CHINA TO ALLOW INDIAN TRAVELLERS ONLY IF THEY TAKE CHINESE VACCINES

In what left many flummoxed here, the Chinese embassy announced, apparently for the purpose of resuming people-to-people exchanges in an orderly manner, that it will restart normal visa services for people who have been administered a Chinese Covid-19 vaccine. Although China has made similar announcements in 19 other countries, India is not among the nations where any Chinese vaccine is available.

There is also no proposal to make any Chinese vaccine available to Indian nationals in the near future. The decision effectively makes it mandatory for those looking to return to China for employment and other activities to be inoculated with a Chinese vaccine.

"Persons and their family members (who have Chinese vaccination certificates) going to China to carry on their employment contracts, work resumption and other relevant activities are allowed to submit their visa applications through Chinese visa application service centre to Chinese embassy or consulates in India following the same way as before the epidemic occurred," the embassy said in a notice.

The announcement will be of little use for many Indian students who are stuck in India awaiting Beijing to permit their return as there are no Chinese vaccines available in India. Chinese authorities in Beijing justified the "unilateral" decision saying they were trying to “facilitate international travel".

The Chinese embassy didn't clarify how Indians can access Chinese-made vaccines in India. Global Times reported that such notices were put up by Chinese embassies in 20 countries.

U.S. INTELLIGENCE SAYS PUTIN APPROVED OPERATIONS TO HELP TRUMP AGAINST BIDEN

Russian President Vladimir Putin likely authorised attempts to influence last year's US election in favour of former President Donald Trump, intelligence officials say.

Moscow spread "misleading or unsubstantiated allegations" about the eventual winner, Joe Biden, according to a US government report.

But it said no foreign government had compromised the final results.

Russia has repeatedly denied allegations of election interference.

The 15-page report, released on Tuesday by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, outlined what it said were "influence operations" pushed by Russia as well as Iran.

It said Russian-linked individuals had spread unsubstantiated claims about President Biden ahead of the 3 November election. It also said a disinformation campaign sought to undermine confidence in the broader election process.

Some people connected to Russian intelligence also pushed anti-Biden narratives to media outlets, senior officials and allies of Mr Trump, the report said.

The report added that, while Russia had sought to boost Mr Trump's chances of victory, Iran had launched a "multi-pronged covert influence campaign" in an effort to weaken his support.

The former president pursued a policy of "maximum pressure" on Iran, imposing damaging sanctions and escalating a war of words between the two nations.

The report also concluded with "high confidence" that China, which has long been accused of cyber-espionage by Washington, chose not to "deploy interference efforts" ahead of the vote.

"China sought stability in its relationship with the United States and did not view either election outcome as being advantageous enough for China to risk blowback if caught," it said.

U.S., JAPAN WARN CHINA AGAINST ‘COERCION’

The U.S. and Japan warned Beijing against “coercion and destabilising behaviour” on Tuesday after top-level diplomatic and defence talks aimed at bolstering their alliance against rising Chinese influence.

Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin and top U.S. diplomat Antony Blinken are on their first overseas trip, which began on Monday in Japan, looking to shore up regional alliances and send a message to Beijing.

They will continue on to South Korea, and a policy review by the new administration of its approach to Pyongyang is also a key part of the diplomatic outreach.

But discussions in Tokyo focused on China’s manoeuvres in the region, including its increasing presence around islands disputed with Japan.

“China uses coercion and aggression to systematically erode autonomy in Hong Kong, undercut democracy in Taiwan, abuse human rights in Xinjiang and Tibet and assert maritime claims in the South China Sea that violate international law,” Mr. Blinken said at a joint press conference.

“We’re united in a vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific region, where countries follow the rules, cooperate wherever they can and resolve their differences peacefully.”

“We will push back if necessary, when China uses coercion or aggression to get its way.”

In a joint statement, the U.S. officials and their Japanese counterparts also warned that “China’s behaviour, where inconsistent with the existing international order, presents political, economic, military and technological challenges”.

“The Ministers committed to opposing coercion and destabilising behaviour towards others in the region,” they added.

MODERNA SAYS IT HAS STARTED VACCINE TRIALS ON CHILDREN

U.S. manufacturer Moderna on Tuesday said it has started COVID-19 vaccine trials for children aged from 6 months to under 12 years old, with plans to enroll about 6,750 participants.

“We are pleased to begin this Phase 2/3 study of mRNA-1273 in healthy children in the U.S. and Canada,” said CEO Stephane Bancel in a statement.

“This pediatric study will help us assess the potential safety and immunogenicity of our COVID-19 vaccine candidate in this important younger age population.”

U.S. health authorities say that fewer children have been sick with COVID-19 compared to adults, but they can be infected and can spread the virus. Most infected children have mild symptoms or no symptoms at all.

School officials across the U.S. are under pressure to fully reopen as soon as possible, but many say they need portable classrooms or shorter school days to meet social distancing rules.

Moderna said 17.8 million adults in the U.S. have received its vaccine. The Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines have all been authorised for emergency use, and the companies are set to deliver more than enough to cover the entire U.S. adult population by mid-year.

GUNMEN KILL AT LEAST 58 IN ATTACK ON NIGER MARKET SELLERS

Gunmen on motorcycles attacked a group of civilians returning from market day in a volatile corner of Niger, leaving at least 58 people dead and then burning granaries to the ground, the government has said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Monday’s massacres, though extremists belonging to the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara group are known to be active in the Tillaberi region where the villages were attacked.

The victims were returning home from a large livestock market in Banibangou, near Niger’s troubled border with Mali. The suspected extremists also destroyed nearby granaries that held valuable food stores.

The announcement was read on Niger state television on March 16 evening by government spokesman Abdourahmane Zakaria, who declared three days of national mourning for the victims.

Monday’s attacks underscore the enormous security challenges facing Niger’s new President, Mohamed Bazoum, who won the election in late February to succeed outgoing leader Mahamadou Issoufou.

Not only are jihadis active in the Tillaberi region, but the counterterrorism offensives against those extremists have helped given rise to ethnic militias, analysts say. Intercommunal tensions have been exacerbated as a result, particularly near the border between Mali and Niger.

CHINA APPROVES FOURTH COVID-19 VACCINE FOR EMERGENCY USE

China has approved a new COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, one that was developed by the head of its Center for Disease Control, adding to its arsenal.

Gao Fu, the head of China's CDC, led the development of a protein subunit vaccine that was approved by regulators last week for emergency use, the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Microbiology said in a statement Monday.

It is the fourth such vaccine to be given emergency use approval. China has approved four vaccines developed by three Chinese companies for general use.

The vaccine was developed jointly by Anhui Zhifei Longcom Biopharmaceutical Co. Ltd. and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The team finished phase 1 and phase 2 clinical trials in October of last year and is currently conducting the last phase of trials in Uzbekistan, Pakistan and Indonesia, according to the statement.

The vaccine was approved for use in Uzbekistan on March 1.

BURKHA BAN IS JUST A PROPOSAL, SAYS SRI LANKA

Sri Lanka said on Tuesday a call to ban the wearing of the burkha was “merely a proposal”, following outcry ahead of a crucial United Nations vote on human rights in the island nation.

Minister for public security Sarath Weerasekera said on Saturday it would “definitely” ban the full face covering worn by some Muslim women on national security grounds, pending Cabinet approval.

But the Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday a decision had not yet been taken on what it described as “merely a proposal... under discussion”.

“The government will initiate a broader dialogue with all parties concerned and sufficient time will be taken for necessary consultations to be held and for consensus to be reached,” it said in a statement.

‘WE ARE HUNGRY’: LEBANESE PROTEST WORSENING ECONOMIC CRISIS

Outraged protesters returned to the streets of Lebanon’s capital on March 16, blocking roads with burning tires and garbage containers as the currency continued to plummet to all-time lows and the country’s financial crisis intensified.

The protests resumed — although in smaller numbers — following several days of relative calm as the Lebanese pound continued its slide, plunging to a new low of 15,000 to the U.S. dollar on the black market.

“Where are the people? Come down, we are hungry, we are fed up!” yelled Ahmad Shuman, a protester frustrated at the small number of people taking part in demonstrations.

In another Beirut neighbourhood, small groups of young men, some driving scooters, pelted shop windows with stones and asked them to close in an apparent attempt to broaden public outrage and force shutdowns.

In a panic, motorists queued outside gas stations fearing rising prices. Police went around to some gas stations in the south of Lebanon to ensure no one was hoarding fuel in anticipation of price hikes.

The currency has lost 90% of its value since October 2019, when anti-government protests erupted, including more than 25% in the past few weeks alone. Inflation and prices of basic goods have skyrocketed in the country, which imports more than 80% of its basic goods.

Senior politicians, meanwhile, have refused to work together to form a new government that would implement the reforms needed to extract the nation from the crisis.

The currency crash has pushed more than half the population into poverty.