WASHINGTON -- The United States and Iran made progress in talks on Tuesday, edging closer to a framework agreement to end the war, Axios reported Wednesday, citing U.S. officials.
As the two-week ceasefire nears its April 22 expiration, a deal is not yet guaranteed, officials said, noting that significant gaps remain between the two sides, and that reaching a full agreement will require broader consensus within Iran. (U.S.-Iran-War)
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BEIJING -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Wednesday that China supports maintaining the momentum of ceasefire and peace talks, which serves the fundamental interests of the Iranian people and reflects the shared expectations of countries in the region and the international community.
Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks when speaking to Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi over phone. (China-Iran-1ST LD WRITETHRU)
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MOSCOW -- Russia's gross domestic product (GDP) has decreased 1.8 percent in the first two months of 2026, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday.
"Overall, GDP fell by 1.8 percent in January-February," Putin said during a meeting on economic issues, adding that calendar and weather factors are among the reasons for the decline in GDP. (Russia-GDP)
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NEW YORK -- The U.S. government has informed the New York-based Court of International Trade that it will launch a system next Monday to issue refunds totaling 166 billion U.S. dollars to American importers.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a court filing Tuesday that it has completed the development of the initial phase of the refund system, known as CAPE. Each importer will receive a single electronic payment with interest. (U.S.-Tariff Refunds)
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NEW YORK -- The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned that global fiscal policy is coming under mounting pressure amid elevated debt levels and growing risks.
In its latest Fiscal Monitor report released Wednesday, the IMF said fiscal management is becoming increasingly challenging against a backdrop of trade fragmentation, intensifying geopolitical tensions, evolving sovereign debt markets and the buildup of structural vulnerabilities. (IMF-Fiscal Monitor)
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ISTANBUL -- A 5th-century marble sculpture head from the ancient city of Smyrna has been repatriated to Türkiye from the United States, Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said on Wednesday.
The artifact, dating back to the Theodosius period, was returned from the Denver Art Museum's collection following scientific verification that it originated from the Smyrna Agora excavations in modern-day Izmir, a major province on Türkiye's western Aegean coast, said Ersoy on X. Smyrna, one of the oldest settlements in the Mediterranean basin, was a prominent Greek and later Roman city. (Türkiye-Artifact-Recovery) ■
