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Yemen Rebel Missile Shot Down near Mecca

Yemeni rebels have launched one of their longest-range strikes against Saudi Arabia, firing a ballistic missile that was shot down near the holy city of Mecca, the Saudi-led coalition fighting them said Friday.

The coalition has been carrying out a bombing campaign against the rebels since March last year and there have been rebel strikes towards the bases from which the coalition mounts air raids.

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Sisi Promises to Reexamine Protest Law

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has said the government will look into revising an anti-protest law and take recommendations on releasing jailed youths.

Sisi's comments came at the end of a two-day "youth conference" on Thursday, an effort to reach out to young Egyptians as the country braces for austerity reforms to salvage its battered economy.

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Under Pressure, Abbas Plans First Fatah Congress since 2009

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas's Fatah party aims to hold its first congress since 2009 by the end of this year, an official said, in what some analysts have called a bid by the 81-year-old to stave off rivals.

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Russia Denies Role in Bloody Strike on Syria School

Moscow on Thursday denied any involvement in bloody air strikes on a Syrian school as its relations with the West took another hit and the EU slapped more sanctions on its ally Damascus.

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EU Approves New Syria Sanctions, Targets 10 Top Officials

The European Union on Thursday added 10 top Syrian officials to its sanctions blacklist for their role in the "violent repression" of the civilian population.

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Rebel Fire Kills 3 Aleppo School Children

At least three children were killed and 14 injured in a rebel rocket attack on a school in the government-held west of Aleppo city on Thursday, Syrian state media said.

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22 Children Killed in Air Raid on Syria School, Says UNICEF

Air strikes that hit a school in rebel-held Idlib province in northwest Syria killed 22 children and six teachers, the U.N. children's agency UNICEF said Wednesday.

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Erdogan Says Turkish Military Operation will Target Raqa

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday that the military operation supporting Syrian opposition fighters in northern Syria will target the IS-held city of Raqa.

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Two Yazidi Survivors of IS Group win Sakharov Prize

Two Yazidi women activists who escaped the Islamic State group in Iraq won the European Parliament's prestigious Sakharov human rights prize on Thursday, European sources told AFP.

The prize will be awarded to Nadia Murad and Lamia Haji Bashar during a session of the assembly in Strasbourg, France, the sources said shortly before the official announcement.

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EU Training Libyan Coast Guard to Curb Migrant Flows

The European Union has begun training the Libyan coast guard as part of efforts to curb the growing influx of irregular migrants from North Africa, EU foreign affairs head Federica Mogherini said Thursday.

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