Middle East

Iran seeks UNSC seat

IOL (Free subscription) | 2 hours ago

The 192-member UN General Assembly will soon stage its annual elections.

IRAQ: Police deployed to protect embattled Iraqi Christians

France24 (Free subscription) | 3 hours ago

Following an exodus of thousands of Christians fleeing a wave of killings, police have been deployed in the Iraqi city of Mosul, according to a government official. At least 11 people were killed in the worst violence against Christians since 2003.

FINANCIAL CRISIS: Gulf stocks follow global trend down

France24 (Free subscription) | 7 hours ago

Stock markets across the oil-rich Gulf states took a tumble, adding to growing global investor panic.

Back to Iraq is back

Back to Iraq (Free subscription) | yesterday

Huzzah. After weeks of wrangling, I was able to recreate the old style sheets that made B2I readable. Which is a good thing, as I plan to pick up the keyboard again. To bring you guys up to date, I’m currently at Stanford University for the John S. Knight Fellowship for Professional Journalists. Back to Iraq was, of course, a...

Iraq - Young journalist gunned down on Kirkuk street - 11.10.2008

Reporters sans frontières (Free subscription) | yesterday

Reporters Without Borders is outraged to learn that another journalist was murdered yesterday in the city of Kirkuk, 255 km north of Baghdad. Diyar Abbas Ahmed, who worked for a privately-owned local news agency, was gunned down near a hotel in the city centre.“This young journalist’s family and friends have to mourn another victim of the appalling bloodshed in Iraq,” Reporters Without Borders said....

TURKEY : Turkish air force bombs Kurdish targets in Iraq

France24 (Free subscription) | yesterday

Turkey launched airstrikes against Kurdish separatist PKK bases in northern Iraq late on Friday. The military claimed it hit 31 targets, following a deadly attack on Turkish security forces by PKK rebels on Oct. 3.

US forces arrest anti-Qaeda leader

IOL (Free subscription) | yesterday

American forces have arrested an anti-Qaeda leader working alongside them for allegedly making threats against local residents, the US military said.

MEDIA: Al Arabiya's website hacked by Shia

France24 (Free subscription) | yesterday

The website of the pan-Arabic channel Al-Arabiya was hacked Friday. Hackers threatened to shut down all the Sunni websites if "attacks against Shia sites continue."The Qatari TV channel created a temporary website.

Red Alert: The G-7 -- Geopolitics, Politics and the Financial Crisis

Back to Iraq (Free subscription) | 10/10/2008

I don’t know much about international finance, I’ll admit. So I’ll let Stratfor do the talking for me, below: The finance ministers of the G-7 countries are meeting in Washington. The first announcements on the meetings will come this weekend. It is not too extreme to say that the outcome of these meetings could redefine how the financial markets work,...

Israeli city hit by fresh clashes

BBC News (Free subscription) | 10/10/2008

Israel's PM-designate urges calm as police clash with Israeli protesters in Acre on the third day of violence between Jews and Arabs.

• Livni urges calm after Arabs, Jews clash in Israel - Reuters
• Livni urges calm after Arabs, Jews clash in Israel - San Diego Union

Credit crunch glee

BBC News (Free subscription) | 10/10/2008

Iran celebrates the global meltdown, but for how long?

Iraq Shi'as bury slain MP

IOL (Free subscription) | 10/10/2008

Mourners expressed their anger towards the US ahead of the burial of a radical member of parliament killed in a roadside bombing.

Exodus of Iraqi Christians from Mosul

The Earth Times Online Newspaper (Free subscription) | 10/10/2008

Baghdad - At least 50 Christian families fled the Northern Iraqi city of Mosul on Thursday after a wave of killings targeting the Iraqi minority, a security source said on Friday. Some 25 families fled Mosul on Wednesday followed by 50 families on T...

SYRIA - USA: Syria releases US journalists to embassy

France24 (Free subscription) | 10/10/2008

Two American journalists, Holli Chmela (left) and Taylor Luck, who were feared missing in Lebanon and later reported in custody in Syria for having illegally entered the country, were released into US custody in Damascus on Thursday.

Palestinian Territories - Conditional release for cameraman working for Hamas TV on West Bank - 9.10.2008

Reporters sans frontières (Free subscription) | 09/10/2008

Reporters Without Borders today condemned the hounding by the Palestinian Authority of Ossayd Amarneh, cameraman for al-Aqsa TV, owned by Islamist movement Hamas, who was released from jail yesterday but forced to sign a promise to stop working for the channel under threat of being returned to prison.Amarneh was arrested on 21 September 2008 after being summoned by the intelligence services of the...