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Webinar on “Exploring Buddhist Circuit by Train”

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Buddhist Times News – ‘DekhoApnaDesh’ Webinar on “Exploring Buddhist Circuit by Train”

By    —   Shyamal Sinha

The Ministry of Tourism organised an interesting webinar titled “Exploring Buddhist Circuit by Train” on 16th January, 2021 as a part of ‘Dekho Apna Desh’ Webinar series. The Webinar focused on promoting and showcasing the rich Buddhist Heritage in India and highlighted the major destinations visited by Buddha personally across the country besides showcasing the Buddhist Heritage left behind by his disciples including the modern monasteries. Further, the Webinar also focused on providing first-hand information to the viewers on arrangements for travel (Especially by Train) & accommodation to the Buddhist Sites in India.

In the Mahaparinirvana sutra, the Buddha tells his followers that they can attain merit and a noble rebirth by going on pilgrimage to the places where he was born (Lumbini), gained enlightenment (Bodhgaya), first taught (Sarnath), and attained nirvana (Kushinagar).   The Buddhist Circuit tourist train operated by IRCTC Ltd, takes you to these places and helps you experience firsthand the self-disciplined and legendary life of Lord Buddha.

The webinar began with the opening remarks by Shri Arun Srivastava, Deputy Director General, Ministry of Tourism. He said that Buddhist tourism in India has tremendous potential to draw the 500 million strong Buddhists across the world to “India -The Land of Buddha”. He said India has a rich ancient Buddhist Heritage with several important sites associated with the life of Lord Buddha. The Indian Buddhist Heritage is of great interest to the followers of Buddhism the world over. He also stated that Buddhism has remained a vital force, an inspiration and above all, a guidance to our traditions and customs. In sum, its unique contributions in the various fields of culture has greatly enriched Indian cultural heritage, apart from adding to the religious diversity of the land.

The Webinar was presented by Dr. Achyut Singh, Joint General Manager (Tourism & Marketing), Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC). The Presenter began by providing information on life of Buddha & his teachings. He informed that IRCTC Buddhist Circuit Tourist Train envisioned for covering the most venerable sites of Buddhism, following the life path of the Enlightened One, the Buddha, himself. The Buddhist tourist train covers all the places which had a significant impact on Buddha’s life and teachings.

Shri Singh stated that Lumbini, lies across the India-Nepal border, yet the IRCTC Buddhist Circuit Tourist Train itinerary enables all guests to pay their respects at the holy site in addition to the Mayadevi temple, dedicated to the Enlightened One’s mother. The Buddha’s moment of enlightenment, enshrined for eternity under the Maha Bodhi Tree at Bodh Gaya, occupies an important place in the itinerary, as much for its religious & scholarly significance as for the monumental beauty of its confluence of Buddhist traditions from all over the world.

In crafting the Buddhist Circuit Tourist Train itinerary, special care has been taken to include the site of the Buddha’s original sermon, which gave birth to Buddhism, from where sprang all its varied forms, sects and distinctions. This august site, Sarnath, is in proximity of Varanasi, one of the most ancient seats of Indian culture. The guests have the opportunity to be mesmerized by the Ganga Aarti, that is performed on the banks of the Holy Ganges in the evenings.

Tracing the life of the Buddha from his birth to his ascension from the bindings of the material world, the comprehensive itinerary of the Buddhist Circuit Tourist Train incorporates the Mahaparinirvan Temple at Kushinagar, with its Reclining Buddha depicting the divine soul’s last earthly position of rest. Aspirants who wish to achieve deeper insight into Buddhism can delve into its intricacies while reflecting on the sermons given by the Buddha at Sravasti; specifically, the Jetavana monastery.

Final, visit is the palatial and opulent TajMahal to complete a journey that will make guest/tourist cultivate self-discipline and positive reflection. The equanimous peace that pervades this monument to love instils tranquillity in even the most irascible travellers, and soothes everyone, body and soul.

source  – orissadiary

Public evangelism may be doing more harm to religion than good

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Public evangelism may be doing more harm to religion than good

If you have used public transport for any sizeable amount of time in Lagos then ‘the tale of the evangelising Christian’ is certainly not new to you. You have experienced it, most of us have.

The self-assigned task has the lone goal of what polite Christian society term, “winning a soul for Christ.” It is this polite language that Twitter user @IfeKiisha used to describe an encounter she had where she said she preached the gospel to her Uber driver who is a Muslim but listened attentively. She added gleefully how glad she is that she sowed the seed of doubt in his heart. 

The now-viral tweet has roused a conversation about evangelism that has been long overdue.

When does it cross the line from a healthy back and forth between two people of different religious backgrounds to a crass invasion of privacy that has the potential to offend and further divide us along religious lines?

The consensus by a sizeable majority is; at the point of an imbalance of power.

https://twitter.com/whoiskhalid/status/1350719834980548608?s=19

Under whatever circumstance, public evangelism can be a nuisance even to the believing. A thousand and one accounts by people who have been in that situation about how they felt going through that, are all the proof that this otherwise seemingly harmless act may be doing more harm than good.

It gets worse when the audience has little choice, like a hail cab driver whose livelihood to a great extent depends on the goodwill of their customers or a subordinate at work.

Twitter user @Venessa_Abee puts it simply, maybe a little dramatically, “[You] held a man hostage in his own car today.”

A driver offering his service for his customer’s money and positive rating is very likely to listen regardless of how uncomfortable they feel. And while, as some enthused Christian opined, he could have politely asked her to stop or even ended the trip, this removes all the variables not in the know of readers, like – that that could be his first decent trip or he desperately needed a 5-star rating to improve his chances of getting more jobs.

With over 8000 quoted replies and more than 2500 comments from across the globe, an impressive majority of which point out all the ways in which evangelism of this nature – nay of whatever nature without the express consent of its audience, is wrong, hopefully the OP learned something.

It takes intellectual modesty to accept that no matter how passionately one feels about their faith, it is only of great value to them and that people of other faiths feel just as strongly about their faith; so it would be rude to approach them with the message, “my religion is the truth, you are going to hell if you don’t believe in it.”

Intellectual modesty however, is exactly what many devout believers lack and this is apparent in many of the responses in the comments citing the superior nature of Christian truth and how Christians have a responsibility to call others to Christ, but no need to learn about the religions of those others. 

Comments of this nature are duly countered by rational believers. 

Hopefully, this overdue conversation has pulled a religious person or two into the light of intellectual modesty which breeds the emotional intelligence necessary to truly respect the religious boundaries of believers of other faiths. Hail cab drivers and public commuters alike.

Press briefing on plenary session at 15.30 | News | European Parliament

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Press briefing on plenary session at 15.30 | News | European Parliament

, https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20210114IPR95619/

Malaysia to sue European Union in WTO lawsuit over palm oil

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Malaysia to sue European Union in WTO lawsuit over palm oil
In Malaysia, Scandasia reports that the Malaysian government plans to file a lawsuit against the European Union on the trade bloc’s policy to phase out palm oil-based biofuels imports to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) by 2030.

“Datuk Dr. Mohd Khairuddin Aman Razali, Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister said at a press conference at the Palm Oil Economic Review and Outlook Virtual Conference 2021, that Malaysia will continue to fight against any discriminatory actions which pose a threat to the country’s economy and the livelihood of its people,” according to Scandasia. “The EU has adopted a delegated act proposal that implements the Renewable Energy Directive II (REDII). In RED II, the overall EU target for Renewable Energy Sources consumption by 2030 has been raised to 32%. The directive suggests that crops like palm oil could cause deforestation and increase use of transportation fuel which contributes to greenhouse emission and indirectly leads to land-use change – which then classifies these crops as a “high-risk” activity.”

Tags: biofuel, EU, Malaysia, palm oil, WTO

Category: Policy

Universal health coverage high on the political agenda during the Regional Director’s visit to Georgia

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Universal health coverage high on the political agenda during the Regional Director’s visit to Georgia

During a country visit to Georgia on 18–23 December 2020, Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, discussed priority areas for health with high-level representatives. The visit was also an opportunity to speak with health care workers on the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The visit was hosted by the Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labour, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia, and included discussions on strengthening WHO’s presence in the country through leveraging strategic partnerships with the European Union and other partners. COVID-19 was also on the agenda, along with its effect on health systems, which signified the need for a stronger focus on achieving universal health coverage by 2030.

Commenting on the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on health systems, Dr Kluge said, “Georgia has launched a strong response to COVID-19 but the pandemic has highlighted the need to accelerate progress to ensure that no one is left behind. Robust health systems, primary health care (PHC) and accessible public health services are the best way we can deliver universal health coverage across the country. These strategies will build resilience against future health emergencies and help get essential services to people in need”.

Health on the agenda at high-level meetings

The Government’s commitment to achieving universal health coverage was affirmed at the highest levels in meetings with the President, the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Health and the Chairperson of the Parliament. The Regional Director acknowledged the progress and highlighted the need to take further steps to improve financial protection by reducing out-of-pocket expenses for health care and improving access to high-quality and affordable medicines.

The Regional Director also referred to the launch of the Oslo Medicines Initiative as a milestone on the road to making medicines available and affordable by defining a new vision – informed by solidarity, transparency and sustainability – for collaboration between the public and private sectors to improve access to effective, novel, high-priced medicines in the WHO European Region. Other items high on the agenda included collaboration on addressing cancer, hypertension and mental health. Dr Kluge also congratulated Georgia on its leadership in efforts to eliminate hepatitis C and progress in tobacco control.

WHO stands ready to actively support Georgia in all the priority areas, with the main aim of minimizing disruptions in the sector and ensuring the population’s access to essential medical and public health services and financial protection. This includes implementing a new PHC package of services and a new Law on Medicinal Products for Georgia; improving control of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and risk factors, key drivers of mortality in Georgia (93% of mortality is attributable to NCDs).

Meeting health workers

During a visit to a rural PHC centre, Dr Kluge once again expressed his appreciation for health care workers, recognizing the heroic work of Georgia’s frontline health care workers and calling family doctors “the friends of the people”. The Regional Director discussed the impact of COVID-19 on the local population, especially the need to address increased levels of anxiety caused by the pandemic.

Local doctors stressed the need for additional training in managing the mounting mental health needs of their population and the importance of clear and consistent communication in mitigating fear and anxiety.

COVID-19 response

The Regional Director made several site visits to COVID-19 response facilities, including the National Centers for Disease Control and Public Health, 112 hotline headquarters, an “online clinic”, a COVID hotel and a COVID hospital. Dr Kluge recognized Georgia’s innovative approaches to the COVID-19 pandemic, citing the novel use of COVID hotels and online clinics to manage mild and post-discharge COVID-19 cases. He also emphasized the need for a balanced approach and paying attention to the needs of the health workforce.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, recent WHO support has been directed towards building capacity in clinical management and lab diagnostics, procurement of lab equipment, test kits, personal protective equipment, development of guidelines and training PHC providers in COVID management and mental health issues related to COVID. Dr Kluge expressed WHO’s commitment to providing technical support for vaccine delivery and development of the national vaccine deployment strategy, and emphasized the importance of establishing safety monitoring systems as well as the regulatory and liability aspects.

European Programme of Work

The country visit was also an opportunity to discuss the European Programme of Work, 2020–2025 – “United Action for Better Health in Europe” (EPW), which sets out a vision of how the WHO Regional Office for Europe can support health authorities in Member States to improve health and well-being.

Linked to the EPW, digital health has both created new opportunities during the pandemic to reach remote citizens and reduced the need for travel to appointments, but it has also exposed the inequity in access to the internet and digital tools as well as gaps in guidelines, health information systems, training and legislation. The Government expressed its commitment to accelerating digital health development in the country through investments in infrastructure and reforming legislation and service delivery.

The EPW reflects WHO/Europe’s determination to leave no one behind and to strengthen the leadership of health authorities in the Region.

Herald journalist’s book Gangland banned from prisons

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Herald journalist's book Gangland banned from prisons

Former inmate Arthur Taylor is willing to take the matter to court if it doesn’t get resolved. Photo / Dean Purcell

Jailhouse lawyer Arthur Taylor is preparing to take Corrections to court again over a decision to ban the book Gangland from New Zealand prisons.

Taylor is gearing up to fight the Corrections decision to ban New Zealand Herald journalist Jared Savage’s best-selling book, saying if the case goes to court, Corrections will lose.

The decision to bar prisoners from having the book has been labelled “silly” and “absolutely ridiculous”.

While Taylor was an inmate at Otago Corrections Facility in Dunedin last year, he was sent a copy of the book, but it was confiscated before he could get his hands on it.

He was initially told it was because the book – which delves into a collection of police investigations around drug crime and violence in New Zealand – contained “gang regalia”, he said.

After laying a complaint and asking for the decision to be reviewed, he received a further response from Corrections, with a different reason for the confiscation.

Corrections’ response, which has been viewed by the Herald, quoted the blurb for the book and said it could promote violence and drug use in prison.

Herald reporter Jared Savage has written a book on organised crime in New Zealand. Photo / Supplied

“Management believes that this publication promotes violence and drug use and is a negative influence within a prison and reserves the right not to issue this book,” the response said.

Savage was “not surprised” by the ban, but said it was “kind of silly”.

He did not think the book glorified gang crime – in fact it clearly showed the consequences for perpetrators of such offending.

“I basically stitched together lots of things that were publicly available through the court trials. It’s not like I’m revealing some deep, dark secrets that no one’s ever heard about.

“It’s a very straight accounting of those court cases and the history of organised crime in the last 10 years.”

He thought the second part of Corrections’ response – that the book could have a negative influence – might hold slightly more weight.

“I guess I can see the potential for problems to arrive, in terms of most of the people mentioned in the book are still in prison so maybe they would take exception to how some cases have been portrayed.”

But in general the book would be more likely to act as a deterrent because the cases ended in successful prosecutions and jail time for offenders.

He questioned whether whoever had made the call to ban the book had actually read it, given they had only quoted the blurb in their decision.

Taylor told the Herald the decision was “absolutely ridiculous” and he was prepared to take the matter to court if need be.

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“As far as I’m concerned, it breaches freedom of expression.”

He has laid a formal complaint over the confiscation, but has not yet received a response.

“I won’t be letting it go. There’s an important principle at stake here.

“If there was any legitimate reason for banning that book, all power to them … [but] it’s just simply a recording of what’s already public knowledge. There’s a hell of a lot worse books than that in prison libraries.”

Corrections would not put anyone forward for an interview, and did not directly address the banning of Gangland in their statement.

“There is no official list of banned books in New Zealand prisons and the decision to allow certain books into prison is made by the relevant prison director on a case-by -case basis,” a spokesman said in the statement.

“However, there are publications that, while not specifically banned, are not suitable to be authorised in prison, unless the prison director makes an exception.

Policy included prisoners should not have access to material including pornography, overtly violent, objectionable, occult material where it could be prejudicial to reducing reoffending, and gang-related or “other offensive material”.

“We do not want to allow a publication in prison if there are concerns the item may compromise the effective management, security and good order of the prison or constitutes a risk to prisoner rehabilitation by promoting pro-criminal beliefs or activities.”

• Gangland: The Evolution of NZ’s Underworld is available in bookstores around the country

Covid dismissal upheld by court in Barcelona citing European Union rules

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Covid dismissal upheld by court in Barcelona citing European Union rules

SOON after the start of the Spanish lockdown, the Government had a Royal Decree passed which effectively stated that no-one could be dismissed due to Covid-19 related matters.

Now however it is facing a dilemma as a court in Barcelona has ruled that a dismissal of an individual on July 3, 2020 had to be upheld due to Spain’s relationship with the European Union.

Thank you for taking the time to read this news article “Covid dismissal upheld by court in Barcelona”.

By John Smith

https://www.euroweeklynews.com/

Married to Ophelia in Gibraltar in 1978, John has spent much of his life travelling on security print and minting business and visited every continent except Antarctica.

Having retired several years ago, the couple moved to their house in Estepona and John became a regular news writer for the EWN Media Group taking particular interest in Finance, Gibraltar and Costa del Sol Social Scene.

Greek Archbishop Ieronymos: Islam is not a religion but a political ideology of conquest

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Greek Archbishop Ieronymos: Islam is not a religion but a political ideology of conquest


Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Ieronymos II expressed the view that Islam and its citizens, was not a religion, but a political ideology and its adherents were people of war, during an interview on Open TV.

According to the prelate of the Greek Orthodox Church, who was interviewed on the occasion of the bicentenary celebrations of the Greek uprising against the Ottoman Empire in 1821, “they [Muslims] are the people of expansion, this is a characteristic of Islam.” Referring to Mohammed the Conqueror, he said that he had Greek advisers, while he had to unite the whole Christian community and entrust it to the Patriarch, and so Gennadius Scholarius was chosen as the Patriarch of Constantinople when it fell in 1453.

Archbishop Ieronymos also referred to the key role played by the Church in the national struggle for freedom during the Revolution of 1821. “There was no sign of revolution that did not start with a clergyman,” said Archbishop Ieronymos. He went on to describe the documented incidents involving archdeacon Athanasios Diakos and spoke about the clergy who participated in the War of Independence while explaining why there were crosses on all the flags of the Revolution.

Following his statement, two Islamic Muftis from Xanthi voiced their dissatisfaction calling the comments “offensive” to their religious sensibilities and not corresponding to reality.

Following the Islamic Mufti’s responses, the press office of the Holy Archdiocese of Athens released a statement saying: “The Archbishop and our Church respect in practice all the known religions.”

American megachurches become more multiracial: study

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American megachurches become more multiracial: study
(Photo by John Price on Unsplash)

American megachurches are more racially and ethnically diverse than ever with more than half of them now having multiracial congregations, a new study from the Hartford Institute for Religious Research has found.


Sociologists Warren Bird and Scott Thumma found that the majority of the country’s roughly 1,750 megachurches are now multiracial (defined as 20 percent or more of a congregation belonging to a minority group).

In the pulpit, 94 percent of senior pastors are white.

But in the pews, the percentages of white people, black people, Asians, and Native Americans more closely match their percentages in the American population.

Megachurches are commonly defined as Protestant churches with regular attendances pre-COVID-19 pandemic of 2,000 or more adults and children.

Two decades ago, only 21 percent of megachurches were multiracial, but that it not true any longer.

More than half of them (58 percent) report being multiracial today, defined as having 20 percent or more minority presence in their congregation.

“In many ways, megachurches are leading the way toward what we hope is a future where multiracial churches are the norm,” say the authors.

In virtually every city and region, across denominations and less formal church networks, megachurch leaders continue to set the pace for other church leaders, both directly and indirectly.

1,750 MEGACHURCHES IN US

The study find that the roughly 1,750 megachurches in the United States continue to evolve and respond to changes in society and culture.

The Hartford research is the sixth national study of these largest Protestant Christian churches continues to show developing trends and adaptations to their overall ministry efforts.

Back in 2005, only percent of all congregations were multiracial.

By 2019, that number had doubled to 16 percent f all congregations across all faith groups could be described as having at least 20 percent racial or ethnic diversity in their attending membership.

“Though we have often heard, ‘Sunday morning is the most segregated hour of the week,’ with each passing year it’s less true of large churches, as a large percentage of megachurches are less likely to be homogeneous collections of the same kind of person,” the authors write.

Along with that, racial diversity also comes with a considerable mix of economic groups and educational levels, with roughly 50 percent being college graduates, significant representation from all age groups.

“Much is still unknown about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on churches, but one pattern is already clear: larger churches are providing much of the thought leadership for how to spiritually navigate the crisis—similar to how larger churches have been significant influencers in the years before the pandemic.

“In short, despite frequent negative press treatment toward megachurches (a portion welldeserved, such as from financial scandal or, more recently, defying social gathering and mask bans) the vast majority of America’s largest churches are continuing to set positive precedents in many important areas of faith development,” say the authors.

Justin Brierley wrote in the UK-based Premier Christianity in May 2018, “Our kids still remember the day we visited Saddleback in California.

“There was dancing, drama and singing. There were video games, themed play parks and an indoor aquarium and reptile display. They even came away with branded water bottles. But Saddleback isn’t a theme park, it’s a church.

“Saddleback is one of the USA’s 1,600 megachurches – defined as a church with more than 2,000 people in weekly attendance.

“While these large churches are still outnumbered by smaller churches in the country, their influence is undeniable. Over half of all the people who go to church in the USA attend a megachurch.”

Le Monde Reveals Contents of Pfizer Covid Vax-Related Docs Stolen From EU Medicine Watchdog

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Le Monde Reveals Contents of Pfizer Covid Vax-Related Docs Stolen From EU Medicine Watchdog

Covid-19 vaccine-related documents accessed and copied from the EMA last month suggest that the agency appeared to have been pressured into approving the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine as quickly as possible despite a range of concerns, Le Monde reports, after investigating files found on the dark web.

The files reportedly include 19 letters sent between 10 and 25 November by agency employees, including among them emails sent to multiple recipients (whose potential for manipulation is therefore deemed more difficult).

These include a letter dated 12 November between EMA staff and EU health commissioner Stella Kyriakides, who reportedly told the regulator that European countries should “receive the vaccine at the same time,” and advised against “forcing” countries to apply national regulatory procedures to avoid further delays in drugs’ approval.

A second letter, dated, 19 November, features a senior EMA official describing a “rather tense,” “sometimes even unpleasant” conference call with European Commission officials which gave “an idea of what the EMA may face if expectations, realistic or not, are not met” on the timeframe for approval.

In correspondence dated 20 November, the same official was said to have told members of the Danish Medicines Agency that they were “surprised” by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s move to say publicly that the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines would receive approval before the end of 2020, despite lingering concerns by EMA regulators “with both drugs.”


©
AP Photo / Jean-Francois Badias
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivers her speech at the European parliament Tuesday, Jan.14, 2020 in Strasbourg, eastern France.

For the Pfizer-BioNTech preparation, the documents said these “problems” included a lack of inspections at manufacturing facilities, lack of data on commercial lots, “and most importantly, the fact that there are differences in quality between commercial batches and those used in clinical trials,” and in particular – a decrease in the integrity of its main active ingredient – RNA.  

The latter issue, Le Monde says, was said to have “caused the greatest concern among researchers tasked with evaluating the vaccine’s quality,” with fears reportedly related not only to effectiveness, but to safety.

US, Canadian, UK Regulators Reportedly More Lax

The Documents also found that the issues brought up by the Europeans were not considered serious by the US Food and Drug Administration, as well as by Canadian and British regulators, as the emergency approval for a vaccine’s temporary use in the three countries are less restrictive than those of the European Union. For this reason, health authorities were urged to “align the general requirements” more closely with the FDA and the Canadian agency “to avoid” a hypothetical situation in which one region “receives all the sub-optimal material.”

Pfizer and BioNTech reportedly responded to the EMA’s concerns in a report dated 26 November, with the review saying that inspections at production sites had begun, and proposing the creation of a 60-percent RNA minimum integrity rate, with one manufacturer saying differences in the amount of RNA “should not affect” the preparation’s effectiveness or safety.


©
AFP 2020 / VICTORIA JONES
Simon Stevens (R), Chief Executive of the NHS, watches as a nurse (C) administers a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine to Frank Naderer (L), 82, at Guy’s Hospital in London on 8 December 2020 as the UK starts its biggest ever vaccination programme.

However, a document dated 30 November showing correspondence between the EMA and manufacturers suggested that the EMA was not entirely satisfied, saying “critical issues” needed to be addressed through a “stricter control strategy,” particularly “given the innovative nature of this type of product and limited experience” in handling it.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was approved by European regulators on 21 December, 2020, having already been permitted for use in the US and the UK earlier that month.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, sold to the EU for 15.50 euros per dose for 300 million doses, faced flak this week after Norway linked 13 deaths to side effects, and Dutch media reporting that about 100 people in the Netherlands had developed side effects of various severity after taking the preparation. Similar problems were reported in Belgium, Finland and Israel, with the latter country reporting partial facial paralysis among 13 Israelis jabbed by the shot.
On Friday, China’s state-run Global Times, under the auspices of the Chinese Communist Party, cited medical experts urging health authorities to suspend Covid-19 vaccination campaigns which use mRNA technology. China’s vaccines, created by Sinopharm and Sinovac, use inactivated technology, theoretically making them less potent, but safer.