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Jordan Rejects 'Saddam' Electoral List

Jordan's electoral commission has refused to register an independent list of candidates calling itself "Saddam Hussein" after the executed Iraqi dictator, the group's leader said on Sunday.

"We have filed an appeal against the electoral commission's rejection of our Saddam Hussein list," Faiz Ziyadneh told Agence France Presse.

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'African Grammys' Hit by Series of Hitches

A music awards show dubbed the "African Grammys" was hit by an embarrassing series of hitches culminating in the absence Sunday of star Chris Brown and an apology by the organiser.

The show had been delayed from Saturday to enable rapper Brown to attend, with organiser Ernest Adjovi initially blaming the delay on Brown missing his flight but later saying heavy rains and other logistical hiccups were behind the postponement.

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30 Tortured Bodies Found in Damascus Neighborhood of Barzeh

Thirty tortured and disfigured bodies have been found in the northern Damascus neighborhood of Barzeh, the scene of regular clashes between regime troops and rebels, a watchdog said on Monday.

"Thirty bodies were found in the Barzeh district. They bore signs of torture and have so far not been identified," said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on medics and activists on the ground in compiling its tolls.

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23 Killed in Wave of Iraq Attacks

A wave of bombings and shootings across Iraq killed 23 people on Monday as the country grappled with anti-government rallies and simmering political crises ahead of major Shiite commemoration rituals.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks in more than a dozen towns and cities that wounded 83 people, but Sunni militants such as al-Qaida's front group in Iraq regularly target officials and security forces in a bid to destabilize the government, and also often attack Shiite pilgrims.

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HSBC: China Manufacturing Activity Hits 19-Month High

China's manufacturing activity surged to a 19-month high in December, British bank HSBC said Monday, adding to signs of recovery in the world's second-largest economy.

The year's final purchasing managers' index (PMI) from the lender hit 51.5, up from 50.5 in November when the figure returned to growth after 12 consecutive months of contraction.

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Bomb Targets Prosecutor's Office in Libya's Benghazi

An improvised bomb exploded outside the headquarters of the public prosecutor in the Libyan city of Benghazi causing material damage but no fatalities, a security source said Monday.

"Initial evidence suggests the device was a suitcase packed with high yield explosives (TNT)," an investigator at the scene told Agence France Presse, adding that there were no casualties.

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Chavez Suffers New Post Cancer Surgery Setback

Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez has suffered a new setback after cancer surgery in Cuba, raising new fears about his political future, Vice President Nicolas Maduro said Sunday.

"We have been informed of new complications that arose as a consequence of the respiratory infection we already knew about," Maduro said on state TV and radio from Havana. Cuba is Chavez's closest regional ally.

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Hillary Clinton Hospitalized with Blood Clot

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been hospitalized after suffering a blood clot following an accident earlier this month, her senior State Department aide Philippe Reines said Sunday.

Clinton fell ill with a stomach bug that led to her fainting and suffering a concussion, but her office had insisted she was recovering and the top U.S. diplomat was expected back at her desk Monday.

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U.N. Chief Condemns 'Escalating Terrorist' Violence in Pakistan

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said Sunday he was "appalled by the escalating terrorist violence in Pakistan," after 19 Shiite pilgrims died in a car bomb and 21 kidnapped soldiers were killed.

Ban "condemns in particular the continued violent targeting of religious minorities," according to a statement from his spokesman, Martin Nesirky.

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Erdogan Tells Syrian Refugees Victory is Near

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Syrian refugees on Sunday that victory over the "tyrant" President Bashar Assad was at hand.

"I can see it clearly that the help of God is near," Erdogan said in televised remarks at Turkey's Akcakale refugee camp in the southeastern city of Sanliurfa.

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