For the festival of the god Murugan, symbolising the victory of good over evil, the faithful fast from food and drink. Among the practices is that of pricking oneself with metal hooks and spikes. During the 40 days of preparation, devotees bathe ‘only in cold water, sleep on the ground, pray, sing mantras and hymns and devote themselves to spiritual reading’.
Taslima Nasrin, a physician and activist, went into exile in 1994 after extremist groups made threats against her. The head of Bangladesh’s interim government Muhammad Yunus denounced the incident asking police to strengthen security measures. Tensions mounted on social media in the days leading up to the opening of the event.
The new archbishop of the Indian metropolis delivered the homely at the Mass of thanksgiving with which he began his ministry this evening. “How often at the bedside of the sick we learn to hope,” he said. “We bring to the Lord, all our activities, our plans, our selves, our families, our parishes, our institutions”.
Breaking all records at the Chinese box office, the animated film has enthused online communities, including the “Industrial Party”, which praises technological progress as a means to achieve China's cultural supremacy. With innovative special effects and a strong nod to tradition, the film is part of a new wave of entertainment products that seek to push China's creative industry on the international stage.
In a letter to the US bishops, the pontiff explicitly condemns the expulsion plan that “identifies the illegal status of some migrants with criminality.” He appeals to Catholics not to give in to “narratives that discriminate and cause unnecessary suffering”. For him, “Christian love is not a concentric expansion of interests.” He warns that looking only at national identity “distorts social life and imposes the will of the strongest as the criterion of truth”.
Overcrowded carriages and delays are the order of the day. The country's infrastructure is not adequate to support modern rail traffic. 72% of locomotives are over 40 years old: concerns about safety and efficiency. The new Chinese carriages, which cost 22 million dollars, are unusable. Experts: ‘Urgent action to avoid effects on the economy and commuters’.