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Families of Port Victims Rally outside Justice Palace to Support Bitar

Dozens of Lebanese, including families of Beirut port explosion victims, rallied Monday outside the Justice Palace in support of Judge Tarek Bitar after he was forced to suspend his work as a lead investigator into the Beirut port blast.

Protesters held portraits of their loved ones who died in the explosion.

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Japan's Kishida Says Virus Measures, Defense Top Priorities

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told parliament on Monday that fighting the pandemic and strengthening defense are his government's top priorities.

Kishida delivered a speech opening this year's parliamentary session hours after North Korea test-fired two possible ballistic missiles — its fourth tests this month.

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Pandemic Hasn't Slowed China's Love for U.S. Lobster

China is showing no signs of slowing its demand for American lobster this year despite disruption to the supply chain and international trade caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Chinese demand for the crustaceans grew dramatically during the 2010s in part because of the expansion of the country's middle class. The lobsters are especially sought after in winter because they are a popular delicacy on Chinese New Year, which is Feb. 1 this year.

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In Greece, Unvaccinated People 60 and up Face Monthly Fines

Greece imposed a vaccination mandate Monday for people 60 and older, as the country's vaccination rate remains below the European Union average and a spike in infections has put sustained pressure on Greek hospitals.

Older people failing to get vaccinated will face penalties, starting at a 50-euro ($57) fine in January and followed by a monthly fine of 100 euros ($114) after that.

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Flights Sent to Assess Tonga Damage after Volcanic Eruption

New Zealand and Australia were able to send military surveillance flights to Tonga on Monday to assess the damage a huge undersea volcanic eruption left in the Pacific island nation.

A towering ash cloud since Saturday's eruption had prevented earlier flights. New Zealand hopes to send essential supplies, including much-needed drinking water, on a military transport plane Tuesday.

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7 in Swiss Trial over Protest against Quarry Expansion

Seven activists have gone on trial in Switzerland on Monday over charges including alleged trespassing and resisting arrest, over their roles in a campsite protest against the expansion of a limestone quarry in rolling Swiss countryside.

The defendants, who are being tried separately in rapid-succession hearings this week, are the first among some 40 people who are facing court action over the show of civil disobedience at Mormont hill, the site of a quarry owned by Swiss-French construction materials company Lafarge Holcim located about 25 kilometers (15 miles) north of Lausanne.

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Gators Fouled by Diesel Spill Get a Scrubbing, Teeth Cleaned

Wildlife rehabilitators are decontaminating dozens of alligators, brushing their pointy teeth and scrubbing their scaly hides in the weeks after a pipeline rupture dumped 300,000 gallons (1.1 million liters) of diesel fuel into a New Orleans area wetland.

Diesel poured into the area outside the New Orleans suburb of Chalmette on Dec. 27 after a severely corroded pipeline broke, according to federal records.

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Russia Denies Looking for Pretext to Invade Ukraine

Russia's top diplomat on Monday angrily rejected the U.S. allegations that it was preparing a pretext to invade Ukraine as Russian troops have remained concentrated near the border.

The White House said Friday that U.S. intelligence officials had concluded that Russia had already deployed operatives to rebel-controlled eastern Ukraine to carry out acts of sabotage there and blame them on Ukraine in a "false-flag operation" to create a pretext for possible invasion.

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Birju Maharaj, Legend of India's Kathak Dance Form, Dies

Birju Maharaj, a legend of classical Indian dance and among the country's most well-known performing artists, died Monday. He was 83.

Maharaj was suffering from a kidney ailment and was undergoing dialysis and likely died of a cardiac arrest, his granddaughter Ragini Maharaj told the Press Trust of India news agency.

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Algeria Stunned as African Cup Throws up Surprises all Over

Defending champion Algeria lost 1-0 to Equatorial Guinea on Sunday in one of the biggest-ever upsets at the African Cup of Nations, with a defender who was playing in the fifth tier in Spain last year scoring the goal that beat Riyad Mahrez and his superstar teammates.

Esteban Obiang arrived at the back post to connect with a corner in the 70th minute for Equatorial Guinea's winner, ending a four-year unbeaten run for the African champion and leaving its title defense in Cameroon in pieces.

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