EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE DELHI THE HINDU 14 WORLD FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2020 EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE U.K. threatens to pull out of EU trade talks Abe calls for closure of all Boris Johnson’s govt. rejects EU demands for common trading standards and continued fishing rights schools in Japan over virus Agence France-Presse It says Britain must mirror line approach. “This is noth­ London EU standards if it wants to ing other than a routemap to It’s a bid to prevent the spread of infection among children Britain put the prospect of a continue freely trading the cherished no­deal ­­ the chaotic Brexit back on the ta­ goods with the bloc’s huge real ambition of these Brexit Agence France-Presse ble on Thursday as it set out single market. zealots,” said Scottish Na­ Tokyo its red lines for trade talks However, Mr. Johnson ar­ tional Party MP Pete Japan’s Prime Minister Shin­ with the European Union. gues this would undermine Wishart. zo Abe on Thursday urged In its mandate for the ne­ the whole point of Brexit, On Tuesday, when the schools nationwide to close gotiations that will start on even if that means increased bloc published its mandate, for several weeks to prevent Monday, Prime Minister Bo­ barriers with what is cur­ EU negotiator Michel Barnier the spread of the new coro­ ris Johnson’s government re­ rently Britain’s largest trad­ said he would not strike a navirus, as authorities re­ buffed EU demands for com­ ing partner. deal “at any price”. ported the country’s fourth mon trading standards and “We will not agree to any One crucial issue for both death linked to the continued fishing rights. obligations for our laws to be sides in the upcoming nego­ outbreak. And it warned it could aligned with the EU’s,” the tiations is fishing rights. But The move comes as crew walk away from the talks if a official U.K. mandate says. it is also vital for many EU members from the Diamond “broad outline” of a deal is Tough stand: Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaking in the Brussels also wants its countries, notably France, Princess, a coronavirus­ Safety first: Elementary school students on their way home in not agreed by a meeting House of Commons in London on Wednesday. * AFP state aid rules to apply in the where fish and seafood stricken cruise ship quaran­ Ichikawa, Japan, on Thursday. * GETTY IMAGES planned for June. U.K. — something London caught in U.K. waters ac­ tined off Japan, began leav­ This would see Britain’s ber states, said it was prepar­ lasting until December 31 to rejects. count 30% of sales for fisher­ ing the vessel, where more Local media said the call tens, elementary and junior currently seamless trading ing for all scenarios. allow time to strike a new men. than 700 people have tested would not extend to nurser­ high schools from Saturday arrangements with the EU, “The Commission main­ partnership. Financial services Brussels wants to main­ positive for the disease. ies and daycare facilities. for two weeks. forged over half a century, tains its capacity to prepare Mr. Johnson wants a free Another potential flashpoint tain the right of its fleets to “The government consid­ Many public elementary Mr. Abe’s call comes after abruptly end after a post­ for no deal following the re­ trade agreement similar to is financial services, a key fish in U.K. waters, warning ers the health and safety of schools and junior high the government urged or­ Brexit transition period ex­ sult of those negotiations,” the EU’s deal with Canada, concern for Britain that it that failure to agree on this children above anything schools in northern Hokkai­ ganisers of major events to pires in December. spokeswoman Dana Spinant set alongside separate agree­ wants resolved by June to al­ could scupper the wider else,” Mr. Abe said. do, where the death of a consider cancelling them, “We want the best possi­ said. ments on issues such as fish­ low firms to keep working in trade talks. But Mr. Gove “We request all primary, man in his 80s infected with and called on businesses to ble trading relationship with She added that the mid­ ing, energy and aviation. the EU after December 31. warned: “We will take back junior high and high the virus was confirmed on allow employees to work the EU, but in a pursuit of a year meeting was “a very fair But Brussels says Britain’s The European Commis­ control of our waters as an schools... across the nation Thursday, were already from home. deal, we will not trade away timeline” to take stock of geographical proximity and sion spokeswoman refused independent coastal State to close temporarily from closed after a cluster of in­ Authorities have said the our sovereignty,” senior go­ whether a deal was possible. existing close ties make it a to commit the EU to com­ and we will not link access to March 2 next week until fections prompted the go­ coming two to three weeks vernment Minister Michael different case, fearing it pleting so­called equivalence our waters to access to EU their spring break.” vernor to request public will be critical in determin­ Gove told MPs. No alignment could gain an uncompetitive assessments by June. markets.” The spring break for pu­ schools close for about a ing whether they can stem The European Commis­ Britain left the EU on January advantage by relaxing costly In the British Parliament, U.K. proposes that fishing blic schools usually starts in week. the outbreak of the virus, sion, which is negotiating on 31, but both sides agreed to a environmental and labour opposition politicians de­ be negotiated annually, late March in Japan and lasts The city of Osaka also said which has infected nearly behalf of the EU’s 27 mem­ standstill transition period laws. cried the government’s hard based on stock levels. several weeks. it will close its kindergar­ 200 people in the country. Trump names Pence Iran COVID-19 UN rights chief ‘regrets’ Sri Lanka’s decision death toll Meera Srinivasan forts to advance reconcilia­ remarks came a day after Sri Rajapaksa. trend towards moving civi­ to lead U.S. response COLOMBO tion, accountability and hu­ Lanka’s Foreign Relations However, Ms. Bachelet ob­ lian functions under the Mi­ jumps to 26 UN High Commissioner for man rights,” she said in her Minister Dinesh Gunawarde­ served that domestic pro­ nistry of Defence or retired Associated Press dy to spend “whatever’s ap­ WASHINGTON Reuters Human Rights Michelle Ba­ oral update at the UNHRC’s na officially notified the cesses have “consistently military officers, and re­ propriate,” even if that DUBAI chelet on Thursday said she ongoing session in Geneva. Council on Wednesday that failed to deliver accountabili­ newed reports of surveil­ President Donald Trump meant the extra billions of “regretted” the new govern­ Urging Sri Lanka to imple­ Sri Lanka was withdrawing ty”, and consequently, “vic­ lance and harassment of declared on Wednesday that dollars. “We’re very, very Iran said on Thursday the ment’s “very different ap­ ment the 2015 resolution, from co­sponsoring the UN tims remain denied justice rights defenders, journalists the U.S. is “very, very rea­ ready for this, for anything,” death toll from COVID­19 proach” to commitments which drew from domestic resolution on post­war ac­ and Sri Lankans from all and victims.” The “increas­ dy” for whatever COVID­19 even if it’s “a breakout of had risen to 26 and the to­ that Sri Lanka previously processes, including those countability and reconcilia­ communities have no gua­ ing levels” of hate speech, threat brings, and he put his larger proportions,” Mr. tal number of infected peo­ made to the Council. initiated by former President tion, instead promising a rantee that past patterns of and policy measures seemed Vice­President Mike Pence Trump told reporters. ple now stood at 245, the “I regret that the new go­ Mahinda Rajapaksa, Ms. Ba­ process that was “domesti­ human rights violations will “discriminately and dispro­ in charge of overseeing the Mr. Pence will be working highest number of deaths vernment has announced a chelet said the measures in it cally designed and execut­ not recur.” portionately directed against nation’s response. with the government’s top from the virus outside very different approach to were “essential” for a peace­ ed”. His remarks were in line Further, underscoring the minorities”, both Tamil and Mr. Trump sought to mi­ health authorities, includ­ China. the commitments previously ful and prosperous Sri with earlier announcements need for independent insti­ Muslim, she added. nimise fears of the virus ing the coronavirus task Authorities called off the made in the resolution Lanka. made by President Gotabaya tutions, she said she was Ms. Bachelet urged the spreading widely across the force, to oversee the Friday prayer in Tehran, which risks setting back ef­ The High Commissioner’s Rajapaksa and PM Mahinda “troubled by the recent Council to “remain