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India is mourning campaigner and social reformer Bindeshwar Pathak who died on Tuesday, aged 80.

Lebanese Cabinet ministers say an offshore drilling rig has arrived at its location in the Mediterranean Sea off Lebanon’s coast and will start operations in the coming weeks to search for gas

Tencent Holdings Ltd.’s revenue missed estimates, signaling an uneven recovery for the world’s biggest internet arena as it

It doesn’t matter how many times an influencer tells you that “courage” is the only thing required to travel – it doesn’t change the fact that you normally need cold, hard cash. Airlines and hotels don’t care about our personal motivations and bucket lists, and travelling is – now more than ever – a luxury. At a time when food banks are bursting at the seams, millions of people have placed travelling in the “maybe next year” category. I’m one of them – I simply can’t afford to go abroad right now. Even a trip to visit my parents in my native Poland must wait till autumn, when Ryanair tickets fall low enough to be within my price range. At the same time, I firmly believe that summer is for fun and making memories. So, one morning in June, I decided to take a day trip from Glasgow to Pitlochry in the Scottish Highlands. I initially planned on using a return ticket, returing home the same evening to cut costs. Then I saw a backpackers’ hostel on the town’s picturesque high street. I couldn’t resist. I had to check-in. Read more on Scotland travel: Take the train for a sustainable Scottish Highlands adventure Best budget hotels in Scotland The best Scotland road trips to travel in your lifetime What comes to mind when you read the word “hostel”? Temporary accommodation for people with no luck? Prison-like conditions? A horror film from 2005? In my case, the answer is community. At the age of 18, I began working in the funky and vibrant hostels of Krakow’s Jewish Quarter. What initially started as a way to escape hellish call-centre work quickly turned into the most fulfilling job I ever had. As a result, my nostalgia-fuelled stay at Pitlochry Backpackers felt magical yet surreal. The pandemic nearly destroyed the industry. Sleeping in one room with multiple strangers simply wasn’t an option at a time when most people were meeting their friends and loved ones in parks for socially distanced walks. Even the award-winning hostels I used to work in didn’t survive, and they were among the best in the world. Hostels aren’t just about a cheap bed; if you choose wisely, yours might be more fun than any fancy hotel. And trust me – I love fancy! But it’s a chance to meet new friends from all over the world, or at least encounter characters you’re unlikely to spot at the local branch of Hilton. The hostels I worked in had a tremendous reputation because the whole team worked hard to provide an unforgettable experience. We showed our guests around the city, partied with them, cooked for them at no extra charge, played games and booked tours together. I’m still in touch with some of my former guests, many of whom I met way back when people on the internet were arguing about the colour of a dress. Nearly a decade later, most of us are scarred after a deadly pandemic and much poorer than we wanted to be. If ever there was a time for a hostel renaissance, it’s now. Hostels aren’t just about a cheap bed; if you choose wisely, yours might be more fun than any fancy hotel I think everyone with a passion for travel should try a proper hostel at least once in their life. There is something harmonious about exploring a new place – whether it’s a Highland forest or the Old Town in Prague – and returning to a communal space filled with personality, where the sound of laughter welcomes you as soon as you cross the threshold. In Pitlochry, I spent the day spotting kingfishers in the forest and listening to Joni Mitchell by the Loch Dunmore. Upon my return, I was greeted by a cheery Australian lad who said we should go for pints later. In the hostel’s kitchen, people were making a casserole together. I ended up solving jigsaw puzzles with two Brazilians at 2am while discussing the Arctic Monkeys and Harry Styles’ newest album. In the digital era, and in the midst of a loneliness epidemic, it’s harder than ever to establish new connections face-to-face. Even asking for a napkin at McDonald’s gives me anxiety. That night in Pitlochry, I was showered with generosity and kindness. Chatting to everyone and learning about their circumstances felt liberating and natural. The process of choosing a hostel is not much different to picking a hotel. Pay attention to reviews; a place with a good rating is likely to be perfectly clean and tidy. A caring management is key. Ideally, you want your hostel to include various references to backpacking and the outdoors. Speaking from experience, if the place is filled with maps, flags, and leaflets, that’s a good start. A hostel should be a warm, authentic place that brings together people who are passionate about visiting new places and learning new things during their adventures. There’s nothing worse than a cold, lifeless hostel with white walls and fragile, aluminium frame beds that squeak and shake every time you take a deep breath. Many hostels offer private bedrooms at prices much lower than budget hotels. Booking one is a best-of-both option for those who would love to experience the social elements of a hostel without having to share a dorm with strangers. If you’re staying in a dorm and the place isn’t fully booked, they will most likely offer to move you to the most comfortable dormitory or bed available. Receptionists are there to tell you about the area, offer recommendations and help you book attractions. In the digital era, and in the midst of a loneliness epidemic, it’s harder than ever to establish new connections face-to-face Pitlochry is a popular Scottish tourist destination, but my stay still cost me a paltry £25. Book a good hostel in Central or Eastern Europe, and you could end up paying half that price. On the other end of the spectrum, some of Europe’s best hostels, such as Majdas Hostel in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, or the House of Sandeman in Porto, Portugal, charge somewhere between £30 and £45 for a night in a dorm during the summer months. That’s still far cheaper than most hotels, for digs that are arguably far superior. Pitlochry Backpackers helped me find a bit of that 2010s joy in me again. Surrounded by board games, DVDs, musical instruments, and quirky posters reminded me that you don’t have to splurge to have memorable, delight-inducing travel experiences. I might be cash-poor, but I now intend on getting out and exploring more of Britain’s nature while staying in cheap and cheerful backpackers’ hostels. I don’t plan on staying home all summer, and you don’t have to either. It’s time to shake off your British reserve, channel your inner extrovert and swap buttoned-up luxury for the hotel’s more affordable, cooler cousin. Read more of our best Scotland hotel reviews

A plan for how Indonesia will spend $20 billion to transition to cleaner energy was submitted Wednesday to the government and its financing partners

Andrea González aims to be vice-president in Ecuador after her party's presidential candidate was shot dead.

The number of foreign visitors to Japan topped 2 million for a second consecutive month in July, recovering

The rate of inflation in the U.K. fell sharply in July to a 17-month low largely on the back of lower energy prices

It seems like inflationary pressures may take longer to dissipate, judging from the latest consumer price figures this

A man in Utah has been arrested after allegedly posing as a doctor and making at least $2m by selling a fake cure for Covid-19. He evaded arrest for almost three years. Gordon Hunter Pedersen, 63, who lives in Cedar Hills, Utah, was arrested last week on Wednesday after he was charged in 2020 with seven felonies, including mail and wire fraud, selling of misbranded drugs with intent to defraud and mislead, the US attorney’s office in the state said on Monday. He allegedly sold a "structural alkaline silver" online and claimed that the drug "resonates or vibrates at a frequency that destroys the membrane of the (COVID-19) virus, making the virus incapable" of infecting humans, court documents said. He posed to his customers as an "anti-ageing medical doctor" with PhD degrees in immunology and naturopathic medicine, it said. A warrant for Mr Padersen was issued in August 2020 when he failed to appear in a court for the indictment, leading to a three-year manhunt. The arrest in the case comes a month after he was spotted on surveillance camera footage at a gas station around 40 miles south of Salt Lake City. Mr Padersen promoted his fake cure through YouTube videos, Facebook posts, podcasts and websites, wearing a white lab coat with “Dr” monogrammed on it. “There is no drug that man has made that can do the same,” he said in his podcast interview in March 2020. “If you have the silver in you, when the virus arrives, the silver can isolate and eliminate the virus,” he added. He maintained that his silver product can destroy Covid-19 virus in an interview with federal agents but acknowledged that his credentials were exaggerated. He had been promoting a cure for diseases such as arthritis, diabetes and pneumonia, since 2014. But he substantially profited between January and April 2020 when he made approximately $2m in sales from the company he co-owned, My Doctor Suggests, according to court records. The US District Court for Utah filed a restraining order against Mr Pedersen to stop him from selling the products by labelling them cure-alls, the Justice Department said at that time. Following three years of evading authorities, Mr Pedersen was identified by a Food and Drug Administration special agent on 5 July, while he was in a vehicle registered under his wife’s name, Julia Currey, according to prosecutors. The agent tracked the vehicle to a gas station, where Mr Pedersen was captured on a surveillance camera, as stated by prosecutors. His indictment was part of a task force created by attorney general Merric Garland in 2021 to prosecute businesses and entities that tried to “profit unlawfully from the pandemic. His lawyer is yet to comment on the development. Read More Marjorie Taylor Greene addresses online conspiracy theory linking her to Jan 6 pipe bomber Trump claims mystery press conference report clears him of Georgia election charges – live updates Trump shares moody new video with poem voiceover about ‘suffering to win’

Germany’s Cabinet is set to approve a plan to liberalize rules on cannabis, setting the scene for the European Union’s most populous member to decriminalize possession of limited amounts and allow members of “cannabis clubs” to buy the substance for recreational purposes

Asian shares have declined amid worries over discouraging data on China, as well as over the future of the U.S. economy