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26 July 2019; MEMO: The Iranian supreme leader’s advisor for defence affairs, Hossein Dehghan, yesterday announced that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) had sent a number of delegates to Tehran for peace talks, in the wake of the ongoing tensions in the Gulf region.

“The UAE has become a US base for striking Iran’s national security,” Dehghan told Al-Jazeera, pointing out that Abu Dhabi had sent official envoys to Tehran to discuss peace in the region.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea suffered its worst economic contraction last year in more than two decades due to international sanctions and bad weather, South Korea’s central bank said Friday.

The Seoul-based Bank of Korea said in a statement that North Korea’s economy shrank 4.1% last year from a year earlier.

New Delhi, Jul 25 (PTI) Russia on Thursday criticised the US for its punitive action against Chinese telecom giant Huawei's 5G services, calling it "unfair" and "inappropriate".

The US has banned Huawei, the world leader in telecom equipment and the number two smartphone producer, over concerns of security and Washington has been pressuring other countries to restrict the operations of the Chinese telecom firm.

New Delhi, Jul 25 (PTI) Iran has released nine out of 12 Indians who were on board the ship MT Riah that was detained in early July, official sources said Thursday.

However, 21 Indians are still in detention in Iran -- three from MT Riah and 18 from British oil tanker Stena Impero which was seized last week by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in the Strait of Hormuz for alleged violation of international maritime rules.

Indian Embassy on Thursday got consular access to the 18 Indians who were on board Impero.

25 July 2019; AA: The Central Bank of Turkey (CBRT) on Thursday lowered its one-week repo rate 425 basis points.

The bank's policy rate -- also known as one-week repo rate -- fell to 19.75%, a steep down from 24%.

"Recently released data indicate a moderate recovery in the economic activity," the CBRT said.

The decision came in a statement from the bank's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting -- the fifth of eight meetings scheduled for 2019.

25 July 2019; MEMO: UK ordered Lebanese development bodies to ban both the political and military wings of Hezbollah in order to continue receiving economic aid, Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar reported yesterday.

Mumbai, Jul 24 (PTI) The Maharashtra government on Wednesday doubled the minimum wages of workers employed in shops and establishments across the state.

Talking to reporters, Labour Minister Sanjay Kute said the decision will benefit nearly one crore workers employed in 10 lakh shops and establishments in the state in 67 different types of employment.

"As per clause III of the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, the minimum wages are revised after every five years. However, they were not revised in the last nine years due to technical reasons," he said.

LONDON (AP) — The latest on Boris Johnson officially becoming Britain’s new prime minister (all times local):

3:15 a.m.

Australia’s prime minister has congratulated Boris Johnson and hopes to ink one of Britain’s first bilateral trade deals after Brexit.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Thursday he and Johnson are both looking forward to meeting at the Group of 7 summit in France next month and to “moving very quickly, when the opportunity presents” to reach a trade deal.

US President Trump has vetoed three joint congressional resolutions prohibiting emergency arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) worth more than $8 billion.

"This resolution would weaken America's global competitiveness and damage the important relationships we share with our allies and partners," Trump wrote in veto messages.

24 July 2019; AFP: The EU is ready to hit the United States with extra tariffs on goods worth 35 billion euros if Washington slaps duties on its cars, its trade chief said Tuesday.

The warning by EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom came as she said a plan by Europe and United States to reach a limited trade deal was at a standstill.