TOP STORIES
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AMMAN - Syrian forces shot dead 20 protesters on Friday despite a pledge by President Bashar al-Assad that a crackdown was over, activists said as thousands marched across Syria, spurred on by U.S. and European calls for him to step down.
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ZAWIYAH, Libya - Libyan rebels fought fierce battles in two coastal cities on either side of the capital Tripoli on Friday in a drive to topple Muammar Gaddafi, but met stiff resistance from forces loyal to the long-time leader.
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VIENNA/BRUSSELS - Pressure on Germany and France to take radical action on the euro zone debt crisis mounted on Friday, as financial markets sagged further and Belgium added its support to calls for the region to issue debt jointly.
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GAZA - Israeli aircraft struck militant outposts in Gaza and Palestinians fired rockets back on Friday following deadly gun attacks along the desert border with Egypt that have raised tensions between Israel and the new rulers in Cairo.
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BEIJING - U.S. Vice President Joe Biden on Friday said China had ?nothing to worry about" concerning the safety of its vast holdings of Treasury debt, while China's Premier Wen Jiabao gave a ringing endorsement of the resilience of the debt-ridden U.S. economy.
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KHYBER, Pakistan - A teenage suicide bomber blew himself up among worshippers offering Friday prayers at a mosque in northwest Pakistan, killing at least 47 people and wounding more than 70, a top government official said.
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NEW DELHI - A vast and jubilant crowd cheered as Gandhian activist Anna Hazare walked out of jail in New Delhi on Friday to carry on a hunger strike in public, the latest act in a drama of popular fury over corruption that has put India's government in a bind.
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KABUL - Taliban attackers laid siege to a British cultural centre in the Afghan capital on Friday, killing at least nine people during an hours-long assault on the 92nd anniversary of Afghanistan's independence from British rule.
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DIYARBAKIR, Turkey - Turkish warplanes and artillery pounded Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq for a second night, hours after the rebels mounted attacks on security forces in southeastern Turkey.
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WASHINGTON - U.S. presidential hopeful Rick Perry's brash appeal to the Republican Party's fiscally conservative base may fall flat with big donors who favor a more moderate candidate to challenge President Barack Obama in the 2012 election.
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NEW YORK - Standard & Poor's on Friday downgraded Venezuela's credit ratings as it implemented a new methodology more heavily focused on political risk -- a key weakness in the oil-producing country.
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MOGADISHU - Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, keen to strengthen Ankara's ties with the African continent, said on Friday he would set up an embassy in Somalia and promised major infrastructure projects in Mogadishu.
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NEW YORK - Turbulence in world financial markets will add a sense of urgency to the work of a powerful new congressional committee charged with finding ways to cut the ballooning U.S. deficit, panel member Chris Van Hollen said on Friday.
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