WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama on Sunday sought to soothe Israeli fury over his new Middle East peace proposals by making clear that the Jewish state would likely be able to keep some settlements in any final deal with the Palestinians.
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AMMAN - Thousands of Syrians attending the funerals of pro-democracy protesters called on Sunday for the removal of President Bashar al-Assad, witnesses said, in the latest outburst against his rule.
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KARACHI - Militants attacked a Pakistani naval aviation base on Sunday, killing at least four people, officials said, the latest attack on a heavily guarded military installation in Pakistan.
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SANAA - Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh refused to sign a transition of power deal on Sunday, saying it would push the country towards civil war.
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KHARTOUM - Sudan's northern army seized control of the disputed, oil-producing Abyei region, officials said on Sunday, forcing thousands to flee and bringing the country's north and south to the brink of full conflict.
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BENGHAZI, Libya - European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton pledged support for rebels in east Libya on Sunday, making the most senior visit to the area by a foreign official since the revolt against Muammar Gaddafi began.
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PARIS - French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde's candidacy to head of the International Monetary Fund gained momentum on Sunday with a close ally of President Nicolas Sarkozy saying she already had several countries' backing.
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KHOST, Afghanistan - Taliban suicide bombers killed six people, during a siege in a police building in eastern Afghanistan on Sunday, officials said, the latest in a series of high-profile attacks.
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BAGHDAD - A series of bombings killed at least 15 people and wounded 74 more in the Baghdad area on Sunday, including a suicide bombing targeting Iraqi soldiers north of the capital, security officials said.
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TOKYO - Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao defended six-party talks proposed by Beijing as the way to defuse volatile divisions on the Korean peninsula, even as China hosted North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, blamed by Japan and South Korea for inflaming regional tensions.
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NEW DELHI - India's Congress party-led coalition on Sunday promised to push a key land reform bill in the July session of parliament, trying to regain the initiative after months of corruption scandals and protests over prices.
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NICOSIA - Opposition right-wingers took the lead in Cyprus's parliamentary election on Sunday, in a sign of waning popularity for the island's leftist government, handling fragile peace talks with Turkish Cypriots.
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MADRID - Spain's centre-right opposition Popular Party took the lead in Sunday's local elections that were expected to inflict heavy losses on the ruling Socialists after a week of protests over high unemployment.
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REYKJAVIK - Ash from a massive plume of smoke from an eruption of Iceland's most active volcano could spread south to parts of Europe next week, but experts on Sunday still hoped the impact on air travel would be limited.
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