ISTANBUL

Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start your Wednesday, including the latest on Iran-US nuclear negotiations, third round of trilateral peace talks between Ukraine, Russia, and the US continuing in Geneva, Bangladesh National Party leader Tarique Rahman taking oath as the 11th prime minister, and UN agency saying Gaza rubble removal could take seven years.

TOP STORIES

• Iran’s foreign minister says ‘serious discussions’ held with US

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday that “more serious discussions” were held during the latest round of indirect nuclear negotiations with the US and the dialogue atmosphere was “more constructive.”

Speaking to reporters after the conclusion of the second round of talks with the US in Geneva under Omani mediation, Araghchi said the parties reached a general agreement on a set of “guiding principles” to serve as a basis for beginning work on the text of a potential agreement.

“It was decided that both sides will work on the drafts of a potential agreement, and after exchanging the texts,” he said. “The timing of the next round of talks will be determined,” Araghchi noted.

• 3rd round of trilateral Ukraine talks to continue in Geneva

The third round of trilateral peace talks between Ukraine, Russia, and the US will continue in Geneva on Wednesday, as the first session on Tuesday concluded.

The negotiations that began in the afternoon continued for over four hours, and came just a week before the fourth anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine war.

The Russian delegation was headed by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, replacing senior military officials who led previous rounds in Abu Dhabi.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov had said ahead of the meeting that the talks would address a "wider range of issues," including the "main issues concerning the territories," which he described as central to Moscow's demands.

• Tarique Rahman elected Bangladesh's prime minister

Bangladesh National Party (BNP) leader Tarique Rahman on Tuesday took the oath of office as the 11th prime minister of the South Asian nation.

Bangladesh's President Mohammed Shahabuddin administered the oath to the BNP chairman and 49-member Cabinet, in front of the parliament building in the capital Dhaka.

Earlier Tuesday, 297 lawmakers, including those from the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami-led bloc, were sworn in for the 13th parliament, elected in last week’s historic elections, the first time since the 2024 uprising, which uprooted the 15-year-long government of the Awami League.

Foreign leaders and officials joined the outgoing interim government leader and Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, and his team during the oath taking ceremony.

• UN agency says Gaza rubble removal could take 7 years as 90% live in dangerous conditions

The UN Development Program (UNDP) said on Tuesday that clearing Gaza's rubble at the current pace could take seven years, as most residents continue to live in extremely hazardous conditions.

In a virtual briefing from Jerusalem following a recent visit to the Gaza Strip, UNDP chief Alexander De Croo described the humanitarian situation as the worst he has seen in his years of development work.

"This is the worst living conditions that I have ever seen, extremely painful conditions to live in," De Croo said.

Noting that the UNDP's recovery efforts are focused on three main areas, he said the first is debris and solid waste removal. "Rubble removal, we have done approximately 0.5% of the total," De Croo said, adding that "at the current pace, it will take us seven years to remove all the rubble."

NEWS IN BRIEF

• Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday said Israel's decision to recognize Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state benefits neither Somalia nor the region.
• Peru’s Congress voted on Tuesday to censure the country's interim president, effectively ending the brief tenure of Jose Jeri after just over four months in office.
• More than 80 UN member states and several organizations on Tuesday condemned "unilateral" Israeli decisions aimed at expanding Israel's "unlawful presence" in the occupied West Bank.
• US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Japan is moving ahead with the first tranche of investments under its $550 billion commitment as part of the trade deal announced in July last year, highlighting three “tremendous” projects in oil, gas, and critical minerals in the US.
• French President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday that along with India, they do not want to "submit to any form of hegemony," stressing their belief in the rule of law and predictability.
• US forces killed 11 people in three strikes targeting vessels in the Eastern Pacific and Caribbean, US Southern Command announced Tuesday.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday that 2,000 children have been returned from Russian control as part of the Bring Kids Back UA initiative.
• Saudi Arabia announced that the Muslim holy month of Ramadan will start on Wednesday.
• Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said Tuesday he asked Türkiye for support in Addis Ababa’s push to secure access to the sea, describing it as a central focus of talks during Turkish President Erdogan's visit to Addis Ababa.
• The Russian Navy will thwart any attempt by the West to impose a naval blockade on the country, a senior official said Tuesday.
• Algeria and France agreed Tuesday to reactivate a high-level security coordination mechanism spanning judicial, police, and intelligence cooperation, marking what officials described as a step toward restoring strained ties.
• Israel has issued an order to seize 2,000 dunams (494 acres) of land in the northern occupied West Bank, including a major archaeological site near the town of Sebastia, a Palestinian official said Tuesday.
• Thousands of Palestinians performed the first Tarawih prayer of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on Tuesday evening at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque compound as Israeli police maintained a visible presence across the site.
• US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll to remove one of his top advisers, Col. David Butler, several local media outlets reported Tuesday.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• Canadian premier launches 1st-ever Defense Industrial Strategy

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday unveiled the first-ever Defense Industrial Strategy, outlining more than $500 billion in planned defense-related investments over the next decade, aimed at strengthening national security, expanding domestic industry, and creating high-paying jobs across the country.

"In total over the next decade, Canada will invest $180 billion directly in defense procurement, $290 billion in defense and security-related infrastructure, and create over $125 billion in additional downstream economic benefits," Carney said at a news conference in Montreal, detailing the scale of the initiative.

• Meta, NVIDIA announce long-term AI infrastructure partnership

US social media company Meta Platforms and tech giant NVIDIA announced a multi-year strategic partnership Tuesday aimed at expanding Meta’s AI-optimized data center infrastructure and accelerating the development of advanced artificial intelligence systems.

The agreement calls for the large-scale deployment of NVIDIA’s computing and networking technologies across Meta’s data centers to support AI training, inference, and the company’s core services.

The companies said the collaboration is designed to deliver significant improvements in performance per watt, enabling more efficient AI operations at scale.