Washington said on March 16 it was “close” to a deal with Iran on reviving a 2015 pact that saw Western powers provide sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on Tehran’s nuclear programme, the latest sign of advancement following prolonged deadlock. Days after Russian demands seemed to jeopardise talks in Vienna over restoring the pact, this week has seen multiple positive signals that an accord may at last be within reach, including the release of two British Iranians on March 16 after years of detention in Iran, and word that outstanding issues have narrowed to just two. The negotiations began…
Author: post staff
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson met with oil-rich Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to lobby for higher production on March 16 after Russia’s military offensive in Ukraine sent markets into turmoil. Johnson, one of the few Western leaders to visit Riyadh since the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, said he had a “very productive conversation” with Prince Mohammed, but did not announce any concessions from his hosts. “I think you need to talk to the Saudis about that,” Johnson told British media after the talks. He added that…
A Singapore court on March 16 rejected appeals by three men sentenced to death for drugs offences despite criticism from the United Nations and rights campaigners. Roslan Bakar, a Singaporean, and Pausi Jefridin, from neighbouring Malaysia, were arrested in 2008 on drug trafficking charges and sentenced to death two years later. The appeal of Singaporean Rosman bin Abdullah was also dismissed. The city-state has some of the world’s toughest anti-narcotics laws and insists capital punishment remains an effective deterrent against crime, despite mounting calls to soften its stance. High Court Judge Kannan Ramesh, in dismissing the appeals, said no new…
Thailand’s embattled prime minister were slated to hold talks with party leaders in his ruling coalition on Thursday as he seeks to control growing divisions that could lead to early elections later this year. Prayut Chan-o-cha heads a sprawling coalition facing criticism over his mismanagement of Covid-19, a pandemic economy still in the doldrums and simmering tensions over huge 2021 pro-democracy protests that have dominated the past 12 months. The turbulent political atmosphere in Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy has seen a weakened opposition agitate for the premier to step down, calling for a no-confidence debate when parliament resumes in May.…
Vietnam announced an end to quarantine for international travellers on March 16, as it seeks to restart its tourism industry after two years of strict Covid-19 restrictions. The only virus requirement for visitors will be a negative Covid test, the country’s health ministry said in a statement. The communist state’s tourism sector was worth up to $32 billion a year before the pandemic, but it ground to a standstill during the pandemic as the government restricted travel. Virus curbs have slowly been eased in recent months, with visitors trickling back in since November to play golf at resorts, under a…
This is a dangerous moment for freedom-loving people around the globe. By launching his brutal assault on the people of Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has also committed an assault on the principles that uphold global peace and territorial integrity. The people of Ukraine are resilient, however. They’ve been an independent democracy for decades and their bravery is inspiring the world. Putin planned this attack for a long time. He methodically moved more than 150,000 troops and massive quantities of military equipment to Ukraine’s border. He rejected every good-faith effort to engage in diplomacy to address his fabricated concerns and…
Unbeknownst to most people who work outside of agriculture, some of people’s favourite seasonal produce often have a portion of their harvest leftover and unwanted – including bananas, pineapples, mangos, sapodilla, guava and cashew nuts. These leftover crops typically go to waste but now due to the initiative of two young Cambodians who are using solar technology – and have just won further funding for their project – they can be processed into nutrient-dense snacks. Khmer Super Plantfoods social enterprise was among six start-ups chosen for its processing project to support smallholder farmers from a larger pool of 41 teams…
Residents of a small town in western Mexico are celebrating the reintroduction into the wild of the tequila fish – an endemic species saved from the brink of extinction. The fish, whose scientific name is Zoogoneticus Tequila, was rescued in the 1990s by US and British conservationists who kept it in aquariums and helped it return to its original habitat in the Teuchitlan river. Children in Teuchitlan, home to about 10,000 people, have been at the forefront of efforts to inform visitors not only about the importance of keeping their habitat clean, but also about the tequila fish. “The children…
Sneakers made from banana or pineapple leaves, dresses from nettles or fish scales – the search for sustainable materials has taken the fashion industry to some wild places. Experts warn these new textiles are not a quick fix for fashion’s enormous problems with over-consumption and waste, but may be a necessary step in developing cleaner technologies. “You could possibly eat the final product,” said Hannes Schoenegger, co-founder of Bananatex, which uses leaves from banana trees in the Philippines to make bags, T-shirts and a line of shoes for H&M that sold out within two hours. He was speaking at the…
Ecuadoran biologist Jorge Brito was trekking through the forest when he heard what he thought was the chirp of a cricket. What he found changed a century of scientific belief. “At first I thought it was some sort of cricket out there vocalising, but then I paid attention,” said Brito, from Ecuador’s national biodiversity institute. It was, in fact, a type of brown toad with rough skin called Rhinella festae that has a prominent nose and had been considered mute since it was first discovered 100 year ago. “While it did not inflate its vocal sack, you could see a…