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Residents of southern Lebanon are returning to the villages they had fled and emerging from hiding places. Back at home, they are checking on the friends they left behind -- and beginning the grim work of recovering the dead.

In a closely watched court case in Mississippi, a federal judge rules that a couple cannot collect damages from Hurricane Katrina's storm surge because their insurance policy excludes flood damage. The ruling could set a precedent for thousands of other cases.

At the International Astronomical Union meeting, now underway in Prague. astronomers will vote over whether Pluto's small status should cause it to be declassifed as a planet. At left, the first-ever glimpse of Pluto's surface, taken by Hubble in 1994.

Hezbollah is being portrayed by Arab TV as the winner in its conflict with Israel. The Lebanese Shiite group, quietly backed by Iran, is seen as the first Middle Eastern group to stand up to Israel and win.

The Lebanese government faces a number of problems in the wake of the Hezbollah-Israel conflict, including how to help thousands of refugees returning to their homes in Beirut's suburbs and the country's south.

The Israeli Cabinet voted overnight to expand ground operations in southern Lebanon. Israel Radio reported that the number of ground troops in Lebanon will more than double. Despite growing international calls for a cease-fire, Israeli officials say the offensive against Hezbollah could last for weeks.

With troops poised to invade Gaza, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert ruled out negotiating with the captors of an Israeli soldier. Olmert promised a "broad and ongoing" military offensive if Palestinian kidnappers do not release their prisoner. But an attack may threaten the life of the 19-year-old hostage.

Italy's foreign minister, Massimo D'Alema, travels to Jerusalem on Sunday to help find a diplomatic solution to the crisis in Lebanon. So far, calls for restraint have been ignored. Italy has offered to send troops to any multinational peacekeeping force, and Prime Minister Romano Prodi wants Italy to act as a "facilitator" in the Middle East.

Israel launches new airstrikes in south Lebanon, just hours after the announcement of a 48-hour suspension of the aerial campaign. The partial suspension came after the bombing Sunday of an apartment building in the southern Lebanese town of Qana that left more than 50 civilians dead.

Mastercard and Visa collect billions of dollars in fees each year from the nation's retailers. Merchants have long complained about the way those fees are determined. A lawsuit accusing Mastercard and Visa of antitrust violations is expected to go to trial in Brooklyn soon.