Atlantic Council

Iran's proposal for negotiations without pre-conditions aimed at resolving its nuclear stand-off with the West has been rejected by the six powers according to Iran's UN ambassador, Mohammad Khazaee. "The 5+1 Group has yet to provide its response to Iran's proposed package," he said, referring to a proposal for talks delivered in May to the five permanent members of the U.N.

U.S. troops have carried out a raid inside Syria along the Iraqi border, reports BBC. Eight people including four children were killed according to Syrian officials.

Israel will hold an early general election after the prime minister designate, Tzipi Livni, failed to broker a deal with the religious right and form a new coalition government , according to the Guardian. "I'm sick of this extortion.

The breakaway region of Abkhazia accused European Union monitors of ignoring "armed provocations" by Georgia along its boundaries, reports the International Herald Tribune.

The EU and Cuba have formally restored diplomatic relations, five years after the EU imposed sanctions against Havana following mass arrests of dissidents.

Highlighting a fall in sales of petrol and other refined fuels, U.S. light crude fell as low as $66.73 a barrel, its lowest point since June 2007, according to BBC. U.S. light crude finished the day's trading down $5.43 to $66.75.

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said it was surprised by comments made by German Minister of State Gernot Erler who cast doubt on the Ukrainian bid to join NATO and the European Union, reports RIA Novosti.

Ali Larijani, the speaker of Iran's parliament, has said Iran would prefer Barack Obama to be elected as the next U.S. president, according to Al Jazeera.

Russia plans to ask Ukraine to negotiate the terms on which its Black Sea Fleet may continue to be based in the Crimea after 2017, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told ITAR-TASS.

India launched the country's first mission to the moon Wednesday, reports BBC. The unmanned Chandrayaan 1 spacecraft blasted off smoothly from a launch pad in southern Andhra Pradesh to embark on a two-year mission of exploration.