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At Least 63 Killed as Syria Violence Hits New Heights

Violence in Syria killed at least 63 people on Sunday, nearly half of them troops who died in clashes with rebels, as the bloodshed reached new heights, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

At least 16 soldiers were killed in the northern Aleppo province, while one died in an attack on his vehicle in neighboring Idlib province and the rest died in fighting elsewhere in Idlib and in the provinces of Damascus and Deir Ezzor in the east.

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Iran Urges ‘Restraint’ over Syria-Turkey Jet Crisis

Iran has urged Ankara and Damascus to show "restraint" over Syria's shooting down of a Turkish fighter jet, Iranian state media reported on Sunday.

Tehran "asks both sides to show calm and restraint, and hopes that with tact and tolerance and dialogue this issue will be evaluated and through a peaceful resolution, tranquility and stability will be preserved in the region," Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi was quoted as saying.

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Philippines Investigates Human Trafficking to Syria

The Philippines said Sunday that at least 14 immigration officers were under investigation for alleged involvement in the human trafficking of poor Filipinos to violence-torn Syria.

Immigration commissioner Ricardo David said his office was cooperating with a probe being carried out by a special government task force on trafficking, which could lead to criminal charges or the firing of officers.

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Demonstrators Battle Police in Tel Aviv Social Protest

Demonstrators battled police in central Tel Aviv on Saturday night in protest at what they said was excessive police use of force at a rally the previous night.

An Agence France Presse photographer saw several scuffles between police and protestors on Saturday and at least one demonstrator had a bloody face.

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Ban Raises 'Deep Concern' over Turkey-Syria Jet Tensions

U.N. leader Ban Ki-moon on Saturday raised his "deep concern" about the impact of Syria's shooting down of a Turkish fighter jet with Turkey's foreign minister, a spokesman said.

Ban expressed "his deep concern about the downed Turkish military jet and particularly about the potential serious implications of this incident for the region" in telephone talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky said.

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Ship with Syria Choppers back in Russian Waters

A Russian ship carrying a controversial cargo of attack helicopters that Moscow repaired for Syria has re-entered Russian waters after turning back off Britain, an official said on Saturday.

The Alaed, whose cargo has greatly troubled the West amid the spiraling conflict in Syria, is due to enter the Kola Gulf, which leads from the Barents Sea towards Russia's Arctic port of Murmansk, on Sunday morning.

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Red Cross Condemns Killing of Syria Volunteer

The International Committee of the Red Cross on Saturday condemned the killing of a Syrian Arab Red Crescent volunteer, in the fourth such incident in the country's deadly unrest.

Bashar al-Youssef, 23, was shot and fatally wounded on Friday in Deir al-Zour in eastern Syria, the two organizations said in a joint statement.

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Hamas Pledges Fresh Try at Truce with Israel

A leader of the ruling Hamas said Saturday the militant group had agreed to try anew an Egypt-brokered ceasefire with Israel, after six days of bloodshed in and around the Gaza Strip.

Hamas and "the Palestinian resistance factions will respect the truce as long as the (forces) of the occupation do the same and that's what we told our Egyptian brothers who demanded that we cease fire," Ayman Taha told Agence France Presse.

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SNC Chief Dismisses New Cabinet Line-Up as Sham

SNC chief Abdel Basset Sayda dismissed on Saturday the new line-up as a sham and charged that Syrian President Bashar Assad, whose family has ruled Syria for the past four decades, was incapable of bringing about any meaningful reform.

"The announcement of this government aims to give the impression that reforms have been brought in and that the only thing left was to form the government," Sayda told Agence France Presse by telephone in Beirut.

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Tensions Soar Ahead of Egypt Poll Result

Tensions soared in Egypt on Saturday a day before the result of a divisive presidential election and as the Muslim Brotherhood sparred with the ruling generals over what it sees as a military power grab.

The electoral commission overseeing the divisive contest between Brotherhood candidate Mohammed Mursi and former prime minister Ahmed Shafiq said it will announce the official winner on Sunday.

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