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Slamming EU anti-Iran move

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman has denounced the European Parliament for its resolution against the country’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps. Nasser Kan’ani says the IRGC is the biggest anti-terror organization in the world. Kan’ani says Israel is the largest organized terrorist entity in the world, with the UK being its founder and the US its biggest supporter. The Iranian spokesman described all those three as the global club of terrorists. He said, blacklisting the IRGC is because of their anger at the Iranian force. On Thursday, the European Parliament passed a resolution calling for designating the IRGC as a terror group. The Iranian army has also strongly condemned the move. It said the measure is a sign of desperation after enemies failed in their plans to support the recent riots in Iran. Meanwhile, the Iranian parliament has introduced a motion that will blacklist the armed forces of EU countries as terrorist entities if the EU implements its resolution.

Intl. Congress on influential women

The first international congress on influential women has kicked off in the Iranian capital Tehran, bringing participants from more than 90 countries. Women from different sectors are in attendance. They include actresses, academics, lawmakers, environment and civil rights activists, as well as healthcare workers, among others. At the end of the gathering, three women regarded as influential in the world will be awarded. On Thursday, Iranian president Ebrahim Raeisi met with some of the top attendees. He said such events can pave the way for international cooperation in the future. The Iranian president praised the great role women have played throughout history. He also expressed hope that participants attending the congress can benefit from Iran’s experiences in upholding women’s rights.

France pension reform

France’s finance minister has defended the government’s pension reform plan that will increase the retirement age from 62 to 64. The minister also said the strikes over the pension reform are unlikely to hurt the French economy. That’s because, he said, France has a very low inflation rate and is doing pretty well. On Thursday, the French people hit the streets across the country to protest the reforms that will also make it difficult to receive full pensions. Trade unions put the number of protesters at over two million. The rallies in the capital Paris turned violent with clashes between protesters and police. In the meantime, workers in different sectors went on strikes nationwide, halting trains and blocking refineries. New protests are planned for January 31.

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