BRAVE MAG

By Olivia Le Poidevin

GENEVA, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Iran and the U.S. hold the latest round of talks in Geneva on Thursday aimed at resolving their longstanding nuclear dispute and averting new U.S. strikes on Iran following a large-scale military buildup.

The ‌two countries renewed negotiations this month, hoping to tackle a decades-long stand-off over Tehran's nuclear program, which Washington, other Western ‌states and Israel believe is aimed at building nuclear arms. Tehran denies this.

U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, will attend the indirect ​talks with Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, a U.S. official told Reuters. The talks follow discussions in Geneva last week and will be mediated by Oman's Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi.

U.S. President Donald Trump briefly laid out his case for a possible attack on Iran in his State of the Union speech to Congress on Tuesday, saying his preference was to solve the problem through diplomacy, but that he would not allow Tehran to have a ‌nuclear weapon.

PRESSURE INSIDE AND OUTSIDE IRAN

On Wednesday, U.S. ⁠Vice President JD Vance underscored Trump's argument.

"Iran can't have a nuclear weapon. That would be the ultimate military objective, if that's the route that (Trump) chose," Vance said in an interview on Fox News.

The U.S. has been assembling ⁠a massive military force in the Middle East - its biggest military deployments in the region since the invasion of Iraq in 2003 - prompting fears of a wider regional conflict. In June last year the U.S. joined Israel in hitting Iranian nuclear sites. Iran has threatened to retaliate fiercely if attacked again.

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Trump said ​on ​February 19 that Iran must make a deal in 10-15 days, warning that "really ​bad things" would otherwise happen.

Oil prices inched up on Thursday ‌as investors gauged whether U.S.-Iran talks could avert a military conflict that risks supply disruptions, though gains were capped by a build in U.S. crude inventories.

Saudi Arabia is increasing its oil production and exports as part of a contingency plan in case any U.S. strike on Iran disrupted supplies from the Middle East, two sources familiar with the plan said on Wednesday.

Araqchi on Tuesday said his country aims to achieve a fair, swift deal, but reiterated that it would not forgo its right to peaceful nuclear technology. Washington views nuclear enrichment inside Iran as a ‌potential pathway to nuclear weapons.

"A deal is within reach, but only if diplomacy ​is given priority," Araqchi said in a statement on X.

Reuters reported on Sunday that ​Tehran was offering fresh concessions in return for removal of sanctions ​and recognition of its right to enrich uranium, as it seeks to avert a U.S. attack.

However, both sides ‌remain sharply divided - even over the scope and sequencing of ​relief from crippling U.S. sanctions - a ​senior Iranian official told Reuters.

Within Iran, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei faces the gravest crisis of his 36-year tenure, with an economy struggling under the weight of tightened sanctions and renewed protests following major unrest and a bloody crackdown in January.

International Atomic Energy ​Agency head Rafael Grossi is also expected to ‌be in Geneva during the talks to hold discussions with both sides, as he did last week.

(Reporting by Olivia Le ​Poidevin; additional reporting by Parisa Hafezi in Dubai; Steve Holland, Patricia Zengerle, David Brunnstrom, Katharine Jackson and Joseph Ax in ​Washington; Francois Murphy in Vienna; Editing by Aidan Lewis and Stephen Coates)

By Libby George and Karin Strohecker

FILE PHOTO: Views of the port of Hamburg

LONDON, Feb 26 (Reuters) - U.S. tariffs have rerouted trade, but not dented it as much as feared, allowing larger-than-expected economic growth in certain developing markets, ‌the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development said on Thursday.

Growth in the 40 countries covered ‌by the development finance institution rose by a larger-than-forecast 3.4%, but the bank warned that continued trade turmoil could yet derail growth ​in some of the economies.

"The picture is somewhat more optimistic than in the autumn...and we expect this year and next year to be even better than last year," the EBRD's chief economist Beata Javorcik told Reuters.

Slowing inflation and big spending on infrastructure projects - particularly in Europe - were helping, but the report also showed that the impacts ‌of U.S. President Donald Trump's trade ⁠tariffs were not as stark as expected.

The bank now expects 3.6% growth this year and 3.7% in 2027 - both a 0.2 percentage point upward revision compared with its ⁠autumn projections.

Exports from some EBRD countries to the United States even grew, particularly those related to the AI boom, as those countries replaced China's exports.

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Hungary, the Czech Republic and Poland all export AI-related products such as servers, processors ​and ​computing systems that mean they could benefit from the shift.

But ​Javorcik warned that the full impact of ‌the tariffs remained unclear; most of the trade tracked by the report arrived in the U.S. prior to the April 2025 "Liberation Day" tariffs, and there was added uncertainty following the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that Trump had exceeded his authority in imposing the initial tariffs.

"This turbulence means that policymakers are forced to focus on the urgent, on the shocks that arrive - weekly, if not daily," she said, adding it drained countries' ‌abilities to tackle larger problems, such as the demographics "time bomb" ​and other factors threatening standards of living.

She also said that the "emergency ​mode" due to the ongoing war in ​Ukraine, and subsequent increases in defense spending, could drain money from other government priorities ‌and said the ultimate impact would hinge on ​whether they spend that money ​on one-off equipment purchases or on infrastructure such as roads and hospitals that could also aid the economy.

The poly-crises, she said, emphasize the need for leaders to ensure that public investments are ​focused on projects that can drive ‌economic growth.

"Global uncertainty turbulence is likely to persist, and...it's going to be a force detrimental ​to private investment, and that's why I have been stressing the role of public investment," ​Javorcik said.

(Reporting by Libby George; Editing by Toby Chopra)

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Adeadly shootingduring a youth hockey game in Rhode Island last week has claimed a third victim, a grandfather whose daughter and grandson were also killed in the attack, authorities said Wednesday.

Gerald Dorgan, who had been in critical condition, has died from his injuries, according to Pawtucket police.

Pawtucket Mayor Donald Grebien said he was heartbroken that another person has died because of the shooting.

"Our thoughts and prayers remain with the victim's family, friends, and all those impacted by this tragic act of violence," he said in a statement.

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Dorgan's daughter, Rhonda Dorgan, and grandson, Aidan Dorgan, were also killed in the shooting.

Police identified the shooter as Robert Dorgan, 56, who died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Dorgan also went by the names Roberta Esposito and Roberta Dorgano, authorities said. Robert Dorgan's ex-wife was Rhonda Dorgan and adult son was Aidan Dorgan.

Officials have said the shooter was specifically targeting family members.

Rhonda Dorgan's mom, Linda Dorgan, and a family friend, Thomas Geruso, were wounded.

Law enforcement have credited several people who intervened and quicklystopped the attack. At least three bystanders were able to contain the shooter in the middle of the stands as the crowd fled and ran around them.