Nuclear talks between Iran and the three European countries of France, Britain and Germany, collectively known as the E3, began in Istanbul, Turkey, on Friday.

The Iranian delegation is headed by Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Majid Takht-Ravanchi and Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi.

Speaking previously at a weekly press conference, Baghaei said the talks would focus on the removal of sanctions and issues related to Tehran's "peaceful" nuclear programme, noting that Iran would present its demands seriously at the upcoming meeting.

South Korea and the United States will continue negotiations to reach a tariff deal before the hefty reciprocal duties take effect on Aug. 1, with key issues, such as investment and agricultural market access, currently on the negotiating table, the presidential office said on Friday.

Kim Yong-beom, presidential chief of staff for policy, made the remarks as Seoul seeks to reduce the proposed 25 percent tariffs on Korean goods by reaching a comprehensive package covering industrial cooperation, investment, procurement and security cooperation, reports news agency.

Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan and Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo held talks with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick in Washington on Thursday, and are scheduled to continue negotiations with him and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on Friday (local time), according to Kim.

Authorities in Russia's Amur Oblast and Khabarovsk Territory declared three days of mourning through Sunday following the crash of an An-24 passenger aircraft that claimed the lives of all people on board.

"With deep sorrow, I must announce that there are no survivors in the An-24 plane crash in Tynda, according to preliminary data. A three-day mourning period has been declared in the Amur Oblast. On July 25, 26 and 27, flags will be flown at half-mast across all territories of the region," said Governor Vasily Orlov on his Telegram channel, on Thursday.

The Khabarovsk regional government has also announced mourning, as some of the victims were residents of the area.

Governor Dmitry Demeshin said that each victim's family would receive 1 million rubles (12,500 US dollars) in compensation, along with coverage of travel expenses to the crash site, news agency reported.

Myanmar authorities have seized two million stimulant tablets in eastern Myanmar's Shan state, the state-owned daily The Mirror reported on Friday.

Acting on a tip-off, anti-narcotics police searched a vehicle in Mong Hsat township of Shan state on July 20, and confiscated the drugs, and arrested two suspects.

The seized narcotics have a street value of 800 million kyats (about 0.38 million US dollars).

The suspects have been charged under the law.

In a similar incident on July 23, Myanmar authorities seized 67.33 kg of heroin in central Myanmar's Nay Pyi Taw Union Territory, the Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control (CCDAC) said.

Anti-narcotics police searched two vehicles in Lewe township of Nay Pyi Taw Union Territory and confiscated the drugs, after acting on a tip off, news agency reported.

Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province activated a red alert for rainstorms on Friday.

According to the Heilongjiang Meteorological Observatory, it is expected that some southern townships of the Mongolian Autonomous County of Dorbod, Heilongjiang, could receive accumulated precipitation of up to 100 mm within the space of just three hours.

At 5:50 a.m. on Friday, the provincial meteorological observatory issued a high-impact weather forecast, predicting short-term heavy rainfall in the provincial capital Harbin's main urban area and in cities such as Zhaodong, Wuchang and Shangzhi, within six hours after the issuing of the forecast.

Thunderstorms and strong winds are expected in some parts of the province, with gusts reaching a maximum force of level 7 to 8.

As torrential monsoon rains continue to batter Pakistan, another eight people died across the country in the last 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 266, according to the latest report issued by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), local media reported on Friday.

Among the newly reported eight casualties, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa recorded three deaths and five injuries. While Islamabad and Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan each reported two fatalities, another death was recorded in Sindh.

Since the beginning of the monsoon season in late June, a total of 266 people have lost their lives, including 94 men, 46 women, and 126 children. Additionally, 628 have sustained injuries nationwide in rain-triggered incidents, reported.

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed various topical issues in a telephone conversation on Thursday, the Uzbek president's press service said.

During the telephone conversation, "President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin warmly congratulated President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev on his birthday, wishing him good health, prosperity, and success in his public activities," said the press service in a statement.

The issues the two leaders discussed included the development and strengthening of the Uzbek-Russian comprehensive strategic partnership and alliance in the context of the practical implementation of agreements at the highest level, the statement said.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio dismissed French President Emmanuel Macron’s move to officially recognise the state of Palestine, calling it a “reckless decision”.

“The United States strongly rejects Emmanuel Macron’s plan to recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly. This reckless decision only serves Hamas propaganda and sets back peace. It is a slap in the face to the victims of October 7,” Rubio said on Friday in a post on X.

The remarks came after French President Macron announced France’s decision to recognise the Palestinian state.

“Consistent with its historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, I have decided that France will recognise the State of Palestine. I will make this solemn announcement before the United Nations General Assembly this coming September. The urgent priority today is to end the war in Gaza and to bring relief to the civilian population,” Macron stated in his social media post.

Afghan security forces have seized 1,000 kg of illicit drugs and arrested two alleged drug smugglers in southern Afghanistan's Zabul province, the Ministry of Interior Affairs said in a statement on Thursday.

The opium was concealed inside a truck and discovered during a counter-narcotic operation in Shahjoy district, the ministry said, news agency reported.

The visiting Indian medical team held detailed consultations with senior officials of the Bangladesh Ministry of Health and doctors at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in Dhaka on Thursday, reviewing critical cases from Monday's horrific plane crash. They Indian experts also exchanged views on the treatment methodologies and conveyed their assessment on future course of treatment for the admitted patients.

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal noted that the visit of the Indian doctors and nursing officials to Dhaka comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's assurance of providing support to Bangladesh following the plane crash on July 21.