Russia JCPOA stance
Moscow says the stances of the European parties to the 2015 deal with Iran in the ongoing Vienna talks are surprising, unconstructive and somewhat illogical, as if they were sitting at a negotiating table for the first time. Russia’s representative to Vienna-based international organizations, Mikhail Ulyanov, has made the remarks in an interview with Iran’s Russian language Pars Today. He believes that the Vienna talks are moving ahead slowly, with high chances of having a positive outcome. The Russian representative said the Iranian delegation is very serious with clear demands. He also praised Iran’s draft proposals as a step forward. Ulyanov said Moscow is opposed to any proposals that would go beyond the framework of the 2015 deal. According to Ulyanov, there are major obstacles to getting a guarantee from the US that it won’t withdraw from the deal again.
US Covid death toll
The United States hits a grim milestone in its fight against the Covid pandemic, with the number of deaths in the country now passing the 800,000 mark. The data, from Johns Hopkins University, represents the highest reported toll of any country in the world. Most deaths have been recorded among the unvaccinated and the elderly. The US reached 50 million confirmed cases of Covid-19, two days ago. The alarming surge in deaths comes as the world is bracing for a rise in cases of the new Omicron variant, with the World Health Organization warning that it’s spreading at an unprecedented rate.
Omicron transmission
The WHO chief said many countries are rolling out their booster shots, warning of a repeat of vaccine hoarding and inequity. He noted that there are many people who have not received a single jab yet. Omicron was first detected in November. It has a large number of mutations. A preliminary study by South African scientists suggests Omicron is highly transmissible and may evade immunity from vaccination.
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