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02-09-2024 JAKARTA: When Pope Francis visits Indonesia next week, he will stop by a mosque in Jakarta that has an unusual feature, a tunnel connecting it to the city’s Catholic cathedral, as part of a push for interfaith harmony on his 12-day Asia-Pacific tour. The 28.3-metre “Tunnel of Friendship”, connecting …

02-09-2024 Bureau Report + Agencies NEW DELHI/ BENGALURU: India collected 1.75 trillion rupees ($20.87 billion) in goods and services tax (GST) in July, a rise of 10% from the same period last year, according to a government statement on Saturday. The Indian government collected 1.59 trillion rupees as GST in …

02-09-2024 BEIJING: China and the Philippines have accused each other of ramming coast guard vessels in a disputed area of the South China Sea. The Philippines has claimed a Chinese ship “directly and intentionally rammed” into its vessel, while Beijing has accused the Philippines of “deliberately” crashing into a Chinese …

02-09-2024 BERLIN: Voters in Germany’s two eastern states are due to cast their ballots in elections in which the far right is expected to perform strongly. The Alternative for Germany (AfD) has been polling top in Thuringia ahead of Sunday’s vote, while the party has been running neck-and-neck for first …

02-09-2024 BANGKOK: It has been described as the “most invasive species” to ever hit Thailand one which risks enormous damage to the environment, according to officials. Attempts to control it have seen crowds wading out into lakes, and genetic modification and yet the blackchin tilapia continues to spread through Thailand’s …

02-09-2024 WASHINGTON: Vice-President Kamala Harris is criticizing former president Donald Trump over a recent controversy involving his campaign at Arlington National Cemetery, saying the military burial site is “not a place for politics”. Harris took aim at Trump on Saturday in a post on social media, writing that he “disrespected …

02-09-2024 MOSCOW: In early August, Pablo Gonzalez was taken from a prison in Poland and flown to Moscow on a plane carrying Russian deep-cover agents, hackers and a hitman for the FSB intelligence service. The group was met at the airport by a military guard, red carpet and Vladimir Putin …

01-09-2024 JERUSALEM: Israel says its forces have recovered the bodies of six hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the bodies were located on Saturday in an underground tunnel in the Rafah area of southern Gaza. The IDF named the …

01-09-2024 WEST ALLIS, WISCONSIN: In Michigan this year, where dairy workers and herds have fallen ill from bird flu, a pair of unlikely prized cows are being prepped to take the state fair stage. State fair organizers are this year featuring Milkshake and Buttercup, two life-sized fiberglass cows complete with …

01-09-2024 BAGHDAD: A US military-led raid in western Iraq killed at least 15 Islamic State (IS) militant group “operatives” who fought back with numerous weapons including grenades and explosive “suicide” belts, US Central Command said late Friday. The joint operation with Iraq’s security forces took place early Thursday. Some of …