Head of the Palestinian Self-Rule Authority Mahmoud Abbas has appointed two senior Fatah officials to start informal talks with Hamas movement, an informed source said on Sunday.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is due to start a five-day tour of three nations on Tuesday, which will take him to Afghanistan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan.

Iranian Industries and Mines Minister Ali-Reza Tahmasbi said farewells to his deputies this morning and left the ministry for good, although his recent resignation request has not yet been approved by President Ahmadinejad, an informed source said.

The 6 Sadri ministers of the Nuri al-Maliki’s administration who left the cabinet in April are likely to take up their posts once again after they reached an agreement with the other side yesterday, an Iraqi Mp said here on Sunday.

The Iranian movie ‘Those Three’ won the Network for Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC) Award in the 60th Locarno Film Festival.

A high-ranking political and trade delegation from the central province of Fars is scheduled to leave Iran on Wednesday on a tri-nation tour of Africa, Fars governor general said.

 Iraq’s Oil Minister Husayn al-Shahristani said the federal government will set production numbers, which will ensure it stays compliant with OPEC.

Iran has discovered new reserves of gas estimated at 11.4 trillion cubic feet of gas.

Iran and Nicaragua struck a trade deal which calls for Iran to improve Nicaragua’s infrastructure by constructing a port, houses and industrial sites in exchange for farm products like coffee, meat and bananas.

Iran and Iraq signed an agreement to build pipelines for the transfer of Iraqi crude oil and oil products, Iranian oil ministry said.