TRUMP TO CHALLENGE LIKELY DEFEAT IN SUPREME COURT

 Cyprus Mail 1 November 2020 - by Alper Ali Riza

Donald Trump Hates To Lose

IT LOOKS as though it is going to be curtains for President Donald Trump next week. Swing states like Florida, Pennsylvania and Ohio have been badly affected by the coronavirus and are swinging away from Trump.

Millions of voters have already voted by post, which pollsters believe is bad news for Trump and that the election is now Joe Biden‘s to lose. That said, I would not write him off just yet. It was Hillary Clinton’s to lose in 2016 and she lost and he won in key swing States even though she won an overall majority of three million.

Trump won because of the way the Electoral College system works in the USA. What the Founding Fathers devised was a system directed at satisfying two contradictory aims: representative democracy based on the principle of majority rule, and political equality between states of the Union.

The US Congress comprises the House of Representatives and the Senate. Representatives are elected in proportion to the population of each state, which is democratic; and two senators are elected from each state, which promotes political equality between states with different populations.

Different powers are allocated to each with checks and balances between them and between Congress and the President, designed to preserve the Union. For example, to impeach a president the Representatives bring the case but the Senate decides at a trial presided over by the Chief Justice.

The executive arm of the US government is vested in the President but his election also satisfies the twin demands of representative democracy and political equality between states. The way this is done is through an Electoral College. Originally the idea was to have Congress elect the president but that was not in line with the separation of powers. On the other hand an executive directly elected by the people was too novel an idea and gives too much power to the most populous states. So a compromise was reached whereby the president is not elected directly by the people but by temporary electors from each state equal to the number of congressmen from each state – for example Florida has 29 electors, equal to the 27 Representatives and 2 Senators it sends to the US Congress.

These electors are actually just votes with no discretion to do other than reflect the result. Presidential candidates fight each state on a winner takes all basis and collect all the electoral votes in states they win. What then happens is that the votes from each state are totted up and the candidate that wins the magic number of 270 votes becomes president.

The important point, however, is that the president is chosen indirectly by the people of each state in accordance with the same formula that allocates the number of Representatives and Senators in Congress. He personifies both the People and the States of the Union that gives the office of the president huge political power.

Trump, however, does not play by the rules and anticipating defeat, he gave no assurances that he would accept the result if he is not successful. I don’t think he would dare stay in power after being defeated beyond expiry of his term as it is a constitutional red line no president can cross without a revolution.

The American constitution is sacrosanct. It is what made a country of immigrants a nation, and it has been the source of American exceptionalism. The ideas and underlying values of the American Constitution of 1787 are still exceptional. We have not moved much since the Enlightenment when the Constitution was promulgated, and its underlying values are still used by conservative Justices of the Supreme Court when interpreting and applying it to modern cases.

Conservative Justices of the Supreme Court, including Justice Amy Coney Barrett, appointed by Trump only last week, believe that the Constitution’s underlying values are timeless, and that the best guide to its interpretation is its original intent. They are now the majority and will develop the law on the basis that the only way of changing the American Constitution is by amendment rather than judicial exegesis.

But if Trump thinks that a conservative Supreme Court may somehow extend his stay in the White House, all I can say is that the original intent of the Founding Fathers was to limit the president’s term in office lest he arrogated to himself the powers of a king whom they had overthrown in America.

The American Constitution provides that a president cannot stay in office if he is not re-elected. His term ends at noon on January 20 at the end of a president’s fourth year in office. Unlike the position in the UK where the removal vans arrive in Downing Street the day following defeat, a defeated president stays in power during the hiatus between the election, usually in November, and inauguration of the new president on January 20. A president’s term ends by operation of law and cannot be extended – not even by the Supreme Court.

What Trump probably meant was that if defeated he would challenge the results in the law courts on the basis that the election was stolen from him by widespread fraud made possible by the prevalence of postal voting. There is precedent for this in the Supreme Court in the case of Bush v Gore in 2000. Al Gore the Democratic candidate lost by a narrow margin in Florida and sought a recount. In the end a conservative Supreme Court found against Gore and George W Bush was elected president.

Trump is highly litigious and hates losing. On a short visit to Britain when Theresa May was prime minister, he advised her to sue the EU over the terms on which Britain was to exit the EU. I thought of that advice when thinking whether and how Trump will challenge the result in key swing states.

It is possible that what he will do is declare himself winner on the votes cast on November 3 and sue to exclude postal votes on the grounds they are tainted by fraud. I doubt the Supreme Court would buy into such manipulation of its process but Trump has refused to confirm he would accept the result if he loses and this is the only way he could try and stay in power beyond January 20, 2021.

 

Alper Ali Riza is a Queen’s Counsel and a former part time judge in England

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BEST HARVEST FOR YEARS BUT A GLUT OF CYPRUS WINE REMAINS UNSOLD

 Cyprus Mail 1 November 2020 - by Bejay Browne

This year’s grape harvest in Cyprus is one of the best in recent years, but that doesn’t mean winemakers are looking forward to a profitable vintage – the coronavirus pandemic means many wineries are still struggling to sell last year’s yield, with some even suffering a drop in sales of about half.

An unknown future lies ahead for one of the island’s oldest industries as most wineries are unsure of how or where they will sell this year’s product, and are unable to make any sort of plans for the future, they told the Sunday Mail.

The harvest across the varieties in Cyprus has been one of the best for years, agreed head oenologist at Sodap’s Kamaterena winery in Stroumpi Stephanos Stephanou.

Wine Production At Vasilikon

“The grapes are perfect, they show good maturity, nice aromas and structure, and no disease. It’s a good year for wine,” he said.

Tsangarides winery’s Angelos Tsangarides agreed: “It has been a very good year for grapes,” he said

Yiannis Kyriakides, of Vasilikon winery in Kathikas, said the same thing, the harvest has been a good one, and despite that fact that there is no indication of what the future will hold, the winery will make almost the same amount of wine as last year.

“It’s bad for all of us and we encourage people to buy Cyprus wines and not imported ones,” Kyriakides said.

Tsangarides lamented that although the harvest was good he is not sure what to do with the grapes. “Our main market is here in Cyprus. We sell around 80-90 per cent here and usually export to China and Singapore, but none of our overseas customers bought this year,” Tsangarides told the Sunday Mail.

The problem is that it’s impossible to plan anything, he added.

“If it was last year, I would be preparing for Christmas, but we have no idea what will happen tomorrow let alone March or April next year,” he said.

The Tsangarides winery is a boutique family-owned and run venture in Lemona, Paphos. The current owner and his family are proud of their heritage and want to carry it on. Their great, great grandfather prepared the land and planted the first vines.

The family continues to produce limited numbers of bottles to ensure consistently high quality.

Kamanterena Winery

And it is not just overseas sales that have plummeted. “There is just no tourism this year, it’s not just affecting me or the wine industry but everyone. We usually get millions of tourists a year but there have been hardly any and the population here is not even a million. Everyone is being affected,” he said.

Currently, the winery is bottling on an ‘ad hoc’ basis, as the need arises.

“It’s very difficult as the running costs of a winery are huge and many people are reliant on it as an income.”

Sodap too has main markets of hotels and restaurants, which were the first to be hit by the Covid 19 pandemic and remain so, Stepahonou said, adding that this has resulted in large quantities of unsold wine having to be stored at the winery, and they are now having difficulty finding the space.

“We have close to four million litres left from last year, it’s usually close to 2/3 million litres. We have had to exploit the situation and do what is necessary to try and free up space. We have repaired old tanks and filled them with wine and utilised every part of the winery we could,” Stephanou said.

As Sodap and the winery of Kamanterena is a co-operative, created by vine growers to trade their own grapes, Sodap has done everything possible to take the harvest this year and received four million kilos, the same amount as last year, he said.

“The future is uncertain all over the world and Covid 19 has created so many problems. We are looking for new and other markets, but the pandemic has made it difficult to export now. The situation is really difficult,” he said.

In March, local winemakers called on authorities to help them better promote their products, as it emerged that sales of imported wine outstrip exports by 10 to1.

Storage at Vasilikon Winery

MPs heard that in 2018 exports of Cypriot wines were just €2.5m, compared to imports worth €25.5m. Politicians called for better branding and market placement.

“I don’t think people really have a budget to advertise or anything, we (Tsangarides) have done some on social media, like everyone. We are around 40 to 50 per cent down on last year and are mostly selling at supermarkets this year. Usually our main market is restaurants and hotels,” Tsangarides said.

The winery bottles around 300,000 in a good year, and are unsure of exact numbers for this year, but they maybe only around half, he added.

Although grape growing and wine making have been part of the culture spanning generations in Cyprus, and there is evidence that wine making may have existed as many as 6,000 years ago, the industry has gone through many changes in recent years .

The sector is also a significant contributor to the economy through cultivation, production, employment, export and tourism.

Grape production in Cyprus has dropped by around 20-30 per cent this year in general, Tsangarides explained. He said that when the grapes are a better quality, production is generally less.

“The government’s green harvest scheme has also meant a reduction in numbers and a lot of grapes were picked in May,” he said.

Bottles Stacked Up At Tsangarides Winery

Under the EU’s wine support programme, wine-producing member states like Cyprus may currently offer financial support for a number of measures, including green harvesting, (the process of removing extra grape bunches from a vine when young), which will ensure there isn’t a surplus of grapes.

The programme offers compensation for growers that meet the criteria.

A vineyard must be registered in the Viticultural Register, be of a specific size and planted by 2015. Vineyards planted since 2016 and later are not eligible.

But winemakers only see the sector in Cyprus surviving if the effects of the pandemic start to improve. “If it remains like this for a few years,” Kyriakides warned, “it will be very difficult for the industry to keep going.”

 

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DO YOU HAVE TO CLOSE YOUR UK BANK ACCOUNT?

 Cyprus Mail 1 November 2020 - by Andrew Rosenbaum

Bank Street in London -- Cyprus residents may be able to keep their bank accounts.

Anyone who has lived and worked in the UK will understand the advantages of having an account in Blighty.

You can pay your bills, your taxes, collect your investments – there’s always some business to be done which is much easier to settle if you have at least a checking account in a UK bank.

But with Brexit closing in, and quite possibly a no-deal Brexit, do you have to close your account there?

No, you do not have to close your account. This applies whether you are a Cypriot, a Brit, or of another nationality.

However, there is a strong chance that your UK bank will ask you to close it. It may also take back your credit cards, which is no joke given that foreigners don’t have access to them in Cyprus (banks here ask you to put up €2,000 and then give you a “credit card” with a credit line of –guess what? €2,000).

It also is possible to find another UK bank that will accept your business.

Why are UK banks closing your account?

Why are UK banks closing your account? Because most financial institutions in the UK will no longer have ‘passport’ access to the EU single market (and to the EEA countries). Before Brexit, UK banks could access any other banks in the 27 member states freely.

Current passporting rules are set to end on 31 December 2020 unless a new agreement is reached with the EU.

What that means is that, as things stand, from 1 January 2021, each UK bank will need to have separate licence in every EEA country it wants to operate in.

So if you live in a country that your bank likes to work in, you don’t have to worry. But many UK banks just don’t want to have you on the books in any case – with 1.4 million Brits living in the EU, the biggest banks including Lloyds, Bank of Scotland, Barclaycard apparently just can’t be bothered.

Unless you have a valid UK address on your account – and PO boxes or parcel receivers don’t count – your account is toast.

Other major UK banks have reportedly sent out letters saying that they are keeping a close eye on the situation and will let you know.

There have been a wave of complaints about this, as you might expect, with some banks closing accounts without informing the account holders, and others giving very short notice. Credit card issues are legion, as some banks oblige holders to pay off total outstanding debt when card accounts are closed.

There has been enough of a reaction that the UK Treasury has intervened. It has warned UK banks that they must give two-months’ notice before closing these accounts. Banks have also been told that they cannot close down accounts where the holder would be placed in “undue financial hardship.”

I can’t quite see myself pleading financial hardship at my high street branch, but you might fall upon a sympathetic manager (don’t count on it).

What you can do

Fortunately, there are less unlikely strategies that you can use to resolve this issue.

Is the address on your bank account currently in the UK? The simplest strategy is to keep that address on the account. The bank need never know that you are abroad.

Do not, however, try to change your address to that of your old aunt who lives in Milton Keynes or anyone like that – this could be used to show that you are no longer resident abroad, and that won’t look good on your tax return.

Another strategy is to switch to a UK bank that has no issues with people living abroad. ING has been one such bank in the past, but check first to see if it has changed its policy. There are a number of others, and there is no legal obstacle to your picking one that offers terms you like.

HSBC, for example, has confirmed you can open an online account from any EU member state. Currently, HSBC reportedly has no plans to close expat accounts. Again, it’s wise to check first about expat policies before you open an online account.

Another alternative is to find a bank in Cyprus which has a branch in London. You may be able to arrange a multicurrency account with a UK IBAN as well as a Cyprus one.

There are also a number of fintech account providers that can provide you with both. You should ensure that they have EU bank licences. There are several here in Cyprus.

One such provider is Payoneer, an alternative banking services provider that has been around for nearly 20 years. If you are paid a salary, or a fee or investment dividends in the UK, Payoneer could work for you. It will take payments for you from any proper business account, just about anywhere in the world. But you can’t pay yourself anything on Payoneer, nor can a friend or relative send you money from a personal account.

 

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TURKEY QUAKE TOLL RISES TO 49, MORE THAN 800 AFTERSHOCKS, MAJOR DESTRUCTION

 in-cyprus 1 November 2020 - by Constantinos Tsintas

The death toll in Izmir from a seven magnitude quake that hit the Turkish coastal city on Friday rose to 49, as crews are still searching for dozens trapped under the rubble of apartment buildings, more than two days after the jolt.

900 people have been injured. At least 15 are in critical condition.

Eight hundred and twelve aftershocks have been recorded.

Turkish President Tayip Erdogan visited the affected last night, saying that rescue efforts will continue and assuring that all homes will be rebuilt and compensation given.

Three thousand tents have been have been set up to house the homeless, while schools will remain closed in Izmir this week.

Erdogan noted that Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was among the leaders who called to express support and offer assistance.

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KOSTRIKKIS - THE 2nd COVID WAVE HAS YET TO PEAK, CONCERNED BY CONSPIRACY THEORISTS

 in-cyprus 1 November 2020 - by Constantinos Tsintas

‘I am really concerned by the rising number of people who believe that the covid infection does not exist or do not realise its serious repercussions’, said Leontios Kostrikkis, professor of Molecular Immunology at the University of Cyprus and member of the health ministry’s scientific advisory committee.

In an interview with Phileleftheros, Kostrikkis notes that the virus has yet to peak in its present surge and expressed the hope that the additional measures taken on October 22nd will eventually lead to a drop in new cases and a return to the previous epidemiological outlook of a low number of infections.

It was really important, Kostrikkis stressed, to prevent a new spread of the virus through the community by implementing all the restrictions, such as a wearing a mask everywhere, in order to prevent the situation from worsening.

He expressed the hope that the effectiveness of the latest measures will start showing in the next few days. 

Kostrikkis made clear that all efforts are being made to prevent a lockdown, which is not the long term option, adding that since there is no vaccine, that would mean staying at home at least until January.

Wearing a mask is a process, as he said, not punishment.

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PLEASE BE ON THE LOOK OUT - GH 578

 

Please be on the look out for a White Isuzu pick-up truck GH 578.   The vehicle has been seen driving around Kamares.   If you see the vehicle please phone the Paphos Traffic Police on 26 806112.  

This is a Turkish Cypriot plated vehicle and the Police wish to speak to the driver to find out what he is doing in the Kamares area - it may be that he is doing gardening jobs and there is no malicious intent.

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JOHNSON LOCKS DOWN ENGLAND AS UK COVID-19 CASES PASS ONE MILLION

 in-cyprus 1 November - by Constantinos Tsintas

Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered England back into a national lockdown after the United Kingdom passed the milestone of one million COVID-19 cases and a second wave of infections threatened to overwhelm the health service.

The United Kingdom, which has the biggest official death toll in Europe from COVID-19, is grappling with more than 20 thousand new coronavirus cases a day and scientists have warned the “worst case” scenario of 80,000 dead could be exceeded.

Johnson, at a hastily convened news conference in Downing Street after news of a lockdown leaked to local media, said that the one-month lockdown across England would kick in at a minute past midnight on Thursday morning and last until Dec. 2.

In some of the most onerous restrictions in Britain’s peacetime history, people will only be allowed to leave home for specific reasons such as education, work, exercise, shopping for essentials and medicines or caring for the vulnerable.

“Now is the time to take action because there is no alternative,” Johnson said, flanked by his chief medical officer, Chris Whitty, and his chief scientific adviser, Patrick Vallance.

The government will revive its emergency coronavirus wage subsidy scheme to ensure workers who are temporarily laid off during a new England-wide lockdown receive 80% of their pay.

Essential shops, schools, and universities will remain open, Johnson said. Pubs and restaurants will be shut apart from for takeaways. All non-essential retail will close.

Johnson’s imposition of stricter curbs came after scientists warned the outbreak was going in the wrong direction and that action was needed to halt the spread of the virus if families were to have any hope of gathering at Christmas.

Johnson was criticised by political opponents for moving too slowly into the first national lockdown, which stretched from March 23 to July 4. He fell ill with COVID in late March and was hospitalised in early April.

The measures bring England into alignment with France and Germany by imposing nationwide restrictions almost as severe as the ones that drove the global economy this year into its deepest recession in generations.

So far the United Kingdom has reported 46,555 COVID-19 deaths – defined as those dying within 28 days of a positive test. A broader death measure of those with COVID-19 on their death certificates gives the toll as 58,925.

The United Kingdom has the world’s fifth largest official death toll, after the United States, Brazil, India and Mexico, according to a Johns Hopkins University tally.

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CAR STOLEN FROM KAMARES 31/10-1/11

 

SILVER HONDA CRV - KLF 513

Stolen from Kamares overnight.   Vehicle had been immobilised [battery disconnected].  

Did you see anything or anyone strange in the Zelemenos area of Kamares last night?  The vehicle must either have been jump-started or towed away.

If you see the vehicle please contact Paphos Police 26 806060.

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TOMORROW COULD BE TOO LATE - HEALTH MINISTER ISSUES STARK COVID WARNING

 in-cyprus 1 November 2020 - by Constantinos Tsintas

Behave the right way today, as tomorrow might be too late, said Health Minister Constandinos Ioannou in an article on the surge of covid cases in Cyprus, calling on people to work together in implementing the measures that will prevent an even worse case scenario, overwhelming hospitals.

Ioannou said the health system was ready, but its capacity to deal with such a situation was not limitless, noting that the epidemiological outlook (three digit figures over the past two weeks) has confirmed concerns that were addressed by deciding to keep tough restrictions through to January.

The Health Minister warned that this was a particularly fragile situation that needs to be faced through prevention, but also hitting hard on the covid surge causes in three major ways:

A large number of diagnostic tests (within the community, high risk groups and entry points), comprehensive contact tracing to achieve isolation of all close contacts of confirmed cases, monitoring relevant protocols, informing the public and implementing restrictions and other measures.

Such measures should be strictly adhered to by everyone, otherwise there is really no point to them, the health minister said.

He pointed out that the surge in cases indicate that the virus has spread throughout the community, in many cases neutralising the effectiveness of contact tracing.

The health ministry is particularly concerned by measures not effectively enforced and the protocols not followed.

‘I realise that people are tired and I respect criticism’, the minister noted. Unfortunately though there is no other option but restrictions until a vaccine or treatment is found to deal with the virus.

Until then, he added, the ultimate responsibility ‘lies with each of us’, with our protection shield being HANDS, DISTANCE, MASK, keeping protocols and reducing social contacts.

Cyprus is facing a worse case scenario, he added, as a rise in cases, will inevitably lead to more people needing hospital care and some who will not make it.

‘It’s a long, tough road’, as he said, but with faith and humanity, Cyprus can make it through.

Ioannou called for collective conscience, as this was a battle that the country could not afford to lose.

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149 NEW CASES AND ONE DEATH - SATURDAY. VIRUS SPREADING WITHIN TWO COMMUNITIES IN PARTICULAR

 Filenews 1 November 2020

The death of a female patient, aged 91, with underlying diseases who was being treated at Famagusta General Hospital was announced today by the Ministry of Health, with the final cause of death being COVID-19.

Therefore, the total number of deaths in SARS-CoV-2-positive patients is 33 and deaths with covid-19 disease ultimately amount to 26, 17 men and 9 women, with an average age of 73 years.

According to an update received today by the Epidemiological Surveillance Unit from contracting laboratories, a total of 4,783 laboratory diagnoses identified 149 new cases of COVID-19 disease.

In detail, today's positive individuals in the virus emerged as follows:

• Of 838 samples taken through the process of tracing contacts of already confirmed cases, 9 cases were identified.
• Of 1,974 samples taken through a private initiative, 84 cases were detected.
• Of 32 samples taken from the Microbiological Laboratories of the General Hospitals, 8 cases were detected.
• Of 895 samples taken as part of a passenger and repatriated check, 10 cases were identified.
• Of 172 samples taken as part of the control programme for pupils, teachers and school staff, 1 case was identified.
• Of 261 samples taken as part of the referral programme by Personal Physicians and special teams control through the Public Health Clinics, 4 cases were identified.
• Of 66 samples taken as part of a sample check carried out by the COP on Associations participating in its competitions, 1 case was identified.
• Of 295 samples taken as part of a random check on residents of Chrysochous Town, 13 cases were detected.
• Of 250 samples taken as part of a random check on residents of Kyperounta, 19 cases were detected.

Therefore, and on the basis of the data so far, the total number of cases is 4,366.

It is also noted that from 295 samples from residents of Chrysochous Town, whose laboratory examination was completed,13 cases occurred, i.e. 1 in 23 people tested positive for the virus. The data shows that there is transmission in the two communities.

According to reports, in Kyperounta and Chrysochous Town, where the virus is spreading in the community, this has arisen due to participation in funerals and engagement parties, i.e. in social gatherings, where the measures appear not to have been observed.

In addition, 24 people tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus at Famagusta General Hospital, three of whom are in the Increased Care Unit. In addition, five patients are being treated in the Intensive Care Unit at the Nicosia General Hospital, while another eight people are being treated in a COVID-19 ward.

Also of concern is the new death of a patient who was hospitalized in the reference hospital, as well as the fact that a 5th person is now hospitalized in the Intensive Care Unit, the 3rd for this week admitted to the ICU.

Source: eyenews

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