Month: January 2019

The European Union on Wednesday warned countries running lucrative schemes granting passports and visas to rich foreigners to toughen checks on applicants amid concern they could be flouting security, money laundering and tax laws. EU countries have welcomed in more than 6,000 new citizens and close to 100,000 new residents through golden passport and visa schemes over the past decade, attracting around 25 billion euros ($28 billion) in foreign direct investment, according to anti-corruption watchdogs Transparency International and Global Witness. In a first-ever report on the schemes, the EU Commission said that such documents issued in one country can open a back door to citizenship or residency in all 28 states. Justice Commissioner Vera Jurova said golden visas are the equivalent of “opening the golden gate to Europe for some privileged people.” “We want more guarantees related to security and anti-money laundering. We expect more transparency,” she told reporters in Brussels. Bulgaria, Cyprus and Malta offer passports to investors without any real connections to the countries or even the obligation to live there by paying between 800,000 and 2 million euros ($909,000 to $2.3 million). Twenty EU states offer visas in exchange for investment: Britain, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Spain. Investment can range from 13,500 euros to over 5 million euros ($15,350 to $5.7 million) in the form of capital and property investments, buying government bonds, one-time …

Best and Worst Jobs of the Future

The hottest job of the future might be app developer. All you have to do is look at what you’re holding in the palm of your hand to figure out why. “All of us use our cellphones probably more than we should be every day, and that is what is driving the demand for app developers,” said Stacy Rapacon, online editor at personal finance website Kiplinger.com, which has identified the best jobs for the future. “More apps mean more people to develop them.” The median salary for app developers is $100,000, and the industry is expected to grow by 30 percent over the next decade, according to Kiplinger. Nurse practitioner is the next best job on Kiplinger’s list. The median income for nurse practitioners is $103,000, and the field is expected to grow 35 percent between now and 2027. “The field, in general, is booming because of the aging population,” Rapacon said. “Physical therapists, for example, have plenty of patients to work with, especially as people are growing older and health care treatments are improving. Older people who suffer from heart attacks or strokes or other ailments are able to survive those issues and then may need physical therapy or occupational therapy to continue being able to live independently.” Half of the jobs in the Top 10 — including physician, physician assistant, health services manager and physical therapist — are in the health care field. That’s likely because, for the first time in history, older people are going to outnumber …

Україна вийшла з трьох угод у межах СНД – Мінекономрозвитку

01/23/2019 sellbiz

19 травня президент Петро Порошенко підписав указ, яким увів в дію рішення РНБО про остаточне припинення участі України у роботі статутних органів СНД …

Davos Annual Meeting Open Amid Trade Wars, Slow Growth and Brexit

The annual World Economic Forum opened today in Switzerland against a backdrop of anxieties over trade disputes, Brexit and a growth slowdown that some fear could tip the world economy. VOA’s Mariama Diallo reports. …

White House Denies Reports of Canceled Trade Meeting

The White House on Tuesday said high-level trade talks with Beijing were proceeding uninterrupted, quickly rebutting media reports that progress toward resolving their trade war had faltered. Chinese Vice Premier Liu He is to meet his U.S. counterparts in Washington next week as the two sides work to resolve their trade disagreements by March 1, when a 90-day truce is due to expire, allowing U.S. import duties on Chinese goods to increase sharply. Washington and Beijing imposed tit-for-tat tariffs on more than $360 billion worth of goods in two-way trade last year. Trump initiated the trade war because of complaints over unfair Chinese trade practices — concerns shared by the European Union, Japan and others. The Financial Times and CNBC both reported Tuesday afternoon that Washington had canceled a preliminary meeting set for this week ahead of Liu’s visit. American officials had reportedly cited a lack of progress on the most difficult issues in the trade dispute — including allegedly forced technology transfers and far-reaching structural reforms to China’s economy. The reports sent Wall Street even further into the red. U.S. stocks had already opened lower on downgraded forecasts for global economic growth. But, shortly before the close of trading in New York, top White House economic aide Larry Kudlow flatly denied the reports during an appearance on CNBC. “With respect, the story is not true,” Kudlow said. “There was never a planned meeting that was canceled.” Stock prices recovered some of their losses following his remarks but still finished …

Із конкурсу до Антикорупційного суду «вилетіли» ще 5 кандидатів – Transparency international

01/22/2019 sellbiz

Громадська рада міжнародних експертів та Вища кваліфікаційна комісія суддів зняли з конкурсу до Антикорупційного суду ще 5 кандидатів, повідомляє українське представництво Transparency international. Натомість четверо із оцінюваних сьогодні претендентів на ці посади продовжили конкурсний відбір. Як зазначається, із конкурсу вибули судді Василь Гончарук, Андрій Малєєв, Ігор Кос, адвокат Василь Постульга та викладач Валерій Станіславський. Залишилися, таким чином, викладач Сергій Боднар, адвокат Маркіян Галабала та судді Ольга Саландяк і Валерія Чорна. Загалом, за даними Transparency international, станом на сьогодні заблоковано 23 особи. Всього міжнародні експерти назвали «сумнівними» 47 кандидатур. Наступне спільне засідання заплановане на 23 січня. А до 26 січня члени Громадської ради міжнародних експертів мають перевірити кандидатів і ветувати тих із них, які викликають сумніви. Читайте більше тут: 12 «скелетів» у шафі Антикорупційного суду 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. …

У Мін’юсті розповіли, чому загальмувався «переїзд» Лук’янівського СІЗО

01/22/2019 sellbiz

Більшість проектів Мін’юсту щодо переведення заарештованих зі старих слідкчих ізоляторів у нові будівлі наразі «у підвішеному стані», розповів заступник міністра юстиції Денис Чернишов у програмі «Свобода в деталях» (спільний проект Радіо Свобода і Радіо НВ). Йдеться про державно-приватне партнерство, яке міністерство намагається впровадити вже кілька років: інвестор може отримати земельну ділянку і стару будівлю у межах міста у своє користування, якщо побудує в іншому місці нову будівлю для СІЗО за міжнародними стандартами. Читайте більше: Велике переселення СІЗО «Охочих-то і не знайшлося. Якщо говорити про Київ – ділянка під Лук’янівським СІЗО, приблизно 3,6 га, і є декілька ділянок, на які ми могли б перенести цю будівлю. Але інвестор розраховує на прибуток. В нас було до 10 переговорів з різними інвесторами, які цікавилися, але не подали свої пропозиції. По їхніх розрахунках вони не виходили на прибутковість від реалізації цих проектів», – пояснив Чернишов. Окрім того, за його словами, такі переговори тривають в Одесі, а у Львові є вже поданий проект, який зараз проходить експертизу міністерствах економіки та фінансів. Наразі українські слідчі ізолятори наповнені на 95%, і більшість із них не відповідають нормам ЄС, але наприкінці року Мінфін виділив кошти на ремонт двох СІЗО – у Києві та Херсоні, зауважив Денис Чернишов. Більше про те, що вібувається з українськими в’язницями, можна дізнатися з програми «Свобода в деталях» у неділю, 27 січня, о 21:04 на частотах Радіо НВ і на сайті Радіо Свобода в розділі радіо-онлайн. …

Minister: Nigeria to Recommend 50 Percent Hike in Minimum Wage

01/22/2019 selleco

Nigeria is to send a bill recommending a national minimum monthly wage rise of 50 percent to 27,000 naira ($88) to lawmakers in the national assembly, the labor minister said on Tuesday. Cost of living is a major campaign issue ahead of a presidential election on 16 February and unions want the minimum wage to be raised from 18,000 naira. Inflation stood at a seven-month high of 11.44 percent in December. Disagreements over the minimum wage saw labor unions striking across Nigeria in September. President Muhammadu Buhari said in January that he would increase the minimum wage, but did not specify by how much. “The 27,000 naira minimum wage is the benchmark,” Labor Minister Chris Ngige told reporters in Abuja on Tuesday. Ngige said some government workers could receive a higher salary of 30,000 naira a month. The minister did not say when the bill would be sent to lawmakers. Any change would need to be signed into law by Buhari. ($1 = 306.3000 naira) …

AP-NORC Poll: Disasters Influence Thinking on Climate Change

When it comes to their views on climate change, Americans are looking at natural disasters and their local weather, according to a new poll. Lately, that means record deadly wildfires in California, rainfall by the foot in Houston when Hurricane Harvey hit and the dome of smog over Salt Lake City that engineer Caleb Gregg steps into when he walks out his door in winter. “I look at it every day,” Gregg said from Salt Lake City, where winter days with some of the country’s worst air starting a few years ago dinged the city’s reputation as a pristine sports city and spurred state leaders to ramp up clean-air initiatives. “You look out and see pollution just sitting over the valley.” “I’ve never really doubted climate change – in the last five-ish years it’s become even more evident, just by seeing the weather,” the 25-year-old said. “We know we’re polluting, and we know pollution is having an effect on the environment.” The poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago finds 74 percent of Americans say extreme weather in the past five years — hurricanes, droughts, floods and heat waves — has influenced their opinions about climate change. That includes half of Americans who say these recent events have influenced their thinking a great deal or a lot. About as many, 71 percent, said the weather they experience daily in their own areas has influenced their thinking about …

Brazil’s Nationalist Leader to Address Davos Globalist Crowd

01/22/2019 selleco

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro will headline the first full day of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, with a speech to political and business leaders. The nationalist leader is attending an event that has long represented business’s interest in increasing ties across borders. But globalism is in retreat as populist leaders around the world put a focus back on nation states, even if that means limiting trade and migration. After Bolsonaro’s speech on Tuesday, German Chancellor Angela and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will address the gathering on Wednesday. But several key leaders are not attending to handle big issues at home: U.S. President Donald Trump amid the government shutdown, British Prime Minister Theresa May to grapple with Brexit talks, and France’s Emmanuel Macron to face popular protests. …

Life in Limbo: Leftover Embryos Vex Clinics and Couples

Infertile couples who want to have a child may decide to use In Vitro Fertilization. It’s a procedure, in which eggs retrieved from the woman and sperm from the man are combined in the lab, where fertilization occurs. The embryos may then be placed in the woman’s womb. But many couples freeze the embryos. They can test them for health problems and transfer the most viable, one at a time. Often some are leftover. And as Faith Lapidus reports, there are questions about what to do with them. …

Economists: Political Uncertainties, Trade Tensions Affect Economic Growth

01/22/2019 selleco

Economists warn that political uncertainties and trade tensions could undermine global economic growth. Rights groups warn of the dangers of growing economic inequality. About 3,000 political and economic leaders have gathered in the Swiss resort town of Davos to discuss global business and economic trends at an annual economic forum. VOA’s Zlatica Hoke reports. …

US Pacific Northwest Sees Measles Outbreak

Officials in the Pacific Northwest state of Washington have declared a measles outbreak after at least 22 people, including 20 children, have become infected with the disease since Jan. 1. “It’s an outbreak because generally the way we define an outbreak is when you have more observed cases than expected cases. And generally with measles, the expected number is zero,” Dr. Alan Melnick with Clark County Public Health told KOIN6 TV in Portland, Oregon, last week. “You know, we have a very effective vaccine for measles. Two shots are 97 percent effective. We really shouldn’t be seeing measles.” The outbreak comes on the heels of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) releasing data for 2018 earlier this month. The CDC said the 349 reported cases in 26 states and the District of Columbia made 2018 the second worse year for measles since 2000, when the disease was eliminated in the U.S. It said 2014 was the worst year, with a reported 667 cases. The report said some of the cases were related to unvaccinated people in Orthodox Jewish communities, as well as travelers who became infected after visiting Israel, Italy, France and Britain, where major outbreaks are occurring. According to the CDC, an outbreak is defined as three or more linked cases. The report also said 81 of the 349 cases were in people who traveled to the United States from other countries. Clark County officials said a person infected with measles attended a Portland Trail Blazers National …

Study: Greenland’s Ice Melting Faster than Previously Thought

Greenland’s ice is melting faster than previously thought, according to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study found that most of Greenland’s rapid ice depletion is from a surprising source — land that is largely devoid of glaciers. The land in question is from Greenland’s ice sheet itself, which is 10,000 feet thick in places. Scientists previously focused most of their studies on Greenland’s glaciers, in the southeast and northwest regions of the country, and found that the glaciers have increasingly been dislodging chucks into the ocean. However, scientists in the newly published study say they realize there is another major source of ice melt, in the country’s southwest region, which is mostly devoid of large glaciers. They say this suggests that the surface ice is simply melting as global temperatures rise. “We knew we had one big problem with increasing rates of ice discharge by some large outlet glaciers,” said Michael Bevis, lead author of the paper and a professor of geodynamics at Ohio State University. “But now we recognize a second serious problem — increasingly, large amounts of ice mass are going to leave as meltwater, as rivers that flow into the sea.” Researchers say the ice rate loss across Greenland has increased four-fold since 2003, which they say will lead to a greater sea level rise. In the 20th century, Greenland has lost around 9,000 billion tons of ice in total, causing about 25 millimeters (1 inch) of sea …

UN Forecasts Global Economic Growth Around 3 Percent in 2019

The United Nations is forecasting that the global economy will grow by around 3 percent in 2019 and 2020, but says waning support for multilateralism, escalating trade disputes, increasing debt and rising climate risks are clouding prospects The United Nations is forecasting that the global economy will grow by around 3 percent in 2019 and 2020, but says waning support for multilateralism, escalating trade disputes, increasing debt and rising climate risks are clouding prospects. The U.N.’s report on the World Economic Situation and Prospects 2019 also stresses that economic growth is uneven and often doesn’t reach countries that need it most. Per capital income is expected to stagnate or see only marginal growth this year in parts of Africa, western Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says in the forward of the report launched Monday that while economic indicators remain “largely favorable,” the report “raises concerns over the sustainability of global economic growth in the face of rising financial, social and environmental challenges.” …

WHO: Migrants Do Not Bring Diseases Into Europe

01/21/2019 sellheal

A new report by the World Health Organization disputes a belief that refugees and migrants bring exotic communicable diseases into the European region. The report is based on evidence from more than 13,000 documents. It provides a snapshot of the health of refugees and migrants who comprise about 10 percent of the nearly 1 billion population in 53 European countries. The survey finds migrants and refugees are generally in good health, but, due to poor living conditions, they risk falling ill while in transit or while staying in receiving countries. The report says contrary to common perception, the risk of refugees and migrants transmitting communicable diseases to their host population is very low. The WHO regional director for Europe, Zsuzsanna Jakab, tells VOA displacement itself makes refugees and migrants more vulnerable to infectious diseases. “The refugees and migrants who come to Europe, they do not bring any exotic diseases with them, any exotic communicable diseases,” said Jakab. “The diseases that they might have, they are all well-established diseases in Europe. And also, we have very good prevention and control programs for these diseases. This applies both for tuberculosis, but also HIV-AIDS.” Europe is the only one among WHO’s six regions where HIV is prevalent and increasing, especially in the east. Jakab says a significant proportion of migrants and refugees who are HIV-positive acquire the infection after they arrive in Europe. The report finds refugees and migrants seem to have fewer noncommunicable diseases on arrival than their host populations; but, it …

Україна та Ізраїль підписали угоду про зону вільної торгівлі

01/21/2019 sellbiz

Україна та Ізраїль підписали у Єрусалимі угоду про створення зони вільної торгівлі, повідомляється на сайті українського президента. За цією інформацією, церемонія відбулася після двосторонньої зустрічі Петра Порошенка із прем’єр-міністром з Ізраїлю Беньяміном Нетаньягу. Як зазначається, підписи під документом поставили український віце-прем’єр Степан Кубів та міністр економіки Ізраїлю Елі Коен. 20-21 січня відбувається офіційний візит до Ізраїлю президента Петра Порошенка. За інформацією на сайті прехидента, під час візиту Порошенко провів переговори зі своїм ізраїльським колегою Реувеном Рівліном, прем’єр-міністром Ізраїлю Біньяміном Нетаньягу і спікером Кнесету Ізраїлю Юлієм Едельштейном. Напередодні ізраїльське видання The Jerusalem Post повідомило, що український президент і прем’єр-міністр Ізраїлю говоритимуть про торгівлю, ситуацію у регіоні й Росію. …

Nigeria’s 27M Disabled Wait Decades for Public Access

01/21/2019 sellheal

In Nigeria, over 27 million disabled people live in obscurity, treated like second-class citizens, without access to public facilities. The Nigerian Disability Bill is meant to address these shortcomings. But, nearly two decades after it was initiated, the law has yet to be enacted. Musa Muazu, 31, became disabled as a teenager when he suffered a fall that left him paralyzed. He relies on a wheelchair to get around. Muazu is one of 27 million disabled Nigerians trying to lead a normal life. But a lack of handicapped facilities means disabled people like Muazu struggle for access. “Public infrastructures in Nigeria is another… let me call it a hell to persons with disabilities ranging from the school, you can imagine as a person with disabilities you’re going to lectures in a four-story building.. you can imagine you want to access probably a bank, hospital, places of worship, there’s no provision for ramp for you to come in,” he said. According to Nigeria’s Center for Citizens with Disabilities, 98 percent of public structures and facilities are not handicapped accessible. At a community for the disabled in Abuja, thousands of handicapped Nigerians live virtually segregated from the rest of society. Since 1999, Nigeria’s disabled have been seeking a law ensuring access to public buildings, roads, and sidewalks and protection against discrimination. But their efforts to push for the Disabled Bill have been met with resistance. Nigeria’s disabled account for a third of the 87 million …

Few Signs of Breakthrough as May Set to Unveil Brexit Plan B

Prime Minister Theresa May was set to unveil her new plan to break Britain’s Brexit deadlock on Monday — one expected to look a lot like the old plan that was decisively rejected by Parliament last week. May was scheduled to brief the House of Commons on how she intends to proceed. There were few signs she planned to make radical changes to her deal, though she may seek alterations to its most contentious section, an insurance policy known as the “backstop” that is intended to guarantee there are no customs checks along the border between EU member Ireland and the U.K.’s Northern Ireland after Brexit. The EU insists it will not renegotiate the withdrawal agreement, and says the backstop is an integral part of the deal. “This is the text we all invested ourselves in,” Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl said as she arrived for a meeting of EU ministers in Brussels. British lawmakers are due to vote on May’s “Plan B,” and possible amendments, on Jan. 29, two months before Britain is due to leave the EU. Britain and the EU sealed a divorce deal in November after months of tense negotiations. But the agreement has been rejected by both sides of Britain’s divide over Europe. Brexit-backing lawmakers say it will leave the U.K. tethered to the bloc’s rules and unable to forge an independent trade policy. Pro-Europeans argue it is inferior to the frictionless economic relationship Britain currently enjoys as an EU member. …

UK Leader Unveils Brexit Plan B, Looks a Lot Like Plan A

British Prime Minister Theresa May unveiled her Brexit Plan B on Monday — and it looks a lot like Plan A. May launched a mission to resuscitate her rejected European Union divorce deal, setting out plans to get it approved by Parliament after securing changes from the EU to a contentious Irish border measure. May’s opponents expressed incredulity: British lawmakers last week dealt the deal a resounding defeat, and EU leaders insist they won’t renegotiate it. Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn of the Labour Party accused May of being in “deep denial” about her doomed deal. “This really does feel a bit like Groundhog Day,” he said, referring to the 1993 film starring Bill Murray, in which a weatherman is fated to live out the same day over and over again. Outlining what she plans to do after her EU divorce deal was rejected by Parliament last week, May said that she had heeded lawmakers’ concerns over an insurance policy known as the “backstop” that is intended to guarantee there are no customs checks along the border between EU member Ireland and the U.K.’s Northern Ireland after Brexit. May told the House of Commons that she would be “talking further this week to colleagues … to consider how we might meet our obligations to the people of Northern Ireland and Ireland in a way that can command the greatest possible support in the House. “And I will then take the conclusions of those discussions back to the EU.” The bloc insists …

World Economy Forecast to Slow in 2019 Amid Trade Tensions

The International Monetary Fund has cut its forecast for world economic growth this year, citing heightened trade tensions and rising U.S. interest rates. The IMF said Monday that it expects global growth this year of 3.5 percent, down from 3.7 percent in 2018 and from the 3.7 percent it had forecast for 2019 back in October. “After two years of solid expansion, the world economy is growing more slowly than expected and risks are rising,” said IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde as she presented the new forecasts at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The fund left its prediction for U.S. growth this year unchanged at 2.5 percent — though a continuation of the partial 31-day shutdown of the federal government poses a risk. The IMF trimmed the outlook for the 19 countries that use the euro currency to 1.6 percent from 1.8 percent. Growth in emerging-market countries is forecast to slow to 4.5 percent from 4.6 percent in 2018. The IMF expects the Chinese economy — the world’s second biggest — to grow 6.2 percent this year, down from 6.6 percent in 2018 and slowest since 1990. The World Bank and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development have also downgraded their world growth forecasts. Britain’s messy divorce from the European Union and Italy’s ongoing financial struggles pose threats to growth in Europe. And rising trade tensions pose a major risk to the wider world economy. Under President Donald Trump the United States has imposed …

Uganda Seeks to Regulate Fish Maw Trade

At the Gaba landing site in Kampala, fishermen dock their boats filled with both tilapia and Nile perch. Waiting along the shores, donning white gum boots and white coats, fish traders wait to offload the Nile perch that has turned profitable for many traders. The fish’s commodity, known as a swim bladder, is used as an aphrodisiac in China and is now being recognized by the Ugandan government as water gold, but fishermen at the forefront say they are being exploited. A study by the Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization has shown that a growing appetite in Asia has seen the former waste by-product becoming a multi-million-dollar export. Idrisa Walusimbi began working as a fisherman 20 years ago. Now, he has his own boat and is chairman of the fish protection unit. He says in the early 1990s, Nile perch fish maw would be fried and eaten by locals. But lately, the Chinese market has made it more lucrative, especially for the exporter. “You find that from the lowest fisherman, as you know, that he gains, but not so much. Then you find the middleman gains more, and the trader above gains even more, the levels keep increasing and the ones that profit the most are the final local buyer and exporter,” Walusimbi said. Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania collectively earn $86 million from trading the commodity. Uganda alone earned $40 million in 2017 as the largest exporter of the Nile perch swim bladder to China. Vincent Ssempijja, Uganda’s minister for agriculture, …

China’s 2018 Economic Growth Edges Down Amid Trade War