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Tunisia Says Museum Gunmen Trained in Libya

Tunisia said two gunmen who killed 21 people at its national museum trained at a militant camp in Libya, as the country marked Independence Day in sombre fashion on Friday.

The Islamic State jihadist group has claimed Wednesday's attack on foreign tourists in Tunis, the deadliest since Tunisia's 2011 revolution, which sparked the Arab Spring regional uprisings.

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Explosion in Bahrain Wounds 2 Policemen

Bahrain's Ministry of Interior says an explosion west of the Gulf island nation's capital of Manama has wounded two policemen.

The ministry reported the blast, which happened late on Thursday, on its official Twitter account. It says the explosion took place in the area of Karrana. It provided no further information on the cause of the explosion.

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In Libyan Capital, Hope Survives on Busy Streets

Armed convoys, checkpoints and sporadic exchanges of gunfire are still common in the Libyan capital, but residents are flocking back to the streets and surprisingly hopeful of a brighter future.

Sitting in a newly opened cafe overlooking the blue waters of the Mediterranean, Mohammed, a 19-year-old student, said that while fear remains, Tripoli's residents are trying to get on with life.

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U.S. Military Chief Grapples with Iraq -- Again

For much of the past two decades the U.S. military has been waging war in Iraq. And one U.S. Army officer has been there for just about every painstaking step of it.

General Martin Dempsey has experienced first hand America's tortuous history in Iraq, from the 1991 Gulf War's swift victory to the troubled occupation after the 2003 U.S. invasion.

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Obama Offers Condolences, Help to Tunisian President

U.S. President Barack Obama on Thursday called his Tunisian counterpart Beji Caid Essebsi to offer condolences for the deadly museum attack and continued assistance in the investigation.

Obama "extended sympathy, on behalf of all Americans, to the victims' families and loved ones," the White House said, following the attack on the Bardo Museum in Tunis which killed 21 people.

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U.S. Investigates Alleged Syrian Regime Gas Attack

The United States is looking into allegations that the Syrian regime unleashed chlorine gas in an attack in the northwest of the war-ravaged country earlier this week, John Kerry said Thursday.

"While we cannot yet confirm details, if true, this would be only the latest tragic example of the Assad regime's atrocities against the Syrian people," the top U.S. diplomat said in a statement, warning the international community would not "turn a blind eye to such barbarism."

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Tunis Struggles with Anti-Terrorism Battle Plan

Tunisia has vowed to wage "a merciless war against terrorism" after Wednesday's carnage at its national museum but it has struggled to draw up a strategy to counter the jihadist threat.

Analysts say the attack on the Bardo museum next to the Tunisian parliament in which gunmen killed 21 people, all but one of them foreign tourists, highlighted the need to combine a clear vision with the operational means.

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U.S. 'to Reevaluate' Israel U.N. Backing, Netanyahu Denies Abandoning 2-State Solution

The White House on Thursday raised the prospect of withdrawing crucial diplomatic cover for Israel at the United Nations, following Benjamin Netanyahu's divisive election victory.

Angered by Netanyahu's shock campaign pledge to block the creation of a Palestinian state, the White House warned the foundation of its policy for backing Israel had been undermined.

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Yemen Leader Faces Explosive Mix in Aden Refuge

Local paramilitaries, a rogue general, Al-Qaida cells -- Aden has become an explosive mix since Yemen's embattled leader fled the capital to the country's main southern city.

President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi fled to Aden last month after escaping house arrest under the Huthi Shiite militia who have seized control of the capital Sanaa.

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Egypt Court Adjourns Al-Jazeera Retrial to Wednesday

An Egyptian court adjourned until Wednesday the retrial of three Al-Jazeera journalists accused of supporting the banned Muslim Brotherhood movement, after listening to expert witnesses.

Australian journalist Peter Greste, who was deported to his home country in February, is being tried in absentia.

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