USA

WASHINGTON (AP) — As the war in Ukraine rages on, diplomats trying to salvage the languishing 2015 Iran nuclear deal have been forging ahead with negotiations despite distractions caused by the conflict. They now appear to be near the cusp of a deal that would bring the U.S. back into the accord and bring Iran back into compliance with limits on its nuclear program.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden set out to finally complete the “pivot to Asia,” a long sought adjustment of U.S. foreign policy to better reflect the rise of America’s most significant military and economic competitor: China.

But Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine has made that vexing move even more complicated. China’s government has vacillated between full embrace and more measured responses as Russian President Vladimir Putin prosecutes his war, making the decisions for Biden far more layered.

UNITED NATIONS, Mar 16 (NNN-AGENCIES) – UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, is deeply concerned about Sunday’s missile attack in Erbil, Iraq, said Farhan Haq, his deputy spokesman, yesterday.

The attack came at a critical moment for Iraq’s path to peace and stability. The secretary-general renewed his call on all concerned sides, to exercise restraint and avoid escalation, said the spokesman.

WASHINGTON, March 16 (Reuters) - Climate action promised by countries would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 9% in this decade - far short of the global goal of cutting emissions by nearly half by 2030, a new analysis shows.

Failing to meet the 2030 emissions target risks pushing the world toward irreversible climate impacts, even if a second goal of net-zero emissions by 2050 is met, scientists say.

WASHINGTON, March 16 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged American lawmakers to do more to protect his country from Russia's invasion in an address to the U.S. Congress on Wednesday and pleaded with President Joe Biden to be the world's "leader of peace."

"Russia has turned the Ukrainian sky into a source of death for thousands of people," Zelenskiy said in a virtual address before showing graphic video of death and destruction in his country that ended with an appeal to "close the sky over Ukraine."

UNITED NATIONS, March 15 (Xinhua) -- UN Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths on Tuesday warned against inertia and fatigue on the dire humanitarian situation in Yemen.

After more than seven years of war, Yemen is becoming what humanitarians often refer to as a "chronic emergency," he told the Security Council in a briefing. "And, as aid workers know, there are grave risks in chronic emergencies, namely inertia and fatigue. We have to avoid giving in to those forces."

NEW YORK, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Almost three-quarters of Americans said they're unhappy with U.S. President Joe Biden's handling of inflation, which is now widely considered the country's top priority for voters, reported Newsweek on Monday, citing an ABC News/Ipsos poll.

A record high of 70 percent of the general public said they disapprove of Biden's response to inflation, said the report, noting that the figure is slightly higher than the 69 percent disapproval Biden received for his handling of inflation in previous ABC/Ipsos polls from the end of January and mid-December.

ATLANTA (AP) — During his two Senate campaigns, Republican David Perdue had little trouble raking in millions in campaign cash. But as he tries to unseat Georgia’s incumbent governor, fellow Republican Brian Kemp, Perdue is struggling to attract donors.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will address the U.S. Congress, the actor-turned-wartime leader’s latest video speech as he uses the West’s great legislative bodies as a global stage to orchestrate support against Russia’s crushing invasion.

Zelenskyy’s livestreamed address Wednesday into the U.S. Capitol will be among the most important in a unique and very public strategy in which he has invoked Winston Churchill, Hamlet and the power of world opinion in his fight to stop Russia.

16 March 2022; MEMO: The UN General Assembly adopted, by consensus on Tuesday, a resolution declaring 15 March as International Day to Combat Islamophobia, Anadolu News Agency reports.

The Resolution was introduced by Pakistan on behalf of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. It marks the day when a gunman entered two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, killing 51 victims, and injuring 40 others.