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3 Killed in Syria as Troops Raid Daraa Villages

Syrian security forces reportedly killed three more civilians on Sunday as troops raided villages in the southern province of Daraa, cradle of the pro-democracy protests.

Activists had called for fresh protests on Sunday under the slogan: "It's your turn" -- a reference to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad -- hoping to force him out of power in the way Libyans ended the rule of Moammar Gadhafi.

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70% Voter Turnout in Tunisia in 1st Post-Revolution Polls

Tunisians formed snaking queues in the sun to vote in their first free election Sunday, basking in their status as democratic trail-blazers nine months after ousting a dictator and giving birth to the Arab Spring.

The Islamist Ennahda party was predicted to win the most votes but fall short of a majority in a new 217-member assembly that will rewrite the constitution and appoint a president to form a caretaker government.

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NTC: Gadhafi’s Body to be Handed to Extended Family

Libya's interim government will hand the body of slain despot Moammar Gadhafi to his relatives after consulting with them on the location of his burial, a senior government advisor said on Sunday.

"The decision has been taken to hand him over to his extended family, because none of his immediate family are present at this moment," Ahmed Jibril told Agence France Presse.

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British Embassy in Kuwait Resumes Services

The British embassy in Kuwait reopened its doors to the public Sunday following a temporary suspension of services in the wake of a heightened security threat, a mission spokeswoman said.

"The embassy has resumed all its public services," the spokeswoman told Agence France Presse. "(But) we still have increased security for precautionary measures."

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Assad Names New Governors as Anti-Regime Protests Mount

Syria's under-fire president Sunday appointed two new governors in flashpoint provinces that have seen staunch protests against his regime, as security forces reportedly killed two more civilians.

State television said President Bashar al-Assad named new governors for the northwestern province of Idlib and for the Damascus governorate, both of which have seen massive anti-regime demonstrations over the past seven months.

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Two Spaniards, Italian Kidnapped from Algeria Camp

Suspected Islamist militants kidnapped two Spaniards and an Italian working at a refugee camp in western Algeria early Sunday, officials and security sources said.

A colleague of one of the Spanish hostages said over Spanish radio that "several gunshots were heard" and two people were wounded during the kidnapping from the Rabuni camp near Tindouf, mainly inhabited by Sahrawi refugees from Western Sahara who seek greater autonomy.

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Britain: Libyan NTC 'Stained' by Gadhafi Killing

Britain's new Defense Secretary Philip Hammond said Sunday that the reputation of Libya's new leaders had been "stained" by the killing of ousted dictator Moammar Gadhafi.

Hammond said he would like to see an investigation into the death of Gadhafi, who was captured alive during the fall of his hometown Sirte on Thursday.

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Barak: Israel Needs New Rules for Prisoner Swaps

Israel must set new rules governing prisoner exchanges such as the one implemented to secure soldier Gilad Shalit's release, Israel's defense minister Ehud Barak said on Sunday.

"I'm happy about the deal on the exchange for Gilad Shalit, but we must set new rules," he told the free daily newspaper Israel Hayom.

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Polls Open in Tunisia's 1st Post-revolution Elections

Polls opened at 07:00 am (0600 GMT) Sunday in Tunisia's first-ever free elections, nine months after the surprise toppling of strongman Zine el Abidine Ben Ali in a popular revolt, Agence France Presse reporters witnessed.

Some 7.2 million people are eligible to elect a 217-member assembly that will write a new constitution after decades of autocratic government under Ben Ali, whose ousting sparked the Arab Spring.

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11 Killed in Syria as Tehran Ups Pressure on Damascus

Syria's military clampdown on protest hubs, and skirmishes pitting soldiers against armed gunmen, believed to be defectors, killed at least 11 people dead on Saturday, activists said.

Meanwhile, Iran, Syria's key ally, took a tougher stance against the regime of President Bashar Assad, openly condemning its crackdown on dissent that has left more than 3,000 people dead, most of them civilians, according to the United Nations.

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