MEPs adopted temporary measures to keep the tunnel railway connection between continental Europe and the UK running after the end of the transition period.
The Parliament approved the temporary rules under urgent procedure with 684 votes in favour (3 against, 2 abstentions).
Parliament voted in October on legislation allowing France to negotiate a new international agreement with the UK regarding the governance of the Channel Tunnel Fixed Link. The Intergovernmental Commission would remain the main safety authority for the tunnel. That agreement has not yet been reached.
To avoid rail traffic being interrupted in the Channel Tunnel Fixed Link as of 1 January 2021, the Parliament agreed to temporarily extend safety licences and certificates to allow France and the UK sufficient time to conclude a bilateral agreement. The licence for the current tunnel infrastructure manager would remain valid for two months after the end of the transition period. The safety certificates and licences issued under EU law to UK companies would be extended for nine months.
Other contingency measures will be put to the vote on Friday, 18 December to provisionally maintain cross-border connectivity between the UK and the EU on roads and by air as of 1 January 2021.
Next steps
The temporary rules have to be adopted also by the Council. They will enter into force when published on EU Official Journal and cease to apply on 1 October 2021 at the latest.
Westchester’s first independent bookstore opens doors
Fall weather has set in, opening the doors to the Holiday season and there is no better place to enjoy the spirit of the Holidays than at a local bookstore.
The Book Jewel, Westchester’s first independent bookstore, opened in late August and has quickly become a transformative space for the Westchester community. Sean Moor, manager of The Book Jewel, says about the opening, “Westchester’s unique, tight knit community immediately welcomed our small business with open arms. In turn, our bookstore has quickly been filled with the character and life of the place. Paiges, our locally rescued store kitten, has especially become a highlight of visiting The Book Jewel.”
Books are uniquely personal gifts and so are the spaces that house them. As The Book Jewel bravely opened its doors during the pandemic, they have prioritized the health and safety of their customers by providing a socially distanced and sanitized environment. “Our decision to open our store during a pandemic was one to empower and contribute to the community in a time of need. Books are a vital source of information and entertainment, and we wanted to safely give customers the opportunity to enjoy our inspiring space and take home a real, tangible book for company” says Moor.
In these unprecedented times, independent bookstores are struggling to rival the economic conditions of the pandemic, but thankfully The Book Jewel’s roots are in the community, and the business continues to thrive with the help of the local neighborhood and loyal customers. Although The Book Jewel is not yet hosting in person events or readings, they engage their community through weekly newsletters and an online book club, which recently finished Caste by Isabel Wilkerson.
Gifts for Everyone at The Book Jewel 1
As a house of culture and ideas, The Book Jewel prioritizes and promotes diversity and inclusion through its expansive politics, African American studies, LGBQT+ and feminist literature collections. Their children’s section also reflects local authors, communities of color and the diversity of the store as a whole. Moor says about their curation, “We believe all voices should be reflected in writing and literature. Our collections focus on showcasing a diversity of authors, especially in our own community.”
Karen Dial, owner of The Book Jewel, is looking forward to the upcoming seasons, “We are beyond grateful for the support our community has shown since opening our doors in late August. This bookstore in many ways is the fulfillment of a life-long dream and I wanted it to be an inclusive space for everyone. I believe that the magic of our store is that anyone who visits can find a book or gift that speaks to them personally, and the welcoming space invites them to do so.”
The Book Jewel’s interior is authentic and inviting, a reprieve from the digital world we exist in. The 3,000sq ft space is framed with dark Victorian bookshelves stretching to the vaulted wooden ceiling. It is a place where the past dwells among the books we love most, and the present offers itself up in the brilliant new authors waiting to be discovered.
The Book Jewel offers the perfect combination of past and present, new and used titles. In addition to the hardy paperbacks, The Book Jewel also offers unique stationary, literary apparel, games & puzzles, candles and other local artisan gifts.
In this season of giving, The Book Jewel is full of treasures to share. There is a wealth of joy and love to be found among the carefully curated shelves and heartfelt gifts.
The Book Jewel’s warm atmosphere makes it the perfect place for holiday shopping, but knowing that you are supporting your local community in doing so, makes it the gift that keeps on giving.
Thebookjewel.com 424-750-9991 Instagram, Facebook, Twitter @thebookjewel 6259 W 87th Street Los Angeles CA 90045
BRUSSELS: The European Union (EU) on Thursday approved Google’s US$2.1 billion (RM8.47 billion) purchase of smartwatch maker Fitbit, after the tech titan agreed to conditions including not using health data from European users for advertising.
“We can approve the proposed acquisition of Fitbit by Google because the commitments will ensure that the market for wearables and the nascent digital health space will remain open and competitive,” EU competition chief Margrethe Vestager said, in a statement.
“The commitments will determine how Google can use the data collected for ad purposes, how interoperability between competing wearables and Android will be safeguarded and how users can continue to share health and fitness data.”
The green light from the European Commission comes after it conducted an “in-depth” probe into the takeover over concerns that it would give Google access to users’ health details and an unfair market advantage.
In November last year the tech titan announced it had reached an agreement to buy Fitbit, which produces wearable fitness trackers and watches that communicate with a health monitoring app.
The firms said they hoped to conclude the deal by the end of 2020, subject to regulators signing off on it.
The EU said Google had agreed to a raft of commitments for an initial 10 years to protect personal data and ensure that the acquisition did not squeeze out other smartwatch manufacturers.
“Google will not use for Google Ads the health and wellness data collected from wrist-worn wearable devices and other Fitbit devices,” the Commission said.
Further conditions included allowing other manufacturers to keep accessing Google’s Android operating system and any future updates without it “degrading users experience”.
“The Commission concluded that the proposed transaction, as modified by the commitments, would no longer raise competition concerns,” the statement said.
Google had already promised not to use Fitbit health and wellness data for Google ads, but the acquisition attracted concerns from consumer groups and competition authorities.
Regulators and competitors feared that Google’s own smartwatch performs a similar function and acquiring Fitbit’s user data will strengthen its already powerful position in targeted advertising.
The approval comes as Google and other tech giants face growing scrutiny from authorities around the globe over privacy and competition concerns.
Several US states led by Texas filed a suit against Google on Wednesday over alleged anti-competitive practices, branding it an “internet Goliath” that had eliminated competition in online advertising and was harming consumers. – AFP
MEPs adopted temporary measures to keep the tunnel railway connection between continental Europe and the UK running after the end of the transition period.
The Parliament approved the temporary rules under urgent procedure with 684 votes in favour (3 against, 2 abstentions).
Parliament voted in October on legislation allowing France to negotiate a new international agreement with the UK regarding the governance of the Channel Tunnel Fixed Link. The Intergovernmental Commission would remain the main safety authority for the tunnel. That agreement has not yet been reached.
To avoid rail traffic being interrupted in the Channel Tunnel Fixed Link as of 1 January 2021, the Parliament agreed to temporarily extend safety licences and certificates to allow France and the UK sufficient time to conclude a bilateral agreement. The licence for the current tunnel infrastructure manager would remain valid for two months after the end of the transition period. The safety certificates and licences issued under EU law to UK companies would be extended for nine months.
Other contingency measures will be put to the vote on Friday, 18 December to provisionally maintain cross-border connectivity between the UK and the EU on roads and by air as of 1 January 2021.
Next steps
The temporary rules have to be adopted also by the Council. They will enter into force when published on EU Official Journal and cease to apply on 1 October 2021 at the latest.
Ibis Rice Conservation Co Ltd (IBIS Rice) has signed a financing agreement with South Korean-owned Phnom Penh Commercial Bank Plc (PPCBank) to support 1,500 smallholder farmers to grow organic wildlife-friendly jasmine rice, which will help protect endangered species while also earning a premium price for the farmers.
IBIS Rice CEO Nick Spencer said on December 16 that his firm currently works with the 1,500 farmers and pays them a premium of 50 per cent above market price for organic jasmine rice to encourage their use of wildlife-friendly practices. He did not specify how much of that money would go to support the 1,500 smallholder famers living in seven wildlife conservation areas of Stung Treng and Mondulkiri provinces.
In order to participate in the project, farmers have to commit to not allowing any logging or hunting on their land and to prohibit the use of chemicals, thereby protecting the environment and wildlife.
IBIS Rice was founded by the US-based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and is named after the Giant Ibis, Cambodia’s national bird.
“We have recruited and trained more farmers, so we need additional capital financing to buy more rice from those farmers. We make very strong commitments to our farmers by buying all of the [rice] they can produce that meets our compliance standards,” Spencer said.
According to Spencer, the rice is certified wildlife-friendly and organic, meeting the standards set by the EU and US Department of Agriculture (USDA). This allows it to be sold globally in high-end markets, including Europe and Canada. The project has significantly improved the farmer’s livelihoods while reducing deforestation by 75 per cent in the areas where these farmers live and cultivate rice.
In a joint press release on December 16, PPCBank senior vice-president Nhak Kimsroy said the bank appreciated the benefits that the IBIS Rice project provided to both smallholder farmers and wildlife conservation efforts in Cambodia in addition to it being worthy of financing as a sound business opportunity.
“We could see from the certifications that IBIS Rice holds, and the strong commitments its international buyers make, that this was a strong proposal. This agreement marks the beginning of long partnership, and we look forward to the company’s growth,” he said.
Robb Menzi, chief operating officer of WCS Cambodia and chairman of IBIS Rice, said in the joint press release that WCS Cambodia originally developed the IBIS Rice project as a conservation tool with the support of Cambodian government in 2009.
The objective was to incentivise local communities to engage in conservation through the purchase of organic jasmine rice at a premium from farmers who commit to protect the forest and stop hunting.
The project has improved local livelihoods while addressing the threat to some of Cambodia’s critically endangered species, including Giant Ibis.
“WCS has supported IBIS Rice through its development and start-up phase – it is a shining example of how an enterprise model can create great products for consumers and deliver real conservation and human wellbeing outcomes,” he said.
In a press release, Christy Owen, head of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) Green Invest Asia, said the IBIS Rice partnership with PPCBank was a great example of the work that USAID Green Invest Asia accomplished, linking up commercial financing with projects that produce proven carbon savings and positive social impact.
“We congratulate the two sides for this meaningful partnership that will benefit an entire supply chain while helping to preserve the habitat of some of the rarest species in Cambodia,” she said.
