TOP STORIES
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ATHENS - Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou dumped his finance minister on Friday in a reshuffle meant to stiffen resolve for harsh economic reforms and avoid a default that could cause global economic turmoil.
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AMMAN - Syrian forces shot dead 19 people on Friday when they fired at demonstrators demanding the removal of President Bashar al-Assad in the biggest protest since unrest against Baathist rule erupted in March, activists said.
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DAFNIYAH, Libya - Libya's rebels tried to push deeper into government-held territory east of the capital Tripoli on Friday and exchanged heavy artillery fire with forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi near the western city of Zlitan.
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ST PETERSBURG, Russia - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev called on Friday for less state involvement in the economy and promised more privatisation in a speech which set him apart from Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
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SANAA - Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh's government vowed on Friday the wounded leader would return to his country within days, as thousands of demonstrators in the capital demanded he step down for good.
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MINSK - Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko promised on Friday to resolve a deepening financial crisis within several months but announced no concrete steps and said the country needed to be ready for a "catastrophe".
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PARIS - Even the winner risks ending up among the losers in France's Muslim council election on Sunday as the organisation meant to represent Islam here is torn apart by rivalries, boycotts and bitter attacks.
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ABUJA - An Islamist sect claimed responsibility on Friday for an explosion at Nigeria's police headquarters that officials fear may have been the first suicide bombing in Africa's most populous country.
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KABUL - The International Monetary Fund has rejected Afghanistan's plan to deal with a failed bank at the centre of a corruption crisis, a step that has blocked tens of millions of dollars in aid and may put development projects worth billions more at risk.
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NEW DELHI - If there was ever a sign of rudderless leadership and misplaced priorities over economic policy, it was Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's trip to Delhi airport this month to meet a yoga guru protesting against the government's inaction on graft.
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VIENNA - About 150 nations will launch a push next week to improve nuclear safety after Japan's atomic crisis but differences on how much international action is needed may hamper follow-up efforts to avert any new disaster.
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BEIJING - China will boost its coastal forces by adding ships and 6,000 personnel by 2020, state media said on Friday, a move likely to raise tensions with neighbours staking rival claims to waters thought to hold vast reserves of oil and gas.
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Ed Stoddard and Naveen Thukral - Just a few months ago Alpheus Molepo's daily lunch of "pap" or corn meal and meat cost 20 rand (${esc.dollar}3.30). Now it costs 25 rand.
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