11 September 2012 Last updated at 10:53 ET

Israel profile

Tel Aviv is also known as the White City for its collection of more than 4,000 buildings in the Bauhaus style

Full name: State of Israel
Population: 7.6 million (UN, 2011)
Seat of government: Jerusalem, though most foreign embassies are in Tel Aviv
Area: Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics cites 22,072 sq km (8,522 sq miles), including Jerusalem and Golan
Major languages: Hebrew, Arabic
Major religions: Judaism, Islam, Christianity
Life expectancy: 80 years (men), 84 years (women) (UN)
Monetary unit: 1 new Israeli shekel (NIS) = 100 new agorot
Main exports: Computer software, military equipment, chemicals, agricultural products
GNI per capita: US $28,930 (World Bank, 2011)
Internet domain: .il
International dialling code: +972

Fresh violence kills eight in Iraq

Fresh outbreaks of violence in Iraq have left at least eight people dead, police say, hours after the worst day of sectarian violence in the country for months.