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Pope Calls for U.S. Sense of Popular 'Responsibility'

Pope Francis on Sunday called on Americans to show their "sense of responsibility" and support for democratic values as he lamented the midweek storming of the Capitol in Washington.

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Greek Church Defies Virus Advice to Mark Epiphany

Christians flocked to churches in Greece to celebrate the Epiphany on Wednesday, after the Orthodox Church rejected government coronavirus restrictions.

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Bronze Bust of Soleimani Sparks Controversy in Lebanon

The unveiling of a large statue in a Beirut suburb of an Iranian commander killed by the U.S. last year has sparked indignation among many in Lebanon -- the latest manifestation of a growing schism between supporters and opponents of Iran-backed Hizbullah.

The bronze bust of Gen. Qassem Soleimani was erected Tuesday by the Ghobeiry municipality in a Hizbullah stronghold near Beirut's airport to commemorate the slain general's supportive role in Lebanon's wars with Israel. Soleimani, the architect of Iran's proxy militias in the Middle East, was killed in a U.S. drone strike near Baghdad airport a year ago.

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Algerian Jailed for 3 Years for Political Protest Memes

An Algerian supporter of the Hirak protest movement was sentenced to three years in jail Monday for satirical social media posts mocking the government and religion, a campaign group said.

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Arrested Palestinian DJ Freed on Bail

A prominent Palestinian disc jockey arrested after a dance event at a Muslim religious and cultural site last week has been freed on bail, her father said Monday. 

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Renowned Maestro Elias Rahbani Dies of Covid-19

Renowned Lebanese lyrical author, composer, orchestra arranger and conductor Elias Rahbani passed away on Monday at the age of 82, his family said.

Rahbani was hospitalized last week suffering low oxygen after he contracted the coronavirus and succumbed to COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus, on Monday.

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Minority-Owned U.S. Companies Waited Months for Loans

Thousands of minority-owned small businesses were at the end of the line in the U.S. government's coronavirus relief program as many struggled to find banks that would accept their applications or were disadvantaged by the terms of the program.

Data from the Paycheck Protection Program released Dec. 1 and analyzed by The Associated Press show that many minority owners desperate for a relief loan didn't receive one until the PPP's last few weeks while many more white business owners were able to get loans earlier in the program

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Pope Accepts Resignation of Archbishop who Slammed Belarus Govt.

Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of the Catholic Archbishop of Minsk, the Vatican said on Sunday, after he spoke out against the Belarus government and violence against protestors. 

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Rights Groups Demand Release of Arrested Palestinian DJ

Rights groups on Tuesday demanded that Palestinian authorities free a woman disc jockey arrested after a dance event at a Muslim religious site near the West Bank city of Jericho.

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Egypt Sentences Man to 3 Years in Prison for Sexual Harassment

An Egyptian court on Tuesday sentenced a former student to three years in prison for sexually harassing two young women, in a case that sparked outrage on social media under the #MeToo hashtag.

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