IN BRIEF (Page 9)

Iraq

Cleric calls for the release of hunters

Iraq's top Shiite Muslim cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani called for the release of a group of Qatari hunters kidnapped in the south of the country, his representative said on Friday. A large group of unidentified armed men abducted at least 26 Qataris from their camp in the desert near the Saudi border this month. Hunters from rich Gulf states often make trips to Iraq's southern desert at this time of year in search of rare prey. The Houbara bustard, a large, fast bird, which lives throughout the Middle East has been hunted to the point of extinction in Qatar.