The FBI has been dragged into the investigation of Alexander Litvinenko’s death after details emerged that he had planned to make tens of thousands of pounds blackmailing senior Russian spies and business figures. 

TEHRAN (Fars News Agency)- Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyed Mohammad Ali Hosseini stressed that the Iraqi President Jalal Talabani has not conveyed any message from the US during his recent visit to Tehran.

A day after NATO announced plans to invite Croatia to join it in 2008, the former Yugoslav republic’s EU hopes also received a boost. Speaking on Thursday (November 30th), EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said the country would likely enter the Union before 2010.

TEHRAN (Fars News Agency)- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said six-party talks on Iran’s nuclear program would take place on Tuesday, swiftly reversing an earlier statement that the talks had been delayed.

President Alfred Moisiu said on Thursday (November 30th) that he is through waiting for the various political parties to agree on electoral reform and will use his constitutional powers this Saturday to set the date for local elections himself. Sources suggest he will choose either January 20th or 21st.

TEHRAN (Fars News Agency)- Kuwait’s Minister of Social Affairs and Labor and Deputy Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Khalid al-Hamad Saturday said that the Arab states share the common view that Iran’s nuclear standoff with the West should be settled through peaceful ways.

Wrapping up a two-day summit in Riga, leaders of the 26 NATO countries invited Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Montenegro and Serbia to join the Partnership for Peace (PfP) programme — a key step towards membership in the Alliance.

TEHRAN (Fars News Agency)- Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Seyed Mohammad Ali Hosseini said that Russia’s approach to Iran’s nuclear issue is more realistic compared to that of other members of the so- called 5+1 group.

Albanian president schedules municipal elections for January 20th 03/12/2006 TIRANA, Albania — President Alfred Moisiu has set January 20th as the date of Albania’s next municipal elections. A press release issued by his office Saturday (December 2nd) voiced the president’s deep concern over the continued failure of the Albanian political …

According to Russian news reports, a mobile group of Mujahideen attacked in the Maskhadov district (former Staropromyslovsky district) of the Chechen capital of Jokhar a Russian military convoy with police mercenaries from the Russian-held Siberian region on Khakasia late Friday, December 1, 2006. The invaders claim that only the Russian …