A brain implant to decode complex speech signals could soon be a reality, giving people who’ve lost the ability to speak the power to be heard again. Faith Lapidus reports.
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From: MeNeedIt

A San Francisco fertility clinic says thousands of frozen eggs and embryos may have been damaged after a liquid nitrogen failure in a storage tank.

Dr. Carl Herbert, president of Pacific Fertility Clinic, told the Washington Post on Sunday that officials have informed some 400 patients of the failure that occurred March 4.

Herbert says the clinic’s staff thawed a few eggs and found they remain viable. He says they have not checked any of the embryos.

A call to the clinic from The Associated Press seeking further details was not immediately returned Sunday.

It’s the second such failure at a U.S. clinic in a matter of days. Last week, an Ohio hospital said more than 2,000 frozen eggs and embryos may have been damaged due to a refrigerator malfunction.
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From: MeNeedIt

Labor strikes. Nationwide protests. Bank failures.

In recent months, Iran has been beset by economic problems despite the promises surrounding the 2015 nuclear deal it struck with world powers.

Its clerically overseen government is starting to take notice. Politicians now offer the idea of possible government referendums or early elections. Even Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei acknowledged the depths of the problems ahead of the 40th anniversary of Iran’s Islamic Revolution.

“Progress has been made in various sectors in the real sense of the word; however, we admit that in the area of ‘justice’ we are lagging behind,” Khamenei said in February, according to an official transcript. “We should apologize to Allah the Exalted and to our dear people.”

Whether change can come, however, is in question.

​An economy run by the state

Iran today largely remains a state-run economy. It has tried to privatize some of its industries, but critics say they have been handed over to a wealthy elite that looted them and ran them into the ground.

One major strike now grips the Iran National Steel Industrial Group in Ahvaz, in the country’s southwest, where hundreds of workers say they haven’t been paid in three months. Authorities say some demonstrators have been arrested during the strike.

More than 3.2 million Iranians are jobless, government spokesman Mohammad-Bagher Nobakht has said. The unemployment rate is more than 11 percent.

Banks remain hobbled by billions of dollars in bad loans, some from the era of nuclear sanctions and others tainted with fraud. The collapse last year of the Caspian Credit Institute, which promised depositors the kinds of returns rarely seen outside of Ponzi schemes, showed the economic desperation faced by many in Iran.

​Or in security services’​ grip

Meanwhile, much of the economy is in the grip of Iran’s security services.

The country’s powerful Revolutionary Guard paramilitary force, which answers only Khamenei and runs Iran’s ballistic missile program, controls 15 to 30 percent of the economy, analysts say.

Under President Hassan Rouhani, a relatively moderate cleric whose government reached the nuclear accord, there has been a push toward ending military control of some businesses. However, the Guard is unlikely to give up its power easily.

Some suggest hard-liners and the Guard may welcome the economic turmoil in Iran as it weakens Rouhani’s position. His popularity has slipped since winning a landslide re-election in May 2017, in part over the country’s economic woes.

Analysts believe a hard-line protest in late December likely lit the fuse for the nationwide demonstrations that swept across about 75 cities. While initially focused on the economy, they quickly turned anti-government. At least 25 people were killed in clashes surrounding the demonstrations, while nearly 5,000 reportedly were arrested.

​A rare referendum?

In the time since, Rouhani has suggested holding a referendum, without specifying what exactly would be voted on.

“If factions have differences, there is no need to fight, bring it to the ballot,” Rouhani said in a speech Feb. 11. “Do whatever the people say.”

Such words don’t come lightly. There have been only two referendums since the Islamic Revolution. A 1979 referendum installed Iran’s Islamic republic. A 1989 constitutional referendum eliminated the post of prime minister, created Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and made other changes.

A letter signed by 15 prominent Iranians published a day after Rouhani’s speech called for a referendum on whether Iran should become a secular parliamentary democracy. The letter was signed by Iranians living inside the country and abroad, including Nobel Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi.

“The sum of the experiences of the last 40 years show the impossibility of reforming the Islamic Republic, since by hiding behind divine concepts … the regime has become the principal obstacle to progress and salvation of the Iranian nation,” read the letter, which was posted online.

But even among moderates in Iran’s clerical establishment, there seems to be little interest in such far-reaching changes, which would spell the end of the Islamic Republic. Hard-liners, who dominate the country’s security services, are adamantly opposed.

“I am telling the anti-Islamic government network, the anti-Iranians and those runaway counterrevolutionaries … their wish for a public referendum will never come true,” Tehran Friday prayer leader Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami said Feb. 15, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.

​Take responsibility

Yet there are signs that authorities realize that something will have to give. Khamenei’s apology in February took many by surprise, especially as the country’s true hard-liners believe he is the representative of God on earth.

Khamenei’s apology came after a letter from Mehdi Karroubi, an opposition activist who remains under house arrest, demanding that the supreme leader take responsibility for failures.

“You were president for eight years and you have been the absolute ruler for almost 29 years,” Karroubi wrote in the letter, which was not reported on by state media. “Therefore, considering your power and influence over the highest levels of state, you must accept that today’s political, economic, cultural and social situation in the country is a direct result of your guidance and administration.”

Iran’s former hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, blamed by many for the country’s economic woes, has come out for early elections. He also demanded they be “free and fair,” while continuing his own campaign against Khamenei, whom he ignored in his attempt to run in the 2017 presidential election.

However, Ahmadinejad’s action drew immediate criticism, as his own widely disputed 2009 re-election sparked unrest and violence that killed dozens.
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From: MeNeedIt

China said Sunday it does not intend to ignite a trade war with the U.S. because the move would be disastrous for the entire world.

“There are no winners in a trade war,” Minister of Commerce Zhong Shan said on the sidelines of China’s annual parliamentary session.

“China does not wish to fight a trade war, nor will China initiate a trade war, but we can handle any challenge and will resolutely defend the interests of our country and our people,” Zhong said.

President Donald Trump signed proclamations Thursday imposing a 25 percent tariff on imported steel and a 10 percent tariff on imported aluminum, with the new taxes set to go into effect this month.

​US, Japan, EU talk

Trade representatives for Japan and the European Union met with the U.S. trade representative Saturday in an effort to avoid a trade war over Trump’s new tariffs on aluminum and steel.

At the meeting in Brussels, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom and Japanese counterpart Hiroshige Seko discussed the tariffs as part of a trilateral effort to combat unfair trade practices.

The EU said in a statement that both Brussels and Tokyo had serious concerns about the U.S. tariffs. Both powers, two of the biggest trade partners with the United States, have asked for exemptions from the tariffs.

After the meeting, Malmstrom tweeted, “No immediate clarity on the exact U.S. procedure for exemption … so discussions will continue next week.”

“I firmly and clearly expressed my view that this is regrettable,” Seko said at a news conference following the meeting. “… I explained that this could have a bad effect on the entire multilateral trading system.”

Saturday afternoon, Trump accused the EU of treating “the U.S. very badly on trade.” He said if they drop their “horrific barriers & tariffs on U.S. products… we will likewise drop ours,” he wrote in a tweet.

If they don’t, he warned the U.S. would tax European cars and other products.

​Exemptions unclear

On Friday, the European Union said it is not clear whether the bloc will be exempt from Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs.

EU Trade Commissioner Malmstrom said Friday in Brussels, “We hope that we can get confirmation that the EU is excluded from this.”

Canada and Mexico were given specific exemptions from the tariffs for an indefinite period while negotiations continue on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

Brazil, South Korea and Australia have also asked for exemptions or special treatment.

Trump imposed the tariffs despite pleas from friends and allies who warned the new measure could ignite a trade war.
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From: MeNeedIt

Trade representatives for Japan and the European Union met with the U.S. trade representative Saturday in an effort to avoid a trade war over President Donald Trump’s new tariffs on aluminum and steel.

At the meeting in Brussels, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom and Japanese counterpart Hiroshige Seko discussed the tariffs as part of a trilateral effort to combat unfair trade practices.

The EU said in a statement that both Brussels and Tokyo had serious concerns about the U.S. tariffs. Both powers, two of the biggest trade partners with the United States, have asked for exemptions from the tariffs.

After the meeting, Malmstrom tweeted, “No immediate clarity on the exact U.S. procedure for exemption … so discussions will continue next week.”

Seko said at a news conference following the meeting, “I firmly and clearly expressed my view that this is regrettable. … I explained that this could have a bad effect on the entire multilateral trading system.” 

Saturday afternoon, Trump accused the EU of treating “the U.S. very badly on trade.” He said if they dropped their “horrific barriers & tariffs on U.S. products … we will likewise drop ours.”

If they don’t, he warned, the United States will tax European cars and other products.

On Friday, the European Union said it was not clear whether the bloc would be exempt from Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs.

Malmstrom said Friday in Brussels, “We hope that we can get confirmation that the EU is excluded from this.”

Trump signed proclamations Thursday imposing a 25 percent tariff on imported steel and a 10 percent tariff on imported aluminum, with the new taxes set to go into effect in two weeks. 

Canada and Mexico were given specific exemptions from the tariffs for an indefinite period while negotiations continue on the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Brazil, South Korea and Australia have also asked for exemptions or special treatment.

Trump imposed the tariffs despite pleas from friends and allies who warned the new measure could ignite a trade war.
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From: MeNeedIt

One of the South Pacific’s most vocal climate change campaigners is urging Australia to abandon plans for a giant Indian-owned coal mine in Queensland.

Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner is from the Marshall Islands, a poet and daughter of the Micronesian nation’s first female president, who says the proposed Adani mine and the emissions from the coal it would produce would make Pacific Islands more vulnerable to rising sea levels.  

The Adani project in northern Australia would supply Indian power plants with enough coal to generate electricity for up to 100 million people. If it goes ahead, it would be one of the world’s biggest coal mines, producing 60 million tons per year.  

Its supporters say it would inject billions of dollars into the Australian economy and create thousands of jobs. Australia is a major exporter of coal, which generates most of its domestic electricity.

But environmental campaigners say the mine, owned by the Indian company, Adani, would be disastrous for low-lying islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It is an argument championed by Jetnil-Kijiner, a celebrated activist from the Marshall Islands, an archipelago near the Equator with a population of about 75,000 people.  

She says the effects of rising sea levels caused by climate change are already being felt in the Pacific with crops, homes and even cemeteries being washed away.

The environmental activist believes the proposed coal mine in Queensland would put more pressure on vulnerable communities.

“I guess, for me, I definitely think that the Adani coal mine needs to be stopped because if that goes through, then that will affect all of the Pacific countries. I mean the reality is I have already seem one island go under, right, and we are experiencing tidal floodings that are happening as many as four times a year that are destroying people’s homes. People are already leaving, so things are urgent, things are dire.  I think it is incredibly important that we do not open any more coals mines.  It does make a huge difference,” she said.

It was Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner’s address at the United Nations Climate Summit in 2014 that brought wider attention to her activism and poetry. She spoke of the environmental peril faced by the Marshall Islands and other Pacific nations.  

Her speech was written as a promise to her daughter that the world would take action on climate change.  

Four years later, her campaign is continuing.

The Australian government has championed the Adani mine.  Federal Resources Minister Matt Canavan has told anti-coal campaigners that without fossil fuels “hundreds of millions of people” around the world would fall into poverty. Canavan said the global resources industry had “never been more crucial than it is now.”

 
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From: MeNeedIt

Researchers in Sweden have embarked on a four-year project whose aim is to understand one of the most complex animal “languages” — the one dolphins use to communicate with each other. VOA’s George Putic has details.
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From: MeNeedIt

We’re rolling out the five most popular songs in the Billboard Hot 100 Pop Singles chart for the week ending March 10, 2018.

Number 5: BlocBoy JB & Drake “Look Alive”

For the first time in a month, we get a newcomer. It happens in fifth place, where BlocBoy JB and Drake rise a slot with “Look Alive.”

BlocBoy JB is James Baker, a rapper from Memphis. He began uploading his songs to SoundCloud in 2012 and dropped his first mix tape in 2016. He posted a few viral hits, which attracted Drake’s attention. This is BlocBoy JB’s first Top 10 single — it’s Drake’s 23rd.

Number 4: Camila Cabello Featuring Young Thug “Havana”

Camila Cabello and Young Thug spend yet another week in fourth place with “Havana.”

Camila turned 21 on March 3, and last weekend she and her family celebrated in Miami. Here’s something else for Camila to celebrate: She’s going on tour with Taylor Swift. Camila and Charli XCX will support Taylor on her upcoming “Reputation” world tour — dates and locations have yet to be announced.

Number 3: Bruno Mars & Cardi B “Finesse”

Bruno Mars and Cardi B relax in third place with “Finesse.”

But we have bad news for Bruno’s fans in Beijing, China: A proposed tour stop there has been canceled. Last week, the city’s Municipal Bureau of Culture confirmed that the show’s promoter has canceled its application to host the singer on April 25. Guangzhou and Shanghai, however, appear to still be on the itinerary in late April.

Number 2: Ed Sheeran “Perfect”

Ed Sheeran stays strong in second place with his former champ “Perfect.”

Ed recently donated a signed guitar to the family of 11-year-old Melody Driscoll. The young UK resident suffers from the incurable disorder Rett syndrome, and her family faces a lengthy legal battle. Doctors want to withdraw Melody’s medication, fearing it will damage her liver; however, her parents say she’s in extreme pain and needs to continue. They hope the signed guitar can raise money to pay their legal fees.

Number 1: Drake “God’s Plan”

Drake bookends this week’s Top Five, as “God’s Plan” spends a fifth week at No. 1. The hit debuted at No. 1 — the 29th such song in the 59-year history of the Hot 100 chart. It also opened in first place on the Canadian and UK lists. It’s Drake’s fourth U.S. No. 1 single, and his second as a solo artist. So all in all, Drake’s doing well.

I hope you are, too … and thanks for checking us out!
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From: MeNeedIt

Several Asian nations that are major trading partners with the U.S. reacted strongly Friday to a U.S. decision to impose tariffs on metal imports, raising concerns of global trade conflicts.

China, a key target of U.S. trade concerns, said it was “resolutely opposed” to the U.S. tariff decision, with Japan warning of the impact on bilateral ties.

South Korea said it may file a complaint to the international trade dispute body, the World Trade Organization (WTO). South Korea is the third-largest steel exporter to the U.S. after Canada and Brazil.

Several Southeast Asian nations say they fear a wave of import dumping of steel and aluminum products.

U.S. President Donald Trump, turning aside warnings from economists and members within the Republican Party, signed an order Thursday for new tariffs of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum imports to the U.S., saying the measures were necessary to protect U.S. industry.

Trump has exempted key exporters of steel and aluminum, Canada and Mexico, while negotiating changes to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and other countries such as Australia also may be spared.

The U.S. is the world’s largest importer of steel, totaling 35 million tons of raw material in 2017, with South Korea, Japan, China and India accounting for 6.6 million tons.

Global reaction

Thai economist Wisarn Pupphavesa, a senior adviser to the Thai economic think tank, the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI), called the tariff aiming to protect U.S. industry a “very bad situation.”

“The U.S. has been a leader in the multilateral system, the leader in the trade liberalization, and the U.S. played a most important role in writing all the rules that are governing the global market now. But now President Trump decided to break those rules … so this is a very bad situation,” Wisarn told VOA.

Economists at London-based Capital Economics said in a release Friday the major concern over U.S. steps to increase tariffs is they mark a “turning point in U.S. policy to a much broader and deeper shift toward protectionism.”

Malaysia’s Second International Trade and Industry Minister, Datuk Seri Ong Ka Chuan, says the government is monitoring the impact of the tariff increase, although steel and aluminum contributed to less than one percent of Malaysia’s total exports.

But Thailand’s Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) said the threat lies in import dumping of steel and aluminum to the Southeast Asian market.

FTI secretary general, Korrakod Padungjit, told local media there were several leading exporters — Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, India, China, Vietnam and Turkey — that may now target Southeast Asia.

The vice president of the ASEAN [Association of South East Asian Nations] Iron and Steel Council, Roberto Cola, told media that excess steel supplies from China would head to Southeast Asia.

High demand

Southeast Asia’s fast-growing economies, such as the Philippines and Vietnam, face a high demand for steel to meet growing infrastructure and development needs.

Japan at 11 percent and China at 14 percent are reported to be the largest Asian exporters of aluminum to the U.S. A shift in exports to Asia would put producers in South Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand under competitive pressure.

Thanomsri Fongarunrung, an economist at the Bangkok-based Phatra Securities, said Thailand already was facing steel import “dumping” by China. She said another fear lies in indirect impacts from any escalation into “tit-for-tat” trade protection measures from other regions, such as the European Union (EU).

The EU already has said it will seek to impose tariffs on selected U.S. imports ranging from alcohol to motorbikes.

But the TDRI’s Wisarn says the economic growth in Southeast Asia in the past decade, with its focus on China, will shield the region from major moves by the U.S. to boost trade protectionism.

“East Asia [has] become the new growth core of the global economy. So the impact of the U.S. action, in fact, would have very little impact as far as East Asia is concerned,” he told VOA.

As a result, the role of the economies of China, Japan and South Korea, as well as Australia and New Zealand, will be enhanced by the U.S. decision.

Trade war

But analysts say the greater concern for regional trade and potential conflict lies ahead with a battle over intellectual property theft, especially targeting China.

Economists say the region’s economic growth potential could be hit by a trade war. The World Bank in a January assessment said growth in East Asia and Pacific is forecast at 6.2 percent in 2018, down slightly from 6.4 percent in 2017.

The World Bank, while upbeat, says “rising geopolitical tension, increased global protectionism” a tightening of global financial conditions, or a “steeper-than-expected” slowdown in major economies, including China, pose a downside risk to the regional outlook.
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From: MeNeedIt

Barack Obama and Netflix reportedly are negotiating a deal for the former president and his wife, Michelle, to produce shows exclusively for the streaming service.

The proposed deal was reported Friday by The New York Times, which cited people familiar with the discussions who were not identified.

The report sent shares to an all-time high of $326.74 earlier. The Los Gatos, California, company’s stock reached $326.07 in afternoon trading, marking a gain of nearly 3 percent.

Netflix did not immediately respond for a request for comment. Obama spokeswoman Katie Hill declined comment on the report.

Obama senior adviser Eric Schultz, in a statement provided to The Associated Press, said the Obamas believe in the power of storytelling to inspire.

Schultz said the couple continues to explore new ways to help others share their stories.

The New York Times reported that Obama doesn’t intend to use his Netflix shows to respond directly to President Donald Trump or conservative critics.
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From: MeNeedIt

Ethiopia recently held the second edition of the African Circus Arts Festival, which saw 11 circus troupe artists from six African countries perform at the event.

Hundreds of Addis Ababa residents came out to see acrobats, hoopers, jugglers and contortionists among other acts on stage, when the circus came to town.

The three-day fair was organized by the country’s Fekat circus group which wants to promote performance arts and provide opportunities for artists to showcase their talent in music, dance, acting as well as fashion and design.

Most performers were young people who come from difficult backgrounds. The circus encouraged them to use art to express their cultural heritage and fuse it with contemporary influences.

Other acts lined up included South Africa’s Zip Zap circus group, which specializes in multidisciplinary shows.

The group said they were surprised by the reception they got from audiences in Addis Ababa.

“Beautiful beautiful, I really loved the energy of the audience as well. Even though I was dying and getting tired, they’re the ones who kept me going and pushing. So I am really grateful to the fans as well,” said Phelelani Ndarkrokra, a member of South Africa’s Zip Zap circus group.

The Fekat circus group which showcased hoopers and jugglers among other performers say that despite its social, cultural and economic potential, the circus remains largely unrecognized in Africa, and has few job opportunities for artists.

Fekat which was formed in 2004 and runs a circus school in Addis wants to change that.

Organizers say the turnout this year from participating countries was encouraging and that the event has potential to grow even further.

“You know I used to meet African artists all around the world but not in Africa. So we thought why we don’t organize something in Africa and we took this initiative from a long time ago,” said Fekat co-founder Dereje Dagne.

Although a ticket for the show cost around 6 USD, which is a steep price for many Ethiopians, many were happy to attend the show.

“I believe strongly that we Africans can uniquely perform circus because we can show our vast culture through circus. It makes me extremely happy that Ethiopia could host such an event,” said Abel Temesgen, a guest at the event.

“I think the circus could grow to a higher level if the public gave it the same attention as they do for other arts like theater and cinema. I wish people could get more awareness about circus,” added another audience member, Mikias Mulugeta.

The circus also provided a platform for artists to exchange contacts and learn from each other, as well as attend workshops in different performance disciplines.

The event is sponsored by UNESCO and the European Union among other partners. Organizers say they plan to hold the circus annually in future.
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From: MeNeedIt

So far, 114 children in the U.S. have died from influenza or a flu-related illness, and the flu season is not yet over.

Most of those children had not been vaccinated against the virus, Dr. Anne Schuchat, acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said.

In her testimony Thursday before a House of Representatives subcommittee, Schuchat said that although this year’s vaccine effectiveness was relatively low — the CDC’s preliminary survey shows it is 36 percent effective overall — its effectiveness in children is much higher, at 59 percent.

When asked why, Schuchat acknowledged that infectious disease specialists don’t know, but she offered two theories.

“One is, children’s immune response is often better than adults, particularly better than older adults. A second is your response to an influenza vaccine may differ when it’s the first time you’ve been exposed to influenza or the vaccine,” she said.

Flu vaccine’s benefits

The CDC recommends that everyone 6 months old and older get a flu vaccine every year, although only about 60 percent of children in the U.S. get that vaccine. Children are more likely to get the virus and spread it, and Schuchat said having more children vaccinated is in the public interest.

“We know that flu vaccines can prevent disease and reduce severity, and we know that they can also prevent spread,” she said.

Getting the flu vaccine doesn’t mean someone won’t be hospitalized or even die from the flu, but the vaccine makes it much less likely.

One study found that, for healthy children, the flu vaccine reduced the risk of dying by almost two-thirds. For those children whose medical condition put them at greater risk, the vaccine cut their risk of death in half.

Peak flu has passed

Although the peak of the flu season has passed in the U.S., Schuchat said, “There’s still a lot of flu out there.”

This year’s flu season started a month earlier than most, and the predominant strain, H2N2, an A strain, is more virulent than the B strains that are also circulating. Another difference from regular flu seasons is that the virus circulated through the entire continental U.S. at the same time.

The virus peaked in early February, but the season has several more weeks to go.

Schuchat told the subcommittee that the B strains are more common right now than they were a few weeks ago, which may actually be good news because the CDC found that the vaccine is 42 percent effective against influenza B viruses.

She told the subcommittee, “Some vaccine is better than no vaccine protection.”
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From: MeNeedIt