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Saudi Executes Man for Attempt to Kill Security Forces

Saudi Arabia on Monday executed a man convicted of trying to shoot dead security forces and weapons charges, with alleged links to figures accused of terrorist activities, state media reported.

He was executed in Dammam in the Eastern Province, which has seen bouts of unrest since 2011 when mostly Muslim Shiite protesters emboldened by the Arab Spring uprisings took to the streets.

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American B-1B Bomber Flies over Mideast amid Iran Tensions

The U.S. Air Force said it flew a B-1B strategic bomber over key maritime chokepoints in the Mideast with allies including Israel amid ongoing tensions with Iran as its nuclear deal with world powers remains in tatters.

The B-1B Lancer bomber flew Saturday over the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20% of all oil traded passes. It also flew over the Red Sea, its narrow Bab el-Mandeb Strait and Egypt's Suez Canal.

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Houthi Missiles Kill at Least 10 Civilians

At least 10 civilians were killed and 25 wounded when two ballistic missiles from Yemen's Houthi rebels stuck a religious educational facility in the central province of Marib, officials said Monday.

The missiles hit Dar al-Hadith - a religious school and a mosque - in the residential neighborhood of al-Aumd late Sunday and the casualties included women and children, they said.

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Three Rockets Hit near Baghdad Green Zone

Three rockets on Sunday hit a Baghdad neighborhood near the high-security Green Zone where the U.S. embassy is located without causing any casualties, an Iraqi security official said.

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Israel Missile Wounds Two Soldiers near Damascus

An Israeli missile strike wounded two Syrian soldiers near Damascus on Saturday, the official SANA news agency reported after explosions were heard in the Syrian capital.

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Tunisian Lawmaker Faces Sexual Harassment Hearing

A landmark case that helped galvanize Tunisia's #MeToo movement reached court this week, involving a legislator charged with sexual harassment and public indecency.

Feminist activists held a small protest outside the courthouse, shouting chants and waving placards that read "My body is not a public space." The activists sported T-shirts and badges bearing the hashtag of their movement #EnaZeda, #MeToo in Tunisian dialect.

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Renovations Offer New View of Ancient West Bank Mosaic

Tourists are being offered a new glimpse at one of the largest ancient mosaics in the Middle East after renovations undertaken by the Palestinian Authority were unveiled this week.

The 930-square-meter (10,000-square foot) stone mosaic, with intricate geometric patterns, is part of what's known as Hisham's Palace. It was built during the reign of the Umayyads, the first hereditary Muslim dynasty, which ruled from Damascus. The palace was the winter resort of Caliph Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik, who ruled from A.D. 724 to 743.

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Twelve European States Call on Israel to Halt Plan for 3,000 West Bank Settler Homes

A group of 12 European countries on Thursday urged Israel to scrap plans for the construction of more than 3,000 settler homes in the occupied West Bank.

A day after the U.S. criticized the plan, France, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Norway, the Netherlands, Poland and Sweden said in a joint statement that Israel should "immediately" reverse its decision to build the settlements.

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Israeli Military Court Convicts French-Israeli Settler's Killer

An Israeli military court has convicted a Palestinian man of the December killing of a French-Israeli citizen in the north of the occupied West Bank. 

Esther Horgen, a 52-year-old mother of six, had gone out jogging but did not return and was found dead in a forest near the Tal Menashe settlement in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territory. 

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Algerian Gas to Spain Will Bypass Morocco

Algeria will from now on deliver its natural gas to Spain exclusively through an undersea pipeline, ministers from both countries have reportedly said, after Algiers abandoned use of a line through Morocco.

In August Algeria cut diplomatic ties with its Maghreb neighbor Morocco which it accused of "hostile actions." 

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