Iran on Sunday ruled out holding an informal meeting with the United States and European powers to discuss ways to salvage the unraveling 2015 nuclear deal with major powers, insisting that Washington must first lift all its unilateral sanctions.
European Union leaders will agree on Thursday to work on certificates of vaccination for EU citizens who have had an anti-COVID shot, with southern EU countries that depend heavily on tourism desperate to rescue this summer’s holiday season.
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.
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.
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.
Kosovo held parliamentary elections to form a new government amid concerns that the popularity of an anti-establishment party could undermine talks on normalizing relations with neighboring Serbia. Adding to problems is the coronavirus pandemic and an economic crisis in what is the Western Balkan’s most impoverished nation.
The former head of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi, has been sworn-in as Italy’s prime minister after political turmoil over coronavirus policies.
Germany’s Interior Ministry hired scientists to help create an atmosphere of fear to justify government-imposed lockdowns and other restrictive measures during the coronavirus pandemic, internal documents show, prompting outrage among opposition leaders.
Amid mounting international pressure over its perceived crackdown on dissent, Russia has expelled three diplomats from Germany, Sweden, and Poland, prompting an angry response from the European Union. Moscow says the diplomats joined unauthorized protests supporting opposition activist Alexei Navalny, who was jailed earlier this week.
U.S. President Joe Biden said Monday he was considering reimposing sanctions against Myanmar after the military seized power in a coup.
Hungary has a seaport again more than 100 years after losing most of its territory. Landlocked Hungary purchased a 32-hectare area with a 300-meter-long (0.2 miles) coastline for 31 million euros in northeastern Italy, officials confirmed.
Britain will next week formally apply to join a trans-Pacific trading bloc of 11 countries, with negotiations set to start later this year, the government has said.
Hundreds of Holocaust survivors in Austria and Slovakia have received their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine despite concerns about possible side effects and amid mounting antisemitism.
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte resigned Tuesday after former PM Matteo Renzi pulled his Italia Viva party out of a deeply divided governing coalition, Sky News reports. Italy’s President Sergio Mattarella has asked Mr. Conte to stay on in a caretaker capacity while he begins consultations with the leaders of the other parties on Wednesday.
Supporters of jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny have called for new protests after thousands were detained in the largest rallies against Russian President Vladimir Putin in years.
The international Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) human rights organization has called for the immediate release of a pastor who is in custody in Cuba on what the group says are “trumped-up charges.” Cuban pastor Karel Parra Rosabal was arrested in Las Tunas on January 12 apparently because of his involvement with the Apostolic Movement, a network of independent churches that the Cuban government refuses to register, rendering them effectively illegal.
Russia’s prominent Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was detained at a Moscow airport Sunday after returning from Germany, where he received medical treatment for nerve agent poisoning.
Centrist Armin Laschet has pledged to heal divisions after being elected to lead Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) and perhaps succeed her as Germany’s chancellor.
The European Union has suspended some 88 million euros ($107 million) in support of Ethiopia, citing reports of ethnic-targeted killings and possible war crimes in the Tigray region.
Europe searched for effective leadership Saturday after the collapse of several governments and an expected tough election for Germany’s next chancellor.