U.S. and Iran begin indirect nuclear talks in Vienna

Yahoo Finance's Akiko Fujita breaks down the top stories around the world.

Video transcript

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AKIKO FUJITA: In our "World View" today, the US and Iran are taking the first steps to try and revive that 2015 nuclear deal. Western and Iranian officials gathered in Vienna today to kick off informal talks they hope will bring the two sides back to the table following a three-year absence. Washington and Tehran are not expected to hold direct talks this time, with European countries acting as intermediaries. Former President Trump withdrew from the agreement back in 2018 and imposed punishing sanctions on Iran. The country retaliated by resuming nuclear activity in violation of the agreement.

North Korea says it is skipping the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo to protect its athletes from COVID-19. That report from state-run media signals the country's first absence from the games since 1988. The International Olympic Committee tells the BBC it has not received an official application for withdrawal yet.

But the move dampens any hopes for another unified Korea team. North and South Korean athletes marched together during the Pyeongchang Winter Olympic games back in 2018 in a rare display of solidarity. Those games helped initiate diplomacy between the North, South, and the US.

And more trouble for AstraZeneca in Europe-- an official with the European Medicines Agency says there is a direct link between the drug maker's COVID-19 vaccine and rare blood clots found in patients. Those comments published in Italian media comes as the UK's health regulator reportedly considers restricting the vaccine's use in people under 30. The FDA has not approved AstraZeneca's vaccine use in the US yet.