US officially rejoins Paris Climate Accord
The US officially rejoined the Paris Climate Accord on Friday — almost a month after President Biden declared that the US again accepted the agreement’s terms.
World News
UN nuclear chief concedes Iran to grant ‘less access’ to inspectors at its sites
The head of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog said that Iran will begin offering its inspectors “less access,” but will still allow the agency to monitor its atomic program.
Biden team colluded with Iran to foil Trump diplomacy
President Trump in 2019 sought to open a backchannel of communication with top Iranian officials and saw the U.N. General Assembly meeting in September as a potential opportunity to defuse escalating tension with Tehran, but the effort failed.
Biden walks back Trump’s restoration of UN sanctions on Iran
The Biden administration on Thursday rescinded former US President Donald Trump’s restoration of UN sanctions on Iran, an announcement that could help Washington move toward rejoining the 2015 nuclear agreement aimed at reining in the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.
Facebook blocks Australians from sharing news in row over purchasing content
In a surprise retaliatory move, Facebook blocked Australians from sharing news stories after the country’s House of Representatives passed legislation that would require the social media giant to pay for Australian news content, the Washington Times reports. The proposed legislation has yet to be passed in the Australian Senate.
Biden kills pipelines at home but promotes them for the Taliban
The Biden administration is killing a pipeline from which the public could benefit, Biden is promoting a pipeline to enrich both one of the world’s worst dictatorships and a group responsible for thousands of U.S. deaths.
US says it’s ready to restart talks with Iran on its nuclear program
The Biden administration said Thursday it’s ready to join talks with Iran and world powers to discuss a return to the 2015 nuclear deal. It’s also reversed the Trump administration’s determination that all UN sanctions against Iran had been restored and eased stringent restrictions on the domestic US travel of Iranian diplomats posted to the United Nations.
NASA Mars Rover Survives ‘7 Minutes of Terror,’ Successfully Lands on Red Planet
After a seven-month,300-million-mile journey, a NASA rover on Thursday successfully landed on the red planet, where it will search for signs of ancient life.
UN: Yemen Famine Risk Growing
The United Nations says time is running out for Yemenis, as malnutrition rates hit record highs and the war-torn country speeds towards “the worst famine the world has seen in decades.”
Global debt soars to 356% of GDP
The world’s debt-to-GDP ratio rose to 356% in 2020, a new report from the Institute of International Finance finds, up 35 percentage points from where it stood in 2019, as countries saw their economies shrink and issued an ocean of debt to stay afloat.
Iran’s Khamenei demands ‘action’ from Biden to revive nuclear deal
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei demanded “action, not words” from the United States if it wants to revive Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, challenging new President Joe Biden to take the first step toward a thaw.
$24 Trillion Leap In Global Debt Driven By COVID-19, Experts Say
The coronavirus pandemic has sent the global debt soaring to a new level, having added $24 trillion of debt in the past year, according to a study from The Institute of International Finance.
Iran and Russia begin joint naval drill in Indian Ocean
The Iranian and Russian militaries have kicked off a joint naval drill in the Indian Ocean aimed at boosting security of maritime trade in the region, Iran’s state TV reported on Tuesday.
Blinken says that for Iran, ‘the path to diplomacy is open’
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday that the US was open to diplomacy with Iran and voiced support for the 2015 deal Iran signed with world powers, while asserting that it must not be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon.
Conservative group warns of UN effort to create list of ‘LGBT hate groups’
A conservative group is warning that the United Nations is preparing to compile a list of “LGBT hate groups” that could be used as a “blacklist” to punish groups and organizations that subscribe to traditional beliefs about gender and sexuality.
China dethroned the US as Europe’s top trade partner in 2020
According to new economic data, China dethroned the US as Europe’s top trade partner in 2020, likely buoyed by strong demand in China for European goods, and Chinese medical products in Europe.
EU Condemns Silencing Independent Radio In Hungary
The European Union has urged Hungary to allow one of the nation’s last independent radio stations to continue after it was forced off-air on Monday.
Biden debuts on world stage as president with G-7, Munich meetings
President Biden’s vow to expand U.S. engagement with allies will be put to the test later this week when he participates in a virtual meeting with leaders of the world’s wealthiest democracies and then delivers remarks to the annual Munich Security Conference.
Rocket Attack in Iraq Kills 1, Wounds 5
A rocket attack late Monday near the Irbil airport and a nearby base housing U.S. troops killed one foreign civilian contractor and injured at least five other people, the U.S. coalition and officials in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region in Iraq said.
In major breach of nuclear deal, Iran announces end to snap inspections
Iran has informed the International Atomic Energy Agency, the world’s nuclear watchdog, about its plan to end sweeping inspection powers given to the agency under the 2015 nuclear deal, its envoy to the agency wrote on Twitter on Monday.