ASTRAZENECA BLOOD CLOT WORRIES HINDER VACCINATION CAMPAIGNS ACROSS THE WORLD

Growing worries that AstraZeneca Plc’s Covid-19 vaccine causes rare blood clots could hinder immunization campaigns across the world, from London to Seoul.

Reviews by U.K. and European Union regulators finding potential links to the unusual side effects are another blow for the shot, a cheaper and easier-to-deploy product that many nations are counting on in a bid to end the pandemic.

Scrutiny of the vaccine, developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, has been particularly intense in Europe, where skepticism about shots was already running high in places such as France and Poland. The U.K. on Wednesday recommended that people under the age of 30 should be offered alternatives to Astra’s vaccine, and countries across the EU have also imposed age restrictions.

Govts and regulators elsewhere are watching closely, too, and in some cases taking action. There’s a lot at stake, with AstraZeneca’s shot accounting for almost a quarter of the total supply deals signed for 2021.

Covax, an initiative designed to level global access that’s backed by groups including the World Health Organization, is highly reliant on the AstraZeneca vaccine. Shots from Pfizer Inc. and Moderna Inc. are more expensive and harder to store.

TAIWAN WILL FIGHT ''TO THE VERY LAST DAY'' IF CHINA ATTACKS

Taiwan's foreign minister on Wednesday said the island will defend itself “to the very last day” if attacked by China.

Joseph Wu said China's attempts at conciliation while engaging in military intimidation are sending “mixed signals” to the island's residents.

China claims Taiwan as its own territory to be won over peacefully or by force.

Mr. Wu noted China flew 10 warplanes into Taiwan's air defense identification zone on Monday and deployed an aircraft carrier group for exercises near Taiwan.

“We are willing to defend ourselves, that's without any question," Mr. Wu told reporters. “We fill fight a war if we need to fight a war, and if we need to defend ourselves to the very last day, then we will defend ourselves to the very last day.“ China does not recognize Taiwan's democratically elected government, and leader Xi Jinping has said “unification” between the sides cannot be put off indefinitely.

“On the one hand they want to charm the Taiwanese people by sending their condolences, but at the same time they are also sending their military aircraft and military vessels closer to Taiwan aimed at intimidating Taiwan's people," Mr. Wu said at a ministry briefing.

“The Chinese are sending very mixed signals to the Taiwanese people and I would characterize that as self-defeating," Mr. Wu said.

DO NOT ANTICIPATE ANY IMMEDIATE BREAKTHROUGH IN IRAN NUCLEAR TALKS: U.S.

The U.S. does not anticipate any immediate breakthrough in the Iran nuclear talks that kicked off in Vienna, a senior State Department official has said, asserting that there will be “difficult discussions” ahead.

The European Union-brokered talks on Tehran’s nulcear programme, which began in Vienna on Tuesday, is being attended by diplomats from the U.K., China, France, Germany, Russia and Iran.

The U.S. and Iran last week said that they would begin negotiations through intermediaries in a bid to get both the countries back into the nuclear accord which limits Tehran’s atomic programme.

“These are early days; we don’t anticipate any immediate breakthrough. We don’t anticipate being in a position to provide any sort of live commentary on these discussions. We know these will be tough talks. This is a healthy step forward,” Mr. Price said.

JORDAN KING DOUBLES DOWN ON SEDITION CLAIMS AGAINST BROTHER

Jordan's King Abdullah II addressed the unprecedented public rift within the royal family for the first time on Wednesday, portraying it as an attempted sedition involving his half-brother that had been “nipped in the bud," but caused him anger, pain and shock.

The monarch appeared to be doubling down on the allegations against Prince Hamzah, a former crown prince, while at the same time trying to reassure Jordanians that the nation was returning to business as usual.

“The challenge over the past few days was not the most difficult or dangerous to the stability of our nation, but to me, it was the most painful,” he said.

“Sedition came from within and without our one house, and nothing compares to my shock, pain, and anger as a brother and as the head of the Hashemite family, and as a leader of this proud people.” King Abdullah also suggested that there was continued control over Prince Hamzah's movements. The prince, who has not been seen or heard from in days, was “with his family at his palace, under my care," the statement said.

The King said Wednesday that he was hurt by the recent events.

BACKLASH AFTER PAKISTAN PM IMRAN KHAN LINKS RAPE TO HOW WOMEN DRESS

Pakistan rights campaigners have accused Prime Minister Imran Khan of "baffling ignorance" after the former playboy cricketer blamed how women dress for a rise in rape cases.

In a weekend interview on live television, Oxford-educated Mr. Khan said an increase in rapes indicated the "consequences in any society where vulgarity is on the rise".

"The incidents of rape of women... (have) actually very rapidly increased in society," he said. He advised women to cover up to prevent temptation.

"This entire concept of purdah is to avoid temptation, not everyone has the willpower to avoid it," he said, using a term that can refer to modest dress or the segregation of the sexes.

Hundreds have signed a statement circulating online on Wednesday calling Mr. Khan's comments "factually incorrect, insensitive and dangerous".

"Fault rests solely with the rapist and the system that enables the rapist, including a culture fostered by statements such as those made by (Mr. Khan)," the statement said.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, an independent rights watchdog, said on Tuesday it was "appalled" by the comments.

"Not only does this betray a baffling ignorance of where, why and how rape occurs, but it also lays the blame on rape survivors, who, as the government must know, can range from young children to victims of honour crimes," it said.

MYANMAR'S UK ENVOY SAYS MILITARY ATTACHE HAS 'OCCUPIED' EMBASSY

Myanmar's ambassador in London says he has been locked out of his embassy.

Kyaw Zwar Minn said staff were asked to leave the building by Myanmar's military attaché and he was told he was no longer the country's representative.

"I have been locked out," he told Reuters news agency.

Kyaw Zwar Minn described Wednesday's events as "a kind of coup, in the middle of London", Reuters reported. "This kind of coup is not going to happen," he added.

U.S. RESTORES ASSISTANCE FOR PALESTINIANS, TO PROVIDE $235 MILLION IN AID

The Biden administration announced on Wednesday it would provide $235 million in U.S. aid to the Palestinians, restarting funding for the United Nations agency supporting refugees and restoring other assistance cut off by then-President Donald Trump.

The package, including humanitarian, economic and development assistance, was detailed by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken as part of an effort to repair American ties with the Palestinians that all but collapsed during Mr. Trump’s tenure.

It marked Democratic President Joe Biden's most significant move since taking office on January 20 to make good on his promise to roll back some components of his Republican predecessor's approach that Palestinians denounced as heavily biased in favor of Israel.

The plan calls for $150 million through the United Nations relief agency UNRWA, $75 million in U.S. economic and development assistance and $10 million for peace-building programs, Mr. Blinken said in a statement.

Mr. Biden’s aides have also signaled that they want to re-establish the goal of a negotiated two-state solution as a priority in U.S. policy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

RUSSIA TO SUPPLY MILITARY GEAR TO PAKISTAN

Russia’s Foreign Minister on Wednesday said Moscow and Islamabad would boost ties in the fight against terrorism, with Russia providing unspecified military equipment to Pakistan and the two holding joint exercises at sea and in the mountains.

Sergey Lavrov spoke on the second day of a two-day trip to Pakistan. It’s the first visit by a Russian Foreign Minister in nine years. It comes as Moscow seeks to increase its stature in the region, particularly in Afghanistan. There, it has sought to inject itself as a key player in accelerated efforts to find a peaceful end to decades of war.

“We stand ready to strengthen the anti-terrorist potential of Pakistan, including by supplying Pakistan with special military equipment,” Mr. Lavrov said, without going into detail about the equipment.

Washington is reviewing an agreement it signed more than a year ago with the Taliban as it rethinks a May 1 withdrawal of its soldiers. Meanwhile, Moscow has stepped up its involvement in Afghanistan, emerging as a significant player.

Russia is also building a gas pipeline betweenthe southern port city of Karachi and eastern Lahore. Pakistan’s Foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said Islamabad will alsobuy 5 million doses of the Russian made COVID-19 Sputnik V vaccine, and expressed a desire to eventually manufacture it in Pakistan. He said Pakistan also wanted Russian expertise to modernise its antiquated railway system as well as its energy sector.

IRAN SHIP SAID TO BE RED SEA TROOP BASE OFF YEMEN ATTACKED

An Iranian ship believed to be a base for the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard and anchored for years in the Red Sea off Yemen has been attacked, Tehran acknowledged on Wednesday.

Iran's Foreign Ministry confirmed the attack on the MV Saviz, suspected to have been carried out by Israel - though Tehran did not immediately blamed its regional archenemy. The assault came as Iran and world powers sat down in Vienna for the first talks about the US potentially rejoining the tattered deal aimed at curbing Iran's nuclear program, showing events outside the negotiations could derail those efforts.

The ship's long presence in the region, repeatedly criticized by Saudi Arabia, has come as the West and United Nations experts say Iran has provided arms and support to Yemen's Houthi rebels in that country's years long war. Iran denies arming the Houthis, though components found in the rebels' weaponry link back to Tehran.

"Fortunately, no casualties were reported ... and technical investigations are underway," Khatibzadeh said. "Our country will take all necessary measures through international authorities."