EU demanding potential veto on Britain's post-Brexit laws, regulations

The European Union is demanding a potential veto on Britain’s post-Brexit laws and regulations, The Times newspaper reported on Saturday, citing senior government officials.

The British daily reported that EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, is said to be insisting that London must agree not to implement any change to UK legislation that could distort trade with the bloc without first consulting Brussels.

Barnier’s UK counterpart, David Frost, has rejected the approach, The Times reported.

EU diplomats said earlier that Barnier went to London on Tuesday to tell Frost Britain must move on state aid, or there will not be a Brexit agreement.

The chances of Britain leaving the European Union without a trade deal have risen sharply as negotiations have been threatened by London’s insistence that it have full autonomy over its state aid plans.

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EU demanding potential veto on Britain's post-Brexit laws, regulations

The European Union is demanding a potential veto on Britain’s post-Brexit laws and regulations, The Times newspaper reported on Saturday, citing senior government officials.

The British daily reported that EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, is said to be insisting that London must agree not to implement any change to UK legislation that could distort trade with the bloc without first consulting Brussels.

Barnier’s UK counterpart, David Frost, has rejected the approach, The Times reported.

EU diplomats said earlier that Barnier went to London on Tuesday to tell Frost Britain must move on state aid, or there will not be a Brexit agreement.

The chances of Britain leaving the European Union without a trade deal have risen sharply as negotiations have been threatened by London’s insistence that it have full autonomy over its state aid plans.

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Fully loaded supertanker catches fire off Sri Lanka

A fire broke out on a Panama-flagged supertanker carrying about 2 million barrels of oil in the Indian Ocean off the east coast of Sri Lanka. One of its 23 crew is missing and presumed dead.

The 299,986 dead weight tonne (dwt) very large crude carrier (VLCC) tanker has a total capacity 340,104 cubic meters, or about 300,000 tonnes.

The fully-laden vessel was carrying about 2 million barrels (around 270,000 tonnes) of Kuwait oil valued at roughly $90 million to the Paradip refinery on India’s east coast when fire broke out in the engine on Sept 3.

The 333-meter long double-hulled supertanker was built in 2000 by Mitsui Ichihara Engineering & Shipbuilding in Japan.

The 20-year-old New Diamond was previously sold at $26.5 million in January 2013, and the current market value is $21.28 million, according to VesselsValue, a company that tracks ships and vessel transactions.

The Panamanian-flagged tanker (IMO number 9191424) is owned by Liberia-based Porto Emporios Shipping Inc since 2013.

The vessel’s commercial and safety manager is Greece-based New Shipping Ltd, which has a fleet of 32 oil tankers and bulk carriers under its care, according to data from Equasis.org, a shipping transparency website.

In 1992, the United Nations shipping agency, the International Maritime Organization (IMO), mandated that all tankers of 5,000 dwt and more be fitted with double hulls to reduce the likelihood of leaks following the Exxon Valdez oil spill disaster in Alaska in 1989.

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'Flying' electric speedboat debuts on Switzerland's lakes

The world’s first electric-powered hydrofoil speedboat, which reduces energy consumption and noise - as well as sea sickness - by “flying” above the waves, has made its debut on Switzerland’s lakes.

The Candela Seven can hit speeds of 55 km per hour when its foils lift it out of the water. Its manufacturers say it travels further and smoother than other electric boats.

The foils reduce water friction - and the effect of waves slamming into the boat - cutting energy consumption by 80% compared to normal diesel-powered boats and extending the craft’s range to 90 km (56 miles).

The carbon fiber boat also carries an on-board computer which automatically adjusts the foil positions 100 times per second to reduce rolling and sea-sickness.

“Because we don’t have any waves hitting, we don’t have any slamming or bumping around and you really have a quiet a smooth ride,” Swiss importer Christian Vogel told Reuters.

Until now, electric boats have tended to sacrifice either speed or range because of the capacity limits of their batteries.

The Candela Seven made its Swiss debut on Lake Lucerne this week, with Candela Speed Boat hoping to drum up new business with a European tour. The Stockholm-based company has delivered 16 boats since last year.

The boat, which costs around 250,000 euros ($296,000), would be a good fit for Switzerland’s lakeside cities like Zurich, Lucerne and Geneva, said Vogel.

“People could use it to commute across lakes or for day trips,” he said. “You can drive this with a clean conscience from an environmental point of view, and it’s great fun.”

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Robert Pattinson's positive test on 'Batman' set underscores challenges for Hollywood

British actor Robert Pattinson has tested positive for COVID-19, news media reported on Thursday, halting production of “The Batman” and highlighting the industry’s struggles to get back to business after months of a pandemic-induced shutdown.

Movie studio Warner Bros. said in a statement that “a member of ‘The Batman’ production” in Britain had tested positive for the coronavirus, but did not give a name. “Filming is temporarily paused,” the studio’s statement added, but did not say for how long.

Variety, the Hollywood Reporter and Vanity Fair all cited sources as saying the person who tested positive was Pattinson, the film’s star.

Warner Bros. and Pattinson’s representatives did not return calls seeking comment. It was not clear to what extent Pattinson, 34, best known for his breakout role in the vampire movie series “Twilight,” was suffering COVID-19 symptoms.

Filming of “The Batman” had resumed north of London only three days ago after being shut down in mid-March, along with dozens of other movies and TV shows around the world due to the coronavirus.

The movie, in which Pattinson stars as the comic book hero, has about three months of material left to shoot, according to Hollywood trade outlets. Its release was pushed back earlier this year from June 2021 to October 2021.

Movie and TV production has been slow to get going again in the United States under complex safety procedures that include testing, quarantine and social distancing on sets that employ dozens of crew members, makeup artists, actors, extras and other production staff.

Some productions, including Universal Pictures’ “Jurassic World: Dominion,” have restarted in London or in Eastern Europe, while the cast of the “Avatar” sequel is back at work in New Zealand, where the coronavirus has been kept in check.

Tom Cruise in July got permission to shoot parts of the next “Mission Impossible” thriller in Norway without having to follow quarantine requirements. However, Variety reported that the production has hired two cruise ships to house the crew to keep them apart from locals.

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Results of Russia's COVID-19 vaccine produced antibody response: The Lancet

Russia’s “Sputnik-V” COVID-19 vaccine produced an antibody response in all participants in early-stage trials, according to results published on Friday by The Lancet medical journal that were hailed by Moscow as an answer to its critics.

The results of the two trials, conducted in June-July this year and involving 76 participants, showed 100% of participants developing antibodies to the new coronavirus and no serious side effects, The Lancet said.

Russia licensed the two-shot jab for domestic use in August, the first country to do so and before any data had been published or a large-scale trial begun.

“The two 42-day trials – including 38 healthy adults each – did not find any serious adverse effects among participants, and confirmed that the vaccine candidates elicit an antibody response,” The Lancet said.

“Large, long-term trials including a placebo comparison, and further monitoring are needed to establish the long-term safety and effectiveness of the vaccine for preventing COVID-19 infection,” it said.

The vaccine is named Sputnik-V in homage to the world’s first satellite, launched by the Soviet Union. Some Western experts have warned against its use until all internationally approved testing and regulatory steps have been taken.

But with the results now published for the first time in an international peer-reviewed journal, and with a 40,000-strong later-stage trial launched last week, a senior Russian official said Moscow had faced down its critics abroad.

“With this (publication) we answer all of the questions of the West that were diligently asked over the past three weeks, frankly with the clear goal of tarnishing the Russian vaccine,” said Kirill Dmitriev, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, which has backed the vaccine.

“All of the boxes are checked,” he told Reuters. “Now... we will start asking questions of some of the Western vaccines.”

Dmitriev said at least 3,000 people had already been recruited for the large-scale trial of the Sputnik-V vaccine launched last week, and initial results were expected in October or November this year.

Commenting on the results of the early-stage trials, lead author Dr Naor Bar-Zeev of the International Vaccine Access Center, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, USA said the studies were “encouraging but small”.

Bar-Zeev, who was not involved in the study, said “clinical efficacy for any COVID-19 vaccine has not yet been shown.”

Governments and big pharmaceutical firms are racing to develop a vaccine to end the COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed more than 850,000 people globally and infected around 26 million.

More than half a dozen drugmakers are already conducting advanced clinical trials, each with tens of thousands of participants and several, including Britain’s AstraZeneca and U.S. drugmakers Moderna and Pfizer expect to know if their COVID-19 vaccines work and are safe by the end of this year.

The Lancet said the early-stage trials suggested the Sputnik-V vaccine produced a response in a component of the immune system known as T cells.

Scientists have been scrutinising the role played by T cells in battling coronavirus infection, with recent findings showing these cells may provide longer-term protection than antibodies.

The vaccine, developed by Moscow’s Gamaleya Institute, is administered in two doses, with each based on a different vector that normally causes the common cold: human adenoviruses Ad5 and Ad26.

Some experts have said that using this delivery mechanism could make a COVID-19 vaccine less effective, since many people have already been exposed to the Ad5 adenovirus and developed immunity to it.

In China and the United States, about 40% of people have high levels of antibodies from prior Ad5 exposure. In Africa, it could be has high as 80%, experts have said.

Denis Logunov, one of the vaccine’s developers at the Gamaleya Institute, told Reuters the vaccine uses a strong enough dose of Ad5 to overcome any earlier immunity, without compromising safety.

The booster dose, based on the rarer Ad26 adenovirus, provides further support because the likelihood of widespread immunity to both types in the population is minimal, he said.

Russia has said it expects to produce between 1.5 million and 2 million doses per month of its potential COVID-19 vaccine by the end of the year, gradually increasing production to 6 million doses a month.

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England, Australia renew old rivalry on T20 battlefield

One of England’s most extraordinary seasons will end with them facing arch-rivals Australia as both sides try to strike a balance between playing their strongest limited-overs teams and keeping an eye on the future.

The novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic threatened to wipe out England’s entire home season yet they are now set to complete all 18 scheduled men’s internationals, albeit the fixtures have been played behind closed doors.

They face Australia in three Twenty20 Internationals at the Ageas Bowl, starting from Friday, before taking on their oldest foes in three One-day Inter­nationals at Old Trafford in Manchester later this month.

The Twenty20s should have served as preparation for October’s T20 World Cup in Australia but the Covid-19 outbreak means the next edition of the global showpiece will take place in India in 2021.

That does give both teams time to fine-tune their line-ups but equally they may want to give their strongest XIs as much as time as they can in their middle.

Australia are currently the world’s top-ranked T20 side, with much of their success built on a top order featuring captain Aaron Finch, David Warner and Steve Smith.

So even though the likes of Marcus Stoinis and Marnus Labuschagne have been in the runs during Australia’s warm-up matches in England, they are unlikely to displace the three premier batsmen.

“We’ve had a pretty settled T20 side over the last 12 months or so and all we can ask for is that guys bang so hard they are putting pressure on the guys in there,” said Australia head coach Justin Langer, who can also call upon Glenn Maxwell in the middle-order after he took a break to deal with mental health issues.

England beat Australia in the semi-finals on the way to winning last year’s 50-over World Cup and white-ball captain Eoin Morgan believes consistency of selection is important if they are to replicate that triumph in the T20 equivalent.

“I don’t think we can have a scenario where we can play the majority of our games with a half-strength team and then expect to go into a World Cup as contenders when guys don’t know their roles or haven’t been familiarised with them,” he said.

England were without several multi-format players during their recent T20 series with Pakistan that ended in a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford on Tuesday.

The likes of 21-year-old opener Tom Banton starred against Pakistan but Jos Buttler could now regain his place at the top of the order.

World Cup-winning fast bowlers Jofra Archer and Mark Wood will provide extra firepower to an attack still without star all-rounder Ben Stokes, who remains on compassionate leave while he spends time with his ill father.

Meanwhile, Labuschagne may have to wait to make his Twenty20 international debut despite a dazzling start to the tour, according to captain Aaron Finch.

Labuschagne, a breakout star of last year’s drawn Ashes campaign in England, scored 100 off 51 balls when opening in a T20 trial game on Tuesday.

But with Finch and Warner established as an ope­n­ing pair and Smith a powerful presence in the top order, the 26-year-old may be unable to force his way into Australia’s side to play England.

“We’re pretty settled with how we structure our T20 side at the moment,” Finch told a conference call on Thursday. “He [Labuschagne] played nicely the other day, but I think he might have to wait a little bit longer in T20 cricket.”

Wicket-keeper Alex Carey struck 107 in the same innings as Labuschagne, while Maxwell hit 108 in a 50-over warm-up match.

“It’s been a really good hit out the last few days,” said Finch. “Obviously with Max­well getting a hundred, Marnus, Alex Carey all getting hundreds in two different formats is really pleasing.”

Finch knows the Southampton ground well — he hit a then T20 world record 156 against England at Hampshire’s headquarters in 2013.

“Your defensive bowling becomes really important because it’s a wicket that has a touch more pace than some other wickets around the country,” explained Finch.

“So it gives you the opportunity to hit through the line and take the game on a little bit earlier on in your innings than what you generally would.”

The remaining two matches will be played on Sunday (6:15pm PST) and Sunday (10:00pm PST).

Teams 

ENGLAND: Tom Banton, Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid, Jofra Archer, Joe Denly, Mark Wood, Sam Billings.

AUSTRALIA: David Warner, Aaron Finch (captain), Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Marsh, Steve Smith, Alex Carey, Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Riley Meredith, Adam Zampa, Jason Hazlewood, Marcus Labuschagne, Marcus Stoinis.

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