Middle Orient Press

BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Iraqi and U.S. forces now control virtually all of Iraq and Baghdad’s troops might be able to take on security responsibility for the whole country by the end of 2009, the top U.S. general in Iraq said on Monday.

(Reuters) – At least 13 people died and up to 100 were wounded on Sunday when two bombs exploded in a shopping district in Istanbul, on the eve of Constitutional Court hearings that could end with the closure of Turkey’s governing AK Party.

(Reuters) – Following are brief descriptions of the main protagonists in the Turkish court case in which the ruling AK Party is charged with Islamist activities: TAYYIP ERDOGAN, PRIME MINISTER

(Reuters) – Following are security developments in Iraq at 1045 GMT on Sunday. FALLUJA – A bomb wounded Zeki al-Mohammedi, a member of the Anbar provincial council and head of the Falluja branch of the Iraqi Islamic Party, and killed two of his bodyguards in Falluja, 50 km (30 miles) …

(Reuters) – A U.S. soldier was killed by an explosive charge rigged to a house while conducting operations in Diyala province, north of Baghdad on Tuesday, the U.S. military said on Wednesday. A U.S. Marine died on Sunday as a result of non-combat related incident in Anbar province, the U.S. …

(Reuters) – The U.S. military said on Wednesday the last of five extra combat brigades deployed to Iraq last year would complete its departure next week. That will leave 140,000 troops in Iraq. Following are facts about the so-called surge:

(Reuters) – Iraq raised for the first time this week the prospect of setting a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. forces as part of negotiations over a new security deal with Washington. Following are answers to questions about the issue:

(Reuters) – Lebanese leaders agreed on a unity government on Friday that gave Hezbollah and its allies a blocking minority as agreed under a deal that ended a paralyzing political conflict in the country. Here is a chronology of Lebanon in the last 20 months.

(Reuters) – A U.S. soldier was killed on Wednesday after his vehicle was struck by a grenade in Samarra, 100 km (62 miles) north of Baghdad, the U.S. military reported on Thursday. Another U.S. soldier was killed on July 8 in Baghdad when his patrol was struck by an improvised …

(Reuters) – Following are security developments in Iraq at 9:30 EDT on Monday: BAGHDAD – Five Iraqi appeals court judges escaped assassination attempts when bombs exploded outside their homes in eastern Baghdad, police and a judicial official said.