AFP: A tongue-in-cheek US birthday message to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad over Twitter may not have reached the intended recipient, but triggered a rebuke from someone else — Sarah Palin.
Palin, US State Department in Twitter duel
Suicide bombing kills 25 in Iraq’s Diyala province
Los Angeles Times: The nighttime attack targets a cafe popular with Shiite Kurds and may have been aimed at escalating religious and ethnic tensions in restive Diyala.
Iran ready for nuclear talks after Nov. 10
Reuters: Iran is ready to hold its first talks with world powers in more than a year about its disputed nuclear program any time after Nov. 10, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said Friday.
Singapore tightens trading rules with Iran, North Korea
Dow Jones: Singapore said Friday it will tighten its trading regime with North Korea and Iran in line with United Nations’ sanctions from November to curb “illicit diversions of strategic controlled goods.”
Arms shipment found in Nigeria loaded in Iran: firm
AFP: An illegal arms shipment including rockets and grenades discovered in Nigeria this week was loaded in Iran by an Iranian trader, the firm that operates the vessel that delivered it said on Friday.
Finland grants asylum to former Iranian diplomat
Reuters: A former senior diplomat at Iran’s embassy in Helsinki, who resigned and joined the opposition, said Thursday he had been granted political asylum by Finland only weeks after applying for it.
Azeri gas project unaffected by Iran sanctions-min
Reuters: Azerbaijan has so far seen no impact from European sanctions against Iran on its Shah Deniz gas project, in which Iranian state energy firm NIOC has a stake, a senior Azeri energy official said on Thursday.
Top Iranian reformist freed on bail: report
AFP: A top Iranian reformist from a banned political party was released on bail by the authorities on Thursday, two weeks after he was arrested, an opposition website reported.
U.S: Syria, Iran and Hezbollah undermine Lebanon
CNN: Syria, Iran and the militant group Hezbollah are undermining Lebanon’s independence and are endangering its stability, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said Thursday.
U.S. prepares new offer for Iran nuclear talks
Reuters: The United States and its European allies are preparing a new offer to Iran on a possible nuclear fuel swap that would include tougher conditions than those Tehran rejected last year, the U.S. State Department said on Thursday.
