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Anonymous ID: ad9572 April 7, 2019, 3:45 p.m. No.6088952   🗄️.is đź”—kun

China wants to work with EU on trade, premier writes before summit

 

BERLIN (Reuters) - China wants to work with the European Union on issues from climate change to trade, Premier Li Keqiang wrote in a German newspaper before a summit next week aimed at cementing ties.

 

Diplomats in Brussels have said that tensions over trade, investments and minority rights mean China and the EU may fail to agree a joint declaration at the April 9 summit. That could dent European efforts to gain greater access to Chinese markets.

 

In a column for Monday’s edition of Handelsblatt, extracts of which were released on Sunday, the Chinese Premier denied accusations Beijing was trying to split the bloc by investing in eastern European states.

 

“We emphatically support the European integration process in the hope of a united and prosperous Europe,” wrote Li. He said Beijing’s close cooperation with eastern European states was “advantageous for a balanced development within the EU”.

 

Concerned by potential Chinese dominance of strategic European industries, the EU is trying to coax Beijing to open up its markets and has tried to get it to commit to removing what Brussels sees as unfair barriers to trade.

 

Li wrote that China was ready to work closely with Europe in upholding the Paris Climate Agreement, supporting sustainable development, retaining the international nuclear deal with Iran and fighting terrorism.

 

He also said it wanted to exchange views on reforming the World Trade Organization.

 

The EU is China’s largest trading partner. An increase in Chinese takeovers in critical sectors in Europe and an impression in Brussels that Beijing has not kept its promise to stand up for free trade has complicated talks before the summit.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-eu-china-germany-idUSKCN1RJ0I9

Anonymous ID: ad9572 April 7, 2019, 4:02 p.m. No.6089124   🗄️.is đź”—kun   >>9327

Pain-care specialist agrees to testify against Purdue, other drug makers - court documents

(this is getting interdasting)

 

(Reuters) - A physician ally of Purdue Pharma LP whose views helped drive the explosive growth in the use of addictive pain relievers for common aches and pains in the United States has agreed to testify against the OxyContin maker and other drug companies, newly disclosed court records show.

Dr. Russell Portenoy, a professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, was an early advocate for the use of opioids for chronic pain, a position he shared in medical journal articles, with regulators, at physician conferences and in other forums. He also was named as a defendant in some of the lawsuits filed by cities, counties and states seeking to hold opioid makers - including Endo and Mallinckrodt Plc - and their distributors liable for the cost of the U.S. opioid epidemic.

 

But Portenoy began talking to plaintiffs’ lawyers as early as January 2018 and later struck a deal with the plaintiffs to serve as a cooperating witness, the records show. In exchange for his dismissal from the suits, Portenoy provided the plaintiffs with documentation of opioid makers’ payments to him over the years, as well as a 36-page declaration that lays out what he would say on the witness stand.

 

Portenoy’s previously confidential cooperation agreement and declaration were made public Friday as a part of a discovery ruling by David Cohen, a special master in the federal court in Cleveland, Ohio, where hundreds of the opioid lawsuits have been consolidated. In an email, Cohen said it was possible the records should have been filed under seal out of public view.

 

Their disclosure offers a glimpse into the largely secretive evidence gathering phase of the litigation. Purdue executives have said the privately-held company is considering bankruptcy in the face of its potential liability. The company avoided having to stand as a defendant in a trial scheduled for May in Oklahoma by agreeing to pay the state $270 million.

 

Portenoy could not be reached for comment. His lawyer did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-opioids-litigation-exclusive/exclusive-pain-care-specialist-agrees-to-testify-against-purdue-other-drug-makers-court-documents-idUSKCN1RJ0PG