Tuesday, 31 January, 2006 , 15:25 AFP — Jailed Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan has formally asked to be retried in Turkey after the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled last year that his trial was unfair, one of his lawyers said Tuesday.

Tuesday, 31 January, 2006 , 13:27 AFP — Iraq's Kurdistan region, which has confirmed its first human death from bird flu, is facing an acute shortage of the vital drug to fight the disease, a medical official said Tuesday.

Monday, 30 January, 2006 , 12:45 AFP — Iraq confirmed on Monday its first case of bird flu, saying a teenage girl who died earlier this month in Kurdistan had succumbed to the deadly H5N1 virus.

Monday, 30 January, 2006 , 09:47 AFP — Iraq has called on the World Health Organisation to check the possible spread of avian flu in the country's Kurdish region where 12 people have been quarantined and a cull of birds is under way.

Sunday, 29 January, 2006 , 01:50 AFP — The trial of deposed Iraqi president Saddam Hussein on crimes against humanity was set to resume on Sunday with a new chief judge, amid growing concerns about the credibility of the court.

Saturday, 28 January, 2006 , 14:13 AFP — Iraq on Saturday was grappling with a new surge in hostage-taking a day before the resumption of the trial of Saddam Hussein, as the fate of at least nine foreign hostages remained uncertain.

Friday, 27 January, 2006 , 10:02 AFP — Turkish Kurdish rebels have released a Turkish policeman in northern Iraq after keeping him hostage for almost four months, human rights activists said Friday.

Thursday, 26 January, 2006 , 15:28 AFP — An Ankara prosecutor has charged two Kurdish former members of the Turkish parliament with praising jailed rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan, the Anatolia news agency reported Thursday.

Wednesday, 25 January, 2006 , 16:14 AFP — An Austrian sentenced to 25 years in prison for libel in Iraqi Kurdistan has been released, the Austrian foreign ministry said Wednesday in a statement.

Tuesday, 24 January, 2006 , 08:45 AFP — The trial of ousted Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein on charges of crimes against humanity was set to resume Tuesday with a new Kurdish judge presiding over the high-profile case.