Negotiators from 185 nations worked beyond Thursday's deadline and through the night in an ultimately futile search for common ground. A large bloc wants bold action such as curbing plastic production, while a smaller clutch of oil-producing states want to focus more narrowly on waste management.
Plastic pollution treaty talks in disarray as dozens of countries reject draft text
Geneva, Switzerland - Attempts to finalise a landmark treaty combating plastic pollution descended into disarray on the penultimate day on Wednesday as dozens of countries rejected outright the latest draft text, leaving the talks in limbo. With some 30 hours left to seal a deal among the 184 countries gathered...
UN starts new bid to forge plastics treaty amid ‘global crisis’
Geneva, Switzerland -- Nations must resolve the global plastics crisis, the head of UN talks told negotiators from 180 countries gathered in Geneva on Tuesday to forge a landmark treaty on eliminating the life-threatening waste. "We are facing a global crisis," Ecuadoran diplomat Luis Vayas Valdivieso said at the start...
WHO countries strike landmark agreement on tackling future pandemics
Geneva, Switzerland -- Years of negotiations culminated early Wednesday with countries agreeing the text of a landmark accord on how to tackle future pandemics, aimed at avoiding the mistakes made during the Covid-19 crisis. After more than three years of talks and one last marathon session, weary delegates at the...
Treaty on strategic partnership between Russia and Iran 85% ready: Lavrov
Tehran, Iran--A treaty on comprehensive strategic partnership between Russia and Iran is about 85 percent ready, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday. "The work on a new big treaty is at an advanced stage. I would say that it is 85 percent agreed. Several specific issues are yet...Obliterate global plastic pollution on urgent basis
“We must work as one – governments, firms and consumers alike – to break our addiction to plastics, champion zero waste, and build a truly circular economy. Together, let us shape a cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable future for all,” he adds, highlighting how plastic pollution can be cut by...
Iran says reserves right to take action on Afghan water dispute
Iran said it "reserves" the right to take action as a dispute with Afghanistan escalates over an upstream river dam that restricts the flow of water into the country. "Iran reserves its rights to take necessary measures and emphasizes the full responsibility of Afghanistan in this regard," the foreign ministry...
After 15 years of talks, UN states agree on deal to protect high seas
The deal described by many as historic is seen as key to conserving 30 percent of the world's land and ocean by 2030, as agreed by world governments in a historic accord signed in Montreal in December. Eventually, following two weeks of intense talks, delegates finalized a text that now...Iraq hopes talks can resolve hitches in US$10bn Total deal
Iraq admitted it had differences with France's TotalEnergies over a US$10-billion contract, including over the distribution of investments, but expressed hope they can be resolved through talks. "We have given ourselves time to continue the dialogue and reach a satisfactory solution for the parties involved regarding certain points of contention,"...Jordan’s king meets Israeli PM Netanyahu in Amman
Jordan's King Abdullah II hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Amman in a rare meeting after years of strained relations between the two leaders. The royal palace said they discussed the situation in Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound and "the importance of respecting the historical and legal status quo". Netanyahu...UN session on high seas biodiversity ends without pact
United Nations member states ended two weeks of negotiations without a treaty to protect biodiversity in the high seas, an agreement that would have addressed growing environmental and economic challenges. After 15 years negotiators on Friday have yet to reach a legally binding text to address the multitude of issues...Iran lawmakers ratify prisoner swap treaty with Belgium
Iranian lawmakers voted Wednesday to ratify a prisoner exchange treaty with Belgium, where the deal has been criticized for potentially enabling an Iranian diplomat jailed on terrorism charges to return home.Saudi designates China’s NIPA as patent searching and examining authority
The Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property (SAIP) has designated the National Intellectual Property Administration of China (CNIPA) as International Searching Authority and International Preliminary Examining Authority under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), allowing international patent applicants in the kingdom to select CNIPA to issue international search reports for their applications....WHO calls for treaty to shield against next pandemic
WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said another disastrous pandemic was bound to happen unless countries strengthened global defenses.
Turkey withdraws from treaty to prevent violence against women
Ankara's withdrawal has triggered condemnation from both the United States and the European Union The Istanbul Convention signed in 2011, committed its signatories to prevent and prosecute domestic violence and promote equality Turkey formally withdrew on Thursday from an international treaty to prevent violence against women, Reuters reported. When the...
UAE, Israel sign tax treaty to boost economic ties
The signing of the treaty came after the normalization of ties between them The treaty is based primarily on the OECD model, Israeli Finance Minister Israel Katz said in a statement Looking to target companies involved in money laundering activities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Anti-Money Laundering Department...
