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Shiite cleric killed in grenade attack near Syrian capital of Damascus

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Assailants killed a Shiite cleric Friday near the Syrian capital by hurling a grenade into his car, state media reported.

It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack that killed Farhan al-Mansour, the main preacher at a Shiite shrine in the Damascus suburb of Sayyida Zeinab.

State news agency SANA and state TV said that security was boosted in the southern suburb of Damascus, adding that security forces have launched an investigation to find the suspects behind the attack.

The area was the scene of intense clashes during the early years of Syria’s conflict that broke out in March 2011.

Tens of thousands of Shiite Muslims used to visit the Sayyida Zeinab Shrine where they believe the granddaughter of Prophet Muhammad is entombed. Since the fall of President Bashar Assad’s government in December 2024, the numbers have dropped sharply.

Zeinab is a daughter of the first Shiite imam, Ali, cousin and son-in-law of Prophet Muhammad. She’s especially revered among Shiites as a symbol of steadfastness, patience and courage.

Sayyida Zeinab has been the site of past attacks on Shiite pilgrims by the Islamic State group, which takes an extreme interpretation of Sunni Islam and considers Shiites to be infidels.

Beijing bans 4 New Zealand lawmakers from entering China because they visited Taiwan

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Beijing banned four New Zealand lawmakers from traveling to China for a year and demanded they apologize because they visited Taiwan on a parliamentary trip, according to a message from the Chinese embassy conveyed via parliamentary officials and shown to The Associated Press on Thursday. China has hit lawmakers from other countries with sanctions related to contact with Taiwan before, but it's the first time for New Zealand parliamentarians, the government in Wellington said. Beijing has been increasing pressure in recent years on the democratically governed island that it claims as its own territory. Two lawmakers reached by the AP on Thursday rejected the demand for an apology, while the other two could not be immediately reached. New Zealand's government said it would express concern about the travel bans to Beijing. The elected officials visited Taipei in May, as New Zealand parliamentarians have done “for decades,” a spokesperson for Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a statement.
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