Forex for basic goods, pharmaceuticals to be provided at official rate

Tehran, Aug 6, IRNA – Cabinet session headed by President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday reviewed proposals of Central Bank of Iran to reorganize foreign exchange market, announcing that all basic commodities and pharmaceuticals will be provided at rate of 42,000 rials.

China tests first experimental superfast aircraft: report

BEIJING, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- China has successfully developed and tested a cutting-edge hypersonic aircraft that rides its own shock waves, according to the China Daily Monday.

The first flight-test of Starry Sky 2, a hypersonic experimental waverider vehicle, was successfully conducted at an unidentified testing field in northwestern China last Friday, the newspaper cited the China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics as saying.

Turkey slams Greece halting extradition of terrorist

By Faruk Zorlu

5 Aug 2018; AA; ANKARA; Turkey on Sunday criticized the Greek justice minister halting the extradition of an accused far-left terrorist to Turkey.

"The extradition of Turgut Kaya was refused by the decision of the Greek minister of justice despite the Greek judiciary’s ruling in favor of extradition to Turkey," said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hami Aksoy in a statement.

"This reveals once again that the traditional sentiments of the Greek political power against Turkey have not changed," he added.

Suicide attack kills three NATO soldiers in Afghanistan: official

5 Aug 2018; AFP; A suicide attack claimed by the Taliban killed three foreign soldiers on patrol in eastern Afghanistan on Sunday, the deadliest assault on US-led NATO troops for many months.

"Three Resolute Support service members were killed by a suicide bomber during a combined, dismounted patrol with Afghan forces in eastern Afghanistan," NATO's Resolute Support mission said in a statement.

A US member of the patrol and two Afghan soldiers were wounded, it said, without giving the nationality of those killed.

Awarding 2500 US Green Cards during nuclear talks sheer lie

Tehran, Aug 5, IRNA – Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi on Sunday strongly denied awarding some 2500 US Green Cards to Iranian officials and their children during nuclear talks between the Islamic Republic of Iran and G5+1.

'Alavi attended on Sunday to Majlis and answered to the questions posed by two MPs,' member of Iranian parliament's national security and foreign policy commission Ali Najafi Khoshrodi quoted Alavi as saying in an open session of the parliament.

China solicits int'l cooperation experiments on space station

BEIJING, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- China is asking the world to collaborate in experiments on its planned space station so as to promote international space cooperation and sustainable global development.

The Committee on Science and Technology Experiments of the Chinese Space Station was established recently under the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST).

The offer is open to the entire international community. Proposals and projects can be submitted online (www.css-research.cn) and peer-reviewed. The candidate projects will go through to the China Manned Space Agency.

Chandrayaan-2 launch postponed again

PTI; New Delhi, Aug 5 :  There will be a further delay in the launch of India's second mission to the moon Chandrayaan-2 and it may be no sooner than January, according to a top official.

The postponement of the ambitious mission from October comes in the wake of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) facing two setbacks in less than a year.

The launch of the mission was first planned in April.

South Sudan's rivals ink final deal on power-sharing, security

KHARTOUM, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan's conflicting parties on Sunday signed a final deal in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on power-sharing and security arrangements.

The deal, reached through talks brokered by the Sudanese government with a mandate by the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development in Africa, was signed by South Sudanese President Salva Kiir, major opposition leader Riek Machar and representatives of other South Sudanese opposition factions.

Magnitude 7 earthquake rocks Indonesia's Lombok island: USGS

Jakarta, Aug 5 (AFP) A major earthquake rocked Indonesia's Lombok island today, just a week after a quake had killed 17 people on the holiday island, sending people running from their homes and triggering a tsunami alert.

The latest quake had a magnitude of seven and struck just 10 km underground according to the US Geological Survey.

Officials issued a tsunami warning and urged people to move away from the ocean.

SC expresses displeasure over non-appointment of board of visitors for jails by states

New Delhi, Aug 5 (PTI) The Supreme Court has expressed its displeasure that several states have not yet appointed the board of visitors who regularly inspect prisons to ensure that they are being run in accordance with rules.

While terming the appointment of board of visitors "an absolute necessity", a bench comprising Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta wondered as to why states were not following the model prison manual which was prepared by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Saudi expels Canadian envoy, recalls its own over 'interference'

6 Aug 2018; AFP; Saudi Arabia said Monday it was expelling the Canadian ambassador and had recalled its envoy while freezing all new trade, in protest at Ottawa's vigorous calls for the release of jailed activists.

The kingdom gave the Canadian ambassador 24 hours to leave the country, in an abrupt rupture of relations over what it slammed as "interference" in its internal affairs.

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