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Syria to Ford: Stop Interfering in our Affairs to Avoid ‘Rotten Eggs’

U.S. Ambassador Robert Ford should stop meddling in Syrian affairs if he wants to avoid more 'rotten eggs' attacks in the future, a state-run Syrian newspaper warned on Sunday.

The Al Baath newspaper, a mouthpiece of the Syrian regime, accused Ford of supporting armed anti-government groups in Syria and said his meddling will not be tolerated.

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Six Killed in North Baghdad Twin Blasts

Two roadside bombs in a former al-Qaida stronghold north of Baghdad on Sunday killed six people, including four anti-Qaida militiamen, a police officer and a doctor said.

Two Sahwa, or Awakening Council, fighters were initially killed when their car was struck by a roadside bomb at around 9:30 am (0630 GMT) in the Al-Nibaie area, north of the town of Mashaada, 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the capital, police First Lieutenant Uday Sarhan said.

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25 Yemeni Soldiers Killed in Friendly Fire, Qaida Battles

At least 25 soldiers have been killed in a friendly fire incident and clashes with militants linked to al-Qaida in south Yemen, security officials said on Sunday.

The officials said some of the soldiers were killed in a strike by the Yemeni air force that mistakenly hit a school in the southern town of Zinjibar.

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Syria Trumpets Government Capture of Rastan

Syrian authorities said Sunday they have restored law and order to a rebellious central town after hunting down armed "terrorists" holed up inside.

State-run news agency SANA said life is back to normal in Rastan after five days of intense fighting between the military and forces opposed to President Bashar Assad.

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Report: NATO Concerned over '10,000 Lost Missiles' in Libya

At least 10,000 missiles are unaccounted for in Libya, a senior NATO official has admitted according to a German media report on Sunday, amid fears the weapons could fall into the hands of al-Qaida.

News weekly Der Spiegel reported on its website that Admiral Giampaolo di Paola, who chairs the committee of NATO military chiefs, held a secret briefing for German MPs on Monday, in which he expressed the alliance's concerns.

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Clinton Says Palestinians Must be Willing to Negotiate

The Palestinians need to show flexibility and get back to the negotiating table, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said in an interview with Egypt's Al-Hayat TV released Saturday.

Asked about the Palestinians' quest for full recognition at the United Nations, the top U.S. diplomat appeared to try to downplay the importance of the ongoing effort, which Washington opposes and has promised to veto.

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Chavez Backs his 'Brothers' Gadhafi, Assad Against ‘Yankees’

Venezuela's firebrand President Hugo Chavez on Saturday reiterated his support for ousted Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi and embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, calling them "brothers."

"I ask God for the life of our brother Gadhafi... No one knows where Gadhafi is, I think he went to the desert," Chavez told official television VTV.

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Gadhafi Spokesman Denies Capture

A man claiming to be Moussa Ibrahim, spokesman for Moammar Gadhafi, denied on Saturday claims he had been captured by forces of the country's new regime outside of the deposed Libyan leader's hometown of Sirte.

"This information is a lie and does not reflect reality," the man said in a live telephone interview with Syrian-based Arrai television, which has become a conduit for declarations by Gadhafi and other elements of his former regime.

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Yemen Troops Killed in Attack on 'Qaeda Militants'

Five Yemeni soldiers were killed on Saturday in an attack on the southern city of Zinjibar during an operation aimed at rooting out militants linked to Al-Qaeda, a medical source said.

The fighting comes a day after one of the extremist group's top leaders in the Arabian Peninsula country, U.S.-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaqi, was killed in an apparent U.S. drone strike.

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Egypt Military Rulers 'Agree to Amend Election Law'

Egypt's military rulers agreed on Saturday to amend a controversial electoral law following threats of a poll boycott by dozens of political parties and a rally in Cairo's Tahrir Square for reforms.

The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, which took power when president Hosni Mubarak was ousted in February, agreed to amend the new law to allow political parties to field candidates in the one-third of seats that had previously been reserved for independent candidates, the official MENA agency reported.

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