TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran accused the BBC of plotting to recruit spies and stir a new revolution by launching a Persian-language satellite channel. BBC Persian, which will go on air next week, will be used by British intelligence for “espionage and psychological warfare”, according to Iranian officials. The channel, which has …

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s special envoy and Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Secretary, Saeed Jalili, arrived in Ankara yesterday to hold official talks. Jalili attended a meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and was later received by President Abdullah Gul. According to media reports, Jalili …

TEHRAN (FNA)- Crude oils from the Middle East were at premiums to their benchmarks on concern that supplies would be limited after Iran said it would cut February shipments to Asia. Oman crude oil for March loading was at a premium of 13c a barrel to its official selling price, …

TEHRAN (FNA)- OPEC is not considering holding an extraordinary meeting next month, Libya’s envoy to the oil producers’ cartel said Wednesday. “So far we are not talking about another meeting,” said Libya’s OPEC representative, Shukri Ghanem. Iranian OPEC delegate Mohammad Ali Khatibi had on Monday said that the Organization of …

Serbian President Boris Tadic has sent a letter of protest to the United Nations and European Union asking them to protect the Serb population in Kosovo from what he said were deliberate attacks by “the Kosovo government and Albanian extremists”. Two Kosovo Serbs were attacked by a group of Albanians …

Supplies of Russian gas via Ukraine to Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia were reduced or halted on Tuesday because of a dispute between Moscow and Kiev, raising concerns about Russia’s credibility as a supplier and its readiness to use its energy muscle to push political aims. Russian gas export monopoly Gazprom …

Macedonia’s government has renamed a main highway after the ancient conqueror Alexander the Great, whose ethnic origin is one part of the thorny 17-year dispute between Macedonia and its southern neighbour Greece over Macedonia’s name. Government spokesman Shefik Duraku told local Alfa TV that “Alexander of Macedon” will be the …

The West ended the war in the region, now it’s time to secure the peace. Bosnia and Kosovo have largely disappeared from public view. Washington and Brussels are hoping the promise of European Union accession will ultimately triumph over remaining ethnic tensions in the region. Would that this were so. …

A 45-year old woman died in an accidental blast in an army depot in the southern Albanian town of Polican. According to Albania’s Ministry of Defense, another worker was wounded and was recovering in a local hospital. “The explosion happened as result of human error outside the demolition wing of …

A contingent of 150 Macedonian troops headed to Afghanistan on Monday to join the ISAF peacekeeping mission. The country had so far sent 90 peacekeepers. The troops will serve as part of the UK contingent in the capital Kabul where they will be tasked with securing the main command of …