TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad left Tehran Wednesday for Tajikistan to attend a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani, who starred in a Hollywood movie, has left for the United States, a colleague said Tuesday, denying reports that she faced a travel ban.

TEHRAN (FNA)- Senior government officials from Iran and Nigeria Tuesday opened the two countries’ third joint economic commission meeting in the Nigerian capital Abuja in an effort to bolster mutual ties and cooperation.

TEHRAN (FNA)- Turkish National Education Minister Huseyin Celik arrived in Tehran on Tuesday to discuss bolstering of educational and cultural relations between the two countries.

TEHRAN (FNA)- The government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Tuesday it has boosted spending to promote the Muslim holy book the Koran and revive revolutionary ideals in Iran.

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia will face increased Western pressure on Wednesday when a senior British official flies to Ukraine to build a coalition to counter Russia’s conflict with ex-Soviet Georgia.

SHEWA, Afghanistan (Reuters) – A Japanese aid worker kidnapped in eastern Afghanistan was found dead, the governor of Nangarhar province said on Wednesday.

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – Pakistani rivals stepped up their campaign for next week’s presidential election on Wednesday as political uncertainty deepened by a split in the ruling coalition drove stocks lower.

KARACHI (Reuters) – Pakistani stocks fell over 4 percent in early trade on Wednesday to their lowest level in more than two years as investors sold blue chips such as OGDC amid persistent political uncertainty in the country.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) – The United States asked Iraq for permission to maintain a troop presence there to 2015, but U.S. and Iraqi negotiators agreed to limit their authorization to 2011, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said.