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India’s Ram temple donation scandal puts billions in religious funds under the spotlight

NEW DELHI, July 19 — A probe into donations allegedly siphoned off at India’s grand Ram temple has renewed scrutiny of how religious sites manage vast amounts of cash and gold entrusted to them by devotees. Police launched an investigation

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Wildfire smoke crashes World Cup final party in New York

NEW YORK, July 19 — Heavy, acrid wildfire smoke blanketed much of the eastern United States yesterday, marring preparations for the weekend’s highly awaited World Cup final to be held in an open stadium in New Jersey. The wildfires burning

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Trump threatens to raise Canada tariffs over wildfire smoke crossing into US

NEW YORK, July 18 — US President Donald Trump threatened on Friday a tariff increase on Canada to cover the cost of smoke pollution from wildfires that have choked large parts of the United States. Dense wildfire smoke billowing down

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Silent war on history: Myanmar’s coup leaders quietly remove national monuments

YANGON, July 18 — Statues of independence hero Aung San are quietly disappearing across Myanmar in a contest over his legacy as father of both the nation and of detained democracy figurehead Aung San Suu Kyi. General Aung San fought

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Strait of Hormuz crisis: Iran claims tankers exploded after hitting mines

TEHRAN, July 18 — Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Saturday that two oil tankers exploded after hitting mines in the Strait of Hormuz, as the United States and Tehran continued to trade drone and missile strikes. “An hour ago, two oil

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Iran strikes US bases in five countries as conflict spreads across the Gulf

TEHRAN, July 18 — The United States and Iran traded drone and missile strikes on Friday as a senior Iranian military advisor threatened to step up offensive operations if the US attacks continue. US Central Command, in a post on

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China’s Xi warns against AI dominance by any one country, urges global cooperation

SHANGHAI, July 17 — Artificial intelligence should not be dominated by a single country, China’s President Xi Jinping said today, urging international cooperation on its development at a major conference in Shanghai. Chinese AI models are catching up to the most

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Andy Burnham takes charge of Labour, set to become Britain’s next PM

LONDON, July 17 — Britain’s ruling Labour party will confirm veteran politician Andy Burnham as its new leader, and the country’s next prime minister, at a special conference today.  As centre-left Labour has an overwhelming majority in parliament, the 56-year-old

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Trump to make first World Cup appearance at grand finale

WASHINGTON, July 17 — US President Donald Trump will attend Sunday’s World Cup final between Spain and Argentina, the White House said, saving his first appearance at the tournament for its grand finale. “His attendance will cap what has been the

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KFC, sushi chain and now ice cream: Japan cyberattack widens fallout

TOKYO, July 16 — A major Japanese ice cream maker said Thursday that it is seeing shipment delays following a cyberattack at its logistics partner that has already affected Kentucky Fried Chicken and a large sushi chain. Ezaki Glico, known

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