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Xinhua Middle East news summary at 2200 GMT, Feb. 12

Xinhua, February 13, 2015 Adjust font size:

An Egyptian court on Thursday ordered the release of Al-Jazeera journalists Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed, though charges against the two, including aiding a terrorist group, have yet to be dismissed, state media reported.

Fahmy, who served as Al-Jazeera's Cairo bureau chief, was released on a 250,000 Egyptian pound (33,000 U.S. dollars) bail. (Egypt-Jazeera-Journalists)

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DAMASCUS -- The Syrian army now controls a key triangle connecting the countryside of three main southern provinces, including the capital Damascus, official media reported Thursday.

The development came after government troops' latest campaign that started Sunday to sever rebel supply routes and to strain the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front and like-minded groups, which are active in that area, local media said. (Syria-Government-Advance)

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ANKARA -- Turkey has expressed "unease" over Egyptian accusations that Arabic language TV channels promote violence through online broadcasts to Egypt through Turkey, state media reported Thursday.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry on Wednesday summoned Hussein Elsaharty, Egypt's chargé d'affaires in Ankara, to convey "unease over unfounded" accusations by Egyptian officials concerning Turkey, and asked Cairo to put an end to such accusations, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported, citing diplomatic sources. (Turkey)

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RAMALLAH -- A senior UN official on Thursday announced that the United Nations will launch a strategic humanitarian plan worth 705 million U.S. dollars in Palestine in 2015, mostly in the Gaza Strip.

James Rawley, chief of the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Palestinian territory, said in Ramallah that 80 percent of the plan will be devoted to the Gaza Strip. (Palestine-UN-Aid)

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JERUSALEM -- Israel's top court rejected Thursday an appeal by the family of U.S. peace activist Rachel Corrie, who was killed in Gaza by a military bulldozer in 2003, shattering any hope by her family to hold Israel accountable for the death.

The Supreme Court upheld a 2012 ruling by a lower court, that exonerated Israel from any wrongdoing and exempted the government from paying the Corrie family civil damages for wrongful death. (Israel-Court-US-Activist) Endit