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Russia Seriously Concerned over Aleppo Violence

Russia expressed serious concern Friday over attempts by Syrian rebels to gain control of Aleppo and condemned foreign nations for providing the armed opposition with military supplies.

The foreign ministry said the latest evidence from Syria's second city showed that "illegal armed formations" were trying to make Aleppo into a base for future attacks on Syrian President Bashar Assad's troops.

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U.N. General Assembly Votes 133 to 12 to Slam Security Council's Inaction on Syria

The U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly passed a resolution Friday criticizing the Security Council's failure to act on the Syria conflict, which U.N. leader Ban Ki-moon said has become a "proxy war".

The resolution, which condemned President Bashar Assad's use of "heavy weapons" in his battle against the rebellion against his rule, was passed by 133 votes with 12 countries against and 31 abstaining.

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Ban Says Syria Conflict Has Become 'Proxy War'

U.N. leader Ban Ki-moon said Friday that the Syria conflict has become a "proxy war" and that the international powers must overcome rivalries to end the violence.

Evoking the U.N.'s failure in the Srebenica massacre in Bosnia, Ban warned the divided U.N. Security Council that "the immediate interests of the Syrian people must be paramount over any larger rivalries of influence."

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Another Syrian General Defects to Turkey

Another Syrian brigadier general has crossed the border into Turkey to join the ranks of opposition fighters, bringing the total number of rebel generals in Turkey to 29, a diplomat said Friday.

The general was accompanied by his family, he told Agence France Presse.

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90 Dead as Aleppo Protesters Demand Death for Assad and Activists Accuse Regime of Massacre in Hama

Protesters in Aleppo took to the streets Friday to demand death for Syrian President Bashar Assad even as violence raged there and 90 people were killed nationwide.

The Local Coordination Committees, the main activist group spurring protests on the ground, said regime forces shot dead at least 90 people across the country, among them 66 in Hama that witnessed a “massacre” in its al-Arbaeen neighborhood.

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Palestinian Authority Condemns Syria Refugee Camp Shelling

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas strongly condemned on Friday the "heinous" attack on a Palestinian refugee camp in the Syrian capital, which killed 21 civilians.

"We condemn the heinous crime committed against our people in the Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus, in which dozens of unarmed civilians were killed and wounded," his office said.

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Top Bishop Says Attacks on Egypt Christians on Rise

A senior Egyptian Coptic bishop said on Friday attacks on Christians are on the rise and criticized the inclusion of only one Copt in Islamist President Mohammed Morsi's government.

"The general climate is turning against Christians," said Bishop Morcos. "Assaults on Christians have increased. It's not just a matter of having one ministry," he told Agence France Presse.

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Turkish Army Stages Drills at Syrian Border

Turkey's army has begun staging drills at the Syrian border following warnings that it would follow Kurdish rebels across the frontier, the Anatolia news agency reported Friday.

Turkish tanks accompanied by armored personnel carriers and surface-to-air missile defenses are deployed at the Oncupinar crossing in southeastern Kilis province for the drills, the report said, adding that they would continue periodically.

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U.N. Refugee Chief Fears Mass Exodus from Syria

Stepped up fighting in Syria could create a "gigantic outflow" of people on a previously unseen scale, the U.N.'s refugee commissioner said on Friday.

"We all have seen crises of this nature in different parts of the world, let's hope that this doesn't evolve into the kind of gigantic outflows we have witnessed in Afghanistan or Iraq," High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres told reporters in Geneva.

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Jordanians Demonstrate on 'Press Freedom Friday'

Around 500 people demonstrated in Jordan's capital for a protest dubbed "Press Freedom Friday" to denounce repression of the media and demand widespread reforms, Agence France Presse reported.

The protest began after Friday prayers at Amman's al-Husseini mosque, with a procession headed by a large banner announcing "Friday for freedom of the press."

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