IAEA says peace deal gives it access to Iran nuclear sites

TOKYO, June 26: The interim US-Iran peace accord gives inspectors from the UN nuclear watchdog access to Iran, the agency's chief said on Friday, after Tehran indicated that key sites would remain off-limits until a final deal with Washington is reached and sanctions are lifted, according to reports.

"There is an agreement and to comply with that agreement, the IAEA will have to have access and inspect," International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi said at a news conference in Japan. "We hope to be there soon."

UN agency to begin evacuating thousands of seafarers stranded in the Gulf

UNITED NATIONS, June 23: The UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO) will begin evacuating the more than 11,000 seafarers who have been stranded in the Gulf since the start of the war.

“After months of hardship and distress for thousands of innocent seafarers, and negative impact for the whole world, I welcome with deep satisfaction the peace agreement concluded between the United States and Iran, marking a decisive step towards restoring maritime security and bringing to an end the unacceptable attacks against civilian shipping,” IMO chief Arsenio Dominguez said in a statement.

“This large-scale operation will be carried out in close cooperation with Iran, Oman, all other coastal States in the region, the United States and the maritime industry. We have secured the necessary safety guarantees and have thoroughly verified the conditions for safe navigation to support these operations.”

IAEA urges Iran to ‘re-engage’ after US' resolution

VIENNA, June 8: UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi urged Iran on Monday to “re-engage” so inspections can resume at sites the US and Israel bombed a year ago, Reuters news agency reported. This comes after the US' resolution to that effect at the agency's board.

Iran still has not informed the International Atomic Energy Agency of what happened to those bombed nuclear sites or the nuclear material, including uranium enriched to near bomb grade, that was stored there.

UN tells world to brace for extreme weather as El Nino looms

UNITED NATIONS, June 2: The United Nations’ climate agency has warned of an increased risk of extreme weather in the coming weeks and months due to the emerging El Nino weather pattern.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) issued the alert in a news release on Tuesday, saying that there was an 80 percent chance of an El Nino event – marked by unusually warm sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean- between June and August and a roughly 90 percent chance of it forming by November.

“The science is clear: El Nino is arriving on our doorstep in the coming months with 90 percent certainty,” said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in a video statement. “The world must treat it as the urgent climate warning it is.”

Bringing worldwide changes in winds, pressure and rainfall patterns, El Nino is a naturally occurring phenomenon that generally happens every two to seven years and lasts about nine to 12 months.

El Nino can trigger increased rainfall in the southern parts of South America and the United States, parts of the Horn of Africa and Central Asia. It can also cause drought in Australia, Central America, Indonesia and parts of South Asia, and spur hurricane formation in the central and eastern Pacific, according to the WMO.

The UN agency predicted this year’s El Nino phenomenon to be “at least moderate – and possibly strong”.

“Impacts will hit even harder, travel even farther, and cross borders with devastating speed,” said Guterres.

The trend could help fuel especially severe wildfires this year, according to researchers at Imperial College London and the World Weather Attribution network of climate scientists.

In anticipation, the European Union has announced plans to deploy a record number of firefighters and aircraft in high-risk areas – spanning Cyprus, Greece, Italy, France, Spain and Portugal.

The last El Nino, in 2023 to 2024 – which meteorologists said was strong, ⁠contributed to making 2024 the hottest year on record, said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo.

Saulo said other risks associated ⁠with extreme heat included a wider spread of diseases borne by vectors, such as mosquitoes and ticks, and reduced food and water supplies.

“Communities that were already struggling will be pushed farther beyond their limits,” she said.

For consumers, facing inflation because of the US-Israel war on Iran, food prices may rise further because of El Nino.

Hein ⁠Schumacher, CEO of Barry Callebaut, one of the world’s biggest cocoa processors, warned that crops in the growing regions of Ecuador and West Africa, which account for 60 percent of global output, could be ⁠reduced.

“This is something that we are very cautiously observing,” he said. “El Nino could have an effect that could lead to, you know, a few thousands per tonne.”

Guterres said the climate trend was a reminder of the need for a ‌shift ‌away from fossil fuels towards renewable energy. “El Nino conditions will pour fuel on the fire of a warming world,” he said.

UN raises alarm over Israeli ops in Lebanon

UNITED NATIONS, June 1: The United Nations on Monday expressed its alarm and called for all sides to respect the ceasefire as Israel expanded its offensive into Lebanon, while negotiations to end the US-Iran war appeared in peril.

"We are deeply alarmed by the escalation in military activities across southern Lebanon and beyond," Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said.

“We urge all actors to respect the cessation of hostilities and avoid further escalation,” they added.