Middle Orient

War on Gaza Pushes Oil Prices up

TEHRAN (FNA)- Oil prices surged nearly one dollar in Asia due to the war on Gaza and concerns over the Russia-Ukraine gas supply dispute. US light sweet oil for February delivery jumped 86 cents to 47.20 dollars a barrel on Monday, while London Brent gained 61 cents to reach 47.52 …

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Thousands protest in Europe at Gaza offensive

LONDON (Reuters) – Thousands of chanting, banner-waving demonstrators marched in cities across Europe on Saturday to demand a halt to Israeli bombing in the Gaza Strip. Protests were held in Britain, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Turkey as the Israeli offensive entered its second week, and …

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Maliki Hails Iran-Iraqi Developing Ties

TEHRAN (FNA)- Relations between Iraq and Iran are developing in a number of ways, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said during a visit to Iran. “The exchange of high ranking visits between the two country’s officials shows that the bilateral relations are developing in different areas,” Maliki said after a …

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Ahmadinejad Stresses Iran’s Support for Iraq

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that it was Iran’s duty to be by the side of Iraq. Ahmadinejad met here with visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Saturday evening. “Our Islamic and humanitarian duty requires us to be incessantly by the side of Iraqi people,” he said. …

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Egypt police hold Islamists ahead of Gaza protests

CAIRO (Reuters) – Egyptian police detained 20 members of the Muslim Brotherhood and deployed in force in the capital on Friday, ahead of demonstrations the Islamist group called to protest Israel’s offensive in Gaza. Hundreds of riot police and agents were deployed around key mosques in Cairo before the protest, …

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Britain hands control of Basra airport to Iraqis

LONDON (Reuters) – Britain has formally handed over responsibility for the running of Basra airport to Iraqi authorities, the Ministry of Defence said on Friday, a move that paves the way for Britain to withdraw from Iraq. The airport, on the outskirts of Iraq’s second largest city in the south …

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Iraq suicide bomber kills 23 at tribal lunch

BAGHDAD (Reuters) – A suicide bomber struck a lunch gathering of Sunni Arab tribal leaders on Friday in a town south of Baghdad, killing at least 23 people and wounding 42 others, security spokesman Major-General Qassim Moussawi said. The U.S. military said its initial reports said 21 were killed and …

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Lucky few leave as Gaza struggles on

GAZA (Reuters) – They boarded buses in the pre-dawn murk on Friday, lucky foreign passport holders allowed by Israel to escape from seven days of Israeli bombardment in the Gaza Strip. “The situation is very bad. We are afraid for our children,” said Ilona Hamdiya, a woman from Moldova married …

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Volunteers Seek to Defend Gaza

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian student groups have appealed to the government to authorize martyrdom-seeking volunteers to leave Iran and fight against Israel in response to the Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip. The government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had not responded to the call by Wednesday. Five student groups and a …

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Iraqi PM Due in Tehran on Saturday

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is due to arrive here in Tehran on Saturday heading a high-ranking economic delegation. The two-day trip is aimed at a discussion of bilateral ties of the two neighbors and their supreme council of economic cooperation. During his stay in Tehran, the Iraqi …

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