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Burkina Faso's New Civilian Leader Due to Take Power, Alongside Army

Pakistan on Friday said it has lodged a protest through diplomatic channels with India over the killing of a soldier in the disputed Kashmir region.

The military on Thursday said the soldier had died in fresh firing from Indian troops along the area's de facto border in the evening.

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Libya Journalist Sentenced to 5 Years Jail for Defamation

A Tripoli court has sentenced a Libyan journalist to five years in jail and slapped him with a hefty fine for defamation and insulting the judiciary, his lawyer said Friday.

Amara Abdallah al-Khitabi, 68, editor-in-chief of the private Al-Umma newspaper, was sentenced in absentia after publishing an online list of the names of 87 judges and prosecutors he claimed were corrupt.

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U.N. Airlifts Winter Aid to Desperate Iraqis

The U.N. said Friday it had begun airlifting tent isolation kits into Iraq to help some of the around two million people displaced in the conflict-torn country get through the harsh winter.

The United Nations' refugee agency said the first of seven planned flights from Pakistan had touched down in Erbil in the northern Kurdish region late Thursday.

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Nidaa Tounes Takes 86 Seats in Final Tunisia Vote Count

Tunisia's secular Nidaa Tounes party won 86 seats in last month's parliamentary election, knocking moderate Islamists Ennahda into second place with 69 seats, according to definitive official results published Friday.

The final Nidaa Tounes figure was up one on the 85 seats provisionally tallied following the October 26 poll.

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Israel Eases Al-Aqsa Restrictions for Second Week

Israel eased age restrictions for Friday prayers at Jerusalem's flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque for a second straight week, allowing tens of thousands to attend despite high tensions following a wave of violence.

Police were out in force to prevent a repeat of clashes, led by young Palestinians, that have rocked the Holy City for months.

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Jordan Arrests Brotherhood Deputy for Criticizing UAE

Jordan has arrested the deputy leader of the country's Muslim Brotherhood after he criticized the United Arab Emirates for classifying the movement as a "terrorist organization", a judicial source said Friday.

Zaki Bani Rsheid was summoned late Thursday for questioning by the state security prosecutor who later ordered his detention for 15 days, which could be extended.

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Qaida Vows Fierce Attacks on Yemen Shiite Militiamen

The Al-Qaida military chief in Yemen has vowed to launch fierce attacks against Shiite Huthi militiamen sweeping across the country, in an audio message posted Friday on jihadist websites.

"To the Huthis we say: brace yourselves for horrors that will make the hair of children turn white," said Qassem al-Rimi, the military chief of Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula.

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IS Executes Two for Alleged Cooperation with Iraq Forces

Gunmen from the Islamic State jihadist group on Friday publicly executed two young men for allegedly cooperating with Iraqi security forces, officials and witnesses said.

The killings were carried out in the middle of the crowded main market in the Zab area of Kirkuk province.

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Jihadists Launch Major Attack on Iraq's Ramadi

The Islamic State group launched a major attack on the Iraqi city of Ramadi Friday, attempting to seize one of the last urban pockets under government control in troubled Anbar province.

Parts of Ramadi, the provincial capital, and all of Fallujah to its east, fell to anti-government forces in January.

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Bahrain Opposition Urges End to Power 'Monopoly'

Bahrain's Shiite opposition warned Friday ahead of elections that failure by the kingdom's Sunni rulers to loosen their grip on power could trigger a surge in violence.

The government of the key U.S. ally said that it was ready for a dialogue with the opposition, which is boycotting Saturday's legislative and municipal polls.

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