Berlin / AFP Support for German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative alliance has slumped to its lowest since July 2002 as opposition over her liberal refugee policy grows, a survey showed on Sunday, while a right-wing populist party polled a record high. According to the poll published by the Bildam Sonntag newspaper, public support for Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union and sister …

Kathmandu / AFP After enduring endless blackouts in Nepal’s months-long and ongoing national fuel crisis, management consultant Pankaj Shrestha finally splurged on a set of solar panels for his home in Kathmandu. “First there was no cooking gas available, so we bought an electric cooker. But then there was no electricity, so how could we cook anything?” the 52-year-old asked. …

Baghdad / AFP The United Nations launched an appeal on Sunday for $861 million in international humanitarian assistance to help millions of people in Iraq who are suffering from war and displacement. Violence including the devastating war with the IS extremists group has displaced 3.3 million Iraqis in the past two years, while some 250,000 Syrians have fled to Iraq …