Access to an Iranian nuclear site 25 miles northwest of Tehran, which was allegedly targeted by saboteurs in June, has become a bone of contention between Iran and the West.

Iran has rejected the latest report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which accuses Iran of failing to honor the deal struck with the watchdog two weeks ago.
Calling the report "biased" and "inaccurate", Behrouz Kamalvandi, a spokesman for Iran's nuclear agency, said the IAEA should not disrupt the "constructive process".
Earlier this month, Iran allowed the UN nuclear watchdog to "service" the surveillance cameras installed at its nuclear sites in a bid to ease concerns over Iran's nuclear activities.
The announcement came during the IAEA chief Rafael Grossi's visit to Tehran, during which he held talks with the newly-appointed head of Iran's nuclear agency Mohammad Eslami.
On Sunday, the IAEA said Iran has "failed to fully honor" the terms of the deal reached on Sept. 12. It allowed the agency to replace memory cards in most of the equipment, but refused access to a workshop that makes centrifuge components at the TESA Karaj complex in west Tehran, the agency said.
- The (IAEA) Director General (Rafael Grossi) stresses that Iran's decision not to allow Agency access to the TESA Karaj centrifuge component manufacturing workshop is contrary to the agreed terms of the Joint Statement issued on 12 September - the IAEA said in a statement.
Reacting strongly, Kamalvandi said the joint statement did not cover the surveillance equipment of the Karaj complex, which he said is still under" security investigation".
The complex, which belongs to the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), faced a sabotage attempt on June 23, causing some damage. Iran blamed Israel for it.
Kamalvandi said the request for UN inspectors' access to the Karaj complex was raised during Grossi's visit to Tehran earlier this month and again on the sidelines of the meetings of the IAEA general assembly in Vienna.
He called on the UN nuclear agency to "avoid wilful political stances" and "not to destroy the constructive processes" created in recent meetings between the two sides.

On Sunday, Iran's envoy to the UN nuclear agency, Kazem Gharibabadi, said the joint statement between Iran and the IAEA was achieved "due to Iran’s goodwill" to replace the storage media of the “identified equipment”.

- During the discussions in Tehran &amp; Vienna, Iran indicated that since Tessa Karaj Complex is still under security and judicial investigations, equipment related to this complex are not included for servicing. That's why the phrase ‘identified equipment’ has been used in the joint statement - he said in a statement posted on Twitter.
Gharibabadi termed Grossi's report "inaccurate", which he said "goes beyond the agreed terms" of the joint statement.
- Any decision taken by Iran on monitoring equipment is only based on political rather than legal considerations and the Agency cannot and should not consider it as one of its entitlements - he said.
Iran's refusal to grant IAEA inspectors access to the site has prompted strong protests from the US and European countries.
In a statement to a meeting of the IAEA board on Monday, Washington said Iran must grant the UN nuclear watchdog access to the workshop at the TESA Karaj complex to re-install cameras or "face diplomatic action" by the watchdog's board of governors.
- We call on Iran to provide the IAEA with needed access without further delay," the statement said. "If Iran fails to do so, we will be closely consulting with other Board Members in the coming days on an appropriate response.-The European Union countries also urged Tehran to provide IAEA inspectors access to the nuclear site in western Tehran.
The dispute comes amidst heightened tensions between Iran and the West, with efforts to revive the 2015 nuclear deal stalled.

Iran, IAEA struck deal earlier this month to “service” surveillance cameras at nuclear sites

Iran has rejected the latest report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which accuses Iran of failing to honor the deal struck with the watchdog two weeks ago

Iran's denial of access to nuke site to IAEA sparks row

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is considering assistance from the army to deliver fuel to petrol stations amid a nationwide shortage at pumps due to panic buying.

Johnson and senior ministers will convene on Monday to initiate "Operation Escalin," which will enable hundreds of servicemen to drive lorries to deliver fuel to forecourts.
The move will follow a statement from Petrol Retailers Association said 50% to 90% of its members of 5,500 members reported that they were running out of petrol.
Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng on Sunday said the government has suspended the competition law in a bid to allow "share information so that they can more easily prioritize the delivery of fuel to the parts of the country and strategic locations that are most in need."
- While there has always been and continues to be plenty of fuel at refineries and terminals, we are aware that there have been some issues with supply chains - Kwarteng said.
- This is why we will enact the Downstream Oil Protocol to ensure the industry can share vital information and work together more effectively to ensure disruption is minimized - he added.
- We thank HGV drivers and all forecourt staff for their tireless work during this period.-The government is also planning to issue around 5,000 emergency visas for foreign lorry drivers to overcome the delivery issues in the run-up to the festive season.
The panic buying has continued for more than a week, causing long queues at pumps.

Fuel shortage sees long queues at petrol stations due to panic buying

Johnson and senior ministers will convene on Monday to initiate "Operation Escalin," which will enable hundreds of servicemen to drive lorries to deliver fuel to forecourts

UK considers army assistance to deliver fuel at pumps amid shortage

Seven Palestinian inmates in Israeli prisons have staged a hunger strike to protest their detention without trial, a Palestinian NGO said on Monday.

In a statement, the Palestinian Prisoners Society said the detainees include two who are being hospitalized.
- The [Israeli] occupation continues its intransigence and refusal to respond to their demand of ending their administrative detention, in an attempt to bring the striking prisoners to a difficult and dangerous health stage - the NGO said.
The policy of administrative detention allows Israeli authorities to extend the detention of a prisoner without charge or trial.
There are around 4,850 Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons, including 520 administrative detainees, according to institutions concerned with prisoners’ affairs.

Administrative detention policy allows Israeli authorities to extend detention of a prisoner without charge or trial

Members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad Movement march from the Khan Yunis Refugee Camp in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on September 27, 2021.

Palestinians stage hunger strike to protest Israel’s detention policy

The new coalition government in Morocco will include the National Rally of Independents (RNI), the Authenticity and Modernity Party, and the Istiqlal Party, according to the Moroccan Prime Minister-designate on Wednesday.

- The three parties will work on proposing the names of competent and responsible ministers - Aziz Akhannouch, who is also the RNI Secretary-General, told a joint press conference with his counterparts Abdellatif Wehbe and Nizar Baraka of the Authenticity and Modernity Party and Istiqlal Party respectively.
On September 9, the liberal RNI won 102 seats of the 395-member parliament in the Sept. 8 polls, the highest among the parties that contested the polls. The Authenticity and Modernity Party came second with 86 seats, followed by the center-right Istiqlal Party with 81 seats.
The long-ruling Justice and Development Party, meanwhile, snatched only 13 seats, down from 125 seats in the previous parliament.
On Sept. 10, King Mohammed VI tasked Akhannouch with forming a new government.
In his press statement, Akhannouch promised that the coalition government will “work to implement the government program which will be the roadmap for its work."
In turn, Wehbe called for a “strong and harmonious government” that will seek to satisfy the aspirations of Moroccans
During the past few days, Akhannouch met with leaders of the political parties represented in Parliament as part of his consultations to form the government.
The kingdom's constitution does not provide for a specific period for consultations to form a government. However, any coalition formation requires obtaining the approval of those who occupy half plus one of the seats in the parliament.

Government to include members of National Rally of Independents, Authenticity and Modernity Party, and Istiqlal Party

3 parties to form new coalition government in Morocco

The Algerian authorities late Wednesday announced that the country closed its airspace to all Moroccan aircraft.

The decision was made following a meeting of Algeria's Supreme Security Council headed by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.
- The Council decided to immediately close the Algerian airspace to all Moroccan civilian and military aircraft and all aircraft that hold a Moroccan-registered license as of Wednesday - the council's statement said.
The council also said the move was taken in view "of the continued provocations and hostile practices by the Moroccan side."
The Moroccan authorities have yet to comment on Algeria's decision.
The move came after Algeria decided to sever relations with its neighbor Morocco on Aug. 24, accusing Rabat of having "hostile tendencies".
Algeria-Morocco ties have been tense for decades against the backdrop of the disputed Sahara region between Rabat and the Algeria-backed Polisario Front.

On Aug. 24, Algeria severed ties with Morocco over Rabat's 'hostile tendencies'

The Moroccan authorities have yet to comment on Algeria's decision

Algeria closes its airspace to Moroccan aircraft

US President Joe Biden has reiterated his warning that peace in Northern Ireland must not be jeopardized by post-Brexit rules-related tensions.

Biden’s warning came during an Oval Office meeting with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
He underlined the importance of balance in the region, which was established by the 1998 Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement.
-I feel very strongly - he responded to a question about the Northern Ireland protocol. - We spent an enormous amount of time and effort in the United States. It was a major partisan effort, and I would not like to see – nor would many of my Republican colleagues – a change in the Irish accord.-In response, Johnson said the UK is “completely at one, because nobody wants to see anything that interrupts or unbalances the Belfast or Good Friday Agreement.”
Biden, who has got Irish roots, has repeatedly warned that peace in Northern Ireland should be kept and the Good Friday Agreement must be preserved.
Last week, US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi had warned the UK that a possible US-UK trade deal will be jeopardized if disagreements with the EU, which threatens peace in Northern Ireland, are not eliminated.
Dozens of police officers were injured, public buses and cars were damaged during riots by the loyalist groups in Northern Ireland earlier this year.
The loyalists argue that the Northern Ireland Protocol, which aligns the region with the EU in a bid to avoid a hard border in the island, created a de facto border between Northern Ireland and rest of the UK, imposing a border check on goods between Great Britain and the region.
In a recent address, Democratic Unionist Party leader Jeffrey Donaldson outlined his willingness to bring down the Stormont (Northern Ireland Assembly) if the protocol is not changed substantially.
Northern Ireland voted to remain in the EU in a 2016 referendum, but it is feared the Brexit process could trigger enmity in the region.
The Troubles – an era of conflict between the British government and pro-British paramilitaries on one side, and Irish Republicans and nationalists on the other – ended in 1998 when the Belfast Agreement put an end to decades of armed struggle in the divided UK region of Northern Ireland.
The UK and the Republic of Ireland signed the deal, brokered by the US and eight political parties in Northern Ireland, on April 10, 1998.
The deal, dubbed the Good Friday Agreement, largely saw the end of the Troubles-era violence, in which 3,500 people lost their lives.

Biden says his administration does not want to see any change in Good Friday Agreement

Biden’s warning came during an Oval Office meeting with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson

US president warns UK again on peace in Northern Ireland

The Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley and his Russian counterpart, Valery Gerasimov, met Wednesday in Helsinki to continue recent talks after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, according to the Pentagon.

Milley did not provide details of the meeting to the reporters but Joint Staff spokesman Col. Dave Butler said the meeting was a new talk between the military leadership of both countries aimed at improving communication to reduce risk and prevent operational conflict.
Butler said the two sides agreed not to disclose details of the talks.
It was reported that after the US withdrew troops, Washington is working to reach agreements that allow for the tracking of Daesh/ISIS and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, sharing intelligence and airstrikes if necessary, and establishing bases in countries bordering Afghanistan such as Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan or Tajikistan.
Milley said previously during his European tour that the base issue was the most important thing on his mind.
He also announced that American Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and intelligence officials warned that al-Qaeda and Daesh/ISIS could pose a threat to the US within a year or two.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said in July that Moscow warned the US that it would "not be acceptable" to deploy troops to countries neighboring Afghanistan, adding a similar warning was made to Central Asian countries.
There has been no progress in those talks, which are conducted at the military level between Russia and the US.
Some Russian officials, however, express that they are concerned that the Taliban administration in Afghanistan may destabilize Central Asia.

Mark Milley, Valery Gerasimov have met as continuation of recent talks after US withdrawal from Afghanistan, Pentagon says

US, Russian military chiefs meet in Finnish capital

Envoys of the Troika Plus met with top Taliban leaders and senior Afghan politicians Tuesday in the capital Kabul in a maiden interaction following the recent changes in the war-ravaged country, officials said. 

Russia’s special envoy for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov was flanked by his Chinese counterpart Yue Xiaoyong and Pakistan’s Mohammad Sadiq Khan to hold talks with key Afghan players.
The group of diplomats met with the acting prime minister in the Taliban’s new government, Mohammad Hassan Akhund, and his deputies at the presidential palace, reported state-owned television channel RTA.
- They emphasized the formation of an inclusive government acceptable to all, peace, stability, moderate policy, respecting women’s rights, equal right of education for all Afghans &amp; regional cooperation - tweeted Abdullah Abdullah, the former chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation in Afghanistan.
The diplomats also met with former Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
- The chairman of the high peace council [Abdullah Abdullah] and the former president thanked these countries [Russia, China and Pakistan] for their cooperation…for the welfare of Afghanistan - said Karzai’s office in a statement.
Earlier in the day, Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid praised Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan's efforts for peace and stability in Afghanistan, according to state-run media.
During the news conference, Mujahid, responding to a question regarding Khan's statements on the current crisis in Afghanistan, said the Pakistani premier's statements are positive and that the Taliban do not consider the remarks interference in his country's affairs, Radio Pakistan reported.
Mujahid lauded the active roles of Pakistan, China and Qatar in the current situation and said they would welcome the positive role of other countries as well for peace and stability in Afghanistan.

Afghan politicians call for inclusive government in meeting with special representatives of Russia, China and Pakistan

Troika Plus envoys meet with Taliban leaders, Afghan politicians in Kabul

The US has lifted all import restrictions on Japan’s agricultural products imposed after the 2011 nuclear disaster in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan's Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

It removes the remaining 100 items, produced in 14 prefectures, from the restriction list.
The government of Japan had continued to strongly request the lifting of the import restrictions, including on the occasion of the Japan-US Summit in April.
- The relevant authorities of Japan and the U.S. had a series of consultations based on scientific grounds, which led to this decision - the ministry said.
The move has been welcomed by Japan, which comes ahead of the upcoming visit by Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga to the US.
- It is a move that people in the disaster-hit areas have been waiting for, and something that will greatly contribute to the recovery of those places. Japan welcomes this step very much - he said on Twitter.
Japan saw widespread devastation when the Fukushima​​​​​​​ nuclear plant suffered massive damages in a powerful earthquake and consequent tsunami, claiming over 15,000 lives.

Washington imposed barriers in wake of 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster

A farm is seen in Namie city, in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan

US lifts final import restrictions on Japanese farm products

Hamas said Wednesday it is ready for simultaneous comprehensive elections or with a 'fixed calendar' agreed upon by Palestinian groups.

The Palestinian resistance movement spokesman, Hazem Qassem, said in a news conference in Gaza that comprehensive elections include legislative and National councils elections, presidential elections and local and villages' council elections which shall be based on national consensus.
- The Palestinian Authority announcement of fragmented villages' councils elections is a contempt to the national and popular situation and a diversion from the general national path - said Qassem.
He urged civil society institutions and popular components to put pressure to hold comprehensive elections and not to allow anyone to manipulate and fragment the process.
The Palestinian government announced Sept. 6 that it would hold the first phase of municipal elections on Dec. 11 and the second in early January 2022.
Parliamentary polls were scheduled for May 22 and presidential polls July 31, while Palestinian National Council elections would have taken place Aug. 31 as announced by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in January.
But Abbas unilaterally postponed elections in April because Israel blocked voting in East Jerusalem.

Resistance group rejects partial elections; insists on holding parliamentary, presidential elections

The Palestinian resistance movement spokesman, Hazem Qassem, said in a news conference in Gaza that comprehensive elections include legislative and National councils elections, presidential elections and local and villages' council elections which shall be based on national consensus

Hamas urges general elections with "fixed calendar"

The interim government in Afghanistan on Wednesday apologized to Pakistan over a flags’ removal incident from aid trucks at the Torkham border, calling it “regrettable."

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, who is also the acting information minister, said all Cabinet members are shocked over the incident.
- It was an individual act and the government took immediate action, arrested those who were involved - Mujahid told Anadolu Agency over the phone.
- We know our Pakistani brothers and sisters are hurt and we apologize to them - he said, adding that such an incident would not happen in the future.
On Sunday, some Taliban border security guards posted at the Torkham border, and a few civilians removed Pakistani flags from trucks carrying aid to Afghanistan. A video of the incident went viral on social media.
Pakistani officials did not immediately respond to the incident, however, the country's embassy in Kabul said Pakistan would continue to provide relief to its Afghan brothers and sisters in this difficult time.
- Pakistan is in the forefront of countries providing relief assistance to Afghanistan to meet the current challenges - the embassy said in a statement.
So far, Pakistan has dispatched over 20 containers of food items including sugar, flour, cooking oil, pulses, and rice via the Torkham border while four C-130 planes with food and medicine were sent to Kabul, Kandahar, Khost, and Mazar-e-Sharif.
- Pakistan has started supplies of humanitarian assistance through the land route. These supplies along with the additional items such as blankets and tents to help people meet the needs of the incoming winter season will be continued in the coming weeks - the statement added.

Spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid says all culprits arrested, such incidents will not happen in future

On Sunday, some Taliban border security guards posted at the Torkham border, and a few civilians removed Pakistani flags from trucks carrying aid to Afghanistan

Afghan Taliban apologize to Pakistan over flag removal incident

Even as according to official figures just 5% of hearing-impaired children get basic schooling in India, the government's decision to include sign language as part of the school curriculum has been hailed by experts.

According to the 2011 census, there were 5.07 million hearing-impaired students in India, and out of them, just 1% had the access to quality education.
On eve of the International Day of Sign Languages being observed on Thursday, experts say the government's decision to introduce Indian Sign Language (ISL) in the school curriculum will improve accessibility and create awareness.
As part of a new national education policy announced in July, the government has designated the ISL a subject now.
- Students can opt to study this. It will promote Indian Sign Language and will help differently-abled people - said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while unveiling the new policy.
He also released an ISL dictionary of 10,000 words.
Experts say the move would give a boost to inclusive education besides empowering special needs children to convey their thoughts ably.
- For a long time, sign languages of persons with hearing disability were not considered a real language. However, with research in the field of linguistics, it has been established that sign language of the persons with a hearing disability are complex grammatical languages which developed naturally when people with hearing disability came together - said Sharita Sharma, assistant professor in the Department of Linguistics at the Central University of Rajasthan.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Sharma, who was also a member of the committee that devised the new education policy, said the sign languages have their grammar and are highly creative.
- Anything communicated in spoken language can be communicated in sign language also. They can be used to teach mathematics, written language, science, and any technical subject. Sign languages all around the world are not the same as there is no universal sign language - she said.

Almost 142 different sign languages have been studied around the world. These include Indian Sign Language (ISL), American Sign Language (ASL), British Sign Language (BSL) among others.

Gyanendra Purohit, who runs an NGO Anand Service Society (ASS) for deaf and speech impaired children in central India’s Indore district, said that the system so far has been to provide only oral education to deaf children.
He said that in absence of sign language, and because these children were provided only oral education, they could not develop cognitive writing ability.
Sharma said that the formative years of a child are crucial for the development of cognitive and linguistic skills. She expects that with ISL now part of the curriculum, the deaf children will also get a strong foundation.
- It is therefore imperative during these years that children can access teaching-learning resources as per their learning needs. Before the above efforts, deaf children, teachers, or the deaf parents alike were at a disadvantage as no teaching-learning resources were available in ISL - she said.

On eve of International Day of Sign Languages, experts say government's step will give boost to inclusive education

According to the 2011 census, there were 5.07 million hearing-impaired students in India, and out of them, just 1% had the access to quality education

India introduces sign language in school curriculum

US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed that a deal to supply Australia with a fleet of eight nuclear submarines "would have benefitted" from greater openness.

The agreement, made public Sept. 15 as the US, UK, and Australia announced a new Indo-Pacific security pact, riled France and prompted Paris to recall its ambassadors from Washington and Canberra in a major diplomatic row between allies.
France previously agreed to sell Australia a fleet of French-built conventionally-powered submarines in what was a multi-billion dollar deal. But that sale was scrapped by the Australian government in preference for the US and UK purchase.
During a much-anticipated telephone call requested by Biden, he and Macron "agreed that the situation would have benefitted from open consultations among allies on matters of strategic interest to France and our European partners," the nations said in a joint statement.
- The two leaders have decided to open a process of in-depth consultations, aimed at creating the conditions for ensuring confidence and proposing concrete measures toward common objectives - the US and France said, further noting Biden will meet Macron in Europe at October's end "to reach shared understandings and maintain momentum in this process."
- President Biden reaffirms the strategic importance of French and European engagement in the Indo-Pacific region, including in the framework of the European Union’s recently published strategy for the Indo-Pacific - the statement added.
France will return its ambassador to the US next week.

Leaders to meet at end of October for further 'in-depth consultations,' nations say in joint statement

Biden, Macron agree sub deal 'would have benefitted' from transparency

Two Taliban fighters and a civilian were killed Wednesday by gunmen who attacked a checkpoint in eastern Afghanistan, security sources and witnesses said.
The attack in Jalalabad city is the latest on Taliban targets in Nangarhar province, which for years was the main operating base of the Islamic State group's Afghanistan chapter.
A security source and witnesses said unidentified gunmen in a rickshaw attacked a checkpoint in Ghawchak district of Jalalabad and killed two Taliban guards and a civilian bystander.
A Taliban official confirmed the attack, but said the dead were all civilians.
In another incident, local residents told AFP that two Taliban fighters were injured while trying to defuse an improvised explosive device in Jalalabad.
Further details were not immediately available.
Islamic State-Khorasan, the local branch of the jihadist group, claimed responsibility for several weekend attacks in Jalalabad that killed at least two people.
They were the first deadly blasts since the last US forces withdrew from Afghanistan on August 30.
IS-K also claimed responsibility for a bloody attack that killed more than 100 people at Kabul airport at the end of August.
Although both IS and the Taliban are hardline Sunni Islamist militant groups, they differ on the issues of religion and strategy, which has led to bloody fighting between the two.

A security source and witnesses said unidentified gunmen in a rickshaw attacked a checkpoint in Ghawchak district and killed two Taliban guards and a civilian bystander

A Taliban official confirmed the attack, but said the dead were all civilians

Two Taliban among three killed in Jalalabad attack

Germany’s foreign minister on Tuesday warned Iran that time is running out for diplomatic efforts to rescue the 2015 nuclear deal.

- I will meet with the Iranian foreign minister and once again make it very clear that we are running out of time - Heiko Maas said in New York ahead of his meeting with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
- We do not agree that the Iranian negotiating delegation will return to Vienna for negotiations in two, three months. It has to be done quickly now. This is not only our expectation, but also that of our French, British and American friends.-Maas reiterated that a nuclear agreement was still possible if Tehran returns swiftly to the dialogue table.
- We still believe that it is possible to lead these negotiations to a positive result, but not in months, but in the coming weeks - he added.
He was referring to an earlier statement by Amir-Abdollahian, who was quoted by Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB as saying that other parties in the talks understand that it would take “two or three months” for the new government to prepare for the talks.
The UK, France, Germany, Russia, and China launched efforts in April to bring Tehran and Washington, which abandoned the deal in 2018, back into its fold.
Negotiations in Vienna were suspended after the June election victory of Iran’s President Ebrahim Raeisi.
In the talks, Iran demands that all Western sanctions be lifted, while the others seek to reinstate controls on Tehran’s nuclear program.​​​​​​​

Agreement still possible if Tehran returns swiftly to negotiation table, says German foreign minister

Time running out for nuclear deal, Germany warns Iran

Two Turkish-German scientists have won the most prestigious medicine award in Germany for their achievements in the use of mRNA for preventive and therapeutic purposes, the Scientific Council of the Paul Ehrlich Foundation announced Tuesday.

Ugur Sahin and Ozlem Tureci, the second-generation Turkish immigrants who co-founded the German company BioNTech, were among the scientists to win the Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize 2022.
Along with biochemist Katalin Kariko, Sahin and Tureci are being awarded "for their achievements in the development of messenger RNA (mRNA) for preventive and therapeutic purposes."
The prizes will be handed out next March in Frankfurt, said a foundation statement.
The Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize is Germany’s most renowned medical award, endowed with €120,000, said the foundation's website.
Sahin and Tureci are a husband-and-wife team who surprised the world when they announced that the vaccine they developed together with US pharmaceutical company Pfizer was more than 90% effective at preventing COVID-19.
Theirs was the first vaccine released, faster than many had predicted, and it relied on cutting-edge mRNA technology that Sahin and Tureci had championed.

Iran's denial of access to nuke site to IAEA sparks row

UK considers army assistance to deliver fuel at pumps amid shortage

Palestinians stage hunger strike to protest Israel’s detention policy

3 parties to form new coalition government in Morocco

Algeria closes its airspace to Moroccan aircraft

US president warns UK again on peace in Northern Ireland

US, Russian military chiefs meet in Finnish capital

Troika Plus envoys meet with Taliban leaders, Afghan politicians in Kabul

US lifts final import restrictions on Japanese farm products

Hamas urges general elections with "fixed calendar"

Afghan Taliban apologize to Pakistan over flag removal incident

India introduces sign language in school curriculum

Biden, Macron agree sub deal 'would have benefitted' from transparency

Two Taliban among three killed in Jalalabad attack

Time running out for nuclear deal, Germany warns Iran

Turkish-German vaccine inventors awarded top German medicine prize

World

Iran's denial of access to nuke site to IAEA sparks row

UK considers army assistance to deliver fuel at pumps amid shortage

Palestinians stage hunger strike to protest Israel’s detention policy

3 parties to form new coalition government in Morocco

Algeria closes its airspace to Moroccan aircraft

US president warns UK again on peace in Northern Ireland

US, Russian military chiefs meet in Finnish capital

Troika Plus envoys meet with Taliban leaders, Afghan politicians in Kabul

US lifts final import restrictions on Japanese farm products

Hamas urges general elections with "fixed calendar"

Afghan Taliban apologize to Pakistan over flag removal incident

India introduces sign language in school curriculum

Biden, Macron agree sub deal 'would have benefitted' from transparency

Two Taliban among three killed in Jalalabad attack

Time running out for nuclear deal, Germany warns Iran

Turkish-German vaccine inventors awarded top German medicine prize