Page 5 - aruba-today-20201013

A5
WORLD NEWS Tuesday 13 OcTOber 2020
Yet another Brexit deadline looms; trade talks in rut

By RAF CASERT introduced legislation that
Associated Press breaches the Brexit with-
BRUSSELS (AP) — Almost drawal agreement he him-
by tradition, another Brexit self signed with the EU only
deadline is looming. Just as last year — a move that has
much by tradition, talks are demolished trust between
expected to continue af- the two sides.
terward. "Our position is simple clear
British negotiators traveled and steadfast: If there is no
to European Union head- level playing field, there is
quarters on Monday to start no access to our market,"
what has long been billed said France's EU minister,
as another do-or-die ses- Clement Beaune.
sion between both sides. The last crucial issue is
The divorce was settled at about fishing rights, which
the end of January when affects only a fraction of
the U.K. left the spurned GDP on both sides but has
bloc. Now, the end of a gained symbolic heft. Brit-
transition period is draw- ain demands to fully rule its
ing close and both sides waves, while France and
have to decide what kind others have big fishing in-
of trade deal, if any, they dustries to accommodate.
want. British Brexit negotiator David Frost, center, and Britain's Ambassador to the European Union Tim If Britain has made it al-
British Prime Minister Boris Barrow, right, arrive for a meeting with European Commission's Head of Task Force for Relations ready legally binding that
Johnson has long billed the with the United Kingdom Michel Barnier at EU headquarters in Brussels, Monday, Oct. 12, 2020. it will not extend a transi-
two-day EU summit that Associated Press tion period beyond Jan. 1,
starts Thursday as an ulti- by Oct. 15. The EU them- craesed by yet another Michel Barnier on the EU that deadline seems set in
mate deadline. The 27-na- selves indicated to the warning for businesses to side and David Frost on the stone.
tion EU is willing to go on U.K. negotiating team in prepare for a drastic rup- British end have struggled The EU has said that any
until early November to July that mid-October was ture, possibly without a for months to make prog- agreement will take about
craft a deal, however ba- the last possible date for a deal. ress and have three funda- two months for legal rati-
sic, that could still save deal." After months of talks, Brit- mental issues left to deal fication, translation into
hundreds of thousands of The urgency was high- ain and the EU appear to with. the many EU languages
jobs and prevent an even lighted by weekend phone remain deadlocked on the The EU wants to make sure and for approval from the
worse economic crisis than calls between Johnson and key issues of fishing and British firms will not go low EU parliament, making for
the coronavirus pandemic French President Emmanu- rules to ensure fair eco- on regulation and high on an effective cutoff date
has already wrought. el Macron and German nomic competition. If there subsidies to undercut EU around Nov. 1.
On Monday, Johnson's Chancellor Angela Merkel. is any hope for a deal, nei- companies if any deal on During the negotiations on
spokesman said the U.K. still EU Commission President ther side is letting on. zero tariffs and zero quotas the withdrawal deal since
viewed this week's talks as Ursula von der Leyen and "Intensive discussions con- is agreed upon. The mem- the 2016 U.K. referendum
crucial. Charles Michel, the Council tinue in Brussels this week," ber states have also be- to leave, both sides often
"Time is in short supply," said president, were calling oth- said EU Commission spokes- come ardent in demand- threatened with deadlines,
James Slack. "We will work er EU leaders to make sure man Daniel Ferrie, refusing ing legal guarantees on but still found a belated
as hard as we can to see if the bloc remained united. to elaborate. governance of any deal agreement last year on the
we can get an agreement In Paris, pressure was in- Negotiating teams led by since Johnson last month U.K. departure.q

U.N. warns against pursuing herd immunity to stop coronavirus

LONDON (AP) — The head a virus, not by exposing "We have some clues, but
of the World Health Organi- them to it," he said. Some we don't have the com-
zation warned against the researchers have argued plete picture," he said,
idea that herd immunity that allowing COVID-19 to noting that WHO had
might be a realistic strategy spread in populations that documented instances of
to stop the pandemic, dis- are not obviously vulner- people becoming reinfect-
missing such proposals as able will help build up herd ed with coronavirus after
"simply unethical." immunity and is a more recovering from an initial
At a media briefing on realistic way to stop the bout of the virus. Tedros
Monday, WHO Director- pandemic, instead of the said that while most people
General Tedros Adhanom restrictive lockdowns that appear to develop some
Ghebreyesus said health have proved economically kind of immune response,
officials typically aim to devastating. it's unclear how long that
achieve herd immunity by "Never in the history of pub- lasts or how robust that pro-
vaccination. Tedros noted lic health has herd immuni- tection is — and that differ-
that to obtain herd immu- ty been used as a strategy ent people have varying
nity from a highly infectious for responding to an out- responses. In this Monday, March 9, 2020 file photo, Tedros Adhanom
disease such as measles, break," Tedros said. "Allowing a dangerous virus Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organization
for example, about 95% of Tedros said that too little that we don't fully under- speaks during a news conference on updates regarding
COVID-19, at the WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.
the population must be im- was known about immu- stand to run free is simply Associated Press
munized. nity to COVID-19 to know unethical," he said.
"Herd immunity is achieved if herd immunity is even WHO estimates less than any immunity to the coro- majority of the world re-
by protecting people from achievable. 10% of the population has navirus, meaning the vast mains susceptible.q