The head of the UN nuclear watchdog has underscored the urgency of resuming negotiations to revive the Iran nuclear deal amid procrastination by the American side.

Iran says Argentina has released all the five remaining Iranian crew members of a Venezuelan cargo plane,which Buenos Aires seized in June at the request of the US.

Venezuela and Colombia will reopen their shared borders later this month.

Syria has severed diplomatic ties with Ukraine in response to Kiev's cutting of ties with Damascus, after the latter established ties with two self-proclaimed republics in in eastern Ukraine.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called off a planned meeting with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, in a move that will further escalate the rising tensions over Ukraine and make an immediate diplomatic solution to the crisis become less likely.