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Palestinians Ink Unity Deal in Cairo

Palestinian factions gathered in Cairo on Tuesday signed a reconciliation deal that will pave the way for elections within a year and seeks to end the divide between Gaza and the West Bank.

Representatives of 13 factions, including Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party and its rival Hamas, as well as independent political figures, inked the deal following talks with Egyptian officials.

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Tehran-Cairo Mend Ties

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi has discussed "bilateral ties" and the Palestinian issue with his Egyptian counterpart, Iran's English-language Press TV reported on Tuesday.

Salehi and Nabil al-Arabi discussed "latest developments in bilateral ties" during a telephone conversation on Monday night, in the first direct contact following a thaw in Tehran-Cairo relations, the channel said on its website.

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Opposition Says Bahrain Authorities Arrested 2 Shiite ex-MPs

Bahraini authorities have arrested two former MPs from the al-Wefaq Shiite main opposition group, in a continued crackdown on the kingdom's Shiite majority, a member of the organization told Agence France Presse on Tuesday.

Matar Matar and Jawad Fayruz were taken from their homes on Monday evening, former MP Hadi al-Mousawi told AFP.

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Hamas Condemns bin Laden Killing

Ismail Haniya, the head of the Hamas government in the Gaza Strip, on Monday condemned the killing of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden in a U.S. raid in Pakistan.

"We condemn any killing of a holy warrior or of a Muslim and Arab person and we ask God to bestow his mercy upon him," Haniya said during a meeting with journalists in Gaza.

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Syria Protesters Given Surrender Ultimatum

The authorities in Syria on Monday set a deadline of 15 days for people who had committed "unlawful acts" to give themselves up, as a wave of arrests was reported across the country.

The ultimatum came as activists planned fresh anti-government demonstrations following the deaths of dozens of people in weekend protests.

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France Says Syrian Regime Will Fall if Repression Continues

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said Monday that Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime will fall if it continues its bloody repression of demonstrations.

"If the regime perseveres down this path (of repression), it will fall, one day or another, but it will fall," Juppe told Europe 1 radio.

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GCC Chief to Return to Yemen to Renew Mediation

Gulf states said on Sunday they are to renew efforts to end a deadly political crisis in Yemen, after the opposition accused President Ali Abdullah Saleh of having torpedoed their bid at the weekend.

The Gulf Cooperation Council "hopes to remove all the obstacles still standing in the path of achieving a final agreement," the six-nation grouping of Yemen's oil-rich Arab neighbors said after a meeting in Riyadh.

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Egypt Calls on U.S. to Recognize Palestinian State

Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil al-Arabi on Sunday called on the United States to recognize a Palestinian state, as rival Palestinian factions prepare to sign a reconciliation accord in Cairo.

Arabi urged visiting U.S. Congressman Steve Chabot to "press Congress and the American administration to recognize a Palestinian state."

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London Expels Libyan Envoy after British, Italian Missions Torched

Britain expelled the Libyan ambassador Sunday following attacks on the British and Italian embassies in Tripoli, saying Moammar Gadhafi's regime had failed in its duty to protect diplomatic missions.

Protesters set fire to the buildings, which are on the same street in central Tripoli, early on Sunday, Agence France Presse reported, adding that the mob at the Italian embassy ripped down the Italian flag and threw it into the street.

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Egypt Military Warns Against Sectarian Strife

Egypt's military rulers warned on Sunday of strong measures against anyone inciting sectarian strife, in a bid to ease tensions between Muslims and Christians.

The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, which took power after president Hosni Mubarak's ouster in February, said it was "exerting all efforts to end sectarian disagreements on the Egyptian street to protect this nation."

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