Austria

Iran nuclear talks restart, with US urging Tehran to take deal

VIENNA, Aug 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Negotiators kicked off a fresh round of talks over Iran’s nuclear programme in Vienna on Thursday, seeking to salvage the agreement on Tehran’s atomic ambitions.

Officials from world powers and Iran were meeting in the Austrian capital for the first time since March, when negotiations, which began in 2021 to reintegrate the United States into the agreement, stalled.

OPEC+ approves tiny oil output rise in rebuff to Biden

03 August 2022; MEMO: OPEC+ is set to raise its oil output goal by 100,000 barrels per day, an amount analysts said was an insult to US President Joe Biden after his trip to Saudi Arabia to ask the producer group's leader to pump more to help the United States and the global economy, Reuters reports.

Russian envoy to Vienna talks confirms JCPOA talks to resume soon

VIENNA, August 3. /TASS/: Russian Permanent Representative to international organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov confirmed that the talks on restoration of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) will resume soon.

"The delegations plan to come back to Vienna after a break of almost 5 months," Ulyanov tweeted Wednesday. "The Russian negotiators stand ready for constructive talks in order to finalize the agreement."

Earlier, Politico reported citing its sources that the new round of talks with take place in Vienna on August 4.

Austria: OPEC's new secretary general takes office

VIENNA, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Haitham Al-Ghais of Kuwait on Monday assumed office as the new secretary general of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

He succeeded the late OPEC chief Mohammad Barkindo, who died in early July.

Al-Ghais was appointed as the new chief of the Vienna-headquartered OPEC in January this year, and his tenure will last for three years.

OPEC secretary general stresses Iran’s role in oil market stability

Tehran, IRNA – The secretary general of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) said that Iran was one of the most important founding members of the entity with a significant role in stabilizing the oil market.

In an interview with Kuwaiti newspaper Al Ra'I on Sunday, Haitham al-Ghais said that Iran and Venezuela were among the most important founding members of OPEC and had a significant role in stabilizing the oil market.

Austrian Chancellor says EU embargo on Russian gas "impossible"

VIENNA, July 28 (Xinhua) -- Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said on Thursday that an embargo on Russian gas in the European Union (EU) is "impossible" due to EU countries' heavy dependence on Russian energy.

Nehammer's comments came after a meeting with visiting Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Vienna.

According to Austrian news agency APA, Nehammer said at a press conference that Germany and Austria's dependence on Russian gas makes an EU embargo "impossible," as the decline of the German economy would also impact Austria and lead to mass unemployment.

Austrian ex-vice chancellor acquitted in corruption trial

VIENNA (AP) — Former Austrian Vice Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache was acquitted Friday in a corruption trial, the second he has faced since a scandal surrounding him brought down the country’s government in 2019.

Strache was accused of procuring a post on the supervisory board of Asfinag, a government-owned company that manages Austria’s highway system, for businessman Siegfried Stieglitz in exchange for donations to an organization close to the politician’s far-right Freedom Party.

Embargo of Russian gas not possible — Austria’s Chancellor

VIENNA, July 28. /TASS: It is impossible to impose an embargo on Russian gas because it threatens by industry collapse and unemployment, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said at a press conference with Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

"The position of Austria is such that it is impossible to introduce an embargo in respect of gas. Not merely because Austria depends on Russian gas, the German industry also depends on it, and if it collapses, the Austrian one will crash down also; we will face mass unemployment," the politician said.

Austria: 2 apparent homophobic attacks reported after Berlin Pride

VIENNA (AP) — Two apparent homophobic attacks were reported following Berlin’s annual pro-LGBTQ Christopher Street Day celebration on Saturday, police said Sunday.

In one incident, two girls, aged 16 and 17, and a 15-year-old boy were confronted by a group of nine people in Berlin’s Mitte neighborhood on Saturday evening. The group approached the two girls and made anti-gay remarks to the two girls, police said, presumably because of their clothing.

Iran escalates enrichment with adaptable machines at Fordow, IAEA reports

VIENNA, July 9 (Reuters) - Iran has escalated its uranium enrichment further with the use of advanced machines at its underground Fordow plant in a setup that can more easily change between enrichment levels, the U.N. atomic watchdog said in a report on Saturday seen by Reuters.

Western diplomats have long expressed concern about devices this cascade, or cluster, of centrifuges is equipped with.

The use of these so-called modified sub-headers means Iran could switch more quickly and easily to enriching to higher purity levels.

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