Boris Johnson offers final compromise on Brexi

Is the Brexit saga coming to en end? UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson made his final offer Wednesday for a "fair and reasonable compromise" to get Britain out of the European Union.

The government has delivered its new Brexit proposals to the EU, including plans to replace the Irish backstop.

The plan, outlined in a seven-page document, would see Northern Ireland stay in the European single market for goods, but leave the customs union - resulting in new customs checks.

The Northern Ireland Assembly would get to approve the arrangements first and vote every four years on keeping them.

The European Commission says it will "examine [the proposals] objectively".

Speaking at the Conservative Party conference for the first time as prime minister, Johnson remained steadfast in his commitment to complete the Brexit process that began more than three years ago.

"Voters are desperate for us to focus on other priorities," Johnson said. "What people want, what 'Leavers' want, what 'Remainers' want, what the whole world wants is to move on. Let's get Brexit done -- we can, we must and we will."

He also said the alternative to not reaching an agreement would be a no-deal Brexit by Oct. 31.

"Because if we fail to get an agreement because of what is essentially a technical discussion of the exact nature of future customs checks, when that technology is improving the whole time, then let us be in no doubt that the alternative is no-deal," Johnson said.

Government sources said they believed they could enter an intense 10-day period of negotiations with the EU almost immediately, with the aim of coming to a final agreement at an EU summit on 17 October.

Johnson warned British Parliament it cannot stop him from leaving without a deal, despite a law barring him from doing so without lawmakers' approval.

"The EU is obliged by EU law only to negotiate with member state governments, they cannot negotiate with Parliament, and this government will not negotiate a delay," Johnson said.

He said British voters don't want to be "taken for fools" by those who want to block the process. He warned of "grave consequences for trust in democracy" if Brexit doesn't happen.

Harry and Meghan's african tour kicks off

The 10-day visit has begun: the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have arrived in South Africa with their son Archie. It's their first official tour as a family.

The visit will see the couple celebrate the people and culture of southern Africa. Prince Harry and Meghan are sending a clear signal with this trip: they want to be taken seriously, highlighting issues ranging from the abuse of women to wildlife conservation.


They are visiting a township in Cape Town on the first stop of the visit. The family arrived in Cape Town at approximately 10:00 BST.

The duke and duchess faced criticism last month after newspapers claimed they flew in private jets four times in 11 days.


In a post on the Sussex Royal Instagram account ahead of the tour, the duke said he could not wait to introduce his wife and son to South Africa.

On their first engagement, the couples visited Cape Town's Nyanga township, where they met staff of a workshop that supports children and empowers young girls.


They spent time at the Justice Desk - an NGO supported by the Queen's Commonwealth Trust - which teaches children about their rights and how to deal with trauma, as well as offering self-defence classes to young people.

Meghan is expected to speak about the rising violence against women in South Africa.


The royals will be in Africa until 2 October. While the duchess and Archie are scheduled to spend the duration in South Africa, Prince Harry will also travel alone to Malawi, Botswana and Angola, where he will pay tribute to his mother Princess Diana's anti-landmine campaign.

Glue and blood against climate change

The opening of the London Fashion Week has been disrupted on Friday, when climate activists glued themselves to a door and poured a “bleeding” red carpet, seeking to draw attention to the apparel industry’s impact on the environment. Protesters belonging to the Extinction Rebellion group have vowed to disrupt the five-day event, where luxury brands such as Burberry, Victoria Beckham and Erdem are presenting their spring 2020 womenswear collections.

The group, which has staged numerous protests in recent months calling for action to tackle climate change, had called on the British Fashion Council to cancel the event. Wearing white dresses with blood-like stains, five protesters glued themselves to the entrance door of the main London Fashion Week building. Other demonstrators briefly lay on a pool of pink liquid, which they said depicted blood. The protest took place before the start of the first fashion show, scheduled at 0800 GMT. “(The demonstrators) are calling for the fashion industry to tell the truth about its contribution to the climate and ecological crisis,” the group said in a phone message to journalists.

At a time of growing public environmental awareness, fashion brands are being urged to be more sustainable and cut waste. Speaking to Reuters, BFC Chief Executive Caroline Rush said demands to cancel London Fashion Week did not “solve the problem in terms of the way the industry needs to address the climate change emergency”. “By having a platform like Fashion Week, it’s an opportunity to bring designers and the industry together and engage them in the conversation,” she said.

“We’re looking forward to five days of incredible creativity and we’ll be showcasing fantastic businesses, that many of them are already working in terms of how they can address the climate change emergency and what they’re doing to address positive change.” London Fashion Week is the second leg of a month-long catwalk season that began in New York and will also take place in Milan and Paris.

Nicole Junkermann: “Business is about revolutions”

"Business is about revolutions. And passion”. Thus spoke Nicole Junkermann, the London-based entrepreneur, founder of NJF Holdings. So blonde and charming, you could say she has dedicated her whole life to being a model and, after marrying an Italian count and having a daughter, to living for her family and social life. Nothing is further from the truth.

The precocious entrepreneur

At age 12, Nicole — born in Düsseldorf and raised in Spain — was a translator for her father on a business trip. But her baptism of fire as a businesswoman came up ten years later watching a football game. While writing her degree thesis, it occurred to the then student that there was no reason to wait for the diploma. It was at that moment that she started thinking about creating the Winamax online gaming platform. In 2002 Nicole Junkermann co-founded Infront Sports and Media, which she sold in 2011, for 650 million euros. Later, she invested in Really Sports, one of the most important sports stores in China, and two years later she created the United in Sports venture capital fund. Currently, Nicole runs NJF Holdings and has collaborated on investments with Silicon Valley personalities such as Eric Schmidt —Google— or Peter Thiel — Paypal.

The private side

She gets up at six to meditate. “In a world where we are bombarded with so much information, I find it fundamental,” she says. Normally, Nicole will also run before reading the newspapers and having breakfast with her husband, Count Ferdinando Brachetti Peretti, and their one-year-old daughter, Vita. Ferdinando is the president and CEO of the Italian energy company Gruppo Api / IP and his family owns the Il Pollenza vineyards. “I like that Vita can grow up surrounded by the traditional values of our family,” Nicole says. Her husband’s maternal aunt, Elsa Peretti, is the designer of Tiffany & Co. and New York legend of the Studio 54 era, where she rubbed shoulders with Andy Warhol and Liza Minnelli while triumphing as a model and being photographed by Helmut Newton. Nicole Junkermann doesn’t seem very fascinated by clothes and accessories, though. “The truth is that I prefer reading a book rather than going shopping,” she confesses.

In 2015 Nicole Junkermann and Ferdinando Brachetti Peretti coincided by chance in the lobby of the Palace of Gstaad. Since then they have not separated. Last year their family has become whole with the birth of Vita. Nicole is clear on how to educate her. “My mother raised me to be an independent woman. And my wonderful husband’s mother, despite growing up in a world dominated by men, is the only woman elected general of the Italian Army. I feel very grateful for that generation that, enduring much more difficult than us, jumped obstacles to make our life possible”.

Businesses that bring revolutionary ideas

Nicole has an analytical side, but also an adventurous spirit that allows her to bet on disparate industries. “I am an entrepreneur and I am interested in businesses that bring revolutionary ideas“. In 2018 she has been appointed advisor to the Under Secretary of Health and Technology of the British Government, but also has a social conscience that led her to invest in Magnum, the agency created by photographers such as Robert Capa and Henri Cartier-Bresson at the end of World War II and which has since covered worldwide the most important historical conflicts.

The Magnum challenge

“Magnum is a bit out of the orbit of the companies I normally invest in. It was the result of a passion, I thought it would be important to renew this great cooperative of photographers. We live in a world of fake news where people change their reality with Photoshop. The millennial generation reacts much more to images than to texts. Magnum is a great heritage and I hope to revive it. I want people to appreciate this art again in the same way they have appreciated vinyl again” she concludes.

https://businessvertex.com/index.php/2019/09/04/nicole-junkermann-business-is-about-revolutions/

The Peralada event

An event featuring all kinds of music in the town of Peralada, Girona province. Peralada, in the Region of Catalonia, celebrates a new edition of its prestigious festival, that brings together music, theatre and a range of multi-disciplinary shows. Over the course of a month you can enjoy symphony concerts, jazz, pop, opera and theatre representations at the three venues that host the festival: the auditorium at the Gardens of Peralada Castle, El Carmen Church and the pavilion in the gardens. Featured in the programme: Seal - Diana Krall - Bryan Hymel - Turandot (Puccini) Practical information Date:From Jul 4, 2019 to Aug 17, 2019Place:Plaza del Carmen 1 17491. Peralada (Girona. Catalonia)

Royal couple to visit Africa

It’s official: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are going to Africa. Just a few short weeks after welcoming their child, Archie, the royal couple is already planning their first official royal family trip to visit several countries in Africa. Meghan and Harry will travel to Angola, Malawi, and South Africa at some point later this year, according to a report in ITV. The couple reportedly chose the countries as a way to continue the legacy of charitable work first started by Harry’s mother, Princess Diana. "[Harry's] trip to Africa comes at a time in his life where he has become a parent himself,” a source told The Mirror. “This is all about wanting to fulfill his mother’s legacy and showing his wife and baby son the places that have had the most positive effect on him in his life." People reported that, while in Malawi, Harry and Meghan plan to expand the reach of Prince Harry’s Sentebale charity, an organization he co-founded in 2006 with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho. The organization works to support young people affected by HIV and AIDS in Lesotho, Botswana, and Malawi. Following that visit, the pair will move on to Angola, where Princess Diana also visited as part of her charitable work. On her visit, Diana was famously photographed walking through an active landmine area while wearing just a protective visor. And, according to The Mirror, Prince Harry plans to do the same. Next week, on June 17, Harry is expected to participate in a conference sponsored by the HALO Trust on landmine clearance at the Chatham House in London. And, as the palace itself stated, it’s an important issue as “the presence of land mines and remnants of the civil war render large areas of the country unsafe.” No word yet on when the couple plans to depart for Africa, or if Archie will tag along, but don’t worry, as surely there will be plenty of royal announcements about the trip soon.

August hotter than july in Greece

August really isn’t much different than July in Athens, though it may even be a little hotter with the average high temperature now increasing a degree to 34°C, and the lows still quite warm at 24°C. As the humidity is at its lowest of the year, the dry climate makes the heat a bit more bearable, and you can plan to spend lots of time in the water with sea temperatures even warmer now at 25°C. Bring lots of sun protection and lightweight clothing if you plan to visit Athens in August. (Average Max Temperature: 34°C. Average Precipitation: 6mm.)
Central/Northern Greece in August: There isn’t much change between July and August, though the average high temperature decreases a degree to 30°C. The low remains a pleasant 19°C and there is even less of a chance for rain with only 20mm falling over four days this month. Pack as you would for August, with lots of summery clothing and sun protection, and plan to spend at least some of your time at a pool or by the sea. (Average Max Temperature: 30°C. Average Precipitation: 20mm.)
Peloponnese Weather in August: August is the second hottest month in Peloponnese, the only difference is that the nighttime lows drop a degree to 18°C, and the chance of rain decreases even more, with just 2mm of precipitation on average. The sea temperature is slightly warmer now at 25°C, but taking a dip now should still feel wonderfully refreshing compared to those temps on land. Prepare for the heat by packing as you would for last month, focusing on lightweight summer wear. (Average Max Temperature: 33°C. Average Precipitation: 2mm.)
Greek Islands Weather in August: The temperatures remain about the same in August as they did in July. It will be hot during the day, and rather balmy at night too, with low temperatures relatively high at 23°C. Be prepared for strong winds that often arrive this month as well, which bring the possibility for both boat excursion and ferry cancellations. Pack as you would for last month, focusing on summer wear and sun protection. (Average Max Temperature: 29°C. Average Precipitation: 0mm.)
https://santorinidave.com/best-time-to-visit-greece

Summer in Finland

Summer in Finland is a spectacular time of the year. For those who venture north of the Arctic Circle, the sun does not set at all from May to August, while further south the sun can be visible for nearly around the clock during June and July. When nights are almost as light as day it is possible to do all the same things that you would do during the day. The greatest difference comes from the incredible change in the nature of the light. The sun takes on a reddish-yellow colour – almost like during sunrise or sunset – and everything around you is bathed in an unimaginably warm, bright light. A nocturnal swim and sauna is a definite must under the Midnight Sun. Lakes and sea waters warm up from June onwards. The quintessential way to take in the Midnight Sun is at a cottage. Many people in Finland have a cottage in the family – often a private little retreat by a lake somewhere. Finns love their quietness, and visitors should also experience true northern style relaxation by escaping the daily grind to a peaceful hideaway. Some like a different approach. The Midnight Sun extends your day with those extra hours you keep hoping for in your daily life. Make use of it and go hiking, canoeing, fishing or play a round of golf in the wee hours. An old popular belief in the Midnight Sun mythology is that when a young maiden collects seven flowers under her pillow on Midsummer night – the longest day of the year – her future fiancée will show up in her dreams. The best place to experience the Midnight Sun is Finnish Lapland. The Midnight Sun Film Festival (founded by famous filmmaker brothers Kaurismäki) and folklore festival Jutajaiset – both in June – are great ways to enjoy local culture and the Midnight Sun. In the South, the best time to enjoy the Midnight Sun is around Summer Solstice. A traditional midsummer party in Seurasaari island in Helsinki or a rock festival in the heart of Lakeland both share the magic of white nights. Photo: Saana Kotila/ Midnight Sun Film Festival Although the full Midnight Sun can only be experienced above the Arctic Circle, the nights are white throughout the country. Even Helsinki on the southern coast has virtual daylight around the clock. Late at night, the sun just briefly dips beyond the horizon before rising again, blurring the boundaries between fading night and dawning day. As Helsinki is a coastal city, we recommend island-hopping and all kinds of outdoor activities in the summer. But, should you still wish to go clubbing and stay indoors, be warned – getting out of a dark nightclub at 3 a.m. can be a bit confusing, as it feels more like 3 p.m. You wouldn’t be the first to swap sleep for an afterparty on the beach – in full sunlight, of course! For Finnish children, summer evenings equal no bed time. There is a time for sleeping and it’s called winter – just ask the bears and other mammals that hibernate through most of it. We say don’t worry about sleep; make the most of the Midnight Sun!
https://www.visitfinland.com/article/land-of-the-midnight-sun/