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IS Claims Beheading of U.S. Aid Worker, 18 Syrians

The Islamic State group on Sunday released a video claiming the beheading of U.S. aid worker Peter Kassig in a warning to Washington as it prepares to send more troops to Iraq.

The video also showed the gruesome simultaneous beheadings of at least 18 men described as Syrian military personnel, the latest in a series of mass executions and other atrocities carried out by IS in Syria and Iraq.

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FM Says Israel Will Never Limit E.Jerusalem Settlement Building

Israel will never agree to limit its construction activity in annexed east Jerusalem, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on Sunday.

"One thing should be clear: we will never accept the definition of building in Jewish neighbourhoods of Jerusalem as settlement activity," he said at a news conference with his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

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Obama Rules Out Alliance with Syria's Assad against IS

U.S. President Barack Obama on Sunday rejected any alliance with Bashar Assad against the Islamic State group, arguing that the Syrian ruler was illegitimate and that any such pact would backfire.

"Assad has ruthlessly murdered hundreds of thousands of his citizens. As a consequence, he has completely lost legitimacy with the majority of the country," Obama told reporters after a G20 summit in Brisbane. 

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Fearing Backlash, Jordan Asserts Al-Aqsa Custodianship

Jordan's tough stance towards Israel over Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque reflects a determination to preserve its custodianship of the flashpoint site as well as its own stability, analysts say.

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Reports: IS Executioner 'Jihadi John' Injured in Air Strike

The British government on Saturday said it had received reports that "Jihadi John", the British-accented Islamic State militant apparently responsible for the beheading of western hostages, had been injured in a U.S. air strike.

The Foreign Office could not confirm reports published in the Mail on Sunday that the masked executioner, who has appeared in a series of grisly videos posted online, had been wounded while attending a meeting of IS leaders in an Iraqi town close to the Syrian border last week.

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UAE Lists over 80 Muslim 'Terrorist' Groups

The United Arab Emirates, which belongs to a U.S.-led coalition fighting jihadists, on Saturday issued a list of 83 Islamist groups which it classified as "terrorist organisations".

The list, approved by the cabinet and published on the official WAM news agency, is similar to an announcement made by Riyadh in March.

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Iraq Forces Break Jihadist Siege of Main Oil Refinery

Iraqi forces broke the Islamic State group's months-long siege of the country's largest oil refinery Saturday as America's top officer flew in to discuss the expanding war against the jihadists.

Completely expelling IS fighters from the area around the refinery would be another significant achievement for Baghdad, a day after pro-government forces retook the nearby town of Baiji.

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Iraq Forces Break Jihadist Siege of Main Oil Refinery

Iraqi forces broke the Islamic State group's months-long siege of the country's largest oil refinery Saturday as America's top officer flew in to discuss the expanding war against the jihadists.

Completely expelling IS fighters from the area around the refinery would be another significant achievement for Baghdad, a day after pro-government forces retook the nearby town of Baiji.

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'Syrian Hero Boy' Video Hoax by Norwegian Filmmaker

A viral video showing a Syrian boy rescuing a girl under gunfire, watched online by millions of viewers, was faked by a Norwegian film crew, according to its director.

Posted on YouTube on Monday, the "Syrian hero boy" video was shot on location in Malta last summer with professional actors, and directed by 34-year-old Norwegian Lars Klevberg, who hoped to provoke a debate on children in war zones.

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Hungry Syrians Clash with Rebels Over Food Cache

Armed clashes have erupted in the Syrian town of Douma after hungry residents stormed food warehouses belonging to an Islamist rebel group, a monitoring group said on Saturday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the clashes on Friday began when residents of the town in Damascus province tried to storm depots belonging to a charity linked to the Army of Islam rebel brigade.

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