Middle Orient

BAGHDAD (AP) — Sunni Arab insurgents on Saturday displayed the videotaped beheading of three men — alleged members of a Shiite death squad — signalling their determination to fight on despite the  death of Abu Mussab Zarqawi.

 The Iraqi prime minister has announced the killing of al-Qaeda chief in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.   Nuri al-Maliki announced the killing of Jordanian-born Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the head of an organisation known as al-Qaeda in the Land of Two Rivers, at a news conference in Baghdad broadcast live by Iraqi state and …

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi’s older brother says the family had anticipated the death of the al-Qaeda in Iraq leader for some time.

DAMASCUS (AP) — Syria’s state-run media on Saturday implicitly blamed the recent militant attack in Damascus on the United States, Israel and their supporters in the region.

AGADIR (Reuters) — A deal endorsed by EU ministers last week for Spanish and Portuguese trawlers to fish in Morocco’s Atlantic coastal waters has fuelled anger in Agadir, Morocco’s main fishing port.

BEIRUT — Every week, Lebanese tune into the TV programme “A Nation’s Smiles” for a dose of satire on their leaders. But when an actor in clerical robes and fake beard spoofed the leader of Hizbollah this week, mocking the group’s fight against Israel, it took only minutes for thousands …

BAGHDAD (AP) — A military investigation into allegations that American troops intentionally killed civilians in Ishaqi, a village north of Baghdad, has cleared them of misconduct, the US said — even though it acknowledged the deaths of up to 13 Iraqis in the March raid.

Gunmen shoot dead Russian embassy employee, kidnap 4 others  BAGHDAD (Reuters) — Gunmen shot dead a Russian embassy employee in Baghdad on Saturday, and a car bomb killed at least 28 people in Basra in one of the deadliest attacks the oil-rich city has seen since the US-led invasion in …

Emirati diplomat hostage released BAGHDAD (AP) — Car bombs targeting Shiite areas tear through a car dealership in southern Iraq and a bustling outdoor market north of Baghdad Tuesday as attacks nationwide killed 54 people and wounded 120 in the bloodiest day in recent weeks.

KHARTOUM (AFP) — Former southern Sudanese rebels met leaders of the ruling party in Khartoum on Saturday for the first time since a peace deal was signed last year to end Africa’s longest running war.