The fisher folk of Sri Lanka’s north-western coast, are convinced that well-tended mangroves can protect lives and property against the monsoon rains that lash the island from July to October. One such person is Milan Gamage, a 35-year-old woman, who planted mangroves behind her home on the edge of the Puttalam lagoon in 2008. They […]
A ‘jirga’ or tribal court in southern Pakistan has convicted a 10-year-old boy of having an affair with a married woman in her late 30s and ordered him to pay a fine of $7,000, according to media reports. Jigras, like India’s Khap Panchayats, do not have a legal standing, but are powerful bodies in the […]
Chinese authorities in Tibet are tightening restrictions across the region as the birthday of the exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama (July 6) approaches, according to Radio Free Asia. Displays by Tibetans of the Dalai Lama’s photo or public celebrations of his birthday have been met with harsh punishment in the past. In 1959, the […]
Pizza Hut and Kentucky Fried Chicken will no longer be served in Nepal. That’s just another fallout of the great earthquake that flattened the country. The twist in the tale is that union workers demanded that they get off at 6 pm every evening. The four restaurants, on the other hand, needed to operate beyond […]