НБУ посилив гривню щодо долара ще на 4 копійки

Національний банк України встановив на 5 березня курс 26 гривень 82 копійки за долар. Це на чотири копійки менше, ніж за результатами останніх торгів минулого тижня. Зараз гривня щодо долара перебуває на рівні липня 2018 року. Свого пікового значення 28 гривень 39 копійок впродовж останнього року долар сягнув 30 листопада 2018 року. Відтоді американська валюта втратила понад півтори гривні. Національний банк пояснює тренд на зміцнення гривні, зокрема, стабільними надходженнями експортної виручки. …

Strong Resistance to Trade Deal Brewing in China

Even as China and the United States are working to finalize a trade agreement, Beijing is grappling with the challenge of building political consensus about implementing and enforcing the deal on the ground. The challenge for the Xi Jinping-led government is both economic and political at a time when the annual political congress has just begun in Beijing. Delegates to the meetings include the heads of major Chinese corporations both private and state-owned. The deal may hit State Owned Enterprises hard, an important Communist Party base, as they stand to lose subsidies and monopoly status. SOEs employ millions of people in key sectors like energy, mining, banking and manufacturing. “The Chinese government will face resistance from SOEs and coastal provinces with dynamic trade with the US and other countries,” said Zhiqun Zhu, chair of the department of international relations at Bucknell University. During the political sessions, President Xi will be closely watched in China and the world over as he deals with issues like the trade deal, the Huawei controversy and an increasingly slowing economy. The two-week sessions will be attended by around 5,000 delegates from around the country. The US is not just asking China to buy more American goods, it is demanding structural changes from Chinese industry, which enjoy preferential treatment compared to foreign investors in many sectors. The deal could mean an end to government subsidies and monopoly status for SOEs in several markets. “Structural reforms will be more difficult [for China] due to vested interests of SOEs and local governments and businesses …

Disabled Children Suffer Discrimination, Denial of their Human Rights

Human rights advocates are calling for an end to the discrimination that denies children with disabilities the same right to an equal education and other opportunities available to other children in society. The U.N. Human Rights Council is holding a special session in Geneva on the empowerment of children with disabilities. In keeping with the theme of the day, the U.N. has made the Council chamber wheelchair-accessible, has hired a sign interpreter for the hearing impaired, and has embossed some oral statements in Braille. With these accommodations to children with disabilities, the U.N. is sending a message that it practices what it preaches. It is saying children with disabilities will be able to lead a full and fulfilling life on a par with other children if certain adaptations are made to their needs. However, the United Nations reports the sad reality is that 93 million children with disabilities around the world are likely to have their rights violated from the moment they are born. It says millions of these children are torn from their families and placed in institutions where they are at risk of violence, abuse and neglect. U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, is a medical doctor and a pediatrician. In her practice, she says she quickly learned the voices of disabled children too often go unheard. “While preparing for today, I was remembering when I just started to be a pediatrician how people will leave the situation of children with disabilities. It was much more …

Ethiopian Disability Rights Advocate Champions Opportunities for Women

Yetnebersh Nigussie lost her sight at the age of five, but she has not let her disability slow her down. A tireless advocate for people with disabilities in Africa, she has received prestigious prizes, including the Spirit of Helen Keller Award and the Alternative Nobel Prize. Yetnebersh Nigussie recently spoke to VOA’s Salem Solomon from our studios in New York. Here’s her story. …

Space X Crew Capsule Reaches Space Station

The first American commercially built-and-operated crew spacecraft in eight years docked successfully Sunday at the International Space Station. There was, however, no crew aboard the spacecraft, just a test dummy named Ripley, in a nod to the lead character in the Alien movies. The docking was carried out autonomously by the Crew Dragon capsule, as the three astronauts on board the International Space Station watched. The Space X Crew Dragon capsule lifted off atop a Falcon 9 rocket early Saturday from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center. The Dragon brought supplies and test equipment to the space station where it will spend five days as astronauts conduct tests and inspect the Dragon’s cabin. NASA has awarded millions of dollars to Space X and Boeing to design and operate a capsule to launch astronauts into orbit from American soil some time this year. It is not immediately clear whether that goal will be reached. Space X is entrepreneur Elon Musk’s company. Musk is also the CEO of electric carmaker Tesla. Currently, America relies on Russia to launch astronauts to the space station. Russia charges about $80 million per ticket.   …

Stressed Out? Doctor’s Advice: Smile

Exercise and diet are keys to a healthier life, as many studies show, but a heart specialist also recommends something more. “One, two, three — twirl.” Kendra Martin is taking photographs of three little girls in chiffon dresses. As they twirl, Martin tells them to smile. “All right, big smiles!” “I tell people to fake laugh, and they feel stupid doing it, but the result is theyʼre laughing, and it turns into a genuine smile,” Martin said. And, in this case a giggle. Big grins and giggles pay off on camera. The girls may be too young to have heart problems, but the smiles can promote heart health. Brain rewiring Dr. Anand Chockalingam is a heart specialist at the University of Missouri Health Care who tells his patients to smile. “When we smile, the brain wiring gets altered. The chemicals that are released are more positive,” he said. Chockalingam’s advice is supported by a number of studies. He says smiling is a first step in fighting stress and its ill health effects. When you feel stressed, your body releases a surge of hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol. Adrenaline increases your heart rate and blood pressure. Cortisol, the primary stress hormone, increases sugars in the bloodstream. If you are truly in danger, these hormones can help, but too much of these stress hormones too frequently can lead to heart disease and stroke. ​Bad habits arise People who are stressed look for ways to cope. The American Heart Association says smoking, overeating …

Corals Thrive in Red Sea as Reefs Worldwide Are Devastated

Scientists estimate half of the world’s corals have been devastated as climate change has led to warmer oceans. When water temperatures get too high, corals become stressed and expel the algae that coats their tissues and provides the corals’ primary food source. The corals gradually lose their color, known as bleaching, and many of them die. But surprisingly, there are corals in one sea in the Middle East that are resistance to the rising temperatures. VOAs Deborah Block explains why. …

Terror Attacks on Ebola Centers Raise Fears of Contagion in DRC

The charity Doctors Without Borders has suspended its Ebola virus-fighting operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo after attacks on two of its treatment centers this week, raising the risk that Ebola infections in the area will increase. The World Health Organization has called the Feb. 24 attack in Katwa and the Feb. 27 attack in Butembo “deplorable.” In Butembo, where the center housed 12 confirmed Ebola patients and 38 with suspected Ebola, four patients with the highly contagious virus fled for their lives. One is still missing. The attackers set fire to the treatment centers and engaged in gunfire with security forces. MSF halts treatment Doctors Without Borders, also known as Medicins Sans Frontieres, or MSF, announced Friday it had halted treatment in Butembo, in the eastern RDC province of North Kivu. It had done the same earlier in the week in Katwa, the latest hot spot in the outbreak first reported last August. WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier told reporters that experts must now track possible paths of infection. “It is highly important to find those people, that last patient, and then, of course, immediately start the contact tracing and monitor the contacts these patients might have been in touch with,” Lindmeier said. DRC health minister Oly Ilunga Kalenga told VOA French to Africa that the problem with the Ebola situation lies in Katwa and Butembo, where “communities are not fully engaged.” He also said armed groups and unidentified gunmen are common in the area. A spokeswoman for DRC’s …

Mars Lander Starts Digging on Red Planet, Hits Snags

NASA’s newest Mars lander has started digging into the red planet, but hit a few snags, scientists said Friday. The German drilling instrument on the InSight lander hit what appeared to be a couple of stones. It only managed to burrow between half a foot (18 centimeters) and about 1-and-a-half feet (50 centimeters), far short of the first dig’s goal, said the German Aerospace Center. The hammering device in the “mole” was developed by the Astronika engineering company in Poland. “This is not very good news for me because although the hammer is proving itself … the Mars environment is not very favorable to us,” said the company’s chief engineer, Jerzy Grygorczuk. Over time, the team is shooting for a depth of up to 16 feet (5 meters), which would set an otherworldly record. The lander is digging deep to measure the planet’s internal temperature. InSight landed on Mars last November. Flight controllers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California sent commands to the lander Thursday to begin digging. It’ll rest for a bit before burrowing again. The spacecraft already has a seismometer on the surface, listening for potential quakes. The lander is stationary, but has a robot arm to maneuver these two main experiments. …

US Stocks Rise as Trade Optimism Counters Weak Data

The S&P 500 and the Dow Jones industrial average snapped a three-day run of losses on Friday as optimism about the prospects for a U.S.-China trade agreement countered downbeat U.S. and China manufacturing data.  The Nasdaq, meanwhile, marked its longest streak of weekly gains since late 1999.  Following President Donald Trump’s announcement last weekend of a delay in higher tariffs on Chinese imports, Bloomberg reported late Thursday that a summit between Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, to sign a final trade deal could happen as soon as mid-March. “The optimism over trade resolution is outweighing the weakening economic data,” said Ryan Detrick, senior market strategist at LPL Financial in Charlotte, N.C.  A private survey showed China’s factory activity contracted for a third straight month in February, though at a slower pace, indicating a marginal improvement in domestic demand as a flurry of policy stimulus kicked in from late last year.  ISM data also showed U.S. manufacturing activity for February dropped to its lowest since November 2016, and the University of Michigan survey showed consumer sentiment fell short of expectations in the month.  Detrick said that while the data were weak, investors hoped a U.S.-China trade deal would improve global growth prospects.  The Dow Jones industrial average rose 110.32 points, or 0.43 percent, to 26,026.32; the S&P 500 gained 19.2 points, or 0.69 percent, to 2,803.69; and the Nasdaq Composite added 62.82 points, or 0.83 percent, to 7,595.35.  Good sign Friday marked the first close above 2,800 for the S&P since Nov. 8. Nate Thooft, global head of asset allocation for Manulife Asset Management in Boston, said technical investors would see a close above that …

Гривня розпочала весну курсом 26,86 за долар

Національний банк України встановив на 4 березня курс 26 гривень 86 копійок за долар США. Це на одну копійку більше, ніж станом на 1 березня. Як інформує профільний сайт «Мінфін», НБУ продовжує викуповувати надлишок доларів на міжбанківському валютному ринку, намагаючись не допустити надмірного зміцнення гривні. За підрахунками експертів, 1 березня регулятор викупив близько 15 мільйонів доларів. Котирування, зафіксовані міжбанком на час завершення торгів у перший день весни, є нижчими за офіційний курс – 26 гривень 82–85 копійок за долар. …

African School of Physics Program Aims to Launch More Science Careers

Africa-born particle physicist Ketevi Assamagan is a man on a science mission. His goal is to bring science education to a new generation of African youth through a traveling program known as the African School of Fundamental Physics and Applications, or ASP. “Sometimes, people just need some help to be able to find the right resources,” said Assamagan, one of the founders. Assamagan works at the U.S. Energy Department’s Brookhaven National Laboratory on Long Island, New York, experimenting with a huge device or collider that beams tiny particles at each other, almost at the speed of light. “So, together with some colleagues, we decided to create this school,” said Assamagan, who earned a doctorate from the University of Virginia in 1995. Gratitude to past mentors fueled the desire to start the ASP, said Assamagan, who was born in Guinea but grew up in Togo. Positive elements The ASP program runs for three weeks every two years in a different African country. The first was in 2010 in South Africa, with subsequent gatherings in Ghana, Senegal, Rwanda and Namibia. The next is planned for July 2020 in Marrakesh, Morocco. Each workshop brings together up to 80 students, who are treated to intensive lectures and training by top-flight physicists. “We get students from all over Africa [who] have at least three years of university education,” Assamagan said. “The majority of them are usually at the master’s level and they come from different fields: nuclear and high energy physics, medical applications, computing, mathematics and …

Scientists See Evidence of Underground Lake System on Mars

Scientists say images of craters taken by European and American space probes show there likely once was a planet-wide system of underground lakes on Mars. Data collected by NASA and ESA probes orbiting the red planet provide the first geological evidence for an ancient Martian groundwater system, according to a study by researchers in Italy and the Netherlands published in the Journal of Geophysical Research. Francesco Salese, one of the scientists involved, said in an email Friday that the findings confirm earlier models and smaller-scale studies, and that the underground lakes may have been connected to each other. The notion of water on Mars has long fascinated scientists because of the possibility that the planet may have once harbored similar conditions to those that allowed life to develop on Earth. Patches of ice previously spotted on Mars provide tantalizing hints of a watery past for the arid world. Researchers said flow channels, pool-shaped valleys and fan-shaped sediment deposits seen in dozens of kilometers-deep craters in Mars’ northern hemisphere would have needed water to form. Co-author Gian Gabriele Ori said an ocean some scientists speculate Mars may once have had between three and four billion years ago could even have been connected to the underground lakes. The researchers also saw signs of minerals such as clay on Mars that would have required long periods of exposure to water to form. Ralf Jaumann, a planetary scientist at the German Aerospace Center who wasn’t directly involved in the study, said such sites are …

Ebola Likely to Spread in Eastern DRC as Security Worsens

The World Health Organization (WHO) says the deadly Ebola virus is likely to spread in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo because of deteriorating security in conflict-ridden North Kivu and Ituri provinces. The latest WHO figures put the number of Ebola cases at 885, including 555 deaths. International efforts to stop the spread of the deadly Ebola virus in eastern DR Congo have hit a serious roadblock. The charity Doctors Without Borders has suspended its life-saving operations. The action follows attacks on two of its Ebola treatment centers this week — the first on February 24 in Katwa, followed by an attack three days later in Butembo. The World Health Organization called the attacks deplorable and said there is a great risk of the spread of the disease. During the attack on the facility in Butembo, four Ebola patients fled for their lives. WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier said three of the patients have since returned, while one is still missing. “If you want, the positive note is that all of these four patients were convalescent, that means they were already getting better,” he said. “Hence, they had a lower viral load, which makes it way less likely for further infections.But yes, it is highly important to find those people, that last patient and then, of course, immediately start the contact tracing and monitor the contacts these patients might have been in touch with.” Lindmeier said the WHO remains committed to staying in the DRC until the job is done. However, …

Понад півмільярда євро: Україна залучила два транші від Deutsche Bank на 4 та 10 років

Україна залучила кредит у розмірі 529 мільйонів євро, повідомляє 1 березня міністерство фінансів України. Згідно з повідомленням, цей фінансовий інструмент наданий Deutsche Bank під гарантію на підтримку державної політики у сфері економічного зростання та фіскально стійких послуг від Міжнародного банку реконструкції та розвитку (МБРР). «Deutsche Bank надав кредит у розмірі 529 мільйонів євро двома траншами: траншем A у розмірі 240 мільйонів євро з терміном погашення 4 роки та траншем B у розмірі 289 мільйонів євро з терміном погашення 10 років», – інформує міністерство. Раніше Україна використала першу частину гарантій МБРР, загальна сума гарантій становить 750 мільйонів доларів США. …

US Consumer Spending Fell 0.5 Percent in December

U.S. consumer spending tumbled 0.5 percent in December, the biggest decline in nine years, as the holiday shopping season ended in disappointment. Meanwhile, incomes rose sharply in December but edged down in January. The fall in consumer spending followed sizable gains of 0.7 percent in October and 0.6 percent in November, the Commerce Department reported Friday. December’s result means that spending for the quarter decelerated significantly, a primary factor in the slowing of overall economy in the final three months of the year. Gross domestic product recorded a growth rate of 2.6 percent after a 3.4 percent gain in the third quarter. Incomes jumped 1 percent in December, though slipped 0.1 percent in January. The government did not release spending data for January because of delays stemming from the government shutdown. The big fall in spending reflected sizable declines in purchases of durable goods such as autos, as well as nondurable goods such as clothing during the all-important holiday shopping season. The result shows that consumer spending, which accounts for 70 percent of economic growth, was showing significant weakness heading into the current quarter. Many economists believe that GDP growth will slow further during the current January-March period, with some expecting GDP to drop to a growth rate of 2 percent or lower. Inflation, as measured by a gauge preferred by the Federal Reserve, was up 1.7 percent for the past 12 months ending in December. That’s the slowest 12-month pace since a similar 12-month gain for the period ending …

Фахівці МВФ відвідають Київ у березні – представник Фонду

Технічна команда Міжнародного валютного фонду приїде до Києва 5 березня для обговорення реформ, пов’язаних із програмою стенд-бай. Про це повідомив постійний представник МВФ в Україні Йоста Люнгман 1 березня. «Технічна команда у складі кількох фахівців МВФ відвідає Київ упродовж 5-13 березня 2019 року для обговорення подій в економічній сфері та прогресу у напрямі запровадження реформаторських заходів, передбачених програмою стенд-бай з Україною», – йдеться в заяві Люнгмана. На запит Радіо Свобода у Представництві МВФ в Україні не уточнили, чи будуть члени місії обговорювати з представиками влади України можливі наслідки скасування статті Кримінального кодексу про незаконне збагачення. Читайте також: «Ми підвищили кредитний рейтинг України» – представниця Світового банку розповіла про напрямки підтримки реформ​ Востаннє місія МВФ відвідувала Україну у вересні 2018 року. 18 грудня 2018 року посол України у США Валерій Чалий повідомив, що у штаб-квартирі Міжнародного валютного фонду у Вашингтоні затвердили виділення Україні фінансової підтримки для продовження реалізації важливих реформ. Обсяг нової програми – 3,9 мільярда доларів. Згідно з повідомленням, вона має стати основою для економічної політики уряду в 2019 році – передбачається, що ця політика буде зосереджена на зниженні інфляції та реформах оподаткування, фінансового і енергетичного секторів. 21 грудня Україна отримала перший транш за новою програмою співпраці з Міжнародним валютним фондом обсягом близько 1,4 мільярда доларів. …

In France, Chefs Team Up with Scientists in Push for Sustainable Eating

Spelt risotto was on the menu at a recent lunch in Paris. Spelt is an ancient form of wheat with a nutty flavor. It is rich in fiber and minerals, and counts among dozens of sometimes ancient and obscure foods scientists say benefit people and the planet. A green cuisine effort is growing in France as scientists warn that meat consumption must be drastically cut to fight climate change and sustainably feed a global human population set to reach 10 billion by 2050. “Seventy-five percent of our food comes from 12 crops and five animals. Sixty percent of all our calories come through three vegetables,” said David Edwards, director of food strategy at environmental group WWF, which jointly produced a report, “Future 50 Foods,” with the German food giant Knorr. The message: Our current eating habits, which rely heavily on large-scale farming and livestock production, have got to change. “We’ve had a 60 percent decline in the wildlife population since the 1970s — the last 50 years, within a lifetime,” Edwards added. “And …  a precipitous decline in insect populations also … food has pushed wildlife into the extreme margins.” The Paris lunch featured many of the report’s so-called “future” foods. Vegetables are in. Meat is out. On the menu: walnuts, root vegetables, lentil flour, yams and soy milk. Also, fonio — a drought-resistant grain that Senegalese chef Pierre Thiam now markets in the United States and serves at his New York City restaurant. He sources it from smallholder farmers …

З 1 березня в Україні почали монетизацію субсидій

З 1 березня в Україні стартував процес монетизації субсидій. Відповідне рішення було прийняте Кабінетом міністрів 6 лютого. Як повідомляв міністр соціальної політики Андрій Рева, готівкою будуть виплачувати субсидії тим домогосподарствам, яким субсидія призначена на поточний опалювальний сезон. Наразі таких домогосподарств більш ніж 3,7 мільйона. За словами міністра, в середньому розмір виплати складатиме близько 1,5 тисячі. Рева наголосив, що пенсіонери отримуватимуть монетизовані субсидії одночасно з пенсією. У листопаді 2018 року міністр соціальної політики Андрій Рева повідомив, що субсидію отримують 5 мільйонів домогосподарств в Україні. На 2019 рік у проекті бюджету заплановано 55 мільярдів гривень на субсидії з комунальних послуг. Кабінет міністрів у листопаді минулого року схвалив запровадження в Україні монетизації субсидій на рівні постачальників послуг від 1 січня 2018 року. …

Oregon OKs 1st Statewide Mandatory Rent Control Law in US

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown signed the nation’s first statewide mandatory rent control measure on Thursday, giving a victory to housing advocates who say spiraling rent costs in the economically booming state have fueled widespread homelessness and housing insecurity.      Brown, a Democrat, said the legislation will provide “some immediate relief to Oregonians struggling to keep up with rising rents and a tight rental market.”    Landlords are now limited to increases once per year that cannot exceed 7 percent plus the change in the consumer price index, which is used to calculate inflation.    The law prohibits them from serving no-cause evictions after a tenant’s first year of occupancy, a provision designed to protect those who are living paycheck to paycheck and who affordable housing advocates say are often most vulnerable to sudden rent hikes and abrupt lease terminations.    New York has a statewide rent control law, but cities can choose whether to participate. California restricts the ability of cities to impose rent control. Last November, voters defeated a ballot initiative that would have overturned that law.  Emergency measure   The Oregon law takes effect immediately. Democrats who control the Legislature say the state’s housing crisis justified passing the bill as an emergency measure.    In hearings for the bill passed, tenants testified that they have struggled to keep up with skyrocketing rents, with many said they’ve been forced from their homes. Kori Sparks, a resident of the fast-growing city of Bend, said she relies on disability and has …

Tesla to Close Stores, Take Orders for $35,000 Model 3

Tesla says it is now taking orders for the long-awaited $35,000 Model 3, will close stores and move to online orders. Tesla says it is now taking orders for the long-awaited $35,000 Model 3, a car for the masses that is essential for the company to survive. The company says to reach the lower price, it’s shifting all sales worldwide from stores to online only. Some high-traffic stores, however, will remain open. The company will offer the standard base model, which can go 220 miles (350 kilometers) per charge. It also will offer a $37,000 version with a premium interior that accelerates faster and can go 240 miles (385 kilometers) per charge. Tesla started taking orders for the Model 3 in March of 2016, but until now hasn’t been able to cut costs enough to sell them for $35,000 and make a profit. The cheapest one that could be ordered until Thursday started at $42,900.     …

Gap to Separate Old Navy, Close Stores; Shares Jump 

Gap Inc. said Thursday that it would separate its Old Navy brand into a publicly traded company in order to focus on its struggling namesake apparel business, sending its shares up 18 percent.  Old Navy has had a better success than the Gap brand in recent years as a wide range of budget apparel has made it more appealing to a broader base of consumers.  “It’s clear that Old Navy’s business model and customers have increasingly diverged from our specialty brands over time,” Gap’s Chairman Robert Fisher said.  The company also said it planned to close 230 Gap specialty stores over the next two years.  Gap’s overall same-store sales fell 1 percent in the fourth quarter ended Feb. 2, compared with analysts’ average estimate of a 0.3 percent rise, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.  Gap, Athleta, Banana Republic and the remaining brands will be part of a yet-to-be-named company. The separation is expected to be completed by 2020, Gap said.  The company’s shares were up 17.7 percent at $29.89 in extended trading. …