Iran is “playing with fire” with its recent breaches of the 2015 nuclear deal, Germany said as ministers from European powers and the US held talks over Tehran on Thursday.
The importance of the transatlantic partnership in dealing with the security, climate, economic, health and other challenges the world faces was also reaffirmed.
Ministers expressed their joint determination to defuse tension in the region and to bring about a swift end to the war in Yemen.
There was also strong condemnation of the recent rocket attacks in Erbil, northern Iraq, and the coup in Myanmar.
The ministers repeated the warning that attacks on US, coalition and Nato forces would not be tolerated
Those present also urged Iran to release all "arbitrarily detained nationals and reunite them with their families".
This included British-Iranian Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, whose detention is due to expire on March 7.
The more pressure is applied, the more difficult it gets to find a political solution,
But it was Iran's increased nuclear activity that drew the most criticism.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Iran was jeopardising a return to the 2015 nuclear accord with world powers through its actions.
Tehran is suspected of taking another step towards making a nuclear weapon.
"The more pressure is applied, the more difficult it gets to find a political solution," Mr Maas said.
He said negotiations "are being significantly complicated at the moment because Iran obviously does not seek de-escalation but escalation, and this is playing with fire”.
Iran has recently increased production of uranium enriched up to 20 per cent and uranium metal.
This had "no credible civil justification", said the European nations and the US in a joint statement after the meeting.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken appeared by video at the Paris meeting, which was hosted by French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and included Mr Maas and British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab.
In 2018, US president Donald Trump withdraw the US from the deal and reimposed sanctions on Iran.
His successor Joe Biden indicated his readiness to return to the agreement, but only if Iran returns to its terms.
Tehran has refused to do so unless the sanctions are lifted.
Last week the three European countries said Tehran was “undermining the opportunity for renewed diplomacy to fully realise the objectives of the [deal]” after its latest breach.
The nuclear deal signed in Vienna in 2015 was based on Iran agreeing to limits on its atomic programme, in exchange for a gradual easing of international sanctions.
The diplomacy is expected to be hugely delicate and could be further derailed by the deadline set under a bill adopted by the Iranian Parliament in December after the killing of top nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, which Tehran blamed on Israel.
Iran will restrict some UN nuclear agency inspections by February 21 if the US does not lift the sanctions imposed since 2018.
International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi will travel to Tehran on Saturday for talks with authorities to find a solution for continuing inspections in the country, the agency said.
It said that the move would have "a serious impact on the IAEA's verification and monitoring activities in the country".
In Washington, State Department spokesman Ned Price said that Iran should provide "full and timely co-operation" with the IAEA and reverse its recent steps that breached the accord.
The IAEA said last week that Iran had started producing uranium metal, a new breach of the accord, intensifying concerns that it was getting closer to being able to make a nuclear weapon.
"Iran's nuclear programme is growing by the day, as the time it would take to enrich enough uranium for a single nuclear weapon shrinks," said Ali Vaez, Iran director at the International Crisis Group, a think tank formerly run by the new US Iran envoy, Robert Malley.
Iran supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei oversees the country's nuclear policy but negotiators regard the country's June presidential elections as a time pressure factor.
Hassan Rouhani, the Iranian President, is an advocate of nuclear diplomacy with global powers.
Mr Rouhani is scheduled to step down after serving the maximum two consecutive terms.
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: SimpliFi
Started: August 2021
Founder: Ali Sattar
Based: UAE
Industry: Finance, technology
Investors: 4DX, Rally Cap, Raed, Global Founders, Sukna and individuals
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The Library: A Catalogue of Wonders
Stuart Kells, Counterpoint Press
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
Company profile
Name: Back to Games and Boardgame Space
Started: Back to Games (2015); Boardgame Space (Mark Azzam became co-founder in 2017)
Founder: Back to Games (Mr Azzam); Boardgame Space (Mr Azzam and Feras Al Bastaki)
Based: Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Industry: Back to Games (retail); Boardgame Space (wholesale and distribution)
Funding: Back to Games: self-funded by Mr Azzam with Dh1.3 million; Mr Azzam invested Dh250,000 in Boardgame Space
Growth: Back to Games: from 300 products in 2015 to 7,000 in 2019; Boardgame Space: from 34 games in 2017 to 3,500 in 2019
Copa del Rey
Semi-final, first leg
Barcelona 1 (Malcom 57')
Real Madrid (Vazquez 6')
Second leg, February 27
About Housecall
Date started: July 2020
Founders: Omar and Humaid Alzaabi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: HealthTech
# of staff: 10
Funding to date: Self-funded
Bournemouth 0
Manchester United 2
Smalling (28'), Lukaku (70')
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How the UAE gratuity payment is calculated now
Employees leaving an organisation are entitled to an end-of-service gratuity after completing at least one year of service.
The tenure is calculated on the number of days worked and does not include lengthy leave periods, such as a sabbatical. If you have worked for a company between one and five years, you are paid 21 days of pay based on your final basic salary. After five years, however, you are entitled to 30 days of pay. The total lump sum you receive is based on the duration of your employment.
1. For those who have worked between one and five years, on a basic salary of Dh10,000 (calculation based on 30 days):
a. Dh10,000 ÷ 30 = Dh333.33. Your daily wage is Dh333.33
b. Dh333.33 x 21 = Dh7,000. So 21 days salary equates to Dh7,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service. Multiply this figure for every year of service up to five years.
2. For those who have worked more than five years
c. 333.33 x 30 = Dh10,000. So 30 days’ salary is Dh10,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service.
Note: The maximum figure cannot exceed two years total salary figure.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
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The bio
Date of Birth: April 25, 1993
Place of Birth: Dubai, UAE
Marital Status: Single
School: Al Sufouh in Jumeirah, Dubai
University: Emirates Airline National Cadet Programme and Hamdan University
Job Title: Pilot, First Officer
Number of hours flying in a Boeing 777: 1,200
Number of flights: Approximately 300
Hobbies: Exercising
Nicest destination: Milan, New Zealand, Seattle for shopping
Least nice destination: Kabul, but someone has to do it. It’s not scary but at least you can tick the box that you’ve been
Favourite place to visit: Dubai, there’s no place like home
Manchester City 4
Otamendi (52) Sterling (59) Stones (67) Brahim Diaz (81)
Real Madrid 1
Oscar (90)
Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
FIXTURES
All kick-off times 10.45pm UAE ( 4 GMT)
Tuesday
Mairobr v Liverpool
Spartak Moscow v Sevilla
Feyenoord v Shakhtar Donetsk
Manchester City v Napoli
Monaco v Besiktas
RB Leipzig v Porto
Apoel Nicosia v Borussia Dortmund
Real Madrid v Tottenham Hotspur
Wednesday
Benfica v Manchester United
CSKA Moscow v Basel
Bayern Munich v Celtic
Anderlecht v Paris Saint-Germain
Qarabag v Atletico Madrid
Chelsea v Roma
Barcelona v Olympiakos
Juventus v Sporting Lisbon
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 611bhp
Torque: 620Nm
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Price: upon application
On sale: now
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
The specs: 2018 Volkswagen Teramont
Price, base / as tested Dh137,000 / Dh189,950
Engine 3.6-litre V6
Gearbox Eight-speed automatic
Power 280hp @ 6,200rpm
Torque 360Nm @ 2,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 11.7L / 100km
The specs: 2018 Dodge Durango SRT
Price, base / as tested: Dh259,000
Engine: 6.4-litre V8
Power: 475hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 640Nm @ 4,300rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.7L / 100km