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White House Denies Comparison of Syria to Libya

The United States said it was "very concerned" about a Syrian offensive in Aleppo, Syria, but rejected comparisons to Libya where NATO-led forces intervened last year to protect civilians.

"We are very concerned about the situation in Aleppo," White House spokesman Jay Carney said, condemning Syrian President Bashar Assad's "heinous, reprehensible" assault on Syrian civilians.

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Tunisia Finance Minister Quits in Dispute with Govt.

Tunisian Finance Minister Houcine Dimassi has resigned following a disagreement with the policies of the government led by Islamist Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali, an official said on Friday.

"I can confirm the resignation, which has been accepted," Ridha Kazdaghli, an aide to Jebali, told Agence France Presse.

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Poland Pulls Diplomats from Syria, Ending U.S. Presence

Poland said it evacuated its embassy staff from Damascus Friday, cutting short its diplomatic work on behalf of the United States which pulled out its own diplomats in February.

Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski "decided to indefinitely close the Polish Republic's embassy in Damascus including the United States section as of July 27," his ministry said in a statement.

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Syria Rebels Say Captured 150 Troops in Aleppo, Idlib

Syrian rebels on Friday captured 150 regime troops and militia members in the northern city of Aleppo and the northwestern province of Idlib, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

It reported rebels as saying they had captured 100 regime soldiers and militia members in Aleppo and another 50 in Idlib, citing videos distributed by Syrian activists.

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Burnt Shirt Sparks Egypt Sectarian Clash

Muslims on Friday set fire to Christian homes in a village near the Egyptian capital after a fight between a Muslim man and a Christian laundry worker who singed his shirt while ironing it, police said.

At least one person was wounded as Muslims and Coptic Christians also traded fire bombs, police officials said.

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Dubai Police Chief Accuses Muslim Brotherhood of Plots

Dubai police have stepped up accusations against the Muslim Brotherhood of plotting to topple Gulf monarchies, saying a group of UAE activists arrested for threatening state security was linked to the organization, a report said Friday.

The Brotherhood, which is the emerging force in the Arab world after the Arab Spring uprisings, "met people from the Gulf and discussed toppling Gulf regimes," Dubai police chief Lieutenant General Dahi Khalfan was quoted as saying by the Emarat al-Youm daily.

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Report: Russia Warns Syria Rebels against Attacking Tartus Base

The Russian military warned Friday that any attempt by Syrian rebels to attack a Russian military base at the Syrian port of Tartus would be “rebuffed immediately.”

"If the armed Syrian opposition ventures to implement their threat and to attack the Russian naval supplies and maintenance facility, Russia has ample capabilities in the region now to provide an adequate response. We won't recommend hotheads in the Syrian opposition doing that," a source in the Russian General Staff told the Interfax news agency.

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Experts: Aleppo Crucial to Both Regime and Rebels

The battle between rebels and regime for Syria's second city Aleppo is a crucial fight that could determine the trajectory of the more than 16-month uprising against President Bashar Assad, experts say.

Troops and rebel fighters are massing in and around the city, and al-Watan newspaper, which is close to the regime, pulled no punches describing the fighting in the northern commercial hub.

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Paris Fears Aleppo 'Slaughter', London Warns of 'Humanitarian Disaster'

World powers voiced fears Friday over an imminent all-out assault by President Bashar Assad's forces on Syria's second city Aleppo and called for "maximum pressure" to prevent a new massacre.

France echoed U.S. concerns that Assad was preparing to carry out a slaughter of his own people, and Britain warned that the expected offensive could end in a humanitarian disaster.

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Turkey Says Won't Allow 'Terrorist' Groups at Syria Border

Turkey said Friday it would not tolerate the presence of "terrorist" groups such as the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) or al-Qaida on Syrian soil near the Turkish border.

"Whether it is the PKK or al-Qaida, we will not allow a terrorist organization to set up at our borders," Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told Turkish television channel Kanal 24.

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