Новости за 14.07.2021

At least 1,146 people lost their lives on maritime routes to Europe in the first six months of this year, according to the International Organization for Migration. The figure is more than double that for same period in 2020. "The Mediterranean Sea was the main site of these fatalities," it said, noting 896 people are known to have died attempting to reach Europe on this maritime route.

Havana must free Cuban journalist Camila Acosta, who writes for Spanish newspaper ABC, and who was detained with some 100 others in recent anti-regime protests, Spanish foreign minister José Manuel Albares said. Cuban authorities also confirmed one protester, Diubis Laurencio Tejeda, was killed Monday, amid social media reports of police violence. It said he had attacked a government facility, but eyewitnesses told the BBC the police had attacked a crowd.

Russia has failed to provide the European Medicines Agency (EMA) with clinical data on adverse effects of its Sputnik V anti-corona vaccine and on its drug's "master cell bank", its biological core, in what amounts to a "major" problem for EU approval, according to EMA sources speaking to Reuters. Russia said there were "no reported serious adverse events", while blaming the "Western pharmaceutical lobby" for sowing anti-Sputnik V "disinformation".

The EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Tuesday said Bosnia and Herzegovina has to do better in its efforts to align with the European Union. "I have to regret that the rate of alignment has dropped in the first months of this year and this is, certainly, not in line with the aspirations to become a European Union candidate country," he said.

Over 100 intellectual-property experts and academics called on Tuesday on the UK, Australia, Brazil, Japan, Norway, Switzerland and the EU to stop blocking the proposal demanding the temporary lifting of intellectual properties rights for Covid-19 vaccines and treatments. The call comes ahead of this week's round of the 'TRIPS Waiver' negotiations at the World Trade Organization. The proposal is currently supported by over 100 countries, including the US.

Poland has postponed a Constitutional Court verdict, on whether EU or Polish law has primacy in the country, from Tuesday until at least Thursday. The EU Commission has urged Poland to scrap the procedure, in a court stuffed with political loyalists of the ruling, eurosceptic PiS party. Polish human rights Ombudsman Adam Bodnar also said Tuesday the process "sooner or later will lead to Poland's removal from the EU".

France's anti-trust watchdog has handed Google a €500m fine for using French news agencies' material, Reuters reports. Google must now present proposals within two months on how it will compensate the agencies, and other publishers, for the use of their news. If it does not, Google could face additional fines of up to €900,000 per day. Google said it was disappointed at the decision.

EU finance ministers on Tuesday approved investment plans from 12 member states - including Italy, Spain and France - paving the way for the first payments of grants and loans from the bloc's €800bn Covid-19 recovery fund to boost the economy. Plans from Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Latvia, Luxembourg, Portugal, and Slovakia were also given the green light. The next group of plans could be approved on 26 July.

Lithuania's parliament has approved the mass detention of asylum-seekers and restricted their rights to appeal, in a bid to deter the newly-high numbers crossing the border from Belarus. Reuters writes. Some 84 members of the 141-seat parliament voted to pass the law, brushing aside protests from Red Cross and other non-government organisations saying it violates Lithuania's international obligations and migrants' rights.

The spread of the more contagious Delta variant has prompted authorities in member states to accelerate inoculation campaigns, and even make vaccination mandatory - in a bid to halt the new surge of cases and avoid lockdowns in the autumn.

The NGO search-and-rescue vessel Ocean Viking was the only civilian ship at sea. In the span of just four days, it saved nearly 600 people - often in a race with an aggressive Libyan coast guard.

The first battle of the 'Fit for 55' package has to be fought on the home front. Europe will also have to win the battle for the hearts and minds of citizens, mindful of the 'yellow vests'-style protests.

The EU must differentiate between temporary and Covid-19-related action from permanent changes before making any final decisions based on the new EU trade policy strategy.