Middle Orient

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.

At least 17 people been killed and 14 hurt by a car bomb on the outskirts of Syria’s capital, Damascus, reports say.

Turkish warplanes have attacked suspected Kurdish rebel targets in northern Iraq.The raids, late on Thursday, hit areas in the Qandil mountains. A spokesman for the PKK rebels said one of its members and two civilians were wounded.