The European Parliament has approved amendments which will make additional funds available to support the most vulnerable in society.
The increase was negotiated by MEP David Casa on behalf of the European People’s Party and in view of the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic.
The plenary approved amendments to the current regulation to strengthen the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD) to deal with the COVID-19 crisis.
Extra funds for food and basic needs will be made available in 2021 and 2022 and no co-financing by member states is needed.
It was approved by 649 votes in favour, seven against and 31 abstentions.
Casa said that the extra funding would help those worst impacted by the pandemic, which led to lockdowns across Europe, job losses and a drastic reduction in income for many families.
“Today, I am pleased that we have succeeded in making additional funds available to support the most vulnerable in society,” he said.
FEAD provides support for people in vulnerable situations by providing finance for the purchase of basic necessities.
The changes to the current FEAD regulation will make it possible for member states to access funds made available through REACT-EU and increase the time in which this financing can be accessed so as to ensure that funds can continue to flow.
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Written by Jon Stickler
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Photo: Alice Baxley
Bad Religion have shared a new song.
Following What Are We Standing For, Emancipation Of The Mind is another outtake from the Los Angeles punk icons’ 2019 album, ‘Age Of Unreason’, which marked their first full-length in six years.
Predictably charged with punk spirit, lyrically the track calls for open-mindedness while welcoming new US President Joe Biden’s administration into the White House. Vocalist Greg Graffin said in a statement:
“I think the song really is a celebration of enlightenment values that can be cultivated through enthusiastic learning and open-mindedness. So often we’re told what to think. But learning how to think (as opposed to learning what to think) is a true feeling of emancipation from the constraints of indoctrination that are so commonplace in our society.”
In May 2020, Bad Religion rearranged the UK leg of their 40th anniversary tour to June 2021 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Original tickets remain valid and U.K. Subs will still open.
Bad Religion Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows
Mon June 07 2021 – BRISTOL O2 Academy Bristol
Tue June 08 2021 – NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE O2 Academy Newcastle
Thu June 10 2021 – NOTTINGHAM Rock City
Fri June 11 2021 – MANCHESTER Manchester Academy
Sat June 12 2021 – LONDON O2 Forum Kentish Town
Compare & Buy Bad Religion Tickets at Stereoboard.com.
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<p>Thu 15 Oct 2020
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Tue 19 May 2020
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Although there’s no one-size-fits-all remedy for illness, supporters of elderberry say the fruit is one of nature’s most versatile solutions for what ails you.
There are about 30 types of elder plants and trees around the world. The European version (also known as Sambucus nigra) is the one most closely tied to your health and healing. Its history dates back as far as 400 BC, and Hippocrates, the “Father of Medicine,” called the elder tree his “medicine chest.”
In folk medicine today, the elderberry is considered one of the world’s most healing plants.
Elderberry gets a lot of support as a healing agent through word of mouth and old wives’ tales, but its success in medical tests is less definite.
In other words, if you want to fight the flu, don’t forget your flu shot.
Still, many doctors say it’s safe to take elderberry as part of a healthy diet plan that includes foods with vitamin B, vitamin B6, and vitamin E.
Elderberry Nutrition
Elderberries are high in vitamin C (52.2 milligrams per cup) and dietary fiber (10.2 grams per cup). One cup of elderberries also has:
26.7 grams of carbs
0.7 grams of fat
1 gram of protein
Elderberry is an antioxidant, and researchers think the compound that makes it blue lowers inflammation.
Elderberry Uses
Just as uses for elderberry are broad, the forms it comes in are many, including syrups, gummies, lozenges, pills, and teas. It’s also used in:
Food coloring
Body lotions
Jams
Wine
Processed versions of elderberry are more common in the American market than the fresh fruit itself.
… ; Drug Administration as an organic food coloring. The recent increase in … heights of 10-12 feet. European or black elderberry, Sambucus nigra … ornamental use and commercially in Europe. It looks more like a … SIGN UP! Up-to-date agriculture news in your inbox!
Elderberry Risks
Opinions vary on whether elderberry is helpful, but most doctors believe it’s safe to have in small doses. But unripe or uncooked berries or flowers from the plant can cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Larger amounts can cause even more serious poisoning.
YEREVAN. – Zhoghovurd newspaper of the Republic of Armenia (RA) writes: In a conversation with Zhoghovurd daily, Loucas Fourlas, Member of the European Parliament, head of the RA-EU friendship group, said that their concern about the future of Nagorno-Karabakh [(Artsakh)] continues, as instability can have unpredictable consequences.
Moreover, the head of the RA-EU friendship group plans to visit the area at the first opportunity and see with his own eyes what is happening there.
Another important issue for the member of the European Parliament is the issue of the return of Armenian prisoners of war to the homeland, which [the return] has not been fully implemented after the November 9 trilateral statement, and there are Armenian prisoners of war on the Azerbaijani side, whom the latter tries to present as criminals, since they were captured after the tripartite statement.
Loucas Fourlas has raised this issue at the European Commission, too. “I am very concerned about this issue. That is why I raised the issue of the Armenian prisoners of war at the European Commission, about the obligation to guarantee their rights and having them returned. Such initiatives can become a pressure on the government of Azerbaijan,” the head of the Armenia-European Union friendship group added in the conversation with Zhoghovurd daily.
Additional funds for food and basic needs available in 2021 and 2022
No co-financing by member states needed
Parliament voted today to continue making additional resources available in 2021 and 2022 in order to provide food and basic assistance to the most deprived.
With 649 votes in favour, 7 against and 31 abstentions, Parliament approved the agreement to adapt the FEAD regulation that was reached with the member states in December last year.
The adapted regulation allows member states to continue to use the additional funds made available for post-COVID-19 recovery under the REACT-EU initiative in 2021 and 2022. Member states can choose to increase the resources provided in the FEAD regulation for food aid and other basic assistance for those most in need. In order to alleviate the current burden on public budgets, the additional resources will not be co-financed by member states and the Commission will provide pre-financing to further expedite delivery.
“This pandemic has had far-reaching consequences on people’s quality of life, especially on those who were vulnerable to begin with. More than 20% of all Europeans have seen their situation deteriorate. This fund will be the instrument to support them in finding their way out of poverty and back into society”, says rapporteur Lucia Ďuriš Nicholsonová on the agreement.
Next steps
The Council must also approve the text formally. Once it has done so, the adopted measures will enter into force after publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
Background
The 3.8 billion EUR Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD) was introduced in 2014 as an EU action to alleviate the worst forms of poverty and foster social cohesion in Europe. Around 13 million people benefit from the Fund each year, including approximately four million children. The COVID-19 pandemic and its economic consequences have exacerbated the situation of more than 20% of the EU population who are at risk of poverty or social exclusion, deepened social divisions, and increased job losses, unemployment rates and inequalities.
In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Secretary-General António Guterres said that supporting the UN health agency “is absolutely critical” to the world’s effort for a better coordinated response against COVID-19.
The UN chief also urged global solidarity to defeat the coronavirus.
“Now is the time for unity and for the international community to work together in solidarity to stop this virus and its shattering consequences,” the statement added.
Earlier in the day, in one of his first acts as new US President, Mr. Biden signed an executive order to stop the country’s departure from WHO, reversing the July 2020 decision by former president Donald Trump. Mr. Trump’s decision would have taken effect in July 2021, as the formal withdrawal requires a one-year notice.
Mr. Trump had also halted funding for WHO in April last year, prompting global concerns for the UN’s health agency’s work in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
The US is the largest donors to the agency, contributing almost $893 million for its programmes in 2018-2019.
Alongside, the new administration announced US’s participation in the COVAX facility, a global effort co-led by WHO that aims to provide low income nations with COVID-19 vaccines.
Mr. Guterres hailed the step, stressing “with vaccines being a critical tool in the battle against COVID-19, the United States joining and supporting the COVAX facility will give momentum to efforts to ensure equitable access to vaccines for all countries.”
The vaccines pillar of the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-Accelerator), COVAX is a global mechanism that aims to ensure that people in all corners of the world will get access to COVID-19 vaccines, regardless of their wealth.
Dr. Fauci to lead US delegation to WHO
Also on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the US President announced that infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci will lead the country’s delegation to the ongoing WHO Executive Board meeting, participating remotely.
The Biden administration also announced a series of actions to combat coronavirus, including requiring the use of facemasks in all federal buildings, lands, and on certain modes of public transport.
Lucknow: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited the historic Yahiyaganj Gurdwara to pay obeisance to Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru, on his 355th birth anniversary on Wednesday and seek blessings. The CM said people should take inspiration from Sikhs Gurus for being selfless and devoted in service. “Sikh Gurus did not live for themselves. Their lives were dedicated to their religion and the country. Guru Gobind Singhji first encouraged his father to serve the country and then sacrificed his four sons for the country. One cannot expect such devotion from a common man,” he said. “The sacrifice of Sikh community for the betterment of humanity will always be remembered,” Yogi added. The CM knelt down and bowed before the holy Guru Granth Sahib in the gurdwara and heard the Shabad Kirtan sung by Ragi Bhai Davinder Singh from the Golden temple in Amritsar. The CM was also presented the Baba Deep Singh award on the occasion. He said that Covid-19 presented an obstacle in festivities, but the government was keen for a solution. “Mayor Sanyukta Bhatia came to me and asked how to go about celebrations in the city. I told her we will find a way and we did,” Yogi said. “Guru Gobind Singh ji and his mother Gujri Ji had spent two months and 13 days at this very place when the Guru was six years old. This single event has made this Gurdwara even more important than it already is,” he added. “The first time I visited Patna, I went to see Patna Sahib. All Indians should go there and experience the magic and aura of the Guru in his service to the country in that era,” the CM said. Yogi was accompanied by deputy CM Dinesh Sharma, cabinet ministers Brijesh Pathak and Ashutosh Tandon and the city mayor. CM Yogi had first visited Yahiyaganj Gurdwara soon after he took over as the chief minister of the state in 2017, on Baisakhi day. “All through the day, the shabad kirtan of the Guru was rendered by Golden temple’s Ragi Bhai Davinder Singh in his soulful voice while Gyani Angrez Singh highlighted the life story of the Guru,” said Gurdwara general secretary Mamohan Singh Happy.
