EU FINANCIAL SERVICES CHIEF WILL CUT OFF CITY OF LONDON IF NECESSARY

 Reuters 1 October 2020 - By Francesco Guarascio and Huw Jones

© Reuters/HANNAH MCKAY FILE PHOTO: Skyscrapers in The City of London financial district are seen during sunrise in London

BRUSSELS/LONDON (Reuters) - The European Union is ready for every type of Brexit, including granting no further EU access to Britain's financial sector, the bloc's candidate for financial services chief said in a document seen by Reuters.

After Dec. 31, when a transition deal ahead of a full-blown Brexit ends, financial services companies in Britain will have to access the EU via its "equivalence" system.

The EU has already granted temporary access to UK clearing houses from January under this regulatory regime.

Mairead McGuinness, the EU's financial services commissioner designate, said from January there would be significant changes in financial services between Britain and the EU, regardless of whether UK-EU talks that continue this week reach on a free trade agreement.

"As tensions in the overall EU-UK negotiations have increased, we continue to prepare for all possible scenarios, including a no further equivalences scenario," McGuinness said in written answers to EU lawmakers ahead of her confirmation hearing in the European Parliament on Friday.

"Market participants are urged to take all necessary steps by the end of 2020 to prepare for all possible outcomes, she said.

"It will not be business as usual as, in any case, UK financial services firms will lose the benefit of the financial services passport."

The EU is currently undertaking an "unprecedented" exercise of parallel assessments of many equivalence areas with respect to Britain, said McGuinness, a veteran Irish centre-right member of the European Parliament.

But the UK's stated intention to diverge from some EU rules "will naturally have consequences" for those assessments, she also said in the written answers.

McGuinness said any equivalence would come with strict conditions.

"Should equivalence be granted in a particular area, it will need to be accompanied by ... commitments not to deviate from the EU framework for the period covered by the equivalence decision," she said.

The EU will continue to champion open trade but will not be naive about defending its own interests, she said.

(Reporting by Francesco Guarascio in Brussels and Huw Jones in London, editing by Carolyn Cohn and Jane Merriman)

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LONDON MARATHON 2020 LIVE STREAM - HOW TO WATCH RACE ONLINE AND ON TV THIS WEEKEND - 4 October

 The Independent 1 October 2020 - by Bella Butler

© Provided by The Independent

The 40th edition of the London Marathon is set to take place this Sunday.

The race, which was due to take place on 26 April but was delayed by five months due to the coronavirus pandemic, will operate in an unfamiliar format with elite-only runners, and records may well fall on the new ‘faster’ circuit.  

The elite athletes are set to cover 19 clockwise laps of a 2.15km route around St James’s Park, with the traditional finish on The Mall.

Here’s everything you need to know about watching the London Marathon:

When is it?

The women’s race will be under way from 07:00 BST on Sunday, and from 10:00 BST, the elite men will be racing. The wheelchair races will be starting from 13:00 BST. 

Who is taking part?

Defending women’s champion and world record holder Brigid Kosgei will be looking to set a world-leading time, while world record holder and defending champion Eliud Kipchoge will take part in the men’s race, in which Olympic champion Sir Mo Farah will be filling the role of pacemaker.

British Paralympic champion David Weir will be looking for a record ninth London Marathon win in the men’s wheelchair race, with defending champion Manuela Schar hoping for another victory in the women’s race.

Where can I watch it?

Live coverage on Sunday:

Men’s race: 07:00-10:00 – BBC Two and BBC iPlayer

Women’s race: 10:00-13:00 – BBC One and BBC iPlayer

Wheelchair races: 13:00-15:20 – BBC Two and BBC iPlayer

Highlights on Sunday:

19:00-20:00 – BBC Red Button

00:00-01:00 – BBC Two

03:00-12:00 – BBC Red Button (repeat)

How will it differ from most years?

The London Marathon race director Hugh Brasher believes that this route will be faster than the traditional one and that records are likely to be achieved if the weather is dry.

He said: “Heavy rain is not ideal conditions to do a world record in. So we’re doing the opposite of a rain dance. We have some athletes in great shape, but they’ve all been training in unique conditions and we can’t control the weather. And so it is probably the most difficult marathon to predict. But I believe there will be some incredible racing that will live long in people’s memories – and it could be incredibly quick.”

Brasher also established that athletes will be welcome to take a knee before the racing begins to show respect for the Black Lives Matter movement.

He stated: “Black Lives Matter is enormously important. We don’t know what athletes are going to do but we will support them in whatever they want to do. That’s the power sport has to raise awareness.”

The 45,000 non-elite runners that were due to take part in the marathon are able to run in a ‘24-hour virtual London Marathon’ where they are able to clock 26.2 miles within a 24-hour period on Sunday. 

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CORONAVIRUS - PEOPLE WITH NEANDERTHAL GENES ARE AT HIGHER RISK FOR COVID-19, STUDY CLAIMS

 The Mirror 1 October 2020 - by Shivali Best

© Getty DNA

From having an underlying health condition to being obese, a number of risk factors have been shown to increase your risk of coronavirus.

Now, researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology claim that people with Neanderthal genes are also at higher risk of developing severe Covid-19.

In the study, the team analysed a gene cluster on chromosome 3, and found that people with a certain version of this gene cluster were three times more likely to have severe Covid-19.

A further analysis revealed that this version is very similar to the DNA sequences of 50,000-year-old Neanderthals from Croatia.

Hugo Zeberg, who led the study, said: “It turns out that this gene variant was inherited by modern humans from the Neandertals when they interbred some 60,000 years ago.

“Today, the people who inherited this gene variant are three times more likely to need artificial ventilation if they are infected by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.”

The study also revealed considerable differences in how common this genetic risk variant is in different parts of the world.

According to the researchers, it’s particularly common among people in South Asia, while in Europe around one in six carry the risk variant.

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EU LEADERS TO PRESS CYPRUS TO LIFT VETO OVER BELARUS SANCTIONS

 Reuters 1 October 2020  -  By Francesco Guarascio and John Chalmers

© Reuters/YVES HERMAN FILE PHOTO: European Union flags flutter outside the European Commission headquarters in Brussels

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union leaders will try to break a stalemate over Belarus on Thursday by untangling a separate standoff with Turkey that has exposed the paralysis in the bloc's decision-making.

Meeting in Brussels for a two-day summit, leaders are set to confront Cyprus, one the EU's smallest members, which is accused of holding up approval of economic sanctions on Belarus following an election in August that the West and the opposition say was rigged.

While Britain and Canada have gone ahead with punitive measures on Minsk to show support for pro-democracy protests, the impasse in the 27 state-EU, where decisions are taken by unanimity, has cost the bloc credibility, diplomats said.

"We expect that it (the summit) will be the tipping point for the decision on sanctions against Belarus authorities," Gitanas Nauseda, the president of Lithuania, where Belarus' main opposition leader has fled to exile, said ahead of the meeting.

Cyprus says the EU must first agree to impose sanctions on Turkey to send a message that Ankara's oil and gas exploration along the coast of the Mediterranean island is unacceptable.

Cypriot officials cite an August agreement among EU foreign ministers to approve Turkish sanctions and Belarus sanctions together, arguing that both are of equal importance.

"There's a great deal of political activity at the highest levels...to try and unblock the situation on sanctions against Belarus," a senior EU diplomat said.

The economically powerful EU sees itself as a beacon of democracy and human rights, eager to influence international events through its soft power that transformed former communist neighbours into thriving market economies.

But its unanimity rule in foreign policy and its strained relationship with Turkey, which is quickly becoming one of its most difficult, have raised questions about the EU's ability to exert influence internationally.

Weakened in foreign policy by Britain's departure from the EU - a subject that will feature during the second day of the summit - the EU is being pulled in different directions by France's tough stance on Turkey and Germany's push for dialogue.

EU diplomats say a solution could involve a promise to Cyprus for tough sanctions on Turkey in the future.

"The idea is to threaten Turkey with retaliatory measures if it continues with drilling and other provocations in Cypriot and Greek waters," a second senior EU diplomat said.

"This is meant to offer guarantees to Cyprus and convince Nicosia to lift its veto on Belarus sanctions."

(Additional reporting by Philip Blenkinsop, Jan Strupczewski in Brussels and Sabine Siebold in Berlin, writing by Robin Emmott; Editing by Angus MacSwan)

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VAT SCAMS WITH USED CARS IMPORTED FROM THE UK

 Filenews 30 September 2020 - by  Theano Thiopoulou

Fraud involving imported cars from England is alleged to have set up English companies, involving as shareholders or directors persons of Cypriot origin, resulting in the United Kingdom losing millions in revenue from non-actual declared VAT. The phenomenon has taken on alarming proportions and that is why the United Kingdom Government has been asked to assist the Tax Authorities of Cyprus in solving the case.

Yesterday, the Tax Office informed the public that it must be particularly careful about acquiring used cars directly from the UK. It has been found that luxury cars are advertised on social networking pages (and elsewhere) at very attractive prices by companies in the UK and/or Cyprus and promises are made to deliver vehicles in Cyprus to private buyers.

The Tax Department, in cooperation with the relevant Departments in the United Kingdom, examines cases of companies that have made car deliveries to a large number of private buyers in Cyprus, for which there is a serious indication of avoidance of VAT payment in the United Kingdom (but also in Cyprus in some cases).

Invoices from the United Kingdom should specify in their description whether they relate to:

* Margin Cars: Invoices relating to margin cars, which indicate on the invoice the word "this is a margin car, no VAT has been claimed or will be reclaimed" (or similar word), and the price indicated is ONE and includes VAT (no division in value and VAT)

* Qualifying Cars: Invoices for cars that are not profit margin. VAT is normally levied in the United Kingdom and there is an analysis of VAT (value + VAT, total price).

On the basis of the above, private buyers are asked to be particularly careful about the invoice they receive for any purchase of a used car and not to accept invoices with incomplete data or ambiguities regarding the category (margin or qualifying) of the car.

The Communication stressed that there is a serious possibility that Cypriot buyers may find themselves involved in an investigation into the commission of criminal offences in Cyprus and/or the United Kingdom.

In practice, when someone buys a car over the internet from English companies involved in scams, the invoice is "blurred." That is, the buyer pays the total amount, for example 10,000 plus 2,000 VAT, and the invoice he receives indicates the total amount of 12,000. According to the data collected by 'F', the company in the United Kingdom has double invoices and deposits with the tax authorities another, with a smaller amount, resulting in the UK State losing revenue.

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MANDRIA, PAPHOS - THE OPPOSITE OF URBANISM

 Filenews 30 September 2020 - by Dora Christodoulou

Interest even among scientific bodies has been caused by the uniqueness of the case of Madri in Paphos. Contrary to the current of the modern era that wants small communities to be plagued by urbanism and to decline slowly and steadily, this small community of Paphos province not only does not face such problems, but instead asks for help from the state to address the issues created by overcrowding.

The grace of the community eventually reached the academic field, with the reasons for this particularity being also a matter of work and thesis of students.

The community of Mandria, on the beach of eastern Paphos, in recent years attracts a large number of new residents due to the residential plots created there and its tourist development. Characteristic of the specificity of the case of Mandria, is the fact that according to the last census made at the beginning of 2014, 903 people live permanently in the community, while in the summer with visitors its population increases to 2,000 to 2,500 thousand people.

Indicative of the huge increase in the population is that the community authority sent a memorandum to the Ministry of Education setting out the problems created in the Primary and Kindergarten of the community by their overcrowding. The two schools receive a much larger number of beneficiaries than their actual capacity, the memorandum states, making it very difficult for teachers and local authorities to serve residents.

The community has built 2500 thousand new residences, while tourist accommodation with 55 apartments accommodates many visitors from abroad, mainly from Russia, China and Britain.

Mandria also receives many visits on a daily basis due to the church of Osia Vryaini, which is considered miraculous and is the only church in Cyprus dedicated to Osia Vryaini.

 

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INTEGRATION OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES - PAPHOS MUNICIPALITY RE-LAUNCHES THE TENDER

 Filenews 30 September 2020 - by Dora Christodoulou

The Municipality of Paphos finally declared the process of the announcement by itself of the offer for the work of the unification of the archaeological sites of Kato Paphos on August 11th. After the unsatisfactory submission of tenders, the municipal authority re-launched the tender for another 21 days, since in the intervening period according to the Municipality it has been found that there is now strong interest from other bidders to participate in the process.

The re-announcement of the tender procedure in the eProcurement system, is estimated by the municipal authority to be the final stage before the continuation and completion of the large and "very passionate" project in the tourist area of Kato Paphos.

The municipal authority has assumed responsibility for the completion of the project, almost two years after the termination of the contract of the originally selected bidder. Implementing the decisions of the Minister of Transport, the Municipality of Paphos completed the 21st and officially the process of submitting new tenders for the completion of the construction work, which however were declared ineffective.

The continuous delays and problems that have occurred in the last five years at least in the procedures for the promotion of the project, prompted the competent Ministry to approve, in effect, the pressing requirements of the municipal authority and the society of Paphos for the disengagement of the project from the legal and other procedures until then and the re-promotion of the project from the outset with the responsibility this time of the Municipality of Paphos. In this context, Giannis Karousos had announced during his last visit to Paphos that the relevant authority is now undertaking the completion of the project with the re-announcement of the tenders in order for it to be completed soon. The estimated expenditure for the completion of the project is EUR 1.5 million plus VAT.

The project, which was considered to be innovative for Cypriot data, was put on track for implementation through the announcement of the relevant competition in December 2015, under the responsibility of the Department of Public Works. In February 2016 a contract was signed between the Department and the successful bidder and in October of the same year construction work began, but was suspended in May 2018 due to serious problems in the progress of the work.

In January 2019, Public Works undertook the completion of the project through subcontractors, but the work could not proceed productively and was interrupted again in February 2020. Then, after an intervention by mayor Phaedon Phaedon to the new Minister, the Municipality of Paphos claimed and finally succeeded in the assignment of the project to offer it and complete it.

 

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FINAL SIGNATURES FOR LARNACA PORT AND MARINA

 Filenews 1 October 2020 - by Petros Theoharidis

Within the next week, with a more likely date of Monday 5 October, the signing ceremony of the contracts for the award of the development of the Larnaca port and marina, as well as the surrounding area, is planned to the consortium "Kition Ocean Holding Ltd".

According to the information of "F", the consortium, after the green light received at the end of last month by the Competition Protection Committee to proceed, prepared a series of documents, certificates, guarantees and proofs of availability of funds etc. that were required, which it submitted to the Ministry of Transport for inspection and approval.

The ministry, together with the government committee dealing with the matter, was these days in control of the completeness and compatibility of the documents with the requirements recorded in the letter of award of the project.

At the same time, the contracts for the award of the project were also prepared. If no problem arises, then informally it has been agreed as the date of signature on Monday 5 October, so that there will be no further delay and immediately proceed with preparations for the reception of the port and marina, which are expected to last about a year.

The contracts provide for the award of the long-term exclusive right for the design, construction and financing of development projects, the management, operation and maintenance of the port and marina of Larnaca, and the commercialization of real estate in the area. It will be preceded by the signing of an agreement between the Ministry of Transport and the Port Authority, by which the Authority will grant the port to the ministry for rent. For the marina there is no need for such arrangements, since it belongs directly to the state.

At a later stage, following the signings, Port Authority and 'Kition Ocean Holding Ltd', will begin cooperation between them to proceed with a plan for the transition and delivery of the port, which should be completed within 12 months, with which the change in its management should be made fully smooth and imperceptible to port users. Already, account is taken of the negative experiences and transition errors recorded in limassol port.

Among other things, it is envisaged that the operation of the port will continue as a multi-purpose operation and that it will serve all kinds of cargoes from bulk to conventional, safe maritime access services will also be provided at the port, navigation, navigation aids, navigation aids, towing, cargo management services, transit trade management, facilitation of the provision by third parties of services necessary for ships at the port and other services related to the sea.

 

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ANIMAL ABUSE LEGISLATION TO GET TOUGHER, WITH A 10 THOUSAND FINE FOR A FIRST OFFENCE

 in-cyprus 30 September 2020 - by Constantinos Tsintas

MPs are working through a tougher bill against animal abusers, including raising fines as a deterrent, just a couple of weeks following a horrendous incident in which pupils at the Paralimni Lyceum threw chickens and rabbits off the balconies of their school, to ‘celebrate’ the new school year.

Following a meeting of the parliamentary Environment Committee, DISY MP Eleni Stavrou said that this bill will go hand in hand with raising fines against the illegal throwing of fireworks, particularly during evening hours, a phenomenon that’s becoming more frequent and is risking the safety of citizens.

The new tougher bill on animal protection and prosperity was concluded today and includes ways of more effective implementation, strengthening animal protection committees across all provinces and improving coordination.

Fines will be raised, along with the possibility of imprisonment for individuals violating the legislation. A first offence conviction will be raised from a 1700 euro fine to 10 thousand and in the case of a 2nd conviction or subsequent violations, the fine will be raised from 3400 to 20 thousand euro.

The bill will prohibit people from keeping dogs tied up all the time, or restricting dogs and cats on terraces, balconies and verandas.

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Xiao Hua Wang

 Xiao Hua Wang

Posing Summer 2020

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