KABUL, Afghanistan — With criticism of the war in Afghanistan increasing on both sides of the Atlantic, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday that European governments needed to convince their people that sending troops to Afghanistan — and keeping them there — should remain a priority for NATO.

OTTAWA  — Canadian troops fired more than 4.7 million bullets at insurgents over the last 20 months in Afghanistan, according to new statistics released by the military.

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and the top U.S. commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan yesterday issued a blunt assessment of the alliance’s shortcomings in that country, arguing that the unwillingness of some member states to risk combat casualties is threatening NATO’s future and undermining the prosecution of the Afghan …

TEHRAN (FNA) – Iran’s Customs Governor Hashem Rahbar, who is in Tashkent for an official visit, discussed ways of promoting mutual cooperation with his Uzbek counterpart Sadrkhan Naserev.

TEHRAN (FNA) – Five renovation and development projects were inaugurated Tuesday at Esfahan’s Martyr Beheshti Airport using a budget of around USD6mln.

TEHRAN (FNA) – The Iranian Consul General in Hong Kong, Abdullah Nekounam, advocates the development of inter-cultural cooperation with the Chinese.

TEHRAN (FNA) – Iran’s Persian Gulf Arab neighbors such as Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates are helping shield Tehran’s banking system from Washington’s “financial terrorism”, the governor of Iran’s central bank said on Tuesday.

TEHRAN (FNA) – Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said a proposal he made in 2005 for an international consortium to enrich uranium inside his country is no more on the table.

TEHRAN (FNA) – Iran inaugurated a production line of advanced radar and electronic war equipment in Shiraz, south of Iran on Tuesday.

TEHRAN (FNA) – Tehran said New Delhi should have considered the launch of an Israeli spy satellite from a political standpoint and not take into account only commercial interests, reminding that the Zionist regime and the US strive to drive a wedge between Iran and its friends.