Asia Minor ground squirrel over the first decade of the twenty-first century. In view of this decline the International Union for Conservation of Nature re-classified the Asia Minor ground squirrel as "Near Threatened" in the 2009 edition of the IUCN Red List; the species previously having been considered as of Least Concern. Asia Minor ground squirrels also have legal protection in the Republic of Turkey. Asia Minor ground squirrel The Asia Minor ground squirrel ("Spermophilus xanthoprymnus"), also known as Anatolian souslik, Anatolian ground squirrel, is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is found in Armenia, Iran, and Turkey. The scientific name
Little League World Series (Asia-Pacific and Middle East Region) Asia). In , the regions were reconfigured. Japan was given its own automatic berth in the Series, while the remaining Asian teams merged with the Pacific teams to create the Asia-Pacific Region. In , the region was reorganized as the Asia-Pacific and Middle East Region. Australia, now the fourth-largest country and the largest outside North America in Little League participation, received its own LLWS region. All Middle Eastern countries with Little League programs, except for Israel and Turkey, were placed in the former Asia-Pacific Region. Previously, the Middle East had formed a region with Africa, but that region was disbanded,