BEIRUT (Reuters) – Lebanon’s parliament elected army chief Michel Suleiman as head of state on Sunday, reviving paralyzed state institutions after an 18-month standoff between a U.S.-backed government and the Hezbollah-led opposition.

BEIRUT (Reuters) – Lebanese President Michel Suleiman will appoint a prime minister on Wednesday to head a new cabinet that will be formed as part of an agreement to end 18 months of political conflict.

THE HAGUE (Reuters) – Serbia denied it was guilty of genocide during the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia on Monday, opening its defense before the U.N.’s highest court against Croatian allegations of ethnic cleansing.

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia has released a man suspected of involvement in the 2006 murder of journalist Anna Politkovskaya because he was not directly involved in the shooting, his lawyer said on Monday.

MOSCOW (Reuters) – A court in Moscow suspended the main opposition website in the troubled south Russian region of Ingushetia on Monday while prosecutors investigate regional government’s accusations it spreads extremist material.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – European Union ministers agreed on Monday to boost the size of the bloc’s police training mission in Afghanistan as part of efforts to improve security and reconstruction, officials said.

TEHRAN (FNA)- Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko described his country’s relations with Iran as smooth and transparent.

TEHRAN (FNA)- The Majid Al Futtaim Group, developer of Sky Dubai and malls throughout the region, is due to construct its first hotel in Iran.

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran voiced enthusiasm for enhancing economic relations with Bangladesh, particularly in the field of energy, education and trade, saying that expansion of ties between the two states serves the interests of both nations.

TEHRAN (FNA)- The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) sent a delegation to visit Iran on Friday to help improve relations between the Iranian people and the UK’s two million Muslim community.