DUBAI/VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran said on Wednesday it was ending a months-long standoff with the U.N. nuclear watchdog by granting it access to two sites suspected of once hosting secret activities, easing diplomatic pressure on Tehran as Washington seeks to reimpose sanctions.

Wednesday’s breakthrough in the dispute over the sites

LONDON (Reuters) - HSBC Global Asset Management ( HSBA.L ) has teamed up with climate change advisory firm Pollination Group to create an asset management venture focused on “natural capital”, which seeks to put a value on resources such as water, soil and air to help to protect the environment.

The new venture - HSBC

(Reuters) - The U.S. government’s first oil and gas lease sale in five months kicked off on Wednesday, attracting weaker bidding in New Mexico than auctions that occurred before oil prices crashed during the pandemic,

TOKYO (Reuters) - Public toilets are usually a welcome sight to anyone who has had too much to drink, but some might do a double take when they come across the ones that have just opened in a Tokyo park.

Made of special glass, the cubicles become opaque when the lock is turned, but are otherwise completely see-through, with sinks, urinals and toilet bowls in full view.

The toilets were designed by architect Shigeru Ban as part of the Tokyo Toilet Project, which is backed by The Nippon

WASHINGTON/LONDON/HONG KONG (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday renewed criticism of British bank HSBC ( HSBA.L ) for its reported treatment of customers linked with the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong, saying China was “bullying” the United Kingdom.

Pompeo cited reports of Hong Kong

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Political pressure is growing in Brazil to disband a high-profile team of anti-corruption prosecutors that has put dozens of former executives and politicians behind bars, despite its strong popular support and hundreds of cases still pending.

Prosecutor

(Reuters) - Desktop Metal said on Wednesday it has agreed to go public through a reverse merger with blank-check company Trine Acquisition Corp ( TRNE.N ), in a deal that values the metal 3D printing technology provider at $2.5 billion.

It is the latest example of a technology company opting to go public through a so-called special-purpose acquisition companies (SPAC) merger, following the likes of space tourism start-up Virgin Galactic Holdings ( SPCE.N ) and electric vehicle

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece plans to extend the western limit of its territorial waters in the Ionian Sea to 12 miles, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Wednesday.

Italy and Albania, who also have Ionian coasts, have been

BRUSSELS/BAMAKO (Reuters) - The European Union has suspended training in Mali after the military coup this month that removed President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita from power, officials said on Wednesday, while Germany acknowledged that some perpetrators had been trained in Europe.

The two missions assisting Mali’s army and police are part of international efforts to stabilise Mali and extend the state’s authority, but the EU is facing questions about whether it inadvertently helped train the coup plotters.

“It is known that some of the leading figures of