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Israeli strike levels 3-story commercial building in Sidon

Israel's air force struck areas in southern and eastern Lebanon on Monday and early Tuesday, including in the country's third-largest city.

A strike around 1 a.m. Tuesday leveled a three-story commercial building in the southern coastal city of Sidon, a few days before Lebanon's army commander is scheduled to brief the government on its mission of disarming Hezbollah in areas along the border with Israel.

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DiCaprio on importance of creating cinema over content at Palm Springs Film Festival

Leonardo DiCaprio emphasized the importance of creating cinema over content at the Palm Springs Film Festival Friday night.

"Movies are still meant to be experienced, together, in a theatre. Right now, that belief matters more than ever. Original films are harder to make and harder to protect. But movies still matter, not content, but cinema. Stories made by people meant to be shared in a dark room in a communal experience," he said.

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Harbin ice festival draws sculptors and spectators to northern China

Each January, an odd and beautiful thing happens in the frigid northeastern Chinese city of Harbin.

Some would argue that the place, the capital of Heilongjiang province, has enough ice already. But sculptors converge on the town not far from China's border with Russia to bring out more of it, and to compete for the best ice sculpture of the year.

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Conservationists in Kenya pay tribute to beloved elephant Craig, who died at age 54

Kenyans are mourning the death of a beloved "super tusker" elephant whose long life in the wild came to symbolize the country's increasingly successful efforts to protect the mammals from ivory poachers.

The bull elephant who died on Saturday was named Craig. He lived in Amboseli National Park, a protected area in southern Kenya that is a favorite of safari tourists, the Kenya Wildlife Service said in a statement.

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LA residents still battling toxic hazards year after historic wildfires

"DANGER: Lead Work Area" reads a sign on a front door of an Altadena home. "May damage fertility or the unborn child. Causes damage to the central nervous system."

Block after block there are reminders that contaminants still linger.

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Syrian and Israeli officials set to resume US-mediated talks in Paris

Syrian and Israeli officials are set to resume U.S.-mediated talks in Paris in hopes of reaching a security agreement to defuse tensions between the two countries, a Syrian official said Monday.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly, told The Associated Press that the delegation on the Syrian side will be headed by Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani and the head of the General Intelligence Directorate, Hussein Salameh.

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Brand new Olympic sport, ski mountaineering, will debut at Milan Cortina Games

The Milan Cortina Winter Olympics will debut a new sport next month: Ski mountaineering, which combines uphill sprinting (on boots and on skis) and downhill skiing. Although the sport on the global stage is relatively new, it does have roots dating to the late 19th century. Backcountry winter sports have grown in popularity and there is anecdotal evidence that they saw a surge in participation during the pandemic.

Something to know about skimo: It's fast, with sprint races lasting about 3 minutes.

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Curling, the popular Olympic sport with Italian star seeking more gold at home

Curling dates to the 1700s and was among the handful of sports at the first Winter Olympics in 1924.

It didn't return until the 1998 Games with both men's and women's competition. It has grown in popularity and size: Curling will be the first sport to open competition, two days before the opening ceremony for the Milan Cortina Games in February.

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Gauff clarifies comments on American tennis fans before surprising loss at United Cup

Coco Gauff dropped a post on social media just before she started her United Cup singles match Monday, hoping to add context to her recent comments about American tennis fans.

The issue was clearly a distraction and the match didn't go well for the No. 4-ranked Guaff, who lost the first five games and struggled in a 6-1, 6-7 (3), 6-0 loss to No. 42 Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in Perth.

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Manchester United coach out one day after provocative comments about club structure

Ruben Amorim is out as coach of Manchester United after just 14 months in the job.

The Premier League club announced on Monday that Amorim's reign was over - with the decision coming a day after he made provocative comments about his position following a 1-1 draw with Leeds.

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