South Korea said on Saturday it signed a contract with Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) to purchase an additional 40 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine amid fears of spiking infections at home.

That brings the current amount of Pfizer vaccines to 66 million doses, it said in a statement.
It added that it had secured a total 192 million doses of vaccines, including those from Moderna Inc (MRNA.O), AstraZeneca PLC (AZN.L), Johnson &amp; Johnson's (JNJ.N) and Novavax (NVAX.O).
-The government has acquired COVID-19 vaccines large enough to vaccinate approximately 100 million people...(which) is double the entire population of South Korea- Health Minister Kwon Deok-cheol told a briefing.
-(The government) will make all out efforts to achieve its promise to vaccinate 12 million people by end of June and achieve herd immunity by November- he said.
The deal comes a week after Pfizer agreed to supply additional vaccines to Japan by the end of September, which would be enough to inoculate all people over 16. read more
Nearly 2.2 million South Koreans out of a population of 52 million have received their first vaccine dose, bringing the vaccination rate to just above 4%. The government's goal is to reach 70% by November.
The low rate compares with a 41% rate in the United States, according to Reuters data.
A Gallup Korea survey on Friday showed for the first time negative views outweighing positive views over the government's handling of the pandemic and vaccinations - 43% had positive views versus 85% last May, when daily infections were in the single digits.
The country reported 785 new cases as of Friday midnight, bringing the total tally to 118,243 and 1,812 deaths.

That brings the current amount of Pfizer vaccines to 66 million doses

A health worker gets a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine at a COVID-19 vaccination center in Seoul, South Korea, March 10, 2021.

S.Korea signs with Pfizer for additional 40 mln COVID-19 vaccine doses

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis breached conflict of interest rules over his control of trust funds linked to his Agrofert business empire, according to a European Commission audit, piling pressure on the billionaire ahead of fall elections.

It means all European Union subsidies awarded to the company after February 2017 -- when a local conflict of interest law came into force -- are considered irregular and should be returned, the auditors said in a final report.
-Mr Babis therefore controls the two trust funds and through these trust funds he also controls the Agrofert group- the auditors wrote in the final report published on Friday.
-Based on this assessment, the Commission services consider that the Agrofert group therefore falls under the prohibition...of the Conflict of Interests Act.-Babis, whose minority government has come under fire for its handling of the coronavirus outbreak, rejected any conflict of interest and said the audit was "manipulated" by his political foes and professional whistleblowers.
-I fully complied with Lex Babis, which was meant to only get me out of politics- he wrote in a Twitter post, referring to a law approved by the Czech parliament to limit the accumulation of media, business and political power.
-I transferred the former company to trust funds.-The auditors said the Czech Republic should return EU subsidies Agrofert received after February 2017, which involve around 11 million euros ($13.31 million) related to European Regional Development Fund and European Social Fund grants.
-A 100 percent financial correction should be applied to all related expenditure already declared to the Commission for these operations and the related public contribution from the programmes should also be cancelled- they wrote.
Ivan Bartos, chairman of the opposition Pirates Party -- whose coalition has taken a lead over Babis' ANO party in recent polls -- suggested the audit confirming preliminary reports could have wider implications.
-We will send letters to the Czech authorities to finally recover the money from Agrofert, which was wrongfully drawn- Bartos told news iDNES.cz news.
The EU probe led to mass rallies against Babis in 2019 in what became the country's biggest protests since the end of communist rule 30 years ago.

Babis, whose minority government has come under fire for its handling of the coronavirus outbreak, rejected any conflict of interest and said the audit was "manipulated" by his political foes and professional whistleblowers

Czech Republic's Prime Minister Andrej Babis arrives for the second day of the European Union leaders summit, held to discuss the EU's long-term budget for 2021-2027, in Brussels, Belgium, February 21, 2020.

EU audit finds Czech PM Babis in conflict of interest

The President of the Party of Democratic Progress (PDP) and MP in the House of Representatives of the B&amp;H Parliament, Branislav Borenović, told for "Avaz" today that it is good for the opposition to gather in FB&amp;H, as "it is very important that we in RS agree."
Commenting on the possibility of a coalition of the opposition at the state level, Borenović says it is important that the opposition works hard in both entities.
- Of course, the opposition in FB&amp;H operates mostly in the Federal Parliament, as we do most in the National Assembly of Republic of Srpska, and it is very important that the opposition works strongly in both entities. We have correct cooperation with the opposition from FB&amp;H and it is mostly reflected through the activities in the Parliament of B&amp;H. Changes in electoral legislation, savings and reduction of privileges for those in power and judicial reform are topics which we have shown that they should be dominant and a priority in the coming period in order to create space for normal, fair and dignified life of all people in this country - says Borenović.

Changes in electoral legislation, savings and reduction of privileges for those in power, and judicial reform are topics which we have shown that they should be dominant

Borenović: It is important that the opposition works hard in both entities

Nenad Nešić, the president of the DNS, commented for "Avaz" on the announcement that the opposition parties in the Federation and RS could form a single bloc against the opposition government.

<h2>Enough of the politics of confrontation</h2>

Nešić states that both the Federation of B&amp;H, as well as the Republic of Srpska, need changes and responsible politicians who will send a policy of confrontation into the past, while young people are leaving and the people are living poorer and poorer.
- It is clear that the SDA-SNSD-HDZ team is not capable of solving problems and that they are throwing balls at each other with tensions, playing the card of national voter mobilization. The stronger their rhetoric, the poorer the people, and crime and corruption flourish. Thanks to them, we became a captive society. Those political parties should be sent to the past. If nothing else, 80 people die every day in B&amp;H from their "good" and their inability to procure vaccines. And everyone dies equally - Serbs, Croats and Bosniaks.
The DNS president told us that Bosnia and Herzegovina needs a reset of relations. According to him, the current ruling parties are not able to do that. According to him, the biggest responsibility for that lies with the political parties based in Sarajevo, because they also represent the people who are the most numerous.
- B&amp;H will have a bright future when they understand one thing in good faith, and that is that B&amp;H has as much as everyone in it feels comfortable with. As a Serb, I cannot feel comfortable in a country where the leader of the largest Bosniak party calls my children and me "people who commited genocide" and threatens with war, while I am the one who does not live in the city where I was born, says Nešić.

Nešić points out that he and the DNS are ready to cooperate with every political party from the Federation that says that it accepts the Dayton structure of B&amp;H, respects the Republic of Srpska and the Serbian people.
- That is the basis for resetting the existing climate and relations. When that basic trust is built and fears are removed, then topics on which there is consensus can be easily defined. The measure of patriotism today is not who will spit harder in the neighboring yard, as the ruling „Trojka“ does, but who will get more vaccines, create more jobs, increase pensions and salaries, create a better economic environment, reform public companies so that they are efficient, have better schools and faculties, better health care, more highways and roads, says Nešić.
The President points out that he would like RS and FB&amp;H to compete on who will deal more effectively with crime and corruption.
- I did not think about a formal platform for the 2022 elections, but I share the view that both RS and FB&amp;H need a strong alternative and changes that will be for the better, and not just for the sake of change. As the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, once said, "we should put ourselves in the shoes of others." When we do that, when we start thinking about how our actions and words affect others, and what are the consequences of what we say and do, then there will be more responsibility here and we will live more normally. It is time to finally see through and stop the throwing of Bakir-Mile-Dragan balls, and start living like the normal world lives, Nešić thinks.

B&H will have a bright future when they understand one thing in good faith, and that is that B&H has as much as everyone in it feels comfortable, says the president of DNS

Nešić: As a Serb, I do not feel comfortable when Izetbegović calls me a person who committed genocide and threatens with war

Every day reveals so many new details about the life dramas that took place at the KCUS Special Respiratory Center (SRC) and so many new facts about the failures of management and professional services that it is almost unbelievable that everything could be covered up without a court epilogue, as this has been done countless times so far under the political dictates of the SDA. Personal testimonies of survivors and families of the deceased are appearing on social networks on a daily basis, and now the testimonies of medical staff are reaching the public. We also heard the announcement of a lawsuit that the brother of one of the deceased defined as "murder of a patient".
Probably the operational documents, as well as the collected evidence of SIPA inspectors and the State Prosecutor's Office of B&amp;H, already contain some answers to the key question - how did Sarajevo suddenly find itself at the very top of the world in terms of mortality rates?! Or more specifically, if we take into account the exact fact that in those days in the General Hospital Sarajevo the mortality of patients was 10 times lower than in the SRC in Koševo - how did it happen that at the end of March mortality at KCUS was among the most tragic in the world?!
The TBT research team, in contacts with insiders at the Clinical Center in Koševo, even in the Cabinet of the General Directorate, came up with interesting data, but also some questions that could be a guide for SIPA investigators and the Prosecutor's Office of B&amp;H. Especially according to the general director dr. Sebija Izetbegović and those responsible for technical issues.

<h2>Improvisations with a tragic epilogue</h2>

The findings of TBT indicate that the basis of the problem (and high mortality) is extreme improvisation in organizing a respiratory center in the old surgery building in the Koševo area, especially in commissioning old and setting up new oxygen installations. Chinese respirators are a special story.
As it is already known, the old oxygen system has been out of order since 2014., when the old operating rooms were closed. No one knows whether sterilization / purification of these old installations was performed before reconnection. Has the sockets to which the respirators are connected been sterilized? If so, there would have to be a document about it. Does the KCUS Technical Service have it? This is exactly what the SIPA operative would have to ask the competent engineers and the responsible medical staff. Why? Because a potentially bacteriologically non-sterile system could (among other things) be fatal to patients and (only) one of the possible causes of death!

Furthermore, a new one was upgraded to the old system so that oxygen could be distributed to as many rooms and beds as possible. However, who, when and on the basis of which technical documentation performed those works? Is there a project at all or was it doneroughly and by heart?
This should also be examined by the Technical Service. Because, incidents with oxygen system failure are not uncommon at all, and as insiders warn us, they have always been fatal for patients whose lives at that time depended on respirators.
Therefore, the inspectors of SIPA and the Prosecutor's Office of B&amp;H must not take for granted the claims of the KCUS management that "no one died due to the lack of oxygen and Chinese respirators". This needs to be investigated by comparing data on the time of patient death and the time of system failures. One must keep in mind and check the public testimonies of the families of the deceased patients who claimed that "… when oxygen runs out, several people die."
It is necessary to return to the official document of the head of the technical service, Muhamed Kadrić, from last year, when he warned all the authorities in KCUS about the problems in the functioning of the oxygen supply in Podhrastovi. The problem was found out, because the document leaked to the media. And what happened then? He was removed from that position, and soon after that under the pressure of dr. Izetbegović, Amra Karić the director of the non-medical discipline also resigned.
Furthermore, the investigation must focus on the key question - was the "adaptation" of the SRC building to the new purpose done in the manner prescribed by law? Is there a building permit? From these documents it should be seen who performed the works, especially the installation of new oxygen distribution and who controlled their work (certificate) before commissioning and on the basis of which project? A TBT research team tried to find out if it all existed, but to no avail. It is probable that none of these documents exist and that everything was done on the verbal order of the general director, Dr. Izetbegović, as well as many things at KCUS.
An important aspect of this whole story is the question - who connected the "raspberry-respirators" in the temporary respiratory center? Is there a record of that? The law specifies that this can only be done by service technicians authorized for certain medical equipment. Who was it in this case?
If KCUS does not present these documents to investigators, these are new aspects of the crime dangerous to the life and health of patients!

<h2>Dr. Izetbegović: "Either keep quiet, or you are accomplices!"</h2>

It is clear that the basis of the drama of the patients in the SRC was the decision of the general director, Dr. Izetbegović to put the so-called "raspberry-respirators" right before her testimony in the trial of Prime Minister Fadil Novalić and others for the criminal purchase of inadequate Chinese devices. There is a morbid, but probable thesis, which will need to be proven, that Dr. Izetbegović right before her testimony, ordered that they start being used so that she could say in court that "all of them work and that everything is ok" (as she said) and thus relativize the responsibility of the accused, but also her own. Characteristic for the director dr. Sebija Izetbegović, she issued the order to use "raspberry-respirators" orally. No paper. And when the investigation reaches that point, she "won't remember anything" or, as usual, "she's a gynecologist, so she doesn't know that, it was decided by anesthesiologists" (as in the "Nadine case" she transferred all the responsibility to pediatricians).

However, the anesthesiologists who understood what was happening, wrote a letter - an analysis of the situation - which did not reach the media by accident. The pressure of conscience was greater than the pressure from the Cabinet. That's how this horror was found out, so in early April, Dr. Nermin Granov, head of surgical disciplines, issued an order to withdraw Chinese respirators from use. There is no doubt that the intentions of the anesthesiologist were to help patients (unlike the director's), but they will have to explain why they relied lightly on dubious respiratory certificates that have been claimed for months that are not for intensive care. (And that alibi documentation on respirators is suspicious on many grounds, but it will be the subject of a special analysis that will cover several companies and individuals in B&amp;H and China.)
However, when the investigators entered the KCUS in an action which started with a letter from anesthesiologists and under public pressure, the "responsible person" of the KCUS was the first to feel threatened. One of the signatories of the letter testified to us that after the arrival of the SIPA investigators, the director general, dr. Izetbegović began to threaten. On condition of anonymity, he told us:
"The letter is authentic, everything in the letter is true. Now director Izetbegović is threatening us. She came to the ward late at night and told us… “You better keep quiet about everything or you will become accomplices too! And you better not let the Prosecution find anything here! "
The resulting conclusion indicates that inadequate Chinese respirators procured through the "Silver Raspberry" were used in the Special Respiratory Center in the KCUS old surgery building in a way not intended for, in intensive care, and that this is the probable cause of death of a number of patients who were connected to these "raspberry-respirators". This is the most probable criminal offense of "negligent treatment with fatal consequences" in which there are both commanders and perpetrators. This is a completely new situation in which Dr. Izetbegović is taking new repression against employees, but also various cover-up measures that investigators must pay attention to!
A few days ago, an order was issued not to put a date on various acts produced by clinics, with the explanation that "there are mistakes, so it will be entered later"? !? Also, all record notebooks of mail that couriers internally deliver to KCUS the other day were "seized" and taken to the GD Cabinet!? It all looks like tuning papers from which investigators could uncover crime and perpetrators.
Lack of paper and illegals works are actually a big problem for the management at the moment, because without them it turns out that the SRC, as a place of possible crime, is an illegal facility and installation. To cover this up, now the management of KCUS would have to retroactively and falsely date through their own decisions on all works on the SRC, documents on the selection of bidders, contracts, building permits, installation certificates…
Money would not be a problem for all that, because KCUS, according to the data from the finances, March 31st, 2018. , on the account had - 51 million KM! But a special question is which company would engage in such a criminal deal now that the affair is under the scrutiny of SIPA for the sake of quick and extra profit. Another important question is - if KCUS has 51 million KM in its account, why not buy expensive drugs against COVID for patients, which patients today have to buy themselves - most often in Dina pharmacy?

<h2>Lies, lawsuits and videotapes…</h2>

Discharge lists of cured and deceased patients are not issued for weeks, so some families cannot initiate court proceedings. Furthermore, in no case was an autopsy approved to determine the exact cause of death (COVID or suffocation?). These are all suspicious circumstances that indicate an intention to conceal the responsibility of KCUS.
TBT has come to the information that so far 276 individuals and families have decided to file a lawsuit against KCUS for KD reckless treatment with fatal or severe consequences. All refer to the suspicion that the death occurred due to a faulty oxygen system, the use of an inadequate Chinese respirator or the denial of other medical services. Not to mention the suffering of the patients.
Also, some of the future prosecutors claim that there are still videos from mobile phones that recorded dramatic moments when the oxygen runs out and patients start to choke. They were advised by lawyers not to post them on social media or YouTube channel so that it cannot be compromised as evidence. SRC staff normally confiscated cell phones from patients (!?), but some still managed to keep it and take very disturbing shots.
These recordings would expose all the lies of the management headed and at large, only thanks to the (weaker) party control of the police, investigative and judicial bodies, the wife of the president of the SDA, Dr. Sebija Izetbegović. She will soon realize that employee control is not up to par, as more and more witnesses are willing to reveal details of illegal management moves to law enforcement agencies, which are of such proportions that it was time to lock police handcuffs on Koševo.

It is necessary to return to the official document of the head of the technical service Muhamed Kadrić from last year, when he warned all the authorities in KCUS about the problems in the functioning of the oxygen supply in Podhrastovi

Roadmaps for investigation: Who are the persons responsible for the drama at the special respiratory center of KCUS?

Judge of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina Hasija Mašović, at the suggestion of prosecutor Ćazim Hasanspahić, ordered a one-month detention for Josip Barić, who is charged with not taking out Alisa Mutap's bloody sweater, which could be the main proof in proving the murder of Dženan Memić.
We remind you that a hearing was held yesterday to order custody, and the prosecutor referred in his explanation to the official note made by Barić on the seizure of Dženan and Alisa's clothes.
- This is an extensive investigation. It has been extended to six more people. The suspect failed to take out the bloody sweater of Alisa Mutap, which was later returned to her family from KCUS and was destroyed. That bloody part was cut with scissors - said prosecutor Hasanspahić yesterday.
He stated that the Prosecutor's Office of B&amp;H has already provided protection for six witnesses.
- The suspect would certainly influence witnesses if he remains at large. Why Dženan’s complete attire is taken. Even socks, and Alisa’s clothes was not taken, that goes on honor of those who have conducted the investigation so far. A bag full of clothes was taken from Dženan, and only black jeans and a leather jacket were taken from Alisa Mutap. Maybe traces from that sweater would lead to the perpetrator. There were not enough marks on the leather jacket to determine anything. Why the suspect treated Dženan and Alisa differently when it came to seizing clothes. Witnesses have fully confirmed this and we have their testimonies. These are criminal acts that they committed as a group - Hasanspahić stated yesterday.
The prosecutor said yesterday that the suspects in this case had previously offered money for evidence and that they had planted evidence, and suggested that Barić be remanded in custody for all detention reasons.

He did not take the bloody sweater of Alisa Mutap

"Memić" case: Josip Barić ordered into custody

Elmedin Konaković, the leader of the People and Justice, told the "Avaz's" portal that he is hoping that the first working meeting of the „Trojka“ leaders with the opposition parties from RS would be held next week, in order to agree on a grand coalition of the opposition at the state level.
- At that meeting, we should already discuss everything in general, and then maybe agree on the dynamics of possibly more serious talks. What is important is that we have seen the reactions of political leaders on both sides and that people are overwhelmed by this concept of politics in which Milorad Dodik, Bakir Izetbegović and Dragan Čović do it in their own way - says Konaković.
He emphasized that the idea of establishing a coalition is a natural reaction of most people in B&amp;H.
- Especially after Dodik and Izetbegović have so far most brutally sharpened that political scene in B&amp;H with Dodik's announcements of a peaceful break-up, until Izetbegović's reaction to heading an army that would go to war. People from us, and what they expected from the opposition, is to respond to those policies of fear with a policy of hope. I think that reaction is justified. We reached to each other very quickly, Kojović, Nikšić and I, and talked about it. It was normal to react in that way. On the other hand, I saw that the RS opposition and several leaders, including Fahrudin Radončić, reacted in a similar way. Somehow it seems to me that these are two sides now. That we want important topics for citizens to be put in the foreground, and that Dodik and Izetbegović would talk about it in such a war-mongering way and scare people in a country from which an entire city leaves and disappears every year - says Konaković.

People expect us to respond to these policies of fear with a policy of hope, says Konaković

Konaković: We should be discussing important topics, not war

Konaković for "Avaz": The first meeting on the grand coalition of the opposition next week, this is the answer to Dodik and Izetbegović

Nermin Nikšić, the leader of the SDP B&amp;H, confirmed for "Avaz's" portal that talks will be held on a large political platform of opposition forces from the Federation and RS for the state level. As he told us, there is already a preliminary agreement.

<h2>New virtual wars between coalition partners</h2>

- What is new on the political scene is the fact that the possibility of talks between opposition political parties in the whole of Bosnia and Herzegovina is opening up. If we are ready to talk, then it is quite possible to reach an agreement. We are ready to apply the experience of the "Trojka" where, despite ideological differences, we have gathered around a specific program.Even then, we announced that we would look for partners who were willing to join in order to create a wide front of resistance to the ruling ethno-nationalists and offer a clear alternative. Of course, it is clear that there will be ideologically different parties in that alliance as well. However, if we can agree on how we will strengthen the institutions of the system, the rule of law, the fight against corruption and crime, the economy, improve health, the education system, then it is quite clear that this is enough to begin with and that it could restore hope to citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina that a better life is possible, says Nikšić.
As he says, it is clear that these changes are not possible before the elections.
- Until then, instead of serving the public with new virtual wars between coalition partners who regularly sit in the Council of Ministers, and now they have formed a coalition in Srebrenica, I call on them to turn to the life problems of citizens. It is completely clear that they have seceded from the people and that they have had nothing to do with reality for a long time. It is high time that instead of fictitious quarrels, they try to provide vaccines for the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Vaccination is necessary for the people to be saved, and secession is a fictional story that is of no use, nor is it meaningless talks about leading the people to war. While they are uselessly arguing over the number of deaths from coronavirus infection in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the figure of 9,000 is approaching. We in the SDP, together with our partners from the Trojka, will look for allies in other political parties that are ready to declare war on corruption and crime, poverty and unemployment. Of course, SNSD, SDA and HDZ lose in that war, and the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina and all its citizens win - says Nikšić.

<h2>They are not campaigning for themselves</h2>

The goal is clear. Remove bad government, Nikšić believes.
- How nervous Bakir and Milorad are and how much they care about preserving power and protecting themselves and their closest associates from responsibility for crime is best seen by the fact that they have already started the campaign through maximum radicalization. One tells the story of secession, aware that it is not possible, the other strikes the drums of war and calls for war. In this way, they are not actually campaigning for themselves, but for each other. During that time, their third partner wisely keeps silent, aware that their fake conflicts and the radicalization of voters are the best campaign for his mantra about endangerment - says Nikšić.

How nervous Bakir and Milorad are and how much they care about preserving power and protecting themselves and their closest associates from responsibility for crime is best seen by the fact that they have already started the campaign

Nikšić: We should gather around the same ideas

Nikšić for "Avaz" on grand coalition of opposition from FB&H and RS: Wide front of resistance to ruling ethno-nationalists

Sarajevo police are looking for several men who got into a fight in the middle of the road in Baščaršija yesterday.
The Operational Center of the Ministry of the Interior of the Sarajevo Canton confirmed to us that there was a disturbance of public order and peace through a fight, and that the actors have not been arrested yet.
It was allegedly a conflict between migrants and local beggars.
Below, you can watch a video of the shocking fight.

The Operational Center of the Ministry of the Interior of the Sarajevo Canton confirmed to us that there was a disturbance of public order and peace

Take a look at the fight of migrants in Baščaršija

Malaysia received 268,800 doses of AstraZeneca (AZN.L) vaccines on Friday night, its first batch from the pharmaceutical company, state news agency reported on Saturday.

Health Minister Adham Baba said the batch was purchased through the COVAX facility.
-The COVAX facility sent the vaccine from South Korea, and we will keep it at the designated storage centre- he told reporters, according to Bernama.
The country had initially given conditional approval in March for the use of the vaccine made by the firm, but placed it under review after the European Medicines Agency found that unusual blood clots with low blood platelets was a rare side effect of the vaccine.&nbsp;Adham said the procurement was decided after approval by the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency.
-Our view is that the AstraZeneca vaccine is beneficial for use by certain groups...(we) need to have more brands of vaccine as some people may be compatible with this vaccine- he said.
An announcement would be made on Monday on the first group of recipients.
Malaysia has secured a total of 12.8 million doses from AstraZeneca, half of which will come via the global COVAX facility. It was slated to receive the first 600,000 doses in June.

Health Minister Adham Baba said the batch was purchased through the COVAX facility

Staff member handles AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines in storage at Region Hovedstaden's Vaccine Center, Copenhagen, Denmark February 11, 2021.

Malaysia receives first batch of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines

Germany will shut out all travellers arriving from India apart from its own citizens, Health Minister Jens Spahn said Saturday, as a new variant has made the South Asian country the latest coronavirus hotspot.

-We're very worried about the new mutation of the virus discovered in India. So as not to endanger our vaccination programme, India travel has to be significantly limited- Spahn told the Funke newspaper group.
From Monday, only German citizens will be allowed to enter the country when arriving from India, he added.
As Spahn plans to designate India a "virus variant zone", travellers will have to be tested before departure for Germany and immediately enter a 14-day quarantine on arrival.
Berlin had already dubbed India a "zone with particularly high risk of infection" with effect from Sunday.
Germany is the latest of several countries to restrict travel from India over the new variant, following Canada, Britain and Kuwait.
On Saturday, India reported a record daily number of deaths from Covid-19, while the government is struggling to provide enough oxygen to overwhelmed hospitals.
A total of almost 190,000 people have died of coronavirus in India according to official figures.

From Monday, only German citizens will be allowed to enter the country when arriving from India

Germany is the latest of several countries to restrict travel from India over the new variant, following Canada, Britain and Kuwait

Germany restricts travel from 'high-risk' India

French investigators were on Saturday questioning three people linked to a Tunisian man who stabbed a police employee to death near Paris in a suspected Islamist attack. 

The murder at a police station in Rambouillet, a commuter town about 60 kilometres (40 miles) from Paris, revived the trauma of a spate of deadly attacks last year.
The victim was a 49-year-old woman named as Stephanie M., a police administrative assistant and mother-of-two, who was stabbed twice in the throat at the entrance of the station. 
Her 36-year-old attacker named as Jamel G., who had not been known to police or intelligence services, was shot and fatally wounded by an officer at the scene.
President Emmanuel Macron, who was out of the country on a visit to Chad, tweeted that France would never give in to "Islamist terrorism".
The latest violence targeting police is likely to focus attention further on the danger of Islamic extremism in France and wider concerns about security a year ahead of a presidential election.
Prime Minister Jean Castex said he would hold a meeting in Paris with ministers and security officials after the killing.
National anti-terrorism prosecutors have opened a terror investigation.
A source close to the inquiry told AFP the knifeman shouted "Allahu Akbar" (God is Greatest) during the attack.
Chief anti-terror prosecutor Jean-Francois Ricard confirmed "comments made by the assailant" indicated a terror motive.

Jamel G's father and two other people were taken into custody on Friday, and questioning was continuing on Saturday as police delve into his background, contacts and possible motives.

The assailant had arrived in France illegally in 2009 but had since obtained residency papers, a police source said. He had just moved to Rambouillet.
Far-right leader Marine Le Pen immediately questioned why the attacker had been able to settle in the country, and hit back at recent criticism about police brutality in France.
-We need to get back to reason: supporting our police, expelling illegal immigrants and eradicating Islamism- she wrote on Twitter.
Polls show her running close to Macron in next year's election, though experts warn that surveys conducted so far ahead and during a pandemic should be interpreted with caution.
About 30 police officers wearing balaclavas raided the suspect's home in Rambouillet on Friday, AFP reporters said.
At the same time police in the Paris region searched the home of the person who had sheltered Jamel G. when he first arrived in France, sources close to the inquiry said.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, who also visited officers in Rambouillet, said security would be stepped up at stations nationwide.

France has been repeatedly targeted by Islamist attackers since 2015, with a series of incidents in the last year keeping terrorism and security as a leading concern.

Macron's government has introduced legislation to tackle religious extremism, which would make it easier for the government to close places of worship and track foreign funding of mosques.
The bill has been condemned by critics who see it as stigmatising Muslims.
Last September, a Pakistani man wounded two people with a meat cleaver outside the former offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, which had printed cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed.
In October, a young Chechen refugee beheaded teacher Samuel Paty who had showed some of the caricatures to his pupils in a crime that profoundly shocked the country.
Later that month, three people were killed when a recently-arrived Tunisian went on a stabbing spree in a church in the Mediterranean city of Nice.
In the most serious recent attack against French police, three officers and one police employee in Paris were stabbed to death in October 2019 by an IT specialist colleague who was himself then shot dead.
He was found to have shown an interest in radical Islam. 
These attacks came after the massacres carried out by Islamist extremists from 2015 that began with the killing of staff in the offices of Charlie Hebdo in January that year.
In France's deadliest peacetime atrocity, 130 people were killed and 350 were wounded when Islamist suicide bombers and gunmen attacked the Stade de France stadium, bars and restaurants in central Paris and the Bataclan concert hall in November 2015.
The following year a man rammed a truck into a Bastille Day crowd in Nice, killing 86 people.
Just a few weeks earlier, in June 2016, two police officers were stabbed to death at their home outside Paris by a man claiming allegiance to the Islamic State group.

The victim was a 49-year-old woman named as Stephanie M., a police administrative assistant and mother-of-two, who was stabbed twice in the throat at the entrance of the station

Security is being stepped up at police stations in France

Three held after police worker stabbed to death near Paris

India's daily coronavirus death toll passed a new record Saturday as the government battled to get oxygen supplies to hospitals overwhelmed by the hundreds of thousands of new daily cases.

Queues of COVID-19 patients and their fearful relatives are building up outside hospitals in major cities across India, the new world pandemic hotspot which has now reported nearly one million new cases in three days.
Another 2,624 deaths, a new daily record, were reported in 24 hours, taking the official toll to nearly 190,000 since the pandemic started.
More than 340,000 new cases were also reported, taking India's total to 16.5 million, second only to the United States.
But many experts are predicting the current wave will not peak for at least three weeks and that the real death and case numbers are much higher.
Stung by criticism of its lack of preparation ahead of the wave of infections, the central government has organised special trains to get oxygen supplies to the worst-hit cities. 
It has also pressed industrialists to increase production of oxygen and other life-saving drugs in short supply.
One 'oxygen express' carrying 30,000 litres for hospitals arrived in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh state at dawn on Saturday, where armed guards were waiting to escort trucks to hospitals.
Lucknow has been one of the worst hit cities, with hospitals and crematoriums inundated with patients and bodies, and officials said the liquid oxygen would only be enough for half a day's needs.
The Indian air force is also being used to transport oxygen tankers and other supplies around the country.
In New Delhi, the city's government said it would begin setting up buffer stocks of oxygen to speed supplies to hospitals when they are within hours of running out. 
Many patients are dying outside hospitals in the capital because of the lack of beds and oxygen. 
One charity has set up an overflow crematorium in a car park, with makeshift funeral pyres built to deal with the mounting deaths.

Queues of COVID-19 patients and their fearful relatives are building up outside hospitals in major cities across India, the new world pandemic hotspot which has now reported nearly one million new cases in three days

More than 340,000 new cases were also reported, taking India's total to 16.5 million, second only to the United States

India's daily Covid death toll hits new record as shortages bite

Spain became one of the first European countries to begin administering the one-shot Johnson &amp; Johnson coronavirus vaccine on Thursday.

The vaccine had been sitting in storage for more than a week after US regulatory bodies recommended halting the jab to study rare blood clots.
But the European Medicines Agency (EMA) gave the vaccine the greenlight on Tuesday. Experts acknowledged there may be a link between rare blood clots and the jab but insisted the benefits far outweigh the risk.
Spain has begun giving the jab to those aged 70-79, although the vaccine has not been approved only for that group. In contrast, Spanish officials have only approved the AstraZeneca vaccine for those in their 60s.
Other European countries, including Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Greece are set to begin administering the J&amp;J jab in the coming days.
Spain has received 146,000 J&amp;J doses and has ordered 17.6 million through to the third quarter of 2021.
The one-dose shot is an important arsenal in the country’s fight against coronavirus infections that are on the rise.
The Health Ministry reported on Thursday 10,814 new cases, 1,151 more than the same day last week.
The situation in the Basque Country continues to deteriorate, with the northern region breaking a recent record for new infections.
In Madrid, 44% of all available intensive care units are now in use by COVID-19 patients.
Another 132 people also lost their lives to the disease, bringing the coronavirus death toll to nearly 77,500 in Spain.

Jab offered to 70- to 79-year-olds, even though it is still on hold in many countries

The vaccine had been sitting in storage for more than a week after US regulatory bodies recommended halting the jab to study rare blood clots

Spain starts administering one-shot J&J vaccine

Australia's diving team said it was "not safe" to travel to Japan as they withdrew from a Tokyo Olympics test event on Friday just three months before the pandemic-postponed Games begin.

The Diving World Cup was set to take place from May 1-6 in the Japanese capital.
But with the Japanese government due to impose new virus states of emergency in Tokyo and three other regions on Friday, Diving Australia said they had concluded it would "not be safe to send our athletes and officials to the World Cup".
-It is our clear position, in light of the current circumstances, that a fair and safe Olympic qualification event is not possible at this time- a statement said.
Japan has seen a comparatively small Covid-19 outbreak, with fewer than 10,000 deaths despite never imposing the strict lockdowns seen in other countries.
But surging cases have prompted fresh restrictions as the country gears up to host the Games, forcing torch relays off public roads in an effort to keep spectators away.
The Olympics test events have faced serious disruption, with several postponed or relocated due to surging infections.

The Diving World Cup was set to take place from May 1-6 in the Japanese capital

The new virus emergencies come with just three months until the Tokyo Olympics open

Australia says 'not safe' to compete at Tokyo Olympics diving test

Members of the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) arrested yesterday the official of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Sarajevo Canton (MUP SC), Josip Barić, who is connected to the "Dženan Memić" case.
Barić was arrested in Ilidža, where his property was searched by order of the Court and the Prosecutor's Office of B&amp;H.
After the criminal investigation in SIPA, he was handed over to the Prosecutor's Office of B&amp;H this morning, which was confirmed to us by Luka Miladinović, the spokesperson of SIPA. The Prosecution will decide on the measures today after being examined by the acting prosecutor Ćazim Hasanspahić.
SIPA officially said yesterday that the person arrested in Ilidža is suspected of having committed the organized crime, illegal mediation and assistance to the perpetrator after the crime was committed. On that occasion, SIPA also searched Barić's vehicle and temporarily confiscated his mobile phone, laptop and computer.
According to the information that "Avaz" has, the Prosecutor's Office of B&amp;H officially expanded the investigation in relation to Barić a few days ago, after all the evidence was gathered and witnesses were heard.
As for Barić, his name has been linked to the case for years. Barić was the police officer who first questioned the only witness in the case, Alisa Mutap.

However, Barić twice described her statement in a completely different way, which took the investigation in a different direction. This was confirmed on several occasions by the family of the murdered young man.

These allegations were confirmed to us yesterday by the lawyer of the Memić family, Ifet Feraget.
What is indicative, Barić, who took a statement from Alisa, did not take all the evidence that would serve in the investigation. One of them is Alisas's bloody sweater.

After the criminal investigation in SIPA, he was handed over to the Prosecutor's Office of B&H this morning, which was confirmed to us by Luka Miladinović, SIPA spokesman

Barić: Arrested the day before yesterday, handed over to the Prosecution this morning

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"Memić" case: Josip Barić ordered into custody

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This is the arrested police officer who questioned Alisa Mutap but did not take the bloody sweater

News

S.Korea signs with Pfizer for additional 40 mln COVID-19 vaccine doses

EU audit finds Czech PM Babis in conflict of interest

Borenović: It is important that the opposition works hard in both entities

Nešić: As a Serb, I do not feel comfortable when Izetbegović calls me a person who committed genocide and threatens with war

Roadmaps for investigation: Who are the persons responsible for the drama at the special respiratory center of KCUS?

"Memić" case: Josip Barić ordered into custody

Konaković for "Avaz": The first meeting on the grand coalition of the opposition next week, this is the answer to Dodik and Izetbegović

Nikšić for "Avaz" on grand coalition of opposition from FB&H and RS: Wide front of resistance to ruling ethno-nationalists

Take a look at the fight of migrants in Baščaršija

Malaysia receives first batch of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines

Germany restricts travel from 'high-risk' India

Three held after police worker stabbed to death near Paris

India's daily Covid death toll hits new record as shortages bite

Spain starts administering one-shot J&J vaccine

Australia says 'not safe' to compete at Tokyo Olympics diving test

This is the arrested police officer who questioned Alisa Mutap but did not take the bloody sweater