New Italian restaurant opens in city

A burgeoning form of resistance music laced with religious metaphors is fast taking wing in Kashmir, a disputed region divided between rivals India and Pakistan. Known as “conscious music,” it's a blend of progressive Sufi rock and hip hop and draws elements from Islam and spiritual poetry. It's an assertive political expression in a place mired in decades of conflict — the songs have become a rallying cry for youths to use music to challenge Indian control. The fusion also seeks to bridge tensions between Muslim traditions and modernism in a region that in many ways still clings to its conservative past.

Asian shares have advanced across the board as buying sets in after the lull of a U.S. national holiday. Analysts said the optimism may be driven by expectations the U.S. may decide to cut Chinese tariffs, a welcome move that would also help tame inflation. Investors have been encouraged as restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic are gradually lifted across the region, including in Japan, which had been booming with tourists from abroad ahead of the pandemic. But risks remain because of inflation and slowing economic activity in some countries. A resurgence in COVID-19 infections in Europe, the U.S. and parts of Asia is also looming, bringing the threat of a reversion to pandemic precautions.