INDORE: India is tapping a new energy source that promises to help clean up smog-choked cities and is already providing a vital revenue stream for poor Indian farmers: truckloads of bovine manure. Cows are venerated as sacred creatures by the country’s Hindu majority. They also have pride of place in
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka: The International Monetary Fund said on Wednesday that it has asked cash-strapped Sri Lanka to “restructure” its huge foreign debt before a bailout programme could be finalised as anti-government protests escalated across the island. Sri Lanka opened talks with the IMF in Washington this week after announcing
ZAGREB, Croatia: Thousands of people have signed a petition against the eviction of a 17-year-old stray cat from its home outside a historic palace in Croatia’s tourist hotspot, Dubrovnik. Anastasia spends her days in front of the 14th-century Rector’s Palace in the Old City and is a favourite with locals and
DILI: East Timor’s citizens head to the polls on Tuesday to choose either a Nobel laureate or a former guerrilla fighter — the incumbent president — as their next leader. Polling stations in Southeast Asia’s youngest country open at 7 am (2200 GMT Monday) for what is a rematch of
LONDON: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will face angry lawmakers Tuesday for the first time since being fined for breaking the law, as the “partygate” scandal continues to plague him. The embattled UK leader has weathered the initial storm after being penalised last week for breaching Covid lockdown laws on
MANILA, Philippines: At least 24 people have been killed in landslides and flooding across central and southern Philippines, authorities said Monday, after a storm dumped heavy rain and disrupted travel ahead of the Easter holidays. More than 13,000 people fled to emergency shelters as the tropical storm pounded the disaster-prone
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Pakistan lawmakers on Monday elected Shehbaz Sharif as the country’s new prime minister following the weekend ouster of Imran Khan, who resigned his national assembly seat — along with most of his party members — ahead of the vote. Khan was dismissed Sunday after losing a no-confidence vote,
ALEXANDRIA, United States: It’s just a small box to tick on an application form, but a huge breakthrough for D. Ojeda, a non-binary person who on Monday became one of the first Americans to apply for a gender-neutral passport. “Even with my family, they still don’t get it,” said Ojeda,
SYDNEY, Australia: The Australian state of Victoria announced Tuesday that it will host the 2026 Commonwealth Games with all sporting events taking place outside of its capital city of Melbourne. The state’s premier Daniel Andrews praised the Commonwealth Games for embracing Victoria’s pitch for the event, admitting that “it’s a
JAKARTA: Indonesians are heading out to eat again as the COVID-19 pandemic’s grip on the country loosens, and some thrill-seekers in Jakarta are celebrating by having dinner while dangling 50 metres in the air. The Lounge in the Sky opened to the public this week in the capital of Muslim-majority
