Monthly Archives: April 2009

MOSUL (Reuters) – Tensions between Kurds and Sunni Arabs are rising in Iraq’s volatile northern city of Mosul and the surrounding province following local elections in January which saw Sunni representation jump dramatically.…

After meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Iraqi Vice President Adel Abdul Mehdi said that oil group Total has a very good chance of winning contracts in Iraq. “Total has already worked in Iraq; it knows the oil fields in that country very well. Total has very good chances of getting good contracts in Iraq”,…

The Right Honourable Fouad Siniora MP Prime Minister of the Republic of Lebanon Brussels, 21st April 2009 Re: Armed assault against the Syriac Union of Lebanon Party Leader Mr. Ibrahim Mrad Dear Mr. Prime Minister, The leader of the Syriac Union of Lebanon Party Mr. Ibrahim Mrad was attacked by two armed…

By SINAN SALAHEDDIN – BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi leaders received Wednesday a highly anticipated U.N. report on proposals to ease ethnic rifts in oil-rich northern city of Kirkuk and other disputed areas, a U.N. spokesman said.…

Ankawa.com /Exclusive Baghdad The rector of the Mandean Baptist community of Iraq denounced the criminal attack on 19/April/2009 resulting killing of three of its members, Haitham Hamid Khudayer , Anas Haitham Hamid , Luay Asaad Hani , and injuring Asaad Hani and Firas Shaker Gulaim.…

Iraq’s President Jalal Talabani (left) speaks to reporters during his meeting with Massoud Barzani (right), president of the Kurdish regional government in Arbil, northern Iraq By Oxford Analytica Despite US and UN assistance, the status of Kirkuk remains deadlocked, and tension in the disputed city is rising.…

The Syriac Mor Gabriel Monastery A long-standing land dispute between the Syriacs of Midyat, a district in the southeastern province of Mardin, and the local village heads has finally turned into a legal battle attracting international attention. The disagreement has been closely monitored by the European Union for some time,…

Thousands who fled to Jordan, Syria remain fearful AMMAN, JORDAN — The global economic downturn and Iraqi government incentives have persuaded hundreds of refugees to return home, but they are still only a trickle among nearly 2 million Iraqis who fled abroad in the wake of the 2003 U.S. invasion.…

PARIS (AFP)–Iraq’s Vice President Adel Abdul Mahdi Wednesday urged Iraq’s Christian minority not to flee the country and called on the international community to help protect the Christians from extremists. According to Christian leaders, 250,000 of the 800,000 Christians who lived in Iraq six years ago before the invasion that ousted dictator Saddam Hussein have…

By LAITH HAMMOUDI McClatchy Newspapers BAGHDAD — Before 2003, Faiza Bunni would have left her house for church on Easter Sunday without covering her hair. But those were the old days, when she didn’t have to worry so much about standing out as a Christian.…

By Eric Young Christian Post Reporter Christians in Iraq were able to celebrate Easter with less fear than the year before thanks in part to improved security. As a precaution, Iraqi security forces closed roads to a number of churches, forcing parishioners to leave their cars far enough away to discourage would-be bombers.…

After years of difficulties this is the first Easter and Holy Week that is fully celebrated. In Baghdad Patriarch Delly urges the faithful not to let attacks stop them. In Mosul about 80 per cent of the Christian community is back in town. Iraqi President Jalal Talabani releases a message of best wishes for the…

To we cabin fever-frenzied Northlanders, almost any sign of spring is welcomed as a time of greening, blossoming and renewal. And while chocolate bunnies and marshmallow chicks are a fun aspect of Easter, to Christians the day marks the most important time on the religious calendar: when Jesus rose from the grave, miraculously, after dying…

By Diane Sommer Read Comments(1)Recommend Print this page E-mail this   A dark brown scarf is wrapped around Baneen’s head and neck to hide the scar on her throat. But there is nothing that can mask the torment and pain imprinted on her dark eyes, eyes that have witnessed atrocities most people cannot comprehend.…

Survivors Of Italy Quake Mark Religious Holiday, As Pope Urges End To War, Poverty (CBS/AP) Earthquake survivors across Italy sought comfort amid the tragedy that leveled their cities and killed hundreds of people, as they gathered…

VATICAN CITY (AFP) — Pope Benedict XVI sought to assuage the grief of Italy’s earthquake survivors during his Easter blessing on Sunday as Christians across the world celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Tens of thousands of pilgrims filled St Peter’s Square as Benedict — fresh from a…

(AFP) – Hundreds of Iraqi Christians gathered in Baghdad on Sunday to celebrate Easter, an occasion marked with thoughts of thousands of the religion’s followers who fled after the 2003 US-led invasion. Father Boutros Hadad, of the Church of Mary the Virgin in Baghdad’s Karrada district,…

It told of the Easter services planned for the first time in two years at one of Baghdad’s biggest churches after Iraqi Christians returned to homes they had deserted because of violence. Saints Peter and Paul Church closed in mid-2007 after insurgents and sectarian militias targeted Iraq’s 800,000-strong Christian community.…

By R.M. SCHNEIDERMAN Despite a recent spate of attacks, the United States will leave Iraq on schedule, the top American commander in Iraq said on Sunday. Appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Gen. Raymond T. Odierno said that he would continue to monitor the situation on the ground, but that overall violence in…

Pope Benedict XVI appealed for reconciliation and peace in Africa and the Middle East during his Easter blessing as Christians across the world celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Tens of thousands of pilgrims filled St Peter’s Square at the Vatican yesterday for the…