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ISLAMABAD (AP) — Hajj is the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca that is required once in a lifetime of every Muslim who can afford it and is physically able to do it. It is a spiritual highlight for those fortunate enough to go, but it is also grueling and stressful.Pilgrims conduct their rituals outdoors, among huge crowds, walking up to 25 kilometers (15 miles) a day. There is often no privacy or personal space. Languages, routines and surroundings can feel unfamiliar, and the emotional impact of doing the Hajj can also take its toll.Here are some ways to be well…

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — As I prepared to take a photograph of an anti-American mural outside of the former U.S. Embassy in Iran’s capital recently, a passerby called out to me. “Take any picture you like, they’ll remove all of them later,” the man said. It was a telling moment as the murals have long been a feature of the U.S. Embassy compound, which has been held and run by Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard as a cultural center since the 1979 student-led hostage crisis there destroyed ties between Iran and the United States. Today, Iran is talking to America about…

Berlin CNN  —  Friedrich Merz, the newly inaugurated German chancellor, will take a seat in the Oval Office on Thursday for his first in-person meeting with US President Donald Trump. The meeting comes as a series of high-stakes international issues once again come to the fore. Trump has issued another round of warnings to the European Union on tariffs; the war in Ukraine appears no closer to ending; and pressure is mounting on Israel over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza. Since taking office, Merz has been on a tour of European capitals, meeting with France’s Emmanuel Macron, Britain’s Keir…

Hong Kong CNN  —  Dangling from a tree for nearly seven hours, 11-year-old Prajesh Dhimant Patel was barely conscious — only the faint, slow movement of his feet, clad in bright orange shoes, hinted at a trace of life. Amid the debris of crushed boulders unleashed by a devastating earthquake, a tour guide was descending the mountain when, from the corner of his eye, he caught sight of those bright shoes. It was that flash of orange that led the guide to Patel, and ultimately, saved the schoolboy’s life. It’s been 10 years since the tragic morning of June 5,…

CNN  —  For months, President Donald Trump has suggested his personal relationship with China’s Xi Jinping will be what unlocks the world’s most consequential trade dispute. Yet he couldn’t get Xi on the telephone for weeks. The long period of silence between the leaders will — at least in the White House’s telling — come to an end this week. A string of US officials have all but confirmed a call between Trump and Xi is imminent and could occur as early as Thursday, even though Beijing remains tight-lipped. “I am afraid we don’t have comments for you right now,”…

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — As Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice, approaches, cattle markets across Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation, are experiencing peak trading activity.Just outside the capital, Jakarta, the Jonggol Cattle Market is bustling with hundreds of cattle traders serving buyers looking for sacrificial animals. Sales at this market have increased since last month as the Muslim community prepares for the celebration. This year, Eid al-Adha will fall on Friday.Nina Herlina, 54, was a rarity among male cattle traders in a market known for its dirt, dust and animal waste. Nina Herlina pets a goat at…

MEXICO CITY (AP) — In his campaign for Mexico’s Supreme Court, Hugo Aguilar sent a simple message: He would be the one to finally give Indigenous Mexicans a voice at one of the highest levels of government.“It’s our turn as Indigenous people … to make decisions in this country,” he said in the lead up to Sunday’s first judicial elections in Mexican history.Now, the 52-year-old Aguilar, a lawyer from the Mixtec people in Mexico’s southern Oaxaca state, will be the first Indigenous Supreme Court justice in nearly 170 years in the Latin American nation, according to Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.…

Brazil must help forward Vinícius Júnior rediscover the form he has displayed at Real Madrid, new national team coach Carlo Ancelotti said on Wednesday.Ancelotti, who guided the Spanish giants to several titles alongside the Brazilian forward, including two Champions League triumphs and two LaLiga crowns, said that his unique ability to unsettle opposing defences made him a vital asset.Editor’s Picks2 Related”I don’t know if he’s been at his best here, but he has time to do what he does at Real Madrid,” Ancelotti told reporters ahead of Brazil’s World Cup qualifying match against Ecuador on Thursday — his first match…

Facebook Tweet Email Link Two Chinese researchers were charged with smuggling a fungus classified “as a potential agroterrorism weapon” that could decimate crops and impact human health into the US last summer in a wad of tissues, according to an FBI affidavit in support of the criminal complaint filed Tuesday. Testing at an FBI laboratory discovered a sample containing the DNA sequence that “would allow a researcher to propagate live Fusarium graminearum,” a fungus that causes “head blight,” in the biological materials that Yunqing Jian, 33, and Zunyong Liu, 34, allegedly smuggled into the US, according to the complaint. Fusarium…

The top stories and transfer rumours from Thursday’s newspapers…THE ATHLETIC Manchester United have submitted an opening bid of £55m to sign Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford, with the offer £45m plus £10m in add-ons.Wolves sporting director Matt Hobbs has left Molineux with the club in talks to appoint former Sampdoria technical director Domenico Teti. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Gary Neville gives his view on Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo potentially playing together at Man Utd Manchester City’s shake-up of their backroom staff is continuing with the addition of James French from Liverpool. Real Madrid have…