The EU’s internal markets commissioner Thierry Breton hinted Sunday that the bloc might decide not to order AstraZeneca‘s coronavirus jab again following delays in delivering the first batches of the vaccine.

“We’re pragmatic. My priority, as far as the vaccines are concerned, is to ensure that the firms we have contracts with deliver them punctually,” Breton told BFMTV television.

Brussels had originally ordered 120 million doses of the Anglo-Swedish group’s jab for the 27 member states in the first quarter and 180 million in the second quarter.

But the drug maker “only delivered 30 million, thus creating the problems that everyone has seen,” Breton said.

And only another 70 million will be delivered in the second quarter, he continued, but added: “Nothing is decided. Talks are still ongoing”.

The EU commissioner insisted that any such decision would “not be for epidemiological or medical reasons”.

“When looking at the data, the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine outweigh the disease,” he said.

French industry minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher had suggested on Friday that the EU might not renew its contract with AstraZeneca in 2022 after Denmark became the first European country to stop using the jab altogether over suspected rare but serious side effects.

While other countries also suspended its use, at least temporarily, most have subsequently resumed after the European Medicines Agency (EMA), emphasised the benefits of the vaccine, judging it “safe and effective”.

Pannier-Runacher said that the EU had “not started discussions with Johnson & Johnson and with AstraZeneca for a new contract, whereas we have already started discussions with Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna”, the makers of two other vaccines on the market in Europe.

EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen also said this week that German biotech firm BioNTech and US pharma giant Pfizer had shown themselves to be “reliable partners, who have honoured their commitments and have reacted quickly with regard to our needs”.

In France, 23 cases and eight deaths have been reported of rare blood clots after taking the AstraZeneca jab, out of more than 2.7 million doses administered so far.

Nevertheless, Alain Fischer, an immunologist who heads the government’s vaccination advisory board, told French radio on Sunday the benefits of the jab for people aged 55 and over “very much outweighed the risks” of possible complications.

Military alliance NATO said it supported member the Czech Republic as it investigates Russia‘s “malign activities” on its territory and that this followed a pattern of “dangerous behaviour” by Moscow, a NATO official said on Sunday.

Prague is expelling 18 Russian diplomats over suspicions that Russian intelligence services were involved in an ammunition depot explosion in 2014.

“This follows a pattern of dangerous behaviour by Russia. We express our sympathy to the loved ones of the victims of the explosion in Vrbetice. Those responsible must be brought to justice,” the NATO official said.

The foreign ministers of India and Pakistan made crossover visits to the United Arab Emirates this weekend, after it was revealed the Gulf nation has been mediating between the hostile neighbours.

“Good to be in the #UAE,” Pakistan’s Shah Mahmood Qureshi tweeted late Saturday, after announcing a three-day trip which ends Monday.

His Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar visited the emirate of Abu Dhabi on Sunday, a spokesman for New Delhi’s ministry of external affairs tweeted.

Pakistan’s foreign ministry said there was no scheduled meeting between the two ministers.

Islamabad suspended trade and diplomatic ties with India in 2019 after New Delhi revoked the special status of the part of divided Kashmir that it rules.

But in February, Islamabad and New Delhi pledged to end all firing along the disputed frontier, after months of violence between the nuclear-armed rivals.

Yousef Al Otaiba, the UAE’s envoy to Washington, confirmed last week that the Gulf nation had played a role “in bringing the Kashmir escalation down and created a ceasefire, hopefully”.

“They might not, sort of, become best friends but at least we want to get it to a level where it’s functional, where it’s operational, where they are speaking to each other… that’s our goal,” he added, in an online talk with Stanford University’s Hoover Institution.

Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their acrimonious separation in 1947. The region has been a cause of two of their three wars since then.

A 2003 ceasefire has prevented another full-blown war from erupting but has largely failed to quell the skirmishes.

Further signs of rapprochement include an exchange of letters between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan, who have both called for peaceful relations.

MOSCOW, APR 18 – Russia‘s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Sunday it would take tough retaliatory measures against the Czech Republic over Prague’s expulsion of 18 Russian diplomats on what Moscow said were unfounded and absurd grounds.

The Czech Republic expelled 18 Russian embassy staff on Saturday over the suspected involvement of Russia‘s intelligence services in a 2014 ammunition depot explosion that killed two people.

“We will take retaliatory measures that will force the authors of this provocation to fully understand their responsibility for destroying the foundation of normal ties between our countries,” the ministry said in a statement.

ISLAMABAD, Apr 18 (DNA): While welcoming a letter written by the UN
human rights experts to Indian government regarding human rights
situation in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJK), AJK President
Sardar Masood Khan said that the situation is far worse than the human
rights violations mentioned in the letter.

He said that the UN rapporteurs have confined their report to mentioning
only the violation of some of the rights of Muslims and other
minorities, while we believe that the Modi government of India is
engaged in hatching conspiracies against the very existence of Muslims
in Jammu and Kashmir. They want to turn the Muslim majority into a
minority and make the territory of Kashmir a complete Hindu state.

“India is trying to reduce the occupied state of Jammu and Kashmir to a
political nonentity, reinforce religious and colonial othering of its
people and finally strip off their defences. Well, Kashmiris will never
cease defending themselves,” the president said.

Five United Nations human rights experts, through a letter to the Indian
government, have voiced their concern over India’s decision to revoke
Kashmir’s special status and enact laws that could curtail the political
participation of Muslims and other minorities.

The special rapporteurs were for minority issues, promotion, and
protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression; the rights
to freedom of peaceful assembly and association; contemporary forms of
racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance; and
the special rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief.

President Masood strongly condemned the latest restrictions imposed by
the Indian government on Kashmir based journalists for reporting facts
about the incidents of violence in IOJK, he  appealed to the global
journalist’s bodies to raise their voice against the unjustified
restrictions on journalists and media outlets in IOJK.

“Voices for freedom won’t be muzzled; staged encounters won’t be masked
by cutting off information. Truth is out; will be out. Don’t coerce
media persons into not reporting on these crimes. Such restrictions
betray insecurity and panic,” Khan said.

He said restrictions on independent reporting by journalists as an
attempt by the Delhi government to infringe on human rights and freedom
of expression. Sardar Masood added that journalists in Occupied Kashmir
would never accept and endorse the Indian government’s illegal
activities.

Sardar Masood Khan further said that now the situation in IOJK had
reached the point that Indian military and para-military troops
stationed in Kashmir have started disobeying the illegal orders. The
latest example of which is the female police officer who said that this
is my Kashmir and I cannot be a part of the persecution against the
people here. The female police officer’s bold statement cost lost her
job.

“The day is not far when cops and soldiers in Kashmir will start asking
themselves how they would redeem their souls if they continue to be part
of  these killing sprees at the behest of fascists of a distant, foreign
land,” the state President concluded. DNA

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Abu Dhabi: The UN Security Council has welcomed Saudi Arabia’s peace initiative launched last month to end the Yemeni conflict and reach a political solution to the crisis.

In a press statement released on Friday, the council said the Saudi initiative is in line with the UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths’ peace proposal, Saudi Press Agency reported.

The initiative provides for a nationwide ceasefire, reopening of Sanaa International Airport and allowing fuel and food imports through the port of Hodeidah.

The statement added the council called on all Yemeni parties to constructively engage with the UN Special Envoy and negotiate without preconditions, for an immediate ceasefire throughout the country and a comprehensive political settlement, in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.

The council also urged the participation of Yemeni women and the country’s youth in talks in accordance with relevant resolutions, underlying its members’ commitment to the sovereignty and territorial unity of Yemen.

It also called on Yemeni parties to continue implementing the Riyadh Agreement.

The Security Council members denounced the recent cross-border attacks by the Iran-backed Al Houthi militia on Saudi Arabia, calling for an immediate end to the Al Houthis’ escalation against Yemeni city of Marib.

The council also held the Al Houthi militia accountable for the danger posed by the Safer oil tanker, calling on Al Houthis to ensure an immediate and unconditional access of the UN experts to inspect and repair the long-abandoned fuel tanker off the coast of Yemen.

Staff Report

ISLAMABAD:  China Cultural Center in Pakistan launched the first episode of the micro-documentary series ” Better Tourism, Better Life, Better World ” on the Cultural Center’s WeChat Official Account and Facebook page.

“World Tourism Alliance Best Practice in Poverty Alleviation Through Tourism” as the blueprint, to provide Chinese experience on poverty alleviation practices, to contribute Chinese wisdom to the cause of global poverty alleviation and for international community to experience the achievement of China’s tourism poverty alleviation, and to tell the story of China’s tourism promotion for poverty alleviation.The micro-documentary ” Better Tourism, Better Life, Better World ” is produced by the World Tourism Alliance,  the documentary trip spans across multiple provinces and goes deep into China’s grassroots villages. Finally, eight tourism poverty alleviation case areas were selected, and the documentaries were produced. There are total eight episodes and each episode’s duration is around 5 minutes.

The entire documentary series is people-oriented. It is filmed from the perspective of individuals and families, paying attention to the interaction between nature and society, focusing on the improvement and development of people’s livelihoods in the case areas, restoring reality through lens, and presenting tourism in an international context. These documentaries also highlight how the natural endowment of “green water and green mountains” has been transformed into “golden and silver mountains”, telling vivid stories of local people living a happy prosperous life, interpreting and disseminating the core concept of “tourism makes the world and life better”. This micro documentary series has received highest praise and recognition from the international community.

Starting this week, China Cultural Center in Pakistan is airing weekly two episodes of the micro-documentary series ” Better Tourism, Better Life, Better World ” on Facebook Official Page and WeChat Official Account. The Director China Cultural Center in Pakistan’s personal official page “zhang he qing” is also premiering the micro documentary at the same time. Later this month “World Tourism Alliance Best Practice in Poverty Alleviation through Tourism Case” of 2018, 2019 and 2020 will also be published on the social media page of China Cultural Center in Pakistan.

ISLAMABAD, APR 18 – Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi and his Afghan counterpart Mohammad Hanif Atmar, in a telephonic conversation, discussed the ongoing Afghan peace process.

Foreign minister Qureshi has been in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on a three-day official visit. 

During the telephonic conversation, foreign minister Qureshi reiterated that a peaceful and stable Afghanistan was in the interests of Pakistan, a press release said.

He said Pakistan shared all the peaceful efforts made for peace and stability in the region including Afghanistan and desired end to violent incidents in the country.

The foreign minister further reiterated that Pakistan would continue its consistent reconciliation efforts for peace and stability in Afghanistan.

He expressed the hope that under Istanbul Process, the Doha Agreement would be helpful in ensuring durable peace in Afghanistan.

Afghan foreign minister appreciated diplomatic, political and moral support extended by Pakistan for a result-oriented Afghan peace process and thanked foreign minister Qureshi and Pakistani leadership in this regard.

Both sides also agreed to meet in Istanbul, Turkey. Foreign minister Qureshi also invited Atmar to visit Pakistan after the Istanbul process. They also exchanged Ramazan greetings.

RAMALLAH (DNA) -The Palestinian people and freedom advocates around the world celebrate the “Palestinian Prisoner’s Day”, which is April 17 of each year, after it was approved by Palestine National Council (PNC) in 1974 in fulfilment of the prisoners’ struggle and sacrifices, in support of their right to freedom, and ensuring a decent standard of life for them and their families.

Since that date, the “Palestinian Prisoner Day” has been a national occasion to remember the prisoners’ issue, highlight their social and human suffering, and the grave violations they are subjected to inside the prisons of the Israeli occupation.

PNC indicated that since 1967, the Israeli occupation has arrested about one million Palestinians, which is the highest in the world, and about 4,500 Palestinians are still being held in its prisons, including (140) children, (41) girls and women, and more than (700) Prisoners suffer from various diseases, including (440) administrative detainees without charge or trial, divided over about (22) prisons and detention centers.

The prisoners are subjected to grave violations, most notably physical and psychological torture, solitary isolation, deliberate medical neglect and visits rejections, in violation of relevant international and humanitarian conventions and covenants, PNC clarified.

The spread of CORONA-19 pandemic caused the prisoners’ infections rose to (368), as a result of poor health care and protection measures, and a scarcity of protective tools, which led to the death of 4 prisoners inside the Israeli occupation prisons during the year 2020, PNC added.

The occupying power is targeting the legitimacy of the prisoners ‘struggle, in an attempt to mark their just struggle as “terrorism”. PNC continued, Israel targeted the Palestinian families’ funds that guarantee them the minimum living requirements.                           

The states parties contracting to Geneva Conventions in 1949 must bear their responsibilities and pressure the occupation to release prisoners, especially the sick and the elderly, women, minors, and old prisoners, PNC said.

PNC called on the international community to intervene urgently and take measures to ensure that the Israeli occupation implements its obligations in accordance with the rules of international law and the Third and Fourth Geneva Conventions, including the best practices for the treatment of prisoners.

PNC urged the International Committee of the Red Cross and the World Health Organization to visit Israeli prisons, and closely examine the reality of the difficult health conditions of Palestinian prisoners and detainees.

PNC also called for unifying the efforts of Palestinian and Arab human rights organizations regarding documenting violations and crimes committed against prisoners, and employing international mechanisms by referring to international institutions and courts.

PNC concluded its statement by directing a proud salute to the souls of the martyrs of the captive national movement, to all male and female prisoners in the Israeli occupation prisons and their families, and to everyone who passed through those prisons from among the Palestinians, Arabs and free people of the world.