California health officials reported Friday that 374 terminally ill people took drugs to end their lives in 2017, the first full year after a law made the option legal. The California Department of Public Health said 577 people received aid-in-dying drugs last year, but not everyone used them. The law allows adults to obtain a prescription for life-ending drugs if a doctor has determined they have six months or less […]
The world has come together to celebrate the fourth International Yoga Day on June 21, 2018. The theme for 2018 is ‘Yoga For Peace.’ Just how do we interpret peace in the given scenario? Is peace about two countries maintaining diplomatic relations? Is peace about individuals respecting each other? Is peace about giving the space to the downtrodden, the underprivileged and the weak? Or are we talking about the peace […]
Crocodiles may be one of the deadliest hunters in the animal kingdom, but in a small village in Burkina Faso it is not unusual to see someone sitting atop one of the fearsome reptiles. People in Bazoule, around 30 kilometres (20 miles) from the capital Ouagadougou, share their pond with more than 100 of the razor-toothed creatures. “We got used to the crocodiles when we were young, swimming in the […]
Decades of commercial mountaineering have turned Mount Everest into the world’s highest rubbish dump as an increasing number of big-spending climbers pay little attention to the ugly footprint they leave behind. Fluorescent tents, discarded climbing equipment, empty gas canisters and even human excrement litter the well-trodden route to the summit of the 8,848-metre (29,029-foot) peak. “It is disgusting, an eyesore,” Pemba Dorje Sherpa, who has summited Everest 18 times, told […]
has emerged as a coveted destination for India’s diaspora. Indians appear gung-ho about Canada’s Express Entry programme which invites topranked candidates — under the country’s point-based immigration system — to take up permanent residency. Express Entry is Canada’s flagship programme for key economic migration. Under the scheme, out of the 86,022 invitations sent in 2017, nearly 42% (or 36,310) were to those holding Indian citizenship. The total number of invitations […]
The greatest show on turf begins today. Russia isn’t a cold and unwelcoming place as the Western media depicts it, and as host it can put on a lively tribute to the beautiful game. The usual problems of effective security against terrorist threats and stopping hooliganism from spoiling the atmosphere for genuine fans are what Russia has been preparing to face. Besides being the West’s outcast and paying the price […]
Singapore will spend about 20 million dollars to host the historic summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Tuesday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong revealed on Sunday. Singapore is one of the few countries that have diplomatic relations with both the United States and North Korea. “It’s our contribution to an international endeavour which is in our profound interest,” Lee told reporters at the […]
Blanketed with greenery, the ghost town is perched atop cliffs looking west into sea mists obscuring the horizon. Abandoned homes ravaged by weather and creeping vines stand silent but for the surf, the whine of mosquitos, and birdsong. This is Houtouwan — Back Bay in Mandarin — an abandoned fishing village engulfed by nature on the far eastern island of Shengshan, 90km off the coast of Shanghai. Small groups of […]
The acute water shortage plaguing Shimla for the past 15 days eased marginally on 2 June after the supply to the Himachal Pradesh capital was increased from 22.5 million litres per day (MLD) to 28 MLD, but protests over inadequate supply continued in several areas. Taking a serious note of alleged negligence in the supply of water, Irrigation and Public Health Minister Mahinder Singh ordered the suspension of Shimla Municipal […]
Canada’s Press Gallery dinner is the annual opportunity for the country’s top politicians to do their stand-up comedy act, using it as an opportunity to score some points off their opponents as well. At the dinner , Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also poked fun at an experience he appears not to have enjoyed too much – his visit to India, for which he received some criticism in his own […]
