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Morsi: New Egypt Charter Guarantees Equality

Egypt's President Mohammed Morsi on Saturday said a disputed new constitution guaranteed equality for all Egyptians, and downplayed the country's economic woes in an address before a newly empowered senate.

Egyptians voted in a December referendum in favor of the charter, which was rushed through by an Islamist-dominated council amid political turmoil and became the focus of the country's worst crisis since Morsi's election in June.

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Russia Sees no Chance of Assad Stepping Down

Russia acknowledged on Saturday that Syrian President Bashar Assad will not be persuaded to quit but insisted there is still a chance of finding a political solution to the 21-month conflict.

International peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi warned Syria was facing a choice between "hell or the political process" after talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on his end-of-year bid to accelerate moves to halt a conflict that monitors say has now killed more than 45,000 people.

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Arabi: U.S. Should Play Proactive Role in Mideast

Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi on Saturday called on U.S. President Barack Obama to be proactive in ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in his forthcoming term.

"We hope that the new American administration adopts a policy of conflict resolution rather than conflict management," Arabi said during a visit with Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohammed Kamel Amr to the West Bank headquarters of Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas.

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Gunmen Kill Yemeni Colonel

Unidentified gunmen shot dead an intelligence officer in south Yemen on Saturday, a security official said.

Lieutenant Colonel Mutei Baqatyan, a member of the state security apparatus in the city of Mukalla, was targeted by two gunmen on a motorbike, the security official told Agence France Presse, speaking on condition of anonymity.

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NGO: Assad Forces Take District of Syria's Homs

Forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar Assad on Saturday seized a district of the central city of Homs after a fierce assault that sparked a humanitarian crisis, a watchdog said.

"The army launched an offensive several days ago on the neighborhood of Deir Baalbeh with heavy bombing, and the fighting and attacks continued until the rebels withdrew," said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

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U.N. Chief to Chair Syria Donor Meeting

U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon will chair an international conference on January 30 to raise money for Syrian civilians caught up in the country's bloody civil war, the United Nations said Friday.

"The international community must do more to alleviate the suffering of millions of people in Syria and the neighboring countries," Ban said, according to a statement from his spokesman, Martin Nesirky.

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Gunmen Attack Yemen Oil Pipeline after Repairs

Gunmen attacked a key oil pipeline in Yemen's eastern province of Marib on Friday just hours after technicians repaired damage from previous sabotage, tribal sources and an engineer said.

"A team of technicians had managed to repair the oil pipeline in the afternoon, following mediation by tribal chiefs that allowed them access to the site," an engineer said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

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Hundreds Protest against Militias in Libya's Benghazi

Some 2,000 people rallied in Libya's second city Benghazi on Friday to demand that militias made up of former rebels who helped oust dictator Moammar Gadhafi disband and join the army or police.

"Our demands are: dissolve all militias and make their members individually enter the army or police force," activist and law student Bilal Bettamer said.

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Syria Opposition Chief Rejects Moscow Talks Invite

The head of Syria's mainstream opposition National Coalition on Friday rejected an invitation by Moscow for talks to find a solution to the 21-month-old conflict, accusing Russia of interference.

"We have said frankly that we will not go to Moscow," Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib told al-Jazeera television.

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Lieberman: Israeli-Palestinian Talks Only after Abbas Goes

The head of Israel's ultra-nationalist Yisrael Beitenu party, ex-foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman, lashed out Friday against Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, saying new peace talks would be possible only if he leaves office.

"Only after his disappearance from the leadership of the Palestinian Authority will it be possible to renew the diplomatic process," Haaretz daily's website quoted him as saying in a statement.

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