The Solidarity Therapeutics Trial, overseen by the World Health Organization (WHO), shows that medications Remdesivir, hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir/ritonavir and interferon, repurposed to treat new coronavirus infections, “appeared to have little or no effect on 28-day mortality or the in-hospital course of COVID-19 among hospitalized patients”, WHO said in a statement on Friday.
The study, which began in March and spans more than 30 countries, looked at the effects of these treatments on overall mortality, initiation of ventilation, and duration of hospital stay in hospitalized individuals.
Other uses of the drugs, for example in treatment of patients in the community or for prevention, would have to be examined using different trials, the WHO explained.
In a related announcement, the UN health agency said that COVID-19 had also highlighted the increased vulnerability of people with high blood pressure to the coronavirus.
The warning is based on data from more than 120 countries showing significant COVID-related disruption to treatment for people suffering from chronic health conditions, with findings showing these patients make up 50 to 60 per cent of all deaths from COVID.
Dr. Bente Mikkelsen, Director of WHO’s Department of Noncommunicable Diseases, said that more than 1.13 billion people around the world suffer from hypertension.
Of this number, 745,800,000 live in low and middle-income countries and 80 per cent of these nations have fewer than 50 per cent of people on treatment.
Many unaware they are sick
On average, one in four men suffer from the condition, compared with one in five women, according to WHO data. In addition, two in five people are not aware that they even have hypertension.
“When it comes to COVID-19 and hypertension, the 122 countries that have reported tells us that in over 50 per cent of the countries their health care services is disrupted fully or partially…In addition, we see a high number of fatalities”, Dr. Mikkelsen told journalists in Geneva.
Noting that global figures have yet to be calculated, she added that for those countries where data was available, “we see in the range of 50, 60 per cent of the people that are severely ill and die in hospitals from COVID have hypertension, diabetes”, and other non-communicable diseases.
Pandemic resurgence
Highlighting how the pandemic has made a resurgence in many countries across all continents after the easing of restrictions, and the additional health threat posed by the impending influenza season in the global north, the WHO official appealed to governments everywhere to address hypertension urgently.
She also cited growing evidence that poor and salty diets along with rising inactivity, have contributed to worsening hypertension rates globally.
To coincide with World Hypertension Day on 16 October, Dr Mikkelsen unveiled a series of recommendations and products developed by the WHO to promote action on hypertension “during and beyond the pandemic”.
By doing so, health authorities can help people to keep their blood pressure under control and prevent stroke, heart attack, and kidney damage, the WHO believes.
The new protocols are based on successful patient blood pressure management in 18 countries involving more three million people.
Today, only 20 per cent of the world’s nations are on track to reduce hypertension by 25 per cent by 2025, a global target set by the World Health Assembly in 2013, according to the UN health agency.
She’s smart, she’s with it, she’s the youngest ambassador the Vatican has ever welcomed to be part of its diplomatic corps… her name is Chiara Porro, and she is the new Australian Ambassador to the Holy See.
Speaking to Vatican Radio as she goes about “settling in” and learning the ropes in a new and challenging environment, 36-year-old Ambassador Porro told me she also happened to be one of the first to be received by Pope Francis in a person-to-person meeting after months of coronavirus lockdown.
“That’s possibly why he was so generous with his time,” she modestly said, recalling her audience with the Pope in August when she presented her credentials.
When I asked her what her priorities are as she begins her mandate to nurture and strengthen the bilateral relationship between the Holy See and Australia, the Ambassador said that right now, “It’s difficult to set out any priorities without thinking of the coronavirus context, as this pandemic has affected every aspect of our lives.”
Listen to the interview with Ambassador Chiara Porro
Ambassador Porro, who is trained as a career diplomat and already has a good number of postings under her belt, is the only resident ambassador to the Holy See from the whole Pacific region. She is convinced that Australia has much to contribute to the global coronavirus response, and that, she said, is one of her top priorities as she begins to “think and work with the Holy See.”
She mentioned how early in the crisis, Australia very quickly pivoted its development assistance to the most urgent needs of the weakest, immediately setting up humanitarian corridors throughout the region with which to provide support.
“As you can imagine the small Pacific island countries are very dependent on supplies coming in from outside, and with travel shutdown, there was a real need for food, medicines,” she said, explaining that the Australian government also put a lot of resources into providing PPE and training for health workers, as well as working with all the countries of the region affected by travel restrictions.
Migration
Another area in which the ambassador is convinced her country has much experience to share concerns specific mobility programmes for people on the move, a humanitarian sector Pope Francis has close to his heart.
“They call it the Seasonal Work Programme and this has been going on for years, but it was particularly relevant during the pandemic because we were able to pivot and have some of these workers work in aged care and other health care sectors,” making it, she said, “a real mechanism to enable opportunities.”
Thanks to this system, she said workers can get visas to work with various sectors while directing those resources to where they are most needed thus allowing everyone to benefit. It also shows local populations that there is a need for migrants to come in and support the economy, she added.
Human trafficking
Ambassador Porro said that amongst her meetings and contacts with various Vatican offices so far, she has met with the Covid-19 Commission established by the Pope and had interesting conversations, particularly with the Dicastery for Promoting Human Integral Development, where she engaged in conversations regarding the suffering of migrants and refugees.
The fight against human trafficking is another area in which she says the Holy See and Australia can productively work together, as “Australia has put a lot of effort into stopping people smuggling” she said, admitting its methods have sometimes been controversial. “But we were able to break the cycle and I think that’s a positive thing.”
Above all, the ambassador said, she is excited to be able to have the opportunity to work with the Holy See and its global diplomatic network that provides so much scope in working to promote values like the common good and human fraternity.
Especially in light of a post-pandemic world, she said, and at a time in which we see increasing tensions and nationalism, “it is absolutely fundamental” to uphold those basic principles and values.
The Holy See and Australia
On the other hand, the Holy See, she said, is very interested in watching how Australia manages its relationships and how it plays its role in the region.
Ambassador Porro noted the strategic and delicate position of Australia and its Pacific partners that are currently “right at the centre of the China-US dynamic” and she explained that her country has a complex role to play as it finds itself at the centre of global politics.
Another perspective that is of interest, in particular to the Pope, she said, is the fact that the Pacific is a “frontier” region and its populations are directly and powerfully affected by environmental issues.
“I think there’s a real space for a Pacific voice here, and that also links-in with the fifth anniversary of Laudato sì”, she said.
Ultimately, Ambassador Porro explained, she sees her job as providing a link to her area of concern, “facilitating connections, bringing expertise from our region, finding avenues for collaborations, for projects, translating some of the Holy See’s policies and agendas and seeing where they align.”
Particularly with Pope Francis, she said, there are lots of opportunities to do things together on the global stage, and while there may be sensitive issues and areas where the Australian government and the Holy See don’t agree, there are is much work to be done.
An important mission for Australia
And from the opposite perspective, the Ambassador is convinced her government cares deeply about this mission and finds it important. She revealed it is part of her role to demonstrate the value of having a presence here at the Holy See and to communicate the influence of Pope Francis and his message across the world and the Pacific region.
It’s only a half-joke, she noted, when she says “it’s the post with the largest diaspora” because of the number of Catholic communities back in Australia and across the Pacific region who, she said, “are very interested in what she is doing here.”
“So there’s definitely still a role for me to explain our purpose and the value we bring from being represented here, but there are lots of opportunities for work.” It’s a question, she concluded, “about prioritising and really focusing on where we can add value.”
While the pandemic “has skimmed off everything that is not essential” in the world’s richest countries, in others it risks becoming the trigger for a very serious crisis, especially in places where the coronavirus’ problems only add to others like hunger, war and instability. In a paired interview, two experts of the Vatican’s Covid-19 Commission – Maryann Cusimano Love (The Catholic University of America) and Dan Plesch (director of the “Centre for International Studies & Diplomacy at SOAS”) – explore various scenarios created by the coronavirus in areas where social inequalities are further exacerbated, and call for a global ceasefire as invoked by Pope Francis and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
Q: You are part of the Vatican COVID 19 Commission, Pope Francis’s response mechanism to an unprecedented virus. What do you personally hope to learn from this experience? In what way do you think the Commission’s work can inspire society as a whole?
Cusimano Love – Global problems require global cooperation. We have more people on the planet than ever before in human history. So we must create better ways of cooperating than ever before to meet crises like this pandemic. Pope Francis’s Covid-19 commission is a model of global cooperation at a time when many in the world are going in the opposite direction, closing borders, not being inclusive or not prioritizing the needs of the most vulnerable.
Plesch – It’s a huge honour and a privilege to be part of Pope Francis’s commission looking at the responses, the security responses to the terrible developing dangers coming from Covid-19. The work of the commission has been immensely informative to me personally. I’ve learnt a great deal from the wisdom and compassion and practical ideas of my fellow commissioners. And I think one of the key lessons that we have to communicate is that the virus is making worse many existing threats to our safety.
Q: Pope Francis asked the COVID 19 Commission to prepare the future instead of prepare for it. What should be the Catholic Church’s role as an institution in this endeavour?
Cusimano Love – Pope Francis warned us that this economy kills and the pandemic showed this to be true. We cannot go back to the old ways of doing business. For example, we can stop investing over a trillion dollars in new nuclear weapons when money is urgently needed for food and health.
Plesch – The church’s role in helping shape and develop the future has always been extremely important, but the combination of threats that we had before from environment, from greed, from poverty, from World War, from weapons – all of these are coming together in a perfect storm that we have to help prepare humanity to survive.
Q: What personal lessons (if any) have you derived from the experience of the pandemic? What concrete changes do you hope to see after this crisis both personally and globally?
Cusimano Love – The pandemic has shorn away non-essentials and forced us to focus on what really matters. With my children schooling at home while I’m teleworking at home and caring for elders, we spend more time in family and in nature. Nature has rebounded in the pandemic showing us it’s never too late to do the right thing. Our economies and our workplaces can and must promote healthier, richer relationships with each other and the earth.
Plesch – The changes we need to see of course are huge and pre-existing, but the priority, I personally think that we have to ask our governments, our communities, our churches and our colleagues in other spiritual communities simply to stop making weapons, the drive to war – 2 trillion dollars a year being spent around the world on weapons –is already great. And we can see violence in the home and violence in communities and violence between governments already increasing.
Q: The coronavirus crisis has brought not only individual but also national selfish attitudes. This type of nationalism sparks dangerous feelings of anger towards others, even if they too have a nationalist bent. History is unfortunately full of such examples that have led to conflicts. Does this risk exist today?
Cusimano Love – You can’t build peace on an empty stomach. The pandemic has disrupted global food supplies, and it’s caused an economic depression making food too expensive for millions, further endangering the world’s most vulnerable people including refugees and displaced people. Previous global recessions caused food riots. To avert that this time around food assistance must be given across conflict lines to reduce the chances for violence. Glaring inequalities, worsen grievance and violence.
Plesch – The explosion impact of the virus has happened, but we have yet to see the tsunami of social impact and helping prepare for that by reducing weapons and looking for other means of security is essential.
Q: Regarding those who today suffer from hunger: how willing are they to fight for access to healthcare? In various African countries, people say they prefer Covid to hunger. Could the combination of the two, pandemic and hunger, be a dangerous spark?
Cusimano Love – Disease can cause war and conflict. Research shows that countries caught in the conflict trap, cycles of war and conflict and revenge need economic growth to break out of these cycles of violence. But instead the pandemic has done the opposite. It’s tanked the global economy. For conflict countries who depend on oil income, like Nigeria, Iraq and others, these countries now with no budget to build peace among warring groups, to implement the peace accords in Colombia, or buy back guns, or offer jobs to armed actors. Peace doesn’t occur magically. It’s built over time by patient effort. But the pandemic disrupts peace building resources and efforts. It has increased violent nationalist and extremist movements as Covid disinformation and conspiracy theories targets kids scapegoats.
Plesch – The interaction, of course, the interaction of hunger and the virus and poverty mean that more people are going to be fighting for survival, fighting for the bare necessities of life. And the tragedy is that the wealthy have more than enough resources to provide what everybody needs. It is beyond obscene that a tiny proportion of the world’s population control so much of the wealth and hold on to, it while many are in peril of their lives for themselves and their families.
Q: Pope Francis and Antonio Guterres, the Secretary-General of the UN, have launched a ceasefire appeal wherever there are conflicts in the world, in order to foster the fight against the coronavirus. Why have these appeals not been heeded?
Cusimano Love – As the United Nations meets in New York in September, the UN secretary-general and Pope Francis are renewing calls for a global ceasefire so communities can focus their efforts on fighting the pandemic, not each other. There’s been too little attention, public awareness and government leadership on the ceasefire. The upcoming 75th anniversary of the UN is a great opportunity to draw more attention and commitment to the call for a pandemic ceasefire. Peace has been breaking out around the world in recent decades. With declines in major wars and peace accords in places like Ireland, Colombia and the Philippines. But these peace processes are fragile and many countries remain trapped in cycles of war, poverty and instability, such as Iraq, Sudan the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria. Pandemic responses must be conflict sensitive ensuring that vaccines, medicine, food aid and assistance begin across conflict lines in ways that build community, social cohesion, trust and peace
Plesch – The challenge of a ceasefire is one that I think will be responded to. The Holy Father and the UN Secretary-General have led the way in this. We have to make the call louder and louder and as the social impact of the virus unfolds over the years, I think the demand to move away from conflict will become more and more effective.
Q: Several times, even well before the pandemic, Pope Francis has often spoken of a “third world war fought piecemeal”. So, in your opinion, should we fear another worldwide conflict provoked by an invisible virus, or has one already effectively begun that we should be dedicating ourselves to extinguishing?
Cusimano Love – The Catholic Church can help us imagine and build a better world coming out of this pandemic: one in which we are more connected, more caring, in better relationship with each other. As scripture says, “See, I’m doing something new in you. Can you not see it?” The Catholic Church is not a national church. We work across borders in every country. We work with very long timelines to go beyond the next headliner election, and we are the world’s largest private provider of healthcare. Thus, we are all one human family. But too often we act like a dysfunctional family. Against a rising tide of nationalism and extremism, the Church imagines and prepares a future based on a wider view of our connections as one human family.
Plesch – Now, the threats of a third world war: we see people dying all the time from the use of weapons, war planes on villages, small arms, landmines, rifles, but overall of that is the ultimate “Sword of Damocles” the nuclear threat and I think if there’s one thing we’ve learnt is that there are no group of wise people who will emerge in crises to help solve it. We’ve seen it in country after country: our leaders are flawed, the lies they tell are great and the consequences for all of us if this moves into the dimension of major war with armies, navies and air forces and nuclear weapons – that risk cannot be overestimated. It is a very real one and I hope in working with the commission we can do our bit to keep us safe and secure for the future because these conflicts are unnecessary and obscure the tremendous opportunities for the beneficial integrated development of humanity.
Addressing Qu Dongyu, the Director-General of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Pope Francis noted that “For humanity, hunger is not only a tragedy but it is also shameful.”
His words came on World Food Day which focuses this year on the theme: “cultivating, nourishing and preserving together. Our actions are our future”.
In his video message, the Pope said hunger is caused, “to a large extent, by an unequal distribution of the fruits of the earth, in addition to the lack of investment in agriculture, the consequences of climate change and the increase in conflicts in different parts of the planet”, as well as by the tonnes of food that are discarded.
Faced with this reality, he continued, “we cannot remain insensitive or paralysed” because “we are all responsible.”
The Pope added that the theme underlines the urgent need for everyone to act together so as to “promote hope” in all people.
75th anniversary of FAO
The World Day also marks the UN Organisation’s 75 anniversary.
In these many years, the Pope said, FAO has learned that it is not enough to just produce food, but that “it is also important to ensure that food systems are sustainable and offer healthy diets that are accessible to all. It is about adopting innovative solutions that can transform the way we produce and consume food for the well-being of our communities and our planet, thereby strengthening resilience and long-term sustainability.”
Support during the pandemic
Especially in these difficult times caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Pope Francis stressed the importance of supporting initiatives that “promote sustainable and diversified agriculture, support small farming communities and cooperate in rural development in the poorest countries.”
We are living in a time “full of contradictions”, said the Pope.
On the one hand, we are witnessing unprecedented progress in different fields of science. On the other, the world is facing multiple humanitarian crises.
Unfortunately, he continued, we note that, according to the most recent FAO statistics, despite the efforts made in recent decades, “the number of people fighting hunger and food insecurity is growing, and the current pandemic will make these figures even worse.”
Concrete action
Pope Francis went on to note that the current crisis shows us that we need concrete policies and actions to eradicate hunger in the world.
At times, he said, “dialectical or ideological debates distance us from achieving this goal and we allow our brothers and sisters to continue to die from lack of food.”
“A courageous decision would be to set up a “Global Fund” with the money used in arms and other military expenditures in order to definitively eliminate hunger and contribute to the development of the poorest countries. This would avoid many wars and the emigration of many of our brothers and sisters and their families who are forced to leave their homes and countries in search of a more dignified life (cf. Fratelli tutti, n. 189 and 262).”
Finally, Pope Francis expressed his hope that the activity of FAO be “ever more incisive and more fruitful”, and prayed for all those who “cooperate in this fundamental mission of cultivating the land, feeding the hungry and safeguarding natural resources, so that we can all live with dignity, respect and love.”
English flags and a Union flag fly above a souvenir stand opposite Britain’s Parliament in London, Friday, Oct. 16, 2020. Britain’s foreign minister says there are only narrow differences remaining in trade talks between the U.K. and the European Union. But Dominic Raab insists the bloc must show more “flexibility” if it wants to make a deal. less
English flags and a Union flag fly above a souvenir stand opposite Britain’s Parliament in London, Friday, Oct. 16, 2020. Britain’s foreign minister says there are only narrow differences remaining in trade … more
Photo: Kirsty Wigglesworth, AP
Photo: Kirsty Wigglesworth, AP
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English flags and a Union flag fly above a souvenir stand opposite Britain’s Parliament in London, Friday, Oct. 16, 2020. Britain’s foreign minister says there are only narrow differences remaining in trade talks between the U.K. and the European Union. But Dominic Raab insists the bloc must show more “flexibility” if it wants to make a deal. less
English flags and a Union flag fly above a souvenir stand opposite Britain’s Parliament in London, Friday, Oct. 16, 2020. Britain’s foreign minister says there are only narrow differences remaining in trade … more
Photo: Kirsty Wigglesworth, AP
UK says EU trade talks ‘over’ but bloc sees room for a deal
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LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Friday that the U.K. must prepare for a no-deal break with the European Union unless there is a “fundamental” change of position from the bloc, as the two sides swapped blame for failing to strike a trade deal with just weeks until the end-of-year deadline.
The EU said it was ready to continue negotiating, but Britain declared the talks as good as dead.
“The trade talks are over,” Johnson’s spokesman James Slack said. “The EU have effectively ended them yesterday,” he said, by stating at a summit in Brussels that the U.K. would have to significantly change position or there would be no deal.
EU leaders including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said the bloc was still willing to seek compromise, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU still wanted a deal —- though “not at any price.” Von der Leyen announced that EU negotiator Michel Barnier would head to London next week “to intensify these negotiations.”
Downing St. rebuffed the offer, saying there was “no basis for negotiations in London as of Monday,” though British negotiator David Frost and Barnier agreed to speak early next week.
“There is only any point in Michel Barnier coming to London next week if he is prepared discuss all the issues on the basis of legal texts in an accelerated way without the U.K. being required to make all of the moves,” Slack said.
The EU said it saw several more weeks of detailed talks ahead which would by their very nature have to deal with legal wording, and said both sides would have to budge.
Britain ramped up tensions without definitively making good on Johnson’s threat to walk away from negotiations if a deal was not struck at the EU summit which ended Friday.
Johnson said in London that the EU had “abandoned the idea of a free trade deal” by not giving in to the U.K.’s demand for a generous free trade agreement like the one the bloc has with Canada.
“Unless there is a fundamental change of approach we are going to go for the Australia solution,” Johnson said.
While Australia has no comprehensive trade deal with the EU, Johnson insisted Britain would “prosper mightily” under those conditions, which would mean tariffs and other barriers between the U.K. and its biggest trading partner. But many economists say it would be devastating for many British businesses, which are already struggling with a huge economic hit from the coronavirus pandemic.
Sectors such as automaking and agriculture, which face heavy tariffs, say they could be wiped out.
Ian Wright, chief executive of the Food and Drink Federation, said Johnson’s statement had put Britain “into very dangerous territory.”
“In the event of a no-deal Brexit, shoppers will, literally, pay a heavy price,” with stiff tariffs compounded by border delays, he said.
Britain officially left the EU on Jan. 31 but remains part of its economic structures until Dec. 31. The two sides have been trying to strike a deal on trade and other relations before then, and say in practice it must be agreed by early next month if it is to be ratified by year’s end.
Months of talks have ground to a halt on the issues of fishing — highly symbolic for maritime nations on both sides — and rules to ensure common regulatory standards and fair competition. The EU fears the U.K. will gain an unfair advantage by slashing food, workplace and environmental standards and pumping state money into businesses once it is free of the bloc’s rules.
Britain accuses the bloc of seeking to impose demands that it has not placed on other countries it has free trade deals with.
“They want the continued ability to control our legislative freedom, our fisheries, in a way that is obviously unacceptable to an independent country,” Johnson said.
The EU says Britain can’t have the same trade terms as Canada because of its proximity to the bloc and its economic clout. The EU and Canada do about 55 billion euros ($65 billion) worth of trade a year, compared to 500 billion euros between the U.K. and the bloc.
Britain often produces the same products on the EU’s doorstep, and granting it zero-tariff, zero-quota rights without strict regulation would be an economic nightmare for many on the continent.
Merkel said it was in both sides’ interest to have a deal. “We have seen light but of course also still shadows in the most recent negotiations,” she said.
Rutte said that there was plenty of realism among EU leaders that compromise had to come from both sides.
“You know you will never get everything that you always wanted,” he said, “It will always end up with a compromise.”
French President Emmanuel Marcon — viewed by Britain as one of the most intransigent EU leaders — said a deal “requires effort, particularly from the U.K.”
“Let’s keep in mind that it is the U.K. that wanted to leave the EU and needs an agreement much more than we do,” he said in Brussels.
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Raf Casert reported from Brussels. Samuel Petrequin in Brussels and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed.
Traditionally celebrated on the penultimate Sunday of October, World Mission Day is slated this year for 18 October.
The annual day is set aside to encourage prayers, cooperation and help for missions, as well as remind Christians of the fundamental missionary character of the Church and of every baptized person.
Ahead of this year’s celebrations, the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and the Pontifical Mission Societies for the Propagation of the Faith (PMS) organized a press conference held on Friday at the Holy See Press Office.
“Today we present the Holy Father Pope Francis’s Message for World Mission Day on Sunday, 18 October 2020 entitled, ‘Here I am, send me,'” said Archbishop Protase Rugambwa, Secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.
“The heart of this message refers to how the mission challenges each one of us, personally, in our vocation and in our belonging to the Church in today’s world,” he added.
Archbishop Rugambwa explained that the celebration is a source of joy for the Church in spite of the challenges caused by the ongoing health crisis which has made us realize that we are all “in the same boat, all fragile and disoriented”..
Therefore, as baptized Christians, we are to respond to God’s call to go and transform all areas of life and society by our witness to the Gospel.
Covid-19 fund
Archbishop Giampietro Dal Toso, the Adjunct Secretary for the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples and the President of the PMS, spoke about a Special Emergency Fund set up by Pope Francis in April 2020 in order for the PMS to help communities affected by Covid-19.
He said the fund supports the missionary action of the Church, and encouraged Churches throughout the world to collaborate in this universal fund where “all contribute to the good of all.”
Stressing that there is still a lot to be done, Archbishop Dal Toso appreciated the generous donations from Churches in different countries and highlighted some other concrete examples of need in various places.
Vital lifeline for missionary Churches
Fr. Tadeusz J. Nowak, O.M.I., General Secretary of the PMS, said the Pontifical Mission Society provides vital support to particular Churches in Asia, Oceania, Africa, and parts of South and Latin America.
This support, he explained, goes towards formation programs for catechists, priests and religious and it also helps with material aid for their work of evangelization in local churches.
Venerable Pauline Marie Jaricot
Fr. Nowak pointed out that the celebrations this year are special for the Society for the Propagation of the Faith because, in May, Pope Francis approved a miracle through the intercession of its foundress, Venerable Pauline Marie Jaricot.
The miracle, he explained, involved a little girl who experienced acute suffocation which resulted in her losing consciousness and having to be kept alive by artificial life support. After a novena of prayers through Pauline’s intercession, the girl was revived and restored to health.
He recounted that Venerable Pauline, a Frenchwoman born in Lyon, dedicated her life to prayer, helping the poor and the Church’s mission. On 2 May, 1822, she founded the Society for the propagation of Faith, and four years later, the Association of the Living Rosary.
A century later, on 3 May, 1922, the Society was proclaimed Pontifical by Pope Pius XI and she was proclaimed venerable by Pope St. John XXIII in 1962.
Today, said Fr. Nowak, Venerable Pauline Jaricot is “an inspiration for us all, especially for the laity.” She is a “wonderful example of engaging fully the grace of Baptism for the work of the Kingdom of God and for the mission of the Church.”
… Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, the EU Delegation and stakeholders from … the EU’s Marine Strategy Framework Directive.
Air Quality
Volatile organic compounds … and the natural habitats of Europe.
The EU and its Member States …
The European Parliament has officially launched the Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize for Journalism on the third anniversary of her murder.
Launched in Brussels on Friday, the purpose of the prize is to distinguish outstanding journalism that reflects the European Union’s principles and values, as enshrined in the European Charter of Human Rights.
The European Parliament considers that protecting press freedom around the world, and particularly that of investigative journalists while exercising their duties, is in the vital interest of democratic societies.
Even though the prize is initiated and supported by the EP, it will be managed by an independent EU-based media partner in order to protect the independence of the prize and the work of the media.
The European Parliament will soon begin selecting an independent organisation to establish the detailed criteria to award the prize and decide on who will sit on the jury. A call for tender to select such an organisation will be launched before the end of 2020.
The call for nominees for the prize will be launched around May 3, 2021 – World Press Freedom Day. The annual award ceremony will take each year around the anniversary of Daphne Caruana Galizia’s death.
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China’s ambassador to India Sun Weidong on Wednesday said both countries, involved in a protracted border dispute in Eastern Ladakh, need to enhance mutual trust and strengthen cooperation to “write a new chapter in China-India friendship”.
The envoy was speaking at an event to commemorate the 110th birth anniversary of Indian doctor Dwarkanath Kotnis who served in China during the Chinese revolution led by Mao Zedong.
Delivering the speech titled “A Hero to Remember, A Monument to Eternity”, Sun said that he had the privilege to visit the family of Dr Kotnis in Mumbai during his first posting in India a decade ago. The diplomat further added that the celebrated physician shared joys and sorrows with the soldiers and civilians of the liberated areas and was deeply respected by the people of China. He stated that Dr Kotnis became a symbol of the two great nations joining hands to resist foreign aggression and colonialism, and pursue national independence and freedom.
“Over 70 years ago, China and India helped and supported each other in the struggle for national liberation and independence and forged deep friendship. Today, the two countries are facing the common task of achieving economic and social development and improving people’s livelihood. We need to enhance mutual trust and strengthen cooperation more than ever to write a new chapter in China-India friendship,” said Sun.
Speaking about the difficulties in bilateral ties, Sun said it is normal to have differences. “We need to put differences in an appropriate place in bilateral relations, properly manage and resolve them through dialogue and consultation and not allow differences to become disputes,” he said. “The exchanges and mutual learning between the two civilizations of China and India have a profound accumulation of more than 2,000 years. The common interests of the two countries far outweigh the frictions and differences. I believe that with the joint efforts of both sides, we have the wisdom and ability to overcome difficulties and bring bilateral relations back on track to forge ahead.”
Sun also paid glowing tributes to Dr Kotnis. “It is a spirit of heroism with no fear of sacrifice. Dr Kotnis, along with the medical team from India, went through untold hardships and travelled thousands of miles to Yan’an,” he said. “After he learned of his father passing away in India, Dr Kotnis endured great grief and continued marching to the battlefield without hesitation,” he added.
Referring to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Sun said, “As the only two major developing countries with a population of over 1 billion, China and India need to strengthen cooperation and tide over current difficulties together. It is of great significance in the global fight against the pandemic.”
“In the past few months, we have witnessed the exchanges of diagnosis and treatment experience between Chinese and Indian medical institutions, the donation of medical supplies by companies and friendly organizations, and videos recorded by young people and film stars of the two countries to cheer each other on,” he added.
He gave his precious life for the World Anti-Fascist War and the cause of China-India friendship. We will always remember him,” said the Chinese envoy, calling him a great internationalist warrior.
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The pitched battle for the fate of the next EU farming subsidies programme is set to play out next week. Here’s your quick survival guide to the final CAPdown.
The post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has reached a turning point, although perhaps this isn’t so obvious at first glance.
Positions among different lawmakers are still far apart, while lobbyists and NGOs are stepping up their efforts in a last-ditch attempt to have their voices heard.
Phones are ringing off the hook and inboxes are full as they are now the only way to get in touch with people involved in the process.
Let’s start with the basics. Why it is said that we are in the middle of the final countdown to CAP – or CAPdown, for the punsters?
In 2018, the European Commission put forward its post-2020 CAP proposal. The European Parliament and the EU Council, both then have to sign off on the same amended text to that proposal.
To do this, they both meet together with the Commission in hush-hush sit-downs known as ‘trilogues’ in EU-speak. There, they start negotiating on a common final text.
But to kick off discussions, the negotiators – Parliament’s rapporteurs on the file plus a minister of the rotating EU presidency – need a mandate from the institution they represent to negotiate on their behalf.
Two key things happen next week: one is a gathering of farming ministers and, the other is a plenary session at the Parliament.
Both occasions are important opportunities to get the required mandates approved and negotiations rolling.
So, here are five things to know in the run-up to what could potentially be a crossroad for the next CAP:
1. Anything could happen in the European Parliament. The role of the Parliament’s committees is to do a sort of ‘screening’ of the different proposals and bring some compromise amendments to the plenary. This time, individual amendments are being presented and will be voted, after a clash between the agriculture (AGRI) and the environment (ENVI) committees.
However, this time an agreement among the three largest parties in the European Parliament, the Christian-democrats (EPP), socialists (S&D) and liberals (Renew Europe), has been struck. Although the parties are fairly confident they will have enough hands to move things along, there might be some tricks on the voting lists, so nothing is set in stone just yet.
2. Ministers don’t seem ready. Parliament’s insiders still believe that after the vote, the trilogue could start immediately in November. However, political discussions on the other side are still ongoing and it remains highly unlikely that a mandate for the German presidency could be agreed next week.
3. Different sticking points. If the outstanding issue at the Council is the green architecture of the CAP and particularly the eco-scheme, the struggle at the Parliament is also on how to enshrine – or not enshrine – the sustainable targets set in the EU’s new food policy, the Farm to Fork strategy, in the CAP.
4. NGOs are quite upset. Well, environmental groups are always kind of upset, but this time they’ve called the agreement between the three largest Parliament’s parties a “stinking deal”.
5. Remote vote. The showdown is not going to be in Strasbourg, where most of the Parliament’s plenaries are set, but not in Brussels either. The entire session will instead be held ‘remotely’ due to the increased risk of coronavirus. This makes it the first huge piece of EU legislation to be voted entirely remotely, which could soon be the new normal for the next few months.
And here’s the last thing you need to know.
Although we might be seeing some light at the end of the tunnel, whatever happens, we are not at the end of this process just yet. We’re merely at the halfway point.
Trilogues still need to be done and negotiations could last a long time – last time they took 18 months, with a grand total of 56 meetings.
At the same time, lawmakers need to get cracking and pick up the pace, as time is running out and the risk is increasing that the EU farming subsidies will not continue to flow at the end of the transitional period.
Agrifood news this week
Experts warn of ‘inevitable disruption’ of food supply chains with no-deal Brexit After the United Kingdom voted against including guarantees on food standards in its post-Brexit legislation this week, experts have warned that a no-deal Brexit holds wide-ranging ramifications for food safety and businesses. Natasha Foote has more.
EU chemicals strategy to address pesticide chemical cocktails The EU chemicals strategy adopted on Wednesday (14 October) aims to address the cumulative and combined effects of chemicals, including pesticides, stressing a need to accelerate work on methodologies that ensure existing provisions can be fully implemented. Read more here.
Member states reserve right to ban pesticides authorised in EU, rules EU court Europe’s highest court has concluded that member states have the right to ban pesticides even if they are permitted at the EU level, provided they officially inform the European Commission. Natasha Foote has the story.
“We will offer more organic products to European tables and I think we have a good plan for this – more organic management of land and more organic products for our consumers”
EU Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski speaking at a conference on the Farm to Fork strategy
News from the bubble
Coronavirus and crop yields: Cleaner air since the start of coronavirus restriction measures could lead to a global increase in wheat yields this year of between 2% and 8%, according to a study led by the Joint Research Centre.
Future of livestock: The EU Commission published a study this week on the future of the European livestock sector, which highlighted areas where the sector can improve its sustainability and contribute to environmental goals.
‘Lobby-alliance’: Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) launched an attack on farmers lobby COPA-COGECA this week, saying that an ‘unholy alliance’ of big farm and agribusiness lobby group Copa-Cogeca, together with pesticides and food industry giants, is waging a battle against the EU’s Farm to Fork Strategy and Biodiversity Strategy.
CAP pre-deal: The three largest political groups in the European Parliament, the Christian-democrats (EPP), socialists (S&D) and liberals (Renew Europe), agreed on a common position on the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The final vote is expected next week.
Recovery money. Parliament’s Agriculture Committee agreed on Tuesday (13 October) on how to allocate the €7.5 billion top-up coming to the EU’s farming subsidies programme from the EU’s post-COVID stimulus plan. Lawmakers updated the text proposed by the Commission to distribute all the money made available for rural communities from the EU recovery instrument to the years 2021 and 2022, whereas the Commission originally wanted to release the money from 2022 to 2024.
Food security debate: The debate on food security kicked up a notch this week with a new Greenpeace analysis which concluded that the vast majority of European crop production is used to feed animals and create biofuels, rather than feeding people.
Agrifood news from the Capitals
FRANCE While the vote on the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is being prepared, fourteen civil society organisations are calling for demonstrations across France “to denounce the current agro-industrial system and defend ecological agriculture”. Entitled “Notre assiete pour demain” (“Our plate for tomorrow”), this call comes as the French government has just voted to temporarily reauthorise the use of neonicotinoid pesticides (EURACTIV.fr)
AUSTRIA Austria is concerned about next week’s negotiations over changes to the CAP, particularly as they relate to environmental standards, Der Standard reported. The country wants to preserve the system of dividing environmental benefits between the programme’s first two pillars. If this moves entirely to the first pillar, as is being discussed, it could put Austrian agriculture at a disadvantage. “Increased, mandatory environmental requirements in the first pillar, without taking into account the environmental performance in the second pillar, would be a no-go,” Agriculture Minister Elisabeth Köstinger (ÖVP) claimed at the end of September. (Sarah Lawton | EURACTIV.de)
GERMANY The German Agriculture Ministry (BMEL) announced updates to its Federal Programme for Energy Efficiency on Friday (9 October), making €38 million available from 2021 onwards. But the German Farmers Association (DBV) have been critical of certain aspects of the plan, particularly that the use of biofuels, vegetable oils and alcohols is excluded from funding. “The exclusion of subsidies, which was apparently introduced under pressure from the Federal Environment Ministry, is technically incomprehensible, contradicts the goals of the Climate Protection Plan 2030 and ultimately supports fossil fuels,” said Michael Horper, chair of the DBV’s Renewable Energies Committee. (Sarah Lawton | EURACTIV.de)
UK Attempts by farmers and food campaigners to enshrine high food safety and animal welfare practices in British law after Brexit were defeated on Monday (12 October) after amendments included in the bill did not pass through the House of Commons. The bill, with its overturned amendments, will now return to the House of Lords before further debates will take place. (Natasha Foote | EURACTIV.com)
IRELAND On the back of the EU summit in Brussels this week, the Irish Farmers Association (IFA) has launched a Brexit Emergency Policy – paper which sets a 3-step plan to mitigate the damage to Irish farming from Brexit. IFA President Tim Cullinan said first and foremost that “we need a deal to try and keep our exports flowing into the UK without tariffs or quotas. However, the EU Commission has to start preparing the EU market for a bad outcome. We need a clear plan from the EU on how they intend to support farmers in a no-deal scenario.” (Natasha Foote | EURACTIV.com)
POLAND Poland’s poultry sector – one of the most important branches of agriculture – may suffer a €330-million loss in 2020 due to the coronavirus epidemic, according to estimates by the National Chamber of Poultry and Feed Producers. During the first seven months of the year, poultry companies lost the equivalent of around €150.6 million due to an export slump. (Mateusz Kucharczyk | EURACTIV.pl)
Upcoming events
Happy world food day! Today is the yearly celebration in honor of the creation of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations back in 1945
19 – 23 October – The plenary vote of the European Parliament, which includes voting on the Common Agricultural Policy reform. See here for the agenda
21 October – EURACTIV debate to hear how the brewing sector is reacting to the European Green Deal and what its impact might be. More information here
