Middle Orient News

TEHRAN (FNA)- Syrian security forces were hunting Sunday for the culprits behind a car bombing that killed 17 people in the capital city of Damascus.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Four bombs killed at least 32 people and wounded scores in busy districts of Baghdad on Sunday as Iraqis shopped and broke their fast for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, police said.

MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) – Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki sought safeguards on Sunday for Christians and other minorities who have complained that they have lost guaranteed seats in provincial councils under a new election law.

GAZA (Reuters) – Hamas security forces released 35 members of the rival Fatah movement from prison on Sunday as a goodwill gesture to mark a Muslim holiday and bolster Egyptian reconciliation efforts, a Hamas official said.

Hopes of a Mid-East peace deal before the end of the Bush administration appear to have been quietly put aside by certain parties involved in the process.

At least 12 people have been killed and dozens more wounded in two car bombings in a western district of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, police have said.

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iraqi President Jalal Talabani will visit Tehran in the next few days to discuss bilateral cooperation with Iranian officials.

TEHRAN (FNA)- Thousands of Shiites rallied Friday against a proposed US-Iraqi security pact, while one of Iran’s most influential politicians urged Iraq’s government and religious leaders to block the deal.

TEHRAN (FNA)- A Hamas parliamentarian called for more “martyrdom operations” against Israelis in a bid to stop Israeli atrocities.

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki met with his Turkish counterpart Ali Babacan on the sidelines of the 63rd annual session of the UN General Assembly in New York.