Fisheries 

Express
MICHAEL GOVE told the fishing industry in Denmark that boats from EU countries would have still been able to operate in UK waters after Brexit, unearthed reports reveal.
Despite Downing Street calling a “mutual compromise”, it does seem Prime Minister Boris Johnson capitulated on one of the most contentious areas of Brexit trade talks: fishing rights. The UK wanted any fishing agreement to be separate from the trade deal with access negotiated annually in a similar fashion to Norway’s agreement with the bloc. Norway is an independent coastal state, with the rights and responsibilities under international law associated with that status. Stocks shared with the EU are managed through annual bilateral negotiations. Each autumn these talks set total allowable catches on the basis of scientific advice.
This contrasts starkly with the position of the UK fishing industry within the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy – something the EU wanted to maintain at all costs.
In the end, the UK agreed to a further five-and-a-half years of “predictability” for fishing communities, with the UK leaving the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).
Stock quotas for UK fishers will increase over a five-year timeframe, incrementally between now and 2026.
This means Britain will fish just over 66 percent of UK waters – in stark contrast with Iceland, which catches 90 percent of its own fish. 

Illegal migrants 

Sun
A MIGRANT raises his arms aloft to celebrate making the perilous trip across the Channel in an inflatable carrying three children and a baby.
Beachgoers saw about 20 passengers clamber out yesterday in Broadstairs, Kent.
Sally Jones Rowell, watching from a beach hut, said: “Most ran off in every direction.
“We gave the children bags of crisps.”
Police said: “Officers assisted Border Force after a report of suspected migrants.”
In July, The Sun told of similar scenes elsewhere in Kent when a migrant arrived with arms aloft at Dungeness.
Authorities are braced for a surge of crossings in the next few days during the expected calm and sunny weather.
A daily record of 828 people came in 30 small boats on Saturday. 

Similar stories can be read in Times, iNews 

EU 

Express
THE European Union has been told it will severely harm the UK legal system if it blocks Britain’s attempt to join an essential convention.
The EU Commission wants to stop the UK from joining the 2007 Lugano Convention. The agreement determines which countries have jurisdiction over cross-border civil and commercial disputes. UK lawyers have warned stopping Britain’s accession to the convention could cause severe issues for UK and EU families with relations on both sides of the English Channel. 
Rachael Kelsey, president of the European chapter of the International Academy of Family Lawyers told the Financial Times: “A year ago, we could say with total confidence and clarity ‘this court has jurisdiction, this is how long a case will take, and this is the cost ballpark’ — but now that is no longer the case.
“We need to put politics aside and recognise that there are millions of EU and UK citizens who are going to be prejudiced if we don’t end up with a better set of harmonised rules.” 

A similar story can be read in Order-order 

Express
BRUSSELS’ calls for the formation of an EU army in response to the Afghanistan crisis have sparked the fury of Nexit campaigners in the Netherlands.
Anger over the US approach to Afghanistan sparked plans for a European defence force from EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell this weekend. He wants to assemble an EU force of 50,000 men and women. He said Afghanistan could be the wake-up call for Europe.
He said: “The time has come to create a military force that can fight when necessary. We are going to propose to provide the Union with an expeditionary force of fifty thousand men.”
Mr Borrell is currently working on a so-called “defence strategy” for the European Union.
The plans and their elaboration are on the agenda of a European summit to be held in November.
But now Brussels is already using the chaos surrounding the evacuation of European citizens in Afghanistan to argue for a large European army. 

Breitbart
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has promised financial incentives to European Union member states who take in refugees and asylum seekers from Afghanistan.
President Von der Leyen made the announcement after a visit to a reception centre for Afghan EU employees at the Torrejon Air Base in Spain at the weekend and called on member states to take in refugees from the country which recently fell to the Taliban.
“I call on all states that have participated in the missions in Afghanistan, Europeans and others, to allocate sufficient reception quotas so that collectively we can come to the aid of those in need of protection,” Von der Leyen said, 20 Minutes reports.
“The Commission is ready to consider the necessary budgetary means to support EU Member States that will offer to help refugees settle on their territory,” she added.
According to 20 Minutes, it is not clear how many EU member states have agreed to take in Afghan refugees and which have outright refused the offer. 

Covid 

Express
THE rise of a mutant strain of COVID-19 in New York City, which appears to be at least partially resistant to vaccinations, has been highlighted in a new scientific report – with its authors describing the situation as “alarming”.
The report, published by a team of scientists from Columbia University in the scientific journal Nature, highlights two signature mutations, E484K, and N501Y. Lead author David Ho and his team warned the strain, B.1.526, also known as the Iota variant, showed worrying similarities with other variants of concern.
They wrote: “Recent months have seen surges of SARS-CoV-2 infection across the globe with considerable viral evolution1–3.
“Extensive mutations in the spike protein may threaten the efficacy of vaccines and therapeutic monoclonal antibodies4.”
E484K played a crucial role in the loss of neutralising activity of antibodies, while N501Y is a driver of rapid worldwide transmission of the B.1.1.7 lineage also known as the alpha variant, which emerged last December, the report said. 

Similar stories can be read in Guardian, Telegraph, Mail, Telegraph, Sun, Times, BBC News, iNews 

Education 

Times
Schools will be expected to introduce facemasks or testing for all pupils rather than being allowed to close or send pupils home.
From the start of term they will work with public health officials, who will be told to ensure that schools are not “overzealous” if there are outbreaks.
The Department for Education suggested yesterday that schools should strive for a return to normality, with plays, sport and musical performances, and the scrapping of bubbles.
But head teachers predict that infections will soar and have criticised “confusing” guidance issued by the government that relies on schools knowing who has been in contact with whom, even though they are no longer supposed to track and trace children. 

Scotland 

Mail
Scots could be dragged back into tougher coronavirus restrictions amid the biggest surge in cases since the beginning of the pandemic.
Nicola Sturgeon yesterday raised the prospect of reintroducing some curbs despite the successful vaccine rollout.
She also said that existing regulations, including mandatory face masks and limits on capacities at major events, are likely to be extended again next week.
The First Minister told businesses to allow staff to work from home if they can in an effort to get a grip on the latest surge in cases.
But business leaders urged the First Minister not to take the country back to ‘economic hibernation’, while opponents urged her to stop trying to cling on to control over people’s lives and focus on economic recovery.
Scotland already has more Covid restrictions than other parts of the UK but cases appear to be rising faster. The number of confirmed cases has more than doubled in the past week and hit a record high of 4,323 yesterday – although half of all new cases are people under the age of 25 who are least likely to have been fully vaccinated. 

International travel 

Mail
Holidaymakers have been subjected to 50 changes in the rules for international travel since the first coronavirus lockdown, according to new analysis.
The travel industry expressed dismay at the ‘constant rollercoaster’ of alterations and called for regulations to be simplified.
A Government spokesman said protecting public health is ‘our top priority’ and an ‘unprecedented package of support’ has been given to the travel sector.
Analysis by the PA news agency found that the testing and quarantine rules for people arriving in England since March last year have been altered 50 times.
A similar number of changes have occurred in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as the devolved administrations have largely mirrored England’s rules.
The green, amber and red travel lists have been updated every three weeks since they were introduced in May.
The list of quarantine-free travel corridors changed nearly every week during its existence between July 2020 and January 2021.
Many holidaymakers have been forced to cut trips short and rush home before tougher rules for arrivals from their destination were introduced. 

A similar story can be read in Guardian 

Extinction rebellion 

Evening Standard
One hundred and two Extinction Rebellion protesters were arrested in London.
As of 5:30pm on Tuesday, 40 arrests were made on the third day of protests.
Ten arrests were made on Sunday and 52 arrests were made on Monday.
The arrests were for a variety of offences.
Among the chaos, two women were detained by officers on Tuesday for spray painting the floor outside the HM Revenue & Customs building with slogans including “Oil=Death”.
An elderly woman who lay in the road was carried off by four officers during the demonstration while others laid on the floor in front of a banner reading: “Government in bed with climate criminals”.
After gathering at Parliament Square, campaigners ran towards slow-moving traffic on  Whitehall.
Others glued themselves to the wall of the Selfridges department store.
A TfL spokesman said Parliament Street in Whitehall had been blocked in both directions and there was slow-moving traffic in pockets of central London near Embankment and in Westminster due to XR action. 

Similar stories can be read in Times, Breitbart 

Terror attack 

Express
JOE Biden has warned of the “acute and growing risk” of a terror attack by ISIS affiliates in Afghanistan as evacuation efforts continue.
In a press conference following an emergency virtual meeting of G7 leaders, Mr Biden warned of the risk to US and allied troops staying in Afghanistan beyond August 31. The US President said he wants all his forces to be withdrawn from the country as soon as possible ahead of the deadline.
The US President said: “There are real and significant challenges that we also have to take into consideration the longer we stay, starting with the acute and growing risk of attack by a terrorist group known as ISISK, an ISIS affiliate in Afghanistan, which is a sworn enemy of the Taliban as well.
“Every day we are on the ground is another day we know that ISISK is seeking to target the airport and attack both US and allied forces and innocent civilians.”
Mr Biden also warned of the “tenuous” working relationship with the Taliban deteriorating if the US and allied troops stay in Afghanistan longer. 

Afghanistan 

Mail
Britain could be forced to wrap up its Kabul evacuation mission within 24 hours – potentially leaving thousands of Afghan refugees at the mercy of the Taliban – after Joe Biden began withdrawing US troops from Kabul last night.  
The US President insisted his troops were ‘on pace’ to leave Afghanistan by August 31, after rebuffing pleas by Boris Johnson and other G7 leaders for America to extend its evacuation timetable.
However, in a live TV broadcast last night, he warned the Taliban must ‘continue to co-operate’ with the US’ evacuation mission in order for his troops to be out of Kabul by the end of this month.
It comes amid claims from people on the ground in Kabul that westerners are being blocked by Taliban fighters from accessing the city’s airport for evacuation. 
Yesterday the extremist Islamist group issued an edict banning Afghans from leaving the country. They also blocked roads and set up check-points around Kabul airport. 

Similar stories can be read in  Guardian.  Times, Telegraph, Sun,  Independent, Mirror, Morning Star,  Evening Standard 

Breitbart
The French government admitted on Monday that it has repatriated an Afghani man and his four relatives despite being aware of intelligence that he was connected to the Taliban, with similar security failures witnessed in the UK.
As nations across Europe grapple with increased security concerns over the evacuation of asylum seekers from Afghanistan following President Joe Biden’s disastrous military withdrawal from the country, the French government has been accused of helping the Taliban establish a “fifth column” in the nation.
On Monday, French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin admitted: “Even if this person greatly assisted in the evacuation of the French embassy, we believe that he may be linked to the Taliban.”
The leader of the populist right-wing National Rally (RN) Marine Le Pen, who is challenging President Emmanuel Macron in next year’s election, wrote: “The “duty” of welcoming France takes a back seat when the security of the French is threatened. This imperative makes sense [to everyone] except for the Government!” 

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