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Witkoff and Araghchi: the men leading US-Iran nuclear talks

US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will be in Oman for breakthrough talks on Tehran’s nuclear programme this weekend.Here are short profiles of the two negotiators: – Witkoff: real estate to world stage -With no prior experience in foreign policy, he landed one of the world’s biggest jobs as US President Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, and has since led high-stakes talks on Gaza and Ukraine.Real estate magnate Steve Witkoff first stepped into the spotlight when his close friend Trump credited him with sealing a truce in the Israel-Hamas war.While the ceasefire collapsed weeks later, it did enable the release of 25 living hostages and the return of eight others’ remains.Witkoff, a 68-year-old billionaire and a regular golfing partner of Trump’s, later became the first US official to visit Gaza since the war began with Hamas’s 2023 attack on Israel.He defended Trump’s stunning suggestion that he wanted to “take over” the Palestinian territory and move out its two million inhabitants.”When the president talks about cleaning it out, he talks about making it habitable, and this is a long-range plan,” Witkoff told reporters at the White House.Witkoff has also spearheaded negotiations on Ukraine, with Trump U-turning on his predecessor Joe Biden’s policy on Russia.He was in Russia to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin when a scandal erupted over a leaked Yemen air strike chat on the Signal app that involved National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and other officials.Witkoff himself has drawn criticism from Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelensky over his praise for Putin and for appearing to legitimise Russia’s annexation of parts of Ukraine.In March, he was Trump’s man in Saudi Arabia for talks on Ukraine, voicing optimism that any agreement struck could pave the way for a “full-on” ceasefire.Trump has made it a foreign policy goal to end wars that Biden could not stop, meaning that the stakes could hardly be higher for Witkoff.Ultimately, Witkoff’s win in Gaza was short-lived, with US ally Israel restarting intense strikes on March 18.On Ukraine, the Russian president has yet to accept a long-term truce.Born on March 15, 1957, in the New York borough of the Bronx, Witkoff made his fortune in real estate, first as a corporate lawyer and then at the head of big realty firms.In 1997, he founded the Witkoff Group, which describes itself as “one part developer, one part investor (and) one part landscape-changer.” His wife and a son work there.- Araghchi: Iran’s career diplomat -A career diplomat and key architect of the 2015 nuclear accord, Araghchi will be pushing the United States to lift its punishing sanctions on Iran.The 62-year-old, who hails from a family of carpet traders, is fluent in English and has a long career spanning multiple roles in Iran’s foreign ministry.With his crisp beard and salt-and-pepper hair, Araghchi is known for his calm demeanour. He typically wears a suit and a tie-less white mandarin-collared shirt, a standard look among Iranian diplomats.He holds a bachelor’s degree from the foreign ministry’s Faculty of International Relations, a master’s in political science from the Islamic Azad University, and a doctorate in political thought from the University of Kent in England.Following the 1979 Islamic revolution, Araghchi joined the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. He served on the front lines during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s before joining the foreign ministry as an expert on international affairs.Araghchi was appointed foreign minister after President Masoud Pezeshkian, who has called for reviving talks with the West, took office in July.He was the chief negotiator at the talks that culminated in the 2015 landmark nuclear deal with world powers, which imposed curbs on Iran’s nuclear programme in return for sanctions relief.The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) fell apart after the United States, during Donald Trump’s first term, unilaterally withdrew from it and reimposed sweeping economic sanctions.Araghchi remains a fervent supporter of the deal but said in a recent interview with Khabar Online news agency that the JCPOA “cannot be revived in its current form and text.””Our nuclear programme has advanced significantly and we can no longer return to the conditions of the JCPOA,” he said, adding that the deal “can still be a basis and a model for negotiations”.burs-ser-mz/

Taiwan’s TSMC says first quarter revenue up 42 percent

Taiwanese chipmaking giant TSMC reported Thursday a better-than-expected revenue for the first quarter on strong demand for AI technology, after tariffs slapped onto major economies by US President Donald Trump caused global uncertainty.Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company is the world’s largest contract maker of chips that are used in everything from Apple’s iPhones to Nvidia’s cutting-edge …

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Japan’s World Expo touts unity, and algae, in turbulent times

World Expo opens on Sunday with host Japan aiming to bring humanity together, despite global turmoil and tepid public enthusiasm for the six-month event showcasing innovation as well as Hello Kitty in algae form.A Mars meteorite the size of a sourdough loaf and a beating heart grown from stem cells are among the myriad futuristic attractions crammed into a vast waterfront site in Osaka hosting more than 160 countries, regions and organisations.Most pavilions — each more outlandishly designed than the last — are encircled by the world’s largest wooden architectural structure, a towering latticed “Grand Ring” meant as a symbol of unity.But with conflicts raging and US tariffs threatening economic chaos, that goal may be optimistic.”Not for sale” states a yellow and blue sign over Ukraine’s booth — echoing defiant comments from leader Volodymyr Zelensky about the war with Russia, which chose not to mount a display at Expo 2025.Yahel Vilan, head of Israel’s equally compact pavilion, which features a stone from Jerusalem’s ancient Western Wall, told AFP that “we came with a message of peace”.Israel is not at Expo “to deal with politics”, he said. There is also a Palestinian pavilion, but it was not open at a Wednesday press preview. At the imposing US exhibit, absent was any mention of President Donald Trump’s hefty levies on trade partners, most of which he has now paused.Instead, the pavilion focuses on the world’s largest economy’s diverse landscapes, AI tech and space — including a simulated rocket launch where dry-ice blasters appear to ignite above visitors’ heads.- Human washing machine -After enjoying the view and sea breeze atop the Grand Ring’s “skywalk”, visitors can stop by the world’s longest sushi conveyor belt or meet many-eyed Expo 2025 mascot Myaku-Myaku.Among the more bizarre displays are 32 sculptures of Hello Kitty dressed as different types of algae — to symbolise the slimy plant’s many uses — and a “human washing machine” that shows imagery based on the bather’s heart rate.Elsewhere are demonstrations of drone-like flying vehicles, and the tiny artificial heart made from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) shown in public for the first time.”It has an actual pulseByron Russel of Pasona Group, which runs the exhibit, told AFP.Human stem cells were modified to become like “cardiac muscle cells” and “grown into the shape of the heart”, he explained. It will not beat continuously for six months but will be replaced every week or so.Themes of sustainability run through the Expo, including at the bauble-like Swiss pavilion, which aims to have the smallest ecological footprint.But Expos have been criticised for their temporary nature, and after October Osaka’s man-made island will be cleared to make way for a casino resort.According to Japanese media, only 12.5 percent of the Grand Ring will be reused.- Slow ticket sales -Expo is also known as a World’s Fair, and the phenomenon, which brought the Eiffel Tower to Paris, began with London’s 1851 Crystal Palace exhibition and is held every five years.The 2020 edition in Dubai was postponed by the Covid-19 pandemic, so Osaka Expo organisers say it will “restore much-needed connections” and “provide the opportunity to create a better tomorrow”.Osaka last hosed the Expo in 1970 when Japan was booming and its technology the envy of the world. It attracted 64 million people, a record until Shanghai in 2010.But 55 years on Japan is less of a trendsetter and opinion polls show low levels of enthusiasm for the Expo among the public.So far 8.7 million advance tickets have been shifted, below the pre-sales target of 14 million.This time around “inflation is causing a lot of anxiety, especially among younger generations”, Yani Karavasilev of the APIR think-tank told AFP.Japan is also experiencing a record tourism boom, meaning accommodation in Osaka — near hotspot Kyoto, and home to the Universal Studios Japan theme park — is often fully booked with prices sky-high.A lack of viral online posts about the Expo is another reason for low excitement levels, according to Karavasilev.”I think as long as sharing on social media picks up, ticket sales will pick up as well,” he said.