U.S. President Donald Trump has arrived in Baltimore, the eastern U.S., majority-black city he recently called a “disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess” where “no human being would want to live.” Trump was there Thursday to address Republican congressional leaders attending an annual retreat. Before he left the White House, Trump ignored a reporter’s question about what he would say to the residents of the city, instead saying only that it was going to be “a very successful evening.” Demonstrators gather near the U.S. House Republican Member Retreat where President Donald Trump is speaking, in Baltimore, Sept. 12, 2019. Ahead of the president’s visit, activist groups planned to protest “racism, white supremacy, war, bigotry and climate change,” organizers told The Baltimore Sun. On Thursday, several hundred protesters lined the route Trump’s motorcade took to the city’s Inner Harbor area, where Trump was to speak. Trump has denied charges of racism on his attacks on the city and its congressman, Elijah Cummings. “There is nothing racist in stating plainly what most people already know, that Elijah Cummings has done a terrible job for the people of his district, and of Baltimore itself,” he tweeted in July. …
Trump Administration Puts Tough New Asylum Rule Into Effect
With a go-ahead from the Supreme Court, the Trump administration Thursday began enforcing a new rule denying asylum to most migrants arriving at the southern border — a move that spread despair among those fleeing poverty and violence in their homelands. A spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security agency that manages asylum cases said the policy would be effective retroactive to July 16, when the rule was announced. The new policy would deny refuge to anyone at the U.S.-Mexico border who passes through another country on the way to the U.S. without first seeking asylum there. The Supreme Court cleared the way, for now, to enforce it while legal challenges move forward. Previous asylum request is key Migrants who make their way to the U.S. overland from places like Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador would be largely ineligible, along with asylum seekers from Africa, Asia and South America who try to get in by way of the U.S.-Mexico border. Asylum seekers must pass an initial screening called a “credible fear” interview, a hurdle that most clear. Under the new policy, they would fail the test unless they sought asylum in at least one country they traveled through and were denied. They would be placed in fast-track deportation proceedings and flown to their home countries at U.S. expense. “Our Supreme Court is sentencing people to death. There are no safeguards, no institutions to stop this cruelty,” the immigration-assistance group Al Otro Lado said in a statement. The Mexican government likewise called the high court’s action “astonishing.” The …
New Data Shows Israeli Settlement Surge in East Jerusalem
Jewish settlement construction in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem has spiked since President Donald Trump took office in 2017, according to official data obtained by The Associated Press. The data also showed strong evidence of decades of systematic discrimination, illustrated by a huge gap in the number of construction permits granted to Jewish and Palestinian residents. The expansion of the settlements in east Jerusalem, which Israel seized along with the West Bank and Gaza in the 1967 Mideast war, threatens to further complicate one of the thorniest issues in the conflict. The refusal to grant permits to Palestinian residents has confined them to crowded, poorly served neighborhoods, with around half the population believed to be at risk of having their homes demolished. Palestinian Jamil Masalmeh uses a power tool to destroy an apartment he had added to his home years earlier, in the Silwan neighborhood of east Jerusalem, Sept. 9, 2019. Peace Now The data was acquired and analyzed by the Israeli settlement watchdog Peace Now, which says it only obtained the figures after a two-year battle with the municipality. It says the numbers show that while Palestinians make up more than 60% of the population in east Jerusalem, they have received only 30% of the building permits issued since 1991. The fate of the city, which is home to holy sites sacred to Jews, Muslims and Christians, is at the heart of the decades-old conflict. The Palestinians want east Jerusalem to be the capital of their future state, while Israel views …
Climate-Change Activists Plan to Disrupt Heathrow With Drones on Friday
Climate-change activists plan to disrupt Heathrow Airport with drones on Friday morning, despite the arrest of five of their members in a pre-emptive strike by London police. The Heathrow Pause group aims to ground flights by illegally flying drones within five kilometers (three miles) of an airport, to put pressure on the government to take tougher steps to reduce carbon emissions. Police arrested three men and two women from the group on Thursday on suspicion of conspiracy to commit a public nuisance in relation to operations at the airport. But Heathrow Pause said it would go ahead anyway. “The action will carry on exactly as planned, peacefully and nonviolently, regardless of today’s events — we have contingency measures in place,” it said in a statement on Thursday. Earlier this week, police said they were confident the action would not lead to a repeat of the chaos seen at Gatwick last December, when drone sightings grounded planes in the run-up to Christmas. But they warned that attempted disruption of the airport and flying drones without permission in the exclusion zone were serious crimes. The activists say they are not looking to endanger life, and aim to conduct the action and alert authorities before the airport opens. Heathrow has said the demonstration is counterproductive and criminal, adding that despite talks between the two sides, the campaigners disagree with the airport’s belief that aviation can and should be decarbonized. …
US Biologists Eye Unusual Deaths of Alaska Seals
U.S. marine mammal biologists have declared an “unusual mortality event” in the deaths of nearly 300 ice seals off Alaska’s northwest coast. The cause of the deaths is not known. The fisheries arm of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says the declaration covers ringed, bearded and spotted seals. All three types of seals use sea ice in varying ways. NOAA Fisheries has received reports of 282 dead seals in the Bering and Chukchi seas since June 1, 2018. That’s nearly five times the average number of reported seal strandings. The deaths have mostly occurred from June to September in both years. Declaration of an unusual mortality event allows the agency to use more resources to investigate the deaths. …
Мінінфраструктури хоче повернути під свій контроль «Укрзалізницю»
Міністерство інфраструктури хоче повернути собі контроль над «Укрзалізницею». Про це журналістам заявив міністр інфраструктури Владислав Криклій. «Я вже ініціював це питання перед прем’єр-міністром. Думаю, найближчим часом розпочнемо», – зазначив він. За його словами, відповідні зміни до положення про «Укрзалізницю вже готуються». «Якщо за транспортну стратегію та інфраструктуру відповідає Міністерство інфраструктури, то логічно, що залізниця як невід’ємна частина всього цього живого організму має повернутися назад», – наголосив Криклій. 18 січня 2017 року Кабінет Міністрів України на позачерговому засіданні затвердив новий статут ПАТ «Укрзалізниця», згідно з яким, Мінінфраструктури втратило право бути органом управління компанії. У новій редакції статуту міністерство позбавили можливості підписувати договори з головами наглядової ради та контракт з головою правління «Укрзалізниці». Також Мінінфраструктури позбавили права визначати напрямки діяльності компанії, впливати на кількість акцій, затверджувати фінансовий план, річний звіт, чисельність персоналу. …
Міжбанк: гривня йде на новий рекорд
Після одноденної корекції, коли долар частково відіграв втрати, на українському міжбанківському валютному ринку знову посилюється національна валюта. Як повідомляє сайт «Мінфін», станом на 12:00 котирування встановилися на рівні 24 гривні 81–83,5 копійки за долар, це більш як на 10 копійок менше за рівень закриття торгів 11 вересня. Національний банк України опівдні оприлюднив довідкове значення курсу 24 гривні 86 копійок за долар, це на 11 копійок менше від офіційного курсу на 12 вересня. Цього тижня вперше за три роки офіційний курс, який Національний банк України встановлює за результатами торгів на міжбанківському валютному ринку, склав менш як 25 гривень за долар. Курс на 11 вересня регулятор встановив на рівні 24 гривні 88 копійок за одиницю американської валюти. У липні 2016 року курс піднімався до 24 гривень 80 копійок, але вже в серпні того року становив понад 25 гривень за долар. На український валютний ринок нині прийшли значні ресурси, які іноземці вводять для купівлі облігацій внутрішньої державної позики. На курс також впливає позитивна кон’юнктура щодо товарів українського експорту. …
«Нафтогаз» виконав 95% плану із закачування газу до ПСГ – компанія
Національна акціонерна компанія «Нафтогаз України» повідомила, що до підземних сховищ газу (ПСГ) для успішного проходження опалювального сезону залишилося закачати менш як мільярд кубометрів палива. «Перетнули позначку в 19 мільярдів кубометрів газу в підземках. Випереджаємо план», – вказав 11 вересня голова правління НАК «Нафтогаз України» Андрій Коболєв. 12 вересня компанія відзначила, що за вісім місяців газотранспортна система України здійснила транзит майже 60 мільярдів кубометрів палива. З Росії «Нафтогаз» для потреб України не імпортує газ 1385 днів, а з країн ЄС за вісім місяців компанія отримала 9,6 мільярда кубометрів. «Споживання склало 16,7 млрд куб.м газу, що на 8% менше показника 2018 року», – вказали також у «Нафтогазі». Наприкінці серпня компанія повідомляла, що «щоб пройти опалювальний сезон без енергетичних ризиків, маємо до початку опалювального сезону накопичити в ПСГ близько 20 мільярдів кубометрів газу», Опалювальний сезон в Україні розпочинається орієнтовно 15 жовтня. Опалення в будинках із централізованим теплопостачанням вмикається тоді, коли впродовж трьох днів середньодобова температура опускається нижче за 8 градусів за Цельсієм. …
Iran Says Tanker’s Oil Sold to Private Buyer, But It’s Unclear Any Was Delivered
This article originated in VOA’s Persian Service. Iran says it has sold oil on a tanker near Syria’s coast to a private company in defiance of U.S. efforts to stop such a sale, fueling debate among observers about whether the ship has offloaded any crude. In a tweet posted Wednesday, Iranian Ambassador to Britain Hamid Baeidinejad said his nation’s tanker had sold its oil at sea to the unnamed private company “despite numerous American threats.” U.S. ally Britain had seized the tanker July 4 under its former name of Grace 1 in the waters of the British territory of Gibraltar, on suspicion the tanker planned to deliver Iranian oil to Syria in violation of EU sanctions on the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad. Gibraltar allowed the tanker, under its new name of Adrian Darya 1, to leave its waters Aug. 18 after saying British authorities had received written assurances that Iran would not deliver the oil to Syria. Iranian officials denied providing such assurances, and the Adrian Darya 1 sailed toward the Syrian coast before turning off its transponder Sept. 2. The Trump administration, which unilaterally banned all Iranian oil exports in May to pressure Tehran to stop perceived malign behaviors, appealed unsuccessfully to Britain not to release the tanker and later sanctioned the vessel Aug. 30. در جلسه امروز با وزیر خارجه انگلیس، تاکیدگردیدکه اقدام مقامات انگلیس علیه نفتکش حامل نفت ایران خلاف حقوق بین الملل بود.تحریمهای اتحادیه اروپا قابل تعمیم به کشورهای ثالث نیست.علیرغم تهدیدات بیشمار آمریکا،نفتکش …
In Rwanda, Some Wildlife Poachers Become Conservationists
Some Rwandans who used to be wildlife poachers have turned into conservationists. For VOA, reporter Eugene Uwimana has more from the Gorilla Guardians Village, located near Volcanoes National Park in Northern Rwanda …
Adventure-Loving Dogs Learn to Surf in California
Surfing is an ancient Polynesian art that became a craze in the U.S. and Australia in the 1950s. In the U.S., California and Hawaii were ground zero for surf culture, and surf-based movies and music are still a thing. And these days, people aren’t the only ones surfing. Khrystyna Shevchenko visited a unique surfing school. Anna Rice narrates her story. …
Arab Parties Campaigning Hard to Increase Influence in Israeli Government
Arab citizens of Israel make up 20% of the population and could play a role in making up the government coalition. They have never joined a government in Israel’s history, but some say it may be time to change. Linda Gradstein reports for VOA from Jerusalem. …
Trump Administration to Ban Flavored E-Cigarettes
U.S. President Donald Trump Wednesday announced action against flavored electronic cigarettes, which have been linked to breathing problems, lung damage and death. Vaping has become popular, as many considered it healthier than smoking. Flavors such as mint, bubble gum or ice cream attracted young people. But a spike in serious lung problems and deaths linked to vaping have alarmed officials. VOA’s Zlatica Hoke reports the Trump administration is preparing a ban on all flavored e-cigarettes. …
Кабмін змінив своїх представників у наглядовій раді «Нафтогазу»
Кабінет міністрів України змінив представників держави у складі наглядової ради НАК «Нафтогаз України». Про це повідомляє «Урядовий портал». Рішення ухвалили під час засідання уряду 11 вересня. «Уряд достроково припинив повноваження Демчишина Володимира Васильовича, Попика Сергія Дмитровича та Мар’євича Костянтина Михайловича в якості представників держави у наглядовій раді НАК «Нафтогаз України», – мовиться у повідомленні. На посади у наглядову раду Нафтогазу призначили Юлію Ковалів та Наталію Бойко. Ще одна позиція залишилась вакантною. За даними «Нафтогазу», НАК є провідним підприємством паливно-енергетичного комплексу, однією з найбільших компаній України, яка здійснює повний цикл операцій з розвідки та розробки родовищ, експлуатаційного та розвідувального буріння, транспортування та зберігання нафти і газу, постачання природного і скрапленого газу споживачам. …
‘Freeport Flag Ladies’ Wave Stars and Stripes One Final Time
After the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, President George W. Bush encouraged a reeling nation to light candles in honor of the victims. Elaine Greene and two friends joined the hordes in a candlelight vigil, but not before she stopped to grab an old flag that was behind her Maine home’s front door. With tears in her eyes, she raised the flag tentatively. Motorists honked their approval. The simple act has played out weekly ever since, through snow and ice, sickness and health, over 18 years. And it’s playing out for a final time Wednesday. Dubbed the “Freeport flag ladies,” the trio is reluctantly giving in to age and ending the Main Street tradition. Greene is the youngest at 74 and battles Crohn’s disease. Carmen Footer, 77, recently recovered from open heart surgery. JoAnn Miller, 83, has foot problems. “It was up to me to call it, and I called it,” Greene said. Greene described their calling as a mission of love, gratitude and patriotism, and it went far beyond waving their flags on a street corner near L.L. Bean. They mailed care packages to military personnel deployed overseas in the war on terrorism. They greeted military personnel at airports. They visited the wounded. And they attended funerals. They saw people at their worst while dealing with loss. And they witnessed how tragedy can also bring out the best in many people, Greene said. Over the years, their work became their lives. They appeared alongside presidents. They spoke to …
До України приїхала місія МВФ
До України прибула місія Міжнародного валютного фонду. Про це журналістам повідомив прем’єр-міністр України Олексій Гончарук. «Я ще раз повторюю: говорити про результати ще рано. На наступному тижні ми вийдемо з окремою комунікацією щодо місії. Місія зараз лише приїхала. Ми готуємо і починаємо переговори», – зазначив Гончарук. Він додав, що влада спробує укласти нову угоду з МВФ. Переговори триватимуть до 24 вересня. Читайте також: Міністр фінансів: наша мета – «випуститися» з програми МВФ Згідно із базовим прогнозом Національного банку, за новою програмою співпраці з МВФ Україна може отримати два мільярди доларів від МВФ у цьому році та ще по два мільярди у 2020 й 2021 роках. Обсяг поточної програми – 3,9 мільярда доларів. 21 грудня 2018 року Україна отримала перший і наразі єдиний транш за програмою співпраці з Міжнародним валютним фондом обсягом близько 1,4 мільярда доларів. Востаннє місія МВФ працювала в Україні в травні 2019 року. …
Apple Introduces New iPhone as it Seeks to Keep Up with Competitors
Facing growing competition from less expensive smartphone providers, Apple introduced its new versions of its iconic iPhone Tuesday at its annual product launch event in California. Along with their latest upgrades and new offerings, Apple also caught the attention of both consumers and critics for something they didn’t do. VOA’s Richard Green has more on the tech giant’s newest strategy …
Japan’s Leader Taps New Cabinet Ministers to Freshen Image
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe shuffled his Cabinet on Wednesday, adding two women and the son of a former leader to freshen his image but maintaining continuity on U.S.-oriented trade and security policies. Abe, the longest-serving prime minister in Japan’s postwar history, kept key positions in the hands of close allies at a time when he is locked in a bitter trade dispute with South Korea and as he tries to fine-tune a trade deal with Washington. Taro Kono, who had been foreign minister, was appointed defense minister, while Toshimitsu Motegi, minister in charge of economic policy, is now foreign minister. Finance Minister Taro Aso kept his job. Yet with just two years left on his party leadership, Abe also sought to add some new faces and keep potential challengers close. Getting the greatest attention was the new environment minister, Shinjiro Koizumi, the 38-year-old son of popular former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. He was the only appointment in his 30s in a lineup dominated by men in their 50s and older. Expectations in the Japanese public have been high for years that the younger Koizumi is destined to be Japan’s leader. Koizumi has tended to keep a distance from Abe, although both hold the conservative pro-U.S. policies of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. Abe told reporters that he was proud of his choices as people, mostly veterans, who will tackle reforms to keep Japan competitive in the “new era” of globalization. On Koizumi, he said: “I …
Apple Takes on Netflix With a $5-a-month Streaming Service
Apple is finally taking on Netflix with its own streaming television service and, uncharacteristically for the company, offering it at a bargain price — $5 a month beginning on Nov. 1. Walt Disney Co. is launching its own assault on Netflix the same month, for just $7. It may be sheer coincidence that the cost of paying for both Apple and Disney subscriptions will still be a dollar less than Netflix’s main plan, priced at $13 a month. But the intent to disrupt Netflix’s huge lead in the streaming business couldn’t be clearer. Apple delivered the news Tuesday while also unveiling three new iPhones that won’t look much different than last year’s models other than boasting an additional camera for taking pictures from extra-wide angles. The aggressive pricing is unusual for Apple, which typically charges a premium for products and services to burnish its brand. Most analysts expected Apple to charge $8 to $10 per month for the service, which will be called Apple TV Plus. With Little Change, iPhones May Get Upstaged by Streaming The company will show off its latest iPhones Tuesday at a products showcase in Cupertino, California. But the buzz surrounding its best-selling products has waned, as have sales, in the absence of compelling new features But Apple is entering a market that Netflix practically created in 2007 — around the same time as the first iPhone came out. And Netflix has amassed more than 150 million subscribers, meaning that Apple needed to make a splash. …
As 9/11 Dawns, Trump Blasts Fed Members as ‘Boneheads’
President Donald Trump says the U.S. is missing out economically because “Boneheads” at the Federal Reserve won’t lower interest rates at his insistence. The Fed is meeting next week and is expected to trim its benchmark rate by another quarter point after cutting the rate for the first time in a decade in July. FILE – Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell walks to the podium during a news conference in Washington, July 31, 2019. Trump has been pressuring Fed chairman Jerome Powell to drop rates to zero. The rate currently is in a range of 2% to 2.25%. As the sun rose on Wednesday’s anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Trump tweeted, “It is only the naivete of Jay Powell and the Federal Reserve that doesn’t allow us to do what other countries are already doing. A once in a lifetime opportunity that we are missing because of ‘Boneheads.’” ….The USA should always be paying the the lowest rate. No Inflation! It is only the naïveté of Jay Powell and the Federal Reserve that doesn’t allow us to do what other countries are already doing. A once in a lifetime opportunity that we are missing because of “Boneheads.” — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 11, 2019 …
Долар частково відновив втрати на міжбанку
На українському міжбанківському валютному ринку зранку 11 вересня встановилася рівновага попиту і пропозиції на рівні майже 25 гривень за долар. Станом на 12:00 котирування становили 24 гривні 98 копійок – 25 гривень рівно за одиницю американської валюти, повідомляє сайт «Мінфін». Національний банк України встановив опівдні довідкове значення курсу 24 гривні 98 копійок, це на 10 копійок більше за офіційний курс на 11 вересня. Встановлене НБУ на 11 вересня значення є рекордним за понад три останні роки. У липні 2016 року курс піднімався до 24 гривень 80 копійок, але вже в серпні того року становив понад 25 гривень за долар. На український валютний ринок нині прийшли значні ресурси, які іноземці вводять для купівлі облігацій внутрішньої державної позики. На курс також впливає позитивна кон’юнктура щодо товарів українського експорту. …
Уперше за три роки долар коштує менш як 25 гривень – курс НБУ
На валютному ринку триває посилення української гривні. Вперше за три роки офіційний курс, який Національний банк України встановлює за результатами торгів на міжбанківському валютному ринку, склав менш як 25 гривень за долар. Курс на 11 вересня регулятор встановив на рівні 24 гривні 88 копійок за одиницю американської валюти. У липні 2016 року курс піднімався до 24 гривень 80 копійок, але вже в серпні того року становив понад 25 гривень за долар. На міжбанківському ринку 10 вересня котирування опускалися ще нижче (до 24,84–87 гривні за долар), але до кінця торгів на малих обсягах долар відновив свої позиції і коштував близько 25 гривень. На український валютний ринок нині прийшли значні ресурси, які іноземці вводять для купівлі облігацій внутрішньої державної позики. На курс також впливає позитивна кон’юнктура щодо товарів українського експорту. …
Alibaba’s Ma Steps Down As Industry Faces Uncertainty
Alibaba Group founder Jack Ma, who helped launch China’s online retailing boom, stepped down as chairman of the world’s biggest e-commerce company Tuesday at a time when its fast-changing industry faces uncertainty amid a U.S.-Chinese tariff war. Ma, one of China’s wealthiest and best-known entrepreneurs, gave up his post on his 55th birthday as part of a succession announced a year ago. He will stay on as a member of the Alibaba Partnership, a 36-member group with the right to nominate a majority of the company’s board of directors. Ma, a former English teacher, founded Alibaba in 1999 to connect Chinese exporters to American retailers. The company has shifted focus to serving China’s growing consumer market and expanded into online banking, entertainment and cloud computing. Domestic businesses accounted for 66% of its $16.7 billion in revenue in the quarter ending in June. Chinese retailing faces uncertainty amid a tariff war that has raised the cost of U.S. imports. Growth in online sales decelerated to 17.8% in the first half of 2019 amid slowing Chinese economic growth, down from 2018’s full-year rate of 23.9%. Alibaba says its revenue rose 42% over a year earlier in the quarter ending in June to $16.7 billion and profit rose 145% to $3.1 billion. Still, that was off slightly from 2018’s full-year revenue growth of 51%. The total amount of goods sold across Alibaba’s e-commerce platforms rose 25% last year to $853 billion. By comparison, the biggest U.S. e-commerce company, Amazon.com Inc., reported total sales …
Russia-Ukraine Prisoner Swap: Step Toward Peace or False Dawn?
The prisoner swap between Ukraine and Russia Saturday has prompted hopes that Moscow and Kyiv are ready for serious talks to end a more than five-year war in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine — a Moscow-fomented conflict that’s claimed more than 13,000 lives. As the exchange unfolded, which included the release by Russia of 24 sailors captured in a naval clash last November, U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted, “Russia and Ukraine just swapped large numbers of prisoners. Very good news, perhaps a first giant step to peace. Congratulations to both countries!” That view was shared by the man who engineered the swap, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who hailed the exchange as “the first step to end the war.” And various other Western leaders, including Germany’s Angela Merkel and France’s Emmanuel Macron, joined the chorus lauding the exchange of 70 prisoners in all as a positive move. For the families of those exchanged, there was relief. Russia had threatened to incarcerate the sailors for up to six years, saying their patrol boats had trespassed into Russian territory by crossing its borders to enter the Sea of Azov, just off Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014. Ukraine and other countries that don’t recognize Russia’s annexation of Crimea say the sailors were in international waters, and an international maritime court ordered Moscow to free the men, an instruction ignored until Saturday. Relatives of Ukrainian prisoners freed by Russia greet them upon their arrival at Boryspil airport, outside Kyiv, Ukraine, …