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Saleh Vows to Return to Vote in Yemen’s Presidential Elections

Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh, in New York for medical treatment after agreeing to step down following months of protests, has vowed to return to vote in presidential polls, state media said.

Saleh told visitors that he would "participate" in the snap election on February 21, in which his deputy Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi is the sole candidate, Saba state news agency reported late on Tuesday.

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Army Chief Says Gadhafi Diehards Might Attack on Revolution Day

Diehard supporters of slain Moammar Gadhafi might carry out attacks on February 17, the anniversary of the uprising against the former Libyan strongman, Libya's army chief said on Wednesday.

"We should be careful. On February 17 there might be problems from loyalists of Gadhafi," Colonel Youssef al-Mangush told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting with the military attaches of foreign embassies in Tripoli.

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Lavrov Says Syrians should Decide Assad's Fate

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, back from talks with Syrian President Bashar Assad, pointedly declined to say Wednesday whether Moscow asked the embattled leader to go, stressing that Syrians themselves should decide his fate.

"Any outcome of national dialogue should be the result of agreement between the Syrians themselves and should be acceptable to all Syrians," Lavrov told reporters.

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Scores Killed as Syrian Regime Pounds Homs

Syrian forces pressed a relentless assault on the protest city of Homs Wednesday, with dozens of civilians reported killed.

The barrage of gunfire, mortars and shells was launched at daybreak and continued during the day. State television said a car bomb had ripped through the central city, killing and wounding civilians as well as security officers.

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Algeria to Hike Number of Parliamentary Seats

Algeria Tuesday said parliamentary seats would be increased from 389 to 462 in the general election to be held in May.

The decision was announced following a cabinet meeting headed by President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

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Russia U.N. Envoy Denies Threatening Qatar PM at U.N.

Russia's U.N. ambassador on Tuesday slammed efforts to "poison" relations between his country and the Arab world after Russia's veto of a U.N. Security Council resolution on the Syria crisis.

Ambassador Vitaly Churkin made the comments as he strongly rejected Arab internet reports that he had threatened the prime minister of Qatar during talks at the United Nations last week on Syria.

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U.S. 'Skeptical' of Assad's Promises to Lavrov

The United States on Tuesday voiced skepticism of promises by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to Russia's foreign minister and said that he should instead immediately end the violence.

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the United States would withhold judgment on Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's visit to Damascus but criticized Assad for making new pledges of domestic reforms.

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U.S. Trial Set for Iranian-American in Saudi Envoy Murder Plot

A U.S. judge Tuesday set an October 22 trial date for an Iranian-American accused of plotting with senior Tehran officials to hire Mexican gangsters to kill the Saudi ambassador to Washington.

Federal Judge John Keenan rejected a request for more time by the defense lawyer for Manssor Arbabsiar, a used car salesman from Texas with dual U.S.-Iranian citizenship.

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U.S. 'Exploring' Humanitarian Aid to Syria, McCain Calls for Arming FSA

Senior Republican senator John McCain urged the United States Tuesday to consider arming the opposition fighting the forces of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad.

"We should start considering all options, including arming the opposition. The blood-letting has got to stop," he told reporters.

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Report: Talks Ongoing to Free 49 Turkish Officers Held in Syria

Syria and Turkey are negotiating the conditions for the release of 49 detained Turkish intelligence officers, a radio station close to the government in Damascus said on Tuesday.

Sham FM said the officers had been detained while operating undercover, although there has been no word from Ankara on any such arrests.

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