The Newton Prize 2020 committee, chaired by Professor Alice P Gast, President of Imperial College London, comprises distinguished professors including Egypt’s Director of Centre for Photonics and Smart Materials at Zewail City of Science and Technology, Professor Salah Obayya.

The nominated joint projects:

1. The Liver Microenvironment (new treatments for liver cancer)

Liver cancer patients represent 23% of total registered cancer cases in Egypt. Researchers in Newcastle University and Minia University are researching ways to halt its progression by utilising 3D modelling and finding biomarkers in the blood.

2. Earliest Egypt (conservation of Egypt’s cultural heritage)

Egypt is home to some of the world’s most important historical sites as well as a diverse range of cultures central to its identity and future growth. This team of researchers at the University of Edinburgh and Universite Francaise d’Egypte are trying to protect Egypt’s heritage and educate a new generation.

3. Virtual Reality of Medieval Culture (building an Egyptian heritage economy)

This project is trying to build a sustainable heritage economy that is future-proof and opens up Egyptian heritage to the world, especially important during the Covid-19 pandemic. This project by Nottingham Trent University and the National Research Institute of Astronomy & Geophysics in Egypt aims to contribute to revitalising the tourism industry in Egypt.

4. Water Desalination (a new water desalination plant driven by clean energy)

This collaborative project between The University of Sheffield and Port Said University in Egypt is developing a system to produce fresh, safe drinking water for rural communities.

5. Substantial Water Management (improving irrigation and agriculture)

Globally, irrigation consumes 70% of total freshwater resources, but this two-year study by the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology and the National Research Center in Egypt has shown that using waste and drainage water for irrigation is not only a sustainable use of water but also increases wheat production and farmers’ incomes in Egypt.

The Newton Prize is a £1m fund which recognises the excellent research and innovation the Newton Fund has invested in since its launch in 2014. This year, Egypt participates for the first time. The Newton-Mosharafa programme has provided PhD scholarships, research funding, and capacity building & training for more than 1,800 Egyptian researchers.

During July, there were zero new detentions of foreign flagged vessels in a UK port.

1. In response to one of the recommendations of Lord Donaldson’s inquiry into the prevention of pollution from merchant shipping, and in compliance with the EU Directive on Port State Control (2009/16/EC as amended), the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) publishes details of the foreign flagged vessels detained in UK ports each month.

2. The UK is part of a regional agreement on port state control known as the Paris Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control (Paris MOU) and information on all ships that are inspected is held centrally in an electronic database known as THETIS. This allows the ships with a high risk rating and poor detention records to be targeted for future inspection.

3. Inspections of foreign flagged ships in UK ports are undertaken by surveyors from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. When a ship is found to be not in compliance with applicable convention requirements, a deficiency may be raised. If any of their deficiencies are so serious, they have to be rectified before departure, then the ship will be detained.

4. All deficiencies should be rectified before departure.

5. When applicable, the list includes those passenger craft prevented from operating under the provisions of the EU Directive on a system of inspections for the safe operation of Ro-Ro passenger ships and high-speed passenger craft in regular service and amending directive 2009/16/EC and repealing Council Directive 1999/35/EC (Directive EU 2017/2110).

Notes on the list of detentions:

• Full details of the ship: The accompanying detention list shows ship’s International Maritime Organisation (IMO) number which is unchanging throughout the ship’s life and uniquely identifies it. It also shows the ship’s name and flag state at the time of its inspection.
• Company: The company shown in the vessel’s Safety Management Certificate (SMC) or if there is no SMC, then the party otherwise believed to be responsible for the safety of the ship at the time of inspection.
• Classification society: The list shows the classification society responsible for classing the ship only.
• Recognised organisation: Responsible for conducting the statutory surveys: and issuing statutory certificates on behalf of the flag state.
• White (WL), grey (GL) and black lists (BL) are issued by the Paris MoU on 01 July each year and shows the performance of flag state.
• Deficiencies: The deficiencies listed are the ones which were detainable. Further details of other deficiencies can be provided on request.

SHIPS DETAINED IN JULY 2020

DETENTIONS CARRIED OVER FROM PREVIOUS MONTHS

Vessel Name: MARCO POLO

GT: 22080

IMO: 6417097

Flag: Bahamas (white list)

Company: Global Cruise Lines Ltd

Classification society: DNV GL

Recognised organisation: DNV GL

Recognised organisation for ISM Doc: DNV GL

Recognised organisation for ISM SMC: DNV GL

Date and place of detention: 19th June 2020 at Avonmouth

Summary: Six deficiencies with one ground for detention

Defective item	Nature of defect	Ground for Detention
01220 – Seafarers’ employment agreement (SEA)	Expired	Yes

This vessel was still detained on 31st July 2020

Vessel Name: VASCO DA GAMA

GT: 55877

IMO: 8919245

Flag: Bahamas (white list)

Company: Global Cruise Lines Ltd

Classification society: Lloyd’s Register

Recognised organisation: Lloyd’s Register

Recognised organisation for ISM Doc: DNVGL

Recognised organisation for ISM SMC: Lloyd’s Register

Date and place of detention: 19th June 2020 at Tilbury

Summary: Five deficiencies with three grounds for detention

Defective item	Nature of defect	Ground for Detention
01220 – Seafarers’ employment agreement (SEA)	Expired	Yes
18204 – Non-payment of wages	Not according to SEA	Yes
15150 – ISM	Not as required	Yes

This vessel was still detained on 31st July 2020

Vessel Name: ASTOR

GT: 20704

IMO: 8506373

Flag: Bahamas (white list)

Company: Global Cruise Lines Ltd

Classification society: DNV GL

Recognised organisation: DNV GL

Recognised organisation for ISM Doc: DNV GL

Recognised organisation for ISM SMC: DNV GL

Date and place of detention: 19th June 2020 at Tilbury

Summary: Two deficiencies with two grounds for detention

Defective item	Nature of defect	Ground for Detention
01220 – Seafarers’ employment agreement (SEA)	Expired	Yes
18203 – Wages	Missing	Yes

This vessel was still detained on 31st July 2020

Vessel Name: ASTORIA

GT: 16144

IMO: 5383304

Flag: Portugal (white list)

Company: Global Cruise Lines Ltd

Classification society: BV

Recognised organisation: BV

Recognised organisation for ISM Doc: BV

Recognised organisation for ISM SMC: BV

Date and place of detention: 19th June 2020 at Tilbury

Summary: Five deficiencies with four grounds for detention

Defective item	Nature of defect	Ground for Detention
01220 – Seafarers’ employment agreement (SEA)	Expired	Yes
18203 – Wages	Missing	Yes
15150 – ISM	Not as required	Yes
18204 – Non-payment of wages	Non-payment of wages	Yes

This vessel was still detained on 31st July 2020

Vessel Name: COLUMBUS

GT: 63786

IMO: 8611398

Flag: Bahamas (white list)

Company: Global Cruise Lines Ltd

Classification society: Lloyd’s Register

Recognised organisation: Lloyd’s Register

Recognised organisation for ISM Doc: DNVGL

Recognised organisation for ISM SMC: Lloyd’s Register

Date and place of detention: 19th June 2020 at Tilbury

Summary: Five deficiencies with four grounds for detention

Defective item	Nature of defect	Ground for Detention
01220 – Seafarers’ employment agreement (SEA)	Not as required	Yes
18203 – Wages	Not according to SEA	Yes
01220 – Seafarers’ employment agreement (SEA)	Invalid	Yes
15150 – ISM	Not as required	Yes

This vessel was still detained on 31st July 2020

Vessel Name: LIVA GRETA

GT: 851

IMO: 8801072

Flag: Latvia (white list)

Company: Regulus SIA

Classification society: RINA

Recognised organisation: RINA

Recognised organisation for ISM Doc: RMRS

Recognised organisation for ISM SMC: RMRS

Date and place of detention: 11th January 2020 at Birkenhead

Summary: Nine deficiencies with two grounds for detention

Defective item	Nature of defect	Ground for Detention
11113 – Launching arrangements for rescue boats	Inoperative	Yes
15150 – ISM	Not as required	Yes

This vessel was still detained on 31st July 2020

Vessel Name: POSEIDON

GT: 1412

IMO: 7363217

Flag: Iceland (White list)

Company: Neptune EHF

Classification society: NA

Recognised organisation: NA

Recognised organisation for ISM Doc: DNV-GL

Recognised organisation for ISM SMC: N/A (SMC issued by Flag)

Date and place of detention: 19th July 2018 at Hull

Summary: Ten deficiencies with two grounds for detention

Defective item	Nature of defect	Ground for Detention
02106 – Hull damage impairing seaworthiness	Holed	Yes
07113 – Fire Pumps	Insufficient Pressure	Yes

This vessel was still detained on 31st July 2020

Vessel Name: TECOIL POLARIS

GT: 1814

IMO No: 8883290

Flag: Russian Federation (Grey list)

Company: Tecoil Shipping Ltd

Classification society: RMRS

Recognised organisation: RMRS

Recognised organisation for ISM DOC: RMRS

Recognised organisation for ISM SMC: RMRS

Date and place of detention: 6th June 2018 at Immingham

Summary: Twenty-seven deficiencies with six grounds for detentions

Defective item

Nature of defect

Ground for Detention

10104 – Gyro compass

Inoperative

Yes

10127 – Voyage or passage plan	Not as required	Yes
15150 – ISM	Not as required	Yes
11104 – Rescue boats	Not properly maintained	Yes
11101 – Lifeboats	Not ready for use	Yes
01117 – International Oil Pollution Prevention (IOPP)	Invalid	Yes

This vessel was still detained on 31st July 2020

Vessel Name: CIEN PORCIENTO (General Cargo)

GT: 106.

IMO No: 8944446.

Flag: Unregistered.

Company: Open Window Inc.

Classification society: Unclassed.

Recognised organisation: Not applicable.

Recognised organisation for ISM DOC: Not applicable.

Recognised organisation for ISM SMC: Not applicable

Date and place of detention: 4 March 2010, Lowestoft

Summary: Thirty deficiencies including seven grounds for detention

This vessel was still detained on 31st July 2020

Notes to Editors • The MCA is a partner in the Sea Vision UK campaign to raise awareness and understanding of the sea and maritime activities. Sea Vision promotes the importance and economic value of the sector and works to highlight the exciting range of activities and career opportunities available to young people within the UK growing maritime sector.

• Follow us on Twitter: @MCA_media

For further information please contact Maritime and Coastguard Agency Press Office, on: +44 (0) 2380 329 401 Press releases and further information about the agency is available here.

Commenting on the GDP publication this morning the Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said:

These figures confirm the significant impact of coronavirus on Scotland’s economy.

The UK Government has put in place unprecedented measures to support people, right across the country, through the pandemic.

We are supporting almost 900,000 jobs in Scotland through the pioneering furlough and self-employed schemes and have loaned more than £2.3 billion to 65,000 Scottish businesses. This is on top of an extra £6.5 billion of funding for the Scottish Government.

The UK Government is doing all it can to drive our economic recovery. That includes our £1k job retention bonus, a £2 billion Kickstart scheme to create thousands of high quality jobs for young people, cutting VAT to restart tourism businesses and boosting hospitality businesses with our ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ scheme.

We know that there are very real challenges ahead of us. The UK Government will continue to do everything possible, working with the Scottish Government, to support people in Scotland through this difficult time.

Estimated GDP figures for June 2020 have been published by the Scottish Government.

Scotland’s onshore GDP (not including offshore oil and gas extraction) is provisionally estimated to have increased by 5.7% in real terms during June. This follows an increase of 2.3% in May and falls of 19.2% in April and 5.8% in March.

During March and April, output fell in nearly every part of the economy. In May the results were more mixed, with some parts of the economy seen to begin a pickup in activity, but many industries across the services sector experiencing further falls or remaining flat. In June, a much wider pickup in activity can be seen, with output estimated to be increasing in all Scotland’s main industry sectors, and in most of the sub-sectors within these.

The estimates show Scotland’s economic recovery in June was slower than the UK’s as a whole. The UK’s monthly GDP grew by 8.7% in June 2020, following growth of 2.4% in May 2020, whereas Scotland’s GDP grew by 5.7% in June and 2.3% in May.

Growth in Scotland’s retail, wholesale and motor trades sectors contributed 1.5 percentage points to Scotland’s GDP growth in June, compared with roughly 2.8 percentage points for the overall UK.

Despite the increases in May and June, Scotland’s GDP remains 17.6% below the level in February 2020, while the UK’s GDP as a whole has reduced by 17.2% compared with February 2020.

The unprecedented nature of this drop in output can be contrasted to the financial crisis and recession in 2008 and 2009, where Scottish GDP decreased by around 4% over the course of 18 months. Throughout the 2008 Recession, UK GDP shrunk by no more than 2.1% in a single quarter.

These results are provisional and likely to be revised in the coming months.