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Hezbollah cancels Ashoura rallies in south due to border clashes

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has said that, because of the ongoing fighting with Israel, Hezbollah will not hold rallies in much of southern Lebanon this week commemorating the martyrdom of the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson Hussein.

Ashoura is one of the most important dates on the Shiite calendar, but this year's solemn holy day comes as Hezbollah and Israeli troops have been exchanging fire on an almost daily basis since war broke out in Gaza.

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Syria monitor says Israeli strike kills businessman close to Assad

An Israeli drone strike on a car Monday near the Lebanon-Syria border killed a prominent Syrian businessman who had been sanctioned by the United States and was close to the government of Syria's President Bashar Assad, pro-government media and other allied officials said.

Mohammed Baraa Katerji was killed instantly in his SUV on the highway linking Lebanon with Syria, according to an official from an Iran-backed group. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

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Colombia coach critical of extended Copa America final halftime for Shakira concert

Colombia coach Néstor Lorenzo was critical of the extended halftime planned for Sunday night's Copa America final to allow a concert by Shakira.

Shakira will be the first musical act to perform during the halftime of the Copa America final. The Colombian pop star, a former partner of Barcelona and Spain star defender Gerard Piqué, has performed at three World Cups as well as the 2020 Super Bowl.

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Princess of Wales hands Alcaraz his Wimbledon trophy in rare appearance

Kate, the Princess of Wales, handed Carlos Alcaraz the champion's trophy after the Wimbledon men's final at the All England Club on Sunday in only her second public appearance since announcing she was diagnosed with cancer.

Kate, wife of heir to the throne Prince William, was greeted by a standing ovation when she arrived in the Royal Box at Centre Court to watch Alcaraz's victory over Novak Djokovic. After leaving the court following the trophy ceremony, the princess and Alcaraz had a conversation in a room inside the tournament's main stadium.

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'Despicable Me 4' reigns at box office, while 'Longlegs' gets impressive start

Gru and the minions celebrated a second week in first place at the North American box office this weekend, while a small horror movie called "Longlegs" upset the starry $100 million "Fly Me to the Moon."

The supremacy of " Despicable Me 4 " was hardly a surprise, as the Universal and Illumination franchise added $44.7 million and pushed the film over $200 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. But the big upset came further down the charts with " Longlegs " more than doubling the debut of the Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum romantic comedy " Fly Me to the Moon."

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World's rarest whale may have washed up on New Zealand beach, possibly shedding clues on species

Spade-toothed whales are the world's rarest, with no live sightings ever recorded. No one knows how many there are, what they eat, or even where they live in the vast expanse of the southern Pacific Ocean. However, scientists in New Zealand may have finally caught a break.

The country's conservation agency said Monday a creature that washed up on a South Island beach this month is believed to be a spade-toothed whale. The five-meter-long creature, a type of beaked whale, was identified after it washed ashore on an Otago beach from its color patterns and the shape of its skull, beak and teeth.

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Son of Asia's richest man gets married in year's most extravagant wedding

The youngest son of Mukesh Ambani, Asia's richest man, married his longtime girlfriend early Saturday in what many dubbed the wedding of the year, attended by global celebrities, business tycoons and politicians, highlighting the billionaire's staggering wealth and rising clout.

The wedding rituals, including exchanging garlands by the couple and walking around the sacred fire, began Friday and were completed past midnight.

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World shares are mixed after shooting at Trump rally, weaker China data

World shares began the week trading mixed and U.S. futures were higher after a shooting at a rally for former President Donald Trump.

China reported that its economy expanded at a slower-than-forecast 4.7% annual pace in the last quarter as its ruling Communist Party opened a once-a-decade policy-setting meeting.

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China's economy slows in last quarter as weak consumer demand drags on growth

China's economy expanded at a slower-than-forecast 4.7% annual rate in the last quarter, the government reported Monday, while emphasizing signs of improvement in factory output, income and investment.

The expansion was sharply below the 5.3% annual pace of growth seen in the first quarter of the year.

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Thailand set to roll out controversial $13.8 bn handout plan in digital money to citizens

Thailand's prime minister said Monday that eligible businesses and individuals can register from August for digital cash handouts, a controversial program that will cost billions of dollars and is meant to boost the lagging economy.

The government announced in April the widely criticized ambitious plan, named the "Digital Wallet," meant to give 10,000 baht (about $275) to 50 million citizens in digital money to spend at local businesses.

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