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Egypt Military Says to Oversee Laws, Budget

Egypt's ruling military council is to stay in control of legislation and the budget in the absence of a parliament, even as the country prepares to announce a new president, military sources told Agence France Presse Sunday.

The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), which took power when president Hosni Mubarak was ousted in an uprising last year, is set to issue an amended constitutional declaration, consolidating its powers just hours before Egypt wraps up a divisive presidential election to pick Mubarak's successor.

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Palestinians Fire Mortars at Israeli Troops as 2 Gazans Hurt

Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip fired eight mortar shells at Israeli troops on the other side of the border fence on Sunday but no soldiers were injured, an Israeli army spokeswoman told Agence France Presse, after two Palestinians were injured by Israeli army fire.

She said that troops returned fire at militants in the central part of the enclave.

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Rocket Fire on Southern Israel 'Linked to Egypt Vote'

The two rockets, apparently fired from Sinai, which landed near towns in the deep south of Israel were linked to the Egyptian presidential election, a senior Israeli security source told AFP on Sunday.

"The rockets fired at Israel over the weekend were a one-off and carried out by those who wanted to influence the Egyptian presidential election," he said referring to militant groups in the Sinai.

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Dozens Hurt, Curfew Imposed as Blasts Hit Five Nigeria Churches

Bomb blasts damaged five churches in four cities in Nigeria's northern Kaduna state on Sunday, injuring dozens of worshippers and leading to an immediate curfew, officials said.

The number of casualties in the blasts in the neighboring cities of Zaria and Kaduna and in the southern Christian-dominated Nassarawa and Barnawa was not immediately clear. Police and the military cordoned off the areas.

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Two Palestinians Shot Dead by Israeli Lorry Driver

Two Palestinians were shot dead by an Israeli truck driver after they tried to steal his vehicle in the south Hebron Hills on Sunday morning, Israeli police said.

Palestinian officials confirmed the two deaths but had no information about the circumstances of the shooting which took place at the Shani junction near Al-Samua, in the southernmost part of the West Bank.

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Report: German-Saudi Tank Deal Twice as Big as Planned

Saudi Arabia wants to buy 600-800 Leopard battle tanks from Germany, more than twice as many as originally envisaged, the Sunday newspaper Bild am Sonntag reported, quoting government sources.

Thus far, reports had said the Saudis wanted to purchase around 300 Leopard-2 tanks, Germany's main battle tank which is also produced under license in Spain.

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Iraq Bombings Kill Five

Bombings in Iraq killed five people and wounded 34 others on Sunday, security and medical officials said, after a bloody week that cost the lives of more than 100 people.

A car bomb targeting an army patrol killed one soldier and wounded three others in Fallujah, west of Baghdad, army Lieutenant Colonel Mohammed al-Obaidi from the Anbar Operations Command said.

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Saudi Crown Prince Nayef Buried in Mecca, Salman Likely to be New Heir

Saudi Arabia on Sunday buried crown prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz during a somber ceremony in Islam's holiest city, as defense minister Prince Salman appeared poised to become the new heir apparent.

The 79-year-old Nayef died on Saturday of "cardiac problems" at his brother's residence in Geneva, a medical source in the Swiss city said.

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Syria's Homs Battered as Weekend Death Toll Nears 80

Troops pounded besieged districts of the flashpoint city of Homs as 10 people were killed across Syria on Sunday, taking the weekend death toll to nearly 80, a watchdog said.

A civilian was killed in the rebel stronghold of Khalidiyeh, which, like other parts of the central city, was "being shelled and shot at by regime forces who have been trying to enter these districts for several days," said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

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Car Bomb Kills Three Yemeni Police

A bomb planted in the car of a southern Yemeni police officer killed him and his two bodyguards on Sunday, and wounded four other policemen, a security official said.

"A bomb exploded in the car of Major Ahmed al-Harmali, the police chief in the town of Rawkab," east of Mukalla in Hadramawt province, said the official, adding that "he was killed along with two of his bodyguards."

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