Palestinian – Abduction: Two journalists for U.S. television network Fox News, who were kidnapped in the Gaza Strip two weeks ago, have been freed by their captors.
American correspondent Steve Centanni and New Zealand-born cameraman Olaf Wiig were released at midday (Sunday) and dropped off at a Gaza City hotel.
Centanni later spoke (to Fox news) about his ordeal, saying he and Wiig were treated roughly by the kidnappers, who hid them in a garage in Gaza with their hands tied behind their backs.
Centanni says both he and his colleague were forced at gunpoint to say they had converted to Islam.
Hours before their release, the kidnappers released a video of the two journalists, showing them reading prepared statements about converting to Islam and adopting Islamic names.
Israel – Palestinians: Israeli forces have killed two Hamas militants and wounded several Palestinians during an incursion into a Gaza City neighborhood that began Saturday.
The Israeli military says it killed the two militants in separate air strikes late Saturday and early this (Sunday) morning.
Also late Saturday, an Israeli air strike in Gaza City hit a car owned by the Reuters News Agency, injuring two Palestinian cameramen and several bystanders.
Reuters says the car was clearly marked as a media vehicle, and the two journalists were covering an Israeli incursion into eastern Gaza City. One of the men worked for Reuters, the other for a local television company.
Iraq: Iraqi police say a bomb planted on a minibus has exploded near a Baghdad hotel, killing at least five people and wounding 14 others.
Police say the blast occurred today (Sunday) on a street near an entrance to the Palestine Hotel.
Earlier, a car bomb exploded outside the offices of a state-run newspaper in northern Baghdad, killing two people and wounding 20 others.
The offices of the Al-Sabah ("The Morning") newspaper were partly damaged in the attack, which also destroyed more than 20 cars.
Insurgents in Iraq have frequently targeted journalists working for the Iraqi state media.
Iran Nuclear: Iran's top nuclear negotiator says producing nuclear fuel is a strategic goal for Tehran, despite international demands for Iran to suspend nuclear activities.
Ali Larijani was quoted on state radio today (Sunday) as saying any action taken to deprive Iran of its rights will not deter the country from pursuing its nuclear goals.
The U.N. Security Council has called on Iran to stop enriching uranium by August 31st or face possible sanctions. Enriched uranium can produce both nuclear reactor fuel and material for atomic bombs.
Iran's official news agency (IRNA) quotes Deputy Foreign Minister Reza Bagheri as rejecting a suspension of uranium enrichment, saying it is a "red line" that Tehran will never accept.
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