AMID CRITICAL SHORTAGE, E.U. MOVES TO LIMIT VACCINE EXPORTS

Desperate as doses run dry, the European Union on Friday approved its third

coronavirus vaccine, while moving to restrict exports of the shot, shunning

its decades-old free-trade, anti-protectionism creed amid a growing crisis.

E.U. regulators authorized the shot produced by AstraZeneca, even as the

company and the bloc fight over AstraZeneca's insistence that it cannot

deliver as many doses as it had promised, and as the European Union falls

well behind Britain and the United States in inoculations.

The export controls came in response to the spat with AstraZeneca, as well

as severe shortages at vaccination centers. French and German regions have

reported that they have nearly run out of vaccine, and the Madrid region of

Spain has suspended its rollout for at least two weeks until fresh

deliveries arrive.

Supply chain disruptions have slowed delivery of the two vaccines already in

use in the European Union, from Pfizer and Moderna, creating mounting

pressure on E.U. leaders to ensure that mass immunization plans stay on

track.

The measure, which takes effect on Saturday, is aimed at AstraZeneca and

escalates a conflict between the European Union and Britain, which finalized

its departure from the bloc just weeks ago. It empowers the Europeans to

halt any export of doses manufactured within the bloc unless the maker first

meets its supply obligations to the 27 E.U. member states.

AstraZeneca, headquartered in Britain, developed its vaccine in cooperation

with the University of Oxford, and is producing it at multiple plants, in

Britain and on the continent. Britain authorized use of the vaccine in late

December, a month ahead of the bloc, and has been receiving a steady flow of

the shots.

The British government said it was urgently seeking clarifications from the

E.U.

The European Union did not make an advance purchase agreement with

AstraZeneca until last fall, three months after Britain had signed one, but

the bloc paid the company about $400 million to help it scale up production

capacity.

AstraZeneca said this month that it would significantly cut its planned

February and March deliveries to the European Union, infuriating E.U.

officials, who accused the pharmaceutical company of using its promised

doses to serve Britain, in bad faith and in breach of the company's

contractual obligations.

The company's chief executive responded that he regretted the situation, but

that his company had not committed to a specific production and delivery

schedule, but rather to a vow to make its "best effort."

The policy announced by the European Commission on Friday, presented as a

"transparency tool," directs pharmaceutical companies manufacturing

coronavirus vaccines within the bloc's borders - currently Pfizer and

AstraZeneca - to submit paperwork alerting European authorities of any

intention to move their products to non-E.U. countries.

The commission said it reserved the right to block such exports if it

determined that the pharmaceutical companies were not meeting their E.U.

contractual obligations first. The policy will be in place until the end of

March and will not apply to exports intended for poorer countries.

BLINKEN DIALS PAK FM QURESHI SEEKING ACCOUNTABILITY IN DANIEL PEARL MURDER

CASE

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday spoke with Pakistani

counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi and discussed ways to ensure accountability

for convicted terrorist Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh in the American journalist

Daniel Pearl's murder case.

"Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke today with Pakistani Foreign

Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi. Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister

Qureshi discussed how to ensure accountability for convicted terrorist Ahmed

Omar Saeed Sheikh and others responsible for the kidnapping and murder of

American journalist Daniel Pearl," State Department Spokesperson Ned Price

said in a statement.

During the phone call, Secretary Blinken reinforced US concern about the

Pakistani Supreme Court ruling and potential release of these prisoners.

This statement comes a day after Pakistan's Supreme Court ordered the

release of the Omar Sheikh convicted in 2002 of orchestrating the abduction

and killing of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl.

COVID-19: FRANCE CLOSES BORDERS TO MOST NON-EU TRAVEL

French PM Jean Castex has announced tough new Covid-19 border restrictions,

but has again resisted imposing a new nationwide lockdown.

From Sunday all but essential travel from outside of the EU will be banned.

Testing requirements from inside the EU will also be tightened.

Mr Castex said police would increase their enforcement of an evening curfew

and other rules already in place.

Infections remain high in France, despite recent rule tightening.

The new restrictions will affect the UK, now no longer in the EU, but its

transport minister clarified on Twitter that the change would not impact

hauliers transporting goods to or from the UK.

The threat of a third national lockdown in France has loomed large all week,

following warnings by top health officials that one would be needed amid

high hospital rates and the spread of new variants.

But on Friday, following a defence and security meeting, Mr Castex said in a

televised statement it could still be prevented.

"We know the grave impact [of a lockdown]. Tonight, looking at the data of

the past few days, we consider that we can still give ourselves a chance to

avoid one," he said.

Under the rule change starting on Sunday, all travel will be banned from

outside the EU unless for vital reasons.

CHINA DERECOGNISES BRITISH PASSPORT AMID ROW OVER HK

Britain on Friday hailed a new visa offering Hong Kong citizens a route to

citizenship after China's crackdown but Beijing said it would no longer

recognise special British passports offered to residents of the former

colony.Britain and China have been bickering for months about what London

and Washington say is an attempt to silence dissent in Hong Kong, though

Beijing says the West's views are clouded by misinformation and an imperial

hangover.

Britain says it is fulfilling a historic and moral commitment to the people

of Hong Kong after China imposed a tough new security law on the city that

Britain says breaches the terms of agreements to hand the colony back in

1997.

"I am immensely proud that we have brought in this new route for Hong Kong

BN(O)s to live, work and make their home in our country," Prime Minister

Boris Johnson said, referring to a special British National Overseas (BNO)

passport.

But China and the Hong Kong government hit back by saying neither would

recognise the BNO passport as a valid travel document from January 31.

"Britain is trying to turn large numbers of Hong Kong people into

second-class British citizens. This has completely changed the original

nature of BNO," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a

regular briefing.

NOT BOUND BY TREATY ON PROHIBITION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS: PAKISTAN

Pakistan on Friday said it was not bound by the treaty on the prohibition of

nuclear weapons as it failed to take into account the interests of all

stakeholders.

The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons entered into force on

January 22, culminating a decades-long campaign aimed at preventing a

repetition of the US atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of

World War II.

Though hailed as a historic step by several nations, the treaty was opposed

by the world's nuclear-armed countries, including the US, China, Russia, the

UK and India. Japan also didn't support the pact.

The treaty, which was adopted in July 2017, was "negotiated outside the

established UN disarmament negotiating forums," Pakistan's Foreign Office

said in a statement.

"Accordingly, Pakistan does not consider itself bound by any of the

obligations enshrined in this treaty. Pakistan stresses that this treaty

neither forms a part of, nor contributes to the development of customary

international law in any manner," it said.

The statement noted that none of the nuclear armed states, including

Pakistan, took part in the negotiations of the treaty which "failed to take

on board the legitimate interests of all the stakeholders" and many

non-nuclear armed states have also refrained from becoming parties to the

agreement.

NEPAL'S TOP COURT SERVES CONTEMPT NOTICES TO BELEAGUERED PM OLI

Nepal's Supreme Court has issued two contempt of court notices to caretaker

Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli, demanding he explain why he mocked lawyers

challenging his decision to dissolve parliament and call early polls.

The contempt of court suits are the latest challenges for the beleaguered

leader after being expelled from his party earlier this week.

The Supreme Court has ordered Oli to "present his written replies within

seven days," Devendra Dhakal, a Supreme Court official told Reuters.

The Supreme Court judges are dealing with more than a dozen petitions

against Oli's surprise move in December last year to dissolve the parliament

and call fresh elections a year ahead of schedule, a move that has triggered

nation wide protests amid the coronavirus pandemic and plunged the young

Himalayan republic into a political crisis.

Despite protests, Oli at a public function last week, questioned the

involvement of a 94-year-old lawyer Krishna Prasad Bhandari in petitions

filed against his political decision.

Bhandari had earlier stated before the court that the leader (Oli) had no

prerogative to dissolve the parliament and had acted unconstitutionally.

This week two lawyers filed contempt cases against Oli for making statements

which they deemed were "a direct insult" to the legal fraternity.

Oli's lawyer Ramesh Badal said the leader was yet to get a communication

from the court.

FRANCE'S MACRON SAYS ANY NEW NUCLEAR TALKS WITH IRAN TO BE 'STRICT'

French President Emmanuel Macron said any new negotiations on world powers'

2015 nuclear deal with Iran would be very "strict" and should include Saudi

Arabia, Al Arabiya television reported on Friday.

It said Macron told a media briefing which included the Saudi-owned channel

that a very short time remained to prevent Iran from having a nuclear

weapon. Al Arabiya reported Macron's comments in Arabic.

Saudi Arabia and its ally the United Arab Emirates have said that Gulf Arab

states should be involved in any talks this time which they say should also

address Iran's ballistic missile programme and its support for proxies

around the Middle East.

Macron stressed the need to avoid what he called the mistake of excluding

other countries in the region when the 2015 deal was negotiated, according

to Al Arabiya.

Saudi Arabia, which is locked in several proxy wars in the region with

Tehran including in Yemen, supported Trump's "maximum pressure" campaign

against Iran.