Middle Orient

TEHRAN (FNA)- Religious minorities in various cities and towns of Iran’s central province of Kerman cast their votes to elect their representatives for the 8th parliament elections on Friday.

TEHRAN (FNA)- Early election results from small towns around the country suggest that conservatives are expected to win Iran’s legislative election.

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran has called for Brazil’s state-run oil company Petrobras to become more active in its oil sector.

ANKARA (Reuters) – A state prosecutor asked Turkey’s top court on Friday to shut the ruling AK Party for anti-secular activities, intensifying tensions between the secular elite and the Islamist-rooted government.

DAKAR (Reuters) – The world’s largest Muslim body will accuse Israel of committing war crimes against Palestinian civilians, according to a draft of the final communique of an Islamic summit in Senegal seen by Reuters on Friday.

MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) – The leader of Iraq’s minority Christians urged them on Friday not to be cowed and to be “steadfast” in their faith after the kidnapped Chaldean Catholic archbishop was found dead in northern Iraq.

MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) – A Chaldean Catholic archbishop who was kidnapped in Iraq last month was found dead on Thursday, his body half-buried in an empty lot in the northern city of Mosul, police said.

TEHRAN (FNA)- Foreign clerics residing in Iran congregated in front of Denmark’s embassy in Tehran on Thursday to voice strong protest against repeated release of cartoons in Danish press insulting Islamic values and Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).

TEHRAN (FNA)- This Friday Iranians are expected to stage a massive turnout in parliamentary elections seen as a message to the West.

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran will sign a final agreement to export gas via pipeline to Pakistan in April, officials said.