BERLIN CHAIR PROTEST TO BACK CALLS FOR GREEK CAMP EVACUATION

 Associated Press 7 September 2020

© Provided by Associated Press Activists place chairs as part of a protest against racism and for the admission of more migrants by the European Union in front of the Reichstags building in Berlin, Germany, Monday, Sept. 7, 2020. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

BERLIN (AP) — Activists are setting up thousands of chairs outside the German parliament in Berlin to underline their calls to take in migrants from an overcrowded camp on a Greek island.

The 13,000 chairs being set up in front of the Reichstag building on Monday are meant to symbolize the inhabitants of the Moria camp on the Greek island of Lesbos, as well the readiness of some German cities and states to take migrants in.

Sea-rescue activist groups that back Monday's action say the first confirmed coronavirus case at Moria adds urgency to long-standing calls for the camp's evacuation.

Greek authorities last week imposed a 14-day quarantine on Moria after one man who had been living in a tent outside the camp fence tested positive for the virus. As of Aug. 31, the Moria camp housed 12,714 people, several times its capacity of 2,757.

Germany's federal government has agreed to take in a total of 243 children from camps in Greece who need medical treatment, as well their closest relatives. So far, 99 of the children have arrived. It also has taken in 53 unaccompanied children evacuated from the camps.

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DOWNING STREET DEFENDS BREXIT PLANS FOR NORTHERN IRELAND

 The Guardian 7 September 2020 - by Jessica Elgot and Lisa O'Carroll

© Provided by The Guardian Photograph: Toby Melville/Reuters

Downing Street has defended plans to give British ministers unilateral powers over Brexit arrangements in Northern Ireland, putting them on a collision course with the EU and Irish leaders in a week of crunch negotiations.

A No 10 spokesman said the measures were “limited and reasonable” and insisted the UK would remain compliant with the Northern Ireland protocol – despite anger from Brussels and Dublin at the plans leaked overnight.

Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European commission, warned Boris Johnson not to break international law and the EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, also reiterated that the EU “demand quite simply, and calmly, and until the end, that the political commitments in the text agreed by Johnson be legally translated into this treaty”.

Johnson’s spokesman said the peace process or the UK’s internal market could be “inadvertently be compromised by unintended consequences of the protocol”.

He said the steps taken in two forthcoming bills would “clarify specific elements of the Northern Ireland protocol in domestic law to remove any ambiguity” and said it would deliver on a manifesto commitment to ensure Northern Ireland’s businesses and producers enjoy unfettered access to the rest of the UK.

Government sources said they needed legislation to give ministers powers to fully implement the protocol after Brexit, something that has astonished the Irish government, which is 100% happy that the protocol is legally watertight.

A UK official admitted this would set Britain on a collision course with the EU with “some debate in the EU legal professional who will want clarity on how it will work vis a vis direct effect”.

This is a reference to the EU laws that allow individuals or companies to sue, which will disappear in the UK after Brexit but will continue to apply in Northern Ireland under the special Brexit protocol.

“This is politics over law. I think they are trying to make it clear to the EU that they need to make some movement in the talks and they are using something as sensitive as the Northern Ireland protocol in order to precipitate that. But it is a very high-stakes gamble,” said Catherine Barnard, a professor of European law at Cambridge University.

A UK official briefed on the new powers, which will be set out in the internal market bill and the finance bill over the coming weeks, said Westminster did not believe the new powers undermined the NI protocol agreed in December – a statement likely to be hotly contested in Brussels.

“The government is completely committed, as it always has been, to implementing the NI Protocol in good faith,” a UK official said. “If we don’t take these steps we face the prospect of legal confusion at the end of the year and potentially extremely damaging defaults, including tariffs on goods moving from GB to Northern Ireland.

“We are making minor clarifications in extremely specific areas to ensure that, as we implement the protocol, we are doing so in a way that allows ministers to always uphold and protect the Good Friday peace agreement.”

It is understood officials have advised that these powers must be introduced in the internal market bill and the finance bill, before negotiations conclude, in order to complete the legislation before the transition period finishes at the end of the year.

Under the withdrawal agreement, Northern Ireland will stay in the EU’s single market regardless of whether there is a new deal with the EU on trade and security by the end of the year, including its rules on state subsidies for businesses, known as state aid.

The bloc’s customs code will also be implemented in full on goods coming into the province from the rest of the UK, requiring checks.

However, the legislation planned by the UK government seeks to very narrowly define the obligation to notify Brussels of subsidy decisions for it to approve. Clauses in the bill could also dispense with the requirement for local businesses to file customs paperwork when sending goods into the rest of the UK.

A Downing Street spokesman said the UK was committed to the protocol regardless of achieving a deal and that Johnson had been consistent about how he would proceed.

“The PM has always been publicly clear about what our interpretation of both the withdrawal agreement and the Northern Ireland protocol was, he publicly set out there would be no export summary declarations on goods moving from Northern Ireland to Great Britain and he also ruled out tariffs on goods moving from GB to NI on several occasions,” the spokesman said. “He set out those positions in advance of the EU signing agreement.”

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EU RECOVERY FUNDS HELD UP OVER ORBAN'S 'RULE OF LAW' ISSUE

 Cyprus Mail 7 September 2020 - Reuters News Service

Orban holds up EU recovery fund

Agreeing the exact conditions on respecting democracy to attach to the disbursement of European Union funds is a key challenge for implementing the bloc’s plan to revive the economy after the COVID-19 pandemic, a top official said on Friday.

The package would also link access to EU funds to respecting democratic principles, which Hungary Prime Minister Viktor Orban wants to ensure would not hurt him before granting Hungary’s final approval.

European Council President Charles Michel, who chairs EU summits, spoke to Reuters and five other European news agencies after Hungary refused to grant its final approval to the EU recovery plan without guarantees on a linked mechanism on the rule of law.

“There is a difficulty with this topic, it’s not new. But we made a big step on that in July and we must now continue,” Michel said of a deal between the 27 national EU leaders this summer on the economic recovery stimulus.

“When there is a problem, we need to find a solution. And we will find a solution,” he said, without giving details.

Under the deal, the EU’s executive would borrow 750 billion euros ($888 billion) on the market to top up a trillion euros worth of spending under the bloc’s joint budget in 2021-27 to help revive growth.

That still requires approval by the European Parliament, as well as many national, and even some regional parliaments across the EU.

Orban, like his eurosceptic allies in Poland, has long been at loggerheads with the EU over undercutting democracy, and stands accused of undermining the independence of the judiciary, media, academics and advocacy groups in Hungary.

The July agreement was left vague on the rule-of-law conditions to avoid a Polish or Hungarian veto, but the European Parliament wants stronger democratic safeguards.

The question is set to dominate the bloc’s political agenda this autumn, with Spain and Italy that have been hit hardest by the pandemic and hope to secure funds quickly.

“In the end, it all comes down to a question of priorities. Do you want to help southern Europe quickly or do you want an ideal rule of law mechanism?,” said a senior EU diplomat, suggesting the latter was more likely to be sacrificed.

“Given the political realities, it is not very likely that both objectives can be met at the same time,” the person told Reuters under condition of anonymity. “The rule of law will be the most difficult part of the negotiations with the European Parliament.”

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DOCUMENTARIES, ARCHAEOLOGY AND HISTORY ALL IN ONE FESTIVAL - Online 10-13 September

 Cyprus Mail 7 September 2020 - by Eleni Philippou

A total of 23 documentaries will be screened as part of the 3rd Cyprus Archaeological, Ethnographic and Historical Documentary Film Festival taking place later this week. Short documentaries from Cyprus, Greece, Chile, the Czech Republic and more will be screened, while parallel activities take place.

It will be the first hybrid Film Festival in Cyprus, as except for the screenings at the Athalassa park, films will also be screened online, through a special platform (https://watch.eventive.org/aei-filmfestival2020).

In this way, the A.E.I. Festival 2020 obtains an international dimension since it will be possible for audiences from all around the world to attend it virtually.

Despite the documentary-focus, other diverse activities will take place from Thursday to Sunday. Two thematic excursions are planned. The first one is on Friday and includes a tour to five important geological points that belong to Troodos Geopark accompanied by officials of the Geological Survey Department. The second will take place on Sunday, a tour by licensed guides to two archaeological sites and two cultural sites that are part of the Aphrodite Cultural Route.

Three photographic exhibitions will also be open to the public during the festival. The first is by Mustafa Ongun, a Turkish Cypriot artist-photographer; the second by the Department of Forests, with archive photos; and the third will include photos that belong to the iLife Troodos program including beautiful landscapes of the National Forest of Troodos.

And that’s not all. On Saturday and Sunday four interactive workshops aimed at children from six to 12 years old are scheduled and will concern archaeology, the environment, the arts, and the musical tradition. For the older crowd and those interested in the art of documentary creation veteran Greek director Dimitris Traggalos will hold a masterclass on Saturday.

 

3rd Cyprus Archaeological, Ethnographic and Historical Documentary Film Festival

September 10-13. Environmental Information Centre in Athalassa National Forest Park, Nicosia. Online: https://watch.eventive.org/aei-filmfestival2020 Free. Tel: 99-694407

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CORONAVIRUS - 24 ESTABLISHMENTS, INDIVIDUALS BOOKED

 Cyprus Mail 7 September 2020 - by Annette Chrysostomou

Police booked 24 establishments and individuals for not complying with coronavirus measures from Sunday until Monday.

A total of 18 people and six premises were fined while 634 inspections were carried out to limit the spread of the virus.

In Nicosia, four people were booked, in Larnaca seven, in Famagusta three and in the Morphou region four.

One establishment was fined in Nicosia, two in Limassol, one in Larnaca and two in Paphos.

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BREXIT SHOWDOWN AS UK THREATENS TO UNDERMINE DIVORCE TREATY

 Cyprus Mail 7 September 2020 - by Reuters News Service

Brexit trade talks plunged into crisis on Monday after Britain warned the European Union that it could effectively override the divorce deal it signed unless the bloc agrees to a free trade deal by Oct. 15.

In one of the most startling turns of the 4-year Brexit saga, Britain is planning new legislation that will override key parts of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement – a step that, if implemented, could threaten a treaty signed in January and stoke tension in Northern Ireland.

Sections of the internal market bill, due to be published on Wednesday, are expected to “eliminate the legal force of parts of the withdrawal agreement” in areas including state aid and Northern Ireland customs, the Financial Times said, citing three people familiar with the plans.

Britain has set a deadline of Oct. 15 to strike a free-trade deal with the European Union, and if none is agreed both sides should “accept that and move on,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson will say on Monday.

Johnson will say there is no sense in thinking about timelines beyond Oct. 15.

“If we can’t agree by then, then I do not see that there will be a free trade agreement between us, and we should both accept that and move on,” he will say, according to comments released by his office.

Britain left the EU on Jan. 31 but talks aimed at clinching a new trade deal before the end of a status-quo transition arrangement in December have so far snagged on state aid rules and fishing.

Without a deal nearly $1 trillion in trade between Britain and the EU could be thrown into uncertainty with rules over everything from car parts and medicines to fruit and data.

BREXIT SHOWDOWN

The reported plan to undermine the Withdrawal Agreement – disclosed on the eve of a new round of talks in London – was condemned by parties on both sides of the Irish border.

Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney, who played a key role in negotiating the withdrawal agreement and Northern Ireland protocol, said on Twitter that the reported move “would be a very unwise way to proceed.”

Senior members of Northern Ireland’s Sinn Fein and SDLP parties, the region’s two largest Irish nationalist groups, also criticised the British government’s plan, as reported by the newspaper.

If no deal is agreed, Britain would have a trading relationship with the bloc like Australia’s, which would be “a good outcome”, Johnson will say on Monday.

“As a government we are preparing, at our borders and at our ports, to be ready for it,” he will say. “We will have full control over our laws, our rules, and our fishing waters.”

In that case, Britain would be ready to find sensible accommodation with the bloc on practical issues such as flights, lorry transport or scientific cooperation, according to the excerpts.

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MINISTRY CAMPAIGN DRAWS ATTENTION TO POISONOUS PLANT

 Cyprus Mail 7 September 2020 - by Annette Chrysostomou

A beautiful but poisonous plant, the Colchicum troodi, will bloom from September until November in many areas of Cyprus, the agriculture ministry announced on Monday as it continues its campaign to draw people’s attention to the island’s indigenous plants.

According to the announcement, Colchicum comes from Colchis, an ancient region on the coast of the Black Sea, while troodi was added due to the fact that it was originally found in central Troodos.

“All parts of the plant, especially the seeds, are toxic because they contain colchicine, a poisonous substance which, however, in small doses has medicinal properties and acts as a laxative and diuretic,” the ministry explained.

The genus Colchicum includes about 70 species, distributed in Europe, West Asia and Africa. In Cyprus it is represented by three species, one of which is endemic.

It can be found in several areas in Cyprus, from sea levels to the top of the Troodos mountains.

Many of the plants grow in protected areas of the Natura 2000 network and in forested land.

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UK RECORDS 2,988 NEW CORONAVIRUS CASES, HIGHEST SINCE MAY

 in-cyprus 7 September 2020 - by Annie Charalambous

Britain said on Sunday it had recorded 2,988 new daily coronavirus cases, up from 1,813 on Saturday to the highest level since May 23.

The number of fatalities, however, remained at a low level, with two reported deaths within 28 days of a positive COVID-19 test in the previous 24 hours, government data showed.

(Reuters)

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MONDAY SEPTEMBER 7 - CORONAVIRUS GLOBAL UPDATE

 in-cyprus 7 September 2020 - by Annie Charalambous

Here’s what you need to know about the coronavirus right now:

Surging infections in India

India’s coronavirus infections surged past 4.2 million on Monday as it overtook Brazil to become the country with the second-highest number of cases.

India, with a daily record 90,802 cases on Monday, also has the fastest-growing case load. The United States, with more than 6 million cases, remains the worst-affected country.

Deaths in India have been relatively low so far, but it has posted more than 1,000 deaths for each of the last five days. On Monday, India’s health ministry said 1,016 people died of COVID-19, taking total mortalities to 71,642.

Sinovac employees and families administered vaccine

About 90% of Sinovac Biotech Ltd employees and their families have taken an experimental coronavirus vaccine developed by the Chinese firm under the country’s emergency use programme, its chief executive said on Sunday.

The extent of inoculations under the emergency programme, which China launched in July but has released few details about, points to how actively it is using experimental vaccines in the hopes of protecting essential workers against a potential COVID-19 resurgence, even as trials are still underway.

Sinovac, whose CoronaVac is in Phase 3 clinical trials and has been included in the emergency scheme, offered the candidate vaccine to approximately 2,000 to 3,000 employees and their families on a voluntary basis, CEO Yin Weidong, who with his wife and parents has been inoculated, told Reuters.

Australian firm announces vaccine manufacturing plans

Australian biotech giant CSL Ltd said on Monday it would manufacture two different COVID-19 vaccine candidates, with the earliest doses due to reach the market early next year, sending its shares nearly 3% higher.

CSL said it expects to supply 30 million doses of a vaccine being developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University to the Australian government if trials prove successful, with the first doses to be available in early 2021.

The company also said it had agreed with the Australian government to manufacture and supply 51 million doses of its own vaccine being developed with the University of Queensland, with mid-2021 likely the earliest the vaccine will be delivered.

Wuhan seafood market still closed

The Huanan seafood market in the Chinese city of Wuhan, believed by many to be the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic, is sealed behind a blue perimeter fence. A large team of security staff chases away anyone who lingers.

Foreign journalists were invited on an official tour to report on Wuhan’s efforts to rebuild its economy after the months-long trauma of COVID-19. The official message: the “heroic city” is back to normal and back in business, its schools and tourist sites reopened and its enterprises running at full capacity.

China rejects conspiracy theories surrounding the coronavirus, including claims without evidence that a specialist virology institute in Wuhan manufactured it. But many unanswered questions remain about the origins of COVID-19 and the role played by the trade in exotic wildlife in Wuhan.

(Reuters)

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HEATWAVE TO PERSIST AFTER SHORT 24-HOUR BREAK

 in-cyprus 7 September 2020 - by Maria Bitar

This persistent heatwave does not look like it will be letting up anytime soon and return to the usual for the island seasonal temperatures of 36°C.

However, today we are expected to have a short break of about 24 hours in the unprecedented weather conditions that have prevailed since last week.

This is because temperatures are not expected to exceed 40°C as was the case last week and as is expected to happen in the coming days.

According to the Meteorological Service the highest temperature expected today during the day is 39°C.

However, the hot air mass affecting the area will cause temperatures that may rise above 40°C both tomorrow and the day after tomorrow.

Today the weather is expected to be mainly fine with temperatures set to rise to 39°C inland, 33°C in the south and east coasts, and 31°C in the mountains and all other coasts.

Winds will be weak in the morning, three Beaufort, to gradually turn south-westerly to north-westerly, weak to moderate, three to four Beaufort, over slightly rough seas.

On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday the weather will be mainly fine and temperatures are expected to be noticeably higher than today’s and considerably higher than average climatic values usually clocking around 36°C inland and in the mountains.

Due to the increased temperatures recorded on the island in recent days, all state services in charge of fire fighting including the Fire Department and the Forestry Department are on high alert.

The same level of readiness is observed at the Labour Inspection Department which, since the middle of last week, has its inspectors out and about to ensure that the safety measures imposed and provided by the relevant legislation are observed so as to not endanger employees working in outdoor areas.

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