French virus surge threatens nationwide back-to-school plan

August 30, 2020

PARIS (AP) — Not all French classrooms can safely reopen Tuesday, the country's education minister acknowledged Sunday, as a persistent rise in coronavirus infections jeopardizes the government’s push to get France’s 12.9 million schoolchildren back into class this week.

Like many governments around the world, France and Britain want to reopen schools starting Tuesday to reduce the learning gaps between rich and poor students that were worsened by the virus lockdown this spring, and to get parents back to work and revive the ailing economy.

With several thousand new infections now reported in France every day, Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer told the Journal du Dimanche newspaper that some classes will remain closed when the nationwide reopening begins Tuesday, but “as few as possible.”

With less than 48 hours to go before the first French school bells ring, he said openings and closures were “being decided by a day-by-day analysis based on the health situation of each territory.” French doctors published an appeal Saturday saying that the government's anti-virus measures for schools aren’t strict enough. They urged masks for children as young as six and a mix of online and in-person schooling.

Currently French schools are set to resume largely as normal, but with masks required all day for everyone 11 and over and some restrictions on movements and gatherings. In contrast, other European countries like Denmark and many school districts in the U.S. are undergoing a full school day revamp that includes smaller classes, more teachers, more separation between students and classes and a mix of in-class and online learning.

Teacher Cécile Cluchier is bracing to face the challenges in her preschool in the Paris suburb of Antony. “Let's not fool ourselves," she said. "We know that with 25 pupils, we won’t always be able to keep an eye on each of them," and ensure that every young child washes their hands constantly and keeps a proper distance from others.

She also wonders how she'll be able to teach early language skills and defuse tensions with her face hidden behind a mask. “In preschool and in this underprivileged area, welcoming kids properly is very important,” she said. “But now, they can’t see my smile.”

France reported 5,453 new daily infections Saturday, compared to several hundred a day in May and June. The national health service says the growth of COVID-19 cases is now exponential, and neighboring countries have imposed quarantines or testing requirements for people coming in from France.

The infections are also threatening the Tour de France, which kicked off Saturday amid unprecedented restrictions and worries that the world's premier cycling event won't make it to the finish line in Paris in three weeks if the virus keeps spreading so fast.

In Britain, officials sought Sunday to reassure parents that schools can safely reopen. In an open letter, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson stressed the importance of having all children back in classrooms for the new school year.

“If a child is not in school, they stand to lose far more than just a few months of learning. It could well put a huge dent in their future life chances,” he said. Meanwhile, the University and College Union, which represents academic staff in Britain, warned Sunday that the movement of an expected 1 million college students has they return to universities in the coming weeks could spark “a public health crisis.”

Union general secretary Jo Grady told the BBC that tens of thousands of students will be arriving at cities like Manchester, Birmingham and Leicester — cities that have recently seen increased restrictions because of a spike in coronavirus cases.

“The very people who are increasingly getting infected by this virus are being encouraged in mass numbers to move all around the country and congregate and live together,” she said. The union wants college students to avoid campuses and face-to-face teaching until at least Christmas, unless a robust testing plan is in place.

Britain's Conservative government has been sharply criticized for its handling of the virus, which has left the country with Europe's highest confirmed virus toll of nearly 41,600 dead. France has the continent's third-highest death toll at over 30,600. Experts say all confirmed figures understate the true toll of the pandemic due to limited testing and other factors.

In Germany, North Rhine-Westphalia, the only state to have required students in secondary schools to wear face masks during lessons, is ending that practice Tuesday. Students will still have to wear masks at school outside of class.

Alex Turnbull contributed from Paris.

Masks imposed on Paris; 20% of France in virus red zone

August 27, 2020

PARIS (AP) — The virus is actively circulating in about 20% of France’s regions and masks will now be required for everyone in Paris — but the government is determined to reopen schools next week, get workers back on the job and kick off the Tour de France cycling race on Saturday.

Showing a map of the country's new “red zones," French Prime Minister Jean Castex on Thursday urged local authorities to impose new restrictions to slow infections and prevent another economically devastating national lockdown.

“The epidemic is gaining ground, and now we must intervene,” Castex said. France “must do everything to avoid a new confinement." He acknowledged that the rising cases this summer — attributed mostly to people going on vacation with family and friends — came earlier than authorities expected.

France is now seeing more than 50 positive tests per 100,000 people in Paris, Marseille and other areas. The government announced Thursday that 21 of 101 administrative regions, or departments, are now in the “red zone” where the virus is actively circulating, and where local authorities can impose stricter rules on gatherings and movements.

Castex asked Paris authorities to start requiring mask use everywhere, instead of in just select neighborhoods. Marseille already mandates masks. Government ministers insisted that the once-renowned French hospital system is better prepared to handle new COVID-19 cases than it was when the virus raced across the country in March and April, saturating intensive care units. France has reported more than 30,500 deaths related to the virus, the third-highest toll in Europe after Britain and Italy, but experts say all confirmed figures understate the true toll of the pandemic due to limited testing and other factors.

France was registering only a few hundred new infections a day in May and June but the number started ticking up in July as the country ramped up testing. Daily cases surged past 5,000 on Wednesday for the first time since May.

The number of virus patients in French hospitals remains low so far despite the jump in infections but it has been steadily rising in recent days. The government's message Thursday was mixed — while expressing alarm about growing cases, Castex insisted that “living with the virus” is the new national mantra and he wants people to resume work in September as broadly as possible.

To protect vulnerable populations, the prime minister urged people not to hold family parties and said “grandpa and grandma” shouldn’t pick up their grandchildren from school. Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer said there's no reason to dial back plans to send France's 12.9 million students back to class next week or to reopen cafeterias.

“All children should return to school,” he said. Blanquer also said letting the Tour de France cycling race go ahead is “a sign that we can continue to live, and the resilience of our society.” Already delayed from its traditional early July start, cycling's premier event sets off from Nice on Saturday and will crisscross the country for more than three weeks. Fans, tourists and residents usually mass along the route for a beloved event that is a prime advertisement for France's beauty and traditions, organizers this year are urging all spectators to wear masks.

Europe is going back to school despite recent virus surge

August 27, 2020

PARIS (AP) — A mother and her three children scanned the school supplies in a Paris supermarket, plucking out multicolored fountain pens, crisp notebooks – and plenty of masks. Despite resurgent coronavirus infections, similar scenes are unfolding across Europe as a new school year dawns.

Virus or no virus, European authorities are determined to put children back into classrooms, to narrow the learning gaps between haves and have-nots that deepened during lockdowns – and to get their parents back to work.

Facing a jump in virus cases, authorities in France, Britain, Spain and elsewhere are imposing mask rules, hiring extra teachers and building new desks en masse. While the U.S. back-to-school saga has been politicized and chaotic, with a hodgepodge of fast-changing rules and backlash against President Donald Trump’s insistence on reopening, European governments have faced less of an uproar.

And even though the virus has invaded classrooms in recent days from Berlin to Seoul, and some teachers and parents warn that their schools aren’t ready, European leaders from the political left, right and center are sending an unusually consistent message: Even in a pandemic, children are better off in class.

France’s prime minister promised Wednesday to “do everything” to get people back to school and work. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called reopening schools a “moral duty,” and his government even threatened to fine parents who keep kids at home. Italy’s health minister abruptly shut down discos this month with one goal in mind — “to reopen schools in September in complete safety.”

As both a parent and a teacher, Mathieu Maillard has plenty to worry about before French schools reopen Tuesday. The number of virus infections per 100,000 people has grown five-fold in France in the last month.

How will his 5-year-old daughter keep a safe distance from preschool friends she’s so excited to see for the first time in six months? How will he gain the trust of his high school students, from one of Marseille’s roughest neighborhoods, if he has to police their mask use?

But overall, Maillard thinks it’s time to go back. School “has to start up again at some point," he says. "The health risk exists, but the risk of not putting children in school is even bigger.” During lockdown, he said, some students never joined his online French literature classes. Some had no place to work, or no computers, just telephones they used to send blurry photos of handwritten work.

“Our students really, really need school,” he said. For some of those growing up in an environment plagued with violence and drugs, school “is a place where they can breathe.” Unlike the U.S., many European schools reopened at the end of the last term, offering lessons for the fall.

Among measures in place: hand-washing stations, one-way corridors, staggered starts and lunch times. Some regions are giving out free laptops, in case of new lockdowns. Many countries require masks in school, but rules vary on where to wear them and from what age.

In southeast London, father of three Mark Davis is looking forward to schools reopening in early September but is vexed about what will happen if there's a new virus wave. “Everyone is gunning for this (return to school), but it’s no good just hoping for the best,” he said. “Plans need to be put in place.”

So far the government says schools will only close as a last resort. But parents say the government’s message hasn’t been clear. Most of the U.K.’s 11 million students haven't seen a classroom since March, and reopening schools tops the political agenda. Britain has 41,515 virus-related deaths, the highest confirmed toll in Europe, and Johnson’s government has been strongly criticized for its handling of the pandemic.

Some European schools are planning or considering a hybrid academic year, with some physical classes and some online. But most are aiming for full in-person classes. That's in line with guidance by global organizations like UNICEF, which said Thursday that at least a third of the world’s schoolchildren were unable to access remote learning during lockdowns. It warned that "the repercussions could be felt in economies and societies for decades.”

Medical experts say the risk of opening schools depends on how widespread COVID-19 infections are in the community and what safety measures are taken. Evidence suggests young children don’t spread the disease very easily, while kids aged 10 and up may transmit as easily as adults. But experts say more conclusive proof is needed. And even though children appear less likely to get infected than adults, severe cases and deaths have occurred.

Amid an unexpected new wave of infections in hard-hit Spain, officials are scrambling to adapt plans to reopen schools Sept. 4. They include hiring 11,000 additional teachers, building makeshift classrooms in schoolyards to gain space, and creating “bubbles” of students who are allowed to mix with each other but not with outsiders.

But teachers' unions decry funding shortages and have called for strikes starting next week. Italy, Europe’s first virus hot spot, is hiring 40,000 more temporary teachers and ordering extra desks, but some won’t be ready until October. And many parents and teachers remain in the dark about exactly how it will work when most schools reopen Sept. 14. They notably wonder how overcrowded, run-down schools can ensure one-meter (three-foot) distances and smaller class sizes.

‘’They are in over their heads,’’ said Cristina Tedesco, a parent representative for a high school class in Verona province. Germany may serve as a cautionary tale, or an example, for its neighbors. At least 41 of Berlin’s 825 schools reported virus cases as classes resumed this month, and thousands of students have been quarantined around the country. But Germany is determined not to close schools anew, so they're sending individual students or classes into quarantine instead.

Schools remained shut in most of Africa, Latin America and in some of the world’s most populated nations including India and Bangladesh. In the U.S., some school districts are planning a mix of in-person and online learning to help maintain social distancing. Other districts are starting classes online only.

Denmark this week saw an unusual endorsement for reopening schools. Its second-largest city, Aarhus, sent all high school students home after a spike in virus cases, but the teens pushed back, saying they don’t learn as much online.

Protesting Monday, they held signs reading: “I just want to go to school.”

Associated Press writers Pan Pylas in London, Colleen Barry in Milan, Aritz Parra in Madrid and Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen contributed.

Greece battles coronavirus resurgence after early success

August 26, 2020

PIRAEUS, Greece (AP) — Workers in bright yellow vests stand on the dock in Greece’s main port of Piraeus, greeting hundreds of masked ferry passengers with fliers and the occasional temperature check.

“Would you like a coronavirus test? Yes, it’s free. Right over there, in the white structure, you’ll see the signs,” they tell disembarking passengers. Free on-the-spot tests for travelers returning from Greek islands where outbreaks have occurred is the latest in an arsenal of measures authorities are using to tackle a resurgence of COVID-19 in a country that has so far managed to dodge the worst of the pandemic.

New localized restrictions, including a midnight curfew for bars, restaurants and cafes and a ban on large gatherings have been imposed, mainly in popular tourist destinations such as the Aegean Sea island of Mykonos,

Maria Skopeliti, whose husband and son work on Mykonos, was one of a handful of people opting for the voluntary coronavirus test in Piraeus on a recent morning. She estimated that more than two-thirds of people in Mykonos had been ignoring personal protective measures.

“Even though I was quite careful... you can’t be sure because it’s an island that lives to a different beat,” said the 57-year-old Skopeliti. “It’s logical because there are many young people, you can’t restrict them.”

The number of confirmed virus cases and deaths in Greece remains lower than in many other European countries. As of Wednesday, total cases in the country of about 11 million people stood at 9,280, with 248 deaths and 33 people intubated in intensive care units.

Belgium, by comparison, with a population of around 11.5 million, has reported nearly 82,000 confirmed cases and close to 10,000 deaths, one of the world’s highest per capita pandemic mortality rates.

But Greece's new daily confirmed cases have been spiraling in recent weeks, reaching a record 293 on Wednesday. “Yes I’m worried, of course I’m worried, and we’ve rung the alarm bell,” Gkikas Magiorkinis, a University of Athens assistant professor of hygiene and epidemiology, told the AP last week. “That’s why we’re taking measures." including the generalized use of masks.

The measures appear to be working, Magiorkinis, who serves on a committee of scientists advising the Greek government, said during a Tuesday news conference. “For now it seems that the dramatic increase of cases ... has been limited,” he said, noting the spike in the first week of August was projected to lead to more than 400 new cases per day, which so far has not occurred.

“The slowdown of this dramatic increase came relatively earlier than the natural development of a full second wave, and coincides with the taking of measures for the use of masks, and with the reinforced restrictions taken in areas with outbreaks,” Magiorkinis said.

For a small country barely emerging from the grip of a brutal decade-long financial crisis, Greece appeared to have done remarkably well during the pandemic’s initial phase in the spring, when Europe became the second continent after Asia with the coronavirus spreading exponentially.

The government imposed a nationwide lockdown, ordering people to stay home, shuttering businesses and closing the borders. It also scrambled to bolster a weak health system pummeled by years of budget cuts, announcing the hiring of thousands of temporary health workers and increasing intensive care capacity.

Its strategy seemed to work. Greece was spared the heart-rending scenes all too common in fellow Mediterranean countries Italy and Spain: of overflowing morgues, decimated nursing homes and anguished intensive care doctors forced to choose who to try to save and who to let die due to a lack of equipment and space.

But no country can survive in a vacuum, certainly not one still grappling with the aftermath of a depression that wiped out a quarter of its economy. In a bid to salvage its vital tourism industry, Greece welcomed foreign visitors and gradually lifted nearly all lockdown restrictions in the early summer.

Inevitably, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases mounted. Critics have accused the government of reopening to tourists without a coherent plan, a charge officials vehemently reject. “Is tourism responsible for the increase in the number of cases in Greece? The answer is categorically no,” Civil Protection Deputy Minister Nikos Hardalias said last week. The main culprits, he said, were large private gatherings such as weddings and residents ignoring protective measures like social distancing.

Travelers arriving from abroad accounted for just 17% of new cases, Hardalias said, while 83% was domestic transmission. On Tuesday, Hardalias said that 360,200 tests were carried out on the nearly 3 million international arrivals between July 1 — when Greece opened its borders to tourists — and Aug. 23, and just 723 people tested positive.

Government spokesman Stelios Petsas insisted last week that Greece “was and continues to be at a better epidemiological level, compared to other countries.” Petsas also attributed the increase to people ignoring protective measures, and noted the average age of those testing positive had dropped to around 36, from just over 48 in March.

Authorities have been particularly alarmed by the summer party scene on the islands, involving both tourists and vacationing Greeks. On Mykonos, police have played a cat-and-mouse game with parties held in private villas to skirt restrictions on bars and clubs.

In one incident, police broke up a party where the nearly 500 guests reportedly included a couple from Spain that had been placed in a quarantine hotel after at least one of them tested positive for the virus on arrival.

What currently worries experts most is the virus spreading in facilities that house the most vulnerable people: retirement homes and hospitals. Ominously, outbreaks have already been reported in two retirement homes and at two hospitals, all on the mainland. Extra measures have been imposed, including compulsory coronavirus tests for employees returning from vacation.

"There is an effort to reduce the risk,” Magiorkinis said. “We can’t eliminate it, but there is risk mitigation.”

Two virus-related deaths, 30 cases recorded Monday

By JT - Aug 24,2020

AMMAN — Jordan on Monday recorded two deaths related to the coronavirus and 30 COVID-19 cases, including 28 local infections, increasing the caseload to 1,639, Health Minister Saad Jaber announced.

The deceased included a 99-year-old woman and an Arab national, who reportedly had come to the Kingdom on a private jet to receive treatment for a critical health condition. The country’s coronavirus death toll has reached 14.

The local cases comprised 25 infections in Amman, of which 20 are contacts of coronavirus patients, while the sources of the other five patients are under investigation, the health minister said.

Also among the domestic infections are three cases registered in Zarqa, who have been in quarantine and contracted the virus from a COVID-19 patient, he added.

The cases from abroad comprised two Jordanians — one returning from Saudi Arabia and one from the US — who have been in quarantine at designated hotels.

The minister said that the total number of infections since August 7 has reached 320, of which 59 are related to Sahab district.

Fifteen recovered patients left hospitals over the past 24 hours, increasing the total number of recoveries to 1,352, leaving 296 still receiving treatment, according to the minister.

A total of 7,468 virus tests were conducted on Monday, bringing the cumulative number of coronavirus tests administered since the outbreak of the pandemic to 752,568, he added.

Source: The Jordan Times.
Link: http://jordantimes.com/news/local/two-virus-related-deaths-30-cases-recorded-monday.

UAE, Israel health ministers agree to enhance cooperation on health

August 24, 2020

The United Arab Emirates and Israel on Monday agreed to enhance bilateral cooperation in the health sector following an accord between the countries to normalize relations 10 days ago, UAE state news agency WAM said.

The health ministers of the two countries discussed cooperation on pharmaceuticals, medical research, and COVID-19 in a telephone call. A statement from Israel’s Health Ministry added that they agreed on “initial and immediate cooperation” in the health sector.

Israel and the UAE have agreed to normalize diplomatic ties and forge a broad new relationship under a US-sponsored deal, making the UAE the third Arab country to have formal diplomatic ties with Israel after Egypt and Jordan.

The two countries will each appoint representatives and set up business delegations, the Israeli health ministry said.

The countries will also work to create a student exchange program once the coronavirus pandemic conditions allow, it added.

Since the deal, the countries have signed a few agreements on technologies to fight the coronavirus. Several small-scale medical and defense collaborations were announced in the weeks preceding the normalization agreement.

Source: Middle East Monitor.
Link: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200824-uae-israel-health-ministers-agree-to-enhance-cooperation-on-health/.

Syria Constitutional Committee 'on hold' after three members test positive for COVID-19

August 24, 2020

The Syrian Constitutional Committee, which began its first session in nine months in Geneva on Monday as part of efforts to find a political solution to end Syria’s war, was swiftly put “on hold” after three members tested positive for COVID-19, the United Nations said.

Hours earlier, US Syria envoy James Jeffrey told reporters that the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had agreed “under some Russian pressure” to take part in the week-long talks.

The session, organized by UN Special Envoy Geir Pedersen, is aimed at making make progress in drafting a new Syrian charter to pave the way for UN-sponsored elections, in line with a stalled 2015 UN Security Council resolution.

The office of UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen did not identify which three of the 45 members of the so-called small body of the Constitutional Committee were infected. One third is nominated by the Syrian government, one third by the opposition, and one third by civil society.

“Committee members were tested before they traveled to Geneva, and they were tested again on arrival, and the wearing of masks and strict social distancing measures were in place when they met at the Palais des Nations,” the statement said.

“Following a constructive first meeting, the Third Session of the Constitutional Committee is currently on hold. The Office of the Special Envoy will make a further announcement in due course,” it said, adding that Swiss authorities had been informed and contact-tracing was underway.

Jeffrey said that the latest US sanctions, under the Caesar Act passed by Congress, were having a “serious political and psychological impact” on Assad and his inner circle.

“So we are going after them in any way we can and after their international holdings, any way that they or their banks touch dollars, they are in trouble,” he said.

But Jeffrey also said, referring to a province in rebel-held northwestern Syria: “I have seen no indication that the Assad regime has given up its dream of a military victory beginning with Idlib.”

Source: Middle East Monitor.
Link: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200824-syria-constitutional-committee-on-hold-after-three-members-test-positive-for-covid-19/.

Japan's PM sets mark for days in office amid health concerns

August 24, 2020

TOKYO (AP) — Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday became Japan's longest-serving leader in terms of consecutive days in office, but there was little fanfare, as he visited a hospital for another checkup amid concerns about his health.

Abe marked his 2,799th consecutive day in office since returning to leadership in late 2012 for a second term, surpassing the previous record set by Eisaku Sato, his great-uncle, who served 2,798 straight days from 1964 to 1972.

Abe, who turns 66 next month, became Japan's longest-serving prime minister last November, combining his earlier one-year term. His first term ended abruptly 13 years ago because of health problems, fueling concerns about his current condition. The prime minister made a hospital visit for the second week in a row on Monday.

Abe later told reporters that he revisited the hospital “to get detailed results from last week's checkup and have additional examination.” “I'm making sure I'm in good health, and I plan to keep working hard,” Abe said, adding that he will explain his health later.

Abe has acknowledged having ulcerative colitis since he was a teenager and said the condition has been under control. He has not made clear if it is related to his recent health issues or hospital visits.

A week ago, Abe spent more than seven hours at Keio University Hospital in Tokyo for what officials said was an additional checkup because he didn't have enough time during an earlier visit in June. Last week's hospital visit triggered a flurry of speculation in the Japanese media about the possibility that his health was declining.

Top officials from Abe's Cabinet and the ruling party, including Finance Minister Taro Aso, said publicly that Abe was overworked and badly needed rest. Media members covering the prime minister's office said Abe looked tired and was moving slower than usual.

During the past week, he has spent only a few hours a day in his office, only in the afternoon. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, at a regular news conference earlier Monday, brushed off worries about Abe's health. “I see him every day, but I haven't noticed anything different," he said.

Asked if Abe will be able serve another year until his current term ends in September 2021, Suga said the prime minister is undergoing additional health exams to make sure he will be able to do so. His heath concerns have added to speculation on how much longer Abe may stay in office. His support ratings have plunged to their lowest levels due to his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and its severe impact on the economy, on top of a slew of political scandals.

Abe, since his return to office in 2012, has led his ruling bloc to six national election victories in the absence of viable liberal-center contenders and expanded his influence both in parliament and among bureaucrats, despite criticisms of autocracy.

Abe has also steadily bolstered Japan's defense capability and allowed the Japanese Self-Defense Force to do more for its close ally the United States by stretching the interpretation of the pacifist constitution.

His cherished goal of revising the constitution is still unmet, although he has stepped up his efforts to do so before his term ends. Abe and his right-wing supporters have long seen the U.S.-drafted war-renouncing constitution as a legacy of Japan’s World War II defeat and humiliation during U.S. occupation.

The end of his scandal-laden first stint as prime minister was the beginning of six years of annual leadership change, remembered as an era of “revolving door” politics that lacked stability and long-term policies.

When he returned to office in 2012, Abe vowed to revitalize the nation and get its economy out of its deflationary doldrums with his “Abenomics” formula, which combines fiscal stimulus, monetary easing and structural reforms.

Opponents have said Abe’s time in office has led to cronyism, autocracy and has caused more damage than benefit to democracy. Takashi Mikuriya, a University of Tokyo politics professor, told the Asahi newspaper that Abe has raised Japan's profile in the international community, but has made more of an impression by working on policies than actually achieving them.

“His legacy is the fact that his (rule) lasted this long, rather than details of his achievements," he said.

European economic rebound slows as virus cases rise

August 21, 2020

LONDON (AP) — The European economy's rebound from the coronavirus recession appears to have slowed in August as a resurgence in new confirmed contagions across the region makes businesses, shoppers and travelers more cautious.

An indicator of business activity published Friday by research firm IHS Markit fell back to a level that suggests the economy is barely growing after a relatively strong burst in July, when many countries had phased out the restrictions on public life that were imposed in the spring to contain the pandemic.

Coronavirus contagions are rising rapidly in many European countries, even if deaths remain at a relatively low level. That has made some consumers more cautious. Europe's busiest airline, Ryanair, said this week it was cutting back further on the number of flights as demand remains low.

That suggests the European economy, which had been expected to bounce back from recession more forcefully than the United States, could take longer to heal. “The path taken will likely depend in large part on how successfully COVID-19 can be suppressed and whether companies and their customers alike can gain the confidence necessary to support growth,” said Andrew Harker, economics director at IHS Markit.

The so-called purchasing managers' index, which is based on a survey of 5,000 companies across the 19-country eurozone, dropped to 51.6 points in August from 54.9 in July. The 50-mark separates economic contraction from growth.

The survey found that companies are cutting jobs for a sixth consecutive month, though not by as much as in April, with layoffs biggest in the manufacturing sector. A significant weakening in European business would be a blow to the global economy as the region had been one of the most successful in getting the pandemic under control. The European economy is forecast to recover more rapidly from recession than the United States, which hasn't yet managed to significantly reduce its first wave of contagions.

The eurozone economy shrank by a devastating 12.1% in the April-June period from the previous quarter but other indicators have pointed to a return to growth — from retail sales to manufacturing. The unemployment rate has held steady thanks to massive aid from governments to keep redundant workers on company payrolls. Some of that aid will phase out or be reduced in coming months, meaning job losses are likely to pile up.

Florian Hense, economist at Berenberg Bank, expects there to not be a repeat of the severe first wave of contagions and restrictions on business. But the uncertainty means the economy will take time to regain strength and won't get back quickly to where it was before the pandemic.

“Governments should seriously consider to prolong, or at least phase out only slowly, furlough schemes that end this autumn,” Hense said. “Otherwise the hit to employment and income could trigger a double-dip recession.”

Malta, once nearly virus-free, sees COVID-19 resurgence

August 21, 2020

VALLETTA, Malta (AP) — During the first four months of Europe’s coronavirus outbreak, the Mediterranean island nation of Malta recorded just 673 infections. By mid-July, it had all but eliminated COVID-19 with only three active cases.

Yet in the last six weeks, Malta’s confirmed caseload has more than doubled. Malta is now considered an at-risk destination by some European countries, which have imposed travel warnings or testing requirements on anyone who goes there.

It’s quite a reversal of fortunes for Malta, which on Friday registered its first death since May. Earlier this week, the government closed nightclubs again, limited gatherings to 15 people and mandated mask-wearing in public places indoors with a 100-euro ($117) fine for offenders, all in a bid to radically change course.

“All these measures are based on the principle of social distancing. We felt that they had to be strengthened in several areas,” Malta’s public health chief, Charmaine Gauci, said in announcing the new rules.

While Malta’s numbers are still small — the country only has 500,000 people — and pale in comparison to bigger European countries that were hard hit in the spring, its infection curve is following that of Greece and Cyprus. Those southern Mediterranean countries also managed to limit infections early on with lockdowns, but are seeing surges now in part due to summer travel.

In all, Malta recorded 673 cases between March 7-July 7, but in the last six weeks the number of registered infections more than doubled to 1,546. In all, 10 people have died. The infections exclude more than 100 migrants who tested positive after being rescued by the Maltese army and were placed in quarantine. Another 118 migrants rescued by Malta on Thursday and quarantined will be tested Saturday.

Malta reopened its airport and ports on July 15, three months after shutting them down. But its more recent surge in cases came mostly from group activities that were allowed to resume after Malta eased its lockdown.

Parties, re-opened nightclubs and band marches for traditional Maltese religious feasts were mostly responsible for new infections, authorities say. Thanks to Malta’s new designation as a virus hotspot, residents and tourists leaving Malta now have to be tested to enter Italy and Greece, or be placed in quarantine upon arrival in Britain and Norway. Other nations are recommending against unnecessary travel to Malta.

Schools are set to reopen Sept. 28, but teachers’ unions have warned that might not be possible unless strict protocols are in place. The Maltese government has opened new testing centers to meet with the growing demand, carrying out up to 3,000 tests every day, some 50% more tests than during the first wave.

And yet amid the surge, Malta on Friday welcomed the first cruise ship since it reopened its ports. The MSC Grandiosa, which left Genoa on Sunday, entered Grand Harbor in what is being billed as the first Mediterranean cruise ship voyage after Europe's coronavirus lockdown.

'Let's roll': London's Heathrow urges testing at UK airports

August 19, 2020

LONDON (AP) — London's Heathrow Airport, the U.K.'s busiest, unveiled a new coronavirus testing facility Wednesday that it says could halve the length of time people have to stay at home after arriving from countries on the British government’s quarantine list.

The government said it wasn't ready to give its backing to the facility but insisted that it was working with airports on how a new testing regime can reduce the 14-day quarantine period that travelers face when arriving from more than 100 countries, including France, Spain and the United States.

Over the past few weeks, British tourists have faced travel chaos after the government took countries off its safe list at very short notice. The travel advice to the two most visited countries, Spain and France, changed at short notice, for example, prompting many travelers to seek to return to the U.K. swiftly in order to avoid the mandatory quarantine period.

As well as throwing into turmoil the vacation plans of many British families, the sudden changes have rocked the travel industry, which is trying to salvage something from the summer following weeks of lockdown.

There is growing speculation that Croatia and Greece, two other hugely popular vacation destinations for British families during the summer, could be added to the quarantine list in the coming days, a change that would further disrupt children's planned return to school at the start of September.

“Testing will not only avoid the ‘quarantine roulette’ that so many passengers faced in Spain and France, it will also open up flights to key trading partners such as the U.S., Canada and Singapore," Heathrow chief executive John Holland-Kaye said.

The new facility has been set up by aviation services company Collinson and logistics firm Swissport at Heathrow’s Terminal 2. They say more than 13,000 swab tests will be available to passengers each day, with results “within hours.” It is proposed that arrivals will then take a second test at home and will be able to leave their 14-day quarantine early if they pass both. Similar double-testing regimes are used elsewhere in Europe, including Germany.

“All we need now is government buy-in that those with negative tests will be released early from quarantine," said Richard Cawthra, chief commercial officer at Swissport. British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he understood the inconvenience of the quarantine period and insisted that the government was doing what it can to mitigate the period people have to stay at home on their arrival in the U.K. Hancock said a ramp-up in testing in the coming months via a saliva test that would lead to more or less instant results would help.

“This moonshot to have testing ubiquitous and available to reopen all sorts of things, to reduce the burden of the quarantine arrangements, which nobody wants to have in place, to allow us to reopen parts of the economy, that is an incredibly important project within government right now," Hancock told BBC radio.

He refused to be drawn on when population-wide testing would potentially be in place in a country that has recorded more than 41,000 coronavirus-related deaths, Europe’s highest. “We’re ramping it up over the remainder of this year," he said. “I’m not going to put a firm deadline on it.”

He also said that further insights about the virus' prevalence within England will emerge from a wider infection survey from the Office for National Statistics. The statistics agency will increase the number of people it tests under the survey from 28,000 every two weeks to 150,000 by October.

“This will allow us to further narrow down the areas potentially affected by local outbreaks and continue our fight to curb the spread ahead of winter," he said. “The data and insight gathered will help inform our national, regional and local responses to the pandemic, allowing this nation to get back to the things we love doing.”

Alcohol rules again loosen as Dubai seeks economic recovery

August 19, 2020

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Dubai again has loosened laws governing alcohol sales and possession of liquor as the sheikhdom tries to claw its way out of an economic depression worsened by the coronavirus pandemic.

The outbreak of the virus exacerbated the already-gathering economic storm engulfing the emirate, which has seen mass layoffs thin the ranks of its foreign workforce and empty homes even amid slight signs of recovery. Even now, experts warn the sheikhdom's crucial real-estate market is on track to hit record lows seen in the 2009 Great Recession.

“It’s been a challenging year and there’s no hiding from that for any business — particularly those in the hospitality industry,” Mike Glen, managing director for the United Arab Emirates and Oman for alcohol distributor Maritime and Mercantile International, told The Associated Press in an emailed statement.

Alcohol sales have long served as a major barometer of the economy of Dubai, a top travel destination in the UAE, home to the long-haul carrier Emirates. Ice-cold bottles of beer tempt tourists on hotel beaches, while decadent Champagne-soaked brunches draw well-to-do crowds of expatriate residents.

The sales also serve as a major tax revenue source for Dubai’s Al Maktoum ruling family. In Dubai, alcohol sales in general reflect the confidence of buyers in their own finances and in turn, the economy. Pre-pandemic, those sales already showed the trouble Dubai faced amid falling global energy prices and a weakening real estate market. Dubai also postponed its Expo 2020, or world’s fair, to next year, another major blow.

Overall sales of alcohol by volume fell sharply in 2019 to 128.79 million liters (34 million gallons), down some 3.5% from 133.42 million liters (35.2 million gallons) sold the year before, according to statistics from Euromonitor. The 2019 sales are down nearly 9% from 2017, which saw 141.51 million liters (37.3 million gallons) sold.

Amid the lockdown, Dubai’s two major alcohol distributors began legal home deliveries of alcohol for the first time in hopes of boosting the sales. Now, the city-state has changed the very system granting permission to residents to legally purchase alcohol.

By law, non-Muslim residents are supposed to carry red plastic cards issued by the Dubai police that permit them to purchase, transport and consume beer, wine and liquor. Otherwise, they can face fines and arrest — even though the sheikhdom's vast network of bars, nightclubs and lounges never ask to see the permit.

Those red cards now have been replaced with a black card and a simplified application process only requiring an Emirati national ID card. An application no longer requires an employer’s permission. Previously, employers could block non-Muslims from obtaining a card even if an employee qualified for it — which happened for some expats working for Emirati companies whose owners had religious objections to alcohol.

Purchase restrictions based on salaries also have been eased. Previously, residents would get around those restrictions by traveling to five of the other seven sheikhdoms that make up the UAE. Sharjah, the UAE's seventh emirate that borders Dubai to the north, outlaws alcohol, as do the nearby nations of Iran, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

The new card system comes as Dubai also now allows tourists and visitors to buy alcohol from distributors simply by using their passports, closing a loophole that made visiting imbibers unable to get a permit subject to arrest for possessing alcohol.

The UAE as a whole still faces the challenge of the coronavirus — with some 64,000 confirmed cases and 360 deaths. But Dubai has been aggressively advertising itself as reopened to tourism and now appears set to host Indian Premier League cricket, beginning in September.

There have been signs of a tentative and slight recovery starting to take hold. In July, Dubai's non-oil sector saw its first improvement in five months, according to a monthly survey by IHS Markit and Emirates NBD bank. But that appeared driven by deep cuts in price discounts, particularly in travel and tourism, the report said.

“The recovery in activity has not been sufficient to prevent firms continuing to lay off workers as they seek to reduce costs,” wrote Khatija Haque, the head of research and chief economist at Emirates NBD.

Those layoffs struck Emirates, the flagship of Dubai's state investment firm, particularly hard with thousands of employees fired. That's not counting all the other businesses large and small through the city similarly hurt by the virus — particularly in its bubble-or-bust real estate market.

Dubai's biggest private real estate company, DAMAC, which operates President Donald Trump's eponymous golf club in the UAE, just reported a net loss of $105 million for the first half of 2020. The company's chairman, Hussain Sajwani, blamed the pandemic for the poor results.

“Resulting travel restrictions impacted the economy and the real estate sector, and we will see a difficult market for the coming 18 to 24 months,” Sajwani said. Meanwhile, the mass layoffs have seen a noticeable number of for-rent and sales signs in front of homes and apartments across the city. The Dubai firm Property Monitor said in a report this week that real estate prices likely will set new record lows by the end of the third quarter of this year.

Rental listings have risen by 11% in Dubai as over 45,000 new residential units have entered the already soft market, according to REIDIN Data and Analytics, which tracks the market. Another 120,000 units are expected to come into the market in the next two years, further pushing down prices, REIDIN said.

Both sales and rental prices have dropped about a third since a market high in 2014, when Dubai announced it would be hosting the Expo. The “current pandemic, coupled with oversupply in the market and reduced occupancy levels, caused and increase in the rate of decline of prices for both apartment and villas especially in the second quarter,” said Ozan Demir, the director of operations and research at REIDIN.

France mandating masks at all workplaces as virus reawakens

August 18, 2020

PARIS (AP) — France is now mandating masks in all workplaces, from the Paris business district to factories in the provinces, as it tries to contain growing virus infections but avoid shutting down the economy.

Tuesday’s announcement by the Labor Ministry makes France one of relatively few countries in the world that’s universally requiring workers to wear masks on the job, though they’re routinely worn in many Asian countries and increasingly required in public places beyond.

The move came after France’s daily infection count jumped past 3,000 over the weekend, for the first time since May, and as the number of virus patients in hospitals, intensive care units and nursing homes is starting to inch up again. France currently has among the highest infection rates in Europe, and already requires masks in public indoor spaces like restaurants and in many areas outdoors.

As of Sept. 1, masks will also be required in all shared, enclosed work spaces, including open-plan or shared offices, corridors, meeting rooms, and changing rooms, according to the new government rules. They can only be removed when someone is alone in an individual office.

“The latest scientific knowledge about the possible risk of transmission of the virus via aerosols leads us to adopt a general principle of the systematic wearing of masks in indoor, shared workspaces,” said Laurent Pietraszewski, secretary of state for worker health.

About a quarter of the 1,013 virus clusters that have emerged since France ended its strict virus lockdown in May were traced to workplaces, according to the national health agency. Family vacation gatherings, dance parties and other summer events have also led to outbreaks, raising new concern in a country that has already seen more than 30,000 virus-related deaths.

Labor Minister Elisabeth Borne said the new measures are needed to ensure “the protection of workers’ health and the continuity of our economic activity.” She and Pietraszewski met with unions Tuesday before announcing the rules.

Unions have pushed for more virus protections, and workers at the Louvre Museum, Amazon France and other sites walked off the job earlier this year out of concern that their employers weren’t doing enough to protect them.

The requirements will come into effect Sept. 1, when workers around France come back from summer holidays, after details of how to impose and enforce them are worked out with unions and the High Council on Public Health.

Some workers are reluctant to wear a mask all day, particularly in professions that require heavy physical activity or phone discussions where masks can make it complicated to communicate. And employers worry about how to enforce eventual mask requirements and provide enough masks.

Already France has seen scattered incidents of violence by people refusing to don masks, and the government sent riot police to the Marseille region Tuesday to enforce new outdoor mask requirements at farmers' markets and several neighborhoods.

The French government is also recommending — but not requiring — that employees work from home if they can, and advises that individual lodging be used for itinerant workers instead of collective housing.

Many governments encourage masks at work but don’t require them everywhere. Among the few countries that mandate them are India and the Philippines, but enforcement varies.

Bar owners on Greek island angry over virus restrictions

August 16, 2020

MYKONOS, Greece (AP) — Wary of a rise in daily coronavirus cases that threatens to undo its relative success in containing the pandemic so far, the Greek government is imposing local restrictions on businesses, especially those that cater to big crowds, and business owners on the island of Mykonos don't like it one bit.

“You can’t take a unilateral decision and shut down the island the following day, at midnight,” bar owner Stavros Grimplas told The Associated Press of the government edict on Aug. 10, imposing a midnight closing time on bars, cafes, clubs and restaurants from Aug. 11 until Aug. 23.

“Everyone has come (to Mykonos) to eat their food, to entertain themselves, swim in the sea. At this moment, we are fooling them. We told them ‘come to Greece’ and Greece has shut down," a clearly frustrated Grimplas continued.

When Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis officially declared the tourist season open on June 13, he had said that “there is no risk-free approach.” Back then, there were 3,112 confirmed coronavirus cases, with 183 deaths. As of Saturday, the total cases were at 6,858, with most of the new ones coming in August, and 226 deaths.

Mykonos is a textbook case of crowds coming together. Off-season, the small island is home to 10,000. In the summer, it welcomes over 2 million visitors who are attracted by its reputation for the high life and a hedonistic lifestyle.

This summer, there will be nowhere near the same number. For one, cruises, which account for about a third of visitors, aren't happening. But people on the island say that hotels are at about 70% capacity, an unheard of number compared to other Greek tourist destinations.

On Saturday afternoon, beaches were quite crowded. After the midnight closing time, large crowds of people were milling around in the town center, many with beers they had bought from a kiosk. When similar restrictions were first imposed on the island of Poros, near Athens, visitors left in droves. But not in Mykonos.

Businesses are opening earlier to compensate. Owners have signed an angry letter accusing the government of wanting “to render us mere spectators of the destruction of our businesses.” They also demanded to know the data that prompted that decision and asked why the government is not stopping the “illegal parties ... that will blow up the pandemic.”

The parties are held in isolated villas around the island. Invitation is strictly word-of-mouth and tickets are sold at 150 euros (about $180) at a minimum and up to 1,000 (nearly $1,200) for VIP parties, island residents say.

The government says it won't back down from the measures and has indeed extended them to much of the country. From Monday, the midnight closing hours extend to the capital, Athens. And there have been more fines and even arrests for flaunting the rules. A parish priest was arrested in Athens on Saturday for calling on his flock, on Facebook, not to wear masks at Mass on Sunday.

Demetris Nellas reported from Athens. Thanassis Stavrakis contributed to this report from Mykonos.

Italy garbage dips with virus lockdowns, but plastics rise

August 16, 2020

ROME (AP) — Italy produced 10% less garbage during its coronavirus lockdown, but environmentalists warn that increased reliance on disposable masks and packaging is imperiling efforts to curb single-use plastics that end up in oceans and seas.

Italian researchers estimate that during the peak months of Italy’s lockdown in March and April, urban waste production fell by 500,000 tons. That decrease is enabling dumps in Italy — where trash collection in major cities has often become a hot-button political issue — to absorb the 300,000 tons of extra waste from protective masks and gloves estimated to be used this year, according to the Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research.

“Substantially, the figures will balance each other by the end of this year,” Valeria Frittelloni, the institute’s head of waste management and circular economy, told The Associated Press. But the pandemic dealt a blow to efforts to move away from single-use plastics in many places where they were just beginning to become mainstream. U.N., Greenpeace, Italy’s Marevivo environmental organization and other such groups are warning that continued reliance on single-use plastics will pose longer-term risks to the environment.

That’s particularly true for a country with a long coastline along the Mediterranean Sea, which is plagued by the tiny bits of broken-down plastic known as microplastics. “We don’t have an estimate yet of how much of those objects were dumped in the environment, but what is sure is that all those that have been abandoned sooner or later will reach the sea,” said Giuseppe Ungherese, head of anti-pollution campaigns at Greenpeace Italy.

After years of reducing reliance on products like plastic bags and cutlery, in line with European Union directives, Italy saw a huge spike in plastic use during the coronavirus emergency. The Italian National Consortium for the Collection and Recycling of Plastic Packages said the increase in online shopping and its related packaging led to an 8% increase in plastic waste, even within an overall decrease in garbage production.

Keiron Roberts, an environmental research fellow at the University of Portsmouth in England, said other countries saw similar demand for plastics and cardboard as a result of the so-called Amazon effect — referring to a surge in reliance on the internet retailer as people holed up to abide by stay-at-home orders. But he concurred that within Europe, Italy was in a particularly vulnerable spot.

“Because you are surrounded by coastline, you just need to have some rain events that will wash these masks into the sewage system or into the rivers and the waterways and they will eventually make their ways into the ocean,” he said.

“There’s no area of the Mediterranean now where plastic hasn’t impacted,” he added. Italy’s National Center for Research reported in 2018 that the presence of microplastics on surface seawater off Italy’s coasts was comparable to levels found in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, the collection of ocean debris that spans part of that ocean.

Globally, the U.N. Environment Program has warned that the increased use of single-use plastics in protective equipment could lead to uncontrolled dumping and add to marine pollution, and it has urged countries to develop adequate disposal plans. The U.N. Trade body, UNCTAD, estimates that worldwide global sales of face masks alone will reach $166 billion this year, up from $800 million in 2019.

Even before the COVID-19 crisis, only a quarter of Italy’s waste was recycled, with an estimated 53 kilotons of plastics leaking into the Mediterranean each year, according to the environmental group WWF.

“Plastics and global warming are the main threats, and we need to act now to prevent our planet and sea from transforming into a hostile and unlivable environment,” said Greenpeace’s Ungherese.

Turkey, Greece stick to their guns in escalating Med dispute

August 26, 2020

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey and Greece both vowed Wednesday to defend their competing claims in the eastern Mediterranean as the neighbors and NATO allies remained locked in a tense dispute over offshore energy exploration rights.

Greece announced plans to extend its territorial waters along its western coastline — which does not face Turkey — and held a second day of military exercises in waters where Ankara is challenging Athens' asserted maritime jurisdiction.

To the alarm of western allies, both countries sent warships to shadow each other this month in an area between Crete and Cyprus where Turkey has a vessel prospecting for potential gas and oil deposits. The Greek and Turkish militaries both engaged in exercises within that part of the sea on Tuesday.

“Turkey will take what is its right in the Mediterranean, in the Aegean and in the Black Sea,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. “Just as we have no eyes (on) anyone’s territory, sovereignty and interests, we will never compromise on what belongs to us. We are determined to do whatever is necessary in political, economic and military terms.”

Erdogan’s tough words came despite mediation efforts by Germany, whose foreign minister conducted shuttle diplomacy between Athens and Ankara a day earlier. "We invite our interlocutors to get their act together and to avoid mistakes that will lead to their ruin,” he said.

In Athens, meanwhile, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Greece is planning to exercise its legal right to extend its territorial waters along its western coastline, which faces Italy, from six to 12 nautical miles.

The planned extension would not affect the territory at the center of the Greek-Turkish dispute. But the prime minister told parliament that Greece was abandoning decades of “passive” foreign policy. Turkey has warned in the past that an extension of Greek waters to 12 nautical miles in the Aegean Sea, facing the Turkish littoral, would be seen as a reason to declare war on Greece.

Mitsotakis, speaking in parliament, described Turkey's actions as “illegal and provocative” but added that Athens was willing to start talks with Ankara as part of a German-brokered initiative — only if the Turkish seismic surveying work were halted. “Our position is crystal clear and can be summarized in six words: When provocations stop, talks can start,” he said during a debate on the ratification of deals Greece recently made with Italy and Egypt setting out maritime boundaries and Exclusive Economic Zones. Greece’s deal with Egypt in particular has drawn the ire of Turkey.

Lawmakers ratified the Italy deal by majority vote late Wednesday. They also ratified most of the Egypt deal, with a vote on one article remaining on Thursday. The government holds a comfortable majority in parliament, and the article is expected to pass.

Mitsotakis' office said U.S. President Donald Trump phoned the Greek prime minister Wednesday night “to discuss the recent developments in the southeastern Mediterranean.” During the call, Mitsotakis “raised the issue of the destabilizing actions of Turkey that endanger peace and stability in the broader region and test the cohesion of NATO,” his office said.

Greece, he said, was prepared to contribute to de-escalating the situation “on condition Turkey immediately stops its provocative acts.” German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on Tuesday warned that “any spark, however small, could lead to a disaster.” His visits to Athens and Ankara came ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Berlin Thursday at which Turkey will be discussed.

After talks with Maas, the foreign ministers of both Greece and Turkey signaled readiness for dialogue but blamed each other for the standoff. The Turkish vessel Oruc Reis has for weeks been carrying out seismic research escorted by Turkish warships. Athens, which says the ship is operating over Greece's continental shelf in an area where it has exclusive rights on potential undersea gas and oil deposits, sent warships to observe and track the Turkish flotilla.

Turkey disputes Greece’s claims, insisting that small Greek islands near the Turkish coast should not be taken into account when delineating maritime boundaries. Ankara accuses Athens of trying to grab an unfair share of the eastern Mediterranean’s resources.

Turkey is also prospecting for hydrocarbons in waters where Cyprus claims exclusive economic rights. “Everyone must see that Turkey is not a country whose patience can be tried, whose determination, capabilities and courage can be tested. If we say we’ll do something we’ll do it and pay the price.,” Erdogan said Wednesday. "If anyone wants to stand before us and face the consequences, they are welcome to. If not, stay out of our way and we will continue with our work.”

The Turkish leader spoke during an anniversary celebration marking the 1071 battle of Manzikert, during which Seljuk Turks — who preceded the Ottoman Turks that later ruled the area — beat Byzantine forces, gaining entry into Anatolia. Greeks see themselves as the cultural heirs of the Byzantine Empire.

Gatopoulos reported from Athens. Elena Becatoros in Athens contributed.

Turkey is becoming a superpower

August 24, 2020

After extensive exploration, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan cheerfully announced on Friday that his country had made the biggest natural gas discovery in its history. The gas discovered in the Black Sea was estimated by 320 billion cubic metres. Erdogan said that production for commercial use could begin in 2023.

“Turkey has realized the greatest natural gas discovery in its history,” Erdogan was reported by Turkish and global mass media saying, stressing that this would help the country become a game-changer in relation to the energy market. “We are determined to solve our energy issue,” he stressed.

Erdogan told his nation that this gas find is a gift from God to improve the Turkish economy and raise living standards in the country. “My Lord has opened the door to unprecedented wealth for us,” he said.

In fact, energy experts believe these gas reserves could reduce the country’s bill imports, which reached $41 billion in 2019, because they usher in Turkey’s independence in this field and this would help stop the drain of foreign currency reserves. Turkey imports its gas mainly from Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran.

Berat Albayrak, the economy minister and Erdogan’s son-in-law, said the Turkish government hopes it will eliminate the country’s current account deficit.

Erdogan himself was enthusiastic about these discoveries and appeared hopeful that the Turkish experts will discover more and more gas. When he declared the news about the gas discovery, he stressed: “We will not stop until we become a net exporter of energy.”

Turkey will not be able to build plants in the deep seawater to get to the gas on its own because it lacks the expertise needed for this job, but so far, it has been able to search for gas without partners and using completely Turkish equipment. After these finds, the Turkish experts and equipment proved that they are trusted and able to do the job perfectly.

During the declaration, Erdogan said that his country had made the discovery without the need to spend millions on outside firms.

“This reserve is actually part of a much bigger source. God willing, much more will come. As a country that depended on the outside for gas for years, we look to the future with more security now,” he added.

Thomas Purdie, a consultant for Wood Mackenzie, said: “This is Turkey’s biggest-ever find by a wide margin, and one of the largest global discoveries of 2020.”

Following these premises, we can say that Turkey is heading towards becoming a superpower as it has been moving towards full independence. It has been spreading its culture across the world and this is very clear in the large number of international tourists who visit Turkey.

Turkey has made significant achievements in the fields of technology and space industry and reached the climax of an economic development as its goods are sought all over the globe and it has now reached the doorstep of energy independence.

The new discovery, however, will take time to reach the market, critics say, leaving the age of energy independence a long way away for Turkey. But they give Ankara leverage while negotiating the renewal of its gas contracts.

They may also help deescalate tensions between Turkey and Greece over Ankara’s hydrocarbon exploration efforts in waters claimed by Greece in the Eastern Mediterranean.

John Bowlus of the Center for Energy and Sustainable Development at Istanbul’s Kadir Has University told TRT: “It’s incredibly significant for Turkey because the find was in the Black Sea, unlike the Eastern Mediterranean, which is riddled with all kinds of geopolitical problems.”

After these “historical” natural gas finds, Ankara has two messages; one for its allies that it is a strong country and they can depend on and the other message for its enemies that it is strong enough to stand alone in any crisis and cannot be easily defied.

Source: Middle East Monitor.
Link: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200824-turkey-is-becoming-superpower/.

Greece plans military exercise amid dispute with Turkey

August 24, 2020

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece said Monday that it will conduct a navy and air force exercise in an area of the eastern Mediterranean where Turkey is prospecting for oil and gas in an area as the neighboring countries remain locked in a dispute over offshore energy rights.

Authorities said the live-fire exercises would start Tuesday southeast of the Greek island of Crete and end Thursday. Turkey has a research ship escorted by warships surveying for oil and gas exploration in the area and said Sunday that the work would continue through Aug. 27.

The Turkish government disputes Greece’s claim to exclusive rights in the waters where the research vessel is working, arguing that islands should not be included in calculating sea boundaries between countries.

The United States and the European Union so far have backed Greece in the dispute. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas is due in Athens and Ankara on Tuesday to try and revive deescalation talks between senior Greek and Turkish officials, an initiative started in July but broken off by Turkey several weeks later.

Pakistan sanctions Taliban to avoid global finance blacklist

August 22, 2020

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan issued sweeping financial sanctions against Afghanistan’s Taliban, just as the militant group is in the midst of U.S.-led peace process in the neighboring country. The orders, which were made public late on Friday, identified dozens of individuals, including the Taliban’s chief peace negotiator Abdul Ghani Baradar and several members of the Haqqani family, including Sirajuddin, the current head of the Haqqani network and deputy head of the Taliban.

The list of sanctioned groups included others besides the Taliban and were in keeping with a five-year-old United Nations resolution sanctioning the Afghan group and freezing their assets. The orders were issued as part of Pakistan's efforts to avoid being blacklisted by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which monitors money laundering and tracks terrorist groups' activities, according to security officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Last year the Paris-based group put Islamabad on a grey list. Until now only Iran and North Korea are blacklisted, which severely restricts a country's international borrowing capabilities. Pakistan is trying to get off the grey list, said the officials.

There was no immediate response from the Taliban, but many of the group's leaders are known to own businesses and property in Pakistan. Many of Taliban leaders, including those heading the much-feared Haqqani network, have lived in Pakistan since the 1980s, when they were part of the Afghan mujahedeen and allies of the United States to end the 10-year invasion of Afghanistan by the former Soviet Union. It ended in February, 1989.

Pakistan has denied giving sanctuary to the Taliban following their ouster in 2001 by the U.S.-led coalition but both Washington and Kabul routinely accused Islamabad of giving them a safe haven. Still it was Pakistan's relationship with the Taliban that Washington eventually sought to exploit to move its peace negotiations with the insurgent movement forward. America signed a peace deal with the Taliban on Feb. 29. The deal is intended to end Washington's nearly 20 years of military engagement in Afghanistan, and has been touted as Afghanistan's best hope for a peace after more than four decades of war.

But even as Washington has already begun withdrawing its soldiers, efforts to get talks started between Kabul's political leadership and the Taliban have been stymied by delays in a prisoner release program.

The two sides are to release prisoners - 5,000 by the government and 1,000 by the Taliban - as a good will gesture ahead of talks. Both sides blame the other for the delays. The timing of Pakistan's decision to issue the orders implementing the restrictive sanctions could also be seen as a move to pressure the Taliban into a quick start to the intra-Afghan negotiations.

Kabul has defied a traditional jirga or council's order to release the last Taliban it is holding, saying it wants 22 Afghan commandos being held by the Taliban freed first. As well as the Taliban, the orders also target al-Qaida and the Islamic State affiliate which has carried out deadly attacks in both Pakistan and Afghanistan.

They also take aim at outlawed Pakistani groups like Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), thousands of whom are believed by the U.N. to be hiding in remote regions of Afghanistan. The TTP has declared war on Pakistan, carrying out one of the worst terrorist attacks in the country in 2014 killing 145 children and their teachers at an army public school in northwest Pakistan.

The orders also take aim at outlawed anti-Indian groups considered allied with the country's security services.

Associated Press Writer Asim Tanvir from Multan, Pakistan, contributed to this report.

Turkish navy, air force drills in Aegean Sea amid tensions

August 22, 2020

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish air and naval forces conducted joint training exercises in the Aegean Sea, the country’s Defense Ministry said Saturday, amid strains with neighbor Greece over hydrocarbon discoveries.

F-16 fighter jets took part alongside warships to “enhance, maintain and improve the operational capability of joint inter-forces operations,” the ministry tweeted. The announcement came as NATO members Turkey and Greece are facing off in the eastern Mediterranean Sea over gas and oil exploration and a day after Turkey declared significant gas discoveries in the Black Sea.

Two weeks ago, Turkey sent a warship-escorted research vessel to prospect in waters where Greece claims exclusive rights to the underlying seabed. Athens responded by sending its own warships to the area and placing its military on alert. France also sent warships and planes to join drills with Greek forces.

Greek officials said Friday that the United Arab Emirates would also dispatch fighter jets to the southern Greek island of Crete for joint training next week. Relations between Greece and Turkey have traditionally been tense. The two have come to the brink of war three times since the mid-1970s, including once over drilling exploration rights in the Aegean Sea that separates the two countries.

French relations with Turkey are strained over Ankara’s involvement in Libya’s civil war. The UAE is a bitter rival of Turkey in a broader struggle over political Islam, while Abu Dhabi and Ankara back rival factions in Libya.

Rival Libya Govts Announce Ceasefire, Elections

Friday, 21 August, 2020

Libya's warring rival governments announced in separate statements Friday that they would cease all hostilities and organize nationwide elections soon, an understanding swiftly welcomed by the United Nations and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

The statements were signed by Fayez al-Sarraj, head of the Government of National Accord based in the capital Tripoli, and Aguila Saleh, speaker of the eastern-based parliament.

Sarraj, who heads the Presidential Council, said parliamentary and presidential elections would be held in March.

Both statements called for demilitarizing the city of Sirte and the Jufra area in central Libya, and a joint police force to be responsible for security there.

Both administrations also called for oil revenues to flow into the bank account of the National Oil Corporation outside Libya.

The announcements came amid fears of an escalation in the more than 9-year-old conflict.

The UN Support Mission in Libya welcomed both statements, and called for the expulsion of all foreign forces and mercenaries in Libya.

Among the first to react to Friday’s announcement was al-Sisi, who welcomed the ceasefire declarations.

"I welcome statements by Libya's Presidential Council and the House of Representatives calling for a ceasefire and halting military operations in all Libyan territory," Sisi said in a tweet.

Source: Asharq al-Awsat.
Link: https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2461251/rival-libya-govts-announce-ceasefire-elections.