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Israeli PM Denounces Iran, Ignores Palestinians in U.N. Speech

Israel's new prime minister appealed to the international community Monday to stand together against Iran, accusing Tehran of marching toward the development of a nuclear weapon and threatening to act alone if the world does not take action.

In his maiden speech to the United Nations General Assembly, Naftali Bennett made no mention of Israel's decadeslong conflict with the Palestinians and instead sought to portray Iran as a menace to global security.

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Two Algerian Ex-Premiers Handed New Jail Terms for Graft

Two detained former prime ministers under Algeria's longtime ex-president Abdelaziz Bouteflika were handed additional prison sentences on Monday for corruption, local media reported.

Ahmed Ouyahia and Abdelmalek Sellal were sentenced to six and five years respectively for money laundering, wasting public money, abuse of office and "awarding contracts in violation of public procurement regulations", according to the newspapers Ennahar, Echorouk and El Hayat.

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More than 60 Killed in Clashes for Yemen's Marib

Sixty-seven Yemeni rebels and pro-government troops have been killed as fighting intensifies for the key city of Marib, military and medical sources said Monday.

"Fifty-eight Huthi insurgents and nine loyalists were killed in fighting and air strikes in the provinces of Marib and Shabwa in the past 24 hours," military sources told AFP, in figures that were confirmed by medical sources. 

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Biden Aide to Meet Saudi Crown Prince On Yemen

President Joe Biden's national security adviser Jake Sullivan is traveling to Saudi Arabia on Monday to meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as the U.S. tries to press the kingdom to move toward a cease-fire in its years long war with Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Sullivan will be the highest-ranking Biden administration official to visit Saudi Arabia. Besides seeing the crown prince, often referred to by his initials, MBS, Sullivan is expected to meet with deputy defense minster Khalid bin Salman, a brother to the crown prince, according to two senior administration officials. The officials were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

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Shadow Contracts, Smoke, Mirrors Keep the Lights out in Iraq

In the Baghdad suburb of Sadr City, glossy election campaign posters are plastered alongside jungles of sagging electrical wires lining the alleyway to Abu Ammar's home.

But his mind is far from Iraq's Oct. 10 federal election. The 56-year-old retired soldier's social welfare payments barely cover the cost of food and medicine, let alone electricity. Despite chronic outages from the national grid, Abu Ammar can't afford a generator.

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Algeria Postpones Trial of Bouteflika's Brother

A court in the Algerian capital on Sunday postponed the corruption trial of the younger brother of ousted president Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who died this month, local media reported.

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Russia Raids Kill 7 Pro-Turkish Fighters in Syria

At least seven fighters from a pro-Turkish rebel group were killed Sunday in Russian air raids in northern Syria, a war monitor said Sunday.

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4 Palestinians Killed, 2 Israeli Troops Seriously Hurt in W. Bank Raids

An Israeli operation to dismantle a Hamas Islamist cell in the West Bank sparked fierce gun battles at multiple locations Sunday, killing four Palestinians and seriously wounding two Israeli soldiers, official sources said.  

The Palestinian health ministry confirmed a total of four deaths from Israeli gunfire, including one in Burqin near Jenin and three more in the Biddu area comprising several villages between Ramallah and Jerusalem. 

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Iraqi Kurdistan Conference Pushes Baghdad-Israel Normalization

More than 300 Iraqis, including tribal leaders, attended a conference in autonomous Kurdistan organized by a U.S. think-tank demanding a normalization of relations between Baghdad and Israel, organizers said Saturday.

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Libya Plans Conference on Its Political Process

After a no-confidence vote in Libya's transitional government this week added to uncertainty ahead of key elections in December, one of its leaders said Thursday the government would hold an international conference next month on trying to keep the political process on track.

Mohammad Younes Menfi, who chairs Libya's three-member Presidential Council, announced the plan but gave few specifics at the U.N. General Assembly meeting of world leaders. He said the conference would involve "relevant national bodies and institutions," plus regional and international voices.

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