Faisal Shaikh

 Business IEA says the implications of a potential loss of Russian oil exports to global markets "cannot be understated" PARIS: The International Energy Agency (IEA) cut its world oil demand forecast for 2022 on Wednesday, warning that sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine could spark a global supply "shock". "Faced with what could turn into the biggest supply crisis in decades, global energy markets are at a crossroads," the IEA said in a monthly report. While it is still too early to know how events will unfold, the crisis may result in lasting changes to energy markets," said the Paris-based agency, which advises developed countries. Russia, the world's biggest exporter of oil, has been hit with a slew of international sanctions over the war in Ukraine, which sent oil prices soaring. While the measures exclude the energy market, the IEA said major oil companies, trading houses, shipping firms and banks have "backed away fro...

MUMBAI: On a giant flyover in the sprawling Indian metropolis of Mumbai, a transgender art collective is trying to change attitudes as radically as it transforms the concrete pillars into brightly coloured murals. Known as “hijras”, individuals identified as male at birth but now part of India’s “third gender”, have an ambivalent position on the edges of Indian society, respected and feared in turn as some Hindus believe they hold the power to bless or curse. Denied jobs at most workplaces, many are forced to beg at traffic intersections, where they are a common sight in major cities, or on trains. Some turn up at family events such as weddings or birth celebrations, or at new houses, to offer blessings in return for money, sometimes threatening to issue curses if denied. Others turn to prostitution, increasing their risk of violence. The Aravani Art Project hopes to challenge the stigma and marginalisation by showing transgender people as artists in the same public spaces where they b...