MET OPERA ONLINE - W/c 3 August
During this extraordinary and difficult time, the Met hopes to brighten the lives of our audience members even while our stage is dark. Each day, a different encore presentation from the company’s Live in HD series is being made available for free streaming on the Met website, with each performance available for a period of 23 hours, from 7:30 p.m. EDT until 6:30 p.m. the following day. The schedule will include outstanding complete performances from the past 14 years of cinema transmissions, starring all of opera’s greatest singers.
The streams are also available through the Met Opera on Demand apps for Apple, Amazon, and Roku devices and Samsung Smart TV. To access them without logging in, click “Browse and Preview” in the apps for connected TV, and “Explore the App” on tablets and mobile devices.
Monday, August 3
Mozart’s The Magic Flute
Starring Ying Huang, Erika Miklósa, Matthew Polenzani, Nathan Gunn, and René Pape, conducted by James Levine. From December 30, 2006.
Tuesday, August 4
Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann
Starring Erin Morley, Hibla Gerzmava, Kate Lindsey, Christine Rice, Vittorio Grigolo, and Thomas Hampson, conducted by Yves Abel. From January 31, 2015.
Wednesday, August 5
Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra
Starring Kiri Te Kanawa, Plácido Domingo, Vladimir Chernov, and Robert Lloyd, conducted by James Levine. From January 26, 1995.
Thursday, August 6
Puccini’s Madama Butterfly
Starring Kristine Opolais, Maria Zifchak, Roberto Alagna, and Dwayne Croft, conducted by Karel Mark Chichon. From April 2, 2016.
Friday, August 7
Wagner’s Parsifal
Starring Waltraud Meier, Siegfried Jerusalem, Bernd Weikl, and Kurt Moll, conducted by James Levine. From March 28, 1992.
Saturday, August 8
Handel’s Agrippina
Starring Brenda Rae, Joyce DiDonato, Kate Lindsey, Iestyn Davies, Duncan Rock, and Matthew Rose, conducted by Harry Bicket. From February 29, 2020.
Sunday, August 9
Mozart’s Don Giovanni
Starring Hibla Gerzmava, Malin Byström, Serena Malfi, Paul Appleby, Simon Keenlyside, and Adam Plachetka, conducted by Fabio Luisi. From October 22, 2016.
EU IN TALKS TO SECURE SANOFI DEAL FOR CORONAVIRUS VACCINE
By Foo Yun Chee
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Sanofi SA and GlaxoSmithKline Plc on Friday said they are in advanced discussions to supply up to 300 million doses of an experimental COVID-19 vaccine for the 27-country European Union.Armed with an emergency fund of more than 2 billion euros (£1.80 billion), the European Commission wants to strike deals with up to six drugmakers for their vaccines for their 450 million citizens against the coronavirus that has killed 674,000 people worldwide.
The Commission said the aim of the talks with Sanofi was to clinch an advance purchase deal.
"The envisaged contract with Sanofi would provide for an option for all EU Member States to purchase the vaccine," the Commission said in a statement.
"It is envisaged that, once a vaccine has proven to be safe and effective against COVID-19, the Commission would have a contractual framework in place for the purchase of 300 million doses, on behalf of all EU member states."
A Commission spokesman said he could not comment on when a deal would be announced and the possible price for the vaccine, calling it a quite promising step towards an eventual agreement.
Sanofi is working on two vaccine projects including one in partnership with GlaxoSmithKline .The companies said the doses would be manufactured in European countries including France, Belgium, Germany and Italy.
Sanofi is leading the clinical development of the vaccine and expects to start a trial by the end of this year.
Earlier this week, EU talks with Sanofi, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson hit an impasse over price, payment method and potential liability costs, EU officials told Reuters. Other pharmaceutical companies talking to the EU include France's Valneva , Moderna and biotech firms BioNTech and Germany's CureVac.(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee, additional reporting by Francesco Guarascio in Brussels and Ludwig Burger in Frankfurt; Editing by Jane Merriman and Grant McCool)
CHILEAN POLICE TRAIN SMART DOGS TO SNIFF OUT CORONAVIRUS IN EARLY STAGES
Chilean police are training sniffer dogs to detect coronavirus in people's sweat at an early stage, after a similar trial in the UK showed encouraging results.
Four dogs have been selected for the initial training - a mix of labradors and golden retrievers that sport green "biodetector" jackets for their task.
They are being trained at the Chilean Carabineros' specialist training base in the capital Santiago.
Sniffer dogs are best known for detecting drugs, explosives and people but have also been trained to detect diseases including malaria, cancer and Parkinson's disease.
Lieutenant Colonel Cristian Acevedo Yanez, director of the police specialty training school, said dogs had more than three million olfactory receptors - more than 50 times those of humans - so were uniquely placed to help fight coronavirus.
He said the canines could play a critical part as Chile seeks to gradually reopen its schools and shops and get people back to work.
"The role of police is to strengthen our detection abilities in this 'new normal'," he said.
"The idea is that our dogs would be in busy places such as schools, bus terminals and airports, and could detect people at an early stage of the disease to be able to isolate them and perform the appropriate PCR test, avoiding mass contagions.
"Essentially what these dogs - four at first, and their guides - will do is save lives.”
The Telegraph reported in May that medical sniffer dogs were being trained to detect asymptomatic coronavirus carriers under a Government-backed initiative that could see 250 people screened per hour.
Three cocker spaniels, two labradors and a labradoodle began intensive training at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine using odour samples from Covid-19-positive patients.
As part of another study, French scientists said in June that dogs are able to detect the presence of Covid-19 on infected patients by sniffing their armpits.
Researchers at the national veterinary school in Alfort, outside Paris, trained eight Belgian Malinois shepherd dogs to identify people infected with the coronavirus from odour samples taken from the armpits of more than 360 subjects, both healthy and suffering from Covid-19.
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CORONAVIRUS - FIVE NEW CASES DETECTED - ALL IN LIMASSOL [announced Saturday morning]
Five new coronavirus cases from Limassol were announced by the health ministry on Saturday morning, bringing the total to 1,119.
According to the ministry, three cases arose from individuals tested on private initiative, a couple, who presented symptoms and were tested, and another individual, who was a contact of another previously confirmed case.
Two more cases were found from among 3,000 of the random samples being taken islandwide. Both cases were in Limassol.
Two of the five new cases arose from a breach of self-isolation measures.
A total of 990 teste were processed on Friday night.
OVER 700 CHECKS OVERNIGHT, 38 BOOKINGS
Police carried out 733 inspections of premises across Cyprus overnight and made 38 bookings in the last 24 hours for violations of the coronavirus restrictions.
In Nicosia there were 137 inspections and 15 bookings. In Limassol 203 of the former and six of the latter. In Larnaca there were 191 checks and four bookings, in Paphos 64 checks and 9 bookings, in the Famagusta district 102 and four, and in the Morphou area, 36 checks with no bookings.
PARLIAMENT VOTES TOUGHER FINES FOR DRIVERS [from 1 October]
Traffic violations are set to become steeper and tougher starting October 1, after deputies voted on Friday a set of bills into law and approved regulations aimed at tackling irresponsible driving.
With an overwhelming majority, plenum voted in favour with two against, the laws and regulations aiming for road safety and a decrease in Cyprus’ high number of road deaths and serious injuries.
Based on the new rules, driving without a seatbelt or while using their mobile phone, the fine is €150 the first time around. Repeat offenders within a three-year period will see the fine doubled.
Driving without a helmet carries a €200 fine which shoots up to €400 if someone is caught again in the space of three years after their first fine.
Someone speeding is fined €1 for every km/h they are going above the speed limit up to 30 per cent of the speed limit. If the speed limit is exceeded between 31 and 50 per cent, the fine is €2 per exceeded km/h and for 51 to 75 per cent of the speed limit, the fine is €3 per exceeded km/h.
An individual drunk driving and speeding up to 75 per cent of the speed limit with their alcohol level up to 70μg/100ml can be issued two separate fines.
Overtaking where it is not permitted carries a €150 fine. The number is increased to €200 if someone overtakes on a pedestrian crossing.
Parking at a disabled parking is fined at €300
Fleeing a scene after an accident without offering help will constitute an offence which will carry a sentence.
CYPRUS READY FOR UK VISITORS BUT WILL THEY COME?
LONG-AWAITED flights from the UK are set to resume today with arrivals at both at Larnaca and Paphos airports as Britain’s move to a category B country becomes official, though it comes at a time when cases are on the rise on the island after weeks of negligible numbers and zero hospitalisations or deaths from Covid-19.
There are five flights from Britain scheduled to arrive at Larnaca airport today and one on Sunday. As for Paphos, there are three flights scheduled from Britain today.
Transport Minister Yiannis Karousos paid a surprise visit to Larnaca airport on evening with Justice Minister Emily Yiolitis to determine whether protocols were being observed. “We want to send the message that checks will continue and will be intensified,” he said. Karousos said an increase in passenger traffic was expected due to the change in category for the UK. He said random tests would be increased from 600 to 1,000.
But although the island’s airports are ready, it is still unclear how many people will come from the UK.
A member of Paphos airport staff confirmed to the Cyprus Mail on Friday, that in total 17 arrivals are expected on Saturday and there will be 16 departures. They include the first flights of holidaymakers from the UK since travel restrictions were lifted, most of which are ‘turnaround’ flights.
“TUI and Jet2 have cancelled their flights for now until mid-August, and we have no indication as yet about passenger numbers arriving this weekend, we usually get sent a load message with total numbers when the flights leaves the departure airport,” he said.
Most of these flights are with carrier Ryanair, although one is a British Airways ‘turnaround’ flight from London Heathrow, the first for the airline since travel restrictions, due to the coronavirus pandemic, were put in place.
UK arrivals and departures include: Bournemouth, London Stansted, and an Easyjet flight from London Gatwick.
“We direct any calls from passengers requesting information about permitted entry into Cyprus to the official FlightPass site of the government, as all of the information is constantly updated on there. Things change so fast and it would not be good if we inadvertently misdirected someone,” another worker at Paphos airport said.
Holidaymakers and non-permanent residents must have evidence of a PCR test dated not more than 72 hours old before being allowed to enter the country. NHS tests are allowed with specific details.
All passengers, regardless of the category of the country they are arriving from, are required to apply for CyprusFlightPass (https://cyprusflightpass.gov.cy/) within 24 hours of their departure. They must fill out the form online and present it before boarding the aircraft and upon their arrival in Cyprus.
Everyone arriving and departing is also required to pass through a thermal camera which detects temperature levels, they are manned and operated by members of the health authority, the staff member said.
“If anyone shows a high temperature, the health authority will carry out further checks and also, if they don’t have the correct paperwork, immigration will deal with the matter in line with the government guidelines and protocols.”
He added that so far, a number of people arriving without tests were permitted to take a Covid-19 test at the airport, however, this would not apply to British holidaymakers.
“They must come with the correct paperwork and a negative test. It would be wrong not to and taking a big risk.”
And if car hire numbers are any indication as to passenger numbers from Britain, it’s not looking encouraging.
Petsas car hire, one of the oldest on the island, in operation since 1962, it also has a base at Paphos airport arrivals hall. They told the Cyprus Mail that they have no bookings at all from the UK.
They are usually fully booked at this time of year.
“We don’t have any pre-booked cars for the weekend or next week from the UK, which is usually our biggest market and we would usually have all of our vehicles out at this time of year, “
- To stay up to date with the flight latest details, please visit: https://www.hermesairports.com/flight-info/larnaka/arrivals-and-departures for Larnaca, and https://www.hermesairports.com/flight-info/pafos/arrivals-and-departures for Paphos.