TBILISI (Reuters) – A leader of Georgia’s main opposition coalition said on Friday it was close to declaring a boycott of parliament in protest at an election it said was rigged to hand victory to President Mikheil Saakashvili’s party.

GAZA (Reuters) – Israeli troops killed five Palestinian militants on Friday during raids into the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, medical workers and a militant group said.

BEIJING (Reuters) – New Russian President Dmitry Medvedev arrives in Beijing on Friday, offering energy deals and military cooperation but seeking pledges of solidarity with resurgent China at a time when ties with the West are strained.

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran, OPEC’s second-largest oil producer, is using 20 tankers to collect and store crude, the vessel-tracking service PetroLogistics Ltd said.

TEHRAN (FNA)- Pakistan’s National Assembly Speaker Fehmida Mirza held talks on Sunday with Iran’s Guardians Council Chairman Ahmad Jannati on bilateral relations, regional security, and West’s misperceptions about Islam.

TEHRAN (FNA)- Ankara is set to take up a role in easing the process of talks between the world powers and Tehran over Iran’s nuclear issue, a source in the Turkish foreign ministry said.

TEHRAN (FNA)- Intelligence Minister Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejeii announced that Iran is likely to take the case of the Shiraz terrorist bombing to international organizations.

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran said on Tuesday it had agreed to a visit by EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana to submit an upgraded package of incentives aimed at persuading Tehran into giving up its NPT right of uranium enrichment.

TEHRAN (FNA)- Foreign investors are welcome to participate in both upstream and downstream projects of Iran’s petrochemical industry, Oil Minister Gholam Hossein Nozari said.

TEHRAN (FNA)- Basij (volunteer) forces are to start patrolling streets in urban areas across Iran to try to help police curb security threats, a Basij commander said on Tuesday.