Egyptian authorities arrested three people accused of dumping thousands of unused Covid-19 vaccine jabs found last week in a water drain in a southern city, the public prosecution said.

- An investigative committee... found a shortage of 18,400 vaccine doses in the Minya health directorate storage inventory worth 5,023,200 pounds ($319,000) - the prosecution said late Sunday in a statement posted on its social media accounts.
The statement said 13,412 doses had been found dumped but were unfit for use due to poor storage conditions and insufficient cooling. Another 4,988 doses had also been lost.
It did not identify the type of vaccines involved.
Minya governorate is more than 200 kilometres (124 miles) from Cairo.
The three people detained were a pharmacist, a driver and a storage inspector all working with the health ministry.
They face charges of "gross negligence" and "misappropriation of public funds", according to the public prosecution.
The three would be detained pending investigations, the prosecution added.
Last week, social media was abuzz with images of the abandoned vaccines, with many online users calling for accountability.
Cabinet spokesperson Nader Saad said last week that Egypt, the most populous Arab country with over 100 million people, has so far fully vaccinated nearly seven million people.
Daily virus cases have been steadily rising in recent weeks with the toll inching over 312,000, including more than 17,000 deaths.

They face charges of "gross negligence" and "misappropriation of public funds", according to the public prosecution

It did not identify the type of vaccines involved

Egypt arrests 3 over thousands of dumped Covid jabs

The Association of Algerian Muslim Ulema on Monday rejected French President Emmanuel Macron’s recent claims that the Ottoman presence in Algeria amounted to colonization.

- The Ottomans who came to Algeria did not come as colonial occupiers, rather (they came) at the invitation of the Algerians … to help them defeat the Spanish Crusader aggression - Abdul-Razzaq Qassoum, the association’s chairman, said in a column by the Al-Basair newspaper. The newspaper is affiliated with the association.
Tensions have escalated between France and Algeria over remarks made by Macron on the North African country’s colonial past.
In a bid to palliate its atrocious colonial past, Macron claimed that “there was a colonization before the French colonial rule” in Algeria, alluding to the Ottoman presence in the country between 1514 and 1830.
According to Qassoum, the Ottomans, unlike France, did not kill Algerians, destroy their land or plunder their wealth.
Algerians “possessed a lot of wealth (under the Ottomans),” the Algerian scholar said.
He also noted that the Ottomans neither imposed their language on Algerians nor fought their beliefs.
- They (Ottomans) did not fight our belief, not even our Madhhab (Islamic school of law).-On the contrary, Qassoum said the French colonial forces brought “tragedy” to Algeria and “misery” to its people.
Macron’s remarks in late September that the Algerian nation did not exist before the French colonial rule and that another colonization preceded his country’s sparked a storm of condemnations in Algeria.
Algerian President Abdelmedjid Tebboune condemned Macron’s remarks as an “unacceptable insult” to the martyrs, recalled his country’s Ambassador to France Antar Daoud for consultations, and closed airspace to French military aircraft used by the latter in its anti-terror operations in the Sahel.
In a televised interview on Sunday, Tebboune narrated an official account of the French massacre of nearly 4,000 worshippers during the 1830-1962 colonial era.
The worshippers were killed as they staged a sit-in inside an Ottoman Mosque called Ketchaoua in an effort to stop it from being converted into a church.
Algeria represents the most recent and bloodiest example of France's colonial history on the African continent.
Approximately 1.5 million Algerians were killed and millions more displaced in an eight-year struggle for independence that started in 1954.
France has also committed cultural genocide against Algeria since 1830, destroying Algeria’s 300-year-old Ottoman history and its own local identity, and also transforming many cultural and religious monuments in the country.
Paris has never officially apologized to Algeria as a state for its colonial policies.

French president recently alleged Ottomans colonized Algeria before France

Algerian Muslim scholars refute Macron’s claims on Ottomans

Trials of Turkey’s domestic COVID-19 vaccine are underway in the Aegean province of Izmir, an official said on Monday.

Doses of the Turkovac jab are being administered to volunteers at three hospitals in Izmir as part of Phase 3 trials of the homegrown vaccine, according to Dr. Mehmet Burak Oztop, the provincial health director.
- To start, we have invited people under the age of 60 who have received two doses of the Sinovac vaccine and are willing to take a third Turkovac dose as a booster - he told reporters.
- In the coming weeks, we will start administering Turkovac shots to people who are still completely unvaccinated.-The inactive vaccine, jointly developed by the Turkish Health Ministry, Health Institutes of Turkey, and the Erciyes University, has successfully completed Phase 1 and 2 trials in Turkey.
Health Minister Fahrettin Koca recently said the vaccine is at a stage where authorities are preparing to apply for emergency use approval.

Volunteers getting doses of Turkovac in Izmir as part of Phase 3 trials, says official

Doses of the Turkovac jab are being administered to volunteers at three hospitals in Izmir

Human trials of homegrown COVID-19 vaccine underway in Turkey

A Turkish lawmaker on Monday was elected the vice head of a NATO Parliamentary Assembly committee.

Ahmet Berat Conkar was elected the vice chairperson of the political committee during the 67th annual session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Lisbon, Portugal.
Conkar is a member of Turkish parliament from the Justice and Development (AK) Party and has been serving as the head of Turkish delegation to NATO Parliamentary Assembly since 2017.
The Turkish MP also is a NATO rapporteur in the Mediterranean and Middle East Special Group and currently working on a report titled The Future of Iraq: Security, Stabilization and Regional Vocation.

Ahmet Berat Conkar works as head of Turkish delegation to NATO Parliamentary Assembly since 2017

Turkish MP elected vice head of NATO Parliamentary Assembly committee

Top leaders of Russia and Armenia will meet in Moscow on Tuesday, the Kremlin announced.
President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan are expected to review the implementation of the November 2020 and January 2021 agreements between Russia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan on Nagorno-Karabakh, read a statement issued by the Kremlin on Monday.
They will also discuss “further steps to reinforce stability and promote economic connectivity in the region” as well as “bilateral ties and interaction within integration associations in the Eurasian space,” it added.

Russia brokered an agreement in November 2020 to end last year’s clashes between the former Soviet republics of Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Relations between the two have been tense since 1991 when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Upper Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.
New clashes erupted on Sept. 27 last year and saw the Armenian army launch attacks on civilians and Azerbaijani forces and violate several humanitarian cease-fire agreements.
During the 44-day conflict, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and nearly 300 settlements and villages that were occupied for nearly three decades.
The Nov. 10, 2020 deal mediated by Russia also included future efforts for a comprehensive resolution of the dispute.
On Jan. 11 this year, the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia signed a pact to develop economic ties and infrastructure to benefit the entire region. It also included the establishment of a trilateral working group on Karabakh.

Vladimir Putin, Nikol Pashinyan will review implementation of Nagorno-Karabakh agreements, says Kremlin

Russian president, Armenian premier to meet in Moscow tomorrow

Germany criticized Croatia on Monday for its violent pushback of migrants on the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, saying it was "not acceptable."

- We have taken note of the reports and pictures with great concern. It is important that all allegations in the room are resolved quickly and comprehensively by the national authorities - Christofer Burger, deputy spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, said at a news conference in Berlin.
- Abuse of refugees and migrants by border guards is not acceptable. Any kind of border protection must under all circumstances meet humanitarian standards, comply with the applicable international and European legal provisions and respect fundamental European values - he added.
Croatia has reportedly launched last week an investigation into new allegations that its police staged violent pushback of migrants outside EU borders – an illegal act under EU law.
The announcement came after leading European media outlets released footage purporting to show a masked Croatian police officer beating up young asylum seekers with a stick at the country's border with Bosnia and Herzegovina.
NGOs, like the Border Violence Monitoring Network, and several media outlets, including the Hamburg-based Der Spiegel news magazine, have collected the testimony of hundreds of refugees and assembled evidence of violence committed on the EU’s external border.
According to Der Spiegel, human rights experts call such illegal operations pushbacks as they violate both EU law and the Geneva Refugee Convention. They say the deportation of migrants must not put them in danger and once they have reached European territory, they must be given the opportunity to apply for asylum, while the beating defenseless people is prohibited anyway.

"Abuse of refugees and migrants by border guards is not acceptable", says Foreign Ministry deputy spokesman

Croatia has reportedly launched last week an investigation into new allegations that its police staged violent pushback of migrants outside EU borders

Germany slams Croatia's violent migrant pushbacks

After Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz stepped down in the wake of a corruption investigation, former Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg was sworn in as the head of government on Monday.

In his speech at the ceremony, President Alexander Van der Bellen, who appointed Schallenberg, said the coalition government has a great responsibility to establish public's trust in politics.
He said this trust should not be broken, and highlighted the importance of good governance.
Meanwhile, Michael Linhart, who was born in Ankara, Turkey, replaced Schallenberg as the new foreign minister. He has held various positions in the Foreign Ministry, and last served as the Austrian ambassador to Paris.
The prosecution had launched an investigation against Kurz on charges of "bribery, corruption, and breach of trust."
He and some of his party members are accused of transferring money to a newspaper and think tank using the Finance Ministry's budget in the 2016-18 period.
Allegations that results of opinion polls were manipulated in favor of Kurz and his party by the beneficiaries is also within the scope of the probe.
On Oct. 6, security forces raided the chancellery, Finance Ministry and headquarters of the Austrian People's Party led by Kurz. Amid mounting pressure, Kurz resigned on Oct. 9.

Former foreign minister appointed to post after Sebastian Kurz's resignation amid corruption probe

Alexander Schallenberg sworn in as new Austrian chancellor

Japan’s anti-coronavirus vaccination campaign is showing results as the capital Tokyo registered the lowest COVID-19 cases in at least one year, authorities said Monday.

The Japanese government revealed that more than 64% of the country’s 126 million population was “fully vaccinated” against the coronavirus, public broadcaster NHK News reported.
- Over 93.1 million people, or 73.6% of the population, have received their first shots, and that more than 81.4 million people, or 64.3%, have had two shots - the government figures showed.
The data was released on the same day when Tokyo registered 49 coronavirus cases, which is the lowest daily number of cases since June last year. It is the third consecutive day that the capital registered decreasing number of coronavirus cases.
Japan is witnessing a “steady decline” in infections across the country which has reported 1.7 million COVID-19 cases, including 17,941 deaths, so far.
Authorities are also mulling third booster vaccine shots by the end of this year while the government has secured millions of more vaccines from US manufacturer Pfizer in a deal signed last week.

More than 64% of country’s 126M population fully vaccinated, say authorities

The Japanese government revealed that more than 64% of the country’s 126 million population was “fully vaccinated” against the coronavirus

Japan’s vaccination showing results as Tokyo registers lowest cases

A group of Greenpeace activists staged a protest in front of Downing Street on Monday.

Some of the protesters locked their hands in metal barrels and closed the main road in front of Prime Ministry offices.
Philip Evans, a spokesperson for the group, said they were protesting against an oil drilling project off the cost of Shetland Islands.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Evans said the planet could not afford fossil fuels and they urged Prime Minister Boris Johnson to rethink about the Combo oil field project.
Police cut loose protesters from the barrels with electric saw and arrested at least 10 of them. The main road in Whitehall remains closed until the afternoon hours and traffic was serviced through reduced lane.
The Greenpeace protest came only weeks before a climate summit which will be held in Glasgow in early November. Many world leaders will come together in COP26 to discuss the global heating and precautions to be taken within the next 10 years.

Group of environmentalist activists urged UK government to cancel oil drilling project

Some of the protesters locked their hands in metal barrels and closed the main road in front of Prime Ministry offices

Greenpeace protest blocks Downing Street entrance

President of the Party of Democratic Action (SDA) Bakir Izetbegović stated today that he does not want to meet with a member of the Presidency of B&amp;H and president of the SNSD Milorad Dodik, and president of the HDZ B&amp;H Dragan Čović until the blockade of the state institutions is lifted, which Dodik has directly produced.

Izetbegović commented on Dodik's statement that he was ready to talk to him and Čović about constitutional changes, but only on the condition that foreign officials do not participate in the conversation.
- Dodik sent me a message that he is in the mood for such a meeting, but without foreigners, as he said without "tutors", which I refused. Dodik created the situation that we are in at the moment. Now he expects me to convene a meeting and look for solutions.&nbsp;The three of us will not sit together until Dodik gives up the blockades he created in the country. If the blockade of the state is removed and if the budget is adopted, then we can talk. I acted in the same way when Dragan Čović did a similar thing - Izetbegović emphasized.Regarding the situation, he believes that members of the international community are necessary.
- The OHR is in charge of resolving such situations. I cannot do the work of the OHR and the work of the B&amp;H Parliament, the Court and the Prosecutor's Office. There is work for all of them here. I am president of a political party - says Izetbegović.
He is convinced that what Dodik is suggesting leads to an attack on the constitutional order, undermining the military power of the state, and unlawfully adopting the legislation on the armed forces.
- If Dodik tries to stop the work of the SIPA and the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina by force, then this will be an attack on the constitutional order. Had it not been for Milorad Dodik's policies in the last 15 years, this would have been a much less unfortunate country, including the entity of Republic of Srpska. It has the poorest pensioners in Europe and the highest coronavirus mortality. Such an irresponsible policy that seeks to bring us into conflict is all the product of Dodik himself and those who support him and vote for him. They themselves bear the consequences of the situation in which they live - Izetbegović underlined.

I cannot do the work of the OHR and the work of the B&H Parliament, the Court and the Prosecutor's Office, Izetbegović emphasized

Izetbegović: The three of us will not meet until the blockade of the state ends

In the continuation of the trial of Amir Zukić and others in the "Bosnia" case, the current member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Šefik Džaferović, was questioned this morning. He testified about the circumstances of the appointment of Esad Džananović to the position of executive director in "Elektroprivreda BiH".
Džaferović, as a member of the SDA Personnel Commission, testified this morning about the position taken by this body on Džananović's appointment, who is also being tried in this case.
When asked by the lawyer of the accused Zukić, Senka Nožica, whether Zukić ever called him about the appointment of Džananović and demanded something from him, he said:
- I was never contacted by Mr. Zukić, or asked for anything about the work of the SDA Personnel Commission. You have to ask others that - said Džaferović.
Džaferović said that Džananović passed the competition procedure properly and that discussions on appointments were being held at the session of the Personnel Commission. But, as he said, in the end he was unanimously elected.
- I would not allow anyone to influence me, not even Zukić - said Džaferović.
In addition to Džaferović, Adnan Efendić from the KS Personnel Commission and Abid Jusić from the Centar Municipality Commission also testified today. Both claimed that Zukic did not influence them when adopting the position on the appointment of Džananović.

Džaferović said that Džananović passed the competition procedure properly and that there were discussions about the appointment at the session of the Personnel Commission

Džaferović: Member of the SDA Personnel Commission

Šefik Džaferović reveals in court whether Amir Zukić called him about appointing Džananović

The trial in the "Bosnia" case continues this morning at the Municipal Court in Sarajevo, in which Amir Zukić, former SDA Secretary General Asim Sarajlić, former SDA Vice President and former President of the Personnel Commission, and Safet Bibić, Senad and Nedžad Trako, Ramiz Karavdić and Esed Džananović are the accused.
They are accused of illegal employment mediation, abuse of position and receiving a reward or other form of benefit for trading in influence, in connection with employment in public companies. The trial began in May 2017. 
Members of SDA personnel commissions from several levels are expected to appear as witnesses on Monday. At the SDA level at that time, in addition to Sarajlić, the Personnel Commission included Adil Osmanović, Senija Bubić, Šefik Džaferović, Halid Genjac, Sadik Ahmetović and Šefkija Okerić.

Four witnesses were called for Monday. According to the Avaz reporter, Džaferović and Sarajlić arrived at the Court.
At the last hearing on September 13, Senka Nožica, Amir Zukić's lawyer, said that the members of the Personnel Commission were called to check whether the defendant had ever influenced the selection of leading positions proposed by the SDA in the Personnel Commission.
- The party has always had its proposals and we want to see if in this particular case he had an influence on the election of the director of the Public Company (PE) "Elektroprivreda BiH", which he is charged with. That is why we call on the members of the municipal, cantonal and members of the commissions of the party's presidency to express themselves - said Nožica.

They are accused of illegal employment mediation, abuse of office and receiving a reward or other form of benefit for trading in influence, in connection with employment in public companies

Šefik Džaferović has arrived at the Municipal Court, he is testifing in the Amir Zukić and others case

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will visit Turkey on Oct. 16 to discuss bilateral relations and international issues, her spokesman said Friday.

Speaking at a news conference in Berlin, Steffen Seibert said Merkel will visit Istanbul for talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
- Turkey is a very important, close partner for us - he said, adding that the two leaders will discuss a wide range of international and regional issues, including the EU-Turkey cooperation on migration management and refugee protection.
Chancellor Merkel’s visit will take place ahead of an EU leaders summit in Brussels on Oct. 21-22.
After 16 years in power, Angela Merkel is preparing to leave active politics later this year, but she will remain in her post until a new coalition government is formed.
Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) narrowly lost the general elections late last month.

Merkel, Erdogan to meet in Istanbul to discuss bilateral relations, international issues

German Chancellor Merkel to visit Turkey on Oct. 16

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed on Thursday Turkey's ratification of the 2015 Paris climate accord, saying Ankara should rapidly present its national plan to combat climate change. 

- I expect Turkey to present as soon as possible a national #ClimateAction plan in line with its commitment to get to net zero emissions by 2053- Guterres said on Twitter.
On Wednesday, Turkey’s parliament ratified the Paris Climate Agreement to contribute to global efforts against climate change.
On Dec. 12, 2015, parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change reached an agreement to fight climate change and achieve a sustainable low-carbon future at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris.
The Paris Agreement, defined as "a bridge between today's policies and climate-neutrality before the end of the 21st century," seeks to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change by stopping global average temperatures from rising more than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels over the next century.
It also seeks to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius if possible.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomes Turkey's ratification of 2015 Paris climate accord

UN chief says he expects Turkey to present climate plan soon

A court in northern Greece has postponed the trial of a religious leader of the country's Muslim Turkish minority elected in defiance of Greek authorities who have sought to appoint the holder of post.

Ibrahim Serif, the elected mufti of Komotini (Gumulcine) in northeastern Greece, had been sued by Greek authorities in March 2018 on charges of usurping authority after he attended a circumcision ceremony in 2016 and was to stand trial on Thursday.
Serif's lawyer, Ercan Ahmet, and 11 other attorneys from the Istanbul-based International Jurists Union (UHUB) attended the trial in Thessaloniki, while the court announced that it would be postponed until Dec. 8 after a police officer who was to serve as the prosecution's witness did not show up.
UHUB's secretary general, senior legal expert Refik Korkusuz, has been following Serif's case and has stressed that it contradicts the rulings of the European Court of Human Right (ECHR).
- We expect Greek judicial authorities to respect the ECHR's decisions - he said, expressing worry that the case was intended to suppress the Muslim Turkish minority in Greece.
Yasin Sanli, the chair of the 2nd Istanbul Bar Association, on the other hand, underlined that such cases were in obvious violation of international treaties and basic rights.
Such cases are akin to threating Muslim Turkish minority in Greece, he remarked, while another lawyer who followed the case, Abubaker Siddiqe of the London Bar Association, agreed that the case opposes ECHR decisions.

Serif was elected mufti of Komotini in 1990 by the local Muslim Turkish community.

Ahmet Mete, the current mufti of Xanthi (Iskece), and his predecessor Mehmet Emin Aga had also previously been convicted by Greek courts for usurping authority.
The Western Thrace region of Greece is home to a Muslim Turkish minority of around 150,000 people, where muftis have legal jurisdiction to decide on the family and inheritance matters in the local community.
The issue of mufti elections has been a long-standing problem for the group since 1991.
The election of muftis by Muslims in Greece was regulated in the 1913 Treaty of Athens with the Ottoman Empire and was later included in Greek law.
However, Greece annulled this law in 1991 and started appointing muftis itself.
The majority of Muslim Turks in the cities of Komotini and Xanthi do not recognize the appointed muftis and instead elect their own, who are not recognized by the Greek state.

Jurists worried case against Ibrahim Serif intends to suppress Muslim Turkish minority in Greece

Greek court postpones trial of Turkish minority's elected mufti

The trial of Novalić and others in the "Ventilators" affair continued today with the interrogation of Hasan Ganibegović, former director of the Office of the Prime Minister of FB&amp;H Fadil Novalić.
Explaining his role in the Prime Minister's Office, Ganibegović said that there were problems with Novalić's advisers, who, although subordinate to him, mostly knew how to bypass him and communicate directly with the Prime Minister.
He was not directly involved in the procurement of 100 ventilators, which were paid 10.5 million KM. However, when the import of medical equipment and means was discussed earlier, Ganibegović claims that he asked Novalić not to interfere in the business of procuring ventilators. According to him, it is a political decision, not an epidemiological one.
When asked by prosecutor Džermin Pašić, Ganibegović repeatedly answered "I don't remember".
Prosecutor Pašić quoted him as saying everything during the Prosecution hearing. Ganibegović said that he said everything he said in the Prosecution under pressure from the prosecution and the arrest.
As it was evident that Ganibegović was changing his statement today, Prosecutor Pašić declared him an "enemy witness".
However, Ganibegović confirmed that he found out about the purchase of 100 ventilators, which were procured by the company " Silver raspberry ", on April 13, 2020, when Prime Minister Novalić told him to write him a speech about the arrival of ventilators.
Ganibegović met Fikret Hodžić on April 22 of the same year, after Novalić told him to help Hodžić obtain import permits.
The continuation of Ganibegović's interrogation is scheduled for October 13.

Egypt arrests 3 over thousands of dumped Covid jabs

Algerian Muslim scholars refute Macron’s claims on Ottomans

Human trials of homegrown COVID-19 vaccine underway in Turkey

Turkish MP elected vice head of NATO Parliamentary Assembly committee

Russian president, Armenian premier to meet in Moscow tomorrow

Germany slams Croatia's violent migrant pushbacks

Alexander Schallenberg sworn in as new Austrian chancellor

Japan’s vaccination showing results as Tokyo registers lowest cases

Greenpeace protest blocks Downing Street entrance

Izetbegović: The three of us will not meet until the blockade of the state ends

Šefik Džaferović reveals in court whether Amir Zukić called him about appointing Džananović

Šefik Džaferović has arrived at the Municipal Court, he is testifing in the Amir Zukić and others case

German Chancellor Merkel to visit Turkey on Oct. 16

UN chief says he expects Turkey to present climate plan soon

Greek court postpones trial of Turkish minority's elected mufti

"Ventilators" affair: Hasan Ganibegović confirmed that Novalić told him to help Hodžić with the import of ventilators

News

Egypt arrests 3 over thousands of dumped Covid jabs

Algerian Muslim scholars refute Macron’s claims on Ottomans

Human trials of homegrown COVID-19 vaccine underway in Turkey

Turkish MP elected vice head of NATO Parliamentary Assembly committee

Russian president, Armenian premier to meet in Moscow tomorrow

Germany slams Croatia's violent migrant pushbacks

Alexander Schallenberg sworn in as new Austrian chancellor

Japan’s vaccination showing results as Tokyo registers lowest cases

Greenpeace protest blocks Downing Street entrance

Izetbegović: The three of us will not meet until the blockade of the state ends

Šefik Džaferović reveals in court whether Amir Zukić called him about appointing Džananović

Šefik Džaferović has arrived at the Municipal Court, he is testifing in the Amir Zukić and others case

German Chancellor Merkel to visit Turkey on Oct. 16

UN chief says he expects Turkey to present climate plan soon

Greek court postpones trial of Turkish minority's elected mufti

"Ventilators" affair: Hasan Ganibegović confirmed that Novalić told him to help Hodžić with the import of ventilators