Russia’s gas export monopoly Gazprom threatened on Tuesday to cut gas supplies to Ukraine by 25 percent from March 3 over arrears, two weeks after the two ex-Soviet states agreed on how to settle the problem.

BASRA, Iraq (Reuters) – British forces set up a checkpoint at a bridge outside Basra on Sunday, witnesses said, but a spokesman said they had no plans yet to retake Iraq’s second city, scene of a government crackdown on Shi’ite fighters.

 TEHRAN (FNA)- Five Iranian police officers were killed on Friday in a helicopter crash while monitoring holiday traffic flows in northwest Iran.

 TEHRAN (FNA)- Five former US secretaries of state advised the next presidential administration to conduct direct negotiations with Tehran.

 TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran Friday strongly condemned the anti-Islamic film made by Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders and warned of “consequences of such a provocative move.”

 TEHRAN (FNA)- Tehran’s provisional Friday Prayers leader Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati urged militants and government in Iraq to negotiate an end to their clashes that have cost dozens of lives in Iran’s war-torn neighbor.

 TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran’s presidential advisor and ambassador to Syria stressed the need for all Lebanese political wings and groups to endeavor to reach consensus.

 TEHRAN (FNA)- India’s Petroleum minister Murli Deora is likely to visit Pakistan in April to pursue India’s viewpoint on the much-debated $7.4 billion Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) gas pipeline project.

 TEHRAN (FNA)- Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Bolat Nurgaliyev on Thursday welcomed Iran’s bid for membership in the Organization.

 TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyed Mohammad Ali Hosseini on Friday dismissed the recent claims by US President George W Bush against Iran as “unjustified”.