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Philippine region with history of conflict holds its first parliamentary polls

Voters in an autonomous southern Philippine region will cast their ballots Monday in the region's first parliamentary elections, seen as a crucial step in the quest for self-determination and lasting peace after decades of insurgency and violence.

The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, or BARMM, covers five provinces, three cities and 63 villages across eight special geographic area clusters. It has nearly 2.4 million voters, with election officials aiming for an 80% turnout after polling was postponed for several years.

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Brazil is in fashion, as Brazilians like to say

Brazil is having a moment. Celebrities and record numbers of tourists donning green, yellow and blue are flooding into the country. Brazilian culture — from its Oscar-nominated films to funk music — is taking the world by storm. Global fashion brands and influencers are leaning into the hype.

For decades, Brazilians have lamented that the country and its cultural makeup and output have long gone under-appreciated in what has become known as the "mongrel complex."

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Trump says he'll consider releasing 9/11 records after families' request

President Donald Trump said Sunday that he will look into requests from families of Sept. 11 victims to release records that could shed light on Saudi Arabia's alleged role in the attacks 25 years ago.

Several families have long alleged that a group of extremist religious leaders in Saudi Arabia gained influence in the Saudi government and aided the hijackers. Fifteen of the 19 hijackers were Saudis, but the Saudi government has long denied any involvement in the attacks.

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Celine Dion thrills fans with emotional comeback concert after overcoming rare illness

She hit the high F, held it, then blew out a breath and turned to look back at the band — a quick, disbelieving glance toward her musical director. Some 30,000 people read it before they had finished screaming: Celine Dion did it.

It was "All By Myself," the song the Quebec superstar's voice has been measured against since 1996, saved for the encore of her first full concert in more than six years — her first since stiff person syndrome, a rare, progressive neurological disease, attacked her muscles, including those of the throat.

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Trump calls on Ukraine to halt strikes on Russian diesel fuel, citing global shortage

U.S. President Donald Trump has called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries and other infrastructure used to produce and distribute diesel, saying the attacks are causing a global shortage. He spoke after diesel prices in the U.S. hit a record on Friday, soaring past $6 a gallon on average.

Ukraine has for months been targeting Russia's oil and gas industry with long-range strikes, prompting fuel rationing across the country and causing Moscow to ban diesel exports in July, removing supplies from the already tight global market.

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Fighting in Yemen intensifies, and Houthis launch more attacks on Saudi Arabia

The conflict in Yemen intensified on Sunday, as government forces launched attacks against Iran-backed Houthi rebels along the Red Sea and Houthis fired into neighboring Saudi Arabia, which supports Yemen's government.

The Yemeni government vowed to send more forces to the Red Sea coast and one official conceded a "painful" defeat last week when Houthis captured the port city of Mokha and an island on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a crucial shipping alternative to the Strait of Hormuz.

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Residents gather to watch Israeli drones drop explosives on their south Lebanon village

A group of men and children gathered at a vantage point overlooking their village in southern Lebanon, watching from a distance as Israeli drones descended, carrying boxes laden with explosives to be dropped on houses.

It has become a daily ritual for residents of Mansouri, who fled the village weeks ago and now are watching its destruction from the neighboring village of Hanniyeh.

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Aoun inspects Nabatieh and Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh

President Joseph Aoun visited the country's south on Saturday morning, in a surprise trip to Nabatieh, a city close to a strategic Hezbollah position recently captured and blown up by Israel.

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BRICS leaders gather in New Delhi as wars and rivalries strain expanded bloc

Leaders of the BRICS nations will meet in New Delhi this weekend as wars in Ukraine and the Middle East and U.S.-China tensions test the group's ability to act together.

Host India will seek to balance its ties with China and Russia against its growing partnerships with the United States and other Western powers.

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Iran seeks end to Saudi blockade of Yemen after rebels take key port

Iran's government on Friday called for an end to Saudi Arabia's blockade of Yemen and the immediate resumption of talks, in its first public statement since Iran-backed Houthi rebels entered a key Yemeni port and intensified their threat to a key global shipping alternative to the Strait of Hormuz.

In a statement carried by the state-run IRNA news agency, Iran's foreign ministry said Yemen's sovereignty must be respected and its problems cannot be resolved through a blockade or military alliances.

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