US reveals new details of alleged Chinese nuclear test
A senior US official on Tuesday revealed what he said were new details of an underground nuclear test blast that China allegedly conducted in June 2020, Reuters reported.
Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Yeaw told an event at the Hudson Institute think tank in Washington that a remote seismic station in Kazakhstan measured an “explosion” of magnitude 2.75 located 450 miles (720 km) away at the Lop Nur test grounds in western China on June 22, 2020.
“I’ve looked at additional data since then. There is very little possibility I would say that it is anything but an explosion, a singular explosion,” said Yeaw, adding that the data were not consistent with mining blasts, according to Reuters.
Peru Congress ousts President Jeri because of China-linked secret meetings
Peru's Congress on Tuesday ousted President Jose Jeri just four months into his term over a scandal involving undisclosed meetings with a Chinese businessman, extending a cycle of political upheaval that has gripped the Andean nation for much of the past decade, Reuters reported.
There were 75 lawmakers who voted in favor of removing Jeri, while 24 voted against and three abstained.
Legislators will now elect a new head of Congress who will also assume Peru's presidency, becoming the country's eighth president in as many years. Jeri is Peru's third consecutive president to be removed from office, according to Reuters.
First day of Russia-Ukraine peace talks ends in Geneva
Russian and Ukrainian delegations have ended the first day of US-brokered peace talks in Geneva, a week before the fourth anniversary of Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, BBC reported.
Top Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov said the negotiations would continue in the Swiss city on Wednesday morning.
Hopes for a breakthrough during the latest - third - round of trilateral talks are low, as the Kremlin has not wavered from its maximalist demands for Ukrainian territory, according to BBC.
Iran says 'guiding principles' agreed with US at nuclear talks
Iran has said it has reached an understanding with the US on the main "guiding principles" to resolve their dispute over Tehran's nuclear programme, BBC reported.
Speaking after indirect talks in Geneva, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi added that work still needed to be done. The US said "progress was made".
Badr Albusaidi, foreign minister of mediator Oman, said the negotiations "concluded with good progress towards identifying common goals and relevant technical issues".
