Outgoing Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was on Monday summonsed to appear before the criminal court following a complaint lodged by parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani, the government website announced. The summons orders Ahmadinejad to appear before the court on November 26, website Dolat.ir said. It said the case arises from "a complaint lodged by Mr Ali Larijani" as well as by a parliamentary commission. "The charge is not specified in the notice," the statement said, without elaborating.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's eight years in power have isolated Iran internationally because of deep suspicions over its secretive nuclear programme and unwavering support for Syria's Bashar al-Assad, its closest regional ally, analysts say. After two consecutive four-year terms since first taking office in 2005, Ahmadinejad is now constitutionally barred from standing in Friday's presidential election.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's helicopter had to make an emergency landing in the northeast on Sunday after an unspecified "accident," the presidency reported, adding that he was unhurt. "The helicopter carrying Dr Ahmadinejad and a number of officials on Sunday had an accident, but the pilot managed to land the aircraft safely," the website president.ir reported. He had been en route to inaugurate a local project in a mountainous region of northeast Iran when the incident happened.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad embarked Sunday on a tour of the African states of Benin, Ghana and Niger, with energy deals high on the agenda, his office said. "During our trip to Benin, Niger and Ghana, we will try to not only consolidate ties, but also take long strides in boosting comprehensive ties," Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying before leaving Tehran. "Different memorandums of understanding in the fields of energy, commerce, culture, tourism and health will be signed," the Iranian leader said without giving any details on the deals.