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Denmark Considers Libya’s Envoy ‘Persona Non Grata’

Denmark said Friday that it has given Libya's consul general five days to leave the country, declaring him unwelcome after he repeatedly voiced support for Moammar Gadhafi's recent conduct.

"I can confirm that we have told Libya's consul in Denmark that he is no longer wanted in the country and that he is persona non grata," Foreign Minister Lene Espersen told Agence France Presse.

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Obama: U.S., France United in Resolve to Finish Job in Libya

The United States and France are united in their resolve to finish the job in Libya, U.S. President Barack Obama said after talks with President Nicolas Sarkozy at the G8 summit Friday.

Obama and the French leader said they have a convergence of views of a series of key issues during their talks, which lasted around 45 minutes, just before the wider summit considered the implications of the Arab Spring.

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G8 Draft Threatens Syria with 'Further Action'

A draft statement from G8 leaders seen by Agence France Presse on Friday warned that the international community will take "further measures" if Syria does not stop using force against protesters.

An earlier draft had specifically threatened to turn to the United Nations Security Council to impose binding sanctions, but this was later softened under pressure from Syria's traditional ally Russia, officials said.

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Russia Says G8 Partners Urged It to Mediate Libya Conflict

Russia's G8 partners have asked Moscow to mediate an end to the conflict pitting Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's forces against pro-democracy rebels, Russian officials said Thursday.

"Requests have been voiced that Russia take upon itself the role of a mediator in settling the situation in Libya," President Dmitry Medvedev's spokeswoman Natalia Timakova told reporters at the G8 summit in Deauville.

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Europe Seeks 'Crimes Against Humanity' Warning to Syria

European nations on Thursday pressed a campaign to get the U.N. Security Council to warn the Syrian government that its deadly crackdown on opposition protests could be a crime against humanity.

A draft resolution distributed to the 15 council members condemns violence used by President Bashar al-Assad's regime and calls for the lifting of a weeks-long siege against the city of Daraa.

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Arab Spring Occupies G8 Chiefs, Sarkozy Says Syria Sanctions on Agenda

Reinforced sanctions against Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria will be on the agenda of the G8 summit of the world's most powerful leaders Thursday, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said.

"Clearly, the question of strengthening sanctions against Syrian leaders needs to be asked. There will be discussions about this tonight," Sarkozy told reporters at the meeting in the French resort of Deauville.

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Electoral Panel Delays Tunisia Polls to October

The electoral panel organizing the poll for Tunisia's constituent assembly said Thursday it had postponed the vote to October 16, despite the government wanting it to go ahead in July.

"The High Independent Panel charged with preparing elections has prepared a calendar that sets October 16 as the date of the election for the constituent assembly," said its chairman Kamel Jendoubi following a meeting with political parties.

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Fighting Grips Yemeni Capital as Saleh Orders Ahmar’s Arrest

Security forces in the Yemeni capital battled heavily armed supporters of the country's most powerful tribal leader on Thursday as President Ali Abdullah Saleh ordered the tribesman's arrest.

The leader, Sheikh Sadiq al-Ahmar, in turn accused Saleh of dragging Yemen into civil war, speaking after hours of clashes late on Wednesday and overnight in which at least 24 people were killed.

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Spain Receives Libyan Ceasefire Proposal

Spain's government said Thursday it had received a message from Libyan Prime Minister al-Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi seeking a ceasefire.

Spain said it was standing with other European governments, however, in seeking a set of conditions for such an agreement.

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Ammunition Store Blast Kills 28 in Sanaa

An ammunition store belonging to the powerful al-Ahmar tribe blew up in the Yemeni capital Sanaa killing 28 people, the defense ministry's 26sep.net news website said on Thursday.

"Twenty-eight people were killed in an explosion at an ammunition store belonging to Hamid al-Ahmar" in Sanaa, 26sep.net said in a text message.

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