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Qatar gives fans paid trips to sing at World Cup ceremony

Up to 1,600 fans of the teams that qualified for this year's World Cup are being recruited for an all expenses-paid trip to Qatar to sing in the opening ceremony and stay for at least two weeks promoting positive social media content about the soccer tournament and the host nation.

Fans from each of the 32 teams are needed for a five-minute, fan-themed section of the ceremony before Qatar plays Ecuador in the opening match on Nov. 20. They will perform a chant or song specific to each country, chosen by the organizers, according to documents seen by The Associated Press.

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WHO: Monkeypox still global health emergency

The World Health Organization said Tuesday that its emergency committee had determined that monkeypox should continue to be classified as a global health emergency.

Following a meeting on October 20 about the virus that suddenly began spreading across the world in May, the experts "held the consensus view that the event continues to meet the... criteria for a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)" -- the highest alarm WHO can sound, the UN health agency said. 

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Rising stars to watch at World Cup: Pedri, Bellingham, Reyna

Spain's Pedri González will highlight the list of teenagers who could make an impact at the World Cup. Others include England's Jude Bellingham, Germany's Jamal Musiala and American teammates Gio Reyna and Yunus Musah.

All five players are 19, although Reyna turns 20 on Nov. 13 and Pedri and Musah will both turn 20 during the tournament in Qatar.

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Iran's currency hits new low against the dollar amid unrest

Iran's currency dropped to its lowest value against the dollar on Tuesday, after weeks of nationwide unrest roiling the country. A stalemate in negotiations to revive Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers has also weighed heavily on the rial.

Traders in Tehran exchanged the rial at 338,000 to the dollar, up from 332,200 on Monday. Iran's currency was trading at 32,000 rials to the dollar at the time of the 2015 nuclear accord that lifted international sanctions in exchange for tight curbs on Tehran's nuclear program.

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Egypt activist in prison starts 'full hunger strike'

Egypt's most prominent imprisoned activist went on "full hunger strike"' on Tuesday and plans to stop drinking water on the first day of the global climate summit next week, his family said.

Alaa Abdel-Fattah, an outspoken dissident and a U.K. citizen, rose to prominence with the 2011 pro-democracy uprisings that swept the Middle East and in Egypt toppled long-time President Hosni Mubarak. The 40-year old activist spent most of the past decade behind bars and his detention has become a symbol of Egypt's return to autocratic rule.

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Ships sail from Ukraine despite Russia suspending grain deal

Ships loaded with grain departed Ukraine on Tuesday despite Russia suspending its participation in a U.N.-brokered deal that ensures safe wartime passage of critical food supplies meant for parts of the world struggling with hunger.

The U.N. said three ships carrying 84,490 metric tons of corn, wheat and sunflower meal left through a humanitarian sea corridor set up in July. The corridor, brokered by Turkey and U.N., was seen as a breakthrough that would ensure Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia would receive grain and other food from the Black Sea region during Russia's war in Ukraine.

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Kremlin accuses UK of 'directing and coordinating' Nord Stream blasts

The Kremlin on Tuesday accused the United Kingdom of "directing and coordinating" explosions on the Nord Stream gas pipelines.

"Our intelligence services have data indicating that British military specialists were directing and coordinating the attack," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists.

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New president's bid to protect the Amazon will face hurdles

In a victory speech, Brazil's president-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva promised to reverse a surge in deforestation in the Amazon rainforest.

"We will once again monitor and do surveillance in the Amazon. We will fight every illegal activity," leftist da Silva said in his speech at a hotel in downtown Sao Paulo. "At the same time, we will promote sustainable development of communities in the Amazon."

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Power, water restored in Kyiv after Russian strikes

Water and power supplies were fully restored in Kyiv on Tuesday a day after Russian missile strikes, as grain exports from Ukraine continued despite Moscow pulling out of a deal to let ships through.

Russian authorities meanwhile announced that tens of thousands more civilians would be "evacuated" from the Russian-occupied southern Ukrainian region of Kherson amid a counter-offensive from Kyiv.

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Danish elections could pave way for a center government

Denmark held a national election Tuesday that is expected to change the Scandinavian nation's political landscape as new parties seek to enter parliament and others see their support dwindle.

Neither the center-left nor the center-right is expected to capture a majority, which is 90 seats in the 179-seat Folketing legislature. That could leave a former prime minister who left his party to create a new one this year in a kingmaker position if his votes are needed to form a new government.

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