The European Commission’s Monday decision to clear the tie-up means the French luxury conglomerate and the storied jeweler have now received all regulatory approvals needed to complete the acquisition, Tiffany said in a securities filing.
The clearance came ahead of the Nov. 24 deadline the two companies had set for completing the deal announced nearly a year ago, which would be LVMH’s largest acquisition ever if it’s ultimately closed.
But it also came amid a bitter legal spat sparked by LVMH’s move to abandon the Tiffany takeover in early September, prompting the New York-based engagement ring maker to sue to keep the deal intact.
The Delaware Chancery Court has scheduled a trial for January in the case, in which Tiffany accused Paris-based LVMH of dragging its feet on seeking approval for the acquisition from antitrust authorities in key jurisdictions including the European Union.
LVMH countersued late last month, claiming Tiffany’s business prospects had turned “dismal” because of the coronavirus pandemic that led the 183-year-old retailer to post a $65 million loss in the spring. Tiffany called the argument “specious” given that it returned to profitability after one rough quarter.
LVMH has also cited a letter from the French government that purportedly barred it from proceeding with the deal in response to the US’s threat to impose tariffs on French goods. Tiffany has blasted those claims as “excuses.”
LVMH did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the EU’s approval of the deal on Tuesday.
Two Franciscan friars are the only remaining clergy in Idlib, Syria, and the details of their lives ministering in one of the last bastions of jihadist rule in the country, including the daily threat of being killed, tortured or attacked are revealed by Catholic aid group.
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Father Firas Lutfi, Custodian of the Province of Saint Paul for the Franciscans of Syria, Lebanon and Jordan, told the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN ) that the friars were staying to help Christians suffering extreme persecution.
“Their suffering started a decade ago. When the war in Syria started raging in different areas of the country, militant groups took control of that region and proclaimed it an Islamic state,” said Lutfi.
He has first hand experience of the Syrian conflict having lived in Aleppo during the war which has raged for nearly 10 years.
“They confiscated the properties of the Christians, enforced the Islamic Shari’a on all the non-Muslims, took their rights to move freely in their own villages, forced the women to wear the veil.
“They destroyed and prevented any apparent Christian symbols, like the crosses above the churches and the graveyards,” said Lufti who is a member of the Jersulalem-based Custody of the Holy Land.
Father Hanna Jallouf, 67, and Father Luai Bsharat, 40, are the friars serving 300 Christian families in the villages of Knayeh and Yacoubieh in Idlib province, close to Turkey’s border with western Syria in Idlib province.
The region is still controlled by international jihadist groups, including an offshoot of Daesh, which is also known as ISIS.
PERESECUTED BY EXTREMISTS
Lutfi said: “Those extremists have often persecuted, attacked, beaten, tortured and even murdered some of our brothers and sisters.
“Most notably, Father Francois Murad who was beheaded in 2013, and recently, a lady teacher was raped and violently killed in Yacoubieh.
“The Christians in these regions face absolute persecution, fear, violence, danger, death, terrorism and hiding their faith and opinion.”
Lutfi noted, “The presence of the Franciscans is a sign of hope in the midst of the darkness and hopelessness.”
He added: “Despite the daily difficulties and the unbearable miseries, Father Luai Bsharat and Father Hanna Jallouf have stayed there because they believe in serving and trying to protect the remaining Christians, and they believe that this region should not be forsaken…”
Lufti emphasized that the friars and Christian families believe their presence in the area is of paramount importance.
He said: “Both the laity and the friars there strongly believe that they are, with their presence, contributing in strengthening the Church so that [the Church] can continue living through Her people during these atrocities.”
On June 9 Lufti told Rome Reports, “Before the war, the number of Christians [in Syria] was 2 million, or 8 percent of the entire population. Now, I don’t have an idea.
“We don’t have an exact statistic of how many Christians there are now. I assure you, maybe more than half of the entire Christian population left the country, unfortunately.”
“In its recent report on Idlib Governorate and western Aleppo, covering the period between November 2019 and June 2020, the Commission documented 52 emblematic attacks by all parties that led to civilian casualties and/or damage to civilian infrastructure,” said the report.
“These battles were marked by war crimes, including launching indiscriminate attacks resulting in death or injury to civilians.
“Continuing previously established patterns, the Commission also documented attacks against medical facilities, schools and markets, which deprived scores of civilians of access to health care, education and food.
The battles displaced nearly one million people and the commission found that progovernment forces may have perpetrated the crimes against humanity of forcible transfer, murder and other inhumane acts92 during the offensives on Ma’arrat al-Nu’man (second half of December 2019), Ariha (29 January 2020), Atarib (between 10 and 14 February 2020) and Darat Izzah (17 February 2020)
“When civilians fled, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham pillaged their homes. In restive areas under its control, members of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham also committed the war crimes of murder; of passing sentences and carrying out executions without previous judgment pronounced by a regularly constituted court; and of cruel treatment, ill-treatment and torture,” said the report
Taiwan has highlighted concern for religious freedom and human rights following the Oct. 22 announcement of the renewal of the Vatican-China provisional agreement on the appointment of bishops.
The Catholic publication Crux reported that Taiwan insists the deal is not diplomatic and voicing hope it will better conditions for religious communities in the mainland.
The Vatican said on Oct 22 it had extended its controversial agreement with China over the appointment of bishops for another two years, CNN reported.
Details of the agreement have never been made public and it has been criticized by some Catholic officials as well as by U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo.
The Vatican was quoted by CNN as saying that the deal “is of great ecclesial and pastoral value” and said it “intends to pursue an open and constructive dialogue for the benefit of the life of the Catholic Church and the good of Chinese people.”
Officially, there are about 6 million Catholics in China.
Prior to 2018, Beijing had long insisted on having the final say on all bishop appointments in mainland China, while the Holy See maintained that only the Pope has such authority.
The announcement renewed for another two years an historic accord reached in 2018 that end a decades-old power struggle over the right to appoint bishops in China, despite concerns over religious liberty and human rights in the country, The New York Times reported.
The agreement calls for China to formally recognize the Pope’s authority within the Catholic Church and his final say over the country’s bishops.
The Vatican in turn recognized the legitimacy of bishops previously appointed by the Chinese government and excommunicated by the church.
Taiwan has a population of almost 24 million people and Christians account for only about 4 percent of the island nation’s population, but the country allows Christianity to be practiced freely.
In an Oct. 22 statement issued after the announcement of the deal’s renewal, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it has kept a consistent position on the accord, and voiced hope that “it can help improve the worsening situation of religious freedom in the [People’s Republic of China].”
The ministry argued that religious freedom and human rights “have continued to deteriorate in China.”
It pointed to government measures in China aimed at “suppressing believers who resist being controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)” and which force bishops to join the CCP-controlled Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association.
“This so called ‘sinicization of religion‘ in the People’s Republic of China has become ‘nationalization of religion,’ even characterized by extensive CCP indoctrination,” the statement said, insisting that since China’s Communist Party dictates what happens on important matters, Catholics in the country “are facing serious challenges to their faith and conscience.”
China regards Taiwan as a breakaway province which it has pledged to retake, by force if necessary.
Taiwan’s leaders say, however, it is clearly much more than a province, arguing that it is a sovereign state.
“My main objection to the agreement is we don’t know what it is,” the American cardinal Raymond Burke, the de facto leader of critics of Pope Francis inside the church, said in a brief interview before greeting Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at an event organized by the U.S. Embassy to the Vatican last month, the Times reported.
In September, Pompeo angered some of the Vatican’s top officials, including those negotiating with the Chinese, by publicly calling on the church to break off talks with China to preserve its moral standing.
The fact that he chose a conservative Christian magazine critical of Pope Francis to air his grievances did not engender much sympathy among the church’s leaders.
Pope Francis, during the Wednesday General Audience, expressed sorrow over the tragic murders of at least six students by unidentified gunmen in Kumba, southwest Cameroon, over the weekend.
“I share in the suffering of the families of the young students barbarically killed last Saturday in Kumba, in Cameroon,” the Pope said. “I feel great bewilderment at such a cruel and senseless act, which tore the young innocents from life while they were attending lessons at school.”
“May God enlighten hearts, so that similar gestures may never be repeated again,” Pope Francis added.
Turning his thoughts towards the long-running socio-political conflict in Cameroon, the Pope prayed that “the tormented regions of the north-West and south-West of the country may finally find peace.”
“I hope that the weapons will be silenced and that the safety of all and the right of every young person to education and the future can be guaranteed,” he said.
The Pope also expressed his nearness to the families, the city of Kumba and the whole of Cameroon, invoking upon them “the comfort that only God can give.”
Separately, Bishop Agapitus Nfon of Kumba has invited the faithful to join in prayer for the victims and perpetrators of the attack.
In a statement released on Saturday, the Bishop said that according to information he received, unidentified gunmen stormed Mother Francisca International Bilingual Academy in Fiango Kumba at 11:30 am on Saturday and opened fire on students on in a classroom. “Of the twelve students assaulted, six were killed and the others who were seriously wounded were rushed to the hospital,” explained Bishop Nfon.
During the Mass, which will be celebrated on Friday at the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Fiango Kumba, prayers will be offered for “the repose of the souls of our dear and innocent students who were murdered,” according to the Bishop. The Mass will also be offered for “God’s consolation on their parents and families and guardians, and for all our traumatized pupils and students.”
“My dear people wrapped in grief, our only true hope is God!” the Bishop said. “Let us turn to Him in our desperation and prayerfully cry to Him to come to our assistance.”
Violent attacks
“Because of this barbarous act, the people of Kumba are wailing, the entire Diocese of Kumba is mourning, our hearts have been crushed because our innocent children are no more,” the Bishop lamented. “We are crying and asking why our children are murdered? What did they do wrong? Is it because they went to school?”
The Bishop also recalled a previous attack in May 2020 when a pregnant woman and some children were murdered in Ngarbuh, in the diocese of Kumbo.
He compared the horrifying deaths to the slaughter of the infants ordered by King Herod and the voice of Rachel in the prophesy of Jeremiah (Jer 31: 15), lamenting bitterly over her children because they are no more.
“Today, Saturday, 24 October, 2020,” he said, “Kumba is reliving that prophecy not long after the heinous massacre of innocent children and pregnant women in Ngarbuh… “Was Ngarbuh not enough? How much of the blood of our children need to be shed before something concrete and immediate is done?”
Appeal to government
Bishop Nfon called on the government and international bodies to “look for a lasting solution to this problem that will restore justice and peace.”
Condemning the Saturday attack, the Bishop noted that it comes barely five months after the Ngarbuh massacre which drew condemnation from many quarters.
“Where will it be next, if something concrete and immediate is not done by the powers that be and can make things happen?” he asked, adding that Saturday was the “darkest and saddest day” for Kumba since the nation’s socio-political crisis affecting the North West and South West Regions began.
Years of unrest
Since 2016, parts of Cameroon have been gripped by unrest since Anglophone groups began to call for their independence.
Some schools in Cameroon have only recently reopened following a four-year shutdown, as the separatists’ fight for an independent state they wish to be known as Ambazonia carries on.
Currently, authorities have not been able to identify the assailants, and neither are they able to ascertain the reason why the school was targeted.
While COVID-19 is the world’s most clear and present danger, climate change is a menace that threatens all future generations, according to the head of the UN climate change convention.
“The last eight months have been a nightmare for many throughout the world”, said UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Executive Secretary, Patricia Espinosa, pointing out that the pandemic has “altered lives, economies and the nature of business on every continent—from the largest cities to the smallest villages”.
And while it is “the most urgent threat facing humanity today”, she quickly added, “we cannot forget that climate change is the biggest threat facing humanity over the long term.”
The UNFCCC chief attested that the convergence of these two crises has “opened a window of opportunity to build forward – to build cities and communities that are safe, healthy, green and sustainable”.
“Nothing exemplifies this better than the efforts of our 2020 award-winning activities to address climate change”, she upheld.
This year’s award-winning projects demonstrate leadership on climate change by nations, businesses, investors, cities, regions and civil society as a whole.
They range from the Caribbean’s only carbon-neutral hotel, to the world’s inaugural green bonds platform and the first all-women solar team in Lebanon.
Secretary-General António Guterres congratulated the winners, saying that they “provide tangible proof that climate action is under way around the world”.
“It is exciting to see these climate solutions, which reinforce my call for decisive leadership on climate change by Governments, businesses and cities, and for a green recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic”, stated the UN chief. “Let us keep pressing ahead to build a more sustainable and equitable future for all”.
Spearheading momentum
As Governments work toward implementing the Paris Climate Change Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the awards are part of a wider effort to mobilize climate action and ambition.
They also set the stage for two upcoming climate change events. The Race To Zero Dialogues, from 9 to19 November, will serve as critical input to the UNFCCC Climate Dialogues to advance work governing the rules of the Paris Agreement, which runs from 23 November to 4 December.
The UN Global Climate Action Awards are spearheaded by the Momentum for Change initiative at UN Climate Change and each project presents an innovative solution that both addresses climate change and helps drive progress on other SDGs.
“It is crucial we celebrate all actors who are leading the way,” said Gabrielle Ginér, Chair of the Advisory Panel.
“The recipients of the UN Global Climate Action Awards send a strong political signal to all nations – and through their leadership and creativity, we see essential change”. The 2020 winning activities, selected by an international Advisory Panel, can be found here.
Momentum for Change recognizes real climate action on the ground. Watch the animated video, narrated by Mark Ruffalo.
Great Britain should unveil how far it is going to diverge from the EU rules if it hopes to have access to the bloc’s financial market from January, head of the EU executive’s financial services unit, John Berrigan, said, as quoted by Reuters.
“There will be divergence, but we have to get some mutual understanding of how much divergence is likely to happen,” the official said, according to the agency.
This comes after the UK and the EU resumed trade talks last week, with both sides seeming to work hard to reach an agreement on a range of differences which have been preventing them from a keenly anticipated breakthrough.
European Union’s Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier wears a protective face mask as he arrives at 1VS conference centre ahead of Brexit negotiations in London, Britain October 24, 2020.
Lead negotiators Michel Barnier and Lord Frost are scheduled to meet in Brussels on Thursday as everyone involved in the negotiations hopes to see an agreement in the coming weeks. The points on which the two sides have been trying to reach some compromise are who has the right to fish in British waters and common standards, including controls over state subsidies for businesses.
Audrey Azoulay, the Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) and Michelle Bachelet, UN human rights chief (OHCHR), said it was time to ensure the benefits of science could be shared by all.
“In these difficult times, the best health technologies and discoveries cannot be preserved only for a few”, the WHO chief said.
“They must be available to all. After all, what’s the purpose of having cutting-edge technologies if they cannot reach the people that need them the most? Sharing data and information that is often kept secret or protected by intellectual property could significantly advance the speed at which technologies are developed.
“An open research process also promotes transparency and helps to safeguard against misuse and allows others to validate the research process. So I warmly welcome today’s call for open science, a call for inclusiveness and solidarity.”
Ms. Azoulay said the global fight against COVID-19 had highlighted the need for universal access to science as never before, and the potential of cooperation.
Solidarity ‘a model for the future’
“The solidarity shown by the global scientific community is a model for the future. In the face of global challenges we need collective intelligence more today than ever”, she said.
“And yet before COVID-19 only one in four scientific publications were openly accessible, meaning millions of researchers were denied the possibility of reading their colleagues’ works.
“Today, closed science models do no longer work, because they amplify inequalities between countries and researchers and because they only make scientific progress available to a minority.”
There was an urgent need to open up and democratise science, not just by liberalising access to publications, but by making the entire scientific process more accessible, more transparent and more participatory by sharing data, protocols, software and infrastructure, the UNESCO chief added.
Coherent vision
Concerning the drive towards international laws and standards, UNESCO’s 193 Member States have already mandated the organization to draft an international instrument, a recommendation on how to build a coherent vision of open science, with a shared set of overarching principles and values.
The first draft was completed last month and the text was now open for comments, with countries scheduled to adopt a final version by the end of 2021, Ms. Azoulay said.
“The global community urgently needs to ensure that open science does not replicate the failures of traditional closed science systems. It is these failures that have led to a high level of distrust in science, to the disconnect between science and society, and a widening of the science, technology and innovation gaps between and within countries.”
Scientific knowledge, a human right
Ms. Bachelet said sharing knowledge was a matter of human rights, noting the explicit reference to sharing scientific advances and benefits contained in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
“Covid-19 has brought this issue of open information into sharp focus. The suppression or denial of scientific evidence in some circles and reluctance to adapt evidence-based policies have magnified the devastating harms the pandemic has generated”, Ms. Bachelet said.
“The basic principle of public health is the need for full and honest engagement with the public. Use of force will not mitigate or end this pandemic, but the use of science and fully-informed public consent and compliance will.”
She applauded last week’s tie-up between WHO and Wikipedia to provide free access to information about COVID-19 and said the pandemic reinforced the importance of non-discriminatory access to the benefits of science such as COVID-19 treatments and vaccines, and states had a clear obligation under international human rights law to cooperate on ensuring access to a vaccine for all.
“When the benefits of science are managed as a purely commercial product reserved for the wealthy, everyone is harmed”, Ms. Bachelet said.
“Everyone’s right to share in scientific advances and benefits has been attacked in recent years, particularly in the context of climate change. In some circles the issue of whether climate even exists or is caused by human activity is treated as a matter of personal belief rather than rigorous science”, she added.
The deliberate introduction of doubt about clear factual evidence was catastrophic for the planet, Ms. Bachelet said.
As well as dealing with the consequences of a brutal nine-year civil war, which has left much of the country in ruins, Syrians are now facing the scourge of Covid-19 which is now rampant in refugee camps.
According to doctors, the number of positive Covid-19 cases rose tenfold in the Idlib region last month.
Doctors in the country are dealing with a severe shortage of medicines and even hospital beds are in short supply.
According to aid agencies, a lack of testing will help the infection rate shoot up in the coming months.
In an effort to help alleviate the situation, the World Health Organization (WHO) sent 8.8 tons of protecting and medical materials to Syria this week to help in the battle against the pandemic.
The consignment included personal protection gear for health employees as well as medication and medical tools.
Last month, Syria Relief was forced to officially declare the COVID-19 situation in the country as being an “emergency.”
The NGO called on urgent support from the international community and donations from the general public to help fight the spiralling crisis.
Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, O.F.M. Cap. has described the news of his creation as a Cardinal as “a recognition of the Word of God, more than of the person.”
Pope Francis announced the Preacher to the Papal Household’s creation as Cardinal at the Angelus on Sunday.
In an interview with Vatican News’ Benedetta Capelli, Cardinal-elect Cantalamessa praised God for his nomination and linked it closely to the Word of God.
He said he was full of admiration for those who listened to his preaching.
“To think that a Pope – like John Paul II, Benedict, and Francis – would find time to listen to a poor, simple Capuchin is an example that they give to the Church of esteem for the Word of God,” said Fr. Cantalamessa. “In a certain sense, it is they who are preaching to me.”
Sign of unity and dialogue
The 86-year-old Italian added that – notwithstanding orders to the contrary – he plans to continue his mission of preaching to the Papal Household, starting with the upcoming Advent preaching series.
He said he was surprised to have received so many outpourings of support and affection from people around the world, including several Jewish friends.
“I was greatly pleased,” Fr. Cantalamessa said. “It has always been one of my passions to promote unity and dialogue.”
He noted that their expressions of support are a confirmation for him of “signs of a reawakening that has little to do with me.”
“It’s an aspect related to the great efforts of Pope Francis to build bridges,” he said.
Joy to support Pope through prayer
Fr. Cantalamessa went on to describe his vision of the Cardinalate and what role he has to play as a non-voting member of the College of Cardinals.
“Since this title is more honorary than effective for me,” he said, “my goal and joy are to be able to be near the Pope and to support him through prayer and the Word.”
And for his part, Cardinal-elect Cantalamessa repeated Pope Francis’ invitation for all the faithful to pray for him and those who have received new roles of responsibility in the Church.
