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U.S. Says Syria Violence Threatens U.N. Observer Force

The United States warned Monday that heightened violence in Syria threatens the sending of a full U.N. ceasefire observer mission as it voiced fear that a ceasefire is "eroding."

The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, said new attacks by government forces "call into question the wisdom and viability" of sending the full 200 international monitors.

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Israel Holds 47 Pro-Palestinian Activists Pending Expulsion

Israeli authorities were on Monday holding 47 foreigners pending deportation, out of 79 barred from entering the Jewish state because of their links to a pro-Palestinian campaign, an official said.

"There are 47 people still awaiting deportation, including 37 French nationals, eight Britons, an Italian and a Canadian," immigration official Sabine Haddad told Agence France Presse.

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U.N. Rights Panel on Syria Slams Post-Ceasefire Violence

The U.N.-appointed panel tasked with investigating rights abuses in Syria on Monday voiced concern over reports of post-ceasefire shelling by government forces.

The Commission of Inquiry on Syria said it had received accounts that the Khaldieh neighborhood and other districts of Homs had been bombarded since Thursday.

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UAE Says Gulf Island Spat Threatens Global Security

The United Arab Emirates warned on Monday that a Gulf islands dispute with Iran threatens "international security."

The UAE has summoned Iran's ambassador to Abu Dhabi to denounce a visit last week by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to one of the three disputed islands, the official state news agency said on Monday.

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Syria Opposition Creates Tribal Assembly

Syrian tribes opposed to the embattled regime of Bashar al-Assad said Monday they would join forces in an "Assembly of Tribes," Syrian opposition members and media reported.

"Today we proclaim, as children of all tribes, an Assembly of Tribes," opposition Syrian National Council (SNC) member Mahmut al-Maslat said in a statement read out on behalf of the assembly.

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Jobless Tunisian Protesters Clash with Police

Jobless protesters in an industrial suburb of Tunis threw petrol bombs and stones at police trying to break up their sit-in at a cargo handling company, the interior ministry said Monday.

The protest was sparked by the publication at the weekend of successful applicants for job openings at a stevedoring company near the port of Rades, 15 kilometers (nine miles) south of Tunis, the ministry said.

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Iran Warns Gulf States Not to 'Complicate' Islands Row

Tehran on Monday warned Arab states in the Gulf that things could become "very complicated" if they do not act cautiously over a simmering islands dispute between Iran and the United Arab Emirates.

Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi made the declaration to Iran's ISNA news agency on the eve of talks in Doha between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states over three tiny islands in the Gulf and claimed by both Iran and the UAE.

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Abdel Jalil: Algeria Won't Host Those Who Threaten Libya

Libyan leader Mustafa Abdel Jalil expressed confidence Monday that Algeria would not shelter anyone who poses a threat to his country, in a reference to Moammar Gadhafi’s family members who were granted asylum by Algiers.

"We appreciate the humanitarian position of Algeria for hosting the families, including women and children, but we are convinced that it would not shelter those who represent a threat for Libya's security," said Abdel Jalil after meeting Algeria's President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

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Israeli Officer Suspended for Hitting Foreign Activist with Gun

The Israeli army said Monday it has suspended an officer who hit a foreign activist in the face with his gun, in an attack that was condemned by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"Lieutenant Colonel Shalom Eisner has been suspended until the conclusion of the inquiry which has been opened," a military spokesman said.

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Rights Group: 11,117 Killed in Syria in 13 Months

More than 11,100 people have been killed in 13 months of unrest in Syria, including 55 since a U.N.-backed ceasefire took effect four days ago, a monitoring group said on Monday.

The death toll of 11,117 is 7,972 civilians and 3,145 military and gunmen, including fewer than 600 rebel fighters, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

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