WIDESPREAD COVID VACCINATION NOT EXPECTED UNTIL MIDDLE OF NEXT YEAR: WHO

As the threat of the catastrophic COVID-19 pandemic continues to loom over

the globe, the World Health Organization's (WHO) chief scientist Dr Soumya

Swaminathan said that the worldwide distribution of vaccines on a mass level

against COVID-19 may take place by mid-2021.

"So realistically speaking, probably the second half, the middle of 2021 -

maybe the second quarter, the third quarter of 2021 - is when we can start

seeing doses actually flowing into countries so that they can start to

immunize their populations," Swaminathan said while addressing a press

briefing on Friday.

This expected timeline for the worldwide distribution of vaccine comes as

there are various vaccine candidates that are in phase III of the human

clinical trials, which is expected to be concluded by this year-end or early

next year, Swaminathan believed.

"We expect results from some of the candidates, which are already in Phase 3

trials, to come by the end of the year or beginning of next year, following

which they'll have to be scaling [up] manufacturing to produce the hundreds

of millions of doses that are going to be needed. In fact, the world is

going to need billions of doses, and that is going to take time to

manufacture. So we have to be optimistic and realistic at the same time,"

Swaminathan said.

TRUMP ANNOUNCES HISTORIC ACCORD BETWEEN FORMER FOES SERBIA, KOSOVO

Former foes Kosovo and Serbia have agreed on a historic pact to normalize

economic relations, US President Donald Trump announced Friday at the White

House.

"A truly historic day," Trump said, with Kosovo Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti

and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic sitting beside him in the Oval

Office.

"Serbia and Kosovo have announced economic cooperation on a broad range of

issues."

Serbia and its former territory, which declared independence in 2008, remain

bitter over a bloody war fought two decades ago.

The European Union failed for nearly a decade to broker a thaw in relations.

The US effort focused on business and commerce, however, with Serbian

negotiators insisting they would not go as far as recognizing Kosovo as a

full-fledged state.

"It took decades because you didn't have anybody trying to get it done,"

Trump said of the deal.

"There was a lot of fighting and now there's a lot of love."

Vucic said Trump had done a "great job" and praised the US president's

commitment to the region, inviting him to visit Serbia.

IRAN'S ENRICHED URANIUM STOCKPILE '10 TIMES LIMIT'

Iran now has more than 10 times the amount of enriched uranium permitted

under an international agreement, the UN's nuclear watchdog says.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Iran's enriched uranium

stockpile had reached 2,105kg (4,640lb).

Iran insists its nuclear programme is exclusively for peaceful purposes.

It comes after Iran gave IAEA inspectors access to one of two suspected

former nuclear sites.

The agency said it would take samples at the second site later this month.

In the latest statement, the global watchdog said Iran had "provided agency

inspectors access to the location to take environmental samples".

"The samples will be analysed by laboratories that are part of the agency's

network," it added.

MACRON DEFENDS BLASPHEMY, DECRIES 'ISLAMIC SEPARATISM'

French President Emmanuel Macron criticised on Friday what he called

"Islamic separatism" in his country and those who seek French citizenship

without accepting France's "right to commit blasphemy."

Mr. Macron defended satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, which published

caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad that helped inspire two French-born

Islamic extremists to mount a deadly January 2015 attack on the newspaper's

newsroom.

The weekly republished the images this week as the trial began of 14 people

over the attacks on Charlie Hebdo and on a kosher supermarket.

Speaking at a ceremony on Friday celebrating France's democratic history and

naturalising new citizens, the French President said, "You don't choose one

part of France. You choose France... The Republic will never allow any

separatist adventure."

Freedom in France, Mr. Macron said, includes "the freedom to believe or not

to believe. But this is inseparable from the freedom of expression up to the

right to blasphemy."

Noting the trial that opened on Wednesday, he said, "To be French is to

defend the right to make people laugh, to criticise, to mock, to

caricature."

VERY NASTY SITUATION ALONG INDIA-CHINA BORDER, SAYS DONALD TRUMP

Asserting that the situation along the India-China border has been "very

nasty and the Chinese are "going at it" much more strongly, U.S. President

Donald Trump said he would love to get involved and help.

"While we're at it, we're talking about China and India are going at it

pretty good on the border, as you know. It's been very nasty," Mr. Trump

told reporters on Friday evening at a White House news conference.

Mr. Trump reiterated that he is talking to both India and China about the

situation.

"And we stand ready to help with respect to China and India. If we can do

anything, we would love to get involved and help. And we are talking to both

countries about that," he said.

When asked if China is bullying India, he said that he hoped it is not the

case but noted that China is "certainly going at it."

"I hope not... But they (China) are certainly going at it. They are going at

it much more strongly than a lot of people even understand," Mr. Trump said

in response to a question.

CHINA, IRAN, RUSSIA SEEKING TO UNDERMINE U.S. ELECTIONS: NSA

China, Iran and Russia are the three countries that are seeking to undermine

U.S. elections, U.S. National Security Adviser (NSA) Robert O'Brien has

alleged noting that some of them prefer Democratic presidential candidate

Joe Biden as the next White House occupant.

"When it comes to elections and what the intelligence community has made

very clear is that first you have China, which has most massive programme to

influence the United States politically. You have Iran and you have Russia.

These are all three adversary countries that are seeking to disrupt our

elections," Mr. O'Brien told reporters at the White House.

"Some of them prefer Mr. Biden. Some people say some of them prefer the

president. My position is it doesn't matter what these countries want, than

any country that attempts to interfere with free and fair elections in the

United States has to be stopped," Mr. O'Brien said in response to a

question.

"We've taken unprecedented action. The president has taken

unprecedented--precedented action in funding the hardening of our elections

infrastructure, whether it's cyber or otherwise," he said.

U.N. EXPERTS RAISE CONCERNS OVER HONG KONG SECURITY LAW

Seven human rights experts affiliated with the U.N. raised concerns over

Hong Kong's national security law in a letter addressed to Chinese

authorities, saying that the law infringed on certain fundamental rights.

In a letter released on Friday, the experts said that the national security

law raised a serious risk that fundamental freedoms, such as the freedom of

expression and peaceful assembly, may be infringed upon.

It also highlighted the undermining of the judges and lawyers in the

semiautonomous Chinese territory.

We underscore that general assertions of conduct that threatens 'national

security' without proper definitions and limitations may severely curtail

civic space, the right to participate in public affairs, the rights of

minorities and the work of human rights defenders and other civil society

actors and their right to associate, the human rights experts said in the

letter dated September 1.

IMRAN AIDE QUITS OVER GRAFT CHARGES

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's top aide Lt Gen (retd) Asim Saleem

Bajwa resigned on Friday after allegations that he used his offices to help

family set up several off-shore businesses.

Bajwa, former Pakistan Army spokesman who also served as Commander of the

Southern Command, rejected the allegations against him and resigned as

special assistant to the prime minister (SAPM) on information and

broadcasting.

However, he would continue working as the chairman of the China-Pakistan

Economic Corridor (CPEC) Authority.

The development followed after a report on a website alleged that Bajwa had

used his offices to set up off-shore businesses of his wife, sons and

brothers.

The report alleged that Bajwa's younger brothers opened their first Papa

John's pizza restaurant in 2002, the year he started working as a Lieutenant

Colonel on the General Pervez Musharraf's staff.

TURKEY, GREECE START TALKS TO REDUCE RISK OF CONFLICT, SAYS NATO CHIEF

Despite a denial from Greece, the chief of NATO said on Friday that Greece

and Turkey have started technical discussions aimed at reducing the risk of

conflict or accidents amid military tensions between the allies over

offshore energy resources in the eastern Mediterranean.

"No agreement has been reached from the military-level talks," NATO

Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said.

Greece's foreign minister, meanwhile, headed to New York to discuss the

regional dispute centred around maritime boundaries and drilling rights.

Neighbours and NATO allies Greece and Turkey have been locked for weeks in a

tense standoff in the eastern Mediterranean, where Turkey is prospecting the

seabed for energy reserves in an area Greece claims as its own continental

shelf.

Ankara says it has every right to prospect there and accuses Greece of

trying to grab an unfair share of maritime resources.

On Friday, the NATO chief said, "Greek, Turkish and allied military officers

had begun talks aimed at ensuring that some of the standoffs between the two

countries' armed forces in the Mediterranean don't break out into open

conflict." NATO officials said the first talks were held on Thursday.

"As long as we have so many ships in the eastern Mediterranean, we believe

that there is a need to have technical talks on how to develop enhanced

mechanisms for deconfliction," Mr. Stoltenberg told reporters.

TRUMP PANNED OVER REPORTS HE CALLED US WAR DEAD 'LOSERS'

US President Donald Trump is facing a backlash over reports he mocked

American soldiers killed in action as "losers" and "suckers".

The alleged remarks were first reported in the Atlantic magazine and then

key details were corroborated by the Associated Press and Fox News.

But the president and his allies have denied he made the remarks.

Veterans' groups were among those who attacked the president over the

reports.

According to The Atlantic, Mr Trump cancelled a visit to a US cemetery

outside Paris in 2018 because he said it was "filled with losers".

Four sources told the magazine he rejected the idea of visiting because the

rain would dishevel his hair, and he did not believe it important to honour

America's war dead.

During the same trip, the president also allegedly referred to 1,800 US

soldiers who died at Belleau Wood as "suckers". The battle helped to prevent

a German advance on Paris during World War One and is venerated by the US

Marine Corps.

The Atlantic's reporting was based on anonymous sources but the Associated

Press said they had confirmed the remarks independently as did a Fox News

correspondent.