Online Desk :   Chief Adviser of interim governmentProfessor Muhammad Yunusmet with King Charles III of Britain at Buckingham Palace in London. On Thursday, the King welcomed Chief Adviser upon his arrival for a private audience. They then held a meeting lasting around half an hour. Regarding the meeting between King Charles III and Chief Adviser, the Press Secretary stated that they discussed reform initiatives and the evolving situation in the country. Shafiqul Alam described the 30-minute meeting as cordial and noted it as the most important meeting of the visit. He mentioned that King Charles is well aware of Dr. Yunus’s work. On Chief Adviser receiving the King Charles Harmony Award, he said, “The award that the Chief Adviser will receive today is an honor for the entire nation. Microcredit has played a significant role in alleviating poverty globally and this award recognizes those contributions.”

The Press Secretary also noted that Chief Adviser’s delegation is holding a series of fruitful meetings regarding the repatriation of laundered money. An Israeli military official said Iran launched on Friday dozens of ballistic missiles at Israel, as sirens sounded and AFP journalists reported loud blasts heard in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. “Dozens of Iranian ballistic missiles are en route to Israel. The people of Israel have been instructed to remain in bomb shelters until further notice,” the official said in a statement delivered to journalists on condition of anonymity.

Israel’s military said Iran fired fewer than 100 missiles and most were intercepted or fell short. The U.S. military helped shoot down Iranian missiles headed for Israel, two U.S. officials said. Israel’s Channel 12 said two people were critically injured, eight moderately and 34 slightly from shrapnel. Several buildings were struck in the attack including an apartment block in a residential neighbourhood in Ramat Gan near Tel Aviv. Another building in central Tel Aviv was also struck, causing significant damage to multiple floors.

The Israeli strikes on Iran throughout the day and the Iranian retaliation raised fears of a broader regional conflagration, although Iran’s allies Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon have been decimated by Israel. Iran’s state news agency IRNA said Tehran launched hundreds of ballistic missiles at Israel after Israel blasted Iran’s huge Natanz underground nuclear site and killed its top military commanders. Iran says its nuclear programme is only for peaceful purposes. Israeli officials said it may be some time before the extent of damage at Natanz was clear. Western countries have long accused Iran of refining uranium there to levels suitable for a bomb rather than civilian use.

Source: Reuters.