Month: October 2019

Alaska’s Iditarod Joins New Global Sled-dog Racing Series

Posted on by Ohart

Alaska’s famed Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race has joined a new global partnership billed as the World Series of long-distance sled dog racing and aimed at bringing more fans to the cold-weather sport.

The Iditarod has teamed up with Norway pet food supplement company and series creator, Aker BioMarine, and other races in Minnesota, Norway and Russia for the inaugural QRILL Pet Arctic World Series, or QPAWS, next year.

Logistics were still being worked out, but the series will use a joint point system over a still-undetermined time frame, GPS tracking and an online platform to follow the racing teams. Talks with potential broadcast outlets also are under way, organizers say.

FILE – Defending Iditarod champion Joar Lefseth Ulsom of Norway greets fans on the trail during the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, March 2, 2019, in Anchorage, Alaska.

“Together with Iditarod and the other unique events, we will make QPAWS a winning TV concept in order to build the sport for the future,” series project manager Nils Marius Otterstad said in an email to The Associated Press. He said the Iditarod was approached about the idea a year ago and agreed to move forward on it during this year’s race in March.

The other races

At 1,000 miles (1,610 kilometers), the Iditarod will be the longest race among those participating the first year, as well as serve as the finale to the series next March. The series also will feature races kicking off in late January with the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon in Minnesota, followed by the Femundlopet in Norway in early February by the Volga Quest in Russia a week later.

Discussions also are under way to add other races, including the 1,000-mile (1,610-kilometer) Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race traversing Alaska and Canada’s Yukon each February. Marti Steury, the Quest’s executive director for Alaska, said Quest officials are watching to see how the first year goes.

New Iditarod CEO Rob Urbach poses for a photo in Anchorage, Alaska, Oct. 15, 2019.

Participants in any of the QPAWS races don’t have to join the circuit if they prefer to stick to just one contest, according to the Iditarod’s new CEO, Rob Urbach. Because the races are so globally distant and scheduled so closely together, he said the circuit could take place over two years.

“The complexity of our racing is unique in the world of sports, and therefore may see some different ways to do the series,” he said.

The Iditarod is already well-steeped in technology, despite the low-tech aspect of the trail, which spans two mountain ranges and the frozen Yukon River before it heads up the wind-scrubbed Bering Sea Coast to the finish line in the Gold Rush town of Nome. Sleds are equipped with GPS trackers that allow fans to follow them online and enable organizers to ensure no one is missing.

Race volunteers and contractors working out of an Anchorage hotel process live video streamed from village checkpoints, using satellite dishes. Some volunteers handle race-standing updates sent through equipment that activates a super-size hot spot in the most remote places with satellite connections.

Troubled time for Iditarod

The move to QPAWS follows a troublesome time for the Iditarod that was marked in recent years by multiple challenges, including escalating pressure from animal-welfare activists over multiple dog deaths, a 2017 dog-doping scandal and the loss of major sponsors.

Urbach, a former CEO of USA Triathlon, recently met with representatives of the Iditarod’s harshest critic, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. PETA’s executive vice president Tracy Reiman called the new racing circuit a “World Series of Cruelty” destined for failure.

“Just as Ringling Bros. circus struggled to find an audience for its abusive elephant shows, the dogsledding industry is desperately scrambling for viewers — but kind people today have no interest in watching dogs being forced to run until their paws bleed, they choke on their own vomit, and they drop dead on the trail,” Reiman said in an email.

Branding expert Conor O’Flaherty said the venture has the potential to create a bigger audience.

“What’s important for a sport like this is it not only represents the distinct community, it also represents part of cultural history that’s important to protect,” said O’Flaherty, managing director at New York-based SME Branding.

Urbach contends QPAWS will go far in raising the exposure of long-distance mushing and better educate the public about the special relationship the dogs have with their human teammates. 

“You could argue that the sport needs a rejuvenation,” said Urbach, who took the helm of the Iditarod in July.

Mushers interested, cautious

With so many details about the series still unknown, many mushers are taking a wait-and-see approach. Defending champion Pete Kaiser said he plans to participate only in the Iditarod.

“My main concerns are, what do you have to do to win this thing and what are the logistics,” he said.

Three-time winner Mitch Seavey, who comes from a multigenerational family of mushers, also is watching developments closely.

“I’m in favor of the Iditarod and other races doing new things. We need to change our demographic. We need to change our fan base, or at least expand it. We need to modernize and appeal to more people,” Seavey said. “Give them a chance. That’s what I’m saying.”

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Brazil Says It Will No Longer Require Visas from Chinese, Indian Citizens

Posted on by Ohart

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said on Thursday the South American nation will drop its requirement that visiting Chinese and Indian tourists or businesspeople obtain visas.

Bolsonaro, a far-right politician, came to power at the beginning of the year and has made it a policy to reduce visa requirements from a number of developed countries. But the announcement, made during an official visit to China, is the first he has made expanding that policy to the developing world.

Earlier this year, the Brazilian government ended visa requirements for tourists and businesspeople from the United States, Canada, Japan and Australia. Those countries, however, have not in return dropped their visa requirements for Brazilian citizens.

 

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Buttigieg Calls Facebook’s Political Ad Policy a ‘Mistake’

Posted on by Worldnews

Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg says Facebook’s policy to not filter out phony political ads is “a mistake” and he says breaking up big tech companies should be “on the table.”

The mayor of South Bend, Indiana, made the comments to reporters after a campaign stop in New Hampshire. Days before, his campaign confirmed hiring staff recommended by Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife.

Zuckerberg has come under criticism from other Democratic candidates, especially Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, for Facebook’s hands-off policy regarding campaign ads, and they’ve called for the company’s breakup.

Buttigieg says that should be considered but shouldn’t “be declared in advance by a politician.”

 

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Vaping-related Illnesses in US Still Rising, but More Slowly

Posted on by Worldnews

Fewer reports of vaping illnesses are coming in, but U.S. health officials say they are not sure what to make of it.
 
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 125 additional cases were reported in the last week, bringing the total to 1,604 in this year’s outbreak. That includes 34 deaths, one more than last week.
 
The outbreak is still happening, but the count of new cases has dropped for three straight weeks. A CDC spokeswoman said reporting delays could be one explanation.
 

The CDC reported the numbers Thursday.
 
The outbreak appears to have started in March. No single ingredient, electronic cigarette or vaping device has been linked to all the illnesses. Most who got sick said they vaped products containing THC, the high-inducing ingredient in marijuana.

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Jimmy Carter Out of Hospital After Treatment for Fall

Posted on by Worldnews

Former President Jimmy Carter is out of the hospital where he was treated after fracturing his pelvis in a recent fall.

The Carter Center said in a statement Thursday that the former president had been released from a hospital and was recovering at his home in Plains, Georgia.

The 95-year-old Carter is the oldest living former president in U.S. history.

 

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У «Нафтогазі» розкритикували намір Кличка почати опалювальний сезон 25 жовтня

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«Ми розуміємо хвилювання за температурний режим у лікарнях та садочках, але, можливо, варто підійти до підключення вибірково»
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Another Partial Victory in Ending Polio

Posted on by Ohart

Ending polio has been a long haul. The global campaign to eradicate the virus has been going on since 1988, and while it’s close, it’s not over. Sometime in 2020, Africa may be declared polio-free. But the disease is hanging on stubbornly in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and as long as it hangs on, it can spread around the globe.

The effort to end polio started more than 30 years ago. It’s been a massive program that relies on global funding, countless volunteer vaccinators, negotiations with political and religious leaders and parents. Vaccinators sometimes work in conflict zones, all to save lives and prevent lifelong disability.

Polio cases down 99.9%

In Kenya, facts about polio and the vaccine are taught in schools. Children are even taught what to tell their parents.

The international effort has seen the polio cases drop by 99.9%. Nigeria had its last case more than three years ago. It’s possible that next year Nigeria, and all of Africa, will be declared polio free.

Another victory: There used to be three strains of the virus. As of this week, there is now only one.

Afghan women wearing burqas from a polio immunization team walk together during a vaccination campaign in Kandahar, Oct. 15, 2019. Polio immunization is compulsory in Afghanistan, but distrust of vaccines is rife.

Pakistan-Afghanistan border

It is here, at the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan where the wild polio virus spreads. People are constantly crossing from one country to another, mostly to visit family members. Both countries saw cases increase in 2019 from the previous year. Oliver Rosenbauer is a spokesman for the World Health Organization. He spoke to VOA by Skype.

“The reality is that both countries are essentially one epidemiological block, and there is so much population movement. The same virus family is being ping-ponged back and forth across the border with population movements,” he said.

A second challenge concerns restrictions the Taliban have placed on vaccinators. The vaccine can only be given at immunization centers. Door-to-door immunizations are now banned.

WATCH: Another Partial Victory in Ending Polio


Another Partial Victory in Ending Polio video player.

Program’s success

Still another challenge is a result of the program’s success. There are so very few cases in the two countries, the global program now has to address other urgent needs like access to clean water and better nutrition.

Carol Pandak, head of the PolioPlus program at Rotary International, says the partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative have always been able to adapt.

“UNICEF, in particular, has a strategy for both Afghanistan and Pakistan to provide these complimentary services, and Rotary, for many years now, has been working with Coca Cola in Pakistan, providing water filtration systems in some of these highest risk areas,” she said.

Those involved in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative have traveled a road that is longer and harder than was expected in 1988, when the program began. It’s far from over, but Rotary International, UNICEF, the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, along with countless local and federal governments, and the vaccinators themselves have not given up.

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У Київському метро можуть обмежити вхід на три станції через футбол

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Київський метрополітен попереджає про можливе обмеження на вхід пасажирів станцій «Палац спорту», «Олімпійська» і «Площа Льва Толстого» через матч між командами «Динамо» (Київ) і «Копенгаген» (Данія) на НСК «Олімпійський».

Початок гри запланований на 22:00. Обмеження можливі перед цим, а також після завершення матчу, з 23:45.

 

«Механізм застосовується з міркувань безпеки для уникнення масового скупчення пасажиропотоку на платформах станцій», – йдеться в повідомленні.

Крім того, у ніч з 24 на 25 жовтня роботу столичної підземки буде подовжено на одну годину.

 
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 Nigeria’s Traditional Incense Thrives with Social Media Marketing

Posted on by Ohart

In the Nigerian city pf Maiduguri, the popular incense kaaji is a cherished, local tradition.  Kaaji, made from generations-old recipes, is used during important ceremonies such as weddings to dispel evil spirits.  But with the advance of technology and social media, the market for the incense is growing.  Chika Oduah reports from Maiduguri.

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Мінекоенерго і незалежні лабораторії проведуть спільні вимірювання забруднення повітря

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Міністерство економіки та екології збираються провести спільні вимірювання забруднення повітря з незалежними лабораторіями. Про це йшлося на екстреній нараді між міністром, представниками Гідрометцентру, Державної служби з надзвичайних ситуацій та Національної геофізичної обсерваторії.

«Стан повітря в Україні в межах, притаманних на цю пору року в порівнянні з попередніми роками. Тобто підстав для хвилювання про значні додаткові джерела забруднення повітря немає. Проте, було зафіксовано перевищення викидів по деяких забруднюючих речовинах в усіх промислових містах України, таких як Маріуполь, Дніпро, Кам’янське, Запоріжжя тощо», – мовиться у повідомленні.

Очільник Мінекоенерго Олексій Оржель доручив привести українські показники у відповідність до європейських, щоб мати змогу порівняти їх.

Міністерство також планує розробити план по модернізації системи моніторингу та переведення його в онлайн режим.

«На даний момент часу показники забираються Державною гідрометеорологічною службою України в двох режимах. В повному режимі – відбір проб здійснюється чотири рази на добу шість днів на тиждень та не повному режимі – коли відбір проб здійснюється два рази на добу», – зазначили у відомстві.

 

21 жовтня у мерії Києва повідомили, що стан повітря погіршився в Голосіївському районі столиці через пожежі на торфовищах в Обухівському районі Київщини. Пізніше представник управління екології КМДА Олександр Савченко повідомив, що у Києві немає задимленості, а є так звана температурна інверсія. Чиновник зазначив, що приблизно через тиждень денна і нічна температура повинні вирівнятись, і згадане явище зникне.

22 жовтня Центральна геофізична обсерваторія імені Срезневського повідомила, що концентрації оксиду вуглецю в останні дні залишались в Києві у своїх звичних параметрах. «Типовим для нинішньої осінньої погоди» назвав рівень забруднення повітря в українських містах директор Українського гідрометеорологічного центру ДСНС України Микола Кульбіда.
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Abuses in Nigerian Islamic Schools Spark Regulation Demands

Posted on by Worldnews

Nearly 1,000 people have been freed in the past month from Islamic schools in northern Nigeria where they reportedly experienced abuse.  

In one such case, police sources said hundreds of men and boys had been freed from a school in Katsina, many of whom had been chained to walls, beaten and sexually abused. 

The four raided schools, all in predominantly Muslim northern Nigeria, have much in common.  All had managers who portrayed themselves as Islamic clerics teaching students how to be good Muslims. 
 
All the facilities also operated as reform centers to discipline misbehaving children. And all were in poor communities, drawing little attention — until now. 
 
Activists have sought regulation of private Islamic schools for years, but strong traditions have stood in the way. 

A 15 year-old-boy, one of hundreds of men and boys rescued by police from an institution purporting to be an Islamic school, reveals scars on his back at a transit camp set up to take care of the released captives in Kaduna, Nigeria, Sept. 28, 2019.

One such tradition involves a concept among Nigerian Muslims called almajiri. 

“Almajiris, according to Islam, means those who migrated to somewhere in search of Islamic knowledge,” said cultural historian Bukar Chabbal. “That is the original conception — one under a strict teacher who teaches them.” 

Almajiris are usually boys. A parent will send a son to live with an Islamic scholar, known as a mallam, for many years in the hope that the child will receive a sound education in Islamic doctrine. 
 
There are an estimated 10 million almajiris in Nigeria, often seen on the streets begging for food. According to their Islamic teachers, begging helps the students learn humility. 
 
But Chabbal and others say parents are abusing the system, giving their children away to Islamic clerics because they can’t afford to raise them themselves. 

Discipline
 
Sending unruly children to Islamic schools to be disciplined is another traditional practice.   
 

Children rescued from captivity by police are fed by officials at the Hajj transit camp in Kaduna, Nigeria, Sept. 28, 2019.

Aliyu Mohammed Tonga, an activist for almajiri children, said that “as I can recall, when we were young, what our parents used to tell us is that someone has been taken to so-and-so person and has been corrected.” 
 
Muslim groups in Nigeria are condemning the raided schools, saying the owners are not real clerics and the schools are not true almajiri schools. 
 
Activists like Aliyu say regulation is necessary, to separate the good from the bad. 
 
“Anybody can come in, even the criminal can come in in disguise and say, ‘I’m a mallam,’ and he can do what he can do, and that is what happened,” Aliyu said. 

President Muhammadu Buhari has directed Nigerian police to find abusive so-called Islamic schools and disband them. 

Some information for this report came from Reuters. 

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ICE Withdraws Big Fines for Immigrants Living in Churches

Posted on by Worldnews

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is reversing course months after threatening six-figure fines against immigrants taking sanctuary at churches. 
  
Seven women have been notified that ICE, using its discretion, is withdrawing its intent to pursue fines of $300,000 or more for their refusal to leave the country as ordered, according to the National Sanctuary Collective, a coalition of attorneys, organizers and other advocates for them. They count it as a victory. 
  
“We knew that these exorbitant fines were illegal and were nothing more than a tool to scare our clients and retaliate against them for fighting back and standing up to this administration,” attorney Lizbeth Mateo, who represents a Mexican woman living at an Ohio church, said in a statement. Mateo said immigration officials should exercise the same discretion “to release sanctuary families.” 
  
The immigrants have remained in the U.S. in violation of the law and still are subject to removal orders that ICE will enforce “using any and all available means,” agency spokesman Richard Rocha said in an email. He said ICE also could reassess the fines.   

FILE – This photo shows the bedroom of Maria Chavalan-Sut of Guatemala, who sought sanctuary at a United Methodist church in Charlottesville, Va. She and other immigrants taking sanctuary had received letters threatening them with huge fines.

Immigrants have sought relief from deportation at houses of worship because immigration officials consider them “sensitive locations” and avoid enforcement action at such sites. Maria Chavalan-Sut, an indigenous woman from Guatemala seeking asylum, moved into a United Methodist church in Charlottesville, Virginia. Another woman has lived in sanctuary with her 11-year-old son in Austin, Texas, for more than two years. 
  
Mateo’s client, Edith Espinal, has stayed at a Columbus church for the past two years. She was notified in June that she faced a fine of nearly $500,000. 
  
In a statement, she said ICE’s reversal on the fines was “an example of what speaking out and organizing can accomplish.” 
 
The agency said it issued nine notifications in June about its intent to pursue fines. It said Wednesday that eight of those had been withdrawn and one still was being pursued. It didn’t identify those cases or name the immigrants involved. 

Top priority for Trump
 
The six-figure penalties were another reminder of how President Donald Trump has made cracking down immigration, legal and illegal, a top domestic priority.   
  
Immigrants who are free on bond but ordered to leave the country are typically given a date to report to immigration authorities for removal. Others are ordered to check in with authorities, which, under former President Barack Obama-era policies, generally didn’t result in deportation unless the person was convicted of a serious crime in the United States. 
  
Trump lifted those restrictions almost immediately, causing people to get deported when they reported to ICE offices as instructed and discouraging others from coming. 

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Saudi Arabia Appoints Foreign Minister with Western Experience

Posted on by Worldnews

Saudi Arabia appointed as foreign minister Wednesday a prince with diplomatic experience in the West in a partial Cabinet reshuffle as the kingdom tries to mend its international image and prepares to take over the Group of 20 presidency next year.

Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud had served for the last few months as Saudi ambassador to Germany and earlier as political adviser at the Washington embassy. His previous business career in the defense industry included being chairman of a joint venture with Boeing.

FILE – Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud poses for the media in Berlin, Germany, March 27, 2019.

Saudi Arabia, a key U.S. ally in confronting Iran, has faced intense Western criticism in the past year over its human rights record, including the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and its involvement in the devastating war in Yemen.

Outgoing foreign minister Ibrahim al-Assaf, who had earlier served as finance minister for years, remains a minister of state. He was appointed less than a year ago to restructure the ministry.

As part of Wednesday’s reshuffle, which was announced in state media, Saleh al-Jasser, director general of Saudi Arabian Airlines, replaced Nabil al-Amoudi as transport minister.

It was unclear if Amoudi would have another government position. He was appointed last month to the board of state oil giant Saudi Aramco, which is planning a partial share flotation.

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У ДБР наполягають, що внутрішні дані з редакції «Схем» їм потрібні для слідства

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Державне бюро розслідувань відреагувало на заяву «Схем» щодо надмірного обсягу внутрішніх даних редакції, доступ до яких слідчі отримали через суд (графік роботи журналістів, операторів та водіїв, їхні зарплати, внутрішня редакційна комунікація). У ДБР наполягають, що затребувана інформація їм необхідна для розслідування провадження щодо ймовірного незаконного переправлення через держкордон експрезидента Порошенка. Водночас, у ДБР так і не пояснили, як саме їхньому розслідуванню може допомогти такий широкий перелік внутрішньої інформації редакції програми розслідувань «Схеми». 

«Усі дані, що затребують слідчі ДБР у Радіо Свобода, стосуватимуться виключно матеріалів програми «Схеми: корупція в деталях» – «Mr. Petro Incognito. Таємна відпустка президента Порошенка», які допоможуть у розслідуванні кримінального провадження щодо імовірного незаконного переправлення через державний кордон колишнього Президента України, інших службових осіб», – йдеться в повідомленні Державного бюро розслідувань.

«Враховуючи, що Петро Порошенко не надає показів, для встановлення всіх обставин у рамках цього провадження нам потрібна ваша допомога.Зокрема, покази знімальної групи щодо тих подій. Інформація, яку з’ясували журналісти, має бути оформлена в рамках кримінального провадження», – йдеться в заяві ДБР. 

Втім, у Бюро не пояснюють, як в офіційному встановленні цих фактів можуть допомогти обліки робочого часу журналістів, операторів та водіїв програми розслідувань, їхні зарплати, їхня внутрішня редакційна комунікація – аж до процесу «внесення правок» та «погодження випуску в ефір». Редакція вже зазначала, що вважає витребування такого широкого переліку даних надмірним. У ДБР також не зазначили, чи вживали слідчі інші заходи для з’ясування обставин справи в рамках розслідування, окрім допиту головного фігуранта, експрезидента України Петра Порошенка.

Також у ДБР запевнили, що їх «не цікавлять джерела отримання інформації журналістами» та зазначили, що «не збираються проводити обшуки».

Водночас, у самій ухвалі суду прямо зазначено, що у разі відмови редакції добровільно виконати рішення і надати слідству всі ці дані – суд за клопотанням слідчого має право винести рішення про дозвіл на проведення обшуків на Радіо Свобода. Водночас, редакція вже наголошувала, що не має наміру надавати листування журналістів і дані про редакційний процес підготовки програми розслідувань.

В офіційному повідомленні ДБР, оприлюдненому після заяви «Схем», журналістів також закликали до співпраці.

«Викликає занепокоєння нелінійність поведінки слідчих ДБР. Адже в рамках цього офіційного розслідування «Схеми» вже пішли з ними на контакт. Так, у серпні вони звернулись до редакції з проханням надати офіційні запити, які журналісти відправляли під час свого розслідування, та відповіді на них. Редакція надала слідчим запитувані документи. Незрозуміло, навіщо для подальшої співпраці слідчим знадобилось застосовувати інструмент примусу, під загрозою обшуків. Ми завжди готові йти назустріч слідчим органам, допомагати їм доводити розпочаті нами розслідування до справедливої розв’язки, сприяти притягненню винних до відповідальності – але не тоді, коли правоохоронці через суд надмірно та необґрунтовано втручаються в роботу редакції», – підкреслила головний редактор програми розслідувань «Схеми» Наталка Седлецька. 

«Схеми» не вбачають можливим надавати слідству внутрішню редакційну інформацію, яка очевидно не має стосунку до суті кримінальної справи, та несе потенційні ризики розкриття журналістських джерел. Це стосується кримінальних проваджень стосовно представників як попередньої влади, так і нинішньої, незалежно від політичної приналежності фігуранта», – також йшлося в заяві редакції. 

Печерський районний суд Києва ухвалою від 17 жовтня надав слідчим ДБР дозвіл на тимчасовий доступ до редакційної комунікації журналістів програми «Схеми: корупція в деталях» (спільного проєкту Радіо Свобода і каналу «UA:Перший»), які готували розслідування «Mr. Petro Incognito» – про таємну відпустку Петра Порошенка на Мальдівах, опубліковане у січні 2018 року під авторством Михайла Ткача та Наталки Седлецької.

Окрім того, слідчі отримали дозвіл на доступ до цілої низки інших внутрішньоредакційних даних – графіку роботи журналістів, операторів та водіїв, даних щодо оплати їхньої праці тощо.

Таке рішення суд ухвалив у межах досудового розслідування кримінального провадження ДБР щодо ймовірного «незаконного переправлення осіб» – зокрема, експрезидента – через державний кордон «з використанням завідомо підроблених документів».

6 серпня у ДБР повідомили, що розслідують можливі факти організації незаконного переправлення через український державний кордон колишнього президента України. Досудове розслідування проводять за статтями «службове підроблення», «незаконне переправлення осіб через державний кордон України», «використання завідомо підробленого документа».

Імені колишнього президента у повідомленні не було вказано, проте Радіо Свобода стало відомо, що йдеться про Петра Порошенка. Справа стосується його відпочинку на Мальдівах у січні 2018 року, про який писали журналісти програми «Схеми» (спільного проекту Радіо Свобода та каналу «UA:Перший») у своєму розслідуванні «Mr. Petro Incognito».

Згідно з розслідуванням, неафішований президентський відпочинок, що тривав з 1 по 8 січня разом з перельотом загалом коштував не менше ніж 500 тисяч доларів, що становило понад 14 мільйонів гривень.

Журналісти програми припустили, що президент України Петро Порошенко зі своїми супутниками міг літати на Мальдівські острови під вигаданими прізвищами і не проходити паспортний і митний контроль.

Водночас Порошенко наголошував, що кордон він перетинав за своїм прізвищем, «по своєму паспорту, з відповідною реєстрацією у прикордонник

 
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UN Says 1st Local Polio Case Found in Zambia Since 1995

Posted on by Ohart

The World Health Organization says Zambia has reported its first local case of polio since 1995, in a 2-year-old boy paralyzed by a virus derived from the vaccine.

In a report this week, WHO said the case was detected on the border with Congo, which has reported 37 cases of polio traced to the vaccine this year. The U.N. health agency said there is no established link between the Zambia case and the ongoing Congo outbreak but said increased surveillance and vaccination efforts are needed, warning that “there is a potential for international spread.”

In rare cases, the live virus in oral polio vaccine can mutate into a form capable of sparking new outbreaks.

Nine African countries are currently battling polio epidemics linked to the vaccine as WHO and partners struggle to keep their efforts to eradicate polio on track. Elsewhere, cases have been reported in China, Myanmar and the Philippines.

On Thursday, WHO and partners are expected to announce they have rid the world of type 3 polio virus.

Nigerian Polio Survivor Gives Hope To Thousands
Teaser Description
Ten years ago, Nigeria accounted for half of the world’s polio cases, but following an aggressive vaccination program, the African nation is on the verge of being declared polio free. Despite the milestone, Nigeria’s many polio survivors are left to struggle with their disabilities, although one survivor has found a way to provide support and hope for thousands. Timothy Obiezu has this story from Abuja ahead of World Polio Day on October 24th.

There are three types of polio viruses. Type 2 was eliminated years ago. That now leaves only type 1. But that refers only to polio viruses in the wild. Type 2 viruses continue to cause problems since they are still contained in the oral polio vaccine and occasionally evolve into new strains responsible for some vaccine-derived outbreaks.

The global effort to eradicate polio was launched in 1988 and originally aimed to wipe out the potentially fatal disease by 2000. While cases have dropped dramatically, the virus remains stubbornly entrenched in parts of Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan. This year there have been 72 cases of polio in Pakistan after only eight in 2018.

In meeting notes from an expert polio oversight board in September, WHO’s Michel Zaffran said the status of eradication was “of great concern,” noting the Taliban’s ban on house-to-house vaccination in Afghanistan. Officials described the program in Pakistan as a “failing trajectory.”

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Former Top General Gets a Shot at Forming Israeli Government

Posted on by Ohart

Israel’s former military chief Benny Gantz is set to receive an official mandate to form the country’s next government but has few options after last month’s elections left him in a near tie with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Netanyahu was given the first opportunity to form a government after assembling a large right-wing bloc but announced this week that he failed to build a 61-seat majority. Gantz faces similarly steep odds, raising the possibility that Israel will hold a third election in less than a year.

President Reuven Rivlin is to formally grant the mandate later Wednesday to Gantz, who will have 28 days to form a coalition. It will mark the first time in over a decade that anyone besides Netanyahu has been given the task.

Still, Gantz faces steep odds in every possible path to forming a government. He has been endorsed by just 54 lawmakers representing an array of parties that are unlikely to sit together in a coalition.

Both Gantz and Netanyahu say they favor a national unity government. Together, Netanyahu’s Likud and Gantz’s Blue and White control a solid 65-seat majority. But the two men are divided over who should lead any new government.

Netanyahu has insisted he head the government, at least for the first two years, and that it include his right-wing allies, conditions that Gantz has repeatedly rejected.
 
Netanyahu is likely to be indicted on corruption charges in the coming weeks, and Gantz has said Netanyahu should resolve his legal troubles before returning to the top post.

Gantz could potentially break up the right-wing alliance and recruit some of the smaller parties to his coalition. But that might be seen as a major betrayal by those parties’ voters.

Another option would be to form a minority government with Avigdor Lieberman, who emerged as kingmaker after his party won eight seats and has refused to endorse either Gantz or Netanyahu. Gantz might be able to convince the Arab Joint List, which won 13 seats, to support the coalition from the outside.

That would bring down Netanyahu but result in a highly unstable government. It’s also far from clear that Lieberman, a nationalist with a history of harsh rhetoric toward the Arab minority, would support such a scheme. No Arab party has ever sat in an Israeli government.

The political deadlock dates back to April, when Lieberman refused to join a right-wing coalition under Netanyahu. In response, parliament voted to dissolve itself, leading to an unprecedented repeated election in September. A similar scenario could play out again.

The political deadlock has delayed the Trump administration’s release of its long-awaited peace plan. The Palestinians have already rejected the plan, accusing the administration of extreme and unfair bias toward Israel.

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Trump Hails ‘Big Success’ on Turkey-Syria Border

Posted on by Ohart

President Donald Trump says there is “big success” on the Turkey-Syria border following the withdrawal of Kurdish forces from northeast Syria and the end of a Turkish offensive against them.

“Big success on the Turkey/Syria Border. Safe Zone created! Ceasefire has held and combat missions have ended. Kurds are safe and have worked very nicely with us. Captured ISIS prisoners secured. I will be making a statement at 11:00 A.M. from the White House. Thank you!.” Trump said on Twitter.

Big success on the Turkey/Syria Border. Safe Zone created! Ceasefire has held and combat missions have ended. Kurds are safe and have worked very nicely with us. Captured ISIS prisoners secured. I will be making a statement at 11:00 A.M. from the White House. Thank you!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 23, 2019

 
Turkey on Tuesday said there is “no need” to resume its military offensive against Syrian Kurds, saying the U.S. has told it that the Kurdish withdrawal from northern Syrian border is complete.
 
Turkey made its announcement hours after the five-day long cease-fire expired in the Turkish military incursion into what had been a Kurdish safe zone in northern Syria.  
 

The Syrian Kurds fought alongside U.S. forces against Islamic State terrorists. But Turkey considers them to be linked with Kurdish separatists who have long fought for autonomy inside Turkey. Turkey calls the Kurds terrorists.

 
Turkey launched its offensive after Trump ordered nearly all U.S. forces out of northern Syria two weeks ago.
 
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, reached an agreement Tuesday on joint control of the Syrian border region.  
 
Kurdish fighters would be kept 30 kilometers from the entire 440-kilometer Turkish-Syrian border, and also withdraw from the towns of Manbij and Tel Rifaat.
 
Defense Secretary Mark Esper talks with U.S. troops in front of an F-22 fighter jet deployed to Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019. (AP Photo/Lolita Baldor)

Meanwhile, U.S. Defense Mark Esper arrived in Baghdad Wednesday for talks with Iraqi officials about the arrival of U.S. troops recently withdrawn from northern Syria.

 
Seven hundred or more troops have moved into western Iraq, where 5,000 military personnel are already deployed.  
 
Angry Kurds screamed obscenities and pelted a U.S. convoy with rotten potatoes as the convoy headed through the streets of Duhok in the Iraqi Kurdistan region on the way to Iraq.
 
Esper has said the additional troops would help defend Iraq and be available to conduct anti-terrorism operations against Islamic State insurgents inside Syria.
 
But the Iraqi government says the troops do not have permission to stay in the country.  
 
During his visit to Saudi Arabia, the U.S. defense chief said that “eventually their destination is home” back in the United States.
 
 

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Кличко назвав дату старту опалювального сезону в Києві

Posted on by Ohsoc

Опалювальний сезон у Києві розпочнеться 25 жовтня, повідомив міський голова Віталій Кличко.

На повний запуск системи теплопостачання, за технологією, потрібно 7-10 днів, додав він.

«Наступний тиждень уже буде холодним, тому післязавтра розпочинаємо запуск системи опалення. Наша система теплопостачання – найбільша в Європі і для того, щоб вона запрацювала на повну потужність, технологічно нам потрібно приблизно 10 днів. А починаємо опалювальний сезон 25 жовтня», – сказав Віталій Кличко в ефірі радіо «Київ», повідомляє пресслужба КМДА.

Мер заявив, що комунальне підприємство «Київтеплоенерго» цього року замінило понад 80 кілометрів зношених тепломереж і роботи тривають.

Також, за його словами, здійснили заміну і ремонт 1,5 тисячі одиниць обладнання на ТЕЦ-5 і ТЕЦ-6.

Також Кличко повідомив, що договори на закупівлю газу з НАК «Нафтогаз» підписані.

 

Цього місяця прем’єр-міністр України Олексій Гончарук заявив, що опалювальний сезон в Україні «почнеться без особливих проблем» за винятком двох міст.

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.
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На церемонії вручення відзнаки «за відвагу» у США українська журналістка згадала про полоненого Асєєва

Posted on by Ohsoc

Журналістка «Громадського телебачення» Анастасія Станко на церемонії отримання американської нагороди «За відвагу у журналістиці» від громадської організації International Women’s Media Foundation у Вашингтоні згадала про утримуваного проросійськими бойовиками на Донбасі українського журналіста, автора колонок для проєкту Радіо Свобода Донбас.Реалії Станіслава Асєєва.

«Мені здається, що зараз один з найскладніших часів для нашої професії. Так, журналістів убивають на війнах як і раніше, на російсько-українській війні вбили 7. Так, журналістів і далі беруть в полон, мій колега Станіслав Асєєв з Радіо Свобода понад 3 роки в підвалі сепаратистів так званої «ДНР», – цитує видання слова Станко на церемонії у Вашингтоні.

Також нагороду отримала українська журналістка та головна редакторка видання «Слідство.Інфо» Анна Бабінець, журналістка з Південного Судану Анна Німіріано, керівниця Бейрутського бюро The Washington Post Ліз Слай та журналістка з Нікарагуа Люсія Пінеда.

22 жовтня бойовики підтримуваного Росією угруповання «ДНР» повідомили, що український журналіст Станіслав Асєєв засуджений до 15 років ув’язнення. Президент Радіо Свобода Джеймі Флай назвав «засудження» журналіста Асєєва обурливим.

Національна спілка журналістів України, Комітет захисту журналістів, Європейська федерація журналістів, українське МЗС засудили дії бойовиків і закликали негайно звільнити Станіслава Асєєва.

Автор колонок для проєкту Радіо Свобода Донбас.Реалії Станіслав Асєєв перебуває в ув’язненні підконтрольного Росії угруповання «ДНР», за різними даними, з травня або червня 2017 року. Спершу він просто зник, два тижні про нього нічого не було відомо. Пізніше угруповання «ДНР» визнало його затримання й звинуватило у шпигунстві на користь України. 

 
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Прокуратура скерувала до суду обвинувачення щодо підозрюваного у нападі на Dzidzio

Posted on by Ohsoc

Київська місцева прокуратурою №7 скерувала до суду обвинувальний акт за обвинуваченням 24-річного громадянина Росії у завданні «з хуліганських спонукань» тілесних ушкоджень артисту Dzidzio, повідомила пресслужба прокуратури.

«Тривалий час зловмисники переховувались від органів досудового розслідування. Однак, за результатами оперативно-розшукових заході, в місце перебування одного з підозрюваних було встановлено. На сьогодні обвинувальний акт відносно зловмисника за ч. 2 ст. 296 КК України скеровано до Подільського районного суду м. Києва для розгляду по суті. За вчинене йому загрожує обмеження волі на строк до п’яти років або позбавлення волі на строк до чотирьох років», – йдеться в повідомленні.

За даними прокуратури, місце перебування інших осіб, причетних до вчинення кримінального правопорушення, встановлюється.

28 грудня минулого року у центрі Києва невідомі побили співака й актора Михайла Хому, відомого за сценічним псевдо Dzidzio. Інцидент стався біля будівлі однієї з радіостанцій, нападники втекли. Пізніше виявилося, що це громадяни іноземної держави.

Dzidzio («Дзідзьо») – український поп-гурт, створений 2009 року, фронтменом якого є Михайло Хома, який останніми роками також часто фігурує як співведучий у численних розважальних шоу.
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Hollywood is Taking Albuquerque by Storm

Posted on by Worldnews

The first thing one experiences when landing in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at an elevation of about 1,600 meters, is the vastness of open space around the quiet southwestern town.

The 360-degree vistas extend as far as the eye can see on the arid high plateau, interrupted only by the Sandia Mountains to the east. In this town, the film industry is thriving and growing by leaps and bounds. Locals affectionately call it “Tamalewood” — melding the name of a beloved dish in New Mexico with that of California’s better-known Hollywood.

The TV and film industry here has gained ground since garnering tax incentives for filming in the state, leading to billion-dollar deals between leading production companies and Albuquerque Studios. But what started it all was the Albuquerque based Emmy-winning TV series “Breaking Bad,” about a struggling chemistry teacher turned meth drug lord. The show became a hit domestically and internationally.

Over a beer bet with a friend, Frank Sandoval, an extra on the show, came up with the idea of creating a company called “Breaking Bad RV tours.” He would buy an exact replica of the RV shown in the show and drive people around.

“Part of the deal was, if we got people to ride, he [Frank’s friend] would actually help us gut the RV and set it up just like the original. We did our first tour in May of 2014,” Sandoval said. It worked. He now drives two tours a day.

“’Breaking Bad’ really did put Albuquerque on the map in terms of the film industry,” he added.

Breaking Bad RV Tours features a 1986 Fleetwood Bounder RV, identical to the one in the TV series “Breaking Bad.”

Here, in an open landscape where sunshine reigns supreme for 310 days a year, and the longest traffic commute is 20 minutes, Netflix has put down roots.

The entertainment giant purchased Albuquerque Studios, a 100,000-square-foot compound, and signed a billion-dollar deal to produce TV series and movies over the next 10 years. NBC Universal followed with a $500 million deal. Its highly touted TV show “Briarpatch” is one of a dozen TV series filmed in one of the studios’ imposing stages in complete secrecy.

“Briarpatch” producers Keith Raskin and Linda Morel say New Mexico offers a great filming alternative to congested and expensive Los Angeles. The varied landscape, and local crew availability don’t hurt either. And the advantages don’t end there.

“Space! Space! We’ve been working in L.A. for a long time, obviously. I’m from there. It is very, very difficult to find stage space in Los Angeles right now. It’s always booked,“ Morel, Raskin’s longtime partner, said.

Raskin said all these benefits have become the talk of the town among L.A. producers gearing up to take their businesses to Albuquerque.

“I think we are at the beginning of a tidal wave. There’s been a big interest in shooting here,” he added.

Hollywood’s interest peaked after New Mexico further sweetened tax incentives last July, said Amber Dodson, film liaison for the city of Albuquerque.

“The rebate cap was previously at $50 million. It is now raised to $110 million,” she said.

The larger the amount a production company invests here, the larger the rebate. New Mexico wins as well, Dodson said. To get the incentive, production companies have to hire local talent.

“They are here for 10 years no matter what. And the amount of jobs! And it’s a conservative estimate, that, just that deal alone, will create is 1,000,” she said.

1,000 jobs a year, that is.

New Mexico’s film industry is also benefiting from political battles elsewhere in the country. Many Hollywood studios and production companies are pulling out of Georgia in reaction to the state’s enactment of an anti-abortion law, Dodson said.

“We have been busier than ever!” she added, calling TV and film production “a clean, creative industry” that benefits the entire city.

“When a production comes to a place like Albuquerque, they’re not just paying their casting crew,” she said. “They are using all kinds of vendors from dry cleaners to gas stations to car rentals to art galleries, lumber yards, hotels, restaurants. The list goes on and on.”

Sandoval, of the “Breaking Bad” RV tours, said he couldn’t agree more. His tour company, operating twice a day, is fully booked, drawing visitors from all over the world.

“What I see coming down the pike is where we’re going to become the next Hollywood. Some people call it Tamalewood,” he said.

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Texas No Longer Sure Bet for Trump

Posted on by Worldnews

Weaving through the crowd, Temple Gonzalez and her family enjoyed the scenes and fried snacks at the Texas State Fair in Dallas.

“Then we get on the rides and cross our fingers,” she laughed. Gonzalez, a mother from a town called The Colony, just outside of Dallas, professed love for Texas and its diversity.

“I’m proud that we love everybody,” she said. “Lots of people from everywhere. And we want more!”

Gonzalez had less welcoming words for U.S. President Donald Trump, who campaigned in Dallas recently.

Temple Gonzalez and other suburban women uneasy with Trump’s demeanor is a factor in Republicans losing support in Texas.

“I don’t think he’s a kind person,” Gonzalez said. “I just don’t like how he treats people. He needs to be modeling that from the top down, and I don’t see that happening.”

Polls indicate suburban women like Gonzalez are a reason Texas – a state that has not voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since Jimmy Carter in 1976 – may no longer be a sure bet for Trump in 2020, despite the fact that he is giving it a lot of campaign time.

“Texas is not in play,” Trump said to a cheering crowd at his October 17 rally at the American Airlines Center in down town Dallas. “Donald Trump is not going to lose Texas, I can tell you that.”

The October rally was Trump’s third in the state in the past year and his sixth visit.

Texas Republicans welcome the attention. “It’s good to see that the president is reaching out and not taking Texas for granted,” said Rodney Anderson, chairman of the Dallas County Republican party.

Red with a purple tint

In 2016, Trump won Texas by only nine points, down from Mitt Romney’s 16-point margin in 2012. Analysts see this as evidence of the state shifting left as well as the fact that incumbent Republican senator Ted Cruz only narrowly defeated Democratic newcomer Beto O’Rourke in the 2018 Senate race.

Although it’s premature to call Texas a swing state, it will probably “go red with a very strong purple tint”, said Shannon Bow O’Brien, professor of politics at the University of Texas in Austin.

“Texas is a growing state and it’s growing in the cities, and a lot of the growth is Democratic voters,” said O’Brien. She pointed out that Trump is struggling in the suburbs in Texas, and said the Texas GOP is “worried.”

Rodney Anderson dismissed the notion but admitted that Republicans “have got a real ball game” in 2020.

Democrats gearing up

Democrats in Texas welcome the demographic shift and aim to build on their growth by wooing independents.

“There are a lot of people that just are not happy with the things that Trump has done and these are the people that actually voted for Trump in the last election,” said Tramon Arnold, political director of the Dallas County Democratic Party.

One of them is Larry Strauss, a life-long Republican, who co-founded the North Texas Jewish Democratic Council in 2017. The council recently hosted a gathering in a Dallas community center to discuss election politics with Harvey Kronberg, publisher of the political newsletter Quorum Report.

“The population is no longer reliably Republican,” said Kronberg. “Particularly the suburbs, which is the richest source of votes out there.”

Kronberg said this is partially because Texas demographics have shifted towards a larger population of Hispanic, Asian and Middle Eastern, as well as “Millennials who are antithetical to social conservatives” and what he calls “an abandonment of Republicans by women”.

But Trump can still rely on his base, who are fired up by his “ad hominem attacks, belittling and making fun of his opponents,” said Kronberg.

Larry Strauss, sitting in the front row, nodded. Strauss was a life-long Republican, until he heard the president’s remarks about the 2017 white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, that turned violent.

Larry Strauss turned in his Republican membership card and co-founded the North Texas Jewish Democratic Council in 2017 after he heard President Trump’s remarks about the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, VA.

“When Donald Trump made that comment that there are good people marching on both sides, I went ballistic. I turned in my Republican membership card.”

Strauss, a retiree in his sixties was so distraught he reached out to the Dallas County Democratic Party and established the council, the first of its kind in the state, with co-founder Janice Schwartz.

Strauss supports the House impeachment inquiry against Trump. “We’re lacking integrity in the White House,” he said. “He’s not the type of president that gives a good example to my children and my grandchildren.”

Republicans dismiss the suggestion that Trump is hurting their party’s chances of winning.

“He’s absolutely helping us, 100%,” Rodney Anderson said, adding that the impeachment inquiry is energizing the Republican base even more.

Analysts point out that with strong support from rural areas, Trump may still win Texas, though with an even slimmer margin than 2016. But they say a lot can happen in a year particularly with an ongoing impeachment inquiry.

The latest poll from Quinnipiac University indicates 45% of registered voters in Texas approve of Trump. The same poll indicates 48% would not vote for him in 2020.

Voter suppression

Texas is one of the most diverse states in the country, and one of the four “majority-minority” states in the United States — together with California, Hawaii, and New Mexico — where the population of racial and ethnic minorities combined is larger than the white population.

Activist groups say that because of “voter suppression tactics used by the state and other entities,” the diversity of Texas is not reflected in state legislature and minority communities’ interests are not reflected in state policy.

“Our state legislators are generally a lot whiter and a lot wealthier than Texans,” said Hani Mirza, senior attorney at the Texas Civil Rights Project, a nonprofit organization based in Austin.

Voting rights groups have long accused Texas of extreme gerrymandering and restrictive voter registration rules, that in effect have rigged the state’s election rules in ways that disempower black and brown voters.

“The tactics used in gerrymandering can dilute minority votes to where they can’t have their voice heard in elections,” said Mirza. He added that when drawing electoral lines, state legislature has broken up minority communities to dilute their votes, or packed minority groups into as few districts as possible to suppress their voice.

Texas is due for a federal census in 2020 and redistricting process in 2021 where electoral maps may be redrawn.

Presidency not the only prize

The presidency is not the only coveted prize in 2020 as Democrats make inroads in state legislature seats with an eye on redistricting.

“Honestly, it’s not flipping Texas it’s flipping the state legislature seats,” said Shannon Bow O’Brien. “And the Democrats have a shot.”

“The way that things are gerrymandered, we need to make sure that everything is the way that it’s supposed to be, and not favoring the Republican Party,” said Tramon Arnold of the Dallas County Democratic Party.

If in 2020 Democrats win nine seats that they need to control the Texas House, for the first time in decades they would have control over the redrawing of the electoral map.

Future elections based on that map may mean more Democratic lawmakers being sent to Washington, out of the 36 currently representing Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives.

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US Endorses Tobacco Pouches as Less Risky Than Cigarettes

Posted on by Worldnews

For the first time, U.S. health regulators have judged a type of smokeless tobacco to be less harmful than cigarettes, a decision that could open the door to other less risky options for smokers.

The milestone announcement on Tuesday makes Swedish Match tobacco pouches the first so-called reduced-risk tobacco product ever sanctioned by the Food and Drug Administration.

FDA regulators stressed that their decision does not mean the pouches are safe, just less harmful, and that all tobacco products pose risks. The pouches will still bear mandatory government warnings that they can cause mouth cancer, gum disease and tooth loss.

But the company will be able to advertise its tobacco pouches as posing a lower risk of lung cancer, bronchitis, heart disease and other diseases than cigarettes.

The pouches of ground tobacco, called snus — Swedish for snuff and pronounced “snoose” — have been popular in Scandinavian countries for decades but are a tiny part of the U.S. tobacco market.

Users stick the teabag-like pouches between their cheek and gum to absorb nicotine. Unlike regular chewing tobacco, the liquid from snus is generally swallowed, rather than spit out. Chewing tobacco is fermented; snus goes through a steamed pasteurization process.

FILE – A woman shows portions of snus, a moist powder tobacco product that is consumed by placing it under the lip, in Stockholm, Aug. 6, 2009.

Long-term data

FDA acting commissioner Ned Sharpless said the agency based its decision on long-term, population-level data showing lower levels of lung cancer, emphysema and other smoking-related disease with the use of snus.

Sharpless added that the agency will closely monitor Swedish Match’s marketing efforts to ensure they target adult tobacco users.

“Anyone who does not currently use tobacco products, especially youth, should refrain from doing so,” he said in a statement.

Stockholm-based Swedish Match sells its snus under the brand name General in mint, wintergreen and other flavors. They compete against pouches from rivals Altria and R.J. Reynolds. But pouches account for just 5% of the $9.1 billion U.S. market for chew and other smokeless tobacco products, according to Euromonitor market research firm.
 
And public health experts questioned whether U.S. smokers would be willing to switch to the niche product.

“Snus products have a bit of a challenge” among smokers who are used to inhaling their nicotine, said Vaugh Rees, director of Harvard University’s Center for Global Tobacco Control.

U.S. smoking rate

The U.S. smoking rate has fallen to an all-time low of 14% of adults, or roughly 34 million Americans. But smoking remains the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the U.S., responsible for some 480,000 deaths annually.

The FDA’s decision has been closely watched by both public health experts and tobacco companies.
 
Public health experts have long hoped that alternatives like the pouches could benefit Americans who are unable or unwilling to quit cigarettes and other traditional tobacco products. Tobacco companies are looking for new products to sell as they face declining cigarette demand due to tax increases, health concerns, smoking bans and social stigma.

The FDA itself also has much at stake in the review of snus and similar tobacco alternatives.

Congress gave the FDA the power to regulate key aspects of the tobacco industry in 2009, including designating new tobacco products as “modified risk,” compared with traditional cigarettes, chew and other products.
 
But until Tuesday, the FDA had never granted permission for any product to make such claims.
 
The FDA is reviewing several other products vying for “reduced risk” status, including a heat-not-burn cigarette alternative made by Philip Morris International. While electronic cigarettes are generally considered less harmful than the tobacco-and-paper variety, they have not been scientifically reviewed as posing a lower risk.
 

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US Refugee Arrivals Postponed Another Week

Posted on by Ohart

The U.S. has postponed a resumption of refugee arrivals by at least another week, a State Department spokesperson confirmed to VOA on Tuesday, as the Trump administration pushes for further reductions in the number of refugees America takes in each year.

The postponement follows last month’s announcement that a pause in refugee arrivals would be in effect until Oct. 22 while the White House and Congress engaged in legally required discussions to determine how many refugees will be admitted for the 2020 fiscal year, which began Oct. 1.

The State Department now says refugee arrivals likely will resume next week “on or after October 29.”

Refugees who had been expected to travel to the U.S. in the interim will be rescheduled, according to an agency statement.

The U.S. reached its self-imposed cap of 30,000 refugee arrivals in FY2019, one of the lowest admissions levels since the program started in 1980. For FY2020, U.S President Donald Trump and the State Department have proposed a cap of 18,000 refugees.

While the president issues the “determination” that sets the upper limit of how many refugees will be admitted in a year, that ceiling requires consultations with Capitol Hill lawmakers. A determination has not yet been announced, and no refugees have arrived in the new fiscal year to date.

For decades, the United States had been a global leader in third-country resettlement. The administration’s proposed refugee cap would be the lowest in the program’s history and would restructure the categories under which refugees would be admitted, including people fleeing religious persecution.
 

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More Syrians Escaping into Northern Iraq

Posted on by Ohart

Aid workers in northern Iraq say they are seeing increasing numbers of Syrians fleeing over the border into the mainly Kurdish region as the cease-fire in northeastern Syria is about to expire.

In the past day alone, the Norwegian Refugee Council reports that 1,736 Syrians crossed into Iraq, the highest number to cross in one day since the beginning of Turkey’s military operation.

They say that many have escaped with just the clothes on their backs. 

Ibrahim Barsoum is a program officer working with Syrian refugees for the Christian Aid Program Northern Iraq, run by a Catholic priest, Father Emanuel Youkhana. The group has been helping Iraqis displaced by Islamic State militants. Barsoum says the KRI, or Iraq’s Kurdistan Region authority, facilitates their transfer into the country.

“Usually the families come through the night because they are not allowed, for some reason, to cross the borders over there, Barsoum said. “They come with smugglers or just cross the borders through the night. The security forces for KRI receive them. “

Barsoum said that the U.N. refugee agency is taking the lead in providing shelter in a number of northern Iraq’s existing camps, some already hosting Yazidis, victims of Islamic State attacks in 2014. He said that many have escaped Turkish bombardment and attacks from Syrian militias allied with Turkey with just the clothes on their backs.

“Many of them need immediate and urgent support,” Barsoum said. “Food and basic needs for winter time — blankets and clothes, even.  They don’t have it. They just ran to save their lives and their kids’ lives. It is a tragedy. “

A Syrian displaced girl, who fled violence after the Turkish offensive in Syria, looks on at Bardarash refugee camp on the outskirts of Dohuk, Iraq, Oct. 22, 2019.

The Norwegian Refugee Council believes that more than 7,140 Syrians have crossed into Iraq since Turkey started its military operation, which has displaced around 165,000 Syrians.

A refugee from Qamishli named Rifaa told the NRC that she escaped into northern Iraq with her husband and three daughters. She says there were dead bodies on the street.  They managed to find a smuggler to bring them to northern Iraq, paying the man 2,000 U.S. dollars for five people. She said, “We saved our lives, but we suffered.”

NRC’s Tom Peyre-Costa urges for more to be done to facilitate the safe passage of Syrians escaping violence in their homeland.

“Most of them are children, women and elderly people in a huge state of physical and psychological distress,” Peyre-Costa said.  “We call on all fighters and authorities to guarantee safe passage for Syrian refugees for them to them to seek refuge and protection in Iraq.”

The United Nations and aid agencies are planning for up to 50,000 Syrian refugees expected to cross into northern Iraq in the coming months.

 

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Ukrainian Journalist Held by Russia-Backed Separatists Sentenced to 15 Years

Posted on by Ohart

A court established by Russia-backed separatists who hold parts of eastern Ukraine has sentenced journalist Stanislav Aseyev, an RFE/RL contributor, to 15 years in a penal colony.

In a ruling condemned as “reprehensible” by RFE/RL’s president, separatist news outlet DAN reported on Tuesday that the court had found Aseyev guilty of espionage, extremism, and public calls to violate the territory’s integrity.

Aseyev, who wrote under the pen name Stanislav Vasin, disappeared in Ukraine’s Donetsk region on June 2, 2017, and has been held in detention since by the separatists.

“The conviction against Stanislav Aseyev, which dates from August but was made public only today, is reprehensible,” said RFE/RL President Jamie Fly.

“Stas is a journalist and was only trying to raise awareness about the situation in eastern Ukraine. The ruling is an attempt by Russian-backed separatists in Donetsk to silence his powerful, independent voice. Stas should be released immediately,” Fly added.

The 30-year-old journalist was one of the few reporters in Donetsk who continued to work in the city after it came under the control of the separatists.

Representatives of the separatists accused Aseyev of observing the deployment sites of their paramilitary groups and passing on the information to the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU), according to the news outlet Hromadske.

In August 2018, the bipartisan U.S. Congressional Press Freedom Caucus called for Aseyev’s immediate release, describing him as “one of the few independent journalists to remain in the region under separatist control to provide objective reporting.”

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (Republican-Florida) also called for Aseyev’s release in July.

Media rights group Reporters Without Borders has also voiced concern about Aseyev’s treatment, which it has called “increasingly disturbing.”

RFE/RL has also urged the release of Ukrainian Service contributor Oleh Halaziuk, who has been held by Russia-backed separatists in Donetsk since August 2017.

 

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