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Bahrain Court Adjourns Trial of 13 Activists

A Bahraini court on Tuesday adjourned for two weeks an appeals hearing for 13 dissidents, including Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, a prominent activist on a hunger strike, a judicial source said.

Eleven of the defendants appeared in court except for Khawaja, who is at a military hospital as he has refused food since February 8, and Mirza al-Mahroos, who was also admitted to hospital, the source told Agence France Presse.

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Militant Killed Planting Bomb in Yemen

A suspected member of al-Qaida was killed when a bomb he was trying to plant at a checkpoint run by a local militia in Yemen's restive Abyan province exploded, a tribal source said on Tuesday.

The explosion took place late on Monday in Mudia, one of only two towns in Abyan -- along with Loder -- that has not yet fallen under the control of the extremists.

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Iran Hails Syria Vote as Step towards Reform

Iran said on Tuesday parliamentary elections in Syria held by the regime of President Bashar Assad was a step towards reform, but expressed regret the vote was shunned by opposition groups.

Foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast told reporters in his weekly briefing that "the vote is the second step the Syrian government is taking in the path of reform," after Assad's promise of launching reforms.

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ICRC Appeals for 20 Million Euros for Syria

The International Committee of the Red Cross on Tuesday to step up its aid to Syria, where thousands have died in a 14-month bloody uprising against the regime.

The group, which has been working alongside the Syrian Arab Red Crescent to bring humanitarian relief to about 1.5 million people affected by the bloodshed, said it needed the extra $27 million to expand its efforts.

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Interpol Issues Red Notice for Arrest of Iraqi VP

Interpol said Tuesday it had issued an international Red Notice for the arrest of Iraq's fugitive Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi "on suspicion of guiding and financing terrorist attacks".

"The Red Notice for al-Hashemi represents a regional and international alert to all of Interpol's 190 member countries to seek their help in locating and arresting him," the Lyon-based international police agency said.

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Palestinian Negotiator Erakat Suffers Heart Attack

Veteran Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat has undergone an operation after suffering a heart attack on Tuesday, his wife and medical sources told Agence France Presse.

The 57-year-old "woke at dawn with chest pains and decided to go to the Palestine medical complex in Ramallah where he underwent medical tests," said his wife, Naama Erakat, referring to the city's main hospital.

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Syrian Observatory: Troops, Snipers Kill 3 Civilians

Syrian forces Tuesday swept through a village in Idlib province, firing shells and bursts of gunfire in which two civilians were killed, while another man was shot dead by snipers in Homs, a watchdog said.

The overnight military raid in al-Tamanaa village killed a man and a 50-year-old woman, the head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdel Rahman, told Agence France Presse.

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Netanyahu in Surprise Coalition Deal, Cancels Vote

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu struck a surprise deal with the opposition Kadima party on Tuesday, agreeing to form a national unity government and dropping plans for a snap election.

Under terms of the agreement, Shaul Mofaz, who took over leadership of the center-right Kadima party only six weeks ago, would become deputy prime minister as well as a minister without portfolio in the new cabinet, officials said.

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Ban: 'Race against Time' to Stop All-out Civil War in Syria

International powers are "in a race against time" to prevent all-out civil war in Syria, where the government could use the presence of ceasefire observers to prepare a new assault, U.N. leader Ban Ki-moon warned Monday.

Speaking ahead of a key U.N. Security Council meeting on Syria on Tuesday, Ban again condemned the "brutality" of President Bashar Assad's forces but said attacks by opposition groups have also "escalated."

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U.S. Says Syrian Election 'Borders on Ludicrous'

The United States said Monday Syria's parliamentary election "borders on ludicrous" as the regime of President Bashar Assad continues its violent crackdown on its people.

"It's not really possible to hold credible elections in a climate where basic human rights are being denied to the citizens and the government is continuing to carry out daily assaults ...on its own citizens," State Department deputy spokesman Mark Toner said.

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