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Uganda Confirms Shebab Threat, U.S. Issues Attack Warning

Uganda said Thursday it was boosting security over threats by Somalia's Shebab militants, hours after the U.S. embassy in Kampala warned its citizens of a possible imminent terror attack.

In an emergency warning issued late Wednesday, the U.S. mission in Kampala said it had "received information of possible terrorist threats to locations where Westerners, including U.S. citizens, congregate in Kampala, and that an attack may take place soon."

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Aoun Says Capable of Restoring Stability in Lebanon, Urges Unity

Free Patriotic Movement chief MP Michel Aoun urged on Thursday the minimum amount of unity among the Lebanese to face the upcoming challenges, expressing belief that he is the only one capable of talking to all the rivals and restoring stability in the country.

“If the region reached a balanced state, then all the countries will benefit from it,” Aoun said in a lengthy interview with the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat.

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Report: Saniora's STL Testimony Not Expected to Impact Mustaqbal-Hizbullah Dialogue

The dialogue between the Mustaqbal Movement and Hizbullah is expected to continue despite the testimony of Mustaqbal bloc chief MP Fouad Saniora before the Special Tribunal for Lebanon that revealed that slain former Premier Rafik Hariri was aware of Hizbullah assassination attempts against him, reported the daily An Nahar on Thursday.

Observers told the daily: “The dialogue will continue because the factors that preceded Saniora's testimony and those that followed it have not altered the course of the talks even if some March 8 coalition members sought to tarnish it through media campaigns.”

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Four Rebel Suspects Killed, 22 Arrested in Thai South Clash

Four suspected insurgents were killed and 22 others arrested during a firefight with security forces in Thailand's deep south, police said Thursday, in the latest clashes to hit the restive region.

Thai military, police and rangers laid siege to To Kood village in Pattani province Wednesday evening after a tip-off about potential militants -- who are fighting for greater autonomy for the Muslim-majority southernmost provinces.

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U.N. Report Says Syria, Iraq Conflicts Send Asylum-Seeker Numbers Up 45%

The number of asylum-seekers in industrialized countries rose by nearly half last year, driven by the devastating conflicts in Syria and Iraq, with Germany the top destination, the U.N. refugee agency said Thursday.

In 2014, some 866,000 people applied for asylum in such countries, marking a 45-percent jump from a year earlier and a 22-year high, the U.N. refugee agency said.

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Australia's Greste Urges Support for Al-Jazeera Journalists

Freed Australian Al-Jazeera reporter Peter Greste on Thursday called for the international community to continue supporting his colleagues in Egypt, stressing that they were still on trial.

Greste was detained along with two colleagues, Canadian-Egyptian Mohamed Fahmy and Egyptian Baher Mohamed, in December 2013, before he was deported last month after intense diplomatic pressure.

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14 Dead in Scaffolding Collapse at Vietnam Steel Plant

At least 14 workers were killed and dozens more injured after scaffolding collapsed at a steel plant in central Vietnam, officials said, as rescue teams Thursday searched for bodies still trapped in the wreckage.

The laborers were building concrete blocks as part of a seawall project when the accident took place late Wednesday in the coastal province of Ha Tinh, said Le Minh Dao, office manager of the provincial People's Committee.

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Moroccan 'FBI' and Imam Training Keep Jihadists at Bay

Morocco, on guard against attacks like the Tunis museum massacre, prides itself on being a bastion against Islamist extremism with its anti-jihadist "FBI" and training of imams to preach tolerance.

More than 130 "terrorist cells" have been dismantled, 2,720 suspects arrested and 276 plots foiled since 2002, according to Abdelhak Khiame, director of the newly established Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations.

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Report: Japan FM Eyes Visit to Cuba

Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida could visit Cuba next month, a report said Thursday, becoming one of the highest-profile visitors to the isolated island since a thaw began between Washington and Havana.

If the visit goes ahead, Kishida is expected to call for closer ties with Cuba, where Japanese companies can invest in infrastructure projects and mineral resource development, Japan's public broadcaster NHK said.

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Guinea govt urges dialogue after opposition protest call

The government of Ebola-hit Guinea on Wednesday urged a dialogue after the three main opposition leaders called for renewed protests against President Alpha Conde over upcoming elections.

"I would like to repeat the government's desire to find ways to restore confidence in the electoral process and to respect the constitution. But especially to preserve social peace," government spokesman Albert Damantang Camara told a press conference.

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