Mr Madani, who said his release after six years was unconditional, proclaimed it as a good omen.

ECONOMIST: When we are 21

Tahir Jamil, former Chairman Ahmed Pur Sharqia Municipal Committee Mian Ilyas Ayaz and Director Museum Bahawalpur Hafiz Hussain Ahmed Madani.

UNESCO: Communication and Information

Would we be bedding in Gallabat, Al Qadarif, Wad Madani or Khartoum?

WSJ: Halfway: More Anxiety��but Plenty of Joy

Mr Malek-Madani has outlawed construction in seven of Tehran's 22 districts, and proposed that the ban be extended to a further nine.

ECONOMIST: In a tremor-prone country, flimsy homes cost lives

We spent the night in Wad Madani, on the Blue Nile, which flows from Ethiopia's Lake Tana to join the White Nile in the capital of Khartoum.

WSJ: A Father-Son Vacation in Sudan, Africa

The remaining Arab Idol contestants are: Faris Al Madani from Saudi Arabia, AbdelKarim Hmdan from Syria, Ahmed Jamal from Egypt, Farah Youssef from Syria, Ziad Khoury from Lebanon, Yosra Saouf from Morocco, and Salma Rachid from Morocco.

CNN: 'Arab Idol's' first contestant from Gaza grabs spotlight