World

Once synonymous with isolation, imprisonment and political persecution, the remote Greek island of Gyaros is today gaining recognition for a dramatically different reason. The uninhabited island in the Cyclades, which was used for decades to exile and imprison political dissidents, has become an important refuge for the endangered Mediterranean monk seal, one of the world’s…

A depiction of Cassiodorus, 1493, from the Nuremberg Chronicles by Michel Wolgemut and Wilhelm Pleydenwurff (Public Domain) War does more than destroy buildings. It can also wipe out knowledge collected over centuries. In Italy during the sixth century, battles across the region damaged cities, schools and libraries that had once been centres of learning.At a…

Cities in the Netherlands are experimenting with a greener approach to urban surfaces by using grass-filled permeable paving blocks in places where conventional sealed concrete or asphalt might otherwise be used. These specially designed blocks contain open spaces where grass can grow, while gaps in the surface allow rainwater to pass through rather than immediately…

Deep within the Ecuadorian Amazon rainforest, scientists discovered a fungus with an extraordinary ability that could offer new clues in the fight against plastic pollution. Known as Pestalotiopsis microspora, the fungus can break down polyester polyurethane, a widely used type of plastic, and use it as a source of carbon. Even more remarkably, laboratory research…

The issue has become increasingly urgent because Japan’s imperial family has very few male heirs. Japan’s parliament on Friday approved changes to the country’s imperial succession law, introducing measures aimed at preserving the shrinking royal family but stopping short of allowing women to inherit the Chrysanthemum Throne despite strong public support for such a change.The…

In New Jersey, farmland is helping researchers explore whether livestock farming and solar power can successfully share the same land. At the centre of the project is a small herd of beef cattle grazing among rows of vertical solar panels, which have been installed without replacing the grass beneath them. While the cows continue their…

Stranded for 12 hours with no signal and fading hope, a father and son were rescued from one of Australia’s most remote corners by a billionaire A Melbourne father and son who were stranded for 12 hours without mobile phone coverage in the remote South Australian outback were rescued in an extraordinary way… by a…

US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Thursday arrested Indian-origin man Nitish Kaushal in Vermont, days after adding him to its Most Wanted list as part of its crackdown on transnational organised crime.The FBI said Kaushal was arrested as authorities closed in on the Bhagwanpuria gang.According to the agency, Kaushal is allegedly involved in murder,…

Syed Sohail Uddin survived the attack but suffered more than 15 stab wounds and remains hospitalised as he undergoes treatment for severe injuries. WASHINGTON: An Indian man was allegedly stabbed 15 times inside a shopping mall near Salt Lake City in the US state of Utah because of his religion, media reports said. Syed Sohailuddin,…

US President Donald Trump’s longtime teleprompter operator, Gabriel Perez, is under investigation by federal regulators over alleged insider trading on prediction market platform Kalshi, while the White House has placed him on unpaid leave, according to Reuters.The investigation centres on trades allegedly placed on Kalshi’s “mention markets,” where users bet on whether specific words or…