There are growing fears that Britain could be headed for a so-called cliff-edge exit from the European Union, as big differences remain between Brussels and London over the shape of any deal. It comes as Japan warns its businesses may pull out of Britain if they face higher costs after Brexit. A leaked government analysis suggests that economic growth in Britain will decline by up to 8 percent after it leaves the bloc. Henry Ridgwell reports from London.
…
From: MeNeedIt
A teenager has won the first U.S. medal at the Pyeongchang Olympics, and it’s gold.
Seventeen-year-old Red Gerard, from Silverthorne, Colorado, in his debut Olympics, won the men’s slopestyle snowboarding competition.
“My emotions are crazy,” he said after his win. “I was just so happy to land the run and to make it to the podium. Ecstatic, I’m so excited.”
In his final run Sunday, Gerard triumphed over Canadians Max Parrot, who won the silver and Mark McMorris, who won a second bronze after Sochi four years ago.
“They were all so excited. It was awesome,” he said about the Canadian favorites whom he beat. “We are all friends out there so, yeah, they were just really happy that we all landed runs.”
High winds have led Pyeongchang Olympic officials to postpone the men’s downhill skiing event planned for Sunday.
Winds were gusting to 72 kph at the Jeongseon Alpine Center. The event will now be held Thursday. The men’s super-G and other speed racing events will be moved back a day, to Friday, the International Ski Federation (FIS) said.
“We kind of expected this downhill to be postponed due to wind, but at the same time the guys were charged up and ready to go,” said Sasha Rearick, the U.S. men’s alpine head coach. “With this being an outdoor sport, it is not abnormal.”
On Saturday, Norway’s Marit Bjoergen entered the history books at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. She became the most decorated female winter Olympian of all time when she won a silver medal in the 15 K skiathlon. It was her 11th medal — six gold, four silver and a bronze.
Charlotte Kalla of Sweden won this year’s first gold medal when she won the skiathlon. She won the race by more than 7 seconds, breaking away from the pack in the final two kilometers to avenge her loss to Bjoergen in the 2014 Sochi Olympics.
Krista Parmakoski of Finland won the bronze. U.S. skier Jessie Diggens finished fifth, the best-ever cross-country finish by an American woman.
The winter games run through Feb. 25.
Rafael Saakov of VOA’s Russian Service contributed to this report.
…
From: MeNeedIt
“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” — an old saying that often elicits groans — is just what organizers of an exhibition of 20th and 21st century photographic masterpieces at the Musée de l’Élysée in Lausanne believe and are promoting.
The exhibit, “The Beauty of Lines,” exposes 160 photographs from the extensive, New York-based Sondra Gilman and Celso Gonzalez-Falla collection, considered one of the top five private collections in the world.
“The exhibition is a journey throughout the beauty of photography,” said Tatyana Franck, director of the internationally renowned Swiss photographic museum.
“The show is intended to have visitors experience beauty by how they feel,” she said. “You cannot explain beauty. It is something you feel, depending on your own history.”
Photo Gallery: ’The Beauty of Lines’ Exhibit at the Musée de l’Élysée
First time in Europe
This is the first time selected works of the 1,500 original prints from the collection of the husband and wife team are being presented in Europe.
The collection includes the works of 73 master photographers from the United States, Canada, Latin America, Europe and Japan, such as Berenice Abbott, Robert Adams, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Imogen Cunningham, Rineke Dijkstra, Robert Mapplethorpe, Man Ray and Hiroshi Sugimoto.
When she first met the two prominent collectors three years ago, Franck said she was “amazed by their enthusiasm and passion for photography” and their desire “to share their passion with the world.”
Celso Gonzalez-Falla told VOA he saw nothing unusual in that.
“The reason why we buy the photographs and are creating our collection is to share it with the rest of the world,” he said.
Sondra Gilman affirmed that “our philosophy is that no one should or could own art. It belongs to the world. To have wonderful art and have it limited to one family or a small group of people is outrageous.”
Show follows themes
The exhibit itself is not chronological. It is a thematic show that conveys the universality of artistic expression through photographs that explore ideas and concepts of humanity, society and nature without being constrained by time and nationality.
The show is divided into three sections: Lines, Abstractions and Curves.
“Lines, especially straight and parallel lines are used by photographers who want to depict reality,” Franck said. “Straight, vertical and parallel lines are being used by artists not only to document reality, but also to give some sociological messages.”
A noteworthy example of this is a 1933 print, “View of Exchange Place from Broadway,” by American photographer Berenice Abbott. The photo presents an image of a modern town in which tall buildings lean into each other, creating a sense of loneliness and powerlessness among the almost microscopically small people below.
This somewhat claustrophobic image is offset by an expansive view of “The George Washington Bridge,” a photograph by Margaret Bourke-White, the first U.S. war correspondent and one of the world’s first female photojournalists.
Franck said Bourke-White wanted to glorify the modernity of New York by shooting the bridge within a vertical and short frame. Although the picture was made in 1933, she said, “Today, 100 years later, that print seems and continues to seem modern.”
Unknown artists, too
In a departure from the exhibit’s focus on the works of famous photographers, the photo chosen for the cover of the catalogue is by an unknown Italian artist, Augusto Cantamessa.
The picture, “Breve Orizzonte” (Short Horizon), stands out for its poetic and graceful beauty. It captures a row of pencil thin trees swaying and seemingly straining to leave the frame that confines them. The trees tower over two miniature bikers peddling slowly through this strange forest.
“He was a true discovery for us. We never heard of this photographer,” Franck said. “What makes this collection extremely interesting is Sondra Gilman and Celso Gonzales-Falla … do not have a criterion of names. They have the criteria of quality” when buying a print.
Gilman agreed that she and her husband were not affected by fame.
“We are only affected by the image, by our judgment and emotional reaction,” she said.
Abstractions and Curves
One of the finest examples in the second section, Abstractions, which presents the line in its purest form, is a 1960 picture by U.S. photographer Ray K. Metzker, called “Venice.”
In this photo, as in others in this section, the real world disappears behind abstract lines, creating a different kind of reality. The Metzker picture depicts two black doors split by a large vertical crack through which a sharp, dazzlingly bright light shines. Franck said she was certain that behind the doors she would find “true light and a huge welcoming sun.”
“It is perfection in terms of composition,” she said. “It is like a spiritual experience.”
Curved Lines are represented in the show with works by Edward Weston, Andre Kertesz and Robert Mapplethorpe among others. Curves capture life as it is. They are a symbol of sensuality. Curves show human beings in motion, moving from one situation to another.
The exhibition, which runs through May 6, is beautifully mounted and easily relatable within the intimate setting of the museum. From conversations with visitors, the collection seems to have changed the lens through which some now view photography.
‘Pictures talk to each other’
It even has added a new dimension to the way Gilman and Gonzalez-Falla see their collection.
“It has totally changed the way I look at my own photographs because we never ever analyzed them so distinctly as to isolate line,” Gilman said. “It has opened up a new world to us.”
Gonzalez-Falla had a similar reaction. “We always looked at our photographs because we loved them,” he told VOA. “The show now makes me look at the collection in a different light.”
Calling it a “marvelous installation,” Gonzalez-Falla said that he was particularly impressed with the way the photographs have been hung. “They have the pictures talk to each other.”
…
From: MeNeedIt
A norovirus that left officials at the Pyeongchang Olympics scrambling to contain it means athletes might have more to worry about than just going for the gold. More than 100 people have come down with this dreaded stomach bug. VOA’s Carol Pearson tells us what it is, how it spreads and what precautions athletes and others can take to keep the virus in check.
…
From: MeNeedIt
It’s been a tough week on Wall Street. The Dow Jones Industrial average closed more than 300 points higher Friday, after plunging more than 1,000 points the day before, the second steepest decline in history. The biggest dive happened Monday when the blue chip index fell more than 1,100 points. It’s enough to make even the most experienced investors swoon. But does this mean the end of the nine-year bull market? Is it time to worry? Mil Arcega spoke with economic analysts to get some answers.
…
From: MeNeedIt
U.S. stocks slumped Friday afternoon after opening higher in the last trading session of a turbulent week in which the Dow Jones industrial average and the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index plunged into correction territory for the first time in two years.
The Dow, the more broad-based S&P 500 and the technology-laden NASDAQ composite were all about one percent lower in afternoon trading.
Earlier Friday, global stock indexes closed out the week in negative territory, deepening the weeklong sell-off. France’s CAC 40 Index fell 1.2 percent, Britain’s FTSE 100 Index lost seven-tenths of one percent and Germany’s DAX finished 1.2 percent lower.
Asian benchmarks fell more sharply. China’s Shanghai Composite Index plummeted 4 percent, Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 retreated 2.3 percent and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index lost just over 3 percent.
The U.S. sell-off began a week ago after the U.S. Labor Department reported wages grew rapidly in January, sparking concern of higher inflation and lower corporate profits.
European markets were rattled by a signal from the Bank of England that it may boost interest rates in response to a strong global economy.
Despite this week’s heavy losses, U.S. benchmarks are still posting strong gains over the past year. As of Friday morning, the Dow was 19 percent higher, the S&P was up 12.5 percent and the NASDAQ was ahead by more than 19 percent.
Many Wall Street observers had been expecting a correction — a drop in stock values of 10 percent or more over the most recent record high — because the market is currently in the middle of its second-longest bull run, or market that is expected to rise, of all time. Until now, the booming market had not seen a correction in two years, an unusually long time.
…
From: MeNeedIt
The 2018 Winter Olympic Games have officially begun in Pyeongchang, South Korea, with a spectacular light show and the traditional parade of athletes entering the Olympic stadium.
This year, Nigeria has its first team in the Winter Games — a women’s bobsled team. They’ll be hurtling down the ice at speeds of 150 kilometers an hour.
Other athletes originally from Africa will be making history at the games.
Akwasi Frimpong will represent Ghana on the skeleton, a small sled that rockets down the icy course. Simidele Adeagbo will be Nigeria’s first female skeleton competitor. Eritrea has its first competitor, skier Shannon Ogbani Abeda, who was born in Canada to Eritrean immigrants.
And Maame Biney, who was born in Ghana, has become a darling of the U.S. speed skating team.
The Winter Games run through February 25.
…
From: MeNeedIt
Kenya’s cut-flower industry has blossomed since the 1980s, and now holds the biggest market share for exports to Europe. Kenya’s flower producers are hoping direct flights set to open between Nairobi and New York City could help them put down roots in a new market — the United States.
On the cutting floor of a factory in Naivasha, about a hundred workers dressed in red smocks stand at sorting tables, some with blades at the ready. The remnants of their work lay scattered about on the gray cement floor.
Naivasha is Kenya’s floriculture heartland and workers at Van den Berg Kenya are trimming, packing and refrigerating bundles of roses.
With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, this is the busiest time of year for flower growers in Kenya — the world’s fourth-largest exporter of cut flowers, with most of the exports going to Europe, Australia and Japan.
“We saw good growth of up to about 10 percent up to the year 2008,” said Jane Ngige, the outgoing CEO of Kenya Flower Council, which represents 115 of about 150 registered growers. “And, since then, it’s stabilizing at about 2 percent.”
Kenya’s cut-flower industry may be set to grow once again with direct flights opening in October to the United States.
Kenya’s flower growers have been anticipating the direct flights for a few years now, according to Ngige.
“And what we’re looking at is an opportunity to diversify our markets to the American market. And, we’re also looking — not to compete with the South Americans, who are the main producers or the main suppliers of flowers for North America — but look at complimenting the product. Because, our products are very different,” Ngige said.
Kenyan roses have a smaller head-size than the Columbian flowers that dominate the U.S. market, say growers in Naivasha, but Kenya’s varietals and low production costs could give it an edge.
While a small fraction of Kenya’s flowers currently end up in the U.S., the air freight stopover in Europe is a costly barrier to greater market access.
The managing director of Flamingo Horticulture Kenya, Jonathan Ralling, agrees that direct flights are a good opportunity — if there is enough cargo space.
“I think it will depend on how much freight is available, in terms of what can leave the country, and also of course how competitive Kenya can be against the South American exporters, which are very, very strong in terms of the U.S.,” Ralling said.
There are 100,000 workers directly employed in Kenya’s flower industry, but Kenya Flower Council says indirect services and products account for another 400,000 jobs, providing livelihoods for around two million people.
The hope is that, with better access to the U.S. consumer market, Kenya’s flower industry — and the number of people it supports — can only grow.
…
From: MeNeedIt
Politicians, public figures and criminals suspected of buying property with corrupt money will be forced to explain their wealth or see their assets seized under new legislation that has come into force in Britain this month.
The so-called Unexplained Wealth Orders (UWOs) have been welcomed by campaigners, who say the British capital is at the center of a global web of embezzled money.
The anti-corruption organization Transparency International has identified five properties they say British authorities could immediately begin investigating using Unexplained Wealth Orders.
WATCH: Britain Targets Global Corruption With Law to Seize Unexplained Wealth
Among them are two apartments overlooking the River Thames that are worth about $15 million. The Russian anti-corruption campaigner and opposition politician Alexey Navalny alleges the apartments are owned by the First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Igor Shuvalov, whose self-declared annual salary is $157,000.
Unexplained wealth
So how exactly is Shuvalov able to afford the property? The new legislation should be used to investigate, said Rachel Davies Teka, head of advocacy at Transparency International.
“An Unexplained Wealth Order could be served by the National Crime Agency or the Serious Fraud Office here in the UK. And that would say to that person, ‘OK, there’s a huge gap here, maybe that’s legitimate income, that’s fine, you just explain that to us, you show us the proof of this income and we’ll leave you alone.’ If that person is unable to do so, then law enforcement can then move to recover that asset,” she said.
Britain’s National Crime Agency says that in excess of $100 billion of corrupt money flows through London each year, much of it public money stolen from government budgets.
“Before UWOs came into force, it was very easy for corrupt politicians from overseas to take their wealth and actually bury it in the UK in sectors such as property,” Davies Teka said.
Tony London neighborhoods
Campaigners cite the case of an $18 million house in London’s Mayfair district, which until last year was owned by Rifaat al-Assad, the uncle of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Investigators believe he embezzled more than $300 million of state funds. He sold the house before it could be seized by authorities and claims his wealth comes from rich Arab backers.
Those looking to hide their wealth often use a complex network of offshore holding companies to conceal their identity.
“We still don’t have a register of the true owners of overseas companies that own UK property. And that’s a bit of a problem in actually identifying these massive gaps between income and asset in the first place,” Davies Teka said.
Two kilometers away in London’s Belgravia district lies another property at the center of corruption allegations. The so-called “Paradise Papers” leak showed that the $20 million house is owned by Toyin Saraki, the wife of the president of the Nigerian Senate, Bukola Saraki. He says his assets are legitimately owned, but Transparency International says this house also should be investigated.
Speaking to VOA in October, Nigeria’s Information Minister Lai Mohammed said his government is cracking down on corruption.
“But we also need the cooperation of many foreign countries, because sometimes we are hampered by the foreign jurisdictions,” he said.
Campaigners warn that the Unexplained Wealth Orders will prove effective only if the British government is willing to use them and show it is serious about ending London’s central role in global corruption.
…
From: MeNeedIt