Talks to revive Iran's tattered 2015 nuclear deal with world powers are resuming after breaking off for a bit over a week for diplomats to return home for consultations.
The European Union, which chairs the talks in Vienna, announced the resumption.
The United States pulled out of the Vienna accord in 2018 under then President Donald Trump and reimposed heavy sanctions on Iran. Tehran has responded by increasing the purity and amounts of uranium it enriches and stockpiles, in breach of the accord.
U.S. President Joe Biden has signalled that he wants to rejoin the deal. Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China are still parties to the accord with Iran and have been trying to salvage it.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken signed several sanctions waivers related to Iran's civilian nuclear activities. The move reverses the Trump administration's decision to rescind them.
Iran's Foreign Minister welcomed the sanctions relief but called it insufficient.
Feb 07, 2022
US Approves Masood as New Pakistan Envoy
The Biden administration accepted the appointment of Masood Khan as Pakistan's ambassador to the United States.
Mr. Khan would assume his responsibilities in Washington D.C. in due course of time.
Ambassador Khan is a seasoned diplomat who has served Pakistan with distinction and honour.
His appointment comes at a critical juncture when the relationship between Islamabad and Washington is undergoing a transformation after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Argentina Joins China's Belt and Road Initiative
Argentina joined China`s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and is set to receive funding worth USD 23.7 billion for various projects from Beijing. This was signed during Argentine President Alberto Fernandez`s visit to China to attend the Beijing Winter Olympics.
The sides signed the Memorandum of Understanding about cooperating within the initiative. The press office said 13 different inter-institutional cooperation documents were signed in different fields including digital economy and innovation.
Elizabeth II Approves Camilla as 'Queen Consort' when Charles is King
Britain's Queen Elizabeth said that she would like Prince Charles' wife Camilla to take the title of Queen Consort when he becomes king.
Charles and Camilla, long-time lovers, were married in 2005 in a civil ceremony in Windsor.
Elizabeth's move reflects a wider acceptance of Camilla's status as a royal.
Camilla - whose current title is Duchess of Cornwall - now regularly represents the royal family alongside Charles during official duties.
Throughout British history, the wife of a king typically is given the title Queen Consort, which has no constitutional powers. At the time of their marriage, it had been officially decided that Camilla would use the title Princess Consort if Charles were to become king.
UN Chief Expects China to Allow Credible Visit by Human Rights Chief
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Chinese leadership that he expects Beijing to allow the world body's human rights chief to make a credible visit to China, including Xinjiang where the country is facing serious rights violations against Uygur Muslims.
Guterres, who was in Beijing to attend the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics, met Chinese President Xi Jinping and State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the margins of the games.
China had said last month that UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet is welcome to visit Xinjiang, where Beijing faces serious human rights allegations against Uygur Muslims, after the Winter Olympic Games to promote cooperation and not an investigation based on the presumption of guilt.
NATO Chief Jens Stoltenberg to Head Norway's Central Bank
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) chief, Jens Stoltenberg will take over as Norway's central bank Governor at the end of the year. The appointment comes amid escalating tensions between the West and Russia. Western nations fear Moscow has plans to invade Ukraine, which aspires to join the NATO alliance.
But Mr Stoltenberg, a 62-year-old trained economist, insisted that he would stay on as NATO Secretary-General until the end of his term in October. Norway's central bank determines monetary policy but also manages the country's enormous sovereign wealth fund, the biggest in the world.
Feb 06, 2022
US Restores Sanctions Waiver to Iran with Nuclear Talks in Final Phase
President Joe Biden's administration restored sanctions waivers to Iran to allow international nuclear cooperation projects, as indirect American-Iranian talks on reviving the 2015 international nuclear deal with Tehran enter the final stretch.
The waivers had allowed Russian, Chinese and European companies to carry out non-proliferation work to effectively make it harder for Iranian nuclear sites to be used for weapons development.
The waivers were rescinded by the United States in 2019 and 2020 under former President Donald Trump, who pulled out of the nuclear agreement.
Feb 05, 2022
Russia and China Line up against US in 'No Limits' Partnership
China and Russia proclaimed a deep strategic alliance to balance what they portrayed as the malign global influence of the United States as China's President Xi Jinping hosted Russia's Vladimir Putin on the opening day of the Beijing Winter Olympics.
The two countries affirmed that their new relationship was superior to any political or military alliance of the Cold War era.
Feb 04, 2022
Foreign Ministers of Quad Countries likely to Meet in Melbourne this Month
As per reports, a meeting of the foreign ministers of the Quad countries is expected to be held later this month in Melbourne.
The foreign ministers of Quad, comprising India, the US, Australia and Japan, had last met virtually in February 2021.
In March last year, US President Joe Biden hosted the first-ever summit of the Quad leaders in the virtual format that was followed by an in-person summit in Washington in September.
The Quad has been focusing on cooperation in areas such as producing vaccines, connectivity projects, facilitating the mobility of students, and looking at promoting startups and technology collaboration.
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