Separatist leader to be Catalan president
Barcelona: Catalan politicians cleared the way on Sunday for a pro-independence candidate to be elected regional president and end the emergency direct rule imposed by Madrid in last year’s political crisis. The far-left CUP party said in a statement that it would abstain from an investiture vote in the regional parliament on Monday.
11 people killed in rain storm in Pak
lahore: A total of 11 people were killed after rain wreaked havoc in Pakistan’s Punjab and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Saudi TV station feeds into modernisation
Riyadh: Saudi Arabia’s ambitious reform drive takes another step forwards this week, with the launch of a new public TV channel that seeks to lure young viewers and project a modern image beyond the kingdom’s borders.
Fishermen plant mangroves for future
Beanjavilo: Hunched over the soil, Malagasy villagers work feverishly — deft fingers planting stalks of mangrove to replace the swathes destroyed for firewood and building material. In just two decades, Madagascar lost about a fifth of its mangrove forest area, exposing its coastline to the ocean’s ravages and shrinking the nursery grounds of crabs and shrimp — two key exports. With sea levels forecast to rise further due to global warming, coastal villagers are rushing to try and undo the damage, with the help of conservation group WWF.