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Gaza Rocket Hits Israeli House

A rocket fired from the Gaza Strip struck a house in southern Israel early on Friday, without causing any injuries, a police spokesman said.

"A rocket hit a house in the town of Sderot, causing damage to the roof. There were no injuries but a resident was hospitalized in a state of shock," said the spokesman, Luba Samri.

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Syria Opposition Wants No-Fly Zone, Corridors

The opposition Syrian National Council urged the U.N. Security Council to impose a no-fly zone and humanitarian corridors to protect civilians caught in Syria's conflict, in a statement issued ahead of a U.N. council meeting on Thursday.

The SNC, accusing the government of "crimes" and "barbaric acts," said a no-fly zone and corridors were essential to protect almost 2.5 million civilians displaced by the conflict or who had fled across the borders with Syria's neighbors.

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Britain, France Play Down Syria 'Safe Zone' Hopes

The British and French foreign ministers highlighted Thursday the major obstacles to creating safe zones for refugees from Syria's civil war, but said they are ruling out no measure yet.

Speaking ahead of a U.N. Security Council meeting on the growing humanitarian crisis, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius and Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague also announced greater aid for international relief efforts.

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Egypt's Shafiq Lashes Out at 'Political' Travel Ban

Former premier Ahmed Shafiq denounced on Thursday as "political" a travel ban which may lead to his arrest upon returning to Egypt, in remarks to the Abu Dhabi-based Arabic Skynews channel.

"This is a political decision that has no legal basis," Shafiq said in an interview conducted in Dubai, adding that he would not hesitate to return to Egypt when "it is necessary."

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UAE's Etihad Suspends Flights to Damascus

Etihad Airways, the UAE's national airline, said on Thursday it has suspended flights between Abu Dhabi and Damascus with immediate effect because of the deteriorating security situation in Syria.

"The decision, while not taken lightly, has been made due to the deteriorating security position in Syria," the airline said.

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Iraq PM to Present Syria Plan at Tehran Summit

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was to submit a plan to end Syria's conflict on Thursday based on a halt to violence and formation of a unity government that could include President Bashar Assad, his spokesman said.

Maliki was to outline the initiative, under which a Syrian regime figure would negotiate with opposition groups and elections take place under international and Arab League supervision, in a speech to the Non-Aligned summit in Tehran.

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U.N. Calls Israel Rachel Corrie Verdict 'Defeat for Justice'

A U.N. official Thursday condemned an Israeli court finding that cleared the army of any blame for the death of U.S. peace activist Rachel Corrie as "a defeat for justice and accountability."

Richard Falk, United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories, also called Tuesday's decision in a civil case brought by Corrie's family "a victory for impunity for the Israeli military."

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Amnesty Calls for Iraq Death Penalty Moratorium

Amnesty International called on Thursday for Iraq to issue a moratorium on its use of the death penalty and commute all death sentences after Baghdad said it had executed 26 people this week.

The executions, which brought to at least 96 the number of people executed this week, were a "significant and worrying increase compared to the previous year" when at least 68 people were executed, the London-based rights group said in a statement.

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Tunisia TV Head Turns Self in after Arrest Warrant

Sami Fehri, the head of TV channel Ettounsiya which aired a controversial satirical show, turned himself in to the Tunisian attorney general's office on Thursday under an arrest warrant, his lawyer told Agence France Presse.

"Sami just went to the attorney general," said Sonia Dahmani without giving details.

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Ahmadinejad, Morsi Stress Need to Solve Syria Crisis Diplomatically

Presidents Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran and Egypt's Mohammed Morsi on Thursday discussed the Syrian conflict and their states' severed diplomatic ties in their first-ever bilateral meeting, an official said.

"They emphasized the need to solve the Syria crisis via diplomacy and to prevent foreign intervention," Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian told Iran's Arabic-language broadcaster Al-Alam.

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