляє прес-служба Нацбанку України, з 27 січня 2019 року більше не випускатимуть в обіг банкноти номіналом 500 євро 17 із 19 національних центральних банків Єврозони. Deutsche Bundesbank та Oesterreichische Nationalbank продовжать випускати в обіг ці банкноти до 26 квітня цього року. Вже наявні в обігу банкноти залишаються законним платіжним засобом. Їх також можна обміняти у будь-якому національному банку Єврозони. «Банки України також здійснюватимуть операції з обміну громадянам банкнот номіналом 500 євро, поки ці банкноти знаходитимуться в обігу. Водночас Національний банк нагадує, що здійснювати валютно-обмінні операції потрібно лише у банках або небанківських фінансових установах, що мають відповідну ліцензію. Також під час таких операцій варто не поспішати та ретельно перевіряти кілька захисних елементів на банкнотах, щоб упевнитися в їх справжності», – зазначили в НБУ. Інформацію щодо елементів захисту банкнот євро можна отримати на сайті ЄЦБ. …
US House Republican Introduces Bill to Grant Trump More Tariff Power
A Republican U.S. representative on Thursday introduced White House-drafted legislation that would give President Donald Trump more power to levy tariffs on imported goods in an effort to pressure other countries to lower their duties and other trade barriers. The measure offered by Representative Sean Duffy, which has been touted by Trump administration officials, has already been declared unacceptable by some Republican senators, including Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley. Democrats, who control the House of Representatives and its legislative agenda, are unlikely to grant Trump more executive authority, especially as a standoff over the partial government shutdown drags on. A spokesman for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi could not immediately be reached for comment. The Reciprocal Trade Act, which Trump was expected to highlight in his now-delayed State of the Union address, would give him authority to levy tariffs equal to those of a foreign country on a particular product if that country’s tariffs are determined to be significantly lower than those charged by the United States. It would also allow Trump to take into account non-tariff barriers when determining such tariffs. Trump has invoked trade laws passed in the 1960s and 1970s to levy tariffs on steel and aluminum on national security grounds and has applied tariffs on imports from China based on U.S. findings that Beijing is misappropriating U.S. intellectual property through forced technology transfers and other means. The United States has lower tariffs than many other countries, such as its 2.5 percent levy on imported passenger vehicles …
Chefs, Truck Drivers Beware: AI Is Coming for Your Jobs
Robots aren’t replacing everyone, but a quarter of U.S. jobs will be severely disrupted as artificial intelligence accelerates the automation of existing work, according to a new Brookings Institution report. The report, published Thursday, says roughly 36 million Americans hold jobs with “high exposure” to automation — meaning at least 70 percent of their tasks could soon be performed by machines using current technology. Among those most likely to be affected are cooks, waiters and others in food services; short-haul truck drivers; and clerical office workers. “That population is going to need to upskill, reskill or change jobs fast,” said Mark Muro, a senior fellow at Brookings and lead author of the report. Muro said the timeline for the changes could be “a few years or it could be two decades.” But it’s likely that automation will happen more swiftly during the next economic downturn. Businesses are typically eager to implement cost-cutting technology as they lay off workers. Some economic studies have found similar shifts toward automating production happened in the early part of previous recessions — and may have contributed to the “jobless recovery” that followed the 2008 financial crisis. But with new advances in artificial intelligence, it’s not just industrial and warehouse robots that will alter the American workforce. Self-checkout kiosks and computerized hotel concierges will do their part. Most jobs will change somewhat as machines take over routine tasks, but a majority of U.S. workers will be able to adapt to that shift without being displaced. The …
Man says Emotional Support Alligator Helps his Depression
A Pennsylvania man says his emotional support alligator helps him deal with his depression. Joie Henney, 65, said his registered emotional support animal named Wally likes to snuggle and give hugs, despite being a 5-foot-long alligator. The York Haven man said he received approval from his doctor to use Wally as his emotional support animal after not wanting to go on medication for depression, he told Philly.com . “I had Wally, and when I came home and was around him, it was all OK,” he said. “My doctor knew about Wally and figured it works, so why not?” Wally was rescued from outside Orlando at 14 months old. Henney says Wally eats chicken wings and shares an indoor plastic pond with a smaller rescue alligator named Scrappy. Wally, who turns 4 this year, is a big teddy bear, in Henney’s words. The cold-blooded reptile likes to rest his snout on Henney’s, and “he likes to give hugs,” he said. The alligator has never bitten anyone and is even afraid of cats, according to Henney. Henney acknowledged that Wally is still a dangerous wild animal and could probably tear his arm off, but says he’s never been afraid of him. Henney’s background also indicates a comfort with creatures like Wally. He hosted a show called “Joie Henney’s Outdoors” on ESPN Outdoors from 1989 to 2000, according to the York Daily Record. Henney frequently takes Wally out for meet-and-greets at places like senior centers and …
In Iran, Parched Lands Hollowed by Water Pumping Now Sinking
Fissures appear along roads while massive holes open up in the countryside, their gaping maws a visible sign from the air of something Iranian authorities now openly acknowledge: the area around Tehran is literally sinking. Stressed by a 30-year drought and hollowed by excessive water pumping, the parched landscape around Iran’s capital has begun to sink dramatically. Seen by satellite and on foot around the city, officials warn that what they call land subsidence poses a grave danger to a country where protests over water scarcity already have seen violence. “Land subsidence is a destructive phenomenon,” said Siavash Arabi, a measurement expert at Iran’s cartography department. “Its impact may not be immediately felt like an earthquake, but as you can see, it can gradually cause destructive changes over time.” He said he can identify “destruction of farmland, the cracks of the earth’s surface, damage to civilian areas in cities, wastewater lines, cracks in roads and damages to water and natural gas pipes.” Tehran, which sits 1,200 meters (3,900 feet) above sea level against the Alborz Mountains on a plateau, has rapidly grown over the last 100 years to a sprawling city of 13 million people in its metropolitan area. All those people have put incredible pressure on water resources on a semi-arid plateau in a country that saw only 171 millimeters (6.7 inches) of rain last year. Over-reliance on ground aquifers has seen increasingly salty water pumped from below ground. “Surface soil contains water and …
Uncharted Waters: Scientists to Explore Indian Ocean Depths
Scientists prepared Thursday to embark on an unprecedented, years-long mission to explore the Indian Ocean and document changes taking place beneath the waves that could affect billions of people in the surrounding region over the coming decades. The ambitious expedition will delve into one of the last major unexplored frontiers on the planet, a vast body of water that’s already feeling the effects of global warming. Understanding the Indian Ocean’s ecosystem is important not just for the species that live in it, but also for an estimated 2.5 billion people at home in the region — from East Africa, the Arabian peninsula, South and Southeast Asia. The Nekton Mission, supported by over 40 organizations, will conduct further dives in other parts of the Indian Ocean over three years. The research will contribute to a summit on the state of the Indian Ocean planned for late 2021. The Ocean Zephyr is preparing to leave Bremerhaven, Germany, on the first leg of trip. Researchers will spend seven weeks surveying underwater life, map the sea floor and drop sensors to depths of up to 2,000 meters (6,560 feet) in the seas around the Seychelles. Little is known about the watery world below depths of 30 meters (100 feet), which scientists from Britain and the Seychelles will be exploring with two crewed submarines and a remotely operated submersible in March and April. Ronny Jumeau, the Seychelles’ ambassador to the United Nations, said such research is vital to helping the island nation understand its vast …
EU’s Malmstrom: Europe Should be More Ambitious on Climate Change
European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said on Thursday that Europe should be more ambitious on issues such as climate change as a way to unite the bloc around a single vision. “We need a great debate on the future of Europe,” she said in a wide-ranging debate at the World Economic Forum in Davos on the state of the continent and the rise of populism. Europeans vote for a new European parliament in May, at a time when citizens in many countries are backing populist parties. Italy’s Foreign Minister Enzo Moavero Milanesi said the European Union had become like an archipelago of separate islands. “There is no real European vision at the moment, such as the vision which moved the founders. We need to find things that mobilize people, that make the heart beat faster, not just the wallet.” …
Australian City Adelaide Sets New National Heat Record
Adelaide sweltered through the highest temperature ever recorded by a major Australian city on Thursday, peaking at a searing 46.6 degrees Celsius (115.9 degrees Fahrenheit) as the drought-parched nation heads toward potentially the hottest January on record. The South Australia state capital city of 1.3 million people beat its previous 80-year-old record of 46.1 C (115 F) set on Jan. 12, 1939, and records tumbled in smaller towns across the state. Adelaide’s Red Lion Hotel promised free beer if the mercury topped 45 C (113 F) but only while it exceeded that benchmark. Bar manager Stephen Firth said the pub ran dry after giving away more than 700 liters (185 gallons) of beer over more than two hours. “We probably thought it would come around one day, but we didn’t think it would be for such a prolonged period,” Firth said. Adelaide beat the heat record set by Melbourne, Australia’s second-largest city, of 46.4 C (115.5 F) set in 2009. Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Rob Sharpe said he would not be surprised if January becomes Australia’s hottest on record with heatwave conditions likely to persist. Last year was Australia’s third-warmest on record. Heatwave conditions combined with a prolonged drought across much of Australia’s southeast have led to scores of major wildfires during the southern hemisphere summer. …
Нові платіжки за газ із завищеними цінами незаконні – міністр
«Я маю на увазі ті платіжки, які стосувалися оплати за газ без лічильників» …
Іноземні компанії інвестують 350 мільйонів євро у вітрову електростанцію в Україні – Ковалів
Дочірнє підприємство французької нафтогазової компанії Total – Total Eren – разом із норвезькою компанією NBT інвестуватимуть у будівництво вітрового парку в Україні, повідомила голова офісу Національної інвестиційної ради Юлія Ковалів. За її словами, Total Eren планує протягом 18 місяців вкласти в будівництво парку потужністю в 250 мегаватт понад 350 мільйонів євро. «Фінансування проекту в розміру 150 млн. Євро буде здійснювати Європейський банк реконструкції та розвитку разом з консорціумом банків. Відповідні угоди сьогодні підписано в Давосі на засіданні Національної Інвестиційної Ради», – стверджує Ковалів. Підписання відповідної угоди в рамках Всесвітнього економічного форуму в Давосі підтверджує також прес-служба президента України Петра Порошенка. Згідно з прес-релізом Національної інвестиційної ради, будівництво попередньо планується розпочати в Запорізькій області. Читайте також: Вітроенергетичний клондайк без вітряка – парадокси острова Зміїний За словами Ковалів, протягом 2018 року обсяги альтернативної енергетики в Україні зросли. «За 2018 рік введено в експлуатацію втричі більше потужностей, ніж за цілий 2017 – понад 800 МВт», – цитує її повідомлення НІР. Восени 2018 року стало відомо, що уряд виділив ділянку в Чорнобильській зоні під будівництво вітрової електростанції. …
Гривня зміцнилася на 19 копійок стосовно долара – НБУ
Гривня зміцнилася на 19 копійок стосовно долара, свідчать дані на сайті Національного банку України. На 24 січня офіційний курс встановлений на рівні 27 гривень 70 копійок за долар. Євро здешевшав на 18 копійок – до 31 гривні 49 копійок. …
Shutdown Makes It Tough for Groups to Help Endangered Whales
Rescuers who respond to distressed whales and other marine animals say the federal government shutdown is making it more difficult to do their work. A network of rescue groups in the U.S. works with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to respond to marine mammals such as whales and seals when the animals are in trouble, such as when they are stranded on land or entangled in fishing gear. But the federal shutdown, which entered its 33rd day on Wednesday, includes a shuttering of the NOAA operations the rescuers rely upon. NOAA plays a role in preventing accidental whale deaths by doing things like tracking the animals, operating a hotline for mariners who find distressed whales and providing permits that allow the rescue groups to respond to emergencies. Those functions are disrupted or ground to a halt by the shutdown, and that’s bad news if whales need help, said Tony LaCasse, a spokesman for the New England Aquarium in Boston, which has a rescue operation. “If it was very prolonged, then it would become problematic to respond to animals that are in the water,” LaCasse said. “And to be able to have a better handle on what is really going on.” The shutdown is coming at a particularly dangerous time for the endangered North Atlantic right whale, which numbers about 411, said Regina Asmutis-Silvia, a senior biologist with Whale and Dolphin Conservation of Plymouth, Massachusetts. The whales are under tight scrutiny right now because of recent years of high mortality …