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Dutch Fear New European Jihadi Wave after ISIL Success

Recent military successes by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) will encourage a new wave of European jihadist fighters to join the conflict, the Dutch government said Monday.

"I'm concerned that ISIL has become an important group to join for jihadist fighters from the Netherlands and Europe," said Dick Schoof, who heads the Dutch government's anti-terror agency NCTV.

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U.N. Appeals for Aid for Syria's Palestinians

The United Nations appealed on Monday for $27 million (20 million euros) to help hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees trapped in Syria buy food during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

"As we come up to Ramadan, we can foresee a prospect of thousands of Palestinian refugees going hungry because very simply they do not have enough money to buy food," Pierre Krahenbuhl, commissioner general of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA), told reporters in Amman.

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Jordan Urges 'Comprehensive Political Process' in Iraq

Jordan on Monday urged "a comprehensive political process" in Iraq, saying the kingdom is taking steps to guard against possible fallout from the latest unrest in its strife-hit neighbor.

Iraqi security forces are battling to repel a militant offensive that has seen a large chunk of northern and north-central Iraq fall out of government hands.

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Egypt Court Verdict in Al-Jazeera Trial on June 23

An Egyptian court said Monday it will issue its verdict on June 23 in the trial of Al-Jazeera journalists accused of aiding the blacklisted Muslim Brotherhood.

Australian Peter Greste and two other reporters working for Qatar-based Al-Jazeera English are among the 20 accused, in a trial that has triggered international outrage amid fears of growing media restrictions in Egypt.

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Verdict in Trial of Suspected UAE 'Qaida Cell' due on June 23

A UAE court will deliver its verdict next week in the trial of a suspected "Al-Qaida cell" accused of supporting Al-Nusra Front, the jihadist network's Syrian affiliate, state news agency WAM said Monday.

The nine men are charged with joining an "Al-Qaida organization and forming a cell" in the United Arab Emirates to promote its ideas, WAM said.

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Egypt Jails Coptic Teacher for Insulting Islam

An Egyptian appeals court jailed a female Coptic Christian teacher for six months after parents of her students accused her of evangelizing and insulting Islam, her lawyer said on Monday.

The primary school teacher had appealed after a court in the southern city of Luxor fined her 100,000 Egyptian pounds (around $13,980 or 10,325 euros) after some parents filed a case against her.

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Media Watchdog Urges Jordan King to Reform Anti-Terror Law

Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on Monday urged Jordan's King Abdullah II to reform the country's "repressive" anti-terrorism law, saying recent amendments to the legislation are "disturbing."

The amendments, approved in April, criminalize "the use of information technology, the Internet or any means of publication or media, or the creation of a website, to facilitate terrorist acts or back groups that promote, support or fund terrorism."

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Missing Israeli Boy's Family Pleads for Safe Return

The uncle of a missing Israeli teenager made a heartfelt plea for "mercy" to his suspected kidnappers Monday, after the family spent a fourth sleepless night worrying for his safety.

Naftali Frenkel, 16, who holds joint Israeli and U.S. citizenship, is one of three teenagers Israel says were kidnapped last week from the southern West Bank by militants from the Islamist Hamas movement.

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Iranian and British Foreign Ministers Discuss Iraq Chaos

British Foreign Secretary William Hague has spoken with his Iranian counterpart about the crisis in Iraq, the British government said on Monday.

Hague's telephone conversation with Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif comes amid reports that Tehran is considering providing military support to the Shiite-led administration in neighboring Iraq, which has come under assault from mainly Sunni militants.

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Dozens Killed in Clashes between Yemen Army, Shiite Rebels in 24 Hours

Clashes between government forces and Shiite Huthi rebels in northern Yemen have killed dozens in the 24 hours since a ceasefire between the two sides collapsed, tribal and military sources said Monday.

The fighting that started on Sunday continued intermittently on Monday in the area around Jabal al-Dhine, a mountainous region some 50 kilometers (31 miles) north of the capital Sanaa, the sources said.

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