Middle Orient

BAGHDAD (Reuters) — Iraq’s leaders stepped back from the brink of a political crisis on Sunday in the hope of preventing a dispute over local control of oilfields erupting into all-out sectarian civil war.

RAMALLAH — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh are set to resume negotiations over forming a unity government this week, as Hamas signalled that a deal could be struck.

BEIRUT (AP) — An anti-Syrian Christian leader dismissed Hizbollah’s victory in its war with Israel as thousands of his supporters rallied Sunday in a show of strength that highlighted Lebanon’s sharp divisions.

SANAA (AP) — Yemen’s president on Sunday acknowledged “mistakes” in elections which gave him more than 77 per cent of the vote, but stood by his victory and thanked the opposition giving him his first real challenge in 28 years at power.

WASHINGTON (AFP) — President George W. Bush on Saturday named a delegation of corporate leaders to visit Lebanon and explore ways of helping the country rebuild following the devastating monthlong war between Israel and Hizbollah.

KUWAIT CITY (AFP) — Kuwaiti authorities have decided to step up measures to monitor fund-raising by Islamic charities during the Holy Month of Ramadan, to prevent funds from being illegally diverted to some groups.

TEHRAN (Fars News Agency)- Pope Benedict tried on Sunday to calm Muslim anger at his remarks on Islam, saying he was “deeply sorry” about the reaction and that medieval quotes he used on holy war did not reflect his personal views.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) — Bombs killed 30 people in a police recruitment centre in central Iraq and in a popular market in the north on Monday, as politicians wrangled over a federation bill some fear could unleash sectarian civil war.

THE CRISES IN Somalia and Sudan are pitting Arabs and African governments against each other, sharpening a centuries-old continental divide.

GENEVA (AP) — UN Secretary General Kofi Annan urged the United Nations’ human rights watchdog on Monday to focus its attention on Sudan’s war-ravaged region of Darfur, even as Muslim states demanded the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) address the Pope’s recent comments on Islam and alleged Israeli rights violations.