GAZA (Reuters) – Hamas said Tuesday Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s security forces had arrested 170 of its members in the West Bank in the past four weeks in a campaign that could hamper Egyptian-sponsored unity talks.

ST PETERSBURG, Russia (Reuters) – The European Union will discuss a timetable for resuming partnership talks with Russia at a summit next month, France’s Foreign Minister said on Tuesday.

KABUL (Reuters) – Smoke from a car engine spread fears of an explosion on a road often targeted by suicide bombers in the Afghan capital on Tuesday with police saying there had been a blast.

Iraq has denounced a raid into Syria at the weekend, saying it does not want its territory to be used as a launch-point for US attacks on its neighbours.

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran’s Ambassador to Eritrea Reza Ameri said that his country’s relations with Eritrea are based on solid foundation that dates back to the Eritrean people’s armed struggle for independence.

TEHRAN (FNA)-An Iranian visiting delegation led by the special envoy of the Iranian president and Director General in charge of West and North Africa in the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Hamid Bayat, met with Sierra Leone’s Vice President Samuel Sam Sumana in Freetown on Friday.

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran’s Oil Minister Gholam Hossein Nozari, heading a high-ranking delegation, arrived Monday in Turkmenistan for talks on gas exports to the Islamic Republic.

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has assigned five officials to probe the impact of the global financial crisis on the country.

TEHRAN (FNA)- OPEC may take additional steps to stem the precipitous decline in oil prices if the market does not react to Friday’s production cut, Iran’s OPEC governor said.

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran opened an international aviation fair on the Persian Gulf island of Kish on Tuesday.