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Inside the Middle East
April 30, 2009
Posted: 1239 GMT

Torture tape delays U.S.-UAE nuclear deal, say U.S. officials
WASHINGTON (CNN) - A videotape of a heinous torture session is delaying the ratification of a civil nuclear deal between the United Arab Emirates and the United States, senior U.S. officials familiar with the case said.

Generals held in Hariri killing walk free
BEIRUT, Lebanon (CNN) - Four generals held without charges since 2005 in connection with the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri were freed Wednesday on orders from the U.N. tribunal investigating the killing.

Dad of U.S. hunger striker in Iran questioned
TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) - The father of a U.S. journalist jailed for espionage in Iran said he was summoned to court Wednesday and questioned about his daughter's hunger strike.

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Filed under: CNN Coverage •Iran •Lebanon •UAE


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Posted: 923 GMT
GALI TIBBON/AFP/Getty Images. Jewish youths from communities across the world wave the Israeli national flag at the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City, marking Israel's 61st Independence Day on April 29, 2009. Israel today threw a huge birthday bash to celebrate 61 tumultuous years during which the Jewish state made great strides forward but failed to achieve peace with its neighbours.
GALI TIBBON/AFP/Getty Images. Jewish youths from communities across the world wave the Israeli national flag at the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City, marking Israel's 61st Independence Day on April 29, 2009. Israel today threw a huge birthday bash to celebrate 61 tumultuous years during which the Jewish state made great strides forward but failed to achieve peace with its neighbours.
GALI TIBBON/AFP/Getty Images. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) stands near his wife Sara (L) and President Shimon Peres (R) as they look up at Israeli Air Force fighter jets during a ceremony for outstanding soldiers, part of Independence Day celebrations, on April 29, 2009 in Jerusalem. Israelis marked Independence Day, celebrating the 61st year since the founding of the Jewish State in 1948.
GALI TIBBON/AFP/Getty Images. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) stands near his wife Sara (L) and President Shimon Peres (R) as they look up at Israeli Air Force fighter jets during a ceremony for outstanding soldiers, part of Independence Day celebrations, on April 29, 2009 in Jerusalem. Israelis marked Independence Day, celebrating the 61st year since the founding of the Jewish State in 1948.
AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP/Getty Images. An Arab-Israeli woman waves a Palestinian flag during a demonstrationg on April 29, 2009 to demand the right of return to the lands from which Palestinians were chased in 1948 on the site of al-Kafrayn, an Arab village among the more than 500 that were razed by Israeli forces at the time of the creation of the Jewish state. As Israel celebrated its 61st anniversary, the demonstrators marched through a small pine forest and the ruins of the village that was torn to the ground on April 19, 1948. Israel has 1.2 million Arab citizens, the descendants of the 160,000 who remained after the creation of the Jewish state while tens of thousands of others fled into exile.
AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP/Getty Images. An Arab-Israeli woman waves a Palestinian flag during a demonstrationg on April 29, 2009 to demand the right of return to the lands from which Palestinians were chased in 1948 on the site of al-Kafrayn, an Arab village among the more than 500 that were razed by Israeli forces at the time of the creation of the Jewish state. As Israel celebrated its 61st anniversary, the demonstrators marched through a small pine forest and the ruins of the village that was torn to the ground on April 19, 1948. Israel has 1.2 million Arab citizens, the descendants of the 160,000 who remained after the creation of the Jewish state while tens of thousands of others fled into exile.
AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP/Getty Images. Arab-Israeli youths, one of them waving a national Palestinian flag, ride horses during a demonstration on April 29, 2009 to demand the right of return to the lands from which they were chased in 1948 on the site of al-Kafrayn, an Arab village among the more than 500 that were razed by Israeli forces at the time of the creation of the Jewish state in 1948.
AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP/Getty Images. Arab-Israeli youths, one of them waving a national Palestinian flag, ride horses during a demonstration on April 29, 2009 to demand the right of return to the lands from which they were chased in 1948 on the site of al-Kafrayn, an Arab village among the more than 500 that were razed by Israeli forces at the time of the creation of the Jewish state in 1948.

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Filed under: Israel •Pictures


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April 29, 2009
Posted: 815 GMT

Yemeni troops free oil tanker; 11 pirates arrested
(CNN) - A Yemeni oil tanker hijacked in the Gulf of Aden was freed Monday and 11 Somali pirates were arrested, Yemen's official news agency said.

Iraqi leader: U.S. raid that killed 2 breached accord
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) - Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is accusing U.S. troops of violating the security agreement between the two countries after a raid in Wasit province Sunday that left two people dead, Iraqi State TV reported.

Attacks on Christians in Iraq leave 3 dead
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) - Two attacks on Christian families in the city of Kirkuk on Sunday evening left three people dead and two others wounded, police said.

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Filed under: CNN Coverage •Iraq •Yemen


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Posted: 811 GMT

CNN's Cal Perry walks us through the neighborhood of a holy shrine where suicide bombers killed 65 people.

Cal Perry goes back to the site of the first bombing. Click here to watch
Cal Perry goes back to the site of the first bombing. Click here to watch

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Filed under: CNN Coverage •Iraq •Video


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April 27, 2009
Posted: 1836 GMT

From Jomana Karadsheh
CNN

BAGHDAD, Iraq - As we walked down the road leading to the Kadhimiya shrine, workers were repairing shop windows shattered by the blast two days earlier. A small group of Iranian pilgrims stopped at the scene of the bombing to look at flowers, incense, and candy and even traces of a sacrificed sheep in honor of the dead at the modest memorial that has been set up for the victims.

Jomana Karadsheh/CNN. Iranian pilgrims look at the memorial
Jomana Karadsheh/CNN. Iranian pilgrims look at the memorial

On Friday two women in black abayas (robes) blew themselves up close to the Kadhimiya shrine in Baghdad as crowds of worshipers and pilgrims were gathering for Friday prayers. The shrine, which houses the mausoleums of two of the 12 Imams is one of the most sacred sites in Shiia Islam, and attracts thousands of Iraqi and Iranian pilgris every year. The attack killed 65 people, many of whom were Iranian pilgrims, and was described as a "massacre" by survivors.

The mood at the scene of the bombing was pensive. Shop owners stood outside their damaged businesses and speculated on who stood behind the attack. The conspiracy theory mills were in full swing. One man accused the U.S. army saying it was creating turmoil to stay in Iraq and delay its planned withdrawal. The U.S. army has been gradually pulling its troops out of urban areas ahead of the June 30th deadline.

Jomana Karadsheh/CNN
Jomana Karadsheh/CNN

Such bombings usually bare the hallmarks of al-Qaeda in Iraq, which has claimed responsibility for many recent bombings. According to US Military commanders, the group has been significantly weakened, but not fully defeated. Attacks like this one demonstrate AQI’s continued ability to carry out spectacular and deadly attacks in some of the capital's most protected areas.

Despite recent attacks, the men who stood in the shadow of the shrine's golden dome this Sunday, said they still had hope that Iraq would not be drawn back into the vicious cycle of retaliatory attacks and sectarian violence.

This time the bombers were tens of meters away and the shrine was not damaged. But the attack still reminded people of the bombing of the golden dome of the Samarra shrine in 2006 which unleashed a brutal sectarian war claiming the lives of tens of thousands of Iraqis.

As we wrapped up our shoot, I noticed a black banner mourning the victims and demanding that the government protect the Kadhimiya shrine. It was the government's inability to protect its people and holy sites from such attacks three years ago that pushed the militias to take security matters into their own hands. As the up-tick in violence underscores the fragility of the relative peace Iraq has enjoyed over the past year, Iraqis can only hope the government will do more this time to safeguard the country from a return to violence.

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Filed under: Iraq •Pictures


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Posted: 1124 GMT

Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, Zahi Hawass takes CNN's Ben Wedeman on a tour of his newest excavation.

Ben Wedeman reports. Click here to watch
Ben Wedeman reports. Click here to watch

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Filed under: Archaeology •CNN Coverage •Egypt •Video


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Posted: 1101 GMT

CNN's Cal Perry spends a day with Elie Saab. The now-famous Lebanese designer gives his thoughts on the global economy.

Cal Perry reports. Click here to watch
Cal Perry reports. Click here to watch

Filed under: CNN Coverage •Economic crisis •Lebanon


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April 23, 2009
Posted: 935 GMT

Palestinian filmmakers beat the odds to hit silver screen
LONDON, England (CNN) - When the 10th London Palestine Film Festival opens this week, Londoners will have greater access to films made in the Palestinian territories than many people living in the region.

Iran accuses Israeli leaders of war crimes

(CNN) - A conference of Islamic prosecutors in Iran worked Wednesday to draft an indictment against Israeli leaders, accusing them of crimes against humanity and war crimes in Gaza.

Iranian filmmaker urges release of American journalist
TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) - A well-known Iranian filmmaker has written an open letter calling for the release of journalist Roxana Saberi.

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Filed under: CNN Coverage •Iran •Israel •West Bank


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Posted: 929 GMT

CNN's Cal Perry explains how he tracked down Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey in Baghdad.

Cal Perry gives us a behind the scenes look. Click here to watch
Cal Perry gives us a behind the scenes look. Click here to watch

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Filed under: CNN Coverage •Iraq •Video


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Posted: 917 GMT

Israelis pay tribute to those who died in the Holocaust. CNN's Paula Hancocks reports from Jerusalem.

Paula Hancocks reports. Click here to watch
Paula Hancocks reports. Click here to watch

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Filed under: CNN Coverage •Israel •Video


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