NEW SCHOOL PLAN FOR THE SUPPORT OF IMMIGRANT STUDENTS

 in-cyprus 2 September 2020 - by Maria Bitar

A plan for the reception and integration of immigrant students in the island’s educational system has been drafted aiming to facilitate schools on this crucial issue, Philenews reported on Wednesday.

Prepared by the Cyprus Pedagogical Institute and the Department of Secondary Education of the Ministry of Education, the plan which has already been sent out to schools, includes the following:

» A detailed syllabus for Greek as a second language in pre-primary and school education that incorporates:

a) Success and Adequacy Indicators per thematic language courses and per level of Greek learning.
b) A brief overview of teaching approaches.

c) A presentation of ways of diagnosis and alternative/dynamic evaluation of the learning process.

» A guide for the reception and integration of immigrant students in secondary schools.

» A translation of basic school communication forms for families of immigrant students and basic announcements of Secondary schools in the mother tongues of the students.

The languages in which the forms have been translated in so far are: English, French, Arabic, Russian, Bulgarian and Romanian.

» An assessment of immigrant students in Greek as a Second Language and a diagnostic assessment in Mathematics, Physics and Biology.

» Lifelong and distance learning and interaction of teachers who teach immigrant students with them. Two school groups will operate as follows:

a) A group of Greek language teachers who teach Greek as a second language.

b) A group of Maths and Natural Sciences teachers who teach immigrant students.

In the meantime, some schools have already set up entire classes with immigrant students so that these children may get better support in learning Greek, according to Philenews.

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BILL TO PROTECT 'Z' CAR COMPANIES OVER OUT-OF-COURT FINES LEFT PENDING

 in-cyprus 2 September 2020 - by Maria Bitar

A new bill is under public discussion providing that settlement of out-of-court fines for traffic violations committed by tourists/drivers of rental cars will be their own responsibility.

And that a provision is there to protect the company which rents out the ‘Z’ car in the case where the fine is not paid promptly by the one who got it.

The Ministry of Transport’s draft bill was sent to the Legal Service last May and its final version has been completed recently, according to Philenews.

The basic provision of the bill is that the responsibility for out-of-court fines received while driving “Z” vehicles will be borne by the driver/tourist, but if they don’t pay the fine on time, then the responsibility is transferred to the rental company who owns the vehicle.

Thus, each “Z” rental company, will have to bind its customer in a way that ensures the timely settlement of the out-of-court fine.

In other countries, the most common practice is for rental companies to bind their customers by holding an amount through their credit cards for a reasonable period of time.

Thus, a clear message is given to tourists that they will not “escape” fines.

At the same time, it increases road safety and the responsibility of tourists/drivers.

According to data, there are about 25,000 pending cases of out of court fines for traffic violations of tourists with all types of “Z” vehicles like cars, motorcycles, quads etc.

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CCA ASKS FOR REVISION OF SALE PRICE OF SURGICAL MASKS

 in-cyprus 2 September 2020 - by Maria Bitar

The Cyprus Consumers Association (CCA) is asking the Minister of Health to revise the maximum retail price of simple surgical masks immediately.

In an announcement the CCA mentions that the Ministers Decree no. 38 setting the maximum retail price of surgical masks at €0.70 cents a piece is over the top and does not contribute to the protection of the financial interests of consumers.

Under the current circumstances, masks are one of the most basic and essential goods that consumers need. So their retail price should correspond to their usefulness and necessity.

The CCA, taking into account the international wholesale prices of these masks from their manufacturers and the average retail price in Cyprus, estimates that their maximum retail price should not exceed €0.50 cents per piece.

Setting by the maximum retail price at €0.70 cents per piece has the effect of maintaining high prices to the detriment of consumers, instead of holding back the high prices that were the purpose of issuing the Decree.

(Philenews/CNA)

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CYPRUS YESTERDAY AND TODAY - En Plo Gallery, Paphos - 7-20 September

Cyprus Mail 2 September 2020 - by Eleni Philippou

A new Paphos exhibition titled Cyprus Yesterday and Today enters a retrospective journey, looking back into the world and Cyprus through landmarks that have defined and continue to define a turbulent course full of expectations, disappointments, missed opportunities and the hope for something better.

The exhibition, opening on Monday, focuses on art prints and photography and through them, takes a look into the past, chronicling Cypriot periods. Engraving during a time when cameras were absent, was the main source of imaging that approached or even embellished reality. Engraved pieces such as those of the Illustrated London News and the Graphic edition of 1878 offered viewers a different perspective. One through the eyes of foreigners presenting images of the time, and capturing the feeling of excitement and euphoria of the Greek Cypriots at the island’s takeover by the British, which later turned to rage when their expectations were dashed. Prints depicting this and much more will be present at the exhibition.

When it comes to photography, it’s an art that gives an accurate picture of landscapes, ancient monuments, religious sites and daily life. And so, the exhibition’s photographs act as a flashback into the Cyprus of Yesterday.

“Art in general transports life together with the manners and customs of the people of each period, filtered through the personal experiences and emotions of the artists,” say exhibition organisers. Taking place at En Plo Gallery opposite Paphos Castle, art prints and photographs aim to take viewers on a journey looking back at the Cyprus of yesterday and the Cyprus of today.

 

Cyprus Yesterday and Today

Art exhibition. September 7-20. En Plo Gallery, Paphos. Open 10am – 8pm daily

  

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Princess Irina of Romania Restored to Royal Title and Style by Custodian of the Crown

Princess Irina with her husband John, her sister Margarita, and her father King Michael of Romania on 27 October 2011.
Photograph (c) Agerpres / Cristian Nestor

Irina Walker, the princess formerly known as HRH Princess Irina of Romania, has been restored to her royal style and title by her sister, the Custodian of the Crown Margarita.

Screenshot from an archived version of the Romanian royal family's page on Princess Irina (2017).

Screenshot from an archived version of the Romanian royal family's page on Princess Irina (3 August 2020).

In October 2014, Her Royal Highness Princess Irina of Romania was stripped of her title and style, following the legal situation in Oregon, United States, involving the princess and her husband, John Wesley Walker. At that time, Irina and her descendants were also removed from the succession to the Romanian throne under the 2007 Fundamental Rules of the Royal House of Romania. The website of the royal family was updated to show that Irina was no longer considered a princess or a royal highness: the third daughter of King Michael and Queen Anne was referred to as simply "Irina Walker." Previously, the heading of the page about the princess had read "ASR Principesa Irina." As of August 2020, the website of the Royal Family of Romania has been updated in certain aspects. One particular change to note is that Irina is now referred to as "ASR Principesa Irina" (HRH Princess Irina), as she was titled and styled for all of her life until 2014. In a Romania Regala blogpost commemorating the fourth anniversary of the death of Her Majesty Queen Anne of Romania, Irina is again referred to as a princess, along with her three sisters (Helen, Sophie, and Marie). The line of precedence given on the royal family's website confirms that a change has been made in Irina's status. Previously, "Irina Walker" has appeared in the line of precedence after "ES Alexander Nixon" (His Excellency Alexander Nixon), who is the husband of HRH Princess Helen. Now, "ASR Principesa Irina" is listed after Mr Nixon in the line of precedence. The exact date on which HRH Princess Irina of Romania was restored to her royal style and title is not known at present. The princess and her descendants have not been reinstated within the line of succession.

King Michael and Queen Anne of Romania with their daughter Princess Irina in 1953.

Princess Irina of Romania was born on 28 February 1953 at Clinique de Montchoisi in Lausanne, Switzerland. Irina was the third daughter of King Michael I of Romania and Queen Anne (née Bourbon-Parma), who married in 1948. The princess was baptised at the Beau Rivage Hotel; her godfather was King Paul of the Hellenes. Only the closest members of the family were present: Queen Mother Helen of Romania, Princess Margrethe of Bourbon-Parma (née Denmark), and Helen's sister the Duchess of Aosta (née Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark; namesake of the little Irina). Queen Anne noted that Irina "grew into a very mild and gentle little girl."

Lord Roderick Gordon watches while Princess Irina of Romania drives the tractor on the Gordon farm in Alberta.

Irina was educated in British boarding schools and took a secretarial course at Oxford University. In late 1973, Irina went to work on the 1,020 acre-farm in Bentley, Alberta, Canada, which belonged to Lord Major Roderic Gordon (1914-1996) and his second wife Iona (1922-2003; née Bujoiu). The Gordons were friends of King Michael and Queen Anne. While at the Gordon farm, the princess was interviewed in August 1974. "I get very shy and stutter when I have to introduce myself as Princess Irina," the twenty-one year-old confided. "I always wanted to go somewhere far away, but I didn't realise I'd come this far. When I go back to Europe I'm going to miss this... I don't know what I'll do, but I'd like to get back to working with animals. I enjoy the physical closeness of working with the horses the most. You get to know their characters - their bad habits and their good points." Lady Gordon, who was born during the reign of King Michael's grandfather King Ferdinand of Romania, noted that Irina was considered as just "one of the group" at the farm. "Her parents specifically said not to give her any special treatment," Iona Gordon said. While at the estate, the princess took part in all of the usual activities of the operation: "calving, haying, seeding, grooming, cleaning stables, driving tractors, weaning and treating horses, and keeping records." Her time with the Gordons no doubt solidified the lifelong love for the equine race that the princess has maintained. When she was asked about her father's position, Irina simply replied: "I don't talk about it. It's so very complicated." Irina responded when asked if the royal family would ever be able to return to their country: "Well,  you always hope."

Princess Irina of Romania and John Kreuger on the day of their religious wedding.

On 4 October 1983, Princess Irina of Romania married John Kreuger (b.1945), the son of Torsten Kreuger and his wife Diana Blanchefleur Hedberg (née Beve) in a civil ceremony at Scottsdale, Arizona. On 11 February 1984, the couple were wed in a religious ceremony at Holy Trinity Church in Phoenix, Arizona. The event was attended by the Romanian royal family: King Michael and Queen Anne, and Michael's aunt Princess Ileana.

King Michael and Queen Anne of Romania with their daughters, Princesses Margarita, Irina, and Sophie, and their grandchildren, Nicholas, Michael, and Angelica.

Irina and John had two children. Their son Michael Torsten Kreuger was born on 25 February 1984 at Bay Area Hospital in Coos Bay, Oregon. Their daughter Angelica Marguerita Bianca was born on 29 December 1986 at Bay Area Hospital in Coos Bay, Oregon. The birth of Angelica turned into a newsworthy event, as her baptism was covered by the press due to the attended of her grandparents, King Michael and Queen Anne. At her baptism on Wednesday, 28 January 1987, which was held at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Portland, Oregon, Angelica received three godparents: HM King Michael of Romania, Andrew Popeil of Arizona, and Lady Iona Gordon (who had hosted the baby's mother all those years ago). After the ceremony, a smiling King Michael noted: "She's our first granddaughter." Thirty members of the Romanian expatriate community showed up at the church - they had learned that their monarch would be attending his granddaughter's baptism. After Angelica was immersed in the silver font by the Reverend Elias Stephanopoulos, the priest invited the Romanians present to come and present their good wishes to the royal family.

King Michael and Queen Anne with their daughter Princess Irina and their grandchildren Michael and Angelica.

During the Romanian Revolution of December 1989, Communist dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu was overthrown. From the 110-acre farm she shared with her husband Mr Kreuger, thirty-six year-old Princess Irina of Romania gave an interview to the AP. "For my father, Romania was always his home. But he's had to wait, and he never lost sight of the hope, of the dream that there would be a disappearing act of this type of evil power," the princess stated. When asked about her father's activities, Irina elaborated: "Right now, he's busy trying to sort everything out that's happened in the last two weeks. My father is under an overload of work with interviews and trying to get as much support as he can for his people." Princess Irina reiterated that she viewed her father as the rightful head of state of Romania, given the conditions of his 1948 abdication. "He was only twenty-four years-old, and they gave him four hours to decide. The communists had tanks and guns in the courtyard. He had to sign a document saying, 'Of my own free will, I abdicate.' Which is false. He had to do it to avoid bloodshed. My father has said that he's available to the people, should they want him back. Whatever the future holds, we'll just have to wait and see. We'll have to keep everything open and take things one day at a time." 

Princess Irina of Romania and her husband John Kreuger in 2011.
Photograph (c) Agerpres.

After twenty years of marriage, Princess Irina of Romania and John Kreuger divorced on 24 November 2003. On 10 November 2007 at Las Vegas, Nevada, Irina married a second time to John Wesley Walker (b.1945).

Irina on horseback.

Princess Irina of Romania lives in Oregon. 

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GOOD NEWS FOR VACCINE - CORONAVIRUS-FIGHTING ANTIBODIES LAST LONGER THAN SCIENTISTS THOUGHT

The Telegraph 2 September 2020 - Associated Press

 © 2020 Getty Images NITEROI, BRAZIL - AUGUST 26: A laboratory technician holds a vial of COVID-19 serum made from horse plasma at the Vital Brazil Laboratory on August 26, 2020 in Niteroi, Brazil. The Instituto Vital Brazil started the production of serums for COVID-19 using a technique that separates blood plasma from horses. The institute found that the horse's antibodies had a response 20 to 50 times more potent against the new coronavirus than the plasmas of people who had been infected. The National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) has not yet released the serum for testing. (Photo by Luis Alvarenga/Getty Images)

Antibodies that people make to fight coronavirus last for at least four months after diagnosis and do not fade quickly as some earlier reports suggested, scientists have found.

Tuesday's report, from tests on more than 30,000 people in Iceland, is the most extensive work yet on the immune system's response to the virus over time, and is good news for efforts to develop vaccines.

If a vaccine can spur production of long-lasting antibodies as natural infection seems to do, it gives hope that "immunity to this unpredictable and highly contagious virus may not be fleeting", scientists from Harvard University and the US National Institutes of Health wrote in a commentary published with the study in the New England Journal of Medicine.

One of the big mysteries of the pandemic is whether having had coronavirus helps protect against future infection, and for how long. Some smaller studies previously suggested that antibodies may disappear quickly and that some people with few or no symptoms may not make many at all.

The new study was done by Reykjavik-based deCODE Genetics, a subsidiary of the US biotech company Amgen, with several hospitals, universities and health officials in Iceland.

The country has tested 15 per cent of its population since late February, when its first Covid-19 cases were detected, giving a solid base for comparisons.

Scientists used two types of coronavirus testing: the kind from nose swabs or other samples that detect bits of the virus, indicating infection; and tests that measure antibodies in the blood, which can show whether someone was infected now or in the past.

Blood samples were analysed from 30,576 people using various methods, and someone was counted as a case if at least two of the antibody tests were positive. These included a range of people, from those without symptoms to people hospitalised with signs of Covid.

In a subgroup that tested positive, further testing found that antibodies rose for two months after their infection initially was diagnosed and then plateaued and remained stable for four months.

Previous studies suggesting that antibodies faded quickly may have been just looking at the first wave of antibodies the immune system makes in response to infection; those studies mostly looked 28 days after diagnosis. A second wave of antibodies forms after a month or two into infection, and this seems more stable and long-lasting, the researchers report.

The results do not necessarily mean that all countries' populations will be the same, or that every person has this sort of response. Other scientists recently documented at least two cases where people seem to have been reinfected with coronavirus months after their first bout.

The new study does not establish how much or which type of antibody confers immunity or protection - that remains unknown.

The study also found:

• Testing through the bits-of-virus method that is commonly done in community settings missed nearly half of people who were found to have had the virus by blood antibody testing. That means the blood tests are far more reliable and better for tracking the spread of the disease in a region and for guiding decisions and returning to work or school, researchers say.
• Nearly a third of infections were in people who reported no symptoms.
• Nearly one per cent of Iceland's population was infected in this first wave of the pandemic, meaning the other 99 per cent are still vulnerable to the virus.
• The infection fatality rate was 0.3 per cent. That is about three times the fatality rate of seasonal flu and in keeping with some other more recent estimates, said Dr Derek Angus, critical care chief at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Centre.

Although many studies have been reporting death rates based on specific groups such as hospitalised patients, the rate of death among all infected with coronavirus has been unknown.

The news that natural antibodies do not quickly disappear "will be encouraging for people working on vaccines", Dr Angus said.

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CORONAVIRUS - 23 INDIVIDUALS, 9 ESTABLISHMENTS BOOKED

 Cyprus Mail 2 September 2020 - by Annette Chrysostomou

Police booked nine owners of premises for violations of coronavirus measures from Tuesday until Wednesday morning, the same amount as the day before.

During the 888 checks carried out 23 individuals were booked, 10 more than from Monday until Tuesday.

An additional four were fined for not filling in the CyprusFlightPass.

In Nicosia, seven individuals were booked, in Limassol five, in Larnaca four, in Paphos one, in Famagusta three and in the Morphou district three.

Of the premises booked, one is located in Nicosia, one in Larnaca, two are in Limassol, three in Famagusta and two in Paphos.

At the ports, 48 inspections were carried out but no violations were recorded.

 

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THE EUROPEAN GREEN DEAL IS COMING

 Cyprus Mail 2 September 2020 

By Nikos Korogiannakis and Antigoni Pafitis

THE announcement by Ursula Von Der Leyen the ‘European Green Deal’ faced immediate skepticism across the continent. Most observers thought it was one of those fancy titles coming from the ‘Brussels Bubble’ with little content and even less practical action.

However, only a few months after the inauguration of the Von Der Leyen Commission, the Green Deal is anything but empty words. It presents all-new proposals, legislation and actions by the European Union and seems that it will indeed become the anthem in the EU in the coming five years. Those following European affairs, agree that the Green Deal approach shapes political decisions, influencing the way the European Commission, member-states governments and businesses manage their affairs.

As the effects of climate change become more and more visible, the EU Commission considers it a priority to build a climate neutral continent. The Green deal, following the goals of the Paris Agreement provides for the political and financial impetus that can lead Europe through a climate friendly transition.

It is a “strategic agenda” of the European Union to adapt to a greener way of life through promoting the interests of society, citizens and businesses. The Green Deal aims to deliver prosperity through a cleaner future for the continent, and not only. But most of all, the European Commission boasts that it can be a huge opportunity for EU businesses to come to the forefront of green innovation and investment in order to dominate the next two decades in Europe and all over the world, becoming a global leader in a Green economy.

The Commission considers that the transition to a sustainable, carbon-neutral and resource-efficient economy requires fundamental changes to our society and economy. Those changes will contain opportunities but also risks. The European Union through the Green Deal will boost those economic sectors that can deliver the transition but also protect the most vulnerable groups and the most disadvantaged regions that will need special consideration as the transition happens. Huge funding will be mobilised to enhance the transition, accompany the changes and help individuals and businesses to adjust to the new world ahead.  On this direction, the European Green Deal Investment Plan is striving to attract at least one trillion euros worth of public and private investment over the next decade on Green investments.

To do so, the EU will provide tools to unlock private and public investment by putting sustainable finance at the heart of the financial system and encouraging green budgeting and procurement by public authorities through approvals of state aid. As designing and planning this project will be complex thousands of experts will be used by the EU to search for new solutions and provide support both to public authorities and project promoters.

A very concrete example of a “Green Deal” approach in EU project financing is the recent Decision (November 2019 of the Board of Directors of the European Investment Bank (EIB), the world’s largest multilateral financial institution, whose shareholders are the 28 member states of the EU and acts as the principal lender of all the mega infrastructure projects to end financing for fossil fuel energy projects from the end of 2021. This decision will make the EIB the world’s first ‘climate bank’. EIB future financing will accelerate clean energy innovation, energy efficiency, solar and wind power. The change is significant: The EIB has funded approximately 13,4 billion to fossil fuel projects only between 2013-2017.

In Greece, the new government rushed to announce in the end of 2019 the shutdown of all but one coal (lignite) power plants providing for 25 per cent of Greece’ installed capacity by 2023, only one plant surviving until 2028. To achieve this and reconvert the three regions whose whole economy depend heavily on those plants, Greece is willing to inject almost 4.5 billion euros the majority of which through direct EU funding and EIB loans in the next 10 years.

Cyprus has also realised recently the power of the Green Deal.  The government announced in early February that the island had to increase the price of gas in order to comply with Directive 2018/2001 on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources. The national target set is the increased the use of renewable energy sources from 2.9 per cent in 2005 to 13 per cent by January 2020. For transportation the goal was to reach the 10 per cent of renewable energy and the most effective way, according to Ministry of Energy, Commerce and Industry, was to blend biofuels into fuels, which automatically increases the price of petrol by 2 to 2.5 cents per litre.

And more is to come soon. The Commission will present a new “climate law” by March 2021, reviewing each and every EU Directive and Regulation in order to align them with the new climate goals. Renewable Energy Directive, Energy Efficiency Directive, Emission Trading Directive, as well as “LULUCF Regulation” on the inclusion of greenhouse gas emissions and removals from land use, land use change and forestry, will be submitted immediately as part of this package.

The Green Deal is therefore already happening next to you and affects government policies, business behaviour and definitively, daily life all over the continent. Businesses have to seriously take measures to cope with this new reality in their everyday processes but especially when tackling strategic decisions about their future. Once the financial instruments will be ready, the transformation of the EU business environment towards a greener future will accelerate.

 

• Nikos Korogiannakis and Antigoni Pafitis are lawyers at the Elias Neocleous & Co LLC, Brussels Office

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EIGHT ARRESTED FOR BREAKING INTO POURNARA

 Cyprus Mail 2 September 2020 - by Annette Chrysostomou

Pournara migrant reception centre (File photo)

Police said Wednesday they have detained eight foreign nationals in connection with breaking into the Pournara migrant reception centre in Kokkinotrimithia and possession of offensive weapons.

The incident took place at around 10.15pm on Tuesday, police said after officers spotted a man who was not a resident of Pournara inside the centre’s compound.

The suspect tried to flee but was detained by police who later found seven more individuals inside the compound. Police said in their possession, the men had iron bars, wooden clubs and other offensive weapons.

Police said one the suspects, 28, had entered the reception centre to resolve differences with a person who is staying inside.

After his arrest, according to reports, his friends assaulted police by hurling stones and other objects against them.

Officers used teargas to subdue the assailants who were eventually arrested. No one was injured during the fracas.

The suspects are expected to appear before court.

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Look what I found!

 

A Sherlockian on vacation is not on vacation from being a Sherlockian. Here's a sign we spotted on a store in beautiful Beaufort, South Carolina, while we were vacationing last week on idyllic Fripp Island. 

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