Tehran: Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) General Nadeem Raza who is on official visit to Iran, called on President of Iran Sayyid Ebrahim Raisol-Sadati.

Matters of bilateral strategic interest and regional security environment including strengthening of bilateral security and defence cooperation between the two countries were brought into discussion.

Both sides displayed desire to initiate meaningful and long-lasting security and defence cooperation between the two countries.

Chairman JCSC also held separate meetings with Defence Minister Brigadier General Mohammad-Reza Gharaei Ashtiani, Chief of General Staff Major General Mohammad Bagheri, Commander-in-Chief Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Major General Hossein Salami, Commander of Iranian Navy Rear Admiral Shahram Irani and Commander of Air Force Brigadier General Hamid Vahedi.

The dignitaries discussed measures to enhance the level and scope of military engagements between both countries and pledged to continue to forge deeper ties. Both sides highlighted that common borders should be "Borders of Peace and Friendship".

The Iranian military leadership lauded the professionalism of Pakistan Armed Forces and acknowledged their sacrifices in fight against terrorism.

Earlier, upon arrival at General Staff Headquarters a smartly turned-out contingent presented 'Guard of Honour' to the Chairman Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee.

Hollwyood star Denzel Washington, gymnastics star Simone Biles, and the late tech visionary Steve Jobs have been named as recipients of America's highest civilian honor, the White House said Friday.

President Joe Biden designated 17 Americans to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, three of them posthumous.

According to the White House said the medal recognizes "exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavors."

Among the recipients is Megan Rapinoe, the Olympic gold medalist soccer star, two-time Women's World Cup champion and outspoken advocate on equality, race and LGBTQ issues.

Ahead of a ceremony on July 7, the White House said those honored had "overcome significant obstacles... and acted with bravery to drive change in their communities -- and across the world -- while blazing trails for generations to come."

One posthumous recipient this year is John McCain, a one-time Republican presidential nominee, long-time senator from Arizona, and Vietnam War veteran who won a Purple Heart.

Basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Motown singer Diana Ross and the actor Robert De Niro were the previous winners of the presidential medal.

New Delhi: India has imposed a ban on single-use plastics on items ranging from straws to cigarette packets to combat worsening pollution in country whose streets are strewn with waste.

Announcing the ban, the Indian government dismissed the demands of food, beverage and consumer goods companies to hold off the restriction to avoid disruptions.

Plastic waste has become a significant source of pollution in India, the world's second most populous country.

Rapid economic growth has fuelled demand for goods that come with single-use plastic products, such as straws and disposable cutlery.

But India, which uses about 14 million tonnes of plastic annually, lacks an organised system for managing plastic waste, leading to widespread littering.

Streets across towns are littered with used plastic goods that eventually choke drains, rivers and oceans and also kill animals.

India's ban on single-use plastic items includes straws, cutlery, ear buds, packaging films, plastic sticks for balloons, candy and ice-cream, and cigarette packets, among other products, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government said in a statement.

PepsiCo (PEP.O), Coca-Cola Co (KO.N), India's Parle Agro, Dabur (DABU.NS) and Amul had lobbied for straws to be exempted from the ban. 

In a relief to consumers, the government has for now exempted plastic bags but it has asked manufacturers and importers to raise the thickness to promote reuse.

Other than the food and beverage and consumer goods companies, plastic manufacturers have also complained about the ban that they say did not give them adequate time to prepare for the restriction.

Some experts believe that enforcing the ban might be difficult. The government has decided to set up control rooms to check any illegal use, sale and distribution of single-use plastic products.

According to the United Nations, plastic waste is at epidemic proportions in the world's oceans, with an estimated 100 million tonnes dumped there. 

Scientists have found large amounts of micro plastic in the intestines of deep-dwelling ocean mammals like whales.

SOURCE: REUTERS