[ad_1] On the virtual campaign trail, US Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden promised to rein in tension with Iran with an approach he argued would be instantly distinguishable from Donald Trump’s: Mr Biden’s would be the “smart way”.  The quip formed part of his argument that Mr Trump’s hardline approach — withdrawing from an Obama-era nuclear accord between Iran and global powers, piling on punitive sanctions and coming close to war — had momentously backfired, putting Tehran just “a few months” away from having enough nuclear material for a bomb. Mr Biden has said he will return to the multi-party 2015 deal that limited Iran’s nuclear programme, as long as Iran…

[ad_1] Demetri Sevastopulo Joe Biden has won the hard-fought battle for Pennsylvania, according to the Associated Press, giving the Democratic nominee enough electoral votes to become the next president of the United States. Mr Biden’s victory in Pennsylvania came after President Donald Trump’s sizable election day lead was whittled away as the former vice-president scored huge margins of victory in ballots counted in the urban centres of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh over the last 48 hours. With the Pennsylvania victory, Mr Biden now has 284 electoral votes, well above the 270 needed to win the presidency. Mr Trump’s legal team has challenged the Pennsylvania count in court, however. The AP declaration…

[ad_1] Fighting has begun in Ethiopia’s northern region of Tigray after prime minister Abiy Ahmed sent federal troops to quell a rebellion in a move that threatens to bring Africa’s second most populous country to the brink of civil war. According to the prime minister’s office military operations began in Tigray on Wednesday afternoon. A western diplomat in Addis Ababa also said that “people have been killed” but that the death toll is “uncertain”. Mr Abiy took to social media early on Wednesday morning to say that a “red line” had been crossed, accusing the armed forces of Tigray’s regional government of attacking a federal army base and “arming and…

[ad_1] Armenia has requested urgent talks with Russia over security assistance in response to intensified fighting with Azerbaijan over control of the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. Prime minister Nikol Pashinyan’s request at the weekend to Russian president Vladimir Putin is the first time Armenia has formally asked for help under the terms of a 1997 mutual defence and security assistance pact between the two countries, and comes as Azerbaijani troops threaten a critical Armenian-controlled town after making significant territorial gains. The war, which has killed more than 5,000 people since erupting five weeks ago, risks a wider regional conflagration, given Russia’s defence pact with Armenia and Azerbaijan’s strong backing from Turkey.…