BRUSSELS — The European Union said Tuesday it would redouble its efforts to save the Iran nuclear agreement despite what it calls Tehran’s “important breach” of commitments made in the 2015 deal by starting to enrich uranium to new levels.

EU spokesman Peter Stano said that Iran’s actions “will have serious implications when it comes to nuclear nonproliferation.” Stano said it was in everyone’s interest to rescue the deal and said the 27-nation bloc “will strengthen” its attempts to make sure all adhere to the commitments made in the landmark deal.

Iran began enriching uranium Monday to levels unseen since its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. The decision appeared aimed at increasing Tehran’s leverage in the waning days in office for U.S. President Donald Trump, whose unilateral withdrawal from the atomic accord in 2018 began a series of escalating incidents.

Increasing enrichment at its underground Fordo facility puts Tehran a technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the action was “fully reversible” if other partners in the deal fully complied too, without elaborating.

Iran informed the International Atomic Energy Agency of its plans to increase enrichment to 20% last week.

Iran’s decision to begin enriching to 20% purity a decade ago nearly triggered an Israeli strike targeting its nuclear facilities, tensions that only abated with the 2015 atomic deal, which saw Iran limit its enrichment in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.

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KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 5 — The palm oil industry is encouraged to come forward for early consultation following new European Union (EU) or United Kingdom (UK) regulatory initiatives on sustainability to minimise the impact of products placed on the EU market.

FratiniVergano lawyer Paolo R. Vergano said the move was critical as the EU aims to pursue legislative initiatives on sustainability in forests, food, farming, land-use and supply chains, which might affect trade and palm oil.

“The engagement should include feeding information; arguments and technical; and commercial and legal positions, both as industry and exporting countries,” he said during the virtual Malaysian Palm Oil Trade Fair and Seminar (POTS Digital 2021) today.

Hence, he said the measures developed and adopted must be product-neutral, based on transparent, verifiable and existing “science” or information, so as not to be de jure or de facto discriminatory.

Elaborating on the initiatives, the EU-based lawyer said minimising the risk of deforestation and forest degradation associated with products placed on the EU market would promote the consumption of products from deforestation-free supply chains.

“As such, it is clear that this regulatory initiative will likely target palm oil, either intentionally or because of the natural link between palm oil and forests.”

Vergano also said an initiative to improve the corporate governance framework, including the requirement for the food industry to integrate sustainability into corporate strategies, was also expected to be pursued following the European Green Deal and the EU’s Farm to Fork strategy.

Therefore, he said all producing countries should start having one mutual standard that is being recognised by all countries but at the same time must not forgo their own nation’s standard for palm oil.

“There are plenty of tools, both judicial and administrative in nature, that can be used in practising sustainability but it has to be analysed and taken on an individual case basis,” he added. — Bernama

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 5 — A nimble push into higher biodiesel blends such as B40 — 40 per cent blend of palm oil-derived biodiesel — by Indonesia and B30 by Malaysia will help to mitigate the negative effects of the European Union’s (EU) lower palm oil demand for biofuel, the Malaysian Biodiesel Association said.

Deputy president Long Tian Ching said palm oil and palm biodiesel producers have to face the fact that exports to the EU would most likely be reduced at an accelerated pace, quicker than the EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED) II implementation.

RED II sets a new and binding renewable energy consumption target of at least 32 per cent for 2030 for the whole of the EU, instead of the previous 20 per cent by 2020 to be attained through individual national targets.

“To counteract these developments, local mandates will have to play a more critical role to sustain the palm oil industry,” he said at the virtual Malaysian Palm Oil Trade Fair and Seminar 2021 (POTS Digital 2021) today.

He said the association expects the actual exports of palm oil to be used in biofuel would start at a much lower level because member states could set a lower limit.

Besides that, he said, there is a high possibility that member states would phase out high indirect land-use change (ILUC) palm biodiesel even before 2030.

According to RED II (Article 26), a member state’s share of high ILUC-risk biofuels shall not exceed the level of consumption of such fuels in that member state in 2019.

“In aggregate, we estimate total palm biofuel use to be 6.2 million tonnes for the entire EU in 2019. Starting from 2024 till the end of 2030, high ILUC palm biodiesel shall gradually decrease to zero tonne,” he said.

He said some of the EU states have started earlier phase-outs with France’s legislation removing palm oil from a list of permitted biofuels from January 2020 and eliminating related tax advantages.

Long said the country’s law specified that palm oil cannot be considered a biofuel unless producers can guarantee it has been produced under conditions that prevented an indirect increase of greenhouse gas emissions while tax exemptions for other biofuels remain in place.

Meanwhile, he said in October last year, Denmark’s governing parties put forward a law to ban biofuels based on palm oil from being included in the fulfilment of the blending requirement.

Themed “Malaysian Palm Oil — Forging Ahead in the New Norm”, the four-day POTS Digital 2021 which started today is organised by the Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC). — Bernama

Europe’s universities, in the European Union and neighbouring countries including the United Kingdom, are pleased to see that an agreement on the EU-UK future relationship has been reached. The European family of universities sees the result as a solid basis to continue and enhance our cooperation.

The European University Association (EUA) and Universities UK International (UUKi) welcome the UK plan to associate to Horizon Europe, which is fundamental to continued international collaboration between universities. However, it is regrettable that the UK does not plan to continue to be part of the Erasmus Programme.

Vivienne Stern, Director, Universities UK International, says:

“UUKi welcomes the deal and is keen to ensure that UK universities will be able to maintain their close ties with their European partners. We look forward to continuing our research collaborations in Horizon Europe. While we are deeply disappointed that no agreement was reached on Erasmus+, we look forward to working with EU partners through the UK’s newly announced Turing Scheme, which will continue to support student exchange.”

The European University Association, representing more than 800 members across the continent, will continue to strive for dialogue and solidarity and for working together to promote research, education, innovation and culture from the Caspian Sea to the North Atlantic. It is time to look ahead in this spirit and use the agreement to secure long-term solutions that keep the UK close to its partners in the EU and in the rest of Europe.

Amanda Crowfoot, Secretary General of the European University Association states:

“The deal brings much needed certainty for cooperation between universities across Europe and their UK partners. The fruits of this cooperation will bear testimony to the fact that knowledge should not know borders. The new insights that we will create about the universe and our societies will foster progress as well as help us in meeting the grand challenges that we are facing together.”

This article was first published on 30 December by EUA.

Washington [US], January 5 (ANI): As tensions between Washington and Beijing continue to spiral downwards, President-elect Joe Biden aims to end the US’ trade war with European allies and work with them to deal with China’s trade practices, said a key official in the Biden administration.

Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security adviser, told CNN on Sunday that the new administration recognise China as a serious strategic competitor to the US.

According to South China Morning Post citing CNN, Sullivan also said president-elect Biden would work out the economic differences between the US and its European allies to improve their relations and jointly counter China on multiple fronts, from trade and technology to the military and human rights.

“Our goal is to go out right away and sit down not just on the question of China, but to work out the economic differences that we have so that we can end the multifront trade war that the Trump administration started,” Sullivan said on CNN on Sunday.

Sullivan’s remarks came after China and the European Union wrapped up negotiations on a comprehensive investment agreement last week.

Sullivan said the US would not reverse tariffs with China but would consult partners in Europe and Asia to “bring leverage to bear on China to change its most problematic trade abuses”.

Referring to the US and “like-minded economies”, Sullivan said: “We are confident that we can develop a common agenda on issues where we share deep concerns about China. And it’s not just on trade. It’s on technology. It’s on human rights. It’s on military aggression.”He added, “That will put us in a stronger position to be able to deal with China effectively, in a clear-eyed way and in a way that will ultimately deliver the kind of results that have entirely escaped the Trump administration of the last four years.”Biden in December said that Washington needs to build a coalition of like-minded nations to confront Beijing.

“As we compete with China to hold China’s government accountable for its trade abuses, technology, human rights and other fronts, our position would be much stronger when we build coalitions of like-minded partners and allies that make common cause with us in defence of our shared interests and our shared values,” Biden said following his briefing with national security and foreign policy agency review team members.

Under the Donald Trump administration, ties between the two countries had deteriorated over issues such as human rights violations in Xinjiang, encroachment on the special status of Hong Kong, accusations of unfair trade practices by Beijing, lack of transparency concerning the pandemic and China’s military aggression in various parts of the world. (ANI)

LISBON, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) — Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa said Monday that global understanding, economic recovery and social support are the main goals for next years in the presidency of the European Union (EU) Council.

In terms of global understanding, the EU’s investment deal with China, which has been under negotiation for seven years, is “very important,” Costa said in an interview with Portuguese news agency Lusa.

On Dec. 30, 2020, China and the EU announced that they have completed investment agreement negotiations as scheduled.

According to the prime minister, the agreement between Brussels and Beijing “guarantees reciprocal security of market opening” and “investment relations which ensure and respect all security rules on both sides.”

“If Europe wants to be a global actor, as it has to be, its strategic autonomy depends on being able to speak with each of the other global actors. It must relate to the United States, China, Australia and New Zealand, India, Africa,” Costa said.

As for Africa, which will be crucial to the Portuguese presidency’s external agenda, the prime minister hoped that the EU-African Union summit, which was postponed in 2020 due to the pandemic, would be held “in the spring.”

“I think it would be important at a time when the African Union has signed a continental free trade agreement. This would have been a fantastic time for a meeting of the European Union and Africa,” said Costa.

The prime minister agreed it was fair to say that Europe has given “a rapid and assertive response” and “shown great ability to lead” in this crisis, which can be seen in the “joint purchase of vaccines” and the “giant step” of moving towards a joint issuance of debt to finance the recovery.

Health service, housing, public administration, major industrial projects and digitalization are the priorities for the recovery program supported by the European funds, Costa noted.

He also said the development of social Europe is “absolutely essential” for “giving confidence” to citizens.

“This is a critical issue because, as we have seen, the challenges posed by climate change and the digital transition require major investment in training and retraining,” he concluded, adding that solid social protection is needed to ensure nobody is left behind.

… Emmanuel Macron attends a EU-China video-conference along with … Leyen and President of the European Council Charles Michel, at the … , Dec.30 2020. Top European Union officials and Chinese President Xi … Emmanuel Macron attends a EU-China video-conference along …

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Committee on Interior on Monday passed a resolution, seeking the government to take up the issue of Indian chronicles duly revealed by Disinfolab EU with Interpol.

The meeting was led by its Chairman Senator Abdul Rehman Malik here at the Parliament House on Monday and was attended among others by senators Muhammad Javed Abbasi, Dr Shahzad Wasim, Mian M. Ateeq Shaikh, Rana Maqbool, and Sardar Shafique Tareen.

The meeting was also attended by the Federal Minister of Interior, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, special secretary Interior, additional secretary Interior, DIG Islamabad and Motorway Police, and senior officials from other departments. Rehman Malik welcomed Minister of Interior Sheikh Rashid in the meeting and congratulated him on assuming the charges. Sheikh Rashid thanked Rehman Malik and said that he sought his guidance for being a highly expert in interior affairs. Committee assured him of full support on national issues.

The resolution on issue of Indian chronicles, duly revealed by Disinfolab EU with Interpol as moved by Rehman Malik, was appreciated by all among others. He read the resolutions as “The committee strongly condemns the establishment of fake media houses/NGOs by India to spread incorrect, fake and baseless propaganda against Pakistan and using this disinformation worldwide also being used in FATF to blacklist Pakistan. The Indian moves and plans have been disclosed by EU Disinfolab, an independent watchdog, monitoring the international fake news worldwide.”

He states, “The committee feels that this act of India is a glaring violation of the sovereignty of Pakistan through hybrid, proxy war, international cybercrimes, and violation of UN Charter for using the soil of several countries, including the European Union against Pakistan. The committee demands that the Ministry of Interior and National Central Bureau should immediately move the matter with evidence to the Interpol for necessary legal action against India and report be submitted to the committee in three weeks.”

The committee has strongly condemned the killing of 13 coalminers identified as Hazara in Machh area of Balochistan and expressed heartfelt condolences with families of martyrs and the whole Hazara community. The committee demanded the government to investigate this barbaric act of terrorism and unearth the conspirators involved.

He appealed to both Shia and Sunnis not to fall into the traps of the enemy and stay united as the enemy trying to divide us by such activities.

Senate Standing Committee on Interior condemned and expressed great concerns and grief over the murder of 22 years old young Osama Nadeem Satti by Islamabad Police and expressed heartfelt condolences with the bereaved family. Police officials informed the committee that the incident was being investigated and that the committee would be briefed soon as the investigation is concluded.

The committee in its meeting considered and discussed in details various legislative bills that included ‘The Pakistan Penal Code (Amendment) Bill, 2019 (Ordinance No. VI) introduced by Senator Muhammad Azam Khan Swati, The Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2020 [Section 376, Act XLV of 1860]” introduced by Senator Muhammad Javed Abbasi, “The Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill, 2020” introduced by Senator Muhammad Javed Abbasi, “The Islamabad Capital Territory Trust (Amendment) Bill, 2020” introduced by Senator Mushtaq Ahmed, “The Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill, 2020” introduced by Senator Mushtaq Ahmed, “The Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2020 [Section 297A, Act XLV of 1860]” introduced by Senator Muhammad Javed Abbasi and “The Fatal Accidents (Amendment) Bill, 2020” introduced by Senator Muhammad Javed Abbasi.

The Bill moved by Senator Mushtaq Ahmed were deferred due to his absence.

The Committee expressed annoyance over the absence of the law secretary and directed the law secretary to ensure his presence in the meeting during important legislation.

Senator Dr Shahzad Waseem, while presenting his views on the legislation on rape cases, said that such incidents will continue to happen till the strictest punishments are not introduced.

The committee adjourned further discussion till the next meeting after taking opinion from the Ministry of Law on all these draft laws.