Eighteen members of Syria's security forces and two deserters were killed in clashes on Thursday in the flashpoint province of Homs, where at least 29 civilians also died, activists said.

"Eleven soldiers and members of the security forces were killed in skirmishes" with deserters in the town of Huleh, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

France renewed its support for humanitarian corridors in Syria on Thursday but said such a move would have to either be agreed by Damascus or come under an international mandate.

Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said on Wednesday that France would ask its EU partners to consider the idea of setting up protected escape routes for Syrian civilians fleeing the regime of Bashar Assad.

The United Nations on Wednesday named former Slovak foreign minister Jan Kubis as new head of the key U.N. mission in Afghanistan.

Kubis, 59, will take over the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) on January 1 aiming to boost international political efforts in the conflict-stricken country as the United States and other countries start to withdraw troops.

Egypt's military rulers apologized on Thursday for the deaths of demonstrators at the hands of police as protests demanding an immediate handover to civilian control entered a seventh day.

At least 35 protesters have been killed since Saturday -- when clashes erupted -- and more than 2,000 injured, prompting expressions of concern from Western governments and a call from the United Nations for an independent inquiry into the "excessive use of force."

Libya has priority to try the most prominent son of deposed leader Moammar Gadhafi, International Criminal Court chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said on Wednesday.

On an official visit to Tripoli, Moreno-Ocampo said Libya had every right to try Seif al-Islam, arrested last week.

Information Minister Walid al-Daouq announced after a cabinet session on Wednesday that the government would seek "clarifications" from the U.S. ambassador to Beirut after Hizbullah said it had succeeded in exposing CIA operatives.

Earlier on Wednesday, Agriculture Minister Hussein Hajj Hassan, who represents Hizbullah in the 30-seat government, told reporters during a break from the cabinet meeting that the government had "decided to summon U.S. Ambassador Maura Connelly to question her on this issue."

Syria has reached a "point of no return" in the regime's crackdown on opposition demonstrators, Turkish President Abdullah Gul said on Wednesday during his state visit to Britain.

"Unfortunately Syria has come to a point of no return," Gul said in a speech, adding that the whole region could be dragged into "turmoil and bloodshed" by the crisis.

The U.N. human rights chief called Wednesday for an independent probe into the killing of protesters by Egypt's military and security forces.

"I urge the Egyptian authorities to end the clearly excessive use of force against protesters in Tahrir Square and elsewhere in the country, including the apparent improper use of tear gas, rubber bullets and live ammunition," said Navi Pillay, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Iranian lawmakers voted Wednesday to consider expelling Britain's ambassador in retaliation for newly imposed Western sanctions, said the parliamentary website.

The parliament introduced an emergency bill to be voted on Sunday that would see diplomatic relations downgraded to the more junior level of charge d'affaires if passed, the website reported.

Prime Minister Najib Miqati insists on funding the Special Tribunal for Lebanon as an obligation towards the international community that should be met, the pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat reported on Wednesday.

“The PM’s decision will be proposed to the cabinet at the right time, but the administrative mechanism began through the directions given to Justice Minister (Shakib Qortbawi) and Finance Minister (Mohammed al-Safadi),” Miqati’s sources told the daily.