Optimism over a promising treatment for the novel coronavirus sent Asian markets surging Thursday.Japan’s Nikkei index gained 422 points, or 2.4 percent, to close out the trading day at 20,193.69.  Australia’s S&P/ASX was up 2.4 percent in late afternoon trading, while Shanghai’s index had gained 1.3 percent. The indexes in Hong Kong and Seoul were closed for public holidays.The strong gains in Asia are a spillover from Wednesday’s gains on Wall Street, sparked by news that coronavirus patients who were given an experimental drug called remdesivir in a federal trial recovered rapidly from the disease. The results were praised by Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, as “very optimistic.”  More good news came from Britain, where researchers at Oxford University say a vaccine for coronavirus, currently being tested on people, could be widely available as early as September.Oil markets continued to recover, with the price of West Texas Intermediate crude, the U.S. benchmark, trading at $16.66 per barrel, a gain of 10.6 percent, while the international benchmark Brent crude was trading at $23.94 per barrel, up 6.2 percent.    
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The Trump administration is not planning to extend federal coronavirus social distancing guidelines that expire Thursday, instead focusing on working with states to reopen the country.Individual state governors are deciding when and at what pace to relax restrictions on non-essential businesses and group gatherings and calls for people to stay home.Trump said Wednesday that the federal guidelines first issued in mid-March will be “fading out,” while his administration consults with governors on their plans.Health officials have cautioned about moving too quickly toward Trump’s desired “return to normal,” saying that doing so risks new waves of infections.Many states are either already starting to allow more businesses to operate with social distancing guidelines such as extra space between restaurant tables, while others have announced plans to begin easing lockdown orders in the coming weeks.California Governor Gavin Newsom is set to order his state’s beaches and parks to close on Friday after tens of thousands of people defied stay-at-home orders last weekend.Newsom has said he will only consider relaxing statewide restrictions when a number of milestones are met, such as declining case numbers for two weeks and the widespread availability of testing so officials can quickly isolate the infected and test those who have been in close contact.Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said Wednesday that the city is expanding its testing sites to welcome anyone who wants a test.”If you think you might have COVID-19, want the reassurance that you don’t, you’ve been around people that you have seen with symptoms, get a test. We can do it,” Garcetti said.Trouble in SyriaDiscussions about relaxing lockdown orders are taking place in many other countries, including Japan, where Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Thursday his government is consulting experts about whether to extend a state of emergency that is set to expire next week.Japan has about 14,000 confirmed cases, and Abe said the situation remains “severe.”Finland is the latest European country to announce plans to reopen schools.  Beginning May 14, students will return with new rules that include fewer students in a classroom and avoiding groups in communal areas.While parts of the world focus on emerging from the worst of their coronavirus outbreaks, there remains great concern about parts of the world that are just beginning to see worse effects, especially those already hampered by conflict.U.N. humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock told the Security Council there are 44 confirmed cases and four deaths in Syria, a country he said cannot be expected “to cope with a crisis that is challenging even the wealthiest nations.”In Yemen, health officials reported the country’s first two coronavirus deaths as well as a cluster of new cases in the southern port city of Aden that has been a focal point in a five-year civil war.The number of COVID-19 cases worldwide stood at 3.2 million Thursday with more than 227,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University statistics. 
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Ціни на нафту різко зросли в другій половині дня 29 квітня і на початку торгів 30 квітня. Фахівці бачать ознаки того, що надлишок сирої нафти в США зростає не так швидко, як очікувалося, а попит на бензин, попри пов’язані з пандемією COVID-19 обмеження, починає зростати.

Станом на 9:20 за Києвом котирування американської нафти марки West Texas Intermediate (WTI) піднялися до 16,68 долара за барель. Ціна Brent підскочила до 25,53 долара за барель.

Минулого тижня ціна WTI на короткий час падала навіть до від’ємних значень, барель Brent коштував менш як 20 доларів за барель.

Президент США Дональд Трамп заявив раніше, що його адміністрація незабаром опублікує план допомоги нафтовим компаніям країни, який, за словами міністра фінансів Стівена Мнучина, може включати в себе додавання мільйонів барелів нафти до національних резервів.
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Федеральна резервна система (ФРС) США зберегла базову ставку на рівні 0-0,25% річних. У березні регулятор двічі позапланово знижував цю ставку для підтримки економіки на тлі пандемії коронавірусної інфекції.

«Криза, яка триває, значною мірою впливатиме на економічну активність, зайнятість та інфляцію найближчим часом. Вона також створює ризики для економіки в середньостроковій перспективі», – йдеться в поширеному 29 квітня повідомленні ФРС.

Ставку на нинішньому рівні планується зберегти доти, доки не буде впевненості, що економіка впоралася з наслідками пандемії, відзначає регулятор.

Раніше 29 квітня стало відомо, що внутрішній валовий продукт США в першому кварталі скоротився на 4,8% порівняно з аналогічним періодом 2019 року. І експерти відзначають, що епідемія відбилася на американській економіці ще не повною мірою.

За кількістю виявлених випадків зараження коронавірусом і смертей від COVID-19 Сполучені Штати перебувають на першому місці в світі: інфікованих є понад мільйон людей, померли з них понад 60 з половиною тисяч.
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Hopes that a new drug and vaccine could soon be available to help treat patients suffering from COVID-19 offer a healthy dose of optimism as countries cautiously prepare to return to normal life.The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to announce authorization for remdesivir, for use in emergencies, after testing of the new drug showed improvements in COVID-19 patients. In Britain, Oxford University researchers say a vaccine for coronavirus, currently being tested on people, could be widely available as early as September.Quarantines, shutdowns and personal protection gear seem to have helped some countries weather the worst of the COVID-19 epidemic. As economies tank and unemployment grows, governments are taking cautious steps toward reopening.Germany relaxed its lockdown measures on Monday with people required to wear face masks in public and maintain social distancing.The famed Berlin Philharmonic has scheduled its first post-lockdown performance for Friday. Players will come together on stage as a chamber orchestra, seated at a distance from one another, for the first time since March 11. There will be no audience in the philharmonic hall, and the concert will be streamed live for free via the orchestra’s Digital Concert Hall.Italy has set May 4 to start reopening. But Italian news agency ANSA reports that the southern Calabria region is permitted to open bars and restaurants starting Thursday and serve guests at outdoor tables. In the capital, Rome, public transportation will resume service with 88 percent capacity and shorter hours. People will have to wear masks in public transit and keep social distance when outside their homes. Posting signs to mark the appropriate distance in public places began earlier this week. ANSA reports that some of the most popular spaces, such as Villa Borghese, will be surveilled by drones.The Spanish government is permitting football (soccer) players to return to their clubs May 4 to begin individual training with a coach after being tested and proved to be free of the virus. Children younger than 14 were allowed to go out for the first time Monday, after weeks of a compulsory stay-at-home order.Museums and historic monuments in China’s capital, Beijing, will reopen Friday with some restrictions. The Forbidden City will allow only 5,000 visitors a day instead of the usual 80,000.People wearing protective face masks to help curb the spread of the new coronavirus walk by a giant painting depicting the capital city at 798 art district in Beijing, Sunday, April 26, 2020.But some countries will remain closed for a while yet. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has recently recovered from coronavirus himself, has said Britain is not ready. Johnson on Wednesday thanked the country’s national health service for taking good care of him, and also for assisting his fiancé, Carrie Symonds, who has just had a baby boy. Symonds was infected with coronavirus during her pregnancy but recovered in about a week. Johnson said he wants to see a consistent fall in the death rate from the virus and ensure that the country’s national health has sufficient test kits and equipment to treat the infected people before reopening.While Sweden’s neighbors Denmark and Norway reopen, Sweden may be forced to go in the opposite direction. The Scandinavian country remained opened for school and business throughout March and much of April, with only recommendations for people to take precautions. The absence of mandated measures seems to have resulted in the spike of infections and deaths from COVID-19. As of Wednesday, Sweden had more than 20,000 cases and close to 2,500 deaths, compared with Norway and Denmark which in total have had about 17,000 cases and about 650 deaths.In Asia, China and Vietnam seem to have contained the coronavirus, but some other Asian countries are not doing so well.Japanese regional leaders have urged the central government to extend the nationwide state of emergency declared April 16 to slow the spread the virus. The measure is set to end May 6. Some local leaders want a nationwide measure to end as they worry about the economic impact. But Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Wednesday he could not promise to end the emergency on May 6 as the country continues to face “difficult situations.”Abe also expressed doubt that Japan will be able to host the Tokyo Olympics, which organizers have already postponed by a year after determining there was no safe way to hold the games starting in July.Several U.S. states have begun to relax containment measures and others are planning to do so even as the country’s death toll topped 60,000 and more than 1 million have COVID-19. Andrew Cuomo, governor of New York, the hardest hit state with almost 300,000 cases, is working on getting as many people as possible tested for the coronavirus so people who are not infected can return to work.President Donald Trump said the federal government’s coronavirus social distancing guidelines will be “fading out” when they expire Thursday and states move to reopening.The pandemic is taking a heavy toll on the global workforce. Half of the world’s employees are at risk of losing their incomes, according to the International Labor Organization (ILO) in Geneva.ILO Director-General Guy Ryder said Wednesday there are 2 billion informal workers – employees with little or no job security – worldwide. Of those, some 1.6 billion have had their chances to earn a living dramatically reduced “because of the current COVID-19 crisis.”World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned countries easing lockdown that the virus remains “extremely dangerous” and to act with extreme caution.The number of COVID-19 cases worldwide Wednesday reached more than 3.2 million with more than 227,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University statistics.
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A sexual assault allegation is raising Joe Biden’s first big challenge as the Democrats’ presidential nominee, fueling Republican attacks and leaving many in his own party in an uncomfortable bind. Biden’s campaign has denied the allegation from his former Senate staffer Tara Reade, who has said Biden assaulted her in the basement of a Capitol Hill office building in the 1990s. But the story garnered fresh attention this week after two of Reade’s associates said she previously told them about elements of her allegations. Republicans who are worried about President Donald Trump’s increasingly precarious political standing are seizing on the allegation to portray Democrats as hypocrites who only defend women who allege wrongdoing against conservatives. They are digging in despite the fact that it could renew attention on the multiple sexual assault allegations lodged against Trump. Democrats, meanwhile, are in an awkward position of vigorously validating women who come forward with their stories while defending the man who will be their standard-bearer in what many in the party consider the most important election of their lifetimes. The tension is heightened because Biden himself is saying nothing about the allegation. Like many Americans, he has spent the past several weeks at home to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Biden has participated in a handful of local and national interviews, during which he wasn’t asked about the allegation. But he hasn’t held a press briefing for the broader press corps that covers him since April 2, before multiple news organizations reported Reade’s story. The public appearances he has made, such as fundraisers or events alongside prominent Democrats, have been controlled. Some Democrats say that approach isn’t working and are urging a more forceful response.  “The campaign has issued statements, but he hasn’t issued any statements in his own voice,” said former Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Donna Brazile. “It’s not helping, it’s just damaging — not only to the person who has come forward, but it’s also damaging the candidate.” Former Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Donna Brazile.Lis Smith, who worked as a top strategist on Pete Buttigieg’s presidential campaign, also called on the Biden campaign to speak up. “These accusations have not been found to be credible, so it’s in the Biden campaign’s interest to nip this in the bud directly and do it quickly,” she said. The November contest between Biden and Trump will be the first presidential race of the #MeToo era, which has led numerous women to come forward with allegations of sexual assault. Trump himself has been accused of assault and unwanted touching by numerous women, allegations he denies. He was forced to apologize during the 2016 campaign after he was heard on a recording bragging about using his fame to assault women. Women are a core constituency for Democrats, and Biden has a mixed history. While he wrote the Violence Against Women Act as a senator, he also came under heavy criticism for his handling of Anita Hill’s Senate testimony in the 1990s. Just before he launched his 2020 campaign, several women accused him of unwanted touching, behavior for which he apologized. Biden has pledged to pick a woman as a running mate, and the allegation has left those thought to be in contention in a tough spot.  Stacey Abrams, the former Georgia Democratic governor candidate, said, “Women deserve to be heard, and I believe they need to be listened to, but I also believe that those allegations have to be investigated by credible sources.” “The New York Times did a deep investigation and they found that the accusation was not credible,” she added. “I believe Joe Biden.” That echoed talking points issued by the Biden campaign to surrogates last week that were obtained by The Associated Press. They pointed to investigations by The New York Times, The Washington Post and the AP that found no other allegation of sexual assault and no pattern of sexual misconduct. Some Democratic donors and fundraisers say the issue has not come up in calls with party financiers. Others worry that it could be used against Biden, much as Hillary Clinton’s private email server and the activities of the Clinton Foundation were wielded against her by Trump. Some, most notably women, say they are paying close attention to the allegations, which gave them pause.  Alex Sink, a donor and former Democratic nominee for governor of Florida, said she was “not happy” to read about the allegations against Biden. While she still plans to vote for him, she worried his campaign was too quick to categorically deny Reade’s story.  “They put themselves immediately out on a limb by saying, ‘It didn’t happen, we categorically deny it, it’s not true,'” Sink said. “That’s a dangerous position to be in because they aren’t leaving any room for themselves.” Some female Democratic operatives expressed concerns the allegation is particularly damaging because it’s an indictment of Biden’s central campaign rationale: that he provides a moral counter to Trump and that the election is a “battle for the soul of America.” “I think the stakes could not be higher for defeating Donald Trump — but at the same time, I think we have to apply a consistent standard for how we treat allegations of sexual assault, and also be clear-eyed about how Donald Trump will use these allegations in the general election campaign,” said Claire Sandberg, who worked as Bernie Sanders’ organizing director this cycle. The silence from the Biden campaign has given Republicans an opening on an issue that was, in 2016, far more fraught for the GOP, when Trump was asked to answer for the more than two dozen women who alleged varying levels of sexual assault and harassment from him. The GOP argues Democrats aren’t being consistent, pointing to the aggressive questioning and coverage of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh when he faced an allegation of sexual assault. “The left, and their media allies, has one standard for Republicans and another standard for Democrats like Joe Biden,” said Steve Guest, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee. “The double standard is appalling.”  Trump himself has yet to address the issue, but Donald Trump Jr. has spent weeks highlighting the allegation on Twitter, as has Trump’s campaign manager Brad Parscale. Even some Trump antagonists within the GOP say the opportunity for the president and his allies is obvious. Rick Tyler, a former spokesman for Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz and a prominent Trump critic, noted that the coronavirus outbreak and subsequent economic crash have “ruled out any prospect that Republicans could run on great economic times.” “And so what’s left? What’s left is scorched earth, and that means digging up anything they can about Biden,” he said. “They’re trying to make Joe Biden into something that’s worse than Donald Trump.” 
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Кабінет міністрів України готовий до перемовин з країнами, які захочуть офіційно запросити українських робітників на сезонні роботи, повідомив прем’єр-міністр Денис Шмигаль під час зустрічі з послом Європейського Союзу в Україні Матті Маасікасом та тимчасово повіреною у справах США в Україні Крістіною Квін.

«Важливою передумовою є легальне працевлаштування строком від 3 місяців із дотриманням усіх соціальних гарантій та належних умов праці українців. Координацію цієї роботи буде здійснювати урядовий офіс з питань європейської та євроатлантичної інтеграції», – написав Шмигаль у Facebook.

За його словами, уряд не отримував офіційних звернень від інших країн, крім Фінляндії.

За даними Національного банку України, у 2019 році українські трудові мігранти переказали до України понад 12 мільярдів доларів.

 
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The Federal Reserve says it will keep its key short-term interest rate near zero for the foreseeable future as part of its extraordinary efforts to bolster an economy that is sinking into its worst crisis since the 1930s. 
 
The Fed says it will also continue to buy Treasury and mortgage bonds to help keep rates low and ensure that companies can continue to lend easily to each other amid a near-paralysis of the economy caused by the coronavirus. The central bank did not specify any amounts or timing for its bond purchases.The Fed noted the gravity of the crisis that has gripped the economy in the face of the coronavirus outbreak and made clear it would continue to do all that it could to provide support. But at a news conference, Chairman Jerome Powell cautioned about any prospects for a swift or a robust economic recovery. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell speaks during a news conference, March 3, 2020, in Washington.“I would say that it may well be the case that the economy will need further support from all of us if the recovery is to be a strong one,” Powell said.Powell suggested that given the depth of the U.S. economic catastrophe, with perhaps 30 million people having lost jobs in the past six weeks, it will “probably will take some time for us to get back to a more normal level of employment and ultimately maximum employment.”The chairman and the Fed itself sought to provide reassurance, though, that their aggressive intervention could help mitigate the vast damage to the economy and to millions of workers. In its statement, the Fed said it is “committed to using its full range of tools to support the U.S. economy in this challenging time.”The viral outbreak and measures to contain it, ”the statement noted, are “inducing sharp declines in economic activity and a surge in job losses.”Under Powell, the Fed is confronting a deeply perilous moment for an economy that had looked robust just a few months ago. Since the virus struck with full force last month, widespread business shutdowns have caused roughly 30 million workers to lose jobs. As layoffs mount, retail sales are sinking, along with manufacturing, construction, home sales and consumer confidence.  
 
At his news conference, the chairman noted that layoffs have struck hardest at the lowest-income American workers, many of whom had just begun to make progress in the 11th year of an economic expansion that has now ended.“It is heartbreaking to see that is threatened now,” Powell said.During two emergency meetings in March, the Fed cut its benchmark rate to a range between zero and 0.25%. It has also announced nine new lending programs to pump cash into financial markets and provide support to large and medium-sized businesses as well as cities and states.In its statement Wednesday, the Fed said it will also keep buying Treasury and mortgage bonds to help keep rates low and ensure that companies can lend easily to each other amid a near-paralysis of the economy caused by the coronavirus. It did not specify any amounts or timing for its bond purchases.It said it will keep its rate at nearly zero “until it is confident that the economy has weathered recent events and is on track to achieve its maximum employment and price stability goals.” That’s the same language it used in its previous statement last month.Asked about eventually lifting rates, Powell made clear that that wouldn’t happen for many months at least.“We are going to wait until we are quite confident the economy is on the road to recovery,” he said.The Fed provided no details Wednesday about the pace of its purchases of Treasury and mortgage-backed securities. It has tapered those purchases recently as markets have calmed. But earlier this month, it bought as many Treasury securities in a day as it did during an entire month in the 2008-2009 Great Recession.In its statement, the Fed also raised concerns about slowing inflation, which is likely to sink further below its 2% target level in the coming months.“Weaker demand and significantly lower oil prices are holding down consumer price inflation,” the statement said.The Fed’s statement came on the same day that the Commerce Department released grim news about the economy: Economic output shrank at a 4.8% annual rate in the first three months of the year — the worst showing since the Great Recession struck near the end of 2008.The economic picture is expected to grow ever darker, with the economy forecast to contract at a shocking 30% to 40% annual rate in the April-June quarter. The unemployment rate could reach 20% when April’s jobs report is released next week.The central bank has already slashed its benchmark interest rate to near zero and escalated its purchases of Treasury and mortgage-backed securities to pump cash into financial markets to smooth the flow of credit. It has also said it will buy corporate bonds and lend to states and cities — two actions it has never previously taken.“The fact that they are operating in those markets is unprecedented,” said Nathan Sheets, chief economist at PGIM Fixed Income and a former director of international finance at the Fed. “They are coming up on the extent of their legal authorities here.”Yet this crisis is unlike any other, and it comes against a backdrop of horrific economic data. More than 26 million Americans have sought unemployment benefits since the viral outbreak shuttered much of the U.S. economy in mid-March.As economic activity has collapsed, inflation has also begun to fall. Economists expect it to drop below 1% by next year, far under the Fed’s 2% target level. That poses another problem for the Fed: Declining prices can eventually lead consumers to delay spending, thereby slowing the economy further.Earlier this month, as part of a $2.3 trillion lending program, the Fed said it would buy municipal bonds issued by state and local governments, up to $500 billion. It also unveiled a Main Street Lending Program, which will lend $600 billion to medium-sized companies of up 10,000 employees.These loans are intended to support mostly companies that are too large for the government’s small business lending program, which targets those with fewer than 500 workers. Companies that borrow from the Main Street program must “make reasonable efforts” to retain their workers, the Fed says, and cannot repurchase their shares or pay dividends. The Fed has said it will disclose the recipients of its Main Street loans.Still, neither the municipal or Main Street programs have yet started. The Fed has yet to buy any municipal securities or corporate debt. Even so, just the announcements that it will do so have smoothed markets.  These new programs have exposed the central bank to concerns that it will inevitably favor some companies or municipalities over others. The Fed, whose independence is seen as vital to its role in the financial system, has always steered clear of such potentially politicized actions. 
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Guinea-Bissau’s Prime Minister Nuno Gomes Nabiam has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, as have three members of his cabinet, the health ministry said Wednesday.Nabiam, Interior Minister Botche Cande and two other ministers were diagnosed Tuesday and have been quarantined at a hotel in the capital, Bissau, Health Minister Antonio Deuna told journalists.He did not provide details of the officials’ condition or treatment, but warned the country’s rate of infection could rise.The West African nation has so far confirmed more than 70 cases and one death, that of a senior police commissioner.
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Долар вперше з 17 березня офіційно коштує менш ніж 27 гривень, свідчать дані на сайті Національного банку України.

На 30 квітня вартість долара встановлена на рівні 26 гривень 97 копійок.

Євро впав на 19 копійок – до 29 гривень 24 копійок.
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An experimental drug has proven effective in treating COVID-19 patients, the head of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci, announced Wednesday.“Remdesivir has a clear-cut significant positive effect in diminishing the time to recover,” Fauci told reporters in the White House Oval Office. “A drug can block this virus.”An international randomized placebo control trial at his institute started on Feb. 21 with hundreds of hospitalized coronavirus patients, said Fauci. Recovery time was 11 days for those given the drug compared to 15 days for patients given a placebo, according to the NIAID.  “Whenever you have clear-cut evidence that a drug works, you have an ethical obligation to immediately let the people who are in the placebo group know so that they can have access and all of the other trials that are taking place now have a new standard of care,” Fauci told reporters.Remdesivir, manufactured by Gilead Sciences, is given intravenously and designed to interfere with an enzyme that reproduces viral genetic material. In animal tests against SARS and MERS, diseases caused by similar coronaviruses, it has helped prevent infection and reduced severity of symptoms. But it is not yet approved anywhere in the world for any use.The U.S. Food and Drug Administration was expected Wednesday to grant emergency use authorization for treatment of COVID-19 patients. Another study of Remdesivir had not reached a positive conclusion, something reporters asked Fauci about in the Oval Office.“It’s an under-powered study,” said Fauci of a study out of China published in The Lancet that found Remdesivir was not effective in treating COVID-19 patients. “That’s not an adequate study.”COVID-19 has killed more than 224,000 people worldwide, including nearly 60,000 in the United States.Total U.S. confirmed infections exceed one million – the most reported by any country in the world.“That’s a tremendous amount,” U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday, calling it an “indication that our testing is so superior.”To think that the United States has more cases than China, “does anybody really believe that?” added Trump.He again blamed China, where the coronavirus was first reported, and the World Health Organization, for the pandemic.“They misled us,” said Trump of the WHO, calling it “literally a pipe organ for China.”“They’re not to be congratulated for what took place and WHO is essentially congratulating them,” Trump told reporters. “And when they start doing that we’ve got problems.”The president earlier this month halted U.S. funding to the organization, which annually totals $400 million to $500 million. The WHO has said it is working with its partners to fill the financial gap from the Trump administration’s decision to withhold the money.The United States is WHO’s largest donor.“We can give it to groups that are very worthy and get much more bang for your buck. We’re going to make a decision in the not-too-distant future,” Trump said.  
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A coronavirus vaccine is still months or years away, but groups that peddle misinformation about immunizations are already taking aim, potentially eroding confidence in what could be humanity’s best chance to defeat the virus. In recent weeks, vaccine opponents have made several unsubstantiated claims, including allegations that vaccine trials will be dangerously rushed or that Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious diseases expert, is blocking cures to enrich vaccine makers. They’ve also falsely claimed that Microsoft founder Bill Gates wants to use a vaccine to inject microchips into people — or to cull 15% of the world’s population. Vaccine opponents in the U.S. have been around for a long time. Their claims range from relatively modest safety concerns about specific vaccines or the risk of side effects to conspiracy theories that border on the bizarre. The movement is receiving renewed attention, especially as it aligns itself with groups loudly protesting restrictions on daily life aimed at controlling the spread of the virus. Health professionals say vaccine misinformation could have lethal consequences if it leads people to opt for bogus cures instead.  “Only a coronavirus vaccine can truly protect us from future outbreaks,” said Dr. Scott Ratzan, a physician and medical misinformation expert at the City University of New York and Columbia University. “But what if the effort succeeds and large numbers of people decide not to vaccinate themselves or their children?” While vaccines for diseases such as polio, smallpox and measles have benefited millions, some skeptics reject the science, citing a distrust of modern medicine and government. Others say mandatory vaccine requirements violate their religious freedom.  Rita Palma, the leader of the anti-vaccine group in Long Island called My Kids, My Choice, is among those who say their families won’t get the coronavirus vaccine. “Many of us are anxiety stricken at the thought of being forced to get a vaccine,” Palma said. “I will never choose to have a COVID-19 vaccine. I don’t want the government forcing it on my community or my family.” Healthy volunteer receives injection in the first-stage safety study clinical trial of a potential vaccine for COVID-19, Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute, Seattle, Washington.From the outset of the coronavirus pandemic, vaccine skeptics have tailored several long-standing claims about vaccine safety to fit the current outbreak. When the first U.S. case was announced in January, some alleged the coronavirus was manufactured and that patents for it could be found online. Thousands of deaths later, vaccine opponents are endorsing unapproved treatments, second-guessing medical experts and pushing fears about mandatory vaccinations. They’ve also latched onto protests against stay-at-home orders in the U.S. “The coronavirus has created this perfect storm of misinformation,” remarked David A. Broniatowski, an associate professor at George Washington University’s school of engineering and applied science who has published several studies on vaccine misinformation. Last week, an anti-vaccine activist was arrested in Idaho after repeatedly refusing police orders to leave a playground closed because of the pandemic. The woman, who was there with other families, is affiliated with two groups that protested at the Idaho Statehouse against stay-at-home orders. Facebook groups formed to organize the protests have been peppered with vaccine hoaxes and myths. Perhaps no one plays a bigger role in the conspiracy theories than Gates, who is funding vaccine research. The online movement has centered concerns around a COVID-19 vaccine on false claims that Gates is planning to microchip people with the vaccine or use it to reduce the world’s population. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vaccine critic who helped popularize unsubstantiated claims that vaccines can cause autism, said Gates’ work gives him “dictatorial control of global health policy.” Roger Stone, a former adviser to President Donald Trump, went further on a New York City radio show, saying Gates “and other globalists” are using the coronavirus “for mandatory vaccinations and microchipping people.” Such wild theories can have real-world effects. False rumors that Gates hoped to test an experimental vaccine in South Africa became mainstream after a news site erroneously reported the claim. One of the country’s political parties then sent a letter to President Cyril Rampahosa demanding answers about “deals” struck with Gates. In fact, Gates and his wife are financing a vaccine trial in Philadelphia and Kansas City, Missouri, not South Africa. He also suggested creating a database of people immune to the virus, not implanting microchips.  On Monday, during remarks recognizing World Immunization Week, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus criticized vaccine skeptics for spreading misinformation at a time when many families are delaying or skipping routine childhood immunizations because they’re afraid of COVID-19 exposure in doctors’ offices. “Myths and misinformation about vaccines are adding fuel to the fire,” he said. Health experts have repeatedly said there is no evidence the coronavirus was intentionally created or spread. They also insist that vaccines are not only safe, but essential to global health. “Vaccine researchers and anyone who is a vaccine advocate cares deeply about vaccine safety,” said Dr. Paul Offit, a Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia physician and co-inventor of a vaccine for rotavirus, which kills hundreds of thousands of children annually. For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, that clear up in two to three weeks. But it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death for some people, especially older adults and people with existing health problems.  The vaccine debate is fertile ground for groups looking to sow discord in the United States. Russia seized on it to create divisions before the 2016 U.S. election, and appears to be at it again. A report from a European Union disinformation task force found numerous conspiracy theories in English-language Russian media, including state-run RT, claiming an eventual vaccine will be used to inject nanoparticles into people.  “When pro-Kremlin disinformation outlets spread anti-vaccine tropes, they become responsible for those who will hesitate to seek professional medical care,” the EU report said.  
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Європейський союз надав 123,5 мільйона гривень підприємцям з Донбасу за перші чотири місяці роботи програми FinancEast.

Представництво ЄС в Україні повідомило, що кошти надали у вигляді субсидій та компенсацій для мікро-, малих та середніх підприємств на підконтрольних Україні територіях Донецької та Луганської областей.

Програма передбачає відшкодування до 50% вартості інвестиційних проєктів. Йдеться про придбання у лізинг або у кредит сільськогосподарської техніки, обладнання і транспортних засобів, монтаж, будівництво та реконструкцію приміщень.

«Донецька та Луганська області нині як ніколи потребують допомоги та інвестицій для сталого економічного та соціального відновлення. Уже є хороший старт: з початку року програма FinancEast в межах EU4Business профінансувала майже 70 інвестиційних проєктів мікро- та малих підприємств. І ця цифра буде зростати за допомогою гранту, наданого Європейським союзом», –заявив посол ЄС Матті Маасікас.

FinancEast реалізують німецький державний банк розвитку KfW та Фонд розвитку підприємництва в межах проєкту «Підтримка Європейського союзу для сходу України» та ініціативи ЄС EU4Business. Головними партнерами стали АТ «Ощадбанк» та ТОВ «ОТП Лізинг».
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