jewworldorder--2020-09-26--Is COVID-19 causing a spike in addiction rates?

The age of COVID has brought on so many health concerns for everyone , especially those with preexisting conditions .
While the term “ preexisting conditions ” usually refers to physical health ailments like diabetes and chronic respiratory illness , being predisposed to addiction issues or even unhealthy substance use can impact many areas of your physical and mental health , from your immunity to your emotional well-being .
The information and hard scientific evidence surrounding COVID and all its impacts is all very new , especially when it comes to the interpersonal , social and emotional impacts of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But what professionals can do is look at new and existing evidence surrounding the situation to see how it may impact people beyond the medical and public safety implications .
Although addiction issues and COVID may not appear to be related at first , there is much more than meets the eye .
COVID and quarantine can cause a sense of isolation and disconnect that can impact mental health and recovery for anyone — addiction issues or not .
And while no world event will change how many people have addiction issues @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , world circumstances can certainly impact addiction sufferers through their emotional well-being , access to the resources they need and pushing people towards unhealthy coping mechanisms .
COVID has had a stark effect on mental health for everyone , even those without preexisting mental health struggles .
COVID has impacted many peoples ’ jobs , education , family life , social interaction and personal health and safety , to name just a few things .
And even if it hasn ’ t , there is a fear that it will , and that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many people , this can bring on feelings of hopelessness , depression and anxiety .
Pandemics can make caring for your mental health and your immediate needs much more strenuous .
There ’ s a sense of disorientation that makes even simple everyday tasks more difficult .
Exhaustion , hopelessness and boredom can rear their ugly heads much more often than you ’ re used to and encourage a more frequent reliance on unhealthy coping mechanisms , which often include substance use and abuse .
Even those who don ’ t have regular @ @ @ @ @ @ @ overusing alcohol or drugs as a coping mechanism for the negative feelings that the pandemic brings about .
This could lead to a reliance on substances and even physical addiction , as many substances are physically addictive , such as alcohol and many opiates .
For people with existing addictions , the temptation to rely on substances to cope may become even stronger with so many outside forces contributing to mental health downturns in the entire population .
In turn , this , combined with the number of people in the general population @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the risk of addiction .
For those who are already struggling , one of the key elements to a productive recovery is a strong support network that you can rely on .
People need support and loved ones to help them remember they ’ re not alone , make sure they feel supported and show them they have people who care about them .
Sometimes , a support network takes the form of a therapist or support group , or perhaps a combination of loving friends and family .
Ideally , a combination @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the difference .
Being alone will make people more likely to turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms .
This includes those with and without preexisting addiction issues .
Without the ability to meet in-person , those who already attend programs and support groups can ’ t get the same help they once did , and those who realize they need access to those resources now more than ever won ’ t be able to get ahold of them as quickly as they might usually .
While these things are the result of a public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ away , they still stand to cause unfortunate difficulties for many individuals .
While many programs that support people through addiction and recovery are beginning to offer services such as teletherapy , online meetings and remote treatment , these services often don ’ t completely solve the feeling of isolation or loneliness that comes from being away from a once-solid network of support .
There are many benefits of in-person treatment and support that simply can ’ t be carried out digitally .
When those who struggle with addiction feel completely isolated from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ large impacts on their habits and mental health .
It ’ s already obvious how the strain on support systems and feelings of loneliness can make people more likely to turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms , but that ’ s just the tip of the iceberg .
Since the start of COVID , opioid overdoses have increased all around the country .
Over 40 states have reported an increase in opioid-related mortality .
This probably has to do with the fact that solitary drug use increases the risk of overdose for the user @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and away from others , more people are using drugs solitarily .
While overdoses aren ’ t always fatal , they pose a risk to the person ’ s health .
Overdosing can cause health problems , physical trauma and emotional trauma , which means it ’ s vital to prevent it whenever possible .
With the increase in drug overdoses over the course of the past few months , the risks are even further exasperated by the influx of medical attention required to handle the high number of COVID cases in many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ services dedicated to treating COVID patients , emergency services are often delayed for those who need medical attention for other reasons , including overdoses and addiction-related health problems .
This is also even more of a potential threat , as some people who struggle with addiction may be at a higher risk for COVID due to cardiovascular and respiratory strain .
Many medical professionals are advising individuals not to call 911 unless a situation is life-threatening , which may cause many people to try to wait out situations that would otherwise warrant immediate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ overdoses , time is of the essence .
Even a few minutes could mean the difference between life and death , so it ’ s always important to contact emergency services in the event of an overdose or other medical emergency .
Between the stigma surrounding drug use and fatal substance-related emergencies and the high demand for medical attention in so many other places within the healthcare system during this time , the risks surrounding overdoses and overdose fatalities has risen .
Getting the Support You Need If you or someone you know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there are resources available that can help you get the help and support you need to move forward in your recovery , all from a safe social distance .
From more in-person resources beginning to offer their services again to the wealth of online resources , it all depends on what would work best for your lifestyle and make you most comfortable .
If staying home due to the health risks makes you feel most comfortable , you have the choice to do that still .
Regardless of what method works best for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remember that help is always available in some form .
Addiction is hard , especially in tough world or life circumstances , but with support from near or far , you can make it through .

The age of COVID has brought on so many health concerns for everyone, especially those with preexisting conditions. While the term “preexisting conditions” usually refers to physical health ailments like diabetes and chronic respiratory illness, being predisposed to addiction issues or even unhealthy substance use can impact many areas of your physical and mental health, from your immunity to your emotional well-being.
The information and hard scientific evidence surrounding COVID and all its impacts is all very new, especially when it comes to the interpersonal, social and emotional impacts of the disease and the lockdowns it has caused. But what professionals can do is look at new and existing evidence surrounding the situation to see how it may impact people beyond the medical and public safety implications.
Although addiction issues and COVID may not appear to be related at first, there is much more than meets the eye. COVID and quarantine can cause a sense of isolation and disconnect that can impact mental health and recovery for anyone — addiction issues or not.
And while no world event will change how many people have addiction issues or may be predisposed to substance abuse, world circumstances can certainly impact addiction sufferers through their emotional well-being, access to the resources they need and pushing people towards unhealthy coping mechanisms.
COVID and Mental Health
COVID has had a stark effect on mental health for everyone, even those without preexisting mental health struggles. COVID has impacted many peoples’ jobs, education, family life, social interaction and personal health and safety, to name just a few things. And even if it hasn’t, there is a fear that it will, and that fear can often feel ever-present. For many people, this can bring on feelings of hopelessness, depression and anxiety.
Pandemics can make caring for your mental health and your immediate needs much more strenuous. There’s a sense of disorientation that makes even simple everyday tasks more difficult. Exhaustion, hopelessness and boredom can rear their ugly heads much more often than you’re used to and encourage a more frequent reliance on unhealthy coping mechanisms, which often include substance use and abuse.
Even those who don’t have regular addiction issues may find themselves using or overusing alcohol or drugs as a coping mechanism for the negative feelings that the pandemic brings about. This could lead to a reliance on substances and even physical addiction, as many substances are physically addictive, such as alcohol and many opiates.
For people with existing addictions, the temptation to rely on substances to cope may become even stronger with so many outside forces contributing to mental health downturns in the entire population. In turn, this, combined with the number of people in the general population turning to various substances, is increasing the risk of addiction.
Strained Support Networks
For those who are already struggling, one of the key elements to a productive recovery is a strong support network that you can rely on.
People need support and loved ones to help them remember they’re not alone, make sure they feel supported and show them they have people who care about them. Sometimes, a support network takes the form of a therapist or support group, or perhaps a combination of loving friends and family. Ideally, a combination of professional and personal support makes all the difference.
Being alone will make people more likely to turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms. This includes those with and without preexisting addiction issues. Without the ability to meet in-person, those who already attend programs and support groups can’t get the same help they once did, and those who realize they need access to those resources now more than ever won’t be able to get ahold of them as quickly as they might usually.
While these things are the result of a public health crisis that nobody can stop right away, they still stand to cause unfortunate difficulties for many individuals.
While many programs that support people through addiction and recovery are beginning to offer services such as teletherapy, online meetings and remote treatment, these services often don’t completely solve the feeling of isolation or loneliness that comes from being away from a once-solid network of support. There are many benefits of in-person treatment and support that simply can’t be carried out digitally.
Addiction and Isolation
When those who struggle with addiction feel completely isolated from their support systems, it can have large impacts on their habits and mental health. It’s already obvious how the strain on support systems and feelings of loneliness can make people more likely to turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Since the start of COVID, opioid overdoses have increased all around the country. Over 40 states have reported an increase in opioid-related mortality. This probably has to do with the fact that solitary drug use increases the risk of overdose for the user. With more people finding themselves isolated and away from others, more people are using drugs solitarily.
While overdoses aren’t always fatal, they pose a risk to the person’s health. Overdosing can cause health problems, physical trauma and emotional trauma, which means it’s vital to prevent it whenever possible.
Delayed Medical Attention
With the increase in drug overdoses over the course of the past few months, the risks are even further exasperated by the influx of medical attention required to handle the high number of COVID cases in many locations. With emergency rooms and emergency services dedicated to treating COVID patients, emergency services are often delayed for those who need medical attention for other reasons, including overdoses and addiction-related health problems.
This is also even more of a potential threat, as some people who struggle with addiction may be at a higher risk for COVID due to cardiovascular and respiratory strain.
Many medical professionals are advising individuals not to call 911 unless a situation is life-threatening, which may cause many people to try to wait out situations that would otherwise warrant immediate attention. But when it comes to overdoses, time is of the essence. Even a few minutes could mean the difference between life and death, so it’s always important to contact emergency services in the event of an overdose or other medical emergency.
Between the stigma surrounding drug use and fatal substance-related emergencies and the high demand for medical attention in so many other places within the healthcare system during this time, the risks surrounding overdoses and overdose fatalities has risen.
Getting the Support You Need
If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction during COVID, there are resources available that can help you get the help and support you need to move forward in your recovery, all from a safe social distance. From more in-person resources beginning to offer their services again to the wealth of online resources, it all depends on what would work best for your lifestyle and make you most comfortable.
If staying home due to the health risks makes you feel most comfortable, you have the choice to do that still. Regardless of what method works best for you, it’s important to remember that help is always available in some form. Addiction is hard, especially in tough world or life circumstances, but with support from near or far, you can make it through.


jewworldorder--2020-09-26--Must Watch: Joe Biden Says Trump Disrespects Troops — But He Calls Them ‘Stupid Bastards’

Video from 2016 has surfaced showing Joe Biden denigrate U.S. soldiers to their faces during a speech in the Middle East , calling them “ stupid bastards ” and “ slow.
” “ Notwithstanding what you might have heard about me , ” Biden said , “ one , I have very good judgement , I married Jill , and two , I appointed Johnson to the Academy , I just want you to know that .
Clap for that , you stupid bastards.
” Biden ’ s comments are remarkable given he hammered Trump in recent weeks over a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump had referred to fallen troops as “ losers ” and “ suckers ” in 2018 .
In fact , Biden made such a vicious attack ad based on The Atlantic ’ s fake news that Trump called him a “ pathetic human being.
” “ Pathetic Joe .
He ’ s a pathetic human being to allow that to happen , ” Trump said earlier this month .
“ But you know the good part ?
Now I can be really vicious .
Once I saw that ad , I don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Don ’ t expect the same moral outrage by the media over Biden ’ s proven remarks the way they did for Trump .
As polls and support continue to come out with a leading advantage for Trump , Biden and his cohorts start getting desperate in Florida , and a worried Michael Bloomberg is on the march !
The Emergency Election Sale is now live !
Get 30 % to 60 % off our most popular products today !

Video from 2016 has surfaced showing Joe Biden denigrate U.S. soldiers to their faces during a speech in the Middle East, calling them “stupid bastards” and “slow.”
“Notwithstanding what you might have heard about me,” Biden said, “one, I have very good judgement, I married Jill, and two, I appointed Johnson to the Academy, I just want you to know that. Clap for that, you stupid bastards.”
Joe Biden, reportedly, called our troops “stupid bastards” and “slow.” Share this with every Veteran and Military Servicemen and woman you know. He will take us all to war and sees them as pawns. pic.twitter.com/HkfzYXQdLI — Ali Alexander ⭐⭐⭐ (@ali) September 25, 2020
Biden’s comments are remarkable given he hammered Trump in recent weeks over a now-debunked hit piece by The Atlantic claiming Trump had referred to fallen troops as “losers” and “suckers” in 2018.
In fact, Biden made such a vicious attack ad based on The Atlantic’s fake news that Trump called him a “pathetic human being.”
“Pathetic Joe. He’s a pathetic human being to allow that to happen,” Trump said earlier this month. “But you know the good part? Now I can be really vicious. Once I saw that ad, I don’t have to be nice anymore.”
Don’t expect the same moral outrage by the media over Biden’s proven remarks the way they did for Trump.
As polls and support continue to come out with a leading advantage for Trump, Biden and his cohorts start getting desperate in Florida, and a worried Michael Bloomberg is on the march!
The Emergency Election Sale is now live! Get 30% to 60% off our most popular products today!


jewworldorder--2020-09-29--‘It wasn’t Oceans 11’: Inside the rise and fall of Romania’s £2.5m book heist gang

It was just after dawn in northern Romania on 16 September when police raided a smart two-storey house on the outskirts of the village of Budesti .
In the garage , they used sledgehammers to break through the concrete floor .
There , stacked neatly and wrapped in shopping bags , were £2.5 million worth of books , including priceless first editions of Galileo Galilei and Isaac Newton .
The books had disappeared three years earlier , stolen from a London postal warehouse by thieves who climbed a 15-metre wall , cut through glass skylights and abseiled in .
Over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ books and got them out the way they came in .
It wasn ’ t the gang ’ s first warehouse burglary , and it wouldn ’ t be the last , but the heist made headlines in January 2017 – due to both the method and the prize .
Typically , warehouse thefts target laptops or electronic equipment rather than rare books , and the fact that the gang was able to avoid high-tech motion censors invited comparisons to films like Mission Impossible .
“ It ’ s not surprising , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s Metropolitan Police , said of the public interest in this particularly warehouse burglary over the past three years .
“ ` The things that stand out are the things that are a little bit different , that provides the interest.
” “ When you actually look at some of the books , actually how they look visually , and then you read what they were about and when they were written .
I mean , they ’ re fascinating , ” he told Euronews .
For three years , Durham led @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Romanian and Italian authorities .
The first wave of arrests came in June 2019 , and in January 2020 the ringleader of the gang was arrested by the Italian Carabinieri in Milan .
The books were found on 16 September , and sentencing of the 12-strong gang began on Monday 28 September at Kingston Crown Court in London .
Sentencing is expected to take place over four days .
Ordinarily , said Durham , he would have been present at the raid in Budesti , but travel restrictions due to the coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the recovery of the books after so many months of work was extremely satisfying .
“ It was extremely exciting .
For all of us it was a pinch-yourself moment , and still is , ” he said .
In Romania , the gang has a significant criminal pedigree .
The man thought to be its ringleader , Gavril Popinciuc , 45 , from Suceava , is the godson of Ion Clamparu , one the country ’ s most notorious criminals and currently serving a 30-year sentence for running a European prostitution ring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from Romania to Europe .
Romanian police believe that the gang was formed in 2016 in Romania and had carried out multiple robberies and break-ins to warehouses across the UK .
Although they had used the same method – breaking in via the roof and abseiling in and out of the warehouse – they had tended to target electronic equipment , it is not clear why in January 2017 they stole rare books .
“ We have not determined yet if this robbery was ordered by someone else .
But based on evidence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they went about it – it ’ s pretty obvious that this wasn ’ t a random crime , ” said Emil Tudor at the Criminal Investigation Division in Bucharest .
Or , indeed , what they planned to do with them .
Police believe the books had been buried in the Budesti garage since soon after they were stolen .
Unlike laptops or computer equipment , rare books are very difficult to sell on , especially ones stolen in such a high-profile heist .
“ If they were stolen to order .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ want them , or at least the majority of them .
Possibly they were waiting for attention to die down , ” he said .
“ It would be very hard to sell them [ … ] within the normal arena because the community is pretty small and they are all fully aware of these thefts .
They would check to see whether or not items offered to them for sale would be on a list.
” Sadly , Durham said , although the 12 gang members have pled guilty and are due @ @ @ @ @ @ @ either their motives or their plans for the books .
“ It might just well be that they are a good bunch of warehouse thieves and the order on that particular occasion was for these books rather than electronic equipment , ” said Durham .
The fate of the books – and their value – was one of the primary reasons that the investigation took so long .
Although investigators had begun to piece together the gang ’ s membership within a few months , they couldn ’ t risk moving in too @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out a number of other thefts between 2017 and 2019 even after police were aware of who they were .
“ There is intelligence within similar communities where ancient artefacts have been destroyed rather than allow them to be recovered and used as evidence against them , ” Durham said .
The burglary on January 2017 was clearly meticulously planned , and computer records retrieved from gang members show that they spent time researching locations on Google Earth and Google Maps before they arrived in the UK .
They also managed to get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the country and into a basement without getting caught .
But as for comparisons to Mission Impossible or the Oceans movie franchise – made in the media at the time of the heist and since – Durham is not so sure .
On the one hand , he acknowledged , the gang were good at what they did .
On the other , knowing that motion sensors tend to be in the corners of a warehouse or that CCTV tends to be concentrated on the entrances was mostly common sense .
Meanwhile , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said , gang members left drinks cans on the rooves of warehouses they burgled , giving the police valuable DNA evidence .
“ Oceans 11 , like [ the films ] you ’ re brought up with , they wouldn ’ t have [ done that ] it would have been completely thought through , ” he said .
“ There was a lot of sensible preparing and planning going into these things , but perhaps not so much care taken when they were actually carrying them out .
”

It was just after dawn in northern Romania on 16 September when police raided a smart two-storey house on the outskirts of the village of Budesti.
In the garage, they used sledgehammers to break through the concrete floor. There, stacked neatly and wrapped in shopping bags, were £2.5 million worth of books, including priceless first editions of Galileo Galilei and Isaac Newton.
The books had disappeared three years earlier, stolen from a London postal warehouse by thieves who climbed a 15-metre wall, cut through glass skylights and abseiled in. Over four hours, they had located the books and got them out the way they came in.
It wasn’t the gang’s first warehouse burglary, and it wouldn’t be the last, but the heist made headlines in January 2017 – due to both the method and the prize. Typically, warehouse thefts target laptops or electronic equipment rather than rare books, and the fact that the gang was able to avoid high-tech motion censors invited comparisons to films like Mission Impossible.
“It’s not surprising,” Detective Inspector Andy Durham, at London’s Metropolitan Police, said of the public interest in this particularly warehouse burglary over the past three years. “`The things that stand out are the things that are a little bit different, that provides the interest.”
“When you actually look at some of the books, actually how they look visually, and then you read what they were about and when they were written. I mean, they’re fascinating,” he told Euronews.
For three years, Durham led the investigation into the book heist alongside the Romanian and Italian authorities. The first wave of arrests came in June 2019, and in January 2020 the ringleader of the gang was arrested by the Italian Carabinieri in Milan. The books were found on 16 September, and sentencing of the 12-strong gang began on Monday 28 September at Kingston Crown Court in London. Sentencing is expected to take place over four days.
Ordinarily, said Durham, he would have been present at the raid in Budesti, but travel restrictions due to the coronavirus made it impossible. Either way, the recovery of the books after so many months of work was extremely satisfying.
“It was extremely exciting. For all of us it was a pinch-yourself moment, and still is,” he said.
Clamparu
In Romania, the gang has a significant criminal pedigree. The man thought to be its ringleader, Gavril Popinciuc, 45, from Suceava, is the godson of Ion Clamparu, one the country’s most notorious criminals and currently serving a 30-year sentence for running a European prostitution ring that trafficked thousands of women and girls from Romania to Europe.
Romanian police believe that the gang was formed in 2016 in Romania and had carried out multiple robberies and break-ins to warehouses across the UK. Although they had used the same method – breaking in via the roof and abseiling in and out of the warehouse – they had tended to target electronic equipment, it is not clear why in January 2017 they stole rare books.
“We have not determined yet if this robbery was ordered by someone else. But based on evidence gathered so far – and the way they went about it – it’s pretty obvious that this wasn’t a random crime,” said Emil Tudor at the Criminal Investigation Division in Bucharest.
Or, indeed, what they planned to do with them. Police believe the books had been buried in the Budesti garage since soon after they were stolen. Unlike laptops or computer equipment, rare books are very difficult to sell on, especially ones stolen in such a high-profile heist.
“If they were stolen to order. If I ordered them, I would want them, or at least the majority of them. Possibly they were waiting for attention to die down,” he said.
“It would be very hard to sell them […] within the normal arena because the community is pretty small and they are all fully aware of these thefts. They would check to see whether or not items offered to them for sale would be on a list.”
Sadly, Durham said, although the 12 gang members have pled guilty and are due to be sentenced they have not revealed either their motives or their plans for the books.
“It might just well be that they are a good bunch of warehouse thieves and the order on that particular occasion was for these books rather than electronic equipment,” said Durham.
The fate of the books – and their value – was one of the primary reasons that the investigation took so long. Although investigators had begun to piece together the gang’s membership within a few months, they couldn’t risk moving in too early. Indeed, the gang carried out a number of other thefts between 2017 and 2019 even after police were aware of who they were.
‘Meticulously planned’
“There is intelligence within similar communities where ancient artefacts have been destroyed rather than allow them to be recovered and used as evidence against them,” Durham said.
The burglary on January 2017 was clearly meticulously planned, and computer records retrieved from gang members show that they spent time researching locations on Google Earth and Google Maps before they arrived in the UK. They also managed to get £2.5m worth of rare books out of the country and into a basement without getting caught.
But as for comparisons to Mission Impossible or the Oceans movie franchise – made in the media at the time of the heist and since – Durham is not so sure.
On the one hand, he acknowledged, the gang were good at what they did. On the other, knowing that motion sensors tend to be in the corners of a warehouse or that CCTV tends to be concentrated on the entrances was mostly common sense.
Meanwhile, on more than one occasion, he said, gang members left drinks cans on the rooves of warehouses they burgled, giving the police valuable DNA evidence.
“Oceans 11, like [the films] you’re brought up with, they wouldn’t have [done that] it would have been completely thought through,” he said.
“There was a lot of sensible preparing and planning going into these things, but perhaps not so much care taken when they were actually carrying them out.”


jewworldorder--2020-09-29--Paris holds body-positive fashion show by the Eiffel Tower

Braving the rain and the COVID-19 restrictions in Paris , several hundred women of different shapes and sizes held a @ @ @ @ @ of the Eiffel Tower to demand more diversity in fashion and encourage body positivity .
@ @ @ @ @ fashion show is for everyone to be able to identify themselves , for everyone to @ @ @ @ @ .
It ’ s a movement of kindness towards oneself and others , whatever the @ @ @ @ @ type , whatever the disability , whatever the disease , ” said Georgia Stein , @ @ @ @ @ body-positive fashion show .

Braving the rain and the COVID-19 restrictions in Paris, several hundred women of different shapes and sizes held a fashion show at the foot of the Eiffel Tower to demand more diversity in fashion and encourage body positivity.
“The goal of this fashion show is for everyone to be able to identify themselves, for everyone to accept themselves as they are. It’s a movement of kindness towards oneself and others, whatever the age, whatever the body type, whatever the disability, whatever the disease,” said Georgia Stein, model and organiser of the body-positive fashion show.


jewworldorder--2020-09-29--MH17 suspect asks to address court in person as he denies involvement

A suspect in the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 ( MH17 ) has asked to be allowed to give his version of events in court , denying any involvement as the trial resumed in the Netherlands .
Oleg Pulatov is one of four suspects in the case , charged with being behind the shooting down of the Amsterdam-to-Kuala Lumpur flight on July 17 , 2014 .
All 298 passengers and crew died as a result of the crash in Ukraine , which prosecutors say was caused by a Buk missile fired from territory in part of Ukraine held by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was transported into Ukraine from a Russian base and the launcher was sent back after the plane was shot down .
Three Russians – Igor Girkin , Sergey Dubinskiy and Pulatov – as well as Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko , are all being tried in absentia in the high-security courtroom of the Schiphol Judicial Complex , near Amsterdam .
Pulatov – the only defendant represented by lawyers at the trail – asked through his lawyer Sabine ten Doesschate to be permitted to speak in person at the trial .
“ Our client has told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with ordering , guarding , concealing and transporting a Buk missile to Pervomaisk , instructing its crew , firing or ordering the firing a Buk missile and/or the downing of MH17 , ” ten Doesschate told the court .
“ Oleg Pulatov can talk about this .
If it were up to him , he would rather do that today than tomorrow , here at the hearing .
“ We strongly advised him against that , ” she added , as he would be likely to be arrested if he travelled to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arrest warrant .
The defence is to ask for further investigations into the cause of the crash , and ten Doesschate told the judges the requests will be submitted in writing and they can be discussed when the trial next resumes in November .
Presiding Judge Hendrik Steenhuis said he was “ unpleasantly surprised ” by the delay — the defence investigation requests had been expected to be discussed at Monday ’ s hearing .
He adjourned the hearing to discuss the next steps with his fellow judges .
The trial , still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to continue well into 2021 , and will next resume on 3 November .

A suspect in the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17) has asked to be allowed to give his version of events in court, denying any involvement as the trial resumed in the Netherlands.
Oleg Pulatov is one of four suspects in the case, charged with being behind the shooting down of the Amsterdam-to-Kuala Lumpur flight on July 17, 2014.
All 298 passengers and crew died as a result of the crash in Ukraine, which prosecutors say was caused by a Buk missile fired from territory in part of Ukraine held by pro-Russian rebels.
They alleged the missile was transported into Ukraine from a Russian base and the launcher was sent back after the plane was shot down.
Trial in absentia
Three Russians – Igor Girkin, Sergey Dubinskiy and Pulatov – as well as Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko, are all being tried in absentia in the high-security courtroom of the Schiphol Judicial Complex, near Amsterdam.
Pulatov – the only defendant represented by lawyers at the trail – asked through his lawyer Sabine ten Doesschate to be permitted to speak in person at the trial.
“Our client has told us that he had nothing to do with ordering, guarding, concealing and transporting a Buk missile to Pervomaisk, instructing its crew, firing or ordering the firing a Buk missile and/or the downing of MH17,” ten Doesschate told the court.
“Oleg Pulatov can talk about this. If it were up to him, he would rather do that today than tomorrow, here at the hearing.
“We strongly advised him against that,” she added, as he would be likely to be arrested if he travelled to the Netherlands, due to an active international arrest warrant.
The defence is to ask for further investigations into the cause of the crash, and ten Doesschate told the judges the requests will be submitted in writing and they can be discussed when the trial next resumes in November.
Presiding Judge Hendrik Steenhuis said he was “unpleasantly surprised” by the delay — the defence investigation requests had been expected to be discussed at Monday’s hearing.
He adjourned the hearing to discuss the next steps with his fellow judges.
The trial, still at a preliminary stage, is expected to continue well into 2021, and will next resume on 3 November.


jewworldorder--2020-09-29--Quim Torra: Spain’s top court removes Catalan chief from office for ‘disobedience’

A panel of judges unanimously agreed on Monday to confirm a decision by a lower court last year to ban Quim Torra from holding public office for one-and-a-half years and fine him €30,000 , the country ’ s top court announced .
The case against him concerns his alleged refusal to take down yellow ribbons and other signs of support for jailed Catalan separatists on public buildings ahead of the 2019 general election .
It went against an electoral commission order from Madrid that stated all partisan symbols must be removed from public buildings in the lead up to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in December that his actions were civil disobedience and banned him from office for 18 months , prompting Torra to appeal to the Supreme Court .
The decision triggers a new period of uncertainty in Catalonia .
According to the law , Torra ’ s deputy should take over as president-in-charge until a new election is held in the region .
Police in Catalonia made preparations for possible demonstrations in the wake of the ruling .
The influential cultural institution Omnium Cultural calling on supporters to take to public squares across Catalonia .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the separatist movement by holding an early election this year were put on hold by the coronavirus crisis .
It is now expected that the citizens of Catalonia will elect a new parliament in early 2021 .
Torra became head of the region ’ s government following the 2017 push for independence from Spain .
The staunch separatist said he would appeal the ruling .

Spain’s Supreme Court has upheld a ruling barring Catalonia’s regional president from public office.
A panel of judges unanimously agreed on Monday to confirm a decision by a lower court last year to ban Quim Torra from holding public office for one-and-a-half years and fine him €30,000, the country’s top court announced.
The case against him concerns his alleged refusal to take down yellow ribbons and other signs of support for jailed Catalan separatists on public buildings ahead of the 2019 general election.
It went against an electoral commission order from Madrid that stated all partisan symbols must be removed from public buildings in the lead up to the April election.
A Barcelona court ruled in December that his actions were civil disobedience and banned him from office for 18 months, prompting Torra to appeal to the Supreme Court.
The decision triggers a new period of uncertainty in Catalonia. According to the law, Torra’s deputy should take over as president-in-charge until a new election is held in the region.
Police in Catalonia made preparations for possible demonstrations in the wake of the ruling.
The influential cultural institution Omnium Cultural calling on supporters to take to public squares across Catalonia.
Torra’s plans to secure support for the separatist movement by holding an early election this year were put on hold by the coronavirus crisis.
It is now expected that the citizens of Catalonia will elect a new parliament in early 2021.
Torra became head of the region’s government following the 2017 push for independence from Spain.
The staunch separatist said he would appeal the ruling.


jewworldorder--2020-09-29--Post-Brexit trade talks: How badly do Europe’s exporters need a deal with the UK?

“ They need us more than we need them.
” It was an argument often advanced by Brexit supporters in the wake of the UK ’ s 2016 referendum .
The clout of EU business would weigh in Britain ’ s favour in the negotiations .
German cars , French wine , Italian Prosecco , Danish bacon… common sense would prevail and Brussels would ensure that European goods still flowed smoothly into the UK .
But barely three months before the December 31 cutoff date that will sever the current trading system , and with warning sirens now blaring , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a quagmire .
Negotiations resume this week ahead of a make-or-break month of October .
In recent weeks many major European exporters to the UK — as well as their British counterparts who sell into Europe — have sounded cries of alarm .
Unless there is a deal , they warn of disruption and higher costs on both sides of the English Channel .
January 1 will bring major changes regardless , with customs and regulatory red tape kicking in once the UK leaves the European Union ’ s Single Market and Customs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new trade deal would amplify friction — and this amid the onslaught of the coronavirus pandemic which has already caused devastating hardship .
The EU and UK would trade on World Trade Organization ( WTO ) terms — bringing tariffs , and access to each other ’ s markets reduced to an equal footing with all countries in the same situation .
Car industry : ‘ Pull out all the stops ’ Road vehicles topped the list of EU goods imported into the UK in 2019 , according to UK trade figures .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ nearly a fifth of all UK goods imports .
Almost half of all UK vehicle imports came from the EU .
In September the European car industry issued a siren call as trade bodies from across the continent called on both sides to “ pull out all the stops ” to avoid a “ no-deal Brexit disaster ” .
Pointing out that the sector supports over 14 million livelihoods — one in 15 of EU and UK jobs — the European Automobile Manufacturers Association ( ACEA ) said a no-deal outcome would mean @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2025 .
Nearly half of these would be suffered by UK plants .
CLEPA , the body representing European suppliers and one of the 23 signatories , warned that a “ disorderly exit of the UK will exacerbate the stress ” amid the economic crisis and the transition to a greener , more automated industry .
“ The sector needs negotiators to strike a deal .
And equally important , the sector needs a deal that maintains the industry ’ s global competitiveness , ” its statement said .
Another signatory was Germany @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which pointed out that its members have more than 100 production sites in the UK .
It has previously said that despite the UK ’ s importance , the cohesion of the EU Single Market is even more so .
According to industry figures , 30 % of EU vehicle exports went to the UK in 2019 .
In the video above , European carmakers made similar calls amid fears over a no-deal Brexit in 2019 .
Agriculture , food and drink : ‘ Do everything to prevent chaos ’ Meat , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ingredients… EU figures say the UK was the top destination for the bloc ’ s agri-food exports , worth over €40 billion in the year to January 2020 .
In recent years nearly half of UK imports from the EU have come from the Netherlands , Germany , France and Ireland .
In June three major European industry bodies came together to warn of the “ significant negative consequences ” from a no-deal scenario that would bring tariffs and disrupted supply chains .
“ These can be expected to include a major @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the UK , a significant fall in revenue , and consequential job losses .
The impact on SMEs , farmers and agri cooperatives would be particularly detrimental , ” said the joint statement from the European farmers body Copa-Cogeca , the agri-food trade body Celcaa , and the industry confederation FoodDrinkEurope .
They added that it was of “ utmost importance ” to keep close ties between EU and UK food standards agencies , calling for temporary arrangements in 2021 if no agreement is reached .
For Dutch farmers and market gardeners @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in an export market worth €8 billion euros annually , according to the agricultural producers body LTO Nederland .
“ Whatever happens , the Dutch government must do everything in its power , in cooperation with European partners and the United Kingdom , to prevent chaos at the borders , ” it says .
Scandinavia ’ s largest dairy producer , Danish-Swedish multinational Arla Foods , said in September that consumers would largely have to foot the bill from an estimated no-deal cost to the company alone of €100 million .
It has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could face costs of almost €9 billion from UK tariffs .
Bacon and butter from Denmark ending up on British breakfast tables would also be affected if there was no trade deal .
An OECD report in 2019 estimated that Danish agri-food exports to the UK would fall by nearly a quarter under a “ worst-case outcome ” .
Yet the giant pork exporter Danish Crown said it was “ not afraid the UK market is crumbling ” , confident that the British appetite for European meat would survive no deal .
Wine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the little guys ’ The prospect of tariffs and more red tape would likely put up the price of European wines in the UK , where sales have already been hit by the pandemic .
The Domaine Gayda winery in France ’ s Languedoc region sends a third of its exports to the UK , some 15 % of its total production of 1.4 million bottles .
Managing Director Tim Ford has nurtured the British end of the business over 18 years .
“ We ’ ve developed a marketing system of going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and even the odd small wine shop in London and all over the country — and that business model now is completely under threat with the new possibility of a no-deal Brexit , ” he told Euronews .
Ford describes such a scenario as a “ game-changer ” , adding that his wine bottles would face costly new regulations in the UK relating to traceability and health and safety .
All his clients would need their own individual labels .
“ Then for every shipment , even small ones , we ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of every wine , which is costing like €65 a wine .
So that almost prohibits economically these small direct shipments , ” he added .
“ The really tragic thing is if there ’ s no deal , it ’ ll privilege the large importers like the large supermarkets , people that can afford to order big volumes , ” Ford said .
“ This is going to prejudice the small entrepreneurial wine shop , restaurant owner , wholesaler .
The extra costs of us re-labelling and analysing wine , we ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And it ’ ll make their costs of import so much higher than the big guys.
” In the video above , the fears of Portuguese port producers in 2018 over a disorderly Brexit .
The UK imports an estimated €20 billion worth of medicinal drugs and other pharmaceutical products from the EU annually , with the Netherlands topping the list of exporters in terms of value .
The European trade body EFPIA ( European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations ) has spelt out the cost of Brexit , highlighting a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exports of 1.2 % in the event of no deal .
The industry attaches particular importance to reaching a mutual recognition agreement ( MRA ) on inspections and testing .
Without this as part of an EU-UK free trade agreement , it says both sides will be less competitive .
“ If we fail to get the relationship right then Europe will continue to lose ground to other regions like Switzerland , US , China , Turkey , Russia and Japan .
The bigger the disruption to EU-UK pharmaceutical trade , the more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Director General Nathalie Moll .
A month earlier , 18 pan-European healthcare bodies deplored the fact that “ health issues are largely absent from the ( Brexit ) negotiators ’ agenda ” , even amid the coronavirus pandemic .
No deal or a bad deal , they said , risked weakening cooperation in preparing for pandemics , the loss of healthcare for people travelling between the EU and the UK , and undermining existing “ excellence ” in joint science and innovation schemes .
“ Through cooperation the EU and UK have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of our parts .
In the case of no deal or a bad deal , we stand to lose global competitiveness and a leading position in pharmaceuticals , medical and protective equipment , and innovative leadership , ” their statement said .
“ The ultimate impact of this would fall to patients , who the system is intended to serve.
” How important is UK trade to the EU ?
EU figures show the United Kingdom is the bloc ’ s second-largest export market for goods after the United States , though the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has fallen in recent years .
The European Union exports more to the UK than the other way round .
But relative to the size of their economies , and taking account of services as well as goods , the UK is arguably more dependent on the EU than vice versa — an important consideration when it comes to arm-wrestling between London and Brussels .
Of paramount importance to the EU is internal trade within its 27 countries , worth many times more than the bloc ’ s exports to the UK .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ is to protect its Single Market , which enables goods to flow freely and services to operate across national borders .
It does not want to give the UK free access without guarantees on standards and fair competition .
Nevertheless , several countries would be particularly exposed in the event of no deal .
They include major economies such as France and Germany — as well as the UK ’ s close neighbours such as Ireland , Belgium and the Netherlands .
“ We would like to respectfully call on you to prioritize @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the EU-UK negotiations ( original italics ) and shield them from larger political considerations , ” the heads of five pan-European pharmaceutical and biotechnological bodies wrote in a letter in June to senior EU figures , including leaders of its top institutions and the chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier .
But among some large industry bodies and Europe-wide associations , there is a fear of something they say would be even worse than a no-deal scenario : an overly-generous deal to the UK that could see the Single Market begin to unravel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chambers of Commerce and Industry ) , said in August that the pandemic should “ drive negotiators to seek an agreement that will mitigate disruption ” .
Significantly though , it added that the need to minimise new barriers “ can not be at the expense of a well-functioning single market ” already under considerable pressure .
“ New procedures will create friction for traders , but this is a price worth paying if it protects the integrity of the single market , ” its statement said .
Pro-Brexit voices in the UK @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reputation for pragmatism , pinning hopes on the Chancellor intervening to avoid a no-deal with Britain that could jeopardise 750,000 German jobs dependent on exports to the UK .
Yet a recent response to that same assertion shows how such arguments continue to cut little ice with leading industry figures in Germany .
“ Our surveys show that the European single market has absolute priority for 85 percent of German companies .
In return , the companies are prepared to accept economic disadvantages in trade with the British , ” said Volker Treier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ German Chamber of Commerce ( DIHK ) , in an interview in September .
Speaking from southern France , wine grower Tim Ford says that in his opinion the UK vote to leave the EU as “ a political , passionate , emotional decision ” , but at the British end “ no-one ’ s got their heads on the ground thinking about the practicalities of it ” .
He ’ s also concerned that businesses may be sacrificed on the altar of the EU ’ s Single Market .
“ We ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lot of people , we ’ re responsible for them and their salaries and their families and their development , and if ( no deal ) makes us less competitive and less able to grow , I would absolutely say at any cost they ’ ve got to get a deal , ” he told Euronews .
“ We ’ re too far down the road with trade with the UK , and the interdependence between the UK and France , ” he added .
“ To go back on all that , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their head round the consequences of business models and arrangements we ’ ve had for so long with the UK , because it ’ s been part of the EU.
” Every weekday at 1900 CEST , Uncovering Europe brings you a European story that goes beyond the headlines .
Download the Euronews app to get an alert for this and other breaking news .
It ’ s available on Apple and Android devices .

“They need us more than we need them.”
It was an argument often advanced by Brexit supporters in the wake of the UK’s 2016 referendum. The clout of EU business would weigh in Britain’s favour in the negotiations. German cars, French wine, Italian Prosecco, Danish bacon… common sense would prevail and Brussels would ensure that European goods still flowed smoothly into the UK.
But barely three months before the December 31 cutoff date that will sever the current trading system, and with warning sirens now blaring, talks on future arrangements have been in a quagmire. Negotiations resume this week ahead of a make-or-break month of October.
In recent weeks many major European exporters to the UK — as well as their British counterparts who sell into Europe — have sounded cries of alarm. Unless there is a deal, they warn of disruption and higher costs on both sides of the English Channel.
January 1 will bring major changes regardless, with customs and regulatory red tape kicking in once the UK leaves the European Union’s Single Market and Customs Union.
But failure to strike a new trade deal would amplify friction — and this amid the onslaught of the coronavirus pandemic which has already caused devastating hardship.
The EU and UK would trade on World Trade Organization (WTO) terms — bringing tariffs, and access to each other’s markets reduced to an equal footing with all countries in the same situation.
Car industry: ‘Pull out all the stops’
Road vehicles topped the list of EU goods imported into the UK in 2019, according to UK trade figures. They were valued at €53 billion, nearly a fifth of all UK goods imports. Almost half of all UK vehicle imports came from the EU.
In September the European car industry issued a siren call as trade bodies from across the continent called on both sides to “pull out all the stops” to avoid a “no-deal Brexit disaster”.
Pointing out that the sector supports over 14 million livelihoods — one in 15 of EU and UK jobs — the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) said a no-deal outcome would mean up to €110 billion in losses to 2025. Nearly half of these would be suffered by UK plants.
CLEPA, the body representing European suppliers and one of the 23 signatories, warned that a “disorderly exit of the UK will exacerbate the stress” amid the economic crisis and the transition to a greener, more automated industry.
“The sector needs negotiators to strike a deal. And equally important, the sector needs a deal that maintains the industry’s global competitiveness,” its statement said.
Another signatory was Germany’s car industry body the VDA, which pointed out that its members have more than 100 production sites in the UK.
It has previously said that despite the UK’s importance, the cohesion of the EU Single Market is even more so. According to industry figures, 30% of EU vehicle exports went to the UK in 2019.
In the video above, European carmakers made similar calls amid fears over a no-deal Brexit in 2019.
Agriculture, food and drink: ‘Do everything to prevent chaos’
Meat, dairy, fruit and vegetables, drinks, ingredients… EU figures say the UK was the top destination for the bloc’s agri-food exports, worth over €40 billion in the year to January 2020. In recent years nearly half of UK imports from the EU have come from the Netherlands, Germany, France and Ireland.
In June three major European industry bodies came together to warn of the “significant negative consequences” from a no-deal scenario that would bring tariffs and disrupted supply chains.
“These can be expected to include a major decrease in export volumes from the EU to the UK, a significant fall in revenue, and consequential job losses. The impact on SMEs, farmers and agri cooperatives would be particularly detrimental,” said the joint statement from the European farmers body Copa-Cogeca, the agri-food trade body Celcaa, and the industry confederation FoodDrinkEurope.
They added that it was of “utmost importance” to keep close ties between EU and UK food standards agencies, calling for temporary arrangements in 2021 if no agreement is reached.
For Dutch farmers and market gardeners, the UK is the third-largest destination in an export market worth €8 billion euros annually, according to the agricultural producers body LTO Nederland. “Whatever happens, the Dutch government must do everything in its power, in cooperation with European partners and the United Kingdom, to prevent chaos at the borders,” it says.
Scandinavia’s largest dairy producer, Danish-Swedish multinational Arla Foods, said in September that consumers would largely have to foot the bill from an estimated no-deal cost to the company alone of €100 million. It has previously said Europe’s dairy exporters could face costs of almost €9 billion from UK tariffs.
Bacon and butter from Denmark ending up on British breakfast tables would also be affected if there was no trade deal. An OECD report in 2019 estimated that Danish agri-food exports to the UK would fall by nearly a quarter under a “worst-case outcome”. Yet the giant pork exporter Danish Crown said it was “not afraid the UK market is crumbling”, confident that the British appetite for European meat would survive no deal.
Wine trade: No deal ‘will hit the little guys’
The prospect of tariffs and more red tape would likely put up the price of European wines in the UK, where sales have already been hit by the pandemic.
The Domaine Gayda winery in France’s Languedoc region sends a third of its exports to the UK, some 15% of its total production of 1.4 million bottles. Managing Director Tim Ford has nurtured the British end of the business over 18 years.
“We’ve developed a marketing system of going direct to small wholesalers, restaurant chains, and even the odd small wine shop in London and all over the country — and that business model now is completely under threat with the new possibility of a no-deal Brexit,” he told Euronews.
Ford describes such a scenario as a “game-changer”, adding that his wine bottles would face costly new regulations in the UK relating to traceability and health and safety.
All his clients would need their own individual labels. “Then for every shipment, even small ones, we’ll have to get a full analysis of every wine, which is costing like €65 a wine. So that almost prohibits economically these small direct shipments,” he added.
“The really tragic thing is if there’s no deal, it’ll privilege the large importers like the large supermarkets, people that can afford to order big volumes,” Ford said.
“This is going to prejudice the small entrepreneurial wine shop, restaurant owner, wholesaler. The extra costs of us re-labelling and analysing wine, we’ll have to pass it onto them. And it’ll make their costs of import so much higher than the big guys.”
In the video above, the fears of Portuguese port producers in 2018 over a disorderly Brexit.
Pharmaceuticals: Europe ‘could lose ground to other regions’
The UK imports an estimated €20 billion worth of medicinal drugs and other pharmaceutical products from the EU annually, with the Netherlands topping the list of exporters in terms of value.
The European trade body EFPIA (European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations) has spelt out the cost of Brexit, highlighting a report in July predicting a drop in exports of 1.2% in the event of no deal.
The industry attaches particular importance to reaching a mutual recognition agreement (MRA) on inspections and testing. Without this as part of an EU-UK free trade agreement, it says both sides will be less competitive.
“If we fail to get the relationship right then Europe will continue to lose ground to other regions like Switzerland, US, China, Turkey, Russia and Japan. The bigger the disruption to EU-UK pharmaceutical trade, the more other regions benefit,” said EFPIA Director General Nathalie Moll.
A month earlier, 18 pan-European healthcare bodies deplored the fact that “health issues are largely absent from the (Brexit) negotiators’ agenda”, even amid the coronavirus pandemic.
No deal or a bad deal, they said, risked weakening cooperation in preparing for pandemics, the loss of healthcare for people travelling between the EU and the UK, and undermining existing “excellence” in joint science and innovation schemes.
“Through cooperation the EU and UK have been able to achieve more than the sum of our parts. In the case of no deal or a bad deal, we stand to lose global competitiveness and a leading position in pharmaceuticals, medical and protective equipment, and innovative leadership,” their statement said.
“The ultimate impact of this would fall to patients, who the system is intended to serve.”
How important is UK trade to the EU?
EU figures show the United Kingdom is the bloc’s second-largest export market for goods after the United States, though the EU’s share of UK imports has fallen in recent years.
The European Union exports more to the UK than the other way round. But relative to the size of their economies, and taking account of services as well as goods, the UK is arguably more dependent on the EU than vice versa — an important consideration when it comes to arm-wrestling between London and Brussels.
Of paramount importance to the EU is internal trade within its 27 countries, worth many times more than the bloc’s exports to the UK. The EU has always stressed its priority is to protect its Single Market, which enables goods to flow freely and services to operate across national borders. It does not want to give the UK free access without guarantees on standards and fair competition.
Nevertheless, several countries would be particularly exposed in the event of no deal. They include major economies such as France and Germany — as well as the UK’s close neighbours such as Ireland, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Protecting the Single Market: a bigger priority?
“We would like to respectfully call on you to prioritize health and patients’ access to medicines in the EU-UK negotiations (original italics) and shield them from larger political considerations,” the heads of five pan-European pharmaceutical and biotechnological bodies wrote in a letter in June to senior EU figures, including leaders of its top institutions and the chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier.
But among some large industry bodies and Europe-wide associations, there is a fear of something they say would be even worse than a no-deal scenario: an overly-generous deal to the UK that could see the Single Market begin to unravel.
Eurochambres (the Association of European Chambers of Commerce and Industry), said in August that the pandemic should “drive negotiators to seek an agreement that will mitigate disruption”. Significantly though, it added that the need to minimise new barriers “cannot be at the expense of a well-functioning single market” already under considerable pressure.
“New procedures will create friction for traders, but this is a price worth paying if it protects the integrity of the single market,” its statement said.
Pro-Brexit voices in the UK have repeatedly cited Angela Merkel’s reputation for pragmatism, pinning hopes on the Chancellor intervening to avoid a no-deal with Britain that could jeopardise 750,000 German jobs dependent on exports to the UK.
Yet a recent response to that same assertion shows how such arguments continue to cut little ice with leading industry figures in Germany.
“Our surveys show that the European single market has absolute priority for 85 percent of German companies. In return, the companies are prepared to accept economic disadvantages in trade with the British,” said Volker Treier, head of foreign trade at the German Chamber of Commerce (DIHK), in an interview in September.
Speaking from southern France, wine grower Tim Ford says that in his opinion the UK vote to leave the EU as “a political, passionate, emotional decision”, but at the British end “no-one’s got their heads on the ground thinking about the practicalities of it”.
He’s also concerned that businesses may be sacrificed on the altar of the EU’s Single Market.
“We’re a business. We employ a lot of people, we’re responsible for them and their salaries and their families and their development, and if (no deal) makes us less competitive and less able to grow, I would absolutely say at any cost they’ve got to get a deal,” he told Euronews.
“We’re too far down the road with trade with the UK, and the interdependence between the UK and France,” he added. “To go back on all that, people just aren’t quite getting their head round the consequences of business models and arrangements we’ve had for so long with the UK, because it’s been part of the EU.”
Every weekday at 1900 CEST, Uncovering Europe brings you a European story that goes beyond the headlines. Download the Euronews app to get an alert for this and other breaking news. It’s available on Apple and Android devices.


jewworldorder--2020-09-29--Uber hails decision to allow it to carry on operating in London

Uber has won its appeal against a decision not to renew its licence in London , allowing the taxi company to continue operating in the city for another 18 months .
The association representing London ’ s traditional black cabs called the decision a “ disaster for London ” .
Transport for London decided in 2019 not to renew Uber ’ s operating licence over safety concerns .
These included unauthorized drivers being able to upload their photos to other driver accounts .
This happened on at least 14,000 trips across the UK ’ s capital , TfL said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ twice in the UK capital since 2017 , but was allowed on both occasions to continue operating while the decision was under appeal .
Deputy Chief Magistrate Tan Ikram said at a hearing on Monday he found Uber to be “ fit and proper ” and granted the company an 18-month licence extension , which comes with 21 conditions including providing regular , independent reports to authorities .
The company said the decision is a “ recognition of Uber ’ s commitment to safety ” and it will “ continue to work constructively @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he took into account Uber ’ s efforts to improve oversight and tighten up identity checks , and that he didn ’ t find any evidence of a “ cover up ” of the driver photo fraud problem .
“ Uber doesn ’ t have a perfect record but it has an improving picture , ” Ikram said .
“ I am satisfied that they are doing what a reasonable business in their sector could be expected to do , perhaps even more.
” The ruling will allow some 45,000 Uber drivers in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which has faced sharp criticism from traditional taxi drivers .
The Licensed Taxi Drivers ’ Association ( LTDA ) called the decision “ a disaster for London ” , accusing the judge of “ playing Russian roulette with the safety of Londonders ” .
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said that while Uber has made improvements to get its license back , the company will still be closely scrutinized .
“ I can assure Londoners that TfL will continue to closely monitor Uber and will not hesitate to take swift action should they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to protect passengers , ” Khan said .

Uber has won its appeal against a decision not to renew its licence in London, allowing the taxi company to continue operating in the city for another 18 months.
The association representing London’s traditional black cabs called the decision a “disaster for London”.
Transport for London decided in 2019 not to renew Uber’s operating licence over safety concerns.
These included unauthorized drivers being able to upload their photos to other driver accounts.
This happened on at least 14,000 trips across the UK’s capital, TfL said.
The app has had its licence revoked twice in the UK capital since 2017, but was allowed on both occasions to continue operating while the decision was under appeal.
Deputy Chief Magistrate Tan Ikram said at a hearing on Monday he found Uber to be “fit and proper” and granted the company an 18-month licence extension, which comes with 21 conditions including providing regular, independent reports to authorities.
The company said the decision is a “recognition of Uber’s commitment to safety” and it will “continue to work constructively” with the regulator.
Ikram said he took into account Uber’s efforts to improve oversight and tighten up identity checks, and that he didn’t find any evidence of a “cover up” of the driver photo fraud problem.
“Uber doesn’t have a perfect record but it has an improving picture,” Ikram said. “I am satisfied that they are doing what a reasonable business in their sector could be expected to do, perhaps even more.”
The ruling will allow some 45,000 Uber drivers in London to continue working with the company, which has faced sharp criticism from traditional taxi drivers.
The Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association (LTDA) called the decision “a disaster for London”, accusing the judge of “playing Russian roulette with the safety of Londonders”.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said that while Uber has made improvements to get its license back, the company will still be closely scrutinized.
“I can assure Londoners that TfL will continue to closely monitor Uber and will not hesitate to take swift action should they fail to meet the strict standards required to protect passengers,” Khan said.


jewworldorder--2020-09-29--Chinese artist Ai Weiwei holds protest against Assange extradition

Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei staged a silent protest on Monday against the possible extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange It happened outside the Assange ’ s trial at the Old Bailey in London .
Assange is fighting an attempt by American prosecutors to extradite him to the US to stand trial on spying charges .
US prosecutors have indicted the 49-year-old Australian on 18 espionage and computer misuse charges over WikiLeaks ’ publication of secret US military documents a decade ago .
The charges carry a maximum sentence of 175 years in prison .
Assange ’ s lawyers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ abuse of power that will stifle media freedom and put journalists at risk around the world .
Speaking outside the courthouse , Weiwei claimed that the treatment of Assange bore similarities to the way Chinese authorities suppress dissidents .
Assange ’ s lawyers argue that he is a journalist entitled to First Amendment protection and say the leaked documents exposed US military wrongdoing .
The case is due to run until early October .
The judge is expected to take weeks or even months to consider her verdict , with the losing side @ @ @ @

Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei staged a silent protest on Monday against the possible extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange
It happened outside the Assange’s trial at the Old Bailey in London.
Assange is fighting an attempt by American prosecutors to extradite him to the US to stand trial on spying charges.
US prosecutors have indicted the 49-year-old Australian on 18 espionage and computer misuse charges over WikiLeaks’ publication of secret US military documents a decade ago. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 175 years in prison.
Assange’s lawyers say the prosecution is a politically motivated abuse of power that will stifle media freedom and put journalists at risk around the world.
Speaking outside the courthouse, Weiwei claimed that the treatment of Assange bore similarities to the way Chinese authorities suppress dissidents.
Assange’s lawyers argue that he is a journalist entitled to First Amendment protection and say the leaked documents exposed US military wrongdoing.
The case is due to run until early October. The judge is expected to take weeks or even months to consider her verdict, with the losing side likely to appeal.


jewworldorder--2020-09-29--AfD official said migrants ‘could be shot or gassed’ German media reports

An official from the far-right Alternative for Germany ( AfD ) party has been fired after he was reportedly caught saying migrants coming to the country “ could still be shot later on…or gassed.
” On Monday the party confirmed Christian Lueth ’ s contract had been terminated .
Lueth was already suspended from his post as parliamentary spokesman in April after allegedly describing himself as a “ fascist ” .
Newspaper Die Zeit reported the comments were captured by undercover journalists while Lueth was talking to a young blogger in February .
The meeting was secretly filmed by broadcaster @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Monday about Germany ’ s far right .
The speaker ’ s face wasn ’ t shown in the footage but Die Zeit reported it was Lueth , based on “ a data leak and several conversations with informants ” .
AfD runs on a platform of anti-immigration and anti-Islam rhetoric , and saw a surge in support when hundreds of thousands of refugees were allowed to come into Germany in 2015 .
It is currently the largest opposition party in the national legislature .
Lueth declined to comment , saying he planned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ AfD has come under heightened scrutiny from Germany ’ s domestic intelligence agency amid concern that some factions are flirting with extremism , a charge the party denies .
On Monday , AfD ’ s parliamentary caucus in the southwestern state of Baden-Wuerttemberg kicked out lawmaker Stefan Raepple after he reportedly called for the violent overthrow of the government .

An official from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has been fired after he was reportedly caught saying migrants coming to the country “could still be shot later on…or gassed.”
On Monday the party confirmed Christian Lueth’s contract had been terminated.
Lueth was already suspended from his post as parliamentary spokesman in April after allegedly describing himself as a “fascist”.
Newspaper Die Zeit reported the comments were captured by undercover journalists while Lueth was talking to a young blogger in February.
The meeting was secretly filmed by broadcaster ProSieben for a documentary to be aired Monday about Germany’s far right.
The speaker’s face wasn’t shown in the footage but Die Zeit reported it was Lueth, based on “a data leak and several conversations with informants”.
AfD runs on a platform of anti-immigration and anti-Islam rhetoric, and saw a surge in support when hundreds of thousands of refugees were allowed to come into Germany in 2015.
It is currently the largest opposition party in the national legislature.
Lueth declined to comment, saying he planned to issue a statement on Tuesday.
AfD has come under heightened scrutiny from Germany’s domestic intelligence agency amid concern that some factions are flirting with extremism, a charge the party denies.
On Monday, AfD’s parliamentary caucus in the southwestern state of Baden-Wuerttemberg kicked out lawmaker Stefan Raepple after he reportedly called for the violent overthrow of the government.


jewworldorder--2020-09-29--Netherlands joins neighbours in tightening coronavirus restrictions amid surge in cases

The Netherlands has introduced stricter measures to combat rising coronavirus cases , banning spectators at professional sports matches and ordering bars and restaurants to close at 10pm for the next three weeks .
Health Minister Hugo de Jonge said “ we ’ re doing our best , but the virus is doing better ” , warning that tougher measures could follow if the numbers don ’ t stop going up .
Prime Minister Mark Rutte also advised people to wear face masks when shopping in Amsterdam , Rotterdam and The Hague , the three cities with the highest rates of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work from home , no more than three visitors should be allowed in homes , and no more than four people should go out together .
The new measures come into force on Tuesday evening , and follow similar tightening of restrictions amongst the Netherlands ’ neighbours , as European countries battle back against a surging second wave of COVID-19 cases .
The country ’ s coronavirus dashboard registered 2,921 new infections in the last 24 hours , down slightly from the 2,996 registered Sunday by the country ’ s public health institute @ @ @ @ @ @ @ acute care network , said there are now 660 COVID-19 patients in Dutch hospitals , including 142 in intensive care units and that the numbers are rising fast .
Bars and restaurants shut in parts of France In the French city of Marseille and nearby Aix en Provence , bars and restaurants were closed to halt the spread of the virus .
The measures are expected to last at least two weeks .
France ’ s central government also ordered new softer restrictions for ten other cities including Paris , where infections and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country has reported 31,511 virus-related deaths , among the highest tolls in Europe .
Salvador Illa , Spain ’ s health minister , has called for tougher measures to be introduced in the capital Madrid , which is seeing a huge wave of new infections .
The national government wants to see existing restrictions against the spread of the virus extended to all the city , but regional governments want to see how current measures affect the numbers .
Parts of Madrid have already been under strict measures to stop the spread , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the city are also under further social restrictions .
The country ’ s coronavirus tally on Monday reached 748,266 infections since the onset of the pandemic , 31,785 more since Friday , Monday ’ s official data showed .
There were 179 new fatalities for COVID-19 , bringing the total death toll to 31,411 , although experts think that many more deaths have not been recorded due to limited testing .
With 290 cases per 100,000 people in two weeks , Spain is by far leading in Europe ’ s infection rate during @ @ @ @

The Netherlands has introduced stricter measures to combat rising coronavirus cases, banning spectators at professional sports matches and ordering bars and restaurants to close at 10pm for the next three weeks.
Health Minister Hugo de Jonge said “we’re doing our best, but the virus is doing better”, warning that tougher measures could follow if the numbers don’t stop going up.
Prime Minister Mark Rutte also advised people to wear face masks when shopping in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague, the three cities with the highest rates of infections.
He also said people should work from home, no more than three visitors should be allowed in homes, and no more than four people should go out together.
The new measures come into force on Tuesday evening, and follow similar tightening of restrictions amongst the Netherlands’ neighbours, as European countries battle back against a surging second wave of COVID-19 cases.
The country’s coronavirus dashboard registered 2,921 new infections in the last 24 hours, down slightly from the 2,996 registered Sunday by the country’s public health institute.
Ernst Kuipers, of the national acute care network, said there are now 660 COVID-19 patients in Dutch hospitals, including 142 in intensive care units and that the numbers are rising fast.
Bars and restaurants shut in parts of France
In the French city of Marseille and nearby Aix en Provence, bars and restaurants were closed to halt the spread of the virus. The measures are expected to last at least two weeks.
France’s central government also ordered new softer restrictions for ten other cities including Paris, where infections and hospitalisations are on the rise.
The country has reported 31,511 virus-related deaths, among the highest tolls in Europe.
Spain’s health minister calls for stricter measures
Salvador Illa, Spain’s health minister, has called for tougher measures to be introduced in the capital Madrid, which is seeing a huge wave of new infections.
The national government wants to see existing restrictions against the spread of the virus extended to all the city, but regional governments want to see how current measures affect the numbers.
Parts of Madrid have already been under strict measures to stop the spread, but now an additional 160,000 people in the city are also under further social restrictions.
The country’s coronavirus tally on Monday reached 748,266 infections since the onset of the pandemic, 31,785 more since Friday, Monday’s official data showed.
There were 179 new fatalities for COVID-19, bringing the total death toll to 31,411, although experts think that many more deaths have not been recorded due to limited testing.
With 290 cases per 100,000 people in two weeks, Spain is by far leading in Europe’s infection rate during this second wave.


jewworldorder--2020-09-29--Rapid COVID-19 tests that give results ‘in minutes’ to be rolled out in poorer countries

The World Health Organization ( WHO ) said Monday that it has agreed to a plan to roll out 120 million rapid-diagnostic tests for the coronavirus .
Along with its leading partners , WHO aims to help lower- and middle-income countries make up ground in a testing gap with richer countries .
The antigen-based rapid diagnostic tests , for which WHO issued an emergency-use listing last week , cost around €4.28 .
The programme , which initially requires €513.9 million , is not fully funded yet but is to get started as early as next month to provide better access @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the PCR tests often in many wealthier nations .
The rapid tests look for antigens , or proteins found on the surface of the virus .
They are generally considered less accurate — though much faster — than higher-grade genetic tests , known as PCR tests .
The PCR tests require processing with speciality lab equipment and chemicals and have a turnaround that typically takes several days to deliver results to patients .
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus hailed the program as “ good news ” in the fight against COVID-19 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ approximately 15 to 30 minutes , rather than hours or days , at a lower price with less sophisticated equipment , ” he said .
“ This will enable the expansion of testing , particularly in hard-to-reach areas that do not have lab facilities or enough trained health workers to carry out PCR tests.
” “ We have an agreement , we have seed funding and now we need the full amount of funds to buy these tests , ” he said , without giving more details .
Dr Catharina Boehme , chief @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics , said the rollout would take place in 20 countries in Africa and would rely on the support of groups including the Clinton Health Access Initiative .
She said the diagnostic tests will be provided by SD Biosensor and Abbott .
Peter Sands , the executive director of the Global Fund , a partnership that works to end epidemics , said it would make an initial €42.8 million available from its COVID-19 response mechanism .
He said the deployment of the quality antigen rapid diagnostic tests will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to contain and combat the coronavirus .
“ They ’ re not a silver bullet , but hugely valuable as a complement to PCR tests , since although they are less accurate , they ’ re much faster , cheaper and don ’ t require a lab , ” he said .
Many rich countries have also faced problems rolling out accurate tests , and testing itself is no panacea — countries like France and the United States have all faced backlogs and hiccups at times , and rapid tests in Britain and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But rolling out testing in poorer countries aims to help health care workers get a better grip on where the virus is circulating , in hopes of following up with containment and other measures to stop it .
Sands said high-income countries are currently carrying out 292 tests per day per 100,000 people , while the lowest-income countries were conducting 14 per 100,000 people .
He said the 120 million tests would represent a “ massive increase ” in testing , but were still a fraction of what is needed in those countries @

The World Health Organization (WHO) said Monday that it has agreed to a plan to roll out 120 million rapid-diagnostic tests for the coronavirus.
Along with its leading partners, WHO aims to help lower- and middle-income countries make up ground in a testing gap with richer countries.
The antigen-based rapid diagnostic tests, for which WHO issued an emergency-use listing last week, cost around €4.28.
The programme, which initially requires €513.9 million, is not fully funded yet but is to get started as early as next month to provide better access to areas that are harder to reach with the PCR tests often in many wealthier nations.
The rapid tests look for antigens, or proteins found on the surface of the virus. They are generally considered less accurate — though much faster — than higher-grade genetic tests, known as PCR tests.
The PCR tests require processing with speciality lab equipment and chemicals and have a turnaround that typically takes several days to deliver results to patients.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus hailed the program as “good news” in the fight against COVID-19.
“These tests provide reliable results in approximately 15 to 30 minutes, rather than hours or days, at a lower price with less sophisticated equipment,” he said. “This will enable the expansion of testing, particularly in hard-to-reach areas that do not have lab facilities or enough trained health workers to carry out PCR tests.”
“We have an agreement, we have seed funding and now we need the full amount of funds to buy these tests,” he said, without giving more details.
Dr Catharina Boehme, chief executive of a non-profit group called the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics, said the rollout would take place in 20 countries in Africa and would rely on the support of groups including the Clinton Health Access Initiative. She said the diagnostic tests will be provided by SD Biosensor and Abbott.
Peter Sands, the executive director of the Global Fund, a partnership that works to end epidemics, said it would make an initial €42.8 million available from its COVID-19 response mechanism.
He said the deployment of the quality antigen rapid diagnostic tests will be a “significant step” in helping to contain and combat the coronavirus.
“They’re not a silver bullet, but hugely valuable as a complement to PCR tests, since although they are less accurate, they’re much faster, cheaper and don’t require a lab,” he said.
Many rich countries have also faced problems rolling out accurate tests, and testing itself is no panacea — countries like France and the United States have all faced backlogs and hiccups at times, and rapid tests in Britain and Spain turned out to be inaccurate.
But rolling out testing in poorer countries aims to help health care workers get a better grip on where the virus is circulating, in hopes of following up with containment and other measures to stop it.
Sands said high-income countries are currently carrying out 292 tests per day per 100,000 people, while the lowest-income countries were conducting 14 per 100,000 people.
He said the 120 million tests would represent a “massive increase” in testing, but were still a fraction of what is needed in those countries.