Syrian-linked death toll grows in Lebanon's Tripoli

TRIPOLI, Lebanon (Reuters) – The death toll in Lebanon’s northern city of Tripoli reached 25 on Saturday in the seventh straight day of clashes between factions supporting opposing sides in Syria’s two-year civil war, security sources said. Residents heard sounds of rocket-propelled grenades and sniper fire throughout the night and into Saturday morning in one of the most violent bouts of fighting so far in the city. Two people were killed on Saturday, according to medical sources. Security sources said 25 had died in the clashes in the past week. …

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Aid groups urge EU to fulfil commitments to Palestinians

Houses are seen in a general view of the West Bank Jewish settlement of EfratRAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) – A group of 80 international aid agencies urged the European Union on Saturday to follow through on pledges it made last year to back Palestinian communities seen as vulnerable to Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank. Not enough action has been taken since EU foreign ministers last May urged Israel to ease curbs to growth on Palestinian villages and criticized its settlement policies, the Association of International Development Agencies (AIDA) said in a report. British Foreign Secretary William Hague and U.S. …

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Sudan suspends two biggest dailies for critical coverage-editors

KHARTOUM (Reuters) – Sudan’s security services temporarily suspended the country’s two biggest newspapers to punish them for writing about army operations against rebels and the future plans of President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, editors said on Saturday. Sudan has clamped down on independent media, think tanks and non-governmental groups since it discovered plans for a coup against Bashir’s government in November. …

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