Раніше Єврокомісія схвалила надання Україні макрофінансової допомоги у розмірі 1,2 мільярда євро
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One of the key highlights of the 2022 Chicago Auto Show is the display of new, all-electric vehicles coming to dealer showrooms soon. VOA’s Kane Farabaugh has more from the McCormick Place Convention Center.

Camera: Kane Farabaugh, Mike Burke Produced by: Kane Farabaugh, Rob Raffaele
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U.S. auto safety regulators have launched another investigation of Tesla, this time tied to complaints that its cars can come to a stop for no apparent reason.  

The government says it has 354 complaints from owners during the past nine months about “phantom braking” in Tesla Models 3 and Y. The probe covers an estimated 416,000 vehicles from the 2021 and 2022 model years.  

No crashes or injuries were reported. 

The vehicles are equipped with partially automated driver-assist features, such as adaptive cruise control and “Autopilot,” which allow them to automatically brake and steer within their lanes. 

Documents posted Thursday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration say the vehicles can unexpectedly brake at highway speeds.  

“Complainants report that the rapid deceleration can occur without warning, and often repeatedly during a single drive cycle,” the agency said. 

Many owners in the complaints say they feared a rear-end crash on a freeway. 

The probe is another enforcement effort by the agency that include Autopilot and “Full Self-Driving” software. Despite their names, neither feature can legally drive the vehicles without people supervising. 

Messages were left Thursday seeking comment from Tesla. 

It’s the fourth formal investigation of the Texas automaker in the past three years, and NHTSA is supervising 15 Tesla recalls since January 2021. In addition, the agency has sent investigators to at least 33 crashes involving Teslas using driver-assist systems since 2016 in which 11 people were killed. 

In one of the complaints, a Tesla owner from Austin, Texas, reported that a Model Y on Autopilot brakes repeatedly for no reason on two-lane roads and freeways. 

“The phantom braking varies from a minor throttle response to decrease speed to full emergency braking that drastically reduces the speed at a rapid pace, resulting in unsafe driving conditions for occupants of my vehicle as well as those who might be following behind me,” the owner wrote in a complaint filed February 2. People who file complaints are not identified in NHTSA’s public database.  

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been fighting with U.S. and California government agencies for years, sparring with NHTSA and the Securities and Exchange Commission.  

Last week, NHTSA made Tesla recall nearly 579,000 vehicles in the U.S. because a “Boombox” function can play sounds over an external speaker and obscure audible warnings for pedestrians of an approaching vehicle. Musk, when asked on Twitter why the company agreed to the recall, responded: “The fun police made us do it (sigh).” 

Michael Brooks, acting executive director of the nonprofit Center for Auto Safety, said it’s encouraging to see NHTSA’s enforcement actions “after years of turning the other way,” with Tesla. But he said the company keeps releasing software onto U.S. roads that isn’t tested to make sure it’s safe. 

“A piecemeal investigative approach to each problem that raises its head does not address the larger issue in Tesla’s safety culture — the company’s continued willingness to beta test its technology on the American public while misrepresenting the capabilities of its vehicles,” Brooks wrote in an email Thursday. 

Other recent recalls by Tesla were for “Full Self-Driving” equipped vehicles that were programmed to run stop signs at slow speeds, heating systems that don’t clear windshields quickly enough, seat belt chimes that don’t sound to warn drivers who aren’t buckled up, and to fix a feature that allows movies to play on touch screens while cars are being driven. Those issues were to be fixed with online software updates. 

In August, NHTSA announced a probe of Teslas on Autopilot failing to stop for emergency vehicles parked on roadways. That investigation covers a dozen crashes that killed one person and injured 17 others.  

Thursday’s investigation comes after Tesla recalled nearly 12,000 vehicles in October for a similar phantom braking problem. The company sent out an online software update to fix a glitch with its more sophisticated “Full Self-Driving” software. 

Tesla did a software update in late September that was intended to improve detection of emergency vehicle lights in low-light conditions. 

Selected Tesla drivers have been beta testing the “Full Self-Driving” software on public roads. NHTSA also has asked the company for information about the testing, including a Tesla requirement that testers not disclose information. 

 
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Торги на українському міжбанківському валютному ринку завершуються на рівні 28 гривень 37–39 копійок за долар
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Finance ministers from the Group of 20 industrialized nations will begin a two-day meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Thursday as many poorer nations deal with a growing debt crisis.

The coronavirus pandemic has seen many developing countries build up large debts, which debt-relief campaigners say undermines their ability to provide basic services such as health care and education.

In an interview with VOA, Rebeca Grynspan, secretary-general of the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), said that debt levels were already high before the pandemic but that the situation had worsened rapidly.

“You have them building up their debt, and their export earnings not being enough to pay for their debt load. So this situation is really dramatic already for many of these countries,” Grynspan said.

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka’s golden beaches and tropical jungles normally attract millions of tourists every year. The pandemic cut off that source of income while successive global lockdowns disrupted trade. Sovereign bond ratings have been downgraded, and economists fear it could be the next country to default.

The coronavirus pandemic has driven total global debt to its highest level in more than half a century, according to the World Bank. Lebanon, Suriname, Venezuela and Zambia have already defaulted on their sovereign debt.

Figures from the International Monetary Fund show Ethiopia, Tunisia, Argentina, El Salvador, Ghana, Republic of Congo, Tajikistan and Mozambique are also at high risk of being unable to pay their debts.

Eric LeCompte, executive director of the Jubilee USA Network, which campaigns for debt relief for poorer nations, said creditors must act now.

“The G-20 needs to offer speedy and deep debt relief and compel private creditors to match it. History teaches us that the longer we wait to address a debt crisis, the more difficult it becomes to solve the crisis,” he wrote in an email.

Growth slowdown

Many developing nations took out loans during the pandemic. They now face big repayments, estimated by the World Bank at $35 billion in 2022 — an increase of 45% from the previous year, with almost half of that owed to China. Meanwhile, economic growth forecasts have been cut. Last month, the International Monetary Fund said global growth is expected to slow to 4.4% in 2022, down from 5.9% last year.

“For the first time, the rate of growth of the developing countries is less than the rate of growth of the developed countries, so in terms of the sustainability of this debt burden, we have where we are in a very high-risk space,” Grynspan told VOA.

Debt relief

The G-20 has launched debt relief programs, including the Debt Service Suspension Initiative, which have frozen debt repayments during the pandemic.

“It is in the right direction, but it has two problems,” Grynspan said. “One is that it’s a suspension, so the countries will have to start paying in June this year while the crisis is not over. And, secondly, that the impact in terms of debt servicing with respect to the total debt servicing of the developing countries is very, very small.”

The G-20 also launched a debt reduction program in November 2020 known as the Common Framework. In the program, participating countries would agree to debt restructuring with bilateral creditors and the IMF and then aim to secure the same debt relief on private-sector loans. However, only three countries — Chad, Zambia and Ethiopia — have come forward for help. So far, none has received any debt relief.

Grynspan said many indebted nations are nervous about the consequences.

“Many countries don’t want to come in, because they will be punished by the markets,” she said. “And if they are punished by the markets, their access to a private bond and the possibility of going to the markets to finance themselves will be really hindered.”

IMF

In response to the pandemic, the IMF issued Special Drawing Rights — an emergency currency, effectively — worth $650 billion. Wealthy nations were the main recipients, however, drawing $400 billion from the fund.

LeCompte of the Jubilee USA Network said the G-20 should rectify the imbalance.

“The G-20 could affirm the direction of a pandemic response vehicle that could accept donations of Special Drawing Rights from wealthy countries. The IMF’s Resilience and Sustainability Trust could fund long-term, affordable loans to developing countries,” he said.

The warnings of a debt crisis come as borrowing costs are rising sharply, with central banks ramping up interest rates to tackle inflation. Grynspan said creditor nations must take urgent action on debt relief. The alternative, she warned, is a “lost decade” for developing countries.
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Finance ministers from the Group of 20 industrialized nations began a two-day meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, amid a growing debt crisis. The coronavirus pandemic has seen many poorer countries build up large debts — and campaigners say it is undermining their ability to provide basic services like health care and education. In an interview with VOA, the secretary-general of the United Nations’ Conference on Trade and Development warned that creditor nations must take urgent action to avoid a “lost decade” in the developing world.
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Кредит надаватимуть у кілька траншів, перший становитиме мінімум 1 мільйон євро
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Сам Дмитро Сенниченко не був присутній під час розгляду його звільнення
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Торги на українському міжбанківському валютному ринку завершуються на рівні 28 гривень 13–15 копійок за долар
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