Iran holds state funeral for military leaders killed in Israel conflict
A state funeral has been held in Iran for about 60 people, including military commanders and nuclear scientists, killed during the 12-day conflict with Israel, BBC reported.
Coffins draped in the Iranian flag, bearing portraits of deceased commanders, were flanked by crowds near Tehran's Enghelab Square.
The conflict ended with a ceasefire earlier this week, after the US became directly involved by bombing key nuclear sites in Iran.
Huge crowds of mourners dressed in black chanted slogans, waved Iranian flags and held portraits of those killed.
Ahead of the event, a media campaign urged people to participate, with authorities providing free bus and metro rides. Government offices were shut for the day, according to BBC.
Heavy rainfall likely in some places of four provinces
The weather this afternoon will remain partly to fully cloudy across the country due to the influence of monsoon winds.
There is a chance of light to moderate rainfall, along with thunder and lightning in some areas of the hilly regions, including Gandaki, Lumbini, Karnali, and Sudurpashchim Provinces, as well as in some other areas, according to the Weather Forecasting Division.
There is a chance of heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in one or two places in some areas of Gandaki, Lumbini, Karnali, and Sudurpashchim Provinces and in one or two places in the hilly regions of other provinces.
The Division has predicted light to moderate rainfall and snowfall in some areas of the high hilly and mountainous regions of the country.
According to the weather forecasting bulletin, it will remain partly to fully cloudy across the country tonight.
There is a possibility of light to moderate rainfall with thunder and lightning in many places of the hilly regions, including Gandaki, Lumbini, Karnali, and Sudurpashchim Provinces, as well as in some other areas.
In one or two places in Lumbini, Karnali, and Sudurpashchim Provinces, as well as in hilly areas of other provinces, there is a possibility of heavy to very heavy rainfall.
There is a possibility of light to moderate rainfall in some areas of the high hilly and mountainous regions of the country, the Division informed.
House to endorse Civil Service Bill today
Both the Houses of the Federal Parliament are scheduled to have their meetings today.
The House of Representatives (HoR) session is scheduled to take place at 1 pm Sunday in the New Baneswor-based Federal Parliament building.
In today's session, there is an agenda to pass the Civil Service Bill.
There have been complaints galore over the complications evolving in the implementation of the administrative federalism despite the country usurping to federal structure.
It may be noted that the agenda of endorsing the bill in the HoR session scheduled for last June 17 was put on hold in the eleventh hour.
As per the agenda set for today, Minister for Federal Affairs and General Administration Rajkumar Gupta will present a proposal seeking deliberations on the Federal Civil Service Bill, 2080 along with the report of the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee.
The bill will be endorsed after the lawmakers put their views on the proposal. Once the bill is endorsed from the HoR, it will be sent to the National Assembly.
According to the due process, the Speaker will certify the bill after the Upper House passes it and returns to the Lower House. The bill then will be presented to the President following certification from the Speaker and will come to effect after the authentication from the Head of the State.
The Upper House is also scheduled to have a meeting today.
In the session set to take place at 12.15 pm, there is a scheduled agenda for a group discussion on different headings of 14 ministries under the Appropriation Bill, 2082.
Charli, Neil Young and Scissor Sisters give Glastonbury goosebumps
Saturday was a night of four headliners at Glastonbury, with fans facing the cruel choice between pop queen Charli XCX, rock legend Neil Young, disco scamps Scissor Sisters and Doechii - rap's hottest new voice, BBC reported.
Charli XCX won the biggest audience, closing down The Other Stage and turning it into a sweat-drenched, laser lit club night.
Young, topping the bill on the Pyramid Stage, also delivered an all-time hits set, with gnarly, ragged versions of hits like Cinnamon Girl and Like A Hurricane.
Doechii, who only played for 45 minutes, still managed to mark herself out as a future headliner; while Scissor Sisters brought out actual Gandalf Sir Ian McKellen to perform Invisible Light according to BBC.
G7 strikes deal to shield US multinationals from higher global taxes: Report
The G7 has reached an agreement that would exempt U.S. multinational companies from paying more corporate tax overseas, the Financial Times reported on Saturday, citing people familiar with the discussions, The Economic Times reported.
The deal, backed by Washington and other G7 members, would allow U.S. companies to avoid certain overseas taxes due to levies already paid in the United States, the report said.
Elon Musk calls Trump’s big bill ‘utterly insane and destructive’ as Senate debates
The billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Muskon Saturday criticized the latest version of Donald Trump’s sprawling tax and spending bill, calling it “utterly insane and destructive, The Guardian reported.
“The latest Senate draft bill will destroy millions of jobs in America and cause immense strategic harm to our country!” Musk wrote on Saturday as the Senate was scheduled to call a vote to open debate on the nearly 1,000-page bill.
“Utterly insane and destructive,” Musk added. “It gives handouts to industries of the past while severely damaging industries of the future.”
Passing the package, Musk said, would be “political suicide for the Republican Party.”
Musk’s comment reopens a recent fiery conflict between the former head of the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) and the administration he recently left. They also represent yet another headache for Republican Senate leaders who have spent the weekend working overtime to get the legislation through their chamber so it can pass by Trump’s Fourth of July deadline, according to Guardian.
Senators voting in weekend session to meet Trump’s deadline for passing his tax and spending cuts
The Senate is taking a key procedural vote that has dragged on for more than two hours during a rare Saturday evening session as Republicans struggled to advance President Donald Trump’s package of tax breaks, spending cuts and bolstered deportation funds by his July Fourth deadline, Associated Press reported.
The proceedings came to a standstill and Vice President JD Vance arrived at the Capitol to break a potential tie. Tense scenes were playing out in the chamber as senators huddled in negotiations. Several Republican senators were registering their opposition to proceeding to open debate on the bill.
Republicans are using their majorities in Congress to push aside Democratic opposition, but they have run into a series of political and policy setbacks. Not all GOP lawmakers are on board with proposals to reduce spending on Medicaid, food stamps and other programs as a way to help cover the cost of extending some $3.8 trillion in Trump tax breaks.
“It’s time to get this legislation across the finish line,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., as the session was underway, according to Associated Press.
Japan launches a climate change monitoring satellite on mainstay H2A rocket’s last flight
Japan on Sunday successfully launched a climate change monitoring satellite on its mainstay H-2A rocket, which made its final flight before it is replaced by a new flagship designed to be more cost competitive in the global space market, Associated Press reported.
The H-2A rocket lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center in southwestern Japan, carrying the GOSAT-GW satellite as part of Tokyo’s effort to mitigate climate change. The satellite was released into a planned orbit about 16 minutes later.
The launch follows several days of delays because of malfunctioning of the rocket’s electrical systems.
Sunday’s launch marked the 50th and final flight for the H-2A, which has served as Japan’s mainstay rocket to carry satellites and probes into space with a near-perfect record since its 2001 debut. After its retirement, it will be fully replaced by the H3, which is already in operation, as Japan’s new main flagship, according to Associated Press.