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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden used his first address before a global audience Friday to declare that “America is back, the transatlantic alliance is back,” after four years of a Trump administration that flaunted its foreign policy through an “America First” lens.

19 Feb 2021; MEMO: Egypt is launching a global round of bids for oil and gas exploration and production across 24 blocks, the Petroleum Ministry announced yesterday.

In the official statement, the ministry said that the blocks were located in nine areas in the Mediterranean Sea, 12 in the Western Desert and three in the Gulf of Suez.

Washington, Feb 19 (PTI) The Biden administration has said it is willing to sit down for talks with Iran and world powers to discuss a diplomatic way forward on Tehran's atomic programme, in the first major step aimed at reviving the 2015 nuclear deal that was close to falling apart after the previous Trump regime withdrew from it.

Former president Donald Trump pulled the US out of the deal in 2018.

Washington, Feb 19 (PT) Several top US Republican lawmakers have introduced more than a dozen bills in Congress to counter the growing Chinese influence in the country and to protect America's critical infrastructure.

The relations between the US and China are at an all-time low. The two countries are currently engaged in a bitter confrontation over various issues, including trade, the origins of the novel coronavirus pandemic, the communist giant's aggressive military moves in the disputed South China Sea and human rights.

New Delhi, Feb 17 (PTI) The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved signing of a comprehensive economic cooperation agreement, a kind of a free trade pact, between India and Mauritius which is aimed at liberalising norms to boost two-way commerce.

The Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the signing of the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement (CECPA) between India and Mauritius, an official statement said.

Mumbai, Feb 17 (PTI) Against the backdrop of COVID-19 and need for safe travel, the Maharashtra Cabinet on Wednesday approved a new 'caravan tourism' policy that seeks to provide incentives to tour operators and at the same time boost employment opportunities in the pandemic-battered sector.

The policy, aimed at addressing safety concerns of travel enthusiasts, was cleared at the weekly cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

17 Feb 2021; MEMO: Israel Today newspaper revealed yesterday that Turkey is strengthening its influence in the occupied West Bank, under the guidance of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, by pumping investments worth $10 million to build a new industrial zone in Jenin.

17 Feb 2021; MEMO: The Biden administration has approved a $200 million arms sale to Egypt despite ongoing human rights abuses in the country including the arrest of a former political prisoners' cousins days before the sale.

The US State Department said that the $197 million sales of Raytheon-made Rolling Airframe Missiles were for Egypt's navy to improve defence around the coast including the Red Sea and that it has approved the sale subject to congressional review.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration faces a conundrum as it rethinks the positioning of military forces around the world: How to focus more on China and Russia without retreating from longstanding Mideast threats — and to make this shift with potentially leaner Pentagon budgets.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered a monthslong “global posture” review just days after taking office. It will assess how the United States can best arrange and support its far-flung network of troops, weapons, bases and alliances to buttress President Joe Biden’s foreign policy.

16 Feb 2021; MEMO: Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and the US secretary of state on Monday discussed all aspects of bilateral relations, according to diplomatic sources, reports Anadolu Agency.

Cavusoglu congratulated Antony Blinken on his new post, said the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

They also agreed to discuss in detail all issues on the agenda in the coming days.