Month: March 2021

Categories
-Top News Asia News

Nepal to inoculate refugees

The refugeesfrom the Jhapa district were inocluated as part of the second phase of that rollout…reports Asian Lite News

Nepal has become the first country in the Asia-Pacific region to provide Covid-19 jabs to refugees through its national vaccination rollout.

According to the UN refugee agency in Kathmandu, Nepal started to inoculate the Covid vaccine to the Bhutanese refugees living in eastern part of the country from March 7.

The refugees at the settlement in the Jhapa district were vaccinated as part of the second phase of that rollout, which started on 7 March and targets people over the age of 65.

Nepal started receiving Bhutanese refugees mostly Nepali speaking Bhutanese from the 1990s and over 100,800 have crossed the border via India and started seeking asylum in eastern Nepal. After Bhutan refused to take them back, the UN refugee agency and some western countries started taking them under the third country settlement programme.

Under this plan that started from 2007, 100,000 Bhutanese refugees have resettled in various western counties like the USA, Australia, Canada and others and now, there are around 18,000 refugees living in Nepal. Now they have stopped taking the Bhutanese refugees as resettlement reaches its end in 2016.

The country kicked off its vaccination campaign on 27 January after the Indian government donated one million doses of Covishield, the India-produced version of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. In the first phase, frontline health workers, sanitation workers, hygiene workers and security officials were vaccinated.

Local authorities, refugee leaders and security officials set up a temporary vaccination centre at the refugee settlement and as of 24 March, some 668 refugees above the age of 65 had received vaccinations against the virus across the country, according to the UN agency for refugees.

Also read:Nepal relaxes curbs on Tourism

More refugees will be enrolled in the vaccination programme as the government receives additional supplies of vaccines, the agency said in a statement.

Nepal hosts nearly mostly Tibetans and Bhutanese refugees with arrival date in 1959 and in the early 1990s respectively.

Since the onset of the pandemic, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency has been working closely with other UN agencies and government authorities to advocate for the inclusion of refugees in Covid-19 preparedness and response plans.

“The Government of Nepal has shown exemplary leadership for public health responses by including refugees in the national vaccination plans and rollout,” said Carolin Spannuth Verma, UNHCR’s Representative in Nepal.

To date, Nepal has reported 276,750 confirmed Covid cases and 3,027 deaths.

“The risk of Covid-19 is the same for all. It doesn’t matter if you are a refugee or not,” said Shrawan Kumar Timilsina, the Chief District Officer of Jhapa, in eastern Nepal where the country’s two refugee settlements are located. “Protecting the life of all people is our priority.”

Bhakti Prasad Baral, 83, fled Bhutan in 1992 and is now living in Beldangi settlement in Jhapa. He said that he felt “lucky” to get the vaccine.

“It was really difficult to endure what was going on because of the virus,” said the octogenarian, who works as a Hindu priest in his community. “I have no words to thank the Government of Nepal for paying attention to older persons like us.”

Also read:800K Chinese vaccine doses reach Nepal

Categories
Events India News

Saudha celebrates the life and music of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan

Saudha Society of Poetry and Indian Music, one of the top-notch platforms for Indian classical and global music in the West is hosting a grand celebration of the life and music of India’s one of the all time greatest maestros Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan. The session will be streaming live on Friday 2 April at 3pm (UK) through Saudha’s facebook and youtube channel.

This unique celebration will feature talk on Bade Ghulam Ali’s music and performances as tribute to his music. Many living legends of Indian subcontinental music will join this virtual celebration and this includes Ghazal king Ustad Ghulam Ali from Pakistan, Tabla Maestro and torch-bearer of Benaras Gharana of Tabla tradition Pt Kumar Bose from India, the grandson of Bade Ghulam Ali Khan Ustad Raza Ali Khan from Pakistan, Indian slide instrumentalist Pt Narasimhan Ravikiran, Violin maestro Vidushi Kala Ramnath, Tabla maestros Pt Tanmoy Bose, Pt Shubhankar Banerjee, Pt Abhijit Banerjee, Sarod maestro Dr Pt Rajeeb Chakraborty, acclaimed vocalists Pt Shantanu Bhattacharyya, Vidushi Sanhita Nandi, Pt Chiranjeeb Chakraborty, , vocalist Pt Sriram Parsuram, Sitarist Sri Ramprapanna Bhattacharya, vocalists Minakshi Majumdar, Koyel Bhattacharya, Sarodist Sri Subhasis Banerjee and co-founder of Kala Sangam Professor Dr Geetha Upadhyaya OBE .

Also Read – Saudha and Gronthee UK celebrate International Women’s Day 

Sohini Roychowdhury Dasgupta, an acclaimed bharatnatyam exponent will render a visual interpretation of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali’s music through dance.

The director of Saudha, poet T M Ahemd Kaysher said, “this celebration on 119th birthday of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali is an opportunity for all music lovers to explore the life and the music of one of the greatest vocalists of the world of the 20th century through analytic discussion by other living maestros. Saudha will endeavour to continue with bringing life and music of other legends and pioneer of Indian classical music like Tansen, Amir Khasru, Ustad Alauddin Khan, Ustad Amir Khan, Pt Bhimsen Joshi, Pt Onkarnath Thakur, Ustad Bismilla Khan and so on.”

Kaysher continued, “Saudha will soon introduce poetry-theatre for art-loving audiences in the West, an experiential production that combines music, theatre and poetry in live venues soon after the Covid is over.”

Also Read – A refreshing Weekend of soulful music, songs, and poetry

Founded by Indian classical vocalist Srimati Chandra Chakraborty and Bengali poet as well as fiction writer T M Ahmed Kaysher, Saudha became widely-known for its experimental hypnotic presentation of Indian classical music and its seamless amalgamation with world-poetry, dance and other global music.

Saudha has been hosting Bangla Music Festival, Ghazal Thumri and Kheyal Festival, Festival of devotion, Festival of Joy and happiness every year in addition to its experimental year-long events all around the country for the last ten years. Saudha’s events were staged at Edinburgh Festival, SouthBank Centre, Queen Mary University, City University of London, Rich Mix, Carriageworks Theatre, Seven Arts Centre in Leeds, Mac theatre in Birmingham, Nehru Centre, Keats House, Poplar Union and many other art venues of London and other cities.

Facebook page that event is streaming live from: https://www.facebook.com/Saudha-Ghazal-Thumri-Kheyal-Festival-UK-241389246293753

The event page: SaudhaTalk & Tribute: Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan – The Tansen | Facebook

Categories
-Top News World News

CDC reveals Pfizer, Moderna jabs effective in real world

It takes about two weeks following each dose of vaccine for the body to produce antibodies that protect against infection…reports Asian Lite News.

Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccines are highly effective in preventing infections in real world conditions, says a new study by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Results showed that following the second dose of vaccine, risk of infection was reduced by 90 per cent two or more weeks after vaccination, the CDC said on Monday.

Following a single dose of either vaccine, the participants’ risk of infection with SARS-CoV-2 was reduced by 80 per cent two or more weeks after vaccination.

The study looked at the effectiveness of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna mRNA vaccines in preventing SARS-CoV-2 infections among nearly 4,000 participants in six US states over a 13-week period from December 14, 2020 to March 13, 2021.

It takes about two weeks following each dose of vaccine for the body to produce antibodies that protect against infection.

As a result, people are considered “partially vaccinated” two weeks after their first dose of mRNA (Messenger RNA) vaccine and “fully vaccinated” two weeks after their second dose.

These new vaccine effectiveness findings are consistent with those from phase-3 clinical trials conducted with the vaccines before they received Emergency Use Authorisations from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Those clinical trials evaluated vaccine efficacy against Covid-19 disease, while this study evaluated vaccine effectiveness against infection, including infections that did not result in symptoms.

Zulema Riquelme, a 46-year-old nursing technician, receives a shot of the COVID-19 vaccine at the Metropolitan Hospital in Santiago, Chile

“This study shows that our national vaccination efforts are working. The authorised mRNA Covid-19 vaccines provided early, substantial real-world protection against infection for our nation’s health care personnel, first responders, and other frontline essential workers,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, said in a statement.

This study also provided positive news about partial (one-dose) vaccination.

The estimate of 80 per cent effectiveness in this study is consistent with other recent studies following the first dose of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine among health care providers.

children walking in street during Covid 19 surge in us

Studies conducted in the UK and Israel showed that one dose was about 70 per cent and 60 per cent effective, respectively, against SARS-CoV-2 infection.

The current results provide reassurance that people start to develop protection from the vaccine two weeks after their first dose.

The greatest protection was seen among those who had received both recommended doses of the vaccine.

Also Read-UAE begins Covid-19 vaccine production

Read More-Germany limits use of AstraZeneca jabs

Categories
-Top News USA

US raises travel advisory for citizens

“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a Level 4 Travel Health Notice for Burma due to COVID-19,” the advisory said…reports Asian Lite News Desk.

The US has advised its citizens not to go to Myanmar and raised its travel advisory for the country to level 4 amid a deteriorating situation.

In an advisory on Tuesday, the US Department of State said it had ordered all non-emergency government employees and their family members to leave the South-East Asian country “due to Covid-19 as well as areas of civil unrest and armed violence”, DPA news agency reported.

The department had authorized the “voluntary departure” of non-emergency government employees and their families on February 14.

“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a Level 4 Travel Health Notice for Burma due to COVID-19,” the advisory said.

“The Burmese military has detained and deposed elected government officials. Protests and demonstrations against military rule have occurred and are expected to continue.”

The advisory also listed areas in the country subject to “heightened civil unrest” and “armed violence” in different degrees and warned that the US government has “limited ability to provide emergency services” to citizens in certain areas.

At least 500 pro-democracy protesters have been killed since Myanmar’s February 1 military coup, a monitoring group said on Tuesday.

The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) puts the nationwide death toll at 510, after another 14 people lost their lives at the hands of security forces on Monday.

Myanmar’s military seized control of the country after an election which Aung San Suu Kyi’s ruling party won by a landslide.

Myanmar joins warring countries such as Somalia and Syria in the level 4 category.


Also Read-Myanmar crackdown: Death toll tops 500

Read More-Biden condemns Myanmar for outrageous violence

Categories
-Top News Asia News USA

US warns against travel to Myanmar

A Myanmar police officer

US authorities directed “voluntary departure” of non-emergency government employees and their families on February 14…reports Asian Lite News

The US has advised its citizens not to go to Myanmar and raised its travel advisory for the country to level 4 amid a deteriorating situation.

In an advisory on Tuesday, the US Department of State said it had ordered all non-emergency government employees and their family members to leave the South-East Asian country “due to Covid-19 as well as areas of civil unrest and armed violence”, DPA news agency reported.

The department had authorized the “voluntary departure” of non-emergency government employees and their families on February 14.

“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a Level 4 Travel Health Notice for Burma due to COVID-19,” the advisory said.

“The Burmese military has detained and deposed elected government officials. Protests and demonstrations against military rule have occurred and are expected to continue.”

Death toll in Myanmar’s anti-coup protests tops 500

The advisory also listed areas in the country subject to “heightened civil unrest” and “armed violence” in different degrees and warned that the US government has “limited ability to provide emergency services” to citizens in certain areas.

At least 500 pro-democracy protesters have been killed since Myanmar’s February 1 military coup, a monitoring group said on Tuesday.

The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) puts the nationwide death toll at 510, after another 14 people lost their lives at the hands of security forces on Monday.

Myanmar’s military seized control of the country after an election which Aung San Suu Kyi’s ruling party won by a landslide.

Myanmar joins warring countries such as Somalia and Syria in the level 4 category.

Also read:Biden picks Indian American as Washington judge

Categories
-Top News EU News

Germany limits use of AstraZeneca jabs

A health worker looks at a vial of AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine at a vaccination centre

People under 60 should be able to receive the shot, but only “at the discretion of doctors, and after individual risk analysis and thorough explanation…reports Asian Lite News

Germany’s federal and health ministers have agreed to limit the general use of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine to people over age 60 starting Wednesday, citing concerns about blood clots.

People under 60 should be able to receive the shot, but only “at the discretion of doctors, and after individual risk analysis and thorough explanation,” according to the decision by the health ministers accessed by DPA news agency on Tuesday.

Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn and the 16 state health ministers came to the decision in an emergency meeting, after authorities in the cities of Berlin and Munich decided to suspend the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine for people under the age of 60.

Spahn said that while it was a setback in one sense for the AstraZeneca vaccine to be an increased risk for a certain age group, it also meant more people over 60 could be vaccinated more quickly.

“In that respect, I can really just expressly ask all people over 60 to take advantage of this vaccination offer,” Spahn said.

Germany’s vaccine commission issued a corresponding recommendation for AstraZeneca’s use, due to data on “rare, but very severe thromboembolic side effects” that had predominantly been observed in people under 60 in the four to 16 days after vaccination.

The side effects concerned blood clots in cerebral veins, especially observed among younger women.

Chancellor Angela Merkel justified the new age restrictions by saying that they helped to ensure confidence in coronavirus vaccines.

“Trust comes from the knowledge that every suspicion, every single case will be looked into,” said Merkel in Berlin after consultations with the country’s 16 state premiers. Openness and transparency are the best ways to deal with such a situation, the chancellor added.

Earlier, the Paul Ehrlich Institute, a medical regulatory body, said there had been 31 cases of cerebral thrombosis that were suspected to have occurred after administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Nine of those cases resulted in the death of patients, the institute said. All except two occurred in women between ages 20 and 63.

Also read:Germany set to return to lockdown

Earlier on Tuesday, several state and city authorities already suspended the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine for anyone under the age of 60, citing new data on suspected side effects.

Berlin Health Senator Dilek Kalayci announced the move and referred to it as a “precautionary measure.” She said Berlin authorities would wait for the outcome of talks at the federal level.

The Charite and Vivantes hospitals in the capital had suspended AstraZeneca jabs until further notice for women under the age of 55.

“From Charite’s point of view, this step is necessary, since further cerebral vein thromboses in women in Germany have become known,” Charite spokesperson Manuela Zingl said.

In the western state of North Rhine Westphalia, the heads of five of the six university hospitals also spoke out in favour of a temporary halt of AstraZeneca vaccinations for younger women.

The risk of further deaths is too high, according to a joint letter to the federal and state health ministers seen by dpa.

Authorities in the southern German city of Munich also suspended use of the AstraZeneca vaccine for people under the age of 60.

“Due to current developments, the city has decided, like Berlin, to suspend vaccinations with AstraZeneca for people under 60 as a precautionary measure until the question of possible complications for this group of people has been clarified,” a spokesperson said.

Germany and numerous other countries had temporarily suspended the use of AstraZeneca in March because several cases of thrombosis (blood clots) in the cerebral veins were reported.

The vaccine was deemed safe again for use shortly thereafter.

Also read:Germany cancels plan for Easter lockdown

Categories
-Top News USA

Fresh actions to curb anti-Asian violence

President Joe Biden (www.instagram.comwhitehouse)
President Joe Biden will “appoint a permanent Director to lead the Initiative in the coordination of policies across the federal government impacting Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities”, reports Asian Lite News desk.

The White House has announced new actions including additional funding and a cross-agency initiative to curb the alarming rise in violence and discrimination against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Today’s announcements are additional steps in the Biden Administration’s work to advance equity for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities through a whole-of-government approach to racial justice,” the White House said.

According to a White House fact sheet, President Joe Biden will “appoint a permanent Director to lead the Initiative in the coordination of policies across the federal government impacting Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities.”

As part of the initiative, the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department reconvened its Hate Crimes Enforcement and Prevention Initiative with a focus on the surge in anti-Asian hate crimes in the country.

The FBI will also publish a new interactive page that documents hate crimes against the AAPI community and begin holding training events to educate agents on recognizing and reporting anti-Asian bias.

The Department of Health and Human Services is providing nearly $50 million from the American Rescue Plan to assist AAPI survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.

The Covid-19 Health Equity Task Force, founded in January, has also established a subcommittee on Structural Drivers of Health Inequity and Xenophobia, the White House said. This subcommittee will be specifically focused on combating the surge in anti-Asian bias during the coronavirus pandemic.

The National Endowment for the Humanities also launched a virtual library to expand resources and provide information on Asian-American history.

Rallies against anti-Asian racism

Last week, thousands of people gathered at Chinatown Square in Chicago to protest against increasing crimes targeting persons of Asian descent and the savage killing of eight people, including six Asian women, in Atlanta.

People holding banners reading “Zero tolerance for racism”, “Stop Asian Hate”, “I stand with Asian-Americans”, “We need justice”, “Racial discrimination must end”, flocked to Chinatown Square on Saturday afternoon.

Local officials and district police chief, including President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners Toni Preckwinkle and Illinois State Representative Theresa Mah, joined them.

By organising the event, “we hope to be heard”, and to unite local residents under a common goal of building a safer and better Chinese community in cooperation with the local government and the police, Grace Chan, executive director of the Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community (CBCAC), told Xinhua in an interview.

CBCAC co-hosted the protest with the Chinatown Security Foundation.

Also in last week, hundreds of New Yorkers from different races rallied against racism and violence on Asian-Americans, according to the ANSWER Coalition, a protest umbrella group consisting of anti-war and civil rights organisations.

The protesters rallied and marched on Saturday in Flushing, a major Asian community in Queens borough.

Also Read-Chicago sees massive rally against racism

A number of speakers shared their personal stories about racism and violence, while participants chanted slogans for much of the time.

The rally in New York was held simultaneously with those from over 60 cities in more than 25 states across the US, all aiming to stop anti-Asian violence and China-bashing, said the ANSWER Coalition.

The Asian-American community suffers the brunt of the hatred fomented as a weapon of war, it added.

New Yorkers have held more than 10 rallies since the shootings in Atlanta, Georgia, on March 16, in which six Asians were killed.

Also Read-Hundreds march against anti-Asian racism in Auckland

Read More-Hundreds march against anti-Asian racism in Auckland

Categories
-Top News COVID-19 UAE News

UAE begins Covid-19 vaccine production

The Hayat-Vax is the first indigenous vaccine in the region that will be manufactured by a newly created joint venture between Sinopharm CNBG and G42, reports Asian Lite News.

In a historic move in the global fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, the United Arab Emirates announced the commencement of the manufacturing of Covid-19 vaccine in the country.

The vaccine, called Hayat-Vax [Hayat means life in Arabic], is the first indigenous Covid-19 vaccine in the region that will be manufactured by a newly created joint venture between Sinopharm CNBG, one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world that has supplied over 100 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine globally, and G42, the leading technology company based in Abu Dhabi.

The announcement was witnessed by H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and Wang Yi, State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs of China, during a high-profile ministerial event in Abu Dhabi, in the presence of dignitaries from the two nations.

The occasion also served to launch a purpose-built research and development hub for life sciences, biotechnology and vaccine production – the first-of-its-kind in the Arab world – that is being set up in KIZAD, the integrated trade, logistics and industrial hub in Abu Dhabi. Last year, G42 and Sinopharm CNBG successfully collaborated on conducting 4Humanity, the world’s first phase III clinical trial of inactivated vaccines across the Pan Arab region with over 43,000 volunteers participating from over 125 nationalities.

The new vaccine plant in KIZAD will become operational this year and over its phased development will have a production capacity of 200 million doses per annum across three filling lines and five automated packaging lines. The JV is already producing Hayat-Vax with its partner, Julphar in the UAE with an initial capacity of 2 million doses per month.

In his comments on the landmark move by the UAE to commence vaccine production, His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan said, “The advancement in Life Sciences and Vaccine Manufacturing in our country is UAE’s contribution towards global efforts to address the Covid-19 pandemic that has affected the whole world,” stressing that “the UAE, with the guidance of its wise leadership, believes in the importance of strengthening collective international action.”

Attending the ceremony through video conference, Liu Jingzhen, Chairman of Sinopharm, said, “When Covid-19 began to spread rampantly last year, the UAE and its leading technology company G42 explored the possibility of hosting the clinical trials of a Covid-19 vaccine in the country. Sinopharm has undertaken the mission of fighting this pandemic and thanks to the close collaboration with the UAE, Sinopharm’s vaccine has been now administered to millions of people in the country, the region, and the world in a fundamental step towards defeating this virus. We are proud to partner with G42 in this new Joint Venture that will play a vital role in combatting Covid-19 globally, making an indelible contribution to the health of our communities.”

Also Read-China, UAE deepen ties

Elaborating on the Hayat-Vax vaccine and the new JV plans, Mr. Peng Xiao, CEO of G42, said: “The launch of the vaccine manufacturing capabilities in the UAE is a momentous step in the fight against Covid-19. We are grateful to the shared vision of the UAE and China, their true partnership and collaboration to make this a reality. This initiative in the UAE is a strategic advancement to future proof the population health of our nations. Our JV is also actively looking to bring our capabilities to new markets around the world.”

Hayat-Vax is the same Sinopharm CNBG’s BiBP inactivated vaccine that was officially registered by the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP) on 9th December 2020 and subsequently in China by the Chinese Center for Drug Evaluation (CDE) on 30th December 2020 following the updated Sinopharm interim results submitted in China showing 79.34% efficacy.

Twelve days ago, the UAE national vaccination programme achieved the vaccination of over 52% of the country’s population. This first ever ‘Made in UAE’ Hayat-Vax Covid-19 vaccine will turbo charge the UAE’s leading vaccination programme across 205 medical centres nationally.

Also Read-UAE, UK launch sovereign investment partnership

Read More-‘UAE secretly mediates for Indo-Pak peace’

Categories
-Top News Afghanistan

India calls for peace ‘within and around’ Afghanistan

S. Jaishankar
Minister of External Affairs Dr S. Jaishankar said: “For a durable peace in Afghanistan, what we need is a genuine ‘double peace’, that is, peace within Afghanistan and peace around Afghanistan,” reports India Daily Newsdesk.

India on Tuesday said that it supports a regional process convened under the aegis of the United Nations for permanent peace in Afghanistan.

A statement by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar at the 9th Ministerial Conference of Heart of Asia – Istanbul Process (HoA-IP) on Afghanistan in Dushanbe, said: “We support a regional process to be convened under the aegis of the United Nations. UN stewardship would help to take into account all relevant UN resolutions and improve the odds for a lasting outcome.”

Pakistan has been for long involved in negotiations among the US, Taliban and Afghan government, Russia, China and Iran over Afghanistan. Though Jaishankar did not explicitly mention Pakistan or any other member of Asia, he was referring to the broad dialogue among all the key players in the region.

The term ‘Heart of Asia’ should not be taken lightly, he said, adding that for what happens in Afghanistan will surely affect the larger region. “A stable, sovereign and peaceful Afghanistan is truly the basis for peace and progress in our region. Ensuring that it is free of terrorism, violent extremism and drug and criminal syndicates is, therefore, a collective imperative.”

However, the situation in Afghanistan continues to be grave. Violence and bloodshed are daily realities and the conflict itself has shown little sign of abatement. The last few months have witnessed an escalation in targeted killings of civil society. 2020 marked a 45 percent increase in civilian casualties in Afghanistan over 2019. The involvement of foreign fighters in Afghanistan has continued. Jaishankar said that ‘Heart of Asia’ members and supporting countries should, therefore, make it a priority to press for an immediate reduction in violence leading to a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire.

Afghanistan’s Abdullah Abdullah meets Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi iin New Delhi.

“For a durable peace in Afghanistan, what we need is a genuine ‘double peace’, that is, peace within Afghanistan and peace around Afghanistan. It requires harmonising the interests of all, both within and around that country. India has been supportive of all the efforts being made to accelerate the dialogue between the Afghan government and the Taliban, including intra-Afghan negotiations,” he said.

Also Read-Sikh abducted in Afghanistan; Community seeks India’s help

If the peace process is to be successful, he said, then it is necessary to ensure that the negotiating parties continue to engage in good faith, with a serious commitment towards reaching a political solution. India welcomes any move towards a genuine political settlement and a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire in Afghanistan.

India, he said, remains committed to steadfastly supporting Afghanistan during this transition. Our development partnership of USD 3 billion, including more than 550 Community Development Projects covering all 34 provinces, is aimed at making Afghanistan a self-sustaining nation. The promise of more drinking water to Kabul is the latest in that list.

As the lead country on Trade, Commerce and Investment CBMs under the HoA-IP, India will continue to work on improving Afghanistan’s connectivity with the outside world. Projects like the Chahhabar Port in Iran and the dedicated Air Freight Corridor between the cities of India and Afghanistan are part of our efforts, he said.

Also Read-COVID-19: Afghanistan to release 10,000 inmates; India GDP to slow

Read More-Pakistan does not want any role of India in Afghanistan

Categories
-Top News COVID-19 EU News

Italy PM receives AstraZeneca jab

Mario Draghi addresses the media at the Quirinale Palace in Rome, Italy,

Draghi and his wife Maria Serenella Cappello, both 73, received the vaccine at a centre in Termini, Rome’s main train station…reports Asian Lite News

Italy is still among the countries with more than 2 million coronavirus cases with 3,561,012 cases as per the latest reports. Italy’s Prime Minister Mario Draghi received his first dose of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine on Tuesday — the same product that his government had decided to temporarily halt the use of earlier this month.

Draghi and his wife Maria Serenella Cappello, both 73, received the vaccine at a centre in Termini, Rome’s main train station, Xinhua news agency reported.

The AstraZeneca is one of the three approved vaccines for use in Italy, together with those produced by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna. Of the three, AstraZeneca’s has been the most controversial after reports of it causing blood clots that resulted in two deaths in Italy. After the second death, the use of the vaccine was suspended for four days ending March 19.

Having investigated the reports, Nicola Magrini, director general of Italy’s main medical authority (AIFA) said the suspension was a “political” decision and he declared the vaccine safe to use.

AstraZeneca vaccine

According to Italian media, Draghi’s aim with choosing the AstraZeneca jab was to build public confidence in the vaccine after reports about its side effects.

As of Tuesday, 9.8 million Italians have received at least the first dose of one of the three approved vaccines, while the number of fully-vaccinated individuals — those who have received two doses — totaled 3.1 million, or around 5.1 per cent of the country’s population.

Also read:Italy to host UN Food Systems Pre-Summit

Read More-Australian nod for domestic AstraZeneca