Category: Новини

усі новини

ЄС, Новини, Світ

Counterterror Efforts High on Agenda in Tillerson’s Meetings with Turkey, NATO

The United States is examining its next steps in the campaign to defeat Islamic State militants and stabilize the refugee crisis with regional allies, as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson embarks on trips to Turkey and NATO headquarters this week. The top U.S. diplomat will press NATO allies to demonstrate a clear path to increase defense spending, in his first meeting with counterparts from this security bloc.

U.S.-led forces are increasing their campaign to retake the Syrian city of Raqqa from Islamic State militants. Stabilizing areas where militants have fled and allowing refugees to return home is high on the agenda for the U.S. and its anti-Islamic State coalition partners.

In Turkey, Tillerson will try to build on progress from last week’s meeting of coalition partners in Washington.

“While a more defined course of action in Syria is still coming together, I can say the United States will increase our pressure on ISIS and al-Qaida, and will work to establish interim zones of stability through cease-fires to allow refugees to go home,” he said, using a common acronym for Islamic State, which is also known as ISIL and Daesh.

But it could be a tall order, according to Middle East expert Daniel Serwer.

“The Turks would like to have safe zones; they have been proposing them for years,” he said. “But they are, in fact, extraordinarily difficult to create, and to defend, and to maintain.”

NATO

Days before Tillerson’s first meeting with NATO foreign ministers, Tillerson met with his counterparts from the Baltic states. They expressed confidence in Washington’s support for NATO.

“We’re passing what we consider very important messages of the need to develop transatlantic security and economic links, so it was, overall, a very good introductory meeting,” Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics told VOA’s Ukrainian Service.

After Russia’s 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea, NATO agreed to send troops to Lithuania and to Estonia, Latvia and Poland, in a move to deter potential Russian aggression.

“I wouldn’t say the military presence is insignificant,” Estonian Foreign Minister Sven Misker told VOA’s Russian Service. “These are very well-trained, well-equipped forces. But when you look at the numbers, the presence is slightly modest compared to what Russia has in place on the other side of the border. So it shouldn’t be viewed as escalatory in any way … but I think it’s sufficient to make Russia change its calculus. It makes clear to Russia that they should not launch a provocation and think that they can do it with impunity.”

Tillerson is going to the NATO talks before he goes to Moscow, a move that ends the controversy over his earlier decision to skip the event.

“[NATO allies] want the commitment by Tillerson to maintain sanctions [on Russia for its actions] on Ukraine; they want a commitment from Tillerson that his president isn’t going to sell out the alliance to the Russians,” Serwer said.

Tillerson will make it clear that it is no longer sustainable for the United States to maintain a disproportionate share of NATO’s defense spending. He also will consult with allies about their shared commitment to improve security in Ukraine and the need for NATO to push Russia to end aggression against its neighbors.

NATO member states have until 2024 to meet a shared pledge to contribute 2 percent of their gross domestic product on defense.

Estonia is the only Baltic nation to spend 2 percent of the GDP for defense purposes. Lithuania and Latvia have pledged to reach that level by 2018.

This report was produced in collaboration with VOA’s Russian and Ukrainian services.
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Влада, Новини, Україна

До Луцька після обстрілу консульства прибув посол Польщі Ян Пєкло

До Луцька прибув посол Республіки Польща в Україні Ян Пєкло. У складі делегації також журналісти з Польщі, які представляють різні засоби масової інформації, зокрема, один з найбільших телеканалів, TVP Polonia.

У Генеральному консульстві Польщі Пєкло дав брифінг, також відбувся телеміст із Польщею. На запитання представників польських ЗМІ відповіли місцеві активісти, журналісти та чиновники.

У ніч на 29 березня на четвертому поверсі адміністративного приміщення Генерального консульства Польщі у Луцьку стався вибух. В СБУ заявили, що, за попередніми даними, причиною став постріл з гранатомета РПГ-26. Жертв внаслідок вибуху немає. Відкрито кримінальне провадження за статтею «теракт».

Президент України Петро Порошенко під час телефонної розмови із польським колегою Анджеєм Дудою запропонував залучити фахівців із Польщі до розслідування обстрілу будівлі польського Генконсульства в Луцьку.

Як повідомляє прес-служба українського президента 29 березня, він також засудив напад і назвав його «брутальним і цинічним».

Міністерство закордонних справ Польщі викликало 29 березня посла України у Варшаві Андрія Дещицю через напад.

Міністр закордонних справ України Павло Клімкін заявив, що обурений провокацією проти Генерального консульства Польщі.
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Влада, Новини, Україна

Дії Росії та бойовиків на Донбасі змусили Україну обмежити переміщення товарів – Оліфер

Дії Росії та підтримуваних нею бойовиків на Донбасі змусили українську владу обмежити переміщення вантажів через лінію розмежування. Про це за підсумками засідання Тристоронньої контактної групи в Мінську 29 березня заявила речниця екс-президента України, представника України в ТКГ Леоніда Кучми Дарка Оліфер.

За її словами, рішення влади України спричинили «визнання на території Росії документів, виданих самопроголошеною владою ОРДЛО; захоплення державних і приватних підприємств України, а також іноземних компаній на непідконтрольній Україні частині Донбасу; запровадження рубля на території ОРЛО; псевдоукази про кордон ОРДО».

«Чергові спроби Держдуми Росії внести зміни до законодавства Росії, спрямовані на подальшу легітимізацію квазідержавних процесів в ОРДЛО, ми розцінюємо як чергову спробу торпедування Мінського процесу», – наголосила Оліфер.

18 лютого президент Росії Володимир Путін підписав указ, яким визнав чинними деякі «документи», видані в окремих районах Донецької та Луганської областей. Згідно з указом, йдеться про тимчасовий характер визнання згаданих «документів» – «на період до політичного врегулювання ситуації в окремих районах Донецької та Луганської областей України на підставі Мінських угод».

Ватажки угруповань «ЛНР» і «ДНР» раніше заявляли, що якщо до 1 березня 2017 року не припиниться блокада активістами торгівлі з непідконтрольною Україні територією, то на всіх підприємствах української юрисдикції, які працюють на територіях, захоплених цими угрупованнями, запровадять «зовнішнє управління».

На територіях, які на Донбасі контролюють угруповання «ДНР» та «ЛНР», основним платіжним засобом є російський рубль.
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Влада, Новини, Україна

У Мінську домовилися про припинення вогню на Донбасі з 1 квітня

За підсумками чергового раунду переговорів щодо Донбасу в Мінську 29 березня Тристороння контактна група вкотре узгодила встановлення режиму тиші. Про це повідомляє кореспондент Радіо Свобода.

В оприлюдненій за підсумками переговорів заяві говориться, що «Тристороння контактна група вітає рішучість усіх учасників Мінського процесу забезпечити повне дотримання режиму припинення вогню у зв’язку з Великодніми святами, яке набере чинності в суботу, 1 квітня 2017 року, з 0:00».

Учасники переговорів також домовилися прискорити процедуру перетину лінії розмежування на Донбасі, збільшити там персонал та час роботи пунктів пропуску з 1 квітня.

Домовленості про припинення вогню на Донбасі в Тристоронній контактній групі досягають не вперше. Попри ці домовленості, обстріли на лінії зіткнення тривають. І українські силовики, і сепаратисти заперечують свою вину. Сторони конфлікту звинувачують одна одну у порушеннях і провокаціях
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Бізнес, Новини, Фінанси

California, Washington Face Off Over Vehicle Fuel Standards

California and a dozen other states could be heading for a showdown with the federal government as the Trump administration reviews rules on fuel efficiency and vehicle emissions, rules President Donald Trump has said curtail growth in the auto industry.

California has a waiver under federal law to set its own standards, and other states have the option to follow them.

California has been a leader in promoting fuel-efficient cars and sport utility vehicles, and the state says it will keep its strict standards, despite a review of federal regulations ordered by Trump.

Separately, the president signed an executive order Tuesday to reduce the federal role in regulating carbon emissions in the energy industry to promote “energy independence,” although scientists view carbon emission from fossil fuels as a major cause of global warming.

Vehicle fuel standards were strengthened in the final days of the Obama presidency, as the administration hurriedly completed a review of fuel economy targets through 2025, imposing goals that bring a corresponding reduction in tail-pipe emissions.  

Fueled by 1973 oil embargo

Therese Langer of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy says Obama was continuing a process that started in California in the 1960s, then moved to the rest of the country with federal legislation.

After the Arab oil embargo of 1973, Congress set targets with the CAFE, or Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards.

Langer says the rules helped reduce dependence on foreign oil, but “the dominant effect of bringing down that pollution from tail pipes of cars through a combination of changes to the cars and changes to the fuel is a human health benefit. And it’s really hard to overstate how dramatic that has been over the years.”

CAFE fuel economy standards are locked in through 2021, but the Trump administration is reconsidering the rules for the following years through 2025.

Supporters say strict standards help to cut the greenhouse gases that are fueling global warming, save consumers money, and reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil.

The president says he wants to cut government regulations.

Thomas Pyle of the industry-aligned American Energy Alliance says the president’s review will ask, “How [do] you balance the desire for fuel efficiency, for more fuel-efficient vehicles, with other things that are important when consumers go and purchase vehicles, such as size, safety, whether or not they need a truck for their job.”

Environmentalists push electric cars

Existing standards aim to improve fuel economy by promoting hybrid gasoline-electric and battery-powered electric vehicles.

Electric vehicles, or EVs, are just one percent of the market and pose a special challenge. Environmentalists say they have great promise, but need government incentives to spur development.

Laura Renger oversees air and climate issues for Southern California Edison, and she says the electric utility company is doing its part.

Renger drives an electric car to work and charges it outside the company office. She says EV drivers like her feel “range anxiety,” but the utility is installing 1,500 charging stations where people park their cars, “on campuses, work places, and shopping centers.”

Other companies are engaged in similar programs.

Renger says the market will expand as battery technology gets better and the charging infrastructure grows.

Critics say that government subsidies for electric vehicles are not needed, and Pyle, of the American Energy Alliance, says people who drive EVs can afford to do it without tax breaks.

Finding ‘the right balance’

Jessica Caldwell of the auto research site Edmunds.com disagrees, and she says online behavior shows that buyers are sensitive to price and are looking for incentives.

“People in real time are very deal oriented,” she said, “so my fear is if you take away the federal subsidy, this market is really going to collapse,” she said.

California says it has no intention of removing its subsidies.

Langer, of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, says current government fuel-and-emission standards help consumers.

“If you look at the whole time period for which the standards were adopted under the last administration, that’s model year 2012 through 2025,” she said, “the consumer savings from buying less gasoline exceed a trillion dollars.”

But critics like Pyle ask, “What is the right balance, and who makes those choices, the government, or consumers and the auto industry together?”

He applauds Trump’s goal of improving the productivity of the energy and auto industries.

Twelve other states and the U.S. capital now follow the California standards, and if federal rules are weakened, car makers confusingly could face two different sets of vehicle standards, one based on California’s rules and one on Washington’s.
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ЄС, Новини, Світ

Serbia: Putin Agrees to Large Weapons Delivery to Balkans

Russian President Vladimir Putin has promised to sign off on a delivery of fighter jets, battle tanks and armored vehicles to Serbia, the Balkan country’s defense minister said Tuesday, in what could worsen tensions with neighboring states and trigger an arms race in the war-weary region.

Defense Minister Zoran Djordjevic said that Putin agreed to approve the delivery during a visit by Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic to Moscow on Monday. He said six MiG-29 fighter jets, 30 T-72 tanks and 30 BRDM-2 armored vehicles will be delivered soon.

“The president of the Russian Federation said he will sign that decree, and when it’s signed, we will act accordingly,” Djordjevic said. “We are waiting for the process to be finalized in Russia and see how (the equipment) will be delivered to Serbia.”

The jets would have to fly over NATO-member countries before reaching Serbia. Or, they would have to be taken apart and flown in transport planes, if the neighboring countries approve.

Djordjevic said that the jets, tanks and fighting vehicles — donated from Russian arms reserves for free — will be “fully modernized and refurbished” in Serbia by Russian technicians for an undisclosed sum. It is estimated that the overhaul of the MiGs alone would cost Serbia some 200 million euros ($216 million.)

Djordjevic said earlier that Serbia is also interested in buying a Russian air defense system as well as opening a repair center for Russian MIL helicopters which, analysts believe, would be tantamount to opening a Russian military base on its territory.

Serbia formally has been on the path to join the European Union, but under political and propaganda pressure from Moscow has steadily slid toward the Kremlin and its goal of keeping the countries in the Balkan region out of NATO and other Western integrations.

EU officials have voiced their alarm over increasing Russian influence in the western Balkans, which has seen a bloody civil war in the 1990s.

Meanwhile, Serbia’s archrival and NATO-member Croatia is shopping for a new fighter to replace the nation’s aging MiG-21s.

 

The two leading contenders for the planned contract reportedly include American Lockheed Martin’s F-16 and Swedish Saab JAS-39 Gripen.
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Бізнес, Новини, Фінанси

Lawmakers: Trump Team Wants More NAFTA Access for US Goods, Services

Trump administration trade officials want a revamped North American Free Trade Agreement to improve access for U.S. farm products, manufactured goods and services in Canada and Mexico, said lawmakers who met with them Tuesday.

Members of the House Ways and Means Committee met with Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and acting U.S. Trade Representative Stephen Vaughn to discuss the administration’s plans for renegotiating the 23-year-old trade deal.

Representative Bill Pascrell, a New Jersey Democrat, said Ross told lawmakers in the closed-door session that the administration was still aiming to complete NAFTA renegotiations by the end of 2017.

‘Ambitious’ schedule

That time frame is viewed by some members as “ambitious,” especially because it is not clear when the administration will formally notify Congress of its intention to launch NAFTA renegotiations, Pascrell said.

The notification will trigger a 90-day consultation period before substantial talks can begin. Tuesday’s meeting was a legal requirement to prepare the notification and preserve the “fast track” authority for approving a renegotiated deal with only an up-or-down vote in Congress.

President Donald Trump has long vilified NAFTA as draining millions of manufacturing jobs to Mexico, and he has vowed to quit the trade pact unless it can be renegotiated to shrink U.S. trade deficits.

Lawmakers said Ross and Vaughn discussed broad negotiating objectives, but did not get into specific issues such as U.S. access to Canada’s dairy sector or rules of origin for parts used on North American-assembled vehicles.

Key objectives

Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady, a Texas Republican, told reporters that market access, modernizing NAFTA and “holding trading partners accountable” were key objectives articulated by Ross and Vaughn.

“They were very clear. They want to open access in ag, manufacturing and services as well, so they want this to be a 21st-century agreement,” Brady said.

Spokesmen for the Commerce Department and USTR were not immediately available for comment on the meeting.

Lawmakers said the administration has not settled on the form of the negotiations, whether NAFTA will remain a trilateral agreement or whether it would be split into two bilateral trade deals.

“My sense is that they are not prejudging the form. They are focused on the substance of the agreement itself with Mexico and Canada,” Brady said.

Some lawmakers expressed frustration that the Trump officials were short on specific answers.

“I wouldn’t exactly call this meeting as moving the ball forward very much,” said Representative Ron Kind, a Wisconsin Democrat.
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ЄС, Новини, Світ

Scotland to Seek New Independence Referendum

Scotland’s Parliament voted Tuesday to seek a new referendum on independence from Britain, clearing the way for the country’s first minister, its top lawmaker, to ask the British government to approve such a vote.

The legislature in Edinburgh voted 69-59 to seek Britain’s parliamentary endorsement, which is required, for a referendum that First Minister Nicola Sturgeon wants to hold within two years — before Britain has completed its departure from the 28-nation European Union.

British voters narrowly approved a departure from the EU last year, and London will begin the formal process leading to Britain’s exit from the union on Wednesday.

Despite the overall vote last year in favor of leaving the EU — based on ballots cast in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland — nearly two-thirds of Scottish voters elected to remain in the bloc. Since then, Sturgeon has insisted that independence is the only way for Scotland to maintain its formal EU relationship.

Scottish voters chose not to declare independence from London in a referendum three years ago, but that was months before discussions began about Britain’s possible departure from the Brussels-based EU.  

‘Democratically indefensible’

Sturgeon has argued that last year’s Brexit vote necessitates a new independence referendum. On Tuesday, she said “it would be democratically indefensible and utterly unsustainable” for London to block a new Scottish vote.

Sturgeon first predicted a push for a new independence referendum last year, hours after British voters elected to leave the EU. She said it would be “unacceptable” for Scotland to be forced to leave the EU along with the rest of Britain, in light of Scots’ strong support for remaining in the bloc.

For her part, British Prime Minister Theresa May has said she will not support a new Scottish vote until Britain has formally departed the EU — a process of negotiations that experts say could take take several years.

“Now is not the time,” May said of a new Scottish referendum, adding that Britons “should be working together, not pulling apart,” as the Brexit unfolds.
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ЄС, Новини, Світ

British Royal Mint Says New Pound Coin Will Be Tough to Fake

Britain has launched a new pound coin that authorities say will be difficult to counterfeit.
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Влада, Новини, Україна

У Грузії затримали екс-міністра ПЕК Кірюшина – Луценко

Генеральний прокурор України Юрій Луценко повідомляє про затримання у Грузії Ігоря Кірюшина, заступника міністра ПЕК часів президентства Віктора Януковича.

«Здійснюється досудове розслідування кримінального провадження щодо заступника міністра ПЕК часів Януковича – пана Кірюшина за підозрою у співучасті у заволодінні злочинною організацією під керівництвом Януковича майном, яке належить ПАТ «Укрнафта» та ПАТ «Укргазвидобування», на загальну суму понад 2 мільярди гривень. 25 березня Кірюшин був затриманий на території Грузії», – написав Луценко 29 лютого у Facebook.

За його словами, у вівторок грузинська сторона ухвалила рішення про тимчасовий арешт Ігоря Кірюшина на 90 діб для ухвалення рішення про екстрадицію до України.

Ігор Кірюшин був заступником міністра ПЕК з 2009 по 2011 роки. 
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Бізнес, Новини, Фінанси

Brazil Police Raid Brokerage for Allegedly Laundering ‘Car Wash’ Bribe Cash

Brazil’s federal police on Tuesday raided a brokerage in Rio de Janeiro which they allege helped launder money for corrupt former executives of state-run oil firm Petrobras, as part of their sprawling “Car Wash” anti-graft probe.

Police said they searched the offices of the Advalor Distribuidora de Titulos e Valores brokerage firm in Rio, which they allege facilitated the movement of bribes from big construction firms to the then-Petrobras executives, often to their overseas bank accounts.

A person who answered the phone at Advalor’s Rio de Janeiro office did not respond to requests for comment.

Goncalves arrested

Former Petrobras executive Roberto Goncalves was arrested in Tuesday’s operation on the order of federal judge Sergio Moro, who oversees Operation Car Wash.

Police allege Goncalves received at least $5 million in bribes paid into overseas bank accounts.

The arrest warrant issued by Moro states that Goncalves had at least five Swiss bank accounts. In just one of those, he received $3 million in bribes from construction giant Odebrecht, according to police.

Allegedly took bribes for several projects

Goncalves allegedly took bribes in connection with several projects, one of the largest being a contract awarded to a consortium composed of Odebrecht and UTC Engenharia for work on the Comperj refinery outside Rio de Janeiro.

He does not yet face any formal charges. Under Brazilian law, only prosecutors can level charges. The prosecutor’s office did not respond to request for comment about Goncalves’ case.

A lawyer for Goncalves could not immediately be reached.
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Влада, Новини, Україна

«Група семи» підтримує ідею створення робочої групи з розгляду змін до закону про е-декларування

Посли країн «Групи семи» підтримують ідею створення робочої групи за участі представників громадських організацій для розгляду змін до закону про електронне декларування.

«Посли обговорили з президентом Порошенком низку актуальних питань, які викликають стурбованість, в тому числі, які стосуються програми реформ, особливо боротьби з корупцією, зокрема, розширення електронного декларування доходів на представників громадянського суспільства. Вони були заохочені обіцянкою президента Порошенка про скликання робочої групи, в тому числі за участі громадянського суспільства, щоби розглянути останні законодавчі поправки», – зазначається у заяві, оприлюдненій посольством Італії в Україні.

Посли наголосили на необхідності досягнення інституційної стабільності в Україні як передумову для подальших реформ.

«Вони також пообіцяли надалі підтримувати Україну на її шляху реформ, відповідальність за які повністю в руках України», – йдеться у заяві.

27 березня президент України Петро Порошенко підписав зміни закону про електронне декларування після зустрічі з громадськими активістами щодо цього документа. Зміни до закону, ухвалені Верховною Радою України минулого тижня, передбачають електронне декларування для антикорупційних активістів, а також звільняє від електронного декларування, зокрема, солдатів і сержантів Збройних сил України і дати можливість для офіцерів, що перебувають у зоні АТО, відтермінувати подачу декларацій до повернення до пунктів постійної дислокації.

27 березня Порошенко також зустрівся з послами країн «Групи семи». Міжнародна неурядова організація із боротьби з корупцією Transparency International закликала владу України скасувати закон, що зобов’язує представників громадських організацій подавати електронні декларації. Також міжнародна правозахисна організація Freedom House розкритикувала зміни до закону про електронне декларування в Україні. 
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Влада, Новини, Україна

Адвокат: ще один свідок не підтвердив провини Чийгоза в суді

Адвокат заступника голови Меджлісу кримськотатарського народу Ахтема Чийгоза Микола Полозов заявляє, що черговий допитаний у справі свідок не підтвердив провини його підзахисного.

Підконтрольний Кремлю Верховний суд анексованого Криму на черговому засіданні у справі Чийгоза 28 березня допитав свідка захисту Сейрана Егамбердієва. Свідок розповів свою версію подій 25 і 26 лютого 2014 року.

 «Там (у внутрішньому дворі Верховної Ради Криму – ред.) він бачив Ахтема Чийгоза, який не здійснював ніяких жестів, не давав ніяких команд і вказівок. Крім того, за весь день перебування на мітингу до нього ніхто не підходив з будь-якими командами, наказами або закликами від кого-небудь», – зазначив Полозов.

За словами адвоката, свідок також розповів про те, як співробітники міліції покинули внутрішній двір будівлі, після чого почалася тиснява.

Продовження слухань заплановане на 28 березня.

Раніше адвокат Микола Полозов заявляв, що частину речових доказів у суді у справі заступника голови Меджлісу кримськотатарського народу Ахтема Чийгоза спростовують показання свідків і потерпілих.

Нещодавно Верховний суд анексованого Криму продовжив арешт Ахтему Чийгоз на три місяці, до 8 липня.

Ахтема Чийгоза затримали в січні 2015 року за участь в мітингу на підтримку територіальної цілісності України перед будівлею Верховної Ради Криму 26 лютого 2014 року і звинуватили в організації масових заворушень. Тоді мітингувальникам протистояли проросійські активісти, в тому числі, з партії «Русское единство».

Справу Чийгоза суд анексованого Криму розглядає в рамках «справи 26 лютого» після того, як на закритому засіданні суд розділив цю справу на дві – щодо заступника голови Меджлісу кримськотатарського народу Ахтема Чийгоза, і окремо стосовно інших фігурантів процесу – Алі Асанова і Мустафи Дегерменджі. Ахтема Чийгоза звинувачують в організації масових заворушень, а Мустафу Дегерменджі й Алі Асанова – в участі в них.
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Бізнес, Новини, Фінанси

Souq.com says Amazon has Bought it After $800M Counteroffer

Amazon purchased the Middle East’s biggest online retailer Souq.com on Tuesday for an undisclosed amount, a day after a state-backed firm disclosed an $800 million counteroffer.

 

A joint statement described the purchase as expanding Amazon’s influence into the Mideast as the state-supported firm Emaar prepares to launch its own retail website in a country known more for its luxury malls than online shopping.

 

That could put Seattle-based Amazon in a head-to-head competition with a firm helmed by one of the sheikhdom’s favored business magnates.

 

“This is a milestone for the online shopping space in the region,” Souq.com co-founder and CEO Ronaldo Mouchawar said in a statement.

 

The announcement said the two companies expect the sale to close this year.

 

“Together, we’ll work hard to provide the best possible service for millions of customers in the Middle East,” Russ Grandinetti, a senior vice president at Amazon, said in a statement.

 

On Monday, Emaar Malls PJSC made public its bid for Souq.com in a filing on the Dubai Financial Market. The short filing, signed by Emaar Malls vice chairman Ahmad Thani al-Matrooshi, said the bid was made “in line with the strategy to align e-commerce with physical shopping.”

 

Rumors about Amazon’s interest in Souq.com have circulated for months. In November, Emaar chairman Mohamed Alabbar reportedly met Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos at the state-backed firm’s cavernous Dubai Mall, home to a massive aquarium and in the shadow of the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building it built.

 

Dubai, the commercial capital of the United Arab Emirates, home to the long-haul carrier Emirates and the world’s busiest international airport, also has luxury malls that even include an indoor ski slope. Its summer heat of over 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) makes malls a major attraction for both shopping and leisure time in the city.

 

While Uber and other online services firms work in Dubai, online retail shopping has yet to truly take off like it has in Western countries.

 

       ___

 

       Follow Jon Gambrell on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jongambrellap . His work can be found at http://apne.ws/2galNpz .

       AP-WF-03-28-17 0927GMT

 
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Бізнес, Новини, Фінанси

Indiana Board Set to Endorse $7M Carrier Deal Trump Brokered

An Indiana board is poised to endorse a deal directing $7 million in tax breaks and grants for a deal brokered by President Donald Trump to keep hundreds of jobs at the Carrier Corp. factory in Indianapolis.

 

The incentive package is set for a vote by an Indiana Economic Development Board committee on Tuesday, nearly four months after Trump celebrated the deal at the furnace factory.

 

Carrier is pledging to keep nearly 1,100 jobs at the factory, including about 800 production jobs that the company had planned to outsource to Mexico. But about 550 jobs are still being lost. Carrier is also investing $16 million for automation at the factory.

 

Plant union president Chuck Jones says the deal means Indiana taxpayers are rewarding a very profitable corporation for cutting jobs.
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ЄС, Новини, Світ

Cheney Blasts Russia’s Alleged Interference in US Election

Former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney has criticized Russia’s alleged interference in the U.S. presidential election, calling it a hostile act.

 

Cheney said Russian President Vladimir Putin had made a serious attempt to interfere in the 2016 election and other democratic processes in America.

 

In a speech at a speaker’s conference in New Delhi, Cheney said, “In some quarters, that would be considered an act of war.”

 

Cheney’s accusation comes at a time when both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives intelligence committees are investigating possible Russian interference in the election that brought President Donald Trump to power.

 
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ЄС, Новини, Світ

Paris Clashes Over Police Killing of Chinese Man; 3 Injured

Violent clashes in Paris between baton-wielding police and protesters outraged at the police killing of a Chinese man in his home injured three police officers and led to the arrest of 35 protesters, authorities said Tuesday.

The tensions have prompted China’s Foreign Ministry to express its concern to French authorities over the killing of the man, who it says was shot by a plainclothes officer.

 

Demonstrators from the Asian community gathered Monday night outside the multicultural 19th district’s police station in Paris’ northeast, said Agnes Thibault-Lecuivre, of the Paris Prosecutor’s Office.

 

They were angry at rumors the man was shot in his home in front of his children while cutting up fish and had not hurt anyone. Police say an officer fired in self-defense during a raid because the victim wounded an officer with a “bladed weapon.”

 

With chants of “murderers” and candles that spelled “opposition to violence” lining the road Monday night, scores of demonstrators broke down barricades, threw projectiles and set fire to cars during the brutal clashes with police that lasted several hours.

 

Authorities said 26 demonstrators were held for participating in a group planning violence, six for throwing projectiles, and three others for violence against police that saw a police car damaged by arson.

 

China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency said that, according to witnesses, one man of Chinese origin was injured in the clashes.

 

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said that China had summoned a representative of the French embassy in Beijing Tuesday and urged French officials to “get to the bottom of the incident as soon as possible.”

 

Hua said Chinese authorities “hope that Chinese nationals in France can express their wishes and demands in a reasonable way.”

 

France is home to Europe’s largest population of ethnic Chinese, a community that routinely accuses police of not doing enough to protect them against racism.

 

“Chinese are victims of racist attitudes in France — especially from other ethnic groups like Arabs. They are targets for crime because they often carry cash and many don’t have residence permits, so can be threatened easily. They’re angry with police for not protecting them enough,” said Pierre Picquart, Chinese expert at the University of Paris VIII.

 

“Chinese people do not like to protest or express themselves publicly, so when we see them like this it means they are very, very angry. They’ve had enough of discrimination,” he added.

 

He estimated that there are 2 million people living in France of Chinese origin.

 

Last September, 15,000 people rallied in the French capital to urge an end to violence against the Asian community after the beating to death of Chinese tailor Chaolin Zhangh called new attention to ethnic tensions in Paris suburbs. The victim’s lawyer said the August 2016 attack was ethnically motivated, and the area’s Chinese immigrant community says it is routinely targeted by armed robbers and violence.

 

The recent killing and clashes also come just days after thousands marched in Paris in a show of anger over the alleged rape in February of a young black man by police. The alleged incident in the Paris suburb of Aulnay-sous-Bois turned the 22-year-old, identified only as Theo, into a symbol for minorities standing up to police violence.
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ЄС, Новини, Світ

3 Hurt in Paris Clashes Over Police Killing of Chinese Man

Violent clashes in Paris between police and protesters angry at the police killing of a Chinese man in his home have left three police officers injured and 35 protesters arrested, authorities said Tuesday.

 

Demonstrators, who were from the Asian community, had gathered in the multicultural 19th district on the French capital’s northeastern edge, police official Agnes Thibault Lecuivre said.

 

They were paying homage to a Chinese man killed Sunday by a police officer, outraged by reports that he was shot in his home in front of his children while he was cutting up fish. Police say the officer fired in self-defense during a raid because the victim, whom Chinese media say is Chinese, wounded an officer with a bladed weapon.

 

With candles spelling “violence” lining the road Monday evening, scores of protesters broke down barricades, threw projectiles and set fire to a car during the clashes with police that lasted several hours.

 

The latest violence comes just days after several thousand people marched in Paris against police violence, in a show of anger sparked by the alleged rape in February of a young black man with a police baton, and other police abuse. Anarchists faced off with riot police at the end of that march, and tear gas was fired. But clashes remained limited in scope and violence.

 

The alleged police rape of Theo in the Paris suburb of Aulnay-sous-Bois turned the 22-year-old into a symbol for minorities standing up to police violence. His last name hasn’t been publicly released.
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Влада, Новини, Україна

Минулої доби на Донбасі 2 військових загинули, 4 поранені і 1 травмований – штаб АТО

У прес-центрі штабу АТО вранці 28 березня повідомили, що через обстріли підтримуваних Росією бойовиків минулої доби на Донбасі двоє українських військовослужбовців загинули, четверо були поранені і один травмований. Як йдеться в повідомленні штабу на сторінці у Facebook, ситуація на фронті все ж відносно стабілізувалася у порівнянні з попереднім днем.

«У районі проведення АТО ситуація стабілізувалась, кількість обстрілів позицій Збройних Сил України зменшилась. За добу зафіксовано 58 випадків відкриття вогню. Найбільшу кількість обстрілів ворог здійснив на донецькому напрямку», – йдеться в повідомленні.

За даними штабу, «аби пригасити вогневу активність противника» українські військовослужбовці відкривали вогонь у відповідь.

В угрупованні «ДНР» звинуватили українських військових в обстрілах на півночі Донецька і Докучаєвська, а також селищ Ясне і Яковлівка. Луганські сепаратисти поки не повідомляли, як минула ніч на підконтрольних їм територіях.

Останнім часом у низці місцевостей на лінії зіткнення на Донбасі сталося помітне загострення бойових дій, яке не припинилося й попри чергові домовленості, досягнені у Тристоронній контактній групі. І українські силовики, і сепаратисти заперечують свою вину. Сторони конфлікту звинувачують одна одну у порушеннях і провокаціях.
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Влада, Новини, Україна

Російський «Сбербанк» повідомив про продаж своїх філій в Україні

Російський «Сбербанк» 27 березня повідомив про укладення договору про продаж ПАТ «Сбербанк» (Україна), йдеться на сайті фінустанови.

«Консорціум інвесторів купує 100% акцій ПАТ «Сбербанк» (Україна), яке є дочірнім банком ПАТ «Сбербанк». У консорціум увійдуть «Норвік Банк» (Латвія) і білоруська приватна компанія. Відповідний юридично зобов’язуючий договір підписаний сьогодні (27 березня – ред.). Закриття угоди очікується в першому півріччі 2017 року після отримання схвалень угоди фінансовими і антимонопольними регуляторами відповідних юрисдикцій, включаючи Латвію та Україну», – йдеться в повідомленні.

Російський «Сбербанк» також повідомив, що його дочірній банк в Україні має достатньо коштів для виконання зобов’язань перед приватними і корпоративними клієнтами.

«Сподіваємося, що рішення про продаж нашого дочірнього банку сприятиме розблокуванню його офісів і відновленню нормальної роботи, що дозволить клієнтам банку продовжити безперешкодно користуватися послугами», – додали у російському банку.

Водночас, як йдеться на сайті Norvik Banka, мажоритарним акціонером нового консорціуму став громадянин Великобританії Саїд Гуцерієв і білоруська компанія, що належить йому.

«Ми підтримуємо європейський вибір України і віримо, що своєю роботою зможемо сприяти майбутньому економічному зростанню країни. Розвинена мережа відділень придбаного банку і професіоналізм команди стануть надійним фундаментом для довгострокових ініціатив розвитку. Українська економіка пройшла нижчу точку кризи і ми віримо в майбутнє економічне зростання і потенціал цієї країни», – повідомив голова правління банку Олівер Брамуелл.

Саїд Гуцерієв є сином російського бізнесмена, власника «Русснефти», «Бінбанку» та ще кількох компаній Михайла Гуцерієва.

Norvik Banka, згідно з даними офіційного сайту, займає сьоме місце в Латвії за величиною активів. Його головний акціонер — громадянин Великобританії Григорій Гусельніков, власник «Вятка-банку» і колишній президент «Бінбанку».

Національний банк за рішенням Ради національної безпеки і оборони застосував від 23 березня санкції стосовно дочірніх компаній російських державних банків, які працюють в Україні. Відповідно до рішення, санкції терміном на один рік будуть застосовані до публічного акціонерного товариства «Сбербанк», ПАТ «ВіЕс Банк», ПАТ «Акціонерний комерційний промислово-інвестиційний банк», ПАТ «ВТБ БАНК», ПАТ «БМ БАНК» «в частині запобігання виведенню капіталів зазначеними юридичними особами за межі України на користь пов’язаних із ними осіб».

Причиною запровадження санкцій стало те, що материнські структури цих банків у Росії почали визнавати незаконні «документи», видані непідконтрольними Україні самочинно створеними органами на окупованих частинах Донбасу.

Після цього рішення стало відомо, що найбільший у Росії комерційний банк «Сбербанк», підконтрольний державі, розглядає варіанти якнайшвидшого виходу з українського ринку.

Перед запровадженням цих санкцій в Україні активісти, зокрема представники «Національного корпусу», вимагали припинення діяльності російських банків в Україні. Напередодні у «Національнрму корпусі» повідомили, що вирішили тимчасово розблокувати роботу відділень «Сбербанку».

 
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Бізнес, Новини, Фінанси

Free WiFi Touted as Airlines Grapple with Laptop Ban

Turkish and Gulf airlines are touting free WiFi and better in-flight connectivity for smartphones as they scramble to mitigate the impact of a ban on laptops in plane cabins bound for the United States.

The restrictions could deal a blow to fast-growing Gulf airlines, which depend on business-class flyers stopping over in Dubai or Doha for far-flung destinations, and to Turkish Airlines with its high volume of transit passengers.

A Turkish Airlines official said it was working on rolling out a system to allow passengers to use 3G data roaming on mobile phones to connect to the internet in-flight, and planned to make WiFi freely available on some aircraft from next month.

“We’ve sped up infrastructure work after the latest developments. … If the work is complete, we’re planning on switching to free WiFi services in our Boeing 777 and Airbus 330 aircraft in April,” the official told Reuters.

Emirates said Thursday it was introducing a “laptop and tablet handling service” for U.S.-bound flights which would allow passengers to use their devices until just before they board. The devices would be “carefully packed into boxes” and returned on arrival in the United States, it said.

Emirates passengers can access limited free WiFi or pay $1 for 500 MB.

Fellow Gulf carrier Etihad encouraged passengers to pack their electronics in check-in luggage but said it would also allow devices to be handed over at boarding, a spokesman said. Turkish said it had introduced a similar measure.

Qatar Airways did not respond to questions on how it planned to mitigate the impact of the new security measures, but in a Facebook posting this week it said its in-flight entertainment was “the only entertainment you’ll need on board.”

Royal Jordanian also took a tongue-in-cheek approach, listing on Twitter “12 things to do on a 12-hour flight with no laptop or tablet,” including reading, meditating, saying hello to your neighbor, or “reclaiming territory on your armrest.”
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Влада, Новини, Україна

Суд відмовився розглянути доповідь правозахисників у справі Чийгоза – Полозов

Підконтрольний Кремлю Верховний суд Криму після відмови відводити прокурора у справі заступника голови Меджлісу кримськотатарського народу Ахтема Чийгоза залишив без розгляду ще кілька клопотань захисту, повідомляє адвокат Чийгоза Микола Полозом.

За його словами, мовиться про доправлення Ахтема Чийгоза до зали суду, про приєднання до справи доповіді міжнародної групи правозахисників про події 26 лютого 2014 року, а також про відвід усього складу суду через непряму зацікавленість.

На засіданні 27 березня заслухали свідчення свідка захисту Леммара Юнусова, за словами якого «Ахтем Чийгоз не здійснюють будь-яких жестів і не давав ніяких команд і розпоряджень мітингувальникам». Після цього суд перейшов до допиту другого свідка захисту – Сейрана Егамбердієва. Однак через закінчення робочого часу його допит був завершений.

Продовження слухань заплановано на вівторок, 28 березня, повідомив Микола Полозов.

Раніше Верховний суд Криму продовжив арешт Ахтему Чийгоз на три місяці, до 8 липня.

Ахтема Чийгоза затримали у січні 2015 роки за участь у мітингу на підтримку територіальної цілісності України перед будівлею Верховної Ради Криму 26 лютого 2014 року. Тоді мітингувальникам протистояли проросійські активісти, у тому числі, з партії «Русское единство».

«Справу Чийгоза» російський суд розглядає у рамках «сутички 26 лютого» після того, як суд на закритому засіданні розділив цю справу на дві: окремо щодо заступника голови Меджлісу Ахтема Чийгоза і інших фігурантів процесу – Алі Асанова і Мустафи Дегерменджі.
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Бізнес, Новини, Фінанси

Trump Convenes Panel on Empowering Women in Business

President Donald Trump says that empowering and promoting women in business are priorities in his administration.

 

In a round-table discussion, the president is telling a group of female business owners that his team will work on barriers women face. He says the administration is also trying to make childcare more affordable and accessible.

 

WATCH: Trump’s comments during roundtable discussion

The gathering comes on the first work day since the Republican-led plan to repeal and replace the nation’s health care law was pulled before a House vote, a major setback for the Trump administration.

 

The White House is trying to focus this week on another campaign priority: creating jobs and economic issues.
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ЄС, Новини, Світ

Britain Wants Social Media Sites Cleared of Jihadist Postings

Islamic State propagandists are seeking to capitalize on last week’s terror attack in London, which left five people dead and 40 injured, by flooding YouTube with hundreds of violent recruitment videos.

The online propaganda offensive comes as Britain demands social media companies scrub their sites of jihadist postings.

Amber Rudd, the country’s interior minister, has vowed to “call time” on internet firms allowing terrorists “a place to hide” and has summoned some of the leading social media companies, including Facebook and Twitter, for what is being dubbed by British officials as “showdown talks” later this week.

Rudd says she is determined to stop extremists “using social media as their platform” for recruitment and for operational needs.

Britain’s security services are in a standoff with WhatsApp, which has refused to allow them access to the encrypted message the London attacker sent three minutes before he used an SUV to mow down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge and stabbed to death a policeman outside the House of Commons.

British security services are powerless to read that final message, which might cast light on whether the attack was a “lone wolf” or one aided and directed by others. Police investigators believe the terrorist acted alone and have seen no evidence that he was associated with IS or al-Qaida.

WhatsApp, which has a billion users worldwide, employs “end to end encryption” for messages, which the company says prevents even its own technicians from reading people’s messages.

Officials want voluntary action

Rudd and other government ministers have launched a media onslaught, saying they are considering legislation to require online companies to take down extremist material. They argue this wouldn’t be necessary if the companies recognized their community responsibilities.

Rudd told the BBC that Facebook, Google and other companies should understand they are not just technology businesses, but also publishing platforms. “We have to have a situation where we can have our security services get into the terrorists’ communications,” she argued. “There should be no place for terrorists to hide.”

British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson joined in the condemnation of social media and online companies. “I think it’s disgusting,” he told The Sunday Times. “They need to stop just making money out of prurient violent material.”

At a security conference last week in the United States, Johnson called for action.

“We are going to have to engage not just militarily, but also to stop the stuff on the internet that is corrupting and polluting so many people,” he said. “This is something that the internet companies and social media companies need to think about. They need to do more to take that stuff off their media — the incitements, the information about how to become a terrorist, the radicalizing sermons and messages. That needs to come down.”

Recruiting criminals

The furor over extremist use of the internet was fueled Monday by front-page articles in the Times and Daily Mail newspapers highlighting the IS propaganda videos posted on YouTube since last Wednesday’s slaughter in the British capital. The high-definition videos, some of which contained references to the London attack, include gory scenes of beheadings and “caliphate violence” carried out by child adherents of the terror group.

U.S. and European officials have long complained online companies are, in effect, aiding and abetting terrorism. A year ago in January, much of the U.S. national security leadership of the Obama administration sat down with Silicon Valley chiefs to discuss jihadist use of the internet to recruit and radicalize people and plot attacks.

Also last year, British spy chief, Robert Hannigan, singled out messaging apps as especially worrisome for the security services, saying they had become “the command-and-control networks of choice for terrorists and criminals — precisely because they are highly encrypted.”

Some cooperation

After initial resistance to complaints from Western governments, Facebook, Google and Twitter have in recent months been more cooperative with authorities and have removed large amounts of extremist material. Twitter said in the second half of 2016 it suspended 376,890 accounts for violations related to promotion of terrorism.

But some services have resisted providing governments with encryption keys, or so-called back doors.

Apple has developed encryption keys that message users can use that are not possessed by the company. Apple’s chief executive, Timothy Cook, argued last year, “If you put a key under the mat for the cops, a burglar can find it, too.”

Silicon Valley chiefs say they fear violations of privacy and their priority is their customers, not national security, an argument that has resonated since former U.S. National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden revealed the extent of electronic surveillance by U.S. intelligence agencies.

Last year, WhatsApp was blocked several times in Brazil for failing to hand over information relating to criminal investigations. 

Messages sent on a rival service by Telegram are also encrypted, but after bad publicity and immense pressure from Western governments, the company does provide a backdoor for security and law-enforcement agencies.

Not that access to encrypted communications always helps.

Sunday, it emerged that German police knew the Christmas market attacker in Berlin who drove a truck into a crowd of shoppers was planning a suicide attack. Police had intercepted his Telegram messages nine months before the attack.

A police recommendation that he be deported was declined by state government prosecutors because they feared the courts would reject the request.
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ЄС, Новини, Світ

Rights group: More than 1,000 arrested in Belarus protests

A Belarusian human rights group says more than 1,000 people have been arrested for weekend protests in the former Soviet Republic and that about 150 of them have been sentenced to jail terms of up to 25 days.

Opponents of authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko held unsanctioned demonstrations Saturday in Minsk, the capital, and other Belarusian cities, at which arrests were widespread. Other arrests took place in Minsk on Sunday when demonstrators demanded to know the detainees’ whereabouts.

 

Authorities have made no comment on the arrests.

 

Vladimir Lobkovich of the Vesna human rights group on Monday called the sentencings a “judicial conveyor.”

 

The weekend demonstrations were part of an unusually persistent wave of anti-government protests in the former Soviet republic.

 
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ЄС, Новини, Світ

US, Russia, China, Others Sit Out Nuclear Ban Talks at UN

The United States, Russia, China and more than a score of other countries are sitting out new talks at the United Nations toward a treaty that would ban nuclear weapons.

 

U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley and colleagues from Britain, France and about 20 other nations gathered Monday outside the General Assembly to show opposition to the talks starting inside. Haley says the U.S. wants a nuclear-weapons-free world but has to be “realistic” about how to get there while protecting its people.

 

She says the U.S. has already reduced its nuclear weapons by 85 percent under the decades-old Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

 

More than 100 countries backed a General Assembly resolution that set up the talks. Backers of the proposed treaty say prohibiting nuclear weapons would be a powerful step toward eliminating them.

 
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Бізнес, Новини, Фінанси

Economic Report Predicts Rise in Global Counterfeiting, Piracy

The global trend in counterfeiting and piracy is forecast to increase during the decade with China at the heart of production of fake goods from clothes to electronics, and risky fake medicines and cosmetics.

But governments and businesses are looking to challenge the commercial threats posed by counterfeiting with steps to detect fake goods and protect brands and jobs.

A report commissioned by the International Trademark Association (INTA) and the International Chamber of Commerce, said the global economic value of counterfeiting and piracy could reach $2.3 trillion by 2022. The global value of the counterfeit market in 2015 stood at $1.7 trillion.

The February 2017 report, by research firm Frontier Economics, said the wider social, investment and criminal enforcement costs could take the total to $4.2 trillion, leaving at risk about 5.4 million “legitimate jobs”.

Analysts say while counterfeiting and fraud have been a part of commercial life, the quickening pace of fake products has come with the globalization of business.

Plague on world economy

A recent report by the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime says “counterfeit goods and fraudulent medicines pose a serious risk to public health and safety”.

The goods range from automotive supplies, to chemicals and pesticides, consumer electronics, electrical components, food, drink and agricultural products.

While deaths and sickness have been reported from key foods such as baby milk powder in Asia, the full human toll as a result of fake mechanical, food and medicines is unclear.

China said to be at center

The UNODC and the World Customs Organization estimate 75 percent of counterfeit products seized worldwide in 2010 were manufactured in East Asia, mostly in China.

Australia-based product security firm, YPB Group executive chairman, John Houston, says the “problem [of counterfeiting] essentially is in China”.

“The Chinese counterfeiter can now copy the best packaging, they actually put holograms on things that the original brand owner doesn’t have a hologram on, to create the aura of authenticity,” Houston said.

“So what you need is a traceable, identifiable, authenticable technology in products and you would be absolutely amazed how little there is in the world,” he said.

The UNODC says India and China are the largest sources of fraudulent medicines, with China the lead “departure point” of nearly 60 percent of counterfeit medical products seized globally.

But even as China takes steps to crack down on counterfeit medicines, “key aspects of production” are likely to move elsewhere, including to North Korea, Myanmar and Vietnam.

Major problem

The major driver of the sales of counterfeit goods has come through e-commerce and major online distribution channels. In December the United States placed China’s Alibaba Group on a ‘counterfeit goods watch list’.

Since then Alibaba, the $270 billion e-commerce powerhouse, led by chief executive Jack Ma, said it was taking steps to crackdown on counterfeit sellers on its network, including a digital ledger system designed to track genuine food products through a supply chain.

Alibaba also called on China’s authorities to introduce tougher laws, stricter enforcement and stiffer penalties to crackdown on producers of counterfeit goods in China. The company blamed China’s “ambiguous counterfeiting laws” that hampered authorities’ ability to build legal cases against counterfeiters.

Steps by Alibaba, included the taking down of 380 million product listings and the shutdown of 180,000 Taobao stores, and 675 operators as a result of anti-counterfeiting measures.

Countries fighting back

Governments are also taking action against elements in the counterfeiting trade. Thailand regularly carries out high profile raids on counterfeit goods’ suppliers and well publicized destruction of the goods.

In Cambodia, where the key health challenge is counterfeit medicines, the Interior Ministry recently said it had closed down over 60 illegal pharmacies, as well measures to curb production of fake currencies, notably U.S. dollars.

In Vietnam, faced with a “tidal wave” of counterfeit cosmetics flooding the market, the Health Department of Medicine Management suspended the distribution of more than 30 beauty products.

Businesses in Vietnam have also complained that fake products from China were costing the firms “hundreds of thousands of dollars each year in lost revenue”.

Anti-counterfeiting measures

YPB’s Houston said there is increasing demand for technologies to thwart counterfeiting or forgery, especially with issues of cross border migration and terrorism in many parts of the world.

A report by MarketsandMarkets.com said the value of anti-counterfeiting packaging is set to reach $153.95 billion by 2020, from $82.05 billion in 2015.

Houston said Asian governments were looking to anti-counterfeiting technology realizing “the burden and loss of revenue that counterfeit and the black economy place on developing economies.”
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Бізнес, Новини, Фінанси

Snap Shares Rise as Underwriters Start Coverage with ‘Buy’

Snap Inc., owner of messaging app Snapchat, received top ratings from a number of its IPO underwriters on Monday, sending its shares up more than 3 percent in premarket trading.

Snap had a red-hot debut on March 1 in what was the largest listing by a technology firm in three years. However, many investors have been critical of the company’s lack of profitability and decelerating user growth.

At least six brokerages, including Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs, rated the stock “buy” or higher, citing the company’s long-term growth in a highly competitive market.

As of Friday’s close, the stock had risen nearly 34 percent from its $17 initial public offering price. The stock was trading at $23.52 before the bell on Monday.

The Los Angeles-based company’s app, which allows users to share short-lived messages and pictures, is popular with young people but faces intense competition from larger rivals such as Facebook Inc.’s Instagram. Snap has warned it may never become profitable.

“SNAP’s engaged/hard-to-reach millennial users and unique video offerings should attract significant ad dollars,” said Morgan Stanley analysts, who started the stock with an “overweight” rating.

The analysts also said that Snap’s ad monetization was still in its infancy.

Among other underwriters, Jefferies, RBC, Cowen & Co and Credit Suisse rated the stock a “buy.” RBC was the most bullish with a $31 price target.

“The big question is whether SNAP’s user base can ‘age up,'” analysts at Cowen & Co. said in a note.

However, JP Morgan, also an underwriter, started with a “neutral” rating.

“[The] neutral rating is driven by an increasingly competitive social media landscape which includes Facebook and others implementing successful Snap features across a broader user base, potentially weighing on user growth, and lack of profit until 2019E,” JP Morgan analysts said.

Including the latest actions, Snap now has eight “buy” or higher ratings, six “sell” and seven “neutral” ratings, according to Thomson Reuters data.

 
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Влада, Новини, Україна

Представники ГУАМ підписали протокол про створення ЗВТ

«Це сприятливо позначиться на розвитку наших національних економік, поглибить наше співробітництво» – Гройсман
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Влада, Новини, Україна

ГПУ оголосила в розшук ще одного російського генерала через конфлікт на Донбасі

Генеральна прокуратура України повідомляє, що оголосила у розшук російського генерала Олексія Завізьона через його роль у збройному конфлікті на сході України.

За повідомленням, Головна військова прокуратура підозрює командувача 41 загальновійськової армії Центрального військового округу збройних сил Росії за статтями «умисні дії, вчинені з метою зміни меж території та державного кордону України на порушення порядку, встановленого Конституцією України, які призвели до загибелі людей та інших тяжких наслідків», «ведення агресивної війни», «участь у терористичній організації».

У ГПУ заявляють, що Завізьона «обґрунтовано підозрюють» у тому, що він у період з лютого по липень 2015 року командував групою бойовиків й організовував обстріли позицій українських військових.

Як заявили в прокуратурі, слідчі готують клопотання про надання дозволу на затримання російського генерала.

У серпні 2016 року генпрокурор України Юрій Луценко заявив про оголошення підозри у скоєнні злочинів проти основ національної безпеки України 18 високопосадовцям Росії, зокрема міністру оборони Сергію Шойгу, заступнику міністра оборони Дмитру Булгакову, начальнику Генерального штабу збройних сил Росії Валерію Герасимову.

За даними Міноборони України, станом на 20 березня від початку конфлікту на сході України загинули 2 629 українських військових, поранені – понад 9,4 тисячі.
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