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Attempt to Refloat Ship Blocking Suez Canal Fails

An attempt Friday to refloat a giant container ship blocking Egypt's Suez Canal has failed, the vessel's managers said. 

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Egypt Passenger Trains Collide Killing 32

At least 32 people were killed and 66 injured Friday when two passenger trains collided in southern Egypt, the health ministry said, the latest deadly rail accident to hit the country.

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Tugs and Dredgers Try to Free Megaship Blocking Suez Canal

Tugboats and dredgers were working Friday to free a giant container ship blocking Egypt's Suez Canal for a fourth day, forcing companies to re-route services from the vital shipping lane around Africa.

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Saudi Reports Fire at Oil Terminal as Huthis Escalate Attacks

A projectile attack sparked a fire at an oil terminal in southern Saudi Arabia, the country's energy ministry said Friday, on the sixth anniversary of a Riyadh-led military intervention in Yemen.

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Pro-Ankara Syrian Militia in Libya Starting to Withdraw

Pro-Ankara Syrian militia deployed in Libya have started to withdraw, a French diplomatic source said on Thursday, describing the move as "encouraging".

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Saudi Official Denies Death Threat Made to UN Investigator

A Saudi official on Thursday denied he threatened UN investigator Agnes Callamard following her probe into journalist Jamal Khashoggi's 2018 murder, after the United Nations confirmed she was issued a death threat.

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European Diplomats Visit Libya in Show of Support for Unity Govt

The foreign ministers of France, Germany and Italy were in Tripoli to meet their Libyan counterpart Thursday in a show of support for the war-torn country's newly formed unity government.

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Half of Israelis Fully Vaccinated, Palestinians Lag

More than half of Israel's 9.2 million people have received both doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine against Covid-19, the health ministry said Thursday. 

With more than 4.6 million residents vaccinated, Israel continues its world-beating campaign that sent infection rates plummeting and allowed for some limited loosening of restrictions. 

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Suez Canal Suspends Traffic as Bid to Refloat Grounded Ship Hits Trouble

The owners of a giant container vessel blocking the Suez Canal said Thursday they were facing "extreme difficulty" refloating it, prompting Egypt to suspend navigation through one of the world's busiest shipping lanes. 

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U.N. Chief Calls Anew for Foreign 'Elements' to Leave Libya

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres "remains deeply concerned" that "foreign elements" continue to operate in Libya, he wrote in a report to the Security Council. 

The document, obtained by AFP and discussed Wednesday by Council members, notes some mercenaries have withdrawn, but considers the amount insufficient.

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