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Turkish Health Minister gets Sinovac vaccine

They received the first shots on live television on Wednesday shortly after the vaccine was granted emergency authorization in Turkey…reports Asian Lite News

Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca received the Chinese COVID-19 Sinovac vaccine along with the country’s other advisory science council members.

They received the first shots on live television on Wednesday shortly after the vaccine was granted emergency authorization in Turkey, reports Xinhua news agency.

Turkey will begin mass vaccination on Thursday, starting with health workers, Koca told reporters.

He called on all citizens to get vaccinated, saying “now there is a light at the end of the tunnel”.

Vaccination of senior leaders of the country will set an example for the citizens, he added.

People who will be vaccinated in accordance with the procurement plan will be notified when it is their turn and will go to get their vaccination by appointment, the Minister said.

Turkey on Wednesday started handing out appointments for health staff to be vaccinated primarily.

https://twitter.com/drfahrettinkoca/status/1349408226450804740

The Turkish Medicines and Medical Devices Agency said that it had authorized the emergency use of the vaccine, known as CoronaVac, following tests that lasted for 14 days.

“While evaluating the scientific data, samples that were delivered to our country have been examined in our institution’s laboratories over 14 days,” said the agency.

Turkey reported on Wednesday 9,554 new Covid-19 cases, increasing the total number of positive cases in the country to 2,355,839.

The death toll from the virus rose by 173 to 23,325, while the total recoveries climbed to 2,227,927.

Turkey had reported its first Covid-19 case on March 11, 2020.

The first batch of 3 million doses of CoronaVac arrived in Ankara on December 30, 2020.

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Trump sanctions Iranian foundations

President Donald Trump (IANS)

According to the OFAC, the sanctioned organisations “control large swaths of the Iranian economy, including assets expropriated from political dissidents and religious minorities…reports Asian Lite News

The US has blacklisted two Iranian foundations allegedly linked to the leadership, the latest move to reinforce its maximum pressure campaign against Tehran.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Department said that its Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned “two organisations, along with their leaders and subsidiaries, controlled by the Supreme Leader of Iran, the Execution of Imam Khomeini’s Order (EIKO), and Astan Quds Razavi (AQR)”.

According to the OFAC, the sanctioned organisations “control large swaths of the Iranian economy, including assets expropriated from political dissidents and religious minorities, to the benefit of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and senior Iranian government officials”.

“These institutions enable Iran’s elite to sustain a corrupt system of ownership over large parts of Iran’s economy,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin was quoted as saying in the statement.

“The US will continue to target those who enrich themselves while claiming to help the Iranian people,” he added.

According to the statement, all property and interests of the property of designated individuals and entities in the US have been blocked, and American persons are generally prohibited from transactions with them.

In addition, persons and foreign financial institutions that engage in certain transactions with them may be exposed to sanctions.



The administration of outgoing President Donald Trump has doubled down maximum pressure campaign against Iran in its waning days.

On Tuesday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Iran of ties to terrorist group Al Qaeda, saying Iran had become a “new home base” for the terror group.

Iran immediately refuted the allegation.

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif

“From designating Cuba to fictitious Iran ‘declassifications’ and AQ claims, Mr. ‘we lie, cheat, steal’ is pathetically ending his disastrous career with more warmongering lies,” Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in a tweet.

“No one is fooled. All 9/11 terrorists came from @SecPompeo’s favourite ME destinations; NONE from Iran,” he added.

Relations between Washington and Tehran have deteriorated since May 2018 when Trump pulled his country out of the Iranian nuclear deal and re-imposed harsh sanctions against Iran.

In response, Tehran has gradually dropped some of its JCPOA commitments since May 2019.

Also read:TikTok removes videos of Trump inciting mob

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Malaysia declares state of emergency amid Covid surge

In a televised speech on Tuesday, Muhyiddin said the emergency would last till August 1 or earlier depending on the Covid-19 situation…reports Asian Lite News

Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said that King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah has consented to declaring a state of emergency in the country to stop the Covid-19 outbreak.

In a televised speech on Tuesday, Muhyiddin said the emergency would last till August 1 or earlier depending on the Covid-19 situation, Xinhua news agency reported.

Separately, the national palace issued a statement announcing the King’s consent to the proclamation of the state of emergency.

The king also advised the people to remain calm in facing the state of emergency and movement restrictions that have been imposed in parts of the country hard hit by the Covid-19 outbreak.

This comes a day after Muhyiddin announced tightening movement restriction measures to contain the spread of Covid-19 for two weeks starting January 13, citing the country’s health care system being at “breaking point”.

Muhyiddin Yassin.

The areas to impose tightened measures include the capital Kuala Lumpur, the states of Penang, Selangor, Melaka, Johor and the northern Borneo state of Sabah, among others.

Under the stricter restrictions, all social events involving mass gathering are banned, residents only allowed to travel within a radius of 10 kilometers, and no dine-in for restaurants.

Malaysia has seen a surge in new daily Covid-19 cases, as well as severe flooding in several states in recent weeks, with thousands being displaced from their homes.

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Asia News

Japan to ban entry of foreign nationals

The majority of entries were suspended in December, although travelers arriving on business and associated with some student programmes from certain countries had been exempt from the tightening restrictions…reports Asian Lite News

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Wednesday said the entry of all non-resident foreign nationals into the country will be suspended as part of a coordinated effort to curb the further spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The majority of entries were suspended in December, although travelers arriving on business and associated with some student programmes from certain countries had been exempt from the tightening restrictions, Xinhua reported.

The essential shutdown of Japan’s borders to all non-resident foreign nationals will be kept in place until February 7, when a state of emergency declared in the Greater Tokyo and other areas in Japan will be lifted, the Japanese leader told a press briefing on the matter.

The move, however, is a detraction from the Prime Minister’s previous stance.

He had remarked on a TV show recently that Japan would keep its doors open for business people from certain countries, provided that doing so did not lead to an influx of the new, highly transmissible coronavirus variant previously found in Britain and South Africa.

Within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), however, lawmakers refused to simply roll-over to the new idea, with some of them calling for the exemption to be suspended.

They argued that it was contradictory to ask Japanese people to stay home under the state of emergency while still allowing non-resident foreign nationals into the country.

Also read:Japan to expand Covid emergency

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US calls off envoy’s Taiwan visit

Kelly Craft was scheduled to arrive in Taipei on Wednesday after Washington abruptly ended long-time curbs on contacts with Taiwan officials…reports Asian Lite News

The US State Department has said that a planned visit to Taiwan by its United Nations (UN) envoy was cancelled due to the upcoming presidential transition.

Kelly Craft was scheduled to arrive in Taipei on Wednesday after Washington abruptly ended long-time curbs on contacts with Taiwan officials, the BBC reported.

It led Beijing, which views democratic Taiwan as a breakaway province, to warn the US against “playing with fire”.

Taiwan expressed regret but also “respect” for the US decision.

The planned visit by Craft, the US Ambassador to the UN, was only announced late last week and would have come days before the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.

It was viewed by analysts as a last-minute bid by outgoing President Donald Trump’s administration to seal its position on the thorny issue of Taiwan after a year of escalating Sino-American tensions.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Tuesday that all travel this week had been cancelled – including his own trip to Europe – as part of the transition to the incoming Biden administration.

Biden is set to take office on January 20.

Taiwan’s government expressed its regret at Ambassador Craft’s cancelled trip, while also conveying “understanding and respect for the decision”, it said in a statement.

Bitter exchanges over self-governing Taiwan, a firm US ally, have emerged over the last year as Washington’s relationship with Beijing has spiralled to a new low.

Under President Trump, the US has established much closer ties with Taipei – ramping up arms sales and sending senior officials to the territory, despite fierce warnings from China.

Over the weekend Pompeo said the US would end the “self-imposed restrictions” on its interactions with Taiwan officials that were introduced decades ago to “appease” the mainland Chinese government.

The move was seen as a key shift in diplomatic relations between the two places in the final days of Trump’s presidency.

China was furious, saying “any actions which harm China’s core interests will be met with a firm counter-attack and will not succeed”.

Tensions between China and Taiwan have intensified in recent years and Beijing has not ruled out the use of force to take the island back.

Like most nations, the US has no official diplomatic ties with Taipei, but it is bound by law to provide the island with the means to defend itself.

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Japan to expand Covid emergency

The Covid-related emergency is set to be expanded to Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo prefectures in the Kansai region, as well as Aichi and Gifu prefectures…reports Asian Lite News

With the Covid-19 pandemic worsening in areas of Japan beyond the capital, the government is expected to extend the nation’s second state of emergency on Wednesday to cover seven more prefectures, officials said.

The Covid-related emergency is set to be expanded to Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo prefectures in the Kansai region, as well as Aichi and Gifu prefectures, The Japan Times reported citing officials.

Media reports also said Tochigi and Fukuoka prefectures would be brought under the declaration, too, after they called on the central government on Tuesday to expand the state of emergency there.

Speaking at a meeting of Liberal Democratic Party executives on Tuesday morning, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said the government was preparing to extend its emergency declaration to Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo. The governors of the three prefectures in the Kansai region asked the central government last week to declare a state of emergency for the region, following a rise in novel coronavirus cases and a growing shortage of hospital beds.

A government source later said that Gifu and Aichi prefectures would be added to the emergency declaration, as well.

“Beginning with Osaka, we’ll look at the situation in prefectures where the situation is serious and, after consulting experts, promptly decide on (whether to declare) a state of emergency,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato, the government spokesperson, told reporters after the meeting.

As cases continue to rise nationwide and local medical facilities come under increasing strain, other prefectures, including Kumamoto, are also considering whether to issue a similar request to the central government.

Also read:Japan mulls emergency declaration in Tokyo

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Asia News India News Sri Lanka

Ethnic Rift: India’s backing essential for Sri Lanka

The new cycle of inter-ethnic tensions once again reinforces that Sri Lanka and India have a shared interest in preventing an uneasy situation from getting out of hand. Sri Lanka needs India’s support to bridge its ethnic divide between Tamils and the majority Sinhala community, reports Atul Aneja

The destruction of a war memorial in Jaffna University, followed by a decision to restore it, has yet again exposed the uneasy relationship between ethnic communities, and the need for Sri Lanka to heal from within.

On January 3, Jaffna University authorities decided to raze a war memorial commemorating the Tamil bloodbath during the last phase of the three-decade-long civil war that ended in 2009. The memorial was a reminder of the killings of Tamils at Mullivaikkal, a small village in the northeast coast of Sri Lanka.

In the late hours on January 9, several students as well as the mayor of Jaffna, Vishwalingam Maniwannan, protested outside the gates of the University, around 300 km north of Colombo.

The new cycle of inter-ethnic tensions once again reinforces that Sri Lanka and India have a shared interest in preventing an uneasy situation from getting out of hand. Sri Lanka needs India’s support to bridge its ethnic divide between Tamils and the majority Sinhala community. New Delhi’s backing would be essential for preventing the re-emergence of Tamil Nadu as a rear base for ethnic Tamils, if the internal situation inside Sri Lanka turns really ugly.

Already, the move to demolish the memorial has triggered a firestorm in Tamil Nadu, where most residents share ethnic ties with Sri Lankan Tamils. Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu E.K. Palaniswami took to Twitter to strongly condemn the demolition and said: “The news that a monument erected at the Jaffna University campus in memory of university students and the general public who were mercilessly killed in the final phase of the war in Mullivaikkal, Sri Lanka, has been demolished overnight is shocking,” ANI news agency reported.

“I strongly condemn this act of the Government of Sri Lanka which has caused great pain to the Tamils of the world and to the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Jaffna who accompanied it,” Palaniswami said in another tweet.



Meanwhile, the incident evoked strong reactions from other leaders in the state, including Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and opposition leader and DMK President MK Stalin.

“This despicable act of racism is highly reprehensible. I strongly condemn this unacceptable act,” Panneerselvam wrote in a tweet.

Stalin also took to Twitter and condemned the move. “My strongest condemnation for the demolition of the Mullivaikkal memorial at the University of Jaffna, following the demolition of the traditional monuments of Eelam Tamils! @PMOIndia Condemn this shocking incident! This is the expectation of the Tamils of the world,” he said.

India on its part needs a peaceful Sri Lanka, for an internal conflict can involve foreign players, especially China in the island nation. Already, India is wary of Sri Lanka’s growing ties with China, a country with which New Delhi is facing a standoff in Ladakh.

Aware that the ethnic fault-lines between the Tamils and the majority Sinhala community need to be bridged, India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had, in a recent visit to Colombo called upon the Sri Lankan authorities to enforce the existing peace accords meant to seal old inter-ethnic wounds.

Specifically, Jaishankar reinforced the importance of the now ‘defunct’ Indo-Sri Lanka Accord that was signed between former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Sri Lankan President J.R. Jayewardene (JRJ).

The accord was enacted on November 14, 1987, which triggered the Article 13A amendment to the Sri Lankan constitution.

Despite the introduction of Article 13A in the Constitution, Colombo has not enforced it.

Consequently, the government of Sri Lanka has not put it into action, basically, the devolution of powers to the 9 provinces of Sri Lanka, arguing that “it was pushed down the throat of President JRJ by India, hurriedly”, Sri Lankan writer L, Lilvani opined in an article contributed to IndiaNarrative.com.

During his visit, Jaishankar also met members of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), a coalition of Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK), Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation (TELO) and People’s Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE). According to Lilvani, TNA believes that a new constitution is imperative if Sri Lanka is to move forward towards sustainable peace and prosperity as a united country.

But the healing of old wounds will not be easy as each side carries a historical baggage, which cannot be easily shed. Sri Lanka saw one of the most gruesome and bloodiest war which lasted for 30 long years. It ended in 2009, resulting in the sacrifice of soldiers, politicians, academics as well as civilians. On the other hand, the Tamils of the North East also paid a horrendous price. The Tamil Tigers fought tooth and nail with the support of several South Indian politicians as well as the support of the Tamil Nadu youth who have historically, culturally and religiously bonded with the Sri Lankan Tamils.

Fortunately, the protestations within and outside India regarding the demolished memorial seem to have prodded the relevant authorities in Sri Lanka in the right direction. The website of the Colombo Post newspaper reported on Monday that the Jaffna University vice chancellor had laid the foundation stone for destroyed monument, which will now be rebuilt. The daily also reported that Tariq Ahmad, UK’s Minister of State for South Asia and the Commonwealth, had also expressed regret over the demolishment of the memorial.

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Avalanche kills 4 in Pakistan

The deceased were on their way to a village in the district when their vehicle was buried under the avalanche…reports Asian Lite News

Four people were killed when the vehicle they were travelling in was struck by an avalanche in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, local media reported on Tuesday.

The accident took place in Mansehra district on Monday, Xinhua news agency quoted the local media reports as saying.

The deceased were on their way to a village in the district when their vehicle was buried under the avalanche,

Rescue teams were only able to recover the bodies late Monday night, the reports said.

The avalanche also disrupted traffic until the traffic police cleared the area.

Avalanches often take place in Mansehra due to extreme weather conditions in winter.

In November 2020, over 800 people including tourists in 110 vehicles were stranded when an avalanche blocked the main highway for more than eight hours.

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India, B’desh to boost counter-terrorism cooperation

In the first delegation-level virtual Police Chiefs’ Dialogue both sides agreed to enhance cooperation against terrorist entities including global terrorist groups, as well as other fugitives, wherever they are present and active….reports Asian Lite News

 In a virtual meet of Police chiefs of India and Bangladesh emphasis was laid on enhancing counter-terrorism cooperation especially against global terror groups. As a step towards that, designated ‘nodal points’ would be established for timely and effective handling and response to existing as well as emerging security and counter-terrorism challenges.

In the first delegation-level virtual vv Dialogue both sides agreed to enhance cooperation against terrorist entities including global terrorist groups, as well as other fugitives, wherever they are present and active.

Both sides also reiterated the need for sharing real time intelligence and feedback through the designated ‘nodal points’, while appreciating each other’s ongoing action against insurgent groups operating in the region.

“The scope of enhanced coordination to combat trans-border criminal activities, including smuggling of drugs, Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN), arms and ammunition and human trafficking was also discussed,” the statement from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs said.

In view of the limitations imposed by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the meeting was held virtually on Tuesday. Both sides however emphasized the importance of this new high level mechanism, as the dialogue concluded with assurances of greater cooperation on both the sides to address all security challenges in future.

“The institution of the Police Chiefs’ Dialogue, assisted by members of other security agencies on both sides, will further enhance the existing cooperation between the police forces of both countries, thereby further consolidating a relationship that transcends strategic partnership on this 50th anniversary of the Liberation of Bangladesh,” the statement added.

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Black box of ‘Sriwijaya’ retrieved

The authorities hope that data from the black boxes can give vital clues on the possible cause of the crash….reports Asian Lite News

Indonesian search teams have retrieved one of the two “black boxes” from the ill-fated Boeing 737 plane that crashed into the Java Sea on Saturday, killing all 62 people on board.

The flight data recorder was brought ashore, but the teams are still trying to locate the cockpit voice recorder, the BBC reported on Tuesday citing officials.

The authorities hope that data from the black boxes can give vital clues on the possible cause of the crash.

The 26-year-old aircraft passed an airworthiness inspection last month.

It was still functioning and intact before it crashed, preliminary results showed.

Flight SJ182 was en route from the capital Jakarta to the city of Pontianak on Borneo island.

Separately, Indonesian police have identified the first victim – Okky Bisma, a 29-year-old flight attendant.

Indonesia’s transport ministry on Tuesday said the aircraft had been grounded during the pandemic, and passed an inspection on December 14.

It made its first flight five days later with no passengers before resuming commercial flights on December 22.

The National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) said that preliminary findings showed that the plane had reached the height of 10,900ft (3.3 km) at 2.36 p.m. local time on Saturday (07:36 GMT), then made a steep drop to 250ft at 14:40, before it stopped transmitting data.

KNKT head Soerjanto Tjahjono added that the plane’s turbine disc had been found with a damaged fan blade – ruling out the theory that the plane had exploded mid-air.

“The damaged fan blade indicates that the machine was still functioning when it crashed. This (is) also in line with the belief that the plane’s system was still functioning when it reached 250 ft,” said Soerjanto in a written statement to reporters.

Search teams are continuing to comb the waters at the crash site, trying to retrieve the cockpit voice recorder.

Earlier on Tuesday, the KNKT said a device used to locate the black boxes had experienced “technical problems or equipment damage”.

Several pieces of debris, body parts, wreckage and passengers’ clothing have already been recovered.

Some 2,600 personnel were involved in the search operation on Monday, along with more than 50 ships and 13 aircraft.

Investigators are already analysing items which they believe to be a wheel and part of the plane’s fuselage. An engine turbine has also been recovered.

Safety officials say this stage of the investigation could take up to a year.

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