Haitian farmers are getting a much-needed boost from a USAID-funded training program, but the project is about to be cut in favor of immediate humanitarian efforts.
Sellers of cocoa beans work in a street market in Dame Marie, Haiti.
DAME MARIE, Haiti — A soft rain is falling as a dozen farmers, sheltered by surrounding cacao trees, stand in a semicircle. One by one, each tells a similar story of why this year's cocoa harvest is more crucial than ever.
"We've had a lot of people come who were injured, and there are more mouths to feed," said Guerlains Saint-Louis, who has had eight relatives leave Port-au-Prince since the Jan. 12 earthquake to join his family of six.
Before a U.S. government-funded training project helped these farmers improve their crop, rain had been all they depended on.
Boosting agricultural production will be high on the agenda Wednesday when more than 100 countries meet at the United Nations as part of an international donors conference on Haiti. The earthquake has highlighted the need for further investment outside of Port-au-Prince, especially as thousands flock to the countryside.
Cocoa is like much of the agriculture produced in Haiti: Farmers have little training or technology to work their crops, resulting in the lowest cocoa yield per cacao tree in the Western Hemisphere.
But with many countries juggling funding, some long-term projects like this one are being cut to support immediate humanitarian efforts.
Alex Deprez, who heads USAID's economic growth projects in Haiti, said that's inevitable as everything the agency does in Haiti is judged through a "post-earthquake lens" — and the reality that USAID must redirect $80 million of its $287 million annual budget toward immediate relief and rebuilding efforts.
That puzzles Haitian exporter Theo Weiner, one of the country's largest cocoa exporters and a funding partner in the project.
The project is a joint effort by his company, Geo Weiner S.A., and Washington-based not-for-profit CNFA. Three years in the making, it began last fall. The goal is to double the current cocoa crop — and those farmers' profits.
This part of the country, in a province called Grand'Anse on Hait's westernmost tip, produces half of Haiti's export crop for cocoa. It is one of the more fertile areas of the country, with abundant trees, regular rainfall and until now, a small population.
But most farmers, who usually have just a handful of cacao trees, tucked among other crops, usually farmed on the sides of hills, often don't even prune their trees.
Matlick, an agronomist from Hershey, Penn., travels the world helping cocoa farmers improve their crop. On a recent trip to Haiti, Matlick taught farmers here and in a sister project in the north basics of pruning, grafting and tree growing. In all, 3,600 farmers will receive training.
Cocoa beans are harvested during two peak seasons, between April and May and November and December. On market day, farmers sell their beans to middlemen.
The middlemen — speculators — sell those beans to Weiner, whose family has exported the commodity for four generations. His factory in Dame Marie dries the beans, a process known as fermentation, before they are shipped from Jeremie to Port-au-Prince and eventually to companies like Mars Inc. in the United States.
While the global average for cocoa production is about 990 pounds for every two and a half acres, in Haiti, it's just one third of that — about 330 pounds.
Doubling the crop means another 8,000 gourdes, or roughly $210, a significant amount of money in a country where half the population lives on less than $1 a day, according to the United National Development Program.
USAID's Deprez said cutting the funding for this program doesn't mean the agency will stop focusing on agriculture and investments outside of Port-au-Prince.
"We're by no means considering giving up the strategy," said Deprez, adding they're in a waiting period until the donor conference provides clarity.


This week, there was some news about how law enforcement is either ignoring or simply unaware of the Spencer decision. If you recall, this was the decision in which the Supreme Court indicated that the police needed a warrant prior to asking Internet service providers (ISPs) to hand over customer information. The news coming out of one large ISP is that the police are apparently, despite the decision, still asking for this customer information without a warrant.
This is troubling, to say the least. But, I have to admit that the cynic in me is not surprised. I have always had my doubts as to whether or not the police are actually as educated as they could be in the nuanced decisions that come from the Supreme Court. It would look like this particular decision is an example in which important rights get debated and decided upon by those jurists that sit on our highest court, but the substance of the decision then fails to make it to where it matters most—to those in charge of enforcing those rights on a daily basis.
And, while this story didn't surprise me, what I do find strange is that there's so little in the media about the impact of another important Supreme Court decision, one that seems to be lingering in some sort of black hole: the decision from last year that struck down the Alberta PIPA as unconstitutional. The court delayed its decision for a year so that the Alberta legislature could fix the law. But what's been happening? If anything, it sure is quiet. Via this Digest, I'm hoping that anyone who might know what's going on in this regard can share it with me and perhaps we can update our readers in an upcoming edition.


Air Clear designed, manufactured, and installed a Thermal Oxidizer (SVE) on PetroChemical Process was used to destroy organic contaminants in groundwater.
Background: The Mattiace Petrochemical Co. operated at the Glen Cove facility for years, disposing of waste materials onsite.
Problem: The contamination ultimately spread to the surrounding groundwater threatening local communities' drinking water.
Waste Description: The contaminants included benzene, xylene, dichlorobenzene, toluene, vinyl chloride and other organic and halogenated organics.
Solution: Soil vapor extraction (SVE) was used to vaporize the organic contaminants in the groundwater; Air Clear manufactured a skid mounted thermal oxidizer/quench/scrubber system to destroy the hazardous organics in the off-gas from the SVE process and remove the acid gas produced by the halogenated compounds.
Process Equipment: The contaminated vapors enter the thermal oxidizer combustion chamber where they are destroyed by the excessive temperature; fuel use is substantially reduced by using a shell and tube heat exchanger to "preheat" the waste gas entering the combustion chamber; to remove the hydrogen chloride (HCl) gas created in the combustion process from the halogenated compounds, a quench and acid gas scrubber using sodium hydroxide (NaOH) is provided.


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Director: James Foley
Writer: David Mamet
Cast: Al Pacino, Alec Baldwin, Jack Lemmon, Ed Harris, Alan Arkin, Kevin Spacey, Jonathon Pryce
As you'd expect with such a combination of talent, a powerhouse of the craft of acting. A group of real estate agents are told they have to pick up their game - at the end of a trial period of two days, the best gets a car, the second best gets steak knives, and everybody else gets fired.
The film then follows the desperate wheelings and dealings of each man as he tries to find a solution in his own way, from adopting the hard sell to robbery. While it's a gleaming study of some of the best actors of today and they're supported by a great script, the storyline of a bunch of desperate real estate salesmen is a bit weak.
Not as satisfying or enjoyable as the far superior Twelve Angry Men - which was a showcase of acting with a riveting and relevant story. Stand-outs in this case are Ed Harris and Alec Baldwin, the abusive parent company shark who only appears in only one scene.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Kelly Osbourne Gave An Honest Update About Her Sobriety After Relapsing
"I've learned it truly is one day at a time."
VALERIE MACON/AFP/Getty Images
By Jordyn Tilchen
Sobriety is a journey and it doesn't come without challenges — just ask Kelly Osbourne. On Monday, April 19, Osbourne shared a life update on her Instagram Stories and revealed to her followers that she recently relapsed after four years sober. "I relapsed. I'm not proud of it," she said into the camera. "But I'm back on track and I will be doing a podcast this week where I will be telling everyone what's been going on and what happened."
The former Fashion Police co-host then reassured fans that she's doing much better now and that she simply wanted to be transparent about her sobriety struggles. "I just want to let you know that I am sober today and I will be sober tomorrow," she continued. "But I've learned it truly is one day at a time, and I just wanted to tell you guys the truth because I never, ever want to lie to you."
Osbourne, 36, has been very honest about her history with addiction. In 2018, she told People that staying sober is something you have to work on your entire life. "People need to know rehab doesn't fix you, it just helps you to get yourself on the right track," she said at the time. "You're never fixed. You spend your whole entire life doing everything you can to never pick up and use again."
Dave Hogan/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images
Just a few months shy of three years sober, Osbourne opened up about her past drug and alcohol use again in May 2020 while speaking to DJ Fat Tony on The Recovery podcast. "I never thought I'd be alive at 35 years old," she revealed, adding that she used to be dependent on opioids, tranquilizers, marijuana, and other substances. "A lot of my friends didn't make it and burying them was hard. I had survivor's guilt for a long time. I'm almost three years sober."
Osbourne, who celebrated three years sober in August 2020, was good friends with musician Amy Winehouse, who died in 2011 after several years of drug and alcohol use. And after experiencing so many tragic losses, Osbourne reflected on how substances were impacting her own life. "I was in a haze of hangovers and withdrawals," she said. "I don't know how I did it for as long as I did. I embalmed my body."
Once she realized that things had gotten so bad that she wasn't able to function normally, Osbourne recalled calling her brother Jack crying, begging him for help. "I was so wasted the whole time. I hadn't been to a grocery store in three years or done normal things. I thought, 'I don't want to live like this anymore.'" That, of course, was a significant turning point for Osbourne on her journey to living a sober lifestyle. "I realized I wasn't going to make it," she said at the time. "I'd be dead if I keep doing this."
If you or someone you know is seeking help for substance use, call the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP(4357).


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Law & Comics Working Document DO NOT DELETE!!!Kelly2021-09-20T05:24:25-07:00
In partnership with Warwick's Bookstore, the "Writers and the Law" series explores complex legal issues through engaging, thought-provoking programming. Featuring a diverse array of fiction and nonfiction authors, these events bring members of the San Diego community and leading writers together to explore how the law impacts our everyday life. From the intrigue of legal fiction to the compelling, eye-opening and sometimes even controversial points of view of non-fiction, the "Writers and the Law" series offers a fresh perspective on contemporary life and culture.
Check back often for news of upcoming events.
Writers & the Law 2013
June 12 Brian Fagan – "The Attacking Ocean"
Brian Fagan, Emeritus Professor of Anthropology at UCSB, will discuss and sign his book, The Attacking Ocean. In his latest book, Fagan returns to the topic that made him a New York Times best seller, explaining the role of climate change in history – this time focused on rising… LEARN MORE
Walter Walker
June 25 Walter Walker – "Crime of Privilege"
What will one powerful family do to protect their own? Join us as we present Walter Walker to discuss and sign his latest novel, Crime of Privilege. In the tradition of Scott Turow, William Landay and Nelson DeMille, this stunning thriller explores power, corruption and the law in America, and the dangerous ways they… LEARN MORE
July 10 Karin Slaughter – "Unseen"
Join New york Times bestselling Karin Slaughter as she discusses and signs her latest thriller, Unseen. Charged with her signature blend of suspensful storytelling, vivid characters and breathtaking twists, this novel sends Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent Will Trent to Macon, Georgia, where he goes undercover with a drug and prostitution ring. Taking matters into his own hands, he decides to … LEARN MORE


20%48°35°Night - Cloudy. Winds variable at 3 to 14 mph (4.8 to 22.5 kph). The overnight low will be 35 °F (1.7 °C).Cloudy with a high of 46 °F (7.8 °C). Winds variable at 6 to 13 mph (9.7 to 20.9 kph).
5%37°27°Partly cloudy today with a high of 37 °F (2.8 °C) and a low of 27 °F (-2.8 °C).
20%46°23°Partly cloudy today with a high of 46 °F (7.8 °C) and a low of 23 °F (-5.0 °C).
5%58°26°Mostly cloudy today with a high of 58 °F (14.4 °C) and a low of 26 °F (-3.3 °C).
10%66°32°Breezy today with a high of 66 °F (18.9 °C) and a low of 32 °F (0.0 °C).
5%37°25°Mostly cloudy today with a high of 37 °F (2.8 °C) and a low of 25 °F (-3.9 °C).
0%53°35°Cloudy today with a high of 53 °F (11.7 °C) and a low of 35 °F (1.7 °C).
Tonight - Cloudy. Winds variable at 3 to 14 mph (4.8 to 22.5 kph). The overnight low will be 35 °F (1.7 °C).
Today - Cloudy with a high of 46 °F (7.8 °C). Winds variable at 6 to 13 mph (9.7 to 20.9 kph).


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Wed. Dec 16th, 2020
Covid-19 news: Young people may be driving spikes in cases, says WHO
Jul 29, 2020 coronavirus latest, coronavirus uk, covid19, pandemic, virus
By Michael Le Page
, Clare Wilson
, Jessica Hamzelou
, Adam Vaughan
, Conrad Quilty-Harper
and Layal Liverpool
People pedaling a buggy in Quiberon, France. French officials have ordered nighttime curfews for beaches in the Brittany commune.
FRED TANNEAU/AFP via Getty Image
Latest coronavirus news as of 5 pm on 29 July
Latest on coronavirus from New Scientist
Essential information about coronavirus
What to read, watch and listen to about coronavirus
Carer Lucy Skidmore talks to her 100-year-old great-grandmother and resident Joan Loosley at Fremantle Trust care home, Princes Risborough, UKReuters 22 July
Shoppers wearing face coverings on Oxford Street, London.Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire/PA Images 21 July
WHO Europe director says young people may be driving recent spikes in cases
Rising coronavirus infections among young people could be driving recent spikes in cases across Europe, said Hans Kluge, the World Health Organization's Europe regional director, in a BBC report today. Kluge said he has two daughters and understands that young people "do not want to miss a summer," but added that they have a responsibility toward themselves, their family members and their communities. The Netherlands is among countries which have reported higher infection rates among younger people, with about a quarter of people who tested positive there last week aged 20 to 29. Earlier this week, officials in Brittany, France ordered curfews on beaches, parks and gardens in an attempt to prevent large gatherings of young people in particular, according to local leaders. Officials in Spain have also imposed similar curfews, with bars and nightclubs in Catalonia required to close by midnight since Friday.
Other coronavirus news
The US reported more than 1300 deaths from covid-19 yesterday, the highest daily death toll recorded in the country since May. More than 149,000 people in the US have now died from the disease and more than 4.3 million cases have been recorded there since the pandemic started.
The UK has signed an agreement to purchase 60 million doses of a coronavirus vaccine candidate being developed by the pharmaceutical companies Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline. Financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed. The vaccine candidate is expected to enter clinical trials in September, and adds to 190 million doses of other coronavirus vaccine candidates secured by the UK government, including 100 million doses of a vaccine being developed by the University of Oxford in partnership with AstraZeneca. Worldwide, there are more than 160 coronavirus vaccines currently in development but it still isn't clear if any will protect against coronavirus.
More than £4 million will go towards research aimed at understanding why people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds are disproportionately dying from covid-19. This funding will also go towards research on the risks posed to ethnic minority health workers, migrants and refugees, and the lack of representation from people in different ethnic groups in clinical trials testing new treatments and vaccines for covid-19. The funding comes from the UK Research and Innovation and the National Institute for Health Research.
The worldwide death toll has passed 661,000. The number of confirmed cases is more than 16.7 million, according to the map and dashboard from Johns Hopkins University, though the true number of cases will be much higher.
Covid-19 treatments: Some trials have shown promise in helping those infected by calming an overreacting immune system or targeting the coronavirus – but which treatments actually work?
Oxford vaccine: Sarah Gilbert at the University of Oxford, the leader of the team that created the "Oxford vaccine", speaks to New Scientist about how her team is making the vaccine.
What are the worst symptoms and how deadly is covid-19?
You could be spreading the coronavirus without realising you've got it
Which covid-19 treatments work and how close are we to getting more?
What does the latest research suggest about the coronavirus in pregnancy?
The New York Times is assessing the progress of different vaccine candidates and potential drug treatments for covid-19, and ranking them for effectiveness and safety.
Humans of COVID-19 is a project highlighting the experiences of key workers on the frontline in the fight against coronavirus in the UK, through social media.
Coronavirus, Explained on Netflix is a short documentary series examining the on-going coronavirus pandemic, the efforts to fight it and ways to manage its mental health toll.
New Scientist Weekly features updates and analysis on the latest developments in the covid-19 pandemic. Our podcast sees expert journalists from the magazine discuss the biggest science stories to hit the headlines each week – from technology and space, to health and the environment.
The Rules of Contagion is about the new science of contagion and the surprising ways it shapes our lives and behaviour. The author, Adam Kucharski, is an epidemiologist at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK, and in the book he examines how diseases spread and why they stop.
Contagion: The BBC Four Pandemic is a sober documentary about the progression of a hypothetical pandemic which the BBC simulated in 2017. Fronted by science journalist and TV presenter Hannah Fry, and made with the support of some of the country's best epidemiologists and mathematical modelers, it's very relevant to today's covid-19 pandemic.
British tourists who travel to Spain will have to quarantine for 14 days on their return.
REUTERS/Nacho Doce
Europe is starting to see signs of a second wave, says UK prime minister
UK prime minister Boris Johnson today said Europe is starting to see signs of a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. He said it is vital that people quarantine themselves when returning to the UK from places abroad where there are outbreaks. Johnson mentioned the government's recent reintroduction of a 14-day quarantine requirement for travellers returning from Spain, and added: "We will continue, throughout the summer, to take such action where it is necessary." Spain's prime minister Pedro Sánchez described the UK's new rules and recommendations as "unjust" arguing that in most parts of Spain the prevalence of covid-19 is lower than in the UK. Some parts of Spain, including the regions of Catalonia and Aragón, have seen a large uptick in infections recently. The rate of infection in Spain as a whole is 47.2 cases per 100,000 people, compared to 15 in the UK, according to the latest figures from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
A growing number of European countries are grappling with recent rises in coronavirus cases. Today the head of Germany's public health agency, Lothar Wieler said he is very concerned by rising infections. "We don't know yet if this is the beginning of a second wave but of course it could be," Wielder said at a press conference. Belgium's prime minister Sophie Wilmès announced a series of new restrictions on Monday, following a significant spike in infections and warned of a potential second lockdown.
The "limited range" and lack of speed in translating the UK's coronavirus guidelines into other languages is putting non-English speakers at risk, according to a joint letter sent to UK health minister Matt Hancock. The letter, coordinated by medical humanitarian organisation Doctors of the World has been signed by 30 local authorities, public health leaders and charities in the UK. The current social distancing guide for England published on 11 May has still not been translated from English by the government. Doctors of the World said it has also translated coronavirus guidance into more than 60 languages itself.
Twitter has deleted several tweets shared by US president Donald Trump and his son, Donald Trump Jr, because they included clips of a video containing misinformation about hydroxychloroquine, a spokesperson for Twitter told the Washington Post today. The video features false and misleading claims about the coronavirus pandemic and has been removed by Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
Emirates has become the first airline to offer coronavirus insurance to its customers. The airline will pay medical treatment, hotel quarantine and funeral costs for passengers who catch covid-19 while travelling.
Coronavirus vaccine hope: Amid rising global numbers of daily coronavirus infections, a fresh flush of vaccine trial results is offering hope for the longer run.
World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
FABRICE COFFRINI/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Covid-19 is "most severe" global health emergency ever, says WHO director-general
Covid-19 is "easily the most severe" global health emergency the World Health Organization (WHO) has ever declared, said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus during a press briefing today. More than 16 million coronavirus cases have been confirmed globally and there have been more than 648,000 deaths from covid-19 recorded since the pandemic began. It has been almost six months since the WHO declared covid-19 a public health emergency of international concern at the end of January. "Covid-19 has changed our world," said the director-general, adding that the pandemic "has shown what humans are capable of – both positively and negatively."
Restrictions are being reintroduced across Asia, as countries attempt to control new waves of coronavirus infections. In China, 61 new cases were confirmed today, the highest number of daily new cases there since April. Over the weekend, Hong Kong, South Korea, India and Australia all hit new records for daily new cases since the start of the pandemic. Officials in Hong Kong announced a tightening of restrictions today including banning gatherings of more than two people. On Sunday, North Korea reported a case of coronavirus for the first time. In Vietnam, 80,000 people in Danang, mostly domestic tourists, are being evacuated to 11 other cities in the country after three residents tested positive for the coronavirus over the weekend. The new cases in Vietnam are the first recorded there in more than three months.
Travellers arriving in the UK from Spain will be required to quarantine for 14 days, the government announced on Sunday, with six hours notice given to returning travellers. More than 600,000 British tourists are estimated to be in Spain on holidays at the moment. Previously, Spain had been included in a list of more than 50 countries that are exempt from the UK's quarantine rules. Health minister Helen Whately said the government had to act "rapidly and decisively" after cases in Spain rose over the past week. Epidemiologist Keith Neal at the University of Nottingham described the UK's decision as "sensible", adding that "these decisions need to be taken rapidly as situations develop."
For the first time in the UK, a pet cat has tested positive for coronavirus. Yvonne Doyle, medical director of Public Health England, said the finding "should not be a cause for alarm" and the UK government's chief veterinary officer, Christine Middlemiss said there is no evidence to suggest that pets directly transmit the virus to humans. The cat was tested at a laboratory in Surrey, England on 22 July and its owners had previously tested positive for covid-19. There have previously been reports of cats testing positive for coronavirus elsewhere in the world, including in Hong Kong, Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland, Spain and the US.
Covid-19 and obesity: The obesity and covid-19 pandemics have been shown to be interlinked, and both urgently require more research to provide clear evidence on how best to beat them.
Second waves: As global cases continue to soar, there has also been a worrying uptick of cases in Asia.
The flu vaccine will be free to over 50s in England
SolStock/Getty Images
Free flu vaccine for everyone over 50 in England
To try to avoid health services being overwhelmed in the winter, free flu vaccination will be offered to more people in England than usual, including everyone over 50 and those with medical conditions such as diabetes.
"This winter more than ever, with Covid-19 still circulating, we need to help reduce all avoidable risks," Chris Whitty, the UK's chief medical officer, said in a statement.
Large winter flu outbreaks often strain hospital resources. This winter there are fears there could be a resurgence of coronavirus as well.
The NHS will contact people who are eligible to get a free vaccine, starting with those over 65 or at high risk because of a medical condition. Later it will be offered to people aged between 50 and 64 as well, and children in the first year of secondary school, as well as all primary school children.
Discharging people from hospitals into care homes without testing led to many avoidable covid-19 deaths in England, The Guardian reports. In submissions to a coronavirus inquiry, the Age UK charity said older people were "catastrophically let down", and the British Medical Association said the government's testing and tracing approach let the virus "spread unchecked."
India has reported a record 49,000 cases in a single day, along with 740 deaths. Only the US and Brazil are reporting more daily cases.
Northern Ireland will be the first part of the UK to get a contact tracing app. The app is based on one released in the Republic of Ireland earlier this month. The health committee of the Northern Ireland Assembly has also backed a plan for eliminating coronavirus altogether.
Imperial College London is looking for more people to take part in the trial of its experimental coronavirus vaccine. The trial is in its first phase, and will include 120 volunteers.
Vietnam has banned trade in live wildlife and wildlife products to prevent new pandemics. China has also pledged to do the same. Some of the earliest coronavirus infections in Wuhan, China were found in people who had been exposed to wild animals at a market.
Some shops in the UK, including Sainsbury's and Asda, have said they won't ask staff to enforce rules requiring people to wear face masks. The rules came into force today.
Do blood types matter? There is some evidence that blood types can influence whether or not someone becomes infected with the coronavirus, as they do with SARS, but it is not yet conclusive.
Lockdown wildlife: Rewilding efforts have been emboldened by the sudden cessation of everyday life during the coronavirus pandemic. Scientists are seizing the opportunity to learn how best to support our wildlife, says Graham Lawton.
A Test and Trace form displayed at the entrance of a Wetherspoons pub in Rochdale, England
Anthony Devlin/Getty Images
Risk of second wave in England because of contact tracing failings
New figures out today show England's covid-19 testing and contact tracing system is still failing to reach large numbers of people, sparking warnings from health leaders of a second wave of infections this winter.
Between 9 and 15 July, 3887 people were enrolled into the system, but only 80 per cent of their close contacts were reached. Although that is up from around three-quarters in the scheme's initial weeks, the figures came in the wake of analysis by The Guardian showing the system was reaching far fewer people in areas with high infection rates, with just 47 per cent reached in Luton. The continued failure to reach thousands of people drew criticism from the NHS Confederation, which represents NHS leaders.
"Without a test and trace system that is consistently robust across the whole country and effective at reaching people where the disease is particularly prevalent in a timely manner, we risk a second peak that could seriously endanger public health and put the NHS in the path of a wave of infections that could overwhelm it," said Layla McCay at the NHS Confederation, in a statement. The testing regime in England is still not hitting a target of returning results within 24 hours of a test. Just 46.8 per cent of tests carried out outside of hospitals, where the vast bulk of testing now takes place, provided a result within 24 hours.
Coronavirus testing in England could be boosted by new walk-in testing centres by the end of October. Several hundred are planned, the BBC reports.
The French city of Lyon, meanwhile, has begun testing with a machine similar to a breathalyser, which could return tests in seconds.
Elsewhere, an international team has identified the antibodies that appear to be the most potent in neutralising the coronavirus. The researchers, whose study is published in Nature, said they believe some of them may be "promising candidates" for devising treatments or preventing infection.
From tomorrow, face coverings will be mandatory in shops in England, a measure which Scotland had already adopted. Guidance published today shows they will also need to be worn in banks and post offices, but will not be required in restaurants, pubs, hairdressers, leisure centres or cinemas.
From 1 August, people who have been shielding in Scotland will no longer have to do so, the Scottish government announced.
Carer Lucy Skidmore talks to her 100-year-old great-grandmother and resident Joan Loosley at Fremantle Trust care home, Princes Risborough, UK
Visits to care homes in England allowed to resume subject to approval
Visits to some care homes in England will be allowed to resume subject to approval by local authorities and public health officials, according to new government guidance. Previously, visits to care homes were restricted. "I know how painful it has been for those in care homes not being able to receive visits from their loved ones throughout this period," said the UK's health minister Matt Hancock. An estimated 6 per cent of coronavirus infections in England between 26 April and 7 June were among care home residents, according to a report by Data Evaluation and Learning for Viral Epidemics – an independent group of international researchers convened by the Royal Society. The updated government guidance suggests that the number of visitors be limited to one per resident and that visitors wear a face covering.
Australia recorded its highest number of daily new coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic. 502 new cases were recorded nationally on Tuesday, with 484 in the state of Victoria alone. People in the greater Melbourne area and Mitchell Shire will be required to wear face masks in public from Thursday.
The coronavirus pandemic is showing "no signs of slowing down" in the Americas, said Carissa Etienne, the director of the Pan American Health Organization, during a virtual briefing on Tuesday. Etienne said that because of the high burden of infectious diseases and chronic conditions in the Americas, about 30 per cent of people across the region are at an increased risk of developing severe covid-19. There have been approximately 900,000 new coronavirus cases and almost 22,000 deaths reported in the region over the past week, with the majority in the US, Brazil and Mexico.
More than half of children in England, Wales and Scotland struggled to continue learning at home during the UK's coronavirus lockdown, according to an analysis of nationally representative surveys by researchers at the Office for National Statistics (ONS). More than 12,000 people were surveyed on their experiences of home-schooling between 3 April and 7 June. Almost one-third of working parents said that home-schooling their children had negatively affected their work. Women were more likely than men to report carrying out educational and caring tasks during lockdown, according to a separate ONS report.
The number of deaths from covid-19 in Scotland has fallen to the lowest level since the pandemic began, according to new figures from the Scottish government. Six people died from the disease in the week ending 19 July, making it the twelfth consecutive week in which deaths in Scotland fell.
Almost a quarter of people in Delhi, India have had coronavirus, according to random antibody testing of more than 20,000 people. It still isn't clear whether antibodies provide long-lasting immunity to the virus, and the accuracy of some covid-19 antibody tests were recently called into question. But the results suggest that official case numbers in Delhi may be a vast underestimate. Delhi has reported more than 123,000 cases since the pandemic began, but the study suggests there may have been more than 6.6 million cases in the city.
The worldwide death toll has passed 617,000. The number of confirmed cases is more than 15 million, according to the map and dashboard from Johns Hopkins University, though the true number of cases will be much higher.
Oxford vaccine: An experimental coronavirus vaccine developed at the University of Oxford produces the hoped for immune responses in people. Even though it isn't yet clear if this means the vaccine will prevent infections, the group that made it has struck deals for companies to make 2 billion doses of it within a year.
UK could eliminate coronavirus: A group of independent scientists has suggested that the UK has the potential to become a covid-19-free zone – though this may not be a goal worth striving for. No country has truly eliminated the coronavirus from its shores and doing so would mean making such large sacrifices in other areas of public well-being that it may do more harm than good.
Shoppers wearing face coverings on Oxford Street, London.
Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire/PA Images
Humanity will be living with the coronavirus for "many years," says health charity chief
"Things will not be done by Christmas," Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust, a large biomedical health charity, and a member of the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, told MPs today, speaking about the UK's coronavirus pandemic. "This infection is not going away, it's now a human endemic infection," he said. Even if we had a vaccine or very good treatments, "humanity will still be living with this virus for very many, many years… decades to come," he said. Farrar's comments come after UK prime minister Boris Johnson announced further easing of restrictions in England last week and said he hoped for a "significant return to normality" by Christmas. Farrar was giving evidence to the Commons Health and Social Care Select Committee as part of an on-going inquiry into the government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
The government's chief medical advisor Chris Whitty today told the committee that there was no "huge delay" in the UK's decision to go into lockdown in March. On 16 March, ministers were presented with evidence about the scale of the UK's coronavirus outbreak as well as modelling data on the rate at which it was likely to spread. However, the UK's lockdown wasn't announced until 23 March – a week later. Whitty said that ministers "were put in an incredibly difficult position" and that the delay was "no more than you would reasonably expect for what are really very difficult things to operationalise and decide."
England's test and trace programme has breached data protection law, the Department of Health and Social Care has confirmed in a letter sent to the Open Rights Group, a privacy campaign organisation. The initiative to trace the contacts of people diagnosed with coronavirus was launched without carrying out an assessment of its impact on people's privacy. The Open Rights Group says this makes the programme unlawful as it is a requirement under the General Data Protection Regulation for any projects that process people's personal data to carry out such an assessment. The group's director Jim Killock told the BBC that this lack of "basic privacy safeguards" undermines public trust in the government, which is a "crucial element in the fight against the pandemic."
Seven US states and Puerto Rico reported record high numbers of daily coronavirus-related hospitalisations on Monday. 59,966 new cases of covid-19 were reported in the US as a whole, continuing a downward trend since daily new confirmed cases peaked at 75,643 on 16 July. US president Trump tweeted a photo of himself wearing a face mask yesterday, referring to the act as "patriotic." The president has previously resisted wearing a face mask.
A scientist working at Oxford Vaccine Group's laboratory facility at Churchill Hospital in Oxford.
STEVE PARSONS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Oxford's coronavirus vaccine candidate appears safe and induces immune response
A coronavirus vaccine candidate being developed by the University of Oxford in partnership with pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca is safe and activates an immune response in people, according to preliminary results from trials involving 1077 volunteers. People injected with the vaccine, called ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, made antibodies and immune cells against the coronavirus. The trial results were published today in The Lancet. No serious side effects were found, although 70 per cent of people developed a fever or headache which could be managed with painkillers. It is not yet clear whether this vaccine candidate offers protection against infection with the coronavirus, and we won't know whether it can stop people from becoming ill with covid-19 until we see the results of larger trials. Those trials will involve 10,000 people in the UK, 30,000 people in the US, 2,000 in South Africa and 5,000 in Brazil.
The UK government has secured access to 100 million doses of the vaccine candidate, in addition to 90 million doses of other coronavirus vaccine candidates from US and European companies. Globally, more than 140 coronavirus vaccines are currently in development, with 23 candidates being tested in people.
A new nebuliser treatment for covid-19 reduced the risk of severe cases requiring a ventilator by 79 per cent in a preliminary trial of 101 patients in the UK. The treatment involves inhaling a protein called interferon beta, which is naturally produced in the body as part of the immune response to a viral infection. In the double-blind trial, half of the participants were given the protein and half were given a placebo. Those who received the drug were two to three times more likely to recover sufficiently to resume their everyday activities, according to Synairgen, the company behind the treatment. The coronavirus blocks the natural production of interferon beta in lung cells, according to Tom Wilkinson, professor of respiratory medicine at University Hospital Southampton, who led the trial. Delivering interferon directly to lungs is crucial because it is not possible to inject a high enough dose without serious side effects, he said. Although promising, the results must be treated with caution as the study size is small and the findings have yet to be peer-reviewed. "We accept this is not the largest study. It was an exploratory study," Wilkinson said.
The seven-day average for daily new coronavirus cases in the US has risen for the 41st consecutive day, mostly due to ongoing spikes in the number of cases in Florida, Texas and California. Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti said the county is "on the brink" of shutting down again due to the recent rise in cases.
France has made face coverings mandatory in all enclosed public spaces, with those who fail to adhere to the rules facing fines of €135 (£123). Coronavirus cases are on the rise in the north-west and eastern parts of the country, with health minister Olivier Véran warning that France has between 400 and 500 active coronavirus clusters.
Anti-mask activists gathered in London's Hyde Park on Sunday to protest the introduction of new legislation on face coverings. It will be mandatory to wear them in shops and supermarkets in England from 24 July. A survey by the Office for National Statistics conducted between 8 and 12 July found that 61 per cent of people said they used face coverings outside their homes in the previous week.
Eliminating covid-19: Australia was tantalisingly close to eliminating the coronavirus, but is now seeing a surge in new cases. What went wrong and can it regain control?
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson at a digital press conference in 10 Downing Street today
Andrew Parsons / No 10 Downing St
New plans announced for further easing of restrictions in England
UK prime minister Boris Johnson today announced plans for further easing of restrictions in England between now and the end of the year. People in England can now use public transport for any journey, and from 25 July indoor gyms, pools and other sports facilities will be allowed to reopen across the nation. On 1 August the government will update its advice about people going to work, with employers expected to be given more responsibility to determine how and where their staff can work safely. But on Thursday, the government's chief scientific adviser Patrick Vallance told MPs there was "absolutely no reason" to change current guidance on working from home. "Working from home for many companies remains a perfectly good option because it's easy to do," he said. Further changes to current restrictions are also planned for 1 August, including the reopening of beauticians, bowling alleys, skating rinks and casinos. Wedding receptions with up to 30 guests will also be allowed from this date.
"It is my strong and sincere hope that we will be able to review the outstanding restrictions and allow a more significant return to normality from November at the earliest – possibly in time for Christmas," Johnson said during a press conference at Downing Street today. But researchers have expressed concerns about the potential of a deadly second wave of coronavirus infections hitting the UK in winter. Johnson pledged an extra £3 billion of funding for the NHS in England to prepare for a possible second wave of coronavirus and to help ease winter pressures on the health service.
The US recorded more than 70,000 new coronavirus cases on Thursday – a record-high number of daily new cases for the US and the world, surpassing the country's previous record from one week ago. 14 states reported more than 1000 daily new cases, with more than 13,000 new cases confirmed in Florida alone. In the US as a whole, there have been more than 3.5 million coronavirus cases and more than 138,000 deaths from covid-19 since the pandemic began.
The UK's health minister Matt Hancock today ordered a review into how the daily coronavirus death figures are calculated, after a preliminary analysis revealed that the current method includes people who recovered from covid-19 and then died of another cause. As a result, Public Health England's covid-19 death tally may be an overestimate. "Anyone who has tested covid positive but subsequently died at a later date of any cause will be included on the PHE covid death figures," Carl Heneghan at the University of Oxford, one of the researchers behind the analysis, told Sky News.
Use of face coverings is on the rise in the UK, according to a recent survey by the Office for National Statistics. 61 per cent of people surveyed between 8 and 12 July said they wore a face covering outside their home, up from 52 per cent the previous week. Starting on 24 July, face coverings will be mandatory in shops and supermarkets in England, in line with advice from many scientific organisations, including the Royal Society and Independent SAGE.
Space Telescope launch delayed: The launch of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has been delayed once again. Its planned launch date has slipped from March 2021 to 31 October 2021, partially due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine trials are being conducted, in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli
Scientists suggest young, healthy people could test coronavirus vaccine candidates
A group of scientists are calling for young, healthy people to help accelerate vaccine research by volunteering to be exposed to the coronavirus in so-called "challenge trials." The process might make it easier to see how effective different vaccine candidates are at providing protection against covid-19. Challenge trials have been used in the past to test vaccines, but they raise ethical questions about exposing healthy people to a disease for which we have no treatment to guarantee their safety. "If challenge trials can safely and effectively speed the vaccine development process, then there is a formidable presumption in favour of their use, which would require a very compelling ethical justification to overcome," said an open letter signed by more than 100 prominent figures, including 15 Nobel laureates, which was sent to the US National Institutes of Health, a medical research organisation.
The UK government is still falling short of its target of returning all covid-19 tests in England within 24 hours, according to data published today. UK prime minister Boris Johnson set the target in parliament on 3 June, saying that all covid-19 tests would be returned within 24 hours by the end of the month. But more than two weeks after the end of June, the latest figures from the Department of Health and Social Care show that only 50.6 per cent of people who were tested for covid-19 in the week ending 8 July received their test results within 24 hours, down from 55.3 per cent the the previous week. The figures include home tests, in addition to those performed at regional testing sites, mobile testing units and satellite testing centres across England. They also reveal that NHS Test and Trace didn't manage to trace the contacts of 21 per cent of people who tested positive for coronavirus during the same time period.
UK security officials said information about coronavirus vaccines being developed in UK, US and Canadian organisations were targeted by Russian state-sponsored hackers. The UK's National Cyber Security Centre said a group called APT29, which it said was "almost certainly" part of Russia's intelligence services, were targeting research groups and drug companies.
Phase III clinical trials of a coronavirus vaccine candidate developed by Chinese state-owned company Sinopharm have begun in the United Arab Emirates. The government of the UAE says 15,000 volunteers will be recruited in the country over three to six months. There are currently 23 coronavirus vaccine candidates in human trials, with three of them in or close to entering phase III, the final stage of testing.
Scientist Xinhua Yan works in the lab at Moderna in Cambridge, MA.
David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
Moderna coronavirus vaccine candidate deemed safe in first human trial
A coronavirus vaccine candidate developed by US company Moderna and the US National Institutes of Health, a medical research organisation, is expected to become the first in the US to enter the final stage of clinical testing. Preliminary results suggested it is safe and able to induce an immune response against the virus. Moderna plans to enter phase III clinical trials on 27 July, and hopes to test the vaccine on 30,000 people, including those whose circumstances put them at high-risk of getting infected with the coronavirus. All 45 volunteers who received the experimental vaccine as part of the phase I trial for safety were found to have developed antibodies against the coronavirus in their blood, and none had serious side effects. These volunteers were younger adults, and preliminary tests on older adults are currently under review. "No matter how you slice this, this is good news," US government health advisor Anthony Fauci told the Associated Press. There are currently 23 coronavirus vaccine candidates in clinical trials around the world.
Face coverings will not be mandatory in offices in England, the UK's health minister Matt Hancock told MPs on Tuesday. This followed the government's earlier announcement that people in England will be required to wear face coverings in shops and supermarkets starting on 24 July. "The reason is that in offices you tend to spend a lot of time with the same people, and so the way to stop the spread of the virus in offices is to have social distancing, either two metres or one metre plus mitigations in place," Hancock said on BBC Radio 4 today. Epidemiologist Rowland Kao at the University of Edinburgh says contact tracing is also more straightforward in offices. "Contact tracing is going to be vital in preventing a large outbreak," says Kao, adding that reducing infections due to casual contact will play a big role in allowing contact tracing to work well.
London mayor Sadiq Khan said the government was risking the public's health "to cover the back of a cabinet minister" after minister Michael Gove was pictured entering a Pret food shop in London without a face covering yesterday. The prime minister's spokesperson said that masks will not be required when buying takeaway food.
UK prime minister Boris Johnson today said there will be an independent inquiry into government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, although it isn't yet clear who will be leading the inquiry and when it will start. "Certainly we will have an independent inquiry into what happened," he told parliament today, adding that now isn't the right time for it because the UK is still in the middle of the pandemic.
New Zealand must be prepared for new coronavirus outbreaks, the country's prime minister Jacinda Ardern told journalists today. She said New Zealand would use local lockdowns to contain any new outbreaks, with nationwide lockdowns imposed if necessary. New Zealand's strategy is aimed at completely eliminating the virus from the country.
New rules on face coverings: Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, face coverings and masks have become ubiquitous in some Asian countries, but the UK public has generally been more reluctant to adopt them. Now the law is about to change. What are the new rules on face coverings in England and why did the policy change?
Hong Kong Disneyland has closed less than a month after it reopened.
REUTERS/Tyrone Siu
Restrictions reimposed around the world as global cases pass 13 million
Tighter lockdown restrictions and social distancing measures in the US, Hong Kong, the Philippines and other countries are being reimposed as states and cities attempt to control new waves of coronavirus cases. The governor of California yesterday closed all bars in the state and ordered restaurants, cinemas and museums to halt indoor operations, reversing the reopening of these venues in mid-June. Today authorities in Hong Kong imposed new social distancing measures including making masks mandatory on public transport, limiting the size of gatherings to four people and closing Hong Kong Disneyland less than a month after it reopened. In Manila, in the Philippines, a quarter of a million people are expected to be put back under lockdown later this week to try to slow down the spread of infections. In the UK, tighter restrictions could be imposed on people in Blackburn after a spike in coronavirus cases.
Face coverings will become compulsory in shops and supermarkets in England from 24 July and the police can issue £100 fines for those who don't comply, the government announced today. Children under 11 and people with certain disabilities will be exempt. The government has been under growing pressure from scientific organisations, including the Royal Society and the recently formed Independent SAGE, to introduce legislation making face coverings mandatory in indoor spaces. World Health Organization guidelines also support the use of face coverings in confined or crowded places where physical distancing isn't possible.
More than 5 million workers in the US are estimated to have lost their health insurance this year due to the economic impact of the pandemic, according to a report by Families USA, an advocacy group for healthcare consumers. This is the highest increase since the 2008 financial crisis when 3.9 million adults became uninsured, according to the report.
The coronavirus may be able to spread from a pregnant person to their fetus, suggests a case study published in Nature Communications. Tests of placental samples from this case study are consistent with transmission in the womb, physician and study author Daniele DeLuca at the Antoine Béclère hospital in Paris told the Guardian. DeLuca said he suspects this isn't the first such case, but this is the first time it has been confirmed that coronavirus was transmitted in the womb. The baby who tested positive for covid-19 developed brain inflammation a few days after birth, but he and his mother have both since recovered. The study builds on earlier, more preliminary evidence that the coronavirus can be spread via the placenta.
Second wave in winter: A bad winter could bring a second wave of coronavirus infections that leads to around 120,000 deaths in UK hospitals, twice as many as the first wave, according to an estimate of a reasonable worst-case scenario.
How drug cartels get around lockdowns: Like most other industries, the illegal drug trade has been affected by the covid-19 pandemic, but it hasn't stopped cartels from finding ways around national shutdowns and anti-narcotics police operations.
The pandemic's impact on other diseases: The effect of the coronavirus pandemic on healthcare for tuberculosis, malaria and HIV could lead to deaths on a scale similar to those from covid-19 in some parts of the world, a new analysis finds.
UK prime minister Boris Johnson walking with a paramedic during a visit to London Ambulance Service in London.
Pippa Fowles / No 10 Downing Street
People may soon have to wear face coverings in shops in England, says Boris Johnson
People should wear face coverings in shops and the government is looking at making it mandatory to do so in England, UK prime minister Boris Johnson said today. Describing face coverings as "extra insurance" to stop the spread of coronavirus, he said that the government was looking at how a change in policy might be enforced. Face coverings are already compulsory on public transport in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland and the government recommends that people wear them in other enclosed public spaces where social distancing isn't possible, although this isn't mandatory. This comes as a growing number of scientists are calling for the UK government to increase legislation on face coverings. Independent SAGE, a group of scientists offering alternative advice to the UK government, has said that face coverings should be made mandatory in indoor spaces wherever possible, including in shops and in entertainment venues, as well as on public transport. Earlier this month, the president of the Royal Society, Venki Ramakrishnan said that not wearing a face covering should be regarded as anti-social.
Antibodies against the coronavirus in a person's blood may peak about three weeks after symptoms first appear, then decline rapidly, according to a preliminary study that hasn't been peer-reviewed. The study, led by researchers at King's College London, monitored antibody levels in the blood of 65 covid-19 patients and 31 healthcare workers who'd had a positive coronavirus antibody test, between March and June. Three months after antibody levels peaked, only 17 per cent of people tested still had an antibody response with the same level of potency against the virus, the study found. In some people, antibody levels fell 23-fold over the same time period. One concern is that a short-lived antibody response might limit the ability of a coronavirus vaccine to induce immunity. But alongside antibodies, there's evidence that other parts of the body's immune system – such as immune cells called T-cells – may also contribute to immunity against the coronavirus and could be harnessed by a future vaccine.
Scotland reported no deaths from covid-19 today for the fifth consecutive day, the nation's first minister Nicola Sturgeon announced during a press briefing. But there are concerns that people travelling across the border from England may make it difficult for Scotland to achieve full elimination of the virus.
Mexico saw record daily numbers of new coronavirus cases last week and now has the fourth-highest number of recorded deaths from covid-19, after the US, Brazil and the UK. There have been more than 299,000 coronavirus cases and more than 35,000 deaths from covid-19 in Mexico since the pandemic began. Officials in Mexico say these numbers are probably a significant underestimate, because of a limited testing capacity.
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Q: How to get error message when retriving data from db, but no values there I am having one table say emp, in that i dont have any values. If i using this query "select * from emp" in the asp.net coding like below:
con.Open();
String str="select * from emp where empname='Abdul'";

cmd=new SqlCommand(str,con);
SqlDataReader dr=cmd.ExecuteReader();

while(dr.Read())
{
  textBox1.text=dr[0].ToString();
  textBox2.text=dr[0].ToString();
  textBox3.text=dr[0].ToString();
}

con.Close();

In emp tables, i dont have any empname as abdul, When i am doing this it should show some errors, how to do it?

A: Do something like this:
if (dr == null || !dr.HasRows)
{
//NO record found
   lblError.Text ="No Records Found!";
}
else
{
//Record Found SUCCESS!
while(dr.Read())
{
  textBox1.text=dr[0].ToString();
  textBox2.text=dr[0].ToString();
  textBox3.text=dr[0].ToString();
}

}

Regards

A: No it does not show any error because you enter the while only if there are some results in the query.
I would use an if/else and if DataReader has no content because no results found, I would notify the user or show something in the UI, depends on the type of application and on your exact needs.

A: You could load your data from a SQLDataAdapter in to a DataSet and use the following:
if (DataSet.Tables[0].Rows.Count <=0)
{

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Solidarity Beyond the State in Europe's Common European Asylum System
Valsamis Mitsilegas
Aug 27 2018 • 509 views
Image by Marianna Karakoulaki
This is an excerpt from Critical Perspectives on Migration in the Twenty-First Century. Download your free copy here.
The increase in the flows of asylum seekers towards the European Union (EU) in recent years has re-awakened the discussion over the meaning, extent and limits of the principle of solidarity in European asylum law. In view of this politically sensitive and ongoing discussion, this contribution aims to assess the legal meaning of solidarity in the Common European Asylum System. I will attempt to demonstrate that the evolution and content of the principle of solidarity in both EU primary and secondary law is predominantly state-centred, with claims of solidarity being advanced primarily with states as reference points and as beneficiaries. I will aim to demonstrate the limits of this state-centred approach to solidarity, both in terms of ensuring effective protection of the rights of asylum seekers and refugees and in terms of achieving an efficient and well-functioning European asylum system. I will advocate in this contribution a paradigm change: moving from a concept of state-centred solidarity to a concept of solidarity centred on the individual. I will demonstrate how the application of the principle of mutual recognition in the field of positive asylum decisions can play a key part in achieving this paradigm change. I will argue in particular that positive mutual recognition – if accompanied by full equality and access to the labour market for refugees across the European Union – is key towards addressing the lack of effectiveness in the current system. I will end this contribution by looking boldly to the future, and exploring how refugee-centred solidarity can be achieved by moving from a system of inter-state cooperation based on national asylum determination to a common, EU asylum procedure and status.
State-Centred Solidarity in European Asylum Law – A Constitutional Perspective
An examination of European constitutional law reveals a concept of asylum solidarity, which is state-centred, securitised and exclusionary (Mitsilegas 2014). This view of solidarity has been prominent in the debates on allocation of responsibility for asylum seekers across the EU way before the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty, with the use of the term 'burden' to describe increased pressures imposed upon the state – with asylum seekers thus viewed implicitly as a burden to national systems. Solidarity here thus takes the form of what has been deemed and analysed as 'burden-sharing' (Betts 2003; Boswell 2003; Noll 2003; Thielemann 2003a and 2003b) and in particular from a legal perspective, the sharing of the responsibility for increased flows of asylum seekers. The logic of burden-sharing in effect securitises asylum flows by viewing asylum seekers and asylum-seeking in a negative light (Noll 2003). While the term 'burden-sharing' does not appear in EU constitutional law, one could argue that it has been replaced in the Treaties of the European Union[1] by a state-centred, securitised and exclusionary concept of solidarity. The emphasis on the interests of the state is confirmed by the provisions of the Lisbon Treaty on solidarity in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice. According to Article 67(2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), the Union shall ensure the absence of internal border controls for persons and shall frame a common policy on asylum, immigration and external border control, based on solidarity between Member States, which is fair towards 'third country' nationals.
Article 80 TFEU further states that the policies of the Union on borders, asylum and immigration will be governed by the principle of solidarity and fair sharing of responsibility, including its financial implications, between the Member States. Solidarity is also securitised: as with other areas of European Union law, solidarity in European asylum law reflects a crisis mentality (Borgmann-Prebil and Ross 2010) and has led to the concept being used with the aim of alleviating perceived urgent pressures on Member States. This view of solidarity as an emergency management tool is found elsewhere in the Treaty, in the solidarity clause established in Article 222 according to which the Union and its Member States shall act jointly in a spirit of solidarity if a Member State is the object of a terrorist attack or the victim of a natural or man-made disaster. The concept of solidarity here echoes the political construction of solidarity in European asylum law, in responding to perceived urgent threats. It is framed in a way of protecting the state and requires cooperation not between the state and the individual but between the state and the European Union. State-centred securitised solidarity in the field of asylum echoes Ross's assertion that the political power of security can attempt to appropriate solidarity for its own ends (Ross 2010, 39). This view is confirmed by the growing trend towards the securitsation of migration and asylum in EU law and policy (Guild 2009; Mitsilegas 2012a).
Placed within a state-centric and securitised framework, solidarity is also exclusionary. The way in which the concept of solidarity has been theorised and presented in EU constitutional law leaves little, if any space for the application of the principle of solidarity beyond EU citizens or those 'within' the EU and its extension to 'third country' nationals or those on the outside. In a recent thought-provoking analysis on solidarity in EU law, Sangiovanni argues for the development of principles on national solidarity (which define obligations among citizens and residents of Member States), principles of Member State solidarity (which define obligations among Member States) and principles of transnational solidarity (which define obligations among EU citizens as such) (Sangiovanni 2013, 217). 'Third country' nationals are notably absent from this model of solidarity. This exclusionary approach to solidarity appears to be confirmed by the Treaties, with the Preamble to the Treaty on European Union (TEU) expressing the desire of the signatory states 'to deepen the solidarity between their peoples while respecting their history, their culture and their traditions' (Preamble, recital 6, emphasis added).
Solidarity functions thus as a key principle of European identity which is addressed to EU Member States and their 'peoples' (see also Art. 167, TFEU on Culture), but the extent to which such European identity based on solidarity also encompasses 'third country' nationals is far from clear (Mitsilegas 1998). This ambiguity remains after the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty. One of the few provisions of the TEU which may be seen as leaving the door open to a more human-centred concept of solidarity, is Article 2 on the values of the European Union, which states that these values are common to the Member States in a society in which…solidarity… [must] prevail. The inclusion of asylum seekers and refugees in this concept of solidarity is unclear. Although asylum law is centred on assessing the protection needs of 'third country' nationals, and in this capacity they must constitute the primary 'recipients' of solidarity in European asylum law, the application of the principle of solidarity in this field appears thus to follow the exclusionary paradigm of solidarity in other fields of EU law where issues of distributive justice arise prominently. Writing on the position of EU social welfare law concerning irregular migrants, Bell has eloquently noted that 'third country' nationals lack the ties of shared citizenship, whilst the extension of social and economic entitlements to them cannot easily be based on a reciprocal view of solidarity (Bell 2010, 151). Asylum seekers seem to be included in a continuum of exclusionary solidarity in this context.
Dublin as the Embodiment of State-Centred Solidarity: The Failure of Negative Mutual Recognition
In order to understand the issues arising from the discussion regarding solidarity in the context of the allocation of asylum seekers and refugees across the European Union, it is essential to point out that the Common European Asylum System currently in place is based on the development and interaction of national asylum systems. The European Union has not developed a unified EU-wide asylum procedure and refugee status. While a key element of the evolution of the European Union into an Area of Freedom, Security and Justice has been the abolition of internal borders between Member States and the creation thus of a single European area where freedom of movement is secured, this single area of movement has not been accompanied by a single area of law. Already in 1999, the European Council Tampere Conclusions stated that 'in the longer term, Community rules should lead to a common asylum procedure and a uniform status for those who are granted asylum throughout the Union.' (European Council Tampere Conclusions, para. 15). While there has been ongoing harmonisation of national rules on asylum procedure, reception conditions and refugee qualifications since Tampere, more than 15 years after this statement, asylum applications in the EU are still examined by individual Member States following a national asylum procedure and leading to a national refugee status and ensuing rights. In this context, governance of asylum flows within the European Union and allocation of responsibility for asylum seekers and refugees has been designed within a system of interaction between national legal systems rather than under a system of centralized allocation in a single area. A key mechanism of governance of asylum flows within the European Union has been the application of the principle of mutual recognition in European asylum law.
Mutual recognition creates extraterritoriality (Nicolaidis 2007) and pre-supposes mutual trust (Mitsilegas 2006): in a borderless Area of Freedom, Security and Justice, mutual recognition is designed so that the decision of an authority in one Member State can be enforced beyond its territorial legal borders and across this area speedily and with a minimum of formality. As with other areas of EU law, most notably EU criminal law, in the field of EU asylum law automaticity in the transfer of asylum seekers from one Member State to another is thus justified on the basis of a high level of mutual trust. This high level of mutual trust between the authorities that take part in the system is premised upon the presumption that fundamental rights are respected fully by all EU Member States across the European Union (Mitsilegas 2009 and 2012b). The presumption of mutual trust is inextricably linked with automaticity in inter-state cooperation. Automaticity in inter-state cooperation means that a national decision will be enforced beyond the territory of the issuing Member State by authorities in other EU Member States across the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice without many questions being asked and with the requested authority having at its disposal extremely limited – if any at all – grounds to refuse the request for cooperation.
In the field of EU asylum law, mutual recognition based on automaticity and trust has been introduced by the Dublin Regulation, which sets out a system of automatic inter-state cooperation which has been characterised as a system of negative mutual recognition (Guild 2004). Recognition can be viewed as negative here in that the occurrence of one of the Dublin criteria creates a duty for one Member State to take charge of an asylum seeker and thus recognise the refusal of another Member State (which transfers the asylum seeker in question) to examine the asylum claim. The Dublin Regulation thus introduces a high degree of automaticity in inter-state cooperation. Member States are obliged to take charge of asylum seekers if the Dublin criteria – including notably the criterion of irregular entry via one of the EU Member States – are established to apply, with, at least initially, only limited exceptions (Mitsilegas 2014). In this system of inter-state cooperation based on automaticity and trust, there is little place for the individual situation and rights of asylum seekers to be taken into account. Transfers take place speedily and almost automatically, on the presumption that the receiving state will provide an equivalent human rights protection to asylum seekers as the sending state. Mutual recognition in Dublin thus reflects a model of state-centred, securitised and exclusionary solidarity: Dublin has been designed predominantly with the interests of [certain] states in mind, and is a system that aims to deflect undesirable asylum seekers from Member States' territory.
The Dublin model of automatic mutual recognition has been challenged by the judiciary. Following the finding by the European Court of Human Rights in M.S.S. that both the sending and the receiving Member State (in that case Belgium and Greece respectively) were in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) in their implementation of the Dublin system regarding a specific transfer (M.S.S. v. Belgium and Greece, judgment of 21 January 2011, Application No. 30696/09), the Court of Justice of the European Union in the cases of N.S. and M.E. (Joined Cases C‑411/10 and C‑493/10) set limits to automaticity in EU law. It did so by finding that an application of the Dublin Regulation on the basis of the conclusive presumption that the asylum seeker's fundamental rights will be observed in the Member State primarily responsible for his application is incompatible with the duty of the Member States to interpret and apply the Regulation in a manner consistent with fundamental rights (para. 99). Such presumption is rebuttable (para. 104). The Court's rejection of the conclusive presumption that Member States will respect the fundamental rights of asylum seekers has been accompanied by the establishment of a high threshold of incompatibility with fundamental rights (Mitsilegas 2012b). A transfer under the Dublin Regulation would be incompatible with fundamental rights if there are substantial grounds for believing that there are systemic flaws in the asylum procedure and reception conditions for asylum applicants in the Member State responsible. This is the case if it results in inhuman or degrading treatment (within the meaning of Article 4 of the Charter on the prohibition of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment) of asylum seekers transferred to the territory of that Member State (para. 85).
The EU legislator has attempted to incorporate the Court's ruling in the re-casting of the Dublin system in the so-called Dublin III Regulation, adopted in 2013 and currently in force (EU Regulation No. 604/2013 OJ L180/31; for a commentary, see Maiani 2016a). According to Article 3(2) of the Regulation, second and third indent,
Where it is impossible to transfer an applicant to the Member State primarily designated as responsible because there are substantial grounds for believing that there are systemic flaws in the asylum procedure and in the reception conditions for applicants in the Member State, resulting in a risk of inhuman or degrading treatment within the meaning of Article 4 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, the determining Member State shall continue to examine the criteria set out in Chapter III in order to establish whether another Member State can be designed as responsible.
Where the transfer cannot be made pursuant to this paragraph to any Member State designated on the basis of the criteria set out in Chapter III or to the first Member State with which the application was lodged, the determining Member State shall become the Member State responsible.
Notwithstanding these developments, Dublin III has maintained essentially a state-centred model of solidarity. The Regulation maintains the system of allocation of responsibility for the examination of asylum applications by EU Member States under the same list of hierarchically enumerated criteria set out in its pre-Lisbon predecessor (see Chapter III of the Regulation, Arts. 7–15). Moreover, the Regulation attempts to translate a version of the principle of solidarity into legal terms. Article 33 of the Regulation introduces a so-called mechanism for early warning, preparedness and crisis management in cases where the Commission establishes that the application of the Dublin Regulation may be jeopardised due to either a substantiated risk of particular pressure being placed on a Member States' asylum system and/or to problems in the functioning of the asylum system of a Member State. In these cases the Commission would invite affected Member States to draw up a preventive action plan, without states being bound by the Commission's request (Art. 33(1)). The early warning mechanism established by the Dublin III Regulation is considerably weaker than an earlier Commission version. Under this version this mechanism would be accompanied by an emergency mechanism which would allow the temporary suspension of transfers of asylum seekers to Member States facing disproportionate pressure to their asylum systems. This has not been accepted by Member States (Conclusions of the Justice and Home Affairs Council of 22 September 2011, Council document 14464/11, 8).
The outcome has been a mechanism that again views the asylum process largely from the perspective of the state and not of the affected individuals. The Preamble to Dublin III confirms this view by stating that an early warning process should be established in order to ensure robust cooperation within the framework of this Regulation and to develop mutual trust among Member States with respect to asylum policy. It is further claimed that solidarity, which is a pivotal element in the Common European Asylum System, goes hand in hand with mutual trust and that early warning will enhance trust (Preamble, recital 22). Solidarity and trust are viewed in reality from a traditional 'burden-sharing' perspective involving negotiation of support by the Union to affected Member States (and with the European Asylum Support Office emerging as a key player). Notwithstanding the case-law of the European courts and the findings of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and civil society, the position of the asylum seeker appears to still be considered as an afterthought (Mitsilegas 2014).
Towards a Paradigm Change: Mutual Recognition of Positive Asylum Decisions as Refugee-Centred Solidarity
A way in which the current conceptual and human rights limits of solidarity in the Common European Asylum System can be transcended is to think differently about the application of the mutual recognition principle and focus on the establishment of a system of mutual recognition of positive asylum decisions, which will then carry with them the rights granted to refugees at the national level throughout the European Union. I have advocated the application of the principle of mutual recognition of positive asylum decisions in a Report I prepared for the Open Society Foundation in 2014 (Mitsilegas 2014b), which I presented at the Italian Presidency of the Council of the EU conference on asylum in November 2014 (for the main findings,see Mitsilegas 2015a). My proposal for adopting a model of mutual recognition of positive asylum decisions has since been endorsed by the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (Council of Europe 2015) and reflected in a recent study prepared for the European Parliament Civil Liberties Committee (Guild et al. 2015). I have argued that the application of mutual recognition, in order to achieve the extraterritorial reach of rights, has already been applied in the European criminal justice area by Directive 2011/99/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 December 2011 on the European Protection Order (OJ L338, 2). The Directive, which was adopted under a legal basis related to judicial cooperation in criminal matters, aims to apply the principle of mutual recognition in criminal matters to orders issued to protect victims in one Member State when these victims find themselves in other EU Member States. In other words, it is aimed that the recognition of a European Protection Order by the authority in the executing Member State will mean that the protection will 'follow' the victim to the Member State they have moved to. (Mitsilegas 2015b and 2016a).
I have argued that the application of the principle of mutual recognition on decisions granting rights to individuals can be applied in the Common European Asylum System (CEAS). The application of the principle of mutual recognition of positive asylum decisions provides five distinct and clear benefits:
It will create legal certainty regarding the status and rights of refugees throughout the EU in an AFSJ without internal frontiers.
It is consistent with the Treaty aim of establishing a CEAS and a uniform status (TFEU, Art. 78).
The necessary harmonisation, which is necessary for the effective operation of mutual recognition, exists at EU level, with the adoption of the second generation CEAS instruments post-Lisbon. There is a need to focus on the implementation of and compliance with these instruments across the EU.
Mutual recognition of positive asylum decisions is a corollary to developments examining possibilities for the pooling of reception conditions and join processing of asylum claims. Pooling of reception and procedure must be combined with the pooling of protection. Joint efforts in procedures and reception before the granting of refugee status will create joint ownership and mutual trust which will facilitate the subsequent recognition of positive asylum decisions across the EU.
Mutual recognition of positive asylum decisions focuses the discussion on solidarity specifically on the needs and rights of the refugee.
But how can the principle be applied? There are three factors, which must be considered when examining the precise conditions and modalities for the application of the principle of mutual recognition to positive asylum decisions:
Time. From when will mutual recognition take effect? One option is for mutual recognition to kick in from day one, namely from the date of the judicial decision granting refugee status. This is the preferable option and it could be based on a model granting equal treatment to refugees with citizens of the Union (see also Bast 2016). Another option may be for mutual recognition to take effect after two years of continuous residence in the state that has granted protection in line with the time limits established by the European Agreement of Transfer of Responsibility (see also, with further conditions, Meijers Committee 2015). A third option may be a hybrid model where movement to the second Member State happens immediately but equal treatment with long-term resident 'third country' nationals is granted from day one, whereas equal treatment with nationals of the second state is granted after two years.
Rights. For mutual recognition to be meaningful, the recognition of status should be accompanied by the recognition of rights. The protection and rights the refugee is granted in the first Member State should follow her in the second Member State. There are different moments in time when this can happen (see no. 1. above).
Quotas. A possible way forward is to combine mutual recognition with the allocation of responsibility between Member States on the basis of quotas. However, this option faces two challenges: it may disregard the particular situation and wishes of refugees (e.g. in the context of family reunification); and it is difficult to enforce in a Union without internal frontiers.
The application of the principle of mutual recognition of positive asylum decisions was floated by the European Commission some years ago, but the idea seems to have been buried since. Already in 2009, the European Commission, in its Communication on An Area of Freedom, Security and Justice Serving the Citizen stated that '[a]s part of a detailed evaluation on the transposal and implementation of second-phase legislative instruments and of progress in aligning practices and supporting measures…by the end of 2014, the EU should formally enshrine the principle of mutual recognition of all individual decisions granting protection status taken by authorities ruling on asylum applications which will mean that protection can be transferred without the adoption of specific mechanisms at the European level' (European Commission (COM) 2009, 262 final, 27–28). In its Communication informing the follow-up to the Stockholm Programme, the Commission noted that relocation of the beneficiaries of international protection, which has been piloted in recent years from Malta, is one form of solidarity that should be enhanced. It further stated that,
New rules on the mutual recognition of asylum decisions across Member States and a framework for the transfer of protection should be developed in line with the Treaty objective of creating a uniform status valid across the EU. This would reduce obstacles to movement within the EU and facilitate the transfer of protection-related benefits across internal borders (COM 2014, 154 final, 8).
While the principle of mutual recognition has been used thus far in Europe's Area of Freedom, Security and Justice in order to increase and extend the powers of the state, its potential for enhancing fundamental rights and the rights of beneficiaries of international protection is significant. The application of the principle of mutual recognition vis-à-vis positive asylum decisions would help ensure progress towards the policy and Treaty objectives of building a Common European Asylum System including a uniform status, and would be a logical next step in a system that aims at eliminating differences in protection between Member States. Mutual recognition will further focus technical and political efforts upon eliminating the considerable discrepancies regarding asylum determination outcomes in Member States and may help address some of the solidarity-related concerns raised by certain EU Member States. It would, however, need to be designed in a way that would ensure that all Member States would be encouraged to establish and maintain their asylum systems at optimal levels, in order to provide protection beneficiaries with the opportunity to enjoy their rights in the first state that has recognised them.
By focusing on the extraterritorial application and reach of the rights of beneficiaries of international protection, mutual recognition of positive asylum decisions could be seen as an important step towards intra-EU mobility in line with one of the key underlying principles of the EU, providing more flexibility to enable protection holders to use their skills and labour where these could be needed within the Union. It would also ensure legal certainty for both Member States and recipients of international protection vis-a-vis the position of the latter in the borderless Area of Freedom, Security and Justice. It may also act as a first step towards the establishment of a meaningful uniform status for refugees across the European Union, by leading to a centralised EU system of asylum determination and relocation, and by focusing on rights and granting legal certainty in the field – the current failure of the modest EU relocation initiatives. The move to the mutual recognition of positive asylum decisions and ultimately to a uniform status poses fewer challenges than integration on these terms in the field of criminal justice, as European asylum law is marked by a high degree of harmonisation underpinned by a series of detailed human rights standards in European Union and international law (Mitsilegas 2016b). A positive model of mutual recognition would thus empower refugees, and contribute to a paradigm shift from state-centred solidarity towards a model of solidarity centred on the individual.
From Mutual Recognition to Unification: Towards a Uniform Refugee Status in the EU
The application of the principle of mutual recognition to positive asylum decisions pre-supposes the continuation of the current model of the Common European Asylum System, which is based on the interaction of national asylum systems and the existence of national asylum determination procedures. A bold way forward to strengthen refugee-centred solidarity would be to contemplate a move from national to EU asylum determination and refugee status. This idea has been discussed recently and included in the Commission Communication on the reform of the Common European Asylum System published in 2016 (COM 2016, 197 final). One of the options put forward by the Commission was the setting up in the longer term of a new system transferring responsibility for the processing of asylum claims from the national to the EU level. For instance, by transforming European Asylum Support Office (EASO) into an EU-level first-instance decision-making agency with national branches in each Member State, and establishing an EU-level appeal structure (COM 2016, 197 final, 8–9). As seen above in the discussion of Dublin III, this proposal has not been taken forward.
However, the European Union has started examining distributive models – albeit with limited political will by Member States and under a model of solidarity heavily centred on the needs of states, both in its relocation initiatives and in Dublin III. These measures constitute timid but first steps towards rethinking the distribution of asylum seekers and refugees across the European Union. A centralised, EU-wide system is feasible in view of the high level of harmonisation of asylum law in the EU and the international protection roots and needs inherent in the system. Such a centralised system has the potential to achieve the aim of a uniform refugee status across the EU and it can act as a catalyst for the transformation of solidarity under the essential condition that it places the agency and preferences of asylum seekers at its heart.
The development of Europe's Common Asylum System has been based on a concept of solidarity which is predominantly state-centred. This approach has not served EU Member States, or applicants for international protection, well. The Dublin Regulation – notwithstanding its regular revisions – is a highly inefficient mechanism of allocation of responsibility for asylum applications and it poses significant challenges to the rights of asylum seekers without ensuring a high level of compliance with EU asylum law by Member States. The recent revision of the Dublin system by the Commission remains grounded on a state-centred model of solidarity, and therefore it is predicted that it – like its predecessors – will fail if the agency and rights of asylum seekers continue not to be taken into account. This contribution has argued that the way forward to ensure an efficient and rights-compliant asylum system in the European Union is to achieve a paradigm change and move from a concept of solidarity centred on the state to a concept of solidarity centred on the refugee.
This paradigm change can be achieved in two ways. In the short term, by applying the principle of mutual recognition to positive asylum decisions. The contribution has highlighted precedents in the field of criminal justice and has demonstrated the potential that positive mutual recognition has in order to bring the rights and preferences of refugees into the fore. In the longer term, a unified, truly common, European asylum system which will move from national to EU determination and status can be the way forward in reversing the paradigm of solidarity. This paradigm change can only happen if the asylum seeker and the refugee, their agency and choice, are taken into account fully in the development of European asylum law.
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Valsamis Mitsilegas is Professor of European Criminal Law, Dean for Research (Humanities and Social Sciences) and Head of the Department of Law at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL). He is currently serving as Academic Lead for Internationalisation for the University. He is the Inaugural Director of the Queen Mary Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences (IHSS) and has been the Director of the Queen Mary Criminal Justice Centre since 2011. His latest books are The Criminalisation of Migration in Europe (Springer, 2015) and EU Criminal Law after Lisbon (Hart, 2016).
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