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Ankara, Dec 30 (AP-PTI) A first batch of vaccines developed by Chinese biopharmaceutical company Sinovac has arrived in Turkey, after a two-week delay.

A plane carrying 3 million doses of the CoronaVac vaccine landed in the capital Ankara early on Wednesday. The first shipment was initially scheduled to arrive on December 11 but Turkish officials said problems concerning permits, followed by a COVID-19 case in Beijing customs and high alert against infections there, caused the delay.

New Delhi, Dec 30 (PTI) Passenger flights between the UK and India would remain suspended till January 7 and they will resume in a "strictly regulated" manner thereafter, Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Wednesday.

The Civil Aviation Ministry had last week suspended all flights between the European country and India from December 23 to December 31 as a mutated variant of the coronavirus was detected there.

New Delhi, Dec 30 (PTI) Thousands of farmers agitating against the three new central agriculture laws stayed put at their agitation venues near Delhi, which is going through a harsh spell of winter, unrelenting in their demand of withdrawal of the legislations.

On Wednesday, a cold wave swept Delhi as the minimum temperature dipped to 3.5 degrees Celsius. It is likely to get even colder on New Year's Eve, the India Meteorological Department predicted, as dry and icy winds barrelled through the plains.

29 Dec 2020; MEMO: Iran's government and parliament are close to an agreement on the 2021 budget, ways to counter US sanctions, and COVID-19 vaccine, said the Iranian president on Monday, Anadolu reports.

Hassan Rouhani made the remarks following his meeting with Parliament Speaker Baqer Qalibaf and judicial chief Ebrahim Raeesi, a meeting coming after weeks of intense speculation.

Noida (UP), Dec 28 (PTI) Farmers demonstrating against the Centre's new agri laws on Monday performed yoga on the Delhi-Noida Link Road at the Chilla border where they have been camping for 28 days now.

The road remained closed for Noida to Delhi movement but was open for commuters travelling from Delhi to Noida, according to a police official.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration on Monday strengthened an executive order barring U.S. investors from buying securities of alleged Chinese military-controlled companies, following disagreement among U.S. agencies about how tough to make the directive.

The Treasury Department published guidance clarifying that the executive order, released in November, would apply to investors in exchange-traded funds and index funds as well as subsidiaries of Chinese companies designated as owned or controlled by the Chinese military.

BEIJING, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Facing unprecedented headwinds from COVID-19, China's foreign trade sector has delivered better-than-expected performance this year, providing a much-needed positive impact on world trade, which is still caught in a recession.

"China's total foreign trade and its share in the international trade market this year have both notched a historic high," the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said Saturday, projecting that the combined export and import value for 2020 will reach around 32 trillion yuan (about 4.9 trillion U.S. dollars).

28 Dec 2020; MEMO: Iraq's capital Baghdad and other cities are at risk of serious power shortages after Iran slashed gas exports, the electricity ministry said on Sunday, potentially placing further pressure on the government of Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, reported Reuters.

Iran has reduced gas exports to Iraq to five million cubic metres from 50 million cubic metres two weeks ago citing unpaid bills, a ministry spokesman said.

28 Dec 2020; MEMO: Britain and Turkey are set to sign a free trade deal on Tuesday, the UK trade ministry said on Sunday, the first since Prime Minister Boris Johnson secured a new trade agreement with the European Union, Reuters reports.

The two nations will sign a deal that replicates the existing trading terms between Ankara and London, but British trade minister Liz Truss said that she was hopeful a bespoke deal between the countries could be struck soon.

28 Dec 2020; MEMO: Turkey on Saturday urged Greece to act in a common sense and responsible manner, responding to a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) recently issued by Greece for a vast area in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean, reports Anadolu Agency.

"We see that Greece continues her provocative and escalatory steps in the region," Hami Aksoy, the Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said in a statement.