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US-Iran nuclear talks set for revive, negotiators to meet in Istanbul on Friday

US-Iran nuclear talks set for revive, negotiators to meet in Istanbul on Friday

First Post3 days ago
Iran has agreed to resume nuclear talks with European powers in Istanbul this Friday, the first since the US and Israel launched strikes on Iranian nuclear sites a month ago, sharply escalating tensions in the region. read more
A missile in front of a poster of the Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a military exhibition in Tehran, Iran. Representsational image: Hasan Sarbakhshian/AP
Iran has said it will hold new talks with European powers in Istanbul on Friday, according to state media. This will mark the first round of dialogue since the United States and its ally Israel targeted Iranian nuclear sites a month ago.
Iranian officials are expected to meet with representatives from Britain, France, and Germany — collectively known as the E3 — after the trio warned that sanctions could be reinstated if Tehran does not return to the negotiating table over its nuclear programme.
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Western nations and Israel have repeatedly accused Iran of attempting to develop nuclear weapons — a charge Tehran has consistently denied.
'In response to the request of European countries, Iran has agreed to hold a new round of talks,' said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghai, as quoted by state television on Monday.
More from World
'Uranium enrichment one of our red lines': Iran rules out conditional nuclear talks with US
He emphasised that the talks would focus on Iran's nuclear programme.
AFP reported that a German diplomatic source said on Sunday that the E3 nations — Germany, France, and the UK — remain in contact with Tehran, stressing that 'Iran must never be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon.'
The source added that the three countries are working closely within the E3 framework to secure a lasting and verifiable diplomatic solution to Iran's nuclear ambitions.
Iran and the United States had engaged in multiple rounds of nuclear negotiations through Omani mediation before Israel launched its 12-day military offensive against Iran.
However, the talks collapsed after US President Donald Trump joined Israel in launching strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, effectively derailing the diplomatic process.
Tensions between Israel and Iran have sharply escalated in recent weeks, with both sides engaging in direct military strikes and bombing each other's territory.
Subsequently, the United States intensified its involvement by deploying B-2 bombers and bunker-busting munitions, targeting Iranian nuclear sites.
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The US fertility rate reached a new low in 2024, CDC data shows
The US fertility rate reached a new low in 2024, CDC data shows

Economic Times

time24 minutes ago

  • Economic Times

The US fertility rate reached a new low in 2024, CDC data shows

Synopsis U.S. fertility rate hits a record low of 1.6 children per woman in 2024, raising concerns after previously maintaining replacement levels. Despite Trump administration's efforts to boost birth rates, experts like Leslie Root suggest it's a fertility delay, noting continued population growth. CDC data reveals a 1% birth increase, totaling 3. AP FILE - The toes of a baby are seen at a hospital in McAllen, Texas, on Wednesday, July 29, 2020. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File) The fertility rate in the U.S. dropped to an all-time low in 2024 with less than 1.6 kids per woman, new federal data released Thursday shows. The U.S. was once among only a few developed countries with a rate that ensured each generation had enough children to replace itself - about 2.1 kids per woman. But it has been sliding in America for close to two decades as more women are waiting longer to have children or never taking that step at all. The new statistic is on par with fertility rates in western European countries, according to World Bank data. Alarmed by recent drops, the Trump administration has taken steps to increase falling birth rates, like issuing an executive order meant to expand access to and reduce costs of in vitro fertilization and backing the idea of "baby bonuses" that might encourage more couples to have kids. But there's no reason to be alarmed, according to Leslie Root, a University of Colorado Boulder researcher focused on fertility and population policy. "We're seeing this as part of an ongoing process of fertility delay. We know that the U.S. population is still growing, and we still have a natural increase - more births than deaths," she said. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the statistic for the total fertility rate with updated birth data for 2024. In the early 1960s, the U.S. total fertility rate was around 3.5, but plummeted to 1.7 by 1976 after the Baby Boom ended. It gradually rose to 2.1 in 2007 before falling again, aside from a 2014 uptick. The rate in 2023 was 1.621, and inched down in 2024 to 1.599, according to the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics. Birth rates are generally declining for women in most age groups - and that doesn't seem likely to change in the near future, said Karen Guzzo, director of the Carolina Population Center at the University of North Carolina. People are marrying later and also worried about their ability to have the money, health insurance and other resources needed to raise children in a stable environment. "Worry is not a good moment to have kids," and that's why birth rates in most age groups are not improving, she said. Asked about birth-promoting measures outlined by the Trump administration, Guzzo said they don't tackle larger needs like parental leave and affordable child care. "The things that they are doing are really symbolic and not likely to budge things for real Americans," she said. Increase in births in new data The CDC's new report, which is based on a more complete review of birth certificates than provisional data released earlier this year, also showed a 1% increase in births - about 33,000 more - last year compared to the prior year. That brought the yearly national total to just over 3.6 million babies born. But this is different: The provisional data indicated birth rate increases last year for women in their late 20s and 30s. However, the new report found birth rate declines for women in their 20s and early 30s, and no change for women in their late 30s. What happened? CDC officials said it was due to recalculations stemming from a change in the U.S. Census population estimates used to compute the birth rate. That's plausible, Root said. As the total population of women of childbearing age grew due to immigration, it offset small increases in births to women in those age groups, she said.

Dam on upper reaches Brahmaputra will not impact India, Bangladesh: China
Dam on upper reaches Brahmaputra will not impact India, Bangladesh: China

The Hindu

time27 minutes ago

  • The Hindu

Dam on upper reaches Brahmaputra will not impact India, Bangladesh: China

China on Wednesday (July 23, 2025) defended the launch of the construction of a dam over the Brahmaputra river in the ecologically sensitive Tibet region and allayed concerns over its impact in the lower riparian countries such as India and Bangladesh. It is learnt that India is keeping a close eye on the construction of what is said to be the world's largest hydropower dam. Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Saturday (July 19, 2025) announced the start of the construction of the dam in the lower reaches of the Brahmaputra River, locally known as Yarlung Zangbo, at Nyingchi City located close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Arunachal Pradesh sector. The project 'will not have any negative impact on the downstream regions', Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a media briefing, while responding to a question on concerns in India and Bangladesh over the dam. There have been mounting concerns in India over the potential environmental impact of the dam. Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu recently called it a ticking 'water bomb', an existential threat and a bigger issue than anything else apart from the military threat. Also read: Not immediately worried about China constructing dam on Brahmaputra: Assam CM Himanta In an interview with PTI on July 8, Mr. Khandu said the world's largest dam project on the Brahmaputra river is a matter of grave concern, as China is not a signatory to the international water treaty that could have forced it to abide by international norms. 'The issue is that China cannot be trusted. No one knows what they might do,' said Mr. Khandu. The dam is expected to generate more than 300 billion kWh of electricity each year, enough to meet the annual needs of over 300 million people. Concerns arose in India as the dam besides empowering China to control the water flow, the size and scale of it could also enable Beijing to release large amounts of water that could flood border areas on the Indian side. Playing down the concerns of the lower riparian states, Mr. Guo said China has cooperated with them by sharing hydrological data, flood prevention and disaster alleviation. Also read: NSA Ajit Doval's China visit for SCO meet China had necessary communication with the two countries on the project, he said, adding that China would continue to enhance cooperation with downstream countries to benefit the people along the river. The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the development of the project in the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River is a matter of China's sovereignty. The project was aimed at building clean energy, improving local people's lives and in response to climate change, he added. In the planning, design and construction of the hydro power projects in the lower reaches, China strictly follows the highest industrial standards in protecting ecological environment in an all-round way, he said. Opinion | An India-China reset needs bold and new thinking He also claimed that the development of the project will help prevent disasters along the whole river and will not have a negative impact on the downstream regions. China has already operationalised the $1.5 billion Zam Hydropower Station, the largest in Tibet, in 2015, which raised concerns in India. Critics point out that the dams in Brahmaputra present an enormous engineering challenges as the project site is located along a tectonic plate boundary where earthquakes occur frequently. The Tibetan plateau, regarded as the roof of the world, periodically experiences earthquakes as it is located over the tectonic plates. India and China established the Expert Level Mechanism (ELM) in 2006 to discuss various issues related to trans-border rivers under which China provides India with hydrological information on the Brahmaputra and Sutlej rivers during the flood seasons. However, the sharing of hydrological data between the two countries hit a roadblock following the eastern Ladakh border row. Data sharing of trans-border rivers figured in the talks between India and China Special Representatives (SRs) for the border question, NSA Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, held in Beijing on December 18 last year. Reports from Dhaka said the Chinese envoy to Bangladesh Yao Wen has assured that its dam is solely for electricity generation and will not affect water flow to downstream countries. Also read: Border dispute with India complicated, takes time; ready to discuss delimitation, says China Mr. Yao conveyed the message during a meeting with Bangladesh Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain during their meeting on July 21. 'China will not withdraw or use any water from the project and the project will not affect downstream countries,' he was quoted as saying in a media report.

Indian firm shipped explosives to Russia despite US warnings
Indian firm shipped explosives to Russia despite US warnings

Time of India

time36 minutes ago

  • Time of India

Indian firm shipped explosives to Russia despite US warnings

Live Events WASHINGTON WOOS NEW DELHI (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel An Indian company shipped $1.4 million worth of an explosive compound with military uses to Russia in December, according to Indian customs data seen by Reuters, despite U.S. threats to impose sanctions on any entity supporting Russia's Ukraine war of the Russian companies listed as receiving the compound, known as HMX or octogen, is the explosives manufacturer Promsintez , which an official at Ukraine's SBU security service said has ties to the country's official said that Ukraine launched a drone attack in April against a Promsintez-owned factory. According to the Pentagon's Defense Technical Information Center and related defense research programs, HMX is widely used in missile and torpedo warheads, rocket motors, exploding projectiles and plastic-bonded explosives for advanced military U.S. government has identified HMX as "critical for Russia's war effort" and has warned financial institutions against facilitating any sales of the substance to HMX sale to Russian firms has not been previously defense manufacturers have been working around the clock for the past several years to sustain President Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine, which intensified with Russia's full-scale invasion of its neighbor in which has recently forged closer ties with the United States in an effort to counterbalance China's growing influence, has not abandoned its longstanding military and economic ties with trade with Russia - especially its purchases of Russian oil - has remained robust, even as Western nations have tried to cripple Russia's war economy with sanctions.U.S. President Donald Trump threatened earlier in July to hit nations with a 100% tariff if they continued purchasing Russian U.S. Treasury Department has the authority to sanction those who sell HMX and similar substances to Russia, according to three sanctions lawyers. HMX is known as a "high explosive," meaning it detonates rapidly and is designed for maximum has no indication that the HMX shipments violated Indian government policy. One Indian official with knowledge of the shipments said that the compound has some limited civilian applications, in addition to its better-known military foreign ministry said in a statement: "India has been carrying out exports of dual-use items taking into account its international obligations on non-proliferation, and based on its robust legal and regulatory framework that includes a holistic assessment of relevant criteria on such exports."The U.S. State Department did not comment on the specific shipments identified by Reuters but said it had repeatedly communicated to India that companies doing military-related business are at risk of sanctions."India is a strategic partner with whom we engage in full and frank dialogue, including on India's relationship with Russia," a spokesperson said."We have repeatedly made clear to all our partners, including India, that any foreign company or financial institution that does business with Russia's military industrial base are at risk of U.S. sanctions."Russia's defense ministry did not respond to a request for comment."While India has not typically been among the primary jurisdictions used for circumventing sanctions, we are aware that isolated cases can occur," Ukrainian presidential adviser Vladyslav Vlasiuk told Reuters."We can confirm that the Russian company Promsintez has appeared on our radar in the past, including in connection with cooperation involving Indian counterparts," added Vlasiuk, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's top sanctions identified two HMX shipments sent in December by Indian firm Ideal Detonators Private Limited, both of which were unloaded in St. Petersburg, according to the Indian customs data. An Indian government official with direct knowledge of the shipments confirmed shipment, worth $405,200, was purchased by a Russian company called High Technology Initiation Systems, the data show. The other shipment, worth more than $1 million was purchased by Promsintez. Both purchasers are based in Samara Oblast, near the border of Kazakhstan in southern Russia, according to the Detonators Private Limited, based in the Indian state of Telangana, did not respond to a request for and High Technology Initiation Systems also did not respond to requests for several Indian entities were sanctioned during the administration of former U.S. President Joe Biden for supporting Russia's war effort, sanctions were applied sparingly due to geopolitical considerations, according to two U.S. officials who worked on sanctions under Trump, Russia-related sanctions work has slowed to a trickle, and it is not clear if the United States will take further action against Indian companies doing business with Russia's defense has long sought closer relations with India to pull the South Asian country away from Prince, a partner at Washington-based law firm Akin, said the U.S. government often prefers to communicate its concerns privately to allies and only take punitive actions as a last resort.

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