TOP STORIES
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SANAA - Renewed fighting in Yemen's capital between a powerful tribal group and President Ali Abdullah Saleh's forces has killed at least 19 people this week and rocked Sanaa with explosions, officials said on Wednesday.
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TRIPOLI/ROME - Libya's top oil official became the latest leading figure to desert Muammar Gaddafi on Wednesday, complaining of "unbearable" violence and adding political momentum to a revolt against the leader's long rule.
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MANAMA - Bahrain lifted martial law on Wednesday in what the government hopes will be a sign to tourists and business of a return to normal, but the opposition fears repression will continue in the Gulf island kingdom.
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ANTALYA, Turkey - Syrian forces killed 41 civilians in an effort to crush pro-democracy protests, a human rights lawyer said on Wednesday, as opposition leaders met in Turkey to plot the downfall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
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TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan was at risk of losing his job after rebels in his own party said they would back a no-confidence motion on Thursday, threatening political chaos as the government struggles to contain a nuclear crisis.
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SAN FRANCISCO/LOS ANGELES - Hackers likely based in China tried to break into hundreds of Google mail accounts, including those of senior U.S. government officials, Chinese activists and journalists, the Internet company said on Wednesday.
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THE HAGUE - Former Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladic used his power to commit atrocities that tore a nation apart and destroyed communities, and he must be held to account, a U.N. war crimes prosecutor said on Wednesday.
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BRASILIA - Mexico's central bank chief, Agustin Carstens, believes he is better qualified than his main rival to run the International Monetary Fund because he has more experience and better knowledge of the institution, he told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday.
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ATHENS/LISBON - A European Central Bank policymaker said a voluntary deal for investors to keep renewing their Greek debt holdings might be acceptable, raising hopes on Wednesday for an aid agreement to prevent a default by Greece.
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WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama warned Republicans on Wednesday of "dire" consequences if they do not raise the U.S. debt limit but a White House meeting did little to end a political standoff over federal spending cuts.
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ISLAMABAD - Speculation that Pakistan's military spy agency had a hand in the death of a prominent journalist has further discredited the organisation already facing one of its worst crises after the killing of Osama bin Laden on Pakistani soil.
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MOSCOW - Vladimir Putin's tightly controlled political system is so weakened by corruption that Russia's paramount leader could face a revolt within five years, the country's most prominent whistleblower told Reuters.
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