Eurasia

Albania to Hold General Election on June 28

Albanian President Bamir Topi has set June 28 as the date of Albania’s parliamentary election, a crucial test of democratisation that will be watched closely by the European Union. Albania has yet to hold elections that meet international standards, with all six general elections since the collapse of communism in …

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Kosovo Arrests Six On Organised Crime Charges

Kosovo police have arrested six people suspected of involvement in “high-profile” organised crime, a spokesman said on Tuesday. All suspects were Kosovo Albanians from the wider Mitrovica region, and were arrested for alleged involvement in racketeering, money laundering, and smuggling of fuel and other goods into Kosovo. Police spokesman Veton …

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Russia and Ukraine PMs to meet for gas row talks

MOSCOW/KIEV (Reuters) – The Russian and Ukrainian prime ministers will meet on Saturday to try to resolve a gas row that has cut back supplies to a freezing Europe. German Chancellor Angela Merkel reiterated European calls for a quick to the two countries’ arguments over gas debts and prices, saying …

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Pakistan arrests over a dozen militants in Karachi

KARACHI (Reuters) – Pakistani police arrested more than a dozen Islamist militants in the southern city of Karachi Thursday after a gun battle following a pre-dawn raid on their hideout, officials said. Two policemen were killed and nine wounded before the militants’ resistance was broken after several hours of shooting. …

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Larijani, Erdogan Discuss Gaza Crisis

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani attended a meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss the Gaza crisis. Larijani arrived in Turkey on Tuesday to attend an emergency meeting of the Islamic Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), which will be held in Istanbul later today. At the meeting, …

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Iran Keen to Bolster Ties with Switzerland

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki called for further expansion of relations between Iran and Switzerland. Mottaki made the remarks in a meeting with Switzerland’s new ambassador to Tehran Livia Leu Agoati after he received the diplomat’s credentials. He described Tehran-Bern relations as centuries-old, saying that an expansion in …

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Russia Determined to Complete Iran N. Power Plant

TEHRAN (FNA)- The Iranian envoy to Russia said delays in completion of Iran’s first nuclear plant in the southern city of Bushehr are not only Russia’s fault. Mahmoud Reza Sajjadi stressed that Russia is committed to complete the plant, despite the pressure on Moscow to halt the project, the Islamic …

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Ecuador Seeks Credit Line from Iran for Oil Projects

TEHRAN (FNA)- Ecuador said the country hopes it can receive the required volume of credit from Iran to accomplish its oil projects, following rapid development of relations between Tehran and Quito. “We are asking for a credit line of $280 million, especially to invest in our pipelines. We are sure …

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Ukraine, Russia, EU sign deal to get gas flowing

KIEV/MOSCOW (Reuters) – Ukraine, Russia and the EU struck a monitoring agreement Sunday that should enable the resumption of Russian supplies to Europe, large parts of which have been plunged into a mid-winter energy crisis. Officials said monitors would begin work within hours to oversee gas flows via Ukraine to …

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Saudi reformer freed after 8 months in jail

RIYADH (Reuters) – A leading Saudi campaigner for political rights has been released without charge after eight months in detention, a rights activist said on Sunday. Matruk al-Faleh, a politics professor, was set free on Saturday after he was taken from his offices at King Saud University in Riyadh last …

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