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Iran will not respond to pressure, President-elect Masoud Pezeshkian said in a statement published on Saturday, in which he also highlighted his country's friendship with China and Russia. Pezeshkian, a relative moderate who beat a hardline rival in elections, also reiterated that Iran does not seek nuclear weapons, adding that Tehran would expand ties with neighbours and engage with Europe. «The United States...needs to recognise the reality and understand, once and for all, that Iran does not — and will not — respond to pressure (and) that Iran's defence doctrine does not include nuclear weapons,» Pezeshkian said in the statement, titled «My message to the new world» and published in the daily Tehran Times.

Global Gender Gap Index by the World Economic Forum (WEF), Pakistan finds itself near the bottom of the list, with only Sudan ranked lower among 146 nations surveyed. This marks a further decline from its 142nd position last year, reflecting a worsening situation for women in the country, Dawn reported. Women's rights activists have issued impassioned pleas for both state and societal commitment to address gender disparities effectively. They emphasise the need to redefine the roles prescribed to women by Pakistsociety and the government. The annual index evaluates gender parity across four critical dimensions: economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment. Leading nations in gender parity include Iceland, Finland, Norway, New Zealand, and Sweden, as reported by Dawn.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's wife Sunita Kejriwal alleged on Saturday that her husband was a victim of a «deep political conspiracy» and urged the people to rally behind him or else no educated and honest person would like to join politics. In her first video message after the Lok Sabha results, she alleged that Kejriwal was arrested by the ED in the excise policy case based on a «false» statement by a witness and repeated the allegations levelled by the Aam Aadmi Party leaders against Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy (MSR), who was recently elected to Lok Sabha on a TDP ticket, and his son Raghava Magunta, an accused-turned-approver. She said Kejriwal was a normal, educated, patriotic and staunchly honest man, and no educated and honest person in the country will enter politics if Delhi people do not support him. The ED arrested Arvind Kejriwal based on the statement of TDP MP Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy (MSR). The Telugu Desam Party is a constituent of the ruling NDA, she said.

Pakistan government has taken steps to regulate the country's wheat market by banning the import of wheat and the export of flour on Friday, according to a notification issued by the Ministry of Commerce, Ary News reported. This decision came after it was determined that the country had imported more wheat than it needed, leading to a surplus. The government has amended its Import and Export Policy Orders 2022 to implement the ban, which also includes a prohibition on exporting flour made from imported wheat, as per Ary News.

Cuba, close to the coast of Florida. China has traditionally lacked spying facilities in North America and this news has the potential to raise the level of conflict between China and the US. The Centre for Strategic and International Studies found the presence of these Chinese facilities after analyzing satellites images from Cuba. These facilities are close to the Florida coast and threaten the national security and the commercial interest of the US. They are located just 100 miles, off the coast of Florida.

China’s exports beat forecasts in June, while imports grew less than expected

A few months ago, Edmundo González’s life in retirement consisted of academic conferences, visiting old friends and playing with grandchildren at his Caracas high-rise. Few in Venezuela knew him. Now, the soft-spoken 74-year-old is the opposition’s presidential candidate in the July 28 election and what analysts say could be a last hope for democracy in a country ruled for 11 years by the strongman he is challenging, President Nicolás Maduro.

BUCHAREST, Romania: A court in Romania's capital ruled Friday that social media influencer Andrew Tate can leave Romania but must remain within the European Union as he awaits trial on charges of human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women. The Bucharest Tribunal's decision to allow Tate, 37, to leave the country was hailed by his spokesperson, Mateea Petrescu, as a «significant victory and a major step forward» in the case. It is not clear whether prosecutors can or will appeal the court's decision. Tate, a former professional kickboxer and dual British U.S. citizen, was initially arrested in December 2022 near Bucharest along with his brother Tristan and two Romanian women. Romanian prosecutors formally indicted all four in June last year and all four have denied the allegations.

Terminal 1 of Delhi Airport is expected to face a delay of more than a month. This comes after heavy rainfall last Friday caused a roof collapse at the old terminal, resulting in one fatality. Delhi Airport had initially planned to begin operations at the new terminal by mid-July. However, sources told ET that permission will now be granted only after a comprehensive examination of the structure is completed, likely taking over a month. An official, who requested anonymity, stated, «In the meantime, all flights have been accommodated at terminals 2 and 3.»

Thousands converged in the nation’s capital and across the country to celebrate Canada Day, marking 157 years of Confederation.

Kazakhstan): The SCO Summit is a major occasion, not least because the organisation represents over 3 billion people – nearly 45% of the world’s population. The SCO plays a key role in fostering regional stability, economic growth, and multilateral cooperation. “As one of the founding members, Kazakhstan has always prioritised the development and success of the SCOwithin our balanced foreign policy framework,” Kazakhstan Deputy Foreign Minister Roman Vassilenko told select group of foreign journalists ahead of the Summit. “This summit is an opportunity for us to reaffirm our commitment to the principles of mutual respect, equality, and consensus-building and to chart a path forward for the organisation.”

international airport that is being planned for Bengaluru will be as large as the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) and would require about 4500-5000 acres of land, Industry & Infrastructure Minister MB Patil said on Wednesday. The KempeGowda International Airport, operated by the Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) has been the third busiest airport in the country after Delhi and Mumbai. The airport recorded the highest-ever passenger traffic with 37.5 million travelers in the year 2023-24 and handled 439,524 metric tonnes of cargo. The international airport will reach its peak passenger and cargo load capacity by 2035, and the state government has to plan a second airport well ahead of time, the minister told a media conference.

Ozempic and Wegovy may have an increased risk of sudden and irreversible vision loss and blindness, a new study has found.However, doctors say there’s no reason for patients who take the uber popular drugs to panic or discontinue taking their prescriptions.The study, conducted by Harvard researchers and published Wednesday in JAMA Ophthalmology, analyzed data from 16,827 patients over a six-year period at the Mass Eye and Ear Harvard teaching hospital.Published in @JAMAOphth: Semaglutide, taken for diabetes or obesity, was associated with non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION). Further study would be needed to clarify if this drug causes NAION associated with visual loss.https://t.co/mT9PVyEoRO pic.twitter.com/L3bDzVC2Dy— JAMA (@JAMA_current) July 4, 2024Of those, 710 had type 2 diabetes, with 194 being prescribed semaglutide medications, marketed under brandnames like Wegovy and Ozempic, that belong to a class of medications known as GLP-1 receptor agonists.Another 975 patients in the study were overweight or living with obesity, 361 of them being prescribed semaglutide.Among those prescribed semaglutide, an eye problem known as nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy, or NAION, was eventually diagnosed in a small percentage of patients.

Elections in the United Kingdom have a distinct vocabulary that draws on traditions of parliamentary democracy as well as the lexicon of U.S. politics and modern political spin

tariff hikes of over 20 per cent by the country's top three telcos will push up core inflation by 0.20 per cent in FY25, a foreign brokerage said on Wednesday. Analysts at Deutsche Bank also upped their core inflation or the price rise, excluding food and fuel, by 0.20 per cent to 3.8 per cent. Apart from the tariff hikes, the below-trend monsoon rains will be another factor that will be of focus from an inflation trajectory perspective, they said. The report said the impact of telecom tariff hikes will start getting reflected from July, and the hikes will alone push the month-on-month core inflation by over 0.85 per cent month on month.

Lucknow, Jaipur and Thiruvananthapuram as their headquarters. The Department of Military Affairs (DMA) under Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan, who is responsible for raising the theatre commands, is now focusing their energy towards implementing over 150 points to enhance integration among the three services and make ready for the multi-domain warfare of the future. On July 2, Prime Minister Modi had stated in Parliament that the creation of theatre commands was on track and modernisation of armed forces was in full swing.

Abu Dhabi has been named in honour of Dr George Matthew, a UAE citizen of Indian origin, in recognition of his remarkable contributions to the emirate's healthcare sector over nearly 60 years, as reported by Khaleej Times. Dr Matthew, now 84 years old, first arrived in the UAE in 1967 as a 26-year-old, long before the country's unification. Over the past six decades, he has played a pivotal role in shaping Abu Dhabi's healthcare system, witnessing its transformation from its early days to its current state. Notably, he was the first doctor to work in a government hospital in Al Ain, leaving a lasting impact on the country's medical landscape, as reported by Khaleej Times.

Mint spoke to lawyers and investment bankers who also alluded to the rise in MNCs evaluating such options. Besides South Korea’s Hyundai, which is preparing for a record ₹25,000 crore initial public offering, LG Electronics and Italy’s component maker Carraro are looking at similar moves, according to media reports.

I recently spent ten days in the United Kingdom, driving through the English countryside and occasionally giving lectures. My journey included visits to historical landmarks like the majestic Durham Cathedral, completed in 1133 CE, and the little village in Lincolnshire where Isaac Newton was born. But I also saw, in London and across the country, signs of urban decay and neglect, as well as homelessness, poverty and despair.

coal production rose by 14.49 per cent to 84.63 million tonne (MT) in June. The country's coal output was 73.92 MT in June last fiscal, according to provisional figures of the government. In June Coal India Ltd's (CIL) production was at 63.10 MT, registering a rise of 8.87 per cent compared to the same period last year, the coal ministry said in a statement.

Plastic industry is one of the leading contributors to the economy and provides a lot of employment opportunities, Chemicals & Petrochemicals Secretary Nivedita Shukla Verma said on Thursday. She inaugurated a four-day Global Conclave on Plastic Recycling and Sustainability (GCPRS) organised by industry bodies All India Plastics Manufacturers' Association (AIPMA) and the Chemicals and Petrochemicals Manufacturers' Association (CPMA) at Pragati Maidan in the national capital. The event focuses on the rising use of plastic, its impact on the environment and also on the steps needed for solutions. According to an official statement, Verma in her address commended the efforts of the AIPMA and the CPMA for organising a conclave on a topic of paramount relevance, at a time when only ten per cent of the total plastic waste generated globally was recycled.