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• HISTORY
• The Middle Eastern country took its current shape as a French mandate after being chiseled out of the Ottoman Empire after World War I, as did neighboring Lebanon, and French is spoken by many in both countries. France has particularly close ties to Lebanon and wants to prevent it from being sucked further into Syria's chaos.
• The ties to the region also make Syria a particularly attractive place for homegrown French extremists. French Interior Minister Manuel Valls said this month that about 110 citizens or residents of France have joined up with jihadist fighters in Syria -- about half the total number from European Union countries. French authorities fear they will return home to carry out terrorism.
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• DENVER (AP) -- Little more than a year after Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper insisted his wildfire-ravaged state was still "open for business," he may have to throw another lifeline to the state's billion-dollar tourism industry as the world takes in the startling images of dramatic flood rescues and washed-out roads.
• The flooding has struck at the very mountains that give the state its identity and attract millions of hikers, campers and skiers. Months and possibly years of painstaking, expensive repairs lie ahead, but Colorado officials must also deal with a second problem-- the risk that catastrophic damage could keep tourists away, even from places that are unharmed.
• Some tourism operators want to see a media campaign to counter the photos of raging rivers and towns ruined by muddy floodwaters.
• David Leinweber owns Angler's Covey in Colorado Springs, which caters to fly fishermen seeking prime trout. He said the images on television and social media make it look as if this year's fishing season is finished.
• "Our out-of-state business is down 15 percent. People don't realize that we still have 9,000 miles of fishable water and 2,000 lakes in Colorado that aren't affected," he said. "And they won't know unless we tell them."
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• GIGLIO ISLAND, Italy (AP) -- Engineers declared success on Tuesday as the

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