Samsun (Turkey), Feb 20 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Russia and Turkey officially opened the first railroad ferry link across the Black Sea Tuesday.

Tehran, Feb 13 (IANS) Iran is continuing the installation of new uranium enrichment centrifuges at the central Natanz facility, the country's nuclear head said Wednesday.

Tehran, Feb 13 (IANS) Iran will not hold exclusive talks with the US on the sidelines of the upcoming nuclear negotiations with world powers in Kazakhstan, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast has said.

Tehran, Feb 12 (IANS/RIA Novosti) The upcoming talks on Iran's nuclear programme will be dedicated to reconciling Russian and European proposals on the issue, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi has said.

Tehran, Feb 10 (IANS) Iran will not back down on its fundamental rights in the face of international pressure, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Sunday.

Tehran, Feb 8 (IANS/EFE) Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's top leader, has rejected any type of direct talks with the US under pressure a day after Washington announced new sanctions on the Islamic Republic.

Tehran, Feb 7 (IANS) Iran's state-run Press TV channel Thursday aired "decoded video recordings" which it said were obtained from a US RQ-170 stealth aircraft downed and captured by Tehran in December 2011.

Tehran, Feb 7 (IANS) Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Thursday rejected an offer of talks with the US on Tehran's nuclear programme, saying America was proposing talks while "pointing a gun at Iran".

Tehran, Feb 7 (IANS) Iran is planning to produce unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) in other countries, a media report said Thursday.

Istanbul, Feb 7 (IANS) The wife of the Swiss consul and head of chancery has been barred from leaving Turkey following an alleged hit-and-run accident in Istanbul, Xinhua reported.

Tehran, Feb 2 (IANS) Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Saturday unveiled a new indigenous fighter jet, media reports said.

Ankara, Feb 1 (IANS) American Ambassador to Turkey Francis Ricciardone has said Washington's close cooperation with Turkey will continue and Friday's bombing outside the US embassy here "will not affect Turkish-American relations".

Istanbul, Jan 23 (IANS) Dutch midfielder Wesley Sneijder signed a three-and-a-half-year deal with Turkish football club Galatasaray in a ceremony held here after being released from Italian club Inter Milan.

Ankara, Jan 21 (IANS) Dutch midfielder Wesley Sneijder has agreed to join Turkey's Galatasaray sport club from Italian giants Inter Milan, Turkish Daily News reported Monday, confirming that he would arrive at Istanbul for a medical examination.

Tehran, Jan 20 (IANS) Iran hanged two men in public Sunday morning for armed robbery, Xinhua reported.

Tehran, Jan 16 (IANS) Iran will send several monkeys into space on the Pishgam (Pioneer) space capsule in the near future, a top official has said.

Tehran, Jan 3 (IANS) Iran has unveiled its latest combat chopper Toufan II that features the country's "latest achievements in electronics, optics, laser and armament capabilities", state media reported.

Tehran, Dec 27 (IANS) Iran's Health and Medical Education Minister Marzieh Vahid-Dastjerdi - the Islamic republic's first woman minister - has been sacked by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, media reports said Thursday.

Tehran, Dec 27 (IANS) Iran said it has neutralized a cyber attack generated in America's Dallas city against the servers of the Iranian ministry of culture, the Prensa Latina news agency reported.

Tehran, Dec 24 (IANS/EFE) Iran has enough petroleum to last for 150 years, allowing it to be one of the world's main exporters of crude, Petroleum Minister Rostam Ghasemi told the Fars news agency Sunday.

Tehran, Dec 22 (IANS) The Iranian government has rejected a UN resolution on the human rights situation in the country, Xinhua reported Saturday.

Tehran, Dec 17 (IANS) Iran has denied any possibility of military attack against the country by the Western nations, Xinhua reported Monday.

Tehran, Dec 17 (IANS) Iran plans to send a living organism, probably a monkey, into space on board a satellite carrier in the near future, the state-run Press TV reported.

Istanbul, Dec 16 (IANS) Chinese Ye Shiwen claimed the women's 200-metre individual medley (IM) title at the 11th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) while American Ryan Lochte kept up his phenomenal form when he set a world record 50.71 seconds in the men's 100m IM semifinals.

Tehran, Dec 15 (IANS) Iran Saturday expressed condolences to families of victims of a shooting incident at an elementary school in the US state of Connecticut.

Ankara, Dec 7 (IANS) Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Friday though the UN did not receive any confirmed report of the Syrian government preparing to use chemical weapons, it would be "outrageous crime" if it did so.

Ankara, Dec 5 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Four people have died and at least 12 went missing after a cargo ship capsized in a storm off the Turkish coast, the coast guard said.

Ankara, Dec 4 (IANS) Inflamed gums, caused by severe periodontal disease, tripled chances of erectile dysfunction (ED) among men in their 30s, according to a Turkish study.

Ankara, Dec 4 (IANS/RIA Novosti) NATO military experts have selected sites for the deployment of at least three Patriot air defence systems along Turkey's border with Syria.

Tehran, Dec 2 (IANS) Iran will construct a power plant in Iraq to generate electricity for Shiite Muslim shrines in that country, Xinhua reported Sunday.

Ankara, Nov 27 (IANS/RIA Novosti) NATO officials will start surveying sites along the Turkey−Syria border Tuesday for possible deployment of Patriot air defence systems, the Turkish General Staff said in a statement.

Tehran, Nov 26 (IANS) Iran will unveil an indigenous missile−launching warship Nov 28, Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said Monday.

Ankara, Nov 26 (IANS) Turkey has dismissed Russian and Iranian concerns that the possible deployment of NATO missiles along the country's southern border with Syria would make the crisis more complicated.

Istanbul, Nov 24 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Russia has called on police in over 50 countries to join an operation it launched to combat child pornography on the internet.

Ankara, Nov 24 (IANS/RIA Novosti) The Syrian opposition coalition −−National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces (SNCROF) −− will soon open its office in Istanbul, according to Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.

Tehran, Nov 24 (IANS) Iran has said the deployment of NATO's Patriot missiles in Turkey near the Syrian border will only aggravate the prevailing Syrian crisis, according to Xinhua.

Ankara, Nov 24 (IANS) Turkey has said the possible deployment of NATO missiles along Turkey's southern border with Syria has defensive purpose only.

Tehran, Nov 20 (IANS) Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said that talks between the Syrian government and opposition forces were possible if the latter gives up armed conflicts, Press TV reported.

Ankara, Nov 16 (IANS) Turkey has a offered to hold talks with Israel to end the escalating crisis in Gaza despite persisting rift between the two nations, a media report said.

Tehran, Nov 13 (IANS) Iran has agreed upon building some oil reservoirs and refineries in Venezuela, Xinhua reported Monday.

Istanbul, Nov 11 (IANS) Kenyan male athletes swept medals of all hues at the Eurasia marathon held here Sunday.

Tehran, Nov 10 (IANS) Iran has confirmed having confronted a US drone in the Persian Gulf last week, Xinhua reported.

Tehran, Nov 10 (IANS) Iran has said the re-election of Barack Obama as the US president will not influence Tehran's nuclear programme, Xinhua reported.

Tehran, Nov 6 (IANS) Iran has said it will build a pipeline to facilitate exporting its oil products to Afghanistan, Xinhua reported.

Tehran, Nov 1 (IANS) Iran has said it will back Syria against any "foreign plots", Xinhua reported Thursday.

Istanbul, Oct 29 (IANS/RIA Novosti) The Russian women's tennis pair of Maria Kirilenko and Nadia Petrova won the WTA Championships after beating Czech duo Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka here in the final.

Istanbul, Oct 28 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Victoria Azarenka defeated China's Li Na at the $4.9 million WTA Championships here, a result that ensures the Belarusian holds the World No.1 spot at the end of the tennis season.

Istanbul, Oct 28 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Maria Sharapova upset World No.1 Victoria Azarenka in straight sets to book an encounter with Serena Williams in Sunday's WTA Championships final.

Istanbul, Oct 25 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Russia's Maria Sharapova advanced to the semifinals of the WTA Tour Championships here after coming back from a set down to beat Agnieszka Radwanska in a three-hour battle.

Istanbul, Oct 25 (IANS/RIA Novosti) World No.3 Serena Williams defeated China's Li Na in the second group match of the $4.9 million WTA Tour Championships here.