Middle Orient

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is scheduled to pay a short visit to Bahrain prior to his participation in the upcoming summit of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in Saudi Arabia on Saturday.

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A series of clashes in southern Afghanistan left 33 suspected Taliban militants dead, while a roadside bomb killed two NATO soldiers, officials said Saturday.

Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran said in its latest report that the country’s foreign currency reserves on September 12 amounted to USD68 bln, showing 19.8% of growth compared with the last year.

Iranian Oil Minister Gholam Hossein Nozari has said that the Islamic Republic’s oil and gas output could reach 4.5 mln barrels per day of oil equivalent within the next two years.

China has pulled out of a meeting to discuss new sanctions on Iran, European diplomats said on Friday, highlighting the obstacles western powers, specially the US, face in their quest to increase pressure on Tehran over its nuclear program.

European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana would table a report on Iran’s attitude to engagement in nuclear talks whether or not there will be a new meeting with Iran’s nuclear envoy, his spokeswoman said on Friday.

Pakistan freed opposition leader Benazir Bhutto from house arrest shortly before a top U.S. diplomat began a visit on Friday aimed at persuading President Pervez Musharraf to end emergency rule.

One posed for a photo as she scrubbed a Palestinian corpse. Another stripped a man to his underwear and then beat him. A third helped cover up the abuse of a young boy.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday urged the people of Gaza to oust his Islamist rivals who seized control of the territory in June, as he seeks a lasting peace with Israel.

 Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will announce a freeze in West Bank settlement expansion as a gesture towards the Palestinians at a US peace meeting this month, a senior official said Thursday.