Six In The Morning Tuesday 6 April 2021

 

Vienna talks: Iran and world powers begin nuclear negotiations

Iran and the world powers still party to a 2015 nuclear deal have begun official talks in Vienna as attempts to return the United States to the landmark accord intensify.

By 

Maziar Motamedi

6 Apr 2021

Iran and the major world powers still party to a 2015 nuclear deal have begun official talks in Vienna, Austria as attempts to return the United States to the landmark accord intensify.

Talks are under way in the city’s Imperial and Grand hotels between representatives of Iran, China, Russia, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom.

For the first time since then-US President Donald Trump unilaterally abandoned the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in May 2018, the US is also in the same town trying to save the accord.

Wanted lists published in Myanmar as junta extends crackdown

Celebrities targeted over support for anti-coup protesters

Rebecca Ratcliffe South-east Asia correspondent

Wanted lists featuring the names and photographs of dozens of prominent figures, from actors to musicians, have been published in Myanmar’s military-controlled media, as the junta escalates its threats against anyone voicing support for anti-coup protesters.

The military has killed 570 people, including at least 43 children, and detained 2,728 since it ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government and seized power on 1 February. A domestic advocacy group that tracks detentions has been unable to confirm the whereabouts of the vast majority of people taken by the military.

On Sunday and Monday, the state newspaper Global New Light of Myanmar printed lists of people it said would be charged under section 505A of the penal code, which criminalises comments that “cause fear” or spread “false news”. Those accused under the law can face up to three years in prison.

EU to Turkey: Human rights issues are nonnegotiable

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says Ankara must respect basic human rights norms if Turkey wants to have a stronger relationship with the EU.

The EU is "deeply worried" about Turkey's decision to pull out of a convention to combat violence against women, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday, warning Ankara that "human rights issues are nonnegotiable."

Von der Leyen was speaking after wide-ranging talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Stranded abroad, Australians lodge UN petition against government for ‘right to return home’

A group of Australian citizens representing tens of thousands of people who have been stranded overseas by border closures and flight caps, some since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, are taking their complaint against the Australian government to the United Nations Human Rights Committee, arguing they have been denied the basic human right to return home.

In February 2020 Australia pre-empted the World Health Organization and declared that Covid-19 was a pandemic, setting out drastic measures to contain the spread of the virus. The country closed its external borders and caps were set to limit the number of Australians who could enter. It is one of the few countries in the world to have imposed such strict restrictions.

But one year later, and with those restrictions still in place, many Australians are unable to return home despite the prime minister's promise to have all stranded overseas citizens back by Christmas 2020. 

Undercover video sparks outrage over secret dinner parties for Paris elite

By Saskya Vandoorne and Rob Picheta, CNN

Updated 1108 GMT (1908 HKT) April 6, 2021

An undercover report showing members of the Paris elite enjoying secret dinner parties in luxury restaurants and flouting Covid-19 restrictions has sparked fury in France, and prompted the city's prosecutor to launch an investigation.

The probe comes after a TV report by channel M6 that aired Friday, showing hidden camera footage of two upmarket restaurants filled with mask-free guests.

In the video, an undercover journalist enters a private dining club with closed shutters and is greeted by a waiter wearing white gloves. She is asked on whose behalf she has been invited and is told: "Once you're through the door, there's no more Covid."

Tokyo Olympics: North Korea to skip Games over Covid-19 fears

North Korea has announced it will not take part in the Tokyo Olympics this year, saying the decision is to protect its athletes from Covid-19.

The decision puts an end to South Korea's hopes of using the Games to engage with the North amid stalled cross-border talks.

In 2018, both sides entered a joint team at the Winter Olympics which led to a series of historic summits.

Pyongyang says it has no cases of the virus but experts say this is unlikely.